QualificationsPh.D., University of Bombay (India), Chemical Engineering, 1971. Expertise and Research InterestsThree Phase Reactors: Trickle bed and packed bed catalytic reactors are widely used in petroleum processing and in bulk chemical manufacturing processes. Commercial applications include hydrocracking, hydrodesulfurization and fine chemicals manufacturing. In such systems the interactions of hydrodynamics, mass transfer and kinetics are complex and the design of the reactor is initiated through numerical simulation. Such simulations are useful in optimization studies and may provide guidance in reactorselection which is then followed by experimental testing of the most promising cases only. The objective of this research is to provide simulation tools for design and scale up of these reactors and to develop an integrated design enviormnent (TDE) forprocess synthesis and analysis of these class of reactors. The earlier work of this investigator is published in a widely refered and cited book ``THREE PHASE CATALYTIC REACTORS' by P. A. Ramachandran and R. V. Chaudhari, Gordon and Breach Science. ISBN 0-677-05650-8. Boundary Integral and Singularity Methods: The goal of this reseacrh is to develop new numerical techniques based on the boundary integral and the dual reciprocity methods to solve transport phenomena problems. The use of these methods provide an accurate and more importantly a mesh free method for solving the common types of partial differential equations encountered in a variety of engineering analysis problems. The mesh free aspects provide a platform for analysis of complex interconnected systems with a micro-macro structures. Examples of such systems include porous catalysts, fibre-matrix composites, catalytic surfaces with islands of activity, hollow fiber assembly, biological systems etc. Some of the work of the author has been incorporated into the following book: 'BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHODS IN TRANSPORT PHENOMNEA' by P. A. Ramachandran, Computational Mechanics Publishers. ISBN 1-85961-026-5. Additional monograph on this subject and a collection of related computer programs are being developed as a result of a NSF grant. Packed Bed Bioreactor for Growth of Liver Cells (Hepatocytes): This project, done jointly with the Washington Unverisity Medical School, aims to characterize the performance of cultered liver cells in a bioreactos. The information will be applied in the development of an extrcorporeal liver assist device and also as an experimental testing tool for drug metabolism and toxicology studies. The scope of the work in the chemcial engineering department will be to develop a kinetic model for the system and to develop models to analyze bolus injection type of experimental data. These models will be useful in two ways: (i) to obtain parameters which can be used in detailed pharmaco-kinetic models for drug transport and metabolism in the body and (ii) to evaluate a number of designs for extra corporeal liver assist device support. The experimental aspects of the work will be done in Washington University Medical School. Some of the results on this project has been included in a recent doctoral thesis by my student, Timothy Whitehead. Future Research1. Computational Fluid Dynamics using vorticity-velocity formulation and boundary integral methods. Development of algorithms, applications to two phase flow, model development for generation of vorticity at gas-liquid interfaces. 2. Models development for catalytic and reactive distillation. Industrial RelevanceThe research is of importance to the design and performance analysis of three phase catalytic reactors which are widely used in chemical industry. Examples of such reactors include hydrodesulfurization, hydrocracking, oxidation, pollutant removal etc. The industrial applications of the research includes analysis of experimental reactor data, planning experiments for scale up and design of commercial scale reactors. A second industrail application of the research is to develop mathematical models and simulation software for chemical engineering systems. Prior applications have included modeling of crystal growth for semi-conductor silicon productions, simulation models for electrochemical reactors, models for production of MTBE, hydrocracker simulation models. Application to environmental reaction engineering, i.e., waste minimization through improved reactor design is also an another area of practical applications of the research. KeywordsCOS Keywords:Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.Additional Terms:Boundary Element Analysis, Engineering-chemical, Process & Reaction Engineering, Three Phase Catalytic Reactors.Languages(Reading, Writing, Speaking)Hindi: (Fluent, Functional, Functional) MembershipsAmerican Institute of Chemical Engineers International Society of Boundary Elements Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Previous Positions1982-1998, Professor, Associate,
Washington University in St. Louis,
School of Engineering and Applied Science,
Chemical Engineering
Funding Received
Publications
Profile DetailsLast Updated: 6/20/2000 COS Expertise ID #511908 Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/ramachap08 Individual Expertise profile of P. A. Ramachandran, Copyright P. A. Ramachandran. © COS ExpertiseTM, 2009, ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. |