Process Engineering articles from June 2003

Process Engineering archives from June 2003

BOC launches gases website. (News).
June 1, 2003... BOC has launched a website which allows its users access to continuously updated information on over 10000 pure special gases and mixtures. Safety data sheets, technical and market information on all the company's special gas products are...

Akzo Nobel sells paper division. (News).
June 1, 2003... The sale of Akzo Nobel's Casco Impregnated Papers business to US and German financial buyers will net the Dutch firm around [euro]114million. Previously part of the company's coatings division, Casco supplies impregnated papers to the...

AstraZeneca opens works. (News).
June 1, 2003... AstraZeneca has opened its [pounds sterling]90million drug manufacturing plant at Avlon, near Bristol. Producing rosuvastatin, the active ingredient for the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor, the plant carries out synthesis, purification,...

New test facility for Spiroflow. (News).
June 1, 2003... Spiroflow has opened an ingredient handling test facility in Clitheroe, Lancashire, helping customers to develop new ingredients and processes involving the handling of dusts and powders.

Invensys sells Baan as losses hit record. (News).
June 1, 2003... A week after unveiling annual pre-tax losses totalling [pounds sterling]1.39billion, Invensys has sold its software subsidiary, Baan, for $135million ([pounds sterling]82million). The company's chief executive, Rick Haythornthwaite, has also...

Coal-to-oil technique. (News).
June 1, 2003... Aker Kvaemer is to join forces with ABB to build a coal liquefaction plant in Inner Mongolia The project is the first commercial application of a new process, direct coal liquefaction, which converts coal to hydrocarbon liquids via...

Station to station. (News).
June 1, 2003... The world's first hydrogen filling station for fuel cell-powered cars and buses has now opened in Iceland. The station generates hydrogen by electrolysing water, using technology provided by Norsk Hydro. Iceland already derives much of its...

Contract boost for BASF. (News).
June 1, 2003... BASF is to strengthen its contract manufacturing business, building a plant to make pharmaceutical active ingredients at its site in Minden, Germany. Costing an 'eight-digit sum', the plant will be built at a site which already produces...

Chemicals dip threatens France. (News).
June 1, 2003... The introduction of' the European Unions proposed chemicals policy is likely to reduce output, investment and innovation in France, according to Paris-based Mercer Management Consulting. The chemical sector with bear the brunt of the impact,...

Express delivery. (News).
June 1, 2003... Quick delivery times helped stainless steel producer Sandvik to win an order for small diameter heat exchanger tubes worth [pounds sterling]750000. Working on a five-week turnaround order, the company delivered its first batch of tubes to...

Drying out drugs. (News).
June 1, 2003... The UK arm of drying specialist Munters has installed two dessicant dehumidifiers at a new Penn Pharmaceuticals plant in Wales. Many of Penn's products are hygroscopic, and the company needs to maintain a steady 30 per cent relative humidity...

Bayer launches contracting arm. (News).
June 1, 2003... The contracting wing of German life sciences major Bayer is set to branch out into the worldwide contracting businesses, competing with companies such as Lurgi, Uhde and Shell Global Solutions. Formerly an internal department handling projects...

ICI chief shuns divestments. (News).
June 1, 2003... John McAdam, the new chief executive of ICI, ruled out any further divestments at the company's annual general meeting. More restructuring is needed, he said, but poor performances and high disposal costs meant that sell-offs were not an...

UK acid rain emissions fall. (News).
June 1, 2003... Emissions of chemicals that cause acid rain almost halved in the UK between 1990 and 2001, according to the Office of National Statistics. The reduction is equivalent to 3.4million tonnes of sulphur dioxide, the ONS says.

Chemical profits increase at BP. (News).
June 1, 2003... Improvements in profit margins, reduced unit costs and increasing production volumes helped BP's chemical division to increase pro farina operating profits by 28 per cent, to $139million. However, the result was flat compared with the previous...

While jobs go at Grangemouth. (News).
June 1, 2003... Around 190 jobs will be lost at BP's Grangemouth complex as part of the second phase of a reorganisation of the refinery and petrochemicals site. Most of the redundancies are in middle management and clerical positions, says complex director...

