Automated process development, type

Boettger [84] developed and implemented a robotic system for the optimization of a palladium-catalyzed reaction by varying the concentration, temperature, and amount and type of catalyst and additives. Porte and co-workers have developed and applied numerous systems for automated process optimization. Representative reactions include the... 

The very nature of process development necessitates the contributions of all members of a typical development team. Thus, reaction engineers determine reaction kinetics and select the best reactor type, while filtration experts measure the filter cake resistance and washing efficiency. To reduce development time, it is crucial that all of these activities be performed in a coordinated manner. Proper workflow automates such a development process, in whole or part, during which documents, information, or tasks are passed from one participant to another for action, according to a set of procedural rules. 

Abstract. Three types of polymer-supported rare earth catalysts, Nafion-based rare earth catalysts, polyacrylonitrile-based rare earth catalysts, and microencapsulated Lewis acids, are discussed. Use of polymer-supported catalysts offers several advantages in preparative procedures such as simplification of product work-up, separation, and isolation, as well as the reuse of the catalyst including flow reaction systems leading to economical automation processes. Although the use of immobilized homogeneous catalysts is of continuing interest, few successful examples are known for polymer-supported Lewis acids. The unique characteristics of rare earth Lewis acids have been utilized, and efficient polymer-supported Lewis acids, which combine the advantages of immobilized catalysis and Lewis acid-mediated reactions, have been developed. 

The three examples shown In this paper Indicate that mlcrovoltam-metrlc electrodes are useful tools to probe chemical heterogeneities In solution, and furthermore to characterize these phenomena under dynamic conditions. To achieve greater spatial resolution, smaller electrodes will need to be employed. Automation of this type of measurement would be desirable and can readily be accomplished with piezoelectric mlcroposItloners and other such devices which can be remotely controlled. Such developments will lead to a form of dynamic chemical microscopy which would be useful to measure such events as secretion from single cells, corrosion processes In pits and cracks, or further studies of solution flow. 

The phenylthiohydantoin derivative is identified by chromatography, by comparing it with phenylthiohydantoin derivatives of the standard amino acids. This gives the identity of the original N-terminal amino acid. The rest of the peptide is cleaved intact, and further Edman degradations are used to identify additional amino acids in the chain. This process is well suited to automation, and several types of automatic sequencers have been developed. 

Numerous cutaneous hazards that can be found in the electronics industry (Koh 1997) are summarised in Table 1. Despite the multitude of these types of hazards, workers in other manufacturing industries appear to have a higher relative risk for the development of occupational dermatitis. This is thought to be due to the degree of automation in the industry (Adams 1990). However, even with automated processes, opportunities for contact with cutaneous hazards still exist (Fregert 1980). 

Although one of the oldest types of filter, the filter press has, over the last century, been the most important of the process pressure filters, and remains important to this day, despite the appearance of competitive types of filter. It has kept this major role by virtue of a small number of design improvements, and also of developments in filter media that have enabled it to keep pace with market demands for improved filtration efficiencies, better energy efficiency, higher degrees of clarity in its filtrates and some measnre of automation. Almost every type of filter medium, available in sheet form and with the ability to resist the pressnre differentials involved in the filter press, can be used, although membrane media are not often called for outside the microfiltration range. 

Process Va.ria.tlons. The conventional techniques for tea manufacture have been replaced in part by newer processing methods adopted for a greater degree of automation and control. These newer methods include withering modification (78), different types of maceration equipment (79), closed systems for fermentation (80), and fluid-bed dryers (81). A thermal process has been described which utilizes decreased time periods for enzymatic reactions but depends on heat treatment at 50—65°C to develop black tea character (82). It is claimed that tannin—protein complex formation is decreased and, therefore, greater tannin extractabiUty is achieved. Tea value is beheved to be increased through use of this process. 

Over the last seventeen year s the Analytical center at our Institute amassed the actual material on the application of XRF method to the quantitative determination of some major (Mg, Al, P, S, Cl, K, Ti, Mn, Fe) and trace (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ba, La, Ce, Pb, Th, U) element contents [1, 2]. This paper presents the specific features of developed techniques for the determination of 25 element contents in different types of rocks using new Biaiker Pioneer automated spectrometer connected to Intel Pentium IV. The special features of X-ray fluorescence analysis application to the determination of analyzed elements in various types of rocks are presented. The softwai e of this new X-ray spectrometer allows to choose optimal calibration equations and the coefficients for accounting for line overlaps by Equant program and to make a mathematic processing of the calibration ai ray of CRMs measured by the Loader program. 

Starting in the 1950s, electrochemical principles have been employed in the development of new technical means for the acquisihon, measurement, storage, transformation, and transfer of various types of informahon. By now many electrochemical devices have been developed for such purposes and are used to build automated systems for the control of production processes, for the automation of geophysical observations and measurements, and for many other purposes. This field, intermediate between electrochemistry, informatics, and electronics, is also known as chemotronics. 

The fluids which are used in the hydraulic fracturing process can be quite complex. Laboratory research and development on these fluids require many hours of rheology testing to discover suitable compositions and systems. To speed this process, an automated stimulation fluid rheology laboratory was constructed. In this paper, we describe the types of instruments which are used in this laboratory, the computer system, and how t.vr cal experiments are set up, run, and results stored and analyzed. In the accompanying paper (Part II), the focus is on the automation of one of the more complex Instruments in this laboratory. 

---