Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering has to do with industrial processes in which raw materials
are changed or separated into useful products. The chemical engineer must
develop, design, and engineer both the complete process and the equipment used;
choose the proper raw materials; operate the plants efficiently, safely, and economically;
and see to it that products meet the requirements set by the customers.
Chemical engineering is both an art and a science. Whenever science helps the
engineer to solve a problem, science should be used. When, as is usually the case,
science does not give a complete answer, it is necessary to use experience and
judgment. The professional stature of an engineer depends on skill in utilizing all
sources of information to reach practical solutions to processing problems.
The variety of processes and industries that call for the services of chemical
engineers is enormous. Products of concern to chemical engineers range from
commodity chemicals like sulfuric acid and chlorine to high-technology items like
polymeric lithographic supports for the electronics industry, high-strength composite
materials, and genetically modified biochemical agents. The processes described
in standard treatises on chemical technology and the process industries
give a good idea of the field of chemical engineering, as does the 1988 report on
the profession by the National Research Council!
Because of the variety and complexity of modern processes, it is not
practicable to cover the entire subject matter of chemical engineering under a
single head. The field is divided into convenient, but arbitrary, sectors. This text
covers that portion of chemical engineering known as the unit operations.