Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, Vol. 50, No. 7

S

ORMAN G . F A R Q U H A R .- A s s is ta n t E d ilo r ' 3TER B P O P E A s s i s t a n t E d ilo r

#

IT O R IA L R EP R ESEN TA TIV ES

S . STA T E L E R ... C h ic a g o I . S . M cB R ID E ... W a s h i n g to n IARLE M A U L D IN ...A t l a n t a

:e

9

,? A . W IL L IA M S O N . . . P u b lis h e r 1TRICT M A N A G E R S

H . B ED ELL... N e w Y o rk t. G . F R E D E R IC K ...N e w Y o rk

•RED G R A N T ... C l e v e l a n d A . C U N N IN G H A M ...C h ic a g o

§ V . D . B O Y D ...B o s to n . R . V A N A R S D A L E ... P h i l a d e l p h i a

it j l i s h c d m o n t h ly . P r ic e 35 c e n ts p e r c o p y . d r e s s c o m m u n ic a tio n s a b o u t s u b s c r ip - lp i s to D ir e c t o r o f C ir c u la t io n , C h e m . &

t., 330 W e s t 42 S t., N e w Y o r k , N . Y . a s c r ip tio n r a t e s : U n ite d S t a t e s , M e x ic o , i t r a l a n d S o u th A m e r i c a n c o u n t r i e s , S3 .. y e a r , S4 fo r tw o y e a r s , $5 f o r t h r e e i r s . C a n a d a , S3.50 a y e a r , $5 f o r tw o i r s , $6 fo r t h r e e y e a r s ( p a y a b l e i n C a n - 3 ia n f u n d s ) . G r e a t B r it a in a n d B r itis h ( s e s s io n s , 3 0 s h i l l i n g s c* y e a r , 60 s h i l l i n g s t h r e e y e a r s . A ll o t h e r c o u n t r i e s , $5 a xr, $10 f o r t h r e e y e a r s . E n t e r e d a s s e c o n d nj s s m a t t e r , S e p t e m b e r 3 , 1936, a t P o s t ic e a t A l b a n y , N . Y ., U . S . A ., u n d e r a c t j M a r c h 3, 1879. C o n te n ts c o p y r i g h t e d , 3 , b y M c G r a w -H ill P u b l i s h i n g C o m p a n y , . B r a n c h o f f ic e s : 5 20 N o r th M ic h i g a n e n u e , C h ic a g o ; 68 P o s t S tr e e t, S a n F r a n ­ co ; A ld w y c h H o u s e , A ld w y c h , L o n d o n , y l C . 2 ; W a s h i n g t o n ; P h i l a d e l p h i a ; C le v e -

did ; D e tr o it; S t. L o u is ; B o s to n ; L o s A n - e s ; A t l a n t a .

R e t u r n P o s t a g e G u a r a n t e e d

I

GRAW -HILL PU B L ISH IN G C O ., INC . JA M ES H . M cG R A W

F o u n d e r a n d H o n o ra ry C h a irm a n o lic a tio n O iiic e

99-129 N o r th B r o a d w a y , A l b a n y , N . Y.

t o n a l a n d E x e c u tiv e O H ic e s

330 W e s t 42 S tr e e t, N e w Y o rk . N . Y .

«ES H . M cG R A W , J r ...P r e s id e n t W A R D EH R LIC H .E x e c u tiv e V ic e -P r e s id e n t

¡■ ¡.S O N B R IT T O N ... V ic e -P r e s id e n t R . P U T N A M ...T r e a s u r e r Q * . . G E R A R D I...S e c r e t a r y L BLA C K B U R N , J r ., D ir e c to r o f C ir c u la t io n

M e m b e r A B B . M e m b e r A .B .C . S G r b le A d d r e s s M cG R A W H IL L , N e w Y o r k

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

On, t/liás OdAMŁ J ULY, 1943

Vo l um e 50

R e c o n v e r tin g O ur S u r p lu s e s ...

ED ITO R IA L FO R E W O R D

F rom A u to B o d ie s to B om b er N o s e s ...

B y SIDN EY D . K IR KPA TRICK

B u ty l R u b b er P rod u ction , U n iq u e A m e r ic a n D e v e lo p m e n t.

B y JA M ES A . LEE

B u ta d ie n e From P e tr o le u m ...

E D IT O R IA L S T A FF R EV IEW

N e w D a ta o n A c tiv a te d B a u x ite D e s i c c a n t s ...

B y R . G . CA PELL, R . C . A M E R O a n d J. W . M O O R E

N e w A p p r o a c h to C o n tin u o u s R ea c to r D e s ig n -I ...

B y A . B R O TH M A N , A . P . W E B ER a n d E . Z. B A R ISH

A p p lic a tio n s of B u n a -S ...

D e te r m in in g th e D e n s ity of M ix ed A c id s ...

B y CLYDE M cKINLEY

H e x a m in e For B lo ck B u s te r s ...

P la s tic P ip e For R e c tifie r s ...

C e n tr ifu g a l S e p a r a tio n ...

A C H EM . 4 M ET. R EPO R T

B u ty l R u b b er P rod u ction a t B aton Ro u g e ■

A C H EM . 4 M ET. PIC TU R ED FLO W SH EET

Process Equipment N e w s .

95

98

102

104

107

111

114 115

116 117 119

132

N e w s F ro m w a s n m g i o u ...

R ead ers' V ie w s and Comments.

Interpreting W ash in gto n ...

118 From th e L o g o l E x p e r ie n c e ... 166 127 P e r s o n a litie s ... 171 139 M e e tin g s a n d C o n v e n tio n s ... 175 142 N e w s F rom A b r o a d ... IBS 146 C h em . & M et. B o o k s h e lf ... 199 149 C h e m ic a l E co n o m ic s a n d M a r k e ts. 213 155 N e w C o n stru ctio n ... 222

A n in d e x to a d v e r t i s e r s w i l l b e l o u n d o n p a g e 370

A M c O * A W - H I U f U H I C A T I O N

J; jj y A LL LL S? r « 5

M cG R A W -H IL L P U B L IS H IN G C O M PA N Y 330 W e s t 4 2 n d S t r e e t, N e w Yocfc, N . Y.

D ir e c to r o f C i r c u l â t » : • »

P l e a s e c h a n g e m y a d d r e s s o n C h e m ic a l & M e ta llu r g ic a l E n g in e e r ir - ÿ

F r o m... * ...

To ...

S ig n e d ... "

Uniform, faster bonding or heat processing of nearly all non-conducting materials with THERMEX!

S OME ADVANTAGES of T H E R M E X H e at processing or bonding at a speed never before attain ed ! T he b est w a y to lea rn h ow th e m a n y rem a rk a b le a d v a n ta g es o f T h erm ex

h igh freq u en cy h ea tin g can be a p p lie d to you r p ro d u cts or p ro cesses is to c o n su lt the G ir d le r A p p lic a tio n E n g in e e rin g S e rv ic e .

