Handbook of Petrochemicals Production Processes (McGraw-Hill Handbooks) [Hardcover]

Robert Meyers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071410422 | ISBN-13: 978-0071410427 | Publication Date: April 15, 2004 | Edition: 1

Chemicals -- and the process used to produce them -- are a billion dollar business. Written by experts from major international petrochemical licensing firms, this innovative handbook details the latest and most powerful chemical processes used to create the most economically important chemicals in the world. (20050401)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Although described as a handbook, this work is more an encyclopedic description of 53 industrial process technologies for producing 18 different petrochemicals. Each process is described in a separate chapter by a different author or authors from one of 18 different companies from North America, Europe, or Japan. The descriptions are mostly brief (averaging 13 pages) and include the following information: general process description, process chemistry, process perspective, process description, product specifications, wastes and emissions, and process economics. The amount of detail varies, but the most common elements are the chemistry and flow diagram of each process, with other details being mostly of a qualitative or descriptive nature. The reader should be aware that there are many other large companies that have patented processes for a number of the chemicals included (notably absent is ICI, one of the largest, so the compilation should be considered representative rather than extensive. This excellent introduction and summary of typical plant operations is recommended as a valuable reference for any technical library that includes industrial chemistry and/or chemical engineering. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates; professionals; two-year technical program students. -- R. Darby, emeritus, Texas A&M University (Choice )

From the Back Cover

THE FIRST AND ONLY GUIDE TO REAL WORLD PETROCHEMICAL ENGINEERING

This unique reference is the only one-stop source for details on licensed petrochemical processes for the major organic chemicals, a $200 billion annual market. Prepared by some of the largest petrochemical and petroleum companies in the world, Handbook of Petrochemicals Production Processes provides in-depth process detail for commercial evaluation and covers plastics and polymers such as ethylene and polyethylenes; propylene; ethylbenzene, styrene and polystyrenes; vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride; and many others. This handbook answers questions on yields, unit operations, chemical and physical values, economics, and much more.

Look inside this outstanding reference for state-of-the-art coverage of:
* General process descriptions, feed definitions, product yields, and simplified flow diagrams
* Process chemistries and thermodynamics
* Commercial process perspectives, including plant locations and long-term plans
* Process details, with flow diagrams and mass and energy balances for major process variations
* Feeds and details on unique and key equipment

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1280 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (April 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071410422
• ISBN-13: 978-0071410427
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but lacking depth, February 13, 2008

By 

T. McKenna "Looking for something interesting" (Kinston, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handbook of Petrochemicals Production Processes (McGraw-Hill Handbooks) (Hardcover)

This book promises a wealth of information for the process engineer interested in Petrochemical Processes. While it does contain a certain amount of useful information, useful for example as introductions to undergraduate Chemical Engineering courses on various of the topics covered, the information presented is not particulary in-depth. Some of the latter chapters on polymerization processes read a bit like the technical information you can find on company web sites rather that as chapters... OK, but not great.