An Idiot’s Guide to Crack Chemical Core Disciplinary Courses (CDCs) Part 1

Hi Guys,

It has been exactly one year since I first thought of writing this post. Frankly speaking, I used to motivate myself by thinking that If I get a CDC GPA of 10, I would type out something like this. I managed to keep my dreams alive till the second semester but the moment I came to know that there is a CDC called Process Control in the 2nd semester , I knew I would never make it because I had made a ‘D’ in control systems. In the end, I ended up making a GPA of 9.59 in my core courses that include Fluid Flow Operations, Process Calculations, Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals and Computational Transport Phenomena. But still, as a tribute to the long cherished dream and my unflinching dedication I jot this post down for my juniors.

I have called this an Idiot’s guide because I myself made an ‘A’ in a technical subject as late as in 2-2.Also there is no need of so called “Interest in chemical” in achieving this feat. I admit I did this quite mechanically.

To perform well in BITSian Chemical courses, you need to believe in history more than Chemical Engg. because history (read last year’s questions)repeats itself in the chemical courses’ tuts, tests, quizzes and comprees. The quizzes are essentially repetitive in nature. Overall the courses are nothing to worry much about. The grueling tuts ensure that you do not have to cover much syllabus on the eve of any exam. The key to success is cracking the Test1s.This eases out a lot of pressure and also creates interest in the course. It is also important to go to the classes from time to time to keep track of the syllabus. Also, the topics covered in last 5/6 lectures of the semester would carry disproportionately high marks in the comprees. Now, I present the course wise description.

Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics(CET): This course should actually be called calculation engg. thermodynamics/ techniques .The course is taught using primitive techniques which leaves the student overwhelmed with the calculations involved rather than being able to understand the concepts. The more you score in tuts the better it is as the tuts are really very easy .They are mostly based on derivations of relations covered in the previous class.

Skill set required: mastery over your calci, solved examples, Last year’s question papers.

Important Topics: Generalized Correlations of state for gases, fugacity and fugacity coefficient, Residual Properties.

Grading: depends upon Batch performance. About 15 /85 ‘A’s would be awarded.

Caution!!! : Do solve a few questions COMPLETELY before appearing in the test.

Mass Transfer Operations (MTO): This is one course where you can expect the unexpected(i.e little repetition of historic questions)This course is on the tougher side . The course is designed based and does give a peep into applied chemical Engineering. The textbook won’t serve much purpose from exam point of view and you need a microscope to decipher the text. Class Notes will go a long way even after the course get over. VERY IMPORTANT from placement point of view. Do attend the classes regularly for this course.

Skill set required: Patience (attending classes is a must).Graph plotting.

Important Topics: Maccabe Smith and Ponchon-Savrit method of designing Distillation columns, Leaching, Absorption. HTU-NTU concept

Grading: shall be on the tougher side.

Caution!!! : Continuously 4 tuts will be held back to back and then there would be a long lull. The rest would be in the last four tut classes.

HEAT TRANSFER OPERATIONS: The course is basically pure Physics. It stands out as one of the more interesting and insightful course of the chemical engg. syllabus at BITS. It deals with the phenomena of conduction, convection and radiation. It is important to note that the test 2 would be very tough(our time av. was 6!).Its important from placement point of view as well.

Skill set required: Clear understanding of the physical phenomena, ability to skim through large information and identify the correct formula to be used.

Important Topics: Fins, Condensation and boiling, Radiation (the electrical analog method),Design of heat exchangers

Grading: depends upon performance. About 15/83 ‘A’s in our time.

Caution!!! : Do practice some derivations for the comprees. Although it’s humanly impossible to derive such stuff, at least give them a try.

Selected Chemical Engineering Operations: oh! who can forget the obnoxious noise of the Ball Mill in the SCEO lab. This course primarily deals with mechanical operations involved in the chemical industry. The course is 50% theory so it becomes important to attend classes. Also, the number of solved examples is the text are very few so you need to make sure you have practiced all the relevant material.

Important Topics: Filtration, Drying, Adsorption

Grading: shall be on the easier side. About 20/83 ‘A’ s in our time.

