Dr.-Ing. Nicole Vorhauer-Huget
Dr.-Ing. Nicole Vorhauer-Huget
Chair of Thermal Process Engineering
University Education
2002 – 2007
Dipl.-Ing. Process Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany
Research Degree
Since September 2018
Postdoc with the aim of habilitation, Head of Group Transport in Porous Media
September 2018
Dr.-Ing. (Cotutelle de Thèse), Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France and Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany
Doctoral thesis: Experiment based development of a non-isothermal pore network model with secondary capillary invasion https://doi.org/10.25673/13461
Teaching Activities
Since 2007
Lectures, seminars, laboratory work (German and English) in
- Thermal Process Engineering
- Bioseparation
- Product Quality
- Drying Technology
- Digital Engineering of Process Engineering Applications
Committees
- Senate
- Climate commission
- Commission for dealing with scientific misconduct
- Committee to regulate the procedure in cases of violence, threats and sexual harassment by students
Organization of the Ladies Night for Women Engineering Sciences
Ladies Night for Women Engineering Sciences more
2024
2020
Maria-Weber-Grant of the Hans Böckler Foundation
2019
Max Buchner research grant (Max-Buchner-Forschungsstiftung, DECHEMA) for research project: Experimental and numerical study of the hydraulic connectivity of liquid films during drying of porous networks.
2017
Women in Drying Research Award of the University Liége, Belgium, Eurodrying, June 19-21
2015
Presentation Award of the German professional group on food process engineering (Process-Net, Dechema, VDI-GVC) Annual meeting of the German professional group on food process engineering, Magdeburg, Germany, March 16-18
2014
Project and exhibition 'MACHT MINT!' Travelling exhibition of the portraits of 11 selected researchers at the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg
2025
Peer-reviewed journal article
Investigation on the intra-particle anisotropic transport properties of a beech wood particle during pyrolysis
Dernbecher, Andrea; Bhaskaran, Supriya; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Seidenbecher, Jakob; Gopalkrishna, Suresh; Briest, Lucas; Dieguez-Alonso, Alba
In: Particuology - Amsterdam : Elsevier, Bd. 98 (2025), S. 172-190
Use of reconstructed pore networks for determination of effective transport parameters of commercial Ti-Felt PTLs
Altaf, Haashir; Milicic, Tamara; Faber, Felix; Vidakovic-Koch, Tanja; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: Processes - Basel : MDPI, Bd. 13 (2025), Heft 4, insges. 24 S.
Pore-scale study of coupled heat and mass transfer during primary freeze-drying using an irregular pore network model
Faber, Felix; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Thomik, Maximilian; Gruber, Sebastian; Först, Petra; Tsotsas, Evangelos
In: Drying technology - Philadelphia, Pa. : Taylor & Francis, Bd. 43 (2025), Heft 1-2, S. 162-182
2024
Peer-reviewed journal article
Dielectric and physico-chemical behavior of single thermally thick wood blocks under microwave assisted pyrolysis
Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Seidenbecher, Jakob; Bhaskaran, Supriya; Schenkel, Fancesca; Briest, Laura; Gopalkrishna, Suresh; Barowski, Jan; Dernbecher, Andrea; Hilfert, Liane; Rolfes, Ilona; Dieguez-Alonso, Alba
In: Particuology - Amsterdam : Elsevier, Bd. 86 (2024), S. 291-303
Model PEM water electrolyzer cell for studies of periodically alternating drainage/imbibition cycles
Bhaskaran, Supriya; Miličić, Tamara; Vidaković-Koch, Tanja; Surasani, Vikranth Kumar; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: International journal of hydrogen energy - New York, NY [u.a.] : Elsevier, Bd. 77 (2024), S. 1432-1442
Pore shape matters - in-situ investigation of freeze-drying kinetics by 4D XCT methods
Gruber, Sebastian; Greiner, Joshua; Eppink, Alexander; Thomik, Maximilian; Coppens, Frederik; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Foerst, Petra
In: Food research international - New York, NY [u.a.] : Elsevier, Bd. 193 (2024), Artikel 114837, insges. 13 S.
