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Special Reports

Chemical Processing Special Reports delve deep into current topics that impact and influence your chemical facility. Partnering with industry leaders, these reports offer a wealth of information on a single topic. Aimed at providing best practices, key trends, developments and successful applications, the Special Reports will hopefully help make your faculties as efficient, safe, environmentally friendly and economically competitive as possible.

Table of Contents

Automation

Webinar Brief: Digital Transformation In Chemical Manufacturing

In a recent Chemical Processing webinar, Matt Newton, Senior Portfolio Marketing Manager, AVEVA, told us digital transformation isn’t a patch or a bolt-on solution. It's a path that manufacturers can take to improve profitability and provide better customer experiences. And the good news is you don't have to jump in with both feet and roll out a digital transformation strategy across the entire enterprise. This report, based on the webinar, offers free access to the on-demand presentation.

Design & Simulation

Pilot Plants

Sponsored By Continental Technologies LLC Read about the 10 factors that will impact the design, construction and operation of these next-generation pilot plant units.Learn about new pilot plant development methods. Understand the role operational guidance plays in successful pilot plant development.

Environmental Health & Safety

Special Report: Effectively Deal With Waste Gas

Sponsored By: DurrWaste gas incinerators react oxygen with waste hydrocarbons at high temperature to produce a clean flue gas. A perfect incinerator would have a destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) of 100%, zero fuel usage and zero emission of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. A small amount of the original hydrocarbons always remains, though. If 1% is left, the DRE is 99%. Some CO and NOx always are produced, too. However, NOx emissions are lower for a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) than for almost any other type of thermal oxidizer. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local air boards requiring DRE values from 95% upward, effectively dealing with waste gas means ensuring compliance with the added benefit of reduced energy costs. In this Special Report we take a look at how an RTO often can offer an effective and fuel-efficient options for cutting the cost of waste gas incineration, how technologies transform greenhouse gas into a feedstock for chemicals, how the right emission control system can help meet compliance and reduce energy costs and several steps that play a crucial role for setting up an effective greenhouse gas monitoring plan.

Energy Efficiency

Sponsored By Gates Corp. Reducing energy consumption and your plants environmental impact is a hot topic. In this Special Report we take a look at the organizational obstacles to avoid, how to enroll your employees in the quest, and the steps you need to take in order to manage your energy costs. We also delve in to practical energy efficient applications such as recovering exhaust heat in air conditioned facilities and the use of carbon synchronous belts.

Chemical Industry Sees Green: Bio-Based Fuels and Feedstocks

Sponsored By Siemens For years the industry has been talking green. But what real strides have been made? Will a Presidential Executive Order compel the industry to speed up efforts to actually go green? While pollution prevention was the original goal of green chemistry, todays efforts promise to have a substantial economic impact. This Special Report will bring you up to speed on fruitful efforts to go green including an update on the growing interest in bio-based feedstocks.

Fluid Handling

Special Report: Better Manage Your Thermal Fluid Experience

Sponsored By: Paratherm Thermal fluids have the potential to directly affect the safety, maintenance, efficiency and reliability of overall plant operations. These fluids deserve dedicated considerations on how they can impact the protection of your plant personnel — safety of your people, the protection of your equipment investment, the ability to run an efficient operation in terms of energy cost and scheduling, and the avoidance of production downtime that can be associated with unscheduled maintenance activities. From safety to efficiency, this Special Report covers all the basics on how to optimize your heat transfer fluid selection.

Control With Flow

Sponsored By Micro Motion With changes in temperature, pressure, density and viscosity all affecting volumetric flowmeter measurement, how can continuous processors accurately measure the flow of fluids? Download this Special Report to find out how Coriolis flowmeters provide a direct mass measurement that is unaffected by changing process fluid characteristics improving both accuracy and optimizing operations at your plant.

Manufacturing Management

Chemical Processing Special Report: Migration

Sponsored by Honeywell "Migration could be the biggest single issue facing automation end-users today," stresses a report from the ARC Advisory Group. ARC estimates that installed automation systems worth about $65 billion are reaching the end of their useful lives. Distributed control systems (DCSs) more than 20 years old will need replacement within the next ten years.

Prepare For The Economic Recovery

Sponsored By Honeywell Whether we are headed toward an economic rebound or continuing with the current economic downturn, specialty chemicals manufacturers should take steps now in order to get or keep a competitive edge. But what steps should specialty chemicals manufacturers take? This Special Report will discuss actionable strategies including: Reducing costs while maintaining quality and compliance; Committing not just to "lean manufacturing" but to "lean supply chain" strategies; Implementing "agile manufacturing" practices.

