CHEMICAL
tr M E T A L L U R G I C A L
ENGINEERING
v o l u m e 40 E s t a b l i s h e d 1 9 0 2 n u m b e r 'J
M C G R A W -H IL L PUBLISHING C O M P A N Y . INC.
S. D. KIRKPATRICK, Editor
SEPTEMBER, 1933
BUILDING PURCHASING POWER
F R O M A C H E M IC A L E N G I N E E R I N G view point, th e m ost en couraging new s o f re cent y ears is fo u n d in the g ro w in g list of co n tracts aw ard ed fo r new co nstruction in process in d u stries. I t m eans th a t research and developm ent will sh o rtly be tra n sla te d into large scale production. I t m eans th a t chemical engineers a re going to find jobs in design, con
stru ctio n , an d operation. O f m ore th a n inci
dental im portance is the im petus it gives to the p ro d u ctio n o f capital goods— the source of so m uch of this c o u n try ’s purch asin g pow er.
W e still have a long w ay to go back to the
$125,328,000 in contracts th a t w ere let in 1929 o r to even the $52,741,000 in 1930, b u t it is ex trem ely significant th a t th e to tal fo r th e first seven month's o f 1933 ($22,878,000) already exceeded the yearly totals fo r 1931 an d 1932.
F u rth e rm o re , som e of th e larg est an d m ost in terestin g p ro jects have been announced since A u g . 1. S o u th e rn A lkali a t C orpus C hristi, T e x a s ; E th y l-D o w a t W ilm in g to n , N . C .;
M o n sa n to ’s new alcohol p lan t a t E v erett, M a ss.; a n d T ro n a ’s soda-ash and salt-cake p ro je c t will im m ediately add a t least $10,000,- 000. F re e p o rt S u lp h u r is spending $3,000,000 on its new p lan t in L ouisiana.
S o o n er o r la te r som eone will raise the ques
tio n : D oesn’t all th is building activity ru n co u n ter to N .I.R .A .’s declared m o rato riu m on increased capacity? P e rh a p s in a very literal sense it does conflict w ith a n in te rp re tatio n w hich som e o f th e p ro p o n en ts o f status quo w ould like to see adopted. T h e re are those w ho w ould com m it econom ic suicide by w ritin g into th e ir in d u stry codes, provisions th a t p u t a p en alty on inventiveness, freeze technical pro g ress, an d th ereb y p erp etu ate
ever, th a t view point is n o t sh ared by those who adm inister the law.
G radually it is becom ing ap p aren t th a t the real depression w as not so m uch in th e in d u s
tries th a t produce consum er goods, as in the so-called heavy in d u stries th a t build plants and public w orks, replacem ent m achinery an d new equipm ent. E m ploym ent in these industries dropped 59.1 p er cent fro m 1929 to 1932, and it is now generally accepted th a t fo r each m an re-em ployed in these plants, th ree other m en go back to w o rk in prod u cin g raw m aterials, services and supplies. T h e re fo re, th e quickest w ay back w ould seem to be in the rehabilita
tion of the capital goods industries. “R ecov
ery ,” according to a recent statem ent of Col.
L eo n ard P . A yres, “comes w hen o th er indus
tries begin to spend m oney on replacem ents, renew al, an d m odernization o f p lan t equip
m ent.” A n o th e r shrew d com m entator, W a lte r Lippm an, w rites, “ T h e capital goods industries
* * * em ploy labor w hich not only buys te x tiles and o ther consum er goods, b u t m akes products th a t do not have to be sold and used up. T h ey create effective purch asin g pow er fa ste r th an the production o f consum er goods.”
Chemical engineering enterprise has made an encouraging s ta rt in th e rig h t direction.
T h ere is still a long w ay to go, b u t in the laboratories and engineering dep artm en ts of such new an d grow ing industries, th e re are undoubtedly m any o ther equally prom ising p ro jects th a t should be sta rte d on th e ir way.
In every p lan t th e re is need fo r some m o d ern ization and im provem ent. I f fu n d s a re avail
able, now is the tim e to invest them in capital goods th a t will build p u rch asin g pow er fo r others and a t the sam e tim e produce profits
E D I T O R I A L S
T.y.A.
Selects ItsC hief C hem ical Engineer
A
P P O I N T M E N T o f D r. H a r r y A. C u rtis as chief . chemical engineer fo r the T en n essee V alley A u th o rity w ill do m uch to stren g th en the confidence of those chem ical in d u stries deeply concerned w ith th a t huge p ro g ram of social and in d u strial developm ent.I t will allay the fea rs o f those inclined to believe th a t T .V .A . in its g re a t a n x iety to show re su lts w ould b lu n d er into p ro jects o f u n so u n d or questionable tech nology. A s a m a tte r o f fact, th e w hole h isto ry o f the A u th o rity to d ate is itself an an sw er to such critics.
Its policy, since the beginning, has called fo r carefu l en g ineering studies, su b ject alw ays to review an d dis
cussion by in terested in d u stries an d individuals. B y train in g , experience, tem p eram en t and ability, D octor C u rtis fits logically into th e T .V .A . p ro g ram .
L et’s M ake the M ost O f T his C hem ical Show
A
F T E R M O R E th a n tw o y ears o f absence, y ears . th a t w ere sin g u larly pro d u ctiv e o f technical p ro g ress despite th e pall th a t has enveloped the w orld, the E x p o sitio n o f Chem ical In d u strie s is to be w ith us again. O p p o rtu n ely , it is re tu rn in g at a tim e w hen the sentim ent o f recovery should be well established, w hen the philosophy o f the N ew D eal will have been h a m m ered hom e, a n d the c o u n try read y fo r th e suprem e e ffo rt th a t will lift it fro m the m o rass in to w hich it has w andered. T h e stage is set, the actors a re n early ready, and w hen Dec. 4 a rriv es the only th in g re m a in ing to in su re a sm ash h it will be th e d eterm in atio n on the p a rt o f all o f us, ex h ib ito rs and v isito rs alike, to m ake the m ost o f w h a t the E x p o sitio n offers.G reat o p p o rtu n ities ex ist fo r all o f us, and because the need is m ore acute, p erh ap s g re a te r th a n ever be
fore. F o r the ex h ib ito r th e re is the chance to dem on
stra te his w ares to an audience la rg e r an d m ore receptive th a n he could possibly reach by personal solicitation. A n unco u n ted fa c to r in th is audience, an d y et a m ost im p o rta n t one in d eterm in in g th e fu tu re success o f the ex h ib ito r, is the stu d en t, h u n d red s of him , w ho in m any cases will be seeing real equipm ent fo r the first tim e, and fo rm in g those im pressions th a t will la te r go w ith him into the plant.
F o r th e chem ical m a n u fa c tu re r, th e technical m an and th e fu tu re technical m an, th e re will be m an ifo ld o p p o rtu n ities to learn, an d to m odernize th e ir thinking.
