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32 Part 1 Rotating Machines: Digital Technologies to
Enable Predictive Maintenance Predictive maintenance for
rotating machines is gaining prominence as plant operators embrace analytics
and learn how to approach their operating benchmarks
38 Part 2 Guidelines for Designing a
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engineers can work alongside compressor manufacturers to
ensure that an optimal air compression system is installed
In the News
5 Chementator
Catalytic conversion of sugars to acrylonitrile; Highly selective
membrane mimics biological ion channels; A more direct
chemical route to ketones; Sio-based caprolactam joint
development project underway; An explosive way to make
porous organic networks; and more
10 Business News
Air Uquide inaugurates CO2-recovery plant in Ontario: Arkema to increase
polyamide 12 production in China; BASF to expand production of alkyl
polyglucosides in Ohio and China; Johnson Matthey sells battery systems
business to Cummins; and more
12 Newsfront Solar ChemiStry Heats Up
Major efforts are underway to develop new process technology for making
chemicals using sunlight and the products of combustion
17 Newsfront Clearing the Air Modern air-filtration systems provide
more efficient dust collection and assist with air quality compliance
25 New Products
Throttling valves provide dependable shutoff; These blenders now feature
added operator safety; Analyze emissions for regulatory and maintenance
purposes; New check valves are compliant with NACE specifications; A
~ cybersecurity platform for multi-vendor automation systems; Monitor pressure
21 and temperature in refrigerant lines; and more
Departments
3 Editor's Page A plug for 'big science'
Recent developments in spaceflight and solar chemistry illustrate that progress
on "big science" projects requires three ingredients: a clear vision; talented
workers; and funding
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Cover design: Rob Hudgins
O
Edil«1alllhclot Gt&phic Designer
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chemistry lab was to split water into hydrogen and oxygen,
GERALD ONDREY .mwMl) PRODUCTION using the transformer from my train set as the power sup
SenIor Edl."
good~engonilB.com SOPHIE CHAN-WOOD ply and platinum ribbon strips as electrodes. Although most
ProIllction~
sc~mct.com CE readers have at least seen this demonstrated in their elementary
scorr JENKINS
SeniOr Edi." INFORMATION school days, for me, the excitement was not the mini "explosion" that
~ngon5ne.com SERVICES occurs when you light the H2 with a match, or the just-extinguished
MARY PAGE BAILEY CHARLES SANDS match bursting into flame in the 02, but the observation that the volume
Associate EditDf DIrector of ~iIaIlleYeIopmenl
mballe)Odlemeogon1toe.com ~ntel.cam ratio of H2 to 02 was two. Perhaps this elegant demonstration of water's
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
composition was a spark that led me to go into science in the first place.
GROUP PUBUSHER
At that period in my life, I was also glued to the black-and-white
MAnHEW GRANT SUZANNE A. SHELLEY
ma~ SSIleIIey@cIl~ television screen watching the Apollo space missions. So enthralled
AUDIENCE CHARLES BUTCHER (I.IJt) was I with these endeavors, that I had pictures of the moon launches
DeveLOPMENT cbIJld1eiCche~lne.com and landings on my bedroom wall. Last month, some of this child-like
PAU L S. GRAD INJS1RAUAJ enthusiasm returned, for two reasons. First, the February 6 launch of
pgrlJdCchemel"JOlltine.(l(lIIl
the Falcon Heavy in itself was awe inspiring, but when the two rocket
JESSICA GRIER
TETSUO SATOH ~
1S<11IlhOcI1emengonlirl8.(l(lIIl
boosters returned to earth and landed almost simultaneously in an
SenIor MaIkeIMlg r.tan3ger upright position, I was astonished at that engineering achievement. It
9te00accessintel.com
JOY LEPREE IllW BSEY) reminded me of science-fiction movies from the 1950s.
j1epreeCchemengoolin
GEORGE SEVERINE
Fu~mManaQer Secondly, working on this month's Newsfront on solar chemistry
gseverine@accessintet.c:om (pp. 12-16) reminded me of the thrill of watching bubbles of H2 and
DANIELLE ZABORSKI O2 form on the electrodes of my basement electrolyzer. Yes, this pro
lisl Sales: Merit D1reCI.(914) 3li8- 1090 cess is so simple, that even a child can do it - but as a child, I was
dzaborski@meritdirecLcom
ignorant about the engineering and economic factors that are neces
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
sary to make this process feasible on a large scale.
Nevertheless, these two events - the Falcon Heavy Test Flight and
JOHN CARSON JOHN HOLLMANN
Jenike&Johanson.lnc. Validation Estmating uc writing about the "big science" projects related to solar chemistry that
DAVID DICKEY HENRY KISTER
are going on at government research institutes, universities and in
Mb<Tech.1nc. AJorCorp. dustry - bring home important observations I made.
To do some really exciting science requires three things: a vision,
HEADQUARTERS educated people and money. In the space race of the 1960s, every
40 wal StreeI. 5CIIl noor. New Yot1<.IfY 10005, U.s.
TeI:212-621-4900 thing was paid for by the governments involved (ultimately, the tax
Fax:212-621-4694
payers), whereas much of the Falcon Heavy launch was a private
EUROPEAN EDITORIAL OFFICES
ZeiIweg 44. 0·6(1439 Fr.WiIdtltamMaII1. GemIany
venture of a man with a vision - Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and
Tet 4g.sg.9573-82!16
Fax:49-6g.s700-2484
Tesla. In both cases, thousands of talented scientists and engineers
were employed.
CIRCULATION REQUESTS:
TeI:847-564-9290 With regards to the big-science projects mentioned in this month's
FalC847-5&1-9453 Newsfront article, the same three requirements seem to be present:
FLlliUI1lIIlI M3Rager: P.O.8<»t3583.
IIoIt11IlrOOk.L60065·3588
e~: cheme.lQOameIja.com
countries (and industrial partners) with the vision to plan for the future;
funding necessary to carry out the research and development that is
ADVERTISING REQUESTS: SEE P. 62
needed; and thousands of talented scientists, materials chemists and
engineers, who are being employed in some very exciting projects.
Imagine the enthusiasm that is inspiring the next generation of engi
ACCESS INTELLIGENCE, LLC neers when their school trips take them to Sandia National Labora
DON PAZOUR JONATHAN RAY tories in Albuquerque, or the German Aerospace Center in Cologne
Q-ief ExecuIive OlflCel Vice Presideill. 0ig11al
to see water being split at temperatures up to 1AOO°C using just
HEATHER FARLEY MICHAEL KRAUS concentrated sunlight and some minerals (a gross oversimplification).
Q-ief 0peraWIg Ofa Vice Presldeill.
Ptoduotion. 0igI1aI MEda&~ So, I applaud those governments (and in some cases, at least indi
JAMES OGLE
EMeutJ.e Vice PrtlSidelll GERALD STASKO vidual states and cities) that continue to fund indus
& ChiefAnancial Oftlcet VIce PresldemlCorpor.ne Cor1roIIer
try-academic "big science" projects for conducting
basic research that eventually will lead to commer
cial applications - in this case, producing fuels and
JENNIFER SCHWARTZ
chemicals without coal, petroleum or gas. Judging
SrilrVic:e PresldenI&GroupP\JliW1er
Aetospace. Enefgy. HeaJIf1care
from the progress being made in solar chemistry,
Musk's vision of sending human colonies to Mars
ROB PACIOREK
SrilrVic:e PresIden~ may be an option, but not a necessity. •
Ctief lnIonnalionOfficer Gerald Ondrey, Senior Editor
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Chementator
Catalytic conversion of sugars to acrylonitrile
crylonitrile (ACN) -
£1= Editedby:
A a precursor in nearly
all carbon fibers
- is typically pro
duced from propylene and
ammonia, but a new method
1t -t:.:) (
Biomass Cs, Cs sugars
l
Mixed glycol stream
~ -
®
<S>
Acetonitrile '\ Gerald Ondrey
GLYCOLIC ACID
Researchersfrom the group
of professor Miho Yamauchi
uses biomass-derived sec
ond-generation sugars. The -,\~-----,
~, -----
-, Feedback on
at the International Institute
for Carbon-Neutral Energy
process was developed by impurity level Research (12CNER)of Ky
..........
Southern Research (Dur- ushu University (Fukuoka
ham, N.C.; www.southern City, Ito Campus, 12cner.
