Dewi Ballard
- Email: pm13dab@leeds.ac.uk
- Thesis title: Inhibition of asphaltene deposition in heat exchangers
- Supervisors: Associate Professor David Harbottle, Professor Kevin Roberts
Profile
Dewi completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Leeds in 2016, a BEng in Petroleum Engineering. He was awarded the Process Engineering Scholarship, which was awarded to the top 5 applicants in the first year and the prize for the best group project in his final year. During his studies, he attended a Clean Energy Science & Technology summer school at Xiamen University.
Dewi decided to pursue an integrated masters and PhD in complex particulate products and processes course to learn about formulating high-added value products. His Masters research focused on the crystallisation of Ritonavir, a HIV drug which has two polymorphs. Being a large pharmaceutical molecule which is very difficult to crystallise, the aim was to measureme the solubility, induction times and crystal structures of the drug using a variety of crystallisation methods. His PhD project is sponsored by Infineum Ltd., and focuses on understanding and inhibiting asphaltene deposition in the oil and gas industry, specifically in heat exchangers and ship engines. Using a targeted approach to the complex mixture, a more thorough investigation of the adsorption process is carried out and inhibition methods tested.
Research interests
- Small-angle neutron scattering
- Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectroscopy
- Molecular modeling and interactions
- Quartz-crystal microbalance
Qualifications
- BEng Petroleum Engineering
- MSc Complex Particulate Products and Processes