Department of Chemical Engineering
Chair
Richard A. Register
Departmental Representative
Yueh-Lin Loo
Professor
Ilhan A. Aksay
Jay B. Benziger
Pablo G. Debenedetti
Christodoulos A. Floudas
Yannis G. Kevrekidis
Morton D. Kostin
Athanassios Z. Panagiotopoulos
Robert K. Prud’homme
Richard A. Register
William B. Russel
Sankaran Sundaresan
James Wei
Associate Professor
Yueh-Lin Loo
Stanislav Y. Shvartsman, also Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics
Assistant Professor
A. James Link
Celeste M. Nelson
Rodney D. Priestley
Associated Faculty
Emily A. Carter, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
George W. Scherer, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Howard A. Stone, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Information and Departmental Plan of Study
Prerequisite. The freshman program in engineering or its equivalent.
General Requirements. In order to qualify for the B.S.E. degree in the Department of Chemical Engineering, a student satisfies the requirements of the School of Engineering and Applied Science (page 460) and chooses courses during the sophomore, junior, and senior years to provide a core knowledge of chemical engineering and advanced knowledge in an area of concentration. The advanced science and core chemical engineering courses in the sophomore and junior years provide the fundamental tools of thermodynamics, transport processes, and reactor analysis. In the senior year, students undertake an in-depth design analysis with state-of-the-art design and optimization tools in CHE 442 Design, Synthesis, and Optimization of Chemical Processes. Students can tailor their specific interests in chemical engineering by pursuing an area of concentration that culminates with a senior thesis project. The areas of concentration, reflective of the practice of modern chemical engineering, include bioengineering, biotechnology, materials and product engineering, energy and environmental engineering, optimization dynamics and information technology, entrepreneurship and management, and science and engineering for new technologies. This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012; telephone (410) 347-7700. Students with special interests should consult the section on special programs and options. Total courses: 36.
Chemical Engineering Core
The nine courses listed below are required of all chemical engineering majors:
245 Introduction to Chemical Engineering Principles
246 Thermodynamics
250 Separations in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
341 Mass, Momentum, and Energy Transport
346 Chemical Engineering Laboratory
441 Chemical Reaction Engineering
442 Design, Synthesis, and Optimization of Chemical Processes
451, 452 Independent Work or 454 Senior Thesis
Most students carry out a two-term senior thesis. Students must complete a two-term thesis for departmental honors. Students who elect one term of independent work are required to take an additional chemical engineering elective.
Mathematics Requirement
MAT 303 Ordinary Differential Equations, or MAE 305 Mathematics in Engineering I
Chemistry Requirement
CHM 202 General Chemistry II, or CHM 204 Advanced General Chemistry II, or CHM 215 Advanced General Chemistry (Honors)
CHM 301 Organic Chemistry I, or CHM 303 Organic Chemistry I: Biological Emphasis
Molecular Biology Requirement
MOL 214 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology, or MOL 215 Quantitative Principles in Cell and Molecular Biology
Advanced Science Requirements
Advanced Chemistry. The advanced chemistry course provides a greater depth in the underlying science of chemistry. The courses may be any 300 level or above chemistry course, including those cross-listed by the chemistry department. With the approval of the departmental representative, the advanced chemistry requirement may be selected from another science department.
Advanced Chemical Engineering. One advanced chemical engineering course is also required. This can be any 300 level or above course (excluding independent work) offered or crosslisted by the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Areas of Concentration
Students are required to designate an area of concentration and take three courses from the approved lists below in that area of concentration. The senior independent work should also be undertaken within the area of concentration. In addition, students are required to take at least one course each from two of the advanced areas outside their area of concentration to provide technical diversity.
