Powder agglomeration is used in a wide variety of the chemical process industries (CPI), and a virtually endless number of process options are available. Selection requires engineers to make a substantial number of design decisions, such as the choice between wet or dry processing, the intensity of mixing and shear rates, continuous versus batch operation, cross contamination of products and ease of cleaning. These choices must be made in light of desirable agglomerate end-use properties. Key agglomeration mechanisms and their impact on agglomeration processing are reviewed in this article. The impact on process selection is also touched upon within the context of mechanisms.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Agglomeration-Technology-Mechanisms_5497.html
The problem of cleaning coke-cooling wastewater has vexed engineers for decades, but effective solutions have remained elusive. Without a low-cost technique to treat coke-cooling wastewater, environmentally inocuous production of petroleum is impossible. The process discussed here represents an improved method for purifying coke-cooling wastewater and offers a path toward cleaner petrochemical production.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Purifying-Coke-Cooling-Wastewater_5498.html
The solubility of water in the hydrocarbons that comprise crude oil is an increasingly important issue in view of processing, safety and environmental considerations surrounding product quality and equipment sustainability. Water in the reacting hydrocarbon species may result in the formation of undesirable by-products. To illustrate the importance of water solubility in hydrocarbons, we offer the results of solubility studies involving water in benzene derivatives. The results for both solubility and Henry’s Law constant for water are provided in an easy‑to‑use tabular format for a wide variety of benzene derivatives contained in crude oil.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Solubility-of-Water-in-Benzene-Derivatives_5499.html
An alternative to thermal oxidation is catalytic oxidation of VOCs, which runs at much lower temperatures — about 500–900 ºF. A regenerative catalytic oxidizer (RCO) uses the same operating principle as RTO, but consumes substantially less auxiliary fuel. The authors have found that in many situations, RTOs can be retrofitted to RCOs. Energy savings after such a retrofit can quickly justify the costs for the catalysts and installation. This article discusses basic RTO and RCO technology with an emphasis on thermal efficiency and energy balance.
For valves operating in hazardous environments, certification testing is critical to ensure the reliability and safety of the equipment. But this testing process has historically required facilities to shut down and sacrifice valuable production hours to check each valve. Built-in self-test (BIST) capabilities in smart, electronic valve actuators were developed in response to these testing challenges. This article examines how BIST simplifies valve testing and reduces the cost, while increasing the level of confidence in valve and actuator safety.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/The-BIST-In-Electronic-Valve-Actuators_5459.html
Pipe sizing calculations include certain values that are time dependent, such as costs. While some costs rise, others decrease over time. It is the designers task to ensure that the total cost is minimized. For fluid flow calculations,heuristic criteria are often used, which is the main reason why these values must be updated from time to time. In this article, recommended velocities are updated for several materials of construction, and other velocities for new materials are calculated, using the Generaux Equation [1],... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Updating-the-Rules-For-Pipe-Sizing_5402.html
Typical industrial and municipal wastewater-treatment plants consume an amount of energy that can represent 50% of the facility's variable operating and maintenance costs. This article discusses a variety of design and operating improvements that can be undertaken to reduce energy consumption in wastewater treatment.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Wastewater-Treatment-Energy-Conservation-Opportunities_5404.html
Relief system design is an important engineering activity throughout the chemical process industries (CPI). The main purpose of this task is to design a system that protects process equipment and piping against all possible causes of overpressure. It should relieve the excess pressure safely so as to protect personnel working in the facility from accidents, prevent damage to equipment and adjoining property, and comply with government regulations. The principle causes of overpressure and guidance of plant design to minimize the effect of these causes
The desire to move from batch to continuous processes for the production of high-value organic molecules has become more widespread in recent years as evidenced by the increasing number of related studies published in the literature. The benefits of continuous flow include increased product yield, increased utility and energy utilization, improved safety and greater automation. A quest to improve the overall production economics for smaller organic molecules and many inorganic chemicals forced this change on the bulk chemicals industry many decades ago. But strong interest has not yet translated into the widespread use of continuous processes for specialty chemicals, fine chemicals and pharmaceutical manufacturing. This article proposes that the use of small-scale reactions can provide the missing link that brings continuous operation within practical reach.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Millichannel-Reactors-A-Practical-Middle-Ground-for-Production_5316.html
Faced with increased workloads and time and budget constraints that often restrict external training support, many chemical process operators are forced to get the most out of their heat transfer system with less help. This article offers recommendations for how to carry out proactive maintenance on heat-transfer fluids, to maximize their useful life and minimize problems associated with fluid degradation, such as excessive downtime for unplanned maintenance when the heat transfer system has become unsafe or is no longer able to carry heat in a reliable manner.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Maximizing-Heat-Transfer-Fluid-Longevity_5322.html
Spray drying is one of the major industrial drying technologies. It is applied by many industries because of its ability to convert a liquid product into a dried powder in a lenient single step and because it allows you to control... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/A-Primer-on-Spray-Drying_5237.html
Price volatility in industrial piping commodities, such as carbon steel, can complicate the selection of optimal pipe diameters at the start of a project. But while constantly changing capital costs will certainly affect optimal pipe diameter, plants can realize significant cost savings by focusing more on fluid densities, mass flowrates and hours of operation when selecting pipe sizes, and worrying less about varying commodities prices.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/De-emphasize-Capital-Costs-For-Pipe-Size-Selection_5238.html
The success of industrial R&D activities has a direct impact on a company’s long-term commercial profitability. Today, a variety of market forces, including the drive for growth, the search for new ideas and innovative products, and the increasingly competitive pressures of the global economy, have made R&D activities more important than ever from a strategic perspective. The need to streamline the process of moving from industrial R&D through demonstration-scale operations to full-scale manufacturing is a basic business requirement. To develop and manufacture products in the most cost-effective way, companies need a platform that will enable the smooth and consistent transfer of the proven product designs to full-scale manufacturing plants around the globe. Applying state-of-the-art control technology and integrated information-management procedures throughout the discovery, research, process-development and optimization steps will help laboratory processes to successfully make that critical leap.... http://www.che.com/technical_and_practical/Making-the-Leap-from-R-and-D-to-Manufacturing_5239.html
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