Cycles innovation

Product innovation absorbs considerable resources in the fine chemicals industry, in part because of the shorter life cycles of fine chemicals as compared to commodities. Consequently, research and development (R D) plays an important role. The main task of R D in fine chemicals is scaling-up lab processes, as described, eg, in the ORAC data bank or as provided by the customers, so that the processes can be transferred to pilot plants (see Pilot PLANTS AND microplants) and subsequently to industrial-scale production. Thus the R D department of a fine chemicals manufacturer typically is divided into a laboratory or process research section and a development section, the latter absorbing the Hon s share of the R D budget, which typically accounts for 5 to 10% of sales. Support functions include the analytical services, engineering, maintenance, and Hbrary. 

In 1993, the United States medical device industry employed 282,000 people, averaging a growth rate of about 4% since 1975. Research and development spending in this industry outpaced that in virtually every other industry. Over 7% of sales were spent on research and development in 1993, amounting to a Httle less than 3 bHHon. This rate reflects both the rapid rate of innovation and short product life-cycle. Medical devices become obsolete far more rapidly than pharmaceuticals (qv), forcing companies continuously to be innovative. 

As air pollution management moves forward, economics has a major role in reducing pollution. Multimedia considerations are forcing a blend of traditional emission reduction approaches and innovative methods for waste minimization. These efforts are directed toward full cost accounting of the life cycle of products and residuals from the manufacturing, use, and ultimate disposal of materials. 

A third objective is similarly obvious. If compression and expansion processes can attain more isentropic conditions, then the cycle widening due to irreversibility is decreased, cr moves nearer to unity and the thermal efficiency increases (for a given t). Cycle modifications or innovations are mainly aimed at increasing (by increasing or decreasing a)-... 

Metaphase Metaphase offers a Web-centric information infrastructure that harnesses its customers intellectual capital to drive product innovation and manage the complete product life cycle. 

Examples of multi-disciplinary innovation can also be found in the field of environmental catalysis such as a newly developed catalyst system for exhaust emission control in lean burn automobiles. Japanese workers [17] have successfully merged the disciplines of catalysis, adsorption and process control to develop a so-called NOx-Storage-Reduction (NSR) lean burn emission control system. This NSR catalyst employs barium oxide as an adsorbent which stores NOx as a nitrate under lean burn conditions. The adsorbent is regenerated in a very short fuel rich cycle during which the released NOx is reduced to nitrogen over a conventional three-way catalyst. A process control system ensures for the correct cycle times and minimizes the effect on motor performance. 

Understanding the total life-cycle opens up many more areas for innovation. If we understand what our customers and our customer s customers are trying to do, right through to the ultimate end-user, we have many more opportunities to participate in their innovation. Their challenges can become our ideas for innovation. 

There are many ways you can prime the search for innovation opportunities in green product design. Two with a proven track record are described in detail below the life-cycle profile and the eco-innovation compass. 

Peregrina, C.A., Lecomte, D., Arlabosse, R, Rudolph, V. (2006) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Applied to the Design of an Innovative Drying Process for Sewage Sludge. Process Safety and Environment Protection, 84(B4), 270-179. 

By way of illustration, the regression parameters of a straight line with slope = 1 and intercept = 0 are recursively estimated. The results are presented in Table 41.1. For each step of the estimation cycle, we included the values of the innovation, variance-covariance matrix, gain vector and estimated parameters. The variance of the experimental error of all observations y is 25 10 absorbance units, which corresponds to r = 25 10 au for all j. The recursive estimation is started with a high value (10 ) on the diagonal elements of P and a low value (1) on its off-diagonal elements. 

The product cycle theory is not applicable to therapeutic innovations. 

This type of constructive impact of TSCA was viewed somewhat differently by Exxon Chemical Company s C.W. Umland. His review of nearly three years of premanufacturing notification cited evidence which suggests substantial disruption of new chemical development and introduction to the market. This disruption was traced to higher research and development costs at an economically vulnerable point in the life cycle of innovative products. A more appropriate balance between opportunity for economic viability and protection from unreasonable... 

Four crucial factors could help to ease the leap from a hydrocarbon to a nuclear era regulating carbon emissions, revamping the fuel cycle, revitalizing innovation in nuclear technology, and replacing gasoline with hydrogen. 

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