Chemical engineering research industry role

In the electronics industry, a large number of relatively small firms play a key role in generating new process concepts and equipment. These firms face important research problems in fundamental science and engineering that would benefit markedly from the insights of academic chemical engineering researchers. Academic researchers should seek out and forge links to these small firms that stand at the crucial step between laboratory research and production processes. Potential mechanisms for accomplishing this are described in Chapter 10. 

The story at MIT is engrossingly told and massively documented by John W. Servos, The Industrial Relations of Science Chemical Engineering at MIT, 1900-1939, Isis 71, 531-549 (1980). As Servos tells it, the story was a prelude to the changeover of MIT presidents in 1930 and to subsequent Depression pressures. But there had also been a national debate see A Symposium upon Co-operation in Industrial Research, Trans. Amer. Electrochem. Soc. 29, 25-58 (1916), in which W. H. Walker and W. R. Whitney inter alia took part and The Universities and the Industries, J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 8, 59-65 (1916), which quotes Richard C. Maclaurin, president of MIT, Henry P. Talbot, professor of chemistry at MIT, W. H. Walker, and A. D. Little. Fritz Haber s role in the unleashing of war gas is remarked by Peter H. Spitz, Petrochemicals The Rise of an Industry [7], p. 28 and sources listed on p. 61. 

The industries that manufacture materials and components for electronic and optical-based systems are characterized by products that are rapidly superseded in the market by improved ones. This quick turnover stems from the intense competition among these industries and results in dramatic price erosion for products, once introduced. Consequently, these industries also require rapid technology transfer from the research laboratory onto the production line. Many of their products cannot be protected by patents, except for minor features. Therefore, the key to their competitive success is thoroughly characterized and integrated manufacturing processes, supported by process innovations. Since nearly all of the processes are chemically based, chemical engineers can play an important role in ensuring the success of these companies. 

This book is intended for users of techniques for the physico-chemical analysis of industrial catalysts and those who potentially require this analysis. The authors are research engineers at the departments of Physics and Analysis and of Kinetics and Catalyst of the Institut Francis du Petrole (IFP). Their role is to develop characterisation techniques and satisfy the requirements of research projects which involve the characterisation of solids. The book is derived from an internal IFP training course, prepared by the authors and intended for new technical staffin laboratories preparing catalytic solids. The purpose of this course is twofold. On the one hand, we arc clearly aiming to show what can be done. On the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, it is necessary to establish what cannot be done, by specifying the limits in terms of quantification and range of application of the techniques. 

Esters have played a significant role in daily living and chemical industry, such as plasticizers, fragrance, adhesive and lubricants (Joseph et al., 2005 Mbaraka Shanks, 2006 Krause et al., 2009 Martinez et al., 2011). The vast majority of esters can be prepared using esterification reaction in the chemical engineering industry. Esterification has acquired further improvement from the engineering side this mainly depends on the research of esterification kinetics. On the other hand, the need to control chemical reactions at the molecular level, which depends critically on the catalytic mechanism, is rapidly increasing (Salciccioli et al, 2011). 

Gerhard Kreysa was bom in 1945 in Dresden. He studied chemistry at the University of Dresden and received his Ph.D. in 1970. In 1973, he joined the Karl Winnacker Institute of DECHEMA in Frankfurt am Main. He developed new concepts for the utilization of three-dimensional electrodes, which became prominent for electrochemical waste water treatment in the process industry. He also played a leading role in the clarification of the "cold fusion" affaire in 1989. In 1985, he was appointed as professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Dortmund. In 1993, he was appointed as honorary professor at the University of Regensburg. From 1985 to 1995, he served as executive editorial board member of the Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. He was a recipient of the Chemviron Award in 1980, the Max-Buchner-Research-Award of DECHEMA and the Castner Medal of the Society of Chemical Industry in 1994, and the Wilhelm Ostwald Medal of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig in 2006. 

The role of models in process development is discussed in the paper. Scientists are developing more and more impressive results in computer aided process engineering and that way generating new possibilities. In spite of that, there exist, at least in most areas of chemical and process industries, series difficulties when models area applied in practice. Such difficulties are described with two industrial examples of process development projects. Requirements for models and modelling are discussed from then viewpoint of practical process development. An attempt is made to suggest such further research areas in computer aided process engineering, which would reduce the gap between the theoretical developments and practical application in the field. 

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