Cost analysis applications

Although we did not discuss this, you should be able to readily identify commercial adsorbents that can compete with activated carbon in water treatment applications. What are they, what are their properties, and how do unit costs compare In performing the cost analysis, take into consideration the volumes of adsorbents needed to achieve comparable degrees of water treatment. To do this, you should develop a base case scenario. 

The economic factors must be considered in every application. It is important to find a technique that will meet both the technical and economical requirements. In short, pollution control costs depend on the system characteristics and the application. Some cost equations that generalize the economics of the managing systems are available in the literature. Most of these equations give rough estimates and have an accuracy of only about 30% to 50%. For a comprehensive cost comparison of different units, a detailed cost analysis based on the equipment tender proposals and the special characteristics of the project is necessary. 

Applications In most polymer/additive analysis applications, a QMS is applied in view of its ease of use, relatively low cost, and coupling with chromatography (Section 7.3). The ability of QMS to cope with large solvent volumes flowing into the ionisation source for extended periods of time and ease of interfacing - both to computers and chromatographs - makes it the choice for multi-user systems, and has facilitated hyphenation with GC, LC and TG. Consequently, QMS are a mainstay of GC-MS, LC-MS and TG-MS. 

In the cost analysis, EPA stated that there was a correlation between SVE unit costs and the volume of soil treated. SVE was demonstrated to have a measurable economy of scale. Unit costs for the treatment of less than 10,000 yd of soil ranged from 60 to 350/yd. Unit costs for applications treating more than 10,000 yd of soil were as low as 5/yd treated. A similar correlation was noted for unit costs versus mass of contaminants removed. Unit costs for projects with less than 3000 lb of contaminants requiring removal ranged from 300 to 900/lb. Unit costs for larger projects were less than 15/lb, and costs for treating over 500,000 lb of contaminants were less than 2/lb (D22449H, pp. 4-1, p. 4-4). 

The CWL demonstration required 85,000 kW of energy at a cost of 7000. Implementation costs for the TEVES configuration were approximately 150/yd of soil. Testing of the TEVES system was due to be completed in 1995, at which time a cost analysis for commercial applications was to be submitted as part of the final demonstration report (D15517J, p. 2 D131395, p. 27 D15518K, p. 5). 

The most significant aspect of the book, however, is the detailed cost analysis and comparison. Each technology is evaluated in a summary table outlining-1) vendor and address. 2) waste characteristics, 3) system capacity. 4) labor and supervision requirements. 5) operating costs. 6) capital costs, 7) revenues generated, and 8) total cosis of operation on an annualized and a per unit basis. This information enables potential users to make explicit, detailed comparative assessments and to build their own financial models. The text points out areas of process or linancial uncertainty, where more research and testing are required, and new applications to be considered. 

The third activity is the evolution of a research instrument into a low-cost instrument that requires a minimum degree of skill to use. An excellent example of this process is the transformation of research-grade photon correlation spectrometers into low-cost, easy-to-use, limited-function instruments for routine analysis applications. 

Thermodynamic cost analysis relates the thermodynamic limits of separation systems to finite rate processes, and considers the environmental impact through the depletion of natural resources within the exergy loss concept. Still, economic analysis and thermodynamic analysis approaches may not be parallel. For example, it is estimated that a diabatic column has a lower exergy loss (39%) than that of adiabatic distillation however, this may not lead to a gain in the economic sense, yet it is certainly a gain in the thermodynamic sense. The minimization of entropy production is not always an economic criterion sometimes, existing separation equipment may be modified for an even distribution of forces or an even distribution of entropy production. Thermodynamic analysis requires careful interpretation and application. 

The design parameters allow the calculation of the system costs and of the total power and/or capital investments that are necessary for a specific application. Thus, the Te/Ac concept represents a valuable tool for the scahng-up of AOTs (Bolton et al., 2001 a) and it provides the basis for a cost analysis (cf. Chemviron Carbon, 1997). 

In a great majority of applications, including sliding-stem control valves, the implications of cost analysis are plain rather than arbitrarily specifying a tight-shutoff class, one should generally pick the lowest class required for the application. This will help ensure that the most cost-effective valve is chosen. 

Brunner, Donald E., Braswell, J., and Saam, R. D. Technical Memorandum M-54-76-28, Application and Cost Analysis of Refuse Densification Processing Civil Engineering Laboratory Port... 

Table 4.5 Instruments for archaeological chemistry principles, units of analysis, sample state, data, cost, and applications... 

Instrument Principle Unit of analysis Sample state Data Cost of analysis Applications... 

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