R1 '" HydrocracKing of sugar
research.org) and seeks to R2 = Dehydration of glycerol to acrolein to C2. C3 diolsltltolS k,yushu-u.ac.jp) have fab
Carbon fiber ricated a liquid flow-type
provide a more sustainable R3 = Arnmoxldalton of acrolein to acrylonitrile tACH)
drop-in source of ACN. In s-i to S-3 = Separation trains electrolyzer that can con
tinuously produce an alco
this three-step process (dia-
hol from a carboxylic acid
gram), aqueous lignocellulosic sugars are configuration. Very minor changes in reac using a polymer electrolyte.
converted to multifunctional alcohols, which tion conditions can yield the same product Dubbed PEAEC (polymer
undergo dehydration to acrolein before a final slate," explains Amit Goyal, project manager. electrolyte alcohol electro
ammoxidation step to yield ACN. This contin Typically, says Goyal, the catalysts used synthesis cell), the system
uous fixed-bed process has a small footprint for these types of sugar conversions are has been shown to produce
that would fit well into chemical-processing very unstable, especially in aqueous condi glycolic acid from oxalic acid
sites while utilizing a versatile feedstock, says tions, but the catalyst system developed by using a parous Ti02 (ana
Bill Grieco, vice president of energy and en Southern Research boasts longterm stability tase)catalyst,
vironmental activities at Southern Research. over a wide range of operating conditions. The oatalyst is directly
"We see high selectivity and high conver Another benefit is the ability of the system grown on a Ti mesh criO~
Ti-M) or Ti fell (Ti°iTi-F),
sion in this process without the downstream to handle feedstock impurities. "We have which is used as the cath
separations that biological processes typically tested several organiC and inorganic impuri ode. The anode - Ir02 sup
have to deal with," he explains. Each reaction ties at different levels to make sure the cata ported on a gas-diffusion
step uses a heterogeneous catalyst; the first lyst stability is not compromised, while still carbon electrode (Ir02"C) -
two steps involve newly developed catalysts, meeting product specifications," says Goyal. is separated from the cath
and the third step uses an established cata The team has demonstrated continuous ode by a Nafion 117 mem
lyst that has been adapted to accommodate production of a few grams of ACN per hour, brane. With this assembly,
this particular process. and a pilot plant, slated for completion in a maximum energy con
The team has evaluated the process using October 2018, will expand production to the version efficiency of 49.6%
was observed, and a 99.8%
a wide range of sugar feedstocks. "Basi kilogram scale. The produced ACN is vali
continuous conversion of
cally, it doesn't matter what blend of sug dated by Cytec, a Solvay group company
oxalic acid was achieved at
ars we use. There is no change in catalyst (Greenville, S.C.; www.cytec.com). room temperature.
Because glycolic acid is a
stable compound with high
A more direct chemical route to ketones energy denSity.it is a prom
ising candidate for use in
sing a simple, ligand-free palladium rect methods required stoichiometric amounts energy storage and trans
ucts - can be used to synthesize ketones Since metal-catatyzed carbonylation is already HAFNIUM OXIDES
directly from hydrocarbons. The most com a well-established core chemical platform, this AustralianStrategiCMinerals
mon method for syntheSizing ketones is the process should be well suited for scaleup, Ltd., a wholly owned sub
Friedel-Crafts reaction, which requires several mentions Arndtsen. The team has used a ho sidiary of Alkane Resources
energy-intensive preliminary steps to build up mogenous catalyst for their work thus far, but Ltd. (Perth. Western Aus
the required reactive acylating agents. The the simplicity of the system (no catalyst ligands ralia; www.alkane.com.au).
key to McGill's new route is the formation of a are required)may make the process amenable has developed high-purity
highly potent electrophile species from carbon (99.8%) hafnium dioxide
to heterogeneous catalysis as well, he points
(Hf02) products and 99.9%
monoxide itself, which can promote the syn out. Investigating potential heterogeneous
(Hf+Zrj02' Hafnium dioxide
thesis of ketone compounds from commonly catalyst systems will be a next step of the re is a precursor for metallic
available hydrocarbons, such as benzene. Al search. and will be important in scaling up the hafnium used in superalloys
though ketone synthesis via carbonylation has technology,since it would lend itself to catalyst
been previously demonstrated, these less-di- recovery and lower overallcosts. (continues on p. 6)
..
st month. the so
U
Blast furnace route Hybritroute
the demonstration pilot plant
ailed Hybrit initia
at the Australian Nuclear Sci
ve (www.hybrit
ence and Technology Orga
nization (ANSTO; Sydney:
evelopment.com)
www.aosto.gov.au). Process was given the go-ahead to ~ Iron()fe :::.I
concentrate
development, including im build a pilot plant for mak- Fossilfuels~ ~.:~~.~. ;.~ ••~.~... f- Non·lossilluels
proved metal recovery, water ing fossil-free steel. The an Pelletizing
•·.·.Ironore Ironore •••••
recycling and value engineer nouncement follows a pre Coal
ing. arecontinuing on theplant feasibility study conducted
atANSTO and through a front by Swedish partners SSAS ~eplant
end engineeringand design. AS (Stockholm; www.ssab.
The mineral containing haf com), LKAS (Lulea; www.
Coke
~
1
•• pellets pellets ••
1
nium and zirconium.eudlaJyte. Ironmaking
Ikab.com) and Vattenfall AS
originatesfrom the company's
Dubbo Zirconia Project. a (Solna; www.vattenfall.com).
large in-ground resource of The partners are looking to
zirconium. hafnium. niobium. invest SEK20 million (about
tantalum and yttrium. located $2.5 million) to plan and de
Steelmaking Spo~ge I
25 km south of tbe city of sign the pilot plant in Northern
lHotmetal
Dubbo, about 400 km from Sweden. The Swedish Energy Iron.J,
Sydney, in Central West New Agency will finance parts of f- Saap
South Wales. the project, and the initiative
The process flowsheet (see f--~
- which could reduce Swe
online at www.chemengon
line.com) for the Dubbo Proj
den's total CO2 emissions by SSA8
lJ
25tonlyr of HImetal (30tonlyr
Calif.; www.genomatica.com) and riety of sources as the feedstock.
of Hf021. Full plant capacity is
Aquafil (Trento, Italy; www.aquafil. Aquafil is a leading producer of nylon with
estimated at 200 lon/yr.
om) announced a partnership to expertise in converting caprolactam to the
NEW FCC CATALYST commercialize a Genomatica process for synthetic polymer nylon-6. The company
making caprolactam derived from renewable is focused on developing more sustainable
Lastmonth. BASFSE(Ludwig
shafen. Germany; www.basf.
feedstocks, rather than from petroleum. The processes for making the material, which
com) commercially launched cyclic amide caprolactam is a key intermedi has widespread use in apparel, carpeting
8oroftex. the latest evolution ate for the production of nylon. and other markets. In work that is comple
of its residuum (resid) Oil fluid The two partners are advancing Ge mentary to its project with Genomatica,
catalytic cracking (FCC)cata nomatica's Geno CPL process, with the goal Aquafil is also working on a process known
lysts for the petroleum-refining of arriving at a fully commercial process for as the Econyl Regeneration System to pro
sector. 8oroftex is based on making high-quality, bio-based caprolactam duce nylon from regenerated waste.
BASF's Boron-Based Tech with economics that are competitive with Genomatica has previously developed
nology (BBT).and is designed conventional caprolactam. Genomatica has processes for other bio-based chemicals,
to optimize refiners' bottoms
not yet commented on commercialization such as 1,4-butane diol (SDO) - for which
upgrading and distillate yields
by providing maximum nickel
timelines and specific cost targets. it was the winner of the 2013 Kirkpatrick
contamination passivation. An important element of the process is a Chemical Engineering Achievement Award
high-yield microorganism being engineered (Chem. Eng., November 2013, pp. 15-19)
(Continueson p. 8) by Genomatica for the fermentation step of - 1,3-butylene glycol (SG) and butadiene.
Learn more.
Call 1·800·243·ROSS
Or visit mixers.com
Ii1
ROSS
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SOLARH2 These highly selective membranes mimic
Researchers at the University of biological ion channels
N
Twenle's (the Nethet1ands; www. eW membranes
utwente.nl) MESA+ Institute for
developed.at Tufts
Nanotechnology research insti University (Med
tute have developed a system for
ford, Mass.;www.
mal<inghydrogen from water and Methanol
sunlight, without precious-metal
tufts.edu) can effectively
catalysts. The device consists of separate similar chemicals
photocathodes made of silicone based on not only size but
microwires (less than O.l-mm on electrostatic charge.
long), with tips coated with a NI "Currently, there are no
Mo catalyst. Photons are collected commercial membranes
between the microwires, and the that are designed to sepa- • COOH.tunctlooal
photocnernlcal conversion to H2 rate organic molecules of
takes place at the tips. This decou similar size but different • RuOfinated groups
piing of the location of light absorp
chemical structure." ex-
tion and reaction, combined with
optimizing the density and length
plainsAyse Asatekin, a chemical and bio ion channels that regulatethe transport of
of the microwires, enabled the sci logical engineeringprofessor at Tufts. The chemicals in cell membranes. "Instead of
entists to achieve a maximum con membranesare created by coating a spe using complex top-down methods to cre
version efficlency Qight-to-H2) of cialtypolymersolution- a randomcopoly ate these very small pores, we designed
10.8% - the highest reported for mer of fluorinatedmethacrylateand meth a polymer that will create them naturally
aSi-baseddevice. The study is de acrylicacid dissolvedin methanol- onto a due to its structure," says Asatekin. While
scribed in a recent issue of Nature commerciallyavailableporous membrane. other membranes have achieved simi
Energy (Seealso "Solar Chemistry The polymeris synthesizedin a singlestep larly sized functionalized nanopores, the
Heats Up," on pp. 12-16).
via free-radicalpolymerization,which is an membrane preparation methods were
easilyscalableprocess, explainsAsatekin. more complex and the resulting mem
CO2 HYDROGENATION She believes that this membrane-prepa branes sufferedfrom low porosity making
Researchers from Utrecht Univer ration process could be readilyscaled up them more challenging to scale up, she
sity (the Netherlands; www.uu.nl).
