FCRE has moved!

Welcome to the homepage of the research group Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Engineering (FCRE). 1 September 2010 FCRE moved to the Eindhoven University of Technology.

Click here to go to the website of the new Multiphase Reactors Group

Our research focuses on fundamentals of the discipline of chemical reaction engineering. Our main area of interest is the quantitative description of transport phenomena (including fluid flow) and the interplay with chemical transformations in multiphase chemical reactors.

The generation of new knowledge and the development of new reactor models with improved predictive capability for this industrially important class of chemical reactors constitutes an important goal of our research activities. Through the intended co-operation with other (application oriented) research groups, both fundamental aspects and those closely related to applications are studied through concerted action.

FCRE moving to TU/e

March 19th, 2010: We proudly announce that the group Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Engineering at the University of Twente has decided to accept the offer to move to the faculty of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at the Technical University of Eindhoven and to form the new capacity group ‘Multiphase Reactors’.

The new capacity group consists of two chairs: the first chair is ‘Multi-scale Modeling of Multiphase Flows’ with Prof. J.A.M. Kuipers as chair holder and the second chair is ‘Chemical Process Intensification’ with Prof. M. van Sint Annaland as chair holder. All the staff members of the FCRE group will move to the new capacity group in Eindhoven. In particular, Dr. N. Deen and Dr. M. van der Hoef will be joining the chair of Prof. Kuipers, while Dr. F. Gallucci will join the chair of Prof. van Sint Annaland.

Moving to a technical university, which has selected process technology as one of their focal points with significant investments in this research area, is a logical step and a unique opportunity to expand our field of expertise based on the excellent position we have reached in this field of multi-scale modeling and novel multiphase reactors.
The two new chairs at the TU/e will be fully operative by September 1^st 2010.

New STW/DFG project on the fluid dynamics in a novel spouted bed

February 3rd, 2010: STW and DFG granted a research project, which was initiated by Niels Deen and Hans Kuipers in collaboration with Stefan Heinrich and Sergiy Antonyuk from the Hamburg University of Technology.
The goal of the planned research is the experimental and theoretical investigation of the fluid dynamics in a novel slit-shaped spouted bed with two horizontal gas inlets and adjustable gas supply.
The stable modes of operation will be determined based on measurements of the pressure fluctuations in the spouted bed and frequency spectra obtained from Fourier analysis of these fluctuations, as well as non-invasive optical PIV/DIA analysis. Especially the influence of the gas flow rate and the effective free gas inlet area through the rotation of the gas supply cylinders will be investigated. A discrete particle model (DPM) that takes into account the coupling between the phases will be employed to optimize the apparatus geometry. The advantage of applying the DPM is the opportunity to calculate an optimal design of the apparatus, while the simulations will be validated based on a few selected experiments. In addition to the investigations under dry conditions, the flow, heat and mass transfer of a spouted bed under wet conditions will be explored, i.e. by spraying droplets with a nozzle, which can be used for granulation and coating of particles.

More information can be obtained from:
Niels Deen
T (+31)40-247 3681
E N.G.Deen@TUe.nl

New project on spray drying

February 3rd, 2010: A new project on spray drying has started in the FCRE group. In this research project, a PhD student will take a combined experimental and computational approach to study the complex granular flows in simplified (model) geometries of both spray driers and shaking fluidized beds. This project is carried out in close collaboration with Tetra Pak CPS (Heerenveen), who fully finances the project. The size of a spray dryer generally depends strongly on the moisture fraction that is still acceptable in down stream processing, i.e. in a shaking fluidized bed. If one were able to improve the performance of the shaking fluidized bed, the size of the spray dryer can be reduced, leading to a considerable reduction in capital cost investments.

To enhance the understanding of the flow phenomena of wet granular flows and provide a knowledge-based approach to improve spray driers and shaking fluidized beds in terms of stability and throughput, a combined experimental (i.e. particle image velocimetry and digital image analysis) and computational (discrete particle model) study is taken.

