Process Engineering articles from January 2006

Process Engineering archives from January 2006

Split response to REACH.
January 23, 2006... The ongoing saga of the European Union's chemicals legislation, REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), is slowly drawing to a close. Although the European Parliament reached a political consensus on the regulations...

Degussa construction chemicals interest BASF.
January 23, 2006... German giant BASF has declared its interest in bidding for Degussa's construction chemicals division, and is planning to make an offer for the business. The steady growth of the construction chemicals business - 4% annually, with an overall...

Dann takes on CIA presidency.
January 23, 2006... Geoff Dann, general manager for Dow Chemical's UK, Ireland and Nordic businesses, has been elected president of the Chemical Industries Association, succeeding Alastair Steel. He will serve a two-year term in the position. * Judith...

Methanol and cracking.
January 23, 2006... Total Petrochemicals has joined forces with UOP to develop the integration of an olefin cracking process with a methanol-to-olefins (MTO) conversion process. The companies are to build a full-scale demonstration plant at Feluy, Belgium, to feed...

BP launches green energy division.
January 23, 2006... BP is to double its investment in low-carbon energy generation, aiming to create a new business to generate some $6billion-worth of revenues over the next ten years. BP Alternative Energy, to be headed by current BP Solar president Steve...

Asian gains boost DCS market.
January 23, 2006... Distributed control systems (DCS) manufacturers are the latest to reap the benefits of the build-up in process capacity in India and China, with the market set to grow by 6% between 2004 and 2009, according to a new report from the ARC...

IN BRIEF: Buncefield investigation.
January 23, 2006... The Health and Safety Executive is set to begin the long task of investigating last month's fire and explosion at the Buncefield oil storage depot. A government inquiry is likely to consider regulations for the safe distance of siting other...

IN BRIEF: HTS links up with Pfaudler.
January 23, 2006... Pfaudler Reactor systems has forged an agreement with Derbyshire-based Heat Transfer Services (HTS) to make and promote HTFluidFix dryers and conditioners around the world. The units are used to maintain systems using heat transfer fluids at...

IN BRIEF: MBO for NDT.
January 23, 2006... NDT Testing & Inspection has been acquired by its management team from its former owners, Shell. Based in Queensferry, Scotland, and with operations in Worcester, Sittingbourne and Caerphilly, NDT offers non- destructive testing services to...

IN BRIEF: S&W wins Saudi contract.
January 23, 2006... Stone & Webster has been awarded the contract for a 1.3million tpa ethylene plant, to be built in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Operated by Eastern Petrochemical (SHARQ), the plant is scheduled for completion in 2008. Stone & Webster will provide...

IN BRIEF: Power to AMEC/Alstom.
January 23, 2006... A consortium involving Amec and Alstom has been awarded the #103million contract to install flue gas desulphurisation technology to the Aberthaw coal-fired power station near Barry, South Wales. Alstom is providing the process technology,...

IN BRIEF: Qatar deal for Fluoir.
January 23, 2006... Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company has awarded the initial-phase EPCM contract for a large LNG project in Qatar. The project covers the offplot facilities needed to support six world-scale LNG trains, along with other projects planned...

Shell to close Carrington site.
January 23, 2006... Shell Chemicals has announced plans to close its polyols and ethoxylates units in Carrington, Manchester, as it consolidates production at its two larger sites in Wilton, Teesside and Pernis, Rotterdam. The chemicals division is aiming to...

Amarinth wins filtration contract.
January 23, 2006... UK pumping specialist Amarinth has won a contract to supply ten bespoke pump units for Amerada Hess's Triton offshore vessel in the North Sea. The pumps are part of a filtration system that will enable Triton to meet pending OSPAR...

Actuator on its way to Thailand.
January 23, 2006... Rotork's largest ever pneumatic actuator is on its way to Thailand for the Third Transmission Pipeline Onshore Project. The actuator will operate a 42-inch Class 900 Cooper Cameron ball valve, which will provide mainline shutdown duty,...

