https://doi.org/10.15255/KUI.2007.030
Published: Kem. Ind. 56 (10) (2007) 495–500
Paper reference number: KUI-30/2007
Paper type: Conference paper
Download paper: 
PDF
Milestones of Chemical Engineering Development in Croatia
M. Hraste
Abstract
Solving important problems of chemical and process industries stimulated the creation of a new scientific discipline, chemical engineering, which apart from other disciplines includes firm theoretical foundations, core subjects taught to entering students, widely adopted textbooks and journals. The new discipline, at the beginning of the 20th century, provided a way of analyzing the wide variety of processes in terms of small “unit operations”. Later, the largely empirical approach of the unit operations was broadened by molecular explanations of macroscopic phenomena. It was not long before chemical engineering extended the operation approach to chemical reaction engineering. At the same time, process optimization prompted the system approach. Instead of looking for details, higher levels of organization were recognized by synthesis. The use of computers has become the key element in process modeling and control. The methods of chemical engineering have extended to other fields, while the discipline keeps the same basis and characteristics. The changes on the global market stimulate new trends in research and education. Product development has become an important segment of the discipline, which presumes an integrated approach to the phenomena and processes at different time and length levels following the possible transfer from molecule to product at process level. This paper mainly deals with the development of this discipline in Croatia, with a preview of the persons that contributed to the acceptance and propagation of the new concepts.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Keywords
chemical engineering, discipline development, unit operations, transport phenomena, analysis, synthesis and process control, situation in Croatia