Weighing is a critical activity in most production and laboratory environments, and weighing equipment must be calculated periodically. This article explains the connection between proper and timely calibration and product quality....

"Run it till it breaks and then patch it" is a dangerous management philosophy. Over a 40-year career in chemical manufacturing and process safety consulting, the author has seen the results of this approach. In this article, he reviews some of the worst process safety...

Overpressure protection must be provided for pressurized equipment by means of pressure relief devices (e.g., pressure relief valves, bursting discs, explosion hatches, water seals, buckling pin devices, and pressure/vacuum breather valves). These pressure relief devices sometimes require...

Gamma scanning is one of the most powerful diagnostic techniques available for distillation and absorption towers. Although most gamma scans are shot through the active areas of the tower, in many cases, invaluable insight to the nature of a problem or bottleneck can be gained by also scanning...

This article explains how thermography can be used as a non-contact method of temperature measurement to gather useful data that can aid engineers in troubleshooting investigations.

As experienced individuals retire or leave your organization, make sure business objectives can still be met by establishing a succession plan.

As sustainability gains importance in the chemical process industry as well as other industries, it is driving the creation of educational programs and jobs that focus on sustainability goals. This column looks at several higher education programs and the associated job functions that may...