Process Engineering articles from May 2002

Process Engineering archives from May 2002

Software first for IMechE award. (News).
May 1, 2002... The IMechE has given an Engineering Heritage Hallmark Award to computational fluid dynamics specialist Fluent Europe. This is the first time that a software package has won the award, which recognises engineering innovation.

Sasol chooses uv technology. (News).
May 1, 2002... Hanovia has won a contract to supply four Photon uv systems to Sasol's polymers complex at Sasolburg, South Africa. The equipment will treat up to 43million litre/day of secondary effluent, enabling it to be recycled as process water.

Bayer boosts PU capacity. (News).
May 1, 2002... Bayer is Investing [euro]5million on an eightfold capacity increase for polyurethane dispersions at its site in Dormagen, Germany. The new 40 000tpa plant will meet increasing demand for the dispersions, which are replacing solvent-bome...

ABB reports income drop. (News).
May 1, 2002... ABB's net income fell 17 per cent in the first quarter of 2002, to $114million. Total orders were down 5 per cent in local currencies from the previous three months, although the process and automation units reported Increased orders. 'We are...

AspenTech agrees to buy Hyprotech for $99million. (News).
May 1, 2002... Aspen Technology has agreed to acquire Hyprotech, the process software arm of AEA Technology, for $99million ([pounds sterling]67million). The deal will help AEA focus on its rail and environment businesses, the company says. The deal follows...

CEL wins its second ACTIVE award for Genzyme project. (News).
May 1, 2002... Coventry-based process contractor CEL International has won its second project of the year award in a row from ECI ACTIVE, the organisation which aims to encourage partnerships between contractors, their clients and suppliers. The award was for...

Kvaerner wins fuel cell project. (News).
May 1, 2002... Troubled AngloNorwegian contractor Kvaerner has won a valuable contract to design and build the first phase of Johnson Matthey's fuel cell components manufacturing facility near Swindon. The plant will be the first in the world dedicated to...

PRISM sheds light on process safety. (News).
May 1, 2002... The European Process Safety Centre has won a [euro]1.3million in funding from the European Union for a three-year research project to improve safety in the process industry. Called PRISM, the project will look at how human factors affect...

Correction.
May 1, 2002... Our story about Hosokawa Micron's design of classifier mills for Sonneborn & Riek (PE April, ChemXpress p10) said that this work had been carried out for AstraZeneca. There was no connection with AstraZeneca whatsoever. Apologies to all of the...

BIO-WISE pumps [pounds sterling]1million into promoting biotechnology. (News).
May 1, 2002... Almost [pounds sterling]1million of government funding has been awarded to projects aimed at bringing biotechnology into the industrial mainstream. 'There are many applications of biotechnology which offer great potential but haven't yet been...

ABB to revamp Statoil platforms. (News).
May 1, 2002... Statoil has awarded a $330million contract to ABB for the maintenance and modification of six offshore oil platforms in the North Sea, along with the Kollsnes onshore processing plant. The five-year contract covers the Troll A platform (right),...

TS4i takes the cream of the contract. (News).
May 1, 2002... Total Solutions for Industry (TS4i), a joint venture between facilities management company WS Atkins and the Royal Bank of Scotland, has won a [pounds sterling]7.3million contract to supply United Milk with all of its energy for the next ten...

PICME develops virtual institute. (News).
May 1, 2002... The Process Industries Centre for Manufacturing Excellence, PICME, is developing an internet-based virtual institute to help it reach process companies in Europe. Dubbed ADMAN, the institute is funded by the European Union, and will include a...

New home for National Instruments. (News).
May 1, 2002... National Instruments UK operation has completed its move to new offices in Newbury Business Park after outgrowing its previous home nearby. The company's UK office has doubled in size every three years since it opened in July 1988, comments ceo...

Atlas Copco buys Liutech. (News).
May 1, 2002... Compressor specialist Atlas Copco has bought a Chinese compressor maker, Liuzhou Tech Machinery Co (Liutech), for an undisclosed sum. Based in Guangxi Province, southern China, the company employs 190 people, making oil-injected screw...

Parsons signs agreement with Intergraph. (News).
May 1, 2002... Engineering contractor Parsons has forged a global alliance with the process, power and offshore division of software firm Intergraph, allowing it unlimited worldwide use of its Plant Design System, SmartPlant and INtools products.

