Chemical Engineering World Post #200
Sunday, April 29, 2007
I did not realize it until today. I checked my blogger dashboard and I saw yesterday's post was #200. I started this blog end July last year and this Chemical Engineering World Blog has been around for about 10 months plus. I'm pleased with the progress of this blog so far. I'm happy sharing my knowledge and experience with my readers. I received many feedbacks, questions, responds from my readers asking various types of questions related to chemical engineering stuff (nothing very technical...). I'm more than happy to answer them, as long as I can answer them.
It took me a lot of effort and time to maintain this blog. I did not mind at all because I love writing and sharing. As a practicing chemical/process engineer, I'm a very busy person (other engineers out there may understand what I mean here). I can only open my blogger account at night, usually after dinner and post whatever I have in mind or whatever information I would like to share. I want to share my experience with chemical engineering students as well as other chemical engineers, so that they can have more information and more exposure on what chemical engineering industry is all about. I cannot provide and cover the entire scope of chemical engineering. However, I'll try my very best to share as much as I can.
I hope all of you gain something good from this blog. Thanks for all your support for me and this blog all this while. I apologized for any bad English grammar in my post (I'm not very good in English, but I'm trying to improve it...). I welcome any comments and suggestions to further improve this blog. I also welcome anybody who want to share his or her experience and knowledge in this blog. I'm going to keep on producing contents for you guys out there. Thanks again.
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Labels: Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering, Learning Curve
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 7:51 AM,
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Chemical Engineering eBook
Saturday, April 28, 2007
WikiBooks has a great new free Chemical Engineering eBook manual available. It's a valuable resource for practicing Chemical and/or Process Engineer as well as chemical engineering students. You can read it online or print it out in a PDF version. It's up to you.
This book is for anyone who is interested in some of the basic principles behind what chemical engineers do and how they can use powerful tools from physics to solve problems involving steady-state processes. It starts with a knowledge of algebra, chemistry, and some physics, and builds on current knowledge towards more practical problems. The ultimate goal is to obtain a book containing information about all of the major processes a chemical engineer may encounter as well as some insight into their analysis, which is essential for design.
The book is designed as an introduction to the subject and therefore tends to stay away from the more complicated mathematics, as the relatively steady-state black box analysis can be difficult enough for students (and teachers!) to solve.
Followings are the chapter inside the Chemical Engineering Process eBook.- 1 Chapter 0: Introduction
- 2 Chapter 1: Prerequisites
- 3 Chapter 2: Elementary mass balances
- 4 Chapter 3: Mass balances on multicomponent systems
- 5 Chapter 4: Mass balances with recycle
- 6 Chapter 5: Mass/mole balances in reacting systems
- 7 Chapter 6: Multiple-phase systems, introduction to phase equilibrium
- 8 Chapter 7: Energy balances on non-reacting systems
- 9 Chapter 8: Combining energy and mass balances in non-reacting systems
- 10 Chapter 9: Introduction to energy balances on reacting systems
- 11 Appendix 1: Useful Mathematical Methods
- 12 Appendix 2: Problem Solving using Computers
- 13 Appendix 3: Miscellaneous Useful Information
- 14 Appendix 4: Notational Guide
- 15 Appendix 5: Further Reading
- 16 Appendix 6: External Links
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Labels: Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering, Learning Curve, Study
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 1:43 PM,
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Food Processing Equipment
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
I subscribe to a lot of chemical engineering ezine/newsletter and other stuff like equipment/machine processing (to enhance my knowledge - Nowadays knowledge is money!!!). One of them is Genemco (a site dedicated providing information and selling food processing equipment).
Genemco is one of the nation’s largest used equipment dealers with wide selection of high quality used food processing equipment and used refrigeration equipment in stock for commercial and industrial customers. With over fifteen years experience in the food industry, Genemco can help us to design, acquire, or install the food processing or refrigeration equipment we need. No customer or project is too large or too small.
You can subscribe to the newsletter from the Genemco site. Check it out.
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Labels: Chemical Engineering, Equipments, Process Parameters, Processing.
