Undergraduate degree courses in Chemical Engineering
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Undergraduate degree courses in Chemical Engineering H801 H802 H890
As far as we know, the course in Chemical
Engineering which began in London in 1885
was the first to be established anywhere
in the world. Today Imperial graduates
in Chemical Engineering are represented
and respected among the engineers and
managers in a wide diversity of industries in
the UK and in many overseas countries.
The breadth of the training provided In our course we hope to encourage
is in the spirit of the Royal Charter students to learn in an atmosphere
to the Institution of Chemical of debate and decision-making,
Engineers in which the profession believing that these will be the
is defined “as a means of furthering essence of professional life in the
the scientific and economic century to come. This is the one
development and application of reason for our emphasis on project
manufacturing processes in which work which generally occupies
chemical and physical changes students for half their study time.
of materials are involved”. It
Our MEng courses are always
follows that those manufacturing
evolving in the actual content while
enterprises which attract our
the educational aims are retained.
graduates have always included
These are to show students how they
not only those concerned with
can apply scientific and technological
chemicals and oil, but also those
expertise to achieve material,
in which materials are processed
commercial and environmental
to make goods for retail markets,
benefits. The course provides
such as food, clothing and cars.
numbers of specialised and advanced
The foundations of Chemical options in the senior years to meet
Engineering were laid several the way individual students’ needs
millennia ago when mankind began and career preferences will develop;
to exploit mineral resources. In the these may be focused in selected
twentieth century sophisticated technologies and may provide,
mathematics and computing say, more opportunity for study of
have been deployed to analyse, management science and economics,
explain and predict our continuing with business and communications
interaction with the chemical skills. The experience which
environment. We live in a world students gain in computing and
of complicated manufacturing information technologies is well-
procedures, usually with social and grounded in real problems.
economic dimensions as well as the
quantifiable technical constraints.
3 1
The four-year, full time It follows from the demanding
MEng courses have a firm nature of the courses that the A quarter of graduates go into
foundation in science and
students are highly qualified and
the petrochemical industry
motivated at entry, and that each
mathematics, which is
integrated from the first
year the graduating students have A fifth go into finance
entered well-rewarded jobs.
term onwards with practical
The main categories of employers for
A sixth take up further studies
applications in engineering
subjects. Engineers from
our chemical engineering graduate are
companies in the oil, petrochemical
An eighth go into engineering
industry participate in some and other chemical and process consultancy
others go mainly into
of the teaching, and studies industries, including manufacturers of
pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and
in business management,
economics and accounting
specialty chemicals. Also substantial energy, process engineering and
are integral parts of the
numbers enter the engineering
manufacturing
industry more generally, particularly
courses in all four years. in design and manufacture of
Foreign language studies are chemical plant. A great variety of
open to all students, and for other industries; for instance those
supplying gases, food and drink,
students of the course with
pharmaceuticals, nuclear energy, water
a year’s study abroad (H802) – are significant employment areas for
the appropriate language is chemical engineering graduates, and
studied in place of some of they are also to be found in mining
the courses in years one and and minerals, wastewater treatment,
two of the H801 curriculum. electronics, computing, teaching,
the armed forces, etc. In all these
areas chemical engineers undertake
a diversity of jobs: principally plant
supervision, plant and process design
and development but also computing
and technical services, sales and
marketing, supply and planning.
Increasing numbers of chemical
engineers are also finding their way
into financial careers both within the
industries mentioned above and in
service industries such as computing,
management consultancy, IT
consultancy, banking and insurance.
