UCH 1201 Principles of Chemical Engineering

Introduction to Chemical Engineering

Dr. M. Subramanian

Department of Chemical Engineering

SSN College of Engineering

May 20, 2021

Contents

Introduction to Chemical Engineering - Chemical process industries:

History and their role in society. Role of Chemical Engineer.
Description of different Unit Processes and Unit Operations.
Objectives

I To give an overview of chemical engineering by comparison

with production of chemical at laboratory.
I To give a broad picture of various roles played by chemical
engineer.
I To introduce the concept of unit operation and unit processes.
Chemist Synthesizing a Chemical
Engineering the Production of Chemical
Opportunities for Chemical Engineer
Chemical Engineering Courses
Typical Career Path of an Engineer
Chemical Engineer

I All engineers employ mathematics, physics, and the

engineering art to overcome technical problems in a safe and
economical fashion.
Yet, it is the chemical engineer alone that draws upon the
vast and powerful science of chemistry (and biology) to solve
a wide range of problems.
I The breadth of scientific and technical knowledge inherent in
the profession has caused some to describe the chemical
engineer as the “universal engineer.”
History

For all intents and purposes the chemical engineering profession

began in 1888. While, the term "chemical engineer" had been
floating around technical circles throughout the 1880’s, there was
no formal education for such a person. The "chemical engineer" of
these years was either a mechanical engineer who had gained some
knowledge of chemical process equipment, a chemical plant
foreman with a lifetime of experience but little education, or an
applied chemist with knowledge of large scale industrial chemical
reactions.
Topics

I Introduction to Chemical Engineering:

I Difference between ‘Science’ and ‘Engineering’
I Definition of ‘Chemical Engineering’
I Difference between Chemical Engineering and Other
Engineering courses
I Difference between ‘Chemist’ and ‘Chemical Engineer’
I Chemical process industries: History and their role in Society
I History of chemical industries
I Types of chemical industries - inorganic / organic / petroleum
/ petrochemical
I Role of chemical industries for the society - food preservation,
fertilizer, energy, plastics, rubber, fibers, cosmetics, etc.
Topics

I Role of Chemical Engineer

I Different kind of job areas for chemical engineer: production,
technical services, design, R& D, sales and marketing,
teaching, non-core jobs.
I Employment sectors for chemical engineers: Chemical, food
and drink, energy, environment, water, materials,
biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information technology,
banking, education.
Role of a Chemical Engineer
The duties and responsibilities of a chemical engineer generally
include:
I Designing and inventing new chemical processes/products
I Construction, installation, and supervision of manufacturing
plants and equipment
I Planning and operating industrial plant facilities
I Development of advanced and improved manufacturing
processes
I Creating modernized and high-quality chemical materials for
industrial production
I Processing of food and agricultural products, cosmetics, and
mineral based industries
I Providing safety measures for chemical industry work
conditions
I Creating environment-friendly health and safety standards
I Research and development activities in the Bio-Tech firms
Chemical Engineering Jobs

I Production
I Technical Services
I Design and Detailed Engineering
I Erection and Commissioning
I Research and Development
I Consultancy
I Teaching
Different Job Roles for a Chemical Engineer in a Chemical
Industry

I Production Engineer: A chemical engineer play vital role in

day today operation and non stop running of plants. To
monitor the plant parameters and run the plant at the desired
conditions in spite of any disturbances in form of changes in
feed compositions, fluctuating power, steam pressure etc.
I Process Engineer: Based on the observation of regular
operation, suggests modification to the process so as to
improve productivity.
I Technical Services: to provide support to production
department by keep monitoring plant data and do simulation
and guide production department about possible scenarios in
advance.
Unit Operations and Unit Processes

Any chemical process consists of sequence of activities involving

physical changes (e.g.: change in state from gas to liquid) and
chemical changes due to reactions (e.g.: change from one chemical
to another, for example due to sulfonation reaction).
Physical changes are called as ‘unit operations’ and chemical
changes are called as unit processes.
Example for Unit Operations

I Fluid flow (transportation of gases and liquids)

I Size reduction (reducing the size of materials for ease of
handling)
I Filtration (separate solid from liquid by forced flow)
I Sedimentation (separate solid from liquid by gravity)
I Classification (divide mixture of particles into different
“classes” on the basis of settling velocities)
I Heat exchange (change temperature of a stream)
I Evaporation (remove water from liquid)
I Humidification (add water to air) and, Dehumidification
(remove water content of air)
Example for Unit Operations (contd..)

