Chemical Engineering May 2013 - 70

Gulf Coast Special Advertising Section
Not all blast-resistant buildings are created equal
A Box 4 U is the only manufacturer to have successfully blast tested its blast-resistant
buildings to meet a low to medium response rating, says Dr Ali Sari, PE
There were other companies selling blast-resistant buildings,
so our first step was to research their products. I was surprised to
learn that no testing had been done on these designs, so no one
really knew how they would stand up in a blast. I was even more
alarmed to learn that every blast-resistant building on the market
was designed to hold together as a structure but gave little
attention to protecting the personnel inside. Some petrochemical
plants were buying them based on interior amenities like attractive
lighting fixtures and even glass mirrors in the restrooms,
which could injure or kill personnel in a blast. This is still true of
many blast-resistant buildings being sold today.
We designed our unit, built it, and then did something unprecVideo
evidence: testing a blast-resistant building from A Box 4 U
M
y team was called in to investigate the Texas City, Texas,
refinery disaster in 2005. The wood-frame office trailers at
the site had been reduced to splinters, and 15 people had died in
and around them. I thought to myself, there has to be a better way.
Around the same time, ConocoPhillips approached A Box 4 U,
a Kansas-based company that had been supplying ConocoPhillips
with ground-level offices, to ask if the company could build a more
rugged office design to protect personnel in a blast zone. A Box 4
U contacted me, and we set out on a mission to save lives.
edented in the field of blast-resistant buildings - we tested it.
If you like to watch Hollywood-quality explosions, click on the
blast test video links on www.abox4u.net. They speak for themselves,
in terms of the product's ability to survive close-proximity
explosions.
What you don't see in these videos is the most important
part of the process. When we tested, we didn't just use an empty
structure. We added lights, furniture, office equipment and a test
dummy, then hit it with 1,250 lb. of ANSI high explosive. The building
moved less than two inches and suffered no structural damage.
The same was true of the test dummy. With designs like these
available today, there never has to be another " deadly refinery
disaster " .
www.abox4u.net
Heat transfer simulation software updated
HTRI releases version 7 of its industry-leading simulation suite for process heat
transfer equipment
H
eat Transfer Research, Inc. (HTRI) has released version 7 of
Xchanger Suite®, the culmination of more than 50 years of
research. Xchanger Suite is a comprehensive suite of modules
that predict the performance of process heat transfer equipment.
Xchanger Suite 7 represents the largest increase in capabilities
ever for HTRI software and includes simulation modules for:
* shell-and-tube exchangers
* jacketed pipe and hairpin exchangers
* plate-and-frame exchangers
* plate-fin exchangers
* spiral plate exchangers
* fired heaters
* air coolers and economizers
* tube vibration analysis
New to version 7, the plate-fin module continues HTRI's practice
of developing rigorous, incremental simulations that are based on
extensive experimental research. In addition to this new module,
version 7 incorporates significant additions and upgrades throughout.
Ten major updates have been made to the predictive models,
including shellside reflux condensation, horizontal tubeside
condensation, tubeside convective boiling, kettle reboilers, and
tubeside laminar flow. The graphical interfaces have been reorganized
and streamlined to make data entry easier than ever before.
Perhaps the single most significant upgrade is an interactive,
behind-the-scenes mechanical design for shell-and-tube exchang68||||||CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHE.COM||||MAy 2013
ers. Based on ASME codes, the shell-and-tube module automatically
performs and updates a rigorous mechanical design of your
exchanger as you enter data. This mechanical design provides the
basis for the most flexible tube layout available.
Of course, software is just a part of the package. With experimental
and analytical research, engineer-based technical support,
and worldwide training, HTRI provides a complete solution for
process heat transfer.
Heat Transfer Research, Inc. is a leading global provider of
process heat transfer and heat exchanger technology, research,
and software. Founded in 1962, this industrial research and development
consortium serves the engineering needs of nearly 1500
corporate member sites in more than 60 countries. www.htri.net
http://www.abox4u.net http://www.abox4u.net http://www.htri.net
Chemical Engineering May 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering May 2013
