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Recent content by lastone

  1. lastone

    Is there an App for Apple that will let me program and store equations and solve?

    Thank you all for the responses. I should have already thought about using excel, I have it on my phone. I will also look into the Smath app. It looks like a good program. Thank you again.
  2. lastone

    Is there an App for Apple that will let me program and store equations and solve?

    My old TI-86 programmable calculator from college (mid-90's) has finally bit the dust. I had written several simple programs in the calculator that let me solve an equation by inputting values for variables. They were simple programs that did things like ask me for a temperature, pressure, and...
  3. lastone

    Help Minimize Piping X-Ray Impacts on Nuclear Level Detectors

    Does anyone have any experience with minimizing the impact that piping x-rays have on nuclear point-source level detectors. Are there any practices, (besides placing controllers in manual), that are successful with minimizing upsets to the readings?
  4. lastone

    Calculating amp draw on a centrifical pump

    The best thing you could do would be to have one of your Elect/Instrumentation Technicians go out and actually read the pumps instantaneous amp draw. At the same time have pressure gauges installed on the pump suction and discharge and also record the pumps discharge flowrate, (if the pump has...
  5. lastone

    Bulk Temperature of Diluted Caustic at Mixing Point

    At my facility we offload 45% KOH from a railcar. The 45% KOH is pumped from the railcar into a mixing tee where it is diluted to 20% wt with water. A setpoint is entered for the KOH flow, and the water flow is ratio controlled to supply the correct dilution ratio. Just downstream of the...
  6. lastone

    centrifugal compressor response to a block discharge line

    Mucour, I think this was an interesting question posed, but I think its more academic/theoretical than practical. If you work in an industrial situation where you have a reasonable potential for a cent. compressor to run blocked in; or some other part of the process has a reasonable potential...
  7. lastone

    Expanding Fin-Fan Condenser Capacity

    1. Spin your fans faster. Bigger motor with a VFD which controls column pressure. 2. I think I read something once about someone that temporarily reverses the fan direction on some frequency to blow dirt off the outside of tubes (for induced draft fans). 3. You can hire a chemical cleaning...
  8. lastone

    Filtering hydrocarbon vapors

    I know of someone that thought they could use their shop-vac to pick up a gasoline/dirt mixture. He no longer has a garage.
  9. lastone

    3 Books a Process Engineer Should Read...

    A Working Guide To Process Equipment and Troubleshooting Process Operations, both by Norm Lieberman. Best books I ever read on Process Engineering. I don't think I was ever really a Process Engineer until I read them. Also suggest Perry's, Crane, Cameron's, and anything by Nicholas Chopey and...
  10. lastone

    Non-return Valve Selection

    Make very sure that you size the check correctly if you go with a piston check. Make very certain there is zero potential for solids in the process line containing the check, and most of all make sure there is enough momentum in the line you are checking to ensure it remains fully open. There...
  11. lastone

    no Liquid level with steam on - ok/not ok

    Based on your description I would say that the Column you are looking at is a thermosyphon with a partition wall in the sump. The liquid from the bottom tray, or packing, is funneled to one side of the column. It falls down into the "reboiler" sump which is separated from the main sump by a...
  12. lastone

    Multi-phase condensate/steam line sizing

    Isn't there some use you can find for this energy rather than just throwing it away? At today's gas prices, for every 10,000 LB/HR condensate that you are letting drop from 75 to 3 psig, you are sending $5/hr out into the atmosphere. Enthalpy of 75psig sat liquid = 291 Btu/lb Enthalpy of 3psig...
  13. lastone

    How to Best Implement a Vapor Side Draw

    I wish I could help you more sshep, but I have never operated, seen, or even read about a vapor side draw. Certainly not saying they don't exist, I just don't know anything about them. It kind of seems like if you have a point in the tower where your vapor is meeting the spec you are looking...
  14. lastone

    Looking for advice on a slurry concentration measurement application

    Thank you all for the postings. I certainly like the thought of a mass meter as ASHERENG describes, however we just don't have enough room to put one in the suction of the pump. The suction piping is very short and any re-piping or addition of length would only add to the settling problems we...

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