M ay be used w ith most known non-conducting m aterials!

P ro d u ct is heated uniformly th ru o u t the e n tire m ass!

Y ou are in v ited to su b m it a d escrip tio n o f y o u r h ea tin g p ro b lem . It w ill b e stu d ied b y te c h n ic ia n s e x p erie n c ed in in d u stria l h ig h freq u en cy a p p lic a tio n e n g in e e r in g . If b ea tin g tests are requ ired , the fa c ilitie s o f T herm ex la b o ra to ries w ill be m ad e a v a ila b le fo r ex p erim en ta l w ork on your p ro b lem .

S h o u ld you d ecid e to in s ta ll T h erm ex eq u ip m en t in y o u r p la n t, G irdler en g in e e r s w ill h elp you put it to w ork.

G reat flexibility. T herm ex may be used to supply h eat for a variety of consecutive operations H eating capacity continuously ad­

ju stab le from pra ctic ally zero to m axim um ra tin g of equipm ent.

Sizes available fo r all require­

ments.

I llu s tr a te d b u lle tin s d e s c r ib in g T h e rm e x a re a v a ila b le . W r ite to d a y.

C O R P O R A T I O N G I R D L E R

P io n eers in th e D evelo p m en t o f Indus­

trial H igh F re q u e n c y H eatin g E qu ip m en t

T H ER M EX DIVISION • i n i n c vLO U ISVILLE, KEN TU C KY

J U L Y 1943 . C H E M IC A L & M E T A L L U R G IC A L E N G ÎN E E B

CHEMICAL

* M T U l l l t I t u

ENGINEERING

ESTABLISHED 1902 g D KIRKPATRICK. Editor

JU L Y , 1943

RECONVERTING OUR SU R PL U SE S

J X E C O N V E R S I O N is a c o m p lic a te d e c o n o m ic a n d te c h n ic a l, as w ell a s p o litic a l, p ro b le m . D e s p ite th e p r o te s t s o f th e A r m y a n d th e n a t u r a l o p p o s itio n o f W .P .B . to a n y d iv e rs io n o f m a te r ia ls f r o m t h e i r p r i ­ m a r y w a r u ses, th is is a p r o b le m t h a t n o w w a r r a n t s c a r e f u l a n d r e a lis ti c a p p r a is a l . W e a r e in a t o ta l w a r w h ic h d e m a n d s m o re t h a n j u s t th e p r o d u c ti o n o f a r m s a n d a m m u n itio n . I f w e n e g le c t e s s e n tia l c iv ilia n s u p p lie s su c h a s fo o d a n d c lo th in g , d r u g s a n d m e d i­

cin es, f u e ls a n d c e r ta in c o n s u m e r goods, w e m a y w e ll be th r e a t e n i n g th e su c ce ss o f o u r a r m e d fo rc e s a b ro a d . T h e re f o re , le t u s c o n s id e r, in th is lig h t, som e o f th e r e c o n v e rs io n p ro b le m s t h a t m o s t d ir e c tly a ffe c t th e c h e m ic a l in d u s tr ie s .

I t is co m m o n k n o w le d g e t h a t o u r tre m e n d o u s e m p h a ­ sis on w a r p r o d u c tio n d u r i n g th e p a s t tw o y e a r s h a s r e s u lt e d in s u r p l u s s u p p lie s o f s e v e r a l i m p o r t a n t c h e m ic a ls a n d m e ta ls. S o m e o f th e s e h a v e b e e n r e l a ­ tiv e ly s c a r c e u n t i l j u s t r e c e n tly so n o p la n s h a v e b e e n m a d e to c a r e f o r u n e x p e c te d s u r p lu s e s . T h e p ro b le m n o w is h o w th e y c a n h e u s e d to b e s t a d v a n ta g e i n th e to ta l w a r e ffo rt, h a v i n g i n m in d th e n e e d f o r a b e t te r b a la n c e b e tw e e n m i l i t a r y a n d e s s e n tia l c iv ilia n n ee d s.

C o n s id e r so m e o f t h e p o ssib le b e n e fits t h a t m ig h t com e f r o m d is c r e e t r e p l a n n i n g o f th e u se o f th e excess p a r t s o f o u r p r o d u c ti o n o f a m m o n ia a n d n i t r i c ac id , m e th a n o l, c h e m ic a l c o tto n , m a g n e s iu m a n d v a n a d iu m . F o r e x a m p le —

(1 ) R e le a se o f a m m o n ia a n d a m m o n iu m n i t r a t e f o r m o re g e n e r a l u s a g e w ill g r e a t l y a id in fo o d p r o d u c ­ tio n b y in c r e a s in g th e a v a ila b ili ty o f n itr o g e n o u s f e r tiliz e r s . N i t r i c a c id , a t a p ric e , c o u ld s tim u la te i m p o r t a n t n e w c h e m ic a l a c tiv itie s n o w h e ld in a b e y ­ ance.

(2 ) F r e e d o m to u se c h e m ic a l c o tto n a n d c o tto n lin te r s m a y s ig n if ic a n tly in c re a s e th e p r o d u c ti o n o f h ig h - q u a lity r a y o n s f o r i n d u s t r i a l a s wre ll a s c e r ta in c iv ilia n u ses.

( 3 ) R e le a se o f m o re v a n a d iu m w o u ld g r e a tly a id th e ste e l i n d u s t r y , p e r h a p s h a v i n g th e effect o f in e re a s-

in g m ill c a p a c ity . U se o f v a n a d iu m ca n also ease th e s te e l - p la n t la b o r p ro b le m .

(4 ) M e th a n o l c a n n o w be m a d e in a b u n d a n c e , e s p e c ia lly i f m o re o f th e s y n th e tic a m m o n ia c a p a c ity is so c o n v e rte d . T h e r e s u lt w o u ld be a n a b u n d a n t s u p p ly o f a s a tis f a c to r y a n ti- fr e e z e a n d a s o lv e n t t l i a t c o u ld o f te n r e p la c e e th y l alcohol. T h is in t u r n w o u ld ea se th e a lc o h o l-fo r-ru b b e r p r o g r a m .

(5 ) T h e r e is a lr e a d y a s s u ra n c e o f m o re t h a n e n o u g h m a g n e s iu m f o r a i r c r a f t a n d in c e n d ia r y u ses. B y r e le a s e o f som e o f o u r s u r p lu s in v e n to ry , th e d e v e lo p ­ m e n t o f c e r ta in lig h t-m e ta l p r o d u c ts c o u ld b e s ti m u ­ la te d . T h e se in t u r n m ig h t ease th e d e m a n d f o r o th e r m e ta ls s u c h a s a lu m in u m a n d c e r ta in a llo y s te e ls a n d p e r h a p s r e p la c e som e o f th e p la s tie s t h a t a r e i n su c h g r e a t d e m a n d .

