Professor Ray Allen
PhD, FIChemE, FREng, C Sci
Chairman of Curriculum Committee
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 7600
Fax: +44 (0)114 276 2154
email : r.w.k.allen@sheffield.ac.uk
Chemical and Biological Engineering
The University of Sheffield
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Research interests
Microfluidics, high throughput experimentation,
lab-on-a-chip
Thermochemical cycles for massive scale generation of hydrogen, hydrogen economy
Power fluidics, flow visualisation and modelling
Green chemistry, atom efficiency, the chemistry/chemical engineering interface
Biography
My personal research interests began with environmental engineering and now straddle microfluidics, green chemical processes and the hydrogen economy. My main focus, however, lies at the chemistry/chemical engineering interface with engineering to develop novel, atom-efficient designs of reactors for example those involving microfluidics through projects associated with lab-on-a-chip, plant-on-a-chip and high throughput screening. Over the last few years, this microchemical engineering has been increasingly supplemented by my work on Thermochemical Cycles and other routes for massive scale production of hydrogen, in the long term to fuel the Hydrogen economy and in the short term to provide low carbon routes to transport fuels.
Thermochemical cycles are themselves a paradigm for atom efficient chemical engineering. In the case of a thermodynamically adverse reaction such as splitting water to manufacture hydrogen, only water and heat are put into the process and only hydrogen and oxygen are removed. The cycles under study include Sulphur Iodine, Copper chlorine and the Westinghouse hybrid sulphur process. We have a world leading university centre in these technologies and our collaborations spread across a broad range of countries including France, Spain, Germany, the US and South Africa.
I arrived at Sheffield from the Harwell Laboratory in Oxfordshire in 1995 as part of the nineties AEA Technology diaspora. At AEA I had a number of senior management responsibilities being in charge first of the Separation Processes Service and then HTFS (subsequently absorbed by Hyprotech) and eventually being Business Development Director for AEA Technology.
After arriving at Sheffield, I was, for five years,the founding head of the newly formed Department of Chemical & Process Engineering. This was a period of intense growth and activity during which we spun off Chemical and Process Engineering as an independent Department, doubled our staff numbers, decided upon our major lines of research and so laid the foundations for much of the current research programme. For the first three and a half years at Sheffield I worked on a one day a week secondment to the DTI´s Innovation Unit. There I led the team that set up an infrastructure to support innovation in London.
Activities and distinctions
Activities and Distinctions
In recent years I have acted as a consultant for Westinghouse, Samsung, Unilever, Hoover, AEA Technology and the Government Office for London, amongst others.
I am or have recently been:
• Chairman of the EPSRC Panel reporting on the Interface between Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
• Member of the Standing Committee on Education and Training of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• Member of the Proactive Membership Committee of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• President of Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC)
• Chairman Communications Working Group, EPC
• Member, Advisory Board Crystal Faraday
• Chairman IChemE whynotchemeng editorial board
• Chairman of the UK Standing Conference of Professors and Heads of Departments of Chemical Engineering
• Member of the Management Committee of the Crystal Faraday
• Co-Chairman of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)and Royal Society of Chemistry Committee on Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Interface
• Member of the Membership Committee of the Royal Academy of Engineering (1996 – 2002)
• Chairman of Membership Panel 4 of the the Royal Academy of Engineering (1999 – 2002)
• Member of many International Conference organising committees
• Member of several editorial boards
Key Papers
1: Elder, RH, Priestman, GH and Allen, RWK, “Dewatering of HIx Solutions by Pervaporation Through Nafion (R) Membranes” I.J.H.E. Aug 2009, 34, Issue 15 pp6129 - 6136
2. Kuvshinov, D., MacInnes, J., Allen R W K, and others "Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Liquids in a Microfluidic Device," Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 10, Jan 2011, pp123 – 132.
3. Ewan, B.C., and R.W.K.Allen, 2005, “A Figure of Merit Assessment of the Routes to Hydrogen” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 30, pp 809-819.
4. Hoffmann A.C, van Santen A, Allen R.W.K. “Effects of Geometry and Solid Loading on the Performance of Gas Cyclones”, 1992, POWDER TECHNOLOGY 70 pp: 83-91
5: Allen, R. W. K., “Prediction of Venturi Scrubber Grade Efficiency Curves Using the Contacting Power Law”, Powder Technology, Vol 86/1, pp137 - 144, 1996
Teaching
CPE2012 - Chemical Reaction & Process Engineering (2nd year)
CPE306 - Engineering Management (3rd year)
CPE407 - Control of Particulate Environmental Emissions (MEng)
CPE6070 - Control of Particulate Environmental Emissions (MSc)