Pyrolysis of coconut shell for bio-oil

The conversion of coconut shell into pyrolytic oil by fixed bed fire-tube heating reactor has been taken into consideration in this study. The major components of the system were fixed bed fire-tube heating reactor, liquid condenser and collectors. The raw and crushed tamarind seed in particle form was pyrolized in an electrically heated 10 cm diameter and 27 cm high fixed bed reactor. The products are oil, char and gases. The parameters varied were reactor bed temperature, running time, gas flow rate and feed particle size. The parameters were found to influence the product yields significantly. The maximum liquid yield was 34.3 wt% at 4500C for a feed size of 0.6mm at a gas flow rate of 6 liter/min with a running time of minute. The pyrolysis oil was obtained at these optimum process conditions were analyzed for physical and chemical properties to be used as an alternative fuel.

Axisymmetric shell structures for multi-use

Shell structures find use in many fields of engineering, notably structural, mechanical, aerospace and nuclear-reactor disciplines. Axisymmetric shell structures are used as dome type of roofs, hyperbolic cooling towers, silos for storage of grain, oil and industrial chemicals and water tanks. Despite their thin walls, strength is derived due to the curvature. The generally high strength-to-weight ratio of the shell form, combined with its inherent stiffness, has formed the basis of this vast application. With the advent in computation technology, the finite element method and optimisation techniques, structural engineers have extremely versatile tools for the optimum design of such structures. Optimisation of shell structures can result not only in improved designs, but also in a large saving of material. The finite element method being a general numerical procedure that could be used to treat any shell problem to any desired degree of accuracy, requires several runs in order to obtain a complete picture of the effect of one parameter on the shell structure. This redesign I re-analysis cycle has been achieved via structural optimisation in the present research, and MSC/NASTRAN (a commercially available finite element code) has been used in this context for volume optimisation of axisymmetric shell structures under axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric loading conditions. The parametric study of different axisymmetric shell structures has revealed that the hyperbolic shape is the most economical solution of shells of revolution. To establish this, axisymmetric loading; self-weight and hydrostatic pressure, and non-axisymmetric loading; wind pressure and earthquake dynamic forces have been modelled on graphical pre and post processor (PATRAN) and analysis has been performed on two finite element codes (ABAQUS and NASTRAN), numerical model verification studies are performed, and optimum material volume required in the walls of cylindrical, conical, parabolic and hyperbolic forms of axisymmetric shell structures are evaluated and reviewed. Free vibration and transient earthquake analysis of hyperbolic shells have been performed once it was established that hyperbolic shape is the most economical under all possible loading conditions. Effect of important parameters of hyperbolic shell structures; shell wall thickness, height and curvature, have been evaluated and empirical relationships have been developed to estimate an approximate value of the lowest (first) natural frequency of vibration. The outcome of this thesis has been the generation of new research information on performance characteristics of axisymmetric shell structures that will facilitate improved designs of shells with better choice of shapes and enhanced levels of economy and performance. Key words; Axisymmetric shell structures, Finite element analysis, Volume Optimisation_ Free vibration_ Transient response.

Environmental incidents in a developing country and corporate environmental disclosures : a study of a multinational gas company

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the environmental disclosure initiatives of Niko Resources Ltd – a Canada-based multinational oil and gas company – following the two major environmental blowouts at a gas field in Bangladesh in 2005. As part of the examination, the authors particularly focus on whether Niko's disclosure strategy was associated with public concern pertaining to the blowouts. Design/methodology/approach – The authors reviewed news articles about Niko's environmental incidents in Bangladesh and Niko's communication media, including annual reports, press releases and stand-alone social responsibility report over the period 2004-2007, to understand whether news media attention as proxy for public concern has an impact on Niko's disclosure practices in relation to the affected local community in Bangladesh. Findings – The findings show that Niko did not provide any non-financial environmental information within its annual reports and press releases as a part of its responsibility to the local community which was affected by the blowouts, but it did produce a stand-alone report to address the issue. However, financial environmental disclosures, such as the environmental contingent liability disclosure, were adequately provided through annual reports to meet the regulatory requirements concerning environmental persecutions. The findings also suggest that Niko's non-financial disclosure within a stand-alone report was associated with the public pressures as measured by negative media coverage towards the Niko blowouts. Research limitations/implications – This paper concludes that the motive for Niko's non-financial environmental disclosure, via a stand-alone report, reflected survival considerations: the company's reaction did not suggest any real attempt to hold broader accountability for its activities in a developing country.

