Process engineers play a crucial role in driving innovation and efficiency across industries like petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, and more. In this series, we spotlight the dedicated professionals who solve complex challenges and shape the future of these vital sectors. With over 800 members, The Community of Process Engineers is AIChE鈥檚 most active discussion group, connecting experts who make a real impact. Interested in being featured? Learn more and join the conversation at aiche.org/CPE.
This month, we introduce you to , Senior Process Optimization Engineer at Pluspetrol. He discusses the path that led to his career in process engineering, overcoming challenges, and the importance of his work.
Tell us a bit about your work as a process engineer.
As a process engineer, my activities include monitoring the operational conditions of the plant, preparing and tracking performance indicators for equipment and processes in general. I also provide technical support for operational issues and assist in plant startups and shutdowns. Additionally, I prepare business cases to implement improvements in the plant related to capacity increases, efficiency enhancements, emissions reduction, or energy efficiency.
Why did you become a process engineer?
I鈥檝e always enjoyed organic chemistry, and in my college preparatory classes, I realized how heavily industrial processes rely on chemistry and thermodynamics. This led me to pursue chemical engineering with a focus on processes. At university, I became fascinated by production processes, as well as by the simulation and control involved. When I began working, I saw firsthand how a process engineer not only designs processes and plants but also supports operations and maintenance with a deep understanding of the systems. These experiences solidified my decision to become a process engineer.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your role as a process engineer?
Challenges I鈥檝e faced as a process engineer include integrating knowledge and improvements from other disciplines to create a cohesive proposal for business cases or operational improvements in the plant. An example of this was when I had to lead a troubleshooting activity in a cryogenic natural gas processing unit. I had to learn more about failure analysis in mechanical equipment, as well as understand the configuration of control logic in the DCS (distributed control system), in order to properly implement improvement proposals and demonstrate the benefits to operations management.
How is your work as a process engineer critical to your particular job assignment or industry?
As a process engineer, my work is crucial for helping my company achieve greater profitability, minimize losses and emissions, optimize costs, and maintain sustainable operations. To maximize profitability in the sale of natural gas, LPG, naphtha, and diesel, I focus on increasing production and shipments through technical evaluations and test runs. I support process units to operate at high yields and efficiencies, conduct field tests to reduce OPEX of consumable materials, and ensure that management of change (MoC) is implemented correctly and sustainably, without deviations.
What do you think is most important about what you do as a process engineer?
The process engineer should deliver added value to the operation based on the principles of chemical engineering and the use of available tools and technologies. Plants already have operational positions such as the supervisor or plant shift, control room operators, and field operators who perform daily tasks and carry out production in the best way, but they will achieve greater benefits with the support of the process engineer. The activities that the process engineer provides to these positions, as well as to others, in maintenance, reliability, integrity, and the environment, are to obtain more challenging results, capture opportunities in the short and medium term, as well as warn of problems or risks before they occur. We provide optimizations, identify easily implementable improvements, and monitor conditions with dashboards that enable safe operations with controlled risk.
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