Business & Economics
The 2020 Chopey Scholarship winner
Chemical Engineering has been a long-time leading source for practical technology information and news for the chemical process industries (CPI). In addition to providing information, we strive to help advance the chemical engineering profession. In 2007, Chemical Engineering established the…
Virus Countermeasures Drive Worker Safety
The COVID-19 threat has increased the urgency for implementing contagion-prevention strategies and controls for workers at industrial sites Chemical process industries (CPI) companies are used to managing a range of worker health risks related to chemical exposure, extreme temperatures and…
Facts at your Fingertips: Heat-Transfer-System Maintenance During Slow Periods
Periods of reduced heat-transfer-fluid (HTF) system operation offer opportunities for mechanical integrity engineers to perform necessary maintenance. Here are suggestions for using the downtime for maintenance tasks. Safety These activities support ongoing safety of the HTF unit. Leak repairs. Repair…
Technology Profile: Cumene Production from Benzene
This column is based on “Cumene from Benzene and RG Propylene (Zeolite Catalyst) – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/cumene-production-cost. Cumene (also known as isopropylbenzene) is an organic compound of the aromatic hydrocarbon…
SABIC to operate chemical plant on 100% renewable power
SABIC’s polycarbonate facility in Cartagena, Spain, is set to become the world’s first large-scale chemical production site to be run entirely on renewable power, following the signing of a major agreement with Iberdrola, a world-scale electric utility company. Iberdrola will…
U.S. chemical production fell in June, ACC says
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI), fell by 1.1 percent in June on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 2.0 percent decline in May and a…
Kodak to create Kodak Pharmaceuticals
Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak; Rochester, N.Y.) has announced an initiative to create a new business unit, which will produce pharmaceutical components that have been identified as critical, but have lapsed into a chronic shortage in the U.S. A letter of…
U.S. specialty chemical markets strengthen in June, ACC says
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that with continued recovery in the U.S. economy, specialty chemicals market volumes increased by 3.6 percent in June, an improvement from the revised 1.2 percent gain in May and the record…
Chemical Activity Barometer rises in July, ACC says
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 2.7 percent in July on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 0.1 percent gain in June. On a…
2020 CEPCI Updates: May (preliminary) and April (final)
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for May 2020 (the most recent available) decreased compared to the previous month’s value, following a similar decline in April. The values for three of the four major subindices (Equipment;…