Young Chemical Engineering

The Last Chapter Of Material Science And Corrosion

2012-01-08T10:40:00.001+07:00

Read This Manual before taking exam. you'll need this.
http://www.4shared.com/file/lO9yenub/handout_-_kuliah_7.html
http://www.4shared.com/office/KGjcUE-B/PBK_MODUL_7.html

Sound water treatment delivers environmental and economic benefits

2011-12-28T17:06:00.000+07:00

A two-year collaboration between Ashland Hercules Water Technologies (AHWT; Wilmington, Del.), a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. (Covington, Ky.; www.ashland.com), and BASF Nederland B.V. (Nijehaske, the Netherlands) has demonstrated that a combination of ultrasonic microbial control and corrosion inhibitors not only enhances environmental performance, but also leads to a dramatic reduction in total operating costs for cooling water treatment. BASF opted to replace its complete cooling-water-treatment program — a conjugated phosphate treatment requiring pH adjustment through sulfuric acid dosing — with Ashland’s Enviroplus scale-and-corrosion inhibitor, in conjunction with an Ashland Sonoxide ultrasonic water-treatment system.

Enviroplus uses natural, biodegradeable and renewable ingredients (BCA-polymers and low phosphorous PSA phosphonate), and eliminates the need for sulfuric acid. The patented Sonoxide technology works by passing water through an ultrasonic chamber where bacteria cells are exposed to a combination of low-power, high-frequency ultrasound and micro-bubble aeration. This reduces the overall bacteria levels and eliminates biofilm formation within the entire cooling water system, says Olaf Pohlmann, AHWT’s Sonoxide commercial leader EMEA.

After two years of operation, not only was microbial control demonstrated, corrosion rates (measured on steel corrosion coupons) were shown to be reduced from 0.3–0.4 mil/yr to 0.23 mil/yr. Compareing with BASF’s previous water treatment costs to those associated with the Sonoxide system, engineers found that operating costs were reduced by 80%, chemical use was reduced by 90% and feed water savings of 20% were achieved. Results also show a preliminary savings of €20,000/yr from feed water and chemical use reductions, says Pohlmann.

Chemical Process Industry - Sulfuric Acid Industry

2011-12-16T16:59:00.000+07:00

Here are the new module contain about sulfuric acid industry. you can download trough this links.

Material Science And Corrosion - Diffusions

2011-12-13T17:04:00.000+07:00

This is the new chapter of Material Science And Corrosion. Today objectivity was to learn about diffusion. Download The paper trough this link.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PIK EXAM !!

2011-10-30T18:22:00.003+07:00

If you can't download the material for exam tomorrow, you might want to download the fresh paper from this link. Hurry up, download the new paper, before taking examp, and learn it well.

Download Here

Don't EVER TRY to soak your cloth and leave for long time, unwashed !!!

2011-10-16T08:44:00.011+07:00

I found interesting fact today. I go to my ex-boarding house in jogjakarta, just to take a look the condition of my friends was left there. After few while I leave the conversation behind, I go to washing area in this house for washing my hand. Then guest what...?? I found this kind of madness !!!

Yes, it is a mushroom !!! what an odds view. I know our pants or cloth might get 'mushed' when leave in dampness, and only small white spot that we call "cloth mushroom". But this ??? woow, it to much. First thing, I'm kindly surprise whit this phenomena, "will mushroom become so tall in our pants or shirt ?" then I realize "Sure it does exist !!". Then I ask someone in this house to take a shot, I'd like to analyze the type of those "thing".

About the Mushroom.

This is might be type of Basiodiomycetes, who have a long tall body and wide open head or pileus. I put the pants out from basket, just for know few thing. That is "Does the mushroom just life from the basket" or "it does grown from the pants" . And, WALLLAHHH !!! it grown on the pants !! I call one of my friend, asking "who's the owner of this pant ?". Because you might be want to washed your pants now, before . . . . .

After seeing this phenomena, now I understand. Mushroom might life in our body or skin on this condition, imagine that !!!. So, for you who have "leave the pants" unwashed habit, you might want to consider this fact. Or you'll have NEW opportunities in raising your fund with "mushroom farm in your pants". LOL

other images

Biochemical Engineering - Chapter 10 Metabolism

2011-06-05T08:27:00.000+07:00

We will discuss about metabolism in our class this week. So, prepare yourself by reading about metabolism, type of metabolism, metabolism in uni cell and human. You may download the module trough this link.

Download Here

Biochemical Engineering - Chapter 8 Cel Energy

2011-05-22T22:46:00.002+07:00

I already describe to you about photosynthesis process, how an enzyme takes part in the metabolism of Carbohydrate, then its time to describe how the energy can produce from metabolism process. Tomorrow discussion will take this chapter as our main discussion. Prepare yourself by reading this paper.

Download here

Biochemical Engineering - Chapter 6 Fungi

2011-05-15T10:35:00.000+07:00

I love to introduce you to this unique plant, fungi (or we also called them fungus). As you know, fungi can life in dark room, as long they can reduce Oxygen as their food. Then I will discuss about this genus in class next Monday.

Download the material trough this link : Download here

Bichemical Engineering - Chapter 4 Algae and protozoa

2011-05-10T08:10:00.000+07:00

Well, today I'd like to discuss about Algae and protozoa. Many of you may be have reading it trough internet, or in middle high school. We will discuss this material on class on Monday. You can download the material trough this link.

code : [http://www.4shared.com/document/m_n_p6dB/RBK_BAB_IV_algae.html]

PBK TO READ

2011-01-10T15:18:00.002+07:00

Are you ready for the last time ? this is the material you should read before exam day. GBU
Download here

PIK CHAPTER 5

2011-01-02T12:15:00.003+07:00

This is our next discussion about Oil Refinery and Natural Gas Exploration. On This chapter, We will describe about the process, on how to Refining the oil from oil rig in the oil refinery. Once again, this module are in Indonesian language. Enjoy !!
Download Here

PIK CHAPTER 4

2010-12-31T12:24:00.000+07:00

In Chemical Process, we know that we must have ability to read the Flow Diagram of the process. How we know that the process using Distillation Chamber, Pump, or Pipe to transport the fluid ? While you thinking this, I working hard, collecting some stuff, just to make you easier reading the flow process with the symbol. I hope this can help you, gaining the new experiences in chemical process industry.
Download Here

PIK CHAPTER 2

2010-12-29T12:29:00.002+07:00

Do you know there several process in the chemical process industries ? When we choosing to use this process, it will affecting to our Profit return investment. This chapter, will describe to you that several process, along with a brief description.
Download Here

Optimizing Reciprocating Compressors for CPI Plants

2010-12-12T13:44:00.002+07:00

Seems so long I don't updating this blog. So I decide before end of this years, I will profiding some useful information for all of you chemical engineering student about chemical process industry and optimization of the process. Hope you will enjoy this. our today discussion was about Reciprocating Compressors, you might think, what the heck is that ? I m suggest your read carefully this post.

Reciprocating compressors — the most commonly used type of compressor throughout the chemical process industries (CPI) — are flexible and efficient, and they can generate high head (from several bar to several thousand bar) independent of gas density. Worldwide, the installed reciprocating compressor horsepower is approximately two times that of centrifugal compressors.

However, the maintenance costs associated with reciprocating compressors are approximately three times greater than those for centrifugal compressors (due to valve, unloader and packing-maintenance requirements). This article provides practical recommendations for users to consider in an effort to improve the selection, operation and maintenance of reciprocating compressors in CPI applications.

Compressor designs

The Figure, shows the basic design of a reciprocating compressor. Close attention to the selection of the piston rod packing can improve performance, because this is a common source of reliability problems associated with reciprocating compressors, and is a common path for the leakage of potentially hazardous process gases. Experience shows that packing life can be extended by as much as a factor of three by adding the proper coating (tungsten carbide is a widely used coating material for piston rods).

Interstage cooling is required when the machine or gas being compressed has a temperature limit. In this case, as the gas cools, any liquid that may form is separated in interstage facilities and then the gas is returned to next compressor stage for further compression. Each compressor stage may consist one or more cylinders. Vendors usually offer a range of interstage pressures. The ability to optimize interstage pressures can help to minimize the total cost of ownership for the compressor and interstage facilities. This optimization can be done by evaluating the initial cost and operating costs of compressors and interstage facilities for various interstage pressures.

During operation, interstage pressures will increase during part-load operation (that is, operation at lower flow that results when an unloader device is used; this is discussed below) combined with variation in pressure at the suction inlet.

In a typical reciprocating-compressor design, the first stage may contain one or more cylinders and a clearance pocket. An additional bottle may be added to the cylinder with an actuated on/off valve. To avoid unwanted interstage pressure increases, users may consider installing additional clearance pocket(s) on the first-stage cylinder(s) and using part-load operation via the compressor control logic.

By selecting the right interstage design pressure, users can ensure proper operation in the face of part-load operation and variation in suction pressure. In general, the interstage design pressures should be around 15% higher than the interstage basic design values for applications that are working with common part-load steps (such as 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% capacity) and are expected to experience a variation in suction pressure of around +/- 7% during operation.

In some applications, reciprocating compressors must be designed to operate reliably in the face of considerable suction pressure variations while still providing full design flow at the desired discharge pressure. These operating requirements will have a direct impact on compressor sizing, especially the frame rating and motor power required for the unit.

The Graph shows load curves for the connecting rod of a reciprocating compressor in petroleum refining service. Variation in suction pressure (in this case, a roughly 7% reduction in suction pressure) results in a higher load on the rod. As a general rule, the compressor should be designed so that the maximum-anticipated rod load does not exceed 80% of the allowable rod load.

As shown on the y-axis in Figure, the rod load shall change sign from negative to positive and then negative again during one revolution of the crankshaft in order to provide proper lubrication for the mechanism (especially for the cross-head pin). The duration of rod sign reversal (the period during which load has the opposite sign) should not be less than 15 degrees of crank angle. The rod-load reversal peak (maximum amount of load in the reversed direction) should not be less than 3% of the actual combined load in the opposite direction. These minimum requirements should be satisfied under all possible operating conditions (especially in the face of suction-pressure variation and part-load operation, such as when an unloader device is used to decrease flow through the compressor).

In many cases, higher values of rod-reversal duration and peak are considered during compressor design to increase reliability. Minimum load-reversal duration corresponds to 50% capacity, and the reversal duration is more than 70 deg.

In general, the optimum speed for the reliable operation of reciprocating compressors is around 350 rpm. For compressors operating below 400 kW, speed on the order of 450 rpm is suitable. However, for those operating below 100 kW, higher speeds (even as high as 700 rpm) are acceptable.

Lubricated cylinders and packing may be preferred to extend service life. However, non-lubricated cylinder compressors should be used when the possibility of oil contamination cannot be tolerated in downstream operations (for instance, when trace amounts of lubricating oils could cause catalyst problems in downstream reactors).

For the optimum operation of reciprocating compressors, sufficient inertia — provided by a properly sized flywheel — is mandatory to regulate the variable reciprocating torque. On the graph bellow, shows brake torque versus crank angle for one revolution of the crankshaft for a reciprocating compressor used in a petroleum refinery setting. The red and blue curves represent compressor torque for normal full-load capacity and half-load (50%) capacity, respectively.

A step-less capacity-control system uses a hydraulically actuated, finger-type unloader. This device unloads the suction valve for only a portion of compression cycle to achieve the desired adjusted capacity.

A finger-type unloader has finger-shaped parts that act on the cylinder valve elements and keep them open for a defined duration during the compression cycle. Users should note that these finger-type unloaders have the potential to damage the valve-sealing elements and thus may have greater maintenance requirements.

A step-less capacity control system is recommended for larger machines (units rated above 2 MW, when large operation variation is expected). In these cases, step-less capacity control (working in the range of 20–100% capacity) is extensively used due to process requirements.

In general, valves and unloaders are responsible for nearly half (roughly 45%) of unscheduled reciprocating-compressor shutdowns, so valve and unloader selection can have a strong impact on reliability. And many consider the automatic cylinder valves to be the most critical components of such machines, as they are responsible for many unscheduled maintenance events. For large compressors (that is, those that operate at relatively low speeds with high pressure ratios), relatively large-bore ring-type valves (above 100 mm, or 4 in.) combined with plug-type unloaders should be considered first, to avoid reliability issues associated with finger-type unloaders. Since ring-type valves and plug unloaders are not available for smaller-sized compressors (those that operate at relatively higher speeds), such units typically use plate-type valves.

During operation, the rotating parts of the compressor, power transmission and driver will act like springs connected in series. This torsional dynamic system may create resonance (where one natural frequency of system coincides with one of excitation torque). In reciprocating compressor trains, there is always a risk of torsional resonance and torsional fatigue failure (that is, damage to component resulting from excessive cyclic loads).

Couplings that connect the driver to the compressor can be modified to tune the system to avoid torsional resonance. Several coupling options are available as follows:

Direct, forged-flange rigid connection (no coupling) between driver and compressor
High-torsional-stiffness coupling is allowed by torsional analysis. Since coupling options are limited, it may not be possible to find an acceptable coupling with the required torsional characteristics and service factor, especially for large compressors (above 3 MW)
Flexible coupling (which provides more elasticity and damping, but may require greater maintenance since elastic elements in such a coupling may need frequent replacement)

The most common reasons for problems caused by torsional vibration are lack of comprehensive torsional-vibration analysis, improper application and maintenance of couplings (especially flexible ones) and lack of appropriate monitoring. As a general rule-of-thumb, the shaft diameter of the electric motor should be equal to or greater than the reciprocating crankshaft diameter (because the crankcase is generally forged from a stronger steel grade compared to the motor rotor).

Condition monitoring

Condition monitoring, when done properly, can pay for itself by helping operators identify potential systems malfunctions at an early stage. A rigorous program should include monitoring of these important conditions:

Vibration (including continuous vibration monitoring of the compressor and motor casing, providing both alarm and shutdown capabilities):

In general, velocity transducers are preferred over accelerometers (because interested frequencies for monitoring better match with velocity-measurement sensors). The optimum configuration for using a velocity transducer is to install one on each end of the crankcase, about halfway up from the base plate in line with a main bearing, both for compressor and motor
Crosshead accelerometer (alarm)

Temperature:

High gas-discharge temperature for each cylinder (with both alarm and shutdown capabilities)
Pressure packing piston-rod temperature (alarm)
High crosshead pin temperature (alarm), only for relatively large compressors (around or above 3 MW)
High compressor main, and motor bearing, temperatures (alarm)
Valve temperature (monitoring)
Oil temperature, out of compressor frame (alarm)
High jacket-water temperature of each cylinder (alarm)

In addition, proximity probes, typically located under the piston rods, provide alarm capabilities but are not used for shutdown. These are used to measure the rod position and determine wear or malfunctions. Such probes can quickly identify problems such as piston or rider band malfunctions, cracks in the piston rod attachment, a broken crosshead shoe or even a liquid carryover to a cylinder.
Improving maintenance

To support regular maintenance, the installation of any reciprocating compressor must ensure proper access to the entire compressor system, especially the non-drive end. In particular, adequate space and work areas must be provided to enable the complete withdrawal of the piston, removal of the cooler bundles or piping spool and laydown area (to carry out maintenance, dismantling of parts and repairs).

Similarly, three crane capacities must be properly identified: The total capacity of the overhead crane (to lift components for routine maintenance), the maximum maintenance weight (to ensure that the heaviest parts, usually the motor, can be lifted during overhauls), and the maximum installation weight (maximum skid weight, usually the compressor skid).

For a typical 7-MW API 618 compressor train for petroleum-refinery service, these crane capacities would be roughly 11 tons, 55 tons and 100 tons, respectively, and the required crane height would be roughly 12 m (around 40 ft)

Any time a given compressor must be stopped for an extended time, it should be turned a quarter-turn every week, using a barring device (this is a device that slowly turns the compressor to avoid locking and other problems that often arise during long stoppages of reciprocating compressors). A manual barring device can be used for relatively small compressors. A pneumatic barring device must be used for compressors rated above 750 kW (provided there is no area classification or power-availability problem).

