2021 AIChE Spring Meeting Topical Conferences

• Leadership Development- Professional Skills to Catalyze your Career
• Process Intensification
• Industry 4.0 Topical Conference
• Global Congress on Process Safety
• 33rd Ethylene Producers' Conference
• Emerging Technologies in Clean Energy
• 21th Topical Conference on Gas Utilization
• 24rd Topical Conference on Refinery Processing
• Distillation Symposium
• 8th International Conference on Upstream Engineering and Flow Assurance
• Meet the Industry Candidates Poster Session
• Hydrogen Safety Topical Conference
• Waste Plastics Topical Conference
• Industrial Wastewater Management and Water Reuse Topical Conference
• Meet the Industry Candidates Poster Session

Leadership Development - Professional Skills to Catalyze your Career

As chemical engineers, we are all very strong technically and usually well trained for our positions. AIChE Conferences and Courses also provide additional technical training to help us keep up to date with the latest technologies and prepare for our next roles. However, we are often missing in the people skills and leadership training that can make a difference in a successful career and life. This annual topical looks to address some of those needs. Covering topics as diverse as our attendees, we provide workshops and presentations on topics such as unconscious biases, utilizing diversity, personal growth, communications, management skills, branding and networking. Both attendees and presenters have found the previous topical conferences valuable and enjoyable, and we expect this one to be the same.

Process Intensification

The business context for the refining, chemical and other process industries is changing. Changes in market forces (feedstock costs and availability, products costs and demand), changes in regulations and consumer preferences, and technological changes all contribute to this context. Process Intensification, the radical improvement of processes through design and operational breakthroughs, provides options to cope with these transformational context changes. This topical focuses on the choices that PI provides and their connection to modular processes. The RAPID Manufacturing Institute organizes the topical sessions, but they are open to the wider MCPI community.

Industry 4.0 Topical Conference

Industry 4.0 represents the fourth industrial revolution using cyber-physical systems to produce breakthrough improvement in manufacturing productivity, safety, and competitiveness. It is driven by emerging technologies including big data analytics, robotics, augmented reality, internet of things, digital twins, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

33rd Ethylene Producers' Conference

The 33rd Ethylene Producers’ Conference will cover all aspects of ethylene manufacture.  Typical sessions on safety, environmental, operations, rotating equipment, technology, feedstock contaminants, and big data are planned.  “Tutorial” sessions on commissioning and hydrogenation will also be offered.  

Emerging Technologies in Clean Energy

Hear about energy challenges in the area of carbon capture, sequestration, storage and utilization.

21th Topical Conference on Gas Utilization

The Gas Utilization Topical Conference covers topics about gas processing, gas technology, equipment and advances in gas controls and design.  Topics range from LNG to carbon capture to syngas and gas safety.

24rd Topical Conference on Refinery Processing

The Refinery Processing Topical Conference covers topics related to crude oil refining and processing.  Topics range from crude oil handling to blending to processing technology and equipment to control scheme improvements.  Presentations cover both new developments and primers for new entrants to the refining world.

Distillation Symposium

The Distillation Symposium is the annual update on new developments and experience in distillation. Topics include new developments and applications in all areas of distillation. Specific areas cover processes, equipment (packing and trays), troubleshooting, control, optimization, and operational excellence.

9th International Conference on Upstream Engineering and Flow Assurance

Upstream Engineering & Flow Assurance (UE&FA), a Forum of AIChE, is a global organization of leading engineers dedicated to advancing the applications of chemical engineering knowledge to solve flow assurance and upstream engineering problems. The UE&FA focus is from reservoir to topside processing & storage facilities. In this topical, the current flow assurance and upstream engineering challenges are discussed. The novel formulations of the necessary solutions based on fundamental principles of chemical engineering are also presented. 

Hydrogen Safety Topical Conference

Programmed by the Center for Hydrogen Safety, a global oriented non-profit dedicated to promoting hydrogen safety and best practices worldwide, the Hydrogen Safety topical conference will address concerns regarding the safe use of hydrogen in commercial and industrial applications, fuel cells, and as a sustainable energy carrier.

Waste Plastics Topical Conference

Explore alternative to traditional plastics, ecosystem impacts, waste management and more.

Meet the Industry Candidates Poster Session

This event will be similar to the “Meet the Faculty Candidate” session held at the AIChE Annual Meeting and the “Meet the Industry Candidates” Poster Session and Reception that has been piloted for the last few years at the Southwest Process Technology Conference (SPTC). This session is designed to showcase graduate student’s research to industrial attendees who serve as talent scouts, as well as recruiters who attend the conference.  The event will be held in conference in the exhibit hall area and is planned to be done in conjunction with a networking reception.  

Industrial Wastewater Management and Water Reuse Topical Conference

This conference will cover all aspects of wastewater management and water reuse in the context of industrial water use.  This will include internal water reuse, wastewater minimization (including ZLD), and also using water reclaimed from other sources such as municipal wastewater treatment facilities. In addition to these well-established approaches to water management, the conference will include thought-provoking discussions on water in the circular economy.