Perdido ties together Shell digital oilfield technologies

Located in the Gulf of Mexico in nearly 8,000 ft of water, the Perdido project is the deepest spar application to date in the world and Shell’s first fully integrated application of its inhouse digital oilfield technology— called “Smart Field”—in the Western hemisphere. Developed by Shell on behalf of partners BP and Chevron, the spar and the subsea equipment connected to it will eventually capture about an order of magnitude more data than is collected from any other Shelldesigned and -managed development operating in the Gulf of Mexico. This article describes Shell’s digital oilfield design philosophy, briefly explains the five design elements that underpin “smartness” in Shell’s North and South American operations and sheds light on the process by which a highly customized digital oilfield development and management plan was put together for Perdido. Although Perdido is the first instance in North and South America in which these design elements and processes were applied in an integrated way, all of Shell’s future new developments in the Western hemisphere are expected to follow the same overarching design principles. Accordingly, this article uses Perdido as a real-world example to outline the high-level details of Shell’s digital oilfield design philosophy and processes.

Business value from intelligent fields

The Smart Fields programme has been active in Shell over the last decade and has given large benefits. In order to understand the value and to underpin strategies for the future implementation programme, a study was carried out to quantify the benefits to date. This focused on actually achieved value, through increased production or lower costs. This provided an estimate of the total value achieved to date. Future benefits such as increased reserves or continued production gain were recorded separately. The paper describes the process followed in the benefits quantification. It identifies the key solutions and technologies and describes the mechanism used to understand the relation between solutions and value. Examples have been given of value from various assets around the world, in both existing fields and in green fields. Finally, the study provided the methodology for tracking of value. This helps Shell to estimate and track the benefits of the Smart Fields programme at company scale.

Fabrication of macro–mesoporous titania/alumina core–shell materials in oil/water interface

A series of macro–mesoporous TiO2/Al2O3 nanocomposites with different morphologies were synthesized. The materials were calcined at 723 K and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, Infrared Emission Spectroscopy (IES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–visible). A modified approach was proposed for the synthesis of 1D (fibrous) nanocomposite with higher Ti/Al molar ratio (2:1) at lower temperature (<100 °C), which makes it possible to synthesize such materials on industrial scale. The performance–morphology relationship of as-synthesized TiO2/Al2O3 nanocomposites was investigated by the photocatalytic degradation of a model organic pollutant under UV irradiation. The samples with 1D (fibrous) morphology exhibited superior catalytic performance than the samples without, such as titania microspheres.

Critical success factors for positioning Australian business talent in the global knowledge economy : a current research agenda

"Globalisation‟ and the "global knowledge economy‟ have become some of the most common "buzzwords‟ in Australian business, economic, and social sectors in the past decade. Further, knowledge service exports are a growing sector for Australia that utilise complex technical and creative capacities, increasingly rely on virtual work innovations, require new socio-technical systems to establish and maintain effective client relationships in global contexts; and – along with other innovations in the electronic age – may require novel coping abilities on the part of both managers and their employees to achieve desired outcomes (Bandura, 2002). Accordingly, this paper overviews such trends. The paper also includes a research agenda which is a "work-in-progress‟ with a major global company, Shell (Australia); it highlights both the objectives and proposed methodology of the study; it also outlines anticipated key benefits arising from the research.