Chemical Industry Blog

Reducing Chemical Over‑Injection and CapEx Through Control‑Grade Injection Strategies

Jim Cahill — Wed, 06 May 2026 13:00:48 GMT

In upstream Oil & Gas operations, chemical injection is one of those critical processes that rarely gets much attention—until something goes wrong. Corrosion, scale formation, and flow assurance issues can quickly turn into costly production disruptions, safety risks, and unplanned maintenance. As a result, many operators take a conservative approach: inject more chemical than necessary […]

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Turning Flow Data into Operational Advantage: Inside the Micro Motion™︎ Coriolis Transmitter Portfolio

Jim Cahill — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:00:49 GMT

Across industries—from chemical and energy to life sciences—operators are being asked to do more with less. Processes must run reliably, systems must integrate smoothly, and regulatory expectations continue to rise. At the same time, traditional approaches to flow measurement verification often introduce downtime, site visits, and uncertainty that teams can’t afford. As product managers for […]

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4 reasons why radar level sensors are superior to ultrasonic level devices

Jim Cahill — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:14:49 GMT

4 reasons why radar level sensors are 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 post 4 reasons why radar level sensors are superior to ultrasonic level devices appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Final Control Innovations for European Chemical Producers’ Net-Zero Goals

Jim Cahill — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:30:20 GMT

Competitiveness requires the ability to offset higher energy costs and additional regulatory requirements on the path to Net-Zero. Valve selection and lifecycle management play a significant role in operating these production processes with higher availability, greater reliability, and lower emissions.

The post Final Control Innovations for European Chemical Producers’ Net-Zero Goals appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Measuring an Unseen Danger: Real-Time Corrosion Monitoring Warns of Metal Loss, Before it’s Too Late

Jim Cahill — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:00:14 GMT

Owners and restorers of old cars know that blistering paint on a door or fender is a tell-tale sign that rust has penetrated through the metal and a hole will soon form. Industrial maintenance teams also look for signs of corrosion, but often they aren’t visible until it’s too late. There are various ways to […]

The post Measuring an Unseen Danger: Real-Time Corrosion Monitoring Warns of Metal Loss, Before it’s Too Late appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Measuring an Unseen Danger: Real-Time Corrosion Monitoring Warns of Metal Loss, Before it’s Too Late

Jim Cahill — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:00:14 GMT

The post Measuring an Unseen Danger: Real-Time Corrosion Monitoring Warns of Metal Loss, Before it’s Too Late appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Emerson Delivers A Process Gas Analytical Solution for the World’s Largest Blue Ammonia Plant

Jim Cahill — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 04:00:50 GMT

Emerson recently delivered a fully engineered analyzer house solution to support gas analysis applications at the world’s largest blue ammonia facility, setting a new benchmark for integration, performance, project certainty, and customer collaboration. Tackling Complexity with Confidence As the global energy landscape shifts toward low-carbon innovation, precision and reliability in process analytics have never been […]

The post Emerson Delivers A Process Gas Analytical Solution for the World’s Largest Blue Ammonia Plant appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

How Measurement Instrumentation Enables the Future of Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Jim Cahill — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 02:00:35 GMT

As governments, industries, and investors converge on net-zero strategies, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) has emerged as a necessary tool—not just to limit future emissions, but to actively remove and store existing CO₂ for the long term so it no longer poses a threat. However, scaling CCS from promising pilots to global infrastructure hinges on […]

The post How Measurement Instrumentation Enables the Future of Carbon Capture and Sequestration appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Designing for Reliability: Engineered Solution in Powder Discharge Systems Podcast

Jim Cahill — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:23:22 GMT

Polyethylene and polypropylene are polymer plastics that are widely used in packaging applications. Powder discharge systems handle polyethylene and polypropylene powders during the discharge process. The valves used in this process are challenged due to high-speed requirements, frequent cycling, and the abrasive and intrusive presence of the powder particles.

In this episode, Emerson’s Ashwin Kannan joins me to discuss the requirements for ball valves in this application, focusing on achieving tight sealing and ensuring long service life.

