You are on page 1of 66

July Lifecycle

2013 Costs
for
Capital
Equipment

PAGE 36

www.che.com

Rotary Valves in
Pneumatic
Conveying
PAGE 30
Systems

Getting the Most


Out of
Data Sheets

Facts at Your
Fingertips:
Polymer-based
Piping

Focus on
Level
Measurement

Cooling-tower
Water
Treatment

CO2
Utilization
Circle 6 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-06
www.che.com

30
JULY 2013 VOLUME 120, NO. 7

COVER STORY
30 Cover Story Securing Industrial Control Systems
When it comes to security, modern industrial control systems have im-
portant differences from business networks, and also some unique vul-
nerabilities. This article takes a look at what is working to secure them
and what is not

NEWS
11 Chementator A salty way to scrub CO2; These scavengers of water
pollutants have a magnetic attraction; Burner technology enables 16
reduced NOx with short flame length; Improved corrosion control in
refinery steam systems; A biotech process that could benefit sharks;
and more

16 Newsfront CO2 Utilization


Researchers are developing new technologies for using CO2
as a feedstock to make a variety of chemicals*

20 Newsfront Cooling-Tower Water: A Hybrid Problem


Calls for a Hybrid Solution
In addition to traditional challenges, new issues are prompting
more complex solutions to treatment of cooling-tower water

ENGINEERING 20
28a Facts at Your Fingertips Polymer-based Piping
This one-page reference discusses the advantages and limitations of
polymer-based piping in the CPI Equipment

29 Technology Profile Solution-based Production of LLDPE


This one-page profile describes the technology and
economic considerations for the production of linear low-density
polyethylene using a solution-based approach
Lifecycle
Operation Maintenance
cost
36 Feature Report Equipment Lifecycle Costs in the CPI
Longterm equipment costs need to be fully considered in capital-cost
assessments

44 Engineering Practice Getting the Most Out of Data Sheets


Decommis-
Data sheets should function as the central document to guide the sioning
procurement process
36

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 1


47 Solids Processing Rotary Valves in Pneumatic Conveying Systems
Because of their wide application in pneumatic conveying systems, it is
important to understand how rotary valves are designed and used

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES


24 Focus on Level Measurement
Corrosive environments are not a problem for these meters; This ex-
plosion-proof meter displays level and volume; This capacitance probe
is flexible for tight fits; Submersible transmitters that measure depth or
level; Conduit fittings protect this level sensors cables; and more 47
27 New Products This compact digital heat-trace controller offers versatil-
ity; This jet fuel analyzer enhances safety through automation; Draw,
view and share molecular structures in realtime; Avoid cross-contamina-
tion with this lubrication system; Protect inventory and machinery with
this leak-diverter kit; and more

28I New Products (International edition) An improved vacuum pump


has a longer service life; These motorized valves have very low power
consumption; Reduce commissioning time with this WirelessHART
gateway; Measure energy consumption with a module instead of equip-
ment; Inline sampling enables NIR measurement in closed processes;
and more

COMMENTARY
5 Editors Page 2013 Kirkpatrick Award finalists Five finalists for the
2013 Kirkpatrick Award for Chemical Engineering Achievement have been an- 24
nouced. The winner will be named an at awards banquet in September during
the ChemInnovations Conference and Tradeshow

53 The Fractionation Column Selling new technologies Convinc-


ing engineeers to adopt new technologies requires clear and concise
communication of laboratory and pilot data; and a little luck wouldn't
hurt, either

DEPARTMENTS
6 Letters 58 Whos Who
8 Bookshelf 59 Economic Indicators
56 Reader Service

ADVERTISERS
54 Product Showcase/Classified
57 Advertiser Index
27
COMING IN AUGUST
Look for: Feature Reports on Hazardous Waste Disposal; and Liquid Mixing;
an Engineering Practice article on Ethylene Oxide Absorber Optimization; a *ONLY ON CHE.COM
Focus on Screening; A Facts at Your Fingertips on Heat Transfer; News Ar- Look for additional CO2
ticles on Bio-based Chemicals; and Simulation and Modeling; and more utilization coverage;
New Products;
Cover: David Whitcher Latest News; and more

2 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013


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O F S T R E N G T H.

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The Lubrizol Corporation is a Berkshire Hathaway company.
GC 121100

Circle 14 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-14
Winner of Eight Jesse H. Neal
Awards for Editorial Excellence
Editors Page

Published since 1902


An Access Intelligence Publication
2013 Kirkpatrick finalists
e are happy to announce the five innovative technologies that

W
PUBLISHER ART & DESIGN

MICHAEL GROSSMAN DAVID WHITCHER have been selected as finalists for the 2013 Kirkpatrick Award
Vice President and Group Publisher Art Director/
mgrossman@accessintel.com Editorial Production Manager
for Chemical Engineering Achievement. The winner will be an-
dwhitcher@che.com nounced on September 25 at an Awards Banquet in Galveston, Tex. dur-
EDITORS PRODUCTION ing the ChemInnovations Conference and Expo (www.cpievent.com). Here
DOROTHY LOZOWSKI JOHN BLAYLOCK-COOKE is a brief summary about the finalists:
Executive Editor
Ad Production Manager
dlozowski@che.com
jcooke@accessintel.com
Braskem Sugarcane-based ethylene and polyethylene. Braskem
GERALD ONDREY (Frankfurt)
INFORMATION
has developed a bio-based polyethylene (PE) that, at the end of its life, can
Senior Editor
gondrey@che.com SERVICES be reused, recycled, or incinerated to generate energy, with the main advan-
SCOTT JENKINS CHARLES SANDS tage of having neutral carbon emissions. The process starts with sugarcane,
Senior Editor Senior Developer which is fermented to ethanol that is in turn converted to ethylene monomer
sjenkins@che.com Web/business Applications Architect
MARY PAGE BAILEY csands@accessintel.com via a high-yield dehydration technology. The bio-ethylene is then polymer-
Assistant Editor AUDIENCE ized to produce various grades of bio-PE. The polymers can be transformed,
mbailey@accessintel.com DEVELOPMENT using existing equipment, into products for a wide-range of applications,
CONTRIBUTING SARAH GARWOOD including blow molding, injection molding and films.
EDITORS Audience Marketing Director
sgarwood@accessintel.com Eastman Chemical Co. Perennial wood. Alternatives to wood as
SUZANNE A. SHELLEY GEORGE SEVERINE a building material have been developed to overcome the disadvantages
sshelley@che.com Fulfillment Manager
CHARLES BUTCHER (U.K.) gseverine@accessintel.com
of using real wood, such as shrinking, swelling, rotting and warping. But,
cbutcher@che.com JEN FELLING many say that there is no substitute for real wood. Eastman has com-
PAUL S. GRAD (Australia) List Sales, Statlistics (203) 778-8700 mercialized a wood that has been chemically modified through acetyla-
pgrad@che.com j.felling@statlistics.com
TETSUO SATOH (Japan)
tion to offer a real-wood alternative that is said to be three times more
EDITORIAL
tsatoh@che.com ADVISORY BOARD stable than unmodified wood. The acetylation modification permanently
JOY LEPREE (New Jersey)
JOHN CARSON modifies the woods cellular structure while leaving no toxic substances
jlepree@che.com
GERALD PARKINSON
Jenike & Johanson, Inc. in the wood.
DAVID DICKEY
(California) gparkinson@che.com MixTech, Inc.
Genomatica Bio-based butanediol. Working with its partner DuPont
MARKETING MUKESH DOBLE Tate & Lyle BioProducts, Genomatica has successfully commercialized the
IIT Madras, India
MICHAEL CONTI production of bio-based butanediol (BDO). A total of 5-million lb of product
Marketing Director HENRY KISTER
TradeFair Group, Inc. Fluor Corp. was produced in only five weeks. According to the company, this is the first
michaelc@tradefairgroup.com TREVOR KLETZ time BDO has been produced at commercial scale from renewable feed-
Loughborough University, U.K.
JENNIFER BRADY
GERHARD KREYSA (retired)
stocks. The bio-based process is said to have a smaller environmental foot-
Assistant Marketing Manager
TradeFair Group, Inc. DECHEMA e.V. print and is designed for better overall economics than conventional BDO
jbrady@che.com RAM RAMACHANDRAN made from fossil fuels. Genomatica credits its fast scaleup success, in part,
(Retired) The Linde Group
HEADQUARTERS
to good chemical engineering discipline.
88 Pine Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10005, U.S. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Propylene glycol
Tel: 212-621-4900 Fax: 212-621-4694 from renewable resources (PGRS). Up to 2.5-billion lb of petroleum are
EUROPEAN EDITORIAL OFFICES consumed each year to meet worldwide demand for propylene glycol (PG).
Zeilweg 44, D-60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel: 49-69-9573-8296 Fax: 49-69-5700-2484 Scientists at PNNL have developed novel catalysts for producing PG from
CIRCULATION REQUESTS: renewable sources. PGRS is said to be the worlds first industrial-scale
Tel: 847-564-9290 Fax: 847-564-9453 process for producing U.S. Pharmacopeia-grade PG from renewable plant
Fullfillment Manager; P.O. Box 3588,
Northbrook, IL 60065-3588 email: chemeng@omeda.com
sources, utilizing glycerol obtained from soybean processing. The process
ADVERTISING REQUESTS: see p. 56
is economically competitive with petroleum-based routes, and results in
For photocopy or reuse requests: 800-772-3350 or info@copyright.com up to 61% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, according to PNNL. The
For reprints: Wrights Media, 1-877-652-5295, sales@wrightsmedia.com technology was licensed to Archer Daniels Midland Co., which designed,
ACCESS INTELLIGENCE, LLC engineered and commissioned a new 100,000 metric ton per year produc-
DON PAZOUR ROBERT PACIOREK tion facility.
Chief Executive Officer Senior Vice President,
ED PINEDO
Chief Information Officer Rive Technology Molecular Highway catalyst
Executive Vice President SYLVIA SIERRA technology. Innovations in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC)
& Chief Financial Officer Senior Vice President,
MACY L. FECTO
Corporate Audience Development catalysts have largely focused on improvements to matri-
Exec. Vice President, MICHAEL KRAUS ces, binders and additives rather than on the zeolite com-
Human Resources & Administration VP, Production, Digital Media
HEATHER FARLEY
& Design ponent. Rive has focused on the zeolite, and has developed
Divisional President, STEVE BARBER a mesoporous zeolite technology for improved mass trans-
Access Intelligence Vice President,
DANIEL MCKINNON
Financial Planning and Internal Audit fer into and within the zeolite crystals. This technology
Vice President, GERALD STASKO makes traditional zeolite cracking catalysts more acces-
Energy and Engineering Events Vice President/Corporate Controller
sible to large hydrocarbon molecules and thereby allows
increased production of gasoline and diesel fuels.
Dorothy Lozowski, Executive Editor
4 Choke Cherry Road, Second Floor
Rockville, MD 20850 www.accessintel.com CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 5
Easily Apply KALPOXY

Wear Resistant Epoxy Letters


Even Overhead!
KALPOXY is a highly wear Chopey scholarship awarded
resistant epoxy bonded hard
compound that can be The 2013 Nicholas P. Chopey
effectively used for lining Scholarship for Chemical En-
structural components and for gineering Excellence has been
repairs. KALPOXY is designed awarded to Adam Freitag,
to solve wear problems that who is a third-year chemical
occur on almost any surface engineering student at Rut-
and shape. The material can gers, The State University of
be mixed on site with simple
New Jersey (New Brunswick,
tools at low cost and cures
completely at 68F/20C in
www.rutgers.edu). Freitag
approximately 24 hours. Can is president of Tau Beta Pis
be used in applications up to (National Engineering Honor
176F/80C. Society) N.J. Beta Chapter. He
Two-component system 72% hard aggregate
is involved with the Materials
High wear resistance
Science & Engineering Dept.
Jointless lining
Easily installed horizontally,
and has received the Junior Merit Award for Chemi-
Simple handling
vertically or overhead cal Engineering at Rutgers. Freitag graduated from
North Hunterdon High School (Annandale, N.J.).

kalenborn About the scholarship


The Wear Protection People Bringing recognition to the chemical engineering profes-
sion and striving to continually advance that profession
Abresist Kalenborn Corporation have been goals of Chemical Engineering magazine since
5541 North State Road 13, Urbana, IN 46990
Toll Free: 800-348-0717 Fax: 888-348-0717
its founding more than 110 years ago in 1902. To help
www.abresist.com E-mail: info@abresist.com advance those goals, CE established the annual Chopey
Circle 4 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-04 Scholarship for Chemical Engineering Excellence in late
2007. The award is named after Nicholas P. Chopey, the
magazines former Editor-in-Chief who made many valu-
able and long-lasting contributions to CE over the 47
years that he devoted to it. To honor his contributions to
the chemical engineering profession, CE established the
scholarship in his name.
Applicant qualifications. The scholarship is awarded to
current third-year students who are enrolled in a fulltime
undergraduate course of study in chemical engineering at
one of the following four-year colleges or universities:
Columbia University
Rutgers University
SUNY Buffalo
University of Kansas
University of Virginia
The scholarship is a one-time award. The program uti-
lizes standard Scholarship America recipient-selection
procedures, including the consideration of past academic
performance and future potential, leadership and par-
ticipation in school and community activities, work expe-
rience, and statement of career and educational goals.
Donations. Donations can be made to the scholarship
fund, by sending a check to the following address:

Nicholas P. Chopey Scholarship Fund


Attn: Jennifer Brady
Chemical Engineering
11000 Richmond Ave., Suite 690
Houston, TX 77042

Checks should be made out to Scholarship America


with Nicholas P. Chopey Scholarship Program in the
memo area.
Circle 3 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-03
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Bookshelf

Distillation Design and Control Using


Aspen Simulation. 2nd ed. By William
Luyben. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River
Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Web: wiley.
com. 2013. 489 pages. $130.00.

Engineering Material 2: An Introduc-


tion to Microstructures and Process-
ing. 4th ed. By D.R. Jones and Michael
Ashby, Elsevier Inc., 225 Wyman Street,
Waltham, MA 02144, Web: elsevier.com.
2013. 576 pages. $69.95.

Water Quality Engineering: Physi-


cal/Chemical Treatment Processes.
By Mark M. Benjamin and Desmond F.
Lawler. John Wiley & Sons Co., 111 River
Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Web: wiley.
com. 2013. 904 pages. $170.00.

Chemistry of Fossil Fuels and Biofuels.


By Harold Schobert, Cambridge University
Press, University Printing House, Shaftes-
bury Road, Cambridge CB2 8BS, U.K. Web:
cambridge.org. 2013. 497 pages. $115.00.
Circle 17 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-17
Nanotechnology for the Energy Chal-
lenge. 2nd ed. Edited by Javier Garcia-
Martinez. John Wiley & Sons Co., 111 River
The Chemical Engineering bookstore Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Web: wiley.com.
664 pages. 2013. 664 pages. $210.00.
offers a variety of industry topics
you will come to rely on. Industrial Process Scale-up: A Prac-
tical Innovation Guide from Idea
to Commercial Implementation. By
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Street, Waltham, MA 02144, Web: elsevier.
com. 2013. 112 pages. $64.95.

Handbook of Loss Prevention Engi-


neering (two-volume set). Edited by Joel
M. Haight. John Wiley & Sons Co., 111
River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Web:
wiley.com. 2013. 1,154 pages. $405.00.
Environmental Management:
Air-Pollution Control Non-destructive Evaluation of Poly-
Environmental Management: Wastewater mer Composites: Techniques and
and Groundwater Treatment Applications. Edited by V.M. Karbhari.
Fluid Handling Woodhead Publishing Ltd., 80 High Street,
Gas-Solid and Liquid-Solid Separation Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ, U.K. Web:
woodheadpublishing.com. 2013. 732 pages.
Liquid-Liquid and Gas-Liquid Separation
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Plastic Films in Food Packaging. Ed-
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elsevier.com. 2013. 384 pages. 2013. $249.00. Fachpack, Nuremberg, Germany
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Cathodic Protection: Industrial Solu-


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Scott Jenkins Circle 9 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-09

Editors Note: If you would like to review a recently published


book in your area of expertise as a guest reviewer, please con-
tact Scott Jenkins, senior editor, Chemical Engineering magazine
(sjenkins@che.com).
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Edited by Gerald Ondrey July 2013

Scrubbed fluegas >99% CO2


A salty way to scrub CO2
mmonia is a promising candidate for scrub- as a catalyst to speed
A bing carbon dioxide from fluegas, since each
ammonia molecule can absorb one molecule
up the reaction between
the CO2 and the potas- Salt 1
of CO2, whereas amine absorbers require two sium carbonate, which
molecules to do the same job. However, be- normally has a low rate
cause ammonia is volatile, the fluegas must of absorption. NH3-rich
be cooled to about 10C. This requires a lot of The process is driven 20 40C >120C

K-rich, CO2 lean-solvent


20 bar
electrical energy, points out Indira Jayaweera, by the regenerator,
a senior staff scientist with SRI International where CO2 is released
Salt 2
(Menlo Park, Calif.; www.sri.com). Also, the from the solvent at about
absorption rate of the ammonia is not fast 120C. Jayaweera notes
enough at this low temperature. that the gas is released
Jayaweera is program manager for a as dry CO2 at a pressure
new ammonia-based, mixed-salt process of 2040 bars, so it could
Reboiler
that avoids these problems of the so-called be used for enhanced Fluegas
chilled ammonia route. In SRIs process oil recovery, without Regenerator
CO2 rich solvent
(flowsheet) a fluegas stream is injected into further treatment. The
the bottom of an absorption column and con- solvent is separated by Absorber
tacted with a counter-current aqueous solu- heat and pressure into
tion of ammonium and potassium carbon- ammonia- and potassium-rich streams, the
ates. The reaction takes place at 2040C, so former being recycled to the bottom of the ODC for Cl2 production
the absorption rate is about five times that absorption column and the latter to the top. Last month, ThyssenKrupp
of chilled ammonia, says Jayaweera. The In laboratory tests the system has cap- Uhde GmbH (Dortmund; www.
uhde.eu) and Bayer Material-
main role of the potassium carbonate is to tured 99% of the available CO2, says
Science AG (BMS; Leverkusen,
reduce the vapor pressure, to avoid losing Jayaweera, and the ammonia can achieve a
both Germany; www.bayerma-
the more-volatile ammonia. Absorbent in CO2 load as high as 15 wt.%, as compared to terialscience.com) commer-
the lower part of the column has a high per- less than 5 wt.% for amines. She estimates cially launched worldwide
centage of ammonium carbonate, while the that the cost of a commercial unit could be the oxygen depolarized
upper part has more potassium carbonate. as low as one-half the current cost of about cathode (ODC) technology,
The main reaction takes place in the bottom $60 per metric ton (m.t.) of captured CO2 which BMS and ThyssenKrupp
of the column and unreacted ammonia flows for an amine-based process. SRI is seeking Uhde/UhdeNora developed
upward and is redissolved in the upper part. partners to do a 100 cfm (~0.1 MW) demon- to improve the efficiency of
Jayaweera adds that this ammonia also acts stration of the technology. membrane chlor-alkali plants.
By replacing the electrode that
normally produces H2 in the
process by an
membrane(Continues onoxy-
These scavengers of water pollutants gen-depolarized cathode, O2
p. 12)

have a magnetic attraction suppresses the formation of H2.


As a result, the plant produces
process that uses magnetic nanopar- canceling the magnetic properties of the ma- only caustic and Cl2, and the
A ticles, coated with a reactive material,
to clean up contaminated water for human
terial, says Mingliang Zhang, of the Stan-
ford School of Engineering. However, when a
electricity consumption for the
process is reduced by as much
use is being developed at Stanford Univer- strong electromagnetic field is activated the as 30%, say the companies
sity (Stanford, Calif.; stanford.edu). The opposing magnetic forces are aligned, mak- (for more details, see CE, May
2007, pp. 5055). The ODC
nanoscavengers, as they are called, are ing the particles strongly magnetic.
technology has undergone two
distributed in the water to kill pollutants, So far the researchers have used silver-
years of industrial-scale opera-
then are recovered magnetically for re-use. coated nanoparticles to achieve 99.9% de- tion in a demonstration plant at
Stanfords particles are discs that consist struction of E.coli and E. hirae bacteria, Bayers Krefeld-rdingen site
of a layer of titanium, sandwiched between and are now testing titanium dioxide- (CE, May 2010, p. 11).
layers of pure iron, with an outer coating coated particles for photocatalytic deg-
of reactive material. The discs, measuring radation of trichloroethylene (TCE) and Oil hydrogenation
about 150-nm dia. by 60-nm thick, are fab- N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). The re-
BASF Catalysts LLC (Iselin,
ricated by thermal evaporation. searchers goal is to create nanoscavengers N.J.; www.basf.com/catalysts)
The novel feature is that the direction of that carry several reactants for recycling has developed new nickel
the magnetic force in the top and bottom water in developing nations or for treating
layers point in opposite directions, thereby water in arid climates. (Continues on p. 12)
Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number
on p. 56, or use the website designation. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 11
C HEMENTATO R

Burner technology enables reduced NOx


with short flame length
T o comply with increasingly stringent
regulations for NOx emissions, operators
of industrial plants often turn to low-NOx
within the combustion
gas. The effect of the
entrained fluegas is to
burners to avoid much more costly post- dilute ionic and free-rad-
combustion treatment approaches like selec- ical species that would
tive catalytic reduction (SCR). But low-NOx otherwise react to gen-
burners are plagued by significant losses in erate NOx. Because the NOx-forming spe-
efficiency and process throughput. cies are less likely to come into contact and (Continued from p. 11)
ClearSign Combustion Corp. (Seattle, react, lower levels of NOx are formed in the catalyst and activated clay tech-
Wash.; www.clearsign.com) has developed combustion. The so-called Duplex burner nology for the hydrogenation of
patent-pending technologies to address can maintain a stable flame over a large edible oils and fatty acids that
this issue. The technologies can effectively operating range (natural gas through pro- improves activity with the same
reduce the formation of NOx to less than pane) even with low levels of excess oxygen level of metal. The greater cata-
5 ppm during combustion without com- (13%) while dramatically reducing flame lyst activity allows food proces-
promising fuel efficiency. ClearSigns Elec- length, says Rutkowski. sors to shorten batch times, or
run reactions at lower tempera-
trodynamic Combustion Control (ECC), Using ClearSigns ECC and Duplex tech-
tures, which reduces formation
uses computer-controlled electric fields to nologies, operators can realize overall effi-
of trans fats in processed oils.
manipulate the movement of charged par- ciency gains of 2030% and NOx emissions also for the edible oil market,
ticles within and around burner flames. The less than 5 ppm. In addition, particulate BaSF has developed an acid-
high-voltage, low-power fields are pulsed to matter generated during combustion ag- activated clay for the oil puriica-
precisely control the physics and chemistry glomerates into pieces that are easy to re- tion process. The more active
of the flame, including its shape and heat- move. Major applications include petroleum clay allows users to employ
transfer properties, explains ClearSign CEO refining, electric power generation, ethane lower doses of clay to achieve
Rick Rutkowski. ECC can be applied to new cracking and other hydrocarbon processing. the same level of color removal
or existing burners. ClearSign has demonstrated ECC with from the oil, the company says.
The sulfuric-acid-activated clay
ClearSign has also developed a novel the Duplex burner at scales approach-
is available in two grades, one
burner architecture with an upper and ing 250,000 Btu/h, and is now looking for
for standard oils and another for
lower tier (diagram) that allows the anchor partners in the burner manufacturing tougher-to-bleach oils.
position of the flame to be manipulated so space to help move the technology toward
that a large amount of fluegas is entrained commercialization.
Graphite HEX
last month, Sgl group (wi-
Improved corrosion control in refinery steam systems esbaden, germany; www.
sglgroup.com) launched the

G E Power & Water (Trevose, Pa.; www.


ge.com) has introduced a novel, dual-
pronged approach to corrosion inhibition
ideal range for protecting the steel and cop-
per alloys used in steam condensate systems,
explains Tony Rossi, GE product manager for
worlds largest graphite-plate
heat exchanger, which provides
lowrates of up to 250 m3/h,
for boiler and steam-condensate systems in boiler chemicals. Further, GE uses special- the company says. used for
petroleum refineries. The technology is de- ized modeling to select amines based on the heating or cooling of corrosive
signed to prevent attack by acidic species on property of salt-point temperature amines liquids, the large Diabon plate
steam-system surfaces, providing reliability with lower salt-point temperatures have heat exchangers are said to
to the refining process and helping to maxi- reduced potential to form corrosive amine- require up to 75% less heat
exchanger area for the same
mize profitability. chloride salt deposits on the interior of crude-
performance, compared to
Tradenamed Steamate Low Salt Amine oil distillation towers, where boiler steam is
annular-groove, block or shell-
(LSA), this new series of products involves used to improve fractionation efficiency. and-tube heat exchangers. The
a specially designed set of volatile amines Meanwhile, GEs polyamine barrier film new exchangers are available,
to neutralize acidic contaminants, primarily which Rossi likens to a protective wax finish globally, through Sgls partner,
CO2, in steam condensate. In addition, the on a washed automobile also inhibits dis- alfa laval aB (lund, Sweden;
Steamate LSA series products can include a solved oxygen pitting, and is compatible with www.alfalaval.com).
unique, volatile, surface-corrosion inhibitor, the new neutralizing amines used in GEs in-
referred to as a polyamine, that forms a ro- tegrated boiler and process-steam treatment. Benign fertilizer
bust barrier film on boiler system surfaces An advantage of this protective barrier is Sandia national laboratory (al-
to restrict access of corrosive species. that it is more volatile than traditional filming buquerque, n.m; www.sandia.
Using newly developed chemical struc- corrosion inhibitors, says Rossi, so it leaves gov) researcher Kevin Fleming
tures, the volatile neutralizing amines raise the boiler very efficiently with the steam, and has developed a formulation
the pH level of the acidic steam condensate provides very effective coverage of the steam- for the widely used crop fertil-
into the mild alkaline range (~9), which is the (Continues on p. 15) (Continues on p. 14)
12 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com July 2013
A gas turbine with low NOx emissions
N EDO (see story on p. 14) and Hitachi Ltd. (Tokyo, www.
hitachi.com) have developed a new combustion technol-
ogy that could reduce the emissions of oxides of nitrogen
(NOx) to below 10 ppm without the addition of diluents.
As part of the CCS-IGCC project (carbon capture and stor-
age integrated coal gasification, combined cycle), the
researchers have developed a multi-hole, coaxial jet-flow
burner for use in a gas turbine combustor. The burner
enables stable combustion of the H2-rich fuel and NOx
emissions are suppressed below the 70 ppm required by
environmental regulations without having to add diluents,
which normally reduce the power-generation efficiency.
Tests have been performed at the facilitys Eagle pilot
plant using actual gas from a coal gasifier. The pilot unit
has six cans of multi-hole jet flow burners. The researchers
also confirmed stable operation of the system, all the way
from turbine startup to maximum power generation, and
during the fuel change from liquid fuel (at startup) to coal-
gasified gas. This is claimed to be first real application of a
CCS-IGCC plant that enables both reduction of NOx emis-
sions and also high-efficiency power generation.

