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…
An expansion of Invensys’s (Foxboro, Mass.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-532) recent InFusion launch (CE, May 2006, p. 13), the InFusion Condition Manager provides a new capability for effectively balancing asset availability and utilization to align overall plant performance with business objectives. Other vendors’…
Wireless communication for plant data gathering and even process control is a rapidly maturing technology. What started out as a cheap way to gather non-critical plant information now has the potential to take over much of the work…
The World Batch Forum (WBF; St. Louis, Missouri; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-542) has released new versions of its two, XML-based markup languages for implementing the ANSI/ISA S88 and S95 standards and their international countrerparts IEC-61512 and IEC/ISO-62264. Enhancements in Version 2.0 of WBF’s…
It’s a very exciting time for computational chemistry, said Gerhard Engel, senior director of R&D, accelrys Ltd. (Cambridge, England) in his opening address to delegates of the European Science Forum last month in Heidelberg, Germany. This comment was…
Samson AG (Frankfurt, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-545) has started to implement the Vigilant Integration Partners (VIP) initiative, having entered a formal cooperation agreement with Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Tokyo; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-546). The VIP initiative is an open and non-exclusive mutual technology cooperation program to…
Predicting an adiabatic-temperature rise is useful to chemical engineers for a number of purposes. One use is with combustion reactions whereby it is useful for determining the adiabatic-flame temperature. The adiabatic-temperature rise can be calculated for any reaction…
A wake-up call for plant maintenance The new Simatic Teleservice Adaptor IE (photo) facilitates cost-effective remote maintenance of machinery and plants. In acute service cases or emergencies, an email can be sent via the device. The engineer then…