Saturday, January 25, 2020

Alkylation Process For Production Of Motor Fuels Environmental Sciences Essay

Alkylation Process For Production Of Motor Fuels Environmental Sciences Essay Alkylation is a process for chemically combining isobutane with light olefinic hydrocarbons, typically C3 and C4 olefins, (e.g. propylene, butylene) in the presence of an acid catalyst, usually sulphuric acid or hydrofluoric acid. The product, alkylate (an isoparaffin) has a high-octane value and is blended into motor and aviation gasoline to improve the antiknock value of the fuel. The light olefins are most commonly available from the catalytic crackers. Alkylate is one of the best gasoline blending components because it is a clean burning, very low sulphur component, with no olefinic or aromatic compounds and with high octane and low vapour pressure characteristics. 1. Introduction 1.1 Alkylation Alkylation is a process for chemically combining isobutane with light olefinic hydrocarbons, typically C3 and C4 olefins, (e.g.propylene, butylene) in the presence of an acid catalyst, usually sulphuric acid (H2SO4) or hydrofluoric acid (HF). The product, alkylate (an isoparaffin) has a high-octane value and is blended into motor and aviation gasoline to improve the antiknock value of the fuel. The light olefins are most commonly available from the catalytic crackers. Alkylate is one of the best gasoline blending components because it is a clean burning, very low sulphur component, with no olefinic or aromatic compounds and with high octane and low vapour pressure characteristics [1]. 1.2 Advances in alkylation technologies The alkylation process will continue to be a favoured technology for producing clean fuels.MTBE(methyl-tert-butyl ethanol) phase out in the USA, implementation of the latest european specifications, enlargement of the EU and adoption of cleaner fuels specifications worldwide are major drivers for refiners requiring more, high octane, gasoline blending components that do not contain aromatics, benzene, olefins and sulphur. Also as the types of gasoline engine in use worldwide become more uniform, there will be a general decline in the markets for low octane gasoline requiring more components to be upgraded to high quality fuel. Table  1 shows the major technical and mechanical advances. Reactor design improvements are one of the most important developments. The early plants used a pump and time-tank reactor system which was designed to mix the reactants intimately with the catalyst and to remove the exothermic heat of reaction for temperature control [2] .It is required that for the desired reactions to continue with the removal of the unwanted reactions, good mixing of higher concentrations of dissolved isobutane in the acid phase is necessary. Since the early reactors were inadequate in this respect, new reactor designs evolved which improved the degree of acid-hydrocarbon contacting. The importance of good temperature control was also realized in the course of time as commercial experience was gained. Regulating the temperature of the reaction mixture in the suitable range was essential for good alkylation. Inadequate temperature control resulted in decreased alkylate yields and octanes and increased a cid consumption. Therefore, to avoid these penalties the new reactor designs included improved temperature control techniques as well as improved mixing. The two most commonly used reactor systems which grew out of the reactor development work for H2SO4 alkylation are the Stratford Engineering Companys Stratco contactor and the M. W. Kellogg Corporation Cascade reactor were bubbled up through liquid HF. There have been improvements in the preparation of feed and this has given rise to growth in alkylation technology [4, 5]. The ability to design better fractionators has made higher quality feedstocks available, and feed pretreatment facilities have been developed to remove water, mercaptans, sulfides, and diolefins effectively. Bauxite treating, hot water washing, and electrostatic precipitation are some of the significant developments which have improved product quality and reduced fouling and corrosion in downstream equipment. The sulfuric acid recovery process (SARP), developed to reduce the acid consumption in H2SO4 alkylation units was another contribution to alkylation technology. In this process the spent acid from an alkylation unit reacts with a portion of the olefin feed to form dialkylsulfates. The dialkylsulfates are extracted from the reaction mixture with isobutane, and the extract is charged to the alkylation unit. Table  I: Advances in alkylation technology [3] 1) Improved reactors A) better mixing B) better temperature control 2) Recognition and control of operating variables 3) Improved feed preparation 4) Improved product treatment 5) Sulfuric acid recovery process 6) Catalyst promoters 7) Mechanical and construction improvement 2. Types of alkylation processes The alkylation process can be divided into the sulfuric alkylation process and the hydrofluoric acid alkylation process, indirect alkylation by acidic resin, indirect alkylation by solid phosphoric acid and olefin hydrogenation. 2.1. The sulphuric acid process This process uses sulphuric acid as the catalyst and its feedstock are propylene, butylene, amylene, and fresh isobutane. Feedstocks are fed into the reactor which is divided into zones, each containing sulfuric acid, isobutane and olefins feed. The reactor product contains hydrocarbon and acid phases which are split in the settler; the hydrocarbon phase is washed with caustic and hot water for pH control and then depropanized, deisobutanized, and debutanized. The alkylate product so formed can then be used for motor fuel blending or for producing aviation grade blends. The isobutane goes back to the feed. Figure  1: Acid catalyzed isobutene dimerization to 2,  4,  4-trimethyl-1-pentene and 2,  4,  4 ­trimethyl ­2-pentene by the standard Whitmore-type carbocation mechanism [3]. 