A particle transport/separation flow system is currently under construction and allows the laboratory investigation of particle technology and separation concepts to be introduced for the first time into the existing undergraduate curriculum in the College of Engineering and in the Department of Chemical Engineering. New instruments, a stack analyzer, pressure transducers, a particle characteristics tester, and a data acquisition board are being incorporated with the particle transport/separation system through this project. This enables labs on cyclone separation of powders from air, particle characterization, flow regime identification for gas/solid transport, and hopper operation to be incorporated into classes. The pneumatic transport/separation system has been completely designed and constructed undergraduate students and has served to begin to introduce particle technology and environmental separations to a small number of self-selected students. This project integrates particle technology into a number of the undergraduate classes, thus enabling all engineering undergraduates to become aware of the importance of the knowledge of particles. Additionally, all chemical engineering students can learn the various concepts pertinent to the transport and separation of particles in their existing undergraduate courses. The new instrumentation can result in a number of experiments of varying learning objectives on particle technology, which is a vital area of knowledge that has previously been neglected in chemical engineering education. Classes such as Process Control, Fluid Dynamics, Exploring Engineering, and Transport Phenomena will integrate the experiments to affect over 1,500 students in the next 5 years of use.
