Research Scientific and Innovative Activity
The University realizes fundamental, research and applied investigations. It is engineering that is being recently developed, it covers every stage of development: from scientific investigation and elaboration of principal tech-nical decisions, project and design works up to mounting and setup, «turnkey» handing over of objects with service and professional maintenance to follow. Thereto the University structure underwent creation of an innovative-technological complex, which combined engineering subdivisions created on the ground of the University and entrepreneur patterns, having long experience of carrying out installation, construction, balancing and commissioning.
Such experience allowed realizing scores of vast projects in creating and retrofitting refrigeration and air conditioning systems at cold storage warehouses, fruit and vegetable stores, enterprises of dairy and baking industries, in petrochemical production, when creating and reconstructing skating rinks.
In the field of «temperate cold» (temperatures above -120oC) examining of thermal and gas-dynamic processes in various types of compressors and compressor-expander units are being under way.
Scientists of the University, who are busy with cryogenic investigations at temperatures near absolute zero, in the first place direct their efforts to improve cycles in air separation plants. Methods to produce high grade cryoproducts by low temperature rectification have been developed as well as ways of purification of cryogenic gases by low temperature adsorption.
Cryogenic techniques, particularly utilization of liquid nitrogen, have been applied when working out technologies of fish quick freezing, which allowed getting high quality produce and enhancing freezers output.
Recent years witness development of a new track, namely cryomedicine. A cryobooth where a man is exposed to dried gaseous nitrogen effect at temperature lower than -100°С was evolved and implemented in medical practice. «Antisauna» effect energizes heat processes in surface tissues of organisms which stimulates biochemical processes, favors general recovery and cures some diseases.
Another important trend of investigations is elaboration and optimization of heat-operated refrigerators and thermal transformers that work on waste heat of enterprises as energy source, as well as renewable energy sources, such as solar and geothermal ones. Within this trend the scientists are seeking solutions to issues of thermodynamic analysis of cycles and their optimization, enhancing heat and mass exchange, studying processes of metal corrosion.
Researches in the field of thermal physics are one more fundamental direction of foremost importance. These researches concern thermal physical properties of new refrigerants and their mixtures, heat exchange processes and hydrodynamics at boiling and condensation of refrigerants in refrigerator apparatus.
One of the key trends is working out of scientific principles and efficiency enhancement of refrigerating installations and air conditioning systems, energy saving and improvement of operating performance, reliability and safety being among narrowly studied.
Last decade demonstrates active line of investigation in the field of thermal electric transformation of energy. There has been theoretically researched a scope of material properties, revealed a number of new effects and proposed methods to substantially raise energy parameters of transformers. In this domain of study the University collaborates with leading R&D centers of Ukraine, South Korea, Germany, Mexico, the USA and other countries.
Since 1970s a school of science of cold resistant materials made a move. The results of its work have been realized in a number of projects concerned with cosmic and defense industries, cryogenic engineering, shipbuilding and other fields that use equipment able to run under low temperatures. Nondestructive methods for quality control of metals in cryogenic vessels have been developed; they allow determining their residual life. Problems of structural and project strength evolving due to low temperature impact are also the subject of investigation. In the end of 1970s a scientific school of thermal physical instrument making was organized. There were developed scientific fundamentals and structures of instruments for measuring thermal physical properties of various materials in the temperature range from 4 to 1200 K, the devices created being fully automatized, highly efficient and accurate.
The oldest scientific school of the University is that developing technologies of processing and storage of animal and vegetable agricultural raw materials, the lines of investigation and development being as follows:
- highly efficient technologies of vegetable raw material cooling, freezing and keeping;
- heat and mass exchange, microbiological and biochemical processes at cold treatment;
- cold storage of perishable goods under controlled atmosphere (e.g. inert gases);
- effects of conditions and methods of cold processing on quality and shelf life of products.
On the basis of theoretical investigations of heat and mass exchange at cold and thermal processing of foods new technological and equipment solutions for high temperature drying and quick freezing of vegetable and animal foodstuffs were elaborated. These technologies provide high product quality and reduction of specific energy consumption when applied. Another subject of investigation is stimulation of processes and perfection of design for freeze drying units.