2.2 The hydrofluoric acid process This process employs hydrofluoric acid as the catalyst. The two types of hydrofluoric acid alkylation process commonly used are the Philips and UOP (a Honeywell company) processes. While Philips uses a reactor/settler combination system, UOP uses two reactors with separate settlers [2]. The major differences between sulfuric and hydrofluoric alkylations (HF) are temperature and acid consumption. Sulfuric alkylation requires refrigeration to maintain a low reactor temperature. The acid consumption rate for sulfuric alkylation is over a hundred times that of HF [8]. Figure  2: Aliphatic alkylation mechanism with hydrofluoric acid as catalyst: (a-b) initiation by addition of HF to the olefin and in the case of a sec.  butylcation, hydride  transfer from isobutane to produce a tert.  butyl cation, (c) olefin addition to the tert-butyl cation, and (d) hydride transfer form isobutane to yield alkylate and regenerate the tert-butylcation [3]. Table  II: Research Octane Number (RON) and Motor Octane Number (MON) of alkylates typically produced by HF alkylation of isobutane with various olefins [3]. Olefin feed RON RON + MON / 2 MON Propene 91 92 89.5 90.0 1-butene 94.4 91.6 2-butene 97.8 94.6 Isobutene 95.9 93.4 Pentenes 90 91 93.4 n-pentenes 82.5 Table  III: Research Octane Number (RON) and Motor Octane Number (MON) of alkylates produced by H2SO4 alkylation of isobutane with various olefins at 9-10  °C, 94-95 % H2SO4 concentration, and isobutane:olefin ratio of 7-9:1 [3] Olefin feed RON MON Propene 89.0 87.1 n-butene 97.8 93.9 Isobutene 93.2 90.3 n-pentene 91.0 88.0 Isopentene 91.2 88.8 2.3 Indirect alkylation by acidic resin This process employs the use of a polar solvent to limit the activity of the acid resin in order to improve the dimerization selectivity. High conversion of isobutene can be obtained at low temperature usually less than 100  °C [8, 9 12]. On an industrial scale, the recovery of the polar solvent (tertiary butyl alcohol) could serve to regulate the product distribution and also to reduce the amount of oligomer formed during production to less than 10 % [8]. The alkylate produced from this technology has a research octane number (RON) of 99  Ã‚ ­Ã‚  101 and motor octane number (MON) of 96  Ã‚  99. 2.4 Indirect alkylation by solid phosphoric acid The principle of indirect alkylation by solid phosphoric acid (SPA) is the same as by acidic resin catalysis; the difference being that dimerization over SPA follows an ester-based mechanism [13]. Heavy oligomer formation is mechanistically limited, [10] because the strength of the phosphoric acid ester bond decreases with increasing carbon number of the olefin. Indirect alkylation by SPA is carried out in two steps: selective dimerization of isobutene (from C4 streams) to form diisobutene; followed by hydrogenation to form the saturated product isooctane. Selectivity problems and catalyst deactivation hinder the isobutene dimerization reaction. Because this reaction decides the quality and properties of the alkylate formed, it is a crucial step in this process. The C4 stream, consisting mainly of isobutene, n-butane, isobutene, and n-butenes, is fed to the dimerization reactor, where isobutene is dimerized selectively in the presence of SPA catalyst. The reaction is exothermic, and heat must be removed to avoid temperature rises that can lead to the formation of undesired oligomers. These oligomers have relatively high molecular weights and boiling points and are not suitable as gasoline blends; they also rapidly deactivate the catalyst. Depending on the catalyst, an appropriate solvent may be needed to increase the selectivity toward the dimers. At higher operating temperatures the isobutene derived alkylate quality quickly deteriorates due to trimerization and cracking [11]. Propene forms a stronger ester bond with the phosphoric acid than the butenes, and it will become the dominant carbocation source [12]. The product stream from the reactor is fed to a distillation column, where dimerized and heavy products are separated from the unreacted C4 components and solvent. The dimer is then saturated in a separate reactor to form alkylates in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst. In order to obtain alkylate quality hydrogenated products from an n-butene rich, isobutene lean feed, the reaction temperature should be less than 160  °C and the feed should not contain more than 5 % propene or 10 % pentenes. 3. Flow diagrams of direct and indirect alkylation process Figure  3: Block flow diagrams of the direct alkylation (HF and H2SO4 catalysed alkylation) configurations evaluated [3]. Flow diagram  1: This is the base case for direct alkylation, using a straight run Iron-Based High Temperature Fischer-Tropsch (Fe-HTFT) C4 feed. There is little isobutane in the straight run feed, which constrains the alkylate yield. Flow diagram  2: In order to overcome the constraint imposed by the low straight run isobutane content of C4 feed, a hydroisomerization unit is included in this two-step flow diagram to convert the straight run n-butane to isobutane. The hydroisomerization unit has an internal recycle, with an overall high isobutane yield. Although the alkylate yield may have been considerably improved compared to the base case, most of the C4 olefins have not