Employment of chemical engineers

TABLE 4.4 Employment of Chemical Engineers in the Eleetronies Industry, 1977-1986a... 

The processing of cmde oil into gasoline, other fuels, and chemicals has always been the bread-and-butter employer of chemical engineers. The discipline of chemical engineering had its origins in producing fuels and chemicals, and these tasks remain the dominant topic of the chemical engineer. 

The production of monomers and their reaction to form polymers account for more than half of the chemical industry, and the polymers and plastics industries are among the major employers of chemical engineers. Many of the reactions we have considered previously were concerned with methods of preparing the small molecule monomers that are used in preparing polymers. In this chapter we consider the reactors used to polymerize these molecules into polymers. We will see that the reactions we are trying to manage are sufficiently different so that the reactors needed for polymerization processes are qualitatively different than for other chemical processes. 

Projection into the future is of course the goal of all professional education, and we at least mention the microelectronic, food, pharmaceutical, ceramic, and environmental businesses which may be major employers of chemical engineering students. The notion of evolution of technology fi om the past to the future seems to be a way to get students to begin thinking about their future without faculty simply projecting our prejudices of how the markets -will change. 

Total employment of chemical engineers in the nuclear industry in Canada is about 600 out of a total work force of about 30,000. The largest fraction is in operations, followed by design, research and development, and manufacturing, in that order. Chemical engineers often are surprised at the range of opportunities available to them in the... 

It is sincerely hoped that the information presented in this document will lead to an even more impressive record for the entire industry however, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, its consultants, CCPS Subcommittee members, their employers, their employers officers and directors, and Arthur D. Little, Inc., disclaim making or giving any warranties or representations, express or implied, including with respect to fitness, intended purpose, use or merchantability and/or correctness or accuracy of the content of the information presented in this document. As between (1) American Institute of Chemical Engineers, its consultants, CCPS Subcommittee members, their employers, their employers officers and directors, and Arthur D. Little, Inc., and (2) the user of this document, the user accepts any legal liability or responsibility whatsoever for the consequence of its use or misuse. 

When one takes the cost of industrial compliance with RCRA to handle currently generated wastes and adds the cost of Superfund to clean up the wastes of the past, it becomes obvious that there are strong incentives for technology development in the area of waste minimization and treatment, and many opportunities for research and employment for chemical engineers. 

The Bureau of Mines, within the Department of the Interior, funds a substantial amount of chemical engineering research in its in-house laboratories, particularly in the area of hydrometallrugical separation processes. The U.S. minerals industry is currently in a depressed state typified by diminished research efforts within industrial laboratories and, in some cases, wholesale termination of research operations. As a result, new researchers have bleak prospects for industrial employment. At the same time, the United States cannot afford to lose a professional generation of research persormel in an area that would be of critical importance if foreign supplies of certain metals were interrupted. 

Fig. 20. Schematic diagram showing the estimation of the time-average rate of S02 oxidation under periodic flow interruption or reduction employing steady-state oxidation rate vs liquid loading data (Figure from Haure etal., 1989, with permission, 1989, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.)...

Distribution of Chemical Engineering Graduates by Employment Sector in 2003... 

Quigley, S. T., Perspectives on Inventor Compensation, Symposium on Patent Awards for the Employed Inventor, 70th National Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, August 30, 1971. 

Let us study the sellers of chemical products, which are collectively called the CPI. These manufacturers are skilled in the use of chemical reactions and separations to make their products, and they employ many chemical engineers and chemists, often in highly responsible positions. Many of the firms in the CPI are also our suppliers of raw materials and intermediates, our customers for our products, and our competition in making and selling their products. 

Even more than the petroleum industry, the petrochemical industry defmes the chemical engineering profession. The evolution of this industry has produced the changes in the country s needs for engineers and continues to evolve and employ most chemical engineers. The raw materials used in chemical synthesis have made the transitions... 

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