Graduate Student since Fall 2021
Education: University of Alberta, Canada
Thesis Topic: Modeling and Optimal Operation of Integrated Methane Dehydroaromatization Process
Research Description: The increase in demand for value-added products and the need for clean energy have catalyzed the development of economic and sustainable manufacturing technologies. Natural gas is a viable alternative to crude oil-based feedstock to meet energy and chemical manufacturing demands. However, these feedstock deposits are located in remote locations, thereby driving the process industries to consider on-site manufacturing approaches, known as modular technologies, to achieve effective process intensification and economical production of desired products. Herein, a novel modular dehydroaromatization process integrating dehydroaromatization (DHA), chemical looping (CL), and temperature swing adsorption (TSA) is considered. Initial experiments have proven the process to be promising concerning yield and energy consumption compared to conventional process technologies. However, the dynamics of the respective modular process operated in semi-batch, involving interactions due to material recycling and non-linear rate kinetics, are yet to be understood from an operations perspective. My research aims to develop an operation-relevant dynamic model for the integrated dehydroaromatization process that can describe the operating space by elucidating the process dynamics using a novel iterative modeling framework created using active learning principles.
Other fun facts or hobbies: Photography (Nature and Landscape), Watching soccer and tennis.