(8r) Energy Security and Environmental Protection: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Application

The convergence of recent advances in Computer-aided Engineering and theoretical developments for design and operation of industrial processes has provided unprecedented opportunities to explore new solutions for energy security and environmental protection. This poster presents my recent contributions and future plans in three dimensions; (1) The theory of process design and control, (2) Novel applications for energy security and environmental protection, and (3) Solution algorithms. The justification is that delivering energy and environmental impacts necessitates in-depth theoretical understanding, and solving industrial-scale problems requires tailor-made solution algorithms.

On the theoretical dimension, I demonstrate that integration of the process design and control decisions opens up new venues to energy efficiency and environmental protection. The features of interest include economic performance, dynamic controllability, and flexibility in the presence of disturbances. On the application dimension, I have focused on (1) production of fuel and chemical through biomass pyrolysis, (2) CO₂ capture from power generation systems, and (3) Integration of solar and wind energies into smart electricity grids. The features of interest include whole-system analysis, multi-scale modelling, process integration, and optimization under uncertainty. Finally, applying the advanced theories to address complex applications requires tailored-made solution algorithms. Over the course of my academic studies, I have developed and applied a variety of computer-aided engineering tools spanning over a wide spectrum of off-the-shelf model libraries to customizable simulation tools to low-level optimization programming. Here, the features of interest include multi-scale model integration, optimization with explicit constraints, and exploiting problem logic for improving solution algorithms.

Teaching Interests:

My teaching philosophy is highly inspired by my research vision. It will be based on a balanced combination of theory and application and will employ enabling software tools. I believe the theory of process design and control is an indispensable element of the Chemical Engineering curriculum and will enable future industrial practitioners and academic researchers to close the gap between theory and application. The students should be equipped with a variety of simulation, optimization and programming software tools, that will enable quantification and optimization of economic and environmental performance of industrial processes. I believe students should be inspired by novel applications for energy security and environmental protection and be motivated to deliver impacts to societal wellbeing and economic prosperity.

Publications -The papers are published in highly-ranked journals. The corresponding author is shown by *. The co-authors with equal contribution are shown by ^¥. The current bibliometric statistics of my publications are h-index 9, i10-index 7, and Citations >240, according to Google Scholar.

[1] Sharifzadeh M^*, (2013). Integration of process design and control: a review, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 91 (12), 2515â??2549 (Link).

[2] Sharifzadeh M^*, Thornhill NF, (2013). Integrated design and control using a dynamic inversely controlled process model. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 48, 121â??134. (Link).

[3] Sharifzadeh M^*, (2013). Implementation of an inversely controlled process model for integrated design and control of an ETBE reactive distillation, Chemical Engineering Science. 92, 21â??39, (Link).

[4] Sharifzadeh M^*, Thornhill NF, (2012).Optimal selection of control structures using a steady-state inversely controlled process model. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 38 (5), 126â??138, (Link).

[5] Sharifzadeh M^*, Rashtchian D, Pishvaie MR, Thornhill NF, (2011). Energy induced separation network synthesis of an olefin compression section: a case study. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 50 (3), 1610â??1623, (Link).

[6] Wang L, Sharifzadeh M, Templer R, Murphy RJ^*, (2012). Technology performance and economic feasibility of bioethanol production from various waste papers. Energy & Environmental Science, 5, 5717-5730, (Link).

[7] Wang L, Sharifzadeh M, Templer R, Murphy RJ^*, (2013). Bioethanol production from various waste papers: Economic feasibility and sensitivity analysis. Applied Energy, 111, 1172â??1182, (Link).

[8] Chen L^Â¥, Sharifzadeh M^Â¥, MacDowell N, Welton T, Shah N, Hallett JP^*, (2014). Inexpensive ionic liquids: [HSO4]â??based solvent production at bulk scale. Green Chemistry, 16, 3098-3106. (Link).

[9] Sharifzadeh M^*, Richards C, Liu K, Hellgardt K, Chadwick D, Shah N. (2015). An integrated process for biomass pyrolysis oil upgrading: the synergistic approach. Biomass & Bioenergy. 76, 108â??117, (Link).

[10] Sharifzadeh M^*, Wang L, Shah N, (2015). Integrated bio-refineries: CO₂ utilization for maximum biomass conversion. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 47, 151â??161, (Link).

[11] Sharifzadeh M^*, Wang L, Shah N, (2015). Decarbonisation of olefin processes using biomass pyrolysis oil. Applied Energy, 149, 404â??414, (Link).

[12] Sharifzadeh M^*, Cortada Garcia M, Nilay Shah, (2015). Supply chain network design and operation: Systematic decision-making for centralized, distributed, and mobile biofuel production using mixed integer linear programming (MILP) under uncertainty. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2015, 81, 401â??414, (Link).

[13] Sharifzadeh M^*, Shah N, (2015). Carbon capture from natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants: solvent performance comparison at industrial scale. AIChE Journal, 62 (1), 166â??179, (Link), Invited paper.

[14] Sharifzadeh M^*, Shah N, (2015). Comparative studies of CO₂ capture solvents for gas-fired power plants: Integrated modelling and pilot plant assessments. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 43, 124â??132, (Link).

[15] Sharifzadeh M^*, Bumb P, Shah N, (2015). Carbon capture from pulverised coal power plants (PCPP): solvent performance comparison at industrial scale. Applied Energy, 163, 423â??435, (Link).

[17] Eini S, Shahhosseini HR, Javidi M, Sharifzadeh M*, Rashtchian D. Inherently safe and economically optimal design using multi-objective optimization: the case of a refrigeration cycle. Accepted for publication at Process Safety and Environmental Protection.

[16] Sharifzadeh M^*, Meghdari M, Rashtchian D. Integrated safe design and operation of Thermal Power System-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Triple Combined-cycle System. Under review.

[18] Sharifzadeh M^*, Lubiano H, Shah N. Optimal design and operation of integrated renewable energy systems. Under review.

[19] Sharifzadeh M*, Siirola JD, Grossmann IE. The hybrid reformulation algorithm for generalized disjunctive programs: Implementation in Pyomo. Under review.

[20] Sharifzadeh M^*, Konda M, Wang L, Guo M, Cortada Garcia M, Sadeqzadeh M, Hallet J, Shah N. Biomass pyrolysis and upgrading: the state of art and research frontiers. Under review.