August 2009 Issue Preview
Ad Closing: July 11, 2009 | Material Closing: July 18, 2009
Cover Story
Behold Tomorrow’s Plant
By Seán Ottewell, Editor at Large
Developments in technology will transform how future plants are designed, the processing units they contain, and how they are operated and controlled. Here’s a look at what industry insiders envision.
Design and Optimization
Successfully Deal with Inexperience on Project Teams
By Adnan Siddiqui, Engineered Project Services
Because of a shortage of experienced personnel, project teams generally now must include inexperienced people. This demands new techniques and practices to integrate inexperienced members to achieve successful teams.
Maintenance and Operations
Give Simulators a Wider Role
By Grant Stephenson, Peter Henderson and Henry Schindler, Honeywell
Many facilities overlook several valuable uses for process simulation technology that can greatly improve overall plant safety and process reliability while reducing operating and capital costs and environmental impact.
Solids and Fluids Handling
Understand the Hidden Costs of Gas Leaks
By Bruce Gorelick, Enercheck Systems, and Alan Bandes, UE Systems
Compressed gas leaks can be costly in more than the obvious ways. They can impact safety, the environment and equipment health. A comprehensive leak survey can lead to improved plant-wide productivity and profitability.
Instrumentation and Control
How Does Your Control System Measure Up?
By George Buckbee, ExperTune, Inc.
Most plants don’t know how to measure the performance of a control system. Yet it’s crucial for identifying potential improvements. Several key performance indicators and using metrics to develop diagnostics can help.
Making It Work
Polymer Plant Sets Output Record
By Adrian Moody and Ricky Bingham, Synthomer SDn Bdn (Malaysia)
A plant in Kluang, Malaysia, implemented digital fieldbus and achieved a dramatic increase in output in large part because of shorter turnaround times between batches and much better batch-to-batch repeatability.
Energy and Utilities
Not All Carbon is Created Equal
By Gary Faagau, Energy Columnist
Expected new government regulations will add a new term to our vocabulary: carbon efficiency. No matter how you try to avoid it, you probably will have to pay for production of energy with a carbon-related tax.
Regulatory Compliance
What’s in the Pipeline for Wastewater?
By Lynn Bergeson, Regulatory Columnist
Many processing operations inevitably generate wastewater. Regulators pay particular attention to discharge of such wastewater into public waterways. Here are the latest developments on the regulatory front.
Plant InSites
Focus on Flow Paths
By Andrew Sloley, Troubleshooting Columnist
A conical entrance projecting into a tank is a common way to get fluid into a pipe. Checking data for this configuration by switching parameters plotted provides insights that can help troubleshoot many kinds of equipment.
Advertising Information
For advertising information contact your district manager or our Production Manager at 630/467-1300 ext. 468. Send insertion orders to her at Chemical Processing, 555 W. Pierce Rd., Suite 301, Itasca, IL 60143; fax 630/467-0197; e-mail rfitzgerald@putman.net.
