Center for Hydrate Research
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| Colorado School of Mines | Department of Chemical Engineering | Contact Information |

Prof. Carolyn Ann Koh

(Website)

Carolyn Koh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Information

Office: +1(303)273-3237
Fax:     +1(303)273-3730
Email: ckoh@mines.edu

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Position: Associate Professor
Co-Director of Center for Hydrate Research

 

Research Interests:

Neutron diffraction, hydrophobic hydration, crystal growth, high pressure differential scanning calorimetry, spectroscopy

Education:

Postdoctoral Research – Chemical Engineering, Cornell University

Ph.D. – Physical Chemistry, University of W. London

Experience:

Carolyn Koh joined the CSM hydrate busters in January 2004. Before joining CSM, she was a Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell and then Reader (Associate Professor) at King’s College, London University. She has been visiting Professor at Cornell and Penn State and currently London University. She was a consultant for the Gas Research Institute in Chicago and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. She has been working on hydrate research for over 10 years using spectroscopy, neutron diffraction and computer simulation techniques. This work led to her award of the Young Scientist Award of the British Association for Crystal Growth.

Current Research at CHR:

C. Koh’s current research interests are focused on advancing our understanding of the nucleation, crystal growth and decomposition of clathrate hydrate compounds using a range of molecular (neutron diffraction coupled with computational analysis, Raman and NMR spectroscopy) and macroscopic (high-pressure DSC, gas consumption measurements) tools. This fundamental understanding should have important implications in a number of industrial and technological applications of hydrates, including: preventing industrial pipeline blockages due to hydrates, assessing the economic feasibility of producing methane from natural hydrate deposits, and releasing energy from hydrate storage materials safely and efficiently.

Recent Publications/Preceedings:

