Follow this guidance to minimize risk when adding or modifying plant equipment In 2015, construction in the chemical process industries (CPI) soared. Capital spending surged 18.4% and 255 new chemical production projects were announced, according to the American Chemistry Council…
Modeling and pilot testing can minimize its impact during natural-gas processing Retrograde condensation (RC) occurs in multi-component natural-gas streams at relatively high pressures (for instance, pressures above 40 barg/580 psig). The presence of condensed liquids in such systems can have…
Drying biosludge from wastewater-treatment plants is complicated by the “sticky phase,” making the practice more of an art than a science. Discussed here are efforts to define the beginning and endpoints of this phase analytically The drying of biosludge from…
This column is based on “Acrylonitrile Production from Propylene,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/acrylonitrile-e11a. The highly reactive compound acrylonitrile (AN) contains a carbon-carbon double bond conjugated with a nitrile group. The chemical became important…
A general overview of industrial photochemistry and the design of large-scale stirred-tank photochemical reactors Photochemical processes complement or may even substitute conventional (thermal) processes. The radiant energy initiates the reaction, for example by forming radicals, and in most cases, no…
This column is based on the report “Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate Production – Cost Analysis,” published by Intratec. It can be found at the following URL: www.intratec.us/analysis/sles-e11a. Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (also known as SLES and sodium laureth sulfate) is…
Producing a perfect batch is easy for some products but harder for others. Using analytics to dig into production data can help operators identify where variability might be creeping into a process For many batch manufacturers in the chemical process…
Fluid seals for chemical process equipment are commonly made from a host of elastomeric and plastic materials. Selecting a seal material requires careful consideration of several criteria. Presented here are short descriptions of the major criteria for seal selection and…
The ability to achieve an optimal steam balance can help to improve the overall thermal cycle efficiency of any steam-production system In any chemical process plant that produces steam, carrying out a steam balance is the most efficient way to…
Pneumatic conveying is a ubiquitous mode of conveying bulk solids in a wide range of industries, including chemicals, plastics, grain, food, agriculture, mining, power generation and cement, among others. The flow patterns within conveying lines depend on the properties of…