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.