Advanced Transport Phenomena

How can you reduce the energy loss of your home? What is the underlying science of energy loss in pipes? Which heat and mass transfer problems do we have to tackle to make consumer products?

In this engineering course, you will learn about the engineering principles that play an important role in all of these and more phenomena. You will learn about microbalances, radiation, convection, diffusion and more and their applications in everyday life.

This advanced course is for engineers who want to refresh their knowledge, engineering students who are eager to learn more about heat/mass transport and for all who have fun in explaining the science of phenomena in nature.

Week 1: Microbalances in Transport Phenomena

• A short summary of microbalances in tubular reactors (plug flow), with in parallel the introduction of the ‘microbalance’ for subjects which were not covered in TP101x Transport Phenomena, such as Fourier and Fick's law in different geometries (diffusion through membranes).

Week 2: The momentum balance

• The momentum balance is a new subject and can be combined with mass and energy balance.
• Introduction of the pressure drop by means of a force balance and the definition of the friction factor for tubes, bends and other pipe connections. A link can be made to the mechanical energy balance.

Week 3: Convection: Mass and Heat transport

• Convective transport is much more powerful than diffusion. It is also much more complex and in most cases can only be treated using (dimensionless) correlations for the transfer coefficients.
• Along with convective heat transfer the analogy is introduced with mass transfer.

Week 4: Mass transfer

• Mass transfer between two phases is introduced. Further the partition coefficient between two phases is explained.

Week 5: Laminar flow

• Definition of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids and the derivation of the velocity profile between two parallel flat plates and in a tube.

Week 6: Radiation

• Introduction of the radiation; heat transfer (Stefan-Boltzmann).
• Illustration by its relevance in practice (radiation, emission, transparency, “grey” bodies).