Technology Development Network

SALLC Updates and Expands Website

 Stites & Associates, LLC, (SALLC) has updated and expanded its website (www.tek-dev.net ) to include a lot more information for clients and interested parties.  Included are such things as the history of the company, the always expanding capabilities and interesting case studies.  The new site now also links in many of the topics that have been discussed over the years in the Technology Development Blog.  There are a wide variety of such topics including:

Managing Research & Development:

• Contains general articles about how to manage an R&D operation.  Included are case studies and helpful hints based on experience.  Great for the Executive trying to setup or improve an R&D operation.

Designing and Evaluating Experiments:

• Contains a mix of technical explanations and case studies on when and how to use      Experimental Design in your business.  This could be for your own technology development or for the evaluation of technology belonging to others.  This information is useful for those new to DoE, managing groups that need to use DoE or Investors needing to understand the status of a technology under consideration.

Analytical Laboratory Techniques:

• This is a listing of some of the more interesting sampling and analysis methods developed by SALLC.

What Went Wrong:

• This contains a few case studies where proper sampling and analysis was not used.  These case studies are written from the perspective of the higher level manager to illustrate where proper experimental design, sampling techniques, organizational strategies, analytical methods and data evaluation techniques could have resulted in much better outcomes.

General News and Lab News:

• These categories link to interesting postings on what SALLC has been up to in general and more specifically in its R&D Lab.

Patents and Other IP Opportunities:

• This provides information and links to patents and other Intellectual Property      developments that SALLC has either worked on, developed itself or finds interesting. 

Public Policy:

• Having been engaged in Environmental Laboratories and Alternative Fuels, SALLC has been exposed to a wide variety of public policy issues surrounding these areas.  Occasionally SALLC will write opinion papers on specific areas of interest.

Working Internationally:

• SALLC is a recognized expert in DoE and Alternative Fuels.  Here we talk about some of the things we have done across the globe.

For a direct link to these topics go to:  www.tek-dev.net and navigate to the Blogs.  There you will find these categories linked directly to some of the blog postings.

 

Stites & Associates, LLC, is a group of technical professionals who work with clients to improve laboratory performance and evaluate and improve technology by applying good management judgment based on objective evidence and sound scientific thinking.  For more information see: www.tek-dev.net or email us at ron@tek-dev.net or amandine@tek-dev.net. 

Introducing Amandine Aubertot

We continue with our introductions to the “Associates” of Stites & Associates by introducing Amandine Aubertot.  Amandine will be assisting us with Project Management and Customer Relations.  She has her B.A. Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder.  She has over 7 years of experience in Customer Relations.  Most recently she has been doing Project Management technical industrial both domestically and abroad for Direxa Engineering, Inc.  She has had full scope, budget and schedule responsibilities, interacting with engineering, purchasing and shipping, managing site work and commissioning the projects.   Finally, she has extensive laboratory and pilot plant experience.  She worked for Hazen Research in laboratory support for their pilot plant projects. 

Amandine will have two main functions at SALLC.  Her official title is Project Manager.  Her first priority will be to work with our clients in managing new projects.  She will be using her considerable organizational and interpersonal skills to keep efforts organized, on-time and on-budget.  Like all small companies, no one at SALLC is allowed to wear just one hat.  At the same time she will be working to build our client relations program, with special emphasis on our international efforts.  She is already working to translate some of our technical information into French.  We hope to soon launch a multi-lingual website and blog.  We are very excited about what in is store for SALLC in 2015.

Amandine can be reached at:

Email:  amandine@tek-dev.net

Phone:  (720) 985-3267

Lignofuels Americas – 2015

 On March 25 and 26, 2015, Ron Stites will be speaking at Lignofuels Americas in Milwaukee, WI.  Mr. Stites will be presenting two talks.   The first of these is an overview of the current status of Thermochemical Conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to fuels in the Western Hemisphere.  Some of the topics to be covered include:

• The Basic Challenges Of Thermochemical Conversion
• Latest News And Trends
• Feedstock And Logistical Issues
• Regulatory Issues
• Market Issues
• Sustainability Issues

In a second talk, Mr. Stites will give a primer on how to use Design of Experiments to optimize Pilot Plant performance.  Among the topics to be covered will be:

• What Is Design Of Experiments (DoE)?
• How Does DoE Apply To A Pilot Plant?
• What Are Some Of The General Guidelines For Using DoE?
• What Are Some Real Examples Of Success And Failure At Pilot Plant Scale?

This talk will generally be non-technical.  It is designed to assist management in its development and implementation of an R&D Program that includes Pilot Plant work.

If you are interested in attending Lignofuels Americas 2015 and would be interested in being considered for a discounted rate, please contact Ron Stites at ron@tek-dev.net.  There are a limited number of discounts available, but you need to move quickly.

For general information on Lignofuels Americas 2015 go to: 

http://www.wplgroup.com/aci/conferences/eu-eef7.asp

Copyright 2015, Ron Stites

 

 

INTRODUCING Dr. WIL SWANSON

We are beginning a series of Articles on the “Associates” part of Stites & Associates, LLC (SALLC).  Over the years we have worked with a number of outstanding professionals and professional organizations.  We have been remiss in not featuring these folks in a regular way. 

