The Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Panjab University (often called DCET), located in the city of Chandigarh, India is one of the premier institutes in India for chemical engineering and technology research. It is also the Chandigarh Regional Centre for the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChe). The department recently came into news when the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, sanctioned a grant of Rs. 60 lakh to the department under the prestigious program of Funds for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher Educational Institutions (FIST).
Institution edit
The department was set up in 1958 in collaboration with the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, USA, and continues to maintain global standards of excellence in education and research. 21 of the 30 faculty members have PhD degrees from various prestigious institutions in India, Australia, UK, Canada, and USA. The department offers the following courses:
- Graduate degree courses
Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical)
Bachelor of Engineering (Food Technology)
- Post Graduate degree courses
Master of Engineering (Chemical)
Master of Technology (Polymer Science)
Master of Science (Industrial Chemistry)
- PhD degree course
The admissions to the institute are made through All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) for the undergraduate courses and through Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) for the post graduation courses.
Facilities edit
Regular Laboratories edit
The department features various laboratories in chemical engineering subjects like unit operations, process dynamics and control, reaction engineering, petroleum processing, low temperature engineering, bio-chemical engineering and alternative energy Technology. The department has unique facility of a Pilot Plant which provides facilities for testing technical feasibility of chemical processes. For this it is equipped with fully automatic packaged boiler, reverse osmosis system, rotary kiln, split flow, U-tube heat exchanger, gasifier, a corning glass liquid-liquid extraction unit having both packed bed and sieve tray column. Analytical facilities such as gas chromatograph, UV-spectrophotometer, HPLC, flame photometers etc. are also available.
Research Laboratories edit
The department has well equipped research laboratories in some front-line areas such as solvent extraction, polymer science and engineering, membrane technology, environmental engineering, thermodynamics, electro-chemistry, carbon chemistry etc.
For PhD programs additional facilities include Non-Conventional Separation, Techniques, Environmental Engineering, Non-Conventional Energy Sources; Electrochemistry, Studies of Thermodynamic and Thermo physical Properties, Studies of Agro-residues, Studies of Flow characteristics and Heat Transfer-characteristics, Reaction kinetics.
Consultancy edit
Several faculty members of the department have been actively involved in rendering consultancy to industrial organizations in the region. The consultancy activities include preparation of feasibility reports, development of pollution control technologies, energy auditing of industrial units, development of alternative and more economical technologies for industrial units, corrosion prevention analysis of industrial products, development of new products/processes on laboratorical scale and recovery of chemicals from agro based effluents.
Library edit
The department has well furnished library having over 10,000 books and subscribes to over 60 Indian and foreign journals for the exclusive use of the students and faculty of the department.
Energy Research Centre edit
The Department of Chemical Engineering & Technology is accompanied by the highly prestigious Energy Research Centre. ERC was established in 1983 to promote R&D and extension activities in the emerging field of renewable energy. It has emerged as a major focal point of R&D and extension on energy and environment at national and international level. Energy research centre was the only R&D centre in the country which was designated as Nodal Agency for the implementation of different programmes of Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of India. As a result of extension activities undertaken by the Centre Chandigarh has emerged as a city with highest per capita alternate energy consumption on Asia and Pacific. As per survey conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research, 5 million cook stoves designed by the centre are in operation in the country. Under these programmes, large number of self employed workers and potters have been trained thus creating job avenues in rural area apart from saving huge quantity of wood. Laboratories of the Centre are equipped with the state of the art equipments. Centre has been designated as a regional test centre for testing solar thermal equipment by MNES. Bureau of Indian Standards has approved the centre for testing wood burning stoves. Centre has provided consultancy to a large number of countries in Asia- Pacific region such as Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Kiribati and Tuvalu, in the area of renewable energy sources, energy management and environmental protection. . Centre has also helped the states of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in solving problems associated with energy planning & management and environmental protection.
Energy Research Centre has professional contacts with a number of reputed International Institutes such as University of Florida, USA, University of Cincinnati, USA, SRI International USA, and Lakehead University Canada.