Preface

As with all relatively new technologies, change can be rapid and research can
quickly come to fruition in applications. On the other hand, some aspects of new
technologies may not live up to expectations, or take much longer to become reality. Process intensification is no exception, and this second edition has examples
of rapid successes, slow successes and some failures. A scan of the appendix listing organisations involved in process intensification gives a vivid picture of the
changes, when compared to the earlier edition.
It is also interesting to observe the geographical variations over a relatively
short period (the first edition was published in 2008) in the extent to which process
intensification has moved from the laboratory to the field (metaphorically speaking!). The growth in PI research in the Far East (Taiwan, Japan and particularly,
China) is reflected to a certain extent in increased application activities there. In
Europe, much of the research remains in academic and industrial laboratories,
while in the USA, we now see large-scale applications of micro-reactors becoming
reality.
Areas of PI activity that have moved forward at a rapid rate are the development
of carbon capture technologies, an increasing interest in green chemistry, and the
start of serious research into linking renewable energies (in particular solar energy)
to intensified processes such as chemical reactions.
Beyond the chemical engineering field, the interest in thermal control of microelectronics continues to challenge intensified heat and mass transfer engineers.
Electric fields, in particular microwaves and ultrasound, are finding wider uses, and
the use of electrokinetic forces at the micro- and nanoscale continue to interest.
Large studies involving many specialists, such as those participating in the Delft
Skyline Debates, are pushing some towards concepts such as the perfect reactor.
Process intensification is but one concept in helping us to achieve a sustainable
society how important its role will be is still open to debate! The authors hope
that this new edition will help to guide those, be they new to PI or established in the
field, in their research; product development and design; production and application, in a constructive and stimulating way.
D. A. Reay
C. Ramshaw
A. P. Harvey

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