Winds are from Venus, mountains are from Mars: Science fiction in chemical engineering education

In an elective course recently created at Simón Bolívar University, Chemical Engineering students are encouraged to apply their previously acquired knowledge of thermodynamics, transport phenomena and other core subjects to the analysis and solution of problems drawn from science fiction works. We present a brief outline of the course contents, and describe two case studies that illustrate the general approach. The first example deals with the sublimation of carbon dioxide in Mars, and provides the basis for a discussion of the thermodynamics of phase transitions, the differences between water ice and dry ice, and the phenomenon of surface melting. The second example involves the thermal separation of strong winds in Venus, and is used to develop a simplified model of the Ranque–Hilsch vortex tube that helps understand its working principles, limitations and differences with the equivalent but physically impossible action of Maxwell's demon. In both cases, the science fiction narratives are concluded to be unrealistic, either theoretically unsound or based on inaccurate information.

► Science fiction (SF) works can be a source of interesting chemical engineering problems.
► We present two examples taken from a course taught at Simon Bolivar University.
► Mars: Does carbon dioxide sublimate under pressure? Is dry ice slippery?
► Venus: How do Ranque–Hilsch tubes work? Is high velocity the same as high pressure?
► The course draws many similar problems from SF, comics, movies and TV series.