About Us

Professor David Reay, M.Sc. (Bristol), C.Eng., M.R.Ae.S.

Main Interests

• Heat transfer
• Compact & intensified heat exchangers
• Heat pipes & thermosyphons
• Heat pumps
• Process intensification
• Human thermoregulation

Academic & Other Positions

• Visiting Professor, School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials, Newcastle University
• Visiting Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Heriot-Watt University
• Past Manager – IEA Annex 33 on Compact Heat Exchangers in Heat Pumping Equipment
• Past Manager – EPSRC Project on Boiling & Condensation in Microchannels (5 Universities, 10 Companies)

Other Activities and Awards

• Founding Editor & Editor-in-Chief – Applied Thermal Engineering (An Elsevier Journal)
• First Honorary Life member of the Heat Pump Association
• Past President of the Heat Transfer Society
• Co-ordinator of the Heat Exchanger Action Group – www.hexag.org
• Co-ordinator of the Process Intensification Network – www.pinetwork.org
• Author/co-author of eight books
• Awarded the Brennan Medal by the Institution of Chemical Engineers for his book on Process Intensification (together with Profs. Ramshaw & Harvey)

Professor Colin Ramshaw, BSc (Chem. Engng.), PhD (Newcastle), CEng, FIChemE, FREng

Colin, after his University research, spent 4 years with Ministry of Aviation Rocket Establishment where he developed rocket engines for the "Blue Streak" and "Black Knight" programmes.

He then moved to ICI R&D, where he developed industrial reactors/crystallisers. While at ICI Colin conceived and developed the idea of Process Intensification.

Colin then spent 11 years as Prof of Chemical Engineering at Newcastle University, where he further developed a wide range of process intensification concepts with a research team of about 10 staff & students. While at Newcastle he set up the Process Intensification Network with David Reay.

Colin is currently Visiting Professor at Cranfield University.

Richard Law, M.Eng. (Newcastle)

Introduction

Richard is currently working as a PhD student on the EPSRC OPTITHERM project (OPTImising THermal Energy Recovery, utilisation and Management in the process industries) with the overall aim of producing an expert system for the design and selection of the best available technology for low-grade waste heat recovery. As a result, he has become proficient in the design of waste heat recovery systems ranging from heat exchanger design/selection, to more complex solutions such as heat pumps (open and closed cycle) and organic Rankine cycles.

In addition to his primary workload Richard has recently completed the following consultancy projects with DRA:

• Gas turbine recuperator design
• Novel high temperature heat pump modelling and design
• Prior-art study to aid a (US) patent litigation case
• Feasibility study for a small-scale thermal storage unit

Education

MEng (first class) Chemical Engineering. Newcastle University. 2010
PhD Candidate. Newcastle University. Expected graduation: 2013

Relevant Publications

Law, R; Harvey, A. P; Reay, D. A; (2013) Opportunities for low-grade waste heat recovery in the UK food processing industry. Applied Thermal Engineering 53. pp 188-196
Law, R; Harvey, A. P; Reay, D. A; (2013) Techno-economic comparison of a high temperature heat pump and an organic Rankine cycle machine for waste heat recovery in UK industry. Int. J. Low-Carbon Tech. 8 (Special Issue: Heat Powered Cycles Conference 2012). pp i47-i54

Relevant Skills/Knowledge

• Process modelling
• Heat Exchanger design
• Design of thermodynamic cycles
• Java programming
• Energy auditing
• Thermodynamic analysis
• Second-law analysis; Thermal storage

Ahmad Mustaffar, M.Eng, A.M.I.Chem.E. (Herriot-Watt University)

Introduction

Ahmad's current doctoral work at Newcastle University revolves around thermal energy storage (TES) - in particular phase change materials (PCM) and their heat transfer enhancement by using metal foams and heat pipes. The current application interest is for medium to high temperature (80 to 400°C) chemical processes. In addition, the feasibility of TES in solar-assisted post combustion carbon capture (SPCC) and industrial/residential heat pumps are interests currently being followed up, in the latter case this involves a low temperature (&less;80°C) PCM.

Relevant skills in the TES research area include PCM thermophysical characterization via DSC and TGA devices. Tests were done on two prospective PCMs relevant to medium/high temperature processes, LiNO3 and KNO3, on their short-term thermal cycling capability. Research on TES is carried out via experimentation and modelling (thermal resistance network and CFD via Ansys Fluent).

Ahmad is currently collaborating with Thermacore Ltd on the IEA SHC Task 49 Subtask B (process intensification in solar thermal processes) and Task 42 (compact thermal energy storage).

