TMP team – Processes and Phase equilibria
Partnairs: Ilham MOKBEL (Resp.), Jacques JOSE, Joanna FARHAT
The scientific activity of the team is experimental in order to meet industrial problems in the field of equilibrium phases and the determination of thermodynamic properties.
These data are essential for the development and/or validation of a thermodynamic model necessary for the optimization or improvement of industrial processes of separation, purification in the oil industry, chemistry or pharmacy, biotechnology.
Reseach topics
Original experimental development
The team designs and implements phase equilibria devices often operating under extremes conditions: very high (or very low) temperature and pressure, corrosive environment? in response to industrial issues. It also develops analytical methodologies for quantitative determination of compounds at trace levels (eg organic pollutants in water, water or polar compounds in oil, ions by ICP, capillary electrophoresis).
On-line analysis according to the NeSSI micro-technology based on a modular mechanical standard
Microanalyzers (such as microGC, microdensimeter…) are plugged on a platform equipped with fluid rail for sampling. The platform is then located directly on the process. One of the major benefits is that the system reduces expensive transport lines.
The applications of these research activities are in the areas of :
- Energy: problems related to natural gas processing before transport, dehydration in order to avoid the formation of hydrates, conversion of methane into liquid and solid hydrocarbons using the Fischer-Tropsch process , control of biodiesel injection in combustion engines …
- Environment: CO2 capture using solvents, elimination of tars produced during gasification of biomass, extraction of bio-molecules from fermentation broth…
The team has a long tradition of industrial partnerships such as specific studies or research agreements, technology transfer, participation in European consortium…
Our partners are IFP-EN, ARKEMA, BLUESTAR SILICONES, PERSTORP, AREVA, TOTAL and academics research laboratories.
Thermodynamic data for the optimization of separation/purification processes
Biotechnology, using fermentation techniques to produce bio-molecules, and the use of natural compounds extracted from plants are considered as a sustainable development strategy. The extraction and purification of the molecules of interest from the fermentation broth or from biomass is carried out by processes such as distillation, extraction by solvent. The development of these methods requires precise experimental data on the phase equilibria.