Powder & Solids

CP Special Report: Improving Plant Efficiency and Safety

Sponsored By: Parker

Chemical plants vary widely in size and complexity yet share common goals for maximizing efficiency safely and cost effectively. This Chemical Processing Special Report tackles two areas in chemical processing - compressed air systems and powder handling - where gains can be achieved for improving efficiency. We also address the concerns of safety as it relates to drying compressed air in hazardous atmospheres. Key takeaways:

Whether compressed air systems are centrifugal, rotary screw, reciprocating compressors or a combination, this Special Report provides and understanding of what’s involved in getting a suitable supply of compressed air.
Efficient powder handling can be achieved through optimized humidity management.
Safe drying practices in hazardous air locations

Understanding Dust Explosion Dangers

Sponsored By Fike The unfortunate propensity of dust explosions to destroy entire facilities and claim lives is very real. Powder handling processes often are comprised of interconnected enclosures and equipment. Flame and pressure resulting from a dust explosion can therefore propagate through piping, across galleries, and reach other pieces of equipment or enclosures, leading to extensive damage. In this Chemical Processing Special Report, we take a look at the latest NFPA standards and dust explosion mitigation strategies.

Conveyors

Sponsored By Hapman No matter what industry youre in, chances are you use some form of conveying. Whether it be pneumatic, flexible screw, aeromechanical or other, different conveyors are required to handle different products. But which conveyor is best suited for your operation? Despite the fact that conveyors have been around for almost a hundred years, this question still baffles many industries. In order to choose the right conveyor for your operations, you need to consider your conveyor's use - production, processing, packaging, and you need to consider your business objectives - improve operations? reduce labor?In this special report, we look at the different types of conveyors, discuss the use of tubular bag conveyors, and provide 10 tips to prevent a variety of common problems that could occur with pneumatic conveyors.

Process Control

Special Report: Protect Process Control Systems

In the decade before Stuxnet attacked process control systems in Iran, there were just five known supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) vulnerabilities for all control systems in the world, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). In 2011, the year after Stuxnet, that vulnerability count jumped to more than 215. Last year, it reached 248. No surprise then that Chemical makers are increasingly focusing on protecting their process control systems from intrusion both from the inside and outside. In this Chemical Processing Special Report: Protect Process Control Systems, we take a look at:

How to better protect your control system - "Defense in depth" is crucial, and new and maturing technologies may help
Cyber Security Challenges - learn about countermeasures to protect control systems
Case Study: A vulnerability assessment reveals critical gaps in the security of a natural gas pipeline
How to mitigate security risks in legacy process control systems - several steps can help protect against threats and extend the life of legacy equipment

Learn how to secure your process control systems - and your plant.

Download your copy of this Chemical Processing Special Report: Protect Process Control Systems now.

Make the Most of Control System Migration

Sponsored By Siemens The right strategy may lead to significant improvements in plant performance.

Reliability & Maintenance

Special Report: Are your corrosion control practices rusty?

Many refineries rely on equipment well past original design life. These assets, some of which now have been in operation for double that time, face an ever-increasing risk of failure due to internal corrosion attack.

Read this special report to learn the best ways to combat corrosion.

Research Report: Maintenance, Product Choice Prove Challenging Hapman

Maintenance, reliability and dust hazards are always main concerns for manufacturers in the chemical industry, but how are these factors being weighed against extended production downtime and cost of replacement?

Identifying equipment needs isn’t as easy as it seems. A recent industry survey shows bulk-solids-handling equipment purchasing decisions are not always confident. Read this report to discover the current struggles chemical manufactures face when dealing with a handling equipment purchase.Full research results and analysis are now available to you in this downloadable report.

Research conducted in partnership with Hapman.

Download the research report now.

READ THE SPECIAL REPORT NOW

Special Report: Achieve Effective Reactor Cleaning

Reactor cleaning is an often-overlooked area to tap into efficiency. The advantages of water jetting are multiplied by automation, which makes cleaning completely hands-free. This report sponsored by NLB takes a look at how these systems not only allow companies to maintain (and improve) high levels of productivity and safety — but help them keep up with changing market demands.

