1. December
2009 Heat-
Transfer
Fluids
Page 32
www.che.com
13
KirKPatricK award • Heat-transfer fluids • retrieving Plant-design data
Page 17
Building A
Better Dryer
Screeners
Target Efficiency
vol. 116 no. 13 december 2009
Facts At Your Focus on Millichannel Retrieving
Fingertips: Level Measurement Reactors Plant-Design Data
Control Valves And Control
•

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3. Revolutionary design Convey pneumatically to/from
multiple discharge/inlet points
eliminates 4 bulk bag Flexicon pneumatic con-
unloading
veying systems transport a
broad range of bulk materi-
als over short or long dis-
problems tances between single or
multiple inlet and dis-
charge points in small to
high capacities. Offered in
both positive pressure or
vacuum configurations,
from single-point “up-and-
Cinch spouts concentrically Eliminate dust during
in” installations to mobile
with POWER-CINCHER® disconnect and bag collapse
units to cross-plant sys-
flow control valve* with BAG-VAC® system
tems complete with rotary
airlock valves, pick-up
Unlike opposing bars that The BAG-VAC® system vacuums
adapters, filter receivers,
pinch the spout of partially displaced air and dust from the
cyclone separators, fill/pass
empty bags from two sides, the receiving vessel and returns clean
valves, hand-held pick-up wands, silos, day bins and more.
POWER-CINCHER® flow control air to the plant. The vacuum also
Available designed, constructed and finished to industrial
valve* cinches the spout concen- causes empty bags to collapse
and sanitary standards.
trically—on a horizontal axis for dust-free prior to disconnect,
easier tie-offs and greater flow eliminating the dust emitted
control, and vertically in a tight during manual flattening of Convey free- and
zigzag pattern to prevent leaks.
In addition, it resists jamming,
empty bags. With optional
double-wall telescoping
non-free-flowing materials
breaking and leaking, and allows tube, it vacuums any parti- Convey free-flowing and
full-open discharge from bag cles dropped from spout non-free-flowing bulk solids
spouts of all popular diameters. creases during discon- ranging from large pellets
USDA Dairy Accepted. nect, while eliminating to sub-micron powders—
awkward access ports. including materials that
can fluidize, degrade, pack,
cake, smear, seize or plug
in other conveyors—with
no separation of blended
products. Units convey
vertically, horizontally, or at
any angle—through small
openings in walls or ceil-
ings—around, over, or
under obstructions. The
MEETS 3-A
SANITARY
STANDARDS
Prevent dead spots and pro- only moving part contact-
Eliminate dust during
mote flow with TELE-TUBE® ing material is a rugged
hook-up/discharge with
telescoping tube* flexible screw, increasing reliability and cutting maintenance.
SPOUT-LOCK® clamp ring*
Enclosed conveyor tube prevents contamination of product
The SPOUT-LOCK® clamp ring* The TELE-TUBE® telescoping and plant environment. Cleans quickly, easily. Individual
creates a high-integrity, sealed Models for hoist and tube* pneumatically raises the conveyors available as well as plant-wide systems with auto-
connection between the clean trolley loading (shown) SPOUT-LOCK® clamp ring* (at mated controls.
side of the bag spout and the and forklift loading, left) for connection to the bag
clean side of the telescoping available with flexible
screw conveyor (shown),
spout, then allows it to lower, Connect bulk bags quickly,
tube. This prevents contamination applying continual downward
of the product, while eliminating pneumatic conveying tension. As a result, the spout is easily, safely at floor level
system, outlets to suit any
the plant contamination that process, and integrated kept taut at all times, preventing
occurs when falling material excess spout material from New SWING-DOWN™bulk
scale system for bag filler* lowers and
rapidly displaces air and dust. loss-of-weight batching bulging outward (creating dead
It also stretches the spout down- directly from bags. spots) or falling inward (creating pivots the fill head, stop-
ward in combination with the flow restrictions). Works in uni- ping it in a vertically-orient-
TELE-TUBE® telescoping tube* son with FLOW-FLEXER™ bag ed position that places the
(at right). activators to promote flow. bag inlet spout inflatable
connection, inflator button,
and four bag loop latches
Patented advances make other designs obsolete within one arm's length of
Flexicon innovations boost the productivity, safety, and Flexicon also offers a wide range of other mechanical an operator standing on the
cleanliness of your bulk bag unloading operations far process equipment—as well as weigh batching and plant floor, allowing safe,
beyond the limits of other designs. And unlike Flexicon’s blending stations—as individual units or engineered, rapid bag connections.
previous unloaders, widely copied by competitors, these automated systems integrated with your new or existing Eliminates danger of step-
new generation machines are based on advances that are process—constructed and finished to industrial, food, ping onto and over roller
patented or patent pending. dairy and pharmaceutical standards. conveyors to access rear
bag hooks and spout con-
nection collars, standing on
FLEXICON CORPORATION UNITED KINGDOM +44 (0)1227 374710 the conveyor with head and arms inserted beneath opera-
2400 Emrick Blvd, Bethlehem, PA 18020-8006 USA AUSTRALIA +61 (0)2 9482 4033 tional fill head components, and straining to pull bag spouts
Tel: 1 888 FLEXICON • (1 888 353 9426) SOUTH AFRICA +27 (0)41 453 1871 upward over inflatable collars while reaching for bag inflator
Tel: 1 610 814 2400 • Fax: 1 610 814 0600 buttons. Available to industrial, food, dairy and pharmaceuti-
E-mail: sales@flexicon.com www.flexicon.com cal standards with numerous performance enhancements.
Call for free,
new CD ROM
*Patent(s) granted and/or pending. ©2005 Flexicon Corporation.
V-0765
®
Flexicon Corporation has registrations and pending applications
for the trademark FLEXICON throughout the world.
Circle 04 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/23021-04

