Technical & Practical
Facts at Your Fingertips: Heat Transfer System Design
Pumps Centrifugal pumps with cast or forged steel casings are typically appropriate for systems with large flowrates Positive displacement pumps frequently can handle smaller flowrates of less than 100 gal/min Sealless pumps (canned motor or magnetic drive) avoid the installation…
Feature Report: Part 1: Using Installed Gain to Improve Valve Selection
The perfect valve to control your process has been selected. The valve will pass your maximum flow. Everything is great, right? In some cases digging a little deeper might help. The control valve usually should not be the most…
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…
Engineering Practice: Predicting Water Content of Compressed Air
Each compressed air system is typically composed of one or more compressors with a power source, control system, intake air filter, after cooler and separator, air receiver, air dryer, interconnecting piping and a distribution system to deliver air to points…
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…
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…