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CHE 312Mathematics of Heat and Mass Transfer

Units
0.50
Faculty
Engineering
Subject
Chemical Engineering

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Fundamentals of mass transfer: species and mixture velocities, diffusive and convective fluxes, Fick's law and the diffusion coefficient. Vector form of the microscopic (differential) mass balance. Fundamentals of heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation, Fourier's law and thermal conductivity. Vector form of the microscopic thermal energy balance for solids and incompressible fluids. Mass and heat transfer models leading to ordinary differential equation problems in Cartesian, cylindrical and spherical geometries; types of boundary conditions. Bessel functions. Analytical solution of linear partial differential equations: combination of variables, separation of variables and Sturm-Liouville theory, Laplace transform. Mass and heat transfer models leading to linear partial differential equations: 1D transient diffusion and conduction in Cartesian, cylindrical and spherical geometries; steady-state 2D conduction and diffusion. Heat-mass transfer analogies and dimensionless numbers.

Prerequisites

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00145400 / 72T 10:30–12:20
Th 10:30–11:20
LEC 701185251 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10145410 / 72Th 11:30–12:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

65% liked it23% easy89% useful

From 23 ratings and 8 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Probably the most math-intensive course you'll take in undergrad, but don't be discouraged. It will be difficult at times, but it is manageable if you go to class, stay on top of assignments and go to office hours when you have questions. I personally found this to be one of the most enjoyable courses I've taken so far, but be prepared for the Bessel function on the final.

    Sep 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Probably the most math-involved core course in chem eng, but pretty tolerable if you go to classes, do the assignments and ask for help when you need it.

    May 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Hamid is really good. If you get a grasp of the concepts and do the computations a few times you realize there aren't that many kinds of problems they can throw at you but the calculations get kind of crazy and long. make sure to study the assignments before the final until you know how everything works and you should be okay but it's a pretty hard course for sure. very satisfying though

    May 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Very math and concept-heavy course, but if you practice and put in the effort, it's definitely possible to do well.

    May 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Course is a bit odd at first, just treat it like a math course, heat transfer is pretty simple, the transient PDE is confusing af at first but very simple and robotic once you understand how the boundary conditions work and apply sov. go to Pendar if you need help, she is the best instructor for this course. Eline is good too but skips a few steps

    May 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

7 posts and comments in 4 threads mention CHE 312, June 2016 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Spring 2021

Chem eng people, what was your experience in 3A? 4 points, 5 comments

“I'm a little bit nervous about the upcoming 3A term. Was your experience? I've heard mixed reviews, Any advice?”

u/deluxepotate: “3A was definitely the toughest in my opinion but it really depends on your profs! Who do you have this term?”

u/curemoki: “CHE 314 - Chemical Reaction Engineering David Simakov CHE 312 - Math of Heat & Mass Transfer Qinqin Zhu CHE 322 - Num Methd Process Anls Desgn Syed Taqvi CHE 330 - Chemical Eng Thermodynamics Yuning Li I think they're all new bc I couldnt find any info on them on uflow”

u/deluxepotate: “… CHE 312 can be quite tough if taught poorly, but she was very organized for our course so I think she should be fine. …”

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Fall 2017

When you are too used to grade inflation 76 points, 39 comments

u/waterloochill: “Lol this is pretty funny. But on a serious note, if a 70 class average is "a little high", doesn't it mean that the course is designed to fail a good portion of students? …”

u/JewFroGorilla: “Also exception: CHE 312.. a few of my friends in the year above me were consistently 85-95 in their courses, and they scraped past that heat and mass transfer exam with low 50s lol”

u/UWCourseLinker: “CHE 312”

u/R3boot: “CHE 312 almost entirely depends on the professor. There's one in particular that made it nigh impossible for the class to do well. In my year we had approx. 25% of the class have to retake the course... In 3rd year.”

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Spring 2016

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar