This overview presents guidance for the safe design of piping systems that are used for the distribution of hydrogen gas Hydrogen gas is a very volatile fluid that has a high propensity to leak. This is a very dangerous and…
Detailed plans for handling hazardous materials should be a central part of any chemical plant’s disaster preparedness plan Over the past year, many chemical facilities managed to overcome extreme circumstances. One instance of an extreme event was the winter storm…
Physical adsorption phenomena play a critical role in many separation and purification processes, including separations of industrial gases, purification of gases, moisture removal from fluids, water purification and others. Adsorption is a surface phenomenon in which a fluid (gas or…
Managing the risk from combustible dust explosions involves a number of strategies for preventing explosions, as well as isolating, venting and suppressing explosions if they occur. Complying with applicable NFPA standards is a pathway toward minimizing risk Combustible dust explosions…
The Joukowsky equation is often relied upon to determine the maximum possible fluid pressure inside a pipe, but there are certain scenarios where this equation does not return the expected conservative result for overpressurization We engineers love our formulas. Especially…
There are several technologies used in the disposal of landfill gas (LFG). Here are some key elements that can guide engineers in designing an optimized LFG processing plant People generate trash. Trash is stored in landfills. Landfills contain bacteria, which…
Caprolactam (Figure 1) is a cyclic amide widely used as a chemical intermediate. The main forms of caprolactam are molten (liquid) and flakes. At ambient temperatures, it is a white, hygroscopic, crystalline solid. Almost all caprolactam is used as monomer…
The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA; Quincy, Mass.; www.nfpa.org) NFPA 652 (Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust) creates a single, unified combustible-dust standard that applies to “all facilities and operations that manufacture, process, blend, convey, repackage, generate, or handle…
Taking a modular approach to capital projects offers a pathway for companies to be proactive, rather than reactive, as they manage project risk in the time of COVID and potential similar disruptions in the future It has been more than…
Switching from one fluid to another in a heat transfer system requires an engineering evaluation. Here is what to include In well-designed and well-maintained heat transfer systems, heat transfer fluids generally last for a long time and function as intended.…