A LARGE INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH LABORATORY DOUGLAS M . BEACH T H E E. F. G O O P R I C H C O M P A N Y . A K R O N , O H I O
A COJIPIRISO\
of t h e research laboratories of oter twenty representative big business concerns shows that, in spite of t h e great diiersity of research acti7ities even within a single concern, there is remarkable uniformity in certain essentials affecting t h e construction and equipment of t h e laboratories. By far t h e greater part of indurtrial research actitity is centered about the individual work table, and the problem of constructing and equipping t h e research laborator: is basically one of integrating t h e requirements of space a n d equipment for each individual worker and his work table into a well designed structure t h a t is a t once adequate and econoniical. Except when equipment of tery large size has to be used, such as t h a t for wind tunnels, engine test stands, hjtirody namic pools, plutoniuni pile-, etc., there appears to be essential agree-
m e n t not onlj as to the space required for the iiiditidual research worker, but also a s to t h e nature and disposal of t h e most essential services. Greater standardization of construction ant1 equipment can therefore be attained i n t h e industrial research laboratorj t h a n is generally realized. There are nevertheless a nuniber of important matter3 of detail which a t present ma? be regarded as tariable and controiersial b u t which may later point t h e way to further generalization and standardization a i more experienc e is gained. knong these c o n t r o t e r h l points are timits to applicability of module system, size of laboratory rooms, serxices to be supplied, distributioii of services, concealrne*it of piping, construction and arrangement of work table, kind and intensity of illumination, air conditioning, windov*lesq laboratory, and nurnher of buildings.
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C T U R E plnniiers of large industrial research laboratories may be aided by some of the inform:\tion obtained during the past few ye:trs b y The B. F. Goodrich Company in connection lritli the planning of its n m research center a t Brecksville, Ohio. Thc final plans for thca new laboratory, which should be r w d y for occupation in 1947, were b a ~ c dpartly on the experience gaincil from fifty years of organized rcscarch in The €3. F. Goodricli ( ' o m p : ~ ~ itself ly and partly on information gathered by architects, cngiiicers, and key rcsearch men in visits to the laboratories of more than t m n t y othrr big hu2iness concerns, as well as t o 1 university and governnx*nt1aboratoric.s. The visits to other companies have made it possiblc t o observe both the differcmccs and the common factors in the construction and equipment of different laboratories and thus to discern certain gencrnl principles and tendcncies. Tabulation of existing similarities and tlissi~nilaritirsprovides a starting point for clear thinking in trying to detcrminc, for e a c h laboratory, a n ideal or most desirable lialance betlvcen uniformity anti variability. The first, impression made by a coinpariion of the construction and equipment of differcnt large industrial resewrh laboratories is lilwly to be that the differences betveen one laboratory and another greatly outweigh the simi1aritie.q. It is almost conimonplace to sa>- that each laboratory is a spccitil problem by itself, different from all others. Some 1al)oratoric.s ran-ist, of onl\- one or two liuilding-, ot!icrs of tcln or a dozcn; some 1ahor:itories arc ornate and luxurious, others are soberly pl:Lin and utilikiritm. )Ian>- of thc m~icliincsant1 iristru~iientsused for res(>:m*Iiin ono industry arc' diffcrent from those used in another. If thc comparison is c a r r i d still further to include actual work tlonc in the laboratories, it m q - appear that thc prohlerns of iniluutri:il research arc so diversc, even within R single concern, RS t o rrmler futilc, any attempts at standardization of builcling or equipnicnt. In contrast t o this apparent chaos, a deeper comparative study of our large industrial research estahlishmcnts in the United States has revealed a surprising uniformity in certain rcspwts. First of all, there is a contradiction t o thc hypothcsis that our industries are too numerous and dissimilar t o permit any approach to regularity in the construction and equipment of their t-
Figure 1.
