Using Interactive Supercomputing Inc.'s (Waltham, Mass; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-538) Star-P software, chemists from MIT (Cambridge, Mass.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-539) and Oakwood College (Huntsville, Ala.) have developed a new method for performing calculating thermochemical properties derived from first principles (ab initio). Up to now, approximations…
Aspen Technology, Inc. (Cambridge, Mass., edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-544) announced a milestone accomplishment as a result of combining the company's thermophysical and thermochemical property data sets with those maintained by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, Md.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-545). Through…
P&ID's are often generated using Autodesk, Inc.'s (San Rafael, Calif.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-548) AutoCAD software platform and user generated drawing blocks. To better facilitate this wide use, Autodesk launched AutoCAD P&ID 2007 software at daratechPLANT 2007, hinting at a forthcoming suite of…
TubeMaster, Inc. (Louisville, Ky.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-552) has filed patent applications for a new seal technology used in tubes that have both catalyst and thermocouples. Called ThermoCoupleMaster, the new seal is especially suitable for multi-tubular reactors in petrochemical plants. The device makes…
Instrument-maintenance training available This manufacturer is offering instrument-maintenance training on its Levelflex guided-radar level instruments. These schools (photo) are designed to teach you fundamental, theoretical and practical knowledge about instrumentation and application technology, with an emphasis on service…
For the first time, it is possible to gain a detailed quantitative insight into the internal operation of multitubular reactors — complicated units that can be notoriously difficult to design because they involve complex catalytic reactions, a large number (often…
Hyperion Systems Engineering Ltd. (Cyprus; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-547) has released a new interface for Yokogawa's (Newnan, Ga.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-548) Centum CS 3000 DSC for use with operator training simulation (OTS). The new interface is said to aid faster development of OTS systems, leading…
The equilibrium phase distribution ratio (K value) is necessary for designing and assessing the performance of distillation columns. This paper proposes a simplified approach to calculate the K value that is suitable for preliminary design work and for…
Steam traps have been around for a hundred years or so, and for the most part, nothing revolutionary has come forward to change the basic way a trap functions. Any operation that uses steam to produce a high-quality,…
Measure chemical concentrations inline with this compact unit This instrument addresses a critical requirement in the semiconductor industry for monitoring and control of liquid chemicals employed in device manufacturing. The CR-288 concentration monitor (photo) provides realtime temperature-compensated concentration…