Chemical Engineering is a field of science that combines chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics to create new technology and create solutions in problems facing current technology.
The
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) defines chemical engineering
as a profession that uses science and mathematics, especially chemistry,
biochemistry, applied mathematics and engineering principles, to take
laboratory or conceptual ideas and turn them into value added products in a
cost effective, safe and cutting-edge process. From the development of smaller,
faster computer chips to innovations in recycling, treating diseases, cleaning
water and generating energy, the processes and products that chemical engineers
have helped create touch every aspect of our lives [1].
Fundamental Topics in Chemical Engineering
These
are the most important topics for any chemical engineering study [2]:
Material
Balance: It shows how materials move in and
out of a system to help us determine how much of the material is required to
produce the desired products in addition to the amount of other materials
(desired and undesired products) leaving the system. Undesirable products may
be byproducts or pollutants
Heat
Transfer: This shows how heat is transferred
to aid in the designing of apparatus like heat exchangers to produce the
heating and cooling of chemical materials to control a desired chemical
reaction. This also helps to recover energy resulting from high temperature
processes.
Mass
Transfer: This describes how molecules move
in relation to one another to help design systems to enable mixing and
separation of chemical species through processes like:
- Absorption (Gas-Liquid Transfer) – The transfer of a substance from a gas mixture to a liquid through the contact of the gas and a liquid in which the desired substance dissolves.
- Distillation – Boiling a mixture of chemical species in order to separate them using their different boiling points.
- Drying – Removing of liquid content in a material through evaporation.
- Evaporation – Removing a material from a mixture through vaporization.
- Extraction (Liquid-Liquid Transfer) – The transfer of a substance from a liquid mixture to another liquid both of which are immiscible (don’t dissolve in one another) by contacting them.
- Filtration – Using a filter to separate solid materials from a liquid or gas.
·
Fluid Mechanics: This branch of chemical engineering deals with the movement of fluids (gasses and liquids) in order to help in the designing of systems to produce such movements e.g. pumps.
Reaction
Engineering: Explains how fast a chemical
reaction occurs to help design of systems like reactors to produce the desired
amount of a material through a chemical reaction.
Process
Control: Explains how the output of a
complex system can respond to changes in the input conditions to help design
and optimize systems in order to hold a products quality within the desired
specifications to lower operating costs.
Materials:
Shows how materials like metals, polymers and ceramics respond to mechanical
and chemical stress in order to select and manufacture materials with the suitable
properties for desired products and processing equipment.
Economics: Shows the variables that have an effect on the cost of a chemical process in order to predict the cost of designs and operating options.
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