Research process

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 the laboratory or process research section a laboratory procedure for a fine chemical is worked out. The resulting process description provides the necessary data for the determination of preliminary product specifications, the manufacture of semicommercial quantities in the pilot plant, the assessment of the ecological impact, an estimation of the manufacturing cost in an industrial-scale plant, and the vaHdation of the process and determination of raw material specifications. 

More recent process research aimed at anionic PS is that of BASF AG. Unlike the Dow Process, the BASF process utilizes continuous linear-flow reactors (LFR) with no back-mixing to make narrow polydispersity resins. This process consists of a series alternating reactors and heat exchangers (Fig. 22). Inside the reactors, the polymerization exotherm carries the temperature from 30°C at the inlet to 90°C at the outlet. The heat exchangers then take the temperature back down to 30°C. This process, which requires no solvent, results in the formation of narrow polydispersity PS. 

M. A. Clarke, ed.. Proceedings of 1992 SPRJ Workshop on Sugar Analysis, Sugar Processing Research Institute, Inc., New Orleans, La., 1993. 

Continuous pilot-plant test runs are generally recommended to verify the laboratory results and to estabhsh criteria for plant design. Facihties for these runs are available at a number of minerals-processing research centers. 

Scott Wells. .. processes. Research includes modeling the dynamics of cake filtration and the dynamics of liquid/particle flow in water and wastewater... 

During the chemistry forming (synthesis) stage for product/ process research and development to focus on the chemistry and process (refer to Section 4.2). 

Clark, R. M. (1990). Unit process research for removing volatile organic chemicals from drinking water An overview. In Significance and Treatment of Volatile Organic Compounds in Water Supplies, (N. M. Ram, R. F. Christman, and K. P. Cantor, eds.), Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, ML... 

It is probable, too, that intensive-process research development on the reactions involved in these syntheses may have made these routes commercially competitive with partial syntheses based on plant sterols. 

The authors wish to express their appreciation to L. E. Clifcom in particular and to the several members of the Product and Process Research Division and the Customer Research Division of Continental Can Company, Research Department, for helpful suggestions in the preparation of this paper. 

Process Research Department, Merck Research Laboratories, P. O. Box 2000, Rahway, NJ... 

Chemical Research and Development, Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton Laboratories, Groton, CT 06340, USA. Jerry Murry is currenty located at Process Research Department, Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co. Inc., Rahway, NJ, 07065. 

Sugar Processing Research Insliiute, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana 70124, USA, and tSRRC-ARS-USDA, New Orleans, Louisiana 70179, USA... 

Instrumentation for experimental observation and measurement is paramount in microstmcture-related research. One reason that surfaces, interfaces, and more complicated microstructures are a frontier of chemical engineering and processing research is that modem science has recently spawned a number of microstractural probes of unprecedented resolution and utility. For the first time, we have the proper tools to attack the molecular and chemical basis of microstructures. 

The batch process control system we ve purchased provides only a starting point for our process research lab we must also identify and test a comprehensive set of controlled devices and real-time process instruments for chemists and engineers to use as building blocks for real feedback control systems. The technologies we are evaluating for characterization of polymer batches at all process stages include ... 

School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Nanomaterials Processing Research Center, Chonbuk National University, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-576, Korea... 

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