Caution!!! : The questions in the Tests/Quizzes might often be wrong. So, don’t waste your time on any particular question and move on. In the case of question being wrong, the solutions of your batch’s topper would be deemed correct, howsoever illogical, impractical and impossible they might seem.

The second semester CDCs and some popular electives shall follow in the next post.

That’s all from my side guys, it’s up to you to accept the challenge and put in your efforts or just let things go. You can always contact me on joshi.prabhav@gmail.com.Also, these are just suggestions and personal experiences and hence not under legal jurisdiction of any court.

All the best.

THE MIDNIGHT SAGA

To begin with, for all my non bitsian friends, “NIGHT OUT” in the bitsian lingo is a cruel misnomer referring to the all night slogging usually done before a test to prevent the inevitable. Well, for many of my friends out here, it is a way of life but for me the night of 12/13 November, 2009 was the “NIGHT”. The term is a misnomer because everybody usually remains locked up inside their rooms, performing activities that are just the total opposite of what one is actually supposed to do on a ‘night out’. Yeah, the only thing common is that both of these leave you with a ’hangover’. It’s in this hangover and a little jiffy that I am writing this post.

After meticulous planning and tedious procrastination for about a fortnight, I was able to bring together the task of the submission of Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals (PRPC) assignment and that of submission of the Optimization assignment on the same day..err.. the night. Of course, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude towards my dear friend Kalia (alias Rishabh), also my assignment partner in PRPC, who left no stone unturned in making this possible and providing me with the much needed inspiration and guiding light for a ‘Night Out’.

The PRPC assignment was to be submitted at 2pm while the OT assignment was to be submitted by 8.00 am in the morning. I had had a tough time earlier that day with my Heat Transfer Operations test going in the drain.

To ensure a complete ‘Night Out’ I tactically took refuge in the so called ‘good’ movie ‘Ajab Prem KiGazab Kahani' which turned out to be depressing .Actually in the current stage of my life sans ‘someone special’, I find all such romantic movies very depressing. The ‘Night out’ began with the PRPC assignment which actually turned out to be quite an interesting task.I found the Offshore Drilling Technology particularly awesome and beyond my imagination. Meanwhile I could feel the outside temperature dropping as the cool breeze kept seeping in through the closed window. After completion of ‘stage 1’of the assignment at about 1:30 am, I and Kalia set out for Food King to recharge ourselves.
As we stepped out of our beloved BUDH BHAWAN, it was a different world altogether. The morning (next) fog was just setting in, with a little drizzle going on. My thought reflexively (refluxively for my Chemical Engineering friends), went to the smell of warm ‘Pakoras’ and obviously the would be and yet unknown ‘Pakora banane waali’. With the cool breeze blowing all over, it seemed so surreal. The dosa was awesome, But it was the ‘coffee on the cold night thing’ that made this experience so cherish able that I could not stop myself from writing this post.

After returning it was the same old Optimization assignment once again which had ruined the sleep of the entire 3rd year batch on four previous occasions. Grumbling, I somehow finished the assignment but a load of the PRPC assignment still remained .As the clocked ticked close to 6am, I decided to doze off.
The next thing I remember was this:
OHK!! I have calculated the thermal properties of air at 7.20 am , hmmm…, what if I calculate them at 7.30 am …should still work…but that’s too close to the threshold limit of 8.00 am!!!..Uhhmm… AND Then the THUD on my door, that woke me up.

Well, the deadly combo of assignments proved voluminous enough that I had to forego my lunch for the first time in BITS. Thanks to the morning glass full of coffee that I was live and confused though.

Perhaps for the first time in my Bitsian life, I saw how does 5.00 am look like in the alarm clock. And, did you know, the morning aarti in the Saraswati Mandir is held at 5 am ?? I realized the power of caffeine as a stimulant. Three mugs of coffee are more than enough to keep you awake for the next night and half the other day.
While all of my friends woke up to find the fog in the morning, I slept with it!!!
Although, it resulted in our submission of a 45/300 mark report WITHOUT an INDEX (!!!), this was an experience worth reminiscing, I dare say more than may be a real Night Out (May be because I have not experienced a real one as yet :p).