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 May
2024

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Ion-Exchange
Resins page 22

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Storage Tanks
Petroleum Refining
Industrial Robots
Risk Management
Particle Size
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 www.chemengonline.com

May 2024 Volume 131 | no. 5

Cover Story
22 Ion-Exchange Resins: Solutions for a Wide Range of
Challenges A large selection of ion-exchange resins is available today
for a constantly growing variety of applications. In order to choose
the appropriate resin for a specific application, it is important to
carefully evaluate the range of resin and process properties
and parameters

.In the News

5 Chementator
A new manufacturing approach for heavy-duty ceramic
membranes; Functionalized ceramic particles allow for
heat-rejecting coatings; A faster way to manufacture
bipolar plates; Solid-state synthesis simplifies cathode
manufacture; Improving sodium-ion batteries with
nanocellular graphene; and more
10 Business News
Celanese expands production capacities for acetic acid and
VAE; Shin-Etsu Chemical announces new plant for semiconductor 22
lithography materials; Borealis invests €4.5 million to upgrade olefins
plant in Finland; and more

12 Newsfront Evolving Demand and Feed Profiles

Challenge Refiners Trends related to the energy transition are
shifting demand for refined products and affecting feedstock slates, forcing
petroleum refiners to embrace flexibility and adaptation
16 Newsfront Industrial Robots Forge Ahead
12
Performance improvements in robotics technologies for manufacturing
and energy operations are leading to greater productivity, cost savings
and safety improvements

.Technical and Practical

16
21 Facts at your Fingertips Representing Particle Size
and Geometry This one-page reference explains approaches for
representing and measuring irregularly shaped particles

30 Feature Report Design Considerations for Steam-

Heated Storage Tanks Steam-heated storage tanks are critical to
manufacturing processes, and prioritizing reliability in tank-system design and 30
operations can mitigate unwanted issues

35 Engineering Practice A Holistic Approach to Asset

Risk Management: Is it All or Nothing? By combining
mechanical-integrity and reliability programs into a single framework, plants
can streamline their asset-maintenance strategies and mitigate all types of risk

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 1

 .Equipment and Services
39 Show Preview Achema 2024
The 34th edition of Achema, World Forum and Tradeshow for the process
industries, will take place June 10–14 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

45 Show Preview IFAT 2024

The IFAT event, focused on environmental technologies from water to waste
management, will be held in Munich, Germany from May 13–17

48 Show Preview Connected Plant Conference 2024

The 8th annual Connected Plant Conference, focused on the digital
39 transformation in the chemical process and power generation industries, will
take place May 20–22 in the Houston area

.Departments
45
4 Editor’s Page Regulating air emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a set of final rules targeting
emissions of ethylene oxide and chloroprene

60 Economic Indicators

Advertisers
50 Gulf Coast Special Advertising Section
48 56 Hot Products
58 Classified Ads
58 Subscription and Sales Representative Information
59 Ad Index

.Chemical Connections
Join the Chemical Engineering Magazine
LinkedIn Group
Visit us on www.chemengonline.com for more
articles, Latest News, New Products, Webinars, Test
your Knowledge Quizzes, Bookshelf and more. This
month’s Focus, on personal protective equipment,
can be also found online

Coming in June
Look for: Feature Reports on Temperature Measurement and Control; and
Project Management; A Focus on Pumps; A Facts at your Fingertips
on Cooling Towers; a Newsfront on Distillation Column Internals; New
Products; and much more

Cover design: Tara Bekman

Cover image: Courtesy of Lanxess

2 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024

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 Editor s Page
EDITORS DANIELLE ZABORSKI
Regulating air emissions

T
List Sales: Merit Direct, (914) 368-1090
DOROTHY LOZOWSKI
Editorial Director
dzaborski@meritdirect.com here have been several recent announcements regarding
dlozowski@chemengonline.com ART & DESIGN regulatory changes that affect the chemical process indus-
GERALD ONDREY (FRANKFURT) TARA BEKMAN tries (CPI). One of the latest is a set of final rules announced
Senior Graphic Designer
Senior Editor
gondrey@chemengonline.com tzaino@accessintel.com on April 9 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA;
www.epa.gov) that significantly limits emissions of air pollutants from
SCOTT JENKINS PRODUCTION
Senior Editor chemical manufacturing facilities. The main compounds targeted are
GEORGE SEVERINE
sjenkins@chemengonline.com
Production Manager ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from synthetic organic chemical pro-
MARY PAGE BAILEY
gseverine@accessintel.com duction and chloroprene emissions from neoprene manufacture. De-
Senior Associate Editor
mbailey@chemengonline.com
INFORMATION scribing these chemicals as “air toxics,” the EPA points out that these
SERVICES
two chemicals can have serious health effects in small quantities, and
GROUP PUBLISHER CHARLES SANDS
Director of Digital Development
the new rule is expected to reduce related cancer risks in communi-
MATTHEW GRANT
Vice President and Group Publisher,
csands@accessintel.com ties near facilities that emit them. According to the EPA, the rule will
Energy & Engineering Group
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS reduce emissions of these two compounds by nearly 80%.
mattg@powermag.com
JOY LEPREE (NEW JERSEY)
In an earlier announcement on March 14, the EPA had disclosed its
AUDIENCE
DEVELOPMENT
jlepree@chemengonline.com final rule specifically for EtO commercial sterilization facilities, which
JENNIFER McPHAIL
was aimed at reducing EtO emissions from those facilities by 90%.
Senior Marketing Manager
jmcphail@accessintel.com
Rule to reduce toxic air emissions
GEORGE SEVERINE One of the requirements in the “Final Rule to Strengthen Standards
Fulfillment Director
gseverine@accessintel.com for Synthetic Organic Chemical Plants and Polymers and Resins
Plants” relates to improving the efficiency of flares that are used to
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD control pollution. The EPA states that it is also finalizing stronger
JOHN CARSON JOHN HOLLMANN standards for heat exchangers, process vents and storage vessels.
Jenike & Johanson, Inc. Validation Estimating LLC
Emission-control exemptions from startup and shutdown operations
DAVID DICKEY HENRY KISTER are being eliminated.
MixTech, Inc. Fluor Corp.
The rule further requires fenceline monitoring of six compounds. In
HEADQUARTERS addition to EtO and chloroprene, the compounds include benzene,
40 Wall Street, 16th floor, New York, NY 10005, U.S.
Tel: 212-621-4900 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride. The EPA cites
Fax: 212-621-4694 that this type of monitoring has been very effective in identifying and
EUROPEAN EDITORIAL OFFICES reducing benzene emissions at petroleum refineries. “Action levels”
Zeilweg 44, D-60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel: 49-69-9573-8296
that will prompt corrective action from the owners and operators have
Fax: 49-69-5700-2484 been defined for the monitored chemicals. Fenceline monitoring for
CIRCULATION REQUESTS: chloroprene is required to begin 90 days after the rule goes into effect.
Tel: 800-777-5006 There is a two-year deadline for monitoring of the other five chemicals.
Fax: 301-309-3847
Chemical Engineering, 9211 Corporate Blvd., The EPA did make adjustments to the proposed rule based on con-
4th Floor, Rockville, MD 20850
email: clientservices@accessintel.com
sideration of public comments. For example, EtO flare limit loads were
not included, and emissions control levels for chloroprene from pro-
ADVERTISING REQUESTS: SEE P. 58
cess vents and storage tanks were revised.
CONTENT LICENSING The American Chemistry Council (ACC; www.americanchemistry.
For all content licensing, permissions, reprints, or e-prints, please contact
Wright’s Media at accessintel@wrightsmedia.com or call (877) 652-5295 com) responded to the release of the final rule with a statement that
stated in part: “We are reviewing the details of this final rule as well as
ACCESS INTELLIGENCE, LLC its impacts on vital industries across the country. This rule will have sig-
HEATHER FARLEY JONATHAN RAY nificant implications on the production of key chemistries such as ethyl-
Chief Executive Officer Vice President, Digital
ene oxide, which supports national priorities like electric vehicle battery
JOHN B. SUTTON TINA GARRITY
Vice President of Finance
development, domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and healthcare
Chief Financial Officer
access.” The ACC raised several concerns over the rule, including the
MACY L. FECTO DANIEL J. MEYER toxicity value for ethylene oxide that was used by the EPA. Full details
Chief People Officer Vice President,
Corporate Controller of the EPA’s final rule and the ACC’s statement can be found on their
JENNIFER SCHWARTZ respective websites.
Divisional President, STUART BONNER
Industry & Infrastructure Vice President,
Marketing Operations
LORI JENKS Update to recent SEC rule
Senior Vice President, MICHELLE LEVY
Vice President,
Last month’s column discussed a final ruling by the
Event Operations
Administration U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC;
MICHAEL KRAUS
Vice President,
www.sec.gov) regarding reporting of climate-re-
Production, Digital Media & Design lated risks. At the time of this writing, implemen-
9211 Corporate Blvd., 4th Floor
tation of that rule has been paused, pending the
Rockville, MD 20850-3240
www.accessintel.com outcome of legal challenges. ■
 Dorothy Lozowski, Editorial Director
4 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
Chementator
A new manufacturing approach for Edited by:
Gerald Ondrey
heavy-duty ceramic membranes

M
embranes are widely used in a va- assembly actually consists of two membranes RO MEMBRANES
riety of industrial separation pro- — one selective for cations and one for anions. Toray Industries, Inc.
cesses, but the polymeric materi- The electric field helps these ions move across (Tokyo, Japan; www.
als that make up many membranes the membrane, and they are then recombined toray.com) has devel-
are not durable enough to handle extreme in a concentrated stream. What’s unique about oped a highly durable
conditions, such as processes with low pH our process is that it targets only ionically reverse osmosis (RO)
or hazardous-metal content. Membrion, Inc. charged components,” adds Newbloom. This membrane that is said
(Seattle, Wash.; www.membrion.com) has makes it useful for treating wastewater streams to offer double the re-
developed the Electro-Ceramic Desalination with metal content and high acidity, such as sistance to cleaning
chemicals of conven-
(ECD) process, which uses ceramic mem- those found in semiconductor manufacturing,
tional counterparts.
branes for ion separation in extreme environ- which typically would require several separate This reduces per-
ments where polymeric membranes would treatment steps. “The technologies that ECD formance degrada-
typically fail. “Ceramic membranes have been can replace are not typical membrane units tion from membrane
in use for decades, but they usually cannot be — they’re things like chemical precipitation, or wear and simplifies
made with small enough pores to be suitable thermal evaporation. In many cases, the most operational manage-
for ion-transport applications,” explains Greg common thing that ECD can replace is simply ment, halving replace-
Newbloom, CEO of Membrion. Taking inspi- a facility trucking wastewater offsite and dis- ment frequencies and
ration from the silica gel packs that are used posing of it elsewhere,” says Newbloom. shrinking the product’s
to remove moisture from packaged foods, carbon footprint, the
company says.
and which feature the tiny pores required for
The company is pre-
molecular transport, the team developed a paring to mass pro-
unique way to shape the silica into membrane duce this membrane
sheets instead of spheres. “We work in an and launch it in the rap-
amorphous phase with silica, using a sol-gel idly expanding Chinese
process to convert liquid materials into gel and market in the first half of
then dry them into a solid, which we can then 2024, and aims to de-
feed into a roll-to-roll process. No one else has velop products with the
really done roll-to-roll manufacturing with ce- new membrane for the
ramics in this way before,” says Newbloom. global market.
Toray combined a
The company currently operates a pilot mem-
scanning transmission
brane-manufacturing facility in Seattle. electron-microscopy
Another differentiator in the ECD process is technology (devel-
the use of an electric field, rather than pres- oped at the Toray Re-
sure, to drive the migration of ions. “The ECD Membrion search Center) and a
digital data-analysis
Functionalized ceramic particles allow for technique to quantita-
tively analyze the pores
heat-rejecting coatings

N
of the separation layer
anoTech Materials Inc. (Houston; NanoTech Materials. Company co-founder of RO membranes.
Using this information,
www.nanotechmaterials.com) is and CEO Mike Francis says the thermal con-
the company identi-
expanding its commercial partner- ductivity coefficient (k-value) of the ICP powder fied a substructure
ships for the use the company’s is 0.017 W/mK, which minimizes heat transfer that helps enhance
Insulative Ceramic Particle (ICP) technology, when the ICP is integrated into coatings, res- pore structure stability
which can be used in fireproof coatings, as ins and building materials. when in contact with
well as in a range of applications for roof “The ICP combines perfect emissivity with cleaning chemicals.
coatings that lower cooling energy demands low thermal conductivity to lower heat trans- A manufacturing pro-
in large buildings. The company recently an- fer and enhance solar reflectance index (SRI),” cess was developed
nounced an arrangement with the California Francis says. In roof-coating applications, the to design a new poly-
Department of Transportation (CalTrans) for ICP is added to a polymeric protective coating mer structure, thus
creating an RO mem-
using ICP in fireproofing wood structures to that is applied to building roofs at a thickness of
brane that delivers a
protect against wildfire damage, and a part- about 1 mm. The coating rejects heat, allowing stable pore structure.
nership with telecommunications major AT&T 20–50% reductions in cooling costs, depend-
for thermal insulation. ing on the nature of the building, Francis says. PRUSSIAN WHITE
ICP technology is based on an amorphous In fireproofing applications, the ICP is ap-
Sodium-ion batteries
silica core that is functionalized with several plied as part of a resin matrix at a thickness of have many advan-
nanoscale components that, together, give 5 mm. Upon exposure to high heat and flame, tages over conven-
rise to its heat-rejection ability. ICP is synthe- the resin burns away and the ICP undergoes a tional lithium-ion bat-
sized as a powder with particle sizes of 4–30 sintering process that protects the underlying teries. Because they
µm using a proprietary process developed by substrate from flame damage.
(Continues on p. 6)
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 5
 A faster way to manufacture bipolar plates

B
do not contain any
critical resources, ipolar plates (BPPs) are a key com- is the higher process speeds involved. As
like lithium or cobalt, ponent in electrolyzers and fuel cells. many as 120 BPP half plates can be pro-
sodium-ion batteries
BPPs include two key components: duced every minute,” notes Robin Kurth,
promise to reduce
costs of stationary
the membrane electrode assembly group manager for forming machines at
energy-storage sys- (MEA), in a fuel-cell system; and the catalyst- Fraunhofer IWU. The researchers hope that
tems and electric coated membrane (CCM), in an electrolyzer. this shift in production methods will cut the
mobility. So far, how- In a fuel-cell stack, for example, the double- costs of manufacturing BPPs in half.
ever, energy-storage walled structure of the BPPs allows oxygen A pilot-production line is already running at
materials required for and hydrogen to flow to both sides of the Fraunhofer IWU, and the first bipolar plates
production have been MEA while water cools the stack. The prob- produced with the pilot facility are already
lacking. This situation lem is that the current process of producing being tested in fuel cells at the Fraunhofer
is about to change, BPPs is expensive, making widespread adop- Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in
as Litona GmbH
tion of fuel cells uneconomical. Freiburg. The Fraunhofer researchers pre-
(Karlsruhe, Germany;
litona-batteries.de) —
Now, researchers at the Fraunhofer Insti- sented one component of the system at the
a startup established tute for Machine Tools and Forming Tech- Hannover Messe last month (April 22–26).
at the Karlsruhe In- nology (IWU; Chemnitz, Germany; www.iwu.
Fraunhofer IWU
stitute of Technology fraunhofer.de), in partnership with Profiroll
(KIT; www.kit.edu) Technologies GmbH (Bad Düben, Germany;
— plans to produce www.profiroll.de), have developed a proto-
these materials on an type system for roll embossing, named BP-
industrial scale. PflexRoll, which makes it possible for con-
The startup com- tinuous mass production, instead of the
pany, founded by
conventional batch-wise fabrication method.
Sebastian Büchele
from KIT’s Institute
In the newly developed technology, the
for Applied Materi- structure of the BPP is embossed using a pair
als, is focusing on of rollers (photo), with the wafer-thin metal
the Prussian white, band running continuously between them.
which composed of One of the forming rollers is defined as the
mainly Na, Fe and punch, the other as the die. Since the rollers
Mn. “This energy- used to form the flow channels have approxi-
storage material can mately only one line contact with the work-
be used at the cath- piece, the step-by-step forming can reduce
ode of a sodium-ion
the process forces by a factor of ten on av-
battery,” he says.
When researching
erage compared to conventional embossing.
sodium-ion technol- “One major advantage of roll embossing
ogy, Büchele de-
cided to synthesize
Prussian white on his
Solid-state synthesis simplifies
own. This work at KIT cathode manufacture

T
not only resulted in a
high-quality cathode he production and processing of cath- battery commercialization at Sylvatex.
material, but also in a ode active materials (CAM) are among This process also simplifies CAM synthe-
process to produce
the largest contributors to the cost of sis in that the lithium hydroxide can be added
the material. To serve
a bigger market, he
lithium-ion battery manufacturing. Typ- alongside the other metals. Also key to the
founded Litona to- ical CAM manufacture involves multiple, multi- Sylvatex technology is a proprietary solid
gether with chemist phase steps in a co-precipitation process that additive that acts as a reaction facilitator
Tom Bötticher. “Our requires a large amount of water and creates amongst the metals. “Normally, the lithium
competitors had a significant amount of solid sodium-sulfate must be added later in the process, necessi-
problems in scaling waste. A new, all-solid-state CAM technology tating multiple steps. The output of our milling
the production of aims to lower costs and create less waste process goes directly to calcination. Since
Prussian white ana- in CAM production. The single-step CAM- the process is analogous to traditional milling,
logs,” Büchele says. synthesis process developed by Sylvatex Inc. it can use commercial, off-the-shelf equip-
“We think that we
(Alameda, Calif.; www.sylvatex.com) requires ment, allowing this pathway to scale relatively
have solved these
problems.”
no water, and is similar to a typical milling pro- quickly,” comments Adiletta. Going into the
cess. “Our goal is to use mixed hydroxide pre- calcination step, the process can take ad-
DRUG DISCOVERY cipitate [MHP], containing both nickel and co- vantage of heat created by the exothermic
balt hydroxides, as raw material. Typically, the reaction facilitated by the additive, essentially
Last month, the
life-science group
metal hydroxides in MHP must be converted lowering the heating requirements.
Sartorius AG (Göt- to metal sulfates before CAM synthesis, but Sylvatex has reported 25% lower costs for
tingen, Germany; we can use the hydroxides themselves, so its CAM compared to conventional produc-
www.sartorius.com) we’re cutting out a key portion of the process tion methods, along with a 50% reduction in
costs,” explains Joe Adiletta, vice president of carbon footprint.
(Continues on p. 8)
6 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
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 and startup company Improving sodium-ion batteries with
TheWell Bioscience nanocellular graphene
(North Brunswick, N.J.;

N
www.thewellbio.com)
anocellular graphene (NCG) is a Park and his colleagues demonstrated that
agreed to partner on the
further development of
specialized form of graphene that NCGs developed by this method exhibited
hydrogels and bioinks achieves a large specific surface high tensile strength (34.8 MPa) and high
tailored to produce 3D area by stacking multiple layers of electrical conductivity (1.6 × 104 S/m) after
advanced cell models graphene and controlling its internal struc- graphitization. Moreover, they put the mate-
for drug discovery work- ture with a nanoscale cellular morphology. rial to the test in a sodium-ion battery (SIB).
flows. In addition to this, Although the material has the potential to im- “We used the developed NCG as an active
Sartorius will expand the prove the performance of electronic devices, material and current collector in a SIB, where
portfolio of its laboratory energy devices and sensors, its development it demonstrated a high rate, long life and ex-
division by distributing has been stymied by defects that occur dur- cellent deformation resistance,” says Park.
TheWell Bioscience's
ing the manufacturing process. Cracks often “Ultimately, our method of making crack-free
products, and invest in a
minority shareholding in
appear when forming NCG, and scientists NCG will make it possible to raise the perfor-
the company. are looking for new processing technologies mance and flexibility of SIBs — an alternative
TheWell Bioscience is that can fabricate homogeneous, crack-free technology to lithium-ion batteries for certain
a pioneer in the field of and seamless NCGs at appropriate scales. applications, particularly in large-scale en-
animal-free hydrogels A promising new method that produced ergy storage and stationary power systems
and bioinks, critical com- crack-free NCG has been reported by re- where cost, safety and sustainability consid-
ponents for the creation searchers at the Institute of Materials Re- erations are paramount.”
of 3D biomimicking plat- search, Tohoku University (Japan; www.
forms, also known as 3D nem2.imr.tohoku.ac.jp) in a recent issue S.H. Joo & H. Kato; Tohoku University
cell models, for precision
of Advanced Materials. The method uses
medicine, cell therapy
and biomanufacturing.
a process known as dealloying, which ex-
These models are com- ploits the varying miscibility of alloy compo-
plex biological structures nents in a molten-metal bath. This process
that mimic the organiza- selectively corrodes certain components
tion and function of cells of the alloy while preserving others.
in living organisms, en- “We discovered that carbon atoms
abling a more accurate rapidly self-assemble into crack-free
prediction of the efficacy, NCG during liquid metal dealloying of an
toxicity and side effects amorphous manganese-carbon precur-
of drugs in humans.
sor in molten bismuth [diagram],” says
Won-Young Park, a graduate student at
CNT FILMS Tohoku University.
Last month, Canatu Oy
(Vantaa, Finland; www.
canatu.com) and Denso Electrochemical sensor selectively detects
Corp. (Kariya, Japan;, dangerous bacteria

R
www.denso.com)
started up their new, esearchers at Goethe University bacteria from the targeted E. coli strain ad-
jointly developed carbon Frankfurt (www.uni-frankfurt.de) here to the sensor.”
nanotube (CNT) reactor and Kiel University (both Germany; The study, published in Applied Materi-
at the Canatu factory in www.uni-kiel.de) have developed a als & Interfaces, documents how effective
Finland. The new high- new sensor for the detection of bacteria. It is the sensing technique is. The researchers
performance reactor based on a chip with a surface coating that mixed pathogens from the targeted E. coli
was developed to scale- ensures only very specific microorganisms, strain among harmless E. coli bacteria in
up CNT film manufactur-
such as pathogens, adhere to the sensor. various concentrations. “Our sensor was
ing to meet increasing
demand to address the
The sensor makes use of the fact that mi- able to detect the harmful microorganisms
global advanced driver- croorganisms only ever attack certain body even in very small quantities," explains Ter-
assistance systems cells, which they recognize from the latter’s fort. “What’s more, the higher the concen-
(ADAS) market with more specific sugar molecule structure. This ma- tration of the targeted bacteria, the stronger
competitive products. trix, known as the glycocalyx, differs depend- the emitted signals.”
Through this develop- ing on the type of cell. The sensor is simpler to use than tradi-
ment, Canatu and Denso “In our study, we wanted to detect a spe- tional methods, which are often time-con-
can triple the through- cific strain of the gut bacterium Escherichia suming, require expensive equipment or
put of Canatu CNT films coli,” explains professor Andreas Terfort can only be used by specialists. Moreover,
while maintaining record-
from the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical they are often unable to distinguish between
high performance.
Through joint develop-
Chemistry at Goethe University Frankfurt. active bacteria and their decay products. A
ment, Canatu and Denso “We knew which cells the pathogen usu- potential application is using the sensor in
have significantly pro- ally infects. We used this to coat our chip regions where there are no hospitals with
gressed in scaling and with an artificial glycocalyx that mimics the sophisticated laboratory diagnostics, for ex-
surface of these host cells. In this way, only ample, or in bioreactors.
(Continues on p. 9)
8 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
A next-generation membrane for controlling the chemistry of Canatu’s
durable fuel cells and electrolyzers proprietary CNT-synthesis process.
This enables large-scale production

