Plant Operations

Reduce Risk When Sourcing Abroad

October

2010

Fluids and Solids Handling

Gregory T. Benz, Ling Du

Purchasing lower-cost process equipment from vendors in developing nations can be an attractive proposition in times of economic austerity. When sourcing outside local channels, keep the points discussed here in mind to avoid costly problems that go...

Troubleshooting Bins, Hoppers and Feeders

April

2002

Fluids and Solids Handling

Jerry R. Johanson

By understanding solids' properties and what promotes flow, problems faced in the plant can be remedied

Optimizing Batch Operations

January

2006

Reactions and Separations

Kah Loong Choong, Robin Smith

Use this novel method to optimize the operating conditions as they vary through time in batch processes.

Reduce Dust Explosions the Inherently Safer Way

October

2003

Fluids and Solids Handling

A. G. Dastidar, Faisal I. Khan, P. R. Amyotte

This article is aimed at the development of a framework for dust explosion prevention and mitigation that explicitly incorporates the principles of inherent safety. As distinguished from engineered and procedural safety features, inherent safety...

Plant Floor vs. Financial Data: Resolving the Discrepancies

September

2001

Information Technology

Brian Harkins, Karen Mills

Discover a plant-wide solution that provides production accounting results that both engineers and accountants can agree on

What’s the Price of Steam?

July

2005

Heat Transfer

Petar Varbanov , Robin Smith

Realistic steam prices are necessary for the efficient operation of a chemical production site, both to allocate realistic costs to the different businesses on the site and to provide a true economic incentive for energy conservation.

Reduce Your Compressed Air Costs

October

2011

Fluids and Solids Handling

Bill Scales, Ron Marshall

Annual operating expenses for compressed air systems can exceed the equipment’s purchase price. Follow these seven steps to implement efficiency measures that yield cost reductions.

Developments in Slurry Handling

April

2003

Fluids and Solids Handling

Update your knowledge of modeling, optimizing and controlling slurry pipeline flows.

Evaluating Cooling Tower Upgrades

May

2008

Heat Transfer

Tom Dendy

When considering improvements to cooling towers, it's important to perform an economic analysis of the options.

Cut the Cost and Raise the Reliability of Your Instrumentation

January

2001

Instrumentation

David W. King

Estimating Rates of Spreading and Evaporation of Volatile Liquids

January

2005

Fluids and Solids Handling

John Barry

Follow these guidelines to calculate how fast a pool of spilled liquid will spread across a surface, vaporize and possibly form a flammable mixture with air.

Improve Flange Joint Reliability

January

2011

Back To Basics

John Ludman, Mike Emery, Thomas Sandbrook

Proper design, installation, and maintenance of flanged connection systems can prevent loss of containment and process interruptions. Follow this seven-step approach to ensure reliability of this critical process equipment.

Estimate the Capacity of Simple Batch Processes

August

2002

Reactions and Separations

James L. Manganaro

Finding the throughput of a multiple-unit, multiple-step operation, even when it is relatively uncomplicated, is not always an easy matter. Several equations and graphical aids are provided to help determine yearly capacity.