T h o u sa n d s o f m iles o f travel a n d m any h u n d re d s o f dollars o f expense w ould n o t p erm it a sim ilar coverage fo r eith er th e m ak er o r u ser o f equipm ent. N o am o u n t o f personal v isiting could possibly open up th e im m e
diate an d direct com parisons th a t the Show affo rd s, n o r p resen t such a likelihood fo r the developm ent o f useful contacts an d unexpected ideas.
Still an o th e r audience exists, n o t o f such im m ediate im portance, b u t one th a t will eventually req u ire a v ast am o u n t of education. T h is is the lay audience, som e
w hat lim ited in recent years, b u t none the less to be
expected in larg e num bers. R eal education is needed fo r the public, n o t th ro u g h the glib pen o f th e popular, sensational w rite r, b u t by m eans o f concrete evidence, w o rk in g m odels, c h a rts an d illu stratio n s. P o p u la r pride in, an d su p p o rt fo r, the in d u stry is n o t only desirable b u t necessary. A s m iracle m en we m ay in sp ire awe, b u t n ev er confidence. I f th e in d u stry is to reach an d hold its rig h tfu l place in o u r econom ic schem e of things, it will do so th ro u g h the public su p p o rt and acceptance o f an in d u stry fo u n d ed on the firm est of scientific bases and m ain tain ed alw ays at the peak o f efficiency.
Back to School For G raduate W ork
L
A S T Y E A R 374 g ra d u a te s w en t back to the un iv ersi- J ties fo r fu rth e r tra in in g in chem ical engineering.T h e y ear b e fo re th e n u m b er w as 347 ; in 1930 it w as 301 ; and in 1929 it w as 285. T h e econom ic reasons fo r this steadily m o u n tin g in te re st in g ra d u a te stu d y are self-ev id en t b u t th e significance of th e tre n d is only g rad u ally becom ing ap p aren t. A lread y th e re is a perceptible im p ro v em en t in the qualifications o f first- job asp iran ts. F u rth e rm o re , em ployers are b eginning to find th a t m en w ith g ra d u a te tra in in g have capacity fo r fa ste r g ro w th in technical achievem ents an d p ro fessional responsibility th an o th ers w ith less education.
U n iv ersities situ ated in d iffe re n t en v iro n m en ts are m eeting th is dem and in d ifferen t w ays. T h e full-tim e g ra d u a te course is m o st com m on, b u t in recen t y ears several in stitu tio n s in la rg e r cities have pro v id ed eve
n in g an d o th e r p a rt-tim e courses. P ro m in e n t am ong these are th é M assach u setts In s titu te of T echnology, Colum bia, U n iv e rsity o f P en n sy lv an ia, U n iv e rsity of P ittsb u rg h , and th e P o lytechnic In s titu te of B rooklyn.
T h is w hole m ovem ent in en g in eerin g education will b ear w atching. P e rh a p s it holds the a n sw er to the question so o ften debated am o n g engineers and ed u cators— Is fo u r y ears really long enough to m aster chemical en g in eerin g ?
H onoring A nother E lectrochem ical P io n eer
T
H I S Y E A R , the E d w a rd G oodrich A cheson a w a rd fo r d istinguished service in the field of electrochem istry will be set aside to establish th e R oeber R esearch F u n d . T h u s is h onored th e m em ory o f D r.
E . F . R oeber, first ed ito r o f C hem . & M e t., one of the fo u n d ers o f the E lectrochem ical Society, an d a m em ber o f th a t v ery sm all g ro u p o f pioneers w ho gave so unsel
fishly an d enthusiastically to th e w o rk o f th a t o rg a n i
zation. T h e late P ro f. Jo sep h W . R ic h a rd s w as an o th er o f th e group, and it is his long y e a rs o f service as secretary of the society th a t are h onored in the Jo sep h W . R ic h a rd s M em orial L ectu re. T h e m antle o f in sp iratio n an d loyalty o f both o f these m en w as passed on to D r. Colin G. F in k , w hose generous action in fo u n d in g th is new fu n d is indeed in keeping w ith the best tra d itio n s o f th e electrochem ists.
450 C h em ica l & M e ta llu rg ic a l E n g in eerin g — V ol.40,N o.9
C O D I N G
C H E M I C A L E N G IN E E R IN G
C h e m ic a l e n g in e e rin g as a p ro fe ssio n p ro b a b ly lies o u t
sid e o f th e p ro v in c e s of th e N a tio n a l I n d u s tr ia l R ecovery A ct. I t is n o t a “ tr a d e o r in d u s tr y ” a n d y e t i t is in d u s
t r i a l a n d v ita lly c o n c e rn e d w ith th e p u rp o s e s fo r w h ich th e la w w as e n a c te d . C h e m ic a l e n g in e e rs as em p lo y ees w ill, o f c o u rse, serv e u n d e r th e v a rie ty of codes a d o p te d b y t h e ir s e p a ra te in d u s trie s . B u t w h e n c h e m ic a l en g i
n e e rs a re th em selv es e m p lo y e rs— w h e th e r as co n su ltan ts, h e a d s o f c o m m e rc ia l a n d te stin g o rg a n iz a tio n s, e q u ip m e n t d e sig n ers, m a n u fa c tu re rs o r d is trib u to rs — i t is a p p a r e n t th a t th e y m u s t p ro v id e th e ir ow n codes f o r self g o v ern m e n t. I n fa c t, if th e c h e m ic a l e n g in e e rin g e m p lo y e r sig n e d th e P r e s id e n t’s R e -E m p lo y m e n t A g re e m e n t, h e p le d g e d h im s e lf “ to c o o p e ra te to th e f u lle s t e x te n t in h a v in g a co d e of f a ir c o m p e titio n s u b m itte d b y h is in d u s try a t th e e a rlie s t p o ssib le d a te .” I t is of in te re s t, th e re fo re , to re v ie w th e p ro g re ss th a t h as b e e n m a d e to d a te by th e g ro u p s e n d e a v o rin g to co d e c h e m ic a l en g in e e rin g .
O
N AUG. 17 the Association of Consulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers filed with the N.R.A. its application for the presentation of a code of fair competition for its “indus
try ” defined as “the industry of render
ing professional services of consulting chemists and chemical engineers.” In his letter of transm ittal to General John
son, the secretary of the association, Paul M ahler, raised the question of w hether or not a code is necessary for this group:
To dilute the professional labor in this business by merely adding chemists, granting that the wage money is available, serves no use
ful purpose and would do real harm. When business is good, cli
ents are most numerous and pro
fessional employment increases naturally. No employer in the in
dustry can increase the number of his clients or the remuneration de
rived therefrom by hiring chemists in advance of his needs. Like the lawyer and doctor, he must wait for his clients.
