Physical Chemistry Applications

This course is designed to teach practical skills needed by lab techs to work in chemical process industries. It applies principles of physical chemistry, statistical regression and forecasting techniques studied in previous courses, as well as introducing physical chemistry applications. Topics include temperature measurement, heat transfer, pressure and flow measurement, industrial piping, valves, fittings, and pumps. The lab portion includes experiments on particle size distribution, pressure, equivalent length and head loss, flow measurement using a venturi, orifice, and rotameter, measurement of overall heat transfer coefficient through a double pipe heat exchanger, measurement of viscosity, density, and surface tension, kinetics, polarimetry, solution conductivity, and bomb calorimetry.