Apilot plant that uses pressure swing adsorption (PSA) to extract helium from natural gas has been started up and is operating successfully in India at the Kuthalam Gas Collecting Station of Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC; www.ongcindia.com). Normally, helium…
A new grinder that combines large-bead (0.3 – 0.5 mm) milling and ultrasound to produce nanodispersions with relatively high concentrations has been developed by Inoue Manufacturing Inc. (Isehara; www.inouemfg.com), in cooperation with the National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS; Tsukuba,…
A new metal carbide F-T catalyst has been developed by Oxford Catalysts Limited (Oxford, U.K., www.oxfordcatalysts.com) for making second-generation biofuel in small-scale microchannel reactors. The catalyst was produced using the company’s patented organic matrix combustion method, which makes it possible…
Ehrfeld Mikrotechnik BTS GmbH (EMB), a subsidiary of Bayer Technology Services GmbH (BTS; Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayertechnology.com), has signed a production-and-marketing agreement with Xytel Inc. (Spartanburg, S.C.; www.xytelcorp.com) to introduce microreactor technology in pilot plants for the oil and gas, chemical…
Gate Gate valves are designed to operate fully open or fully closed; When fully opened, there is very little pressure drop across the valve, and when fully closed there is good sealing against pressure. With the proper mating of a…
The techniques used for sterilization have a major impact on product quality and safety where pristine processing is needed The inactivation and elimination of bacteria are pressing issues in the chemical process industries (CPI) where high-purity conditions are needed. High…
Chisso Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.chisso.co.jp) has established a new joint-venture (JV) company to produce solar grade silicon using a new process that was first developed by Chisso and subsequently refined, jointly, by the three JV partners: Chisso (50% share), Nippon…
Flowserve Corp. (Dallas, Tex.; www.flowserve.com) has introduced the Valtek Valdisk high-cycle seat, claimed to be a "breakthrough" seat design for Valtek butterfly valves. The new seat design is made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and offers an ANSI/FCI 7-0-2 class…
Researchers at the University of Surrey (U.K., www.surrey.ac.uk) have discovered a method to make ultra-small, pure crystals of buckminsterfullerene (C60). Lozenge-shaped crystals can be made with widths of 80 nm — much smaller than the 400 nm minimum size predicted…
The Dow Performance Fluids, a business of Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-546) has introduced a new high-temperature cleaning solvent for cleaning polymer-process reactor vessels, pipelines, heat exchangers, pumps and other equipment impaired by polymer residue. Dow HT-Solve 515 —…