About the Chemical PE Exam

The Chemical PE exam is an 8-hour, all-objective test. It is administered in two four-hour sections with a break for lunch. The exam consists of a total of 80 multiple-choice questions, and examinees must work all of them.

Official Exam Topics (as of April 2003)

Note: NCEES states that the knowledge areas specified A, B, C, etc., are examples of kinds of knowledge, but they are not exclusive or exhaustive categories.

Mass/Energy Balances and Thermodynamics: approx. 24% of problems
1. Mass Balances: approx. 11% of problems
  - Material balances and stoichiometry
  - Phase behavior
  - Process variants: bypass, recycle, purge
  - Combustion processes (e.g., water-free analysis,e xcess air, staged combustion)
2. Energy Balances and Thermodynamics: approx. 13% of problems
  - Sensible heat (heat capacity)
  - Latent heat (e.g., fusion, vaporization, sublimation)
  - Heat of reaction (exothermic, endothermic)
  - Heat of solution
  - Estimation and correlation of physical properties
  - Applications requiring combinations of sensible heat calculations, latent heat considerations, heats of reaction, etc.
Fluids: approx. 17% of problems
1. Fluid Transport: approx. 3% of problems
  - Physical properties (e.g., viscosity, density, surface tension)
  - Pipe and tubing data (e.g., schedule number, surface roughness)
2. Mechanical/Energy Balance: approx. 11% of problems
  - Potential (e.g., elevation change) and kinetic energy (e.g., velocity)
  - Friction: Reynolds number
  - Friction: pressure drop (e.g., friction factor, pipes, valves, fittings, expansion and contraction)
  - Flow applications: single conduit, parallel and branched systems
  - Flow applications: pumps, turbines, and compressors (e.g., work/energy requirements, efficiency and performance curves)
  - Flow applications: two-phase flow (e.g., slug flow)
  - Flow applications: filtration
3. Flow Measurement Techniques: approx. 3% of problems
  - Pitot tube, orifice, and venturi, etc.
  - Pressure differential measurement (e.g., manometers)
  - Mass flow (e.g., Coreolis, vortex shedding, thermal)
  - Permanent pressure drop (e.g., orifice, valve)
Heat Transfer: approx. 16% of problems
1. Mechanisms: approx. 6% of problems
  - Physical properties (viscosity, density, heat capacity, etc.)
  - Conduction (e.g., Fourier's Law in differential and integral form, parallel and series arrangements, mean area)
  - Convection: free (natural) convective heat-transfer coefficient
  - Convection: forced convective heat-transfer coefficient (metallic and nonmetallic)
  - Phase change (e.g., vaporization, condensation, sublimation, crystallization)
  - Combinations of mechanisms: (conduction, convection, and radiation in series)
2. Applications: approx. 10% of problems
  - Insulation (e.g., type, sizing, and placement)
  - Measurement instruments (thermocouples, thermometers, RTD, IR, etc.)
  - Heat exchangers: overall heat-transfer coefficient, fouling factors, Reynolds numbers
  - Heat exchangers: mean temperature difference (LMTD, f-factor)
  - Heat exchangers: types (e.g., double pipe, shell-and-tube, extended surface, plate)
  - Heat exchangers: design (e.g., area, configuration, pressure drop)
  - Heat exchangers: evaluation of existing and new exchanger systems (NTU method/pinch technology)
  - Service use of heat transfer equipment (e.g., condensers, reboilers, heat pumps)
  - Radiant and convective transfer
Mass Transfer: approx. 13% of problems
1. Phase Equilibria: approx. 5% of problems
  - Equilibrium data (e.g., VLE, LLE): equations of state
  - Equilibrium data (e.g., VLE, LLE): Henry's Law and Raoult's Law
  - Equilibrium data (e.g., VLE, LLE): non-ideal solutions (e.g., activity coefficient)
  - Equilibrium data (e.g., VLE, LLE): azeotrope systems
  - Phase equilibrium calculations: bubble and dew points
  - Phase equilibrium calculations: flash calculation
  - Diffusion (e.g., purification, water treatment, chip manufacturing, chemical vapor deposition)
2. Mass Transfer Contactors (absorptions, stripping, distillation, extraction): approx. 7% of problems
  - Continuous contacting (packed): minimum rate of flow of liquid (absorption), vapor (stripping), solvent (extraction) and reflux (distillation)
  - Continuous contacting (packed): minimum number of transfer units or stages
  - Continuous contacting (packed): height and number of transfer units or stages
  - Continuous contacting (packed): types of packing
  - Continuous contacting (packed): flooding?calculation of minimum vessel diameter
  - Continuous contacting (packed): feed location for distillation column/tower
  - Trayed contactors: minimum rate of flow of liquid (absorption), vapor (stripping), solvent (extraction), and reflux (distillation)
  - Trayed contactors: minimum number of stages
  - Trayed contactors: theoretical stages?graphical methods
  - Trayed contactors: flooding?calculation of minimum vessel diameter
  - Trayed contactors: stage efficiency
  - Trayed contactors: feed location for distillation column/tower
3. Miscellaneous Separation Processes: approx. 1% of problems
  - Drying
  - Adsorption (e.g., PSA, water treatment)
Kinetics: approx. 11% of problems
1. Reaction Parameters: approx. 2% of problems
  - Rate constant
  - Chemical equilibria
  - Activation energy
2. Reaction Rate: approx. 2% of problems
  - Rate equation
  - Order of reaction
  - Analysis of experimental data from reaction systems
3. Reactor Design and Evaluation: approx. 5% of problems
  - Batch reactor
  - Continuous stirred-tank reactor to include recycle to the reactor
  - Plug-flow reactor (e.g., gas phase reactor)
  - Multiple reactors in series
  - Yield and selectivity
4. Heterogeneous Reaction Systems: approx. 2% of problems
  - Multi-phase reactors: fluidized beds
  - Multi-phase reactors: packed beds
  - Stability/runaway reactions
  - Mixing
Plant Design and Operation: approx. 19% of problems
1. Economic Consideration: approx. 2% of problems
  - Equipment-cost correlations (e.g., cost indices)/economic calculations
  - Operating costs
  - Time value of money
2. Design and Operation: approx. 6% of problems
  - Process equipment design
  - Process flow sheet development
  - Design optimization
  - Operating manuals (e.g., startup, shutdown, maintenance)
  - Equipment testing, troubleshooting, and analysis
3. Safety: approx. 5% of problems
  - Emergency venting devices (e.g., safety valves, blowout walls)
  - Performance of scheduled audits (e.g., testing safety valves, checking rupture, disks)
  - Flares and vents
  - Plant layout considerations (e.g., equipment arrangement, pipe racks, and layouts)
  - Fire protection
  - Emergency ingress and egress
  - Process hazard analysis
4. Environmental: approx. 2% of problems
  - Evaluation and permitting of gas discharges and liquid discharges
  - Solid waste management (non-hazardous and hazardous)
  - Industrial hygiene (e.g., MSDS, TLV, noise control, ventilation, personal protective equipment)
  - Pollution prevention
5. Materials: approx. 2% of problems
  - Materials properties and selection
  - Structural design considerations (e.g., temperature limits, pressure limits, thermal expansion, pressure vessels per ASME Section VIII)
  - Corrosion considerations
6. Process Control: approx. 2% of problems
  - Sensors (e.g., choice, location)
  - Controller actions
  - Feed-back/feed-forward actions
  - Data interpretation

Chemical Engineering PE Exam FAQs