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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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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…

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…

Pressure Measurement: Handling Difficult Process Applications

A better understanding of what pressure instruments do and how they work can help improve measurement performance, especially in troublesome applications Effective use of process instrumentation is critical in any chemical manufacturing environment. These instruments are strategically located throughout various…

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Measuring Differential Pressure: Mechanical or Electronic?

Users should consider both options when selecting a DP device. Understanding the differences can help make the decision for a given set of process conditions Differential pressure (DP) measurements are used in many branches of the chemical process industries (CPI)…

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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,…

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Technology Profile: MTBE Production from C4 Raffinate-1

This column is based on “MTBE production from Raffinate-1 - Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/mtbe-production-cost. Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is an organic compound used mainly as a fuel additive to enhance octane…

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Re-Establishing Course

Changing employment situations can leave affected employees trying to redefine their career paths. The positive experiences shared by these authors can provide some options and strategies  The corporate world can be challenging because business fluctuates with time, and employment reductions…

Considering Fugitive Emissions During the Conceptual Design Stage

The ability to reduce fugitive emissions through the use of strategic design modifications not only protects workers and the environment, but reduces losses of valuable process materials The industrialized nations of the world have all placed increased emphasis on the…