Dr Sunil Kumar

Research Interest

• Process Engineering: Process synthesis and design, Process simulation model development, Scaling- up of process, Pinch analysis, Process integration, Revamp and retrofitting of refinery’s process, and Preparation of detailed Technology Information Package (TIP.
• Solvent extraction: Liquid-liquid extraction and extractive distillation process development for aromatics recovery and production, desulfurization and dearomatization of middle distillates and bio-fuel, refining of used lube oil.
• Methanol and DME production: Process synthesis and design, Scale-up, simulations and improvement.
• Thermo-chemical Hydrogen Generation using S-I cycle: Process simulation, design and Scale-up.

Work Experience

Awards and Honours

• TDB National Award 2019 for commercialization of FCC gasoline treatment technology at RIL(team member)
• TDB National Award 2017 for commercialization of wax- de-oiling technology at NRL, Assam (team member)
• Institution of engineers India (IEI) Young Engineers Award in Chemical Engineering discipline, 2016-2017
• Certificate of Merit for Academic Excellence in the M.Tech. in Chemical Engineering by IIT Kanpur, 2009
• Ambuja’s Young Researchers Awards by Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2009
• IIChE- M H Shukla second prize for the best technical paper, IIChE Congress, 2008
• TDB National Award, 2017
• MoP&NG and CHT best innovation in R&D award, 2014 – 2015
• CSIR Technology award, 2016
• CSIR Award for Innovation, 2014

Patents

• Process for Recovery of Pure Components from Product Mixture of one Step Dimethyl Ether Synthesis Reactor
  US 9758460, 2017
• Method for increasing gas oil yield and energy efficiency in crude oil distillation
  US 9546324B2, 2017
• A process for production of benzene lean gasoline by recovery of high purity benzene from unprocessed cracked gasoline fraction containing organic peroxides
  US 8722952B2, 2014
• Process for simultaneously production of benzene lean gasoline by recovery of high purity benzene from cracked gasoline fraction
  US10105620 B, 2018
• Integrated process for simultaneous removal and value addition to the sulfur and aromatics compounds of gas oil
  US 10190064 B2, 2019

Selected Publications

• Desulfurization of gas oil in distillation, extraction and hydrotreating based integrated process. Fuel, 220: 754-762, 2018.
• Solvent Evaluation for Desulfurization and Denitrification of Gas Oil Using Performance and Industrial Usability Indices. AIChE J. 2015; 61 (7); 2257-2267.
• A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of jatropha biodiesel production in India. Bioresource technology, 2012; 110; 723-729.
• Techno-economic evaluation of Top, middle and bottom divided wall column configurations for Benzene, Toluene and Xylene processing in aromatic production plant, Separation Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1080/01496395.2016.1250775 , 2016
• Modified Revamp Process to reduce energy use in SDA (Solvent Deasphalting) Unit. Hydrocarbon Processing, JUNE 2017, 1-4.