Technical & Practical
Materials Management — Evolving the Process for an Evolving Marketplace
The case examples presented here show that proper planning, communication and execution of tasks can add value and reduce unintended negative consequences for many capital-intensive projects Materials management means something different to different groups of people. For the engineering and…
Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers: The Design Cycle
Following this step-by-step approach will ensure that the heat exchanger will perform as required when finally fabricated Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are among the most commonly used equipment in the chemical process industries (CPI), especially in petroleum refineries and chemical manufacturing…
Acrylic Acid Production via Propylene Oxidation – By Intratec Solutions
Acrylic acid is a moderately strong carboxylic acid primarily used as an intermediate in the production of acrylate esters. These acrylate esters are then mainly used to manufacture adhesives, plastics additives, coatings, paints and textiles. The process Figure 1 depicts…
Weighing Equipment Selection
The number of options available for scales and weighing equipment can make it difficult to determine which instruments will offer the best value and which will meet the application requirements (Table 1). Focusing on the following ten areas can help…
Managing Small and Medium-sized Capital Projects
A real-life example is provided to show how to stay on program and within budget Over the past few years, much has been written in the trade press about how to manage large, $1- billion-plus plant-construction and expansion projects in…
The Relationship Between Materials Selection and Machining Processes
An awareness of the impact of materials selection on the machining processes for small, complex components can affect overall end-product quality and costs The importance of material selection for small, complex components found in equipment critical to the chemical process…
Superheater Problems in Steam Generators
Knowing the features of a good boiler will prevent problems associated with a poor design Oil- and gas-fired package steam generators (or boilers; Figure 1) are used in chemical plants, power plants, petroleum refineries and in cogeneration plants to generate…
Technology Profile: L-lysine HCl Production from Glucose
Amino acids are the basis for all proteins and are considered building blocks of life. Among them, lysine (biologically active in its L-stereoisomer form) is one of the essential amino acids not synthesized biologically in the body. In this context,…
Hopper Design Principles
When hoppers are designed without consideration of the actual materials being handled, problems inevitably arise. Follow this guidance to avoid common solids-handling issues, such as erratic flow and no flow Pivotal work on the development of the theory of bulk…
Facts at your Fingertips: Process Hazards Analysis Methods
Different methodologies are available for conducting the structured reviews known as process hazards analyses (PHAs) for new processes. PHAs are often conducted or moderated by specialists, with participation by the design team, representatives of the facility owner, and experienced process…