Within the chemical process industries (CPI), the need to design safety systems to prevent process failures from occurring, or to control them when they do, is well recognized, as is the importance of having confidence in the safety systems that…
To avoid problems with solids flow in bins and hoppers, the friction between the equipment walls and the flowing solids is an important factor to understand. Provided here is a review of flow patterns in bins and hoppers, and practical…
Lean workforces are the norm in current plant environments. In the context of heat exchange systems, the current situation amplifies the need to select a heat-transfer fluid supplier with the expertise and technical resources to handle non-routine circumstances. This one-page…
Heterogeneous catalysis in industrial processes involves a complicated set of physical and chemical phenomena that help lead to products. This one-page reference provides information about the formation of products in an industrial process using solid catalyst materials. Catalyst materials…
Producing chemicals and fuels by fermentation of renewable feedstocks can offer improved sustainability, lower costs and greater safety compared to conventional thermal processes. But realizing these benefits depends on a careful assessment of the process economics, and an understanding of…
Processes involving extremely low temperatures present unique process design and safety challenges. This one-page reference outlines considerations for low-temperature operations. Direct contact Extremely low temperatures can rapidly freeze human tissue. Contact between a worker’s bare skin and a low-temperature vapor,…
Adjustment and control of moisture levels in solid materials is a critical aspect in the manufacture of many chemical products. Drying can be defined as the vaporization and removal of water or other liquids from a solution, suspension, or other…
In hygienic process operations, proper system construction and fabrication has the greatest influence on end-product quality and the success of process validation. Even well-designed hygienic systems can be compromised by leaching, poor internal finishes and mishandled material sourcing and other…
A solid grasp of pump sizing allows engineers to make effective economic and practical decisions about process pumps. This one-page reference provides information about two key parameters and other considerations for pump sizing. Pump sizing steps Sizing a pump requires…
The ideal gas law ( PV = nRT), relating molar volume of a gas to pressure and temperature, is predicated on two assumptions: 1) that the volume occupied by the gas molecules is negligible compared to the volume of the…