Particulate products make up around 80% of chemical products, from all industry sectors. Examples given in this book include the construction materials, fine ceramics and concrete; the delicacies, chocolate and ice cream; pharmaceutical, powders, medical inhalers and sun screen; liquid and powder paints. Size distribution and the shape of the particles provide for different functionalities in these products. Some functions are general, others specific. General functions are powder flow and require at the typical particulate concentrations of these products that the particles cause adequate rheological behavior during processing and/or for product performance. Therefore, this book addresses particle packing as well as its relation to powder flow and rheological behavior. Moreover, general relationships to particle size are discussed for e.g. color and sensorial aspects of particulate products. Product-specific functionalities are often relevant for comparable product groups. Particle size distribution and shape provide, for example, the following functionalities:

- dense particle packing in relation to sufficient strength is required in concrete construction, ceramic objects and pharmaceutical tablets

- good sensorial properties (mouthfeel) to chocolate and ice cream

- effective dissolution, flow and compression properties for pharmaceutical powders

- adequate hiding power and effective coloring of paints for protection and the desired esthetical appeal of the objects

- adequate protection of our body against sun light by sunscreen

- effective particle transport and deposition to desired locations for medical inhalers and powder paints.

Adequate particle size distribution, shape and porosity of particulate products have to be achieved in order to reach optimum product performance. This requires adequate management of design and development as well as sufficient knowledge of the underlying principles of physics and chemistry. Moreover, flammability, explosivity and other health hazards from powders, during handling, are taken into account. This is necessary, since great risks may be involved. In all aspects, the most relevant parameters of the size distribution (and particle shape) have to be selected.

In this book, experts in the different product fields have contributed to the product chapters. This provides optimum information on what particulate aspects are most relevant for behavior and performance within specified industrial products and how optimum results can be obtained. It differs from other books in the way that the critical aspects of different products are reported, so that similarities and differences can be identified. We trust that this approach will lead to improved optimization in design, development and quality of many particulate products."

Examines all important aspects of integrated circuit design, fabrication, assembly and test processes as they relate to quality and reliability. This second edition discusses in detail: the latest circuit design technology trends; the sources of error in wafer fabrication and assembly; avenues of contamination; new IC packaging methods; new in-line process monitors and test structures; and more.;This work should be useful to electrical and electronics, quality and reliability, and industrial engineers; computer scientists; integrated circuit manufacturers; and upper-level undergraduate, graduate and continuing-education students in these disciplines.

This text gives a detailed description of practical risk and safety analysis methods, tried and tested in over 100 process industry projects. The aim is to provide the methods and data needed by practicing safety engineers, as well as practical advice on how to use them. Subjects covered are risk acceptability, hazard identification methods, probability and frequency calculation, human error, failure rate data, fire explosion and gas dispersion, emergency action, integrated risk analysis and safety management. Road and ship transport, risk analysis methods and environmental risk analysis, are special topics covered. Several of the methods described have been developed in order to solve special problems, such as identifying operator errors and assessing emergency plans.

This book discusses the theory, method and application of non-Gaussian random vibration fatigue analysis and test. The main contents include statistical analysis method of non-Gaussian random vibration, modeling and simulation of non-Gaussian/non-stationary random vibration, response analysis under non-Gaussian base excitation, non-Gaussian random vibration fatigue life analysis, fatigue reliability evaluation of structural components under Gaussian/non-Gaussian random loadings, non-Gaussian random vibration accelerated test method and application cases. From this book, the readers can not only learn how to reproduce the non-Gaussian vibration environment actually experienced by the product, but also know how to evaluate the fatigue life and reliability of the structure under non-Gaussian random excitation.

