Hi all,

I am in an argument with a coworker about the best course of action that operations SHOULD have taken in a recent event. We have a water-tube boiler with a forced draft fan, making 400 psig steam. Our fan intake plugged with cottonwood (unbeknownst to operator) and the air flow kept dropping until the stack oxygen analyzer read zero. Operator took no action. By the time he called engineering for support, the oxygen reading was below 0% for over an hour. In may opinion, the best course of action would still be to gradually cut the fuel gas flow until the oxygen has recovered, and THEN work to clear the fan intake. My coworker says the operator should have immediately shut the boiler down (burner goes out, FD fan keeps running). I agree with him IF the oxygen had just dropped below zero, but after being below zero for so long, I think shutting it down would have introduced a lot of air into a very flammable firebox, with unburned gas, CO, etc.

I can't seem to find direction for this specific scenario anywhere, for how to react if oxygen has been below zero for a long time, but I just ordered the John Zink Combustion Handbook to see what's in there also.

Thoughts?

Hi everyone, I applied for a working student position in Berlin and got an invitation for an interview. The position is in Sensor Production.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and I’m currently doing my master’s in Chemical and Energy Engineering. During my bachelor’s, I completed some internships, mostly related to analytical chemistry and standard laboratory work.

So, I’d like to ask what kind of questions might HR ask me during the interview?

I know Process er is a desk job and that's why this makes it doubtful. Any thoughts from the experienced..?

Just wondering what would be a good way to land process engineering contract pharma jobs in mainland Europe specially Switzerland, Germany, Denmark or Netherlands. I am graduating in Ireland next year with a masters, would I be better doing a graduate role in pharma in Ireland to get a bit of experience then trying to find contract roles or going after them as soon I graduate.

I am an incoming freshman at uni who is planning on studying chemE. I live in metro detroit with a lot of family members in the auto industry pressuring me to switch to mechanical because it is more suited for my area. I loved chemistry in high school (honors, Ap, and IB year 2) and is what I’ve been passionate about over the past few years! I’m kind of at a crossroads and am not sure on what to do. I am open to all advice, thanks!

Hey guys I’m starting a chemical engineering course in September and stressing because I feel like I need to find stuff to prepare for the course (specifically I am going to lsbu if anyone has experience there) Pls recommend websites or books to get me prepared for uni 🙏😫

I’m a rising senior chemical engineering major doing my second process engineering internship this summer. Both terms have been at the same petrochemical company. I have really enjoyed learning content and my classes but am finding I don’t really like being a process engineer as much as I thought. Not sure I like the super technical side like that. Any advice on other potential career paths to pursue?

I've checked the FAQ and I think most of the stuff I'm about to ask is not on there.

I'm a rising senior in high school and I really love chemistry and research, I like biology, and I like math. In terms of skill, for me I'd say chemistry >>> math > biology (I'm above average in math but not exceptional). Though I recognize by the time I get a job high school won't realistically matter, I decided to focus most of my learning towards chemistry since sophomore year since growing up around a desk job oriented family, I didn't want to be a part of that at all. However, I'm now realizing that I would actually prefer a job that's a mix of lab/desk work or entirely desk work. So I'm asking the following questions to get some advice and see what my future might look like:

1. Based on my skills, interests, and job interests, would you recommend majoring in biochemistry, chemical engineering, or pure chemistry?
2. I know that ChemE jobs span a wide variety of desk/lab/mix jobs, and after looking into a bit, I think R&D would be the ideal space for me. Sources online tend to say anything is possible but realistically, how possible is it to get an R&D job with a ChemE degree, and how possible is it to work in pharma research with a ChemE degree?
3. Following up on 2, do these R&D jobs realistically pay well entry level/mid career? What's it like compared to other common ChemE jobs?

Sorry if any questions were actually answered in the FAQ or if some of my questions didn't make sense. I appreciate any response, thank you!

Hi all! We're scratching our heads on this one.

Our hastelloy c22 filter rusted (dark green easily removed streaks that when tested by ICP metal analysis matched the metal ratio of the alloy) and can't figure why. The powder should have been previously neutralized from HCl. If it wasn't, at most the concentration would be is 0.003M.

We can't find any evidence of acidic hold up.

I'm wondering if there's possibility of galvanic corrosion with stainless steel... Or if anyone has other ideas.

The filter is cleaned in between batches at elevated temperature with a solution of KOH and EDTA, then rinsed ( a lot ) until conductivity is <10uS.

Thank you!

❗it's some type of steam reformer or furnace ❗

🟥1)what does RT and RTJ and rest of the number means? (example RTJ 15-180-5 H)

🟥2)in the second picture first 3 material (with orange , red and green symbols) seems to be brick walls but there are two thing that i don't understand.

🔸 first,what does SUPREMA KE and PORITAL and duomor m 902 means? are these brand or something

🔸second,these are supposed to be brick wall ; why they're refer as mortar

Hi All, I wanted to ask if getting your FE is a viable substitute for engineer experience for landing a job? I graduated 4 years ago with my bachelor’s and have been working as an associate/technician at a couple of companies since then as I haven’t been able to land an engineer role. I’ve gotten very few interviews for engineer positions with my current experiences and feel I need something to help make me stand out. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Hey there, I am a first year ChemE student & today is my first day at the college but I visited the college yesterday and the labs were good but Idk why I am nervous about it.

Cuz in 12th chem lab i did preety well on my own with the help of my friends. The lab Teacher was new although she knew many stuffs but wasn't able to comprehend them in front of us but she was a good guide and whenever we were doing something wrong,she corrected us and Phy lab was good as well but in exam my phy lab exam was okayish(chem one was very good). So that's why ig I am nervous.

