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UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
Research Groupings
associated with this theme
Associate Professor Hans
Beushausen
Associate Professor Hans Beushausen of the Department
of Civil Engineering received the UCT College of Fellows
Young Researcher Award in 2012 for his research on
concrete durability, performance assessment of concrete
structures, and repair systems for concrete structures.
He is the founding member and unit leader of the
Concrete Materials and Structural Integrity Research
Unit at UCT, which focuses on concrete infrastructure
performance and renewal. He has supervised or
co-supervised more than 35 postgraduate students in
the last five years, 21 of whom have graduated to date.
Within South Africa and other African countries,
Associate Professor Beushausen is recognised as a
leading researcher in his field. In addition, he has
supervised or conducted about 200 consulting projects
between 2010 and 2012. Among his clients were the
South African National Roads Agency, Eskom, the
Namibian Ports Authority, and the Namibian Water
Authority.
In March 2012, he was awarded the Wason Medal
for Materials Research, together with Professor Mark
Alexander and Mike Otieno.
Researcher Profile
Sasol Advanced Fuels
Laboratory
The Sasol Advanced Fuels Laboratory (SAFL) was
established in 2002 to actualise Sasol’s future-
oriented fuels research relating to combustion
and emissions from automotive and aviation
engines. A parallel goal was the development
of human-resource capacity to meet Sasol’s
and South Africa’s future technology needs.
SAFL activities for the past year are reflected
in five master’s degree graduations and seven
conference/journal publications. In addition, the
appointment of a senior chemistry research leader
has expanded the discipline base at the SAFL from
being predominantly mechanical engineering
to include a chemistry/chemical engineering
capability as well. Capital investment at the SAFL
has been substantially augmented with the recent
acquisition of a sophisticated single-cylinder test
engine that is representative of next-generation
automotive technology.
Directors: Professor RB Tait and Adjunct
Professor A Yates
E-mail: robert.tait@uct.ac.za
Web: http://www.safl.uct.ac.za
Centre for Catalysis
Research
The Centre for Catalysis Research concerns itself
with both fundamental and applied research and
development in the general field of heterogeneous
catalysis – encompassing all of catalyst synthesis,
physico-chemicalcharacterisationandperformance
evaluation for industrially interesting chemical
conversions. The principal fields of investigation
include Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, zeolite/acid
catalysis (especially as applied to hydrocracking
and the transformation of phenols and derivatives)
and catalysis by platinum-group metals and gold.
In addition, the Centre for Catalysis Research is
the host laboratory for the DST/NRF Centre of
Excellence in Catalysis (c*change) and the DST
Competence Centre in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
Catalysis.
Director: Professor JCQ Fletcher
E-mail: jack.fletcher@uct.ac.za
Web: http://www.chemeng.uct.ac.za/groups/cat/