CHEMICAL
S M E T A L L U R G I C A L
ENG INEERING
v o l u m e 4 0 Es t a b l i s h e d 1 9 0 2 n u m b e r s
M cGr a w-Hil l p u b l is h in g c o m p a n y, i n c.
S. D. KIRKPATRICK, Editor
AUGUST, 1933
PROCESS COMPETITION UNDER THE CODES
C A R E F U L L Y B A L A N C E D competitive relations th at exist between m any pairs of products and processes in chemical industry may shortly receive a rude upsetting as a re
sult of N R A code activity. Increases in labor costs, at least in the beginning, will not rest evenly on all commodities. Competition will, therefore, be intensified and there may well be some significant changes in the relative standing of competitive processes. Some of these in
equalities are w orthy of immediate attention, even though in the end they may find a natural adjustm ent as the general increases in labor charges are reflected in fuel, power, raw ma
terials and other elements in production costs.
Consider the case of caustic soda. In the electrolytic process, direct labor plus that re
quired in repair and maintenance has been estim ated to cost almost fo u r times as much as in the competing lime-soda process. Now, sup
pose all alkali m anufacturers sign the same code and there is a revision of wage rates with, say, a flat increase of tw enty per cent. The electrolytic m anufacturer, in proportion to his greater use of labor, m ust carry a considerably heavier burden than his lime-soda competitor.
In the m anufacture of sulphuric acid, labor is probably twice as im portant fo r chamber plants as fo r contact plants. Reliable estimates calculated for the same raw m aterials and on a common basis of 100 per cent H2SO.j show that full compliance w ith the P resident’s blanket agreem ent would raise the cost of labor fo r contact acid only 40 cents per ton, whereas the increase in chamber plants would be two or three times this much. T his result comes not only because of the greater num ber of man- hours per ton in the latter type of plant, but also because the num ber of hours w orked per week
per man in chamber plants has customarily been much greater. These changes could also have im portant regional significance, resulting in shifting the competitive price zone from one m anufacturing center tow ard another. F o r ex
ample, in the Middle Atlantic States sulphuric acid is commonly made by both chamber and contact processes. In Southern factories, the chamber process invariably is used. T erritory hitherto dominated by the Southerner may be restricted and N orthern contact acid may enter a larger area on an equal price basis.
O ther interesting speculations follow along the same lines. Methanol, acetone and acetic acid as produced by synthesis have generally had an advantage as compared with these prod
ucts when made by wood distillation. T h at ad
vantage will probably be enhanced because the very nature of synthetic processes involves less dependence upon labor and more on capital in
vestment in continuous equipment.
Throughout chemical industry there has been a steady advance in plant efficiency. F o rtu nately those companies that have achieved the highest productivity per m an-hour are likely to be most favored by these N R A develop
ments. T his is only fair, for if the A dm inistra
tion should place a penalty on progressive m an
agement and technology, it could never com
mand the respect and support of the public.
Let us not forget that it is this public that in the end will pay the bills. It is most im
portant to m aintain purchasing power by rea
sonable- prices, fo r only in that way can we maintain production itself. This m ust be done through efficient processes and equipment so, despite tem porary inequalities, the new law will eventually work in the direction of tech
nical progress.
E D I T O R I A L S
The All-Industry Code
H E M IC A L IN D U S T R Y ’S code of fair competi
tion, printed in full in this issue, is w orthy of the attention of every individual in any phase of chemical activity. I t is a simple, straight-forw ard, workable bill of rights immediately applicable in all parts of the in
dustry. I f every company will sign it and join with the Chemical Alliance in its enforcem ent, that action can not help but make for sound conditions in chemical industry. T hen the subsidiary groups and subdivisions can and should w ork out the supplem entary codes to cover their own particular problems and practices. A united industry is the first step tow ard the recovery.
Where Haste Saves Waste
A
S W E GO T O P R E S S several groups of equipment . m akers in the chemical field are joining the struggle to evolve codes of fa ir competition with which to effectuate the policies of the N IR A . A m ong them, the H eat T ra n sfe r Institute and organizations am ong the centrifugal m anufacturers and the suppliers of oil in
dustry equipm ent are ready to go, while others, notably the m akers of general process equipment, are being urged to form a chemical equipm ent association fo r the purposes of the recovery act. In every case, unless some simpler plan of action can be devised, each group as it is form ed will have to complete its code and rush it to W ashington fo r review, public hearings and final approval.
D uring the latter part of June, in Chicago, a step was taken to form a coordinating association fo r that p a rt of the capital goods industry which does not logi
cally fit in elsewhere. T his group, the M achinery and Allied Products In stitu te (M A P I for sh o rt), is indubi
tably a move in the right direction, for its purpose is to gather together all the trade associations in its field, to assist in the completion of individual trade practice codes fo r the several component associations, and to develop a general code, covering m andatory m atters, for the entire industry. W hen completed, M A P I will represent an industry which is am ong the first five in importance in the country. A s such, it will be able to pursue the ju st interests of individual groups fa r m ore effectively than they could themselves. In gaining rec
ognition fo r the status of the capital goods industries, M A P I has already shown its mettle. A s it grows, it may confidently be expected to assume an importance fully equal to such pow erful groups as the Iron and Steel Institute and the N ational Electrical M anufac
tu rers’ Association.
H ere then is a case fo r haste to save, waste. W hile possibly the needs of some groups may not fit into the scheme of M A P I, most chemical equipm ent associ
ations should find their problems greatly simplified through prom pt cooperation with it. M uch needless milling around in W ashington can thus be saved and
better codes can be form ulated and put through the stages of approval w ithout in any way subm erging the identities of individual groups.
W hich Shall It Be
N, K, or P— or A ll Three?
