化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

化学工程与工艺专业英语unit12024/3/25化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1Unit1ChemicalIndustryBeforereadingthetextbelow,trytoanswerfollowingquestions:1.Whendidthemodernchemicalindustrystart?2.Canyougiveadefinitionforthechemicalindustry?3.Whatarethecontributionswhichthechemicalindustryhasmadetomeetandsatisfyourneeds?4.Isthechemicalindustrycapital-orlabor-intensive?Why?化学工程与工艺专业英语unit11.OriginsoftheChemicalIndustry

Althoughtheuseofchemicalsdatesbacktotheancientcivilizations,theevolutionofwhatweknowasthemodernchemicalindustrystartedmuchmorerecently.ItmaybeconsideredtohavebegunduringtheIndustrialRevolution,about1800,anddevelopedtoprovidechemicalsforusebyotherindustries.Examplesarealkaliforsoapmaking,bleachingpowderforcotton,andsilicaandsodiumcarbonateforglassmaking.化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1Itwillbenotedthattheseareallinorganicchemicals.Theorganicchemicalsindustrystartedinthe1860swiththeexploitationofWilliamHenryPerkin’sdiscoveryofthefirstsyntheticdyestuff—mauve.AtthestartofthetwentiethcenturytheemphasisonresearchontheappliedofchemistryinGermanyhadpaidoffhandsomely,andby1914hadresultedintheGermanchemicalindustryhaving75%oftheworldmarketinchemicals.ThiswasbasedonthediscoveryofnewdyestuffsplusthedevelopmentofboththecontactprocessforsulphuricacidandtheHaberprocessforammonia.化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1Thelatterrequiredamajortechnologicalbreakthroughthatofbeingabletocarryoutchemicalreactionsunderconditionsofveryhighpressureforthefirsttime.TheexperiencegainedwiththiswastostandGermanyingoodstead,particularlywiththerapidlyincreaseddemandfornitrogen-basedcompounds(ammoniumsaltsforfertilizersandnitricacidforexplosivesmanufacture)withtheoutbreakofWorldWarIin1914.Thisinitiatedprofoundchangeswhichcontinuedduringtheinter-waryears(1918-1939).化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1Since1940thechemicalindustryhasgrownataremarkablerate,althoughthishasslowedsignificantlyinrecentyears.Thelion’sshareofthisgrowthhasbeenintheorganicchemicalssectorduetothedevelopmentandgrowthofthepetrochemicalsareasince1950.Theexplosivegrowthinpetrochemicalsinthe1960sand1970swaslargelyduetotheenormousincreaseindemandforsyntheticpolymerssuchaspolyethylene,polypropylene,nylon,polyestersandepoxyresins.化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1Thechemicalindustrytodayisaverydiversesectorofmanufacturingindustry,withinwhichitplaysacentralrole.Itmakesthousandsofdifferentchemicalswhichthegeneralpubliconlyusuallyencounterasendorconsumerproducts.Thesesproductsarepurchasedbecausetheyhavetherequiredpropertieswhichmakethemsuitableforsomeparticularapplication,e.g.anon-sickcoatingforpansoraweedkiller.Thuschemicalsareultimatelysoldfortheeffectsthattheyproduce.化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

2.DefinitionoftheChemicalIndustryAttheturnofthecenturytherewouldhavebeenlittledifficultyindefiningwhatconstitutedthechemicalindustrysinceonlyaverylimitedrangeofproductswasmanufacturedandthesewereclearlychemicals,e.g.,alkali,sulphuricacid.Atpresent,however,manythousandsofchemicalsareproduced,fromrawmaterialslikecrudeoilthrough(insomecases)manyintermediatestoproductswhichmaybeuseddirectlyasconsumergoods,orreadilyconverted化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

intothem.Thedifficultlycomesindecidingatwhichpointinthissequencetheparticularoperationceasestobepartofthechemicalindustry’ssphereofactivities,Toconsideraspecificexampletoillustratethisdilemma,emulsionpaintsmaycontainpoly(vinylchloride)/poly(vinylacetate).Clearly,synthesisofvinylchloride(oracetate)anditspolymerizationarechemicalactivities.However,ifformulationandmixingofthepaint,includingthepolymer,

化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

iscarriedoutbyabranchofthemultinationalchemicalcompanywhichmanufacturedtheingredients,isthisstillpartofthechemicalindustryordoesitnowbelonginthedecoratingindustry?Itisthereforeapparentthat,becauseofitsdiversityofoperationsandcloselinksinmanyareaswithotherindustries,thereisnosimpledefinitionofthechemicalindustry.Insteadeachofficialbodywhichcollectsandpublishesstatisticsonmanufacturingindustrywillhaveitsdefinitionastowhichoperationsareclassifiedas“thechemicalindustry”.Itisimportanttobearthisinmindwhencomparingstatisticalinformationwhichisderivedfromseveralsources.化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

3.TheNeedforChemicalIndustryThechemicalindustryisconcernedwithconvertingrawmaterials,suchascrudeoil,firstlyintochemicalintermediates,andthenintoatremendousvarietyofotherchemicals.Thesearethenusedtoproduceconsumerproducts,whichmakeourlivesmorecomfortableor,insomecasessuchaspharmaceuticalproducts,helptomaintainourwell-beingorevenlifeitself.Ateachstageoftheseoperationsvalueisaddedtotheproductandprovidedthisaddedvalue化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

exceedstherawmaterialplusprocessingcoststhenaprofitwillbemadeontheoperation.Itistheaimofchemicalindustrytoachievethis.

