UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG 2002–2003
 Brigham Young University
Back Chemical Engineering

   

W. Vincent Wilding, Chair
350 CB, (801) 422-2393

College of Engineering Advisement Center
264 CB, (801) 422-4325

Admission to Degree Program

The degree program in the Department of Chemical Engineering carries special enrollment limitations. Please see the college advisement center for specific details.

The Discipline

Chemical engineering deals with the development and application of manufacturing processes in which chemical and physical changes of materials are involved. Chemical engineers research and develop new methods to manage energy resources as well as commercial consumer products. They design reliable, cost-effective manufacturing plants and implement air-quality control systems. As problem solvers, chemical engineers work on the leading edge of technology—researching and developing the ideas of today for the designs, systems, and products of tomorrow.

Areas of instruction include heat transfer, fluid dynamics, chemical reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, separation operations, materials science, process control, and plant design. In addition, chemical engineering places strong emphasis on computer skills.

The BS curriculum is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Educational Objectives

The Chemical Engineering Department has the following educational objectives: (1) prepare students for lives of scholarship and continued learning founded on and imbued with rigorous principles of science, engineering, and mathematics; (2) prepare students for lives of service to family, church, and community as moral, disciplined, practicing engineers of integrity and faith; (3) prepare students for lives of contribution to society and humanity through unique skills for producing products, processes, and commodities that improve the quality of life. These objectives are intended to help develop the following attributes in students graduating from the program:
  1. An understanding of the chemical engineering major and profession.
  2. An understanding of fundamental principles of mathematics and science.
  3. An understanding of chemical engineering fundamentals.
  4. Practical experience with chemical process equipment, chemical handling, chemical analysis, and process instrumentation.
  5. An ability to use modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
  6. An ability to define and solve engineering problems.
  7. An awareness and a sensitivity to safety and environmental issues.
  8. An ability to communicate ideas effectively in both oral and written form.
  9. An ability to work effectively with others to accomplish common goals.
  10. An ability to apply chemical engineering fundamentals to solve open-ended problems and to design process units and systems of process units including multiple operations.
  11. An appreciation for and a commitment to ethical and professional responsibilities.
  12. An appreciation for and a commitment to the continuing pursuit of excellence and the full realization of human potential.

Career Opportunities

The combination of knowledge about process engineering, math, and chemistry obtained in the chemical engineering curriculum is a versatile preparation that opens a wide variety of opportunities to graduates. This versatility is one reason why chemical engineers have traditionally been among the highest paid professionals in the engineering and science disciplines.

Chemical engineers make a significant difference in our quality of life. Some develop clean, new energy sources to power society. Some develop and produce fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals to feed mankind. Virtually all pharmaceuticals are produced by chemical engineers to enhance the life of millions. Others study and produce biomedical devices and artificial organs. Still others are involved in development and production of new materials for use in new high-tech products.

Chemical engineers produce chemicals ranging in use from cleaning products to medicines and from man-made fibers for clothing and textiles to plastics for construction and consumer goods. Another large employer of chemical engineers is the semiconductor industry. In work that involves significant knowledge of chemistry and related processes, chemical engineers assist in the design and manufacture of semiconductor chips and circuit boards. The petroleum industry also employs chemical engineers, requiring their expertise for the discovery, production, and refining of petro-chemicals, including fuels, chemicals, and oils.

Many chemical engineers are employed in environmentally related positions, working on ways to improve air and water quality, to reduce acid rain and smog, and to recycle and reduce garbage. Additionally, chemical engineers are employed by universities as teachers and researchers and by government agencies to provide answers for energy, environmental, and defense concerns. Chemical engineers also train to work in the medical, business, and legal professions.

Though chemical engineering career opportunities are diverse, job functions can be categorized more easily. Chemical engineers are usually involved in research, design, development, production, technical sales, or management.

In research, they develop new ideas, new products, and new ways to produce existing products more economically and with less environmental impact.