T
e n n e s s e e v a l l e y a u t h o r i t y is required, by the law th at created it, to make and m arket fertilizers on a scale sufficiently large to deter-
‘ mine the costs of m anufacture and the prices at which fertilizer should be sold to the consumer. T herefore, some of the most serious and immediate of its prob
lems are those relating to the supply of fertilizer chem
icals, and the extent to which it shall undertake plant operations or new process development in the Valley.
Recent chemical engineering developments have p a r
tially answered these questions. Domestic sources of synthetic nitrogen on a large scale have been assured for some years past. T he renewed activity of the steel industry has again released a flow of byproduct ammonia in itself adequate to take care of our de
mands. T hus the nitrogen problem can well be solved by the purchase of this commodity from commercial sources. W e are led to believe th a t T V A is contem plating such procedure which precludes, at least tem porarily, the operation of the cyanamide plant at Muscle Shoals.
Potash from C alifornia and from the two successful mining operations in New Mexico gives assurance of generous domestic supplies from these mineral sources.
B ut their distance from M iddle Tennessee— the center of fertilizer consum ption— is an evident handicap that is likely to w het the T V A interest in other form s of potash recovery, fo r example, as a byproduct from cement m anufacture by the new process described in Chem. & M et. last m onth or by other volatilization processes using locally available minerals.
Phosphoric acid made according to the new ideas developed at the F ix ed N itrogen R esearch Laboratory certainly deserves more serious consideration. T he suggestion that T V A should go ahead, either by itself or in cooperation with certain willing industrial groups, on a substantial work-scale trial of these ideas is sound.
No one need to assume th at this means a direct entry of the Governm ent in the phosphate chemical business.
It can, and probably should, restrict its effort to the making of products suitable for fertilizer use on such a scale as would perm it careful determ ination of their actual commercial cost. T he products so made will be a logical basis for the experim ents in agronomy, soil im provem ent and fertilizer utilization, which are spe
cifically provided fo r in the A ct establishing T V A . W hen a sound basis fo r industrial operations has been fixed, then we may expect th at public-spirited groups prepared to carry out these processes regularly will arise and make proposals that can be considered by the A uthority before it ventures fu rth e r into com
mercial operations. U ltim ately it is to be hoped that commercial m anufacture will be under private auspices
394 C hem ical & M etallurgical E n g in e e rin g— Vol.40,N o.8
adequately inter-related to existing chemical and fer
tilizer industries. T hat, however, is a bridge which T V A will not have to cross for some time to come.
Standardization Must Not Lag Now
ITI-I T H E A N N O U N C E M E N T last month that Governm ent economy measures have made it necessary to tra n sfe r certain activities in simplification, commercial standards, safety and building codes from the B ureau of S tandards to the Am erican Standards Association, a change in a considerable part of our standardization procedure became necessary. B ut at the same time, industry received, through the A sso
ciation, an opportunity greater than ever before for its effective self regulation. T he move is one that is well within the spirit of the N ational Recovery Act.
H ow successful this regulation will be depends very largely on the continued and increasing support which industry m ust accord the Association. A fte r its 15 years of existence, A .S.A . is now supported by 37 na
tionally active member bodies and num erous companies and individuals. Some 475 organizations and indus
trial concerns are actively cooperating in the develop
m ent of standards. T he Association is serving both as a national and an international clearing house for standards in many fields. O f the nearly 400 projects so fa r undertaken, well over 200 have already resulted in standards and others are on the way to completion.
No reasonable doubt of the value of such an organi
zation can exist. W hole-hearted support from all of industry is the price that m ust be paid if the added burden is to be carried properly and if we are to make the m ost of our opportunities.
Alky Gas Still
Packs Political Power
W
H E N T H E S E N A T E Finance Committee pigeonholed the proposal fo r compulsory m ixing of alco
hol with gasoline, then m asking under the guise of a tax m easure, m any thought the m atter was settled.
B ut the ardent supporters, self-appointed representa
tives of the corn farm er, have continued to advocate alky gas apparently as a m easure of political self
advancement.
T ests made under the direction of the Bureau of S tandards and reports of responsible autom otive engi
neering groups at various times have confirmed what was previously well understood, that addition of alcohol, though in some m easure beneficial, results in decreased fuel efficiency for practically all types of m otor cars.
T h e m ajor benefit gained is from the anti-knock value of the alcohol. Despite these conclusions, well sub
stantiated both in theory and practice, there remain am ong the backers certain of the Iowa State College proponents, the farm leader advocates, and most of the corn-belt Congressmen. B ut in connection with the Iowa State College group it should be pointed out that
there is clearly as radical a difference of opinion in Ames as in W ashington. It is interesting to note that the chemical engineers seemingly do not share the judg
ment of some of the Extension Service, who glibly pass over certain chemical engineering facts and lay great stress on the half of the curves which they say prove their argum ent as to the superiority of alky gas.
No one should object to the vigorous development of alcohol as a motor fuel when considered on its m erits;
but we see no reason for a refusal to accept scientific facts. As one Government official said, “ If the fuel is superior and the farm ers can, as they claim, get 3 cents per gallon more for it, why do they not do so?”
It is unfortunate that certain technical groups have allowed their sincere desire to assist in the development of non-food and non-feed uses for corn, to carry them beyond sound technical and economic facts. T here is nothing to be gained in the end by such procedure.
Chemical industry must watch this situation. It is not to be expected that Federal legislation can secure any serious attention soon; but state legislatures are not so easily protected from unsound findings.
New Patent Law Needed To Protect Private Industry
W
H E N A G O V E R N M E N T employee does research, even as a part of his regular employment, and it results in patentable invention, he m ay personally exploit the results for private profit. T he Suprem e Court has thus spoken, and there is no higher authority.
This is an amazing decision with the justice of which many may quarrel. Certainly most industrial execu
tives are going to share the judgm ent of the m inority of the Court which held that the results of Government investigations belong to all the public without question or without right of interference by the individual Gov
ernment worker. But we must remember that this was a m inority finding, and that the m ajority judgm ent of the Court prevails.
