Polypropylene (PP) is one of the world’s most widely used polymers, second only to polyethylene in terms of global demand. The global market for polypropylene is over 60 million metric tons per year, and it is utilized in a…
A variety of technologies, methods and best practices are available to obtain the lowest total cost of ownership for compressors used in plants throughout the chemical process industries (CPI). This article discusses several critical areas in which concerted effort can…
Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are one of the most important and commonly used process equipment items in the chemical process industries (CPI). If you are working on a project during either the basic or the detailed engineering phase, there is a…
Minimizing process variability is an important component of a plant’s profitability. The performance of control valves within process control loops has a significant impact on maintaining consistent processes. This refresher outlines some of the important aspects of control-valve performance, including…
Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) is the active constituent in chlorine bleach, a strong oxidizer and bleaching agent. Increases in household bleach demand are driven mostly by population growth. In turn, population growth and its corresponding increases in water consumption — coupled…
Sulfur is a major contaminant in the oil and gas industry that exists in various forms and requires separation from both water and process streams. In recent years the removal of sulfur species has received increasing attention because of safety…
Many chemical manufacturing processes require large amounts of energy, and chemical companies are faced with the constant challenge of determining how to use that energy as sustainably as possible. More and more chemical companies are prioritizing a range of energy…
The continuing development of natural gas extraction from shale deposits, known simply as shale gas, is fueling the growth of simple- and combined-cycle power plants. Much coal-fired power is being replaced by these technologies. In addition, though, simple- and combined-cycle…
This article provides guidance to the designer and operator of a safety-instrumented system (SIS), with an emphasis on conducting measurements. The use of best practices to ensure the strength of the overall system design, and the use of instrument diversity…
What if someone were to tell you that there is one method available for sizing relief valves that applies to virtually every situation, including two-phase flow and supercritical fluids? And what if they told you that method is more accurate…