T h e se five e x a m p le s a r e s e le c te d f ro m th e sc o re s t h a t d e s e rv e s e rio u s a t te n t io n n o t b e c a u s e th e y a r e n e c e s s a r ily th e m o s t im p o r ta n t. R a t h e r i t is b e c a u s e th e y e m p h a siz e th e f u n d a m e n ta l p r in c i p le t h a t o u r w a r tim e c o n tro ls s h o u ld n o t b e so r i g i d a s to p r e c lu d e p r o m p t a n d lo g ic a l d iv e rs io n s w h e n e v e r u n w ie ld y s u r p lu s e s d ev e lo p . W e b eliev e t h a t i t w ill b e n e fit t h e n a tio n to s t a r t r i g h t n o w in r e e s ta b lis h in g th e s u p p l y o f im p o r t a n t c iv ilia n g o o d s t h a t c a n b e m a d e f ro m th e s e a n d o th e r a v a ila b le s u r p lu s e s w h ic h a r e n o w in m i l ita r y h a n d s . S tr e n g th e n in g th e c iv ilia n eco n o m y w ill n o t o n ly r e s t r i c t in f la tio n a n d b e n e fit p u b lic m o ra le , b u t w ill a c tu a lly h e lp o u r a r m e d fo rc e s i n m e e tin g th e n e e d s p la c e d on th e m b y th e p o p u l a ­ tio n s o f th e a llie d a n d lib e r a te d c o u n trie s . T h e u s e o f th e s e m a te r ia ls to g iv e a b r o a d e r b a s e f o r in d u s t r i a l a c tiv i ty w ill in c re a s e efficiency in th e w a r in d u s t r ie s th e m se lv es.

T h e a l t e r n a t e c o u rs e is e i th e r c o n tin u e d s to c k p ilin g o r t e m p o r a r ily c lo sin g d o w n o f th e p la n ts . T h e l a t t e r p r a c tic e h a s b ee n fo llo w e d b y th e A r m y in th e c a se o f som e o f th e T N T p l a n t s a n d lia s b e e n th r e a te n e d , ev e n i n th e ea se o f a m m o n ia . A f t e r th e w a r is w o n , a n id le m u n itio n s p l a n t in s ta n d - b y c o n d itio n m a y

p r o v e a go o d in s u r a n c e p o lic y b u t w h ile th e f ig h tin g is a c tu a lly g o in g on, w e w o u ld p r o b a b ly a ll p r e f e r to h a v e th e se p la n ts in p r o d u c tio n . T h e ir o u tp u ts w o u ld th e n be im m e d ia te ly a v a ila b le s h o u ld th e flu id ity w a r ” s u d d e n ly d e v e lo p n e w a n d e n la r g e d n ee d s.

M e a n w h ile i f t h e i r excess p r o d u c ti o n is d iv e r t e d to c iv ilia n r e q u ir e m e n ts , th e r e w ill b e a s h a r in g o f o v e r­

h e a d a n d lo w e r n e t co st o n th e g o o d s p u r c h a s e d fo i m i l ita r y u ses.

I t a lm o s t goes w ith o u t s a y in g t h a t th e s e r e c o n v e r ­ s io n p ro b le m s c a n n o t b e h a n d l e d a s i f th e w a r w e re a l r e a d y w o n . T h e r e is a l o t o f d iffic u lt a n d b lo o d y f ig h tin g as w e ll a s h a r d e r w o rk a n d lo n g e r h o u r s a h e a d o f u s. B u t th e r e a r e som e lo g ic a l s h if ts in e m p h a sis a n d d ir e c tio n w h ic h c a n a n d s h o u ld b e m a d e in th e d ir e c t i n t e r e s t o f th e w a r e ffo rt. T im jo b is to d iv e r t excess m a te r ia ls a n d p l a n t c a p a c itie s f r o m s t r i c t l y m i l i t a r y p r o d u c tio n in to i m p o r t a n t c h a n n e ls w h e re th e sa m e g o ods a r e b a d ly n e e d e d . T h is does n o t m e a n a le t t i n g d o w n o f th e b a r s f o r c iv ilia n lu x u r ie s o r n o n -e s s e n tia ls . N o r is i t a n u n p a t r i o t i c c h a lle n g in g o f m il i t a r y n e e d s a n d th e w a r p r o d u c tio n p r o g r a m . R a th e r , i t is a p le a f o r a n o v e ra ll r e a p p r a i s a l o f o u r t o t a l n e e d s a n d s u r p lu s e s a n d a p la n o f r e c o n ­ v e r s io n w h e re c h a n g e s c a n b e s t se rv e th e w a r effo rt.

SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME?

V ic e - p r e s id e n t W a l l a c e , w ho h a s b e e n q u o te d as s a y in g t h a t a p o s tw a r ta r i f f on r u b b e r w o u ld b e e q u iv a le n t to d e c la r in g a t h i r d W o r ld W a r , w o u ld lik e ly a p p r o v e o f th e s y m p a th e tic v iew s h e ld b y D r . E a r l N . B re s s m a n , d ir e c to r o f th e I n te r - A m e r ic a n I n s t i t u t e o f A g r i c u l t u r a l S ciences, n e w ly e s ta b lis h e d a t T u r r i a l b a i n C o s ta R ic a . I n a n in te r e s tin g a n d so m e w h a t o b je c tiv e d isc u ssio n o f “ R u b b e r — N a t u r a l o r S y n t h e t i c ? ” th is e m in e n t p l a n t p a th o lo g is t h o ld s t h a t th e f u t u r e o f r u b b e r d e p e n d s u p o n th e o u tc o m e o f sc ie n tific c o m p e titio n b e tw e e n th e i n d u s t r ia l r e ­ s e a rc h la b o r a to r ie s a n d th e a g r i c u l t u r a l e x p e r im e n t s ta tio n s . “ N o s in g le d e v e lo p m e n t h o ld s m o re p o te n t p o s s ib ilitie s t h a n th e r a c e b e tw e e n th e c h e m is t a n d th e a g r i c u l t u r a l s c ie n t is t to s u p p ly th e e x p a n d in g n e e d s o f th e M a c h in e A g e f o r r u b b e r a n d to s u p p ly i t c h e a p ly a n d a b u n d a n t l y . ”

W i th s u c h s ta te m e n ts w e c a n n o t ta k e s e rio u s e x c e p ­ tio n . L a t e r in h is d is c u s s io n , h o w e v e r, th e good d o c to r seem s in c lin e d to p r e j u d g e th e r e s u lt s o f th e r a c e b y a s s u m in g t h a t ev e n w ith th e b e n e fits e x p e c te d f r o m c h e m ic a l r e s e a r c h , th e p r ic e o f s y n th e tic r u b b e r w ill h a v e to b e a r o u n d 30 c e n ts a p o u n d w h e n d e r iv e d f ro m p e tro le u m a n d 40 c e n ts f o r th e sa m e p r o d u c t f r o m g r a in . H e w r i te s : “ E v e n i f th e r a w m a te r ia l w e re to c o s t n o th in g , i t seem s illo g ic a l to e x p e c t t h a t s y n th e tic r u b b e r co u ld b e p o ly m e r iz e d o u t o f e i th e r a lc o h o l o r p e tro le u m i n a c ity f a c to r y , p a y i n g h ig h ta x e s a n d w ag es, o v e rh e a d , etc., a t a p r ic e c o m p a r a b le to t h a t in v o lv e d i n th e p r o d u c ti o n o f n a t u r a l r u b b e r , w h ic h is a n id e a l s m a ll- f a m ily in d u s t r y . I t is to th e .in te r e s t o f r u b b e r c o n s u m e rs i n t h i s c o u n t r y to see t h a t th e r u b b e r o f th e f u t u r e com es f r o m a r e a lly c h e a p so u rc e . I n th e f u t u r e i t s h o u ld b e p o ssib le w ith f u lly m a tu r e d p la n ta t io n s o f h ig h y ie ld in g tr e e s to p r o d u c e r u b b e r a t 10 c e n ts a p o u n d o r l e s s .”

