The Department of Chemical Engineering offers to engineering and science graduates the opportunity to work towards the degrees of Master of Engineering Science (Research) and Doctor of Philosophy.
Research activities are aimed at improving techniques and at understanding
the phenomena in the fields of fluid dynamics, kinetics, thermodynamics,
control and reactor design for organic and inorganic processes and the material
properties of pulp and paper. Of interest are processes in which natural
resources are utilised, especially those in the metallurgical, pulp and paper,
food, energy and biochemical areas.
In addition to the specialised equipment necessary for the work outlined below,
the department has a range of service instruments including infra- red and
ultraviolet spectrophotometers, atomic absorption spectrographs, gas
chromatographs, polarographs, a thermal gravimetric and differential thermal
analyser, a Weissenberg rheogoniometer and other rheometers, a mass
spectrometer, high-pressure liquid chromotographs, a micro-Raman spectrometer,
confocal microscopes, an Instron materials testing machine, an atomic force
microscope and a dynamic mechanical thermal analyser.
An x-ray diffractometer and a scanning electron microscope are available for
use in conjunction with the School of Physics and Materials Engineering.
Microprobe facilities are available in conjunction with the Department of Earth
Sciences.
Currently, research is in progress in the following broad areas: effects of
mass and heat transfers on chemical reactions at high pressures and
temperatures; design of novel multi-phase reactors for cleaner production;
efficient synthesis of chemical intermediates; hazardous waste destruction
under supercritical conditions; fundamental understanding of catalytic systems
of major industrial significance; catalytic conversion of natural gas; analysis
of advanced power generation systems; development of efficient
gasification/reforming-based advanced power generation technology from coal
with minimised environmental impacts; use of biomass and solid wastes as
renewable energy; novel fluidised bed reactors; fluidisation and particle
technology; advanced coal drying systems; circulating fluidised bed reactors
and their applications in advanced coal combustion systems; control of chemical
processes including batch, semi- batch and continuous chemical processes,
profitability and economics of chemical process control; process economics;
process integration and modelling; life cycle analysis; heat and mass transfer;
separation processes; pressure/vacuum-swing adsorption systems; membrane
technology; distillation; biochemical engineering; fermentation and bioprocess;
food and dairy process engineering; environmental engineering; polymers and
polymer processing; rheology and fluid mechanics of non-Newtonian systems; food
rheology; development of pulp and paper technology with minimised environmental
impacts; pulping and bleaching; properties of wood pulp fibres; properties of
paper (paper physics); papers for modern information technology such as
high-quality colour printing; minerals and mineral processing; hydrometallurgy
and electrochemistry for the recovery of precious metals; corrosion and its
prevention.
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