With proper planning, spills can be managed properly and the risk of secondary events — which may be more dangerous and costly — can be reduced Spills are probably one of the biggest problems any laboratory or pilot plant operation…
Heat-transfer fluid selection can be intimidating when considering the long-term impact on costs and operability. The right fluid will provide optimal performance and lifecycle costs, while freeing engineers for other assignments. Most engineers do not routinely consider fluid selection, so…
This column is based on “Acetic Acid Production from Methanol – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/acetic-acid-production-cost. Acetic acid (also known as ethanoic acid) is a carboxylic acid found as dilute solutions in…
The design of vacuum systems deserves careful attention — there are multiple facets that affect efficiency, operability and cost Understanding vacuum and designing vacuum systems can be difficult, and there are many unique aspects that an engineer must take into…
Increasingly, wastewater treatment plants must address odors due to volatile contaminants. This guide provides an overview of odor causes and possible remedial actions Processes and applications that emit odor-causing air contaminants are common across many sectors of the chemical process…
Considering water-management strategies as a central component of infrastructure design at industrial facilities will unlock cost savings throughout the operation Mounting water shortages and resulting regulations across the globe are fueling the need for seamless and smarter water-management methods —…
Quaternary diaphragm pumps deliver the low pulsation and shear that is critical to these biopharmaceutical and continuous-manufacturing operations Biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical manufacturing may come in a wide variety of forms, but every iteration of unit operation must adhere to…
Follow these tips to get the most out of these high-risk, high-reward, third-party arrangements Outsourcing is the subcontracting of a business function to an outside entity. The concept of outsourcing was first articulated by David Ricardo, an English economist in…
Chemical engineers bring many essential skills to the diverse teams required for successful control room design In any continuous manufacturing plant in the chemical process industries (CPI), engineers need to consider control room architecture and design as part of their…
With a thorough investigation and proper problem diagnosis, an entire gas plant limited by a deethanizer reboiler circuit was successfully debottlenecked This article describes a case study of a gas plant (designed by others) that was bottlenecked by the reboil…