Heat Exchanger Standards for Shell-and-Tube Equipment
Reliable operation of shell-and-tube heat exchangers begins with an appropriate standard. This article provides an…
Cover Story
Special Flange Joints Used in Floating-Head Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers
Single-pass, floating-head heat exchangers are common in certain process operations, but they often use flange…
Commentary
The rising role of alternative energy
The news making recent headlines in my local area is the announcement of the closing…
In The News
Newsfronts
Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP):The Future Looks Bright
New technology is helping to reduce costs and enabling CSP plants to generate electrical power…
Industrial Housekeeping: Making a Clean Sweep
Good housekeeping results in a better safety record and higher product quality Safety is a…
Chementator
New excipient enhances drug solubility
A newly launched pharmaceutical excipient (inactive ingredient providing a vehicle for delivery of oral dosage)…
Commercial debut for a new PLA-production process
To reduce dependency on petroleum-based plastics, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG (Essen, Germany; www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com) has developed…
A new low-energy electrolytic path to ethylene dichloride
New process technology from Chemetry (Moss Landing, Calif.; www.chemetrycorp.com) aims to revitalize the chlor-alkali product…
An enzymatic route to lignin-based functional chemicals
Phenpropanone monomers can be produced from lignin via an enzymatic process developed by Yukari Ohta…
A more efficient way to dehydrate natural gas -- inline
A patented, inline absorption system has been developed and field-tested by ExxonMobil (Houston; www.exxonmobil.com), and…
Chementator briefs
Cyclohexasilane 3DIcon Corp. (Tulsa, Okla.; www.3dicon.net) has signed a supply agreement with Gelest Inc. (Morrisville,…
This surface technology allows viscous fluids to slide easily
A coating technology that creates a permanently slippery surface that allows even sticky, viscous fluids…
Anisotropic MOFs may open new application doors
Porous crystals called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have an extremely large surface area, as well as…
Improving the efficiency of solar desalination
Researchers from Nanjing University (Nanjing, China; www.nju.edu.cn) have reported a solar desalination device that is…
Extending biomass catalyst life by removing minerals
Anellotech Inc.’s (Pearl River, N.Y.; www.anellotech.com) biomass-to-aromatics (Bio-TCat) process pyrolyzes woody biomass and converts the…
Business News
Business News - February 2017
Plant Watch Arkema plans $90-million upgrade at Clear Lake acrylic acid plant January 11, 2017…
Technical & Practical
Research Projects: The Importance of "Cold Eyes" Project Reviews
Follow this guidance to carry out independent project reviews of research projects that are both…
Feature Report
A Primer on Compressor Design
From initial conceptualization to final calculation, designing compressors requires not only engineering intuition and robust…
Facts at Your Fingertips
Facts at your Fingertips: Steam Concepts
Steam is commonly used in the chemical process industries (CPI) for process heating, power generation,…
Technology Profile
Technology Profile: Methionine Hydroxy Analog Production
This column is based on “Methionine Hydroxy Analog Production Process - Cost Analysis,” a report…
Solids Processing
Advances in Pin Mill Technology
Improvements provide finer grinding at lower energy costs compared to air-swept classifying mills that have…
Equipment & Services
Focus
Focus on Pressure Monitoring and Control
Compact regulator is designed for analytical instruments The EX2 Series Control Station (photo) is a…
New Products
A new NDIR sensor measures CO in the volume-percent range
FlowEVO CO (100 vol.%) sensors (photo, p. 30) complement the new series of non-dispersive infrared…
A clever alternative to vibrating-fork level sensors
The CleverLevel series of level sensors has been expanded with two new variants, the LBFH…
Reduce waste in sealant and adhesive applications
The Hydraulic Fixed Ratio (HFR) Metering System (photo, p. 29) improves throughput and significantly reduces…
These pneumatic valves reduce costs for compressed air
Much of a plant’s air costs can be associated with inappropriate uses of (or artificial…
A touchscreen table for interactive projects
The Lift & Tilt touchscreen table (photo) is now available with a 65-in. display. The…
Monitor leaks in pressure-relief valves with this switch device
FLT93L Series FlexSwitch (photo) accurately monitors pressure-relief valves for escaping flow with a flow-sensing switch-alarm…
A range of rotameters with corrosion resistance
Instruments in this company’s PTFE/PFA Model L range of rotameters (photo) are constructed of rigid…
This valve actuator has safety functions
The TriVAX product family (photo) provides confidence through traceable, proven, transparent safety functions. Along with…
These venting systems are now approved for metal dust
The Q-Rohr family of indoor flameless-venting products (photo) has recently been approved for use with…
Versatile turbo blowers for many applications
This company’s line of turbo pressure blowers (photo) is designed for pressures to 80-in. static…
Launch of a new generation of decanter centrifuges
This new generation of decanter centrifuges (photo) will complement this company’s existing A-series for industrial,…
Corrosion management via sensors and cloud analytics
Predictive Corrosion Management (PCM) is a new ATEX-certified digital inspection tool that uses embedded sensors…
This compact compressor can handle raw biogas
The TRZ 1000 (photo) is a completely oil-free, two-stage compressor suitable for use with raw…
Departments
Letters
Letters
Pump Safety: Flirting With Disaster I just finished reading your article (Pump Safety: Flirting With…
Economic Indicators
Current economic trends: December 2016 CEPCI
The preliminary value for the December CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available)…