H
of CNT films with consistent quality
ydrogen fuel cells and elec- terials into a composite that reduces
for highly engineered applications.
trolyzers will be crucial tech- gas permeation across the membrane Since 2015, Canatu has already been
nologies as the global en- while retaining high conductivity and producing CNT film using its propri-
ergy transition progresses. stability to enable thinner membranes etary production process. “We have
However, both devices are often with overall lower membrane resis- fine-tuned our own process to ensure
hampered by issues with durability tance. “We built upon developments consistent quality. With the new high-
and material costs — mainly associ- in hydrocarbon chemistries that were performance reactor, we will take a
ated with their membrane elements developed for fuel cells while combin- giant leap forward in industrial-scale
— which have slowed their wide- ing this understanding with how com- carbon nanotube film manufactur-
spread adoption. Now, a material- posites are made at the micro- and ing,” says Taneli Juntunen, vice presi-
dent of engineering at Canatu.
science breakthrough developed by nano-meter scales.
Key design changes included sizing
Celadyne Technologies Inc. (Chicago, “Dura cuts down on hydrogen up the reactor and its components
Ill.; www.celadynetech.com) has led crossover by more than 50% to ad- and implementing a parallel-furnace
to an alternative membrane technol- dress the root cause of free-radical design to multiply the synthesis pro-
ogy called Dura, which is both more formation in fuel cells while enhancing cess yield. Optimal CNT-growth con-
durable and efficient than the conven- electrolyzer safety, especially at high ditions to maximize yield were realized
tional proton-exchange membranes pressures and low current densities,” through modular reactor prototypes
(PEMs) that are the heart of many fuel says Ong. Also, when compared to and system-scale simulations. The
cells and electrolyzers. traditional PEM membranes, Dura’s new reactor cluster is equipped with
“Current fuel cells struggle with fabrication reduces the usage of in-situ monitoring of CNT growth, and
a new collection chamber design.
durability because hydrogen cross- per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances
over inadvertently causes side reac- (PFAS) by around 60%.
tions that lead to degradation of the Celadyne Technologies has worked
CO2 CAPTURE
Operational since April 2023 on Ar-
membrane, catalyst layer and other with the U.S. Air Force (Washington, celorMittal’s Dunkirk site, the indus-
components. Dura is the first-ever D.C.; www.af.mil) to operate a dem- trial pilot plant for the capture of CO2
low-permeability, bilayer PEM that is onstration-scale 100-W fuel cell, and present in blast-furnace gases has
durable, chemically impermeable and the company is also collaborating with delivered promising results. The ob-
conductive,” says Gary Ong, CEO partners to explore the deployment of jective of this pilot is to validate the
and founder of Celadyne Technolo- its technologies into heavy-duty truck- DMX capture process, developed by
gies. Creating such a membrane re- ing, wastewater treatment plants and IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN; www.
quired marrying two very different ma- other industrial applications. ifpenergiesnouvelles.fr) and mar-
keted by Axens (both Rueil-Malmai-
son, France; www.axens.net). The
Storing and processing anhydrous industrial pilot was built and is being
operated within the framework of two
hydrogen chloride as an ionic liquid projects: the European H2020 “3D”

H
project involving 11 European part-
ydrogen chloride is an im- ier and safer to store, handle and pro- ners, and the DinamX project.
portant byproduct of the cess anhydrous HCl. Results obtained since April 2023 are
chemical industry, with over The researchers discovered that in line with expectations for the tech-
9-million ton/yr generated HCl gas can be safely bound to the nology and confirm, even at this early
by industrial chlorination processes, triethylmethylammonium chloride salt, stage, the efficiency and energy per-
formance of DMX technology. A com-
such as the production of chlorometh- [N(C2H5)3CH3]Cl, to create an ionic
prehensive series of operational tests
anes and polymers (polyurethanes and liquid, called bichloride, [N(C2H5)3CH3] has been conducted with the unit
polycarbonates). Although HCl can be [Cl(HCl)n], under ambient conditions. operating 24 h/d, 7 d/wk. The CO2-
easily recovered by gas scrubbing with HCl can then be safely released from capture rates exceed 90%, and the
water to form hydrochloric acid, the this bichloride following transportation pilot unit produces CO2 with a high
HCl solution (typically 20%) is not suit- or storage. level of purity (>99.5%) while energy
able for many processes that require Although HCl release is possible from consumption remains remarkably
anhydrous HCl gas. this ionic liquid by heat or vacuum, the low, according to Axens. Moreover,
Now, an alternative approach is bichloride can be used directly to pro- after thousands of operational hours,
being developed by researchers at the duce base chemicals, such as vinyl no solvent degradation has been ob-
served in spite of the high concentra-
Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin; Ger- chloride, the chemists report. The
tions of contaminants present in the
many; www.bcp.fu-berlin.de), led by study also showed that [N(C2H5)3CH3] gas treated.
inorganic-chemistry professor Sebas- [Cl(HCl)n] can be electrolyzed under Developed and patented by IFPEN,
tian Hasenstab-Riedel, in collabora- anhydrous conditions, using a mem- the DMX process uses an amine de-
tion with partners from the Technische brane-free cell, to generate H2 and mixing solvent to capture CO2 con-
Universität Berlin (www.tu.berlin). In the the corresponding chlorination agent tained in the fluegases produced by
method, described in a recent issue of [N(C2H5)3CH3][Cl(Cl2)n], enabling the heavy industries (for more details and
Science Advances, HCl is converted combination of these ionic liquids for a process flowsheet, see Chem. Eng.,
into an ionic liquid, which makes it eas- the production of base chemicals. n July 2019, p. 7). ❐

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 9

 Business News
LINEUP Plant Watch Phillips 66 announces milestone in
production of renewable diesel
Celanese expands production
ARCHROMA April 5, 2024 — Phillips 66, Inc. (Houston;
capacities for acetic acid and VAE
BASF April 9, 2024 — Celanese Corp. (Dallas, www.phillips66.com) announced that its
Tex.; www.celanese.com) started up a new Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex project in
BOREALIS
production unit for vinyl acetate ethylene California has progressed, with the facility now
CELANESE (VAE) in Nanjing, China and completed several processing exclusively renewable feedstocks
downstream debottlenecking projects related and producing approximately 30,000 bbl/d
DOW
to redispersible polymer powders (RDP). This of renewable diesel. The complex is on track
EASTMAN new VAE unit increases capacity by 70,000 to increase production rates to more than
metric tons per year (m.t./yr). Celanese also 50,000 bbl/d of renewable fuels by the end
ECOLAB
started up a capacity expansion for acetic of the second quarter of 2024.
INEOS acid at its site in Clear Lake, Tex.
INNOPHOS
Archroma to expand manufacturing
Shin-Etsu Chemical announces new plant complex in South Carolina
PHILLIPS 66 for semiconductor lithography materials April 5, 2024 — Archroma (Pratteln, Switzerland;
PROCTER & GAMBLE April 9, 2024 — Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. (Tokyo, www.archroma.com) is expanding its operations
Japan; www.shinetsu.co.jp) is building a new in Martin, S.C. The expansion will include
REPSOL a $750,000 investment in the facility and
plant to produce semiconductor lithography
SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL materials in Isesaki City, Japan. Investment equipment, with additional growth anticipated.
in the site is expected to amount to about The facility specializes in the production of
SIKA dyes, chemicals and optical brightening agents
¥83 billion (around $547 million) at the completion
SLB of the first phase of construction. The first phase for textiles, packaging and paper, as well as
of investment is to be completed by 2026. coatings, adhesives and sealants.
TALOS ENERGY

TOTALENERGIES Repsol begins large-scale production BASF breaks ground on methyl glycols
of renewable fuels in Cartagena plant at Zhanjiang Verbund site in China
April 9, 2024 — Repsol S.A. (Madrid, Spain; April 1, 2024 — BASF SE (Ludwigshafen,
www.repsol.com) began large-scale production Germany; www.basf.com) has broken ground
of renewable fuels at its industrial complex on a methyl glycols (MG) plant at its Verbund
in Cartagena, Spain. This plant is the first on site in Zhanjiang, China. The new facility is
the Iberian Peninsula dedicated exclusively designed with a capacity of 46,000 m.t./yr,
to the production of 100% renewable fuels. and aims to meet the rapidly growing demand
The company has invested €250 million in the for brake fluids in the region. The plant is
construction of the unit, which has a production scheduled to commence operations by the
capacity of 250,000 m.t./yr. end of 2025.

Innophos upgrades production facility Ecolab opens wastewater-treatment plant

for calcium phosphates at Shell Jurong Island in Singapore
April 9, 2024 — Innophos, Inc. (Cranbury, N.J.; March 29, 2024 — Ecolab, Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.
www.innophos.com) is investing in production www.ecolab.com) announced that its water-
upgrades at its facility in Chicago Heights, management division, Nalco Water, opened
Ill., which produces calcium phosphates that a wastewater-treatment plant at Shell Jurong
comply with European Commission regulatory Island, Singapore. This facility is designed
standards for purity. Calcium phosphates are to handle variable bio-treater wastewater.
ingredients in dietary supplements and many The plant utilizes Ecolab’s ultrafiltration and
food and beverage products. reverse osmosis (RO) membrane system and
is almost 100% automated. The plant has
Borealis invests €4.5 million to capacity to treat and reuse up to 24,000 m3
upgrade olefins plant in Finland of wastewater each month.
April 9, 2024 — Borealis AG (Vienna, Austria;
www.borealisgroup.com) plans to invest Eastman selects Longview, Texas as site
€4.5 million to upgrade the steam-cracker for new molecular-recycling facility
furnaces at its olefins unit in Porvoo, Finland. March 28, 2024 — Eastman Chemical Co.
This investment enables Borealis to increase (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) plans
the share of renewable and recycled raw to build a second molecular-recycling facility
materials used in its ethylene and propylene at its location in Longview, Tex. The Longview
production. The Porvoo investment program is molecular-recycling facility will have the capacity
expected to be completed in 2025. The Porvoo to recycle approximately 110,000 m.t./yr of
Look for more steam cracker has a nameplate capacity of hard-to-recycle plastic waste. The investment
latest news on 430,000 m.t./yr of ethylene and 263,000 m.t./yr also includes operations that will prepare mixed
chemengonline.com of propylene. plastic waste for processing.
10 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
Dow announces new production wide range of chemical technologies in Lavera, in southern France. Acquired
facility for carbonate solvents for the oil-and-gas sector, and also business lines include: Naphtachimie
March 27, 2024 — Dow, Inc. (Midland, offers technologies for emissions (720,000-m.t./yr steam cracker); Appryl
Mich.; www.dow.com) plans to establish management, artificial lift, digital (300,000-m.t./yr polypropylene unit);
a new production facility for carbonate monitoring and more. Gexaro (270,000-m.t./yr aromatics unit);
solvents on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The facility and 3TC (naphtha storage unit). These
will use captured CO2 from Dow’s ethylene Dow and Procter & Gamble to businesses had previously been joint
oxide manufacturing unit as feedstock develop a new recycling technology ventures between the two companies.
for carbonate solvent production. April 1, 2024 — Dow and Procter & A number of other infrastructure assets
Gamble Co. (Cincinnati, Ohio; www. have also been acquired, including
Mergers & Acquisitions pg.com) agreed to jointly develop a new part of TotalEnergies’ ethylene pipeline
Sika acquires California-based recycling technology that will enable network in France.
polymer-systems specialist KBP conversion of hard-to-recycle plastic
April 5, 2024 — Sika AG (Baar, Switzerland; packaging into recycled polyethylene Talos Energy sells CCS
www.sika.com) has acquired Kwik Bond with near-virgin quality. The development business to TotalEnergies
Polymers, LLC (KBP; Benicia, Calif.), a program will focus on using dissolution March 19, 2024 — Talos Energy Inc.
manufacturer of polymer systems for the technology to recycle a broad range (Houston; www.talosenergy.com)
refurbishment of concrete infrastructure. of plastic materials with a focus on entered into an agreement for the sale
KBP has production assets near San polyethylene and targeting post- of its wholly owned subsidiary, Talos
Francisco and additional production household plastic waste — especially Low Carbon Solutions LLC (TLCS),
and warehousing near Pittsburgh, Pa. rigid, flexible and multilayer packaging. to TotalEnergies E&P USA, Inc. for a
purchase price totaling approximately
SLB to acquire oilfield Ineos acquires TotalEnergies $148 million. The sale includes Talos’s
technologies firm ChampionX assets in southern France entire carbon-capture and sequestration
April 2, 2024 — SLB (Houston; www. April 1, 2024 — Ineos Ltd. (London, (CCS) business, including its three
slb.com) agreed to acquire ChampionX U.K.; www.ineos.com) acquired projects along the U.S. Gulf Coast:
Corp. (The Woodlands, Tex.; www. TotalEnergies’ (Paris, France; www. Bayou Bend CCS LLC, Harvest Bend
championx.com) in an all-stock totalenergies.com) 50% share of CCS LLC and Coastal Bend CCS LLC. ■
transaction. ChampionX provides a selected petrochemicals assets located Mary Page Bailey

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 Newsfront
Evolving Demand and Feed
Profiles Challenge Refiners
Trends related to the energy transition are shifting global demand for refined products and
affecting feedstock slates, forcing petroleum refiners to embrace adaptation and flexibility

D
emand for fossil fuels has tive, demand for traditional fuels, distillation ranges for fuels. “Building
remained strong in the petroleum refiners currently have a flexibility and efficiency around con-
years after the COVID-19 window of opportunity to position version assets will be critical to adapt
pandemic, but the pres- themselves for the future without dis- to changing landscapes,” Shell C&T
sure for lowering greenhouse-gas ruption of financial stability. says. This includes future work with
(GHG) emissions also remains high. “The most competitive refiners typi- non-conventional feeds, such as py-
The momentum for an energy transi- cally have at least one of the following rolysis oils and recycled plastics.
tion to low-carbon fuels and renew- advantages: cheap crude, captive “Petrochemical integration also re-
able energy is now sufficient enough product market, high complexity and mains a key trend, with many newer
that it will have a growing impact on conversion unit capacity, integration facilities and expansions in the Mid-
demand for refined products into the with petrochemicals, or strong logis- dle East and Asia aiming to maximize
future. Combined with other factors, tics,” explains Austin Lin, a principal flexibility across the value chain,”
such as geopolitical conflicts, natu- analyst at Wood Mackenzie (Edin- Wood Mackenzie’s Lin says.
ral disasters and government envi- burgh, U.K.; www.woodmackenzie.
ronmental policies, the push toward com), so it is along these themes that Refined products demand shift
lowering CO2 emissions requires pe- refinery investment will likely occur. Recent industry analyses have
troleum refiners to build flexibility into “Modernization and equipment up- looked at the forecasted demand
their operations to adapt to changing grades [will be] targeted toward im- for transportation fuels in different
demand profiles for products, and proving jet [fuel] and diesel yields regions. For example, a trend report
changing feedstock slates (Figure 1). (via a hydrocracker) given the higher from Deloitte Consulting (London,
Significant opportunities exist for margins and expectations of longer- U.K.; www.deloitte.com) [1] projects
refiners to offset medium- and long- lasting demand,” Lin suggests. global oil demand will slow down in
term declines in demand for tradi- “The industry has demonstrated a the long term, rising annually by only
tional transportation fuels by chang- willingness to invest in new technolo- 0.4 million bbl/d until 2027. Mean-
ing their product portfolios to include gies and projects to decarbonize, but while, the report says global biofuels
more lower-carbon fuel alternatives, the economic incentive remains a key demand is projected to rise by 44%
such as biofuels and hydrogen, and part of that transition,” Lin says. between 2022 and 2027, as it in-
more chemical precursors. Between Comments from Shell Catalysts creasingly substitutes for petroleum-
the rising demand for low-carbon and Technologies (Shell C&T; Hous- based products. In addition, the
fuels and the slowing, but still posi- ton; www.shell.com) align with the share of electric vehicles in global car
idea of building flex- sales is expected to range between
ibility and conver- 62% and 86% by 2030, according to
Shutterstock
sion capacity into research by RMI (Basalt, Colo.; www.
refineries. “Flex- rmi.org) [2]. Rising sales will be led by
ibility will be key as Northern Europe and China, and will
refiners process be driven by policy, RMI says.
a wider variety of Wood Mackenzie’s Lin says, “In the
feed sources and medium- to long-term view, European
convert those to and North American markets are ex-
a more diverse pected to see peak oil demand in the
product range,” next few years, as vehicle electrifica-
the company says, tion and policy changes outweigh
adding that refin- normal growth. Meanwhile, the Asian
eries could see a market is expected to continue grow-
move toward more ing, with new refining capacity con-
FIGURE 1. Decarbonization goals and the need to adjust to changing prod- specific molecule tinuing to come online in the region.”
uct demand is prompting refiners to build flexibility into their operations targets, rather than “This shift will place rationalization
12 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
pressure on Western refiners as they among the regions Shutterstock

look to increasingly compete in ex- in regulatory envi-

port markets, making the business ronment and stated
case for reinvestment challenging for carbon-emissions-
many facilities,” Lin remarks. reduction goals,
Chris Jablonski, vice president of Europe is expected
downstream technology at Chev- to be a global hub
ron Corp. (San Ramon, Calif.; www. for SAF, while the
chevron.com) points out the un- U.S. is expected to
evenness of the demand changes. lead in renewable
He says while Chevron sees oil and diesel, Lin says.
gas continuing to play a critical role Looking ahead,
in meeting global transportation de- he explains, “While
mand for the foreseeable future, current policies re-
there are headwinds for gasoline, main supportive
including electrification of the vehicle for existing capac-
fleet. Thus far, however, the trends in ity, additional in- FIGURE 2. Demand for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel
electrification have generally met the centives may be (SAF) is growing, but there are concerns over feedstock availability
company’s expectations. “There will needed to spur Chevron’s Jablonski says. “We are
be certain times when [electrification] further investment, as producers also repurposing existing equipment
accelerates and other times when it are forced to consider lower-margin for making renewable fuels, while
slows down,” Jablonski says, and feedstocks due to availability issues. also preserving the swing-back ca-
“there are [geographic] areas where As a result, there is an expected pability to go back to making con-
electrification will be widespread, and ceiling for the renewable-fuels mar- ventional fuels, if customer demand
others where it will not.” ket, where additional capacity is un- warrants it,” he says.
Crude petroleum availability is also economic or politically challenged Simultaneously, Chevron is also
impacting refinery operations. “Crude (for example, because of agricul- working to develop feedstocks for
slates remain a concern, particularly tural feedstock competition against renewable fuels that lower carbon
in Europe and Asia, where the com- food supply concerns).” intensity and help improve scalability,
bination of Russian sanctions and The Deloitte report says, “Refin- Jablonski notes, in addition to study-
OPEC+ production cuts have re- ers may grapple with the task of ef- ing how to obtain fuels from new
duced the availability of medium and fectively leveraging subsidies and oil-yielding crops, lignocellulosic bio-
heavy barrels in the market,” Wood grants for strengthening the biofuel mass and algae. “We’re trying to align
Mackenzie’s Lin says. “The shift to supply chain. Therefore, considering that work with catalyst and process
lighter crude diets has challenged re- strategic steps, such as securing a development, so the activities com-
finers from a yields perspective, which consistent feedstock supply, han- plement each other,” he says.
has been a contributing factor to high dling grade fluctuations, and opti- In one example, Jablonski points
refined product crack spreads.” mizing transportation expenses and to a 2023 project on low-carbon-
emissions, can facilitate the efficient intensity gasoline, in which Chevron
Renewable fuels expansion of biofuels and set refiner partnered with automaker Toyota to
Growing demand for fuel products performance apart.” make gasoline that Chevron says
sourced from materials other than As an example, the report cites the is comparable to battery-powered
conventional crude petroleum is joint venture between Marathon Pe- cars on a lifecycle basis, with re-
prompting refiners to increase pro- troleum Corp. (Findlay, Ohio; www. spect to carbon intensity. Chevron’s
duction of renewable diesel and sus- marathonpetroleum.com) and ADM renewable gasoline blend, made
tainable aviation fuel (SAF), but diffi- (Chicago, Ill.; www.adm.com) for from both biomass and conventional
culties remain. “Renewable fuels are establishing a specialized soybean- components, contains more than
a hot topic in the industry right now, processing facility to generate re- half renewable materials, the com-
with significant capacity coming on- fined vegetable-oil feedstock for pany says, claiming it can reduce
line in both North America and Europe renewable-diesel production. The lifecycle CO2 emissions by more
in recent years,” Lin says, “However, facility (Green Bison Soy Processing), than 40% compared to traditional
economics and feedstock availabil- opened in late 2023 in North Dakota. gasoline. Last year, the drop-in fuel
ity remain a challenge for continued For its part, Chevron is also de- replacement was used in a demon-
growth — currently, renewable fuels veloping capacity for producing re- stration project involving three Toy-
are not profitable to produce without newable diesel and SAF using the ota vehicles driving from Mississippi
significant policy support, with the hydrotreated esters and fatty acids to Texas (Figure 3).
feedstocks themselves being more (HEFA) route. The company is put- In other recent renewable-fuel de-
expensive in many instances than the ting a lot of effort into developing velopments, the Italian energy com-
conventional fuels they are replacing.” new catalysts to improve the HEFA pany Eni SpA (Rome; www.eni.com)
Based on current differences process and increase its efficiency, in January 2024 confirmed that it will

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 13

 Chevron
three current re- tal tools are still in their infancy in
finery challenges, manufacturing, with many companies
agrees Shell C&T. working to identify where they can
To address the add value. For now, much of the focus
challenges, an has been on reliability, and leveraging
area of focus has technology to better schedule predic-
been digitaliza- tive maintenance to avoid downtime.”
tion tools, such And on the process side, “the in-
as artificial intel- tegration of economic modeling with
ligence/machine process-control schemes has been
learning (AI/ML) an ongoing journey, as refiners move
FIGURE 3. Last year, a demonstration project involving Chevron and Toyota and digital twins. from base layer to advanced process
used a blend of renewable and conventional gasoline to power a roadtrip Jablonski says, control,” Lin explains. “The next step
across southern U.S. states “We’ve seen great as part of a digital journey is to incor-
move ahead with plans to convert potential for AI/ML porate larger-scale economic models
its facility in Livorno into a biorefin- for predictive maintenance to improve with unit operations, enabling control
ery. And in April of this year, Phillips operational availability and streamline schemes that span multiple process
66 (Houston, Texas; www.phillips66. turnarounds,” and AI has also been units and employ more sophisticated
com) announced progress in con- great for materials development R&D economic optimizers,” he says.
verting its San Francisco refinery into for catalysis, he adds. The company Rodysill says AI can already be ef-
the Rodeo Renewable Energy Com- has also seen value from developing a fective in demand planning and op-
plex. The facility now processes only digital twin program, Jablonski notes. timizing plant yields more holistically
renewable feedstocks, producing Shell C&T says digitalization (of than what was possible in the past.
approximately 30,000 bbl/d of re- unit monitoring, for example) has Also, AI has the ability to eliminate
newable diesel. Repsol S.A. (Madrid, led to better and faster access and human bias in forecasting, he adds.
Spain; www.repsol.com) announced exchange of data. “We can make Chevron’s Jablonski cites the
in April the start of large-scale pro- data-based decisions and recom- example of real-time optimization
duction of renewable fuels at its in- mendations for optimization much (RTO). “In the past, RTO has been
dustrial complex in Cartagena (Spain). faster and effectively. This improved done with a systematic, phased plan
Turning to SAF, TotalEnergies SE data exchange has enabled a faster with steps, but today, we can do it
(Paris; www.totalenergies.com) and feedback loop for improving catalyst more holistically across the full value
China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. developments and predictive model- chain and more continuously also,
(Sinopec; Beijing; www.sinopec.com) ing,” the company says. from feedstock selection, to pro-
signed a preliminary agreement in Further, Shell C&T says “[AI] and cess, to the response to pricing and
March 2024 to jointly develop a SAF improved computing analytics have demand changes in the markets.”
production unit at a Sinopec refinery improved our ability to monitor, model The attention on digitalization tools
in China. The planned unit will have and develop new technologies for re- is also prompting the industry to de-
the capacity to produce 230,000 tons fining. We employ machine learning velop employees with the necessary
of SAF per year, and will process local techniques to accelerate our catalyst skill set for taking advantage of these
waste cooking oils and animal fats. development and targeting. We also technologies. For example, Chevron
use advanced computational model- has been developing digital skills in
Decisions and digitalization ing to better understand the interac- their engineer cohort through a Digi-
For refinery leaders, the pace of tion of catalyst active sites with reac- tal Scholars Program. To achieve the
change for decision making has ac- tant molecules.” necessary combination of digital skills,
celerated greatly in the last decade Jade Rodysill, the global and including knowledge of data science,
and the evolution of technology has Americas chemicals and advanced with a basis of domain knowledge in
also accelerated. “The frequency and materials industry leader at EY (New refining and processing, the company
pace at which you have to make deci- York, NY; www.ey.com), says $1 bil- has been sending Chevron engineers
sions is much faster now than at any lion had been invested in AI technol- to get master’s degrees in data sci-
time in the past,” Chevron’s Jablon- ogies by the chemicals industry as ence from top universities. “It’s a sig-
ski says, “so we need to accelerate of 2022, but by 2032, the total will nificant commitment, but it’s worth it,”
decision-making, but we also need to exceed $17 billion, with at least $1.5 Jablonski says. n
maintain flexibility to be able to meet billion aimed specifically at genera- Scott Jenkins
long-term investment challenges and tive AI technology. 1. Chronis, A., Hardin, K. and Mittal, A., 2024 oil and gas
maintain viability in the long term.” “There are a lot of good use cases industry outlook, Deloitte Consulting, www2.deloitte.
com/us/en/insights/industry/oil-and-gas/oil-and-gas-
Making investment decisions that for AI … but a concern is data — there industry-outlook.html.
strike a balance between maintain- are plenty of data, but it needs to be 2. RMI, EVs to surpass two-thirds of car sales by 2030,
ing the current security of supply contextualized and trusted to be use- press release, Sept. 14, 2023, www.rmi.org.
and operation with flexibility for the ful in AI applications,” Rodysill says. Editor's note: For additional information, including
energy transition is among the top Wood Mackenzie’s Lin says “Digi- more on catalysts and refinery operations, see the on-
line version of this article at www.chemengonline.com.
14 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
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 Newsfront

