Monash University: University Handbooks: Postgraduate handbook 2005: Units indexed by faculty
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Postgraduate handbook 2005 - Engineering

Master of Engineering Science (Research) and Doctor of Philosophy

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 chromatographs, 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.
Full descriptions of these research programs are available from the Department of Chemical Engineering on request. The Chemical Engineering home page can be found at http://www.eng.monash.edu.au/chemeng/.

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