Around this time last year, we were all awakening to the pandemic — and how it might change our plans for 2020 and beyond. 

A year ago, countries around the world realized that COVID-19 would not be going away quickly. In March 2020, as the world watched video from Italy and other early hot spots, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic.

In this issue of Process Heating, we look at how to evaluate your thermal processing equipment from specification to sundowning to extend its useful life.

As we ended 2019, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was already among us — though most were unaware. It was not yet holding the world in a pandemic’s grip.

I use a browser plugin that shows me a beautiful photograph, an inspiration quote, the current time and a snapshot local forecast each time I open a new tab.

A U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E project that began in 2014 with $3.3 million in funding could be the genesis of a hybrid solar energy converter that generates electricity and steam.

Change. It is something that all of us are faced with these days. From COVID-19 to civil unrest, we are facing new business and personal challenges that can also provide opportunities, depending on how you look at them.

From even before I could actually read, or so my parents tell the story, you could find me with my nose buried in a book. I would tell myself stories in “toddler talk” as I turned the pages of my favorite bedtime stories. 

As I write this commentary, the world is facing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At times, it seems the news will never improve. While I cannot predict when the headwinds will turn in our favor, I can share what has been helping me.

What is the product that made you stop and ask, “Where have you been all my life?” For me, it’s a tight race between my smartphone and heated car seats. For many companies engaged in operations involving thermal processing, I suspect it will be the advent of cloud-based predictive maintenance and remote process management platforms.