9 Jul 2013
Mohammed Afkhami received a Richardson Travel Bursary from SCI to attend the 23rd European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE 23) held in Lappeenranta, Finland from 9-12 June 2013. Mohammed writes:
I am currently in the penultimate year of a PhD in the Institute of Particle Science and Engineering, at the University of Leeds. My research aims to gain insight into the fundamental aspects of turbulent liquid-particle flows. These are relevant to processes employed in a wide range of industries.
My project, which I described at the conference, investigates the influence of inter-particle collisions on the particle and fluid phase variables in the context of particle agglomeration, dispersion and deposition for turbulent wall-bounded flows laden with large particle numbers.
The project offers insights into particle agglomeration, dispersion and deposition processes that apply to industrial applications that involve particle-laden flows in the fine chemical, pharmaceutical, oil and gas industries and waste management sectors. It's also of more general relevance to aerodynamic dispersion studies as used, for example, in many health applications. My study is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and I am supervised by Dr Ali Hassanpour and Prof Michael Fairweather.
I selected the most relevant conference to make the greatest impact of my research in the particle technology area. My work aligns with the strategic research goals of the School/Institute in the areas of particle and materials engineering. I attended this conference in Computer Aided Process Engineering in Lappeenranta as a speaker in a session attended by world-leading scientists and engineers in process and material sciences and engineering, as well as industrial representatives from various sectors.
The peer-reviewed conference proceedings reported that my presentation was an important discovery about the conditions that promote particle agglomeration within fluid flows.
Attending the conference allowed me to further understand how my work benefits a number of application areas, such as biomaterial, biomedical, energy systems, management and economics, and sustainability of products and processes. I received useful feedback on the quality of the work performed, its applicability, and how its usefulness can be further improved through additional work.
I am working at the cutting edge of numerical modelling of particle-laden fluid flows, and since numerical modelling and simulation techniques are evolving rapidly, attending this event further assisted me in keeping me up to date with the latest developments.
The oral and poster presentations were most beneficial in developing my understanding of other research topics and their applications, two of which, in particular, were of great value to my work.
These were the plenary 'Progress in PSE applications within the Pharmaceutical Product Life Cycle' by Prof Reklaitis which involved the optimisation of drug dosage based on the individual patient; and the oral 'Large-Scale Validation of a Numerical Model of Accidental Releases from Buried Carbon Dioxide Pipelines' by Dr Wareing, who presented experiments and simulations performed on the safe design and operation of onshore pipelines for transporting dense phase CO2.
The conference provided me with an exceptional opportunity to learn and exchange leading-edge knowledge. As a young researcher, I knew it was important that I network and establish contacts with leading scientists and engineers in the different areas of particle science and numerical modelling covered at this conference as I plan to work in this area on completion of my PhD.
I am currently considering postdoctoral research opportunities, and I was able to meet people and discuss possible opportunities, as well as showcase my research. Attendance also provided the opportunity to establish links with other researchers from around the world, and I was delighted to make the acquaintance of many individuals with research interests in common with my own.
I therefore greatly appreciate the financial contribution towards the cost of this conference, and was delighted to acknowledge SCI's support in the presentation I gave.
Mohammed Afkhami
University of Leeds
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