Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Scope
Chemical engineering is broader in scope than electrical, civil, or mechanical engineering, because it more or less consists of the equal use of the three main engineering cornerstones (mathematics, physics, and chemistry), while other professions are based on primarily the first two.   The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) describes chemical engineering as “that branch of engineering concerned with the development and application of manufacturing processes in which chemical or certain physical changes of materials are involved… Chemistry, physics, and mathematics are the underlying sciences of chemical engineering, and economics its guide in practice .”   The chemical engineer is considered an engineering generalist because of a unique ability (among engineers) to understand and exploit chemical change.   Familiar with all forms of matter and energy and their manipulation, the chemical engineer leaves detailed specialization in one area of technology, such as construction, machine, design, or electronics to others.
History
Chemical engineering, which in most general terms is applied chemistry, existed even in early civilizations.   Chemical engineering is the newest of the four big engineering professions, which are civil, mechanical, and electrical.   Chemical engineering dates back to Ancient Greece where they distilled alcoholic beverages, as did the Chinese, who had learned to distill alcohol from rice by 800 BC.   Aristotle, the Greek philosopher of the fourth century BC, wrote about the process of obtaining fresh water by evaporating water for m the sea.
Chemical engineering evolved form two main roots.   The earlier was industrial chemistry, in which the work of the chemical engineer emerged from what was previously done by a team of chemists and a mechanical engineer.   The other main root came around because of the great innovations from the US, which consisted of a connected approach to unit operations.   These...