Development Of Rice Milling In-Line Process Control

SunRice’s Milling facilities were for the most part designed and built before the widespread use of computer based (Programmable Logic Controller or PLC) control systems. Over the years, PLC systems were introduced into the mills to improve the level of automation and reliability of process control. However, these systems did not incorporate all of the process control possibilities available. SunRice also required a more consistent and modern methodology to the human side of process improvement in general

Perspektiven des deutschen Energiesystems

Der hohe Ölpreis, Bedenken hinsichtlich der künftigen Versorgungssicherheit beim Erdöl und die Sorge um die Umwelt haben die Aufmerksamkeit auf die Zusammensetzung der Energieversorgung gelenkt. Welche Rolle sollten in Zukunft die verschiedenen Energieträger spielen? --

The German Energiewende. A transition towards an efficient, sufficient Green Energy Economy

The German “Energiewende” (energy transition) is meant to be a contract between generations. The rebuilding of the whole energy system is designed and financed today in order to safeguard our children and grandchildren against fundamental risks: the enormous economic, social and environmental costs of a fossil-nuclear energy system, the risks of the nuclear fuel-cycle and the impacts of climate change, as well as energy import dependency, price shocks and geopolitical disputes over scarce resources. In contrast, a successful Energiewende creates new business areas and qualified jobs and increases competitiveness in the ‘green race’ – in particular on the lead markets for efficiency technology and renewable energy. Accordingly, the Energiewende is described in this book as the collective effort of post-war German history and as a unique learning arena for a positive socio-economic transformation with international relevance. The book covers the formation of both the social and scientific Energiewende consensus, quantitative scenarios, the state of the Energiewende in 2015, the need for further policy intervention – in particular with respect to energy efficiency, and not least the integration of efficiency, sufficiency and renewable energy policies

Humboldt penguins outmanoeuvring El Niño

We satellite-tracked five Humboldt penguins during the strong 1997/98 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) from their breeding island Pan de Azúcar (26 degrees 09'S, 70 degrees 40'W) in Northern Chile and related their activities at sea to satellite-derived information on sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA), wind direction and speed, chlorophyll a concentrations and statistical data on fishery landings. We found that Humboldt penguins migrated by up to 895 km as marine productivity decreased. The total daily dive duration was highly correlated with SSTA, ranging from 3.1 to 12.5 h when the water was at its warmest (+4 degrees C). Birds travelled between 2 and 116 km every day, travelling further when SSTA was highest. Diving depths (maximum 54 m), however, were not increased with respect to previous years. Two penguins migrated south and, independently of each other, located an area of high chlorophyll a concentration 150 km off the coast. Humboldt penguins seem to use day length, temperature gradients, wind direction and olfaction to adapt to changing environmental conditions and to find suitable feeding grounds. This makes Humboldt penguins biological in situ detectors of highly productive marine areas, with a potential use in the verification of trends detected by remote sensors on board satellites

Hybrid sintering – The beneficial combination of sintering principles

„Hybrid Sintering“ can be defined as a beneficial combination of different sintering principles, e.g. direct and indirect heating, uniaxial and gas pressure, high and low electrical fields (Figure 1). In the technological context this can be completed by debindering, decoupled pre-heating and cooling as well as rate controlled sintering optionally. Hybrid sintering systems enable the development and production of all new material solutions. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract