Technical & Practical
Lessons Learned in the Classroom: Tower Pressure and Capacity
Henry Kister shares lessons learned from troubleshooting distillation towers In my courses, I discuss the effect of column operating pressure on flooding and capacity. There are two counteracting effects: The volatility effect increases in importance at higher pressures and for…
Milling in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Milling active ingredients combines equipment selection, material characterization, and process characterization, with the aim of improving and controlling the properties of the solid crystalline drug substance. These topics are discussed here Milling is a common technique used for the reduction…
New Membrane Applications for Traditional Water-Treatment Processes
Membrane-supported processes can bring many benefits in water-treatment applications where membranes have not traditionally been used Reverse osmosis (RO) is the standard treatment technology for purifying water supplies for potable water applications and many industrial processes. One of four crossflow,…
Wastewater Treatment: Three Steps to Achieving Discharge Compliance
To ensure that wastewater discharge meets all compliance requirements, plants should adopt a multi-tiered approach, rather than assuming that the downstream treatment facilities can handle all potential contaminant loads Most industrial manufacturing facilities are required to meet strict limits on…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Gas Dispersion in Liquids
Injecting gases through a diffuser into a liquid is an important aspect of many operations in the chemical process industries (CPI). Important applications include dissolving reactant gases into a liquid phase for further reaction (such as in hydrogenation, oxidation, ozonation),…
Rotary Drying: Developing a Process in a Test Setting
Testing not only illustrates proof of process and provides other critical assurances, but it also reveals the parameters necessary to reliably yield consistent results Drying is an integral tool in pretreating and finishing bulk solids, which helps producers to meet…
Selection Guide for Solids-Drying Systems
Information provided here offers a basic primer on the features and functions of dryer types, with a focus on fluidized-bed dryers, for moisture control in industrial operations The ability to control the moisture of solid materials while drying plays a…
Tower Doctor: X-Raying The Patient: Gamma Scanning Vapor Cross-Flow Channeling
Henry Kister shares lessons learned from troubleshooting distillation towers In 1988, the author led a team to troubleshoot a chemical tower that was revamped to achieve a small increase in capacity (up to 4%) by increasing the tray hole areas…
Magnetic-Drive Positive-Displacement Pumps for Chemical Processing Applications
Advances in sliding-vane and internal-gear seal-less pump technologies can provide many benefits when compared to centrifugal pumps or more well-known positive-displacement pump options Facilities in the chemical process industries (CPI) use a wide array of flowing substances that must be…
Steps to Improve Safety Challenges in Hazardous Environments
Compliance with industry- and machinery-specific safety standards and classifications is essential to make the safest possible environment for plant personnel, especially those working in potentially hazardous conditions Navigating the world of industrial safety standards can feel like being in uncharted…