Food & Beverage

• Safety Instrumented Systems: Complying with the ISA 84 Standards

  Safety Instrumented Systems: Complying with the ISA 84 Standards The ISA 84 standard is a performance based standard that gives guidance on how to determine the degree of risk, and design an SIS for hazards in the process industries. Not only does the standard prescribe design approaches, it also requires testing and maintenance to ensure […]

  Read MoreMichael Johnson, PE / IEC 61511 / ISA 84 / Process Safety / Safety Instrumented System / Safety Integrity Level / Construction / Manufacturing / mjohnson /

• Design Considerations for Equipment and Piping Layout: The Ins and Outs of Pumps

  Design Considerations for Equipment and Piping Layout: The Ins and Outs of Pumps This is the second in a four-part series on equipment and piping layout.  This article discusses the equipment layout considerations for pumps, as well as guidelines for the pump’s suction and discharge piping. The first article provided guidelines for vessels, cooling towers, […]

  Read MoreScott Saneholtz, PE / Piping Engineer / Piping Layout / Process Engineer / Construction / Manufacturing / ssaneholtz /

• How Modern Grain Hazard Monitoring Control Systems Cut Risks

  How Modern Grain Hazard Monitoring Control Systems Cut Risks Grain hazard monitoring is a critical issue for the grain industry and food and agriculture companies. The accumulation of grain dust in a storage facility can produce a deadly explosion, such as the 2017 explosion at Didion Milling in Wisconsin that killed five and injured twelve. […]

  Read MoreTony Ferguson / Arc Flash / Control System Upgrades / Food Manufacturing / Grain Hazard Monitoring Systems / Industrial Automation Engineering / Manufacturing Operations Management / Estimating / Planning / Safety / Integrations / Upgrades / aferguson /

• How to Use a Scoring System When Performing a Risk Assessment

  How to Use a Scoring System When Performing a Risk Assessment In industrial facilities, safety risks may exist that can result in equipment damage and injuries. That’s why a careful risk assessment of machines and related equipment is necessary to ensure operational safety, and to identify ways to mitigate or eliminate those risks. A risk […]

  Read MoreCarl Bohman / ANSI B11 / Industrial Safety / ISO 13849 / Risk Assessment / Risk Mitigation / Scoring System / Task-Based Pair / Safety / cbohman /

• How to Lower Your Facility’s Electric Bill: Tweaking Your Energy Efficiency and Power Usage

  How to Lower Your Facility’s Electric Bill:  Tweaking Your Energy Efficiency and Power Usage  Your home electric bill is usually based on a simple calculation: How many kilowatt hours (kWh) did you use?  Your energy consumption can be seen by watching how fast the little disk spins inside your electric meter. Seldom are industrial and […]

  Read MoreVince Trejchel, PE / Energy Conservation / Energy Efficiency / Energy Savings / Manufacturing Plant Safety / Power Demand / Power Engineering / Power Usage / Construction / Manufacturing / vtrejchel /

• Design Considerations for Equipment and Piping Layout: Guidelines for Vessels

  Design Considerations for Equipment and Piping Layout:  Guidelines for Vessels This is the first in a four-part series on equipment and piping layout. This article provides guidelines for equipment that includes tanks, horizontal and vertical vessels, cooling towers, and compressors.  The second article will discuss layout considerations for pumps. Guidelines for piping layout and pipe racks will […]

  Read MoreScott Saneholtz, PE / Piping Engineer / Piping Layout / Process Engineer / Construction / Manufacturing / ssaneholtz /

• Food Packaging Changes – Part 2: Preliminary Engineering Assessments

  Food Packaging Changes – Part 2: Preliminary Engineering Assessments Even a “minor format change” in food product packaging can have a major impact on a capital project’s cost and the final cost of goods. Our three-part series on preliminary engineering methodology explains how preliminary engineering assessments help food manufacturers investigate alternative packaging specifications and project […]

  Read MoreDavid Travis, PE, PMP / Industrial Automation Engineering / Manufacturing Operations Management / Packaging Process Improvement / Pre-Engineering Consulting Services / Estimating / Planning / dtravis /

• How to Use 3D Laser Scanning for Industrial Plant Design: An Engineer’s Guide – Part 3: Estimating Scanning Costs

  How to Use 3D Laser Scanning for Industrial Plant Design: An Engineer’s Guide – Part 3: Estimating Scanning Costs The cost of performing 3D laser scanning is largely based on the area of the scan needed and the proximity of the job site to the location of the scanning technician. But ensuring a complete and […]

  Read MoreMark O'Connell, PE / 3D Laser Scanning / Engineering Services Provider / Industrial Automation Engineering / Manufacturing Operations Management / Multidiscipline Engineering / Construction / Manufacturing / Planning / 3D Scanning / mroconnell /

• Don’t Let Thermal Expansion Cause Excessive Piping Stress: Part 3, How to Inspect Your Piping to Prevent Problems

  Don’t Let Thermal Expansion Cause Excessive Piping Stress: Part 3, How to Inspect Your Piping to Prevent Problems This is the final installment in a three-part series on thermal expansion and piping stress.  The first article provides a primer on the basics of the thermal expansion and contraction found in industrial facilities. The second article focuses […]

  Read MoreBill Schuller, PE / Oil & Gas / Pipe Stress / Piping Engineer / Piping Stress / Process Engineer / Stress Analysis / Thermal Contraction / Thermal Expansion / Construction / Manufacturing / bschuller /

• Automotive Engineering: Replacing Obsolete Static-Style Andon Display Boards

  Automotive Engineering: Replacing Obsolete Static-Style Andon Display Boards In the automotive industry, the styling, functionality, and options on vehicles can change fast – and the build lines in the factory have to change just as rapidly. To accommodate a new vehicle build option, installation stations are changed or renumbered up and down the line. In […]

  Read MoreAaron Hilbers / Automotive Manufactures Engineers / Automovive Manufacturing Services / Industrial Automaiton Engineering / Manufacturing Operations Management / Improvement / Upgrades / ahilbers /