Research at the Chair of Process Systems Engineering
Process systems engineering as a scientific discipline is characterized by its integrative approach. Technological problems are addressed not only in the context of a specific application, but rather from a general systemic perspective. The systemic perspective leads to the central role of models as well as mathematical and computational tools in process systems engineering. Additionally, the systemic approach involves the focus on process design, control, and optimization in process systems engineering. This general agenda is used to address various process-engineering in the context of food- and biotechnology.
Particle Technology
Various solids are given as discrete particles. In this case, particle size and shape have an important impact on storage und use of granular materials. Size and shape are also variables that can be themselves influenced in technical processes and have to be chosen correctly for different applications as well as realized in the corresponding processes. Various questions of particle technological interest are addressed in this context at the Chair of Process Systems Engineering by experimental methods and simulation approaches.
Discrete Element Simulation | Daniel Nasato |
Triboelectric protein enrichment | Javier Perez Vaquero |
Nanocrystalline Cellulose and starch nano particles | Christine Hermann |
Pneumatic conveying | Philipp Schweda |
Wax-Particle-Coating | Mario Wörthmann |
Sugar comminution | Ali Khajehesamedini |
Simulation of a powder rheometer (left) and a ring shear cell (right) using the Discrete Element Method (DEM)
Drying Technology
Many products in food and pharmaceutical industry, have to be dried for their further use. Drying, however, leads to various changes in material properties, some wanted, others unwanted. To use this process in a targeted way for different applications, basic mechanisms need to be understood and their control has to be explored. This is done at the Chair of Process Systems Engineering with different research focusses.
Amorphous-crystailline transition for sugars | Martin Schugmann |
Freeze drying of food | Sebastian Gruber |
Schematic representation of a partially freeze-dried sugar particle, which can be observed e.g. by neutron tomography. ©Schürmann
Transport Processes in Porous Media
Porous media play an important role in various systems, e.g., in biological structures, in thermal insulation as well as in separation and extraction processes. Porous structures are characterized by their large inner surface as well as their specific transport properties. At the Chair of Process Systems Engineering, different porous media are analyzed and optimized with respect to specific applications.
Lautering processes | Peter Bandelt |
Optimal control of precoat filtration | Michael Kuhn, Philip Pergam |
Coffee extraction | Verena Hargarten, Michael Kuhn |
Mass transfer in filamentous micro-organisms | Henri Müller, Stefan Schmideder |
Water transport in trees | Petra Först |
Computed tomography of Aspergillus niger (left) and visualization of mass transfer inside a filamentous fungus (right)
Crystallization
Crystallization is an important downstream processing and product formation step in the pharmaceutical and food industry. Active agents are purposefully crystalized from liquid solutions in order to facilitate separation and further processing. In this respect, crystal size and shape are of central importance; these can, in turn, influenced by suitable process control strategies. At the Chair of Process Systems Engineering, different crystallization processes are investigated experimentally and theoretically in order to explore possible improvements.
Lactose crystallization | Simon Schiele |
Optical sensors | Cornelia Eder |
Molecular mechansims for dissolution of pharmaceutical crystals | Frederik Luxenburger |
Methodological develoment for molecular simulation of crystal-solution-interfaces | Ekaterina Elts |
Measurement of crystal growth and concentration in the vicinity of the crystal surface by laser interferometry
Heat and Mass Transport in Complex Systems
Heat and mass transfer are omnipresent in nature and technology. For various technological applications, it is decisive to use and control these mechanisms purposefully. Especially in complex systems, such as often encountered in the biological and food sciences, heat and mass transport are usually difficult to assess and to influence. With a special focus on these fields of application, heat and mass transport are investigated experimentally and theoretically at the Chair of Process Systems Engineering.
Cleaning technology and hygienic design | Lakshmi Narasiman Vijayasarathi |
Heat transfer in multiphase flow (application: fruit-based beverages) | Mohd Tarmizan bin Ibrahim |
Conching of chocolate | Philip Schmid |
Flow-induced heat transfer to cubic geometry (piece of fruit inside a beverage with different orientation angles), obtained by numerical fluid dynamics