4. Circle 05 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/23021-05

5. December 2009 In ThIs Issue Volume 116, no. 13
Commentary
5 Editor’s Page
Changing times
present different
opportunities The
economic crises of
www.che.com this past year have
accelerated changes
in the CPI. Looking
Cover story
forward, chemical
17 Cover Story 40th Kirkpatrick Award businesses are fo-
Announced Seven companies are hon- cusing on what are
ored with the announcement of this year's expected to be key
Kirkpatrick Award winners. This biennial economic drivers —
prize, bestowed since the 1930s, recognizes one of which is in-
the most noteworthy chemical engineering novation
technology commercialized anywhere in the
world during 2007 and 2008
departments
news
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . 6
11 Chementator ”All-in-one” fluegas scrub-
ber cleans up sulfur and particulate matter; Calendar . . . . . . . . 8, 9
Non-invasive probe measures corrosion Who’s Who . . . . . . . 30
inside boiler water tubes in realtime; Higher
yields and lower cost are expected for this Reader Service
biomass-to-ethanol process; The commercial page . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
eqUipment & serviCes
debut for a process that makes “natural” Economic
gas from coal; Onsite incineration of sewage 28D-1 New Products & Services (Domestic
Indicators . . . . . 63, 64
sludge to be demonstrated; Using the sun to Edition) Avoid kinking on tight turns with
decontaminate wastewater; and more this tubing; Measure oxygen drift-free with
this transmitter; A magnet operates on advertisers
23 Newsfront Screeners Target Efficiency this rupture-disc sensor; These regulators
Screening system manufacturers look to Literature Review . . 54
suppress internal cylinder forces for safety;
squeeze more out of their equipment Monitor hydrogen sulfide in water with Classified
25 Newsfront Building A Better Dryer Al- these sensors; A purging compound effec- Advertising . . . . .56–60
though they are notorious energy hogs, tive for biodegradeable resins; and more
Advertiser Index . . . 61
drying systems can be made more efficient
28D-1 New Products & Services
engineering (International Edition) Extend level Coming
29 Facts At Your Fingertips Control Valves measurement with this flexible probe; Do in JanUary
This one-page guide outlines how installed more with this dewpoint transmitter; A
new motorized actuator for linear valves; Look for: Feature
gain graphs are prepared and used
Aggressive media are not a problem for Reports on Capital
32 Feature Report Maximizing Heat- this dosing system; Keep flange leaks from Equipment Procure-
Transfer Fluid Longevity Proper selec- spraying with this shield; The latest in ment; and Water
tion, monitoring and maintenance can shaft-alignment systems is simple to use; Treatment and En-
protect fluids from damage due to thermal A new exchange resin for industrial water ergy Conservation;
degradation, oxidation and contamination treatment; and more Engineering Prac-
40 Feature Report Smooth Your Retrieval tice articles on Pres-
51 Focus Level Measurement sure Relief During
of Plant-Design Data Even after con- And Control Accurate
struction and startup, plant design data are an External Fire; and
level measurement in Recommended Fluid
needed for operations, maintenance and steam applications; This
revamps. But working with a plethora of Velocities; A Focus
pump protection switch can on Weighing; News
formats and platforms introduces its own be used in a variety of situa-
set of challenges articles on Scrub-
tions; An easy way to measure bers; Catalysts; and
44 Engineering Practice Millichannel level is introduced; Measure the Personal Achieve-
Reactors — A Practical Middle Ground levels in challenging environ- ment Award; Facts
for Production Reactors with millimeter- ments; A radar level transmitter at Your Fingertips
scale dimensions provide mixing, heat trans- that is economical; Measure sub- on Pressure Measure-
fer and other advantages over devices with mersed solids under water; A hand-held ment; and more
larger dimensions, while boasting increased device to measure levels in non-metallic
robustness compared to microdevices. Here containers; Detect and control interfaces Cover photo:
are tips to consider for using them with this switch; and more Lucite International
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com DeCember 2009 3

6. © 2009 Swagelok Company
Contrary to what you may think, we’re much more than a tube fitting company.
And we have our obsession with Customer Focus to thank for that. Yes, we’re
In addition to tube fittings, known throughout the world for our tube fittings. And yes, we’ve been at it for over
60 years. But when companies are looking harder than ever for greater value, it’s
we also make valves, our broad range of products, including orbital welders, modular systems, and a
regulators, filters, complete line of hose, that helps us offer more than you expect. See for yourself
and happier customers. at swagelok.com/moreproducts.
Circle 06 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/23021-06

