Program Overview

Course Overview

The course TKP4120, Process Engineering, is an introduction to chemical and process engineering, providing a general introduction to the basic principles of the field. Process engineering includes the design, development, technical realization, and operation of chemical processes on an industrial scale.

Course Content

The course covers topics from thermodynamics and physical chemistry, including:

• State variables
• Ideal gas
• Equations of state
• Work and heat
• Laws of thermodynamics
• Internal energy
• Enthalpy
• Entropy
• Gibbs energy
• Equilibrium It also covers topics from process engineering, such as:
• The balance principle
• Mass balances
• Mass balances with chemical reactions
• Energy balances (2nd law of thermodynamics)
• Heat exchange
• Mechanical work (compression and expansion)
• Work from heat
• Process modeling using Python

Relevance for Sustainability

The course includes discussions on the usage of recycles for increasing yield and reducing emissions, thermodynamic laws for open systems, exergy, processes for CO2-capturing, and energy saving with heat exchangers and heat pumps.

Relevance for Digitalization

Programming exercises with Python are included to teach students how to solve systems of equations.

Learning Outcome

At the end of the term, students should be able to:

• Formulate mass and energy balances in a stationary system
• Use the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics together with mass balances and equilibrium relations to find the equilibrium product composition after a reactor
• Formulate and solve an equation system of mass and energy balances for a stationary process with reaction, separation, and recirculation
• Perform quantitative calculations of mass and energy balances in stationary chemical processes
• Perform simple simulations of mass and energy balances in stationary chemical processes
• Calculate the necessary area of a heat exchanger
• Calculate the heating/cooling effect and energy consumption in a heat pump or refrigerator
• Use energy and mass balances to do stationary calculations of turbines, pumps, valves, heat exchangers, splits, mixing units, heat exchangers, refrigerators, and reactors

Learning Methods and Activities

The course includes lectures (in Norwegian) and compulsory exercises.

Compulsory Assignments

• Exercises

Evaluation

If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may change from written to oral.

Recommended Previous Knowledge

None.

Course Materials

• S. Skogestad, Prosessteknikk, Tapir Akademisk Forlag 2009, 3rd edition.

Credit Reductions

The course has academic overlap with the following courses:

• SIK2025
• TKJE2006 (from Autumn 2018)
• TPRK2002 (from Autumn 2019) If overlapping courses are taken, a credit reduction will be applied to the course with the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject Areas

• Technological subjects

Examination

• Examination arrangement: School exam
• Grade: Letter grades
• Ordinary examination - Spring 2026: School exam, weighting 100/100, examination aids Code C, duration 4 hours, exam system Inspera Assessment.