Chemical Engineering Curriculum at Pandit Deendayal Energy University Gandhinagar

Semester-Wise Course Structure

The Chemical Engineering curriculum is carefully structured over eight semesters to ensure a progressive and comprehensive learning experience. Each semester includes core subjects, departmental electives, science electives, and laboratory components designed to build upon previous knowledge while introducing new concepts.

Semester	Course Code	Course Title	Credit Structure (L-T-P-C)	Pre-requisites
1	CHM-101	Chemistry for Engineers	3-0-0-3	-
1	MAT-101	Mathematics I	4-0-0-4	-
1	PHY-101	Physics for Engineers	3-0-0-3	-
1	CHE-101	Introduction to Chemical Engineering	2-0-0-2	-
1	ENG-101	English for Engineers	2-0-0-2	-
1	L-101	Engineering Drawing & Workshop Practice	1-0-3-2	-
2	MAT-201	Mathematics II	4-0-0-4	MAT-101
2	CHM-201	Organic Chemistry	3-0-0-3	CHM-101
2	PHY-201	Electromagnetism & Optics	3-0-0-3	PHY-101
2	CHE-201	Process Calculations	3-0-0-3	-
2	ENG-201	Communication Skills	2-0-0-2	-
2	L-201	Chemical Engineering Lab I	0-0-3-2	-
3	MAT-301	Mathematics III	4-0-0-4	MAT-201
3	CHE-301	Thermodynamics I	3-0-0-3	-
3	CHE-302	Fluid Mechanics	3-0-0-3	-
3	CHE-303	Heat Transfer	3-0-0-3	-
3	CHE-304	Mass Transfer	3-0-0-3	-
3	L-301	Chemical Engineering Lab II	0-0-3-2	CHE-201, L-201
4	MAT-401	Mathematics IV	4-0-0-4	MAT-301
4	CHE-401	Reaction Engineering I	3-0-0-3	-
4	CHE-402	Process Dynamics & Control	3-0-0-3	-
4	CHE-403	Chemical Process Design	3-0-0-3	-
4	CHE-404	Process Safety & Risk Management	3-0-0-3	-
4	L-401	Chemical Engineering Lab III	0-0-3-2	CHE-301, CHE-302, CHE-303, CHE-304, L-301
5	CHE-501	Reaction Engineering II	3-0-0-3	CHE-401
5	CHE-502	Biochemical Engineering	3-0-0-3	-
5	CHE-503	Environmental Impact Assessment	3-0-0-3	-
5	CHE-504	Materials Science	3-0-0-3	-
5	L-501	Chemical Engineering Lab IV	0-0-3-2	CHE-401, CHE-402, CHE-403, L-401
6	CHE-601	Advanced Process Simulation	3-0-0-3	CHE-501
6	CHE-602	Data Analytics in Chemical Engineering	3-0-0-3	-
6	CHE-603	Nanotechnology and Smart Materials	3-0-0-3	-
6	CHE-604	Sustainable Process Design	3-0-0-3	-
6	L-601	Chemical Engineering Lab V	0-0-3-2	CHE-501, CHE-502, L-501
7	CHE-701	Mini Project I	0-0-0-3	-
7	CHE-702	Special Topics in Chemical Engineering	3-0-0-3	-
7	CHE-703	Process Optimization Techniques	3-0-0-3	-
7	CHE-704	Advanced Materials Characterization	3-0-0-3	-
7	L-701	Chemical Engineering Lab VI	0-0-3-2	CHE-601, CHE-602, L-601
8	CHE-801	Final Year Project / Thesis	0-0-0-6	-

Advanced Departmental Electives

Departmental electives are offered in the latter years of the program to allow students to specialize in areas aligned with their interests and career goals. These courses are taught by renowned faculty members and often involve cutting-edge research.

• Renewable Energy Technologies: This course explores the principles and applications of solar, wind, hydroelectric, and bioenergy systems within chemical engineering frameworks. Students learn about energy conversion mechanisms, efficiency optimization, and environmental impact assessment.
• Bioprocess Engineering: Designed for students interested in biological systems, this elective covers fermentation processes, bioreactor design, product recovery, and downstream processing techniques used in pharmaceuticals and biofuels.
• Advanced Process Control: This course introduces advanced control strategies including PID tuning, state-space methods, model predictive control, and industrial automation technologies. Students gain hands-on experience with PLC programming and SCADA systems.
• Sustainable Materials Design: Focused on developing environmentally friendly materials, this course teaches students how to select, synthesize, and characterize sustainable polymers, composites, and nanomaterials for industrial applications.
• Computational Fluid Dynamics: Using numerical methods, students simulate fluid flow behavior in various chemical engineering systems. The course includes practical sessions with software like ANSYS Fluent and STAR-CCM+.
• Membrane Separation Processes: This elective focuses on membrane technologies used for water treatment, gas separation, and pharmaceutical purification. Students learn about membrane fabrication, characterization, and process optimization.
• Carbon Capture and Utilization: A critical topic in climate change mitigation, this course covers methods of capturing CO2 emissions from industrial sources and converting them into useful products such as fuels and chemicals.
• Nanomaterials Synthesis and Applications: This course explores the synthesis, properties, and applications of nanomaterials including nanoparticles, nanotubes, and quantum dots in chemical engineering processes.
• Industrial Safety and Risk Assessment: Students learn how to assess risks associated with chemical plants and implement safety protocols. Topics include hazard identification, risk analysis, emergency response planning, and regulatory compliance.
• Data Mining in Chemical Engineering: This course teaches students how to apply data science techniques to chemical engineering problems including regression analysis, clustering, classification, and neural networks for process optimization.

Project-Based Learning Philosophy

The Chemical Engineering program strongly emphasizes project-based learning as a cornerstone of its educational philosophy. Projects are designed to be both challenging and relevant to real-world industrial scenarios, encouraging creativity, teamwork, and innovation.

Mini-projects begin in the seventh semester and involve small groups of students working under faculty supervision on specific engineering problems. These projects typically last 3–4 months and culminate in presentations, reports, and peer reviews. Students are encouraged to propose their own ideas or select from a list of industry-sponsored topics.

The final-year thesis or capstone project is a major undertaking that requires students to conduct original research or develop a complete process design solution for an industrial client. This project involves extensive literature review, experimental work (if applicable), data analysis, and technical documentation. Faculty mentors guide students throughout the process, ensuring they meet academic standards and industry expectations.

Project selection is based on student interest, faculty availability, and alignment with departmental research areas. Students may choose to work in teams or independently, depending on the scope and nature of the project. Regular milestones and progress reviews ensure timely completion and quality outcomes.