The process of making coffee is a unique and exciting subject to study.  The outside of the coffee maker has three main parts: the basket where the coffee grounds go, the holding tank where the water is initially poured, and the coffee pot where the final product ends up.  An indicator light, located at the bottom right corner of the maker is lit up when the coffee is being made and automatically turns off when the coffee is ready.  A yellow button on top of the machine activates the process.

 The inside of the machine is where all the action takes place.  There are two rubber tubes attached to a U-shaped metal heating element.  The right-hand tube comes out of the holding tank, and the left-hand tube goes to the basket where the coffee grounds are kept.  When the holding tank is filled with water, it immediately begins to pour into the metal pipe through the rubber tube.  When the yellow button is pressed, a circuit is connected, and the heating element begins to boil the water that has fallen into the U-shaped metal pipe.  The water begins to rise out of the left-hand rubber tube as steam, which consists of water vapor and some liquid water.  This steam goes into the basket where it is condensed into water and drips through the coffee grounds into the coffee pot.  When there is no water left in the metal pipe, the system begins to overheat because there is no water to cool it and carry away the excess heat.  When the thermostat gets to a certain temperature, the circuit is broken.  This occurs because a primitive spring is located directly below the switch, and when it gets hot enough, it expands and pops up the switch, which in turn breaks the circuit and turns off the light.  The light going out indicates that the coffee is ready.  The coffee then remains hot because the metal continues to radiate stored heat for a short period of time.  A fuse is also located on the circuit as a safety precaution in case the circuit is not broken by the switch.

1. Fluid Mechanics is the study of how fluids flow so that the movement of fluids can be described and produced.  It is introduced in ChE 101, and it is discussed in significant detail in Fluidization Engineering (ChE 705) and Unit Operations Laboratory II (ChE 442).   In this process, fluid mechanics is demonstrated as the water flows through the system.  The way that the water flows is a concern to the engineer designing the system.

2. Heat Transfer is another major principle in the art of making coffee.  Several courses can be taken by the chemical engineer to discover the fundamentals as well as the details of heat transfer so that the heating or cooling of chemical materials can be described and produced.  These courses include ChE 101, Fluidizaiton Engineering (ChE 705), Transport Phenomena II (ChE 374), and Chemistry for Scientists and Engineers 201.  The coffee maker demonstrates heat transfer as the wire heats the metal, which heats the water, and as the coffee remains warm due to the radiant heat from the metal.

3. Safety is always an important factor when designing a process such as a coffee maker.  If the process malfunctions, the coffee maker could catch on fire or harm the operator.  The system contains a thermostat device which breaks the circuit when the system overheats.  The fuse is a back-up safety feature, which is only activated when the system malfunctions.  Several courses are offered dealing with design safety, such as Design Project (ChE 482), Techniques of Process Design, Economics, and Safety (ChE 450), and Chemical Process Safety (ChE 473 and 673).

4. Mass Transfer is another fundamental that is part of the coffee maker.  This is the study of how molecules move relative to each other so that the mixing or separation of chemical species can be described and produced using a variety of strategies.  In the case of the coffee maker, filtration, or the separating of solid particles from a suspending liquid or gas using a filter, is used.  This takes place in the basket when the hot water filters through the coffee grounds.  This topic is taught in Separation Processes (ChE 485), Fluidization Engineering (ChE 705), Unit Operations Laboratory II (ChE 442), and ChE 101.

5. Reaction Engineering is studied so that quantity of material converted by reactions can be predicted or achieved by design.  Courses such as Chemical Reactor Design (ChE 440 and 640), Chemistry 201, and ChE 102 discuss this topic.  The coffee maker demonstrates this principle because the coffee, after it is made, starts to oxidize.  (This is why coffee begins to have a bitter taste after it has been sitting out for a long period of time.)

6. Circuit Design, another fundamental topic involved in the design of the coffee maker, can be studied in Circuits and Systems (EE 301), Integrated Circuit Engineering (EE 423 and 623), and Chemistry 202.  This fundamental topic deals with the design and construction of electrical circuits, wiring, and fuses.  The knowledge of circuit design was employed in the construction of the electronic systems in the coffee maker.

7. Thermodynamics, the knowledge of the relationships between temperature, pressure, and the elements being used, had to be understood in order for this machine to work.  This topic can be studied in detail in coursed offered such as ChE 101, Thermodynamics (ChE 361), Physics 201, and Chemistry 201.

8. Economics is another principle used in the coffee pot.  Knowledge of consumer supply and demand is essential for constructing more efficient designs in order to decrease costs.  These principles become understood when classes such as Economics 101, ChE 102, and Techniques of Process Design, Economics and Safety (ChE 450) are taken.