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 9:49 AM,
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Chemical Plant Engineers
Monday, April 23, 2007
I stumbled upon a blog called Lamentations of Chemistry yesterday and read a post entitled Chemical Plant Production Managers. The author of the post, whom is a chemist, elaborated his admiration to people who runs a production plant. I really liked the post. I can relate myself to what he has mentioned. I believe other production engineers or process engineers will feel and experience the same thing as what he mentioned in the post. At least somebody recognize our capability and skill.
Below are part of the post that I want to highlight:
A chemical plant is a big machine through which flows a large stream of money. Money flows in one side of this machine and out the other side. Jets of cash flow outward to payroll and raw material vendors. The production manager never forgets that the inflowing stream must always be bigger than the outflowing stream. Customers insist on just-in-time delivery of products, but they also want 60 days net with a lot of other strings. The relationship between the controller and the plant manager may be chronically strained.
People who run production plants are really engineers, irrespective of whether or not they hold a diploma in engineering. Scientists find the thread between cause and effect. Engineers take that thread and figure out how to use it for fun and profit. Sure, some scientists have engineering sense and some engineers have scientific sense. But a plant manager is all about running the plant at full speed. When they make tweaks, it is usually on the engineering side. Usually they are loath to alter chemistry.
Continue reading the full version at Chemical Plant Production Managers.Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORLD by email.
Labels: Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Plant, Study
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 8:09 PM,
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Chemical Engineering Student Gunned Down
Sunday, April 22, 2007
I did heard and read the news about the mass killing in Virginia Tech recently. However, I did not notice, a brilliant female chemical engineering student who was about the graduate was among those who were killed. It's a very sad moment and a terrifying incident. I just hope it won't happen anywhere again. It's just a disastrous moment. Following is a story about the unfortunate chemical engineering student, a lost to the chemical engineering community.
On last Monday morning (16th April 2006), 32 students and faculty members at Virginia Tech were gunned down by another student. Miss Turner, a highly-talented student who was just three weeks away from graduation (with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.), was one of 33 people killed in the shooting spree by 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui.
She worked in Eastman's Polymer Process Technology in Kingsport in the summer of 2005 and researched processes for making PETG. Dan Martin was her mentor.
"Maxine had a love of doing engineering work more than many of the students I had ever worked with. She was an excellent student who had a love for life," Martin said.
Susan Harris, senior staffing representative and student programs coordinator for Eastman, said Turner was an outgoing and energetic young woman.
"She was a high academic achiever and a strong leader on campus. She was very well-liked by our other Eastman co-ops and interns," Harris said.
Turner, originally from Vienna, Va., was in Norris Hall on the Virginia Tech campus Monday morning when another student, Cho Seung-Hui, started firing apparently indiscriminantly on anybody and everybody in sight. He killed 30 people in Norris Hall before turning the gun on himself. Cho is also suspected of killing another student and a resident adviser in a campus dormitory earlier that morning.
James Medlin, who was Turner's supervisor during her internship at Eastman, said she was the principal organizer of the Virginia Tech chapter of the Alpha Omega Epsilon engineering sorority.
She was also the recipient of the Eastman Excellence in Chemical Engineering Scholarship and was selected based on her academic achievements, leadership activities, and good communication skills.
"She was an impressive young woman," Medlin said. "This is sadder than any words can convey."
Eastman spokeswoman Betty Payne said Eastman typically recruits from Virginia Tech and often has interns and co-op students from the university. After Monday's shooting, Eastman staffing personnel contacted its current Virginia Tech students to "to make sure that everyone was OK."
"They found out about Maxine yesterday morning," Payne said.
She said an Eastman staffing representative traveled to Blacksburg on Wednesday to meet with the company's interns and co-op students on campus, "just to touch base with them and see if there is anything we can do to help."
"It's just been a real tragedy," she said.
Her aunt Jane Amond, 44, and grandmother Pat Turner, 74, live in Malbrook Road, in Earlham. Several other family members are also from Norwich and all are said to be “devastated” by her death.
Maxine's aunt told the Evening News: “We can't believe it has happened. She was a very lovely person, she had a brilliant future ahead of her and she's gone now.
“She was a very bright, happy, talented, intelligent person. She was going to graduate in May and had already got herself a job sorted out. She and her mother had been looking at apartments.
