J.A.M. (Hans) Kuipers

Hans Kuipers leads the research group Multiscale Modelling of Multiphase Flows. Using highly advanced computer simulations, Kuipers develops accurate models for new chemical reactors in the process industry, allowing the large-scale production of synthetic fuels, fertiliser, laundry soap, polymers and numerous other products.

Over the years the Kuipers group has made seminal contributions to the fundamentals of chemical reaction engineering. The current focus is on two topics:

Multiphase reactors. Here an important area of attention is the development of advanced reactor models for multiphase reactors of industrial relevance. The research focuses on the hydrodynamics since these pose major difficulties in the design and scale-up of multiphase reactors. The study of the interplay of flow phenomena with chemical reactions is also studied. Various types of CFD models (mainly based on “in house” codes) are used to study the relevant phenomena at all relevant length and time scales. This regards both multi-fluid models and models that treat the dispersed phase (particles, bubbles or droplets) in a discrete manner (accounting for possible encounters between the dispersed elements).

Non-invasive monitoring of multiphase flows. This is intimately connected to the first research topic and deals with the development of advanced experimental techniques to measure key quantities (i.e. local volume fractions and velocities of the dispersed and continuous phase). An example is the development of the 'Digital Particle Image Velocimetry' technique to measure in a non-intrusive manner the velocity map of both the liquid phase and dispersed gas bubbles in (dense) gas-liquid dispersions. This type of flow arises in a variety of gas-liquid contactors/reactors.

Hans Kuipers studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Twente (UT, Enschede, The Netherlands) where he obtained his MSc in 1985. In the same year he started his PhD research on detailed microbalance modelling of gas-fluidized beds under supervision at the UT Reaction Engineering group of Prof. Wim van Swaaij. In 1990 he received his PhD degree and was appointed in the same year as Assistant Professor in the Reaction Engineering group. In 1994 he became Associate Professor and in 1999 he was appointed Full Professor in Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Engineering at the University of Twente. From 2006 – 2010, he was the Scientific Director at the Institute of Mechanics Processes and Control Twente (IMPACT). In 2010, he moved to Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) as Full Professor in Multiscale Modelling of Multiphase Flows. Since 2015 he is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences since. He has received an Advanced ERC grant in 2009, NWO CW TOP grants in 2005 and 2010 and he is co-recipient of an 31,9 million euro NWO gravitation grant for the "Netherlands Center for Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion" (2013).