Chemical Processing Distilled

Powder, Progress, and 250 Years: The Chemistry Behind American Independence 02.07.2026 14min

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 26.06.2026 5min

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 12.06.2026 14min

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 Waste in Distillation Operations" by Thomas Kwan (Energy Saver, Feb. 16, 2026) | "Why This Water Pump Kept Cycling Off" by Andrew Sloley (Plant InSites, Jan. 26, 2026). All published on ChemicalProcessing.com.

Trevor Kletz Warned Us 05.06.2026 5min

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 29.05.2026 6min

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.

You've Told Your Team to Speak Up. But Are You Actually Listening? 22.05.2026 6min

In every organization, informal hierarchies determine who gets heard, who gets interrupted and whose concerns get taken seriously. In process safety, the cost of getting it wrong is high. In this In Case You Missed It episode, Editor Traci Purdum reads a column from Lauren Neal, Chemical Processing's Workforce Matters expert. You can read the column here.

Perceptual Invariants: The Hidden Key to Operator Expertise 15.05.2026 21min

Experienced operators don't just know what to do — they know what to watch, regardless of how conditions change. That ability hinges on perceptual invariants: the critical relationships and variables that remain meaningful even as everything else shifts. Human factors engineer Dave Strobhar explains how identifying and reinforcing these invariants is the key to effective operator training. Rather than relying on years of trial and error, structured training programs — including targeted simulator use — can accelerate expertise dramatically. The goal is moving operators from simple stimulus-response behavior to true skill-based thinking that transfers across novel situations, closing the experience gap faster than ever before.

What Do Chemical Engineers Do, Anyway? 08.05.2026 8min

If you're a regular listener, you already know the deal — you work in this industry. You've spent your career in control rooms, on plant floors, in engineering offices, running calculations and managing processes that most of the world never thinks about. You know what a distillation column is. But this episode is meant to be shared with a spouse, a parent, a kid, a friend — someone who's asked you "so what exactly do you do all day?" and you've struggled to explain it.

Concentrate On Critical Thinking 01.05.2026 6min

The complexity of the human body makes critical thinking an essential skill for doctors. It’s also important in our work. However, engineers often learn the value of critical thinking the hard way. Dirk Willard, by way of Editor Traci Purdum's spoken word, tells us not to over-concentrate on the zebras... and let the horses run free.

Microplastics, Leadership Shifts and Industry Honors: April's Top Stories 24.04.2026 6min

From a $144 million federal push to address microplastics in drinking water to a CEO transition at Dow and Edison Award wins for chemical giants, here's what moved the needle in April 2026.

Operator Training: When the Subtask Is the Whole Task 17.04.2026 21min

Throwing operators into full simulator scenarios sounds thorough, but it can mask the one critical subtask they actually need to master. Human factors engineer Dave Strobhar argues that effective operator training starts by identifying which subtasks carry the highest consequences — loss of containment, asset destruction, major downtime — and drilling those specifically before integrating them into broader scenarios. Using real examples of failed steam-system isolations and a misallocated $500,000 simulator budget, Strobhar makes the case for focused, measurable training objectives over checkbox exercises. The goal isn't to simulate everything. It's to ensure operators get the one decision right when it counts.

Water Is Water — And Other Costly Myths 10.04.2026 38min

In this episode of Chemical Processing's Distilled podcast, editor-in-chief Traci Purdum speaks with water treatment expert Brad Buecker about the dangers of the "water is water" mindset in industrial settings. Buecker shares real-world examples of costly boiler failures caused by ignoring water chemistry, explains how water's near-universal solvent properties create scaling and corrosion risks and highlights how geography and climate shape treatment needs. He stresses that single water analyses are insufficient — comprehensive, historically collected data is essential for proper system design. The conversation also covers microbiological fouling, Legionella risks and the growing pressure on surface water supplies.