Multi-point temperature measurements in packed beds using phosphor thermometry and ray tracing simulations
Xuan, Guangtao; Ebert, Mirko; Rodrigues, Simson Julian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Lessig, Christian; Fond, Benoît
In: Particuology - Amsterdam : Elsevier, Bd. 85 (2024), S. 77-88
2023
Book chapter
Pore network simulation of heat and mass transfer during freeze-drying of porous media
Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Thomik, Maximilian; Gruber, Sebastian; Först, Petra; Tsotsas, Evangelos
In: EuroDrying 2023 - Lodz ; Musielak, Grzegorz, S. 451-457 [Konferenz: 8th European Drying Conference, EuroDrying 2023, Lodz, 04. - 07. July 2023]
Microwave heating as a possible route for the defossilization of green brick drying
Briest, Lucas; Dharmananda, Prajwal; Tretau, Anne; Wagner, Ralf; Thomik, Maximilian; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: EuroDrying 2023 - Lodz ; Musielak, Grzegorz, S. 58-64 [Konferenz: 8th European Drying Conference, EuroDrying 2023, Lodz, 04. - 07. July 2023]
In-situ analysis of the 3-D microstructure and its impact on the freeze-drying kinetics
Gruber, Sebastian; Thomik, Maximilian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Coppens, Frederik; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Först, Petra
In: EuroDrying 2023 - Lodz ; Musielak, Grzegorz [Konferenz: 8th European Drying Conference, EuroDrying 2023, Lodz, 04. - 07. July 2023]
Peer-reviewed journal article
Prediction of effective thermal conductivity of packed beds of polyhedral particles
Rodrigues, Simson Julian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Tsotsas, Evangelos
In: Powder technology - Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, Bd. 430 (2023), Artikel 118997
A non-isothermal pore network model of primary freeze drying
Thomik, Maximilian; Faber, Felix; Gruber, Sebastian; Foerst, Petra; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: Pharmaceutics - Basel : MDPI, Bd. 15 (2023), Heft 8, Artikel 2131, insges. 25 S.
Neutron imaging experiments to study mass transport in commercial titanium felt porous transport layers
Altaf, H.; Milicic, T.; Vidakovic-Koch, T.; Tsotsas, E.; Tengattini, Alessandro; Kardjilov, N.; Arlt, T.; Manke, I.; Vorhauer-Huget, N.
In: Journal of the Electrochemical Society - Bristol : IOP Publishing, Bd. 170 (2023), Heft 6, insges. 11 S.
Influence of particle shape on tortuosity of non-spherical particle packed beds
Rodrigues, Simson Julian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Richter, Thomas; Tsotsas, Evangelos
In: Processes - Basel : MDPI, Bd. 11 (2023), Heft 1, Artikel 3, insges. 16 S.
2022
Peer-reviewed journal article
Effective thermal conductivity of packed beds made of cubical particles
Rodrigues, Simson Julian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Tsotsas, Evangelos
In: International journal of heat and mass transfer - Amsterdam [u.a.]: Elsevier, Bd. 194 (2022)
Determination of 3D pore network structure of freeze-dried maltodextrin
Thomik, Maximilianvorhauer; Gruber, S.; Foerst, E.; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: Drying technology - Philadelphia, Pa.: Taylor & Francis, Bd. 40 (2022), 4, S. 748-766
Einsatz von Mikrowellenerwärmung zur Elektrifizierung der Ziegelrohlingstrocknung
Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Briest, Lucas; Wagner, R.; Tretau, A.; Rahimi, A.; Tsotsas, Evangelos
In: Ziegelindustrie international - Gütersloh : Bauverl. . - 2022, Heft 3, S. 8-24
30 Years of pore network modeling in drying
Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Shokri, N.
In: Drying technology - Philadelphia, Pa.: Taylor & Francis, Bd. 40 (2022), 4, S. 689-690
Experimental study of the impact of pore structure on drying kinetics and sublimation front patterns
Thomik, Maximilian; Gruber, Sebastian; Kaestner, Anders; Foerst, Petra; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: Pharmaceutics - Basel : MDPI, Bd. 14 (2022), Heft 8, Artikel 1538, insges. 15 S.