Some observers, including competent attorneys, ap
pear to have confused this case affecting Government employees with other lower court decisions bearing on the contract rights of employees of private corporations.
In the latter cases, there has been an evident desire of the courts to extend the rights of the employer to cover patentable inventions even when the conditions of em
ployment did not altogether specifically provide for ownership of such discoveries. W hatever may be the significance ultimately of this trend, it does not affect the m atter of inventions resulting from industrial re
search by the Federal Government.
Only new legislation by Congress can protect indus
try against exploitation by individual Government workers who may choose to exercise the rights th o r
oughly defined for them in this Supreme C ourt case.
Such a new law is greatly needed. It should be drafted and submitted to a wide variety of interested critics.
Then it should be introduced into Congress and vigor
ously pressed for enactm ent next winter.
A ugust, 1933 — C hem ical & M etallurgical E ngineering 395
THE CHEMICAL CODE
W l u t It I s - “ and the V ^ a rtim e Chemical A llia n c e Revived to Put It Into Effect
C
h e m i c a l i n d u s t r y , stirred by an emergency comparable to that which in August, 1918, led to the creation of the Chemical Alliance, has revived that wartime organization in order to present a united front in carrying out the purposes of the national re
covery act. Fortunately the original charter was still in effect and its board of directors generously offered its use in the present emergency. This offer was accepted on July 18 and a group of chemical executives headed by William B. Bell, president of the American Cyanamid Co., proceeded immediately to reorganize the Chemical Alliance as an all-industry agency for meeting the re
quirements of NIRA.
A new constitution was drawn which makes it possible for “any individual firm or corporation engaged in the man
ufacture of chemicals in the United States” to become a member on the ap
proval of the board of directors and the payment of the nominal dues of $10 per year. Other provisions govern the elec
tion of officers and members of the board, the appointment of an executive committee and the holding of an annual meeting on the first Monday of Novem
ber. Voting power of the membership is in accordance with a scale based on the number of employees on the mem
ber’s payroll. Application blanks and full information can be obtained from Mr. Bell’s offices at 535 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
In a letter addressed to the execu
tives of all the chemical trade associa
tions and institutes on July 25, Mr. Bell stated that the Chemical Alliance did not propose to interfere with any exist
ing organizations in the field, and he pointed out that each such group or di
vision might, if it desired, submit its own divisional code to cover trade practices and its own particular prob
lems—provided only that it did not in
terfere with the general code of the industry. That code, drafted by a com
mittee under the chairmanship of Lam- mot duPont, is published in full else
where on these pages.
Officers of the Chemical Alliance, Inc., members of the board of directors, and the principal committees were an
nounced by Air. Bell as follows and it is understood that all except two or three have accepted their responsibility:
Ollicers: W illiam B. Bell, president: Charles Belknap, vice president; W illard II. Dow. vice president; L am m ot duP ont, vice president; Or
lando F . Weber, vice president; J . W. Mc
Laughlin, treasu rer, and W arren N . W atson, secretary.
E xecutive Com m ittee: E . M. Allen, Charles Belknap, H orace Bowker, E. W. Clark, W. H.
Dow, L am m ot duP ont, Glenn H askell, G. W.
Merck, A ugust Merz, J. W. M cLaughlin, A. E.
P itch er and W. D. T icknor.
Code Com m ittee: Lam m ot duP ont, c h a ir
m an; W. B. Bell. A. K. H am ilton, G. W.
M erck and J. W. M cLaughlin.
S tatistics Com m ittee: E. V. O’Daniel o í the American Cyanamid Co., ch airm an ; Leonard T.
Beale, W illard H. Dow, J. B. Ford of the M ichigan A lkali Co. and W. D. T icknor.
Board of D irectors: E. M. Allen, M athieson A lkali W orks, In c.: L. T. Beale, Pennsylvania S alt Mfg. Co.: Charles Belknap, M onsanto Chemical W orks; W. B. Bell, American Cyana
mid Co.: H orace Bowker, American A g ricultural Chem. Co.; E. W. Clark, T he B a rre tt Co.; H . L.
Derby, Am erican Cyanamid & Chem. Corp.;
P eter Dougan, M erck & Co., Inc.; W illard H.
Dow. The Dow Chemical Co.; R. H . Dunham . H ercules Pow der Co.; Lam m ot duPont, E. I.
duP ont do N em ours & Co.; J. P . E lkinton, P h ila delphia Q uartz Co.; J. N. F orker, American T ar P roducts Co.; T . S. Grasselli, The Grassclli Chemical Co.: C. P. Gulick, N ational Oil P ro d u cts Co.; E rn est K. H alback, General DyestufTs Corp.; A. K. H am ilton, Franco-A m erican Chem.
W orks: Glenn H askell, U. S. In d u strial Alcohol Co.; H. O. C. In g rah a m , General Chemical Co.:
S. W. Jacobs, N iag ara A lkali Co.; F. J. King.
Linde A ir P roducts Co.: Leland Land, A tlas Pow der Co.: A. F . L ichtenstein, Ciba Co., Inc.:
B. A. Ludwig, N ational Aniline & Chem. Co.;
G. W . Merck, M erck & Co., Inc.: A ugust Merz, The Calco Chemical Co., Inc.; J. W. M cLaughlin.
Union Carbide & Carbon Corp.; A. E. P itcher, E. I. d u P o n t de Nem ours & Co.; E dgar Queeny, M onsanto Chemical WTork s: F . W. Russe, M al
linckrodt Chemical W orks; C. A. Saunders, Cadillac Soo L um ber Co.: John Stauffer. Stauffer Chemical Co.: Irv in g Taylor, M ichigan A lkali Co.; W illiam B. Thom . W estvaco Chlorine P ro d u cts Corp.; W. D. T icknor, Commercial Solvents
H
ERE, briefly, is the chronology of the chemical code. Directly following the M.C.A. meeting at Shawnee, June 1, the executive com
mittee of that organization began' to study the requirements of the recovery act and early recognized the fact that a single broad agency must be effected to speak for chemical industry. This led to the revival of the Chemical Al
liance already described. Simultane
ously work was started on a chemical code which on Aug. 3 was discussed by the board of directors of the Chem
ical Alliance in an all-day session at the Hotel Biltmore in New York.
