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![Winner of Eight Jesse H. Neal
Awards for Editorial Excellence
Editor’s Page
Published since 1902
Our 2009 lemonade recipe
F
An Access Intelligence Publication irst, you’ll need a lot of lemons. As 2009 kicks off, sour fruit happens
Editors Art Design
to be in great supply. To be blunt, the chemical process industries
(CPI) are in the middle of what appears to be the worst recession
Rebekkah j. Marshall DAVID WHITCHER
Editor in Chief Art Director/ since World War II (WWII).
rmarshall@che.com Editorial Production Manager
dwhitcher@che.com
There are many signs that point to such a conclusion, but a particularly
Dorothy Lozowski clear picture can be drawn from the November 2008 CPI operating rate (see
Managing Editor Production
dlozowski@che.com p. 60), which is the industry’s most recent figure available on capacity utili-
MICHAEL D. KRAUS
GERALD ONDREY (Frankfurt) VP of Production Manufacturing zation. At 72.7%, the operating rate hasn’t been this low since the end of the
Senior Editor
gondrey@che.com
mkraus@accessintel.com 2001 recession. “But that data point is of cold comfort,” says Mike Montgom-
kate torzewski
Steve Olson ery, analyst at Global Insight, Inc., (Lexington, Mass.), “Since the low of the
Director of Production
Assistant Editor Manufacturing last recession will be passed (going down) with ease [in the December num-
ktorzewski@che.com solson@accessintel.com ber].” In the release of January data, Montgomery expects the operating rate
SUZANNE A. SHELLEY WILLIAM C. GRAHAM
Contributing Editor Ad Production Manager
to fall — again, “with ease” — below any other post-WWII recession except
sshelley@che.com bgraham@che.com for that of 1981–1982. “The recession is spreading fast, and all the cutbacks
CORRESPONDENTS Audience in car and truck production announced recently will make January dismal,
Development
Charles ButcheR (U.K.) with slim chance of improvement in February or March,” he says.
cbutcher@che.com Sylvia sierra
Senior Vice President,
What is reflected in the declining operating rate is a sharp drop in demand
Paul S. Grad (Australia)
pgrad@che.com Corporate Audience Development for nearly everything. In response, CPI companies have idled production and
ssierra@accessintel.com
Tetsuo Satoh (Japan) are implementing other cost-cutting measures. Last month, Dow Chemical
tsatoh@che.com John Rockwell
Vice President,
Co. (Midland, Mich.), the U.S.’s largest chemical company in terms of revenue,
Joy LePree (New Jersey)
jlepree@che.com Audience Development Chemical eliminated 5,000 jobs (or 11% of its workforce) and closed 20 facilities while
jrockwell@accessintel.com
Gerald parkinson also announcing plans to temporarily idle approximately 180 plants and re-
Laurie Hofmann
(California) gparkinson@che.com
Audience Marketing Director duce its contractor workforce by approximately 6,000 worldwide. Only weeks
Editorial lhofmann@Accessintel.com before, BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), the world’s largest chemical com-
Advisory Board
Terry Best pany, announced plans to temporarily idle 80 plants and to reduce capacity at
John Carson Audience Development Manager
Jenike Johanson, Inc. tbest@accessintel.com 100 other facilities. (For more on both, see p. 59.)
David Dickey George Severine The comprehensive list of CPI companies with similar moves is long
MixTech, Inc. Fulfillment Manager and includes Arkema, DSM, Eastman, DuPont, Lanxess, Air Products and
gseverine@accessintel.com
Mukesh Doble Merck KGaA. While their cost cutting measures certainly help to dilute
IIT Madras, India Christie Lamont
List Sales, World Data 561-393-8200 the sour effects of the current economic recession, our recipe also calls for
Henry Kister
Fluor Corp.
Conferences
something sweet: strategic capital improvements, particularly those that
Trevor Kletz improve performance while also reducing costs.
Loughborough University, U.K. Dana D. Carey
Director, Global Event Sponsorships For instance, the newsfront on predictive and preventive maintenance,
Gerhard Kreysa
DECHEMA e.V.
dcarey@chemweek.com p. 20, outlines a number of ways in which substantial returns can be
Ram Ramachandran
Peck Sim achieved in the short-term with minimal costs. The article also touches on
Senior Manager,
BOC
Conference Programming the virtues of industrial wireless technology, yet another powerful tool that
Marketing psim@chemweek.com brings otherwise-expensive process improvements within reach.
Holly Rountree Beatriz Suarez
Marketing Manager Director of Conference Operations
Even some longer-term investments make sense now, for several rea-
hrountree@accessintel.com bsuarez@chemweek.com sons. The virtual elimination of demand pressures is one; a more oppor-
Information services Corporate tune time you will not find for projects that require shutdown. Meanwhile,
Robert Paciorek Steve Barber the cost of capital equipment, itself, is decreasing. Chemical Engineering’s
Senior VP Chief Information Officer
rpaciorek@accessintel.com
VP, Financial Planning Internal Audit
sbarber@accessintel.com
Plant Cost Index (also see p. 60) has been on a steady decline since August.
Charles Sands John Pearson The only categories showing a mild increase at all this month are pumps/
Senior Developer Divisional President/Publisher compressors and electrical equipment. Categories experiencing the most
Web/business Applications Architect jpearson@accessintel.com
csands@accessintel.com dramatic decline are tanks and general equipment, due to their high cop-
Headquarters per and steel makeup. Excess supplies of these raw materials are likely
110 William Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038, U.S. to persist in the form of price breaks for awhile, says Montgomery. As an
Tel: 212-621-4900 Fax: 212-621-4694
example, copper hit its low price in 2003, even though
European Editorial offices
the U.S. recession ended in late 2001.
Zeilweg 44, D-60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel: 49-69-2547-2073 Fax: 49-69-5700-2484 Of course, nearly everyone is pointing out that there
Circulation Requests: is a practical limit on how far consumer spending will
Tel: 847-564-9290 Fax: 847-564-9453 retreat. No one knows for sure, however, where the limit
Fullfillment Manager; P.O. Box 3588,
Northbrook, IL 60065-3588 email: clientservices@che.com is. Most agree with Montgomery that the recovery will
Advertising Requests: see p. 58 be strong as the inventory cycle reverses itself, and job
For photocopy or reuse requests: 800-772-3350 or info@copyright.com cuts turn to payroll gains. In the meantime, the rest of
For reprints: chemicalengineering@theygsgroup.com
us will continue squeezing. ■
Rebekkah Marshall
Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 5
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![Emerson Process Management
Newsfront
PM and PdM:
Crucial gear in
the CPI Toolbox
Given that predictive and preventive maintenance
programs save money and increase uptime, the
Emerson’s wireless field network
capital expenditure is relatively easy to justify at PPG installs easily and is up
and running in five minutes
W
ith the challenging global they perform, and it’s just a question to the maintenance staff or operations
marketplace and these un- of what scale they operate those in.” regarding whether a piece of equip-
stable financial times, the McAtee adds that because of the ment needs attention.
chemical process Industries variations from site to site, each “A setup that provides early identi-
(CPI) must do everything possible to chemical processing plant will have fication of potential performance prob-
economically maintain production a different set of tools and techniques lems usually results in a successful
while providing innovative and high in place. “I’m not aware of any facility maintenance practice,” says McAtee.
quality products for their customers. that has applied every type of mainte- Early identification of problems is
To achieve both these goals, predictive nance tool to every plant or the same key to predictive and preventive main-
and preventive maintenance programs tools in every plant and successfully tenance practices, which are crucial in
are possibly the most important gear kept it in place. This isn’t necessary to today’s economy because they turn
in any processors toolbox. yield efficient results.” maintenance from a reactive effort
Not only will performing predictive What is necessary, however, is a into a more proactive one where prob-
and preventive maintenance tasks on strong foundation for predictive and lems are spotted early and corrected
at least critical process equipment preventive maintenance. “No matter during planned maintenance intervals
help extend the life of those assets and what discipline of the chemical pro- during slow production times.
reduce capital spending, but it will cessing industry, the maintenance “It’s important for chemical pro-
also reduce downtime, which leads team has to have a solid framework to cessors to operate their equipment
to greater production rates, and keep build upon,” McAtee says. Most start without any surprises and with mini-
machinery running to specification, with a Computerized Maintenance mal possible maintenance costs. Un-
which helps ensure product quality. Management System (CMMS) that planned and unscheduled work tends
However, while all industrial facili- serves as the base for data capture, to be two to four times as expensive as
ties require maintenance in order to work planning and scheduling, mate- planned maintenance work,” explains
keep on running, the CPI have a few rials management and repair history. Bart Winters, reliability solution man-
unique challenges, including a com- “From our perspective, the CMMS is ager with Honeywell Process Solutions
plex and diverse set of operations in the foundation that leverages any (Morristown, N.J.) “For this reason,
any one facility. of the other more sophisticated pre- the goal of most chemical processors
“There may be differences of com- dictive and preventive maintenance is to operate from planned shutdown
plex chemical synthesis with very tools,” notes McAtee. to planned shutdown without any un-
specialized equipment and significant The CMMS should be combined planned downtime in between.”
variations of scale from small bioreac- with tools and field devices that moni- This goal is especially important
tor systems up to enormous ethylene tor and analyze the health of critical during a time when raw material costs
manufacturing units, all with differ- equipment, such as instrumentation, are still on the rise and energy prices
ent unit operations in a single facility,” rotating equipment and fixed or large are fluctuating, according to Scott Ho-
explains Michael McAtee, senior vice assets. The data from these tools, he keness, business development man-
president of engineering and main- says, should be tied into a centralized ager of the Asset Optimization Divi-
tenance for BASF Corp. (Florham database that allows all the field con- sion of Emerson Process Management
Park, N.J.). “Other industries, such as ditions and information to be analyzed (Austin, Texas). For this reason, now
[petroleum] refineries tend to have a more effectively and provides trend is the time chemical processors should
fairly small slate of unit operations analysis, as well as suggestions back be looking into leveraging new tech-
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![Cover Story
Feature Report
CSTRs: Bound for
Maximum Conversion
Ralph Levine Here, a design approach for
Retired
continuous stirred-tank reactors
M
ultiple CSTRs (continuous
stirred-tank reactors) are
is outlined for both reversible
advantageous in situations
where the reaction is slow; two
and irreversible second-order reactions
immiscible liquids are present and re-
quire higher agitation rates; or viscous ond-order reaction, at constant volume Reactor volume. The case for CSTRs
liquids are present that require high and temperature, are represented by at constant volume and temperature
agitation rates. Unlike in plug-flow re- Equation (1). The reaction is illustrated is shown in Equation (6).
actors, agitation is easily available in below (nomenclature defined on p. 34).
CSTRs. In this article, analyses of batch
and plug-flow reactors are calculated
(6)
and compared to multiple CSTRs.
(1)
The number of reactors required in
a CSTR system is based on the conver- (2a) (6a)
sion for each stage. When the final stage
(2b) Substituting Equation (6a) into (6)
obtains the fraction of unconverted re-
and rearranging gives Equation (6b).
actant that is equal to the desired final Here, M = CD0/CB0 for M 1.0.
value from the plug-flow case, the CSTR Conversion at the final desired con-
system is complete. centrations is defined by Equations (2a)
The volumetric efficiency of multiple and (2b). Substituting these equations (6b)
CSTRs is expressed as a function of at any conversion level into Equation
conversion per stage and gives the total (1) gives the following expression. Based on Equation (6a), we can find
conversion required. In this article, we the reaction rate for any stage, as
will apply this to both irreversible and (3) shown in Equations (7a)–(7c).
reversible second-order reactions. The ideal plug-flow case is given by
Equation (4). The batch case may also (7a)
2nd-order, irreversible reaction be evaluated by this equation, because
For a two-component system reacting batch reaction time t is equal to (V/v) (7b)
irreversibly, design of a CSTR series for plug-flow.
requires knowledge of the following: the (7c)
volumetric efficiency of the reactor based The second reactor in a series of CSTRs
on the order of the reaction, the number (4) is of equal volume to the first reactor.
of stages, and the conversion in the first Therefore, the conversion is X1 = X2, as
stage. The initial ratio of one component given in Equation (8).
to the other may be greater than one. (4a)
The reactor design is developed by
first selecting a conversion in the first Substituting Equation (3) into Equa-
stage. Then, the second-stage conver- tion (4), and integrating the resulting (8)
sion is equal to that of the first stage, Equation (4a), gives Equation (5). The third stage is also the same vol-
since it requires an equal volume. This ume, so the conversion is X1 = X3 as
procedure is continued until the frac- given in Equation (9).
tion of reactant remaining equals the (5)
desired value. Reactors may be stacked,
one above the other, to reduce the over- When M = 1.0, second-order kinetics
all cost (Figure 1). as given in one of the author’s earlier (9)
The kinetics of a bimolecular or sec- articles can be used [3]. It can be shown that the nth reaction
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![1.0
CBf = CBn
CBf CDf
Volumetric efficiency V/VT
CBn CDn CDf = CDn 0.8
0.6
CB(n-1) - CBn
Xn =
CB(n-1)
0.4
CBn-1 CDn-1
0.3
0.2
CB1 - CB2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
X2 = Conversion ratio X1/Xe
CB1
n = No. of steps
10 7 5 4 3 2
1.0
CB1 CD1 0.8
CB0 - CB1 0.6
X1 =
CB0
[1-(X1/Xe)]
0.4
At 80% equlilbrium
CBo CDo conversion totally
0.3
CBo CDo
0.2
CBo - CBf CDo/CBo = M 1.0 Product:
Xf =
CBo CPf and CSf
Plug-flow Multiple backmixed
reactor reactors
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 1/n
Figure 1. Conversion in plug-flow reactors and CSTRs for Figure 2. These graphs represent the calculations performed in
second order reactions is shown here, with conversion per Table 3. They illustrate the volumetric efficiency as a function of
stage shown for the CSTR case conversion ratio (top), and [1–(X1/Xe)] as a function of 1/n (bottom)
is given by Equation (10) and the final effect is 1.0988, as shown in theright-
stage is given as (10a). hand column of Table 1. Meanwhile,
Table 2 shows the calculation progres-
sion for the CSTR volume effect (the
(10) (11a) bottom half of Equation [11]) with
the complete term represented in the
high-hand column. In order to find the
(10a) Simplify Equation (11), noting that volumetric efficiency, the final CSTR-
(M–Xf) = (M–1)+(1–Xf). volume term, X1/[(1–X1)(M–X1)] must
The volume of each stage is dependent be equal to or higher than the final
on the conversion in the first stage, as value for the volume in plug-flow.
in Equation (6a), for any value of v, k, 1. f we select X1 = 0.5 (50%), three
l
CB0, and M. stages are required. The volumetric
Volumetric efficiency. The volumet- efficiency for this CSTR series is:
ric comparison for plug-flow or batch V/VT = 1.099/1.185 = 0.927
reactors to the series of CSTRs is called 11b)
( 2. n the case where X1 = 0.4 (40%)
I
“volumetric efficiency,” as shown below. Tables 1 and 2 for plug-flow reactors conversion, 6 stages are required.
show the calculations involved in The volumetric efficiency is:
Equation (11b) for various values of V/VT = 1.099/1.139 = 0.965
final conversion. At high conversions, 3. he next case, where X1 = 0.35 (35%)
T
the volume of the reactor should be conversion, 9 stages are required.
Divide Equation (5) by Equation (10a) larger, assuming a constant flowrate The volumetric efficiency here is:
to calculate the volumetric efficiency. for each case. The volume required is V/VT = 1.099/1.129 = 0.973
calculated using Equation (5). 4. he last case to consider is where
T
For CSTRs in series, one of several X1 = 0.6 (60%) conversion. Here, 2
cases of conversion for a series of reac- stages are required. The volumetric
tor stages may be selected. Each stage efficiency for this case is:
must contain the same volume to ob- V/VT = 1.099/1.465 = 0.750
tain the same conversion (X1) in each. The preferred design is at X1 = 0.5
If we select a conversion of Xf = 0.8 (50%), where 3 stages are required.
(80%) and M = 2 mole ratio of D to B The comparison for 3 stages (at
(11) initially, then the plug-flow volume 50% conversion) to 6 stages (at 40%
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![Cover Story
conversion) is: Table 1. Plug-flow, M = 2
0.927/0.965 = 96.1% (M–Xf)/ log[(M–Xf)/ 2.303xlog[(M-
For 3 stages versus 9 stages at 35% M–Xf 1–Xf (1–Xf)M (1–Xf)M] Xf)/(1–Xf)M]
conversion, volumetric efficiency is: 1.2 0.2 3.000 0.477 1.099
0.927/0.973 = 95.3%
1.25 0.25 2.400 0.398 0.917
This means that we lose less than
5% of the volumetric efficiency at the 1.3 0.3 2.167 0.336 0.773
increase of more stages, making a 1.35 0.35 1.928 0.285 0.657
three-stage CSTR series an efficient 1.4 0.4 1.750 0.243 0.560
choice for this reaction. 1.5 0.5 1.500 0.176 0.406
Table 1. Here, calculations are performed to find the plug-flow volume effect, as de-
2nd-order, reversible reaction termined using Equation (11). The 1/(M-1) term in this case is equal to 1
A kinetic process that depends on two
components for a reversible reaction Expressing reaction rate. The rate
may be designed by calculating the equation is modified to include conver- (17d)
conversion in the first stage; the num- sion and equilibrium constant terms.
ber of stages of equal volume; and the Substituting Equations (12a)–(14d) Stirred reactor in a batch or plug-
volumetric efficiency of the reactor. into (12) gives Equation (15a). flow reactor. The batch reactor case
The initial ratio for the two compo- and the ideal continuous plug-flow case
nents may be any value greater than are given in Equation (18).
1. However, a preferred ratio of 2 could The reaction time is t for the batch
simplify the reaction rates. case, or V/v for plug-flow case.
(15a)
B+D is to be converted to P+S. The
kinetic rate expression of a reversible (18)
bimolecular reaction is given as Equa-
tion (12) at constant temperature and (15b) Substituting Equation (17d) into (18)
volume for each stage. At equilibrium, the reaction rate gives Equations (18a) and (18b).
equals zero.
(12)
(12a) (16a)
(18a)
(13a)
(13b) (16b)
Here, M = CD0/CB0 1 mole ratio. (18b)
Equations (14a) and (14b) relate the Volume of each CSTR stage. An ex-
initial concentration of B to the final (16c) pression for the first stage of a CSTR
concentrations of the P and S for a given Using the quadratic equation, Equa- is given in Equation (19). The first-
final conversion, assuming that there is tion (16c) becomes (16d). stage conversion X1 occurs in each
no initial concentration of P and S. of the successive stages (X2, X3, and
so on), and each stage has the same
volume.
(14a) (16d)
Referring to Equation (15b), we can (19)
(14b)
combine terms. Substituting Equation (17d) into (19)
Assume that P and S compounds are and rearranging gives (19a).
not present in the feed components.
Therefore, CP0 and CS0 are equal to
zero, and the following expressions
(19a)
are true: (17a)
(14c)
(19b)
(17b)
(14d)
Equation (19b) has only one indepen-
(17c) dent variable (V). If each stirred reac-
(14e)
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![Table 2. CSTR Stages at Conversion X1
X1 1-X1 (1-X1)(M-X1) n (1-X1)(M-X1)n X1/[(1-X1)(M-X1)]n
0.80 0.20 0.360 1 0.360 2.222
0.70 0.30 0.510 1 0.510 1.373
0.60 0.40 0.640 1 0.640 0.938 Substitute Equation (22b) into (23a)
0.60 0.40 0.640 2 0.410 1.465
to obtain (23b).
0.50 0.50 0.750 1 0.750 0.667
0.50 0.50 0.750 2 0.563 0.889
0.50 0.50 0.750 3 0.422 1.185
0.40 0.60 0.840 1 0.840 0.476
(23b)
0.40 0.60 0.840 2 0.706 0.567
0.40 0.60 0.840 3 0.593 0.675
0.40 0.60 0.840 6 0.351 1.139 (23c)
0.35 0.65 0.878 1 0.878 0.399 Continue this process for the nth stage
0.35 0.65 0.878 2 0.771 0.454
to obtain the following equations.
0.35 0.65 0.878 3 0.677 0.517
0.35 0.65 0.878 4 0.594 0.589
0.35 0.65 0.878 5 0.522 0.671
(24)
0.35 0.65 0.878 9 0.310 1.129
0.30 0.70 0.910 1 0.910 0.330
0.30 0.70 0.910 2 0.828 0.362
(24a)
0.30 0.70 0.910 5 0.624 0.481
0.30 0.70 0.910 7 0.517 0.581
0.30 0.70 0.910 10 0.389 0.770
0.30 0.70 0.910 15 0.243 1.235 (24b)
0.25 0.75 0.938 1 0.938 0.267 Total volume of all stages. Substi-
0.25 0.75 0.938 4 0.774 0.323 tute Equation (19b) into (25).
0.25 0.75 0.938 8 0.599 0.417
(25)
0.25 0.75 0.938 16 0.359 0.696
0.25 0.75 0.938 20 0.278 0.899
0.25 0.75 0.938 24 0.215 1.162
Table 2. This table shows the calculations performed to find the CSTR volume ef-
fect, as determined using Equation (11). The last row for each value of X1, which are (25a)
shown in bold, give the required number of stages for particular reactor conversion
Substitute Equation (24a) for n in (25a).
tor stage is to be of equal volume and divide by (21) to find Equation (22).
at a constant volumetric flowrate, then
the result is a constant conversion per
stage. That is, each stage, when at a
(22)
fixed set of conditions, has the same
conversion resulting from each stage,
expressed as: 25b)
(
(22a)
X1 = X2 = X3 ... = Xn
By definition, CBn = CBo(1–Xf), where
Number of stages. Conversion for Xf is the overall or total conversion in
(22b)
stage 1 is expressed by Equation (20). the nth stage or the final desired con-
C − CB1 The exit concentration, CB1, can be version of the plug-flow reactor. By the
X1 = B 0 calculated from Equation (22a). Also, method used to obtain Equation (22),
CB0
(20) the exit concentration from the sec- the following equation is similarly de-
The equilibrium conversion is based ond stage, CB2, can be calculated rived. Substitution of Equation (24b)
on the time needed to reach a reaction from Equation (23a), based on each into (25b) gives Equation (25c).
rate of zero, which may be calculated stage having the same volume and
by Equation (16d) or (21). conditions.
C − CBe
X e = B0
CB0
(21)
Subtract Equation (21) from (20) and (23a)
(25c)
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![Nomenclature
Cover Story CB Concentration of component B,
moles/unit volume
CD Concentration of component D,
moles/unit volume
Table 3. Volumetric Efficiency for Equation (26a) F Molar flowrate
k Reaction velocity constant
K Overall reaction velocity constant
(26a) M Initial mole ratio of D/B
n Number of stages
r Reaction rate
X1/Xe Xe 1–(X1/Xe) log[1–(X1/Xe)] (V/VT)Xe V/VT t Reaction time
0.1 0.7 0.9 –0.046 0.948 1.355 V Reactor volume
v Volumetric flowrate
0.2 0.7 0.8 –0.097 0.893 1.275
X Conversion
0.3 0.7 0.7 –0.155 0.832 1.189 Subscripts
0 Refers to initial conditions
0.4 0.7 0.6 –0.222 0.766 1.095
1,2,3
Refers to first, second and third
0.5 0.7 0.5 –0.301 0.693 0.990 stages
e Refers to equilibrium conditions
0.6 0.7 0.4 –0.398 0.611 0.873 j Refers to any stage in the series
of reactor stages
0.7 0.7 0.3 –0.523 0.516 0.737
n Refers to the nth stage
0.8 0.7 0.2 –0.699 0.402 0.575 f Refers to the overall or final
conditions
0.9 0.7 0.1 –1.000 0.256 0.366
F Conditions for forward reaction
TABLE 3. For any ratio of conversion per stage to equilibrium conversion, this table R Conditions for reverse reaction
provides the corresponding volumetric efficiency, based on Equation (26a). T Refers to the total of all n stages
Volumetric efficiency. Since VT/v in Examples: reversible reaction. The is independent of initial concentra-
Equation (25c) is residence time, as desired final conversion at a constant tion, velocity and equilibrium con-
is V/v in Equation (18b) for CSTRs, volumetric conversion is related to the stants at constant temperature and
these terms are equivalent. The vol- number of stages required. The num- the final conversion desired. It is de-
umetric flowrate is the same in all ber of stages required can be obtained pendent on only the ratio of the first
cases (a batch operation for one com- by solving Equation (24a). stage conversion to the equilibrium
plete reaction cycle). Thus, the ratio With n stages in multiple reactors, conversion. ■
of comparison should be V for plug- the conversion per stage is calculated Edited by Kate Torzewski
flow or batch operation (reaction vol- from Equation (24a). Assume an over-
ume and time only) compared to VT all conversion of 80% of the equilib- References
for multiple CSTRs. This ratio (V/VT) rium conversion. A plot of (1–X1/Xe) 1. Levenspiel, O. “Chemical Reaction Engineer-
ing,” John Wiley Sons, Inc., 1962.
is expressed as Equation (26), as de- versus 1/n on semilog paper gives a
2. Levine, R., Hydro. Proc., July 1967, pp.
rived from (18b) and (25c). straight line, as seen in Figure 2 [3]. 158–160.
The variables needed to evaluate Refer to the volumetric efficiencies 3. Levine, R. A New Design Approach for Back-
mixed Reactors — Part I, Chem. Eng. July 1,
the volumetric efficiency are: the first in Table 3, which represents Equation 1968, pp. 62–67.
stage conversion; the number of reac- (26a). If we select a volumetric effi- 4. Levine, R. A New Design Approach for Back-
tor stages n; and the initial mole ratio ciency of 0.893, a plug-flow reactor will mixed Reactors — Part II, Chem. Eng. July
29, 1968, pp. 145–150.
of the excess reagent to the limiting have only 89.3% of the multiple CSTR 5. Levine, R. A New Design Approach for Back-
reagents, M. volume. The conversion in Table 3 is mixed Reactors — Part III, Chem. Eng. Aug
12, 1968, pp. 167–171.
about 20% conversion per stage. From
Figure 2 or Equation (24b), and a ratio
of conversion per stage compared to Author
equilibrium conversion or (1–X1/Xe) = Ralph Levine is a retired
chemical engineer currently
0.80, 7.14 stages is required. working as a consultant
This calculation can be performed in for plants, design or opera-
tions and RD (578 Arbor
reverse, if we would like to design the Meadow Dr., Ballwin, Mo.
CSTR series in four stages. From Fig- 63021; Email: ralphle2000@
yahoo.com). Levine earned
ure 2, we find that the term (1–X1/Xe) a B.S.Ch.E. from the City
(26) equals 0.67. Next, refer to Equation University of New York, and
did graduate work at Louisi-
(See Table 3) (26a) (26a) and Table 3 for the efficiency at ana State University and the
University of Delaware. Levine later served as
(X1/Xe), which equals 0.33, and finally an engineer for the U.S. Army Chemical Corps.
Equation (26a) is independent of ini- shows the volumetric efficiency of 81%. He has worked for DuPont, Cities Service Co.,
and most recently, Columbian Chemical Co.
tial or final concentrations and the Levine has filed several U.S. patents during his
velocity constant at constant tempera- Summary of conclusions career, and is a published author, with his work
featured in Chemical Engineering and Hydro-
ture, as well as of overall conversion. The volumetric efficiency in a CSTR carbon Processing.
34 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009
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![Feature Report
Controlling Emissions
With Ceramic Filters Table 1. Characteristics of High- and Low-Density
Ceramic-Filter Elements
Ceramic filters are well suited High density Low density
for high-temperature processes Structure
Density
Granular
High
Fibrous
Low
that are subject to Filter drag High Low
Porosity, % (inverse of resistance to flow) 0.3 – 0.4 0.8 – 0.9
strict emissions limits, Tensile strength High Low
including those for dioxins Fracture mechanism
Thermal shock resistance
Brittle
Low
Ductile
High
Cost High Low
Andrew Startin and Gary Elliott
Clear Edge Filtration
About incineration
C I
eramic filters offer practical installations. Of particular interest ncineration processes are being widely
operating benefits and com- are the emissions of dioxin chemicals used more and more to deal with the
mercial competitiveness in pol- and particulate matter that have been disposal of waste materials. In many
lution abatement applications under close scrutiny since the 1990s. countries, land filling of waste materials
where processes combine ele- Official emissions reports commis- is not practical or desirable due to a lack
vated-temperature off gases with the sioned for these plants indicate emis- of appropriate sites. Incineration has the
need for high levels of corrosion resis- sions well within regulated limits. benefit of reducing both the volume and
tance and the ability to eliminate dust mass of waste, thus reducing the amount
of material to be disposed of.
emissions. This article discusses the Ceramic filtration technology Incineration is now applied to a wide
applicability of ceramic filtration tech- The concept of using a refractory ce- range of waste streams from high-tonnage
nology, with focus on, and examples of ramic material to form a filter me- municipal solid waste (MSW) through to
its use in incineration processes. dium, predominantly for use at el- the lower-tonnage specialty wastes pro-
The ability to deliver low emissions, evated temperature (generally in the duced by industrial processes. However,
even with fine particles that are 2.5 region of 200–400°C, but can be up whatever the application, the imperative
micrometers (μm) or smaller (PM2.5), to 900°C) has been around for many for the incineration process is broadly the
while operating at an elevated tem- years [1]. One of the earlier forms same — a reduction in mass and volume
perature is the primary driver for of ceramic filter was devised for ad- while rendering the remaining waste mate-
the application of ceramic elements vanced power-generation applications rial as inert as possible and, of course, pro-
ducing the absolute minimum of emissions.
to high temperature processes that with the requirement for operation at
Waste incineration, as with other in-
are subject to strict emissions limits. high temperature and high pressure. dustrial processes, has been the subject
Such processes include metal smelt- In the form of flanged tubes, closed at of ever tightening emissions legislation
ing, chemicals production and waste one end, these “high density” media in recent years. Public disquiet over in-
incineration. In the latter case, ce- are still in widespread use across a cineration processes and the generation
ramic elements have been applied to broad range of applications. of potentially dangerous emissions has
a number of small- to medium-scale Low-density ceramic filter elements subsequently, detrimentally affected the
incineration duties including medical (hereafter referred to as ceramic ele- approval of many new installations. Con-
waste, soil cleaning, asphalt recycling, ments) were initially developed in the sequently, the industry has sought effective
industrial waste, chemical waste and middle 1980s. One of the first appli- post-incinerator processes for dealing with
off gases in terms of reducing and elimi-
building waste. cations for ceramic elements was in
nating emissions and where practical, re-
Several new, high-temperature in- thermal soil remediation. This process covering useful energy. Many techniques
cineration installations have been set involves driving off the volatiles from and combinations of techniques have been
up to deal with waste that is of mixed contaminated soil in a rotary furnace developed and are under development —
composition from various sources. Ce- to decontaminate it and make it reus- a broad overview of which is beyond the
ramic elements have been selected as able. The first stage in the complex scope of this paper. ❏
the filter medium for a number of these off-gas treatment train is high tem-
Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 35
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![Table 7. Honshu I emissions measured at the filter stack
on May 31, 2002
Item Unit Value
1) Dioxin ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.00032 Authors
Gary Elliott is the general
2) Dibenzofuran ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.02296 manager of Clear Edge Fil-
3) PCB ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.0000326 tration’s (formerly Madison
Filter) Cerafil Division (Clear
4) 1) + 2) + 3) ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.023 Edge UK Ltd., The Stable,
Rock Farm, Seckington, Tam-
5) Total particulate mg/Nm3 0.3 worth, B79 OLA, U.K.; Phone:
+44–1827–839125; Email:
6) HCl mg/Nm3 2 Gary.Elliott@clear-edge.com).
After graduating with a B.S.
7) SOx ppm 1 degree from Leicester Uni-
versity, Elliott worked in the
8) NOx ppm 120 field of high temperature ceramic in the metal-
9) CO ppm 0 lurgical field, and more recently in the field of
gas filtration. Elliott has specialized in applying
10) O2 % 10.6 ceramic filters to industrial gas filtration for pol-
lution control duties as well as for process filtra-
11) Moisture % 22.0 tion and product collection.
Wet Nm3/h 19,110 Andrew Startin is the prod-
12) Actual gas volume Dry Nm3/h 14,910 uct manager at Clear Edge
Filtration’s Cerafil Division,
13) Gas temperature oC (K) 188 (461) where he is responsible for
technical and business de-
velopment aspects of Cerafil.
He graduated in 1981 from
Table 8. Honshu II emissions measured at the filter stack Brunel University (London,
England) with a degree in ma-
on October 25, 2002 terials science and technology.
Item Unit Value3 Regulation3 From there, he joined Doulton
Industrial Products in Stone, Staffordshire where
1) Dioxin ng-TEQ/Nm3 he worked on projects developing industrial ce-
ramics primarily for the aerospace industry. He
2) Dibenzofuran ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.010 then joined Ashland Chemicals and followed by
Universal Abrasives where he was involved in
3) PCB ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.000010 further development work on technical and in-
dustrial ceramics. In 1990 Startin joined Foseco,
4) 1) + 2) + 3) ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.01 0.1 Birmingham, and first became involved with Cer-
afil ceramic filter elements in 1992. He became a
5) Total particulate mg/Nm3 0.1 250 full time member of the Cerafil team in 1994.
6) HCl mg/Nm3 45 700
Concentration ppm 28
7) SOx Emission Nm3/h 0.34 10.44
8) NOx ppm 100
9) CO ppm 0
10) O2 % 11.1
11) Moisture % 7.4
Wet Nm3/h 13,000
12) Actual gas
volume Dry Nm3/h 12,000
13) Gas temperature oC (K) 134 (407)
3. Empty cells mean either not measured or not regulated
Future developments hanced by the addition of a catalyst
Ceramic elements are employed in to the filter systems [2]. The catalyst
filter plants, either new or retrofitted, can reduce NOx with efficiency up to
in much the same way as traditional 95%, with the addition of ammonia or
polymeric filter bags. It has been dem- urea, and destroy VOCs as well as di-
onstrated that ceramic filters offer oxins. This new technology has poten-
practical operating benefits and com- tial for application where particulate
mercial competitiveness in high-tem- and NOx control are needed in tan-
perature processes where corrosion dem, and is competitive with electro-
resistance and the ability to eliminate static precipitators and standard se-
dust emissions are needed. lective catalytic reactors, particularly
A further important development in the power generation, glass and
of this technology has seen the in- cement industries. ■
troduction of ceramic filter elements Edited by Dorothy Lozowski
that not only deliver the dual benefits
References
of high particulate-removal efficiency 1. Ondrey, G., Some Filters Like it Hot, Chem.
and temperature resistance, but also Eng., November 2001, pp. 29–39.
treat gaseous pollutants. Fairly re- 2. Ondrey, G., Remove dust and pollutants
with this catalytic filter, Chem. Eng., July Circle 20 on p. 58 or go to
cently, these benefits have been en- 2005, p.16. adlinks.che.com/23010-XX
Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 39
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Uploaded byDowntp Livros
CSTRs: Bound for Maximum Conversion
This document summarizes an article from the January 2009 issue of Chemical Engineering magazine. It discusses how the chemical process industries are facing a deep recession due to plant closings and layoffs. While the situation is sour, the article provides a few recommendations that could help sweeten the situation. These include strategic capital investments, predictive maintenance programs, and industrial wireless technologies, which can improve performance and reduce costs. The article also notes that now may be a good time for longer-term projects that require plant shutdowns due to reduced demand and lower equipment costs.
