Process engineering: Difference between revisions

'''Process engineering''' is the understanding and application of the fundamental principles and [[Scientific law|laws of nature]] that allow humans to transform [[raw material]] and [[energy]] into [[Production (economics)|product]]s that are useful to society, at an [[Manufacturing|industrial level]].<ref name="PEaIM2012"/> By taking advantage of the driving forces of nature such as [[Pressure gradient|pressure]], [[Temperature gradient|temperature]] and [[concentration gradient]]s, as well as the [[law of conservation of mass]], process engineers can develop methods to synthesize and purify large quantities of desired chemical products.<ref name="PEaIM2012"/> Process engineering focuses on the design, operation, control, optimization and intensification of chemical, physical, and biological processes. Process engineering encompasses a vast range of industries, such as [[Agricultural engineering|agriculture]], [[Automotive engineering|automotive]], [[Biotechnology|biotechnical]], [[Chemical engineering|chemical]], [[Food engineering|food]], [[Materials science|material development]], [[Mining engineering|mining]], [[Nuclear engineering|nuclear]], [[Petroleum industry|petrochemical]], [[Process chemistry|pharmaceutical]], and [[Computer programming|software development]]. The application of systematic computer-based methods to process engineering is "process systems engineering".

Manufacturing in the field of process engineering involves an implementation of process synthesis steps.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=An Overview of Chemical Process Design Engineering|last=Mody|first=David|journal=Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association|year=2011|s2cid=109260579|doi=10.24908/pceea.v0i0.3824|doi-access=free}}</ref> Regardless of the exact tools required, process engineering is then formatted through the use of a [[process flow diagram]] (PFD) where [[material flow]] paths, storage equipment (such as tanks and silos), transformations (such as [[distillation column]]s, receiver/head tanks, mixing, separations, pumping, etc.) and [[Flow measurement|flowrates]] are specified, as well as a list of all pipes and conveyors and their contents, material properties such as [[density]], [[viscosity]], [[particle-size distribution]], flowrates, pressures, temperatures, and materials of construction for the piping and [[unit operation]]s.<ref name="PEaIM2012"/>