I don't know of any that compare, but, the Napoleon's Buttons is SUPPOSED to be good.

http://www.amazon.com/Napoleons-Buttons-Molecules-Changed-History/dp/1585423319/

Other books, engineering related, that I liked are:

Norm Lieberman's Process Troubleshooting books, the guy cracks me up!

Working Guide to Process Equipment (3rd edition probably cheaper): http://www.amazon.com/Working-Guide-Process-Equipment-Fourth/dp/0071828060/

Process Equipment Malfunctions (not as good as the other one, some overlap, but still worthwhile, and covers more breadth for individual issues): http://www.amazon.com/Process-Equipment-Malfunctions-Techniques-Identify/dp/0071770208/

The Prize (mentioned above): http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1439110123/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/188-3799228-4803548

The Quest (Follow on to The Prize): http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Energy-Security-Remaking-Modern/dp/0143121944/

Oil 101: http://www.amazon.com/Oil-101-Morgan-Downey/dp/0982039204/

The Mythical Man Month (Not engineering directly as it pertains to software, but, projects and project management are huge in engineering, though this book is timeless): http://www.amazon.com/Mythical-Man-Month-Software-Engineering-Anniversary/dp/0201835959/

Piping Systems Manual (You can NEVER know enough about pipe!): http://www.amazon.com/Piping-Systems-Manual-Brian-Silowash/dp/0071592768/

Pumps and Pumping Operations (OMG it is $4, hardcover, go buy now! This book is great... did you know OSU didn't teach their Chem E's about pumps? I was flabbergasted, gave this to our intern and he became not a scrub by learning about pumps!): http://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Operations-Prentice-Pollution-Equipment/dp/0137393199/

Any good engineer needs to understand MONEY too:

The Ascent of Money: http://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Money-Financial-History-World/dp/0143116177/

It's Nial Fergesuon, who has had his own series of dramas and dumb stuff. The Ascent of Money has a SLIGHT libertarian tinge... but it wasn't bad enough that I didn't enjoy it. I consider it a history book, and he attempts to write it like one.

Have fun!

>If you hang around them more, don't stop them from doing what they are doing. If there seems to be a lull and you can get a question out why don't you spend that time to get to know them instead of trying to steal information from them.
---
>You are probably a kid also. Just your age is going to annoy them. Unless you present yourself as a man/woman. Like you command the respect of such, but that doesn't mean you act superior or combative. It's something you learn with age.

This is golden advice! Get to know people and build a rapport before you start asking technical questions, and when you do, acknowledge their real world expertise and how much you value them giving you the time to explain it...

---

In the 1920's Dale Carnegie made a small fortune off simple advice which still rings true today in u/Hammerstrike5 's comment:

"

• Become genuinely interested in other people.
  
• Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
  
• Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
  
• Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.
  

  "

I highly recommend this book for prep. I took the FE in October using this as a review and passed, after being out of school a couple of years. This book just covers the morning session. For the afternoon session I would just review your thermo, heat & mass, and design class notes. Also, thinking about buying the equation manual. It was super helpful knowing exactly where equations were while taking that test. They also have topic outlines for the exam on the NCEES webpage. I would also get the practice exam NCEES sells, that was really the only prep I did for the afternoon session. Keep in mind that the test is electronic now, not written, so review materials might vary.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great if you are just finishing school, because everything will still be fresh.

I got into control systems, by being a process operator first. I was an operator for 10 years, then spent five years getting a Chem Eng degree. I tries a few things as a Chem Eng, then found my niche in commissioning control and safety systems. I learned all the software on the job. The big value I brought, was knowing how to operate. The systems I worked on were Triconix and Honeywell. Control loops are pretty straight forward, but safety logic can be fairly complex. EPC would design it and build it, and I would sit in my office and simulate away. It was awesome, I would have started up the plant a hundred times, with full visibility of the logic, before operations got their hands on it. When they did, they were starting huge, complex furnaces, literally on the first purge. Billion dollar projects... starting in a week. Very rewarding.

My biggest challenges were getting appropriate operator interfaces and structured testing. Operator interfaces... well... EPC has little understanding of operational needs. Structured testing... how do you test some vague narrative? If you get into this, buy the following book:

https://www.amazon.com/Project-Managers-Software-Engineerings-Practices/dp/0769511996

>practice practice practice. Take those practice exams.

where are these practice exams? i only know of 1 (and the free one someone gave me where they already paid the $50 from when they took it) all the others just make claims that its "FE exam material"


>hardest part was the general section for me, ChemE part was long but quite a bit easier.

yeah the material i am using is the https://www.amazon.com/Review-Manual-Preparation-Fundamentals-Engineering/dp/1591263336 the subjects in it, at the very least, FELT like my uni courses. this practice exam i am taking is NOTHING like it. once i look at the solution, it is really easily solved, except, the equation they used isnt even in the FE reference manual, nor ones i even recall back in school. an example is the definition of work in terms of pressure and volume. i forgot the exact question of that form so i had to look it up.... except... they conveniently left that one out. (the w = ∫pdv one)

>don't over think it, lots of people are in the same situation (and still pass)

yeah i hear online that the cutoff to pass is somewhere in the 60% range. of course,there is no proof of this as the committee doesnt share it. but i mean, its a $200+ test.... i cant really see myself going to take it while my confidence level is so low after this practice exam....)

