The seven stages of chemical technology from idea to industrialization (Issue 3/100) -- The nature of inspiration

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This post was last edited by xiouxingzhe on 2026-6-23 at 15:20. Seven stages of chemical technology from idea to industrialization (Part 3/100). The essence of inspiration – it isn’t something that comes waiting for you; it arises from collisions. Dear friends: Hello everyone! The first two issues introduced the origin and overall structure of the seven-stage model, as well as several characteristics of chemical technology innovation and an overview of the investment risks at each stage. Starting from this issue, we officially enter the first phase – inspiration-driven. I. What exactly is inspiration? Many people believe that technological innovation relies on a \"flash of insight\" – sitting at a desk with a cup of tea, suddenly a flash of idea comes to mind, and a new way of thinking emerges. To be honest, in these twenty-one years, I have never experienced a moment like this. All the technical ideas I have encountered share one common feature: they don’t appear out of thin air, but are born as a result of encountering a certain situation. What does “collide” mean? It’s like you already have certain things in your mind—a cognition, an experience, a habitual way of operating—and then you encounter something that doesn’t quite match that cognition. An experimental result does not match the expectations; a paper suggests an approach you hadn’t considered; a technician complains about a phenomenon you had never noticed before. A collision occurs between your existing knowledge and the new information before you, and inspiration is born from that collision. I often say to young engineers: You need to have a map in your mind first, so that you can spot the differences between reality and that map. A person who knows nothing about industry practices may take everything for granted and fail to notice anything unusual. Only when you have a mental map of “what’s normal” can you immediately recognize when something “abnormal” occurs. I remember when I first started out; once, on a construction site, I saw a senior worker squatting next to a pump, listening to it for a long time. I asked him what he was listening to, and he said, \"The sound of this pump is different from yesterday’s.\" "I couldn’t tell any difference at that time. But later I gradually understood—that he had in mind the “normal sound” that this pump should make, so whenever something abnormal occurred, he could immediately tell the difference. The same principle applies to capturing technical inspiration. The more \"normal\" concepts you have in your mind, the easier it is for you to identify those that are abnormal and may indicate new discoveries. This is why I believe experience is the foundation of innovation. Experience is not meant to restrict thinking, but to provide “expectations”. What yield do you expect the reactor to achieve at this temperature? The actual result shows a significant deviation from expectations. This deviation serves as a signal from your experience: either there’s a problem with the operation, or your understanding of this system isn’t deep enough. The latter case is the entry point for innovation. II. Where do collisions occur? Based on my own experiences, I believe that the best inspirational collisions occur in four places. First, the discrepancies between the experimental expectations and the actual results. You conducted the experiment according to the conditions described in the literature, but the product distribution was different from that reported in the literature. At this point, most people’s first reaction is “the experiment failed.” But a few people will stop and ask, \"Why is it different?\" In my experience, this kind of deviation is the most common trigger for innovation. A normal experiment, a result that does not meet expectations, and a deliberate pause – these three elements, combined, constitute the starting point for many technological innovations. Second, the intersection of knowledge from different disciplines. Chemical engineers view reactors in terms of mass and heat transfer, while semiconductor engineers consider microchannels in the context of lithography processes. When these two perspectives collided, microreactor technology was born. The intersections between disciplines are where cognitive blind spots are most likely to arise, but they are also areas with a high level of innovation—because those in each field only see half of the picture. Occasionally attending cross-industry conferences to learn about the problems other industries are facing and the methods they use to address them can be more enlightening than listening to presentations at conferences within one’s own industry. Third, the gap between theoretical derivation and engineering practice. Theoretically, a certain reaction has a higher equilibrium conversion rate at high temperatures. But on a real device, you don’t dare raise the temperature, because side reactions will accelerate and safety interlocks will be triggered. Innovation opportunities lie hidden within this gap. Theory tells you where the upper limit is, while practice shows you where the constraints lie; the gap between the two represents the area that can be explored. I’ve met some excellent engineers who don’t overlook such cracks easily. They will ask: What is the reason for the accelerated side effects? Can we use a different catalyst to give it better selectivity at high temperatures? Is the limitation of the safety interlock due to insufficient temperature control accuracy or inadequate durability of the equipment material? Every follow-up question can lead to a new technological direction. Fourth, the comparison between industry practices and solutions from other industries. The chemical industry has always used vertical hydrogen boilers, because \"that’s what everyone else does.