“But that's now gone, it's such a waste and we can't believe it.
“They were a very close family and very proud of each other.”
Maxine's grandmother Pat, 74, said the family were finding it difficult to talk about. She said: “Everybody is finding it too upsetting.”
The popular student also acted as a public relations manager for the university's Tae Kwon Do club, volunteered at an animal shelter and wanted to take up dog breeding as a hobby some day, the newspaper reported.
While at university Maxine helped to found a chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon, a sorority for women in engineering.
Last week she volunteered her time to show young female engineering students around Roanoke, in Virginia, showing them the potential and opportunities for women in engineering.
She was one of very few female chemical engineers and founded the sorority to ensure members had the support they needed to succeed in their male-dominated industry.
On the group's website, she wrote: “We formed this sorority as a place for females who had never had female friends, as a chance for them to meet great girls with similar interests.
“Also for anyone looking for a support group, since engineering is challenging. Lastly, as a chance to build professional skills to help girls after graduation.”
On a popular social networking site, Maxine described the job she had lined up after graduation as “awesome”.
She had planned to take some time off this summer before joining W.L. Gore & Associates, the maker of Gore-Tex, a waterproof, breathable fabric popular in outerwear, in its Maryland office.
“Not sure what I'll be doing yet, but they are AWESOME,” she wrote of her future employer on her Facebook site.
Story adopted from TimesNews. Read more at Evening News and TorontoSun.
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Labels: Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering, Problem, Study
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 11:08 AM,
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ISO and HACCP Audit
Thursday, April 19, 2007
My plant was audited today and we thoroughly prepared for this occasion since last week. It was an ISO and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) audit. We have to ensure all records and documents are well kept and organized. We must clean the plant and clear it from unwanted objects such as cotton rags, welding rod, plastic, food wrap, cigarette bud, water clogging, etc which were lying around (the lists of objects that you can find in the plant are too long but please don't assume we are not cleaning the plant. We clean the plant on a daily basis, but sometimes unwanted objects suddenly appears!!! It's a very big plant - 10 floors). Besides that the plate heat exchanger (PHE) and pump tray should be dry and clean (for your information, sometimes the PHE and pump leaks and oil is contained in the tray. This can be considered oil lost!!! Oil is money in the oil industry).
The Critical Control Point (CCP), [which is a point, step or procedure at which controls can be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable (critical) levels] in my plant is the filter bags. The filter bag record and differential pressure was inspected randomly. This CCP is very important in food industry because it is the most critical step in ensuring the safety and cleanliness of a food product. I don't intend to describe more about this as it might be too technical (unless anybody wants to know more, you can ask me via email).
The glasses at the pressure gauge, temperature gauge and vessels were inspected as well. In addition, the pest control program was checked too. During the interview, we managed to answer and convince the auditor that the ISO and HACCP standards are well applied. I'm glad that we passed through this round of audit without any non-conformance (NC). Thanks to all the supervisors, shift leaders, plant operators and contract workers for their commitment, dedication and hard work for the audit preparation.
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Labels: Heat Exchanger, Oil and Fats, Pump, TQM
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 11:16 PM,
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Siemens - Automation and Drives
Some info to be passed around, which I received from Siemens. It's about Control and Automation, which is vital for process plant. Frankly, I'm still green in this area and I'm learning about it. I'm also in the process to upgrade the control system in my plant. Siemens provide the PLC in our control system and I believe in a lot of other plants as well.
The workshop is going to be conducted in three locations in Malaysia: Miri, Kerteh and Kuala Lumpur. Check out the info at: http://www.siemens-workshops
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Labels: Learning Curve, Study
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 10:50 PM,
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Employers Expectation to A Chemical Engineer
Saturday, April 14, 2007
I apologize for not posting these past few days. I was caught with loads of work and reports. Then, my boss (engineering services manager) suddenly resigned!!! He is the one who interviewed me few years ago and decided to recruit me. His sudden resignation has caused some chaos and produced some impact to the management of the company. OK...forget about that....let's focus on the issue I'm going to highlight now...
