Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) announced multiple projects to increase CHDM (1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol) capacity at its Kingsport, Tennessee, manufacturing facility. The series of debottlenecks and expansion projects will occur over the next 18 months and will increase capacity by 15,000…
The following information describes recently published books relevant to the chemical process industries (CPI): Engineering Energy Storage, By Odne Stokke Burheim, 2017, Academic Press, 252 pages, $125.00. Energetic Materials: Advanced Processing Technologies for Next-Generation Materials. Edited by Mark Mezger, Kay…
I recently saw a television commercial that caught my attention and provided “food for thought.” The ad begins with a young girl opening a birthday gift, and is delighted when she sees that it is a Millie Dresselhaus doll. A…
This column is based on “Acetic Acid Production from Methanol – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/acetic-acid-production-cost. Acetic acid (also known as ethanoic acid) is a carboxylic acid found as dilute solutions in…
Plant Watch $8-billion phosphate megaproject starts up in Saudi Arabia August 11, 2017 — Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) announced that the Ma’aden Wa’ad Al-Shamal Phosphate Co.’s Umm Wu’al Phosphate Project in Saudi Arabia has started production. Fluor is providing…
Single unit combines bin discharge and feeding The Gyro Ex Bin Activating Feeder/Discharger (photo) is a combination bin discharger and high-accuracy feeder that provides a turndown ratio of up to 100:1. It uses a radial force to create a uniform…
Drones are quickly entering the chemical processing space as more companies begin to embrace their use for inspection and monitoring tasks There is no doubt that drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), hold many promising opportunities for the chemical process…
Both new and traditional technologies simplify and improve the temperature-sensing process Temperature is cited as the most frequently measured variable in chemical processing plants. As a result, there is no shortage of instruments available and the offerings run the gamut…
The design of vacuum systems deserves careful attention — there are multiple facets that affect efficiency, operability and cost Understanding vacuum and designing vacuum systems can be difficult, and there are many unique aspects that an engineer must take into…
A micro portable pesticide detector for food analysis, called a Handheld Pesticide Residue Detector, has been developed by the Smart Microsystems Technology Center of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, Hsinchu City, Taiwan; www.itri.org.tw). The detector is based on the…