RGU: Ramagopal Uppaluri

Personal details:
Dr. Ramagopal Uppaluri
1R
26 Roslin Street
Aberdeen
Scotland, AB24 5 PD
Ph:   +44 1224 262357 (O)
       +44 1224 625583 (R)
Fax: +44 1224 262444
Email: ramgopalu@hotmail.com
Professional Experience
Post doctoral research, August 2002 till date
Centre for Process Integration and Membrane Technology,
Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, U.K.
Project: Scottish Enterprise funded Proof of Concept of Fund for high density hydrogen production.
Educational Qualification
Ph.D. in Process Integration, 2002
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST)
Manchester, United Kingdom.
Thesis Title: Design of gas permeation membrane systems
Supervisors: Prof. R. Smith & Prof. A.C. Kokossis
M.Tech. in Chemical Engineering, 1999
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Kanpur, India.
CGPA: 9.33/10
Thesis Title: Flux decline analysis during Ultrafiltration of cane juice (limed) using Cross-flow cell
Supervisor: Dr. P.K. Bhattacharya
B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering, 1997
College of Engineering
Andhra University
Visakhapatnam, INDIA.
Percentage:80.5
Thesis Title: Manufacture of Benzene from toluene using hydrodealkylation process
Professional Training
Specialization

       1.Composite Membranes
       2.Membrane Reactors
       3.Process Systems Engineering
       4.Modelling, Simulation and Optimization
       5.Membrane Separation Processes
Laboratory skills
1.Preparation of composite inorganic dense and porous membranes.
2.Surface characterization of composites using SEM, ASAP, EDXA.
3.Computer aided experimentation for composite membrane and membrane reactor studies.
4.Analytical techniques for sugar solutions.
5.Experimentation for reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration studies.
6.Waste water sampling and pollutant measurement techniques.
7.Vapor liquid equilibria experimentation.
Computer languages
BASIC, Fortran 77
Computer software
GAMS, POLYMATH, UNIX, WINDOWS
Teaching Experience
1999 Fall        Demonstrator, Process Control Workshop, UMIST, U.K., 15 students
1998 Spring        Teaching Assistant, New Separation Processes, IIT, Kanpur, 20 students
1998 Fall         Teaching Assistant, New Separation Processes, IIT, Kanpur, 25 students
1997 Spring        Teaching Assistant, Mass Transfer Lab, IIT, Kanpur, 30 students
Miscellaneous
2001 Fall        Development, Software workshop Reactor and Crystallizer design, UMIST, Manchester, 25 MNC delegates.
2000 Fall,         Development, Software workshop Reactor and reactor-separator design, UMIST, Manchester, 20 MNC delegates.
2000 Fall,         Development, Software workshop Reactor design, UMIST, Manchester, UMIST, Manchester, 20 MNC delegates.
Research
Composite membranes
1)Pd composites
a)Pd-Ag/Cu ceramic/stainless steel composites.
b)Influence of support and pore size on electroless plating.
c)Hydrogen transport mechanisms in Pd membranes.
2)Silica membranes
a)Dip coating technique.
b)Silica Al2O3 membranes.
Membrane reactors
1)Experimental performance
a)Inert membrane reactor
b)Catalytic membrane reactor
2)Theoretical performance
a)Multiple endothermic reactions
b)Energy issues
3)Economic performance
a)Conceptual methods
b)Tubular and annular membrane reactors
Process systems engineering
1)Process integration
a)Synthesis of gas permeation membrane networks
2)Operation
a)Pressure ratio optimisation of membrane systems
3)Industrial issues
a)Optimal membrane data sets for industrial gas processing
b)Optimal novel membrane property prediction

Modelling, simulation and optimization
1)Optimization
a)Genetic algorithms for the design of reactor separator and membrane reactor systems for hydrogen production
2)Simulation
a)Comparative simulation of annular and tubular membrane reactors
3)Modelling
a)Flux decline model for Ultrafiltration of sugar solution.
b)Flux decline model for Ultrafiltration of sugarcane juice.
Membrane Separation Processes
1)Ultrafiltration of sugar solution
a)Analytical studies
2)Ultrafiltration of sugarcane juice
a)Optimisation of system and membrane parameters for process development
3)Reverse osmosis
a)Purification of pre-hydrolysis liquor
Publications
1.Ramagopal U.V.S., Verma N., Bhattacharya P.K.(2002). Analysis of flux decline during Ultrafiltration of Sugarcane Juice (limed) using Cross Flow cell. Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 80(1), 105.
2.Ramagopal U. V. S., Agarwal S, De S and Bhattacharya P.K. (2001). Ultrafiltration of sugar cane juice for recovery of sugar: analysis of flux and retention, Separation and Purification Technology, .21(3), 247-259.
3.Ramagopal U.V.S., Linke P., Kokossis A.C., Synthesis of membrane networks, in preparation (to be submitted to Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research).
4.Ramagopal U.V.S., Smith R., Linke P., Kokossis A.C.
Optimisation of pressure ratio across gas permeation membrane networks, in preparation. (to be submitted to Journal of Membrane Science)
5.Ramagopal U.V.S., Smith R., Linke P., Kokossis A.C. On the application of process synthesis for the selection of optimal gas separation membrane data sets, in preparation. (to be submitted to Computers and Chemical Engineering)
6.Ramagopal U.V.S., Smith R., Linke P., Kokossis A.C. On the application of process synthesis for the optimal prediction of gas separation membrane properties, in preparation. (to be submitted to AIChE Journal)

