Chemical Processing Distilled

No longer a warm-fuzzy concept, sustainability is increasingly becoming as good for the bottom line as it is for the environment. To explain how AI-driven solutions that target machine and process health can help with strategy and results, Chemical Processing spoke with James Newman, head of product and portfolio marketing with Augury, a production health solutions provider that combines advanced...

For corrosion-resistant heat-transfer materials in harsh and high-temperature processes, there are additional requirements to consider. To help explain existing and emerging technologies to meet specific process and plant conditions, Chemical Processing spoke with Gregory C. Becherer, senior vice president of Twinsburg, Ohio-based CG Thermal.

Safety, accuracy and reliability are paramount in the development and testing of fine and specialty chemicals. Add to that the need for regulatory compliance, and it becomes clear that proper tools are needed. To understand how lab instruments can complement the process, Chemical Processing spoke with Mitesh Chhana, Regional Business Manager Lab Weighing, EMEA, at Sartorius, a provider of instrume...

When it comes to machine maintenance, digital tools promise a lot — from improving safety, meeting production targets and eliminating unplanned downtime to filling skill gaps and regulating supply-chain issues. But simply alerting users to machine malfunctions isn't enough to transform your business. To gain insight, Chemical Processing spoke with Tim Sykes, heavy industry machine health lead at A...

Supply-chain issues, global competition and the need to deliver high-quality products are challenges facing many chemicals manufacturers today. To meet these challenges, you must keep track of inventory, improve operations, make better products and drive smart, sustainable growth. It’s a tall order but the right tools will help.

Utilizing maintenance data to make key business decisions results in improved equipment reliability, optimized costs, improved safety, and environmental impacts. However, there are many challenges due to a lack of know-how, resources, and data quality issues. To understand and mitigate those challenges, Chemical Processing spoke with Manjish Naik, Product Manager at GE Digital.

Efficient conveying solutions that protect workers from hazardous dust, fumes and odors.

Grabbing samples of hazardous chemicals in liquid and gas states is challenging but necessary. Manufacturers rely on quality samples to ensure products specs and operators rely on this equipment to help them grab those samples. But not all sampling platforms are the same.

Solution promises to reduce sensor maintenance, improve process performance, and ensure a safe work environment in the chlor-alkali industry.

While liquid tank level is one of the basic measurements used in process plants, its importance cannot be overstated. Incorrect high level measurements can cause vessels to overflow leading to lost product, a safety hazard or an environmental problem. Incorrect low level measurements can burn out pumps and can cause problems with inventory control.  Enter differential pressure level measurement, w...

The use of surrogate testing is a valuable tool in ensuring that contained dust collectors are meeting several requirements including environmental, employee health and safety and production cleanliness and efficiency. Traci Purdum, executive digital editor of Chemical Processing, spoke with David Steil, pharmaceutical market manager at Camfil Air Pollution Control, to better understand surrogate...

Pardon the pun, but check valves are fairly straight forward -- they ensure flow in only one direction. In most designs, the upstream fluid force pushes a spring-loaded poppet open, allowing flow. An increase in downstream or back-pressure force drives the poppet back into the seat, stopping reverse flow. But their simplicity shouldn’t be taken for granted. Chemical Processing spoke with Brian Str...

One of the most commonly used compounds in the chemical industry is water – not only as a solvent in processing, but also as an energy carrier in the cooling or heating cycle. Monitoring water quality can predict performance and protect equipment.   Chemical Processing spoke with Amanda Scott, product management leader for the Sievers* product line at SUEZ --Water Technologies & Solutions, we disc...

Many chemical companies are striving to improve the reliability of vacuum systems, lower total cost of ownership and meet regulatory requirements for emissions standards and noise reduction. To address these demands as well as specific vacuum technology problems, vendors are responding with novel applications of established equipment as well as new technologies.   Enter dry vacuum pumps. Chemical...

What are human factors? Dave Strobhar -- founder and principal-human-factors engineer for Beville Engineering – defines human factors and offers sound advice going forward.

In this Minute Clinic, we tackle font size requirements in regard to alarm management.

This Minute Clinic episode offers straight-forward solutions to help operators make better decisions. 

Diagrams and line labeling could save thousands of dollars when it comes to operator performance.

In this Minute Clinic, we learn how to calculate total operators required to cover a post position. 

Many companies use targets to drive design and that can lead to negative consequences.

In today’s Minute Clinic, we learn about alarm redundancy without alarm duplication.