Pressure vessels are weakened when nozzles must be introduced, and reinforcement is required to compensate. Presented here are two methods for calculating the necessary reinforcement When pressure vessels are penetrated for introducing nozzles, the vessel is weakened and must be…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB; Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) today released its final report on the July 31, 2024, release of hazardous anhydrous ammonia at the Cuisine Solutions, Inc. food processing facility in Sterling, Virginia. The incident led…
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; Tokyo, Japan; www.mhi.com) has achieved the target performance of over 99.5vol% ethanol purity at a pilot plant for membrane dehydration systems (MMDS®: Mitsubishi Membrane Dehydration System) installed at MHI's Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park within the…
Sphera (Chicago, Ill.; www.sphera.com), a leading provider of sustainability and operational risk management software, has partnered with Evonik (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com), one of the world’s leading chemicals companies, to launch the first TÜV-certified (www.tuvsud.com) process for automated life cycle assessments…
The following is a list of recently published books that may be relevant for professionals working in the chemical process industries (CPI). Process Safety Management. By Ian Sutton, Elsevier Press, 2025, 750 pages, $225.00. AI Essentials for Chemical Engineers:…
Storing energy to smooth the intermittency of wind and solar power can be accomplished in a number of ways, including mechanical (pumped hydro, flywheels, compressed air and others), thermochemical (phase-change materials and molten salts, for example), chemical (conversion of electricity…
Sanitary valves are essential for applications that demand product purity, process integrity and regulatory compliance. This article discusses valve types, working principles and components, and provides considerations for selection and specification Sanitary valves are essential components for applications in the…
Even seasoned engineers can fall into the trap of trusting valve datasheets too much. In real chemical‑processing environments, “on paper” performance can fall short — especially when factors like backpressure, fluid phase, fire exposure, or piping layout are misunderstood. This…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB; Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) is sending a team to investigate the fatal explosion at the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska, that occurred on July 29. The facility is approximately 30 miles…
Process electrification is gaining interest as a solution to industrial CO2 emissions, which account for 20% of total CO2 emissions in the U.S. [1]. Several technologies are emerging for electric process heating, including electrode steam boilers and high-temperature heat pumps,…