Technical & Practical
Facts at your Fingertips: Filter Aids
Cake filtration is a common operation across many sectors of the chemical process industries (CPI). In cake filtration, the solid being filtered acts as a screen so that particles of the suspension are retained by the medium, resulting in the…
Protect water tanks from corrosion and abrasion
Stonchem 444 is a spray-applied vertical lining system (photo) formulated to resist corrosion and abrasion and protect underlying substrates from a broad range of chemicals, including most petroleum-based products, salts, acids and alkalis. Approved for potable water storage tanks of…
Technology Profile: Vinyl Acetate from Acetic Acid and Ethylene
This column is based on “Vinyl Acetate from Acetic Acid and Ethylene — Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/vinyl-acetate-production-cost. Vinyl acetate (vinyl acetate monomer; VAM) is an important vinyl ester, primarily used in…
Facts at your Fingertips: Air Separation Processes
The components of air (Table 1), especially nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2), are critical for many modern industrial processes. Primary metals production, chemical manufacturing, gasification processes, clay, glass and concrete production, welding and other processes depend on O2 from air,…
Valves: Emissions Standards and Current Practices
New industry standards aimed at reducing fugitive emissions have necessitated updates to valve-testing procedures and a renewed focus on high-performance sealing and packing technologies While reducing fugitive emissions is a leading concern in the fight against climate change, emissions continue…
Minimizing Leakage on Heat-Exchanger Girth Flanges
Thermal distortion in heat-exchanger internal components can lead to leakage, but several design measures can be taken to mitigate these concerns Leakage of bolted flange joints results in additional costs at any facility in the chemical process industries (CPI), and…
Spectroscopy: Interpreting Measurement Data
Spectrometric technology can assess many critical characteristics about products, but it has limits. It can be challenging to determine when the line has been crossed Within the technology category of analyzers, spectrometers provide a broad range of analytical capabilities and…
Technology Profile: Acetic Acid Production from Methanol
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…
An Overview of Vacuum System Design
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…
Facts at your Fingertips: Heat-Transfer Fluid Selection
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…