Dryer Selection and Bulk Solids Handling
Photo by Alexandre Debiève on Unsplash Solids handling is not a unit operation. Therefore, it’s not covered in engineering courses. This leaves process engineers struggling to understand the “flowability” of bulk solids. This blind spot is huge. So, let’s talk about dryer selection and bulk solids handling. Recently in The Chemical Engineer, Grant Wellwood described bulk solids handling as the biggest industrial activity on the planet. The article estimated “that >70% of everything we use or…
What We Learn from Baseball Data
Photo by Joshua Peacock on Unsplash Readers of my blog, know that I am a big baseball fan and now-retired player due to a bad-hop broken nose years ago. Golf is generally much safer. If you look back, you can see my blogs about juiced baseballs, Moneyball and baseball in Japan. I also write a lot about safety at chemical plants. So, here we go again…let’s talk about baseball data and safety. This season there has been a lot of talk about foul balls striking and injuring fans and…
Troubleshooting Filter Aids and Filtration Systems
Filter aid pretreatment can improve filtration properties and efficient removal of fine solids. Whether the filter aids are used in Plate-and-frame filter presses, horizontal and vertical pressure leaf filters, candle or tubular filters, Nutsche filters, or rotary vacuum drum filters, these practical tips can help this part of the process run smoothly. We typically see diatomite, perlite and cellulose filter aids today. They meet the requirements of a filter aid in that they: Consist of rigid,…
Summer Workplace Safety & Testing Assumptions
Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash Summer is here! That means swimming, barbecues, and watermelon. I’ve got to admit, though, I’ll be looking at watermelons a lot differently this season. Recently, I came across a Black & Veatch video illustrating the importance of wearing your hardhat. They did it by demonstrating structural bolt falling from 20 and 30 feet onto a watermelon. While physics is not my primary background, I thought it would be interesting to share Rhett Allain’s…
Chemical Engineers & Our Superstitions
Photo by Emmeli M on Unsplash Superstitions surround us: Touching wood? Carrying a rabbit’s foot? Collecting lucky pennies? Not stepping on any cracks? The list goes on and on. On one of my many chemical filtration business trips (many people have superstitions making flights safer), I read an interesting article on superstitions in the Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) Magazine. Six luminaries from different walks of life — photography, acting, cooking, writing, directing and music — weighed in.…