One of the leading schools of the University is that of working out scientific fundamentals of milk processing; to date the following priority lines of investigation being:
- technology of combined milk products with various phytogenic raw material being used;
- technology of foods with controlled fatty-acid and carbohydrate composition;
- technology of bacterial ferments and milk foods with clinical-prophylactic properties;
- technology of milk foods processed with membrane methods.
The scientific direction «Food Biotechnology» involves the solution of the following scientific-technological problems:
- technology of yeast production in confectionary and brewing industries;
- creation of new kinds and technologies of producing beer, kvass and other soft drinks;
- use of new additives in bread making to improve nutritive value and flavor of produce;
- enhancing of technological processes;
- development of new sorts of bakery goods.
In the middle of 1970s a scientific line of environmental protection and life support safety started to vigorously develop. Designs of sewage-disposal plants for cleaning and disinfecting liquid, gaseous and solid domestic and industrial wastes were elaborated. Of late works in ecological monitoring and foods certification have been un-derway.
Economic line of investigations includes those associated with management perfection of production in food industry business and scientific-technological forecasting of development in this industry.
Engineering
The last decade in the University life is marked by vigorously developing innovation activity and engineering: University working-outs are done to the final stages including «turnkey» handing over of objects with service and professional maintenance to follow
There have been created specialized innovative subdivisions, as well as a «Technopark», that amalgamate crea-tive potential and several entrepreneurial startups that sprang on the ground of the University.
Advanced scientific ideas feature the projects implemented; these are needs of present priority: energy and re-source saving, environmental safety and reliability. Over more than a ten-year period around a thousand of var-ious projects were realized, there being no claims on quality.
In 1995 a planning and design office (PDO) was organized. Its work was oriented to develop and apply up-to-date design solutions to production at food, petrochemical industries, during construction of skating rings with artificial ice, etc. Examination of enterprises and design expect PDO researchers to use current methods of di-agnostics, computeraided design systems and management of energotechnological systems. The accomplishing of design work supposes a complex approach to the project as a single energotechnological system (from form-ing a general layout up to development of a monitoring system). In general PDO activity is turned to solving the following problems:
- development of engineering offers and implementation of industrial designs of new and retrofitting of existing technological and heat-cold-energetic complexes;
- creation and improvement of complex heat-cold-energetic systems with recovery of secondary energy resources (SER) of an enterprise;
- working out of compressor shop (stations) designs;
- examination and heat engineering tests of refrigeration and compressor shops;
- comparative analysis and design of various refrigerating systems.
Being a university scientific-research subdivision, PDO is concentrated not on solving routine tasks but on in-novations, i.e., on implementation of advanced concepts and technologies.
PDO specialists were trained in educational-certification centers of first-rate firms- manufacturers and were awarded certificates to work with high-tech equipment.
Design work of PDO assumes close cooperation with firms suppliers of advanced refrigerating equipment, market of new technologies being constantly kept traсk of.
In 2005 a structural subdivision – engineering center «Development» – was inaugurated. Is fulfills the entire complex of works in improving and creating new food processing and production lines, cold supply systems for any purposes, including food and processing industries, agribusiness, chemistry and petrochemistry, medicine, sports buildings, life-support systems, low-temperature and climatic chambers to test various products, processing and domestic conditioning.
Overwhelming majority of engineering designs is extremely science intensive and include nonstandard technical solutions. This allows to consider the center «Development» not as purely engineering but as a science-engineering subdivision. As a result the teaching staff, postgraduate students, and undergraduates can be re-cruited. Taking part in direct labor all workers acquire up-to-date practical experience; seize information on newest equipment and materials. Vice Rector for Science & Innovation Alexander A. Malyshev tel./fax: +7-812-3153778 pronpr@gunipt.spb.ru Deputy Vice Rector for Science & Innovation Marina V. Yakovleva tel.: +7-812-7640593 fax: +7-812-3153617 Department for Accounts and Contract Scientific Research tel.: +7-812-5722710 fax: +7-812-3153617 |
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