Give the podcast a listen and visit the Powder Discharge System Valves section on Emerson.com to learn more about driving reliable and efficient operations.

Transcript

Jim: Hi, everyone. I’m Jim Cahill, and this is another “Emerson Automation Experts” podcast. Today, I’m joined by Ashwin Kannan to discuss the challenges for valves used in polyethylene and polypropylene production processes. Welcome, Ashwin.

Ashwin: Hey, thanks, Jim. Nice to be on the podcast.

Jim: Well, it’s great to have you joining us and sharing some of your expertise with our listeners. Let’s get started. Could you please introduce yourself and provide some details about your background?

Ashwin: Sure thing, Jim. For all of you who’s listening to this podcast, I’m Ashwin Kannan. I’m the global product manager for the process ball valves, which is a brand which we have, Emerson KTM. This is a key product that is used in the product discharge systems. And in my role, I have an opportunity to meet most of the end users in the polyethylene and polypropylene business and understand their endpoints and give solutions to them. And that’s one of my primary roles in this company.

Jim: Well, those are some very important products in the world we live in today. So can you tell us about the production process for polyethylene and polypropylene?

Ashwin: Sure. So polyethylene and polypropylene are probably everywhere in the day-to-day objects that we touch and feel, right, from all the packaging foodstuffs that we get up in the morning and touch to all the plastics in the cars and whatever we see that is plastics everywhere. So polyethylene and polypropylene are mostly used in packaging industry and also in automobile industry. So these are pretty critical components that we really need in our everyday. And these are produced from the basic components of ethylene and propylene. And there is a polymerization happens with the ethylene and propylene, and based on which, these are produced.

Jim: Okay. Yeah, it seems like it’s throughout our world and very important products that are made there. Now, understandably, I can imagine that most valves don’t survive in this application. It’s a very difficult application. What are some of the most common failure modes?

Ashwin: So if you look at the polyethylene and polypropylene, when they produce, they are coagulated stuff, very semi-solid. But as soon as the heat is lost in the process in the reactor, it becomes solidified. And they go through a series of isolation valves, especially the ball valves that we have. And these are going to be very damaging. And there are different kinds of processes involved in it. One of the process is a gas-based process in which the polyethylene and polypropylene are produced. And in this process, there is no lubricating media. And so if there is a metal-seated ball valve that handles without any lubricating medium, it’s going to be an abrasive process that the valve have to go through. So the abrasiveness of this media is one of the challenges that a valve manufacturer has to handle.

Apart from this, the process itself is very fast-acting and high-frequency application. So when I say fast-acting, it is less than one second per inch of a valve. So that means it’s very, very fast for a valve. And if I take frequency of operations, it might go up to about 600 cycles per day to anywhere between 200 to 600. That’s how the end users operate these valves per day. So it’s very, very highly frequently operated. So you have abrasiveness, you have high cycle and high frequency, and then you have high reliable amount of time that this valve needs to operate. So all this put together, you will see that the challenges that this valve can have, and most common mode of failures that we see in the sites is if there is less engineering work that goes inside, it’s pretty difficult for it to really work on the abrasiveness.

Jim: Okay, so it sounds like it’s a very challenging application for valves, but why does this application matter for the overall performance of a plant?

Ashwin: A good question, sure, Jim. So if you look into the polyethylene and polypropylene production process, these are some of the valves that come at the very last of the back end of the production of the polyethylene and polypropylene process, especially the powder discharge system valves. That’s more critical because that’s where the other customers, Emerson customers actually produce the end product, right? So these are the valves that actually take care of the end product itself. And what happens after these valves downstream of this is that the polymers just add some additives, and then it is pelletized and it is backed. So it’s almost a penultimate process of our customers. So if anything goes wrong in these valves, the customers have to answer to their customers because they have commitment on their deliveries. So any failure of this equipment is going to cost a lot of money to our customers.