\" But horizontal boilers have long been widely used in other industries. If you just ask, \"Why can’t we use a horizontal one,\" you’ll find the breakthrough. Industry practices become practices not so much because they are optimal, but because they were the first to emerge. The prerequisite for breaking conventions is first becoming aware of their existence—and this precisely requires you to look at how other industries operate. III. Five Typical Sources of Inspiration Based on the four types of collisions mentioned above, I have identified five typical sources of inspiration. These five aren’t something I came up with out of thin air; they are based on my own experiences and observations over the years. They may not cover everything, but they likely encompass most of the cases. Unexpected observation in the experiment — Unexpected phenomena occurred in the laboratory. Most people’s first reaction is “The experiment failed again.” But a few people will stop, record the anomaly, and ask for the reason. That’s how penicillin was discovered. Inspiration from theoretical reasoning – no experiments are needed; based on established scientific principles, systematically ask “what if… then…”. The cost of theoretical derivation is close to zero, but it allows for the elimination of a large number of unviable approaches before proceeding to the laboratory. Literature reading association — you’re not just searching through literature; you’re “associating” it. While reading a paper on enzyme catalysis, I suddenly thought: Could this activation mechanism be applied to my hydrogenation catalyst? Transferring ideas from Domain A to Domain B is a common innovation approach in the chemical industry. Identification of industry pain points – When you go to the production site, the operators complain to you that this tower gets clogged frequently, requiring shutdowns for cleaning on a weekly basis. It’s not enough for you to just nod and take notes. If you ask further, \"Why is there a bottleneck?\", by exploring the reasons, technological innovation gains a target. Technicians sitting in offices holding meetings may never hear the real problems voiced by those working on the front line. Cross-domain technology transfer — Can microfabrication technology from the electronics industry be applied in the chemical industry? Yes—that’s how microreactors were created. You just need to maintain a bit of curiosity about technological advancements in other industries; when thinking about problems in your own field, ask yourself, \"Is there anything similar in other areas?\" I will discuss these five entry points one by one starting from the next issue, covering one at a time with real-world examples. IV. When inspiration strikes, don’t rush to judge it. I used to have a bad habit: whenever an idea came to mind, my first reaction was to ask myself, “Is this reliable?” It turned out that doing this makes it easy to miss out on good things. Because in the early stages of spiritual inspiration, your own judgment may not necessarily be reliable. A good idea might seem \"unreliable\" to you because it challenges your existing experiences" ； An ordinary idea might seem \"reliable\" to you simply because it fits within your existing way of thinking. When an idea first arises, people rush to judge it, and this judgment itself can act as a filter that eliminates things that are unfamiliar but valuable. So the core principle at this stage is: record it first, and don’t rush to judge. Leave the judgment for the next stage. What to record? I usually keep track of three things: a brief description of the phenomenon, the conditions at the time, and initial associations. That’s enough. There’s no need to write too much, but try to separate the “phenomenon” from the “explanation”. For example, instead of writing “The yield is low; it may be due to insufficient catalyst activity,” write: “The yield is in the high 40s, which is significantly lower than the normal value (phenomenon).” The temperature curve is normal, and the feeding rate remains unchanged (conditions). Preliminary assumption: The catalytic system may experience mass transfer limitations under these conditions (assumption). "Separate facts from speculation; only by looking back in the future can we determine which parts have been verified and which ones remain mere guesses. When these records are gathered together, they form what will be discussed in the next installment: the “Creative Pool” – a place dedicated to storing ideas. This pool of ideas might be worth more effort in maintaining than we think. Preview for the next issue: Issue 4 – One of the sources of inspiration: unexpected observations from experiments. The discovery of penicillin and the creation of Teflon both began with an \"unexpected experiment\". Why do some people turn a blind eye to the same accident, while others see it as a major discovery? Next time, we’ll discuss how to conduct experiments with clear expectations and how to stop when encountering anomalies. Table of Contents link: Seven-Stage Model of Chemical Technology from Idea to Industrialization (Issue 100) – Table of Contents (updated in real time)