S u b s t i t u t e “ p l a n t s ” f o r “ p l a n t a t i o n s ” a n d “ p r o c ­ e s s e s ” f o r “ t r e e s ” a n d t h a t l a s t s e n te n c e com es n e a r e r to o u r e x p e c ta tio n s t h a n th e 30 a n d 40 c e n t e s tim a te s D r. B re s s m a n p r e v io u s ly c ite d . W e also fin d i t d iffic u lt to r e f r a i n f ro m c o m m e n tin g o n th e

“ c ity f a c to r y v s . s m a ll f a m i ly i n d u s t r y , ” e s p e c ia lly w h e n w e r e a d f u r t h e r a lo n g t h a t — “ T h e go o d w a g e s w h ic h r u b b e r p r o d u c ti o n b r in g s to th e s m a ll f a m ily u n i t p r o v id in g th e m a c a s h in c o m e to s u p p le m e n t th e liv i n g th e y g e t off t h e i r p la c e , h e lp s to d e v e lo p c o n ­ te n t e d r u r a l p o p u la tio n s . C o n te n te d r u r a l p o p u la ­ tio n s w ill u n d o u b te d ly m e a n m u c h m o re to th e f u t u r e

o f th is h e m is p h e re t h a n som e s y n th e tic r u b b e i f a c ­ to r ie s r u n u n d e r liig li-ta r iff p r o te c tio n .

P e r h a p s w e a r e s ti ll to o n a r r o w a n d p r o v in c i a l m o u r t h in k i n g to v is u a liz e a ll th e b e n e f its o f th e g r e a t o-lobal b a s is o n w h ic h M r. W a lla c e a n d a fe w o th e r id e a lis ts w o u ld h a v e u s o p e r a te in th e y e a r s to com e.

B u t w e d o k n o w s o m e th in g o f th e te m p e r o f th e A m e r ic a n p e o p le a n d h o w d iffic u lt i t is g o in g to b e to ta k e a w a y t h e i r h ig h w a g e s i n o r d e r to p ro m o te c o n te n te d r u r a l p o p u la tio n s e ls e w h e re m th e w o rld .

ROSTER TO AID ON CHEMICAL DEFERMENTS

M a c h i n e r y h a s b e e n s e t u p in t h e N a ti o n a l R o s te r of S c ie n tific a n d S p e c ia liz e d P e r s o n n e l to a s s is t th e c h e m ic a l i n d u s t r y a n d p r o fe s s io n i n th e p r o p e r h a n d l in g o f eases w h e re d r a f t d e f e r m e n t o f te c h n ic a l p e r s o n n e l is in q u e s tio n . N o b l a n k e t d e f e r m e n t is s o u g h t, w h ic h is a g o o d t h i n g . B u t a n e ff o rt is b e in g m a d e o ffic ia lly to a s s is t i n h o ld in g f o r i n d u s t r y co l­

le g es, a n d o th e r i n s t i t u t i o n s th o s e s c ie n tific a n d e n ­ g in e e r in g w o rk e rs in th e c h e m ic a l fie ld w h o a r e r e n ­ d e r in g a g r e a t e r se rv ic e th e r e t h a n th e y w o u ld be a b le to g iv e i f p u t in u n if o rm .

T h e n e e d f o r h ig h ly t r a i n e d p e r s o n n e l o f th is s o r t g ro w s s te a d ily . T h e p r o b le m s o f in te n s iv e e ffo rt o n p r o d u c ti o n a n d th e n e c e s s ity f o r r e s e a r c h a n d d e v e lo p ­ m e n t w o rk a t h ig h s p e e d a r e g r a d u a l l y b e in g re c o g ­ n iz e d b y th e m i l i t a r y a s w e ll a s b y th e c iv ilia n a u t h o r ­ itie s . I t is e s s e n tia l t h a t in d iv i d u a ls a n d e m p lo y e rs c o o p e ra te in p u t t i n g in to m o s t e s s e n tia l w o rk th o se p e r s o n s w ho o u g h t to b e h e ld o u t o f th e m i l ita r y se rv ic e. T h is is a p a t r i o t i c , n o t a selfish , d u t y a t th is

^ E m p l o y e r s w ho h a v e d iffic u lt p r o b le m s w ith lo c a l b o a rd s s h o u ld im m e d ia te ly c o m m u n ic a te w ith th e C o m m itte e o n C h e m is ts a n d C h e m ic a l _ E n g in e e r s , N a tio n a l R o s te r o f S c ie n tific a n d S p e c ia liz e d P e r ­ so n n e l, W a s h in g to n , D . C. T h e f a c t s r e g a r d i n g t e t r a i n i n g a n d e x p e rie n c e , a s w e ll a s th e d u tie s and re s p o n s ib ilitie s , o f e a ch in d iv i d u a l s h o u ld b e s e n t m . O f c o u rse , o n ly cases w h ic h c a n n o t b e h a n d l e d effec­

tiv e ly w ith lo c a l b o a r d s n e e d th i s t r e a t m e n t . B u t t h e r e m a y b e som e cases i n w h ic h th e lo c a l b o a r d s o r e v e n S t a t e a p p e a l b o a r d s w ill n o t u n d e r s t a n d th is s it u a ti o n w ith o u t som e a s s is ta n c e f r o m W a s h in g to n .

N o t e v e r y case s u b m itte d w ill b e s u p p o r te d . B u t a c o m p e te n t a d v is o r y c o m m itte e is b e i n g o r g a n iz e d a n d r e a lly s k ille d p e rs o n n e l is a l r e a d y w o r k in g w ith th e R o s te r to m a k e d is c r i m in a tin g d e c isio n s in th e p u b lic in te r e s t. I t is u p to th e c h e m ic a l i n d u s t r y a n d p r o ­ fe ssio n to ta k e a d v a n ta g e o f th i s a s s is ta n c e .