Remember in my previous post, I mentioned about how tremendous is the amount of chemical engineering graduates produced by universities all around the world every year, both locally and internationally. However, only small percentage of these chemical engineers managed to get themselves a decent chemical engineering job. This is a phenomena resulting from several reasons. Why is this so?
1.0 Communication Skill
This is the prime reason why a chemical engineer usually doesn't get employed even with a super chemical engineering degree/grade!!!
There's no doubt that thousands of chemical engineers graduated every year. Some of them excel brilliantly in their academic. They score flying colours in all the chemical engineering subjects and many thought they will get good jobs. Unfortunately, when they are called for interviews and bombarded with series of questions, both simple and tricky ones, they froze! They have the brain but unfortunately they are not confident enough to convey the message verbally.
Most of the cliche' initial interview questions will be "tell us about yourself". This is a vital question that needs good elaborations on who you are? If you fail to narrate your background in a pleasant articulate language, your future employer will get annoyed and turned off. Your chances in acquiring yourself a job would be slim. You need to improve on the communication skills - how to communicate effectively, how to become a good listener, how to answer....and much more....You also need to have quite an extensive knowledge on the company you plan to work for to help you gain the confidence you really need.
An engineer is answerable to his superior or manager. At the same time, he has to manage his down line manpower which may include supervisors, superintendents, operators, technicians etc. An engineer also needs to know everything beyond his authority and power. One of the most effective way is to get his down line reporting and informing on a daily basis. Sometimes even shift hour basis. The instructions must be delivered clearly to avoid silly expensive errors. Therefore, an excellent communication skill would really do you good in order for you to be one competitive engineer.
In my case, for example, I make sure I know every single occurance in my plant and its present condition -24/7. I ordered my supervisor to call and report to me at the end of every shift. This way, I will keep myself updated with the latest information without me being there to monitor the plant progress outside of my working hours. My supervisor will call me at 2230 hours and 0630 hours (after their shift) everyday regardless of where I am. Whenever any problem occurs, the supervisor will immediately inform me. That's why I have to bring my hand phone everywhere including into the toilet! With this, I'm well informed of all the activities and progress of the plants. I can seek for further details later but it is very important for me to be aware of the problem before my superior because I will definitely look incompetent if it were to happen the other way around. Believe me, the last thing you want is your superior to highlight and raise the problem before you do.
2. Analytical Skills
When I attended the interview at the company I'm working now, after giving the interviewer (just submitted his sudden resignation via email yesterday) some background about myself, he began asking me some technical questions. He asked me to do some calculations. One of the test was to calculate the volume of chemical (corrosion inhibitor) injected into a pipeline (length and diameter are given) in such way that the chemical will stick onto the internal wall of the pipeline with 2 mil (1 mil = 1/1000 inch) thickness. He said, "I'm going to the toilet now. When I return, I want the answer....". Can you imagine a question like that given to me. I have to force my brain to think and recall related formulas. Luckily, I answered it correctly, though I took some time to calculate. At least, I proved him that I am capable of carrying out the chemical engineering calculations.
3. Degree Result
Well, I hate to discuss about this, because it is somehow related to me. A lot of chemical engineering student would normally have the ambition to become an outstanding engineer. A very small percentage would opt to further their study specializing in certain niche area. Normally this tiny portion of students will become a lecturer or researcher, and they have no problem to struggle and earn a masters degree or a pH.D.
For me, my truly aspiring ambition is to become a lecturer, however, I did not get at least second class upper for my degree. Upon receiving the degree result from Bradford University in 1999, I was so disappointed. I know chances of me to become a lecturer is slim.
Some good universities really look on your certificate. Although I received few interview calls and offers from other universities, I have to reject them because they are located in other states in Malaysia. I have settled down and decided not to move (my wife is having a good career and my parent is also living nearby).
I had work very hard after my first degree to compensate the inadequate qualification in order to become a lecturer. I excelled in my Masters degree and I was hoping that I can use my masters as a ticket to get there. I have produced a number of papers in seminars and journals. Together with my research group we have won numerous awards. I've published bulletins and designed research posters (which my previous boss really liked). Unfortunately, at the end of the day, most of them still look at my degree instead of my true quality and the impact that I am capable to give. Well, that is life. Sometimes, we don't get what we want. God knows better. Luckily my wife becomes a chemical engineering lecturer. At least one of us managed to and I envy her job flexibility.
