NETL Senior Researcher Sofiane Benyahia, Ph.D., was selected by the Particle Technology Forum of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) to receive this year’s prestigious Lectureship in Fluidization Award during the 2021 AIChE annual meeting. This award recognizes an individual’s outstanding scientific/technical research contributions with impact in the field of fluidization and fluid-particle flow systems.

A senior research engineer at NETL, Benyahia has more than 20 years of experience conducting computational fluid dynamics simulations of multiphase flows resulting in more than 40 peer-reviewed publications. His research focuses on developing computationally efficient and physically accurate models to better understand, predict and troubleshoot systems at the heart of the chemical and energy industries.

In addition to the awards ceremony, Benyahia gave a plenary presentation during this year’s AIChE annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

“I was honored to receive this award and for the opportunity to participate in AIChE’s annual meeting. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate our Lab’s work with the wider community of chemical engineers,” Benyahia said.

“Optimizing efficiency within chemical and energy facilities is vital for building a clean energy future, but that can be a massive endeavor. With the right computational models and simulations, we can conduct experiments and retrieve valuable data to move projects forward without the need to build physical plants or run tests at existing facilities, which costs time and money and can ultimately stall progress. By incorporating the latest technology into the research process, NETL is expediting the process by which the nation’s energy and environmental challenges can be addressed,” Benyahia said.

Benyahia earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the National Polytechnic School in Algiers and later his doctorate in chemical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.