A naphtha-cracking process with improved yield, reduced coking and longer catalyst life is being developed in a five-year Japanese project led by professor Takashi Tatsumi at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech; www.titech.ac.jp), with participation from the National Institute of…
A proprietary nanoscale catalyst and an updated engineering design have allowed higher conversion rates for transforming the heaviest fractions of crude oil, known as vacuum residue, into high-value transportation fuels, such as diesel. Developed by UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.;…
Last month, W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore; Elkton, Md.; www.gore.com) introduced what is claimed to be the worlds first 20-nm-rated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filter that is available in a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) cartridge. Compared to conventional filtration media, this new…
The first commercial-scale biobutanol plant using the Gevo Integrated Fermentation Technology (GIFT) process is set to come online in mid-2012 at the former site of an ethanol facility in Minnesota. In late January, Gevo (Englewood, Colo.; www.gevo.com) was awarded a…
KTM Unibody EB700 ball valves have a one piece, cast body to minimize potential leak paths and improve safety compared to split-body designs. The EB700 series has a rugged design with a seat made from a co-polymer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)…
A new catalyst design, in which gallium atoms are integrated into the zeolite catalyst structure, can increase yields of aromatic compounds from biomass by 40% in a catalytic fast-pyrolysis process. The higher yields of benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX), as…
The Nikuradse-Prandtl-von Karman (NPK) equation is the most widely used expression to determine friction factors for fluid flow in smooth pipes [1–3]. It implicitly relates the friction factor (expressed here as f; sometimes called λ) to the Reynolds number, Re.…
The LSS-30-PP is a sampling system designed to allow sampling of hazardous process fluids without personnel contact. The LSS-30-PP is similar in design to the LSS-140-ST from this company, but has a smaller sample cylinder (300 mL), and has wetted…
A proprietary nanoscale catalyst and an updated engineering design have allowed higher conversion rates for transforming the heaviest fractions of crude oil, known as vacuum residue, into high-value transportation fuels, such as diesel. Developed by UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.;…
To optimize process control and overall plant performance, magnetic flowmeters (mag meters) are the most widely used devices in many industrial flow-measurement applications. Mag meters are used to measure the flow of water and other conductive liquids by applying a…