Jacobs lands biotech contract. (News).
June 1, 2003... US firm Biogen has awarded a S250million contract to Jacobs Engineering to build a cell culture facility in Hillerod, Denmark. The plant, which will have 90 000litres of bioreactor capacity, is Biogen's first major international investment. It...

Parker heads north for LNG. (News).
June 1, 2003... Parker Instrumentation has been awarded the contract to supply instrumentation for the world's most northerly liquefied natural gas project, the Snohvit site at Melkoya in Norway. The company will deliver over 1000 weatherproof instrumentation...

Energy savings the driving force for industry schemes. (News).
June 1, 2003... Two of the leading control companies in the UK are each offering to help process operators reap significant savings in energy costs. Mitsubishi Electric and AEB have independently introduced schemes that aim to make it easier to justify...

UK and international plant cost indices. (News).
June 1, 2003... The format of Process Engineering's PREDICT plant cost indices has recently changed, as detailed in PE, September 2002, p11. However, a couple of typographical errors crept into that explanation. The correct equations for the Eq and Ci...

Low-cost gas heating. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... Many small-scale process heating applications can only be met by electric heating methods, but now Lanemark International is offering a compact gas burner that could save users up to 70 per cent in energy costs. According to Lanemark's md...

Plug into all-purpose measurement system. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... A new modular 'building block' system for level measurement, switching and pressure has been introduced by Vega Controls. Called plics (for 'plug in concepts'), the system standardises the company's products for these fundamental measurement...

Thermography for all. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... Thermography, or thermal imaging, is not a new monitoring technique, but its cost and complexity has limited its widespread use up to now. FLIR Systems hopes to change that with the introduction of its ThermoVision A20-series. Packaged in...

Software cuts the cost of compliance. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... Process manufacturers operating in tightly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals or food and beverage can cut the complexity and cost of regulatory compliance with a centralised software management tool from Rockwell. The RSMACC...

Driving around the world. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... Controlling motor drives from anywhere in the world is now possible with a new intelligent Ethernet module from ABB. Working with any ABB drive that provides a fibre optic link, the module connects drives to the Internet and communicates via...

Economies of scale? Small can be just as profitable: 'Invensys has always struggled to find a focus for its seemingly ever-expanding enterprise'. (Comment).
June 1, 2003... Despite the current parlous state of Invensys (see p age 2), a certain gallows humour could still be found among the company's beleagured ranks last month. Logging on to a downloadable section of the group's corporate website, you would be...

Events.
June 1, 2003... 17 June Fitness-for-Service Assessment of Pressure Equipment and Pipelines is a one-day seminar, organised by the Pressure Systems Group of the institution of Mechnical Engineers, which aims to share experience of the benefits and...

Biotrickling filters beat scrubbers. (Research & Technology).
June 1, 2003... Chemical engineers at the University of California, Riverside, have developed an environmentally-friendly method of degrading hydrogen sulphide from sewage emissions, The technique, known as biotrickling filtration, can be carried out by...

Feat of clay is a pearl. (Research & Technology).
June 1, 2003... Nature always does things for a reason, and it's hardly ever just to look pretty. Humans might use mother-of-pearl in jewellery, but to the oyster that made it, it's near-perfect armour -- flexible, smooth, and extremely tough. Researchers from...

An engineer's best friend. (Research & Technology).
June 1, 2003... Diamond coatings are becoming more common -- you can even buy diamond film-coated razor blades at your local chemist. These coatings aren't as hardwearing as a real, engineering-quality diamond film on steel, which would be useful for...

Corny solution boosts value. (Research & Technology).
June 1, 2003... The US produces well over 30billion litres of corn per year, of which almost 5billion litres are destined for industrial wet milling. The main product of this is starch, used as an industrial feedstock and to make corn syrups. But the process...

A cracker of a drive. (Equipment in Action).
June 1, 2003... At the Burton Biscuits plant in Cwmbran, South Wales, ac drives from Control Techniques have been installed on two new projects. The first is a wrapping machine teed conveyor on a cream cracker line. This gives variable line speed to ensure...

Cyclones solve tricky handling problem. (Equipment in Action).
June 1, 2003... A leading pharmaceutical company was experiencing an operator safety problem on a medicated shampoo production line. One of the ingredients, selenium sulphide powder, is drawn under suction from a powder mill through a modified knock-out...