And the ethylene, which is a key feedstock for this, is also not available cheap because as you know, the basic building block of ethylene is not really a chemical that you can get it as a byproduct for refinery. You would have to crack it from ethane or naphtha. So a huge amount of process or investment happen for the feedstocks to be produced. So any batch process that has been produced and we are not able to get the right quality because of our equipment failure, we are talking about millions of dollars that has been lost to customers, so to our customers. So it is very, very critical for these equipment to work reliably.

Jim: Well, you certainly described a very high-stakes situation since it comes at the end right before product is ready to be finished and sent off to customers. So yeah, I can understand how critical that is. I guess since it’s a critical application and also very challenging for the valves, what do we do as Emerson to help our customers solve this challenge?

Ashwin: Yeah, it’s a good question. So if you look at it from Emerson solution point of view on this critical applications, we don’t approach this as a valve issue, right? So we, as Emerson, having all the solution integrated and we talk about this as a solution to the customers right from the valve, the actuator, the actuation part of it, which is the mounting bracket and all the accessories that comes off it, because imagine these valves are actually vertically mounted in a 200-foot tower, right? So it’s high up in the air. So if there is an equipment failure, the end user has to arrange for a plane or an equipment, needless to say that they have to do a lot of arrangement prior to this for safety and all the stuff. So getting a valve out of the system itself is a major task.

So from Emerson point of view, we don’t think that it is a valve issue. We think that it is a complete solution that we have to give because if you just go back a couple of questions back, I mentioned this has to work for a reliable amount of time, like reliably work for a long amount of time, say about three years without any failures. So there’s just more of working off our valves for a longer period of time. So these are automated valves. So valve, actuator and all accessories need to work reliably for this amount of length of time. So we have engineered these valves and actuators to handle that million cycle times for within the three years. So that’s the engineering product that we have done.

Jim: Yeah, let’s dig into that a little bit. So, you describe this, it’s a very abrasive process. How exactly does the Emerson KTM valve solution prevent this powder ingress and component wear to get these multi years of service?

Ashwin: Sure. So if you look into the structure, so basically we said we have about a valve and an actuator and all the accessories inside this. So let’s break it down and for the valve component, which actually takes the complete media of the polyethylene and the polypropylene, basically we are going to talk about three areas, right, where the common mode of failures of metal-seated valve happens. One is between the ball and the seat. That’s where we have a scraper seat design. So basically the scraper helps to move away the powder, which is deposited on the ball side. So as a wiper on a bin screen, garbage bin, right? So it removes the powder so that there is no powder getting in between the ball and seat and that will prevent the abrasive or failure of the ball and seat. So the scraper helps us to scrape off all the powder deposited on the ball.

And then we talk about, since these are trunnion-mounted ball valves, they have a spring to assist the seat to be preloaded onto the ball. So the spring is a very, very critical component in a trunnion-mounted ball valve. So we need to ensure that the spring is also protected because in one of these processes is unreactive gases is also inside these downstream of these reactors. So these unreactive gases can go inside these small spring chambers in our valves and they can actually polymerize inside the spring chamber and can effectively make the valve fail immediately, right? So for us, a dust-proofing of the spring chamber is more critical, right? So we protect these spring chambers by providing dust proof. So we have the scraper seats on the ball-to-seat contact area and we have a dust-proofing on the spring chamber on the body-to seat area.

And then we have dust-proofing on the stem area because if you look at it, these are gas phase processes mostly and we need to be cognizant about the fugitive emission, right? So the packing in our design is actually triple layers of protection that we have done. One layer of protection is the dust-proofing on the stem. The other one is we have a couple of O-rings on the stem and then we have a double packing system, which is top. So the packing is way above high. So there’s three layers of protection until the end user actually sees a failure of packing in our design. So we make our valve design so robust enough that it can handle the abrasiveness and then go for a high wear-and-tear long with the other valve.

Jim: Yeah, I recall seeing something how, given all these protections in there, testing was done like over 2 million cycles just to verify that it operates robustly because it’s in, I guess, a high-use application where it’s cycling all the time. Let’s talk about that, the 2 million cycles, and particularly in this kind of application. How did you do that?

