Process Engineering articles from May 2009

Process Engineering archives from May 2009

COMMENT: Simply 'the best'.
May 19, 2009... There are, of course, many notable exceptions to the mediocrity, not least the world-scale projects being delivered by UK-based EPC firms and engineers on the international stage. More representative, though, is news of problems such as the...

UK launches bold plan for CCS.
May 19, 2009... All sides welcome Ed Miliband's plans for carbon capture at coal-fired power stations, but are less enthusiastic about the #1bn-a-plant price tag, writes Patrick Raleigh Up to four carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration...

Power generators want more clarity.
May 19, 2009... While welcoming the Government's more ambitious CCS plans, power companies want more visibility on the level of funding support they might receive for adding CCS to their plants - at an estimated cost of #1 billion a time. For its part,...

EU motor rules 'miss a trick'.
May 19, 2009... The EU has agreed regulations requiring all motors - except for brake motors, those used at above 400degC and ATEX motors - to meet minimum efficiency standards. The regulations are based on the recently introduced IEC60034-30: 2008...

Training groups target profit link.
May 19, 2009... The National Skills Academy Process Industries is working to develop new metrics that will show the links between training and profitability, according to Joanna Woolf, CEO of Cogent Sector Skills Council. The plan, she said, is part of a...

IN BRIEF: ABB.(Brief article)
May 19, 2009... ABB has posted record revenues, EBIT and cash from operations for the full year 2008. The performance, however, included a substantial dip in Q4 earnings as orders decreased 19%, notably for large power infrastructure projects in emerging...

IN BRIEF: Profinet.(Brief article)
May 19, 2009... Profinet has reported record 40% growth in its number of installed nodes, with 1.6 million in operation by the end of 2008. The figures, it claims, make Profinet the "undisputed market leader in Ethernet- based industrial communication"....

IN BRIEF: Keep Britain Working survey.(Brief article)
May 19, 2009... A Keep Britain Working survey of 2,500 people from various sectors found that 99% of workers in manufacturing roles would accept changes in their working conditions to help colleagues keep their jobs. Also, 41% of the manufacturing workers...

IN BRIEF: Ineos ChlorVinyls.(Brief article)
May 19, 2009... Ineos ChlorVinyls is to go ahead with construction of its energy-from- waste CHP plant at Weston Point, Runcorn, Cheshire. The decision follows an announcement that Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Ltd had achieved financial close on a PFI...

ANALYSIS: Making chemicals in a downturn.
May 19, 2009... Bayer MaterialScience boss holds a steady course as the global downturn moves the polymers and coatings business into unchartered territory. Patrick Raleigh reports Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) has adopted a measured approach to the...

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: Workers demand 'equal-share' scheme.
May 19, 2009... In response to a sharp drop in demand for its polymer-based products, Bayer MaterialScience recently offered its employees in Germany an option under the country's kurzarbeit scheme, whereby the government basically pays for firms to offer...

CHEMICALS INDUSTRY: Crunch time for manufacturers.
May 19, 2009... Chemical majors are undergoing a renewed phase of operational and employment cutbacks in response to the continuing sharp fall-off in demand, particularly from customers in the automotive and construction markets. Huntsman Corp is cutting...

MOTORS REGULATION: EU to pull plug on capital allowances?
May 19, 2009... Regulations requiring minimum energy efficiency standards could spell the end for tax incentives to invest in new motors and drives. Patrick Raleigh reports A new EU rule requiring all new industrial motors meet minimum energy...

CSR: Carbon collaboration.
May 19, 2009... Achieving carbon reduction targets would be a lot easier if buyers and suppliers worked together - as the utilities sector is finding out. Patrick Raleigh reports A group of leading UK utility companies is working jointly on an audited...

CAREERS IN FOCUS: Steve Brooks.
May 19, 2009... Process Engineering features the views of talented people at various stages of their careers in the process industries Sheffield-based heavy engineering company DavyMarkham recently honoured Steve Brooks for his outstanding service at the...

VIEWPOINT: Buncefield.
May 19, 2009... The #750m estimate for damages claims against Total at Buncefield that appeared in a recent High Court ruling underlines the need for operators to ensure that equipment and systems are appropriate for the risk that operation presents to...

LETTER: Encouraging kids to be apprentices.(Letter to the editor)
May 19, 2009... I am a business administration apprentice dealing with commercial issues in Waldon Ltd, an injection moulding company supplying the automotive industry. I have visited areas such as personnel, wages, sales, quality, and will be moving to...

