Typical Chemical Industry Research Articles

Integrated Mass and Energy Balance Course Project using Spreadsheet for a Chemical Engineering Degree Program

In this innovation, team projects from two courses offered in different semesters are integrated. On top of that, students are trained to use a spreadsheet-based tool to solve the problem in the project. Those two courses are Mass Balance (SETK 1123) and Energy Balance (SETK 2133) offered to Chemical Engineering students in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia at their second and third semester. The main objective of the innovation is to scaffold the students’ understanding of the problems given to them in the projects. At the end of the project, they should be able to clearly see the overall processes in a typical chemical industry, starting from raw materials to the targeted products, by-products, and wastes produced. In addition to that, the projects also foster digital skills by enhancing the students’ skills to use the spreadsheet tools to solve Chemical Engineering problems. This is inline with their study as the students learnt about computer programming and spreadsheet tools in their first semester. From the students’ reflections, it can be concluded that this innovation are able to increase the comprehension of the students on the two courses, increase the skills in using spreadsheet tools for solving problems and also inculcate critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Emission characteristics, environmental impacts and health risk assessment of volatile organic compounds from the typical chemical industry in China

To study the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission characteristics of industrial enterprises in China, 6 typical chemical industries in Yuncheng City were selected as research objects, including the modern coal chemical industry (MCC), pharmaceutical industry (PM), pesticide industry (PE), coking industry (CO) and organic chemical industry (OC). The chemical composition of 91 VOCs was quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that the emission concentration of VOCs in the chemical industry ranged from 1.16 to 155.59 mg/m3. Alkanes were the main emission components of MCC (62.0%), PE (55.1%), and OC (58.5%). Alkenes (46.5%) were important components of PM, followed by alkanes (23.8%) and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) (21.2%). Halocarbons (8.6%-71.1%), OVOCs (9.7%-37.6%) and alkanes (11.2%-27.0%) were characteristic components of CO. The largest contributor to OFP was alkenes (0.6%-81.7%), followed by alkanes (9.3%-45.9%), and the lowest one was alkyne (0%-0.5%). Aromatics (66.9%-85.4%) were the largest contributing components to SOA generation, followed by alkanes (2.6%-28.5%), and the lowest one was alkenes (0%-4.1%). Ethylene and BTEX were the key active species in various chemical industries. The human health risk assessment showed workers long-term exposed to the air in the chemical industrial zone had a high cancer and non-cancer risk during work, and BTEX and dichloromethane were the largest contributors.

Spatial distribution characteristics, source analysis and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in topsoil of a typical chemical industry park

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widely distributed in soil and are difficult to degrade, posing a great threat to the ecological environment and human health. Therefore, research on the distribution characteristics and risks of PAHs is of great significance to protect human and ecosystem health. Taking a typical chemical industry park in Chongqing as an example, the spatial distribution characteristics of PAHs content in 54 topsoil samples in the typical area were analyzed, and the soil PAHs pollution was evaluated by incremental models such as single-factor index and Nemerow comprehensive index. A factor decomposition model Positive Definite Matrix Factorization (PMF) was used to analyze the sources of PAHs. The results showed that 16 kinds of optimally controlled PAHs were detected, and the content of ΣPAHs in the topsoil ranged from ND to 16.07 mg/kg, with an average value of 1.78 mg/kg; spatially, pollutant levels are higher in the south and southwest of the park as well as in the center; source analysis showed that Chongqing The PAHs pollution in this typical chemical industry park in the city is from coke combustion sources, traffic emission sources, biomass combustion sources, oil sources, coal combustion sources and oil leakage sources, and the contribution rates to PAHs are 10.7%, 35.2%, 20.7%, and 5.0%, 24.6%, and 3.7%; respectively. The health risk assessment of soil PAHs shows that there is no potential carcinogenic risk of PAHs in different age groups in this area, and the main exposure route of adults is dermal > ingestion > inhalation, and the main exposure route of children is ingestion > dermal > inhalation.

Fault diagnosis for semilinear distributed parameter systems with actuator/sensor based on iterative learning control

AbstractThis paper focuses on the fault diagnosis problem for a class of semilinear distributed parameter systems with actuator and sensor. To diagnose the actual fault, a fault estimator is designed by using an introduced virtual fault for this system. Based on the semigroup theory and λ‐norm, the residual signal is used in the PD‐type iterative learning control scheme to regulate the introduced virtual fault, making the virtual fault track the practical fault. Then, the goal of fault diagnosis is obtained. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is tested on a Fisher equation and applied to a class of typical chemical industry processes.