AMEC oversees Malaysian plant...While Foster Wheeler wins Saudi contract. (News).
May 1, 2002... AMEC has been named project management consultant for a 310 000tpa fertiliser plant for the Malaysian NPK Fertiliser Company. The plant, in Gurun, will come on-stream in 2004.

AMEC oversees Malaysian plant...While Foster Wheeler wins Saudi contract. (News).
May 1, 2002... The Gulf Farabi Petrochemicals Company has appointed Foster Wheeler Energy as the project management contractor for a $250million plant to produce linear paraffin and linear alkyl benzene. The plant is a grassroots project, to be built adjacent...

GE pays [pounds sterling]229million for Druck. (News).
May 1, 2002... GE Industrial Systems has bought sensors specialist Druck for [pounds sterling]229million. The UK firm, which makes pressure sensors for the process and other sectors, will be absorbed into General Electric, but will continue to trade under the...

BASF expands specialities capacity. (News).
May 1, 2002... In one of it largest investments at its Ludwigshafen headquarters, BASF is adding 30 000tpa of capacity to its Citral manufacturing facilities. The new plant, back-integrated to the steam-cracker at the site, will supply Citral as an...

UK and international plant cost indices. (News).
May 1, 2002... 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...

No downtime for valve testing. (Product News).
May 1, 2002... Safety critical valves require regular testing, but because of their very nature this generally has to be done during shutdown periods. But now ICS Triplex has developed a hardware and software package for checking safety and shutdown valves...

Tough pH sensors. (Product News).
May 1, 2002... The [Analyze.sup.IT] AP200 series of pH/redox combination sensors from ABB has been designed to withstand the rigours of high temperatures, pressures and aggressive process fluids. High resistance to the 'three Ps' of poisoning, plugging...

Space-saving dust filter. (Product News).
May 1, 2002... The Pleated Belt Filter (PBF) system from MikroPul is said to offer the advantages of both surface and mat type dust filters, without the disadvantages of either. The system consists of a number of filter cells, each comprised of a continuous...

Measure viscosity in real-time. (Product News).
May 1, 2002... Last year Solartron Mobrey launched what the company says is still the only practical method of in-line measurement of dynamic viscosity, kinematic viscosity and density. Based on vibrating fork technology, the Visconic range has now been...

All quiet on the equipment front. (Product News).
May 1, 2002... Ingersoll-Rand has introduced smaller and quieter versions of its GenPowerSource range of diesel-driven generators from 9 to 500kVA prime power. The new G200 model delivers 180kVA and, like all other units in the range, has been...

Learning from the past -- the essence of good safety. (Comment).
May 1, 2002... This month's tragic rail accident at Potters Bar has again focused attention on the safety record of what, statistically, is still one of the safest modes of transport in the country. Of course, people boarding trains do not normally have...

Events.
May 1, 2002... 21-22 May The Pressure Equipment Directive is a timely two-day international conference organised by the IMechE just one week before the PED comes into force. Supporting the conference presentations will be a small trade exhibition. ...

Hydrogen from sewage. (Research & Technology).
May 1, 2002... Recent technological advances have brought fuel cells within the price range for industrial and domestic power generation and to provide the power for motor vehicles, but there are still several sticking-points -- the most notable being, where...

FlexReactor wins SMART Award. (Research & Technology).
May 1, 2002... Cranfield-based BHR Group has won a SMART Award from the DTI for its FlexReactor, a reactor which can run reactions on a continuous basis where they would normally be performed in batches. The technology combines the versatility of a batch...

Reverse selection filters out the small stuff. (Research & Technology).
May 1, 2002... Membranes, at the simplest level, work like sieves. They let small molecules through, while barring larger ones. The reverse -- systems which let large molecules through but retain small ones -- would seem to be impossible. But a team from...

Fuelling progress in desulphurisation. (Research & Technology).
May 1, 2002... Researchers from Penn State University in Pennsylvania have developed a method for removing sulphur from liquid fuels at low temperature and ambient pressure without the use of hydrogen. The process requires far less energy than other...

Dome design caps storage tank upgrade. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2002... First there was the Millennium Dome, then came the 'biodomes' of Cornwall's Eden Project, and now we have the 'Pembroke dome'. Unlike the first two, however, no member of the public will be setting foot under the 270ft diameter geodesic...

