Chemical Engineering & Bioengineering

https://ceps.unh.edu/chemical-bioengineering

Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is concerned with the analysis and design of processes that deal with the transfer and transformation of energy and material into products of high value. The practice of chemical engineering includes the conception, development, design, and application of physicochemical processes and their products; the development, design, construction, operation, control, and management of plants for these processes; and activities relating to public service, education, and research.

The curriculum prepares students for productive careers in industry or government and provides a foundation for graduate studies. The college's program emphasizes chemical engineering fundamentals while offering opportunities for focused study in Bioengineering, Energy, and Environmental Engineering.

Traditional employment areas in the chemical process industries include industrial chemicals, petroleum and petrochemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, metals, textiles, and food. Chemical engineers are also working in increasing numbers in the areas of energy engineering, pollution abatement, and biochemical and biomedical engineering; in addition, they are employed by many government laboratories and agencies as well as private industries and institutions.

Chemical Engineering Mission Statement

The Chemical Engineering program strives to prepare our students for productive careers in industry or government and also provides our students with a solid foundation for graduate studies.  Our program emphasizes chemical engineering fundamentals while offering opportunities for focused studies in bioengineering, energy, and environmental engineering.

Chemical Engineering Program Educational Objectives

The program has the following major educational objectives with the expectation that our alumni will have successful careers in the many diverse areas of chemical engineering profession. Within a few years of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, we expect our graduates to have the following attributes: 

(1) Depth: To be effective in applying chemical engineering principles in engineering practice or for advanced study in chemical engineering.

(2) Breadth: To have a productive career in the many diverse fields of chemical engineering such as bioengineering, energy and the environment, or in the pursuit of graduate education in disciplines such as Chemical Engineering, Medicine, Law or Business.

(3) Professionalism: To function effectively in the complex modern work environment with the ability to assume professional leadership roles.

Chemical Engineering Student Outcomes 

(1) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. 

(2) an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. 

(3) an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences. 

(4) an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts. 

(5) an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives. 

(6) an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions. 

(7) an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. 

Bioengineering

The Bioengineering program is tailored to students who want to use engineering principles to analyze problems and design solutions in the fields of healthcare, medicine and biology. It’s a truly interdisciplinary program, with courses in both the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Graduates from the bioengineering program solve problems at the interface of biology and engineering in the fields of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, as well as medicine and biofuels.

The curriculum prepares students by providing a solid foundation of biology and engineering principles through challenging courses and hands-on learning opportunities in our state-of-the-art laboratories. Our faculty have a broad background in modeling physiological and biochemical processes, enzyme kinetics, synthetic biology, biomaterials and biosensor development and related topics such as tissue engineering Elective courses let you adapt your program to prepare for medical school, other graduate studies or careers in biomanufacturing, biotechnology or biomedical engineering. 

Bioengineering Mission Statement

Our Bioengineering program empowers students with broad preparation for pursuing careers related to biotechnology, biomedical and engineering fields.

Bioengineering Program Educational Objectives 

The program has the following major educational objectives with the expectation that our alumni will have successful careers in the many diverse areas of bioengineering profession.  Within a few years of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering, we expect our graduates to have the following attributes:

(1) Depth: To be effective in applying life science concepts and bioengineering principles in engineering practice or for advanced study.

(2) Breadth:To have productive careers in the many diverse areas of bioengineering or in pursuit of graduate studies in engineering, law, medicine or business.

(3) Professionalism: To function effectively in the complex modern work environment with the ability to assume professional leadership roles.

Bioengineering Student Outcomes 

 (1) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. 

(2) an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. 

(3) an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences. 

(4) an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts. 

(5) an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives. 

(6) an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions. 

(7) an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. 

Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering (CHBE) 

CHBE 400 - Chemical and Bioengineering Lectures

Credits: 1

Introduces the profession, the process engineer as designer and problem solver; and the goals of the chemical engineering/bioengineering curriculum. Lectures by faculty and practitioners. Introduction to computer skills, engineering ethics, safety, and careers in chemical engineering and bioengineering.

Equivalent(s): CHE 400

Grade Mode: Credit/Fail Grading

CHBE 410 - Energy and Environment

Credits: 4

Energy supply in this country and the world; conventional fuel reserves: coal, oil, natural gas; alternative sources: nuclear, solar, geothermal, et. Forecasts and strategies to meet needs. Environmental pollution, sources, and economic and environmental impacts. Methods for pollution control. Regulatory standards for environmental protection.

Attributes: Physical Science(Discovery)

Equivalent(s): CHE 410

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 501 - Material Balances

Credits: 3

Systems of units; material balances and chemical reactions; gas laws; phase phenomena.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 425 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHEM 405 with a minimum grade of D- or (CHEM 403 with a minimum grade of D- and CHEM 404 with a minimum grade of D-)).

Equivalent(s): CHE 501

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 502 - Energy Balances

Credits: 3

Energy and material balances for systems with and without chemical reactions; design case studies.