Numerous changes were made. Then on Aug. 8 the code was informally presented to General Williams, and after incorporating further suggestions,
Corp.; E. T. T riey, Jo h n L ucas & Co., Inc.:
Jo h n W atson, In t. A g ricultural Corp.; Orlando Weber, Allied Chemical & Dye Corp.; E. H.
W estlake, Tennessee Copper Co.
TO PRESEN T CHEMICAL CODE
W illiam Brown Bell, 54-year-old president of A m erican Cyanamid, a stu te corporation law yer and m etro politan b anker, cham pion yachtsm an (NY-40 ft. class, L. I. Sound Y acht Racing Association, 1928, 29, 30.
W inner of th e K ing’s cup in Spanish Ocean Race. 1 9 2 8 ). As head of chem ical in d u stries’ m ost rep re sen ta
tive organization— th e Chemical A l
liance, Inc., will present its case for a m aste r code.
it was mailed to members of the in
dustry for their approval and signa
tures. Date for a public hearing has not been announced but if sufficient signatures are received immediately, NRA may possibly permit its use in
stead of the blanket agreement, pend
ing final action by industry and gov
ernment.
CODE OF FA IR COMPETITION FOR TIIE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
T
O effectuate the policy of Title I of th e N ational In d u stria l Recovery Act, th e following provisions are established as a Code of F a ir Com petition fo r the Chemical In d u stry .
A rticle I
Definitions— (a) T he term “ Chemical In d u s
try ” as used herein shall be construed to in clude all m an u factu re rs of any chem ical product in establishm ents, o r any p a rt o r p a rts thereof, covered by th is Code. Subsidiaries w hich con
duct m an u factu rin g operations or services in
THE ALL-CHEMICAL-INDUSTRY CODE
396 C hem ical & M etallurgical E ngineering — Vol.40,N o.8
conjunction w ith th e operations of th e p aren t com pany m ay be included.
(b) T he term “A lliance” as used herein m eans The Chemical A lliance, Inc., a non-profit sharing1 corporation organized and existing under the law s of th e S tate of Connecticut. A copy of th e C onstitution and By-Laws of said cor
poration is attach ed h ereto m arked “Appendix A." T he m em bership of said corporation is representative of th e Chemical In d u stry .
(c) The term “ employees” as used herein m eans all persons employed in th e estab lish m ents, or any p a rts thereof, covered by this Code.
(d) T he term “ effective d ate,” as used herein, m eans the ten th day a f te r th is Code h a s been approved by the P resident of the U nited States.
A rticle II
H ours of L abor— On and a fte r th e effective date, no person employed w ith in th e Chemical In d u stry shall be perm itted to w ork m ore than an average of 40 h o u rs per week during the
TO RECEIVE CHEMICAL CODE
Clarence Charles W illiam s, 04-year old m ajo r general, w artim e chief of ord
nance in A.E.F., U. S. Arm y retired;
form er inspector of powder m anufac
tu re in d u P o n t works, aw arded D.S.M. in 1919, Commander Legion of Honor (F re n c h ), Commander St.
M ichael and St. George (B ritish ), Commander Order Polonia R e stitu ta (P o lish ). As D eputy A dm inistrator of N.R.A. will preside a t Chemical
Code hearings.
effective period of th is Code no r m ore th a n 48 hom o du rin g any week, b u t such lim ita tio n s shall not apply to :
(a) Any person employed in an executive, ad
m in istrativ e, supervisory a n d /o r technical ca pacity, or as an outside salesm an;
(b) Any person employed as repairm an, en
gineer, electrician, loader, tru c k driver, cleaner o r w atchm an; provided th a t, no person specified in th is su b -p arag rap h (b) shall be perm itted to w ork du rin g any three m onths period a to tal of more th a n ten p er cent in excess of the to tal h ours during any th ree m onths period d eter
mined by th e average of 40 h o u rs p e r week.
(c) Those departm ents o r divisions o f the Chemical In d u stry in w hich season o r peak de
m and places an u n u su a l and tem porary require
ment. fo r production upon such departm ents o r divisions, except th a t in such cases no em ployee shall be perm itted to w ork m ore th an an aggregate of ten p er cent in excess of the average of 40 h o u rs p er week above provided.
(d) Employees engaged on continuous opera
tion at places w here adequate supply of q u ali
fied labor is no t available and cannot reason
ably be made available and w'here restriction of h ours o f such employees would unavoidably reduce production. In such cases the average weekly h o u rs m ay no t be in excess o f 48 h o u rs p er week.
(e) Cases of emergency, provided th a t a t the end o f each calendar m onth any such em ployer in th e Chemical In d u stry shall rep o rt to the Chemical Alliance, in such detail as m ay be required by th e E xecutive Committee, th e n um ber of m an h o u rs so worked, giving th e em er
gency reasons therefor, and th e ratio w hich such emergency m an h o u rs b ear to the to ta l num ber of m an h o u rs du rin g said m onth.
THE C O D E A T A G L A N C E Hours and Wages: Forty hours at 40 cents for entire U. S. A.
excepting men in executive, ad
ministrative, supervisory and/or technical capacities or in continu
ous operation at places where qualified labor is not available—
then 48 hours the maximum.
Where hourly rates on July 15, 1929 were less than 40 cents but above 30 cents that minimum to prevail. Apprentices to receive not less than 80 per cent of minimum. No child labor.
Statistics: Data necessary for NIRA to be collected by confiden
tial agency not connected with any member of chemical industry.
Open-price provisions optional with sub-divisions.
