Everyday chemical product design as platform for teaching transport phenomena

Abstract

Transport phenomena is proposed as the second paradigm as a consequence of the inadequacy of the unit operations field for solving process and product engineering problems. The appearance of Bird’s transport phenomena textbook put transport phenomena as an engineering science along with thermodynamics for chemical engineers. Even though this field provides some important fundamentals to solve upcoming undergraduate problems, we have found that students constantly perceive this field as abstract and difficult to apply due to the fashion in which the problems are posed, the mathematics involved, and the three-dimensional view required to understand the phenomena. Chemical product design on the other hand represents the fourth paradigm which has permitted the evolution of the formation of the engineer to a more market-oriented design, so the student becomes more aware of the impact of his design. Here, we show how everyday life product design has facilitated the understanding of the fundamental concepts in transport phenomena for the student using active learning methodologies centered on evaluation of market needs.