Technical & Practical
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…
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…
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…
Facts at your Fingertips: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an analytical chemistry technique used to elucidate molecular structure and help identity unknown compounds. It is a powerful research tool used for quality control, reaction monitoring, purity analysis and other functions. Nuclear spin The…
High-Purity Water Simplified
There are a number of process technologies available to meet the strict standards for high-purity water in different industrial sectors It is easy to think that the water coming out of our faucets can be used anywhere. Although potable water…
Technology Profile: Production Process for Neopentyl Glycol
This column is based on “Neopentyl Glycol Production Process – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/neopentyl-glycol-production-cost. Neopentyl glycol (NPG; 2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diol) is an industrially important and versatile diol, mainly employed as a building block…
Facts at your Fingertips: Distillation Trays and Packing
Industrial distillation columns use either trays or packing to promote vapor-liquid contact in separating the components of liquid mixtures to the desired purity. Approximately one half of columns are equipped with trays globally, and the other half contain packings. This…
Updating Legacy Rotating Equipment
A brief look at the benefits of installing modern materials and design upgrades through retrofit projects in chemical plants Modern chemical manufacturing plants depend on the reliable operation of numerous important assets to maintain productivity. Retaining legacy equipment is a…
Determining Overall Pump Lifecycle Costs
Beyond the purchase price, there are other optimizable costs that will help moderate pump-related expenses, when estimating pump lifecycle costs Facility managers who rely on industrial pumps for the various liquid-transfer duties in their manufacturing processes may occasionally think that…