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Chemical Processing Distilled

Chemical Processing Distilled

chemicalprocessing 169 Episodes Aug 21, 2026

The Chemical Processing Distilled podcast extracts essential elements to serve engineers designing and operating plants in the chemical industry.

Episodes

Condensate Recovery: Know What’s In the Water
Condensate Recovery: Know What’s In the Water Aug 21, 2026 1627 From steam trap sprawl to a phenol plant that ignored 400x the recommended organic carbon limit, Brad Buecker walks through why condensate return demands real chemistry — and the tools (ion exchange, activated carbon, film-forming amines) that make it work.
Solution Spotlight: Get Your Coriolis Tube Design Right — or Pay for It Later
Solution Spotlight: Get Your Coriolis Tube Design Right — or Pay for It Later Aug 14, 2026 1470 Selecting the right Coriolis flow meter tube design goes beyond pressure, temperature and flow rate specs — it can reduce how much a plant spends on pumps and energy for the life of a pipeline. In this Solution Spotlight episode of Chemical Processing Distilled, Al Dhanji, chemical industry manager for the Americas at KROHNE, breaks down straight tube versus bent tube designs and how each handles
Solutions Spotlight: Closing Measurement Gaps Without Shutting Down the Plant
Solutions Spotlight: Closing Measurement Gaps Without Shutting Down the Plant Aug 7, 2026 1924 Emerson's Michael Machuca explains how non-intrusive flow, temperature, corrosion and acoustic monitoring help chemical manufacturers boost safety, reliability and sustainability without cutting into pipes or halting production. Sponsored by Emerson
Distilled News: CSB Faults Woodland Pulp and Bio-Lab as Brazil Tariffs Raise Reshoring Concerns
Distilled News: CSB Faults Woodland Pulp and Bio-Lab as Brazil Tariffs Raise Reshoring Concerns Jul 31, 2026 676 This month: fatal H2S release investigation findings, the final Conyers warehouse fire report, ACC's pushback on Brazil tariffs and a call for unified EPA-OSHA chemical safety rules and a reality check on AI in advanced process control.
EPA, HHS Move Microplastics from Fringe Concern to Federal Priority
EPA, HHS Move Microplastics from Fringe Concern to Federal Priority Jul 24, 2026 346 In this episode Traci Purdum discusses Lynn Bergeson’s latest article "EPA, HHS Move Microplastics from Fringe Concern to Federal Priority" July 15, 2026 For a long time, microplastics were treated as a recycling problem or a marine litter problem. That changed this spring. On April 6, 2026, two federal agencies moved on the same day in ways that push microplastics squarely into the compliance con
Why Sodium Softeners Make or Break Boiler Water Chemistry
Why Sodium Softeners Make or Break Boiler Water Chemistry Jul 17, 2026 2875 In this episode of Chemical Processing's Distilled podcast, host Traci Purdum talks with Brad Buecker, senior technical consultant at Samco Technologies, about sodium softening — the workhorse treatment for industrial boiler makeup water. Buecker explains how hardness ions cause scale, why residual bicarbonate drives corrosive condensate return lines, and how to spot early warning signs of a poorl
Double Check Your Physical Properties Data
Double Check Your Physical Properties Data Jul 10, 2026 578 Inconsistencies found across major references for common substances raise a harder question about what we assume we know and whether that's enough for design, operation and troubleshooting. This podcast is an In Case You Missed It of the column that appeared on our site July 1. You can read it here.
Powder, Progress, and 250 Years: The Chemistry Behind American Independence
Powder, Progress, and 250 Years: The Chemistry Behind American Independence Jul 2, 2026 845 Two hundred and fifty years ago this week, a group of delegates in Philadelphia signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. Today, we are going to talk about how chemistry made it all possible.
Mergers, Layoffs and Geopolitical Risk Reshape the Chemical Industry
Mergers, Layoffs and Geopolitical Risk Reshape the Chemical Industry Jun 26, 2026 307 Olin and Huntsman announce a $12.5 billion tie-up, Evonik cuts 3,200 jobs and BASF's CEO warns of an oil shock — while Covestro bets on biology to clean up aniline production.
Pumps, Flow and the Fight Against Wasted Energy
Pumps, Flow and the Fight Against Wasted Energy Jun 12, 2026 893 This episode digs into three plant-floor challenges that look simple until physics intervenes—bulk solids handling, heat pump-driven distillation savings and a water pump's mysterious cycling problem traced back to Bernoulli's principle. Sources: "Bulk Solids and Powders: Flow, Storage and Conveyor Design in Chemical Plants" by Amin Almasi (Equipment Insights, June 8, 2026) | "Heat Pumps Slash Was
Trevor Kletz Warned Us
Trevor Kletz Warned Us Jun 5, 2026 327 Decades before the Strait of Hormuz closed and refineries started burning, process safety's great philosopher mapped exactly how pressure corrupts risk decisions.
Distilled News: Dow-X-energy Nuclear Milestone, Fatal West Virginia Chemical Release and More
Distilled News: Dow-X-energy Nuclear Milestone, Fatal West Virginia Chemical Release and More May 29, 2026 409 This month's top stories cover an NRC environmental clearance for an advanced reactor in Texas, a deadly hydrogen sulfide incident under CSB investigation, SOCMA's regulatory priorities and new industry developments.

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