Study on Solid/Fluid Flows in Chemical Reactors and Porous Materials
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Study on Solid/Fluid Flows in Chemical Reactors and Porous Materials
Thu, 05/05/2016 - 15:15
Location:
Speaker:
Dr. Xianfeng Fan
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Synopsis:
The flow patterns of solid and fluid flows in chemical reactors, such as fluidized beds, stirred tanks, mixers, absorbers and adsorbers, control the reaction and energy efficiency of many chemical and physical processes. Fluid flow in porous materials has been intensively investigated for enhanced oil recovery and CO2 storage etc. In this presentation, I will briefly outline my research in the two areas. I will start from mapping and prediction of solid and fluid patterns in chemical reactors, such as flow patterns in bubbling and circulation fluidized beds, and its applications in CCS. For fluid flow in porous materials, we investigated the flow behaviour at pore scale. Fluid flowing through porous materials is a displacement process in individual pores, and it is controlled by pore structure, pore wettability, and the interactions between fluids and pores. I will briefly outline our recent development in pore wetting and CO2 core flooding.
Finally, I will outline our work on CO2 capture and photocatalysis, through giving two examples (1) the effect of the morphology and crystal phase of WO3 on their photocatalytic performance, (2) the development of wetting layer adsorbents.
Biography:
Dr Xianfeng Fan is a senior lecturer in the Institute for Materials and Processes at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, Dr Fan was a Senior Lecturer at London South Bank University, and a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. Dr Fan obtained his Bachelor and Master Degree from China, and a PhD degree from the University of Birmingham.
Dr Fan has been working on CO2 capture and storage, fluidization, granulation, solid/fluid flows in chemical reactors, colloidal and interfacial phenomena, multiphase flow in porous materials, surface chemistry, development of micromanipulation techniques, and positron emission particle tracking. He is an editorial board member for 3 international journals, and has authored or co-authored over 150 peer reviewed publications. Currently, Dr Fan supervises a research group, working on fluidization, CO2 capture, multiphase flow for enhanced oil recovery and CO2 storage, and photocatalysis. The research has been supported by EPSRC, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Carnegie Trust, and the Royal Society.