Processing & Handling
Scaleup is set for a biomass-to-fuels process
The Gas Technology Institute (GTI, Des Plaines, Ill.; www.gastechnology.org) has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with CRI/Criterion Inc. (Houston; www.cricatalyst.com) to commercialize a GTI process for converting biomass directly into cellulosic gasoline and diesel fuel blendstocks. The technology, called…
Plans move forward for the first U.S. uranium plant in 30 years
Energy Fuels Inc. (Lakewood, Colo.; www.energyfuels.com) has been granted a radioactive materials license by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for the first uranium mill to be built in the U.S. in 30 years. Energy Fuels says the…
Focus on Compressors
Ingersoll Rand This compressor matches output to demand The Nirvana R190-225ne (photo) is a variable-speed-drive rotary-screw air compressor with an advanced motor design that allows users to match compressor output to required demand. In particular, the Nirvana R190-225ne features a…
Pump It Up
Process plant operators continuously face the pressure of having to increase productivity by improving equipment reliability and plant availability, a goal seemingly at odds with the everyday realities of decreased operating budgets, rising energy costs and increasing operations costs. And,…
Interphex 2011 Show Preview
North America’s largest event for the pharmaceutical- and biopharmaceutical-manufacturing industries, Interphex 2011 (www.interphex.com) will be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York from March 29-31. The event will feature more than 650 exhibitors, including 100 vendors exhibiting…
Solving Common Batch Problems: Controller-Based Systems
Agility, reliability, reporting and sharing of business information are among the key ingredients that have been dictated to modern-day control systems by the competitive pressures facing today’s manufacturers. In short, production must be faster, more efficient and provide actionable data…
Bio-Based Chemicals Positioned To Grow
The production of biotechnology-based chemicals, while still a niche operation in terms of global chemical production, is demonstrating double-digit growth, says a recent SRI Consulting report*. Enabled by rapid advances in industrial biotechnology and significant increases in the price of…
Control valve position sensors
The precise monitoring and control of valve position is essential for efficient automation of both discrete and continuous processes. Measurement of valve position provides the data required for the use of advanced control strategies and predictive maintenance algorithms. More effective…
Inspecting Underground Piping
Piping integrity is always a major concern in the chemical process industries (CPI), but the level of concern elevates when piping is buried underground. Soil conditions not only exacerbate general external corrosion, but also increase the difficulty and cost of…
Design Underground Piping For Safety
Buried piping — especially lines carrying hydrocarbons — shoulders many more risks in terms of plant safety and environmental protection than aboveground piping does. Leaks in buried pipes are much harder to detect and, yet, are no less catastrophic. Ironically,…