Curvaceous shapes up for Euro award.
January 23, 2006... Curvaceous Software's Geometric Process Control (GPC) system has been selected as the UK's representative in the European Business Awards for the Environment. The company was eligible for the awards that recognise technical innovations that...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Hydrogen storage overspill.
January 23, 2006... New discoveries about how nano-featured metallic structures can store hydrogen could lead to the engineering of optimised storage media, according to researchers at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. The researchers have...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Cleaning with CO2.
January 23, 2006... Cleaning electrically-operated machines can be a tricky business. For safety reasons, wet-chemical cleaning materials can only be used while the machines are switched off and isolated from their power supply, but this incurs extended...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Biodegradable polymer for BASF.
January 23, 2006... BASF has developed a new biodegradable plastic based, for the first time, on renewable raw materials. Dubbed Ecovio, the material is intended to compete in the market for biodegradable plastics, which is expected to grow at more than 20% per...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: A tissue of technology.
January 23, 2006... A new system for maintaining the rollers in papermaking machines could cut downtime by half and reduce the costs dramatically, claim its inventors at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology in Chemnitz, Germany. ...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Sensors set in stone.
January 23, 2006... Process technologies could help in the preservation of Britain's historic buildings, with a new generation of sensors designed to monitor the decay of limestone. Funded by the EPSRC, the research will help to schedule maintenance work and...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Microwaves make strawberry puff.
January 23, 2006... A new system for drying fruits and vegetables holds the promise of retaining more vitamins and other nutrients than has previously been possible, according to its developers at the Friedrich-Schiller- Universitat in Jena and Technical...

FLUIDS HANDLING: Lining up the benefits.
January 23, 2006... Thermoplastic linings have proved themselves as cost-effective alternatives to expensive high-alloy metals on aggressive duties. Manfred Kluge explains how an improved permeation-resistant PFA material can increase the service life of valves...

FLUIDS HANDLING: The leak detectors.
January 23, 2006... As part of its campaign against pipe leakage, which will eventually see around 1000 miles of London's ageing water mains replaced with polyethylene piping, Thames Water is employing the latest leak detection technology. Andrew Boyd reports ...

FLUIDS HANDLING: Depth of vision.
January 23, 2006... Combining advanced CFD techniques with 3D visualisation systems could give process engineers a new perspective on plant and reactor design, as Stuart Nathan reports 'Human vision is the result of millions of years of evolution,' said...

FLOW & LEVEL: Mass flow for solids.
January 23, 2006... Soon to be commercialised, a new flowmeter technology will enable the mass flow rate of dry solids to be directly measured in real time. And with further development, the technology could have great potential for multiphase flow...

FLOW & LEVEL: Dual vortex meters solve plugging problem.
January 23, 2006... At Shell Chemicals' Moerdijk ethylene plant in the Netherlands a problem with DP (differential pressure) based flowmetering of the steam supply to the cracker has been solved by the installation of dual vortex meters from Emerson process...

FLOW & LEVEL: Magmeter features dual frequency mode.
January 23, 2006... The latest version of Yokogawa's ADMAG AXF Series magnetic flowmeter features an enhanced dual-frequency excitation technique to provide increased resistance to slurry noise and a minimum measurable conductivity of 1uS/cm. Accuracy is +/- 2%...

FLOW & LEVEL: Peristaltics solve dosing difficulties.
January 23, 2006... South East Water had been experiencing problems on its sodium hypochlorite dosing systems used in the purification of wastewater and the disinfection of drinking water. A toxic and corrosive chemical, sodium hypochlorite reacts with acids to...

FLOW & LEVEL: Radar on the right wavelength.
January 23, 2006... Magnetrol's Eclipse Model 705 two-wire loop-powered guided wave radar transmitter has recently been upgraded with the introduction of a second generation of instruments. The new Model 705 transmitter measures level, volume and interface, and...

FLOW & LEVEL: Accurate in partially full pipelines.
January 23, 2006... The latest electromagnetic flowmeter from ABB, the Parti-Mag II features improved sensor technology that is said to ensure greater accuracy for partially full pipeline applications. Designed for measuring the flowrate of slurries and liquids...

FLOW & LEVEL: Flow and level via the web.
January 23, 2006... By visiting www.uk.endress.com/e-direct, engineers can view, specify and purchase a range of specially-selected products across level, pressure, temperature, recorders and system components. Endress+Hauser says it's the fastest, simplest way...

