The whole-product-lifecycle approach for flowmeters presented here encompasses more than basic selection Typical discussions of flowmeter selection address specifications, technologies, accuracies and performance, but there are many other steps that are not normally considered. This article focuses on these often…
Technology Requirements [ 1] Control architecture Does the solution provide an integrated automation platform? New systems should manage process knowledge through a combination of advanced technologies, industrial domain expertise, and Six Sigma methodologies. Choose an open, scalable control system that…
In recent years, a growing number of projects throughout the chemical process industries (CPI) have been carried out using Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) contracts. Because such contracts typically involve the work of numerous subcontractor parties, they tend to be complex. As such,…
I recently read Hydrogen-Pinch Analysis Made Easy Chem. Eng., June 2008, pp. 56–61. The paper presents an automated spreadsheet program to target the minimum fresh hydrogen resource for a hydrogen network. While the effort of the authors is appreciated, I…
Last January, Chiral Photonics, Inc. (Pine Brook, N.J.; www.chiralphotonics.com) was awarded $500,000 in a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF; Washington, D.C.). The grant will be used to develop a new optical-fiber-sensor platform…
ABB Instrumentation (Warminster, Pa.; www.abb.com/instrumentation) has cut the cost of installing orifice-plate flowmeters by up to half with the launch of its OriMaster compact orifice DP flowmeter. The latest in the company’s FlowMaster range, the OriMaster comes fully factory configured…
This three-way valve improves temperature control This company has recently unveiled the GX 3-Way control valve (photo), which has the ability to accurately control the temperature of water, oils, steam, and other industrial fluids. Applications include heat exchangers and lubricating…
The American Society of Testing Materials (Conshohocken, Pa.; www.astm.org) has developed a new standard for measuring viscosity: ASTM D 7483-08, Determination of Dynamic and Kinematic Viscosity of Liquids by Oscillating Piston Viscometer (OPV). The new ASTM method is part of…
Despite various studies and process automation supplier suggestions that wireless sensing technologies cost less and provide tighter control than their wired counterparts, chemical processors are still proceeding with caution when it comes to implementing wireless instrumentation. Wireless supporters hope the…
With the new Fluxus F601 ultrasonic flowmeter, a reliable flow measurement can be obtained in a few minutes. No zeroing procedure is necessary since calibration data and transducer parameters are saved in a transducer internal memory and automatically sent to…