been converted. Flow diagram  3: The ratio of paraffins to olefins necessary for direct alkylation can be balanced by hydrogenating some of the C4 olefins to C4 paraffins in order to increase the alkylate yield. Flow diagram  4: The alkylate yield may be further increased by using propene as the alkylating olefin. Propene is more abundant than the C4 hydrocarbons in straight run HTFT feed, which implies that all the hydrocarbons can be hydrogenated and hydroisomerized to isobutane for alkylation with propene. In this case an alkylate yield above 100 % based on the C4 feed can be obtained, but at lower octane number than with C4 material only. Figure  4: Block flow diagrams of the indirect alkylation (acidic resin and solid phosphoric acid dimerization) configurations evaluated [3]. Flow diagram  5: It consists of acid catalyzed dimerization followed by hydrogenation. The direct conversion of isobutene in straight run HTFT syncrude with an acidic catalyst has a low alkylate yield (8 %), since only 8 % of the C4 olefins are isobutene. However, this alkylate has an octane number of almost 100. Flow diagram  6: By use of skeletal isomerization, the alkylate quality and yield of n-butenes to isobutene can be improved. The n-butene conversion in the case of acidic resin dimerization is very low, and it is best to isomerize all n-butenes to isobutene. This results in an alkylate yield of 81 %. 4 Product yield and quality In a fuels refinery there is an incentive to convert normally gaseous products into liquid transportation fuels. The quantity and the quality of the liquid fuel being produced are both important, and in terms of alkylate production, the quality is related to the octane number (ON) (1/2) RON + (1/2) MON) of the motor-gasoline. The investment economics is refinery dependent, with octane constrained refineries putting a premium on quality, while refineries with an unsaturated market putting a premium on volume. Table  IV: Alkylate yield and alkylate octane number calculated for the indirect alkylation flowschemes shown in figure  4 [3] s/n Dir.alkyl.fowscheme Alkyl.tech Alkyl.yld(m%C4) Oct.no.(1/2)RON+(1/2)MON 1 Base  case  straight  run HTFT HF H2SO4 2 2 94 96 2 Case  1  +  C4 hydroisomerisation HF H2SO4 21 20 94 96 3 Case  2  +  butane hydrogenation HF H2SO4 102 101 94 96 4 Case  3  +  propene alkylation HF H2SO4 197 189 91 88 The alkylate yield is based on the mass of alkylate produced per mass of total straight run high temperature Fisher Tropsch  C4 cut material. Table  V: Alkylate yield and alkylate octane number calculated for the indirect alkylation flowschemes shown in figure  3 [3] s/n Indir.  Alkyl.  flowscheme Dim.  tech Alkyl.  yld  (m%C4) Oct.no(RON+MON)/2 5 Base case straight run HTFT Acidic  resin SPA 8 72(90)b 99 87 6 Base case + skeletal isomerisation Acidic  resin SPA 81 85 99 99 The alkylate yield is based on the mass of alkylate produced per mass of total straight run high temperature Fischer-Tropsch  C4 cut material.b yield including coproduced kerosen 5 Environmental aspects The environmental burdens due to the treatment of free hydrofluoric acid (HF) losses from an alkylation unit cannot be overlooked. The reality is that hydrofluoric acid losses from the unit do occur through side-reactions, forming organic fluorides, which become entrained in product streams, and through direct entrainment of free HF in a heavy hydrocarbon waste stream [6, 7]. The environmental aspects associated with the liquid phase direct alkylation processes led to the development of solid acid direct alkylation. From an environmental stand point, indirect alkylation is preferred to direct alkylation and that flowscheme  5 (figure  4) is the most environmentally friendly [3]. 6 Conclusion It was found that the choice of technology depended on the different refining priorities, namely, the following: (a) Least complexity, (b) Highest alkylate yield 7 Literature [1] Encyclopedia of Earth Home page. http://www.eoearth.org/ article/alkylation_in_petroleum_refining (accessed Aug.30, 2010) [2] Albright, L.F.; Comparison of Alkylation Processes: Chem.Eng., 209, Oct.  10, 1996. [3] Wang, Y.; Subramaniam, B., 6874 ,Ind.Eng.Chem.Res., Vol.47,number  10, 2008. [4] Albright, L.F.;  ´Alkylation Processes Using Sulfuric Acid As Catalyst ´, Ibid, 143, Aug.  15, 1997. [5] De Klerk, A.;  ´Isomerisation of 1-butene to isobutene at low temperature, Ind.Eng.Chem.Res., 43, 6325, 2004. [6] Occupational Safety and Health Administration Homepage. http://www.osha.gov/ dts/osta/otm/otm_iv/otm_iv_2.html (accessed Aug.31, 2010). [7] Warren, R.T.;  ´Alkylation and Isomerisation ´, oil and gas journal, vol 97, Issue  4, Jan.26, 1999. [8] UOP  Home  page. http://www.uop.com/objects/NPRASpr2003HFAlkyd.pdf / Article/advances in hydrofluoric (HF) acid catalyzed alkylation (accessed Sept.  14, 2010). [9] Kamath, R. S.; Qi, Z.; Sundmacher, K.; Aghalayam, P.; Mahajani,S. M.,  ´Process analysis for dimerization of isobutene by reactive distillation ´, Ind.Eng.Chem.Res. 45, 1575, 2006. [10] De Klerk, A.  ´Reactivity differences of octenes over solid phosphoric acid ´, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 45, 578, 2006. [11] De Klerk, A.; Engelbrecht, D.J.; Boikanyo, H.  ´Oligomerization of Fischer-Tropsch olefins: effect of feed and operating conditions on hydrogenated motor-gasoline quality ´, Ind. Eng.Chem. Res. 43, 7449, 2004. [12] De Klerk, A.  ´Distillate production by oligomerization of Fischer-Tropsch olefins over solid phosphoric acid ´, Energy Fuels, 20, 439, 2006. De Klerk, A.;  ´Isomerisation of 1-butene to isobutene at low temperature ´, Ind.Eng.Chem.Res., 43, 6325, 2004. [13] Nelson, W.L., McGraw-Hill,New, petroleum refinery engineering third edition, p  660, 2003.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Points for Great Expectations Essay

