Research Staff
Abdulla Ekaabi
Research Assistant
Bu Hasa Building, Room 2217,
Sas Al Nakhl Campus,
Office: +971 2 607 5339
Fax: +971 2 607 5200
Email: aekaabi@pi.ae.ac |
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EDUCATION
- University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI
M.S. in Chemical Engineering- April 2007
- Stevens Institute Of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
B.S. in Chemical Engineering (With Honor) - May 2005
PROFILE
After completing the Master degree, my first assignment as an ADNOC scholar was to work at the PI. I officially joined the chemical engineering department on December 2007. I am originally from Fujairah, but presently living in Abu Dhabi with my wife. During weekend, we usually drive back to Fujairah to meet families and friends.
During the course of study, I’ve conducted some research in different topics. The most recent ones are the following:
Research Sponsored By ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Nalco (Jan. 07-July 07)
Formation of wax deposits, gelation, shut-in issues and gel breaking – On Going Work
- Examined the effect of wax deposition in transporting crude oil in subsea pipelines
- Studied the pump capacity for restart after a temporary shutdown in oil transportation
- Investigated the gel breaking behavior using a controlled stress rheometer and a cross polarized light microscopy
Research (Jan. 06-Dec. 06)
Carbon nanotubes hydrogen storage on board of a Honda Civic
- Designed a single walled carbon nanotubes storage on board of the vehicle
- Developed an on board flow system
- Compared gasoline engine vs. the designed model
- Analyzed the system economical
Currently, I am working with Dr. Saleh Al Hashimi and Dr. Radu Vladea on developing an effective system for hydrotreating crude oil. Hydrotreating is a process used in oil refineries to remove heteroatoms (S, N, and O) and metals such as Ni and V from a feedstock. The treating is essential to ensure an optimum level of production in later processes such as catalytic cracking and reforming units. Designing a better system not only requires modeling an appropriate reactor, but also selecting a suitable catalyst. Fixed or trickle bed reactors are commonly used in industries with commercial catalysts like Co/Mo or Ni/Mo supported on Alumina. The performances aren't optimal, however, mainly due to diffusion limitation and catalyst deactivation. Thus, a closer examination of the problem can alleviate the process of finding a promising alternative. For example, a form of zeolite was recently found to exhibit higher reaction activity in comparison to Alumina. This is the result of offering a higher surface area that the zeolites can provide, which increases the number of active sites at the surface. Our research group, at this time, is seeking a collaboration program with a chemical engineering group at Eindhoven University of Technology who has some expertise in the field. Hoping through this joint, an elaborate understanding of the problem can be achieved.
Remarks and Awards
- Trip to ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Baker petrolite and Nalco to present a research proposal – June 2007
- Worked on research with ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Nalco – Jan 07-July 07
- Passed the Doctoral Qualifying Exam at the University of Michigan – May 07
- An AIChE regional award for a distinguished chemical engineer- March 2005
- Walter Schneider Memorial award for a chemical engineer – March 2005
- Excellent student award by Stevens Institute of Technology- May 2005
- Graduated with honor in chemical engineering – May 2005
- Deen’s list on fall 01through spring 05
- Fellowship from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), 2000-2007
