image: Dr. Markus Schubert gets an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council. view more
Credit: HZDR
Outstanding young European investigators are encouraged to apply for an "ERC Starting Grant" of the European Research Council (ERC). Beyond the submission of an excellent research proposal, the scientists have to furnish proof of a scientific track record that has been impressive so far and continues to be very promising in the future. Dr. Markus Schubert from the Institute of Fluid Dynamics has accomplished all of this. He is the first researcher at the HZDR to be awarded with an "ERC Starting Grant."
Markus Schubert studied process engineering and earned his doctoral degree in this scientific field at the TU Dresden [Dresden University of Technology]. He joined the HZDR in 2007, intermitted by a one-year research sabbatical in Québec/Canada. With the prospective funding from the European Research Council, he wants to set up his own research group which will focus on multiphase chemical reactors and the complex flows occurring inside them.
Many products run through chemical reactors
"A large number of products and commodities which we use every day such as, for example, low-sulphur fuels or plastics run through these chemical reactors during their production. But what does really happen inside these reactors that have been inaccessible so far because of the opaqueness due to pressure-resistant reactor walls? Is the flow adjusted in such a way that the processes run at optimal conditions? There's still a considerable need for research and that's exactly where we want to start our work. With the help of new advanced methods, we'd like to access and understand the fluid dynamics inside such reactors and, thus, further develop simulation models," says Dr. Schubert. "Eventually, the goal is to find out how these processes and systems can be designed in the best possible way to enhance the conversion of the desired products which, in turn, saves resources and energy," continues the scientist. The chemical industry is the third largest industrial branch of Germany's manufacturing industry.
Initially, Markus Schubert wants to thoroughly investigate the flows under industry-related conditions in a specific type of chemical apparatus, a bubble column reactor. In these apparatuses, gas is dispersed in liquid as homogeneously as possible for chemical conversion. The junior researcher will use the research infrastructure at the Institute of Fluid Dynamics for his experiments and visualize the flows with X-rays.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Markus Schubert
Institute of Fluid Dynamics
Phone: +49 351 260-2627 | m.schubert@hzdr.de
Press Contact
Anja Weigl
Phone: +49 351 260-2452
a.weigl@hzdr.de | www.hzdr.de
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
Bautzner Landstr. 400 | 01328 Dresden | Germany
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) conducts research in the sectors matter, health, and energy. The HZDR research focuses on the following topics:
- How does matter behave in strong fields and at small-scale dimensions?
- How can malignant tumors be identified at an early stage and treated effectively?
- How can resources and energy be used safely and efficiently?
To answer these scientific questions, five large-scale research facilities provide, in part, unique research opportunities. These facilities are also accessible to external users.
The HZDR has been a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest research organization, since January 1, 2011. It has four locations in Dresden, Leipzig, Freiberg, and Grenoble and employs around 900 people – approx. 400 of whom are scientists including 140 doctoral candidates.