Chemical Engineering Equipment Research Articles

Preface

2023 3rd International Conference on Fluid and Chemical Engineering (ICFCE 2023) has been successfully held on July 20-21, 2023, in Wuhan China. Organized by Hubei Zhongke Institute of Geology and Environment Technology, ICFCE 2023 intends to invite worldwide famous scientists, experts, scholars, and researchers for academic presentations.ICFCE 2023 proceeding is a collection of outstanding submissions in the field of biofluid mechanics, chemically reacting fluids and combustion, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), experimental fluid mechanics, flow through porous media, fluid–solid interactions (FSI), geophysical fluid dynamics, granular/suspension flows, heat and mass transfer, hydrodynamics, physical, theoretical and computational chemistry, chemical engineering fundamentals, chemical reaction engineering, chemical engineering equipment design and process design, thermodynamics, catalysis & reaction engineering, particulate systems, crystallization, etc. Around 70 articles were selected from more than 150 submissions after peer-review, and authors and guests participated in ICFCE 2023 with keynote speeches, oral presentations and posters, promoting the communication among researchers and experts from institutes and universities, including Ningbo University, University of Sharjah, China Association for Science and Technology, Tianjin University, China Agricultural University, South China University of Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, etc.Cordial gratitude is delivered to Technical Program Committee of ICFCE 2023 for the professional work on guarantying the high standard of conference as well as the proceedings. We believe the proceedings will enhance the exchange of ideas and state-of-art knowledge on Fluid and Chemical Engineering.Professor Omid MahianXian Jiaotong University, ChinaAssociate Professor Sébastien DéonUniversity of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, FranceList of Technical Committee, Chair, Editor, International Committee Members are available in this pdf.

ChemChina-Sinochem merger wins approval

China’s State Council, the nation’s highest decision-making body, has approved a plan to combine ChemChina and Sinochem. The state-owned chemical firms will become subsidiaries of a new holding company, which will combine their assets and operations. In a statement, Sinochem says the merged company will be “led by life science and materials science, supported by basic chemicals and environmental science,” and will prioritize sustainable development. Sinochem posted 2019 sales of $89 billion from oil, petrochemicals, and agricultural chemicals as well as from real estate and finance. ChemChina’s portfolio includes specialty chemicals, agrochemicals, petrochemicals, and chemical engineering equipment and services. The firm had $67 billion in sales in 2019. The overlap between the business lines of the two firms will create cost-cutting opportunities, according to Moody’s Investors Service, while combining areas they don’t have in common will create diversification. Moody’s says the merged group will “likely receive very high support from

ANALYSIS OF PREPARED ACOUSTIC BOARDS FROM NATURAL WASTE MATERIALS USING ACTRAN SOFTWARE AND ITS APPLICATION

The investigations focus on analyzing acoustic enclosures intended for noisy Chemical Engineering equipment made out of natural waste materials namely corn cobs, corn stovers and banana stalks using Actran Software with the parameters of study being the comparison between different dimensions of enclosure and material properties of different substances used. Upto 50 Hz frequency, there was no evident distinction in the Pressure-map between two dimensions of enclosures, while beyond 50 Hz, there was a difference with the larger enclosure encountering greater pressure intensities as well as greater ranges of pressure intensities. In the frequency range of 40 Hz - 75 Hz for the smaller enclosure and 30 Hz - 65 Hz for the larger, there was a significant effect of the changing material properties on the sound absorbing ability of the enclosure. When the two plots of enclosures for changing material properties were compared, some amount of instability in the graphs of the three materials was encountered at higher frequencies in the case of the larger enclosure. Upon analyzing the results, banana stalks showed better sound absorption potential followed by corn cobs and corn stovers at frequencies in the range 40 Hz - 70 Hz.