Administration: Chemical Alli
ance, Inc., set up as administra
tive agency to hear complaints, co
ordinate industry subdivisions, re
ceive and recommend supple
mentary codes and amendments.
A rticle I II
M inimum Wages— On and a fte r the effective d ate the m inim um wages paid by any employer in the Chemical In d u stry to any employee, in cluding accounting, clerical, office and sales em ployees, shall be no t less than 40 cents per hour, or a t th e ra te of 40 cents per h o u r if paid on o th er th a n an hourly basis, unless the hourly ra te fo r th e sam e class of w ork on July 15. 1929. was less th an 40 cents p er hour, in w hich la tte r case th e m inim um wages paid sh a ll be not less th a n th e hourly ra te paid on Ju ly 15, 1929, and in no event less th an HO cents per hour, except th a t
(a ) The m inim um pay for apprentices shall be no t less th a n 80 per cent of th e njinim um pay provided above, b u t apprentices shall not be paid less th an th e m inim um reg u lar pay after one year of employm ent.
(b) T he m inim um pay fo r service employees (such as w atchm en, gatem en and porters) shall be five cents per h o u r les3 th an th e minimum wage hereinbefore provided for.
In the case of any employee whose com
pensation is based upon a m easure o th er than tim e, the to ta l com pensation paid shall be no less th a n such employee would be entitled to receive if his com pensation were m easured by a tim e rate.
A rticle IV
Child L abor— On and a fte r th e effective date, no em ployer in the Chemical Ind u stry shall em ploy any person under the age of sixteen years.
A rticle V
A dm inistration— The A lliance is hereby a p pointed an agency for the follow ing purposes:
(a) To collect from the m embers of the Alli
ance all d ata and sta tistic s which m ay be called fo r under th is Code, or required by th e P resi
dent, or reasonably p ertinent to effectuate T itle I of said Act. Any d a ta a n d /o r sta tistics of a confidential n a tu re shall be collected by a firm of Certified A ccountants or o th er suitable agent selected by the Alliance, and no t a m em
ber o r connected w ith a m em ber of th e Chemi
cal In dustry.
(b) To represent th e Chemical Ind u stry in conferring w ith the A dm inistrator w ith respect to th e application of th is Code and of said Act, and any regulations issued thereunder, and hear com plaints, and if possible a d ju st the same, aud to coordinate th e adm inistration o f th is Code w ith such codes, if any. as m ay affect any su b division of th e Chemical Industry, w ith a view to providing jo in t and harm onious action upon all m atters of common interest, and to receive any proposals for supplem entary provisions of am endm ents of th is Code or additional codes a p plicable to th e Chemical In d u stry o r subdi
visions th e re o f: provided, however, th a t as re gards all m atters m entioned in th is p arag rap h
(b) said Alliance shall n o t have th e power in any way to bind th e Chemical Industry o r any sub-division thereof.
(c) The duties of the Alliance above enum erated shall be exercised by action of its Board of D irectors a n d /o r its m em bers as pro vided in its A rticles of Association, Constitution and By-Laws. The A lliance m ay delegate any of its duties to such agents and com m ittees as it m ay appoint, whose personnel, duties and powers m ay be changed by the Alliance from tim e to tim e.
A rticle VI
Any establishm ent operating under the pro visions of th is Code w hich is no t a member of the Alliance shall pay to the Alliance a share of th e expenses 61 the adm inistration o f this Code on the same basis as if it were a member.
A rticle V II
I f any em ployer in the Chemical Ind u stry is also an employer in any other industry, the provisions of th is Code shall apply to and affect only th a t p a rt of the business of such employer which is a p a rt of the Chemical In dustry.
A rticle V III
Employee Organization and Bargaining— (a) Employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of th eir own choosing, and shall, be free from the interference, restrain t, or coercion of employers of labor, or th eir agents, in th e designation of such representatives or in self-organization or in o th er concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or o th er m u tu a l aid or protection.
(b) No employee and no one seeking em ploym ent shall be required as a condition of em ploym ent to join any company union or to refrain from joining, organizing, or assisting a labor organization of his own choosing.
(c) Employers shall comply w ith the m axi
mum h o u rs o i labor, m inim um rates of pay.
and o th er conditions of employment, approved or prescribed by the President.
A rticle IX
N othing in th is Code shall be interpreted in such m anner as to im pair in any p a rtic u la r the constitutional rig h ts of th e employee and em ployer to bargain individually or collectively as may be m utually satisfactory to them , and nothing in th is Code shall prevent th e selec
tion. retention or advancement of any em
ployee on the basis of his individual m erit w ith o u t regard to his affiliation w ith any labor or employee organization.
A rticle X
The P resident of th e United States may. from tim e to time, cancel o r m odify any order, «ap
proval, license, rule o r regulation issued under T itle I of the N ational Recovery Act.
Article XI
A m endm ents or A dditional Codes Supple
m entary provisions o r am endm ents to th is Code or additional codes o r fa ir trade practice rules applicable to sub-divisions of th e Chemical I n dustry m ay from tim e to tim e be subm itted tn behalf of the Chemical Ind u stry or any su b divisions thereof fo r th e approval of the President.
A rticle X II
Any sub-division of th e Chemical Industry, recognized by th e A lliance, operating under th e provisions of th is Code m ay elect, in accordance w ith the Constitution and By-Laws of its asso
ciation or in stitu te, or if no association or in stitu te exists, as th e m embers of such su b division may determ ine, to sell i t s products only upon open prices, term s and conditions publicly announced by each member of such su t>-d‘' Anv changes in prices by any member of such sub-division shall be announced by such m em ber im m ediately to all o th er members o ig th e sub;
division through such acency as th e s ,|M ‘ vision m ay determ ine. V ariations from such open and publicly announced prices, term s and conditions shall no t be allowed.
A rticle X III
Bv presenting th is Code, and the specific provisions of A rticles I I and I I I thereof, those who have assented hereto shall not
by any modification thereof, except as each shall thereto subsequently agree.