Special Report: Wash Away Your Tank Cleaning Challenges

Industrial vessels of various types are used extensively in the processing of chemicals, petrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Applications commonly involve storage or process tanks, drums, blenders, reactors, kettles, mixers, fermenters or shipping containers. In addition, reusable totes and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) provide for convenient and cost-effective storage and transport. The cleaning of this essential equipment, however, has long been a challenge.

In this Chemical Processing special report learn more about:How modern impingement cleaning technologies improve safety and sustainabilityHow one chemical company profits from faster cleaning turnarounds and fully clean totesDownload now.

Focus On Better Equipment Care For Increased Productivity

Being armed with the knowledge on how to best care for your equipment can produce a myriad of desirable results –improved reliability of that equipment, improved quality of your production and safety for your workforce to name a few. For chemical processors and all manufacturers the benefits for proactively caring for your equipment can translate in to gains in financial performance as a result of decreasing unexpected breakdowns, downtime and maintenance costs. In this Chemical Processing Special Report we take an in-depth look at how to successfully implement an operator care program focused on caring for your plant’s equipment. We also delve deeply into rotary impingement technology and the benefits it brings to manufacturers tasked with tank cleaning to ensure reliable, uncontaminated, quality batches during production.

Beyond Condition Monitoring: Prevent Failures through Condition Management

Sponsored By Edgewater Fullscope For years chemicals makers have tracked the health of key equipment yet they still grapple with unplanned outages that can significantly impact financial performance through lost production and extra repair costs. In this Special Report, we'll explore underlying condition monitoring challenges and introduce the concept of condition management -- an enhanced approach that helps companies reap the full benefit from their condition monitoring investments; we'll also discuss how CMMS tools can help to provide a clear understanding of maintenance operations performance as well as provide some guidance on what you can expect from a CMMS vendor. Lastly, listen to the lively discussion between Chemical Processing's Senior Digital Editor,Traci Purdum, and Edgewater Fullscope's Senior Vice President, Russell Smith, as they converse on how ERP can help manage the supply chain.

Condition Monitoring

Sponsored By Infor An exciting trend in the world of CMMS is the increasing sophistication of condition-based maintenance (CBM) features and functions vendors offer and maintenance professionals actually use. This Special Report covers:* Six steps to condition-based maintenance* Bolster your condition monitoring toolbox* Protect your condition-monitoring program from the recession guillotine* Go beyond condition monitoring

Safety

Special Report: Take the Pressure Off Overpressure Protection

Sponsored By: Emerson

With increased attention to operational issues, such as product purity and losses, as well as regulator demands for more stringent leak detection and repair (LDAR) strategies, the quest to reduce fugitive emissions has taken on new urgency at many sites.

In this report you will learn about:

Regulations requiring pressure relief devices
Effectively monitoring pressure relief devices and valves
Adopting enhanced leak detection and repair strategies

Read this report to see how leak detection and repair technology is adapting to increased regulatory demands and becoming a reliable, effective and economic way to monitor pressure relief valves.

Download the special report now.

Special Report: Review Your Rupture Disc Regimen

Many processes require a device to control or limit the pressure that can build up due to an upset, instrument or equipment failure, or fire. Pressure relief valves, backflow preventers and rupture disks provide this protection. However, most chemical processing plants have processing units originally designed and built prior to the availability of current reverse acting disc designs. Rupture disc designs have evolved greatly in the past 80 years to satisfy the greater demands of OSHA for improved safety devices, the EPA to minimize potential fugitive emissions, and the needs of process industries to improve efficiency and mechanical integrity This report sponsored by Continental Disc takes a look at how manufacturers are improving efficiency, performance and mechanical integrity.

Special Report: Safety is No Accident

For chemical processors industrial safety is a top concern. Industrial accidents can lead to lost production, injury and in some cases even death. This special report examines how organizations can reduce risk, prevent incidents and ensure safety and compliance in hazardous environments with improved processes. Topics covered include:

How to Achieve Effective Process Safety Management (PSM) -- Senior managers play an important role in improving PSM. Their efforts should be visible and their leadership felt to ensure success.
Getting To The Root Of Accidents -- Accident investigations usually focus on operator error or technical failures. However, applying systems thinking may provide greater insights on underlying causes and, in the long run, prevent more incidents.
Optimizing Safety and Efficiency Through Modern Design-- This ignition protection method helps ensure accuracy, safety and compliance in hazardous environments

Special Report: Consider these Safety Instrumented Best Practices

For chemical processors, assuring safe operations is always top of mind. In this Chemical Processing Special Report we take a look at three distinct areas of operations and steps to insure best safety practices in each.

