CEP: February 2013

CEP: February 2013

This month's cover story discusses how many types of "used" water may be appropriate as cooling tower makeup. Other topics include: troubleshooting maldistribution on trays; units of measurement; cold steam traps; and Denmark's chemical industry. Also read about the latest developments in nanotechnology, materials, and Energy.

Editorial

Days after Superstorm Sandy hit the northeastern U.S., I attended the session “Accounting for Beyond Design Basis Events” at the 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, where CCPS Consultant John Murphy gave a talk entitled “Beware the Black Swan.” (His paper on the same topic appeared in the Dec. 2012 issue of Process Safety Progress [PSP], pp. 330–333.) Two weeks later, I came across a press release headlined “How ‘Black Swans’ and ‘Perfect Storms’ Become Lame Excuses for Bad Risk Management,” discussing research by Stanford Univ.’s Elisabeth Paté-Cornell. In this issue’s Spotlight on Safety (p. 20), CCPS Technical Director Louisa Nara discusses the importance of considering highly improbable (or black swan) events.

Use Quantitative Gamma Scans to Troubleshoot Maldistribution on Trays

February

2013

Reactions and Separations

Henry Kister

Quantitative, multichordal gamma-scan analysis is invaluable for diagnosing maldistribution and channeling in distillation columns. The graphical tool introduced here is a convenient way to visually represent the data.

Beware of the Dangers of Cold Traps

February

2013

Safety

James R. Risko

Cold traps — steam traps that no longer drain condensate — are often ignored in lieu of less-critical leaking traps, until a catastrophic event, such as a plant shutdown or personal injury, occurs. Use historical data to accurately estimate the annual cost of these cold traps to justify their swift repair.

Avoid Problems with Units of Measurement

February

2013

Back To Basics

Faruk Civan

Engineers need to clearly understand units, and be able to convert, express, document, and communicate them in correspondence, operating instructions, and publications.

Consider Recycled Water for Your Cooling Tower Makeup

February

2013

Heat Transfer

Paul Puckorius

Many types of “used” water may be appropriate as cooling tower makeup. Here’s how to determine which waters are suitable and cost-effective for the equipment in your cooling system.

Denmark’s Chemicals Industry: Progress and Challenges

February

2013

Global Outlook

Gurkan Sin, Kim Dam-Johansen, Rafiqul Gani

Denmark’s chemicals industry is characterized by a variety of innovative companies, especially in the life sciences. To remain competitive, these companies must continue to invest in innovation, and the country’s universities must fill a growing need for highly educated engineering professionals.

Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.