Follow this guidance to improve the operation, safety and reliability of rotating machinery in chemical process plants Troubleshooting problems in rotating machinery (such as compressors, pumps, steam turbines, gas turbines, turbo-expanders and more) can present difficult challenges during day-to-day operations…
Understanding the chemistry behind corrosion in condensate-return systems can aid in selecting and properly employing the best mitigation technique The importance of steam-condensate return systems to boilers in the chemical process industries (CPI) cannot be overemphasized, especially with regard to…
Accounting for an entire steam-trap population is crucial to avoiding safety incidents and sub-optimal production — high-priority consideration must be given to steam-system management Historically, steam systems have provided the most effective source of readily conveyable heat to industrial process…
Successful dispersion depends on a basic understanding of dispersion equipment and how dispersers should be used High-shear mixers typically operate at high rotational speeds and are used for mixing applications that are best described as dispersion processes. They can be…
Dimensionless numbers refer to physical parameters that have no units of measurement. These numbers often appear in calculations used by process engineers. As long as consistent units are used, dimensionless numbers remain the same whether metric or other units are…
Gold mines using traditional cyanide-leaching extraction processes will benefit with the launch of a new technology allowing onsite production of sodium cyanide. The technology, developed by Synergen Met Pty Ltd (Brisbane, Australia; www.synergenmet.com), will eliminate a range of hazardous activities…
Researchers from North Carolina State University (Raleigh; www.ncsu.edu) and Qatar University (Doha; www.qu.edu.qa) have developed a new metal alloy that is claimed to have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than any other existing metal material. The low-density, nanocrystalline alloy — Al20Li20Mg10Sc20Ti30…
Last month, Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.novozymes.com) launched a new enzyme, dubbed Eversa, which is said to be the first commercially available enzymatic solution to make biodiesel fuels from waste oils. The enzymatic process converts used cooking oil or other lower-grade…
A new high-temperature reactor that can draw power from conventional electricity as well as from a solar-thermal heating system could enable a cleaner, lower-energy route to lightweight magnesium alloys. The custom-made reactor was built by thermal processing equipment company Harper…
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Tsukuba City, Japan; www.aist.go.jp), in collaboration with Tohoku University (www.tohoku.ac.jp), succeeded in demonstrating what is said to be the world’s first ammonia-fired power. The achievement was carried out in a…