Process Engineering articles from March 2006

Process Engineering archives from March 2006

Comment: Difficult to recruit.
March 20, 2006... Manufacturers in the process engineering industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit qualified engineers. Indeed many of the same companies are equally struggling to retain...

Safety reviews for 100 sites.
March 20, 2006... Operators of major fuel depot facilities are being urged to review the safety of their operations and report the outcomes of their reviews to the Health & Safety Executive by Easter 2006. The reviews are to be carried out in the light of...

Emerson scoops BP order.
March 20, 2006... BP has appointed Emerson Process Management as its main contractor to replace aging process automation systems at its three largest US refineries. The contract covers 18 units at BP's Whiting, Indiana; Texas City, Texas; and Carson,...

Automation survey for UK food sector.
March 20, 2006... UK food and drink companies are the focus of a major survey of attitudes to automation. The survey, termed "Appetite for Automation", is being conducted in association with the British Automation and Robotics Association, Food Processing...

Engineer shortage hits home.
March 20, 2006... Burgeoning revenues have prompted oil companies to step-up their exploration efforts, and, as a consequence, highlighted the current shortage of skilled chemical and process engineers. In monetary terms this is good news for those engineers...

ABB posts 2005 earnings jump.
March 20, 2006... ABB has posted a 67% rise in earnings (EBIT) to $1,742 million, on sales 9% higher, at $22,442 million. The group linked its higher earnings in part to previous cost-cutting initiatives, higher capacity utilisations and better project...

EC energy inquiry backs UK groups.
March 20, 2006... The Confederation of the Paper Industries (CPI) and the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) have both welcomed the preliminary findings of the European Commission's Energy Sector Inquiry into EU energy market. The inquiry concluded that...

IN BRIEF: Nanhai petchems start-up.
March 20, 2006... The CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals Co Ltd (CSPC) started output from its $4 billion petrochemicals complex in Daya Bay, China, with the production of on-specification ethylene and propylene on 29 January. The CSPC operation - a 50:50 joint...

IN BRIEF: PIX moves into Shanghai.
March 20, 2006... Power transmission products maker PIX Europe has opened a manufacturing operation in Shanghai. The business is being managed through a newly formed company, Powerdrive Shanghai Ltd. The unit will offer European OEMs relevant cost savings...

'April Fuel Day' looms large.
March 20, 2006... Time is running out for the thousands of companies needing to renew energy contracts by 1 April - what has been termed 'April Fuel Day'. Independent watchdog Energywatch says businesses are taking whatever measures they can to cut bills....

FW wins Saudi project.
March 20, 2006... Foster Wheeler Ltd (FW) has won a major engineering, procurement and construction contract at the Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co. (PETRORabigh) refinery and petrochemical complex at Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. PETRORabigh, a joint venture...

JM pockets Davy.
March 20, 2006... Johnson Matthey plc has purchased Davy Process Technology Ltd (DPT) from Yukos International UK BV for #40 million in cash. The combination of DPT's process technology and engineering design capabilities with Johnson Matthey's expertise in...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Arkema launches nanotube plant.
March 20, 2006... Arkema has opened a carbon nanotube pilot plant at its Lacq Research Center in Pyrenees-Atlantiques in south west France. The facility is the first such unit in Europe with a capacity of 10 tonnes/year, according to a group statement. ...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Laser unit assists fire suppression R&D.
March 20, 2006... The Spraytec laser diffraction-based system for measurement of the particle size distribution of sprays and aerosols is playing a key role in the study of fire suppression sprays. The study is being carried out by the Department of Fire...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Nuclear advance.
March 20, 2006... Scientists at Penn State University and the Savannah River National Laboratory claim to have developed a new way to process liquid wastes into solid form for safe disposal. The process employs temperatures of 90oC or below to solidify and...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Germany probes nano safety.
March 20, 2006... Germany is launching a three-year programme to establish if nanoparticles pose any risks to human health or the environment when used in chemical materials. The Federal Ministry of Research is providing Ge1/45 million for the initiative, while...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: Breakdown breakthrough?
March 20, 2006... Zero breakdowns is the ultimate goal for European scientists, who are developing sensors to remotely monitor mechanical systems and predict component breakdowns before they actually happen. A wireless sensor to cut maintenance costs...