The association nevertheless recog
nized the need for improving practices on the p art of consultants and in the absence of an official ruling from the
N.R.A., a code was drawn with hours of labor fixed at 40 hours per week during any three months period with the further limitation, of 48 hours in any one week. Minimum weekly wages were set at $15 in the North and $12 in the South. The association was des
ignated the administrative agency for the code. By far the most significant provision is the inclusion of the Asso
ciation’s Code of Ethics and Interpreta
tions, which if accepted become the governing law for all consultants w ithin this classification.
The Code of Ethics has eighteen pro
visions of which one (No. 5. H e shall advertise only in a dignified manner, being careful to avoid misleading state
ments) has already called for three offi
cial “interpretations" by the association.
O ther provisions have to do with unfair and improper methods of obtaining pro
fessional work, prohibition of secret re
bates and commissions, methods of fix
ing fees, underbidding of competitors, settlement of controversies, etc.
The association designated its presi
dent, Samuel S. Sadtler, of Philadelphia, to serve as liaison officer w ith the N.R.A. It has approached and en
deavored to secure the support of con
sultants outside of its memberships which on Aug. 1, 1933, numbered 45 individuals. F urther information may be had from the Secretary, Association of Consulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers, 50 East 41st St., New York.
COMMERCIAL TE ST IN G LA BO R A TO R IES
A P A R T FRO M the chemical engi-
•^i-neering employers who serve as con
sultants and who may or may not main
tain laboratories, there is a large group of commercial testing laboratories which, in a very real sense, constitute an “in
dustry.” Thomas A. W right, technical director of Lucius Pitkin, Inc., has sug
gested the following definitions to indi
cate the essential differences between the professional consultant and the often overlapping industry of commercial testing:
The term “Consulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers” means the business of furnishing for a fee or fees a professional chemical or chemical engineering service of the nature or in the form of ad
vice, opinions, investigation, re
search, initiating, invention, devis
ing, development, improvement or control of processes, equipment and materials, as distinct from the sell
ing of materials whether raw or manufactured. It may or may not be incidental to and/or include the business of operating a Commercial Testing or Inspection Laboratory or Agency.
The term “Commercial Testing Laboratory” means the business of furnishing and selling a profes
sional service—as distinct from the furnishing and selling of materials whether raw or manufactured—for a fee or fees, and which involves the analyzing, testing, inspection, measuring or measurements of ma
terials, apparatus or devices pro
duced, refined, manufactured, con
sumed, employed or used, bought or sold, by the public, a governing body, public or private institution, or other professions in industry or construction and also the super
vision of operations carried out by others and of the nature of weigh
ing, sampling and inspection.
A group w'ithin this field has drafted a preliminary code of fair competition which is being submitted for criticism and acceptance prior to filing in W ash
ington. The group fostering the first draft of the code, consists of represen
tatives from the Electrical Testing Lab
oratories of New York, Froehling and Robertson, Inc., of Richmond, Va., A rthur D. Little, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., Lucius Pitkin, Inc., of New York, Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory of P itts
burgh and the United States Testing Laboratories of Hoboken, N. J.
The code itself is not yet released for publication, but in addition to hours and
wages, it will probably include a num
ber of provisions designed to prevent unfair methods of competition, misrep
resentation, rebates and other undesir
able practices. Since there is no exist
ing trade association within this field, it is proposed that the code shall be administered through a Commercial Testing Laboratory Committee. P res
ton S. Millar, president of the Electrical Testing Laboratories, 80th St. and East End Ave., New York, has accepted responsibility for presenting this pro
posal in its present form to the industry.
C H E M IC A L E N G IN E E R IN G E Q U IP M E N T
A
M O ST IM P O R T A N T , but previously unorganized, chemical en
gineering group is the manufacturers and distributors of equipment. Recog
nizing the need for concerted action in this field, H . D. Miles, president of the Buffalo Foundry & Machine Co., in
vited the principal companies to be represented at a meeting held at The Chemists’ Club, in New York City, on Aug. 28. Approximately 40 firms sent delegates to an all-day session from which came the organization of The Chemical Engineering Equipment Institute.
A set of by-laws drafted by a com
mittee under the chairmanship of A. E.
Marshall, consulting engineer for the Corning Glass Co. defined the Institute as a voluntary, non-profit association, the objects of which shall be:
To protect, promote, foster and advance the interests of the mem
bers as manufacturers, designers, erectors, and/or distributors of chemical engineering equipment; to increase the use of such equipment;
to improve conditions under which industry is carried on; to develop fair and just competitive methods;
to perfect machinery for the peace
ful settlement of disputes between members, or between them and their customers; to protect the in
dustry against unfair and unjust burdens and exactions; to collect and disseminate pertinent data re
lating to the industry; and gen
erally to do such things as may be necessary to the foregoing results.
Membership in the Institute was im
mediately accepted by the following in
dividuals representing equipment con
cerns: John V. N. D orr, The D orr Co., In c .; D. W . Sowers, Sowers Mfg.
Co.; Samuel Alsop, Alsop Engineering C o rp .; H ow ard Farkas, The United States Stoneware Co.; John L. H utton, T. Shriver & C o .; Percy C. Kingsbury, General Ceramics C o .; H . E. Jacoby, D. R. Sperry & Co.; G. W . Jarm an, Jr., Separations Engineering Co.; F.
Dougherty, Jr., F. J. Stokes Machine C o .; S. F. Spangler, Chemical Con
struction C o.; H . E. LaBour, The La- Bour Co., Inc.; F. E. Finch, H ardinge Co.; W . O. Chase, New England Tank
& Tow er Co.; H . B. Caldwell, Swenson Evaporator Co.; H. D. Miles, Buffalo Foundry & Machine Co.; W . H. Scott, The D uriron Co., In c .; J. E. Moul, The T urbo-M ixer Corp.; J. Credo, Louisville D rying Machinery Co. Sub
sequently, the following companies also joined the Institute: Bethlehem Foun
dry & Machine Co., Sprayco, Inc., E. B.
Badger & Sons Co. and the Zaremba Co.
To provide tem porary officers to carry on the work of the Association until its first annual meeting to be held in October, the following were nominated and elected unanimously: H . D. Miles, P resid en t: P. C. Kingsbury, V ice-Presi
dent; and D. H. Killeffer, Secretary- T reasurer.
President Miles appointed a Code Committee consisting of J. E. Moul, C hairm an; J. L. H utton, S. F. Spangler, D. W . Sowers, and G. W . Jarm an, Jr.
A fter due deliberation and conferences with representatives of the Machinery and Allied Products Institute (w ith which the new group indicated its de
sire to affiliate), the Committee drafted a basic code of fair practice and sub
mitted it to the membership on Sept. 5 w ith a copy of the by-laws of the Chemi
cal Engineering Equipment Institute.
