Spider silk is attractive because it is strong and tough. Moreover, an enormous range of mechanical properties can be achieved with only small changes in chemical structure. Our research shows that the full range of thermo-mechanical properties of silk fibres can be predicted from mean field theory for polymers in terms of chemical composition and the degree of order in the polymer structure. T...

In 1995, De Vos introduced a thermoeconomical analysis for heat engines working in finite time. This analysis was made by the maximization of a benefit function defined as the ratio of the power output and the total costs which are associated to the investment and the fuel consumption. The De Vos methodology has been applied to several heat engine models working at different regimes of performa...

Introduction The reciprocating biomass conversion reactor (RBCR) is a novel means of converting biomass to bio-oil. The RBCR is a repurposed highcompression 4-stroke internal combustion engine into which a fluidizing gas and a small volume fraction of pulverized biomass are introduced, and the crankshaft is cycled by an external energy source to supply the process heat for thermo-chemical conve...