CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Faculty

Dr. K. Nandakumar GASCO Chair Professor Bu Hasa Building, Room 2223 Sas Al Nakhl Campus Office: +971 2 607 5418 Fax: +971 2 607 5200 Email: nkrishnaswamy@pi.ac.ae

EDUCATION

• PhD Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, US (1979)
• MSci Chemical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada (1975)
• BSci Chemical Engineering, University of Madras, Chepauk, India (1973)

PROFILE

Dr. K. Nandakumar has joined The Petroleum Institute as the GASCO Chair Professor in the Chemical Engineering Program in July 2007. He has had a distinguished academic career at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada since 1983 excelling in both teaching and research as evidenced by the numerous awards that he has received.

His main research interests are in the area of multiphase flows, computational fluid dynamics, computer aided modelling of chemical, mineral, polymer and electrochemical processes, including fuel cells.

He has been a Research Fellow in Erlangen, Germany during 1989–90, a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore during 1996–97, and a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore during 2002.

His research has been supported by NSERC discover, strategic and CRD grants and by industries such as Syncrude Canada, DuPont Canada and Koch-Glitsch. He has given training courses on computational fluid dynamics to industry.

He has given talks at various industrial laboratories around the world, including lectures on packed column modelling at Raschg Gmbh in Germany, Sulzer in Switzerland, BOC Gases in NJ, USA, Engineers India Ltd. in New Delhi, Indian Oil Corp. in New Delhi and Defence Science and Technology Organization, Australia.

He has been a keynote speaker at the Polymer Processing Conference in Brazil in Nov 2004, CHEMCON 2003, 2005 and 2006 conferences in India and the heavy oil symposium in Kuwait in 2007.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

• Reviewer for several publications like the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Chemical Engineering Science, Journal of Heat Transfer, Int J Multiphase flows, etc.
• Reviewer for granting agencies like ACS Petroleum Fund, NSERC Stategic and CRD programs and Discovery grants program.
• Edit of the Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.
• Organization of Chemical Engineering Symposia such as “Energy for Tomorrow” symposia with the CHEMCON 2006 conference or the “Celebrations of lifetime contributions of Professor Jacob H Masliyah” as part of CSCHE 2008 annual conference.
• Editing of special festschrifts for distinguished chemical engineering researchers in Canada.

EXPERTISE

• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Direct numerical simulation of multiphase flows
• CFD modelling of multiphase flows as applied to Oil industry
• CFD modelling of separation processes
• Modeling of Solid Oxide Fuel cells
• Modeling of polymer processing operations
• Simulation of flows in progressive cavity pumps
• Micro-fluidic devices Bifurcation phenomena

PUBLICATIONS IN REFEREED JOURNALS (since 2004)
(Bold letters indicate graduate students)

1. X. Wen, S. Akhter, A. Afacan, K. Nandakumar and K. T. Chuang, CFD modeling of columns equipped with structured packings: I. Approach based on detailed packing geometry, Accepted Asia Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering (2007) (July 12, 2007).
2. Haghshneas Fard, M., M. Zivdar, R. Rahimi, M. Nasr Esfahani, A. Afacan, K. Nandakumar and K. T. Chuang, “ CFD Simulation of Mass Transfer Efficiency and Pressure Drop in a Structured Packed Distillation Column”, Chem Eng Technol., 30 (2007) 854–861.
3. Cunkui Huang, Phillip Y. K. Choi, K. Nandakumar and Larry W. Kostiuk, Comparative study between continuum and atomistic approaches of liquid flow through a finite length cylindrical nanopore, 126 (22) Art No. 224702, Jun 14, 2007, Journal of Chemical Physics.
4. C. Veeramani, P. D. Minev and K. Nandakumar, A Fictitious Domain Formulation for Flows with Rigid Particles: A non-Lagrange multiplier version, J. Comp. Physics  224(2) (2007), 867–879.
5. AKM M. Murshed, Biao Huang and K. Nandakumar, Control relevant modeling of planer solid oxide fuel cell system, J. Power Sources 163 (2) (2006) 830–845.
6. Abbaspour Ali, K. Nandakumar, Jingli Luo and Karl T. Chuang, A novel approach to study the structure versus performance relationship of SOFC electrodes, J. Power Sources  161 (2) (2006) 965–970.
7. Monder, D. K. Nandakumar and K. T. Chuang, Modeling of SOFC using H2S as Fuel, communicated to J. Power Sources, 162(1) (2006) 400–414.
8. Veeramani, C, Minev P. D., Nandakumar, K., A fictitious domain method for particle sedimentation, LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 3743: (2006) 544–551.
9. Cunkui Huang, K. Nandakumar, Phillip Y. K. Choi and Larry W. Kostiuk, Molecular Dynamics Simulation of a Pressure-Driven Liquid Transport Process in a Cylindrical Nanopore Using two Self-Adjusting Plates, The Journal of Chemical Physics 124 (2006) 234701–1.
10. Chen, H., U. Sundararaj and K. Nandakumar, Erosion of polymer pellets during blending in a twin-screw extruder, AIChEJ 52 (2006) 1267–1270.
11. Chen, T., P. D. Minev and K. Nandakumar, A projection scheme for incom­pressible multiphase flow using adaptive Eulerian grid: 3D validation, Int. J. Numerical Methods in Engineering 48 (2005) pp 455–466.
12. Wen, X., A. Afacan, K. Nandakumar and K .T. Chuang, Development of a novel vertical-sheet structured packing, Chemical Engineering Research and Design 83(A5) (2005) pp 515–526.
13. Weixing Wang, Zhiang Zhou, K. Nandakumar, Jacob H. Masliyah and Zhenghe Xu, An induction time model for the attachment of an air bubble to a hydropho­bic sphere in aqueous solutions, Int. J. Miner. Process. 75 (2005) pp 69–82.

HONORS & AWARDS

• Alexander von Humnboldt research fellowship from the German government in 1989–90
• The Albright & Wilson Americas Award from the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering in 1991 for distinguished contributions to chemical engineering before reaching the age of 40.
• Dr. Nandakumar was elected as Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada in 1991
• Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 2006
• Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2007.
• McCalla Professorship from the University of Alberta (1992),
• The Killam Annual professorship (2001) for excellence in research
• The A.C. Rutherford Award for excellence in Undergraduate teaching (2001).
• Excellence in Education award (2002) from APEGGA, the professional engineering association in Alberta.
• He received the Meritorious Research Award from the Environmental Science Technology Alliance of Canada in 2000.
• He has received the Sartorius India's Chemcon Distinguished Speaker Award in 2003 from the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers.
• The "Prof. B. D. Tilak Visiting Fellowship" from the UICT, Mumbai in 2004–2005.
• He has been appointed as Editor of The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering effective Jan 2005.
• Most recently he delivered the CK Murthy memorial lecture at the CHEMCON 2006.
• He holds an honorary appointment as the Chair Professor at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, effective Nov 2006 for a three year period.
• Member of Editorial Board of Indian Chemical Engineer since Dec 2006.
• Member of Editorial Board of The Open Energy and Fuels Journal since May 2007.
• Shrimati Kusumben and Shri Mathradas Kothari Visiting Professorship in Chemical Engineering conferred by UICT, Mumbai.