TECHNOLOGY TODAY: New boost for hybrid vehicles.
March 20, 2006... Nanomaterials company Nanotecture Ltd has won a DTI grant worth around #375,000 to support a two-year hydrid vehicle project. The firm is to collaborate on the project with Johnson Matthey (JM) and HILTech Developments Ltd, a system...

MIXING & BLENDING: Bottoms up.
March 20, 2006... Side entry mixers are effective in maintaining the consistency of product held in large storage tanks and preventing costly slurry build- up. Lewis Bates describes how the technology is coming into its own in the emerging biofuels industry ...

MIXING & BLENDING: Rapra targets nanoplastics.
March 20, 2006... Polymer research group Rapra Technology has started to make its nano compounding facilities and expertise available to companies seeking to optimise their own materials, process and product technologies. The move follows the recent...

MIXING & BLENDING: Mixing versatility.
March 20, 2006... Milton Roy Mixing's Helisem mixer range represents the company's smaller size of standard product for tank capacities from 0.5 up to 250 cubic metres. The company's VT, VR and VD models are designed for most blending and mixing...

MIXING & BLENDING: Powder/liquid advance.
March 20, 2006... Silverson Machines Ltd is to launch a new powder/liquid mixing system at the Anuga Foodtec international food and drink industry fair in Cologne, Germany this April. According to Silverson, the Flashmix FM30 is an innovative compact...

MIXING & BLENDING: Combination mixer and monitor.
March 20, 2006... A Jiskoot JetMix system with integrated water-in-oil measurement is providing water content analysis for a major floating production, storage and offloading vessel in the North Sea. The JetMix provides fully mixed flow to the water-in-oil...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: Market forces.
March 20, 2006... While the automation market is currently providing good growth opportunities, the main suppliers are under increasing pressure to tailor their products and services to meet the specific needs of key sectors. Patrick Raleigh takes the views of...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: Time-synchronised switch for higher accuracy.
March 20, 2006... The T208 Ethernet switch is claimed by its manufacturer Westermo Teleindustri to be the only product of its type able to operate with high accuracy time synchronisation on both SNTP/NTP (Simple Network Time Protocol/Network Time Protocol) and...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: Shell rejig at Niger Delta oil site.
March 20, 2006... Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) produces 43% of Nigeria's oil. Operating in the Niger Delta and adjoining offshore areas, Shell has over 3,000 kilometers of pipelines, 87 flowstations, eight gas plants and more than...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: Oxygen analyzer.
March 20, 2006... Yokogawa has launched the O2Mation Model AV550, an averaging oxygen analyser designed for use in large fossil fuel burning processes such as power stations. The company describes the unit as a robust, reliable and accurate instrument. The...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: Getting plastics materials under control.
March 20, 2006... The latest version of the Jumo dTron 300 controller series has been developed specifically for the plastics industry. Units have a multi- coloured LC display with background lighting and are set and configured using just four keys located on...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: Fingerprint security.
March 20, 2006... Plant operators are increasingly employing fingerprint recognition into their industrial control systems to protect their operations, claims AJM Automation, which supplies a touch screen 'human machine interface (HMI)' with built-in...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: ProfiBus pumps for water plant.
March 20, 2006... ProMinent Fluid Controls (PFC) has supplied a number of Profibus- controlled precision dosing pumps as part of a major refurbishment of the Clay Lake Water Treatment Works in Northern Ireland. The refurbishment project is being handled by...