  • Buchanan, P., Aldiwan, N., Soper, A.K., Creek, J.L., Koh , C.A ., “Decreased Structure on Dissolving Methane in Water”, Chemical Physics Letters, 2005, 415, 89-93.
  • Buchanan, P., Soper, A.K., Thompson, H., Westacott, R.E., Creek, J.L., Hobson, G., Koh , C.A ., “Search for Memory Effects in Methane Hydrate: Structure of Water Before Hydrate Formation and After Hydrate Decomposition”. Journal of Chemical Physics, 2005, 123, 1.
  • Florusse, L.J., Peters, C.J., Schoonman, J., Hester, K.C., Koh, C.A., Dec, S.F., Marsh, K., Sloan, E.D. “Molecular Clusters of H 2 Stored in Binary Clathrate Hydrates at Near Ambient T & P”. Science, 2004, 306, 469-471.
  • Bach-Verges, M., Kitchin, S.J., Harris, K.D.M., Zugic, M., Koh , C.A . Comment on “A deuteron NMR Study of the THF Clathrate Hydrate. Part II: Coupling of Rotational and Translational Dynamics of Water”. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2004, 6, 871-872.
  • Carstensen, A., Creek, J.L., Koh , C.A . “Investigating the Performance of Clathrate Hydrate Inhibitors Using In Situ Raman Spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry”. Am. Mineral., 2004, 89, 1215-1220.
  • Koh , C.A . and Westacott, R.E. “Vibrational Spectroscopy of Supramolecular Compounds”. Encyclopedia of Supramolecular Chemistry, Eds. J.A. Atwood & J.W. Steed, 2004, Marcel Dekker (ISBN: 082475056X ).
  • Westacott, R.E. and Koh , C.A . “Light Scattering Measurements of Supramolecular Compounds”. Encyclopedia of Supramolecular Chemistry, Eds. J.A. Atwood & J.W. Steed, 2004, Marcel Dekker (ISBN: 082475056X ).
  • Koh , C.A. and Sloan, E.D. “Clathrate Hydrates”. Encyclopedia of Water, PC 123, John Wiley & Sons, 2005, in press.
  • Koh , C.A. “Hydration”. Encyclopedia of Water, PC 270, John Wiley & Sons, 2005, in press.
  • Koh , C.A. “Methane Clathrate”, Dictionary of Science & Technology, McGraw-Hill, 2003, p. 242 (ISBN: 0076-2016).
  • Buchanan, P., Soper, A.K., Westacott, R.E., Creek, J.L., Koh, C.A. “In situ Neutron Diffraction Studies of Methane Hydrate Formation and Decomposition”. J. Chem. Eng. Data., 2003, 48, 778-782.
  • Koh, C.A. “Towards a Fundamental Understanding of Natural Gas Hydrates”. Chem. Soc. Rev., 2002, 31, 157-167.
  • Koh , C.A . , Westacott, R.E., Nooney, R.I., Boissel, V., Tahir, S.F., Tricarico, V. “Separation of Dichloromethane – Nitrogen Mixtures by Adsorption: Experimental and Molecular Simulation Studies.” Mol. Phys., 2002, 100, 2087-2095.
  • Koh , C.A ., Westacott, R.E., Zhang, W., Hirachand, K., Creek, J.L., Soper, A.K. “Mechanisms of Gas Hydrate Formation and Inhibition”. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2002, 194, 143-151.
  • Bond, G.C., Koh , C.A ., Noordally, E., Tahir, S. “Complete Catalytic Oxidation of Methane and Ethane over Supported Platinum, Palladium and Manganese Oxide Catalysts.” Principles and Methods for Accelerated Catalyst Design and Testing, 2002, 309-321.
  • Carstensen, A., Zugik, M., Creek, J., Koh , C.A . “Clathrate Hydrate Formation and Decomposition.” Int. J. Vibrational Spectrsocopy, 2002, 6, 5.
  • Koh , C.A. and Hendra, P.“Methane Clathrate Hydrate: Treasures of the DeepSea or An Ecological Timebomb?” Int. J. Vibrational Spectrsocopy, 2002, 6, 1 .
  • Nyburg , S.C., Carstensen, A.C., Koh , C.A. “A Binary n-Alkane Phase Revisited. Overcrowding and Molecular Deformation in the b -Phase of C 24H 52:C 26H 54”. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2001, 105, 12418-12426.
  • Bach–Verge´s, M., Kitchin, S.J., Harris, K.D.M., Zugic, M., Koh , C.A . “Dynamic Properties of the Tetrahydrofuran Clathrate Hydrate, Investigated by Solid State 2H NMR Spectroscopy”. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2001, 105 2699-2706.
  • Zhang, W., Creek, J., Koh , C.A . “A Novel Multiple Cell Photo-sensor Instrument: Principles and Application to the Study of THF Hydrate Formation”. Measurement Science and Technology, 2001, 12, 1620-1630.
  • Koh , C.A ., Wisbey, R.P., Wu, X., Westacott, R.E., R.E., Soper, A.K. “Water Ordering Around Methane During Hydrate Formation”. J. Chem. Phys., 2000, 113 6390-6397.

 

Awards/Honors:

  • National Award and Medal: Young Scientist Award 2001 of the British Association for Crystal Growth.
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry Awarded 2001

Research Awards:

Total funding awarded (Sept 1994, Oct 2005) = over $5 million

Research Funding Awarded (Sept 1994, Dec 2003) = over $4.5 million (PI: C.A. Koh)

  • Chevron Petroleum Technology, Houston, TX, USA
  • DeepStar Industry Consortium, Houston, TX, USA
  • Gas Research Institute, Chicago, IL, USA
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK
  • NATO, (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Brussels
  • Rutherford Appleton laboratory: EPSRC Facility, Oxon, UK
  • British Council, London, UK
  • Daresbury laboratory: EPSRC Facility, Manchester, UK
  • Royal Society, London, UK

Research Funding Awarded (Jan 2004 to Present)

  • American Chemical Society - Petroleum Research Fund, U.S.A. Investigators: C.A. Koh (PI), S.F. Dec (co-PI)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S.A. Investigators: C.A. Koh (co-PI), S.F. Dec (co-PI), E.D. Sloan (PI), J.L. Creek (co-PI)
  • Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences Program, U.S.A. Investigators: C.A. Koh (co-PI), K. Miller (co-PI), S.F. Dec (co-PI), E.D. Sloan (PI)