Chemical Engineering exams

TOTAL EXAMINATION PROGRAM

PEO Syllabus of Examinations, 2016 Edition

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

 

PROFESSIONAL EXAMS – SPECIFIC TO CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

GROUP A

16-Chem-A1   Process Balances and Chemical Thermodynamics

The analysis of industrial and chemical processes; mass conservation and energy conservation; thermochemistry; properties of pure substances; properties of solutions; energy and the first law of thermodynamics; the second law of thermodynamics and entropy; applications of the laws of thermodynamics to problems in the behaviour of fluids, flow processes, power cycles, refrigeration and heat pumps, phase equilibria and chemical reaction equilibria.

16-Chem-A2   Unit Operations and Separation Processes (formerly Mechanical and Thermal operations)

Incompressible and compressible fluid flow. Flow through packed beds, fluidization. Particle size distribution. Mechanical operations such as mixing and blending, filtration and sedimentation. Thermal operations such as evaporation and crystallization. Application of equilibrium theory and rate considerations for absorption, adsorption, distillation, drying, extraction, membrane separation, leaching.

16-Chem-A3  Heat and Mass Transfer

Theory and practice of conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer; design of heat exchangers; heat transfer involving phase change. Diffusion and permeability; mass transfer through stagnant and moving films; the concept of equilibrium stages; estimation and use of overall heat and mass transfer coefficients in the design of process equipment.

16-Chem-A4   Chemical Reactor Engineering

Application of the principles of chemical kinetics and other rate phenomena to the design of chemical reactors. Dynamics in chemical systems, including chemical kinetics, catalysis and transport processes. Theory of idealized isothermal reactors including batch, plug flow, and continuous stirred tank reactors for single and multiple reactions. Residence time distributions and their effect on conversion. Simple adiabatic and non-isothermal reactors with homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions; thermal run-away reactions.

16-Chem-A5   Chemical Plant Design and Economics

Structure of chemical process systems and systematic methods for capital and operating cost calculations. Economic factors in design, economic balances, capital and operating cost estimation techniques, assessment of alternative investments and replacements, and application of compound interest calculations. Simple optimization theory. Evaluation of process alternatives. Equipment and materials selection. Factors such as energy, safety, hygiene, and environmental protection. Familiarity with computer process simulation. Intrinsically safe design. Risk analysis. The use of heuristics in design of chemical processes.

16-Chem-A6   Process Dynamics and Control

Concept of transfer functions. Response of simple chemical processes to step, ramp, and sinusoidal inputs. Transient response of interacting elements in series. Frequency response analysis of simple systems. On-off control, cascade control, ratio control, proportional, integral, derivative, and combinations of these control actions, single-input/single-output control and multiple-input/multiple-output control. Closed-loop response. Feedback and feedforward control. Controller tuning and algorithms. Simple stability analysis. Dynamics and control of common chemical process units such as heat exchangers, simple reactors, and agitated vessels. Hardware implementation, analog and digital, of simple control algorithms and designs.

 

GROUP B

16-Chem-B1  Transport Phenomena

The application of integral and differential techniques for solving problems involving mass, energy and/or momentum transport through solids and within fluids. Steady and unsteady state processes. Molecular transport. Convective transfer of heat and mass involving laminar and turbulent fluid flows.

16-Chem-B2  Environmental Engineering

Engineering aspects of air and water pollution abatement and effluent treatment. Characterization of water contaminants and their measurement, biological oxygen demand, sedimentation, flotation, aeration, and activated sludge processes, pH control, ion exchange, oxidation-reduction, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis. Sources and dispersion of atmospheric pollutants. Control methods for particulates, gases, and vapours. Photochemical reactions, noxious pollutants, and odour control. Contaminated soil remediation. Measurement techniques.

16-Chem-B3  Simulation, Modelling, and Optimization

The analysis and modelling of chemical processes using either a mechanistic or an empirical input/output approach. Subsystem modelling to reduce complex processes to simpler component parts. Linearization of non-linear processes. Optimization methods; direct search, climbing and elimination techniques, linear and non-linear programming.

16-Chem-B4  Biochemical Engineering

Basic microbiology and chemistry of cells, biochemical kinetics, enzymes, metabolic pathways, energetics, transport phenomena and reactor design as applied to biochemical reactors, scale-up, fermentation technology.

16-Chem-B5  Pulp and Paper Technology

Papermaking raw materials: wood anatomy and chemistry. Pulping processes: mechanical pulping, chemi-thermo-mechanical processes, chemical pulping (sulphite, Kraft). Pulp treatment: refining and bleaching. Papermaking equipment and processes. Environmental protection. Structure and properties of paper and paperboard.

16-Chem-B6  Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals

The composition and classification of petroleum. Crude oil evaluation in relation to product quality. Refinery products: properties, specifications, and testing. The petroleum refinery: crude oil distillation, catalytic cracking, alkylation, hydrogen production, catalytic reforming, hydrotreating, amine processes, sulphur production, isomerization, polymerization, oxygen compounds. Lubricating oil and asphalt manufacturing. Synthesis of primary products; ethylene, methanol, glycols, aromatics.