CSTRs: Bound for Maximum Conversion
- 1. January Controlling 2009 Emissions With Ceramic Filters Page 35 www.che.com 1 Coal-to- Mixing and Predictive Liquids Blending and Preventive Continuously Stirred Tank Reactors • Controlling Emissions With Ceramic Filters Maintenance Pipespool Fabricators Mechanical Carbon Page 30 Vol. 116 No. 1 january 2009 Facts at Your Fingertips: Tray Column Design • 01_CHE_011509_COV.indd 1 12/23/08 10:59:31 AM
- 2. Circle 01 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-01 Honeywell 10-07.indd 1 12/17/08 12:08:40 PM
- 3. P2008 - ChemEngineering 12/11/08 4:17 PM Page 1 Mission: Immersion. Immersion Engineering™ ™ goes deep to solve your heat transfer problems. We’re into your fluid. Seeing what the problem is, virtually right And it doesn’t have to be one of our fluids. We can extend in there. Also inside and all around your equipment, your the life of any fluid, even our competitors’. system. We can actually see the corrosion, the clogs. Right So pick a service and call one of our technical specialists. there, first hand close to the problem. Even though you may You’ll get engineering not voicemail. Or, check out our web call us on the phone miles away, we’re so deep into your site for case histories, data sheets, comparisons, user’s stuff we can virtually touch it, see it. That’s what Immersion guide, tip sheets and technical reports. It’s all there, it’s deep, Engineering is all about. It’s our mission. it’s Immersion Engineering. It’s also a bundle of very specialized services that you can cherry pick. Some are free, some you pay for. Some you’ll never need. Others will be life savers. We’re the only company offering them all because at any given time who knows what you’ll need? One thing is for sure; when you need HTF help you need it now. You can’t fool with pretenders or wannabes, you need expert advice. Someone with deep experience. Nobody knows HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS more about the chemistry, performance and applications of heat 4 Portland Road, transfer fluids than we do. Eyeball this selection of services. West Conshohocken PA 19428 USA � Fluid Analysis � Troubleshooting 800-222-3611 610-941-4900 • Fax: 610-941-9191 � Fluid Maintenance � System Layout ® info@paratherm.com ® � Training www.paratherm.com Copyright© Paratherm Corporation 2008. Circle 04 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-04 P2008 Paratherm 1-09.indd 1 12/18/08 10:39:16 AM
- 4. Single source responsibilityis like a breath of fresh air… Met-Pro, a leader in air pollution control technologies, will let you breathe easy. Products, systems, and services – all from a single source – for your product recovery and air pollution control needs. � Duall Air Quality Control � Flex-Kleen Dust Collection � Strobic Air Roof Exhaust � Systems Thermal Oxidation We’re connected! For more information visit www.met-pro.com or call us at 215-723-6751 Ext. 260 Circle 05 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-05 Met-Pro.indd 1 12/17/08 3:21:23 PM
- 5. January 2009 In This Issue Volume 116, no. 1 Commentary 5 ditor’s Page E Our 2009 lemon- ade recipe The chemical process industries (CPI) www.che.com are in a deep re- cession, marked Cover story by plant closings and layoffs. There 30 over Story CSTRs: Bound for Maximum Con- C is a sweet side, version Here, a design approach for continuous though, for those stirred-tank reactors is developed for both revers- who take advan- ible and irreversible second-order reactions tage of smart in- NEWS vestments and for 13 Chementator Commercialization is set for a meth- projects that re- anol-to-olefins technology; More efforts to capture quire a shutdown CO2 from power plants; This mechanical cleaning process reduces fouling in MBRs without chemicals; departments Pretreatments helps recover more coal from primary Letters.................. 6, 8 flotation step; Mass-production technology for mak- Bookshelf........... 9, 28 . ing functionalized organic nanotubes; Continued commercial success for a new MEG process; A hard Who’s Who. ........... 28 . coating promises to reduce wear and power use in Reader rotating equipment; and more Service page........... 58 Economic 19 Newsfront Kirkpatrick Nominations are equipment services Indicators. ........ 59, 60 . open for this magazine’s 2009 Kirkpatrick Chemi- cal Engineering Achievement Award, which 28D-1 New Products Services (Domestic Edition) Vacuum degassing advertisers honors the most-noteworthy chemical engineer- chamber connects directly to vacuum Italian ing technology commercialized anywhere in the pump; Simplify Fieldbus testing with Section .........28I-3–16 world during 2007 or 2008 this product’s bus health test; Cut costs Product Showcase.....51 20 ewsfront PM and PDM: Crucial Gear in N when operating with this vertical pump; the CPI Toolbox Given that predictive and Achieve high flowrates with these cus- Classified preventative maintenance programs save tomizable pumps; Use this ultrasonic Advertising........53–56 money and increase uptime, new solutions level transmitter in wastewater applica- Advertiser Index...... 57 are relatively easy to justify tions; Prevent spilling at liquid transfer 23 echnology Showcase A Primer On Coal- T points; and more coming to-Liquids Converting coal to liquid fuels is in February 28I-1 New Products Services one option China and the U.S. are pursing (International Edition) This new paddle Look for: Feature design simplifies installation and re- Reports on Handling Engineering moval; This little data logger stores a lot Nanoscale Materials; of measurements; HART communica- and Heat Exchang- 29 Facts At Your Fingertips Tray Column tion is now possible with this gas moni- ers; A Solids Pro- Design This one-page guide presents crite- tor; Size-up protein molecules without cessing article on ria needed for the effective specification of sacrificing samples; Temperature moni- Selecting Conveyors; trays for a distillation or stripping column toring for trace-heating applications; An Environmental 35 eature Report Controlling Emissions With F and more Manager on Eye Ceramic Filters Ceramic filters are well suited and Face Personal for high-temperature processes that are subject to 49 ocus Mixing F Protective Equipment; strict emissions limits, including those for dioxins Blending Portable A Focus on Flow mixers for pilot Measurement Con- 40 Engineering Practice Active Management plant and small- trol; News articles of Pipespool Fabricators Contractors need to scale production on Water Supply integrate and engage to improve deliveries and processing; Rout- Reuse; and Oil Sands; shorten project schedules ing maintenance Facts at Your Fin- 46 ngineering Practice Mechanical Carbon E is simplified with this mixer drive; Blend, gertips on Piping; an In Chemical Processing Equipment This heat cool and add liquids in this rotary Interphex Show Pre- self-lubricating material offers advantages batch mixer; These new laboratory mix- view and more when used for components that are running ers go digital; Easily mount these mixers submerged in the process fluid to IBCs or totes; and more Cover: David Whitcher Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 3 02_CHE_011509_TOC.indd 3 12/23/08 10:04:58 AM
- 6. We’re raising expectations. The presence of polar gas or steam is no match for dynamic gas phase compensation When highly accurate liquid level measurement is required, Levelflex M goes to work. Microwave pulses are directed down the instrument’s probe and reflected from the medium’s surface. Level is determined by the time required for the pulse to travel to the surface and back. This means reliable measurement is not affected by changes in process conditions, turbulence or foam. Continuous gas phase compensation technology is one way Endress+Hauser is raising expectations. With traditional level instruments, the presence of polar gas or steam can cause an error of 28% or greater depending on the pressure in the application. Levelflex M uses dynamic gas phase compensation to virtually eliminate this error. One more reason Endress+Hauser is the preferred supplier for difficult and critical level measurement applications. www.us.endress.com/level Endress+Hauser, Inc 2350 Endress Place Greenwood, IN 46143 Sales: 888-ENDRESS inquiry@us.endress.com Service: 800-642-8737 www.us.endress.com Fax: 317-535-8498 Circle 06 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-06 Endress 8-08.indd 1 12/17/08 3:22:29 PM
- 7. Winner of EightJesse H. Neal Awards for Editorial Excellence Editor’s Page Published since 1902 Our 2009 lemonade recipe F An Access Intelligence Publication irst, you’ll need a lot of lemons. As 2009 kicks off, sour fruit happens Editors Art Design to be in great supply. To be blunt, the chemical process industries (CPI) are in the middle of what appears to be the worst recession Rebekkah j. Marshall DAVID WHITCHER Editor in Chief Art Director/ since World War II (WWII). rmarshall@che.com Editorial Production Manager dwhitcher@che.com There are many signs that point to such a conclusion, but a particularly Dorothy Lozowski clear picture can be drawn from the November 2008 CPI operating rate (see Managing Editor Production dlozowski@che.com p. 60), which is the industry’s most recent figure available on capacity utili- MICHAEL D. KRAUS GERALD ONDREY (Frankfurt) VP of Production Manufacturing zation. At 72.7%, the operating rate hasn’t been this low since the end of the Senior Editor gondrey@che.com mkraus@accessintel.com 2001 recession. “But that data point is of cold comfort,” says Mike Montgom- kate torzewski Steve Olson ery, analyst at Global Insight, Inc., (Lexington, Mass.), “Since the low of the Director of Production Assistant Editor Manufacturing last recession will be passed (going down) with ease [in the December num- ktorzewski@che.com solson@accessintel.com ber].” In the release of January data, Montgomery expects the operating rate SUZANNE A. SHELLEY WILLIAM C. GRAHAM Contributing Editor Ad Production Manager to fall — again, “with ease” — below any other post-WWII recession except sshelley@che.com bgraham@che.com for that of 1981–1982. “The recession is spreading fast, and all the cutbacks CORRESPONDENTS Audience in car and truck production announced recently will make January dismal, Development Charles ButcheR (U.K.) with slim chance of improvement in February or March,” he says. cbutcher@che.com Sylvia sierra Senior Vice President, What is reflected in the declining operating rate is a sharp drop in demand Paul S. Grad (Australia) pgrad@che.com Corporate Audience Development for nearly everything. In response, CPI companies have idled production and ssierra@accessintel.com Tetsuo Satoh (Japan) are implementing other cost-cutting measures. Last month, Dow Chemical tsatoh@che.com John Rockwell Vice President, Co. (Midland, Mich.), the U.S.’s largest chemical company in terms of revenue, Joy LePree (New Jersey) jlepree@che.com Audience Development Chemical eliminated 5,000 jobs (or 11% of its workforce) and closed 20 facilities while jrockwell@accessintel.com Gerald parkinson also announcing plans to temporarily idle approximately 180 plants and re- Laurie Hofmann (California) gparkinson@che.com Audience Marketing Director duce its contractor workforce by approximately 6,000 worldwide. Only weeks Editorial lhofmann@Accessintel.com before, BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), the world’s largest chemical com- Advisory Board Terry Best pany, announced plans to temporarily idle 80 plants and to reduce capacity at John Carson Audience Development Manager Jenike Johanson, Inc. tbest@accessintel.com 100 other facilities. (For more on both, see p. 59.) David Dickey George Severine The comprehensive list of CPI companies with similar moves is long MixTech, Inc. Fulfillment Manager and includes Arkema, DSM, Eastman, DuPont, Lanxess, Air Products and gseverine@accessintel.com Mukesh Doble Merck KGaA. While their cost cutting measures certainly help to dilute IIT Madras, India Christie Lamont List Sales, World Data 561-393-8200 the sour effects of the current economic recession, our recipe also calls for Henry Kister Fluor Corp. Conferences something sweet: strategic capital improvements, particularly those that Trevor Kletz improve performance while also reducing costs. Loughborough University, U.K. Dana D. Carey Director, Global Event Sponsorships For instance, the newsfront on predictive and preventive maintenance, Gerhard Kreysa DECHEMA e.V. dcarey@chemweek.com p. 20, outlines a number of ways in which substantial returns can be Ram Ramachandran Peck Sim achieved in the short-term with minimal costs. The article also touches on Senior Manager, BOC Conference Programming the virtues of industrial wireless technology, yet another powerful tool that Marketing psim@chemweek.com brings otherwise-expensive process improvements within reach. Holly Rountree Beatriz Suarez Marketing Manager Director of Conference Operations Even some longer-term investments make sense now, for several rea- hrountree@accessintel.com bsuarez@chemweek.com sons. The virtual elimination of demand pressures is one; a more oppor- Information services Corporate tune time you will not find for projects that require shutdown. Meanwhile, Robert Paciorek Steve Barber the cost of capital equipment, itself, is decreasing. Chemical Engineering’s Senior VP Chief Information Officer rpaciorek@accessintel.com VP, Financial Planning Internal Audit sbarber@accessintel.com Plant Cost Index (also see p. 60) has been on a steady decline since August. Charles Sands John Pearson The only categories showing a mild increase at all this month are pumps/ Senior Developer Divisional President/Publisher compressors and electrical equipment. Categories experiencing the most Web/business Applications Architect jpearson@accessintel.com csands@accessintel.com dramatic decline are tanks and general equipment, due to their high cop- Headquarters per and steel makeup. Excess supplies of these raw materials are likely 110 William Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038, U.S. to persist in the form of price breaks for awhile, says Montgomery. As an Tel: 212-621-4900 Fax: 212-621-4694 example, copper hit its low price in 2003, even though European Editorial offices the U.S. recession ended in late 2001. Zeilweg 44, D-60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel: 49-69-2547-2073 Fax: 49-69-5700-2484 Of course, nearly everyone is pointing out that there Circulation Requests: is a practical limit on how far consumer spending will Tel: 847-564-9290 Fax: 847-564-9453 retreat. No one knows for sure, however, where the limit Fullfillment Manager; P.O. Box 3588, Northbrook, IL 60065-3588 email: clientservices@che.com is. Most agree with Montgomery that the recovery will Advertising Requests: see p. 58 be strong as the inventory cycle reverses itself, and job For photocopy or reuse requests: 800-772-3350 or info@copyright.com cuts turn to payroll gains. In the meantime, the rest of For reprints: chemicalengineering@theygsgroup.com us will continue squeezing. ■ Rebekkah Marshall Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 5 03_CHE_011509_ED.indd 5 12/23/08 10:56:50 AM
- 8. Letters Discussions on pressure relief I would like to draw your attention to a few points on the November 2008 article, Pressure Relief System Design (pp. 40–45): 1. Pressure drop and pressure loss: The inlet pressure “drop” that the author refers to under Relief system pip- ing is non-recoverable pressure loss, and does not include a “drop” in pressure due to elevation increase. It should be labeled as a pressure loss rather than a pressure drop as the author has specified elsewhere. It may sound trivial, but such errors are not uncommon. The 3% rule is code- mandated and should be followed. However, any excess above this can still be defended in some circumstances in the court of law, but only by an expert analysis. 2a. Bursting of rupture disk: In the penultimate para- graph, when a rupture disk is used in series with a relief valve, the author writes: “... the disk would never burst”. The rupture disk (as well as a conventional relief valve) is a differential pressure device. So the disk will burst when the difference between the upstream pressure and the down- stream pressure of the disk equals the burst pressure of the disk (or the set pressure of a conventional relief valve).* 2b. Pressure indicator between a rupture disk and relief valve: The second point in this subject is the il- lustration of Figure 5 which is backed by the author’s rec- ommendation: “whenever a rupture disk is installed up- stream of a relief valve, it is important to have a pressure indicator in the section between the two.” If the author is following the ASME VIII, Div. 1, the paragraph UG-127 stipulates the following: “the space between a rupture disk device and a pressure relief valve shall be provided with a pressure gage, a try cock, free vent, or suitable telltale indi- cator. This arrangement permits detection of disk rupture or leakage.” Because of the presence of a serial comma in Circle 07 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-07 the phrase in italic letters, a grammatical parsing of the phrase accepts the author’s recommendation to include just a pressure gage to be in technical compliance with the code. However, the spirit of intent of the code will not be followed by such design. In fact just the installation of a pressure gage is not enough and it is unsafe to do so.* 3. K.O. drum: By showing the K.O. drum in strategic po- sition, the author implies two-phase flow possibilities. The DIERS (Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems) does not recommend the use of conventional relief valves for applications with potential two-phase flows. The pres- sure drop calculations for two-phase flows are more com- plex than the methods used by the author.* Dilip K. Das, P. E. Bayer CropScience, Kansas City, Mo. Author replies 1. Pressure drop and pressure loss: Having worked in various projects worldwide, I had a look at process data sheets for the terminology used for permanent pressure loss. In many cases, I found that the term “pressure drop” has been used to denote permanent pressure loss, such as in flow-orifice data sheets. The following books also use the * This letter has been abbreviated to fit here. The full letter and response can be found at www.che.com by searching for the title of the article. 04_CHE_011509_LET.indd 6 12/23/08 12:44:42 PM
- 9. Circle 08 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-08 A Box 4 U 1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:23:27 PM
- 10. Letters term “pressure drop” instead of “pressure loss”: • “Control Valve Handbook”, 4th edition, by Emerson • Applied Instrumentation in the Process Industries” Vol “ III (Andrew WG/Williams HB) and Vol IV, (Leslie M Zoss) • Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook” uses the term “ frictional losses in some cases. However, at many places, it also uses the term “pressure drop” for two-phase flow, single-phase flow, flow in spirals, annular flow, flow through beds of solids and so on • ven the API 521 (5th Ed, January 2007) uses the term E “pressure drop” at many places The term “pressure drop” may be interpreted by some as a drop in pressure due to elevation increase. However, refer- ences show that in several cases, the term “pressure drop” has been used to denote frictional losses. 2a. Bursting of rupture disk: When I mentioned “rup- ture disk would never burst”, what I meant was “rupture disk would never burst at its burst pressure”. An example is illustrated in a rupture disk with a burst pressure of 90 psig. The protected equipment design pressure is 100 psig. A pinhole develops and the space between the rupture disk and the relief valve reaches a pressure of 60 psig. Now the contingency develops. The protected equipment reaches 90 psig (the burst pressure of the disk). Downstream of the rupture disk, the pressure is 60 psig. At this stage, we would expect the rupture disk to burst, but it will not, because the differential pressure is only 30 psig (90 – 60). Now the protected equipment reaches 100 psig (its design pressure). Even now the disk will not burst. This is what I meant by my statement in the article. The pressure in the protected equipment now further develops until it reaches 160 psig. Downstream of the rupture disk, the pressure has reached 70 psig. Only at this stage will the rupture disk burst. But the damage to equipment may have been done. It may be argued that there is a margin of safety in the ves- sel. However, this is not what the design was intended for. The disk should burst at its burst pressure. 2b. Pressure indicator between a rupture disk and relief valve: The pressure indicator between the rupture disk and the relief valve, of course, needs monitoring. We have detailed designs of combinations of rupture disks and relief valves with a pressure switch on the line and an on/off valve, which depressurizes the system once the pressure reaches a certain set value. Detailed schemes such as these could be the subject of another article. 3. K.O. drum: Yes there are two-phase flow possibilities. But two-phase flow will not necessarily occur all the time. Single phase flows are also possible. Please note that Figure 1, where the K.O. Drum is shown has no direct relation with the illustrated example. The example illustrates a single- phase flow calculation to show how discharge-side piping headers and branch lines are sized. The basic theory and equations for single phase flow will not change, whether it is the more recent API 521 (January 2007) or the relatively older API standard cited in the article. For two-phase flow, there are several references in the literature. But it was not the intent here to illustrate a two-phase flow calculation. Siddhartha Mukherjee Lurgi India Co., Ltd. Circle 09 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-09 8 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 04_CHE_011509_LET.indd 8 12/26/08 2:26:05 PM
- 11. Chemical Engineering half 3 3/8 x 10:Inter labmate half page Bookshelf Patent Savvy for Managers. By Kirk Teska. Nolo, 950 Parker St., Berkeley, CA 94710-2524. Web: nolo.com. THE WORLD FORUM OF THE PROCESS INDUSTRIES 2007. 278 pages, $29.99 Reviewed by Charles R. Richard, Patent Attorney, Washington, D.C. crobrich@yahoo.com T he book I am reviewing here is one in a series of Nolo guides geared toward non-lawyers on vari- ous legal topics and their aspects. I must caution readers that although this book provides some good back- ground into the world of patenting, it is no substitute for consultation with a competent patent attorney or agent when appropriate. Although I did not notice problems with it, I cannot guarantee that this book is “complete” for any reader’s purpose and/or error free, nor do I neces- sarily agree with all the author’s opinions/advice. (Sorry for the disclaimer, but that is the world we live in.) Mr. Teska takes readers through various practical and important patenting topics using easy-to-understand lan- guage and provides as illustration interesting (sometimes even humorous) stories, many based on actual patent Be part of the cases. I am pleased to see the inclusion in Chapter 3 of one of my favorites, the Dembiczak case (also known as the “Pumpkin Case”), as an illustration of non-obvious- bigger picture... ness; after reading about it, readers should agree that patents can be fun! Unfortunately, there were few if any ... and see innovations of today chemical case examples, but this is to be expected from for the solutions of tomorrow a book that is aimed at a general technical audience; ex- amples focus on technology that is generally familiar. The book contains an introduction that is worth read- The global appeal of ACHEMA gives you a competitive edge by ing, ten chapters, an extensive glossary and an index. allowing you to see the bigger picture. Chapters 1–4 cover important background patent princi- ACHEMA attracts engineers, chemists and decision makers from around ples and myths (this book might well be worth reading to the world to a single venue to showcase solutions, share ideas and see these alone), case studies, patentable subject matter interface across technology disciplines. and patentability standards, and understanding claims Be better prepared for the challenges to come – Attend ACHEMA. and how to read a patent — all very useful to know. Chapters 5–8 take up “capturing” patentable inven- � CHEMICAL ENGINEERING � SAFETY � BIOTECHNOLOGY � ADVANCED MATERIALS tions, getting to patent pending, patent prosecution and � ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES � ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION going international; some very practical information/ � FLUID HANDLING � RESEARCH � PROCESS AUTOMATION � SPECIAL SHOW: advice on costs, timing and how the patenting process � PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS FOR THE should work, as well as perspective on what many activi- � THERMAL AND MECHANICAL USE OF RESOURCES ties relating to patenting actually provide and may be PROCESSES worth are included. I recommend taking a good look at the discussion on searching in Chapter 6, even though 4,000 EXHIBITORS � 180,000 ATTENDEES � 30,000 EXECUTIVES the author may be a bit more negative than warranted. 100 COUNTRIES � 900 LECTURES The comments on patent examiners in Chapter 7 should be very revealing for those with little experience with the U.S. Patent Office. Any reader who thought that patent litigation might be desirable would be advised to take the discussion in Chapter 9 into account before making any decision in an www.achema.de actual case. The comments on licensing in Chapter 10 www.dechema.de will probably be illuminating for neophytes as well as for many who have had experience here. (Continues on p. 28) Circle 10 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-10 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 9 05_CHE_011509_BKS_WW.indd 9 12/18/08 1:06:44 PM
- 12. w 15TH ANNUAL W February 23-25, 2009 NEW Downto wn Hilton Americas–HOUSTON, TX Venue for 2009 ! 227-1 Process Color / coated AA ONE-OF-A-KIND IT CONFERENCE ONE-OF-A-KIND IT CONFERENCE FOR Process Color / coated 227-4 THE CHEMICALS FOR THE CHEMICALS R o PETROCHEMICALS INDUSTRIES PETROCHEMICALS INDUSTRIES 227-6 Process Color / technologies can help you cut costs, drive Discover how the latest coated plant optimization, improve the supply chain and defend margins during the downturn in the business cycle and unprecedented global 295-1 Process Color prices. volatility in feedstock / coated BE THERE. Organized by: Official 288-1 Process Color / coated Publications: Image courtesy of COADE, Inc. 451_daratech_ad_16.25x11.indd 2 12/1/08 2:38:22 PM 451_daratech_ad 227-1 Process Color / coated Daratech.indd 2 12/17/08 3:24:54 PM
- 13. www.daratechPLANT.com Why Should Owners/Operators and EPCs Attend? industry’s best minds personalized tours/demos top-caliber receptions E Plant Asset Scanning Summit REGISTER TODAY at www.daratechPLANT.com or call 832-242-1969. Circle 11 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-11 SPONSORS l SynergisSoftware EXHIBITORS 2/1/08 2:38:22 PM 451_daratech_ad_16.25x11.indd 3 12/1/08 2:38:47 PM Daratech.indd 3 12/17/08 3:25:24 PM
- 14. Circle 12 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-12 Emerson Rosemount1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:26:46 PM
- 15. Edited by GeraldOndrey January 2009 Reaction products CO to combustion Commercialization is set for a Olefin rich methanol-to-olefins technology product to recovery L ummus Technology, a CBI company (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) and SYN Energy Technology Co. (Dalian, China; www. Methanol/ water to Air reactor syn.ac.cn) have signed a global, cooperative Steam market agreement to license a methanol- to-olefins (MTO) process. The technology, called DMTO, was de- Methanol Recovered Reactor water veloped by the Dalian Institute of Quench and Wastewater Chemical Physics, Chinese Acad- Catalyst regenerator stripping tower stripping tower emy of Sciences (Dalian, China), which has a controlling interest in SYN. amount of propylene desired. The ratio of The first application of the technology propylene to ethylene can range from 0.8 to Bioethanol will be in a coal-gasification-MTO complex 1.2:1, depending on the reaction conditions, Last month, an energy-saving that is being built by Shenhua Baotou Coal says Helion Sardina, vice president and gen- plant for producing bioethanol Chemicals Co. in Baotou, China. The olefins eral manager of Lummus Technology. started up in Norrköping, Swe- plant will convert 1.8-million metric tons Currently, the economics of the process den, for Lantmännen Agroetanol (m.t.) per year of methanol into 600,000 are roughly equal to those of naphtha-based AB. When operating at full m.t./yr of ethylene and propylene. Startup is plants, with naphtha priced at around capacity, the plant will produce scheduled for 2010. $375/m.t. and methanol at roughly $140/m.t., 470,000 L/d of bioethanol from In the DMTO process (flowsheet), metha- says Sardina. He expects the process will grain (mostly wheat), making nol is fed to a fluidized-bed reactor and con- find a ready market in regions where there it the largest bioethanol facility verted by a molecular sieve catalyst to ethyl- is an abundant supply of coal, such as China, in Northern Europe. The plant is based on the Multipressure ene, propylene, some butene, and 1–2% coke or where there is stranded natural gas that system of Vogelbusch GmbH and light ends, plus 55% water. Conversion can be converted to methanol. He also sees (Vienna, Austria; www.vogel- takes place at slightly above atmospheric a large market potential in the addition of busch.com). The Multipressure pressure and 400–550°C, depending on the capacity at existing steam crackers. system uses several distillation columns operating at different More efforts to capture CO2 from power plants steam pressures, which results in a “significant” reduction in A iming at bringing down the barriers to for flue gases. The plant will be constructed steam consumption — over the commercial deployment of post-com- in the first half of 2009 and will be ready 50% less than conventional bustion capture (PCC) of CO2, an Australian for operation in the second half of 2009 technology, says Vogelbusch. Additional energy savings are team from CSIRO Energy Technology (New- • SIRO has also partnered with the Xi’an C achieved through optimal ther- castle, New South Wales; www.csiro.au), Thermal Power Research Institute and mal integration of the distillation CSIRO Energy Technology (Clayton South, China HuaNeng Group for the develop- and dehydration processes. Victoria), and several other research orga- ment and operation of an amine based nizations has developed an integrated PCC pilot plant at the HuaNeng Beijing Co- Photolithography RD and pilot plant program. The program generation Power Plant. This power sta- Last month, Sumitomo Chemi- includes four pilot plants: tion has fluegas desulfurization (FGD) cal Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; • he Latrobe Valley PCC pilot plant at the T and deNOx. (The Australian power plants www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp) Loy Yang power station in Victoria started do not have FGD and deNOx.) The Chi- started up a $120-million plant operating in March 2008. It is based nese plant will help CSIRO understand for producing argon-fluoride on amines as the CO2 solvent. It will be the tradeoffs between an integrated pol- (ArF) liquid immersion (LI) tested on flue gases from Victorian brown lution control system and separate con- semiconductor resist at its coal. The capture plant capacities range trol technologies for each pollutant. It has Osaka factory. The facility has a from 100 to 500 kg/h of CO2 been operating since June production capacity of 100,000 • he second pilot plant, based at Delta T PCC science leader Paul Feron, of CSIRO En- gal/yr, which the company Electricity’s Lake Munmorah black-coal- ergy Technology, says further development of says will give it one third of the global market share — two fired power station in NSW, is undergo- the capture technology and the power plant thirds of which is in Asia — for ing commissioning. The plant is based on technology can lead to power-plant-gener- ArF LI resists, which are use in aqueous ammonia for CO2 capture ation efficiencies with 90% CO2 capture, ArF excimer-laser (l = 193 nm) • third plant, to be located at the Tarong A which are equivalent to the current efficien- photolithogtaphy. power station in Queensland will focus on cies without CO2 capture (For more on CO2 (Continues on p. 14) the determination of an optimum solvent capture, see CE, December 2008, pp. 16–20). Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number on p. 58, or use the website designation. Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 13 06_CHE_011509_CHM.indd 13 12/23/08 11:49:27 AM
- 16. C hementato R This mechanical cleaning process reduces fouling in MBRs without chemicals F or wastewater treatment, membrane bio- reactors (MBRs) provide superior effluent quality in a small footprint compared to al- brane as they rise — and then settle back down by gravity after leaving the module (diagram). In ternative activated-sludge treatment meth- the pilot plants, back-washable, ods. However, MBRs are prone to fouling, flat-sheet membranes (Bio-Cel) and thus may require frequent membrane are used. The hydraulic flow cleaning with the associated manpower conditions of this module allow and chemical costs. Microdyn-Nadir GmbH the addition of particles for foul- (Wiesbaden; www.microdyn-nadir.de), in co- ing control. Also, the mechani- operation with Darmstadt University (both cally strong and permanent hydrophilic flat Germany), has developed a unique fouling- sheet PES (polyethersulfone) membranes control process, called Bio-Cel-MCP, which (Nadir UP150) have been shown to with- does not require chemicals. Tests conducted stand the cleaning action of the granules on two pilot plants operating continuously as demonstrated by the continuous opera- for more than 400 days have demonstrated tion of the MBR module at high flux rates that the process leads to a 40% increase in (23.6 gallons per square foot of membrane flux compared to a standard MBR operating per day) without significant decrease of per- without MCP, says Stefan Krause, head of meability, says Krause. After more than one water-treatment technology applications year of operating the two pilot plants, the at Microdyn-Nadir. average COD (chemical oxygen demand) re- The MPC process is based on the prin- moval was about 95%, and online measure- (Continued from p. 13) ciples of fluidized-bed technology. Small ment of the turbidity of the effluent showed The company has begun (3-mm dia.) plastic granules are added into no disturbance, indicating a constantly high mass production of Sumiresist the filtration basin (inside the activated removal of suspended solids and hence an PAR, a specific photo acid sludge), and are forced to flow upward intact membrane, he says. Krause esti- generator (PAG) for the manu- alongside the membranes by an air-induced mates the the return-on-investment for an facture of 50-nm-node memory, crossflow — mechanically cleaning the mem- MPC system at about six months. which performs well without a top coating. Another product being produced is for 40-nm- node logic device applications. Pretreatment helps recover more coal The company is also in the final stages of developing an LI re- from primary flotation step sist for 40-nm-node DRAM (dy- namic random access mem- C oal is typically cleaned by gravity separa- tion to reduce ash and pyrite content, with flotation used to recover fines. Various meth- The team has found that the removal of fine particles leads to an increase in coal recovery from 28% (after 20 minutes flota- ory) and Flash memory, and preparing for the development of 30-nm-node processes. ods have been applied to disperse fine clay tion using 64 g of diesel per ton of coal) to particles from the surface of coal particles 79% with screening at 75 µm, and 97% with Tough ceramic and thus improve coal flotation performance. screening at 38 µm (after 12 min flotation; Scientists at the DOE’s Law- A team of researchers from the Ian Wark Re- 40 g diesel/ton coal). It says that the process’ rence Berkeley National Labo- search Institute, University of South Austra- downside is that it leads to a fine product that ratory (Calif.; www.lbl.gov) lia (Adelaide; www.unisa.edu.au), has studied cannot be discarded since it contains signifi- have synthesized a ceramic the effect of fine clay on the flotation of sev- cant amounts of coal that would be difficult that imitates the structure of Nacre (mother of pearl). eral coal samples. It found that the removal to recover by flotation. The losses of coal in Nacre is 95% aragonite, a of fine particles either from the primary tail- the screened fines represent 26% (screening hard, brittle calcium-carbonate ings or the feed sample by sieving (38 µm) or at 75 µm) and 22% (screening at 38 µm). mineral, and 5% “soft” organic de-sliming with a Mozley hydrocyclone gave However, the team also conducted experi- molecules, and yet can be vastly improved flotation performance of the ments to compare the effects of fine-particle 3,000 times more resistant coarse coal particles. Team member Keith removal by either wet screening the feed or to fracture (toughness)than Quast says this process recovers coal that the primary flotation tailing at 38 µm and aragonite. By emulating the did not float in the primary flotation stage, de-sliming the feed or tailing using the Mo- microstructure of Nacre, the and would otherwise be lost to the process. zley cyclone. The results showed that the scientists have created large, In both cases, he said, the removal of slimes removal of fines from the primary tailing by porous ceramic scaffolds and “brick-and-mortar” structures. from the circuit stage gave a better overall sieving or de-sliming allows a high propor- The hybrid ceramics are combustible recovery than processing a feed tion of the coal to float using a smaller addi- that had received no pretreatment. tion of diesel (20 g/ton instead of 54 g/ton). (Continues on p. 16) 14 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 06_CHE_011509_CHM.indd 14 12/22/08 9:50:49 AM
- 17. Circle 23 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-23 SR1 PEP-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:28:35 PM
- 18. Courtesy of AIST C hementato R Mass-production technology for making functionalized organic nanotubes R esearchers at the Nanotube Research Center of the National Institute of Ad- vanced Industrial Science and Technology example, a Cu-complexed organic nanotube has been shown to selectively adsorb gold nanoparticles that have an amino group on orange ball = metal ions light blue ball = hydrophyllic part of the peptide lipids gray stick = hydrophobic part (AIST; Tokyo; www.aist.go.jp) have devel- their surface. of the peptide lipids oped a process for making organic nano- The new nanomaterials are made by add- tubes of metal complexes (photo, left). The ing aqueous solutions of metal salts to a (Continued from p. 14) scientists have produced organic nanotubes suspension of peptide lipids in methanol or with metal ions (Zn+2, Cu+2, Co+2, Ni+2, ethanol. Nanotubes form after 10 minutes, made through the controlled freezing of aqueous suspen- Fe+2 and Mg+2) complexed at the inner producing about 2–20 g/mL of suspension sions of an aluminum oxide and outer surfaces of organic nanotubes — a production rate about 200 times higher (alumina) and the addition (diagram, right), and believe such materi- than alternative methods. The simple proce- of polymethylmethacrylate als will find applications as: new catalysts dure consumes little energy and is easy to (PMMA), producing materi- with transient metal coordinated spatially scale up, says AIST. als that are 300 times tougher (Continued from p. 13) on the inside; low-molecular-weight com- This is the third mass-production process than their constituents. To pounds with coordinated functional groups; for making organic nanotubes that has been make even tougher materials, DNA and protein inclusion, adsorption, and developed by AIST. The previous processes the researchers are working separation for biotechnology; and new elec- produce organic nanotubes with hydroxyl to increase the proportion of tronic, magnetic and optical materials. For and carboxyl groups on the surface. ceramic to PMMA (presently 85 wt.% alumina), and by replac- ing PMMA with a different poly- Continued commercial success for a new MEG process mer or, eventually, metal. W hen completed in early 2010, Shell Chemicals’ B.V. (The Hague, Nether- lands; www.shell.com) 750,000-m.t./yr fa- sively by Shell in 2002 (for more process details, see CE, July 2002, p. 19). The pro- cess achieves a selectivity of EO to MEG Self-healing coatings Researchers at the University of Illinois (Champaign; www. cility at the Shell Eastern Petrochemicals of 99.3–99.5%, compared to about 90% for illinois.edu) have developed Complex in Singapore will be the world’s conventional processes, and produces up to coatings that automatically largest plant to produce mono-ethylene gly- 1.95 ton of MEG per ton of ethylene, com- repair themselves and prevent col (MEG) using Shell’s Omega process. This pared to 1.53–1.70 ton, depending on the corrosion of the underlying plant marks the fifth license of the Omega catalyst used, says Shell. substrate. The coating is made technology since the first commercial appli- According to Shell, capital costs for a new by encapsulating in separate, cation came on stream last May — a 400,000 Omega plant are about 10% less, at equal 100-µm-dia. beads, a cata- m.t./yr facility for Lotte Daesan Petrochemi- MEG yield, compared to alternative technol- lyst and a healing agent. The cal Corp. (Daesan, Korea). ogies. Omega also generates 30% less waste- beads are then dispersed Omega (short for Only MEG Advanced) water, has 20% lower steam consumption at within the desired coating material to be applied to the integrates two complementary and highly equal EO reaction selectivity, and produces substrate. When the coating is selective processes: Shell’s Master EO (eth- negligible amounts of byproducts, such as scratched, the contents of the ylene oxide) process and a catalytic MEG diethylene glycol and tri-ethylene glycol de- damaged beads is released, conversion process originally developed by rivatives, thereby eliminating the need for causing the catalyst and heal- Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC; Tokyo; the infrastructure and resources needed to ing agent to mix. The subse- www.m-kagku.co.jp), and acquired exclu- handle and market these products. quent reaction is said to repair the damage within minutes or hours, depending on the envi- A new PFSA polymer for membrane ronmental conditions. and other applications New engineered polymers S olvay Solexis S.p.A. (Bollate, Italy; www. solvaysolexis.com) has commercialized a new perfluorosulfinic acid (PFSA) polymer, The membranes enable PEM cells to oper- ate over a broad temperature range with improved ion conductivity. Kraton Polymers LLC (Houston, Tex; www.kraton.com) has intro- duced two new sulfonated copo- tradenamed Aquivion, which was specifi- The membranes are also suitable for ap- lymers, MD9150 and MD9200, cally designed for polymer electrolyte mem- plications in water electrolyzers, H2 separa- for ion-exchange and high-water- transport applications. The new brane (PEM) fuel cells. Aquivion ionomer tors, and pervaporization or gas humidifica- polymers are selectively mid- membranes are melt-extruded products tion systems. The polymer is also available block sulfonated copolymers and based on the Short Side Chain (SSC) copo- as a dispersion that can be used for making are available in both membranes lymer of tetrafluoroethylene and a sulfonyl electrodes, super-acid catalysts or for surface and solution form. fluoride vinyl ether of low molecular weight. treatment of membrane-filtration devices. 16 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 06_CHE_011509_CHM.indd 16 12/22/08 9:53:27 AM
