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. 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. 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.
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. 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.