ABSTRACT

Designing a chemical engineering process/system by a "trial and error" approach becomes more time-consuming and expensive; it is not just testing that is time consuming, but also preparation of various catalysts/gasses/reaction. By using mathematical modeling (from first principles) and computer simulation to aid design, this process can be considerably shortened. Additionally, the exercise of model development and application can lead to a greater understanding of the chemistry and physics of the system which can help to optimize their efficiency, and better control of the process. In this talk, we shall discuss on how mathematical modeling is used as a tool in the industry. Experiences from automotive and semiconductor industry will be shared using a few examples such as a) electrically heated catalyst systems for emission control, b) Modeling for Chemical Vapor Deposition of Ga-As, and c) Wafer temperature control in deposition chambers.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Dr. Karthik Ramanathan studied Chemical Engineering and obtained his Bachelor's degree with from IIT Madras in 2000, and his Ph.D. from University of Houston, Texas. His research interests are in the area of chemical reaction engineering and chemical kinetics, mathematical modeling of transport and thermal processes and computational techniques involving parameter estimation, optimization, advanced numerical methods, and non-linear analysis. After completing his PhD in 2004, he worked as a senior researcher in GM R&D for 8 years in the area of emission control. From 2012, he has been working with Applied Materials, a semiconductor equipment manufacturing company. He has 18 published journal articles in peer reviewed international journals and has 12 patents to his name. He has numerous awards to his credit such as INAE Young Engineer Award for the year 2013, John M. Campbell Award for the year 2008 - awarded by GM R&D for his outstanding contributions to "game-changing" science and technology and various other internal awards in his companies.