Nanowires improve the properties


of metal composites
F reestanding nanowires exhibit ultrahigh elastic-strain
limits (of up to 7%) and yield strengths. However, it has
been difficult to exploit their properties in bulk compos-
ites, due to the mismatch between the elasticity of the
nanowires and the elasticity of the metals that form the
matrix. The nanowires will experience an elastic deforma-
tion of several percent, but normally the metals that form
the matrix can stretch elastically to no more than 1%. Be-
yond that, the matrix deforms plastically.
Rule the Liquids
Now, a team from Australia, China, Japan and the U.S.
has produced a metal nanocomposite a combination of Extreme forces must be
Nb nanowires with a NiTi shape-memory alloy that al- safely under control.
lows the mechanical properties of nanowires to be exploited
in bulk materials. The trick is with the NiTi matrix a Our separators do a perfect
shape-memory alloy with a special property in its marten- job under the rough
sitic transformation, says a team member, professor Yi- conditions of the chemical
nong Liu, head of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering
and petrochemical industry.
at the University of Western Australia (www.uwa.edu.au).
The transformation can produce a deformation compatible
with the elastic deformation of the nanowires without plas-
tic damage to the composite structure. This allows the nano-
wires to bear the high load and be super strong, he says.
The team developed a composite with a quasi-linear
elastic strain of over 6%, a low Youngs modulus of about
28 GPa and a high yield strength of about 1.65 GPa. The GEA Westfalia Separator Group GmbH
team says this breakthrough opens the door for many
Werner-Habig-Strae 1, 59302 Oelde, Germany
new applications. The low Youngs modulus matches that
Phone: +49 2522 77-0, Fax: +49 2522 77-2828
of human bone, making the composites suitable for medi-
ws.info@gea.com, www.gea.com
cal implants. The composites could also lead to improve-
ments in properties of solid materials, such as electronic,
optoelectronic, piezoelectric, piezomagnetic, photocata-
lytic and chemical-sensing properties engineering for a better world
CP-214-1-012

Circle 10 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-10
C HEMENTATO R

A biotech process that might benefit sharks


qualane, an emollient used in cosmetics, because it fits in the compa-
S will be the first product of a biotechnol-
ogy pilot plant now being started up by
nys plan to make products
through sustainable pro-
Nucelis Inc. (San Diego, Calif.; www.nuce- cesses, using low-value feed-
lis.com), a spin-off from Cibus (also of San stocks that are outside the
Diego). The plant will use Cibus Rapid Trait food chain. At present the
Development System (RTDS), a new gene- main sources of squalene are
editing technology, to enable naturally oc- olive oil and sharks livers.
curring yeast to increase their production of Nucelis produces squalene
squalene, the precursor of squalane. from glycerol, a low-cost, un-
RTDS (diagram) differs from genetically wanted byproduct of biodie-
modified organisms (GMO) in that it does sel fuel, then converts it to
not involve the introduction of foreign genes squalane by conventional
into a microorganism, says Sean OConnor, hydrogenation. The prod-
president of Nucelis. Instead, the organisms uct is 99.7% pure, versus
own natural repair mechanism is triggered a purity of 95-99% for the
by the introduction of oligonucleotides, shark product and 9095% for olive oil, says
(Continued from p. 12)
which changes the way the cells work. After OConnor, and the process is competitive in
doing their job, the oligonucleotides are bro- the market. izer ammonium nitrate that
ken down by the cells within 90 minutes. Initially, the pilot plant is using two 200-L prevents its use in improvised
explosive devices (IED), while
OConnor adds that the process is more fermenters. Nucelis plans to add two more
still maintaining its ability to fer-
precise than GMO. 200-L fermenters next year and two more in tilize crops. Taking advantage of
Nucelis has focused on squalene initially 2015, for a total capacity of 1,200 L. the weak binding between the
ions in ammonium nitrate, the
Sandia researchers developed
a formulation that includes iron
Using low-temperature waste heat to make power sulfate. The iron sulfate renders
ew Energy and Industrial Tech- the ammonium nitrate undeton-
N nology Development Organization
(NEDO; Kawasaki City; www.nedo.
able when mixed with fuel, as
in an explosive device. In the
presence of iron sulfate, a waste
go.jp) and Panasonic Corp. (Osaka,
product from steel production,
both Japan; panasonic.net) have the ions trade, forming iron
begun testing a new type of power-gen- nitrate and ammonium sul-
eration system that uses anisotropic fate, which cannot be made to
solid-state composites that produce an explode. The iron sulfate has
electrical current when a temperature added benefits for soil health,
gradient is applied. A prototype has creating less alkaline soils in
been installed at Kyoto City North- locations such as Afghanistan,
eastern Clean Center where it will where a non-detonable fertilizer
recover waste heat from a 700-ton/d would help prevent IED attacks.
waste incinerator and make electric-
ity. The incinerator generates 232.82 Cold boiling
GJ/d of heat that cannot readily be re- Researchers at the University of
covered by conventional methods due to the unit made of four parallel tubes, each 100- Sheffield (U.K.; www.sheffield.
low temperature of the exhaust stream. mm with diameters of 10 mm (I.D.) and ac.uk) are developing a process
Panasonics thermoelectric device consists 14 mm (O.D.). The unit generates 10 W of that causes water to evaporate
without boiling. The patent-
of a tube with alternating layers of slanted power (0.5 V 20 A) when the hot water
pending process involves inject-
discs composed of bismuth telluride-based inlet temperature is 90C, and the cooling ing hot microbubbles to a thin
thermoelectric materials (Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3) water inlet temperature is 10C. layer of liquid. The method has
and nickel metal. This tubular composite of This NEDO project, which started in been demonstrated for separat-
Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/Ni with cylindrical anisotropy July 2011 and runs through February ing water from methanol, and
introduces effective thermoelectric tensors 2014, is ultimately targeting a power gen- now the researchers are work-
so that a temperature gradient along the eration of more than 400 W/m3 from low- ing on a pilot project with Car-
axis causes an electric current to flow trans- temperature unused heat, which is eight bon Sequestration Ltd. to de-
versely. The tubular configuration allows for times more than existing thermoelectric water whey, which is commonly
direct and efficient heat transfer from fluid devices. The power generated per installed used as animal feed. If whey is
overheated during dewatering, it
heat sources. space is nearly twice that from solar pan-
loses its nutritional value.
Tests are being performed on a compact els, says Panasonic.
14 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
(Continued from p. 15)
C HEMENTATO R Partner with
STORY NAME (Continued from p. 15)
the Best
IMPROVED CORROSION CONTROL (Continued from p. 12)
condensate system when fed to the boiler feedwater.
Use of Steamate LSA has commenced in a small number
of commercial refineries, and the results have been posi-
tive, Rossi says. For example, because of the lower risk of
corrosion and deposits in distillation towers, petroleum re-
finers are able to run at lower top temperatures to maxi-
mize yields of middle distillates, such as diesel and gaso-
line, from crude oil.

Bio-butanol scaleup
moves ahead with trials . . .
I n April development tests, Cobalt Technologies (Cobalt;
Mountain View, Calif; www.cobalttech.com) produced
n-butanol at the fermentation scale of 100 m3 per run,
demonstrating lower production cost than butanol pro-
duced from petroleum. This represents production that is
a factor of 10 larger than previous trials conducted at the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL; Golden,
Colo.; www.nrel.gov), and one-tenth of full-scale commer-
cial production. The trials were conducted at a site in
Florida owned by biofuels company LS9 Inc. (San Fran-
cisco, Calif.; www.ls9.com)
Cobalt is exploring opportunities in the U.S. for retro-
fitting an existing corn ethanol plant to eventually pro-
duce butanol from available biomass, explains Cobalt
CEO Bob Mayer.
Developed using a range of biomass sources, including
sugarcane bagasse, woody biomass, and other agricultural
residuals, the Cobalt bio-butanol process involves a carbo-
hydrate extraction process that is integrated with fermen-
tation and distillation. Cobalt employs fermentation strains
specially selected for their ability to metabolize both five-
and six-carbon sugars. The company has developed propri-
etary bioreactor technology that will allow continuous fer-
mentation, as well as an advanced batch process.
By combining integrated extraction, continuous fermen-
tation and strain selection technologies with an efficient, With over 50 independent subsidiar-
reduced-energy distillation process and low-cost biomass, ies and more than 220 engineering
Circle 19 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-19

the company can produce butanol at savings of 4060% and sales offices spread across the
compared to petroleum-derived butanol, Mayer says. world, SAMSON ensures the safety
and environmental compatibility of
your plants on any continent.
. . . and a bio-butadiene plant is planned To offer the full range of high-quality
O n the heels of its successful scaleup of bio-butanol, Cobalt
is looking for pathways to use that molecule as a build-
ing block for other products. The company has announced
control equipment used in industrial
processes, SAMSON has brought
plans to build the first bio-butadiene plant in Asia. Pro- together highly specialized compa-
jected to come onstream in 2017, the plant will utilize tra- nies to form the SAMSON GROUP.
ditional chemical catalysis technology to take bio-butanol
to butadiene.
Cobalt CEO Bob Mayer says the company is developing
an intellectual property package for the bio-butadiene that
will be marketed worldwide. As a key raw material for au- SAMSON AG MESS- UND REGELTECHNIK
tomobile tires and other products, butadienes worldwide Weismllerstrae 3
market is eight times larger than the $5-billion annual 60314 Frankfurt am Main Germany
market for butanol, Mayer notes. Phone: +49 69 4009-0 Fax: +49 69 4009-1507 (Continues on p. 19)
E-mail: samson@samson.de www.samson.de
SAMSONCHEMICAL
GROUP www.samsongroup.net
ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 15
A01120EN
Newsfront

CO2 UTILIZATION
Researchers are developing new
technologies for using CO2 as a feedstock
FIGURE 1. This miniplant in Leverkusen, Germany
to make a variety of chemicals is being used to develop CO2-containing polymers for
making polyurethane foam used in cars and furniture

n May 9, atmospheric carbon di- petroleum-derived feedstock needed mol that is being used to accelerate

O oxide levels surpassed 400 ppm


in Mauna Loa, Hawaii for the
first time since measurements
began there in 1958. This concentra-
tion is well above the 280 ppm levels
to produce products.
In Germany, for example, the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research
(BMBF; Bonn; www.bmbf.de) has re-
cently earmarked 100 million for
product qualification and adoption in
a wide range of polyurethane applica-
tions, says Novomers executive vice
president, Peter Shepard. The PPC is
made by the catalytic copolymeriza-
occurring prior to the Industrial Revo- Technologies for Sustainability and tion of CO2 and propylene oxide. Con-
lution of the 19th century, according Climate Protection Chemical Pro- taining up to 40 wt.% CO2, the PPC
to the Scripps Institution of Oceanog- cesses and Use of CO2, with the objec- can be tailored to a range of material
raphy, University of California (San tives of lowering dependency on crude characteristics, from solid plastics to
Diego, Calif.; scripps.ucsd.edu). Todays oil and natural gas, using CO2 as a raw soft, flexible foams, depending on the
rate of increase of CO2 into the atmo- material, doubling energy productivity length of the polymer chains.
sphere is more than 100 times faster by 2020, and reducing CO2 emissions Novomers homogeneous, cobalt-
than the increase that occurred when by up to 40% by 2020. Among the 33 based catalyst is 300 times more ac-
the last ice age ended, says Scripps. funded projects for the 20092015 tive than previous systems developed
Efforts to stem the flow of this timeframe are 11 for CO2 utilization to synthesize aliphatic polycarbon-
greenhouse gas (GHG) into the at- and seven for making chemicals. ates. This enables the process to op-
mosphere are becoming a priority in The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; erate at much milder temperatures
some countries, which are investing Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov), too, of 3550C, says Shepard. Novomers
considerable funding for R&D projects has recently added CCU to its pallet of process takes place in the liquid phase
in carbon capture and storage (CCS; technologies receiving funding through at 150300 psi, with the monomer act-
see, for example Chem. Eng., May its National Energy Technology Labo- ing as a solvent.
2008, pp. 2836). Targeting the main ratory (NETL; Pittsburgh, Pa.; www. Novomer is talking to other toll
culprits combustion of fossil fuels netl.doe.gov),. The DOE is also funding manufacturers for larger-scale pro-
for power generation or cement pro- startup companies struggling to com- duction runs, and is positioning its
duction CCS projects over the last mercialize CCU technologies. Some of polymer technology to compete with
20 years have primarily focused on these projects are described below.* conventional petroleum-based mate-
capturing CO2 from fluegas, and then rials for applications such as flexible,
injecting the pressurized CO2 under- Polymers with CO2 built-in rigid and microcellular packaging
ground or into wells for enhanced oil In February, the worlds first large- foams, thermoplastics, polyurethane
recovery (EOR). scale production of polypropylene adhesives and sealants, and coating
More recently, another branch of carbonate (PPC) polyol using waste resins for food-and-beverage cans.
R&D has begun to blossom car- CO2 as a raw material commenced. CO2-derived polyols are also being
bon capture and utilization (CCU) Partially funded by a three-year, developed at Bayer MaterialScience
whereby the CO2 captured from $25-million grant from the DOEs Of- AG (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany; www.
fluegas is used as a feedstock to make fice of Fossil Energy, the PPC run was bayermaterialscience.com), as part of
chemicals, such as polymers, methanol conducted by Novomer Inc. (Waltham, the three-year Dream Production proj-
and even the key chemical building Mass.; www.novomer.com) in collabo- ect, launched in 2010 with funding from
block, CO. Chemists and chemical en- ration with Albemarle Corp. (Orange- the BMBF, and with partners RWE AG
gineers around the world are trying to burg, S.C.; www.albemarle.com), and (Essen; www.rwe.com), RWTH Aachen
exploit a variety of technologies from tested Novomers catalyst technology. University (www.rwth-aachen.de) and
their toolboxes, such as developing The batch run produced seven tons the CAT Catalytic Center (a research
new polymerization catalysts, electro- of finished polymer a PPC diol facility jointly run by the university
chemical and photochemical processes, with a molecular weight of 1,000 g/ and Bayer). A new zinc-based catalyst
biotechnological methods and others, was developed as part of a forerunner
in order to not only make use of the * A longer version of this article, as well as a project, Dream Reactions, to enable the
table of more R&D projects, can be found online
CO2, but also to reduce the amount of at www.che.com efficient reaction of CO2.
16 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
Since the beginning of 2011, the Aachen University, and the results Until now. Last year, Limbach and
company has been running its Dream were reported last month at the In- his colleagues from BASF, CaRLa,
Production Miniplant (Figure 1), ternational Conference on CO2 Utili- and hte AG (Heidelberg; www.hte-
which is now operating continuously zation (June 2327; Alexandria, Va). company.com) reported the first syn-
and producing sample amounts (kilo- The LCA analysis shows that the new thesis of sodium acrylate from CO2,
grams) for internal testing of the new materials do have a better carbon foot- ethylene and a base. The group devel-
material, says project leader Christoph print than those made by conventional oped a homogeneous organometallic
Grtler. The miniplant uses CO2 that methods. This is mainly due to the catalyst based on nickel as part of the
has been captured from the fluegas of savings of fossil materials and replac- three-year, 2.2-million ACER project
a lignite-fired power plant operated by ing them by CO2, says Grtler. funded by BMBF, with BASF and hte
RWE in nearby Cologne. Another dream reaction is the di- adding an additional 1.7-million for
BMS is now testing the polymers for rect synthesis of acrylate from CO2 the next few years. Sodium acrylate is
potential applications. By mixing the and alkenes, says Michael Limbach, a key ingredient for high-performance
CO2-based polyether polycarbonate a chemist working at the Synthesis polymers, such as superabsorbent
polyol with isocyanates, the company and Homogeneous Catalyst Dept. of polymers used in diapers. The project
is producing samples of polyurethane BASF SE (Ludwigshafen; www.basf. aims to further develop the direct route
foam for testing. Initial results show com) and the Catalyst Research Labo- to acrylates as an economical alterna-
that the material containing CO2 ratory of the University of Heidel- tive to current production methods,
match those made the conventional berg (CaRLa; both Germany; www. which use fossil-fuel-derived propyl-
way. If the new process continues to carla-hd.com). Metal-catalyzed oxida- ene or propane in a two-step oxidation
produce good results, Bayer intends to tive coupling of CO2 with alkenes or process, says Limbach. He estimates
start industrial production of polyols alkynes is one of the most attractive the current global-market volume for
with CO2 from 2015. routes to acrylates, but finding a suit- acrylic acid at approximately 4 million
Meanwhile, a lifecycle analysis able catalyst has eluded researchers ton/yr. Although CO2 is a cheap source
(LCA) has been performed by RWTH for over 30 years, he says. of carbon, a great deal of expensive

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Circle 5 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-05

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 17


Newsfront Catholyte
Positive ions
Anolyte
+ +
Formate/formic acid O2 (gas)
(aqueous product)
energy is needed for thermodynamic reacting propylene and +
reasons, to make it usable. Production benzene into acetone and H2 + CO
(gas by-products)
processes would therefore only truly phenol. The goal of the +
consume CO2 if this energy were gen- BMBF-funded COOPAF CO2 (unreacted)
erated CO2-neutrally, he says. project (CO2-based ac-
etone fermentation) is Catholyte
Fermentation methods to develop a laboratory- + Ion Anolyte
CO2 exchange
A demonstration plant for the pro- scale, gas-fermentation
Cathode membrane Anode
duction of acetic acid from the CO2 process in which bacte- catalyst catalyst
in industrial offgases will be built at ria produce acetone di-
Anode reactions
an operating plant of Petronas (Kuala rectly from CO2 and H2. Cathode reactions 4OH- 2H2O + O2 + 4e-
CO2(aq) + H+ + 2e- HCOO- (aq)
Lumpur; www.petronas.com.my), Ma- Natural acetogenic bac- 2H+ + 2e- H2(g)
laysias national oil company, under an teria strains normally CO2(aq) + 2H+ + 2e- CO(g) + H2O Source: DNV
agreement with LanzaTech (Roselle, metabolize CO2 and H2
FIGURE 2. Electrochemistry is one way to
Ill.; www.lanzatech.com), developer of into ethanol and acetate. reduce CO into chemicals. The process shown
2
the process. Scheduled for startup in In cooperation with uni- here makes formate or formic acid, depending on the pH
late 2013, the plant will be similar in versities of Ulm and
size to a demonstration unit for a Lan- Rostock, metabolic engineered aceto- duce the total cell voltage by almost 1
zaTech process that produces ethanol genic bacteria strains that are able to V compared to other electrochemical
and 2,3 butanediol (2,3-BD) from the produce acetone using CO2 are being routes. The electrochemical cell reac-
CO in offgases, says Mike Schultz, the developed. In contrast to other R&D tor has also been designed to reduce
companys vice-president of engineer- efforts, this project uses only CO2 as the resistive losses by another 2 V.
ing. That plant started up last April at the carbon source, says Jrg-Joachim As a result, the total cell voltage is
a Bao Steel (Shanghai) steel mill and Nitz, group leader, reactor technol- decreased by about 60%, says Rode.
produces 100,000 gal/yr (300 ton/yr) ogy, at Evonik Industries AGs (Essen, The lifetime of the cathode catalyst
of ethanol (see Chem. Eng., December Germany: www.evonik.com) Coatings has also been increased by at least 20
2010, p. 12). and Additives BL Crosslinkers times over literature values, he says.
The CO2 process is similar to the business unit in Marl, Germany. The ECFORM process has been
CO technology in that it uses fermen- Already the group has confirmed tested in a semi-pilot-sized reactor
tation media containing naturally oc- that it is able to produce acetone from with a superficial area of 600 cm2,
curring bacteria that have been opti- CO2 and H2. which is capable of reducing about 1
mized to obtain a product (acetic acid One advantage of this biotechnologi- kg/d of CO2. This unit was assembled
in the case of CO2). Raw offgases are cal gas-fermentation approach is that into a solar-powered trailer to demon-
sparged into the solution, and the CO2 purified gases are not required as raw strate the operation using completely
reacts with H2 at 3540C to yield materials. We can use CO2- and H2- renewable power. The reactor was mod-
acetic acid, plus water. The rest of the rich waste gas streams, says Nitz, such eled using gPROMS, a model-based
components in the gases are inert and as synthesis gas (syngas) from biomass, flowsheet simulator from Process Sys-
pass through the reactor. and offgases from steel processing. tems Enterprises (PSE; London, U.K.;
Schultz says that, unlike CO, CO2 is www.psenterprise.com). The model de-
readily soluble in water, which makes Electrochemistry veloped by DNV is also being used for
the CO2 process more effective. Lan- Over the last four years, Det Norske scaleup assessment, says Rode. The
zaTech plans to recover the acid from Veritas (DNV; Oslo, Norway; www.dnv. next step will be a demonstration unit
the solution by counter-current solvent com) has been developing its electro- for converting 1-ton/d of CO2, which
extraction (the CO process uses dis- chemical process (ECFORM; Electro- Rode estimates will emerge in the
tillation to obtain ethanol). He notes chemical Reduction of CO2 to Formate) next couple of years. Once developed
that CO2 is present in the offgases for making formic acid from CO2. In at that scale, the process will be easy
from many industrial processes and the process (Figure 2), dissolved CO2 is to move to commercial production
can account for as much as 5060% electrochemically reduced at the cath- scale by simply increasing the number
of raw natural gas. H2 for the process ode into formate ions (along with small of cells, he says.
can be provided from various low-value amounts of H2 and CO) by a two-step, Meanwhile, Dioxide Materials
sources, such as coke oven gas, hydro- catalytic reaction, explains Edward (Champaign, Ill.; www.dioxidemate-
gen plant offgas, and refinery fuel gas. Rode, principle researcher at DNVs rials.com) is working on two aspects
Meanwhile, biotechnology is also Research and Innovation Group in Co- of CO2 electrochemical conversion to
being tapped as a method for mak- lumbus, Ohio. At the anode, hydroxide fuels and chemicals: lowering the en-
ing acetone, a widely used solvent ions are oxidized into O2. ergy requirement for the primary con-
that is also a key ingredient for mak- DNV has developed a highly selec- version of CO2 into CO or HCOOH and
ing methyl methacrylate, isophorone tive cathode catalyst, based on tin or O2; and expanding the market for the
and bisphenol A. Today, acetone is tin alloys, and a mixed-metal-oxides subsequent products to large-volume
produced from fossil-based resources, anode catalyst, which combine to re- chemicals. One of the main thrusts
18 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
CONFERENCE NOTE:
or the latest on CO2 utilization, readers may consider attending the 2nd Confer-

