Technical & Practical
Owning Your Career: Taking a Hard Look at ‘Soft’ Skills
A personal development strategy helps to set engineers up for success in their personal and professional lives As chemical engineers, we have been trained to be data-driven, fact-based problem-solvers. This focus serves us well when we are tackling difficult technical…
Technology Profile: Isopropyl Alcohol Production from Acetone
This column is based on “Isopropyl Alcohol Production from Acetone – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/isopropyl-alcohol-production-cost. Isopropyl alcohol (also known as isopropanol or 2-propanol) is a colorless and flammable liquid with a…
Facts at your Fingertips: Cyclone Separators
Removing solids from a stream of air or other gases is an important operation across virtually all sectors of the chemical process industries (CPI). In many cases, gas-solid separation is motivated by the need to reduce environmental impact and health…
A Simplified Approach to Crystallization Mass Balances
In continuous crystallization, it is often challenging to accurately measure mass flowrates, but the method described here enables a simpler path to a balanced crystallization process To gain optimal value from industrial crystallization processes, it is clear that understanding specific…
Seal Considerations to Reduce Fugitive Emissions
By understanding the basics of industry standards, such as API 682, plants can make great strides in controlling fugitive emissions related to equipment seals Chemicals that unintentionally leak from equipment into the atmosphere are known as fugitive emissions. These gases…
Technology Profile: Production of Orthophthalic Unsaturated Polyester
This column is based on “Orthophthalic Unsaturated Polyester Production Process – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/unsaturated-polyester-resin-production-cost. Unsaturated polyester resins (UPRs) are solutions of unsaturated polyesters in co-polymerizable monomers, which undergo cross-linkage to…
Facts at your Fingertips: Ion Exchange Resins in Water Treatment
Removal of dissolved ions from industrial process water, boiler feedwater or wastewater is a common challenge for facilities in the chemical process industries (CPI). Ion exchange (IX) systems offer one possible solution for demineralization, purification or wastewater-treatment applications. Ion exchange…
Modular Process Design: Chemical and Thermal Recycling of Acids
In order to recycle spent acids from different applications, a design approach based on different process modules gives operators the flexibility needed to handle different contaminants Spent or waste acids (SA) containing sulfuric or nitric acid are a byproduct of…
Acid Recovery and Recycle Technologies
This overview of a number of different methods for handling spent acids will help operators select the technology most suited for a given application The most common pickling, leaching and passivation acids are the mineral acids: sulfuric, hydrochloric and nitric.…
Industry Mentors: An Integral Part of Education
An experienced engineer who mentors young engineers and a student mentee share their perspectives Mentors provide critical support and guidance to students pursuing an engineering education, and complement coursework aimed at readying a new engineer for the workforce. Mentorships can…