The Hungarian subsidiary of Messer Group (Bad Soden, Germany; www.messergroup.com) has finalized the purchase of Air Liquide Hungary Ipari Gáztermelő Kft. with the approval of the competition authority. Messer Hungarogáz Kft. will thus take over some 50 employees, as well…
Hexcel Corp. (Stamford, Conn.; www.hexcel.com) has made a strategic investment in Oxford Performance Materials (OPM). OPM produces thermoplastic, carbon-fiber-reinforced 3D printed parts for commercial aerospace and space and defense applications. Hexcel Chairman, CEO and President Nick Stanage said, “Aerospace adoption…
SABIC (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; www.sabic.com) has signed a Project Development Agreement (PDA) with Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group Co. (SNCG), a subsidiary of Shenhua Group Corp., effective May 30, 2016. The PDA relates to the two parties’ potential joint development…
Cooling-tower motor A new electric motor for driving cooling-tower fans features a design that prevents current from flowing through the shaft bearings, allowing longer lifetime and less maintenance. The TEAO motor, made by Marathon Motors Corp. (Wausau, Wis.; www.marathonelectric.com) also…
A major part of field work lies in troubleshooting problems: finding out why a system is not operating the way it is intended. This article provides guidelines for effective troubleshooting and contains many practical examples of their successful use Effective…
When vortex formation limits outflow from a tank, consider a disc-type vortex breaker Chemical engineers have long said that, while it is easy to get liquid into a tank, it can be difficult to get liquid out. Large line sizes…
Two methods are presented and compared for quickly calculating this important, yet neglected parameter Over the last few decades, a considerable effort has been directed to toward the evaluation of thermophysical and transport properties of air for a wide range…
Electropositive filters take advantage of surface-charge effects to filter nanometer-sized particles. Provided here is an overview of how they work and where they can be used Electropositive filters take advantage of surface-charge effects to filter nanometer-sized particles. Provided here is…
The use of today’s high-performance rupture disc designs can help to reduce many common operating problems and support increased throughput requirements Chemical process industries (CPI) plants are typically designed to achieve specific production volumes, but as anyone who has worked…
This column is based on “Calcium Carbonate Production from Limestone: Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/calcium-carbonate-production-cost. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is a mineral that occurs naturally in chalks, limestones and marbles. Its largest use…