Ethylene is arguably the most important building block of the petrochemical industry, frequently produced via steam cracking of a range of petroleum-based feedstocks. Rising oil prices and concerns about global warming have motivated research into ethylene manufacture from renewable sources.…
Ongoing advances in the design and use of dry gas seals (DGSs; [ 1]) — as an alternative to traditional oil-lubricated wet seals [ 2] — have helped to improve the reliability and efficiency of compressors throughout the chemical process…
Plant Watch Evonik plans new precipitated- silica plant in Brazil May 10, 2013 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has started basic engineering for a precipitated-silica plant in Brazil. Subject to the approval of the responsible bodies, Evonik aims…
Chemical technology is in a state of constant innovation and evolution that is being spearheaded by laboratory researchers across the world. Within the past decade, research specific to “green” or bio-based chemicals has gathered funding and momentum as broad-based opinion…
Kraemer Garber Prejean Schaub Watson Kenneth Lane becomes president of BASF’s Catalysts Div. (Iselin, N.J.), succeeding Frank Bozich, who has decided to leave the company. Klüber Lubrication North America LP (Londonderry, N.H.) names Ralf Kraemer CEO. He succeeds Dieter…
Have you ever participated in a team-building exercise, the type where Human Resources personnel teach a group of individuals how to work better together? I’ll bet that during my career I participated in about ten such exercises, but right now…
Process sensors and actuators provide a wealth of information about their status. The Namur recommendation NE 107 that proposes standardized, easily understandable status indicators was issued by the International User Association for Automation in Process Industries (Namur; Leverkusen, Germany; www.namur.de),…
With the advent of smart or intelligent field devices, a wealth of digital information has become available. However, what does the host system do with these data? The field device transmits a bucket of bits to the host system. How…
During process operations, elevated pressure inside of isolated zones within a process or system can be rapidly reduced by the release of gas and vapor to a dedicated blowdown network. Analysis can be carried out to determine whether a given…
The EasiDrive portable valve actuator effortlessly opens and closes valves in petroleum refineries, power plants, paper mills and chemical processing plants. Generating a torque of up to 2,000 Nm, this tool enables a single operator to efficiently drive multiple valves…