Chemical engineering
Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials into useful products.
Chemical engineering uses principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, and economics to efficiently use, produce, design, transport and transform energy and materials.
A 1996 article cites James F. Donnelly for mentioning an 1839 reference to chemical engineering in relation to the production of sulfuric acid.
[9][10] Transport phenomena gave an analytical approach to chemical engineering[11] while PSE focused on its synthetic elements, such as those of a control system and process design.
[12] Developments in chemical engineering before and after World War II were mainly incited by the petrochemical industry;[13] however, advances in other fields were made as well.
Advancements in biochemical engineering in the 1940s, for example, found application in the pharmaceutical industry, and allowed for the mass production of various antibiotics, including penicillin and streptomycin.
[15] Concerns regarding large-scale chemical manufacturing facilities' safety and environmental impact were also raised during this period.
[16] The 1974 Flixborough disaster in the United Kingdom resulted in 28 deaths, as well as damage to a chemical plant and three nearby villages.
[20] Advancements in computer science found applications for designing and managing plants, simplifying calculations and drawings that previously had to be done manually.
Unit processes (such as nitration, hydrogenation, and oxidation involve the conversion of materials by biochemical, thermochemical and other means.
Details are often printed on a Process Flow Diagram which is used to control the capacity and reliability of a new or existing chemical factory.
Education for chemical engineers in the first college degree 3 or 4 years of study stresses the principles and practices of process design.
After plant construction, chemical engineering project managers may be involved in equipment upgrades, troubleshooting, and daily operations in either full-time or consulting roles.