Within Great Expectations, the conception of the contextual element concerning status and money is prominent, where Old Money Vs New money provides a division that separates the higher class from the lower class. Money becomes a standpoint in ‘determining’ ones belonging within the society say, for example, when we compare Pip and Bentley Drummele, we view the contrasting forms of old money (indicated as immediate and absolute according to society) and new money (the development of belonging, which according to society, is not a complete form) involving their overall sense of belonging. Pip comes from a family (or lack of thereof) which is associated with poverty and the lack of social belonging that is standardised by people such as Bentley Drummele. Pips ascent from the world of a blacksmith towards a world of a gentleman is exercised by the luxuries of money, and Magwitch’s generosity, as well as the idea of upperclass and middle class belonging, which is shown through his consideration of being the apprentice of a blacksmith, ‘Never has that cutain dropped so heavy and thick’. His belonging, as a result as become enforced upon him, both by himself and by Magwitch, which has led to his inability to gain complete acceptance and peace of his position, ‘It felt very sorrowful and strange that this first night of my bright fortunes should be the loneliest I had ever known’. Dickens use of emotive language envelopes an atmosphere of uncertainty and disturbance within Pips world as he propels himself from the ‘meshes’ of Kent to London, examining his incomplete sense of belonging, due to disturbance of the ‘Victorian Great chain of Being’. Money can buy status, as indicative through Compeyson and Drummle, but neither character is noble. Money is not an indication of character, as wrongly perceived by Pip. Pip and Estella, parts of what make the lower class, are given status when given money. Given by Miss Havisham and Magwitch, there are catches involving behaving in a certain way with the money. Eventually, understanding the true comprehension of money and nobility, Pip goes to work with Herbert, redeeming himself through commerce and hard work, as Estella, left poor and ‘bent and broken’, becomes a softer and stronger person. Pip fails emotionally and physically to assert his place in London’s society. Money buys Estella a place in higher society but has a loveless life and an abusive marriage, living through ‘wretched years†¦ and a long hard time’. Miss Havisham’s jewels and money have not brought Estella happiness, and eluded her for her whole life. Dickens attempts not to convey the luxuries of money, but rather the shallow fundamentalism of materialism which ultimately leads to an incapacity to gain belonging. Pip finds his belonging, not within the realms of his gentlemanly character, but rather, he reconnection to Joe as he re-enters the forge, leaving his regret and misery behind to venture to his real family, and a life of working hard. Through emotive language, Pip and joe are ‘both happy’, with the prospect of regaining Pip’s place within his world, as it is through Kent, and his hard work in Egypt which enable him to gain his exisential belonging and his identity. We see the social division between class through the discourse between Herbert and Mr Joe. Unlike Pip, Herbert was ‘born a gentleman’, whose belonging was not significantly thrust upon him in the same way as Pip. By asking Joe ‘What do you say to coffee’ we are compelled to develop a conclusion based on how Dickens portrays the distinguishing characteristics of the upper and the lower class. In Joe’s visit to London for Pip, Herbert puts Joe in his place through recognising that he can never truly belong within the world of the gentleman. Through colour symbolism, Dickens socially comments on the inferiority concerning the lower class, by Joe, as the colour of coffee itself is reminiscent of the labour and physical hard work that he, as well as others within his class, must face and never escape. On the contrary, Herbert positions himself as well as Pip (with irony indeed) to be more superior and valued through their associations with tea, as its clear iridescence becomes a representation of the ‘purity’ embedded within the views of the higher class. Joe’s inability to have tea is a symbol of his inability to join the higher class, simply because his place lies within the forge ,’I am wrong in these clothes and out of the forge’. By first person, he regards himself as a single entity, as he reflects on his existential belonging within Kent, where unlike Pip, Joe finds that he does not need to be of a higher class in order to gain belonging. What has driven Pip to consistently live a life of misery has led Joe to stray away from it. Unlike Pip, Joe affirms his place within the Victorian era, as being ‘Joe the Blacksmith, there, at the old anvil, sticking to the old work’, where he constructs himself in absolute terms to his blue collar existence, enabling him to belong amongst other things. Totally at home in the forge, with his bare essentials of food and shelter, Joe has found the place to which he belongs to. This is emphasised through his use of black smith jargon, ‘life is made up of ever so many partings welded together. One man’s a blacksmith and one’s a white smith and one’s a goldsmith and one’s a coppersmith’, where Joe describes the inevitability of belonging, regardless of whether one longs to belong to a particular sector or not. Joes