Technical & Practical
Design and Calculation Methods for Uniflow Cyclones
Uniflow cyclones can be effective solid-gas separation equipment when space is limited. Presented here are design and calculation methods for uniflow cyclones aimed at widening the industrial usefulness of these devices Cyclone separators are, in addition to fabric filters, electrostatic…
Oxygen Production via Cryogenic Distillation
This column is based on “Oxygen Production – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/oxygen-production-cost. Oxygen is a nonmetallic element and one of the most abundant elements on Earth’s surface. Under standard pressure and…
Facts at your Fingertips: Pump Sizing Parameters
A solid grasp of pump sizing allows engineers to make effective economic and practical decisions about process pumps. This one-page reference provides information about two key parameters and other considerations for pump sizing. Pump sizing steps Sizing a pump requires…
Air Coolers Versus Shell-and-Tube Water Coolers
As shown here, economical cooling is often achieved with a combination of both air and water cooling. Design considerations are also presented here For the last 40 years, air-cooled heat exchangers have become an indispensable part of many chemical, petroleum-refining,…
Technology Profile: HDPE Production via Slurry-Loop Process
This column is based on “HDPE Production via Slurry Loop Process – Cost Analysis,” published by Intratec. The report can be found at the following URL: www.intratec.us/analysis/hdpe-production-cost. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is one of the three main types of polyethylene, and…
Facts at your Fingertips: Pressure Measurement for Real Gases
The ideal gas law ( PV = nRT), relating molar volume of a gas to pressure and temperature, is predicated on two assumptions: 1) that the volume occupied by the gas molecules is negligible compared to the volume of the…
Accelerating Six Sigma Research with the Definitive Screening Design (DSD) Technique
DSD is a new design-of-experiments (DOE) technique that is expected to bring huge benefits when using a Six Sigma optimization strategy Statistical tools are deeply ingrained in the Six Sigma methodology to optimize processes and products during chemical process industries…
Cost Engineering: Equipment Purchase Costs
A methodology and examples for estimating equipment costs are presented Engineers have the responsibility to create projects having attractive returns on investment and to create economically sound designs — designs that produce high-quality, competitively priced products. This requires the technical…
Commercializing Process Technologies
New technologies can provide competitive advantages compared to established processes, but significant effort is required to transition a promising concept into a commercial reality Many students study chemical engineering with the aspiration of someday inventing an innovative process that could…
Facts at your Fingertips: Distillation
Computer-generated simulations of distillation processes are often validated experimentally. This reference discusses three concepts that influence comparisons between experimental results and simulation predictions: vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of the components; relative liquid-to-vapor flowrates (L/V ratios in the column); and vapor-liquid contactor…