Processing & Handling
CPI Machinery: Commissioning, Startup and Piping
When it comes to rotating machinery (pumps, compressors, gas turbines, steam turbines, turbo-expanders, and others) operating in the chemical process industries (CPI), installation, piping, support, pre-commissioning, commissioning and startup play crucial roles. Machinery maintenance and repair can be quite costly,…
Handle heavy-duty abrasive materials with this slide gate
The Titan Series TSG valve is designed to meet the most demanding applications involving heavy-duty abrasive materials, such as sand, gravel, coal, whole grains, metal powders or minerals. The TSG Valve handles dry material in gravity-flow applications where positive material…
Flexibility and abrasion resistance offered by this diaphragm
The new DEPA Nopped S Diaphragm features an innovative “nopped” surface, designed to create advantageous flow conditions emulating the effect of golf-ball dimples. The use of Santoprene as its core material — a substance uniting elastomer (EPDM) and polypropylene —…
Extended service life with this tubing
A new tubing solution for use in chemical dispensing applications is now available in Europe. The Tygon 2375 Ultra Chemical Resistant Tubing replaces the widely used Tygon 2075 line, providing an improved pressure rating, “outstanding” chemical resistance and “superior” flexibility,…
A new photocatalyst for VOC destruction
A process for manufacturing fine particles of titanium dioxide that exhibits a high level of photocatalytic activity has been developed by Showa Titanium Co., a subsidiary of Showa Denko K.K. (SDK, Tokyo; ww.sdk.co.jp). The product has been developed in collaboration…
A boost for bio-butanol production
Lately there has been much renewed interest in fermentative production of n-butanol from renewable biomass as an industrial solvent and liquid fuel superior to ethanol that could be used as a substitute for gasoline. An improved butanol production through the…
Scaleup for a microbial process that produces acetic acid from offgases
A demonstration plant for the production of acetic acid from the carbon dioxide in industrial offgases will be built at an operating plant of Petronas (Kuala Lumpur; www.petronas.com.my), Malaysia’s national oil company, under an agreement with LanzaTech (Roselle, Ill.; www.lanzatech.com),…
A new way to obtain hydrogen from heavy oil
The volume of heavy, sour crude oil processed by North American refineries is steadily increasing, and along with it a commensurate demand for hydrogen to upgrade that oil. A steam-reforming process that would allow refiners to produce their own H2…
Low-cost production of PHA from air and greenhouse gases
Newlight Technologies (Irvine, Calif.; www.newlight.com) has launched commercial production of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) thermoplastic made from air and greenhouse gases, such as methane, that can be manufactured less expensively than conventional petroleum-derived alternatives, using a novel high-efficiency biocatalyst and bioreactor…
Anti-surge Valves for Dynamic Compressors
One of the most significant limitations on the operation of dynamic compressors (axial and centrifugal compressors) is the low-flow limit known as “surge”. A sudden valve closing, such as for emergency shutdowns or for a suction/discharge valve, presents significant challenges…