mentality involving the development of belonging regardless of circumstance allows him to ‘perfectly’ weld in his own home. Rather than attempting to shape his own belonging, he leaves it be. Victorian England had a distinct class system, which was divided into categories which divided the upper class with the lower class. Transitioning himself from the lower class sector to the upper class, Pip has brought along the social pressures that are associated with his change into becoming a gentleman, and as a result, employed a servant called the avenger. The avenger plays no useful role in Pip’s life, other than to portray the idealistic views of what a gentleman should do, ‘which had a more expensive and a less remunerative appearance ‘. Pip’s own expectations involves the conception that money will bring acceptance, and ultimately, belonging, which is examined through his use of the avenger. The Avenger becomes an allusion for Pip’s vengeance against the higher class, whose belonging is based off the social mandates within the era. Romanticized by social perceptions, Pip has a misconceived idea on the brad picture of belonging to the gentlemanly class, ‘I want to be a gentleman’ meaning that he has a narrow idea that it is merely based on how much money and status that is earned. He believes that, if he becomes a gentleman, he will be Estella’s equal and obvious partner. This changes gradually, as Pip gains a familiarity of the range of people in London’s gentlemanly society, he begins to realise that belonging to such a group is not what he wants anymore. London At the time Dickens has written Great Expectations, London was a fast-growing and changing city of two million. Dickens uses London as an indictment of the flawed perceptions concerning belonging in regards to the higher class, as its physical description suggests that financial improvement and higher social class does not necessarily constitute moral, social and existential mprovement. Pip’s initial perception of London being the ‘foundation’ of his belonging is severely counteracted by what he views in reality. Through descriptive language, Pip examines London as ‘the dingiest collection of shabby buildings ever squeezed together in rank corner’. Rather than escaping from the doomed life of Kent, Pip has entered the damned life of London, which is fu rther reinforced by Wemmick’s claim ‘ Like is the same everywhere’. This epitomises the lack of change involving his belonging, as fate has provided a standard to which he is capable to obtain belonging, rather than forcing it upon himself, which eventually lead to his misery, and his failure to emotionally develop a connection to his own identity, leaving him as a wondering, ‘souless’ entity with a lack of human spirit. England Moreover, England as a whole also becomes a representation of the decay which pervades the Victorian society and their entire sense of belonging, as money and class becomes corrupting. This is examined through Mrs Pocket, who reflects the ideas which radiate from the upper class, the epicentre of London, as she is portrayed to be the ‘female gentleman’, having a useless life filled with self importance and ‘dignity’. Dickens uses her as a criticism on England’s obsession with titles in their class system, as she becomes so caught up with the idea of titles and class that she spends her whole day reading a book about them. Mrs Pocket is evidently disappointed by her own lot in life, even though she does not endure the same struggles as ,say, Biddy, by having almost no household duties and a good man for a husband. Being so caught up within her class system, as her grandfather is a knight, Mrs Pocket is oblivious to what is actually going on around her, preventing her from being the ‘Victorian’ mother, which foreshadows Pips future of laziness and moral decay. Through indignant language ‘am I grand papa’s granddaughter, to be nothing in the house? ’ she uses her belonging to her past as justification to her negligent ill-considered actions as a mother, which reflects her and England’s corruption through social class. Treatment of children In an era such as the Industrial revolution, the treatment of children differentiates from the modern era, which makes it a distinguishable component throughout the novel. The treatment of children becomes a social comment that Dickens attempts to elucidate, as the characters predicament becomes reminiscent of his own childhood miseries of working pasting labels on pots of boot blacking. By reflecting the struggle of all children who underwent suffering through labour, Dickens illustrates the enforced belonging of children towards the adult world, and how they are perceived by adults. This is examined through Pip, who is a shadow of Dickens character in his youth, where surrounded by adults, becomes criticised and scorned for something he cannot help, ‘What is detestable in a pig more detestable in a boy’. Through metaphor, Pip is likened to an entity that is worse than a pig, recollecting the distinct differences between the adult world, and the world of a child which has been forced into it. This is further emphasised through Mrs Joe’s treatment towards Pip. The repetitious ‘Brought you up by hand’, brings forth an indication on how children were physically abused, which becomes another motivation for Pip to leave the clutches of Mrs Joe and Kent into the ‘freedom’ of London. This is further emphasised through the appearance of the ‘tickler’ a wax-ended cane stick which Mrs joe uses to abuse Pip with. It appears that the era encourages such actions towards a child, due to the fact that they are shown as more