Conventional and Innovative Applications

MCFCs are currently in operation in more than a 100 installations around the world. Although the number of MCFC developers and the investment levels are much reduced compared with a decade ago, development and demonstrations continue. 

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The largest section is constituted by membranes in molecular separation, which is the most traditional application of membranes. Significant advances of membrane science and technologies are expected in transformation processes and membrane contactors for conventional and innovative applications. 

Parmley, R. O., ed. 2005. Machine Devices and Components Illustrated Sourcebook. New York McGraw-Hill. Different than most of the handbooks listed in this chapter, this work offers detailed illustrations of various mechanical parts, their assembly, and their uses in both conventional and innovative applications. 

Spray drying process is one of the most common methods adopted in many industries. In this chapter, a summary is provided on the fundamentals of spray drying, the selection of spray dryers as well as usages of spray dryers in the industry. Spray dryers, both conventional and innovative, will continue to find increasing applications in various industries, but... 

Chapter 2 - The continuous demand for new analytical methods in studies relating to art and archaeology has prompted researchers to investigate the possible applications of a variety of non-conventional and innovative analytical techniques. In this chapter, the authors describe several interesting applications of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in order to undertand in greater detail the chemical phenomena which are present on the surface of archeological and... 

The latest innovation is the introduction of ultra-thin silica layers. These layers are only 10 xm thick (compared to 200-250 pm in conventional plates) and are not based on granular adsorbents but consist of monolithic silica. Ultra-thin layer chromatography (UTLC) plates offer a unique combination of short migration distances, fast development times and extremely low solvent consumption. The absence of silica particles allows UTLC silica gel layers to be manufactured without any sort of binders, that are normally needed to stabilise silica particles at the glass support surface. UTLC plates will significantly reduce analysis time, solvent consumption and increase sensitivity in both qualitative and quantitative applications (Table 4.35). Miniaturised planar chromatography will rival other microanalytical techniques. 

The complexity and vastness of the scientific field that has been reviewed in this chapter bring forth, as a natural consequence, the parallel need for further in-depth studies into some key research areas. Knowledge of the process, as a unit operation, has jumped forward due to the fruitful work of the EU-FAIR Concerted Action CT96-1118 improvement of overall food quality by application of osmotic treatments in conventional and new processes and could already support the application of the technique at the industrial level as a prestep in innovative combined processes. The decisive challenge for a completely successful process control and optimization has to be focused on the following problematic aspects. 

Packed-bed electrodes need not be cylindrical. Takata and Muto reported on a rectangular design some years ago in which a bed of carbon fibers was used for the electrode material [15]. While a number of innovative applications were reported, for the reasons described earlier, cells of this type do not provide detection limits competitive with those that can be achieved using more conventional amperometric detectors. 

The reality is that innovative individuals and companies have already challenged these assumptions with alternatives to conventional chemical design and application, working from the feedstock molecules up, and from the final product down to its material components. For these innovators, new scientific information, future-oriented conceptual maps, new design parameters, and the commitment to benign alternatives all combine to create breakthroughs. The opportunity offered to the chemical industry can be understood if one looks through the lens of entrepreneurship and innovation to see the possibilities for new products and markets. 

Recombinant DNA technology, on the other hand, has wide and substantial application to agriculture, a somewhat more complex pattern basis for innovation, and when applied to agricultural concerns can raise issues which are not found in more conventional applications of this methodology. 

The market for polymer composites has continued to expand in all forms of transportation (aerospace, aircraft, marine, automotive), in the construction industry and numerous other industrial and consumer applications. The increased use of composites in place of conventional materials is driven by their established advantages such as corrosion resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio, and moderate costs as well as the design flexibility offered by novel resin/reinforcement combinations together with new processing and machinery innovations. Table 9.7 summarizes the markets and typical applications for composites. 

Thermal analysis techniques have had only limited use in the study of the various dental materials used for restorative, prosthetic and implant applications. The innovative research by Brantley s group, using conventional and temperature-modulated DSC (TMDSC) to examine the thermal behaviour of several metallic and polymeric dental materials, is described in Chapter 17 and numerous matters requiring additional research are identified. 

As stated above, the focus of recent investigations of microreactor applications in the field of emulsification was on the use of micromixers, and different types of micromixers have been employed. However, it is difficult to compare them with regard to liquid-liquid dispersion performance since the mixers are most often investigated for different specific applications. However, a suitable comparison is the basis for future targeted equipment selection. Furthermore, micrombcers are in competition with conventional and other innovative equipment such as static mixers, membranes and homogenizers. Therefore, benchmarking with such equipment is also required. 

The most significant conventional apphcation of MCFCs is in the distributed generation of electric energy in small to medium sized stationary power plants. This application wiU be described first and then the innovative applications proposed or already developed wiU be outlined. 

As one of the main gas processing technology providers. Shell is constantly developing and improving solutions to meet the changing requirements of the industry. This means improving standard line-ups with removal of sulphur components and CO2 by conventional amines or Sulfinol solvents and application of adsorption steps for the removal of mercaptans and mercury. It also means completely new and innovative concepts are required to optimize production. 

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