I Gas absorption (remove one component of a gas mixture)

I Distillation (separation of a mixture into its components on
based on their difference in vapor pressure)
I Extraction (separation of a mixture into its components on
based on their difference in solubility in different liquids)
I Drying (removal of moixture from solids, by contacting with
hot dry air)
Brief discussion of selected topics (shown in bold fonts) of above are
covered in Units-II, III, and IV. More elaborate discussions will be in your
other courses in the following semesters in the subjects: Fluid Mechanics,
Mechanical Operations, Heat Transfer, and Mass Transfer.
Example for Unit Processes
Unit process involves principle chemical conversions leading to
synthesis of various useful product and provide basic information
regarding the reaction temperature and pressure, extent of
chemical conversions and yield of product, nature of reaction
whether endothermic or exothermic, and type of catalyst used.
I Oxidation
I Combustion
I Hydrogenation
I Sulfornation - a chemical reaction which introduces the
sulfonic acid functional group (-SO3 H) into a molecule.
I Halogenation
I Hydrolysis
I Polymerization
Unit processes applied to various chemical industries will be
discussed in detail in your course on Chemical Process Industries
- IV Sem
Unit Processes (contd..)

I Combustion: Combustion is a chemical process in which a

substance reacts rapidly with oxygen and gives off heat. The
original substance is called the fuel, and the source of oxygen
is called the oxidizer. The fuel can be a solid, liquid, or gas,
although for airplane propulsion the fuel is usually a liquid.
The oxidizer, likewise, could be a solid, liquid, or gas, but is
usually a gas (air).
When a hydrogen-carbon-based fuel (like gasoline) burns, the
exhaust includes water (hydrogen + oxygen) and carbon
dioxide (carbon + oxygen).
Unit Processes (contd..)

I Nitration: Nitration involves the introduction of one or more

nitro groups into reacting molecules using various nitrating
agents like fuming, concentrated, aqueous nitric acid mixture
of nitric acid and sulphuric acid in batch or continuous
process.
I Nitration products find wide application in chemical industry
as solvent, dyestuff, pharmaceuticals, explosive, chemical
intermediates.
I Typical products: TNT, Nitrobenzene, m-dinitrobenzene,
nitroacetanilide, alpha nitronaphthalene, nitroparaffins.
Unit Processes (contd..)

I Halogenation: Halogens involve introduction of one or more

halogen groups into a organic compound for making various
chlorine, bromine, iodine, fluorine organic derivatives. All
though chlorine derivatives find larger application, however
some of the bromine and fluorine derivatives are also
important.
I Various chlorinating agents are: chlorine, HCl, phosgene
sulfuric chloride, hypochlorite,
I Bromination: bromine, hydrobromic acid, bromide, bromated,
alkaline hypobromites.
I Iodination: iodine, hydroiodic acid and alkali hypoiodites
Unit Processes (contd..)

I Polymerization: Polymerization is one of the very important

unit processes which find application in manufacture of
polymer, synthetic fibre, synthetic rubber, polyurethane, paint
and petroleum industry for high octane gasoline.
Polymerisation maybe carried out either with single monomer
or with comonomer. Polymerisation reaction can be addition
or condensation reaction.
Typical important product from polymerization are,
Polyethyelene, PVC, poly styrene, nylon, polyester, acryicfibre,
poly butadiene, poly styrene, phenylic, urea, melamine and
alkyd resins epoxy resin, silicon polymers, poly vinyl alcohol
etc.
Unit Processes (contd..)

I Hydrogenation: The process of hydrogenation involves the

use of hydrogen molecules to saturate organic compounds, in
the presence of a catalyst.
Common catalysts used during hydrogenation are metals such
as nickel and platinum.
Hydrogenated fats and oils are common ingredients found in
some of the foods we purchase. They are used to extend the
shelf life of a food item or keep the intended food flavor
stable.
Quiz

1. Differentiate between ‘chemist’ and ‘chemical engineer’.

2. How is chemical engineering different from other engineering
courses?
3. Discuss the roles of chemical engineer to the society?
4. What are the various jobs available for a chemical engineer in
chemical production and related industries?
5. Differentiate between ‘unit operation’ and ‘unit process’, with
examples.
6. Give an account of history of chemical engineering.