The Swiss-based engineering company NSB Gas Processing is now part of the global Busch group. According to a press release from Busch LLC, the NSB Gas Processing business has been renamed Busch NSB AG and brings a highly regarded team…
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China; www.cas.cn), led by professor Ying-Jie Zhu, have reported a “smart” fire-alarm wallpaper prepared using ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires and graphene oxide thermosensitive sensors. At room temperature, the graphene-oxide sensor is an electrical…
Professor Toru Murayama at Tokyo Metropolitan University (Tokyo, Japan; www.haruta-masatake.ues.tmu.ac.jp), in collaboration with Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc., has developed a vanadium oxide catalyst that removes oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from fluegas generated by the combustion of heavy fuel oil…
Using ultraviolet (UV) radiation or ozone (or both) to oxidize air pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a well-established treatment method in the chemical process industries (CPI). What is not so well known, however, is that for most…
Plug-and-produce concepts for automating modular skids may solve integration challenges for modular construction projects Modular construction — both of facilities and process skids — has gained popularity due to its benefits, including speed of delivery and predictability of cost and…
The world’s first pilot plant for manufacturing bio-based furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) began operating last month in Decatur, Ill. A collaboration between DuPont Industrial Biosciences (Wilmington, Del.; www.biosciences.dupont.com) and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM; Chicago, Ill.; www.adm.com), the 60-ton/yr…
Producing a perfect batch is easy for some products but harder for others. Using analytics to dig into production data can help operators identify where variability might be creeping into a process For many batch manufacturers in the chemical process…
Understanding boiler performance calculations can allow engineers to improve the operation of their facility’s steam system and better engage with boiler-system vendors Chemical plants, petroleum refineries, power plants and cogeneration systems use oil-and-gas-fired steam generators, fluid heaters and waste-heat boilers…
The ability to achieve an optimal steam balance can help to improve the overall thermal cycle efficiency of any steam-production system In any chemical process plant that produces steam, carrying out a steam balance is the most efficient way to…
Hygienic optical sensor measures dissolved oxygen The Memosens COS81D hygienic optical sensor (photo) measures dissolved oxygen in fermenters and bioreactors that are used in the food, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and in drinking water and boiler-feedwater applications, as well. It…