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Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers: The Design Cycle

Following this step-by-step approach will ensure that the heat exchanger will perform as required when finally fabricated Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are among the most commonly used equipment in the chemical process industries (CPI), especially in petroleum refineries and chemical manufacturing…

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Materials Management — Evolving the Process for an Evolving Marketplace

The case examples presented here show that proper planning, communication and execution of tasks can add value and reduce unintended negative consequences for many capital-intensive projects Materials management means something different to different groups of people. For the engineering and…

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Acrylic Acid Production via Propylene Oxidation – By Intratec Solutions

Acrylic acid is a moderately strong carboxylic acid primarily used as an intermediate in the production of acrylate esters. These acrylate esters are then mainly used to manufacture adhesives, plastics additives, coatings, paints and textiles. The process Figure 1 depicts…

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Weighing Equipment Selection

The number of options available for scales and weighing equipment can make it difficult to determine which instruments will offer the best value and which will meet the application requirements (Table 1). Focusing on the following ten areas can help…

The Relationship Between Materials Selection and Machining Processes

An awareness of the impact of materials selection on the machining processes for small, complex components can affect overall end-product quality and costs The importance of material selection for small, complex components found in equipment critical to the chemical process…

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Superheater Problems in Steam Generators

Knowing the features of a good boiler will prevent problems associated with a poor design Oil- and gas-fired package steam generators (or boilers; Figure 1) are used in chemical plants, power plants, petroleum refineries and in cogeneration plants to generate…

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Managing Small and Medium-sized Capital Projects

A real-life example is provided to show how to stay on program and within budget Over the past few years, much has been written in the trade press about how to manage large, $1- billion-plus plant-construction and expansion projects in…

Facts at your Fingertips: Process Hazards Analysis Methods

Different methodologies are available for conducting the structured reviews known as process hazards analyses (PHAs) for new processes. PHAs are often conducted or moderated by specialists, with participation by the design team, representatives of the facility owner, and experienced process…

Hopper Design Principles

When hoppers are designed without consideration of the actual materials being handled, problems inevitably arise. Follow this guidance to avoid common solids-handling issues, such as erratic flow and no flow Pivotal work on the development of the theory of bulk…

PSA Technology: Beyond Hydrogen Purification

Pressure swing adsorption technology is well known for H2 purification applications, but the technique can also be used for other gas-separation processes in petroleum refining facilities Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a well-established process for the separation and purification of…