This book shows how to build in and assess reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety (RAMS) of components, equipment, and systems. It presents the state of the art of reliability (RAMS) engineering, in theory & practice, and is based on over 30 years author's experience in this field, half in industry and half as Professor of Reliability Engineering at the ETH, Zurich. The book structure allows rapid access to practical results. Methods & tools are given in a way that they can be tailored to cover different RAMS requirement levels. Thanks to Appendices A6 - A8 the book is mathematically self-contained, and can be used as a textbook or as a desktop reference with a large number of tables (60), figures (210), and examples / exercises^ 10,000 per year since 2013) were the motivation for this final edition, the 13th since 1985, including German editions. Extended and carefully reviewed to improve accuracy, it represents the continuous improvement effort to satisfy reader's needs and confidence. New are an introduction to risk management with structurally new models based on semi-Markov processes & to the concept of mean time to accident, reliability & availability of a k-out-of-n redundancy with arbitrary repair rate for n - k=2, 10 new homework problems, and refinements, in particular, on multiple failure mechanisms, approximate expressions, incomplete coverage, data analysis, and comments on e, MTBF, MTTF, MTTR, R, PA.

This book explains reliability techniques with examples from electronics design for the benefit of engineers. It presents the application of de-rating, FMEA, overstress analyses and reliability improvement tests for designing reliable electronic equipment. Adequate information is provided for designing computerized reliability database system to support the application of the techniques by designers. Pedantic terms and the associated mathematics of reliability engineering discipline are excluded for the benefit of comprehensiveness and practical applications. This book offers excellent support for electrical and electronics engineering students and professionals, bridging academic curriculum with industrial expectations.

Following my graduation in physical organic chemistry at the University of Amst- dam, I started to work at the Royal Dutch Shell Laboratories in Amsterdam. My first assignment was research in the field of detergents and industrial chemicals. It was followed by development work on thermal wax cracking for production of C - C 2 14 olefins and on acid-catalyzed synthesis of carboxylic acids from C - C olefins. 3 6 Then, I made a significant change to analytical chemistry, first at Shell's process development department and later in the chemical engineering department of Delft University of Technology. In both departments, there was a large variety of analy- cal techniques and development of new methods for automated analysis of small process streams. It was the time that gas chromatography conquered the world. In this field, a firm basis was given by Henk Boer, Arie Kwantes and Frits Zuiderweg at Shell Research Laboratories in Amsterdam, both for packed and for capillary c- umns. The potential of gas chromatography was huge and, therefore, also in Delft, its use increased enormously. Moreover, the growth of this technique was facilitated significantly by the rapidly developing electronics industry. It not only led to digital peak integrators and personal computers but also enabled complex measurement techniques. In addition, I became involved in surface area and porosity characteri- tion of catalysts and adsorbents, on which topic the research had been initiated by Prof. J. H. de Boer.

Proceedings of the Advanced Seminar held at the Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy, June 4-8, 1984

Complex System Reliability presents a state-of-the-art treatment of complex multi-channel system reliability assessment and provides the requisite tools, techniques and algorithms required for designing, evaluating and optimizing ultra-reliable redundant systems. Critical topics that make Complex System Reliability a unique and definitive resource include: * redundant system analysis for k-out-of-n systems (including complex systems with embedded k-out-of-n structures) involving both perfect and imperfect fault coverage; * imperfect fault coverage analysis techniques, including algorithms for assessing the reliability of redundant systems in which each element is subject to a given coverage value (element level coverage) or in which the system uses voting to avoid the effects of a failed element (fault level coverage); and * state-of-the-art binary decision diagram analysis techniques, including the latest and most efficient algorithms for the reliability assessment of large, complex redundant systems. This practical presentation includes numerous fully worked examples that provide detailed explanations of both the underlying design principles and the techniques (such as combinatorial, recursive and binary decision diagram algorithms) used to obtain quantitative results. Many of the worked examples are based on the design of modern digital fly-by-wire control system technology. Complex System Reliability provides in-depth coverage of systems subject to either perfect or imperfect fault coverage and also the most recent techniques for correctly assessing the reliability of redundant systems that use mid-value-select voting as their primary means of redundancy management. It is a valuable resource for those involved in the design and reliability assessment of highly reliable systems, particularly in the aerospace and automotive sectors.

Modern society depends heavily upon a host of systems of varying complexity to perform the services required. The importance of reliability assumes new dimensions, primarily because of the higher cost of these highly complex machines required by mankind and the implication of their failure. This is why all industrial organizations wish to equip their scientists, engineers, managers and administrators with a knowledge of reliability concepts and applications. Based on the author's 20 years experience as reliability educator, researcher and consultant, Reliability Engineering introduces the reader systematically to reliability evaluation, prediction, allocation and optimization. It also covers further topics, such as maintainability and availability, software reliability, economics of reliability, reliability management, reliability testing, etc. A reliability study of some typical systems has been included to introduce the reader to the practical aspects. The book is intended for graduate students of engineering schools and also professional engineers, managers and reliability administrators as it has a wide coverage of reliability concepts.

