Chemical Engineering Design: Introduction, Process and Constraints

Chemical engineering has consistently been one of (1)the highest
paid engineering professions. There is a demand for chemical engineers in
many sectors of industry, including the traditional processing industries: (2)
– chemicals, polymers, fuels, foods, pharmaceuticals, and paper, as well as
other sectors such as electronic materials and devices, consumer products,
mining and metals extraction, biomedical implants, and power generation.
The creation of plans and specifications and the prediction of the
financial outcome if (3) the plans were implemented is the activity of
chemical engineering design.
Design is (4) a creative activity, and as such can be one of the most
rewarding and satisfying activities undertaken by (5) an engineer. The
design does not exist at the start of the project. The designer begins with a
specific objective or customer need in mind and, by developing and
evaluating possible designs, arrives at the best way of achieving that
objective—be it a better chair, a new bridge, or for the chemical engineer, a
new chemical product or production process.
When considering possible ways of achieving the objective, the
designer will be constrained by (6) – many factors, which will narrow down
the number of possible designs. There will rarely be just one possible
solution to the problem, just one design. Several alternative ways of
meeting (7) the objective will normally be possible, even several best
designs, depending on the nature of the constraints.
These constraints on the possible solutions to a problem in design
arise in many ways. Some constraints will be fixed and invariable, such as
those that arise from physical laws, government regulations, and
standards. Others will be less rigid and can be relaxed by (8) the designer
as part of the general strategy for seeking the best design. The constraints
that are outside the designer’s influence can be termed the external
constraints. Within this boundary there will be a number of plausible
designs bounded by the other constraints, (9) the internal constraints, over
which the designer has some control, such as choice of process, choice of
process conditions, materials, and equipment.
Economic considerations are obviously (10) a major constraint on any
engineering design: plants must make a profit. Time will also be a
constraint. The time available for completion of a design will usually limit
the number of alternative designs that can be considered.