Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers

Please find below the spreadsheet templates which accompany this book. If you wish to contact the author or know more about his work, his website is here; www.pipesizingsoftware.com.

Spreadsheet Templates

• Spreadsheet Templates (Downloadable zip)

Spreadsheet Templates (Excel Files)

• Fluid Flow

VBA function subroutines that solve Reynolds number, friction factor and pressure drop problems for both compressible and incompressible flow are provided in this template. The functions are used to solve a range of example problems. Two-phase flow problems are solved.

• Heat Exchangers

The primary purpose of this workbook is to demonstrate the use of the Bell-Delaware method for rating shell-and-tube heat exchangers. The method is applicable to exchangers with liquids on shell and tube sides. The worksheets follow the text in the stepwise evaluation of a heat transfer problem that is defined by the hot and cold fluid properties. A data sheet is completed.

• Fractionators

Vapor-liquid equilibrium calculations with and without activity coefficients are given culminating in the creation of a McCabe-Thiele diagram.

• Absorbers

For a packed gas scrubber, the height of a transfer unit, number of transfer units, and required packing depth are calculated and illustrated.

• Pumps

This template provides a range of calculations useful for selecting and sizing centrifugal pumps, and includes data sheets for pumps and control valves. System curves, temperature rise, power, water hammer, and NPSH calculations are included.

• Compressors

Calculations are given for estimating the power requirement for reciprocating and centrifugal compressors. There is a VBA function for calculating the compressibility factor for a gas. Then, the power is calculating using a pressure-enthalpy diagram with user inputs for flow, pressure, temperature, number of stages, intercooling temperature, and isentropic efficiency.

• Vessels

This template provides blank data sheets for vessels and agitators.

• Refrigeration

Data sheets for mechanical refrigeration systems and steam jet refrigeration systems are given.

• Pneumatic Conveying

The procedure described in the text for calculating pressure drop in a dilute phase conveyer is worked out in the spreadsheet.

• Blending and Agitation

This template includes calculations for blend time, helical ribbon agitator power, settling velocity, gasses and ungassed power, and mechanical design parameters.

• Process Evaluation

This template provides a blank data sheet for specifying capacitance type level instruments.

• Safety

The template constructs a table of flash points for binary mixtures.

• Energy Conservation

For a given fuel type the template calculates the average cost to make steam. Examples described in the text are included, and a worksheet for preparing a composite curve is presented.

• Process Modeling

This workbook illustrates techniques for incorporating variable input data into a process model, using VBA subroutines.

• Physical Properties

This template is highlighted by the VBA functions that calculate water and steam thermodynamic properties. It also includes calculations for viscosity, relative humidity, gas solubility, surface tension, and the compressibility factor for 25 compounds.

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