A rticle XIV
T he provisions of th is Code shall expire on December 31, 1933. o r on the earliest date p rio r thereto on w hich th e P resident shall by proclam ation, or th e Congress shall by Jo in t Resolution, declare th a t th e emergency «¡cog- nized by Section I of th e N ational In d u strial Recovery Act h a s ended.
A ugust, 1933— C hem ical & M etallurgical E ngineering 397
M aking Sulphur in City Gas
A Profitable
A m odified liq u id p u rifica tio n process fo r rem oval of su lp h u r fro m city gas provides m a rk e tab le s u lp h u r as a b y p ro d u c t. T h is article in te rp re ts th e chem ical engineering aspects of th e p roblem . T h e d ata used to illu stra te th e econom ic relatio n s are those calcu lated by F re d D enig, T h e K o p p ers Co., P ittsb u rg h , an d first p re sen ted by h im before th e P ro d u c tio n C onference of A m erican Gas Asso
ciatio n in New Y ork City late in May.
T
W O N U IS A N C E S may make a profitable byproduct. T his is the interesting possibility appear
ing in the development of the am m onia-thylox gas purification process as installed by T he K oppers Co. at the Racine, W is., plant of W isconsin Gas & Electric Co.
This process recovers sulphur in elemental form suit
able fo r the m anufacture of sulphuric acid. T he idea is that the acid so made may then be used for fixing the ammonia in the gas as m arketable ammonium sul
phate. Sulphuric acid, the principal item in the cost of this byproduct chemical, would therefore be materially cheapened; and an opportunity fo r profit from its recov
ery thus would be restored despite low m arket prices.
T he am m onia-thylox process differs from its prede
cessor, the soda-thylox process, in the use of am monium thioarsenate instead of sodium thioarsenate as the-absorbing solution. T he gas is passed up through a grid-filled absorber tow er through which this solu
tion flows. T he usual condensing and ammonia-removal equipm ent precedes this scrubber. A pproxim ately 99 per cent removal of the H 2S is accomplished, and final clean
ing of the gas is then done in a dry-oxide box purifier.
T he thylox solution from the base of the tow er is pumped to the top of an actifying tow er called a pres
sure thionizer w here it is revivified by blowing air up through it. T he air decomposes the sulphur compound and releases elemental sulphur in a finely-divided form, which is carried to the top of the thionizer and separated in a skimming tank as a- thin slurry. T he air leaving this thionizer is practically free from any odorous con
stituent and occasions no nuisance even when the gas plant may be located in a closelv-built part of the city.
S ulphur slurry overflows from the skim m ing tank at the top of the thionizer to the storage tank from which it is fed to a continuous rotary filter. T he sul
phur filter cake is discharged into a steam -jacketed au to clave where it is melted down and separated from the entrained solution. T he molten sulphur may then either be cast into blocks of suitable size fo r shipm ent or it may go under pressure directly to the sulphur burners in a nearby acid plant.
In order to m aintain the thylox solution of the proper concentration and slightly alkaline makeup ammonia is added. T his may be done either by bypassing a small
C ake s u lp h u r a f te r tre a tm e n t in autoclavre
398 C hem ical & M etallurgical E ngineering — Vol.40,N o.8
Byproduct
By R. S. McBRIDE
E d ito r ia l R e p r e se n ta tiv e , C lient. & M e t.
quantity of gas containing ammonia around the satu- rators or by addition of weak ammonia liquor. T he Racine plant uses the latter method. A nother installa
tion uses the form er. T here appears to be no advantage in favor of the one method over the other, except local preference and convenience of connections. In plants where some am m onia is recovered as vapor from the fixed-ammonia stills, this may be used conveniently for makeup. In such cases, the steam from the still also furnishes a large p art of the heat required for warm ing the solution at the exit of the saturators so that it will enter the thylox absorber at the optimum tem perature, usually about 90 deg. F. M akeup of the absorber solu
tion in arsenic content is usually accomplished in the recirculating storage tank controlled by occasional checks in the laboratory, generally once per shift or once per day, the frequency determ ined by experience.
T he concentration of arsenic is m aintained at approxi
mately one-half per cent of A s203 by weight in the absorber solution. T he consumption is approxim ately 0.02 lb. of AS2O3 per 1,000 cu.ft. of gas treated.
T he sulphur produced contains a little less than one- half of one per cent of arsenic under norm al operating
E s tim a te d O p e ra tin g C ost of A m m o n ia-T hylox P ro c e ss P u rify in g 3,500,000 C u .F t. of C o al G as P e r D ay Based on 95 per cent removal from gas containing 350 grains H £ , and 70 grains
HCN per ¡00 cu.ft.
Dollars Cents per
Item per D ay M Cu.Ft.
Labor— 12 m an-hr./day a t 50c/hr... 6.00 0.172 Arsenic— 0.01 lb ./M cu.ft. a t 4 c/lb ... 1.40 0.040 Ammonia— 0.07 lb ./M cu.ft. a t Oc/lb... 0.00 0.000 Soda Ash— 0. 00 lb ./M cu.ft. a t - c / l b ... 0.00 0.000 Power— 0.08 kw .-hr./M cu.ft. a t 1.25c/kw.-hr... 3.50 0.100 Steam—For air compressor (live) 11,750 lb ./d a y a t
30c/M lb ...'___ 3.50 0.100 For solution heating (exhaust) 3 lb ./M cu.ft. a t
15c/M lb ... 1.60 0.045 Maintenance— 0.05c/M cu .ft... 1.75 0.050 Total gross operating cost... 17. 75 0.507 Less credit for brimstone— 1,000 lb ./d ay a t $ 1 8 /to n ... 9.00 0.257 T otal net operating c o st... $8.75 0.250c
T h y lo x liq u id p u rific a tio n p la n t, W isco n sin G as & E le c tric Co., H acin e. P re s s u re th io n iz e r (sm a ll to w e r) w ith overflow ta n k a n d h o u sin g at to p ; c e n te r to w er, s lu rry s to ra g e ; rig h t tow er, a b s o r b e r ; o xide box, lo w e r rig h t
conditions. Except where arsenic-free acid is to be made, this brimstone cake is entirely satisfactory for acid making. I t is agreed, therefore, that there will be no difficulty in using this sulphur for acid making either in commercial plants or in special plants built at coke or gas works.
