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UCL Department of Chemical Engineering

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Multiphase Systems

Research in multiphase systems studies the flow and phase interactions of multiphase mixtures, from liquid/liquid systems such as emulsions, to solid/air systems like fluidised beds or air/liquid systems like foams. Through a combination of advanced experimental technologies, mechanistic modelling and numerical simulations, fundamental understanding of the physical and transport properties of multicomponent mixtures is obtained from the micro to the pilot-plant scale, thus advancing the development of novel products, processes and decision support tools relevant to a variety of industrial sectors, from pharma and energy applications and to CO2 emission mitigation from diverse industrial sources’ through Carbon Capture Storage and Utilisation.

Image of Dr Kaiqiao Wu (PhD UCL 2019) using Quasi-2D fluidized bed in lab

Intensification of multiphase processes relevant to separation and recycling of critical metals and biomolecules, enhanced and uniform mixing, reliable reactor scale up and controlled particle processing 

Interfacial and thermodynamic properties of liquid-liquid mixtures to aid the development of tuneable multiphase products and novel microfluidics approaches for precise control of drop formation and of temperature responsive binary liquid mixtures

Development of innovative experimental techniques and instrumentation for the study of multiphase flow phenomena, including ultrasound and acoustic emission methods, laser-based optical techniques, and infrared imaging

Fluidisation fundamental and applied research, particularly on fluidised bed reactors from lab scale to industrial-scale operation 

Advanced X-ray Imaging facility, unique in the world, employed to provide quantitative real time information about the internal flow pattern of rapidly changing three dimensional systems 

Crystallisation and nanoparticle synthesis from molecular modelling to the development of manufacturing platforms for nano and microcrystals of pharmaceutical interest by integrating experimental, machine learning and computational methods

Rheology and fluid dynamics of suspensions employing theoretical, computational (e.g., CFD-DEM) and experimental research on the rheology and flow behaviour of complex multiphase suspensions

CO2 mitigation which aims to the development of economically viable, safe and environmentally benign technologies and processes for Carbon Capture Storage and Utilisation