Ashwin: Good. So when we started the introduction, so we have been supplying our powder to start system valve since 1990. And in 2011, around that time, we introduced a new technology in our dust-proofing. We moved from the O-ring design to go to a quad-seal type of design, which is having much more sealing points than an O-ring. So when we introduced this quad seal, which is a new technology at the point of time, we wanted to actually do a design validation of this new input process, right? So what we have done is we put our valve into a testing for a series of testing. So we packed our valve with polypropylene powder inside it and then we just simulated it as if the valve would be actually going through the process in an actual live process, right? So if we just put an add inside it and then have the whole valve packed, including the cavity area with polypropylene powders, and then we cycled the valve for about a million cycles when we started this introduction of the quad seal in Japan.

And in 2020, when we actually moved the product from Japan to China, when we did the whole localization of the product in China factory, we also want to ensure that it is having a reliable nature, that we have moved the product from one manufacturing location to another, but this time instead of doing 1 million cycles, we also actually were pushed the boundary to see whether if our valve can be worth enough to go to 2 million cycles. So we pushed our valve to 2 million cycles and we have a fantastic results, phenomenal results. When we open up the valve, we could see the powder doesn’t have any deposition on the seat contact area. So that means our scraper seats are working pretty much that we wanted it work to be. And if you look at it, the spring chambers are completely devoid of any powder. So that means our dust-proofing, which I was telling before, is also perfectly working fine with the quad-seal technology. So that’s where we actually prove the world that our valve, we just don’t only brag about our design, we actually have done some lab testing to be credible about it in front of the customer.

Jim: Wow. So it sounds like as a result of all this testing that I guess the customers you’re working with are seeing the benefits of this technology. Is that right, they seeing the benefits today?

Ashwin: Yes, of course, right? So since 1990s, we have been supplying. So that tells that some of our customers are still using our PDS valves since 1990s, and they are still getting the benefit of it. And we have numerous installations across the globe, like about 100 reactors around the polyethylene, polypropylene plant are using Emerson KTM valves in the powder discharge systems and working pretty much well.

Jim: So I guess for the polyethylene and polypropylene producers that are coming upon and listening to the podcast, and then they’re considering powder discharge valve technology, what advice would you have to give them?

Ashwin: If any of the things that the challenges to what I told, if the plant…if you’re a plant manager or a maintenance manager or maintenance engineer, if you’re having any kind of problems which I’ve mentioned and you’re struggling to get a solution, please reach out to one of the Emerson sales associate. I think we will be able to assist you in getting the solutions pretty quickly.

Jim: That’s great. And I guess as we start to wind the podcast down, what are you seeing in the industry that you think is worth sharing with these producers that may be listening to the podcast?

Ashwin: So some of the things, the trends that I see is the polyethylene and polypropylene industry are having a huge demand rise in the Asia Pacific region and the Middle East region. So you would see a lot of projects that is coming up in this part of the world in the Asia Pacific region, especially India and China that we see. And what I see is a trend that, in the past, like when we started supplying the valves in 1990s, the largest size of a previous valve would have been an 8-inch valve. Then that has gone to a 10-inch, a 12-inch, and nowadays it has been pushed to 16-inch. So I’m also seeing the trend that it goes to 18-inch. So all it tells us, as the capacity or the demand increases, the capacity increases, and some of the designs needs larger size previous application valves. That’s true.

Jim: And it sounds like based on the technology and what we’re doing to mitigate the issues with powder, scaling up hasn’t been an issue in all that, I suppose.

Ashwin: Not at all, not at all.

Jim: Oh, that’s great. And I guess this has been a great discussion here. Where can our listeners go to learn more?

Ashwin: I would suggest them to go to the Emerson.com and there is a powder discharge and landing page that you can go into. So that’s where most of our materials would be. And yeah, that’s where they go and call any of our representatives to get more details on the powder discharge system valves.

Jim: And I’ll add hyperlinks to that page for people to be able to get there easily in there. Well, Ashwin, I wanna thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your expertise with our listeners. Thank you so much.

Ashwin: Thanks, Jim. It’s been my pleasure. And coming on this podcast and sharing my knowledge with the other fellow colleagues in Emerson and to the plant users outside.