Industrial Robots Forge Ahead

Performance improvements in robotics technologies for manufacturing and energy operations are
leading to greater productivity, cost savings and safety improvements

I
n the chemical process industries of America (Sugar Land, Tex.; www.
(CPI), mobile robots, often in con- yokogawa.com/us).
junction with artificial intelligence Yokogawa recognized that there is
(AI) and machine learning (ML), no one perfect mobile robot for these
are currently being deployed for a tasks — those in the market offer
handful of tasks — usually those that similar solutions, but all possess dif-
present safety risk to workers, or that ferent capabilities and environmental
are overly expensive for plant person- limits. With all this in mind, Yokogawa
nel to undertake. The most common identified the need for a fleet-man-
task that may come to mind is the agement platform that can handle
simple movement of inventory, such any mobile robot and be integrated
as chemical tanks, between locations, into other plant automation systems.
but robotic devices are also becom- “Since user requirements vary widely,
ing increasingly involved in tasks like the only way to meet all the needs is
equipment inspections and waste to offer robots from different vendors.
cleanup. This article looks at some of For instance, we may use one type
the advancements in robotics tech- of robot for indoor settings where Fluid Analytics
nologies that are being applied in stair traversal is necessary, and an- FIGURE 2. Robotic inspection and surveillance can
CPI facilities. other in hazardous areas, which re- help protect water infrastructure against deteriora-
quire explosion-proof equipment,” tion and water losses
Versatility and adaptability says Fabiano. edge for operational efficiency and
“Robots can perform operator In March, Yokogawa launched its production quality,” says Penny Chen,
rounds with many human-like ca- Oprex Robot Management Core soft- Yokogawa’s senior principal technol-
pabilities, such as hearing, seeing, ware application, which integrates the ogy strategist.
smelling and feeling. Robots do this management of several types of ro- Yokogawa has worked on sev-
by taking photos or videos, record- bots to perform inspection tasks. Fa- eral proof-of-concepts using mobile
ing sound and vibration signatures biano added, “The platform provides robots. Last year, the company an-
and detecting hot and cold spots via a common user interface, data stor- nounced a project to deploy quadru-
thermal-imaging cameras,” states age for all vendor-robot data, and the ped robots to perform plant inspec-
Sandra Fabiano, the robotics engi- ability to use in-house or third-party tions and maintenance at Cosmo Oil
neering manager of Yokogawa Corp. AI services to integrate with indus- Co.’s Yokkaichi petroleum refinery
trial automation systems.” Currently, in Japan.
Stäubli the robots that are supported include
Boston Dynamics’ Spot and Mitsubi- Precision and repeatability
shi Heavy Industries’ EX ROVR. Industrial robots provide many ad-
Robots also add another layer of vantages in manufacturing environ-
convenience to help alleviate certain ments that require extreme preci-
workforce concerns — namely, the sion, hygiene and repeatability, such
“great crew change,” where compa- as in the production of membrane
nies expect to lose over half of their electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel
workers to retirement in the coming cells. Stäubli International AG (Pfäf-
years. “Robots use artificial intelli- fikon, Switzerland; www.staubli.com)
gence to meet customer require- has provided robots for what is said
ments, such as distinguishing be- to be the world’s first fully automated
tween safe and hazardous conditions production line for fuel cells, oper-
and detecting anomalies to bring a ated by Palcan Group in Cixi, China.
process back within specification. MEAs present special challenges in
FIGURE 1. Robotic arms can prove very helpful in
manufacturing applications that require precision The accuracy of AI and consistency mass production, since they are fab-
and repeatability, as in the manufacture of batter- of the data capture by robots are es- ricated by stacking hundreds of very
ies and fuel cells sential to providing effective knowl- thin layers of expensive and fragile
16 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
 Capturing green
opportunities
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businesses can adopt to reduce their CO2 emissions. By selecting the
right technologies, pressing climate change mitigation targets can be
met while benefitting from new revenue streams.

Sulzer Chemtech offers cost-effective solutions for solvent-based CO2

absorption, which maximize the amount of CO2 captured and minimize the
energy consumption. To successfully overcome technical and economic
challenges of this capture application, we specifically developed the
structured packing MellapakCC™. This packing is currently applied in
several leading CCS/CCU facilities worldwide, delivering considerable
process advantages.

By partnering with Sulzer Chemtech – a mass transfer specialist with

extensive experience in separation technology for carbon capture –
businesses can implement tailored solutions that maximize their return on
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competitiveness at the same time. For more information:
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Visit us at
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For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-06

 INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS 101
Current applications peratures or high pressure, leading to fewer Enhanced sensory capabilities. The devel-
Material handling. Robots are used to trans- accidents and injuries. opment of more sophisticated sensors will
port raw materials, finished products and Increased efficiency. Robotics can perform enable robots to have a better understanding
hazardous substances within plants. This tasks at a higher speed and with greater pre- of their environment. This will enhance their
minimizes human exposure to dangerous cision than human workers. This can lead to ability to perform tasks that require delicate
chemicals and reduces the potential for ac- increased productivity and throughput, help- handling, precise measurements and quality-
cidents during material transfer. ing companies to meet high demand and control inspections.
Mixing and sampling. Robotic systems tight deadlines. Collaborative robots (cobots). Cobots are
can handle the mixing of chemicals with Consistent quality. Robots can maintain a designed to work alongside human work-
high precision, consistency and repeatability. high level of consistency in their work, which ers safely, and are becoming increasingly
They can also perform automated sampling is particularly important in the CPI, where pre- responsive and adaptable. They can take
and testing to ensure product quality and cise measurements and mixing are critical. on repetitive or hazardous tasks, freeing up
process optimization. Automation helps to ensure consistent prod- human workers for more complex problem-
Packaging and palletizing. End-of-line ro- uct quality, batch after batch. solving activities.
botics can package chemical products and Reduced downtime. Robots can operate Increased mobility. With the development
palletize them for shipment. Automation in around the clock without the need for regu- of more advanced mobile robots and drones,
this area can significantly increase throughput lar breaks, reducing downtime and increasing robots will become more capable of perform-
and reduce labor costs. overall production time. ing a wider range of tasks in various environ-
Inspection and quality control. Robots Cost savings. Although the initial investment ments, including hard-to-reach areas in man-
equipped with advanced vision systems can in robotics can be significant, over time, ro- ufacturing plants or remote energy facilities.
inspect containers, labels and seals for defects. botic systems can reduce labor costs and in- Energy-specific robotics. Robotics de-
This helps maintain high quality standards and crease production efficiency, resulting in cost signed for inspection and repair of energy
compliance with industry regulations. savings for the company. infrastructure, such as pipelines, offshore
Assembly of components. In the production Improved data collection. Modern robotics platforms and wind turbines, will advance to
of chemical sensors, pumps or other devices, systems are often equipped with sensors and tackle the unique challenges presented by
robots can assemble small and intricate com- can be integrated with data-analytics tools to these environments, including underwater
ponents with high precision and speed. provide valuable data on process efficiency, and aerial navigation.
Cleaning and maintenance. Robots can machine performance and product quality. Internet of things (IoT) integration. Robots
be used to clean reactors, tanks and other Such data can be used to further optimize will be more interconnected with a wider
equipment in a chemical plant. Automated processes and predict maintenance needs. array of devices and systems, allowing for
cleaning systems can work in environments Environmental considerations. Automa- better data collection, real-time monitor-
that are unsafe for human workers due to tion can help achieve more precise control ing and predictive maintenance. This will
toxic substances or extreme conditions. over processes, such as mixing and chemi- improve overall operational efficiency and
Hazardous environment operations. Ro- cal reactions, leading to reduced waste and reduce downtime.
bots can operate in extreme conditions, such emissions. This is not only beneficial for the Additive manufacturing robots. With the
as high-temperature areas, or in environ- environment but can also be cost-effective. advancement of 3D printing, robots will in-
ments with a risk of explosion or contamina- Scalability. Robotic systems can be scaled creasingly be used in additive manufacturing
tion, reducing the need for human exposure. up or down to meet changing production processes to produce complex components
Laboratory automation. In research and needs without the same constraints faced by on-demand, which can revolutionize inven-
quality-control laboratories, robots can a human workforce. tory management and supply chains.
conduct automated chemical analyses, Versatility. Advanced robots can be repro- Smart material handling. In the energy sec-
handle reagents and prepare samples, grammed and fitted with different tools to per- tor, smart robotic systems will be employed
leading to faster development cycles and form a variety of tasks, making them adapt- for handling hazardous materials, reducing
consistent testing. able to changing production needs or to the the risk of contamination and exposure.
Process control. Robotic interfaces with development of new products. Nano-robotics. Although still largely in the
advanced control systems can manage and Innovation. Robotic technologies often drive research phase, nano-robots could radically
monitor chemical processes, adjusting param- innovation by enabling new processes and transform the manufacturing and energy sec-
eters in real time for optimal reactions and en- techniques that can lead to the develop- tors by enabling new processes at the molec-
ergy consumption. ment of new products and services within the ular and atomic scale, such as targeted drug
Emergency response. Specialized robots chemical and energy sectors. delivery or ultra-precision manufacturing.
can be used for emergency situations, such “Green” robotics. With the growing focus on
as chemical spills, fires or leaks. They can as- The next generation sustainability, there is an increasing demand
sess the scene, collect data and even perform Advanced AI and ML integration. Robots for robots that can assist in the creation and
cleanup or containment tasks. equipped with AI algorithms can improve maintenance of sustainable energy systems,
their performance over time through ML such as solar-panel installation, cleaning and
Potential benefits techniques. This will allow robots to adapt recycling operations. ❑
Enhanced safety. Robots can operate in to new tasks more quickly, perform complex Content contributed by Sebastien Schmitt, Robotics
hazardous environments where there may be decision-making and improve their efficiency Director, North America, Stäubli
exposure to toxic chemicals, extreme tem- and autonomy.

materials, but robots have helped to lution, which would pose hazards to robots for the manufacturing of lith-
streamline the process. Robotic arms workers. Stäubli’s robots not only can ium-ion batteries, pharmaceuticals
(Figure 1) not only position coated handle the extremely acidic environ- and many other products. “Emerg-
carbon sheets to begin the stacking ment, but also high humidity, without ing applications and performance
process, but also handle films that any corrosion. improvements in robotics technology
must be soaked in a strong acidic so- The company has also supplied will enhance the capabilities of robots
18 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
in manufacturing and energy operations, leading to
greater productivity, cost savings and safety improve-
ments in industry. As technology continues to evolve,
businesses in the chemicals and energy sectors will likely
find new and innovative uses for robotic systems,” says
Sebastien Schmitt, robotics director for North America
Recover high purity
at Stäubli. Such advancements on the horizon include
integration with more advanced AI and ML algorithms, with less energy.
enhanced sensory capabilities to give robots a better
understanding of their environment and increased mo- With our multiple-effect distillation or melt
bility to perform a wider range of tasks in hard-to-reach crystallization techology.
areas. For more on robotics from Stäubli’s Schmitt, see Be it specialty & fine chemicals, solvents,
the box on p. 18. white biotech or green energies applications,
As in manufacturing applications, the water-process- GEA supplies plants of any size for the
ing sector involves critical infrastructure for society, as separation & highest purification of compound
well as hazards and confined spaces that present safety
mixtures.
risks for workers. Fluid Analytics Ltd. (Santa Clara, Calif.;
www.fluidanalytics.ai) has designed several AI and ro-
botic technologies targeted at the water-processing
sector, including AI-based pipeline-inspection software
and a robotics and IoT platform for surveillance of waste-
water-processing infrastructure (Figure 2). “The water
sector relies heavily on tanks and pipelines for the trans-
port of liquids across several processes and requires this
infrastructure to perform as designed to prevent cata-
strophic failures. Fluid Analytics’ robots are commonly
deployed for pipeline infrastructure inspections where
there is a risk of human exposure to toxic chemicals,”
says Asim Bhalerao, CEO of Fluid Analytics. Using ro-
botics to automate such routine monitoring and surveil-
lance of pipelines carrying wastewater and chemical
effluents is very advantageous for worker safety, since Transforming Tomorrow
the concentrations of toxic chemicals and dangerous Join GEA at ACHEMA 24
biological microbes are often high. By proactively map- Hall 4 Booth G66
ping out pipe networks, detecting signs of deterioration
or leaks, water loss is significantly reduced, as are risks
for environmental damage.
“Through its repeatable and precise monitoring capa-
bilities, Fluid Analytics’ platform has helped to reduce the
discharge of over 200 million gal/d of toxic fluids into
urban waterways,” says Bhalerao. Notably, Fluid Analyt-
ics’ monitoring platform helped to detect the presence
of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in India’s
wastewater, days before the first reported clinical case.

Remotely control water cleanup

At the 2024 AIChE Spring Meeting (March 24–29; New
Orleans, La.; www.aiche.org), Cyril Castello, commercial
director for IADYS (Roquefort-la-Bédoule, France; www.
iadys.com) presented a unique robotic device that has al-
ready found use in several large chemical-manufacturing
complexes. The Jellyfishbot (Figure 3) is a small robotic
device designed for monitoring and cleaning bodies of
water. Jellyfishbot devices have been deployed globally
at industrial sites to clean up plastics and oil spills in water
bodies adjacent to production plants. Industrial users in-
clude Dow Chemical, LyondellBasell, ExxonMobil, Veo-
lia, TotalEnergies, Toyota and many more. According to
Castello, for cleanup of plastics, the robot can be out-
fitted with a specialized net for collecting microplastics
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-07

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 19

 IADYS AIRA
intervention,” says Castello.
Besides Dow, IADYS is partnering
with several other plants in the U.S. Gulf
Coast region that are part of the Op-
eration Clean Sweep (OCS) program
aimed at reducing plastic pollution
in water.
FIGURE 5. The AIRA Challenge has helped to push
The newest generation of IADYS the boundaries of automation in mobile robots
robot is the Mobile Oil Skimmer
(MOS), which equips a Jellyfishbot in the easiest 80% of the solution,
FIGURE 3. These remotely controlled robotic de- with a storage platform and skimmer. and then any situation that the robot
vices are designed for cleaning debris and pollu-
tion from water surfaces
Said to be the first mobile oil-cleanup cannot handle by itself can be com-
device, the MOS can collect oil from municated to and dealt with by the
in water. Besides their cleaning capa- the surface of water and store it in an operator,” he explains. While it may
bilities, Jellyfishbot robots also can be onboard 120-L tank. According to the seem like reducing the amount of au-
equipped with water-quality sensors company, the MOS can achieve a fast tomation in a robot might decrease
to measure temperature, salinity, tur- skimming rate of 3.5 L/min, which is its complexity and capabilities, there
bidity and cyanobacteria and phyto- essential for containing oil spills and are many benefits to the teleopera-
plankton concentrations. minimizing environmental damage. tion approach that AIRA is looking
At Dow’s manufacturing site in Also helpful is the robots’ ability to rap- for. “We want to upgrade the robots
Freeport, Tex., Jellyfishbots have idly deploy the containment booms to enable remote control of the robot
been deployed to clean debris, such used for spill response (Figure 4). from a distance with no line of sight,
as plastic pellets or overgrown algae, and also add virtual reality to navigate.
out of stormwater conveyance sys- Advances in teleoperation This gives the robot flexibility to open
tems, meaning that humans no longer The second Advanced Industrial Ro- and close doors, dispose of waste,
need to access these areas during botic Applications (AIRA) Challenge inspect closed cabinets and take ma-
extreme heat or potential flood situ- (www.aira-challenge.com) will take terial samples,” says Coulon.
ations. The autonomous nature and place at the Achema World Forum and He believes that the flexibility en-
onboard sensors of the robots allow Tradeshow (June 10–14; Frankfurt abled by teleoperation will increase
them to navigate their environment am Main, Germany; www.achema. the business use cases for mobile
seamlessly, minimizing collision with de). The AIRA Challenge will bring to- robots in chemical plants and ware-
walls or other obstacles. The robots gether some of most advanced mo- houses and encourage their adoption
can communicate via wireless, Blue- bile robots in the world with the goal in industry. In theory, operators could
tooth or 5G connectivity, so remote of developing new robotics technolo- take control of a robot at a plant thou-
control is possible in any plant area as gies that can execute tasks remotely sands of kilometers away to respond
needed. The next step for Dow will be in chemical processing plants. At to an alarm or evaluate the severity of
to install a floating docking station — the previous AIRA Challenge, held at a situation and decide whether or not
which IADYS is commercially launch- Achema in 2022, the goal was to pro- in-person intervention is required.
ing this year — so that the robot can vide proof-of-concepts for fully auton- “We see teleoperation as an exten-
automatically dock itself when charg- omous mobile robots (Figure 5). How- sion of classical autonomous mobile
ing is required. “With the docking sta- ever, for the 2024 challenge, the focus operations. At the challenge, we ex-
tion, which will recharge the robot, is moving beyond full automation to pect to see mobile robotics capa-
allow it to offload the net and will a more dynamic and communicative bilities that have never been seen be-
clean the robot, we’re definitely taking model for robots. “Making robots fully fore,” adds Coulon. The 2024 AIRA
things to the next level. We are also autonomous takes enormous effort Challenge finalists, listed below, were
thinking about a supervision platform to program everything, so we wanted selected by a judging group con-
to enable the use of a fleet of robots to expand the business case for au- sisting of experts from BASF, Bayer,
(several dozen) without any manual tonomous robots. Now, we’re not just Wacker and Boehringer Ingelheim.
looking for an autonomous robot, but • EngRoTec Group (Hünfeld, Ger-
one that can communicate its needs many; www.engrotec.de)
to operators,” explains Carl-Helmut • ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems
Coulon, head of future manufacturing Lab (Switzerland; rsl.ethz.ch)
concepts at Invite GmbH (Leverkusen • Forschungzentrum für Informatik
Germany; www.invite-research.com), (Karlsruhe, Germany; www.fzi.de)
the organizer of the AIRA Challenge. • Reply Roboverse (Munich; www.
Giving robots the ability to “call for reply.com/roboverse-reply)
help” when an unknown situation • Team TruPhysics/United Robot-
IADYS
is encountered helps to lower the ics Group (Stuttgart, Germany; www.
FIGURE 4. Robots can quickly deploy containment programming barrier for automatic- truphysics.com) ■
booms for faster remediation of oil spills ity, says Coulon. “You can program Mary Page Bailey
20 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
Facts At Your Fingertips
Representing Particle Size and Geometry
Department Editor: Scott Jenkins

P
article size and shape, as well A B C the same
as particle size distribution controlling
(PSD) are key determinants of c h a r a c t e r-
bulk solids behavior [1–4]. A particle istics as the
can be defined as a single unit of ma- particle under
terial having discrete physical bound- investigation.
aries that define its size. Particle sci- The control-
Patel [2]
ence is typically limited to particulate Circle with same projected are as Parallel tangents Feret’s diameter Line bisecting projected are of particle
ling charac-
systems within a size range from 10–3 particle Martin’s diameter
teristics could
to 104 μm. FIGURE 2. Statistical diameters of a particle can be defined in different ways. Com- be volume,
monly used ones are Feret’s (B) and Martin’s (C)
The measurement and selection of surface area,
appropriate average particle size is a surface-area-
difficult task because of inherent par- TABLE 1. PARTICLE-SIZE-MEASURING to-volume ratio, settling velocity or
ticle characteristics. Particle shapes TECHNIQUES AND SIZE RANGES other characteristics. Several com-
are often irregular, so describing a Instrument Techniques Size range, µm monly used equivalent-sphere diam-
particle’s size is not straightforward. Mechanical sieving (dry) 38 to 100,000 eters are shown in Figure 1.
Mechanical sieving (wet) 20 to 3,000
This one-page reference provides in- Stoke’s diameter is the diameter
Air jet sieving 20 to 200
formation on methods for describing Ultrasonic sieving 5 to 100
of a sphere (dst) having the same
and measuring particle size. Gravimetric 1 to 3,000 density and settling velocity as the
sedimentation particle under investigation in laminar
Particle geometry effects Coulter counter 0.5 to 300 flow conditions.
The bulk behavior of particulate ma- Laser-light diffraction 0.02 to 1,000 Statistical diameter. The commonly
terial is greatly dependent on its geo- Centrifugal sedimentation 0.01 to 10 used statistical diameters are Feret’s
Microscopic image 0.01 to 1
metric properties at those scales. analysis
diameter and Martin’s diameter. Fe-
In industrial processes, particle size ret’s diameter is defined as the dis-
and shape affect phenomena such • Solids mixing and segregation of tance between two parallel tangents,
as the following [2]: solid ingredients while Martin’s diameter is defined as
• Catalyst-material reactivity • Handling of solids-containing fluids a length of the chord that bisects the
• Bioactivity and dissolution of phar- particle outline (Figure 2).
maceutical agents Describing particle size Equivalent circle diameter. Equiva-
• Setting time of cement Specifying the sizes of irregularly lent circle diameters, such as the pro-
• Agglomeration shaped particles is commonly con- jected area diameter (area of circle
• Sedimentation rate ceived by representing the size using with the same area as the projected
• Flow through porous media a simple linear dimensional descrip- area of the particle under investiga-
• Flowability of powder tor, such as diameter. However, be- tion), can also be used (Figure 2A).
• Packing density of materials cause solid partricles are irregular These measures are outdated due
• Permeability of packed beds and non-uniform, determing the di- to their statistical nature and poor re-
• Rate of settling by particles in a fluid ameter of a non-spherical particle producibility because there are many
• Gas-solid separation efficiency in a depends on how it is measured. possibilities to estimate distance be-
cyclone There are several approaches avail- tween tangents and bisector.
able to representing the size
Patel [2] of a particle, categorized into Measuring particle size
sc d
three areas described below. There is no single standard method to
Sphere of same surface-to-volume ratio Equivalent spherical diam- measure particle size. Each method
v d
eter. Equivalent-spherical- has pros and cons. Some of the stan-
s d
diameter methods determine dard methods that are used to mea-
Sphere of same volume
diameters by measuring a size- sure particle size and size ranges are
dependent property of the par- shown in Table 1 [3]. n
ticle and relating it to a single
Sphere of same surface area

linear dimension [2]. The equiv- References

stokesd
sieve d
alent sphere diameter takes 1. Trottier, R. Dhodapkar, S. and Wood, S., Particle Sizing Across
the CPI, Chem. Eng., April 2010, pp. 59–65.
advantage of the ideal shape
Sphere passing through 2. Patel, C.M., Particle Size Characterization and Analysis, Chem.
Sphere having same settling velocity
same sieve aperture
of a sphere represented by the Eng., July 2019, pp. 54–60.
FIGURE 1. With the equivalent spherical diameter approach, particle single dimension. The equiva- 3. Lawrence, J., Powder and Bulk Solids Handling: Particle Size and
sizes are represented by an equivalent sphere with the same conn- lent spherical diameter is the di- Distribution Analysis, Chem. Eng., November 2017, pp. 55–59.
trolling characteristics (volume, surface area, others) as the particle
ameter of a sphere that shows 4. Johanson, K., Selecting the Proper Mill for Your Product, Chem.
Eng., November 2013, pp. 47–54.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 21

