Technical & Practical
Treating Wastewater for Industrial Reuse
Secondary treated wastewater from municipal plants can be a water resource for industry. Important water characteristics and treatment options are discussed Water is a precious resource, and water quality and water pollution are important issues. Many companies and industries are…
Production of Polylactic Acid
Polylactic acid (PLA) is the biodegradable polymer of lactic acid, which is produced via fermentation processes. For the last five decades, PLA has been mainly used in biomedical applications. The development of economical production routes and a rising environmental awareness…
Variable Frequency Drives
Electric alternating current (a.c.) motors power all types of equipment in the chemical process industries (CPI), including pumps, fans, blowers, compressors and other types of process equipment. Electric motor systems offer opportunities for reductions in power consumption because while some…
A Universal Equation for Designing Pipelines
The pipe-flow equation presented here can be used to properly and easily size pipelines for liquid, vapor and two-phase flow. Example calculations are also shown Sizing pipelines is a fundamental task for design engineers, who typically use several equations to…
Extremely Low Temperature Systems
Understanding the nuances of low-temperature engineering is key to safe and efficient operations Extremely low temperatures — below –100°F (–73.3°C) — have many widely diverse commercial uses, from de-flashing of molded rubber parts on the plant floor to pristine storage of…
New Measurement Practices for Cold Climates
Selecting the right pressure, temperature, flow and level meters and connection systems can help to eliminate the need for heated enclosures and sensing lines In an environment where the ambient temperature can fall below –20°C, outdoor measurements can suffer from…
Engineering for Plant Safety
Early process-hazards analyses can lead to potential cost savings in project and plant operations The chemical process industries (CPI) handle a wide variety of materials, many of which are hazardous by nature (for example, flammable, toxic or reactive), or are…
Lactic Acid Production via Glucose Fermentation: Technology Profile
Lactic acid is a naturally occurring chiral acid most commonly found in the L(+) form. Driven by a recent demand for more sustainable products, the lactic acid market has expanded beyond the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Currently, a major…
Hot-oil heat-tracing systems for heat transfer
Hot-oil heat-tracing systems use liquid heat-transfer fluids to reliably deliver heat to process fluids. Heat tracing may be used in place of jacketed equipment, often at lower cost and with lowered risk of cross-contact. The use of liquids reduces many…
Improving mass-transfer-limited reactions
The step-by-step procedure described here can help operators to optimize reactor operation and output Engineers throughout the chemical process industries (CPI) commonly encounter situations where different materials have to be contacted inside a reactor to drive the chemical transformations needed…