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Facts at your Fingertips: Distillation
Computer-generated simulations of distillation processes are often validated experimentally. This reference discusses three concepts that influence comparisons between experimental results and simulation predictions: vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of the components; relative liquid-to-vapor flowrates (L/V ratios in the column); and vapor-liquid contactor…
Technology Profile: Polychloroprene Production
This column is based on the report “Polychloroprene Production – Cost Analysis,” published by Intratec. It can be found at the following URL: www.intratec.us/analysis/polychloroprene-production-cost. The need to find a substitute for natural rubber during World War II boosted the development…
Recent Air Regulations: Impact on Turnaround Vapor Deinventory Strategies
With the onset of new environmental regulations, turnaround teams must look to temporary vapor-control strategies to ensure compliance during non-routine operations Turnarounds are one of the most anticipated and time-intensive events in a plant’s cycle, and are an essential part…
Energy Recovery in Compressed Air Systems
Users of compressed air can take advantage of heat recovery to enhance their sustainability, improve energy efficiency and reduce system lifecycle costs Air compressors account for a considerable portion of industrial energy consumption, and facilities that employ large-scale air compression…
Pitfalls to Avoid When Generating Cost Estimates
The pitfalls in cost estimating that cause project overruns have been well known for decades, yet they continue to plague the CPI When I first started writing this article, I set out to summarize the mechanics of project cost estimation.…
A Shortcut to Optimize Pipe Diameters by Economic Criteria
This methodology can be used not only for laminar flow, but also for the complete turbulent flow region In recent decades, the impact of energy costs on the transport of fluids has led to a significant reduction in fluid velocity…
Recommended Fluid Velocities in Pipelines
The recommended velocities for fluids’ transportation must be updated periodically to obtain the optimum value of the pipe diameter in the current economic conditions To arrive at the optimum diameters for pipes, the heuristic criteria of recommended velocity has been…
Engineering & Construction (E&C): Modeling Integration Enables Optimized Execution
As E&C companies strive to develop Building Information Modeling (BIM) 6D models for the owners and operators of CPI facilities, strong efficiency gains benefit all parties Truly transformational change is upon the engineering and construction (E&C) industry, and some consider…
ADNOC moving ahead with plans to expand its CO2 capture operations
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC; www.adnoc.ae) announced that it is moving ahead with plans to expand the capture, storage and utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2), produced from either the Habshan-Bab gas processing facilities or the Shah gas plant.…
Ametek completes acquisition of condition-monitoring specialist Spectro Scientific
AMETEK, Inc. (Berwyn, Pa.; www.ametek.com) announced that it has completed the acquisition of Spectro Scientific, a leading provider of machine condition monitoring solutions for critical assets in high-value industrial applications. Spectro provides both lab-based and onsite instrumentation, consumables and cloud-based…