- 19. C hementato R Filtering oil from water Material engineers at Perdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.; www.purdue.edu) have developed a new type of membrane for separating oil from water. The mem- A hard coating promises to reduce wear brane consists of a layer of perflourinated end-capped polyethylene glycol, which is and power use in rotating equipment covalently bonded to fritted glass mem- branes. When an oil-in-water emulsion is passed through the membrane, the R esearchers at the U.S. Dept. of Ener- gy’s (DOE; Washington, D.C.) Ames Laboratory (www.ameslab.gov) and die at about 1,400°C and 14,000 psi to form a solid, dense block. The researchers have been using a oil beads up on the Teflon-like surface, while the water passes through. A 98% separation efficiency has been observed Iowa State University (both of Ames, technique called pulsed laser deposi- in the labortatory, using hexadecane as a Iowa) have developed a hard, smooth tion to dislodge atoms from these blocks model oil. coating that can be applied to indus- and deposit 1-µm coatings on adjacent trial equipment, such as pumps, gears targets, such as pump vanes. However, OLEDs and cutting tools, to reduce friction and this method is not practical for commer- BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; extend the life of the equipment. Ames cial use, says Russell, so Eaton is using www.basf.com) and Osram Opto has been working with various compa- magnetron sputtering, a commercial- Semiconductors GmbH (Regensburg, nies, including Eaton Corp. (Cleveland, scale process. This is done in a vacuum Germany; www.osram-os.com) have Ohio; www.eaton.com), whose products chamber and uses radio frequency en- developed a highly efficient white or- include hydraulic pumps. ergy to ionize argon. The ions dislodge ganic light-emitting diode (OLED) that The coating material is a ceramic atoms for deposition on the target. achieves a light yield of over 60 lumens alloy that combines boron, aluminum, In laboratory tests the coating has per Watt, while also meeting the inter- magnesium and titanium boride, says proved to have only about 5% the wear national Energy Star SSL Standard with regard to color requirements. The new Alan Russell, a professor of materials rate of tungsten carbide, says Russell. OLEDs contain phosphorescent metal science and engineering at the univer- He adds that in tests of rotating parts, complexes as emitter materials and cus- sity. These ingredients are milled to a performed by Eaton, the coatings have tomized complementary materials; this particle size of 0.5–1 µm, thoroughly reduced power requirements by up to (Continues on p. 18) mixed,CHEM Ad-CE.qxd 12/2/08 10:33 9803 then compressed in a graphite 8%, due to 1 AM Page less friction. Innovative Mixing Solutions from a Global Family of Quality Products Chemineer combines the effective, innovative mixing solutions you require, with the attention and service you deserve. For high performance, high value products, choose from our family of leading brands. Kenics Prochem Greerco For the nearest sales office, call 1-800-643-0641 www.chemineer.com/ce Chemineer is part of the Robbins Myers Process Solutions Group. More products… more solutions, from the brands you know and trust… Pfaudler, TyconTechnoglass, Chemineer and Edlon! Circle 14 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-14 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 17 06_CHE_011509_CHM.indd 17 12/26/08 2:17:37 PM
- 20. (Continued from p.17) C hementato R combination enables the diodes to be “color-stable” even when there are variations in luminous intensity. EPA proposal on HCFCs This LNG vaporization process will reduce air emissions The U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA; Washington, A new method for vaporizing liquefied natural gas (LNG) that is more envi- ronmentally friendly than the traditional porization technology (FHVT). The pro- cess uses a conventional fired heater with a low-NOx burner and fluegas recir- D.C.; www.epa.gov) has proposed a new rule to decrease the con- sumption and production of hydro- submerged combustion vaporization (SCV) culation. The combustion gases are used chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for process is being offered by Black Veatch to heat a closed-loop circulating fluid the years 2010 (by at least 75%) to (BV; Overland Park, Kan.; www.bv.com). (usually water) to 100–200°F. This loop 2014. HCFCs are ozone-depleting In an SCV process, LNG is passed vaporizes the LNG via a shell-and-tube substances and potential green- house gases, and as a party to the through stainless steel tubes in a water heat exchanger. Montreal Protocol on Substances bath that is warmed by sparging combus- The company has obtained a configura- that Deplete the Ozone Layer, tion gases from a submerged, gas-fired tion patent on the technology, but has not the U.S. will completely phase out burner. The thermal efficiency is close to piloted it, says Price, who notes that it HCFCs in 2030. 100%, says Brian Price, vice-president of uses conventional components. He points This action will also amend LNG technology for BV. However, he out that the process avoids the disposal of provisions concerning HCFC pro- points out, the downside is that the com- large volumes of wastewater and is calcu- duction for developing countries’ bustion gases create nitrous, nitric, car- lated to reduce NOx emissions to close to basic domestic needs and would bonic and other acids in the water bath those of an SCV system that is equipped clarify a ban on the sale and and the stack gas emissions contain ox- with selective catalytic reduction. CO distribution of HCFCs through interstate commerce under the ides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon monox- emissions are expected to be less than Clkean Air Act. EPA will accept ide. Also, the bath has to be neutralized to 20% of those from an SCV. Preliminary comments on the proposed rule maintain a pH above 6 and the bath water calculations indicate that the process has for 60 days after publication in the has to be treated for disposal. an overall efficiency comparable to that of Federal Register. ❏ BV calls its method fired heater va- SCV, says the firm. ■ Circle 15 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-15 18 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 06_CHE_011509_CHM.indd 18 12/22/08 9:56:35 AM
- 21. Kirkpatrick Award Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award Nominations for the 2009 round are now open M any of you know of a com- cal syntheses (1933). The most-recent The path to the winner pany — perhaps your own achievements appear in the table. After March 15, the Secretary will employer — that has re- review the nominations to make sure cently commercialized an How to nominate they are valid — for instance, that the innovative process, product, or other Nominations may be submitted by any first commercialization did in fact take chemical-engineering development. person or company, worldwide. The place during 2007–2008. Then she will If so, we would like to hear from you. procedure consists simply of sending, submit copies to more than 100 senior Nominations are open for this maga- by March 15, an unillustrated nomi- professors who head accredited uni- zine’s 2009 Kirkpatrick Chemical nating brief of up to 500 words to: versity chemical engineering depart- Engineering Achievement Award. We ments and, accordingly, constitute the Rebekkah Marshall, Secretary aim to honor the most-noteworthy Committee of Award. Working inde- Kirkpatrick Award Committee chemical engineering technology com- pendently of each other, each profes- c/o Chemical Engineering Magazine mercialized anywhere in the world sor will vote for what he or she consid- 110 William St., 11th floor during 2007 or 2008. ers to be the five best achievements, New York, NY 10038 Chemical Engineering has awarded without trying to rank them. this biennial prize continuously since Email: kirkpatrick@che.com The five entries that collectively re- 1933. The 2009 winner will join a long The nomination should summarize ceive the most votes become the final- and distinguished roster, studded the achievement and point out its ists in the competition. Each finalist with such milestones as BOC Group’s novelty, as well as the difficulty of the company will then be asked to sub- low-temperature NOx absorption out chemical-engineering problems solved. mit more-detailed information — for of fluegases (2001), Amoco Chemi- It must specify how, where and when instance, a fuller description of the cal’s anaerobic treatment of process the development first became commer- technology, performance data, exhib- wastewater (1991), Tennnessee East- cial in 2007 or 2008. its of press coverage, and/or a descrip- man Co.’s coal-based acetic anhydride If you know of an achievement but do tion of the teamwork that generated (1985), E.I du Pont Nemours Co.’s not have information to write a brief, the achievement. hollow-fiber reverse osmosis (1971), contact the firm involved, either to get The Secretary will send copies of Dow Corning Corp.’s silicone products the information or to propose that the these more-detailed packages to a (1955), The Dow Chemical Co.’s mag- company itself submit a nomination. Board of Judges, which, meanwhile, nesium from seawater (1941) and Car- Firms are also welcome to nominate will have been chosen from within, bide Carbon Chemical’s petrochemi- achievements of their own. and by, the Committee of Award. In late summer, the Board will inform the THE MOST-RECENT WINNERS Secretary as to which one of the five 2007 — Axens. For its Esterfip-H process 1999 — CK Witco Inc. For a streamlined finalist achievements it has judged the for making biodiesel fuel process to manufacture organofunctional most noteworthy. The company that 2005 — Chevron Phillips Chemical. For alkoxysilanes developed that achievement will be significant advances in alpha-olefins 1997— Membrane Technology Re- named the winner of the 2009 Kirk- technology search, Inc. For a system to recover patrick Chemical Engineering Achieve- 2003—Cargill Dow LLC. For producing a monomer from polyolefin-plant purge ment Award. The four other finalist thermoplastic resin based on corn as the streams companies will be designated to receive starting material 1995–Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. 2001— BOC Group, Inc. For low-temper- Honor Awards. Sculptures saluting the For oxygen-based technology enabling five achievements will be bestowed with ature NOx absorption out of fluegases efficient recycle of office wastepaper appropriate ceremony in the fall. ■ For earlier winners, see CE, Feb. 16, 1987, p. 41, and Feb. 5, 1973, p. 40. Rebekkah Marshall Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 19 07_CHE_011509_NF1_Kirk.indd 19 12/23/08 11:38:52 AM
- 22. Emerson Process Management Newsfront PM and PdM: Crucial gear in the CPI Toolbox Given that predictive and preventive maintenance programs save money and increase uptime, the Emerson’s wireless field network capital expenditure is relatively easy to justify at PPG installs easily and is up and running in five minutes W ith the challenging global they perform, and it’s just a question to the maintenance staff or operations marketplace and these un- of what scale they operate those in.” regarding whether a piece of equip- stable financial times, the McAtee adds that because of the ment needs attention. chemical process Industries variations from site to site, each “A setup that provides early identi- (CPI) must do everything possible to chemical processing plant will have fication of potential performance prob- economically maintain production a different set of tools and techniques lems usually results in a successful while providing innovative and high in place. “I’m not aware of any facility maintenance practice,” says McAtee. quality products for their customers. that has applied every type of mainte- Early identification of problems is To achieve both these goals, predictive nance tool to every plant or the same key to predictive and preventive main- and preventive maintenance programs tools in every plant and successfully tenance practices, which are crucial in are possibly the most important gear kept it in place. This isn’t necessary to today’s economy because they turn in any processors toolbox. yield efficient results.” maintenance from a reactive effort Not only will performing predictive What is necessary, however, is a into a more proactive one where prob- and preventive maintenance tasks on strong foundation for predictive and lems are spotted early and corrected at least critical process equipment preventive maintenance. “No matter during planned maintenance intervals help extend the life of those assets and what discipline of the chemical pro- during slow production times. reduce capital spending, but it will cessing industry, the maintenance “It’s important for chemical pro- also reduce downtime, which leads team has to have a solid framework to cessors to operate their equipment to greater production rates, and keep build upon,” McAtee says. Most start without any surprises and with mini- machinery running to specification, with a Computerized Maintenance mal possible maintenance costs. Un- which helps ensure product quality. Management System (CMMS) that planned and unscheduled work tends However, while all industrial facili- serves as the base for data capture, to be two to four times as expensive as ties require maintenance in order to work planning and scheduling, mate- planned maintenance work,” explains keep on running, the CPI have a few rials management and repair history. Bart Winters, reliability solution man- unique challenges, including a com- “From our perspective, the CMMS is ager with Honeywell Process Solutions plex and diverse set of operations in the foundation that leverages any (Morristown, N.J.) “For this reason, any one facility. of the other more sophisticated pre- the goal of most chemical processors “There may be differences of com- dictive and preventive maintenance is to operate from planned shutdown plex chemical synthesis with very tools,” notes McAtee. to planned shutdown without any un- specialized equipment and significant The CMMS should be combined planned downtime in between.” variations of scale from small bioreac- with tools and field devices that moni- This goal is especially important tor systems up to enormous ethylene tor and analyze the health of critical during a time when raw material costs manufacturing units, all with differ- equipment, such as instrumentation, are still on the rise and energy prices ent unit operations in a single facility,” rotating equipment and fixed or large are fluctuating, according to Scott Ho- explains Michael McAtee, senior vice assets. The data from these tools, he keness, business development man- president of engineering and main- says, should be tied into a centralized ager of the Asset Optimization Divi- tenance for BASF Corp. (Florham database that allows all the field con- sion of Emerson Process Management Park, N.J.). “Other industries, such as ditions and information to be analyzed (Austin, Texas). For this reason, now [petroleum] refineries tend to have a more effectively and provides trend is the time chemical processors should fairly small slate of unit operations analysis, as well as suggestions back be looking into leveraging new tech- 20 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 08_CHE_011509_NF2.indd 20 12/18/08 12:57:23 PM
- 23. Honeywell Inc. The XYR 6000 SmartCET wireless corrosion moni- toring transmitter is part of Honeywell’s OneWire- less Solution, which al- lows processors to reap the benefits of equipment monitoring without the ex- pense of installing wires. Without wires these trans- mitters can be installed and operating in minutes to quickly provide informa- tion back to a system this information to improve the per- Predictive and Preventive Maintenance Service Providers formance and safety of its facility. In ABB �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������www.abb.com this way, Emerson’s wireless system Emerson Process Management ����������������������������������������� www.emersonprocess.com contributes to overall plant safety, Honeywell�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� www.honeywell.com making operators aware of any unex- Invensys Process Systems�������������������������������������������������������� www.ips.invensys.com pected temperature rise, while saving Rockwell Automation �������������������������������������������������� www.rockwellautomation.com the company about $15,000/yr in re- Siemens Energy Automation ���������������������������������������� www.siemens.com/process duced maintenance. Yokogawa������������������������������������������������������������������������������� www.yokogawa.com In order to offset some of the reduced labor issues many chemical facili- nologies. “New technologies can make Charles, La. The plant’s wireless net- ties face, which often leads to ignored a huge difference,” says Hokeness. work uses ten Rosemount transmitters alarms and neglected corrective ac- “What we typically see is that for op- for measurement of pipeline and steam tions, Invensys Process Systems (Lon- timized plants, customers are doing header temperature, thereby enabling don, U.K.) offers Mobile Operator, a approximately 10% reactive mainte- operators to watch for cold spots and wireless solution that allows operators nance and 90% planned maintenance. adjust steam throughput. PPG also to keep in touch with process alarms In plants that don’t embrace technol- plans to use the Smart Wireless solu- and conditions while conducting shift ogy, we see typically up to 50% reac- tion to do temperature profiling of the operations. The solution not only allows tive maintenance. Using technology to entire expansive plant, enabling load mobile operators to view and acknowl- plan for maintenance can save a lot of sharing and balancing to maintain edge control room alerts from the field, money during hard economic times.” superheated steam, plant wide. The but also to exact a shutdown from the processor has also commissioned eight hand-held device in case of an emer- Going wireless wireless transmitters on the self-orga- gency. The wireless network also has a New wireless solution technologies are nizing mesh for tank level measure- number of hot spots across the facility, one area where processors can benefit, ments to provide back up of primary providing operators with continuous says Hokeness. Many facilities have radar-level measurements, helping en- access and allowing the connection of started installation, implementation sure level control. any network or device. and utilization of wired devices and Wireless transmitters allow PPG A new master alarm database has sensors that gauge the health of criti- to install instrumentation that would also been developed to allow process cal assets, but stopped short of going normally be cost-prohibitive in the engineers to share their knowledge all the way due to the associated costs. plant, which covers approximately on why the alarm was set, how long “But with the advent of more advanced 765 acres and is dense with pipes, the operator has to respond and what wireless technologies, it is very inex- buildings and equipment. PPG esti- corrective action is required when the pensive to finish the process,” he says. mates installation costs for wired in- alarm is acknowledged. Combined, the “The installed cost savings is up to struments at nearly $20/ft for wiring solutions should result in enhanced 90% over wired technologies because and conduit. These wireless measure- plant safety, better utilization of man- you don’t have to pull wires to differ- ments have the potential to increase power and increased productivity. ent pieces of equipment. This allows process reliability and provide low- Monitoring for corrosion, too, is you to reap the benefits of monitoring cost, redundant measurement. going wireless with the introduction without the price tag.” Smart Wireless technology from of Honeywell’s realtime corrosion sen- Emerson’s Smart Wireless solution Emerson was also applied to the prob- sor, the XYR 6000 SmartCET wireless is an extension of its PlantWeb digital lem of monitoring rising temperatures corrosion monitoring transmitter. As plant architecture, combining highly in railcars containing chemicals at part of Honeywell’s OneWireless Solu- reliable, smart monitoring devices with Croda Inc., an international specialty tion, these wireless transmitters en- wireless transmitters in a self-organiz- chemical manufacturer. No matter able customers to obtain critical data ing mesh network that automatically where the rail cars are positioned at and create information from remote adapts as device points are added or the Mill Hall, Pa., plant, a wireless and hazardous measurement loca- removed, or obstructions encountered. temperature transmitter on each car tions without running wires, where PPG Industries installed the Smart sends minute-by-minute temperature running wires is cost-prohibitive and Wireless solution at its facility in Lake readings to a central host. Croda uses where the measurement target is in Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 21 08_CHE_011509_NF2.indd 21 12/18/08 12:57:46 PM
- 24. Practical Advice forPredictive and Preventive Maintenance Newsfront W ith shrinking budgets and fewer resources, plant management must find ways to improve equipment reliability while optimizing cost efficiencies, says Bart Winters, senior market- ing manager, Reliability Solutions, Honeywell Process Solutions. A key factor to ensuring equipment reliability is to focus on predictive and preventive maintenance, he says. Following, a hazardous location. Without according to Winters, are crucial things to consider for predictive and preventive maintenance: wires the transmitters can be • tart at the beginning. Develop overall condition/performance assessment of plant wide assets S • Know your assets. Understand the current state of each asset and its condition installed and operational in • evelop collaboration. Create a partnership between operations, maintenance and suppliers D minutes, quickly providing in- for quicker resolution of issues formation back to a system. • Prevent surprises. Reduce equipment damage by operating in the design envelope The XYR 6000 SmartCET • erformance and condition monitoring. Monitor instruments and the control system, rotating P transmitter uses algorithms equipment and fixed equipment to predict behavior and detect conditions before failure and data analysis techniques to • Early event detection. Use performance-to-failure model to detect issues early accurately measure corrosion • ngoing maintenance. Implement a continuous improvement process to ensure optimum asset O rate and pitting. It provides performance four outputs, which include gen- “Consider that just one percent improvement of overall equipment effectiveness at a plant can eral corrosion rate, an indicator equal roughly $1 million in savings, and it’s easy to see that sites embracing proactive and predic- tive maintenance, including best-in-class work practices and technology, can improve operational for localized corrosion (pitting), performance, asset reliability, manage costs and minimize downtime,” says Winters. ❏ Stern-Geary constant (B-value) and a fourth variable to help diagnose the corrosion mechanism. The data delivery capabilities, tools and failure, says Rich Chmielewski, chem- transmitter connects to the process en- procedures that track assets and their ical and biofuels marketing manager vironment through a process specific performance, maximizing productivity with Siemens Energy Automation probe and electrode combination. and the bottom line while optimizing (Alpharetta, Ga.). “What’s unique about this product system use and fulfilling external re- “As a matter of fact, monitoring the is that we are able to use it as a pro- porting requirements. Version man- operating condition is an essential as- cess variable and to control the pro- agement of control assets, calibration pect of both energy conservation and cess,” says Winters. “When we reach a management of process instrumenta- maintenance programs because mo- corrosion rate that is not acceptable, tion and diagnostics for HART and tors, along with drives and pumps, we can look at the process and then process fieldbus devices are included consume approximately 64% of the make necessary adjustments to mini- in the offering, as well. energy in a plant,” says Chmielewski. mize corrosion.” Likewise, ABB (Norwalk, Conn.) “It is estimated that up to 40% of the also offers a realtime asset optimiza- manufacturing revenue is applied to Get real (time) tion solution. The 800xA Asset Opti- maintenance, and up to 60% of sched- It’s also important for chemical proces- mization tool presents realtime infor- uled maintenance checks on valves sors to be able to monitor the health mation seamlessly and in the proper and motors proves to be unnecessary.” of an asset, diagnose problems and context to operations, maintenance, To help align energy conservation create alerts in realtime, according engineering and management. The with predictive and preventive main- to Som Chakraborti, process system Real-TPI, ABB’s realtime performance tenance, Siemens offers several prod- manager with Rockwell Automation measurement and analysis software ucts, including power monitors, which (Milwaukee, Wis.). solution, improves plant productivity can help pinpoint the energy consum- Many of Rockwell’s offerings allow by identifying ways to increase Over- ers in a plant to determine if there are plant operators to see how an asset is all Equipment Effectiveness, a key changes in the quality of the power operating in realtime. Parameters of performance indicator. The software supplied that may negatively affect concern might include temperature, automates data collection and analysis the fed devices. “Increased power con- vibration, excessive electrical draw, ex- and provides reports tailored to plant sumption/current can be an indica- cessive energy peaks and so on. “These management’s needs. tor of a failing device, and looking for areas of information are important for “This provides, in realtime, a con- ways to add a variable frequency drive critical areas of equipment because dition-based monitoring solution for to low-speed, low-inertia applications these data points often signal when all the equipment in the whole plant, like pumps and fans can save energy equipment requires maintenance or is including electrical, rotating and in- and assets,” says Chmielewski. likely to fail,” says Chakraborti. strumentation, as well for the quality “Saving energy has two significant One of the latest products in the of the process itself,” explains Jeffrey paybacks,” he says. “It lowers plant company’s portfolio, Plant PAx, has a Vasel, marketing manager, Asset Op- energy costs and improves overall significant asset management suite timization for System 800xA. asset utilization. Technology, includ- that allows such parameters to be ing smart electrical instrumentation, seen in realtime and make decisions Energy matters exists today to make process control on when to plan a shutdown, how long As energy prices continue to fluctu- more efficient. By adopting these certain batches can be extended before ate, many processors are looking to smarter technologies, CPI manufac- shutdown is planned or, on a shorter integrate energy information to their turers will not only save energy and term basis, what types of maintenance production information so that the op- help the environment, but will also de- tasks are needed to extend the life of erations team can understand the cost crease the cost of production and help the asset. of production decisions as it relates to with maintenance strategies.” ■ In addition, the suite includes new the lifecycle of the assets and time to Joy LePree 22 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 08_CHE_011509_NF2.indd 22 12/18/08 12:58:10 PM
- 25. Table 1. Coal-to-liquidsprojects Pilot plants (U.S.) Technology Showcase Location Developers Capacity, bbl/d Colorado Rentech 10–15 New Jersey Headwaters Up to 30 A primer Oklahoma ConocoPhillips 300–400 Oklahoma Syntroleum 70 Plants under consideration (U.S.) Arizona Hopi Tribe, Headwaters 10,000–50,000 on Coal- Montana State of Montana, Bull Mt. 22,000 Land Co., DKRW Energy Montana State of Montana 10,000–150,000 North Dakota GRE, NACC, Falkirk, 10,000–50,000 Headwaters to-liquids Ohio Rentech, Baard Energy 2 X 35,000 Wyoming DKRW Energy 33.000 Wyoming Rentech 10,000–50,000 Illinois Rentech 2,000 Illinois American Clean Coal 25,000 Fuels Pennsylvania WMPI 5,000 Converting coal to liquid fuels is one West Virginia Mingo County Mississippi Rentech 10,000 10,000 option China and the U.S. are persuing Alaska State of Alaska, AIDEA, Chinese Petroleum 80,000 Corp. of Taiwan Louisiana Synfuel n.a. A s an energy resource, global coal International plants and projects reserves represent 2,000 billion Country Owner/developer Capacity, bbl/d Status barrels of oil equivalent. In 2007, South Africa Sasol 150,000 Operating global oil reserves were about China Shenhua 20,000 (initially) Under Construction 1,300 billion barrels of oil. World wide, China Lu’an Group ≈3,000–4,000 Under construction oil demand will grow 40 to 50% by 2030. China Yankuang 40,000 (initially) Under construction But coal offers an opportunity to diver- 180,000 (planned) sify worldwide liquid-fuel supplies and China Sasol JV (2 studies) 80,000 (each plant) Planned coal utilization to produce fuels that China Shell/Shenhua 70,000–80,000 Planned can extend the lifetime of world oil China Headwaters/U.K. 2 X 700 (demon- Planned reserves. This is a strategic long-term Race Investment stration plants) option for the U.S., which currently Indonesia Pertamina/Accelon ≈76,000 Under construction controls only 3% of world oil reserves Australia Anglo American/ 60,000 Planned at 22 billion barrels. China is already Shell pursuing this option in earnest. Philippines Headwaters 50,000 Planned Given the gradual depletion of oil New Zealand LM Group 50,000 Planned resources around the world, at some stage in the not-to-distant future, H2-rich gas stream, preheated and sent essary to produce distillable liquids. major alternative sources of liquid to a two-stage liquefaction reactor sys- Many different processes have been fuels will be required to avoid a major tem. In the reactors, the organic frac- developed, but most are closely re- global recession. Coal liquefaction is tion of the coal dissolves in the solvent lated in terms of underlying reaction one possible source, backed by large and reacts with H2 to form liquid and chemistry. Common features are the recoverable coal reserves globally. gaseous products. Sulfur in the coal is dissolution of a high proportion of coal There are two pathways to convert converted to H2S, N2 is converted to in a solvent at elevated temperature coal to fuel: direct or indirect liquefac- NH3, and O2 is converted to H2O. and pressure, followed by the hydroc- tion. Table 1 lists the projects underway The reactor products go to vapor- racking of the dissolved coal with H2, or being planned for these two routes. liquid separation. The gas is cleaned The liquid products from direct lique- and, after removal or a purge stream, faction processes are of much higher Direct liquefaction is mixed with fresh H2 and recycled. quality than those from pyrolysis In direct coal liquefaction, coal is pul- Heavy gasoil is recycled and process processes, and can be used unblended verized and mixed with oil and hy- solvent and vacuum bottoms are gas- for stationary fuel applications. They drogen in a pressurized environment. ified for H2 production. do, however, require further upgrad- This process converts the coals into a Direct liquefaction processes aim to ing before they can be used directly synthetic crude oil that can then be re- add H2 to the organic structure of coal, as transportation fuels. This upgrad- fined into a variety of fuel products. breaking it down only as far as nec- ing uses standard petroleum-industry In the direct process shown in Fig- For more detailed information, see: “Technology Intelligence for Coal-to-Liquids Strategies,” a 550- ure 1, coal is ground and slurried with page report recently published by SRI Consulting (Menlo Park, Calif.; see box on p. 27). a process derived solvent, mixed with a Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 23 09_CHE_011509_NF3_TS.indd 23 12/22/08 10:13:49 AM
- 26. Plant LPG and fuel gas Gas butanes Ammonia and plant phenol recovery Technology Showcase WWT Acid Sulfur Sulfur gas Hydrogen processing techniques, allowing prod- recovery recovery ucts from a direct liquefaction plant to Purge H2 Naphtha be blended into intermediate feedstock H2 (gasoline) streams of a petroleum refinery or a Coal Coal Coal Coal liquids standalone integrated plant section. preparation liquefaction hydrotreating To refinery Direct liquefaction processes are Donor Distillate solvent (diesel) theoretically the most efficient routes recycle Refuse H2 to fuels currently available. Liquid Solid/liquid yields in excess of 70 wt.% of dry, min- separation eral-matter-free coal have been dem- Steam and power Ash onstrated in process development or generation conc. N2 pilot scale units. O2 Air Air No direct commercial scale lique- Gasification separation faction fuels plant has yet been built. However, China’s Shenhua 1 first- phase construction project of a three- Figure 1. In direct coal liquefaction, coal is pulverized and mixed with oil and hy- phase plan to build a major coal refin- drogen in a pressurized environment. This process converts the coal into synthetic ery in Inner Mongolia, based on direct crude oil that can then be refined into a variety of fuel products liquefaction technology, is scheduled for startup early this year. to CO ratio of the F-T synthesis is al- the AGR unit is sent to a sulfur re- ways met. The shifted syngas is then covery unit (Claus plant), where it is Indirect liquefaction submitted to an acid-gas-removal converted into elementary sulfur. The Indirect liquefaction (Figure 2) involves (AGR) step, where COS, H2S, and CO2 tail gas from the Claus plant is hydro- as a first step, the complete breakdown are removed to produce clean syngas genated and recycled to the AGR unit. of coal structure by gasification with feed for the F-T synthesis unit. To suf- The yield of F-T products in a fully steam and O2. The composition of the ficiently protect the F-T catalyst from self-sufficient, free-standing, CTL gasification products is then adjusted, contaminants, a Rectisol adsorption plant, based on hard coal gasifica- following cleanup to remove sulfur and process is typically deployed for acid tion, is approximately 0.25 tons of F-T other contaminants, to the required gas removal as this process is com- product per ton of coal. The sulfur pro- mixture of H2 and CO in synthesis gas mercially proven in CTL applications. duced depends on the sulfur concen- (syngas). The syngas is reacted over However, a more energy efficient Sel- tration in the coal. a catalyst at relatively low pressure exol AGR system may also be used. A and temperature to produce paraffins, small fraction of the clean syngas is F-T synthesis olefinic hydrocarbons, or alcohols, de- sent to a pressure-swing-adsorption The basic reactions in the F-T synthe- pending on the catalyst selected, the (PSA) unit for the production of pure sis are the following: type of synthesis reactor chosen, and H2, which is required in the product Paraffins formation the synthesis reaction conditions used. work-up section, and the major part of (2n+1)H2 + nCO = CnH(2n+2) + nH2O In a coal-to-liquids (CTL) complex the syngas is routed to the F-T plant. with Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis, In the F-T synthesis step, the syn- Olefins formation coal feed is prepared in the milling gas is converted to raw F-T product. 2nH2 + nCO = CnH2n + nH2O and drying section and then sent to The lighter ends of the raw F-T prod- Alcohols formation the gasifier where it is fully converted uct are partially recycled internally 2nH2 + nCO =CnH(2n+1)OH + (n-1)H2O to raw syngas. (A coal-slurry gasifier and the remainder sent to the heavy may also be employed instead). Both ends recovery unit. The tail gas from Other reactions may also occur dur- solid and slurry fed gasifiers are en- the heavy-ends recovery unit is sent ing the F-T synthesis depending on trained-bed gasification systems. The to a combined cycle plant to produce the catalyst employed and the condi- newer entrained-bed gasifiers, while sufficient power for the entire CTL tions used. being considerably more efficient, pro- complex. The F-T products, namely duce a gas that has a higher syngas F-T waxes and F-T condensate, are Water gas shift content of H2 and CO, but a lower H2 sent to the product upgrade section, CO + H2O = CO2 + H2 to CO ratio. Oxygen for the gasifica- where they are hydroprocessed with Boudouard disproportionation tion is supplied by an air separation H2 from the PSA to produce primarily 2CO = C + CO2 unit (ASU). A part of the raw syngas diesel product. Not only hydrocarbons, is treated in the CO water-gas-shift but also a significant amount of water The production of hydrocarbons using unit to convert the steam and CO to is produced during F-T synthesis. This traditional F-T catalysts (iron or co- H2 and CO2, after which this treated water fraction contains impurities balt) is governed by chain growth or gas is remixed with the untreated such as oxygenates, which have to be polymerization kinetics. portion. Split between the portions is removed in a water treatment step. The most important aspects for de- controlled such that the required H2 Sour gas (H2S, COS) removed in velopment of commercial F-T reactors 24 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 09_CHE_011509_NF3_TS.indd 24 12/22/08 10:14:29 AM