Attributes: Inquiry (Discovery)

Prerequisite(s): (CHBE 501 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 501 with a minimum grade of D-) and MATH 527 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 502

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 601 - Fluid Mechanics and Unit Operations

Credits: 3

Continuity, momentum, and energy equations; laminar and turbulent flow in pipes; rheology. Applications to flow in porous media, filtration, and fluidization.

Prerequisite(s): CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 601

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 602 - Heat Transfer and Unit Operations

Credits: 3

Thermal properties of materials, steady-state and transient conduction and convection; radiation; applications to heat exchangers and process equipment.

Prerequisite(s): CHBE 601 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 601 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 602

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 603 - Applied Mathematics for Chemical Engineers

Credits: 4

Mathematical modeling and analysis of chemical engineering problems. Analytical methods for firstand second-order differential equations; numerical solutions; series solutions; Bessel functions; Laplace transforms; matrix algebra. Interpretation and solution of partial differential equations. Lab.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 603

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 604 - Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics

Credits: 3

Volumetric and phase behavior of ideal and real gases and liquids; cycles; steady-flow processes; chemical equilibrium.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 604

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 612 - Chemical Engineering Laboratory I

Credits: 3

Selected experiments in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and unit operations.

Attributes: Writing Intensive Course

Prerequisite(s): (CHBE 601 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 601 with a minimum grade of D-) and (CHBE 602 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 602 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 612

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 614 - Separation Processes

Credits: 3

Adsorption, Chromatography, Membrane Separations, Liquid-liquid Extraction and Crystallization.

Prerequisite(s): CHBE 604 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 604 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 614

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 651 - Biotech Experience/Biomanufacturing

Credits: 4

Course begins by introducing students to the proteins and companies of biotechnology and to current good manufacturing practices. For remainder of the course, students use cell culture of bacteria, mammalian and yeast cells to produce human proteins using the tools and manufacturing standards, operating procedures of biotechnology, including upstream and downstream processing of proteins, and quality control of protein production.

Prerequisite(s): (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 651

Mutual Exclusion: No credit for students who have taken BIOT 775.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 695 - Chemical Engineering Project

Credits: 1-4

Independent research problems carried out under faculty supervision.

Equivalent(s): CHE 695

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 696 - Independent Study

Credits: 1-4

Permission of the adviser and department chairperson required; granted only to students having superior scholastic achievement.

Equivalent(s): CHE 696

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 703 - Mass Transfer and Stagewise Operations

Credits: 3

Diffusion in gases, liquids, and solids; design and analysis of distillation, absorption, and other stagewise equipment and operations.

Prerequisite(s): CHBE 604 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 604 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 703

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 705 - Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy Sources

Credits: 4

Processing and refining of coal, crude oil, natural gas, tar sands and shale oil. Biomass co-combustion, biofuel extraction, impediments to widespread utilization. Exploration of environmental issues with energy generation and consumption. Lab.

Prerequisite(s): (CHEM 405 with a minimum grade of D- or (CHEM 403 with a minimum grade of D- and CHEM 404 with a minimum grade of D-)) and PHYS 407 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 705

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 706 - Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications

Credits: 4

Fundamentals and applications of thermodynamics of electrochemical processes; kinetics of electrochemical reactions; examples in electrochemistry current technology.

Prerequisite(s): CHEM 684 with a minimum grade of D- or CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 706

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 707 - Chemical Engineering Kinetics

Credits: 3

Use of laboratory data to design commercial reactors. Continuous, batch, plug-flow, and stirred-tank reactors for homogeneous and catalytic multiphase reactions.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 707

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 708 - Chemical Engineering Design

Credits: 4

Introduction to cost engineering. Application of acquired skills to design of chemical processes. Individual major design project required. Safety for industrial processes. Lab.

Attributes: Writing Intensive Course

Equivalent(s): CHE 708

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 709 - Fundamentals of Air Pollution and Its Control

Credits: 4

The origin and fate of air pollutants. Fundamentals of atmospheric meteorology, chemistry, and dispersion phenomena. Control of air pollutants and the related equipment. Current issues. Lab.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 709

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 712 - Introduction to Nuclear Engineering

Credits: 4

Development of nuclear reactors; binding-energy; radioactivity; elements of nuclear reactor theory; engineering problems of heat transfer, fluid flow, materials selection, and shielding; environmental impacts.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (PHYS 407 with a minimum grade of D- or PHYS 407S with a minimum grade of D- or PHYS 407H with a minimum grade of D-) and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 712

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 713 - Chemical Engineering Laboratory II

Credits: 3

Selected experiments in mass transfer, stagewise operations, thermodynamics, and kinetics.

