Separation Process Engineering, 5th Edition

Chapter 15

Introduction to Diffusion and Mass Transfer

What makes chemical engineering different from other engineering disciplines? The key to the uniqueness of chemical engineers is that we understand, design, and operate chemical reactors and separators. The fundamental knowledge necessary to understand chemical reactors is mass and energy balances, kinetics, reaction equilibrium, and mass transfer. The fundamental knowledge required to understand separators is mass and energy balances, phase equilibrium, and mass transfer. Thus, mass transfer is fundamental for understanding the two unique parts of chemical engineering. In addition, mass transfer is important in pollution (e.g., movement of pollutants in soil and movement of pollution plumes ...