Technical & Practical
Facts at your Fingertips: Safety Instrumented Systems and Risk
Within the chemical process industries (CPI), the need to design safety systems to prevent process failures from occurring, or to control them when they do, is well recognized, as is the importance of having confidence in the safety systems that…
Seal Selection: Ensure Regulator Performance in Low-Temperature Applications
In low-temperature conditions, the use of compatible sealing materials is essential for leak-tight operation and proper functionality of pressure-regulating devices Harsh, frigid conditions are among the most challenging industrial environments (Figure 1) for fluid-handling applications. At these temperatures, it is…
Pump Sealing for Hazardous Chemicals
Pumping hazardous chemicals requires specific shaft-sealing technologies to ensure containment and reliability Hazardous chemicals are defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.; www.epa.gov) as those that are potentially harmful to human health and the environment. Existing as gases…
Air Movers for Dilute-Phase Pneumatic Conveying
Selecting the best air mover for a bulk-solids pneumatic-conveying application is a critical design decision. Provided here is information on three classes of air movers when dilute-phase pneumatic conveying is required In a typical bulk-solids pneumatic-conveying system, an air mover…
Technology Profile: Production of 2-propylheptanol
This column is based on “2-Propylheptanol Production Process - Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/2-propylheptanol-production-cost. Also known as 2-PH and 2-propylheptyl alcohol, 2-propylheptanol is a branched fatty alcohol, primarily used in the production…
Facts at your Fingertips: Solids Friction in Bins and Hoppers
To avoid problems with solids flow in bins and hoppers, the friction between the equipment walls and the flowing solids is an important factor to understand. Provided here is a review of flow patterns in bins and hoppers, and practical…
A Primer on Reciprocating Metering Pump Technologies
Understanding what technology is available is a first step towards selecting the right pump for metering applications Reciprocating metering pumps are problem solvers for difficult fluid-handling tasks and applications. Their main function is the metering of a precise fluid volume…
Technology Profile: Ethanolamines Production from Ethylene Oxide and Ammonia
This column is based on “Ethanolamines from Ethylene Oxide and Ammonia – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at the following URL: www.intratec.us/analysis/monoethanolamine-production-cost. Ethanolamines are a family of compounds that are used as feedstocks for…
Facts at your Fingertips: Selecting Heat-Transfer Fluid Supplier
Lean workforces are the norm in current plant environments. In the context of heat exchange systems, the current situation amplifies the need to select a heat-transfer fluid supplier with the expertise and technical resources to handle non-routine circumstances. This one-page…
Beyond Simple Mixing
Five different examples are presented in which specialty mixers are used to perform tasks more efficiently than conventional approaches Specialty mixers serve a vast range of applications throughout the chemical process industries (CPI). The approach to mixer selection invariably starts…