In design, they create the processes that convert raw materials into finished products with emphasis on efficiency, safety, consumer needs, and environmental protection.

The development engineer improves existing processes and technology to better meet changing needs.

Production engineering involves supervision, quality control, and testing of production processes and operations.

Management and technical sales involve decision making with regard to consumer needs and technical capabilities.

Chemical engineers are creative problem solvers. Their careers are rewarding not only from an intellectual and financial view, but also from a personal perspective. Affecting the lives of millions, their solutions provide a better lifestyle for mankind.

Graduation Requirements

To receive a bachelor's degree a student must fill three groups of requirements: (1) general education requirements; (2) university requirements; and (3) major requirements.

General Education Requirements

Students should contact their college advisement center for information about general education courses that will also fill major requirements.

Languages of Learning

Precollege Math (zero to one course)
(or Math ACT score of at least 22)
0–3.0 hours
First-Year Writing (one course) 3.0
Advanced Writing (one course) 3.0
Advanced Languages/Math/Music
(one to four courses)
3–20.0

Liberal Arts Core

Biological Science (one to two courses) 3–6.0
Physical Science (one to two courses) 3–7.0
American Heritage (one to two courses) 3–6.0
Wellness (one to three courses) 1.5–2.0
Civilization (two courses) 6.0

Arts and Sciences Electives

Arts and Letters (one course) 3.0
Natural Sciences (one course) 3–4.0
Social and Behavioral Sciences (one course) 3.0

Note 1: For a complete list of courses that will fill each GE category, see the General Education section of the current class schedule.

Note 2: Additional information about general education requirements can be found in the General Education section of the current class schedule or this catalog.

Minimum University Requirements

Religion 14.0
Residency 30.0
Hours needed to graduate 120.0

Cumulative GPA must be at least 2.0.

Note: See the Graduation section of this catalog for more information.

Major Requirements

Complete the major requirements listed for one of the following undergraduate degree programs.

Undergraduate Programs and Degrees

BS Chemical Engineering

Students should see their college advisement center for help or information concerning the undergraduate programs.

Graduate Programs and Degrees

MS Chemical Engineering
PhD Chemical Engineering

For more information see the BYU 2002–2003 Graduate Catalog.

General Information

The Chemical Engineering Department offers a professional program leading to the bachelor of science degree. The first two years of this program are considered to be preprofessional and permit unrestricted enrollment for any student who qualifies for admission to the university. The remaining two years are considered to constitute the professional program.

Any student who is admitted to the university may choose this program as a possible major. All students are urged to declare their intention to major in the department upon first entry to the university or as soon thereafter as possible by contacting the college advisement center (264 CB). Students electing to major in this program must successfully complete the minimum preprofessional program requirements before applying for acceptance into the department professional program.

Transfer Students. Provisions have been made so that a qualified student transferring from a junior college or from another university, college, or department, who has completed the equivalent of the first two years of the academic program, can complete the BS degree requirements in another two years. Contact the department at the earliest date possible so that any variations can be accommodated with minimum loss of time.

Integrated Master's Program. At the end of the sophomore year or during the junior year, a student who desires to obtain a master's degree in chemical engineering may elect to enter the integrated master's program. The purpose of this program is to afford greater flexibility in scheduling course work than is normally available through the traditional BS degree followed by MS degree program. In this program students may work toward both the bachelor's and master's degrees simultaneously, either receiving the BS degree before or at the same time as the MS degree. At the end of the sophomore year students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or more. All credit to be counted toward the master's degree must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

Before completing the final 30 hours of undergraduate course work, students should submit a formal application for admission to the Office of Graduate Studies. Additional details may be obtained from the college advisement center.

Professional Registration. The Chemical Engineering Department encourages graduates to become registered professional engineers. General qualifications for becoming registered are explained in the College of Engineering and Technology section of this catalog. Some states require this status for consulting and practice in the private sector. Successful completion of the basic chemical engineering program outline prepares graduates to pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination. Students who wish to become registered as professional engineers are also advised to talk to their advisor about developing their own professional engineering option, which may include additional FE preparation courses.



