About the group:
Claudio Fonte's research group activities focus on the application of computational and experimental techniques to provide innovative mixing solutions that address new industrial demands. These research activities involve the physical modelling of industrial mixing processes for a fundamental understanding of the flow and transport phenomena, and the development of novel numerical frameworks for the in-silico design of processes and equipment.
About Claudio Fonte:
Claudio got his PhD degree from the University of Porto, Portugal in December 2012 on the study of mixing by Confined Impinging Jets to produce plastic parts by Reaction Injection Moulding. His work focused on the fundamentals of fluid flow and mixing operations in this type of equipment using both Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations (CFD) and laser flow characterisation techniques (Particle Image Velocimetry, PIV; Laser Induced Fluorescence, PLIF). He was awarded the EFCE Young Researcher Award in Mixing 2015 by the European Federation of Chemical Engineers and its Working Party on Mixing for the innovation, breadth and depth of my research on impinging jets mixing, the dissemination of the results and engagement with industrial partners.
In 2013, he started a postdoctoral position in IFPEN (France), a major research and training centre in the fields of energy, transport and the environment. There, he developed numerical models of the flow and mass transfer, using CFD, of multiphase stirred reactors at the pilot scale. This was followed by a permanent position as a research engineer at the same institution, at the department responsible for the intensification of pilot scale equipment. During this period, he developed innovative methodologies based on the combination of numerical tools and 3D metal printing techniques for the rational design and manufacture of intensified pilot-scale chemical reactors.
Claudio was appointed as a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering in May 2016 at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science (CEAS) of The University of Manchester (UoM) where he established a research group looking at a variety of industrial mixing problems, like confined impinging jets, inkjet-printing and high-shear mixers.