Rediscovering the Joys of Chemical Engineering - From Laboratory to Kitchen

I delivered this LECTURE at the Chemical Engineering Conference (CHEMCON - 2011) on 27th December, 2011 at Bangalore. It is not too technical and is as much about food and cooking as about Chemical Engineering. So it should appeal to even non-engineers.

Coriolis Meter

Don't miss this fine 8 minute VIDEO on Coriolis Flowmeter.

Hazardous Area Classification

Haven't posted in a long time; this is actually my first post of this year. I want to share a link which provides a 5 minute primer on Hazardous Area Classification, a subject that many process engineers find technically challenging and confusing. This primer should help in clearing some cobwebs and stimulate further reading for a deeper understanding of the various codes and practices that are followed in the industry. There is considerable amount of theoretical understanding behind the practice of Hazardous Area Classification and I would like to see it included in undergraduate chemical engineering curricula. Industry should actively push this case to get "safety-primed" process engineers.

Double Volute Pump

I had a question regarding Double Volute Pumps and found some excellent references on the web:

1) http://www.pump-zone.com/articles/68.pdf

2) http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=142821&page=8

3) http://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/14-html/14-06.htm

4) http://www.engineersedge.com/pumps/centrifugal_pump.htm

One line summary : Consider Double Volute design if the pump has to operate away from its BEP for most of the time, it will eliminate most of the radial thrust due to such operation.

The Ecstasy of Commissioning

Olefins by Catalytic Cracking - New Process

A new process for the manufacture of Ethylene and Propylene, the two main building blocks for petrochemicals, called Advanced Catalytic Olefins (ACO) Technology, is getting ready to go into commercial operation in the last quarter of this year.
The main advantages of this new catalytic route over the well established thermal route (steam cracking) are:
• 15-25 % increase in olefins yield
• Better Propylene to Ethylene ratio of 1:1 compared to 0.5:1 for steam cracking
• Lower operating temperature of 650 degs C compared to 850 degs C for steam cracking
Licensed by KBR, the plant is being built for SK Energy at Ulsan, South Korea.

Chemical industry will be anxiously watching the start-up of this breakthrough technology, as it will have far reaching consequences for the petrochemical sector.

More details of the process at
http://www.kbr.com/Newsroom/Publications/technical-papers/A-Catalytic-Cracking-Process-for-Ethylene-and-Propylene-from-Paraffin-Streams.pdf

CP 50

50 Chemical Processing companies worth watching and learning from :

http://www.chemicalprocessing.com/cp50/index.html