Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô

Software Packages Available

• Big Data Analytics and decision-making: Python, R, Matlab
• Downstream process simulation
• Steady-State Simulation: Aspen Plus, HYSYS, Promax
• Dynamic Simulation: Aspen Plus Dynamics, HYSYS Dynamics
• Midstream and upstream process simulation: Promax
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulation: Ansys
• Model Predictive Control: Aspen DMC plus

Current Projects

• Combustion Kinetics Study and Machine Learning for the Simulation and Control of Industry Flares
  • Gai, H. L., A. Wang, J. Fang, H. H. Lou, D. Chen, X. C. Li, and C. Martin, “Clean Combustion and Flare Minimization to Reduce Emissions from Process Industry,” Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 23, 38-45, 2020.
• Big Data Analytics and Machine Learning for Operation Improvement of Chemical Processes in Ethylene Value Chain
  • Lou, H. H., H. L. Gai, “How can AI Better Serve Chemical Process Industry,” Hydrocarbon Processing, 37-39, July 2020.

Position Available

The position is available for a Ph.D. Student with research and teaching assistantship. The candidate must have a solid background in programming skills and chemical engineering. (GPA ≥ 3.0, Verbal + Quantitative ≥ 308)is required.

To apply, Email Dr. Helen Lou directly at helen.lou@lamar.edu

Research Group

Doctoral Dissertations

• Anan Wang, “Combustion Kinetics Study and Machine Learning for the Simulation and Control of Industrial Flares,” Ph.D. Dissertation, December 2019, Beaumont, TX.
• Hailong Gai, “Hybrid Modeling and Machine Learning for Operation Improvement of Selected Chemical Processes,” Ph.D. Dissertation, December 2019, Beaumont, TX.
• Ravinder Singh, "Analysis of Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal in Synergy with Cryogenic Air Separation Process", Doctoral Dissertation, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, August 2017.
• Kailiang Zheng, “Sustainable Process Design: Flexible Heat Exchange Network Design under Severe Uncertainty, Reaction Pathway Selection, and Design of a Gas-To-Liquids Process”, Ph.D. Dissertation, May 2013, Beaumont, TX.
• Preeti Gangadharan, “Sustainability Based Decision Making Tools for Design and Assessment of Alternative Fuel Technologies,” Ph.D. Dissertation, May 2013, Beaumont, TX.
• Xiang Li, "Assessment, Simulation and Decision-making under Severe Uncertainty in Industrial Sustainability", D. dissertation, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2011.
• Hitesh Vaid, "Reduction of Light Hydrocarbon Combustion Mechanisms and Speciation Study of Industrial Flares through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Methods", Ph.D. dissertation, December 2011.
• Aditi Singh, "Multi-Objective Decision-Making in Design for Sustainability", Ph.D. dissertation, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2007.
• Amarnath Singh, "Dynamic Simulation of Chemical Process and the Use of the Simulation Models in Control Room for Source Reduction and Performance Improvement", Doctoral Dissertation, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, December 2004 (Co-Advisor, with K. Y. Li as the Advisor).

 M.S. Theses

• Ankit Maheshbhai Chachad, Diagnosis of Linear Alpha Olefins Process Upsets via Dynamic Simulation, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2019.
• Parag Saxena, Simulation of Selected Vapor Recovery Processes, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, August 2015.
• Anand Zanwar, Simulation and Assessment of Natural Gas Processing Technologies and Polygeneration Processes, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2011.
• Abhishek Jayswal, Sustainability Root Cause Analysis and Simulation of a GTL Process, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2011.
• Krishna Reddy Kanchi, Simulation and Analysis of Natural Gas Reforming Processes, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2011.
• Anjan Tular Kumar, CFD Model for Validation of a Combustion Mechanism for Light Hydrocarbons, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, August 2010.
• Bala Chaitanya Varma Gottimukkala, CFD Simulation of Industrial Flares with Reduced Mechanisms and NOx Dispersion from Vehicular Exhaust Pipe, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, August 2008.
• Bhaskar Roy, Process Security Analysis of Ethylene Oxide Production Plant, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, December 2006.
• Kishore Mehrotra, Application of Neural Networks for Control System Development, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2005.
• Becky Smith, Analysis of a Petrochemical and Chemical Industrial Zone for the Improvement of Sustainability, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, August 2005.
• Aditi Singh, Hierarchical Pareto Optimization and Life Cycle Analysis for Sustainable Development of Large Scale Industrial Ecosystems,Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, August 2004.
• Jayachandran Chandrasekaran, Assessment and Analysis of a Large Scale Chemical Process for Secured Design and Operation using Dynamic Simulation, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, December 2004.
• Sanjeev S. Dusija, Multiscale Modeling and Simulation for Analyzing Thermal Runaway Reaction Systems, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, December 2004.
• Rameshkumar Muthusamy, Chemical Process Security Assessment and the Application of Parallel Computing Technology, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, December 2003.
• Makarand A. Kulkarni, Analysis of the Sustainable Development of Industrial Ecological System, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, August 2003 (Co-Advisor, with J. R. Hopper as the Advisor).
• Li Zhou, Regional Air Quality Management Strategy: Real-time Emission Inventory Development, Master Thesis, Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô, Beaumont, TX, May 2003 (Co-Advisor, with K. Y. Li as the Advisor).  

Additional Information

• The following research projects are either in process or completed in the Sustainable Engineering Technology Lab:

  • Enhance the Resilience of Water Infrastructure in Mid-sized Cities Adjacent to Energy Industry
  • Clean combustion technologies
  • Profitable pollution prevention technologies for petrochemical and surface finishing industries
  • Process integration
  • Process safety and operability enhancement via dynamic simulation, control and optimization

  The lab is located at the Cherry Engineering Building, first floor room 3109.