7. Winner of Eight Jesse H. Neal
Awards for Editorial Excellence
Editor’s Page
Published since 1902
Changing times present
different opportunities
An Access Intelligence Publication
PublisHEr Art & dEsiGN
MikE O’rOurkE dAvid WHitcHEr
L
Publisher Art Director/ ike it or not, 2009 will go down as a year when massive structural
morourke@che.com Editorial Production Manager
dwhitcher@che.com change began in the chemicals business. We are far from feeling the
EditOrs
PrOductiON full effects of the upheaval, but there is a sense of revolution in the air
rEbEkkAH J. MArsHAll
Editor in Chief MicHAEl d. krAus that will cause lasting change for chemical engineers everywhere.
VP of Production & Manufacturing
rmarshall@che.com
mkraus@accessintel.com
Historically, the financial crisis, and the global recession that followed it,
dOrOtHy lOzOWski stEvE OlsON will be seen as accelerators of changes that were already waiting to happen.
Managing Editor
dlozowski@che.com
Director of Production & In 2009 the world realized that China and India were in the driver’s seat
Manufacturing
GErAld ONdrEy (Frankfurt) solson@accessintel.com for determining the rate of future economic growth. It was the year that
Senior Editor JOHN blAylOck-cOOkE the Middle East saw the true dawn of its predominance in petrochemical
gondrey@che.com Ad Production Manager
jcooke@accessintel.com
production based on low-cost feedstock, and South America began to rise
scOtt JENkiNs
Associate Editor MArkEtiNG in industrial prominence. It was also the year when North Americans and
sjenkins@che.com
HOlly rOuNtrEE Europeans realized that only game-changing innovation — especially in the
cONtributiNG EditOrs Marketing Manager
hrountree@accessintel.com
fuels and energy sectors — was the route to lasting success for the future.
suzANNE A. sHEllEy
AudiENcE Hopefully, it was not the year that protectionism started to gain a foot-
sshelley@che.com
dEvElOPMENt hold. But there are signs that governments will try to protect their do do-
cHArlEs butcHEr (U.K.) sylviA siErrA
cbutcher@che.com Senior Vice President,
mestic industries and their populations by employing covert protection
protection-
PAul s. GrAd (Australia) Corporate Audience Development ism, dressed up as environmental legislation to manipulate markets.
ssierra@accessintel.com
pgrad@che.com In short, the last 12 months have been full of challenges. So what is
tEtsuO sAtOH (Japan) JOHN rOckWEll
tsatoh@che.com Vice President, the outlook and where are the opportunities? The manufacture of basic
JOy lEPrEE (New Jersey)
Audience Development Chemical chemicals and plastics will shift eastward to an axis defined by the Mid Mid-
jrockwell@accessintel.com
jlepree@che.com
lAuriE HOfMANN
dle East at one end and China at the other. These regions are going to
GErAld PArkiNsON Audience Marketing Director need more practiced and skilled engineers. First opportunity: Go East,
lhofmann@Accessintel.com
(California) gparkinson@che.com young engineer!
tErry bEst
EditOriAl
Audience Development Manager China is going to be the new magnetic consumer market — if its econ-
AdvisOry bOArd
tbest@accessintel.com omy does not overheat in the short term, but certainly in the long term
JOHN cArsON GEOrGE sEvEriNE
Jenike & Johanson, Inc.
Fulfillment Manager
— replacing the U.S. as the place to sell almost everything and anything.
dAvid dickEy gseverine@accessintel.com However, the Chinese consumer is unlikely to mimic the U.S. consumer —
MixTech, Inc. JEN fElliNG it is simply not part of the Chinese culture to over-extend through easy borbor-
MukEsH dOblE List Sales, Statlistics (203) 778-8700
IIT Madras, India j.felling@statlistics.com rowing. Second opportunity: Learn about China and its consumers’ needs.
HENry kistEr cONfErENcEs A shift to making chemical specialties in North America and Europe
Fluor Corp. dANA d. cArEy will happen sooner than previously expected. An export-led petrochemi
petrochemi-
Director, Global Event Sponsorships
trEvOr klEtz
dcarey@chemweek.com
cal recovery on the U.S. Gulf Coast seems unlikely in the face of new Mid Mid-
Loughborough University, U.K.
PEck siM dle Eastern and Latin American capacities. Specialty markets, especially
GErHArd krEysA
DECHEMA e.V. Senior Manager, anything relating to food-and-water supply, and health-and-personal
Conference Programming
rAM rAMAcHANdrAN psim@chemweek.com care, will be the safe haven for many U.S. chemical companies. Third op op-
BOC
bEAtriz suArEz portunity: Investigate specialty chemicals.
Director of Conference Operations
iNfOrMAtiON
bsuarez@chemweek.com
The other safe haven is innovation, where companies can obtain the
sErvicEs
rObErt PAciOrEk cOrPOrAtE funding to back the right projects. In short, North America and Europe
Senior VP & Chief Information Officer stEvE bArbEr will rely on chemical engineers to determine how they can build the new
rpaciorek@accessintel.com VP, Financial Planning & Internal Audit
sbarber@accessintel.com
economies of the third millennium. More than anything, that means how
cHArlEs sANds
Senior Developer briAN NEssEN we move from a world that depends on fossil fuels to one dependent on
Web/business Applications Architect Group Publisher other technologies, and how we deal with removing greenhouse gases from
csands@accessintel.com bnessen@accessintel.com
our production processes. That means more biotechnology breakthroughs
HEAdquArtErs
and more sustainable processes. Fourth opportunity: Go greener.
110 William Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038, U.S.
Tel: 212-621-4900 Fax: 212-621-4694 For chemical engineers, 2009 brought change —
EurOPEAN EditOriAl OfficEs with both great opportunities and much uncertainty.
Zeilweg 44, D-60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Change can be unsettling, but we should all hang on to
Tel: 49-69-2547-2073 Fax: 49-69-5700-2484
this guiding principle — that the world’s problems, like
circulAtiON rEquEsts:
Tel: 847-564-9290 Fax: 847-564-9453
the housing and feeding of six billion people, issues of
Fullfillment Manager; P.O. Box 3588, sustainability and global warming, can only be solved
Northbrook, IL 60065-3588 email: clientservices@che.com
by communities like the one that reads this magazine.
AdvErtisiNG rEquEsts: see p. 62
We hold the solutions to the crises that confront the
For photocopy or reuse requests: 800-772-3350 or info@copyright.com
For reprints: chemicalengineering@theygsgroup.com world in the decades ahead. ■
John Pearson, Divisional President
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com deCember 2009 5

