Stand der Texaco-Kohlevergasung in der Ruhrchemie/Ruhrkohle-Variante

Ruhrchemie/Ruhrkohle variant of the Texaco coal gasification process – a status report . In pilot operation since January 1978, the Ruhrkohle/Ruhrchemie variant of the Texaco coal gasification process has produced a total of 20 million m of synthesis gas having an average composition of 46% CO, 34% H₂, 19% CO₂, 0.3% H₂S, 0.6% N₂, and 0.1% CH₄ from ca. 12 000 tonnes of coal. As the first of the ?second generation”? coal gasification processes, the Texaco process has proved itself capable of gasifying pulverized coal of all grades at high temperatures and pressures. The next goal is an increase in capacity from that of the demonstration plant at Oberhausen-Holten (12 000 m/h) to ca. 100 000 m/h.     

Physiological cost of horizontal materials handling while seated

Experiments were carried out in the course of which during seated work a load of 2 kg had to be lifted repeatedly 24 times per minute from 3 different beginning points within the outward reach over a distance of 38 cm to a fixed point near the body. In order to measure the physiological cost strictly due to unweighted movements, identical tasks had been performed by handling an almost weightless article (i.e. 0 kg). Besides oxygen consumption and heart rate as integral measures for stress and strain, electromyographic activity (EA) of 7 muscle groups was registered continuously from each of 11 subjects participating in the test sessions. EA was standardized with the help of EA-values obtained from preceding maximum voluntary contractions (MVC).

The results show extensive and consistent reactions of the global and local indicators of strain. Dependent on direction, even manual movements without external load induced strain, elucidated in significant minimum values of all parameters at 30° (measured from the frontal plane of the subjects). The local strain of the 7 monitored muscles shows a more or less distinct dependence of the direction. Almost only the dynamic component is influenced, yet to a degree which is much higher than the reaction of the integral physiological parameters. Correlations between EA-values and those of the oxygen consumption as well as the work pulses indicate that electromyography is an efficient method for determining local muscular strain, which can be assessed very precisely. Furthermore, multi-channel electromyography proved to enable detection of bottle-necks in muscular strain.     

Changes in the Composition of Triacylglycerols in the Fat Bodies of Bumblebee Males During Their Lifetime

The age-dependent changes in the composition of triacylglycerols (TAG) in the fat bodies of bumblebee males were studied using HPLC/MS. Two related species (Bombus terrestris and B. lucorum) were compared, with the age of the males being 0–30 days. The total amount of TAG in B. lucorum was about 2.7 times higher than that in B. terrestris for all of the ages studied. One to three-day-old males had the highest content of TAG in their fat bodies (1.6–2.3 mg/individual in B. terrestris and 3.8–4.2 mg/individual in B. lucorum). The analytical data show different patterns in both species. The qualitative composition of fatty acids in TAG was similar, but the mean relative abundance between B. terrestris and B. lucorum differed: 14:0, 7 and 14%; 16:0, 20 and 44%; 18:3, 62 and 23%; 18:1, 3 and 8%, respectively (the data is based on a GC/MS integration). A statistical evaluation of the dynamic changes in the TAG composition revealed that in B. terrestris different age classes were well separated according to their TAG composition while in B. lucorum the TAG did not change substantially during the male’s life. The TAG analyses provide more precise information on the differences between the classes studied than the FA composition alone.