- 27. Oxygen/ Coal* steam Catalyst Figure 2. With Indirect coal liquefac- Gasification and F-T CxHy F-T product tion, coal is subjected to intense heat and H2 + CO separation and gas cleaning syngas synthesis liquids pressure to create synthesis gas (H2 + and wax upgrading CO). After the syngas is cleaned, it is con- verted to liquid fuels by F-T synthesis Steam Tail gas Sulfur CO2 Water and LPG types of upgrading processes are used, and ash Electric oxygenates naphtha Steam jet fuel including hydrocracking of heavy F-T power generation diesel wax, and catalytic oligomerization of *Any carbon-bearing feedstock base oil light (C3–C5) olefins. lubricants waxes The latter is especially applicable to Electricity solvents the product from a high-temperature (HTFT) process, where the bulk of are the high reaction heats and the cooling (Advanced Synthol, Sasol) the product consists of these olefins. large number of products produced Fischer-Tropsch reactor operation can However, this report is focused on the with varying vapor pressures (gas, be classified as either high tempera- maximum production of diesel fuels, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons). The ture, (HTFT; 340°C), or low tempera- so hydrocracking is the most relevant main reactor types, which have been ture (LTFT; 220–240°C). process. The hydrocracking of heavy proposed and developed since 1950, paraffins serves two purposes, namely are the following: F-T products, CTL upgrading to lower the boiling range of wax to • lurry bubble-column reactors with S The LTFT primary-reaction products middle distillates and to improve internal cooling tubes (Sasol SSPD) are ideally suited for upgrading wax the cold flow properties of F-T diesel • ultitubular fixed-bed reactor with M to middle distillates with naphtha as with hydrocracked products that are internal cooling (Arge, Sasol, Shell) the main coproduct. The most suit- mostly branched molecules. Currently • irculating fluidized-bed reactor C able, middle distillate product is die- the production of a high-quality diesel with circulating solids, gas recycle, sel. Lighter and heavier fractions are fuel is preferred to the production of and cooling in the gas/solid recircu- usually less desirable due to limited gasoline. This is because the very fac- lation loop (Synthol, Sasol) markets or lower prices, or both. tors that count against F-T gasoline, • luidized-bed reactors with internal F For middle distillate production, two such as product linearity and low “QUALITY PRODUCTS DESIGNED AND TESTED TO SATISFY CUSTOMER NEEDS.” At Valve Concepts, Inc., we realize that quality can’t be inspected into a product. Instead, it starts in the factory, where we employ an ISO 9001:2000 Quality Assurance Program to ensure compliance to international standards. Our commitment to engineering excellence also extends to our own state-of-the art, full-scale test facility, where we collect and analyze flow performance data. We’re comparing the results against our own standards — which are often higher than those stated in API requirements. It’s just one more way that “We simply make it right.” Darrin Vanderbilt, Engineering Lab Manager 7 Years Industry Experience www.cashco com Cashco, Inc., P.O. Box 6, Ellsworth, KS 67439-0006, Ph. (785) 472-4461, Fax: (785) 472-3539 Innovative Solutions Circle 16 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-16 CAS-179A.indd 1 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 25 11/25/08 2:49:35 PM 09_CHE_011509_NF3_TS.indd 25 12/22/08 10:16:20 AM
- 28. Circle 17 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-17 SRI GAG-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:29:38 PM
- 29. Technology Showcase aromatic content, are very positive gree of branching decreases. There is than would be obtained from steam factors in favor of high-quality, high- therefore a big incentive to improve cracking normal, crude-oil naphtha. ■ cetane-number diesel fuel. For maxi- the selectivity of the wax hydrocrack- Edited by Gerald Ondrey mum production of high quality diesel, ing operation in order to increase the the slurry bed reaction operating in diesel cut yield. Some chain branching Acknowledgement This article has been derived from a 550-page the high wax-selectivity mode with co- does occur during the wax hydrocrack- report, issued last July, entitled “Fuels of the balt based catalyst, or the high diesel- ing operation, so the cetane number of Future: Technology Intelligence for Coal-to- Liquids Strategies,” and prepared by Ron Smith, selectivity mode with iron based cata- the diesel fuel produced is somewhat Marianna Asaro and Syed Naqvi of SRI Consult- lyst, is the recommended route. lower than that of straight run F-T ing (Menlo Park, Calif.). The full report covers a wealth of quanitative and other information Straight-run F-T diesel makes up diesel. The final diesel pool, however, on coal-to-liquids technology. Although both di- about 20% of the total F-T product and has a cetane number above 70. rect and indirect liquefaction are covered, the economic focus of the report is on indirect lique- because it is predominantly linear, it The diesel produced in the wax faction. Economic analyses are provided for pro- duction of middle distillates from coal in order has a cetane number of about 75. hydrocracking process consists only to maximize diesel fuel production using conven- Note that this compares with refinery of alkanes. The naphtha produced tional iron or cobalt catalysts. In addition, the report profiles, in detail, different types of coal naphtha cetane numbers varying from in the F-T process also consists pre- gasification, syngas cleaning and processing op- 40 to 50. The F-T slurry reactors are dominantly of linear alkanes. To con- tions and coal/biomass cogeneration technology. operated for maximum fuels produc- vert these two naphtha cuts into on- Other alternative CTL fuels technologies covered in the report include coal to methanol and coal tion because subsequent downstream specification gasoline would require a to dimethyl ether (DME). The report investigates the latest developments in synthesis catalysis for hydrocracking of the wax under rela- considerable amount of further octane F-T diesel, and direct DME sysnthesis, includ- tively mild conditions makes the larg- number upgrading. However, since ing parameters and features of CTL catalysts and an overview of recent RD catalysis for F-T, est contribution of the final diesel fuel these naphthas consist essentially of methanol and DME. The report also reviews re- pool. There are two reasons for operat- linear alkanes, they make an excel- cent patents related to CTL technology. Environ- mental considerations, including the emission of ing the F-T process at high pressures, lent feedstock for the production of CO2 and its process-configuration requirements namely the wax selectivity increases ethylene by steam cracking, yielding for capture as it relates to CTL technology, is included. To learn how to buy the full report, con- with pressure, and secondly, the de- a much higher selectivity of ethylene tact the key author: rsmith@sriconsulting.com. Psst ... SoundPLAN is recognized around the globe as the LIST leader in noise evaluation and mapping software. We give you cutting edge noise-control innovations with fast calculations and striking graphics that are easy to understand. It’s all designed to help you manage potential noise problems before they arise, keeping your project on budget and on time. Software is available in English, Asian European languages. And we are proud to offer expert, local support for your technical and sales needs. Let us introduce you to SoundPLAN— CONTACT US FOR A FREE DEMO CD Call today +1 360 432 9840 www.soundplan.com Circle 18 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-18 Circle 19 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-19 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 27 09_CHE_011509_NF3_TS.indd 27 12/22/08 10:18:04 AM
- 30. People WHO’S WHO Tully Allred Waring Boss Murphy The American Institute of Chemi- Marcus A. Pignataro is elected presi- Dover Fluid Management (Chi- cal Engineers (New York, N.Y.) names dent and general manager — Asia/ cago, Ill.) announces the appoint- June Wispelwey executive director. Pacific of Excel Polymers, LLC ment of Tim Waring to president of (Solon, Ohio). the OPW Fluid Transfer Group. Richard L. Killion becomes president and COO of Babcock Wilcox Garner Industries (Lincoln, Nebr.) Starfire Systems (Malta, N.Y.) Power Generation Group, Inc. promotes Todd Peterson to vice-presi- names Patrick J. Murphy chief com- (Baberton, Ohio). dent of sales. mercial officer. Bio-Chem Fluidics (Boonton, N.J.) Honeywell Specialty Products (Mor- Tom Larson of Trek, Inc. (Medina, appoints John Tully distribution sales ris Township, N.J.) names Jack Boss N.Y.) is elected to the board of direc- and marketing manager. vice-president and general manager. tors of the Electrostatic Discharge Association (ESDA) (Rome, N.Y.) by Peter Allred joins ESR Technology Range Fuels, Inc. (Broomfield, its members. ■ (Warrington, U.K.) as CFO. Colo.) elects David C. Aldous CEO. Kate Torzewski Bookshelf (Continued from p. 9) Plastics Testing and Characteriza- tion: Industrial Applications. By All in all, I would recommend this book to managers, A. Naranjo, M. Noriega, T. Osswald, but also to most non-managers, in the chemical process J. Sierra M., and A. Roldan. Hanser industries (CPI) and related industries and academia, Gardner, 6915 Valley Ave., Cincinnati, even if they have little or no direct contact with patent- OH 45244. Web: hansergardner.org. ing. The CPI is highly dependent on patents, so it is 2008. 375 pages. $99.95. worthwhile for chemical engineers to understand what this book explains. The book is easy to read and under- Reactive Distillation Design and stand, not overly long and provides a good, no-nonsense Control. By William L. Luyben and foundation in vital areas of patenting. Chen-Ching Yu. John Wiley Sons, Inc. 111 River St., MS 8-01, Hoboken, NJ Fluid Mechanics of Environmental 07030-5774. Web: wiley.com. 2008. 574 Interfaces. By Carlo Gualtieri and Dra- pages. $104.00. guntin T. Mihailovic. CRC Press, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway, NW, Suite 300, Guidelines for Chemical Trans- Boca Raton, FL 33487. Web: crcpress.com. portation Safety, Security, and 2008. 348 pages. $169.00. Risk Management. By the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). Future Energy: Improved, Sus- Wiley-AIChE. 111 River St., MS 8-01, tainable and Clean Options for Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774. Web: wiley. our Planet. By Trevor Letcher. El- com. 2008. 166 pages. $125.00. sevier, 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803. Web: elsevierdi- Ionic Transport Processes In Elec- rect.com. 2008. 400 pages. $80.95. trochemistry and Membrane Sci- ence. By Kyosti Kontturi, Lasse Murto- Selection of Polymeric Materials. maki, and Jose A. Manzanares. Oxford By E. A. Campo. ASM International, University Press, 198 Madison Ave., 9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, New York, N.Y. Web: uop.com. 2008. 320 OH 44073. Web: asminternational.org. pages. $110.00. ■ 2008. 253 pages. $230.00. Kate Torzewski 28 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 05_CHE_011509_BKS_WW.indd 28 12/26/08 2:23:11 PM
- 31. Fluke January Vacuum degassing chamber con- nects directly to vacuum pump This off-the-shelf, portable degas- sing chamber is ideal for removing entrapped air and water vapor from urethanes, epoxies, resins and other liquids. The MV Portable Degassing Chamber (photo) is constructed of stainless steel with a 1.5-in.-thick clear-acrylic top for viewing contents, Krohne includes a 0–30-in.-Hg gauge, and vent and isolation valves. It connects directly to a vacuum pump and has a VisiTrap vacuum pump inlet trap to protect the unit from harmful va- pors. Available in 15- and 4-gal sizes, the MV Portable Degassing Chamber offers users a standard product for small batch processing and laboratory research applications. Options include MV Products shelves, trays, feed-thrus for stirring the contents, and a variety of differ- ent ports and fittings. — MV Prod- ucts, No. Billerica, Mass. www.massvac.com Simplify Fieldbus testing with this product’s bus health test Two models have been added to this firm’s range of Color ScopeMeter Test Tools (photo) with automated test ca- pability for Fieldbus, ProfiBus and other industrial communication proto- cols. The new models, the ScopeMeter KNF Neuberger ITT 225C (200 MHz, 2.5 GS/s) and 215C (100 MHz, 1 GS/s), are designed for tial signal measurements on 2-wire dif- costs. The VRS vertical pump also al- maintenance specialists who keep au- ferential bus systems. — Fluke Corp., lows for liner replacement without re- tomation and process-plant equipment Everett, Wash. quiring a change of the entire pump operational. These systems often oper- www.fluke.com casing. The impellers are built with ate in harsh environments requiring tighter tolerances than other vertical special techniques and tools for main- Cut costs when operating with pumps, which improves the operating tenance and troubleshooting, including this vertical pump efficiency and saves up to 40% in en- verification of electrical signal quality The Goulds VRS vertical rubber-lined ergy costs, says the manufacturer. The on industrial buses such as Fieldbus canteliver sump pump (photo) is said VRS pumps are available in 2-, 3-, 5- Foundation, CAN-bus (or DeviceNet), to set new standards for energy effi- and 6-in. dia. with 4 and 6-ft lengths. Profibus, RS-485, ModBus, ASI and ciency and other costs. The VRS liners, They can handle duties with up to 120 more. The new instruments feature impellers and casing halves are all ft head, solids up to 1/4 in., and 75 psi easy signal validation of all critical sig- interchangeable with the firm’s SRL working pressure. — ITT Corp., White nal parameters and have floating and horizontal pumps, resulting in reduced Plains, N.Y. fully isolated inputs for true differen- parts inventory and maintenance www.itt.com Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 28D-1 on p. 58, or use the website designation. 10_CHE_011509_NPd.indd 1 12/22/08 11:20:36 AM
- 32. Satortius Mechatronics New Products HF Inverting Filter Centrifuge Cutting edge centrifuge technology for filtration, washing and drying of solid/liquid suspensions • Increase production • Improve productivity - Thin Cake Processing • Eliminate Operator Exposure - Full Containment • Effective Automated CIP • Widest Range of Applications - Hardest OPW Engineered Systems to Easiest Filtering Products • Lowest Possible Moistures - PAC ™ Technology Achieve high flowrates with • Dry Product Inside the Centrifuge - these customizable pumps PAC™ Technology This process pump is engineered to de- liver the highest flowrate of any electri- cally operated diaphragm pump. These Conical Vacuum pumps offer oil-free operation without Dryer - Mixer risk of medium contamination and can Advanced technology be equipped with a double diaphragm for simultaneous system for increased safety critical multi-function when handling valuable or dangerous drying and mixing gases. All Type N0150 process pumps (photo, p. 28D-1) can be customized to • Full Containment Operation meet application requirements, includ- • Largest Heat Transfer Surface Area ing explosion-proof motors, corrosion- • Automatic CIP resistance, leak-tight capabilities, and a • Handles the Widest Range of Materials choice of pump materials. Depending on • Variable Volume Batch Sizes Rockwell Automation • Gentle Low Shear Drying Mixing model, these pumps can achieve flow- • Quick Trouble Free Product rates up to 300 L/min (10 SCFM), maxi- tion requirements, temperature range Discharging mum vacuums up to 29.3 in. Hg, and from –0°C to 70°C and process pressures maximum pressure up to 30 psig. They up to 50 psig. The compact electronics are designed to exhibit significantly low comes standard with an integral dis- Pennwalt leak rates ranging from 6 x 10–3 mbar play and keypad for local configuration Super-D-Canter l/s (standard models) to 6 x 10–6 mbar ,and precludes the need for hand-held Cutting edge continuous centrifuge technology l/s (double-diaphragm versions). — KNF communicators or PC software. Internal for separation of Neuberger, Inc., Trenton, N.J. software features support over 80 stan- slurries into liquid or www.knf.com dard flume and weir characterizations solid phases. with totalization display in a resettable • Only (1) drive motor Use this ultrasonic level transmit- and a non-resettable format. — Krohne, • High Abrasion Points are fitted with ter in wastewater applications Inc., Peabody, Mass. replaceable parts The Optisound VU3X Series Continu- www.krohne.com • Advanced Polymer injection system • Most economical cost ous Ultrasonic Level transmitter (photo, Ideal for: p. 28D-1) provides a reliable, repeatable Prevent spillage at liquid • Ethanol Stillage Dewatering and highly accurate (0.15%) continu- transfer points • Sludge Thickening Dewatering ous level measurement of liquids. It is Kamvalok Dry Disconnect Couplings • Chemical Intermediates Fine Chemical capable of liquid level measurement to (photo) are used at liquid transfer points • Production of Plastics (PVC Dewatering) • Clarification of Liquids ranges up to 30 ft. with a 2-wire 4–20 where product loss could occur, provid- • Distillery Stillage mA, HART output signal. The Optisound ing a reliable solution to prevent spill- VU30 sensor is constructed of CPVC for age during the connection or disconnec- use in environments that are classified tion process. It features stainless-steel hazardous (Class I, Div. 1) with Intrin- Autolok locking arms, and a stainless- sically Safe or Explosion Proof installa- steel locking handle that secures both Circle 41 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-41 10_CHE_011509_NPd.indd 2 12/22/08 11:21:31 AM
- 33. Experience the Worldof Automation exiderdome U.S. Tour | July 2008 - May 2009 w w w. e x i d e rd o m e . c o m / u s 1-800-964-4114 • ref. code CHENF30109 • www.sea.siemens.com/chemical Circle 24 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-24 Chemistry_F30_ChemEng_Jan09.indd 1 12/8/2008 11:39:31 AM siemens1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:32:45 PM
- 34. New Products the opened and closed positions to pre- vent accidental release or uncoupling. The Autolok locking arms provide added protection with an automatic locking mechanism signaled by a positive click; uncoupling requires only an easy tug on the lock release. The poppeted-seal cylinder design, equipped with an eas- Turck Baumer ily replaceable snap-on nose seal, offers dual protection and automatic closure wide range of accessories offered, from These motor control centers of- from both the coupler and adaptor. The conveyor systems to diverse evaluation fer a variety of product solutions Kamvalok coupler is available in alu- electronics as well as a choice of dimen- This firm has released the Allen-Brad- minum and stainless steel in sizes 1 ½, sions, CoSynus models can be seam- ley OneGear product line (photo) provid- 2 and 3 in. — OPW Engineered Systems, lessly integrated into any production ing a full range of motor control center Lebanon, Ohio process. In addition, in a facility that al- and power control center options. The www.opw-es.com ready has a Synus, it can be changed in OneGear product line is the next gener- just a few simple steps into a CoSynus. ation of medium-voltage motor control Checkweighing and metal The metal detector is operated utiliz- specifically designed for use with full detection in one unit ing Synus dynamic checkweigher elec- voltage and solid-state, reduced volt- This firm has extended its Synus series tronics. A single interface can be used age applications, supporting operating of dynamic checkweighers with a new to configure the two functions quickly voltages up to 15 kV and utilizing both series of weighing products called CoSy- and easily, which saves time, especially vacuum-contactor and circuit-breaker nus (photo, p. 28D-2), a combination of when there is no floor space. — Satortius switching technology. All OneGear prod- a metal detector and a checkweigher in Mechatronics Corp., Edgewood, N.Y. ucts will be available with optional arc- one unit. With its modular design and www.satorius-usa.com resistant cabinets, which meet IEEE Circle 25 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-25 Circle 26 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-26 28D-4 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 10_CHE_011509_NPd.indd 4 12/22/08 11:24:28 AM
- 35. new load cellline delivers extremely These sensors can be used to measure fast dynamic signal processing and both compression and tension/com- accuracy to 0.3%. Designed to offer ex- pression over the entire conventional cellent transverse sensitivity by com- force range of 0.5–100 kN. These com- pensating for non-centrally applied pact load cells start at just 32-mm dia., forces, DLRx Load Cells offer highly making them ideal for installation in accurate force absorption and precise, limited-space environments. They can low-noise, dynamic signal processing be used in static or highly dynamic ap- during all measuring applications. plications and are well suited for force Pentair Industrial Dürr’s Proven VOC Control Systems C37.20.7 and IEC Type 2 protection. The OneGear product line offers remote monitoring, diagnostic capability and in-depth motor protection for maximum motor utilization while avoiding dam- age and downtime. — Rockwell Auto- mation, Milwaukee, Wis. www.rockwellautomation.com This quick-connect wiring system provides up to 18-amp of power The M16 powerfast wiring system (photo) is designed for machine power distribution and motor control. The quick-connect system provides a time- and cost-saving replacement for tra- ditional hardwiring installations and complies with NFPA 79 (National Fire Protection Assn. Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery). These 2-, 3- Engineered Abatement Systems for Environmental Compliance and 4-pin connectors and tees provide up to 18 A in a compact form factor. All connectors deliver IEC IP 67 pro- Your Needs, Our System. tection and are rated for 600 V and up to 18 A. Tees are available with simple Dürr provides complete technology and • 99% Destruction Efficiency solutions to keep your plant in continuous —Guaranteed connectors or with branches. The line compliance. With the dynamic combinati- • Low Life Cycle, Operating and offers male or female options, straight on of our Single Rotary Valve RL RTO and Energy Costs connectors, standard and custom our 30+ years of experience in almost • Guaranteed Uptime lengths, and pigtails or extensions. To every sector of industry—Dürr has the • Over 3,000 VOC Control Systems answer for your VOC abatement needs. Installed Worldwide complete the system, fully encapsu- • After Market Services lated mating receptacles with nickel- Durr offers complete After Market • 24/7 Phone and On-Site Emergency plated brass housing and 1/2–14-in. Services such as Spare Parts, Retrofits, Services Performance Contracts, and Scheduled NPT, 3/8–18-in. NPT, M18 and M20 Maintenance for VOC equipment of any Environmental and Energy Systems mounting threads are available. — make. These services will keep your Contact: Greg Thompson Phone: +1 734-254-2314 Turck Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. system continuously running and techno- logically up to date. E-mail: EESsales@durrusa.com www.turck.com These load cells monitor static or dynamic forces DLRx Load Cells (photo, p. 28D-4) are sensors designed to measure force in a range of harsh industrial environ- ments. Featuring IP65/IP67 protec- tion and stainless-steel housings, this Circle 27 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-27 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 28D-5 10_CHE_011509_NPd.indd 5 12/22/08 11:25:20 AM
- 36. Metso Automation New Products measurement, weight measurement ings feature carbon and stainless- and force monitoring. — Baumer, Ltd., steel construction options, paired with Southington, Conn. 316-stainless-steel center guide posts, www.baumerelectric.com/usa cup-and-spring assemblies, as well as heavy-duty support legs. — Pentair In- Achieve filtration up to 4,100 dustrial, Sheboygan, Wis. gal/min with these housings www.pentairindustrial.com Designed for use in commercial and in- and efficient alternative to the man- dustrial filtration applications, Multi- A wireless product sends com- ual inspections that many industrial Round Liquid Cartridge Housings plete maintenance information facilities employ to monitor the health (photo, p. 28D-5) offer an exceptional This company, in collaboration with of rotating equipment, such as pumps, 11 to 205 cartridge capacity, and accept SKF, has introduced OneWireless compressors and motors. — Honeywell 20-, 30- or 40-in. filter cartridges, de- Equipment Health Monitoring (EHM), Process Solutions, Phoenix, Arizona livering 120–4,100 gal/min flowrates. which will wirelessly transmit com- www.honeywell.com/ps These cartridge housings are pres- plete spectral information — including sure rated at 150 psi and accept dou- vibration amplitude and operating pa- A membrane that improves ble open-end cartridges or 222-style rameter information — from the field salt rejection and flowrate cartridges with closed top caps. They to the plant room. OneWireless EHM This firm announces two new FilmTec also provide several housing options, is a compact, eight-channel monitor- 8-in. saltwater reverse osmosis including a duplexing housing for ing device that collects acceleration, (SWRO) membrane elements for im- continual flow during maintenance, velocity, temperature and bearing proved performance and energy effi- as well as housings with higher pres- condition data and delivers them to ciency in desalination applications. At sure ratings and different connection process operators and maintenance 99.80%, the FilmTec SW30XHR-400i sizes and types. Users can add ASME personnel to alert them of equipment has the highest salt rejection consis- NOx-BioSystems-Ad 12/15/08 10:15 AM Page 1 Code U stamp as an option. The hous- problems. The device is a cost-effective tently demonstrated in the industry, Tri-NOx® Multi-Chem® System Takes Any NOx Load to ZERO ppm! • Wet destruct technology simultaneously removes SO2 and other acid gases. • Non-catalytic system will not blind or poison. • System is free of toxic/harmful by-products. • Systems operating in tough California southcoast region. E-mail: dhaley@tri-mer.com MultiPhase BioSystem ™ for VOC Emissions Meets MACT standard for VOCs, including formaldehyde, methanol, terpenes, pinenes and others. Technologically superior to biofilters, biotricklers, and bioscrubbers. A better choice than expensive RTO RTO thermal oxidation devices which have high operating costs. Tri-Mer ® ® (989) 723-7838 CORPORATION E-mail: kevin.moss@tri-mer.com www.tri-mer.com © 2009 Tri-Mer Corp. Circle 28 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-28 Circle 29 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-29 28D-6 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com January 2009 cEcc 10_CHE_011509_NPd.indd 6 12/22/08 11:26:08 AM
- 37. FilterSense according to the firm. It features a guaranteed active area of 400 ft2 and flowrate of 6,000 gal/d. FilmTec SW30ULE-400i elements have a flowrate of 11,000 gal/d with 99.70% salt rejection. Both FilmTec SW30XHR-400i and SW30ULE- 400i are offered with iLEC interlocking caps that reduce pressure drop within the permeate tube and help eliminate the O-ring damage that can be a cause of major leakage in traditional desalination membrane systems. — Dow Water Solutions, Edina, Minn. www.dow.com/liquidseps IT TECH SA This actuator supports torque up to 3,000 in.-lb CH - 6707 Iragna - BIASCA Valvcon ADC RS-485 addressable quarter-turn electric ac- tuators offer the torque and reliability of the Valvcon ADC www.ptfe.ch platform combined with sophisticated data communications and control capabilities. They are well suited for on/off duty and proportional applications in multi-actuator network CUSTOMIZE YOUR HEAT installations where continuous duty and high starts per minute are a must. The ADC Series RS-485 offers high data transmission speeds (35 Mbits/s up to 10 m and 100 Kbits/s at 1,200 m) and the ability to query and command multiple units on a single network. They are available for torque TRANSFER PROCESS requirements up to 3,000 in.-lb. Standard Valvcon ADC RS-485 capable actuator features include all hardened steel Engineering, gears, standard ISO5211 mounting interfaces, stall protec- tion, and a sleep/wake mode to preserve battery power. They productions solutions are available in NEMA 4, 4X, 7, and 9 enclosures. — Metso Automation, Northborough, Mass. www.metsoautomation.com Loop-powered particulate matter transmitter for dust collectors This loop-powered particulate matter transmitter (photo, p. 28D-7) provides simple two-wire installation and inter- face with the company’s B-PAC baghouse optimization con- trollers or existing plant control systems. The transmitter exceeds the EPA MACT standard for baghouse and dust collector leak detection. Employing field-proven induction- sensing and protected-probe technologies, these particulate matter transmitters are said to offer increased reliability HEATING SOLUTIONS: over traditional triboelectric and opacity products. The combination of induction sensing and a protected probe provide high reliability even in difficult applications such Silicon Carbide + HPTFE as fly ash from coal, carbon black, chemicals, smelters and spray dryers. General benefits include detecting emissions Piping, Valves, before they are visible, eliminating cleanup costs, prevent- ing the escape of valuable powders and protecting down- Gaskets Bellows stream equipment. — FilterSense, Beverley, Mass. www.filtersense.com This diamond coating is durable and long lasting Visit us at ACHEMA 2009 A a new diamond coating for mechanical seals has been in- Frankfurt am Main/Germany troduced that offers excellent protection against wear dur- ing dry running, in applications with mixed friction and Hall 3.0 - Stand F24-F25 under exposure to abrasive media. DiamondFaces, a spe- cially developed crystalline diamond coating on the seal Circle 30 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-30 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 28D-7 10_CHE_011509_NPd.indd 7 12/22/08 11:26:30 AM
- 38. Hach New Products face, is extremely hard, exceptionally mond coated mechanical seals make long wearing, and features outstand- for minimized wear and significantly ing heat conductivity, excellent chemi- longer service life. — EagleBurgmann cal resistance and low friction, thus Group, Houston, Tex. enabling considerable savings in terms www.eagleburgmann.com of energy, says the manufacturer. Pur- chasers of this product say that the ad- Measure turbidity, suspended ditional financial outlay pays for itself solids, and sludge blanket level in a short period of time, since the dia- The TSS Portable hand-held meter (photo) offers turbidity, suspended solids and sludge-blanket level measurement in one instrument. The TSS is ideal for remote monitoring of rivers and appli- cations involving municipal and indus- Sulzer VKR Mist EliminatorsTM— TM trial wastewater, and drinking water. the high performance way to separate mist Additionally, this instrument can be used as an optimization tool or as an easy way to calibrate or validate on-line sensors. The TSS Portable uses a multi- beam alternating light method with an infrared (IR) diode system, allowing a broad measuring range for both turbid- ity and suspended solids. It stores up to four different calibration curves for sus- pended solids and one for turbidity. The meter’s internal memory stores up to 290 measuring values, including time, date, measurement, location, and homo- geneity. — Hach Co., Loveland, Colo. www.hach.com/tssportable This fiber-optic transmission Velocity (ft/s) 8.2 10 12 14 16.4 8 Flood probe eliminates fouling 7 Flood The FPT-855 Near-IR Transmission Probe features an integral heating Pressure drop (mbar) 6 jacket that virtually eliminates the 5 Conventional Pad VKR Pad occurrence of fouling due to conden- 4 sation of product on the probe sur- 3 faces. FPT-850 near-IR, visible and Liquid load: 1.1 m3/m2 hr ultraviolet transmission probes were developed to provide long-term reli- 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 Velocity (m/s) High capacity channels drain ability under the extreme conditions VKR Pad™ has 20% greater flooding capacity collected liquid near tower wall and away from support ring of high temperature, thermal shock, MOVING AHEAD and aggressive chemistries. One key design element is a proprietary sealing technique involving a direct sapphire- to-nickel-alloy welded pressure seal, How would you like to increase your gas ciencies. The VKR design also permits Sulzer Chemtech, USA, Inc. which eliminates fatigue and stress separation capacity up to 20% without higher liquid loading–up to 300% higher 8505 E. North Belt Drive failures common with brazed seals, as - then conventional mesh pads! Humble, TX 77396 place existing wire mesh mist elimina- Phone: (281) 604-4100 well as the limited lifetime character- tors with Sulzer Chemtech’s VKR Mist Eliminators™. The unique patented de- When you need high performance sepa- ration technology, call Sulzer Chemtech. Fax: (281) 540-2777 ctus.tas@sulzer.com istic of elastomeric seals. Another key sign of the Sulzer VKR Mist Eliminator For more information, visit Sulzer KnitMesh VKR Mist EliminatorTM is licensed from element is the elimination of optical fi- handles more gas, resulting in higher www.sulzerchemtech.com. bers within the probe, providing for re- Beco Engineering under U.S. Patent No. 5,439,510 and corresponding foreign patents. - liable, long-term operation at temper- atures as high as to 400ºC. — Axiom Analytical Inc., Tustin, Calif. www.goaxiom.com ■ Kate Torzewski Circle 31 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-31 28D-8 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 10_CHE_011509_NPd.indd 8 12/22/08 11:27:02 AM
- 39. Malvern Instruments January CiK Solutions This paddle design simplifies installation and removal A new option for the BMRX and Max- ima+ rotary level indicators is a col- lapsible paddle. This paddle design simplifies installation and removal of the rotary by allowing the stain- less-steel paddle to be collapsed to fit Bartec through a standard 1-1/4-in. opening common to powder and bulk agricul- tural and industrial storage bins. The paddle is available on new level indi- cators and can be retrofit onto existing Garner Industries devices. The paddle is offered as either a one- or two-paddle design. The two- paddle design (photo) is said to be best suited for light- to medium-weight materials, such as feeds, seeds and grains, or where more surface area is needed to apply resistance to the paddle and activate alerts. — Garner Industries, Lincoln, Neb. www.garnerindustries.com This little data logger stores a lot of measurements The MSR145 Analog (photo) is said to be the world’s first Mini-datalogger with four integrated sensors. The tiny MSA in Europe (52-mm long; 32-g weight) device can store up to 2-million measured values agnostics can be offered for better serum albumin, for example. Sample from up to four analog inputs (0–3 V, management of plant assets. Ultima is recoverable, ensuring no loss of 12 bit). Integrated sensors measure XE gas monitors with HART proto- valuable material, says the firm. Both temperature, moisture, pressure and col offer an affordable choice in con- dynamic- and static-light scatter- acceleration along three axes, while tinuous gas detection and monitoring, ing are used for measuring diffusion the analog inputs can be used for mon- while retaining key features and sen- speeds, particle size and particle-size itoring conventional sensors, such as sors of the Ultima X Series. — MSA in distributions, absolute molecular pH, flowrate and conductivity. — CiK Europe, Berlin, Germany weight and second viral coefficient — Solutions GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany www.msa-europe.com a parameter used to assess protein www.cik-solutions.com solubility and suitable conditions for Size-up protein molecules crystallization. — Malvern Instru- HART communication is now without sacrificing samples ments Ltd., Malvern, U.K. possible with this gas monitor The new Zetasizer µV (photo) is an www.malvern.com The Ultima XE gas monitors with dis- advanced light-scattering system for play (photo) are now available with the characterization of proteins, other Temperature monitoring for HART field communications proto- biomolecules and nanoparticles. The trace-heating applications col. HART provides two-way digital system is designed and optimized for The new digital temperature con- communication between intelligent maximum sensitivity and minimum troller DPC III (photo) is optimally field instruments and host systems. sample volumes; just 2 µL of sample matched to trace-heating applica- Increased sensor data as well as are required, allowing measurement tions. It monitors measuring circuits convenient setup, calibration and di- of as little as 40 picograms of bovine on breaks, interruptions and short Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 28I-1 on p. 58, or use the website designation. 13_CHE_011509_NPi.indd 1 12/18/08 12:51:57 PM
- 40. New Products circuits of the sensor as well as on under- and over-range in order to guarantee process safety. The DPC III is integrated in a lock-in casing for TS 35 hat-profile rail. At the measuring input, a Pt 100 resis- Spectro Analytical Siemens tance thermometer and thermal elements can be connected. The controller is equipped with a load relay (16 A), for the two-position control; an alarm relay (8 A); a logical voltage output for the PID control; and two digital inputs. The device can be used as an on/ off (two-position controller) or as a PID controller. — Bartec GmbH, Samson Controls Krohne SIKA Dr. Siebert Kühn Bad Mergentheim, Germany www.bartec.de construction that prevents bacteria ally, the wall thicknesses of Coriolis from spreading at the actuator stem measuring tubes are significantly Distributed I/Os guide. The Type 3249 is equipped with less than those of the process piping, that communicate wirelessly an EPDM diaphragm and a backup which tolerate a higher rate of corro- Simatic ET 200pro IWLAN (photo) is safety packing box. Finally, the Type sion before failing. Although tantalum the first distributed I/O system from 3345 cavity-free valve body features has been used in the past by other this firm that communicates via In- a diaphragm made of either rubber, firms, the twin, bent-tube designs dustrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN). For nitrile, butyl or PTFE, which acts both made these devices very expensive. this purpose, the new 154-6 PN HF as a seal and a valve plug. — Samson With the advent of the straight-tube IWLAN interface module was de- Controls Ltd., Redhill, U.K. design, the costs are more reasonable, veloped for the Simatic ET 200pro www.samsoncontrols.co.uk because only the measuring tube and system. The interface module wire- the raised face of the process flange lessly integrates the distributed I/O Measure the flow need to be made of tantalum. This system into the automation network, without contacting the fluid firm uses an alloy called Tantalum and is designed for harsh industrial The VUS is a solid-state flow sensor Ta10W, which consists of 10% tung- environments with a high degree of incorporated into the SoniQ ultrasonic sten and 90% tantalum. — Krohne protection (IP65/66/67). Typical ap- flow sensor (photo). The medium sim- Ltd., Wellingborough, U.K. plications include overhead monorail ply flows through a straight stainless- www.krohne.co.uk conveyors, automatic guided vehicles steel tube, and ultrasonic transducers and warehouse logistics. The inter- positioned on the outer surface of the Perform X-ray analysis face module works according to the pipe measure the fluid flowrate. The in the field with one hand WLAN standards IEEE 802.11 a/b/ fluid does not make contact with the The new xSORT hand-held, energy- g/h, and therefore operates in the 2.4 transducers, and the device has no dispersive XRF (photo) offers precise and 5 GHz frequency bands. — Sie- moving parts, making it suitable for laboratory-like analysis in engineer- mens Industry Automation Division, applications where paddle wheel sen- ing, PMI or scrap-sorting applications Nuremberg, Germany sors cannot be used. Three output by non-laboratory-trained staff. A spe- www.siemens.com/automation signals are provided: frequency, ana- cial silicon drift detector (SDD) with log (4–20 mA) and alarm. The device up to ten times the counting speed of Crevice-free valves for critical covers the flow range from 1.5 to 30 L/ conventional systems not only gives aseptic control min, and is suitable for water and non- faster analysis and better detection Eliminating areas that might increase conductive aqueous solutions. — SIKA limits for 41 elements from magne- the potential for bacterial growth, Dr. Siebert Kühn GmbH Co. KG, sium to thorium, but also allows mea- such as traps and crevices, is impor- Kaufungen, Germany surement of light elements such as tant in the design requirement for www.sika.net aluminum, silicon and phosphorous control valves used in aseptic appli- without complicated helium purging cations. This firm offers a range of The advantages of tantalum more or vacuum techniques. Typically, the valves (photo) that incorporate these affordable in a Coriolis flowmeter full range of elements can be measured features. The Type 3347 control valve, A new tantalum version of the Opti- in a single run of 2 s, or up to 10 s if for example, has polished steel parts mass 7300 Coriolis mass flowmeter light elements are included. — Spectro to ensure the highest purity for the (photo) has recently been introduced Analytical UK Ltd., Halesowen, U.K. process medium, special PTFE bush- for applications involving highly ag- www.spectro.co.uk ■ ing and an additional steam line gressive and corrosive fluids. Gener- Gerald Ondrey 28I-2 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 13_CHE_011509_NPi.indd 2 12/18/08 12:54:46 PM
- 41. Special Advertising Section 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 3 12/23/08 8:12:20 AM