This book explores the practical implementation of an advanced after-sales management framework devoted to warranty management. The framework is intended for companies producing either standardized or customized products and such a management tool will facilitate organizational improvement and support innovative decision making processes for technical assistance in after-sales services.

After sales Service of Engineering Industrial Assets comprises a proposal for a warranty management framework, with an account of the different methods that can be used to improve decision making in the different stages of the after-sales service management process, and strategies for strengthening the structure and foundations of the framework. A review of the fundamental issues and current research topics in warranty management and after sales services is also provided, which is exemplified by a case study. This book is intended for postgraduates, researchers and engineers who are interested in after sales management, assets engineering and warranty management."

This book focuses on the tactical planning level for spare parts management. It describes a series of multi-item inventory models and presents exact and heuristic optimization methods, including greedy heuristics that work well for real, life-sized problems. The intended audience consists of graduate students, starting scholars in the field of spare parts inventory control, and spare parts planning specialists in the industry. In individual chapters the authors consider topics including: a basic single-location model; single-location models with multiple machine types and/or machine groups; the multi-location model with lateral transshipments; the classical METRIC model and its generalization to multi-indenture systems; and a single-location model with an explicit modeling of the repair capacity for failed parts and the priorities that one can set there. Various chapters of the book are used in a master course at Eindhoven University of Technology and in a PhD course of the Graduate Program Operations Management and Logistics (a Dutch network that organizes PhD courses in the field of OM&L). The required pre-knowledge consists of probability theory and basic knowledge of Markov processes and queuing theory. End-of-chapter problems appear for all chapters, with some answers appearing in an appendix.

This volume highlights the main procedures for assessing the regional risks resulting from dangerous goods storage, and transportation by means of different systems (i.e., road, rail, ship, and pipeline). The information in the book is based on a wide range of references and studies. The main procedural steps involved in quantitative risk analysis for transportation systems are supported by relevant methods of risk assessment, as recognized at an international level. The book gives an overview of the criteria and guidelines applicable to the implementation of risk assessments and management at different stages. Chapter 1 describes the environmental and safety factors to consider when performing a transportation risk analysis for a region. Chapter 2 presents risk definitions and the methodology for analyzing transportation risks in a complex area. Chapter 3 presents general information about truck accidents and their consequences, and reviews the risk presented by road tunnels. Chapter 4 deals with transportation of hazardous materials by rail. Chapter 5 is concerned with the assessment of transportation risks on water ways. Chapter 6 furnishes a description of the transport pipelines for natural gas and petroleum products and describes the situation in Switzerland. Chapter 7 presents a compilation of statistical data related to accidents and the movement of dangerous goods. Chapter 8 is devoted to the description of data bases and computer support for risk assessment. Chapter 9 deals with integrated approaches for regional risk assessment and safety management with special emphasis to the transportation of hazardous materials. Chapter 10 presents several relevant case studies andmiscellaneous information.

This book presents (1) an exhaustive and empirically validated taxonomy of quality aspects of multimodal interaction as well as respective measurement methods, (2) a validated questionnaire specifically tailored to the evaluation of multimodal systems and covering most of the taxonomy's quality aspects, (3) insights on how the quality perceptions of multimodal systems relate to the quality perceptions of its individual components, (4) a set of empirically tested factors which influence modality choice, and (5) models regarding the relationship of the perceived quality of a modality and the actual usage of a modality.

Simulation Methods for Reliability and Availability of Complex Systems discusses the use of computer simulation-based techniques and algorithms to determine reliability and availability (R and A) levels in complex systems. The book: shares theoretical or applied models and decision support systems that make use of simulation to estimate and to improve system R and A levels, forecasts emerging technologies and trends in the use of computer simulation for R and A and proposes hybrid approaches to the development of efficient methodologies designed to solve R and A-related problems in real-life systems.

