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Masters and Ph.D Students Wanted
Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Do you have intention to further study in Chemical Engineering? If you have a chemical engineering degree and would like to pursue your masters or Ph.D degree, now is your chance. My wife, Dr. Mazura Jusoh from Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, is searching for a few post graduate students and this is an opportunity for those who are interested.


The field is obviously Chemical Engineering which will focus on Separation Technology. To be more specific, you will explore the fundamental and science of Progressive Freeze Concentration, a field which is still not explored in Malaysia.

Financial assistance will be provided for the first few students only. So, to grab hold of this offer, you need to act fast.

Masters duration - Full time research - 2 years.
Ph.D duration - 3 years.

Interested candidate can write and send your CV to the following email address:

mazura[alias]cheme.utm.my.

Here is an example of a related study of this field...

Abstract : DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL DESIGN FOR PROGRESSIVE FREEZE CONCENTRATION PROCESS

Industrial wastewater may well be treated by freeze concentration, a process which freezes or crystallises out water content as pure ice crystals and leaves behind a highly concentrated solution in a smaller volume. In conventional suspension freeze concentration (SFC) whereice crystals formed as a suspension in the mother liquor, separation of the solid-liquid mixture is difficult and costly. The size of ice crystals is still very limited and the seeding process requires usage of scraped surface heat exchangers (SSFE), which is significantly expensive and accounted for approximately 30% of the capital cost. Progressive freeze concentration (PFC) invented later is believed to provide cost saving and simplify the subsequent ice-liquid separation as ice crystals are formed as a layer or a block on the cooling surface. Quest for a design providing convenience and good efficiencies continues, and in this study a helical structured copper crystalliser was developed and fabricated named Multi-wind Crystalliser (MWC). Effects of several operating conditions on the performance of MWC in context of wastewater treatment were then investigated including circulation flowrate, initial solution concentration, coolant temperature and circulation time. The performance of the design was evaluated by three dependent variables including the effective partition constant, K, calculated from the volume and concentration of the solid and liquid phase. Two other parameters were ice purity and solution volume reduction. A process optimisation was also performed thereafter employing STATISTICA to produce optimum conditions in favour of the stated independent variables. As the crystalliser designed involves heat transfer, the overall heat transfer coefficient was also calculated through temperature profiling subsequently generating a prediction model for ice crystal mass. At the end of the research, a new crystalliser design for PFC is established and an observation of how the operating conditions affect the performance of the system was obtained. Optimum operating conditions was determined by process optimisation and an overallheat transfer coefficients were also generated. Adequacy and reliability of the ice crystal mass prediction model produced was proven by error analyses revealing relatively small errors.


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posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 9:17 PM, ,

Renewable Energy - Yes There Are Advantages
Wednesday, March 16, 2011

While many of the fossil fuels continue to be in short demand in every corner of the world, people including governments and individuals concerned with the environment are starting to make the rest of us more aware, that these supplies will simply be gone at some point.

Many concerned people and numerous governments are looking for ways to utilize renewable energy and how this source of energy really will work most effectively.

Fossil fuels are also responsible for many of the biggest problems with the environment.

There have been many studies that link the state of the environment with the use of fossil fuels. Global warming is one of the biggest problems we are facing and both human and animals are impacted by changing weather patterns. The earth is getting hotter and this is being experienced in many places. Wild weather like hurricanes and severe droughts are among the serious consequences of global warming.

You can find a great deal of education in the movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' on the damage that global warming is causing. Normally you can find this video at any video /DVD rental location or movie download. This movie is a great surprise and you may find that this can change the way you live, because hopefully you will appreciate that a green power source must be something that we all will eventually need to incorporate into your own homes.

Right now there are many small changes you can make that can really add up.

A big advantage of most renewable energy sources is that they help to reduce the carbon footprint that each of us is leaving. Solar power, geothermal energy and wind power are some examples of how we can use clean energy sources, and this can help us to be on the leading edge of this growing movement.

Jobs in the United States are created when more people use alternative power sources and these are jobs that are unlikely to leave the US. Many of the positions available for these jobs will have a great pay base as well as benefits.

There are tax credits that are being provided and this is a major benefit provided to help people begin using green energy. This and other incentive programs are starting to make it easier for many more people to afford renewable energy programs. Some of the tax cuts give the consumer up to 30 percent of their solar installation and this is valuable for both commercial and residential consumers.

When alternative energy is affordable for all, more consumers will make this change in their home and begin using green energy technology, to help lessen the impact of global warming. Those who use renewable energy are likely to spread the word about living a greener life and this can help entire communities.

An environmentally sound community can help and guide others on how to be the most efficient in daily life. Getting guides and policies in place can help other people find and stick to a green power system that will cut down on pollution and serious environmental damage to our planet.

You can start with National Geographic. They provide a great guide called the "Green Guide". It contains solid information that someone can use to live their best green life. If your city is not already listed in this guide -- get your city listed.

People could write for quite some time about the advantages of renewable energy. However, you may also want to know about some disadvantages of renewable energy. The major disadvantage is of course the cost of any alternative power source. It is still too much of an expense for many consumers. So many are waiting for the costs to lower, because the $20,000 needed for a PV solar system means it's probably not available for many consumers.

This article is contributed by Alice Shaw. He is an ardent promoter of green living and environmental protection. If you are itching to learn more about alternative energy, you are welcome to visit his site: http://ardentgreenliving.com. You will get more green energy info.

To guess post in this blog, please contact me. You are welcome to do so to share ideas, information, experience and others related to chemical engineering industry. I look forward to receive your article... :)

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posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 8:09 PM, ,

Hydrocarbon Solvents
Sunday, March 13, 2011

When I was a project/chemical engineer working in the oil and gas industry 6 years ago, one of my critical tasks is to manage the specialty chemical matters. This is an area which requires a person with chemistry or chemical engineering background. I was fortunate because the company I worked with is attached with a well known and established international specialty chemical manufacturer. Hence, I learned a lot of chemicals and its formulation from the principal company. There are various specialty chemicals available for numerous industrial applications such as corrosion inhibitors, degreaser, scale inhibitors, descaler, deoiler and others. Among the chemicals that I frequently handled is the corrosion inhibitor. The corrosion inhibitor is used in the internal pipeline chemical cleaning project awarded to us to lengthen the lifespan of the gas and condensate pipelines from corrosion threat. The corrosion inhibitor concentrate, which comes in drums of 200 liters will be then blended with either water or hydrocarbon solvents to the desired concentration. The chemical blending was made on-site by the staffs. After the blending is completed, I will check the final corrosion inhibitor blending via bottle and emulsion test. Blending the chemical using water is not as complicated as using hydrocarbon solvents.


When blending using hydrocarbon solvent, I need to identify which solvent best suits the chemical. I also need to consider the economic as well as the safety aspect. Hence, for me, there is an importance to know about hydrocarbon solvents. One way to learn about it is from the material safety data sheet (MSDS). Besides that, I also always refer to the notes and my principal for further explanation or analysis.

Basically, there is a wide range of hydrocarbon solvents which include aliphatics, paraffins, aromatics, blends, mineral spirits and others. There are also daily used items that relies on hydrocarbon solvents such as adhesives & sealants, paints & coatings, dry cleaning fluids, insecticides, edible oils and tyres. A simple and common example is when we mix kerosene into the paint concentrate when we paint the walls of our house. Kerosene is one type of popular hydrocarbons, which is also the fuel for aeroplanes.

On top of that, other application of hydrocarbon solvent includes cleaning or dissolving water-insoluble substances such as greases and oils. Due to their high toxicity and persistence in nature, their use in industrial processes is restricted. The solvent must also be stored safely in a dry cool shady place and well ventilated area, far from heat and sunlight. This is to avoid them reaching their flash points which may lead to possible explosion.

It was really nice experience learning and being exposed to the specialty chemicals and various hydrocarbon solvents. It is indeed a huge market and a profitable area to be in. Don't you think so?

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posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 12:43 AM, ,

One Important Benefit of Joining ICHEME - Knovel.com advantage!!!
Friday, March 11, 2011

Are you an IChemE member yet? Do you know what is IChemE? IChemE is Institution of Chemical Engineers. It is based in UK and now have hundreds if not thousands of members throughout the world. I have been an IChemE member myself since 1999. I'm currently an associate member but hopefully I'll get my chartered-ship soon. OK, enough about that.


I just want to share something very beneficial about being an IChemE member, based on my experience. Presently, IChemE has its own superb portal that we can sign in as a member. The portal enable us to view many news, updates, information, check and pay our subscription and much more. However, one of the most attractive features that is available is IChemE subscribing to Knovel.com. Knovel is a web-based application integrating technical information with analytical and search tools to drive innovation and deliver answers engineers can trust. The following list shows the engineering discipline that is covered in Knovel.com.

 Adhesives, Coatings, Sealants & Inks
Aerospace & Radar Technology
Biochemistry, Biology & Biotechnology
Ceramics & Ceramic Engineering
Chemistry & Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering & Construction Materials
Earth Sciences
Electrical & Power Engineering
Electronics & Semiconductors
Environment & Environmental Engineering
Food Science
General Engineering & Engineering Management
Industrial Engineering & Operations Management
Mechanics & Mechanical Engineering
Metals & Metallurgy
Nanotechnology
Oil & Gas Engineering
Optics & Photonics
Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics & Toiletries
Plastics & Rubber
Process Design, Control & Automation
Safety & Industrial Hygiene
Sustainable Energy & Development
Textiles
Transportation Engineering

Those above are the huge categories of book/online content available in Knovel.com.

Let's get back to the benefit of being an IChemE member... Just log in to your IChemE website and find "Knovel Library" on the left sidebar.


Click "Knovel Library"...



Then, click at IChemE Members...as can be seen below.



After you click IChemE Members link, the following resources are available for you, courtesy of IChemE. Enjoy learning... :)

Those are indeed such a huge, very huge list of online resources... Use it wisely...You'll enrich yourself as a Chemical Engineer. Good luck.


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Have you downloaded my free "Choosing Alternative Fuel" Ebook? If not, then please download it here. It's Free and on top of getting the free ebook, you'll get eCourse on Alternative Fuel. It's a good and easy way to add more valuable information to yourself.

posted by Kipas Repair JB @ 4:07 PM, ,

The Author

zyz

I’m Zaki. I used to be a project, process and chemical engineer. Few years ago I successfully became a Chartered Engineer (IChemE) and Professional Engineer (BEM). I'm now employed as a chemical engineering educator/researcher/consultant. Hope you like reading my blog. I welcome any feedback from you. My email: zaki.yz[alias]gmail.com. TQ!


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