Mark Nelson's Research Interests


2013. I'm no longer keeping this page uptodate... and haven't for a while.

My research interests are in non-linear chemical dynamics. This involves the application of bifurcation theory, continuation methods, dynamical systems methodology and singularity theory to practical problems. An important part of my research is the interpretation of the mathematical results in terms relevant to experimentalists. Following my PhD I worked on problems in combustion and fire engineering. More recently I have become interested in problems in chemical reactor engineering and bioreactor engineering.

I have worked in the following areas:

  1. The combustion of polymeric materials and their fire-retarded modifications. (1990-Present)
  2. Heterogeneously catalysed combustion. (1997-Present)
  3. Microwave heating of porous solids. (1998-2001)
  4. Behaviour of simple thermokinetic chemical reaction schemes in batch, semi-batch, and continuously-stirred tank reactors (1999-present)
  5. Flammability limits of simple chemical reactions. (1999-present)
  6. Spontaneous composition (2000-present)
    1. Spontaneous composition of compost heaps (2000-present)
    2. Spontaneous composition of coal (2005)
  7. Chemical Reactor Engineering. (2001-present)
    1. Membrane reactors (2001-present)
    2. Reactor cascades (2002-present)
    3. The activated sludge process (2005-present)
    4. Simple models in bioreactor engineering (2006-present)
    5. Ethanol production through continuous fermentation (2006-present)
    6. The passage of food through animal stomachs (2007-present)
    7. Sludge Disintegration Units (2008-present)
    8. The pH profile of the human stomach (2009-present)
    9. Incomplete mixing (2009-present)
    10. Highlights of research in chemical reactor engineering
    11. My collaborators in chemical reactor engineering
  8. Semi-analytical solutions for non-linear partial differential equations. (2003-present)
  9. Mathematics education (2005-present)
  10. Industrial mathematics. (1990-present)
  11. Controlled Drug Delivery (2009-present)

I am particularly interested in problems involving a strong interaction with experimentalists and which involve an understanding of physical chemistry, especially those involving chemical kinetics.


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Page Created: 23rd April 1998.
Last Updated: 10th March 2010.