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Jürgen Gmehling (born January 13, 1946 in Duisburg) is a retired German professor of technical and industrial chemistry at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.
Biography
His career started with an apprenticeship as a laboratory assistant at the Duisburg copper works before he studied chemical engineering at the engineering school in Essen and then chemistry in Dortmund and Clausthal. He received his diploma from the University of Dortmund in 1970 and his PhD (Dr. rer. nat., inorganic chemistry) in 1973. After this he worked as a scientific coworker in Dortmund before he became a private lecturer and, after his habilitation, an assistant professor.
Gmehling was appointed a full professor for technical chemistry at the University of Oldenburg in 1989 and retired in 2011.
Fields of research
Gmehling's main focusses are measurement, collection, and estimation of thermophysical properties of components and component mixtures. The following list summarizes several fields of his scientific work in a concise manner but is in no way complete.
Measurements
- Phase equilibrium data (vapor-liquid equilibria, liquid-liquid equilibria, solid–liquid equilibria, gas solubilities, heats of mixing, activity coefficients and more)
- Pure component properties (heats of phase transitions, vapor pressures, densities, viscosities)
- Kinetics of reaction (heterogeneous catalysis)
Data collection
Gmehling began in the 1970s with the systematic evaluation of the scientific literature, aiming to build a data bank for vapor-liquid equilibria. These data were needed for the development of a new method for the prediction of activity coefficients named UNIFAC. This data bank is still named the Dortmund Data Bank, though it has expanded dramatically over the last decades and is now maintained by a company located in Oldenburg.
Development of estimation and correlation models
Gmehling developed with colleagues, including Professor Aage Fredenslund from the Technical University of Denmark (Danmarks Tekniske Universitet), models for the estimation of several thermodynamic and thermophysical properties:
- Activity coefficient models like UNIFAC (see also group contribution method) and extensions. For the further development of these widely used methods Gmehling founded an industry consortium where many international companies are participating.
- Equations of state (EOS) including mixing rules for applying EOS to mixtures (see PSRK).
- g models
- Prediction of pure component properties (normal boiling point, liquid viscosity, critical data)
Software development
The following implementation of his own methods are also considerable developments:
- an expert system for the entrainer selection for the azeotropic and extractive distillation
- programs for fitting parameters of g models and many equations describing pure component properties
Other fields of work
Gmehling is also working on the research and optimization of chemical processes like reactive distillation and membrane processes.
Awards
Gmehling received the Arnold Eucken Award from the GVC (VDI society for chemical engineering). This award is aimed at supporting promising junior scientists.
In August 2008, Gmehling received the Rossini Lectureship Award during the 20th International Conference on Chemical Thermodynamics in Warsaw, Poland. This award is presented by the Board of Directors of the International Association of Chemical Thermodynamics (short IACT) and is given for important contributions to the field of chemical thermodynamics. At the award presentation, the laureate has to hold a lecture where he presents his current and past work.
Company foundations
Gmehling has founded two companies:
- The DDBST GmbH was founded in 1989. Its main purpose is the further development of the Dortmund Data Bank.
- The LTP GmbH was founded in 1999. The main purpose is the experimental determination of thermophysical data.
Publications
Gmehling has published numerous scientific articles and several books. These include textbooks (e.g. Thermodynamics and Unit Operations) as well as data collections that have been published by the DECHEMA (DECHEMA Chemistry Data Series, DCDS) and Wiley-VCH (Azeotropic Data).
Selection of scientific articles
- Horstmann S., Fischer K., Gmehling J., "Isothermal Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium and Excess Enthalpy Data for the Binary Systems Water + Sulfolane and Methanol + N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone", J.Chem.Eng.Data, 49(6), 1499–1503, 2004
- Joh R., Kreutz J., Gmehling J., "Measurement and Prediction of Ternary Solid–Liquid Equilibria", J.Chem.Eng.Data, 42(5), 886–889, 1997
- Gruber D., Topphoff M., Gmehling J., "Measurement of activity coefficients at infinite dilution using gas-liquid chromatography. 8. Results for 22 solutes in tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether and 18 solutes in triethylene glycol dibutyl ether at 303.15 K and 343.15 K", Eldata Int.Electron.J.Phys.-Chem.Data, 3, 215–224, 1997
- Gmehling J., Weidlich U., "Die Dortmunder Datenbank. Basis für die Weiterentwicklung der UNIFAC-Methode", Chem.Ing.Tech., 57(5), 447–449, 1985
- Fredenslund Å., Gmehling J., Michelsen M.L., Rasmussen P., Prausnitz J.M., "Computerized Design of Multicomponent Distillation Columns Using the UNIFAC Group Contribution Method for Calculation of Activity Coefficients", Ind.Eng.Chem. Process Des.Dev., 16(4), 450–462, 1977
- Weidlich U., Gmehling J., "A Modified UNIFAC Model. 1. Prediction of VLE, hE, and gamma Infinite", Ind.Eng.Chem.Res., 26(7), 1372–1381, 1987
- Holderbaum T., Gmehling J., "PSRK: A Group-Contribution Equation of State based on UNIFAC", Fluid Phase Equilib., 70, 251–265, 1991
- Möllmann C., Gmehling J., "Auswahl selektiver Zusatzstoffe für die Rektifikation durch kombinierten Zugriff auf experimentelle und vorausberechnete Gleichgewichtsdaten", Chem.Ing.Tech., 69(3), 324–328, 1997
Reviewing
Gmehling is co-publisher of three scientific journals and reviewer for several others. Additionally he rerviews scientific projects for the German (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), Czech, Finnish, and Slovenian scientific societies.
External links
- Chair at the University of Oldenburg
- Prof. Jürgen Gmehling
- DDBST GmbH
- LTP GmbH
- UNIFAC consortium
- Chemistry International article about Rossini Lectureship Award (accessed 2008-08-31)