Dust is a critical consideration in the chemical process industries (CPI) from both a process safety standpoint — as a potential fire and explosion hazard — and from an occupational safety standpoint — as a potential worker exposure hazard. Reinforcing…
A plant turnaround is always challenging in the chemical process industries (CPI). But with proper planning and reliable procedures in place, last-minute time crunches and failures can be prevented. When haste combines with faulty methods, costly problems result. This article…
Olefin dimerization is a reaction where two molecules of a monomer combine to form a dimer. It can be utilized to produce normal butenes from ethylene, which can be provided by a steam cracker. Dimerization of ethylene is generally applied…
When the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revised the U.S. Hazard Communication Law, U.S. 29 CFR 1910.1200, in May of 2012, it set off an avalanche of change in the environmental, health and safety (EH&S) circles of American…
The topic of carrying out process engineering calculations in the most effective manner can be considered in these four ways: 1. The purpose of the calculation 2. The content of the calculation 3. The method used to carry out the…
CUI — that acronym should be enough to capture your attention. All chemical process industries (CPI) plants are aging — and some are aged, especially in the U.S. and Europe. Corrosion under insulation (CUI) should be regarded as a silent…
Gear units play a critical role in a diverse array of chemical process industries (CPI) facilities, to match the speed of a selected driver with the speed of the driven equipment. Today, they are used extensively in pumps, turbines and…
Testing in filtration processes is critical for determining the properties of solids being filtered and the ease or difficulty of the filtration. In addition, laboratory testing is important in specifying filter media, filter aids, filter area, cake space needed and…
Milling is a mechanistically driven process that breaks solid material into smaller pieces. Selection of the optimal mill is a daunting task that often leaves engineers relying on vendor suggestions to decide which mill is right for their job. This…
Calculating volumes of solids in piles as they are poured into various shaped containers can be important information for solids-handling applications. The following set of equations represents guidance to help determine solids volume in these cases. Solids in containers Solids…