Talk About Your Profession | Steem Sri Lanka: Contest Series - Week 6 | Chemical & Process Engineering

Steem Sri Lanka is organizing a contest series and @randulakoralage is hosting this week’s contest. So, the topic is Talk about your Profession. I’m glad to participate in the contest. Let’s talk about my profession.

I am a final year undergraduate of Chemical and Process Engineering department of Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa. My university is the leading technical university in the country. I was lucky enough to qualify to the Engineering Discipline from Advanced Level Examination in 2015 and became a member of the University in 2016. Although I was to graduate in the next December, I have to wait some time more due to Covid-19 pandemic.

_Handbook

What is Chemical and Process Engineering? Most of the people, even undergraduates and engineers from other engineering disciplines do not have a clear answer for this question.

One definition is this.

Chemical engineers are responsible for the industrial processes required to make these products, hence they are also known as process engineers. Generally chemical engineers either work in the design, manufacture and operation of plants and machinery or the development of new products and technologies.

Also one source says,

Chemical and Process Engineering is the profession in which knowledge of Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and other Natural Sciences gained by study, experience and practice is applied with judgment to develop economical ways of using materials and energy for the benefit of mankind. It's true that Chemical Engineers are comfortable with Chemistry, but they do much more with this knowledge than just make chemicals.

Not like other engineering disciplines, Chemical and Process Engineering filed is very broader. It has several focus areas. They are petroleum engineering, polymer engineering, energy engineering, food engineering, biochemical engineering, and environmental engineering.

Our graduates have engaged in jobs like safety engineers, nuclear engineers, petroleum engineers, food engineers etc. Also, many of them work as production managers, plant managers, safety managers, maintenance managers etc.

_{My Practical Group}
Chemical and Process Engineers are working mainly in large scale manufacturing industries, waste management related activities, water purification industries, power generation from nuclear energy and others, petrochemical mining, purification, and separation process and so on.

Most of the people misunderstand chemical engineering with chemistry. Actually, we do not learn chemistry here. We had only one subject called chemistry for engineers in semester 2. We mostly engage in physics and advanced mathematics.

_{After Final Year Group Design Project Presentation & Viva}

Thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, reactor engineering, plant and equipment designing, food, biology and microbiology, polymer engineering, process modelling and simulation, process dynamics and control, petrochemical engineering, energy recovery and conservation, plant safety and loss prevention are some modules we study during this 4 years of course. Other than them, many management modules and mathematical modules are taught to us.

According to the world ranking of engineering, chemical and process engineering related areas like nuclear engineering, petrochemical engineering, chemical engineering are among the first few places of the highest paying engineering fields in the world.

I only have an industrial training experience for 6 months. At that time, I exposed to the industrial environment at AEN Palm Oil Processing(pvt) Ltd, Baduraliya.

_{Training Placement}
I got to know about practical side of the theories that I learned from the university. I was there with my 2 batchmates: Chandi and Tharaka. It was a tough time though funny. Specially, we got to know very friendly staff there. When I remember that time, as a conclusion I have a satisfied feeling towards that.

_{During Industrial Training & Viva}

I got to know many practical applications and developed many soft skills. Also, most importantly, I had many hand on experiences like lab works, firefighting, welding, wiring, boiler maintenance and other maintenance works etc.

_{Hands-on Experiences}

I think I should have those abilities to face challenges in near future as a chemical engineer. Because we have to work with people in every layer of society and also with machines and technologies. So, these 6 months period helped me to develop my skills.

_{Engaging Boiler Maintenance}
I will be able to become a Chemical and Process Engineer in the near future. I hope to contribute to my country’s economic through manufacturing field ensuring safety and sustainability of the organization and the whole country.

Thank you for reading 😍