F ence on CO2 as Feedstock for Chemistry and Polymers, which takes place October
79 at the Haus der Technik, in Essen, Germany. Organized by nova-institut GmbH
(Hrth, Germany; www.nova-institut.de), the event is expected to draw more than 300
project is lead by Sunfire GmbH (Dres-
participants from leading industrial and academic players in CO2 utilization.
den, Germany; www.sunfire.de), with
seven partners from German research
is the use of bifunctional catalysts to cell, but Dioxide Materials recently won institutes and companies. The idea is to
lower the voltage needed to convert a $5 million DOE Advanced Research produce syngas by the reverse water-
CO2 to CO or HCOOH. Bifunctional Projects Agency (ARPA-E) award and gas shift (RWGS) reaction (CO2 + H2
catalysts are quite well known in in- is collaborating on the project with > H2O + CO) using H2 generated by
dustry, but they usually involve two 3M (St. Paul, Minn.; www.3m.com), a high-temperature steam electrolysis.
different metals or a metal and a metal sub-recipient of the ARPA-E award, The syngas is then converted to liquids
oxide. Dioxide Materials advance was and is currently evaluating the tech- (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, methanol)
to develop novel bifunctional catalysts nology. Since the ARPA-E funded work and methane via F-T synthesis.
that combined a metal and an organic started in February 2013, the team What makes the project unique is the
species (ionic liquids) to lower the has already increased the CO output use of a 10-MW prototype, solid-oxide
overpotential for the reaction (that of the cell by three orders of magnitude fuel cell (SOFC) electrolyzer operating
is, reducing the energy barrier for the (from microliters per minute to milli- under pressure. Using electricity gen-
formation of the CO2 intermediate). liters per minute). The final goal of erated from renewable sources (solar
Dioxide Materials technology cre- the ARPA-E project is to increase the or wind power), and by utilizing steam
ates a new reaction pathway for the re- output to liters per minute, in a design generated from the downstream RWGS
action, that does not require the high- that is scalable to the industrial (thou- and F-T reactions, the HT electrolyzer
energy intermediate so the wasted sands of tons per day) scale. has an efficiency of over 90%, according
energy is much less. Research (pub- Meanwhile, the BMBF-funded Sun- to Sunfire. An integrated 159-L/d test
lished in Science) showed that CO2 fire project was started in May 2012 facility will be constructed and used for
can be converted to CO and O2 at 80% with the aim to produce Fischer-Trop- validating the process under realistic
energy efficiency and 98% selectivity. sch (F-T) liquids from CO2 and H2O operating conditions.
The initial work was done in a 1-cm2 using renewable energy. The three-year Gerald Ondrey

Circle 1 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-01

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 19


BWA Water Additives

Newsfront

COOLING-TOWER WATER:

A HYBRID PROBLEM
CALLS FOR A FIGURE 1. Processors are faced with
the traditional cooling-tower water-treat-
ment issues, as well as new problems re-

HYBRID SOLUTION
lated to water scarcity and intake and dis-
charge restrictions, which require a new
approach to water-treatment programs
BWA Water Additives

In addition to the usual woes,


new issues are creating a situation
that calls for a hybrid approach to water treatment

S
caling, fouling and corrosion have senior vice president of corporate sales
long been the enemy of cooling- with C.C.I. Chemical Corp. (Vernon,
tower water. While these issues Calif.; www.ccichemical.com). Every
still present significant water- program will differ because make-up
treatment hurdles, todays processors water will differ based on where it
are also dealing with impaired water comes from, the region in which the fa-
streams and increasing restrictions cility is located, and factors such as the
affecting intake and discharge water, alkalinity, hardness, and other charac-
among other challenges. This one-two teristics of the water.
punch has necessitated a hybrid ap- Usually, a robust treatment pro-
proach one that includes both ad- gram will include a balanced chem-
vanced chemistries and modern, auto- istry containing one or more biocides, FIGURE 2. Here, BWA scientists are
mated equipment to cooling-tower algaecides, biodispersants, corrosion developing biodegradable, high-perfor-
water treatment (Figure 1). and scale inhibitors, anti-scalants, mance antiscalants for water treatment
and cleaners.
Classic treatment objectives their cooling tower water from else-
Cooling-tower water treatment is an Todays treatment objectives where, says Kaveh Someah, global
integral part of operations for proces- As if finding the proper chemistry bal- director, oil-and-gas and refining and
sors because productivity and product ance were not tricky enough, a recent petrochemical industries with Ovivo
quality can be adversely affected by set of water-related issues complicate USA (Salt Lake City, Utah; www.ovi-
scale, corrosion, fouling and microbio- matters further. The scarcity of water vowater.com).
logical contamination. These water- in many places and the tightening of For these and other reasons, its not
treatment problems can be very costly discharge permits are among some of unusual to see a cooling system with
when they lead to the loss of heat the reasons processors need to optimize multiple sources of water blended to-
transfer in the cooling tower, equip- water use. Additional factors include gether in varying ratios being used
ment failure, and health and safety the anticipated U.S. Environmental as cooling tower makeup water, says
concerns, according to Narasimha Rao, Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, Eric Thungstrom, global cooling prod-
vice president, R&D and Automation, D.C.) regulation surrounding cooling- uct manager, water and process tech-
with Nalco Co. (Naperville, Ill.; www. tower intake water. Section 316(b) nologies, with GE Power & Water (Tre-
nalco.com). of the Clean Water Act will require vose, Pa.; www.ge-energy.com). This
For this reason, delicately balanced that the location, design, construction can lead to variable water quality, and
chemistries are used to prevent scale, and capacity of cooling-water intake if a treatment program is designed
fouling and corrosion in cooling tower structures reflect the best technology around a projected water quality, but
water. A good water treatment com- available for minimizing adverse envi- if that water quality is more variable
pany will create a tailored program to ronmental impact. These anticipated than what was projected, it may put
help processors tackle the particular regulations will force processors to ei- additional stress on the treatment
issues that apply to the local stream ther install equipment that will reduce program and cause performance is-
of make-up water, says Tom Falsey, fish entrainment at the intake or draw sues, such as corrosion or scaling.
20 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
CLEANING BEYOND
THE COOLING TOWER
ith so many processors using re-

W claimed water, the challenge be-


comes how to treat a reclaimed
water source and turn it into useable
trated. This mixed, impaired water phosphorus, nitrogen, and BOD/COD
water, notes Kaveh Someah, global di-
rector for the oil and gas industries with stream can create a host of challenges, (biochemical oxygen demand and
Ovivo USA. Reclaimed water is often says Thungstrom. chemical oxygen demand), says Nozi
high in nutrients, which can cause mi- Adding to the water-source-related Hamidi, vice president of marketing
crofouling that leads to slime on the heat issues are tightening discharge issues. with BWA Water Additives (Atlanta,
exchangers. High salt, phosphate and Processors now have to deal with Ga.; www.wateradditives.com).
ammonia levels may coat metals and meeting regulations that affect efflu- The cost of complying with such
create cracking in equipment, so proper ent limitations, such as requirements limitations, combined with a global
treatments must be found.
that demand lower discharge limits on awareness of environmentally re-
Traditional processes for handling
these issues might include combinations
of biological, physical and chemical
treatments. For example, multimedia
filters might be used to remove total sus-
pended solids and floating solids. Then,
nutrients might be removed via a clari-
fier or other biological treatment, which
may be followed by reverse osmosis to
remove dissolved solids from the stream.
All this would be done prior to running
the water through the cooling system.
Although these methods combined
with chemistry in the cooling tower may
prevent scale from forming in the cooling
tower, scale will still eventually form. The
chemicals just delay where the scaling oc-
curs, says Someah. As the water leaves
the cooling tower and heads into the pro-
cess equipment where the temperature
rises, the salt precipitates out, which can
lead to scaling. However, an online clean-
ing system can be installed inside the heat
exchanger and condensers to prevent
and remove scale and fouling.
To assist, Ovivo offers the Automatic
Tube Cleaning System, which prevents
scale deposits and microfouling 24
hours a day, increasing reliability, per-
formance, plant output and service life of
the equipment. The system injects elasto-
mer rubber balls that are slightly larger
than the tube diameter into the water
supply line so that the flow of cooling
water forces them through the condenser
tubes. The balls wipe the tubes clean of
deposits including silt, scale, and bio-
ThyssenKrupp Uhde
logical fouling. A strainer section in the
cooling water outlet extracts the balls
Engineering with ideas.
and a centrifugal pump moves them into The key to our success is the creativity and resourcefulness of
our employees. And it is this that keeps turning major challenges
a collector section where they are ready
into solutions that are not only brilliant and innovative, but often
for the next cycle. Balls can be recircu- set the standard for the entire engineering sector.
lated continuously or intermittently to suit
the plant.
www.thyssenkrupp-uhde.de

Often, processors use a blend of


waters, such as reverse osmosis (RO)
reject water, well water, river water
with suspended solids, blowdown
water from the boiler or cooling-tower
and municipal wastewater. In addi- ThyssenKrupp Uhde
tion, many facilities are being forced
to achieve zero liquid discharge, so the
water sources may be highly concen-
Circle 20 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-20
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 21
FOOD PROCESSOR USES TECHNOLOGY
Newsfront TO CONTROL COOLING COSTS
GE Power & Water
AND WHITE RUST PROBLEM
or one food processor, make-up water hardness was so low, alkalinity so high, and variation

F in water chemistry so frequent that white rust corrosion of galvanized steel resulted in
capital cost expenditures of $750,000 to replace failed cooling towers.
White rust caused premature failure of galvanized-steel components. A white gelatinous or waxy
deposit often identifies white-rust corrosion. This deposit, a zinc-rich oxide, is porous and gener-
ally non-protective. High alkalinity, high pH and low hardness cause the problem. All of these
conditions existed at this facility and were aggravated by variations in water chemistry that made
control problematic.
The cooling-system make-up water contained 46 parts per million (ppm) of calcium hardness,
necessitating high-cycle operation to obtain the minimum 50 ppm calcium hardness recommended
by the Cooling Tower Institute (CTI; Houston; www.cti.org) to prevent white rust. Acid feed was also
required to bring the alkalinity within CTI guidelines.
New evaporative condensers were installed in November 2003, and a very small amount of white
rust became apparent upon inspection months later. Concerned that this condition would result in
further damage to the cooling towers, the plant engineering staff installed Nalcos 3D Trasar system in
January 2004. The technology measures key parameters related to system stress. When upsets occur,
3D Trasar technology takes timely, appropriate, corrective action. It then communicates with system
users, informing them of what happened, as well as the actions taken to compensate.
High-cycle operation required acid feed in order to reduce alkalinity. If the acid-feed system failed,
the tower pH would rise. At higher pH, conditions would be right for white rust formation. Timely at-
tention to any failure of the acid-feed system was critical to preventing this operational problem. The
automated technology provided alarm notification via cell phone, text message, email, or digital pager,
ensuring the right people knew about any problem immediately and could take corrective action.
Weekly inspections are conducted on the cooling tower and results since installation of the technol-
ogy have been excellent. The automation program has been able to better control the system water
chemistry, white rust has been abated and an expected $45,000 per year in cost savings has been
realized. An important key to the success of the program is the alarm notification feature. It contacts
FIGURE 3. TrueSense Online Nalco via cell phone and communicates specific problems so that immediate response can occur.
for Cooling is an integrated This has helped keep the program in compliance more than 99% of the time.
platform that directly measures No scale or other mild steel corrosion problems have been observed and cost savings have come
and controls applied chemis- from longer expected evaporative condenser life ($25,000 per year), reduced cooling-water sewer
tries that are critical for man- costs ($10,000 per year), reduced treatment chemical costs ($8,000 per year) and labor savings
aging cooling-water efficiency from reduced testing ($2,500 per year).
and preserving key assets in
industrial cooling systems
Nalco
sponsible use of chemicals, has caused nologies that can help consis-
many processors to pursue control- tently, accurately and automati-
ling these factors within the plant cally dose the chemicals and keep
rather than passing them on to the track of making sure nothing is
local water treatment facility, which off balance.
might be treatment limited or invoke New and advanced chemistries
surcharges for wastewaters with high might include something like BWA
levels of certain constituents, says Water Additives Belclene 810,
Hamidi. This has led to processors which is a biodegradable PMA, or
targeting reduction or elimination of polymaleic acid, that can be used in
any contributors to the plant effluent cooling-water treatment programs
that will tip the limits for phosphorus, where the processor requires P-
nitrogen and other constituents, she free, N-free or metals-free formu- FIGURE 4. A technician looks inside a 3D
Trasar Controller, which helps maintain con-
says. Often, typical phosphonate- lations and also wants to achieve trol over critical cooling assets
based cooling water chemistries will very high cycles of concentration
be the largest contributor of phospho- within the cooling tower to save water. ant used to control organic deposits
rus and nitrogen, and therefore will This chemistry is considered envi- that can develop on RO membranes.
spur substitution to P-free and N-free ronmentally acceptable and is both In addition to chemistries that meet
cooling-water treatment chemistries. a threshold and a crystal growth in- modern discharge requirements, Thun-
hibitor, which makes it better at scale gstrom says processors also require
Solving combined challenges inhibition than phosphonates that more stable and effective chemistries.
Between handling tough-to-treat are typically just threshold inhibitors, GE Power & Water offers GenGard
water sources and stricter discharge while meeting P-free and N-free treat- 8000 for control of corrosion and de-
limits, water treatment experts say a ment objectives (Figure 2). posits in open recirculating cooling
hybrid water-treatment approach is For the processor who has RO mem- systems. GenGard programs can be
needed. New and advanced chemis- branes in their operations, BWA has applied across the entire pH spectrum
tries designed to meet the discharge also developed Flocon 885, a biode- from neutral to alkaline and ensure re-
limits should be combined with tech- gradable, P-free and N-free antiscal- sults even under stressful conditions.
22 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
Nalco Nalco

Nalco offers the 3D Trasar System


(Figure 46), which uses real-time
monitoring, patented control tech-
nology, stress-resistant chemistry
and 24/7 information management
capabilities to detect, determine and
deliver improved scale, corrosion
and microbiological performance
FIGURE 5. This image shows the 3D Trasar tech- FIGURE 6. Here, the 3D in cooling systems. It is able to de-
nology set up on a cooling tower. Trasar technology is set up for
tect the upsets that precede scaling,
a cooling water skid
corrosion and biofouling and then
The technology includes a stress-toler- a single input and turn the chemi- deliver the appropriate chemical re-
ant polymer (STP), alkaline-enhanced cal feed pump on and off accordingly. sponse. The result is a balanced, ef-
chemistry (AEC) and halogen-resistant However, sophisticated monitoring ficient and safe cooling system that
azole (HRA) in combination with phos- can make adjustments to the chemi- requires less maintenance, no over-
phate-based steel corrosion inhibitors. cals and send alerts when additional or under-dosing of chemicals, lower
Even with advanced chemistries, actions need to be taken. operating costs, and maximum asset
chemicals alone are not enough, say Among the sophisticated systems protection.
the experts. Likely the most impor- is GEs TrueSense Online (Figure 3) While cooling-tower water treat-
tant tool is one that can control the for Cooling. The integrated platform ment may present more challenges
treatment program, says Thungstrom. directly measures and controls ap- than it did in the past, service provid-
And, with all the possible variation in plied chemistries that are critical for ers are working hard to make sure
todays water streams, a sophisticated managing cooling water efficiency and their offerings help processors con-
control system is often needed. preserving key assets in industrial tinue to go with the flow.
Simple control systems will take cooling systems. Joy LePree

Get Chemical Engineerings plant cost index to


improve plant cost estimates
and delivered in advance of the print edition!
For more than 37 years, chemical process industries professionals-
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Engineerings Plant Cost Index to adjust process plant construction
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This database includes all annual archives (1947 to present)
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Circle 18 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-18

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 23


BinMaster

FOCUS ON

Level Measurement

Precision Digital
Vega Grieshaber KG Krohne Messtechnik

Reliable switching in storage or process tanks with pro- volume, percent or a custom label. The
down to 196C cess temperatures up to 250C and meter also features a 20-segment tank-
The Vegaswing 66 vibrating level pressures up to 40 bars. The unit has level indicator that displays the height.
switch (photo) is said to be the first of been designed and developed for use The meter is optimized for wide-angle
a kind for extreme temperatures. Es- in SIL-2 safety-related systems ac- viewing of about 80 deg. The meter has
pecially suitable for cryogenic liquids, cording to IEC 61508. The polypropyl- FM, ATEX, CSA and IEC Ex approv-
the device switches reliably in process ene (PP) and polytetrafluoroethylene als, and is housed in a cast-aluminum
temperatures from 196 to 450C, and (PTFE) Wave Horn antennas are pro- NEMA 4X enclosure. Precision Dig-
operates at pressures from vacuum to cess sealed by their antenna material ital Corp., Hollister, Pa.
160 bars. The level switch offers in- instead of a traditional O-ring seal www.predig.com
creased protection and safety for gas- construction. These gasket-free anten-
liquefaction plants and liquefied gas nas are therefore suited for extreme This capacitance probe is
tanks used for processing, transport- corrosive environments, says the com- flexible for tight fits
ing or storing liquefied natural gas pany. The new meter is compliant with This bendable capacitance probe
(LNG) or liquid nitrogen. The device requirements such as SIL and Namur (photo) is designed to fit into tight
has standard approval for explosion recommendations NE 107, 21, 43 and spaces or in vessels where obstruc-
protection according to ATEX and FM, 53, and offers a 420-mA HART com- tions prevent the installation of a
as well as for use on ships and offshore munication with dedicated PACTware straight probe. The probe can be bent
platforms. Vega Grieshaber KG, DTMs. Krohne Messtechnik GmbH, to avoid obstructions in a vessel while
Schiltach, Germany Duisburg, Germany still allowing adequate probe surface
www.vega.com www.krohne.com area to confirm the presence or ab-
sence of material. Mounted on the side
Corrosive environments are This explosion-proof meter of the bin, the bendable probe can be
not a problem for these meters displays level and volume used in a wide range of solid materials
Launched in February, the Optiwave The PD6801 ProtEX F&I Level Meter or slurries. These capacitance probes
5200 C/F is a new 10 GHz FMCW (fre- (photo) is an easy-to-read, explosion- work at 6 kHz far below the radio-
quency modulated, continuous wave) proof meter designed for safe or haz- frequency (RF) level of 9 kHz and
radar level meter (photo) for liquid ardous environments, such as oil wells will not interfere with two-way radios
applications up to 300-m measuring or chemical storage. The 420-mA or other equipment operating in the
range. The two-wire, loop-powered loop-powered input displays level in radio spectrum, says the company.
device measures level and volume feet and inches; a second line shows Standard probes feature a triple-
24 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
American Sensor Technologies

cal data, and can manage various


alarms and set permission levels
for various personnel. The system
notifies all relevant workers of
alarms via email and text mes-
saging. Automation Products
Group, Inc., Logan, Utah
www.apgsensors.com

Control the level


in hazardous areas
Omega
The Fisher L2e level control-
Engineering ler (photo, p. 26) uses a rugged
force-balanced displacer sensor
to detect the level of a single liq-
uid or the interface of two liquids.
the material. It also The controllers new knife-edge sens-
adds stability in turbu- ing design combines with aerospace-
lent tanks. For instal- quality switch technology to provide
lations where the level rugged, reliable and accurate level
sensor is threaded into control, says the company. The L2e
a tank, users prefer to zero and span adjustments enable tun-
install conduit to protect ing for a wide variety of level-loop ap-
the cable from the work plications. Additionally, the controller
environment. AST 4500, is certified for use in hazardous areas
4510 and 4520 level sen- and is NACE-compliant for sour ser-
sors are Class I Div. 1 vice. By scanning the QR code on the
intrinsically safe, Group inside cover of the L2e, instrument
threaded, screw-off cover that allows C and D when installed with a barrier technicians have access to 24/7 field
easy access to internal components as well as ABS (American Bureau of support for setup, calibration and loop
and an FDA-recognized powder coat Shipping) certified. Pressure ranges tuning. Emerson Process Manage-
finish. BinMaster, Lincoln, Neb. are available as low as 01 psi (27.68 ment, Marshalltown, Iowa
www.binmaster.com in. water column) American Sensor www.emersonprocess.com
Technologies, Inc., Mt. Olive, N.J.
Submersible transmitters that www.astsensors.com This switch has a SIL2 rating
measure depth or level and many approvals
The PX709GW Series submersible Monitoring tanks remotely The FLT93 Series FlexSwitch (photo,
level/depth transducers and transmit- through the cloud p. 26) is a precision flow/level/tem-
ters (photo) are designed to make pre- Tank Cloud Remote Monitoring (photo) perature switch for use in liquid, air,
cision level or depth measurements in is a cost-effective remote tank-level- gas or interface service. Suitable for
fresh water or liquids that are compat- monitoring system that enables users oil-and-gas upstream production or
ible with 316 stainless steel. The stan- to monitor facilities and processes downstream refining, storage and
dard device has an accuracy of 0.20%, from anywhere with an Internet con- distribution, the FLT93 Series Flex-
and optional high-accuracy models nection, 24 hours per day, 7 days per Switch provides dependable relief-
are available with 0.8% accuracy. week. Using the companys propri- valve monitoring and flare-gas flow or
They are available with lightning and etary remote level sensors and mod- leakage detection. The device is said
surge protection, and have outputs of ules, or any sensor with a 420-mA to be the most advanced heavy-duty
420 mA, 05 V or 010 V. Omega output, Tank Cloud users can remotely thermal-dispersion technology flow
Engineering, Inc., Stamford, Conn. monitor level, pressure, temperature, and level switch available. SIL2-rated
www.omega.com flow, pH and other process variables for ultra reliability, the device also has
through an easy-to-use online inter- Ex agency approvals for the entire in-
Conduit fittings protect face. Sensors and input modules con- strument, including FM, FMc, ATEX
this level sensors cables nect to the users network via an Eth- and IECEx. Fluid Components In-
Since last August, this company has ernet cable and transmit data via the ternational, LLC, San Marcos, Calif.
supplied its liquid level sensors (photo) users internet connection, whether www.fluidcomponents.com
with -in. NPT male conduit fittings landline, cellular, radio or satellite. On
before the cable interface. This is ben- Tank Cloud remote monitoring Web This weighing system also has
eficial if the sensor is going to be ex- portal, operators and managers have a level-measurement feature
posed to a liquid not compatible with ready access to realtime and histori- Because raw materials are purchased,
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 25
Emerson Process Management

Focus

consumed and reconciled in


terms of weight, this compa-
nys products are designed to
provide direct weight mea-
surement for bulk materi-
als stored in silos. However, Fluid Components International
because many operators use level
devices and then calculate weight from
data, which may be uncertain, this pH/ORP, tempera-
company now offers a level measure- ture, pressure and
ment feature on its Solo product line more and now
(photo), which combines the patented also for batch sys-
StrainCell sensor with intelligent tems. Users can convert
electronics. As a result, users can see their second-generation
silo weight and level on the display at 9900 transmitter to a
the same time. The technology has a batch controller system by
proven accuracy of 1% of full scale for simply plugging in the new
steel-legged silos and within 3% of full Batch Module and Relay
scale for steel-skirted silos. Strain Module, thereby maintain- Strain Systems
Systems Inc., Bellevue, Wash. ing the products original
www.strainsystems.com intent of consolidating multiple plat- and settling phases. The sensor uses
forms into one while increasing their a piezoelectric crystal to generate
This GWR transmitter has service level and reducing inventory, ultrasound, and measures the time
three times better signal-to-noise says the company. GF Piping Sys- required for the signal to reach solid
The Eclipse Model 706 guided-wave- tems, Tustin, Calif. particles in the separation zone, and
radar (GWR) transmitter is said to www.gfpiping.com then return to the receiver. The sen-
be a best-in-class level-control solu- sor is used with the companys M
tion. Designed to provide outstand- Measurements from remote sites CM44x multi-parameter/multiple-
ing accuracy, reliability and safety, right to your desktop sensor transmitters one sensor
the latest-generation features in- AutoLog GSM Wireless Probe is a for the CM442, and up to four can
clude enhanced signal performance. new compact and robust device that be connected to a CM444 or CM448
The GWR circuitry achieves both a performs liquid level measurements transmitter. Endress+Hauser, Inc.,
higher transmit-pulse amplitude and and sends the data to your desktop. Greenwood, Ind.
improved receiver sensitivity, which The system uses widely spread GSM/ www.us.endress.com
leads to a signal-to-noise ratio that GPRS networks as communication.
is three times higher than competi- Operators can access data from any Level control is simplified
tive GWR devices, says the company. computers Web browser, anywhere with non-steady-state tuning
Unlike other GWR transmitters that and at any time. The system does This companys software includes
use algorithms to infer level readings not require a separate control room, non-steady-state (NSS) modeling fea-
in top-of-the-probe dead zones, the server PC or special maintenance tures for integrating control loops.
Eclipse 706 measures true level to staff, so investment and operat- These tools are said to provide fast,
within specification all the way up to ing costs are low. Data logging and simple modeling and tuning of level
the process flange. The new transmit- sending is possible at programmable controls. Unlike temperature, pres-
ter also features advanced diagnos- intervals. Measurements, alarms, sure and flow, level controls have
tics, with LCD diagnostics conveyed trends and reports from objects can different dynamics, and these new
in realtime waveform and trend data. be shared by all users. FF-Automa- tools make it simple to tune level con-
Magnetrol International, Inc., tion Oy, Vantaa, Finland trols, even while the level is moving,
Downers Grove, Ill. www.ff-automation.com says the company. NSS tuning inte-
www.magnetrol.com grates seamlessly with the companys
An imersion sensor PlantTriage and PID Loop Optimizer
A multiparameter transmitter that measures interfaces software. These tools also provide ca-
now includes batch controlling The Turbimax CUS71D ultrasonic im- pabilities for both tight control and
In March, this company introduced mersion sensor is used for interface surge-tank scenarios. NSS modeling
the second generation Signet 9900 measurements in processes where is included with PlantTriage Version
Transmitter, which includes a Batch suspensions are separated into their 11 and higher, and with PID Loop Op-
Controller option along with the fea- liquid and solid components by sedi- timizer Version 21 and higher. Ex-
tures of the original version. This mentation. The device can continu- perTune Inc., Hartland, Wisc.
new transmitter supports multiple ously monitor the separation and www.expertune.com
parameters that include level, flow, transition zones of the clarification Gerald Ondrey
26 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
Chromalox