Itmayseemstrangeintextbooklikethisonetoposethequestion“doweachemicalindustry?”However,tryingtoanswerthisquestionwillprovide(i)anindicationftherangeofthechemicalindustry’sactivities,(ii)itsinfluenceonourlivesineverydayterms,and(iii)howgreatissociety’sneedforachemicalindustry.Ourapproachinansweringthequestionwillbetoconsidertheindustry’scontributiontomeetingandsatisfyingourmajorneeds.Whatarethese?化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

Clearlyfood(anddrink)andhealthareparamount.Otherwhichweshallconsiderintheirturnareclothingand(briefly)shelter,leisureandtransport.(1)Food.Thechemicalindustrymakesamajorcontributiontofoodproductioninatleastthreeways.Firstly,bymakingavailablelargequantitiesofartificialfertilizerswhichareusedtoreplacetheelements(mainlynitrogen,phosphorusandpotassium)whichareremovedasnutrientsbythegrowingcropsduringmodernintensivefarming.Secondly,bymanufacturingcropprotectionchemical,i.e.,pesticides,whichmarkedlyreducetheproportionofthecropsconsumedbypests.化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

Thirdly,byproducingveterinaryproductswhichprotectlivestockfromdiseaseorcuretheirinfections.(2)Health.Weareallawareofthemajorcontributionwhichthepharmaceuticalsectoroftheindustryhasmadetohelpkeepusallhealthy,e.g.bycuringbacterialinfectionswithantibiotics,andevenextendinglifeitself,e.g.β-blockerstolowerbloodpressure.(3)Clothing.Theimprovementinpropertiesofmodernsyntheticfibersoverthetraditional化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

clothingmaterials(e.g.cottonandwool)hasbeenquiteremarkable.Thusshirts,dressesandsuitsmadefrompolyesterslikeTeryleneandpolyamideslikeNylonarecrease-resistant,machine-washable,anddrip-dryornon-iron.Theyarealsocheaperthannaturalmaterials.Paralleldevelopmentsinthediscoveryofmodernsyntheticdyesandthetechnologyto“bond”themtothefiberhasresultedinatremendousincreaseinthevarietyofcolorsavailabletothefashiondesigner.Indeedtheynowspanalmosteverycolorandhueofthevisiblespectrum.Indeedifasuitableshadeisnotavailable,structuralmodificationofanexisting化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1dyetoachievethiscanreadilybecarriedout,providedthereisasatisfactorymarketfortheproduct.Othermajoradvancesinthisspherehavebeenincolor-fastness,i.e.,resistancetothedyebeingwashedoutwhenthegarmentiscleaned.(4)Shelter,leisureandtransport.Intermsofshelterthecontributionofmodernsyntheticpolymershasbeensubstantial.Plasticsaretendingtoreplacetraditionalbuildingmaterialslikewoodbecausetheyarelighter,maintenance-free(I.e.theyareresistanttoweatheringanddonotneedpainting).化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1Otherpolymers,e.g.urea-formaldehydeandpolyurethanes,areimportantinsulatingmaterialsforreducingheatlossesandhencereducingenergyusage.Plasticsandpolymershavemadeaconsiderableimpactonleisureactivitieswithapplicationsrangingfromall-weatherartificialsurfacesforathletictracks,footballpitchesandtenniscourtstonylonstringsforracquetsanditemslikegolfballsandfootballsmadeentirelyfromsyntheticmaterials.

Likewisethechemicalindustry’scontributiontotransportovertheyearshasledtomajor化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

improvements.Thusdevelopmentofimprovedadditiveslikeanti-oxidantsandviscosityindeximproversforengineoilhasenabledroutineservicingintervalstoincreasefrom3000to6000to12000miles.Researchanddevelopmentworkhasalsoresultedinimprovedlubricatingoilsandgreases,andbetterbrakefluids.Yetagainthecontributionofpolymersandplasticshasbeenverystrikingwiththeproportionofthetotalautomobilederivedfromthesematerials—dashboard,steeringwheel,seatpaddingandcoveringetc.—nowexceeding40%.化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1

Soitisquiteapparentevenfromabrieflookatthechemicalindustry’scontributiontomeetingourmajorneedsthatlifeintheworldwouldbeverydifferentwithouttheproductsoftheindustry.Indeedthelevelofacountry’sdevelopmentmaybejudgedbytheproductionlevelandsophisticationofitschemicalindustry.4.ResearchandDevelopment(R&D)inChemicalIndustriesOneofthemainreasonsfortherapidgrowthofthechemicalindustryinthedevelopedworldhasbeenitsgreatcommitmentto,andinvestmentin化学工程与工艺专业英语unit1researchanddevelopment(R&D).Atypicalfigureis5%ofsalesincome,i.e.thetotalmoneyreceived,whichhastopayforrawmaterials,overheads,staffsalaries,etc.,aswell.Inthepastthistremendousinvestmenthaspaidoffwell,leadingtomanyusefulandvaluableproductsbeingintroducedtothemarket.Exampleincludesyntheticpolymerslikenylonsandpolyesters,anddrugsandpesticides.Althoughthenumberofnewproductsintroducedtothemarkethasdeclinedsignificantlyinrecentyears,andintimesofrecessiontheresearchdepartmentisusuallyoneofthefirsttosuffercutbacks,thecommitmenttoR&Dremainsatver