William Banholzer gave an opening keynote address at the AIChE Spring Meeting (New Orleans, La.; March 31) that was interesting, fun — and brave. It reminded me of the “Six Sigma for Research and Development [R&D]” training that UOP provided…
The compound 1,4-butanediol (BDO) is a versatile intermediate for the chemical industry. Its largest derivative product is tetrahydrofuran (THF), which is used to make spandex fibers, resins, solvents and printing inks. The second largest product is polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), which…
Collecting representative samples of heat-transfer fluid for routine quality checks falls short of the goal if safety or the environment is compromised. While users should consider their systems’ unique design features in consultation with their safety and health experts, incorporating…
Plant Watch Jacobs awarded contract for ExxonMobil projects in Baytown and Mont Belvieu August 12, 2014 — Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) was awarded a contract from ExxonMobil Chemical Co. to provide engineering, procurement and construction services as…
Laboratories, such as those used for quality control in a production environment and those in research and development, are an integral part of the chemical process industries (CPI). Everyday demands of business can easily overtake safety when it comes to…
The chemical process industries (CPI) have many applications that require classifying or separating solid materials. Examples of separation or classification processes include those operations that attempt to isolate specific material fractions according to particle size, scalp off the coarse fraction…
This company’s M-444 Grade mechanical primary seal rings are designed especially for use with low-viscosity liquids, including Freon refrigerants, liquid oxygen, liquid carbon dioxide, propane, ethylene and acetone. Constructed from graphite and impregnated with antimony, these rings are self-polishing to…
HydroFlow Coolant Recycling Systems (CRS) can recycle any water-miscible fluid to its maximum potential, thus minimizing disposal requirements and reducing usage of the fluid concentrate. These systems are available in four different sizes, the largest of which will meet the…
The patent-pending BFW Series open-mouth bagging machine has a bottom-up filler, engineered for bagging powdery materials in the chemical and food-and-beverage industries. Capable of handling a diverse range of materials, including paper, polyethylene and laminated polywoven bags, the BFW Series…
The BlueWave LED Flood System for light-curable materials provides intensity, uniformity and repeatability in the curing process. With the system’s instant on/off capability, there are no mechanical shutter components, no warmup requirements, faster exposure cycles and lower maintenance costs, says…