LETTER: Germany's support for manufacturing industry.(Letter to the editor)
May 19, 2009... My employer has interests in Holland where our manufacturing units made redundancies but are now working three days a week, the other two days being supported by the government. Provided certain simple criteria are fulfilled, the subsidy...

REMOTE CONTROL: Water firms dig deep to increase data flow.
May 19, 2009... Telemetry and automation technologies are central to strategies at UK water utilities striving to meet new commercial and regulatory pressures. Patrick Raleigh reports Commercial pressures and environmental regulation together with...

REMOTE CONTROL: Telemetry standard in the pipeline.
May 19, 2009... UK water utilities have traditionally developed telemetry systems to meet their own individual requirements, working in collaboration with a small group of suppliers. This has created a patchwork of closed bespoke solutions and standards that...

REMOTE CONTROL: Automation across entire region.
May 19, 2009... Yorkshire Water has developed a new computer system that enables it to respond to customer demand for water in real time. The system, called RTWRAP (Real Time Water Resource Allocation Plan) automatically distributes the treated water around...

PROCESS CONTROL: Remote control to the rescue.
May 19, 2009... Advances in the field of IT are encouraging operators to extend their use of control systems to facilities hundreds of miles away from main operations, writes Patrick Raleigh With the potential to reduce costs and improve plant...

PROCESS CONTROL IN BRIEF: Emerson.
May 19, 2009... Better management of remote sites, such as wind farms, solar farms, hydro-electric plants and other renewable energy resources, plus reduced operations and maintenance costs, are targets for Emerson with the recent integration of its Bristol...

PROCESS CONTROL IN BRIEF: ABB.
May 19, 2009... A new version of ABB's Industrial cpmPlus Enterprise Connectivity (ECS) includes SAP certification against the latest version of SAP's R/3 ERP system and its NetWeaver service oriented technology platform. It provides deeper integration with...

PROCESS CONTROL IN BRIEF: Denca Controls Ltd.
May 19, 2009... Denca Controls Ltd, based in Widnes, has recently installed a PLC system at Duerr's new jam cooking plant in Wythenshawe, Manchester. The system provides enhanced recipe management, as well as control of all operations from cooking through to...

PROCESS CONTROL IN BRIEF: Rockwell Automation.
May 19, 2009... Rockwell Automation has introduced what it describes as the industry's first repeatable, standard fluid routing solution delivered on a process controller platform. According to the company, the new technology provides consumer packaged goods...

PLANT MAINTENANCE: Condition monitoring helps plant operations.
May 19, 2009... Help available for process plants unable to employ engineers with up-to- date knowledge of all the specialist infrared thermography. Nick Denbow reports Opportunities for process optimisation and cost saving by utilising condition...

THERMOGRAPHY: Staying in the picture.
May 19, 2009... One approach to applying thermography is to monitor critical assets most often, followed by equipment in harsh environments, suggests equipment supplier Fluke. Priority, for example, could be given to monitoring extra stress on motors,...

PLANT MAINTENANCE: Nuclear agreement targets big savings.
May 19, 2009... BNS Nuclear Services is to carry out a #13-million contract for Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) to provide maintenance and operations services in support of the decommissioning of the site's two fast reactors. The contract is to run...

PLANT MAINTENANCE: Screening deal.
May 19, 2009... Southern Water has recently concluded a two-year service agreement with Hydro Wastewater, which operates nearly 60 Hydro SludgeScreens at 30 waste treatment sites. The deal removes the main responsibility for the SludgeScreens from the site...

PLANT MAINTENANCE: Eliminating human error.
May 19, 2009... How can you be sure you that you have done everything that is reasonably practicable to avoid a potential disaster? Dr Julian Hought explains Maintenance on safety critical plant and equipment should really be one of the safest jobs...

MIXING: Getting the mix right.
May 19, 2009... Novel mixing techniques are proving increasingly effective for companies looking to reduce their process energy costs, as Nick Denbow discovered Mixtures of solids in liquids, dispersions and emulsions or pastes are as variable as the...

MIXING: Hot/cold design in the makeup.
May 19, 2009... EKATO, a Germany-based process technology company, has developed a hot/cold mixing technology, which it claims can deliver significant energy savings, particularly in the cosmetics sector. Creams, lotions, mascara and foundations are...

