Predictive maintenance for rotating machinery is gaining prominence as plant operators embrace analytics and learn how to approach their operating benchmarks Rotating machines, such as motors, compressors, pumps and turbines, are critically important components of plant operations, and must perform…
Facilities with safety instrumented systems can now take advantage of the new SIL (safety integrity level) 2/3 functional safety certification of the Rosemount 8800 Vortex flowmeters (photo), per IEC 61508, which can help mitigate risk, enhance plant safety and protect…
This company has developed WirelessHART instrumentation devices (photo) with batteries that are expected to last the entire life of the device. The batteries are engineered to minimize energy usage based on an in-depth microsecond-by-microsecond analysis of a unit’s power consumption.…
The new ElaSil range of silicone hoses (photo) is suitable for high-media-purity requirements and is easy to clean. Typical applications include ultrafiltration, fermentation, ultrapure water production, WFI (water for injection) and use as a transfer hose. ElaSil conforms to FDA…
Researchers led by professor Hideo Honoso at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Yokohama City, Japan; www.titech.ac.jp) have discovered a new catalyst that enhances the efficacy of NH3 synthesis by two orders of magnitude over that of a conventional Ru catalyst at…
In what is said to be the largest municipal wastewater application using peracetic acid (PAA) disinfectant to date, the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District in Denver, Colo. recently began disinfecting wastewater effluent with a PAA formulation from Enviro Tech Chemical Services,…
Last month, Genomatica (San Diego, Calif.; www.genomatica.com) and Aquafil (Trento, Italy; www.aquafil.com) announced a partnership to commercialize a Genomatica process for making caprolactam derived from renewable feedstocks, rather than from petroleum. The cyclic amide caprolactam is a key intermediate for…
Glycolic acid Researchers from the group of professor Miho Yamauchi at the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) of Kyushu University (Fukuoka City, Ito Campus, i2cner.kyushu-u.ac.jp) have fabricated a liquid flow-type electrolyzer that can continuously produce an alcohol from…
Several methods are available for sizing two-phase pressure-relief valves (PRVs). Here, the API 520 homogeneous direct integration method is compared to a potentially simpler alternative that does not require integration Two-phase pressure-relief valves (PRVs) have been studied by many researchers.…
Areas of recent activity for pressure-relief systems include new calculation methods and updates to existing codes and standards. Included here is an overview of recent developments and a look at the results from a recent study of pressure-relief system deficiencies…