Process Engineering articles from June 2001

Process Engineering archives from June 2001

Prospects rosy for graduates.
June 1, 2001... Engineering graduates can expect to earn median salaries of around [pound]18 000 per year within six months after graduating from their courses -- some [pound]3000 ahead of average graduates, according to a survey from the DTI. Moreover,...

UWC Newport named as Profibus centre.
June 1, 2001... The University of Wales College Newport has been named as the UK's second Profibus Competence Centre. The centre, run by Prof Eifion Breeze, will provide demonstration facilities and training courses for multivendor Profibus DP and PA systems.

Robinson takes on Railtrack post.
June 1, 2001... Former IChemE president John Robinson is to take on the daunting task of chairing the beleaguered Railtrack. Currently chairman of RJB Mining, Wimpey and Low and Sonar, Robinson is the first Chartered Engineer to serve in a senior position on...

GSK promises 3rd World price reform.
June 1, 2001... Anglo-American drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline has committed itself to tackling disease in the third world, following its climb-down over AIDS/HIV drug pricing in South Africa. Shortly after announcing first-quarter profits approaching [pound]1.5...

[C.sub.60] stabilisers.
June 1, 2001... They've been the major chemical discovery looking for an application for over a decade now. But fullerenes, the soccerball-shaped form of pure carbon, may soon be finding uses to stabilise polymers, if research from St Petersburg proves...

Benzyne catalysts on horizon.
June 1, 2001... Researchers in China have succeeded in synthesising the first metal-substituted benzyne, which could have far-reaching effects for the chemical Industries. The new compounds are related to substances currently used in catalysis, but their...

BASF expands at Malaysian site.
June 1, 2001... The second major plant to be built at BASF's Kuantan site in Malaysia has become operational. The oxo-syngas complex, a 60:40 joint venture between BASF and Malaysian state-owned chemical company Petronas, produces basic chemicals and...

ABB wins Norsk contract.
June 1, 2001... ABB has won a $110 million contract to maintain and modify Norsk Hydro's oil and gas installations in the North Sea. The contract, of a type known as a frame agreement includes engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation and assistance...

New head for PSE.
June 1, 2001... Process simulation specialist Process Systems Enterprise (PSE), which span off from Imperial College's Centre for Process Systems Engineering four years ago, has appointed Professor Keith Guy as chairman. Guy, a former executive at Air...

CIA criticises FoE pollution reporting.
June 1, 2001... The Chemical Industries Association has stated its 'disappointment' at Friends of the Earth's latest update to its Factory Watch pollution inventory. The data used in the FoE survey are out of date, and the classifications of chemicals are not...

Flygt keeps Eden dry.
June 1, 2001... ITT Flygt's submersible pumps are helping to keep dry one of Britain's most striking sights, the Eden Project in Cornwall. Home to thousands of species of flora and fauna from all over the world, the conservation centre is housed in a former...

Fina to expand Antwerp cracker.
June 1, 2001... Fina Antwerp Olefins has announced plans for a major expansion of its Antwerp cracker. The project, a 65:35 joint venture between Atofina and ExxonMobil, will involve the construction of a new furnace and the debottlenecking of the plant's...

Ciba acquires coatings firm.
June 1, 2001... Ciba Speciality Chemicals has agreed to acquire EFKA Additives, a Dutch firm which supplies additives for coatings and inks. The price was not disclosed. 'While EFKA will add a strong service element to Ciba's coatings business, EFKA will...

ABB bids for Entrelec.
June 1, 2001... ABB is bidding to acquire Lyon-based industrial automation and control specialist Entrelec for [euro]310 million. The deal is intended to boost ABB's presence in US and European markets, says president and chief executive Jorgen Centerman. 'The...

ABB lands Dow automation.
June 1, 2001... Dow Chemical has awarded ABB a tenyear contract to supply 'Industrial IT' technology to its plants around the world. 'We worked closely with Dow to assess their operations,' says Dinesh Paliwal, head of ABB's process division. 'We discovered...

Purac takes on Wirral project.
June 1, 2001... Purac is to supply equipment for dewatering digested sludge at United Utilities' Bromborough wastewater works near Birkenhead. The contract, worth over [pound]1 million, includes installation and commissioning of the equipment. Several pumps...

Eurotherm's drives award.
June 1, 2001... Eurotherm has been named European Motor Drive Vendor of the Year at this year's Hanover Fair. Presented by industrial automation market research organisation IMS, the award was based on the results of a large-scale survey of drive users in...

