Free trade agreements, global manufacturing standards and the Internet have made it possible for companies to do business in countries they would not have considered 20 years ago. Open is a world of opportunity, but for processors of…
Modeling the behavior of bulk solids has been a longstanding challenge for researchers and practitioners alike. The differences between fluids, rigid solids and bulk solids can best be illustrated by their responses to applied stress. For instance, when…
The use of shell-and-tube heat exchangers is widespread in the chemical process industries (CPI). In applications where contact between shell- and tube-side fluids is not tolerable, it is important for the engineer to understand some of the design…
The pressures and challenges placed on the chemical process industries (CPI) have been heralded so often that even a person on the street can articulate most of them; and the list continues to grow - cost containment, lawsuits,…
Pipe flanges are used to mechanically connect pipe sections to other pipe sections, inline components, and equipment. Flanges also allow pipe to be assembled and disassembled without cutting or welding, which eliminates the need for those two operations when…
Spend the necessary time on unit status evaluation and onsite work preparation for optimum return on investment and payback period The preparation of a unit for restart requires complex and systematic approach. A plant restart project is traditionally composed of…
With energy costs rising, the value of most powders and bulk solids has been rising steadily as well, giving manufacturers ample reason to improve production efficiency. "Companies not only want to reduce their consumption of power, they also…
Occupational dangers in the chemical process industries (CPI) are many, with falls, respiratory hazards, and explosion risks confronted daily. One hazard, however, causes no pain nor visible scars. Its effects accumulate with each overexposure and can go unnoticed,…
The equilibrium phase distribution ratio (K value) is necessary for designing and assessing the performance of distillation columns. This paper proposes a simplified approach to calculate the K value that is suitable for preliminary design work and for…
Steam traps have been around for a hundred years or so, and for the most part, nothing revolutionary has come forward to change the basic way a trap functions. Any operation that uses steam to produce a high-quality,…