Process Engineering articles from May 2003

Process Engineering archives from May 2003

BASF acquires plasticisers. (News).
May 1, 2003... BASF has bought Sunoco's plasticiser business, based in the US, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition includes plants in Pasadena, Texas, and a toll manufacturing agreement for a plant in Pennsylvania. The business makes phthalic anhydride,...

Valves for energy storage plant. (News).
May 1, 2003... George Fischer Piping Systems has supplied over 1000 valves for the first Regenesys energy storage plant at Little Barford, Bedfordshire. The plant, which uses reversible electrochemical reactions between two salts in flow batteries' to store...

In-line monitoring pilot projects. (News).
May 1, 2003... The UK Specialised Organic Chemicals Sector Association is to manage a set of demonstrator projects to encourage fine and speciality chemicals firms to use in-line process monitoring techniques. The projects, focused on process gas scrubbing,...

Process winners in Queen's Awards. (News).
May 1, 2003... A MEC, ICI and Pfizer were among the winners in this year's round of Queen's Awards for Enterprise, keeping up the process sector's record in the field. Amec and Pfizer both won international trade awards. while ICI subsidiary Uniqema scooped a...

Amec and Fluor join for Iraq. (News).
May 1, 2003... Contractors Fluor Daniel and Amec have formed a joint venture to undertake contracts for reconstructing Iraq's oil industry. The venture, to be called Fluor/Amec, intends to bid for contracts when the US Army Corps of Engineers invites offers...

Paints man takes the reins at ICI. (News).
May 1, 2003... ICI Paints chief executive John McAdam (above) has been named as the new chief executive of ICL His predecessor, Brendan O'Neill, relinquished the position he had held for four years after issuing a profits warning (see PE April, p3). ...

Budget brings changes to ECA. (News).
May 1, 2003... Gordon Brown's latest budget may have hit most workers in the pocket, but it provided more good news for manufacturers and buyers of equipment which can reduce energy consumption. Eight new proposed technologies have been added to the list of...

Final shut-down for Calder Hall. (News).
May 1, 2003... The world's first industrial-scale nuclear power station, Calder Hall, has closed down after 47 years of operation. Part of the Sellafield nuclear complex in Cumbria, Calder Hall was closed four years ahead of schedule owing to the low price of...

Invensys sells for 'financial stability'. (News).
May 1, 2003... Troubled automation major Invensys is to sell off more than half of its business in order to stabilise the group. Some [pounds sterling]1.8billion-worth of businesses have already been sold, but the company is to dispose of all operations...

Clock is ticking on EU White Paper. (News).
May 1, 2003... Time is running out for European chemical producers to influence the final form of the EU's chemical policy regulations, according to the director of the Chemical Industries Association, Judith Hackitt. Speaking at the Chemical Week European...

Emerson wins pharma contract. (News).
May 1, 2003... Italian pharmaceutical company Indena has chosen Emerson's PlantWeb architecture as the backbone for production of a new anti-cancer agent The company is using a DeltaV digital automation system on its facility at Settala, near Milan. The...

HRS sets up Indian subsidiary. (News).
May 1, 2003... HRS Heat Exchangers has bought its Indian licensee, creating a wholly-owned subsidiary to boost its sales in Asia. The company, to be called HRS Process Systems Private, is initially selling the Spiratube and Dynamic ranges of heat exchangers...

Engineers add process solutions. (News).
May 1, 2003... Yorkshire-based Richard Alan Group, which sells gears, pumps and ancilliary products, has added another string to its bow with the purchase of Alternative Process Solutions, a project management business specialising in pharmaceutical,...

Severn Trent wins largest ever order. (News).
May 1, 2003... United Utilites has handed Severn Trent Services its largest ever order, which could be worth up to [pounds sterling]8million. The order covers the design, supply and installation of tertiary wastewater filtration systems for several of...

Aker Kvaerner wins projects. (News).
May 1, 2003... Aker Kvaerner has agreed to build an [euro]80million EVOH copolymer resin plant for Japanese-owned Eval Europe in Belgium. The firm Aker Kvaerner has also been awarded an engineering and technical procurement contract for a 500 000tpa purified...

MBO opens up new future for Trouvay & Cauvin Ltd. (News).
May 1, 2003... Following nearly a year of uncertainty surrounding the company, Trouvay & Canyin Ltd {TC} has entered a new era with the completion of a management buy-out. Formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of the eponymous French parent company -- which went...

UK and International plant cost indices. (News).
May 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...

All the fun of the fair, as Achema shows how it's done. (Comment).
May 1, 2003... Later this month over 200 000 visitors are expected to descend on Ithe trade exhibition fairground in Frankfurt to attend the 27th Achema. In chemical and process engineering terms, this exhibition has long been considered as the place to do...

Events.
May 1, 2003... 14 May Rheology and Methodology, or 'Viscometry made easy', is the title of this one-day annual seminar from Brookfield Viscometers. The course includes instruction on the use and care of Brookfield viscometers, rheometers and related...

Permits reduce the paper chase. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2003... Release and management of safety permits is becoming increasingly important in the process sector. Plant workers need to complete these permits before beginning maintenance work on several types of process equipment, and the permits then need...

Packing without pressure from Gee. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2003... When Terra Nitrogen faced a tough deadline to unpack and repack 280 valves at its Billingham site, it turned to Gee Graphite. With only 14 days to complete the task, Gee Graphite blasted into action using two of its own range of high-pressure...

Concrete benefits. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2003... Thames Side-Maywood is helping an Abu Dhabi concrete facility to ensure that its batches contain accurately-weighed amounts of ingredients. Responding to new local regulations which require concrete mixtures to be weighed to [+ or -]1 per cent...

