(140c) USING PFD Diagrams AS Teaching TOOL for NON Chemical Engineers

Teaching process or design process for no Chemicals engineer can be improve means flow diagrams. Also important concepts learned in courses such as thermodynamics, chemistry or fluid mechanic can be reinforced by using flow diagrams.

 This paper is about the implementation of flow diagrams as learning tools in a material balance course for environmental engineering at Universidad Libre in Bogota Colombia. The concepts and methodology of materials balance will be used and applied in other areas (water treatment, air pollution soil analysis etc.).

 The syllabus of materials balance begin with, Definitions, separation process and different kinds of separation process, then follow with Unit and Dimension, general equation for material balance with and without chemical reactions and application exercises. All these topics are later reinforced with the concepts of flow diagrams: process equipment, auxiliary equipment, utilities and control systems.

In the last part, before the explanation the students are interrogated (something similar survey) about the meaning of words like raw materials, products, properties of substances, utilities, differences between pump and compressor, among other. After that, the concepts of flow diagrams and kinds of flow diagrams (Block flow diagram BDF, Process Flow Diagrams PFD and Piping and instrumentation diagrams P&I D), are given. The activities end with homework of identification of raw materials, products and utilities for a specific process. The homework search for identify the utilities and their possible impact in the environment looking for sensible and latent heat in the process and different streams process.

 The final part of the material balance is a design project of a chemical product and the draw of the different flow diagrams with a preliminary budget and material properties evaluation and environmental emissions.

 This methods has been successful in the environmental Engineering department because integrate other courses (thermodynamics, chemistry, water treatment, etc)