-End of transcript-

The post Designing for Reliability: Engineered Solution in Power Discharge Systems Podcast appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Designing for Reliability: Engineered Solution in Powder Discharge Systems Podcast

Jim Cahill — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:23:15 GMT

In this episode, Emerson’s Ashwin Kannan joins me to discuss the requirements for ball valves in this application, focusing on achieving tight sealing and ensuring long service life.

Give the podcast a listen and visit the Powder Discharge System Valves section on Emerson.com to learn more about driving reliable and efficient operations.

Transcript

Ashwin: Hey, thanks, Jim. Nice to be on the podcast.

Jim: Well, those are some very important products in the world we live in today. So can you tell us about the production process for polyethylene and polypropylene?

Jim: Okay, so it sounds like it’s a very challenging application for valves, but why does this application matter for the overall performance of a plant?

Jim: And it sounds like based on the technology and what we’re doing to mitigate the issues with powder, scaling up hasn’t been an issue in all that, I suppose.

Ashwin: Not at all, not at all.

Jim: Oh, that’s great. And I guess this has been a great discussion here. Where can our listeners go to learn more?

Ashwin: Thanks, Jim. It’s been my pleasure. And coming on this podcast and sharing my knowledge with the other fellow colleagues in Emerson and to the plant users outside.

-End of transcript-

The post Designing for Reliability: Engineered Solution in Powder Discharge Systems Podcast appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Raising the Bar for Flow Measurement: My Conversation on Control Amplified

Jim Cahill — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 03:00:52 GMT

Flow measurement may not always make headlines, but for industries like oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, and life sciences, it’s the cornerstone of operational excellence. I recently had the pleasure of joining Len Vermillion on the Control Amplified podcast to talk about how Emerson’s Micro Motion™ ELITE™ Coriolis flow meters are redefining what’s possible in this space.

Listen to the episode here.

Precision That Powers Performance

In our conversation, I shared how ELITE™ flow meters deliver unmatched accuracy and reliability even in the most demanding environments. Whether it’s ultra-cryogenic temperatures, high-pressure conditions, or complex multiphase flows, these meters are built to perform. They’re not just instruments, they’re precision tools that help our customers reduce waste, optimize processes, and ensure consistent product quality.

Smart Diagnostics, Seamless Integration

One of the standout features we discussed is Smart Meter Verification. This built-in diagnostic tool allows users to verify meter health without interrupting operations. It’s a game-changer for reducing calibration costs and avoiding unplanned downtime.

And with enhanced connectivity, ELITE flow meters support digital transformation by enabling real-time data access, remote diagnostics, and predictive maintenance. It’s all about empowering smarter, faster decisions.

Versatility Across Industries

From corrosive chemicals to delicate biopharmaceuticals, ELITE flow meters handle a wide range of fluids with ease. Their certifications—including NTEP, MID, and OIML—make them ideal for regulated environments like custody transfer and pharmaceutical dosing.

Installation is also simplified thanks to an optimized sensor design that eliminates straight pipe requirements and minimizes flow disturbances. For OEMs and system integrators, this means faster deployment and fewer headaches.

Better Measurement, Better Business

Ultimately, investing in ELITE flow meters isn’t just about technical specs—it’s about business outcomes. Improved accuracy leads to cost savings, reduced rework, and higher productivity. And with Emerson’s legacy of innovation behind them, ELITE flow meters are helping shape the future of flow measurement.

If you’re curious about how advanced flow measurement can elevate your operations, I invite you to tune in to the episode. It’s a great overview of how Emerson is raising the bar—and helping our customers do the same.

Listen now.

The post Raising the Bar for Flow Measurement: My Conversation on Control Amplified appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

How to Make Carbon Capture More Efficient and Less Expensive

Jim Cahill — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:58:41 GMT

Systems to combat air pollution from combustion processes generally inject a chemical into the gas stream that is designed to neutralize a specific pollutant. For example, limestone slurry is sprayed into sulfur-dioxide-laden flue gas to neutralize the potential acid and form gypsum. There are other similar combinations, but one pollutant just won’t cooperate: carbon dioxide. There’s no way to turn carbon dioxide into something more useful or at least benign, so it must be captured and utilized somehow, or sequestered.

