How to become Chemical Engineer in 2024

Chemical Engineer Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.

Chemical Engineer is Also Know as

In different settings, Chemical Engineer is titled as

  • Chemical Engineer
  • Development Engineer
  • Engineer
  • Engineering Scientist
  • Process Control Engineer
  • Process Engineer
  • Project Engineer
  • Refinery Process Engineer
  • Research Chemical Engineer
  • Scientist

Education and Training of Chemical Engineer

Chemical Engineer is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Chemical Engineer

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Education Required for Chemical Engineer

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Degrees Related to Chemical Engineer

Training Required for Chemical Engineer

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Chemical Engineer in different industries are

What Do Chemical Engineer do?

  • Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
  • Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.
  • Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
  • Direct activities of workers who operate or are engaged in constructing and improving absorption, evaporation, or electromagnetic equipment.
  • Perform laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and test proposed processes in small-scale operation, such as a pilot plant.
  • Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.
  • Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
  • Design measurement and control systems for chemical plants based on data collected in laboratory experiments and in pilot plant operations.
  • Design and plan layout of equipment.
  • Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
  • Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
  • Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
  • Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.

Qualities of Good Chemical Engineer

  • Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
  • Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
  • Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
  • Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
  • Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
  • Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
  • Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
  • Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
  • Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
  • Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
  • Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
  • Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
  • Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
  • Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
  • Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

Tools Used by Chemical Engineer

  • Agitators
  • Atomic force microscopes
  • Benchtop centrifuges
  • Benchtop mixers
  • Catalytic reactors
  • Chromatographic scanning equipment
  • Distillation columns
  • Distillation systems
  • Filtration systems
  • Gas absorbers
  • Heat exchangers
  • Laboratory evaporaters
  • Lyophilizers
  • Mass spectrometers
  • Mixing tanks
  • Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Plate filter presses
  • Powder mixing equipment
  • Programmable logic controllers PLC
  • Safety goggles
  • Sludge dryers
  • Surface analysis spectroscopes
  • Vacuum pumps
  • Vial handling systems
  • Wet scrubbers

Technology Skills required for Chemical Engineer

  • Absorption process simulation software
  • Applied Flow Technology AFT Arrow
  • Applied Flow Technology AFT Fathom
  • AspenTech aspenONE
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • C
  • C++
  • CD-adapco STAR-CAD
  • Cerebro CerebroMix
  • ChemicaLogic SteamTab
  • Chempute Software ChemDraw
  • Chempute Software E-Notebook
  • Chempute Software Engineer's Aide SINET
  • Chempute Software EstPro
  • Chempute Software SuperPro Designer
  • Chempute Software VisiMix
  • Chemstations CHEMCAD
  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
  • Computer aided design CAD software
  • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
  • Control Station ENGINEER
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
  • Desktop publishing software
  • EPCON International CHEMPRO Engineering Suite
  • EPCON International SiNET
  • EPCON International SYSTEM 7 Process Explorer
  • G&P Engineering Software EngVert
  • G&P Engineering Software PhysProps
  • G&P Engineering Software PipeDrop
  • GE Fanuc Proficy Machine Edition
  • Laboratory information management system LIMS
  • Madison Technical Software Chempak Plus
  • Madison Technical Software Enviropak
  • Madison Technical Software Steampak
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Project
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Microsoft Visual Basic
  • Microsoft Visual C# .NET
  • Microsoft Word
  • Minitab
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • Presentation software
  • Prode PD-Plus
  • PTC Creo Parametric
  • R
  • Relational database software
  • SAP software
  • SoftLab PHEdesign
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Statistical software
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
  • Thermal Analysis Systems The Energy Analyst