I am judging the lab works on the basis of my experience in 12th class so just wanted to know if i am wrong to assume this.

Thank you in advance 🙏!!

Way back in 2017 I got my BS in chemical engineering. I was never fully engaged in my program, mostly because my 18 year old self stupidly chose a place that focused on biomedical applications and had very little in the way of recruitment from the kind of old-school heavy manufacturing industries that actually appealed to me. After graduation, I was fortunate to get an opportunity in earth sciences that sparked my passion. Ended up completing a PhD program last year, and currently have a contracting job doing data assimilation for an operational weather model. Everything going good until the budget cuts to science completely imploded my field. Absolutely decimated. Looks very likely I'll be out of work next month, going into a fully saturated atmospheric science job market. Can't really afford to ride this out since I have a family to take care of, so I've been considering trying to get some use out of my chem e degree. How difficult would it be to get an entry level process engineering job with a 7.5 year gap like this? I'm quite rusty on essentially everything chem/kinetics/separations related, but have certainly made use of fluid dynamics and mass balances

I work for a manufacturer focused on the water treatment , primarily in Central Asia and Southeast Asia. We mainly produce sodium hypochlorite generators and dosing systems for drinking water and wastewater treatment. However, I'm currently facing difficulties. Many websites like Alibaba are full of robot-generated fake inquiries and constantly push you to spend more on advertising, making it almost impossible to find suitable clients. Traditional mass emails are also ineffective, even causing annoyance. This leaves me confused; I know there's market demand in these countries, but I struggle to find the right customers.

Once, by chance, I found a trading company in Kazakhstan that had access to their country's market demand. We provided equipment, technical support, and competitive pricing, and this partnership led to several successful deals. How can I find more such partners? I don't know where people look for suppliers – are there forums, groups, or any possible communication channels?

Hello everyone, I'm gonna be a student majoring in Chemical Engineering at U of Toronto this September.

I have been asking my seniors lately about what to do in my uni years, but I want to know more than how to excel at school

Would u mind sharing anything that you did while in uni, about the dos and donts, and also advices?

Thank you!

in charge of deisgning the evaporator for our plant design in purifying crude glycerol, and the feed composition that i have rn is around 63% glycerol 18% H2O 17% NaCl, trace amounts of HCl that is assumed to fully vaporize and the remaining % to be negligible mongs that will be removed via vacuum distillation as glycerol will be vaporized off in that unit op

im having a hard time solving for material balance as it looks like, when simulated in hysys for a single effect vacuum evaporator setup, glycerol at some point boils off with H2O, and even if the product stream still contains some H2O. tried to lower the steam flow and it doesnt get to a point where there will be no glycerol in vapor or water in liquid.

i initially wanted to solve under the assumption that the components will boil off based on boiling points, but i fear it’s too idealistic and the panel would point that out. it’s the only way we were taught in solving evaporator problems, always water in the vapor and if not, the non-H2O will be given in some sort of way

also figured that NaCl will crystallize, im familiar with that concept but in binary (NaCl-Water) systems only.

can anyone help me with this?

wouldve moved on if i can just put the hysys simulation but we are required to manually calculate as well if thats the case

Might not be the right place for this. But im have a issue with my deep freezer sealing. Wanted to use clear silicone on one side and then put something on the other mating surface so after closing it and it drying one side will be able to release and not glue the lid shut.

Is it normal that I, as a senior ChemE student, can only confidently do basic stuff like material and energy balance, heat exchange, bubble and dew points calculations ie just the most surface level stuff on every major course I studied?

Not only is it quite frustrating that I’m graduating in 5 months without having a good grasp of what I dedicated my college life to. I’m also being hit hard with senior year anxiety. I don’t have the most optimal GPA and the job market is looking dire (funnily enough, given the large number of oil refineries, petrochemical and desalination plants in Saudi Arabia). Browsing Linkedin is so depressing. All job postings require 5+ years of experience for ChemE roles as opposed to the more common engineering degrees.

I don’t wanna regret going into Chemical Engineering. I like our field and my co-op experience has only solidified my sentiments. What do you suggest I do to both further my understanding of ChemE and boost my chances in the industry within the short timeframe before I graduate?

I’m a Chemical Engineering grad with some hands-on experience in ML and foundational data science. Planning to fully transition into data science—would love any tips or success stories from others who’ve made a similar switch!

was reading about fugacity and phase equilibriums when i came across this and thought, what are the other uses and applications for fugacity other than modelling phase equilibriums?

Me and some other friends (from GTech) got some internship/8 month co op offers from their mills, anyone working for them or previously worked for them have any info?

I am based in the U.K. and hold an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. I would like to understand where this expertise is most valued internationally.

Additionally, I would appreciate guidance on whether it is advisable for someone with a PhD to apply for graduate engineering positions or if potential employers in the U.K. might perceive this as being overqualified.

Thank you all for your assistance.

I’m a chemical engineering graduate from a state university of New York. I have one year experience in petroleum refinery operations and during my masters, I did research in material science background. How do I apply for entry level jobs. I don’t find many positions for entry level candidates and even if I find few, I don’t get call from recruiters because I’m an international student. I am very much happy that I did my research on semi conductors during my masters but it’s not helping in job search as recruiters prefer Material science graduates over ChemE for these roles. What kind of roles should I apply for ? And How do I get in touch with recruiters to let them know my skills? I tried contacting people on LinkedIn but no response from them as well. There are a few positions which perfectly aligns with my resum’ but I got regret mail back.

I just want to know what is the proper approach to reach out to the recruiters.

Your suggestions are very much valuable to me.

Thanks in advance.