A coworker of mine recently had the unfortunate experience of losing 80 percent of her e-mails because her e-mail box somehow became corrupt on the network server. The Information Technology department tried for two days to retrieve the correspondence, but to no avail. It will probably be months from now before she pieces together the missing information. Surely, there are items that she will have forgotten completely and clients to whom she will never reply. Could this fiasco been avoided if there was a more efficient e-mail system in place?

What would happen if your process chiller malfunctioned to the degree of my coworker’s e-mail system? While the majority of industrial water chillers are dependable machines, additional redundant measures may be required if any malfunction jeopardizes production and profitability. In any standard chiller, a refrigerant leak in the evaporator, condenser or piping can stop production for hours or even days. The same is true if the refrigeration compressor breaks a valve or suffers a burnt-out motor.

According to Graham Whitmore at Motivair Corp., Amherst, N.Y., the solution requires a fundamental shift in philosophy. Read his article to find out what that philosophy is and why a multicircuit chiller may provide an extra measure of safety for your critical processes.

In this issue, we also have some health-related articles lined up for you. William F. McCoy of Ondeo Nalco Co., Naperville, Ill., talks about the true value of microbial fouling control for industrial water -- when it is performed within the context of a properly implemented health-related risk management plan. And read about PETNET Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Knoxville, Tenn.-based molecular imaging company that creates, manufactures and distributes molecular probes, which are used in conjunction with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. A PET scan is a medical diagnostic test used to assess the chemical and physiological changes associated with disease. Given the highly sensitive nature of molecular probes, it is not surprising that the process for manufacturing them requires accuracy and reliability throughout each stage, including cooling.

Allan Weiner of MBI Cryogenics Inc., Irwindale, Calif., takes a look at pipe types for cryogenic applications. And, if you are in the market for a cooling tower, use our special editorial collection to find the one that’s right for your process application.

Our next issue will include a feature article about what the new law H.R. 5005, the “Homeland Security Act of 2002,” will mean to you -- the process engineer working in an industrial refrigeration plant. So, stay tuned!