Environmental Engineering and Reactor Technology

1. Environmental Engineering and Reactor Technology • The two former groups Separation and Environmental Technology • and Reactor Technology were merged in 2008. • The merge was motivated by similar research and teaching activities with respect to environmental engineering issues, especially in gas separation and capture of carbon dioxide. • 32 PhD students and 10 postdocs/researchers

2. Teachers and Supervisors: May-Britt Hägg Hallvard Svendsen Hugo Jakobsen Jens-Petter Andreassen Environmental Engineering and reactor technology Magne Hillestad D. Malthe-Sørenssen Tom-Nils Nilsen Jon Samseth

3. Research Activities and Teaching • Reactor technology (Jakobsen/Svendsen): Reactor design and understanding of the interplay between fluid flow, transport phenomena, reaction kinetics/equilibrium, thermodynamics, and interfacial transport phenomena/equilibrium in multicomponent multiphase mixtures. • TKP4160 Transport Phenomena 7. term (Jakobsen and Svendsen) • TKP4145 Reactor Technology 8. term (Jakobsen) • Specialization modules (9. term) :TKP 12 Reactor Modeling • Process Design (Hillestad): Understanding and simulation of an overall process (Syngas production, Methanol and ammonia, FT technologies, Polyolefin, CO2 capture) • TKP4165 Process Design, mandatory 6th term (Hillestad) • TKP4170/71 Process Design Projects, mandatory 7th or 8th term (Hillestad) • Specialization module: TKP9 Advanced process simulation (Hillestad/Preizig) • Membrane technology (Hägg): The understanding of how membranes can be used for gas and liquid separation – transport phenomena and materials technology. Manufacture and material development of new membranes. • Specialization module: TKP14 Membrane separation and adsorption (Hägg)

4. Research Activities and Teaching • Crystallization and Particle Design (Andreassen): The formation of unwanted or desired crystalline products (nanoparticles, pharmaceutical products and impurity removal/scaling) – separation and development of new materials. • TKP4190 Fabrication and Application of Nanomaterials (Andreassen, Glomm) • Specialization module: TKP15 Crystallization and particle design • CO2-Capture (Svendsen and Hägg, Hillestad, Jakobsen, Andreassen): Capture of CO2 by absorption (small and large scale), by membrane separation, with simultaneoues crystallization analyzed by rector modelling and process design • Specialization module:TKP13 Gas purification (Hägg/Svendsen)

5. Transport Phenomena provide fundamental modeling principles with universal applicability! Reactor Technology • Topics of reseach/projects: Reactor modeling and analysis Sorption Enhanced Steam Methane Reforming, Chemical Looping Reforming, Chemical Looping Combustion, etc Interfacial transport (bubble/droplet coalescence/breakage) Reactor analysis and design • Modeling Methodology: • Problem analysis (physical understanding of the problem) • Modeling (mathematical representation of these physics) • Numerical solution methods • Implementation (programming) • Parallelization (more programming) • Supercomputing (expensive computer) • Model validation (everything correct and physical?) • Simulation/analysis (back to the learning outcome…?) Gas cleaning Transport Phenomena Oil and gas transport Process control Weather forecast Acid rain climate

6. Process Design • Project / Master topics • The effect of operational parameters in a methanol plant • Reduce CO2 and NOx emissions from offshore oil and gas platforms (reserved) • Systematic Staging in Chemical Reactor Design • Dynamic modelling and simulation of a CO2 capture plant • Modelling and optimization of a Gas-to-Liquid plant • Topic given by StatoilHydro (Excursion to Snøhvit) • Process Technologies • Syngas production • Methanol and ammonia • FT technologies • Polyolefin • CO2 capture

7. Membrane research H2 CO2 CO2 + H2 CO2-selective hollow fibre membrane to separate CO2 from mixtures of CO2/H2 • Purification of (CO2, VOC, SF6..) and up-grading of natural gas. 2 Renewable energy (H2, oppgrading biogas) • Purification of aggressive gases (Cl2, HCl, SO2…) • Simulation of environmental membrane processes for energy optimization • Membranes in bioprosesser (biodiesel, bioethanol) • Membran hollow fibre spinning • Research Focus : MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT & TRANSPORT Phenomena through MEMBRANES

8. Specialization Projects/Master Theses – Membrane technology • Clean technology: Production and regeneration of carbon hollow fibre • membranes for gas separation • The effect of flue gas pollutants (NOx and SO2) on FSC (fixed-site carrier) • membrane performance • The effect of natural gas contaminants on FSC (fixed-site carrier) blend • membrane performance and the normalization of the durability set-up for • FSC membrane • Hydrodynamical studies for a large scaled membrane module • Influence of pH on salt rejection for osmotic membranes • Two of the most pronounced challenges internationally are the demand for clean water and clean energy. Membrane processes are held as very sustainable methods to achieve this

9. A stirred tank used for studies of heat transport and flow phenomena. Reactor modelling and experimental validation • Modelling examples: • Secondary reformer (fixed bed) • Methanol reactor (fixed bed and slurry) • Dehydrogenation • Fischer Tropsch (bubble column, multiphase monolite) • Desulfurization • Polymer reactors • Bio-reactors • Experimental: • Fluid bed • Fixed bed • Slurry reactors (Bubble columns and three phase reactors ) • Agitated tanks CO2-capture pilot plant

10. Specialization projects –CO2-capture and fluid behaviour. • The effects of HF and SO2 on MEA and ammonia solvents • VLE for the CO2-MEA system at different concentration of MEA • CO2 absorpsjon: Kinetikkmålinger • CO2 absorpsjon: Likevektsmålinger for uladete systemer. • Task 1- 2D Droplet-droplet study at different pressures studied using a high resolution model at the NJORD supercomputer • Acquiring droplet distribution from high pressure jet atomization • Experimental Measurement of Interfacial Tension by Using Pendant Drop Technique • Experimental Characterization of Gas scrubbers • Characterization of the entrainment fraction for gas-liquid systems

11. Crystallization and particle design • Specialization Projects/Master Theses • Size-enlargement of carbonate particles from natural gas production lines by alginate • assisted agglomeration • CO2-capture in carbonate solutions in a lab-scale absorber with simultaneous precipitation • Spherulitic growth of crystals in solution • Crystallization of two polymorphs in the production of a contrast agent compound.