While the worst of the recession may very well be over for the global economy in general, the downstream effects in the chemical process industries (CPI) will take awhile to flush themselves out. Second quarter financial reports were released last…
In offering up strategies for the chemical process industries (CPI), many business experts turn to the virtues of a global stage. For decades now, CPI companies in developed countries have eagerly followed the urge to expand into emerging regions. Likewise,…
It is with great pride and honor that I announce to our loyal readers and advertisers that I have been promoted to publisher of Chemical Engineering. As I write this letter a week after the historic inauguration of President Obama,…
Although the inauguration of the U.S.’s 44th President is now fading into memory, the changes that Barack Obama’s Administration will bring to the chemical process industries (CPI) are only beginning to reveal themselves. One thing is very clear, though: In…
First, you’ll need a lot of lemons. As 2009 kicks off, sour fruit happens to be in great supply. To be blunt, the chemical process industries (CPI) are in the middle of what appears to be the worst recession since…
The world of petrochemicals is approaching a critical time in its history. A cyclical downturn, caused by a build up of new supply in the Middle East and Asia, is occurring at the same time as energy and feedstock prices…
Even before visitors to the 2008 Olympic games left Beijing and the athletes vacated the Olympic village last month, mainstream media and analysts were drawing parallels to an expected exodus of foreign participation in China’s manufacturing sector. In an entry…
In this era of ever-higher crude oil prices, and at a time of impending legislation to tax carbon emissions and favor "greener" technologies, the role of the chemical engineer is experiencing important changes. In a nutshell, the engineer’s role is…
A lot has happened in world finance markets since Rebekkah Marshall’s relatively optimistic assessment of the economic outlook in Chemical Engineering’s December 2007 issue. A welter of bad news about poorly made housing loans that were subsequently repackaged and sold…
Pressure Transmitter Mounting March, Column Instrumentation Basics, p. 48 The illustration in Figure 9 purports to show a flowmeter installation for vapor or gas. In vapor or gas service, the differential pressure and pressure transmitters are always mounted above the…