A t the right of the flowsheet (p. 401) is shown equip
ment fo r recovery of arsenic from discarded solution.
Such discarded solution is made acid with sulphuric acid, thereby precipitating arsenic sulphide. T his is filtered out and redissolved in soda, thereby making it available to go back in the system. T his is a refinement not used in small plants.
O perating results obtained during the first seven months at the Racine plant are summarized in an accom
panying table. Much of the variation from m onth to month was the result of trying out modified procedures.
U niform operation can easily be maintained in any plant when the preferred conditions have once been deter
mined.
T he am monia-thylox process requires no new types
A ugust, 1933 — C hem ical & M etallurgical E ngineering 399
In te re s t, D ep reciatio n Etc.
Am m onia-Still O peration
O p eratin g L ab o r, S te a m , Etc.
Sulphuric A cid
of operating equipment. Practically all of the opera
tions are self-m aintained and require only casual super
vision and occasional inspection by the plant operatives.
T he procedures proven entirely satisfactory in plant use of the soda-thylox method are directly adaptable to the new absorbent.
In m any plants the only item of labor not easily fu r
nished by other plant operatives would be in the filtering and autoclaving of the sulphur. T he value of recovered sulphur, either fo r acid m aking in the coke w orks or for sale, will m ore than offset this item of cost. T here are no plant nuisances created either in this sulphur handling or in the original absorber and actifier opera
tion.
In many plants the existing equipm ent of hurdle- filled scrubbers, liquor circulating pumps, and tankage are adequate for the process. T he installation cost is, therefore, often wholly that involved in reconnection and rearrangem ent of the plant flowsheets, except for sul
phur-handling facilities.
In ordinary coal gas m ade by either reto rt or oven processes, the sulphur content is slightly greater than equivalent to the ammonia present, assum ing that both are to be recovered in the form of ammonium sulphate.
A n accompanying chart shows this relationship on the assumption of different gas yields and typical I i 2S con
tent and ammonia production. F o r example, if 24 lb.
of ammonium sulphate is expected per ton of coal and 11,000 cu.ft. of gas are made, it requires approxim ately 410 grains of H 2S per 100 cu.ft. of gas fo r an equiv
alent sulphur yield.
A nother chart on the basis of typical assum ptions as to m aterial and labor costs shows how sulphuric acid constitutes $8.30 out of a total estim ated producing cost per ton of ammonium sulphate, regardless of size of plant. T his acid cost of $8.30 per ton, 60 deg. Be. acid, is typical of favorable locations. In many cases the acid cost is a larger part of the total.
T his chart also makes evident the fact that fo r m any
E stim a te d T o ta l C ost o f P u rify in g C oke-O ven G as b y A m m o n ia- T h y lo x P ro c e ss in C o n ju n c tio n W ith M a n u fa c tu rin g S u lp h u ric
A cid
30,000 i f c u jt. per day o f gas (300 or. H tS/100 c u jt.
Daily sulphur production—4.6 net tons Daily sulphuric-acid production— 14.3 tons 66°B.
.--- Coat--- Cents per M Dollars per Ton
_ . „ Cu.Ft, Gas 66°B. Acid
Purification Plant
Labor and supervision... 0.04 0.84 Steam ... 0.03 0.63 Pow er... 0.11 2.31 Arsenic... 0.02 0.42 M aintenance... 0.04 0.84 Total operating cost... 0.24 5.04 Capital charges... 0.18 3.78 Total cost... 0.42c $8.82 Acid Plant
Labor and supervision... 0.05 1.09 Pow er... 0.02 0.40 W ater... 0.01 0.15 M aintenance... 0.02 0.50 T otal operating cost... 0.10 2.14 Capital charges... 0.10 2.10 Total cost... 0.20c $4.24 Purification and Acid PLants
Total cost... 0.62c $13.06 Credit allowed for purification... 0.80c $16.80 N et final crédit for joint opération... 0. 18c $ 3. 74
E s tim a te d cost of p ro d u c in g a m m o n iu m su lp h a te
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000
Size of P lan f, Nef Tons o f Coal Carbonized p e r Day I
B y p ro d u ct £
5 <1 Q u a n tity of H sS in gas c o rre s p o n d in g to v a rio u s a m m o n iu m s u lp h a te y ie ld s. A ssu m e s u lp h a te co n ta in s 25 p e r cen t N H 3, a n d a cid c o n su m p tio n o f 1 lb . 60
deg. B e. p e r 1 lb . of s u lp h a te
% 500
typical conditions the present-day cost of ammonium sul
phate is greater than the m arket price, usually not over
$20 per ton, f.o.b. plant. T h u s under present conditions of acid use, ammonia often occasions a costly product disposal problem rather than constitutes a valuable by
product. U nder the typical conditions chosen for this chart, prepared by F red Denig, of T he K oppers Co., such a plant would have to carbonize nearly 3,000 tons of coal per day in order to m ake ammonia recovery profitable rather than costly.
T he economic advantages of this new process may
400 C hem ical & M etallurgical E ngineering — J ol.40.No.8
cooler,
•Final cooler
Moisture sep.
Verify ) rn f Filtrate | c . _ rec.tank 4 - Thionizer Pumping
tank-.
Foul'
solution I pump.
