Propylene is the second most important intermediate in the petrochemical industry after ethylene, and its global demand is dominated by the production of polypropylene. However, the growing use of natural gas from shale deposits as a raw material for steam…
Dust is a critical consideration in the chemical process industries (CPI) from both a process safety standpoint — as a potential fire and explosion hazard — and from an occupational safety standpoint — as a potential worker exposure hazard. Reinforcing…
Pressure vessels are common in the chemical process industries (CPI) and they range widely in size and complexity. Process engineers may be tasked with inspecting a new pressure vessel or with witnessing hydrostatic testing of a vessel. In addition, engineers…
Uhrig Laborde Sielaff Scheu Festge Bioformix, Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio), a manufacturer of energy-efficient, sustainable polymer platforms, names Jeff Uhrig senior vice president of corporate strategy. Nadege Laborde becomes president of the industrial biotech business unit of Novasep (Pompey,…
Corrosion and deposition in boilers, steam turbines and many types of process equipment are among the most expensive causes of outages in utility and industrial steam plants. Deposits and scale buildup on heat-transfer surfaces reduce efficiency, and when allowed to…
Plant Watch Praxair starts up carbon-dioxide purification plant at Honeywell site December 10, 2013 — Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has started up its new carbon-dioxide (CO2) purification facility at the Honeywell Resins & Chemicals site in Hopewell, Va. Under…
While staffing issues continue to be a tremendous challenge for companies in the chemical process industries (CPI), a number of strategies and training approaches are emerging to help address the need for trained engineers and skilled tradespersons. The shale-gas boom…
The topic of carrying out process engineering calculations in the most effective manner can be considered in these four ways: 1. The purpose of the calculation 2. The content of the calculation 3. The method used to carry out the…
CUI — that acronym should be enough to capture your attention. All chemical process industries (CPI) plants are aging — and some are aged, especially in the U.S. and Europe. Corrosion under insulation (CUI) should be regarded as a silent…
Dascalescu Hinman Kreisel Aldana Wiseman Environmental Drilling Solutions (Lafayette, La.) names John Meckert CEO, and John Marty III business development manager. Specialty chemicals company Evonik Canada, Inc. (East Gibbons, Alta.), names Diana Dascalescu manager of the company’s Maitland, Ont.,…