Thursday, March 29, 2012
They may fix them !!
Did you know that 90% of heat transfer fluidbreakdowns are caused by equipment issues?
If you just check your hot-oil on a regular basis you could practically eliminate unplanned shutdown or loss of production.The easy way to do this is by conducting a Fluid Analysis. Because Fluid Analysis isn't just to check your fluid; it's to test your system.When we test your fluid (we suggest annually or more frequently for demanding service) the values we get from boiling range, viscosity, and acidity tell us what's going on in there. Better yet, together with a one-to-one system review with you, those sametest results can help pinpoint emerging issues with oxidation, over-heating, or possible mismatches in those interrelated components that could lead to a downtime-causing problem.This can help you keep the system up when it's supposed to be up, and know in advance if any corrections are needed for when you do have scheduled downtime. Your system runs better, your fluid lasts longer, and your process earns its keep.The Immersion Engineering™ team of engineers can get deep into your process with you from the design stage, customizingmaintenance plans, process expansions or, in cases where the Fluid Analysis and system review suggests it, just a good cleanout of your system with one of Para therm's three specializedsystem cleaners.Paratherm's nine heat transfer fluids are designed to cover a broad temperature range as well as a range ofcompatibility and performance criteria.Eliminate the downside risk and call Para therm today orcheck them out on the web.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
New chromatography technology . . .improving the batch for biological process !
Slash downstream processing costs for producing biologicals with this new chromatography technology
Have You ever heards new technology for downstream processing of biologicals called BioSC (Biopharmaceutical Sequential Chromatography) ? They uses a process known as sequential multi-column continuous chromatography (SMCC), which improves throughput and stationary phase productivity for downstream processing up to four times without compromising product quality or yield, says the company. The technology is suitable for all types of biomolecules, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), peptides, blood fractions and vaccines.
SMCC resembles simulated-moving bed(SMB) chromatography in that it is a counter- current process where fluid circulates continuously through a loop of columns, with feed and eluent being added to certain columns, while fractions of interest are recovered sequentially from each column (diagram). The key difference is in SMCC’s flexible scheduling of each of the multiple columns and the ability to asynchronously and flexibly schedule each of the multiple columns, which enables complex, multi-component separations, says Stephen Tingley, vice president of sales and marketing. “This means that each column can simultaneously be working in a different step phase, such as load, wash regeneration and so on.” BioSC overcomes the limitations of conventional batch chromatography, where: the column loading is limited by its dynamic capacity; process flowrates are limited by mechanical stability of the packed bed; and the stationary phase efficiency is limited by saturation of the resin binding sites. “Initial modeling studies of a commercially relevant mAb process clearly indicate the potential of a BioSC-based continuous downstream purification process to reduce the overall capital by up to 30%, equating to a cost of goods reduction of about 49%, with water usage reduced by up to 78% and overall downstream processing costs reduced by up to 69%, says managing director Andrew Sinclair.
SMCC resembles simulated-moving bed(SMB) chromatography in that it is a counter- current process where fluid circulates continuously through a loop of columns, with feed and eluent being added to certain columns, while fractions of interest are recovered sequentially from each column (diagram). The key difference is in SMCC’s flexible scheduling of each of the multiple columns and the ability to asynchronously and flexibly schedule each of the multiple columns, which enables complex, multi-component separations, says Stephen Tingley, vice president of sales and marketing. “This means that each column can simultaneously be working in a different step phase, such as load, wash regeneration and so on.” BioSC overcomes the limitations of conventional batch chromatography, where: the column loading is limited by its dynamic capacity; process flowrates are limited by mechanical stability of the packed bed; and the stationary phase efficiency is limited by saturation of the resin binding sites. “Initial modeling studies of a commercially relevant mAb process clearly indicate the potential of a BioSC-based continuous downstream purification process to reduce the overall capital by up to 30%, equating to a cost of goods reduction of about 49%, with water usage reduced by up to 78% and overall downstream processing costs reduced by up to 69%, says managing director Andrew Sinclair.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
A second major plant for a new PO process
Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co., a 50:50 joint venture of Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Dhahran, both Saudi Arabia) and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), is constructing a new plant to produce 200,000 m.t./yr of propylene oxide (PO). When the plant starts up next year, it will be the second commercial plant to use a byproductfree process developed by Sumitomo Chemical, the first being a 150,000-m.t./yr plant at the Chiba, Japan, factory, which was expanded to 200,000 m.t./yr in 2005. Conventional routes to PO either generate large volumes of: wastewater (the chlorohydrin process), styrene monomer (the Halcon process) or tert-butyl alcohol (the isobutene-oxidation process). In contrast, water is the only byproduct generated from Sumitomo’s PO process.
According to published patents and reports, Sumitomo’s PO process is based on a cumene feedstock. In the process (diagram), cumene is first oxidized in air (without a catalyst) at 90–130°C and 1–10 bar, into cumene hydroperoxide (CMHP) with a selectivity of over 95%. Propylene is then epoxylated with CMHP in a fixed-bed reactor over the company’s proprietary titaniumsilica
catalyst at 25–200°C and 1–100 bar, into PO (selectivity over 95%) and alphadimethylbenzyl
alcohol (CMA). CMA is hydrogenated into cumene which, together with unreacted cumene, is recycled into the process.
According to published patents and reports, Sumitomo’s PO process is based on a cumene feedstock. In the process (diagram), cumene is first oxidized in air (without a catalyst) at 90–130°C and 1–10 bar, into cumene hydroperoxide (CMHP) with a selectivity of over 95%. Propylene is then epoxylated with CMHP in a fixed-bed reactor over the company’s proprietary titaniumsilica
catalyst at 25–200°C and 1–100 bar, into PO (selectivity over 95%) and alphadimethylbenzyl
alcohol (CMA). CMA is hydrogenated into cumene which, together with unreacted cumene, is recycled into the process.
