The triplet “molecular processes–product–process” engineering: the future of chemical engineering ?

• Published in: Chemical engineering science Vol. 57; no. 22; pp. 4667 - 4690
• Main Author: Charpentier, Jean-Claude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical engineering; Complex fluids; End-use property; Exact sciences and technology; Future of chemical engineering; Molecular modelling; Multidisciplinary and multiscale approach; Process intensification; Soft solids; Triplet “molecular processes–product–process” engineering; Soft solids; Triplet “molecular processes–product–process” engineering; Molecular modelling; End-use property; Future of chemical engineering; Multidisciplinary and multiscale approach; Process intensification; Complex fluids; Perspective; Process engineering; Chemical engineering; Molecular model; Product development; Computer aided engineering; Modeling; Computer aided design; Research and development; Optimal design
• ISSN: 0009-2509; 1873-4405
• DOI: 10.1016/S0009-2509(02)00287-7

Today chemical engineering has to answer to the changing needs of the chemical and related process industries and to meet the market demands. Being a key to survival in globalization of trade and competition, the evolution of chemical engineering is thus necessary. Its ability to cope with the scientific and technological problems encountered will be appraised in this paper. To satisfy both the markets requirements for specific end-use properties of products and the social and environmental constraints of the industrial-scale processes, it is shown that a necessary progress is coming via a multidisciplinary and a time and length multiscale approach. This will be obtained due to breakthroughs in molecular modelling, scientific instrumentation and related signal processing and powerful computational tools. For the future of chemical engineering four main objectives are concerned: (a) to increase productivity and selectivity through intelligent operations via intensification and multiscale control of processes; (b) to design novel equipment based on scientific principles and new methods of production: process intensification; (c) to extend chemical engineering methodology to product focussed engineering, i.e. manufacturing and synthesizing end-use properties required by the customer, which needs a triplet “molecular processes–product–process” engineering; (d) to implement multiscale application of computational chemical engineering modelling and simulation to real-life situations, from the molecular scale to the overall complex production scale.