 Cover Story
Ion-Exchange Resins:
Solutions for a Wide Range
of Challenges
A large selection of ion-exchange resins is available today for a constantly growing
variety of applications. In order to choose the appropriate resin for a specific
application, it is important to carefully evaluate the range of resin and process
properties and parameters

V
Stefan Hilger
Lanxess Deutschland arious inorganic and organic mate- (SBA/WBA) on the other hand.
GmbH rials of both natural and synthetic Since they were first produced back in the
origin, among them clays, peat, ze- late 1930s in Wolfen, Saxony-Anhalt, Ger-
olites or metal silicates, are prone many [3], polystyrene-based IEX resins have
to exchange bound ions with other ions been employed in a variety of applications.
IN BRIEF from a surrounding liquid phase. Softening and demineralization of water have
COMPETING This article focuses on ion-exchange (IEX) been of focal importance for decades and
TECHNOLOGIES resins [1] — that is, functionalized organic still play a major role, not only for industrial
polymers. In the early days, these were applications — for example, in power-plant
CAPABILITIES OF IEX
mainly phenol-formaldehyde polymers, but cooling circuits [4], for the preparation of ul-
RESINS
today, IEX resins are most importantly de- trapure water for use in medical applications
SELECTIVITY rived from vinylbenzenes or acrylates. Be- and in the food, beverage and semiconduc-
DI- VERSUS sides ion exchange, some of these materi- tor industries — but also for municipal water
MONOVALENT IONS als are also able to function as an absorber treatment and household use.
for uncharged, polar and even nonpolar IEX resins based on polystyrene and
SELECTIVITY FOR
molecules, which further widens the appli- polyacrylates account for the great majority
SPECIFIC IONS
cation opportunities. of products in today’s global markets. For
BINDING VIA Four main types of IEX resins have been industrial applications, polystyrene-based
HYDROPHOBIC developed over time. They are categorized resins are often favored due to their bet-
INTERACTIONS [2] as strong and weak acid cation-exchange ter stability, leading to longer service life.
SELECTION resins (SAC/WAC) on one hand and strong These resins can handle high and also vari-
PARAMETERS FOR IEX and weak basic anion-exchange resins able flowrates, as well as acids and bases
RESINS in fairly high concentrations.
UNIFORMITY
Competing technologies
MORPHOLOGY Even for demineralization, quite
BEAD SIZE a few technologies are available
today besides ion exchange. Re-
LIFECYCLE SEQUENCE verse osmosis (RO), for example,
OUTLOOK can also remove dissolved ionic
substances quite efficiently [5]. The
membranes employed, however,
are frequently susceptible to foul-
ing and can have difficulties when
dealing with variable flowrates.
Very low ion concentrations in per-
meates can only be achieved with
FIGURE 1. Ion-exchange (IEX) resins can be classified into various classes difficulties at the price of repeated,
and subclasses energy-consuming treatment.
22 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
 Optimize
Tank Lifecycle
Management
E²G | The Equity Engineering Group, Inc.
provides world-class engineering support for
storage tank owners & operators. Our team of
experts leverages design, inspection, fitness-for-
service, and advanced analysis experience to
solve problems both big and small.
FIGURE 2. Here is an overview of specialized IEX resins by functional group
We help you ensure safety, manage risk, and
Electrodeionization (EDI) [6], as another example, maintain profitability throughout your tank’s
requires a relatively high-energy input and also has dif- lifecycle.
ficulties in obtaining water resistivity above 16 MΩ, as
is required for ultra-pure water. Silica is especially dif-
ficult to remove in one single step. EDI systems gener- Safety. Reliability. Integrity.
ally have a very low tolerance for hardness ions and
organic matter due to blocking of the membranes.
Furthermore, maintenance and replacement cannot
easily be split into a device and an active component WE SOLVE PROBLEMS
as is possible with an IEX system.
In contrast to IEX with resins that can be tailored to
⊲ Corrosion & Metal Loss
be highly selective (see below), both RO and EDI ex-
hibit only very limited ion selectivity, if any. Therefore, ⊲ Shell Distortions
both the latter methods can only remove the dissolved
⊲ Foundation Settlement
ion contents as a whole. In all these respects, an IEX
resin system exhibits superior properties that make it ⊲ Structural Concerns
favorable whenever one or more of the requirements
⊲ Overpressure & Overfill
mentioned above are crucial.
However, IEX resins also have limitations. Although ⊲ Hydrostatic Test Exemption
the stability against oxidative stress is significantly bet-
ter with IEX compared to RO and EDI, oxidizing agents
may markedly limit the service life especially of anion FITNESS-FOR-SERVICE
exchange resins. Due to their polymeric backbone, (FFS)
operating temperatures for most types of polystyrene-
DAMAGE MECHANISMS
based resins are limited to approximately 140°C (SAC/ ASSESSMENT
WAC) and 70°C (SBA/WBA, chloride form) or 40–45°C
SERVICES

(SBA/WBA, OH form). SBA and WBA resins on acry- RISK-BASED

late basis are more sensitive to elevated temperatures. INSPECTION (RBI)
Even in chloride form they should not be employed at
temperatures above 40°C.
E²G SOFTWARE

Capabilities of IEX resins

Besides the four functionalization classes of IEX resins EQUITY ENGINEERING
mentioned above, additional subclasses can be identi- PRACTICEES (EEPs)
fied that contain special functional groups, such as bi-
or polydentate groups, which are capable of forming TECHNOLOGY FORWARD
chelating complexes with enhanced selectivity. Addi-
tionally, certain resins may also allow for non-ionic inter- +1.216.283.9519 // Sales@E2G.com // www.E2G.com
actions with substrates, thus establishing co-operative
binding modes (Figure 1).

Selectivity
Di- versus monovalent ions. A key property of mod-
ern IEX resins is their selectivity, which goes far beyond

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 grade lithium salts. Even lithium it-
self can be recovered in the form of
lithium aluminates from brine with
special resins that have been modi-
fied with aluminum salts [11].
Selective binding of ions can also
be a solution for medical treatment,
as exemplified by IEX resins that —
after oral administration — selec-
tively bind potassium ions and can
thus be use to treat hyperkalemia
[12, 13]. The resin binds potassium
FIGURE 3. These three structures are typical micropollutants that can be removed by interaction with IEX in the digestive tract and is then
resins
excreted in a loaded form. Further
that simply for anions or cations in allowing for a partial or even almost medical applications include the
general. Resins can easily discrimi- complete separation of mixtures [9]. controlled release of active phar-
nate between monovalent and di- Most often, this selectivity is due to maceutical ingredients over an ex-
valent ions, for example, due to a chelating functional groups, that is, tended period of time. IEX resins
markedly different binding strength. ionic or polar groups that can estab- can also be employed as excipients
These differences in selectivity usu- lish more than one (ionic) contact to in medical formulations [14], for ex-
ally increase with a higher degree of the substrate ion in the course of ample, as a taste masking agent in
cross-linking, that is, a higher share complexation (Figure 2). orally administered drugs [15] con-
of divinylbenzene added as cross- As an example, the removal of taining, for instance, antibiotics with
linking agent during polymerization, calcium and magnesium ions is a bitter taste or nicotine for smoking
as shown in Table 1 [7]. possible even from concentrated cessation. The mechanism involves
For trivalent ions, selectivity dif- brine using a special SAC resin with the drug being initially bound to
ferences may be even more pro- small beads [10]. The absence of the resin. The complexation retains
nounced. Special IEX resins exhibit earth alkali cations is a crucial re- structural integrity in the neutral oral
small bead size and very fast kinet- quirement in chlor-alkali electrolysis environment. Under the acidic envi-
ics. Therefore, even a partial sepa- in order to prevent blocking of the ronment in the stomach, the medi-
ration of rare-earth ions, namely of cell membranes and enhance the cine is then released from the resin
lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium efficiency of the electrolysis. The after being replaced by protons [16].
and neodymium, from other rare concentration of these divalent ions An application that has gained
earth, earth alkali and aluminum ions needs to be reduced down to the substantial interest recently in the
is possible [8]. Separations of this single-digit parts-per-billion (ppb) course of the fight against climate
kind are considered to be the most range for this purpose. In a similar change is direct air capture (DAC)
difficult of all. process, calcium in a wide concen- of carbon dioxide facilitated by SBA
Specific ions. Appropriately func- tration range can also be separated or WBA resins [17, 18]. This is one
tionalized resins can even be tailored from lithium brine by ion exchange of several carbon capture and stor-
to preferentially bind a specific ion, during the production of battery- age (CCS) technologies that have

FIGURE 4. Shown here is the cooperative binding

of a long-chain PFAS molecule (perfluorononanoic
acid; PFNA) to a polystyrene-based SBA (strongly FIGURE 5. The particle-size distribution is much narrower for monodispersed resins compared to hetero-
basic anion) dispersed resins
24 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
 Waste Heat Boiler
Services

FIGURE 6. This diagram compares the structures of gel-type and macropo-

rous IEX resins, as observed by SEM imaging

been proposed and implemented to reduce CO2

emissions from point sources.

Hydrophobic interactions
Additionally, IEX resins can even bind uncharged
molecules by adsorption. This is due to weak polar
interactions and can, for example, be employed to
separate micro-pollutants containing aromatic rings,
such as active pharmaceutical ingredients, pesticides
•Thermal Analysis•
or non-ionic detergents (Figure 3) during municipal •Engineering & Design•
wastewater treatment [19–21]. The IEX resin is more
efficient than activated carbon with high loading ca- •Inspection•
pacity, high mechanical stability and exhibits fast ex-
change kinetics, which allows the use of small, com-
pact filters instead of large columns.
Cooperative binding situations can also occur. In
such cases, a substrate molecule is simultaneously
bound to the IEX resin by means of ionic and hydro-
phobic interactions (Figure 4). Such a behavior is ob-
served during removal of long-chain PFAS (per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances), for example, perfluo-
rononanoic acid (PFNA) from wastewater. PFAS mol-
ecules usually consist of a polar “head” (carboxylic
acid) and a nonpolar “tail” (per- or polyfluorinated car-
bon chain). While the former is bound to the IEX resin
via Coulombic attraction, the latter establishes weak
interactions with aromatic π-electron systems of the
polystyrene backbone of the resin.

Selection parameters for resins

Even if there are many characteristics that determine
which resin is best suited for a particular application,
some basic parameters will be discussed here due to
their general importance, namely uniformity, morphol-
ogy, bead size and the life-cycle sequence.
Uniformity. For more than four decades now, spe-
cialized polymerization processes are available for
the production of resins of uniform particle size
(monodispersed resins) [22]. These resins offer sig-
nificant advantages over heterodispersed products,
including the following: www.hrstinc.com
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1-952-767-8100 | info@hrstinc.com
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-12
 TABLE 1. RELATIVE SELECTIVITY COEFFICIENTS the bead surface is cov- derived from biomass. This means
(H+ = 1) OF SAC RESINS AS A FUNCTION OF THE
DEGREE OF CROSSLINKING*
ered by a gel layer contain- that liquid sugar syrups or complex
ing the functional groups process solutions, such as fermen-
DVB 4% 8% 12% 16%
that are easily available for tation broths, can be purified and
H+ 1 1 1 1 ion exchange. The micro- treated. As an example, the natu-
Na+ 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.9 pores are usually less than rally occurring glycosaminoglycan
NH4 + 1.6 1.95 2.3 2.5 2 nm in diameter. Gel-type polymer heparin, which is used to
Mg2+ 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.8
resins exhibit high op- prevent blood coagulation, can be
erative capacities. Typical extracted and thus purified with
Ca2+ 3.4 3.9 4.6 5.8
applications include acid- such a resin [25, 26].
Sr2+ 3.85 4.95 6.25 8.1 catalyzed reactions with Bead size. The particle size of
Ba2+ 6.15 8.7 11.6 16.5 gel-type SAC resins such monodispersed resins can be
Note: DVB = divinylbenzene; SAC = strong acid cation exchange as dehydrations, (co-)con- adjusted with high precision by
densations, esterifications means of continuous bead forma-
• Fewer fine and fewer coarse and Friedel-Crafts-type tion through a perforated plate. In
beads leading to less ion leakage alkylations [24]. However, their sur- aqueous suspensions containing
and better regeneration performance face is sensitive to fouling, induced, monomer droplets of uniform size,
• Higher operating capacity due for example, by natural organic mat- the resin beads are then formed by
to more uniform flow over the sur- ter (NOM), which makes access to means of polymerization (Figure 7).
face and less tendency for channel the functional groups more difficult. This method allows beads of differ-
formation In macroporous resins, on the ent sizes to be created in a flexible
• Lower pressure drop due to the other hand, not only the bead sur- and reproducible manner [27, 28].
existence of evenly wide, unblocked face, but also wide channels of To obtain ultrapure metals — ul-
channels between the beads to en- more than 50 nm in diameter within timately through electrolytic sepa-
able high flowrates the bead are equipped with func- ration — by means of hydrometal-
tional groups. This leads to a mark- lurgy, interfering foreign ions have
• Higher mechanical stability
edly increased active surface and to be removed right down to the
due to homogeneous, optimized
enhanced mechanical stability of trace level. This presents special
functionalization — longer service
the beads. Because of their high requirements regarding selectivity,
life, less generation of fines, which mechanical and osmotic stability, capacity and exchange speed. The
would increase the pressure drop they are employed in a variety of size of the resin beads plays a key
• Higher osmotic shock stabil- processes, including those in non- role here.
ity — especially important for aqueous solvents, such as for bind- Macroporous resins with a
macroporous chelating resins, for ing heavy metal ions. Whenever a sponge-like structure and a large
example when a chelating resin high total capacity and therefore a inner surface area are usually em-
loaded with calcium as obtained high degree of cross-linking is re- ployed here. The polymer beads in
from brine polishing for chlor-alkali quired and at the same time stable standard resin types measure be-
electrolysis (see above) is regener- resins are needed, there is no way tween 0.5 and 0.7 mm in diameter.
ated with hydrochloric acid and around macroporous resins. Even In addition to the type of functional
afterwards conditioned with caustic relatively large contaminant mol- groups in the polymer, their suitabil-
soda solution. The latter causes os- ecules, such as NOM,
motic stress resulting from a 60% can be adsorbed in
increase in volume. the pores and are
subsequently liberated
Today, most of the monodispersed during regeneration.
resins are based on polystyrene as Macroporous,
polymeric backbone. Polyacrylate strongly basic an-
resins are mostly heterodispersed ion-exchange resins
due to the lack of an economically based on a cross-
feasible production process. How- linked polyacrylate can
ever, membrane emulsification pro- be tailored to exhibit
cesses were developed in recent a special pore struc-
years for this purpose [23]. Cur- ture and resin matrix.
rently, most acrylate resins belong They are then ideally
to the WAC class of resins, where suited for the capture
this is not of crucial importance. of high-molecular-
Morphology. Basically, two types of weight compounds,
resin can be distinguished in terms for example, for the FIGURE 7. Monodispersed ion-exchange resins are produced by
of morphology (Figure 6). In gel-type treatment and puri- a two-stage process: continuous bead formation and subsequent
or microporous resins, on one hand, fication of products batch polymerization
26 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
ity for a specific separation task de- with MDS beads (left) with copper
pends on their number and a range ions (blue) shows clear differences
of other properties and character- with respect to standard monodis-
istics. Process parameters, such persed resin (MD, middle) and het-
as the pH value, temperature and erodispersed resin (HD, right) with
flowrate, also influence the separa- a wider grain size distribution. In
tion performance. addition to superior retention, the
Small resin beads (monodis- MDS resin exhibits a sharp, pre-
persed small, MDS) with a diam- cisely defined limit zone of adsorp-
eter of just 0.3 to 0.4 mm exhibit tion. This prevents a premature
very different properties and char- breakthrough observed especially
acteristics than standard-sized with HD resin.
beads. Thanks to their smaller These beneficial properties can
size and, in turn, shorter diffusion be leveraged for various tasks,
paths, they exhibit faster kinetics such as lithium brine purification
during exchange and regeneration. where small-size beads signifi-
Their high packing density makes cantly reduce calcium. Ultrapure FIGURE 8. The photo shows the loading perfor-
them ideal for chromatographic lithium brine obtained in this way mance of three different cation-exchange resins
with copper ions under identical reaction condi-
separation. They also have higher is needed mainly for electrolysis in tions: monodispersed small (MDS), monodispersed
capacity utilization and, in turn, order to protect cell membranes (MD) and heterodispersed (HD)
longer service lives with lower from scale precipitation.
chemical requirements for regen- The resin-in-pulp (RIP) process resin absorbs the ions, the resin is
eration. However, the higher pack- [29] imposes quite different require- separated again. To increase ef-
ing density also results in greater ments with respect to bead size. In ficiency, multiple vessels are posi-
pressure loss. such a process, an ion-containing tioned in a cascade arrangement,
A comparison of the loading per- suspension of ore slurry is initially and the ore suspension is treated
formance (Figure 8) of an imino- mixed with the resin beads. After with the exchange resin in coun-
diacetic acid (IDA) chelating resin a contact period during which the terflow continuousRIP (cRIP; Figure

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 9). The RIP process is a useful al-
ternative to fixed-bed ion exchange
in columns. This is particularly ad-
vantageous when the substrate is a
suspension or dispersion instead of
a clear solution.
During this process, the major-
ity of metal ions from the slurry
are bound to the resin and can be
separated from this when the resin
is regenerated. In the field of hy-
drometallurgy, ion-exchange pro-
cesses such as these are increas- FIGURE 9. The continuous resin-in-pulp (cRIP) process is a useful alternative to fixed-bed ion-exchange
ingly replacing the decanting of columns
suspensions in large water tanks,
because this not only requires a therefore extremely long. This might Outlook
great deal of space, but is also ex- be true for final polishing mixed-bed Although the basic principles of ion
tremely time- and cost-intensive. IEX systems in the production of ul- exchange facilitated by resins are
Mechanically robust ion exchang- trapure water. In this case, the origi- known for more than a century now,
ers are needed for separating and nal quality of the delivery form can no the development is still ongoing. Im-
transferring the resin as efficiently as longer be restored, at least on site. provements in selectivity, capacity
possible. This helps prevent prema- For economic reasons, it therefore and stability have been achieved over
ture resin breakage during extraction. does not make sense to set up and time and are likely to continue in the
A sufficient size difference between maintain a regeneration unit. future. Not the least, future develop-
resin and ore slurry particles is also Regeneration may be disadvan- ment will also be triggered by newly
essential for efficient separation. Be- tageous when hazardous contami- emerging, challenging fields of appli-
cause of this, monodispersed resins nants are bound to the IEX resin so cation. Improved recycling methods
with a larger particle diameter of 0.85 that a significant concentration, that for spent battery materials, catalytic
mm (XL) and heterodispersed resins is volume reduction, of the hazard- processes for the circular economy
with an even larger average particle ous waste has already taken place. or advanced biomedical applica-
diameter of 1.1 mm (±0.1, XXL) have If then the resin would be regener- tions could be conceivable options.
been developed (see Ref. 30 and 31 ated, a relatively small volume of resin The industrial production of the first
for XL resin type; and Ref. 32 and 33 would give rise to a larger volume acrylate- and polystyrene-based
for XXL resin type). of contaminated regeneration and resins from renewable feedstock or
Lifecycle sequence. The ability washing solutions, which would have recyclates can be considered a mile-
to be regenerated is a key advan- to be disposed of subsequently. This stone on the path to improved sus-
tage of IEX resins over other mate- might be the case, for example, for tainability. The first representatives of
rials that can just act as adsorbers resins loaded with mercury from flue- this class of sustainable resins have
and have to be disposed of after gas scrubbing or with those loaded just become available, not only in lab
single use. In most cases, for ex- with radioactive cations from nuclear- or pilot quantities [35], but on an in-
ample, when employed in softening power plants. In addition, such cat- dustrial scale [36]. n
or demineralization of water, in the ions are bound very tightly, which Edited by Gerald Ondrey
preparation of makeup water or in would make regeneration impossible
condensate polishing in industrial or at least not economical. Acknowledgements
water-steam circuits, IEX resins can Innovative regeneration protocols, Many thanks to Dr. Thomas Schmidt
be regenerated many times, result- however, could help to recycle valu- for many fruitful discussions and edi-
ing in a service life of several years. able resins even after loading haz- torial contributions.
There are, however, applications ardous substances onto them. One All figures courtesy of Lanxess
where regeneration may be inefficient example is the regeneration of SBA Deutschland GmbH.
or even disadvantageous. The for- resins which have been used to trap
mer could be true in cases where the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances References
resin quantities employed are small (PFAS). In these cases, regenera- 1 Harland, C. E., “Ion Exchange: Theory and Practice,” 2nd Ed., The
Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, U.K., 1994.
and no on-site regeneration systems tion can be achieved by treatment 2. Facts at Your Fingertips, Water Treatment: Ion Exchange Resins,
are available. If external regeneration with aqueous methanol containing Chem. Eng., June 2020, p. 24.
is feasible, it should be decided on a small amount of sodium chloride 3. Ionenaustauscher – Lewatit von Bayer, Bayer GB Spezialprodukte,
Company Brochure, K+W Kunst- und Werbedruck, Bad Oeyn-
according to economic standards. [34]. After regeneration, the resin can hausen, 1999, pp. 10–13.
Regeneration is usually also omitted be reused and the methanol can be 4. Buecker, B., McKinnon, W., Boiler Water Essentials: Water is Water
(Not), Chem. Eng., March 2023, pp. 32–35.
in cases where only trace amounts of stripped off the regeneration solu- 5. Ang, W. L., others, Reverse Osmosis Desalination: A State-
ions are removed from large volumes tion, leaving behind only a very small of-the-Art Review, Desalination, 459, 2019, 59–104, and
references therein.
and the service life of the resin is amount of PFAS, salt and water.
6. Alvarado, L., Chen, A., Electrodeionization: Principles, Strategies