This compact digital heat-trace


controller offers versatility
The new ITC Series intelliTRACE con-
troller (photo) is designed for line- or
ambient-sensing heat trace applica-
tions in hazardous (Class I, Division
2) or non-hazardous areas. Available
in single- and dual-circuit models, the
ITC features a high-resolution display
and may be used in either freeze-pro-
tection or process-control temperature
PAC
applications monitoring all process
variables both locally and remotely. The
ITC is a microprocessor-based system
with solid-state-relay power control,
selectable soft-start program, current
load, dual resistance-temperature-
detectors (RTD) sensor input for each
circuit, and ground fault equipment-
protection monitoring. There are three
user-selectable control modes available
on the ITC: manual, off or auto. The
ITCs compact enclosure facilitates
electrical connections for the heating
cable, the a.c. power, and the RTD sen- PerkinElmer

sors. This controller may be used with Draw, view and share molecular cal blenders are gentler, allowing for
constant wattage, mineral-insulated structures in realtime mixing of powders, pellets, granules
or self-regulating heat-trace cables. New ChemDraw and Chem3D apps and fibers in delicate and abrasive
Chromalox, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. for iPad tablets (photo) provide mobile conditions. In vacuum drying opera-
www.chromalox.com access to robust molecular drawing tion, the blenders can accommodate
and viewing tools for use in education, slurries, wet cakes, pastes and flow-
This jet fuel analyzer enhances R&D and publishing. The apps feature able solids. Requiring only low heat
safety through automation the unique Flick-to-Share tool, which to drive off moisture or solvents, vac-
The Alcor JFTOT 230 Mark IV (JFTOT gives users the ability to rapidly share uum drying in a vertical blender dries
IV) is a new jet-fuel thermal oxidation molecular structures across mobile de- heat-sensitive materials without risk
analyzer (photo) designed for increased vices, eliminating the need for emails of thermal degradation, while also
safety and simplicity. New safety mea- and cloud storage services. Chem3D consuming less energy. The blender
sures in this compact model ensure min- is a molecular viewer app where sci- features a mechanical arm that ro-
imal jet-fuel vapor-exposure to person- entists can explore structures in three tates an auger around the conical ves-
nel and the environment through the dimensions by using the touchscreen to sel. The auger turns on its own axis.
sample and waste containers. The slid- rotate, expand and contract models for Spray nozzles may be installed for liq-
ing test door also prevents exposure to a clearer display of spatial properties. uid addition and coating purposes.
the high-temperature heater-tube test Chem3D can display 3-D models of pro- Charles Ross & Son Co., Hauppauge,
section. The JFTOT IV simplifies op- teins, DNA, crystals and assemblies in N.Y.
erational capabilities through automa- many formats, such as ball-and-stick, www.mixers.com
tion of tasks, such as priming the pump, wireframe, space-filling and cartoon.
monitoring sample flow and aerating PerkinElmer, Inc., Waltham, Mass. Avoid cross-contamination with
the sample. The JFTOT IV is listed in www.perkinelmer.com this lubrication system
Table 1 of ASTM D3241-13, Standard This Lubrication Storage and Dis-
Test Method for Thermal Oxidation Use this vertical blender for low- pensing System (photo, p. 28) consists
Stability of Aviation Turbine Fuels, shear mixing or vacuum drying of two 65-gal containers and one 130-
as an acceptable instrument model. This companys vertical blenders gal container. Features to the cus-
The Petroleum Analyzer Company (photo, p. 28) are used for low-shear tomizable system include three-way
(PAC), L.P., Houston, Tex. blending and vacuum drying. Com- product diverter valve assemblies,
www.paclp.com pared to other blender varieties, verti- individual pumping systems, and
Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 27
on p. 56, or use the website designation.
New Products

New Pig The IFH Group Charles Ross & Son

tems, and 10-m filters. Products are


pumped in and out of the system via
individual pumping systems, which
prevent cross-contamination. The
three-way diverter valves, in combi-
nation with the individual pumping
systems and filters, allow product to
be pumped through the filters into
the containers, and then pulled back
out of the containers through the fil- Spirax Sarco Oven Industries
ters with the transfer units. Product
can also be pulled from the contain-
ers, cycled through the filters and Protect inventory and machinery zable with keyboard programming, the
sent back into the containers. For fur- with this leak diverter kit transmitter features a 10-year memory,
ther protection against product spills, The recently introduced Quick Deploy batch control, and a scalable pulse-fre-
an optional spill-containment system Leak Diverter Kit (photo) provides a quency output. Combining the EFT10
is available. The IFH Group, Inc., fast response to roof and pipe leaks. with this companys UniMag flow tube
Rock Falls, Ill. It catches nuisance leaks by diverting provides a useful option for measuring
www.ifhgroup.com them to a floor drain or collection con- low-conductivity liquids due to its ultra-
tainer. Complete with a discharge hose stable flow signal-to-media noise ratio.
This process monitor offers and fittings, the Quick Deploy can be Spirax Sarco, Inc., Blythewood, S.C.
several display options installed by simply hooking the handle www.spiraxsarco.com/us
Designed for monitoring flowrate, over a pipe or ceiling truss. Pinched cor-
total, limit, batch and ratio measure- ners help funnel liquid toward the cen- This controller gives dual options
ments, the MX 9000 Process Monitor ter of the diverter for better drainage. for setting in the field
can also report pressure, temperature, The included PVC drain hose channels The very compact 5R1-1400 a.c. Tem-
and information from other devices the captured liquid to a collection con- perature Controller (photo) can deliver
with analog signals that can be moni- tainer, drain or other containment de- up to 15 A of load current from a zero
tored. The MX 9000 comes installed vice. The Quick Deploy is vinyl-coated voltage switched, low-noise solid-state
with new plug-in option boards, backlit for strength and flexibility and resists relay. Featuring temperature resolu-
display with color-coded indicator and punctures, ultraviolet light and mildew. tion of 0.1C, the 5R1-1400 exhibits
a USB port. The backlit displays red, New Pig Corp., Tipton, Pa. an ambient operating range of 20 to
green and blue color-coding also allows www.newpig.com 70C. The controller has options for
for alarm indication visibility. The dis- integrated potentiometers (for set tem-
play board facilitates multiple display This flow transmitter provides perature and process-integral control)
modes and variable-programming op- high signal strength and PC-programmable logic (for set
tions with its graphic LCD module and The EFT10 Electromagnetic Flow temperature and process-integral-de-
four push-buttons. The board can be Transmitter (photo) measures all rivative control). The set temperature
customized for special projects or ap- types of conductive liquids, including range is determined by thermistor type.
plications and an optionboard slot al- those used for applications in mining, Accessories for the 5R1-1400 include
lows for features such as relay outputs, slurries, waste, and low-conductivity temperature sensors, flange mount
networking, voltage/current inputs, media. The EFT10 provides bidirec- and a USB interface cable. Oven In-
and frequency outputs. AW-Lake tional flow signal and combines the dustries, Inc., Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Company, Franksville, Wisc. pulse hybrid method of coil excitation www.ovenind.com
www.aw-lake.com with digital communications. Customi- Mary Page Bailey
28 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
Polymer-based
Piping
Department Editor: Scott Jenkins

olymer-based piping systems offer a basic-chemical synthesis, logistic partners

P number of advantages, along with


some limitations, compared to metallic
and other non-polymeric pipe materials. The
for chemical media, surface technologies
(for example, galvanizing and pickling),
pulp-and-paper and power plants are the
Wide range of chemical
resistance

use of thermoplastic piping in the chemical most important elds of application.


Attractive cost-to-
process industries (CPI) must be care- Some polymer-based piping vendors offer
performance ratio
fully considered on a case-by-case basis complete harmonized systems encompass-
because of the constraints introduced by ing a wide range of dimensions and pres-
various CPI applications. Polymers remain sure ratings. Such systems cover integrated Availability, package
only a small (~10%) part of the global CPI solutions of measurement and control units, approach
piping market, but their technical potential as well as various valve systems.
may encourage wider use.
Polymer-based pipes can manage almost Plastic pipe jointing Versatile jointing-
any chemical load up to temperatures of Thermal welding and technology
100C in the moderate pressure range solvent jointing are
(pressures less than 10 bars). There is a predominately used in
general trend toward more pressure-resis- the CPI for plastic pipes. Established quality assur-
tant and stiffer pipes. The welding of polymer ance and standardization
piping in the CPI can be
Advantages Chemical resistance
divided into socket-, butt-,
fusion- and rod-welding. Variability of the
of polymer (dened by the
Socket and butt-welding are piping concept
piping polymers chemical
identity) used for pure thermoplastic pip-
Cost-to-performance ing. Fusion- and rod-welding are FIGURE 1. Polymer-based piping systems deliver
ratio used for ber-reinforced thermo- many advantages, such as those listed here
Low weight plastic piping (dual laminates).
Electrical and thermal When solvent-based glues are
insulating properties used for cement jointing, various types are Thermoplastic polymer
Availability of parts used the respective formulations are ne- materials used for piping
Versatile jointing tuned to match the individual requirements
Limitations Comparatively high dened by the polymer type and the eld of Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)
of polymer thermal expansion application. As soon as the dimensions of Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC)
piping Longterm creeping fabrication tolerances of pipes and ttings Polypropylene (PP)
under mechanical exceed a certain limit, solvent-cement joint-
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
load ing becomes no longer practically feasible
Signicant reduction due to both the gaps that need to be Polyethylene (PE)
in mechanical proper- bridged and the procedure of assembly Polybutylene (PB)
ties under increasing (required forces, application of the cement Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)
temperatures and so on). Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX)*
Non-destructive
monitoring of corro- Polyamide 11 (PA11)
Corrosion and chemical attack
sion process is not Polyketone (PK)
A substantial body of research and case
sufciently developed *crosslinks remove thermoplasticity
studies has been built over time surrounding
for plastics
the corrosion of various polymer materials
when in contact with different chemical severe reduction of mechanical and physical
media under different conditions. In terms properties, such as tensile strength, ductility,
Most projects in the CPI require at least of the integrity of plastic pipes, two types of impact resistance and susceptibility to crack-
one or more of the following constraints for interactions permeation and direct attack ing from applied stress (stress cracking).
piping: are most important. A number of factors can accelerate
Considerable safety margins Solvation or permeation involves gas, va- chemical attack. Three signicant ones
Sufcient chemical resistance por or liquid molecules passing through the are: concentration, temperature and stress.
Predictable or manageable corrosion polymer, without chemical changes occur- Generally, the resistance of a particular
Uniform corrosion behavior for all ring to the polymer itself. However, physical plastic to a specic chemical decreases with
components in contact with the media properties may be affected. Permeation increasing concentration. The resistance of
Simple maintenance may not harm the polymer material, but can a particular plastic to a specic chemical
Attractive price-to-performance ratio have application-related effects. In general, decreases with temperature increases, and
High level of availability of the thermoplastic pipes should not be used generally decreases when applied stress is
components where a permeating chemical surrounds the varied or cycled. Combinations of different
Availability of eld references pipe and could compromise the purity of chemicals should also be considered.
Ease of installation the fluid inside.
Direct chemical attack occurs when References
Although polymer-based piping systems exposure to a substance causes a chemi- 1. Plastics Pipe Institute. Technical Report 19:
have not reached the level of usage of cal alteration of polymer molecules by Chemical Resistance of Thermoplastics Piping
metal-based piping in the CPI, there are chain scission, crosslinking, oxidation or Materials. PPI, Irving, Tex., 2007.
a variety of industry segments where the substitution reactions. Direct chemical attack www.plasticpipe.org.
specic advantages of polymer pipes have may cause profound, irreversible changes 2. Schuler, Stephan, Polymer-based piping
been understood systematically and success- that cannot be restored by removal of the systems in the CPI. Chem. Eng. Sept. 2010,
fully exploited. The global chlorine industry, chemical. Chemical attack frequently causes pp. 3236.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2013
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

SEPTEMBER 25 26, 2013


CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

Practical Solutions for Plant GALVESTON, TX


MOODY GARDENS HOTEL
Management and Operations & CONVENTION CENTER

Register today with VIP code JULY Presented by:


to qualify for advanced discounts!
www.cpievent.com

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
KEYNOTE SESSION: The Shale Gale is Blowing:
Plotting a Course That Avoids the Shoals and Rocks
Shale gas has revitalized the Chemical Industry in the U.S. The economic benefits have been
widely described, but there is little discussion if the impacts of the great increase in ethane David S. Bem, Ph.D.,
cracking. The shifting feedstock slate creates both challenges and opportunities for new Global R&D Director,
technologies. The shoals and rocks caused by the shale gale will be described and a course
The Dow Chemical Company
described that can provide an even brighter future for the industry will be described.

Occupational Safety in the


Chemical/Petrochemical
Process Industries
CSB Updates on Chevron in Richmond, California, Beth Rosenberg, ScD, MPH ,
the Fertilizer Plant in West, Texas and How Board Member,
Incidents Drive Recommended Guidelines U.S. Chemical Safety and
Hazard Investigation Board
A solution-based
route to LLDPE
By Intratec Solutions

P olyethylene (PE) is the worlds largest-


volume commodity polymer. Along with
high-density (HDPE) and low-density
(LDPE) polyethylene, linear low-density poly-
ethylene (LLDPE) is one of the three main types
of PE. The global market for LLDPE is over 20
million metric tons per year, corresponding to
about 30% of the total PE produced.
In LLDPE production, three major types of
low-pressure technologies are used: slurry,
solution and gas-phase processes. FIGURE 2.
Each mark on the map
The process corresponds to an
LLDPE is produced by copolymerization of existing SclairTech
ethylene with alpha-olefins using Ziegler-Natta LLDPE plant. The
catalysts. The most common co-monomers used nominal capacity
Up to 149,000 ton/yr From 250,000 to 349,000 ton/yr
of each plant follows
in LLDPE production are 1-butene, 1-hexene
the legend below From 150,000 to 249,000 ton/yr At least 350,000 ton/yr
and 1-octene.
Figure 1 illustrates the process for butene-
based LLDPE production via a solution technol- satility for the production of resins with a wide Storage of products is equal to 20 days
ogy similar to Nova Chemicals (Calgary, range of densities, melt indexes and molecular of operation, and there is no storage for
Alta.; www.novachem.com) solution-phase weight distributions. The reactor output stream feedstock
technology, known as SclairTech (Figure 2). is fed into separator vessels, where unreacted Outside battery limits (OSBL) units con-
The process shown is a swing process, which ethylene and co-monomers, solvent and any sidered: steam boilers, cooling towers,
is also capable of producing different LLDPE other volatile matter are separated from the PE. propylene refrigeration system, heat-transfer
and HDPE grades by utilizing other alpha- The polymer is sent to the finishing section while fluid unit, control room and administrative
olefins as co-monomers. the light stream moves to the distillation system. buildings
The process can be divided into four main Distillation. The distillation step comprises The estimated capital investment (including
operation areas: purification and catalyst prep- five distillation columns in charge of recover- total fixed investment, working capital and
aration; reaction; distillation; and finishing. ing the unreacted ethylene and co-monomers; other capital expenses) to build the LLDPE plant
Purification and catalyst preparation. The cyclo- recovering the solvent; purging impurities, is about $220 million, and the operating cost
hexane solvent, ethylene and comonomers are such as oligomers (also called grease), catalyst for butene-based LLDPE production is about
sent to fixed-bed adsorption systems to remove and deactivators residues; and avoiding the $1,220/ton.
water, oxygen and other polar impurities. The buildup of inert components, such as isomers The swing process depicted here allows
catalysts used in the process are based on of the co-monomer. manufacturers to participate in major PE
mixtures of titanium and vanadium compounds, Finishing. The resulting polymer from the reac- market segments by producing both LLDPE and
in conjunction with aluminum alkyls cocatalysts. tion area is fed into an extruder, which is used HDPE resins. Thus, the producers can select the
These components are mixed with solvent and to incorporate the required additives, and to best product mix, aimed at premium markets
pumped to the polymerization reactor. pelletize the polymer. The product is then sent with higher margins.
Reaction. Ethylene and 1-butene comonomer to the product blending and storage stage. Edited by Scott Jenkins
(in case of butene-based LLDPE) are dissolved
in cyclohexane solvent and sent to the reaction Economic performance Editors Note: The content for this column is supplied
An economic evaluation of the solution-phase by Intratec Solutions LLC (Houston; www.intratec.us)
step. The polymerization is carried out in a and edited by Chemical Engineering. The analyses
solution phase, at a temperature above the LLDPE process was conducted based on data and models presented herein are prepared on the ba-
melting point of the resulting polymer. The reac- from the fourth quarter of 2012. The following sis of publicly available and non-confidential informa-
tion system consists of a tubular reactor and a assumptions were taken into consideration: tion. The information and analysis are the opinions of
A 350,000 ton/yr unit erected on the U.S. Intratec and do not represent the point of view of any
continuous-stirred-tank reactor (CSTR). The low third parties. More information about the methodol-
residence time of the reactors enables a high Gulf Coast (the process equipment is repre- ogy for preparing this type of analysis can be found,
flexibility for grade transitions, as well as ver- sented in the simplified flowsheet) along with terms of use, at www.intratec.us/che.

to Fuel 1. Adsorption system


Butene Ethylene CW RF 2. Tubular reactor
Cyclohexane 3. CSTR polymerization
BFW reactor
BFW 4. Separators
ST CW 6 7
ST 5. Extruder and pelletizing
1 CW 6. Low boiler column
4 7. Ethylene column
9 8. Comonomer column
HF HF ST 9. Solvent column
CW 8 10. Grease column
CW 11. Refrigeration unit
12. Heat transfer fluid unit
ST 13. Cooling tower
3 Additives
10 ST 14. Boiler
5
LLDPE to Fuel HF Heat transfer fluid
2
CW Cooling water
RF 11 CW 13 RF Refrigeration fluid
Catalyst and Deactivator HF ST Steam
to Fuel BFW Boiler feed water
cocatalyst HF 12 ST 14

FIGURE 1. Solution-phase LLDPE production process similar to Nova Chemicals SclairTech


Feature
Cover Story
Report

Securing Industrial
Control Systems
ICSs are vulnerable
targets to cyber attacks.
More than conventional
IT-security solutions are
needed to protect them
Andrew Ginter
Waterfall Security Solutions

S
ecurity of SCADA (supervisory
control and data acquisition) and
other industrial control systems
(ICSs) is a complex subject, and
one that has received much attention
in recent years. While modern indus-
trial control systems use many of the
same computers, operating systems
and networking components as con-
ventional business networks, the two suggests that on industrial networks, is it that the proposed change will so
kinds of networks are managed very these priorities are often reversed so badly impair the operation of the con-
differently. As a result, what is com- that availability and integrity are the trol system that we are forced to shut
mon wisdom on business networks highest priorities for industrial net- down this billion-dollar physical asset,
can be utter nonsense on control sys- works. While this was the best wisdom because we are no longer confident of
tem networks. available when much of this advice our ability to operate it safely? Safety
On the other hand, control system was written, we know better now. is always our first priority, and reli-
networks are notoriously vulner- Every time any group of people at ability is our second. And yes, some-
able to certain kinds of attacks, and a chemical facility gathers for a meet- times we have trade secrets to protect
whether common security wisdom ing, the first order of business, without as well.
works on these networks or not, exception, is safety. The discussions in- What does this mean for cybersecu-
these vulnerabilities must still be ad- clude familiar statements, such as Are rity? Consider the business network
dressed. This article looks at what the there any newcomers in the group? A in any large enterprise. Millions of
differences between control-system long, continuous alarm means evacu- Web pages and hundreds of thousands
and business networks are, what is ate the building. The emergency exits of emails are pulled into the network
working and what is not, and at what are around the corner to your left, and every day. Each of those Web pages
leading security practitioners in the so on. and each of those emails is a potential
chemical process industries (CPI), as Safety is the highest priority at every attack. Business networks are under
well as other industries, are doing to industrial site, and also for every con- constant attack. How do profession-
address these problems. trol system network. For every change als deal with this constant, perva-
to any control system component we sive threat? In part, they deal with it
Safety first always ask how likely is it that this through constant, aggressive change.
Cybersecurity concerns for business change will kill anyone? or will it Stay ahead of the bad guys. Update
networks are prioritized according to create a public safety risk? or will it anti-virus signatures several times
confidentiality, integrity and avail- cause an environmental catastrophe? per day. Apply the latest vendor se-
ability, in that order. Most existing When we have acceptable answers to curity updates within two days of the
advice for industrial cybersecurity those questions, we ask how likely vendors release.
30 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
This is the exact opposite of how passwords, to simple denial-of-service eration of old equipment equipment
control system networks are man- network flooding attacks. that is extremely costly to replace, be-
aged. Control system networks are A confusing factor associated with cause the testing and scrutiny neces-
generally configured to be unable to these vulnerabilities has been the sary to ensure that replacement hard-
exchange information directly with responsible disclosure debate. How ware and software are sufficiently
the Internet, and so are not under should new vulnerabilities be dis- reliable and are configured and de-
constant attack. The biggest risk to in- closed? Responsible disclosure holds ployed correctly.
dustrial networks is the connection to that details of newly discovered vul- Deploying a new version of soft-
the business network. nerabilities should not be disclosed ware is more than a process of a little
The discipline used to keep a control publicly until the vendor has had an testing. Deploying sweeping changes
system safe and operating reliably is opportunity to produce a fix for the to control systems or to the physical
called engineering change control. problems, and anti-virus and intru- process itself, as often occurs at long
Every change to a control system is a sion-detection vendors have had an intervals during site refurbishment,
potential threat to safety and reliabil- opportunity to craft new signatures. is a daunting task. The task involves
ity. Anti-virus signatures can cause Security researchers who have dis- months and even years of planning,
false-positive matches that shut closed vulnerabilities outside of this then an intense burst of effort deploy-
down and quarantine essential parts process have been sharply criticized. ing and upgrading everything, and
of control system software. Security But think about it how much then additional weeks of all hands on
updates can contain arbitrary changes less secure are we if someone pub- deck effort to bring the plant back on-
to operating system and application lishes a serious security vulnerability line, safely, to full production.
code, and must be assessed, tested in industrial software before a fix is Take all this together and it is easy
and very cautiously rolled out in order available? Most industrial sites are to see that while control systems use
to preserve safety and reliability. Be- unable to apply security updates in technologies that are similar to IT sys-
cause of their constant change, anti- a timely manner because of safety- tems, control systems are constrained
virus systems and security updates and-reliability-focused testing re- in ways that are alien to IT systems.
are very costly programs to roll out quirements, even if those updates are As a result, a wide array of IT-style
on control system networks, and ev- available. Worse, any attacker worth cybersecurity approaches are either
eryone has a horror story to tell about their salt can spend a morning with ineffective on control systems, or are
the impact of these programs on at the software and find their own half in fact counter-productive on control
least reliability. dozen zero-day undisclosed, criti- systems, resulting in net impairments
cal vulnerabilities themselves. They of safety, or reliability, or both.
Vulnerabilities dont need disclosed vulnerabilities
The bad news is that vulnerabilities when finding their own undisclosed Cyber-threat spectrum
and security problems do not go away ones is trivial. If control systems are more vulner-
simply because IT (information tech- The extreme vulnerability of con- able than IT systems, what are they
nology) solutions to those problems trol system software is compounded vulnerable to? Who are we worried
work badly. Control system software by well-known problems, such as the about? Todays cyber-threat spectrum
is notoriously vulnerable to even very use of plain-text communications pro- is outlined in Table 1.
simple attacks. Back-of-the-envelope tocols and very old software compo- Organized crime. Organized crime is
calculations suggest that there are nents. An attacker with access to an still responsible for the vast majority
at least 100,000 buffer-overflow vul- industrial network can simply send of malware circulating on the Internet.
nerabilities, alone, waiting to be dis- plain-text commands to any device Professional virus authors produce
covered in control system software. on the network and those devices will products that steal credit-card and
Security researchers who look for carry out the commands without ques- banking information, and that har-
vulnerabilities confirm this calcula- tion. Very old equipment presents a ness compromised machines to send
tion. They report that after only a similar problem. How many anti-virus spam and launch denial-of-service at-
mornings effort, they typically find vendors still support their products on tacks. Organized crime has resources
up to a dozen critical vulnerabilities Windows NT systems? Does Microsoft (money and talent) to spend producing
in every bit of industrial software issue security updates any more for sophisticated attack tools. And by and
product they examine. Windows 2000 systems? large, the resulting attacks are autono-
The problem is not limited to buffer- All of these problems will take a mous they spread automatically to
overflow vulnerabilities. Until very very long time to solve, if that is even as many machines as possible.
recently, cybersecurity was simply not possible. Control systems administra- Insiders. Disgruntled insiders are a
a design criterion for industrial-soft- tors have proven to be very reluctant perennial threat, one typically dealt
ware product development. Industrial to deploy device-communications with via personnel and background
control-system products are notori- encryption because of the impact on checks, as well as via detailed audit-
ously vulnerable to everything from maintainability and reliability. Old ing. With sufficient auditing, it is dif-
SQL (Structured Query Language)-in- software versions on old operating ficult for an insider to be confident
jection attacks, to hard-coded vendor systems are often essential to the op- of causing damage without being
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 31
Cover Story