MIXING: Keeping variables in check.
May 19, 2009... Rockwell Automation has a new technology to manage the materials in a blending process and control the multiple variables involved. The Digital Blending system employs the company's Logix Control Platform and FactoryTalk production and...

MIXING: Concrete design can handle a wider mix.
May 19, 2009... An offshoot from the concrete/construction market has been a demand for systems capable of processing clay-rich soils/trench arisings with lime and cement. The resultant "concrete" is used to backfill the trench in wet or dry form in line...

MIXING: Instarmac goes to new plant without a paddle.
May 19, 2009... Instarmac Group plc, a manufacturer of cements, adhesives and grouts for the highway maintenance, streetscape, commercial flooring and contract tiling markets, recently moved to a new #16-million production facility in Tamworth,...

MIXING: Helix mixer.
May 19, 2009... A specially designed helix mixer - for a 4.4-metre diameter,14-metre high tank - from Chemineer is on its way from Derby (UK) to a major processing plant in Saudi Arabia operated by one of the world's leading manufacturers of metals,...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Simulating biofuels process.
May 19, 2009... Invensys Process Systems (IPS) has joined OPTFUEL, a European consortium researching second-generation biofuels for cars, to provide process simulation, design and optimisation technologies for the Volkswagen-led project, which is targeting...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Bioreactor eats toxic wastes.
May 19, 2009... Microbial Solutions Ltd, an Oxfordshire company developing technologies to dispose of toxic metal-working fluids used in the engineering industry, is developing a commercial scale bio-reactor in collaboration with BAE Systems, the global...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Energy magnet.
May 19, 2009... China clay producer Goonvean has cut fuel consumption by 6% through the use of a magnetic fuel treatment technology at its Cornwall sites, which produce kaolin via several energy-intensive processes, including thermal drying. At the...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Corus strips out cost.
May 19, 2009... Steel manufacturer Corus Colors has reported a 70% energy saving on a hydraulic system after installing an industrial drive at its Deeside plant. The system is located on a 24/7 production line used for retreating and inspecting strip...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Quick and clean.
May 19, 2009... A range of aseptic diaphragm valves for applications in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and life science industries has been developed by ASCO Numatics. The units feature an enhanced CDSA (circumferential defined sealing angle) design that,...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Butterfly launch.
May 19, 2009... A new rotary control butterfly valve from Tomoe Valve is designed for accurate control and low noise levels, even at high velocities. The DTM valve is intended particularly for high pressure, high temperature, low flow and corrosive process...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: World's 'largest' vacuum pump.
May 19, 2009... Vacuum technology company Edwards has signed a contract worth over $8 million to supply China's Chong Qing Steel Group Co with the world's largest dry mechanical vacuum pumping system - its largest ever single project order in the...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Drax Power.
May 19, 2009... Drax Power has installed eight Servomex gas analysers at its coal-fired power station to replace obsolete products that had become unsupportable. The Servotough Fluegas devices are being used to monitor the oxygen burn mix for the combustion...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Shelter from the storm.
May 19, 2009... Stornoway Port Authority has installed a weighbridge at Stornoway on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, 30 miles off the north west coast of Scotland, which has some of the fiercest weather conditions in the UK. The one-piece, pit-mounted concrete...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Hot new wireless device.
May 19, 2009... A new wireless temperature transmitter from Emerson is designed to reduce per point measurement costs and deliver more data. The Rosemount 848T device monitors up to four independently configurable RTD, thermocouple, ohm, millivolt and 4 -...

CONTRACTS: Europe.
May 19, 2009... Emerson has been contracted by EDF to automate six new CCGT units with its PlantWeb digital plant... Foster Wheeler is to undertake the front- end engineering design for StatoilHydro for the carbon dioxide/amine project at the Asgard B...

CONTRACTS: Middle East, Africa.
May 19, 2009... Saudi Aramco is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Sumitomo Chemical for the #18.4bn Petro Rabigh expansion, which will include construction of integrated industrial cities... Yokogawa has received five orders from the Egyptian...

CONTRACTS: Far East, Americas, RoW.
May 19, 2009... Siemens Water Technologies is to provide a system to treat wastewater from a new flue gas desulfurisation scrubber at an eastern power plant in the US. Foster Wheeler has won a contract from Doosan Heavy Industries for FEED and technical...