28 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024

 and Applications, Electrochimica Acta,132, 2014, pp. 583– core-technologies/industry/hydrometallurgy/developments-
597, and references therein. ion-exchange-recovery-of-gold. Author
7. De Dardel, F., Arden, T. V., Ion Exchangers, “Ullmann’s Encyclo- 33. McKevitt, B., others, A Comparison of Large Bead Ion Exchange
pedia of Industrial Chemistry,” 7th Ed., Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Resins for the Recovery of Base Metals in a Resin-In-Pulp Stefan Hilger is the manager global
Germany, 2012, p. 489, https://doi.org/10.1002/14356007. Circuit, presented at 6th Southern African Base Metals Confer- technical marketing of the Business
a14_393.pub2. ence, Phalaborwa, South Africa, July 18–21, 2011. Unit Liquid Purification Technologies,
8. José, L. B., others, Pre-concentration and Partial Fractionation 34. Yu, G., others, Removal of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate from Lanxess Deutschland GmbH (Ken-
of Rare Earth Elements by Ion Exchange, Minerals Eng., 205, Wastewater by Anion Exchange Resins: Effects of Resin nedyplatz 1, 50569 Cologne, Ger-
January 2024, 108477. Properties and Solution Chemistry, Water Res., 44, 2010, pp. many; Phone: +49-221-8885-0).
9. Wołowicz, A., Hubicki, Z., The Use of the Chelating Resin of a New 5,188–5,195. He has more than 30 years working
Generation Lewatit MonoPlus TP-220 with the Bis-picolylamine 35. Baltaeva, M., others, Sustainable Ion-Exchange Resins for Pro- experience in the field of water treat-
Functional Groups in the Removal of Selected Metal Ions from duced Water Treatment, presented at the Middle East Oil, Gas ment, specializing in IEX systems for
Acidic Solutions, Chem. Eng. J.,197, 2012, pp. 493–508. and Geosciences Show, Manama, Bahrain, February 2023,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2012.05.047. https://doi.org/10.2118/213239-MS. the past 20 years. He worked for
several companies designing, constructing and imple-
10. Atkinson, S., Ion Exchangers Make Brine Treatment Using 36. Dinges, B., Lichtenheldt, M., Sustainable Ion Exchange Resins
Chlor-Alkali Electrolysis More Efficient, Membrane Tech., for Water Treatment – New Lewatit Scopeblue and Eco Types, menting water-treatment system before joining Lanxess as
2019, (3) p. 8. presented at Aquastage, Aquatech, Amsterdam, The Nether- a technical marketing manager for IRX resins and Bayoxide
11. Arroyo, F., others, Lithium Recovery from Desalination Brines lands, November 6–9, 2023. adsorbers in industrial and drinking water treatment.
Using Specific Ion Exchange Resins, Desalination, 468, 2019,
114073, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2019.114073.
12. Wong, S. W. S., others, Polysulfonate Resins in Hyperkalemia:
A Systematic Review, Canada Journal of Kidney Health and
Disease 7, 2020, pp. 1–19,
13. Rosano, G. M. C., others, Pharmacology of New Treatments for
Hyperkalemia: Patiromer and Sodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate,
Eur. Heart J., Suppl. A 21, 2019, pp. A28–A33.
14. Ion Exchange Resins for APIs & Excipients in Pharmaceutical
Applications, Purolite Company Brochure, 2023, www.purolite.
com/dam/jcr:304feee7-b13d-4ab3-9324-0288e2759097/
api%20and%20excipients.pdf, retrieved January 6, 2024.
15. Suhagiya, V. K., others, Taste Masking by Ion Exchange Resin
and its New Applications: A Review, Int. J. Pharm. Sci. & Res.,
1, 4, 2010, pp. 22–37.
16. Guo, X., others, Ion-Exchange Resins as Drug Delivery Carriers,
J. Pharm. Sci. 98, 2009, pp. 3,886– 3,902.
17. Shu, Q., others, Direct Air Capture Using Electrochemically Re-
generated Anion Exchange Resins, Environ. Sci. Technol., 56,
16, 2022, pp. 11,095–11,908;
18. Chen, H., others, Direct Air Capture (DAC) and Sequestration
of CO2: Dramatic Effect of Coordinated Cu(II) onto a Chelat-
ing Weak Base Ion Exchanger, Sci. Adv., 9, 2023, eadg1956.
19. Siyal, A. A., others, A Review on Recent Developments in the
Adsorption of Surfactants from Wastewater, J. Environ. Man-
age., 254, 2020, 109797;
20. Gönder, Z., others, Adsorption of Cationic and Anionic Surfac-
tants onto Organic Polymer Resin Lewatit VPOC 1064 MD PH,
Environ. Geochem. Health, 32, 2010, pp. 267–273;
21. Stinco, C.M. others, Industrial Orange Juice Debittering: Impact
on Bioactive Compounds and Nutritional Value, J. Food Eng.,
116, 2013, pp. 155–161.
22. Wrigley, S., Medete, A., The Properties and Advantages of Uni-
form Particle Size Ion Exchange Resins. In: Slater, M. J. (Ed.)
“Ion Exchange Advances,” Springer, Dordrecht, the Nether-
lands, 1992, pp. 65–72, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-
011-2864-3_9.
23. Alroaithi, M., Sajjadi, S., Uniform Polymer Beads by Membrane
Emulsification-assisted Suspension Polymerisation, RSC Adv.,
6, 2016, pp. 79,745–79,754.
24. Applications of Ion Exchange Materials in: Chemical and Food In-
dustries, Inamuddin, Rangreez, T. A., Asiri, A. M. (Eds.), Springer
Nature Switzerland AG, Cham 2019, and references therein.
25. Atkinson, S., Ion Exchange Resins are Targeted at Heparin
Production and Sugar Decolorisation, Membrane Tech., 4,
6, 2021.
26. Taylor, S. L., others, By-Products of Heparin Production Provide
a Diverse Source of Heparin-like and Heparan Sulfate Gly-
cosaminoglycans, Sci. Rep., 9, 2019, p. 2,679. https://doi.
org/10.1038/s41598-019-39093-6.
27. Lange, P. M., Strüver, W., Verfahren zur Herstellung von Perl-
polymerisaten einheitlicher Teilchengröße, EP0046535, Bayer
AG 1982;
28. Timm, E. E., Verfahren zum Herstellen sphäroidischer Polymer-
perlen einheitlicher Größe, EP0051210, The DOW Chemical
Company 1982.
29. Kotze, M., others, Resin-in-Pulp and Resin-in-Solution, in: “De-
velopments in Mineral Processing,” 15, 2005, Ch. 32, pp.
603–635.
30. Vinco, J. H., others, Purification of an Iron Contaminated Va-
nadium Solution through Ion Exchange Resins, Minerals Eng.,
176, 2022, 107337.
31. Steinhilber, D., others, Lewatit Chelating and Solvent Impreg-
nated Ion Exchange Resins for the Recovery and Refining of
Battery Metals, presented at ALTA2022 Conference, Perth,
Australia, May 20–27, 2022.
32. Johanna Van Deventer, New Developments in Ion Exchange
Resins for the Recovery of Gold in Complex Ores, Originally
presented at 7th International Symposium on Hydrometallurgy
2014, June 22–25, 2014, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada,
retrieved January 8, 2024, from www.purolite.com/index/
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-14
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 29
 Feature Report
Design Considerations for
Steam-Heated Storage Tanks
Steam-heated storage tanks are critical to manufacturing processes, and prioritizing
reliability in tank-system design and operations can mitigate unwanted issues

S
James R. Risko torage tanks are essential to the
TLV Corp (Ret.) chemical process industries (CPI),
and they require significant capital
investment to ensure optimal instal-
IN BRIEF lation and continued reliable operation. Many
of these storage tanks are heated by steam to
SEVERE HAMMER IN A
maintain liquid viscosity or product integrity.
TANK COIL
The concept that storage tanks just maintain
STEAM COILS IN liquid stocks and are relatively simple equip-
EXTREME COLD ment may confound some when dramatic is-
INTERMITTENT sues occur (Figure 1). This article describes
OPERATION some specific issues the author has encoun- FIGURE 2. Vapor or steam locking of a steam trap can occur
tered at various chemical processing plants, when there is a long horizontal run-up to the trap
STEAM HEATERS AND
and provides guidance for troubleshooting
STALL
problems with steam-heated storage tanks. the pumping system and discharge the con-
GRAVITY DRAINING densate directly into the highly pressurized
SULFUR STORAGE Severe hammer in a tank coil condensate header.
An example of a severe issue personally re- Additionally, each steam-heating coil dis-
viewed by the author was in the late 1980s re- charged directly through a straight horizontal
garding a large tank in a petroleum refinery in line into the steam trap, with no drop-down
the northeastern U.S. It was only about three into the trap. Discharging directly into a trap in
months before the issue occurred that the such a manner can create a steam-lock con-
tank drainage problems were reviewed and dition. A steam lock will occur when the inlet
discussed with the process engineer, who ul- piping to the steam trap is configured in such
timately decided that the system was working a way that steam vapor is somehow filling the
“well enough.” The specific issue at hand was steam-trap body and stifling — or even fully
that the condensate header-system back- preventing — condensate from entering the
pressure had increased from 40 psig to over trap. The result is that the trap locks shut until
60 psig, resulting in the electric condensate the steam in the trap body and inlet piping
pump set (used for pumping the condensate condenses (Figure 2) [1], allowing for conden-
into the return) ceasing to work. In a “cost- sate to finally enter the trap and be drained
saving” effort, the engineer decided to bypass from the system.
While reviewing the bypassed
system, it was noted that sig-
nificant waterhammer occurred
within the internal coils and
also at the steam traps. Still,
the site’s process engineer re-
mained unfazed by any concern
about both items (Figure 3).
Nevertheless, during each sub-
sequent visit, the hammer was
brought up with the engineer
and subsequently dismissed
because he felt that the system
FIGURE 1. Although storage tanks are common and critical equipment in the was “working.”
CPI, they can experience many significant issues That is, until about three
30 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
 Steam coils in extreme cold
Another storage-tank problem re-
viewed was an asphalt storage tank
in an extremely cold climate where
thermal maintenance had been an
ongoing issue. In this case, ascer-
taining the cause of the problem and
its mitigation were relatively easy
(Figure 4). There were three main is-
sues related to the steam coils.
First, the coils were drained by
FIGURE 3. Hammer and coil damage experienced subcooling, bimetal-style traps. They
in internal steam coils can be the result of im- also discharged horizontally straight
proper design into the traps via a 2-in. line. Finally, a
months later, when the engineer method was needed that could drain
called and said he should have lis- condensate in the event of loss of
tened to the concern. Apparently, positive differential-steam pressure.
the hammer became so severe that Bimetal traps can significantly
it knocked one of the steam coils subcool condensate by as much as
off its support and caused steam 50 to 100ºF, and can also cause dif-
to leak directly into the stored liq- ficulty with maintaining consistent
uid — making some of it boil and high temperature [2]. Additionally, a
subsequently damage the tank long, straight horizontal run into the
top. According to the engineer, the trap can cause a steam-lock con-
tank had to be drained, the top re- dition, as previously explained (see
paired, insulation replaced, the tank Figure 2). Finally, positive steam-
pressure-tested and the test water pressure differential is lost when
treated at the sewage plant before a system shutdown occurs. This
final discharge. The exact cost was means that the coils can flood, lose
never provided, but the initial esti- temperature and corrode. If the tem-
mate of approximately $3,000,000 perature drops low enough, such as
(circa 1988) is certainly memora- when the tank is empty, the coils can
ble. Ultimately, the issues with the freeze and split if not fully drained.
trapping and condensate system Figure 5 shows the troubleshoot-
were corrected as originally rec- ing recommendations in a three-di-
ommended. A key takeaway from mensional (3D) detail drawing. The
this experience is that if left unad- bimetal traps were replaced with
dressed, hammer in a tank coil float and thermostatic traps that
can lead to serious consequences can discharge condensate with-
and should be mitigated with out backup. Additionally, there is a
high priority. vertical drop-down into the traps to

FIGURE 4. This asphalt tank was experiencing multiple hammer and control issues, even though the
steam pressure was high

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For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-09 31
 Intermittent operation (light blue triangle).
Another issue encoun- Stall is a condition where the steam
tered involved a steam pressure exiting the coil has become
heat exchanger in a pe- equal to or less than the backpres-
troleum refinery in the sure of the condensate return sys-
Caribbean where the tem. When stall occurs, condensate
tube set was corroding, backs up in the coil with various is-
requiring replacement sues resulting, such as poor temper-
every year or two. The ature control, corrosion or hammer.
process only needed A common solution to overcome
to operate four hours the effects of stall is to incorporate
per day, so during the a pumping system that discharges
FIGURE 5. A 3D drawing can help installers better understand how “rest” period, the con- condensate into the higher back-
to properly design pipe systems
densate was absorbing pressure system.
allow for condensate to easily enter CO2 and O2, thus forming corrosive Another mitigation option is to
the trap body and mitigate against a carbonic acid that rotted the coils. drain condensate to atmosphere
steam-lock condition. In the draw- The use of a lower-pressure steam (where allowed, and if the conden-
ing, it can also be seen that two of trap discharging to grade on shut- sate amount is small). In such in-
the traps (high-pressure models) dis- down was recommended to mitigate stances, the combined high- and
charge into the return line and two of the corrosion. low-pressure trap arrangement can
the traps (lower-pressure versions) be used. However, it is mostly un-
discharge to atmosphere. Steam heaters and stall desirable to discharge condensate
The high steam pressure during Insertion-bayonet tube-side steam to grade, so a pumping solution
normal operation prevents the lower- heaters (Figure 7) are essentially is needed.
pressure traps from operating due to similar to steam shell-and-tube heat
a pressure-block condition (thus pre- exchangers, which means that stall Gravity drainage
venting drainage). When the steam can be an issue that occurs when Some insertion heaters may be at
pressure drops into the rated operat- heat demand lessens [3–6]. As illus- sufficient vertical height to enable
ing range of the lower-pressure traps, trated in Figure 8, when the steam gravity drainage of condensate into
they can open and discharge to at- pressure (red line) is higher than the a trap and pump set or pump/trap
mosphere or grade. backpressure (green line), the pres- system — this can be a benefit when
This same dual high-pressure/low- sure differential is positive and only possible. Gravity drainage is highly
pressure drainage design configura- a steam trap is normally required preferred, because anytime conden-
tion can also be used with certain for condensate drainage (purple sate remains backed up into a coil,
insertion-tank coils or shell-and-tube triangle). When the steam pressure its temperature can drop rapidly and
heat exchangers to mitigate corro- is negative (dark diagonal blue line significantly, making it acidic and
sion (Figure 6). Because a rapid drop intersecting the green backpressure corrosive in the process.
in steam pressure can cause the line is beneath the green backpres- In the case of a steam trap and
coils to go into vacuum conditions, a sure), the differential is negative and pump arrangement, if the heater
vacuum breaker is commonly recom- condensate can only be drained condensate outlet is located high
mended as shown. using a pump or pump-trap system enough, condensate can drain into

FIGURE 7. Bayonet heaters provide more filling head to the

FIGURE 6. Designing for coil drainage on shutdown can be an important consideration steam trap, but can present some other problems

32 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024

 other problems.
In certain applications,
thermosiphon effects
from convection off of
internal coils or bayonet
heaters cannot provide
the required circulation
or temperature homoge-
neity throughout the tank
liquid or on the wall. In
such cases, a skin-heater
system can be attached
to the external tank wall,
as shown by the blanket
coils in Figure 9. How-
ever, unlike internally sub-
merged coils, which have
full surface-area contact
with the stored liquid, only
the surface area of the ex-
FIGURE 8. Condensate can drain from coils when the pressure ternal coils that makes di-
differential is positive. Conversely, condensate can back up when rect contact with the tank
the pressure differential is negative
wall can be considered to
the trap by gravity, which can then conduct heat to the tank and stored
drain into the condensate-pump re- fluid. This makes it essential to opti-
ceiver by gravity [7]. Such systems mize the steam heat going into the
must be carefully designed to enable external coils or skin heaters.
gravity flow, otherwise a manometer Figure 9 represents a graphic de-
effect can occur with the conden- tail design provided to mitigate is-
sate and cause the coils to remain sues experienced at a refinery in a
at least partially flooded. An arrange- far northern location. Not only was
ment with a steam trap and conden- the condensate drainage system in-
sate pump is preferred when there adequate, but the steam supply also
are multiple coils in the tank, with experienced certain deficiencies.
each coil being drained through an Optimization for an external skin/
individual steam trap and then col- blanket heater system starts with
lected and returned through a con- high-quality steam entering the coils.
densate pump set. In this sense, many of the require-
In some instances, the insertion- ments for effective steam-heated air
heater condensate outlet is not verti- or process coils also apply. It may
cally high enough to enable full grav- require that the steam traps installed
ity flow into a trap and pump set. In in at least three drainage locations
such cases, a combination pump/ before the coils are functioning prop-
trap system may be used, but a cru- erly to mitigate large amounts of
cial point to note is that the insertion undrained condensate from reach-
heater itself must have a tapping on ing the coils. It may require that a
the outlet side (just below
the pass partition) to en-
able proper system bal-
ancing from the heater
to the pump/trap’s res-
ervoir [4, 5]. Without
such a proper balance
point, it is probable that
the system will not drain
freely and will not effec-
tively fill the pump/trap
reservoir, causing con-
densate to back up in the FIGURE 9. Skin heaters benefit when steam supply is optimized
coil, which can lead to and condensate drainage avoids backup

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 33

For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-10
 with proper steam trapping at the flowing and maintain approximately
riser base to preclude large amounts 260ºF for the walls and vapor space
of condensate reaching the coils to mitigate against corrosion, sulfur
during operation. buildup, pyrophoric FeS creation and
The tank was not particularly wide, fires or explosion [8]. To sustain criti-
the steam pressure not too high cal internal liquid and wall tempera-
and the condensate loads relatively tures, it is common to require high
small, so this enabled an interesting heat transfer, such as shown by the
opportunity for condensate drain- strap-on channel jacket-type heating
age. Rather than requiring a large elements on the outside of the tank,
FIGURE 10. Sulfur storage tanks require critical condensate vessel to handle flash supplementing the heat supplied by
maintenance considerations to preclude steam, the condensate could be col- the internal coils (Figure 10). ■
serious issues
lected in a condensate manifold that Edited by Mary Page Bailey
steam separator is used prior to the was able to flash as required and
entrance of steam to the coils to op- supply condensate into the pump Acknowledgement
timize the heating capability on the (Figure 9 red inset, expanded detail Special thanks to Ametek CSI, TLV
coils’ internal surface for most ef- view on right). Corp., and Justin McFarland for
fective heat transfer. Commonly, a the kind provision of graphics used
steam air vent can be incorporated Sulfur storage within this article, and Norm White
at the entry point to remove as much Some storage tanks, such as those for his kind review and comments.
air as possible before it enters the containing sulfur, can have severe
coil. Certainly, air-venting capability is thermal-maintenance requirements
prescribed at the coil exit if the heat — not only for the sulfur itself, but References
quality is to be optimized. The mitiga- also for the tank walls. For example, 1. Risko, James R., Tracing the Causes of Heat Mainte-
nance Issues, Chem. Eng. Prog., 115 (12) pp. 32–38,
tion recommendation for the north- sulfur tanks can experience multiple December 2019.
ern refinery is shown on the steam issues aside from just sulfur freeze- 2. Risko, James R., My Steam Trap Is Good — Why Doesn’t It
Work?, Chem. Eng. Prog., 111 (4), pp. 28–35, April 2015.
inlet side in Figure 9 with vertical up. They also have to keep the sul- 3. Risko, James R., Steam Heat Exchangers are Underworked
supply headers used in conjunction fur hot (around 275ºF) to keep it and Over-Surfaced, Chem. Eng., 104 (11), pp. 58–62,
November 2004.
4. Risko, James R., Optimize Reboiler Performance via Effective
Condensate Drainage, Chem. Eng. Prog., 117 (7) pp. 43–52,
July 2021.
5. Risko, James R., Condensate Vessel Balance to Reboiler is
Important, Chem. Eng., 123 (1), pp. 28–33, January 2023.
6. TLV Corp., Calculator: Stall Point, www.tlv.com/global/US/cal-
culator/stall-point.html?advanced=on, July 2022.
7. Risko, James R., Vent Away Condensate Pump Frustrations in a
Flash, Chem. Eng., 122 (5), pp. 34–39, May 2022.

Author
James R. Risko (Email: jimrisko@
gmail.com; Phone: 704-641-
8959) is the retired president of
TLV Corp, Charlotte, NC, formerly
responsible for U.S. and Canadian
operations. He has 47 years of ex-
perience with steam systems, au-
thored more than 60 technical ar-
ticles, provided webinars to over
3,500 attendees globally and pre-
sented for numerous industry organizations and confer-
ences, including the Kister Distillation Symposium, Dis-
tillation Experts Conclave, Fractionation Research Inc.,
AFPM, AIChE, the Ethylene Conference, RefComm,
IPEIA, IETC, eChemExpo, AEE World and ASHRAE. He co-
invented the world’s first combination pump/trap and
created the “Extended Stall Chart” for draining stalled
coils, heat exchangers, and reboilers, the “Drop-down
Loop Seal” concept to help mitigate hammer in vertical
risers of flashing condensate lines and the 2-bolt com-
bined steam trap strainer-connector. A past chairman of
the FCI, he has been selected to receive its 2024 Life-
time Achievement Award. Risko is currently an Advisory
Board member of both the Texas Industrial Efficiency
Energy Program (TIEEP) and the TEES Industrial Energy
Technology Conference (IETC).

