Drones Take to the Skies in the Chemical Processing Industries
Drones are quickly entering the chemical processing space as more companies begin to embrace their…
Cover Story
Commentary
Scientists as celebrities
I recently saw a television commercial that caught my attention and provided “food for thought.”…
In The News
Newsfronts
Modern Temperature Sensors Increase Accuracy
Both new and traditional technologies simplify and improve the temperature-sensing process Temperature is cited as…
Chementator
Bioethanol from bagasse
Tsukishima Kikai Co. (www.tsk-g.co.jp) and JFE Engineering Corp. (both Tokyo, Japan; www.jfe-eng.co.jp) have demonstrated a…
Chementator Briefs
Polyesters Customizing the macroscale properties of polyesters by using sidechain chemical groups is difficult, and…
A very efficient SOFC
Hitachi Zosen Corp. (HITZ, Osaka and Tokyo, Japan; www.hitachizosen.co.jp) has installed a solid-oxide fuel cell…
This portable pesticide detector offers a quick check of produce
A micro portable pesticide detector for food analysis, called a Handheld Pesticide Residue Detector, has…
This hybrid power-generation system combines SOFC and a gas turbine
Last month, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS; Yokohama, Japan; www.mhps.com) launched a new, pressurized,…
Ammonia as a H2 carrier enabled by a catalytic membrane
A major challenge in using hydrogen to power motor vehicles is the difficulty in transporting…
Winning iron and titanium while making vanadium electrolyte
VanadiumCorp Resource Inc. (Vancouver, B.C., Canada; www.vanadiumcorp.com) has achieved direct and consistent recovery of vanadium…
Oxy-fuel burner restores air-fuel regenerative furnaces to full production
Engineers at Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) have commercialized an improved version of the…
Carbon nanotube technology toughens carbon-fiber composite materials
Under mechanical stress, carbon-reinforced epoxy-resin composite materials can experience cracking and de-lamination at the junctures…
Dual-functioning MOFs maintain a comfortable room humidity
Researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST; Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; www.kaust.edu.sa)…
Magnetized viruses attack challenging bacteria in water-treatment systems
Biofilms in water-treatment systems may harbor problematic bacteria and pathogens since chemical disinfectants typically do…
Business News
Business News - September 2017
Plant Watch $8-billion phosphate megaproject starts up in Saudi Arabia August 11, 2017 — Fluor…
Technical & Practical
Feature Report
An Overview of Vacuum System Design
The design of vacuum systems deserves careful attention — there are multiple facets that affect…
Odor Issues and Solutions for Wastewater Treatment
Increasingly, wastewater treatment plants must address odors due to volatile contaminants. This guide provides an…
Smart Water-Management Strategies: The Time is Now
Considering water-management strategies as a central component of infrastructure design at industrial facilities will unlock…
Facts at Your Fingertips
Facts at your Fingertips: Heat-Transfer Fluid Selection
Heat-transfer fluid selection can be intimidating when considering the long-term impact on costs and operability.…
Technology Profile
Technology Profile: Acetic Acid Production from Methanol
This column is based on “Acetic Acid Production from Methanol – Cost Analysis,” a report…
Engineering Practice
Addressing Pumping Issues in Biopharmaceutical Operations
Quaternary diaphragm pumps deliver the low pulsation and shear that is critical to these biopharmaceutical…
Environmental Manager
Spill Containment: An Often-Overlooked Hazard in Research
With proper planning, spills can be managed properly and the risk of secondary events —…
Equipment & Services
Focus
Focus on Feeding and Weighing Bulk Solids
Single unit combines bin discharge and feeding The Gyro Ex Bin Activating Feeder/Discharger (photo) is…
New Products
Zero-leakage sealing for bulk powder handling
The New-Seal technology (photo) provides zero-leakage sealing of bulk solids for screw conveyors, paddle or…
A clog-resistant tank-cleaning head
The clog-resistant Hydroclaw tank-cleaning head impacts a jet of water on a claw-like plate, which…
A particle analyzer for nano-scale identification
The new FlowCam Nano particle analyzer features Nano-Flow particle-imaging technology that provides digital images of…
A very compact standalone PLC
The new Micro PLC VIPA Control (photo) is an ultra-compact standalone PLC featuring high channel…
Automated alarm management reduces manual calculation work
The newest release of the PlantState Suite (PSS) software, version 8.3, includes the new Alarm…
Test turbine trip systems without disrupting production
This company’s new, patent-pending pneumatic trip system (photo) with partial-stroke actuation provides quick testing of…
A portable mixer for laboratory and pilot operations
The Crossover 1540 overhead mixer (photo) features a 0.5-hp motor delivering 3,000 N∙cm of torque…
Easily detect seal and gasket wear in conveying applications
This company now offers metal-detectable (MD) and X-ray-inspectable (XRI) seal and gasket options on its…
This piston pump has an interchangeable drive assembly
The new TopDrive piston pump system (photo, p. 28) for cleanup applications features a fully-interchangeable…
Couplers to minimize product loss and cross-contamination
The new Twist-Lok dry disconnect coupler (photo) features 316 stainless-steel construction and an integral heavy-duty…
Hazardous-gas detection with an array of sensor options
The GSM-60 hazardous-gas monitoring system (photo) is designed with an internal sampling pump and can…
These horizontal vortex pumps provide unrestricted flow
The Series 1600 horizontal vortex sump pump (photo) features a fully recessed vortex impeller design…
New pumps for handling flammable chemicals
The SCP Series of pumps (photo) for Class 1 and 2 flammable liquids is designed…
Highly reinforced low-VOC coatings
This company has introduced a new range of low-VOC coatings that provide 100%-solids epoxy lining…
These gas-detection systems are SIL-2 certified
The CGS-FlexVu UD10 combustible-gas detection system combines a catalytic-bead gas sensor with a multifunction universal…
Use these pump heads for extremely shear-sensitive fluids
The new Masterflex L/S Cytoflow pump head (photo) was developed specifically for pumping live cells…
These gear pumps have built-in pressure control
Series UP6 electric gear pumps (photo) feature the option for built-in pressure control, whereby a…
Safety sensors designed for increased vibration resistance
This company’s Eden sensors (photo) now feature a solid-state, board-level design with radio-frequency identification (RFID)…
Show Previews
Powtech Show Preview 2017
Bulk solids experts, process technicians, engineers and plant operators from all over the world will…
Weftec 2017 Show Preview
From September 30 to October 4, the Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, Va.; www.wef.org), will host…