ENG ROM 
Computer Aided Process Engineering Research Centre
Name of the centre Computer Aided Process Engineering Research Centre (CAPERC)
Legal status The Research Centre is deploying its activities within Babeş-Bolyai University as Excellence Research Center
Foundation Accreditation given by the National Council of Scientific Research for Higher Education, in 2001 and then in 2006, Research Centre of Excellence awarded by Babeș-Bolyai University in 2016
Director Prof.Eng. Vasile-Mircea CRISTEA
Scientific Council Prof.Eng. Călin-Cristian CORMOȘ (Vice-director)
Assoc.Prof.Eng. IMRE-LUCACI Árpád
Assoc.Prof.Eng. Simion DRĂGAN
Address Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
11 Arany Janos Street, 400028 Cluj-Napoca
tel: +40-264-593833 ext. 5729, 5762
fax: +40-264-590818
web: http://www.chem.ubbcluj.ro/romana/ANEX/inginerie/centre/ccdicac/ccdicac_2020_eng.html
e-mail: mircea.cristea@ubbcluj.ro, (calin.cormos@ubbcluj.ro)
Members of the research centre
No. Name Scientific title/equivalent
1 Cristea Mircea-Vasile Professor/Scientific researcher I
2 Cormoş Călin-Cristian Professor/Scientific researcher I
3 Agachi Paul-Şerban Professor/Scientific researcher I
4 Imre-Lucaci Árpád Assoc.Prof./Scientific researcher II
5 Drăgan Simion Assoc.Prof./Scientific researcher II
6 Cormoș Ana-Maria Assoc.Prof./Scientific researcher II
7 Miclăuș Adina Lucreția Assoc.Prof./Scientific researcher II
8 Barabas Réka Assoc.Prof./Scientific researcher II
9 Csavdari Alexandra Ana Assoc.Prof./Scientific researcher II
10 Indolean Cerasella Liliana Assoc.Prof./Scientific researcher II
11 Petrescu Letiția Lecturer/Scientific researcher III
12 Fogarasi Szabolcs Lecturer/Scientific researcher III
13 Bizo Liliana Antonela Lecturer/Scientific researcher III
14 Burcă Silvia Lecturer/Scientific researcher III
15 Sabou Dana-Maria Lecturer/Scientific researcher III
16 Timiș Cristina Elisabeta Lecturer/Scientific researcher III
17 Mereu Raluca Anca Lecturer/Scientific researcher III
18 Sandu Vlad-Cristian PhD Student/Assistant researcher III
19 Dumbravă Ionela-Dorina PhD Student/Assistant researcher III
20 Luca Alexandra Veronica PhD Student/Assistant researcher III
21 Simon-Várhelyi Melinda PhD Student/Assistant researcher III
22 Ilea Flavia-Maria Master Student/Assitant researcher III
The Organizing Structure of the Center
Mission and Research Directions The mission of the CAPERC research unit is to develop applied and fundamental research activities, associated to human resources formation, as an integrated part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM system, by:
  • Increasing the role of the applied scientific research in the sustainable development of chemical (process) engineering and the multidisciplinary scientific research at Babes-Bolyai University, using computer aided tools;
  • Development of inter and transdisciplinary research on the background of capitalizing the experience of researchers in the field of chemical engineering, by extrapolation but also by reciprocal exchange with other research fields (chemistry, energy engineering, environmental engineering, materials engineering, bioengineering, computer science);
  • Development of human resources by synergistically combining the skills of the experienced elite researchers with the innovation potential of young researchers;
  • Increasing the competitiveness of the CAPERC research results on the market of chemical and IT high technology services and products;
  • Expanding the area of collaborations with traditional industrial partners (eg. Emerson, Rompetrol, Azomures, Saint Gobain) and identifying new ones, to intensify technology transfer;
  • Promoting collaborations in economic and social environments to increase the capacity to attract national and international sources of research funding;
  • Valorization of research results through STEM products and technologies, both to economic units and in the social field or with bio-medical applicability.
  • Strengthening the collaboration connections with the traditional industrial partners (such as EMERSON, ROMPETROL, SAINT GOBAIN) and identification of new ones (enabling access to the national and international founding sources).
The research center carries out activities of modeling, simulation, automation, optimization and intensification of chemical or related processes, for applications aimed at the following directions of research, development and innovation:
  • Intensification of mass, heat and momentum transfer processes in chemical engineering;
  • Efficient and environmentally friendly integration of (bio)chemical reaction engineering in chemical processes;
  • Development of energy conversion systems, expansion of renewable energy sources but also reconsideration of clean technologies based on fossil fuels;
  • Development of carbon dioxide capture, storage and usage technologies;
  • Environmental protection both by preventing pollution and by purifying the air and treating the water, assessing the risk and safety of industrial systems;
  • Development of applications for products that incorporate nanomaterials and biomaterials;
  • Design and implementation of classic and advanced computer-assisted automatic control systems for chemical processes;
  • Integration of artificial intelligence tools (artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms) and processing information by data mining, for chemical processes intensification and for development of advanced management and decision-making systems;
  • Applications and technological transfer of research results in chemical process engineering, environmental protection, food engineering, materials engineering, bioengineering and medicine;
  • Development of modern methods and tools for e-learning, distance education and implementation of the remote-laboratory or virtual reality concepts, based on the paradigm of digital twin and IoT systems.
