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National Thermodynamic Laboratory

The National Thermodynamics Laboratory is opening a new facility in Galveston, TX to service the Gulf Coast energy and process markets to help improve energy efficiency, environmental compliance, process safety, and overall profitability of processing facilities.  This laboratory will provide experimental measurement services for phase equilibrium and thermophysical properties.    Managing Director, Kai Fischer says “The availability of modern CAD software for process simulation is deceptive.  Physical and Chemical behavior of materials to be processed has the highest impact on process feasibility and design accuracy, and is to be determined through experiments.  Process Technology is based on the understanding of how nature behaves.  A strong observation ability in the laboratory leads to advanced and innovative process ideas“.

Dr. Fischer has managed several hundred contract research projects with a large number of companies from the gas processing, chemical, petro-chemical, food processing, pharmaceutical, and aerospace industries around the world.  His experience and background in thermodynamics, with over 70 publications, includes research work at the Ecole des Mines De Paris in Fontainebleau, France and the Carl-von-Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in Oldenburg, Germany where he earned his PhD (thesis: the PSRK-Method).  He also co-founded, constructed, and administrated the Laboratory for Thermophysical Properties (LTP) one of the world’s leading thermodynamic laboratories in Oldenburg, Germany and is skilled in laboratory experiments in a broad variety of analytic and measurement instrumentation. 

The National Thermodynamics Laboratory will be coordinating research efforts directly with the National Thermodynamics Research Institute (a non-profit, membership supported organization) to create new test apparatus, automate experimental measurements, develop new process technologies, and advance state of the art thermodynamic understanding and education.   For more information on joining the National Thermodynamics Research Institute or for inquiries in experimental measurement services by the National Thermodynamics Laboratory, please contact Dr. Kai Fischer at 281-398-9400, ext 815 (Kai.Fischer@epcon.com).

International Thermodynamic Laboratory

EPCON International participates in the Center for Applied Thermodynamics (CAT) to promote education of thermophysical properties for chemical and mechanical engineers in the process industries.  Research is conducted by Oldenburg University, the UNIFAC Consortium, and TRU-South Africa with software development by DDBST and experimental data measurements services by LTP - both in Oldenburg, Germany.  LTP is a world leader in the experimental data measurements critical for new process designs.

LTP (Laboratory for Thermophysical Properties) was co-founded as an independent research organization in 1999 by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Gmehling and Dr. Kai Fischer. Their expertise in the field of industrial chemical engineering, chemical thermodynamics, and reaction engineering is based on up to 25 years experience in consulting for a large number of companies. The priority of LTP GmbH is the experimental determination of thermophysical properties of pure compounds and mixtures, as they are required for the design, simulation and optimization of industrial separation and conversion processes. Most of the desired properties can be determined precisely using classical experimental techniques, or with the help of sophisticated new computer driven equipment.

The experimental facilities comprise a variety of equipment for the determination of pure component properties (vapor pressures, liquid densities, heat capacities, heats of fusion, vapor and liquid speed of sound, viscosities, thermal conductivity etc.), phase equilibria (VLE, azeotropic data, activity coefficients at infinite dilution, LLE, SLE, gas solubilities, Henry coefficients,etc.), excess properties (heats of mixing, excess volumes) and kinetic data. The choice between static or dynamic, synthetic or analytic, batch or flow apparatus allows us to apply the most suitable technique for a given problem (pressure and temperature range, nature of the compounds and their mixtures). This service claims to provide our customers with the most reliable data in a short time, depending on the extent of the demand. Absolute secrecy can be guaranteed; this is often necessary, especially during the development of new processes. LTP's overview of the thermophysical data available worldwide and of experimental methods published in primary journals is almost complete, since the directors of LTP are also responsible for the further development of the Dortmund Data Bank.

Experimental data measurements in a pressure range up to 500 bar and a temperature range between –200 and 400 °C can be accommodated.  These limitations (operating ranges and properties) can often rapidly be extended when a certain demand is expressed.   More information is available at www.ltp-oldenburg.de.

Reduce energy costs, enhance process safety, and improve environmental compliance with EPCON International software powered by API, DDB, GPA and DIPPR® data - the leading sources of thermophysical property data.