For larger compressors (2 MW or larger), these special tools are often needed to carry out routine maintenance on reciprocating compressors. These tools cannot be easily purchased; they must be specially designed and fabricated based on the actual machine:

Bearing extractor
Piston extractor
Valve extractor
Piston fit-up tool
Hydraulic tightening system
Crosshead assembling tool
Special lifting tools
Partition plate-assembling tools
Mandrels for wear bands

During maintenance of compressor mechanical components, the following criteria are important:

Cylinder clearance for the outboard end should be around 4–6 mm (0.2–0.3 in.), and for the inboard end, clearance should be around 2–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in.)
The allowable temperature of the machine bearings, piston rod, connecting rod bearing and crosshead should be maintained around 85ºC, and for the crosshead pin, it should be maintained around 90ºC.
The vibration level of the crankcase should not exceed 100 microns, and the expected vibration level of the cylinders should be around 150 microns (these vibration recommendations are peak-to-peak vibration readings for an installed, trouble-free, middle-range machine around 1 MW).
Bearings, piston rings and piston shoes should also be inspected regularly.

Auxiliaries and accessories

For auxiliaries and accessories, the optimum configuration is to install a local panel near the compressor skid (around 250 mm, or one foot away from the compressor skid), and on a standalone skid to minimize the potential for vibration damage.

The oil system should include two oil pumps, both sized for a capacity that is 20% greater than the maximum oil flow required for the compressor. At a minimum, two pumps should be used. Either a run-down tank (this is a stainless-steel tank that allows the supply oil to safely coast down the machine in the event that both pumps have failed), or a crank-shaft-driven main oil pump is required. Dual (two) removable bundle shell-and-tube oil coolers (TEMA C), double oil filters with a removable element and stainless-steel piping are also necessary.

Liquids should not be allowed to accumulate inside the compressor cylinder. For any application, a suction drum (sized appropriately with regard to application-specific retention time, flow velocity, and, if required, a mist-collection system to capture contaminants) with a drain provision should be provided. It may be part of pulsation control. To control pulsation, a vertical vessel is sometimes used as both suction drum and suction pulsation vessel, but this not recommended since vertical pulsation vessels cause relatively long piping to the compressor, which may lead to dynamic problems. Similarly, these are sometimes conflicting requirements for pulsation damping and suction separation, so this combined approach is not preferred. It may be used only for small compressors, let’s assume below 250 kW, with relatively light gases, such as those lighter than nitrogen.

Cooling-water systems are generally used as a heat sink for reciprocating compressors, to avoid hot spots and improve machine stability and reliability. To design a cooling system, first, the generated heat should be calculated. Then, the anticipated temperature rise should be identified. The cooling-water inlet temperature should be selected between 6°C and 16ºC above the inlet gas temperature. When selecting the pump to deliver cooling water to the compressor cylinder and packings, consider this:

With regard to the slope of the operating curve (discussed in greater detail below), the selected operating point should not be in the flat or near-flat part of curve; rather, enough slope is needed for proper operation
There should be a continuous rise from a selected operating point to shut off
There should be proper shut-off pressure compared to a selected operating point (preferably 10% but a minimum of 6%)

Note: usually a larger size pump shall be selected to meet these recommendations.

Any reciprocating compressor system should be designed with a margin of excess flow capacity for the cooling system, to enable it to respond to situations that deviate from normal operation, where the need may arise later for additional cooling flow to remove excess generated heat (for example, unloaded operation when the compressor is idle, overload conditions, or future expansion, if applicable). The recommended cooling pump capacity margin is 10–25% (that is, pump rated capacity is 10–25% more than required normal flow).

Users should consider suitably sized pulsation vessels and correct any potential pulsation resonance in piping rather than using damping devices, such as orifices, choke tube and so on to dampen pulsation. Acoustic reviews should be performed during compressor system design to guarantee all anticipated combinations of pressures, speeds and load steps (including the use of flow-reduction steps that rely on unloaders, which can vary the compressor flow).

Pulsation limits are recommended around 85–95% of API 618 (Approach 3) limits to provide some margin (5–15% of API 618 limit values) to mitigate risk during construction and installation periods, and to cope with unanticipated deviations and problems. Similarly, pulsation vessels are generally fabricated before finalization of the piping-design-and-pulsation study, and enough margin should be provided to meet potential risks.

For nearly all applications, horizontal suction and horizontal discharge vessels are preferred. Long distances between vertical pulsation vessels and compressors increase the likelihood of pulsation problems.
Improving performance

The maximum predicted discharge temperature for any API 618 reciprocating compressor for CPI applications must not exceed 150ºC, and must not exceed 135ºC for hydrogen-rich service. In general, gas discharge temperatures below 118ºC tend to lead to longer life for the wearing parts.

When it comes to optimum pressure-drop values for pulsation dampeners and suppression devices, the pressure drop maximum is 1% of absolute pressure. For the intercooler, pressure drop around 0.70 bar or 2% of absolute pressure is recommended.

Readers should note that the use of orifice plates to dampen pulsation, especially on high-speed, single-act compressors (that is, those that compress gas on only one head of cylinder), can contribute to significant pressure drops.

To gain a better understanding of reciprocating compressor performance and track ongoing operation, the following performance curves should be developed:

Suction pressure versus load
Suction pressure versus flow
Discharge pressure versus load
Discharge pressure versus flow
Suction pressure versus discharge pressure, per load step (that is, for each flow-reduction step using unloaders, typically 50%, 75%, 100% flow; 25% is rarely used because of the potential for reliability and load-reversal issues)

Such flow curves typically plot the minimum achievable flowrate to the maximum achievable flowrate in specified increment steps (for instance, in 10% steps). (Flow-versus-discharge-pressure plots of specific suction pressures may be an acceptable alternative when suction-pressure variations are limited). A review of the steepness of the proposed load curves can help the engineer to quickly identify which load curves (and where) are too steep. In these situations, small changes in pressure can have significant changes in load and flow. In general, compressors with steep load curves are hard to automate and tune. Thus, steep load curves usually indicate improper sizing of cylinders.

Optimum conditions

When scoping a reciprocating compressor system, it is absolutely necessary to have a minimum of two technically accepted proposals from qualified vendors. Small and medium compressors should be delivered fully fabricated as one skid-mounted package. Larger compressors are typically delivered as a prefabricated system (including the crankcase, distance pieces, and so on) with dismantled cylinders. Assembled cylinders are typically delivered to the site separately and installed later. It is common for the vendor to provide site-supervision work for cylinder installation at a negotiated lump-sum price.

IMPORTANT !! PIK CLASS

2010-11-11T08:39:00.002+07:00

Dear all student, if you are taking the "Chemical Process Industry/Proses Industri Kimia" for this semester, accordingly of our Rector notation about Volcano Disaster in our province(Jogjakarta-Indonesia), and while you taking a rest in your home (or might be sleep in your boarding house, near Jogjakarta), I pronounce to you that our class will be held in Cyber-Class. The handout it self, you may download trough this blogs, and our discussion class will be held in yahoo messenger global meeting at :
Friday, 19 November 2010
08.00 AM (WIB)
Add me at radius_mangaka@yahoo.com.

I'll be waiting you at this class, hope you will give a good cooperation with me for your success. Thank You, GBU.
Assalamualaikum Wr.Wb

Chemical Industries Process - Chapter 1

2010-10-04T23:23:00.003+07:00

Here are my promise for uploading the first chapter of our class discussion about chemical process industries (sorry about 2 hours late). Don't worry, I wrote the text in Indonesia language.

DOWNLOAD HERE

In this first chapter, we will discuses about industries and chemical process industries in global task. I hope you will able to understand what the purpose of this class. On next day, I will re-post the next chapter, so stay tune and wait the post from me. GBU

Chemical Process Industries Class

2010-10-03T07:47:00.003+07:00

READ THIS, IMPORTANT !!

For all student who taking the class of "Chemical Process Industries" in this semester, you can download the hand out module on Monday, at 9 P.M. I'm still working the paper and finishing the instructional guidelines, so you can understand properly about the material. I hope you will be patient about that. For your attention I'd like to say thank you and I hope you success in this semester. GBU

Membrane bioreactor technology

2010-08-01T22:08:00.001+07:00

Improves treatment of high-organic-content water

A next-generation, carbon-enhanced membrane-bioreactor (MBR) system improves treatment of industrial wastewater with high organic content and containing compounds that resist microbial breakdown. The system allows economic reuse of wastewater or discharge to meet stringent environmental standards. The new MBR, dubbed EcoRight, will be commercially available in early 2011. First envisioned by Saudi Aramco (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; www.saudiaramco.com), the technology was developed jointly with Siemens Water Technologies Corp. (Warrendale, Pa.; www.siemens.com/water).

EcoRight’s key technological innovation involves the use of granular activated carbon (GAC), rather than powdered activated carbon (PAC), to adsorb organic contaminants in the wastewater. In PAC-containing MBR systems, PAC can cause varying degrees of abrasion on microfiltration membranes, explains Siemens sales and marketing director Tom Schultz. “That can result in higher operating costs due to shorter membrane life.” EcoRight technology isolates the GAC from the membranes, almost entirely eliminating abrasion associated with using PAC. EcoRight developers have invented a proprietary technique for keeping the GAC in suspension inside the MBR without using energy beyond that required for conventional aeration, Schultz says, which had been a major technological barrier to using GAC in the past.

An additional advantage of the technology is its considerably reduced carbon consumption compared to other PAC-based MBR systems or those using GAC polishing columns, because the granules are retained in the system longer. Longer retention allows a higher degree of biological regeneration of the GAC to occur, as microbes break down organics adsorbed inside the GAC pore structure. EcoRight allows effluent to be fed directly into reverse osmosis equipment for reuse as boiler feed, irrigation, utility or cooling water, the companies say.

Laboratory work on the technology has been completed, and testing has begun on a recently assembled, field demonstration unit built in Saudi Arabia by Saudi Aramco and Siemens.

The Seminar On The Way !!

2010-07-21T11:03:00.001+07:00

Finally, after 6 month of my research about "temperature variation influence of carbonation process in term of caloric value of briquette that's made from bagase." I came to the end of the research. And already got the results, so for that purpose I will held a seminar to discus about the result it self.

you can download the seminar paper from this blogs. And for you who want to know more the method I use in the researching process, you may download the full report from this address.

http://invest-online.site90.net/myresearch.zip

enjoy the seminar, and I am waiting your critic and suggestion about my research.
p.s: sorry before, the package was password protected. send me email to acquiring the password to open the package. I am doing so just for keeping the originality of the results. and control the user who used it. thanks before.

send your request to the email : radius_mangaka@yahoo.com

Boosting Catalyst Productivity

2010-01-21T11:54:00.002+07:00

For the better part of a century, chemical process industries (CPI) have depended on catalysts to make their processes viable. Current efforts toward process efficiency and environmental innocuousness have placed more demands on catalysts to produce more with less.

Industrial catalyst manufacturers are partners in the effort; they are pursuing several different pathways to maximize their products’ ability to boost output for those who use them. Among the strategies are to find ways to maintain product yields with less catalyst, and to improve catalyst activity without sacrificing selectivity.

There have been several recent examples where new catalysts have helped realize manufacturing advantages. Success has been reached through the use of alternate catalyst materials, new support designs and new manufacturing methodology.

Engineering particle size

Heterogeneous catalyst activity and selectivity are affected strongly by catalyst particle size. One strategy to improve productivity is to find ways to make uniform-sized catalyst particles that are optimally sized to perform the needed reactions. The BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany; http://www.basf.com) catalyst division is applying that approach in its NanoSelect platform, a commercially viable process for manufacturing metal crystallites of a specific size. The first two products under the NanoSelect umbrella are LF100 and LF200, which are the world’s first lead-free alternatives to Lindlar catalysts. Lindlar catalysts are lead-modified heterogeneous palladium catalysts that, for example, hydrogenate alkynes to selectively produce cis -, rather than trans -alkenes.

The picture show Metal clusters with a narrow size distribution, such as these produced on BASF’s Nanotechnology platform improve activity while reducing metal content. (Photo: BASF).

BASF Catalysts global product technology manager Hans Donkervoort explains that standard heterogeneous catalysts have metal crystallite sizes varying from <1 to 100 nm. The NanoSelect platform is designed to make metal colloids with metal crystallites sized in a very narrow, almost unimodal size range — for example, 7.0±1.5 nm.

“For the LF 100 and 200 catalysts, we are able to produce metal crystallites in a specific narrow range, which allows BASF to achieve the same functionality with the NanoSelect catalyst as that of a Lindlar catalyst,” Donkervoort says. In addition, these catalysts require less palladium metal to achieve the same hydrogenation activity, which leads to significant cost reductions in the hydrogenation process. “Palladium content of Lindlar catalysts is about 5% by weight, while the LF 100 and 200 have around 0.5 or 0.6% palladium by weight,” Donkervoort explains, “but hydrogenation activity levels are similar.”

The BASF LF Series catalysts also eliminate the need for lead. The role of lead in Lindlar-catalyzed reactions is important, but not well understood.

For developing the lead-free hydrogenation catalysts, BASF won a “Green Excellence Award” from Frost & Sullivan (San Antonio, Tex.; http://www.frost.com) in August 2009.

“Feedback from [LF catalyst] users in the market has been good,” Donkervoort says. “Performance is the same [as existing Lindlar catalysts], including selectivity for the cis versus trans double bond.”

The two catalysts constructed on the NanoSelect platform differ in the support material used — in the case of LF 100, the support is activated carbon, and for LF 200, the support is alumina-silicate powder.

BASF’s catalyst division is currently working on producing other catalysts on the NanoSelect platform, including multimetallic systems. The company is also seeking collaborations with university research groups to learn more about the fundamental chemistry of the catalyst systems.

In addition to working on new NanoSelect catalysts, BASF engineers are also developing catalysts that are compatible with other strategies manufacturers may be pursuing toward achieving higher productivity in their processes. Succeeding in doing so could include moving from a batch-production model to continuous production, Donkervoort explains. Companies are looking to downsize their equipment and make more product with smaller process hardware, Donkervoort says, and “it’s up to us to develop catalysts that will be effective” in such a scheme.

Recovering energy from fluegas

2010-01-12T20:48:00.000+07:00

Alcoa of Australia (www.alcoa.com.au) has developed a process to recover sensible and latent heat from the fluegas (FG) produced by Bayer alumina calciners, and use the heat to evaporate Bayer spent liquor. Peter Hay, of Alcoa’s Technology Delivery Group, at Alcoa’s Kwinana Refinery, in Western Australia, says the recovered heat can also be applied to seawater desalination. Calcination consumes 25 to 40% of the refinery’s total energy input, and produces large quantities of FG that is generally vented to the atmosphere, says Hay.

Energy is recovered from the FG by progressive cooling. Only sensible heat is recovered between 165°C and the dew point. Below the dew point, the energy recovered is mainly the latent heat of the water condensed. The higher-grade, sensible heat is only about 10% of the practical recoverable energy, considering 50°C to be the heat sink practical limit. Water is recovered after the dew point is reached. Since considerable refining infrastructure is invested to collect and store fresh water — an essential raw material for the Bayer process — any process that can reduce fresh water usage has significant value to the refining operation, says Hays.

The basic components of the heat recovery process (flowsheet) are: fluegas quench to cool the FG to its dew point and to wet and discharge the fugitive dust in the FG; counter-current contacting tower to heat water and cool the FG; induced draft fan to overcome pressure losses in the FG circuit; indirect exhaust FG heater to ensure fluegas buoyancy and dispersion; falling film evaporator, to exchange heat between the heated water in the shell with the spent liquor film flowing inside the tubes thereby evaporating the spent liquor; and indirect heat exchanger, to condense and recover high quality condensate from the evaporated liquor.

