Fuel costs rose sharply in 2005 because of hurricane damage to U.S. interests in the Gulf of Mexico, and international developments in the oil supply market. Competing fuels — coal and natural gas — rose in price in…
Engineers often need to predict the cost of piping and pipefitting associated with a process unit. Even though detailed prices are available, finding and organizing them takes time and costs money. For those needing a quick method of…
Groundwater, surface wa-ter, wastewater, drinking water: it’s all essentially the same stuff. Whichever stage of the water cycle you care to look at, chemical engineers are to be found — either trying to stop water from becoming polluted…
A clear definition of what a project will include can go a long way in helping to reach the desired objective. Spending the time upfront to seek input from pertinent parties and to scope out the details can…
Piping-flexibility and stress analysis are required in the design of most piping systems before the piping is installed in a chemical-process or other plant. It is intended to ensure the safety of the plant and thus protect the…
In the U.S. last year, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita powerfully demonstrated the ability of nature to disrupt companies’ operations and commitments. In a business context, the effects of such natural (or, for that matter, civil or social) disruptions can be…
Successively larger diameters downstream can raise problems. Physical removal of air is an attractive alternative In pneumatic conveying systems that operate under high positive pressure, it is common wisdom that as the downstream end is approached, the diameters of the…
Whether working on retrofits or new-plant construction, engineers involved with chemical-process projects nowadays are likely to find themselves under pressure to reach completion quickly, sometimes even at the cost of bypassing traditional procedures and project controls. The downside becomes a…
Immersion heaters are used in a wide variety of applications in the chemical process industries (CPI). Knowing which heater to specify for a particular application and how to maintain it can make a manufacturing process more cost-efficient. This…
These observations and recommendations —reflecting decades of experience — can help operators avoid a lot of headaches and heartache when it comes to handling bulk solids Successful startup and operation of solids-handling processes depend on myriad small yet fateful decisions…