Because of its tentative character, the code has not been released for pub
lication but it has been framed with the intention of providing some means of correcting, as far as possible, the unfair trade practices that exist in this field. Therefore, as submitted to W ash
ington, it will probably contain in ad
dition to the m andatory sections and the fixing of hours and wages, a num
ber of im portant provisions designed to prevent the sale of equipment below cost, to set up arrangem ents for the necessary accounting and costing meth
ods, and to establish open price lists with penalties for failure to follow them.
Of greater interest to chemical engi
neers will be the definition and limita
tion of experimental work and engi
neering services furnished without charge to actual and prospective buy
ers of equipment. I t has been pro
posed that adequate charges should be made for installation and maintenance services. T rade practice provisions to cover rebates, bribery, untruthful ad
vertising, espionage and “pirating of designs” are likewise to have considera
tion.
Copies of the tentative code as well as further information regarding mem-
■ bership in the Institute will be sent to any m anufacturer or distributor of chemical engineering equipment on request to the Secretary-Treasurer, Chemical Engineering Equipment In stitute, Chemists’ Club, New’ York, N. Y.
C H E M IC A L D IS T R IB U T O R S
R
E P R E S E N T A T IV E S of the distributors of chemicals in different parts of the country met at the Chemists’
Club in New York on Sept. 8 to form an organization called the Institute of Chemical Distribution. The objects of the organization are to increase the efficiency of the distribution system of the American chemical and allied in
dustries by studying costs and methods, surveying markets and users, and keep
ing its members informed of the facts, figures, and new developments in the distribution field; to promote coopera
tion and fair treatm ent among manu
facturers and producers, dealers, and sales agents, common carriers and law m akers; to prevent the restraint of trade and promote upright dealings within its own ranks, and to secure for consumers the economies and efficiencies resulting from honest, profitable and in
telligent m arketing of the chemical raw materials of industry.
The officers elected to serve for the first year a r e : Curtis R. Burnett, Am eri
can Oil and Supply Co., P re sid e n t;
A. A. H arrison, Borden and Remington Co., V ice-President; A. S. Barada, B arada and Page Co., T reasu rer; C. P.
H all, C. P. H all Co., Secretary, Akron, Ohio.
C H E M IC A L M A N U F A C T U R IN G IN D U S T R IE S
T
H E C O D E of fair competition for the chemical industry, as originally drafted by the Chemical Alliance, Inc., and published in the A ugust issue of Chem. & M et., was revised in certain particulars on A ugust 25, following an all-day conference in W ashington with N.R.A. officials. Representing the Chemical Alliance were the following:E. M. Allen, Charles Belknap, W. B.
Bell, Lammot duPont, George F. H an del, Glenn Haskell, George W . Merck, J. W . M cLaughlin and E. H . Westlake.
The government representatives included General C. C. Williams, deputy admin
istrator of N.R.A. and his special assist
ants, F. J. Patchell and C. R. Baxter, as well as members of the industrial, consumer and labor advisory boards.
A number of changes in the code which were suggested either by mem
bers of the industry or officials of N.R.A. were incorporated in a revised code and immediately submitted to the membership of the Chemical Alliance for acceptance and approval. The most im portant of these include:
1. A provision making it necessary for companies to report in detail each week to the executive committee or the adm inistrator when employees engaged in continuous operations are permitted to work more than forty hours. In no
452 C h em ical & M eta llu rg ic a l E n g in e e r in g— V ol.40,N o.9
Chemical Industry Presents Its Case and Its Code
case must the average for such work be in excess of 48 hours per week.
2. The basic minimum wage pre
viously established at 40 cents for the entire country was changed to 35 cents in the South and 40 cents elsewhere, provided that if the hourly rate on July 15, 1929 was less than 35 cents and 40 cents, the rate should not be less than on that date and in no event less than 25 cents in the South and 30 cents elsewhere. Apprentices are to receive not less than 80 per cent of the mini
mum but an additional provision is made that the minimum pay for transient labor by the potash industry near Carls
bad, N. Mex., not exceeding 125 indi
viduals, shall be not less than the maxi
mum wage paid for such labor by the agricultural industry in the same gen
eral locality.
3. Statistics and other confidential data collected by the specified outside agency (N ational Industrial Conference Board has been so designated. Ed.) shall be “disseminated only in combination w ith other information of the same type and as the Alliance shall reasonably prescribe.”
4. The duties of the Alliance in the adm inistration of the code are delegated to its Executive Committee (instead of its Board of D irectors) and the P resi
dent of the United States is empowered to name three representatives to sit with the Committee but without voting power.
5. All members of the chemical in
dustry covered by the code are liable for an equitable pro rata share of the expenses involved in its administration.
In addition to these changes which were embodied in the revised code, sev
eral other suggestions were made by various N.R.A. representatives. The code committee of the industry, how
ever, stated quite definitely that they could not agree to these suggested re
visions. They are as follow s:
1. T hat the code shall contain a clause providing for overtime payment.
2. T hat a clause shall be added con
cerning the adjustm ent of wages fo r:
(a ) Those employees receiving more than the minimum w age; (b ) Those employees whose weekly wages would be unduly affected by a reduction in hours of work.
3. T hat Article IX containing the so-called “m erit clause” for the “selec
tion, retention or advancement of em
ployees” should be eliminated.
4. T hat Article X III, which provides that those who assent to the code shall not be bound by any modification “ex
cept as each shall thereto subsequently agree,” should be eliminated.
5. T h at Article X IV , which provides that the code shall expire on Dec. 31, 1933 or prior thereto should Congress declare the emergency ended, shall be eliminated.
T N P U B L IC H E A R IN G before Gen- X eral C. C. Williams, Deputy Admin
istrator of N.R.A., and his consort of industry, labor and legal advisors, the chemical m anufacturing industry had its opportunity on Sept. 14 to explain, defend and solicit official support for its code of fair competition. Headed by William B. Bell, president of the Chem
ical Alliance, Inc., more than sixty rep
resentatives of all branches of the in
dustry spent most of the day in the Old House of Representatives Office Building in W ashington in discussing some of the more controversial provi
sions of what will some day be the law of the land.
General W illiams was surrounded by his assistants, F. J. Patchell, chemical engineer, M ajor Charles R. Baxter, Lieut. Joseph F. Battley, and Miss Ada Green. Francis P. Garvan, president of the Chemical Foundation served as industry advisor; M ajor E. C. Eckel, consultant in the lime and cement in
dustries, represented the labor advisory board, while Howard Newman and W. A. Gill were, respectively, the legal and research advisors. Under Chair
man Lammot duPont, the industry’s code committee supported Mr. Bell in his arguments for the code.
Early in the hearing, Mr. Bell outlined the history of the Chemical Alliance and its present relation to the industry. Its 238 member firms employ between 50,000 and 60,000 workers in the manufacture of heavy and fine chemicals, coal-tar products, plastics, alcohol and solvents, potash and miscellaneous organic and inorganic chemicals. All of the larger companies, w ith the exception of Allied Chemical & Dye Corp., are already members so that the Alliance today rep
resents well over half of the industry.