Hazardous Volatile Organic Compound Emission Inventory Study and Its Application in a Typical Chemical Industry in the Yangtze River Delta

Based on hazardous volatile organic compound (HVOCs) species recommended by the California Air Resources Board and Taiwan Environmental Agency(China), eight HVOCs species were focused on, namely benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, dichloromethane, 1,1-dichloroethylene, and trichloroethylene. A top-down method was used to establish a VOCs emission inventory for typical chemical industries in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). The total VOCs emission in 2014 was 135500 tons. The HVOCs emission inventory of a typical chemical industry in the YRD was also established from different chemical processes and approximately 52400 tons of HVOCs was emitted in 2014. The most abundant HVOCs species were dichloromethane and benzene. The major chemical processes of HVOCs emissions were for producing polyurethane resin, alkylbenzene, ethylbenzene, acrylic resin, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene, cyclohexanone, ethylene, and polystyrene.

Study on Contaminant Transportation of a Typical Chemical Industry Park Based on GMS Software

The groundwater solute transport model can effectively simulated the transport path, the transport scope, and the concentration of contaminant which can provide quantitative data for groundwater pollution repair and groundwater resource management. In this study, we selected biological modern technology research base of Shandong province as research objective and simulated the pollution characteristic of typicalcontaminant cis-1, 3-dichloropropene under different operating conditions by using GMS software.

Risk analysis of a typical chemical industry using ORA procedure

Abstract This paper presents a risk assessment study of a typical chemical process (sulfolane manufacturing) industry using optimum risk analysis (ORA) methodology recently proposed by these authors ( Khan, F. I., & Abbasi, S. A. (1995) . Risk analysis; a systematic method for harzard identification and assessment. Journal of Industrial Pollution Control, 9(2), 66; Khan, F. I., & Abbasi, S. A. (1998a). Techniques for risk analysis of chemical process industries. Journal of Loss Prevention in Process Industries, 11(2), 91.) The paper also describes briefly the different steps of ORA methodology and the available techniques and tools to conduct each step of the ORA. The study suggests that the reactor and the storage units of the industry are highly vulnerable to accidents and need elaborate safety arrangements. The damage potential of these units is such that its impact would permeate far beyond the plant boundaries and would cause damage to nearby areas. A few recommendations have been made to reduce the existing risk potential. However, the industry still needs to have high level safety arrangements and emergency procedures in position to counter any unwanted situation in the industry.

Assessment of risks posed by chemical industries—application of a new computer automated tool maxcred -III

The paper describes the application of a new computer automated tool, developed by us, in the risk analysis of a typical chemical industry engaged in the manufacture of linear alkyl benzene. Using the tool—a comprehensive software package maxcred-III (MAXimum CREDible accident analysis)—nine different scenarios, one for each storage unit, have been studied. It is observed that the accident scenario for chlorine (instantaneous release followed by dispersion) leads to the largest area-under-lethal-impact, while the accident scenario for propylene (CVCE followed by fireball) forecasts the most intense damage per unit area. The accidents involving propylene, benzene, and fuel oil have a high possibility of causing domino/secondary accidents as their destructive impacts (shock waves, heat load) would envelope other storage and process units. Besides demonstrating the utilizability of maxcred-III, this study also focuses attention on the need to bestow greater effort towards risk assessment/crisis management. The authors hope that the study will highlight the severity of the risk posed by the industry and thus generate safety consciousness among plant managers. The study may also help in developing accident-prevention strategies and the installation of damage control devices.

Risk analysis of an epichlorohydrin manufacturing industry using the new computer automated tool MAXCRED

Studies pertaining to risk analysis, conducted on the storage units of a typical chemical industry engaged in the manufacture of epichlorohydrin, are described. A comprehensive software package MAXCRED (MAXimum CREDible accident analysis) recently developed by us has been utilized for the purpose. Eight different scenarios, one for each storage unit, have been studied. It is observed that the accident scenario for chlorine (BLEVE followed by dipersion) leads to the largest area-under-lethal-impact while the accident scenario for propylene (CVCE followed by fire ball) forecasts the most intense damage per unit area. The accidents involving propylene, epichlorohydrin and fuel oil have high possibility of causing domino/secondary accidents as their destructive impacts (shock waves, heat load) would envelope other storage and process units. Besides demonstrating the utilizability of MAXCRED, this study also focuses attention on the need to bestow greater effort towards risk assessment/crisis management. The authors hope that these studies would highlight the severity of risk posed by the industry and would thus generate safety consciousness among plant managers. The studies may also help in developing accident-prevention strategies and installation of damage control devices.