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Like Metals, Polymers Fail — but Differently

This pictorial guide illustrates some of the common problems that can occur with polymeric and elastomeric materials that differ from those that occur with metallic seals and components Failures of polymer (plastic and elastomeric) parts and their consequences can be…

Protecting Steam Systems from Corrosion

Steam and condensate-return systems can be susceptible to unique forms of corrosion. This overview explains how to prevent or minimize such issues Steam is utilized for process heating and other applications at thousands of industrial plants in the chemical process…

Moisture Measurement in Solid Materials

Determining moisture levels in solid materials is important for product quality, handling properties and other considerations. Provided here is an overview of direct and indirect methods for measuring moisture in solids Water is ubiquitous and is unusually reactive because of…

Using Lifecycle Cost Analysis for Best Project Value

Lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) can be used as a tool for selecting alternatives that add the most value to a project. The methodology for implementing LCCA is described here In the chemical process industries (CPI), identifying optimum process designs challenges…

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Design of Bulk-Solids Moving-Bed Heat Exchangers

Presented here are equations governing heat transfer in a moving-bed heat exchanger, along with a numerical method for solving them Moving-bed heat exchangers (MBHE) represent an efficient method for heating or cooling bulk-solid materials compared to other technologies, such as…

Thermodynamics of Gas Piping Systems

Understanding the implications of adiabatic and isothermal flow assumptions is necessary to have confidence in when to use such assumptions Every engineer uses assumptions because every analysis has an overabundance of variables to consider. Often, there are just too many…

Airset regulators for On/Off Valve Applications

Airset regulators are seemingly simple devices, but care must be taken to ensure the right devices are specified, particularly in safety instrumented systems Chemical plants and other heavy industrial facilities typically contain many pneumatically controlled valves, actuators and instruments. Airset…

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Rapid Maintenance Response: When Plants Can’t Wait

Even with advanced predictive technologies, unplanned equipment failures can still occur. In these instances, as shown in this boiler example, rapid maintenance action is crucial to minimize downtime Maintenance activities generally fall into two categories — reactive and preventative. The…

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A Holistic Approach for Pump-System Analytics

A step-by-step approach is presented to address the modern requirements of a pump-system digital solution In recent years, significant developments have been achieved in the fields of cloud computing and machine learning techniques. In conjunction with increased awareness regarding the…

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Designing an Integrated Wastewater-Treatment System

Meeting the wastewater-treatment demands of an integrated manufacturing complex demands a design that can address a diverse array of contaminants and discharge requirements Any large, integrated chemical-manufacturing complex will require the implementation of a comprehensive wastewater-treatment solution to address unique…