Engineering Professionals I

How to become a chemical engineer

Official title: Chemical engineer (petroleum)

Also called: Liquid fuel engineer, Petroleum refinery engineer, Petroleum refining engineer, Petroleum refining engineer

Chemical engineer (petroleum) studies, develops and advises on processes for the refining of crude oil, designs appropriate plant and plans and supervises its construction, operation, maintenance and repair. He/she specialises in the refining of crude oil (petroleum) and the production of derivatives such as petrol and paraffin fuels and lubricating oils and greases.

Main tasks

Conducting research and advising on, and developing commercial-scale chemical processes to refine crude oil and other liquids or gases, and to produce substances and items such as petroleum derivatives, explosives, food and drink products, medicines or synthetic materials
Specifying chemical production methods, materials and quality standards and ensuring that they conform to specifications
Establishing control standards and procedures to ensure safety and efficiency of chemical production operations and safety of workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to on-going chemical reactions
Designing chemical plant equipment and devising processes for manufacturing chemicals and products
Performing tests throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables, including temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure
Developing safety procedures to be employed
Preparing estimates of production costs and production progress reports for management
Performing laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and testing proposed processes in small scale operations such as a pilot plant

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a chemical engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees.

Will AI change the work of a chemical engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026