Bioengineering and Biotechnology
CHE 423 Biologically Inspired Materials
*CHE 432 Dynamics of Cellular Processes
CHE 443 Separations in Chemical and Biochemical Processes
CHE 447 Biochemical Engineering
CHE 538 Biomolecular Engineering
CHE 539 Quantitative Physiology and Tissue Design
*CHM 412 Applied Quantitative Analysis: Molecular Recognition
MAE 344 Introduction to Bioengineering and Medical Devices
MOL 342 Genetics
MOL 345 Biochemistry
MOL 348 Cell and Developmental Biology
MOL 408 Cellular and Systems Neuroscience
MOL 427 Biotechnology and Its Social Impact
MOL 434 Macromolecular Structure and Mechanism in Disease
MOL 435 Pathogenesis and Bacterial Diversity
MOL 437 Computational Neuroscience
MOL 455/COS 455 Introduction to Genomics and Computational Molecular Biology
MOL 457 Computational Aspect of Molecular Biology
PSY 258 Fundamentals of Neuroscience
PSY 259 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
PSY 406 Functional Neuroanatomy
PSY 407 Developmental Neuroscience
QCB 510/CHE 535 Modeling Tools for Cell and Developmental Biology
Entrepreneurship and Management
CEE 460 Risk Assessment and Management
CHE 260/EGR 260 Ethics and Technology: Engineering in the Real World
COS 432 Information Security
ECO 310 Microeconomic Theory: A Mathematical Approach
EGR 495 Special Topics in Entrepreneurship
ELE 491 High-Tech Entrepreneurship
GEO 297/ENV 399 Environmental Decision Making
GEO 366 Current and Future Climate
MOL 427 Biotechnology and Its Social Impacts
ORF 245 Fundamentals of Engineering Statistics
ORF 335 Introduction to Financial Engineering
ORF 435 Financial Risk Management
WWS 304 Science, Technology, and Public Policy
WWS 315 Bioethics and Public Policy
WWS 320 Human Genetics, Reproduction, and Public Policy
WWS 327/CHM 443 Pharmaceutical Research and Health Policy
Energy and Environmental Technology
CEE 303 Introduction to Environmental Engineering
CEE 306 Hydrology
CEE 308 Environmental Engineering Laboratory
CEE 471 Introduction to Water Pollution Technology
CHM 333 Oil to Ozone: Chemistry of the Environment
CHM 470 Environmental Chemistry of Soils
*ECO 429 Issues in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
*ELE 431 Solar Energy Conversion
ENV 202a, b Fundamentals of Environmental Studies: Climate, Air Pollution, Toxics, and Water
GEO 220a Weather and Climate or GEO 220b Weather and Climate
GEO 322 Biogeochemical Cycles and Global Change
GEO 363/CHM 331/ENV 331 Environmental Geochemistry: Chemistry of the Natural Systems
GEO 418 Environmental Aqueous Geochemistry
MAE 328 Energy for a Greenhouse-Constrained World
MAE 427 Fossil Fuel Energy Conversion: Mobile Power Plants
Materials and Product Engineering
CEE 364 Materials in Civil Engineering
CHE 410 Molecular Structure and Property: Product Engineering
CHE 415 Polymers
CHE 423 Biologically Inspired Materials
CHM 403 Advanced Organic Chemistry
ELE 441 Solid-State Physics I
ELE 442 Solid-State Physics II
ELE 449 Materials and Solid-State Device Laboratory
MAE 324 Structure and Properties of Materials
MAE 334 Materials Selection and Design
MSE 301 Materials Science and Engineering
MSE 302 Laboratory Techniques in Materials Science and Engineering
MSE 531/ELE 531 Introduction to Nano/Microfabrication
Optimization, Dynamics, and Information Technology
CHE 445 Process Control
CHE 448 Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamics
COS 217 Introduction to Programming Systems
COS 226 Algorithms and Data Structures
COS 323 Computing for the Physical and Social Sciences
COS 333 Advanced Programming Techniques
ORF 245 Fundamentals of Engineering Statistics
ORF 307 Optimization
ORF 309 Probability and Stochastic Systems
ORF 311 Optimization under Uncertainty
ORF 406 Statistical Design of Experiments
ORF 411 Operations and Information Engineering
ORF 417 Dynamic Programming
Science and Engineering for New Technologies
Transport Phenomena
CHE 342 Fluid Mechanics
MAE 306 Mathematics in Engineering II
MAE 336 Viscous Flows
MAE 423 Heat Transfer
Chemical Technology
CHE 421 Catalytic Chemistry
CHM 302 Organic Chemistry II, or CHM 304 Organic Chemistry II: Biological Emphasis
CHM 305 The Quantum World
CHM 306 Physical Chemistry: Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics
CHM 406 Advanced Physical Chemistry: Chemical Dynamics and Thermodynamics
CHM 407 Inorganic Chemistry: Structure and Bonding
Engineering Physics
PHY 203 Classical Mechanics A, or PHY 205 Classical Mechanics B
PHY 208 Principles of Quantum Mechanics
PHY 301 Thermal Physics
PHY 305 Introduction to Quantum Theory
Electronic Materials Processing
ELE 208 Integrated Circuits: Practice and Principles
ELE 341 Solid-State Devices
ELE 342 Physical Principles of Electronic Devices
ELE 441 Solid-State Physics I
The advanced chemistry course requirement and the advanced chemical engineering course requirement can both be satisfied by electives in the areas of concentration.
