Evaporation of moisture or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from bulk solids usually takes place in two stages: one in which the drying rate is constant, and the second in which the rate decreases over time. Devolatilization during the first stage…
By continuously monitoring for abnormal situations, such as a fire, and combustible or toxic gas releases, fire and gas (F&G) detection and mitigation systems are the linchpins to maintaining overall safety and operation of industrial facilities. The premise of these…
Because temperature control is important in any process, a water-cooling system is a common component in chemical processing plants. For facilities located near coastal areas, the tendency is toward the use of seawater instead of river water for cooling purposes.…
In recent years, a growing number of projects throughout the chemical process industries (CPI) have been carried out using Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) contracts. Because such contracts typically involve the work of numerous subcontractor parties, they tend to be complex. As such,…
Plant Watch Bayer MaterialScience builds polyurethane raw materials facility March 27, 2009 — Bayer MaterialScience (Leverkusen, Germany) is to invest 20 million euros in a new aromatic and aliphatic polyisocyanate manufacturing facility in India. The new plant in Ankleshwar, in…
Flexible separators for hazardous areas This firm’s decanters and disc-stack centrifuges assume a key role in the mechanical separation operations in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, including clarification of liquids, classification of solids, and dewatering liquid-solid suspensions and liquid-liquid separations.…
Interest in energy efficiency is not a fad. The economics of industrial production, the limitations of global energy supply and the realities of environmental conservation will be enduring themes for decades, if not the millennia. As energy costs increase, pump…
A chemical executive once noted that his firm derives one-third of its income from products that are less than ten years old. Indeed, existing companies thrive and new ones proliferate through innovation and product improvement. They depend on scientists and…
Despite their apparent simplicity, bends are often poorly understood, and unless properly designed, they are potentially problematic Pneumatic conveying of bulk solids has been successfully practiced — in industries as diverse as chemical, agricultural, pharmaceutical, plastics, food, mineral processing, cement…
This three-way valve improves temperature control This company has recently unveiled the GX 3-Way control valve (photo), which has the ability to accurately control the temperature of water, oils, steam, and other industrial fluids. Applications include heat exchangers and lubricating…