Technical & Practical
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: 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.…
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…
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…
Steam Quality Considerations
Steam often provides the majority of heat, but its quality is not always carefully managed. Here are some tips on how to improve and maintain steam quality Plant operations focus on production activity, maintaining tight control on process algorithms, feedstocks…
Technology Profile: Production of Vinyl Chloride Monomer
This column is based on “Vinyl Chloride Production from Ethylene and Chlorine – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/vinyl-chloride-production-cost. Vinyl chloride (also known as vinyl chloride monomer, VCM and chloroethene) is an organochloride…
Facts at your Fingertips: Nucleation Phenomena in Crystallization
Industrial crystallization processes are widely used in the chemical process industries (CPI) for their ability to separate and purify products in a single step, often to greater than 99.9% purity. Crystal growth proceeds after nucleation, a molecular aggregation process whereby…
Detection Systems for Reducing the Risk of Hydrogen Fires
Today’s detection equipment can provide early sensing of H2 gas and flames, provide alarm information to a fire- and gas-safety system controller to initiate mitigating measures, and integrate with process control to further minimize H2-fire risk Hydrogen is the most…