Capturing carbon dioxide requires a complex process in itself: amine absorption. This isn’t the only possibility, but it is by far the most widely commercialized and deployed process. It’s expensive and has its own energy requirements, so it is critical to have it working as effectively and efficiently as possible. Making this happen is the topic of my article in Process Instrumentation, Improving Carbon Dioxide Capture Efficiency of Amine Processes Using Advanced Measurement Technologies. How does it work?

The amine process runs continuously and involves chemical absorption, where a gas stream containing CO₂ is placed in contact with a liquid solvent containing amines. CO₂ is absorbed by the amine solution, allowing CO₂ lean gas to exit at the top. CO₂ rich amine is sent to a desorber to strip CO₂ and recycle the lean amine back into the process.

Simple enough, right? In concept, yes, but in practice, less straightforward.

As with any process, the primary objective is to optimize energy and performance, while maintaining safety. Accurate measurements for timely actions are critical in meeting these objectives. In an amine treating process, there are several critical measurements that need to be monitored and controlled to ensure efficient CO₂ capture, process safety and solvent longevity. These include flow, pressure, temperature and chemical composition.

So where do we start? The article looks at five areas:

Mass balance, so the amine process can follow the primary process. This depends on accurate flow measurements, a great fit for Emerson’s Micro Motion ™ ELITE Peak Performance Coriolis Flow and Density Meters as these can handle CO₂ in all of its phases.
Heat exchangers are critical to efficiency, so proper instrumentation is essential for detecting heat exchanger fouling and ensuring optimal efficiency. Monitoring requires instruments such as Emerson’s Rosemount™ 848T Wireless Temperature Transmitters, Rosemount™ X-well Technology, Rosemount™ 3051SFC Wireless Compact Flow Meters, and Rosemount™ 3051S Wireless DP Transmitters.
Steam management requires effective flow measurement. Emerson’s Rosemount™ 8800 Series Vortex Flow Meters use a shedder bar design with an integral temperature sensor to improve accuracy of steam measurements by compensating for pressure and temperature variations.
Monitoring corrosion because CO₂ can create corrosive compounds. Emerson’s Rosemount™ Wireless ET310 Corrosion and Erosion Transmitters can be mounted permanently at strategic points on piping and vessels to continuously monitor corrosion activity.
Amine solvent quality calls for measuring online density with a Micro Motion ™ Compact Density Meter to manage amine make-up rate to achieve desired CO₂ capture efficiency.

There’s a lot there to think about, but all those suggestions are practical, won’t break the budget, and can be implemented incrementally. Emerson is well position to help:

As a global innovator, Emerson has a deep legacy of solving the most complex challenges facing process plants and related facilities. We combine advanced technologies, industry-leading expertise and an insatiable curiosity about the world around us to create sustainable solutions.

For more information, visit our Optimizing Carbon Capture pages at Emerson.com. You can also connect and interact with other engineers in the Oil & Gas and Chemical Groups at the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post How to Make Carbon Capture More Efficient and Less Expensive appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

New and Improved Severe Service Urea Valves

Jim Cahill — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:00:55 GMT

The urea process poses extreme challenges for control valves, including high pressures and pressure drops, elevated temperatures, and corrosive carbamate solutions. Our article in the June 2025 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing, titled “New alternatives for severe service urea letdown valve applications,” describes recently introduced control valve designs that extend service life, simplify maintenance, and are more readily available than earlier valve solutions.

Urea valve challenges

The urea process starts with heated ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO2) injected into a high-pressure reactor. Under thousands of pounds of pressure, the ammonia and CO2 combine to create a very corrosive material called ammonium carbamate (carbamate), which then dehydrates to form urea.

After leaving the reactor, the solution of urea, water, carbamate, and unreacted CO2 and ammonia is fed into a stripper. Urea and condensed water leave the base of the stripper and are concentrated downstream, while the remaining carbamate is decomposed back into ammonia and CO2 for return to the reactor.