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34 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
Engineering Practice
A Holistic Approach to Asset Risk
Management: Is it All or Nothing?
By combining mechanical integrity and reliability programs into a single framework,
plants can streamline their asset maintenance strategies and mitigate all types of risk
Randy Montgomery alone systems. Also, with the asset- ganization accountable for reliability

A
ABS Group reliability improvement efforts over program activities)
sset maintenance first hit the past 10 to 15 years, there was • Seemingly competing objectives
the headlines during the reluctance to include MI activities and and goals of different organizational
late 1980s when it became systems in the asset reliability pro- groups, specifically between the MI
a target for efficiency im- grams. But the release of ISO 55000 group and reliability group
provements throughout the chemi- Asset Management Standards and • A potential understanding or view-
cal process industries (CPI) globally. the increased implementation of ISO point that regulatory and business-
Initiatives at the time focused on 55000 programs are now creating an performance requirements need to
traditional methods of improvement industry-wide movement toward ho- be managed differently
— reducing the numbers of staff and listic asset-risk management. • A lack of understanding of poten-
trying to work smarter with fewer tial efficiencies and benefits of com-
resources. Despite these cuts, the A broader spectrum bining these two programs
pressure remained for asset manag- MI and reliability programs can help
ers to continue to reduce costs and to address a broad spectrum of asset Defining the scope
increase efficiencies. risks, including operational, environ- The primary objective of both MI and
Has much changed? While much mental and regulatory risks. There are reliability programs is to proactively
has certainly improved, the CPI are also similarities between MI and reli- perform asset maintenance activities
now faced with a new era in man- ability programs in how effective they to reduce the likelihood of asset fail-
aging risk with scope to achieve far are at identifying safety-critical equip- ures, and the overall objectives are
more. The benefits of combining ment and asset criticality, as well as nearly identical. One of the primary
mechanical integrity and reliability feeding into management systems differences, however, is the type and
programs is a major approach for and reliability business practices with risk level addressed by these two
today’s operators of capital-inten- the use of today’s asset data and programs. MI programs focus on
sive, high-risk equipment and infra- data management systems. managing high-consequence events
structure. Those with experience in Typically, an organization’s me- impacting safety and the environment
auditing, assessing and helping im- chanical integrity program focuses on that occur at a lower frequency, while
prove mechanical integrity (MI) and compliance with regulatory require- reliability programs focus on lower-
asset reliability programs have seen ments, while their reliability program consequence events (including eco-
first-hand how organizations tend to efforts focus on equipment reliability nomic events), which often happen at
develop and implement these two and maintenance efficiency. With few a higher frequency.
programs separately. exceptions, most organizations do Some argue that these programs
When the first process safety regu- not combine MI and asset reliability are managing different risks than
lation was promulgated 30 years ago, programs to create a holistic asset those mentioned above, as well as
it was understandable that many MI management program. some equipment failures. This may
programs were developed as stand- There likely have been several be true, but there is likely more com-
motivations for monality than often first realized. For
maintaining and example, the high vibration of a tower
viewing these reflux pump (discovered via a reliabil-
programs sepa- ity vibration-analysis program) may
rately, such as appear to be a reliability issue, but the
the following: unexpected failure of this pump could
• The desire or result in an over-pressurization of the
concern of regu- tower and activation of a safety sys-
lator actions rela- tem, which many would classify as a
tive to combined process-safety near-miss.
FIGURE 1. An asset-management program that addresses a broad spectrum programs (for in- Likewise, there are organizations
of risks — from pipeline leaks to high equipment vibration — can help orga- stance, a regula- that do not consider a leak (loss of
nizations to better quantify their environmental, economic and safety risks tor holding an or- containment) in piping as a reliability

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 35

 issue. In reality, leaking equipment reliability-program management sys- which allows for planning and proac-
often results in downtime or other tems? Looking at Table 1, it can be tive equipment replacement (which
production impacts. Therefore, leak- seen how plants can leverage and is a reliability issue). There are also
ing equipment is unreliable equipment integrate activities from these three common reliability practices related
(Figure 1). programs with a few examples of the to managing the condition of heat-ex-
This concept of an asset-man- common elements from each of these change fluids (such as cooling water)
agement program that addresses a three programs. While the strategic and the periodic cleaning of heat-ex-
broad spectrum of risks is not new and conceptual similarities between change surfaces. These activities can
and is provided in BS ISO 55000 se- reliability and MI programs are inter- reduce thinning and degradation of
ries, Asset Management. One of the esting, the important synergies are re- the shell and tube and lower the prob-
requirements of this ISO standard is lated to the tactical activities that influ- ability of a process safety event, such
to identify key stakeholders and then ence the day-to-day implementation as loss of containment.
identify each group’s risk. An obvi- of these two programs.
ous application of this requirement Asset data
would be to include all safety risks Synergizing examples A key area between MI and reliability
(process and occupational), envi- Considering the example of a process programs is asset data management,
ronmental risks, economic risks and pump in hazardous chemical service, where both programs require compi-
other operational risks. This standard two potential areas of synergy between lation, verification and management
then outlines requirements for asset asset reliability and MI activities include of asset data to be effective. This
management programs that ad- common reliability activities, such as data-management effort involves de-
dress all identified risks. Holistic asset operator walks (visual inspection) and veloping a master asset list and then
management can begin by combin- vibration analysis. Both of these prac- populating this list with relevant asset-
ing MI and reliability programs into a tices are also MI-related activities be- related data.
single framework. cause they help to detect and prevent Master asset lists typically involve
loss-of-containment events. Another the following elements:
Blending programs example is instrumentation and con- 1. Reviewing the piping and instru-
Synergies between the two ap- trol-system reliability practices, such as mentation diagrams (P&IDs) to iden-
proaches relate to managing the periodic sensor calibration and func- tify assets
risks associated with asset degrada- tional checks. When these practices 2. Compiling asset information from
tion and failures. There are also many are applied to safety-critical instru- engineering, maintenance and op-
synergies at the program-design, ments and controls (such as safety in- erational files and records
implementation and execution levels strumented systems), MI requirements 3. Performing field walk-downs to
of these two programs. A key aspect are incorporated. verify the asset list and collecting
of both programs is the implemen- The common MI practices for fixed missing data
tation of management systems (the equipment, such as a shell-and-tube 4. Establishing the master asset list
commonly used term in the process- heat exchanger or pressure vessel, and data in the data-management
safety world) or business processes would include API-type inspections systems
(the commonly used term in the re- and testing, including visual inspec- 5. Organizing and associating the
liability world). Asset management tion and pressure boundary-thick- relevant data (including drawings
systems define the overall asset man- ness non-destructive testing (NDT). and documents from original equip-
agement policies and objectives and Leaks in a heat exchanger or pres- ment manufacturers) in the data-
the systems and processes needed sure vessels during operation can management systems
(who, what and how) to implement result in unplanned downtime (which While the steps for developing the
the asset management policies and is a reliability impact). Also, these API master asset management list for MI
achieve the program objectives. inspections and tests help predict the and reliability purposes are similar,
ISO 55001 addresses the elements end-of-life for these equipment items, each program has slightly different
of an asset management program (the
“what”) and ISO 55002 provides spe- TABLE 1. TYPICAL COMMON ELEMENTS OF ISO 55000, RELIABILITY AND MI PROGRAMS
cifics regarding the “how” of the asset ISO 55000 Reliability program MI program
management program. Most holistic Asset management objectives (ISO 55002 - 6.2.1 [3]) Asset performance; Health, safety and
reliability programs include their man- lifecycle costs; health, environment
agement teams in core elements, safety and environment
such as work management, inventory Asset portfolio Master asset list MI-covered
management, equipment maintenance equipment LL
plans (such as predictive and preventive Asset information (ISO 55002 — Section 7.5 [3]) Asset records Equipment process-
maintenance plans) and implementa- safety information
tion of the computerized maintenance- Asset management plan — Operational and mainte- Reliability strategy Inspection and test
nance plans (ISO 55002 — Section 6.2.2 [3]) plans
management system (CMMS).
So what are the common attri- Corrective actions: both short- and long-term correc- Work management Equipment deficiency
tions (ISO 55002 — Section 9.2.2.1 and 10.2.1 [3]) management
butes between ISO-55000, MI and
36 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
data needs and sources based on schedules. The software system uses Reducing unplanned downtime.
equipment type. equipment condition assessments Implementing both MI and reliability
In addition to the slightly different (for instance, thickness data) to cal- asset management plans and ex-
data needs for MI and reliability pro- culate rates of degradation (such as ecuting the plans as scheduled re-
grams, two data-management sys- corrosion) to assess the expected duces both losses of containment
tems are typically needed to store remaining life of the asset before fail- and functional asset failures
the asset data and manage the pro- ure. Additionally, the IDMS can be Reducing planned downtime. Both
grams. These two systems are the used to calculate the current and fu- MI and reliability asset plans include
CMMS and the inspection data man- ture risk of assets in order to optimize the implementation of activities re-
agement system (IDMS). inspection and test plans, including lated to assessing asset condition,
While these two data-management risk-based inspection (RBI). These such as thickness monitoring (MI-
systems have many similar attributes, inspection and test plans (including related activity) and vibration monitor-
they are used for different purposes the type of activity and due date) are ing (reliability-related activity). Once
and operate differently. The CMMS sent to the CMMS for scheduling and implemented, these types of activities
is a software application that helps execution planning. This transfer of reduce the need for intrusive activities
maintenance organizations manage information is either performed man- (which then require assets to be of-
their maintenance activities in one ually (meaning plans are manually fline), and help to predict capital and
place. The CMMS provides a plat- transferred from one system to an- operational expenses associated with
form to manage the data around site other) or digitally (where information is asset replacement.
maintenance, repair and operations automatically transferred). Program efficiencies. Combining
(MRO), including preventative, predic- When inspection and testing re- programs reduces the level of ef-
tive and reactive maintenance. sults are uploaded to the IDMS, fort needed to develop and maintain
Having accurate and complete recommendations that require cor- program operational activities, such
asset data is crucial to building a rective actions to resolve equipment as asset lists, maintenance work in-
CMMS, not to mention having the deficiencies are sent to the CMMS via structions, asset management plan
ability of the CMMS to communicate work order for execution and track- execution, asset deficiency process
with other software systems within ing, and then ideally the CMMS com- and so on. The use of different work
the organization, including the IDMS. municates back to the IDMS when processes and data systems to op-
The CMMS system also serves as a the action is completed to satisfy erate the MI and reliability programs
repository for implementing, execut- regulatory recording requirements. results in duplicated efforts.
ing and improving maintenance work In terms of intangible benefits, there
processes (work, asset lifecycle, Motivating a change in mindset are also several organizational and cul-
MRO inventory and so on), which Organizations that do combine their tural benefits, as described below.
drive the activities and dictate how MI and reliability programs typically Program confidence. A combined
maintenance is performed. achieve tangible and intangible ben- program provides the key organi-
The IDMS is used to track and man- efits. The tangible benefits relate to ef- zational stakeholders (for example,
age asset condition over time to de- ficiencies in asset cost and programs, plant management, executive man-
termine future inspection and testing described in the following sections. agement) with more confidence that

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 regulatory compliance requirements Tomorrow’s view be a requirement for greater account-
are being met; asset-failure risks are The safety we expect in our every- ability of individuals and organizations
being managed; and holistic asset day lives depends on things work- and transparency on their processes.
conditions are known and being ing — and working properly. From Taking a holistic view of risk and
managed. the offshore rig drilling for oil, the the management of physical assets,
Program view. Creating a “single processes used for refining petro- including selection, maintenance,
source” of the asset integrity and re- leum, to the power stations and inspection and renewal, plays a key
liability provides program executors, plants near our homes, all must be role in determining operational per-
plant management, and executive built, operated and managed with formance, safety and profitability. ■
management with a single view of risk and safety in mind. Society in Edited by Mary Page Bailey
the asset management program. general is becoming less tolerant of
Improved program direction. preventable incidents causing harm Author
Combining the programs can re- or death, or incidents leading to Randy Montgomery is the senior
duce confusion about which system environmental degradation. director of oil, gas and chemical
services at ABS Group (1701 City
needs to be followed and provides Companies need to be able to also Plaza Drive, Spring, TX 77389;
clear, unified expectations for the make high-confidence asset-integrity Website: www.abs-group.com).
asset management program. decisions, enabling them to increase He has more than 30 years of ex-
perience in reliability, mainte-
The bottom line is that combin- the profitability and productivity of nance, integrity management,
ing the MI and reliability programs the asset base while minimizing the process safety, operations and
process engineering, including 13
can reduce the cost of asset main- exposure to the risk of catastrophic years of industrial experience. His responsibilities at ABS
tenance and help reduce the per- events. Failure to do so will allow Group include identifying, developing and delivering
ception that the MI program is only competitors to gain a significant lead technical solutions to help industry clients preserve their
right to operate and improve their return on investment.
a cost. Also, the intangible benefits with regulators, financial markets, He is a co-author of the Center for Chemical Process
allow organizations to move from stakeholders and profitability. In the Safety’s Guidelines for Effective Mechanical Integrity
viewing the MI program as a bur- future when things go wrong, ques- Programs and has coauthored several technical papers
in the field of maintenance and reliability. Montgomery
den to the view that both programs tions will be asked — and in contrast holds a B.S.Ch.E. from the University of Cincinnati.
make business sense. to the past, it is likely that there will

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38 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
Show Preview

T
he 34th edition of Achema, is the recovery of energy, released
World Forum and Trade show during condensation in stage 2. This
for the process industries, energy is then utilized to heat stage
takes place June 10–14 at the 1. Optimal performance is achieved
fairgrounds of Frankfurt am Main, by applying products in a thin film on
Germany (www.achema.de). More the heated wall. This approach not
than 2,700 exhibitors from over 50 only enhances the effectiveness of
countries will be presenting a diverse the drying process, but also makes
range of innovations and products it suitable for various applications, in-
across twelve exhibition groups and cluding the drying of sewage sludge.
a Special Show Hydrogen. With more Hall 4, Stand B24 — Buss-SMS-
than 1,000 speakers, the accompa- Canzler GmbH, Butzbach, Germany
nying congress and stage program www.sms-vt.com
also runs throughout the week.
“Achema once again emphasizes A pump for corrosive and
its role as a central platform and abrasive media
meeting place for all stakeholders This company is showcasing its stan-
in the process industry,” says Björn dardized chemical pump (HPN series;
Mathes, CEO of Dechema Ausstel- photo) according to ISO 2858, which
lungs-GmbH. “With a notable surge is based on its experience with the Buss-SMS-Canzler

in exhibitors and one of the most HPK series. As with the HPK series,
diverse lecture program in recent all media-contacting wear parts in
Achema history, this year’s event the chemical standardized pump are
also offers an unparalleled opportu- coated with a special polyurethane,
nity for young technical and scientific known under the brand name APFlex,
talent,” he says. which offers not only high wear pro-
For those unable to attend the fair, tection, but also improved resistance
Chemical Engineering will again co- to aggressive chemicals. These spe-
produce the Achema Daily, which cial polyurethane blends are in-house
will be updated and published each developments, proving to be resistant
day of the show — both online and to water absorption due to their poly-
delivered at the entrances of the mer structure. The APFlex lining of
halls — bringing you up to date on the pumps is, depending on the size,
the activities at the fair and the prod- suitable for extreme stress in abrasive
ucts being exhibited. A small sample or corrosive areas with scatter grain
of some of these products are pre- up to 10 mm. The chemical standard-
sented here. ized pump is resistant to processing
oils and has a temperature resistance Habermann Aurum Pumpen
Two-stage drying process nearly of up to 95°C. The delivery rate is be-
halves energy consumption tween 15 and 400 m3/h. Hall 8, Stand
With its two-stage drying process F52 — Habermann Aurum Pumpen
(photo), this company has trans- GmbH, Bochum, Germany
formed traditional drying methods, www.habermann-aurum-pumpen.de
leading to a significant reduction of
45% in heating energy consumption. Intrinsically safe devices for the
This groundbreaking technology has chemical process industries
revolutionized waste management This company is exhibiting its explo-
practices, making them more sustain- sion-proof mobile devices and solu-
able and efficient, the company says. tions, such as the new 10.1- in. Win-
The process capitalizes on the prin- dows and Android tablet IS940.1/
ciple of multiple-effect evaporation IS945.1, the 5G radio IS440.1, the i.safe Mobile

commonly used in evaporation tech- RealWear Navigator Z1, the 5G

nology. By operating under vacuum smartphone IS540.x, the industrial
conditions in stage 1 and atmospheric smartwatch IS-SW1.1 and the In-
conditions in stage 2, this process spection System Valve Sense IS-
enables a lower evaporation temper- VS1A.1 (photo). The new IS940.1/
ature in stage 1, resulting in consider- IS945.1 tablet has been designed
able energy savings. One of the key for data communication in the pro-
advantages of this innovative design cess industry and in automation to

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 39

 integrate seamlessly into the exist- and liquid components are intro-
ing system landscape with 4G/5G duced in controlled quantities via
campus or Wi-Fi network. The tablet solids dosing units or a liquid pump,
is equipped with an IIoT-optimized and combined in a premixing zone
chipset, including a 16-pin ISM inter- with an oblique blade agitator. Fine
face, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC dispersion then takes place using
support, and has a replaceable, long- a rotor-stator system, whereby the
lasting battery, freely programmable stator can be designed with differ-
buttons and main and front cameras. ent slot widths depending on the
The new RealWear Navigator Z1 is an application. An inducer installed be-
intrinsically safe head-mounted wear- tween the premixing zone and the
able with intuitive voice control for rotor-stator zone effectuates a pres-
completely hands-free operation dur- sure increase. This change in pres-
ing remote training and support, field sure causes the air brought in with
service management tasks and site the powder to be separated, result-
inspections, even in noisy environ- ing in a lower residual air content in
ments of up to 100 dBA. Hall 11.1, the product, the company says. For
Linde Material Handling
Stand B26 — i.safe Mobile GmbH, the market launch at Achema, the
Lauda-Koenigshofen, Germany Coflow is available in the size Co-
www.isafe-mobile.com flow-4 for production with a total
capacity of 6,000–13,500 kg/h. The
Electric pallet trucks size Coflow-3 is currently under de-
for use in ATEX zones velopment and, with a total capacity
The introduction of the T16 EX to T20 of 2,000–8,000 kg/h, is suitable for
EX series (photo) marks the debut small-scale production and for use
of new compact pedestrian pallet in pilot plants and technical training
trucks on the market. Featuring a centers. Hall 6.0, Stand B49 — ystral
robust chassis and reinforced forks, gmbh maschinenbau + processtech-
they are designed for loads of up to 2 nik, Ballrechten-Dottingen, Germany
tons. The models are available in the www.ystral.de
2G/2D and 3G/3D equipment cate-
gories for ATEX zones 1/21 and 2/22. Three decades of
The narrow design, tight turning ra- FTIR spectroscopy development
dius and intuitive steering and con- First manufactured 30 years ago
trols make the trucks quick and easy in Frankfurt, this multi-component
to maneuver in confined spaces. Ex- emission monitoring system using
ystral gmbh maschinenbau +processtechnik plosion-protection measures include Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR)
ignition protection against electrical spectroscopy system is now in its
and mechanical sparks, continuous fourth generation. The gas ana-
temperature monitoring of relevant lyzer simultaneously measures up
components and precautions to pre- to 15 components in exhaust gases
vent electrostatic charging. Another from industrial chimneys in chemical
new product available for explosion- plants, waste incinerators, cement
protected counterbalanced trucks is kilns and more. The ACF5000 (photo)
the artificial intelligence (AI)-based is designed to expand the system’s
Reverse Assist Camera system. It functions, adjusting to users’ chang-
identifies people to the rear of the ing needs. When new components
truck and alerts drivers of poten- become mandatory to measure or
tial collisions. Hall 4.1, Stand G13 emission limits change, the ACF5000
— Linde Material Handling GmbH, can be adjusted by a mere software
Aschaffenburg, Germany upgrade. The high-resolution FTIR
www.linde-mh.de spectrometer provides selective mea-
surement of IR-active gas molecules
Wet and disperse powders with with high sensitivity and stability. The
this new machine FTIR measurement principle ensures
The Coflow continuously operat- that the spectrometer is free from drift
ing powder wetting and dispersing and does not require frequent adjust-
machine (photo) is designed for a ments. Hall 11.1, Stand E62 — ABB
wide range of applications in vari- AG, Mannheim, Germany
ABB ous industries. In the Coflow, solids www.abb.com
40 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
 Ekato Rühr-und Mischtechnik
A magnetic drive for large-
scale bioreactors and more
This company has developed a
new type of magnetic drive (photo),
which it has applied in bioreactors
with volumes up to 20,000 L. The
comparative advantage of this drive
over traditional magnetic drives is
Bioreactors.net

ing impellers increase the utilization

of pure gases during gas-liquid or
gas-liquid-solid multiphase-type
reactions. Due to the internal gas
recirculation, an external loop is not
required, resulting in lower invest-
ment costs and increased safety
in case of hazardous gases. The
inner geometry of the Orion is flow
optimized to reduce pressure loss
its relatively easy scalability of con- of the recirculated gas and thus,
struction, convenient installation increasing the amount of recycled
and maintenance. Its potential ap- gas. Hall 6.0 Stand C19 — Ekato
plication is not only limited to bio- Rühr- und Mischtechnik GmbH,
reactors but also extends to mix- Schopfheim, Germany
ing in other sterile processes. The www.ekato.com
principle of the drive is based on
magnetic rotors mounted in mixers Enhanced multifunctional
rotating around a stationary tube. mass flowmeters/controllers
Inside the tube are magnetic rotors Building upon the success of its
with driving magnets, while on the Flexi-Flow Compact series (photo,
outside of the tube, in the mixer, p. 42), this company presents an
are mounted driven magnets. The extensive line extension, offering
rotational coupling of the mixer unparalleled versatility and preci-
around the stationary tube is en- sion in gas flow measurement and
sured with the help of SiC and ZrO2 control. The latest iteration of the
bushings. Hall 12.0, Stand A4 — Flexi-Flow Compact series intro-
Bioreactors.net Ltd., Riga, Latvia duces a range of innovative models
www.bioreactors.net and features, including instruments
tailored for lower flow ranges start-
A high-capacity gas turbine for ing at 0–5 mL/min. Additionally, the
gas-mixing applications series now includes down-ported
The Orion (photo) is a self-inducing instruments for applications where
impeller for internal gas recircula- top-mount installation is required,
tion from the head space back and flow controllers equipped
into the liquid. The gas turbine is with integrated shut-off valves to
designed to maximize the produc- provide a higher degree of leak
tivity of high-capacity gas/liquid re- tightness or enable emergency
actors. Low lifecycle costs and an shut-off. One of the key enhance-
excellent return on investment are ments is the incorporation of Eth-
just two of the benefits. Gas-induc- erNet communication, providing
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-18

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 41

 seamless connectivity and integration support for hydrogen piping and pipe-
capabilities for modern industrial envi- lines with the inclusion of code ASME
ronments. The advanced sensor tech- B31.12. Amid rapid growth in hydro-
nology ensures not only stable flow gen production worldwide, this inclu-
control, but also rapid response times, sion aims to ensure that engineers can
with settling times smaller than 150 take on hydrogen projects with confi-
ms, facilitating precise control even dence. Other enhancements include:
in dynamic process conditions. Hall the possibility to manage wind and
11.1, Stand F3 — Bronkhorst High- seismic conditions with ease using
Tech B.V., Ruurlo, the Netherlands ASCE 7-2022 and IBC-2021 editions;
www.bronkhorst.com the update of popular European code
EN 13480-3:2017/A5:2022 — Me-
Bronkhorst High-Tech
A 3D-printed containment shroud tallic industrial piping — Part 3: De-
for mag-drive pumps sign and calculation; and more. Hall
One of the technical highlights of this 11.0, Stand D59 — Hexagon (Inter-
company is the new 3D-printed con- graph PP&M Deutschland GmbH),
tainment shroud for magnetic-drive Garching near Munich, Germany
(mag-drive) pumps of the Magno- www.hexagon.com
chem type series. Named Magno-
Protect (photo), the component offers This software shortens
the same safety as a double-walled batch changeover times
containment shroud — without the Deep learning technology dramati-
latter’s disadvantages of heating up cally helps shorten batch changeover
strongly and having high eddy-current times, while also mitigating some of
losses. While providing comparable the inherent weaknesses of current
safety, the overall efficiencies of the line-clearance procedures. Checking
new mag-drive designs exceed those production lines for rogue compo-
of canned motor pumps. Designed nents and documenting the process
with a structure of channels, the new often takes over an hour. And despite
containment shroud offers a second, detailed standard operating proce-
redundant, static safety barrier pre- dures (SOPs) and checklists, there
KSB
venting leakage of the fluid handled. is always a risk of human errors. A
A pressure transmitter monitors the new solution for camera-assisted line
vacuum generated, which is present clearance offers pharmaceutical man-
during normal operation in the chan- ufacturers a helping hand by reduc-
nels of the containment shroud. If the ing the time spent on manual inspec-
monitored pressure rises to atmo- tion and documentation. The solution
spheric pressure, the outer contain- for assisted line clearance builds on
ment shell is leaking. If the pressure this company’s fully validated GAMP
rises above the ambient pressure, the Cat. 4 vision software (photo). Using
inner containment shell is damaged. deep-learning models for object and
Hall 8.0, Stand H14 — KSB SE & Co. anomaly detection, it takes operators
KGaA, Frankenthal, Germany through a simple three-step process,
www.ksb.com while logging every action taken along
the way. Hall 3.1, Stand E97a — CIM
Software enhances piping Industrial Systems A/S, Viby, Denmark
Hexagon (intergraph PP&M Deutschland) analysis and hydrogen-readiness www.cim.as
CAESAR II Version 14 (photo) is the
latest iteration of this company’s pipe Smart control valve for minimal
flexibility and stress analysis soft- flowrates and high pressures
ware. CAESAR II enables quick and Low-flow valves or needle valves are
accurate analysis of piping systems always used wherever minimal flow-
subjected to a wide range of loads, rates or high pressures have to be
considering weight, pressure, thermal, controlled with particular precision or
seismic and other static and dynamic securely shut off. With the type 7042
conditions. It can perform analysis for (photo, p. 43), this company has
all types of piping stress calculations in now developed a low-flow valve that
several environments, such as buried, not only offers minimal Kv values of
on ground and submerged in water. A 0.0027 to 1.7 and a nominal pressure
CIM Industrial Systems key addition of this new release is the of PN320, but also impresses with
42 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
 Schubert & Salzer Control Systems
state-of-the-art Ammonia sampler improves sampling safety
field integration. and accuracy
The 7042 shows Anhydrous ammonia is used in the production of fertil-
its full potential to- izers, plastics, textiles, petroleum and more. To avoid
gether with the op- ammonia-stress-corrosion cracking in storage tanks
tionally integrated and product quality concerns, the product must be
positioner type regularly sampled to verify a water content of 0.2 to
8049. In addition to 0.5%. This company’s ammonia sampler (photo) has
an explosion-pro- been specifically designed to address the issues inher-
tected and FM ver-
Swagelok Company
sion, it can also be
equipped with an
IO-Link connection
or industrial inter-
net of things (IIoT)
module. With IO-
link, a single cable
with an M12 plug
bundles the positioning signal, position feedback, data
transmission and even the power supply. The continuous
monitoring of the status data allows even the slightest
irregularities in the control behavior to be detected. Hall
11.1, Stand E45 — Schubert & Salzer Control Systems
GmbH, Ingolstadt, Germany
controlsystems.schubert-salzer.com ent to manual sampling by utilizing closed-sample fix-
tures that improve safety by limiting operator exposure
A system for and minimizing environmental impact from excess
automated laboratory reactors
The LabVision system (photo) combines the flexible Lab-
Vision software for centralized data acquisition, automa-
tion and complete documentation of experiments with Call the Experts
for all your solids processing
HiTec Zang

