Polymerization kinetics, mathematical modelling
and computer simulation of polymer reactors, on-line sensor development
for polymer and latex characterization, polymer reactor design, optimization
and computer control, emulsion/solution/suspension polymerization.
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Over the last twenty years or so, Penlidis has made outstanding and
innovative research accomplishments with major impact on the field, culminating
in the 1993 Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering Albright and Wilson
Americas Award, for distinguished contributions in Chemical Engineering
before the age of 40. He has been the founding co-editor and editor
in the last decade of the internationally unique “Polymer Reaction Engineering
Journal”. He has been involved with the internationally known Institute
for Polymer Research at the University of Waterloo for over fifteen years,
being the associate Director and Director since 1991. All these international
recognitions culminated in the Fellowship of the Chemical Institute of
Canada in 1994. He has a superior record in attracting and supervising
graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research engineers (31 MASc,
16 PhD and 18 pdf/research engineers in the last 15 years), and in attracting
and collaborating with visiting scientists/engineers from all over the world.
Finally he has been a consultant with all major polymer industries internationally.
In 2002, he was awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Polymer Engineering.
More information about the Canada Research Chair (CRC) program can be found
at www.chairs.gc.ca.
Also
in 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE).
LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES
- To enhance
the engineering of polymers with "Tailor-made" properties for different
applications
- To promote
in parallel interdisciplinary research for polymers with advanced technology
applications and novel properties, with research nuclei in polymers in
health applications, biological polymers, polymeric sensors, polymeric
materials for photonics, and polymeric materials for a variety of civil
engineering applications
- To train graduate
(and undergraduate) students and post-doctoral fellows in polymer engineering,
to train (and collaborate with) scientists/engineers from other countries,
and, finally to disseminate this new knowledge via academic publications
and courses, patents, consultancies, and industrial in-house training courses.
My graduate students and I are currently working on the following projects:
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Kinetics and Modelling
of Multicomponent Bulk, Solution, Suspension and Emulsion Polymerizations
(styrenics/vinyl acetate/acrylates/methacrylates).
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Development of
Flexible Simulator Packages for Polymerization Processes
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Dynamic Optimization
of Polymer Reactor Operation
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Polymer Reactor
Pilot-Plant Instrumentation and Automation
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On-line Multivariable
Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Polymerization Reactors
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State Estimation
and Kalman Filtering of Polymerization Processes
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High Temperature
Terpolymerizations and Depropagation Studies
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Multifunctional
Initiators
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
D.E. Palmer, N.T.
McManus and A. Penlidis (2001). Copolymerization with depropagation:
A study of alpha-methyl styrene/methyl methacrylate in solution at elevated
temperatures. J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Chem., 39 (10), 1753-1763
L. D’Agnillo, J.B.P.
Soares and A. Penlidis (1998). A critical examination of polyethylene
molecular weight distribution control through the combination of soluble
metallocene MAO catalysts. Polym. Intern., 47 (3), 351-360
J. Gao, and A.
Penlidis (1998). A comprehensive simulator/database for reviewing
free-radical copolymerizations. J. Macromol. Sci.-Revs. Macromol.
Chem. Phys., C 38 (4), 651-780
E. Vivaldo-Lima,
P.E. Wood, A.E. Hamielec and A. Penlidis (1998). Kinetic model-based
experimental design of the polymerization conditions in suspension copolymerization
of styrene/ divinylbenzene. J. Poly. Sci., Poly. Chem., 36
, 2081-2094
R.K. Mutha, W.R.
Cluett and A. Penlidis (1997). On-line nonlinear model-based estimation
and control of a polymer reactor. AIChE J., 43 (11), 3042-3058
M.A. Dube and A.
Penlidis (1997). Emulsion terpolymerization of butyl acrylate/methyl
methacrylate/vinyl acetate: Experimental results. J. Poly.
Sci., Poly. Chem., 35, 1659-1672
A.L. Burke, T.A.
Duever and A. Penlidis (1996). An experimental verification of statistical
discrimination between the terminal and penultimate copolymerization models.
J. Poly. Sci., Poly. Chem., 34 , 2665-2678
N.T. McManus and
A. Penlidis (1996). A kinetic investigation of styrene/ethyl acrylate
copolymerization. J. Poly. Sci., Poly. Chem., 34, 237-248
P.J. Scott, A.
Penlidis and G.L. Rempel (1995). Ethylene/vinyl acetate emulsion
copolymerization: Monomer partitioning and preliminary modelling.
Polym. React. Eng. J., 3 (2), 93-130
D.C.H. Chien and
A. Penlidis (1994). Effect of impurities on continuous solution methyl
methacrylate polymerization reactors: II. Closed-loop real-time
control. Chem. Eng. Sci., 49 (11), 1855-1868
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Research
Interests
Selected
References
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