The scaleup of liquid mixing systems does not have to be a mystery. The principles are quite well understood, although knowing which principles apply is not always obvious. Follow this guidance to improve operation. 1. Liquid mixing scaleup. Liquid mixing…
Raw materials and energy represent two of the largest expenses in the chemical process industries (CPI). Energy reduction is necessary to sustain cost-effective production and manage capacity in the ever-changing CPI marketplace. Process simulation software can prove extremely valuable in…
Manufacturers face seasonal supply-and-demand variations in their production cycle due to fluctuations in both market demand and supply of raw materials. Therefore, manufacturers need solutions that can help them to cope with this challenge in effective production planning. Pinch analysis,…
The management of process plants requires understanding and applying the fundamental tenets of safe design, construction and operation of facilities. This overview summarizes best practices that have been developed to ensure the safest possible use of DP:DPO (diphenyl–diphenyl oxide) eutectic…
Polymer-based piping systems offer a number of advantages, along with some limitations, compared to metallic and other non-polymeric pipe materials. The use of thermoplastic piping in the chemical process industries (CPI) must be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis because…
Polyethylene (PE) is the world’s largest-volume commodity polymer. Along with high-density (HDPE) and low-density (LDPE) polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) is one of the three main types of PE. The global market for LLDPE is over 20 million metric tons…
Security of SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and other industrial control systems (ICSs) is a complex subject, and one that has received much attention in recent years. While modern industrial control systems use many of the same computers, operating…
When considering project proposals for new processes in the chemical process industries (CPI), capital equipment costs often become the primary focus. The purpose of this article is to provide a detailed examination of the total cost of process equipment and…
Rotary valves are used almost universally in pneumatic conveying systems. They serve three main functions: 1) to provide a pressure-seal (airlock) between two adjacent processes, 2) to provide solids metering (feeding) and 3) to provide a combination of solids metering…
For most engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) projects in the chemical process industries (CPI), the data sheets developed at the beginning of the process provide the “shopping lists” that guide the procurement group on the purchase of equipment, system packages, instruments and more.…