High Cost

Hydrocracking makes very good quality diesel fuels concerning the cetane number, cold behavior, stability, and sulfur content. However this type of stock is only available in limited quantities since the process is still not widely used owing essentially to its high cost. 

Table 5.28 gives the modifications in physical/chemical characteristics resulting from deeper and deeper hydrotreatment (Martin et al., 1992). The sulfur contents could thus be reduced to first as low as a few hundred ppm, then to a few ppm. The level of aromatics in the selected example drops from 39% to 7% while the cetane number increases from 49 to 60. Note here that such a treatment, possible through experimental means, does not correspond to current industrial practice because of its high cost and its very high hydrogen consumption. 

The needs for hydrogen being considerably accentuated, the introduction of partial oxidation of at least a part of the ultimate residues is foreseen, in spite of its high cost. 

The main cost factor ot coring is usually the rig time spent on the total operation and the follow up investigations in the laboratory. Core analysis is complex and may involve different laboratories. It may therefore take months before final results are available. As a result of the relatively high costs and a long lead time of core evaluations the technique is only used in selected intervals in a number of wells drilled. 

A further advantage is the Selenium halflife of 120 days, which is 60% more when compared to iridium and a factor of approx. 4 when compared to Ytterbium. These differences turn out to be an important economical aspect when comparing the different sources, as they are a direct measure of the useful life of sources. The short halflife and the very high costs for Ytterbium sources have been the main factors for the rather low importance of Ytterbium in the full range of gamma radiography. 

The present high cost of full CASSCF direct dynamics means that it is not possible to use such calculations to run large numbers of trajectories. As a result it cannot be used to build up experience of the types of effects to be found in dynamical studies of organic photochemistry, and in their interpretation. This problem can be remedied by performing calculations using the MMVB force field [63,64]. 

In view of the high cost of methyl iodide in the above preparation of anisole, and the fact that, unless absolute methanol is used, the ready hydrolysis of the methyl iodide may cause a low yield of the ether, the preparation of anisole may be ad antageously replaced by that of phenetole. I he reaction is not of course a methylation, but is nevertheless of the same type as that used in the preparation of anisole. 

The highly stable and heat-resistant Silicone oils are very satisfsu tory. Midlsind Silicone or Dow-Coming fluid 650 or 600 (or the equivalent I.C.I. product) is recommended. Their only drawback is their high cost. 

Small quantities of solids may be spread upon unglazed porcelain plates. The chief disadvantage of this method is the comparatively high cost of the porous plates, since they cannot be conveniently cleaned nor can the same area be used for different substances. However, a plate may be broken and used for small amounts of material. 

Krypton clathrates have been prepared with hydroquinone and phenol. 85Kr has found recent application in chemical analysis. By imbedding the isotope in various solids, kryptonates are formed. The activity of these kryptonates is sensitive to chemical reactions at the surface. Estimates of the concentration of reactants are therefore made possible. Krypton is used in certain photographic flash lamps for high-speed photography. Uses thus far have been limited because of its high cost. Krypton gas presently costs about 30/1. 

Ultrasonic nebulizers are almost free of clogging from solute, have better detection limits, and have become popular despite their high cost relative to the pneumatic forms. A typical construction of an ultrasonic nebulizer is shown in Figure 19.17. 

Many municipal water sources are chlorinated and contain sufficiently high levels of chlorine so as to be toxic to aquatic life. Chlorine can be removed by passing the water through activated charcoal filters or through the use of sodium thiosulfate metered into the incoming water. Municipal water is usually not used in aquaculture operations that utilize large quantities of water, either continuously or periodically, because of the initial high cost of the water and the cost of pretreatment to remove chlorine. 

Reversed-phase chromatography is widely used as an analytical tool for protein chromatography, but it is not as commonly found on a process scale for protein purification because the solvents which make up the mobile phase, ie, acetonitrile, isopropanol, methanol, and ethanol, reversibly or irreversibly denature proteins. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography appears to be the least common process chromatography tool, possibly owing to the relatively high costs of the salts used to make up the mobile phases. 

Because of the high costs of raw materials and the relatively complex synthesis, the 2-cyanoacryhc esters are moderately expensive materials when considered in bulk quantities. Depending on the quantity and the specific ester or formulation involved, the prices for cyanoacryhc ester adhesives can range from approximately 30/kg to over 1000/kg. For these reasons, as weU as several technical factors related to handling and performance, cyanoacryhc ester adhesives are best suited to small bonding apphcations, very often where single drops or small beads are adequate for bonding. In such cases the cost of the adhesive becomes inconsequential compared to the value of the service it performs, and these adhesives become very economical to use. 

Potassium nitrate is being used increasingly on intensive crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, leafy vegetables, citms, and peaches. The properties that make it particularly desirable for these crops are low salt index, nitrate nitrogen, favorable N K20 ratio, negligible CU content, and alkaline residual reaction in the soil. The low hygroscopicity of KNO (Table 9) leads to its use in direct appHcation and in mixtures. It is an excellent fertilizer but the high cost of production limits its use to specialty fertilizers. 

Prices of spandex fibers are highly dependent on thread size selling price generally increases as fiber tex decreases. Factors that contribute to the relatively high cost of spandex fibers include (/) the relatively high cost of raw materials, (2) the small size of the spandex market compared to that of hard fibers which limits scale and thus efficiency of production units, and (J) the technical problems associated with stretch fibers that limit productivity rates and conversion efficiencies. 

Its early commercial success owed much to the flammabUity disadvantages of the Chardoimet process, but competition from the viscose process led to its decline for aU but the finest filament products. The process is stiU used, most notably by Asahi in Japan where sales of artificial sHk and medical disposable fabrics provide a worthwhile income. However, its relatively high cost, associated with the cotton fiber starting point, prevented it from reaching the large scale of manufacture achieved by the viscose rayon process. 

Coextrusion. An increasingly popular technique to produce tailored film or sheet products is to coextmde one or more polymer types in two or more layers of melt (6). In this fashion the benefits of specific polymer types or formulations may be combined. Thus high cost barrier resins may be combined with a low cost thicker layer of standard resin to achieve an optimum barrier film at lower cost. Thin sUp-control layers may be used on the surface of a bulk layer of opticaUy clear resin to obtain an aesthetic film with good handleabUity. Lower melting outer layers may be used to provide heat sealing for polymers that seal with difficulty by themselves. 

Decabromododiphenyl Oxide—Polyacrylate Finish. This finish, effective on both polyester and nylon fabrics, is one of the most effective finishes available (ca 1993) for cotton—polyester blends (131). Relatively high cost and difficulty in appUcation may have prevented more widespread use. 

---