BSS wins drugs plant contract.
June 1, 2001... BSS has won a contract to supply valves and associated products for an extension to the production facilities at Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals' plant on Teesside. The extension, which will cost [pound]32million and will increases the plant's...

UK AND INTERNATIONAL PLANT COST INDICES.
June 1, 2001... Process Engineering's PREDICT plant cost index for the UK is made up of five components covering mechanical [I.sub.M], electrical [I.sub.E], civil engineering [I.sub.C], site engineering [I.sub.S] and project overheads [I.sub.O]. These are now...

Pleats for filter tans.
June 1, 2001... 3M's new 740KF high flow filter cartridge features a patented radial pleating technique, which gives a larger filter surface in a limited volume. Unlike other pleated systems -- where the pleats are in the axial direction, that is,...

Pumps for all from Flux.
June 1, 2001... Several new launches by Flux Pumps focused on safety, economy and ensuring that plants remain operational as much as possible, the company said. The new products cover a wide spectrum of process applications, including a device for improving...

Hilge pumps up the spec.
June 1, 2001... Hilge Pumps gave a UK launch to the Contra range of pharmaceutical-specification aseptic centrifugal pumps. Available in single and multi-stage designs, the pumps are made in 316L low carbon stainless steel. Impeller blades and stage housings...

Two steps for one price.
June 1, 2001... Performing two process steps in the one piece of equipment is an increasingly efficient way of optimising production. Filter/dryers are perhaps the most common example of this trend to process intensification and the reason why BOC Edwards was...

More than plate service.
June 1, 2001... Well known as a gasket manufacturer and plate heat exchanger servicing company, Thornhill launched its own thermal heat exchangers for industries across the board. The company can now offer a complete plate heat exchanger package to all.

Particle analyser for increased production.
June 1, 2001... Beckman Coulter's LS 13320 laser diffraction particle analyser is claimed to be the first of its kind to meet or exceed new ISO standards for particle sizing, providing complete audit trails for each step. For pharmaceutical applications, it...

Permex pushes MassFill filling technologies.
June 1, 2001... Permex used the show as the launchpad for the latest development in its MassFill filling technology. The new system, controlled by the company's MicroBratch controller, is designed to fill chemicals and other products into drums, pallets and...

Out with the old, in with the new.
June 1, 2001... It might have swept back into power with scarcely a dent in its majority but the new government will differ from the old in many ways -- not least in the sea of new faces that will gather around the Cabinet table and in the ministerial...

A second term for Labour: what's in it for industry?
June 1, 2001... Stuart Nathan looks at what Labour's second term might have in store for industry in general, and the process sector in particular It's all a bit different from last time. Back in 1997, the excitement of the Conservative's uprecedented...

Situation normal -- industry finds itself in the firing line.
June 1, 2001... Plus ca change, mais plus la meme chose as the more Europhile members of the new parliament might be tempted to say. After a general election more memorable for the result than the rhetoric, we are almost back where we started -- with a...

It's picking up good vibrations.
June 1, 2001... A relatively simple change to an established technique could open the door to more widespread recycling of plastics. Developed at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, the technique increases the strength of plastic products as they are moulded,...

Neu looks into flowing solids.
June 1, 2001... Researchers from UMIST are working on a project which could help control processes widely used in all parts of the process industries, The project aims to build a flowmeter which can measure flowrates of solid particles around a pneumatic rig....

Cell simulation startles.
June 1, 2001... An undergraduate researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland has devised a computer simulation model that could help drugs companies develop new treatments for diseases ranging from asthma to psoriasis. Jane Kim's research simulates the...

Borealis swaps PE tech rights.
June 1, 2001... Nordic polyolefins giant Borealis has agreed a licensing deal with Univation, the technology joint venture between ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical, covering processes and catalysts for the companies' polyethylene technologies. Under the terms of...

Keeping the gas flowing.
June 1, 2001... Working within a scheduled shutdown time, limited to a few weeks of the year, ABB Automation has delivered, installed and commissioned a 10 000 I/O control system to British Gas Hydrocarbon Resources (HRL) to help it maintain planned gas...

All the right reactions for hazards lab.
June 1, 2001... An RCl automated laboratory calorimeter from Mettler Toledo has been doing sterling work at the chemical reaction hazards lab of Southampton-based Chilworth Technology. Puchased by the lab three years ago, it has been in almost constant use on...

Boosting the blending of billions of tablets.
June 1, 2001... A Zanchetta MS2000 powder and granule blender has been brought into the Barnstaple, Devon, site of pharmaceuticals manufacturer Alpharma to supplement its existing blending capacity. Previously Cox Pharmaceutical, Alpharma is a leading...

