Pilkington (United Kingdom)

A gas diffusion electrode based on a Mn complex gives good selectivity for CO production from CO2 at both near neutral pH in a flow cell configuration and when in contact with the acidic cation exchange layer of a bipolar membrane.

BackgroundReablement is a time-limited intervention that aims to support people to regain independence and enable them to resume their daily activities after they return home from an in-patient care setting, or to maintain independence to enable them to remain at home. There is some evidence that reablement can enhance independence and has the potential to contain costs. However, reablement services are funded and provided in different ways and by different organisations, and there is limited research evidence about the effectiveness of different reablement service models. This study will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different reablement service models and service users’ and carers’ experiences of reablement in England, UK.Methods/DesignThe study will use a quasi-experimental mixed methods design that comprises three work packages (WP) extending over a period of 34 months. WP1 will conduct cluster analysis on survey data to develop a typology of current models of reablement services in order to describe the current reablement service landscape. WP2 will comprise a quantitative outcomes evaluation of the effectiveness of the different service models; a process evaluation and an economic evaluation. WP2 will be set within generic reablement services, where providers are using the most commonly employed generic reablement service types identified in WP1; the primary outcome measure is health-related quality of life measured by the EQ-5D-5L. WP3 will provide evidence about specialist reablement services and how specialist approaches and practices are organised and delivered.DiscussionManaging demands on care services is, and will remain, a crucial factor for the UK National Health Service as the number of people with long-term conditions rise. There has been, and will continue to be, significant investment in reablement services. The proposed study will address several key areas where there is limited evidence regarding the organisation and delivery of reablement services in England, UK. Specifically, it will provide new evidence on different models of reablement services that will be of direct benefit to health and social care managers, commissioners and their partner organisations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1600-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This project focused on advancing radio-frequency (RF) lamination technology closer to commercial implementation, in order to reduce the energy intensity of glass lamination by up to 90%. Lamination comprises a wide range of products including autoglass, architectural safety and innovative design glass, transparent armor (e.g. bullet proof glass), smart glass, mirrors, and encapsulation of photovoltaics. Lamination is also the fastest growing segment of glass manufacturing, with photovoltaics, architectural needs, and an anticipated transition to laminated side windows in vehicles. The state-of-the-art for glass lamination is to use autoclaves, which apply heat and uniform gas pressure to bond the laminates over the course of 1 to 18 hours. Laminates consist of layers of glass or other materials bonded with vinyl or urethane interlayers. In autoclaving, significant heat energy is lost heating the chamber, pressurized air, glass racks, and the glass. In RF lamination, the heat is generated directly in the vinyl interlayer, causing it to heat and melt quickly, in just 1 to 10 minutes, without significantly heating the glass or the equipment. The main purpose of this project was to provide evidence that low energy, rapid RF lamination quality met the same standards as conventionally autoclaved windows. The development of concepts for laminating curved glass with RF lamination was a major goal. Other primary goals included developing a stronger understanding of the lamination product markets described above, and to refine the potential benefits of commercial implementation. The scope of the project was to complete implementation concept studies in preparation for continuation into advanced development, pilot studies, and commercial implementation. The project consisted of 6 main tasks. The first dealt with lamination with poly-vinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers, which prior work had shown difficulties in achieving good quality laminates, working with Pilkington North America. The second task dealt with a study of current lamination processes in the various laminate industries, and development of concepts for integrating RF lamination into new or existing processes. The third task explored the use of a non-destructive technique for analyzing laminate adhesion with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The fourth task focused on developing concepts for curved glass lamination using RF lamination. The fifth and sixth tasks together comprised an analysis of laminate product markets, ranking for applicability and commercialization potential, and the development of commercialization strategies for those products. In addition, throughout the project as new experimental data and conventional process data were obtained, the benefits analysis of RF lamination was refined. The goals of the project described above were achieved, positioning RF lamination for the next stage growth envisioned in the original Industrial Grand Challenge proposal. Working with Pilkington North America, lamination of flat autoglass with PVB was achieved, meeting all 16 stringent industry tests. In particular, PVB laminates made with RF lamination passed environmental tests including the high temperature, 120°C bake test, without significant formation of bubbles (defects). The adhesion of PVB to glass was measured using the pummel method. Adhesion values ranging from 1 to 7 out of 10 were obtained. The significant process parameters affecting the environmental and adhesion performance were identified through a designed experiment. Pre-lamination process variables including PVB storage humidity and the de-airing process (vacuum or nip rolling) were significant, as well as the level of pressure applied to the laminate during the RF process. Analysis of manufacturing with RF lamination equipment, based on the processes developed indicated that 3 RF presses could replace a typical auto-industry autoclave to achieve equal or greater throughput with possibly less capital cost and smaller footprint. Concepts for curved lamination identifying castable molds for prototyping were developed, which allowed Ceralink to obtain commitment to begin curved tooling development. The project significantly helped to advance RF lamination past the feasibility and novelty stage and into the realm of commercial acceptance as a viable alternative to autoclaves. The demonstration of autoclave-quality autoglass produced in just 1 minute with RF lamination, with validation by Pilkington, has fueled industry motivation to seriously consider RF lamination. The industry and other contacts and outreach made in the study of laminate markets (including 3 technical publications and 5 conference presentations), has resulted in a recent surge in RF lamination activity.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Essential Objectives and Benefits of Using Wet Sand Sand Weighing Wet or Dry Sand Acknowledgments

