Chemical Engineering
Facts At Your Fingertips: Key Considerations for Control-Valve Specification
Control valves ensure safe and efficient operation of process plants by regulating the fluid flow in connected pipes. This one-page reference outlines key considerations for specifying control valves during the design phase of a plant. Valve sizing. The size of…
Downcomer Backup Flooding: In Search of the Truth
Correctly identifying flood mechanisms that limit throughput in a distillation column is central to maximizing capacity and debottlenecking. Guidelines for diagnosing the mechanism are described in Ref. 1. This column recounts a case of downcomer backup flooding. Backup from frothy…
Biomanufacturing at Scale: Separating Feasibility from Commercial Viability
Physical scalability in fermentation was established decades ago. The decisions that determine whether a bioprocess for making a specialty chemical becomes a profitable one are made earlier, and they focus on deployment execution and commercial position of the product Ask…
Functionalized mixed-metal oxide is ‘anti-aging’ antidote for battery cathodes
A new metal-oxide additive technology is taking a different approach to extend battery performance and lifecycle. Developed by Ten-Nine Technologies (Tulsa, Okla.; www.ten-ninetech.com), the TENIX nanoscale additive formulation features specialized surface chemistry that selectively intervenes in key battery-degradation pathways that…
The Scale-up Gap in Bio-based Materials
Successful pilot operations are a necessary first step, but for bio-based processes, getting a product plant-ready requires navigating the gap between research environments and industrial plant settings A successful pilot batch has a way of changing the mood in a…
Investments are accelerating a new hydrogen-based quantum-heating approach
Specially engineered nanostructured nickel- and copper-based composite materials are the cornerstone of a new technology that aims to provide emissions-free heat generation for industrial use. Clean Planet Inc. (Tokyo; www.cleanplanet.co.jp/en/) has developed the Quantum Hydrogen Energy (QHe) technology, which the…
Root-Cause Failure Analysis of Heat Exchangers: From Postmortem to Prediction
This practical framework can help engineers transition their heat-exchanger diagnostics from after-the-fact investigation to continuous, chemistry-aware forecasting Chemical producers are pushing the limits more than ever. In addition to extending turnaround intervals from 3–5 years to 7–9 years, ethylene producers…
Solvent-based technology recovers PPS from waste materials
Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) is a high-performance thermoplastic with excellent mechanical and thermal properties commonly used in automotive glass-fiber-reinforced components and materials. Recycling waste PPS is challenging because separating impurities is difficult, and conventional mechanical recycling can lead to polymer degradation.…
Effect of Orientation on Heat-Exchanger Performance
The importance of heat-exchanger orientation on process operations is illustrated using a real-world case study from an ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol plant The flow dynamics associated with the presence of both a liquid and a gas (or vapor) phase inside a…
Applying ionic liquids to alum sludge presents a less-toxic route to sludge conditioning
Aluminum sulfate is used in drinking-water treatment as a coagulant to remove suspended particles, but this process leaves behind large volumes of watery residue known as alum sludge. Alum sludge is exceedingly difficult to dewater, making disposal a massive challenge,…