Chemical Engineering courses will teach the student to turn raw materials into finished products. Most of these finished products eventually end up in pharmacies, supermarkets, petrol stations, etc. Chemical engineers design, operate and manage the processes by which these finished products are produced.
What does a chemical engineer do?
A chemical engineer will work with things like reactors, distillation columns, fermenters, driers, heat exchangers and pumps. Chemical engineering is the process of selection, design and integration of these unit operations into a process which will achieve the desired conversion of raw materials into a profitable and useful finished product.
A course in chemical engineering will enable the learner to develop the skills necessary to design, build and run process plants such as those involved in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, oil refineries and breweries. Chemical engineering also covers areas such as the manufacture of electronic equipment where many liquid chemicals and gases are utilized during processing.
Universal engineers
Chemical engineering is the combination of mechanical engineering and chemistry. All chemical engineering students study mathematics and physics, and chemistry. Some areas of chemical engineering will also take in biology as a consideration. This is relevant to people who may wish to become involved in areas such as fermentation (alcohols), wastewater treatment (anaerobic digestion, activated sludge processing) and conversion of biomass (bio-refining).
Where can I get a job with this course?
On completion of a chemical engineering course, the graduate may:
- Become a consultant engineer where he/she is involved in designing, building and commissioning a process to produce a particular product.
- Work in an existing process plant where they may be responsible for all aspects of ensuring that the process runs smoothly and optimally.
- Bring about improvements to unit operations, as a Research Engineer, which will result in more efficient, environmentally friendly and more cost effective processes.
- Work in non Chemical Engineering roles where their analytical thinking skills are utilised e.g. stock broking and management consultancy.
There are many chemical engineering courses available across the country in various sectors of field study.
Find chemical engineering courses near you on Courses.ie
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