CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
DUTIES:
Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry and engineering
to solve problems involving the production or use of chemicals. They
also use theories and laws of chemistry to develop industrial chemical
processes. Chemical engineers basically study, design, and
evaluate the commercial processes for producing the chemical or physical
transformation of substances, such as petroleum derivations, metals, food,
and synthetic materials, and they plan and supervise the manufacturing
plant and its construction, operation, and maintenance. Chemical
engineers work in industries other than chemical manufacturing such
as electronics or photographic equipment. A chemical engineer’s knowledge
and duties cut across many fields, and they apply principles
of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and mechanical and electric engineering
in their work. They usually specialize in a particular operation
such as oxidation or polymerization, and sometimes their titles reflects
their area of specialization.
The work of chemical engineers may begin after chemists have
developed a base product or processes, such as a new kind of paint or a
new way refining coal to make synthetic natural gas. The engineer
will then solve the practical problem in the manufacture and use of these
products. Chemical Engineers design plant equipment and devise
processes for manufacturing chemicals and products such as gasoline, synthetic
rubber, plastics detergents, cement, paper, and pulp by applying principles
and technology of chemistry, physics and engineering. They devise
processes to separate components of liquids or gases, using absorbent such
as fuller’s earth or carbons. They conduct research to develop
new and improved chemical manufacturing processes. They design and
plan layout, and oversees workers engaged in constructing measurement and
control systems for chemical plants based on data collected in laboratory
experiments and in pilot plan operations. They develop electrochemical
processes to generate electric currents, using controlled chemical reactions,
or to produce chemical changes, using electric currents. They
determine most effective arrangement of operations, such as mixing, crushing,
heat transfer, distillation, and drying. Engineers do experiments
and calculate such things as the temperature and pressure to be expected
during an industrial process. They help to design buildings and plan
that machinery will be needed. They estimate the number of people
needed to operate a plant as well as the cost of power and raw materials.
They make extensive use of computers in this work.
Chemical engineers must also consider the effect of a plan to
processes on the environment. They cannot build a plant that will release
deadly fumes in the air. They perform laboratory studies of steps
in manufacturing a new product, and tests proposed process in small-scale
operation(pilot plant). They perform tests throughout stages of
production to determine degree of control over variables, including temperature,
density, specific gravity and pressure. They develop safety procedures
to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity
to reports for management. They direct activities of workers
who operate equipment such as absorption and evaporation towers and electromagnets
to effect required chemical reaction. Directs workers using absorption
method to remove soluble constituent or vapor by dissolving in a liquid.
EDUCATION:
A chemical engineer need at least a bachelor’s degree in chemical
engineering. It generally takes 4-5 year to earn a bachelor’s degree
in engineering. Many jobs in chemical engineering also require advanced
degrees. To earn a master’s degree, it will take 1 or 2 additional
years of full-time study. Many chemical engineers field that a master’s
degree in business administration is useful, especially if they want to
become managers. To do research or teach at the university level,
a chemical engineer will need a doctoral degree. It usually takes
about 4 years of full-time study beyond the bachelor’s degree level to
earn a doctoral degree.
Many engineers continue their education on a part-time basis
after they have found a job in their field. Employers often pay tuition
for courses that engineers take to improve their job skills. In-house
courses have updated the engineers’ use of computers in designing models
and simulating chemical processes. Chemical engineers must be willing
to study throughout their career, so that they can keep up with advances
in engineering technology.
Engineers who offer their services to the public or whose work
affects life, health, or property must be licensed by the state in which
they work. They generally need a degree from an approved engineering
college, about 4 years of work experiences as an engineer, and a passing
grade on a state examination before they can be licensed as a professional
engineer. Some engineering colleges offer work-study programs that
combine work experience with formal study, which can be found very helpful
for future chemical engineers.
Some Universities and Institutions that hold Chemical Engineering
degrees and program are: Canegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh,
PA; Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH; Columbia University
in New York, NY; Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL; Iowa
State University in Ames, IA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
Cambridge, MA; Ohio State University in Columbus, OH; Polytechnic University
in Brooklyn, NY; Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey; Renssalaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY; University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati,
OH; University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI; University of Minnesota in
Minneapolis, MN; University of Wisconsin at Madison in Madison, WI; and
Yale University in New Haven, CT.
ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE:
Being a chemical engineer is very beneficial. A person
with a chemical engineer degree trains a person in thought and problem-solving
processes that can be applied to almost any other field. It will
also allow a chemical engineer to develop a sense of leadership and teamwork.
A chemical engineer can also “choose” his type of job that best fits his
interest. For example, if a chemical engineer is relatively outgoing,
but also want some privacy, he may be in the service of a company specializing
in designing engineering. If a chemical engineer disapprove of his surroundings
or duty, he will be able to apply for another job or to another company
rather quickly. For example, if a company is in the brink of bankruptcy,
or his job is repetitive, he may want to apply for another company, and
a chemical engineer is usually hired fast. A chemical engineer
also receives a good salary and good benefits, differing from their years
of experience, degree, and location.
Like every other job, being a chemical engineer have its disadvantages,
too. Before becoming a chemical engineer, a person must go through
tedious courses of science and mathematics. Some specific jobs can
be a little bit monotonous. Sometimes, there can be a guild associated
with the job. For example, engineers before would focus on the product,
but not making the safety and that results pollution. Now, engineers
are coming out trying to find ways on how to have more safety , and to
prevent pollution. Long hours can be a problem in a specific job,
or the engineer is not planning his time correctly, and can’t finish his
job in 8 hours in 5 days a week.
Salaries vary depending on the experience of the chemical engineer,
the location, and the type of job. Currently, chemical engineers
with a bachelor’s degree earn a starting of about $42, 817 a year.
Engineers with advanced degree have salaries in an average of $52,600 a
year. Expert chemical earn an average salary of about $89,500 a year.
Senior chemical engineers earn an average salary of about $99,800 or more
a year. Chemical engineers employed by private companies generally
earn more money than those working for the federal government. Benefits
usually include paid leave and vacations, health insurance, and pension
plans. It depends on the company.
EMPLOYMENT:
The employment outlook for chemical engineers is very good.
The number of jobs is expected to increase about as fast as the average
for all jobs though the year 2006, mainly because of expansion in the energy
and chemical industries. However, computer technology is improving
production techniques, which will result in fewer job openings.
Much of the projected growth in employment will be in manufacturing industries,
especially service industries. Job opportunities for chemical engineers
will be better in pharmaceuticals, with specialty chemical manufacturing
and in plastics materials. Although employment in the chemical
manufacturing industry is projected to growing slowly though 2006, employment
of chemical engineers should increase about as fast as the average for
all occupations as chemical companies research develop new chemicals
and more efficient processes to increase output of existing chemicals.
Much of the projected growth in employment, however, will be in nonmanufacuring
industries, especially service industries. Chemical engineering graduates
may face competition for jobs as the number of openings is projected
to be lower than the number of graduates. Areas relating to the production
of specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastics materials may provide
better opportunities than other portions of the chemical industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ONLINE:
http://www.nspe.org http://www.cems.umn.edu/~aiche_ug/history/h_grow.html
http://cape.uwaterloo.ca/ http://www.cheme.cornell.edu
http://k2.cwru.edu/cse/eche http://www.che.ncsu.edu
http://www.cas.org/ http://www.elsevier.nl
http://www. cheng.cam.ac.uk/ http://www.eng.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/
http://www.ench.umd.edu/ http://www.exicom.org/cew
http://sol.rutgers.edu http://www.aiche.org
http://www.lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/WorDept.htm
http://gn.mines.colorado.edu/ http://www.4spe.org
