About Chemical Engineering

Even though normally called "Chemical Engineering," the field is better described by the phrase "engineering chemistry." It is the chemical engineer who acts as the bridge between the discoveries of the chemist's laboratory and the safe economical application of those discoveries. For example, a chemist might discover a new organic compound which can be stretched into a strong filament or thread. It is the chemical engineer who uses this knowledge to design, and often run, the plant to make the thread in quantity which will be used by other manufacturers to make cloth, rope, tire cord, and many other things which might use the special properties of that particular material. In like manner, it is the chemical engineer who designs the methods to produce in quantity a multitude of other chemical-related products, sulfur-free fuels, medicines, paper, paint, and plastics, to name a few.

While the chemical reaction is the "heart" of a chemical plant, many other operations are also important. Starting materials must be stored properly and moved from one part of the plant to another when needed, and these may be gases, liquids, or even solids. Often solids must be melted, liquids must either be crystallized or evaporated, and gases either condensed or compressed. At many points in the process, materials must be heated or cooled. Vacuums or pressures must be maintained in properly designed vessels or pipes. Many chemicals are corrosive, and this must be considered in the design of the equipment and the operation of the plant. Final products might have to be purified before they are stored to await sale. To keep the process economical, impurities and by-products are often separated and purified themselves, either for reuse in the process or sold for other purposes. And of course, the operation must not pollute; plant waste discharges (gases, liquids, or solids) must be harmless before they are released.

It can be seen then that the chemical engineer is concerned with both the chemical and the physical aspects involved in a process. To this end, many of the concepts common to all engineering are utilized, but the backbone of the field consists of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Chemical Engineering curriculums can differ somewhat from school to school, depending upon which aspect of the field is emphasized. For example, some schools produce a very theoretically oriented graduate with the emphasis of mathematical and computer techniques. Others may emphasize the physical and engineering aspect of the field. Penn State is well known for its chemically oriented chemical engineering graduates. We have been told numerous times that this is the type of graduate industry appreciates most, and we have tried to maintain this characteristic in the curriculum at Penn State.

The fields open to chemical engineering students are almost unlimited. They work in the areas of chemical plant design and engineering, product quality and product manufacturing, applied chemistry, market development, and research and development in all phases of the chemical industry. These include pharmaceuticals, plastics, nuclear processing and products, cryogenics, petroleum refining and technology, petrochemicals, rubber and wood technology, etc.

The Department of Chemical Engineering is located in the Fenske Laboratory, named after Merrell Fenske, who served as the department head from 1959 to 1969. Fenske's contributions to petroleum processing are numerous as well as important, the Fenske equation is still taught in the design of distillation columns. The Fenske Laboratory at University Park holds almost 60,000 square feet of floor space and is divided into two wings. The western wing (Unit I) was occupied in 1960, was extensively renovated in 1992, and is devoted to office space and research laboratories including a 1,000 square-foot pilot plant area with over 50 feet of headroom which was designed to accommodate tall research equipment. It currently houses the undergraduate Unit Operations Laboratory, CH E 407. The east wing (Unit II) was occupied in 1968 and, in addition to increasing the office and research laboratory space of the Department, houses several classrooms.

Research

The Department is active in a number of broad areas of research. The list is too long to enumerate here but includes such fields as biomedical engineering, reactor design and catalysis, transport phenomena, applied thermodynamics, physical properties, separation processes, applied chemistry, kinetics, petroleum research, interfacial phenomena, and biotechnology. Computer applications in many areas are facilitated by the Department's in-house facilities and connections to the University's Computation Center. And because of the close physical relationships between the teaching and research efforts of the Department, the undergraduate student at University Park has the opportunity to become acquainted with many of the above activities.

Future

But what of the future of Chemical Engineering and the graduate in this field? We truly live in a chemical world and, even though the economy may have its ups and downs, the demand for chemicals will remain. At the very least, the need for food, shelter, clothing, and medicines will remain with us. Any Chemical Engineering student who is willing to work hard can be assured of a bright, challenging, and productive future in this field, as well as an outstanding position in the community and in society.

U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics web site.

Penn State Chemical Engineering employment data web page.