When plants are built with excessive design margins, problems can arise when operating under turndown conditions. This article helps explain how overdesign tends to occur and how to avoid problems when operating at turndown Operating under turndown can be problematic,…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for February 2020 (the most recent available) decreased slightly from the previous month’s value, with the values of the four major subindices comprising the CEPCI being mixed. While the Equipment…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that with the effects of COVID-19 fully affecting in the U.S. economy, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes fell 5.0 percent in March, accelerating from a 0.5 percent decline in February. Of…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) today released an abbreviated, interim update to its Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook. The update offers two scenarios intended to capture a range of potential trajectories for the global and U.S. economies…
The new threat of the novel coronavirus is gripping the world and changing our lives quickly, drastically, and in ways we have never experienced in this generation. The news and scenes broadcast from countries around the world are stunning as…
DOMO Chemicals to invest €12 million in new nylon plant in China March 13, 2020 — DOMO Chemicals GmbH (Leuna, Germany; www.domochemicals.com) will invest €12 million for a new nylon production plant in Zhejiang, China. The new plant will be…
This column is based on “Neopentyl Glycol Production Process – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/neopentyl-glycol-production-cost. Neopentyl glycol (NPG; 2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diol) is an industrially important and versatile diol, mainly employed as a building block…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), fell 2.6 percent in March on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, following a downwardly revised 0.1 percent gain in February.…
Covestro (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann will be the new Vice President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI; www.vci.de). The presidium appointed the 49-year-old to the new position, in a written circulation procedure on account of the…
Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Air Liquide (Houston, Tex.; www.airliquide.com) in the U.S. has activated business continuity plans to maximize efficiency and maintain its activities, while increasing its medical gas production capabilities to meet the current demand. Air…