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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

Fundamental Research
News 19 February 2021

IFPEN sheds light on the genesis of deposit formation in fuels

Teams at IFPEN studied the phenomenon of fuel autoxidation, phase separation and deposit formation causing a variety of malfunctions. Having proposed a new deposit formation process, researchers validated it for diesel, biodiesel and aviation kerosene fuels using a new methodology and demonstrated the role of charge carriers and polarity at the oxidized/non-oxidized product interface. 

Issue 50 of Science@ifpen
News in brief

In the context of the energy transition, it is expected that oil production will decrease at the same pace as the development of low-carbon energies and people’s evolving needs in this area...
Diffusion in catalysts: an often tortuous path!
News in brief

In catalytic processes, an active phase is necessary to accelerate the transformation of the molecules in the fluid treated. Most of the time, this catalytic agent is placed on a porous support with a large internal surface area, making it possible to host a large number of active sites within a small volume...
The premature ageing of oxygen carrier materials: a challenge for CLC
News in brief

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
News in brief

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

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 45 of Science@ifpen
News in brief

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

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.
Issue 45 of Science@ifpen
News in brief

The design of high-quality porous materials is a major challenge for the energy efficiency of industrial processes in the fields of catalysis and biocatalysis and separation and purification operations. For such applications, these materials derive their properties of interest from their specific microstructure, incorporating a large quantity of empty spaces that are organized and connected on a nanometric scale. IFPEN and Saint Gobain Research Provence (SGRP) joined forces to acquire a tool that will ultimately facilitate the development of porous materials optimized for given usages.
Issue 43 of Science@IFPEN
News in brief

Platinum nanoparticles supported on chlorinated γ-alumina are used in bifunctional heterogeneous catalysts, which are central to numerous industrial processes. An atomic-scale study...
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Charles-Philippe LIENEMANN

Charles-Philippe Lienemann - Scientific Advisor at the Physics and Analysis Division
Charles-Philippe Lienemann graduated at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) in 1993. He then joined University of Lausanne (Switzerland) within the group of D. Perret and Prof. J-C. Bünzli for his