Process Engineering articles from September 2006

Process Engineering archives from September 2006

Comment - September 2006.
September 29, 2006... Communication is probably the most important and overlooked aspect of process engineering. Mess this up somehow, or even misdirect a message, and things can start to move quickly in all the wrong directions. At board and senior...

Alert over Buncefield gauges.
September 29, 2006... The Health & Safety Executive has issued an urgent safety alert to operators of oil/fuel storage facilities that employ tank level gauges similar to those in use at Buncefield at the time of the explosion there last December. The gauge...

Carbon Trust forms business JV.
September 29, 2006... The Carbon Trust is going commercial with the launch of a joint venture with Mitsui Babcock Energy and Triodos Renewables as its partners. The venture, called Connective Energy, will be "the first of many" commercial businesses to be formed...

Majors back UK biofuel.
September 29, 2006... BP and DuPont are to jointly develop, produce and market new biofuels in the UK. The first product, a biobutanol, will be launched next year as a gasoline bio-component. The companies are working with British Sugar to convert the...

LabVIEW launches.
September 29, 2006... LabVIEW 8.20 is the 20th anniversary edition of National Instruments' graphical system design platform for control, test and embedded system development. It enhances industrial measurement capabilities with new features designed for advanced...

Atlas Copco snaps-up Martlets.
September 29, 2006... Atlas Copco Compressors has acquired compressed air and industrial power tools distributor Martlets Airpower, based in Winchester. Operating locally with a customer base extending throughout Hampshire, Sussex, Dorset, Surrey and Berkshire,...

Joint industry project to exploit heavy oil.
September 29, 2006... The UK has extensive reserves of heavy oil but technical challenges have prevented exploitation of this resource to meet national energy demands. In response, engineering technology services company TUV NEL has started a joint industry project...

IN BRIEF: WWEM show.(Brief article)
September 29, 2006... More than 50 workshops are planned for the WWEM exhibition, taking place at the Telford International Centre on 1-2 November. Topics range from discharge monitoring and VOC analysis to heavy metals testing and groundwater monitoring. WWEM...

IN BRIEF: SOLIDS NO. 2.(Brief article)
September 29, 2006... SOLIDS takes place in the heart of the UK market on 1-2 Nov at the Ricoh Arena, the home of Coventry City Football Club. Now in its second year, the event is billed by organises EasyFairs as the only event for the UK solids materials handling...

NEWS ANALYSIS: BP calls in the experts.
September 29, 2006... BP has retained three corrosion experts to evaluate and make recommendations for improving its corrosion management programme in Alaska. The three will independently review and make recommendations for improving the corrosion inspection,...

NEWS ANALYSIS: A case for traceability software?
September 29, 2006... The Cadbury recall is likely to accelerate demand for traceability systems that support speedy identification of such problems and limit the potential fall-out if contaminated product does reach the market. Even before the chocolate recall,...

NEWS ANALYSIS: Recall bites at Cadbury.
September 29, 2006... Cadbury Schweppes will learn in the next few weeks whether or not it will be prosecuted over the outbreak of salmonella contamination at its Marlbrook chocolate products plant. A decision is pending the outcome of investigations by local...

SPECIAL FEATURE - PLANT OF THE FUTURE: Plant of the future.
September 29, 2006... Europe's chemical industry is seeking to exploit new process technologies that promise a move away from the type of production facilites being built today. Patrick Raleigh and Lou Reade report As chemical production continues to accelerate,...

PLANT OF THE FUTURE: Acting on IMPULSE.
September 29, 2006... IMPULSE is funded under the European Union's FP6's thematic priority NMP - 'Nanotechnologies, materials and processes' - to the tune of Euro17 million over four years. The EU's share of this is Euro10.5 million. While IMPULSE can be...

PLANT VISIT - SABIC EUROPE: Cracking on with it.
September 29, 2006... Patrick Raleigh visits Sabic Europe's polymer and chemicals production site in the Netherlands, where engineers are implementing leading edge process technologies Jan Versteeg How do you react when the costs of building a major new...

PLANT VISIT - SABIC EUROPE: Expansion postponed.
September 29, 2006... SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp.) recently postponed its Europe1 expansion plan at Geleen, citing a sharp rise in contracting and construction costs due to the spate of massive industrial investment projects worldwide. Under the Europe1...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE - CONDITION MONITORING: Avoiding overload.
September 29, 2006... Many companies are looking to their assets for provision of diagnostic information that will help them make informed decisions on maintenance requirements. Andy Smith offers a concise and pragmatic approach Today's process instruments...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE - CONDITION MONITORING: Fieldbus challenge.
September 29, 2006... It is difficult to see how asset management systems can be implemented, without a concerted effort to embrace fieldbus technology, believes Alan Southward, a project engineer with many years' experience in the pharmaceuticals industry. ...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE - CONDITION MONITORING: It it's not broken.(Company overview)
September 29, 2006... Increased affordability and advances in technology are driving the growing use of predictive maintenance in a wide range of industries. Patrick Raleigh reports. Companies investing in predictive maintenance technology need a clear...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE - CONDITION MONITORING: Shake-up in vibration.
September 29, 2006... Until recently, the cost for a vibration monitoring system was so high that only the most costly assets could justify the technology. However, downsizing and cost reductions by the major suppliers mean it is now affordable on lower cost...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE - CONDITION MONITORING: BASF switches up a gear.
September 29, 2006... Predictive maintenance is already an established part of the operational culture at BASF Antwerp, but it wants more pro-active assistance from suppliers of the technology BASF is rolling out a new asset and maintenance management project...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE: Technology tracker: Equipment manufacturers.
September 29, 2006... Micro Motion, part of Emerson Process Management, has unveiled a technology that provides in-situ assessment of the calibration and condition of its Elite brand Coriolis flowmeters. The "self-verification technology" is designed to reduce...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE - CONDITION MONITORING: Shell in on-site move.
September 29, 2006... Shell has signed up Furmanite to provide a full-time, on-site core maintenance team at its Stanlow refinery, near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. The technical services company is to provide proactive support to Shell's own maintenance resource...