BS Chemical Engineering (101.5–103.5 hours*)

This is a limited-enrollment program requiring departmental admissions approva. Please see the college advisement center or the department office for information regarding requirements for admission to this major. Premajor Program MAP

Major Requirements

  1. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with the department about their course scheduling.

  2. Complete the following preprofessional courses:
    Chem 111, 112 (or 105, 106, 107).
    ChEn 170, 263, 273, 291R.
    Math 112, 113, 302, 303.
    Phscs 121, 220.

  3. Complete the following professional courses:
    ChEn 311, 373, 374, 376, 378, 391, 436, 451, 475, 476, 477, 478.

  4. Complete the following supporting courses:
    Biol 100.
    Chem 351, 352, 461.
    Engl 316.
    Stat 361.
    And complete one course from the following:
    Econ 110.
    EngT 200.

  5. Complete technical electives (12 hours minimum) satisfying the following requirements:
    • Complete 2 hours of chemistry laboratory (Chem 213, 353, or 464).

    • Complete 6 hours of advanced (300-level or above) engineering course work from one of the following departments: Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or the School of Technology.

    • Complete 4 hours of advanced (300-level or above) course work from an engineering, math, science, or business department. Only 1 hour of Chem 497 is acceptable. No more than 2 hours of ChEn 498R (only 1 hour if Chem 497R is taken) may be applied to the program. Phscs 281 is approved for this requirement.

*Hours include courses that may fulfill GE or university requirements.



Chemical Engineering (ChEn)

Class Schedule Major Academic Plan (MAP)

Undergraduate Courses

170. Introduction to Chemical Engineering. (2:2:0) F, W

Principles of chemical processes and analyses with spreadsheets and graphics. Applying chemical engineering to current problems.

199R. Academic Internship. (1–3:Arr.:Arr. ea.) F, W, Sp, Su Prerequisite: consent of both department chair and cooperative education coordinator.

Work experience evaluated by supervisor and posted on student's transcript.

263. Problem-Solving Techniques for Chemical Engineers. (2:2:0) F, Sp Prerequisite: ChEn 170 or concurrent enrollment; Math 113.

Use of spreadsheets, advanced equation-solving packages, and structured languages to solve engineering problems. Introduction to chemical process principles. College Lecture attendance required.

273. Chemical Process Principles. (3:3:0) W, Sp Prerequisite: ChEn 170 or equivalent or concurrent enrollment; ChEn 263 or equivalent; Chem 106 or 112; concurrent enrollment in Phscs 121, Math 113.

Material and energy balances. College Lecture attendance required.

291R. Preprofessional Seminar. (.5:1:0 ea.) F, W

Presentations by faculty, advisors, and industrial representatives. College Lecture attendance required. Required both semesters of freshman year.

310. Introduction to Fossil Fuels and Combustion. (3:3:0) F

Energy sources, demands, and processes; costs and environmental studies; case studies of various fossil fuel and alternate energy sources; introduction to combustion and flames.

311. Chemical Engineering and Society. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: ChEn 273.

Responsibility of chemical engineers when interacting with society relative to safety, environment, and ethics.

373. Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics. (3:3:0) W Prerequisite: ChEn 273, 311; Chem 461.

First and second laws of thermodynamics as applied to behavior of real fluids; physical and chemical equilibrium. College Lecture attendance required.

374. Fluid Mechanics. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: Math 212, ChEn 273, 311.

Basic mass, momentum, and energy relations of fluid flow; design of fluid-handling systems and equipment. College Lecture attendance required.

376. Heat and Mass Transfer. (3:3:0) W Prerequisite: ChEn 311, 374.

Heat and mass transfer, including conduction, convection, radiation, diffusion; steady and unsteady state systems; transport analogies; design applications.

