Valves are the components in a fluid flow or pressure system that regulate either the flow or the pressure of the fluid. They are used extensively in the process industries, especially petrochemical. Though there are only four basic types of valves, there is an enormous number of different kinds of valves within each category, each one used for a specific purpose. No other book on the market analyzes the use, construction, and selection of valves in such a comprehensive manner. - Covers new environmentally-conscious equipment and practices, the most important hot-button issue in the petrochemical industry today - Details new generations of valves for offshore projects, the oil industry's fastest-growing segment - Includes numerous new products that have never before been written about in the mainstream literature

In the unstable international conditions of the post Cold War world, the role of diplomacy has taken on increasing importance with the greater complexity of relationships between international power centres. The Practice of Diplomacy tracks the historical development of diplomatic relations and methods from the earliest period up to their current transformations in the late twentieth century, showing how they have changed to encompass new technological advances and the needs of modern international environments. This coherent and accessible text brings the history of diplomacy fully up to date, exploring altered perspectives and newly emerging practices resulting from United Nations diplomacy and recent political developments in Eastern and central Europe, including the former Yugoslavia.

The first detailed description and analysis of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.