and adapted for commercial roll-to-roll adds. Due to the highly functional nano
in collaboration with 8ASF, Lehigh
manufacturingprocesses,enablingit to be structure, the team observed extremely
University and the synchrotron
facilities at the Paul Scherrer In
installedinto existing production sites with high levels of selectivity between similar
stitute, have found a way to study little modification. sized organic compounds that were dif
in detall the conversion of CO2 What sets these membranes apart is ferentiatedby charge. The applicationsfor
into methane. and to determine the self-assemblyof the polymer in solu such selective separations include purify
the perfect size for the catalytic tion to create micelles that form charged ing pharmaceutical ingredients, such as
silica-supported nickel nanodu nanopores 1-3 nm in size (diagram).This amino acids and antibiotics. and also blo
sters. Described in a recent issue enables a functionalized nanostructure fuels-manufacturing processes that use
of Nature Gataljtsis. the research that mimics biological pores. such as the emerging solvents. such as ionic liquids.
ers found that NI particles exhibit
optimal catalytiC activity at a size
of 2.5 nm. They also found that a
specifIC architecture of these tiny
Wastewater treatment with peracetic acid
nickel particles facilitates the acti
n what is said to be the largestmunicipal The application of PAAis accomplished
I
vation of CO2, This basic research
is expected to further the under wastewater application using perace by metering skids engineered by Stan
standing of CO2 reduction, which tic acid (PAA)disinfectant to date, the tec Engineering (Edmonton, Alta.; www.
is important for developing new Metro WastewaterReclamationDistrict stantec.com). The skids contain peristal
catalysts for making renewable in Denver,Colo. recentlybegandisinfecting tic pumps with specially designed tub
synthesis gas (syngas; H2 + CO) wastewatereffluentwith a PAAformulation ing made from Teflonand silicone. Enviro
and liquid fuels.
from Enviro Tech Chemical Services, Inc. Techinstalled plastic storage tanks for the
(Modesto, Calif.; www.envirotech.com) PAAsystem that feature a proprietaryme
METALS FROM ASH known as PeragreenWIN. dium-density polyethylene liner with high
SUEZ S.A. (PariS, France; www. PAA is a disinfectant alternative to so chemical resistance.
suez.com) plans to build the dium hypochlorite that allows users to The new bulk delivery and dosing sys
first plant to use the company's
avoid permitting and regulatory issues tem at the Denver wastewater plant has
proprietary Valomet process to
recover non-ferrous metals from
associated with toxic halogenated by a capacity of more than 30,000 gal of
bottom ash, the residue left be products from chlorine-containing dis PAA solution. The wastewater treatment
hind In waste-Io-energy plants. infectants. While it is more expensive system is capable of handling 220 mil
The new plant will be built in the than sodium hypochlorite. PAA is a more lion galld with a daily average flow of
port area of Ghent, Belgium, with potent oxidizer, so it can reduce overall 146 million galld, Enviro Tech says. The
€1-million funding support from chemical use. PeragreenWW is an equi company has been supplying the food
the Flemish government. librium 15% PAA solution that is stabi industry with PAA and other disinfection
(Continues 011 p. 9) lized in a proprietary formulation. products since 1991.
8 CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
A promising catalyst for SUEZ produces new raw mate
low-temperature ammonia synthesis rials and alternative energy from
waste, but also from bottom ash.
esearchers led by professor core-shell structures are self-organized
R
Now, using the internally devel
Hideo Honoso at Tokyo Institute onto a Ba-Ca(NH2h support with 3.3-nm oped Valomet process, the com
of Technology (yokohama City, dia. during H2 pretreatment at 500 DC. pany will also recover fine, 1100-
Japan; www.titech.ac.jp) have The support material is simultaneously ferrous metal particles (up to 20
discovered a new catalyst that enhances converted into a mesoporous structure mm in size) from bottom ash. In
the efficacy of NH3 synthesis by two or with a high surface area (> 100 m2/g) , November 2015, a pilot project
ders of magnitude over that of a conven which is higher than 17 m2/g of the raw began in Ghent in whic11metal con
centrates from bottom ash were
tional Ru catalyst at temperatures below Ba-Ca(NH2)2 support materials. These
processed and separated. Over
300DC. Furthermore, the developed cata self-organized nanostructures account a one-year trial period, SUEZ ex
lysts are said to be superior to the wustite for the high catalytic performance in low tracted around 1,300 metric tons
based iron catalyst, which is known as a temperature NH3 synthesis. of fine metal particles. whic11were
highly active industrial catalyst at low tem In laboratory trials, the RulBa-Ca(NH2)2 then returned to the production
peratures and pressures. catalyst performed NH3 synthesis with process, through foundries and
The catalyst is composed of self-or turnover velocity of 7.5 mmoVg·h at 250°C melal refineries. This pilot project
ganized ruthenium-barium core-shell and 9 atm, well above that achieved by recoveree aluminum and denser
nanoparticles on a mesoporous calcium industrial iron-based catalysts (2.2 mmoll non-ferrous metals, such as cop
g·h) and conventional Ru-based (Cs-Rul per, lead and zinc.
amide matrix, Ru/Ba-Ca(NH2)2' To make
The nf'!'N faclrlty,which IS expected
the catalyst, nanometer-sized Ru-Ba MgO) catalyst (0.072 mmol/g·h).
to be operational by the end of this
year, represents a tenfold scaleup,
and will have thecapacity to process
'One-pot' synthesis of conjugated polyenes up to 12,000 m.t.lyr by 2019. The
materials processed will come from
11
e research group of professor At room temperature, the new synthe European countries, including Bel
Masafumi Hirando at Tokyo Univer sis approach directly produces conju gium, France, the UK and Poland.
ity of Agriculture and Technology gated tetraenes with 85% yield by react
(TUAT; Koganei City, Japan; www. ing 1,3-butadiene over a Ru(O) catalyst HANDY ANALYSIS
tuat.ac.jp) has performed the world's first containing two internal alkyne ligands. The Researchers at the Fraunhofer
one-pot synthesis of conjugated polyenes, stoichiometric reaction of [Ru(,,4-cisoid- Institute for Integrated Circuits
which normally require at least seven steps 1,3-butadiene)(,,4-1,5-COD)(NCMe)] with (liS; Erlangen, Germany; www.iis.
by conventional methods. This shortens two equivalents of 3-hexyne produces a fraunhOfer.de),in cooperation with
the synthesis time from around a week to tetraene complex of Ru(O), [Ru{3-6-,,4- CapSenze Siosystems AS (Lund,
as little as 30 minutes. Waste generation (3E,5E,7E,9E)-4,9-diethyldodeca-3,5,7, 9- Sweden; www.capsenzw.se) have
developed a mob~e measuring
is virtually eliminated due to the hydrogen tetraene}(,,4-1,5-COD)(NCMe)], in 98%
device that can quickly and reliably
transfer reaction, which enables regio- and yield. When exposed to 1,3-butadiene. detect the presenoeof biochemical
stereo-selective reactions for making pre the conjugated tetraene ligand is released substancesinliquid$,suchasdrink
cursors for electronics chemicals, vitamins with 92% yield. The study is described in a ing water or juices. The matchbox
and pharmaceuticals. recent issue of Organometallics. sized device, which integrates a
biosensor developed by CepSenze
and an optimized evaluation circuit
An explosive way to make from liS, Is able to perlorm mea
surements in a couple of minutes,
porous organic networks compared to the time-consuming
process of sending samples to
team from Ulsan National Institute and one water molecule are regularly po
A
laboratories for analysis.
of SCienceand Technology (Ulsan, sitioned in the HEA crystal lattice. The ac Supplying measurement data In
South Korea; www.unist.ac.kr). etone and water molecules play a role as the oleo- to temtomole (10-12 to
ed by professor Jong-Beom primer to trigger explosion. Solid-organic 10-15 moVL) range, the six differ
Baek has introduced a synthetic method materials can easily melt when heat is ap ent sensors of the biosensor sys
ology for fabricating a three-dimensional plied. However, the newly-developed HEA tem allow simultaneous detection
porous organic network with a high spe single crystals trigger explosive Bergman of six different substances. Differ
cific surface area via a solid-state explo reactions and quickly changes to 3-D po ent sensor coatings, depending
sion of organic single crystals containing rous materials when heat is applied, with on the substance to be detected,
are used to determine the pres
primer molecules. The method involves out the presence of solvents and catalysts.
ence of unwanted substances In
the Bergman reaction (cyclo-aromatiza The polyHEAobtained is a porous material
foodstuffs and animal feed. The
tion) of 2,3.6.7. 14, 15-hexaethynyl-9,10- with specifiCsurface area of 1,176 m2/g dis biosensor system is a highly sen
dihydro-9,10-{1,2}benzenoanthracene playing unusual sorption capacity for CO2, sitive device thai can identify, with
(HEA), which is a self-polymerizable tri The team's method could pave the way for the corresponding sensor coat
functional (M3) building block with three designing and synthesizing molecules suit ing, the presence of biochemical
enedyne groups (containing a double bond able for the solid-state formation of other substances, such as hormones,
and two triple bonds). X-ray diffraction porous organic networks for applications pesticides and mycotoxins in ex
suggested that two acetone molecules beyond those of liquid-phase processes. • tremely low concentrations. 0
.I
(Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) have established a
M'ID~t
" ..
new company. Veramaris V.O.F. (www.veramaris.com).
for the production of omega-3 fatty acids from natural
marine algae. The 50-50 JV is headquartered at the DSM
Biotech Campus in Delft, the Netherlands. Veramaris is
currently constructing a $200-million production facility
in Blair, Nebraska, with commercial production expected
to commence in 2019.
..
Sabic acquires 24.99%
<} f±i q" ill
-r
12"N"
stake in Clariant
January 25. 2018 - Sabic has acquired a 24.99% stake
.. .....
~, FT f~E \
in Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland: www.clariant.com).This I I
, ~"
--
acquisition makes Sabic the largest Clariant shareholder.
