Many ZnO@TiO2 core-shell nanorod arrays (the notation means ZnO is the core inside the TiO2 shell) with good photocatalytic activity have been designed and synthesized. There has been an increasing interest in the design and synthesis of those arrays to…
Carbon fibers, an increasingly essential component for lightweight materials, are typically made from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in a three-step process consisting of oxidation/stabilization, carbonization and surface treatment/sizing. 4M Industrial Oxidation, LLC (Knoxville, Tenn.; www.4mio.com) intends to commercialize a technology to produce…
Plant Watch Dow plans for significant U.S. growth with five-year investment strategy May 11, 2017 — The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) announced a five-year investment plan that includes expansion of Dow’s new TX-9 ethylene cracker through the addition…
An overview of how the chemical process industries are looking to the IIoT to help form new business models in a competitive environment Today, technological advances are being made and implemented at an accelerated pace that is quickly changing the…
Predictive process models enable more efficient operations and higher-value products When they hear the words “process modeling,” some may envision an engineer sitting in front of a laptop waiting for a distillation column flowsheet to converge. While flowsheet simulations are…
New motors and drives provide energy efficiency and reliability in chemical applications Always on the lookout for ways to reduce downtime and energy costs, chemical processors are turning to advanced motors and drives to help achieve these goals. Sometimes as…
This column is based on “Hydrogen Peroxide Production Process Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/hydrogen-peroxide-production-cost. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is the simplest peroxide (defined as molecules with two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to one…
Modern control systems for chemical processes can generate frequent alarms. This one-page reference provides information on common alarm-management metrics, which can foster focused remedial actions and ultimately lead to a safer, better-performing plant. Alarm frequency As alarm frequency increases, an…
Guard against gasket wear in plate heat exchangers Gaskets used in plate heat exchangers (photo) wear over time, due to natural aging, and the effect of temperature, pressure and stress that results from natural operating conditions. Getting the best performance…
The two experimental methods presented here can be used to quantify powder self-heating hazards in layer and bulk conditions in industrial processes Bulk storage of heated powders and powder accumulations on hot surfaces or in heated environments can potentially lead…