For every metric ton of smelting-grade alumina produced, about 0.2 GJ of sensible heat is recovered from FG exit temperatures between 85 and 165°C, and about 0.6 m.t. of water is recovered from FG exit temperatures between 57 and 82°C. Hay and co-inventor Dean Ilievski, also of Alcoa’s Technology Delivery Group, have applied for a patent on the process.

Sound water treatment delivers environmental and economic benefits

2009-12-20T11:44:00.002+07:00

A new spin on reducing membrane-filtration fouling

2009-12-13T21:18:00.001+07:00

Last month at Filtech (Wiesbaden, Germany; October 13–15), Fil Max Inc. (Brea, Calif.; www.fmxfiltration.com) exhibited a new application for its FMX vortex-generating, membrane-filtration technology — treating wastewater from a biogas plant. Fil Max installed its first commercial system — three KFS units with 220 m2 of filtration surface area — for this application in August at a 6-MW biogas facility in Europe. The system integrator of the plant had experienced considerable problems due to clogging of the previous tubular ultrafiltration system, explains Fil Max director Tzu-Lung Lin. Pilot trials (conducted in March) demonstrated FMX technology’s ability to not only meet EU water-quality standards, but also to increase methane production in the biogas-plant digester.

FMX consists of a stack of membrane filters with a vortex-generating blade sandwiched between the membranes. The blade — jointly developed by the Korean Institute of Machinery and Materials (Daejeon; www.kimm.re.kr) and Fil Max — is spun by a variable-speed drive creating a swirling pattern known as Kármán vortices, which generate a strong turbulence with minimum energy. This turbulence dislodges foulants from the membrane surface, enabling the foulants to be carried away by the feed stream (diagram, top). In contrast, conventional membrane filtration systems, which rely on a cross flow to remove the boundary layer built up by foulants, are less efficient because the shear force is often weakest near the membrane surface (diagram, bottom).

FMX made its commercial debut in 2005 for treating wastewater from a methyl cellulose plant of Samsung Fine Chemicals. Since then, the technology has found applications in the oil-and-energy, chemical and environmental industries. Units are available with membrane areas of 10 to 100 m2, and the modular design enables stacking as many membranes as needed to meet the required capacity, says Lin.

A new electrochemical process for making K2FeO4

2009-12-10T11:28:00.002+07:00

A new process for producing the oxidizing agent potassium ferrate (VI) (K2FeO4) can routinely generate multi-kilogram quantities per day, say scientists. Ferratec (St. Louis, Mo.; www.theincubationfactory.com) and partner Electrosynthesis (Lancaster, N.Y.; www.electrosynthesis.com) have licensed the process technology from Battelle (Columbus, Ohio; www.battelle.org) and are looking toward commercial-scale ferrate production.

The common laboratory method for making the compound involves chlorination of ferric salts, a process that makes only gram quantities and has not been found to be scalable. The new process is based on an electrochemical cell with an iron anode in a strong caustic medium. As low voltage is applied, the cell produces K2FeO4 as a slurry, and hydrogen gas. The ferrate is removed continuously from the circulating electrolyte and isolated by solid/liquid separation. Recovered electrolyte is recycled back to the cell.

Relying on electrochemistry rather than chlorination synthesis methods was a key technology development in assembling a viable process and enabling high yields, explain Bruce Monzyk and Mike von Fahnestock, process chemists and engineers at Battelle. The other key innovation, they say, was varying the power across the anode, which eliminates the accumulation of unstable or solid intermediates and keeps the anode from passivating” — a problem that has plagued past efforts to produce ferrate electrochemically.

Advantages of the new process include a high-purity (>95%), highly stable (tolerates 70°C) product and a small and relatively clean waste stream. The kilogram yields were achieved on a single, commercial-scale cell, but the cells are modular, and can be replicated to scale-up, notes Andy Wolter, chief operating officer of Ferratec and parent company, The Incubation Factory.

Initially, Ferratec is targeting a handful of the many applications for the powerful oxidizer, including use as a broad-spectrum disinfectant, a water quality tool and for selective oxidations in fine chemical syntheses.

Making acrylic acid from glycerin

2009-11-11T15:29:00.002+07:00

Nippon Shokubai Co. (Nisshoku; Osaka, Japan; http://www.shokubai.co.jp) is developing a process for making acrylic acid from glycerin directly obtained as a byproduct from biodiesel-fuel (BDF) production. In 2007, Nisshoku demonstrated, under a grant from the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (Kyoto, Japan; http://www.rite.or.jp), a process that co-produces BDF and glycerin with 98% purity from vegetable-based biomass, such as palm oil. The company has produced 20 ton/yr of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) with 99 mol% yield, and 2 ton/yr of glycerin at their Tsukuba Research Laboratory. Now, it plans to use this glycerin to make acrylic acid, a precursor for making plastics, coatings, adhesives and elastomers.

In the process, glycerin is dehydrated over a new, supported acidic/basic catalyst to form acrolein, which is then oxidized into acrylic acid using the company’s proprietary oxidation catalyst. In conventional routes, acrolein is made from propylene oxide by a two-step process.

Nisshoku is now optimizing the glycerin dehydration step at the laboratory scale, aiming to produce acrolein with a yield of 80–90 mol%, and is also investing ¥2 billion ($20 million) over 2009–2010 for a pilot facility, with support from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (Kawasaki, Japan). The company plans to finish bench-scale test and pilot-facility design this year, and begin installation and operation of the pilot facility at its Himehi site for demonstrating acrolein production in 2010. The basic design of a commercial plant is planned for 2011, with a study for commercialization by 2012.

Reverse Osmosis as a Water Treatment Process

2009-10-06T03:06:00.000+07:00

The use of reverse osmosis
as a water treatment process or technology started more than four decades ago. It emerged as an effective alternative technique for desalinating abundant seawater. You see, the world’s surface is up to two-thirds covered by ocean and seas. But why is it that many countries and cities are still lacking adequate supply of potable water? That was the concern when scientists and researchers started exploring many more ways of converting water from ocean and sea into a form that would be most useful to households, industries, and people.

Upon the wide recognition of the water treatment method’s decontaminating and purifying capabilities, systems for reverse osmosis started getting commercial production and distribution mostly for household water purification purposes. These systems have been installed in many homes since the start of 1970s. Reverse osmosis devices and facilities have instantly become a more viable option to the costlier and more energy-wasteful units of water distillation.

The process is depending mostly on the semi-permeable membranes through which pressurized liquid or water is forced into. The use of force is a necessary factor because logically, reverse osmosis is simply the exact opposite of natural osmosis. As a review for your general science lessons, osmosis is the tendency of water, the universal solvent, to migrate or transfer from a solution with weaker saline content into a solution with stronger saline concentration. This phenomenal process is considered as nature’s way of gradually equalizing or balancing saline composition of solutions, especially when there is a semi-permeable membrane that separates them.

In reverse osmosis, there should be force applied so that water would move in the reverse direction: from the solution with stronger salinity into the solution with a weaker concentration of saline. There is again the presence of a semi-permeable membrane. Why not the movement of salt molecules? In particular, salt molecules are physically bigger compared to water molecules. Because of that, the membrane would block the passage of even the tiniest salt particles or molecules. The result: desalinated water on a side of the membrane and a more concentrated solution of saline on the other.

In the same process, reverse osmosis is touted to do the same involving water contaminants. Because of this, the process has been known as an effective and highly reliable water purification method for production of safer drinking water. Many businesses are now capitalizing on the use of reverse osmosis in producing safe and quality potable water for general use of people.

There are pros and cons to the use of reverse osmosis as well. For the advantage, of course, the process is used when there is a goal to produce safer water for consumption. The method is also used when separating water from other forms of contaminants or impurities like lead, iron, manganese, salt, and calcium. Even additive fluoride in tap water could be eliminated through reverse osmosis.

For the disadvantage, many water treatment businesses know for a fact that reverse osmosis facilities are naturally more expensive than other water purification techniques. There is also a known limitation. It would not work in filtering out volatile organic chemicals and chlorine. This is because such impurities are too small their molecules are even smaller than those of water. They could also pas through the stringent pores of semi-permeable membranes.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/

ChemShow Exibition 2009

2009-10-03T18:42:00.001+07:00

The 53rd ChemShow exhibition will be held November 17–19 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York.

ChemShow 2009 will feature a technology conference and symposium on nanoscale materials and “green” technology. Organizers say the focal point of the symposium will be bridging the gap between science, technology and commercialization. Created for the ChemShow by Innovative Research and Products (iRAP; Stamford, Conn.; http://www.innoresearch.net), the “Nano and Green Conference & Symposium” will explore the impact of nanotechnology on environmentally friendly processing. The conference will focus on colloids and surface modifications that benefit nanotechnology applications, nanoparticle synthesis and nano-bio convergence and their emerging technologies and markets.

Aside from the product exhibition and symposium, the show features a host of educational sessions. Chemical Engineering will present a two-day educational program (see pp. 30-31).The Valve Manufacturers Association (VMA; Washington, D.C.; http://www.vma.org) will present sessions on the use of valves and actuators in the chemical process industries (CPI). A number of sessions are offered as part of AIChE Day (American Institute of Chemical Engineers; New York; http://www.aiche.org) at the Chem Show. Among the offerings is a tutorial session on the fundamentals of powder flow technology, which will seek to provide insight into common flow problems of solids. Other AIChE sessions include mixing basics, troubleshooting pneumatic conveying systems, sustainability practices, process safety and others. Additional information about the show can be found at http://www.chemshow.com.

During the show, look for Chemical Engineering’s exclusive coverage of the ChemShow in its daily newspaper. Those attending the show are also encouraged to visit Chemical Engineering at Booth 703.

Extracting drinking water from humidity

2009-07-24T13:20:00.002+07:00

An energy-autonomous process for capturing air humidity for drinking water has been developed by scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB; Stuttgart; www.fraunhofer.de) and Logos-Innovationen GmbH (Bodnegg, both Germany; www.logos-innovationen.com). The concept is suitable for supplying water to single households or hotels in regions where there is no electricity infrastructure.

In the process, water from the atmosphere is absorbed by hygroscopic brine, which runs down a tower-shaped unit. The brine is then sucked up to an elevated tank, which is under vacuum, and heated by solar collectors thereby evaporating the water. Water vapor is then condensed and runs through a completely filled column, creating the vacuum needed for the brine tank. Reconcentrated brine then repeats the cycle. Prototypes for both system components — absorption and vacuum evaporation — have been built, and the combination tested on a laboratory scale. A demonstration facility is the next step.

A one-step process for extracting oil from algae

2009-07-04T10:50:00.001+07:00

Algae offer a ubiquitous, renewable source of oil for fuels and various chemical products ( CE, September 2008, pp. 22–25), but the extraction of oil from the algae cells is an energy-intensive process that involves dewatering and drying the biomass, followed by solvent extraction. Now, a one-step method that breaks the algae cells and liberates the oil without the need for dewatering or solvents has been developed by OriginOil, Inc. (Los Angeles; www.originoil.com). Riggs Eckelberry, the company president, says the process promises to cut energy costs by 90%, plus "substantial savings" in capital costs for solvent extraction.

In the new method, algae ready for harvesting are pumped into an extraction tank through a static mixer, which induces cavitation in the water. Simultaneously, a low-power, pulsed electromagnetic field is applied to the algae-laden stream, and CO2 is introduced to lower the pH. The combination of these measures ruptures the cell walls and releases the oil, which rises to the surface in the tank while the biomass sinks. The final separation is achieved in a clarification tank.

OriginOil devised the separation method as part of its process to produce biofuels from algae, which is still under development. However, the company is in early discussions to market the separation process through a partnership with Desmet Ballestra (Zaventum, Belgium), which installs process systems for algae producers and other oil and fat processors.
... and a gasification process that gets methane from algae

Genifuel Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah; www.genifuel.com) has taken a different route to producing fuel from algae (see previous item). The company has licensed a "catalytic hydrothermal gasification" process from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Richland Wash.; www.pnl.gov) and is using it to convert algae to natural gas.

An aqueous slurry containing about 20% algae is pumped continuously into the bottom of a vertical stainless-steel reactor and converted to natural gas at about 350°C and 3,000 psi, using a ruthenium catalyst. The conversion is better than 99%, says Genifuel president Jim Oyler, and the product gas consists of about 97% methane, plus ethane, propane and hydrogen. The product gas exits the top of the reactor along with steam, which is used to preheat the feed, then condensed and recycled to the algae ponds.

PNNL has tested the process with terrestrial plants, kelp and water hyacinths, as well as algae, but Oyler says algae is an ideal feed because it is easy to convert to slurry form, so preprocessing is relatively inexpensive. Also, essentially all the heat in the steam is recovered. He adds that the process operates at about half the temperature of other gasification methods that don’t use a catalyst. The present reactor produces about 100 ft3/d of natural gas, but Oyler plans to work next with a reactor that is about four times larger. He says the process can be readily scaled up.

A shocking way to compress CO2

2009-06-14T11:20:00.000+07:00

Compressing carbon dioxide captured from power plants to 1,500–2,200 psia for pipeline transmission or underground injection is a challenge that requires eight stages or more, using conventional compressors. A compressor that promises to do the job in two stages, for 50–60% of the installed cost, is being developed by Ramgen Power Systems, Inc. (Bellevue, Wash.; www.ramgen.com).

Ramgen has been working on the compressor for some time, supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE, Washington D.C.; see CE, June 2006, p. 16), but the project has received a boost from Dresser-Rand Group Inc. (Houston, Tex.). Dresser-Rand has committed to a staged investment in the company, says Ramgen president Peter Baldwin, who spoke at the recent Spring National Meeting of the AIChE in Tampa, Fla.

Baldwin notes that the inlet flow in conventional compressors is typically limited to a Mach number of below 0.90 at the inducer blade tip, to avoid generating shock waves in the blade passages. In contrast, Ramgen’s "Supersonic Shock Wave Compressor" borrows from supersonic aircraft engine inlet technology, using a combination of rotor rpm and inlet vane design to operate at a relative Mach 2. Instead of conventional blades the machine uses rotating disks whose rims are contoured to form inlet compression ramps that mimic the inlet design of supersonic aircraft engines (diagram). The goal is to achieve a pressure ratio of 100:1 in two stages, each with its own separate drive.

In association with Dresser-Rand, Ramgen is working on a 13,000-hp (10-MW) second stage that could handle the CO 2 generated by a 250-MWe power plant. "The second stage is the high-pressure stage, so it’s the critical one," says Baldwin. "We expect to have it running sometime in 2011." He adds that, besides CO2, the compressor could be used for other heavy molecular weight gases and low-temperature applications.

Batch Processing: Staying Alive

2009-06-04T18:27:00.003+07:00

Repeatability, flexibility and visibility via automated control systems can help batch processors make it through the recession

As it is with all chemical processors, the current economic climate is forcing batch processors to produce more saleable product at a better profit margin from the same assets. Increasing flexibility, reliability and visibility while decreasing batch cycle times via integrated automation systems can help increase throughput and the chance of survival.