Modeling and analysis of mass transport losses of proton exchange membrane water electrolyer
Miličić, Tamara; Altaf, Haashir; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Živković, Luka A.; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vidaković-Koch, Tanja
In: Processes - Basel: MDPI, Bd. 10 (2022), 11, insges. 20 S.
LBM studies at pore scale for graded anodic porous transport layer (PTL) of PEM water electrolyzer
Bhaskaran, Supriya; Pandey, Divyansh; Surasani, Vikranth Kumar; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vidakovic-Koch, Tanja; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: International journal of hydrogen energy - New York, NY [u.a.]: Elsevier, Bd. 47 (2022), 74, S. 31551-31565
Temperature distribution in granular assemblies using luminescence thermometry and radiative transfer simulation
Xuan, Guangtao; Ebert, Mirko; Rodrigues, Simson Julian; Lessig, Christian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Fond, Benoît
In: Conference proceedings from OSA Publishing/ Optical Society of America - Washington, DC . - 2022
2021
Peer-reviewed journal article
Porosity and pore size distribution of beds composed by sugarcane bagasse and wheat bran for solid-state cultivation
Canedo, Marianny Silva; Figueiredo, Maria Fernanda Santos; Thomik, Maximilian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Thoméo, João Cláudio
In: Powder technology: an international journal on the science and technology of wet and dry particulate systems - Amsterdam [u.a.]: Elsevier Science, Bd. 386 (2021), S. 166-175
Microwave-assisted drying of clay roof tiles
Briest, L.; Wagner, R.; Tretau, A.; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, N.
In: Drying technology - Philadelphia, Pa. : Taylor & Francis, Bd. 40 (2022), Heft 9, S. 1804-1818
Beschreibung der Sublimationsfront in Schüttgütern mittels Neutronenradiografie und -tomografie
Gruber, Sebastian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Schulz, Michael; Hilmer, Mathias; Peters, Jürgen; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Foerst, Petra
In: Die pharmazeutische Industrie: pharmind ; Veröffentlichungen über sämtliche Aspekte der Herstellung und des Vertriebes pharmazeutischer Erzeugnisse ; Forum der Pharma-Industrie für alle Themen der Pharma-, Gesundheits- und Sozialpolitik sowie des Arzneimittelwesens im Umfeld der Marktbeteiligten ; Mitteilungsorgan der Verbände der deutschen Pharma-Industrie - Aulendorf: ECV, Editio-Cantor-Verl., Bd. 83 (2021), 5, insges. 12 S.
Lattice Boltzmann method to study the water-oxygen distributions in porous transport layer (PTL) of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyser
Paliwal, Shubhani; Panda, Debashis; Bhaskaran, Supriya; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Surasani, Vikranth Kumar
In: International journal of hydrogen energy: official journal of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy - New York, NY [u.a.]: Elsevier - official journal of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy, Bd. 46 (2021), 44, S. 22747-22762
In situ micro-computed tomography to study microstructure and sublimation front during freeze-drying
Gruber, Sebastian; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Foerst, Petra
In: Food structure - Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, Bd. 29 (2021), insges. 8 S.
