Research Areas and Facilities
Academic and research staff of the Department of Chemical Engineering undertake a wide range of fundamental and applied research. The outcomes of this research have short to long term impacts in the chemical, petrochemical, coal, mineral, manufacturing, water, pharmaceutical, and power generation industries, and on the environment. The research activities are supported by well-equipped experimental, pilot plants, technical workshop, computing and instrumentation facilities. These facilities are in turn maintained by a well skilled technical staff. The research interests and strengths of the Department include:
Biochemical Engineering
Academic Staff: Assoc. Prof. H.M. Ang, Prof. M.O. Tadé, Dr Xia Lou, Dr Qin Li, Dr Vishnu Pareek
- Modelling and control of biochemical reactions
- Treatment of liquid and solid wastes
- Cleaner production
Crystallisation/Precipitation
Academic Staff: Assoc. Prof. H.M. Ang, Prof. M.O. Tadé
- Nucleation and growth of crystals and precipitates
- Control and prevention of scale in processes and plant
- Flocculation, precipitation and elutriation
- Applications of phase change materials
Environmental Engineering
Academic Staff: Assoc. Prof. H.M. Ang, Prof. D.K. Zhang, Dr Qin Li, Dr Shaobin Wang, Dr Hongwei Wu
- Environmental catalysis and heterogenous catalytic reactions
- NOx and SOx formation and control
- Waste minimisation and utilisation
- Air pollution modelling and control
- Reduction of greenhouse emissions
- Industrial wastewater treatment
- Remediation of contaminated soils
Process Modelling and Simulation
Academic Staff: Prof. M.O. Tade, Dr Qin Li, Dr Nicoleta Balliu, Dr Vishnu Pareek, Prof. Mark Trebble, Dr Rames Panda
- Steady state modelling
- Dynamic modelling
- Statistical analysis and design of experiments
- System identification
- Process analysis and simulation
Process Optimisation and Control
Academic Staff: Prof. M.O. Tadé, Dr Qin Li, Dr Vishnu Pareek, Dr Rames Panda
- Optimisation in process design, modelling, control, and operation
- The study of the factors affecting the application/implementation of advanced control theory in industrial processes
- Adaptive control
- Model predictive control
- Nonlinear control systems
- Structural synthesis of control systems
- Application of neural networks in process control
- Intelligent control
- Control of processes with time delay
- Design and control aspects of reactive distillation
- Control of fermentation processes
- Dynamics and control of chaotic systems
Systems Engineering and Information Technology
Academic Staff: Prof. M.O. Tadé, Dr Nicolea Balliu, Dr Rames Panda, Dr Vishnu Pareek
- Process systems engineering
- Complex/intelligent systems
- Real-time systems
- System integration
- Software engineering
- Object orientation
Thermal Energy Engineering and Coal Utilization
Academic Staff: Prof. D.K. Zhang, Dr Hongwei Wu, Dr Hari Vuthaluru
- Fuel combustion and emission control technology
- Coal in Sustainable Development
- Coal combustion, gasification and pyrolysis
- Fluidised bed reaction systems
- Ignition and Explosion studies
- NOx and SOx formation and control
- Heat and mass transfer, thermal properties of materials
- Renewable and alternative energy
- Fuel economics
- CFX modelling
