Providing Materials Expertise to Process Commercialization

In this episode, Richard Clapp, retired principal consultant from DuPont, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for a discussion on the role of materials expertise in process commercialization. Drawing on decades of industry experience, Richard outlines the three primary types of process commercialization and the institutional challenges companies often face when scaling new processes from the bench to production. The conversation explores how impurities, feedstock variability, and solids handling can introduce unexpected complications, as well as why engineers tend to take conservative approaches to materials recommendations during commercialization efforts. Richard also breaks down common “show stoppers” and explains the importance of the three C’s—corrosion, compatibility, and clean-up—when evaluating process systems. Additional topics include corrosion testing at both bench and pilot scale, the subtle but important differences that can exist between seemingly identical plants, considerations when using toll manufacturers for pilot operations, and practical advice for organizations navigating process commercialization projects.   This episode is sponsored by Tricor Metals and Rolled Alloys.   Corrosion Chronicles is produced by Association Briefings.