CHE4171 - Biochemical engineering - 2019

Quantitative and analytical skills required for biochemical and bioprocess engineering will be covered. The relationships between chemical engineering principles and approaches and biology will be explored. Knowledge about the operational considerations for suspended cultures, immobilised cultures, bioreactors, scaling, process selection, and operation of bioprocess unit operations will be discussed and worked on through calculations.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Apply principles of fluid flow, mixing, heat transfer and mass transfer to analyse bioreactors
2. Assess the performance of bioreactors and troubleshoot operational problems
3. Solve engineering problems related to the design and operation of bioreactors and bioprocesses
4. Apply principles of biochemical engineering to analyse and assess special topics such as synthetic biology, animal and plant cell culture, and tissue engineering
5. Solve technical and practical issues in commercial bioprocessing

NOTE: From 1 July 2019, the duration of all exams is changing to combine reading and writing time. The new exam duration for this unit is 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Continuous assessment: 50%

Final examination: 50% (2 hours)

Students are required to achieve at least 45% in the total continuous assessment component (assignments, tests, mid-semester exams, laboratory reports) and at least 45% in the final examination component and an overall mark of 50% to achieve a pass grade in the unit. Students failing to achieve this requirement will be given a maximum of 45% in the unit.

2 hours lectures, 2 hours of practice sessions/mediated group work/laboratory work and 7 hours of private study per week

See also Unit timetable information

Chemical Engineering