More information can be obtained from:
Niels Deen
T (+31)40-247 3681
E N.G.Deen@TUe.nl

Succesful CFD 2009 conference

January 22nd, 2010: With a strong delegation of five people, FCRE was present beginning of December at the conference of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD 2009) in Melbourne, Australia. Apart from three presentations of our work on fluidized bed reactors and bubbly flow, we had a pleasant dinner with Vishnu Pareek, an assistant professor from Perth who had visited FCRE earlier that year. At the end of the conference, Jelle de Jong was granted the 'best presentation award'.
With regards to conferences 2010 has started quite good as well, with the JMBC Burgersdag held here in Enschede beginning of January, as well as a delegancy of six people from our group going to the FOM-days in Veldhoven a week ago. More interesting conferences are just ahead, see right column.

FCRE received European ERC Advanced Grant

November 4th, 2009: Hans Kuipers and his co-workers received a prestigious European ‘ERC Advanced Grant’ of 2.5 million Euros, which will be used to attract some 8 PhD students and for large investments in equipment. This grant allows the group to work on multi-scale modeling of mass and heat transfer in dense gas-solid flows. We will consider integrally the exchange of heat, mass and momentum, and the effects of polydispersity, heterogeneity, and domain geometries, at three levels of modeling, and validated by one-to-one experiments. These generated insight and models will be extremely relevant for the design and scale-up of industrial equipment involving dispersed particulate flow, which is currently a fully empirical process, involving expensive and time-consuming experimentation.

We have 8 vacancies, more information can be found here

10th anniversary symposium and reunion of FCRE

June 18th, 2009: Last friday, June 12th, the FCRE symposium to honour the 10th anniversary of the group took place. Besides the current employees, also a large number of former PhD-students, Post-Docs and staf members attended this special meeting. Jelle Nieuwland, Bob Hoomans, Albert Bokkers and Joris Smit told about their own research years ago and recalled memories from the time the group was started. For most participants the day was concluded with a good buffet and borrel in the Faculty Club, for others it ended some hours later in the city.

Combined lectures of FCRE and the Physics of Fluids Group

April 3rd, 2009: Although the Physics of Fluids (POF) Group and FCRE are situated right next to each other, there had not yet been a combined activity together until last friday. In order to get to know each other better and to find out more about the research being done in both groups, a lecture series was organized. From both groups four PhD's or Post-Docs presented their work in 10 minutes time. Afterwards the discussion was continued during a borrel at the FCRE-bar. It is planned to have such meetings on a regular basis.

New Site FCRE succesfully launched

December 24th, 2008: After months of work with combined effort, the new site of our group is finally complete and is online with the beginning of the new year. Beside the new layout, also the content was renewed and updated. A good description about the research within FCRE is given, and Bachelor- and Master Assignments can now be found online. If you have any comments or suggestions, don't hesitate to contact the webmaster.

FCRE Germany Tour was a succes

September 30th, 2008: From September 22nd to 26th all staff, technicians, post-docs, PhD-students and students of FCRE group went to Germany to visit different companies. Via Duesseldorf we went to Heidelberg and later returned to Enschede via Cologne. Among others big companies such as E.ON, BASF, Lyondell-Basell, Forschungszentrum Juelich, Degussa-Evonik and Dortmund University were visited.
Of course there was also time for cultural excursions like a walk through the wine yards, a visit to a castle ruin and a tour through Cologne. The week was concluded with a fine dinner in the castle of Bad Bentheim.
Because of its succes, most likely a trip like this will be held every second year from now on.

Martin van Sint Annaland received a VIDI grant from NWO

August 25th, 2008: The dutch organisation for scientific research NWO has granted a VIDI-subsidy to five UT-scientists, among which Martin van Sint Annaland from FCRE. He will receive a maximum amount of 600 kEuro in order to establish a research field in the next five years and to employ one or more scientists.
The subject of this VIDI is a new generation microreactors for hydrogen production. For small-scale hydrogen production a high energy efficiency is essential, which will be made possible by integration of special membranes in a new type microreactor. Fundamental models will be combined with advanced measuring techniques to study this type of reactors.

Two awards for FCRE students

August 1st, 2008: Tom Kolkman, former FCRE student and currently PhD student at our group, has been nominated for the thesis prize of the faculty TNW for his work at FCRE during his master project. The price will be awarded during the opening of the academically year on September 1st. Everyone is invited to come.
Wouter Dijkhuizen, former PhD student at our group and currently working in Trontheim, Norway, received the best paper award during the CFD2008 conference for the paper: Direct Numerical Simulation of the Lift Force in Bubbly Flows.