Seminars

Abstract: Multifunctional supramolecular polymer networks and gels are employed in several areas including biotechnology nanotechnology and microelectronics. For example self-healing polymers composed of di- and tri-functional groups (Cordier et al. 2008) find applications in construction cosmetics electronics and medicine. Furthermore block copolymer lithography has applications in semiconductor design (Tang et al. 2008). This talk will present a field-theoretic model of polymer networks and gels composed of reactive multifunctional monomeric units.

ABSTRACT: Dissolved salts in reservoir brines can precipitate due to supersaturation caused by flow through drying. Using a mathematical model that takes into account the transport of salts through capillary driven films it is shown that an accumulation of solid salt can take place. The extent of salt accumulation depends on the dimensionless capillary wicking number and the dimensionless pressure drops.

Abstract: The most general picture of a heterogeneous catalyst is depicted as a two component system consisting of an active species and a support for the dispersion of the active species. This two component picture becomes even more important when the active species is a precious metal like platinum. High dispersion of the metal is required and therefore almost all the heterogeneous catalysts reported in the literature and those used industrially are two component catalysts with metal nanoparticles deposited on a high surface area support.

Abstract This presentation shows the development and application of a general model-based design framework for the simultaneous design of processes and products. Products in this case are referred to structured materials that assist the process by enhancing their performance. Conventionally most process-product design problems employ an iterative trial and error experiment-based procedure. Since experiments are usually expensive and time consuming the search space for optimal design is limited.

Abstract: Colloidal systems encounter a wide range of applications such as in food paints ceramics water treatment and catalysis. Moreover recent experimental innovation has led to the synthesis of a diverse range of asymmetric colloidal particles which find many sophisticated applications such as photonic crystals biological sensors and optical fibres. While the experimental synthesis of such anisotropic particles can be fairly well‐controlled we do not yet theoretically understand the behavior of these systems and hence cannot rationally design materials for specific applications apriori.

Abstract: The heavy fractions of petroleum and bitumen are processed on an enormous scale around the world but the fundamental understanding of these materials lags far behind the empirical tools for design and operation of refineries. These heavy fractions are in a difficult range of molecular size that sits in between common commodity chemicals with simple structure on the one hand and high polymers with repeating monomer units on the other hand.

Abstract: The two dominant energy carriers for a modern economy are petroleum-derived fuels and electricity. High prices for petroleum coupled with increased awareness of the environmental impact of the combustion of fossil fuels are driving a wave of innovation in new energy technologies. Implementation of these replacement technologies requires long term investment in infrastructure development of new policies and legislation and careful analysis of the social and environmental impacts of new technologies.

Abstract: Complex fluids like suspensions emulsions gels etc. are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Many concentrated paste-like materials are composed of deformable particles randomly packed into a dense suspension. Examples include dense suspensions of swollen polyelectrolyte microgels star polymers and compressed emulsions. These materials share in common rheological behavior such as wall-slip shear banding shear thinning normal stresses memory and aging. Their unique properties make these scientifically interesting and are also important in as rheological modifiers.

Abstract: Large quantities of natural gas hydrates are present in marine sediments along the coastlines of many countries as well as arctic region. The production of gas from these naturally occurring gas hydrates is difficult due to complexity of thermodynamics and fluid flow involved in theprocess. This seminar will focus on assessing production of natural gas from methane gas hydrate deposits. An implicit multiphase multi-component thermal 3D simulator is used which can simulate formation and dissociation of hydrates in porous media in both equilibrium and kinetic modes.

India is a significant producer of thermoplastics with an installed capacity of about 4 MMTA.1 We are today the second largest producer of polyester and the fifth largest producer of polypropylene in the world. As petroleum prices continue to rise and the manufacturing industry gradually shifts to the middle-east the Indian plastic industry is bound to make a strategic shift to the production of specialty plastics.