UOP Career Development
Career development program
for chemical engineers
MAKING OUR WORLD SAFER
AND MORE SECURE,
MORE COMFORTABLE AND
ENERGY EFFICIENT,
AND MORE INNOVATIVE AND
PRODUCTIVE.
Our Company
UOP is an international company that has
Many significant advancements, including
also advises its customers on ways to
been a key technology supplier to the
unleaded gasoline, catalytic converters,
continuously improve the operating efficiency
petroleum refining and petrochemical
biodegradable detergents, economical
and performance of these facilities.
industries since 1914. Many of the refining
polymers for clothing, and renewable jet
processes in common use today originated
and diesel fuel can be attributed to
An integral part of many of the solutions
with UOP research and development. With
processes developed using UOP technology.
UOP provides is the supply of catalysts,
adsorbents and other advanced materials.
a focus on customer service, UOP offers
a greater number of proprietary products
To keep our approach fresh, we build
These materials are produced at UOP
and processes – and more engineering
strong alliances and relationships with
manufacturing facilities in several locations,
experience and innovative solutions – than
customers, institutions of higher learning,
including the U.S., Italy, Japan and China,
any other company of its kind.
and companies outside our core industries
using advanced technology. Our experience
in order to apply our technology in new
ranges from the manufacture of spherical
This unique combination has enabled UOP
ways. For example, working with an
alumina catalysts for naphtha reforming to
to stay on top in an increasingly competitive
alliance partner in Norway, UOP developed
the production of xylene isomerization
marketplace. We maintain our leading-edge
combinatorial chemistry methodology and
catalysts, which incorporate proprietary
position by investing in research and
complex data collection and analysis
zeolite formulations. The formula for our
development, which feeds new ideas that
systems for rapid experimentation.
success continues to be very basic – to
fulfill our customers’ needs … and the needs
enable groundbreaking discoveries.
Through the years, UOP employees have
In addition to creating new technologies,
of those we hire … to create an environment
been awarded thousands of patents in the
UOP develops, designs and commissions
for our employees that encourages
U.S. and internationally, 2,100 of which are
new equipment installations in the majority
individual growth and development and
currently active.
of petroleum refineries and petrochemical
provides them with opportunities for
complexes throughout the world. UOP
advancement and promotion.
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Chemical Engineering
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
UOP has continued to be innovative
because of the caliber of men and women
it employs. There are more than 3,000
employees worldwide, many of whom are
engineers who came to UOP right after
college. Building on the academic
knowledge of new graduates, UOP
provides hands-on training and tools
for success.
Rotational training
As part of the two-year training program,
new engineers will gain experience in a
multitude of UOP technologies and
different functional groups in order to
prepare them for work at our worldwide
customer sites and for their longer term
career at UOP. Depending on their chosen
track, new engineers will gain experience
in Process Development, Technical
A critical part of the Career Development
Program for Chemical Engineers is the
Services, Engineering Design and
Process Controls.
training, which prepares individuals for
working in the field with UOP customers
worldwide. This intensive two-year training
program begins with a thorough orientation.
Soon thereafter, new recruits will enter a
Field Service or Process Controls &
Instrumentation track.
Process development
In the Process Development rotation,
new engineers operate a Pilot Plant (small
version of a process unit) in a key technology
area to learn the operations, including the
effect of feedstock and catalyst changes
on performance, unit instrumentation,
equipment and controls, safety requirements,
data collection, and troubleshooting. They
learn the key analytical procedures that
support the process technology and
gain experience with online data
acquisition systems.
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Later, as part of a cross functional Process
comparisons between research and
Development Team, they conduct data
commercially generated data, and participate
reduction, analysis and interpretation, and
in the commercialization of new and
help with planning to deliver new UOP
improved technology.
processes and products. During training
new engineers are paired with a mentor
These engineers are involved with a number
who provides guidance and feedback.
of projects in different phases of completion
and each assignment builds in duration
To gain a more well-rounded understanding
and complexity. During training, new
of a given technology, the new engineer is
engineers are paired with a mentor who
exposed to the commercial aspects, as
provides guidance and feedback.
well as several related technologies.
