Role of universalities in chemical engineering

Chemical engineering has survived and thrived for over 100 years, while many other branches of engineering have vanished or faded. This,survival may be attributed to several factors, one of which is the more pervasive and effective utilization of universalities in the form of generalizations, simplifying concepts, and analogies. At the same time, many of the generalities, simplifying concepts, and analogies in current textbooks, handbooks, and even computer design packages are wrong or obsolete and should be deleted or noted to be only of historical interest. The radical changes that are currently afoot in chemical engineering and in the world in which it is now practiced can be expected to make many more obsolete or irrelevant, thereby creating a need and/or opportunity for the formulation of new ones. The origin and the past, present, and future role, if any, of the generalizations are examined in Parts I and II; that of the simplifying concepts are examined in Part III, and that of the analogies are examined in Part IV.