With proper design, installation, monitoring and maintenance, chemical plant operators can increase the lifecycle of fluid systems — and the bottom line Replacing a fluid system component costs more than just the price of the part itself. It also includes…
This company’s SLA Series mass-flow controllers (MFCs; photo) and meters now have new global certifications, including those covering the cure dates and shelf life of the elastomers used in the assembly and the surface roughness of the flow path, as…
Process equipment is usually connected by pipelines through which, if an explosion occurs, fire and pressure can spread very rapidly. Propagating explosions pose increased risks of secondary explosions. The intensity of the explosion in connected vessels is increased by pressure…
Thoughtful design can help reduce safety risks at process plant sites by proactively eliminating possible hazards and modifying personnel behaviors Safety is an important value in any organization, but is particularly important in the chemical process industries (CPI) when the…
The MC-COS multi-control valve (photo) is a fully integrated device consisting of this company’s COS pressure-reducing valve, a separator, steam trap and a motorized actuator. It is designed for steam conditioning, as well as to control either the steam pressure…
Safety is often underestimated when planning, operating and maintaining process-measuring equipment. Sensors with SIL certification, alone, do not make the process safe. It is important to avoid systematic errors during planning, installation and operation The correct installation of a temperature…
Thermal oxidizers can be used for the abatement of a wide range of air pollutants and volatile organic compounds. This article describes the custom design of a thermal oxidizer to treat three different waste streams from a biogas plant A…
A routes-by-exception reliability strategy helps improve safety and efficiency, while preserving competitive advantage in a changing marketplace In recent years, maintenance and reliability experts have often talked about the massive wave of retirements leaving chemical plants, creating a shortage of…
Stainless steels are common materials for process equipment and components in the chemical process industries in large part because of their corrosion resistance. This one-page reference reviews the properties of stainless steels with regard to corrosion resistance. Passive layer Stainless…
Chemical engineers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL; www.epfl.ch), in collaboration with scientists from Toyota Motor Europe (Zaventem, Belgium; www.toyota-europe.com), have invented a photoelectrochemical (PEC) “artificial leaf” that splits water vapor into H2. The technology features a…