HIPS for Reactive Processes – how this safety-instrumented systems offer advantages over pressure relief valves

HART DIAGNOSTICS - in safety instrumented system (SIS) field devices have been used for many years by several different SIS vendors. HART diagnostics provide much more information on the health of a field device than can be determined from a standard 4–20 mA signal.
Proof testing - how this modern method improves efficiency, reduces errors, and meets compliance requirements

Security

Chemical Processing Special Report: Cyber Security

The technology advances in control systems and open systems have afforded us improved efficiency, productivity and the ability to advance our operations. However, these improved technology advances have also come with risks that threaten these efficiencies. Viruses; an increased dependency on uptime, availability and reliability; operator errors and increased regulations are just some of the threats todays manufacturers need to contend with when managing their operations. In this Putman Media Special Report, we take a look at the cyber security issues todays manufacturers need to contend with; identify control systems vulnerabilities and offer a three-step approach for building better cyber security at your operations.

Chemical Processing Special Report: Secure plan(t)

In the decade before Stuxnet attacked process control systems in Iran, there were just five known supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) vulnerabilities for all control systems in the world, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). In 2011, the year after Stuxnet, that vulnerability count jumped to more than 215. Last year, it reached 248 (Figure 1). No surprise then that Chemical makers are increasingly focusing on protecting their process control systems from intrusion both from the inside and outside. In this Chemical Processing Special Report: Secure plan(t), we take a look at:How to better protect your control system - “Defense in depth” is crucial, and new and maturing technologies may helpCyber Security Challenges – learn about countermeasures to protect control systemsCase Study: A vulnerability assessment reveals critical gaps in the security of a natural gas pipelineHow to mitigate security risks in legacy process control systems - several steps can help protect against threats and extend the life of legacy equipment Learn how to secure your process control systems – and your plant. Download your copy of this Chemical Processing Special Report: Secure plan(t) now.

Utilities & Energy

Special Report: Put Steam Into Your Efforts

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that steam generation, distribution and cogeneration offer the most cost-effective energy efficiencies in the short term with potential energy savings at over 12%.

However, it is important that you ensure steam reaches the point of use at the correct quality, quantity and pressure, and that you look at some of the key areas to consider in reducing maintenance costs and energy losses, namely, the impact poor steam quality will have on the steam system and how this can be improved.

This report sponsored by Spirax Sarco takes a look at how manufacturers are meeting these challenges and seeing real energy savings.

Download this Spirax Sarco Special Report for insights and strategies including:

The importance of steam in the Oil, Gas and Chemical Industry
Steam projects provide fast payback
Ensuring steam system reliability
More!

Download your copy of this Special Report “Put Steam Into Your Efforts” now.

READ THE SPECIAL REPORT NOW

Special Report: Scrutinize Your Steam System

Is your Steam System creating challenges? Are there areas you'd like to learn more about such as corrosion, flash steam, low pressure or wasted steam?

This report sponsored by Pick Heaters takes a look at how these challenges can be addressed. Download this Special Report for insight and strategies including:

Plant Combats Corrosion in Idled Boilers: Learn several measures that provide proper protection of the off-line steam generators.
Make the Most of Blowdown: Get the scoop on how recovering thermal energy from flash steam offers energy-saving opportunities.
Take a Look at Thermocompressors: Consider this device to upgrade low-pressure or wasted steam for use elsewhere in your plant.

Download your copy of the Special Report to Scrutinize Your Steam System now!

Special Report: Take Stock of Your Stacks

This Chemical Processing Special Report takes a look at how chemicals manufacturers are meeting the various challenges presented by process heaters. We look at solutions to lower costs, lower temperature, save energy, and be more efficient.

Download this Chemical Processing Special Report for insights and strategies including:

Take a Fresh Look at Heaters: A Simple four-step program can lead to significant savings.
Don’t Get Heated Up By a Hot Stack: Consider several projects to lower temperatures and recover energy.
Cut the Cost of Waste Gas Incineration: An RTO often can offer an effective and fuel efficient option.
Providing High Emissivity Coatings Solutions for Process Heaters
More!

Download your copy of this Chemical Processing Special Report now.

Special Report: Tackling Issues with Water-Based Utilities

Sponsored By: Hach

In this special report, we explore several ways to identify and solve various water-based utility issues. Find out how to:

Avoid plant downtime and potential injuries by addressing steam-generation chemistry issues
Use a reverse osmosis unit for energy savings
Address inefficient operations and more.