8. Letters
Spontaneous combustion
I enjoyed your advisory piece for chemical engineers —
old and young: “Don’t wait to react” (CE, October, p. 5).
Two weeks ago I gave a presentation on spontaneous
combustion at a meeting of mulch facility operators.
Of over 100 conference attendees, only one raised his
hand when I asked how many operators had never
had a problem with spontaneous combustion!
I really enjoy the Chementator section of Chemical
Engineering.
Richard Buggeln, PhD
Manager, Environmental Programs, Center for Industrial
Services, University of Tennessee
Help us support ChE education
Striving to continually advance the chemical engineer-
ing profession has been a goal for this magazine since its
founding more than 107 years ago. To help cultivate new
talent, CE established the annual Chopey Scholarship for
Chemical Engineering Excellence in memory of Nicholas
(Nick) P. Chopey, our former Editor In Chief. Nick carried
many torches at CE including those for the Kirkpatrick
and Personal Achievement Award competitions that are
held in alternating years.
To honor and continue Nick’s valuable and lasting con-
tributions to the chemical engineering profession, CE will
match up to $10,000 of all donations for the 2009 scholar-
ship fund that are received prior to June 1, 2010.
Donations. Checks should be made out to Scholarship
America with “Nicholas P. Chopey Scholarship Program”
in the memo area. Please send your donations to the fol-
lowing address prior to June 1, 2010:
Nicholas P. Chopey Scholarship Fund
Nanette Santiago
Chemical Engineering
Circle 07 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/23021-07
110 William St., 11th floor
New York, NY 10038
Details and qualifications for applicants. The schol-
arship is a one-time award for current third-year students
who are enrolled in a fulltime undergraduate course of
study in chemical engineering at one of the following four-
year colleges or universities, which include Mr. Chopey’s
alma mater and those of the current editorial staff:
University of Virginia
University of Kansas
SUNY Buffalo
Columbia University
Polytechnic University
The program will utilize standard Scholarship America
recipient-selection procedures including the consider-
ation of past academic performance and future potential,
leadership and participation in school and community
activities, work experience, and statement of career and
educational aspirations and goals. Applications must
be postmarked by April 1. Guidelines are distributed
directly to the chemical engineering department of the
qualified schools.

9. Circle 08 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/23021-08

10. Calendar
NORTH AMERICA 202-347-2900; Web: cleaning101.com
21st International Organic Process Research & Orlando, Fla. Jan. 26–30
Development. Scientific Update Conferences (East Sus-
sex, U.K.). Phone: +44 (0) 1435 873062; IMAC 28th Conference & Expo on Structural Dy-
Web: scientificupdate.co.uk namics and Renewable Energy. Society for Experi-
San Diego, Calif. Jan. 20–22 mental Mechanics (Bethel, Conn.). Phone: 203-790-6373;
Web: sem.org
Stem Cells World Congress. Select Biosciences (Shel- Jacksonville, Fla. Feb. 1–4
ton, Conn.). Phone: 203-926-1400;
Web: selectbiosciences.com 2010 Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture.
South San Francisco, Calif. Jan. 20–21 The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
(ACEEE; Washington, D.C.). Phone: 202-507-4033; Web:
Lab Automation 2010. Association for Lab Automation aceee.org/conf/10ag
(Geneva, Ill.). Phone: 888-733-1252; Madison, Wisc. Feb. 7–9
Web: labautomation.org
Palm Springs, Calif. Jan. 23–27 2010 Packaging Conference. The Packaging
Conference LLC (Holland, Ohio). Phone: 866-509-6001;
Safety and Selectivity in the Scale-Up of Chemical Web: thepackagingconference.com
Reactions. Scientific Update Conferences (East Sussex, Las Vegas, Nev. Feb. 8–10
U.K.). Phone: +44 (0) 1435 873062;
Web: scientificupdate.co.uk Informex 2010: The Business of Fine, Specialty
Savannah, Ga. Jan. 25–26 and Custom Chemistry. UBM International Media/In-
formex (Princeton, N.J.). Phone: 609-759-4700;
2010 SDA Annual Meeting & Industry Conven- Web: informex.com
tion. Soap & Detergent Assn. (Washington, D.C.). Phone: San Francisco, Calif. Feb. 16–19
Check Valves
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West Des Moines, Iowa USA
Phone: 515-224-2301 US Patent Numbers: 5,033,503; 6,039,073; & 6,152,171
sales@checkall.com Canadian Patent Number: 2,039,991 Since 1958
Circle 09 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/23021-09
8 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com DeCember 2009

11. AAAS Annual Meeting. American Association for Chemical Development & Scale-up in the Fine
the Advancement of Science (New York, N.Y.). Phone: Chemical and pharmaceutical Industries.
202-326-6400; Web: aaas.org Scientific Update Conferences (East Sussex, U.K.).
San Diego, Calif. Feb. 18–22 Phone:+44 (0) 1435 873062;
Web: scientificupdate.co.uk
Biophysical Society Annual Meeting and Biophys- Lisbon, Portugal March 2–4
ics Congress. Biophysical Society (Bethesda, Md.).
Phone: 301-634-7114; Web: biophysics.org Advances in Synthetic Biology. Select Biosciences
San Francisco, Calif. Feb. 20–24 (Shelton, Conn.). Phone: 203-926-1400;
Web: selectbiosciences.com
Scaling from Milligrams to 1–2 kg. Scientific London March 4–5
Update Conferences (East Sussex, U.K.). Phone:
+44 (0) 1435 873062; Web: scientificupdate.co.uk ASIA & ELSEwhErE
San Francisco, Calif. Feb. 22–23 2nd International Conference on Drug Discovery &
Therapy. Higher Colleges of Technology and Eureka Sci-
EuropE ence (Sharjah, UAE). Phone: +971 6 5571132;
Screening Europe. Select Biosciences (Shelton, Conn.). Web: icddt.com
Phone: 203-926-1400; Web: selectbiosciences.com Dubai, UAE Feb. 1–4
Barcelona, Spain Feb. 11–12
ChemSpec India 2010: The Fine & Specialty
Analytica 2010: International Trade Fair for Instru- Chemicals Connection. Quart Business Media (Ux-
mental Analysis, Lab, Technology & Biotechnol- bridge, Middlesex, U.K.). Phone: +44 (0) 1737 855 076;
ogy. Messe Munchen GmbH (Munich). Phone: +49 (0) 89 Web: chemspecindia.com
949 20651; Web: analytica.de Mumbai April 15–16 ■
Munich, Germany March 23–26 Suzanne Shelley
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*Certain restrictions apply. Visit our Web site or contact us for more details. © 2009 Chemstations, Inc. All rights reserved. | CMS6958 08/09