- 42. Italy Special AdvertisingSection A promising outlook for Italy’s chemical industry Italian pharmaceutical manufacturers and equipment vendors are optimistic about the US market, writes Guido Furetta of the Italian Trade Commission in Los Angeles I n this global economy, so drastically — and probably permanently — altered over the last few months, the worldwide the fact that oil and natural gas prices will continue to be volatile and demand could slow down in some areas. This relatively chemical industry as a whole is doing well, good financial performance has led global despite the crisis in the financial markets. chemical players, both European and This continues the positive trend set in American, to increase investment in RD 2007 and 2008. In fact, industry experts as well as capacity. are predicting steady growth, in spite of Both European and US manufactur- ers have held back on price increases, especially for petrochemicals. As a conse- Italian innovation quence, higher sales have not created big Comber 28I-15 profits. The largest price increases were Costacurta 28I-5 reserved for agricultural chemicals and © Leon1 | Dreamstime.com Desmet Ballestra 28I-8 inedible oils and fats. Donadon SDD 28I-12 The falling dollar has definitely had an FBM Hudson Italiana 28I-6 impact on exports from Europe, making Finder Pompe 28I-4 them more expensive. Despite this, China IT TECH 28I-14 is increasing its imports from Europe. Italian Trade Commission 28I-4 The European chemical industry as a Pompetravaini 28I-10 whole remains the world’s largest pro- Petrochemicals: no big profits, but Robuschi 28I-16 ducer of chemicals, sales figures are relatively buoyant with 30% of global Continued on p. 28I-6 These high-head pumps are simple and robust Thanks to their low operating speeds and generous clearances, Finder Pompe’s PEP pumps give dependable service at heads up to 300 m, with low cost of ownership T he PEP range of pumps has been spe- cifically designed by Finder Pompe SpA for low-flow, medium-to-high head, The result is a simple, robust, mainte- nance-friendly pump able to meet extreme service conditions and convey any kind of heads up to 300 m, casing pressures above 50 bar, and temperatures up to 400°C. The open-impeller design and gener- low-NPSHa duties to API 610 requirements hazardous or flammable fluid. Flowrates ous clearances allow fluids with moderate without the use of increased speeds. range from less than 1 m3/h up to 19 m3/h, solid contents to be handled. Their hydraulic design is described in The advantages of PEP pumps in low- the literature as a “partial-emission” or flow applications compared to conven- Barske-type pump, that is, an open impel- tional volute, closed-impeller pumps are: ler with full radial vanes, 90-deg. exit • eliminates impeller backflow, reducing angle, and a concentric volute, transfer- erosion, noise, and vibration; ring energy to the fluid in a forced vortex • lower radial loads prevent shaft deflec- regime and using a diverging diffuser to tion and high vibration levels; convert this into pressure. • low and stable NPSHr characteristic The unusual feature of the PEP range across the whole pump curve. is that the required output velocity is In low-flow, high-head applications, com- obtained by increasing the impeller diam- pared to OH6 increased speed pumps, PEP eter in the range 7–13 in. The rotational pumps show: speed is always that of the driving motor: • low and stable NPSHr with no need for 3,000 or 3,600 rpm. an inducer; Low rotational speeds ensure that • less sensitive to off-design conditions; NPSHr is always less than 1 m @ 3,000 rpm • maintenance friendly: no gearbox, sim- without the need for inducers, which often ple to work on, cartridge seals. restrict the operating region of the pump. • cheaper to buy and maintain. The concentric volute keeps radial loads to PEP pumps are also available in a two- a minimum, while axial loads are limited by stage version called Dual PEP (D-PEP). the scalloped impeller design. The stuffing The single-stage PEP is an API 610 These share all the advantages of the boxes are designed to carry API 682 car- OH2 horizontal overhung design single-stage pumps, but provide twice the tridge mechanical seals. head. www.finderpompe.com 28I-4||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 4 12/22/08 2:16:01 PM
- 43. Pag 08 ing- 21x28 13-11-2008 11:10 Pagina 1 AD: www.gripa.it © 2009 Costacurta S.p.A.-VICO SINCE 1921... AND WE STILL LOVE IT For more than eighty years, we at Costacurta have been constantly and resolutely committed to the development and manufacture of special steel wire and plate components used in many different industrial processes. Every day at Costacurta, we work to improve the quality of our products and services and the safety of all our collaborators, paying ever-greater attention to the protection of the environment. Within the wide range of Costacurta products you will also find some, described below, that are used specifically in the oil, petrochemical and chemical industries: - RADIAL FLOW AND DOWN FLOW REACTOR INTERNALS; - GAS-LIQUID AND LIQUID-LIQUID SEPARATORS; - ARMOURING OF REFRACTORY, ANTI-ABRASIVE AND ANTI-CORROSIVE LININGS. For more information visit our website or contact the division 'C' components for the oil, petrochemical and chemical industries at tcrc@costacurta.it. Radial Flow and Down Flow reactor internals Costacurta S.p.A.-VICO Management systems www.costacurta.it via Grazioli, 30 certified by LRQA: 20161 Milano, Italy ISO 9001:2000 tel. +39 02.66.20.20.66 ISO 14001:2004 fax: +39 02.66.20.20.99 OHSAS 18001:1999 Circle 32 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-32 Costacurta 1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:33:55 PM
- 44. Italy Special AdvertisingSection Continued from p. 28I-4 sales (�1,476 billion in total), ahead of the PricewaterhouseCoopers, the center of US (22%) and Japan (11%). Within Europe, gravity of the global pharmaceutical indus- Italy ranks fourth, with about 12% of pro- try will soon shift from Europe and US to duction, after Germany, France and the UK. the Asia-Pacific region, with China, India The US chemicals market, meanwhile, and Singapore as the world’s largest mar- is projected to grow by nearly 9% over kets for drugs. the next five years, and should reach over US pharmaceutical imports have risen $530 billion by 2012. rapidly in recent years, especially from European countries including Ireland, Pharmaceuticals changes Germany and the UK. Experts agree that “big pharma” is ready for significant change, reducing invest- Italian strengths ment in big plants and focusing on the The North American market is the natural generics market. For the US in particular, and most important outlet for Italian chem- the next five years will see significant ical companies. This applies especially to changes as patents expire, leading to an active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) increasing number of products facing com- and intermediates, and also to custom petition from generics. manufacturing; in these sectors, Italy The custom pharmaceutical sector in exports 85% of its total production. © Sivanagk | Dreamstime.com Europe and the US is recovering well after The priority for Italian companies is the slump of the last few years. In the face therefore to promote their products in this of competition from Asia, the industry as a market — not the world’s most difficult whole is now shifting toward the high-tech task, given that Italian manufacturers are end. Some companies that have lost their already recognized as among the world’s technology advantage, however, are now best in quality, high technology, reliability Italy has a strong export position in diversifying their operations through part- and advanced production methods. pharmaceutical intermediates and APIs ners and suppliers in China and India. The “Made in According to a recent analysis by Italy” label is a Continued on p. 28I-8 A famous name in heat transfer FBM Hudson Italiana is a leader in the manufacture of heat exchangers and high- pressure equipment F BM Hudson Italiana specializes in the manufacture of heat exchangers and high-pressure equipment. The company is Ali in the UAE, was set up in 1991 and expanded in 2006; it has easy access to Abu Dhabi and Dubai international air- one of the world’s largest suppliers of com- ports, and a deep-water quay. plete air-cooled heat exchangers units for Both workshops are authorized to use refineries, gas, petrochemical and chemi- the ASME “U”,”U2”, “R”, and “S” stamps, cal plants, and is also very well known as a and hold a China Manufacturing License. skilled manufacturer of shell and tube heat They both operate ISO 9001–2000 quality exchangers, process gas boilers, and fully systems. welded plate heat exchangers; specialist In 2006 FBM Hudson Italiana became exchanger types include HP closures, high- part of the Malaysian group KNM Process efficiency (HE) exchangers, and special Systems, a world-class process equipment metallurgy exchangers. manufacturer for the oil, gas, petrochemi- Founded in Italy in 1941, FBM Hudson cal, minerals processing and power indus- Italiana has always had a strong position tries, which provides valuable financial in equipment for demanding services. The support for large contracts, as well as company has developed innovative design cost savings through centralized global and fabrication methods for high-pres- purchasing. sure equipment, and in the use of corro- FBM Hudson Italiana remains the sion-resistant materials such as titanium, group’s centre of excellence for the design FBM Hudson Italiana is an expert in zirconium, Hastelloy, Incoloy, duplex and and manufacture of heat exchangers. The the supply of high-pressure equipment super-duplex steels, Monel, nickel and company’s technical and quality know- tantalum. how, and much of its manufacturing, successful research includes new design FBM Hudson Italiana has two manufac- remain firmly rooted at Terno d’Isola. codes and manufacturing techniques for turing bases. The larger, at Terno d’Isola, Research activities include new tech- multi-layer equipment operating at very near Bergamo in northern Italy, was built niques for welding and stress analysis, high pressures, thermodynamics, noise in the mid-1960s and expanded in 1975 leading to equipment that is lighter, stron- and vibration analysis. and 1992. The smaller workshop, at Jebel ger and more corrosion-resistant. Other www.fbmhudson.com 28I-6||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 6 12/22/08 2:17:34 PM
- 45. Circle 33 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-33 Pompe1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:34:52 PM
- 46. Italy Special AdvertisingSection Continued from p. 28I-6 • high product quality resulting from participation at Informex (www.infor- Italy’s tradition of hard work, pride in mex.com), the annual custom chemical their jobs, and attention to detail; manufacturing trade convention organized • consistent product quality, thanks to by the US Synthetic Organic Chemical sophisticated production methods Manufacturers Association (SOCMA; www. backed up by careful quality control; socma.com). Informex 2009 takes place • flexibility production that allows manu- January 27–30 in San Fracisco, Calif. facturers to adapt to changing market With the help of its Los Angeles office, requirements. the Italian Trade Commission has taken • continuous technological innovation part at every Informex since 1995. Since through RD; and 1997, this participation has been in the • high levels of professionalism among form of an Italian Pavilion that brings technical and sales staff. together 20 or more Italian exhibitors and The Italian pavilion at Informex Italy traditionally takes a leading posi- their trade associations. showcases Italy’s fine-chemical tion amongst suppliers of APIs to the US In subsequent years, other countries manufacturers and equipment vendors market, where Italian manufacturers have including the UK, France, Germany and earned well-deserved recognition as high- latterly China have all followed Italy’s reliable indicator of several important tech suppliers offering global service to lead by creating national pavilions of their selling points, including: their customers. own at Informex. Recently, however, only • high levels of production know-how that The Italian Trade Commission in the Italian and Chinese pavilions have stem from the Italian chemical industry’s Rome supports Italian companies with remained active — perhaps an indication decades of experience in world markets; promotional activities. These include of Italian tenacity. www.ice.com The leader in surfactants and detergents From its strong base in surfactants and detergents, Desmet Ballestra has branched out into sulfuric acid, LAB, fertilizers, and chemicals for detergent applications D esmet Ballestra SpA, since its founda- tion in 1960, has been a world leader in the design and supply of plants for the outstanding perfor- mance, flexibility, reliability and ease production of surfactants and detergents. of operation. They The company has provided technology have been optimized to every major surfactant and detergent over the years to manufacturer worldwide. During its 47 give customers years in business it has supplied no fewer improved perfor- than 1,600 plants in over 120 countries, mance with reduced as well as what are possibly the world’s energy demand. largest sulfonation plants (24 t/h as 100% Desmet Ballestra active surfactant). Desmet Ballestra’s film offers standard plant sulfonation technology has many advan- designs for capaci- tages over competing processes: ties of 1–25 t/h, plus Desmet Ballestra 450 t/d sulfuric acid plant in Egypt • outstanding performances in terms of custom design for product quality, especially when pro- larger capacities. The recent integration of Ballestra into the cessing sensitive raw materials; Beside its core business in detergents Desmet group has substantially enhanced • exceptionally good conversion rate and and surfactants, the company is also both the company’s presence in the world color, with maximum absorption of SO3; increasingly active in several other fields markets and its ability to offer cost-com- • simpler construction, which ensures of the chemical industry, using either its petitive plants with strong local backup. easier maintenance; own proprietary know-how or technology Resources and capabilities include: • lower operating pressures; licensed from leading companies including • 150 employees and full-time consultants; • no need for extra coolers or chilled water UOP, MECS, and Akzo Nobel. These activi- • ISO 9000 certification; systems; and ties include: • RD center with laboratories and full- • extra-low energy consumption. • sulfuric acid plants with capacities of scale pilot plants; Desmet Ballestra operates an RD center 100–1,500 t/d; • up to 250,000 engineering hours per dedicated to the optimization of its pro- • LAB projects based on the advanced year; cesses. Of special note are proprietary Detal process from UOP; • 3-D computer design; processes for upgrading surfactants down- • fertilizer plants for potassium sulfate, • a full range of services from feasibility stream of the sulfonation unit, with diox- single superphosphates, and triple studies to turnkey projects; ane stripping and drying to produce pure superphosphates; • global sourcing of equipment and materi- dry surfactant. • chemicals for detergent applications: als; and The company’s detergent powder sodium silicate, sodium sulfate, zeolites, • project financing. plants are well-known worldwide for their and sodium tripolyphosphate. www.desmetballestra.com 28I-8||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 8 12/22/08 2:18:11 PM
- 47. 206x279-DSC-04.mep 3/12/07 11:22 Page 1 Desmet Ballestra Leading technologies for detergents, surfactants and chemicals industries SURFACTANTS Anionics Sulphonation / Sulphation Vacuum Neutralization Drying Non Ionics Ethoxylation / Propoxylation Alkanolamides Amphoterics Cationics Betaines Esterquats Aminoxides DETERGENTS Powder Spray Drying Tower Process NTD (non tower/agglomeration) process Liquids Batch / Continuous ORGANIC CHEMICALS Linear Alkyl Benzene Ethyl Alcohol Starch Yeast Fatty Amines Alkylolamines Methylesters for Biodiesel and Surfactant INORGANIC CHEMICALS Sodium Silicate Sulphuric Acid Sodium Potassium Sulphate Zeolite Sodium Tripolyphosphate Single Triple Superphosphates Call us at +39 02 50 831 or write to mail@ballestra.com www.desmetballestra.com Desmet 1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:35:48 PM
- 48. Italy Special AdvertisingSection Celebrating an 80th anniversary in style A new president, a new company in Poland, new sizes of liquid-ring vacuum pump and an innovative vacuum package are keeping pump specialist Pompetravaini busy P ompetravaini Group is cel- ebrating its 80th branch in Poland, Travaini Pompy Polska, alongside Travaini’s existing affiliates in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, anniversary Canada and the US. with several 2009 will see the launch of two new exciting proj- sizes of the TRVX, Travaini’s new-genera- ects under the tion liquid-ring vacuum pump series. The direction new models build on the success of the of its new patented TRVX 1007. president. This year the company will launch a new After 55 engineered vacuum package named the years, Mario HYDROTWIN, a two-stage system based Travaini has passed on a Roots blower followed by a liquid-ring the position of president vacuum pump. A dedicated control sys- No power vacuum here: Mario Travaini on to his son Carlo, though tem adjusts the motor speed to maintain (l) hands over control to son Carlo (r) he remains active in the company. The new vacuum performance, ensure safety, and president is himself a veteran, having been optimize power usage. Developed in part- Pompetravaini has supplied liquid-ring with the company for nearly 20 years. nership with Roots blower manufacturer vacuum pumps, centrifugal pumps and In such a landmark year, Pompetravaini Bora Blower of Modena, the HYDROTWIN side-channel centrifugal pumps for 80 has invest a lot of effort in expanding its is available in eight sizes, with a maximum years. The company has three factories, worldwide presence and developing new capacity of 2,500 m3/h, and provides seven subsidiaries, and distributors in over products. 2008 saw the startup of a new vacuum down to 5 mbar a. 80 countries. www.pompetravaini.it YOU’VE BEEN FEATURED! Don’t assume they’ll read your article. Place your press directly in the September 2008 CPI WATER hands of those who matter most— REUSE www.che.com your customers and prospects, Weighing News Crystallization with custom reprints from Pipes Fittings Chemical Engineering. Measurement Accuracy Algae to Fuels and More Optimize Your Process Plant Predicting Water Content In Compressed Air Show Previews: ISA, Weftec and Powtech integrated publishing solutions 800.290.5460 I chemicalengineering@theYGSgroup.com The YGS Group is the authorized provider of d f custom reprint products from Chemical Engineering. Circle 26 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-26 28I-10||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009 Chem Eng_Quarter Vert.indd 1 10/23/08 4:43:09 PM 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 10 12/23/08 12:24:23 PM
- 49. Circle 34 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-34 Italian Trade 1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:36:47 PM
- 50. Italy Special AdvertisingSection A specialist in safety devices for pressure relief Rupture discs and explosion vent panels are the main products of Donadon SDD, a specialist with more than 50 years’ experience in manufacturing rupture discs R upture discs (bursting discs) are used to protect tanks, reactors, silos and other equipment from the consequences of excessive pressure or vacuum. Donadon SDD manufactures rupture discs to customers’ specifications, cover- ing a wide range of diameters and burst pressures. High-precision, computer-con- trolled techniques ensure zero manufac- turing range and low tolerance, even at low bursting pressures. Standard delivery is two to three weeks, but rush orders can be shipped in a few days. Delivery is world- wide, and prices are competitive. Rupture discs may be used either alone, or in combination with relief valves. A rupture disc in parallel with a relief valve, for instance, offers a second level of pro- tection and increases design flexibility—a typical application is in protecting lique- With its six “petals” instead of the conventional four, this Donadon SCD reverse- fied gas tanks. When corrosive materials acting rupture disc reduces the risk of metal fragments being carried downstream are present in the relief header, a down- stream bursting disc with a lower pres- sure rating protects the relief valve. If the process fluid itself can cause corrosion, scaling or polymerization, an upstream bursting disc isolates the relief valve, reducing maintenance costs and avoiding corrosion-induced leaks. Explosion vent panels are similar to rupture discs in their general philosophy, but are designed to limit the maximum overpressure that occurs during an explo- sion. They protect against subsonic defla- grations, not high-velocity detonations, and are used where there is a likelihood that flammable vapors or dust will mix with air. Typical applications are dust mani- folds, dryers, troughs, silos, separators, mixers, boosters, air filters and sieves. Even after an explosion vent panel has opened, the pressure inside the equipment will continue to rise, though its peak value will be lower than if the vent panel were not present. To avoid exceeding the maxi- mum allowable pressure inside the equip- ment, explosion vent panels must open rapidly and fully, and be correctly sized. Unlike most rupture discs, explosion vent panels do not require special holders. Instead, they can be fitted to simple sup- ports such as welded steel frames. Explosion vent panels do not typically come in a wide range of bursting pres- sures. To protect equipment operating at atmospheric pressure, they are typically manufactured with an activation pressure of 0.1 bar g. www.donadonsdd.com Circle 36 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-36 28I-12||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 12 12/22/08 2:19:51 PM
- 51. FBM HUDSON ITALIANA, established in 1941, is today a worldwide leading brand in manufacturing of process equipments for Oil Gas and Petrochemical field. FBM HUDSON ITALIANA, a member of KNM Group since April 2006, has become the Group’s Core Centre for Engineering Excellence in terms of design and technology thanks to its engineering expertise of over 60 years in this business contributing significantly to the growth and development of the products for the Group. FBM HUDSON ITALIANA is specialised in the research manufacture of: • Air Cooled Heat Exchangers • Process Gas Boilers • Highly sophisticated ST Heat Exchangers • High Pressure Urea Ammonia Exchangers • Welded Plate Heat Exchangers • After Sales Service • Spare Parts The synergy in terms of production, customer base, engineering skills and financial enable the Group to achieve its target to be a One Stop Centre for our clients in supplying the structure and expertise of an interna- tional group spread over 16 manufacturing facilities and Engineering offices across the globe in 10 countries granting KNM a very good knowledge of local needs together with matchless know-how. Circle 37 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-37 FBM HUDSON ITALIANA SpA Via Valtrighe, 5 24030 Terno d’Isola BG - ITALY phone: +39.035.4941.111 fax: +39 035 4941.341 info@fbmhudson.com www.fbmhudson.com www.knm-group.com FBM Hudson 1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 3:37:36 PM
- 52. donadon_2008_12.pdf 17/04/2008 10.01.34 Italy Special Advertising Section PTFE and stainless steel for the best of both worlds IT TECH’s SiC/PTFE heat exchanger is leak-free even at elevated temperatures C M Y CM Backing the PFTE tubesheet with a perforated stainless MY steel plate has allowed IT TECH to design a silicon carbide heat CY exchanger that resists leakage as well as corrosive fluids H eat exchangers with silicon carbide (SiC) tubes benefit from CMY K the very high heat transfer coefficient typical of this material, points out corrosion-resistant materials specialist IT TECH. The weak points of a conventional SiC shell-and-tube heat exchanger, however, are the seals between the tubesheets and the tubes. The problem is that these seals are normally made from PTFE. At temperatures around 100°C, PTFE loses much of its tensile strength. This hinders good sealing between the tubesheets and the tubes, and leaks often result. Over the last three years, the Research Development depart- ment at IT TECH has worked to create a new technology for the assembly of heat exchangers with PTFE tubesheets and tubes made from SiC or other corrosion-resistant materials. The result is the GUARDIAN “armored” PTFE exchanger. The new heat exchanger has PTFE tubesheets supported on one side by a layer of stainless steel in the form of a perfo- rated plate. While the PTFE lining provides complete chemical resistance, the stainless steel armor ensures that the tubesheet remains absolutely rigid; thus supported, the PTFE seals remain intact at temperatures that would cause them to fail in a con- ventional exchanger. Splitting the tasks of providing structural rigidity and resisting chemical attack makes for a reliable heat exchanger with a long working life. Guardian heat exchangers use a sealing system based on threaded bushings made from Guaflon, a modified PTFE. These bushings screw into corresponding threads on the PTFE tubesheet, gripping the tubes and compressing O-ring seals made from perfluoroelastomer. The material of choice for the seals is Kaflon 72B, which the company says possesses the highest pos- sible elasticity, softness and thermal resistance. These properties allow the tubes to expand and contract without compromising the integrity of the seals. www.ptfe.ch Circle 38 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-38 14||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 14 12/26/08 3:06:27 PM
- 53. Italy Special AdvertisingSection Filters and dryers with pharmaceuticals in mind Comber is a leading manufacturer of batch equipment for solid-liquid separation and vacuum drying that needs to be carried out under hygienic conditions C OMBER filtration and drying equipment is widely used to produce pharmaceuti- cal ingredients, fine chemicals, dyes and nutsche filters and filter/dryers, Turbodry vacuum pan dryers, Condry conical-bottom agitated vacuum pan dryers, Pharmadry uum paddle dryer/reactors. The Termomix is intended for one-off or serial production, as a combination of mixer, reactor, precipi- food additives. vacuum paddle dryers, and Termomix vac- tator and dryer. www.comber.it The product range includes filters, filter/dryers, horizontal vacuum paddle dryers, and agitated vacuum pan dryers. COMBER supplies individual machines as well as complete installations, including auxiliary equipment and extensive engi- neering services. Laboratory and pilot- The Next Generation scale tests are also offered. Established in 1960, the company has its headquarters in Milan and a manufac- turing site at Colzate (Bergamo). COMBER machines operate on every continent, and the company’s agencies worldwide handle installation, commissioning, spares, evolution repairs, and maintenance contracts. COMBER engineers work with a wide range of construction materials, including Hastelloy and glass-lined steel. Pressure vessels are certified to ASME (“U” stamp), BS 5500, TÜV, and many other authorities, while the complete machines are approved by a similarly wide range of insurers. The company is certified to ISO 9001. All COMBER’s equipment is designed for simple validation, easy cleaning, and good heat and mass transfer even with difficult products. The product range comprises versatile Pressofiltro agitated P. D. Blower Package Up to 10.500 m3/h - 6.400 CFM PUMPS AND BLOWERS Via S. Leonardo, 71/A - 43100 Parma - Italy Tel. +39 0521 274911/91 - Fax +39 0521 771242 robuschi@robuschi.it COMBER supplied this Pharmadry vacuum paddle dryer to Merck in Darmstadt, Germany www.robuschi.com Circle 39 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-39 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009||||||28I-15 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 15 12/23/08 7:39:05 AM
- 54. Italy Special AdvertisingSection The vacuum power behind electricity generation Robuschi liquid-ring vacuum pumps are ideal for removing air from condensers IT TECH SA CH - 6707 Iragna - BIASCA www.ptfe.ch CUSTOMIZE YOUR HEAT Robuschi liquid-ring vacuum pumps ready for installation TRANSFER PROCESS R obuschi has successfully established a leading position in the world market, and has also gained an international reputa- Engineering, tion as an expert in blower and pump systems that specializes in customized solutions. The company can respond quickly to rapidly productions solutions changing needs, and develops systems to satisfy both planned future demand and its customers’ individual requirements at the lowest possible costs. Recently Robuschi supplied an air removal system for a power plant, to remove air and gas from the steam side of the condenser. The system consists of three skid-mounted RVS 40 liquid-ring vac- uum pumps, including piping, valves, non-condensibles separator tank, seal water cooler, controllers, and first-stage ejectors. Each pump is driven by a 55 kW motor, giving a combined capacity of 51 kg/h of saturated air at a pressure of 40 mbar. All the components are controlled and supervised from the control room, so it is possible to start and stop the pumps by remote control without the need for local checks. Instrumentation includes a monitoring system to ensure the correct flowrate and temperature of seal liquid to ensure safe and reliable operation. HEATING SOLUTIONS: Each pump is fitted with an ejector, allowing it to reach the required operating pressure even with seawater as the cooling liquid. Ejector bypass lines ensure excellent performance during Silicon Carbide + HPTFE initial pumpdown (hogging) of the condenser. The service liquid is cooled indirectly against seawater, using a corrosion-resistant alloy heat exchanger. A Robuschi RNS series Piping, Valves, centrifugal pump is used to recirculate the service liquid. The Robuschi RVS liquid-ring vacuum pump is a single-stage Gaskets Bellows monobloc model with following features: • vacuum down to 33 mbar a; • suction capacity up to 4,200 m3/h; • able to pump both gases and vapors; • able to handle liquid and gas together; • nearly isothermal compression; Visit us at ACHEMA 2009 • no lubricant in contact with the process gas; • safe operation and minimum maintenance; Frankfurt am Main/Germany • reduced noise and vibration; • can be used for many different applications, with the proper Hall 3.0 - Stand F24-F25 choice of construction materials and service fluid. www.robuschi.com Circle 30 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-30 16||||||CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||JANUARY 2009 12CHE_011509_Italy.indd 16 12/26/08 3:07:48 PM
- 55. Tray Column Design Department Editor: Kate Torzewski H ere, we present criteria needed for Table 1. Guidelines for Selection of Tray Spacing the intelligent, effective specification of trays for a distillation or stripping Description Tray Spacing, mm Comments column. Column diameters The tray support beams restrict Among the key parameters and acces- larger than 3,000 600 crawling space available; hence mm the large tray spacing sories during specification are column diameter, tray spacing, number of trays, Column diameters This spacing is sufficiently wide to number of passes, type of downcomers, between 1,200 600 allow a worker to freely crawl be- and 3,000 mm tween trays weir heights, provision of downcomer backups, tray pressure drops, design Crawling between the trays is sel- Column diameters dom required, because the worker of bottom seal pan, column bottom between 750 and 450 can reach the column wall from arrangement, and nozzle location and 1,200 mm the tray manways orientation. Fouling and cor- 600 Frequent maintenance is expected rosive service Tray Spacing Systems with a At least 450 mm, Required to avoid premature The vertical distance between adjacent high foaming but preferably 600 flooding trays varies from 450 to 900 mm in tendency mm or higher the columns generally employed in the Columns At least 450 mm, Required to avoid excessive chemical process industries (CPI), as operating in spray but preferably 600 entrainment seen in Table 1. regime mm or higher Spacing involves a tradeoff between Columns Lower tray spacing restricts column height and column diameter; with operating in froth 450 allowable vapor velocity, thereby regime promoting froth-regime operation greater tray spacing, the column height increases, while the required diameter decreases. cross-sectional area should not be speci- exceed the clearance normally employed Height/diameter ratios greater than fied. Also, the downcomer width should under the tray downcomers. It should be 25–30 are generally not recommended. not be less than 10% of the column at least 50 mm. diameter. The distance that the downcomer Tray Passes Specify the downcomer clearance to extends downward within the seal pan be less than the outlet weir height; other- should be about the same as the clear- Set the number of passes such that liquid wise, vapor will flow up the downcomer ance between downcomer bottom and loads do not exceed 70 m3/h per meter rather than through the tray deck above. pan floor. weir length. Downcomer sealing: To achieve a proper The distance between bottom tray floor After the number of passes has been downcomer seal, the bottom edge of and seal pan floor should be 150 mm selected, if necessary, adjust the column the downcomer should be about 10 mm greater than the normal tray spacing. diameter in order to arrive at a minimum below the top edge of the outlet weir. path length of 400 mm. Nozzle orientation • or a column diameter of 1,200 to F The downcomer clearance should be 2,100 mm: use two passes at maxi- selected such that the liquid velocity For nozzles that feed liquid into the top mum under the downcomer does not exceed tray, the nozzle should be perpendicular • or a diameter of 2,100 to 3,000 mm: F 0.45–0.50 m/s. to the downcomer of the top tray. use three passes at maximum Nozzles feeding liquid at intermediate Outlet Weirs trays can be placed anywhere except • or a diameter above 3,000 mm: use F four passes at maximum in the downcomer segment. The space • eir heights in the froth regime are W between the two trays should be at least restricted to 50–80 mm Downcomers • eir heights for columns operating in W 800 mm. Downcomers are conduits having the spray regime should be 20–25 mm Weir loadings should fall within the column bottom circular, segmental or rectangular cross sections that convey liquid from a tray to range of 15 to 70 m3/h per meter weir Inlets for the bottom feed and reboiler the one immediately below. length. return lines should be at least 300 mm above the high liquid level. Liquid velocities in downcomers: Pressure Drop • inimally foaming liquids: M The bottom feed and reboiler return 0.12–0.21 m/s For trays to function reasonably close to should not impinge on the bottom seal • edium foaming liquids: M their best efficiency point, the dry-tray pan, seal pan overflow, or the bottom 0.09–0.18 m/s pressure drop must be roughly equal to downcomer. • ighly foaming liquids: H the hydraulic-tray pressure drop. The tops of both pipes should be at 0.06–0.09 m/s least 400–450 mm below the bottom tray. Seal Pans Downcomer areas and clearances: For References the cross-sectional area of the downcom- The clearance between the seal pan 1. ukherjee, S., Tray Column Design: Keep Control of the M ers, values less than 5–8% of the column floor and the bottom downcomer should Details, Chem. Eng., September 2005, pp. 52–58. 14_CHE_011509_FACTS.indd 29 12/18/08 12:39:24 PM
- 56. Cover Story Feature Report CSTRs: Bound for Maximum Conversion Ralph Levine Here, a design approach for Retired continuous stirred-tank reactors M ultiple CSTRs (continuous stirred-tank reactors) are is outlined for both reversible advantageous in situations where the reaction is slow; two and irreversible second-order reactions immiscible liquids are present and re- quire higher agitation rates; or viscous ond-order reaction, at constant volume Reactor volume. The case for CSTRs liquids are present that require high and temperature, are represented by at constant volume and temperature agitation rates. Unlike in plug-flow re- Equation (1). The reaction is illustrated is shown in Equation (6). actors, agitation is easily available in below (nomenclature defined on p. 34). CSTRs. In this article, analyses of batch and plug-flow reactors are calculated (6) and compared to multiple CSTRs. (1) The number of reactors required in a CSTR system is based on the conver- (2a) (6a) sion for each stage. When the final stage (2b) Substituting Equation (6a) into (6) obtains the fraction of unconverted re- and rearranging gives Equation (6b). actant that is equal to the desired final Here, M = CD0/CB0 for M 1.0. value from the plug-flow case, the CSTR Conversion at the final desired con- system is complete. centrations is defined by Equations (2a) The volumetric efficiency of multiple and (2b). Substituting these equations (6b) CSTRs is expressed as a function of at any conversion level into Equation conversion per stage and gives the total (1) gives the following expression. Based on Equation (6a), we can find conversion required. In this article, we the reaction rate for any stage, as will apply this to both irreversible and (3) shown in Equations (7a)–(7c). reversible second-order reactions. The ideal plug-flow case is given by Equation (4). The batch case may also (7a) 2nd-order, irreversible reaction be evaluated by this equation, because For a two-component system reacting batch reaction time t is equal to (V/v) (7b) irreversibly, design of a CSTR series for plug-flow. requires knowledge of the following: the (7c) volumetric efficiency of the reactor based The second reactor in a series of CSTRs on the order of the reaction, the number (4) is of equal volume to the first reactor. of stages, and the conversion in the first Therefore, the conversion is X1 = X2, as stage. The initial ratio of one component given in Equation (8). to the other may be greater than one. (4a) The reactor design is developed by first selecting a conversion in the first Substituting Equation (3) into Equa- stage. Then, the second-stage conver- tion (4), and integrating the resulting (8) sion is equal to that of the first stage, Equation (4a), gives Equation (5). The third stage is also the same vol- since it requires an equal volume. This ume, so the conversion is X1 = X3 as procedure is continued until the frac- given in Equation (9). tion of reactant remaining equals the (5) desired value. Reactors may be stacked, one above the other, to reduce the over- When M = 1.0, second-order kinetics all cost (Figure 1). as given in one of the author’s earlier (9) The kinetics of a bimolecular or sec- articles can be used [3]. It can be shown that the nth reaction 30 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 14_CHE_011509_KT.indd 30 12/23/08 11:17:27 AM
- 57. 1.0 CBf = CBn CBf CDf Volumetric efficiency V/VT CBn CDn CDf = CDn 0.8 0.6 CB(n-1) - CBn Xn = CB(n-1) 0.4 CBn-1 CDn-1 0.3 0.2 CB1 - CB2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 X2 = Conversion ratio X1/Xe CB1 n = No. of steps 10 7 5 4 3 2 1.0 CB1 CD1 0.8 CB0 - CB1 0.6 X1 = CB0 [1-(X1/Xe)] 0.4 At 80% equlilbrium CBo CDo conversion totally 0.3 CBo CDo 0.2 CBo - CBf CDo/CBo = M 1.0 Product: Xf = CBo CPf and CSf Plug-flow Multiple backmixed reactor reactors 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 1/n Figure 1. Conversion in plug-flow reactors and CSTRs for Figure 2. These graphs represent the calculations performed in second order reactions is shown here, with conversion per Table 3. They illustrate the volumetric efficiency as a function of stage shown for the CSTR case conversion ratio (top), and [1–(X1/Xe)] as a function of 1/n (bottom) is given by Equation (10) and the final effect is 1.0988, as shown in theright- stage is given as (10a). hand column of Table 1. Meanwhile, Table 2 shows the calculation progres- sion for the CSTR volume effect (the (10) (11a) bottom half of Equation [11]) with the complete term represented in the high-hand column. In order to find the (10a) Simplify Equation (11), noting that volumetric efficiency, the final CSTR- (M–Xf) = (M–1)+(1–Xf). volume term, X1/[(1–X1)(M–X1)] must The volume of each stage is dependent be equal to or higher than the final on the conversion in the first stage, as value for the volume in plug-flow. in Equation (6a), for any value of v, k, 1. f we select X1 = 0.5 (50%), three l CB0, and M. stages are required. The volumetric Volumetric efficiency. The volumet- efficiency for this CSTR series is: ric comparison for plug-flow or batch V/VT = 1.099/1.185 = 0.927 reactors to the series of CSTRs is called 11b) ( 2. n the case where X1 = 0.4 (40%) I “volumetric efficiency,” as shown below. Tables 1 and 2 for plug-flow reactors conversion, 6 stages are required. show the calculations involved in The volumetric efficiency is: Equation (11b) for various values of V/VT = 1.099/1.139 = 0.965 final conversion. At high conversions, 3. he next case, where X1 = 0.35 (35%) T the volume of the reactor should be conversion, 9 stages are required. Divide Equation (5) by Equation (10a) larger, assuming a constant flowrate The volumetric efficiency here is: to calculate the volumetric efficiency. for each case. The volume required is V/VT = 1.099/1.129 = 0.973 calculated using Equation (5). 4. he last case to consider is where T For CSTRs in series, one of several X1 = 0.6 (60%) conversion. Here, 2 cases of conversion for a series of reac- stages are required. The volumetric tor stages may be selected. Each stage efficiency for this case is: must contain the same volume to ob- V/VT = 1.099/1.465 = 0.750 tain the same conversion (X1) in each. The preferred design is at X1 = 0.5 If we select a conversion of Xf = 0.8 (50%), where 3 stages are required. (80%) and M = 2 mole ratio of D to B The comparison for 3 stages (at (11) initially, then the plug-flow volume 50% conversion) to 6 stages (at 40% Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 31 14_CHE_011509_KT.indd 31 12/23/08 11:18:39 AM
