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Engineering Practice

Key Considerations in Specifying Control Valves

Follow this guidance to specify a control valve accurately during the design phase   Control valves are one of the most common and important instruments used in the chemical process industries (CPI). They help to ensure smooth and efficient operation…

Research Projects: The Importance of “Cold Eyes” Project Reviews

Follow this guidance to carry out independent project reviews of research projects that are both valuable and effective — and pain free   Independent project reviews (IPRs) are a common tool used to control, review and validate a project before…

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The CPI Construction Boom: Project Delivery in a New Landscape

Companies need more creative ways to deal with complex and ever-changing market and technical challenges   Low natural gas prices and high global demand for hydrocarbon-based chemicals have resulted in resurgence in the construction of new and existing chemical process…

Eye on Flare Systems

Proper gas sampling is essential to meet operating and regulatory objectives Flares are used extensively in chemical process industries (CPI) facilities and petroleum refineries, to combust flammable hazardous gases. When designed and operated properly, they provide a proven mechanism to…

Process Plant Layout — Becoming a Lost Art?

Plant layout is as important a part of process plant design as it ever was, but it is rarely taught as part of chemical engineering courses While process plant layout is a critical aspect of chemical process industries (CPI) operations,…

Pump Safety: Flirting with Disaster

Be vigilant about parallel pumping conditions that can lead to catastrophic failures During my career, I have seen several massive centrifugal pump failures caused by pump users attempting to operate pumps in parallel without the proper equipment review, procedural review…

Considering Fugitive Emissions During the Conceptual Design Stage

The ability to reduce fugitive emissions through the use of strategic design modifications not only protects workers and the environment, but reduces losses of valuable process materials The industrialized nations of the world have all placed increased emphasis on the…

Using Excel VBA for Process-Simulator Data Extraction

Engineers can make better use of the results of process simulations by automatically exporting data into heat and material balance tables in Microsoft Excel Chemical engineering projects require process simulation to validate the chemical reactions and mechanical operations of the…

Cybersecurity: You Cannot Secure What You Cannot See

Follow this guidance to understand today’s cybersecurity risk landscape and take the necessary steps to create a sound industrial control system cybersecurity program, including the development of a comprehensive, in-depth cyber-asset inventory In industrial facilities, cyber incidents typically result from…

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Design of Experiments (DoE):How to Handle Hard-to-Change Factors Using a Split Plot

This methodology facilitates multifactor testing. However, it comes at a price: a loss in power for detecting effects The traditional approach to experimentation — often referred to as the “scientific method” — requires changing only one factor at a time…