Dr. Swanson has long been a behind the scenes support for SALLC.  His background has been instrumental in dealing with catalytic and inorganic problems.  His counsel has been invaluable as a professional colleague.  He was instrumental in ensuring the success of two very important and complicated projects.  One was a gasification project that required Wil to work long night shifts doing analytical work.  He was also instrumental in getting our Mettler Toledo TGA/SDTA851e, Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer running.  We are indebted to his unwavering support.

Wil has his PhD in Group VI Organometallic Chemistry from the University of Georgia, Athens.  He also did post-doctorate work at the University of Michigan.  He earned a Master Degree in Ceramic and Solid State Chemistry from Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia.  He has over 40 years of industrial experience with much of it being at AMAX.  He is an expert in:

• Inorganic Chemical Processes
• Inorganic Synthesis
• Catalysis
• Synthesizing, Handling and Analyzing High Purity Solid State Materials
• Synthesizing and Handling Air Sensitive Materials

He holds two patents in the areas (US Patents 4,762,699 and 4,713,111).  He edited many volumes of the Catalyst Bibliography issued by Climax Molybdenum.

One of Wil’s more interesting hobbies is participation in the Colorado Symphony Chorus for the past 25 years. 

SALLC Adds TGA Capabilities

Stites & Associates, LLC (SALLC), has added Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) to its suite of analytical capabilities.  Using a Mettler Toledo TGA/SDTA851e analyzer, SALLC now has the ability to do TGA studies on samples weighing up to 1000 mg.  This particular analyzer is especially useful for TGA analysis in various gas environments (inert or reactive) due to its careful gas control and a well-sealed furnace. 

TGA is very useful for monitoring known reactions such as drying, calcining, pyrolysis or oxidation.  It can also be useful for monitoring some catalytic interactions between gases and solids.  For quantitative work, the technique is most useful when the reactants (both solid and gas) and the reaction products are well known.  Since the technique measures mass loss/gain very accurately, it can be quantitative when the reactions are well known. 

The technique can also be useful for exploratory work where the reactions are not known.  By using different gases and temperature profiles, the researchers can test certain hypotheses about the sample. 

The technique works as follows:

1. A sample is weighed into a sample boat.
2. The sample boat is put into the analyzer.
3. The furnace is closed and a gas of interest (inert or reactive) sweeps out all the air.
4. The sample boat is heated at a known rate while the mass of the sample is measured.
5. The mass/temperature curve is recorded indicating mass loss at various temperatures.
6. The curve is analyzed for the temperatures and the extent of the reaction(s).

A typical curve might look like:

                  

The first drop in mass (0C to 200C) might indicate the loss of bound water.  The second drop in mass (300C to 600C) might indicate combustion or pyrolysis of the sample depending on if the gas used.  If an inert gas like nitrogen was used we would suspect pyrolysis.  If an oxidizing gas like oxygen had been used we would suspect combustion.  If we did the experiment with different gases we might see other reactions of interest.  This particular experiment was done at different heating rates.  This gave information about the kinetics of the reaction under study.

For more information feel free to contact Ron Stites at ron@tek-dev.net. 

2014 in Review:

The year 2014 got off to an interesting start.  It was focused on the development of a new invention, an electrochemical wine aging device.  Much of the first two months was focused on taste testing and performing additional studies.  These studies were extremely successful resulting in a full, non-provisional patent filing that included a number of important claims such as:

1. The device improves many wines – especially full bodied red wines, but also a number of white wines,
2. The device can be miniaturized because of its extremely low power consumption and
3. The device has been shown to reduce sulfite content.

Pursuing commercialization of this device will become a major focus for 2015.  If you are interested in knowing more about this device please contact Ron Stites at ron@tek-dev.net.

After a rather slow start in the consulting area, 2014 picked up dramatically in early spring.  We picked up two new customers and began doing work in a wider variety of fields.  This included some very interesting work characterizing coal liquefaction products, analyzing essential oils from a vaporization process, tracking yield from a used oil recycling processes and monitoring the performance of oil extraction from oil shale.  One of the more rewarding projects was helping a company improve their R&D management processes. 

This project was a thorough review and modification of the technology development process for the company.  It included strategic issues, market position issues, analytical procedures, quality control, sampling, experimental design and coordinating the entire development process.  It was especially rewarding in that most of the actual work was done by company employees.  They used many of their existing processes as pieces of or templates for a completely redesigned management process.  They did an extremely detailed analysis of all the processes and interactions needed to conceive of and implement a well-planned experiment designed to test specific, targeted improvements to their process.  It was quite exciting to see how a little guidance and encouragement could result in major changes made by an organization.

At the end of the year we had seen an approximately 60% growth compared to 2013.  All in all, 2014 was an excellent year thanks to our many clients, supporters and friends.  Without you, success would not be possible.