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16538

13. Edited by Gerald Ondrey December 2009
Cleaned fluegas Mist eliminator
to atmosphere Preventing droplet carry over
Makeup water
‘All-in-one’ fluegas scrubber cleans Caustic
up sulfur and particulate matter Tray 2
“Flushing” removal of dirty mist
A multi-stage wet scrubber that combines
the removal of sulfur, hydrogen chloride,
sulfuric acid mist (SAM) and particulate
Fluegas
from boiler
True venturi tubes
Condensation and
matter (PM) in a single unit has reduced agglomeration of H2SO4,
fumes and submicron PM
sulfur dioxide emissions by an average of Quench Removal of any remaining SO2
Removal of
99.7% in its first large-scale commercial coarse PM
(particulate
installation on a coal/oil-fired swing boiler. matter)
PM emissions were reduced to 0.005 grains/ and some SO2
and HCl
Tray 1
dscf (dry standard cubic feet; 12.5 mg/Nm3), Removal of SO2 & HCl,
and all PM>1 micron
according to Kimmo Peltonen, a product
manager with Andritz, Inc. (Roswell, Ga.; Venturi stage pumps
www.andritz.com), who spoke at the recent inlet & throat pumps
TAPPI Engineering, Pulping and Environ-
Quench
mental Conference in Memphis, Tenn. An- recirculation
dritz markets the technology together with Quench tank Tray pumps
pumps Venturi stage
EnviroCare International (American Can- recirculation
tank
yon, Calif.; www.envirocare.com). Blow down
The installation is on a 420,000-lb/h
boiler at a large pulp-and-paper mill. Pre- The power of osmosis
viously, smaller systems had been installed in high particulate capture as well as acid last month, Statkraft (oslo,
in rotary kilns and municipal sludge incin- absorption, says Peltonen. Final cleanup is norway; www.statkraft.com)
erators, says Peltonen. In the first stage of achieved by a set of dual-orifice mist-elimi- opened what is claimed to be
the process (flowsheet), large particles are nation trays. Most of the water used in the the world's first osmotic power
removed from hot fluegas by an atomized- process is recycled to the Venturi stage after plant. although the prototype
water-spray quench. From the quench, the makeup water and caustic have been added. is very small (designed for 10
stream enters the lower half of a scrubber- The rest is collected in a sump at the bot- kw), the company believes
separator vessel — a vertical, cylindrical tom of the scrubber-separator and recycled data gained from the pilot
study will lead to a commer-
unit, where the upflowing gas is scrubbed to the quench section. Dissolved solids con-
cial-scale unit by 2015.
by a countercurrent water stream. centration is controlled by blowing down a
The plant is located along
The gas flows up through a Venturi stage fraction of the recycled water. the coast at Tofte, south of
that consists of about 40 parallel Venturi Peltonen says the installed cost is ap- oslo. Fresh water flowing into
tubes, each preceded by a high-pressure proximately 50% that of a traditional ar- the sea is diverted to a vessel
liquid atomizer. The combination of the Ven- rangement of a dry electrostatic precipita- containing a semipermeable
turis with finely atomized sprays causes tor (ESP) followed by a wet scrubber or wet membrane (spiral-wound,
multiple collisions between the droplets ESP. Chemical costs are minimized by re- cellulose acetate) with brine
and fine particles left in the gas, resulting using alkali present in the fly ash. (Continues on p. 12)
Non-invasive probe measures corrosion inside boiler water tubes in real time
C hanges in the rate of corrosion in
water tubes have been detected
within minutes by an externally
The monitor operates on the principle
of hydrogen effusion. In the corrosion
process, two moles of hydrogen atoms
The HEP consists of a silver cup that
is clamped to the outside of the tube, sil-
ver tubing, a pressure transducer and a
mounted monitor developed by the are produced for every mole of iron that valve. McKeen points out that silver is
Center for Nuclear Energy Research is dissolved into water, explains Kelly practically impermeable to H2. The sys-
(CNER, Fredericton, NB, Canada; www. McKeen, a CNER project manager. The tem is operated under vacuum and the
unb.ca/cner). The data were obtained in atomic H2 migrates through the wall of valve is automatically opened to allow
online tests over the past 18 months on the steel tube and recombines to form evacuation of the H2 and to restart a
a black liquor recovery boiler at a kraft H2 gas, which is captured in CNER’s cycle after a predetermined pressure
mill operated by Irving Pulp and Paper hydrogen effusion probe (HEP). The setpoint is reached.
Ltd. (Saint John, NB). Details were pre- HEP measures the rate of H2 pressure McKeen says the main advantage of
sented at the recent TAPPI Conference increase and converts it to a corrosion the HEP over conventional methods, such
(see story above). rate of millimeters per year. (Continues on p. 12)
Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number
on p. 62, or use the website designation. ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com DeCember 2009 11

