Processing & Handling
Patents filed in carbon dioxide-to-gasoline technology
Carbon Sciences Inc. (Santa Barbara, Calif.; www.carbonsciences.com) has filed a patent application surrounding its process for converting carbon dioxide and methane into liquid fuels. The patent application focuses on the design of the company’s novel chemical catalyst, among other aspects…
Containing Fugitive Emissions
Containing fugitive emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) is a challenge to the chemical process industries (CPI). It has been estimated that these industries account for half of all fugitive emissions, and 60% of these…
Piping Design for Hazardous Fluid Service
Incorporating fire safety into plant design takes on two fundamental goals: to prevent the occurrence of fire and to protect the initially uninvolved piping and equipment long enough for operations personnel to perform their duties and for emergency responders to…
Focus on Pumps
Neptune Chemical Pump This self-priming pump is available for water and wastewater processing The Series 7000 mechanically actuated, diaphragm metering pumps (photo) can handle viscosities in excess of 5,000 cP and can pump chemicals that tend to off-gas (such as…
Hydrogen Production By Steam Reforming
Steam reforming of natural gas at petroleum refining facilities is the predominant means of producing hydrogen in the chemical process industries (CPI). Areas where hydrogen is heavily consumed include ammonia production, the cryogenics industry and methanol production (Table 1)[1]. Because…
Commercial production of carbon nanotubes
This month, Showa Denko K. K. (Tokyo, Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) will begin marketing its carbon-nanotube (CNT) product, tradenamed VGCF-X. The company produces the CNTs in its new, 400-ton/yr production plant at its Oita facility, and plans to ramp up production to…
Measurement guide for replacement seals
Mechanical seals play a pivotal role in the chemical process industries (CPI). As the sealing interface between rotating process equipment and the materials contained inside, these devices prevent product leakage and fugitive emissions, while permitting process machines, pumps and compressors…
Mechanical Design Aspects for High-Performance Agitated Reactors
The stirred tank reactor with rotating mixers remains the backbone of the chemical process industries (CPI). While mixing is considered a mature technology, it is clear that continued technological development is necessary to achieve the state-of-the-art design demanded by ever-increasing…
Steam Tracer Lines and Traps
Steam tracer lines are designed to maintain the fluid in a primary pipe at a designated uniform temperature. In most cases, these tracer lines are used outdoors, which makes ambient weather conditions a critical consideration. The primary purpose of steam…
Solubility of Water in Benzene Derivatives
The solubility of water in the hydrocarbons that comprise crude oil is an increasingly important issue in view of processing, safety and environmental considerations surrounding product quality and equipment sustainability. Water in the reacting hydrocarbon species may result in the…