Special Programs and Options. The flexibility built into the chemical engineering curriculum provides an opportunity for students to obtain a thorough education in the fundamentals of chemical engineering science and at the same time pursue a cognate field (a “track”) such as biology, business, medicine, chemistry, or physics. Students simply elect as few or as many courses in the cognate field as they desire. While some students may concentrate all their electives in a single field, others may prefer to divide their time between two tracks, for example, chemistry and the biological sciences, or physics and mathematics. The following listing suggests the many tracks available.
Applied and Computational Mathematics: Elective courses in mathematics, modeling, and applications.
Applied Mathematics and Computer Technology: Elective courses in statistical studies, mathematics, electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and civil engineering and operations research.
Applied Physics: Elective courses in physics, mathematics, and chemical engineering.
Biotechnology: Elective courses in chemical engineering, molecular biology, and chemistry.
Business and Finance: Elective courses in decision theory, engineering administration, and economics.
Chemistry: Additional courses in chemistry and the biological sciences beyond those required in the regular program.
Energy Conversion and Resources: Elective courses with emphasis on conversion of energy as given by the Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Physics.
Environmental Studies: Elective courses in ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, and civil and environmental engineering.
Materials Science: Elective courses in materials science and engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, and civil and environmental engineering.
Premedical: Elective courses in ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular biology, and chemistry.
Princeton University offers several special programs called certificate programs. Unlike the tracks described above, these certificate programs have formal requirements. They are described elsewhere in this announcement (for example, see the Programs in Engineering Physics, Engineering Biology, Materials Science and Engineering, Sustainable Energy, and Environmental Studies).
Courses
CHE 199 Great Inventions That Changed the World (also EGR 199) Not offered this year QR
Examines a number of great inventions in 20th-century chemical technology. Focuses on scientists and engineers who tackled the urgent problems of their day. Using case studies, students learn about the methods and tools employed by scientists, examine their solutions, and discuss the consequences (both good and bad) of their inventions. Students develop their quantitative skills by using Excel to solve equations and do statistical analysis. Two lectures, one preceptorial. J. Wei
CHE 201 An Introduction to Scientific Computing Not offered this year QR
An introduction to computer programming emphasizing numerical modeling and problem solving, including numerical integration, solution of systems of non-linear equations, and composition of high-level macros for numerical work within spreadsheets. The programming environment is Visual Basic.NET, an object-oriented programming language that is accessible to beginner programmers and permits the rapid development of applications with a graphical user interface. Utilizes MATLAB data analysis, visualization, programming, and symbolic mathematics systems. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Prerequisite: MAT 103. A. Panagiotopoulos
CHE 245 Introduction to Chemical Engineering Principles Fall
Application of the principles of conservation of mass and energy to the design and analysis of chemical processes. Elementary treatment of single and multiphase systems. First law of thermodynamics for closed and open systems. Steady state and transient analysis of reacting and nonreacting systems. Prerequisite: general chemistry. R. Priestley
CHE 246 Thermodynamics Spring
Basic concepts governing the equilibrium behavior of macroscopic fluid and solid systems of interest in modern chemical engineering. Applications of the first law (energy conservation) and second law (temperature, entropy, reversibility) to open and closed systems. Thermodynamic properties of pure substances and mixtures. Phase equilibrium and introduction to reaction equilibrium. Introduction to the molecular basis of thermodynamics. Applications include thermodynamics of protein stability, the earth’s energy balance, energy conversion schemes, and the binding of ligands to proteins. Prerequisite: 245 or instructor’s permission. A. Panagiotopoulos