14. Concentrated sulfuric acid Acid
reconcentration
C hementato R Water Dilute sulfuric acid
Steam
Biomass 1st stage
hydrolysis Condensate
Filter return
Higher yields and lower cost are expected Steam
for this biomass-to-ethanol process Acid/Sugar
Pump
Solids
Lignin
A process that produces 75–85 gal of ethanol
per dry ton of mixed cellulosic waste feed
will be commercialized by BlueFire Ethanol Water
Solution
Lime
Acid recovery
Continuous
(Irvine, Calif.; www.bluefireethanol.com). Sugar solution fermentation
Sugars
The plant, to be built in Lancaster, Calif.,
will convert 130 dry ton/d of feed (post-sorted Chromatographic
municipal solid waste, including green waste) separation Yeast recycle
Gypsum
into 4-million gal/yr (about 12,000 gal/d) of
Ethanol
ethanol when it goes into production in the steam and plant power. About Distillation and dehydration beer
fall of 2010. It will mark the first commer- 98% of the acid and 100% of
cial use of a process developed by Arkenol, the sugars are recovered in a
Inc. (also of Irvine), although the process has simulated moving-bed chro- Ethanol product
been tested in three pilot plants. matographic separator. Acid Process
The process uses concentrated sulfuric is recycled and the sugars are water recycle
acid as a catalyst to transform cellulose and converted to ethanol by con-
hemicellulose feedstocks into glucose and tinuous fermentation, using yeast (conver-
(Continued from p. 12)
xylose (C6 and C5) sugars. The yield is 1.5–3 sion is 100% for C6 sugars and 20% for C5s).
times those of processes that use a combina- The sugars may also be converted to higher- on the other side. water from
tion of dilute sulfuric acid and enzymes for value products, using heterotrophic algae, the fresh side passes through
hydrolysis, says John Cuzens, senior vice- bacteria or fungi. the membrane due to the con-
president of BlueFire and a former principal Cuzens says the key elements of the pro- centration difference, thereby
with Arkenol. cess are the use of concentrated acid and of increasing the pressure on the
Coarsely ground feed is dried to less than chromatographic separation, which recovers brine side. This osmotic pres-
sure — equivalent to a 120-m
10% moisture, contacted with 75% concen- the acid rather than neutralizing it and dis-
column of water (about 12 bar)
trated acid, and cooked at about 85°C and posing of the waste. The Lancaster plant will — is then used to drive a tur-
ambient pressure for under 30 min. The have an operating cost of $1.50–2/gal (not in- bine for making electricity.
hydrolyzed C6 and C5 sugars and acid are cluding a $1.01/gal tax credit), he says, and a The company estimates the
then separated from lignin and other sol- full-scale plant of 50-million gal/yr will have global potential of osmotic
ids, which are used as boiler fuel for process an operating cost of below 80¢/gal. power at 1,600 to 1,700 Twh/
yr — equivalent to 50% of the
eU’s total power production.
corrosion inside boiler water tubes 250°C for other H2 probes. The system’s
(Continued from p. 15) rapid reaction to an increased corrosion rate
as weight-loss coupons, ultrasonic measure- was proved during a boiler shutdown, when Efficient Cl2 production
ment and other types of H2 probes is that the tubes were drained and cleaned with The oxygen-depolarized
it provides a realtime, online response. Also, inhibited hydrochloric acid. McKeen says cathode (oDC) of bayer
it can be operated at temperatures above CNER is now negotiating with a petroleum materialScience (bmS; le-
350°C, compared with a maximum of about company to do a test in a refinery. (Continues on p. 14)
The commercial debut for a process that makes ‘natural’ gas from coal
H aldor Topsøe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark;
www.topsoe.com) has signed a design
contract with an undisclosed client in
February 2007, p. 11) uses coal-derived
syngas (H2-to-CO ratio of slightly above
3), which has been passed through a
The reaction is performed in a reactor
with a very large DT and at the same
time with a technology preventing the
China for a new plant that will produce sulfur-tolerant shift and acid-gas re- formation of nickel carbonyl. The DT
substitute natural gas (SNG). When moval unit for removing H2S and excess ensures that heat can efficiently be re-
the plant comes on stream in 2011, it carbon (as CO2). In order to protect the covered from the exothermic reaction
will produce close to 180,000 Nm3/h of methanation catalyst — Topsøe’s nickel- and used for generating superheated,
SNG using Topsøe’s methanation pro- based MCR — from poisoning, the feed high-pressure steam. The cooled gas
cess, called TREMP. The plant will be is first passed through a sulfur guard then passes through two or three meth-
the first large-scale order for TREMP bed to remove traces of sulfur compo- anation reactors in series for complete
technology, says general manager Jens nents. Desulfurized feed is then mixed conversion. Products leaving the last re-
Perregaard, New Technologies, Tech- with recycle gas to control the maxi- actor are cooled and compressed to meet
nology Division. mum temperature rise and passed to pipeline specifications. The SNG is typi-
The Topsøe high-temperature metha- the first methanation reactor, where H2 cally 94–96 mol.% CH4, with a heating
nation process (for flowsheet, see CE, reacts with CO and CO2 to form CH4. value of 950–978 Btu/scf.
12 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com DeCember 2009

15. expanded solutions
Honeywell’s field solution portfolio keeps
getting bigger and bigger.
Reliable and cost-effective, we offer a constantly expanding
portfolio of field solutions to satisfy a broad range of your
process needs. From analytical sensors and transmitters, to
pressure and temperature transmitters, to flow and tank
gauging solutions, Honeywell offers many solutions. Honeywell’s collection of field solutions
let you tackle any job with ease to improve business performance.
To learn more about Honeywell field solutions, please call
1-877-466-3993 or visit www.honeywell.com/ps
© 2008 Honeywell International, Inc. All rights reserved.
Circle 11 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/23021-11

