Department of Chemical Engineering

Poupak Mehrani

Research Interests Collaborations & Funding

 

The focus of my research interests will be on fundamental and applied research in the area of particle agglomeration and fouling due to electrostatic charge generation in multiphase reactors, pneumatic transport, powder handling, and coating.

Electrostatic charges are generated during particle handling, transport, and processing due to particle-particle, fluid-particle and particle-wall contacts by frictional charging, tribo-electrification and contact charging. The charge build-up results in particle agglomeration, particle-wall adhesion and generation of high-voltage electrical fields, which can cause explosions and therefore be a major hazard.

 

In polymerization processes, electrostatic charge generation results in polymer particles agglomeration and sheeting in gas-solid fluidized bed reactors leading to the generation of waste/byproduct. In the oil and gas industry, fluid catalytic crackers provide a perfect setting for electrostatic charges to be generated in their risers or cyclones, which results in riser blockage or electrostatic discharge, and cyclones fouling. In powder handling operations such as pneumatic conveying, frictional charging occurs between solid particles and the pipe wall resulting in pipe or vessel fouling or blockage. Furthermore, electrostatic discharge can result in harmful electrical shocks to operating personnel and fires or explosions in commercial power-handling equipment and manufacturing facilities. In the pharmaceutical industry, since the pharmaceutical powders are usually semiconductors or insulators of small particle sizes and low bulk densities, they provide an ideal environment for electrostatic phenomenon to occur which results in agglomeration in various processes such as tabletting and encapsulation.

 

On the other hand, there are various useful applications of particle charging in processes such as electro-photography, powder coating, electrostatic separation, atomization, particle generation, manipulation, and measurement.

 

 

Research Projects:

 

Fundamental study of particle agglomeration and fouling due electrostatic phenomena in gas-solid processes in industries such as:

 

Polymerization:

· Gas-solid fluidized bed

      polymerization reactor

Oil and gas:

· Fluid catalytic crackers

Pharmaceuticals:

·    Tabletting and encapsulation,

      and tablet coating

 

Here are some of the specific

projects of interest:

 

·     Development of an online

      measurement technique to determine

      the electrostatic charges on both bed

      particles and entrained fines at the same

      time.

 

·     Methods of electrostatic charge elimination

      and control.

 

·     Mathematical modeling to predict the

      magnitude of electrostatic charge generation.

 

·     Application of electrostatic

      precipitators in fuel gas cleaning.

 

 

 

Research Collaborations

 

· Univation Technologies, LLC (Joint venture between The DOW Chemical Company and ExxonMobil Chemical Company)

 

 

Research Funding

 

· University of Ottawa Start-up

· NSERC Discovery

· NSERC Research Tools and Instruments

· Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)

Ontario Research Fund-Leaders Opportunity Fund (ORF-LOI)

 

 

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