Technical & Practical
Hydrogen Cyanide Production
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a chemical precursor used in the production of several industrially relevant compounds, such as adiponitrile for nylon production, methyl methacrylate for polymer manufacturing, sodium cyanide for gold recovery and for the production of methionine, which is…
Pressure Transmitter Basics: Selection Guidelines
What are the steps to finding the best pressure sensor for a particular application? That’s a challenge faced by many a young engineer just out of school. Engineering school teaches a great deal of theory, but what is the best…
Forces Acting on a Gasket
Gaskets are relatively simple pieces of equipment in principle, yet are entirely critical in many types of chemical process industries (CPI) applications, including pipes and vessels. An understanding of gasket function, and of the forces and stresses acting on gaskets…
Pressure Transmitter Basics: DP Transmitters
Pressure transmitters are widely used throughout the chemical process industries (CPI). Although pressure in and of itself is an important process parameter, differential pressure (DP) measurements enable the inference of other important parameters as well. This article presents a concise…
Reactive Chemistry in the CPI
Reactive chemicals and intermediates are used extensively in the chemical process industries (CPI). Hazardous chemical reactivity can be defined as “any chemical reaction with the potential to exhibit rates of increase in temperature and/or pressure too high to be absorbed…
The Next Step Change in Process Safety
From plastics and synthetics to fertilizers and fuel, the general public takes for granted so much of what the chemical process industries (CPI) produces, and the risks associated with CPI production facilities are not typically considered. That is, until the…
Pneumatic Conveying: Optimal System Design, Operation and Control
Numerous strategies and options for both dilute- and dense-phase conveying systems are presented here Pneumatic conveying is a ubiquitous mode of conveying bulk solids in a wide range of industries, including chemicals, plastics, grain, food, agricultural, mining, power and…
Safe Sampling of Heat-Transfer Fluids
Collecting representative samples of heat-transfer fluid for routine quality checks falls short of the goal if safety or the environment is compromised. While users should consider their systems’ unique design features in consultation with their safety and health experts, incorporating…
Focus on Valves
Hayward Flow Control Thermoplastic butterfly valve enables many stopping positions With its advanced, one-piece thermoplastic design and construction, the patent-pending BYV Series Butterfly Valve offers a variety of design advances, including a hand lever that features a 72-spline interlock mechanism…
Mechanical Seals Update: Pharmaceutical and Food Applications
Second only to electric motors, centrifugal pumps are the most common machine used in the chemical process industries (CPI). Pumps are serving in every conceivable fluid application. They move all manner of fluids from wastewater to paper pulp, from ultra-clean…