Cracking order for Rotork.
June 1, 2001... Rotork Controls has announced a $2.5million plus order for its valve actuators from what is thought to be the world's largest ethylene plant at Joffre, Alberta, Canada. The $1.1 billion E3 ethylene cracker is a joint project between Nova...

Dresser's magnificent seven.
June 1, 2001... A set of seven Dresser EFC valve actuators has been fitted to a special fully automated test rig for evaluating large-scale filtering problems. The rig, built for Larox by Scheibler Filters of Retford, Notts, consists of a 30[m.sup.2]...

Valve selection? How will new safety standards dictate.
June 1, 2001... Hans Van Lier and Alexandre Popa of Tyco Valves & Controls explain the special factors which come into play when selecting valves for safety-sensitive applications In our modern economy, safety has become a major concern. Safety systems...

HAZARDOUS AREAS safer with pneumatics?
June 1, 2001... The traditional use of pneumatics-based control in hazardous areas has all but been replaced by intrinsically-safe electronic systems. But, with the growing demand to reduce installation and maintenance costs, Ray Barnes predicts that...

Your Q&A on ATEX Certification.
June 1, 2001... With the forthcoming implementaton of the EC Directive in June 2003, writes Peter Vosper of Weldmuller, there has been an increasing number of queries on the Issues surrounding it. What products and industries does It affect? How and where does...

Pyropress Engineering.
June 1, 2001... Pyropress Engineering, the Plymouth-based control equipment manufacturer, has produced a useful reference guide to ATEX. Laminated in a handy A4 format, the guide covers the equipment affected, when compliance is required, the differences...

Sira Test & Certification.
June 1, 2001... Sira Test & Certification has also recently produced an updated version of its 'Ex Directory' wallchart, intended as an ATEX information source. General information about hazardous areas is also provided, such as temperature classes, apparatus...

Reducing the static risk.
June 1, 2001... Recently introduced by Newson Gale, Bond-Rite is an intrinsically safe, self-testing, static grounding clamp that enables static bonding connections to be continuously checked and verified in flammable atmospheres. Grounding and bonding...

IS oxygen monitoring.
June 1, 2001... IP66 weatherproof and IS certified to EEx ia IIC T4, the Panametrics [O.sub.2]X-1 intrinsically safe oxygen transmitter uses an advanced galvanic fuel cell oxygen sensor to provide high performance, accuracy and long life. Easily installed at...

EEx rating for flowmeter.
June 1, 2001... Krohne's innovative 2-wire Altoflux 2W hybrid electromagnetic flowmeter can now be specified with full hazardous area ratings under Cenelec standards. It can be installed with EEx i (intrinsically safe), EEx e (increased safety) or EEx d...

Remote, yet local.
June 1, 2001... Crowcon Detection Instruments has developed a remote gas detector for hazardous areas which includes its own display and local controls. IS-certified, the Txgard-IS+ is said to allow the user to check gas levels at the point of detection, and...

Stop that flame in its tracks.
June 1, 2001... The 600 Flame Arrester from AG Marvac is designed to prevent the propagation of a flame front while dissipating the accompanying pressure wave, extinguishing the flame as it passes. Based on a crimped strip' honeycomb design, the arrester...

Taking a long-term view of ENGINEERING SAFETY.
June 1, 2001... Phil Wright highlights the benefits that businesses operating process plants can gain from including risk inspection as part of good business practice The need for a high level of health and safety within the workplace is as pertinent in...

Traditional boilers, or steam generators?
June 1, 2001... Paul Crighton espouses the virtues of coil-type steam generators over traditional drum or firetube boilers, arguing that they offer the benefits of safety, size and speed over their big brothers A modern boiler is not just a very large...

Clean steam on demand.
June 1, 2001... Chemical, pharmaceutical and biochemicals producers are the target for Eaton-Williams' Cubit steam generator, capable of powering up in minutes to provide clean steam on demand. Already used by a leading UK biotechnology company, Cubit...

An abundance of available advice about the Climate Change Levy.
June 1, 2001... Industry might moan about it, but there is really no excuse for not knowing at least the basics of the recently introduced Climate Change Levy. Publications like PE have been hammering home the point for many months now, but in case people...

Atlas Copco.
June 1, 2001... According to Atlas Copco, by far the most dramatic savings can be derived from equipment fitted with variable speed drives, a point emphasised by Mitsubishi Electric in its explanatory brochure on the CCL. To give just one example, Glasgow...

