Technical & Practical
Thermodynamics of Gas Piping Systems
Understanding the implications of adiabatic and isothermal flow assumptions is necessary to have confidence in when to use such assumptions Every engineer uses assumptions because every analysis has an overabundance of variables to consider. Often, there are just too many…
Airset regulators for On/Off Valve Applications
Airset regulators are seemingly simple devices, but care must be taken to ensure the right devices are specified, particularly in safety instrumented systems Chemical plants and other heavy industrial facilities typically contain many pneumatically controlled valves, actuators and instruments. Airset…
Design of Bulk-Solids Moving-Bed Heat Exchangers
Presented here are equations governing heat transfer in a moving-bed heat exchanger, along with a numerical method for solving them Moving-bed heat exchangers (MBHE) represent an efficient method for heating or cooling bulk-solid materials compared to other technologies, such as…
Mitigate Dust Hazards With Good Equipment and System Design
By carefully considering equipment and plant design in processes involving powdered materials, fugitive dust issues can be reduced significantly Powdered ingredients that unintentionally leak from equipment in a manufacturing plant are known as fugitive dust. The risks associated with fugitive…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Hopper Outlet Geometry and Arching
When transferring stored bulk-solids materials from hoppers, bins and silos, flow stoppage can occur because of bridging or arching at the vessel outlet. Hopper outlets must be large enough to prevent cohesive arches or stable ratholes from developing. Determining the…
Methods For Testing Steam-Trap Stations
Testing steam-trap stations can be very easy if the plant provides the correct equipment, training and commitment to the steam-system management program When it comes to testing steam traps, a frequently asked question is, “what is the best method?” The…
Rapid Maintenance Response: When Plants Can’t Wait
Even with advanced predictive technologies, unplanned equipment failures can still occur. In these instances, as shown in this boiler example, rapid maintenance action is crucial to minimize downtime Maintenance activities generally fall into two categories — reactive and preventative. The…
Evaporators: Energy Conservation Strategies and Process Control
Several strategies for improving energy consumption and process control in evaporation processes are presented here In industrial evaporation, a heat source (usually condensed steam) is used to concentrate a material through the removal of a liquid solvent. There are several…
Technology Profile: Sodium Chlorate Production
This column is based on “Sodium Chlorate Production – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/sodium-chlorate-production-cost. Sodium chlorate (NaClO3; also known as chlorate of soda) is an odorless inorganic salt with colorless crystals and…
Process Changes: Understanding and Mitigating Fire-and Life-Safety Risk Factors
When making a change in your process, do not overlook new potential hazards that may arise, as discussed here Large-scale chemical processing can be inherently risky. This is especially important to keep in mind when making changes to a process.…