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Technical & Practical

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Measuring Dust and Fines In Polymer Pellets

The ability to carry out  measurements of dust and fines in polymer pellets can help operators improve equality control, assess equipment performance and optimize the process Plastics are most commonly produced and sold in pellet form due to the superior…

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Adsorption

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…

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Keeping Cooling Water Clean

Cooling water systems that rely on cooling towers are a critical component at chemical process industries (CPI) facilities. However, during operation, these open recirculating systems concentrate the contaminants in the makeup water, and as a result, scale formation and biological…

REACH: Looking Beyond Pre-registration

Failure to register under REACH closes EU markets for thousands of chemical substances manufactured or marketed in the European Union, whether on their own, in preparations (formulations) or released from articles (finished products). A key policy objective of registration under…

Viscosity: The Basics

Most engineers know what viscosity is, but may have trouble explaining it. To be brief, viscosity is resistance to flow. For handlers of all materials that flow, either while being processed or in an end-use, it is important to think…

Fine Grinding With Impact Mills

Many branches of the chemical process industries (CPI) make use of impact comminution to process solid matter, such as minerals, foodstuffs, pharmaceutical products, and above all, products for the chemicals industry. Impact comminution is also used for coarse crushing, but…

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Keeping Cooling Water Clean

Cooling water systems that rely on cooling towers are a critical component at chemical process industries (CPI) facilities. However, during operation, these open recirculating systems concentrate the contaminants in the makeup water, and as a result, scale formation and biological…

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The Shotgun Approach: Removal of Fouling Deposits on Heat Transfer Surfaces in Coal-Fired Process Heaters & Boilers

The heat transfer sufaces of coal-fired process heaters and boilers often undergo severe fouling. If left intact, such deposits, consisting of slag from mineral matter contained in the coal, can reduce heat-transfer-surface availability, reduce thermal efficiency and cause corrosion. If…

Flowmeter Selection

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…

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Disperse Difficult Solids

Despite the immense value and universal appeal of these additives for product designers, process engineers facing the day-to-day reality of full-scale production face a unique set of challenges. Dispersing these powdered additives into a liquid is one of the most…