Explaining the Service Sector in the Global Economy

There are two main sectors in the global economy: the manufacturing sector and the service sector. Over the years, the manufacturing sector became the most important sector of the economy and attracted attention. The main reason for this attention can be found in the writings of Adam Smith, who stated that "the productivity of this sector is much higher than others." In view of Smith, activities are "constructive" that lead to the production of visible goods. Other activities are unproductive, even if they are beneficial to people's well-being because they do not produce visible and exported goods. Thus, production was considered the most crucial part of the economy. The lack of attention from researchers and paying less attention to the service sector made this crucial part of the global economy less important than the production sector, and the principles of this sector were defined under the dominance of the concepts of the production sector. Since the 1980s, the GDP increase has often originated from the industries related to the service sector. This attracted researchers' attention to the service sector, and more research was conducted in this regard. Some terms, including "Service economics," "post-industrial society," and "the growth of the third sector," have emerged due to the importance of this sector. In this study, we attempt to eliminate the existing misconceptions about post-production services and paying less attention to the service sector than production in the supply chain with an in-depth look at the literature. We also try to explain the importance of the sector in the global economy

Defining Outsourcing as the Main Reason Behind the Technological Takeover of Oilfield Service Companies in the Global Oil Game

Oilfield service companies are the technological leaders of the global oil and gas industry. Successful Oilfield service companies are currently competing with supermajors in numerous aspects such as monetization, market share, technological advancement, offering specialized knowledge, conducting mega projects and having advanced technological capabilities. International oil companies have been in the oil game since day one and were considered as the main player in the oil and gas industry, but depending on the evidences gathered in this study, oilfield service companies with less experience, are winning the technological race over the other players. In this article, we try rooting this technological takeover and also discuss the international oil companies’ road to success. Oilfield service companies have gained a better position since the outsourcing wave in the 90s and afterward tried to achieve and maintain the pillars of powers in the oil and gas industry in order to survive and meet their customers’ demands. Now, most of the players’ project fulfillment and success are partially/fully dependent on the Oilfield service companies’ performance as they are the main supplier in the oil and gas industry

Methane-concentrated oxy-fuel calciner for calcium-looping

Greenhouse gas emissions (mostly CO₂) have resulted from massive fuel consumption over recent decades, with devastating effects on humans, climate, and wildlife. Cost-effective environmentally-friendly energy sources and carbon capture are required to diminish the destructive effects of CO₂ emissions. Calcium-looping, a process based on reversible solid-gas carbonation and calcination, utilizing lime-based sorbents to capture CO₂ at elevated temperatures, is an emerging carbon capture technology, also applicable for enhanced hydrogen production. A key challenge in this continuous process is the high temperature needed for cyclical sorbent regeneration (via limestone calcination). This adversely affects the thermal/energy efficiency of the process, while also leading to sorbent deactivation during first calcination-carbonation cycles. Investigations are required to enhance current knowledge on limestone calcination conditions in calcium-looping, while also identifying alternative low-temperature technologies for sorbent regeneration. This thesis proposes a novel methane-concentrated oxy-fuel calciner, combining methane combustion, reforming and limestone calcination in a single reactor. The process is shown to be capable of autothermal syngas-producing sorbent regeneration with in situ CO₂ utilization, reducing the CO₂ concentration within the reactor, thereby decreasing the calcination temperature. The thermodynamic and kinetic performances of the process are evaluated by means of reactor simulations. Appropriate ranges of conditions are determined for autothermal, coke-free and complete limestone calcination. Increasing temperature and nitrogen concentration in air are shown to enhance limestone calcination, whereas elevating pressure and CaCO₃/gas feed ratio hinder sorbent conversion. A design methodology is suggested to determine appropriate operating conditions and/or reactor dimensions for this sorbent regeneration technology. Potential practical constraints of the process (e.g. safe operation and catalyst instability) are also briefly discussed. The thesis examines three potential applications of the process: sorbent-enhanced steam methane reforming, ammonia production without air separation, and Ca(OH)₂/CaCO₃ co-calcination. Thermogravimetric analysis is employed to assess the effect of sorbent regeneration conditions (especially partial calcination) on the cyclic CO2 capture capability of lime-based sorbents. Increasing calcination temperature is shown to reduce sorbent reactivity, while extending calcination duration and exposing limestone to high temperature without reaction did not appreciably change sorbent performance. Partially calcined sorbents are found to offer smoother CO₂ uptake over extended calcination-carbonation cycles.Applied Science, Faculty ofChemical and Biological Engineering, Department ofGraduat

Toward Developing a Framework for Conducting Case Study Research

This article reviews the use of case study research for both practical and theoretical issues especially in management field with the emphasis on management of technology and innovation. Many researchers commented on the methodological issues of the case study research from their point of view thus, presenting a comprehensive framework was missing. We try representing a general framework with methodological and analytical perspective to design, develop, and conduct case study research. To test the coverage of our framework, we have analyzed articles in three major journals related to the management of technology and innovation to approve our framework. This study represents a general structure to guide, design, and fulfill a case study research with levels and steps necessary for researchers to use in their research

Separation of Organic Compounds from ABE Model Solutions via Pervaporation Using Activated Carbon/PDMS Mixed Matrix Membranes

The pervaporation separation of organic compounds from acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation model solutions was studied using activated carbon (AC) nanoparticle-poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) mixed matrix membranes (MMM). The effects of the operating conditions and nanoparticle loading content on the membrane performance have been investigated. While the separation factor increased continuously, with an increase in the concentration of nanoparticles, the total flux reached a maximum in the MMM with 8 wt % nanoparticle loading in PDMS. Both the separation factor for ABE and the total permeation flux more than doubled for the MMM in comparison to those of neat PDMS membranes prepared in this study