Appendix G. Open-Ended Problems

The following are summaries of open-ended problems that have been used as term problems at the University of Michigan. The complete problem statement of the problems can be found in the DVD-ROM Appendix G.

G.1 Design of Reaction Engineering Experiment

Design an experiment to be used in the undergraduate laboratory that costs less than $500 to build.

G.2 Effective Lubricant Design

Lubricants used in car engines are formulated by blending a base oil with additives to yield a mixture with the desirable physical attributes. In this problem, students examine the degradation of lubricants by oxidation and design an improved lubricant system.

G.3 Peach Bottom Nuclear Reactor

The radioactive effluent stream from a newly constructed nuclear power plant must be made to conform with Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards. Students use chemical reaction engineering and creative problem solving to propose solutions for the treatment of the reactor effluent. Focus: problem analysis, safety, ethics.

G.4 Underground Wet Oxidation

You work for a specialty chemicals company, which produces large amounts of aqueous waste. Your chief executive officer (CEO) read in a journal about an emerging technology for reducing hazardous waste, and you must evaluate the system and its feasibility. Focus: waste processing, environmental issues, ethics.

G.5 Hydrodesulfurization Reactor Design

Your supervisor at Kleen Petrochemical wishes to use a hydrodesulfurization reaction to produce ethylbenzene from a process waste stream. You have been assigned the task of designing a reactor for the hydrodesulfurization reaction. Focus: reactor design.

G.6 Continuous Bioprocessing

The design of a continuous bioreactor is desired since it may prove to be more economically rewarding than batch processes.

G.7 Methanol Synthesis

Kinetic models based on experimental data are being used increasingly in the chemical industry for the design of catalytic reactors. In this problem, students are asked to develop kinetic modeling methods/approaches and apply them in the development of a model for the production of methanol from experimental data. Focus: kinetic modeling, reactor design.

G.8 Alcohol Metabolism

The purpose of this open-ended problem is for the students to apply their knowledge of reaction kinetics to the problem of modeling the metabolism of alcohol in humans. In addition, the students will present their findings in a poster session. The poster presentations will be designed to bring a greater awareness to the university community of the dangers associated with alcohol consumption.

G.9 Methanol Poisoning

The emergency room treatment for methanol poisoning is to inject ethanol intravenously to tie up the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme so that methanol will not be converted to formic acid and formate, which causes blindness. The goal of this open-ended problem is to build on the physiological-based model for ethanol metabolism to predict the ethanol injection rate for methanol poisoning.

G.10 Cajun Seafood Gumbo

Most gourmet foods are prepared by a batch process (actually in a batch reactor). Some of the most difficult gourmet foods to prepare are Louisiana specialties, owing to the delicate balance between spices (hotness) and subtle flavors that must be achieved. In preparing Creole and Cajun food, certain flavors are released only by cooking some of the ingredients in hot oil for a period of time.

We shall focus on one specialty, Cajun seafood gumbo. Develop a continuous-flow reactor system that would produce 5 gal/h of a gourmet-quality seafood gumbo. Prepare a flow sheet of the entire operation. Outline certain experiments and areas of research that would be needed to ensure the success of your project. Discuss how you would begin to research these problems. Make a plan for any experiments to be carried out (see Chapter 7, R7.3).

Following is an old family formula for Cajun seafood gumbo for batch operation (10 quarts, serves 40):

1 cup flour

cups olive oil

1 cup chopped celery

2 large red onions (diced)

5 qt fish stock

6 lb fish (combination of cod, red snapper, monk fish, and halibut)

12 oz crabmeat

1 qt medium oysters

1 lb medium to large shrimp

4 bay leaves, crushed

cup chopped parsley

3 large Idaho potatoes (diced)

1 tablespoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

5 cloves garlic (diced)

tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 bottle dry white wine

1 lb scallops

1. Make a roux (i.e., add 1 cup flour to 1 cup of boiling olive oil). Cook until dark brown. Add roux to fish stock.
2. Cook chopped celery and onion in boiling olive oil until onion is translucent. Drain and add to fish stock.
3. Add of the fish (2 lb) and of the crabmeat, liquor from oysters, bay leaves, parsley, potatoes, black pepper, tomato paste, garlic, Tabasco, and cup of the olive oil. Bring to a slow boil and cook 4 h, stirring intermittently.
4. Add 1 qt cold water, remove from the stove, and refrigerate (at least 12 h) until h before serving.
5. Remove from refrigerator, add cup of the olive oil, wine, and scallops. Bring to a light boil, then simmer for 2 h. Add remaining fish (cut to bite size), crabmeat, and water to bring total volume to 10 qt. Simmer for 2 h, add shrimp, then 10 minutes later, add oysters and serve immediately.