Chemical Processing Minute Clinic Podcast Series

The Minute Clinic series is designed to tackle one critical issue at a time – giving you hard-hitting information in just minutes. Check out our growing library.

The Petrochemical Industry - Unique Challenges, Unique Solutions

The threat of terrorism, both internal and external, has tremendously changed how countries around the world are implementing physical and logical security. That change has been acutely felt in the petrochemical industry.

This podcast features Ryan Loughin, director of petrochemical and energy solutions for the Advanced Integration division of ADT.

Leadership Focus Podcast: CFATS

Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) are now in the process of implementation. Traci Purdum, Chemical Processing's senior digital editor, talks to David Moore, president and CEO of AcuTech Consulting Group, about the challenges of becoming compliant, lessons learned, and how to address underappreciated issues.

Podcast: Book Review -- Control System Migrations Handbook

If you're about to embark on a control system migration project, the best thing you can do is prepare. Indeed, there are many complexities to consider with any migration project. Wanting to help future generations, Daniel Roessler wrote the book, Control System Migrations: A Practical Project Management Handbook (Momentum Press, 2013).

Roessler tells Senior Digital Editor Traci Purdum the reasons behind his methodology and how readers should use this book. He also reveals his a-ha moments during the writing process and what an optimal migration team should look like.

Leadership Focus Podcast: Control System Migration

To remain competitive, control system migration is a necessary task -- but that doesn't mean it's a pleasant one. To alleviate some of the discomfort, Ken Keiser, a migration marketing specialist for Siemens Industry Inc., offers tips to make the process successful.

Vendor Focus Podcast: Control System Migration

Control system performance can significantly impact a manufacturer's bottom line. Leveraging automation capabilities through simplified, cost-effective migration to a new technology can protect investments, improve business results and even reduce risks.

Leadership Focus Podcast: Cyber Security

Each year the damage to critical infrastructure from network incidents and cyber attacks is measured in the billions of dollars. Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, talks to Eric Byres, chief technology officer of Byres Security Inc., to understand the risks and learn how to mitigate them.

Leadership Focus Podcast: Inherently Safer Design

The practice of Inherently Safer Design aims to eliminate or significantly reduce hazards, rather than managing them with hardware and procedures. To be successful, you must make certain you are not simply moving hazards elsewhere. Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, talks to Dennis Hendershot, a process safety consultant, to learn how facilities can build safety into processes.

Vendor Focus Podcast: Tube Bundle Cleaning

To achieve heat exchanger efficiency, it is important to keep tube bundles clear of deposits. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of manual vs. automated water jetting. Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, talks to Todd Shawver, vice president of sales at NLB Corp., provider of high pressure water jetting, water blasting pumps and accessory equipment.

Leadership Focus Podcast: Mixing

Mixing abounds at most chemical plants. Problems can arise that undermine processing. Identifying and addressing such issues are essential to remain competitive. Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, talks to Dave Dickey, senior consultant, MixTech Inc., to unearth mixing best practices.

Leadership Focus Podcast: Motor Regulations

Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, talks to Rob Boteler, consultant, Confluence Energy LLC, and chairman of the NEMA Energy Committee, to understand why the chemical industry should be concerned about the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Conservation Standards for medium electric motors.

Leadership Focus Podcast: Improving Operator Performance

The people who control chemical processes (the operators) must monitor more equipment and have less hands-on experience with the process, making it harder for them to be effective. Traci Purdum, Chemical Processing's senior digital editor, talks with Dave Strobhar -- principal human factors engineer for Beville Engineering. Dave is also a guiding light behind the Center for Operator Performance.

Leadership Focus Podcast: Alarm Management

Alarm management not only helps mitigate unplanned downtime, it can potentially save lives. Operators must have sufficient time to react to an alarm in order to make quick decisions that prevent a process upset or an accident. Listen as Ken Keiser, senior marketing manager for Siemens Industry Incorporated's Industrial Automation Division, and Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, discuss alarm definitions, metrics, ISA 18.2, alarm suppression and more.

Vendor Focus -- Gas Detection and Hazard Mitigation: Solutions Revealed

How do oil and gas companies maintain consistent operations, meet regulatory requirements and keep their workforce safe? Tune in to this Chemical Processing vendor profile podcast to learn how Detector Electronics Corp., together with the Pro-face HMI, provides a central monitoring system for flame and gas detection and hazard mitigation in critical industrial applications.

Vendor Focus: Blast Resistant Modules

With only a few moving parts, blast resistant modules are highly durable even in the harshest environments. These modules can save equipment and, more importantly, lives in the event of an emergency.

Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, talks to Rick Ciemny, business development manager at Wichita, Kansas-based A Box 4 U, to understand the risks and learn about the strict regulations for blast resistant modules.

Vendor Focus: Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is considered to be the technology backbone to manage myriad transactions. And with an increasingly competitive global economy, being able to easily manage logistics, distribution, inventory, shipping, invoicing and accounting and even HR functions could prove to be the key to boosting the bottom line.

Vendor Focus Podcast: Track and Trace

For chemical manufacturers, being able to react quickly to quality variations or unexpected conditions will set them apart from the competition. Providing compliance documentation will ensure swifter movement through the supply chain. Traci Purdum, senior digital editor, talks to David Weger, a senior Industry Marketing Manager at Microsoft, to understand the importance and benefits of Track and Trace.