The purpose of this study is to develop an interactive software to complement the learning of Reactor Design. Extensive visualisation of design results will be incorporated to enable students to relate to the graphical design methods presented during lectures. Relatively simple cases are included in the software to allow students to efficiently study the design of reactors of different configurations for a variety of chemical reactions by changing the values of the appropriate parameters. Notably, more complex cases can also be investigated

in the software. These are the cases which are difficult to solve manually and hence impractical to set for conventional homework assignments and examinations due to the demanding level of mathematical skills required. However, the vast majority of industrial reactions fall under these cases, so it is essential to expose students to them. The software is particularly useful for this purpose as it conducts the mathematical calculation automatically and quickly so that students can focus on understanding the design concepts, without the need to spend excessive amounts of time on the mathematical aspect.

The software also mimics certain aspects of industrial simulation softwares, preparing students for their future careers as chemical engineers. The software can be used for any stage of their learning, including during pre-study, when attempting homework assignments and during revision for quizzes and examinations, helping to clarify and reinforce important concepts. Accordingly, students are able to discover any weakness that they may have in understanding the topic and seek help from their peers or the lecturers. In addition, students can use the software at any time and as much as (or as little as) they deem appropriate, training them to be independent learners.

The project will be undertaken with CN2116 (Chemical Kinetics & Reactor Design), a core module for Chemical Engineering undergraduates, in Semester 2 of AY2022/23. The current class size is around 190. CN2116 adopts the typical structure of a Chemical Engineering core module, with 3 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial per week, for a total of 13 weeks. The module consists of sections on chemical kinetics, designs of ideal and non-ideal reactors, temperature effects of reactions and mass transport processes in heterogeneous reactions. The software will initially focus on the section on the design of ideal reactors but will be progressively expanded to other sections, such as temperature effects of reactions and the design of non-ideal reactors.