Technical & Practical
Engineering Practice: Optimize your Process Plant for More than One Objective
There are many criteria that the engineer considers when optimizing: maximization of product yield or quality; minimization of recycle flow or energy consumption; and economic indicators, such as maximization of profits, net present worth (NPW) and minimization of payback period…
Facts at Your Fingertips: Crystallization
Crystallization is a method of solid-fluid separation in which pure chemical crystals are formed. Crystallization kinetics consists of three major phenomena: nucleation (the birth of a crystal), transfer of the solute from the supersaturated solution to the crystal surface, and…
The Path to the Perfect Plant
Process engineers understand how to harness the power of closed-loop multi-variable control in their plants. The evolution of digital control in the chemical process industries (CPI) has provided that power. Yet digital control represents just one facet of optimization and…
Feature Report: Water Reuse and Conservation in the CPI
The need to conserve water is becoming a common concern throughout the world. Whether this is due to the cost of water, availability of water, or environmental concerns, water conservation is becoming a major focal point, both in the public…
From Tap to Transmitter
Today, companies in the chemical process industries (CPI) are faced with increased operating expenses, reductions in the number of qualified workers, strong competition and the need to do more with less. To meet these challenges, many companies are making use…
Solids Processing: Prevent Caking and Unintended Agglomeration
Learn what causes caking and how testing methods can help identify critical parameters for controlling it Caking occurs when an easy-flowing powder becomes cohesive after storage or transport, forming agglomerates comprised of individual particles that are bonded together. As a…
Facts at your Fingertips: Valves
Gate Gate valves are designed to operate fully open or fully closed; When fully opened, there is very little pressure drop across the valve, and when fully closed there is good sealing against pressure. With the proper mating of a…
Engineering Practice: A Lessons-Learned Knowledge Management System for Engineers
An organizational lessons-learned system facilitates the transfer of knowledge from one project team to another Lessons learned is a method of collecting the unique and important knowledge gleaned from experience. While most engineers have heard of this often cited, even…
Engineering Practice: Predicting Physical Properties of Hydrocarbon Compounds
The continuing growth in the importance of chemical processing, including oil-and-gas processing, increases the need to understand prediction methods for chemical properties and chatacteristics and the impact that these properties have on unit operations, process simulation and design. A variety…
Cover Story: Making Energy Efficiency Pay
As fuel prices continue to rise, energy management is everyone’s business Market trends suggest that the demand for energy resources will rise dramatically over the next 25 years with the global demand for all energy sources forecast to grow by…