Engineering design
Technical services
In the Engineering Design rotation, new
In the Technical Services rotation, new
engineers will initially take part in a
engineers focus on one key UOP technology,
mentored, self-paced engineering training
gaining in-depth knowledge about applied
program where the engineer will design a
chemistry, process and equipment design
typical UOP technology unit. During this
practices, and analytical methods. They
self-paced program the new engineer
learn about process variables, catalyst
will be exposed to both industry and
performance, and data collection and
UOP-specific design tools and become
reduction. The new engineers are instructed
familiar with standard engineering design
on the commercial application of UOP
practices. The engineers will take part on
technologies and learn how to troubleshoot
customer design project teams where
these units. They also learn how to make
they learn about process engineering, line
hydraulics, heat integration, reactor design
and instrumentation.
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In addition to the design work, the engineers
hydraulic summaries, and controls
will learn about the UOP Schedule A
specification software.
package, one of the primary methods of
transferring UOP knowledge to our
Another part of this program involves
customers. The UOP Schedule A contains
working with UOP’s proprietary control
the basic mechanical and instrumentation
systems. These systems provide specialized
specifications, process flow diagrams, and
control for unique process requirements.
process and instrumentation diagrams
The PC&I engineers are involved in customer
required for the detailed design and
checkouts, troubleshooting, unit startup
construction of a new process unit.
and process optimization.
Process controls
In addition to these training opportunities
Those who follow the Process Controls
engineers in the Career Development
and Instrumentation (PC&I) track not only
Program will also have opportunities to
take part in much of the Technical Service
work in one of UOP’s manufacturing
training programs, but also learn in detail
facilities, work as a trainee at a customer
about all the instruments and systems
site and make site visits to operating
which are used to control modern refineries
facilities prior to their transfer to the field.
and petrochemical plants. The PC&I
engineers apply this knowledge to specify
Working in the field
the full range of instrumentation and
Following training, new engineers transfer
controls for a variety of UOP process units.
to Field Operating Services. For the first 3-6
This involves extensive work with heat and
months, they take part in field-based
weight balances, piping and instrument
training assignments at one of UOP's
diagrams, equipment specifications,
global customer locations. During this
time, they receive the training that prepares
engineers may remain at a customer site
The Career Development Program provides
them for their role as a technical advisor,
for a few days to many months before
new engineers with many responsibilities
becoming familiar with the commercial
moving to the next assignment.
at an early stage of their career, helping
side of operations, including specific
them to acquire knowledge and experience
processes, equipment, general refinery
For each start-up, the new engineers work
in research and development, engineering,
operations and customer interactions. After
with a number of UOP-licensed processes
commercial unit start-ups, UOP products
that, they join a team that is responsible
and a variety of individuals. The experience
and services and customer relations.
for the start-up and commissioning of
they gain from each assignment, and the
This equips them with the tools and the
newly licensed process units.
subsequent interaction with other UOP
experience they need to build a successful
employees, provides a solid background
career at UOP.
As an advisor, the engineer is assigned to
for assessing and solving problems
an adsorbent/catalyst reload or process
encountered in each situation in various
UOP employs more than 3,000 men and
start-up crew where he or she is responsi-
locations around the world.
women at 11 manufacturing plants and
ble for the proper operations of UOP
more than 20 sales offices worldwide.
licensed units. In this capacity, our
After the road
engineers have two primary responsibilities.
After the FOS assignment, engineers are
UOP is headquartered in Des Plaines,
First, they must complete the technology
given new opportunities where their experi-
Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago,
transfer process, ensuring that the plant is
ence and talents may be further utilized.
close to all the cultural and entertainment
ready to operate and that the customer
This can include positions in Engineering,
activities that a major U.S. city can provide.
understands how to operate it. Second,
Services, Equipment, Development,
UOP employees live in downtown Chicago
they must demonstrate that the plant can
Manufacturing and Sales. UOP tries to
as well as many suburbs, all of which are
perform as guaranteed by supervising the
place each engineer in the specific type of
an easy commute.
start-up and test run. During this period,
work he or she desires.
they assist customers by resolving any
engineering or operating problems. Our
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Find out more
If you are interested in learning more,
please contact your UOP representative or
visit us online at www.uop.com.
UOP LLC, A Honeywell Company
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, IL 60017-5017, U.S.A.
Tel: +1-847-391-2000
www.uop.com
UOP5645
August, 2011
Printed in U.S.A.
© 2011 UOP LLC. All rights reserved.