Üsküdar University Chemical Engineering Laboratory is a modern research and application center where physical and chemical changes that form the basis of chemical processes, raw material transformations, and industrial production stages are examined on scaled systems.
- Main Objective: To enable students to experimentally verify the theoretical equations belonging to fundamental chemical engineering disciplines—such as fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, chemical reaction engineering, and process control—on pilot-scale industrial units.
- Key Features: The laboratory houses lab-scale simulated models (unit operations units) of large-scale fabrication systems used in industry. This allows students to materialize the abstract mass and energy balance theories they learn in theoretical courses.
- Academic Contribution: The system develops students' analytical engineering reflexes at an academic level by equipping them with the competence to perform data collection, error analysis, efficiency calculation, and system optimization across all process steps, from the processing of raw materials to product purification stages.
Devices and Technical Equipment Available in the Laboratory
The laboratory infrastructure is optimized to carry out "Unit Operations" practices—the cornerstone of chemical engineering—and instrumental analyses with high precision. The technical equipment located in the laboratory includes:
- Different Types of Chemical Reactor Design Units: Reaction engineering systems where reaction kinetics, temperature, and concentration changes are examined in batch, continuous stirred-tank (CSTR), and tubular (PFR) reactor types.
- Fractional Distillation Column: A pilot purification tower with a reflux ratio and temperature control that enables liquid mixtures to be separated into their components by utilizing boiling point differences.
- Heat Exchangers Training Set: Measurement platforms where heat transfer coefficients between fluids and thermal efficiencies are calculated in tube-type, plate-type, and shell-and-tube-type heat exchangers.
- Mass Transfer and Gas Absorption Units: Column systems that measure the retention mechanisms of specific components within gas mixtures by a liquid solvent phase and mass transfer coefficients.
- Fluid Mechanics and Pump Test Setups: Hydraulic circuits that derive friction losses in pipelines, flow rate measurement methods (Venturi, Orifice, etc.), and characteristic performance curves of centrifugal pumps.
- Drying and Solid-Liquid Extraction Systems: Drying units that examine moisture removal kinetics in porous solid materials, along with extraction equipment that separates components from solid matrices with the aid of liquid solvents.
- Precision Analytical Balances and pH Meters: Standard calibrated measuring instruments used for weighing reagents at the milligram level and monitoring the acidity/basicity degrees of solutions.
Research Areas and Application Fields
The applied course curricula, graduation projects, and academic studies carried out in the laboratory cover all the main layers of modern chemical engineering processes:
- Unit Operations and Transport Phenomena: Intra-pipe behavior of fluids, pressure drops, heat conduction and convection mechanisms, and the determination of mass transfer rates in multi-component systems.
- Chemical Reaction Engineering: Determination of rate constants for homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions, comparison of reactor efficiencies, and experimental analysis of catalyst effects.
- Separation and Purification Technologies: Processes of separating complex chemical mixtures into high-purity components using distillation, extraction, absorption, and filtration methods.
- Process Control and Automation: Simulations for controlling critical process variables—such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, and level in chemical systems—at steady state by measuring them via sensors.
Contributions Provided to Students and the Industry
The Chemical Engineering Laboratory prepares students for the global manufacturing market by developing their skills in managing industrial-scale processes and analyzing technical risks.
- Field Experience and Process Discipline: By working directly with valves, pumps, pipelines, and digital control panels rather than just laboratory glassware, students gain a strong field vision regarding operational processes in industrial plants.
- Sectoral Employment Field: Graduates who learn to effectively use the unit operations units and reactor systems in this laboratory are rapidly employed as "Process Engineers," "Production Engineers," "R&D Engineers," or "Quality Control Managers" in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical, plastics, paint, food, cosmetics, cement, textile, and energy sectors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which departments use this laboratory?
This laboratory is actively used primarily by students and researchers of the Chemical Engineering program within the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences. Additionally, students from other engineering disciplines whose course curricula are related to process flows and materials science can also benefit from the laboratory in a coordinated manner.
What tests and analyses are performed in the laboratory?
The laboratory performs determinations of chemical reaction rate constants, purity and separation efficiency analyses via fractional distillation, overall heat transfer coefficient calculations in heat exchangers, friction loss measurements in fluid systems, and gas absorption capacity tests.
What precautions are taken to ensure occupational health and safety in the laboratory?
The pilot units in the laboratory are equipped with overpressure and temperature protection systems, emergency stop buttons, and safety valves. It is mandatory for students to wear protective coats, safety glasses, and appropriate gloves in the laboratory. Operations carrying the risk of forming chemical vapors are carried out under powerful ventilation systems and fume hoods.
Is the laboratory open to external sectoral collaborations?
Yes, the laboratory has an infrastructure open to sectoral collaborations within the scope of unit operations optimization studies, prototype reactor tests, and academic consultancy projects to be carried out jointly with chemical industry organizations, technopark companies, and firms developing process technologies.
Can students use the laboratory for their projects outside of class hours?
Yes, students can benefit from the test units in the laboratory outside of class hours within the scope of undergraduate graduation projects, TÜBİTAK student research projects, or preparations for national/international technology competitions, subject to the approval of laboratory coordinators and project advisors, a working schedule, and direct expert supervision.