ANALYSIS OF PREPARED ACOUSTIC BOARDS FROM NATURAL WASTE MATERIALS USING ACTRAN SOFTWARE AND ITS APPLICATION

The investigations focus on analyzing acoustic enclosures intended for noisy Chemical Engineering equipment made out of natural waste materials namely corn cobs, corn stovers and banana stalks using Actran Software with the parameters of study being the comparison between different dimensions of enclosure and material properties of different substances used. Upto 50 Hz frequency, there was no evident distinction in the Pressure-map between two dimensions of enclosures, while beyond 50 Hz, there was a difference with the larger enclosure encountering greater pressure intensities as well as greater ranges of pressure intensities. In the frequency range of 40 Hz - 75 Hz for the smaller enclosure and 30 Hz - 65 Hz for the larger, there was a significant effect of the changing material properties on the sound absorbing ability of the enclosure. When the two plots of enclosures for changing material properties were compared, some amount of instability in the graphs of the three materials was encountered at higher frequencies in the case of the larger enclosure. Upon analyzing the results, banana stalks showed better sound absorption potential followed by corn cobs and corn stovers at frequencies in the range 40 Hz - 70 Hz.

ANALYSIS OF PREPARED ACOUSTIC BOARDS FROM NATURAL WASTE MATERIALS USING ACTRAN SOFTWARE AND ITS APPLICATION

The investigations focus on analyzing acoustic enclosures intended for noisy Chemical Engineering equipment made out of natural waste materials namely corn cobs, corn stovers and banana stalks using Actran Software with the parameters of study being the comparison between different dimensions of enclosure and material properties of different substances used. Upto 50 Hz frequency, there was no evident distinction in the Pressure-map between two dimensions of enclosures, while beyond 50 Hz, there was a difference with the larger enclosure encountering greater pressure intensities as well as greater ranges of pressure intensities. In the frequency range of 40 Hz - 75 Hz for the smaller enclosure and 30 Hz - 65 Hz for the larger, there was a significant effect of the changing material properties on the sound absorbing ability of the enclosure. When the two plots of enclosures for changing material properties were compared, some amount of instability in the graphs of the three materials was encountered at higher frequencies in the case of the larger enclosure. Upon analyzing the results, banana stalks showed better sound absorption potential followed by corn cobs and corn stovers at frequencies in the range 40 Hz - 70 Hz.

Preface

On behalf of the organizing committee, we are pleased to present you with this volume. It contains the papers accepted for presentation in the conference of 2019 8th International Conference on Chemical Science and Engineering (ICCSE 2019) which was successfully held in National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan during November 18-20, 2019.The topics are covered in the ICCSE include Chemical engineering fundamentals, Physical, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Chemical engineering educational challenges and development, Chemical reaction engineering, Chemical engineering equipment design and process design, Thermodynamics and so on. The conference provides a wide platform to the conference participants to share their research achievements and communicate with each other. And the distinguished keynote speakers of the conference presented their excellent academic research at the conference which has promoted the academic atmosphere. Also, reviewing process of the ICCSE was a challenge process that relies on goodwill of those people involved in this field. We invited more than many researchers from related fields to review papers for the publication in the IOP conference proceedings.Meanwhile, we would like to thank all the authors of submitted papers for choosing ICCSE 2019 and thank you all the reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing articles. Finally, it is a great honor to thank you all of behind staff who made their constant effort to make sure the conference process can go smoothly and the proceeding team who have dedicated their constant support and countless time to bring these scratches into this volume.Conference ChairProf. Shen-Ming ChenNational Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan

Structurization of Coatings in the Plasma Arc Spraying Process Using B4C + (Cr, Fe)7C3-Cored Wires

The structure and phase composition acquired by coatings deposited in optimum mode by the plasma arc spraying process were examined. The spraying materials were wires with a steel sheath and nB4C + 100 – n(Cr, Fe)7C3 cores. The coatings have a ferrite matrix doped with Cr, B, and C and hardened with Fe3(B, C), Cr2B, FeCr, and boron carbide particles. When the (Cr, Fe)7C3 amount in the wire increases from 30 to 50 wt.%, the matrix phase (α-Fe-based solid solution) content decreases from 65.8 to 37.6 wt.% and the weight content of the hardening phases increases from 28.2 to 59.3%. These processes improve hardness of the coatings to 6.25 and 8.6 GPa, respectively. All coatings are characterized by a fine lamellar structure and high adhesion to the substrate. They exhibit high density and low porosity (<2.5%) and their hardness exceeds that of the wire steel sheath by 4.0 to 5.5 times. The plasma arc coatings can be used as wear-resistant materials for protection of chemical engineering equipment against abrasive wear, in the production of parts for pumps, compressors, and other machines, and for the recovery of worn parts.

