Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering course involves the application of physical science (e.g. physics and chemistry), with mathematics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more valuable or usable forms.

A person employed in this field is known as a chemical engineer. Chemical engineers job is to find the best possible way to design products. A chemical engineer translates processes developed in the lab into practical applications for the manufacturing of products such as plastics, medicines, detergents, and fuels; design plants to maximize production and minimize costs.

Chemical engineers find variety of job opportunities in almost all companies that deal with that manufacture of chemicals. Their work also extends to processes in nuclear energy, materials science, food production, the development of new sources of energy, and even in the field of medicines. Apart from process and product development and design, chemical engineers also find work in areas such as research, environmental studies, market analysis, data processing, sales, and management etc.

Courses & Eligibility

Individuals aspiring for a career in chemical engineering can pursue BE/B.Tech program after his/her intermediate with Physics, Chemistry, Maths. The BE/BTech programs are of four years duration. Admission to B.Tech program is made generally through entrance tests conducted by several universities and colleges.

One can also do a Diploma course in Chemical engineering which is of three years duration and it gives the status of a junior engineer. The students can join this course after completing class X.

There are many engineering colleges /universities in India including the IITs that offer Diploma/ B.Tech/ME/M.Tech courses in Chemical engineering.

The focus of the BE/B.Tech coursess in Chemical Engineering is on Industrial Chemistry, Polymer Technology, Polymer Processing, Polymer Testing, Polymer Synthesis etc.

Career Prospects

The field of chemical engineering offers tremendous job and career opportunities to the youngsters. The possibility of a chemical engineer to find work in industries include food, materials, specialty chemicals, plastics, power production, environmental control, biotechnology, waste management etc.

In India and around the world, there are enormous employment opportunities available for chemical engineers both in the public sector as well as the private sector. They can find jobs in areas such as processing, operations or manufacturing, research design and construction, and development, finance and also in academics.

Pay-Package

Chemical engineers are in great demand in today’s fast growing chemical industries throughout the globe. The average salary of a fresh chemical engineering professional depends on the type of employer – government or private. The starting salary of a B.Tech holder may vary somewhere between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 15,000 per month excluding other perks and allowances. The Diploma holders get stating salary in the range of Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 9,000 per month.

Working experience, qualifications, ability are important factors in determining the pay package. Those working in the private sector are paid more than the public sector. Senior professionals with more than five years of working experience can earn anywhere between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 a month.

Sub-disciplines of Chemical engineering

• Biochemical engineering
• Biomedical engineering
• Biomolecular engineering
• Biotechnology
• Ceramics
• Chemical process modeling
• Chemical technologies
• Chemical reactor
• Computational fluid
• dynamics
• Distillation Design
• Electrochemistry
• Environmental engineering
• Fluid dynamics
• Food process engineering
• Heat transfer
• Mass transfer
• Materials science
• Microfluidics
• Mineral Processing
• Nanotechnology
• Natural environment
• Plastics Engineering
• Polymers
• Process control
• Process design
• Process development
• Pulp and paper
• Semiconductor device fabrication
• Separation processes
• Crystallization processes
• Distillation processes
• Membrane processes
• Thermodynamics
• Transport Phenomena
• Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering