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Heat-transfer expansion tank design

The main function of the expansion tank in a heat-transfer system is to allow space for the heat-transfer fluid to expand as it is heated. A properly designed, installed and maintained expansion tank will support longer fluid and equipment life,…

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Waterhammer In Condensate Return Lines

There is a temptation that steam design engineers find difficult to resist — to put condensate from high-pressure (HP) steam mains directly into the low-pressure (LP), pumped condensate-return (CR) mains. After all, the CR main is so convenient — it…

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Control Valves: An Evolution In Design

Globe-style control valves are in virtually every chemical processing line where pressure and flow must be controlled. And for the most part, they perform as required, day in and day out, requiring little to no thought or attention. In short,…

A Primer on Gas-Solid Fluidization

The earliest application of the fundamental concepts of fluidization dates back to 16th century when a German scientist (Georgius Agricola) described a process to upgrade ores. However, it was not until the 1930s, with the development of the Winkler coal-gasification…

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The Unexpected Rewards of Testing a Mixer

Among all the engineers who will be involved in the purchase of a mixer or blender next year, roughly half will welcome a change in their production method. The other half will be determined to prevent it. Searching for the…

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Evaluating Green Projects: Modeling Improves Economic Benefits

The ability to model a process to see if it meets project requirements and is economically viable enhances the conceptual design. Modeling gives engineers a means to identify the most promising processes, in terms of capital investment and return, and…

Overpressure Protection: Consider Low Temperature Effects in Design

Understanding the inherent limitations of current overpressure protection analyses is key to developing a more robust heuristic In designing and sizing relief-device and effluent-handling systems, one commonly overlooked aspect of the performance is examining the potential for low temperatures that…

Working with the CSB After a Major Accident

After a serious accident at a chemical plant, petroleum refinery or other freestanding industrial facility, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB; www.csb.gov) may immediately initiate an investigation, often getting “in the air” while the emergency is still unfolding. The CSB…

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Internal Corrosion Sampling

Corrosion is a large and complex issue that is critical to the chemical process industries (CPI) as well as other industry sectors. Corrosion not only affects personal property like cars and homes but also affects commercial assets such as storage…

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Automated Weigh-Batching Systems

Automated systems for batch weighing can improve overall product quality by raising the accuracy and consistency of the mixture compared to what can be achieved with the manual addition of pre-weighed bags. Automated batch-weighing systems integrate load cells with connections,…