Chemical and Biological Reaction Engineering Fundamentals

Understanding how chemical and biological substances react and how to design the vessels where these transformations happen is core to modern engineering. This text-based course guides you through the foundational principles of reaction kinetics, reactor design, and biological system modeling. You will transition from basic chemical equations to confidently setting up mass and energy balances for complex systems. By working through structured explanations and step-by-step analytical problems, you will develop the practical skills needed to model, analyze, and optimize real-world reactors. What you'll learn: - Understand the core concepts of reaction kinetics, rate laws, and stoichiometry - Design and analyze ideal batch, continuous stirred-tank (CSTR), and plug flow (PFR) reactors - Apply mass and energy balances to non-isothermal reacting systems - Model biological reactions using Michaelis-Menten kinetics and basic bioreactor principles - Practice formulating and solving reaction engineering equations systematically - Explore modern computational approaches to simulating reaction networks and transport limitations The course begins with vital terminology, kinetic definitions, and fundamental reactor types, before advancing to complex multi-reaction networks, temperature effects, and biological catalysts. You will read comprehensive breakdowns of classical engineering problems and apply these concepts through targeted written exercises. This course is designed for beginners in chemical engineering, bioengineering, or chemistry who want a clear, structured introduction to reaction engineering without any prior reactor design experience. A basic understanding of calculus and general chemistry is helpful. Start reading today to build a strong foundation in chemical and biological reactor analysis.