Numerical and Experimental Investigations of a Micromixer with Chicane Mixing Geometry

A micromixer is a new type of chemical engineering equipment used to intensify the mixing process. This article provides details on flow regimes in microchannels with a complex geometry, such as with chicane mixing geometry. Experiments involving water, ink, and a micro digital camera have determined both the micromixer’s initial mixing zone, and also the streamlines. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling helped identify the mechanism of stimulating effect; swirling and recirculation were identified as two special cases of the convective mixing process. To characterize the degree of mixing, a function of volume flow rate was proposed. A much higher degree of mixing in vortex flow compared to stratified flow was observed. The relationship between laminar flow and vortices shows a square-law dependence of pressure drop against the volume flow rate. The mixing cost and the mixing energy cost at Reynolds number of 50 are higher for the chicane micromixer than for micromixers without chicanes geometry.

Research on Pipeline and Material Optimization Design of Chemical Engineering Equipment

Over the past few years, China’s economic development has been swift, and the economic investment in science and technology has gradually increased and it has achieved great development. Therefore, China’s chemical industry has achieved notable achievements. As the chemical industry is closely connected with our daily life and plays a significant role, so to a great extent, people are increasingly concerned about the issue of building chemical engineering. During the construction of chemical engineering projects, design work is particularly important. When an entire chemical engineering project is in production, most of the substances involved in the reaction are either harmful or flammable and explosive. If these materials are not handled properly due to negligence, they will pose a serious threat to the safety and health of workers. Therefore, when designing chemical engineering projects, it is necessary to rationally design the installation of pipeline equipment and to strengthen the pre-control of related materials. In the construction of chemical engineering, the most important procedural step is the layout of equipment piping. Because it is the core device of the whole project, it plays a very important role in the operation. The quality of it will be directly related to the completion of the work of a whole chemical engineering. In addition, considering the personal safety, the design of the project is optimized to ensure the life, health and safety of each worker. Therefore, based on the basic principles of design, this paper studied the design of pipelines and materials for optimization of chemical engineering equipment and carried out a comprehensive analysis to provide a certain reference value for chemical engineering, so as to promote the development of chemical engineering[1].

Research on Pipeline and Material Optimization Design of Chemical Engineering Equipment

Over the past few years, China’s economic development has been swift, and the economic investment in science and technology has gradually increased and it has achieved great development. Therefore, China’s chemical industry has achieved notable achievements. As the chemical industry is closely connected with our daily life and plays a significant role, so to a great extent, people are increasingly concerned about the issue of building chemical engineering. During the construction of chemical engineering projects, design work is particularly important. When an entire chemical engineering project is in production, most of the substances involved in the reaction are either harmful or flammable and explosive. If these materials are not handled properly due to negligence, they will pose a serious threat to the safety and health of workers. Therefore, when designing chemical engineering projects, it is necessary to rationally design the installation of pipeline equipment and to strengthen the pre-control of related materials. In the construction of chemical engineering, the most important procedural step is the layout of equipment piping. Because it is the core device of the whole project, it plays a very important role in the operation. The quality of it will be directly related to the completion of the work of a whole chemical engineering. In addition, considering the personal safety, the design of the project is optimized to ensure the life, health and safety of each worker. Therefore, based on the basic principles of design, this paper studied the design of pipelines and materials for optimization of chemical engineering equipment and carried out a comprehensive analysis to provide a certain reference value for chemical engineering, so as to promote the development of chemical engineering[1].

Dispersion of supercritical carbon dioxide to [Emim][BF4] with a T-junction tubing connector

The two-phase mixtures organized by ionic liquids (ILs) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are green systems for creation and purification of fine chemicals and natural products. Owing to the very low vapor pressure of ILs, the mixture of supercritical CO2 (ScCO2) and IL has asymmetrical solubility, which is special for engineering application. However, due to the high viscosity of IL and the large density difference between IL and ScCO2, they are difficult to well mix in common chemical engineering equipment. To intensify the contact of ScCO2 and IL, we proposed a micromixing technique to disperse ScCO2 into a representative IL, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Emim][BF4]) as sub-millimeter scaled bubbles. The results showed that 0.3–1.2 mm average diameter’s ScCO2 bubbles were cut ruptured by the continuous [Emim][BF4] phase in a 0.75 mm inner diameter T-junction connector. To further investigate the bubble generation law, the viscosity of CO2 saturated [Emim][BF4] was determined at different temperatures and pressures. The trend of size variation exhibited that the bubbles were generated from dripping flow at Ca < 0.05, but from jetting flow at Ca > 0.05. In addition, the normalized bubble diameters fit well with the two-phase microflow models obtained at atmosphere pressure.