Fresh solution
pump,
'Acid storage Acid pump
f‘ M elted“*
sulphur to acid plant Autoclaves
Sulphur pump-
*Fresh solution pump ( Arsenic)
M ixery Vacuum pump
Level regulator / Skimming tank
L E G E N D
1 Ammonia vapor 8 Amm. thiosulphate 2 Fresh solution and ihlocyana te 3 Foul solution 9 Amm. thiosulphafe, thio- A S l u r r y cyanate and arsenic sulphide 5 S u lp h u r cake 10 A cid
6 Melted sulphur n Sludge
7 A ir 11 Arsenic
/A cid feed tank t 10
Arsenic and /so d a storage liChemical dissolving i J apparatuspparatus
.■•Air filter Final
Ammonia vapor
Ammonia j
sff 1J
D ia g ra m m a tic flo w sh eet fo r th y lo x liq u id p u rific a tio n p ro cess at a la rg e coke p la n t
be considered either from the standpoint of the net cost to the company of sulphur removal or on the theory that the main objective is the furnishing of sulphur fo r acid making. F o r the form er system of calculation, one should charge against sulphur recovery all costs involved and then allot a credit for the sulphur recovered and sold. T he preceding table prepared by Denig sum marizes these items fo r a coal-gas plant handling 3,500,- 000 cu.ft. of gas per day on the assum ption of 95 per cent removal from gas containing 350 grains of H2S and 70 grains H C N per 100 cu.ft.
U nder the assumed conditions, the purification cost of such a plant will be ju st one-quarter cent per M.
T his is substantially less than in most such small works.
T he comparison is equally favorable in large works where the labor item per unit of gas handled becomes significantly smaller.
One may p re fer to calculate on the theory that the objective of operations is the making of sulphuric acid.
T hen one applies the table on page 400, estimated by
Denig for a larger plant handling 30,000,000 cu.ft. per day of gas containing 300 grains of H 2S equivalent to 4.6 net tons per day of sulphur.
From this calculation it is evident that if the present cost for sulphur removal from gas is 0.8 cent per M, the credit from the acid-plant operation would be nearly 0.2 cents per M. In other words, the acid made would cost less than nothing and be available for ammonium sulphate m anufacture under these credit conditions.
Such extrem e of favorable economics, of course, would not be found everywhere. But under many cir
cumstances this sulphur recovery procedure will afford substantial economy in the acid costs. O f course, in many moderate-size and smaller plants, it would not be economical to install acid-making equipment. There the sulphur would presumably be sold to the acid maker, for credit against the gross cost of the acid purchased.
Geographic relations to the acid plant patronized and the prevailing m arket for sulphur, of course, determine the net costs or advantages.
M o n th ly O p e ra tin g D ata on A m m o n ia -T h y lo x G as-P u rificatio n P ro c e ss at R a cin e, W is.
SEPT., 1932 — MARCH, 1933
(o)
Sept. Oct.
Gas purified (M cu .ft./d ay )... , 5,056 4,928 Temperature — inlet gas (° F .)... (a) 82 (a) 92 Tem perature — outlet cas (°F .)... 92 88 T em perature — solution ( ° F .) ... ... 96 96 H jS co n ten t — inlet Ras (gr./lOO cu.ft.)... 304 305 HsS content — outlet gas ( g r ./100 cu. f t.) ... 13 4 H iSrem oval (% )... 95.7 98.7 H CN content — inlet gas ( g r ./100 cu.ft.)... 20 25
Solution circulation (gal./hr.).. 17,400 16,000
Solution circulation (gal./M cu.ft.) ... 83 78 Air consumption (M cu .ft./h r.)... 23,4 12.0 Air consumption (cu.ft./M cf. gas)... 112 58
Ammonia consumption (lb./M cu.ft. gas)... 0.055 0.063
Arsenic consumption (Ib./M cu.ft. gas)... 0.036 0.023 Steam consumption (lb./M cu.ft. gas)... 2 .2 4.3
Scrubber backpressure (in .H :0 )... tV
Sulphur recovered as salable brimstone (% of t o ta l) ... 62.3 Specific gravity of solution... 1.170 pH of foul solution... 7.4 AS2Ó1 in solution (% )... 0.40
Fixed N H i (g.p.l.)... 34
SjOj as NasSiOi (g.p.l.)... 197
CNS as NaCNS (g.p.l.)... 170
Total NH 3 salts (g.p.l.)... 141
Total soda salts (g.p.l.)... 217 Actification of foul solution (% )... ...
Actification of actified solution (% )... . . . . Oi absorption — first thionizer (% )... 3.5 Oi absorption — second thionizer (% )... 8.2
(a) P a rt of steam added directly to gas before absorber. (6) Cyanogen-washcr operating, (c) This low typical.
66 . 0 1 . 135 7.6 0 . 8 8
10635 150 151 95
45 69 12.8 17.0
Nov.
4,996 68 95 83 337 97.4 8.7 (6)14.6
16,000 11.477
0.05155 0 .0 2 0 7.9y<
61.3 1 .123 0.747.6
Dec.
5,245 7181 32499 96.9 10 (« 1
16,700 13.076 59.50.056
0.025 6.75X
I .'¡23 0.907.7
Jan. Feb. Mar. Average
(7 mo.)
4,981 5,159 4,764 5,018
65 65 65 73
80 77 82 83
99 96 99 97
306 321 315 316
13 8 3 9
95.7 97.5 99.0 97.2
(6) 1 12
14,100 18,206 19,060 16,771
68 85 96 80
21.8 19.7 13.4 16.4
105 92 67.5 78
0.055 0.046 0.076 0.057
0.022 0.010 0.009 0.021
3.97 5.30 5.46 5.1
M y» A A
73.7 (c)54.2 66.5 64.0
1. 164 1. 118 1 . 126 1.137
7.8 7.8 7.8 7.7
0.65 0.53 0.59 0.67
53 41
131 145
144 155
230 174
141 151
: : .... .... 4569 8.2
12.6 value was caused by irregularities in operation, and is no
A ugust, 1933— C hem ical & M etallurgical E ngineering 401
