Reflections on Nanotechnology

A preponderance of youth among the audience was the most conspicuous feature of the two-day symposium on nanotechnology held at the sylvan campus of TIFR in the southern most tip of Mumbai. Jointly hosted by the Mumbai and Baroda chapters of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Indian Science Congress Association the seminar presented interesting food to chew upon in the emerging area of nanosciences and nanotechnology. Actually the concept underlying nanotechnology is not all that new as the hype enveloping it would lead us to believe. It probably date backs to the time when man realised the power and potency of things small and tiny. Thus artists in 10th Century used gold specks in their paintings to impart certain lustre. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine used bhasmas containing gold and silver dust, probably as carriers of medicine. Samuel Hahnemann’s homeopathic system that relied on the potency of drug in small dosages can also be regarded as a manifestation of nanoscience.

Biotechnology - Future of Chemical Engineering?

Chemical Engineers, espeically those in their 20's would do well to get a working knowledge of the biological and biochemical processes.

The Promise of Biotechnology

ACHEMA this year has a special focus on Biotechnology. Biotechnology promises to revolutionise chemical process industry through:
a) use of renewable raw materials for large scale production of chemicals
b) use of biological processes for synthesis and manufacture of chemicals

Web Resources

A Basic Primer on Bioinformatics, Genome Mapping, Molecular Modeling etc.

Glossary of Biotechnology Terms

ACHEMA 2006

The 28th International Exhibition-Congress on Chemical Engineering, Environmental Protection and Biotechnology has got underway in Frankfurt am Main and will last until 19th May.
DEHEMA, the organisers of ACHEMA have brought out 20 'TREND REPORTS' on topics ranging from Pumps and Compressors to Separation Tehnologies and Nanotechnology


Some other interesting topics are - Process Intensification, Energy Concepts, Industrial Biotechnology, Water Technolgies

A complete listing of the topics is available at TREND REPORTS

Layered Bed Ion-Exchange Systems

A New Standard for Pumps

Centrifugal pumps are the workhorses of the chemical process industry and chemical engineers in the industry devote a big chunk of their time in specifying, operating and troubleshooting this vital piece of equipment. Pumps account for 20% of the total world electric energy demand. Also of the total pump cost, only 5% accounts for capital cost, 10% for maintenance and up to 85% for energy consumption. Energy consumption in pumping can be lowered through
•selecting higher efficiency pumps
•selecting a better sized pump
•improved installation and maintenance
•improved system design and improved system control

Centrifugal pumps used in petroleum and petrochemical industry are specified, built and tested as per API - 610, the de-facto industry standard. Though this standard is largely the domain of mechanical engineers, chemical engineers will profit from having an overview of the various provisions. The current 10th edition came into vogue in October 2004 and is equivalent to ISO 13709. An article explaining the various changes from the earlier widely used 8th edition is very instructive.

Web Resources

Pump Magazine - Online Source of Information on Pumps

Titanium Troubles

Project managers shopping for titanium capital goods are sweating. The lead times are far too long and prices are way above estimates. Suppliers of Plate Heat Exchangers in titanium are quoting ridiculous deliveries of 15+ months.
Titanium has always been an expensive metal, not because it is scarce - it is actually the ninth most abundant element on earth's crust - but due to the high cost of its extraction and manufacturing.
The current problems stems from a huge demand by the aerospace industry. In the next 15 years the number of commercial aircrafts are expected to jump three-fold to 30,000. Responding to the growing fuel costs, new generation aircrafts like Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 are using more titanium than ever before to bring down the weight. Each A380 will use 65 tonnes of titanium. It is mainly used in gas turbine components like compressor blades and also in airframe structures like landing gear etc.
The increasing Russian state control over VSMPO-Avisma, the world's largest producer of titanium, is also adding to the market pressures. Prices have hit a 20-year high of US$ 27/kg.
Titanium has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metal. It also possesses superior corrosion resistance, making it an excellent choice of material for aggressive chemical environments. The present situation, if it continues is likely to put the metal out of reach for the non-aerospace consumers, especially the chemical industry.
Low cost techniques to extract and manufacture the metal and fabricate various components out of it are under varying stages of development. The sooner they are commercialised, the better it is for the industry.
Chemical Engineers have two challeneges before them:
1) To bring down the cost of titanium by developing alternative routes for extraction and manufacture of the metal.
2) To develop an economical alternative for titanium, for use in chemical industry applications.

Web Resources

The Titanium Information Group

International Titanium Association

TITAN Association

Japan Titanium Society

Titanium Metals Corporation

Titanium Industries, Inc.

Titanium Manufacturing Process & Products

Membranes

Meeting with some like-minded professionals over lunch to form a professional body for Membrane Science and Technology.

Why this name?

I am a Chemical Engineer by education. But having spent all my professional life so far in conceiving, specifying, selecting, sizing, designing, engineering, commissioning and troubleshooting equipment and systems for Chemical Process Industry, I would like to be known as a ‘Process Engineer’. Why then the name ‘Molecular Engineering’ for this blog?

The first and most obvious reason is that ‘chemical engineering’ and suitable variations of it were not available to me on this blog site. I chose ‘Molecular Engineering’ to convey my conviction that the happenings at the molecular level should be very close to the heart of every chemical engineer. Fundamental frameworks and concepts of Physics, Chemistry and Biology rule the chemical engineer’s world, but couched as they are in mathematical equations and formulae for practical applications, it is only the latter that is evident to many, especially now that rigorous and sophisticated computational techniques are easily available and affordable. Of all the engineering disciplines, it is Chemical Engineering that unarguably has the strongest roots in science.

There is yet another reason for choosing this name. Many universities in USA are in the process of reinventing their chemical engineering courses. Chemical engineering no longer has the charm and charisma bestowed on it in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The prefix ‘chemical’ is indeed a burden today, caused no doubt by unashamedly misinformed campaigns by vested interests who are turning a blind eye to the immense benefits that have accrued to society from chemicals – polymers and pharmaceuticals, to take just two examples would be inconceivable without chemical intermediates. Fortunately Life Sciences with its myriad branches has explosively opened up new frontiers for chemical engineers to forge ahead and reinvent themselves. It is back to the roots – molecules – again for Chemical Engineers.