The chemical process industries (CPI) have experienced many benefits from the so-called shale-gas boom — recent years have seen an unprecedented rise in construction and expansion activity in the petrochemicals sector. Shown in Figure 1 is construction at the Freeport,…
Maximum ease of cleaning, maintenance and internal inspection are the qualities that make the CosmoDry System suitable for multi-product applications. The CosmoDry System consists of a horizontal cylindrical chamber, equipped with a concentric agitator, fitted with a heated shaft that…
Second only to electric motors, centrifugal pumps are the most common machine used in the chemical process industries (CPI). Pumps are serving in every conceivable fluid application. They move all manner of fluids from wastewater to paper pulp, from ultra-clean…
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…
Clay Naef Barbieri Ferris Kieny Specialty chemicals producer Lanxess (Cologne, Germany) names Matthias Zachert chairman of the board, and promotes Jorge Nogueira to head of the Performance Butadiene Rubbers business unit. The Sensors Div. of Honeywell Life Safety (Morris…
Magnetically driven (mag drive) centrifugal pumps have been in use since 1947 when the first magdrive pump was developed. Mag drives have always been the workhorse pump in applications with corrosive and often toxic fluid applications, and particularly over the…
Edeniq Inc. (Visalia, Calif.; www.edeniq.com) announced progress in building demonstration facilities in Brazil and China that feature the company’s proprietary process for converting cellulosic biomass into industrial sugar for fermentation or catalytic conversion (diagram). In Brazil’s São Paulo state, Edeniq…