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Operations & Maintenance

Modern Rupture Discs Support Increased Plant Capacity

The use of today’s high-performance rupture disc designs can help to reduce many common operating problems and support increased throughput requirements Chemical process industries (CPI) plants are typically designed to achieve specific production volumes, but as anyone who has worked…

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Precipitated Calcium Carbonate from Limestone

This column is based on “Calcium Carbonate Production from Limestone: Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/calcium-carbonate-production-cost. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is a mineral that occurs naturally in chalks, limestones and marbles. Its largest use…

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Integrated Risk-Management Matrices

An overview of the tools available to reliability professionals for making their organization the best-in-class Since the 1960s, process facility operators have made concerted efforts to improve the overall reliability and availability of their plants. From reliability theory to practical…

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New Developments Take Shape for U.S. Refiners

Process safety strategies, water use and alkylation technology were among the topics figuring prominently at the 2016 AFPM annual meeting An evolving set of issues facing petroleum refiners in the U.S. figured prominently at the annual meeting of the American…

CE Bookshelf for May 2016: Recently published books for the CPI

  Handbook of Seal Integrity in the Food Industry. By Michael Dudbridge, Wiley & Sons, April 2016, 232 pages, $120.00. Curious Tales from Chemistry: The Last Alchemist in Paris and Other Episodes. By Lars Ohrstrom, Oxford University Press, January 2016,…

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Organic Chemical Functional Groups

Chemical functional groups are critical determinants of the properties and reactivity of compounds. The following provides a review of the structures of common organic functional groups, along with some notes and examples. Alkyne. Acetylene is used as a fuel for…

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Supply Chain Challenges and Solutions

Transportation is vital to the CPI, so here are some tips to keep your products moving as the market for hazardous-materials shipping continues to tighten All shippers strive to keep costs under control while simultaneously running smooth, efficient and time-sensitive…

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Illuminating Process Vessels: Advantages of Diffused Light

Don’t panic — What appear to be scratches on a vessel may be an illusion caused by improperly applied LED lighting Imagine looking into a sight glass for a routine tank inspection, and seeing for the first time numerous scratches…

How To Safely Sample Fluids From Heat Transfer Systems

To ensure you get the most out of your heat transfer fluids throughout their lifetime, it is recommended to sample, test and analyze your fluids once a year. Be sure to look for a heat transfer fluid supplier that provides…

Improving the Operability of Process Plants

Turndown and rangeability have a big impact on the flexibility and efficiency of chemical process operations  During the design of a chemical process plant, the main focus is on which process units or unit operations must be integrated to convert…