Lezioni Dottorandi (2022/2023)

Course partially running (all years except the first)

Lesson timetable

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Learning outcomes

Mass and energy balances provide very powerful tools in engineering and bio-engineering analysis. Many complex situations are simplified by looking at the movement of mass and energetic fluxes, relating what comes out to what goes in.
Questions such as: what is the concentration of carbon dioxide in the fermenter off-gas? What fraction of substrate is not converted into products? how much oxygen is needed for a fermentation to proceed? How much energy is necessary to set-up the reactor at its operative temperature? Can be answered using mass and energy balances.
This short course explains how the law conservations of mass and energy are applied to simple biological processes with and without chemical reactions.

Syllabus

Definition of system and process

2. Definition of Steady State and equilibrium

3. Law of conservation of mass

4. Types of materials balances

5. General mass balance equation

6. Procedure for mass balance calculations

7. Numerical examples on mass balance

8. Basic energy concepts

9. General energy balance equation

10. Focus on enthalpy calculation in nonreactive and reactive processes

11. Numerical examples on simple energy balances

Reference books

See the teaching bibliography

Assessment methods and criteria

The solving of a mass and energetic balance is required to pass the exam

Studying

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