Efficiency and fairness in team search with self-interested agents

We consider team-work settings where individual agents incur costs on behalf of the team. In such settings it is frequently the custom to reimburse agents for the costs they incur (at least in part) in order to promote fairness. We show, however, that when agents are self-interested, such reimbursement can result in degradation in efficiency—at times severe degradation. We thus study the relationship between efficiency and fairness in such settings, distinguishing between ex-ante and ex-post fairness. First, we analyze reimbursement policies that reimburse solely based on purchase receipts (as is customary), and show that with such policies the degradation in both efficiency and fairness can be unbounded. We thus introduce two other families of reimbursement policies. The first family guarantees optimal efficiency and ex-ante fairness, but not ex-post fairness. The second family improves (at times) on ex-post fairness, but at the expense of efficiency, thus providing a tradeoff between the two.     

Cobalt-cement catalysts for the synthesis of motor fuel components from synthesis gas obtained from oil shale

Highly effective cobalt-cement catalysts for the synthesis of aliphatic hydrocarbons from CO and H₂, which are formed upon the thermolysis or gasification of oil shale or coals, are considered. The formation of the catalysts was studied.     

Catalytic synthesis of triazine compounds using a flexible technology

Based on laboratory pilot studies, we have developed a flow sheet for the catalytic synthesis of triazine compounds from carbamide using a flexible technology and a catalyst for this process. The main process parameters are as follows: a carbamide melt is fed into the reactor under a pressure of 0.8 MPa at 140–160°C; the volume rate of feeding the circulating gas into the reactor is 500–750 h⁻¹, its temperature is 350–500°C, and the melt-to-gas mass ratio is 1: (7–9). The temperature of synthesis in the reactor is 350–450°C; the pressure in the reactor is 0.1–0.2 MPa. The sublimation temperature is 180–200°C. The conversion of carbamide is ∼98%. The content of the target component in the product is ∼98.8%. Depending on the composition of the circulating gas, it is possible to obtain products of melamine, cyanuric acid, or melamine cyanurate. A catalyst in the form of promoted active aluminum oxide with an inner surface of 300 to 400 m²/g and a technique for its preparation have been developed.     

The deactivation of the decomposition catalyst of chemical-recovery ammonia

The results of the monitoring of decomposition furnaces carried out for 5.5 years at OAO Metallurgical Combine Magnitogorsk has been analyzed. It was found that the rate of the irreversible deactivation of nickel catalyst G1–11 produced by the BASF company during the industry decomposition process of chemical-recovery ammonia under temperature higher than 1100°C is 0.39 dB/year (～10% per year). The high activity of the modified catalyst KDA-18A (developed by NIAP, Novomoskovsk) makes it promising to use as the catalyst in the thermocatalytic decomposition of chemical-recovery ammonia. The new construction of a high temperature catalytic reactor allows for the use of the catalyst.     

Industrial catalysts for the hydrogenation of carbon oxides

Conditions for the synthesis, reduction and passivation of methanation catalysts are summarized. Requirements are given for preparing catalysts for use. The basic characteristics of industrial methanation catalysts and the conditions for their use are discussed. It is noted that the NIAP-07 domestic catalysts of the NKM series have a life span of 15 years. It is shown that the new high-performance nickel methanation catalyst has a lower activation temperature and can be manufactured in the form of rings, extrudates, or pellets. The use of a ring-shaped catalyst allows us to reduce the gas-dynamic resistance of a methanator and thus to economize on natural gas in ammonia production units. NIAP-KATALIZATOR has organized industrial production of methanation catalysts. The NIAP-07 (NKM) catalysts can be used in various industrial processes for purifying gases of carbon oxides via their hydrogenation.     

Activation of a cement-containing nickel catalyst for ammonia dissociation

The activation behavior of the KDA-10A (NIAP-13-02) commercial cement-containing nickel catalyst at temperatures of up to 750°C has been investigated by temperature-programmed reduction, hightemperature X-ray diffraction, and activation dynamics methods. The catalyst activation dynamics has been studied at 600, 650, 700, and 750°C. At 700–750°C and a heat treatment time of 6.0 h, the catalyst is almost completely activated. The high degrees of nickel dispersion and high catalytic activities observed at 700–750°C indicate a high thermal stability of the catalyst. A shortened catalyst activation procedure is recommended for industrial implementation.     

Ozone decomposition and benzene oxidation catalysts based on iron and manganese oxides as industrial wastes from water decontamination by ozone treatment

Effective ozone decomposition catalysts were created on the basis of iron oxides as side products from natural water treated with ozone at water treatment plants. Iron oxide catalysts doped with manganese oxide are by 40% more active in benzene oxidation. These iron-manganese catalysts can be recommended for industrial manufacture by the designed technologies and application in ozone decomposition and benzene oxidation processes.     

Experimental investigation and prediction of the gas dynamic characteristics of commercial catalysts

Gas dynamic characteristics of commercial catalysts used in steam reforming and pollution-free catalysis have been investigated. Data that make it possible to predict the catalyst behavior under production conditions are represented. The optimal geometrical characteristics of the catalysts have been identified.