Automation & Control
Sensing Change in Batch Reactors
The batch reactor is the workhorse of the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Within it, many different unit operations are performed such as chemical reactions, bioreactions, crystallization, distillation and dissolution. Despite their significance to the industry, batch reactors have been…
Chementator: New methods for solving differential equations
The behavior of many different phenomena can be modeled by systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), but most ODEs cannot be solved analytically, in which case an approximation to the solution is found by applying numerical integration methods. Dutch-sponsored mathematician…
Chementator: Non-invasive detector
Scientists at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Chilton, Didcot, U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-573) have developed a laser-based method for the characterization of the bulk-chemical content of pharmaceutical capsules — without opening the capsules. In collaboration with researchers…
Focus on Flowmeters
A durable flowmeter for remote applications outdoors A thermal-dispersion, mass-flow sensing technology, the ST50 Flow Meter Series (photo) boasts ±1% accuracy (repeatability ±0.5%) for 2 – 24-in. line sizes and a built-in temperature compensation for reliable measurement over a 40…
Newsfront: Making the Most of What You’ve Got
Asset management means different things to different people in the chemical process industries (CPI). Some take a holistic view in which equipment operations and maintenance, planning and scheduling and all other processing procedures fall under the asset management umbrella. Others…
Chementator: Sensor uses microfluidics to sniff for airborne contaminants
Airborne contaminants can be identified within 2 – 3 s with a new sensor developed by researchers at the University of California-Santa Barbara and Stanford University (Calif.). The researchers have founded a company, SpectraFluidics, Inc. (Santa Barbara; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7369-539) to commercialize…
Feature Report: Computerized Maintenance Management Systems For Effective Plant Performance
Corralling gigabytes of predictive maintenance data isn’t easy, but it’s essential for streamlining your process Plant maintenance is one of the disciplines in a chemical process environment that uses gigabytes of technical and operational data on a daily basis. Of…
Operations & Maintenance: Technology and Scheduling: The Perfect Chemistry
By utilizing efficient scheduling software, companies in the CPI can improve enterprise agility and compliance In the fast-paced and ever-changing world of chemical processing, companies are constantly trying to keep up with the latest technology, while at the same time…
Chementator: Self-powered Sensor
Researchers from the University of Glasgow (U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7368-539) have designed a device that can detect pollutants, then generate its own electricity to power an early warning system. The self-powered sensor consists of a biosensor with genetically engineered microbes. When the…
Engineering Practice: CAPE-Open: An International Standard for Process Simulation
Although current process simulators contain an extensive library of thermodynamic models and unit operations, they do not contain many new, complicated, or lesser known models. For many companies, particularly those in the petrochemical refining industry, it is very important to…