vulnerable, weaker, and inferior, representing the lack of belonging children have within the era. Time The attachment towards a particular time, more specifically in the past and what lies there, possesses a different sense of belonging which may not even be fabricated within the decayed web of its lies. This is expressed through the character Miss Havisham, where her hold towards the past defines her belonging and identity, or rather, lack of thereof. Miss Havisham is a character who has been left at the altar by her fiancee Compeyson, and from this circumstance, attaches to it for the remainder of her life. Constantly holding on to her grief, as it becomes the only way she can deal with the harsh miseries of being unloved, she grows with the constant reminder that she has been abandoned and left behind, as it is examined by the appearance of the house. The satis (which is latin for enough, a symbol of the intellectual upper class) becomes a physical representation of the stagnant state of belonging Miss Havisham attempts to clutch on to with her bony ittle fingers. The transcendence of this belonging from matrimonious ( as it depicts her wedding day) to decayed is further illustrated by Dickens use of descriptive language ‘Bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white’. Pip’s initial impression of Miss Havisham draws from her appearance, classifying her as ‘pure’ and chaste, like an angel, which changes later on, as he sees her once, pure appearance changing into a ‘faded and yellow’ exterior. Her wedding dress is a symbol of the belonging which becomes diseased over time, as she finds herself in a predicament which prevents her from shifting her belonging according to her present, and rather, holding on to her past. Miss Havisham desperately wants to belong to one thing: her sad status as an aggrieved bride. This is further enhanced through descriptive language of what lies within the satis house as ‘I saw speckled legged spiders with blotch bodies running home to it†¦ Black beetles took no notice of the agitation’, which illustrates the creation of a mental and physical prision. Her environment becomes a constant reminder of the moment she was jilted, and it is derived from that moment which costumes her with an ugly sense of belonging, Wemmick The contrasting forms of belonging expounds from the different perspectives that permeate through their characters. We see that Wemmcks belonging is dependent on the place he lies in. Within London, he embeds the values of London belonging which evolves around business and finance, closing himself to emotion where his mouth is likened to a ‘post box’. We see that he becomes hardened, enclosed by the London shell, as he denounces whatever emotion that characterises a human being, and ironically earns his belonging through his emotional detachment. However, in Walworth, we view the transitioning character from one who is denied emotion to one whom expressed it. Wemmck has constructed his belonging through building his house to replicate a castle, as a means of creating a retreat away from the law office. The house connotates a true home, a warm place where a contented family creates a fulfilling sense of belonging.. Wemmick’s gentleness and love towards his father is reminiscent on how Pip should behave to Joe. Through descriptive language, Pip describes its atmosphere as ‘a pretty pleasure-ground’, which differs from the chaotic and dismal places of London, Satis house, and his descriptions of his childhood places; places which Pip yearns to belong to. Dickens implements warm and positive words creates a contrast between these two worlds; One which characterises familial belonging and the other which characterises social belonging. Estella Estella is the adopted daughter of Miss Havisham, whom has raised her for her own motivations. Another way of ‘dealing’ with her grief, Havisham employs Estella as a pawn for her vengeance, characterising and moulding Estella in order to suit Miss Havisham’s desires. In the midst of her own self destruction, Miss Havisham uses Estella to create a belonging need in all men who see her, a need so great that they will be destroyed by what they cannot have. Thus, the lack of existential belonging which is examined through Estella has become a work of miss Havisham’s ‘art’, as Estella states ‘We are not free to follow our own devices, you and I’. In her discourse with Pip, she uses inclusive language, as Estella relates her predicament with Pip by defining her instructions for the day and how they must not deviate from them. The statement, however, is a projection of how both of their lives are controlled in general. Estella is not free ‘to follow her own devices’ not only because Miss Havisham is her adoptive mother and she should do as she says, but because Estella has been raised to actually think, feel and act exactly as Miss Havisham wishes. In raising Estella, Miss Havisham has created a puppet, an individual who indeed cannot choose her own destiny nor character because she will act the way she has been conditioned to act. Miss Havisham’s divisive actions have deprived Pip and Estella from belonging to each other. This becomes a demonstration of he ‘forced’ belonging between Miss Havisham and Estella, revealing her real intentions of using Estella as a pawn in her vengeance, as well as the lack of love Estella has grown to possess. In the end of the novel, Her transition is illustrated through her language, ‘Be as good and considerate to me as you were, and tell me we are friends’. The once abrasive disposition which she conveys throughout the novel has altered in accordance to the miseries