Chemical Engineering January 2018 - 29

Cover Story
The Road to
Commercialization:
Best Practices
Experts share their best practices in process commercialization
IN BRIEF
THE EARLY STAGES
DECISION POINTS
SCALEUP
STARTUP
E
very day, scientists and engineers
in the chemical process industries
(CPI) work on innovative ideas,
seeking
the
ones
that
can
be
turned into successful commercial products
and processes. Many factors help
determine which innovations progress beyond
research and development (R&D) into
production, and relatively few make it that
far. The technologies that were awarded
the 2017 winning and honoree Kirkpatrick
Awards (pp. 22-28) are outstanding examples
of processes that have been successfully
commercialized. We have asked
the experts behind these success stories to
share their best practices for process commercialization
with our readers. A compilation
of their responses follows.
The early stages
In the initial stages of laboratory and pilot
plant development, several areas were
identified as being key considerations:
1) technical feasibility; 2) economics; and
3) a well-defined understanding of the end
users' needs (Figure 1).
Technical feasibility. Margarete Leclerc, director
of catalysis R&D for Chemetry Corp.
(Moss Landing, Calif.; www.chemetrycorp.
com) explains that key reaction variables,
such as selectivity and yield, are studied
on the laboratory scale, often using highthroughput
techniques. Relevant kinetic
rates are then studied on a more traditional
laboratory scale. She highlights the importance
of analysis, " Throughout the laboratory
experiments, it is important to develop suitable
analytical methods to help close material
balances. Frequently, we use redundant
techniques, such as gas chromatography
and total organic carbon to make sure that
the results are consistent across multiple
analytical platforms. "
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JANUARY 2018
Identification of raw materials is also done
at an early stage. Bernhard Kainz, global
technology leader packaging coatings at The
Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Mich.;
www.dow.com) says, " Once we identify suitable
raw materials we obviously need to assess
their availability - for example, whether
they have already been commercialized or if
they are still experimental, and how the availability
may differ across regions. " He also
points out the need to develop techniques to
test a product early on, " Lab experiments will
then give a first indication of suitability, but
beyond that you need to ensure you have
the appropriate testing capabilities to evaluate
whether developmental lab prototypes
will meet performance expectations. "
It is also in the early stages of development
when an assessment should be made
of how much a fit the overall project is for a
company. Joaquim Portela, senior vice president
for technology, refining and gasification
at CB&I (The Woodlands, Texas; www.cbi.
com) says that early on, questions such as
the following are explored: " Do we have the
capability in terms of resources and skill sets
to complete the development? Does the
product have a good fit within our overall
licensing portfolio? " He also says that the
potential for partnering with another company,
where it makes good business sense,
is considered.
Economics. Technical feasibility and economics
go hand-in-hand and both are evaluated
early in R&D. Hisashi (Sho) Kobayashi,
senior corporate Fellow at Praxair Inc. (Danbury,
Conn.; www.praxair.com), explains that
" An engineering analysis and a preliminary
economic analysis are conducted to check
the techno-economic feasibility of an idea
proposed before laboratory or pilot-scale
work. Since the process economics depend
on the technical performance (efficiency,
29
Part 2
http://www.dow.com http://www.cbi http://www.chemetrycorp http://www.praxair.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering January 2018

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