Process Engineering articles from February 2007

Process Engineering archives from February 2007

COMMENT: On your mobiles!
February 5, 2007... While mobile phones are rarely essential in day-to-day life, that hasn't stopped them becoming so all pervasive. Likewise, industrial wireless - though broadly complementary to existing wired communications - seems set to become widely used and...

Emerson wireless in Europe.
February 5, 2007... Launch marks first step in programme to develop a suite of wireless devices and enable process operators to "unleash the capability of their plants" In a move billed as one of the most significant events for the process industry in the...

First geo-pressure plant to start up in UK.
February 5, 2007... BOC's hydrogen production plant on Teesside will see the first installation in the UK of an electricity generation facility based on geo-pressure energy. Implementation of the #1.6 million unit is due to begin in April, with electricity...

Coal-to-plastics deal.
February 5, 2007... Lurgi AG has won two contracts in China that mark the first commercial plants to be based on its technology for the production of plastics from coal. The contracts are worth well over Euro 100 million to Lurgi, while the projects each...

Desert sun 'can meet' European energy needs.
February 5, 2007... New energy sources can enable Europe to meet all its needs for electricity, cut emissions of CO2 from electricity generation by 70% and phase out nuclear power by 2050, claims a new report commissioned by the German Government. According...

IN BRIEF: Warwick Manufacturing Group scheme.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Warwick Manufacturing Group, part of Warwick University has launched a scheme to give 16-18 year olds the chance to try out a range of its equipment, including formula racing technology and robots that respond to colour instructions from a...

IN BRIEF: Honeywell to provide automation.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Grain LNG Ltd, part of National Grid plc, is engaging Honeywell to provide automation and safety systems on two LNG importation projects in the south east of England. The contracts have a combined value of $2.8 million. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: Strategic manufacturing alliance.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Solvay Pharmaceuticals and Novasep have signed a five-year strategic manufacturing alliance, which includes the exclusive synthesis of two active pharmaceutical ingredients for Solvay. Novasep of Pompey, France specialises in technologies...

IN BRIEF: BASF and Toyo to cooperate.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BASF and Toyo Engineering Corp of Chiba, Japan, are to cooperate in supplying technology to purify synthesis gas streams for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants and chemical products such as methanol. Copyright:...

IN BRIEF: European Parliament to adopt REACH legislation.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... The European Parliament has voted to adopt the REACH legislation, clearing the way for its progressive 11-year introduction from June 2007. Producers will be obliged to register all chemical substances produced or imported above a total...

IN BRIEF: BASF restarts plant.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BASF plc has restarted a hexamethylenediamine plant at its Seal Sands site on Teesside, which was the scene of a serious chemical leak on 4 Jan. Investigations are continuing into the leak from a pipeline at the nylon intermediates plant....

JOB SURVEY: It's the job that matters most.
February 5, 2007... Process engineers are in love with their work - and are rather particular about the reputation of the company they work for. Tim Tunbridge analyses our Job Survey findings. Doing the right type of job is most important to process engineers,...

PLANT VISIT - SUN CHEMICAL: A better type of plant.
February 5, 2007... Building and installing one of the world's most advanced printing ink manufacturing facilities in Rochdale. Patrick Raleigh reports In mid-2006, Sun Chemical Ltd - one of the world's largest ink producers - started up a new plant to...

PLANT VISIT - SUN CHEMICAL: Control and automation.
February 5, 2007... The Rochdale plant is controlled by a Siemens-based PLC system - the Simatic S7-300 range -and networked together by Profibus. It is set up so that every line can run individually and a master system - basically the tank farm - controls...

PLANT VISIT - SUN CHEMICAL: Telemetry system is "vital".
February 5, 2007... The Rochdale project also included the design and construction of a new bulk storage facility to handle liquid raw material, intermediate product and finished product, including 21 mild steel storage tanks with capacities ranging from 12,000 -...

WIRELESS: Wireless in the works.
February 5, 2007... Major suppliers may be on divergent paths for introducing wireless technology, but operators such as BP can offer clear direction on its adoption. Patrick Raleigh reports This year will see the true arrival of wireless technology for the...

