Technical & Practical
Focus on Solids Handling
This vibratory feeder is ideal for feeding fragile materials The new line of K3 vibratory feeders (photo) features a unique, patent-pending drive system combined with an advanced control package, resulting in gentler product handling, higher accuracy and quicker product changeover…
Technology Profile: Production of Adipic Acid
Adipic acid (hexanedioic acid; Figure 1) is among the most important aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, with about 2.5 billion kg produced annually. It is isolated as odorless, colorless crystals with an acidic taste. Adipic acid undergoes the reactions of carboxylic acids,…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Specification Considerations for Control Valves
Properly specifying process control valves for a plant project is critical to achieving efficient and effective processes. This one-page reference discusses key considerations for specifying control valves. Valve specification Process engineers should take the following aspects into consideration when specifying…
Sequencing Batch Reactors for Water Treatment
Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) are a variation on the activated sludge process in wastewater treatment. This article provides an overview of SBRs, including their history, current use and future outlook Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) are a type of wastewater treatment…
Backwash Tuning for Reliable Sand Filtration
This practical guide provides information on proven backwash-tuning techniques that will improve the reliability and robustness of sand filters in water treatment applications Water is a fundamental part of virtually all plants in the chemical process industries (CPI). Examples of…
Hydrogen Piping Systems: Mitigating Pitfalls by Design
This overview presents guidance for the safe design of piping systems that are used for the distribution of hydrogen gas Hydrogen gas is a very volatile fluid that has a high propensity to leak. This is a very dangerous and…
Considerations for Solid Catalyst Loading
Special considerations must be made for loading expensive solid catalyst materials into fixed-bed and tubular reactors Most units in the chemical process industries (CPI) use complex and expensive heterogeneous catalysts aimed at improving reaction performance. Although sometimes overlooked, the solids-handling…
Technology Profile: Production of Nitrogen from Air
Nitrogen (N2) makes up 78% of ambient air (20.95% of air is oxygen). N2 is an inert (non-flammable) gas used in industrial plants to prevent undesirable chemical reactions from occurring. Nitrogen is the most common inert gas used in the…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Digitalization of Heat Transfer Fluid Systems
The spread of COVID-19 opened the world’s eyes to the weakness of much of its infrastructure and drove home the important role operators and engineers play in keeping manufacturing plants running. These unsung heroes were challenged with the difficult logistics…
Hazardous Materials: What to Do When Disaster Strikes
Detailed plans for handling hazardous materials should be a central part of any chemical plant’s disaster preparedness plan Over the past year, many chemical facilities managed to overcome extreme circumstances. One instance of an extreme event was the winter storm…