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Processing & Handling

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Vacuum Drying: Basics and Application

Vacuum drying can be a useful tool for solid products that are heat-sensitive. Here are some guidelines for the selection and use of various types of vacuum dryers Drying is an essential unit operation in a variety of chemical process…

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A Primer on Rectangular Tanks

This type of tank is often preferred to cylindrical tanks when space is limited. Follow this guidance to calculate the relevant dimension and ensure safe construction With the increasing age of many chemical process plants, a challenge often arises when…

Rotating Machinery: What You Should Know About Operational Problems

Follow this guidance to improve the operation, safety and reliability of rotating machinery in chemical process plants Troubleshooting problems in rotating machinery (such as compressors, pumps, steam turbines, gas turbines, turbo-expanders and more) can present difficult challenges during day-to-day operations…

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Mitigate Corrosion in Condensate-Return Systems

Understanding the chemistry behind corrosion in condensate-return systems can aid in selecting and properly employing the best mitigation technique The importance of steam-condensate return systems to boilers in the chemical process industries (CPI) cannot be overemphasized, especially with regard to…

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Why Bad Things Happen to Good Steam Equipment

Accounting for an entire steam-trap population is crucial to avoiding safety incidents and sub-optimal production — high-priority consideration must be given to steam-system management Historically, steam systems have provided the most effective source of readily conveyable heat to industrial process…

Fundamentals of High-Shear Dispersers

Successful dispersion depends on a basic understanding of dispersion equipment and how dispersers should be used High-shear mixers typically operate at high rotational speeds and are used for mixing applications that are best described as dispersion processes. They can be…

Dimensionless numbers in fluid dynamics

Dimensionless numbers refer to physical parameters that have no units of measurement. These numbers often appear in calculations used by process engineers. As long as consistent units are used, dimensionless numbers remain the same whether metric or other units are…

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Onsite CN generation

Gold mines using traditional cyanide-leaching extraction processes will benefit with the launch of a new technology allowing onsite production of sodium cyanide. The technology, developed by Synergen Met Pty Ltd (Brisbane, Australia; www.synergenmet.com), will eliminate a range of hazardous activities…

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‘High-entropy’ alloy

Researchers from North Carolina State University (Raleigh; www.ncsu.edu) and Qatar University (Doha; www.qu.edu.qa) have developed a new metal alloy that is claimed to have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than any other existing metal material. The low-density, nanocrystalline alloy — Al20Li20Mg10Sc20Ti30…

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New enzyme

Last month, Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.novozymes.com) launched a new enzyme, dubbed Eversa, which is said to be the first commercially available enzymatic solution to make biodiesel fuels from waste oils. The enzymatic process converts used cooking oil or other lower-grade…