caught and prosecuted. In addition,


TABLE 1. THREAT SPECTRUM
well-meaning IT-security practitio-
ners who do not have a clear sense Threats Resources Motives Methods Examples
of the change-control discipline that
Cyber cold- High Sabotage Highly targeted, Stuxnet,
must be applied to safety-critical and warriors autonomous Shamoon?
reliability-critical networks are a
special problem. These individuals Advanced High Industrial Targeted, manual Flame, DuQu,
may not mean to do harm, but exam- threats espionage remote control Gauss, APT
ples abound where IT administrators Targeted Medium Industrial Targeted, manual Night Dragon,
with the passwords and permissions attacks espionage remote control hacktivists
to reach through firewalls and mod-
Insider with ICS Low Sabotage Targeted: social
ify systems by remote control have Maroochy
network access engineering
applied corporate policy to critical
networks without understanding the Insider with IT Low Sabotage, Targeted: social IT errors and
consequences of undisciplined change, network access or benign engineering omissions
and have caused plant outages or Organized Medium Identity theft, High volume,
batch failures as a result. crime spam, distrib- automated Zeus,
Advanced/targeted attacks. These uted denial of Conflicker
are the so-called advanced persistent service
threats, which have been in the press
for some years. These attacks are gen- has more to do with cold war tactics defenses to enemies willing to spend
erally attributed to nation-state mili- than with anything else. Stuxnet is tens of millions of dollars to devise an
tary and intelligence agencies. These credited with destroying 1,0002,000 attack specific to that site, then that
organizations have tremendous re- Iranian uranium gas centrifuges. The site does not have a cybersecurity
sources (money and talent) to direct at worm was apparently crafted using problem. That site has an espionage
the problem of attacking specific tar- detailed insider knowledge of the problem. No additional cyber-defenses
gets. These adversaries have repeat- control system, which was the target will prevent a Stuxnet-class attack. A
edly demonstrated the ability to by- of the attack, and with similar knowl- site with this kind of problem needs
pass conventional IT defenses. These edge of how that target was defended. to escalate the problem to its own na-
attacks have been credited with the The Shamoon attack is credited with tional intelligence authorities.
theft of source code, trade secrets, and effectively erasing the hard drives Advanced persistent threats are a
other intellectual property valued at of over 30,000 computers in Middle- different matter. It is absolutely pos-
up to several trillion dollars. The pre- Eastern petrochemical firms. There sible to protect industrial sites against
ferred method of attack of these ad- is speculation that the worm was these attacks, but there is a strange
versaries is low-volume malware that planted in the target networks by reluctance in some organizations to
is operated by interactive, manual re- insiders. The motive of this class of apply the protections. The reason is
mote control. They spread cautiously attacker is clearly sabotage, and the that so far, the vast majority of these
so as to avoid detection and they steal preferred weapon is malware that incursions have had only industrial
enormous amounts of information, or spreads and operates autonomously. espionage stealing information
more. While information theft is by Much has been written about Stux- as a motive. Some industrial sites feel
far the most common motive for these net specifically, and how to defend this is reason to be complacent, be-
targeted attacks, cases of sabotage against the worm. Much of that infor- cause they have no information that is
have also been reported using these mation pits the artifact, which is the worth stealing, and so they feel they
same techniques. Stuxnet worm, against one kind of cy- will never be targeted.
Cyber cold-warriors. This class of bersecurity technology after another. This is akin to saying There is
attacks does not have a widely ac- This technology would have stopped a hole in our perimeter fence, and
cepted name. Some lump these attacks the worm but that technology would heavily armed criminals are wan-
in with advanced persistent threats not have. Such analysis very much dering in and out through the hole
but the methods and objectives of this misses the point. at will. And then saying But thats
class of attack differ sharply from For every defensive technology de- OK, all they want to do is steal stuff,
that of the advanced attacks. Some ployed, there is an offense or attack and they arent finding what they
call this class of attack cyber war- that will defeat the technology. There want to steal in our site so theyre
fare and maintain that a cyber war are no silver bullets. If a site has really not doing that much damage.
is in progress. This is akin to saying trusted, sleeper insiders planted in This is nonsense. Anyone with this
a naval war is in progress, without its workforce decades ago by enemy kind of hole in their perimeter would
war having been declared, and with- nations, and those insiders are expos- say Close that hole. Close it now.
out any other kinds of military forces ing detailed intelligence as to the de- Unauthorized, untrained individuals
having been mobilized. sign of the control system network and on the other side of the planet with
In many senses, this class of attack of the control-system cybersecurity remote control of industrial control
32 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
ADVANCED THREATS HOW DO THEY DO IT? layer(s) of defense-in-depth strate-
gies, even though intrusion detection
Advanced attackers have demonstrated that they can bypass conventional IT cyber- may be costly to deploy. Why is this?
security mechanisms, essentially at will. They have demonstrated that they can take over An intrusion-detection system is not
industrial control-system computers just as easily as they take over IT systems. effective if you tune it so aggressively
The disturbing thing about these attacks is that while they are called advanced that it never raises an alert, even if
and they sometimes do use very clever malware the majority of these attacks are not there is a real intrusion. Tuning a de-
terribly advanced at all. Most often, these attackers simply apply basic security-hacking tection system less aggressively yields
techniques the techniques taught at widely available, legitimate security-training pro-
a certain number of false alarms or
grams. Persistent application of these techniques is all that is required in order to breach
IT defenses, even at very large, and presumably very well-protected organizations. The false positives from time to time,
techniques include the following: and every alarm must be investigated
to determine if it is a real intrusion or
1. Do homework on social networking sites. Learn everything possible about a handful a false alarm. As anyone in the physi-
of target individuals at the target site
cal security realm knows, surveillance
2. Craft custom malware that anti-virus systems have never seen before. Attach the
malware to a very convincing forged email, or via a link in the email is costly, and responding to false posi-
3. Send the email and trick the target into executing your malware, which then connects tives costs even more.
to an internet command-and-control center for instructions This common wisdom is not wrong,
4. Over time, send instructions via the control center, to learn about the targets network but it is not completely right either,
and steal passwords or at least it is not the whole story. In
5. Take over a domain controller with stolen administrator passwords. Create accounts the last half decade or so, a number of
for attackers on VPN servers, business computers and industrial computers technologies have been developed that
6. Log into computers with new or stolen passwords there is no need to attack add different and very effective lay-
vulnerabilities any more ers to defense-in-depth programs, but
7. Search for the information of interest and steal it
these technologies are not yet repre-
sented in standards and guidance.
system computers are a safety threat. Depth Guidelines and the ISA SP-99 These additional layers go by the
They need to be stopped. standards, generally includes IT-type name of compensating measures.
protections, including intrusion-detec- When security vulnerabilities cannot
Old-school defense in depth tion technologies. The theory, espoused be eliminated directly, either because
What are different kinds of organiza- for years, is that intrusion detection is there are too many undiscovered vul-
tions doing about these threats and always the last line of defense. This nerabilities, or because the security
these vulnerabilities? The common theory has gained widespread ac- updates cannot safely be deployed in
wisdom, among both industrial secu- ceptance in IT circles in recent years a timely or cost-effective way, sites in
rity practitioners and IT security prac- because of the widespread success of many industries are deploying com-
titioners is defense in depth. Given these advanced/targeted attacks. pensating measures.
that for any defense, there is some kind Organizations are no longer confident
of attack that will get around it, stan- of their ability to block targeted at- Safety and protection systems
dard advice is to put many layers of tacks at their IT network perimeter, One widely applied tactic, for example,
defense in place in order to slow down and are deploying internal protections is to increase the investment in a vari-
attackers and to increase the probabil- and surveillance. Common wisdom is ety of mechanical, electro-mechanical
ity of identifying and neutralizing the evolving to hold that until you as- and digital safety systems and equip-
attacks before they do damage. sume you have been compromised by ment-protection systems. These sys-
In recent years, anti-virus systems this class of adversary and you start tems are designed to constantly moni-
and security-update programs have looking really hard for these attacks, tor for unsafe conditions, and bring
been widely deployed in the CPI. By you will never find them they are the plant back to a known safe state
the standards of most industries, that good. if an unsafe condition is detected
chemical plants are huge. These pro- As a result, organizations are de- often by triggering a safety shutdown
tections have been deployed in spite of ploying intrusion-detection technolo- of one of the large systems in the plant,
their limited effectiveness due to enor- gies of various types on corporate such as a boiler or a catalytic cracker.
mous numbers of latent vulnerabili- networks. They are sometimes deploy- Safety systems are designed to pro-
ties, and huge numbers of run-of-the- ing these technologies on industrial tect human life and the environment,
mill viruses being created every day. networks, and they are gathering all while protection systems are designed
CPI sites are deploying anti-virus and of this cybersecurity surveillance data to protect equipment from damage.
security-update programs, and are together into security information and Often protection systems have indi-
absorbing the significant cost of these event management (SIEM) systems rect safety benefits, since conditions
constant change security programs. to try to make sense of it and find en- that are able to cause damage to very
Old-school defense in depth wis- emies on the networks. large equipment are frequently also
dom, as expressed in documents such This common wisdom is not wrong. dangerous enough to pose a threat to
as NIST 800-82, the DHS Defense in Intrusion detection is always the last workers and the environment.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 33
Cover Story

Control system network Business network

TX agent RX agent
host
Hardware-enforced
one-way communications
IP IP
Plant Replica
historian TX gateway RX gateway historian
appliance appliance

FIGURE 1. Unidirectional security gateways can replace one or more levels of irewalls. In this example, the RX software on the
outside network populates replica servers with the data

The goal is to design safety and pro- a laser, and the receive (RX) gateway Server replication is, in general, very
tection systems so thoroughly that no contains a photocell. Together, the possible. Protocol emulation or prox-
matter what the cyber attack, these two are able to transmit information ies generally are not possible over
systems are able to detect unsafe con- out of a control system network, with- unidirectional hardware.
ditions and trigger a safe shutdown. out any risk of any attack penetrat- This technology is being deployed
To accomplish this cybersecurity func- ing back into that network. widely in conventional power genera-
tion, the safety and protection sys- With firewalls, every connection tion as well as nuclear-power genera-
tems must themselves be thoroughly through the firewall that allows data tion plants. The cybersecurity regu-
protected from attack, often by physi- out of a network, also allows attacks lations for nuclear power generation
cally controlling access to the systems, back into the network. Firewalls do not have encouraged hardware-enforced
and by isolating them, to some degree, provide access to data on protected net- unidirectional technology for some
from the plant network. If this design works; they provide access to systems years already. In more conventional
succeeds and protecting against all on those networks. With the gateways, power generation, the new North
possible cyber-sabotage is not easy it does not matter what kind of attack American Electric Reliability Council
then the cyber threat is reduced to a is launched on the receive-side of the (NERC) critical infrastructure protec-
threat to reliability only, not a threat gateway no signal at all, not a mes- tion (CIP) regulations (NERC-CIP V5)
to safety. In many industries, reliabil- sage, not a byte, not a bit can pass have been updated to recognize the
ity is a business problem, not a public through the unidirectional hardware strong security offered by this alterna-
safety problem, and can be addressed to interfere with the safety-critical or tive to firewalls.
with mechanisms such as buying in- reliability-critical network. Power plants even nuclear sites
surance if additional cyber protec- Now, since nearly all modern com- tend to be much smaller and sim-
tions are cost-prohibitive. In other munications protocols are fundamen- pler than chemical plants or petro-
industries, such as the power grid, or tally bi-directional, no normal proto- leum refineries, though. Most deploy-
in geographies where petroleum re- cols can be used to push data through ments in the power industry use the
fineries or other installations perform the unidirectional hardware. Instead, gateways to replace the layer of fire-
functions that are essential to society the gateway software replicates serv- walls between the plant network and
or national security, reducing a safety ers. The software runs on conventional the business network at a site. At CPI
threat to a reliability threat is a step computers on the control system and sites, deployment models are more
in the right direction, but more action external networks. The TX software varied. Some sites are deploying the
is needed. on the control system network gathers gateways at the high-volume connec-
data from servers, such as production tion between the plant network and
Unidirectional gateways historians, or OPC servers, or even the business network, but not all of
Unidirectional security gateways are PLCs (programmable logic control- them. Some large sites are associat-
a security technology that replaces lers), which are Modbus servers in ing their reliability-critical assets
one or more layers of firewalls in a TCP (transmission control protocol) with smaller control network seg-
defense-in-depth architecture. The parlance. The data are sent over the ments. These sites manage the plant-
technology consists of both hardware unidirectional hardware using custom wide network in much the same way
and software. protocols. The RX software on the out- as their corporate network. These
The hardware is a pair of network side network populates replica servers sites deploy the gateways deeper into
appliances called gateways, con- with the data. Users on the outside the defensive architecture, replac-
nected by a short fiber-optic cable. networks access the data they need ing either the firewalls protecting
The transmit (TX) gateway contains by connecting to the replica servers. individual DCSs (distributed control
34 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
systems), or sometimes the firewalls site, and none other, will never appear reliability-critical change control im-
at the perimeter of safety and protec- on a signatures list. Application con- peratives are put in charge of security
tion systems. trol simply blocks all software that is programs. This confusion is becoming
In principle, safety and protection not explicitly approved to run, assum- commonplace, as the trend is toward
systems really should not be connected ing that everything new or changed consolidating operations network en-
to control networks or plant networks is forbidden, no matter whether the gineering and cybersecurity teams
at all. These systems should be as software comes from a USB stick or a with corporate IT teams under a sin-
safe from outside interference, and network connection. gle CIO/CSO executive.
as tightly change-controlled, as pos- The allow only known good soft- CIOs need to start asking their IT
sible. In practice, there is enormous ware approach is a good match for security experts the same questions
value in monitoring all equipment at a change-controlled networks. On such that operations teams are asking
site, including the health and activity networks, every unauthorized, un- those experts: how likely is it that
of safety systems. Connecting these tested change is a threat to safety and this change youre proposing will kill
systems to networks via firewalls is reliability. Application control adds one of us? CIOs need to start ask-
dangerous. Making data from safety extra steps to the software deploy- ing which operations-specific security
and protection systems available to ment process, but these are exactly technologies these experts are consid-
outside consumers using hardware- the steps that change-controlled en- ering, or if they are simply assuming
enforced unidirectional gateways is vironments demand. The extra steps that confidentiality-protecting tech-
much safer. validate the changed software, add it nologies will somehow also work to
to allowed lists, and send those lists protect safety and reliability.
Application control to equipment where it is safe to ex- CEOs need to start asking their
An infected USB stick could still be ecute the new software. CIOs what they are doing to protect
carried into the industrial network. Application control is recognized in the safety and reliability of the plants
To protect this soft interior of con- the new CIP V5 standards protecting controlled by the industrial systems
trol system networks, industrial sites the power sector. It is supported by those CIOs now have authority over.
are starting to deploy application con- a growing number of control system What programs are in place to ensure
trol software, or whitelisting as it is vendors, and is starting to be deployed that leading-edge safety-preserving
sometimes called, to protect the inte- in control systems in many sectors. and reliability-preserving technologies
rior of industrial networks. These sys- The vendors who are most mature in and approaches are in place, in addi-
tems are effective at controlling the terms of their adoption of this tech- tion to the confidentiality-preserving
execution of software, not just from nology are the device vendors. A good systems the CIOs have known about
hard drives on industrial systems, but number of modern PLCs and other in- for decades?
also software coming in via USB sticks dustrial devices are based on realtime SCADA security is difficult. Blindly
and other removable media as well. Windows-operating-system variants of applying conventional IT security so-
Application control systems work one sort or another. These vendors are lutions to safety-critical and reliabil-
by producing a list of software that embracing the application control ap- ity-critical systems is a costly under-
is allowed to run on a protected com- proach because their embedded Win- taking, and the constant change that
puter. This list may include names, dows systems are seen as uniquely comes with such programs increases,
signatures, cryptographic checksums vulnerable. These systems often can- rather than decreases, the risk of
and other characteristics. When a pro- not be updated to the latest Microsoft plant outages. While cybersecurity
gram asks to run another program, or security updates in a timely way, and for industrial control systems is not
to load a library, the application con- so benefit disproportionately from the easy, it is do-able, provided we keep
trol subsystem springs into action. strong security protections offered by safety and reliability priorities fore-
Application control asks the question application-control systems. most in our minds.
is the requested software allowed to Edited by Dorothy Lozowski
run? by checking the characteristics Looking forward
of the software against the allowed The SCADA/ICS security picture is a Author
Andrew Ginter is the vice
list. If there is a match, the software complex one. This article has focused president of Industrial Se-
is allowed to run. If there is no match, on emerging trends rather than mea- curity at Waterfall Security
Solutions (Calgary, Alberta,
then this software has never been seen sures that most sites are deploying Canada; Email: andrew.
before, and is not permitted to run. routinely, such as using physical se- ginter@waterfall-security.
com; Website: www.waterfall-
Contrast this with anti-virus sys- curity as a compensating measure security.com). He spent 25
years leading the develop-
tems, which generate lists of millions for control system vulnerabilities, or ment of control-system soft-
of signatures, trying to identify spe- using additional layers of firewalls ware products, control-system
middleware products, and
cific pieces of malware that should as a compensating measure for plain- industrial cybersecurity products. Ginter rep-
never be allowed to run. New malware text communications. resents Waterfall on ISA-SP99, NERC-CIP and
other cybersecurity standards bodies, and writes
exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities SCADA security programs can be- and speaks frequently on industrial cybersecu-
takes time to appear on the list. Cus- come very confused when IT experts rity topics. He holds a B.Sc. in applied mathe-
matics and an M.Sc. in computer science, both
tom malware that is used to attack one not familiar with safety-critical or from the University of Calgary (Alta., Canada).

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 35


Feature Report

Lifecycle Costs for Equipment

Capital Equipment
In the CPI Operation
Lifecycle
cost
Maintenance

Longterm equipment costs


need to be fully considered Decommis-
sioning

in capital-cost assessments
FIGURE 1. Initial capital costs alone
are too often the primary criteria for se-
Jeff Hoffmann lecting process equipment
Paul O. Abbe

W
hen considering project pro- ment parts available for both routine Lifecycle cost
posals for new processes in and non-routine maintenance? The purpose of lifecycle-cost (LCC)
the chemical process indus- analysis is to make informed deci-
tries (CPI), capital equip- Minimizing total cost sions based on available alternatives
ment costs often become the primary The emphasis on total operating in order to achieve the most economi-
focus. The purpose of this article is costs over the life of a process does cal process from inception to decom-
to provide a detailed examination of not imply that the initial equipment missioning. LCC takes into account
the total cost of process equipment costs are unimportant. On the con- the design, equipment selection, op-
and the implications that the initial trary, it is precisely the investment eration, maintenance and final dis-
equipment cost has for longterm costs in the correct equipment in the first position costs of a project over its
over the full life of the process. place that is to be examined. The pur- lifespan. LCC is useful for engineers
Aside from equipment costs, other pose of the procurement of process in justifying equipment and process
critical costs to consider include, op- equipment is to perform a particular design based on total costs rather
eration, maintenance and decommis- function within a unit operation. The than the initial purchase price of
sioning (Figure 1). Also, since a pro- goal is not the purchase of a particu- equipment alone.
cess generates revenue only when it lar piece of equipment. If we add the Procurement strategies focused on
is operating, downtime must be added dimension of time, then our defini- lowest initial costs are more likely
to the total costs. When the whole life- tion for process equipment becomes to lead to higher longterm costs. We
time of a process is considered, equip- a piece of equipment that performs a are often directed to reduce costs and
ment costs may account for as little as specific function under various con- work within budgets. In the short run,
510% of the total cost (Figure 2). ditions over a prescribed period of this approach can make us and our
There are a number of questions time. Therefore, we should not focus department appear efficient. How-
that should be considered before mov- on equipment with the lowest initial ever, the lower initial capital costs
ing ahead with projects. How should cost, but rather on the realistic long- may come with maintenance or other
you define the product output, quality, term cost of that purchase. problems that eventually will be real-
unit operations, support equipment In the early 1980s, Edward Deming ized by the company shareholders in
and profitability? Who is responsible the father of quality management the coming years and decades. LCC
for operating and maintaining the stated that organizations should can help avoid unnecessary downtime
process? Do the demands for process end the practice of awarding business and help make a process more com-
performance conflict with operating on the basis of price tag alone and, in- petitive and profitable. At the very
and maintenance realities? What is stead, minimize the total cost. This least, an LCC analysis may prompt
the likelihood that the equipment sentiment is consistent with evaluat- engineers to consider a wider range
will operate trouble-free? Are replace- ing lifecycle cost. of possibilities.
36 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
Installation Environmental
5% 3%
Flush water Process
7% requirements
Downtime
32%

Subcontract
Decommissioning Define unit
all or part of
8% operations
process

Supplier Define
designs equipment
Capital costs
9%

Installation

Operating cost
9% Operation Anticipate
Electric downtime risk
13%
Causes of failure
Maintenance Equipment design
14%
Proper operation
FIGURE 2. Initial capital costs represent a small fraction of the total lifecycle costs Maintenance
Maintenance
for process equipment. The graph depicts the case of a worst case situation with Parts availability
considerable downtime costs (see Table 1, scenario 1, p. 41)

Decom-
The remainder of this article pres- Maintenance costs mission
ents a more-or-less qualitative view Decommissioning costs
of the LCC analysis process and the These components are further subdi- FIGURE 3. The LCC analysis process
elements that go into LCC. The Fur- vided (Figure 4). shown here is designed to minimize total
ther reading list at the end of the cost, even if initial capital costs are higher
article refers readers to several more STEPS IN LCC ANALYSIS
analytic versions of LCC, includ- LCC considers everything in the life tem be modified to accommodate in-
ing Weibull analysis, risk-based cost of a process, starting with a definition creased output of product, changes
analysis, Monte Carlo modeling, and of the process, its unit operations, and in formulation or the addition of a
other what-if analyses. the equipment required to fulfill those step in the process?
The main goals of LCC are: 1) To unit operations, as well as operating Quantify waste. What percent of
identify risks to process operation costs, maintenance costs and finally waste is acceptable? What is the cost
and efficiency; 2) Quantify these risks decommissioning costs. The following of waste disposal? How can waste be
in terms of downtime; and 3) Deter- are the major steps involved in deter- minimized by a change in the pro-
mine how to avoid these risks and mining LCC. cess? Can off-specification product
subsequent losses early in the design be reprocessed or sold off-spec to a
of the system (Figure 3). Assess process requirements. different market?
Tasks to consider when undertaking a
LCC for the CPI new process include the following: Define unit operations
Of all the industries and all the types Determine present and future ca- This step involves identifying the unit
of manufacturing plants in the world, pacity for the product operations and types of equipment re-
it is safe to say that the process in- Anticipate the lifetime of the pro- quired by the process.
dustries are some of the most variable cess. Some processes may have a Subcontract. Subcontracting one or
and complex. With more than 70 mil- lifespan of anywhere from a year or more operations in a process is some-
lion identifiable chemicals and a near- two to decades. Anticipating process thing often overlooked, but can in-
infinite number of combinations, and lifetime will either concentrate or crease cost efficiencies and flexibility.
given the number of unit operations extend cost impacts and affect the Few manufacturers of process equip-
possible, there are many opportuni- long-term maintenance and reliabil- ment manufacture everything mo-
ties to examine process costs. The four ity of the process tors, gear drives and bearings are not
primary components involved in the Define product quality based on cus- manufactured in-house. Likewise,
LCC are: tomer requirements chemical companies do not manufac-
Capital equipment costs Determine process flexibility. How ture all of their raw materials, nor
Operating costs easily can the equipment and sys- do they necessarily perform all tasks
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 37
Feature Report

in-house. Subcontracting is, for most


businesses, a matter of degree rather Equipment
than a yes-or-no decision. Some steps sizing and design features

in a process may not be cost-effective Pipes, valves, Installation


fitting, electrical rigging
to execute in-house. For example, permits
high-pressure reactors, spray-drying Foundations
and structure
or packaging may best be outsourced Warranties
operations, at least until the opera-
tion grows and the investment can be
Equipment
better justified.
Continuous, batch or a combina- Preventative
Operation
tion. The decision for a continuous or supervision
maintenance

batch process (or a combination of the Raw monitoring Maintenance


material training
two) is sometimes dictated by the pro- supply
cess, and sometimes optional. Within Lifecycle Unexpected
Waste stream Operation Maintenance failure
this decision, a set of factors should treatment and
cost maintenance
be considered: disposal
Continuous process operations can Utilities:
Parts supply
chain
Gases
often have much higher output electric, N2, CO2
Parts
gas, water inventory
and may require less equipment,
but they may have more vari- Decommis-
ability in quality and reworking sioning
off-spec product in a continuous
process may be difficult Dismantling
FIGURE 4. Each of Demolition
Batch operations may require more the four main LCC and removal
Sell or scrap
storage and intermediate buffer components can be Cleanup equipment
tanks and larger equipment, but further broken down
into speciic cost Waste disposal
they have the advantage of con- (including contaminated
factors pipe, insulation,
sistency and often have a better and so on)
chance to re-work off-spec product
Storage strategy. In anticipation of
routine or emergency shutdown, a stor-
age strategy should be created. Can the tions. Discuss your requirements with be better cleaned manually. Also,
finished product be stored and, if so, equipment manufacturers and gather it is important to understand what
can the downstream process or packag- information on: performance; design; level of operator exposure to product
ing accommodate a surge in capacity? options; installation; foundation and and cleaning chemicals is acceptable.
Process bottlenecks. Which aspects support requirements; utility require- Other options might include mainte-
of the process have the most variation? ments; mean-time between failures; nance-reducing features, such as ad-
For example, liquid mixing is fairly and recommended spare parts for ditional access hatches, sight glasses
consistent, whereas solids drying can the first few years of operation. This and lights, split seals and bearings
vary considerably with particle size. is also the time to start gathering in- and replaceable wear liners.
Does a dryer need excess capacity? formation on refurbished and used
Evaporator capacity can fall off quickly equipment (discussed later). The steps Equipment installation
due to tube fouling either on the prod- are as follows: Installation costs may equal or exceed
uct or heat-transfer-fluid side. In the 1) Identify suppliers and dealers for equipment costs, depending on the size
example on page 39 (Figure 5), the new versus used versus reconditioned and complexity of the equipment. An
performance of the evaporator falling equipment. Identify alternate designs important consideration during the
below 600 gal/hr can be the result of (for example, shell-and-tube versus layout and installation of equipment
scale build-up or fouling. Investing in plate-and-frame heat exchanger, or is the accessibility to allow preventive
a water demineralization system may fluid-bed versus vacuum dryer). maintenance and future repair. Suffi-
be worthwhile if the bottleneck affects 2) Identify design features that may cient space must be provided for the
productivity and profitability. Like- improve product quality, increase up- extraction of shafts, rotors and motors,
wise, too large an evaporator with low time and reduce maintenance. These as well as to provide access to seals and
velocity may be more prone to fouling. might include automatic lubrication, bearings. Overhead structure should
Bigger is not always better. and monitoring devices for vibration, allow for portable hoisting chains or
over-temperature and low-level pro- permanently installed hoists.
Define required equipment tection. Evaluate whether a clean-in- Although not routine, anticipating
Process equipment has many varia- place (CIP) system would be cost-effec- the removal of large pieces of equip-
tions in basic design and design op- tive, or whether the equipment would ment should not be made impossible
38 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
FIGURE 5. What are the availability of stan-
1,100 Certain aspects dard parts?
of a process
Minimum
have higher
What is the availability of special
1,000 Design non-standard parts?
potential to
present process What is the cost to purchase and
900 bottlenecks than stock the recommended parts?
others Will your OEM put consigned stock
gal/hr