Staying afloat

Undoubtedly it’s difficult to get more product from a process, especially in the wake of staff reductions and facility shutdowns. However it is possible to improve batches in an effort to ensure longevity even during an economic crisis. To do so, experts recommend the following:

Increase reliability. Since the product from many batch processes is immensely valuable and any loss of a batch due to failure will result in a large financial setback, ensuring reliability is especially important during the current economic downturn

Reduce batch cycle time. Like other chemical processors, batch processors need to get more from less. Getting a batch cycle down from 12 h to 11 h and 45 min translates into additional revenue from the same assets, so it is prudent to find ways to reduce batch cycle times

Increase flexibility. Flexibility, too, is crucial at this time as processors are being asked to produce a wider range of products from the same equipment with very little setup-related downtime between batches

Track and trace. In this sagging economy, many batch processors are cutting back on documentation and quality procedures. Experts warn that this is only laying a trap for the future as regulations regarding record keeping are becoming more stringent. Historical batch information can also be used to improve a process. For these reasons, batch processors must begin to step up their game in this area

True batch control

While taking these actions may seem difficult, automation vendors do provide solutions that can help. Increasing reliability, they say, lies in moving sophisticated and intelligent batch automation down the automation hierarchy and into the controller. "In the past there were hierarchical systems where recipe management and other aspects of batch processing and unit control were run in a server and the actual phases and individual building blocks were done in the controller," says Maurice Wilkins, vice president of the Global Strategic Marketing Center with Yokogawa (Newnan, Ga.; www.yokogawa.com) and chairman of the World Batch Forum (Research Triangle Park, N.C.; www.wbf.org). "But now unit supervision can be done in the controller as well."

This means that the unit can stand alone inside the controller, where before a server was needed to manage the operation. "Controllers are becoming more powerful, which lets you run more inside the controllers themselves. This is where batch processing is headed because you can do more with less equipment," says Wilkins.

Chris Morse, product marketing manager for batch with Honeywell (Morris Township, N.J.; www.honeywell.com), agrees that this is the ticket to more successful batch operations. "Moving the procedural levels of batch control into the controller provides a robust environment and reliability," says Morse. "We call it ‘bumpless redundancy,’ meaning that if one controller fails, the system automatically moves to the back up with no single point of hardware or software failure that will cause the batch to hold, which could be dangerous or involve economic loss."

In addition, this recent move helps with cycle time reduction. In previous generations of batch automation, there was a server involved, which left dead time in communication between that server and the controller. "We have customers who have calculated that by reducing dead time, they can increase their annual throughput by up to 3%," notes Morse. "They can sell that additional product, which means they have successfully reduced cycle time and improved productivity."

Using advanced process control as part of the batch process can also help improve yield by allowing users to make more informed decisions about equipment and processes, says Todd Stauffer, PCS 7 marketing manager with Siemens Energy & Automation (Alpharetta, Ga.; www.siemens.com). "Advanced process control is a way to understand how you’re currently running so you can make fine adjustments to the process with ease," he says. "With the distributed control systems of the past, it was difficult and costly to make small changes unless you were knowledgeable in the vendor’s programming."

Integrating information

Providing integration at a variety of levels can also help processors boost their batch. At the operator level, it’s important to provide a common user interface and concept across all the systems, not just the batch or automation system. Further up the automation pyramid, integration with ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems allows processors to seamlessly move from order to order input, to planning and inventory management and then into kicking off the batch process.

Vendors are tackling this in a variety of ways. Honeywell is more deeply integrating the batch automation functions into the system, so "it does batch right out of the box rather than being an installed application on top of the automation system," says Morse. "This provides the user consistency in look and feel, which reduces the training requirements for maintaining and operating a system."

One of the newest developments in the area of integration is with Honeywell’s Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), which offers new integrated batch functionality through the new Experion Batch Manager. "Every item of batch automation can be changed online with this system," explains Morse. "We’re taking measures to be able to manage large numbers of recipes and integrate with ERP systems. A batch can be kicked off by an external system, usually an ERP, without paper or manual handling between the ERP and automation system." He says this provides flexibility and ease of change between orders and batches.

Siemens is handling the integration challenge through its Simatic IT product, which bridges the gap between its PCS 7 control system and Simatic Batch. While Simatic Batch is a graphical tool that allows users to make recipe changes in a drag-and-drop environment, there was still difficulty in getting the information for those changes from the IT people to the process control folks. "We are providing Simatic IT to make those two worlds talk in an effort to increase flexibility," says Robert Purvy, PCS 7 technical consultant with Siemens.

"Typically there are IT guys and process control guys, but batch processors need to make that line blur if they want to increase productivity via flexibility," he says. "The information and data regarding scheduling, warehousing and material management that is normally in the scope of IT has got to make it to the process control people so they have information on the quality of the raw materials if it differs from the information in the ERP system."

"Having integration between these normally disparate entities will also enable batch processors to quickly change from one product to another if something comes up," says Purvy. "Quite simply, integration provides batch processors with information in real time, which enables them to produce more products with the same equipment, make changes on the fly, optimize production runs and keep track of it all."

Track and trace

And keeping track of it all is especially important as regulations regarding documentation and record keeping grow tougher every day. Not only does tracking and tracing keep batch processors in compliance, it also helps them understand the process, enabling process improvements.

Most suppliers of automation solutions provide some sort of track-and-trace, documentation and historical analysis functionality in their offerings. Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, Wis.; www.rockwellautomation.com), for example, offers its Plant PAx Process System and, within that, a batch management and control function focused on batch and sequence management, which leverages Integrated Architecture and Factory Talk. Factory-Talk Batch software provides modules for batch management, manual work instructions, materials management and material usage tracking, forward/backward track and trace, regulatory compliance, validation and other tracking activities.

"Not only does this help with regulatory compliance and product recalls, it also turns data into usable information, which helps batch processors truly understand and optimize the process," says Andy Stump, segment manager for Rockwell Automation’s Process Systems Team.

He says the Factory-Talk Batch product provides web-based reporting, which offers a range of standard out-of-the-box reports for track and trace, material usage, electronic batch reporting and exception reporting. "The system takes all that data, collects it and gives the user a report that can be used to fine tune the process," he says. What it boils down to is that batch processors are using modern and reliable batch control systems to gather and study the information collected by track and trace functions. This enables the user to make informed decisions to achieve the levels of flexibility and increased productivity necessary to stay alive during the economic downturn.

Optimizing Pumping Systems

2009-04-25T22:38:00.001+07:00

Interest in energy efficiency is not a fad. The economics of industrial production, the limitations of global energy supply and the realities of environmental conservation will be enduring themes for decades, if not the millennia. As energy costs increase, pump manufacturers respond with an understanding of the importance of making equipment more efficient at saving energy.

Traditional methods of specifying and purchasing piping, valves, fittings, pumps and drivers often result in lowest first cost, but also often produce subsequent unnecessary, expensive energy consumption and higher maintenance costs. An organization that incorporates the energy, reliability and economic benefits of optimum pumping systems can enhance profits, gain production efficiency and move ahead with essential capital upgrades necessary for long-term business survival.
System fundamentals

Pumping systems are typically designed to support the needs of other systems, such as process fluids transfer, heat transfer and the distribution of water and wastewater. Systems are generally classified as closed-loop or open-loop. Closed-loop systems recirculate fluid around set paths, whereas open-loop systems have specified inputs and outputs, transferring fluids from one point to another. For closed-loop systems, the frictional losses of system piping and equipment are the dominant loads. Open-loop systems often have significant static head requirements due to elevation and tank pressurization needs.

Pumps, piping, valves and end-use equipment typically compose these systems. Other common components include filters, strainers, and heat exchangers. Any evaluation of a pumping system should consider the interaction between these components, not just the pump itself. This is referred to as a systems approach to pumping system evaluation. The pumps and the system must be designed and treated as one entity, not only to ensure correct operation, but also to reap the benefits of energy efficient pumping.

The Hydraulic Institute (Parsippany, N.J.; www.pumps.org) recognizes about 40 different types of pumps, broadly classified into two categories that relate to the manner in which the pumps add energy to the working fluid: positive displacement and rotodynamic also known as centrifugal.

Rotodynamic pumps are much more common and have a variable flow-pressure relationship, which is described by a performance curve that plots the rate of flow as various pressures. Positive displacement pumps have a fixed displacement volume. Their flowrates are directly proportional to speed.

The other major components of typical pumping systems have a large effect on the system efficiencies. The selection of efficient and properly sized electric motors is vital, along with the use of variable speed drives when appropriate. Proper piping inlet and outlet configurations are also important for efficient system operation. Additionally, the appropriate selection and operation of valves is critical, especially any throttling or bypass valves.

Along with pump-speed control and multiple-pump arrangements, bypass valves and throttling valves are the primary methods for controlling rates of flow in pumping systems. The most appropriate type of speed control depends on the system size and layout, fluid properties, and sometimes other factors. Bypass arrangements allow fluid to flow around a system component but at the expense of system efficiency since the power used to bypass any fluid is wasted. Throttling valves restrict fluid flow at the expense of pressure drops across the valves.
Proper systems design

Pump engineers have long been trained that the highest level of pumping efficiency and equipment reliability is achieved by matching the pump to the system. Applying a total-systems-optimization approach, for instance, Pump Systems Matter (see box on additional information resources) advances significant savings opportunities with both existing and new pumping systems.

The Figure shows that increasing the system pressure will reduce the rate of flow. If the pressure reaches a certain point, the flowrate may approach zero, a condition to be avoided. To allow for unforeseen pressure increases, pumping system designers often select an oversized pump. The consequence of this oversizing is that the system will operate with excessive flow or will need to be throttled, thereby increasing energy use, increasing maintenance requirements and decreasing the life of the pump.

Specific energy is a useful measure to consider when evaluating combinations of pump type, model and system. Specific energy is the power consumed per unit volume of fluid pumped. It is determined by measuring the flow delivered into the system over a period of time and calculating the power consumed during the same period of time. This measure takes into account all of the factors that will influence the efficiency of an installation, not just pump efficiency.

Specific energy also takes into account where the pump is operating on its curve when delivering flow into that particular system. Thus, a pump with a lower efficiency may consume less power than a higher efficiency pump, simply because of how its characteristics fit with the system in question.

Another benefit of using specific energy as a measure is that it allows some approximate comparisons between similar pumping installations.
Steps to improving efficiency

Existing systems. Process optimization is the process of identifying, understanding and cost effectively eliminating unnecessary losses while reducing energy consumption and improving reliability in pumping systems. Pumping systems possessing one or more symptoms that are typical of an inefficient system (see box) should be considered for further investigation, with priority given to large, high-maintenance systems that are mission critical to the process or facility operation.

Next, the pump systems selected for assessment should be thoroughly evaluated to determine the system requirements. In some situations, it may be determined that the system is operating with excessively high pressure or rates of flow. Occasionally, this analysis will find one or more pumping systems that can actually be turned off without compromising the process. An awareness of system-demand variability will help to better match flow and pressure requirements more closely to the system need.

The next step in the system optimization process involves data collection. Data may be acquired with installed process transmitters or portable instruments to determine discharge flowrate, discharge pressure and power consumption. The instruments used should be both accurate and repeatable. The data acquisition equipment should be matched to the application, and the length of data collection should provide statistically valid averages. Systems with varying or seasonal loads may require long-term data logging equipment.

The collected data can be used to compare the measured rates of flow and head to the required rates of flow and head. This may reveal an imbalance between measured and required conditions, which is evidence of an inefficient system. Comparing the existing operating conditions to the design conditions can also reveal an improperly sized pump.

If the original pump performance curve is available, it will be useful to construct a curve for the operating points of the existing system. Comparing the two can provide a general understanding of the current pump condition. Even a comparison of a single test point to the original curve can determine whether the first step is to overhaul a worn pump or to investigate the system further. Every rotodynamic pump has a best efficiency point (BEP). A pump operating outside of an acceptable operating range (within a reasonable range of BEP) will be inefficient and have higher energy use and shorter mean time between failures (MTBF).

Other components of the existing system must also be assessed. Incorrectly sized valves can create excessive pressure drops across the valves, and the different types of valves have different loss coefficients. When throttling valves or bypass lines are used to control flow, an analysis should be conducted to determine the most efficient means of flow control. These variable flow systems may benefit from pump speed control, such as variable speed drives.

The system piping configuration should be evaluated for optimization opportunities. A proper configuration will include a straight run of pipe leading into the pump inlet to ensure a uniform velocity of fluid entering the pump. Turning vanes or some other means of "straightening" the flow should be used when this is not possible. Also, the suction piping should be of sufficient size to minimize friction losses.

New systems. The design and selection of new systems provide the opportunity to optimize for minimum lifecycle costs, including energy, maintenance and other costs. Significant lifecycle opportunities exist through optimal pipe sizing (larger pipes can deliver fluid at lower pressures), variable-speed pump control, and pump and valve selection.

The selection of pump type and size, the impeller size and pump operating speed all impact the pump operating point and determine the pump’s BEP. Getting the BEP matched to the actual system operating point is an important part of designing an efficient system. The piping size, material, and associated fittings and other components influence the system resistance and hence the system curve and operating point. These materials should be selected through the consideration of lifecycle costs, especially since they are the most difficult parts of the pumping system to change in the future.

It is also important to note that all pumping systems change over time, affecting their operating points. As the systems age, corrosion, abrasion or solids buildup are likely to occur in the piping, altering the effective piping diameters. Cyclic mechanical and thermal loadings may cause piping fatigue damage over time. Valves, gaskets and other components are subject to wear and corrosion as well. Worn or damaged impellers and other parts in the pump itself will impact system performance. This also has a degrading impact on the process control loop associated with the pumping system.

Additionally, operational changes over the life of the system will influence system efficiency, as industrial processes are often evolving or changing to changing demands. Thus, the pump operating parameters can change as well as the duty cycles.

Using the sun to keep Australians cool

2009-04-02T21:21:00.001+07:00

CSIRO Energy Technology (Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; www.csiro.au) is developing a solar-powered air conditioning unit for residential use, using a desiccant-evaporative process to provide cool and dehumidified air. Thermally driven ab- or adsorption chillers are commonly used to provide cooling using heat, but these entail disadvantages: they are expensive, bulky, they produce chilled water instead of air, and they are not ideal for providing dehumidification under Australian summer ambient conditions.

Stephen White, a member of the CSIRO team, says that using solar heating for cooling is a new and important research area for Australia. "It addresses a national challenge since air conditioning and space heating are responsible for around 18% of the annual residential greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Replacing 10% of the existing air conditioners in Australia with a low-energy consumption, solar-powered system could result in CO2 emission reductions of up to 1 million ton/yr of CO2."

The CSIRO team has tested the dehumidification performance of a desiccant wheel (300 mm dia.) made of an iron-alumino-phosphate zeolite with an AFI structure and traded under the name of FAM Z-01. Moisture removal capacity of the material is 8 g of water per kilogram of dry air with regeneration air at 80°C and 8.25% relative humidity, and an inlet air stream of 30°C and 93% relative humidity. The difference in moisture removal between 50°C and 80°C regeneration temperature was found to be less than 1-g water/kg dry air, for supply inlet temperatures between 10°C and 30°C and supply inlet relative humidity between 20 and 50%. Compared with silica gel, the performance of the FAM-Z01 material was best at the low regeneration temperatures expected in solar applications.

A more efficient way to extract energy from coal

2009-03-15T20:47:00.001+07:00

A process that produces hydrogen from coal with close to 80% energy conversion efficiency, plus coproduction of a carbon-dioxide-rich stream for sequestration, is being developed at Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio; www.osu.edu). This compares with around 60% conversion efficiency for traditional coal gasification processes, says Fanxing Li, a research associate and co-inventor of the process along with chemical engineering professor Liang-Shih Fan.

In the two-step process (flowsheet), called chemical looping conversion, pulverized coal, iron oxide pellets (a patented composite of iron and such materials as alumina and silica) and oxygen are fed into a moving-bed reactor (a reduction reactor). The carbon in the coal reacts with the iron oxide at about 850°C and 450 psi to produce iron and CO2. The Fe passes to the second (oxidation) reactor, where it reacts with steam at around 800°C and 450 psi to yield H2. The Fe is reoxidized and recycled to the first reactor.

The advantage of the process is that it produces H2 without the traditional water-gas shift reaction and without the energy intensive step of separating the CO2 from the resultant gas mixture, says Li. The oxygen requirement is only about 40% that of conventional coal gasification. Alternatively, the use of O2 can be avoided by burning part of the iron oxide feed and using the sensible heat from those particles to drive the first reaction.