The Alchemist Signs Off 03.04.2026 6min

After nearly two decades, Seán Ottewell retires from Chemical Processing, leaving behind a legacy that spans battlefield bones, Neanderthal adhesives and one particularly memorable hedge. In this episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum highlights some of his best work...including taking a tinkle on his neighbor's landscaping.

Strait of Hormuz Chaos, TSCA Reform and More — March 2026 in Chemical Processing 27.03.2026 7min

Supply chain shocks from the Iran conflict, a contested overhaul of chemical safety law, an ethylene oxide rollback and a green chemistry advance — the month's biggest stories summarized by Executive Editor Jonathan Katz.

The Hidden Costs and Risks of Cross-Training Operators 20.03.2026 24min

Cross-training process plant operators sounds simple, but execution is often flawed. Human factors engineer Dave Strobhar explains that effective cross-training must be based on job complexity and demonstrated competency — not arbitrary time requirements. Common pitfalls include inconsistent crew procedures that cause negative transfer of training, inadequate alarm management for operators returning to console roles and subjective assessments that fail to verify true proficiency. Decision-making exercises offer a low-cost way to prepare crews for high-stakes, low-frequency events. Looking ahead, Strobhar predicts automation and AI will fundamentally reshape operator roles, demanding more technical knowledge and sharper system-oversight skills from tomorrow's workforce.

CP Notebook: ACD's Eric Byer on Iran, Tariffs, and the Fight Over Rail 16.03.2026 7min

In this bonus episode, Executive Editor Jonathan Katz highlights main points from his recent interview for his Chemical Processing Notebook series. Eric Byer lives and works in Washington, D.C., where he fights for more than 400 companies that make up the Alliance for Chemical Distribution. As CEO and president of ACD, he backs the interests of chemical distributors by lobbying on issues such as fair trade policy, rail reform, and chemical safety. He has testified before Congress on several of these issues and keeps his members informed on the trends and legislation that affect their bottom line. I recently spoke with Byer as the Iran war was escalating and his members were already feeling the pressure.

Solutions Spotlight: Don't Let the Wrong Mag Meter Cost You 13.03.2026 23min

Corrosive acids, erosive slurries, viscous polymers, fluids with variable conductivity — these are the kinds of process streams that prove most challenging. Selecting the wrong technology or materials can mean frequent failures, costly downtime or, worse, a safety incident. Electromagnetic flow meters — also known as mag meters — have been a workhorse of the chemical industry for decades. But there's a lot more nuance to applying them well in tough services than most people realize, and some newer developments in the technology haven't gotten nearly the attention they deserve. To better understand all that mag meters have to offer, Chemical Processing sat down with Tim Lellman, electromagnetic flow product manager at KROHNE. This episode was sponsored by KROHNE

When Experience Becomes a Blind Spot 06.03.2026 7min

Workforce Matters columnist Lauren Neal explains what happens when experience stops sharpening judgment and starts dulling curiosity. The comfort and danger of “we’ve seen this before.” You can read the full column here. This was read by Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum.

Distilled News: Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs, Dow's AI Bet and the EPA's Climate U-Turn 27.02.2026 5min

Executive Editor Jonathan Katz reviews this month's chemical industry news, which covers a landmark tariff ruling, Dow's AI-driven layoffs, the rollback of the EPA's Endangerment Finding, BASF's India expansion and a new leader for global plastics treaty talks.

Train Operators for Real-World Chaos, Not Perfection 20.02.2026 22min

Chemical processing operators need training that mirrors real-world conditions, not idealized scenarios. The final six guidelines from Walter Schneider's research emphasize maintaining motivation through consequences, presenting complex contexts with distractions, intermixing tasks to build switching skills, and incorporating time pressure. Training should capture expert strategies that minimize workload—like focusing on key parameters rather than monitoring everything—and teach operators to triage actions during high-stress situations. By including realistic elements such as weather conditions, phone calls, and multiple simultaneous problems, training programs help operators learn what to prioritize and when. This naturalistic approach accelerates skill development for managing chemical plants' complex, fast-moving challenges.