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Fundamental Research
News 09 February 2022

The 2021 Yves Chauvin Thesis Prize awarded to Lina Jolivet: materials analysis to support processes

Lina Jolivet was the winner of the 2021 Yves Chauvin thesis prize for her work on the contribution of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to the characterization of industrial materials with a view to improving processes.

Training and Careers
News 02 July 2021

Sulfur power! Watch the video on the thesis by Teddy Roy, PhD researcher at IFPEN

In “C’est pas Soufré” (Sulfur power), Ted and Denis explain the hydrotreatment process used in refineries to reduce fuel-related pollution, along with one of the research strategies developed at IFPEN to improve the catalyst used via the presentation of recent results on the modification of the γ-Al2O3 support surface chemistry by phosphorous

Individual page

Isabelle KOWALEWSKI

Research Engineer - PhD.
Geochemistry (petroleum system and soil) and Basin modelling (TemisFlow®)
Geoscientist specialising in the geochemistry of petroleum systems, with a solid background in physico-chemical analysis and basin modelling. 30 years experience in applied research at IFPEN. Involved
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Ana Teresa FIALHO BATISTA

Research Engineer in heterogeneous catalysis | PhD in Chemistry
After a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering (Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon) I pursued a PhD in heterogenous catalysis developing a multi-technique approach to the characterization and
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Malika BOUALLEG

Project manager, Research Engineer in Heterogeneous Catalysis
Malika Boualleg joined IFP New Energy after a thesis in synthesis of materials and heterogeneous catalysis (CP2M, ex-LCOMS 2006-2009), during which she developed new syntheses of mesostructured
The premature ageing of oxygen carrier materials: a challenge for CLC
News in brief

The premature ageing of oxygen carrier materials: a challenge for CLC

The increase in the level of atmoshpheric CO2 and the resulting climate change are a global concern. Despite this, the use of fossil fuels continues to grow, in response to high energy demand. Combined with storage and CO2 conversion solutions, Chemical Looping Combustion processes (CLC) offer a medium-term solution to reducing the impact of energy production from fossil fuels, or even biomass...
Loss of selectivity in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: a high-throughput study
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Loss of selectivity in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: a high-throughput study

Faced with the current climate challenges, alternative fuels are attracting a growing interest for the mobility of the future. Of the various possible alternatives, hydrocarbons could be synthesised via a well-known process: the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, based on Syngas (CO and H2) produced, in particular, by biomass gasification. (...) However, the deactivation of FT catalysts is a major issue that directly impacts the costs of the process. (...) To identify these mechanisms, a multiple-stage methodology was implemented as part of a doctoral thesis...
Issue 46 of Science@ifpen - Earth Sciences and Environmental Technologies
News in brief

X-rays and Neutrons for imaging salt migration

Salt precipitation in permeable rocks is a risk faced by some energy sectors, particularly for gas storage in geological formations during operational phases (injection and extraction), when there is contact with saline aquifers. (...) This precipitation reduces the space where fluids can circulate, altering rock permeability, or even leading to plugging under certain conditions. In order to understand the underlying mechanisms behind this damaging phenomenon, experiments examining gas flow in a brine-saturated porous medium were conducted on IFPEN’s CAL-X flow test bench...
Issue 46 of Science@ifpen - Earth Sciences and Environmental Technologies
News in brief

Flair Suite™: supporting environmental and industrial gas monitoring

Today, air quality is an issue of major concern when it comes to public health. To protect it, it is necessary to reduce emissions but also monitor global chemical changes taking place in the atmosphere. From the economic and safety points of view, it is also important to monitor industrial gas emissions. It was to tackle these different aspects that IFPEN’s researchers began developing a range of technological solutions, within the context of the Flair Suite™ project.
Issue 46 of Science@ifpen - Earth Sciences and Environmental Technologies
News in brief

Rock-Eval®: supporting soil research for the climate challenge

One way to decrease the amount of atmospheric CO2 is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of fossil origin, but it is also possible to increase the quantities of carbon stored in the soil. (...) In the current context of climate change, understanding the evolution of carbon in the ground is critically important. It is for this reason that IFPEN wanted to study the potential offered by Rock-Eval®, a flagship of oil research...
Issue 45 of Science@ifpen
News in brief

Semantic segmentation through deep learning in materials sciences

Semantic segmentation conducted on microscopy images is a processing operation carried out to quantify a material’s porosity and its heterogeneity. It is aimed at classifying every pixel within the image (on the basis of degree of heterogeneity and porosity). However, for some materials (such as aluminas employed for catalysis), it is very difficult or even impossible using a traditional image processing approach, since porosity differences are characterized by small contrasts and complex textural variations. One way of overcoming this obstacle is to tackle semantic segmentation via deep learning, using a convolutional neural network.
Issue 45 of Science@ifpen
News in brief

Digital Rock Physics at IFPEN

Today, characterization of geological reservoirs, a long-standing theme in petroleum exploration, becomes a base of interest for a variety of applications, such as CO2 and hydrogen storage as well as geothermal energy. In recent years, the combined use of 3D microtomography (or micro-CT ) imaging and advanced simulation techniques has allowed the emergence of a digital approach to computing the petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks (Digital Rock Physics). This represents a real complement - and in some cases an alternative - to traditional laboratory measurements.