these are the topics i enjoyed , what uni course do they link to

Check out chemical engineering. Theory wise it consists mainly of maths (loads of calculus), physical chemistry (rates, energy, equilibrium, thermodynamics) and mechanics (conservation of energy, mass and momentum, fluid mechanics). You will apply these concepts to design such things as chemical plants, artificial kidneys, nuclear power stations and chemical products.

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Reply 2

OP

Original post by Ponoyo

Check out chemical engineering. Theory wise it consists mainly of maths (loads of calculus), physical chemistry (rates, energy, equilibrium, thermodynamics) and mechanics (conservation of energy, mass and momentum, fluid mechanics). You will apply these concepts to design such things as chemical plants, artificial kidneys, nuclear power stations and chemical products.

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hmm its funny you said that, because along with mechanical eng and physics chem eng was one of my options. hmm thats interesting and hmm i thought chem eng was more process design . Thanks for your comment :smile:

Reply 3

inachigeek21

12

Quantum mechanics?
Nuclear physics?
Chemical engineering, too as above ^^

Reply 4

OP

Original post by inachigeek21

Quantum mechanics?
Nuclear physics?
Chemical engineering, too as above ^^

to be a QM or a NP would that not require a degree in physics ? i know i have a deep interest for physics . hmm, thanks for your comment helps alot

Reply 5

squeakypop

12

Chem Eng was my first thought too. Pharmacology maybe, there's maths and physics in maximising your product yield/finding alternative reaction pathways, and it's based on chem

Reply 6

+ polarity -

21

Original post by Ponoyo

Check out chemical engineering. Theory wise it consists mainly of maths (loads of calculus), physical chemistry (rates, energy, equilibrium, thermodynamics) and mechanics (conservation of energy, mass and momentum, fluid mechanics). You will apply these concepts to design such things as chemical plants, artificial kidneys, nuclear power stations and chemical products.

I've covered all these things in mech eng, so I'd say it's definitely worth considering :u:

Original post by hasan6091

i thought chem eng was more process design

Having looked at Manchester's course details, I am inclined to think the same

Reply 7

OP

Original post by + polarity -

I've covered all these things in mech eng, so I'd say it's definitely worth considering :u:

Having looked at Manchester's course details, I am inclined to think the same

yeh i looked at Manchester's courses and there is a lot of design modules in their degree. and really ? thats pretty interesting and i did hear that mechanical engineers can work in the chemical engineering industry, is that true ? and i also heard that physicists could work in any engineering industry. Thanks for the comment :smile:

Reply 8

+ polarity -

21

Original post by hasan6091

i did hear that mechanical engineers can work in the chemical engineering industry, is that true?

I think so, mechanicals can do anything :biggrin:

and i also heard that physicists could work in any engineering industry. Thanks for the comment :smile:

I don't know tbh, but at an educated guess I would say that a physicist would probably be able to do work involve modelling (or processes, components etc.) which is necessary in pretty much every engineering sector, but maybe not designing things :dontknow:

Reply 9

OP

Original post by + polarity -

I think so, mechanicals can do anything :biggrin:

I don't know tbh, but at an educated guess I would say that a physicist would probably be able to do work involve modelling (or processes, components etc.) which is necessary in pretty much every engineering sector, but maybe not designing things :dontknow:

interesting , so what do you study in your first year and can you like expand abit please on the topic areas thanks :smile:

You design processes with thermodynamics, fluid mechanics etc. When chemical engineers are talking about designing things like chemical plants, nuclear power stations etc. they're talking about designing the process involved in the facility.

Reply 11

OP

Original post by Smack

You design processes with thermodynamics, fluid mechanics etc. When chemical engineers are talking about designing things like chemical plants, nuclear power stations etc. they're talking about designing the process involved in the facility.

please expand ? and so what type of person is a chemical engineer

Reply 12

I will try to explain the differences between chemical and mechanical engineering in terms of topics studied.
There is quite a lot of overlap as has been mentioned, with maths, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, conservation equations and materials appearing in both. On top of these modules, chemical engineers study chemistry (organic, inorganic and physical) to a reasonable level (obv not to level of chemistry students) and go deeper into thermodynamics than mechanical engineering students do. Mechanical engineers study topics in dynamics, statics and have a greater focus on machine design, as opposed to process design in chemical engineering. So in conclusion, based on the topics studies alone (you should also consider the projects involved in each course and career paths), go with mechanical if you want to learn more about mechanics and machine design, or chemical if you want to learn more about chemistry (especially physical chemistry) and process design.

Reply 13

OP

Original post by Ponoyo

I will try to explain the differences between chemical and mechanical engineering in terms of topics studied.
There is quite a lot of overlap as has been mentioned, with maths, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, conservation equations and materials appearing in both. On top of these modules, chemical engineers study chemistry (organic, inorganic and physical) to a reasonable level (obv not to level of chemistry students) and go deeper into thermodynamics than mechanical engineering students do. Mechanical engineers study topics in dynamics, statics and have a greater focus on machine design, as opposed to process design in chemical engineering. So in conclusion, based on the topics studies alone (you should also consider the projects involved in each course and career paths), go with mechanical if you want to learn more about mechanics and machine design, or chemical if you want to learn more about chemistry (especially physical chemistry) and process design.

okay so i know it may sound stupid, but what is mechanics and machine design and what is process design ? by the way thanks for your help

Reply 14

Mechanics is similar to what you have done in m1, m2 etc. in maths a level. You will go into more advanced statics and dynamics and study subjects like variable mass dynamics. Machine design involves studying such components as gears, cogs, levers etc. and you will design these components using the mechanics you've learnt. Process design is less about designing components, but more about deciding what flow rates, pressures, temperatures, volumes etc. you want to have in a given reactor vessel in order to maximise the product yield/minimise cost. You will use all the thermodynamics, fluids and kinetics you've learnt to design this. I am speaking from the point of view of a chemical engineering student who has only studied a small amount of mechanical engineering so a mechanical engineer here should be able to give more insight into what is involved.

(edited 9 years ago)

Original post by hasan6091

please expand ? and so what type of person is a chemical engineer

Ponoyo has covered it very well.

I'm in oil & gas. Chemical engineers (actually called process engineers) calculate the required flow rates, pressures and temperatures of the fluid to ensure it flows optimally and separates properly in the separator vessels. Mechanical engineers design the pipework and other pressure vessels (e.g. the separator tanks) so that they're not overly stressed, can contain the pressure i.e. won't rupture. They also design and select the appropriate mechanical equipment too, e.g. the correct pumps to achieve the required flow rate, the correct valves for safely controlling the flow, etc.

Reply 16

OP

thanks

so tell me what sort of practical work do you get involved in during a chem eng degree.

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Reply 17

OP

so lets take a plane for example, i would like to design the complex engine and ekectronic systems. i would like to make sure the fuel flows in to the engine and reacts propperly and efficently , make sure the engine does not get to hot or cold . mech eng or chem ?

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Reply 18

You will do experiments similar to what you have done in chemistry a level where you will determine the order of a reaction by measuring concentration over time. Also you will do fluid experiments where you will collect data on eg, fluid velocities in a pipe. You won't ever be physically making eg a reactor vessel but u will learn how to draw the different components like heat exchangers and reactors, using Computer Aided Design.

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Reply 19