CHE 250 Separations in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Spring
Fundamental thermodynamic principles and transport processes that govern separations in biotechnology and chemical processing. Staged operations, such as distillation and chromatography, are developed based on coupling phase equilibrium with mass balances. Transport processes driven by electric fields, centrifugal fields, or hydrodynamics provide the basis for understanding ultracentrifugation, membrane process, and electrophoresis. Prerequisites: 245, or MAT 104 with permission of instructor. Three classes. A. Link
CHE 260 Ethics and Technology: Engineering in the Real World (also EGR 260) Fall EM
An examination of engineering as a profession and the professional responsibilities of engineers. The ethics of engineering will be considered through case studies (e.g., automobile safety, pollution control), and the social responsibilities of engineering will be distinguished from those of science and business. Quantitative decision-making concepts, including risk-benefit analysis, are introduced and weighed against ethical considerations to compare technology options. Ethical conflicts between utilitarian theories and duty theories will be debated. Two lectures, one preceptorial. J. Benziger
CHE 341 Mass, Momentum, and Energy Transport Fall
Survey of modeling and solution methods for the transport of fluids, heat, and chemical species in response to differences in pressure, temperature, and concentration. Both steady-state and transient behavior will be examined. Topics include fluid statics; conservation equations for mass, momentum, and energy; dimensional analysis; viscous flow at high and low Reynolds number; thermal conduction; convective heat and mass transfer, correlations; diffusion and interphase mass transfer. Working knowledge of calculus, linear algebra and ordinary differential equations is assumed. Three lectures, one preceptorial. MAE 305 may be taken concurrently. S. Sundaresan
CHE 342 Fluid Mechanics Not offered this year
Elements of fluid mechanics relevant to simple and complex fluids. Topics include macroscopic balances; derivation of differential balance equations and applications to unidirectional flows; treatment of nearly unidirectional flows through the lubrication approximation; introduction to turbulent flow; flow through porous media; capillary flows; dispersed two-phase flows; and hydrodynamic stability. Three lectures. Prerequisite: 341. Y. Kevrekidis
CHE 346 Chemical Engineering Laboratory Spring
An intensive hands-on practice of engineering. Experimental work in the areas of separations, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, process dynamics and control, materials processing and characterization, chemical reactors. Development of written and oral technical communication skills. Prerequisites 246, 341 or equivalents. One 90-minute lecture, two three-hour laboratories.
S. Sundaresan, J. Benziger, I. Aksay
CHE 351, 352 Junior Independent Work Fall, Spring
Subjects chosen by the student with the approval of the faculty for independent study. A written report, examination, or other evidence of accomplishment will be required. J. Benziger (fall); L. Loo (spring)
CHE 410 Molecular Structure and Property: Product Engineering (also CHM 410) Not offered this year QR
The value of chemical products, such as motor fuels and refrigerants, depends on such properties as heats of combustion, boiling points, and environmental impact. The introduction of new products and improvement of existing products depends on understanding and manipulation of molecular structure and intermolecular forces. Computers will be used in data access, structure visualization and manipulation, data analysis, and property estimation. Prerequisites: CHM 201 and CHM 202 and CHM 301. Two 90-minute lectures. J. Wei
CHE 415 Polymers (also CHM 415) Fall
Broad introduction to polymer science and technology, including polymer chemistry (major synthetic routes to polymers), polymer physics (solution and melt behavior, solid-state morphology and properties), and polymer engineering (overview of reaction engineering and melt processing methods). Two 90-minute lectures. R. Register
CHE 421 Catalytic Chemistry (also CHM 421) Fall
Concepts of heterogeneous catalysis applied to chemical processes. Major industrial processes based on heterogeneous catalysis, including ammonia synthesis, catalytic cracking, partial oxidation, and desulfurization. The major classes of heterogeneous catalysts, such as solid acids and transition metals, and the classes of chemical reactions catalyzed by these materials. Processing conditions and reactor design are also considered. Three lectures. Prerequisite: organic chemistry.