CONTROLS & SOFTWARE: Drax upgrades valve analysis.
September 29, 2006... Drax Power is optimising the operation of its control valve set-up through the implementation of a major diagnostics programme at its 4,000MW plant near Selby - Europe's largest coal-fired power station. The power generator has engaged Severn...

INDUSTRY FOCUS - MIXING & BLENDING: Easier model for mixers.
September 29, 2006... Making CFD (computational fluid dynamics) more accessible for the non- expert engineer is the target for Fluent with the development of MixSim 2.1 - the latest version of the company's software product for analysis of mixing vessels. ...

INDUSTRY FOCUS - MIXING & BLENDING: Mobile creates a stir.
September 29, 2006... Gwent-based Base Handling Products Ltd has developed a mobile system to simplify mixing and weighing operations. The unit was designed to meet the requirements of a major pharmaceutical client and is now attracting further commercial...

INDUSTRY FOCUS - MIXING & BLENDING: Thermo targets polymers.
September 29, 2006... Analytical instruments company Thermo Electron Corp. has developed a flexible twin-screw compounder that is designed to provide small-scale continuous processing for research, development and production applications in the polymer industry....

INDUSTRY FOCUS - MIXING & BLENDING: Fermentation fuels demand.
September 29, 2006... Chemineer of Derby is supplying its HT agitators for a major expansion of the world's biggest single bioethanol plant in Jilin, China. The Jilin Fuel Ethanol operation will employ the UK company's HT agitators in giant 3-million-litre...

INDUSTRY FOCUS - MIXING & BLENDING: Drinks blender adds flexibility.
September 29, 2006... One of the UK's largest contract bottling companies, Villa Soft Drinks has reported significant operating gains from a recent investment in a new UK-built flowmeter blender and carbonator system. Villa's soft drinks and spring waters...

INDUSTRY FOCUS - MIXING & BLENDING: Biofuels blending.
September 29, 2006... Bran + Luebbe, an SPX process equipment company, has introduced a series of customised production packages for biofuel producers. The manual and fully automated systems series, it claims, offer high efficiency and safe product blending. ...

INDUSTRY FOCUS - MIXING & BLENDING: Look no further.
September 29, 2006... Euromixers has completed a year-long search for a supplier of stainless steel AC motors that were compatible with its range of stainless steel mixers. The company cast its net worldwide, but in the end found the solution quite close to home....

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Baker saves 'dough'.
September 29, 2006... Ingredients producer British Bakels has reported a 40% reduction in energy consumption from replacing traditionally used trace heating units with a low- voltage heating system designed to provide enhanced temperature control and more uniform...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: High speed sensor tackles entrained gas problems.
September 29, 2006... The problem of identifying and measuring the flow of liquid containing entrained gas continues to represent one of the most serious common issues for users of flow measurement devices. As well as the large metering errors caused by these...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Ancient Greek buoys tank level control.
September 29, 2006... The ancient Archimedes principle - that a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid - is now being used to resolve the problem of accurately measuring and monitoring the liquid contents of...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Cavities for candy maker.
September 29, 2006... NECCO (New England Confectionery Co), which claims to be the oldest multi-line candy company in the US, has installed progressive cavity pumps for the transfer of nougat and caramel fillings at a new production facility. The pumps include...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: IRN-BRU maker caps compressed air losses.
September 29, 2006... Barr Soft Drinks, which makes IRN-BRU, Tizer and Orangina, has installed condensate drains from Beko to reduce its compressed air usage - a significant cost element for its manufacturing and bottling operation in Cumbernauld, near Glasgow. ...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Philip Morris stubs out the data gap.
September 29, 2006... Ethernet converter devices are helping to resolve production planning and data visualisation problems at Philip Morris International's factory in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, Europe's largest cigarette factory, producing around 90 billion...

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION: Proactive maintenance keeps beer flowing at S&N.
September 29, 2006... Scottish & Newcastle UK has reported major gains from the introduction of a proactive maintenance system at its Manchester brewery, which produces leading lager brands Foster's, Kronenbourg and Miller. The Manchester facility, which has...

PPMA 2006: When process meets packaging.
September 29, 2006... Process equipment and technologies will be a major feature of this year's PPMA 2006 show, organised by the Processing and Packaging Machinery Association at the NEC, Birmingham, 26-28 September. A key focus will be on how equipment makers and...

PPMA 2006: Special features.
September 29, 2006... Among the special features at PPMA 2006 will be the Technical Information Centre, where visitors can access the most important technical details of products on show to enable them to plan their day, compare kit and make purchasing decisions....

APPOINTMENT: Shell Chemicals.
September 29, 2006... Shell Chemicals has appointed Ben van Beurden to take over as executive vice president of Shell Chemicals on 1 Dec, succeeding Fran Keeth, who is retiring. Van Beurden is currently Shell's vice president Manufacturing Excellence and Support....

APPOINTMENT: ABB.
September 29, 2006... ABB has responded to current industry trends with the appointment of Steve Ruddell as its first ever UK spokesman on energy. Currently ABB general manager for drives and motors in the UK, Ruddell will explain the company's policy on energy...

APPOINTMENT: Furmanite UK.
September 29, 2006... Furmanite UK has a new managing director following the promotion of Tony Nicholls to MD of Furmanite Europe. Successor Paul Brown moves up from head of operations at the UK industrial services company. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

UK and International Plant Cost Indices.
September 29, 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...