experienced by Miss Havisham and her marriage to Bentley Drummelle and years of suffering have forced her to see the value in Pip’s constant love and attention. Estella’s change in language from a biting tone to a softened one examines a softer, older and a much wiser character. Estella becomes the stimulant which drives Pip’s longing to become a gentleman. After Pip’s initial encounter with Estella in the Satis house, Pip becomes insecure about his speech, manners and appearance. Estella’s scorns and disdainful comments ‘what coarse hands he has, and what thick boots’, Pip begins to revaluate his current predicament and his future. His reappraisals enable him to think differently about himself, Kent, and his social status, as Pip develops a longing to lose his ignorance whilst improving himself educationally and socially, in order to win the love of Estella. Through repetition, ‘She had said I was common, and I knew that I was common, and that I wished I was not common’, Dickens emphasises the state of Pip’s mind, and the association of his new awareness and dislike of the ‘common’ belonging that he has been born into. As a result, he embarks on a journey to acquire snobbery through his becoming a gentleman, which is further induced by the arrival of his ‘great expectations’, and his transition to London, leading him to drop his old friends (Joe, Biddy) and pursue new, although occasionally pretentious acquaintances (with the exception of Herbert). Magwitch Magwitch yearns to find belonging in the same manner that Pip yearns to become a gentleman, being considerate that both these characters have not been exposed to these romantic conceptions. Magwitch’s life ‘in jail and out of jail’, consisted of a childhood memory which has been befitted with misery, as he ventures a life of slight criminality through his occupations, such as his association with Compeyson, which consequently lead to his time in jail (14 years). Belonging to a criminal society is all Magwitch has ever known before he meets Pip, yet he constantly finds himself in circumstances which are against the law. This is further examined through his trip to London to visit the new ‘expected’ gentlemen that is Pip, when previously, he was given specific instructions not to enter it with the consequence of execution. Magwitch further attempts to construct his belonging through building up Pip to become a gentleman, which is examined by his use of repetition, ‘That’s a gentleman I hope’, as he attempts to create belonging within an artificial family. Similar to Miss Havisham, Pip’s belonging has been moulded to suit Magwitch. His time in New South Wales being a drover as earned his belonging, which he fails to attempt to transfer it to Pip. However, Magwitch’s endeavours of gaining belonging have not been futile in the end, as Pip offers Magwitch it through telling him that Estella is his daughter. Through emotive language, we are exposed to the final conversation which has taken place between Pip and Magwitch, As Pip Tells Magwitch that Estella is his daughter, ‘She lived and found powerful friends. She is living now. She is a lady and very beautiful. And I love her’, ultimately, giving Magwitch the sense of belonging which he has sought throughout his whole life yet never received.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Organizational Change Managing the Human Side Free Essay Example, 3250 words

Many writers and the majority of organization practitioners have opted for a materialistic variable approach rather than anthropological or holistic view of the culture. Devis (2007) mentioned that each aspect of organizational culture is an important environmental condition affecting the system and its subsystem. Kotler and Schlesinger (2005) mentioned that organizational change efforts run into some form of human resistance. It is further important to mention that though the managers are aware of the change process, few of them still resist and take time to assess the change situation. Parochial self-interest, misunderstanding, and lack of trust, different assessment by different people in the organization, low tolerance for change due to degradation and lack of development in skills are some of the reasons that create hurdle in the change process. The argument of Peter Drucker (cited in Kotler and Schlesinger 2005, p. 44) makes it clear that manager s inability to change their attitudes and behavior though they understand the need for change, but offer resistance to change, is the major obstacle for organizational growth. Agocs (1997) mentioned that individuals resist change because of habit or inertia, fear of the unknown, absence of skills required after the change, and fear of losing power whereas organizations resist change because of inertia, sunk costs, scarce resources, threats to the power base of the old dominant coalition, values and beliefs, conformity to norms, and inability to perceive alternatives. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Change: Managing the Human Side or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now As mentioned earlier by APQC (1999) above, increased competition, globalization, mergers and acquisitions, alliances and various workforce departments create an environment demanding a greater need for organizational culture. Senge et al (cited in Cameron and Green, (2004, p. 135) argues that it is not possible for one or two leaders at the top management and shall be held responsible for envisaging and tackling the enormous range of challenges that need to be faced while approaching the fundamental change and instead claims that communities should be developed among interdependent leaders across organizations.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Milestones in Space Exploration