Relevant Skills/Knowledge

• TES research expertise
• Process integration via pinch analysis
• Design of heat exchanger networks and thermal equipment
• Materials selection and rating for compact high temperature portable TES systems
• Process modelling/control and molecular dynamics - simulation of nanoscale systems

Eur Ing. Professor Brian Agnew, B.Tech (Brunel), M.Sc. (Kings London), Ph.D. (City) C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E.

Main Interests

• Heat Transfer
• Compact & Intensified Heat Exchangers
• Thermal Systems
• Gas Turbines
• Combined Cycles
• Refrigeration
• Combustion
• HVAC
• Virtual Reality

Academic & Other Positions

• Professor of Energy and the Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University 2009 - to date.
• Reader in Thermal Systems, School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University - 2009.
• Visiting Member of Staff, School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University.
• Visiting Professor, Technical University of Wroclaw, Poland.
• Visiting Professor, UiTM,Shah Alam, Malaysia.

Recent Projects

• Energy savings in the process industries - EPSRC
• Development of a Miniature Refrigeration System for Electronics Cooling - EPSRC
• Phase Change in Micro Channels - EPSRC and Thermacore
• Development of Ammonia Heat Pipes - Thermacore
• Thermal properties of Concrete
• Industrialised Buildings in Malaysia
• Subway Climatology Studies in Newcastle Monument Metro Station - Nexus

Jonathan R McDonough, PhD MEng (Hons) AIChemE

Introduction

Dr Jonathan McDonough is an early career researcher at Newcastle University who has significant interest and expertise in the areas of reaction engineering, fluid mechanics, flow chemistry, fluidization, heat transfer and 3D printing. Jonathan is currently working on an EPSRC funded carbon capture project in collaboration with Heriot Watt University, Sheffield University and Torftech Ltd. The overall goal is the development of an adsorption-based carbon capture process for the industrial sector (e.g. cement and iron/steel) that will achieve intensification through the application of a swirling fluidized bed.

Jonathan's previous EPSRC-funded PhD project explored four areas where process development using mesoreactors could be further improved by: analysing novel fluid dynamics, constructing a novel heat pipe reactor, designing smarter screening experiments, and using 3D printing for novel reactor development. Since completing his PhD in January 2018, Jonathan has already been the lead author on 8 publications, with further publications under review/development. In addition to this work, Jonathan is also involved in several side projects that are each exploring different avenues of intensified flow chemistry using 3D printing.

Recent Projects

• Compiled a 58-page report on the potential for optimising the performance of a heat pipe wick using additive manufacturing
• Experimental characterisation of additively manufactured heat pipe wicks (capillary pressure and permeability measurements)
• Creation of "Module Designer" documentation for Torbed and Tube Insert technologies for the IbD platform
• Conception and development of Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) database, which formed an integral part of the final IbD platform

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=13ZFst8AAAAJ&hl=en

Education

PhD Chemical Engineering, Newcastle University, 2018
MEng (Hons) (first class) Chemical Engineering, Newcastle University, 2013

Relevant Skills/Knowledge

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (ANSYS/Fluent)
• Particle Image Velocimetry (experiment and data analysis)
• CAD Drawing
• 3D Printing (FDM, SLA & DLP technologies)
• Coding/Modelling (Matlab)
• Experiment design/implantation and general lab work
• Microsoft Office
• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Recent Review Papers

McDonough, J.R., Law, R., Reay, D.A., Zivkovic, V. Intensified carbon capture using adsorption: Heat transfer challenges and potential solutions. Thermal Science and Engineering Process 8 (2018) 17-30

McDonough, J.R., Phan, A.N., Harvey, A.P. Rapid process development using oscillatory baffled mesoreactors – A state-of-the-art review. Chemical Engineering Journal 265 (2015) 110-121

Peter Kew, MA,PhD,CEng,FEI

Introduction

Peter Kew has worked for nearly 40 years in mechanical engineering, specializing in heat transfer and related fields. Graduating from Cambridge University he worked in contract R & D for 8 years in areas including heat pump and heat pipe development, energy conservation and equipment qualification for the nuclear industry. He also spent some time in Papua New Guinea teaching heat transfer and thermodynamics while investigating solar cooling.

He joined Heriot-Watt University in 1989 as a Lecturer and with a research interest in boiling in confined spaces and was awarded a PhD in this area in 1996. Since then he has been involved in the areas of energy conservation, enhanced boiling heat transfer, heat pipes and compact heat exchangers. In 2012 he moved to Heriot-Watt University’s Dubai campus as the Associate Head of Engineering and Physical Sciences with responsibility for Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineering.

Throughout his career he has carried out a wide range of consultancy involving heat transfer, energy utilization and accident investigation. Since retiring from Heriot-Watt he has continued doing consultancy work, including course review and accreditation for Universites.