Mr. Bell’s figures show that adoption of the chemical cotfe will increase employ
ment by 12 per cent, raise payrolls by 10 per cent, and bring the industry back to 97.5 per cent of its 1929 peak.
Of six witnesses who had asked to be heard in connection with the code, the most heated arguments came from a brief by Paul Scherer, chairman of the code committee of the Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists and Technicians, who protested against the labor provisions as applied to technical employees. Contending that the code would not result in the desired re
employment and raising of wages, Mr.
Scherer urged that technical men should be employed on a basis of 30 hours per week, with minimum weekly wages for senior chemists (w ith six years’ ex
perience) to be $65. juniors (w ith one
to five years) $45, assistants (without experience) $30 and apprentices to be
$20—with double pay for overtime.
Two pleas from the domestic potash industry for special exemptions from the minimum wage provisions failed to re
ceive very cordial support from General Williams and M ajor Eckel. George W.
H arris, president of the Potash Co. of America, said that the emergency char
acter of his company’s mining opera
tions at Carlsbad, N. M., made it im
possible to limit work to 8-hr. shifts.
In the same connection, Mr. Albright of the U. S. Potash Co. declared that payment of the wages specified in the original code w'ould disturb agricultural conditions where the native Mexican laborers normally receive less than $1 per day.
Charles H. Stone of Charlotte, N. C., asked for a lowering of the minimum wage in the South to 20 cents per hour so that his company could continue to employ negro labor for heavy manual work, declaring that if the code is put into effect Southern plants will be forced to put in machinery that will almost en
tirely displace the services of inefficient labor. M ajor Eckel objected strenu
ously to a continuation of any labor rates of less than 25 cents per hour.
General W illiams said he hoped that N.R.A. would put an end to low wages in the South, forced by competition with negro labor.
Chemical statistics, always a bone of contention, came in for further discussion when Albert R. Palmer, attorney for Clias.
Pfizer & Co., presented an amendment to the code to provide that confidential data should be submitted only in such combina
tion as to conceal the source. Mr. Bell in
dicated willingness to accept this change.
Sulphuric acid, which has bobbed up in three codes—fertilizer, zinc and chemical—
was discussed by H. I. Young, chairman of the byproduct acid committee of the American Zinc Institute, who desired spe
cial exemption for that branch of his in
dustry, and by E. H. Westlake of the Tennessee Copper Co., who submitted that all branches of the industry should be treated alike. General Williams indicated the likelihood that this would be the case, probably by putting all in the chemical code.
A fter reading and discussing, article by article, each provision of the pro
posed code, Mr. Bell made a strong and dramatic appeal for N.R.A. to consider chemical industry as an essential arm of the government, necessary both in times of peace and war. H e told how the industry had developed in this coun
try because the W orld W ar demon
strated our great needs in the national defense and he urged that nothing should be done that would impair its efficiency.
By LA W R EN C E O 'D O N N E L L
General Superintendent Jefferson Lake Oil Co., Inc.
New Iberia, La.
Jefferson L a k e Oil Co.'s la ke sh ore p o w e r p la nt , Barba, La.
M ining Sulphur Under NX/ater In Louisiana
K
F T E R a ten -y ear so jo u rn in o th er p arts, w h ere it gained in experience an d p erfectio n , the original F ra sc h process re tu rn e d in 1932 to L ouisiana, th e state of its origin. H o m e again, it w as destined to c a rry on new pioneer w ork— the m in in g o f su lp h u r fro m beneath L ak e P eig n eu r, ad jacen t to Je ffe rso n Island. W ith m any a u th o ritie s em phatically condem ning the possibility of m ining su lp h u r in th is location, the successful consum m ation of the p ro je c t in spite of the n u m ero u s obstacles involved, is an achievem ent in w hich we feel o u r p rid e is fu lly justified.
S u lp h u r in th e G u lf C oast c o u n try is fo u n d in the cap rock overlying salt dom es. O il is also fo u n d in the cap rock o r on th e sides o f dom es. D u e to im m ense p ressu re, beds of salt a t depths o f close to 5 m iles have become plastic and, in the fo rm o f a plug, have forced th eir w ay th ro u g h fa u lts o r fissures to a p o in t close to the su rfa c e of the g ro u n d . Je ffe rso n Isla n d is one of a g ro u p o f five islands risin g above the m arsh . Its elevation is caused by a salt plug d isto rtin g th e u n d e r
g ro u n d an d su rfa c e stra ta . I t is believed, in fact, th a t th ere a re tw o sep arate dom es a t Je ffe rso n Islan d , one u n d e r the hill and the o th er u n d e r th e basin o f the lake.
N o d o u b t in som e p a st e ra the dom e u n d e r th e lake w as also ch aracterized by an elevation, b u t d ue to th e solution of the salt by m ig ra to ry w aters, th e g ro u n d h as su b sided, leaving the basin w hich fo rm s th e lake. T h e size of th e L ak e P e ig n e u r dom e is ap p ro x im ately th a t o f the lake, about 2 m iles long an d 1 m ile wide.
S alt a t Jefferso n Islan d rises to w ith in 95 ft. of th e su rface. A s h a ft has been su n k an d salt is now being m ined a t the ra te o f about 8,000 cars p er y e a r by the Jefferso n S alt M in in g Co.
T h e Je fferso n L ak e O il Co., Inc., a fte r d rillin g a n u m b er o f d ry oil wells aro u n d the edge o f the dom e, decided as a last re so rt to m ake a location in L ak e P eig n eu r. A t a d ep th o f ab o u t 650 ft., lim estone cap
rock w as stru ck . A t 660 ft. the bit picked up traces o f su lp h u r an d co ntinued d eeper w ith in creasing q u an tities o f su lp h u r to a thickness o f 208 ft. w hen a n h y d rite term in a te d th e su lp h u r zone. A t a d ep th of 871 ft. p u re rock salt w as struck. I t w as in
deed a su rp rise and a pleasant one to find a salt dom e u n d e r L ak e P e ig n eu r, fo r the high p u r
ity of the su lp h u r encountered,
to g eth er w ith th e g re a t thickness o f th e deposit, gave all indications o f a v ery rich find.
S u lp h u r F orm ation at Lake P eign eu r
B e fo re w e go on w ith the actual developm ent, it m ay be w o rth n o tin g ju s t how th e su lp h u r is deposited in the s tra ta below th e lake. T h e cap rock, w hich is above the salt, is divided into th re e p a rts. A t th e to p is a thin lay er of porous lim estone co n tain in g m uch calcite.
