Click here for full pdf version of this article - includes all graphs, charts, tables, and author information EXPANSION TANK A well designed expansion tank: 1. Maintains a static pump-suction head 2. Compensates for temperature-related volume and pressure changes 3.…
Successful adsorber design requires information about certain adsorbent properties, including: adsorbent densities and void fractions; isotherms or other equilibrium data; and data on mass-transfer kinetics and fixed-bed dynamics. Here, these adsorbent properties are explained, along with corresponding equations. Densities and…
When a flowmeter is needed, the selection process should include studying the characteristics of respective measurement technologies and analyzing the advantages/disadvantages for different plant environments. This effort will help ensure that a meter with the right performance and reliability, for…
One of the most important factors to consider when evaluating a specialty metal for use in valves, fittings and instrumentation is its corrosion resistance or corrosion rate of the metal in the target media. Each material discussed here has its…
Technology Requirements [ 1] Control architecture Does the solution provide an integrated automation platform? New systems should manage process knowledge through a combination of advanced technologies, industrial domain expertise, and Six Sigma methodologies. Choose an open, scalable control system that…
In today’s typical process plants, preventing steam loss and improving condensate return are key opportunities to make a process more energy efficient. To be the most effective, steam generally needs to be dry (such as for process usage), or superheated…
Membrane polymers are packaged into a configuration, commonly called a device or an element. The most-common element configurations (figure) are tubular, capillary fiber, spiral wound, and plate and frame. Tubular Made from ceramic, carbon, stainless steel or a number…
Friction Factor Fluid flowing through pipes experiences resistance due to viscosity, turbulence and roughness of the pipe surface. The Darcy-Weisbach Equation (1) is commonly used for the analysis of steady-state, Newtonian-fluid flow inside pipes. It summarizes the relations between frictional…
Laminar Pipe Flow For steady flow in a pipe (whether laminar or turbulent), a momentum balance on the fluid gives the shear stress at any distance from the pipe centerline. In Equation (1), Φ = P + ρ gz. The…
Biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oils by three types of reactions: base catalyzed transesterification of the oil; direct acid-catalyzed transesterification of the oil; and conversion of the oil to its fatty acids, and then to biodiesel. Biodiesel is typically…