So far, the gasification process is being tested at a scale of 25 kWth, or about 10 lb/h of coal. Li adds that a variation of the process can be used for "indirect" coal combustion, with CO2 sequestration. In this configuration, the Fe is burned with air in the oxidation reactor and the hot gases are used to drive a steam turbine.

Oil from Sand

2009-02-23T08:23:00.003+07:00

In these hard economic times, people working in troubled businesses may well envy the situation of Alberta’s oil sands industry. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP, Calgary, Alberta; www.capp.ca) predicts that the production of synthetic crude from oil sands will reach 3.3-million bbl/d by 2020, up from 1.2-million bbl/d in 2007. Much of this oil will be sent to the U.S. via an expanding network of pipelines (CE, May 2008, p. 22).

As it happens, though, the industry has been impacted by the current business recession causing a number of companies to delay their expansion plans. For example, Suncor Energy (Calgary; www.suncor.com) announced a $20.6 billion* expansion program a year ago, with the goal of expanding production from 350,000 bbl/d to 550,000 bbl/d by 2012. More recently, the completion date has been pushed back to 2013 and the company has scaled back its capital spending plans for 2009 by more than one-third. Similarly, Fort Hills Energy L.P., a new venture, has deferred a final investment decision on mining operations and delayed indefinitely a decision to build an upgrader (delayed coker). Petro-Canada (Calgary; www.petro-canada.ca), the majority partner in Fort Hills, has reduced its capital and exploration expenditures to about $4 billion this year, down from about $6 billion in 2008. Petro-Canada’s investment in oil sands in 2009 is expected to be about $985 million, down from about $1.4 billion in 2008.

Alberta’s recoverable reserves of oil sands total about 175-billion bbl, says Greg Stringham, CAPP’s vice-president for oil sands and markets. Currently, about half the production is done by surface-mining the sand and its associated bitumen, then separating and upgrading the bitumen to obtain a synthetic crude (syncrude) for refining. However, only about 20% of the reserves are amenable to surface mining, so the trend is toward increased use of in situ processing to exploit deposits 200 ft or more below the surface.
Process technology
The main drivers for technology innovations in oil sands production are a desire to reduce costs and environmental impacts. Operating costs vary widely, but are currently in the range of US$30–35/bbl, says Stringham. Syncrude Canada Ltd. (Fort McMurray, Alta; www.syncrude.ca) reported operating costs, including purchased energy costs, of $24.64/bbl for 2007, down from $26.46/bbl in 2006.

In a surface-mining operation, oil sand is scooped up by huge shovels, trucked to a crusher, then slurried with warm water and piped to an extraction plant. There, hot water (40–50°C) is added, air and process aids are injected into the stream, and the mixture is fed to a conical primary separation vessel. Sand settles to the bottom of the vessel and the overflow is a froth that contains about 60% bitumen, 30% water and 10% clay.

Naphtha is typically mixed with the froth to lower the viscosity of the bitumen, making it easier to separate it from the water and clay by centrifuging or settling. Finally, the bitumen and naphtha are separated by distillation. The naphtha is recycled and the bitumen, whose specific gravity is about 10 API, is upgraded by delayed- or fluid-coking to obtain a synthetic crude of 25–30 API for refining.
The downside of these operations is that they use large volumes of water and have created huge tailings ponds that contain toxic residues. Air pollution is also a concern, and emissions of carbon dioxide are a major issue (see sidebar). In their defense, spokespersons for industry point out that they recycle at least 90% of the water they use, with zero discharge, and the net water use averages roughly 4 barrels per barrel of produced oil.

The popular process for in situ mining is steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). A horizontal well is drilled into the oil formation, and a second, producer well is drilled parallel to it at a lower level. Steam is injected into the upper well to liberate the bitumen, which is pumped out from the producer well.

Benefits of in situ mining are that the produced bitumen is “clean”, there are no tailings, and water use is much lower than those of operations based on surface mining. Petro-Canada says its net water use for SAGD (including 90% water recycling) is about 1/3 barrel of water per barrel of product.

On the other hand, energy use is high and there are air emissions from the steam boilers. Several new technologies are being developed and implemented to alleviate these problems and to cut costs (see below).

Companies whose operations start with mining are striving to improve efficiency throughout the process train. At the beginning of the train, Suncor has been using a mobile crusher at the mine face for more than a year. Built to Suncor’s specifications by MMD (Summercotes, England), the tracked unit can process 5,000 metric tons per hour (m.t./h) and is linked to a mobile slurry unit, thus reducing the cost of truck haulage and reducing air emissions. Suncor expects to have two more mobile crushers operating within three years.

Syncrude has designed a compact slurrying unit for use with a mobile crusher at the mine face and field-tested a 4,000-m.t./h prototype, which is about half the size of a commercial unit. The company is now doing engineering design for a commercial system, says Alan Fair, manager of research and development. The equipment will be moved every few weeks by commercially available crawler transports. Fair notes that haulage trucks cost about $5 million each, “so it’s a costly way to move ore.”
An improved froth treatment process, for separating bitumen from the froth after primary separation, has been developed by Shell Canada Ltd. (Calgary; www.shell.com). Naphtha is normally mixed with the froth to lower the viscosity of the bitumen and ease the separation, as noted earlier. Shell, in contrast, has for several years used paraffinic technology developed in cooperation with Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetEnergy (Devon, Alta.; www.nrcan.gc.ca).

Shell has now developed an improved paraffinic process, called Shell Enhance, and plans to start up a commercial plant at its Muskeg River Mine in 2010–2011. The new process operates at above 60°C, versus 25–35°C for the earlier process. The advantages of paraffin over naphtha, according to Shell, are that the bitumen product has a lower solids and water content and there is partial deasphalting of the bitumen. Shell Enhance is an improvement over the earlier process in that it improves energy efficiency by 10%, uses 10% less water and requires less space.
Coking
In contrast with the situation in a conventional petroleum refinery, coking is an important unit operation in oil sands processing. “Most petroleum refiners use the coker as a garbage can to process the bottoms and heavy oil, but in our case most of our feed goes through a coker,” says Alan Fair, manager of research and development for Syncrude. The company has three fluidized-bed cokers — two older ones with nameplate capacities of 107,000 bbl/d and a 95,000-bbl/d unit that started up in 2006. “These are the largest fluid cokers in the world,” says Fair.

Syncrude has installed baffles in the reactor product-recovery section of one of the cokers to improve product fractionation. The company plans to make similar modifications to the other cokers during future scheduled shutdowns. The cost is about $1 million for each project, but Syncrude says the potential savings could reach $9 million/yr through longer run times and improved product quality. The baffle was developed by the company’s R&D department, with help from ExxonMobil (Fairfax, Va.; www.exxonmobil.com), licensor of the fluid coking technology.
Syncrude is also investing $1.6 billion to retrofit lime spray dryers on the two older cokers for sulfur emissions control. Scheduled for startup in 2010 or 2011, the project is expected to reduce emissions from the two units by about 60%, reducing the total sulfur emissions at the site to less than 100 m.t./d.

The newer coker uses an aqueous ammonia scrubbing process from Marsulex Inc. (Toronto; www.marsulex.com). The NH3 reacts with SO2 to form an ammonium-sulfite slurry, then air is bubbled through the slurry to obtain ammonium sulfate, which is sold to the fertilizer industry.

Syncrude chose this process because ammonia is generated as a byproduct in the hydrotreating plant, says Paul Ibbotson, a process engineer. However, trace compounds in the gas caused an odor, so the company has been buying NH3 until it finds a way to deal with the offending compounds.

Suncor will install three trains of paired delayed cokers for its planned 200,000-bbl/d expansion. The project, dubbed Voyageur, will process bitumen from a combination of surface- and in situ-mined sources (Figure 2). The company has been using some SAGD for about five years, says a company spokesman, “but in the next 5–7 years we expect it to account for about 50% of our bitumen recovery.”

Tailings treatment
Surface-mining operations produce tailings that are a mixture of water, clay, sand, residual bitumen and naphthenic acids. The problem is that the clay stays suspended, settling to a maximum of only 30–40% solids content after 3–5 yr, says Randy Mikula, team leader for the extraction and tailings group with Canmet.
Indeed, Suncor is only now reclaiming its first tailings pond after decades of operation. Suncor pioneered the use of consolidated tailings technology, developed in association with Canmet, in which tailings are consolidated by chemical treatment. In Suncor’s case, gypsum (from SO2 scrubbing) is added to the tailings to accelerate the release of water. Suncor’s Pond 1 is now being infilled with sand, after which the company will contour the surface and plant vegetation.

A process in which CO2 is injected into the tailings pipeline is being commercialized by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL, Calgary; www.cnrl.com). CNRL developed the process in collaboration with Canmet. The injected CO2 forms carbonic acid, which changes the pH and coagulates the clay, thereby increasing the settling rate of the tailings, says Theo Paradis, lead operations engineer. CNRL is using the process to treat the tailings from its new 110,000-bbl/d oil sands plant, now starting up. Paradis expects it will permit settlement of the tailings within weeks, rather than years.

An improved process will be used in the project’s second stage, when the plant will increase oil production to 232,000 bbl/d. The tailings volume will be reduced by thickeners and cyclones. Warm water will be recycled to the process from the thickener, and waste heat from the coker will be used to heat the process water, eliminating the use of natural gas. About 26 m.t./h of CO2 will be obtained from the onsite H2 plant. The deposited tailings may be trafficable “almost immediately,” says Paradis.

In another process, developed by Syncrude in collaboration with Canmet, organic polymers are added to tailings, which are then centrifuged to separate the clay from the water. Syncrude has tested the process at a scale of 20 m.t./h and increased the solids content of the tailings from 17–20% to 55–60%. The separated water was returned to the bitumen-extraction process.

As an alternative to consolidating tailings, Syncrude has piloted a water capping method, in which lakes have been built in former mines, with soft tailings forming sedimentary bottoms. Syncrude says its research indicates that the lakes will, over time, support plant and wildlife.
In situ processes
The conventional in situ mining process is SAGD, as noted earlier, but this method uses large volumes of natural gas to raise steam, and there are air emissions from the steam boilers. A number of companies are working on new technologies that reduce or avoid these problems.

Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd. (Calgary; www.petrobank.com) is piloting a process called THAI (Toe-to-Heel Air Injection). A horizontal producer well with a slotted liner is drilled at the base of the oil sands formation, which may be 20–30 m thick, then a vertical injector well is drilled to the end (toe) of the producer well. Steam is injected for 2–3 months to raise the reservoir temperature to about 100°C. Finally, air is injected at 450–550 psi, initiating a combustion front that moves along the axis of the producer well, causing oil to flow into the well.

“The oil just rises to the surface by gas lift, without pumping,” says Barry Noble, a management adviser with Petrobank. Asphaltenes remain in the sand to provide fuel, he says, so the produced bitumen has an API gravity “in the middle teens,” versus eight for raw bitumen. Compared with SAGD, there are substantial savings in capital costs and water and energy, he adds, because steam is used only at the beginning of the cycle. Petrobank has piloted the process and plans to build a 10,000-bbl/d demonstration plant.

Shell is developing an In situ Upgrading Process (IUP) in which the oil is heated by electrical resistance heaters that are inserted in wells. The heat upgrades the bitumen into a lighter crude and gas that can be recovered, leaving coke in the ground. Shell has been field-testing IUP for several years, using 18 heaters and three producer wells. So far, more than 100,000 bbl of light oil has been produced at the site, but Shell says further work is necessary before the process can be commercialized.

Oil Sands and the Environment
Toward mid-year, Alberta Energy (Edmonton, Alta.; www.gov.ab.ca) the provincial government’s energy department, will award three to five contracts for pilot projects for carbon capture and storage (CCS). Total funding is $2 billion (Canadian) and the goal is to capture 5 m.t./yr of CO2 and develop a pipeline network to transport the gas for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or injection deep underground.
The CO2 initiative is welcomed by Stephen Kaufman, chairman of ICO2N (Calgary), a group of some 20 industrial companies that studies CCS. In a recent report ICO2N outlined a scheme for a CCS system to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 million m.t./yr, at an estimated cost of more than $100/ton.

Last year was the first full year of an Alberta regulation that requires companies emitting more than 100,000 m.t./yr of CO2 to reduce their emissions by 12%. Those that don’t meet their targets may buy offsets or pay $15 for each ton over the limit. The Alberta government was the first in North America to issue such a regulation.
Environmentalists complain that the regulation is based on intensity (for example, per barrel or kWh), rather than placing a cap on plant emissions. “The oil sands industry produces about 4% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and this is set to triple to 12% by 2020,” says Simon Dyer, director for oil sands with the Pembina Institute (Calgary; www.pembina.org), a sustainable energy think tank. He adds that the regulation does not encourage polluters to use CCS. “Paying $15 a ton, when CCS may cost around $100/ton, is a perverse incentive not to use CCS,” he says.
Dyer notes that current oil sands operations cover about 600 km2 of land in northeastern Alberta and have the highest environmental impact of any oil production in the world. As for land reclamation, he says that so far virtually no land has been certified as reclaimed, nor any tailings ponds, which comprise “about 130 km2 of toxic liquids.”
Article Source : http://www.che.com

Methanol Plant Capacity Enhancement

2009-02-19T08:39:00.000+07:00

Originally, this plant was designed to operate on feed gas from an ammonia plant consisting of a gas mixture of 75% hydrogen, 22% carbon dioxide, 1% carbon monoxide and some inerts. The reaction of the methanol in gas rich in CO2 is milder as it produces water along with methanol. The crude methanol concentration is also lower. Water further retards the rate of reaction. The two reactions involved here are:

H2 + CO2 ----> CH3OH + H2O + 9.8 kcal/kgmol
H2 + CO ----> CH3OH + 21.6 kcal/kgmol

Normally, a gas mixture of H2 + CO + CO2 is used in a proportion measured in terms of a “R” value (H2-CO2)/(CO+CO2) equal to 2.0 to get an optimum methanol conversion per pass.

Figure 1 below shows the temperature profile in the isothermal reactor.

Figure 1: Comparing Reactor Temperature Profiles Before and After the Changes

Compared to the expected 160 MTD production capacity, the unit has achieved a stable production level of 185~190 MTD.

A flow diagram of the new loop is shown in Figure 2 below. In this article, we’ll focus on this latest dimension added to the plant, highlighting the re-commissioning experiences.
Figure 2: Changes in the Methanol Synthesis and Distillation Loops
Figure 3: Methanol Synthesis and Distillation Loops After Changes

Plant Re-commissioning with the Isothermal Reactor
Following the replacement of the quench reactor with the Isothermal reactor from Linde, the plant was ready for start up. The following details the activities associated with start up after the changes were made.

Basic and Detail Engineering - Design Fundamentals
The original plant was designed by Linde with process licensing from ICI. Linde performed the basic engineering for the loop modification and the detailed engineering for the new Isothermal reactor. Based on the data for the new design conditions, a debottlenecking study on the distillation section was carried out in-house by our Technical Services department. Major pre-fabrication work and in-plant erection of the loops which were to be replaced was completed before the final shutdown of the plant. A shutdown schedule of 11 days was planned.

Outline of the Pre commissioning activities
The piping loops were identified and broken down into various process loops per the P & IDs. The plant was broadly classified into three independent sections: synthesis loop, makeup gas loop, and distillation loop. This helped prioritize tasks such that the synthesis and related loops were made ready first. The loops, which were erected before shutdown, were prepared for commissioning by flushing / blowing. Based on the service, the plans for flushing / blowing were prepared and discussed with the mechanical and instrument groups to streamline the activities. All instruments in the circuit were removed from the lines.

The following procedures were used:
For gas lines: Gasket blowing with plant air was carried out starting from 1.0 barg up to 3.5 barg repeatedly, until there was no rust / dust in the line. This was followed by nitrogen passivation / drying.