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS: Software to help manage change.
March 20, 2006... The latest addition to GE Fanuc's management software focuses on the integration, support and functionality of automation systems. Proficy Change Management Version 5.50 provides support for new programs and devices by ensuring that...

POLLUTION PREVENTION: Certify to survive.
March 20, 2006... The Environment Agency's MCerts scheme is gathering pace in the water sector. And from 2008, the effluent requirements currently applicable only to sewage plants will be extended to 4,000 industrial sites. Tim Tunbridge reports The...

POLLUTION PREVENTION: Major EA event set for November.
March 20, 2006... The second in the series of WWEM exhibition, conference and workshops, focusing on all aspects relating to water and wastewater monitoring, takes place at the Telford International Centre on 1-2 Nov. A total of 60 walk-in / walk-out...

POLLUTION PREVENTION: What is MCerts about?
March 20, 2006... The Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCerts) has been established by the Environment Agency to provide a framework within which environmental measurements can be made to the agency's quality requirements. It provides for product certification...

POLLUTION PREVENTION: Time for action.
March 20, 2006... Peter Childs explains the problems industry faces from the IPPC directive 96/61/EU, particularly with regard to fugitive emissions, and how plants and factories must respond before the deadline of 2007 The IPPC directive 96/61/EU has...

FOOD & DRINK: Recorders add bite.
March 20, 2006... Food and drink manufacturers are under increasing pressure to upgrade their product traceability and process reporting capabilties. Martin Binney explains how the latest electronic data recorders are designed to meet these requirements ...

FOOD & DRINK: Beyond risk assessment.
March 20, 2006... Since the start of the year, the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations require that food manufacturers have in place permanent procedure to ensure product safety. Vince Haskins cites how the new regime can provide a catalyst for companies seeking...

FOOD & DRINK: Smooth flow at half the cost.
March 20, 2006... A US fruit processor based in California investigated the options available for accurately measuring the flow of bulk concentrates as part of a programme to upgrade its production unit. The best answer from the company's previous supplier was...

FOOD & DRINK: Potent brewing.
March 20, 2006... Automation specialist B&R is in the middle of a project for operating the process control functions at the family-owned Veltins brewery in Grevenstein, Germany. Existing automation structures are being replaced with hardware and software...

FOOD & DRINK: Tight process control a must for grapes.
March 20, 2006... HRS Group has supplied a complete sterilisation and aseptic filling system for the pasteurisation of concentrated grape juice at the plant of Julian Soler in Cuenca, Spain. It is designed for the handling of grape juice at 65-68oBrix (a...

FOOD & DRINK: Unilever extends predictive deal.
March 20, 2006... AV Technology Ltd (AVT) is to provide its vibration-based predictive maintenance services at Unilever UK Foods' Crumlin facility in South Wales, which manufactures and packages Pot Noodles. The contract follows the Stockport-based firm's...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Polymer compounder gets smarter.
March 20, 2006... Berwin Polymer Processing Group is a leading UK supplier of rubber and PVC compounds. It has an automatic, unmanned minor ingredients weighing system at its Manchester plant preparing two bags of formulated compound a minute, a rate that...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Atex pumps for gas sampling system.
March 20, 2006... US environmental monitoring specialist Zellweger Analytics specified EX30 explosion-proof pumps, from Charles Austen Pumps, for the aspirated gas sampling systems it has installed on Dublin's Port Tunnel. Atlanta-based Zellweger was...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Peristaltic pump moves sludge up cliff face.
March 20, 2006... Any dust below 75 microns created at the Duntilland, Glasgow plant of Bardon Aggregates has to be discarded. It is mixed with water, placed in a settlement tank to create a thick, dense sludge and then pumped into a lagoon before final...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Air freshener.
March 20, 2006... Occupants of some 400 summer houses near Bork, Denmark, can breathe easy following the installation of a Landia aerator to eliminate foul odours from a nearby pump-well. The smell was linked to poor wastewater drainage, which left...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Mixing combo can halve refinery energy costs.
March 20, 2006... The combination of Mixing Solution's Lancer propeller with its Cutlass side-entry mixer is said to virtually eliminate energy waste in refining operations. When required to operate at levels approaching maximum capacity, a problem for...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Blast-resistant accommodation.
March 20, 2006... More than 120 specially designed blast-resistant accommodation units have been supplied to BP's refinery in Coryton, Essex as part of a #500,000 maintenance shutdown programme. The units have been designed and built by Ultra Secure Products,...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Easy-fit, easy-repair valves save money.
March 20, 2006... Daventry-based Kurion Technologies, a specialist in the manufacture of systems for waste water treatment, resource recovery and water recycling, recently installed its DI Effluent system into two factories providing services to the automotive...

