Kooperation von Technik und Recht im Hinblick auf die technische Sicherheit

Cooperation between technology and legislation with regard to technical safety . Exploitation of technology involves risks. The state permits this exploitation and must therefore guarantee the necessary safety. In this context, legislation employs undefined legal concepts: ?generally recognized rules of technology”?, ?state of technology”?, ?state of science and technology”?. These standards located at the interface of law and technology raise the question of competence assignment between scientific and technical experts and the authorities and courts. The solution: decision by scientific-technical experts on the basis of their expertise, coupled with review by the courts in order to establish whether the legal goal of ?safety”? has been attained. The intermeshing between legal and technical standards is expressed in the technical standards.     

Neue konstruktive und prozeßtechnische Konzepte für die Wasserstoff-Gewinnung durch Elektrolyse

New design and process engineering concepts for production of hydrogen by electrolysis. Electrolytic production of hydrogen has attracted particular interest in connection with expansion of nuclear generating capacity in France, Belgium, Canada, and Japan as a means of balancing load, and for developing countries with hitherto untapped hydroenergy resources it provides a means of supplying fertilizers with any need for oil imports. However, the present state of the art of water electrolysis leads to excessively high production costs owing to excessively high investment costs and to high an energy consumption, far above the thermodynamically calculated energy requirements: reduction of production costs will require satisfaction of opposing demands for raising the space-time yield of electrolyzers by increased current density while simultaneously lowering the energy consumption by reducing the cell potential. This contribution describes measures intended to save 20 to 30% in energy requirements; the production costs will fall by about 20 to 25%.     

Verbrauchssenkung für großtechnische NH3-Anlagen durch Wärmerückgewinnung im Abhitzesystem

Energy savings in industrial NH₃ plant by heat recovery in the waste heat system. Minimization of energy consumption is nowadays a primary goal in the design of NH₃ plant. In this context two aspects are particularly important: first, the process steps and their combination must be selected in such a way that the level of energy that has to be supplied to the plant is kept low from the very beginning; second, heat recovery must be optimized by the choice of process conditions and use of appropriate equipment. An industrial NH₃ plant built according to these principles can operate at a consumption of as low as 29.5 GJ/t NH₃, using proven processes and equipment. The first plant of this new generation with a capacity of 1120 t/d is currently under construction for Canadian Industries Ltd. (CIL) in Canada.     

Sicherheit in der Verfahrenstechnik

Safety in the field of chemical engineering . This article discusses whether the risks involved in technology have increased, why such severe criticism is expressed concerning safety in plants, and whether there has been any change in the criteria that the public applies to safety. The accident statistics of the employers' association indicate the improvements in safety that have been achieved and by no means suggest any increase in the risks involved. The reason for the frequent and severe criticism of safety appears to be a widespread ignorance of production processes and a mistrust that evolves from such ignorance. Thus it is necessary to provide the public with still more and still better information. For this purpose the chemical industry needs an unbiased press that strives for impartiality. Among the criteria applied nowadays, a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of a technical development is frequently lacking and a trend towards forecasting methods can be ascertained. The chemical industry is prepared to provide frank information and to engage in an objective discussion of safety topics.     

Sicherheit im Chemieapparatebau mit Borosilicatglas

Safety in chemical equipment construction with borosilicate glass. Thanks in particular to its universal corrosion resistance borosilicate glass has acquired a firm place among the materials of construction for pipework, equipment, and plant in chemical engineering. Pertinent technical rules containing all necessary material data and regulations are available for design and planning. Observation of these regulations and adherance to appropriate designs ensure a high degree of safety in operation of glass installations in the rough conditions of a chemical plant.     

Emulgieren: Mehr als nur Zerkleinern

Emulsification: More than just Comminution Many products are emulsions, either as industrial intermediate, or as consumer designed products. From the micro‐structural point of view, emulsions are dispersed systems of at least two insoluble liquid phases. In order to design products according to target consumer needs, property, and process functions have to be known. This review gives an overview of emulsification basics based on the partial stages droplet disruption and coalescence. Emulsification machines and apparatus are described, property and process functions are given. Both, conventional emulsification applications and alternative processes using emulsions for the production of sub‐micron solid particles of modified product properties are described.     

Aerosole und ihre technische Bedeutung

Aerosols and Their Technical Significance Aerosols occur in many technical processes. For example, aerosols are formed to generate products of highly disperse solids in gas phase processes. Particle formation and growth in the aerosol state decisively determine the product properties by the size, shape, and structure of the particles. Undesired aerosol formation can also occur in technical processes. These undesired aerosols pollut process gases or products or increase the pollutant content of exhaust gases. If undesired aerosol formation cannot be avoided, efficient separation techniques have to be used. Efficient separators are also required to recover fine product particles from the gas phase. Moreover, aerosols, whether desired or undesired, have to be measured and characterized. This requires high performing measuring techniques. The paper outlines the technical significance of aerosols.     