800 in your facility? What is involved in


administering consigned stock? Are
700 you prepared to safely store and pro-
tect the parts?
600 What is the cost to stock parts for
catastrophic failures? Some large
500 parts, such as motors, gear drives or
Mixer/ Evaporator Packaging
Metering reactor centrifuge scrolls and bowls, can take
pumps Filtration Dehydrator weeks or months to obtain. The low
probability of failure may be offset by
the very long lead times and may re-
quire investment in costly parts that
by physical constraints. Without clear industry, have to dispose of waste prod- may sit on the shelf for years.
access, preventative maintenance uct or waste streams from washing, off- Is maintenance staff knowledgeable
may suffer and repair time may be ex- specification product or simply contami- and prepared to identify symptoms
tended. Factors involved in the instal- nated water coming from a wash step. of failure early, and diagnose and
lation cost may include the following: repair issues quickly and correctly
Machine foundations Maintenance the first time? Check with the OEM
Accessibility for maintenance and Generally, maintenance can be classi- for guidance and training. Do you
repair fied into two types: preventative and have the installation and operat-
Support structures and mezzanines repair. Some failures occur randomly ing manuals on file? Have they been
Piping, valves and fittings and cannot be predicted, but other thoroughly reviewed?
Instrumentation failures occur as a result of a lack of What are the anticipated preventa-
Electrical controls preventative maintenance (PM). tive maintenance intervals?
Monitoring equipment PM is an area that has evolved into a What is the expected time between
Electrical switchgear service that can be subcontracted and failures for components like seals,
may be economical when considering and bearings, and the expected time
Operation the total longterm value provided. PM between belt adjustments and filter
Operation and maintenance are two companies often have superior knowl- replacements?
areas that are critical to avoiding edge of pumps, drives, lubrication and Should all or some PM be out-
downtime and both are affected by routine maintenance issues, including sourced?
equipment selection, design and oper- good record keeping. The PM record Does the OEM offer PM services?
ating procedures. keeping can also help support any What is the repair turnaround time
If the equipment was sized prop- warranty claims and avoid disputes for a specific failure?
erly, there should be no reason to op- with original equipment manufactur-
erate it beyond safe design capacities. ers (OEMs). The cost of subcontracting Decommissioning
Many types of equipment are tested PM must be considered against the The concept of decommissioning is
at, or designed for 150 to 200% of the benefits of avoiding downtime. Parts not something most engineers tend
rated capacity, but operating at these availability is important in avoiding to consider as they are designing a
capacities may risk shortening the downtime both for PM and unexpected plant, but some plants will have finite
life of the equipment. Other aspects failures. Questions to consider in hav- lives of just a few years due to licens-
of operation costs include the train- ing parts available when required are ing agreements, patents, changes in
ing of operations personnel, utilities the following: markets or plans to shift to overseas
(electricity, gas, water, steam and Do you know the supply chain for production in the future.
cooling tower capacity) and the time the parts you need? Planning for decommissioning a
that the equipment is offline for pre- Do you know your OEM parts and process plant can vary from simple
ventative maintenance. service contacts? tear-down and selling of equipment
The costs of raw materials, water Are you considering non-OEM or to preparing for a sophisticated de-
treatment (demineralizing, pH adjust- counterfeit parts? contamination procedure. Chemical
ment), purge gas (N2, CO2) and waste Do you have a recommend parts list process equipment has special con-
disposal are also key operations costs. for each machine for the first few siderations that can increase the cost
Most CPI processes, even in the food years of operation? of decommissioning. Not only will
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 39
Feature Report

discover failure Obtain


and remove Teardown Dagnosis Repair Restart Monitor
parts
from service

FIGURE 6. Downtime represents one of


the most signiicant and costly issues
for many processes
5 $500 $5,000 $50,000 $500,000 $5,000,000
waste material have to be disposed
of, but piping, insulation and floor-
ing may have to be decontaminated
4 $400 $4,000 $40,000 $400,000 $4,000,000
Events per year
or treated as hazardous waste.
Other costs of decommissioning
include dismantling of equipment,
3 $300 $3,000 $30,000 $300,000 $3,000,000
waste disposal of chemicals (unused
chemicals, water-treatment and
cleaning chemicals, as well as those
2 $200 $2,000 $20,000 $200,000 $2,000,000
in above- and below-ground tanks,
evaporation ponds and contaminated
pipes).
1 $100 $1,000 $10,000 $100,000 $1,000,000
Costs of downtime
Process downtime is one of the most $100 $1,000 $10,000 $100,000 $1,000,000
significant and costly issues for many Cost of event
processes. To properly take into ac-
count the costs of downtime over the
life of the process, engineers must FIGURE 7. A matrix can help quantify the costs of downtime in a process
estimate how much cost is accrued if
the process fails, either in whole or in
part. Further, once it fails, the ques- One factor with a great impact on re- the 10-year life of the process, the sav-
tion becomes how long will it take to ducing downtime is the availability of ing is $890,000.
restore operation? parts. The parts may be common, such Those examples represent the costs
In terms of equipment selection and as O-rings or gaskets, seals or bearings, of just one critical unit operation and
design, which equipment and design or they may be less common, such as one design feature. When consider-
features will be less likely to cause pump housings or drive shafts. ing similar analyses across an entire
downtime? Which will be most eas- If a complete shutdown costs plant, the cost savings can be sub-
ily maintained? How quickly can an $100,000 per day, the expected fre- stantial. The conclusion of the above
expected failure be repaired so the quency of a catastrophic shutdown is that a relatively small upfront in-
equipment can be put back in service? three times per year is a total of vestment may save considerable cost
The risks and costs of process down- $300,000. For a non-critical failure in the long run.
time can be considered in a semi- that reduces productivity, but does
quantitative form by examining the not shut down the process entirely, NEW, USED, REFURBISHED?
likelihood of an event occurring in a an event cost of $50,000, with a fre- There is a saying that all process
given time period and the cost per unit quency of five times per year would plants run on used equipment, and
time of that failure. total $250,000 (Figure 7). that is true. The LCC analysis is not
The following examples (Figure 8 prejudiced with regard to used or re-
Downtime Cost = frequency of
and Table 1) emphasize maintenance furbished equipment LCC considers
failure/year
training and parts availability in the the balance of downtime prevention
x downtime/days
prevention of downtime. Suppose the and investment in equipment and pre-
x $ losses/day
additional cost of training and parts ventative maintenance. If you know
Downtime starts with the failure of is $80,000. With downtime cost at your process requirements and have
the equipment and stops when it is $20,000 per day, the investment of the resources to keep used equipment
put back in service. Better mainte- $80,000 saved $86,000 compared to functioning as reliably as necessary,
nance training can reduce the diagno- without the training and parts after then used or refurbished equipment
sis and repair time significantly. The just one outage event. is the right choice. There are several
basic sequence is the discovery of a In a second example, a $70,000 design LCC issues to consider when deciding
failure, followed by teardown, diagno- feature reduces downtime by making a between new, refurbished and used
sis, obtaining parts, repair, restart and routine and expected part replacement equipment.
monitoriing (Figure 6). faster, from three days to one day. Over Not all buyers are in a position to
40 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
Downtime Costs
Dwell time, days
$250,000
Sequential Scenario Scenario Annual
step Event Preventative action cost
1 2
1 Discover failure 1 0.1 Maintenance training $ 30,000
$200,000
2 Teardown 1 0.5 Maintenance training
3 Diagnosis 1 0.5 Maintenance training
4 Accquire parts 5 0.1 Parts in stock $ 50,000 $150,000
5 Repair 1 0.5 Maintenance training
6 Re-start 1 0.5 Maintenance training
$100,000
7 Monitor 1 0.5 Maintenance training
Total days of downtime 11 2.7 $ 80,000
Investment in training $50,000
$0 $80,000
and parts
Downtime cost $20,000/day $220,000 $54,000
Total $220,000 $134,000 $0
Scenario Scenario
1 2
Additional cost of
$86,000
lack of preparation

FIGURE 8. Different downtime scenarios for availability of parts and other factors can yield variable costs

TABLE 1. THE IMPACT OF VARYING DOWNTIME COSTS


Scenario 1 Year
High-pressure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
reactor mixer
Initial capital costs $380,000 $380,000
Installation and $230,000 $230,000
commissioning
Utilities - electric $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $600,000
($0.12/kwh)
- flush water ($0.04/gal.) $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $300,000
Operating costs $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $400,000
(normal supervision)
Maintenance costs $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $600,000
Downtime costs $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $144,000 $1,440,000
($48,000/d x 3 d)
Environmental costs $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000
$13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $130,000
Decommissioning $350,000 $360,000
Total $347,000 $347,000 $347,000 $347,000 $347,000 $347,000 $347,000 $347,000 $347,000 $697,000 $4,430,000

Scenario 2 Year
High-pressure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
reactor mixer
Initial capital costs $380,000 $450,000
Split seal and bearing $70,000
option
Installation and $230,000 $230,000
commissioning
Utilities - electric $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $600,000
($0.12/kWh)
- flush water ($0.04/gal) $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $300,000
Operating costs $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $400,000
(normal supervision)
Maintenance costs $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $600,000
Downtime costs $48,000 $48,000 $48,000 $48,000 $148,000 $48,000 $48,000 $48,000 $48,000 $48,000 $480,000
($48,000/d x 1 d)
Environmental costs $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000
$13,000 $13,000 $13,000 $130,000
Decommissioning $350,000 $350,000
Total $931,000 $251,000 $251,000 $251,000 $251,000 $251,000 $251,000 $251,000 $251,000 $601,000 $3,540,000

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 41


Feature Report

purchase new equipment be- TABLE 2. COMPARISON OF NEW, USED AND REFURBISHED EQUIPMENT
cause of cost considerations New Refurbished Used
or time. Used equipment may Application Application definition Limited Limited to none
also be the appropriate alter- assistance and machine design
native when time is a con- Design fea- Unlimited Some variations or None (whatever is
sideration, either in terms of tures modifications possible in stock)
delivery or usage. Used equip- as part of the rebuild
process
ment is frequently available
Delivery 48 months 12 months Immediate
for immediate delivery, com-
pared to the relatively long Price 100% 4050% of new 2040% of new
lead times that are typical Mechanical 12 months from instal- 90 days to a few None (as is)
of new capital equipment. In warranty lation or 18 months
from shipment
months
these cases, used equipment
Right to return None None 1030 days
may provide the optimal al-
Parts In-stock or readily The fact that the unit Call OEM and find
ternative (Table 2). availability available is being refurbished out how available
The following scenarios indicates that parts parts are before pur-
favor the purchasing of used are available from the chasing. Parts avail-
or refurbished equipment: OEM. Variable parts ability diminishes
When price is of prime im- availability with time
portance because of invest- Aftermarket Complete technical Limited None
technical support
ment limitations support
When the equipment is
needed immediately for an
emerging market tant to be sure you can obtain parts acquire equipment that will accommo-
When the equipment will be used when needed, especially if the OEM date your process.
for a limited time, such as a feasibil- is located in another country. Trying Mechanical warranty. Mechanical
ity study or short-production run for to get parts for an overseas machine warranties are a certainty with new
a special product or market made 30 years ago, for example, may equipment, but their real purpose
When the equipment can be eco- be a challenge. Is the company still should not be overestimated. Warran-
nomically modified to fit the pur- in business? Where are their foreign ties are not substitutes for proper op-
pose. This will have a lot to do with offices? Some resourceful companies eration or preventative maintenance
your ability to refurbish and main- have recognized a gap in the supply and should not be construed as pro-
tain the equipment chain and decided to manufacture cess guarantees. Mechanical warran-
When the process is routine, low parts for older domestic or foreign ties provide benefits especially during
output or low risk. Infrequently equipment. Once you find them, you the initial startup period. If faults
run equipment will have more op- may be in good shape. arise, they will likely occur during the
portunity for PM and will be more Aftermarket technical support. initial warranty period.
forgiving With new equipment, the availabil- Avoid surprises and disappointment
ity of good aftersale support is almost by verifying the specifics of the warran-
Aftermarket support assured. But when purchasing used ties before purchasing.
Most companies that manufacture equipment, the OEM may or may not Delivery timing. The delivery time
process equipment would rather sell provide adequate technical support. for used equipment is typically just
new, but most are quite pleased to Find out if drawings, manuals and days, while new equipment will likely
support their older equipment. parts lists are available. They may be months.
Not every company has the same charge $500 to $1,000 for these docu- Design features. Within limits, new
business model. It is important to ments, but it is a good investment to equipment can be outfitted with vir-
know your equipment and the parts ensure you have the right information tually every manner of control, CIP
supply chain. on hand. systems, quick access to internal
The following are some areas of com- Application assistance. There is no parts, and other features to improve
parison that must be considered when doubt that a new equipment manufac- productivity and uptime. Used equip-
deciding between new, refurbished or turer has a vested interest in guiding ment is sold as-is, so you will either
used equipment: you toward the correct equipment for need to find a good match or compro-
Aftermarket parts. This is a very- your application. Due to the nature of mise on the features you would like
important consideration for mainte- chemical processing, subtle changes to have. Refurbished equipment may
nance and repair turnaround time. in product characteristics can have present some opportunities for up-
No matter if you are considering new significant effects on the process and grades and modifications.
or used equipment, you should con- the equipment, which is why process Price. New equipment is not expen-
tact the OEM to find out the avail- guarantees are very rare. It is in the sive if you buy into Edward Demings
ability of parts. It is especially impor- best interest of the OEM to help you idea that you are purchasing total
42 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
value. If you only consider price, then is made and work is undertaken. erating, maintenance and decommis-
new equipment may appear to be more Most used equipment dealers will sioning costs. The other major longterm
costly. LCC is blind to new versus used allow equipment returns within 10 to cost is the cost of downtime compared to
equipment, so let the risk data fall 30 days if it does not work as antici- investments in training, preventative
where they may. pated. All dealers differ, so it is impor- maintenance and spare parts. Lifecycle
Right to return. With new equip- tant to ask specifically before making cost analysis can be done in a rudimen-
ment, once you have placed the the purchase. tary fashion or it can employ complex
order, you are essentially committed what-if algorithms, but in either case,
to the equipment. Backing out after Concluding remarks the benefits of taking a broader view of
the initial deposit has been made Understanding the lifecycle costs of one the factors that may impact the long-
will have some definite costs. If you piece of equipment or an entire process term cost of a process will benefit you
buy refurbished equipment, you requires examining not just the cost of and your company.
are also committed once a deposit the capital equipment, but also the op- Edited by Scott Jenkins

Author
Further reading Jeff Hoffmann is a vice
Hydrocarbon Processing Industries, Fourth president at Paul O. Abbe
Abernethy, Robert B. The New Weibull Handbook Co, (735 East Green Street,
(4th ed.). North Palm Beach, Fla., 2002. International Conference on Process Plant
Reliability, Gulf Publishing Company, Bensonville, IL 60106; Phone:
Landers, Richard R. Product Assurance Diction- Houston, Tex., 1995. 630-258-4720; Email: jhoff-
ary, Marlton Publishers, Marlton, N.J., 1996. mann@pauloabbe.com). Hoff-
Goble, William M. Evaluating Control Systems mann has an educational
Bloch, Heinz P. and Fred K. Geitner. Practi- Reliability, Instrument Society of America, background in chemistry and
cal Machinery Management for Process Research Triangle Park, N.C., 1992. a M.S. in industrial and orga-
Plants,Volume 2: Machinery Failure Analysis nizational psychology. During
and Troubleshooting, 2nd Edition, Gulf Pub- Ireson, W. Grant, Clyde F. Coombs Jr., Richard the past 20 years, Hoffmann
lishing Company, Houston, Tex. 1994 Y. Moss. Handbook of Reliability Engineer- has held sales, marketing and
ing and Management, 2nd edition, McGraw- executive positions at several process equipment
Bloch, Heinz P. and Fred K. Geitner. Simplified Hill, New York, 1996. companies. He also holds six U.S. patents for
Life-Cycle Cost Computations Applied in the various process equipment designs.

Circle 2 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-02
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 43
Process P&ID PFD

Feature Report
Engineering Practice Revise Revise
Process datasheet P&ID PFD
(PDS)

Getting the Most Mechanical

Out of Data Sheets Instrumentation


and control

Electrical

Data sheets should function as the central document


to guide the procurement process Datasheet (DS)

Mohammad Toghraei the instruments and control software.


Engrowth Training The electrical group is responsible for
designing and buying electrical items

F
or most engineering-procure- such as electric motors. When it comes Requistion package
ment-construction (EPC) proj- to piping, the piping group does not
ects in the chemical process in- necessarily design the piping items
dustries (CPI), the data sheets per se, but this group is responsible
developed at the beginning of the pro- for buying standard and off-the-shelf
Vendors Proposals
cess provide the shopping lists that piping components. Typically, the pip-
guide the procurement group on the ing group provides a list of available
purchase of equipment, system pack- pipes, valves and fittings, and the de- FIGURE 1. This low chart shows how
a given data sheet may work its way
ages, instruments and more. Data sign engineer selects the most suitable
through the different disciplines. Eventu-
sheets should function as the central items from those piping-specification ally, completed data sheets will guide the
document, into which all final result document. discussion with vendors, and the data
of design or specification calculations For the piping items that are listed from the inal revised data sheet will be
will be transferred, to commence the and specified in the piping-specifica- used to update other key documents,
such as the process low diagram (PFD)
procurement process. tion documents, there is no need to and the P&ID.
During the operation of the facility, prepare separate data sheets for them.
well-crafted data sheets will be used However, there may be some items that and switching valves, is prepared by
as key reference documents. They can will be installed on or in the piping but the process group first. Then, the I&C
also provide crucial information dur- that are not listed in the piping-speci- group completes the data sheet by
ing debottleneck and retrofitting proj- fication documents. These include spe- adding information that is required to
ects on existing plants. cialty items, such as strainers, injec- make the purchase.
There are usually five disciplines tion quills and more. These are items However, the data sheet for the of-
that deal with tangible goods (such that are not typically standardized in fline elements of control systems such
as equipment or instruments) in an the piping-specification document and as transmitters and indicators can be
EPC project. They are the mechanical thus must be described in a data sheet. initiated by the I&C group, by using
group, the instrumentation-and-con- As a result, the data sheet should be process data that was already pro-
trol (I&C) group, the piping group, the provided for all specialty items. vided by the process group for the rel-
electrical group and the civil group. As noted, the process group is the evant primary elements. For example,
Another group the process group only group that is not the owner (and an I&C engineer can prepare the data
does not typically manage the pur- buyer) of any tangible items. How- sheet for a flow transmitter based on
chasing of items. Rather, the process ever, this group is often the first group the information that was provided on
group is principally responsible for that does the preliminary design of the flowmeter data sheet.
designs and specifications. They dont items required by almost all other
own any tangible goods (such as disciplines, the process group is often Equipment data sheets
equipment or instruments) and thus, responsible to start preparing data The amount of information on any
they usually dont manage the pro- sheets for equipment components and given data sheet can vary greatly
curement process. systems, instruments, specialty items from a few sentences on information
Each of these groups is generally the and even process-related civil items. in a call-out box showing the equip-
owner and buyer of certain items However, not all the data sheets ment components in P&ID up to infor-
required by the project or facility. For start with the process group. For ex- mation in the equipment-specification
example, the mechanical group is the ample, some purely mechanical items document. The information in that
owner and buyer (working through (such as gear boxes) might start with datasheet should be more in-depth
the procurement group) of equipment mechanical group. than the information in the call-out
components. The I&C group is re- Usually the data sheet for inline ele- box but definitely more brief than the
sponsible for design and purchase of ments, such as sensors, control valves information in the equipment-specifi-
44 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
EQUIPMENT TYPES FOR WHICH STANDARD DATA SHEET TEMPLATES
ARE AVAILABLE
Equipment Industry standard
Centrifugal pumps API-610, ASME B73.1, B73.2 Heating Bundle
Controlled volume (PD) pumps API-675
Heat exchangers, S&T API-660 Replacement
Centrifugal compressors API-617
Steam turbines API-611
Rotary pumps API-676
Reciprocating pumps API-674

cation document (which may be a few the communication and discussion


pages long). with vendors, and the data from the
Data sheets can be classified based final revision of the data sheet must
on the level of detail that design en- ultimately be used to update other key
gineers are willing to show on them, documents, such as the process flow
according to two types: diagram (PFD) and the P&ID.
1. Black box (functional) data sheets In the second method, an estab-
2. Conventional (detailed) data sheets lished data sheet can be used as a
In black box (functional) data sheets, generic template, allowing all of the
the design engineer basically defines blank cells to be filled out by the dif-
what the feed is and what the required ferent disciplines. The second method
product will be. Additional data, such is more suitable for cases where the
as the utility consumption table and company is already fully aware of the
possibly assigned footprint area could detail of the equipment or package
be added to black box data sheets, they plan to buy. In this method, there
s
Liquid
too. Using this type of data sheet, the is no separate PDS or MDS and no in-
vendor has the flexibility to select and terim data sheets.