Faster filling for Castrol. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2002... At its lubricants plant in Hyde, Cheshire, Castrol has introduced a mobile filling system to increase production, while at the same time tackling a health and safety problem. Operators previously had to man handle 208 litre drums on and off...

Real ale brewing process heats up. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2002... No doubt celebrating the Chancellor's Budget cut in duty levied on the outputs of micro breweries, the Hebridean Brewing Company has already started improving its operations at its brewery in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The...

Pump puts paid to milk shake. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2002... 'When you want to move something more than twice as fast as you currently do, you have a bit of a problem if the product happens to be buttermilk,' bemoans Brian Welton of Clona Dairy in Co Munster, Republic of Ireland. The dairy's buttermilk...

Conveying in black and white. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2002... With their poor flow characteristics, products don't come much harder to convey than carbon black and titanium dioxide. Both of these materials are being successfully handled by Aeromaster International's range of Aero-Mechanical conveyors,...

Piling on the pressure: the 1999 Pressure Equipment Regulations will be fully integrated into UK law this month. Tim Mapstone considers the ramifications of the new legislation for UK process and chemical engineering organisations. (Pressure Equipment).
May 1, 2002... On 29 May 2002 the Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999 (PER) will become mandatory, enshrining the European Union's Pressure Equipment Directive in UK law. It follows a transition period of over two years that has enabled UK business to prepare...

Setting the safety standards. (Safety Standards).
May 1, 2002... Although now in force, the new safety standard for safety-related control systems, IEC 61508, is still raising more questions than it answers. Mike Spear reports on some recent attempts by suppliers to guide users safely through the minefield....

Taking safety to a higher level: Dr Richard Piggin of Pilz Automation Technology describes how an offshore safety-critical system was design, installed and approved in under two weeks, with due conformity to IEC 61508. (Safety Standards).
May 1, 2002... The complexity of large safety systems necessitates lengthy lead times from design to operational capability, and the same problem can occur when upgrades are required. This is particularly so where high integrity systems are concerned -- such...

Talking alarms give directions. (Safety Products).
May 1, 2002... Voice alarms are the most effective and safest way to signal the evacuation of a building, according to Federal Signal. Sirens attract attention, but give no indication of the nature of the emergency or instructions on how to proceed, the...

PLC rated for hazardous zones. (Safety Products).
May 1, 2002... The Critical Analogue Input module (CAI) for Siemens Process Automation's Quadlog safety PLC allows analogue I/O, such as gas detectors and pressure transmitters, to be interfaced to the PLC's control module. Holding a safety critical...

Armour prevents leaks. (Safety Products).
May 1, 2002... Leaks from pipework are costly, hazardous and can be lethal. Flanges are the main danger points, so Castell Iso-Lok has developed 'armour' which encloses a flange completely. The armour consists of stainless steel links which fit together...

Sensors show lifespan. (Safety Products).
May 1, 2002... General Monitors has launched a new range of portable gas detectors through its UK representative, Allison Engineering. The detectors' features include interchangeable sensors and a sensor life indicator. The detectors can be used to...

Discs for bio-processes. (Safety Products).
May 1, 2002... Designed specifically for sanitary installations, Elfab's Bio-Gard bursting discs are available for pressures as low as 5mbarg. The discs have integral sanitary gaskets, and are installed in hygienic holders or custom housings. ...

Chivas gets into the safety spirit. (Safety Products).
May 1, 2002... Chivas Brothers, the distiller responsible for whiskies such as The Glenlivet, has installed Flotronic air-operated diaphragm pumps at its Dalmuir Bonded and Blending site, where the spirit is matured. The pumps, used to empty sumps of...

Environmental solutions for industry: on 21-23 May, Birmingham's NEC plays host to the UK's largest environmental event for business and industry, et2002. Here we present a brief overview. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Organised by the Faversham House Group, et2002 boasts the support of a wide cross section of the environmental industry. Apart from the 150 or so exhibiting companies (some of whom are highlighted below), active support has come from bodies...

The European Pressure Equipment Directive (97/23/EC). (HRS News).
May 1, 2002... Welcome to the third HRS newsletter, which we have decided to use as a forum to discuss the EU Pressure Equipment Directive (PED). In the 18 months prior to the directive becoming mandatory HRS has invested significant time and money to...

About the directive. (HRS News).
May 1, 2002... From 29 May 2002 all pressure equipment sold within the EU must comply with the European Union Pressure Equipment Directive, which has resulted in manufacturers having to revise their working practices. The PED has far reaching implications for...

