Chemical Engineering Research and Design

Core topic areas

Distillation and absorption

• Hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer in separation equipment
• Physical properties and thermodynamic models/methods
• Process design, operation and intensification
• Process equipment characterisation
• Process modelling, simulation and optimisation

Fluid flow

• All aspects of fluid flow in chemical and/or process vessels

Heat and mass transfer

• Mechanisms of heat and mass transfer
• Multicomponent mass transfer
• Simulation of heat and mass transfer processes
• Simultaneous heat and mass transfer

Materials processing and product development

• Fundamental properties of interest to processing of materials
• Injection moulding of materials
• In-line measurement and control of material processes
• Morphological development processes
• Pre-processing, shaping, multi-layering and finishing of final product form
• Product design based on chemical engineering tools
• Structure-function relationships in products and relevant systems
• Tailoring chemical products and materials for end-use applications

Oil and natural gas production

• Economics of upstream oil and gas development
• Facilities
• Oil and gas transport
• Well and reservoir oil, gas and water flow behaviour
• Well treatments and fracturing

Particle technology

• Crystallisation and precipitation
• Design of particulate systems and processes
• Formation and synthesis of particulates
• Kinetics of particulate processes
• Measurement and characterisation of particulate systems
• Processing, handling and storage of powders and dispersions
• Product formulation and rheology

Pharmaceutical engineering

• Design, modelling, operation and control of pharmaceutical (bio)reactors, unit operators and process systems used in the production of (bio)pharmaceuticals.
• Application of process analytical technology in pharmaceutical product and process design and characterisation.
• Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modelling
  Design, characterisation and modelling of drug delivery systems.

Process systems engineering

• Information modelling and analysis
• Process design and integration
• Process modelling, simulation and optimization
• Process operations and control
• Techno-economic analysis

Reaction engineering

• Catalysis engineering
• Process intensification
• Reaction kinetics
• Reactive flows
• Reactor development, modelling and scale-up

Separation processes

• Adsorption science and technology
• Green processes
• Intensification and integration of separation processes
• Molecular separation: membranes, chromatography
• Phase separation: clarification, flocculation, microfiltration
• Reactive separation processes: hybrid and novel separation techniques
• Separation by phase change