Chemical reaction engineering

Lore & Background

Chemical reaction engineering emerged in the early 1950s under the impulse of researchers at the Shell Amsterdam research center and the University of Delft. The term was coined by J.C. Vlugter while preparing the 1st European Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering, held in Amsterdam in 1957. The discipline aims to study and optimize chemical reactions to define the best reactor design, emphasizing interactions of flow phenomena, mass transfer, heat transfer, and reaction kinetics.

Reader's Guide

Chemical reaction engineering is significant because it provides a general methodology combining reaction chemistry and chemical engineering concepts to optimize a variety of systems where modeling or engineering of reactions is needed. Originally applied to the petroleum and petrochemical industries, its approaches are tailored for developing new processes and improving existing technologies. The field is advanced through the International Symposia on Chemical Reaction Engineering (ISCRE), held every two years rotating among North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. The ISCRE Board administers two premiere awards: the Neal R. Amundson Award for Excellence in Chemical Reaction Engineering (established 1996, supported by ExxonMobil) and the Rutherford Aris Young Investigator Award (first bestowed in 2016, supported by UOP). These awards recognize pioneers and early-career researchers who have exerted major influence on the theory or practice of the field.

Did You Know?

• The term 'chemical reaction engineering' was coined by J.C. Vlugter while preparing the 1st European Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering in 1957.
• The discipline started in the early 1950s under the impulse of researchers at the Shell Amsterdam research center and the University of Delft.
• The Neal R. Amundson Award for Excellence in Chemical Reaction Engineering was established in 1996 and is supported by a grant from ExxonMobil Corporation.
• The Rutherford Aris Young Investigator Award, first bestowed in 2016, is supported by UOP, L.L.C., a Honeywell Company.

Foundations and the Birth of a Discipline

Chemical reaction engineering emerged as a distinct field in the early 1950s, driven by researchers working at the Shell Amsterdam research center and the University of Delft. The very name of the discipline was reportedly coined by J.C. Vlugter while he was preparing the inaugural European Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering, which took place in Amsterdam in 1957. That symposium marked a pivotal moment: for the first time, practitioners and academics gathered under a unified banner to address the science and engineering of chemical reactors. The discipline sits at the intersection of chemical engineering and industrial chemistry, focusing specifically on the behavior of chemical reactors. While the term most often refers to catalytic reaction systems—whether the catalyst is homogeneous or heterogeneous—the scope extends further. In some applications, a standalone reactor does not exist at all; instead, the reaction is embedded within a broader process unit such as a reactive separations vessel, a retort, a particular type of fuel cell, or a photocatalytic surface. Even the influence of solvent on reaction kinetics is treated as a core concern within the field.

Core Methodology and Engineering Goals

The central aim of chemical reaction engineering is to study and optimize chemical reactions so that the best possible reactor design can be defined. To achieve this, the discipline must account for the interplay among flow phenomena, mass transfer, heat transfer, and reaction kinetics, because together these factors determine how reactor performance responds to changes in feed composition and operating conditions. Although the field was originally developed for the petroleum and petrochemical industries, its general methodology—combining reaction chemistry with chemical engineering principles—has proven broadly applicable to any system where modeling or engineering of reactions is required. The approaches are specifically tailored for two complementary purposes: the development of entirely new processes and the improvement of existing technologies. This makes the discipline a bridge between fundamental reaction science and practical industrial design, ensuring that theoretical insights about kinetics and transport are translated into equipment that performs reliably under real operating conditions.

The ISCRE Community and Its Symposia

The International Symposia on Chemical Reaction Engineering, commonly known as ISCRE conferences, represent the most important recurring gatherings in the field. These three-day meetings are held every two years and rotate among sites in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region on a six-year cycle. Each symposium brings together a diverse cross-section of the community: distinguished international researchers, prominent industrial practitioners, and emerging researchers and students. The conferences serve as a unique gathering place where research gains are consolidated and new frontiers are explored. During the three days, the state of the art across various sub-disciplines of reaction engineering is reviewed in a timely manner, and new research initiatives are discussed openly. This regular, rotating format ensures that the global community stays connected across continents and that knowledge flows between academic and industrial settings. The ISCRE symposia thus function as both a scientific forum and a social institution that sustains the identity of the field.

Honors and Recognition in the Field

The ISCRE Board administers two premier awards that recognize outstanding contributions in chemical reaction engineering, presented every three years. The Neal R. Amundson Award for Excellence, established in 1996, honors a pioneer who has exerted major influence on the theory or practice of the field through originality, creativity, and novelty of concept or application. Recipients receive a plaque and a $5,000 check, and the award is supported by a grant from ExxonMobil Corporation. Past recipients include Neal Amundson himself in 1996, Rutherford Aris in 1999, Octave Levenspiel in 2001, Vern Weekman in 2004, Gilbert Froment in 2007, Dan Luss in 2010, Lanny Schmidt in 2013, Milorad P. Dudukovic in 2016, W. Harmon Ray in 2019, and Klavs F. Jensen in 2023. Complementing this senior honor, the Rutherford Aris Young Investigator Award was first bestowed in 2016 to recognize early-career researchers under 40 for outstanding experimental or theoretical work. Supported by UOP, L.L.C., a Honeywell company, it carries a $3,000 honorarium and up to $2,000 in travel funds for presenting at an ISCRE/NASCRE conference and delivering a lecture at UOP.