Corrosion of steel is a key concern in many industrial settings, both from an asset-management perspective and from a safety perspective. The following briefly describes corrosion mechanisms for various classes of steel, and provides information on the corrosion resistance of…
Propylene is a major component of the global olefins market and is widely used as an intermediate for an array of chemical and plastic products. Propylene is produced as a byproduct in steam crackers and through fluid catalytic cracking (FCC)…
Ensuring optimal performance of shell-and-tube heat exchangers requires knowledge of the controlling fluid, correct exchanger geometry and configuration, as well as proper fluid placement Satyendra Kumar Singh Simon India Ltd. Optimizing the thermal design of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger…
Applying dynamic simulation models to tube-rupture scenarios can help ensure more accurate sizing and hazard assessments Tube rupture in heat exchangers is an extremely serious issue in the chemical process industries (CPI; Figure 1). Heat-exchanger tube-rupture scenarios can be evaluated…
Consolidating multiple flares can help mitigate emissions and maintenance Chris Ng and Zubin Kumana Siemens, Process Safety Consulting Many petroleum-refining and petrochemical facilities have experienced tremendous growth in recent years in response to increasing demand for fuels and chemical precursors.…
Dimensionless numbers refer to physical parameters that have no units of measurement. These numbers often appear in calculations used by process engineers. As long as consistent units are used, dimensionless numbers remain the same whether metric or other units are…
With a global nominal capacity of about 140 million ton/yr, ethylene is among the main petrochemicals produced worldwide, and is a key building block for the industry. Ethylene is produced mostly via steam-cracking of petroleum-based feedstocks, such as naphtha. Ethylene…
Despite their apparent simplicity, the complexity of these conveying systems demands proper design and an understanding of the underlying principles Screw conveyors play a major role in a wide variety of industrial operations that involve the handling of bulk solids.…
It is important to conceptualize plant layout in terms of both ideal location and optimal geographical positioning of equipment components For any chemical process facility, the cost of improper or sub-obtimal plant layout can be enormous. Designers are generally well…
Best-efficiency point (BEP), the flowrate at which a pump operates at its highest or optimum efficiency for a specific impeller diameter, is a key consideration when assessing pump performance. While most pumps do not consistently operate at their exact BEP,…