Online Interview: Dr Farhad Ein-Mozaffari Ryerson University
27/10/2009
Who you are?
Farhad Ein-Mozaffari is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto where he is head of the Fluid Mixing Technology Laboratory. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of British Columbia.
Farhad is a member of a number of professional organisations including the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) and Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO).
What research do you carry out?
My research interests include mixing of fluids with complex rheology, Non-Newtonian fluid dynamics, flow visualization and multiphase flow.
What system do you use and how long have you been using electrical tomography for your research?
I have an 8-plane p2000 Electrical Resistance Tomography system, which I have had since 2006.
What do you use the system for?
Mixing time in UV Reactor
I have used ERT for the investigation of mixing times in a single stirrer UV-reactor, which is used in the water treatment industry for the disinfection process.
Solid-liquid Mixing in Slurry Reactor
I have also used ERT to measure the solid concentration profiles inside a reactor to measure the level of homogeneity for a wide range of solid concentrations ranging from 2-30%.
Cavern Formation and Mixing Time in Agitation of Yield Stress Fluids
My research has also used ERT to analyse cavern formation and measure mixing time in agitation of an opaque xanthan gum solution, which is a pseudoplastic fluid possessing yield stress.
What have you learned about you process by using our instruments?
Through the use of ERT I have been able to specify the optimum location for four UV tubes inside a reactor, which had a significant impact upon mixing performance. ERT has also enabled me to explore the mixing of opaque fluids with complex rheology and to measure the degree of homogeneity in solid-liquid mixing processes.
What scale have you used the technology at?
I have used tomography at lab scale in vessels up to 50 litres.
What papers have you published on research using our system?
- Hosseini, S., Patel, D., Ein-Mozaffari, F., Mehrvar, M., Study of Solid-Liquid Mixing in Agitated Tanks through Electrical Resistance Tomography, Chemical Engineering Science (accepted).
- Pakzad, L., Ein-Mozaffari, F., Chan, P., Using Electrical Resistance Tomography and Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling to Study the Formation of Cavern in the Mixing of Pseudoplastic Fluids Possessing Yield Stress, Chemical Engineering Science, 63(9), pp. 2508-2522 (2008).
- Zhao, Z. F., Mehrab, M., Ein-Mozaffari, F., Mixing Time in an Agitated Multi-Lamp Cylindrical Photoreactor Using Electrical Resistance Tomography, Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 83, pp. 1676-1688 (2008).
- Pakzad, L., Ein-Mozaffari, F., Chan, P., Measuring Mixing Time in the Agitation of Non-Newtonian Fluids through Electrical Resistance Tomography, Chemical Engineering & Technology, 31(12), pp. 1838-1845 (2008).
What are the benefits in using our system?
I have been able to explore the effect of the operating conditions and design parameters on the performance of the mechanically agitated reactors. This has enabled me to take corrective action to improve the level of homogeneity within these vessels.
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