Chemical Engineering Research

By: Ramchander.Ch PhD, Chemical Engineering IIT Kanpur Date: October 7, 2010 Comments(16)

Is the unique branch of all the engineering fields which plays a vital role in solving all sort of problems in our day to day life. The uniqueness of the field lies in solving wide variety of problems by fundamental understanding of its chemistry and applying the chemical engineering principles to solve it in a more economical way keeping societal factors in mind. Over the past years, the chemical engineering field has undergone dramatic changes which not only address the problems of petrochemical industry but also other industries like electronics, food and consumer products, materials, medical diagnostics and biotechnology. The chemical industry today is a much global enterprise and chemical engineers hold a prominent position in many industries. And because of the uniqueness of the field in addressing variety of problems, today chemical engineers are the highest paid personal in comparison to the other professionals.

The department of chemical engineering at IIT Kanpur is engaged in all sorts of the research areas which prepare the students to be globally competent. Currently the department is carrying out research in areas of hardcore chemical engineering, inter-disciplinary topics and in new areas like sensors, carbon nano-fibers, self assembly etc., in two modes - one is by computer simulations and other is by experimentation.

Computer Simulations:
There are several exciting and challenging problems which have been addressed by using computer simulations e.g. in the areas of Rheology of complex fluids, Fundamental understanding of the interfaces by Molecular dynamic simulations, Non-newtonian fluid flows, Fuel cells, Process design, Process modeling, Modeling of complex polymerization systems and Interfacial thermodynamics.

Experimental:
Membrane separations, Synthesis of carbon nanofibers, Chemical sensors, Microfluidics, Lab-on-chip, Soft-matter, Colloids and interfaces, Microstructured reactors, Polymer science, Bio-inspired approaches to design novel materials, Analysis of chemical and biological systems, Reaction kinetics, Water treatment, Design of multifunctional materials, Tissue engineering and novel biomaterials, etc.

Overall, the chemical engineering principles learnt during undergraduate level can be tested and applied practically to find out the solutions for a variety of problems at post-graduate level. A postgraduate program provides the best opportunity to taste the real flavor of the research by looking at the insights of problems in a more fundamental way, to solve the challenging problems whose results finally benefit the society.

To know in detail about any specific areas of research the student is encouraged to consult respective faculty members or mail to GC team.