Conclusions
Those are just three of the main reasons why an engineer might not get employed. There might be more, but the rest are not as important to me. I believe, if one can overcome all these three hurdles, one can be a good engineer and go further....
Note: The following reasons are from my personal opinion based on what I've been observing. It is not base on any influence from any source.
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Labels: Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering, Jobs, Learning Curve
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 7:53 PM,
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Chemical Engineers Come and Go
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
In a private company or organization, it is normal to see chemical engineers (or other engineers) come and go. They work for a duration of time and gain as much as they can, then leave the company. There's nothing much the company can do about the firm decision they made on leaving (bear in mind, this is a worldwide problem for employers). If the company consider the chemical engineer as an asset, they will normally counter offer and/or increase remunerations/benefits for the engineer. On the other hand, if the chemical engineer is not really performing, the employer will be more then welcome to receive their resignation letter.
I have seen few of my colleagues leave the company for various reasons. Just to share with all of you, various reasons that made them leave the company, among them are:
1. Bored!!! When an engineer has this particular reason to leave the company, he/she usually has already learned and experienced substantially a lot to the stage that he/she is in search of a new challenge. A friend of mine, having worked in a plant (downstream) for 8 years and established himself in his workplace, a multinational company, decided to leave. When asked why, he said he was already bored. He wanted a new challenge. He wanted to work in the upstream area. He managed to get a job in another multinational giant company, and I can see him very excited and looking forward to learn and venture a new field.
2. Pressure. This is a very normal and common reason for engineers to leave (but they would never say so). Sometimes, they are given huge responsibilities, tasks, projects, assignments etc. There'll be high expectation for them and they are expected to perform excellently. Not to mention numerous meetings they have to attend and reports to prepare. Various problems created by down-line and up-line levels may create some turbulence in the engineers' mind. He might not be happy working, constantly being pressured by his nagging boss. This can be a every strong factor for the engineer to leave. Frankly speaking, this is a popular reason many engineer quit their job. They simply cannot handle the pressure. They don't care about the money or the high salary anymore. I've seen a lot of these cases...
3. Opting for higher salary. This is quite an obvious reason - Money Matter...Money oriented.....Everything is all about money....Everybody has different perceptions on money. A colleague of mine, who is a senior executive, is offered a good high level position to manage a few plants, BUT, not in Malaysia, instead in a foreign country. His salary was already quite high here in my company, but after he was offered quadrupled of what he was earning he could not resist. Well, on the other hand, I know he has a lot of debts to settle before retiring, and that's why he has to grab the opportunity. What about you?
4. Getting Promoted. When an ambitious engineer discovered that there's no chance of him getting promoted in the company he's working in, he might not waste a wonderful opportunity when another company offered him a higher position (which comes with a substantial salary increase, possibly with some profit sharing as well!!!). A friend of mine who's a dedicated engineer was offered to be a factory manager in a newly built utility plant. Despite of several huge amount counter offers (few thousands dollar) made by his current employer, he still insist to leave, even though his job at present is a comfortable one.
5. Wind of Change. Sometimes, an engineer is bored of the hectic technical life he lives in. He feels that he wants to experience a different working environment. He might consider giving up all his chemical engineering knowledge and skills to something with lower pace. I have a friend whom decided to quit and choose to become a teacher, which many consider far more relaxing than becoming an engineer. He is entitled to work half day and will also enjoy the school break (lot's of holidays). At the same time, they can have one or two tuition session to earn something extra. Well, that's his choice...
6. Unsatisfied. In some cases, a chemical engineer might be unsatisfied with some internal political issues. Ideas and suggestions brought forward by the engineer may have always been taken lightly or simply pushed over. The engineer will have a feeling that the company is not appreciating him and his ideas/plans. This will make him consider leaving the company. However, this particular reason is very rare.
