Indo-German Workshop on High Pressure Technology-Engineering: Pune, 3.-4.1.92

High pressure technology and engineering has wide ranging applications in major chemical processes for the manufacture of basic commodity as well as speciality chemicals. Though many operations under high pressure are known, very few attempts were made to understand this subject in depth. This workshop enlighted on the various important developments in this area and the presentations followed by a panel discussions led to some important conclusions, which are summarized here. The application of high pressure technology is growing rapidly leading to innovations in new processes and specially in areas like catalysis and separation technology (e.g. supercritical extraction). A combination of innovative catalytic chemistry and expertise in high pressure engineering is a need of future. The reaction engineering of high pressure reactions is complex and recent reports indicate careful conside rations of kinetic pressure effect (volume of activation ) and the significance of the changes in physicochemical parameters on mass and heat transfer parameters under high pressure. Specially, the effect of super critical conditions on the kinetics and mass transfer properties can be very important. On this aspect, new data indicating advantages like increased rates is emerging in the literature: however , in-depth analysis of consequences of supercritical conditions need to be developed. The need for development of new technique for investigating reactions under high pressure conditions was emphasized. Further, methodology for predicting the system properties based on fundamental principles as well as their experimental determination need to [...