Piping is the most ubiquitous feature of a chemical plant. Chemical processes typically involve large material flows, and it is essential for a student to understand the physical phenomena occurring in fluid systems. The Fluid Mechanics course teaches the students the application of conservation of mass and energy principles to fluid systems. The two components of Fluid Mechanics are fluid statics, the phenomena associated with fluids at rest, and fluid dynamics, the phenomena associated with fluids in motion. Fluid systems are analyzed at a macroscopic level; that is, in terms of observable bulk properties of the material. The energy balances generally focus on the mechanical energy—kinetic and potential—of the system, with thermal energy contributions playing an insignificant role.
Students gain an understanding of forces acting on fluid elements in stationary and moving fluids. This understanding is useful in determining the forces and pressure in stationary fluids as well as energy and power requirements in flow systems. Substantial costs are incurred in chemical processes in simply moving material from one process unit to another. Figure 3.15 provides an overview of the course.
Figure 3.15 Overview of the Fluid Mechanics course.
The concepts learned in Fluid Mechanics are prerequisite for the transport phenomena courses, which analyze the systems from a microscopic or molecular level. The Fluid Mechanics course helps the students understand the macroscopic behavior of the fluids. The transport phenomena courses delve into the explanation of this observed behavior through the analysis of microscopic processes occurring in the fluid.
Leave a Reply