Figure 1. The urea process uses high pressure and heat in the pool reactor to combine ammonia and CO2 into carbamate and urea. The resulting very corrosive solution is passed through a control valve to the stripper. which recovers urea solution at the bottom of the vessel.

Carbamate acts much like a very aggressive acid, potentially reaching corrosion rates upwards of 1,000 mm/yr in carbon steel at high temperatures. Additionally, the reactor pressure letdown control valve is exposed to extreme pressure drops as the carbamate/urea solution is fed to the stripper, often resulting in very high velocities, two-phase flow, and extreme vibration. Highly specialized valves are required for such demanding conditions.

Limitations of existing solutions

Because urea plant process designs vary and change frequently, urea letdown service valves have historically been custom designed in most cases.

The valves usually employed a bonnetless design that could only be serviced by completely removing the valve to access the bottom loaded trim. Poor packing adjustment design and a lack of live-loaded packing tended to create leaks and valve stem damage.

In addition, obtaining quotes and parts for these specialty valves was often extremely difficult, and the equipment was usually very expensive with long lead times.

New alternatives

Fortunately, improved urea letdown valve designs are now available, with body and trim components manufactured from a broad selection of standard and proprietary alloys. The body design, dimensions, process connections, and flow characteristics can all be adjusted to meet application requirements.

When process conditions permit, a top-bonnet design can be employed to provide access to valve internals for inspection and service without removal from the line. Significant packing improvements, including live-loaded packing, reduced leakage and extended service life.

Figure 2. Live-loaded springs and a redundant packing seal design extend packing life and reduce leaks. Easily accessible packing adjustment bolts provide even loading and avoid stem galling. Packing purge ports are available, if required.

Other features include cageless trim and gasket-less seat ring designs to eliminate potential crevice corrosion, a contoured one piece forged plug and stem to extend service life, and optional body heat trace connections to eliminate cold spots and reduce localized process crystallization.

These valves are produced by a leading global manufacturer, providing quick worldwide access to parts, services and support.

Meeting the needs of diverse urea processes

Urea letdown valve applications pose vexing design problems, but new valve designs and materials offer significant improvements in service life, maintainability, and availability of parts and services. A wide range of customization options mean these valves can fit nearly any urea process, generating dramatic increases in plant uptime and simplifying maintenance.

Take your urea process performance to the next level. Learn how the Fisher™ EHU Control Valve is engineered to thrive in the harshest conditions—delivering exceptional corrosion resistance, simplified maintenance, and long-lasting reliability.

The post New and Improved Severe Service Urea Valves appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Forging a New Value Chain: Advanced Solutions for Carbon Dioxide Measurement in CCUS

Jim Cahill — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:36:21 GMT

Over the last century and more, a few industries have developed large-scale integrated production and distribution systems, covering the span from source to final consumer. Oil and gas are the most obvious, covering all aspects of industrial, commercial, and consumer applications. We’ve come to call these systems value chains. With the growth of environmental concerns, we can now add carbon dioxide to this list as its capture is now being tied to its utilization and storage (CCUS).

While we may think of carbon dioxide as waste and therefore valueless, many reasons are emerging for why we must reevaluate it in the same terms of more valuable products, calling for volume and custody transfer measurements on a par with oil and gas. But measuring carbon dioxide is complex because it can take a variety of forms. Solving this challenge is the topic of my article in Global Hydrogen Review, Developing Infrastructure for CCUS.

For decades, carbon dioxide has been widely used in industries such as oil and gas (especially for enhanced oil recovery), food and beverage (for carbonation and preservation), manufacturing (for welding and chemical production), agriculture (for greenhouse enrichment), and fire suppression. However, in most of these applications, carbon dioxide emissions were treated as a byproduct rather than a significant environmental issue. But, as compared to these existing industrial uses, the CCUS industry brings completely new challenges and a higher level of complexity.

While the article does touch on how and where carbon dioxide can be sequestered or utilized, it focuses more on the gas’s unique properties and the challenges they pose for accurate measurement during pipeline transport.