Attributes: Writing Intensive Course

Prerequisite(s): (CHBE 703 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 703 with a minimum grade of D-) and (CHBE 707 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 707 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 713

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 714 - Chemical Sensors

Credits: 4

Interdisciplinary approach using thermodynamic, physical and surface chemistry, kinetic, electrochemical, and optical principles to analyze and design chemical sensors. Topics will include selectivity and sensitivity pf sensors, biosensors, electrochemical sensors, mass sensors, optical sensors, and multivariate sensors. Lab.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHEM 405 with a minimum grade of D- or (CHEM 403 with a minimum grade of D- and CHEM 404 with a minimum grade of D-)) and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 714

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 722 - Introduction to Microfluidics

Credits: 4

Fundamentals and applications of microfluidics; scaling laws; microfabrication technology; hydrodynamics and electrodynamics; interfacial phenomena; capillary effects and diffusion; microvalves; micropumps; lab-on-a-chip systems; biochips.

Prerequisite(s): CHBE 601 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 601 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 722

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 725 - Cell Phenotyping and Tissue Engineering Laboratory

Credits: 4

Introduction to culture and phenotyping of mammalian cells (cell line models), with applications to bioengineering and biomedical sciences. Skills, techniques, and knowledge covered include sterile technique, cell culture, cell line models, cell proliferation, cell survival, cell migration, cell adhesion, and drug response. Inquiry-based team projects investigate cell proliferation, cell death, transfection, flow cytometry, 3D scaffolds, or cell imaging.

Prerequisite(s): BMS 503 with a minimum grade of D- and BMS 504 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): BENG 725

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 744 - Corrosion

Credits: 4

Fundamentals of corrosion processes in industrial and environmental settings; thermodynamics, kinetics, and mass transport in local corrosion cells; protection by electrochemical, chemical, surface modification or barrier methods; instrumental methods in corrosion science. Lab.

Prerequisite(s): CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): CHE 744

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 752 - Process Dynamics and Control

Credits: 4

Dynamic behavior of chemical engineering processes described by differential equations; feedback control concepts and techniques; stability analysis. Lab.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 752

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 755 - Computational Molecular Bioengineering

Credits: 4

Introduction to fundamental concepts in bioengineering with primary emphasis on understanding details of biomolecular structures integrated with molecular modeling, simulation, and visualization techniques. The course will introduce structural details of various biomolecules (proteins, nucleic-acids, sugars, and lipids), followed by concepts in thermodynamics and physical chemistry (such as intermolecular forces, energy, entropy, chemical potential, and Boltzmann's distribution), the applications of which will be discussed in the context of drug-receptor interactions, molecular recognition, biomolecular folding, enzyme catalysis, allosteric communication, diffusion, and transport. The laboratory will include training and learning about advanced simulation and visualization software engines. Preference will be given to bioengineering majors.

Prerequisite(s): CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-.

Equivalent(s): BENG 755

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 761 - Biochemical Engineering

Credits: 4

Immobilized enzyme technology, microbial biomass production, transport phenomena in microbial systems, biological reactor design, process instrumentation and control, applications in separation and purification processes. Lab.

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): CHE 761

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 762 - Biomedical Engineering

Credits: 4

Overview of the biomedical engineering through topical studies such as drug delivery and sensors. Discussion of modern engineering methods through primary research sources. Differential equations and statistics required prior to taking this course.

Attributes: Writing Intensive Course

Prerequisite(s): MATH 527 with a minimum grade of D- and MATH 644 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D- and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): BENG 762, CHE 762

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 763 - Bioengineering Design I

Credits: 2

Bioengineering design course will cover safety, regulations and ethics for development of bioengineering devices and processes. Topics include product design, benchmarks, design team functioning, marketing and finances. Students will also learn about current Good Manufacturing Practices, process validation and intellectual property considerations. Students will produce the following documents during the course: preliminary design, materials and supplies list, project schedule and budget, innovation map, FDA approval plan.

Attributes: Writing Intensive Course

Equivalent(s): BENG 763

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 764 - Bioengineering Design II

Credits: 4

Team based laboratory course focuses on developing the project planned in CHBE 763. Major report is due at mid-semester after first prototype is completed. A second report is due at the end of the semester to indicate improvements on initial design.

Attributes: Writing Intensive Course

Equivalent(s): BENG 764

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

CHBE 766 - Biomaterials

Credits: 4

Fundamental principles of biology and material science, along with latest topics in biomaterials research. Topics include cell biology, wound healing, host response to foreign materials, polymers, hydrogels, diffusion and methods of material characterization. Specific medical applications of biomaterials such as orthopedic and dental implants, heart valves, artificial blood vessels, cochlear and ophthalmic implants and tissue engineering. Laboratory. Students are expected to have some background in chemistry, mathematics, and high school biology.

Prerequisite(s): (CHEM 545 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D- or CHEM 651 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of D-) and (PHYS 407 with a minimum grade of D- or PHYS 407H with a minimum grade of D- or PHYS 407S with a minimum grade of D-) and (CHBE 502 with a minimum grade of D- or CHE 502 with a minimum grade of D-).

Equivalent(s): BENG 766, CHE 766

Grade Mode: Letter Grading