96 »

JULY 1948 *

&

GETTING READY TO BEGIN

B u i l d i n g w a r f a c to r ie s is n e a r in g c o m p le tio n . E x c e p t f o r th e b a la n c e o f th e a v ia tio n g a s o lin e p r o g r a m a n d f a c ilitie s f o r n e w e x p lo siv e s a n d w e a p o n s th e b ig jo b is a b o u t o v e r. T h is re le a s e s f o r o th e r p u r p o s e s im ­ p o r t a n t c o n s tr u c tio n e q u ip m e n t a n d m a n y s k ille d p e r s o n s w ho do n o t seem to b e lo n g e r n e e d e d f o r t h e i r o r d i n a r y f u n c ti o n o f b u i l d i n g s t r u c t u r e s a n d p l a n t fa c ilitie s . H o w b e s t c a n th e s e m e n a n d m a c h in e s b e u s e d n o w ?

T h e g o v e r n m e n t its e lf re c o g n iz e s th is p ro b le m . A t le a s t b y im p lic a tio n i t s u g g e s ts t h a t i n d u s t r y s h o u ld a v a il its e lf o f th e e x p e r ie n c e d s e rv ic e s o f th e s e a r c h ite c ts , e n g in e e rs , a n d c o n s tr u c tio n g r o u p s . T h e s u g g e s tio n d o es n o t go so f a r a s to im p ly t h a t n e w c iv ilia n c o n s tr u c tio n is e x p e c te d to s t a r t im m e d ia te ly

in m a n y p la c e s. B u t i t is n o t to o soon to p r e p a r e d r a w in g s a n d sp e c ific a tio n s f o r c o n s tr u c tio n w o rk t h a t w ill be n e e d e d in th e e a r ly f u t u r e .

T h e W a r P r o d u c tio n B o a r d its e lf s a y s o n th is s u b ­ j e c t : “ T h ro u g h th is p r o c e d u r e a p p l ic a n ts c a n f a m i l ­ ia riz e th e m se lv e s w ith c u r r e n t l y p e r m is s ib le t y p e s o f c o n s tru c tio n a n d m a te r ia ls a n d a v o id u n n e c e s s a r y d e la y s r e s u lt in g fro m r e d e s ig n in g p r o je c ts a n d f r o m th e su b m issio n o f in c o m p le te ly p r e p a r e d a p p l i c a ­ t i o n s . ”

F a r s i g h t e d m a n a g e m e n t w ill b e d is p o s e d to g o ev e n f a r t h e r a n d to see t h a t th is b u s in e s s o f e n g in e e r in g p l a n n i n g s h o u ld also c o n c e rn its e lf w ith p o s tw a r r e c o n s tr u c tio n . E v e n th o se e n te r p r is e s n o w d e e p in w a r m a n u f a c tu r e c a n n o t a ffo rd to f o r g e t a l to g e th e r a s t u d y o f th e r o u te s b y w h ic h th e y m u s t e v e n tu a lly g e t b a c k to p e a c e -tim e o p e ra tio n s .

W A S H I N G T O N H I G H L I G H T S

CORN PRODUCTS will be very scarce unless the government finds ways in which to supply adequate corn to wet grinders making starch, sirup, dextrose and other sweeteners. The desire to hold corn on the farm for animal feed has seriously reduced market supplies to the point that several o f the largest processing plants are actually shut down for lack of raw material. One Mid-Western commentator accuses the O.P.A. o f “feeding the pigs hut starv­

ing the babies.” The baby starving, of course, relates to the fact that mil­

lions of infants need corn sirup as an essential part o f their baby-food for­

mulas. But many industries are also beginning to feel the effects of this shortage o f materials which has de­

veloped Horn the corn-hogs situation.

STARCH SHORTAGE threatens to em­

barrass a number o f process indus­

tries. Recently the paper industry was ordered not to use any tapioca flour for beater, surface or tub size.

It is a question whether these paper makers can get enough cornstarch to serve as an alternative. There are no governmental regulations; but the sup­

ply is very inadequate for these and numerous other industrial uses. So long as the farmers have an artificial high price for hogs and a low ceiling on corn they will feed the corn instead o f sending it to market to be made into starch, sirup and other urgently needed industrial products.

NITROGEN used in fertilizers this year will be about 40 percent greater than in any previous year. This is the estimate made by joint study o f ex­

perts in the government and the N a­

tional Fertilizer Association. Thus, the chemical industry which provides

the nitrogen products for this huge fertilizer effort is contributing directly to the program for increased food production in the United States. It is greatly to its credit that during wartime it can not only supply the nitrogen needs for explosives and war industries but also make this huge contribution o f the most essential fer­

tilizer element for the farm program.

AMMONIUM NITRATE must be used more for fertilizer purposes this year than is normally desirable. W e have this compound and do not have the preferred ammonium sulphate or so­

dium nitrate. Chemical enterprise has the task o f working out ways in which the ammonium nitrate can be used both for separate application and in fertilizer mixtures. Caking caused by the hygroscopic nature of this compound cannot be wholly avoided.

Nor is all element o f risk eliminated during wide distribution, and possible careless handling, o f this ingredient o f high explosives. But with proper precautions and intelligent applica­

tion serious troubles should not develop from the enforced use of this relatively less desirable fertilizer component.

MOLASSES SHORTAGE which threatened alcohol manufacture for months is now pinching on several other chemical industries. An attempt was made to relieve this situation by arranging that beet-sugar molasses be used for yeast, citric-acid, lactic-acid, and other fer­

mentations without first removing the sugar by the Steffens process. An ill- considered order to this effect by W .P.B . had to be immediately with­

drawn because it corrected one trouble only to cause several more serious problems. This shows how the inter­

locking of various chemical process industries must be fully understood before changes are imposed. Other­

wise an arbitrary order, like this one, may do more harm than good.

HIGH-STRENGTH RAYON is now used for automobile and other tire cord to the extent of about 100 million pounds per year. But the government is per­

haps a bit optimistic when it reports that at least two-thirds of that amount o f additional high-strength rayon can be made with existing equipment now used for other purposes. The impor­

tant point is that military demand stimulates increased production which will eventually load to larger indus­

trial uses of new products.

"DEGREE OF ESSENTIALITY" o f vari­

ous industries may be judged by the sort o f preferential treatment they have been aceorded by O.D.T. in allo­

cating the diminishing supplies of gasoline available throughout the E ast­

ern States. I t is not surprising that high preference is given to those chemical process industries engaged in making essential war products. I f you want to find out the relative standing o f the different sorts o f enterprises, study the official lists o f who gets gasoline and who goes without.

PACKING is being greatly improved by the necessities o f wartime. Now we have packages that can safely be given severe weather exposure and rough handling that formerly would have wrecked both the container and its contents. This experience, if we are wise, should help us learn how to use new methods and materials for post­

war packaging o f chemicals and related products.

CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING •

JULY 19J,S

F rom Auto B odies to B om ber N oses

S ID N E Y D . K IR K P A T R IC K

tions. It is conveniently located with­

in the city limits o f Knoxville and is bordered on two sides by the main lines of the Southern and L&N Railroads.