2 3
Contents of the courses teaching method year
one
year
two
year
three
year
four
mathematics | chemistry | properties 67% 63% 70%* 49%*
Overall structure in the first terms of the fourth year. Lecture-based teaching
of matter | thermodynamics | transfer
processes | process systems, reaction
The spring term of the final year
and environmental engineering | safety
contains a major process design
The table on the right gives an study, working with comparatively labs | design | computing | including 20% 26% 18% 44%
Projects and coursework
impression of the allocation of large design project in year four
large teams of students and staff.
students’ time across the four years Complementary subjects mastery | business 13% 11% 12% 7%
to the main subject areas of the Students on the H802 (Year Abroad)
*Includes elective courses
courses, in lecture-based study and course study essentially the same
in project work. syllabus as H801 during their three
years at Imperial and take equivalent
Lecture-based courses in the courses at the host university
first two years are supplemented during their year overseas.
by tutorials in small groups and
by seminars, with some written Students on either course are
assignments as appropriate. The able to opt for a ‘fine chemicals
principal assessment is by yearly processing’ stream which involves
examinations, however the quality of considerably more study of
learning is assured by quite frequent chemistry. This has been introduced
‘open-book’ assessments in which as a result of perceived trends in
students demonstrate ‘mastery’ of industry towards lower-volume
key basic parts of the course and products, the manufacture of
also demonstrate the ability to which requires complex chemistry
integrate material they have learnt (for instance pharmaceuticals, or
in different lecture courses. advanced polymers).
The projects are carried out mostly
by pairs or larger groups of students
in collaboration with academic
teaching staff who will make the
assessments of progress. The
projects consist of design work,
theoretical and computing studies,
case studies, and practical work in
the laboratories, for instance the
computer-controlled operation of
pilot plants, which every student
experiences. In addition, many
students carry out projects which
involve work in industry during the
summer vacations preceding the
third or fourth years of the course,
and which may continue in College
4 5
Lecture courses Following a first-year course of Practical projects
familiarisation with the large
taken by all networks of PCs and workstations,
students students have free access to pilot plant operations
these computers. Currently All students work with the computer-
Chemical engineering topics extend the Department has a policy controlled pilot plants. They are
throughout the course. For instance of recommending students to required to analyse the process
the first year contains process equip themselves with a (simple flowsheet of the plant and then to
analysis (which means calculation specification) personal computer. develop safe start-up and shut-down
of material and heat balances, Information technology in the form procedures. The students operate
recycling in reactors, etc.) and of design ‘packages’ and data-banks the plant and obtain measurements,
also fluid mechanics, transfer of places are continually used by students in to establish complete material and
heat and matter, and techniques more projects and in lecture-based work; energy balances and subsequently
for separation of materials. These emphasis on courses to support these activities to control and optimise separation
fundamental themes presented organic chemistry are offered at intervals. of gases.
in the first two years are later and synthesis, thermodynamics of
Industrial and business studies are
developed in the context of their liquids and process development. laboratory projects
designed by the College’s Business
application. For example, in the The chemistry content of years Students work in pairs on
School to develop awareness of the
third year the emphasis in the two and three may thereby be laboratory projects normally for
needs and opportunities faced by
subject of separation processes augmented to about one fifth. Some four weeks in each of the first
engineering managers in general,
is on newer techniques such as courses and projects will be taken three years, supervised by a
as well as to provide a background
those which use membranes, while jointly with honours chemistry lecturer. They typically begin with
in the analysis of markets and the
the fluid mechanics is focussed students. a discussion of the background to
options for raising finance.
on understanding the mixtures of Environmental effects of chemical the experiments and the lecturer
fluid and particles which are often operations are highlighted supplies a list of suitable reading.
encountered in chemical processes. throughout, with an emphasis on This is followed later by tutorials
successful control and mitigation. in order to check the students’
There are substantial courses
There are also major electives in understanding and progress.
in Mathematics in the first and
second years, covering a wide which environmental technology As with all projects, the work is
themes can be taken further.
range of pure and applied topics, To cope with the needs of around finally reported fully in writing for
500 undergraduate students
with emphasis on solving the Attention to safety engineering assessment of the technical merit
large sets of non-linear equations is closely integrated with many and effective communication.