 

Ron Stites Publishes in Ethanol Producer Magazine

 An article by Ron Stites appeared in the May, 2014, issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine.  The article describes how Stites & Associates, LLC, used Design of Experiment techniques to develop new methods for monitoring the performance of grain ethanol plants.  Experimental design uses cost effective techniques to gather objective and statistically valid data about their processes.  It avoids haphazard testing that often results in erroneous and costly conclusions.  It can be applied to almost any industrial process and is crucial in cost effective evaluation or development of any technology.

For more information see:

http://ethanolproducer.com/articles/11030/experiment-design-validates-measurement-technology

If you have questions or would like to know more about how designing experiments can improve the performance of your organization, feel free to contact Mr. Stites at ron@tek-dev.net.

Open House & Wine Aging Demo

May 16, 2014

You are cordially invited to an Open House at the Arvada, CO, lab of Stites & Associates.  The lab is located at 5520 Marshall Street, Unit B, Arvada, CO, 80002.  The Open House will begin at 2 pm on Friday, May 16.  On display will be SALLC’s analytical capabilities and some poster sessions on some of our past projects.  The Open House will be very informal and will allow time to discuss analytical and technology development issues.

At 4 pm we will adjourn to an even less formal demonstration of the Accelerated Wine Aging Device patented by SALLC.  We will have several demonstration units set up that will allow participants to try various wines and aging conditions.  SALLC will be supplying several “full-bodied” red wines for you to try.  We will also be providing some cheese and crackers as part of the demonstration.  If you would like to bring a particular wine we may be able to try it out on the demonstration devices.  We have found that “full-bodied” red wine give the most interesting and useful results.  All wines seem to have significant changes in taste.  We will be discussing what we have learned about how the Accelerated Wine Aging Device works and how it can best be used to customize the taste of your wine. 

Space is a bit limited so please RSVP by phone or email.  Let us know approximately what time you would be arriving, the names and titles of who will be coming with you and if you plan to bring a wine to try.  We would like to have an accurate count so that we can have plenty of “supplies” on-hand for the event.  Please call or email:

Ron Stites

Cell (912) 247-6120

Email:  ron@tek-dev.net

2013 in Review:

The Year 2013 was very successful for Stites & Associates, LLC (SALLC).  Two major projects were completed quite successfully.  Both were bio-mass gasification studies.  Two different gasifiers were used.  Both methods showed promise for different reasons and different applications of the syngas generated from the bio-mass.  These projects again showed just how complex the conversion of bio-mass to fuels or chemicals can be.  They made very clear how important good experimental design and careful planning can be when dealing with complex trials.

SALLC continued to expand its role in the international community.  Ron Stites was invited to chair the Lignofuels Americas 2013 conference in Philadelphia, PA.  The invitation came from the UK owned firm, UCI.  The conference was attended by experts for around the world in many aspects of converting lignocellulosic materials into fuels.   

The Year 2013 also generated two new provisional patents for SALLC.  Both are electrochemistry based.  They are described elsewhere in our Blog and eNewsletters.  SALLC will be pursuing those provisional patents in 2014.  We will be looking for collaborators on these developments and inviting you review our brief descriptions of the technologies.  If you are interested in collaborating or otherwise supporting the work, please contact Ron Stites at:  ron@tek-dev.net.

And finally, 2013 saw a couple of organizational milestones.  This was the first year in which we had significant subcontracting to others within SALLC’s Technology Development Network (TDN).  We expect more of that in 2014 and beyond.  We also added several strategic partners to the TDN.  We will be introducing those partners in more detail in subsequent Blogs and eNewsletters.  We also formalized our list of Technical Advisors to SALLC.  We will be introducing these experts to our SALLC supporters over the next few months.

All in all, 2013 was a very good year thanks to our many clients, supporters and friends.  Without you, success would not be possible.

Stites & Associates, LLC Moves Lab to Industrial Area and Adds Capabilities

SALLC has moved its Research Lab from Brighton, CO, to Commerce City, CO.  The main driver was the need to have space that was more industrial and suitable for using syngas and chemicals.  The space in Brighton was very nice, but it was not suitable for industrial scale testing using syngas and other chemicals.  The current site is permitted for industrial emissions making it much more convenient to do catalyst, gasification, combustion and other industrial process testing.  Furthermore, it is next door to additional space that can be used for industrial scale pilot plant studies.  One such study is currently under way.  It is a joint project between several local and international groups working on recycling municipal waste. 

The new lab address is:

• Stites & Associates, LLC
• 6535 North Washington
• Denver, CO  80229

The mailing and billing address remains:

• Stites & Associates, LLC
• 449 Mount Sherman
• Brighton, CO  80601

The new lab space is about 1500 square feet and brings with it several new capabilities.  We now have to ability to do natural gas and syngas analysis by GC/TCD and GC/FID .  We have recently expanded our GC/MS capabilities to include a wide variety of aromatics, ketones and aldehydes in syngas and other gas streams.  A few pictures of the new space are shown below:

 

GC/MS Laboratory

 

Optical Microscopy and Electrochemistry Work Area

 

GC and General Chemistry Lab

 Office and Conference Room