7. Family matter. An example of this category is myself. I used to work in a local oil and gas servicing company. I enjoyed and loved my job as a project cum chemical engineer. Traveling and working, tasting upstream and downstream working environment really enriched me. Unfortunately, the company decided to move to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, in order to increase the chances of securing more oil and gas tender/projects. I was instructed to move as well. Unfortunately, I'm already settled in Johor Bahru (JB). FMy wife, who's pursuing her pH.d (chemical engineering) here is doing very well as an academician, researcher and consultant. Furthermore, my parents are living in JB and we have also bought a house in a nice neighborhood. So, I decided to hunt for a job nearby and here I am, working in a physical refinery plant, in JB (after resigning from that company, of course).
7. Combination of some of the above reasons. To be more transparent, I can say, most of the engineers leave because of a combination of reasons stated above. It's going to be lengthy if I explain or give examples here. But, the bottom line is, combination of the factors above will be a catalyst to increase the rate of reaction for the process of an engineer leaving and seeking for a better job.
My opinion/comment:
This is an interesting issue. It's the engineer's decision and everybody has to respect it no matter what reason(s) they have. Let's just hope that the move will be a positive one towards a better career and profession.
Next issue...
Nowadays, there are many graduate chemical engineers. Every year, thousands of chemical engineers are produced from various local and international universities. However, only small percentage of these chemical engineers managed to get themselves a decent chemical engineering job. This is a phenomena resulting from several reasons. I'll share the reasons why they failed to qualify and be employed in my next post.
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Labels: Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering, Jobs
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 9:15 PM,
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Wrapped up
Friday, April 06, 2007
Maybe many of you do not realise that the last post was written by me, zura, zaki's wife. Well, the 'posted by zura' is written so small at the bottom of the post anyway. I forgot to mention that it was me instead of zaki in the post itself. He invited me as a contributor or a guess blogger to this blog.
As for now, zaki is too wrapped up in managing his plant and is mentally tortured to prepare his monthly plant report. This is his first as he is just assigned to be the Head of Department recently. His time in the office flies by and it is very restraining to his eyes from constant staring at the computer monitor. When he comes back home, he is literaly drained and it is very difficult for him to spend the evening in front of the laptop at home. I hope he will pass this stage of his career and soon can blog normally again.
Well, that's the reality of being a true chemical engineer. I wouldn't really understand wholeheartedly because I have never had any experience working in the industry and I found it quite hard to teach something that I've never done. If it is not because of the rarely held plant visit for the faculty staffs, I wouldn't even know how a real distillation column look like. It's ironic isn't it. Luckily we, the lecturers, just have to teach the theory behind designing those equipments in chemical plants. To really take care of a plant, you will have to experience it yourself and face all those troubleshooting task that you chemical engineers have to carry out in order to make the plant run smoothly.
Here in the faculty (FKKKSA, UTM) when I was an 'active' staff, meaning that I was not on study leave, I have to teach a subject called 'Unit Operation I and II' (now named Separation Processes 1 and 2). This is a sucject where you have to understand all the unit operations or equipment involved to separate gas-liquid, gas-gas, gas-solid, solid-solid, solid-liquid, and liquid-liquid mixtures of material in a chemical plant. This is including distillation columns, absorption columns, evaporators and crystallisers, among all. It is a tough subject for the students because the group of lecturers teaching this subject normally give exam questions which is out of the world difficult and unthinkable. The students fear this subject and the exam is full of suspence. As for me, I try to be as moderate as I can, but I certainly want to test the students' understanding on the subject.
I miss teaching but now I have to concentrate on my PhD so that I can serve my faculty again and give my little contribution in moulding the national asets.
posted by zura @ 10:51 AM,
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Making the right choice.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
When I was about to finish my 5th form (high school) back in 1993, I was forced to choose my profession in the future. The decision I was about to make will determine the course I will take for my first degree. Being in boarding school, we were always exposed to the courses available in the universities locally as well as in overseas. Given that much choices, I was wired up and confused of which way I have to go. It was so hard to make that big of a decision for yourself at that age. I got no help or whatsoever from my parents because they themselves are not well knowledged about the courses, what more the professions available. I live a completely different life from them, they were poor, their parents were poor. They do not even get the opportunity to go to school in those days. So it was up to me.
