Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Ir. Yuswan Muharam, M.T. was inaugurated as Permanent Professor in the Field 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, which was led directly by the Rector of UI, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., was held on Wednesday (20/9), at the Convention 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 factory operating safely and optimize existing processes to produce quality output according to targets. The second task is to design new processes or improve existing processes with a focus on efficiency, safety, and economic aspects. To carry out these two tasks, mathematical models become an important tool in overcoming high risks in designing new factories to controlling and optimizing factory operations to achieve the desired results.
Mathematical models in the field of 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 the reactant molecules move and interact in the reactor until they reach the solid catalyst to react. Therefore, a mathematical model is needed to explain this process. Thus, a graduate in Chemical Engineering must have a deep understanding of the observed processes and the ability to describe them in the form of mathematical equations.
Prof. Yuswan explained two mathematical models of the processes that occur in a still bed reactor, namely a mathematical model for reactants and a mathematical model for products. The mathematical equations presented are in the form of ordinary differential equations. Apart from differential equations, mathematical models of processes in the chemical industry can also take the form of algebraic equations and integral equations. The equations that describe a particular process are sometimes complex or simple, numbering in the tens or even hundreds. An exact solution to such an equation is not easy, even impossible. Therefore, a method is needed that is able to provide a solution, even though it is in the form of an approach. The method is a numerical method.
An analogy must exist between the mathematical model and the process being modeled so that conclusions about the process being modeled can be made. Mathematical models can represent entire processes or process elements. A model will be satisfactory if the important variables and phenomena of the process being modeled are represented correctly for a particular context. Therefore, the model needs to be validated using experimental data. Validation must be carried out on hydrodynamic interactions (residence time distribution, mass transfer, and heat transfer) on the one hand and chemical reactions on the other hand.
The benefits of mathematical models in chemical engineering processes are very significant. First, through mathematical models, existing processes can be researched more quickly, economically, and thoroughly than direct experimentation in a running factory. Furthermore, mathematical models can be used as an economical way to predict the stability of processes or process parts as a prerequisite for effective control or operation.
Furthermore, a sufficiently good mathematical model can be used to test extreme operating conditions that are not possible in a running process. Areas of operating variables and parameters can then be created. Finally, forms of mathematical equations can scale up tools from laboratory scale to full scale. Therefore, Prof. Yuswan calls mathematical models the “secret weapon” in solving chemical engineering problems.
Study by Prof. Yuswan regarding mathematical models in chemical engineering is one of the many studies that have been carried out. Several other studies include Modeling of Coal Spontaneous Fire in A Large-Scale Stockpile (2023); Modeling of Jatropha Oil Hydrocracking in a Trickle-Bed Reactor to Produce Green Fuel (2022); and 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. Ir. Yuswan Muharam, M.T. completed his bachelor’s degree in Gas and Petrochemical Engineering at UI in 1993; Master of Science in Gas Technology at UI in 2000; and PhD in Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Germany in 2012. He served as Director of the Community Service Unit of the Chemical Engineering Department, FTUI in 2011–2015.
The inauguration procession of professor Prof. Yuswan was also attended by the Head of the Advanced Chemical Research Center, National Research and Innovation Agency, Prof. Dr. Yenny Meliana, S.T., M.Si.; Techno Senior Manager. and Eng. Authority, PT Medco E&P Indonesia, Dr. Bayu Sari Adji, S.T., M.T.; as well as the Rector of UI for the 2014-2019 period, Prof. Dr. Ir. Muhammad Anis, M.Met.