- 58. Cover Story conversion) is: Table 1. Plug-flow, M = 2 0.927/0.965 = 96.1% (M–Xf)/ log[(M–Xf)/ 2.303xlog[(M- For 3 stages versus 9 stages at 35% M–Xf 1–Xf (1–Xf)M (1–Xf)M] Xf)/(1–Xf)M] conversion, volumetric efficiency is: 1.2 0.2 3.000 0.477 1.099 0.927/0.973 = 95.3% 1.25 0.25 2.400 0.398 0.917 This means that we lose less than 5% of the volumetric efficiency at the 1.3 0.3 2.167 0.336 0.773 increase of more stages, making a 1.35 0.35 1.928 0.285 0.657 three-stage CSTR series an efficient 1.4 0.4 1.750 0.243 0.560 choice for this reaction. 1.5 0.5 1.500 0.176 0.406 Table 1. Here, calculations are performed to find the plug-flow volume effect, as de- 2nd-order, reversible reaction termined using Equation (11). The 1/(M-1) term in this case is equal to 1 A kinetic process that depends on two components for a reversible reaction Expressing reaction rate. The rate may be designed by calculating the equation is modified to include conver- (17d) conversion in the first stage; the num- sion and equilibrium constant terms. ber of stages of equal volume; and the Substituting Equations (12a)–(14d) Stirred reactor in a batch or plug- volumetric efficiency of the reactor. into (12) gives Equation (15a). flow reactor. The batch reactor case The initial ratio for the two compo- and the ideal continuous plug-flow case nents may be any value greater than are given in Equation (18). 1. However, a preferred ratio of 2 could The reaction time is t for the batch simplify the reaction rates. case, or V/v for plug-flow case. (15a) B+D is to be converted to P+S. The kinetic rate expression of a reversible (18) bimolecular reaction is given as Equa- tion (12) at constant temperature and (15b) Substituting Equation (17d) into (18) volume for each stage. At equilibrium, the reaction rate gives Equations (18a) and (18b). equals zero. (12) (12a) (16a) (18a) (13a) (13b) (16b) Here, M = CD0/CB0 1 mole ratio. (18b) Equations (14a) and (14b) relate the Volume of each CSTR stage. An ex- initial concentration of B to the final (16c) pression for the first stage of a CSTR concentrations of the P and S for a given Using the quadratic equation, Equa- is given in Equation (19). The first- final conversion, assuming that there is tion (16c) becomes (16d). stage conversion X1 occurs in each no initial concentration of P and S. of the successive stages (X2, X3, and so on), and each stage has the same volume. (14a) (16d) Referring to Equation (15b), we can (19) (14b) combine terms. Substituting Equation (17d) into (19) Assume that P and S compounds are and rearranging gives (19a). not present in the feed components. Therefore, CP0 and CS0 are equal to zero, and the following expressions (19a) are true: (17a) (14c) (19b) (17b) (14d) Equation (19b) has only one indepen- (17c) dent variable (V). If each stirred reac- (14e) 32 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 14_CHE_011509_KT.indd 32 12/23/08 11:19:13 AM
- 59. Table 2. CSTRStages at Conversion X1 X1 1-X1 (1-X1)(M-X1) n (1-X1)(M-X1)n X1/[(1-X1)(M-X1)]n 0.80 0.20 0.360 1 0.360 2.222 0.70 0.30 0.510 1 0.510 1.373 0.60 0.40 0.640 1 0.640 0.938 Substitute Equation (22b) into (23a) 0.60 0.40 0.640 2 0.410 1.465 to obtain (23b). 0.50 0.50 0.750 1 0.750 0.667 0.50 0.50 0.750 2 0.563 0.889 0.50 0.50 0.750 3 0.422 1.185 0.40 0.60 0.840 1 0.840 0.476 (23b) 0.40 0.60 0.840 2 0.706 0.567 0.40 0.60 0.840 3 0.593 0.675 0.40 0.60 0.840 6 0.351 1.139 (23c) 0.35 0.65 0.878 1 0.878 0.399 Continue this process for the nth stage 0.35 0.65 0.878 2 0.771 0.454 to obtain the following equations. 0.35 0.65 0.878 3 0.677 0.517 0.35 0.65 0.878 4 0.594 0.589 0.35 0.65 0.878 5 0.522 0.671 (24) 0.35 0.65 0.878 9 0.310 1.129 0.30 0.70 0.910 1 0.910 0.330 0.30 0.70 0.910 2 0.828 0.362 (24a) 0.30 0.70 0.910 5 0.624 0.481 0.30 0.70 0.910 7 0.517 0.581 0.30 0.70 0.910 10 0.389 0.770 0.30 0.70 0.910 15 0.243 1.235 (24b) 0.25 0.75 0.938 1 0.938 0.267 Total volume of all stages. Substi- 0.25 0.75 0.938 4 0.774 0.323 tute Equation (19b) into (25). 0.25 0.75 0.938 8 0.599 0.417 (25) 0.25 0.75 0.938 16 0.359 0.696 0.25 0.75 0.938 20 0.278 0.899 0.25 0.75 0.938 24 0.215 1.162 Table 2. This table shows the calculations performed to find the CSTR volume ef- fect, as determined using Equation (11). The last row for each value of X1, which are (25a) shown in bold, give the required number of stages for particular reactor conversion Substitute Equation (24a) for n in (25a). tor stage is to be of equal volume and divide by (21) to find Equation (22). at a constant volumetric flowrate, then the result is a constant conversion per stage. That is, each stage, when at a (22) fixed set of conditions, has the same conversion resulting from each stage, expressed as: 25b) ( (22a) X1 = X2 = X3 ... = Xn By definition, CBn = CBo(1–Xf), where Number of stages. Conversion for Xf is the overall or total conversion in (22b) stage 1 is expressed by Equation (20). the nth stage or the final desired con- C − CB1 The exit concentration, CB1, can be version of the plug-flow reactor. By the X1 = B 0 calculated from Equation (22a). Also, method used to obtain Equation (22), CB0 (20) the exit concentration from the sec- the following equation is similarly de- The equilibrium conversion is based ond stage, CB2, can be calculated rived. Substitution of Equation (24b) on the time needed to reach a reaction from Equation (23a), based on each into (25b) gives Equation (25c). rate of zero, which may be calculated stage having the same volume and by Equation (16d) or (21). conditions. C − CBe X e = B0 CB0 (21) Subtract Equation (21) from (20) and (23a) (25c) Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 33 14_CHE_011509_KT.indd 33 12/23/08 11:19:50 AM
- 60. Nomenclature Cover Story CB Concentration of component B, moles/unit volume CD Concentration of component D, moles/unit volume Table 3. Volumetric Efficiency for Equation (26a) F Molar flowrate k Reaction velocity constant K Overall reaction velocity constant (26a) M Initial mole ratio of D/B n Number of stages r Reaction rate X1/Xe Xe 1–(X1/Xe) log[1–(X1/Xe)] (V/VT)Xe V/VT t Reaction time 0.1 0.7 0.9 –0.046 0.948 1.355 V Reactor volume v Volumetric flowrate 0.2 0.7 0.8 –0.097 0.893 1.275 X Conversion 0.3 0.7 0.7 –0.155 0.832 1.189 Subscripts 0 Refers to initial conditions 0.4 0.7 0.6 –0.222 0.766 1.095 1,2,3 Refers to first, second and third 0.5 0.7 0.5 –0.301 0.693 0.990 stages e Refers to equilibrium conditions 0.6 0.7 0.4 –0.398 0.611 0.873 j Refers to any stage in the series of reactor stages 0.7 0.7 0.3 –0.523 0.516 0.737 n Refers to the nth stage 0.8 0.7 0.2 –0.699 0.402 0.575 f Refers to the overall or final conditions 0.9 0.7 0.1 –1.000 0.256 0.366 F Conditions for forward reaction TABLE 3. For any ratio of conversion per stage to equilibrium conversion, this table R Conditions for reverse reaction provides the corresponding volumetric efficiency, based on Equation (26a). T Refers to the total of all n stages Volumetric efficiency. Since VT/v in Examples: reversible reaction. The is independent of initial concentra- Equation (25c) is residence time, as desired final conversion at a constant tion, velocity and equilibrium con- is V/v in Equation (18b) for CSTRs, volumetric conversion is related to the stants at constant temperature and these terms are equivalent. The vol- number of stages required. The num- the final conversion desired. It is de- umetric flowrate is the same in all ber of stages required can be obtained pendent on only the ratio of the first cases (a batch operation for one com- by solving Equation (24a). stage conversion to the equilibrium plete reaction cycle). Thus, the ratio With n stages in multiple reactors, conversion. ■ of comparison should be V for plug- the conversion per stage is calculated Edited by Kate Torzewski flow or batch operation (reaction vol- from Equation (24a). Assume an over- ume and time only) compared to VT all conversion of 80% of the equilib- References for multiple CSTRs. This ratio (V/VT) rium conversion. A plot of (1–X1/Xe) 1. Levenspiel, O. “Chemical Reaction Engineer- ing,” John Wiley Sons, Inc., 1962. is expressed as Equation (26), as de- versus 1/n on semilog paper gives a 2. Levine, R., Hydro. Proc., July 1967, pp. rived from (18b) and (25c). straight line, as seen in Figure 2 [3]. 158–160. The variables needed to evaluate Refer to the volumetric efficiencies 3. Levine, R. A New Design Approach for Back- mixed Reactors — Part I, Chem. Eng. July 1, the volumetric efficiency are: the first in Table 3, which represents Equation 1968, pp. 62–67. stage conversion; the number of reac- (26a). If we select a volumetric effi- 4. Levine, R. A New Design Approach for Back- tor stages n; and the initial mole ratio ciency of 0.893, a plug-flow reactor will mixed Reactors — Part II, Chem. Eng. July 29, 1968, pp. 145–150. of the excess reagent to the limiting have only 89.3% of the multiple CSTR 5. Levine, R. A New Design Approach for Back- reagents, M. volume. The conversion in Table 3 is mixed Reactors — Part III, Chem. Eng. Aug 12, 1968, pp. 167–171. about 20% conversion per stage. From Figure 2 or Equation (24b), and a ratio of conversion per stage compared to Author equilibrium conversion or (1–X1/Xe) = Ralph Levine is a retired chemical engineer currently 0.80, 7.14 stages is required. working as a consultant This calculation can be performed in for plants, design or opera- tions and RD (578 Arbor reverse, if we would like to design the Meadow Dr., Ballwin, Mo. CSTR series in four stages. From Fig- 63021; Email: ralphle2000@ yahoo.com). Levine earned ure 2, we find that the term (1–X1/Xe) a B.S.Ch.E. from the City (26) equals 0.67. Next, refer to Equation University of New York, and did graduate work at Louisi- (See Table 3) (26a) (26a) and Table 3 for the efficiency at ana State University and the University of Delaware. Levine later served as (X1/Xe), which equals 0.33, and finally an engineer for the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. Equation (26a) is independent of ini- shows the volumetric efficiency of 81%. He has worked for DuPont, Cities Service Co., and most recently, Columbian Chemical Co. tial or final concentrations and the Levine has filed several U.S. patents during his velocity constant at constant tempera- Summary of conclusions career, and is a published author, with his work featured in Chemical Engineering and Hydro- ture, as well as of overall conversion. The volumetric efficiency in a CSTR carbon Processing. 34 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 14_CHE_011509_KT.indd 34 12/23/08 11:21:15 AM
- 61. Feature Report Controlling Emissions With Ceramic Filters Table 1. Characteristics of High- and Low-Density Ceramic-Filter Elements Ceramic filters are well suited High density Low density for high-temperature processes Structure Density Granular High Fibrous Low that are subject to Filter drag High Low Porosity, % (inverse of resistance to flow) 0.3 – 0.4 0.8 – 0.9 strict emissions limits, Tensile strength High Low including those for dioxins Fracture mechanism Thermal shock resistance Brittle Low Ductile High Cost High Low Andrew Startin and Gary Elliott Clear Edge Filtration About incineration C I eramic filters offer practical installations. Of particular interest ncineration processes are being widely operating benefits and com- are the emissions of dioxin chemicals used more and more to deal with the mercial competitiveness in pol- and particulate matter that have been disposal of waste materials. In many lution abatement applications under close scrutiny since the 1990s. countries, land filling of waste materials where processes combine ele- Official emissions reports commis- is not practical or desirable due to a lack vated-temperature off gases with the sioned for these plants indicate emis- of appropriate sites. Incineration has the need for high levels of corrosion resis- sions well within regulated limits. benefit of reducing both the volume and tance and the ability to eliminate dust mass of waste, thus reducing the amount of material to be disposed of. emissions. This article discusses the Ceramic filtration technology Incineration is now applied to a wide applicability of ceramic filtration tech- The concept of using a refractory ce- range of waste streams from high-tonnage nology, with focus on, and examples of ramic material to form a filter me- municipal solid waste (MSW) through to its use in incineration processes. dium, predominantly for use at el- the lower-tonnage specialty wastes pro- The ability to deliver low emissions, evated temperature (generally in the duced by industrial processes. However, even with fine particles that are 2.5 region of 200–400°C, but can be up whatever the application, the imperative micrometers (μm) or smaller (PM2.5), to 900°C) has been around for many for the incineration process is broadly the while operating at an elevated tem- years [1]. One of the earlier forms same — a reduction in mass and volume perature is the primary driver for of ceramic filter was devised for ad- while rendering the remaining waste mate- the application of ceramic elements vanced power-generation applications rial as inert as possible and, of course, pro- ducing the absolute minimum of emissions. to high temperature processes that with the requirement for operation at Waste incineration, as with other in- are subject to strict emissions limits. high temperature and high pressure. dustrial processes, has been the subject Such processes include metal smelt- In the form of flanged tubes, closed at of ever tightening emissions legislation ing, chemicals production and waste one end, these “high density” media in recent years. Public disquiet over in- incineration. In the latter case, ce- are still in widespread use across a cineration processes and the generation ramic elements have been applied to broad range of applications. of potentially dangerous emissions has a number of small- to medium-scale Low-density ceramic filter elements subsequently, detrimentally affected the incineration duties including medical (hereafter referred to as ceramic ele- approval of many new installations. Con- waste, soil cleaning, asphalt recycling, ments) were initially developed in the sequently, the industry has sought effective industrial waste, chemical waste and middle 1980s. One of the first appli- post-incinerator processes for dealing with off gases in terms of reducing and elimi- building waste. cations for ceramic elements was in nating emissions and where practical, re- Several new, high-temperature in- thermal soil remediation. This process covering useful energy. Many techniques cineration installations have been set involves driving off the volatiles from and combinations of techniques have been up to deal with waste that is of mixed contaminated soil in a rotary furnace developed and are under development — composition from various sources. Ce- to decontaminate it and make it reus- a broad overview of which is beyond the ramic elements have been selected as able. The first stage in the complex scope of this paper. ❏ the filter medium for a number of these off-gas treatment train is high tem- Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 35 15_CHE_011509_DL.indd 35 12/22/08 10:28:47 AM
- 62. Table 2. Characteristicsof (Low-Density) Table 3. Maximum Operating Temperature Ceramic Elements of Filtration Media Form Monolithic rigid tube Operating Temperature (oC) Refractory fibers plus organic and inor- Continuous Surge Composition ganic binding agents Sulfar (“Ryton”) 180 200 Porosity about 80–90% Aramid (“Nomex”) 200 240 Density about 0.3–0.4 g/cc Polyimide (“P84”) 240 260 Support Self supporting from integral flange PTFE (“Teflon”) 260 280 Outer dia. up to 150 mm; Glass 260 300 Geometry Length up to 3 m Ceramic elements 900 900 perature filtration, which removes Table 4. Efficiency of Ceramic Elements in Various Applications particulates from the gas prior to fur- Dust Particle Emission Inferred ther processing. Process loading size level efficiency The ceramic elements manufac- mg/Nm3 d501,μm mg/Nm3 % tured in the middle 1980s were sec- Zirconia production Up to 8,000 1.2 0.8 99.99 tional, meaning they were built up Aluminum powder production 550 50 1 99.8 from a series of inner- and outer-tube sections. The first monolithic elements Secondary aluminum about 870 1 0.5 99.9 were produced around the late 1980s Smokeless fuel production 1,000 4.8 1.5 99.85 and early 1990s. One of the early ap- about plications envisaged was advanced Nickel refining 11,800 10 1 99.99 power generation, so the form of the 1. Diameter of median size particle first monolithic ceramic element was typical of the high-density elements Table 5. European Waste Incineration Directive Annex V: being applied in the development of air Emission Limit Values (ELV) advanced power-generation technol- Directive Requirement ogy — it was a 1-m-long tube, with a 60-mm outside dia., closed at one end Averaging/Monitoring Monitoring ELV mg/m3 Period Frequency and with an integral mounting flange at the other end. Total Dust 10 Daily average Continuous Table 1 summarizes the main char- VOCs (as TOC) 10 Daily average Continuous acteristics of the two types of elements HCl 10 Daily average Continuous referred to as low and high density. In HF 1 Daily average Continuous addition to the characteristics outlined SO2 50 Daily average Continuous in the table, one major difference be- NOx (as NO2) 200 Daily average Continuous tween high- and low-density ceramic filter elements is the forming method. CO 50 Daily average Continuous Typically, high density elements are Cd and Tl total 0.05 All average values over Periodic: 2 per year manufactured from refractory grains Hg 0.05 the sample period (30 but every 3 months (such as alumina or silicon carbide) Sb, As, Pb, Cr, Co, min to 8 h) to be less during first year of by pressing or tamping to form the Cu, Mn, Ni and V total 0.5 than these limits operation basic shape. Low-density ceramic fil- 0.1 ng/m3 CEN2 method, sample ter elements are vacuum formed from Dioxins and furans TEQ period 6 to 8 h As above a slurry of refractory fibers to produce 2. Conseil European pour la Normalisation a blank, which is machined to shape, or in some cases to produce the final The structure and composition of ce- is shown in Table 3. shape. It is also worth mentioning ramic elements confer three principal The elevated ceiling temperature that ceramic filter elements are also benefits for the technology: of ceramic elements coupled with produced in the form of plain tubes • igh-temperature filtration capability H high filtration efficiency constitutes and can be applied to “inside out” fil- • High collection efficiency the basis for selection of the technol- tration as well as “outside in”. Nor- • Corrosion resistance ogy. Where the off gas to be filtered is mally, however, “outside in” filtration Although the maximum use tempera- consistently at a temperature below is employed. ture claimed by the various manufac- 250°C, then a needlefelt or coated Characteristics and benefits. The turers for their ceramic elements varies, needlefelt manufactured from a tra- key characteristics of ceramic elements it is typically stated as 900°C (1,650°F). ditional polymeric material will often are summarized in Table 2. Ceramic This temperature is well above that re- be adequate. However, stringent emis- elements are formed from refractory quired by the majority of “end-of-pipe” sions regulations coupled with an el- ceramic fibers with a fiber diameter of air pollution control (APC) duties that evated or variable off-gas temperature around 3 μm. Fiber diameter is crucial utilize traditional fabric bags for partic- can be too tough for polymeric fabrics to promoting surface filtration and ulate capture. The ceiling temperature and favor the application of ceramic thereby good filtration characteristics. for commonly used fabric-bag materials elements. Examples of the emissions 36 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 15_CHE_011509_DL.indd 36 12/22/08 10:29:28 AM
- 63. Jet tube Plenum Table 6. Some Applications of Ceramic Elements Clamping Air pollution control applications Product collection/recovery applications plate Waste incineration Titanium dioxide production Manifold Soil cleaning Fumed silica production Elements Metals smelting Carbon black production Minerals processing Catalyst manufacture Foundry processes Platinum smelting Glass furnaces Metal powder production Cement production Activated carbon production Fluidized beds Valve Boiler plant Figure 1. A ceramic filter plant ramic elements can be retrofitted into Of the 51.6-million metric tons is shown in this schematic diagram an existing bag-house filter. The filter (m.t.) of municipal waste created in achieved by ceramic elements are pre- plant, housing the array(s) of ceramic 1998, some 78% was incinerated in sented in Table 4. elements, is often used in combina- 1,800 incinerators. A further 400-mil- Application and duties. Many in- tion with dry scrubbing and is placed lion m.t. of industrial waste are han- dustrial processes, and in particular, downstream of cooling or heat recov- dled by 3,300 privately owned indus- high-temperature processes, emit off- ery apparatus. trial incinerators. gas streams of mixed gas laden with In principal, the operation of ce- In the 1980s, the Japanese system particulate matter that has a variable ramic filter plants is similar to fabric for dealing with municipal waste, composition. Managing these off-gas bag houses. The gas to be cleaned is with its integrated recycling and in- streams is a necessary part of the in- typically drawn into the plant by an cineration program, was looked upon dustrial activity. Air emissions from an induced-draft fan such that the partic- as somewhat of a model for municipal incineration plant can involve a broad ulate matter being collected builds up waste management. However, in the range of species, including particulate on the outside of the elements in the 1990s the growth of incineration led to matter, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), ox- form of a cake. The cleaned gas passes greater public and media awareness of ides of sulfur (SOx), hydrogen chloride, through the wall of the elements and the potential for pollution created by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), into the plenum, the cake being peri- the many incineration facilities. Par- polychlorinated biphenyls/dibenzo odically removed from the elements ticular emphasis was placed on dioxin furans (dioxins) and heavy metals. by a reverse-pulse mechanism. The emissions with the dioxin family of The abatement regime is required to rigid nature of the elements promotes chemicals being suspected of causing reduce these pollutants to below the surface filtration, which in turn re- a range of health problems. regulated limits. The European Waste sults in low emissions and extended Tougher emissions regulations for Incineration Directive, currently being media life. municipal waste incinerators were enacted in the U.K. and elsewhere, re- Ceramic elements have been ap- introduced in 1997, which included a quires specified incineration processes plied to a wide range of services where tighter standard for dioxins. The di- to meet a series of defined emission the benefits of the technology can be oxin standard for waste incinerators limit values (ELVs). These are out- utilized, for example the need for ef- in Japan is now in line with that speci- lined in Table 5. ficient filtration at an elevated tem- fied in European regulations at 0.1 ng/ A number of established and emerg- perature. Some of these applications Nm3 TEQ (toxic equivalent). The stan- ing technologies have been developed are listed in Table 6. dards for other pollutants, such as acid to meet regulated emission limits. The waste incineration applica- gases and particulates, are generally These include barrier filters, dry, semi- tions can be further sub-divided into higher than those adopted in Europe. dry and wet scrubbing, cyclones, elec- a number of small- to medium-scale For instance, the particulate standard trostatic precipitators and catalysis- duties. These include clinical, chemi- for municipal waste incinerators is 50 conversion processes. These cleanup cal, petrochemical sludge, animal mg/Nm3 while a higher figure is regu- processes are used, often in combina- waste, laboratory waste, tires and lated for smaller incineration facili- tion, to achieve at least the regulated building waste. ties, typically 100–150 mg/Nm3. emission limits. Process choice is af- Case study background. As with fected by many factors, apart from the Japan’s incineration example municipal waste, the incineration of regulations in force, not least of which With an area of 147,000 square miles, building waste has been the subject of are economics and reliability. a population of 127,000,000, and more stringent emissions legislation Ceramic elements can be employed around two thirds of the land area in recent years. Such waste is derived in a filtration plant to meet the par- being mountainous and forested, Ja- from the construction and upgrade ticulate (dust) emission target across pan’s relative lack of space has pre- of buildings. Due to the source of the a broad range of processes. In this cluded dependence on landfilling waste, the composition is highly vari- article, the terms filter plant and fil- for waste management. Japan has able, and contains wood, paper, card- tration plant refer to a full filter as- achieved creditable recycling rates for board, plastics and metal. There are a sembly consisting of the housing and waste paper, tires, and aluminum and number of building-waste incineration filter elements (Figure 1). The filtra- steel cans; and Japan has utilized in- plants in Japan, most of which are tion plant can be a new build, or ce- cineration for many years. new installations. The first of these Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 37 15_CHE_011509_DL.indd 37 12/22/08 10:30:09 AM
- 64. Measurement Feature Report point Secondary Sorbent combustion feeder chamber Filter Conveyor plants, a new installation utilizing ce- Stack ramic elements, was commissioned in May 2002. During that project design stage the end user considered both PTFE on PTFE needlefelt as well as ceramic Primary elements for the off-gas filtration me- combustion dium. Given the similar price of the chamber Indirect Direct Fan water water Discharge two types of media, ceramic elements Rotary jacket injection were eventually selected due to their kiln cooling cooling chambers chamber Figure 2. additional benefits over the PTFE me- The Honshu incineration dium, which include the following: plant is shown here schematically Discharge • emperature capability giving pro- T cess latitude and “insurance” against temperature surges • Low emissions • ffective acid-gas scrubbing in com- E bination with a dry sorbent To date, three plants have been commissioned that utilize ceramic elements in the gas cleaning train — two on Honshu and one on Shikoku island. The first plant to be commis- sioned (referred to hereafter as Hon- shu I) is in the Chugoku region, the second plant is on Shikoku (Shikoku I) and the third plant also on Honshu (Honshu II). This case study focuses on Honshu I, but emissions test data, also included, have been made avail- able for Honshu II. Installation details. A simplified schematic diagram of the Honshu I plant is shown as Figure 2. Bulk Figure 3. This is a general view of the filter plant and direct cooling chamber at waste is delivered to the plant and Honshu I. The ceramic filter plant can be seen center left in the plant. To the right of pre-sorted prior to being fed by me- the filter plant is the direct cooling chamber and to the left the exhaust stack chanical loader into a shredder. Metal objects are removed by hand from the • esigned filtration velocity: 1.41 m/ D The plant is designed somewhat shredded material on the conveyor min at 523 K more conservatively than the Hon- line, which feeds a hydraulically oper- • orbent: Slaked lime and activated S shu I plant to give a lower opera- ated charging ram that feeds the pri- carbon tional face velocity. mary combustion chamber. Figure 3 shows a general view of the Operational results. In order to Primary and secondary combustion incineration facility and filter plant. be granted an operating permit, is carried out at in excess of 1,270 K The Shikoku I and Honshu II plants all three of the incineration instal- with further ash treatment in a rotary are similar in concept and operation lations had to undergo an official kiln to reduce final discharge volume. to the Honshu I plant described above. emissions test, based on isokinetic Combustion off gases are cooled by in- Principal filter parameters for the sampling, soon after commissioning. direct, followed by direct cooling to ac- Honshu II plant are as follows: Results from these tests are pre- curately control temperature prior to • lement type: 3 m length ∙ 0.15 m E sented to the plant operators with sorbent injection. outside dia. actual readings being compared to Principal filter parameters are the • Number of elements: 216 the regulations in force. The official following: • onfiguration: Vertically mounted C test results from the Honshu I and • lement type: 3 m length ∙ 0.15 m E 24 ∙ 9 array II plants are presented in Tables 7 outer dia. • Filtration area: 302.4 m2 and 8. The acid-gas emission figures • Number of elements: 324 • esign gas volume: 10,000 Nm3/h D are a function of the sorbent being • onfiguration: Vertically mounted C • esigned filtration velocity: 1.06 m/ D employed and its application. Resi- 36 ∙ 9 array min at 523 K dence time of the sorbent in the gas • Filtration area: 453.6 m2 • orbent: Slaked lime and activated S stream is crucial to allow acid spe- • Design gas volume: 20,000 Nm3/h carbon cies to react. 38 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 15_CHE_011509_DL.indd 38 12/22/08 10:30:55 AM
- 65. Table 7. HonshuI emissions measured at the filter stack on May 31, 2002 Item Unit Value 1) Dioxin ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.00032 Authors Gary Elliott is the general 2) Dibenzofuran ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.02296 manager of Clear Edge Fil- 3) PCB ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.0000326 tration’s (formerly Madison Filter) Cerafil Division (Clear 4) 1) + 2) + 3) ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.023 Edge UK Ltd., The Stable, Rock Farm, Seckington, Tam- 5) Total particulate mg/Nm3 0.3 worth, B79 OLA, U.K.; Phone: +44–1827–839125; Email: 6) HCl mg/Nm3 2 Gary.Elliott@clear-edge.com). After graduating with a B.S. 7) SOx ppm 1 degree from Leicester Uni- versity, Elliott worked in the 8) NOx ppm 120 field of high temperature ceramic in the metal- 9) CO ppm 0 lurgical field, and more recently in the field of gas filtration. Elliott has specialized in applying 10) O2 % 10.6 ceramic filters to industrial gas filtration for pol- lution control duties as well as for process filtra- 11) Moisture % 22.0 tion and product collection. Wet Nm3/h 19,110 Andrew Startin is the prod- 12) Actual gas volume Dry Nm3/h 14,910 uct manager at Clear Edge Filtration’s Cerafil Division, 13) Gas temperature oC (K) 188 (461) where he is responsible for technical and business de- velopment aspects of Cerafil. He graduated in 1981 from Table 8. Honshu II emissions measured at the filter stack Brunel University (London, England) with a degree in ma- on October 25, 2002 terials science and technology. Item Unit Value3 Regulation3 From there, he joined Doulton Industrial Products in Stone, Staffordshire where 1) Dioxin ng-TEQ/Nm3 he worked on projects developing industrial ce- ramics primarily for the aerospace industry. He 2) Dibenzofuran ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.010 then joined Ashland Chemicals and followed by Universal Abrasives where he was involved in 3) PCB ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.000010 further development work on technical and in- dustrial ceramics. In 1990 Startin joined Foseco, 4) 1) + 2) + 3) ng-TEQ/Nm3 0.01 0.1 Birmingham, and first became involved with Cer- afil ceramic filter elements in 1992. He became a 5) Total particulate mg/Nm3 0.1 250 full time member of the Cerafil team in 1994. 6) HCl mg/Nm3 45 700 Concentration ppm 28 7) SOx Emission Nm3/h 0.34 10.44 8) NOx ppm 100 9) CO ppm 0 10) O2 % 11.1 11) Moisture % 7.4 Wet Nm3/h 13,000 12) Actual gas volume Dry Nm3/h 12,000 13) Gas temperature oC (K) 134 (407) 3. Empty cells mean either not measured or not regulated Future developments hanced by the addition of a catalyst Ceramic elements are employed in to the filter systems [2]. The catalyst filter plants, either new or retrofitted, can reduce NOx with efficiency up to in much the same way as traditional 95%, with the addition of ammonia or polymeric filter bags. It has been dem- urea, and destroy VOCs as well as di- onstrated that ceramic filters offer oxins. This new technology has poten- practical operating benefits and com- tial for application where particulate mercial competitiveness in high-tem- and NOx control are needed in tan- perature processes where corrosion dem, and is competitive with electro- resistance and the ability to eliminate static precipitators and standard se- dust emissions are needed. lective catalytic reactors, particularly A further important development in the power generation, glass and of this technology has seen the in- cement industries. ■ troduction of ceramic filter elements Edited by Dorothy Lozowski that not only deliver the dual benefits References of high particulate-removal efficiency 1. Ondrey, G., Some Filters Like it Hot, Chem. and temperature resistance, but also Eng., November 2001, pp. 29–39. treat gaseous pollutants. Fairly re- 2. Ondrey, G., Remove dust and pollutants with this catalytic filter, Chem. Eng., July Circle 20 on p. 58 or go to cently, these benefits have been en- 2005, p.16. adlinks.che.com/23010-XX Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 39 15_CHE_011509_DL.indd 39 12/22/08 10:31:28 AM
- 66. Engineering Practice Feature Report Active Management of Pipespool Fabricators Contractors need to integrate and engage to improve Stephen Wyss Bechtel Oil, Gas, Chemical deliveries and shorten project schedules I n today’s fast track schedules for unique piping components, given met- significant negative impact on the constructing new capital facilities, allurgical, mechanical, and configura- project’s bottom line that surplus often the process of designing, delivering tion related factors. Ideally, the acqui- incurs, are both subjects in and of and erecting piping often falls in the sition of piping materials would occur themselves. They are addressed here project’s critical path. This is particu- as the piping design becomes firm only briefly to establish the schedule larly true for facilities constructed in enough to confidently ascertain re- pressure they place into the overall emerging economies, where the facility quirements. Practically, however, fast piping DDE process and to emphasize generally resides in a remote location, track schedules dictate that the mate- the need for the EPC contractor to ex- posing significant logistical challenges. rial acquisition process be executed in ercise every means possible to reduce Squarely positioned in the center of the parallel with the evolving piping de- the cycle time of the overall piping- piping design, deliver and erect (DDE) sign. This places the EPC contractor in DDE process. process sits the subprocess of fabricat- the difficult position of attempting to ing piping components into erectable balance the timing of piping materials Pipespool fabricators sections of piping, or pipespools. The en- acquisition between two scenarios: 1) Pipespool fabricators offer varying lev- gineering, procurement and construc- waiting until the design is firm, risk- els of services, most often influenced tion (EPC) contractor’s management ing schedule delays due to late arriv- by the project setting and complex- approach to this fabrication is key be- ing materials, or 2) purchasing early ity, but for all practical purposes they cause it impacts the project team’s abil- on poorly defined requirements, and fall into two broad categories: 1) those ity to manage the overall schedule. In risking purchase of the wrong materi- that supply the piping components fact, if handled properly, management als. This latter scenario — purchas- and fabricate the pipespools, and 2) of pipespool fabricators can get the pip- ing the wrong materials — is a double those that fabricate pipespools from ing DDE process off the project’s critical edged sword. Not only does it require spool components supplied to them by path altogether. subsequent purchasing activity to re- the EPC contractor. Before we address how the EPC place the wrong materials, which often Full-service pipespool fabricators contractor’s active spool management results in late deliveries, but it also in- (those that both supply the materials of the pipespool fabricator may posi- curs surplus of materials left over at and fabricate the pipespools) are gen- tively affect schedule and, ultimately, the end of the project, in this case, the erally found in industrialized settings. the construction cost of the facility, incorrectly purchased items. These fabricators maintain on-hand we need to understand the challeng- Nevertheless, given that schedule inventory — at least for piping com- ing nature of the piping DDE process delays and negative project econom- ponents of common metallurgy, wall in today’s fast-track-project environ- ics are virtual certainties if the project schedules, and pressure ratings — and ment; and we need to briefly address follows the first scenario (waiting until use their inventory to jumpstart fab- the level and nature of pipespool-fab- materials requirements are firm), rication. Full-service fabricators also ricator services on a given project. most EPC contractors choose to man- are attractive to an EPC contractor age the parallel process of acquiring because excess material can be carried Evolving piping design process piping materials as the design evolves over to future projects, at least for com- In general, as a project unfolds, the (commonly referred to as the “piping monly used piping components. For an overall facility piping design evolves prebuy” process) to guide the project to EPC contractor, who approaches each as high-level process requirements a successful on-time completion. As we project as a unique cost center, and translate into a physical design of will see below, active management of a often ends up shedding surplus at a equipment linked by piping systems. pipespool fabricator presents opportu- fraction of value, this approach offers These piping systems are complex. A nities to recapture schedule time often a means to minimize surplus. Full- grassroots petroleum refinery, for in- lost in the piping prebuy effort, fur- service pipespool fabricators become stance, can require as many as 10,000 thering successful project execution. less attractive when the project entails piping inventory codes identifying The piping prebuy process and the a significant amount of piping compo- 40 Chemical Engineering www.che.com january 2009 16_CHE_011509_RM.indd 40 12/22/08 10:42:25 AM