It is supplied with water, sewerage and electric power facilities by the local utilities and has been able to draw on

the Knoxville area for practically all o f its labor supply, which will shortly exceed 1500 men and women.

That the Defense Plant Corporation was most fortunate both in the pur­

chase and in the use made o f these fa ­ cilities is evident from Tables I, II, and ITI which show, respectively, the buildings and facilities adapted without major change, the materials and equip­

ment salvaged from the old plant and reconditioned and, finally, the rela­

tively small amount o f second-hand equipment and other materials that had to be purchased from other sources.

The accompanying illustrations show the extent o f the transformation that was effected between October 1942 and March 1943 when the first Plexiglas was turned out by the new facilities.

Some o f the original buildings had to he remodelled, principally to put in new foundations to support the heavier process equipment. However, prac-

* F a t e w o u ld in d e e d be p la y in g a q u e e r tr i c k i f so m e d a y t h i s p l a n t s h o u ld t u r n o u t t r a n s p a r e n t p l a s t i c t u r r e t t o p s f o r p o s t w a r a u to m o b ile s !— E d .

Like a b ig transparent b u b ble, the P le x ig la s n o se of the Martin B-26 M arauder bomber offers com p lete v isib ility a s w e ll a s protection for the forw ard gunner ...-rC/iem. & M e t. I N T E R P R E T A T I O N ■■—■■■■... ... ...

Chemical ingenuity as w ell as engineering of a high order w ere required to convert ihe idle buildings of a 25-year-old wood-working plant into efficient facilities for the m anufacture of the transparent acrylic plastic n eed ed for our rapidly expanding aircraft program.

That this w a s accom plished in minimum time with m aximum u se of salv a g ed m aterials and reconditioned equipment is a record of which the officials of the D efense Plant Corporation are exceed in gly proud.

They applaud this a s a challenging exam ple of w hat war industry must do more frequently in the future if w e are to m ake the most of w hat w e h ave left in time, m aterials and m achinery •

T

engineers boasted o f their shiny- new plants, with stainless steel and chromium-plated equipment and bur­

nished aluminum and copper acces­

sories. Today the real hero is the man who can do most with what he has left. The real achievement in war-time plant construction is the maximum use o f salvaged material and reconditioned equipment, housed, if at all, in build­

ings that require the minimum o f crit­

ical materials. Such an accomplish­

ment is to be seen in the Knoxville, Tenn. plant o f Rohm & Haas, which is now producing an ever increasing sup­

ply of transparent Plexiglas sheets for bomber noses, gun blisters, and turrets, and for cockpit enclosures o f combat planes. Chemical engineers o f that company, with the help o f construc­

tion engineers o f the Austin Company, have quickly converted an idle wood­

working plant into modern manufac­

turing facilities for chemicals and plas­

ties.

Last fall Rohm & Haas, as agents for the Defense Plant Corporation, took title on IS acres of land and about 20 wood and brick buildings that had originally housed the operations o f the and turret tops came into vogue.

Later the plant was operated for a time automobile bodies for this was back in the days before all-steel construction and turret* tops came into vogue. Later the plant was operated for a time by another wood-working industry and more recently served merely as ware­

houses, for produce and tobacco nuc-

98

JULY 19Ą3

T ab le II.— M aterials an d Equipm ent S a l­

v a g e d from O ld P lant a n d R e-U sed 1— 500 h p . B a b c o c k & W i l c o x b o i l e r —

l e s s t u b e s

1— 50 f t . h i g h x 25 f t . d i a m . w o o d s ilo —

c o n v e r t e d f o r u s e w i t h c o a l • 1— B o i l e r b lo w - d o w n t a n k

10— Y o r k H e a t D i f f u s i n g U n its , o n e r e ­ p o s i t i o n e d f o r r o o m h e a t i n g

2— T y p e S L , S iz e N o . 10 B u f f a lo b l o w e r s ' f r o m l u m b e r d r y k i l n s u s e d f o r a i r f i l t e r i n g s y s t e m

1— T y p o E , S iz e N o . 120 A m e r i c a n b lo w e r a d a p t e d t o s p r a y t o w e r u s e

2— 15 h p . S t u r t e v a n t s t e a m t u r b i n e s f r o m d r y k i l n f a n s u s e d to d r i v e b o i l e r f o r c e d d r a f t f a n s

32— A e r o f m h e a t i n g u n i t s f r o m d r y k i l n s a l l r e - u s e d f o r p o l y m e r i z a t i o n o v e n h e a t i n g

6— A e r o f in h e a t i n g u n i t s f r o m d r y k i l n s a d a p t e d t o a i r f i l t e r i n g s y s t e m 3— O il c i r c u i t b r e a k e r s

30 .0 0 0 o ld b r i c k

2 0 .0 0 0 s q .f t . o f c o r r u g a t e d T r a n s i t e f r o m d r y k i l n s r e - u s e d f o r b o i l e r h o u s e r o o f , p a r t i t i o n s , e tc .

10 .0 0 0 c u .f t . o f r o c k w o o l i n s u l a t i o n f r o m d r y k i l n s r e - u s e d to i n s u l a t e o v e n s 36— s t e e l w i n d o w s a s h

60— t o n s o f s t r u c t u r a l s t e e l

3,S00 f t . o f s t e e l p ip e , s i z e s u p t o 10 in . 50— v a l v e s i n s i z e s u p to S in .

70— l a r g e s i z e p i p e f i t t i n g s 1 8 ,2 0 0 f t . c o n d u i t

1 0 .0 0 0 f t . e l e c t r i c w i r e s i z e s N o . S to

„ A 00-000. ?lr- p i i R econstruction u n d e r w a y earlier this y e a r a s second-hand tanks, s a lv a g e d from the 10.0 0 0 c o n d u i t f i t t i n g s „ , . „ ,

125 s e c o n d a r y i n s u l a t o r r a c k s A tlantic C oast to the M ississip pi, are a sse m b le d for sto ra g e of m aterials in p ro cess 100 s t r a i n i n s u l a t o r s

7 3 3 — R L M l i g h t i n g f i x t u r e s T ab le I.—Buildings an d F acilities A d ap ted W ithout Major C hange 20— s a f e t y s w i t c h e s

M isc . l u m b e r , t o i l e t f i x t u r e s , e tc . T o t a l p r o p e r t y a r e a ... 18 a c r e s

P r o p e r t y a r e a i n s i d e o f f e n c e ... 11 a c r e s * N u m b e r o f b u i l d i n g s ... 20

tically all existing steel columns were « S f e !!! !! i ! ! ! ! : ! ! ! i !!! i !! 4J88;888 8 &

left in place, after being reinforced C o n c r e t e r o a d ... 300 l i n e a l f t .

and strengthened at their footings. Rain-old"“ a'in g: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : !;ooo lineal

i t

Equipment layouts were made to con- ^ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; 3’,ioo lineal f t

i o r m t o t h e e x i s t i n g f l o o r p l a n a n d S a n i t a r y s e w e r ... 2,0 0 0 l in e a l f t.

limrl v n m n „ S t o r m s e w e r ... 4,2 0 0 l i n e a l ft.

n e a c l loom, a ltllO U a n 111 one or two S p r i n k l e r s y s t e m s i n s i d e b u i l d i n g s ... 15

D e e p - w e ll p u m p 100 g .p .m .