Dealing with practical issues, Simulation Methods for Reliability and Availability of Complex Systems is designed to support managers and system engineers in the improvement of R and A, as well as providing a thorough exploration of the techniques and algorithms available for researchers, and for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Water is a paramount determinant of quality of life. The WHO experts believe that the sickness and death rates of the world population could be reduced by 75% by maintaining good quality of drinking water. That is why thirty-one leading scientists and specialists from fifteen countries gathered in November 2003 at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Modern Tools and Methods of Water Treatment for Improving Living Standards" in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, to discuss the scientific concepts and practical means for the solution of the complex social, economic and ecological problems associated with water purification, consumption, conservation, and protection. All this is covered in this book of proceedings of the NATO ARW.

This book contains four parts. In Part 1, the readers will find recent advances in drinking water treatment in the United States, biological control in water-cooling towers, analytical control of drinking water quality, and the use of radionuclides for monitoring global contamination. In Part 2, some innovative methods and tools, such as electrochemically-stimulated sorption and sorption-membrane methods, a bubble-extraction method, fibroid sorbents, in-situ oxygen curtain technology, use of ion-exchange membranes, electrochemically-generated silver and copper ions and colloidal gold for water purification and post-purification are presented. In Part 3, recent studies into the treatment of wastewaters could be found. Among them: water reclamation and recycling in Danish industry, biocide polymers as a new opportunity in water treatment, optimization of galvanic wastewater treatment processes, efficiency of nitrification and denitrification processes inwastewater treatment plants, electrochemical processes for wastewater purification employing fluidized beds of particles, cold plasma as a new tool for purification of wastewater from chemical contaminants, bacteria and viruses. In Part 4, examples of management of water resources in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, and Romania using a variety of case studies are presented. Also, the important issue of industry-university cooperation for postgraduate education and training in the water treatment area is discussed.

We believe that this book will be helpful to the international community of scientists, specialists and students dealing with water treatment, purification, conservation and protection.

This book provides an overview of the latest developments in the field of risk analysis (RA). Statistical methodologies have long-since been employed as crucial decision support tools in RA. Thus, in the context of this new century, characterized by a variety of daily risks - from security to health risks - the importance of exploring theoretical and applied issues connecting RA and statistical modeling (SM) is self-evident. In addition to discussing the latest methodological advances in these areas, the book explores applications in a broad range of settings, such as medicine, biology, insurance, pharmacology and agriculture, while also fostering applications in newly emerging areas. This book is intended for graduate students as well as quantitative researchers in the area of RA.

This book presents the latest theories and methods of reliability and quality, with emphasis on reliability and quality in design and modelling. Each chapter is written by active researchers and professionals with international reputations, providing material which bridges the gap between theory and practice to trigger new practices and research challenges. The book therefore provides a state-of-the-art survey of reliability and quality in design and practices.

The fundamental motivation of this book is to contribute to the future advancement of Asset Management in the context of industrial plants and infrastructures. The book aims to foster a future perspective that takes advantage of value-based and intelligent asset management in order to make a step forward with respect to the evolution observed nowadays. Indeed, the current understanding of asset management is primarily supported by well-known standards. Nonetheless, asset management is still a young discipline and the knowledge developed by industry and academia is not set in stone yet. Furthermore, current trends in new organizational concepts and technologies lead to an evolutionary path in the field. Therefore, this book aims to discuss this evolutionary path, starting first of all from the consolidated theory, then moving forward to discuss: * The strategic understanding of value-based asset management in a company; * An operational definition of value, as a concept on the background of value-based asset management; * The identification of intelligent asset management, with the aim to frame a set of "tools" recommended to support the asset-related decision-making process over the asset lifecycle; * The emergence of new technologies such as cyber physical systems and digital twins, and the implications of this on asset management.

This book offers meaningful insights into an impending challenge for the energy industry, namely the increasing role of asset management amongst the utilities' core operations. In the aftermath of energy digitalization, power and gas companies will be able to seize asset productivity-through risk-based operation and maintenance-and better balance capital and operational expenditures. By addressing the asset management of both power and gas infrastructures, and by adopting a comprehensive approach-including regulation and business models, as well as a solid technology background-this book offers a unique perspective on the energy utilities' transformation journey and the road to optimal decision-making for both asset portfolio expansion and replacement. The asset management end-to-end mission requires appropriate internal governance-depending on the business framework-and the development of decision aid models (for asset replacement and maintenance), supported on probabilistic risk and reliability indexes. This book advocates systematically digitalizing the power and gas assets, addressing both data governance and infrastructure, alongside real-time equipment condition monitoring. It also provides a meaningful methodology for designing data-centric asset management and predictive operation and maintenance, using artificial intelligence and engineering-based approaches. As such, it provides valuable strategy, methods and models-illustrated by case studies and proofs of concept-for a wide range of stakeholders, including utilities and industry professionals, regulators, policy-makers, researchers and students.

