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Chemical Engineering Graduate Program
The Department welcomes applications for the MSc and PhD degrees from academically qualified students with strong backgrounds in chemical engineering, related engineering fields and sciences.
MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM
MSc ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants who have a Bachelor's degree in engineering or science from an institution whose undergraduate programs are substantially equivalent in length, content and quality to those of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, are invited to apply for admission as regular graduate students in the Department of Chemical Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. Applicants must also satisfy the general admission requirements of the Graduate School.
Detailed application procedure for submitting an online application is available on the website of the Deanship of Graduate Studies http://www.kfupm.edu.sa/gs/
Note application deadlines.
For further enquiries contact:
Dr. Mamdouh Al-Harthi
Graduate Advisor
Chemical Engineering Dept.
Tel: +966-3-8601089
Fax:+966-3-8604234
M.S. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The chemical engineering Master's Program includes a series of advanced courses in thermodynamics, transport phenomena, kinetics, and applied mathematics. The program allows for six credit hours of technical electives to be selected in advanced chemical engineering or other fields of science and engineering with proper consultation and approval of the Graduate Advisor. Graduate students are also obliged to participate in all departmental seminars and present a seminar after two terms in the program. In addition, an approved research thesis of six credit hours is required. The normal completion time for graduate students ranges from three to four semesters.
M.S. DEGREE PLAN
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM
PhD ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants who have an M.S. degree from a university of recognized standing may be admitted to the doctoral program, provided they satisfy the Graduate School requirements for Ph.D. admission. Applicants must provide evidence of a suitable scientific background to enter the proposed field and must make up any deficiencies in their prior program within two semesters of enrollment.
Detailed application procedure for submitting an online application is available on the website of the Deanship of Graduate Studies http://www.kfupm.edu.sa/gs/
Note application deadlines.
For further enquiries contact:
Dr. Mamdouh Al-Harthi
Graduate Advisor
Chemical Engineering Dept.
Tel: +966-3-8601089
Fax:+966-3-8604234
PhD DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
PhD students are expected to complete course requirements of 30 credit hours, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.00 at all times. They are also required to present a seminar every year after completion of one academic year of study.
A comprehensive examination both written and oral is held on completion of the course work in the major and minor fields. The minor must be in a field related to the professional activities of the chemical engineer and must be selected from specific areas in chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, or systems engineering.
For students majoring in chemical engineering, the subject areas for the written examination are:
Paper I Transport Phenomena and Separation Processes (Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Mass Transfer, and Separation Processes).
Paper II Equilibrium and Rate Processes (Thermodynamics, Reaction Kinetics, and Process Control).
The written minor area is selected by the student in consultation with his advisor. The Oral Examination is given within one semester after the written examination to allow enough time to prepare the dissertation proposal by the student and his advisor. On the basis of the comprehensive examination, a student may be admitted to the Doctoral Degree Candidacy. A graduate student is permitted to take the Comprehensive Examination twice only.
On completion of the Comprehensive Examination, candidates prepare and submit a dissertation on an approved research topic. The dissertation should be an in-depth original study related to the field of chemical engineering. A dissertation committee is formed within the Department to guide the candidate during this research, and will review and examine the contents of the dissertation. The candidate, in consultation with his committee, and after approval of the College of Graduate Studies, shall arrange a time and place for public defense of the dissertation.
PhD DEGREE PLAN
GRADUATE COURSES
FLUID AND THERMAL SCIENCES
CHE 503 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
CHE 505 Computational Fluid Dynamics
CHE 507 Advanced Heat Transfer
THERMODYNAMICS
CHE 513 Advanced Thermodynamics
CHE 515 Statistical Thermodynamics
CHE 617 Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics
SEPARATIONS
CHE 523 Advanced Mass Transfer
CHE 525 Rate Controlled Separation Processes
REACTION ENGINEERING
CHE 530 Advanced Reaction Engineering
CHE 532 Heterogeneous Catalysis
CHE 534 Bioreaction Engineering
CHE 536 Process Analysis in Semiconductor Manufacture
CHE 637 Advanced Reactor Analysis
MATERIALS
CHE 541 Processing in the Materials Industry
CHE 545 Corrosion Science and Engineering
CHE 547 Applied Surface Analysis
PROCESS MODELING & CONTROL
CHE 560 Numerical Methods in Chemical Engineering
CHE 562 Advanced Process Dynamics and Control
CHE 564 Digital Process Control
CHE 565 Non-linear Dynamics in Chemical & Biochemical Systems
CHE 569 Simulation of Chemical Processes
GENERAL COURSES
CHE 571 Process Water Pollution Control
CHE 573 Process Air Pollution Control
CHE 575 Pollution Prevention in Process Industry
CHE 590 Special Topics in Chemical Engineering
CHE 501 Transport Phenomena (3-0-3)
Continuum theory of momentum, energy and mass transfer. Viscous behavior of fluids. Molecular transport mechanisms. General property balance. Laminar and Turbulent flow. Convective transport. Momentum, heat and mass applications of transport phenomena.