S e c t i o n o f p r o c e s s w a s t e w a t e r s e w e r t o r i v e r f o r m e r l y

u s e d b y c i t y 4 ,7 0 0 f t

S m o k e s t a c k 175 f t h i g h — 9 f t . d ia m .

.A -

planes it was necessary to project tall Refrigeration equipment was picked columns through the roof and enclose up from some abandoned Pennsylvania them with new construction. Ingenious breweries which also contributed many use was made o f all the structural steel, wood and steel tanks— totalling more transite and other siding materials for than 350,000 gal. o f storage capacity, partitions and construction o f boiler- One exceedingly interesting “find” was house roofs, tunnel driers, etc. The the purchase from an up-state New former lumber kilns were rebuilt into York dairy o f seven stainless steel milk the polymerization ovens, using the tanks that had long done service on same Aerofin heating units, Buffalo motor truck trailers. H eavily lagged blowers and Sturtevant steam turbine and covered with aluminum sheet, these drives. A steel silo, 50 ft. high and tanks provide almost ideal storage for 25 ft. in diameter, formerly used for some 14,000 gal. o f certain refrigerated sawdust, was quickly converted to store

a ten-dav supply o f coal. A large

underground tank used for storing Table HI.—U sed Equipm ent a n d M aterials wood waste (hogged fuel) was lined P u rch a sed From Other S ou rces with acid-proof brick to provide stor- 4 t a n k c a r s

a g e f o r a c i d w h i c h w o u l d o t h e r w i s e 7— ?!ia jii!ne s s ,s t e e ! ..rn,i.l k t a n k s , t o t a l i n g

, . . 1 4 ,0 0 0 g a l . c a p a c i t y u s e d f o r m o n o -

h a v e r e q u i r e d n e w r u b b e r - l i n e d s t e e l m e r s t o r a g e

m n c l m n h m 29— s t e e l s t o r a g e t a n k s — t o t a l c a p a c i t y

c o n s t r u c t i o n . 3 5 1 ,0 0 0 g a l l o n s

Because o f the heavy demand for 4 0 ,0 0 0 f t . 1 % in . s e a m l e s s s t e e l t u b i n g , , . . 1 , , c l e a n e d a n d r e - u s e d f o r m a k i n g c o n -

proeess steam, the original power plant, _ d e n s e r s

w i t r i t s 500 hp. Babcock and W ilcox 1

b o i l e r , h a d t o b e r e b u i l t a n d e x t e n d e d } — ! 50 h P- i Cee^ , r ? .oil(l r

, n 1 i P v ., Arr\ 1— 0 r e t o r t A\ e s t i n g h o u s e u n d e r f e e d b y t h e a d d i t i o n o f a s e c o n d u n i t — a 4 5 0 s t o k e r

hp. Keeler boiler which was disman- 1 _ L ed^toifer'erican En^ineerine under- tied and.shipped to Knoxville from the 2— f o r c e d d r a f t f a n s

Rohm & H aas plant at Bristol, Pa. Two I — c o a f weigh l a r r y PS

automatic 5-retort underfeed stokers 1—bundo'ze?101"

w e r e p u r c h a s e d a s u s e d e q u i p m e n t a n d J— s t a t i o n w a g o n t r u c k O pen-lype of construction w a s u se d for i n s t a l l e d t o t a k e t h e p l a c e o f t h e Ol’i g - 4— -15 Ckv .C o n ° c i r c u i t b r e a k e r s

n e w fa c ilitie s for resin m anufacture jn a l hoo-o'ed f u e l b u r n e r . M isc. office fu r n itu re an d b u sin e ss m a - c n i n e s

CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING •

JULY 101,5

ed the open-type of construction in which only the control rooms are en­

closed so that the operators may be protected from the weather. Every­

thing else is “out o f doors,” so to speak. Although somewhat new to chemical industry, this type o f con­

struction seems certain of much wider adoption after the war. As in most continuous operations, a great deal of emphasis is rightly placed on modern control equipment. In that connection extensive use was made of the new plastic, Saran, instead o f copper in tubing for various control instruments.

The plant manager reported that he had already developed a preference for such new plastics and saw no reason now for ever going back to metal in some of these applications.

The chief raw materials for the mnn-

Som* of the p ip ing an d v a lv e s dism antled and re a d y for reconditioning for reu se in

reb u ild ing the plant

materials in process of manufacture.

Some day, however, some future visitor is going to wonder just why these dumpy, elliptical tanks were designed

in such peculiar proportions.

Not all the plant, by any means, could he built of salvaged materials and used equipment. For example, the monomer manufacturing unit required continuous process facilities compar­

able to those used in a modern petro­

leum refinery. Borrowing from cur­

rent practice in that progressive indus­

try, the Rohm & H aas engineers adopt-

Exi»ting structural s te e l h a d to b e reinforced a n d footin gs stren g th en ed to support h e a v ie r eq uipm ent la id out to conform to ex istin g conditions

V ie w in th e o ld b oiler p la n t w h e r e w e ld e r s a r e reb u ild in g p o w e r eq u ip m en t to ad ap t

it to p r o c e ss ste a m production

u fa c tu re o f P lexiglas are sodium cya­

nide, sulp h u ric acid, m ethanol an d ace­

tone. (See flowsheet fo r the steps in ­ volved in this synthesis.)

The sodium cyanide is sh ip p ed to the p la n t fro m N iag a ra F a lls in special 2- ton containers, loaded 12 to a flatcar.

The chemical reactions involved are as fo llo w s: acetone is reacted w ith hydro­

cyanic acid to yield acetone eyanohy- drin. This is hydrolyzed an d dehy­

d rate d to yield the m ethyl ester of m ethacrylic acid.

The cry stal clear w ater-tliin mono­

mer o f m ethyl m ethacrylate m ust he handled w ith extrem e care to avoid contam ination an d to p rev e n t p rem a­

tu re polym erization. F o r this reason only stainless steel equipm ent is used and it m ust be stored in refrig erate d

100 •

JULY 194S

CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING •

JULY Id!,3

S ch em atic flo w sh e e t of c h em ica l ste p s in p rep a rin g a cry lic resin s su ch a s P le x ig la s

at temperatures as low as— 67 deg. F.

Temperature changes o f a degree for every 300 ft. o f a six-mile climb are not uncommon. The same fragile look- ing plastic nose on a bomber must be able to withstand rain and snow, sleet and hail, blinding sandstorms and 200- mile winds— always remaining strong, clear and transparent. To meet such exacting needs, the Rohm & Haas Com­

pany has provided in its Bristol plant a new physical testing laboratory to duplicate the weathering and pound­

ing that the bomber noses and blisters must take. I t even boasts o f a machine gun range to conduct bullet impact tests and to study resistance to jar and shock of equipment under actual firing conditions.

