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.

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   Christoph Metzger, Christine Hermann
Pneumatic conveying                                                    Philipp Schweda
Wax-Particle-Coating                                                    Mario Wörthmann
Sugar comminution                                                       Ali Khajehesamedini

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

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

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