Numerical Methods for Chemical Engineering Fluid Flow

Transport phenomena and fluid dynamics are central to chemical engineering, but real-world fluids rarely behave in simple, linear ways. Understanding how to model complex, non-Newtonian fluids—like shear-thinning polymers—is essential for designing modern chemical processes. This text-based course guides you from the fundamental equations of fluid mechanics to writing clear, structured numerical solvers. You will learn to formulate, discretize, and solve the equations governing pressure-driven flow between parallel plates. What you'll learn: - Understand the fundamental physics of Newtonian and non-Newtonian shear-thinning fluids - Formulate the governing differential equations for pressure-driven flow between parallel plates - Apply finite difference methods to discretize boundary value problems - Implement numerical solvers in Python using modern scientific libraries like NumPy and SciPy - Analyze how pressure gradients and plate velocities influence polymer velocity profiles - Structure your scientific code with modern programming practices like type hints and clear documentation We begin with core definitions of fluid properties, shear stress, and boundary conditions. From there, you will step through the mathematical formulation of the flow equations, translate these equations into finite difference approximations, and build a robust numerical solver from scratch. This course is designed for chemistry and chemical engineering students, as well as programmers looking to apply numerical methods to physical systems. Basic familiarity with algebra and introductory Python is helpful, but no advanced fluid mechanics background is required. Start reading today to master the fundamentals of numerical transport modeling.