This monthly e-newsletter is sent to a targeted database determined by the subject matter of each technical report. This month’s e-newsletter will cover Solids Handling and deploy July 18.

View the Study here.

Summary: Changes in professional resources and the economic climate are leading to a shortage of technical knowledge for technology-based companies.  This technical talent shortage can affect company performance, and cause companies to be less competitive.  The reasons causing the change are varied, but include the retirement of technical specialists, changed goals among young professionals, the shifting of work overseas and the lack of systems to capture historical “lessons learned”.  While there is no ironclad means to overcome the technical talent shortage, there are steps that can be taken to improve the situation. This article provides different sides of the issue, and presents various alternatives that companies can pursue as a remedy.
Related equipment and services: Knowledge management systems; systems that train or re-train employees
Relevant industries: Workforce issues exist throughout the chemical process industries

Summary: This two-part report addresses selection, handling and recommendations for intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). IBCs are large containers for the transport of chemical products. The choice of a suitable IBC must include consideration of the properties of the material to be conveyed as well as the regulations that apply to the handling of large packages. Parts 1 and 2 of this feature report complement each other by addressing these considerations and giving practical information about the properties of IBCs, packaging standards and symbols, recyclability, best practices for filling and emptying, storage and transportation, as well as recent market developments and innovations.
Related equipment and services: Logistics, packaging (IBCs), labeling, barcode technology, container cleaners, and so on
Relevant industries: Many sectors of the CPI use IBCs for transporting feedstocks and other chemicals into the production site, as well as transporting products from production to the end user

Topic: Methane Reforming
Summary: With the availability of abundant and inexpensive "natural" gas, steam methane reforming continues to play an increasing role for the production of hydrogen and synthesis gas (syngas). Nevertheless, conventional steam methane reforming is energy intensive, and generates significant amounts of carbon dioxide. This month's Newsfront presents the latest developments in catalysts, reactor design and processes for reforming methane more efficiently.
Related equipment and services: Process technology, catalysts, gas-cleaning technology, CO2 scrubbing, heat exchangers, and more
Relevant industries: Industrial gases, petroleum refining, hydrogen production, ammonia production, fertilizers, methanol production, Fischer-Tropsch liquids and waxes

Editorial material for consideration should be sent to senior editor Gerald Ondrey ([email protected])

Summary: Temperature is one of the most important process parameters that needs to be measured and controlled. This month's Equipment Newsfront will present the latest technology trends for measuring temperature, including smart sensors and self calibration.
Related equipment and services: All types of temperature sensors, transmitters logging devices and so on
Relevant industries: All sectors of the CPI use temperature devices

Editorial material for consideration should be sent to contributing editor Joy LePree ([email protected]).

Summary: Cooling towers are a critical component of many industrial facilities.  Due to the very nature of tower-based cooling systems, where evaporation causes the makeup water constituents to “cycle up” in concentration, chemistry control can be quite challenging.  These challenges became particularly acute following the elimination of chromate treatment in the 1970s.  The popular replacement program, whose core chemistry is based on inorganic and organic phosphates, proved to be much more complex than chromate.   Now, with phosphorus discharge to receiving bodies of water being restricted, or banned, in many cases, further evolution is underway, with movement towards treatment programs that do not contain phosphate, zinc, or chromate. This article examines the evolution in cooling water treatment.
Related equipment and services:  Water treatment chemicals including corrosion inhibitors; Instrumentation including for measuring pH, conductivity, corrosion, biofouling, tank levels and more related to cooling towers and water treatment
Relevant industries: Many CPI companies use cooling towers and need to maintain their water systems

Summary: The behavior of particulate material is highly dependent on the geometric properties of the solid, such as particle size, shape and particle-size distribution. Particle-size measurement is among the most neglected areas in chemical engineering, even though it is an important factor in the vast majority of unit operations involving particulate matter. This article provides information on different representations of particle size and on different methods for calculating average particle-size and particle-size distribution.
Related equipment and services: Particle-size analysis instruments, particle sampling devices, and other solids-related characterization tools, such as shear-cell testers and particle imaging instruments, as well as solids handling equipment, including pneumatic conveying systems, bins, silos, hoppers, chutes
Relevant industries: All CPI sectors where solid materials are handled, including, chemicals, specialty chemicals, food, pharmaceuticals, mining, plastics and others

Summary: Epichlorohydrin (also known as 1-chloro-2,3-epoxypropane) is most commonly used in the production of epoxy resins for coatings, adhesives and plastics. This one-page summary outlines a production process for epichlorohydrin from propylene.
Related equipment and services: All chemical manufacturing equipment, including pumps, valves, seals, reactors, mixers, pressure vessels, analyzers and more
Relevant industries: Chemicals, specialty chemicals, petrochemicals, plastics and others

Summary: Many important industrial reactions would not be possible without well-designed heterogeneous catalysts. This one-page reference will provide information about the fundamental chemical and physical phenomena that must occur within an industrial reactor to generate products in a catalyzed process.
Related equipment and services: Catalysts, reactors, heat exchangers, analyzers, other process equipment
Relevant industries: Petroleum refining, petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals

Pumps are arguably the most common piece of process equipment found in virtually all CPI facilities. There is a wide range of different types and ever-improved versions becoming available for moving fluids throughout the plant. This month's Focus presents some of the new pumps launched on the market.
Related equipment and services: All types of pumps, pump-monitoring systems, and more
Relevant industries: All sectors of the CPI use pumps.

Editorial material for consideration should be sent to contributing editor Suzanne Shelley ([email protected]).

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