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Automation & Control

New high-accuracy modeling techniques for high-performance reactor design

For the first time, it is possible to gain a detailed quantitative insight into the internal operation of multitubular reactors — complicated units that can be notoriously difficult to design because they involve complex catalytic reactions, a large number (often…

Operator training

Hyperion Systems Engineering Ltd. (Cyprus; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-547) has released a new interface for Yokogawa's (Newnan, Ga.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-548) Centum CS 3000 DSC for use with operator training simulation (OTS). The new interface is said to aid faster development of OTS systems, leading…

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Estimating Equilibrium Phase Distribution Ratios

    The equilibrium phase distribution ratio (K value) is necessary for designing and assessing the performance of distillation columns. This paper proposes a simplified approach to calculate the K value that is suitable for preliminary design work and for…

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Wireless Diagnostics for Steam Traps

    Steam traps have been around for a hundred years or so, and for the most part, nothing revolutionary has come forward to change the basic way a trap functions. Any operation that uses steam to produce a high-quality,…

Analyzers

    Measure chemical concentrations inline with this compact unit This instrument addresses a critical requirement in the semiconductor industry for monitoring and control of liquid chemicals employed in device manufacturing. The CR-288 concentration monitor (photo) provides realtime temperature-compensated concentration…

Beyond rotating-equipment assets

An expansion of Invensys’s (Foxboro, Mass.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-532) recent InFusion launch (CE, May 2006, p. 13), the InFusion Condition Manager provides a new capability for effectively balancing asset availability and utilization to align overall plant performance with business objectives. Other vendors’…

Wireless goes mainstream

    Wireless communication for plant data gathering and even process control is a rapidly maturing technology. What started out as a cheap way to gather non-critical plant information now has the potential to take over much of the work…

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Markup languages

The World Batch Forum (WBF; St. Louis, Missouri; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-542) has released new versions of its two, XML-based markup languages for implementing the ANSI/ISA S88 and S95 standards and their international countrerparts IEC-61512 and IEC/ISO-62264. Enhancements in Version 2.0 of WBF’s…

Computational chemistry

    It’s a very exciting time for computational chemistry, said Gerhard Engel, senior director of R&D, accelrys Ltd. (Cambridge, England) in his opening address to delegates of the European Science Forum last month in Heidelberg, Germany. This comment was…

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Interoperability in control systems

Samson AG (Frankfurt, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-545) has started to implement the Vigilant Integration Partners (VIP) initiative, having entered a formal cooperation agreement with Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Tokyo; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-546). The VIP initiative is an open and non-exclusive mutual technology cooperation program to…