Administrative requirements. (HRS News).
May 1, 2002... In addition to ensuring that the pressure equipment is capable of meeting the essential performance requirements, manufacturers also have to provide adequate instructions with equipment sold. All manufacturers must now complete a specified...

The HRS road to meeting the directive. (HRS News).
May 1, 2002... As many of the heat exchangers we manufacture fall within the scope of the PED we are therefore under a legal obligation to carry out the various formal design stages, manufacturing procedures and final tests to ensure that all our equipment...

New software ensures compliance. (HRS News).
May 1, 2002... As part of our implementation programme for the directive we have also developed, in-house, a new programme, which works in conjunction with our HED (C) heat exchanger design software and allows us to check compliance with the directive, for...

Why should I bother to comply? (HRS News).
May 1, 2002... After 29 May 2002, if you buy and install pressure equipment, which does not comply with the directive there are severe implications. Not only are you liable to be fined, but you will also find that you are contravening health and safety...

In brief. (HRS News).
May 1, 2002... Our sister company HeatExchangerSpares.com which sells competitively priced genuine and non-genuine plate heat exchanger spare parts for all leading brand names, is now supplying an extensive range of compatible accessories. The accessories...

High pressure homogenisation: homogenisation equipment needs regular maintenance and parts replacement. Bran + Luebbe has developed a machine which can cope as Steve Digby explains. (Mixing and Blending).
May 1, 2002... In many areas of industrial processing, mixing and blending are two of the most significant, yet basic, operations. At the most simple level, two or more components are combined and diffused by means of flow movements resulting in a uniform...

Middleton has a head for safety. (Mixing Equipment Focus).
May 1, 2002... Safety is a priority in the design of Advanced Engineering (Middleton)'s high speed sealed bearing mixers. Aimed particularly at applications in paint manufacture and food preparation, the mixers have no exposed drive shafts. All the rotating...

Lindor makes light work of heavy mixing. (Mixing Equipment Focus).
May 1, 2002... Lindor's Mixers are generally used to mix free-flowing and fragile materials, particularly in the food and pharmaceuticals industries. But the principles behind the company's machines recently led it into a much heavier industry. The...

'New' mixers from old. (Mixing Equipment Focus).
May 1, 2002... Lancashire-based mixer manufacturer Joshua Greaves & Sons is offering a mixer refurbishment and upgrade service for all makes of used mixing machinery. Aimed at customers with tight capital budgets, the service can provide equipment at as low...

Chemineer shows that short is best. (Mixing Equipment Focus).
May 1, 2002... The new version of Chemineer's Kenics static mixer is 'drastically' shorter than previous models. The concave mixing element of the KMX mixer 'greatly outperforms conventional flat-blade mixers' while providing 'high-quality blending via...

Custom customer. (Mixing Equipment Focus).
May 1, 2002... Assaying of drug ingredients requires faultless repeatability of test results, and Alpharma, a Devon-based manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals, found that it required a customised mixing equipment. Silverson added a digital tachometer and...

Managing alarms to eliminate overload. (Control Developments).
May 1, 2002... Today's control technology has given plant operators unprecedented insights into the running of their plants, but too much information can sometimes be too much of a good thing, especially in alarm overload situations. Mike Spear reports on how...

Drive for efficiency at NEC. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... New legislation is the driving force for many of the products on display at this year's Drives & Controls exhibition, to be held on 28-30 May at the National Exhibition Centre. Thanks to the Climate Change Levy, energy conservation has become...

WEG plans for pole position in Europe. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... With its newly enlarged headquarters in Redditch, Worcestershire, WEG Electric Motors (UK) is important to its Brazilian parent's growth plans. According to WEG ceo Decio da Silva, the group ended last year with worldwide sales up by nearly 30...

Lenze shows off expanded drive range. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Lenze is bringing its largest-ever range of products to the NEC for the Drives & Controls show. The company has recently expanded its product range, and is showing new products in both its servo and inverter ranges. Its inverter drives feature...

Small is beautiful for Parker Hannifin. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Don't go to Parker Hannifin's stand expecting anything big. The company is focusing on its electromechanical division, which specialises in the smaller side of its product range. A number of ultra-compact motion control devices are set for...

