Cyrus Espinoza

Cyrus Espinoza
MEng – Chemical Engineering , University of Birmingham, 2014.

EngD Research Engineer 
Sponsor: EPSRC and Unilever, Port Sunlight

EngD Project Background

Mechanically agitated vessels and homogenisers currently dominate today’s emulsification processes. These equipment are very energy intensive and so are expensive to operate and hence not very environmentally friendly. Thus, more energetically favourable processes are sought for which may involve changing existing process conditions, formulations, procedures and technology. Usually, a combination of these is necessary to achieve an optimal process in terms of process efficiency i.e. a sustainable and cost and energy saving process.

 A fundamental understanding of how the product and mixing equipment interact in laboratory scale is essential in successfully scaling up emulsification processes. Knowledge of product formulation i.e. fluid properties is also critical as it determines how well a process can be scaled up to plant scale. For instance, if changing process conditions or sequential order of formulation procedures does not work, a completely new formulation or new technology may be required to make new and useful product alternatives.

Current Project Aims

  1. To develop an understanding of emulsion formulations representative of home and personal care products and how they interact with a selection of equipment. 
  2. To collect and analyse data to identify optimal process conditions and correlations required for distinguishing important scale up parameters.
  3. To select and develop methods and tools that will aid in achieving the above aims.

Other Activities

Outside of work, Cyrus enjoys swimming for leisure, cinema, and listening to music.

Affiliations

Associate member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (AMIChemE)