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Avoiding Mistakes When Emptying Spill Pallets

Following these guidelines can help workers to take the proper precautions to minimize the risk of leakage from spill pallets Container liquid leaks can occur at any time, even when all precautions have been taken and containers are stored on…

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Industry Adoption of Open Process Automation

Presented here is a description of the Open Process Automation Standard and a progress report on its implementation by industry Open Process Automation (OPA) is an end-user company-driven industry movement to transform the industrial control-system market from one that supplies…

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A Boundless Future for Process Control in the CPI

Emerging automation-system architectures will provide the foundation required for optimized operations across the enterprise For decades, when a person mentioned process control, most engineers’ minds went to proportional integral derivative (PID) loop control, interlocks, safety and advanced process control. Perhaps…

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Owning Your Career: Transitioning From a Technical Role

Making the decision to change career paths from a technical role to a more managerial one can be difficult. Here are some considerations to take into account As a technically trained chemical engineer, career opportunities are very broad with respect…

Facts At Your Fingertips: Conceptualizing Fluid Viscosity

Viscosity is an important property for understanding the flow behavior of liquids, mixtures, emulsions, slurries and other materials in industrial processes. This one-page reference provides a refresher on conceptualizing viscosity. Intermolecular forces Viscosity is a measure of a material’s resistance…

What Manufacturing Sites Can Learn from Municipalities About Water Loss

Accurate water-monitoring technologies support short- and long-term sustainability goals in both municipalities and the industrial sector In recent years, São Paulo, Cape Town and other major world cities have come dangerously close to running out of water, and the criticality…

Bulk Solids Centers Support Research and Education

Bulk-solids handling is a critical aspect of many product manufacturing processes throughout the CPI, but the field is often underappreciated. Research centers that specialize in bulk-solids handling and particle technology are important resources for expanding knowledge and solving technical challenges…

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Pneumatic Conveying Basics

Pneumatic conveying is a versatile method for transporting powders and other solid materials within chemical process plants. Success depends on understanding science and applying specific experience Undergraduate engineering programs include little instruction about powder handling. While there may be some…

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Facts at your Fingertips: Mixing Intensity in Stirred Tanks

The ability to quantify liquid motion in a stirred tank is a basic step toward understanding how mixing influences process results. Quantifying mixing according to a mixing index (MI) can evaluate and predict mixing intensity related to fluid velocities in…

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Precoat Filter Demineralizers in Steam Loops

By minimizing, or even eliminating, the need for blowdowns in steam systems, precoat filter demineralizer systems can greatly contribute to water-conservation efforts Steam is essential in any chemical process plant, primarily for generating heat and power. Power generation (the largest…