November 2012 CEP Preview




Commentary: Working Together to Put CFATS Back on Track
DHS's chemical security plan is sound, but its implementation has stumbled.

Heat Transfer: Best Practices for Heat Tracing Pilot Plants (Click here to read this article now.)
Heat tracing a pilot plant is a difficult task, but with proper design and careful installation, the tracing system can operate safely and effectively.

Reactions and Separations: Be Smart about Column Design
Optimizing distillation equipment and processes can improve both the profitability and the greenness of an operation.

Back to Basics: Cut Agitator Power Costs
Agitator power consumption can be minimized by judicious equipment selection and careful operating procedures. Follow these guidelines to reduce your plant's energy costs. In some cases, it may be as simple as flipping a switch.

Career Catalyst: "Are We Covered?" Understand the Strengths and Weaknesses of a Patenting Policy
A detailed laboratory notebook is one of the most valuable assets at an engineer's disposal when negotiating the pathway to a patent -- proving the essential patentability factors of novelty and nonobviousness, as well as the innovation timeline.

News: Magic Act: Electronics Disappear into their Surroundings ... New Material Boasts World-Record Efficiency ... Brain Cancer Studies Point to a Bio-Based Route to Nylon ... Nickel Misbehaves in Li-Ion Batteries ... Solar Energy Gets Mixed Up ... An Artist's Guide To Drawing Sensors ... Chem Economics: Post-9/11 Security Spending ... AIChE Journal Highlight: Uncovering the Source of Organic Solar Cell Performance ... and more

Plus: Letters ... What's New ... Process Safety Beacon: Can You Find the Safety Problem? Spotlight on Safety: LOPA -- A Valuable Risk-Reduction Tool... Product Digest: Plant Maintenance ... Software ... Books ... Institute News: WISE Interns; Calendars ... YPOV: DNA Goes Digital

The November 2012 issue of CEP is now available online. AIChE members receive access to CEP, including a searchable archive of issues dating back to 2001, online at http://www.aiche.org/cep.