to m
design different types of systems that For standard equipment such as
could meet the requirements of the cli- pumps and heat exchangers, a variety
ent. of data sheet templates can be found
Conventional (detailed) data sheets in the respective standards. The Table
are those that include all the detailed shows a non-inclusive example of the
information that is needed for the types of data sheet templates that can Reconditioning & capacity
vendor to design the requested equip- be found in the industry standards.
increasing of your
ment. These offer less room for vendor/ For less popular or custom-made
manufacturer creativity. equipment, the primary template existing evaporator
could be found in different techni- system
Data sheet templates cal books. For instance, Ref. [1] offers
There are generally two ways to de- a good collection of equipment data Production of heating
velop data sheets. In the first method, sheets. If a package is to be bought,
the process group starts with the the design engineer should develop
bundles in own workshops
data sheet (specifically, a process data tailor-made data sheets.
sheet, or PDS). This group does the Turn-key performance by
work to create the first version of a Avoid poor practices skilled and experienced
data sheet, and then the individual The process of preparing strong, rel- specialists
disciplines amend and revise that evant data sheets will be improved by
data sheet to add relevant, discipline- avoiding the following poor practices:
specific information. The group then 1. Using TBD (to be determined)
issues the final data sheet to the en- notations. If the TBD convention is to
gineering discipline, which is respon- be used as a place-holder until final
sible for the procurement activities details can be gathered, be sure to fol-
(through the procurement group). For low up to make sure the missing infor-
example, in preparing the data sheet mation is provided in suitable time.
for equipment, the mechanical group 2. Using by vendor in places that the
will issue the final (amended) version data should really be provided by the
of the data sheet, which could then be client or engineering company. To be system solutions
named mechanical data sheet (MDS). more specific, all of the boundary in- for evaporation and biopharma
Figure 1 shows a non-inclusive formation (such as pressure, tempera-
flow chart of how a given data sheet ture and so on at the edge or border of www.gigkarasek.at
may travel through the different dis- vendors scope of work) should be pro-
ciplines. As shown, the data sheets vided by the engineering company. For
will eventually be updated based on example, engineering company must Circle 11 on p. 56 or go to adlinks.che.com/45774-11

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 45


Engineering Practice

report the required pressure at the cific mechanical requirements, such ahead of time. For instance, if an MDS
edge of the package boundary. as maximum rpm or the clearance of is developed based on a PDS and the
3. Failure to clarify definitions of key the pump. It is better to cover these process group changes a number in a
terms. The engineering company and limitations in a note within the data design, should they go and reflect the
vendor should clarify the definitions of sheet rather than in the main body changes directly in the MDS, or do they
critical terms, such as normal, design, of the data sheet, because process need to start from the PDS? Similarly,
rated, maximum, design and rated ca- requirements are not the only cri- if the vendor (with the agreement of
pacities. In some companies, rated teria required to specify the rpm of the client) decided to change a num-
and design are two names for the the impeller. ber in the equipment design, should it
same concept, and maximum doesnt 7. Putting extra notes in note area. The be reflected only on MDS, or on both
necessarily mean the design param- use of notes should be avoided unless MDS and PDS. All participants should
eter. it is truly justifiable. Notes typically agree on these issues ahead of time.
4. Failure to define potential material- have several inherent issues. First, 10. Inconsistency with other docu-
compatibility and corrosion issues. they are often overlooked. Second, ments. The information on the data
There are two approaches for specify- they introduce the chance of being in sheet should be consistent with other
ing materials of construction for spe- conflict with the information in the documents that have similar content,
cific equipment components and pack- main body of the data sheet. If one such as P&ID or LDT. For example, a
ages. Using the strict approach, the data sheet has too many notes in the line-designation table (LDT) which
engineering company or client wants note area, it suggests that the selected is basically a list of all pipes in the
to have the equipment with a specific, data sheet template was not suitable plant specifies the design tempera-
stated material. In this approach, in- for the required equipment. The tem- ture and design pressure of the pipes.
stead of reporting potentially corro- plate should be designed in such a way These parameters on the data sheet
sive materials that the components that the data are mentioned in the should be matched with the parame-
may be exposed to, the material of main body of the data sheet, as much ters on the LDT. However, matching
construction should be requested di- as possible. doesnt mean the numbers should be
rectly. For example, if the team wants 8. Including too much information. identical. For instance, a designer can
to have equipment built from an acid- Putting in information that is not re- decide to put a lower design tempera-
resistant material in Region two of lated to manufacturing the equipment ture and pressure (on the instrument
NACE 175, reporting the corrosive can be confusing for the vendor. The data sheet) for a sensor in a pipe with
agents and their concentrations may engineering company should be care- higher design temperature and pres-
leave the decision open to vendor to ful to put in just the most relevant sure. This is acceptable as long as the
interpret the data and suggest sour information. For example, for a pump residual risk of this action is within
or non-sour materials. If the design data sheet, the normal and maximum tolerable range of the client.
engineers intend to leave the mate- flowrate must be specified. However, Considering the above practical
rial-selection decision on the vendor, for the pump to work in different points during the preparation and is-
they need to choose the second option, services and flowrates, the engineer- suing the data sheets will minimize
which reports corrosive or erosive spe- ing company might choose to put one the debate with vendors and decrease
cies with their concentrations. representative condition (including the number of frustrating cost-ad-
5. Using brand names instead of ge- flowrate and required head) in the ders during the project. n
neric names for required equipment pump data sheet. In such cases, the Edited by Suzanne Shelley
and packages. Brand names should be engineering company (not the vendor)
avoided as much as possible to ensure is responsible to verify whether the Reference
the fairest, most competitive bids from proposed pump can handle all of the 1. James, R.,and W. Roy Penney, James R. Fair,
Chemical Process Equipment: Selection and
all vendors. operating cases properly. Design, 2nd Ed., Gulf Professional Publish-
6. Risking errors by inserting informa- In some cases, the manufactur- ing, 2009.
tion or data that should more appro- ing company may be willing to work
priately come from other disciplines. closely to cooperate with the engineer- Author
Sometimes the boundaries between ing company if competing operating Mohammad Toghraei,
the disciplines are not very clear. In scenarios are complicated. P.Eng., is an instructor and
consultant with Engrowth
such cases, the test question should 9. Erratic management of data sheet Training (Phone: 403-808-
be Am I completely competent to pro- revisions. The procedure for revising 8264; Email: engedu.ca),
based in Calgary, Alta. He has
vide this number or information? For the data sheet during the design and more than 20 years of experi-
ence in the field of industrial
example, in pump-related data sheets, procurement process should be agreed water treatment. His primary
specifying the rpm of the impeller is to by all parties. The procedure could expertise is in the treatment
of wastewater from oil and
not generally the responsibility of the be more complicated if there are more petrochemical complexes. He
process group. However, if the pump than one data sheet for an equipment holds a B.Sc. in chemical engineering from Is-
fahan University of Technology, and an M.Sc. in
will be handling oily water or water like process data sheet (PDS) and me- environmental engineering from Tehran Univer-
with fragile, suspended solids, the chanical data sheet (MDS). All partici- sity, both in Iran. He is also a member of APEGA
(the Assn. of Professional Engineers and Geosci-
process engineer could have some spe- pants should agree on confusing issues entists of Alberta).

46 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013


Solids Processing

Rotary Valves in Pneumatic


Conveying Systems Bulk solids
inlet
Because of their wide application in pneumatic
conveying systems, it is important to understand
how rotary valves are designed and used
Line
Amrit Agarwal injector
Pneumatic Conveying Consulting
Gas Gas and
inlet solids

R
otary valves are used almost uni- size. When the rotor starts outlet
versally in pneumatic conveying to turn, the empty rotor
pockets are filled by the FIGURE 1. In a drop-through valve, the solids inlet
systems. They serve three main
and solids outlet are typically the same size and are
functions: 1) to provide a pres- solids flowing vertically vertically aligned. As the rotor turns, the empty rotor
sure-seal (airlock) between two adjacent down from a hopper above pockets are illed by solids that low vertically down
processes, 2) to provide solids metering the valve. These valves from a hopper located above the valve
(feeding) and 3) to provide a combination can have square, rectan-
of solids metering and a pressure-seal gular, or round inlets and
FIGURE 2. In a side-entry ro-
for feeding solids into a pneumatic con- outlets; the square shape
tary valve, the solids inlet and
veying system. is more common because solids outlet are typically offset
Rotary valves are common devices it provides a larger open- from the vertical low line by
for feeding solids into a pneumatic ing area compared to a 3045 degrees. This allows the
conveying pipeline, and they function round-shaped opening. upcoming empty rotor pocket
to be illed only partially as the
in different ways in different circum- In a side-entry valve rotor turns, helping to minimize
stances. For instance, rotary valves (Figure 2), the solids inlet shearing and jamming of solid
can function as follows: is offset from the vertical, particles during operation
As an airlock at locations where an solids-gravity-flow line by
air-seal is needed, such as at the end 30 deg. This offset allows the upcom- pocket, and carries the solids to the
of a pneumatic conveying system ing empty rotor pocket to fill only par- opposite end of the rotary valve and
where the conveyed solids are dis- tially when the rotor turns past the directly into the conveying line. These
charged from a receiving vessel into valve inlet. This partial filling mini- valves are used for materials that are
a storage hopper, bin or silo mizes shearing of the solid particles sticky and have difficulty in flowing
As a feeder when they are used that sometimes get trapped between out from the rotor pocket.
to discharge a fixed or a vari- the rotor and the valve housing. Par- Rotary valve construction. Rotary
able volumetric flow of solids from tial filling also prevents jamming or valves have three main components: A
an upstream process to a down- seizing of the rotor by solid particles cylindrical body with both ends closed,
stream process that sometimes becometrapped be- a horizontal rotor that rotates inside
As a combination airlock and a tween the rotor and the valve housing. this body, and a drivetrain that drives
feeder when they meter solids into a The volumetric fill efficiency of the the rotor. These components are de-
pneumatic conveying pipeline empty pocket depends on the solids scribed below:
Key aspects of how rotary valves flow properties, but it is generally Rotary valve body. The valve body is
are designed and used are discussed about 60%. These valves should have a horizontal cylinder with a top inlet
below. an adjustable slide plate in their inlet and a bottom outlet, and with vertical
Types of rotary valves. Rotary valves section to allow for the increase or de- plates to close both sides of the cylin-
are generally made in the following crease of pocket filling. der. The body is generally cast from a
three varieties: Blow-though valves are similar to metal such as cast iron, carbon steel,
1. Drop-through type drop-through valves except that they stainless steel or aluminum, although
2. Off-set or side-entry type are installed directly in the conveying other materials are used for special
3. Blow-through type line without any intermediate device. applications, such as very high tem-
In a drop-through valve (Figure 1), the In this design, the conveying gas en- peratures or highly abrasive solids.
solids inlet and outlet are vertically ters from one end of the rotary valve, All internal surfaces of the cylindri-
inline and are generally of the same blows through the emptying rotor cal body are made smooth by polish-
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 47
Solids Processing

Design Design
ing or chrome-plating because clearance clearance
smooth surfaces are needed to
maintain the required tight clear-
Pipe tap for
ances between the valve body and purging
Pipe tap for
purging
the rotor. A surface finish of 2B is (2) each end (2) each end
desirable.
The valve rotor is of welded-
steel or stainless-steel construc-
tion with eight or more pockets.
Its horizontal shaft is also steel or
stainless steel.
The entire valve is designed
to withstand the maximum and 3/4 in. 3/4 in.
minimum pressures and tempera-
tures to which the valve will be
exposed. These include both pro-
cess and ambient conditions. FIGURE 3. In an open-bottom rotary valve, FIGURE 4. Closed-bottom rotary
To maintain the required clear- solids that may have entered the clearance valves are widely used in pneumatic
ances, in locations where the between the rotor ends and valve body are al- conveying applications because they
lowed to drop out. This option is not viable for provide a good air seal between the
valve is exposed to extremely low feeding solids into positive-pressure convey- rotor edges and the valve body
temperatures (such as 40F), the ing systems, but they are suitable for vacuum-
valve body is jacketed, heated and type conveying systems, such as airlocks
insulated. The heating medium
is a heat-transfer fluid that is circu- ured inlet plow in their inlet section. that are welded at each end. Blades
lated throughout the body to maintain This plow prevents solids from enter- are welded to the shaft and also to
a constant and uniform temperature. ing the clearance between the rotor the two end-plates, thereby provid-
Alternatively, the valves can be in- and the valve housing, thereby pre- ing strength and rigidity to the rotor.
stalled inside heated enclosures that venting the resulting jamming or seiz- Closed-end rotors are, therefore, more
are provided with easy access for the ing of the rotor. The plow is V-shaped, rigid and sturdy, and are less prone to
valves inspection and maintenance. is cast or welded into the downstream flexing and bending under high dif-
In locations where temperatures side of the rotary valve inlet, and di- ferential pressures than open-ended
are not extreme, electrically heated rects the solids flow into the rotor rotors. They are used for a large va-
blankets placed over the valve body pocket. riety of materials. Open-ended rotors
can be used to maintain a uniform Rotors. Rotors are of welded construc- cost less but are more susceptible to
body temperature. tion with rectangular-shaped blades bending and rubbing with the internal
The valve bottom may have an open that are welded to a shaft. Blades are surface of the valve housing, resulting
or closed space between the rotor and evenly spaced around the rotor, form- in its wear and erosion.
the valve body. As shown in Figure 3, ing triangular pockets. The bottom In closed-end rotors, the clearance
open bottoms allow solids that may of the pockets can be flat or curved, space between the end plates and the
have entered the clearance between depending on whether the solids are valve housing is generally about
the rotor ends and the valve body to free-flowing or sticky. to in.
drop out. Open-bottom rotary valves The number of blades is at least Rotary valve drive. Rotary valves are
are unsuitable for feeding solids into eight for any size rotary valve. Large generally driven by a gear-head motor,
positive-pressure-type conveying sys- size valves, such as thouse with 4 ft3/ instead of by a separate motor and a
tems, because they allow the conveying rev. capacity or larger, can have have gear box, because this method is more
air to flow upward into the clearances, 10 or 12 blades. economical. The gear-head motor re-
thereby increasing the potential for Blade tips are generally hardened duces the output speed to about 30
conveying air leakage. These valves with stellite or tungsten carbide to re- rpm. From this motor, the rotary valve
can be used in vacuum-type convey- duce their wear. When handling coarse rotor is driven by chain and sprock-
ing systems such as airlocks, or as a solids, such as plastic pellets, tips are ets to arrive at the valve speed that
feeder. In most pneumatic convey- generally relieved at a 45-deg angle on is needed. This motor can be installed
ing applications, closed-bottom rotary their trailing edge to prevent clipping either at right angles to, or parallel
valves, such as that shown in Figure 4, of the pellets and the resulting binding to, the rotary valve. Parallel installa-
are more commonly used because they of the rotor inside the valve housing. tion with a chain-and-sprocket drive is
provide a better air seal between the The two ends of the rotor can be preferable because valve speed can be
rotor edges and the valve body. open or closed. In open-end rotors, changed easily by changing sprockets.
For feeding coarse particles such as rotor pockets are fully open on both Right-angle installation is more dif-
plastic pellets, drop-through rotary ends. In closed-end rotors, rotor pock- ficult because it requires changing of
valves are provided with a well-config- ets are fully closed by full-size plates worm gears to change the speed.
48 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
Bin hopper Bin hopper

Deflection of the rotor at the


Slide gate
midpoint of its axis due to this
differential pressure drop must
not exceed 0.001 in.
Pipe sized to
match bin flange Pipe sized to match The internal vacuum or pres-
and extend into feeder flange
feeder throat
sure rating of the rotary valve
Vent connection Insert sized to match housing should be 10% higher
Sized to match use maximum feeder throat. Cut on
slope approximate radius than the maximum operating
feeder flange
of rotor. About 1/4 in. vacuum or pressure to which
clearance from rotor
Cut on radius the housing will be exposed.
about equal to
rotor radius Solids-injection Most standard rotary valves
about 1/4 in. device have a 150-psig housing design
clearance
from motor pressure.
Conveying
line Rotary valve clearances.
Clearances between the rotor
and the rotary valve body must
be as small as possible, and they
Line size smaller than feeder flange Line size equal to or larger than feeder flange must be concentric. Typically,
circumferential clearances are
FIGURE 5. This installation shows a rotary valve venting system for a dilute-phase convey- between 0.004 and 0.008 in.,
ing system, to evacuate leakage between the rotor and valve housing. The solids-feed chute and end-clearances are 0.006
extends into the rotary valve, as shown. The feed chutes bottom matches the outer contour to 0.0010 in. To minimize con-
of the rotor with a space of 1/81/4 in. between it and the rotor. A leakage gas vent chamber is
installed above the rotary valve. The annulus between the feed chute and this vent chamber
veying gas leakage, the design
is 2-in. minimum. Leakage gas lows into ths annulus and exits via a vent nozzle to a dust clearances should be the lower
collector and exhaust fan value of these ranges.
Binding or seizing of the
FIGURE 6. Air leakage between rotor inside the housing should be
From feed hopper Vent line to
dust collector the rotor and the valve housing prevented by maintaining these mini-
must be vented so that it does not
interfere with the low of incoming mum clearances at the highest and
solids. In this venting installation, lowest operating temperatures of the
Pocket
carry-over for a dense-phase conveying sys- incoming solids and of the ambient
gas vent line Leakage gas tem, a solids-feed chute extends
vent line conditions.
into the rotary valve, as shown. The
feed chutes bottom matches the
The rotary-valve vendor should per-
Leakage and outer contour of the rotor with a form tests to measure the clearances,
carry over gas Solids space of 1/8 in. between it and the and the air leakage as a function of
accumulator rotor. A leakage gas-vent chamber
feed chute rotary valve speed, before the valve is
is installed above the rotary valve. accepted for use. This test should be
Leakage gas The annular space between the feed
vent chamber Vent nozzle run under the actual operating con-
chute and this vent chamber is 2 in.
minimum. Leakage gas lows into ditions, such as ambient and process
Annulus, this annular space and exits via a temperatures and pressures. Hot air
2 in. vent nozzle to the top of the leakage may be needed to heat the valve when
Rotary valve minimum gas and pocket carryover gas ac-
pocket vent
cumulator. Carryover gas from the
it is operated under temperatures
rotor pocket and body vent is also higher than the ambient.
vented to this accumulator Leakage-venting methods. In pres-
sure-type conveying systems, pres-
The rotary valve shaft extends be- is installed on the driven shaft to de- surized conveying air that fills the
yond the side plates of the valve hous- tect chain breakage and the resulting returning empty rotor pockets is car-
ing using outboard, spherical-roller, valve stoppage. ried over to the inlet side of the ro-
dust-sealed-type bearings between the Rotary valve pressure rating. For tary valve. To prevent this air from
shaft and the housing. For shaft pack- pneumatic conveying systems, rotary interfering with the flow of incoming
ing, a long-wearing material such as valves are designed so that the rotor solids, this air is vented out from the
Teflon with Neoprene gaskets is typi- can withstand the maximum pressure valve before it reaches the valve inlet.
cally used. The normal speed range differential across the valves inlet and This is done by providing a vent port
of rotary valves is 15 to 22 rpm. For outlet. In most cases, this pressure is on the return side of the valve body.
rotary valve sizing, the typical speed 15 psi for dilute-phase conveying sys- To prevent increasing air leakage, this
used is 16 rpm. tems. However, instead of using 15 psi, vent port is located so that there are
Rotary valves used in continuous the differential pressure rating should at least two rotor pockets between the
production operations are provided be based on the actual design pressure valve bottom and the vent port. The
with a zero-speed motion switch that of the conveying system. vent port size should be large enough
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 49
Solids Processing Bulk solids
inlet

Region of complete Region of partial Line injectors are used to connect the
pocket filling pocket filling rotary valves to the conveying lines
Their design is important because
excessive turbulence in this region has
an adverse effect on the performance of
the conveying system
Rotary valves should be installed at right
Feedrate
Maximum feedrate
decreasing angle to the conveying line
Direction of rotation should be clockwise
Feedrate

with rotor
speed Line facing so that the gas inlet is on the left
Feedrate
increasing injector
with rotor
speed
Gas Gas and
inlet solids
outlet

FIGURE 8. When the rotary valve is used to feed solids into a conveying line, the
rotary valve and the line injector below it are perpendicular to the conveying line.
Rotor speed

FIGURE 7. Rotor speed impacts the Leakage-calculation methods. the rotor pocket to the valve bottom,
feed rate of a rotary valve, as shown Complete information on rotary valve solids face both gravitational and cen-
here. Theoretically, the solids-throughput
rate should increase linearly with valve
leakage calculations can be found in trifugal forces. At high rotor speeds,
speed, althought as shown here, the feed Ref. [1]. because of centrifugal forces, some
rate decreases after reaching a maxi- The flowrate of clearance leakage of the solids remain in the emptying
mum rate over a typical speed range of can be calculated using Equation 1: pocket. This results in reduced fresh
1522 rpm material that can flow into the valve
Q = C A ( 2 g )( dp )
1/ 2
inlet, thus reducing the fill efficiency
(1)
to completely vent out the entire air of the valve.
volume contained in the rotor pocket. Q = Leakage flowrate, ft3/s The capacity of a rotary valve (CFR)
For large valves, a rectangular-shaped C = Orifice constant = 0.5 is calculated using Equation 2. It is
vent port about one-half the length of A = Clearance area, ft2 expressed as volumetric flow per revo-
the pocket width is recommended. g = Gravitational constant, 32.2 lution of the rotary valve (ft3/rev of
When conveying powders or fine ft/s2 solids flow):
granular materials, air that is vented dp = Pressure differential across the W
out from this vent port may contain rotor, lb/in.2 CFR = (2)
B N E 60
significant amounts of these solids. As shown in Equation 1, leakage flow
To prevent their loss, these materials is directly proportional to the clear- where:
should be fed back into the rotary valve ances between the rotor and the valve
using a properly designed vent hopper housing. For medium-sized rotary CFR = Capacity of a rotary valve,
installed at the rotary valve inlet. valves, this clearance is 0.0040.006 ft3/rev
In addition to the carryover air de- in., or 0.100.15 mm. W = Solids flowrate, lb/h
scribed above, there is also air leak- The flowrate of carryover air can be B = Solids bulk density, lb/ft3
age from the circumferential and end calculated by using the following rela- N = Valve speed, rpm
clearances between the rotor and the tionship: E = Pocket-fill efficiency
valve housing. These leakages should Pocket-fill efficiency. Shown below
Carryover air flowrate (ft3/s) equals
be vented out so that they do not in- are typical pocket fill efficiencies for
Rotor displacement (ft3/rev) multi-
terfere with the flow of incoming sol- different types of rotary valves:
plied by rotor speed (rpm/60)
ids. This is done by using a specially Side-entry rotary valve: 40 60%
designed insert that extends from the Rotary valve capacity. Figure 7 Drop-through, flood-fed valve: 60
inlet of the valve up to its rotor tips. shows the solids-throughput rate 80%
This insert provides an annular path attainable in a rotary valve versus Drop-hrough, flood-fed valve with
between the insert and the valve body rotor speed. Theoretically, the solids body vent and leakage-air inlet in-
to vent out the leakage air. This insert throughput should increase linearly sert: 9095%
should extend from the inlet of the ro- with the valve speed that is, with In general, the following factors pro-
tary valve up to the rotor surface with the number of valve rotations. vide better fill efficiencies:
a gap of about 1/8 in. between the rotor In practice, however, throughput Lower valve speeds
and the insert. Details of this venting increases only up to a maximum Lower P across the valve
method are shown in Figure 5 for di- value, and then starts to reduce when Proper venting of the leakage gases
lute phase systems and in Figure 6 for the speed is further increased. This from the rotary valve
dense-phase systems. happens because while falling from Rotary valve installation. Rotary
50 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013
valves that are used to feed solids into matic conveying. Presently, rotary abrasive or sticky materials, those
a conveying line are installed such valves used in dense-phase pneumatic handling very high or very low solids
that the rotary valve and the line in- conveying are designed to withstand or ambient temperatures, but the basic
jector below it are perpendicular to differential pressures up to 6 bars and design principles described above still
the conveying line (Figure 8). A line maximum solids feed rates of about apply to these designs. n
injector is used to connect the rotary 5,000 ft3/h. High circumferential Edited by Suzanne Shelley
valve to the conveying line. Its design clearance leakage that occurs due to
is important because excessive turbu- these high pressures is minimized by Reference
lence in this region has an adverse ef- increasing the number of rotor blades. 1. Agarwal, Amrit, Improving Rotary Valve
Performance, Chem. Eng., March 2005, pp.
fect on the performance of the convey- Some good designs have as many as 2933.
ing system. 24 blades.
In pressure-type conveying systems, Rotor-end leakage is prevented by Author
any intermediate spool pieces between using a specially designed, gas-tight Amrit Agarwal is a con-
sulting engineer with Pneu-
the rotary valve and the line injector, seal between the rotor and valve body. matic Conveying Consulting
or between the line injector and the A well-designed venting system to (7 Carriage Rd., Charleston,
WV 25314; Email: polypcc@
conveying line, should not be used be- properly vent out the clearance leak- aol.com). He retired from The
cause the resulting air turbulence can age air and the rotor carry-over air is Dow Chemical Co. in 2002
where he worked as a resident
adversely affect the flow of solids into a necessity for these high-pressure- pneumatic conveying and sol-
the conveying line. drop rotary valves. ids-handling specialist. Agar-
wal has more than 40 years of
The direction of rotation of the ro- Rotary valves with special fea- design, construction, operat-
ing and troubleshooting experience in pneumatic
tary valve should be clockwise when tures. Rotary valves are made with conveying and bulk-solids-handling processes. He
facing the valve, such that the convey- special design features for applica- holds an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the
University of Wisconsin, Madison Wisconsin,
ing air enters the conveying line from tions such as food grade installations, and an MBA from Marshall University (Hunting-
the valves left side. those requiring quick and easy access ton, West Va.). He has written a large number of
articles and given classes on pneumatic convey-
Rotary valves in dense-phase pneu- for cleaning, those handling corrosive, ing and bulk solids handling.