That such important and useful war materials can be produced in plants such as this one in Tennessee is indeed a tribute to the resourcefulness and persistence o f the Rohm & Haas Com­

pany organization. Only the fullest cooperation on the part o f its engineer- i*1?) purchasing, and administrative personnel could have made possible the completion of the project in such rec­

ord time. I t required not only a broad appreciation o f the magnitude o f the project, but also painstaking attention to detail. A substantial part o f the credit for the undertaking goes to V in­

cent C. Henrieh, formerly superin­

tendent of Rohm & Haas Company’s Bristol plant, and now superintendent o f the Tennessee plant, to whom we are indebted for his cooperation in the preparation o f this article.

tanks. The easting o f Plexiglas into sheets is accomplished by pouring the monomer between glass plates held to­

gether— or rather apart— by special seals at the edges. A fter the space be­

tween the plates is carefully filled and all air bubbles removed, the plates are piled up sandwich style and placed on racks which are drawn by hand trucks into the polymerization ovens. Here they are gently heated for several days and after being further tempered or annealed, the glass plates are removed to yield the clear Plexiglas sheets, which are usually about 36x48 in. in area and to in. in thickness. In this part o f the operation extreme care must be taken to see that everything is immaculately clean. A ll air is fil­

tered and fully conditioned for tem­

perature and humidity. A ll operators wear special uniform s and every pre­

caution is taken against stirring up dust or dirt from any source.

Plexiglas for use in bombers and other military aircraft must be a pre­

cision product, manufactured to meet rigid specifications. The layman sel­

dom appreciates the fact that is strat­

osphere flights a plane may operate

A ir under h ig h p ressu re is u se d io determ ine the d eflectio n of cu rved p a n e ls of P le x i­

g la s in this testin g a p p a ra tu s in R. & H .'s n e w p h y sic a l lab oratories

B utyl R u b b e r P ro d u c tio n U nique A m erican D evelopm ent

J A M E S A . LEE

Chem. & M e t. I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

This is ihe first com m ercial unit in the world d esigned and con­

structed for production of butyl rubber (GR-I), an ex clu siv ely Ameri­

can achievem ent. It w a s develop ed in the Standard O il laboratories in 1937. Construction of the first unit for its production w a s started in 1941 and com pleted in January of this year. Here is a process that is of unusual chem ical engineering interest a s the temperature of the reacting m aterials must b e controlled at -150 deg. F., one of the low est temperatures ever encountered in the process industries.

j t t t h e B a t o n R o u g e r e f i n e r y of the Standard Oil Co. of Louisi­

ana, subsidiary o f the Standard Oil Co. (N. J .) , is concentrated a greater variety of equipment and processes to make products from petroleum than can be found anywhere else in this country.

Baton Rouge has been called the

“cradle o f the synthetic rubber indus­

try” in the United States. It was here that Standard OH Co. o f New Jersey conducted its pioneer rubber experi­

ments back in 1931 to develop syn­

thetic rubber raw materials from petro­

leum. Here is the nation’s first fluid catalytic cracking plant, which in­

creases the supply of synthetic rubber raw materials. The company has five separate butadiene plants in operation at Baton Rouge. The Copolymer Corp.

is operating a DPC standard Buna S rubber plant here. There is also a plant for the production of Buna N, or Perbunan rubber, and another mak­

in g Vistanex, a rubber-like material.

One o f Standard of New Jersey’s butyl rubber plants is at Baton Rouge, and work on two other butyl plants there is being rushed as fast as government materials allocations permit.

Construction o f the first unit for the production o f butyl rubber was started by Standard at Baton Rouge as a private venture in 1941 and was taken over by the government early in 1942.

This original plant, which was the first commercial plant in the world for the production o f this new product, was completed in January o f 1943, and is now producing satisfactory quality

102 .—

production although still at somewhat less than design capacity, due to the enormous number of new manufactur­

ing variables involved and the lack of any past experience with this type of commercial operation. The two addi­

tional units authorized by the govern­

ment are expected to commence pro­

duction in July and August o f this year. The three units were designed for a production o f 20 tons of butyl rubber per day. However, the No. 2 unit w ill be expanded to produce 72 tons per day. The three completed plants will have a design capacity of 38,000 long tons per year. Stone and Webster is building the Baton Rouge plants according to designs o f the Standard Oil Development Co. Two other plants for making butyl rubber are under construction, one by the Humble Oil & Refining Co. at Hous­

ton, and the other in Canada by Im ­ perial Oil, Ltd.

Butyl is the synthetic rubber devel­

oped as a laboratory product by Standard in' 1937 and improved by continuous research since that time so that it now plays an important part in the government rubber program. Butyl has not yet matched the tire-making characteristics o f Buna S. It can, however, be used to make inner tubes superior to those made from Buna S or natural rubber. Some of its impor­

tant properties are resistance to oxida­

tion and the action of acids, and high impermeability to gases. Its vibration absorption qualities are good. I t has marked resistance to flexure at both low and high temperatures. Butyl has

already been used to manufacture such a diversified list of products as tobacco pouches, floor mats, rubber tubing, rubber insulation and many military articles.

The butyl rubber unit that is now in operation at Baton Rouge combines isobutylene, produced at the refinery, with a small amount o f isoprene to form the synthetic rubber. Feed stocks start at the oil cracking unit where a gas oil is taken from crude and sub­

jected to high-temperature cracking in the presence of steam. In this crack­

ing operation are produced numerous gases such as ethylene, propylene, bu- tenes, and gasoline fractions. The bu- tene fraction is sent to the extraction p lant for removal o f butadiene, leav­

ing a mixture o f butenes and isobu- tenes. The mixture o f butenes and isobutenes is sent to another plant where isobutene is extracted for sub­

sequent use in the butyl rubber manu­

facture. The remaining butene is sent to the dehvdrogenation plant where it is converted into additional butadiene.

A t the butyl plant the isobutylene ex­

traction is subjected to a redistillation to remove traces o f moisture and any undesirable fractions. I t is then ready for utilization in the polymerization reaction.

R A W MATERIALS

Isoprene is now received at the plant in tank cam. It is bought outside from the naval stores industry which makes it from turpentine, but ultimately it will be recovered from gasoline frac­

tions produced in the refinery in a plant now under construction, th e isoprene contains an inhibitor which is removed by distillation immediately prior to its use in the plant. The isobutylene and isoprene are mixed to­

gether with a diluent in tanks from which it is fed continually to the reac­

tor proper. Before this material is introduced into the reactor it is chilled to a temperature o f —150 deg. F., using both ammonia and ethylene for refrigeration. The catalyst is intro­

duced continually into the bottom of the reactor together with the feed stock to start polymerization.

The reactor is so constructed that its temperature may be maintained at

—150 deg. F . and sufficient agita-

JXJLY 191,3