J. Benziger
CHE 423 Biologically Inspired Materials Not offered this year
Focuses on the pathways utilized by biological systems to produce hierarchically structured inorganic/organic nanocomposites such as bone, teeth, diatoms, and sea shells. These structures form through template-assisted self-assembly, in which self-assembled organic materials (proteins, lipids, or both) serve as the structural scaffolding. The outcome is multifunctional composites with self-healing, sensing, and actuating properties. The course will critically evaluate the potential of biologically inspired materials in future applications. Two 90-minute lectures, one class. I. Aksay
CHE 432 The Cell as a Chemical Reactor Not offered this year
Presents a framework for the analysis of cellular responses, such as proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Emphasis on mechanistic models of biotransformation, signal transduction, and cell-cell communication in tissues. Focuses first on unit operations of cell physiology transcription, translation, and signal transduction. Models of these processes will rely on tools of reaction engineering and transport. Process dynamics and control will then be used to analyze the regulatory structure of networks of interacting genes and proteins. Prerequisites: MOL 214 and MAT 303 or their equivalents. One three-hour lecture. S. Shvartsman
CHE 441 Chemical Reaction Engineering Spring
Stoichiometry and mechanisms of chemical reaction rates, both homogeneous and catalytic; adsorption, batch, continuous flow, and staged reactors; coupling between chemical reaction rates and mass, momentum, and energy transport; stability; optimization of reactor design. Application to environmental and industrial problems. Three lectures. Prerequisites: thermodynamics, 341. C. Nelson
CHE 442 Design, Synthesis, and Optimization of Chemical Processes Fall
Introduction to chemical process flow-sheeting; process simulation design, sizing, and cost estimation of total processes; process economics; introduction to optimization, linear programming, integer programming, and nonlinear programming; heat exchanger network v. synthesis. Three lectures. Prerequisite: 441. C. Floudas
CHE 443 Separations in Chemical and Biochemical Processes Not offered this year
Separations of importance in biochemical and chemical processes emphasizing physical and chemical mechanisms. Topics include: membrane separations, chromatographic separations, crystallization, centrifugation, filtration, extraction, and adsorption. Three lectures. Offered in alternate years. R. Prud’homme
CHE 445 Process Control Spring
A quantitative study of the principles of process dynamics and control. Dynamic behavior of chemical process elements; analysis and synthesis of linear feedback control systems with special emphasis on frequency response techniques and scalar systems. Three lectures. Prerequisite: differential equations, which may be taken concurrently. C. Floudas
CHE 447 Biochemical Engineering Not offered this year
Introduction to engineering analysis of biological systems and the use of microorganisms in biotechnology. Specific topics will include: introduction to microbial biochemistry and genetics; enzyme kinetics; kinetics and energetics of microbial growth; heat and mass transfer in biological systems; microbial bioreactors; immobilized cells and enzymes; genetic engineering. Three lectures, optional review sessions. Staff
CHE 448 Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamics (also MAT 448) Fall
An introduction to the phenomenology of nonlinear dynamic behavior with emphasis on models of actual physical, chemical, and biological systems, involving an interdisciplinary approach to ideas from mathematics, computing, and modeling. The common features of the development of chaotic behavior in both mathematical models and experimental studies are stressed, as is the use of interactive graphics to explore and analyze this behavior. Two 90-minute lectures. Prerequisites: knowledge of linear algebra and ordinary differential equations (for example, MAT 203, 303, or MAE 305). Y. Kevrekidis
CHE 451, 452 Senior Independent Work Fall, Spring
A one-semester study of an important problem or topic in chemical engineering. Projects may be experimental, computational, or theoretical. Topics selected by the students from suggestions by the faculty. Written report required. L. Loo
CHE 454 Senior Thesis Spring
A full-year study of an important problem or topic in chemical engineering culminating in a senior thesis. Projects may be experimental, computational, or theoretical. Topics selected by the students from suggestions by the faculty. Written thesis and oral defense required. The senior thesis is recorded as a double course in the spring. L. Loo
*One-time-only course
