CHE5881 Advanced reaction engineering
Faculty of Engineering
CHE5881 Advanced reaction engineering is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Clayton and Suzhou (SEU). It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Clayton, Suzhou (SEU)
- Assessment
- Exam 50%
- and 2 other tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
No reviews yetNo reviews yet. Be the first to review CHE5881.
Requisites
Before CHE5881
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After CHE5881
No unit lists CHE5881 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be currently enrolled in a master’s course in engineering or related STEM and in a related discipline. The unit assumes that you have the necessary foundational knowledge.
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
The unit will develop a higher level understanding of reaction kinetics, catalysis and reactor design, including:
- isothermal and non-isothermal reactor design - steady and unsteady states
- runaway reactions, reactor safety and reactive hazards
- heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and biocatalysis
- diffusion effects in catalytic reactions
- residence time distribution
- non-ideal reactor design and operation
- density functional theory in catalysis
- reactor design strategy for different industries including CO2 utilization
- advanced reactor concepts for graphene production
- use of metal organic frameworks in energy applications including catalysis
- use of Gold as catalyst
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
| First semester | Suzhou (SEU) | On campus |
Assessment
- Assignment 1WrittenThreshold hurdle30%
- Assignment 2WrittenThreshold hurdle20%
- Final assessmentExaminationThreshold hurdle50%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Analyse and apply isothermal and non-isothermal kinetics
- 2
Analyse the importance of catalysis in heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and biocatalysis systems
- 3
Design and analyse reactor systems using numerical methods and commercial software Aspen Plus
- 4
Synthesise advanced reactor designs for selective industrial applications
- 5
Critiquing contemporary journal articles in conventional industrial catalysis and emerging catalysis
Workload and teaching
- Practical activities36 hours
- Workshops24 hours
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
Learning resources
Required resources
Julian Ross, Heterogeneous Catalysis – Fundamentals and Applications, Elsevier, 2012
L Theodore, Chemical Reactor Analysis and Applications for the Practicing Engineer, Wiley, August 2012
Scott Fogler, Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering , 4th edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA, 2005.
Technology resources
You must regularly check Moodle for announcements. You are allowed to bring to class a laptop or similar.
Where it fits
CHE5881 is part of 1 area of study in the 2026 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Sankar Bhattacharya
- Dr Emily Wang
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Sankar Bhattacharya
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for CHE5881?
CHE5881 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is CHE5881 offered?
In 2026, CHE5881 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton and Suzhou (SEU).
How much work is CHE5881?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does CHE5881 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 50% of the final mark, alongside 2 other tasks.
Which majors and minors include CHE5881?
CHE5881 is part of Chemical engineering.