which characteristically describe of the courses and in most and over 200 postgraduates
chemical engineering problems. projects a safety audit is required. there is a teaching staff of some
Distributed through the four years, Chemical engineers have to face
demands imposed, for instance, 40 Professors, Readers, and
Lecturers, 11 technical support
there is approximately the same
amount of physical chemistry as in by the need for containment of
pure science degree courses, while reactants at increasingly higher
staff, and 20 administrative and
in the first year courses in chemistry temperatures or pressures, and
and biochemistry are included for for resistance to corrosion failure clerical staff. These people are
their own sake and also to support in high-stress conditions. the major resource for running
eventual elective courses in later the undergraduate course.
years. Students may opt for a fine
chemicals processing stream which
6 7
Design teaching • the synthesis of a process; technical electives
detailed design of key units; | advanced bioprocess engineering |
plant control (including start-up advanced process synthesis
There is a continuous element
and shut-down procedures); and optimisation | clean fossil
of design running through all
plant safety and layout (including fuels | colloid and interface
four years of the undergraduate
environmental impacts of the science | downstream separation
course, where the open-ended
plant); development of a sound in biotechnology | dynamic
nature of design problems is used
business plan behaviour of process systems |
as a key integrating part of the
dynamical systems and chaos
learning process. The term ‘design’
Students work in teams of eight | environmental biotechnology
embraces all aspects of creating
to ten, after having completed a | formulation engineering and
a process from a basic chemical
team building exercise. Example technology | fundamentals of
proposal to the appropriate plant,
projects are: biotechnology; introduction
and the implications of managing it
– Production of PV grade silicon for to nuclear energy | membrane
commercially, safely and with regard
solar cell manufacture science and membrane separation
to all environmental impacts.
– Skid mounted methanol synthesis processes | modellng of biological
Chemical engineers at Imperial are hard at work on carbon plants to treat associated and systems | process heat transfer
In the first year, within their first capture and storage to tackle the problem of fossil fuel emissions
and global warming.
stranded natural gas | nuclear chemical engineering |
month on the course, students
– Production of high grade nuclear thermal hydraulics | nuclear
undertake two mini-design projects:
polyaramid fibres materials | pharmaceutical process
• one is on the scheduling of development | process heat transfer
– Human insulin from plant extracts
maintenance and repair work on a In the third year, students – Enantioselective production of | product characterisation | polymers
pressurised-water reactor power undertake four design projects: anti-inflammatory agent | separation processes | transport
station • a combined flow-sheeting and – Reduced cost anti-cancer processes in biological systems |
• the other is on the synthesis of process synthesis design intermediate
a heat exchanger network for a • the mechanical design of a business electives
solvent manufacturing plant Teams are supported by technical
pressure vessel: a detailed | entrepreneurship | finance and
experts and facilitators. A number
Key aims in these projects are engineering drawing is required of financial management | innovation
of projects are either associated
success in definition and solving of each student, with instruction in management | project management |
with or directly involve industrial
the problem and also experience of drawing practice provided by an
partners.
working in groups. engineering graphics course humanities
• a combined economic, social and | philosophy | controversies and
In the second year, students
Elective subjects ethical dilemmas in science and
technical analysis of proposed
undertake three design projects: technology | European history,
new technology
• for a catalytic reactor students In the third year of the course a 1870–1989 | history of medicine,
• five case studies on the safe science and technology in western
must write their own computer student selects two elective subjects
design and operation of plant
program to size the reactor in from the following (current) list. civilisation | modern literature
including sizing of relief systems
order to achieve a specified These options allow a degree and drama; music and western
and estimation of over-pressures
conversion of specialisation in developing civilisation | European languages |
arising from explosions
technical fields of chemical Japanese |
• for control of a furnace for heating
engineering, or in management
a crude oil stream students use In the fourth year, students
studies, humanities, transport
an existing real-time simulation undertake a major project covering
processes in biological systems or
package all aspects of the design of a
languages.