.~.., , ,
n~
Sabic is currently a partner of Clariant in the U.S.-based
catalyst JV Scientific Design Company. Inc. (~ """"",..."
'''WOIUl
."
Mexichem acquires
Pennsylvania-based specialty PVC producer l;~ ~
(11
~*..
January 23.2018 - Mexichem S.A.B. de C.v. (Tlalnepantla. s t "I
t... .!_
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Fully run tested before they arrive on site, each system requires
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minor re-assembly to become operational.
Synthesize liquid hydrocarbons from High-flux solar-concentrating subsystem E.U.'s Horizon 2020 Frame
H20 and CO2•via formation of syngas constructed at IMDEA Energia in Madrid, work Program
and subsequent FIScher·Tropsch Spain
Hydrosol: Solar ther Using solar-thermal energy (at 800- Three reactors have been built, each with E.U.'s Horizon 2020 Frame-
mochemical water 1.400°C) to make H2from reaction of a thermal capacity of 250 kW work Program
water with metal oxides
Sandia Nationallabora- Todevelop new methods and reac- Part of DOE-funded STCH(solar ther U.S. Dept.of Energy
tories. ColoradoSchool of tors for operating thermochemical mochemical hydrogen) project at Sandia.
Mines, Northwestern Uni- looping cycles to make H2by splitting Negotiationsare underway for follow-up
versity. Stanford Univer- project
sity. Bucknell University,
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CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLlNE.OOM MARCH 2018 ..............
ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS
n January, Siemens AG (Munich; www.siemens.com) and Evonik the conversion of PV electricity, CO:! and water to the desired alcohols
methods (Table 1). "Some of these synthesis into kerosene. securing economic competitiveness,
are far beyond laboratory scale," "In the framework of the Solar says Furler, the co-founder and CEO
says Sattler. Jet project, we have experimentally of Sunredox. ENI and Synhelion
For example, as part of the Sun demonstrated at laboratory-scale signed a cooperation agreement in
to-Liquid project (www.sun-to-liquid. the entire production chain to re June 2017 for this purpose. "We are
eu), a small solar tower system was newable jet fuel (kerosene) via solar targeting the first 20-MW pilot plant
built at IMOEA Energfa at Mostoles thermochemical splitting of water by 2023 and the commercial phase
Technology Park, near Madrid, in and CO2,'' says Philipp Furler, a re by 2025," he says.
2016. This high-flux solar-concen search associate at ETH Zurich and Furler points out three main advan
trating subsystem consists of an operating agent for solar chemistry tages of the thermochemical route to
ultra-modular solar heliostat central research of the International Energy renewable fuels compared to alter
receiver that provides intense solar Agency's (Paris, France; www.iea. native approaches. Firstly, the ther
radiation for high-temperature ap org) technology program, Solar mochemical route uses the entire
plications beyond the capabilities PACES. "If coupled to CO2-capture solar spectrum and bypasses critical
of current commercial concentrated from atmospheric air, such kerosene energy conversion stages, such as
solar power (CSP) installations. The has zero net CO2 emissions and can electricity generation, electrolySiS,or
heliostat field consists of 169 small be certified for commercial aviation reverse-water-gas-shift and thus can
size heliostats (1.9 m x 1.6 m). by minor addendum to the existing exceed the energy conversion effi
When all heliostats are aligned, it is 07566 specification for synthesized ciencies of alternative processes and
possible to fulfil the specified flux hydrocarbons. Furthermore, we become cheaper. Secondly, it is ap
above 2,500 kW/m2 for at least 50 boosted the reactor energy-conver plied in desert regions with high direct
kW and an aperture of 16 cm, with a sion efficiency by a factor of 13 to a normal irradiance (ONI),whereas fuels
peak flux of 3,000 kW/m2. A reliable record 5.25%. Within Sun-to-Liquid, derived from biomass use valuable
road map for competitive crop-in fuel we are now scaling up the process agricultural land and suffer from low
production from water, carbon diox to a solar-tower," says Furler. energy-conversion efficiencies (typi
ide and solar energy will be estab In parallel, Sunredox - a spinoff cally below 1%) resultingin critical land
lished in the project. company of ETH Zurich - jOintly footprint. Thirdly, it can be combined
The E.U.-funded Sun-to-Liquid with Synhelion (Switzerland; www. with inexpensive thermal-energy stor
project is the followup to a prede synhelion.com) and Eni S.p.A (Rome, age solutions, suoh as a packed bed
cessor project, Solar-Jet, in which Italy; www.eni.com) are working in of rocks ($15lkWh), to enable continu
a solar reactor developed at ETH close collaboration to further de ous and uninterrupted 24(1 operation
Zurich (Switzerland; www.prec.ethz. velop and scale-up the solar chemi of the plant, regardless of the sunlight
ch) was successfully operated for cal technology to the megawatt size intermittency. In contrast, approaches
splitting H20 and CO2 to produce over the next years, with the goal of based on electricity lack inexpensive
syngas, which was subsequently reaching solar-to-fuel energy con storage solutions, says Furler. •
converted via Rscher-Tropsch (F-T) version efficiencies beyond 20% for Gerald Ondrey
16 CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
Newsfront
A collection systems
are the go-to gear
for protecting em
ployeesand equipment from
dust exposure and for com
a risk of explosion or com THE NECESSllY OF AlR
bustibility, so collecting and
controlling combustible dust
helps protect from these haz
ards," Haynamsays.
FILTRATION
HAN DUNG
COMBUSTIBLE DUSTS
plying with air-quality,safety While air-filtration and REDUCING OPERATING
and combustible-dust regu dust-collection systems are COSTS
lations enforced by local, nothing new for chemical
state and federal authorities. processors, problems arise
Despite the necessityof the when existingequipment can
equipment, many proces no longer keep up with cur
sors use legacy systems rent standards or processes.
that no longerfunction at the "There are two issues we
highest levels of filtration or often see. Rrst, a lot of facili
energy efficiency or, worse, ties havelegacysystemsthat
do not meet National Fire aren't properly protected ac
Protection Agency (NFPA; cordingto current NFPAstan
Quincy, Mass.; www.nfpa. dards, which is a problem
org) guidelines for combus in the chemical industry be
tible dusts. Clearly,these are causethey often handlemore
very big concerns in chemi exotic dusts with higher ex
cal process industries (CPI). plosivity ratings, says Steve
U
sign and dust collection systems," FIGURE3. To reduce energy usage, Schenck offers its MCF PowerSaverdust collector, which can save up
to 50% of operational costs by using medium-pressure air for the cleaning cycle
says McConnell. "They analyze the
health of existing systems, look at ysis portion of the standard is new process is the dust hazard analysis.
maintenance schedules, provide a and because prevention and protec For any facility with dust, they need to
complete ductwork and airilow de tion can take different forms for each determine any risks associated with
sign analysis and offer recommenda facility, many processors aren't sure their dust, such as whether the dust
tions for existing systems that aren't what equipment they need to keep is explosive, flammable or toxic, and
working properly and aren't NFPA employees and facilities safe. if it has the potential to cause a reac
compliant, as well as for upfront de "Our customers ask for the 'easy tion if combined with another type of
sign of new systems." button' solution, but the challenge dust. This typically requires sending
Experts agree that having this type with combustible dusts is that there dusts out for testing. If it is deter
of engineering study is necessary to is no 'easy button, ...says Karen Wear, mined that a dust is combustible or
find the system that will work most market manager with Donaldson explosive, further testing is needed
efficiently and meet the specific dust (Bloomington, Minn.; www.donaldson. to determine the explosibility sever
collection needs of each facility. And, com). "Each processor needs to work ity and other factors. Understanding
the two most-asked questions dur through individual needs and hazards these parameters can then guide
ing these studies are how to handle to find a solution to the combustible processors in the selection of dust
combustible dusts and how to lower dust issue that best works for them." collection and the necessary mitiga
the overall cost of the system while In a nutshell, NFPA 652 requires a tion and protection equipment."
providing the most efficient filtration. dust hazard analysis and risk assess If combustible dust is found to be
ment for each process that handles an issue, selection of equipment,
Handling combustible dusts or creates combustible dust for both says Wear, should include options for
Combustible dusts have become new and existing installations by Oc mitigation and protection for both fire
one of the biggest concerns for in tober 2018. Following analysis that and explosion risks. Mitigation refers
dustry over the last few years due determines where combustible dust is to equipment that helps reduce the
to some large, dust -related explo an issue, mitigation of, and protection potential for a fire or explosion from
sions. These incidents have spurred from, hazards becomes necessary. occurring and protection refers to
initiatives such as the Occupational "We are not experts on combus equipment that reduces the damage
Safety and Health Administration's tible dust mitigation, but we can help risks to employees, equipment and
(OSHA; Washington, D.C.; www. customers through the process of the facility, if an event does occur.
osha.gov) 2008 Combustible Dust determining what they may need. To Mitigation and prevention equip
National Emphasis Program; and better explain what is necessary, we ment might include spark arrestors
NFPA's recent 652 Standard on the created a Combustible Dust Road or spark-abatement systems that
Fundamentals of Combustible Dust map that guides users through the would detect and douse a spark with
(2016 edition). While the NFPA stan process of determining which type of fluid, or inerting systems that would
dards aren't necessarily law, they can collection, mitigation and protection blanket the spark with a material to
be enforced as such on a regional equipment they may want to con inert the spark before a fire could
basis, if adopted. NFPA 652 was de Sider," says Wear (this Roadmap can take place in the collector.
