Philip Van Eyk

Biography

Dr Philip van Eyk is a Lecturer and Research Fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide. Currently, Dr van Eyk is involved with two major research projects. Firstly, Dr van Eyk acts as the overall project manager, and key researcher, for an ARC Linkage project (LP150101241) which aims to provide the experimental data and modelling tools required to aid in the scale up of continuous hydrothermal liquefaction reactors for biocrude oil production. Secondly, Dr van Eyk is performing key research on process modelling and chemical kinetics experiments for an ARENA funded project which aims to add concentrated solar thermal energy to the Bayer Alumina process. During this period Dr van Eyk has also contributed a substantial proportion of his time to the School of Chemical Engineering teaching program. Dr van Eyk's PhD was on the use of in-situ laser induced fluorescence to provide mechanistic insights into the release of sodium during the combustion of brown coal particles. From 2008-2012, Dr van Eyk was a Research Associate in the School Chemical Engineering, performing design, commissioning and experimental campaigns of small laboratory scale to pilot scale solid fuel combustion and gasification systems for an industrial research project. The project with Strike Energy Ltd aimed at proving technologies to convert South Australian brown coals into liquid fuels using circulating fluidised bed gasification and Fischer Tropsch Synthesis. From 2012-2015, Dr van Eyk undertook a fellowship funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) which involved experimental campaigns in Adelaide and in ETH Zurich, model development and techno-economic studies to determine the technical feasibility of incorporating solar energy into solid fuel gasification systems for liquid fuel production via Fischer Tropsch Synthesis.

Research Interest

Hydrothermal processing of wastewater sludges, algal biomass and agricultural residues using: 1. Hydrothermal carbonisation, and 2. Hydrothermal liquefaction. Utilisation of concentrated solar thermal energy in high temperature processes including: 1. Gasification of solid fuels, and 2. Calcination of minerals. Combustion and gasification of low-rank coal and biomass to produce electricity, syngas or liquefied fuels. Ash related problems with thermal utilisation of brown coal and biomass. Mathematical modelling of sequential processes in solid fuel combustion and gasification.