Process Industries 2

Introduction

Introduction written by Jean-Pierre DAL PONT and Marie DEBACQ.

This book, a result of knowledge exchange between the academic and industrial worlds, aims to introduce process industries to students, teachers, researchers, professionals, decision-makers, and, in general, the general public, at a time when they are affected by the digital revolution that accompanies the ongoing energy and environmental transitions.

These industries aim to transform and/or separate matter by chemical, physical or biological means. They cover huge and often complex fields such as chemistry, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, metallurgy, food industry, biotechnology, environmental and energy industries, among others. Their economic and societal importance is considerable.

The companies that depend on it create value through their products from industrial facilities (workshops, factories) that implement specific technologies and processes. The science enabling this implementation is called “chemical engineering” (génie des procédés in French).

The French name is to be credited to the late Professor Jacques Villermaux of the École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques (ENSIC, the French National School of Chemical Industries) in Nancy, who noted that all the knowledge and techniques of chemical engineering could be perfectly applied, beyond the chemical and petroleum industries, to all process industries.

This book is an invitation to discover the operational modes and technical ...