Solids Mixing Applications:

Ribbon & Cone Blenders APIs ∙ Ag-Chemicals
Fluidizing Mixers
Biologics ∙ Catalysts
Sigma Blade Mixers
(also for high-viscosity mixing) Ceramics ∙ Chemicals

Size Reduction
Food Ingredients

Herbicides ∙ Minerals
Wet & Dry Size Reduction
Steel & Ceramic Lined Mills Nutraceuticals ∙ Pesticides
Jars & Jar Rolling Mills Pharmaceuticals ∙ Pigments

Vacuum Drying Polymers ∙ Powdered Metals

Dryers & Complete Systems Proteins ∙ Resins ∙ Vitamins

the LabBox and LabManager interface devices, to which

existing laboratory equipment can be connected. This
groundbreaking development represents a significant
advance in chemical synthesis and process optimization
and is specifically designed to revolutionize research and
development departments worldwide. The compact and
user-friendly system is designed to maximize laboratory Quality &
efficiency and improve the reproducibility of experiments, Innovation Since 1911
enabling researchers to perform complex chemical reac-
tions with the highest precision and speed. Hall 12.0,
Stand D115 — HiTec Zang GmbH, Aachen, Germany www.pauloabbe.com 855-789-9827 sales@pauloabbe.com
www.hitec-zang.de
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-19

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 43

 emissions. It also employs residue laboratory markets. Designed for the
tubes that are pre-chilled using the company’s highly popular OLCT 100
cold ammonia itself, thus prevent- XPIR fixed gas detector, the IR sen-
ing aggressive boiling that threat- sor ensures measurement stability
ens fill accuracy. The system also and is impervious to catalytic poi-
has features that help to control the sons. Moreover, the device offers a
dispensing of the ammonia sample long lifespan, even with the presence
and ensure a consistent sample size. of background gas, to deliver 100%
Other features include a single han- lower-explosive-limit (LEL) methane
dle for easier operation and reduced detection. The IR methane sensors
operator error and a touchscreen deploy two IR wavelengths: one
interface to control all heater opera- active wavelength for gas absorp-
tions. Hall 8, Stand C77 — Swagelok tion and one providing a reference
Ahlborn Mess- und Regelungstechnik
Company, Solon, Ohio wavelength to compensate for the
www.swagelok.com impact of temperature and humid-
ity. Because IR sensors do not re-
Intelligent connectors are quire O2 to operate, these sensors
changing sensor technology are also suitable for use in 0–100
More powerful microprocessors vol.% methane-gas environments.
have made it possible to create The ATEX-approved OLCT 100 XPIR
completely self-sufficient digital sen- comes with 4–20-mA output. Hall
sors that function like a measuring 11.1, Stand E55 — Teledyne Gas &
device themselves. The intelligence Flame Detection, Arras, France
of the digital sensors is located in teledynegasanflamedetection.com
the connector plug. In addition to
the additional flexibility of a digital This heating system is designed
sensor, individual sensor param- for unrestricted flow
eters, such as linearization, scaling, This company offers on-demand
attenuation, averaging, measuring steam-injection fluid-heating, cook-
Teledyne Gas & Flame Detection
rate or longer comments can also ing and processing systems. These
be stored in the intelligent Almemo heating systems are said to be the
D7 and D6 connectors (photo) for most reliable, durable solution for
clear assignment of the sensors to heating water and slurries with in-
the measuring stations. The digitiza- stant and precise temperature con-
tion of sensors — even those from trol. The company’s newest innova-
other vendors — makes it possible tion is the Non-Obstructing Heater
to consider the measuring device (NOH; photo). The NOH’s straight-
and sensor separately during a tube design allows for unrestricted
traceable initial calibration or reca- flow, prevents pressure drop and
libration. The device itself no longer heats slurries without plugging or
needs to be taken into account dur- fouling. In addition, the NOH’s rug-
ing calibration. Each digital sensor ged design and construction ma-
with an D7 or D6 connector forms terials enable it to handle viscous
a self-contained, calibratable mea- slurries, particulate-matter-filled
suring chain. This means that the products, abrasive and corrosive
sensors can be calibrated indepen- substances and stringy products, as
dently of the measuring system. Hall well as enables inline water heating
Hydro Thermal Europe 11.1, Stand B64 — Ahlborn Mess- abilities. Compared to other heating
und Regelungstechnik GmbH, Holz- systems, the NOH utilizes a smaller
kirchen, Germany footprint, with direct installation into
www.ahlborn.com the existing system piping, and does
not require special tools for mainte-
Dedicated IR sensor for reliable nance. Sizes range from 2 to 12 in.
methane detection (DN50–DN300), with volume capa-
The OLCT 100 XPIR (explosion- bilities reach 6,900 gal/min (up to
proof IR) fixed-gas detector (photo) 1,567.2 m3/h). Hall 6.1, Stand A100
is a new infrared (IR) sensor that — Hydro Thermal Europe Corp.,
brings the advantages of stable and Lyon, France
reliable methane-detection measure- www.hydro-thermal.com n
ments to the industrial, utility and Gerald Ondrey
44 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
Show Preview

F
rom water to waste manage- outstanding reliability and longevity,
ment, IFAT 2024 Munich (May which is important in the harsh envi-
13–17) offers visitors insights ronment of the water and wastewater
and innovative solutions on sector. The TYR’s constant air flow of
a wide range of topics in the field of the blower ensures steady pressure,
environmental technologies. From re- which is essential for the aeration of
cycling methods and digitization strat- clarifying tanks. With integrated inlet
egies to material-flow management, and outlet silencers that reduce noise
the focus is on opportunities and levels, the TYR WT ensures quiet op-
challenges for industries, municipali- eration. Maintenance is limited to belt
ties and public authorities. In addition tension inspection, filter and transmis-
to the more than 3,300 exhibitors in sion oil replacement. Also exhibited
18 halls, the program at IFAT is both are the MINK MM claw compressors,
highly varied and highly specialized. which are designed for a wide range of
The Green Stage is the central point industrial applications with overpres-
for exhibitors, start-ups and cross-in- sure of up to 2.0 bar(g), making them
dustry topics. The Blue Stage focuses suitable for aeration, filtering out sand
on water, sustainable and climate- in the sand trap and biogas circula-
adapted water management, water tion in wastewater treatment. Thanks
reuse and energy-efficient wastewater to dry and contact-free compression,
treatment plants. The Orange Stage no oil is required in the compression
highlights circular economy and re- chamber, which reduces maintenance
source efficiency, material-flow man- intervals and thus operating costs.
agement, as well as municipal tech- The Aqua version of the MINK MM
nology and waste management. The has a special coating that prevents
Spotlight Areas focus on one topic: corrosion. This is particularly useful in
Berthold Technologies
plastics and battery recycling, hydro- humid environments. There are also
gen in the circular economy or the other versions that are ATEX certified
digitalization of water management. and can therefore be used safely in
The following is a small selection of potentially explosive areas. Hall B2,
some of the products being exhibited Stand 127/226 — Busch Vacuum
at IFAT Munich. Solutions, Maulburg, Germany
www.buschvacuum.com
Total solids measurement
on primary sludge Plastics recycling made easier
The MicroPolar LB 566 measuring with this pellet mill
system (photo) determines the total In addition to the production of substi-
solids content of sludge, which facili- tute fuels and wood pellets, the flat die
tates the calculation and optimizes the pellet mill Type 45-1000 (photo) also
use of polymers and flocculants. Dur- processes large-volume plastic waste
ing further thickening of the sludge, into compact, dosable pellets, which
flocculants are added to the process, can then be fed into a chemical recy- Busch Vacuum Solutions
which leads to optimized dewatering cling process. By recycling plastics in
grades. The LB 566 is a microwave line with the circular economy, compa-
transmitter that measures reliably the nies not only conserve fossil resources
dry matter content and offers excel- but also reduce CO2 emissions. Used
lent accuracy. Representative mea- textiles can also be prepared for re-
surement results are achieved due to cycling by means of pelletization, and
the fact that the entire material flow in used tires by means of granulation.
the pipeline is detected, even for large The company’s plants also meet the in-
pipeline diameters. Hall C1, Stand creasing demand for pelleted sewage
511 — Berthold Technologies GmbH sludge. In the form of sewage sludge
& Co. KG, Bad Wildbad, Germany pellets, this organic waste product can
www.berthold.com be transported dust-free, safely and
cost-effectively to where it is needed.
Blowers and compressors for Sewage sludge pellets are mainly
water-treatment applications used for thermal recovery. Another
The robust construction of TYR WT focus of interest is shifting to sewage
Amandus Kahl
rotary lobe blowers (photo) offers sludge and sewage sludge ash, par-

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 45

 ticularly for the recovery of phosphorus A smart actuator now available
for use in fertilizer production. Hall B4, as an explosion-proof version
Stand 317 — Amandus Kahl GmbH & This company is highlighting its small,
Co. KG, Reinbek, Germany smart, ProFox actuator series (photo),
www.akahl.com which recently has been expanded with
a new explosion-proof version — a per-
New membrane modules for fect fit for those areas in water-treatment
wastewater treatment plants where methane can build up, for
The new Mytex H5L membrane biore- example. Sustainable and easy to inte-
actor (MBR) module series has a wide grate, these versatile actuators are key
range of membrane surface areas enablers for digital transformation in
(from 20 to 1,300 m²), thus providing modern process automation. ProFox
access to 80,000 different immersed actuators offer high-precision automa-
membrane modules. Like all products tion solutions for all valve types in the
in the Mytex series, the new Mytex lower torque and thrust ranges. They are
H5L modules (photo) are character- optimized for low energy consumption
ized by the highest flexibility in terms of and high efficiency, thus minimizing their
WTA Unisol
size and operation. They are particu- carbon footprint. The actuators’ support
larly suitable for plants with an inflow of for fieldbus and Industrial Ethernet com-
more than 1,000 m³/d. The modules munication makes host-system integra-
have been produced free of per- and tion flexible and easy. Embedded data
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to logging enables advanced diagnostics
ensure that no harmful substances and predictive maintenance. Hall C2,
are additionally introduced into the Stand 141/240 — AUMA Riester GmbH
water. The highly advanced mem- & Co. KG, Müllheim, Germany
brane sheets of Mytex are used in a www.auma.com
variety of applications, from the food-
and-beverage industry to water treat- Equipment for the efficient
ment and wastewater recycling. Hall recycling of PET
A2, Stand 140 — WTA Unisol GmbH, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a
Gotha, Germany commonly used plastic, particularly
Endress+Hauser (Deutschland) www.wta-unisol.com in the production of beverage bottles.
However, the improper disposal of PET
Measure many parameters with bottles leads to environmental pollution
this compact spectrometer and the waste of valuable resources.
The Memosens Wave CAS80E spec- This company’s equipment addresses
trometer (photo) offers reliable real- this challenge by enabling the efficient
time measurements of relevant ana- recycling of PET. Through advanced
lytical parameters, such as chemical technologies and processes for the
and biological oxygen demand (COD, thermal separation of substances
BOD), turbidity, nitrate and spectral that are difficult to handle, the equip-
absorption coefficient (SAC) in one ment effectively transforms PET waste
single device. The compact CAS80E into high-quality recycled PET (rPET).
is easy to install and maintain and en- These rPET materials can then be used
AUMA Riester sures reliable, interference-free com- in the production of new PET products,
munication thanks to Memosens digi- reducing the need for virgin plastic
tal technology. The device is suitable and minimizing the environmental im-
for measuring a wide range of analyti- pact. The company’s technology also
cal parameters in: drinking water, sur- enables the production of bioplastics,
face water, wastewater and utilities. such as polylactic acid (PLA) and poly-
By operating directly in the process, ethylene furan-2,5-dicarboxylate (PEF).
the spectrometer ensures uninter- Hall A2, Stand 120 — Buss-SMS-
rupted measurements in real time. Canzler GmbH, Butzbach, Germany
The spectrometer is quickly adapted www.sms-vt.com
to the specific application through
pre-installed analysis models. Hall C1, New high-efficiency mixers
Stand 451/550 — Endress+Hauser for sludge handling
(Deutschland) GmbH & Co. KG, Weil The AmaProp mixers (photo, p. 47)
am Rhein, Germany are used for applications in handling
Buss-SMS-Canzler www.endress.com sludge and biological wastewater treat-
46 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
ment. The electric drives are either IE5 nology is leaner and extendable,
Ultra Premium Efficiency synchronous ensuring higher packing density and
reluctance motors or IE3 Premium Ef- increased efficiency. The new mem-
ficiency asynchronous motors with rat- brane line, Bio-Cel+ Series includes
ings from 0.85 to 20.0 kW. Unlike con- Bio-Cel Easy+, M+100, M+200,
ventional synchronous motors, the IE5 L+480, L+960H, L+960V, and
synchronous reluctance motors are L+1920H (photo). The UV400 PVDF
made without any magnetic materials. ultrafiltration membrane (photo) with
The shaft sealing is performed by two narrow pore-size distribution, offers
bi-directional mechanical seals in tan- up to 20% higher average flux and
dem arrangement with a liquid reser- 40% higher peak flux than the previ-
voir. The latter is filled with ecologically ous generation, is specifically devel-
acceptable white oil. An oil sensor fit- oped for MBR application to deliver
ted at the mating ring of the mechani- high clean-water permeability, excel-
cal seal triggers an alarm if any dam- lent mechanical stability, high dura-
KSB
age occurs to the mechanical seals. bility, high chemical resistance and
As standard, the motors are equipped excellent effluent quality for reuse.
with maintenance-free bearings and The UV400 membrane brings ad-
temperature sensors to protect the vanced features and performance
winding against overheating. They are enhancements within the new Bio-
also fitted with leakage sensors. Users Cel L+ Series. Hall A2, Stand 227 —
can order additional sensor packages Mann+Hummel Water & Fluid Solu-
to monitor the bearing temperature tions S.p.A., Fano (PU), Italy
or vibrations, for example. The glass- www.mann-hummel.com
fiber-reinforced two- or three-blade ep-
oxy-resin propellers are as lightweight This multiple-gas detector
as they are break-proof, with diameters transfers data via Bluetooth
ranging from 800 to 2,600 mm. Hall The portable X-am 5800 multi-gas
B1, Stand 227/326 — KSB SE & Co. detector (photo) simultaneously mea-
Bang&Clean Technologies
KGaA, Frankenthal, Germany sures up to six gases, depending on
www.ksb.com the sensors installed. The newly de-
veloped Catalytic Ex-Sensor (CatEx
Maintain boiler efficiency with SR) is robust and can be used for
this cleaning technology measuring flammable vapors, such
When installed on a boiler, the sta- as gasoline, diesel and nonane, and
tionary, automated CloudEx system the gases methane, propane and hy-
ensures a safe, deep-cleaning effect, drogen. It has an automatic full-range
and thus a consistently high level of ef- option available for methane, allow-
ficiency. The CloudEx pressure-wave ing for gas measurements of up to
cleaning system (photo) is said to 100 vol.%. Furthermore, the sensor is
revolutionize the cleaning of boilers in particularly resistant to contamination
thermal plants and sets new standards from silicone or other harmful sub-
in terms of efficiency, maintenance stances. The X-am 5800 can be used
simplicity and reduced risks. CloudEx with the company’s cloud-based soft-
technology enables automated boiler ware solution, which digitalizes asset
cleaning using gas explosions, effec- management and facilitates live data Mann+Hummel Water & Fluid Solutions

tively cleaning fouled heat-exchange transmission. Here, the gas detector

surfaces. By using gas explosions at transfers the data via Bluetooth to a
low operating pressures, wear-inten- smartphone, which then sends it to
sive components are avoided, extend- the cloud. With the automatic test sta-
ing the plant’s lifespan and reducing op- tion, Dräger X-dock, data can also be
erating costs. Hall A4, Stand 415/514 transferred to the same cloud back-
— Bang&Clean Technologies AG, end without a smartphone. The X-am
Othmarsingen, Switzerland 5800 is approved for Ex zone 0 and
www.bang-clean.com has been tested in accordance with
ingress protection class IP 68. Hall
Latest generation of membranes C1, Stand 217 — Dräger Safety AG &
for biotreatment plants Co. KGaA, Lübeck, Germany
The newest range of this company’s www.draeger.com n
membrane bioreactor (MBR) tech- Gerald Ondrey Dräger Safety

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 47

 Show Preview

T
he 8th annual Connected Plant Advanced asset-performance and
Conference (May 20–22; www. condition-monitoring software
connectedplantconference. This company recently released
com) is taking place at Lake EtaPRO 11, the latest version of its
Conroe, Tex., near Houston. Hosted asset-performance and condition-
by POWER and Chemical Engineering monitoring software suite. EtaPRO
magazines, the event will bring together 11 uses IoT and AI technologies, in-
experts from across the chemical pro- cluding predictive-failure diagnosis,
cess and power generation industries digital-twin technology and perfor-
to share practical knowledge and foster mance monitoring, to optimize per-
best practices in digital transformation. formance and support digital trans-
The event includes a comprehensive formation objectives. EtaPRO allows
technical program, as well as an Im- operators to fix issues before they
mersive Data Arena, where users can become equipment failures, reducing
take a hands-on approach with the lat- downtime and improving plant avail-
est technologies. New content tracks ability. The software analyzes real-
for 2024 include in-depth discussions time plant operational data obtained
on artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecu- from various sources and sensors,
Access Intelligence rity and the digital twins that form the and detects signs of anomalies that
foundation for many internet of things may cause problems during normal
(IoT) technologies. This Show Preview operation. Booth 307 — EtaPRO
highlights a small number of the many LLC, a Toshiba Group company,
advanced digital technologies that Amherst, N.Y.
will be showcased at the Connected www.etapro.com
Plant Conference.
Flexible control and visibility
Streamlined control consoles enhance this OT security platform
improve worker focus and safety The MetaDefender OT Security solu-
This company designs state-of-the- tion has been enhanced to provide or-
art control-center consoles (photo) ganizations with enhanced visibility and
Access Intelligence that put operator ergonomics at the control over their operational technol-
forefront to optimize operational work- ogy (OT) environments. Industrial and
flow, in both standard and high-stress OT teams require complete asset vis-
operational conditions. Extended ibility without disrupting OT networks
shifts often lead to operator fatigue, and devices. MetaDefender OT Secu-
impacting performance and safety. rity addresses these challenges by of-
These ergonomically optimized con- fering a cybersecurity solution tailored
soles are designed to alleviate fatigue to analyze OT networks, assets and
through features like height-adjustable protocols, as well as manage risks to
worksurfaces and articulating moni- OT assets through anomaly detection,
tor arms, ensuring comfort and sup- prevent insider threats, meet com-
port during long hours of operation. pliance requirements and maintain
Access Intelligence The consoles integrate multiple moni- proper network architecture and seg-
tors, pushbutton controls and more, mentation. With an improved Manage-
providing operators with seamless ment Console, organizations can now
access to data. In emergency situa- seamlessly oversee multiple sites and
tions, the consoles are designed with distributed networks from a centralized
strategic equipment positioning and dashboard and leverage multi-network
ergonomic layouts, facilitating quick support, remote patch management,
responses and critical thinking dur- role-based access management and
ing high-pressure situations. Also, the active and passive monitoring. Impor-
consoles are designed with a modu- tantly, the integration with the com-
lar frame structure that can accom- pany’s Industrial Firewall and IPS al-
modate additional console sections lows organizations to move beyond
and new equipment, ensuring com- traditional visibility tools to control the
patibility with future upgrades. Booth flow of communications. Booth 401 —
204 — Tresco Consoles, Calgary, OPSWAT, Inc. Tampa, Fla.
Alta., Canada www.opswat.com ■
Tresco Consoles
www.trescoconsoles.com Mary Page Bailey
48 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-28
 CHEMICAL CHEMICAL
1 ENGINEERING
ESSENTIALS FOR CPI PROFESSIONALS
ENGINEERIN
ESSENTIALS FOR CPI PROFESSIO

Gulf Coast special advertising section

2
CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
ESSENTIALS FOR CPI PROFESSIONALS

CHEMICAL
3 ENGINEERING
ESSENTIALS FOR CPI PROFESSIONALS

CHEMICAL
4
Inside: ENGINEERING
ESSENTIALS FOR CPI PROFESSIONALS

Andritz...................................................50
Endress + Hauser...................................53
GEA.......................................................52
5 CHEMICAL
HRST......................................................55
ENGINEERING
Hydro-Thermal........................................51
ESSENTIALS FOR CPI PROFESSIONALS

MathWorks............................................51
Ross Mixers............................................52
Sulzer....................................................54
VEGA.....................................................53
Zeeco.....................................................54

EFFICIENT SEPARATION FOR SAFE

AND PUREST PETROCHEMICALS
I n the production of petrochemicals and
polymers, there is no room for compro-
mise on safety, product purity or non-stop
tion from the extensive ANDRITZ portfolio,
including vacuum and pressurized drum
filters, filter and belt presses, decanter
performance. This is why international centrifuges, filtering centrifuges (pusher,
technology group ANDRITZ constantly ex- peeler), and multiple drying/cooling sys-
pands their product portfolio and develops tems. One standout feature is ANDRITZ’s
new solutions together with custom- ability to offer mechanical separation and
ers – while improving existing machines drying as one package. For a tailored ap-
and processes. ANDRITZ does this by ap- proach, the ANDRITZ separation special-
plying their comprehensive expertise in ists can further refine the chosen solution
dewatering, drying, service, and automa- onsite or in their own state-of-the-art test Fluid bed dryer/cooler for PVC
tion, as well as their ability to tailor the in- centers. This makes them capable of rec-
dustry’s most reliable technology brands ommending and optimize the right solu-
to specific needs. As a longtime provider tion for each process step – from solvent their investment. The separation experts
of separation solutions for ABS, BPA, recovery to solidification, cooling, and also maintain close collaboration with
HDPE, MELAMINE, PET, PVC, and more – more. All while reducing costs, improv- customers in the field to continuously op-
and with over 1,000 machines installed ing efficiency, and ensuring continuous timize moisture content, particle size, and
– ANDRITZ has both the knowledge and performance. mechanical reliability. For automation and
equipment to ensure reliable performance process control, the Metris addIQ control
for any type of application. SUPERIOR SERVICE AND AUTOMATION system combines all of ANDRITZ’s exten-
SEAL THE DEAL sive operation, troubleshooting, and start-
A BROAD PORTFOLIO THAT SOLVES Thanks to the global network of ser- up experience in one tailored solution, to
SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS vice specialists for solid/liquid separation profit from the opportunities that come
Major chemical producers as well as equipment and service centers across the with digitalization: Minimizing risks while
local refineries, contractors, and plastics globe, ANDRITZ is on hand to ensure cus- maximizing efficiency and profit.
processors have chosen their optimal solu- tomers always get the maximum value for www.andritz.com/separation

50 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024

Gulf Coast 2024 Special Advertising Section

The perfect temperature — every time

H ydro-Thermal is the global leader in on-
demand steam injection fluid heating,
cooking, and processing systems. These heat-
ing systems are the most reliable, durable
solution for heating water and slurries with in-
stant and precise temperature control.
Hydro-Thermal’s newest innovation is
called the NOH, or the Non-Obstructing
Heater. The NOH’s straight-tube design allows
for unrestricted flow, prevents pressure drop,
and heats slurries without plugging or fouling.
In addition, the NOH’s rugged design and con-
struction materials enable it to handle viscous
slurries, particulate-filled products, abrasive/
corrosive substances, stringy products, and
inline water heating abilities – all are possibil-
ities with the NOH. Compared to other heating
systems, the NOH utilizes a smaller footprint,
with direct installation into the existing sys-
tem piping— and does not require special
tools for maintenance.
Compact & Powerful: Ranging from 2” to
12” [DN50-DN300] sizes, volume capabilities
reach all the way to 6,900 GPM [up to 1,567.2
m3/hr].
www.hydro-thermal.com