What I know so far at that time was I like chemistry so much. Just give me any chemistry exam question and I will know how to answer them . All the chemical reactions were in my head and the calculations were so easy for me. Then as I look through the courses, the choices were narrowed down to two: chemistry and chemical engineering. Being a chemist did not sound as exciting as being a chemical engineer, so I thought. And the rest is history.
The first few years in chemical engineering course were really a struggle to me. It was so hard to accept that this course does not involve so much chemistry but instead physics, a subject that is not really my cup of tea. I cursed myself, I didn't want to study and I ended up being in the 'under-probation-about-to-be-expelled' list. My grade was so bad during my A-level and I broke my parents' hearts when they received the letter. That was an eye opener for me and from then I decided to not grieve over the choice I've made and prevail through it. I started to make notes in classes, did my assignments and attend classes without failing. I was so proud when I got the highest mark in my class and appointed as a tutor for weak students in college.
It is very important for you to choose the right course or profesion because it will affect your life. Make sure you have every bit of information on the courses and prepare for it mentally and physically. This blog for example, is not only a good blog for chemical engineers and chemical engineering university students but also an excellent tool for students at high schools to expose themselve about chemical engineering.
My personal apparition on what chemical engineering is about is how to realise the experiments being carried out by chemists in labs in order to produce a chemical product/chemical invention. The 'how' includes equipment design, process controll and plant operation among all.
Below, I enclose a simple web definition on chemical engineering.
Definitions of Chemical engineering on the Web:
- deals with the design, construction, and operation of plants and machinery for making such products as acids, dyes, drugs, plastics, and synthetic rubber by adapting the chemical reactions discovered by the laboratory chemist to large-scale production. The chemical engineer must be familiar with both chemistry and mechanical engineering. 3
www.bartleby.com/65/en/engineer.html - the branch of engineering that is concerned with the design and construction and operation of the plants and machinery used in industrial chemical processes
- the activity of applying chemistry to the solution of practical problems
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - Chemical engineering is the application of science, mathematics and economics to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_engineering
posted by zura @ 3:41 PM,
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NACE - Corrosion 2008 Conference and Expo
Monday, April 02, 2007
Do you know that there is an organization called NACE? What is NACE?
Corrosion problem in the chemical as well as oil and gas industry is very critical. That's why "National Association of Corrosion Engineers" (NACE) was created.
NACE International mission is to protect people, assets, and the environment from the effect of corrosion globally. Their members work in corporations, educational institutions, research facilities, and the federal government. Whether you are a scientist, engineer, contractor, student or simply someone who possesses a real commitment to the advancement of corrosion control, you are invited to become part of this dynamic and influential organization. Personally, I have used NACE standard to measure corrosion rate in the pipelines in my present work and in my previous oil and gas job.
Next year, NACE International returns to New Orleans in 2008 and invites your participation in the NACE International Corrosion 2008 Conference and Expo . Be a part of a world-renowned collection of technical presentations on the most current and innovative corrosion technology for industry professionals.
Labels: Chemical Engineering, Exhibition, Learning Curve, Oil and Gas
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 11:57 PM,
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www.ChemicalEngineer.com Website
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Before this I never know a website called chemicalengineer.com. Today, I learned that such website exist. The site have a great and straight to the point domain name (that I envy).
Chemical Engineer (chemicalengineer.com) is actually a CareerMarketplace Network site. It has been online since 1996, and is a highly-focused profession-specific web sites that offer a variety of services for chemical engineers world wide. Their goal is to provide visitors with relevant content in one clear and easy-to-use location.
A key component of Chemical Engineer is the Employment Center where job seekers will find many job opportunities in their field. Many of the industry's best-known employers regularly advertise their job openings on Chemical Engineer. You can also your own online resume via this site. The Chemical Engineer Employment Center provides many valuable resources for both job seekers and employers. Check it out!
For more information, you can contact info@careermarketplace.com
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Labels: Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering, Jobs
posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 12:44 AM,
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The Author
I’m Zaki. I used to be a project, process and chemical engineer. Few years ago I successfully became a Chartered Engineer (IChemE) and Professional Engineer (BEM). I'm now employed as a chemical engineering educator/researcher/consultant. Hope you like reading my blog. I welcome any feedback from you. My email: zaki.yz[alias]gmail.com. TQ!