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20611
EnvironmentalColumn
Fractionation Manager

Selling new technologies


uring my youth, as a mass- and companies. They were sold, instead

D heat-transfer R&D manager,


there were 12 occasions when
new technologies were sold for
the very first time. One or two of those
technologies might have been consid-
to European, Canadian, Korean and
Chinese companies. Why? I am afraid
that I have no answers. Are U.S. com-
panies more risk averse? Maybe. Are
non-U.S. engineers more portable, or
ered breakthroughs. The others were in other words, do they make deci-
very significant twists on well-estab- sions and judgments for a couple of
lished technologies. Of the 12 first- years and then they move off to other Mike Resetarits is the technical director
of-a-kinds, 11 were sold to companies job assignments? Maybe. Are non- at Fractionation Research, Inc. (FRI; Still-
outside of the U.S. More on that later. U.S. plant managers more accepting water, Okla.; www.fri.org), a distillation
research consortium. Each month, Mike
One new technology was a high- of capacity and efficiency shortfalls. shares his first-hand experience with CE
performance distillation tray that Maybe. Are non-U.S. engineers better readers
was first offered to an Austrian com- at assessing and accepting shortfall
pany, OMV, for use in their Schwechat conditions? Maybe. Third, evaluate and explain what
refinery. The name Resetarits is of I have four pieces of advice for a will and will not happen if a short-
Austrian origin, and I was the co- salesperson or an R&D engineer who fall occurs. Fourth, change your last
inventor of the tray, along with Mike is attempting to sell a new technol- name to that of the most popular
Lockett, and so, it made perfect busi- ogy. First, explain as concisely and jokester piano player of the country
ness sense for me to go to Vienna, to clearly as possible your laboratory where you will be selling your tech-
try to talk OMV engineers into be- and pilot plant results. Second, ex- nology and learn to play piano.
coming the first. plain the technologys benefits. Mike Resetarits
I flew into Vienna airport, landing
at about 5 p.m. I carried my luggage
across the street to an airport hotel.
The lobby was extremely crowded,
but I was lucky because there was
nobody at the check-in counter. My
German-language capabilities were
weak. I simply handed the hotel desk
attendant my credit card and open
Content Licensing for
passport. She gasped disappointedly
and asked, Your name is Michael Re- Every Marketing Strategy
setarits? I answered, Well, yes, miss.
She said, In Austria now there is a Marketing solutions fit for:
famous piano player who tells politi-
Outdoor
cal jokes in between songs. All of these
Direct Mail
people in the lobby are from the first
shift of the hotel staff. They have been Print Advertising
waiting one hour to get the autograph Tradeshow/POP Displays
of Michael Resetarits. After stutter- Social Media
ing for several seconds I said, I do tell
Radio & Television
jokes; I do not play piano; I have never
been more disappointed to be me. She
checked me in and I headed toward Logo Licensing | Reprints | Eprints | Plaques
my room. As I awaited the arrival of
the elevator, the desk attendant in- Leverage branded content from Chemical Engineering to create a more
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watching CNN on the television. or visit our website at www.wrightsmedia.com
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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 53
PRODUCT SHOWC ASE

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Compact and Economical, Plast-O-Matic
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For more information
on classified advertising,
C L AS S I F I E D A DV E RT I S I N G T H AT WO R K S
please contact:

Diane Burleson
Email: dburleson@accessintel.com
Tel: 512.250.9555 Fax: 512.213.4855
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3 Somonauk Court, Park Forest, IL. 60466 and e-seminars for energy conversion systems:
Tel (708) 748-7200 Fax (708) 748-7208 Email: Physical Properties Steam Approximations
Power Cycles Power Cycle Components/Processes
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Product Micro-Analysis Kinetics Studies

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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 55
New Product Information July 2013

JustFAXit! or go to www.che.com/adlinks
Fill out the form and circle or write in the number(s) go on the web and ill out the


below, cut it out, and fax it to 800-571-7730. online reader service card.
name Title

Company
address
City State/Province Zip/Postal Code
Country\ Telephone Fax
email | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

FREE PRODUCT INFO 14 engineering, Design & Construc- 29 10 to 49 employees 47 Pollution Control equipment
(please answer all the questions) tion Firms 30 50 to 99 employees & Systems
15 engineering/environmental Ser- 31 100 to 249 employees 48 Pumps
YOUR INDUSTRY
vices 32 250 to 499 employees 49 Safety equipment & Services
01 Food & Beverages
16 equipment manufacturer 33 500 to 999 employees 50 Size reduction & agglomeration
02 wood, Pulp & Paper
17 energy incl. Co-generation 34 1,000 or more employees equipment
03 inorganic Chemicals
18 other YOU RECOMMEND, 51 Solids handling equipment
04 Plastics, Synthetic resins
JOB FUNCTION SPECIFY, PURCHASE 52 Tanks, Vessels, reactors
05 Drugs & Cosmetics
20 Corporate management
(please circle all that apply) 53 Valves
06 Soaps & Detergents 40 Drying equipment
21 Plant operations incl. mainte- 54 engineering Computers/Soft-
07 Paints & allied Products 41 Filtration/Separation equipment
nance ware/Peripherals
08 organic Chemicals 42 heat Transfer/energy Conserva-
22 engineering 55 water Treatment Chemicals
09 agricultural Chemicals tion equipment
23 research & Development & equipment
10 Petroleum reining, 43 instrumentation & Control Sys-
24 Safety & environmental 56 hazardous waste management
Coal Products tems
26 other Systems
11 rubber & misc. Plastics 44 mixing, Blending equipment 57 Chemicals & raw materials
12 Stone, Clay, glass, Ceramics EMPLOYEE SIZE 45 motors, motor Controls 58 materials of Construction
13 metallurgical & metal Products 28 less than 10 employees 46 Piping, Tubing, Fittings 59 Compressors

1 16 31 46 61 76 91 106 121 136 151 166 181 196 211 226 241 256 271 286 301 316 331 346 361 376 391 406 421 436 451 466 481 496 511 526 541 556 571 586
2 17 32 47 62 77 92 107 122 137 152 167 182 197 212 227 242 257 272 287 302 317 332 347 362 377 392 407 422 437 452 467 482 497 512 527 542 557 572 587
3 18 33 48 63 78 93 108 123 138 153 168 183 198 213 228 243 258 273 288 303 318 333 348 363 378 393 408 423 438 453 468 483 498 513 528 543 558 573 588
4 19 34 49 64 79 94 109 124 139 154 169 184 199 214 229 244 259 274 289 304 319 334 349 364 379 394 409 424 439 454 469 484 499 514 529 544 559 574 589
5 20 35 50 65 80 95 110 125 140 155 170 185 200 215 230 245 260 275 290 305 320 335 350 365 380 395 410 425 440 455 470 485 500 515 530 545 560 575 590
6 21 36 51 66 81 96 111 126 141 156 171 186 201 216 231 246 261 276 291 306 321 336 351 366 381 396 411 426 441 456 471 486 501 516 531 546 561 576 591
7 22 37 52 67 82 97 112 127 142 157 172 187 202 217 232 247 262 277 292 307 322 337 352 367 382 397 412 427 442 457 472 487 502 517 532 547 562 577 592
8 23 38 53 68 83 98 113 128 143 158 173 188 203 218 233 248 263 278 293 308 323 338 353 368 383 398 413 428 443 458 473 488 503 518 533 548 563 578 593
9 24 39 54 69 84 99 114 129 144 159 174 189 204 219 234 249 264 279 294 309 324 339 354 369 384 399 414 429 444 459 474 489 504 519 534 549 564 579 594
10 25 40 55 70 85 100 115 130 145 160 175 190 205 220 235 250 265 280 295 310 325 340 355 370 385 400 415 430 445 460 475 490 505 520 535 550 565 580 595
11 26 41 56 71 86 101 116 131 146 161 176 191 206 221 236 251 266 281 296 311 326 341 356 371 386 401 416 431 446 461 476 491 506 521 536 551 566 581 596
12 27 42 57 72 87 102 117 132 147 162 177 192 207 222 237 252 267 282 297 312 327 342 357 372 387 402 417 432 447 462 477 492 507 522 537 552 567 582 597
13 28 43 58 73 88 103 118 133 148 163 178 193 208 223 238 253 268 283 298 313 328 343 358 373 388 403 418 433 448 463 478 493 508 523 538 553 568 583 598
14 29 44 59 74 89 104 119 134 149 164 179 194 209 224 239 254 269 284 299 314 329 344 359 374 389 404 419 434 449 464 479 494 509 524 539 554 569 584 599
15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240 255 270 285 300 315 330 345 360 375 390 405 420 435 450 465 480 495 510 525 540 555 570 585 600

if number(s) do not appear above,


please write them here and circle: Fax this page back to 800-571-7730
ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES
North America
Jason Bullock, Dan Gentile Diane Burleson
District Sales Manager District Sales Manager Inside Sales Manager
Chemical Engineering Tel: 512-918-8075 Chemical Engineering;
8325 Broadway, Ste. 202/PmB 261 Pearland, TX 77581 E-mail: dgentile@che.com 11000 richmond ave, Suite 690,
Tel: 281-485-4077; Fax: 281-485-1285 Alabama, Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, houston, TX 77042
E-mail: jbullock@che.com Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Tel: 713-444-9939
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, E-mail: dburleson@che.com
Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Nebraska, North and South Carolina, Product Showcase,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North and South Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Literature Reviews,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming Classiied Display Advertising
Washington DC, West Virginia

International Dipali Dhar Ferruccio Silvera Rudy Teng


Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering Sales Represntative
Petra Trautes
Chemical Engineering 88 Pine Street, 5th loor, new york, ny 10005 Silvera Pubblicita Chemical Engineering;
Tel: 718-263-1162 Viale monza, 24 milano 20127, italy room 1102 #20 aly 199 Baiyang road
Zeilweg 44
E-mail: ddhar@accessintel.com Tel: 39-02-284-6716; Pudong Shanghai 201204
D-60439 Frankfurt am main
India Fax: 39-02-289-3849 China
germany
E-mail: ferruccio@silvera.it/www. Tel: +86 21 50592439
Phone: +49-69-58604760 Katshuhiro Ishii
silvera.it Fax: +86 21 50592442
Fax: +49-69-5700-2484 Chemical Engineering
Andorra, France, Gibraltar, Greece, mP: +86 13818181202
email: ptrautes@che.com ace media Service inc., 12-6, 4-chome
Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain E-mail: rudy.teng@gmail.com
Austria, Czech Republic, Benelux, nishiiko, adachi-ku, Tokyo 121, Japan
Asia-Paciic, Hong Kong, Peoples
Eastern Europe, Germany, Scandinavia, Tel: 81-3-5691-3335; Fax: 81-3-5691-3336
Republic of China, Taiwan
Switzerland, United Kingdom e-mail: amskatsu@dream.com
Japan

56 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com July 2013


Advertisers Index

Advertiser Page number Advertiser Page number Advertiser Page number


Phone number Reader Service # Phone number Reader Service # Phone number Reader Service #

A Box 4 U 19, 43 GIG Karasek GmbH 45 Rembe GmbH 23


1-877-522-6948 adlinks.che.com/45774-11 49 (0) 2961-7405-0
adlinks.che.com/45774-01, 02 adlinks.che.com/45774-18
* Kreisel GmbH & Co. KG 28I-7
Abbe, Paul O. 6 49 3 57 71 98-0 Samson AG 15
1-800-524-2188 adlinks.che.com/45774-1 49 69 4009-0
adlinks.che.com/45774-03 adlinks.che.com/45774-19
Load Controls 51
Abresist Kalenborn 1-888-600-3247 ThyssenKrupp Uhde GmbH 21
Corporation 6 adlinks.che.com/45774-13
adlinks.che.com/45774-20
1-800-348-0717
adlinks.che.com/45774-04 Magnetrol International 10
1-800-624-8765
Triple/S Dynamics Inc. 3
Aggreko 17 adlinks.che.com/45774-15 1-800-527-2116
adlinks.che.com/45774-21
1-800-348-8370
adlinks.che.com/45774-05 Proco Products 8
1-800-344-3246 * VEGA Grieshaber KG 28I-3
Apollo Valves SECOND COVER adlinks.che.com/45774-17 adlinks.che.com/45774-22
1-704-841-6000
adlinks.che.com/45774-06

Badger Meter, Inc 7


1-800-876-3837
Classiied Index July 2013
adlinks.che.com/45774-07
Advertiser Page number
Advertisers
* Berndorf Band GmbH 28I-5 Phone number Reader Service #
Product Showcase . . . . . . . 54
43 2672-800-0 Applied e-Simulators
adlinks.che.com/45774-08 Computer Software . . . . . . . 55
Software 55
adlinks.che.com/45774-241 Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Beumer Group
GmbH & Co. KG 9 Equipment, New & Used . . 55
Engineering Software 55
adlinks.che.com/45774-09
1-301-540-3605 Advertiser Page number
adlinks.che.com/45774-242
Corzan HP Piping Systems 4 Phone number Reader Service #
1-855-735-1431 Genck International 55 Ross, Charles
adlinks.che.com/45774-14 1-708-748-7200 & Son Company 55
adlinks.che.com/45774-243 1-800-243-ROSS
Emerson Process FOURTH adlinks.che.com/45774-245
Management COVER Indeck Power
Equipment Co. 55 Wabash Power
GEA Westfalia 13 Equipment Co. 55
1-847-541-8300
49 2522 77-0 adlinks.che.com/45774-244 1-800-704-2002
adlinks.che.com/45774-10 adlinks.che.com/45774-246
Plast-O-Matic Valves, Inc. 54 Xchanger, Inc. 55
* International Edition 1-973-256-3000 1-952-933-2559
adlinks.che.com/45774-201 adlinks.che.com/45774-247

See bottom of oposite


page for advertising Send Advertisements and Box replies to: Diane Burleson
sales representatives' Chemical Engineering, 11000 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77042
contact information E-mail: dburleson@che.com Tel: 512-250-9555

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 57


People

JULY WHOS WHO

Hughey Joy Iaigliola Rochas Yuille

Hovione (Loures, Portugal), a devel- USA (North Brunswick, N.J.), a divi- control solutions for delayed coker,
oper of active pharmaceutical ingredi- sion of Heraeus, a precious metals iron and steel blast furnaces and tur-
ents and drug-product intermediates, and technology company headquar- bine units.
appoints Justin Hughey, to lead the tered in Hanau, Germany.
particle-design sciences team at its Polyolefins maker Borealis AG (Vi-
New Jersey site. Akro-Mils (Akron, Ohio), a provider enna, Austria), names Gilles Rochas
of plastic and metal storage, organi- vice president, energy and infrastruc-
Bayer MaterialScience LLC (Pitts- zation and transport products, names ture, for the application segment.
burgh, Pa.) names Christine Bryant Mike Iafigliola new product develop-
as head of commercial operations for ment manager. Greenes Energy Group (Houston),
its coatings, adhesives and specialties a provider of testing and specialty
business unit for the NAFTA region. M. Metin Gerceker becomes managing services, promotes Mark Yuille to
director of Zimmermann & Jansen CFO of its testing and services busi-
Douglas Joy becomes general man- (Z&J) Technologies GmbH ness unit.
ager of Heraeus Sensor Technology (Dren, Germany), a maker of flow- Suzanne Shelley

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Written for engineers, by engineers


om PAG
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Proper bon
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With editorial offices in Europe, Asia, and North America, CHEMICAL


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58 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013


Economic Indicators
BUSINESS NEWS
Nm3/h) to be installed in the Complexo Pet-
PLANT WATCH MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
roqumico do Rio de Janeiro (Comperj) now
Uhde Inventa-Fischer to build under construction in Itabora, Rio de Janei- Air Liquide to acquire electronic
commercial-scale Nofia plant ro.The scope of work is for detailed design, materials manufacturer Voltaix, Inc.
June 12, 2013 Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG procurement of equipment and materials, June 12, 2013 Air Liquide (Paris, France;
(Berlin, Germany and Domat/Ems, Switzer- installation and commissioning support.The www.airliquide.com) has signed an agree-
land; www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com) has project is scheduled for completion in mid- ment to acquire Voltaix Inc., a U.S. based
won a contract to build the worlds first com- 2016.Toyo is now constructing utility facilities electronics materials company.The acquisi-
mercial-scale plant for production of Nofia, (water treatment and electricity genera- tion is expected to close later this summer,
a flame retardant polymer, for the Belgian tion) for the complex. pending applicable regulatory approvals.
subsidiary of FRX Polymers, Inc. (Chelmsford, Voltaix has 185 employees.
Mass.; www.frxpolymers.com).The plant will
Linde to build large ammonia
be located in Antwerp, Belgium. Uhde Inven- BASF New Business acquires
plant in Russia
ta-Fischers scope of services will include Deutsche Nanoschicht
May 28, 2013 The Linde Group (Munich,
basic and detailed engineering, supply of June 6, 2013 BASF New Business GmbH
Germany; www.linde.com) has formed a JV
equipment, and construction of the plant. (www.basf-new-business.com) has
with JSC KuibyshevAzot to build and oper-
The civil engineering will be carried out by acquired all shares of the technology
ate a large ammonia plant at the Togliatti
ThyssenKrupp Uhde GmbH (Dortmund, Ger- company Deutsche Nanoschicht GmbH
site in Russias Samara region. Estimated
many; www.uhde.eu). (www.d-nano.com). Deutsche Nanoschicht
investment for the deal is 275 million, giving
produces thin films for manufacture of high-
both companies an equal stake in the new
Siemens to supply wet-air-oxidation temperature superconductors. BASF New
JV, called Linde Nitrogen Togliatti.The Engi-
system to Qatar Business GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary
neering Division of The Linde Group will con-
June 10, 2013 Siemens Energy (Erlangen, of BASF SE.
struct the new on-site plant, which will have
Germany; www.siemens.com/energy) will
a production capacity of 1,340 metric tons
supply a wet-air-oxidation (WAO) treatment Foster Wheeler acquires Mexican
(m.t.) per day of ammonia. Construction is
system as part of an ethylene plant expan- engineering company
scheduled for completion in 2016.
sion for Qatar Petrochemical Co. (QAPCO). June 4, 2013 Foster Wheeler AG (Zug,
The WAO system will be part of QAPCOs Switzerland; www.fwc.com) has acquired
facility in Mesaieed Industrial City, Qatar.The Outotec to design and deliver NorthAm Engineering S.A. DE CV, a privately
facility is expected to go operational in De- concentrator to Russian Copper held engineering and project management
cember 2013. QAPCO is expanding its eth- May 22, 2013 Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; company, offering services in upstream,
ylene-cracking unit from 720,000 ton/yr to www.outotec.com) will design and deliver offshore, downstream and power projects.
900,000 ton/yr.The Siemens scope includes a new copper concentrator for Russian Headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, the
a Zimpro WAO system, as well as a complete Cooper Co.s Tominsky project in Russias company has approximately 400 employees.
power- management system. Chelyabinsk region.The concentrator will
treat 17 million m.t./yr of ore and produce Air Products acquires EPCO Carbon
Linde announces plans for ASU and 63,000 m.t./yr copper in concentrate.The Dioxide Products, Inc.
gasification train in Texas total value of the deal exceeds 50 million. June 3, 2013 Air Products (Lehigh Valley,
May 31, 2013 Linde North America (Mur- Scheduled for 2014, Outotecs delivery for Pa.; www.airproducts.com) has acquired
ray Hill, N.J.; www.lindeus.com) will invest the project includes basic and detailed EPCO Carbon Dioxide Products, Inc., a
more than $200 million to build a large air engineering of the concentrating process, privately held producer and marketer of
separation unit (ASU), a new gasification proprietary and key equipment, as well as liquid carbon dioxide The acquisition also
train, and supporting equipment and facili- installation and commissioning supervision includes Louisiana Leasing, Ltd. of Ill., an af-
ties in La Porte,Tex.The plants are scheduled services, with production of concentrate filiated company that owns liquid CO2 distri-
to come on-stream in the first quarter of beginning by late 2015. bution assets that are solely leased to EPCO.
2015.The ASU will be the largest operated by The purchase price has not been disclosed.
Linde in the U.S.The O2 and N2 produced by Lanxess opens first production facility for
the ASU will supply the gasification assets at high-performance bladders in Brazil Ineos Barex AG to acquire Mitsuis
the La Porte site. May 13, 2013 Rhein Chemie, a wholly polyacrylonitriles business
owned subsidiary of Lanxess AG (Le- May 28, 2013 Ineos Barex AG (Rolle,
Toyos Brazil affiliate awarded contract for verkusen, Germany: www.lanxess.com), has Switzerland; www.ineosbarex.com) has
hydrogen production facilities opened a new facility in Porto Feliz, Brazil for signed a binding agreement to acquire the
May 29, 2013 Toyo-Setal Empreendimen- high-performance bladders, which are used polyacrylonitriles (PAN) business from Mitsui
tos Ltda. (TSE), a Brazilian joint venture (JV) in the production of tires. It has an annual Chemicals Inc.The value of the transaction
capitalized by Toyo Engineering Corp. (Chi- capacity of about 170,000 bladders. In 2014, was not disclosed.The deal is expected to
ba, Japan; www.toyo-eng.co.jp), has been a new facility to manufacture pre-dispersed reach completion by August 2013, at which
awarded a contract from Petrleo Brasileiro polymer-bound rubber additives will be time Ineos will assume responsibility for sales
S.A. (Petrobras) for the construction of added. Altogether, Lanxess is investing 10 and marketing functions.
hydrogen production facilities (250,000 million and creating around 60 new jobs. Mary Page Bailey

FOR ADDITIONAL NEWS AS IT DEVELOPS, PLEASE VISIT WWW.CHE.COM


July 2013; VOL. 120; NO. 7
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FOR MORE ECONOMIC INDICATORS, SEE NEXT PAGE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013 59
Economic Indicators 2011 2012 2013

DOWNLOAD THE CEPCI TWO WEEKS SOONER AT WWW.CHE.COM/PCI

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT COST INDEX (CEPCI) 650

Annual
Apr. 13 Mar. 13 Apr. 12
(195759 = 100) Index:
Prelim. Final Final 600
CE Index 569.5 568.3 595.9 2005 = 468.2
Equipment 689.5 688.2 730.2 2006 = 499.6
Heat exchangers & tanks 626.2 624.2 686.9 550
Process machinery 656.5 651.1 680.7 2007 = 525.4
Pipe, valves & fittings 875.6 879.8 935.7 2008 = 575.4
Process instruments 413.3 414.3 430.8 500
2009 = 521.9
Pumps & compressors 924.5 920.4 921.8
Electrical equipment 512.6 514.4 514.9 2010 = 550.8
Structural supports & misc 746.8 741.1 774.2 450
2011 = 585.7
Construction labor 319.8 319.2 320.7
Buildings 536.5 534.4 527.1 2012 = 584.6
Engineering & supervision 328.1 326.4 328.4 400
J F M A M J J A S O N D

CURRENT BUSINESS INDICATORS LATEST PREVIOUS YEAR AGO

CPI output index (2007 = 100) May. '13 = 87.8 Apr.'13 = 87.6 Mar.'13 = 88.0 May'12 = 86.7
CPI value of output, $ billions Apr. '13 = 2,089.2 Mar.'13 = 2,126.0 Feb.'13 = 2,228.4 Apr.'12 = 2,142.5
CPI operating rate, % May. '13 = 74.1 Apr.'13 = 74.1 Mar.'13 = 74.5 May'12 = 74.2
Producer prices, industrial chemicals (1982 = 100) May. '13 = 301.7 Apr.'13 = 308.7 Mar.'13 = 313.5 May'12 = 321.2
Industrial Production in Manufacturing (2007=100) May. '13 = 95.3 Apr.'13 = 95.2 Mar.'13 = 95.5 May'12 = 93.7
Hourly earnings index, chemical & allied products (1992 = 100) May. '13 = 156.2 Apr.'13 = 154.6 Mar.'13 = 154.6 May'12 = 157.1
Productivity index, chemicals & allied products (1992 = 100) May. '13 = 104.8 Apr.'13 = 104.4 Mar.'13 = 104.7 May'12 = 106.0

CPI OUTPUT INDEX (2007 = 100) CPI OUTPUT VALUE ($ BILLIONS) CPI OPERATING RATE (%)
120 2500 85

110 2200 80

100 1900 75

90 1600 70

80 1300 65

70 1000 60
J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D
Current Business Indicators provided by IHS Global Insight, Inc., Lexington, Mass.

CURRENT TRENDS
Equipment Cost Index Available P reliminary data for the April
2013 CE Plant Cost Index
(CEPCI; top; the most recent avail-

Exclusively from Marshall & Swift able) indicate that the composite
index increased by 0.2% com-
pared to the final March value,
reversing three consecutive de-
creases in the months prior. The
higher numbers included increases
in a number of subindices, such as
process machinery, pumps & com-
pressors and heat exchangers &
tanks. The April 2013 preliminary
PCI index value stands at 4.4%
lower than the corresponding final
PCI value from April 2012. Mean-
while, the latest Current Business
Indicators from IHS Global Insight
Quarterly updates of our industry-leading Equipment Cost Index (middle) moved in both directions,
with CPI output index inching
are now available at www.equipment-cost-index.com. higher while CPI value of output
decreased slightly.

60 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2013


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