Technical & Practical
Detection and Prevention of DP:DPO Fluid Leaks
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
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…
A solution-based route to LLDPE
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…
Securing Industrial Control Systems
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…
Lifecycle Costs for Capital Equipment in the CPI
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 in Pneumatic Conveying Systems
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…
Getting the Most Out of Data Sheets
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.…
Solving Vessel Equations: A Better Way
Calculating the volume of a liquid in a vessel of a complex shape is a common task for chemical engineers. However, there are several difficulties associated with accurately carrying out this calculation. In my own experience as a chemical engineer,…
Ethylene Production via Ethanol Dehydration
Ethylene is arguably the most important building block of the petrochemical industry, frequently produced via steam cracking of a range of petroleum-based feedstocks. Rising oil prices and concerns about global warming have motivated research into ethylene manufacture from renewable sources.…
Compressors: N2 Expands the Applicability of Dry Gas Seals
Ongoing advances in the design and use of dry gas seals (DGSs; [ 1]) — as an alternative to traditional oil-lubricated wet seals [ 2] — have helped to improve the reliability and efficiency of compressors throughout the chemical process…