U n d e rly in g this is th e su lp h u r zone. T h is zone is of v ary in g thickness and contains lim estone, sim ilar to th a t in the u p p er zone, to g eth er w ith calcite an d su lp h u r of n o n -u n ifo rm richness an d irre g u la rly d istrib u ted thickness. T h e su lp h u r is som etim es found in thin layers, again in very sm all cry stals, even m icroscopic in size, ag ain as large crystalline m asses in colum ns ex ten d in g u p w a rd th ro u g h the beds. I t is som etim es fo u n d in the shape of stalactites and in th e openings and crevasses m ade by circu latin g w aters. S om etim es it ap p ears as p e rfe c t crystals, nearly tra n sp a re n t an d bright yellow in color. A gain, these cry stals are pale am ber (color, ap p aren tly , has n o th in g to do w ith the p u rity ).
In o th e r p a rts o f the deposit am o rp h o u s su lp h u r is found, pow dery an d s o ft in ap p earan ce and o f a pale
454 C h em ical & M eta llu rg ic a l E n g in eerin g — V ol.40,N o.9
yellow color. L a rg e volum es of hot sulphide w aters are circu latin g in the su lp h u r zone. Below the su lp h u r zone is a lay er of a n h y d rite o r calcium sulphate. T h is zone is v ery th in an d is d irectly over the salt. A ll o f these zones m erge in to each o th er and a t tim es are difficult to outline definitely.
I t is in te re stin g to consider ju s t how th is su lp h u r w as form ed. T h e re are a num ber of theories, b u t p e r
haps th e m ost reasonable is th a t th e su lp h u r w as derived fro m calcium sulphate. Since larg e q uantities of m eth an e an d h y d ro g en sulphide a re fo u n d in th e su lp h u r zone, the follow ing reactions m ight have tak en p la c e :
C a S 0 4 + C H 4 = C a C 0 3 + H «S + H aO H 2S + = H oO + S
T h a t this w as the m echanism is verified by actual e x p e rien ce; nam ely, the carbonate increases as the sulphate decreases w ith an increase in the su lp h u r p resen t. * T h e reactions take place in the presence of hot circu latin g sulphide w aters, causing th e w aters to deposit the su lp h u r in the fo rm of bands, crystals, colum ns and thin layers.
B u ild in g the P lan t
I n M ay, 1931, a f te r excellent su lp h u r indications had been fo u n d in a n u m b er of wells, the Jefferso n L ak e O il Co. decided to produce this su lp h u r com m ercially, and proceeded w ith the co n stru ctio n o f a plant. T h e first fo u n d atio n s of th e new p lan t w ere laid O ct. 18, 1931, an d th e first su lp h u r w as successfully produced on O ct. 20, 1932. P ro d u c tio n has since continued. A g re a t deal of financial difficulty w as encountered in the con
stru c tio n o f this p lan t as it w as built d u rin g th e c u rre n t depression. H o w ev er, the d irectors an d those in terested in the com pany had confidence in the outcom e o f the v enture.
T h e m ethod of su lp h u r m in in g used a t B arba, La., is th e F ra s c h process as inv en ted by H e rm a n F ra sc h at S u lp h u r, L a., in 1891. W ith this m ethod the su lp h u r is m elted in th e cap rock by m eans o f su p erh eated w a te r and is th en raised to the su rfa c e in a m olten sta te by th e use o f com pressed a ir. Since enorm ous q u an tities of w a te r are n ecessary to provide sufficient heat fo r large-scale m in in g by the process, th e po w er p la n t is one of the m ost im p o rta n t facto rs in the developm ent of a su lp h u r p ro ject.
O u r pow er plant w as designed to provide about 1,500,000 gal. of w ater p e r 24 hours. T h is w a te r m ust be free o f all scale and foreign substance, so as not to plug the lines th a t d istrib u te it to the field an d the individual wells. T h e tem p eratu re of the w ater is about 320 deg. F ., and its p ressu re m ust be above 100 lb.
gage so as to m aintain this tem perature.
Since the m ining operations are being conducted in the m iddle of L ake P eig n eu r, the question arose as to the best location fo r the pow er plant. A s it would have been v ery costly to build in the lake n ear the site o f m ining operations, it w as decided to co n stru ct the plant on th e„sh o re of the lake and p um p the w ater a distance of about a mile to the m ining operations. T he situation chosen on the lake shore has an elevation higher th an the su rro u n d in g te rrito ry . T h is high ground afforded sufficient bearing fo r sp read -fo o t foundations and effected considerable saving th ro u g h elim ination of piling. T h ere w ere also o th er advantages to the site.
F o r one, it w as necessary to lay only 3 miles of rail
ro ad sp u r to b rin g construction m aterials to the location.
F u rth erm o re, th e p lan t is on a g rad ed highw ay, only about 3 m iles d istan t fro m both D elcam bre and E ra th , L a., w here ideal living conditions a re provided fo r the w orkm en.
W ith the erection of the plant, a reserv o ir of 20 acres area and o f 50 m illion gal. capacity w as constructed as storage fo r w ater to provide fo r continuous operation.
W a te r from this reserv o ir is pum ped directly into the w ater-treatin g p lan t by m eans of tw o 600-g.p.m . pum ps.
T h e w ater-treatin g p lan t com prises tw o 40,000-g.p.h.
C ochrane units. T h e se are of the hot-process type, using lim e and soda ash fo r treatm ent. W a te r to be treated is continually analyzed by a com petent chem ist to insure zero hardness. A fte r tre a tm e n t the w ater is passed th ro u g h six filters filled w ith non-silicate filter m aterial.
W ater H eating
D u rin g the so ften in g process the w ater is heated to a tem p eratu re of about 218 deg. F ., using m ainly exhaust steam from the tu rb in e-d riv en pum ps. A continuous blow -dow n of 5 p e r cent fro m the boilers is also d is
charged into the w a te r-tre atin g plant, thereby co n serv ing the heat energy in the blow -dow n and re-treatin g the blow -dow n w ater before it is retu rn ed to the boilers.
One of the “vats” with walls removed, at the moment of
blasting
T w o w ater circuits a re m aintained a f te r the w ater leaves th e so ften er. In one system the w ater passes directly in to the b o ilers; in th e o th er it passes into th e h ig h - p re ssu re m in e-w ater h eaters. T h e boiler w a te r is f u r th e r treated w ith sodium sulphate, so as to co rrect th e su lphate-carbonate ratio and p rev en t caustic em b rittle
m ent. A n h y d ro u s sodium phosp h ate is also added to the boiler w a te r to reduce the h ard n ess to zero and p re v en t silicate scale. S ludge fro m the w a te r-tre a tin g p lan t is discharged into a m ud p it to be used as d rillin g m u d in th e su lp h u r w ells to be drilled in the lake.
S team a t ab o u t 100 lb. p ressu re is p ro v id ed by five B abcock & W ilc o x C lass H boilers, each o f 600 hp.
capacity. T h e boilers a re designed to o p erate co n tin u ously a t 200 p e r cent ratin g . T h e y a re of fusion-w elded d ru m co n stru ctio n and are th e first boilers o f th is ty p e to be used in the S outh.