Topical issues of development and integration of chemical engineering equipment protection into modern petroleum refining

It is shown that the development of chemical engineering equipment protection of a modern petroleum refinery depends on its deep integration into the main petroleum refining processes. This work reviews perspectives of the development of innovative chemical engineering protection, i.e., the following engineering aspects: an effective mass transfer of reagents in the process media, a reliable monitoring and effective control of the chemical engineering protection, and a correlation of chemical engineering protection parameters with regulated quality parameters of the petroleum products, as well as phenomenological aspects related to the development of future requirements for the chemical engineering protection, taking into account the interaction with the process medium, and the flow of some anomalous processes.

Modernization of devices for purifying liquids from dispersed phase in a petrochemical complex

The solution of an emerging problem of modernizing equipment in the petrochemical industry, namely, the modernization of flow sedimentation tanks for purification of liquids has been examined. The role of developing products in industrial research companies of the Russian Federation that specialize in the design, fabrication, and implementation of chemical engineering equipment has been noted. The primary attention is focused on the design of thin-layer sedimentation tanks for purifying water of oil products and purifying hydrocarbon mixtures of free water. The design of combined sedimentation tanks and the results of their adoption in industrial sites are presented.

Scoping biology-inspired chemical engineering

Biology is a rich source of great ideas that can inspire us to find successful ways to solve the challenging problems in engineering practices including those in the chemical industry. Bio-inspired chemical engineering (BioChE) may be recognized as a significant branch of chemical engineering. It may consist of, but not limited to, the following three aspects: 1) Chemical engineering principles and unit operations in biological systems; 2) Process engineering principles for producing existing or developing new chemical products through living ‘devices’; and 3) Chemical engineering processes and equipment that are designed and constructed through mimicking (does not have to reproduce one hundred percent) the biological systems including their physical–chemical and mechanical structures to deliver uniquely beneficial performances. This may also include the bio-inspired sensors for process monitoring. In this paper, the above aspects are defined and discussed which establishes the scope of BioChE.

Generation mechanism of micro-bubbles in a pressurized dissolution method

Micro-bubbles are in use in many industrial fields such as water treatment, purification of lake water, chemical engineering, washing processes and housing equipment by virtues of their large interfacial area concentration and long residence time in liquid. A pressurized dissolution method based on decompression of liquid with dissolved gas is one of promising methods for generating fine micro-bubbles at high number density. Since the mechanism of micro-bubble generation is not clarified yet, design and improvement of micro-bubble generators are based on trial and error. In this study, effects of liquid volume flux at a decompression nozzle and dissolved gas concentration in the upstream region of the nozzle on diameter and number density of generated micro-bubbles are examined to understand generation mechanism of micro-bubbles in a pressurized dissolution method. The diameter and the number density of micro-bubbles are measured by using phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) in the downstream region of the nozzle, and the flow patterns in the nozzle are visualized by using a high-speed camera. The experimental results show that diameter and number density of generated micro-bubbles depend on cavitation pattern at the nozzle, and that cavitation bubbles containing not only vapor but also non-condensable gas become micro-bubbles due to their shrink caused by condensation of the vapor in the downstream region of the nozzle.

Study of Leak-Tightness of Plane–Plane Sealing Joints with Ion-Plasma Coatings

A technology of applying ion-plasma coatings on detachable joints of chemical and petroleum engineering equipment is described. The investigation results show that the leak-tightness of detachable joints can be increased by applying ion-plasma coatings.