- 67. Releases Receipts Spool 1 BOM Spool 2 BOM Release schedule Impact on construction Pipe – 1 LM Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Flange – 2 Spool 2 Tee – 1 Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Flange – 2 Flange – 0 Flange – 2 Flange – 0 Flange – 2 Flange – 1 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Spool 1 allocation: Result: not Action: Spool 2 allocation: Result: Action: Pipe Flange constructable clear Pipe, Flange, constructable hold allocated allocation Tee allocated allocation Elbow – 1 Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM none Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM Elbow – 1 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 0 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Spool 1 allocation: Result: not Action: Pipe Flange constructable clear allocated allocation none Pipe – 1 LM Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Spool 1 Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM Elbow – 1 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Flange – 1 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Flange – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Spool 1 allocation: Action: LM: Lineal meters Result: hold Pipe, Elbow, Flange constructable BOM: Bill of materials allocated allocation ROS: Required onsite Figure 1. In January, this scenario returns Spool 1, which is required onsite in May, back to the pool of allocatable materials, resulting in Spool 2 being delivered nine months early, while Spool 1 (of higher-priority) is delivered seven months late nents not stocked by the fabricator, and As such, for the projects that seem look at issues that present opportuni- where the project is not geographically to have most challenges relative to the ties for an EPC contractor to actively close to the fabricator, particularly piping DDE process — such as those manage the pipespool fabricator to where there are logistical challenges. in emerging economies and those with facilitate delivery of spools, thereby Pipespool fabricators that fabri- remote locations and logistical chal- optimizing piping erection, and over- cate from materials supplied by the lenges — the prevailing approach is to all construction of the facility. After EPC contractor (a process referred to utilize a fabricator whose scope is lim- reviewing the key issues, we’ll look at as free-issue) are commonly found in ited to fabrication of free-issue mate- the impact of these issues and the po- emerging economies. Most have lim- rials supplied by the EPC contractor. tential for positively affecting the proj- ited procurement capacity, or tend to Such projects, while offering the great- ect through proactive management. fabricate for projects where it is not est challenge, also offer the greatest economical to establish and main- opportunity for an EPC contractor to Integration tain on-hand inventory, in particular actively manage the fabricator to de- First and foremost is the issue of in- for projects where there are unique liver pipespools to favorably support tegration. Both EPC contractors and requirements, or where a significant the project schedule. The factors dis- pipespool fabricators operate these portion of the piping components are cussed below, while primarily directed days in a highly automated mode. Virtu- not easily usable on another project. toward positive, active management ally all EPC contractors design using a Many operate in settings with limited of a limited-scope pipespool fabricator, 3D model that is integrated with other infrastructure, sometimes setting up a none the less apply to a lesser extent design-related automation systems, project-specific facility adjacent to the to a full-service pipespool fabricator. particularly full spectrum (specify/ project site. Many times these fabrica- design/purchase/receive/control/issue) tors, due to their location or project Key management issues materials management (MM) systems. set-up, are able to satisfy the all-too- With this background of the piping In parallel, most pipespool fabricators common, emerging-economy project DDE process and a perspective of engineer their spools using software requirement for local content. pipespool fabricators, we’ll now take a that produces their fabrication draw- Chemical Engineering www.che.com january 2009 41 16_CHE_011509_RM.indd 41 12/23/08 11:53:07 AM
- 68. Engineering Practice ings. Most fabricators will also have an terials at the increment of the spool. An EPC contractor, by contrast, MM system tailored to their needs and Fabricator’s spool cut sheets (detailed generally wants spools delivered in se- linked to the software that designs and spool drawings) possess a BOM just for quence according to planned erection details the spools. Fabricators that are the materials required for that spool, starts of piping in areas at the con- not full service, but rely on free-issue and the fabricator’s MM systems will struction site, per the project sched- materials, will generally have a lim- manage materials required for the ule. In general, each area will contain ited spectrum (receive/control/issue) spool at this level or increment. a mix of metallurgies and a wide array MM system. So historically, there has been a dis- of pipe diameters. The EPC contractor Quite often, both the EPC contrac- connect between the EPC contractor wants delivery of spools as soon as tor and the fabricator will be using MM system and the fabricator MM they are constructable in accordance software suites that are compatible, system, an “apples and oranges” com- with the priorities released into fab- enabling the fabricator to upload data parison. In today’s computing environ- rication. The EPC contractor has no from the EPC contractor’s 3D model to ment, where the EPC contractor’s MM concern if this might cause a spike in initiate the spool design and detailing system is often not designed to extract production, and thus resources, at the processes. What is not as common is BOM data at the spools level, the fabri- fabricator, or if it depletes the fabri- for the EPC contractor and the fabrica- cator can easily pass spool BOM-level cator’s backlog. Given that the goals tor to link their MM systems such that data to the EPC contractor, and a suffi- of the two parties are not aligned, it each can see what the other sees, as ciently robust EPC contractor MM sys- should not be surprising that the al- it relates to spool component delivery. tem can then be configured to manage location process each prefers to utilize For the EPC contractor to effectively the free-issue materials at the same also conflicts. and actively manage the process, the increment, for instance, the spool. Allocation processes are routines that first step is to be able to see what the form the core of the “control” aspect of fabricator sees relative to on-hand ma- Priorities an MM system. An allocation process terials, issued materials, wastage, and For the EPC contractor to manage the takes the tens of thousands of pipe fit- constructability at the same increment fabricator such that spools are fabri- tings and hundreds of thousands of feet as the fabricator. Conversely, as we will cated and delivered in the sequence at of pipe — all spread over thousands of see below, the key to implementing a which the EPC contractor intends to inventory codes as they are required just-in-time fabrication program re- erect them, the EPC contractor needs on thousands of spools — and, accord- sides in the ability of the fabricator to to communicate priorities, and must ing to the project priorities and control see the EPC contractor’s delivery data. do so at a granularity that facilitates logic, determines which spools should the allocation process, which is dis- be fabricated in what order. Speaking similar languages cussed below. Any good MM system EPC contractors generally erect pip- will possess an allocation system, and Typical fabricator allocation ing using piping isometric (Iso) draw- generally, the finer the level of prior- Most fabricators utilize what is com- ings extracted from the 3D model. ity granularity, the better the system monly referred to as a cascade alloca- An Iso will generally contain several is able to allocate materials to support tion. This process is designed to maxi- pipespools and the related installing desired fabrication and erection se- mize current fabrication; for instance, materials (valves, bolts, gaskets, and quencing. However, there needs to be identifying as many spools as possible so on). The Iso will also possess a bill a balance here, as specifying too many that are constructable with the cur- of materials (BOM), which generally priorities can have its own downside. rent on-hand inventory. Most will have identifies the materials required (com- the ability to interject EPC contractor monly referred to as takeoff) and splits Conflicting goals and processes priorities, so that spools are processed the BOM between field materials and The goals of an EPC contractor on a sequentially according to the priorities shop materials, with the shop materi- given project and that of the pipespool provided by the EPC contractor. But a als comprising the free-issue materials fabricator are rarely in concert. The cascade system is very different from a for the pipespools. The Iso has also his- pipespool fabricator desires to oper- strict construction-priority allocation, torically been the increment by which ate his facility efficiently and at a con- which is commonly utilized by EPC the EPC contractor managed materi- stant level. This is best accomplished contractors as noted below. Here is als. For instance, the Iso BOM for shop by scheduling groups of spools in a how the cascade allocation works. materials generally shows the total common metallurgy to be released for Sequentially by priority, the MM sys- requirements for all pipespools on that fabrication together, by scheduling to- tem will look at the first spool BOM, Iso without distinguishing what is gether a group of spools in the same and on an inventory code basis, ascer- needed for each individual pipespool. pipe diameter to simplify handling and tain if there is unallocated on-hand in- As such, Iso BOMs are the increment optimize use of pipe “drops”, and by re- ventory for that inventory code. If there by which EPC contractors’ MM sys- leasing spools at a constant production is, available stock will be allocated to tems generally operate. rate by 1) building up and maintaining this BOM and deducted from the avail- On the other hand, the fabricator a backlog of constructable spools and able pool for following spools. The pro- has no interest in the Iso other than as 2) by releasing spools at a rate that cess then moves to the next inventory a reference and always manages ma- does not deplete the backlog. code for that spool and executes the 42 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 16_CHE_011509_RM.indd 42 12/22/08 10:43:18 AM
- 69. Scenario 2 –Construction Priority Allocation – 3 month fab /deliver cycle Releases Receipts Spool 1 BOM Spool 2 BOM Spool 1: Needed in May released in Sept. Spool 1: Needed in May received in Dec. Spool 2: Needed in Dec. released in Jan. Spool 2: Needed in Dec. received in April Release schedule Impact on Construction Jan. Spool 2 Spool 2 received nine months early ROS date – May ROS date – Dec. February – August 0 spools Spool 1 received seven months late Sept. Spool 1 Receipts Beginning In Process In Process Month ending Material Status Releases to Material Status Material Status Material Status fabrication Pipe – 1 LM Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Flange – 2 none Tee – 1 Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM January Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Flange – 2 Flange – 0 Flange – 2 Flange – 1 Flange – 2 Flange – 2 Flange – 2 Flange – 2 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Spool 1 allocation: Action: Spool 2 alloca- Action: Pipe Flange Result: not hold tion: Flg Tee Result: not constructable hold allocated allocation allocated constructable allocation Receipts Beginning In Process In Process Month ending Material Status Releases to Material Status Material Status fabrication Material Status Elbow – 1 Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Spool 1 Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM February Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Elbow – 1 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 1 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Flange – 2 Flange – 0 Flange – 2 Flange – 1 Flange – 2 Flange – 2 Flange – 1 Flange – 1 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Spool 1 allocation: Action: Spool 2 allocation: Result: not Action: Result: hold Flange Tee hold Pipe, Elbow, Flange constructable constructable allocated allocation allocated allocation March — Aug. Receipts none Receipts Beginning In Process Releases to Month ending Material Status Material Status fabrication Material Status Pipe – 1 LM Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Inventory Allocations Spool 2 September Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 1 LM Pipe – 0 LM Pipe – 0 LM Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Elbow – 0 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Flange – 1 Flange – 1 Flange – 0 Flange – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 1 Tee – 1 Tee – 0 Tee – 0 Spool 1 allocation: Action: LM: Lineal meters Pipe, Flange, Tee Result: hold constructable BOM: Bill of materials allocated allocation ROS: Required onsite Figure 2. In the construction-priority allocation scenario, the fabrication of Spool 1 is held until materials are available, thereby keeping its materials from being allocated to a lesser-priority spool. As a result, both spools arrive on time same evaluation. Once all inventory priority allocation looks at the spool Just-in-time fabrication codes for that given spool have been BOMs on an inventory code basis “Just-in-time” fabrication implies just evaluated, the system will look to see if — doing so sequentially by priority what it says, fabrication just as the all inventory codes for that spool have — and allocates on-hand inventory if spool components arrive. This is simi- been satisfied, in other words if the available, subtracting from the avail- lar to the just-in-time delivery concept spool is “constructable”. If so, the allo- able pool accordingly. Contrary to the used in manufacturing processes, but cations are retained. If not, the spool cascade process, however, the strict here the just-in-time concept applies to will be considered non-constructable construction-priority process does the end product, not the component. if as little as a single inventory code not look to see if the spool is construc- As noted above, fabricators generally has not been allocated to on-hand in- table before moving on to the next try to maintain a good backlog of con- ventory. As a result, the allocations for spool, nor does it return allocations structable spools, usually four to eight each inventory code on that spool will to the allocatable pool if the spool is weeks worth, so that they don’t find be returned to the pool of allocatable not constructable. Allocations once their workers standing by idly with no material for the remaining spools. made, are retained, at least until the spools to fabricate. For projects where The process will then move to the next run of the process. fabrication proceeds from free-issue next spool BOM and perform the same This process is not intended to as- materials, the fabricator’s MM system analysis. This will continue until all certain the maximum amount of con- rarely has any knowledge of future de- spool BOMs have been assessed. structable spools in the current time- liveries and is limited to planning work frame, but instead is designed to see according to on-hand inventory. This is Typical EPC allocation that priority spools are truly given another issue where integration with A strict, construction-priority-allo- priority. While this process might ap- the EPC contractor, either by linking cation process allocates on-hand in- pear to be counter-productive when MM systems and downloading deliv- ventory, as the name says, strictly by compared to the “cascade” process, as ery data into a capable fabricator MM priority. As with the fabricator cas- we will see below, the opposite is ac- system, or by providing the fabricator cade system, the strict construction- tually true. access to the EPC contractor’s MM sys- Chemical Engineering www.che.com january 2009 43 16_CHE_011509_RM.indd 43 12/23/08 11:53:27 AM
- 70. Case Study: Cascadevs. Strict Construction Priority Engineering Practice F igures 1 and 2 take us through a very simple set of examples of the two differing al- location processes. Here we have two spools with slightly different, but overlapping requirements. Scenario 1 shows the individual steps in the process for a cascade al- location; Scenario 2 does the same for the strict construction-priority allocation. The only tem, or some melding of processes in substantive difference in the two scenarios occurs in the month of January where the between, allows the fabricator to use cascade process returns the pipe for the higher-priority Spool 1 (with a required-onsite future deliveries as backlog. We will or ROS date in May) back to the pool of allocatable materials, because this spool is not discuss this more in the sections below. constructable, and then allocates the pipe to lower priority Spool 2 (required-onsite or ROS date in December), because Spool 2 is constructable. The strict construction-priority Benefits of active process as shown holds this allocation for priority Spool 1. spool management Looking at the net result of these two processes from an aggregate delivery perspec- tive, independent of priorities, the cascade process appears superior; it gets a spool into Now that we have highlighted key is- fabrication one month earlier also getting the spool onsite one month earlier. sues, let’s look at how they facilitate ac- Looking at the same net result from a priority focused aggregate perspective, however, tive spool management and how active the cascade allocation process has a devastating effect on planned erection. Scenario spool management increases the likeli- 2 gets one spool into fabrication, and thus onsite, one month later but gets both spools hood of spool deliveries to support the onsite when needed. Scenario 1 gets one spool onsite nine months early and one spool project’s planned erection schedule. onsite seven months late. This case study also demonstrates another negative effect of a lack of integration. Integration Where the fabricator MM system is ignorant of future deliveries — generally the case Integration is the thread that runs in a free-issue scenario — it has no way of knowing that the elbow, which is restrain- through all of the key management ing Spool 1 in January, is scheduled to arrive in February making priority Spool 1 not constructable until then. The EPC contractor MM system, which has this data, however, issues. Without integration, the EPC is not thusly impaired. r contractor must rely on the pipespool fabricator to provide spool status and on-hand inventory of spool components spool level will attempt to direct the is translated into a set of priorities at at the fabricator’s facility. Conversely, fabricator to release spools based on a granularity level where the sequenc- the fabricator only knows what he has, Iso constructability. By this, we mean ing can be expected to hold. not what is coming. the EPC contractor waits until all shop By allowing each to see what the materials on an Iso are allocated. This, Supporting project goals other sees, communication is much however, can significantly delay re- In the case study in the box, we dem- more open, and where either one de- lease of spools that would otherwise onstrated the potential for detrimental sires information from the other, that be constructable. An Iso will contain impact of the cascade process on deliv- information is often available by look- anywhere from one to five or six spools, eries of spools to the construction site to ing, instead of asking for it and wait- averaging about three spools. When support planned erection. A small proj- ing for a response. managing at the Iso level, it only takes ect will have 5,000 or so spools; a large one item — something as insignificant project may have 50,000 to 75,000. If Management at the spool level as a minor fitting — to make the Iso we multiply the disconnect of deliver- Where an EPC contractor leaves his nonconstructable. Where a single item ies relative to planned erection of the or her MM system incremented at the is holding up the Iso, it is unnecessar- two spools in our example by 10,000 (to Iso BOM level, efforts to address why ily holding up spools that are otherwise represent a medium size project with specific spools have not been released constructable. The solution here is, of 20,000 spools) the impact becomes clear. — for which the EPC contractor’s MM course, to manage at the spool level. Thousands of spools will arrive early, re- system appears to show constructabil- quiring unnecessary storage. Thousands ity — are often futile. Basically, unless Manageable priority granularity will arrive late, causing construction de- the EPC contractor is managing at Too few priorities tend to clog the al- lays. If the fabricator’s system is limited the same increment as the fabricator, location process, yielding a slug of to a cascade allocation, the only way to and is actively reviewing construc- pipespools being delivered all at once. implement a strict construction-priority tability data at the spool level, the Where EPC contractor construction re- allocation is via the EPC contractor’s EPC contractor simply must rely on sources for piping erection are limited MM system. And without both integra- the fabricator to assess and ascertain and need to be spread out, this sce- tion and management at the spool level, constructability. This can often lead to nario delays erection commencement this will be very difficult. significant frustration on the part of and causes unacceptable construction the EPC contractor, and unnecessary resource peaks. Conversely, a very Accelerated releases efforts expended by the fabricator to high level of priority often leads to pri- As noted above, a fabricator that can- justify what has been released to fab- ority reshuffling, which tends to have a not see what his backlog includes, or rication. This is particularly true given detrimental impact on planning. who does not have the information to the conflicting goals the two parties The best scenario is where the EPC predict workload into the short-term tend to work toward, which, without contractor has thoughtfully planned (at least two to three months) can ex- open communication, can cause unnec- the work, breaking the project scope pect some unpleasant surprises, both essary friction between the parties. into manageable areas coinciding with due to pressure from production peaks, On some projects, an EPC contrac- schedule events (such as area access, and from idle staff in an unforeseen tor who has not integrated and does equipment erection, system handover, production valley. Most fabricators try not have the means to manage at the and so on), and where this sequencing to avoid such surprises by scheduling 44 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 16_CHE_011509_RM.indd 44 12/22/08 10:44:07 AM
- 71. production based onwhat they can see ered four to eight weeks earlier. mies, particularly those with logistical from on-hand inventory. By itself, independent of allocation challenges. By closing communication In a situation where the EPC con- process issues, just-in-time fabrication gaps and actively engaging pipespool tractor and the fabricator have inte- can gain the project one to two months fabricators, EPC contractors can be grated, and where the shop load can be of schedule, that is, if the piping DDE much better positioned to succeed. ■ predicted from both on-hand inventory process is on the critical path. Or it Edited by Rebekkah Marshall and future deliveries, the fabricator might get the piping DDE process off can schedule production to release all the critical path, allowing the EPC Author constructable spools, up to his capacity contractor to refocus resources else- Stephen Wyss is a Mate- rials Manager at Bechtel level, in the current timeframe. Instead where to improve schedule. Oil, Gas, and Chemicals, of establishing a backlog of spools from In any case, just-in-time fabrication Inc, (3000 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056-6503; on-hand inventory alone, the fabricator cannot be achieved outside of an in- Phone: 713-235-4625; Email: can include spools that show to be con- tegrated relationship, and only if the sewyss@bechtel.com) and has 33 years experience work- structable in the short-term based on EPC contractor is proactively engaged ing with EPC contractors, both on-hand inventory and deliveries in management of the fabrication pro- including previous tenures at Black Veatch Pritchard, scheduled in the short-term. cess, working to see that critical spool CF Braun, and Intergraph. His current duties entail coordinating materi- In a situation where the fabricator component deliveries are on track to als related aspects of engineering, procurement, would otherwise build up a four to eight support just-in-time fabrication. suppliers, and construction for large capital pro- cess plant projects, in general for bulk materi- week backlog of on-hand inventory, the als such as piping, electrical, and structural, but production schedule could ideally be Conclusion particularly for complex fabricated systems such as pipespools and structural steel. His project ex- brought forward four to eight weeks. The EPC contractors, and pipespool fab- perience has generally been in emerging economy net result would be to move the entire ricators who work with them, will environments with logistical challenges including the Middle East, India, and Africa. A registered production schedule forward (sooner) continue to be challenged to meet the mechanical engineer in Texas and California, he holds a J.D. degree in law from Loyola Law School four to eight weeks, yielding a net result demanding fast track schedules pre- (Los Angeles) and an A.B. degree in architecture to the project of all spools being deliv- sented by projects in emerging econo- from the University of California at Berkeley. Circle 22 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-22 16_CHE_011509_RM.indd 45 12/22/08 10:44:41 AM
- 72. Engineering Practice Feature Report Mechanical Carbon In Chemical Processing Equipment This self-lubricating material Fine graphite particles offers advantages when used Carbon graphite 2,800 °C Electro graphite for components that are running submerged in the process fluid resistance Figure 1. Additional Heat treatment resistance improves the chemical-resistance Glenn H. Phelps properties of mechanical carbons Metallized Carbon Corp. F requently, in chemical processing and weaker than the carbon-graphite pregnated materials also exhibit im- equipment it is possible to place material, but has superior chemical proved resistance to oxidation of the the shaft support bearings in the resistance, oxidation resistance and carbon-graphite or electrographite chemical that is being processed. thermal conductivity compared to the base material. In some cases, this precludes the use carbon-graphite (Figure 1). of oil- or grease-lubricated bearings Running submerged because the operating conditions are Impregnation The coefficient of friction and wear not conducive to the use of such mate- Both carbon-graphite and elec- rate of two rubbing metal parts is ex- rials. For example, bearings that are trographite are normally produced so tremely low when they are separated lubricated with oil or grease can be that they contain approximately 15% by a hydrodynamic film of oil or grease. problematic when submerged in liq- porosity by volume. To produce me- However, when metal parts are rubbed uids such as water or other solvents, chanical carbon grades with enhanced together in low viscosity liquids, such liquefied gases, heat transfer oils and properties, the porosity in the carbon- as water or gasoline, the hydrodynamic corrosive chemicals. For these operat- graphite and electrographite materi- film is too thin and metal-to-metal con- ing conditions, self-lubricating, me- als can be impregnated — by vacuum tact can occur. When metal-to-metal chanical carbon bearings are often or pressure processes — with thermal contact occurs, the metal atoms in the best solution. setting resins, metals or inorganic sliding contact have strong atomic at- This article takes a close look at salts, as explained below: traction, which results in high friction, mechanical carbons, describing what Resins. The most common thermal wear, galling, and seizing. they are and how they function when setting resins used are phenolic, poly- When carbon is rubbed against running submerged in chemical pro- ester, epoxy and furan resins. Resin im- metal in a low viscosity liquid, the cessing equipment. pregnation produces materials that are resulting thin, hydrodynamic film is impermeable (to 100 psi air) and have normally adequate to provide lubrica- Compositions improved lubricating characteristics. tion. Since there is no strong atomic Mechanical carbons contain graph- Metals. The most common metal im- attraction between mechanical car- ite, which they rely on for their self- pregnations are babbitt (an alloy of bon and metal, a hydrodynamic film lubricating characteristics. To make tin, antimony and copper that is used that is only a few microns thick is mechanical carbons, fine graphite to make bearings), copper, antimony, sufficient to prevent rubbing contact, particles are bonded with a hard, bronze, nickel-chrome and silver. Metal even for high-speed and high-load ap- strong, amorphous-carbon binder to impregnation produces materials that plications. Since mechanical carbon is produce a mechanical carbon mate- are harder, stronger and impermeable a self-polishing material, a polished rial that is called carbon-graphite. (to 100 psi air), with improved lubri- finish on the counter material will Further heat treating, to approxi- cating qualities and better thermal quickly polish the mechanical car- mately 5,100°F (2,800°C), causes the and electrical conductivity. bon material. The thin hydrodynamic amorphous-carbon binder to become Inorganic salt. The inorganic salt film that is created by low viscosity graphitized, resulting in a material impregnations are proprietary for- liquids can then separate the two pol- known as electrographite. mulations that provide improved ished surfaces. The electrographite is generally softer lubricating qualities. These salt im- Using the fluid being handled as the 46 Chemical Engineering www.che.com january 2009 18_CHE_011509_GSO.indd 46 12/18/08 1:03:27 PM
- 73. Figure 2. Thephotos to the right depict bearings made from two mechanical carbons. These babbitt-impregnated, carbon/graphite materials are designed for running submerged in low viscosity liquids where conventional, oil or grease lubricants would be washed away Figure 3. Shown to the left is a mechanical carbon, steel encased bearing. This self- lubricating product is used for operating tem- peratures between 700 and 1,000º F, where con- ventional, oil or grease lubricants would breakdown and fail Figure 4. The photo above depicts another- mechanical carbon — an antimony impregnated, carbon/graphite material — designed to run dry or submerged in environments where oil and grease lubrication cannot be used working lubricant greatly sim- These high finishes are re- plifies the design of many rub- Example 1 quired because the hydrody- bing mechanical parts. Carbon parts for these submerged ap- A n example of a mechanical carbon bearing running submerged in strong chemicals is in the chemical pump industry. Nickel-chrome impregnated, carbon- namic film with low viscosity liquids is extremely thin. With plications include bearings and courser finishes on the counter graphite bearings are used in a stainless-steel, rotary thrust washers for pumps and material, the asperities (rough vane pump for handling a broad range of chemicals. mixers that handle water, hot The nickel-chrome impregnated, carbon-graphite bear- edges) on the counter mate- water, solvents, acids, alkalis, ings carry a load of 830 psi (58.4 kg/cm 2) at a surface rial would break through the fuels, heat transfer fluids and speed of up to 284 ft/min (1.44 m/sec). This gives a PV hydrodynamic film and “grind liquefied gases. Mechanical factor of 237,700 psi ft/min (84.1 kg/cm 2 m/sec). away” the mechanical carbon. carbon is also used extensively The pump is warranted for one year, but field experience Viscosity. The liquid viscosity for mechanical-seal primary indicates that these pumps normally give several years of should be in the range from rings for sealing these same continuous running service. ❏ about 100 centipoise (cP) (light low viscosity liquids. Other machine oil, for example) to applications include vanes, ro- 0.3 cP (acetone for example). tors, and endplates for rotary pumps; approximately 1,000 psi (70 kg/cm2). Liquid flow. A continuous flow of ball-valve seats handling hot oil; Application PV (pressure-times-veloc- liquid to the rubbing surface is impor- bearings for liquid meters; case wear ity) factors of over 2,000,000 psi ft/ tant to the performance of submerged rings for centrifugal pumps; and ra- min (773 kg/cm2 m/sec) have been mechanical carbon parts. If the flow dial or axial seal rings for gear boxes achieved with sliding speeds of over of liquid is not sufficient, frictional and aircraft engines. 3,600 ft/min (18.7 kg/cm2 m/sec). heat will evaporate the liquid and Counter material. The counter ma- the parts will revert to the dry run- Wear: Factors to consider terial rubbing against the mechani- ning condition, where the wear rate The wear rate of mechanical carbons cal carbon must meet specifications of is much higher. running submerged is negligible under hardness, surface finish and corrosion An important benefit of mechanical full fluid film, or hydrodynamic, lubri- resistance. The hardness should be carbon parts is that the parts can run cated conditions. To assure fully lubri- greater than about Rc 45 (Rockwell C dry without catastrophic failure if the cated conditions, application engineers scale), but better results are achieved flow of liquid is briefly interrupted. must consider the application load, with even harder counter materials. Chemical attack. The chemical com- speed, counter material, counter mate- Surface finish. The surface finish position of the liquid must be consid- rial surface finish, liquid viscosity, liq- on the counter material should be ered because chemical attack of the uid flow and chemical resistance. 16 micro-inch (0.4 micron) or better. counter material, or the mechanical Load. The maximum load that is nor- Wear rate continues to improve with carbon, will increase the wear rate. mally supported by mechanical car- finer surface finish until an 8 micro- Chemical attack of the counter mate- bons with full-fluid-film lubrication is inch (0.2 micron) finish is reached. rial is particularly harmful because Chemical Engineering www.che.com january 2009 47 18_CHE_011509_GSO.indd 47 12/18/08 1:04:00 PM
- 74. Example 2 Engineering Practice A n example of mechanical carbon running at high PV with hydrodynamic film lubrica- tion is in the mechanical seal industry. An antimony impregnated, carbon-graphite mechanical-seal primary ring, sealing low viscosity hydrocarbon liquids, runs against a polished, solid silicon-carbide counter face with a face loading of about 600 psi (42 kg/ it causes pits and surface roughness cm2) and a rubbing speed of about 3,400 ft/min (18.7 m/sec). This gives a PV factor of that will disrupt the hydrodynamic about 2,000,000 psi ft/sec ( 785 kg/cm2 m/sec) and the seal rings normally last for film, resulting in a high wear rate. about three years of continuous running. ❏ The most corrosion-resistant mechan- ical-carbon grades can withstand all liquid chemicals except for a few ex- and dimensional tolerances for new being developed to meet ever more de- tremely strong oxidizing agents, such mechanical carbon parts to assure manding mechanical applications. ■ as hot, concentrated nitric acid. proper press-fit or shrink-fit inter- Edited by Gerald Ondrey Abrasion. Abrasive grit in the liquid ference and shaft running clearance. being handled can also be extremely It is also critically important to the detrimental to mechanical carbon success of mechanical carbon appli- Author parts. The abrasive grit disrupts the cations that correct mating material Glenn H. Phelps is techni- hydrodynamic film, erodes the softer and mating-material surface finishes cal director at Metallized Carbon Corp. (19 South mechanical carbon material and can are specified. Water St., Ossining, NY destroy the fine surface finish on the Mechanical carbon materials have 10562; Phone: 914-941-3738; Fax: 914-941-4050; Email: counter material. provided solutions to a wide variety of ghphelps@metcar.com), where he has worked for the past 34 lubrication challenges for more than a years in the process and de- Applications engineering century. For example, in recent years velopment of applications and products. His current respon- Any mechanical carbon manufacturer a growing concern for the environ- sibilities at the company are can determine if it has a material that ment and air quality has resulted in for the management of applications engineering. Prior to joining Metallized Carbon Corp., Phelps can satisfy specific application re- an increased use of mechanical seals was employed as a process and product develop- quirements, and can also recommend that use carbon primary rings because ment engineer at Union Carbide National Divi- sion, Poco Graphite Inc. and Pure Carbon Corp. its best mechanical-carbon grade for they allow less leakage compared to He holds a B.S. in ceramic engineering from the State University of New York at Alfred Univer- each specific application. They should other seal types. Today, new mechani- sity, and is a member of STLE (Society of Tribolo- Chem_Eng1-1_177x123_Januar08 07.12.2007 11:33 Uhr Seite continually also be able to recommend dimensions cal carbon materials are 1 gists and Lubrication Engineers) and ASTM. On pages 2 to 31 we show how you can turn a storage and shipping drum into a process vessel in next to no time. Everyone who opts for MÜLLER gets an original. We offer more than just a drum: our extensive range of acces- m and üller Dru ystems sories makes it a multifunctional M vessel - systematically. er S Contain Extendible whenever you want – to fit your concept and meet your needs exactly. Don’t take any chances: only a Müller original embodies the expertise gained over more than a century. Ask for our brochure „Müller Drum and Container Systems” today. Müller GmbH, Industrieweg 5 D-79 618 Rheinfelden, Germany Phone: + 49 (0) 76 23 / 9 69 - 0 Fax: + 49 (0) 76 23 / 9 69 - 69 E-mail: info@mueller-gmbh.com A Company of the Müller Group 1.1 Lidded Dr ums th bungs / hopper cans ® Innovation in Stainless Steel Drums wi Ho ppers Silos Containe rs www.mueller-gmbh.com ® Valves Butterfly ucks Drum Tr Circle 21 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-21 48 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 18_CHE_011509_GSO.indd 48 12/18/08 1:04:33 PM
- 75. Focus Focus on Mixing Blending Portable mixers for pilot plant and small-scale production processing The PB Series pharmaceutical mixers (photo) feature a lightweight frame motor with a right-angle drive, 316 stainless- steel wetted parts, dry running mechani- cal shaft seal with CIP (clean in place) capabilities and vibration-free operation. Easily tailored to user requirements, the mixers can be configured with shafts up to 48-in. long and with various impellers for high flow, low shear, gas dispersion Sharpe Mixers and solids suspension mixing. — Sharpe Neptune Mixer Mixers, Seattle, Wash. www.sharpemixers.com Routine maintenance is simplified with this mixer drive The UniFirst 4040 mixer drive (photo) is designed to provide trouble-free operation while lowering maintenance costs. Rou- Woodex Bearing tine maintenance is simplified with fewer parts, easy accessibility and standard components. Additional features include: rugged design withstands corrosive and caustic environments, high temperatures, harsh weather and fluctuating loads; unique drywell design and special end covers minimize leak paths and vibration from high motor output speeds, elimi- nating oil leaks; gears and bearings are designed specifically to handle overhung and fluctuation loads; available in double and triple reductions from 4:1 to 130:1 overall gear ratios; drive sleeve design al- lows for maximum output shaft and ma- terial configurations; tapered roller bear- ings are prelubricated. — Philadelphia Mixing Solutions, Palmyra, Pa. Munson Machinery Philadelphia Mixing Solutions www.philamixers.com batch, according to the manufacturer. The for applications involving contamination- Blend, heat, cool and add liquids model MX-1-SSJ mixer (photo) features sensitive materials and frequent product in this rotary batch mixer an internal spray line for liquid addi- changeovers, the 1-ft3 (28 L) unit features This miniature rotary batch mixer blends tions, a discharge chute to direct the flow 304 stainless-steel contact surfaces, wide bulk ingredients, adds liquids and achieves of discharged materials and an insulated, spacing of internal flights for easy access, 100% batch uniformity in less than three jacketed mixing drum that can be piped continuous polished welds and external minutes while heating or cooling the to an oil, steam or chiller system. Suitable removable seals. Construction with ex- Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 49 18_CHE_011509_CUS.indd 49 12/22/08 12:47:18 PM