16. C hementato R
Sewage sludge
4% DM
Onsite incineration of sewage Dewatering
Flue gas Flue
sludge to be demonstrated Filtrate
Residue cleaning gas Stack
I ncineration is becoming the only via-
ble method for sewage sludge disposal
as landfilling or spreading sludge onto
Sludge Off gas
Flue gas
25% DM
farmland is no longer permitted in some Heat
countries. Today, sludge is commonly in- recovery
cinerated in large, centralized incinera- Buffer Combustion
Dryer Sludge Flue
tors or as an additive in coal-fired power storage 90% DM gas
plants or cement kilns. An alternative to
these costly and inconvenient options —
Air Future Preheated
small, localized incinerators — has been Ash combustion air
developed by Huber SE (Berching, Ger- phosphate
T
Hot air
G
many; www.huber.de), in cooperation Heat for drying
with partners in a three-year project
supported under the European Commis- Air
sion’s Life program. conveyed to a small furnace. The hot flu- reduction. Acid gases (such as SO2 and
The new incinerators are based on egas from the furnace passes through a HCl) are neutralized by lime addition,
Huber’s sludge2energy process (flow- heat recuperator that transfers the heat and remaining organic components are
sheet). Sludge is first pre-dried in a belt to compressed ambient air, which drives adsorbed by activated carbon.
dryer to a solids concentration of up to a micro gas turbine and electricity gen- Huber is designing the first sludge2en-
90% by blowing hot (90°C) air through erator. Even small systems can produce ergy demonstration plant for the Bavar-
the belts. The cooled air is reheated enough electricity and supply sufficient ian city of Straubing. This first plant
with heat recovered from the incinera- heat to run the entire process nearly au- will have a capacity to incinerate 2,200
tor and recirculated through the dryer. tothermally, says the firm. metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of dried
A slight underpressure is maintained in Formation of oxides of nitrogen are solids and will generate approximately
the dryer to prevent the release of air, prevented by staged combustion, fluegas 100 kW of electric power. Startup for the
vapors and odors. Dried sludge is then recirculation and selective, non-catalytic plant is planned for the end of 2010.
Using the sun to decontaminate wastewater (Continued from p. 12)
L ast month, a photocatalytic water-clean-
ing system that removes organic and
inorganic contaminants that are difficult
L of industrial wastewater, removing of all
oxidizable contamination in 2 h (given suit-
able weather conditions). The demonstration
verkusen, germany; www.
bayermaterialscience.com) will
be used to produce chlorine on
to breakdown from wastewater was inau- unit is able to completely clean the cooling an industrial scale. bmS is in
gurated at the German Aerospace Center water from the engine test facilities at the negotiations with Uhde gmbh
(DLR; Stuttgart; www.dlr.de) facility in DLR Institute of Space Propulsion, which (Dortmund, germany; www.
Lampildshausem. The so-called RayWOx is contaminated with rocket fuels and their uhde.biz) to build an oDC
system features a new type of solar receiver combustion products, such as hydrazine and plant scheduled to start up
consisting of glass pipes. Wastewater mixed its derivatives, and nitrite. in 2011. The oCD technology
(see CE, February 2001, pp.
with an iron salt — the iron ion serving as The hydrazine derivatives are slow to de-
31–35) enables electrolysis
photocatalyst — and hydrogen peroxide grade with previously applied ultraviolet to be performed at a lower
flows through the tubes until the absorbed (UV) oxidation technology, notes Christian voltage, thereby generating
solar radiation has decomposed the contam- Jung, a scientist at the DLR’s Institute for energy savings of up to 30%.
inants. In pilot trials, the RayWOx process Technical Thermodynamics. The UV reac- bmS has been using this tech-
has been shown to be effective for decon- tors consume large amounts of electrical nology to recover Cl2 from hCl,
taminating water containing pharmaceuti- energy — for powering lamps, and for fast and has been operating the
cal agents; X-ray contrast media and hor- pumping to dissipate waste heat — and UV largest hCl electrolysis plant at
mones as well as chlorinated hydrocarbons oxidation typically needs 2–3 times more its site in Shanghai since 2008
from contaminated groundwater; harmful oxidant (H2O2 and caroate), he adds. In con- (CE, october 2006, p. 16).
substances in exhaust-air scrubbing solu- trast, the oxidant requirement of the iron-
tions from textile manufacturing; and toxic catalyzed RayWOx process is close to the Direct polymerization
materials in municipal wastewater. theoretical demand, which saves 50–80% of last month, construction on
The system operating at Lampildshausem, the H2O2 required, he says. a production plant for thermo-
developed in collaboration with Hirschmann Modular construction of the RayWOx plastic methacrylate resin was
Laborgeräte GmbH (Eberstadt) and KACO technology makes is easy to install and well completed in Shanghai. The
facility will mark the commer-
new energy GmbH (Neckarsulm; www.kaco- suited to building systems of any desired size.
cial debut for the Continuous
newenergy.de), has a solar reactor 49-m long KACO new energy has commercialized the
and 470-cm wide and can clean about 4,500 technology under the RayWOx tradename. (Continues on p. 16)
14 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com DeCember 2009

