A 20-section interactive reference guide covering the core fundamentals of chemical and process engineering. Includes material and energy balances, fluid mechanics (Reynolds number, Bernoulli, Darcy-Weisbach, pump NPSH), heat transfer and the LMTD method for heat exchangers, vapor-liquid equilibrium and distillation (McCabe-Thiele, reflux ratio, trays vs. packing), reaction kinetics and reactor design (batch, CSTR, PFR), process control (PID, feedforward, cascade), how to read a P&ID, process safety (HAZOP, PSM, LOPA, relief systems), and pinch analysis for heat integration.
The handbook is organized to build from first principles to applied design: units and the ideal gas law, material and energy balances with recycle/bypass/purge, fluid mechanics (Reynolds number, the mechanical energy balance, Darcy-Weisbach friction, minor losses, and pump NPSH), heat transfer fundamentals and heat exchanger sizing via LMTD, vapor-liquid equilibrium and relative volatility, distillation design with the McCabe-Thiele method and reflux ratio, column internals and alternative separations (absorption, extraction, membranes), reaction kinetics and the Arrhenius equation, ideal reactor design equations (batch, CSTR, PFR) with selectivity, process control fundamentals through PID and advanced strategies like feedforward and cascade control, P&ID reading with ISA-5.1 symbols and tag numbers, process safety through OSHA PSM and HAZOP, layers of protection and relief valve sizing per API 520/521, and pinch analysis for heat integration.
Use the Prev / Next buttons at the bottom, or press the arrow keys on your keyboard. Click the ☰ menu button in the top-right corner to open the table of contents and jump directly to any of the 20 sections. The purple progress bar at the top tracks your position through the handbook. Scroll the mouse wheel to advance or go back.
This handbook is the reference companion to the Chemical & Process Engineering Studio's calculators and knowledge articles. Concepts introduced here — Reynolds number, Darcy-Weisbach friction, LMTD, mass and energy balances, the Antoine equation, reaction conversion and CSTR/PFR sizing — map directly onto the studio's live calculators, so you can read the theory here and immediately apply it with real numbers in the Calculators tab.
All formulas use standard chemical engineering notation and SI or US customary units as commonly presented in industry practice — always confirm units before substituting into a formula, since pressure, viscosity, and flow rate conversions are the most common source of calculation errors. For heat transfer problems, always identify which resistance dominates (convective film vs. conduction vs. fouling) before selecting your approach. For reactor problems, always check whether the reaction order and reactor type combination favors a CSTR or a PFR before assuming one is smaller.
In a CSTR (continuous stirred-tank reactor) the contents are perfectly mixed, so the entire reactor operates at the low outlet concentration. In a PFR (plug flow reactor) fluid moves through like a plug with no back-mixing, so concentration falls gradually from inlet to outlet. For a normal positive-order reaction, the PFR reaches a given conversion in a smaller volume than the CSTR, because the CSTR is stuck operating at the slowest (exit) rate the whole time while the PFR sees faster rates near its inlet.
LMTD = (ΔT₁ − ΔT₂) / ln(ΔT₁/ΔT₂), where ΔT₁ and ΔT₂ are the temperature differences between the hot and cold streams at each end of the exchanger. The exchanger duty is then Q = U·A·ΔT_lm·F, where U is the overall heat transfer coefficient, A is heat transfer area, and F corrects for multi-pass or cross-flow geometries (F = 1 for ideal counter-current flow).
Flow is laminar below about Re = 2,100, transitional between roughly 2,100 and 4,000, and turbulent above about 4,000. Re = ρvD/μ, where ρ is fluid density, v is average velocity, D is pipe diameter, and μ is dynamic viscosity. Most industrial pipe flow runs turbulent because high throughput drives Re well above 10,000.
The Antoine equation, log₁₀(P) = A − B/(C + T), estimates a pure component's vapor pressure at a given temperature using component-specific constants A, B, and C. Inverted, it solves for the boiling temperature at a specified pressure. It underlies vapor-liquid equilibrium calculations (via Raoult's law), distillation design, and pump NPSH calculations that require the liquid's vapor pressure.
A HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) study is a structured, team-based hazard identification method. The team divides the process into nodes and systematically applies guide words (No, More, Less, Reverse, As Well As) to process parameters like flow, pressure, and temperature to imagine deviations, then traces their causes, consequences, and existing safeguards, recording recommendations wherever protection is inadequate. It is the most widely used process hazard analysis technique and a required element of OSHA's Process Safety Management standard (29 CFR 1910.119).
Disclaimer: This reference guide summarizes publicly available engineering principles and standards for educational purposes only. Always consult the official adopted edition of the applicable code or standard (ASME BPVC, API 520/521, OSHA 1910.119, ANSI/ISA-5.1, IEC 61511, NFPA, ASTM, etc.) for design, engineering, and compliance decisions. Standards referenced herein are copyright their respective organizations.