| The use of statistical mechanics to explain thermodynamics and fluid mechanics as a result of the underlying microscopic interactions is one of the active research areas in chemical engineering. In this thesis, the application of two such statistical mechanical models, namely Statistical Rate Theory and Lattice Boltzmann model is presented. Previously existing ideal Statistical Rate Theory is extended to incorporate nonideal fluid behavior to develop a generic equation-of-state based model for predicting evaporation rates. This model is free from any fitting parameters and hence can be incorporated into a thermodynamic simulator. Also, in this thesis, a fluid mechanical problem of oscillating incompressible flows in rectangular ducts is studied using Lattice Boltzmann simulations and analytically in annular ducts. Stress analysis of duct walls is done to identify high-stress regions, an understanding of which is very useful in the study of critical medical conditions like hypertension and dialysis. |