T h e g re a te st p a rt of the steam passes fro m th e boilers into the m ine h eaters. T h ese h eaters are of the C och
ra n e je t type an d operate a t 100 lb. gage p ressu re. H e re th e 218-deg. w a te r fro m th e w a te r-tre a tin g p la n t is heated to ab o u t 320 deg., a t w hich te m p e ra tu re the w a te r is pum ped fro m the heaters to th e m ine by m eans of m in e-w ater pum ps. T h ese pum ps raise th e p ressu re of the w a te r to about 250 lb. gage.
P u m p s and Com pressors
A ll p um ps are C am eron c e n trifu g a ls d riv en by G .E . C u rtis im pulse-type, single-stage turbines, ex h a u stin g at 5 lb. back p ressu re. T h is p ressu re of e x h a u st steam is necessary to m ain tain a tem p e ra tu re of 218 deg. in th e w a te r-tre a tin g plant.
H ig h -p re ssu re a ir fo r the m ine is fu rn ish e d a t 500 lb.
gage p ressu re by In g e rso ll-R a n d steam -operated, th ree- stage com pressor units.
T e m p e ra tu re reco rd ers a re pro v id ed th ro u g h o u t th e p la n t to record th e v ario u s te m p e ra tu res o f fre sh w ater, tre a te d w ater, and m ine w ater. O th e r in stru m e n ts such as steam -fiow m eters, p ressu re gages, re c o rd in g th e r
m om eters and oil m eters p erm it th e o p eratin g engineers to keep a continuous check on th e o p eratin g efficiency o f the plant.
I n desig n in g th e p lan t lay-out, every consideration h ad to be given to con tin u o u s op eratio n , f o r a f te r th e p lan t is once sta rte d up it is absolutely im possible to sh u t it dow n. I f it w ere to be sh u t dow n fo r any
period o f tim e th e su lp h u r in th e lines w ould freeze as w ould the su lp h u r in th e w ells, th ereb y causing im m ense financial loss and dam age in the m in in g operatio n s. F o r this reason, duplicate pum p in g equipm ent, h e a te rs an d boilers have been provided th ro u g h o u t the po w er p lan t system . T h e piping a rra n g e m e n t w as designed so th a t an y duplicate p u m p could op erate a t an y tim e, a n d w ith any h eater. A lth o u g h the p ressu re is only 100 lb., e x tra-h eav y valves and fittings a re pro v id ed th ro u g h o u t so as to in su re con tin u o u s operation.
D e v elo p in g th e M ines
I t w as necessary to do a g re a t deal of pioneer w ork in the p ro d u ctio n end, as th is w as the first tim e in the h isto ry of su lp h u r m in in g th a t the o p eratio n s w ere to be carried o u t in th e m iddle o f a lake an d over w ater.
W ith the pow er p lan t situ ated on the shore o f the lake, ab o u t a m ile fro m th e cen ter of m in in g operations, it w as necessary to build a tre stle fro m the po w er p lan t to th e p oint o f m ining. C reosoted piling an d tim b ers w ere used fo r th e co n stru ctio n of this tre stle w hich c arries five pipe lin e s : h o t w ater, steam , cold w ater, air and su lp h u r. T h e h o t-w a te r line, steam line an d su lp h u r line a re in su lated w ith 3 in. of m in eral wool covered by galvanized iron. M an y carlo ad s of m in eral wool w ere used in th is installation. L a rg e expan sio n jo in ts h ad to be provided f o r th e lines as th e pipe ex p an d s u n d er te m p eratu re about 2 ft. in every 1,000 ft. T h e lines term in ate a t th e su lp h u r statio n w h ere booster pum ps a re located fo r fo rc in g w a te r dow n into the wells.
H e re also is th e steam -jack eted collecting sum p of 40 to n s’ capacity, used to accum ulate su lp h u r fro m the wells. S team -jack eted ce n trifu g a l su lp h u r pum ps tra n s fe r th e liquid su lp h u r fro m th e bin to th e sto rag e vats, w hich are on th e shore of th e lake n e a r th e ra il
ro ad term in al. T h e su lp h u r solidifies in these vats. I t is th en blasted dow n an d loaded into cars by m eans of a locom otive crane. T h ese v ats a re ab o u t 160x500x40 ft. high.
M ining O perations
S uccessful w o rk in g o f th e F ra sc h process depends on keeping the u n d e rg ro u n d s tra ta o f th e dom e a t suffi
cient te m p e ra tu re to m elt su lp h u r. T h is m akes it neces
sary th a t the s tra ta also be p ressu re -p ro o f, as sufficient
Water flow chart as employed at Barba Cross-section of Lake Peigneur dome
. I Mine
Lake P e i g n e u r \
Legend j f
HR Steam *
— — L. P. Steam
W afer '■---1--- » A ir I Air
H eater supply pumps
. .
□€
P/ant XA ,r y equipment I
compressors1 j
To fielet operations I
456 C h em ical & M eta llu rg ica l E n g in e e r in g— V ol.40,N o.9
Power plant a n d Cochrane water soft
eners; one is being insulated
Specially d e s i g n e d floating d*B5ng brage
on Lake Peigneur
Power plant interior with pumps at right, boilers at
left
Sulphur station 011 the lake, supply and sulphur lines in foreground
How sulphur-well cas
ings are installed /" air line
•¡"sulphur and
\ boosting fine
*6”hot waterline
Rock sa lt
How an operating sulphur well appears; the lines for air, water and sulphur con
nect with the sulphur station above at the left; the under
water structure is as shown at the lower left
“Vat” No. 4, in the back
ground, is being filled with sulphur, while No. 3 has been stripped for blasting and loading into cars by
means of steam shovels
p re ssu re m ust be m aintained to keep the w a te r a t the m elting tem p eratu re o f su lp h u r, w hich is above 240 deg.
Since the w ells used for m ining the su lp h u r a re v ery sim ilar to oil w ells, an oil well ro ta ry rig is used fo r drilling. I n the first operatio n s on L ak e P e ig n e u r, this rig w as installed on top o f piling, b u t this w as fo u n d to be a v ery expensive process, so a d rillin g rig w as d e
veloped w hich could be placed on to p of a b arg e and floated fro m well to well. T h is b arg e is o f steel con
stru ctio n an d is p erm an en tly equipped w ith a com plete set of d rillin g m achinery. A ll m achinery on th e barge is operated by electricity supplied by su b m arin e cable a t 2,300 volts. T h e b arg e is held in position by m eans of fo u r 8-in. pipes a t its co rn ers, p assin g th ro u g h th e b a rg e and into the lake bottom . T h e b arg e is m ain tain ed level by a v ery accu rate d istrib u tio n o f th e d rillin g m achinery.
Since the level of the lake rises as m uch as a fo o t in a 10-hour period, a telescopic jo in t w as devised to tak e care o f th is change in elevation d u rin g connection to the casing of the well.
