Baldea, Michael Ph.D.

Baldea, Michael Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor Michael Baldea

Office: CPE 4.466 Mailing Address:
Phone: (512) 471-1281 The University of Texas at Austin
Fax:  (512) 471-7060 Department of Chemical Engineering
Email: mbaldea@che.utexas.edu 200 E Dean Keeton St. Stop C0400
UT Mail: C0400 Austin, TX 78712-1589

Research Areas: Process Engineering, Energy

Research Group Website

Research Presentation for Prospective Graduate Students

Educational Qualifications

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota (2006)
M.Sc., Interface Process Engineering, “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2001)
Diploma, Chemical Engineering, “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2000)

Focus

Modeling, simulation, optimization and control of process and energy systems

Research

A theoretical, first-principles understanding of process and energy systems requires capturing phenomena (e.g., chemical reactions, material and energy transport and transfer, daily and seasonal variations in renewable energy sources, catalyst deactivation and material ageing) that occur over disparate time and space horizons. The resulting mathematical models are stiff, multi-scale, almost invariably high-dimensional and potentially discontinuous. As a consequence, the formulation and solution of rigorous simulation and model-based design optimization problems is challenging; innovative system designs are thus at risk of being dismissed as lacking economic viability. Numerous opportunities for reducing capital costs and increasing energy efficiency in existing systems can be missed as well.

The objective of our research is to address both fundamental and practical challenges in Process and Energy Systems Engineering. To this end, we develop theoretical and computational methods that rely on concepts, tools and techniques from across multiple disciplines, including mathematical modeling, optimization, dynamical systems simulation and process control. Current areas of interest include:

1. Statically Equivalent Models for Simulation and Optimization of Complex Engineered Systems
2. Proactive Energy Management for Buildings: Optimal Operation and Strategic Decision Support
3. Data Analysis, Fault Detection and Isolation for Multi-Scale Systems

Selected Publications

  • S. Wang, M. Baldea, Temperature Control and Optimal Energy Management using Latent Energy Storage, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., invited paper for Special Issue on Process Engineering of Energy Systems
  • R. C. Pattison, M. Baldea, A Thermal-Flywheel Approach to Distributed Temperature Control in Microchannel Reactors, AIChE J.
  • M. Baldea, N.H. El-Farra, B.E. Ydstie, Dynamics and Control of Chemical Process Networks: Integrating Physics, Communication and Computation, Comp. Chem. Eng, 51, 42-54, 2013
  • M. Baldea and P. Daoutidis, Dynamics and Nonlinear Control of Integrated Process Systems, Cambridge University Press, 2012
  • M. Baldea, P. Daoutidis, Control of Integrated Chemical Process Systems using Underlying DAE Models, in: Control and Optimization with Differential-Algebraic Constraints, L. T. Biegler, S. Campbell, V. Mehrmann, eds., SIAM, Philadelphia, 2012
  • M. Zanfir, M. Baldea, P. Daoutidis, Optimizing the Catalyst Distribution for Counter-current Methane Steam Reforming in Plate Reactors, AIChE Journal, 57, 2518–2528, 2011
  • S.S. Jogwar, M. Baldea, P. Daoutidis, Tight Energy Integration: Dynamic Impact and Control Advantages, Comp. Chem. Eng., 34, 1457-1466, 2010
  • S. S. Jogwar, M. Baldea, P. Daoutidis, Dynamics and Control of Process Networks with Large Energy Recycle, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 48, 6087–6097, 2009