Chemical Processing Distilled

There are many things to consider with flow measurement technology, including prioritizing safety features for hazardous processes and remote locations. Additionally, the proper instrumentation prevents leaks and environmental incidents while supporting efficiency and operations. To help us better understand all things involved, Chemical Processing spoke with David Wright, global product manager a...

Two years ago, an operator was told she wasn’t “management material.” But only six months later – new manager, new opportunity – she was leading a cross-site safety improvement project. Her potential didn’t change. The lens did. In chemical facilities, we monitor pressure to the decimal. We track every deviation in flow, temperature and system response. But when it comes to people — especially how...

Executive Editor Jonathan Katz gets all spooky with this month's news. Major chemical companies accelerate development using artificial intelligence and robotics, even as economic pressures force European plant shutdowns and project delays.

In this sponsored Solutions Spotlight, KROHNE experts discuss flow measurement technologies for chlor-alkali processes, covering mag meters, Coriolis meters, entrained gas management and safety integrity levels. Three Key Takeaways Virtual reference technology eliminates leak paths in mag meters by using a non-wetted grounding methodology, reducing costs and maintenance risks in corrosive applicat...

In this episode, Traci Purdum and Dave Strohbar explore why traditional training approaches fail operators in chemical processing plants. They examine misconceptions about practice, simulator fidelity, motivation, accuracy versus acceptable performance, early assessment reliability, and the gap between theory and practical skills. 

This episode discusses how AI accelerates materials discovery in the chemical industry. While challenges exist—messy data, black box models, and skills gaps—AI enables simulations that once took days on supercomputers to run in seconds on laptops. Young advocates a "crawl, walk, run" approach for implementation, starting with low-stakes trials before full integration. He envisions an "in silico-fi...

Environmental consultant Dave Russell recounts his involvement in the Ecuador lawsuit against Texaco/Chevron over Amazon rainforest contamination. Hired in 2003 to assess cleanup costs, Russell produced a $6.1 billion estimate based on unverified assumptions—a "SWAG" (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) that helped secure a $9.5 billion judgment. However, his soil samples revealed the primary toxins were m...

In this bonus episode, which was originally recorded for Chemical Processing's sister brand, Processing, KHRONE's Joe Incontri, director of marketing, discusses the company’s flow meter lineup. This episode is sponsored by KROHNE  

EPA fires staff over dissent letter while industry groups push for faster chemical reviews before 2026 TSCA reauthorization deadline are among the top news stories in September 2025. Executive Editor Jonathan Katz reviews all you need to know.

With 5 million tons of new polyethylene capacity hitting saturated markets and Trump's legislative agenda threatening green investments, chemical firms are scrambling to adjust, says Maine Pointe's Stephen Ottley.  

Joe Incontri from KROHNE explains how radar level measurement devices work using high-frequency time measurement technology. He covers radar's advantages over ultrasonic alternatives, including better resolution and smaller antennas, while addressing challenges like density measurement limitations and interference from dust or agitated surfaces. The conversation highlights radar's cost-effectivene...

Consider safeguarding senior leaders from burnout in high-stakes projects as an extension of design for safety. In Case You Missed It brings the written word to life. In today’s episode, Chemical Processing's Editor in Chief, Traci Purdum, will be reading an article from Lauren Neal, CP’s Workforce Matters Columnist.  Who Protects the Protectors? Which was published to chemicalprocessing.com on Se...

Executive Editor Jonathan Katz reviews the top news for August 2025: Eastman Chemical faces setbacks as it appeals the Trump administration's cancellation of $1.2 billion in funding for its Texas plastic recycling facility, while seeking alternative locations for its methanolysis technology. International climate efforts stalled when UN plastics treaty negotiations in Geneva failed to reach an agr...

If you spend enough time dealing with particulate solids, you’ll encounter very sticky solids and end up spending countless hours cleaning out a plugged distributor, opening a discharge chute or banging on the vessel to get the solids to flow. There are many reasons solids clump or stick to surfaces. Let’s face it: sticky solids need special attention. But first, we must identify the source of the...

While bubble-cap trays excel in low-leakage and turndown applications, operators should also be aware of additional challenges such as vapor blowing that can occur at high vapor rates and low liquid rates.

This episode discusses the complex challenge of managing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals amid evolving regulations. Phil Molé from Velocity EHS explains that companies struggle to identify PFAS in their inventories due to vague product names and changing chemical compositions. PFAS are persistent, bioaccumulative toxins that resist biodegradation and contaminate the environmen...

In a recent episode of Amplified from Control magazine, host Keith Larson interviews Brian Reynolds (Honeywell CTO), Alicia Kempf (Honeywell Director Offering Management), and David Patin (ExxonMobil TDC Modernization Program Lead Engineer). The discussion took place at the 2025 Honeywell User Group meeting, celebrating 50 years since the first Honeywell TDC 2000 installation in 1975. The conversa...

This week's episode includes exclusive, unpublished content related to Trump administration's R&D cuts within the EPA and their potential effects on environmental research priorities. Recent chemical industry developments highlight regulatory tensions and operational changes. EPA workers are protesting new leadership under Zeldin, with 139 employees placed on administrative leave amid accusati...

Using new 3D fluorescence imaging, scientists have identified how aging polymer coatings generate corrosive compounds, leading to improved preservation strategies for cultural artifacts. In today’s episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum will be reading a column from editor-at-large Seán Ottewell – “ Why Protective Coatings Damage Metal Artifacts — and How to Fix It ,” which was posted to our site o...

Get your sea legs ready. The economy is getting choppy, according to Martha Gilchrist Moore, chief economist and managing director, economics and statistics at the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

Are you leaving $7.7 million on the table? A single chemical plant identified annual energy savings worth that much through an analysis that took just months to complete. The payback period? Less than two years. The solution? None other than your chemical engineering 101 heat integration through pinch analysis and heat exchanger network optimization. Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum reads the latest E...

The Trump administration has proposed to eliminate the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board by October 2026, citing fiscal responsibility and redundancy. Industry experts oppose this move, warning it would remove crucial disaster prevention oversight despite the agency's modest $14 million budget. Meanwhile, recycling advances continue: Eastman expanded molecular recycling operation...

Did you know that today — June 23 — is International Women in Engineering Day (INWED)? Launched by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in the UK in 2014, the event has since grown into an internationally recognized awareness campaign celebrated by various organizations, institutions, and individuals around the world. Each year, INWED adopts a specific theme to focus on women’s contributions to e...

In this episode, Traci and Dave focus on training evaluation as the final component of instructional system design. Dave explains that evaluation has two aspects: specific (assessing whether students learned what was taught in a particular course) and global (determining if training improves actual job performance). The key insight is that evaluation methods should align directly with learning obj...

In Case You Missed It brings the written word to life. In today’s episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum will read an article from Lauren Neal, Chemical Processing’s Workforce Matters columnist. This column “ Small Acts, Big Impact: How Micro-Behaviors Shape Teams ” was published to our website June 4, 2025 You know that feeling. You’re in a team meeting, presenting a solid idea, and someone smirks...