Mobile Navigation

Technical & Practical

Member Exclusive

Technology Profile: Ammonia Production from Natural Gas

This column is based on “Ammonia Production from Natural Gas – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/ammonia-production-cost. Ammonia (NH3) is among the most important industrial chemicals, produced by reacting nitrogen and hydrogen in…

Member Exclusive

Storage Tanks: Heating and Cooling System Design

Various heating or cooling options are described here, along with the factors and design parameters that need to be considered. A sample calculation regarding coils is included Tanks constitute important equipment in the chemical process industries (CPI). Various types of…

Member Exclusive

Facts at Your Fingertips: Gas Detection

Detection of gases is a critical task in many chemical process industries (CPI) facilities to avoid hazards to personnel and to the environment. Gases may present risks of explosion, flammability, toxicity, environmental pollution and displacement of breathable air. This one-page…

Crossflow Membrane Filtration Essentials

Several aspects of crossflow membrane filtration, including process design, equipment selection and control, are detailed here A membrane, also referred to as a semipermeable membrane, is a thin layer of material that selectively passes one or more components of a…

Member Exclusive

Gas-Phase Filtration Media Properties: What to Know

There are many physical properties that can impact the ultimate performance of adsorbent media in gas-phase filtration applications Gas-phase filtration media specifications may list numerous physical parameters, such as shape, moisture content, bulk density, impregnation level, size and hardness (crush…

Technology Profile: Bio-based Adipic Acid Production from Glucose

This column is based on “Bio-based Adipic Acid Production from Glucose – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/adipic-acid-production-cost.  Adipic acid is one of the most commercially important aliphatic dicarboxylic acids. It is produced…

Member Exclusive

Cooling Towers: Estimate Evaporation Loss and Makeup Water Requirements

Applying mass and energy balance calculations yields critical operating insight Cooling towers are an important unit operation in chemical process industries (CPI) operations. Applying mass and energy balance calculations enables process engineers to evaluate evaporation loss, blowdown and makeup-water requirements,…

Member Exclusive

Facts at your Fingertips: Fermentation

For intermediate and specialty chemicals, the incorporation of biotechnology-based processes has become a viable option for the chemical process industries (CPI). This one-page reference discusses some of the benefits and challenges of fermentation-based processes. Fermentation advantages Among the potential advantages…

Particle Impact Problems in Pneumatic Conveying

Pneumatically conveyed solid materials inevitably impact pipe walls and other particles, which can create processing and equipment problems. Provided here is an outline of potential problems related to particle impacts and the physics behind them Among the defining features of…

Member Exclusive

Eye Protection, Part 1: Beyond Basic Eye Safety

How to protect, preserve and enhance workers’ safety Safety eyewear (Figure 1) is among the most prevalent types of personal protective equipment (PPE) worn across the chemical process industries (CPI). It protects an individual’s most valuable sense — vision —…