EQUIPMENT IN ACTION: Six-year fire testing at French chemical plant.
March 20, 2006... Chemical products manufacturer Cognis France started evaluation of detection and extinguishing systems for its plant 50km east of Paris back in 1999. This lengthy process was only concluded last year, to the satisfaction of Slough-based...

PRODUCT NEWS: Energy manager for cost savings.
March 20, 2006... Aspen Energy Cost Manager is designed to enable process manufacturers achieve significant cost and environmental benefits by helping plant sites avoid excess energy consumption in their day-to-day operations. Payback in less than six months...

PRODUCT NEWS: Heating elements for furnaces.
March 20, 2006... A single powder metallurgy furnace can now operate firing cycles with the conditions altering during a cycle between oxidising, inert, endogas and reducing atmosphere, thanks to the latest development of the Kanthal Super ER heating element,...

PRODUCT NEWS: Filter dryer for chemicals.
March 20, 2006... Already proven in the food industry, the Niro integrated filter dryer is now being targeted at the chemical market for manufacturing dustless agglomerated powders with improved flow and dispersal properties. The IFD has a novel spray drying...

PRODUCT NEWS: New photoelectric proximity switch.
March 20, 2006... Siemens Automation and Drives' new Simatic PXO560 photoelectric proximity switch for colour recognition features white-light LED technology. This enables the construction of extremely small and long- life sensors with constant switching...

PRODUCT NEWS: Linear motors are fast, light and accurate.
March 20, 2006... The LZ series of ironless, linear servo motors provides high precision in either very low or very high velocity uses. Available from Anorad, the precision motor control division of Rockwell Automation, the range utilises advanced technology...

PRODUCT NEWS: High resolution IR imager.
March 20, 2006... A thermal imager that is said to provide many operational benefits for engineers involved in electrical and mechanical maintenance is now available from Irisys. The infrared operation of the IRI 4010 instrument provides temperature measurement...

PRODUCT NEWS: Beating the Ethernet mishmash.
March 20, 2006... The spread of Ethernet connectivity on the factory floor has created problems related to the expansion of copper and fibre cable installations needed to serve these systems, according to B&B Electronics, which is offering a solution to the...

PRODUCT NEWS: Light camera action.
March 20, 2006... Cognex has introduced a new version of its In-Sight 5400 machine vision sensor that is designed for applications where the camera is mounted on the end of a robot arm, on a gantry or on a positioning stage. Weighing less than 2.5 ounces,...

PRODUCT NEWS: Fieldbus boosts flowmeters.
March 20, 2006... The latest version of Yokogawa's RotaMass series 3 Coriolis mass flowmeter supports bi-directional Foundation Fieldbus communications to provide interoperability with other field instruments and associated cost reductions by using multi-drop...

PRODUCT NEWS: Valves meet control standard.
March 20, 2006... Control valves from French manufacturer Dresser Masoneilan that have been fitted with James Walker's Supagraf Control gland packing meet the stringent VOC emission control levels specified in ISO 15848. ISO 15848 specifies testing...

PLANT COST INDICES: UK and International Plant Cost Indices.
March 20, 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...