For liquid lines: Air blowing followed by water flushing was carried out. This was followed by nitrogen passivation / drying.

For steam lines: Gradual warming of the header before insulation was applied for grease removal and rust flushing through the trap bypass. Then steam blowing at full capacity was carried out for half an hour by diverting the open end at a safe location. The header was allowed to cool. This cycle was repeated again till clear condensate was discharged in the trap bypass.

For Running Machines: There was a pair of process pumps in each service. One pump online and one spare. With the higher capacity, some pumps were replaced for higher capacity. The main crude feed pumps and refining column reflux pumps were replaced. With spare pumps, the plant operation was not interrupted during the pump changes. Each replacement took 12 days and included the modification of the base, pipeline, motor, and other ancillary pieces.

Likewise, four control valves were replaced via proper coordination between the operations and project teams. The prefabricated loops were also washed or blown and then dried with nitrogen. These were kept inert and sealed at their ends until they were to hooked up during the shutdown. This also helped reduce the pre-commissioning time for the plant. The start-up boiler feed water circulation pump was commissioned and stabilized prior to shutdown as soon as the errection of the reactor steam drum system was completed.

Both Methanol-I and SGGU operate independently. It was not necessary to shutdown SGGU for the commissioning of Isothermal reactor in the Methanol-I synthesis loop. The natural gas compressors in the SGGU plant get cooling water from the Methanol-I plant header. Since cooling tower was to be taken offline, temporary arrangements to supply an alternate water source was planned to keep the natural gas compressors in the SGGU running. This was implemented prior to shutdown, avoiding a stoppage of the SGGU plant.

Mechanical Carbon In Chemical Processing Equipment

2009-02-11T19:53:00.002+07:00

Frequently, in chemical processing equipment it is possible to place the shaft support bearings in the chemical that is being processed. In some cases, this precludes the use of oil- or grease-lubricated bearings because the operating conditions are not conducive to the use of such materials. For example, bearings that are lubricated with oil or grease can be problematic when submerged in liquids such as water or other solvents, liquefied gases, heat transfer oils and corrosive chemicals. For these operating conditions, self-lubricating, mechanical carbon bearings are often the best solution.

This article takes a close look at mechanical carbons, describing what they are and how they function when running submerged in chemical processing equipment.
Compositions

Mechanical carbons contain graphite, which they rely on for their self-lubricating characteristics. To make mechanical carbons, fine graphite particles are bonded with a hard, strong, amorphous-carbon binder to produce a mechanical carbon material that is called carbon-graphite. Further heat treating, to approximately 5,100°F (2,800°C), causes the amorphous-carbon binder to become graphitized, resulting in a material known as electrographite.

The electrographite is generally softer and weaker than the carbon-graphite material, but has superior chemical resistance, oxidation resistance and thermal conductivity compared to the carbon-graphiteResins. The most common thermal setting resins used are phenolic, polyester, epoxy and furan resins. Resin impregnation produces materials that are impermeable (to 100 psi air) and have improved lubricating characteristics.

Metals. The most common metal impregnations are babbitt (an alloy of tin, antimony and copper that is used to make bearings), copper, antimony, bronze, nickel-chrome and silver. Metal impregnation produces materials that are harder, stronger and impermeable (to 100 psi air), with improved lubricating qualities and better thermal and electrical conductivity.

Inorganic salt. The inorganic salt impregnations are proprietary formulations that provide improved lubricating qualities. These salt impregnated materials also exhibit improved resistance to oxidation of the carbon-graphite or electrographite base material.
Running submerged

The coefficient of friction and wear rate of two rubbing metal parts is extremely low when they are separated by a hydrodynamic film of oil or grease. However, when metal parts are rubbed together in low viscosity liquids, such as water or gasoline, the hydrodynamic film is too thin and metal-to-metal contact can occur. When metal-to-metal contact occurs, the metal atoms in sliding contact have strong atomic attraction, which results in high friction, wear, galling, and seizing.

When carbon is rubbed against metal in a low viscosity liquid, the resulting thin, hydrodynamic film is normally adequate to provide lubrication. Since there is no strong atomic attraction between mechanical carbon and metal, a hydrodynamic film that is only a few microns thick is sufficient to prevent rubbing contact, even for high-speed and high-load applications. Since mechanical carbon is a self-polishing material, a polished finish on the counter material will quickly polish the mechanical carbon material. The thin hydrodynamic film that is created by low viscosity liquids can then separate the two polished surfaces.
Using the fluid being handled as the working lubricant greatly simplifies the design of many rubbing mechanical parts. Carbon parts for these submerged applications include bearings and thrust washers for pumps and mixers that handle water, hot water, solvents, acids, alkalis, fuels, heat transfer fluids and liquefied gases. Mechanical carbon is also used extensively for mechanical-seal primary rings for sealing these same low viscosity liquids. Other applications include vanes, rotors, and endplates for rotary pumps; ball-valve seats handling hot oil; bearings for liquid meters; case wear rings for centrifugal pumps; and radial or axial seal rings for gear boxes and aircraft engines.

Wear: Factors to consider

The wear rate of mechanical carbons running submerged is negligible under full fluid film, or hydrodynamic, lubricated conditions. To assure fully lubricated conditions, application engineers must consider the application load, speed, counter material, counter material surface finish, liquid viscosity, liquid flow and chemical resistance.

Load.

The maximum load that is normally supported by mechanical carbons with full-fluid-film lubrication is approximately 1,000 psi (70 kg/cm2). Application PV (pressure-times-velocity) factors of over 2,000,000 psi × ft/min (773 kg/cm2 × m/sec) have been achieved with sliding speeds of over 3,600 ft/min (18.7 kg/cm2 × m/sec).

Counter material. The counter material rubbing against the mechanical carbon must meet specifications of hardness, surface finish and corrosion resistance. The hardness should be greater than about Rc 45 (Rockwell C scale), but better results are achieved with even harder counter materials.

Surface finish. The surface finish on the counter material should be 16 micro-inch (0.4 micron) or better. Wear rate continues to improve with finer surface finish until an 8 micro-inch (0.2 micron) finish is reached. These high finishes are required because the hydrodynamic film with low viscosity liquids is extremely thin. With courser finishes on the counter material, the asperities (rough edges) on the counter material would break through the hydrodynamic film and "grind away" the mechanical carbon.

Viscosity. The liquid viscosity should be in the range from about 100 centipoise (cP) (light machine oil, for example) to 0.3 cP (acetone for example).

Liquid flow. A continuous flow of liquid to the rubbing surface is important to the performance of submerged mechanical carbon parts. If the flow of liquid is not sufficient, frictional heat will evaporate the liquid and the parts will revert to the dry running condition, where the wear rate is much higher.

An important benefit of mechanical carbon parts is that the parts can run dry without catastrophic failure if the flow of liquid is briefly interrupted.

Chemical attack. The chemical composition of the liquid must be considered because chemical attack of the counter material, or the mechanical carbon, will increase the wear rate. Chemical attack of the counter material is particularly harmful because it causes pits and surface roughness that will disrupt the hydrodynamic film, resulting in a high wear rate. The most corrosion-resistant mechanical-carbon grades can withstand all liquid chemicals except for a few extremely strong oxidizing agents, such as hot, concentrated nitric acid.

Abrasion. Abrasive grit in the liquid being handled can also be extremely detrimental to mechanical carbon parts. The abrasive grit disrupts the hydrodynamic film, erodes the softer mechanical carbon material and can destroy the fine surface finish on the counter material.
Applications engineering

Any mechanical carbon manufacturer can determine if it has a material that can satisfy specific application requirements, and can also recommend its best mechanical-carbon grade for each specific application. They should also be able to recommend dimensions and dimensional tolerances for new mechanical carbon parts to assure proper press-fit or shrink-fit interference and shaft running clearance. It is also critically important to the success of mechanical carbon applications that correct mating material and mating-material surface finishes are specified.

Mechanical carbon materials have provided solutions to a wide variety of lubrication challenges for more than a century. For example, in recent years a growing concern for the environment and air quality has resulted in an increased use of mechanical seals that use carbon primary rings because they allow less leakage compared to other seal types. Today, new mechanical carbon materials are continually being developed to meet ever more demanding mechanical applications.

Developing a selective-separation polymer for biopharmaceuticals

2009-01-19T10:48:00.003+07:00

Gerald Ondrey

MIP Technologies AB (Lund, Sweden; www.miptechnologies.com) has entered into a collaboration with Sanofi-aventis (Paris, France; en.sanofi-aventis.com) for the development of new molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the analysis of pharmacologically active peptides from plasma samples. MIP Technologies will use a number of its patented molecular imprinting methods in the development of the polymers. The use of MIPs for selective recognition of peptides and proteins is a novel area that will open up the technology to numerous applications in the diagnostic, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.

“This collaboration with Sanofi-aventis is both exciting and challenging,” said Anthony Rees, CEO at MIP Technologies. “We are looking to move into the development of peptide-selective MIPs, which represents a valuable piece of the separations market and has applications in analytical, preparative and process scale separations. Peptide-selective MIPs are particularly relevant for MIP Technologies since we hold important patents in this area. The added benefit of being able to address a large, new global market for molecularly imprinted polymers represents a significant commercial opportunity for the company.”

Sanofi-aventis will have exclusive access for use of the polymer in the analysis of proprietary peptide candidates, while MIP Technologies will retain the rights to use the polymers for other applications. The incorporation of the polymer into the Sanofi-aventis analytical methods will make use of separation cartridges, which will be provided through MIP Technologies’ exclusive partnership in analytical products with Supelco, a division of Sigma Aldrich (www.sigmaaldrich.com). MIP material developed during the collaboration may also be usable for selective peptide purification at preparative or process scale. Financial terms were not disclosed.

MIP Technologies AB is a world-leading company in the development of molecularly imprinted polymers . The company is a pioneer in the commercial applications of MIPs, holds important patents and maintains cutting-edge research activities in this area. The company’s mission is to provide innovative products based on molecularly imprinted polymers that serve industry’s needs in analytical, preparative- and process-scale selective separations. The company has the ability to produce MIPs and other selective polymers from laboratory to pilot scale and is well placed to develop large-scale separation solutions for its customers. Currently, the company develops analytical separation products (for example, SPE) and has multiple custom process scale projects in place with several blue chip companies.

Mass-production technology for making functionalized organic nanotubes

2009-01-14T16:04:00.001+07:00

Researchers at the Nanotube Research Center of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Tokyo; www.aist.go.jp) have developed a process for making organic nanotubes of metal complexes (photo, left). The scientists have produced organic nanotubes with metal ions (Zn⁺², Cu⁺², Co⁺², Ni⁺², Fe⁺² and Mg⁺²) complexed at the inner and outer surfaces of organic nanotubes (diagram, right), and believe such materials will find applications as: new catalysts with transient metal coordinated spatially on the inside; low-molecular-weight compounds with coordinated functional groups; DNA and protein inclusion, adsorption, and separation for biotechnology; and new electronic, magnetic and optical materials. For example, a Cu-complexed organic nanotube has been shown to selectively adsorb gold nanoparticles that have an amino group on their surface.

The new nanomaterials are made by adding aqueous solutions of metal salts to a suspension of peptide lipids in methanol or ethanol. Nanotubes form after 10 minutes, producing about 2 – 20 g/mL of suspension — a production rate about 200 times higher than alternative methods. The simple procedure consumes little energy and is easy to scale up, says AIST.

This is the third mass-production process for making organic nanotubes that has been developed by AIST. The previous processes produce organic nanotubes with hydroxyl and carboxyl groups on the surface.

Two solid ways to remove CO2 from fuelgas

2009-01-12T16:06:00.003+07:00

If you trying to remove CO2(Carbon dioxide) from your fuel gas, maybe this article will help you.
First, based on Na2CO3

monoethanolamine (MEA) is the traditional solvent for scrubbing CO2 from fluegas, more effective methods, including solid absorbents, are being developed (see CE, December 2008, pp. 16–20). Sodium carbonate, for example, is the sorbent in a process being developed, with DOE support, by Research Triangle Institute (RTI, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; www.rti.org). Desulfurized fluegas from a wet scrubber is passed through a fluidized bed of Na2CO3 particles, which adsorb CO2 to form bicarbonate at 50–80°C. When the particles are loaded they are heated with steam or CO2 to about 120°C to drive off a 99%-pure CO2 stream and regenerate Na2CO3 (diagram).

The process "uses only about half the energy of amine processes and you don’t have to handle any corrosive liquid," says Raghubir Gupta, a senior scientist.
RTI has tested the process at a scale of about 1/3-m.t./d of CO2 and is now building a 10-m.t./d pilot unit.

And Second with adsorbing beads.

In a concept being developed by Adsorption Research, Inc. (ARI; Dublin, Ohio; www.adsorption.com), adsorbent beads are delivered to the top of an adsorber column by a bucket elevator and fall down through an adsorption section, counter to upflowing, cooled fluegas. The beads’ passage is slowed by a series of perforated trays to provide a residence time of about 1-1/2 min for carbon dioxide adsorption.

Next, the beads drop through a heat-exchanger section, where they are indirectly heated to 400 – 600°F by incoming fluegas. The heat releases the CO2, which is withdrawn through a perforated pipe. Simultaneously, the gas is cooled to about 125°F for the adsorption step.

In laboratory tests, using a zeolite or a proprietary adsorbent, the process has achieved 89% CO2 recovery, with a purity of 99%, says Kent Knaebel, president of ARI. He adds that, unlike MEA adsorption, the process requires little parasitic heat or cooling energy and the adsorbent is not degraded by SO2, NOx or O2. He estimates that a commercial unit could process 15,000 tons/d of CO2 from a 500-MW power plant for under $20/ton, compared with about $40/ton for MEA.

Using membranes to lower the cost of CO2 capture

2009-01-12T15:19:00.001+07:00

A new membrane is combined with a novel process design to reduce energy costs in a CO2 recovery system developed by Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR, Menlo Park, Calif.; www.mtrinc.com). The two-step system uses a membrane made of a hydrophilic rubbery polymer, formed into spiral-wound modules. The membrane is 10 times more permeable to CO2 than conventional membranes used for CO2, says Timothy Merkel, director of process research and development.
In the first step, CO2 is extracted from the fluegas in a conventional manner by applying a slight vacuum to the permeate side of the membrane. However, in the second stage the driving force for permeation is a sweep stream of combustion air which carries the CO2 back into the boiler. “This saves energy because no pressure difference is required to move CO2 through the membrane,” says Merkel. Another benefit is that the recycle increases the CO2 concentration in the fluegas from 13% to 19%.
Merkel estimates that a commercial system could recover CO2 for $20–30/ton, versus $40–80/ton for amine absorption. The process is expected to use 12% of an electricity plant’s energy, or 18% when compression costs for sequestration are added on. However, when a field test starts up in 2009 at Arizona Public Service’s coal-fired Cholla plant, the CO2 may be shipped to a nearby algae farm to help biofuel production.

Dust collection: Clean up your act

2009-01-06T15:46:00.001+07:00

When it comes to dust collection in the chemical process industries (CPI), there exists a wide variety of needs. For example, folks in dyes and pigments have a different set of dust collection challenges than those in the pharmaceutical industry, who have differing requirements from processors working with paints and varnishes. However, any and all chemical processors can boost process efficiency by updating old dust collectors with new, easier-to-service models.