chemical plant. These aspects are:
8 9
Other major projects on a nitric acid plant. There are also
projects in which the aim is to tackle
problems with a socio-economic
In addition to design and laboratory and/or a managerial flavour. Recent
projects, the course contains a examples are a market analysis for a
number of other projects in the third range of gases supplied to industrial
and fourth years of the course. and scientific customers, a study of
a capital expenditure authorisation
industrial placements procedure and a study of product
These projects (which are optional, distribution by road.
but in high demand) represent
the fusion of supervised vacation Students prepare reports on their
training with a coursework project work, usually at the end of the
conducted in the Department. The period spent in industry and also
student spends six to eight weeks in on completion of the project.
industry during the long vacation at In addition, verbal reports are
the end of third year and then most required and these are presented
of the following term in College, either at the participating company
working on a specific topic which or at College. In most cases
will have been carefully selected representatives of the company
by prior consultation between the attend the presentations. Currently PhD students Vivian Ikem and Michael Bajomo working on microgels.
academic and industrial project about thirty industrial organisations
supervisors so as to be; participate in the industrial
• of value to the firm placement scheme.
• academically satisfying vacation work experience team for the autumn term. The
The distinctive (optional) industrial research may be experimental or
• c apable of being developed
placements occupy the third long theoretical in nature. The reporting
usefully by further experimental
vacation of about half the students, arrangements are similar to those
or theoretical work during the
and at least another quarter gain for industrial placements, with
autumn term in the Department
technical work experience or members of the research group
The work in industry may be an vacation training. The numbers attending the verbal presentations.
experimental study on an existing who take up technical work in the
plant or participation in research, third long vacation are similar.
development or design. The part Those students who are sponsored
done in College often involves by firms or government agencies
process evaluation, mathematical normally work with them in
modelling or complementary several summers of the course.
experimental work. Examples of
such projects are the design of research projects
a system to control emissions of The Department has a wide range
organic vapours, a study of the use of research programmes at the
A leading effort in the
of superheated steam as a drying Department is on using forefront of their subjects, and
medium, the redesign of an energy molecular dynamics fourth year students may choose
recovery system on a crude oil computer simulations to a research investigation as part of
distillation unit and a study of the ‘design a molecule’ for their project work. In each case the
performance of an oxidation train practical applications.
student is integrated into a research
10 11
MEng Chemical Engineering
Ecole Nationale
Supérieure d’Ingénieurs
de Génie Chimique,
with a year abroad
(ENSIGC), a school of
the Institut National
Polytechnique de
Toulouse
In this course the third language or aptitude for learning Ecole Nationale
or fourth year of study is it; a qualification at AS level or in Supérieure des Industries
the upper grades in GCSE would be Chimiques, (ENSIC) a
spent at a leading school
appropriate. Language classes and school of the Institut
of chemical engineering tutorials are provided throughout Polytechnique de
in continental Europe, in the years at Imperial; skills are Lorraine, Nancy
Australia, or in the USA. graded each year, and tested before Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de
Ecole Nationale
proceeding to the year abroad, and Lausanne (EPFL)
Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Génie
> UCAS: H802 transfers between the two courses
des Technologies Industrielles As an alternative to the fourth
This degree course is entirely are possible at several stages. It is
(ENSGTI), at Université de Pau et year exchange in France, students
equivalent to the degree where normally the case that students are
des Pays de l’Adour can spend their third year at EPFL.
all four years are spent at the performing at least at upper second
Courses are given in French. The
College (Code H801), so the student class Honours level before approval These schools resemble the
study program is somewhat different
addresses the same academic of the year abroad is given. Department at Imperial in the size
from our four-year integrated
challenges in either. It follows of classes and numbers of the
For UK students, it is normal for local masters, thus emphasis has to
that admission to the course with staff, and offer final year studies
authority awards to apply to the be put on a good complement of
study in France, Switzerland, having much in common with
study abroad, including provision for elective courses while in Lausanne.
