Intro to PT Chapter 1 Key Terms

Batch Process

Order of which all ingredients are added to the process up front.

Big Rollover

Point at which global oil production peaks and then begins to decline.

Biogenic theory

Describes how natural gas and crude oil were formed using pressure or compression and heat on ancient organic material.

Catalytic Cracking

Process that uses a catalyst to separate hydrocarbons.

Chemical processing industry (CPI)

Business segment composed refinery, petrochemical, paper and pulp, power generation, and food processing companies and technicians.

College Programs in Process Technology

State-approved and regionally accredited programs that include courses such as Introduction to Process Technology; Safety, Health, and Environment; Process Instrumentation; Process Technology 1-Equipment, PT 2-Systems, and PT 3-Operations; Process Troubleshooting; Principles of Quality, Unit Operations, Process Technology Internship; and applied chemistry, physics and basic math.

Diversity Training

Identifies and reduces hidden biases between people with differences.

Estimated ultimately recoverable (EUR)

Technical term describing the total amount of crude oil that will ultimately be recovered. this number is difficult to calculate and fluctuates frequently. Oil reserves are typically underestimated and are adjusted as additional information and new technology become available. Most experts believe that 1.38 trillion barrels (without oil sands) and 3.74 trillion (with oil sands) reflect the worlds total endowment of oil. These reserves are expected to last another 46.2 years.

Fractionating Column

The central piece of equipment in a distillation system. Fractionating columns separate hydrocarbons by their individual boiling points.

Future hiring trends

Directions in employment; large numbers of retiring "baby boomers" will have to be replaced in a chemical processing industry.

Goal Setting

Establishment of reasonable, specific, measurable that lead toward the successful achievement of a goal.

Gold Collar

Term used to describe process technicians.

Housekeeping

Maintenance of cleanliness and order; closely associated with safety in the chemical processing industry. Process technicians are required to keep their immediate areas clean.

Hubbert Peak Theory

Describes how future world petroleum production will peak and then begin the process of global decline. This decline will closely match the former rate of increase, as known oil reservoirs move to exhaustion.

Industrial Training Programs

Programs whose primary focus is on mandatory safety training and on-the-job training; however, a number of employers' programs still include some of the topics covered by college process technology courses.

Lifelong Learning

Ongoing process of learning about new Technologies and equipment. Global competition requires companies to adopt new and innovative techniques. Process technicians will come into contact with learning opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else.

Predicted Model of Shared Responsibilities

Forecast that the process technician of the future will take over tasks and job responsibilities presently performed by engineers and chemist.

Process Technician

A person who operates and maintains the complex equipment, systems, and technologies found in chemical processing industry. Because these people work closely with specific pieces of equipment or processes, they are commonly called boiler operators, compressor technicians, distillation technicians, refinery technicians, or wastewater operators.

Process Technology

Is a field of study offered at community colleges or universities that prepares students to take entry-level positions as technicians in the chemical processing industry.

Sexual Harassment

Behavior that constitutes unwelcome sexual advances; could take the form of verbal or physical abuseor unwelcome requests for sexual favors. the behavior may involve persons of the opposite sex or of the same sex; the offending conduct may run from supervisor to employee, student to student, employee to employee, teacher to student, and so on.

Thermal cracking

Process that uses heat and pressure to separate small hydrocarbons from large ones.

Time Managment

A structured system that arranges an individual's study according to principles governing use of time.