"Dust collection, in general, is a grudge purchase," says Lee Morgan, president of Farr APC (Jonesboro, Ark.). "Chemical processors want to buy equipment that makes their product, not dust collectors. But, they need to be reminded that when done correctly, dust collection equipment offers one of the easiest ways to increase efficiency because it is often tied to all their primary pieces of production equipment."
This means that when the dust collection system is running poorly, the equipment it’s tied to will also run poorly and, when dust collectors perform optimally, so too will the related equipment.
Simplified serviceability
One way to ensure that the dust collection system is performing well is to make sure it’s being properly maintained. Realizing this, manufacturers of dust collectors and related air-management equipment are redesigning their products for simplified serviceability. The theory is that easier maintenance often results in a better bottom line due to increased uptime and productivity and reduced labor spending.
"People hate changing filters and doing other tasks associated with maintaining dust collection equipment," notes Morgan. "Our customers were asking for ways to change the filter without using hand knobs and wing knobs and without getting into the dust collector, so we designed the Gold Series to address those issues."
Farr’s Gold Series dust collectors feature a quick-open, heavy-gauge door that provides access to a simplified cartridge change-out system, which includes a Gold Cone cartridge with Cambar action that positively seals the cartridges without using threads or knobs, and does not require entry into the collector. The door is fully reversible for access from either side and has a lock-out feature for added worker safety.
In addition to simplified serviceability, the Gold Series provides efficient dust collection. The vertical design of the filter cartridges provides more efficient pulsing of dust, and a high-entry, cross-flow inlet eliminates upward velocities associated with traditional hopper inlets. The channel baffles installed in the inlet protect the filters from incoming dust and separate the larger particles directly into the hopper, reducing the load on the filters.
Also striving to make maintenance and filter changes easier, Precision AirConvey (Newark, Del.) offers the PAC Sonic Jet Dust Collector, with a low-maintenance, safety-first design that places all serviceable components on the outside of the casing to permit inspection, part replacement and other maintenance without requiring human entry inside the unit. The dust collector includes a front-loading filter-cartridge array that enables one person to perform filter inspection and replacement from outside the unit with no tools by simply sliding the cartridge in and out like a file drawer.
Similarly, the KleenFlo Series of collectors from Flex-Kleen (Glendale Heights, Ill.) offers simplified cartridge replacement. The unit is designed so that there is external access to the cartridges, which require no tools for replacement. In addition to the easy maintenance, the KleenFlo provides excellent dust collection. During normal operation, dirty air enters the top of the collector and moves downward through the filter cartridges, leaving dust on the outer surface of the cartridge element. Clean air exits through the center of the cartridge to the plenum and leaves the unit. Pulse-jet technology, controlled by a programmable timer, releases compressed air down the cartridge to release dirt, which falls off into the hopper below for removal.
Also looking to combine enhanced filtration with reduced maintenance effort and costs, Donaldson Torit (Minneapolis, Minn.) recently introduced the PowerCore dust collector with PowerCore filter packs (CE, October, p. 16). "The PowerCore, which we believe will eventually take the place of cartridge collectors and baghouses, is half the size of current traditional baghouse collectors. The size reduction provides a lot of savings because there is less metal, lower shipping costs, lower energy consumption and very large labor savings," says Petra Meinke, senior product manager, with Donaldson Torit.
Stand-alone PowerCore dust collectors are up to 50% smaller than traditional baghouses, and bin vent models are up to 70% smaller than traditional technology. The company says testing has shown that the units filter dust better, save space, allow point-of-use filtration and offer easy maintenance.
The PowerCore media technology is integral to the downsizing of the collector. At 7 in. tall, one PowerCore filter pack replaces six traditional 8-ft long, fabric filter bags. Instead of hours or days to remove the traditional filter bags, the Powercore filter packs are removed from the clean side of the collector with one hand in minutes without tools.
"We found that 80 baghouse bags can be replaced by 12 PowerCore filter packs. To change 80 bags can take 13 hours, but the 12 PowerCore filter packs took only 24 minutes to replace," says Meinke. "This will save a lot of time and money in related labor hours for our customers in chemical processing."
And, serviceability improvements aren’t limited to dust collectors. Companies such as Cyclonaire (York, Neb.) are working to simplify maintenance on equipment such as dust reclaim systems as well. While the intent of Cyclonaire’s Collect and Convey (C&C) Reclaim System was to preserve air quality and conserve material by capturing product dust from the silo-filling operation and automatically returning it directly to source silos, the design also saves time and labor because it provides convenient servicing at ground level. "Instead of having the traditional bin on top of the silo, we run the duct to the ground and transfer the dust collected back up to the silo," explains Joe Morris, vice president of sales and marketing with Cyclonaire. "The system is also automated, so if there’s a problem, not only is it easy to pinpoint, but maintenance will be more attentive to the problem since the unit can be serviced from the ground."
Airlanco (Falls City, Neb.) is working on its filtration units. The company’s Pulse Jet Filter has no moving parts to wear out and offers a compact, modular design to simplify maintenance. The Pulse Jet Filter comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and filter bag layouts to fit multiple applications. But, the cleaning cycle is the same throughout the line: Dust-laden air or gas enters the unit through a hopper inlet where it is directed toward a deflector that slows the airflow and causes heavier particles to fall directly into the hopper. Lighter, airborne particles follow the air stream into the filter area and collect on the outside surface of the bag filters. The filtered air then flows into the clean air plenum and exits the unit. Sequential signals from a timer open valves, allowing short bursts of compressed air to reverse the airflow in each row of bags. This dislodges the surface dust from the bags so that it falls into the hopper. The angled hopper also helps funnel the dust and debris to the airlock, simplifying disposal, as well.
Filter manufacturers, like Midwesco Filter Resources (Winchester, Va.), are also working on their end to simplify maintenance. The company now offers a bottom-load baghouse element, the Seal-Tite II, which is reputed to be an easy-to-install, bottom-load filter with a proprietary installation and sealing design that provides significant labor cost savings. The new intricate retainer clamp combined with the Super-Bead sealing design makes it almost impossible to incorrectly install the element, providing a virtually leak-proof seal and reducing downtime and maintenance costs. Other benefits include operating efficiencies to 99.99%, lower element operating pressure drop, prolonged filter life due to washable filter designs and reduced product retention due to surface filtration.
Advanced automation
The addition of automated monitoring is another way of ensuring that needed maintenance occurs in an effort to keep dust collectors running smoothly, according to T.J. Winalski, product manager with FilterSense (Beverly, Mass.). "Historically, maintenance on dust collection equipment has been ignored until it becomes a major issue that affects production, so we began to supply particulate emissions monitoring and baghouse controls," he explains. "By installing reliable instrumentation, processors not only keep abreast of baghouse performance, but tend to see process efficiency improvements, as well."
This occurs, he says, because if there’s a broken bag on an unmonitored baghouse, it tends to go unnoticed. Early on, product goes out the stack and is wasted, and as the problem grows worse, it eventually necessitates a major repair. But the monitors allow customers to find very small problems inside the baghouse and perform proactive, rather than reactive, maintenance. "They can fix a small problem according to schedule, rather than being forced to shut down the whole operation when it becomes a big problem," notes Winalski. This results in less downtime and less maintenance hours because it’s easier to fix a small tear in one bag than it is to replace four broken bags."
To provide reliable instrumentation, FilterSense has introduced its Self-Validating Particulate Sensor, which offers continuous, particulate-emission monitoring and filter leak detection incorporated with automatic zero and span for self validation. Self validation, combined with induction-sensing and protected-probe technologies, is said to provide enhanced reliability and lower instrument-maintenance costs over older opacity and triboelectric technology, especially in applications such as pharmaceutical spray dryers, cement, carbon black and other chemical processes.
FilterSense’s B-PAC MICS Series of Baghouse Diagnostic Controllers integrates intelligent filter cleaning, pressure control, particulate monitoring and auxiliary sensing into a single system. The benefits here include reduced maintenance costs, energy savings and maximum product recovery.
Reaching for compliance
Equipment such as FilterSense’s instruments are also helpful in meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.) MACT, Title V and other compliance regulations.
However, one of the hottest regulatory topics in dust collection is the recent NFPA (National Fire Prevention Assn., (Quincy, Mass.; www.nfpa.org) revision to its guidelines, which now requires compliance on issues such as rupture vent designs and location of enclosures, including dust collectors that handle explosive or combustible dusts, gases and mists. NFPA-68 now places a greater emphasis on total plant safety in areas where explosions could occur. The requirements of this revision must be incorporated in all, new baghouse collectors and may have to be retrofitted into some existing baghouse collectors.
"The new NFPA guidelines for explosion venting is upon everyone’s mind these days because it became a law versus a guideline almost overnight following a recent expolsion," says Ron Krebs, president of Airlanco. "This is a big topic for discussion among dust collector manufacturers and chemical processors. Processors need to know how to meet those guidelines and be sure they are installing or updating equipment that helps them do that."
While many equipment manufacturers are already providing equipment that complies with NFPA-68, some are taking it a step further. "To help our customers comply with the new rule, we will be offering them a free evaluation of their current system to determine if they need to upgrade or modify their current installations," says Arun Govil, president of Cemtrex, Inc., parent company of Griffin Filters (Farmingdale, N.Y.). "We have made great improvements to our product line and address really important issues for our customers and their plant safety."

Estimating Thermal Conductivity of Hydrocarbons

2009-01-06T15:05:00.002+07:00

The thermal conductivity of hydrocarbons is an essential parameter that needs to be known when designing heat transfer equipment. Presented here is a simple-to-use correlation that was developed for predicting thermal conductivities of liquid paraffin hydrocarbons, petroleum fractions and atmospheric natural hydrocarbon gases as a function of temperature and molecular weight or relative density. Results show that the proposed correlation has a very good agreement with reported data.

IntroductionThe thermal conductivity is an important property of liquids providing a measure of a materials’ ability to conduct heat. It is normally defined in terms of the quantity of heat transmitted due to a unit temperature gradient, under steady conditions, in a direction normal to a surface of unit area. Heat transfer by conduction involves transfer of energy within a material without any motion of the material as a whole.
From a process engineer’s view point, a convenient and easy-to-use approach for predicting physical properties is the use of commercial software and the appropriate equations of state. However, such an approach does not work equally well for all properties. Accurate and reliable values can be determined for some properties, such as gas-phase densities, volumes and Z-factors, whereas less accurate — but still reliable — results are predicted for liquid volumes and densities using traditional methods. However, experience has shown that that equations of state are not suitable for predicting thermal conductivities, viscosities, and surface tensions.

For many simple organic liquids, the thermal conductivities are much higher than those of low-pressure gases at the same temperature [1]. Pressure has little effect on thermal conductivities of liquids; however, the thermal conductivity will usually decrease as the temperature increases.
The reason for this behavior can be understood on the molecular level. In the gas phase, molecules are relatively free to move about and transfer momentum and energy by collisions. In the liquid phase, however, this hypothesis is not even approximately true. Because of the close proximity of molecules in the liquid phase, the intermolecular attractive forces become important, so the molecules are not free to wander around. This leads to the low values of liquid diffusion coefficients, and often a liquid is modeled as a lattice with each molecule caged by its nearest neighbors. Energy and momentum are primarily exchanged by oscillations of molecules in the shared force fields surrounding each molecule. To date, theory has not been successful in formulating useful and accurate expressions to calculate liquid thermal conductivities. Therefore, approximations must be employed for engineering applications [1].
In many instances, the reported data are not believed to be particularly reliable and the estimation errors are in the same range as the experimental uncertainty. And yet, thermal conductivity data are very important in designing heat exchangers.
Heat-transfer coefficients in these components are usually computed using correlations that require thermal conductivity data. Due to the importance of two-phase, heat-transfer processes in many applications, thermal conductivity of the saturated liquid and vapor are of greatest importance. It is also difficult, however, to measure the thermal conductivity at saturation, and thus, single-phase measurements will be extrapolated to saturation conditions. The higher thermal conductivities and larger temperature gradients cause a greater heat flux in a one-dimensional system with correspondingly larger responses to changes in gas thermal conductivity. The physical mechanism of thermal-energy conduction in liquids is qualitatively the same as in gases; however, the situation is highly more complex because the molecules are more closely spaced and molecular force fields exert a strong influence on the energy exchange in the collision process.

Article Source : http://che.com/

Chementator: Cleaning syngas at high temperatures

2009-01-03T02:32:00.002+07:00

There are something new in Chemical Engineering News this week, that i whould to share with you. RTI International (Research Triangle Park, N.C.; www.rti.org), in partnership with Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.) and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.), has developed a modular technology package that removes numerous contaminants — including sulfur, NH₃, HCN, HCl and heavy metals — from coal- and petcoke-derived syngas at elevated temperatures (400–1,000°F), while maintaining the syngas above steam-condensation temperatures. The ability to remove contaminants at elevated temperatures has advantages over conventional low-temperature, solvent-based contaminant removal. Compared with a conventional acid-gas-removal process in a 600-MWe integrated gasification, combined cycle (IGCC) plant, the RTI-Eastman process increases IGCC thermal efficiency by 3.6 points (high-heating value), reduces capital costs by 15%, and lowers the overall cost of electricity by 10%, according to independent assessments by Nexant, Inc. and DOE.

The modular package contains the following components:

A high-temperature desulfurization process that uses a new, high-pressure, dual-loop transport reactor (diagram), and a sorbent — based on highly dispersed zinc-oxide nanostructures on a zinc-aluminate substrate — that reacts with both H₂S and COS to form zinc sulfide at temperatures between 500 and 1,000°F. The sorbent is regenerated by oxidation, producing SO₂, which can be further converted to elemental sulfur (see below) or sulfuric acid
A direct sulfur-recovery process (DSRP) that uses a fixed bed of molybdenum-based catalyst to convert the SO₂ from the regenerator of the desulfurization unit into elemental sulfur
High-temperature, fixed-bed processes using low-cost, disposable sorbents to remove heavy metals (Hg, As, Se and Cd) and acid gases (HCl), and regenerable adsorbents to remove NH₃ and HCN

A pilot desulfurization unit has operated for more than 3,000 h using a syngas slipstream at Eastman’s coal-gasification facility in Kingsport. Sulfur levels were reduced from 7,000–10,000 parts-per-million by volume (ppmv) to less than 5 ppmv, and the removal of the other contaminants was also successfully demonstrated. A 20–60-MW demonstration plant is being planned.

There are more information i would to include on this years.

Handling Wet Alumina Trihydrate

2008-12-28T14:04:00.002+07:00

Probably, you have heard about Wet Aluminia Trihydrate. This type of Feed was difficult to process by regular handling. This article might help for those you re-design their feed tank for this mixture.

Preface
Alumina trihydrate is used in the manufacture of aluminum chemicals such as aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, aluminum fluoride, and sodium aluminate. It is also used as a fire retardent and flame suppressant filler in plastics, a polishing agent, and as a raw material in catalyst and zeolite production.

The Solution
Herman Purutyan, a senior project engineer with Jenike & Johanson, initially made a site visit to discuss the project plans, review the processing conditions and handling requirements, and see the material. The next step was to test a sample of the alumina trihydrate in our lab, duplicating the process conditions.

He found that the wet cake is cohesive enough to arch and form stable ratholes in funnel flow silos. Funnel flow is defined as the flow pattern where during discharge some of the contents in a silo remain stationary, while some move. Product flow takes place in a channel located above the outlet. Once this channel is emptied, if the material is cohesive, a stable rathole forms and discharge stops. In addition to this "no-flow" condition, funnel flow can result in product caking in the stagnant areas, reduced silo capacity (to that of the rathole), and structural damage due to asymmetric loads and high impact loads caused by collapsing ratholes.

Problems associated with funnel flow can be avoided by ensuring that a mass flow pattern develops in a silo. Mass flow is defined as the flow pattern where, upon withdrawal of any material, all of the contents of a silo move. To achieve mass flow, the sloping hopper walls must be steep enough and have sufficiently low friction to allow the material to flow along them. In addition, the outlet size of the hopper must be large enough to prevent arching.

For this particular application, he determined that a third flow pattern, expanded flow, would be most suitable. Expanded flow combines mass flow and funnel flow, and consists of a mass flow section at the bottom of the silo, extending up to a large enough diameter to prevent the formation of a rathole. Above this mass flow section, the silo is designed for a funnel flow pattern.