Flow measurement can be challenging because of a unique physical property of carbon dioxide, namely that all three states – gas, liquid, and supercritical – occur at typical industrial operating temperatures ranging from -40 to +50 °C, and at operating pressures ranging from 100 – 200 bar. This is very different from hydrogen and methane, for example, each of which only transforms to liquid from gas phase at significantly lower temperatures, ranging from -160 to -255 °C.

The article goes into more detail on the range of conditions that might be encountered under various pipeline configurations. What’s really worth reviewing is how Emerson’s Micro Motion Coriolis Mass Flow Meters use their mass measuring capability to see through those confusing phase shifts. Moreover, this capability has been tested independently by DNV to certify Micro Motion ELITE™ Flow Meters for custody transfer use:

As the DNV findings summarised: “Emerson’s Micro Motion ELITE Coriolis flow meters are OIML R 137 certified for measurement of gases including carbon dioxide with accuracy class 1.0. The performance of the Coriolis flow meters in this joint industry project (JIP) further illustrates the capabilities of the Emerson Coriolis flow meter to generate accurate mass measurement even under challenging operating conditions.” They can thus be deployed to support the critical carbon dioxide capture, transport, and sequestration processes, helping to build a reliable infrastructure.

These are the first flow meters thus certified in this application, ensuring they will be critical as the new carbon dioxide value chain is forged.

Consultation with Emerson experts can help companies active in the CCUS value chain pick the right product from the range of available meters for their applications, with assurance that these meters will perform as designed, while complying with all applicable industry standards.

For more information, visit Emerson’s Carbon Capture Process pages at Emerson.com. You can also connect and interact with other engineers in the Oil & Gas and Chemical Processing Groups at the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Forging a New Value Chain: Advanced Solutions for Carbon Dioxide Measurement in CCUS appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Emerson Provides the Only Flow Measurement Solution for Carbon Dioxide

Jim Cahill — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:36:21 GMT

For decades, carbon dioxide has been widely used in industries such as oil and gas (especially for enhanced oil recovery), food and beverage (for carbonation and preservation), manufacturing (for welding and chemical production), agriculture (for greenhouse enrichment), and fire suppression. However, in most of these applications, carbon dioxide emissions were treated as a byproduct rather than a significant environmental issue. But, as compared to these existing industrial uses, the CCUS industry brings completely new challenges and a higher level of complexity.

The article goes into more detail as to how and where carbon dioxide may be sequestered or utilized, but it spends more time on its peculiar characteristics and how they make measurement difficult when transferred via pipeline.

Flow measurement can be challenging because of a unique physical property of carbon dioxide, namely that all three states – gas, liquid, and supercritical – occur at typical industrial operating temperatures ranging from -40 to +50 °C, and at operating pressures ranging from 100 – 200 bar. This is very different from hydrogen and methane, for example, each of which only transforms to liquid from gas phase at significantly lower temperatures, ranging from -160 to -255 °C.

Again, the article goes into more detail on the range of conditions that might be encountered under various pipeline configurations. What’s really worth reviewing is how Emerson’s Micro Motion Coriolis Mass Flow Meters use their mass measuring capability to see through those confusing phase shifts. Moreover, this capability has been tested independently by DNV to certify Micro Motion ELITE Flow Meters for custody transfer use:

As the DNV findings summarised: “Emerson Elite Coriolis flow meters are OIML R 137 certified for measurement of gases including carbon dioxide with accuracy class 1.0. The performance of the Coriolis flow meters in this joint industry project (JIP) further illustrates the capabilities of the Emerson Coriolis flow meter to generate accurate mass measurement even under challenging operating conditions.” They can thus be deployed to support the critical carbon dioxide capture, transport, and sequestration processes, helping to build a reliable infrastructure.

These are the first flow meters thus certified in this application, ensuring they will be critical as the new carbon dioxide value chain is forged.

Consultation with Emerson experts can help companies active in the CCUS value chain pick the right product from the range of available meters for their applications, with assurances that these meters will perform as designed, while complying with all applicable industry standards.

The post Emerson Provides the Only Flow Measurement Solution for Carbon Dioxide appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.