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Technical & Practical

A Primer on Compressor Design

From initial conceptualization to final calculation, designing compressors requires not only engineering intuition and robust simulation tools, but also a bit of creativity As technology has evolved, so has the refrigeration industry. What were once holes in the ground filled…

Research Projects: The Importance of “Cold Eyes” Project Reviews

Follow this guidance to carry out independent project reviews of research projects that are both valuable and effective — and pain free   Independent project reviews (IPRs) are a common tool used to control, review and validate a project before…

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Facts at your Fingertips: Solids-blending processes

Mixing and blending of bulk solids is common in pharmaceutical and food manufacturing, specialty chemicals, explosives, fertilizers, glass and ceramics, detergents and resin industries. This column provides information on batch versus continuous blending mechanisms. Batch versus continuous Batch blending processes…

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The CPI Construction Boom: Project Delivery in a New Landscape

Companies need more creative ways to deal with complex and ever-changing market and technical challenges   Low natural gas prices and high global demand for hydrocarbon-based chemicals have resulted in resurgence in the construction of new and existing chemical process…

Eye on Flare Systems

Proper gas sampling is essential to meet operating and regulatory objectives Flares are used extensively in chemical process industries (CPI) facilities and petroleum refineries, to combust flammable hazardous gases. When designed and operated properly, they provide a proven mechanism to…

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High Purity Chemicals: Processing Equipment Essentials

Some practical tips regarding the design and fabrication of piping systems and equipment for high-purity applications are presented here Chemical processing, and the chemical process industries (CPI) on the whole, have evolved lightyears beyond their very beginnings — beginnings in…

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Technology Profile: Ethylene Glycol Production from Synthesis Gas

This column is based on “Ethylene glycol production from Syngas - Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/ethylene-glycol-production-cost.  Ethylene glycol, also known as monoethylene glycol (MEG), is a major chemical commodity, widely used in…

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Solid-Liquid Separation: Classification, Design and Testing

Whether to remove solid contaminants from a liquid or separate a solid product from a solvent, solid-liquid (S-L) separation is a common unit operation across the chemical process industries (CPI). This one-page reference provides an overview of S-L separation methods,…

Process Plant Layout — Becoming a Lost Art?

Plant layout is as important a part of process plant design as it ever was, but it is rarely taught as part of chemical engineering courses While process plant layout is a critical aspect of chemical process industries (CPI) operations,…

Pump Safety: Flirting with Disaster

Be vigilant about parallel pumping conditions that can lead to catastrophic failures During my career, I have seen several massive centrifugal pump failures caused by pump users attempting to operate pumps in parallel without the proper equipment review, procedural review…