What is the meaning of Chemical engineering? Concept, Definition of Chemical engineering


Concepts and meanings of chemical engineering

1 Meaning of chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is a branch of engineering, which is responsible for the design, maintenance, evaluation, optimization, simulation, planning, construction and operation of plants in the process industry, which is that related to the production of compounds and products whose manufacturing requires sophisticated physical and chemical transformations of matter.
Chemical engineering also focuses on the design of new materials and technologies, is an important way of research and development. It is also leader in the environmental field, since it contributes to the design of environmentally friendly processes and processes for the decontamination of the environment.
Chemical engineering is based on basic sciences such as mathematics (linear or higher algebra, calculus, differential equations, numerical methods, advanced mathematics), the basic science of chemical engineering (thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, transport phenomena), and applied disciplines such as process engineering, reactor design, design of equipment for chemical processes, and separation processes. Elements of environmental science, biotechnology, food engineering and materials engineering are also incorporated.

Fields of action

Chemical engineering involves largely the design and maintenance of chemical processes for the manufacture on a large scale. They employ chemical engineers (like Petroleum Engineers although to a lesser extent) in this branch usually under "process engineering" degree. The development of large scale characteristic of industrialised economies processes is a feat of chemical engineering, not of chemistry in its purest expression. In fact, chemical engineers are responsible for the availability of modern high quality materials that are essential to run an industrial economy.
On the other hand, the chemistry is the science that studies (scale laboratory) matter, their changes and energy involved. The significance lies in that everything around us is matter. The chemical engineer participates in a significant way in regard to the design and management of all the chemical process on an industrial scale that allows to satisfy a need on the basis of raw materials until a final product in the hands of the consumer.
We can see the presence of the chemical engineering professional in areas such as production, process control, quality control, industrial safety, technical support, security and hygiene, food, cosmetic and ecology where proposes, designs, builds, operates and controls units to reduce the polluting impact of human activities.


2. Definition of chemical engineering

What is chemical engineering?
In general terms, chemical engineering is the application of science, in particular chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful, usable products or greater value.
In more precise terms, one can say that:
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that goes into the Studio, synthesis, development, design, operation and optimization of all those industrial processes that produce physical, chemical and/or biochemical changes in materials.
The definition currently displayed in the Constitution of the Institute American engineers chemical (AIChE) is:
Chemical engineering is the profession in which knowledge of mathematics, chemistry and other basic sciences gained by study, experience and practice, is applied with judgment to develop inexpensive ways to use materials and energy for the benefit of humanity. [Source: Constitution of the AIChE]


3 Concept of chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is a specialized engineering branch responsible for combined sciences such as physics, chemistry or biology with mathematics and finance or economy to create processes that convert raw materials or chemical material in products with a higher added value. In addition, quimicosmodernos engineers are widely involved in development of new materials, useful for fields like biomedicine and nanotechnology.
Within chemical engineering, there are two broad groups of study and development. The first covers the manufacturing, maintenance and installation of plants and machinery in industrial chemical processes, while the second involves the development of substances for industries like the of cosmetics, food and drinks and, of course, the pharmaceutical.
Unlike other branches of engineering, you could say that chemical engineering is a relatively young discipline, with its earliest mentions newly appearing until 1839. In countries comoInglaterra, the term became commonplace in the industry since 1850, and by the beginning of the 20th century, in United States and the United Kingdom the profession of chemical engineer was already known.
As with other branches, chemical engineers usually require college preparation, and suformacion involves solid knowledge of physics, mathematics and, of course, chemistry. But besides that, the professionals of this type should be familiar with even more specialized concepts, such as the engineering of chemical reactions, industrial plant design and the design and optimization of effective and safe processes.
Today, a lot of the products that we use in day to day were developed by or with the help of chemical engineers. From the plastic used in supermarket bags until the medicine we take when we get sick. In addition, with the increase in environmental degradation, new chemical engineers also play a role when designing with environment friendly processes.