Numerical Methods for Chemical Engineering in MATLAB

Chemical engineering systems often involve complex, non-linear equations, transport phenomena, and reaction kinetics that are impossible to solve by hand. To design and optimize these systems, engineers must rely on robust numerical techniques. This text-based course bridges the gap between chemical engineering theory and computational execution, showing you how to translate physical principles into working numerical models. By completing this course, you will transform from a student of theory into a practitioner capable of setting up, solving, and analyzing engineering simulations. You will start with core mathematical concepts and foundational scripting before moving on to solve realistic transport, thermodynamic, and reaction engineering problems. What you'll learn: - Understand the foundational theory of numerical approximation, root-finding, and error analysis. - Solve systems of non-linear algebraic equations typical of chemical equilibrium and mass balances. - Implement numerical integration techniques to model batch and continuous chemical reactors. - Apply ordinary differential equation solvers to simulate transient heat and mass transfer processes. - Structure clean, readable, and efficient MATLAB scripts using modern programming practices like vectorization. - Debug computational errors systematically to ensure simulation accuracy and physical validity. This course begins with essential mathematical definitions and simple programming concepts before guiding you through structured exercises that mimic real-world chemical processes. You will read clear explanations, analyze step-by-step code implementations, and practice solving engineering problems through written exercises. This course is designed for chemical engineering students and beginning professionals who want to develop practical computational skills. No advanced programming background is required, though a basic understanding of introductory chemistry and calculus is helpful. Start building your engineering simulation toolkit today.