Numerical Methods for Chemical Engineering: Finite Volume Simulations

Chemical engineers constantly face complex transport phenomena and reaction kinetics that cannot be solved by hand. To design efficient reactors, separation processes, and fluid systems, you must translate the governing partial differential equations into reliable computer simulations. This text-based course guides you from the fundamental mathematical principles to writing your own robust simulation algorithms. You will start by mastering the core terminology, physical conservation laws, and foundational mathematical definitions before moving on to practical discretization techniques. By working through clear, step-by-step written explanations and structured code snippets, you will develop a deep intuitive grasp of how physical systems are simulated on a computer. What you'll learn: - Understand the foundational transport equations and partial differential equations used in chemical engineering. - Apply the finite volume method to discretize diffusion, convection, and reaction terms. - Construct stable numerical grids and formulate appropriate boundary conditions for chemical processes. - Implement modern numerical solvers and write clean, structured code to solve algebraic equation systems. - Practice verifying simulation accuracy and analyzing numerical stability and convergence behaviors. - Design transport models that simulate realistic fluid flow and mass transfer scenarios. This course begins with essential transport theory and mathematical foundations, then systematically guides you through grid generation, discretization schemes, and solver implementation. It is designed for engineering students, researchers, and practicing chemical engineers who are new to numerical simulation and want to build their own models from the ground up without relying solely on black-box software. No advanced programming or numerical analysis experience is required to begin. Start building your engineering simulation skills today.