CYBER SECURITY - PLANT SAFETY: Beating the hackers.
February 5, 2007... Process control networks have been attacked by viruses and worms much more than most companies are willing to admit, and it's a problem that is going to intensify The very different worlds of industry and the computer hacker are on a...

PLANT SAFETY - COMPLIANCE: Experience is vital.
February 5, 2007... Competence is an essential requirement for compliance with the latest safety standards. Roger Prew argues that experienced engineers are vital for both the design and implementation of compliant safety systems In 2006 an explosion at the...

PLANT SAFETY - TECHNOLOGY: Motors for hazardous dust environments.
February 5, 2007... One of the main benefits of the ATEX Directive is the focus that it provides on industrial dust - a potential source of explosions. However, notes Andy Glover of WEG UK, the technical evaluation of safety measures to avoid the risks of dust...

PLANT SAFETY - TECHNOLOGY: Safety PLCs.
February 5, 2007... Five Pilz PSS programmable safety systems (safety PLCs) are protecting five separate safety zones at the new Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. The instruments operate almost continuously and provide a mean time between...

CLEANING - HEAT TRANSFER: Crack down on fouling.
February 5, 2007... Optimising heat exchanger performance through better design and timely maintenance, says Mike Watson, would reduce downtime and cut costs Heat exchangers are the unsung heroes of many industrial processes and as such they tend to be...

HEAT TRANSFER: Steam: Not a free ride.
February 5, 2007... More widespread and better steam flowmetering practices could help UK industry to save large amounts of money, writes Dr Norman Glen of TUV NEL Steam is widely used as an energy-transport medium, distributing heat and power in many...

SENSORS & MEASUREMENT: Measuring moisture in gas.
February 5, 2007... Chris Parker examines two of the most important monitoring technologies available to the energy industry for measuring the moisture content of natural gas Measuring the moisture content of natural gas and other hydrocarbon and hydrogen...

SENSORS & MEASUREMENT: Standing the heat.
February 5, 2007... The ability to plan for maintenance work is a highly valuable tool for all plant managers, particularly for time-restrictive shutdowns such as industrial chimneys. Hot camera inspections of industrial chimneys are nothing unusual, but to...

SENSORS & MEASUREMENT: New handheld entry.
February 5, 2007... Small size and equally small cost are among the features of the new Land Guide M3 thermal imager, from Land Instruments International. Robustly built and ergonomically designed for the entry-level needs of industry, it should enable plant...

SENSORS & MEASUREMENT: IR images at up to 2000 degrees C.
February 5, 2007... Monitoring process safety and system integrity in all types of gas- fired furnaces, chemical heaters and cola-fired boilers are the key applications for two new ThermoVision models that have been added to FLIR Systems' ThermaCAM range of...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Cooling tower cleaned by robot.
February 5, 2007... Ineos ChlorVinyls has succeeded in cleaning one of the main water cooling towers at its chlorine plant in Runcorn, without having an impact on production. The work was carried out using robot technology already in use in the water industry ...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Remote plant control.
February 5, 2007... After-hours operations controlled from a remote centre is the aim of Water Corp. of Australia for five large water treatment plants it operates around Perth. It has implemented Profibus DP and PA networks for four years in water and wastewater...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Smart actuators for oil pipeline valves.
February 5, 2007... Almost 500 Rotork intelligent electric valve actuators have been installed on the $4 billin, 1,774km Baku-Thilisi-Ceyhan pipeline that links the oilfields of the Caspian Sea with Turkey's Mediterranean coast. The majority of the...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: J&E Hall keeps cool in the desert.
February 5, 2007... Extreme heat and the harsh conditions of a desert-like environment were just two of the problems facing J&E Halls's design engineers when they were asked to develop a chiller system to cool methanol at the chemical plant of Cristal, a...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Weighing in with process gains.
February 5, 2007... Welsh cheese manufacturer Aeron Valley Cheese has significantly enhanced the accuracy and efficiency of its production operations through the installation of a new process weighing system. AVC manufactures and pre-packs a large variety of...