Brewers think out of the Box. (Equipment in Action).
May 1, 2003... Coors Brewers is toasting Midlands-based telemetry specialist BOX telematics and Severn Trent Water thanks to the installation of a [pounds sterling]100 000 effluent waste management system, which has delivered cost savings of around [pounds...

Do you comply with ATEX? (Process Safety).
May 1, 2003... The ATEX directives, regulating equipment in atmospheres containing hazardous liquids, gases or dust, come into force on 1 July. Unfortunately, far from all companies have taken the measures necessary to achieve compliance. Brian Austick...

A clean sweep for fluids monitor. (Fluids Monitoring).
May 1, 2003... A real-time, non-contact fluids analyser has just gone into service in the food and drinks industry. But the potential applications for Kaiku's 'Intelligent Pipe' technology seem endless. After a six-month production trial period at...

FPL - we're ready for ATEX! (ATEX Special News).
May 1, 2003... Flotronic's unique 'One Nut' range of air driven double diaphragm pumps comply fully with the electro-static hazard requirements defined in ATEX Group II Category 2, effective July 1st 2003 Not only that but FPL has also announced that, as...

In the meantime. (Management).
May 1, 2003... As companies increasingly outsource many of their support operations, there is a growing demand for interim executives and professionals to come in and manage short-term assignments. Wilf Altman looks at the phenomenon from an engineering...

A world forum. (Achema 2003).
May 1, 2003... On 19-24 May the 27th Achema takes place in Frankfurt, Germany. Hardly needing any introduction, this triennial extravaganza of chemical engineering, environmental protection and biotechnology remains the world's leading event for all sectors...

Temperature control up to date: Mike Irvin takes a look at current developments and trends in temperature controllers for process applications. (Temperature).
May 1, 2003... In industry, space is expensive. The space occupied by control panels is seen as non-productive, leading to pressure to minimise panel sizes. This is a problem for traditional temperature controllers, which have large front panel displays. Even...

Steel pressure transmitters. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... Bourdon Haenni, the manufacturer of high technology industrial instrumentation, has introduced the ED701 pressure transmitter. Manufactured totally in stainless steel, the new high specification units include zero setting and active temperature...

Clean up with Nederman. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... Nederman has published a six-page brochure entitled 'Portable extraction and clean up', dedicated to its extensive range of portable extraction, clean-up and ventilation units. Typical applications for these include sanding, cutting, polishing...

Dosing for Bronkhorst. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... Measure or control fluid mass flow rate at up to 500kg/hr with the Bronkhorst CORI-FLOW affordable Coriolis meter. With full digital or analogue communications, the IP65 unit is suitable for dosing or blending high-pressure chemicals, liquids...

Filtration advice online. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... Bollfilter UK has recently launched an expanded web site designed to provide users and specifiers of automatic filtration systems with a wealth of product, technical and application advice. Bollfilter Automatic Filters offer significant...

Diaphragm valves upgrade. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... Designed specifically for biopharmaceutical applications, the new 425 grade of EPM diaphragm from Saunders offers an even higher performance for diaphragm valves than previously known in the biopharm market. Developed by Crane Process Flow...

Quiet mills need less energy. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... Netzsch Condux Jet Mills are taking the place of spiral mills, unidirectional jet 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...

Wedge-wire in-line filter. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... The six-inch wedge-wire, hygienic in-line stainless steel filter from PCI-Memtech offers high security against breakthrough, can withstand high backflushing pressures and offers uniform product consistency. Easily incorporated into any process...

Pigs flying to new levels. (What's New in Process Engineering).
May 1, 2003... Pig clearing of pipework has been used in industry for many years, but is taken to new levels by IST Pigging Systems in terms of both cleanliness and the range of fittings that the company can supply. Pig clearing can now be used in all...

Refurb service for DMN valves. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... Eventually, even the best made, most wear resistant of products will succumb to the rigours and abrasive nature of the quarry and mining industry. DMN UK's access to genuine new or service replacement spare parts for DMN-Westinghouse valves,...

Code makers. (Marketplace).
May 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...

Cutting condensation. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... Rittal's hygrostats and heaters prevent condensation occuring in equipment enclosures. Simple to install and control, they are robust and powerful, as well as being efficient and cost-effective. The heater range is suitable for every enclosure...

Pasta at its best? Cool it. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... Premium cooling from Coolmation is now one of the key ingredients in premium lasagne production at a fresh pasta facility in Wales. Coolmation has provided one 80kW high efficiency air-cooled chiller for the site. This unit serves a heat...

The best hose for the job. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... Interconnect specialist Icore International is now offering not only one of the widest ranges of high-performance PTFE pressure hoses in the UK, but also expert support services which are designed to help hose users to find the best solution...

Insulation goes round the bend. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... The traditional method of insulating bends in process pipework involves cutting pieces of insulation on-site from pipe sections or wired mat. With this mind, Rockwool has developed two new products -- matched-half bends and pipe bend segments....

Pressure boosts cutting power. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... The Ingersoll-Rand Streamline SL-IV Plus high-pressure intensifier delivers an unprecedented pressure of 4150bar (60 000psi). This provides the end-user with enhanced cutting quality together with even higher cutting speeds. Plus Pump...

Extended gas seal range. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... John Crane has extended its range of Type 2800 family of non-contacting pump gas seals. The new seals offer increased sealing efficiency and reliability, and are especially suited to chemical and petrochemical type applications where zero...

Nederman range. (Marketplace).
May 1, 2003... With more than 50 years of dedication to improving the efficiency in working environments in plants and workshops, the Nederman Group is active in over 50 countries. The group has just produced a new European product catalogue, which details...