Chemical Reaction Engineering II Course | NPTEL IIT Bombay | Prof. Ganesh Viswanathan
Course Details
| Exam Registration | 99 |
|---|---|
| Course Status | Ongoing |
| Course Type | Core |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 12 weeks |
| Categories | Chemical Engineering |
| Credit Points | 3 |
| Level | Undergraduate |
| Start Date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| End Date | 10 Apr 2026 |
| Enrollment Ends | 02 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Registration Ends | 20 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Date | 24 Apr 2026 IST |
| NCrF Level | 4.5 — 8.0 |
Master Advanced Reactor Design with Chemical Reaction Engineering II from IIT Bombay
Are you ready to delve into the core of industrial chemical processes? Chemical Reaction Engineering II, offered by the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on the NPTEL platform, is your gateway to mastering the design and analysis of complex multiphase reactors. This advanced 12-week undergraduate course builds directly upon foundational principles to equip you with the skills needed to tackle real-world engineering challenges in chemical, petrochemical, and biochemical industries.
Course Overview and Instructor Profile
This intensive course is meticulously designed to cover the intricate details of fluid-solid catalytic and non-catalytic reactors. Taught by Prof. Ganesh Viswanathan, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Bombay, the curriculum benefits from his extensive research and academic expertise. Prof. Viswanathan holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. His research focuses on systems biology of signaling networks and the nonlinear dynamics of reactors, ensuring the course content is both rigorous and relevant to cutting-edge applications.
Who Should Enroll?
This course is ideally suited for:
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students in Chemical, Energy, Environmental, Petrochemical, and Biotechnology Engineering.
- Industry professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of reactor design, performance diagnostics, and troubleshooting.
- Researchers and academics looking for a structured, advanced treatment of multiphase reaction engineering.
Prerequisites and Industry Relevance
To succeed, learners should have completed a foundational course like Chemical Reaction Engineering-I (NPTEL course 103103153). The concepts taught are directly applicable and highly valued by leading industry players, including Reliance, HPCL, BPCL, RCF, and numerous other chemical, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical companies worldwide.
Detailed 12-Week Course Curriculum
The course is structured to provide a logical progression from fundamental concepts to advanced design and diagnostic techniques.
| Week | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| Week 1-2 | Introduction to catalysis, catalyst properties, adsorption isotherms, surface reaction kinetics, and heterogeneous data analysis. |
| Week 3-4 | Design of Packed Bed Reactors (PBR) and CSTRs, catalyst deactivation mechanisms and reactor design strategies. |
| Week 5-7 | Diffusional effects (internal & external), Thiele modulus, effectiveness factors, and packed-bed reactor design with mass transfer limitations. |
| Week 8-9 | Advanced packed-bed design, fluidized bed reactor design principles. |
| Week 10-12 | Fluid-solid non-catalytic reactions, Residence Time Distribution (RTD) theory, measurement, and its critical application in reactor diagnostics, troubleshooting, and modeling non-ideal reactors. |
Core Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Formulate rate laws for heterogeneous catalytic reactions and analyze kinetic data.
- Design and analyze isothermal and non-isothermal packed bed and fluidized bed reactors.
- Account for catalyst deactivation and diffusional limitations (internal and external) in reactor design.
- Understand and apply Residence Time Distribution (RTD) concepts to diagnose and model non-ideal reactor behavior for improved performance and troubleshooting.
- Design reactors for fluid-solid non-catalytic reactions.
Recommended Textbooks
- Main Text: Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, 4th Edition by H. Scott Fogler.
- Reference: Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design, 2nd Edition by G. F. Froment and K. B. Bischoff.
Teaching Assistant Support
The course is supported by Teaching Assistants Sudip Das and Haseen Siddiqui, who will assist in clarifying doubts and facilitating learning throughout the 12-week journey.
Why Take This Course?
Chemical Reaction Engineering II is more than just an academic course; it's a critical skill-building program for any engineer aspiring to work in process design, optimization, or research. Understanding how to design efficient, scalable, and trouble-free reactors is at the heart of chemical manufacturing. With its blend of theoretical depth and practical application, taught by a leading expert from IIT Bombay, this course offers an unparalleled opportunity to advance your expertise and career prospects in the chemical process industries.
Enroll today to bridge the gap between fundamental reaction engineering and the complex, multiphase systems that drive the modern chemical world.
Enroll Now →