CONTRACTS: Honeywell.
February 5, 2007... Tonen General Sekiyu, a Japanese affiliate of ExxonMobil, has awarded Honeywell a $2.5m contract to oversee a project to combine the oil refinery's existing process control operations into one central location. The automation company is also...

CONTRACTS: Technip.
February 5, 2007... BP has awarded a services contract to Technip for extension of the production capacity of a purified terephthalic acid plant located in Geel, Belgium. Capacity will be increased by more than 350ktpa, making total PTA production capacity some...

CONTRACTS: Yokogawa.
February 5, 2007... Fluorochemicals major AGC Chemicals Europe, part of Asahi Glass Co, is to employ DCS and safety systems from Yokogawa at a new fluoropolymer process plant at Thornton Cleveleys, UK. The project is due on stream later this year. ...

CONTRACTS: Peter Brotherhood.
February 5, 2007... Portuguese company Energetus has placed a #2-million order with Peter Brotherhood to design and manufacture a 10.75MW turbo-generator set for a new biomass-fired power plant, the Central Biomassa Terras de Santa Maria, which is currently...

CONTRACTS: Davy Process Technology/Union Carbide Corp.
February 5, 2007... Dammam 7 Petrochemical has selected LP OxoSM Selector 30 technology with Normax catalyst - from Davy Process Technology and Dow subsidiary Union Carbide Corp - for a new 80-ktpa n-butanol facility in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The plant, which is...

CONTRACTS: Invensys Process Systems.
February 5, 2007... Yemen LNG Co has selected Invensys Process Systems to provide DCS, safety systems and fire & gas systems for a new $2-billion plant being built at Balhaf, on Yemen's south coast. The "multi-million dollar contract" includes the Foxboro I/A...

APPOINTMENTS: Bayer MaterialScience.
February 5, 2007... Patrick Thomas has taken over as chairman of Bayer MaterialScience, effective 1 January. He succeeds Dr Hagen Noerenbert, who has retired. Thomas jointed Bayer MaterialScience last August. Previously he was president of Huntsman Corp's...

APPOINTMENTS: Aerzen Machines.
February 5, 2007... Matthew Morey is the new managing director of blower and compressor specialist Aerzen Machines. He replaces John Gulliford, who is retiring after 16 years in charge. Morey is a chartered engineer with extensive sales, operations and management...

APPOINTMENTS: Foster Wheeler Energy.
February 5, 2007... Foster Wheeler Energy has appointed four new directors: Francis Bird as director, human resources; Graeme Lang, director, projects; Jon Nield, director operations; and Jon Shattock, general counsel. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

APPOINTMENTS: AMEC Nuclear.
February 5, 2007... Mike Saunders is to take over as president of AMEC Nuclear, with effect from 29 January, replacing Alan Lamerton, chief executive, who is retiring. Saunders was previously senior vice president of strategy and integration at Westinghouse...

APPOINTMENTS: Peter Brotherhood.
February 5, 2007... The new sales and marketing director of Peter Brotherhood is Steve Wellburn. He will be responsible for overseeing the company's steam turbine and reciprocating gas compressor sales divisions, as well as its international marketing activities...

APPOINTMENTS: Coolmation Service.
February 5, 2007... Following his considerable contribution to the growth of Coolmation Service, Paul King has been promoted to the company's board as regional sales director for the South of England. Paul originally joined Coolmation Service to spearhead the...

APPOINTMENTS: Tyco Thermal Controls.
February 5, 2007... A former regional sales manager, Rob Boland, has rejoined Tyco Thermal Controls as UK sales manager (specialist channels). He will be responsible for supporting architects, consultants and contractors with application-specific electric heating...

APPOINTMENTS: Jiskoot.
February 5, 2007... Jiskoot has appointed Mark O'Hanlon as its sales manager for the Middle East, the former Soviet Union and North Africa, with particular focus on achieving business growth in the Arabian Gulf. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...