Conferences
1.Uppaluri R., Smith R., Linke P., Kokossis A.C., A Modelling and Optimisation Framework for the Synthesis of Hybrid Membrane Systems, AIChE Annual Meeting, Reno, November 2001.
2.Uppaluri R., Smith R., Linke P., Kokossis A.C., Design of Gas Permeation Membrane Networks: Selection of Key Design Parameters, AIChE Annual Meeting, Reno, November 2001.
3.Uppaluri R., Kokossis A.C., Linke P., Novel membrane development using Process Integration methodologies, AIChE Spring Meeting, Houston, April 2001.
4.Uppaluri R., Kokossis A.C., Linke P. Synthesis of membrane systems for hydrogen recovery, AIChE Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, November 2000.
5.Uppaluri R., Kokossis A.C., Linke P. A modelling and optimisation framework for membrane network synthesis, AIChE Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, November 2000.
Poster presentations
1)Uppaluri R., Smith R., Linke P., Kokossis A.C., Optimal design of gas permeation memrbane & membrane adsorption hybrid systems, Escape 12, Hague, May 2002.
2)Uppaluri R., Smith R., Linke P., Kokossis A.C., Design of Membrane Systems for Gas Separation using Robust Networking Technology, AIChE Annual Meeting, Reno, November 2001.
3)Uppaluri R., Kokossis A.C., Synthesis and optimisation of membrane networks 3rd Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction (PRES), Praha, August 2000.
Future teaching interests
Undergraduate courses
1. Introduction to Chemical Engineering
2. Physical chemistry
3. Fluid mechanics
4. Mass transfer
5. Thermodynamics
6. Reaction Engineering
7. Process simulation
8. Multicomponent Distillation
9. Environmental Engineering
10. Optimization
11. Process Design
Postgraduate courses
1. Membrane separation processes
2. Advanced process optimization
3. Numerical methods in chemical engineering
4. Mass transfer with chemical reaction
Future research plan
Advanced materials
1.Membrane, catalyst and adsorbent preparation and characterization
2.Cheaper Pd composite membranes for hydrogen extraction
3.Materials for renewable energy technologies
4.Bio-electronics and Bio-sensors
Reaction Engineering
1.Catalytic reactor studies for gaseous reaction systems
2.Bio-reactor studies for pollutant removal
3.Energy integration
4.Bio-electrolysis of water
Membrane reactor engineering
1.Fuel processors
2.Inert membrane reactors (IMR) vs. Catalytic membrane reactors (CMR)
3.Fuel cell integrated with palladium membrane
4.Bio-electrolyzer with palladium membrane
5.Energy integration
Process systems engineering
1) Membrane systems
a) Reverse osmosis systems
b) Pervaporation systems
2) Separation systems
a) Pervaporation-distillation
b) Reverse osmosis-evaporation
c) Membrane-distillation-adsorption-absorption systems
3) Reaction-separation systems
a) Reactor-separation systems
b) Bio-reactor-separation systems
4) Reactive-separation systems
a) Reactive distillation
b) Inert membrane reactors
c) Catalytic membrane reactors
5) Optimal property prediction
a) Catalysts
b) Adsorbents
c) Membranes
6) Miscellaneous
a) Food engineering systems
b) Environmental systems
Modelling, simulation and optimisation
1) Membrane processes
a) Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis
b) Gas permeation and pervaporation
2) Reaction processes
a) Catalytic and bio-reactor systems
3) Reaction-separation processes
a)Membrane reactors
4)Reactive separation processes
a)Catalytic membranes
5)Conceptual design methods
a)Cost models for small to medium scale processes
b)Process design
c)Process integration
Membrane separation processes
1) Experimental studies for
a) Gas permeation and Pervaporation
b) Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis processes
Miscellaneous
1) Robust optimisation algorithms
a) Models with ordinary and partial differential equations
b) Systems with high non-linearities
2) Large scale simulation and optimisation methods
References
1. Dr. Edward Gobina
Director
Centre for Process Integration and Membrane Technology
Robert Gordon University
Aberdeen, Scotland
Telephone: +44 (0) 1224-262348
Email: e.gobina@rgu.ac.uk
2. Prof. R. Smith
Head of the Department
Department of Process Integration
P.O. Box 88, UMIST
Manchester, M60 1QD, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)161-200 4382
Fax: +44 (0)161 236 7439
E-mail: robin.smith@umist.ac.uk

3. Prof. A.C. Kokossis
School of Engineering (D2)
University of Surrey
GUILFORD
Surrey, UK
GU2 7XH
Telephone: +44 (0) 1483 876573
Fax: +44 (0) 1483 686581
Email: A.kokossis@surrey.ac.uk

4. Prof. P.K. Bhattacharya
Department of Chemical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology
Kanpur, India �V208 016
Ph: 91 512 597629
Fax: 91 512 590104/590260
Email: pkbhatta@iitk.ac.in