veloped to promote hazard analysis, be found at the end of the online ver Protection equipment usually in
awareness, prevention and protec sion of this article at www.chemen cludes technologies that minimize
tion, but because the hazard-anal- gonline.com). "The first step in the the effects if an event does occur,
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iA r' ( (O~' t TlON
chemical process industries ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) MAJOR PROCESSES INVOLVING
CPI) operations involving com requires control of NOx in combus COMBUSTION
ustion need to be concerned tion, because NOx reacts with organ
Combustion healing temperatures range
with the errssston of combustion ic vapors in the presence of sunlight
from 400-500K for bread bakIng and paint
products, due to their potential envi to produce ground-level ozone. The drying, to 2.000K for oement and steel
ronmental and health impacts, This low-cost way to limit NOx is to do making.
one-page reference provides informa so upstream in the combustion pro • Metal melting
tion about several of the most com cess, for instance, via 10w-NOx burn • Metal heat treating
mon combustion byproducts from ers, and low-oxygen firing systems. • Ouring and forming
industrial heating processes, In a flame, NOx can be formed by • Drying
• Calcining
Combustion provides heat for many three different processes to generate
• Clay firing
industrial processes and accounts thermal NOx, fuel NOx and prompt • Agglomeration
for over 80% of the power used by NOx' Thermal NOx is produced at • Glass melting
turbines to generate electricity, The high temperatures by elementary re • Auld heating
listing in the box shows several op actions of the Zeldovich mechanism. • Distillation
erations within the CPI where com Fuel NOx is produced from com • Food production
• Ore roasting
bustion is used, Modern industrial bustion of nitrogen-containing fuel
combustion - both for process heat components. Fuel-generated NOx
and power generation - is charac can be avoided by using fuels with ticles are dust from roads or black
terized by an increasingly diverse fuel out significant quantities of nitrogen carbon (soot).
supply and a greater need to reduce containing compounds. • "Secondary" particles are formed
potentially polluting emissions, Prompt NOx is produced by radical in the atmosphere from primary
reactions in the flame. In most com gaseous emissions. Examples of
Combustion products bustion systems, thermal NOx is the secondary particles are sulfates
The following sections discuss some dominant production channel, and formed from S02 emissions from
of the main potential pollutants that NOx emissions can be controlled by power plants and industrial fa
result from the combustion of fossil limiting the flame temperature. cilities; nitrates formed from NOx
fuels in an industrial setting, Sulfur byproducts. Sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants, au
Carbon dioxide. CO2 is the princi (S02), belongs to the family of sulfur tomobiles, and other combustion
pal product from the combustion of oxide gases (SOx), These gases dis sources; and carbon formed from
fossil fuels, It is a colorless, odorless solve easily in water. Sulfur is preva organic gas emissions from vehi
gas with a density greater than air. lent in all raw materials, including cles and industrial facilities.
For each pound of carbon burned in crude oil, coal, and ores that contain Some particles are large enough to
a CPI process, 3,67 Ib of C02 is re common metals, such as aluminum, be seen as dust or dirt. Others are so
leased, CO2 is a greenhouse gas, and copper, zinc, lead and iron. small they can be detected only with
is present in the earth's atmosphere SOx gases are formed when fuel an electron microscope.
at concentrations around 400 parts containing sulfur, such as coal and • PM2,5 describes the "fine" par
per million (ppm), Its IDLH Qmmedi oil, is burned, and when gasoline is ticles that are less than or equal to
ately dangerous to life and health) extracted from oil, or metals are ex 2.5 urn in diameter
concentration is 40,000 ppm tracted from ore. S02 dissolves in • "Coarse fraction" particles are
Carbon monoxide. CO is a colorless, water vapor to form acid and inter greater than 2.5 IJm, but less than
odorless gas that is formed when car acts with other gases and particles or equal to 10 IJm in diameter
bon in fuel is not burned completely. in the air to form sulfates and other • PM 10 refers to all particles less
Adverse health effects can occur at products that can be harmful to hu than or equal to 10 IJmin diameter
CO concentrations as low as 10 ppm mans and the environment. (about one-seventh the diameter
with prolonged exposure. In the at Particulate matter. Particulate mat of a human hair) •
mosphere, CO can be a component ter (PM) is the general term used to
of smog. describe a mixture of solid particles References
Oxides of nitrogen (NOx).Oxides of and liquid droplets found in the air. 1. BauI<al. c., 'IOOUSI/ialCombusbon~~on and ConITOI,'
nitrogen (primarily NO and N02) form PM can either be emitted directly or T~ and Frms. 2003,
2 McGa,t1atl. T.. Air·PoiIUliOnConltol: Assessing the Op.
when fuel is burned at high tem formed in the atmosphere. Different tions. {])em, BIg,. August 2011. pp, 62-70.
peratures, The primary sources of sources of particles include: 3. Dutton,J., Energy ConservaIiOll and ErMronmenlai
NOx include motor vehicles, power • "Primary" particles are formed Protedion. Lessoo 4, ()Vle course malerials.Penn
generation facilities and other indus from combustion sources and Slate ~erS11y, accessed trom' Vt'Mv,e edlJcallOn.psu.
edulegee 102
trial sites, as well as commercial and are emitted directly into the atmo 4 Uttlejohn, 0 et ai, Burner Design 101Fuel F1ellibiity and
residential sources. The U,S. Envi- sphere, Examples of primary par- EffICiency, Oleffl. Eng,. May 2011. pp, 44-47.
30 CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
Technology Profile
Isopropanol Production from Propylene
By Intratec Solutions
Propylene Propylene
sopropanol (iSOP. ropyl alcohol) is
ST Steam
CW COOlingwater
ST·U@
Wast~water CW -{j ®
FIGURE1. The diagram shows the productlon of isopropanol from refinery-grade propylene via Indirect hydratlon
CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLlNE.COM MARCH2018
Cover Story
Part 1
IN BRIEF
THE MOVE TO
R chines, such
as motors,
compres-
sors, pumps and tur
bines, are critically im
PREDICTVE portant componentsof
plant operations, and
FAILURES LEAD TO
DOWNTIME
must perform reliably
and efficiently at all
REMOTE MONITORING times. However, given
DATA ANALYTICS ADDS the high pressuresand
POWER harsh environments
in which these ma
ORGANIZED KPI DATA
chines operate, equip
GET RESULTS
ment failures are all
too common.
To keep equipment
running for as long
as possible, compa
nies must invest in
maintenance. Histori
cally, many aspects
of these maintenance
tasks were less than
ideal, but few alterna
tives existed. In many
cases, Simple visual
inspection was used
to determine equip
ment condition. Often,
plant managers ran
equipment until failure
instead of perform-
FIGURE1. Advances in digitalization and connectivity have helped usher in more proactive
ing preventive main- maintenance practices
tenanoe. This reactive
maintenanceapproach results in unsched nance strategies, statistical trend data and
uleddowntime, higherlaborcosts and faster analysisare used to determine the optimal
deteriorationof assets. intervals for servicing equipment. The big
In order to avoid these costly scenarios. gest challenge with this approach is that it
manycompaniesbeganto embracepreven is time-based. Equipment is inspected and
tive maintenance. With preventive mainte- addressed at regular intervals regardless
32 CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
FIGURE3. Handhelddevices,
which enable more effective
remote-monitoring programs,
are becoming more widely
used In the CPI
/ Data management
~
I Optimization and advanced
machine conllol
"local CloUd" lor I" "I
condition monitoring w.J. =-
~
Cyber-seeure
connection
n:::m Reid service
~
/ Electrical
protection
Drive Motor Pump/compressor Do-og Do-og ~
FIGURE 4. An effective pnedictive maintenance strategy includes connectivity between many operatlonallevels and devices
sensors allow for continuous machine machine, while wireless sensors are
monitoring, while wireless sensors good for monitoring overall machine
measure machine status periodically condition. Moreover,wired sensors can
(for instance, once per hour). Wired in capture some types of signals and in
struments are better for protecting the formation not achievablewirelessly.
However, unlike in years past, the
cost of wireless sensors is decreasing
significantly,and they are also becom
ing easier to install, so they now pro
vide a suitablesolution for low-criticality
equipment. The most common sensors
measure vibrations (accelerometers),
surface temperatures and magnetic
fields. Prior to wireless technologies,
the onlyway to obtain those signalswas
to installdedicated probes on the elec
trical feeding lines, but this is expen
sive, and therefore, uncommon for low
criticality machines.
