Dr. Orhan Talu
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Professor Emeritus
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Thermodynamics of Adsorption, Adsorptive Natural Gas Storage, Numerical Methods, Molecular Simulations, Separation Processes.
Research Interests
Multicomponent/Pure Component Adsorption Equilibria
Our laboratories are well-equipped to measure adsorption equilibrium of multicomponent or pre component gas adsorption as a variety of solids including activated carbon, silica gel, and molecular sieve zeolites. At present, we operate two Cahn microbalances and 2 high-precision multicomponent systems.
Multicomponent/Pure component diffusivity in Microporous Solid
A major project is undertaken to measure diffusion through single zeolite crystals. Both binary diffusivities and pure component systems are being examined on a state-of-art system utilizing mass spectroscopy.
Molecular Sieve Zeolite Synthesis
High gravity synthesis of zeolites has been shown to yield large crystals. At present, the work is underway to grown zeolite membranes under high gravity.
Low Pressure Methane Storage
A variety of adsorbents are characterized with respect to their methane storage capacity at low to moderate gas pressures. The project is of vital industrial interest due to its potential for being used as an energy source in transportation. Future phases will involve the application of low pressure storage to gas mixtures, especially to natural gas.
Evaluation Of Multicomponent Gas Adsorption Models
A number of multicomponent gas adsorption models are being evaluated with respect to their applicability for highly non-ideal systems. Literature data is being compiled and organized as a data base. The goal is to accumulate knowledge useful for the selection of a model for a specific system. Project involves heavy computer application and some theoretical development.
Simulation of Molecular Behavior in Tight Pores
Surface phase behavior on flat surfaces (or large curvature pores) is well understood by classical and statistical thermodynamics. A very important class of applications involves shape selective systems which operate in a region where the molecules barely fit in the pore structure. Several computational techniques such as direct integration of potential, Monte Carlo and molecular dynamic simulations are being used to understand equilibrium and kinetic behavior of systems when molecular diameter approaches pore diameter. A variety of computational machines such as personal computers to Cray are being used in this project.