化工原理是化工类及相近专业的一门主干课，是基础课与专业课的桥梁，是必修的一门主要技术基础课程。它是综合运用所学数学、物理、化学等基础知识，分析和解决化工生产中各种物理过程的工程学科。 　　其教学内容是以化工生产中的物理加工过程为背景，研究若干“化工单元操作”（流体流动、传热、吸收、蒸馏、干燥、机械分离、蒸发、结晶、吸附、膜分离等）的基本原理、单元操作的典型设备构造、设备操作特性、过程和设备的设计与计算、设备的选择与改造、研究问题的方法等。 　　化工原理属工程科学，教学特点是强调工程观点，强化对化工过程定量计算、定性分析及设计能力的训练，重视理论和实际相结合，培养和提高学生认识问题、分析问题及解决问题的能力。 　　化工原理要解决的不仅仅是过程的基本规律，而是复杂的、真实的生产过程，它是用自然科学的原理考察、解释和处理工程实际问题，其研究方法有两类，一是理论解析，二是在理论指导下的实验研究法。 　　化工原理作为一门应用性课程，其教学方式包括理论、实验和课程设计三个教学环节，对学生在以下几方面的能力得到训练： 1) 根据生产工艺要求和物系特性，进行单元操作和设备选择的能力训练； 2) 通过查资料、实验测取等手段，进行工程设计； 3) 能操作和调节生产过程，了解优化生产过程的方法； 4) 综合已学知识对单元操作进行选择、设置，进行组织、生产工艺过程，提高对过程和科学的研究能力。 Principles of Chemical Engineering—A Brief Introduction The Principles of Chemical Engineering (PCE) is a main course in the specialty of Chemical Engineering and some other related ones. As a compulsory basic-technique course, it is commonly regarded as a bridge between fundamental courses and professional courses in these specialties. Based on the theory of mathematics , physics and chemistry, PCE is of engineering, with the topics of analyzing and solving problems involved in the physical processes of chemical industry. With the physical processes in chemical industry as its background, PCE mainly concerns about the following: Principles of various unit operations in chemical industry (e.g., fluid flow, heat transfer, evaporation, mechanical separation, crystallization, absorption, distillation, adsorption, membrane separation, drying, etc); Knowledge about the configurations of various unit operation equipments and their operation performance; Equipment design, selection and performance prediction for unit operation; Methodology about research work. PCE is characterized as engineering science, so the following is strongly emphasized in teaching: Engineering idea should be planted in the mind of students; Theoretical study and practice are two necessary tools with the same importance in PCE learning; What the students are confronted with in PCE is not only the basic law, but also the real and complicated processes themselves. So PCE aims at answering such a question: how to solve the engineering problems involved in these processes on the ground of basic law in nature science. Two different methods are adopted in PCE, one is the theoretical analysis, and the other is the experimental study under the direction of related theories. As an applicable course, PCE consists of four teaching stages: acquaintance with process, theory lesson, experimental study and equipment design. By means of these, PCE provides students with the following training The ability to select unit operation and related equipmentsThe ability to do process designThe ability to operate, adjust and optimize the processThe ability to carry out research work being associated with scientific and engineering problems.