High-torque motors from EAO. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Sanyo Denkiis high-torque stepper motors will be on show at the stand of its UK distributor EAO. Using rare-earth magnet technologies to achieve their torques, the motors are available in 2-, 3-and 5-phase configuration. Sanyo Denki's range of...

AC launches Euro drive. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... AC Technology, the largest manufacturer of small ac inverter drives in the US, has designed a drive specifically for the European market, the SCL, which it is launching at the Drives & Controls show. The drive satisfies particular European...

OEMS are target for software. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Control Techniques is showing a suite of Solutions software at Drives & Controls, aimed at simplifying systems integration while providing a standardised applications system of OEMs and end-users. The firm will also be demonstrating how to...

Support for low voltage. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Brook Crompton is using the Drives & Controls show to launch low-voltage motors from its new parent company, Lindeteves-Jacoberg, which acquired it earlier this year. Brook Crompton's Huddersfield site is now the international headquarters for...

Eurotherm makes a stand. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Eurotherm is planning its largest-ever presence at Drives & Controls, with every product from its drives range represented. Among several launches at the show is a series of enhancements to the top-of-the-range 690+ series ac drives,...

'True open strategy' for Schneider. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Schneider Electric is using Drives & Controls to demonstrate what it claims 'really sets it apart from its competitors -- a true open communications strategy'. The company says that its solutions are not restricted by proprietary networks, and...

Fluke's hires display. (Exhibition Preview).
May 1, 2002... Since the last Drives & Controls show. Fluke has expanded its range of handheld oscilloscopes to include models with high-resolution color screens and extended functionality. Models on display at the company's Drives & Controls stand have...

Efficiency monitoring. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... The portable FLUXUS ADM6725 flowmeter from Katronic Technologies utilises ultrasonic technology for accurate energy efficiency measurement across a wide range of industries. It is suitable for clean and dirty liquids, and can be applied to any...

ABB explains ex designations. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... Ex motor designations, according to the new ATEX directive, are eplained on a new poster from ABB. For your free poster, please call 0800 7837491 501 on enquiry card

In situ configuration for switch. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... Bourdon Haenni introduces the TED50, a rugged, programmable pressure switch for controlling pressures in industrial processes. Accurate at [+ or -]50 per cent at 20[degrees]C,, it is able to measure absolute pressure in the ranges 0 to 1 bar...

Touch screens augment displays. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... Velleman Switch, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of bespoke and standard non-machine interfaces, has announced details of its latest range of touch-screen systems. Utilising ScreenTouch technology, Velleman Switch manufactures matrix and...

Customised data acquisition. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... National Instruments FREE DAQ DesignerTM 2002 CD takes users through a step-by-step configurator to select the optimal software and hardware products for their custom data acquisition (DAQ) systems. Users answer questions about their...

DMN controls sugar at Muller Rice. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... DMN UK, the manufacturer of DMN-Westinghouse rotary, diverter and slide valves, is the preferred valve supplier to Stewardson Power Handling (SPH). SPH was contracted by Braby to provide a pneumatic conveying system for Muller Rice of Market...

Schneider helps control filling. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... PLF International has equipped its latest six head-in-line filling machine, used to put baby milk formula into cans, exclusively with control and automation products from Schneider Electric. The control system is based on a Modicon Micro PLC...

Batteries with long lifetime. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... The newly extended range of Yuasa cyclic batteries is now available from Euro Energy Resources. Designed for heavy-duty cyclic application, the Yuasa cyclic range offers maintenance-free high performance with long service life. Batteries are...

Thermometer calibrations. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... The new ETI 3101 dry-well from Electronic Temperature Instruments is ideal for checking the calibration of a wide range of instrumentation including digital and bi-metal thermometers, as well as thermosensors that need calibration checks either...

Bulk handling systems. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... Portasilo, one of Europe's leading suppliers of plant for the bulk storage and handling of particulate materials, has published a comprehensive new full colour brochure entitled 'Bulk Handling Systems for Industry'. The brochure showcases...

High performance switches. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... Barksdale Control Products, a name synonymous with high quality pressure, level, flow and temperature sensors, has published an in-depth set of product brochures illustrating its high-performance electronic and mechanical pressure switches and...

Self-priming pumps for finishing. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2002... New from Kecol for the metal treatment and finishing industry is the Sethco series of self-priming pumps. Available in polypropylene or Kynar, these will easily handle caustics, solvents, acids and alkalis safely. Being magnetically driven...