CHE 503 Advanced Fluid Mechanics (3-0-3)
Laminar boundary layers and their solutions. Laminar stability and transition to turbulence. Basic equations of turbulent flow. Pipe turbulent flows and turbulent boundary layers. Non-Newtonian fluids. Pipe flow of power law fluids. Pipe flow of a Bingham plastic. Constitutive equations for viscoelastic fluids. Flow through porous media, compressible flows.
CHE 505 Computational Fluid Dynamics (3-0-3)
Governing equations of fluid dynamics. Introduction to CFD. Grid generation, discretization. Numerical approximations: finite differencing and finite volume techniques. CFD tools: adapted programs and commercially available general purpose packages. Applications to incompressible and compressible fluid flow.
CHE 507 Advanced Heat Transfer (3-0-3)
Solution of steady and transient conduction and convection problems analytically and numerically. Fundamentals of convection boundary layer in laminar and turbulent flow. Free and forced convection in pipe, ducts and external surfaces. Combined mechanisms of conduction and convection. Free and forced convection in porous media.
CHE 513 Advanced Thermodynamics (3-0-3)
Basic postulates of classical thermodynamics. Applications to transient, open and closed systems. Properties of fluids and prediction of thermodynamic properties. Criteria of equilibrium and stability. Single phase, simple systems of mixtures. Phase and chemical equilibrium.
CHE 515 Statistical Thermodynamics (3-0-3)
Probability and statistics of microscopic systems. A study of microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical ensembles. Ideal and non-ideal gases, distribution function and computer simulation of fluids applied to pure components and mixtures.
CHE 517 Phase Equilibria (3-0-3)
Classical thermodynamics of phase equilibrium and stability. The phase rule. Ideal and non-ideal systems. Fugacity and activity. Phase equilibrium at moderate and high pressure. Activity coefficient models of local composition and group contribution. Equation of states and phase equilibrium. Liquid-Liquid equilibrium. Vapor-Liquid equilibrium. Solid-Liquid equilibrium. Solid-Vapor equilibrium. Phase equilibrium by simulation.
CHE 521 Diffusion Principles (3-0-3)
The Maxwell-Stefan relations, generalized Maxwell-Stefan formulation of irreversible thermodynamics, Fick's law, estimation of diffusion coefficients, solution of multicomponent diffusion problems by the linearized rate theory and effective diffusivity methods. Diffusion as a random walk; Monte Carlo simulation and molecular dynamics.
CHE 523 Advanced Mass Transfer (3-0-3)
Advanced coverage of laminar and turbulent mass transfer theory for binary and multicomponent systems. The coupling between and mass, heat and momentum transfer and chemical reactions. Interphase mass transfer. Applications in various fields shall be discussed.
CHE 525 Rate Controlled Separation Processes (3-0-3)
Study of traditional as well as contemporary rate controlled separation processes such as crystallization, chromatography, sorption, membranes, etc. Rate based models for distillation. Selective coupled rate processes will be discussed.
CHE 530 Advanced Reaction Engineering (3-0-3)
A study of the effect of temperature on conversion, stability, and product distribution in complex homogeneous reactions. Analysis of flow and mixing patterns and residence time distributions in chemical reactors. Kinetics of catalytic gas-solid reactions, mass and heat transport effects in catalysis. Design of catalytic fixed-bed reactors.
CHE 532 Heterogeneous Catalysis (3-0-3)
Molecular theories of adsorption and catalysis. Solid-state and surface chemistry of catalysts. Diffusion and reaction in porous catalysts. Design, preparation and characterization of catalysts. Catalyst deactivation and regeneration. Catalytic process engineering: examples and case studies.
