Numerical Methods for Chemical Engineering Boundary Value Problems

Chemical engineering systems frequently involve transport phenomena, diffusion, and reaction kinetics that are governed by complex boundary value problems. Understanding how to set up, discretize, and solve these equations numerically is a foundational skill for analyzing real-world chemical reactors and transport systems. This text-based course guides you through the process of translating physical transport phenomena into solvable mathematical equations. You will learn how to write robust MATLAB scripts to solve boundary value problems, moving from fundamental definitions to practical numerical solutions. What you'll learn: Understand the mathematical formulation of boundary value problems in chemical engineering; Apply finite difference methods to discretize transport and reaction equations; Write MATLAB scripts to solve steady-state diffusion and reaction models; Implement boundary conditions including Dirichlet, Neumann, and mixed boundaries; Debug numerical convergence issues in chemical engineering simulations; Analyze concentration and temperature profiles generated by your numerical models. The course begins with foundational definitions of boundary value problems and key transport terminology, then progresses step-by-step through discretization techniques, algorithm design, and code implementation. This course is designed for undergraduate chemical engineering students and beginning practitioners who have a basic understanding of calculus and introductory programming. Start mastering the numerical techniques required to model and solve complex chemical engineering systems today.