Process Performance Highlights

The performance of the Elf Activated MDEA is closely related to site-specific treatment conditions, notably feed gas composition and treated gas specifications. Belo v are some practical mles-of-thumb to highlight the general interest of regeneration by flash [5]  

As a consequence of the above attributes the Elf Activated MDEA process will be well adapted to the treatment of high pressure and very sour gases where the advantages of flash procured regeneration will be maximized. 

Case Study of the Use of Activated MDEA for Treatment of Very Sour Gas 

A noteworthy case study of the use of the Activated M D EA process is given below for the treatment of very H2S sour gas. It concerns a real plant that was operated by Elfin the 1970s in Alberta Canada. The original design used a conventional 30 wt% DEA solution, which was considered the state-of-the-art at the time the plant was built. Table 10.1 gives the gas composition on a dry basis. 

The raw sour gas capacity of each train is 162 million std.ft per day (MMSCFD) or 4.6 million std.m per day for a sulfur production of over 2000 tons per day. The reboilers duty for each amine train was 135 MW (460MMBtuh or 116 Gcal h ), which is roughly equivalent to the heat energy produced by the downstream Claus unit as LP steam. 

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Application of Eq. (15.1) to the liquid membrane process highlights one of the main advantages of the process, i.e., the high solute distribution coefficient that can be obtained between phases 3 and 1. However, another factor that must be considered when evaluating a separation process performance is the kinetics of transfer, which is given in a general form by Eq. (15.4). This equation indicates that the transfer rate in the contactor increases with both the interfacial flux and the specific interfacial area. 

The E-factors of different types of chemical processes are shown in Table 13.4.32 In general, processes performed on a larger scale tend to involve fewer operations and form simpler products. Both facets help lead to lower E-factor values. Remarkably, oil refining generates approximately 10-fold more product than waste. In contrast, pharmaceutical processes can be less than 1% efficient based on waste production. The commercial process of sildenafil (13.73), highlighted in the Case Study below, has been optimized more extensively than the typical pharmaceutical synthesis. 

Several successful applications have been reported in the last decade or are under development. Below we highlight some promising developments. We will successively deal with applications in production, processing, performance and plastics recycling. 

To sum up, a systematic effort has been made in this book to review the recent advances made in evolving novel catalytic approaches to make chemical processes greener and enviromnentally sustainable. It has also highlighted the importance of novel separation processes to achieve sharper product cuts and the use of well-designed multiphase reactors for enhanced process performance. It has imequivocally stressed the need for chemists and chemical engineers to adopt irmovative PI strategies to reduce the envirorunental burden of line and specialty chemical processes. 

Chen [133] highlights the long-term growth of the technically popular use of bubble cap trays, valve and sieve trays, followed by the increased popularity of packed columns accompanied by the development of random and structured packings. There are some applications in chemical/ petrochemical/petroleum/gas treating processes where one type of contacting device performs better and is more economical than others. Chen [133] points out ... 

A wide variety of protective coating types and systems is available for corrosion control on external and internal surfaces of structural and process plant in marine and offshore engineering. These are discussed in detail elsewhere in this text, and the purpose here is to highlight the critical importance of certain design and related operational aspects which affect both the selection and performance of protective coating systems. The following design considerations should be made ... 

Comprehensive physicochemical characterization of any raw material is a crucial and multi-phased requirement for the selection and validation of that matter as a constituent of a product or part of the product development process (Morris et al., 1998). Such demand is especially important in the pharmaceutical industry because of the presence of several compounds assembled in a formulation, such as active substances and excipients, which highlights the importance of compatibility among them. Besides, variations in raw materials due to different sources, periods of extraction and various environmental factors may lead to failures in production and/or in the dosage form performance (Morris et al., 1998). Additionally, economic issues are also related to the need for investigating the physicochemical characteristics of raw materials since those features may determine the most adequate and low-cost material for specific procedures and dosage forms. 

Work on the OB has clearly demonstrated that plant cell response to stress, including hydrodynamic stress, is a more complex process than was originally anticipated. Moreover, it highlights a number of cellular processes which may define immediate system response and longer term performance prospects of plant cell suspensions. 

Karassik, I.J. Pump Performance Characteristics, Hydrocarbon Processing, June 1972, p. 101. Doyle, H.E. Highlights of API 610 Pump Standard, Hydrocarbon Processing, June 1972, p. 85. Polcak, R. Selecting Fans and Blowers, Chemical Engineering, Jan. 22, 1973, p. 86. 

In addition to performing experiments under pressures similar to those encountered in real processes to bridge the pressure gap , surface scientists have also been increasing the level of complexity of the model surfaces they use to better mimic real supported catalysts, thus bridging the materials gap . A few groups, including those of Professors Freund and Henry, have extended this approach to address the catalytic reduction of NO. The former has published a fairly comprehensive review on the subject [23], Here we will just highlight the information obtained on the reactivity of NO + CO mixtures on these model supported catalysts. 

One aspect of specimen analysis that often occurs and should be highlighted is the situation that arises when a study has been initiated (protocol has been signed), but the analytical procedure has not yet been determined or worked out, or perhaps has not been fully validated by the performing laboratory. In this case, the approved protocol should fully describe the situation, and once the method has been developed and/or validated an approved protocol amendment should be issued, thus formalizing the inclusion of the analytical methodology. Likewise, during the validation process or during the study itself, if there is an analytical method modification then the protocol also needs to be formally amended. 

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