Research Areas of Interest & Core Capabilities

What is Process Engineering?

As defined by the American Chemical Society, process engineering encompasses the analysis, modeling, simulation, optimization, design, control and operation of process systems, from micro-sized systems to huge industrial facilities.

Another, simpler definition is that process engineering is the field that allows humans to transform raw materials and energy into useful products at a commercial scale.

CPER Research Thrusts

CPER has six primary research thrusts and is positioning to capitalize on new emerging areas:

• Carbon Management: with a growing concern about climate change, the electricity/energy, transportation, agriculture, and industrial sectors need to develop new technologies and solutions to reduce their greenhouse gas footprint.
• Battery Technologies: energy storage and batteries are a growing need given the rise of intermittent renewables and expected dramatic increase in electric vehicle demand.
• Critical Minerals: it is crucial to develop a robust domestic supply chain for minerals/elements/materials that are critical to the United States’ economic and national security. Both traditional ores and unconventional resources hold potential and new processing technologies need to be developed to enhance global competitiveness, reduce environmental impacts, and increase domestically available economic supplies.
• Gasification/Combustion: both fossil and renewable fuels remain in need of improved fuel conversion methods that increase efficiency and reduce emissions.
• Chemicals/Petrochemicals: development of advanced chemicals synthesis/manufacturing methods is needed to reduce environmental impacts, facilitate use of renewable feedstocks, and reduce costs.
• Bio-based Products: biomass materials have great potential to replace fossil-derived alternatives and new or improved processing methods are needed to expand their market share.
• Emerging Areas: many STEM fields will require process engineering to advance fundamental science to the applied and near-commercial phases. CPER aims to provide this resource to the greater University, other North Dakota University System campuses and to external partners and clients.

Core Capabilities

• Technology Development and Scale-up – concept development and proof-of-concept through large pilot-scale and field demonstrations
• Research Equipment Design and Fabrication, including high pressure and high temperature, and process controls design and installation (National Instruments LabVIEW™)
• Advanced Materials Characterization: College of Engineering & Mines Analytical Labs
• Techno-Economic Analysis – AACE Class 5 (concept screening) through Class 3 (FEED studies)
• Environmental Lifecycle Analysis – SimaPro and GREET®
• Process Engineering Simulation, Modeling and Design – Aspen Plus® (commercial license), METSIM®, HSC Chemistry, and Amsterdam Modeling Suite
• Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling – Ansys Fluent, COMSOL Multiphysics®, OpenFOAM®, and MFiX