Friday, December 4, 2009

Helping your management team do its job

So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work” -- Peter F. Drucker

Searching for the information you need to support your research can be time consuming. Take for example the following search sequence ...

Google® search:
sulphur-resistant noble metal hydrotreating catalyst

The Google® topical search resulted in a link to the following, which I found fascinating ...

Title Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels
Creator/Author Caroline Clifford ; Andre Boehman ; Chunshan Song ; Bruce Miller ; Gareth Mitchell
Publication Date 2008 Mar 31
OSTI Identifier OSTI ID: 940167
DOE Contract Number FC26-03NT41828
DOI 10.2172/940167
Other Number(s) TRN: US200823%%766
Resource Type Technical Report
Coverage Final
Research Org Pennsylvania State University
Sponsoring Org USDOE
Subject 02 PETROLEUM; 33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS; 01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; ANTIKNOCK RATINGS; BY-PRODUCTS; CATALYSTS; COAL; COKE; COKING; COMBUSTION; DIESEL FUELS; FRACTIONATION; FUEL OILS; GASOLINE; LIQUID FUELS; PERFORMANCE; PETROLEUM DISTILLATES; PRODUCTION; RESIDUAL FUELS; SOLVENT EXTRACTION; SULFUR; TRACE AMOUNTS
Description/Abstract The final report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during length of the project. The goal of this project was to integrate coal into a refinery in order to produce coal-based jet fuel, with the major goal to examine the products other than jet fuel. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal-based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. The main goal of Task 1 was the production of coal-based jet fuel and other products that would need to be utilized in other fuels or for non-fuel sources, using known refining technology. The gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil were tested in other aspects of the project. Light cycle oil (LCO) and refined chemical oil (RCO) were blended, hydrotreated to removed sulfur, and hydrogenated, then fractionated in the original production of jet fuel. Two main approaches, taken during the project period, varied where the fractionation took place, in order to preserve the life of catalysts used, which includes (1) fractionation of the hydrotreated blend to remove sulfur and nitrogen, followed by a hydrogenation step of the lighter fraction, and (2) fractionation of the LCO and RCO before any hydrotreatment. Task 2 involved assessment of the impact of refinery integration of JP-900 production on gasoline and diesel fuel. Fuel properties, ignition characteristics and engine combustion of model fuels and fuel samples from pilot-scale production runs were characterized. The model fuels used to represent the coal-based fuel streams were blended into full-boiling range fuels to simulate the mixing of fuel streams within the refinery to create potential 'finished' fuels. The representative compounds of the coal-based gasoline were cyclohexane and methyl cyclohexane, and for the coal-base diesel fuel they were fluorine and phenanthrene. Both the octane number (ON) of the coal-based gasoline and the cetane number (CN) of the coal-based diesel were low, relative to commercial fuels ({approx}60 ON for coal-based gasoline and {approx}20 CN for coal-based diesel fuel). Therefore, the allowable range of blending levels was studied where the blend would achieve acceptable performance. However, in both cases of the coal-based fuels, their ignition characteristics may make them ideal fuels for advanced combustion strategies where lower ON and CN are desirable. Task 3 was designed to develop new approaches for producing ultra clean fuels and value-added chemicals from refinery streams involving coal as a part of the feedstock. It consisted of the following three parts: (1) desulfurization and denitrogenation which involves both new adsorption approach for selective removal of nitrogen and sulfur and new catalysts for more effective hydrotreating and the combination of adsorption denitrogenation with hydrodesulfurization; (2) saturation of two-ring aromatics that included new design of sulfur resistant noble-metal catalysts for hydrogenation of naphthalene and tetralin in middle distillate fuels, and (3) value-added chemicals from naphthalene and biphenyl, which aimed at developing value-added organic chemicals from refinery streams such as 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene and 4,4{prime}-dimethylbiphenyl as precursors to advanced polymer materials. Major advances were achieved in this project in designing the catalysts and sorbent materials, and in developing fundamental understanding. The objective of Task 4 was to evaluate the effect of introducing coal into an existing petroleum refinery on the fuel oil product, specifically trace element emissions. Activities performed to accomplish this objective included analyzing two petroleum-based commercial heavy fuel oils (i.e., No. 6 fuel oils) as baseline fuels and three co-processed fuel oils, characterizing the atomization performance of a No. 6 fuel oil, measuring the combustion performance and emissions of the five fuels, specifically major, minor, and trace elements when fired in a watertube boiler designed for natural gas/fuel oil, and determining the boiler performance when firing the five fuels. Two different co-processed fuel oils were tested: one that had been partially hydrotreated, and the other a product of fractionation before hydrotreating. Task 5 focused on examining refining methods that would utilize coal and produce thermally stable jet fuel, included delayed coking and solvent extraction. Delayed coking was done on blends of decant oil and coal, with the goal to produce a premium carbon product and liquid fuels. Coking was done on bench scale and large laboratory scale cokers. Two coals were examined for co-coking, using Pittsburgh seam coal and Marfork coal product. Reactions in the large, laboratory scaled coker were reproducible in yields of products and in quality of products. While the co-coke produced from both coals was of sponge coke quality, minerals left in the coke made it unacceptable for use as anode or graphite grade filler.
Country of Publication United States
Language English
Format Medium: ED
System Entry Date 2008 Dec 11
source: http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=940167

A follow-up Google® search on the title of the above ...
"Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels"

... resulted in a link to ...

Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy - LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/parvana-gafarova-aksoy/11/862/44b. Interestingly, although Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy was involved in the research described above, he (or she) is not listed as an author. But we found this expert anyway, thanks to the presence of a profile on LinkedIn.

[Excerpt from Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy's profile]
Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy’s Summary
• Extensive experience in scientific research: My work over the past ten years has built on conversion of coal to liquid fuels and value added products. I worked on catalytic coal liquefaction on medium and low rank coals. I did an extensive work on producing of jet fuel from coal and increasing of thermal stability of jet fuels. I was also an investigator on industrial projects to make coal/petroleum based carbons - particularly activated carbons and cokes through delayed coking. I have extensive experience on analyzing carbon samples by various instruments. The projects I was working on was funded by Department of Energy, as well as by private companies: such as Caterpillar, CIIRain, Minus 100.
• Proven record in problem solving: As a primary investigator in several projects, I was responsible for project management including budget tracking, report preparation, oral progress reports to sponsors. I was also responsible for providing technical support and assistance to students and technical personnel.
• Solid record of scholarly contributions: I have over twenty publications and presentations.

Some of my completed projects:
1) Activation of Small Particle Size Anthracite Samples
2) Calcination of Petroleum Coke Samples
3) Desulfurization of Petroleum Cokes
4) Activation of Poultry Litter Sample
5) Development of a CO2 Sequestration Module by Integrating Mineral Activation and Aqueous Carbonation
6) Evaluation of pitch and coke materials from coal-based fuel production
7) Removal of SO2 and NOx Over Coal-Petroleum Based Activated Carbons,
8) Thermal Stability of Jet Fuels

As you can see, and as you no doubt know from your own experience, this kind of iterative searching can really cut into the time you need for other work. If you're lucky, your management team has the wisdom to employ an information professional (such as a corporate librarian) to help. If so, be sure to make use of this valuable resource.

Many management teams, however, have chosen to eliminate the corporate library in an effort to "trim the fat." The short term benefit of such a crash diet is outweighed by the fact that some of your valuable time now has to be used to pick up the slack.

You see the value of having a librarian on staff, but how do you persuade management?

We can help. Send a request for free tips on how to persuade management to employ an information professional to research@JeanSteinhardtConsulting.com. Your request will be held in strictest confidence.

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