CHE 534 Bioreaction Engineering (3-0-3)
Enzyme kinetics and immobilized enzymes systems. Cellular growth, bioreactions, transport processes. Stoichiometry of microbial reactions. Analysis of bioreaction rates. Bioreactors modeling and design. Immobilization and immobilized cell bioreactors. Inhibitory effects in bioreactors. Optimization and control of bioreactors.
CHE 536 Process Analysis in Semiconductor Manufacture (3-0-3)Solids device fabrication, process modeling, cleanliness of the process environment, designing the architecture of crystal fabrication including oxidation, doping by diffusion, chemical vapor deposition etc.
CHE 541 Processing in the Materials Industry (3-0-3)
Principles of processing materials into components. Technology, theory and analysis of the major unit processing operations for metals, polymers, ceramics and composite materials.
CHE 543 Polymeric Materials (3-0-3)
The structure, morphology, and properties of polymers. Polymerization reactions, molecular weight characterization, and polymer processing and rheology. Viscoelasticity, Rubber Elasticity,and mechanical properties. Thermodynamics of polymer solutions.
CHE 545 Corrosion Science and Engineering (3-0-3)
Electrochemical thermodynamics and kinetics pertinent to corrosion processes, testing, monitoring and inspection techniques and corrosion prevention are studied. Also covered are metallurgical, environmental and mechanical factors.
CHE 547 Applied Surface Analysis (3-0-3)
Principles of electron and mass spectroscopy. Major elemental and/or structural surface analysis techniques, such as Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy), Auger Electron Spectroscopy, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy. Recent advances in surface analysis techniques. Practical applications using Research Institute equipment.
CHE 560 Numerical Methods in Chemical Engineering (3-0-3)
Normalization of models, visualization of profiles, analysis of models of chemical processes, non-linear finite difference techniques, orthogonal collocation, non-linear algebraic equations, initial value and boundary value problems in chemical engineering, software packages for solving such problems.
CHE 561 Process Optimization (3-0-3)
Review of computerized material and energy balances, modeling of chemical and biochemical processes. Formulation of optimization problems, nature and organization of optimization problems in the process industry, optimization theory and techniques (basic concepts, optimization of unconstrained functions, unconstrained multivariable optimization, constrained optimization, linear programming and nonlinear programming). Real Time Optimization (RTO) Calculus of variation and Pontryagin maximum principle, Energy Integration (IE), Mass Integration (MI and Pinch Technology.
CHE 562 Advanced Process Dynamics And Control (3-0-3)
This course examines advanced non-linear dynamics of chemical/biochemical reacting and non-reacting systems and their practical implications on different processes and their control systems design. A number of advanced control topics will be covered, e.g.: model predictive control, non-linear supervisory and expert control, MIMO control systems design, stabilization and regulation control problems and their interaction, analogue vs. digital control systems, structural design of modern computer control systems.
CHE 564 Digital Process Control (3-0-3)
Components of digital control systems, stability theorem and its application to digital control systems, Digital control of simple distillation columns and CSTR’s, Z-transform and the design of digital control systems, sampled-data systems, tools for discreet-time systems analysis, Typical digital control designs for chemical and biochemical separation units and reactors, Structure of digital control systems for petrochemical and petroleum refining complexes.
CHE 565 Non-linear Dynamics in Chemical & Biochemical System (3-0-3)
Review of elementary dynamics of chemical & biochemical systems. Modeling and non-chaotic dynamics. Chaotic behavior in chemical & biochemical systems. Case studies: fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), carbon monoxide oxidation, fermenters,etc.
CHE 566 Process Synthesis (3-0-3)
Computerized material and energy balances for actual industrial process flow diagrams. Use of spreadsheets and commercial simulators for conceptual developments of process flow sheets and process calculations with special emphasis on down stream petrochemical industries. Use of computer packages for process synthesis and optimization.
CHE 569 Simulation of Chemical Processes (3-0-3)
Mathematical modeling of a chemical plant. Sparse matrices techniques. Tearing of matrices. Construction of a steady state simulator. In depth discussion of the available simulators including application of these simulators to local industry. Simulation of unsteady state processes.
CHE 571 Process Water Pollution Control (3-0-3)
Wastewater treatment objectives and methods. Design of facilities for physical and chemical treatment of wastewater. Ecology of biochemical reactors, kinetics of biochemical systems, modeling of ideal biochemical reactors, design of facilities for the biological treatment of wastewater.
