The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rose 1.2% in January, accelerating slightly from a 1.0% gain in December. Of the 28 specialty chemical segments that ACC monitors, 19 expanded in January,…
The following is a list of recently published books that may be relevant for professionals in the chemical process industries (CPI) Digital Transformation for the Process Industries: A Roadmap. By Osvaldo Bascur (edited by Jim O’Rourke), CRC Press, 2021, 320…
This company has launched a smartphone app for iOS and Android operating systems that provides easy access to a comprehensive library of product data, instructional animations and other technical resources related to the group's full line of expansion joints and…
The new Vibrostore 100 (photo) is a palm-sized device that provides vibration-level and bearing-wear monitoring for balance-of-plant machines at the push of a button. The lightweight device can be used single-handedly, and enables even untrained personnel to take vibration measurements…
This company has upgraded its range of SSA actuators for small valves by adding new features for more energy-efficient and versatile hydronic-room applications. The updated SSA actuators now offer more flexibility due to their broad control possibilities — from analog…
Versafreeze ultra-freezers (photo) have been optimized for the extreme requirements of deep-freeze storage for vaccine producers, pharmaceutical service providers and research laboratories, ensuring the safe storage of temperature-sensitive vaccines, valuable medicines, chemical substances or biological samples. With a temperature range…
NanoRam and NanoRam-1064 handheld Raman instruments (photo) are calibrated in compliance with the wavelength accuracy criteria for qualitative Raman measurements set forth by all global pharmacopeias, including the new USP 858 and 1858 chapters. The system software of NanoRam and…
Thermal oxidizers are pollution-control units designed to prevent process-generated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from entering the environment. Different technologies offer tradeoffs among initial cost, operating expense, complexity, emissions, fuel efficiency and destruction efficiency. This one-page reference provides information on selecting…
This column is based on “Acrylonitrile Butadiene Latex Production – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/nitrile-rubber-production-cost. Nitrile rubber (also known as NBR, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene latex, Buna-N) is a synthetic polymer…
Waterhammer arises because of sudden changes in fluid flow, and can present significant problems in processes that involve flowing liquids. This article outlines these potential issues and offers guidance for handling the pressure changes arising from waterhammer Most large-scale processes…