16-Chem-B7  Extractive Metallurgy

Thermodynamics and reaction kinetics of extractive metallurgical processes. Electrolytic reduction of molten salts. Metal refining processes. Heat transfer, mass transfer, and materials preparation in the metallurgical industry. Comparison of processes. Equipment selection and operation.

16-Chem-B8  Polymer Engineering

Basic polymer structures and characterization of polymer physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Polymerization reactions and kinetics; chain formation and co-polymerization. Polymerization processes: bulk, suspension, solution, and emulsion polymerizations. Polymer flow behaviour describing non-Newtonian and visco-elastic effects. Polymer processing including extrusion, moulding and film production. Polymer systems: additives, blends, composites, and fibre reinforcement.

16-Chem-B9  Advanced Materials

Properties, production of and uses of composites, engineered plastics, biopolymers, special coatings, and nanostuctured materials with emphasis on structure property relationships.

16-Chem-B10   Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Concepts of life cycle assessment. Applications to energy utilization, environment, sustainable development and process analysis and optimisation.

16-Chem-B11 Nuclear and Nuclear Chemical Processes

The properties of actinides; radioactivity; processes of mining, refining and enrichment of uranium; reactor materials and design; reprocessing chemistry; waste management.

16-Chem-B12  Corrosion and Oxidation

Basic corrosion theory. Electrochemical corrosion theory. Metallurgical cells. Environmental cells. Stress assisted corrosion. Materials selection. Protective coatings. Corrosion inhibitors. Cathodic and anodic protection. Oxidation. 

16-Chem-B13 Ceramic Materials 

Bonding in ceramics. Ceramic structures. Effect of chemical forces and structure on physical properties. Defects in ceramics. Diffusion and electrical conductivity. Phase equilibria. Sintering and grain growth. Mechanical properties:  fast fracture, creep, slow crack growth and fatigue.  Thermal stresses and thermal properties.  Dielectric properties.

16-Chem-B14 Nanomaterials 

Physical chemistry of solid surfaces, zero, one and two dimensional nanostructures, special nanomaterials, nanostructures fabricated by different physical techniques. Characterization and properties of nanomaterials in electronics, biology, catalysis, quantum devices, energy and environment.

 

COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES

11-CS-1  Engineering Economics

Basic concepts of engineering economics through understanding of the theoretical and conceptual financial project analysis. Types and applications of engineering economic decisions. Capital, cash flow, and the time value of money concepts. Nominal and effective interest rates when considering loans, mortgages, and bonds. The application of present worth analysis, annual equivalent analysis and rate of return analysis in evaluating independent projects, comparing mutually exclusive projects, analyzing lease vs. buy alternatives and making decisions. After-tax financial analysis requiring an understanding of capital cost allowance (depreciation) and corporate income tax. Understanding methods of financing and capital budgeting. Break-even, sensitivity and risk analyses.

11-CS-2  Engineering in Society – Health and Safety

The duties and legal responsibilities for which engineers are accountable; safety laws and regulations; and a basic knowledge of potential hazards and their control: biological hazards – bacteria, viruses; chemical hazards - gases, liquids and dusts; fire and explosion hazards; physical hazards – noise, radiation, temperature extremes; safety hazards – equipment operation; workplace conditions - equity standards, human behaviour, capabilities, and limitations; managing safety and health through risk management, safety analyses, and safety plans and programs; practices and procedures to improve safety. The roles and social responsibilities of an engineer from a professional ethics point of view, as applied in the context of Canadian values. The integration of ethics into engineering practice, and its effect on public safety and trust.

11-CS-3  Sustainability, Engineering and the Environment

Basic knowledge of soil, water and air quality engineering: soil and water interaction, water supply issues, human activities and their interaction on soil, air and water resources. Fundamentals of: soil erosion, water quality, atmospheric pollution (carbon and nitrogen cycle), climate change, risk assessment. Basic knowledge of renewable energy sources: solar, photovoltaic, wireless electricity, thermal, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. Introduction to renewable materials engineering; nano materials, new material cycles. Eco-product development, and product life cycle assessment; recycling technologies; reuse of products; design for disassembly, recycling, e-waste, and reverse manufacturing. Consumption patterns; transportation; environmental communication; consumer awareness. Optimized energy and resources management. Sustainable methods: sustainability indicators; life cycle assessment; regulatory aspects of environmental management, ecological planning. 

11-CS-4  Engineering Management 

Introduction to management principles and their impact upon social and economic aspects of engineering practice. Engineering management knowledge topics including: market research, assessment and forecasting; strategic planning; risk and change management; product, service and process development; engineering projects and process management;  financial resource management;  marketing, sales and communications management; leadership and organizational management; professional responsibility. New paradigms and innovative business models, including: sustainable production, products, service systems and consumption; best practices and practical examples of successful implementations of sustainable scientific and engineering solutions.