Smoothing out all the bad vibrations. (Equipment in Action).
June 1, 2003... Specially adapted pump motors from ABB have solved a major vibration issue for British Gas HRL (Hydrocarbon Resource) at its North Morecambe gas terminal in Barrow-in-Furness. The pumps handle lean amine, a solvent used to remove impurities in...

All-plastics acid dilution. (Equipment in Action).
June 1, 2003... Looking to repipe its sulphuric acid dilution plant at Luton, Albion Chemicals standardised on plastic pipes and fittings from George Fischer, together with batch control and flow monitoring equipment. Installed by Greatfield Engineering...

Steel makes the grade. (Equipment in Action).
June 1, 2003... High-pressure vessels for the new Assaluehy urea production plant in Iran are being constructed using the recently developed Sandvik Safurex steel. Although this steel grade has been tried and tested in several plants around the world, the...

Green materials: Stuart Nathan looks at some of the advances in processing techniques which are making polymer production more environmentally friendly. (Environment).
June 1, 2003... Plastics manufacturers are increasingly concerned with improving their environmental performance. Generally, their improvements are similar to those seen elsewhere in the process industries -- use less power, produce less waste, substitute...

Machine vision in papermaking. (Papermaking).
June 1, 2003... With its blend of wet-end processing and huge rotating machinery, papermaking involves enormous investment. Protecting that investment against unexpected machine failure is the goal of a European-wide initiative to apply machine vision systems...

Modular solutions. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... On-line analysis is becoming more advanced, but depends on sampling systems which have not changed for decades -- and are responsible for the vast majority of errors. Dave Simko of Swagelock explains how modular, miniature sampling systems are...

Multi-point temperature. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Designed for continuous process control and remote monitoring applications, the IRI 1002 is a new non-contact multi-point temperature measurement system from Infrared Integrated Systems (Irisys). The system can measure and display 256...

Michell sets the standard. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... The Norwegian standards institute, Justervesenet, has installed two humidity calibration systems from Michell Instruments, which it is using to calibrate reference hygrometers or field humidity sensors. Covering the ranges -90[degree]C to...

Level for boreholes. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Crydom Magnetics' submersible level probe, the SLP4, combines a level sensor based on a reed switch with a stainless steel housing to make it an economical alternative to traditional pressure-based transducer for measuring level down deep wells...

Low-maintenance pH measurement. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Mettler Toledo's combined pH/temperature sensor can be used in high pressures and temperatures, up to l3bar and 130[degree]C, thanks to its pressure compensated reference system, the company says. The InPro 4800 gel electrolyte also has a very...

Low noise in line. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Expanding the range of properties that can be measured with an in-line instrument, Yokogawa has launched an FT-NIR (Fourier transform near-infrared) analyser which is claimed to combine a low signal to noise ratio with high reliability. The...

Atex-approved detector. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Elfab has developed an ATEX-compliant noninvasive and reusable detector. The Integral Flo-Tel detector, which uses the intrinsic safety method of protection, has been awarded the highest level of protection for electrical equipment intended for...

Flow sensing for foods. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Helping researchers from University College Dublin carry out work into viscosity measurement techniques, the Torqsense transducer from Sensor Technologies is designed specifically for the food industry. The sensor can be used to monitor the...

Continuous monitoring. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... IFM Electronic's latest range of level sensors offer both a conventional switching output and an analogue output which provides continuous level indication. This allows control systems to log and report level information as well as facilitating...

Matching applications. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Systech's series 900 on-line oxygen analysers are designed to monitor oxygen content in a wide range of industrial gases, including hydrogen streams, inert gases, and gases containing combustibles and hydrocarbons. The sensors are claimed to be...

High volume sensors. (Sensors).
June 1, 2003... Providing a cost-effective solution for high volume and large scale measurement applications, GR Druck's new series of industrial pressure sensors are based on proven silicon sensor technology which has been developed by the company over the...