FLOW & LEVEL: On-line diagnostics cut calibrations.
January 23, 2006... New on-line diagnostics in the Daniel Mark III electronics used in Emerson's SeniorSonic ultrasonic flowmeters have eliminated the need for scheduled calibration of the meters. The diagnostics continuously report the status of the meter,...

WIRELESS NETWORKING: Welcome to wireless.
January 23, 2006... Wireless-enabled devices are almost commonplace in consumer electronics, and they are now poised to breakthrough into the process arena. Neil Hankey explains the background and the likely future applications for wireless on process plants ...

WIRELESS NETWORKING: Wireless transmitters proven in operation.
January 23, 2006... At the Nerefco refinery in the bottlek (Rotterdam port area) of the Netherlands, Honeywell's new XYR 5000 wireless transmitters are already being tested. The application requires one base station, two pressure measurements and a 4-20mA...

CONTRACTING: Field of dreams.
January 23, 2006... Stuart Nathan reports from London's Imperial College, where energy researchers are looking at how chemical engineering principles and equipment might be used to change the face of oil and gas production The energy industry is facing some...

Venting problem disappears in a flash.
January 23, 2006... Using around 25 tonnes of steam per hour to dry and sterilise the meat and poultry residues it processes at its Nuneaton plant, De Mulder & Sons wanted to recover the energy it was wasting in venting to atmosphere the resulting flash steam...

Batch control system helps Dynea meet targets.
January 23, 2006... A leading producer of industrial adhesives, Dynea UK has purchased the latest System 800xA batch control system from ABB to achieve more efficient control of its processes at its Mold, Flintshire, site. The new system updates the existing...

Swirling away a waste problem.
January 23, 2006... At its vanadium oxide production plant in Austria, Treibacher Industrie has installed a Swirl Fluidizer from Niro for the drying of chromium hydroxide paste as part of its recovery process. The chromium hydroxide is a by-product of the...

Fluid bed dryer/cooler boosts sand production.
January 23, 2006... At WBB Minerals' dolomite quarry in Warmsworth, South Yorkshire, finely ground dolomite sand is produced for use as a flux in window glass manufacturing. Carefully controlled blending is critical to the process, which delivers some...

CEM systems help keep Glasgow clean.
January 23, 2006... Processing the sewage sludge from Greater Glasgow's population of around 1million, the Daldowie Fuel Plant near Glasgow incorporates six dryers whose emissions feed three regenerative thermal oxidisers (RTOs), each with its own emission stack....

Monitoring particle growth.
January 23, 2006... Using an in-line Parsum probe from Malvern Instruments, pharmaceuticals giant Merck has successfully tackled the notoriously difficult issue of fluidised bed monitoring and control. Recent on-site trials confirmed that a Parsum probe...

PRODUCT NEWS: PTFE avoids dry run.
January 23, 2006... Seals manufacturer Busak+Shamban has developed a PTFE-based material for use in static, dynamic and semi-dynamic processing applications in the food, drinks, pharmaceuticals and hygienic chemicals sectors. According to the company, many...

PRODUCT NEWS: ABB gearing up with 'smallest' UK drives.
January 23, 2006... ABB has launched what it claims are among the smallest machinery drives on the UK market. The new 0.37-7.5 kW-rated range is being targeted at various industries, including food processing, materials handling, textiles, printing and...

PRODUCT NEWS: Next generation PLC.
January 23, 2006... Mitsubishi Electric has rolled out the FX3U as "the first in a new generation of PLCs," which can provide enhanced flexibility for designers and process engineers via its high-speed operation and large memory. The FX3U is 4.5 times...

PRODUCT NEWS: AxFlow offers chemicals solution.
January 23, 2006... AxFlow has introduced a non-metallic seal-less pump developed by Wernert-Pumpen for chemical handling applications. The Taifun 32-200 pump is ATEX certified, corrosion resistant and offers double hermetic sealing. The design, claims...

PRODUCT NEWS: Calibrator accuracy advance.
January 23, 2006... Fluke has introduced a multi-function process calibrator, with measurement and calibration sourcing accuracies of 0.01%. The handheld unit, it claims, can measure and source most process parameters and can calibrate practically all sensors and...

UK and International Plant Cost Indices.
January 23, 2006... First appearing in Process Engineering in 1973, our long-running UK and International Plant Cost Indices provide important data for process design and project engineers. For the benefit of new readers, a brief explanation of the...