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Feature Report: Spray Technology Fundamentals & Applications: Game Winning Strategies

Spray technology is a powerful tool used to achieve higher levels of overall process performance. Strategic decisions in selecting and employing spray technology can yield dramatic wins. Understanding sprays, drop size, and the strengths and characteristics of nozzle types and…

Engineering Practice: Discharge Coefficients and Flow Resistance Factors

This article presents the fundamental concepts of the discharge coefficient, KD, of a relief valve or a safety relief valve, and flow resistance factor, KR, of a rupture disk, and their proper use in sizing an emergency relief system. When…

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Strategies to Minimize Wastewater Discharge

As regulatory issues, environmental sensitivity, and longterm water supply concerns increase, the chemical process industries (CPI) are considering ways to reduce their water discharges. In fact, more and more companies are evaluating the viability of zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD) processes. This usually…

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 The Path to the Perfect Plant

Process engineers understand how to harness the power of closed-loop multi-variable control in their plants. The evolution of digital control in the chemical process industries (CPI) has provided that power. Yet digital control represents just one facet of optimization and…

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Feature Report: Water Reuse and Conservation in the CPI

The need to conserve water is becoming a common concern throughout the world. Whether this is due to the cost of water, availability of water, or environmental concerns, water conservation is becoming a major focal point, both in the public…

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From Tap to Transmitter

Today, companies in the chemical process industries (CPI) are faced with increased operating expenses, reductions in the number of qualified workers, strong competition and the need to do more with less. To meet these challenges, many companies are making use…

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Engineering Practice: Predicting Water Content of Compressed Air

Each compressed air system is typically composed of one or more compressors with a power source, control system, intake air filter, after cooler and separator, air receiver, air dryer, interconnecting piping and a distribution system to deliver air to points…

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Engineering Practice: Optimize your Process Plant for More than One Objective

There are many criteria that the engineer considers when optimizing: maximization of product yield or quality; minimization of recycle flow or energy consumption; and economic indicators, such as maximization of profits, net present worth (NPW) and minimization of payback period…

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Facts at Your Fingertips: Crystallization

Crystallization is a method of solid-fluid separation in which pure chemical crystals are formed. Crystallization kinetics consists of three major phenomena: nucleation (the birth of a crystal), transfer of the solute from the supersaturated solution to the crystal surface, and…

Facts at your Fingertips: Valves

Gate Gate valves are designed to operate fully open or fully closed; When fully opened, there is very little pressure drop across the valve, and when fully closed there is good sealing against pressure. With the proper mating of a…