Research Infrastructure The research infrastructure of the Center is diverse and complex, being presented in association with the two fundamental components of research, i.e. engineering and IT, which are cooperatively integrated through the Centre's mission. It consists of experimental equipment and software programming environments.

The experimental equipment is grouped physically and by the field of applications in laboratory research subunits, as follows:
  • Laboratory for the Engineering of (Bio)chemical Reactors and Anergy Conversion Systems, which includes Installation for the study of energy conversion systems and CO2 capture (rUBB), Reactor Kit, Absorption Kit (Gas Absorption Column UOP 7), Bioreactor Tryton System volume 2L, Steady state catalytic reactor, Steady state reactor for the evaluation of gaseous and liquid fuels conversion in the chemical process cycle, Circulating fluidized bed reactor system for CO2 capture using solid adsorbent materials, online gas analyzer, gas chromatograph, conductometers;
  • Laboratory for Automation and Control of Chemical Processes (ERIS), with: 5 pilot installations with continuous and discontinuous reactors equipped with cooling-heating and stirring system; reactant tanks; gas containers, hydraulic networks; Pilot distillation plant, Dn 50, with measurement and regulation instrumentation with monitoring and control using the computer; Pilot for Process Monitoring and Control System, (PCT 23MkII-A), Measurement and control instrumentation: temperature, pressure, pH, flow, level transducers; electronic regulators REX F400, recorders, integrators, pneumatic actuators, control valves; Computers connected to the pilot plants;
  • Process Intensification Laboratory (ERIS), Liquid-Vapor Equilibrium Determination System, Spray Dryer Atomizer-Dryer, JAR TEST Pressure Filtration Module, BOKELA Filtratest, Bi and Three Phase Fluidization Pilot Installations, Automatic Acid-Base Titrator;
  • Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science (ERIS), Computer-coupled UV-VIS Spectrophotometer V-530, oven, analytical balances, WPS 600 balance, distiller, stirrers, conductometers, thermostat, multimeters, glassware and laboratory utensils, Nanoparticle analyzer SALD-7101, Shimadzu B-290 Mini Dryer Spray Dryer, Nabertherm LHT04/16 High Temperature Oven;
  • The programming software environments used for modeling, simulation and development of computer applications, including: Visual C ++, Visual Basic, Matlab & Simulink, LabView, ChemCad, Aspen-HYSYS, Gabi6, ThermoFlex, Mike Flood COMSOL, and the hardware infrastructure consists of 35 computer systems, process-computer communication interfaces, Zmorph VX Full Set 3D printer.
Services Offered by the Research Centre The Research Centre offers the following services:
  • Consultancy and technical assistance for the design and the efficiency increase of the chemical plants’ operation and their compliance with the principles of sustainable development, based on specific methods to intensify the transfer of mass, heat or momentum;
  • Development of applications based on the use of computer-aided tools for modeling, simulation, optimization and automatic control for laboratory, pilot and industrial processes and plants, with applications in chemistry and chemical, energy, environmental, materials and bio engineering;
  • Elaboration of studies on poly-generation of energy vectors with CO2 capture and storage, based on the processes of co-gasification of coal and use of renewable energy sources or wastes;
  • Consultancy and technical assistance in the fields of measurement techniques, process monitoring, artificial intelligence applications (artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms), data mining and advanced control systems;
  • Development of computer modeling and simulation products with applications in the fields of food, medicine and pharmacy;
  • Consultancy and technical support for the production of oxide materials and biomaterials based on hydroxyapatite;
  • Development of applications for the implementation of remote laboratory and virtual reality concepts, as well as digital twin and IoT systems.
Grants and Projects, National and International (selection) International
  • Hybrid Solvent - Membrane for post-combustion CO2 capture and utilization, NO Grants Call for Proposals 2019 - CRPs, RO-NO-2019-0379, 2020-2023.
  • STEPWISE SEWGS - Technology platform for cost effective CO2 reduction in the iron&steel industry, Horizon 2020, Nr. 640769, 2015-2019.
  • CONVERGE - Carbon valorisation in energy-efficient green fuels, Horizon 2020, Nr. 818135, 2018-2022.
  • GaSTech - Demonstration of Gas switching technology for accelerated scale-up of pressurized chemical looping applications, European Commission through ERA-NET ACT program, Proiect nr. 91/2017.
  • Three-dimensional printed adsorbent materials to increase the productivity of the CO2 capture process, (Materiale adsorbante printate tridimensional pentru creșterea productivității procesului de captare a dioxidului de carbon), ERANET ACT, Nr. 87/2017, 2017-2020.
