(277g) Unit Operations Experiments to Integrate Technologies and Experimental Design in the Curriculum: Mixing Applications

Mixing is part of many chemical engineering operations. Ineffective mixing can be costly and negatively impact product quality and safety. A general understanding of mixing operations can better prepare students to be strong contributors as they enter the profession. Combining a solid introduction to a technology, such as mixing, with experimental design serves to increase the breadth and depth of students’ engineering education and makes students more marketable. For this work, mixing experiments in tank-type systems have been developed to familiarize students with key aspects of the technology. Experimental programs were developed using Six-Sigma methodologies for experimental design and data analysis. Students learned important mixing regime designations, impeller selection, and efficient gas introduction in liquid and liquid/solid systems including measurements of relative power demand. Students also developed proficiency with experimental design and experimental design and data analysis software. The experiments developed for this work were tested in a unit operations course. They had a beneficial influence on student learning and yielded positive student responses. These experiments are highly flexible and can be used with a wide range of students. They can be easily adapted for courses such as fluid mechanics, mixing electives, modules to teach experimental design to first and second year students, and K-12 outreach efforts.