Make Refineries Safer with Predictive Maintenance

Programs
P redictive maintenance in the oil and gas industry is not just
a strategy for enhancing operational efficiency; it is a critical
component for ensuring safety, preventing environmental harm,
and safeguarding lives. A recent U.S. Chemical Safety Board re-
port highlights the gravity of potential incidents, with 16 complet-
ed investigations on fire and explosion incidents and one reactive
incident in oil refining from 2001 to March 2024. While seemingly
rare, such incidents underscore the catastrophic consequences
of equipment failure, including mechanical and electrical failures,
internal erosion of piping lines, or leaks from vessels.
In this context, predictive maintenance (PdM) emerges as a or safe. Engineers also use Simulink® and Simscape™ to build
vital tool. By leveraging condition monitoring, PdM allows engi- physics-based models and run them in parallel to prototype mul-
neers to estimate the remaining useful life (RUL) of critical equip- tiple scenarios and outcomes rapidly. These physics-informed AI
ment and classify faults before they lead to failure. The decrease models are trained to classify outcomes by extracting condition
in sensor prices has made PdM programs more accessible, en- indicators, and confusion matrix plots generated in MATLAB® help
abling real-time data collection from multiple assets. As a result, engineers validate outputs between true and predicted classifica-
PdM helps engineers adopt a risk-based maintenance approach tions. Dashboards and graphical interfaces built in MATLAB also
to ensure the overall reliability of production equipment. help engineers deploy their findings and make data more action-
For instance, rotating systems are more prone to mechanical able to other professionals and stakeholders involved in such in-
failure than static systems. A common mode of failure is seal fail- dustrial processes.
ure, which may result in the discharge of hazardous materials. In essence, by harnessing MathWorks products for predictive
Some causes of seal failure include blocked suction, blocked dis- maintenance, oil and gas and chemicals organizations can signifi-
charge, and pump run-out. To prevent seal failure, rotating system cantly mitigate the risk of potential catastrophic failures and en-
faults should be classified promptly and accurately. Many process sure operational reliability, environmental compliance, and, most
engineers use MathWorks products to develop artificial intelli- importantly, the safety of communities and workers.
gence models for fault classification. These models require suffi- https://www.mathworks.com/campaigns/offers/predictive-
cient fault data from the equipment, which is not always feasible maintenance-oil-and-gas.html

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 51

 Gulf Coast 2024 Special Advertising Section

GEA Jet Compressors and Ejectors for the Reliable

Production of Green Hydrogen
H arnessing clean hydrogen means significantly contributing to
CO2 emissions reduction and fostering the energy transition
in the most diverse sectors.
Green hydrogen is produced through the electrolysis of water
using renewable sources of electricity. Throughout the production
process, the purity and quality of the produced hydrogen and
oxygen must be monitored to ensure it meets regulatory
standards. Today, GEA especially-designed liquid jet gas
compressors are a standard key component of said electrolysis
process, working with the aqueous solution of the electrolysis
cell -they are the ideal way to deal with hydrogen’s explosivity,
combustion risk and explosions of pure oxygen (as opposed to
mechanical compressors or ventilators) and offer the possibility
to constantly measure the gas quality and composition. On the other hand, GEA gas ejectors are applicable within:

Other applications of the GEA liquid jet gas compressors are: • Fuel cells.
• Green hydrogen ammonia mixing and compression in one step.
• Phase analysis (H2 and O2) in green hydrogen production. • H2 natural gas mixing and compression in one step.
• Hydrogenation processes (compression and solvation/reaction • H2 syngas mixing and compression in one step.
of the gas in one step). • Natural gas recompression with natural gas.
• Biogas CO2 mixtures and loop-reactors (compression and
solvation/reaction of the gas in one step). Innovation and tailored design for the processes that are
shaping our future are GEA’s passion.
www.gea.com

A classic mixing tool for the petroleum industry

Ross LPD Static Mixers are rugged, reliable devices that combine excellent inline mixing
with minimal pressure loss

R oss Low Pressure Drop (LPD) Static Mixers are used throughout
the oil and gas industry for turbulent-flow mixing applications.
These heavy-duty low-maintenance devices serve in continuous
operations where high performance and accuracy are required,
such as on-line water determination of crude oil; dosing of vari-
ous additives into gasoline; blending different kinds of fuel oils;
gas-gas blending; and pipeline reactions, among others.
Static mixers have no moving parts and the energy for mix-
ing is available in the form of pressure. Pressure loss – a natural
consequence of static mixing – sometimes becomes the deciding
factor in mixer selection. The LPD Static Mixer remains a classic
choice for many inline blending requirements due to its simple
and durable design capable of uniform mixing with little pressure
loss. The mixer elements consist of semi-elliptical plates carefully
positioned in series to split and rotate the product 90 deg. in al-
ternating clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
LPD mixers in diameters from 1  in. through 2.5 in. are welded
to a central rod, while larger elements are welded to four outside
support rods for maximum rigidity and stability. Units as large as
48 in. diameter can be supplied as stand-alone mixer elements or
as modules complete with a mixer housing and injection ports.
Established in 1842, Ross is one of the oldest and largest mix-
ing equipment companies in the world. Ross mixing, blending,
drying and dispersion equipment is used throughout many indus-
tries in the manufacture of foods, adhesives, electronics, coat-
Shown are removable LPD mixing elements supplied ings, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics and composites.
with retainer ring and flanged housing. www.staticmixers.com

52 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024

Gulf Coast 2024 Special Advertising Section

On-site calibration services

Maximizing process uptime while reducing risks and safeguarding compliancy
and costly decontamination can be
avoided.
Calibration requires time. Ideally, cali-
bration runs are part of scheduled down-
time, so manufacturing is not affected.

A flowmeter that is not measuring prop-

erly can cause many problems. For ex-
ample, in a custody-transfer application,
other measuring devices can also be cali-
brated directly on-site. There are several
advantages to this:
However, experience shows that windows
for scheduled downtime get shorter and
shorter. Usually, instrumentation is han-
even the smallest error can cost an opera- • Plant availability improves as the device dled last. This is why calibration should
tor millions of dollars a year. And though is calibrated nearline or inline. always be performed in a time-optimized
calibration may not be the biggest or most • Sources of error can be detected and manner. On-site calibration reduces coor-
important task on the to-do list of a chemi- eliminated on-site, while the ability to dination efforts, eliminating the need to
cal plant, it can have a big effect through- achieve the same result in a calibration remove and transport an instrument to a
out the plant. Outsourced to experts, lab is limited. Calibration technicians on- calibration facility. While it might take days
calibration positively affects production, site can detect errors during installation or weeks for a device to return from a cali-
compliance and the risk of quality or safety and identify blockages or contamination bration lab, an on-site calibration can be
deviations. in the pipes directly in the system. performed within hours.
Flowmeters are often removed from • Cost savings increase due to the speed With in-depth application, metrology
systems for the purpose of calibration and of completion, reduced downtime and and measurement expertise, certified op-
sent to a calibration laboratory. The com- the elimination of an inventory of re- erators, and traceable documentation,
monly held belief is that the necessary cal- placement parts. Endress+Hauser can maximize the poten-
ibration accuracy can be guaranteed only • There is no need to disassemble and tial of on-site calibration without compro-
under laboratory conditions. However, this ship contaminated devices, contact with mising safety or compliancy.
is only partially true. Flowmeters and many hazardous substances can be reduced, https://eh.digital/onsite-calibration

The Role of Ceramic Measuring Cells in Pressure

Measurement
P ressure measurement is one of the
most common means of process
control. The technology is versatile be-
manding conditions.
• Extended Temperature Range:
CERTEC withstands temperatures up
cause it can measure level, density and to 266°F (130°C), eliminating the need
interface, and users can choose a mea- for specialized high-temperature ver-
suring cell material that best suits their sions for sterilization processes.
processes. • Expanded Measuring Range: Ceramic
Ceramic is emerging as a cell material measuring cells offer a measuring
compared to the more popular metal to range of only 3 psi or 25 mbar, without
measure corrosive liquids in challenging electronic turndown, with an upper
applications. VEGA pressure transmitters measuring of 14.5 psi (100 mbar).
eliminate moisture sensitivity and tem- • Front-Flush Mounting: CERTEC is
perature shock susceptibility. Developed the only ceramic measuring cell on
in accordance with SIL standards, the VEGABAR 80 family sur- the market allowing front-flush mounting, ideal for abrasive
passes most, if not all sensors currently found on the market, in applications.
terms of several features. • Second Line of Defense: Critical for hazardous applications like
Recently, the biggest leaps in technology have been experi- phosgene handling, this feature prevents leakage into terminal
enced by the ceramic measuring cell ‘CERTEC’ – the core tech- compartments.
nology of VEGA’s pressure sensors. Only a few suppliers have The VEGABAR 80 series offers a universal housing, electronics,
ceramic-capacitive cells in their portfolio, and even fewer have and adjustment concept for all measurement methods. It facili-
the know-how to manufacture these. tates customers’ day-to-day work throughout the entire lifecycle
In principle, both metal and ceramic can be used in a major- of an instrument for pressure
ity of applications. However, in many cases, ceramic is the better and level.
technology because it is more stable, robust, and durable. For more information visit:
With an overload resistance factor of up to 200, CERTEC sur- www.vega.com.
passes other ceramic transmitters, ensuring reliability even in de-

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 53

 Gulf Coast 2024 Special Advertising Section

If you can’t eliminate your CO2 emissions,

capture them!
C arbon capture, utilization and
storage (CCUS) has a critically im-
portant role to play on the path to net
This creates additional incentives
and opportunities for emissions-heavy
businesses to capture their carbon – not
zero. For those emissions that are only does society benefit, but there are
impossible to completely eradicate also real financial gains to be realized
through carbon reduction strategies, by reusing the captured CO₂ as a valu-
for example from industrial activities able resource. Hydrocarbon process-
like hydrocarbon processing, Sulzer’s ing facilities can potentially become
CCUS solutions can help to capture independent, closed-loop facilities,
and transform the remaining emis- where the carbon generated by the main
sions into valuable resources to be plant’s activities is then reintroduced
sold and used in a variety of sectors, into the system as feedstock to produce
thereby enabling circularity and the chemicals, materials or fuels.
decarbonization of heavy industries. The critical component in carbon
The most compelling and cost- capture units is the separation technol-
effective way to deal with carbon ogy that is used to separate the CO₂
emissions once captured is to utilize from the other flue gases produced dur-
at least a part of them as a resource, ing industrial processing. To deliver
in line with circularity principles. For optimum performance in these separa-
example, captured CO₂ can be used to produce sustainable avia- tion columns, Sulzer has developed its proprietary MellapakCC™
tion fuels – an energy application that is particularly hard to de- structured packing, which was designed specifically for carbon
carbonize. Carbon is also the key building block of chemicals and capture applications. More precisely, this cost-effective technol-
polymers and widely used in the healthcare sector and the food ogy increases efficiency by 20% when compared to conventional
industry. Moreover, it can support the production of carbon‑nega- structured packing, while enabling the capture of the vast majority
tive concrete by crystallizing the carbon and permanently storing of carbon emissions.
it within concrete. For more information:
www.sulzer.com/chemtech

End-to-End Turnaround Planning Plus Global Service

Approach Reduces Costs and Outages
W hat should you expect from a turn-
around or retrofit project? A provider
strategically positioned for fast customer
• Maintenance Agreements
• Combustion and Equipment Surveys
• Unmanned Aerial (Drone) Inspection
ing. ZEECO
combus-
tion rentals
response anywhere in the world, with field • Turnkey Power Solutions and Services span the scope and capacity to keep any
experience and technical expertise to get • Flare Tip Replacements facility’s essential operations online dur-
the job done right. Zeeco’s turnaround • Vapor Control Service and Maintenance ing planned and emergency flare outages.
services mean you have a single point of Our rental flare systems are supported en-
on-site contact for all your fired equipment Zeeco can supply parts for all Original tirely by ZEECO turnkey combustion servic-
during a planned shutdown. If you need to Equipment Manufacturers’ (OEM) combus- es. They can help operators keep specific
retrofit burners or reduce emissions, trust tion equipment with competitive pricing processes online – eliminating the need
Zeeco for an end-to-end gas or hydrogen- and rapid delivery. Our engineers are indus- to fully de-inventory plants and shorten-
firing burner retrofit solution. try experts with a customer-first mentality. ing turnarounds. ZEECO rental equipment
Our streamlined system ensures that With Zeeco combustion specialists on-site, includes flare systems, flare monitoring
all planning and project execution is rest assured that your equipment will be and control systems, thermal oxidizers,
managed quickly and efficiently through installed and commissioned correctly – and vapor combustors. Our aftermarket
a single point of contact. From before avoiding costly mistakes that affect future team delivers the same attention to de-
your system is engineered to years after performance. tail, engineered expertise, and on-time,
its commissioning, Zeeco’s Global Field If you face a full-scale emergency, our on-spec performance – whether you
Services group backs you up with the tech- Disaster Response Team can immediately have ZEECO equipment or not. From turn-
nical services and field expertise to opti- deploy drone inspections, equipment as- arounds through retrofits and rental equip-
mize equipment performance and enhance sessments, or heroic repair and rental ment, Zeeco’s project management and
daily operation. Some of the services we solutions to return companies to service engineering expertise consistently deliver
offer include: quickly. Whether your maintenance need is the outcomes our customers demand. For
• Start-up & Commissioning simple or an emergency, renting the right more information, contact sales@zeeco.
• Training combustion equipment can be frustrat- com or call 918 258 8551. www.zeeco.com

54 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024

Gulf Coast 2024 Special Advertising Section

Boiler Solutions for the Petrochemical and

Processing Industries
HRST specializes in technical services for Waste Heat Boilers, Process
Gas Boilers, OTSGs, HRSGs and Package Boilers for the power
industries.
H RST combines 25 years of experience
from field inspection, engineering, and
design to analyze and solve boiler related
sis. HRST offers process and performance
upgrades like de-bottlenecking studies
and thermal performance assessments.
installation, and quality assurance. HRST
provides training on-site or off, with HRSG
Academy (twice per year), on-site training,
problems. HRST’s engineering and design HRST understands how modifications and on-demand remote training.
teams provide innovative analysis and so- can affect system operation and deter- Occasionally clients have an emergen-
lutions, and the technical field advisors mine component operating limits with cy need for HRST’s engineering or techni-
provide expert guidance on repair work their proprietary modeling software, HRST cal advisory services due to unforeseen
and installation. Performance Pro. HRST is also able to failures leading to forced outages. HRST
study and quantify thermal effects on boil- deploys an expert on-site to identify the
INSPECT. er operation and performance. problem, provide a solution, and oversee
HRST offers several inspection servic- repairs, ensuring that the facility is back
es including pre-turnaround with thermal SOLVE. up and running as soon as possible.
survey, visual Inspections, online inspec- HRST takes experience from inspec- Globally, HRST engineers, technicians,
tions, and advanced inspections with NDE. tions and problem analysis to develop in- designers, field advisors, and project man-
Visit HRST’s website to learn more about novative design solutions. These solutions agers are committed to helping clients
FAC UT Monitoring, CPS Inspections, Drone often become products for clients, includ- avoid and solve costly boiler problems.
Inspections, and NDE Services. ing pressure parts, burner viewports, piping HRST is represented throughout the United
penetration seals, complete liner systems States with regional offices in California,
ANALYZE. and system re-designs. HRST also provides Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland,
HRST’s thermal analysis software can technical field services to support projects. Minnesota, and Texas. HRST has interna-
help any facility’s team better understand HRST expert guidance from Technical Field tional offices in Vietnam and Mexico and is
boiler performance for process upgrades, Services can offer turnkey solutions, repairs, a registered business entity in Australia.
monitoring service life, and failure analy- vendor surveillance, technical advisors with www.hrstinc.com/process-boilers

Get Chemical Engineering’s Plant Cost Index to improve plant

cost estimates…and delivered in advance of the print edition!

For more than 40 years, chemical process industries professionals- engineers, manager and technicians, have
used Chemical Engineering’s Plant Cost Index to adjust process plant construction costs from one period to another.

This database includes all annual archives (1947 to present) and monthly data archives (1970 to present). Instead of waiting more than two
weeks for the print or online version of Chemical Engineering to arrive, subscribers can access new data as soon as it’s calculated.

Resources included with

Sep ‘06 Aug ‘06 Sep ‘05
Chemical Engineering’s
510

Prelim. Final Final

CE Index 513.1 510.0 467.2 500 Plant Cost Index:
Equipment 606.5 602.3 541.2
Heat Exchanges and Tanks 565.1 560.9 509.2 490 • Electronic notification of
Process Machinery 559.6 556.2 521.7 monthly updates as soon
Pipe, valves and fittings 734.7 731.7 620.8 480
as they are available
Process Instruments 441.4 437.2 379.5
Pumps and Compressions 788.9 788.3 756.3 470
• All annual data archives
Electrical equipment 418.9 414.2 374.6 (1947 to present)
Structural supports 643.7 637.7 579.3 460
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
• Monthly data archives
Construction Labor 314.7 312.9 309.1 (1970 to present)
• Option to download in
Buildings 476.9 475.2 444.7
Engineering Supervision 350.7 351.9 346.9
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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 55

 Safe and sustainable – the next generation of flameless
explosion venting
As the inventor of flameless explosion venting, REMBE is once again challenging the
status quo with the new Q-Box R3leaf, the world’s first sustainable device for flameless
explosion venting.
After years of systematic development, numerous tests and successful approval tests,
REMBE is convinced that it has contributed to more than just an improvement in flame-
less explosion venting technology. Instead, the aim is to set a good example and send
a clear signal that everyone can reduce the carbon footprint in our industry.
www.rembe.de During development of the Q-Box R3leaf the focus was on sustainability and the cen-
tral question: Where can the status quo be further challenged?
The development of the Q-Box R3leaf expands REMBE’s line of flameless explo-
sion venting devices with a product optimised in terms of both effectiveness and
sustainability.

For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/86463-20

Universal Airlock for Pneumatic Conveying Systems

With tens of thousands of installations throughout the world, the Schenck Process Food
and Performance Materials (FPM) Multi-Duty (MD) airlock is a highly universal air-
lock used to meter dry bulk materials under feeding devices, such as bins, hoppers,
mixers, screw conveyors and sifters.
Providing rugged service, the MD Airlock is suitable for use in dilute phase vacuum,
pressure or combination vacuum/pressure pneumatic conveying systems. Low mount-
ing height is ideal for space restricted applications. With a low profile and a wide
flange width, the MD Airlock is able to match drill hole patterns of many competitor’s
valves for easy replacement. A domed hopper cover and open bottom frame speeds
and optimizes draining during and after wash-down cycles. Smooth, crevice-free
product contact surfaces at 32 micro inch or better help prevent the formation of bac-
teria.
The MD Airlock has a cast housing and endplates with a square flange. The rotor and
Schenck Process Food and Performance Materials
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 New & Used Equipment Software

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Advertisers Index
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Fluid Line Products.................. 31 Ross Mixers..............................7

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GEA......................................... 19
Classified Index May 2024
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New & Used Equipment..........................................................58
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See bottom of opposite page Engineering Software.............58 Xchanger...............................58

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May 2024; VOL. 131; NO. 3
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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM MAY 2024 59

 Economic Indicators
2022 2023 2024
Download the CEPCI two weeks sooner at www.chemengonline.com/pci
950

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT COST INDEX® (CEPCI) 900

(1957–59 = 100) Feb. ’24 Jan. ’24 Feb. ’23 Annual Index: 850
Prelim. Final Final
2016 = 541.7
CE Index_______________________________________________ 800.3 795.4 798.0 800
Equipment _____________________________________________ 1,005.7 998.1 1,008.2 2017 = 567.5
Heat exchangers & tanks __________________________________ 811.7 805.0 820.2
Process machinery ______________________________________ 1,033.6 1,027.3 1,031.4 2018 = 603.1 750

Pipe, valves & fittings _____________________________________ 1,350.3 1343.3 1,403.4 2019 = 607.5
Process instruments _____________________________________ 568.1 567.5 565.1 700
Pumps & compressors ____________________________________ 1,518.9 1517.3 1,391.5 2020 = 596.2
Electrical equipment _____________________________________ 812.2 810.8 794.7 2021 = 708.8 650
Structural supports & misc. ________________________________ 1,130.5 1106.6 1,120.8
Construction labor ________________________________________ 372.4 374.9 358.6 2022 = 816.0
Buildings ______________________________________________ 821.5 813.8 801.5 2023 = 797.9 600
Engineering & supervision __________________________________ 314.8 315.3 311.3
Starting in April 2007, several data series for labor and compressors were converted to accommodate series IDs discontinued by the 550
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Starting in March 2018, the data series for chemical industry special machinery was replaced
because the series was discontinued by BLS (see Chem. Eng., April 2018, p. 76–77.)
500
J F M A M J J A S O N D

CURRENT BUSINESS INDICATORS LATEST PREVIOUS YEAR AGO

CPI output index (2017 = 100)_____________________________________________________ Feb. '24 = 98.9 Jan. '24 = 98.1 Dec. '23 = 99.8 Feb. '23 = 100.0
CPI value of output, $ billions _____________________________________________________ Jan. '24 = 2,341.1 Dec. '23 = 2,378.9 Nov. '23 = 2,397.2 Jan. '23 = 2,452.9
CPI operating rate, % ___________________________________________________________ Feb. '24 = 78.2 Jan. '24 = 77.6 Dec. '23 = 79.2 Feb. '23 = 80.0
Producer prices, industrial chemicals (1982 = 100) _____________________________________ Feb. '24 = 295.7 Dec. '23 = 291.3 Dec. '23 = 302.2 Feb. '23 = 336.4
Industrial Production in Manufacturing (2017 =100)* ____________________________________ Feb. '24 = 99.2 Jan. '24 = 98.4 Dec. '23 = 99.5 Feb. '23 = 99.9
Hourly earnings index, chemical & allied products (1992 = 100) _____________________________ Jan. '24 = 231.0 Dec. '23 = 230.6 Nov. '23 = 228.9 Jan. '23 = 211.6
Productivity index, chemicals & allied products (1992 = 100)_______________________________ Feb. '24 = 94.2 Jan. '24 = 93.1 Dec. '23 = 94.1 Feb. '23 = 94.0

CPI OUTPUT INDEX (2017 = 100)† CPI OUTPUT VALUE ($ BILLIONS) CPI OPERATING RATE (%)
110 2500 85

105
2400 80
100
2300
95 75
2200
90
70
2100
85
65
80 2000

75 1900 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

*Due to discontinuance, the Index of Industrial Activity has been replaced by the Industrial Production in Manufacturing index from the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.
†For the current month’s CPI output index values, the base year was changed from 2012 to 2017
Current business indicators provided by Global Insight, Inc., Lexington, Mass.

CURRENT TRENDS

T he preliminary value for the CE Plant

Cost Index (CEPCI; top) for February
FREE On Demand Webinars 2024 (most recent available) rose com-
CHEMICAL pared to the previous month’s value, con-
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tinuing a string of increases over the past
three months. For February, the increase
in the overall CEPCI was driven by gains in
Learn about the industry’s critical the Equipment and Buildings subindices,
topics by viewing the latest which offset smaller decreases in both
the Construction Labor and Engineering
On Demand webinars. & Supervision subindices. The current
CEPCI value now sits at 0.3% higher than
For a list of FREE the corresponding value from February
2023. The higher year-upon-year value for
webinars, visit this month marks the first time in a year
chemengonline.com/webcasts that the current CEPCI value is above the
corresponding year-ago value. Mean-
while, Current Business Indicators show
a rise in the CPI output index.

60
28180 CE Economic indicator On Demand Webinar House Ad.indd 1 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
5/24/16 WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
4:43 PM MAY 2024
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