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34 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
But each individual failure could cause 10 to
100 hours of downtime, leading to significant
production losses,
Remote monitoring
The most common technologies used in
predictive maintenance of rotating machines
are infrared thermography, ultrasound anal through physicaltes1ing,
ysis, motor-current signature analysis, oil
analysis, partial discharge and vibration
analysis, All of these methods use evidence Determines the condition a mechanical system under various
of-fault to determine the maintenance re operating conditions by evaluating mechanical vibration, A change in
quirements, Table 3 provides details of vibration amplitude at speoific frequencies can indicate a change in
these technologies,
Although predictive maintenance provides
information for timing maintenance activi
ties accurately, it has limitations, Acquiring
data using a handheld device (a common
practice) is labor-intensive and takes people Monitors when compres
sor measurements have
away from other more productive activities, deviated from factory set ~~~~~!!Q~~!QJ!!!L!!~~-------l
It is also difficult to gather data from equip values
ment that is in hard-to-reach areas, or areas
that pose a danger to the person collecting
the data, Fouling Fouling
However, advances in wireless technology Monitors the accumula Systems and methods for measuring fouling in a gas-turbine com
(including a significant drop in deployment tion of unwanted mate pressor include a conductivity resistance sensor disposed in a com
costs) and secure wireless communications rial on solid surfaces, pressor inlet mouth, The degree of oompressor fouling is correlated
which can affect equip to changes in resistance measured by the conductivity resistance
allow engineers to monitor equipment re ment function sensor, Measurements of resistance changes are converted into indi
motely (Figure 3), Data can be automatically of the
collected even from the most inaccessible Surge limit Surge
sites, and remotely monitored from any Monitors if the com Surge occurs when the peak head capability of a compressor is
pressor is wOl1<ingtoo reached and flow is reduced, When a compressor approaches its
where in the world, close to the surge limit surge limit, some Ofits components ( for example, diffusers and im
This represents a great cost-reduction op in a way that causes pellers) may start to operate in stall mode
portunity, as personnel no longer need to undesired activation of
the anti-surge control
spend valuable time physically visiting and system or excessive gas
interfacing with every asset to gather data,
It also has a positive impact on safety, since Anti-surge valve Stiction
remote monitoring allows personnel to avoid performa nee Analyzes the response time of the valve to evaluate if the valve
Monitors if the anti-surge would be able to protect the compressor from a fas1-surge event. In
dangerous areas of the plant.
control valve is working ~~~~~~~J!Q!!J!!.!~~!.Qt!~~~~~~W
properly
Data analytics adds power
While remote monitoring is an exciting ad
vancement, robust data collection and an
alytics make predictive maintenance truly
powerful. Data analytics enables the ac
curate modeling of conditions and factors
that lead to equipment failure, thus allow
ing plant engineers to stay ahead of prob
lems before they happen, The following is
a hierarchy for remote monitoring and data
analytics that is currently being used in some Compressor control Oscillating controllers
operation Detects when the controllers are interfering with each other, causing
CPI plants: Monitors that the
• Field level: Sensors that collect basic data, compressor controllers Tuning problems
such as current, temperature and torque, (anti-surge, performance Detects when the controllers are tuned inadequately, leading to slow
on equipment and send it to an onsite edge control and load-sharing or too fast response, can lead to poor response to selpoint changes
control) are working
device, An edge device, such as a router or properly and can ensure
multiplexer, serves as an entry portal into the protection level for
core networks which they were
• Edge device: Data streams from sen-
IN BRIEF
T factors to consider
when designing a
compressed air sys
tem that help to improve the
reliability and efficiency of
compressors and ancillary
AMBIENT CONDITIONS equipment, reduce leakage
CENTRALIZED VERSUS and pressure drops, and
DECENTRALIZED minimize the compressor
SIZING AND SELECTION
system's lifecycle cost (Fig
ure 1). This article provides
COMPRESSION guidance on several con
PRINCIPLES siderations that impact a
FLOW AND PRESSURE compressed air system.
FIGURE1.A typical compressedair system comprisesmanyancillary equipment
UNITS
elements,andcareful considera.tlonshould be taken to ensurethat the system's
Ambient conditions design promotesefficiency andreliability
RECENER TANK
Compressorperformancecan
AIR DRYER AND vary based on ambient conditions. It is im In most other cases, a centralized system
FILTRATION portant to know the site elevation,ambient is preferred due to its added energy effi
COMPRESSOR ROOM temperatures, relative humidity (RH) and ciency and decreased maintenance costs.
VENTILATION airborne dust load prior to choosing a com A centralized system uses larger,but fewer,
pressorsystem.Ambientair can also contain compressor units, as its air-intake filtration,
COOLING WATER
aggressivegases,such as hydrocarbons,hy ventilation requirements, COOling-water
COMPRESSED AIR drogensulfide(H2S)or ammonia(NH3),which treatment, air cooling and drying are all
PIPING NETWORK requirea suitablefiltrationsystem to protect located in the same area. Users can save
MONITORING AND compressedair equipment.Havingthis infor time on labor and routine maintenance
CONTROL mationon handcan helpcompressedair ex since centralized systems are well-suited
perts make a more informed decision when for remote master control, load sharing and
it comes to designingthe best solution for a sequencing operations.
plant's needs.
Sizing and selection
Centralized versus decentralized Selecting a correctly sized compressor
Centralized and decentralized compressor requires a robust analysis of the following
systems each have their own advantages. parameters:
A decentralized system is installed when • Flow demand
compressed air is needed for applications • The equipment manufacturers' flow and
where the compressor system must be lo pressure requirements
cated near the application,such as air blast • Air consumption rates
for high-voltage electric breakers, pneu • Utilization factor - the ratio of time that
matic conveying of materials, pneumatic the equipment is in operation to the total
operationof forging tools and other applica working time
tions that demand the air compressor be in • Load factor - the ratio of actual flow to
close proximity. the full load flow during operation time
38 CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
FIGURE3. In dynamic com
pressors, an impeller rotates
rapidly to accelerate air to a
high velocity
OR
14.7 psia
6BoF
O%RH
OR
14.7psla
6BoF
36%RH
Nm3/h 1.01325 bara
O°C
O%RH
OR
a combination of both technologies Receiver tank
1.01325 bara work better for optimal utilization The primary function of an air receiver
15°C of compressed air and decreased tank is to store compressed air, but it
O%RH
energy consumption. also servesas an additionalcondensate
OR separator. Furthermore,the air receiver
Flow and pressure units ensures a steady airflow and equalizes
1.01325 bara An critically important first step is to momentary pressure variations in the
20°C
O%RH decide which unit of measure will be air piping network, which could cause
used to indicate flowrate, based on frequent loading and unloading of the
the requirements of the specific pro compressor. Normally, the air receiver
cess. There are several ways to mea comes with a safety valve, pressure
sure the capacity of an air compressor, gage,connection to fit the test-pressure
as follows: gage, inspection cover and drain valve.
• Inlet cubic feet per minute (ICFM),
which is the inlet volume flowrate or Air dryer and filtration selection
intake volume as measuredat the in Atmospheric air contains water vapor
take. For most processes, inlet flow that must be removed to a certain de
is not usable flow; therefore, using gree. Water concentration increases
the ICFM flow unit is not advised at higher temperatures and decreases
• Cubic feet per minute (CFM), which at lower temperatures. Therefore,
describes the free air delivery as when the air is compressed, the water
measured at the delivery point. concentration increases.
downstream of the aftercooler There are different types of dryers
• Standard cubic feet per minute available on the market, with the two
(SCFM) or normal cubic meter per main types being refrigerated dry
hour (Nm3/h), which represent the ers and desiccant dryers. Refriger
standard or normal flow as mea ated dryers can reach a 3rF pressure
sured at the delivery point and es dewpoint, whereas desiccant dryers
tablished by standard temperature are capable of handling negative dew
and pressure (STP) or normal tem points. Dependingon what quality of air
perature and pressure (NTP) condi is needed for the application, either of
tions. The reference condition will these dryer types can be chosen.
have a large impact on flow, which is When sizing your dryer, avoid se
why it is good practice to specify the lecting one straight from a manufac
reference condition you want to use turer's brochure. Inlet conditions can
when consulting with a compressor have a major impact on the dryer's
manufacturer.Typical reference con performance, so it is recommended
ditions are given in Table 1 to calculate sizing based on dryer
Required pressure can also be spec inlet conditions.
ified in psig, barg or kg/cm2g. With the heatless type of desiccant
40 CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
dryers, the dryers experience purge energy disSipated in the compres
loss, which requires that designers sor can be evacuated with a rea
oversize the compressors to meet sonableamount of increasein water
that extra flow, resulting in higher temperature.
energy consumption. There are
also heat of compression dryers Compressed air piping network
available with a zero-purge option Compressors should be placed in
to save on energy, as opposed to a central location in close proxim
heatless dryers, since these dryers ity to all relevant applications and
do not produce any air loss. De processes in order to minimize the
pending upon the application and length of piping between compres
level of energy efficiency, there are sors and points of use. The loca
different options available to find the tion must also take into consider
best solution possible. ation the quality of intake air, which
For application or process fil should be cool, clean and dry. The
tration, the required filtration level compressor installation should be
and type of filters can be installed kept clear of steam, chemical va
in the system piping (Figure 4). pors, engine exhaust and dust.
