TPT May 2007

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Contents
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Editor • Rich Sears
Features editor (USA) • Dorothy Fabian
Editorial assistant • Christian Bradley
Production manager • Lisa Benjamin
Design • Julie Tomlin
Sales & marketing • Catherine Sayers
English speaking sales
• Giuliana Benedetto
Italian sales
• Hendrike Griffin
German speaking sales
• Linda Li
Chinese sales
• Jeroo Vandrevala
Indian sales
Advertising
co-ordinator • Liz Hughes
Accounts manager • Richard Babbedge
Subscriptions • Liz Hughes
Publisher • Caroline Sullens
Founder • John C Hogg
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2 Editorial Index
6 Industry News
30 Technology
Update
100 From The
A mericas
Incorporating Tube & Pipe Asia
Tube & Pipe Technology magazine is available on subscription, or via membership of the
International Tube Association – See for more membership benefits
160 Advertisers Index
Fuelling – the debate
My brother-in-law recently made the rather expensive mistake of topping up his
diesel car with some petrol for a trip down to London (and back). Such a simple but
expensive mistake is not uncommon – apparently he joins an estimated 120,000 UK
drivers (say the AA), and surely a whole lot more worldwide. In the USA, the problem
is less frequent due to a different nozzle system.
Such mistakes only serve to remind us of the increasing number of choices for
refuelling our cars. As the automobile industry has changed dramatically – driven
by environmental, competitive and economic factors – so our fuel choices are set to
increase, with hydrogen, ethanol, E85 and other biodiesel variants all contenders.
With automobile production still in overdrive, greener and smaller cars with less flash
are appealing to consumers. In 2008, Honda will begin low volume production of its
new FCX Concept hydrogen fuel-cell car, in addition to a new-style diesel car. And the
growing popularity of ethanol (either sugar cane or cellulosic) in the USA indicates a
newly favoured fuel to reduce the dependence on Russian and Middle East oil.
This change in technology is reflected by the turmoil in the global automobile industry.
US and west European manufacturers are facing stiff competition from China’s ploy
of imitation, Japan’s advanced technology, and the rise of cheap east
European manufacturing.
And, of course, the innovation of our tube and pipe world is playing
an increasingly important role in the design and production of new
automobile components (see the bending feature from pages 106-
153). All that is required now is for some bright spark to invent a
foolproof method of putting the right fuel in our cars!
Rich Sears
Editor • Email:
56 Oil & Gas News
6
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