Germany or Spain demands either those in Imperial, including a major
tuition fees, and no extra financial
demonstrable skill in the foreign design project. Several of the
burden should be anticipated. Rheinisch Westfälische Technische
final year students in the Diplome
Supplementary grants from the Hochschule, Aachen (RWTH)
d’Ingénieur course at each school
EU are also normally awarded if
attend Imperial in an exchange The German tradition in engineering
the exchange destination is in the
arrangement. education has more flexibility
European Union. The list below
for the individual student in
gives an account of current
choosing courses and their timing.
opportunities for study at
In collaboration with staff there,
the schools with which
curricula have been developed
we exchange students.
which maintain this principle
while providing academic content
equivalent to the course in London.
The third year is the one normally
spent in Aachen.
12 13
Centro Politécnico Superior, A similar exchange program has
Universidad de Zaragoza been in place for several years
Departamento de Ingenieria with the National University of
Quimica y Tecnologia del Medio Singapore where our students
Ambiente, Universidad de Valladolid spend their third year.
Institut Químic de Sarrià, Universitat We also offer full-year exchanges
Ramón LLull, Barcelona in the fourth year with the
University of Delft, Netherlands
There are possibilities to spend the
and KTH Stockholm, Sweden.
third or fourth year at these partner
Instruction at these schools is in
institutions in Spain.
English but students are advised
Apart from the destinations above, to have a basic command of
where instruction occurs in the local the local language. Intensive
language, we entertain a flourishing language courses are offered at
exchange program with universities both destinations in the summer
where no knowledge of a foreign preceding the academic year.
language is required. In Australia,
All these schools enjoy high
students can enroll for a year at
prestige in education and
the University of Melbourne, the
research. They have of course
University of Sydney or Queensland
substantial links with national and
University in Brisbane. Students
international firms in the project
spend their third year at those
work they provide for students.
institutions. The study program
is closely matched to the one at
vacation projects abroad
Imperial but provides opportunities
Frequently students take up
to take advantage of elective
‘link’ projects with firms in
courses offered by these universities
France, Belgium, Germany, Italy,
that reflect the specific research
Netherlands, Switzerland, the USA
strengths of these departments.
or the Middle East. These may
Exchange destinations in the usefully be combined with the
USA comprise of Carnegie Mellon elective foreign language courses
University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which are available to all chemical
Columbia University, New York and engineering students.
several campuses of the University
of California. The third year is the
appropriate year for the exchange.
Students benefit from the higher
degree of flexibility in course
choices at the US destinations
where universities have a
traditionally broader spectrum of
courses on offer.
14 15
MEng Chemical with Research in the
Department includes a
Nuclear Engineering large range of activities,
including natural
resource, biological,
The need to continue and > UCAS: H890
fluids, materials, process
expand the generation of To achieve the rapid growth necessary, systems, reaction and
nuclear power is now widely there is an urgent requirement for
recognised as part of the new technical staff. In order to meet separation engineering.
solution to the world’s problem this requirement, we have set up a
new degree, Chemical with Nuclear
of meeting rapidly growing
Engineering. Students on this degree
energy demand whilst at the course will be fully qualified in
same time protecting the Chemical Engineering but will take a
environment. series of courses which will give them
a basis for employment in the nuclear
and related industries. In addition,
students pursuing this new combined
degree will be encouraged to carry out
project work relevant to nuclear power
and every effort will be made to find
them placements in relevant industry
in the summer vacation between their
third and fourth years.