Geometric tolerances are changing the way we design and manufacture industrial products. Geometric Tolerances covers their impact on the world of design and production, highlighting new perspectives, possibilities, current issues and future challenges. The topics covered are designed to be relevant to readers from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from product designers and manufacturers to quality inspection engineers and quality engineers involved in statistical process monitoring. Areas included are: * selection of appropriate geometric tolerances and how they stack up in assembled products; * inspection of parts subjected to geometric tolerancing from the macro to the micro and sub-micro scales; and * enhancement of efficiency and efficacy of quality monitoring. Geometric Tolerances provides the reader with the most recent scientific research in the field, as well as with a significant amount of real-life industrial case studies, delivering a multidisciplinary, synoptic view of one of the hottest and most strategic topics in industrial production.

This book addresses remaining life prediction and predictive maintenance of equipment. It systematically summarizes the key research findings made by the author and his team and focuses on how to create equipment performance degradation and residual life prediction models based on the performance monitoring data produced by currently used and historical equipment. Some of the theoretical results covered here have been used to make remaining life predictions and maintenance-related decisions for aerospace products such as gyros and platforms. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable reference guide for those pursuing theoretical or applied research in the areas of fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control, remaining life prediction, and maintenance decision-making.

Product Integrity and Reliability in Design is intended to serve either as a text for graduate students or as a reference for practicing engineers. The book develops the root-cause approach to reliability - often referred to as "physics of failure" in the reliability engineering field. It approaches the subject from the point of view of a process and integrates the necessary methods to support that process. The book can be used to teach first- or second-year postgraduate students in mechanical, electrical, manufacturing and materials engineering about addressing issues of reliability during product development. It will also serve practicing engineers involved in the design and development of electrical and mechanical components and systems, as a reference.The book takes an interdisciplinary approach appropriate to system engineering, stressing concepts that can be integrated into design and placing less emphasis on traditional assumptions about reliability and analysis as a separate development activity. Several case studies emphasize the understanding of failure mechanisms and failure prevention and show how reliability methods, including simulation and testing can be integrated into design and development.

This book considers a broad range of areas from decision making methods applied in the contexts of Risk, Reliability and Maintenance (RRM). Intended primarily as an update of the 2015 book Multicriteria and Multiobjective Models for Risk, Reliability and Maintenance Decision Analysis, this edited work provides an integration of applied probability and decision making. Within applied probability, it primarily includes decision analysis and reliability theory, amongst other topics closely related to risk analysis and maintenance. In decision making, it includes multicriteria decision making/aiding (MCDM/A) methods and optimization models. Within MCDM, in addition to decision analysis, some of the topics related to mathematical programming areas are considered, such as multiobjective linear programming, multiobjective nonlinear programming, game theory and negotiations, and multiobjective optimization. Methods related to these topics have been applied to the context of RRM. In MCDA, several other methods are considered, such as outranking methods, rough sets and constructive approaches. The book addresses an innovative treatment of decision making in RRM, improving the integration of fundamental concepts from both areas of RRM and decision making. This is accomplished by presenting current research developments in decision making on RRM. Some pitfalls of decision models on practical applications on RRM are discussed and new approaches for overcoming those drawbacks are presented.

This book provides an overview of passive and interactive analytical techniques for nuclear materials. The book aims to update readers on new techniques available and provide an introduction for those who are new to the topic or are looking to move into actinides and nuclear materials science. The characterization of actinide species and radioactive materials is vital for understanding how these elements and radioactive isotopes are formed and behave and how these materials can be improved. The analysis of the actinides or radioactive materials goes beyond spent fuel science to the applicable complete fuel cycle and including analysis of reactor materials.