I can second this. You're going to have to take a course on the first three topics and likely one on the math and numberical methods behind it all. I used Bird, Fogler, and McCabe. The Bird text is unnecessarily theoretical in my opinion, but Fogler and McCabe are excellent. McCabe is particularly good at covering everything without going too in-depth. For Thermo, this is the one I see used most commonly, though only about half the text is used in most curricula and it's a fairly dry read in my opinion.


Like I said, you're probably going to want to review some math as well. There's quite a bit of calculus involved, so if you've been away from that for a few years, I would brush up on some basic integration, partial derivatives, and some fairly basic differential equations. The other topic is numerical and computational methods, but that's something you can learn on the fly with a solid background.

There might be better books out there, but I would recommend Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics by SVA for those starting off. It does a good job of explaining the basics. However, it doesn't go far beyond the basic principles.

My favourite YT resource for intro videos would (obviously) be LearnChemE. They have many videos that can introduce the topics in simple terms.

Also keep in mind that Thermodynamics can be very complex in certain areas, especially Solution Thermodynamics. I would strongly recommend making an effort to understand the derivations used in that section. Understanding them, instead of just memorizing them, goes a long way to help you tackle difficult problems in that section.

That job sounds about right for an analytical chemist tbh. You asked for Books and I will give you books.

The all-around grand champion book for chemical engineers to have is Perry’s handbook.

In chemistry you did remedial thermodynamics in comparison to what chemical engineers are given, so I suggest this book as a primer in chemical thermodynamics. It covers phase equilibria, basic thermodynamics, and non-ideal behavior at a depth not seen in chemistry programs.

For heat and mass transfer I used this book in my undergrad. This is something that was almost certainly left untouched in your chemistry program.

For reaction engineering, I used [Folger’s book] (https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Chemical-Reaction-Engineering-4th/dp/0130473944/). You might recognize some of the constituent pieces, but this will bring it all together to solve for definite times and conversions.

More applicable to your direct job is process control. [Bequette's book] (https://www.amazon.com/Process-Control-Modeling-Design-Simulation/dp/0133536408/) will probably be one of the most directly important books on this list for you as far as process monitoring goes. And [this book] (https://www.amazon.com/Analysis-Synthesis-Processes-International-Engineering/dp/0132618125/) will give your insight into why processes are made the way they are.

The most important book in the list is [Process Safety] (https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Process-Safety-Fundamentals-International/dp/0131382268/). It is important that you understand what is and is not dangerous, along with what it and is not safe. You can skip the blast calcs, but do look at the TLV data, because that will come up for emissions.

This list is overbuilt and if you only have time for 3 pick the last 3 I listed and pick up a cheap Perry’s handbook for reference.

You're welcome. First, they won't ask anything that isn't in the manual. So, as long as you know where to find what you need for that particular question, you are good. However, it may be in a different form than what you are used to. Using the book that you have to study is the best way to do it. It is what I used and is a pretty good representation of what will be on the exam. I wouldn't waste time going through old textbooks unless you want to read a little background on whatever topic it is.

The chemical engineering portion was a lot harder than I expected but since it is multiple choice, you have a decent shot at flat out guessing the answers. This is the book that I used to prep for it. However, I wouldn't recommend it because the problems are far harder in this review than are actually on the exam.

http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Discipline-Specific-Review-EIT-Exam/dp/1591260671/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0DPK3Z2TG4GZ2FXTYEDW

The best way to prep for the chemical part of the test is just to brush up on the basics of chemical engineering. Know how to convert units, stoichiometry, calculating reynolds numbers and other dimensionless quantities, and key chemical engineering concepts. I would say, the most helpful thing you can do for yourself is to know what units things should be in. Example: acceleration should be m/s^2. This will help tremendously when you have no idea how to work a problem. You take the units you are given, the units the answer is given in, look up the formula and figure out how to make the units work out. This method could possibly score a lot of points without knowing exactly how to work something out.

Make sure you have a good foundation in mathematics. If you want to get started for Cheme - definitely get yourself a book on material and energy balances. This is widely heralded as the "bible" and will give you good introductino to many cheme concepts.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Principles-Chemical-Processes-Richard/dp/047168757X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1541440878&sr=8-2&keywords=elementary+principles+of+chemical+processes

​

​

The Prize by Daniel Yergin is a great history of the O&G industry.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1439110123/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/188-3799228-4803548

Thanks Rossay, the book is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Applied-Guide-Process-Plant-Design/dp/0128002425. Perhaps sometimes ranty, but always interesting, if I do say so myself. Has to be the first chem eng textbook with more jokes than equations...