CCL literature.
June 1, 2001... Similar case notes can be found In CCL literature from drives and power transmission specialist FPT Fenner. This company's 16-page CCL bulletin Is one of the more comprehensive analyses of the subject, ranging from the underlying threat of...

Rockwell Automation.
June 1, 2001... Rockwell Automation can also supply detailed information on its full range of Allen-Bradley variable speed drives, which have been registered on the qualifying list for the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme, set up by the government to help...

Higher motor efficiencies.
June 1, 2001... A new range of explosion-proof electric motors from ABB Automation offers efficiency levels equivalent to the Highest European standard EFF1. Intended primarily for the chemical, oil and gas sectors, the motors in the M3000 Ex range are all...

Traces of self-sufficiency.
June 1, 2001... Despite the January corporate buyout of its Korean supplier, the AutoHeater Team of LG Cable, Stockport-based trace heating company Heat Trace says it is now entirely self-sufficient. Everything previously manufactured by its former Korean...

Condensate collection collects plaudits.
June 1, 2001... Condensate collection manifold systems from Trouvay & Cauvin have brought significant benefits on two major contracts for BP and Uniqema Chemicals. At BP Grangemouth, T&C won the contract to install a steam tracing system for a new plant...

Energy savings for compressed air users.
June 1, 2001... One of the first results of the recently established energy-saving drives partnership between EnergAir and Control Techniques is a free publication entitled 'A guide to energy saving with compressed air.' Intended to help companies offset...

Rietschle's rapid response service.
June 1, 2001... Following a survey of its customer base, Rietschle (UK) has introduced a 24-hour 'Gold Breakdown Service'. The rapid response system guarantees a site visit by a factory-trained service engineer, at any hour of the day, anywhere in the UK --...

Oil-free air for rent.
June 1, 2001... Aggreko, specialist in the rental of oil-free compressed air, electrical power and temperature control equipment, has launched a new '100 per cent oil-free' electric rotary screw air compressor. The largest air-cooled electric compressor in...

Expert guide to feedwater.
June 1, 2001... The correct treatment of boiler water is essential to ensure satisfactory operation and a long life for industrial steam-raising boiler plants, Unfortunately, many owners and operators of boilers do not fully appreciate the importance of...

Bio clean-up.
June 1, 2001... Bioremediation can be a cost-effective and efficient method for clearing up contaminated land, says the government-sponsored BIO-WISE programme for contaminated land Contaminated land has commonly been treated through simple containment,...

DEB's delight.
June 1, 2001... ISO14001 certification is the goal for an increasing number of companies with environmental management systems. Stuart Nathan looks at surfactant specialist Deb's push for certification For companies in the process field, the environment is...

ACWa scrubs on Teesside.
June 1, 2001... Air pollution specialist ACWa AIR is helping to maintain the air quality in the North-East by providing clean-up equipment for Elementis Chromium's chromium oxide plant at Stockton-on-Tees. The company has designed, supplied, installed and...

Inertial dust filtration proves effective for incinerators.
June 1, 2001... Inertial filtration is gaining increasing acceptance in the process industries since it first became available in 1997, according to Global Filtration Services. The process, which removes particulates from vapour streams, offers similar...

Eurotherm indicators help drive CHP.
June 1, 2001... Eurotherm temperature indicators are helping improve energy efficiency at Thames Water's Mogen sewage treatment works. The devices are being used to fine-tune the performance of four dual-fuel CHP engines at the site, which provide both...

Safety in the tube.
June 1, 2001... Determining the contents of a chemical spill or leak is vital; with toxic or explosive substances, quick and easy assessment is even more essential. Draeger's industrial HazMat kit is designed to help workers dealing with these substances to...

Activated carbon in action.
June 1, 2001... At Hickson & Welch's Castleford site, the fine chemical intermediates producer has reduced releases to atmosphere from 400 tons a year to just 12 over a period of three years. One company contributing to this cleanup has been Waterlink...

Conjuring up savings out of thin air.
June 1, 2001... Pneumatics specialist IMI Norgren has helped polyethylene sack producer bpi.industrial save almost [euro]45 000 a year from its compressed air costs -- and helped the company, part of British Polythene industries, win a DTI Envirowise award for...

Stop the drips with Ramco.
June 1, 2001... Ramco's Drain-Gard safety shields, designed to prevent corrosive and toxic chemicals from spraying, are now available in stainless steel with a Teflon lining. The shields capture and channel leaking chemicals leaking from between flanges so...