Johnson Matthey Technology Review - Volume 60, Issue 3, 2016

Anisotropic and average intrinsic electrical resistivity measurements of ruthenium were evaluated from 10 K to 1600 K and average values above this temperature up to the melting point. For osmium average values were evaluated from 30 K to 273.15 K and anisotropic and average values above this temperature and up to 1600 K.

The expansion of unconventional oil and gas development has placed a new emphasis on better understanding well performance. The cost of horizontal and stimulated wells is higher than of conventional wells and requires reservoir professionals to look to new technologies to ensure optimal return on drilling, completion and stimulation. Using tracers allows the user to pinpoint stages of the well that are successfully producing, thereby saving costs by eliminating unproductive areas. Tracerco provides unique technologies for this purpose; this article explains how the tracers are applied and presents a case study illustrating their use.

Increasingly demanding exhaust emissions regulations require that automotive three-way catalysts (TWC) must exhibit excellent catalytic activity and durability. Thus, developing TWC based on an accurate understanding of deactivation mechanisms is critical. This work briefly reviews thermally induced deactivation mechanisms, which are the major contributor to deactivation, and provides an overview of the common strategies for improving durability and preventing deactivation. It highlights the interaction of metals with supports and the diffusion inhibition of atoms and crystallites in both washcoats and metal nanoparticles and concludes with some recommendations for future research directions towards ever more challenging catalyst manufacture to meet increasing durability requirements both now and in the future.

Ventilation air methane (VAM) found in coal mines is a huge and global problem because it acts as a greenhouse gas (GHG) contributing to climate change. Methods for removing this methane and reducing its impact have to date been limited due to a lack of legislative drivers and a technological focus on reducing the emissions of higher hydrocarbons. Now a new technology, known as COMET^TM, has been developed at Johnson Matthey in collaboration with Anglo Coal for abating this methane emission source. This article describes the development of the catalytic system and its engineering aspects to the point where the technology is ready for commercial launch.