National
  • Dezvoltarea de soluții inovative pentru decarbonizarea sistemelor industriale mari consumatoare de energie prin aplicarea tehnologiilor de captare, utilizare și stocare a dioxidului de carbon, Proiecte de cercetare exploratorie (PCE), PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2016-0031, 2017-2019
  • Matrici inteligente personalizate pentru regenerarea tisulară și controlul metainflamației, Proiect experimental demonstrativ, PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-3664, contract nr. 348PED ⁄ 2020, 2020-2021
  • Dezvoltarea unui proces inovativ și ecologic pentru recuperarea cuprului şi a fracțiilor nemetalice din deșeuri de plăci de circuite imprimate fără componente electronice, Proiect de cercetare postdoctorală, Proiect PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2016-0139, contract 57/2018, 2018-2020
  • Valorificarea carbonului pentru producerea combustibililor ecologici, energetic eficienți, PN-III-P3-3.6-H2020-2020-0058, 2020-2022
  • Pro-active operation of cascade reservoirs in extreme conditions (floods and droughts) using Comprehensive Decision Support Systems (CDSS). Case study: Jijia catchement, UEFISCDI, Tehnologia informației, 2013-2016.
Publications 2016-2021 (selection)
  • D.A. Chisăliță, L. Petrescu, C.C. Cormoș, Environmental evaluation of European ammonia production considering various hydrogen supply chains, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 130, 109964, 2020.
  • C.C. Cormoș, C. Dincă, Techno-economic and environmental implications of decarbonization process applied for Romanian fossil-based power generation sector, Energy, 220, 119734, 2021.
  • V.M. Cristea, M. I. Burcă, F.M. Ilea, A.M. Cormoș. Efficient decentralized control of the post combustion CO2 capture plant for flexible operation against influent flue gas disturbances, Energy, 205, 117960, 2020.
  • R. Barabás, N.-I. Farkas, C.L. Nagy, O. Cadar, C. Moisa, L. Bizo, Adsorption and desorption behavior of natural and synthetic active compounds on hydroxyapatite-based nanocomposites, Ceramics International, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.11.226 (In Press, Corrected Proof), ISSN 0272-8842, 2020.
  • Á. Imre-Lucaci, M. Nagy, F. Imre-Lucaci, S. Fogarasi, Technical and environmental assessment of gold recovery from secondary streams obtained in the processing of waste printed circuit boards, Chemical Engineering Journal, 309, 655-62, 2017.
  • A.M. Cormoș, V.C. Sandu, C.C. Cormoș, Assessment of main energy integration elements for decarbonized gasification plants based on thermo-chemical looping cycles, Journal of Cleaner Production, 259, 120834, 2020.
  • A.M. Cormoș, C. Dincă, L. Petrescu, D. Chisăliță, S. Szima, C.C. Cormoș, Carbon capture and utilisation technologies applied to energy conversion systems and other energy-intensive industrial applications, Fuel, 211, 883-890, 2018.
  • M. Simon-Varhelyi, V.M. Cristea, A.V. Luca, Reducing energy costs of the wastewater treatment plant by improved scheduling of the periodic influent load, Journal of Environmental Management, 262, 110294, 2020.
  • A.M. Cormoș, I. Dumbravă, C.C. Cormoș, Evaluation of techno-economic performance for decarbonized hydrogen and power generation based on glycerol thermo-chemical looping cycles, Applied Thermal Engineering, 179, 115728, 2020.
  • L. Petrescu, D. Bonalumi, G. Valenti, A.M. Cormoș, C.C. Cormoș, Life Cycle Assessment for supercritical pulverized coal power plants with post-combustion carbon capture and storage, Journal of Cleaner Production, 157, 10-21, 2017.
  • F.M. Ilea, S. Drăgan, A.M. Cormoș, Assessment of mass transfer intensification potential for a CO2 capture process using three-phase fluidized bed, Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification, 157, 108115, 2020.
  • D.A. Chisăliță, L. Petrescu, P. Cobden, H.A.J (Eric) van Dijk, A.M. Cormoș, C.C. Cormoș, Assessing the environmental impact of an integrated steel mill with post-combustion CO2 capture and storage using the LCA methodology, Journal of Cleaner Production, 211, 1015-1025, 2019.
  • C.L. Indolean, A. Măicăneanu, V.M. Cristea, Prediction of Cu(II) biosorption performances on wild mushrooms Lactarius piperatus using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) model, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 95(4), 615-622, 2017.
  • Patent, application: C. Cota, E.M. Nagy, N. Cioica, A. Pop, S. Drăgan, V. Miclăuș, A. Miclăuș, Biocomposite based on humic acids, polypeptides and amino acids, component of NPK fertilizers and obtaining process, Romania Patent application OSIM/ Bucharest A/01099, (Medalie aur Salon Pro Invent XVI, 2018), 2017.
  • Book: P.S. Agachi, M.V. Cristea, E.P. Makhura, Basic Process Engineering Control, Second Edition, De Gruyter GmbH Editing House, Berlin, Boston, ISBN: 978-3-11-028981-7, 360 p., 2020.
  • Book: P.S. Agachi, M.V. Cristea, A.A. Csavdari, B. Szilagyi, Advanced Process Engineering Control, Editura Walter De Gruyter GmbH, Berlin, ISBN: 978-3-11-030663-7, 330 p., 2016.
last modification: january 2021