A Critical Review of the Application of Drop-Population Balances for the Design of Solvent Extraction Columns: I. Concept of Solving Drop-Population Balances and Modelling Breakage and Coalescence

Population-balances are a powerful method to predict the population behavior of drops in chemical-engineering equipment such as solvent extraction columns. In such columns a complex interaction of different phenomena, namely drop sedimentation, mass transfer, drop breakage and coalescence as well as axial dispersion occurs. In this article the concept of drop-population balances is discussed in detail as well as possible solution methods. Also, a critical review of existing models accounting for breakage and coalescence taking place in extraction columns is presented. Future parts of this series will be devoted to modelling mass-transfer and sedimentation as well as on application of single-drop based modelling.

Dynamics of Flow Structures and Transport Phenomena, 1. Experimental and Numerical Techniques for Identification and Energy Content of Flow Structures

Most chemical engineering equipment is operated in the turbulent regime. The flow patterns in this equipment are complex and are characterized by flow structures of wide range of length and time scales. The accurate quantification of these flow structures is very difficult and, hence, the present design practices are still empirical. Abundant literature is available on understanding of these flow structures, but in very few cases efforts have been made to improve the design procedures with this knowledge. There have been several approaches in the literature to identify and characterize the flow structures qualitatively as well as quantitatively. In the last few decades, several numerical as well as experimental methods have been developed that are complementary to each other with the onset of better computational and experimental facilities. In the present work, the methodologies and applications of various experimental fluid dynamics (EFD) techniques (namely, point measurement techniques such as hot film anemometry, laser Doppler velocimetry, and planar measurement techniques such as particle image velocimetry (PIV), high speed photography, Schlieren shadowgraphy, and the recent volume measurement techniques such as holographic PIV, stereo PIV, etc.), and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques (such as direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large eddy simulation (LES)) have been discussed. Their chronological developments, relative merits, and demerits have been presented to enable readers to make a judgment as to which experimental/numerical technique to adopt. Also, several notable mathematical quantifiers are reviewed (such as quadrant technique, variable integral time average technique, spectral analysis, proper orthogonal decomposition, discrete and continuous wavelet transform, eddy isolation methodology, hybrid POD-Wavelet technique, etc.). All three of these tools (computational, experimental, and mathematical) have evolved over the past 6-7 decades and have shed light on the physics behind the formation and dynamics of various flow structures. The work ends with addressing the present issues, the existing knowledge gaps, and the path forward in this field.

Effect of drag-reducing polymers on the rate of flow-induced corrosion of metals

Abstract Rates of diffusion-controlled corrosion of copper rotating cylinders in acidified chromate solutions containing Polyox WSR-301 drag-reducing polymer, were measured under turbulent flow conditions. The variables studied were the acid concentration, the cylinder rotational speed and the polymer concentration. The rate of corrosion was found to decrease in the presence of Polyox, depending on the operating conditions. At a given polymer concentration, the maximum inhibition efficiency was found to be a decreasing function of the acid concentration and occurred between a Reynolds number of 4500 and 6000, depending on the acid concentration. The maximum observed corrosion inhibition efficiency was about 23% for an acid concentration of 0.25 M bearing 250 ppm Polyox. Possible practical applications of drag-reducing polymers in operating chemical engineering equipment, to benefit from their dual function as corrosion inhibitors and drag reducers, were highlighted.

Corrosion Resistant Nb Coatings Grown by Combined Steered Arc/Unbalanced Magnetron Deposition

SummaryNiobium is well known for its chemical stability and excellent corrosion resistance which is based on the formation of a stable oxide layer of Nb205 in aqueous media It therefore finds wide application in areas where chemical stability is important, such as in chemical engineering equipment. Disadvantages of Nb are its high material costs and the fact that it is not possible to deposit Nb by the rather economic technique of aqueous electrodeposition. However, other deposition techniques such as physical vapour deposition may be used to produce niobium coatings. Due to its high melting point, sputtering is the preferred PV D deposition technology.Improved corrosion resistance approaching that of bulk Nb was found for lμm thick Nb coatings on 304 stainless steel substrates The corrosion performance very much depends on the method of ion etching prior to deposition. Microstructure, texture and microhardness as well are strongly influenced by the type of ion etching pre-treatment and by the temperature during deposition. Nb-ion etching of the 304 stainless steel substrate and-consequent Nb deposition with unbalanced magnetron sputtering at a temperature as low as 250°C, utilising an ion to neutral ratio of 4, leads to dense films. These films exhibit passivation over the whole range of the applied polarisation measurements in a 3% NaCl solution.