Experimentelle Untersuchung der Mikrowellentrocknung von Sanitärkeramiken
Briest, Lucas; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole
In: Keramische Zeitschrift - Wiesbaden: Springer Vieweg, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, Bd. 2 (2021), S. 36-42
2020
Peer-reviewed journal article
Computational optimization of porous structures for electrochemical processes
Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Altaf, Haashir; Dürr, Robert; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Vidaković-Koch, Tanja
In: Processes - Basel : MDPI - Vol. 8 (2020), 10, Artikelnr. 1205, insgesamt 21 Seiten
Freeze-drying with structured sublimation fronts - visualization with neutron imaging
Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole; Mannes, David; Hilmer, Mathias; Gruber, Sebastian; Strobl, Markus; Tsotsas, Evangelos; Foerst, Petra
In: Processes - Basel: MDPI, Vol. 8 (2020), 9, Artikelnr. 1091, insgesamt 12 Seiten
Current projects
In-situ determination of heating and phase changes in microwave heated packed bed reactor
Duration: 01.07.2024 to 30.06.2028
The project B05N In-situ determination of heating and phase changes in microwave heated packed bed reactor (Barowski/Vorhauer-Huget) considers electromagnetic wave propagation with material-dependent reflection, transmission and absorption in cases of strongly coupled changes of dielectric properties with temperature and composition. For this purpose, a novel radar-based measurement setup will be developed in cooperation with B01 for processes up to max. 1000°C. The significant novelty of this measurement technique will be the ability to use it in-situ under high-temperature conditions inside the microwave reactor built in FP1. The detected dielectric changes will provide time-resolved correlations for local temperature and composition changes. Its functionality will be demonstrated for phase changes in wood together with B04. The impact of internal heat sources (direct volumetric heating by microwaves) on heat transfer coefficients will be investigated together with B02.
Assessing terpene productivity of Methanosarcina acetivorans biofilms in porous substrata using a mathematical-physiological approach
Duration: 01.04.2025 to 31.03.2028
This project will contribute to an SPP by developing a sound basis for the design of scalable bio-rector technologies involving porous structures for the immobilization of productive biofilms. The high surface-to-volume ratio realized in such reactors will be key to yield competitive space-time yields. The methodology will be established for anaerobic carbon monoxide fermentation employing Methanosarcina acetivorans, a genetically tractable microorganism with proven potential for industrial synthesis of chemicals, including terpenes. A reliably predictable process will be achieved by combining transcriptomic analysis and genetic manipulation, on the one hand, with process engineering methods for monitoring thermodynamic and structural data, on the other hand. The measurements will be consolidated by a scalable 3D numerical approach, involving a computationally efficient pore network model of coupled transport and growth that will be built on the realistic structure of the porous bio-reactors as well as on the physiology of M. acetivorans. Model development will be part of the project and include experiments with continuous flow through microfluidic platforms, enabling the imaging of M. acetivorans growth under well-controlled process conditions inside of a small-scale reactor as well as determination of required model input parameters. The project aims at maximizing terpene productivity of M. acetivorans biofilms by regulation of biofilm architecture, thickness and turnover rate. This will be realized by adjustment of process settings, involving flow rates, concentration profiles, and spatial and temporal variation of temperature, employing the predictive model. Optimal structure of the substratum, selected based on model predictions as well, will yield high pore utility and long-running maximal biofilm productivity. As reactor packing material we will initially consider polyacrylonitrile (PAN), which has already proven suitability for M. acetivorans biofilm formation under batch conditions. The biocatalyst adaption to the variation of spatiotemporal conditions will be accessible by reasonably joining experimental and in-silico data, enabling integration of biological regulator routines to the specific identified needs. Finally, M. acetivorans biofilms will be cultivated in a specifically tailored porous plug flow bio-reactor (PFBR). Growth will be imaged by X-ray tomography and productivity will be assessed by downstream sample analysis of dissolved and gaseous metabolites as well as by probing of cells from distinct regions of the reactor after the process. These experiments will guide transitioning from closed-vessel to continuous production conditions. The results will be valuable for validation of the model-assisted approach as well as for the conceptualization of an upscaling strategy for terpene production of M. acetivorans.
Completed projects
In-situ investigation of the pyrolysis mechanisms (solid-phase) of biomass and plastics
Duration: 01.10.2022 to 31.12.2023
We will contribute to the elucidation of pyrolysis mechanisms of biomass and plastics by applying NMR and IR analytical techniques (responsible scientist: Dr. Liane Hilfert). Different plastic (wastes) and lignocellulosic biomass will be tested towards their pyrolysis. More importantly, different mixtures of plastics and biomass will then be investigated.
- Pore network modeling of freeze-drying
- Modelling of heat and mass transfer in porous transport layers
- Microwave heating
- Pore scale modeling of mass transfer in biofilms
- Heat Transfer in packed beds