There are oil removal filters, dust fil To reduce pressure drop, mini
ters and carbon filters available for mize the number of valves, bends,
use, depending on the quality of fittings and flow obstructions. Ad
air required. equate space must be provided
around the compressor for proper
Compressor room ventilation ventilationand for regularinspection
The total quantity of energy deliv and maintenance.
ered to the compressor in the form Compressed air pipes should be
of electricity is completely trans installed in such a way that they
formed into heat during compres can be reached from all directions.
sion. The majority of this heat is re Avoid pipe installations in subfloor
moved by a cooling medium - air trenches since they are difficult to
or water. The remaining heat is not maintain and repair. Also, these
removed, and is referred to as the conditions make it difficult for ad
residualheat in compressed air. equate condensate drainageand air
In the case of water cooling, the leak detection.
heat is removed to outside the Horizontallyinstalled pipes should
compressor room to the sump of slope 1 to 2% toward the air con
the cooling tower. Conversely,with sumption point so the condensate is
air-cooled compressors, all of the carried to predetermined locations
heat is dissipated into the compres where drains permit the condensate
sor room if no dedicated ducting to be removed. While some may
is provided. argue that properly installed and
Prior to deciding which type of correctly sized dryers make sloping
compressor to install, make sure of compressed air pipes superflu
to procure installationproposals for ous, the cost is minimaland sloping
both air-cooled and water-cooled providesadditional protection in the
options from the oompressormanu event that the dryer is out of service.
facturer so that experts can help to Pipe-to-tube bends should have
properly size the required compres generous radii to minimize tur
sor room ventilation. bulence. Bends are preferred to
elbow couplings because they re
Cooling water duce turbulence and create less
The cooling water quality must meet pressuredrop.
certain requirements as specified To prevent condensate from en
by the compressor manufacturer. tering the branch pipe, the latter
It is recommended to have a water should be branched on top of the
sample analyzed by a laboratory subheader and condensate drain
that can also advise on a suitable points should be provided at the
treatment solution if needed. The lowest point of the ring network.
cooling water flow for compressors It is recommended to provide
can be designed so that the total flanges so that sections of the air
Author
,-------, Deepak Vetal is a Jl(oduct marketing
manager for oil-free SCfew and centrif
ugal compressors at Atlas Coj)Co Com
pressors lLC (3042 Soutl\cross Blvd.,
a predefined and narrow pressure __ I~I Suite 102. Rock Hilt,SC 29730; Email:
Synaptic
Business
Automation
yokogawa.com/ia
Co·innovatlng tomorrow Is I registered tfademari< of YOkogaw4 EICC"!( Corporation. Yokogawa Electric Corporation
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/70304-22
Feature Report
Pressure-Relief System
Design: Developments
and Deficiencies
Areas of recent activity for pressure-relief systems include new calculation methods and
updates to existing codes and standards. Included here is an overview of recent developments
and a look at the results from a recent study of pressure-relief system deficiencies and solutions
RUPTURE DISKS
SUPPRESSION AND
ISOLATION SYSTEMS
issue. Because of this, it is neces Approximately 70% of the pressure
sary to prioritize. Formalized studies relief systems analyzed were found to
of a particular set of safety systems have an issue of some sort. Most of
can offer insight about prioritization these issues involved interconnecting
of potential safety improvements. valves between equipment not being
Presented here are the findings locked, or "car-sealed" open. These
from a sample study of pressure re issues were easily resolved, but some
lief systems that is similar to a safety other installation issues were not as
audit (Figure 3). Such studies can be easily mitigated. For example:
utilized to create a picture of where • PRVs set above MAWP
the plant stands on the whole, and • Low points in the PRV outlet line,
enable the prioritization of pressure allowing pocketing of liquids
relief systems that pose the greatest "Unprotected equipment" was
risks to the facility. evaluated to determine if there was
To help illustrate the conduct of a an applicable overpressure scenario
safety study in the context of pres in the revalidation study. An equip
sure-relief systems, we describe a ment item could be considered to
recent detailed analysis, carried out be unprotected if it does not have a
recently by the authors' employer, of FIGURE3. A recent detailed analysis of pressure free path to a pressure relief device,
a process unit within a petrochemi relief devices at a petrochemical facility can inform as defined by both API and ASME
prioritization of safety projects
cal production facility. The study requirements. Several systemic de
analyzed all pressure-relief systems ing temperatures ficiencies were identified:
throughout the process unit and • Abnormal flow. This scenario was • Some PRVs were set above the
judged them to be either adequate due to the original design missing MAWP of the equipment they
or inadequate, according to the fol a significant amount of manual were protecting
lowing typical criteria: valve operation situations, such as • Pressure-relief devices on a com
• Pressure-relief requirement com inadvertent opening of a control mon inlet manifold were not con
pared to relief capacity valve bypass valve sidered for hydraulic calculations
• Irreversible inlet-line loss (3%) • Thermal expansion. This situation • Thermal-relief valves were often
• Backpressure (10% for conven was due to failures of the original assumed to be adequate without
tional devices, manufacturer-spe design to consider thermal expan proper evaluation of the applicable
cific for other types, such as bal sion to be credible, even for heat overpressure scenarios
anced bellows) exchanqers with high heat duties • Some overpressure scenarios
• Installation and code-violation • Tuberupture. This was due to the were not considered
issues original design being inconsistent • ManuaVbypass valve opening was
• Temperature concerns regarding consideration of tube not considered
rupture as a credible source of It is also worth noting that none
Common issues overpressure. The original design of the existing documentation for
The results of the analysis of pres did not consider mixing effects, the pressure relief devices evaluated
sure-relief systems revealed a num such as flow of a volatile mixture to met the current documentation guid
ber of issues, which are discussed the hot side of the heat exchanger ance in API Standard 521, Section
here, along with possible mitigation External fires and control valve 4.7. For example, the existing docu
options. Of the systems and calcu failures were found to result in very mentation did not provide rationale
lations analyzed, a significant num few inadequately sized pressure regarding the credibility of all typi
ber were found to be inadequate for relief systems, even though these cal overpressure scenarios. This is a
the following reasons: two overpressure scenarios were common issue in many facilities.
• Relief capacity: 41 % commonly analyzed in the sample
• Irreversible inlet line loss: 32% pressure-relief systems. Mitigation options
• Backpressure: 22% In the study, several factors were When an existing pressure-relief sys
The most common factors con identified that contributed to the num tem is found to have issues, there
tributing to overpressure scenarios ber of problematic pressure-relief cal are many well-known and accepted
for which the existing pressure-relief culations. The factors include: "typical fixes." Included here are
systems were inadequately sized in • Originaldesign work failedto consid some of the potenial issues of pres
cluded the following: er specific pressure-reliefscenarios sure-relief systems, along with pos
• Blocked outlet. This scenario • Missing or conflicting sources of sible mitigation strategies:
was mainly due to the pressure data To address inadequate capacity in
relief consequences not being • Changes In plant throughput and the pressure-relief system, possible
considered during operational operating conditions mitigation strategies could include:
changes, such as increased plant • Changes regarding compliance • Installation of larger PRV
throughput and increased operat- and company guidelines • Installation of additional PRV
~
x 0.40
Edited by Scott Jenkins
~ 0.30 References
1 Ametican PetrOOlm Institute,'Si2ltlg. Selection, and In·
stallation of Pressure Relief Devices in Refineries" 91h
0.20
Edboo,APIStandard 520 Part I. 2014.
2. American Petraeum Institute,'Si2i1g, Selection, and In·
0.10 stallation of Pressre Relief Devices in Refineries" 6th
Edition, API Standard 520 Part II, 2015.
0.00 3. AmeOCan Petrdeum InsUtute. ·Pressue·reiew1g ald De·
~CSSIJMg Systems' 6th ed..API S1andard521. 2014.
...---.- ........-.--,-"T"""T-.---.-...--.---,--.---.-...-.-.-.,.........,.....,r-..-.-.-.....,.....,.....,.-.-,
·0.10 -t--,......... 4. Ameocan mtilUte fa ChemcaJ EngC1eeIsand 1he Center lor
o 500 1,000 1,500 2.000 Cl1emicaI Prooess Safety,'GUde!I1es fO(Pressue Relief
Time, milliseconds iiWXI Ellim1 HandWlg', 1$I ed ,~ 1998.
AGURE 5. ThiS graph shows an example of dynamic PRV stability Calculations, with results from different 5. 'Maximize the Use 01 Your Existi~ Flare Structures',
lengths of inlet piping IChemE Hazards XX Symposium, Manchester. Uflted
Kingdom, April2008.
in turn can result in catastrophic fail inlet pressure losses exceed 3%.
ure of the system. It is therefore im Figure 5 provides an example of dy Authors
portant to ensure that when the last namic PRV stability calculations. Neil Prophet is a senior partner at
line of defense is asked to perform, Additionally, the following conclu ioMosalc (1900 Sl. James Place,
Suite 700, Houston, TX 77056;
any pressure relief devices operate in sions can be drawn, based on PRV Phone: 713-490-5220; Email:
a safe and stable manner. The "3% stability research: inlet and outlet pip nprophet@iomosaic.com).Prophet
rule" remains a recommendation ing configuration highly impacts sta brings over 20 years of experience
in 1he field 01 process safety to his
and not a requirement in RAGAGEP bility; an irrecoverable inlet loss from leading rOleioMosa.ic's Relief Sys
(recognized and generally accepted friction has little impact. tems consulting group. His experi·
ence includes providing project
good engineering practice). The management and engineering expertise to large-scale
"rule" appears in both ASME Boiler Field changes pressure-relief and lIare systems design studies for
and Pressure Vessel Code Section Despite the previous mitigation op chemical, pharmaceutical and petrochemical companies
WOI1dwide.Prophet has also led numerous quantitative
VIII Division I (BPVC-VIII-I) Non-Man tions, some inadequate relief systems risk analyses, hazard identificatioo studies and audits,
datory Appendix M and as a "should" may still require actual field changes. and has provided litigation support lor safety and relief
in API STD 520 Part II. Field changes can range from rela systems issues. Prophet has authored or co-aemcreo
many industry white papers OIl process safety, in addi
API practice formed the founda tively easy and inexpensive jobs to tioo to presenting over 50 training courses and seminars
tion of the ASME guidance. In the troublesome and exceedingly expen covering consequence analysis and risk analysis to both
past, API RP 520 Part II has allowed sive jobs. Some field changes are: in operating and consulting companies. He holds a B. Eng.
degree in Chemical engineering and a postgraduate di
an "engineering analysis" to dem stallation of a bellows conversion kit; ploma in energy systems and envirOllmeflt, bo1h from
onstrate that non-recoverable inlet installation of a larger flow area; instal the University 01StrathClyde.
