Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA; Ibaraki, www.jaea.go.jp) has enhanced the efficiency of a solvent-extraction process to separate organic solvents from water contaminated by radioactive waste. JAEA was able to reduce the toluene concentration from 5,000 parts per million (ppm) to…
There was a time, not long ago, when most groups responsible for industrial control systems (ICS) in the chemical process industries (CPI) were not much worried about security. They had their firewalls in place and their remote access servers, and…
A novel method for treating industrial liquid waste employs supercritical water infused with oxygen to destroy organic compounds. Developed by Innoveox (Paris; www.innoveox.com) and based on technology patented by the French government research organization CNRS (www.cnrs.fr), supercritical water oxidation (SCWO)…
The check valves type 561 and 562 have been redesigned and complement this company’s line of plastic valves. The standard cone check valve (type 561) seals with medium pressure. Type 562 is equipped with a spring, closes autonomously and can…
Question: What standard, guideline or regulation should I use to create a cybersecurity program, or should I wait until a standard is finalized? Answer: Waiting until a cybersecurity standard is explicitly selected, accepted and enforced is a mistake for two…
This company has recently introduced its SCD (forward acting) and SCR (reverse buckling) rupture discs with micro-scored calibration sections. The patent-pending technology makes the discs very flexible so that scoring in six or more sections is possible instead of the…
Last month, this company released the latest version of its valve-sizing software, Nelprof6. The software features two calculation modules that enable the selection of intelligent, automated on/off valves and emergency valves. Special safety requirements, such as an actuator-sizing safety factor…
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB; www.csb.gov) has released test results confirming preliminary conclusions that two flash fires, which occurred at the Hoeganaes Corp. plant in Gallatin, Tenn., involved the combustion of iron powder that had accumulated throughout the facility…
In 2005, an explosion at the BP Texas City refinery facility killed 15 and injured an additional 180. At the time, it was considered to be the worst industrial accident in 16 years, and continues to top the list. While…
Combustion provides heat for many industrial processes and accounts for over 80% of the power used by turbines to generate electricity. Over the past several decades, regulatory action and concerns over environmental air pollutants, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx),…