In this paper we demonstrate that using mixed reality (MR) technology can innovate our chemical engineering laboratory curriculum at Prairie View A&M University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU). Particularly, we describe the development of a MR proof of concept to carry out a traditional fluid mechanics lab -- pressure drop as a…

A virtual catalytic reactor laboratory (VCRL) experiment, which can be used in most browsers, is described. Students select feed conditions and use the VCRL to take data for a gas-phase catalytic reaction and fit kinetic parameters to a Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate expression. The VCRL contains instructions, equipment descriptions, an animated…

We developed an introductory chemical engineering design laboratory course coupling traditional, hands-on, and virtual learning techniques. The course is centered on a set of interactive, online simulations mimicking laboratory experimentation, which the students complete for homework prior to completing a corresponding hands-on experiment as a…

Interactive Mathematica simulations with graphical displays of system behavior are an excellent addition to chemical engineering courses. The Manipulate command in Mathematica creates on-screen controls that allow users to change system variables and see the graphical output almost instantaneously. They can be used both in and outside class. More…

This work describes how molecular simulation of polymerization reactions can be used to enrich introductory polymer or material science courses to give students a deeper understanding of free-radical chain and stepwise growth polymerization reactions. These simulations have proven to be effective media for instruction that do not require material…

The commercial simulator Aspen Chromatography was employed to study and optimize an important new industrial separation process, weak partitioning chromatography. This case study on antibody purification was implemented in a chromatographic separations course. Parametric simulations were performed to investigate the effect of operating parameters…

Recently, chemical engineering education moves towards utilizing simulation soft wares to enhance the learning process especially in the field of process control. These training simulators provide interactive learning through visualization and practicing which will bridge the gap between the theoretical abstraction of textbooks and the…

Chemical process simulation is one of the most fundamental skills that is expected from chemical engineers, yet relatively few graduates have the opportunity to learn, in depth, how a process simulator works, from programming the unit operations to the sequencing. The University of Calgary offers a "hands-on" postgraduate course in…