CHE 573: Process Air Pollution Control (3-0-3)
Production, emission and transfer of contaminants through the atmosphere from stationary sources. Mathematical models of air pollution. Control concepts. Theory and design of control devices. Integration of pollution control in chemical engineering processes. Current research and development in air pollution control.
CHE 575 Pollution Prevention in Process Industry (3-0-3)
Main characteristics of pollution problem in the process industry. End of pipe versus in-process-modifications. Pollution Prevention (P2) strategy and its applications in: Chemical, Biochemical Petrochemical and Petroleum Refining Industries. Pollution Prevention (P2) methodologies for energy generation, separation, process reactors, bioreactors, complete plants and entire industrial complexes.
CHE 580 Research Report (3-0-3)
Overview of research methodology: documentation; statistics, experimental design, library and database use – CD-ROM and internet search, oral presentation skills with videotape review. Students will focus on a specific research topic and produce a comprehensive technical report of publishable quality for a reputable journal. Seminar presentation to all faculty is required.
CHE 590 Special Topics in Chemical Engineering (3-0-3)
Advanced topics are selected from the broad area of chemical engineering. The contents of the course are given in detail one semester in advance of that in which it is to be offered. The approval of the Graduate Council will be necessary for offering this course.
Graduate students working towards either M.S. or Ph.D. degrees, are required to attend seminars given by faculty, visiting scholars and fellow graduate students. Additionally each student must present at least one seminar on a timely research topic. Among other things, this course is designed to give the student an overview of research in the department, and a familiarity with the research methodology, journals and professional societies in his discipline. Graded on a Pass or Fail basis.
CHE 603 Turbulence Modeling (3-0-3)
Introduction to turbulence. The equations of motion. Scaling laws for mixing layers, jets and wakes. Description of turbulent shear flows. Turbulence modeling: constant eddy viscosity, mixing length, k-epsilon models. Reynolds stresses models. Applications using CFD packages.
CHE 605 Process Heat Transfer (3-0-3)
Topics in heat transfer of interest to both students and faculty will be considered in depth. As examples, conduction, composite regions, non-linear boundary-value problem of heat conduction; convection, heat transfer in packed or fluidized beds, techniques to augment heat transfer; combined phase change problems such as, condensation, heat pipes, cooling towers and ponds; radiation, such as furnaces, radiant interchange between surfaces separated by non-absorbing and non-emitting media.
Involves individual studies by students in the field of chemical engineering. The work must be original and the concept, data and the conclusions must contribute new knowledge to the field of engineering. The quality of the work must reflect the student’s proficiency in research and creative thinking. Following preliminary studies and a literature survey on the thesis subject, each student will present his proposed thesis subject orally, and also submit a written proposal to the College of Graduate Studies for approval. On satisfactory completion of his thesis work, the student is required to make a formal defense of his research thesis.
CHE 617 Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics (3-0-3)
Foundations of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Linear non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Postulate of local thermodynamic equilibrium. Linear phenomenological equations. Balance equations of mass, momentum, energy, and entropy. Dissipation function. Second law analysis. Exergy analysis. Heat and mass transport. Diffusion and reaction. Extended non-equilibrium thermodynamics.
CHE 625 Adsorption (3-0-3)
Adsorptive separation processes, structure and physical properties of adsorbents. Classical and statistical thermodynamic equilibrium models for pure and multicomponent sorption. Study of individual and combined kinetic resistances in sorption on single adsorbent particles. Classification of adsorption column dynamic systems. Models for isothermal, non-isothermal, single and multicomponent, linear and non-linear sorption in columns. Asymptotic behavior in columns. Discussion of adsorptive separation processes involving kinetic and equilibrium selectivity, cyclic two bed processes optimization, and continuous counter-current both moving and simulated moving bed type.
CHE 637 Advanced Reactor Analysis (3-0-3)
Macro- and micro-mixing effects in homogenous reactors. Steady-state multiplicity & stability in homogeneous reactors. Transport/reaction interactions in gas-liquid, liquid-liquid reactions, and design of two-phase reactors. Theory of gas-solid fluidization and fluidized-bed reactors. Three-phase slurry and trickle-bed reactors.
CHE 710 Ph.D. Dissertation (0-0-12)
Involves in-depth analysis of a particular branch of chemical engineering. The quality of the work must be original, creative and must be a significant contribution in the areas of the topic selected. The work should have an original experimental component. In addition, departmental regulations and those of the College of Graduate Studies must be satisfied.