Manufacturing Excellence 2003 a distillation of experience: Mike Spear reports from this year's Manufacturing Excellence conference, hosted by Emerson Process Management in the Teesside heartland of the chemical industry. (Conference Report).
June 1, 2003... Just weeks before last month's Achema in Frankfurt (see FE, May, p25), this year's Manufacturing Excellence conference in Yarm, Teesside, demonstrated that UK process engineers are still willing to turn out to industry events -- provided the...

Expanded scope for LabVIEW suite. (Control Products).
June 1, 2003... National Instruments newest version of its LabVIEW suite of automation software, LabVIEW 7 Express, brings the long-established system to a new range of platforms including handheld computers and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Also,...

IS communicator for Hart and Foundation devices. (Control Products).
June 1, 2003... The 375 Field Communicator from Emerson Process Management supports all devices using the Hart or Foundation fieldbus protocols. It enables users to configure and maintain all of their instruments and valves with one intrinsically safe handheld...

Integrated control system. (Control Products).
June 1, 2003... GE Fanuc Automation's new PACSystems family of control products represents 'a revolutionary change in the control industry', says the company's senior v-p John Pritchard, 'one that enables control convergence rather than integration of...

Looking good for Moeller. (Control Products).
June 1, 2003... Moeller Electric's latest addition to its range of PLCs represents a radical change in design from the run-of-the-mill controller -- both inside and out. The XControl XC600's striking new look is functional as well as cosmetic -- rather than...

Emerson links into Profibus. (Control Products).
June 1, 2003... In a joint development with Trebing & Himstedt (T&H), Emerson Process Management now offers the ability to communicate with Hart devices over a Profibus network, making Emerson's AMC predictive maintenance software available to a wider range of...

High speed, high capacity. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... The CDX 1000 is the first of a new family of dry vacuum pumps from BOC Edwards. Ideal for high speed, high capacity process applications, the new pump features third generation double-ended screw technology for reliable operation and low cost...

Daewoo grows. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... With a record number of forklift trucks sold in its first year of direct operations, the Lift Truck Division of Euro Daewoo UK has set its sights on becoming one of the top five suppliers in the UK. With more than 600 machines sold last year,...

Prevent accidental lock-in. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Entry Safe from Castell prevents the start-up of machinery while an operator is still inside a dangerous area. Easily retrofitted to door frames, it works by inhibiting the operation of a tongue switch or similar mechanism. Alternatively, it...

Cool hot panels. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Control Center-NRS, the distributor of specialist refrigeration products, has added Isopad silicone heating panels to its product list. Manufactured by Tyco Thermal Controls, the panels comprise fine, constant wattage, heating cables embedded...

Two-in-one explosive monitor. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Explosive hazards and a lack or surplus of oxygen can easily be kept under control with the new Draeger Pac Ex2 gas and oxygen monitor. Developed for use in the oil and gas industries, the portable two-in-one instrument can also be used for the...

Drives keep the cocoa coming. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... A total of 14 Danfoss VLT FCD 300 drives have been installed in the refurbished cocoa powder plant of ADM Cocoa in Kingston-upon-Hull. The P66 enclosure of the FCD 300 ideally suited the dusty environment of the cocoa processing plant,...

Compressors cut energy use. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... The ALUP Allegro range of rotary screw air compressors from ABAC reduces energy consumption by as much as 35 per cent through the use of variable speed and SCD technology. With capacities ranging from 0.51 to 41.95[m.sup.3]/min, the ALUP...

Handheld strobe. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... The Pocket Strobe from Compact Instruments is around a quarter of the size of conventional stroboscopes and can be used with one hand, enabling its use in even the most awkward and inaccessible of locations. The instrument has a frequency range...

Master Comms for data links. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Eurotherm has introduced an advanced new communications feature to its Series 5000 data acquisition products. This will allow process data from multiple linked instruments and other devices to be displayed and recorded at a central location....

Lifting capacity. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Thames Side-Maywood has extended its range of LeverMount load cell assemblies to include a new, larger mount designed to take 3000 to 5000kg capacity load cells. The LeverMount was developed to allow fast installation and removal of a load cell...

Analogue made easy for ASi. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... The new range of IP65 and IP20 plug-and-play analogue input and output modules from IFM Electronic extends the simplicity and reliability of the ASi fieldbus system. The new units are automatically recognised by ASi masters conforming with the...

