Chair UGent - Chemical Process Safety
With the new chair ‘Chemical Process Safety’ at Ghent University, sector federation essenscia aims to further improve safety processes in the chemical industry. The focus is a combination of academic education and specific scientific research. For example, the development of mathematical computer models can further optimize the effectiveness of safety systems, which is of great importance to the chemical sector. Safety is and will remain the absolute top priority in the chemical sector. It is the all-important factor in every research, process and maintenance. Choosing the right safety measures is crucial for precise safety management. In doing so, more is not necessarily always better. An overabundance of protective layers can have just the opposite effect and cause other safety problems, such as increasing complexity in the management and control of installations with a greater risk of human or technical error.
Objectives
With the new chair, essenscia and Ghent University intend to collaborate intensively to address this multifaceted and complex issue and arrive at intelligently designed and data-driven safety systems. The chair is supported by the essenscia Process Safety Academy, the training and knowledge platform on process safety, and is concluded for a minimum of five years. The funds will be used for scientific research at the doctoral level and for various modules in master's programs in engineering.
With this chair, we are taking another important step in our ongoing efforts to make processes in the chemical sector ever safer and more sustainable. The combination of teaching and scientific research provides students with valuable practical insights, but also links industrial reality to academic expertise. This is the culmination of years of collaboration with Ghent University on process safety.
This chair enables UGent's Laboratory of Chemical Engineering to develop mathematical models for safe chemical processes, thoroughly analyse insights and experiences from practice, and enhance our expertise. This chair not only benefits scientific research, but also strongly contributes to various specializations within the Master's program in Chemical Engineering. This research into process safety will not be a casual academic exercise: it will result in knowledge and computer models that can be applied in industry in Flanders.
Donor
essenscia Process Safety Academy
Period
2024-2029
Supervisor