Even though space exploration has been a thing since the late 1950s, astronomers and astronauts continue to explore the firsts. For example, on February 6, 2018, Elon Musk and SpaceX launched the first Tesla into space. The company did this as part of the first test flight of its Falcon Heavy rocket.   Both SpaceX and rival company Blue Origins have been developing reusable rockets to lift people and payloads to space. Blue Origins made the first launch of a reusable on November 23, 2015. Since that time, reusables have proven themselves to be stalwart members of the launch inventory. In the not-too-distant future, other first-time space events will happen, ranging from missions to the Moon to missions to Mars.  Each time a mission flies, theres a first time for something. That was especially true back in the 1950s and 60s when the rush to the Moon was heating up between the United States and the then-Soviet Union. Ever since then, the space agencies of the world have been lofting people, animals, plants, and more into space. The First Canine Astronaut in Space Before people could go to space, space agencies tested animals. Monkeys, fish, and small animals were sent first. America had Ham the Chimp. Russia had the famous dog  Laika, the first canine astronaut. She was launched into space on the Sputnik 2 in 1957. She survived for a time in space. However, after a week, the air ran out and Laika died. The following year, as its orbit deteriorated, the craft left space and re-entered the Earths atmosphere and, without heat shields, burned up, along with Laikas body. The First Human in Space The flight of  Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the USSR, came as a complete surprise to the world, much to the pride and joy of the former Soviet Union. He was launched into space on April 12, 1961, aboard the Vostok 1. It was a short flight, only an hour and 45 minutes. During his single orbit of Earth,   Gagarin admired our planet and radioed home, It has a very beautiful sort of halo, a rainbow. The First American in Space Not to be outdone, the United States worked to get their astronaut into space. The first American to fly was Alan Shepard, and he took his ride aboard Mercury 3 on May 5, 1961. Unlike Gagarin, however, his craft did not achieve orbit. Instead, Shepard took a suborbital trip, rising to a height of 116 miles and traveling 303 miles down range before parachuting safely into the Atlantic Ocean. The First American to Orbit Earth NASA took its time with its manned space program, making baby steps along the way. For example, the first American to orbit Earth didnt fly until 1962. On February 20, the Friendship 7 capsule carried astronaut John Glenn around our planet three times on a five-hour space flight. He was the first American to orbit our planet and subsequently became the oldest person to fly in space when he roared to orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery.   The First Womens Achievements in Space The early space programs were heavily male-oriented, and women were prevented from flying to space aboard U.S. missions until   1983. The honor of being the first woman to achieve orbit belongs to the Russian Valentina Tereshkova. She flew to space aboard Vostok  6  on June 16, 1963. Tereshkova was followed 19 years later by the second woman in space, aviator Svetlana Savitskaya, who blasted off to space aboard Soyuz T-7 in 1982. At the time of Sally Rides trip aboard the U.S. space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983, she was also the youngest American to go to space. In 1993, Commander Eileen Collins became the first woman to fly a mission as pilot aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The First African-Americans in Space It took a long time for space to begin to integrate. Just as women had to wait a while to fly, so did qualified black astronauts. On August 30, 1983, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off with Guion Guy Bluford  Jr., who became the first African-American in space. Nine years later, Dr.  Mae Jemison lifted off in the space shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992. She became the first African-American woman astronaut to fly. The First Space Walks Once people get to space, they have to perform a variety of tasks onboard their craft. For some missions, space-walking is important, so both the U.S. and Soviet Union set out to train their astronauts in working outside the capsules. Alexei Leonov, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first person to step outside of his spacecraft while in space, on March 18, 1965. He spent 12 minutes floating as far as 17.5 feet from his Voskhod 2 craft, enjoying the first spacewalk ever. Ed White made a 21-minute EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) during his Gemini 4 mission, becoming the first U.S. astronaut to float out the door of a spacecraft.   The First Human on the Moon Most people who were alive at the time remember where they were when they heard astronaut  Neil Armstrong  utter the famous words, Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. He, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins flew to the Moon on the Apollo 11 mission. He was the first to step out onto the lunar surface, on July 20, 1969. His crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, was the second one. Buzz now boasts of the event by telling people, I was the second man on the moon, Neil before me.   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.