Teaching

CHE 2101: Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (3 credits)

Semester: Fall

Offered: 2026

A working knowledge of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics is essential for solving many classes of problems in both academic and industrial settings, from reaction kinetics, catalysis, and separations to biochemical engineering, polymer engineering, and drug design. This course equips first-year chemical engineering graduate students, who are expected to have completed at least one undergraduate course in classical thermodynamics, with the fundamental tools to address these problems, building a working command of classical and statistical thermodynamics as they relate to the calculation of thermophysical properties, phase equilibria, and chemical equilibria. The material is organized into three modules: the first develops classical thermodynamics, covering energy balances, thermodynamic potentials, entropy, mathematical methods, and phase behavior through macroscopic models; the second turns to statistical and molecular thermodynamics, developing statistical ensembles, partition functions, and quantum models for translational, vibrational, rotational, and electronic states and connecting them to thermodynamic properties and equations of state; and the third focuses on computational applications, with hands-on practice using computational models for activity coefficients, phase equilibria, chemical equilibria, and molecular simulations.

Lectures meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:00 to 4:15 PM, in Benedum Hall 938 (or virtually if needed).

CHE 1017/2017: Chemical Energy - Nature of the Chemical Bond (3 credits)

Semester: Fall

Offered: 2026

This elective explores the energy transformations that arise from chemical bonding across chemical catalysis, electrocatalysis, and combustion. Students are introduced to the qualitative concepts of quantum chemistry, including potential and kinetic energy operators, wave functions, electron correlation, and generalized valence bond (GVB) diagrams, and learn to apply them to analyze chemical bonds and molecular structures involved in energy transformations. Offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the course is intended for students who have completed an undergraduate physical chemistry course on quantum mechanics or its equivalent, or who have prior consent from the instructor.

Lectures meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 to 11:15 PM, in Benedum Hall 938 (or virtually if needed).

CHE 1290: Differential Equations in Chemical Engineering (3 credits)

Semester: Spring

Last taught in 2026

This undergraduate course develops the differential equations methods that chemical engineers rely on to model dynamic and spatially varying processes. Students learn analytical techniques for first-order and higher-order linear ordinary differential equations, systems of differential equations, and common solution methods such as Laplace transforms and series solutions, along with an introduction to numerical approaches for problems that resist analytical treatment. Throughout, the mathematics is grounded in chemical engineering applications, including reactor dynamics, heat and mass transfer, and process modeling, so that students build both mathematical fluency and the ability to translate physical problems into equations they can solve. It is intended for second-year undergraduate chemical engineering students.

CHE 200: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (6 credits)

Semester: Spring

Last taught in 2024

This is one of the department's core undergraduate courses in chemical engineering thermodynamics. It develops the first and second laws of thermodynamics and the use of energy and entropy balances to analyze chemical processes, then builds the tools needed to describe the thermodynamic properties of pure fluids and mixtures, including equations of state and thermodynamic property relations. Students apply these principles to phase behavior, vapor-liquid equilibrium, and chemical reaction equilibria, which are central to the design and analysis of separations, reactors, and other chemical engineering operations. Intended for undergraduate chemical engineering students, the course provides a foundation for later coursework in separations, reaction engineering, and process design.

CHE 400: Reactive Process Engineering (5 credits)

Semester: Spring, Summer

Last taught in 2019

This core undergraduate course introduces the principles of chemical reaction engineering and the design of chemical reactors. Students learn to formulate rate laws and analyze reaction kinetics, then apply mole balances to size and compare ideal reactors, including batch, continuous stirred-tank, and plug-flow configurations. The course extends these ideas to multiple reactions and selectivity, to non-isothermal operation where energy balances couple to reactor design, and to the role of catalysis in reactive processes. Intended for undergraduate chemical engineering students, it provides essential preparation for process design and for graduate study in kinetics and catalysis.