Technical & Practical
Propelling distillation research
I have 70 supervisors. It sometimes feels like I am pulled in 70 different directions — north, south, east, west, up, down and inside-out. But even after two years at this job, I can still hold my hand steady —…
Piping Design for Hazardous Fluid Service
Incorporating fire safety into plant design takes on two fundamental goals: to prevent the occurrence of fire and to protect the initially uninvolved piping and equipment long enough for operations personnel to perform their duties and for emergency responders to…
Focus on Pumps
Neptune Chemical Pump This self-priming pump is available for water and wastewater processing The Series 7000 mechanically actuated, diaphragm metering pumps (photo) can handle viscosities in excess of 5,000 cP and can pump chemicals that tend to off-gas (such as…
Burner Operating Characteristics
Burners are critical for the successful operation of industrial furnaces. Presented here is a set of equations that can be used to calculate characteristics of burner operation, including flame length, flame diameter, ignitability and flameout conditions. Equations are based on…
Spiral Plate Heat Exchangers: Sizing Units for Cooling Non-Newtonian Slurries
Gooch Thermal Systems Spiral plate heat exchangers are ideal for cooling slurries and viscous fluids. The performance of these units is characterized by increased turbulent heat transfer, reduced fouling, greater ease of maintenance, and more compact size compared to many…
Wireless Communication in Hazardous Areas
Wireless communications have great potential in the chemical process industries (CPI) because they do away with complex and costly cable installations and enable completely new applications. And while a recent wave of successful demonstrations has begun to emerge in the…
Agglomeration Technology: Equipment Selection
A virtually endless number of process options are available for agglomerating powders in the chemical process industries (CPI). These processes can be divided into two main categories: agitation and compression. Agglomeration by agitation includes granulation processes, such as fluidized-bed, disc,…
A Safety-Centered Approach To Industrial Lighting
The use of appropriate hazardous-area lighting in the chemical process industries (CPI) is a key factor when it comes to improving overall plant safety and worker productivity, and supporting the best maintenance practices. The potentially hazardous conditions associated with many…
Full-Length Sleeving for Process Heat Exchanger Tubes
As heat exchangers age, their tube thickness decreases because of erosion, corrosion or a combination of both. Installing thin sleeves in tubes in which the tube walls have become so thin that failure is imminent is a maintenance technique useful…
Mechanical Design Aspects for High-Performance Agitated Reactors
The stirred tank reactor with rotating mixers remains the backbone of the chemical process industries (CPI). While mixing is considered a mature technology, it is clear that continued technological development is necessary to achieve the state-of-the-art design demanded by ever-increasing…