W h e re a s it takes th re e o r fo u r days to m ove the a v e r
age d rillin g rig, th is rig has been m oved fro m one well to an o th er in as sh o rt a tim e as 10 m inutes. A lthough th e b arg e cost in th e neighborhood of $8,500, it is esti
m ated th a t as m uch as $5,000 is saved p e r well by its use. S eventy w ells have been drilled successfully. A n u m b er o f th e larg e oil com panies have copied th e b arg e and it has been used in o th er m arin e operatio n s in d rillin g fo r oil.
E q u ip p in g a W ell
In o p e ra tin g w ith th is barge, a su rfa c e casing is first set to sh u t off the lake w a te r an d silt. T h is is a 12-in.
pipe about 40 ft. long. A 10-in. hole is th en su n k rapidly to cap rock, a distance of 600 ft. A n 8-in. casing is set in the hole an d cem ented. A f te r allow ing the cem ent to set, the hole is d rilled an d cored to the bottom of the su lp h u r-b earin g form ation. T h e well is th e n equipped fo r su lp h u r m ining, the equipm ent including a 6-in., a 3-in. and a 1-in. line, set concentrically. A n 8x6-in.
stuffing b o x is provided a t th e su rfa c e so th a t th e 6-in.
line can ex p an d in the 8. S im ilarly a 6x 3 -in . an d a 3 x l-in . stuffing b o x a re provided. T w o sets of holes are drilled in th e 6-in. pipe a t ab o u t the bottom o f th e su l
p h u r-b e a rin g fo rm atio n . T h e low er g ro u p is used as a stra in e r fo r the su lp h u r as it e n te rs th e 6-in. pipe. W h e n it is m elted th e su lp h u r d ro p s to the bottom of th e well, as its specific g ra v ity is tw ice th a t of w ater. T h e u p p er g ro u p o f holes is used as an o utlet fo r w ater pum ped into th e w ell. B etw een the tw o g ro u p s of holes is a seat or seal w hich su p p o rts th e s trin g o f 3-in. pipe. T h e 1-in.
pipe is su p p o rted fro m th e top o f the w ell by m eans o f a coupling on th e stuffing box.
I n steam ing a well th e p ro ced u re is as fo llo w s : T h e w a te r fro m th e p lan t a t ab o u t 320 deg. is forced dow n in to th e w ell betw een the 3-in. and th e 6-in. pipes a t a .p re ssu re o f ab o u t 100 to 250 lb. T h is w a te r, hav in g a specific g rav ity o f 0.9, rises to th e to p of th e dome, m elting su lp h u r as it rises. T h e m elted su lp h u r (specific g ra v ity ab o u t 2 ) d ro p s to the bottom o f th e w ell w here it is fo rced up th e 3-in. pipe a sh o rt distance by th e dom e p ressu re. T h e com pressed a ir o f v a ry in g p re ssu re u n d er 500 lb. raises th e su lp h u r to the su rfa c e . U n d e r certain conditions, sufficient su lp h u r will be m elted by th e w ater
to p e rm it th e well t’o op erate fo r w eeks an d m o n th s a t a tim e. U n d e r o th e r conditions, sufficient su lp h u r is not m elted an d th e su lp h u r elevation low ers so th a t h o t w a te r e n ters th e 3-in. pipe. C om ing to th e su rfa c e such w ater flashes into steam w hen it reaches th e atm o sp h ere p re s su re and th e well is said to “blow .” A ir is then cu t off fro m th e well an d w a te r is pum ped dow n the 3-in. and 6-in. pipes u n til sufficient su lp h u r is again m elted, w hich usually req u ires ab o u t a 3 -h o u r period.
P ro d u ctio n C apacity
Based on the experience of older su lp h u r m in in g o p era
tions, the p o w er p la n t a t B a rb a w as designed fo r a capac
ity of ab o u t 300 long to n s o f su lp h u r p e r day. T h e p ro duction has been fa r g re a te r th a n th is a m o u n t; it has reached ov er 1,400 long to n s p e r day a t tim es an d is now av erag in g o v er 1,200 long to n s p e r day. T h is success is due in p a rt to a th o ro u g h u n d e rsta n d in g of m in in g con
ditions a t th e L ak e P e ig n e u r dom e by th e field o p eratin g crew , and in p a rt to m ost efficient o p eratio n of th e pow er plant. T h e v ery m o d ern and efficient m achinery also is a c o n trib u tin g facto r. I n th e m in in g operatio n s every consideration has been given to the principles of th e rm o dynam ics involved.
Since th e beginning of p ro d u ctio n on O ct. 20, 1932, n early 200,000 long tons of su lp h u r has been produced.
T h is su lp h u r as it com es fro m th e w ells is 99.92 p e r cent pu re. O n e well has p roduced n early 50,000 to n s and is still p ro d u cin g c o n tin u o u s ^ . A t p resen t, th e Jefferso n L ak e O il Co. is one o f th e w o rld ’s larg est producers.
W ith in a p eriod of a few m o n th s its operatio n s have passed fro m a highly speculative v e n tu re , condem ned by m any of those associated w ith th e in d u stry , to a position in first ra n k s of su lp h u r p roducers.
B esides the su lp h u r shipped to dom estic u sers, a g re a t deal is e x p o rted to F ra n c e , G erm any, E n g lan d , S outh A m erica, A fric a and A u stra lia as well as to o th er fo reig n countries.
F u tu re of Frasch Process
S uccessful m ining o f su lp h u r since 1893 has involved the solution o f h u n d red s o f seem ingly insolvable m echan
ical problem s. T h e process as practiced has been p e r
fected to th e last detail. B u t it should be b orne in m ind th a t m ost o f th e su lp h u r p ro d u ced so f a r has been m ined u n d e r ideal conditions. Since m an y of these ideal de
posits a re on th e ir w ay to w ard ex h au stio n , f u tu re d e
velopm ents in th e G u lf coastal c o u n try w ill involve some v ery in te re stin g new problem s. O n e o f th e first of these p roblem s is th e one th a t has m ore o r less been solved at B arba, th a t is, m in in g fro m b en eath w a te r and m arsh lands.
E v e n h e re th ere a re m any details y et to be contended w i t h ; am ong these is th e subsidence of th e lake bottom . A n o th e r problem to be solved is th e m ining of deep de
posits. I n th e solution of all o f th e problem s is the q uestion of costs. A d d ed to th e hig h p ro d u ctio n costs accom panying severe m in in g o p eratio n s a re increased ta x a tio n an d excessive ro y alty dem ands. O n th is account all new d e p a rtu re s involving h ig h er costs m u st be con
sidered carefu lly , fo r th ere is alw ays a possibility of increased com petition fro m p y rites and bypro d u ct su lp h u r.
458 C h em ical & M eta llu rg ica l E n g in e e rin g — V o l.40,N o .9
