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 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…
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…
When transferring stored bulk-solids materials from hoppers, bins and silos, flow stoppage can occur because of bridging or arching at the vessel outlet. Hopper outlets must be large enough to prevent cohesive arches or stable ratholes from developing. Determining the…
This column is based on “Sodium Chlorate Production – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/sodium-chlorate-production-cost. Sodium chlorate (NaClO3; also known as chlorate of soda) is an odorless inorganic salt with colorless crystals and…
Several strategies for improving energy consumption and process control in evaporation processes are presented here In industrial evaporation, a heat source (usually condensed steam) is used to concentrate a material through the removal of a liquid solvent. There are several…
Testing steam-trap stations can be very easy if the plant provides the correct equipment, training and commitment to the steam-system management program When it comes to testing steam traps, a frequently asked question is, “what is the best method?” The…
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…
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…
Understanding project risks is critical to arriving at useful cost estimates. Since each capital project in the chemical process industries (CPI) is somewhat unique, it can be difficult for engineers and project leaders to price risks in their estimates and…