pressure drop greater than 3% of the lation of fireproof insulation or water Casey Houston is a senior partner
set pressure is safe, but has offered spray; and modification of relief-valve at ioMosaic (401 North 3rd Street,
Suite 410, Minneapolls. MN55401;
little guidance on a method. inlet and outlet piping Phone: 612-338-1669; Emai:
Based on significant research and chouston®ioo1osaic.COO1)_ He
experience, the sixth edition of API Importance of documentation brings CNer 15 years of engineeri~
and process safety experience to his
520, now a standard, includes an Based on the authors' experience role as a leader of ioMosaic's Relief
engineering analysis (§7.3.6) and pro with many pressure-relief system Systems coosulting group. His wOO<
is focused on managing and execut
vides valuable guidance to the user. revalidation projects, maintain Ing large-scale pm$StJre·relief and flare systems design
While the mitigation options men ing reliable, accurate, available and projects for reactive and roo-reactive cherri:al. petroleum
tioned previously may have primarily maintainable pressure-relief system and pharmaceulical systems, as well as prOYfdingtechnl·
cally sound analysis and documentation 10( existing process
addressed pressure-relief-system ca design documentation is an ongoing and reactivity hazards. Houston is Il1e co-author and ~e·
pacity inadequacies, the irreversible challenge for many companies. As senter of industry whitepapers relating to pres5\Jre retief
inlet-loss inadequacies can remain a mentioned earlier, the batch of pres and flare systems design. effluent handling, and RAGAGEP.
Houston also ~nts training sessoos and WOI1IsOOps on
concern. The force balance method sure relief devices evaluated in the process safety topCs, such as PRVstability, pm$StJrerelief
can be used to determine if the instal sample study were all lacking ade and flare systems design, and Process Safety Office, Su·
lation of a pressure-relief device will quate documentation as specified in per01ems software training. HClJs10nholds a B.S.01.E.
degree from IcYIa State UnivefSity and is a certified profes·
result in stable behavior, even when API Standard 521 (Section 4.7). It is sionaJ project manager.
50 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLtNE.COM MARCH 2018
The Career Catalyst for Chemical Engineers
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Sizing Pressure-Relief
Valves for Two-Phases
Several methods are available for sizing two-phase pressure-relief valves (PRVs).Here, the API
520 homogeneous direct integration method is compared to a potentially simpler alternative
that does not require integration
GuofuChen wo-phase pressure-relief valves method requires less modeling effort than
JouleProcessingLLC
NOMENCLATURE
C Velocity of sound. m/s or fVs
C, Velocity of sound at pressure-relief valve (PRII)discharge, mls or fVs
Cb Velocity of sound corresponding to PRY backoressure, m/s or fVs
G Theoretical mass flux through an isentropic nozzle, kgls-m2 or Ib/s-ft2
h Mass enthalpy, Jlkg or Btullb
ho Mass enthalpy at stagnation state or PRY inlet or relivingcondition, Jlkg or Btullb
P Pressure, Pa absolute (SI units) or psia (U.S. customary units)
Po Pressure at PRV inlet or reliving condition, Pa absolute or psia
PI Pressure at PRY discharge, Pa absolute or psia
PIS A pressure value imagined to calculate velOcityof sound. It is equal 99% of PI. Pa absolute or psia
IJP Differential pressure between P, and PIa, Pa or psi
Pb PRV backpressure, Pa absolute or psia
PI Choke pressure. or critical pressure, at the PRYthroat, Pa absolute or psia
PI Mass density at the PRY discharge, kg/m3 (SI units) or Ib/ft3 (U.S. customary units)
PIe Mass density corresponding to P,a. kg/m3 or Iblft3
Llp Differential density between P I and P lao kglm3 or Ib/ft3
Pb Mass density corresponding to PRY backpressure, kg/m3 or Ib/ft3
P, Mass density at the PRY throat, kglm3 or Ib/ft3
V Velocity of fluid, mls or fVs
VI Velocity of fluid at PRY discharge, m/s or ftls
Vb VelOCityof fluid corresponding to PRY backpressure, mls or fils
vt Velocity of fluid at the PRY throat, mls or ftls
52 CHEMICALENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONUNE.COM MARCH 2018
lated according to the HOI method. HOImethod
The choke point is determined when 0,
)2 3 4 6
the mass flux reaches a maximum.
The HOI method requires intensive
:f J J )5
) J7 J8 )9
)__j
modeling effort, depending on how I 11 14 15 16 17 18 19
close engineers need their result to )12 )13
compare to the actual integration J ) ) ) ) J ) )
(Figure 1, top). Therefore, an easier
1 -]3
method that produces identical mass
flux results without integration, would
be helpful for engineeers wishing to
)
21
']22
)
24
:r ]26 ]27
28
l l l
29 30
c='l/f/JPltJp x (144 x 32.174)) (5) pressure of the first isentropic flash Comparing the methods
block, and then calculate the veloc The same example problem can be
Mass flux calculation. Mass flux is ity of the fluid (Vb: Equation (2) or (3)) also solved with HDI method. A sum
mass flowrate per unit area. It can be and velocity of sound (cb: Equation mary table of the calculation using
calculated by multiplying mass density (4) or (5)), If Vb < cb' then it should the HDI method can be found in the
by velOCity.For subsonic pressure re be considered a subsonic relief. If online version of this article. It can
lief, the equation is as follows: Vb = Cb, then it is a sonic relief. If Vb be found at www.chemengonline.
> cb' then it is a supersonic relief, com. Refer to section C.2.1 of API
(6) which can't happen in a PRV situ 520 Part I (9th ed.) for the detailed
ation. Thus, the discharge pressure step-by-step calculation. A table
The equation for a sonic pressure re needs to increase to Pt, so that Vt = summarizing the result from the two
lief is as follows: c/, and the mass flux should be cal methods can be found online, At
culated with properties at the throat the back pressure of 80 psia (sub
G = Vt x PI (7) condition, instead of the backpres sonic relief), both methods yield an
sure condition. Sample calculations identical mass flux of 245.8 Ib/s-ft2.
To determine whether the pres using this method are shown in the Furthermore. for a sonic relief with
sure relief is a sub-sonic or sonic box at the top of this page. a backpressure of 14.7 psia. both
relief, first use Pb as the discharge methods capture the identical throat
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Bob Wells and Graham FIGUR.E1. Personal protec
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625
(1957·59 = 100) Annual Index:
2009 = 521.9 600
Cflndex 572.8 573.2 550.9
EQuij1ment 691.8 692.5 661.0 2010 = 550.8
Heale.oCllI!l1getS&. lanb 604.7 604.4 573.7
2011 = 585.7 575
PI'ocess M3Chinery 694.7 693.2 667.9
~. valves &. fillings 893.5 900.1 833.9 2012 =584.6
Process inSIntmenlS 410.9 411.6 396.9 2013 =567.3 550
Pumps &. COOlIl(essor'S 996.4 995.9 973.5
EIecttIc3I equl!lmeOl 524.1 523.5 512.1 2014 =576.1
StrucluraJ sqIIlOIlS&. mise. 732.7 731.7 713.9 2015 = 556.8 525
ConslruCtiocllabOf 329.9 329.5 324.4
Buildings 5612 567.5 S.7.0 2016 = 541.7
Engi1eeMg & supeMsion m.3 308.6 313.6 600
J F M A M J J A S 0 N 0
Starting with the Aj)riI2007 RnaIIMl\bers. _raI of the dal8$ene$ lor labor and compressors have been c:onvefIedto
accommodate series IDStll3t WI!f8 ~tinueII by the us, Buteau O1l3llOt Sta!l$tlc$
CPI OUTPUT INDEX (2000 = loo)t CPI OUTPUT VALUE (SBILLIONS) CPI OPERATING RATE (%)
2300
105
2200
100
2100
2000
1900
75
J F M A M J J A SON 0
1700 II,
J F M A M J J A SON
.1 .I III 1.1 .,11,1 III II 0 J F M A M J J A SON 0
'Due 10dlsoontinuarn:e,1I1e lIldex of IndusIIIaIActMtyllas been replaced by the Industrial Prockiction InManulllCtLlingIndex lrom the U.s, FOOetaI Reserve SoaId.
IFor the Cl$l1intmonth's CPIoutput Index values. the base ye.;r was changed lrom 2000 to 2D12
Culrenl business indicalOtSprO'iidedby Global InSight, tnc.. texing1Dn.Mass.
CURRENT TRENDS
The preliminaryvalue for the Decem
I oer CE Plant Cost Index (CEPeI;
top; most recent available) decreased
compared to the previous month's value
for the second consecutive month. De
creases in the Equipment and Buildings
o
subindices tor December 2017 offset
smallincreasesin the Construction Labor
and Engineering & SuPeNision subindi
ces. Within the Equipment subindex, a
number of equipment classes saw de
creases, with the largest being in Pipes.
Valves and Fittings. The overall monthly
CEPeI value for December 2017 stands
at 4.0% higher than the corresponding
value from December 2016. Meanwhile,
the latest Current Business Indicators
(CBI; middle) for January 2018 showed
slight gain in the CPI Output Index.
64 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MARCH 2018
In any production facility the equipment used requires
regular inspection and maintenance to ensure that the
process is not disrupted and optimal production is
achieved. TEAM's specialty inspection and mechanical
services help you detect early signs of equipment fatigue
and make critical repairs. extending asset lifecycle
and optimizing operations.
TEAM
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