Advantages and problems associated with waste-heat boiler design and operation are discussed. Production histories of three separate plants (two in England, one in Sweden) using waste-heat recovery systems are presented. Waste-heat boiler design can provide a cost-effective, energy-saving production method.

While designing a thermal control device based upon crystalline tungsten oxide it is vital to have knowledge of both n, the real part of the refractive index and k, the complex part. With this knowledge it is possible to predict the performance of an electrochromic device at different wavelengths of radiation. We performed a series of experiments on crystalline samples of tungsten oxide where both n and k were carefully determined from spectral reflectance and transmittance measurements after set amounts of charge were inserted electrochemically, thus reducing the tungsten oxide. The trends for n and k are different, which has implementations for device performance and design. We also investigated the effect of deposition temperature on the optical properties of crystalline tungsten oxied. This has implications for both the substrate that may be u sed in a device and the construction of the device. The final data we shall present are some electromechanical studies of insertion into crystalline tungsten oxide flake samples and powder samples. The flakes and powder are deposited in a similar way to a graphite paste electrodes used in Li ion battery studies. This is a possible route to a flexible eleectrochromic device based upon crystalline tungsten oxide.

We have combined attenuated total reflectance/Fourier transform infrared (ART/FT-IR) and Raman microscopy to examine the diffusion rates and redistribution profiles of three different silane adhesion coupling agents into plasticized and unplasticized PVC. Below the glass transition temperature ( Tg) of the polymer, little or no diffusion occurs, and above the Tg (for pure PVC at about 70 °C) the three silanes behave differently, reflecting their different propensities to hydrolysis and subsequent condensation. For plasticized PVC, the fitted diffusion coefficients (obtained via the dual mode model) increase rapidly with increasing (adipate) plasticizer content and decreasing Tg. Correlation of this behavior is with chain “mobility” and not with silane size nor shape. The infrared data for unplasticized PVC laminates were confirmed by using Raman microscopy. Redistribution within the polymer film is shown to be induced by heating to 70 °C. However, the Raman data give a more accurate picture of the silane distribution throughout the film. Although no direct adhesion mechanistic information has been obtained, it has been shown that there are detailed differences in silane diffusion behavior which must be associated with reactivity differences, both within the polymer and at the Si/SiO2/SiOH interface.

The state-of-the-art in optical design at the end of the twentieth century is described. The advance in computational power over the century, and its effect, is illustrated by a number of modern developments both in design and modelling.