The Ident-Ex 01 for Div. 1 / Zone 1 & 21 (photo) is a powerful, intrinsically safe all-in-one barcode scanner and RFID reader for use in hazardous areas. With its unique modular design, the ultra-rugged Bluetooth-capable Ident-Ex 01 can be…
The Sitrans TO500 multipoint temperature measuring system (photo) enables complex temperature measurements and detection of the precise position of critical hotspots in a variety of applications, including tubular and tube-bundle reactors. The fiber-optics-based device uses a fiber Bragg grating (FBG)…
Whether to remove solid contaminants from a liquid or separate a solid product from a solvent, solid-liquid (S-L) separation is a common unit operation across the chemical process industries (CPI). This one-page reference provides an overview of S-L separation methods,…
This column is based on “MTBE production from Raffinate-1 - Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/mtbe-production-cost. Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is an organic compound used mainly as a fuel additive to enhance octane…
The differences between industrial-scale facilities and pilot plants go beyond size, and these intricacies must be understood when estimating the costs associated with pilot-scale facilities Estimating the construction costs of pilot plant facilities can be tricky, and many of the…
Before any engineering or design work can take place, a project’s feasibility must be considered. Reasonably accurate costs can be obtained using the preliminary estimate methodologies presented here Evaluating the feasibility early in an investment project’s timeline is critical for…
A better understanding of what pressure instruments do and how they work can help improve measurement performance, especially in troublesome applications Effective use of process instrumentation is critical in any chemical manufacturing environment. These instruments are strategically located throughout various…
Plant layout is as important a part of process plant design as it ever was, but it is rarely taught as part of chemical engineering courses While process plant layout is a critical aspect of chemical process industries (CPI) operations,…
Be vigilant about parallel pumping conditions that can lead to catastrophic failures During my career, I have seen several massive centrifugal pump failures caused by pump users attempting to operate pumps in parallel without the proper equipment review, procedural review…
Users should consider both options when selecting a DP device. Understanding the differences can help make the decision for a given set of process conditions Differential pressure (DP) measurements are used in many branches of the chemical process industries (CPI)…