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ution of ov
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k of sales a
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Dtomize or im
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ommunica
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Microsoft Dynamics CRM lifted a heaefficiently.”
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18. C hementato R
A bioleaching process moves
closer to commercialization
I n February 2009, Talvivaara Mining
Company Plc. (Espoo, Finland; www.
talvivaara.com) delivered its first in a
series of commercial shipments of met-
als to Norilsk Nickel Harjavalta refin-
ery in Finland. Talvivaara expanded
the crushing circuit and has restarted
the metals precipitation process in
September of 2009. Talvivaara expects
to continue its production ramp-up
targeted at eventually achieving up to
50,000 m.t./yr in nickel production in
2012 at the multi-metals ore deposit in
Sotkamo, Finland. The operations —
consisting of mining, crushing, leach-
ing and metals recovery — utilize a
bioleaching process developed in col-
laboration with several companies
and research institutions, including
Tampere University of Technology. Bi-
oleaching is said to be more environ-
mentally friendly for extracting met-
als than traditional smelting because
(Continued from p. 14)
it generates no gaseous emissions and
requires less energy. bient conditions are at –20°C. After the met- Direct Polymerization (CDP)
process of Evonik Industries AG
In the process (diagram), the crushed als are leached from the ore — which takes
(Essen, Germany; www.evonik.
ore is piled on a pad into 8-m-high stacks. about 1.5 yr — the metals can be recovered com), and will make products
Piping at the bottom of the heap supplies from the pregnant leaching solution by pre- used primarily as binders in the
aeration to the stacked ore. A leach solution, cipitation and filtration. coatings industry.
containing mesophilic and thermophilic bac- Pilot-scale leaching trials were conducted
teria indigenous to the region, is circulated with 110 m.t. of ore in 2005, followed by a Preventing biofims
through the stack from the top. As the bacte- 17,000-m.t. demonstration trial carried out
At last month’s Watec Confer-
ria oxidize large quantities of pyrrhotite and from 2005–2008. The commercial opera- ence (Tel Aviv, Israel), Yissum
pyrite, the exothermic reaction elevates the tion will process approximately 15-million Research Development Co.
temperature to over 50°C — even when am- m.t./yr of ore. of the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem Ltd. (Israel; www.
A Japanese push for bio-ETBE over bioethanol yissum.co.il) introduced an envi-
ronmentally friendly method for
L ast month, Nippon Oil Corp. (Tokyo, lion L/yr. The facility uses 40-million L/yr preventing biofilm. The patented
Japan; www.eneos.co.jp) started produc- of bioethanol — produced at Hokkaido and method, which was developed
tion bio-ETBE (ethyl tertiary butyl ether), imported from Brazil — and 70-million L/yr at Hebrew University, uses het-
erocyclic compounds that disrupt
which will be blended into gasoline as an of FCC-based iso-butene.
cell-to-cell communication (quo-
alternative to ethanol as an oxygenate. The benefits of blending ETBE instead of rum sensing), thereby interfering
Nippon Petroleum Refining Co., a subsid- ethanol outweigh the increased complexity with the formation of biofilms.
iary of Nippon Oil, inaugurated the facil- of ETBE production, says Nippon Oil. For The compounds can be ap-
ity at its Negishi Oil Factory at Kanagawa example, gasoline with more than 3% etha- plied as non-leaching polymer
Prefecture, Japan, on October 26. Nippon nol is corrosive and leads to a higher vapor coatings on pipes, filters, mem-
Oil is planning to mix bio-ETBE with regu- pressure. Also, ethanol must be blended at branes, air-conditioning ducts
lar gasoline, which will be sold at 1,000 of the point of distribution to prevent water and other surfaces, and are
its service stations in Tokyo. contamination and phase separation. ETBE effective against both fungal
Bio-ETBE is made by the catalytic reac- does not have these problems. and bacterial biofilms. Potential
applications include municipal
tion of bioethanol with iso-butene derived The Japanese petroleum-refining industry
and industrial water pipes, ir-
from the company’s fluid catalytic cracking aims to market 840-million L/yr of gasoline rigation pipelines, paper making
(FCC) unit. Nippon Oil modified its exist- with bio-ETBE (corresponding to 360-mil- machines, and desalination and
ing production facility for ETBE, and es- lion L/yr of bioethanol) starting with the fis- water-recycling processes. ❏
tablished a production capacity of 100-mil- cal year April 2010. ■
16 CHEmICAL EnGInEERInG WWW.CHE.Com DECEmbER 2009

19. Lucite International
cover story
40th KirKpatricK
award announced
2009 Board of Judges
Klavs S. Jensen, MIT
Norman J. Wagner, University of Delaware
Tom Spicer, University of Arkansas
Michael D. Graham, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Seven companies are honored T.J. Lakis Mountziaris, University of Massachusetts
Jean-Claude Charpentier,
for innovation in chemical engineering President European Federation of Chemical Engineers,
Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine, France
L
ast month at the Chem Show, www.uhde.biz), for a jointly developed ACH process uses toxic and corrosive
Chemical Engineering (CE) had process for the production of PO via chemicals and the MMA production is
the pleasure of honoring this hydrogen peroxide; Solvay S.A. (Brus- generally limited by the availability of
year’s finalists and the winner sels, Belgium; www.solvay.com), for its HCN as a byproduct from acrylonitrile
of the 2009 Kirkpatrick Chemical Epicerol process for making epichloro- production. The selectivity, based on
Engineering Achievement Award, a hydrin; and to DuPont (Wilmington, acetone, is 85–90%.
biennial prize that the magazine has Del.; www.dupont.com), for Cerenol In Asia alongside the ACH process
bestowed continuously since the early — a new family of renewably sourced, is the so-called C4 process, whereby
1930s (for more, see CE, January 2009, high-performance polyether glycols. isobutene is extracted from cracker-
p.19) The award recognizes the most intermediate streams, then oxidized
noteworthy chemical engineering Lucite’s Winning in two stages into methacrylic acid
technology commercialized anywhere Achievement (MAA). The MAA is then esterified
in the world during 2007 or 2008. A new route to MMA into MMA. Although the C4 process is
CE presented the top prize to Lu- Two existing processes dominate the simpler that the ACH process, it has a
cite International UK Ltd. (Wilton, manufacture of MMA. In the original very low selectivity (about 70% of the
U.K.; www.lucite.com) for its Alpha ACH process — still the predomi- isobutene is converted to MMA) and
process for making methyl methacry- nant process in Europe and the U.S. scale is limited by the design of the
late (MMA). Honor awards were also — hydrogen cyanide and acetone are oxidation reactors and feedstock avail-
presented to: The Dow Chemical Co. reacted to form cyanohydrin, which ability to approximately 80,000 metric
(Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) and is then isomerized in the presence of tons (m.t.) per year.
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; 100% sulfuric acid to methacrylamide The Alpha process developed from
www.basf.com), for a jointly devel- sulfate. This is reacted with methanol a need identified by the then ICI (Im-
oped process for the production of to yield MMA and ammonium hydro- perial Chemical Industries) board to
propylene oxide (PO) via hydrogen gen sulfate, which can either be con- escape from the straitjackets of high
peroxide (HPPO); Evonik Industries verted to ammonium sulfate fertilizer capital and variable cost plants and
AG (Essen; www.evonik.de) and Uhde or incinerated to SO2 with subsequent limited scale of production, all of which
GmbH (Dortmund, both Germany; conversion back to sulfuric acid. The were believed to have held back MMA
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com DeCember 2009 17