Science and technology in Russia
PRAVDA< Russia
June 18 2004
15:48 2004-06-18
Scientists from the Blagonravov machine-science institute have come
up with an extremely effective metal-rolling and metal-drawing
process. It’s an open secret that metal must be heated prior
to processing because this makes it softer and more pliable. In
a nutshell, this unique method heats up only those small metal
sections, whose shape must be altered. These sections, which measure
only several millimeters in size, are subjected to strong electric
currents; this causes an unusual phenomenon known as “electronic wind”
inside the metal crystal lattice. Metal becomes more pliable as a
result. Meanwhile this waste-free production process, which doesn’t
cause any cracks or scale whatsoever, saves energy.
Besides, electric resistance is reduced during the wire-drawing
process, thus making it possible to turn out thinner wire; substantial
materials, i.e. copper, aluminium (for electric wires and cables),
as well as tungsten (for incandescent-filament lamps) are saved as
a result.
Up to 30 percent of metal is saved during the stainless-steel strip
rolling process; such strips are, among other things, used to make
razor blades. One such metal-rolling mill, which is currently being
assembled for South Korea, will apparently produce an annual economic
effect to the tune of $1 million.
Experts working for the Tomsk agriculture institute have developed
a contraption, which converts organic waste into petroleum. This
project was financed by a group of local companies. Such equipment
has already been tested, and the Kuzbassrazrezugol public company has
bought its experimental version. Leonid Chumazov, a graduate of the
Tomsk university of automated control systems and radio-electronics,
authored this project. According to Chumazov, available foreign
equivalents don’t process all kinds of organic waste; for their own
part, Siberian scientists have patented a gasolene-production process.
This 10-square-meter unit can process up to 50 tons of organic
feedstock every 24 hours. Methane, gasolene or diesel fuel can be
obtained in line with preset parameters. Vladimir Nezamutdinov,
director of the Tomsk agriculture institute’s center for processing
plant-and-animal waste, says this new thermal-electric-chemical
complex is intended to process dung, manure, peat, sawdust and even
garbage. A ton of dry organic waste yields up to 700 kg of petroleum.
Several regional enterprises all over Siberia have already ordered
this unusual invention. The Tomsk agriculture institute will master
its batch production before the year is out.
Omsk has already hosted the fifth international scientific conference
dealing with the history of the Siberian countryside, its modern
state and development prospects. Rural-development problems are seen
as highly important, because the subsequent development of this
vast Russian territory, which has an area of 10 million sq. km.,
is largely linked with farmers. (for comparison, Russia covers an
area of 17 million sq. km. – Ed.)
The conference involved about 300 scientists from 21 Russian cities, as
well as those from Armenia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Poland, Uzbekistan,
Ukraine and Germany. All in all, 120 reports have been heard at
the conference. The delegates examined problems of the Siberian
countryside’s demographic, socio-economic, public-political and
cultural development, as well as land-reclamation, land-cadaster and
land-monitoring aspects, the history of rural populated localities,
the history of local ethnic groups, etc.
A round-table discussion was organized within this conference’s
framework, with its participants discussing national agrarian policies
during Russia’s admission into the World Trade Organization. The next
international conference to examine topical problems of the Siberian
countryside will also be organized in Omsk in 2006.