Chain lubricant is food safe. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Drive chain efficiency has been improved at the apetito frozen food plants in Wiltshire, following the company's switch to a product from the NSF H1 registered Foodlube range from by Rocol Lubricants. apetito supplies the 'meals on wheels'...

Key exchange for protection. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Fortress Interlocks has launched XM (exchange module), a modular mechanical key exchange unit. Part of an interlock system protecting employees working with dangerous machinery, the unit forms the link between isolation devices and access...

Clean calibration. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... If you are fed up with regular maintenance downtime cleaning your pH electrodes, then EasyClean from Mettler Toledo Process Analytics could be the answer. For fully automatic cleaning and calibration, EasyClean 350 coupled with the pH2100e...

Cleaners have validation trail. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... The Suncombe cGMP COPwasher range of cabinet cleaners has been developed to provide a robust and reliable means of supplying repeatable, validatable and controllable cleaning out of place. Incorporating PLC control with touch panel interface,...

Valve drive for remote action. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Smith Flow Control has launched an enhanced version of its Flexi-Drive cable-driven remote valve operator. The new Continuous Loop version can now transmit drive to valves through much shorter cable runs, even if a large number of handwheel...

Thicker foam. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Thanks to advances in its manufacturing, Pittsburgh Corning can now produce Foamglass blocks in sizes up to 180mm thick. Used as insulation on tanks, vessels, piping, etc, Foamglass is 100 per cent pure glass. Expanded 20 times at...

Steam resistant diaphragms. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Crane Process Flow Technologies has redeveloped its range of Saunders 214S grade diaphragms as part of continuous in-house innovation in diaphragm technology. The new Saunders 214S grade 'Hi-Steam' diaphragm has been developed to optimise...

Solenoid pumps. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... ProMinent's well-established solenoid-driven Beta and gamma/L diaphragm dosing pumps are now available in 12-24V dc and 24V ac versions. These pumps are ideally suited to water treatment applications where mains voltage supplies are either...

Hygienic seals. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Designed with the particular demands of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries in mind, the new Saflex H pump seal launched by John Crane incorporates a number of unique features. The seal's unique ultra-clean profile complements the...

Integrated safety locks. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Mistura Systems has developed a system of interlock components which form an integral part of OEM machinery, making it safe and ensuring that it cannot be operated in an incorrect manner. The safety system is safely assembled during manufacture...

Cleaner heating. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... A new infra-red heater, which provides rapid and efficient heating of process liquids without any possibility of contamination, is now available from Heraeus Noblelight of Bromborough. The innovative design of the heater makes it eminently...

Flow sensors ignore temperature. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Even when used in media where the temperature is changing as rapidly as 300K per minute, the operating accuracy of the new S12000 flow sensors from IFM Electronic is unaffected, making them an ideal choice for plants which employ clean-in-place...

Pressure management. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Elfab has launched a unique pressure-management system offering significant financial and operational benefits for the process industry. The Optigard System comprises a reverse-acting bursting disc, a holder with multi-flange compatibility and...

Durapipe road show tours UK. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Durapipe UK is offering its customers a new, mobile exhibition service with the convenience of the 2003 roadshow. A specially-equipped mobile unit will travel across the country this spring and autumn, allowing customers and specifiers the...

Valve sizing on CD-ROM. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Control valve manufacturer Schubert & Salzer has produced a CD-ROM to make sizing of its extensive product range much easier. The program invites customers to enter required performance data on a user friendly grid. The recommended Schubert &...

Code makers. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... DVT and Veritec have announced an agreement to integrate Veritec's industry-leading VeriCode symbol reading capabilities into DVT's Legend Ethernet-enabled SmartImage sensors. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, SmartImage Sensors...

Mills need less energy. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Netzsch Condux Jet Mills are taking the place of spiral mills, unidirectional let mills and wet grinding systems. This is because they require less energy and have a more favourable price to performance ratio. The machines also produce less...

Shut that door, safely. (Marketplace).
June 1, 2003... Fortress Interlocks has launched DM (door module), a robust modular access interlock suitable for use on all types of doors. The unit is available as a single or multiple door interlock with up to ten multiple access locks. DM is the first...