378. Science of Engineering Materials. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: Chem 351 or instructor's consent.

Fundamental principles of solid materials and their properties and behavior in engineering applications of metals, polymers, ceramics, and glasses.

381. Introduction to Semiconductor Processing. (3:2:1) F Prerequisite: Chem 105 or 111 or equivalent; Math 334 or equivalent; chemical engineering junior class status.

Unit operations related to silicon-based semiconductor processing, including substrate preparation, photolithography, doping, etching, and thin film formation. Lab included.

391. Chemical Engineering Career Skills. (1:1:0) F, W Prerequisite: admission to professional program.

Professional, communication, and life long learning skills. Field trip to chemical process facility.

411. Air Pollution Control. (3:3:0) W alt. yr. Prerequisite: instructor's consent. Recommended: junior standing or higher.

Causes and effects of air pollution; standards, criteria, and legislation; dispersion, meteorology, and atmospheric chemistry. Includes design project and use of impact statements.

412. Introductory Nuclear Engineering. (3:3:0) W Prerequisite: Math 334; Chem 106 or 112.

Principles and application of nuclear reactor design.

436. Process Control and Dynamics. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: Math 334, ChEn 376, 478.

Process systems, associated control systems, and instrumentation. Use of Laplace transforms and complex variables.

451. Chemical Engineering Plant Design and Process Synthesis. (4:4:0) W Prerequisite: ChEn 391, 436, 476, 478.

Design of chemical engineering machinery; plants and/or processes requiring application of unit operations; chemical process principles; economic analysis. Synthesis and optimization of chemical processes. College Lecture attendance required.

475. Unit Operations Laboratory 1. (2:1:6) F, Sp Prerequisite: ChEn 374, 376, 391; Engl 316; Stat 361.

Experimental verification of unit operations design principles; data collection and reduction; report preparation.

476. Separations. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: ChEn 373, 376.

Stage operations, distillation, extraction, and absorption; design applications. College Lecture attendance required.

477. Unit Operations Laboratory 2. (2:1:6) W, Sp Prerequisite: ChEn 476, 478. Recommended: ChEn 391, 476, 478; Engl 316; Stat 361.

Experimental verification of unit operations design principles; data collection and reduction; report preparation.

478. Chemical Reaction Engineering. (3:3:0) W Prerequisite: ChEn 311, Chem 461.

Fundamental principles and equations of chemical kinetics and reactor design.

491. Senior Seminar. (1:1:0) F, W

Technical presentations by students. One semester required of all majors in the senior year.

493R. Special Topics—Undergraduate. (1–3:3:Arr. ea.) Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

Classroom study based on student and faculty interest.

498R. Undergraduate Research. (1–3:Arr.:Arr. ea.) F, W, Sp, Su Prerequisite: faculty committee approval.

Final report required; 2 hours maximum allowed for degree credit.



500-Level Graduate Courses (available to advanced undergraduates)

500. Creative Skills in Chemical Engineering. (1:1:0) F

Application of creativity and technical knowledge from prior course work to solution of relevant, open-ended problems.

501. Directed Graduate Studies. (2:2:0) W Prerequisite: ChEn 531, 533, 535.

Guided preparation for department's comprehensive exams and for formulation of research prospectus.

510. Principles of Reservoir Engineering. (3:3:0) On dem. Prerequisite: ChEn 373.

Reservoir and hydrocarbon classification; fluid flow; primary oil and gas recovery mechanisms; enhanced oil recovery.

511. Environmental Engineering for Chemical Engineers. (3:3:0) W alt. yr. Prerequisite: ChEn 273 or equivalent.

Overview of environmental engineering for chemical engineers. Topics include environmental legislation, toxicology, process design for pollution prevention/waste minimization, hazardous waste treatment and disposal, and remediation.

518. Biomedical Engineering Principles. (3:3:0) W Prerequisite: ChEn 376, Math 212.

Application of chemical engineering principles to model physiologic systems and to solve medical problems.