The Department leads Centres
in Process Systems (CPSE) and
in Carbon Capture and Storage
(QCCSRC).
www.imperial.ac.uk/
chemicalengineering/
research
16 17Accommodation Extra-curricular
Imperial’s Student About 3,000 of around 14,000 Imperial
students live in accommodation
activites
Accommodation Centre
owned or leased by Imperial.
team is here to support As well as being a fantastic Within the department, there is
These include fully furnished single
students in finding the right and shared study bedrooms with place to study, Imperial a very active Student Chemical
place to live and settling in. Engineering Society who will try
communal kitchens, common rooms, has a huge number of
their best to provide as many
All first year students are bathroom facilities and laundries. clubs and societies to help distractions as possible from
guaranteed a place in Imperial There are also a number of single and
you relax. From football academic life! The society boasts a
accommodation provided you shared rooms with en suite facilities.
All our accommodation is self-catered
to knitting, rowing to calendar of formal dinners, parties,
are eligible and complete your cheese eating, Imperial sporting events and many company
and non-smoking and are located for
application in the required easy access to the South Kensington College Union has it all. presentations throughout the year.
timescales – see the website Off campus, London
campus. All accommodation has
A full list of over 350 clubs can be is a great place
for details of eligibility and regular security patrols and secure
found at: to live as a
how to apply. swipe card access. Each hall has
www.imperialcollegeunion. student with a
its own wardening team who are
org/clubs-and-societies huge number
responsible for student welfare and
of things to
safety in addition to its own committee
see and do, many
so those all-important social events
of which are either free or cheap.
are taken care of.
There is also a good social scene
The Student Accommodation Centre surrounding almost all of the halls
also provides advice and practical of residence with everything from
support for finding accommodation pizza nights to European jaunts
in the private sector as well as being organised on a weekly
up-to-date listings for available basis. Overall life at Imperial is
accommodation for rent. busy, fun and rewarding and is
a welcome break from lectures
To learn more about accommodation
whenever you get the chance!
at Imperial visit
www.imperial.ac.uk/accommodation Contribution from the Chemical
Engineering Society
18 19Course entry requirements
the environment
Imperial College London chose to print this
publication with soy- based inks. The cover was
printed on 9lives 80 Silk paper, which is certified
by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as a
mixed sources product produced, and uses 20
per cent recycled wood and fibre, 60 per cent
The courses are intended for able For more information, see Imperial’s FSC-certified de-inked fibre recovered from post-
students who are selected on Undergraduate Prospectus: consumer sources, 10 per cent FSC accredited
the basis of academic ability and www.imperial.ac.uk/ugprospectus virgin TCF fibre and 10 per cent virgin fibre from
sustainable forests. The text pages were printed
motivation. The first will normally on 9lives 100 Offset, which is is manufactured from
You can order a hard copy from: Cert no. SGS-COC-003591
be judged by performance in FSC-accredited 100 per cent recycled fibre.
www.imperial.ac.uk/prospectus
examinations, and the second
will be assessed at an interview, For more information about the
which all applicants attend if they courses, requests to visit, etc,
live within reasonable travelling please write to
distance, or if they can meet one of Cert no. SGS-COC-003591
The Admissions Tutor
our staff at another place.
Department of Chemical Engineering
In terms of A-levels, typical offer and Chemical Technology
requirements include Imperial College London
• A* in Mathematics South Kensington Campus
• A in Chemistry London SW7 2AZ Cert no. SGS-COC-003591
• A in one further relevant subject
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7594 5570/5571
such as Physics or Biology
Fax: + 44 (0)20 7594 5629
Applicants with Baccalaureates or
the leaving certificates of various
national systems are very much Cert no. SGS-COC-003591
welcomed and the eligibility of
the latter can be checked with the
Admissions Tutor before making a
formal UCAS application.
GCSE achievements are also
considered, as are also the
references provided. Sponsorship
is encouraged, and the option of a
pre-university year if the applicant
wishes, but neither is a pre-requisite
of the courses.
20 21The Admissions Tutor Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology Imperial College London South Kensington Campus London SW7 2AZ Tel: + 44 (0)20 7594 5570/5571 Fax: + 44 (0)20 7594 5629 www.imperial.ac.uk/ chemicalengineering
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