Introduction into Chemical Engineering

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.

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      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.

References

[1] “What exactly does a chemical engineer do?” Retrieved March 17, 2011 from http://www.aiche.org/CareersEducation/QuickFacts/index.aspx.

[2]  Solen K.A, Harb J.N (2011): Introduction to Chemical Engineering: Tools for Today and Tomorrow, 5^th ed.,