Fett und seine technische Anwendung

Fat and Its Technical Application Secondary products of fats can be classified into 3 groups according to their technical use. These products constitute surface-active substances, oily or waxy substances, and fatty nitrogen compounds. A few selected examples should show the versatile fields of application of such products. Surfactants are not only used in washing and cleansing agents but also for the production of modern materials of construction. New types of ester oils predominate in the field of technical lubrication for a wide range of temperature and mechanical stress. Fatty nitrogen compounds alter the texture of textiles, alternatively, they are used in flotation processes for regulating the wettability. The examples chosen show how the secondary products of fats have entered various branches of the industry and have either enabled to improve the technical processes or made these processes altogether feasible.     

Neuere technische Verfahren in der Kohlechemie

New technical processes in coal chemistry . The most important commercial basic processes of primary coal conversion are carbonisation, gasification, and hydrogenation. Some 450 mio t/a of coal are converted by coking in horizontal slot type ovens to 350 mio t/a of metallurgical coke for the reduction of iron ore in blast furnaces, coke oven gas, and some 20 mio t/a of coke oven benzole and coal tar as raw material for aromatics. The coke ovens are being developed to high-capacity coking reactors. New second generation processes for the gasification of coal and lignite have advanced to an industrial scale. A vapor-phase hydrocracking refining step has been integrated within the further developed process for the catalytic liquid-phase hydrogenation of coal. Plasma pyrolysis of high-volatile bituminous coal investigated on a semi-industrial scale yields acetylene. Pressure hydropyrolysis of coal currently being tested on a pilot plant scale generates high-aromatic liquid products. New processes for the upgrading of such liquids have been developed above all for aromatics from coal tar, e. g. for the production of naphthalene derivatives, and the conversion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into the technical carbon products carbon black, electrographite, carbon electrodes, and carbon fibres.     

Großtechnische Herstellung von Reinstsilicium

Large scale production of hyperpure silicon . Silicon still remains one of the most important elements in use in semiconductor technology. Worldwide production of silicon amounts to more than 1000 t/year. Its use in semiconductor components calls for special requirements, such as extreme purity in the ppb-range, absolutely perfect crystals, and narrow dimensional tolerances and special surface properties of fabricated silicon slices. Reaction of 95% pure metallurgical grade silicon and hydrochloric acid results in trichlorosilane, which is then purified by distillation. This is subsequently subjected to a reductive cracking process in order to produce hyperpure polycrystalline silicon. Monocrystalline silicon rods are then manufactured by one of two crystal growing methods, either by crucible pulling (Czochralski) or by float zoning. The single crystals thus obtained are then sliced by diamond cutting machines. Depending on their final use the slices are then processed by lapping, polishing, epitaxy, etc.     

Wind und Kohle: Die technische Photosynthese

The increasing energy demand, the associated CO₂ emissions, and the concurrently decreasing reserves of fossil fuels require new concepts for sustainable energy production. The so‐called Adam‐and‐Eve principle for CO₂‐free production of methanol from coal and nuclear energy is revisited and adapted to today's circumstances. Electrolysis of water using renewable electricity is applied for H₂ production. Simultaneously, coal and the oxygen formed during electrolysis are burned in an oxyfuel process, generating electricity and relatively pure CO₂. Hydrogen from electrolysis and CO₂ are converted to methanol, which can then be used as chemical‐ and energy feedstock.     

Die technische Herstellung von Äthylencarbonat

Technical Production of Ethylene Carbonate The process of Chemische Werke Hüls AG, Marl, for technical production of ethylene carbonate in a 4000 t/annum plant is described. In this plant the efficiencies achieved with a single pass are of the same order as those in other known processes in which the product is recirculated through the reaction system. The possible applications and uses of ethylene carbonate are reported.     

Kriterien für die Beurteilung von Gefährdungen durch technische Anlagen – Begleitpapier der TÜV zum gleichnamigen Forschungsvorhaben

To assess technical installations proactively and decide whether special inspections are necessary to protect employees and third‐parties based on the potential risks they pose, a research project called Criteria to assess the risks posed by technical installations was performed. It looks at the effect that potentially dangerous installations can have beyond the immediate surroundings and to what extent inspections can affect how safe technical installations are based on the quality and frequency of the inspections. The results can help determine which technical installations are so dangerous that they require additional monitoring by third‐parties and which safety measures for handling these installations should be regulated by law.     

Umweltschutz und Sicherheit: Die Verantwortung des Ingenieurs

Responsibility of the Engineer for Environmental Protection and Safety. Engineers in industry are expected to focus uncompromisingly on environmental protection in their work. A demand of this kind would require the absolute truth concerning the yardstick against which the features are to be measured. However, there is no such yardstick. In addition, most alternatives are not entirely free of environmental impact. Which ones can or must the engineer's choose? Apart from technical and scientific limits, there are also economic limits within which engineers must act in order to realize new technologies. On the other hand, engineers must speak up for those areas which they consider on the basis of their knowledge and experience, to be essential to the interests of the general public and the economy. This applies not only to activities in the field of engineering, but also to personal involvement in the public sphere. This is an area that still offers considerable scope.