Activity

  • Safe, Reliable and Accurate Loading and Unloading Operations

    Jim Cahill
    Loading and unloading operations for chemical producers must be performed safely, reliably, and accurately. I caught up with Emerson’s Martin McDonough on ways to mitigate risks and improve operational performance. These operations can be some of the highest-risk operations within a facility and account for as much as 80% of transport-related incidents. In addition to mitigating risks to personnel and the environment…

  • Advancing a Plastics Manufacturing Circular Economy

    Jim Cahill
    We’ve all seen images of plastic trash floating in the oceans and huge landfill locations. A lot of work is going into how to recycle this waste to drive greater sustainability. In a ControlGlobal.com article, Automation enables a circular economy for plastic recycling , Emerson’s Don Fregelette highlights the role of automation in “creating a sustainable solution for plastic trash by improving manufacturing processes…

  • Improving Maintenance and Monitoring to Advance Sustainability Programs

    Jim Cahill
    Click to enlarge If you were to ask most people in the chemical processing industry about the kinds of steps necessary to support sustainability efforts, you’d likely get a variety of complex answers citing alternate energy sources, rethinking supply chains, and suggesting major changes to processes. These may all be valid, but let’s suggest something very practical, and doable right now: tightening up plant maintenance…

  • Achieving Repeatable Golden Batches

    Jim Cahill
    The term “golden batch” describes the ideal batch production against which all other produced batches are compared. I caught up with Emerson’s Martin McDonough about how this concept applies to chemical manufacturers with batch production processes. Martin shared some industry statistics with me. Many of these chemical manufacturers operate with a “Right-First-Time” metric between 40-70%. The bad batches increase cycle…

  • Digital Solutions for Driving More Sustainable Production

    Jim Cahill
    At the EHS (Environmental, Health & Safety) Seminar , Emerson’s Michael Machuca presented Digital Solutions to Achieve Your Sustainability and Decarbonization Goals. This conference focuses on companies within the petrochemical industry. Michael opened his presentation by citing that 37% of U.S. manufacturing energy consumption is by the chemical industry. In an analysis by Worley, opportunities to drive more sustainable…

  • 4 reasons why radar level is superior to ultrasonic level technology

    Jim Cahill
    4 reasons why radar level is superior to ultrasonic level technology: Radar and ultrasonic level measurements are both widely used in industrial and environmental applications for measuring the level of liquids and solids in lift stations, tanks, and open channel flows. Both technologies work on the principle of measuring the time of flight between the transmission of the signal and its reflection from the surface…

  • Master Liquid Storage Operations with Digital Twin Technology

    Jim Cahill
    Competing in the modern, competitive liquid storage market means keeping customers happy, a task that is difficult to accomplish using a traditional model of terminal operation. Efficiency is the name of the game, and most terminals today simply don’t have access to the high numbers of experienced personnel necessary to stay competitive. However, as Ryan Thompson explains in his recent article in Tanks & Terminals …

  • Navigate Uncharted Territory with Industrial Software

    Jim Cahill
    The hydrocarbon industry is rapidly evolving, adapting to support new product demand, increased focus on sustainability , and an increasing need for flexibility. As a result, hydrocarbon process manufacturers have needed to dramatically change the toolbox they employ to support their operations. As Dustin Beebe and Monil Malhotra explain in their recent article in Hydrocarbon Engineering magazine, hydrocarbon manufacturers…

  • Three Strategies to Implement More Cybersecure Pipeline Operations

    Jim Cahill
    Managing the cybersecurity of thousands of miles of pipelines can be difficult for even the largest teams. It used to be safe to assume that pipelines would fly under the radar for cyberattacks. Even though they are a critical infrastructure element, they weren’t something hackers focused on. However, a recent series of high-profile attacks on pipeline infrastructure has changed that outlook, and today, the organizations…

  • Three Strategies to Implement More Cybersecure Pipeline Operations

    Jim Cahill
    Managing the cybersecurity of thousands of miles of pipelines can be difficult for even the largest teams. It used to be safe to assume that pipelines would fly under the radar for cyberattacks. Even though they are a critical infrastructure element, they weren’t something hackers focused on. However, a recent series of high-profile attacks on pipeline infrastructure has changed that outlook, and today, the organizations…

  • Pick the Right Control Valves for Ethylene Service

    Jim Cahill
    Matthew Wagner , Emerson Flow Products Chemical Industry Manager recently published an article in the August 2022 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering. It is titled “ Control Valve Selection for Ethylene Plants ,” and it describes how to choose the right combination of valve style, trim type, materials of construction, and digital positioners for critical valve application in an ethylene unit. A summary of the article follows…

  • Pick the Right Control Valves for Ethylene Service

    Jim Cahill
    Matthew Wagner , Emerson Flow Products Chemical Industry Manager recently published an article in the August 2022 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering. It is titled “ Control Valve Selection for Ethylene Plants ,” and it describes how to choose the right combination of valve style, trim type, materials of construction, and digital positioners for critical valve application in an ethylene unit. A summary of the article follows…

  • Optimise Plant Performance in Chemical Facilities Using Continuous Integrity Monitoring