- 76. Focus Charles Ross and Son Chemineer fuels, water and wastewater and a variety and variable speed drives — Charles Ross of chemicals, the Model 20 HT/GT agita- and Son Co., Hauppauge, N.Y. tors (photo) are available in right-angle www.planetarymixers.com and parallel-shaft configurations to meet specific application requirements from Easily mount these mixers Silverson critical chemical reactor systems to rou- to IBCs or totes Machines tine storage. The agitators incorporate a Featuring a short shaft and a folding modular design package that reduces the propeller that is constructed of 316 stain- otic alloys as well as carbon steel is also number of replacement parts that need to less steel and capable of fitting through offered, as are configurations with CIP be carried in inventory. Quick and easy a 2-in. opening, the HGL Mixer (photo, p. vessel-cleaning nozzles. — Munson Ma- seal-change capability saves time and re- 49) allows easy integration with standard chinery Co., Utica, N.Y. duces maintenance costs. A variety of seal intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) or www.munsonmachinery.com options is available. A standard cast dry- poly tote bins by use of an optional 2-in. well seal eliminates lubrication-oil leak- bulkhead fitting. The propeller’s operating These new laboratory age from the gearbox. An optimized gear diameter is nine inches, and a second fold- mixers go digital design and lighter-weight shaft diameter ing propeller can be added as an accessory The new generation L5 Series labora- requirements contribute to high energy and bolted anywhere on the ¾-in. shaft. tory mixers (photo) offer a high level of efficiency, and a reversible rotation meets Available motors included electric motors instrumentation and automation via a a variety of process requirements. — (1/3 to 1 hp) and air motors (1/2 to 1 hp). digital touchscreen. Functions include a Chemineer Inc., Dayton, Ohio Explosion-proof motors are also available. programmable timer, infinitely variable www.chemineer.com — Neptune Mixer Co., Lansdale, Pa. speed control with “speedlock”, an inte- www.neptune1.com gral ammeter and digital tachometer. For high viscosity materials, con- In addition to functional advantages, sider these double planetary mixers Split shaft seals for mixers and the touchscreen offers cleanliness and The double planetary mixer (DPM) is other rotating equipment reliability. More than 40 interchange- often used for the mixing of high viscosity These seals (photo, p. 49) are available able mixing units are available for use materials up to approximately 6-million fully split to retrofit mixers, blenders and with the L5 range including tubular centipoise (cps). The DPM contains two most other rotating bulk process equip- assemblies for narrow-necked or small mixing blades that revolve on their own ment without the removal of bearings or containers. With a capacity range from axis, as well as on a common axis, within drives. The seals work like a thrust bear- 1 mL to 12 L, and inline flowrates of up the mix vessel. The mix pattern ensures ing; there are no internal springs to loosen, to 20 L/min, this generation of labora- that all materials in the vessel are in- corrode or break. A driving elastomer is tory mixers offers versatility in day-to- termixed within a few minutes and that the seal’s only contact with the shaft pro- day laboratory and small-scale produc- ingredients are not damaged during mix- tecting it from abrasion damage. Radial tion duties. — Silverson Machines, Inc., ing. This company has recently completed shaft misalignment and shock loads are East Longmeadow, Mass. three identical DPMs for the continuous accommodated, as well as thermal shaft www.silverson.com processing of a specialty chemical prod- growth in high-temperature processes. A uct. The units shown (photo) include: vac- minimum of 6 mm of total runout-mis- These top-entry agitators service a uum construction; special addition ports; alignment capacity is built into the seals. wide range of applications jacketed mix cans on casters for heating — MECO Shaft Seals, Div., Woodex Bear- Designed for a wide range of service in and cooling; thermocouples to monitor ing Co., Georgetown, Maine the chemical process industries (CPI) in- temperature; stainless-steel construction; www.woodex-meco.com ■ cluding pharmaceutical, ethanol and bio- manually operated flush discharge valves; Dorothy Lozowski 50 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 18_CHE_011509_CUS.indd 50 12/22/08 12:47:52 PM
- 77. PRODUCT SHOWC ASE High Pressure Silencers STALEY EQUIPMENT Delta Cooling Towers, Inc. CORPORATION New Used Equipment • Sales • Storage • Simple yet effective diffuser Engineering • Fabrication • Refurbishing silencing (Pharmaceutical, Food, Chemical, Plastics) • Suitable for high pressure, high 100+ (in stock) temperature steam and gas Standard Features: Stainless Steel • Compact size and weight Ribbon Blenders • All contact surfaces polished stainless steel • Non Clogging 400 Cu. Ft.. $ 119,007.00 • Split Seal • Minimum supporting requirement 300 Cu. Ft. . . . 90,435.00 • Air Purge 200 Cu. Ft. . . . 70,432.00 150 Cu. Ft. . . . 60,674.00 • Heavy Duty Safety Grating Delta Cooling Towers 100 Cu. Ft. . . . 50,352.00 75 Cu. Ft. . . . . 40,560.00 • Self-Supporting manufactures a complete line 50 Cu. Ft. . . . . 33,102.00 Hinged Cover of corrosion-proof engineered Model • Heavy Duty Ribbon 35 Cu. Ft. . . . . 29,047.00 plastic cooling towers. The tow- D800 25 Cu. Ft. . . . . 25,607.00 • 100% Wash Down 10 Cu. Ft. . . . . 16,230.00 • Pricing represents ers incorporate a high efficiency Silencer counter-flow design and carry a 5 Cu. Ft. . . . . . 12,436.00 all stainless steel 2.5 Cu. Ft. . . . . 8,603.00 construction 15-year warranty on the casing, 1.0 Cu. Ft. . . . . . 6,022.00 which is molded into a unitary Rates subject to change. leak-proof structure of engi- : FREEe neered plastic. All models are On-Sit st factory assembled, simple Te BlendingUR to install and nearly of YO t maintenance free. Produc CU Services LLC 1-800-289-3358 725 Parkview Cir, Elk Grove, IL 60007 Adelanto, CA www.deltacooling.com Ph 847-439-2303 rcronfel@cuservices.net (760) 246-0041 www.cuservices.net SEALS/GUARDS 2C AD-07 8/15/07 8:59 AM Page 1 www.staleyequipment.com sales@deltacooling.com Circle 201 on p. 58 or go to Circle 202 on p. 58 or go to Circle 203 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-201 adlinks.che.com/23010-202 adlinks.che.com/23010-203 MAG HYDROXIDE KILO LAB CENTRIFUGE • For R D, and Small Scale Protect pressure or vacuum Processing instruments from clogging, • Multiple corrosion and damage. capacities Compact and Economical, Plast-O-Matic available Gauge Guards prevent dangerous leaks and • Basket filtration MIXING MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE IS FAST allow dependable instrument readings from or solid / liquid AND EASY WITH PULSAIR full vacuum to 250 psi. sedimentation • PTFE or FKM • PULSAIR CAN MIX MAG HYDROXIDE IN capability diaphragms. ALL KINDS OF TANKS: STEEL - STAINLESS • Rental Equipment Available STEEL - POLYETHYLENE - FIBERGLASS - CON- • PVC, Polypro or CRETE - WOODEN - TOTES AND DRUMS • Hard- and Soft-sided Containment for PVDF bodies. Potent Materials • NO SPECIAL REQUIRENTS • Variable Speed up to 3000 RPM • Available with • NO INTERNAL BAFFELS • Ideal for Installation in a Fume Hood or without • NO STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS gauges. • NO REINFORCMENTS • Explosion-Proof • LOW MAINTENANCE • Cart-Mounted Installation for Easy • Gauge • MOST INSTALLATIONS TAKE LESS Portability Shields for THAN A DAY • Available in 316L Stainless, 904L • RETROFIT EXISITNG CAUSTIC OR STORAGE harsh environments. TANKS Stainless, and Hastelloy SOUND EASY? IT IS EASY! ROUSSELET CALL PULSAIR SYSTEMS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND PRICING 800-582-7797 OR BY EMAIL SALES@PULSAIR.COM ROBATEL 703 West Housatonic Street – Ste L15, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201-6616 PLAST-O-MATIC VALVES, INC. Phone: 413.499.4818 • Fax: 413.499.5648 CEDAR GROVE, NJ 07009 email: sales@robatel.com (973) 256-3000 • Fax: (973) 256-4745 www.rousselet-robatel.com/che08 www.plastomatic.com • info@plastomatic.com www.pulsair.com Circle 204 on p. 58 or go to Circle 205 on p. 58 or go to Circle 206 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-204 adlinks.che.com/23010-205 adlinks.che.com/23010-206 51 19_CHE_010109_Classified.indd 51 12/22/08 12:25:03 PM
- 78. Intelligen Suite The Market-Leading Engineering Suite for Modeling, Evaluation, Scheduling, and Debottlenecking of Single Multi-Product Facilities SuperPro SchedulePro R e cipe D B Use SuperPro Designer to model, evaluate, and Switch to SchedulePro to schedule, model, debottleneck batch and continuous processes and debottleneck multi-product facilities Tracking of equipment occupancy Tracking demand for resources Inventory tracking for raw materials, in multi-product facilities (e.g., labor, materials, utilities, etc.) intermediates, products, and wastes SuperPro Designer is a comprehensive process simulator that facilitates modeling, cost analysis, debottlenecking, cycle time reduction, and environmental impact assessment of biochemical, specialty chemical, pharmaceutical (bulk fine), food, consumer product, mineral processing, water purification, wastewater treatment, and related processes. Its development was initiated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). SuperPro is already in use at more than 400 companies and 500 universities around the world (including 18 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and 9 of the top 10 biopharmaceutical companies). SchedulePro is a versatile finite capacity scheduling tool that generates feasible production schedules for multi-product facilities that do not violate constraints related to the limited availability of facilities, equipment, resources and work areas. It can be used in conjunction with SuperPro (by importing its recipes) or independently (by creating recipes directly in SchedulePro). Any industry that manufactures multiple products by sharing production lines and resources can benefit from the use of SchedulePro. Engineering companies use it as a modeling tool to size utilities for batch plants, identify equipment requirements, reduce cycle times, and debottleneck facilities. Circle 240 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-240 Visit our website to download detailed product literature and functional evaluation versions of our tools INTELLIGEN, INC. • 2326 Morse Avenue • Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 • USA Tel: (908) 654-0088 • Fax: (908) 654-3866 Email: info@intelligen.com • Website: www.intelligen.com Intelligen also has offices in Europe and representatives in countries around the world 19_CHE_010109_Classified.indd 52 12/22/08 12:25:22 PM
- 79. Software Equipment CA Co PE-O mp PE lian N t! HTRI Xchanger Suite® – an integrated, easy-to-use suite of tools that delivers accurate design calculations for • shell-and-tube heat exchangers • fired heaters • jacketed-pipe heat exchangers • air coolers • hairpin heat exchangers • economizers • plate-and-frame heat exchangers • tube layouts • spiral plate heat exchangers • vibration analysis Interfaces with many process simulator and physical property packages either directly or via CAPE-OPEN. Heat Transfer Research, Inc. HTRI@HTRI.net Circle 246 on p. 58 or go to 150 Venture Drive www.HTRI.net adlinks.che.com/23010-246 College Station, Texas 77845, USA Circle 241 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-241 Engineering e-material, e-solutions, e-courses and e-seminars for energy conversion systems: • Physical Properties • Steam Approximations • Power Cycles • Power Cycle Components/Processes • Compressible Flow ENGINEERING SOFTWARE Phone/FAX: (301) 540-3605 Web Site: http://www.engineering-4e.com Visit the web site to check out free demos etc.! Circle 242 on p. 58 or go to Circle 243 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-242 adlinks.che.com/23010-243 New Used Equipment HOCKMEYER Equipment Corporation A leader in the grinding and dispersion industries New Used Equipment Dispersers • Mills • Mixers • Tank Tote Washers • Particle Size Analysis • Vessels Visit us at www.hockmeyer.com or call us at 252-338-4705 Circle 247 on p. 62 or go to Wanted to purchase: adlinks.che.com/23010-247 Used Dispersers Mixers ADVERTISE IN THE Classified Circle 244 on p. 58 or go to Circle 245 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-244 adlinks.che.com/23010-245 Helene Hicks • email: hhicks@che.com Chemical Engineering www.che.com JANUARY 2009 53 19_CHE_010109_Classified.indd 53 12/22/08 12:25:45 PM
- 80. Wabash Sells Rents Boilers 20,000 - 400,000 #/Hr. Diesel Turbine Generators 50 - 25,000 KW Gears Turbines Advertise in 25 - 4000 HP We stock large inventories of: Air Pre-Heaters • Economizers • Deaerators Pumps • Motors • Fuel Oil Heating and Pump Sets the Classified Valves • Tubes • Controls • Compressors Pulverizers • Rental Boilers Generators 24/7 Fast Emergency Service 800-704-2002 Phone: 847-541-5600 Fax: 847-541-1279 www.wabashpower.com wabash Power Equipment Co. Interested? 444 Carpenter Ave., Wheeling, IL 60090 Circle 248 on p. 58 or go to For more information on adlinks.che.com/23010-248 classified advertising, please contact: Wedge-Wire Screen Manufacturer: filtration screens, resin traps, strainer Helene Hicks baskets, hub and header laterals, media retention nozzels, and custom filtration Tel: 212.621.4958 products manufactured with stainless steel and special alloys. Fax: 212.621.4976 Contact: Jan or Steve email: hhicks@che.com 18102 E. Hardy Rd., Houston, TX 77073 Ph: (281) 233-0214; Fax: (281) 233-0487 Toll free: (800) 577-5068 www.alloyscreenworks.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Circle 249 on p. 58 or go to T H AT W O R K S adlinks.che.com/23010-249 Circle 250 on p. 58 or go to ASW Classified Ad_12-10-08.indd 1 12/10/08 5:05:26 PM adlinks.che.com/23010-250 CHE.COM Literature Review 2009 MARCH, JUNE, SEPTEMBER DECEMBER Chemical Engineers Total Circulation: 65,837* Domestic: 56,448* Includes: USA, Canada, Mexico, US territories, other Qualified Circulation CPI 7 Segments* • Chemical Petrochemical • Petrol Refining • Nonferrous Metals • Stone Clay • Pulp Paper • Food Beverage • Rubber Miscellaneous • Other Manufacturing * BPA Audit June 2008 Contact: Helene Hicks 212-621-4958 hhicks@che.com for advertising information. March closing: 2/3 54 Chemical Engineering www.che.com JANUARY 2009 19_CHE_010109_Classified.indd 54 12/22/08 12:26:20 PM
- 81. New UsedEquipment PROCESS MACHINERY Filter Presses WAT E R W O R K S 800.232.9334 219.663.8210 CONTROL ABB/BAILEY Clarifiers Sand Filters Tanks Pumps www.airtowater.com INFI90TM/NETWORK90TM Filtration NEW USED SURPLUS SymphonyTM FOXBORO Accessories Filtration Equipment I/A SeriesTM Circle 254 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-254 Cost-effective replacement, repair, and repair/exchange of hard-to-find DCS parts. ONE YEAR WARRANTY API/Fine Chemical We also purchase surplus or Facilities for Sale! decommissioned DCS equipment. 131481 - Complete API/ Fine Chemicals Processing Facility (770)271-9932 www.pmcx.com Location: Turkey 141514 - Pilot Scale Manufacturing Process Plant Circle 251 on p. 58 or go to Location: Belgium adlinks.che.com/23010-251 Pilot Scale Production Equipment Available 131940 - (5) Appx 10,000 L Glass Lined Horizontal Single Wall Tanks TOLL SCREENING 83228 - 1991 Summix Bolz 980L Stainless Steel Nauta Style Dryer by the screening specialists 83218 - Guedu 90 No/Po 90 L Stainless Steel Pressure Dryer • reduced screening costs 83224 - Franco-Montan 600 L Stainless Steel Vacuum Tray Dryer and many more ... • maximized yield and efficiency • from 10 microns to 10 mesh • from 100 to 1,000,000 pounds EquipNet.com/chemical +1.781.821-3482 • eceive the benefits of high-tech screening r before you buy Circle 255 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-255 Discover how much your product can be improved using our technologies!! 800–AT ELCAN sales@minox-elcan.com www. minox-elcan.com Circle 252 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-252 Process Filtration Equipment JWI Filter presses with polypro recessed plates Sizes available: 2, 3, 5, 12, 25, cu. ft. Sparkler Niagara horizontal plate filters, Model 33D17, 18S23, 1824S, 3348S Komline 1' x 12' SS Vac. Belt Filter Nutsche filter, 10 gal, 316 SS, 35 psi Stainless Steel ERTEL STAR Filter presses Star 18 diameter SS plates, 14 chamber, 45 sq. ft. Netzsch 10 cu. ft. 630 mm, polypro plates Several small Oberlin belt filters Circle 257 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-257 Avery Filter Company, Westwood, NJ Phone: 201-666-9664 Fax 201-666-3802 www.che.com E-mail: larry@averyfilter.com www.averyfilter.com Circle 256 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-256 Circle 253 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-253 CRYSTALLIZATION PRECIPITATION Consulting Dr. Wayne J. Genck Genck International 3 Somonauk Court, Park Forest, IL. 60466 Tel (708) 748-7200 Fax (708) 748-7208 genckintl@aol.com – http://www.genckintl.com • Design/Scale-up • Troubleshooting • Particle Habit • Size Distribution • Purity • Product Micro-Analysis • Laboratory Investigations • Caking • Polymorphism • Filtration • Drying • Kinetics Studies ◆◆◆ Industrial Seminars ◆◆◆ Circle 258 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-258 Circle 259 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-259 Chemical Engineering www.che.com JANUARY 2009 55 19_CHE_010109_Classified.indd 55 12/22/08 12:26:52 PM
- 82. Recruitment SAUDI BASIC INDUSTRIES CORPORATION SABIC is Saudi Arabia’s world-class manufacturer of basic chemicals, fertilizers, polymers and metals. SABIC was established in 1976 and is today the largest petrochemical company in the Middle East. It consists of 18 manufacturing affiliates within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and other ones outside the kingdom. Refer to www.sabic.com for more information Job opportunities at Research Technology Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia STAFF RESEARCHERS (2 positions) Education: major Chemical Engineering Experience required: minimum 15 years as Process / Operations Engineer in the Petrochemical industry: Syngas production, VCM, EDC and Aromatics or Olefins production with good knowledge of different technologies, gas and liquid cracking Both positions require sound knowledge of process modelling software and other computer applications, problem solving, communication and interpersonal skills, knowledge of financial analysis POLYOLEFINS PRODUCT RESEARCHER Education: PhD / M.S. Chemical or Polymer Engineering Experience required: 5-15 years in Polyolefins product compounding and processing techniques Incumbent will conduct research programs directed towards the development of Polyolefins products for improved performances and new applications POLYMERISATION RESEARCH ENGINEER Education: PhD / M.S. Chemical Engineering Experience required: 5-15 years in Polyolefins process technology operation and research (Ziegler- Natta, Chromium and or Metallocene catalyst kinetics and operation) Incumbent will participate in scale-up from bench to pilot to commercial scale and be involved in process improvement of PP/PE plants POLYOLEFINS CATALYSIS RESEARCHER Education: PhD Organometallic or Inorganic Chemistry Experience required: strong hands-on experience in synthesis and polymerisation required, industrial experience preferred Incumbent will conduct research in Polyolefin catalysis including supported Ziegler-Natta and single site catalyst systems for ethylene and propylene polymerisation BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SPECIALIST Education: MBA Marketing or equivalent, with (petro)chemical engineering industry knowledge Experience required: minimum 8 years of relevant work experience, with at least 4 years with a global (petro)chemical industry in competitive intelligence, marketing or corporate strategy, with a proven track record of achieving sustainable results Incumbent will develop and implement competitive intelligence programs and communicate their implications CONDITIONS Competitive salary, free accommodation, transportation, flights home, bonuses, full medical coverage and child education assistance. DETAILS For detailed job descriptions and application please refer to www.eee.nl Candidates are invited Tel +31(0)15 215 34 84 to apply through the Fax +31(0)15 215 34 81 Triple EEE web site Email info@eee.nl www.eee.nl Circle 260 on p. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-260 56 Chemical Engineering www.che.com JANUARY 2009 19_CHE_010109_Classified.indd 56 12/22/08 12:56:44 PM
- 83. Advertisers’ Index Advertiser Page number Advertiser Page number Advertiser Page number Advertiser Page number Phone number Reader Service # Phone number Reader Service # Phone number Reader Service # Phone number Reader Service # A Box 4 U 7 • ICE-Area Paratherm Corporation 1 Sri Consulting 15 877-522-6948 Amministrazione 28I-9 800-222-3611 adlinks.che.com/23010-23 adlinks.che.com/23010-08 adlinks.che.com/23010-34 adlinks.che.com/23010-04 Sri Consulting 26 * Alstom Power Inc. 27 • IT Tech Sa 28D-7, 28I-16 • Pompetravaini Spa 28I-7 adlinks.che.com/23010-17 877-661-5509 adlinks.che.com/23010-30 39 0331 889000 adlinks.che.com/23010-19 adlinks.che.com/23010-33 Larox Oy 8 Soundplan Llc 27 adlinks.che.com/23010-09 Prosim 45 1-360-432-9840 * Cashco Incorporated 25 adlinks.che.com/23010-22 adlinks.che.com/23010-18 785-472-4461 Load Controls, Inc. 28D-4 • Robuschi C.S.P.A. 28I-15 adlinks.che.com/23010-16 * Sulzer Chemtech, 888-600-3247 39 0521 274911/91 Chemineer, Inc. 17 adlinks.che.com/23010-25 adlinks.che.com/23010-39 Usa Inc. 28D-8 1-800-643-0641 281-604-4100 Met-Pro Corporation 2 * Samson Ag 6 adlinks.che.com/23010-14 adlinks.che.com/23010-31 215-723-6751 adlinks.che.com/23010-07 adlinks.che.com/23010-05 Tri-Mer Corporation 28D-6 • Comber Spa 28D-4, 28I-10 * Siemens Energy adlinks.che.com/23010-26 Muller GmbH 48 Automation Inc. 989-723-7838 28D-3 49 (0) 7623/969-0 adlinks.che.com/23010-28 1-800-964-4114 • Costacurta Spa adlinks.che.com/23010-21 adlinks.che.com/23010-24 Western States Vico-Italy 28I-5 39-02.66.20.20.66 Nanmac Corporation 39 Sri THIRD Machine Co 28D-6 adlinks.che.com/23010-32 800-786-4669 Consulting COVER 513-863-4758 adlinks.che.com/23010-20 adlinks.che.com/23010-02 adlinks.che.com/23010-29 Daratech 10-11 adlinks.che.com/23010-11 See bottom of next page for advertising sales representatives' contact information Dechema E.V. 9 Classified Index - December 2008 (212) 621-4958 Fax: (212) 621-4976 adlinks.che.com/23010-10 Send Advertisements and Box replies to: Helene Hicks, Chemical Engineering, 110 William St., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038 • Desmet Ballestra Spa 28I-11 adlinks.che.com/23010-35 Advertisers’ Advertiser Page number Advertiser Page number Phone number Reader Service # Phone number Reader Service # Product Showcase. . . . . . . . . . 51 • Donadon Sdd 28I-14 Computer Software . . . . . . . . 52-53 EquipNet 55 Plast-O-Matic Valves, Inc. 51 39 02 90 11 1001 888-371-6555 973-256-3000 adlinks.che.com/23010-38 Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 adlinks.che.com/23010-255 adlinks.che.com/23010-204 Durr Systems Inc. 28D-5 Equipment, Used or e-simulators 53 Process Machinery 55 1-734-254-2314 Surplus New for Sale. . . . . . . 53-55 301-540-3605 770-271-9932 adlinks.che.com/23010-27 adlinks.che.com/23010-242 adlinks.che.com/23010-251 Emerson Process FOURTH Recruitment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Genck 55 Pulsair 51 Management COVER 708-748-7200 800-582-7797 adlinks.che.com/23010-03 Advertiser Page number adlinks.che.com/23010-259 adlinks.che.com/23010-205 Phone number Reader Service # Emerson Process Heat Transfer Rousselet Robatel 51 Management 12 Alloy Screen Works 54 800-577-5068 Reasearch, Inc. 53 413-499-4818 adlinks.che.com/23010-12 979-690-5050 adlinks.che.com/23010-206 adlinks.che.com/23010-249 adlinks.che.com/23010-241 * Endress + Hauser 4 Staley Equipment 51 888-ENDRESS Avery Filter Company 55 HFP Acoustical 760-246-0041 adlinks.che.com/23010-06 201-666-9664 Consultants 55 adlinks.che.com/23010-202 adlinks.che.com/23010-253 • Fbm Hudson Italian 888-789-9400 adlinks.che.com/23010-258 The Western States Spa 28I-13 Charles Ross Machine Co. 55 adlinks.che.com/23010-37 Son Company 53 Hockmeyer 53 513-863-4758 866-797-2660 adlinks.che.com/23010-256 252-338-4705 • Finder Pompe adlinks.che.com/23010-246 adlinks.che.com/23010-244 Spa-Italy 28I-12 Triple eee for Sabic 56 39-039-8892.1 Cooper Equipment 53 Indeck 53 31 15 215 34 80 adlinks.che.com/23010-36 281-494-7400 847-541-8300 adlinks.che.com/23010-260 adlinks.che.com/23010-245 adlinks.che.com/23010-247 Groth Corp 18 Wabash Power 218-295-6800 CU Services 51 Intelligen 52 Equipment Company 54 adlinks.che.com/23010-15 847-439-2303 908-654-0088 800-704-2002 adlinks.che.com/23010-201 adlinks.che.com/23010-240 adlinks.che.com/23010-248 Honeywell Process SECOND Solutions COVER Delta Cooling Towers 51 Minox/Elcan 55 Water Works 55 1-877-466-3993 800-289-3358 800-AT ELCAN 800-232-9334 adlinks.che.com/23010-01 adlinks.che.com/23010-203 adlinks.che.com/23010-252 adlinks.che.com/23010-254 Engineering Software 53 NATUREX 54 Xchanger Inc. 55 • International Section 301-540-3605 201-440-5000 952-933-2559 adlinks.che.com/23010-243 adlinks.che.com/23010-250 adlinks.che.com/23010-257 * dditional information in A 2006 Buyers’ Guide Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 57 20_CHE_011509_AD_IND_RS.indd 57 12/23/08 11:30:16 AM
- 84. New Product InformationJanuary 2009 JustFAXit! or go to www.che.com/adlinks Fill out the form and circle or write in the number(s) Go on the Web and fill out the ✁ below, cut it out, and fax it to 800-571-7730. online reader service card. Name Title Company Address City State/Province Zip/Postal Code Country Telephone Fax Email | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FREE PRODUCT INFO 14 Engineering, Design Construc- 29 10 to 49 Employees 47 Pollution Control Equipment (please answer all the questions) tion Firms 30 50 to 99 Employees Systems 15 Engineering/Environmental Ser- 31 100 to 249 Employees 48 Pumps YOUR INDUSTRY vices 32 250 to 499 Employees 49 Safety Equipment Services 01 Food Beverages 16 Equipment Manufacturer 33 500 to 999 Employees 50 Size Reduction Agglomeration 02 Wood, Pulp Paper 17 Energy incl. Co-generation 34 1,000 or more Employees Equipment 03 Inorganic Chemicals 18 Other———————————— YOU RECOMMEND, 51 Solids Handling Equipment 04 Plastics, Synthetic Resins JOB FUNCTION SPECIFY, PURCHASE 52 Tanks, Vessels, Reactors 05 Drugs Cosmetics (please circle all that apply) 20 Corporate Management 53 Valves 06 Soaps Detergents 40 Drying Equipment 21 Plant Operations incl. Mainte- 54 Engineering Computers/Soft- 07 Paints Allied Products 41 Filtration/Separation Equipment nance ware/Peripherals 08 Organic Chemicals 42 Heat Transfer/Energy Conserva- 22 Engineering 55 Water Treatment Chemicals 09 Agricultural Chemicals tion Equipment 23 Research Development Equipment 10 Petroleum Refining, 43 Instrumentation Control Sys- 24 Safety Environmental 56 Hazardous Waste Management Coal Products tems 26 Other———————————— Systems 11 Rubber Misc. Plastics 44 Mixing, Blending Equipment 57 Chemicals Raw Materials 12 Stone, Clay, Glass, Ceramics EMPLOYEE SIZE 45 Motors, Motor Controls 58 Materials of Construction 13 Metallurgical Metal Products 28 Less than 10 Employees 46 Piping, Tubing, Fittings 59 Compressors 1 16 31 46 61 76 91 106 121 136 151 166 181 196 211 226 241 256 271 286 301 316 331 346 361 376 391 406 421 436 451 466 481 496 511 526 541 556 571 586 2 17 32 47 62 77 92 107 122 137 152 167 182 197 212 227 242 257 272 287 302 317 332 347 362 377 392 407 422 437 452 467 482 497 512 527 542 557 572 587 3 18 33 48 63 78 93 108 123 138 153 168 183 198 213 228 243 258 273 288 303 318 333 348 363 378 393 408 423 438 453 468 483 498 513 528 543 558 573 588 4 19 34 49 64 79 94 109 124 139 154 169 184 199 214 229 244 259 274 289 304 319 334 349 364 379 394 409 424 439 454 469 484 499 514 529 544 559 574 589 5 20 35 50 65 80 95 110 125 140 155 170 185 200 215 230 245 260 275 290 305 320 335 350 365 380 395 410 425 440 455 470 485 500 515 530 545 560 575 590 6 21 36 51 66 81 96 111 126 141 156 171 186 201 216 231 246 261 276 291 306 321 336 351 366 381 396 411 426 441 456 471 486 501 516 531 546 561 576 591 7 22 37 52 67 82 97 112 127 142 157 172 187 202 217 232 247 262 277 292 307 322 337 352 367 382 397 412 427 442 457 472 487 502 517 532 547 562 577 592 8 23 38 53 68 83 98 113 128 143 158 173 188 203 218 233 248 263 278 293 308 323 338 353 368 383 398 413 428 443 458 473 488 503 518 533 548 563 578 593 9 24 39 54 69 84 99 114 129 144 159 174 189 204 219 234 249 264 279 294 309 324 339 354 369 384 399 414 429 444 459 474 489 504 519 534 549 564 579 594 10 25 40 55 70 85 100 115 130 145 160 175 190 205 220 235 250 265 280 295 310 325 340 355 370 385 400 415 430 445 460 475 490 505 520 535 550 565 580 595 11 26 41 56 71 86 101 116 131 146 161 176 191 206 221 236 251 266 281 296 311 326 341 356 371 386 401 416 431 446 461 476 491 506 521 536 551 566 581 596 12 27 42 57 72 87 102 117 132 147 162 177 192 207 222 237 252 267 282 297 312 327 342 357 372 387 402 417 432 447 462 477 492 507 522 537 552 567 582 597 13 28 43 58 73 88 103 118 133 148 163 178 193 208 223 238 253 268 283 298 313 328 343 358 373 388 403 418 433 448 463 478 493 508 523 538 553 568 583 598 14 29 44 59 74 89 104 119 134 149 164 179 194 209 224 239 254 269 284 299 314 329 344 359 374 389 404 419 434 449 464 479 494 509 524 539 554 569 584 599 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240 255 270 285 300 315 330 345 360 375 390 405 420 435 450 465 480 495 510 525 540 555 570 585 600 If number(s) do not appear above, please write them here and circle: Fax this page back to 800-571-7730 Advertising Sales Representatives Mike O’Rourke, Global Sales Manager Domestic George Gortz, Helene Hicks, Chemical Engineering Jason Bullock, District Sales Manager Inside Sales Manager 5 Lynbrook Lane, Doylestown, PA 18901 District Sales Manager Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering; Tel: 215-340-1366; Fax: 609-482-4146 Chemical Engineering 2612 Edgerton Road 110 William St., New York, NY 10038-3901 E-mail: morourke@che.com 8325 Broadway, Ste. 202/PMB 261 University Heights, OH 44118 Tel: 212-621-4958; Fax: 212-621-4976; Alabama, Canada, Connecticut, Delaware, Pearland, TX 77581 Tel: 216-932-2700; Fax 216-932-5810 E-mail: hhicks@che.com Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tel: 281-485-4077; Fax: 281-485-1285 E-mail: ggortz@che.com Product Showcase, Literature Reviews, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (minus E-mail: jbullock@che.com; Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Classified Display Advertising Western New York), North South Carolina, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Western Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Pennsylvania (minus Western Pennsylvania), Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, New York, Western Pennsylvania, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, Wisconsin North South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Latin America Oklahoma, Texas Washington, Wyoming International Dipali Dhar Ferruccio Silvera Rudy Teng Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering Petra Trautes 110 William St., New York, NY 10038-3901 Silvera Pubblicita Professional Publication Agency Chemical Engineering Tel: 212-621-4919; Fax: 212-621-4990 Viale Monza, 24 Milano 20127, Italy 6F-3 # 103 Fen Liau St Neihu Zeilweg 44 E-mail: ddhar@chemweek.com Tel: 39-02-284-6716; Fax: Taipei 114 Taiwan D-60439 Frankfurt am Main India 39-02-289-3849 Tel: 886-2-2799-3110 ext 330; Germany E-mail: ferruccio@silvera.it/www. 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- 85. Economic Indicators Business News (Munich) and Schott Solar AG (Mainz, both 11.2-km Kingsmill Tunnel continuously Plant Watch Germany), have announced that they are with acidic mine drainage containing Construction of AkzoNobel’s unit for expanding polycrystalline-silicon solar- metal contaminants. High-density sludge ethylene amines in China progresses wafer production capacity.Their new plant technology is being used to create a December 17, 2008 — AkzoNobel Functional in Jena,Thuringia is on target to reach a crystalline sludge that minimizes waste Chemicals (Amersfoort,The Netherlands) is nominal capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) volume, lowers disposal costs, and reduces installing production capacity for ethylene per year, thus increasing Wacker Schott environmental impacts. Startup of the amines in Ningbo, China, including ethylene Solar’s total capacity to 120 MW/yr by the water-treatment system is scheduled for oxide and monoethanolamine (MEA). end of 2008. Construction is underway September 2009. Startup of the plants is scheduled for the to expand the Jena site’s crystal-growing 3rd Q 2010. In conjunction with this and capacities to grow multicrystalline silicon for the purpose of effectively carrying out Mergers and ingots, which are then sawn into solar the Chinese ethylene amines business, a Acquisitions wafers.The company also announced that new company, AkzoNobel Ethylene Amines it has begun initial work for a further wafer Evonik and Daimler establish alliance for China Ltd, has been established. production facility at Jena and intends to advances in lithium-ion batteries boost its annual capacity to 275 MW by late December 15, 2008 — Evonik Industries AG LyondellBasell grants 20th Lupotech T 2009 and to one gigawatt by 2012. (Essen) and Daimler AG (Stuttgart, both license since 2000 Germany), are combining their lithium-ion December 15, 2008 — Polimérica, the BASF responds to decline in demand by technology and automotive expertise to joint venture (JV) between Pequiven, reducing production worldwide drive forward the research, development Petroquímica de Venezuela, and Braskem November 19, 2008 — BASF and production of battery cells and battery S.A., has selected LyondellBasell’s Lupotech (Ludwigshafen, Germany) is taking systems.The companies will establish a T technology for a new 300,000 ton/yr low- measures to avoid the creation of JV with a clear focus on the development density polyethylene plant to be built in the overcapacities as a result of a massive and production of battery systems for Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Startup is decline in demand. The company is automotive applications. Daimler will hold expected in 2013. temporarily shutting down around 80 90% and Evonik 10% of this JV. plants worldwide. In addition, BASF is Dow streamlines its operating model to reducing production at approximately BASF acquires Sorex reflect current economic realities 100 plants. Worldwide, approximately pest control business December 8, 2008 — The Dow Chemical Co. 20,000 employees will be affected by December 4, 2008 — BASF announced that (Midland, Mich.) has announced a series of the production cuts. The adjustments it has signed an agreement to acquire Sorex aggressive actions to accelerate its strategy are primarily being carried out in units Holdings Ltd., a manufacturer of chemical in light of current economic realities. Dow’s that supply the automotive, construction and non-chemical products for professional transformation to a lean corporate center, and textile industries. Value chains pest management.The financial details of a shared business services group and affected include ammonia, styrene the transaction, which includes U.S.- based three business operating models, effective and polyamide, which manufacture Whitmire Micro-Gen and U.K.- based Sorex January 2009, will accelerate the company’s precursors for engineering plastics, Ltd., have not been disclosed.The closing ability to shed high-cost assets and coatings and fibers. Implementation of the transaction will proceed after final centralized functional structures.As part of of most of the measures has already regulatory approval. the actions, Dow will eliminate approximately started; reduced capacities are expected 5,000 jobs, representing approximately 11% to last until January 2009 for individual Dow and PIC of Kuwait sign agreement to of the company’s global workforce, close plants. BASF will continue to follow market launch K-Dow Petrochemicals 20 facilities in high-cost locations and divest developments very closely and will adjust December 1, 2008 —The Dow Chemical several businesses. Once fully implemented, production planning accordingly. Co. (Dow) and Petrochemical Industries these actions are expected to result in $700 Co. (PIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of million in annual operating cost savings by N.A.Water Systems breaks ground on Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), have 2010 and are additional to the previously Peruvian mine-water-cleanup project announced that they signed the Joint announced cost synergies of $800 million November 21, 2008 — N.A. Water Systems, Venture Formation Agreement and other in the same timeframe for the anticipated a Veolia Water Solutions Technologies key definitive agreements regarding the Rohm and Haas acquisition. In addition, company, has announced the start of a formation of K-Dow Petrochemicals, a Dow will temporarily idle approximately 180 $25-million project to design and build 50:50 JV that will be a global supplier of plants and reduce its contractor workforce a water treatment plant at the Minera essential petrochemicals and plastics and by about 6,000. Chinalco Peru S.A. Kingsmill Tunnel Water will manufacture and market polyethylene, Treatment Plant site. N.A. Water Systems ethyleneamines, ethanolamines, Wacker Schott Solar presses ahead with is partnered with Cosapi S.A. Ingenieria polypropylene and polycarbonate, and will solar-wafer capacity expansion Y Construccion, a Peruvian engineering also license polypropylene technology and November 19, 2008 — Wacker Schott Solar and construction company. Historical market related catalysts. ■ GmbH, a JV between Wacker Chemie AG mining practices in the area fill the Dorothy Lozowski For additional news as it develops, please visit www.che.com January 2009; VOL. 116; NO. 1 Chemical Engineering copyright @ 2008 (ISSN 0009-2460) is published monthly, with an additional issue in October, by Access Intelligence, LLC, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD, 20850. Chemical Engineering Executive, Editorial, Advertising and Publication Offices: 110 William Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038; Phone: 212-621- 4674, Fax: 212-621-4694. Subscription rates: $59.00 U.S. and U.S. possessions, Canada, Mexico; $179 International. $20.00 Back issue Single copy sales. Periodicals postage paid at Rockville, MD and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Chemical Engineering, Fulfillment Manager, P.O. Box 3588, Northbrook, IL 60065- 3588. Phone: 847-564-9290, Fax: 847-564-9453, email: clientservices@che.com. 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- 86. Economic Indicators 2008 2007 download the cepci two weeks sooner at www.che.com/pci CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT COST INDEX (CEPCI) 650 (1957-59 = 100) Oct. '08 Sep. '08 Oct. '07 Prelim. Final Final Annual Index: CE Index 592.2 608.9 527.1 2000 = 394.1 600 Equipment 720.0 744.4 626.2 Heat exchangers tanks 2001 = 394.3 711.7 758.4 593.3 Process machinery 664.7 674.3 594.9 2002 = 395.6 550 Pipe, valves fittings 864.0 865.6 740.2 2003 = 402.0 Process instruments 439.0 446.8 422.1 Pumps compressors 893.0 886.3 843.2 2004 = 444.2 500 Electrical equipment 471.9 468.5 437.2 2005 = 468.2 Structural supports misc 771.8 817.8 660.8 2006 = 499.6 450 Construction labor 326.3 328.2 318.3 Buildings 522.7 529.9 476.8 2007 = 525.4 Engineering supervision 351.3 351.7 355.0 400 J F M A M J J A S O N D Starting with the April 2007 Final numbers, several of the data series for labor and compressors have been converted to accommodate series IDs that were discontinued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CURRENT BUSINESS INDICATORS LATEST PREVIOUS YEAR AGO CPI output index (2000 = 100) Nov. '08 = 98.7 Oct. '08 = 102.2 Sep. '08 = 100.0 Nov. '07 = 109.2 CPI value of output, $ billions Oct. '08 = 1,752.4 Sep. '08 = 1,835.2 Aug. '08 = 2,000.6 Oct. '07 = 1,764.0 CPI operating rate, % Nov. '08 = 72.7 Oct. '08 = 75.4 Sep. '08 = 74.1 Nov. '07 = 81.6 Construction cost index (1967 = 100) Dec. '08 = 796.1 Nov. '08 = 800.9 Oct. '08 = 802.8 Dec. '07 = 753.1 Producer prices, industrial chemicals (1982 = 100) Nov. '08 = 260.6 Oct. '08 = 286.9 Sep. '08 = 314.6 Nov. '07 = 248.2 Industrial Production in Manufacturing (2002=100)* Nov. '08 = 105.5 Oct. '08 = 107.0 Sep. '08 = 106.3 Nov. '07 = 113.8 Hourly earnings index, chemical allied products (1992 = 100) Nov. '08 = 145.0 Oct. '08 = 143.4 Sep. '08 = 144.6 Nov. '07 = 142.5 Productivity index, chemicals allied products (1992 = 100) Nov. '08 = 126.3 Oct. '08 = 129.9 Sep. '08 = 122.6 Nov. '07 = 135.9 111 CPI OUTPUT INDEX (2000 = 100) CPI OUTPUT VALUE ($ Billions) 85 CPI OPERATING RATE (%) 2500 108 2200 81 105 1900 77 102 1600 73 99 1300 69 96 1000 65 J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D *Due to discontinuance, the Index of Industrial Activity has been replaced by the Industrial Production in Manufacturing index from the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. Current business indicators provided by Global insight, Inc., Lexington, Mass. MARSHALL SWIFT EQUIPMENT COST INDEX Current trends (1926 = 100) 3rd Q 2nd Q 1st Q 4th Q 3rd Q 1480 The CEPCI continues its de- 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007 1465 cline in the October pre- M S Index 1,469.5 1,431.7 1,408.6 1,399.2 1,393.0 liminary numbers (top). It re- Process industries, average 1450 1,538.2 1,491.7 1,463.2 1,452.3 1,445.6 flects a substantial decrease Cement 1,522.2 1,473.5 1,448.1 1,435.3 1,427.5 1435 in copper and steel prices Chemicals 1,511.5 1,464.8 1,438.5 1,427.9 1,421.0 1420 Clay products 1,495.6 1,453.5 1,429.1 1,415.0 1,408.8 caused by a slowing build- Glass 1,432.4 1,385.1 1,359.7 1,348.8 1,341.8 1405 ing boom in China and an Paint 1,543.9 1,494.8 1,467.6 1,457.1 1,451.2 1390 overall economic slowdown Paper 1,443.1 1,400.0 1,377.7 1,369.2 1,364.0 1375 worldwide. Meanwhile, the Petroleum products 1,644.4 1,594.4 1,555.8 1,543.7 1,536.2 1360 CPI Operating rate (middle) Rubber 1,575.6 1,537.5 1,512.3 1,500.1 1,494.8 1345 has hit its lowest point since Related industries 1330 the 2001 recession. For Electrical power 1,454.4 1,412.8 1,380.4 1,374.9 1,359.0 1315 analysis, see p. 5. Mining, milling 1,546.2 1,498.9 1,473.3 1,460.8 1,453.2 Refrigeration 1,793.1 1,741.4 1,711.9 1,698.8 1,691.7 1300 CE’s Online CEPCI pro- 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Steam power 1,499.3 1,453.2 1,426.8 1,416.4 1,407.4 Quarter vides access to the entire historical CEPCI database Annual Index: and earlier delivery of new 2000 = 1,089.0 2002 = 1,104.2 2004 = 1,178.5 2006 = 1,302.3 data. Visit www.che.com/ 2001 = 1,093.9 2003 = 1,123.6 2005 = 1,244.5 2007 = 1,373.3 pci for more. ■ 60 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2009 21_CHE_011509_EI.indd 60 12/23/08 11:34:22 AM
- 87. Circle 02 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-02 SRI DCP 1-09.indd 1 12/17/08 12:16:05 PM
- 88. Circle 03 onp. 58 or go to adlinks.che.com/23010-03 Emerson 12-07.indd 1 12/17/08 12:18:17 PM