The ability of a material to form a stable rathole is a function of its cohesive strength. There is a maximum rathole diameter, DF (determined from tests), beyond which a rathole becomes unstable. In an expanded flow silo, the flow channel is forced to be larger than DF by using a mass flow hopper with a top diameter larger than DF. Although flow in the upper section will be funnel flow, the silo can be emptied since a stable rathole cannot form.

Herman recommendation for the expanded flow silo is shown in the figures. A mass flow screw feeder was recommended for discharging material from the silo. In order to achieve mass flow in the transition hopper, the feeder was designed to withdraw material uniformly from the entire outlet of the hopper. This was achieved by ensuring that the capacity of the feeder is increased in the direction of flow.

With mass flow occurring in the lower section of the silo, alumina trihydrate will flow along the hopper walls. Wear was a concern, as alumina trihydrate is an abrasive material. They conducted tests to measure abrasive wear on the selected hopper wall surface, and we calculated the wear life of the hopper walls at the critical areas where high loads and/or high flow rates occur. We found that the alumina trihydrate is not very abrasive on the recommended wall material, so the selected wall surface will last for many years.

The engineers also calculated pressures exerted on the silo walls by the stored bulk solid. They analyzed two different conditions: loads applied after the initial filling of the silo, prior to any material discharge, and loads after material has started to discharge (flow loads). Many people assume hydrostatic pressures for bulk material loading; however, this is generally not the case. The result can be inaccurate load assumptions at critical areas in the silo.

Interphex Convention

2008-12-23T13:12:00.001+07:00

This year, Interphex was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

Interphex, the largest pharmaceutical conference and exhibition in the world, was feature cutting-edge technology in the area of life sciences, from drug development to manufacturing. Once again, this show shares a location with PlarmaMedDevice, the only comprehensive event to focus on the convergence of medical device, pharmaceutical and biologic industries.

To safely handle shear-sensitive cells, use this centrifuge

The Culturefuge 400 (photo) is a new production-scale disc-stack centrifugal separator designed specifically for primary clarification of shear-sensitive cell culture processing. The unit is capable of harvesting 20 – 30 m 3 of material from bioreactors in only a few hours, meeting the demand for processing at high capacities. Developed for larger scale applications involving mammalian cell cultures and other shear-sensitive biological material, the Culturefuge 400 has a hermetic outlet that prevents product contact with air, eliminating any possibility for foaming or oxidation. The hollow spindle inlet provides gentle acceleration of the feed liquid, minimizing lysis of shear-sensitive cells. Available in several configurations, it can be mounted on a fixed-base frame, which includes process and utility piping, automation and instrumentation for service and process liquids entering and leaving the separator. — Alfa Laval, Lund, Sweden

Booth 1334

This mop is designed for use in clean facilities

The EasyCurve Mop (photo) is designed for cleaning floors, walls and ceilings in cleanrooms and controlled environments. It consists of a flat, fabric-laminated mop head attached to a curved, stainless-steel frame, the EasyCurve provides superior performance, ease of use and effectiveness, according to this firm. Designed for pharmaceutical and medical-device manufacturing plants, hospitals, compounding pharmacies, and other critical or controlled environments, it is an ideal upgrade for applications where sponge roller and self-wringing mops are currently used. The EasyCurve is compatible with a wide range of disinfectants, solvents and cleaning solutions. — Contec, Inc., Spartanburg, S.C.

Booth 1034

Two new options improve this size measurement probe

The Parsum IPP-70 (photo, p.34D-1) inline particle-size measurement probe is now available with two new options that are designed to simplify regulatory compliance for pharmaceutical applications. Providing realtime particle-size analysis, the Parsum IPP-70 monitors and controls granulation, coating and spray-drying processes. The first new option allows for the provision of Installation/Operational Qualification (IQ/OQ) documentation together with a verification kit for checking measurement accuracy. The second option offers a unit with highly polished contact surfaces, and includes material traceability documentation. Size and velocity measurement is possible for particles, granules and pellets from 50 to 6000 µm in dia. With the ability to be inserted directly into a process line or unit and easily integrated with systems for automated control, it can be used to monitor gravity-fed, pneumatically-conveyed and fluidized streams. — Malvern Instruments, Bedfordshire, U.K.

Booth 1205

This modular RFID system is the first with built-in I/O

This firm now offers the first modular RFID system with built-in I/O capability. With BLident (photo, p.34D-1), users may add additional I/O modules, and up to 8 channels of RFID, plus additional discreet or analog I/O comprise a single node on the network. Built on the ISO155693 13.56 MHz HF standard, BLident can be integrated into existing platforms, and supports Profibus-DP, DeviceNet, Modbus-TCP, Profinet and EtherNet/IP. Standard non-programmable gateways and CoDeSys programmable gateways are available with either IP20 or IP67 protection rating. BLident data carriers are available with read/write intervals between 5 and 500 mm and use FRAM storage technology for virtually an unlimited number of write operations. It can read and write data simultaneously at 0.5 ms/byte and is capable of production speeds of 10 ms at a distance of up to 500 mm. — Turck Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.

Booth 652

These communication modules ensure efficient message delivery

An updated family of fiber-optic communication modules for ControlNet self-healing ring and dual self-healing ring applications is now available from this company. The single self-healing ring (EOTec 2C31) and dual self-healing ring (2C32) communication modules (photo) provide multiple communication paths between the various elements of the control system. They utilize Downstream Multicasting technology, so that, in the event of a failure on one communication path, communications are still maintained along a secondary path (or in the case of the dual ring, tertiary paths). This allows the transmission of incoming messages in multiple directions, ensuring that the message is directed towards all nodes in the ring while never being transmitted back to the point of origin. According to the manufacturer, these communication modules support the highest number of nodes and deliver up to 60% more optical power than competing models, allowing for the longer transmission distances between nodes. — Weed Instrument Company, Inc., Round Rock, Tex.

Booth 349

A tablet counter and more from this packaging firm

The RX-Fill (photo, p. 34D-2), a versatile tablet counter, is capable of counting product in manual, semi-automatic and automatic modes of operation. Also available from this company is the bottle Recoverx 1040, a solid dose product recovery system designed to allow the operator to recover product from containers of various shapes and sizes. The manual Recoverx, a manual-deblistering machine, requires no change parts and will also be on display. — BellatRx Inc., Point-Claire, Quebec, Canada

Booth 4207

Feed difficult-to-handle powders accurately

Available in pharmaceutical and industrial models, the MT12 micro-ingredient feeder (photo) accurately feeds free-flowing to difficult-to-handle powders at rates between 20 and 2,000 gal/h. Loss-in-weight (model KCL-SFS-MT12) and volumetric (model KCV-MT12) feeders are available for continuous or batch operation. These compact feeders are designed for easy disassembly, fast and easy cleaning and optional automatic refill. Typical applications include: feeding jet mills, tablet presses, continuous extrusion processes and accurate feeding of expensive micro ingredients. — K-Tron, Pitman, N.J.

Booth 1317

Handle high temperatures and pressures with this flowmeter

The Type 8045 Insertion Magflowmeter (photo, p. 34D-3) incorporates a stainless-steel finger and fitting to meet high-pressure and high-temperature requirements of instrumentation and automation applications. The unit handles medium temperatures (up to 230°F) and fluid pressures up to 230 psi. The measuring velocity range is 0.33 – 33 ft/s. The Type 8045 is compatible with pipe diameters of 0.5 to 16 in. It features a 4 – 20-mA output, as well as pulse and relay outputs. It can be used with a PLC with this company’s Type 2030 diaphragm valve, Type 8630 digital positioning unit coupled with the Type 2712, and the Type 8644-P. — Burkert Fluid Control Systems, Ingelfingen, Germany

Booth 317

Developing A Health and Safety Program

2008-12-21T23:41:00.002+07:00

By Gary Ganson, Certified Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional

EHS Group Manager, Environmental
Terracon
Lenexa, Kansas

Where to Begin?

Last month’s column focused on the importance of health and safety compliance and the all the resources that were available to help businesses, particularly small ones, meet their obligations to keep their workers safe. Compliance begins with commitment and a health and safety program tailored to fit the company, to blend with its unique operations and culture and to help employers maintain a system that continually addresses a focus on prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses. Every effective program should include management commitment and leadership, employee involvement, workplace analysis, hazard prevention and control, safety and health training and performance goals and measurement.

When OSHA comes in to evaluate your company, one of the first things they look for is a written health and safety program along with training documentation and MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets), if applicable. But I never tell a client we’re creating a health and safety program just to be OSHA compliant, we’re creating the program because it’s the right thing to do. It’s also a good return on investment because preventing employee injuries saves the company money. Particularly for small or newer companies, avoiding downtime can make the difference in whether the company survives.

The Team

The larger the firm, the easier it is to designate a health and safety officer. The smaller the company and the fewer the employees, the easier it is for health and safety measures to be overlooked or missed.

Responsibility for employee safety always rests at the top with the owner or manager, but typically it is the first line supervisor who is most capable of keeping workers safe. They have direct day to day contact with the workers, and they need to be aware of what resources and tools are available. However, the safest companies are those where employers and employees work together to make safety and health a priority and a responsibility equal with production and quality.

This partnership can be achieved by involving employees in health and safety policymaking, committees and posting the company’s written safety and health policy for all to see. Management should show its commitment by investing time, effort and money in the company’s safety and health program, abide by all safety and health rules and hold regular meetings that focus on employee health and safety.

New ceramic-membrane system doubles rate and slashes cost for dehydrating ethanol

2008-12-18T15:45:00.001+07:00

Hitachi Zosen Corp. (Hitz; Tokyo, Japan) is commercializing a new membrane for a hybrid-distillation system (HDS) that is especially suitable for dehydrating ethanol and isopropanol. The HDS can produce 99.7 vol.% ethanol from ethanol-water mixtures with 10 vol.% H2O at a dehydration rate of 50 kg/m2/h/atm (at 130°C), which is more than two times higher than conventional ceramicmembrane processes, says the firm.

The membrane element consists of a porous alumina tube that is closed at one end. A thin zeolite film is synthesized onto
the tube, and the pore size is precisely controlled by proprietary technology to be around 10Å, which enables the element to act as a molecular sieve for the two alcohols. In the HDS, the mixture is fed to the outside of the tubes and the dehydrated water is removed from the inner side of the tubes.

The membrane is able to dehydrate ethanol- water mixtures with less than 30-wt.% water and, when combined with distillation, covers a wider range of mixtures. Hitz estimates that HDS can save up to 30% of the energy required to dehydrate ethanol, and the required installation space for the membrane unit is about half that needed for a pressure-swing-absorption unit.

Hitz has demonstrated the technology in a test plant with the capacity to produce 30 kL/d of ethanol, and plans to expand the production capacity (for the membranes) to 750,000 m.t./yr this year. The firm has also designed an HDS for producing 99.7 vol.% ethanol from a 10 vol.% ethanol feed, with a capacity of 50-million gal/yr.

SNC-Lavalin Improves FEED Work Process with ASD OptiPlant

2008-12-14T20:59:00.002+07:00

Dear Fellow, When I Searching on site about improved Feed system, i had found something that maybe you would to see. Please read this up. And tell me about your opinions.

SNC-Lavalin Calgary has successfully incorporated ASD OptiPlant into the EDS Phase of the North West Upgrader Project and has achieved a 50% savings in piping design hours over conventional practices of applying a 3D detail design tool for the work to date. ASD Optiplant helped to verify and optimize the plot plan to produce a quality conceptual design with fewer resources.

PROBLEM Defined by SNC-LAVALIN
Phil Stephenson, Manager Plant Layout & Piping, at SNC-Lavalin Calgary, defined the problems in FEED work. (Similar issues exist with lump-sum bid efforts.) Prior to utilizing ASD’s solution, SNC-Lavalin’s options were to use any combination of manual sketching, 2D piping packages and 3D detailed design tools. All of these options required a large number of designers to work the layout while P&ID's were still under development. To keep up with the volume of work and still maintain the expected progress, the designers were not able to focus on the most basic functions of the group, namely to work several options of the plant layout for optimal results. The alternate tools are labor intensive, therefore the quality of the layout would suffer as too many designers were involved. It was also a struggle to keep up with the P&ID development. When moving into detailed design, there would be a significant amount of rework to bring the models to the level of quality required because the models built with detailed design tools were based on incomplete Reference Databases (RDB's).

SNC-LAVALIN OBJECTIVES

Improve the quality of FEED layout by using fewer and more senior layout designers
Allow the plant layout designers to focus on what they do best and not worry about the details of a detailed 3D model - SIMPLIFY
Improve accuracy of Material Take-offs (MTO's) and be less reliant on factors and allowances
Flexibility to work more than one plant layout option and provide MTO comparisons
Complete FEED with a layout and MTO which accurately reflect the P&ID's issued for FEED
Make use of FEED deliverables in detailed engineering with less rework, knowing the layout has been optimized
Avoid the use of detailed engineering tools in FEED
Avoid the need to setup a client-specific material database and all the setup associated with detailed 3D design tools
Avoid the need to source large numbers of designers for a short period of time with the required FEED skills
Change the mindset that an MTO from a detailed 3D design tool is somehow more accurate.

SCOPE
The North West Upgrader Project includes 18 units, 2000 items of equipment and 6000 lines. ASD’s OptiPlant software is utilized for plot plan development including: equipment modeling, structures modeling and automatic 3D interference free pipe routing. Accurate piping MTO’s and drawings for the units are automatically extracted by line-number and specification-driven totals. Major inline components such as control stations are placed at either user defined locations or selected automatically by the pipe router.

Each unit is modeled as a separate area or project and Rule-based Nozzles provided by Optiplant is used to assign Start and End point location for the lines. The lines are routed using a batch process and each area completed to date has an interference-free run of over 95%. The balance of lines are routed using the interactive online routing feature.

One of the major benefits of Optiplant noted during this process is efficient change management. During the course of the project, the plot plans and P&ID’s have been updated several times. These modifications are incorporated in the OptiPlant model rapidly and revised piping MTO’s are produced spending very few additional hours.

ASD’s Pipe Support Optimizer (PSO) was used to automatically locate supports and analyze the stress critical lines. The resulting stress reports and stress isometrics were validated within CAESAR on selected lines. By using PSO, the stress group was able to analyze 60% of the stress critical lines in half the normal time and with little re-engineering.

The project team continues to successfully demonstrated the application benefits of ASD’s FEED solution to automate the conventional work process as well as its’ cost-effectiveness with respect to design hours and material costs. If this effort was to be completed in a detail design system, the manhours required would have been at least 2 times greater and the changes could not have been incorporated.

ASD Optimized Plant Design (OPDTM) SOLUTIONS

OPTIPLANT CONFIGURATOR™

Knowledge based engineering application for optimizing plant layouts by automating 3D Plant Modeling and Pipe Routing. The OptiPlant work process involves integration with Front End Process engineering tools and costing tools to reduce FEED time, generate MTO’s and produce realistic plant walkthroughs in early stage of plant design. The quick 3D modeling of plant equipments & structures and basic pipe routing features available in the tool make it best for Proposal Engineering, Bidding and FEED stages of Plant Design.

PIPE SUPPORT DESIGNER™

It is an integrated piping stress analysis, support optimization and design tool. It provides automatic feasible pipe support Location and Type identification & support optimization along the piping route. It carries out complete piping stress analysis for thermal, gravitational and seismic loads along with code compliance checking.

“The piping discipline committed to use the Optiplant software for plot development and MTO’s. They successfully produced the deliverables to support FEED.

Hallo World

2008-12-13T15:57:00.002+07:00

Hello, in few weeks or month i will send all about chemical engineering update for you. In this blog of course. So i hope this information will help you, all the chemical engineering get more solution and Relevant information.
Sincerely
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