    Jim Cahill
    Rosemount ET310C The demand for corrosion management in chemical facilities has increased because of the high risk of corrosion and the severity of events, which could harm life. Corrosivity can be significantly impacted by even little changes to the process. Asset integrity may suffer from changes in flow rates or product specifications and, if left unchecked, could cause unplanned outages and under-utilisation of…

  • Optimise Plant Performance in Chemical Facilities Using Continuous Integrity Monitoring

    Jim Cahill
    Rosemount ET310C The demand for corrosion management in chemical facilities has increased because of the high risk of corrosion and the severity of events, which could harm life. Corrosivity can be significantly impacted by even little changes to the process. Asset integrity may suffer from changes in flow rates or product specifications and, if left unchecked, could cause unplanned outages and under-utilisation of…

  • Ideal Temperature Measurement for Ammonia Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Temperature measurement and monitoring is critical to synthesize ammonia for nitrogen fertilizer production. Growers usually use nitrogen-based fertilizers to supplement the soil and improve crop quality and yields. The United States alone consumes 11.8 million tons of nitrogen-based fertilizers annually. Ammonia (NH 3 ) can be used directly as a fertilizer, or as feedstock to produce other forms of fertilizers such…

  • Ideal Temperature Measurement for Ammonia Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Temperature measurement and monitoring is critical to synthesize ammonia for nitrogen fertilizer production. Growers usually use nitrogen-based fertilizers to supplement the soil and improve crop quality and yields. The United States alone consumes 11.8 million tons of nitrogen-based fertilizers annually. Ammonia (NH 3 ) can be used directly as a fertilizer, or as feedstock to produce other forms of fertilizers such…

  • PAT in the Chemical Industry: The Effectiveness of Analyzers

    Jim Cahill
    For those who have never worked in the pharmaceutical industry, the term PAT (process analytical technology) may be unfamiliar. It describes an effort between pharmaceutical manufacturers and the FDA, started some 20 years ago, to establish procedures so those companies could have greater flexibility when making changes to validated production processes. Rather than simply following a fixed recipe and testing at the end…

  • PAT in the Chemical Industry: The Effectiveness of Analyzers

    Jim Cahill
    For those who have never worked in the pharmaceutical industry, the term PAT (process analytical technology) may be unfamiliar. It describes an effort between pharmaceutical manufacturers and the FDA, started some 20 years ago, to establish procedures so those companies could have greater flexibility when making changes to validated production processes. Rather than simply following a fixed recipe and testing at the end…

  • Avoid the Misconceptions Leading to Poor Alarm Management

    Jim Cahill
    In today’s manufacturing environment, where fewer experienced people are running the plant, well-designed alarm strategies are more important than ever. A timely, clear, accurate alarm—one that is not buried in an alarm flood—can mean the difference between safe operation through a process aberration or a disaster that impacts safety or creates an environmental incident. Plant operators know the importance of good alarm…

  • Avoid the Misconceptions Leading to Poor Alarm Management

    Jim Cahill
    In today’s manufacturing environment, where fewer experienced people are running the plant, well-designed alarm strategies are more important than ever. A timely, clear, accurate alarm—one that is not buried in an alarm flood—can mean the difference between safe operation through a process aberration or a disaster that impacts safety or creates an environmental incident. Plant operators know the importance of good alarm…

  • Building a Portfolio of Sustainability

    Jim Cahill
    I joined a breakout session at the 2022 ARC Industry Forum, Building a Portfolio for Sustainability , hosted by ARC Advisory Group’s Peter Reynolds . Included in the panel accompanying this session was AspenTech’s Paige Morse . Here is the description of this session: The energy transition and move toward a circular economy is causing investors, energy, and chemicals companies to re-align capital, priorities, and projects…

  • Building a Portfolio of Sustainability

    Jim Cahill
    I joined a breakout session at the 2022 ARC Industry Forum, Building a Portfolio for Sustainability , hosted by ARC Advisory Group’s Peter Reynolds . Included in the panel accompanying this session was AspenTech’s Paige Morse . Here is the description of this session: The energy transition and move toward a circular economy is causing investors, energy, and chemicals companies to re-align capital, priorities, and projects…

  • How High-Temperature Tolerant Flue Gas Analyzers Simplify Continuous Emissions Monitoring

    Jim Cahill
    In a Chemical Processing article , David and Katherine look at how new gas analyzer technologies optimize emissions monitoring in chemical plants and refineries. It is difficult to find a process industry application that doesn’t burn some kind of fuel to generate heat. And where there’s combustion, environmental regulators won’t be far behind because industrial-scale fired heaters, boilers, and other processes invariably…

  • Improving Quality in Midstream Lithium Production

    Jim Cahill
    In an earlier post, Solving Battery Production Growth Challenges , we touched on the upstream, midstream, and downstream production from lithium mining to lithium battery production. Today, we’ll focus on the midstream production process. Again, Sung Heon Lee and I collaborated on the content of this post. The midstream part of the lithium value chain involves manufacturing the Cathode, Anode, Electrolyte, and Separator…

  • Improving Quality in Midstream Lithium Production

    Jim Cahill
    In an earlier post, Solving Battery Production Growth Challenges , we touched on the upstream, midstream, and downstream production from lithium mining to lithium battery production. Today, we’ll focus on the midstream production process. Again, Sung Heon Lee and I collaborated on the content of this post. The midstream part of the lithium value chain involves manufacturing the Cathode, Anode, Electrolyte, and Separator…

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