Separation Process Essentials

Book excerpt: Separation Process Essentials provides an interactive approach for students to learn the main separation processes (distillation, absorption, stripping, and solvent extraction) using material and energy balances with equilibrium relationships, while referring readers to other more complete works when needed. Membrane separations are included as an example of non-equilibrium processes. This book reviews and builds on material learned in the first chemical engineering courses such as Material and Energy Balances and Thermodynamics as applied to separations. It relies heavily on example problems, including completely worked and explained problems followed by "Try This At Home" guided examples. Most examples have accompanying downloadable Excel spreadsheet simulations. The book also offers a complementary website, http://separationsbook.com, with supplementary material such as links to YouTube tutorials, practice problems, and the Excel simulations. This book is aimed at second and third year undergraduate students in Chemical engineering, as well as professionals in the field of Chemical engineering, and can be used for a one semester course in separation processes and unit operations.