» Download the free Special Report

Special Report: Improve Heat Exchanger Efficiency

Are you feeling challenged by the task of improving your heat exchanger efficiency? Do you have questions about fluids allocation and more efficient tube cleaning?

This report sponsored by NLB takes a look at how manufacturers are meeting these challenges. Download this special report for insights and strategies including:

Pick the Right Side: Allocating fluids in a tubular exchanger demands care.
Clean Tube Bundles Efficiently: High-pressure automated water jetting speeds cleaning and reduces downtime.
More!

Download your copy of this Special Report on Heat Exchanger Efficiency now.

Special Report: Make the Most of Heat Transfer Fluids

Even though thermal-fluid heating systems have been widely used for over 80 years, they still provoke a certain amount of fear and trepidation in users. This anxiety is reinforced by any number of horror stories that usually involve systems that suddenly develop a "problem" after years of trouble-free operation. This Chemical Processing Special Report: Make the Most of Heat Transfer Fluids delves in to the issues surrounding heat transfer fluids. Learn about:

Thermal fluids - dispel common myths about hot oil systems
Avert oxidation - how nitrogen can serve as an inert barrier to prevent heat-transfer fluid from contacting atmospheric air through the expansion tank
Steam vs. hot oil - a key tradeoff complicates the choice between steam and a hot oil system to heat water

Heat Transfer Fluids: Do's, Don'ts, and Best Practices

Heat transfer fluids -- from mineral oils to synthetic and organic-based formulas -- are the lifeblood of many critical operations within the process industries. This special, interactive PDF looks at how plant personnel can better understand various fluids and fluid properties, and track the performance of their entire heat transfer system.

Training Your Staff About Energy Efficiency

Sponsored By Pick Heaters Certainly over the last few years, how plants consume energy has made an impact on that plant's efficiency and profitability. But is everyone at your plant doing their part? From Process Engineers to Plant Managers, everyone can have a role in implementing and adhering to energy efficient practices and exploring ways to improve energy efficiency.

Compressed Air

Sponsored By Atlas Copco Chemical manufacturers today are looking at all aspects of their business to conserve energy and decrease costs. Compressed air is often over looked in these efforts as many people do not fully understand compressed air equipment, their own system, or what it costs to produce compressed air power. In this Special Report, we review compressed air and provide insights on how to understand equipment and identify potential areas for savings.

Chemical Processing Special Report: Jacketed Heating

Reactor temperature control typically is very important to product quality, production rate and operating costs whether a processor is employing continuous or batch reactors. And with many process plants currently using steam or hot water to heat jacketed devices such as tanks, kettles, dryers, reactors, glass lined vessels, or similar adaptations such as coiled tubing placed inside or outside tanks or vessels – much emphasis is placed on achieving optimized control of these processes. In this Chemical Processing Special Report: Jacketed Heating we take a look at:

Improving Batch Reactor temperature control - Understand the likely causes and fixes for common problems in reaching set points
Rethinking Reactor temperature control - Cascade strategy offers simplicity and fast response
Keeping cool when designing Batch Reactors - in designing such a unit, focus on effective temperature control to achieve optimum performance
Consider Hot Water for Jacketed Heating - Hot water offers significant advantages over traditional steam-heated systems.

Download your copy of this Chemical Processing Special Report: Jacketed Heating now!

Water

Chemical Processing Special Report: Seize Water Conservation Opportunities

Chemical makers increasingly are focusing on water-related issues. In particular, concern over availability is spurring leading operating companies to implement a host of novel strategies and technologies to optimize water use. In this Chemical Processing Special Report we take a look at what it takes for chemical companies to identify and implement water conservation strategies and practices including:

Operating companies step up conservation and re-use efforts - real world example
Tank cleaning - how a more-effective method can offer significant water conservation benefits

Special Report: Pay Attention to Water

Economic growth, industrialization and population growth are driving the increasing demand for water, while factors such as climate change, pollution and regulation are affecting the supply and costs related to water.” The chemical industry, being highly water intensive, certainly is exposed to water-related risks. Any efforts to manage these risks and capitalize on opportunities begin with the measurement and appreciation of how water may impact business, followed by the development of strategies to protect the business both now and in the future. In this Chemical Processing Special Report we take a look at water challenges and potential solutions for chemical processors including:

Water-related risks and opportunities
How chemical makers strive to cut water consumption and improve treatment
The Importance of visible TOC levels