528. Industrial Catalytic Processes. (2:2:0) Sp alt. yr. on dem. Prerequisite: Chem 106 or 111; 351; ChEn 378; or equivalents. Recommended: ChEn 478.

Fundamentals of catalytic chemistry and materials; applications to important industrial catalytic processes. Includes catalyst materials and preparation, catalyst characterization, fixed-bed reactor design, and catalyst deactivation.

531. Thermodynamics of Multicomponent Systems. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: ChEn 373 or 461.

Fundamental concepts and applications in first and second laws, equilibrium and stability, phase equilibrium, and homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical equilibrium.

533. Transport Phenomena. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: ChEn 476 or concurrent registration. Recommended: Math 323.

Transport mechanisms and coefficients and fundamental field equations for momentum, heat, and mass transport, with application to system design.

534. Advanced Separations. (3:3:0) On dem. Prerequisite: ChEn 533, Math 334.

General theory of differential and stagewise diffusional and separation operations, multicomponent distillation, extraction, and absorption; applying this theory to solution of complex problems, including column design and instrumentation.

535. Kinetics and Catalysis. (3:3:0) F Prerequisite: ChEn 478.

Theories and principles of chemical kinetics, including heterogeneous catalysis and reactor design.

541. Computer Design Methods. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: Math 311, ChEn 376; or equivalents.

Computer-aided design and numerical methods of chemical engineering processes.

578. Polymer Science and Engineering. (3:3:0) W Prerequisite: Introductory materials engineering course.

Fundamentals of polymer chemistry and physics and their implications in engineering applications. Topics include polymerization chemistry, structure-property relationships, polymer physics, and transport properties.

Graduate Courses

For 600- and 700-level courses, see the BYU 2002–2003 Graduate Catalog.



Chemical Engineering Faculty

Professors

Bartholomew, Calvin H. (1973) BES, Brigham Young U., 1968; MS, PhD, Stanford U., 1970, 1972.

Baxter, L. L. (2000) BS, PhD, Brigham Young U., 1983, 1989.

Beckstead, Merrill W. (1977) BS, PhD, U. of Utah, 1961, 1965.

Fletcher, Thomas H. (1991) BS, MS, PhD, Brigham Young U., 1979, 1980, 1983.

Oscarson, John L. (1974) BES, Brigham Young U., 1968; MS, PhD, U. of Michigan, 1972, 1985.

Pitt, William G. (1987) BS, Brigham Young U., 1983; PhD, U. of Wisconsin, Madison, 1987.

Rowley, Richard L. (1984) BS, Brigham Young U., 1974; PhD, Michigan State U., 1978.

Smoot, L. Douglas (1967) BS, BES, Brigham Young U., 1957, 1957; MS, PhD, U. of Washington, 1958, 1960.

Solen, Kenneth A. (1976) BS, U. of California, Berkeley, 1968; MS, PhD, U. of Wisconsin, Madison, 1972, 1974.

Terry, Ronald E. (1987) BS, Oregon State U., 1971; PhD, Brigham Young U., 1976.

Associate Professors

Harb, John N. (1988) BS, Brigham Young U., 1983; PhD, U. of Illinois, 1988.

Hecker, William C. (1982) BS, MS, Brigham Young U., 1974, 1975; PhD, U. of California, Berkeley, 1982.

Wilding, W. Vincent (1994) BS, Brigham Young U., 1981; PhD, Rice U., 1985.

Emeriti

Barker, Dee H. (1959) BS, PhD, U. of Utah, 1948, 1951.

Hanks, Richard W. (1963) BES, Yale U., 1957; PhD, U. of Utah, 1960.

Hedman, Paul O. (1977) BS, U. of Utah, 1957; PhD, Brigham Young U., 1973.

Pope, Bill J. (1958) BS, U. of Utah, 1947; MS, PhD, U. of Washington, 1948, 1959.






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