Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers

Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers, Fifth Edition, provides solutions, common sense techniques, shortcuts, and calculations to help chemical and process engineers deal with practical on-the-job problems. It discusses physical properties for proprietary materials, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sector heuristics, and process design, along with closed-loop heat transfer systems, heat exchangers, packed columns, and structured packings. Organized into 27 chapters, the book begins with an overview of formulae and data for sizing piping systems for incompressible and compressible flow. It then moves to a discussion of design recommendations for heat exchangers, practical equations for solving fractionation problems, along with design of reactive absorption processes. It also considers different types of pumps and presents narrative as well as tabular comparisons and application notes for various types of fans, blowers, and compressors. The book also walks the reader through the general rules of thumb for vessels, how cooling towers are sized based on parameters such as return temperature and supply temperature, and specifications of refrigeration systems. Other chapters focus on pneumatic conveying, blending and agitation, energy conservation, and process modeling. Online calculation tools, Excel workbooks, guidelines for hazardous materials and processes, and a searchable Rules of Thumb library are included. Chemical engineers faced with fluid flow problems will find this book extremely useful.
- Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers brings together solutions, information and work-arounds that engineers in the process industry need to get their job done.
- New material in the Fifth Edition includes physical properties for proprietary materials, six new chapters, including pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical sector heuristics, process design with simulation software, and guidelines for hazardous materials and processes
- Now includes SI units throughout alongside imperial, and now accompanied by online calculation tools and a searchable Rules of Thumb library

P.E. is consultant to chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers. His career in the chemical process industries has spanned plant design and construction, operations, and engineering contracting. He has been project designer on more than 100 projects in sectors including food, pharmaceutical, specialty chemical, heavy chemical and petrochemical installations. He has published several articles on chemical engineering topics, and is an experienced process modeling software developer.

1 Fluid Flow 2 Heat Exchangers 3 Fractionators 4 Absorbers 5 Pumps 6 Compressors 7 Drivers 8 Vessels 9 Boilers 10 Cooling Towers 11 Refrigeration 12 Closed Loop Heat Transfer Systems 13 Biopharmaceutical Systems 14 Vacuum Systems 15 Pneumatic Conveying 16 Blending and Agitation 17 Process Evaluation 18 Reliability 19 Metallurgy 20 Safety 21 Controls 22 Troubleshooting 23 Startup 24 Energy Conservation 25 Process Modeling 26 Approximate Conversion Factors 27 Properties Appendix