EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Working Party of Multiphase Fluid Flow

Minutes of the Business Meeting

• Program of the 2nd business meeting in 2005 to be held along with GLS-7 Strasbourg, Palais des Congres

  1. Approval of the minutes from the last meeting in Pisa
  2. Information about the joint meeting of WP MFF and CRE, Glasgow, July 2005
  3. Information about the EFCE Executive Board Meeting and General Assembly, Glasgow, July 2005 (prof. Drahos elected as the president of EFCE for the period of 2006-2007; this implies election of new WP chairman)
  4. Information about the 43rd European Two-Phase Flow Group Meeting, Prague, 2005 (next one in Lausanne in 2006)
  5. Information about CHISA 2006, 27-31 August 2006, Prague, and ECCE-6, 16-21 September 2007, Copenhagen, Denmark
  6. WP activities (see Enclosures), WP homepage (www.multiphase-efce.org)
  7. Future WP meetings
  8. Any other business

• Meeting
  The meeting took place on the occasion of the 7th International Conference on Gas-Liquid-Solid Reactor Engineering, Strasbourg, France, August 21-24, 2005.

• Welcome
  Prof Drahoš welcomed the participants, distributed copies of the auxiliary source material and outlined the Agenda.

1. Approval of the last Minutes (Pisa, Italy, 2004)
   The minutes were approved without objections.

2. Information about the WP Meeting in Glasgow, 2005 (Prof Drahoš)
   Prof Drahoš informed the participants about the main points of the previous WP Meeting, arranged jointly with WP on Chemical Reaction Engineering (Profs. G. Wild and J. Schouten). The Minutes are attached.

   Following our members were present: N. Brauner (IL), M. Crine (BE), J. Drahoš (CZ), D. Mewes (DE), J. Teixeira (ES), I. Zun (SL). Among others, a possibility of merging related conferences were discussed, because there are too many events worldwide organized by different subjects, targeting similar research areas. In particular, possibility of merging GLS and CAMURE was discussed. This would however lead to defocusing either of these events, ending up with a broad-band engineering meeting that only duplicates those many already existing. At present, there is a need for small and sharply focused meetings. A mechanism for replacing 'sleeping members' was suggested - three absences in sequel is a reason for replacement.

3. Information about the EFCE Executive Board Meeting and General Assembly, Glasgow, July 2005 and Change in WP Chairmanship (Prof Drahoš)
   Prof Drahoš informed the participants about the EFCE Executive Board meeting and General Assembly meeting held in Glasgow. With respect to his election for the president of the EFCE for the period of 2006-2007, Prof Drahoš intends to end his WP chairmanship on 31. 12. 2005. After discussions with WP members, Prof Drahoš suggested Prof von Rohr as the candidate for chairmanship. Prof von Rohr had agreed. The formal procedure of electing the candidate will be performed via email, before the end of 2005 year.

4. Information about relevant events (Prof Drahoš)
   Prof Drahoš informed the participants about several events related to the field of chemical engineering and multiphase science.

   1. ETPFGM 2005 was held in Prague, featuring the new format - more stress on a common discussion around few selected topics /here, bubbly flows/ guided by several experts (a panel). The meeting was successful. Next ETPFGM 2006 will be hosted by Prof J. Thome in Lausanne, Switzerland, the main topic likely being an issue related to heat transfer.

   2. Congress CHISA 2006, Prague. All WP members are cordially invited to the traditional meeting covering the whole range of chemical engineering, with one section devoted to multiphase flows. Call for Papers were distributed among the attendees of the GLS conference - see www.chisa.cz/2006.

   3. EFCE 2007 Congress will take place in Copenhagen. There is a room for a strong presentation of our WP, which is desired as we have to increase our visibility.

   4. MULTIMET Workshop, September, 2005, Prague. Specific meeting 'Multiphase flows in metallurgy', focused on links among the communities in chemical, metallurgical and mechanical engineering.

   5. WP Meeting 2006 is suggested for Switzerland, kindly hosted by Prof von Rohr, possibly joint to the ETPFGM 2006 event in Lausanne (June 7-9).

5. General discussion on the issue of 'Working Party'
   In a long and intense common discussion, the very basic aspects of the phenomenon of 'WP' were treated. Many useful comments and suggestion were made. The following list demonstrates the main items:

   1. The status of WP and its goal (problem of self-identity). The very main issue of the bare concept of WP: who we are, what should we do, who needs us? It was agreed that the concept of WP is rather vaguely defined, which is good for the flexibility of our activity, but less good for the finding the right direction of focus of our activity. (see also Minutes from the Pisa Meeting, #3).

   2. Link to industry. Continuation in the long-term complaining about missing links to industry, lacking members from industry on one hand, and, facing the essential impotence of WP in offering the industry something relevant, on the other hand.

   3. Current practical benefits from WP.

      1. Exchange of information about the current state of multiphase research in member countries.
      2. Exchange of information regarding event and projects in Europe and world wide.
      3. Potential partners for international projects.
      4. Mutual exchange of students.
      5. Organizing scientific events /many conferences are commercial/.
      6. Initiative in other activities - e.g. foundation of new journals in the field /if needed/.
      7. Visibility and prestige /awarding prizes under EFCE - e.g. for PhD theses, serving as reviewers, organizing education events, workshops, summer schools for students/researchers/other-field experts, etc./.

   4. WP in the context of the present state of national/European/global industry. Who will today pay for 'multiphase research'? Need for targeting fashionable problems - scale-down technologies, health/ medical/pharma issues, enviro, etc.

6. Closing the Meeting