BTW, this article never appeared in TCE, it was pulled on the day of publication at the request of the IChemE president. I wrote a few similar articles there previously though...

ah cool thx for the list. ill start from that order when i have time and can get ahold of those books.

to make sure,

A working guide to process equipment =

Lieberman Distillation operation ???

kister Distillation design =

kister Distillation troubleshooting =

kister Distillation design and control using aspen =

luyben = ????

, it seems kister distillation design is pretty easy to get a hold of. would it also be fine to start from there?

also, back in uni, the book i used to distillation column (which was in separations course) was mccabe. what do you think about mccabe for distillation? I never learned anything from it regarding distillation section, but if others think its good, ill have another go at it.

I used this book: http://www.amazon.com/Review-Manual-Preparation-Fundamentals-Engineering/dp/1591263336


I started studying 2 months before the test. I did one chapter a day which takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how well you know the material. After I finished that book I used the free 3 day trial of their chemical engineering specific book to brush up on that material.


I ended up passing and probably overstudied considering I took it one week after graduation when the material was still fresh.

"The Prize" by Daniel Yergin is a long but fun place to start. Bit more historical.

The thing is since the FE covers general topics as well (calculus, physics, statics, ethics, etc), the PE book won't cover any of it.

I recommending getting this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Review-Manual-Preparation-Fundamentals-Engineering/dp/1591263336

I did practice problems with that and read the chapters and I felt the test was super easy.

The 2004 NCEES PE Exam is pretty hard to come by. Originally I got it on Amazon

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932613188/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

But the price has gone up significantly. You can use EBay as well to try and find a copy.

https://www.amazon.ca/Analysis-Synthesis-Design-Chemical-Processes/dp/0132618125

This is the book I used while I was in school. My suggestion is to just go through your classes and let the knowledge come as you go through your classes and while/when you need it. Personally I can't learn if I am not going to use it or I have a project or exam about it. Good luck.

The book I'd recommend is the textbook that most intro ChemE courses use: Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, by Felder.

It's not too heavy on prerequisites (mostly just algebra, general chemistry). The problems you'll solve in the text are good examples of the type of thinking that ChEs use, and the author does a good job of explaining things. Also, some anecdotes from time to time.

Not sure if that's what you're looking for, but I can't really think of many non-textbook type examples for the same reason chemical engineers don't show up in films: it's not "Hollywood sexy."

I think this book might be useful to you:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071828060/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487830606&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=a+working+guide+to+process+equipment&dpPl=1&dpID=51ZkmH8DRYL&ref=plSrch

As a process engineer here are some books i either use almost every day, or find very very useful:

Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers:

https://www.amazon.com/Rules-Thumb-Chemical-Engineers-Fifth/dp/0123877857

Crane Technical Paper no. 410.

https://www.amazon.com/Fluids-Through-Valves-Fittings-TP-410/dp/B003152YTG

Chemical Engineering Reference Manual:

https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Engineering-Reference-Manual-7th/dp/1591264103

GPSA Data Book (I have an electronic copy, your mileage finding a paper copy may vary):

http://www.browntechnical.org/products/gpsa-engineering-data-book-fps-english-unit.html

The FE review might not be a bad place to hit everything.

Chemical Discipline-Specific Review for the FE/EIT Exam, 2nd Ed
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591260671/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fhOozb4CKG20Q

FE Review Manual: Rapid Preparation for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, 3rd Ed
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591263336/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GhOozbR5VP0K0

Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes




https://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Principles-Chemical-Processes-Richard/dp/047168757X

I see. I went through this book: http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Principles-Chemical-Processes-Richard/dp/047168757X and this book: http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Chemical-Engineering-Thermodynamics-Mcgraw-Hill/dp/0073104450/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395417059&sr=1-1&keywords=chemical+engineering+thermodynamics

this book covers the bread and butter of what CHE is. Which is mass/energy balances (basically, what goes in equals what comes out.)

you can start with that and later move onto the more "advanced" topics such as transport, thermo, fluids, etc etc

Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes was the book used in my first ChemE major class. It discusses a lot of the big ideas in chem e without getting too specific. You can find the international edition for around 10 dollars online.

Amazon Link

This one was for the general stuff (but it still had fluids, heat transfer, econ, and some general thermo) and this one for the chemE. The chemE one I studied might have been an older version though. Both were filled with hard and useful practice problems.

There are ChemEs who work in beautiful locations (LA, SF, etc.) and there are ChemEs who work in bad locations (Midland, Maxbass, etc.)

 

I don't agree that ChemE is a dying degree nor are you limited to working in dirty industries in remote location (I have experienced both sides).

 

To the OP: Take an introductory chemical engineering class to get a feel for it.

 

Most introductory classes use this textbook.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Principles-Chemical-Processes-Richard/dp/047168757X