Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Yuswan Muharam, M.T. was inaugurated as a Permanent Professor of Modeling and Simulation of Chemical Process Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering (FT), Universitas Indonesia (UI), after delivering a scientific oration entitled -Mathematical Models-Secret Weapons in Solving Chemical Engineering Problems. The inauguration, led by UI Rector, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., was held on Wednesday (20/9), at the Council Hall, UI Depok Campus.
In his scientific oration, Prof. Yuswan said that a graduate in Chemical Engineering has two main tasks in the chemical industry. The first task is to keep the plant operating safely and optimize existing processes to produce quality output according to the target. The second task is to design new processes or improve existing processes with a focus on efficiency, safety, and economic aspects. To carry out both tasks, mathematical models become an important tool in overcoming the high risks in designing new plants to controlling and optimizing plant operations to achieve the desired results.
Mathematical models in chemical engineering are mathematical equations that describe physical phenomena, such as distillation, absorption, adsorption, and extraction as well as chemical phenomena, namely chemical reactions. According to Prof. Yuswan, words alone are not enough to explain how reactant molecules move and interact in the reactor until they reach the solid catalyst to react. Therefore, a mathematical model is needed to explain the process. Thus, a scholar in Chemical Engineering must have a deep understanding of the observed process and the ability to describe it in the form of mathematical equations.
Prof. Yuswan presented two mathematical models of the process occurring in a still-bed reactor, namely the mathematical model for reactants and the mathematical model for products. The mathematical equations presented are in the form of ordinary differential equations. In addition to differential equations, mathematical models of processes in the chemical industry can also be in the form of algebraic equations and integral equations. The equations describing a particular process are sometimes complex or simple, numbering in the tens or even hundreds. Exact solutions to such equations are not easy, even impossible. Therefore, a method is needed that can provide a solution, even if the resulting solution is an approximation. That method is a numerical method.
An analogy must exist between the mathematical model and the process being modelled so that inferences about the process being modelled can be made. The mathematical model can represent the entire process or elements of the process. The model will be satisfactory if the important variables and phenomena of the process being modelled are correctly represented for the particular context modeled are correctly represented for a given context. Therefore, the model needs to be validated using experimental data. Validation should be done on hydrodynamic interactions (residence time distribution, mass transfer, and heat transfer) on the one hand and chemical reactions on the other.
The benefits of mathematical models in chemical engineering processes are significant. First, through mathematical models, existing processes can be investigated more quickly, economically, and thoroughly than direct experiments in a running plant. Furthermore, mathematical models can be used as an economical way to predict the stability of a process or process part as a prerequisite for effective control or operation.
Furthermore, a good enough mathematical model can be used to test extreme operating conditions that are not possible in the running process. Areas of operating variables and parameters can then be created. Finally, the form of mathematical equations can scale up the tool from laboratory scale to full scale. Therefore, Prof. Yuswan dubbed mathematical models as -the secret weapon‖ in solving chemical engineering problems.
“In his inaugural speech, Prof. Yuswan gave an extraordinary explanation of the important role of mathematics in chemical engineering. He discussed how mathematical approaches and mathematical models can be very powerful tools in designing solutions to complex challenges in chemical engineering. This understanding will provide a solid foundation for students and researchers to develop better and more efficient innovations in this field. FTUI is very proud to have Prof. Yuswan as a professor who can inspire and guide future generations in facing increasingly complex chemical engineering problems.”
Prof. Yuswan’s study related to mathematical models in chemical engineering is one of the many studies that have been carried out. Some other studies include the Modeling of Coal Spontaneous Fire in A Large-Scale Stockpile (2023); the Modeling of Jatropha Oil Hydrocracking in a Trickle-Bed Reactor to Produce Green Fuel (2022); and the Optimization of the Extraction Process of Phenolic Compounds from Strobilanthes Crispus L. with the Ultrasound-Assisted Enzymatic- Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction Method (2021).
Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Yuswan Muharam, M.T. completed his bachelor’s degree in Gas and Petrochemical Engineering UI in 1993; master’s degree in Gas Technology UI in 2000; and doctoral degree in Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Germany in 2012. He served as Director of the Community Service Unit of the Department of Chemical Engineering FTUI in 2011-2015.
Prof. Yuswan’s inauguration ceremony was also attended by the Head of Advanced Chemical Research Center, National Research and Innovation Agency, Prof. Dr. Yenny Meliana, S.T., M.Si.; Senior Manager Techno. and Eng. Authority, PT Medco E&P Indonesia, Dr. Bayu Sari Adji, S.T., M.T.; and UI Rector for the 2014-2019 period, Prof. Dr. Ir. Muhammad Anis, M.Met.
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Public Communication Bureau
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia