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 develop theory, models and computational algorithms for the solution of fundamental and practically important problems that arise in Process and Energy Systems Engineering. To this end, we employ concepts and techniques from several fields, including optimization, dynamical systems simulation and control, and numerical methods. 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. Fault Detection and Isolation for Multi-Scale Systems

Selected Publications

  • M. Zanfir, M. Baldea, and P. Daoutidis. Optimizing the catalyst distribution for counter-current methane steam reforming in plate reactors. AIChE J., in press.
  • Y . Cao, C.L.E Swartz, M. Baldea, Design for Dynamic Performance: Application to an Air Separation Unit, American Control Conference, San Francisco, CA, June 2011 (invited paper)
  • M. Baldea, S. S. Jogwar, P. Daoutidis, Tight Energy Integration: Easier Control?, in: Design for Energy and the Environment: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on the Foundations of Computer-Aided Process Design, M. El-Halwagi, T. Edgar, A. Linninger, eds., Taylor and Francis, pp. 955-969, 2009.
  • M. Baldea, P. Daoutidis, Z.K. Nagy, Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Integrated Process Systems, NOLCOS 2010, 8th IFAC Symposium on Nonlinear Control Systems, Bologna, Italy, (September 1-3, 2010), 1040-1045
  • 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
  • M. Baldea, P. Daoutidis, Dynamics and Control of Process Networks with High Energy Throughput, Comp. Chem. Eng, 32, 1964-1983, 2008
  • M. Baldea, A. Araujo, P. Daoutidis, S. Skogestad, Dynamic Considerations in the Synthesis of Self-Optimizing Control Structures, AIChE Journal, 54, 1830-1841, 2008
  • M. Baldea, P. Daoutidis, Control of Integrated Process Networks-A Multi-Time Scale Perspective, Comp. Chem. Eng., 31, 426-444, 2007
  • M. Forstmeier, F. Mannerheim, F. J. d’Amato, M. Shah, Y. Liu, M. Baldea, A. Stella, Feasibility Study on Wind-Powered Desalination, Desalination, 203, 463-470, 2007