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Distillation rack m o u n t e d w i t h molecular s t i l l
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research laboratories; the list of industries in which large scale research has been undertaken is by no means so large as one might expect, and their research Lvork is based on a n essentially similar scientific foundation. The following is a nearly complete alphabetical list of such industries, some of which overlap: aeronautics, automobiles, building materials and methods, industrial chemicals (including dyes), electricity, explosives, foods, gas, glass, machinery (including process equipmi.nt), metals and metallurgy, paints and coatings, paper, petroleum, pharmaceutic:il~,plastics and resins, radio, rubber, shipbuilding, soap and cosmetics, telephone arid telegraph, and textiles. A glance at this list should convince anyone t h a t the greater part of industrial research must be based on the two allied sciences, physics anti chemistry. T o t,hese two may be added engineering, mathenxttics, and biology, although mathematic 11 resezrch is closely allied t o physics and biological research to chemistry, whereas engineering research may be closely conneered t o either physics or chemistry. I n some industries, such as petrolcum, pharmacuuticals, soap and cosmetics, chemical rest.arcli predominates ;' in others, such as aeronautics, radio, telephone, and telegraph, physical research predominates. I n most large indnstrial research laboratorie., hoth physical and chemical reicaich DIRECT AND I N D I R E C T SERVICES
It is not surprising, therefore, to find that by far the greater part of industrial research activit'y is centered about the individual physics or chemistry work table, or laborntory bench. When this fundamental fact is realized, it will be appreciated t h a t the basic problem of constructing and equipping the large industrial research laboratory is t o integrate the requirements of space and equipment for each individual rescarch worker and his work table into a well-designed structure that is a t once adcquate and economical. This involves the provision of equipment and services of t.ivo different kinds, which, in the absence of accepted terminology, may be tentatively designated as direct and indirect. The direct equipment and services are those brought directly to the immcdiatc environment of the n-ork table and include (in approximate order of their fundsmental importance) illumination, heating and ventilation, drains, cold water, electric power, furnishings (including not only the \$-ark table but also a dcsk for keeping records and writing up the results of research, and cabinets or shelves for the storage of miterials and iniplenientsj, special apparatus, special supply services (such as hot n-ater, compressed air, and fuel gas), and conveniences, such as a tc,lcplione. The indirect equipmcnt and b;.r\-iccs required by the inilustrid wse:trch worker are those which arc not brought directly to the ~ ~ o r table l; and its ininietliate environment, such clary circulation routes (corridors), librar , shop, stockroom, c1ish:rasliing faciliti clerical service, and facilities for receiving m d $hipping materi and for recciving and entertaining vi'itors. Indirect services of :t niorc tcclinical nature are also often required f i r testing the raw materiala used by the research n-orkerq :inti for evaluating ucts of their researches; such services include chemicsl physical testing, and pilot plant evaluation of processes. The indirect services exhibit the greatest variety of design in our large industrial research laboratories, m d in some of the services, such as the pilot plant, this diversity is inherent and inevitable. The size and nature of pilot plant operations differ so widely in various industries and companies that very little regularity could be expected. This is one reason why pilot plants are usually housed in separate buildings: a w i y from the main laboratory building. (Pilut plants may be used not only for servicing research through their evaluation of processes, but also for actual research in fundamental engineering problems.) Other indirect scrvices which are sometimes housed in buildings apart from the rest of the laboratory are the shops and stores, and there are one or two examples of separate buildings for a
Figure 2.
Electron microscope
library, cafeteria, and auditorium. Because of the dearth of cstablished principles or precedents in the architectural treatment of indirect services, they are given only minor n.otice here. It would not be alt,ogether impossible t o establish general principles of design for somc or all of the indirect services, but the prpsent position in this field of architecture happens to be one of almost complete individualism. Possibly .in the near future this may be a fertile fic,ld for systematic study and coopcration between professional architects and company engineers. Even now it is possible to grade indirect services into what niay be termed degrees of indirectness. Clerical services, for example, are generally regarded as more closely associated to actual research units t,han moat of the other indirect services, and this has been rrflected to sonic extent in their location and design. I , can be tslcen as asioniatic that the more indirect the serv;ces, the less lyill be the nccesiity or incentive for conformity in design. T H E MODULE
In contrast t o the indirect serviecs, the a c i d research mechanism and its direct services are remarkably uniform throughout industry in their essential requirements of space and arrangement of equipment. This agreement on first essentials has been enhanced by the application of the module concept t o several recently constructed laboratories; notable among them is the Bell Telephone Laboratory a t Murray Hill, S.J. Linothcr esample is the B. F. Goodrich research center a t Brcctksvillc, Ohio, which is still under construction. The moduli', n-hich is one of the main dynamic influences in modern architecturc, niay be defined in general terms as a repetitive space pattern; as applied to the large industrial research laboratory, it mag be roughly defined as the space required by one individual for the direct conduct of his research work. The amount of space is flrst d'etermined on the basis of the work table and its immediate environment and excludes all space assigned t o the indirect services.
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definite and constructive channels with due attention to efficiency, economy, and t h e possibilities of future growth or change. T ~ v o other methods of planning have Iwen u w l , one on the basis of permanent rooms of identical size (or rooms of only two different sizei;) and the other on the basis of rooms of many sizes and shapes, designed to suit the particular needs of the moment; both of thrsc are inferior to the module system because of their lack of flexibility. The description of the module given has been confined to the essentials on which thew is clow agreenirnt in practice. The means of develo1)ment of the module and its integration into a building, however, are a t present niore or l i ~ s controversial matters, though they may point the Kay to further generalization anti standardization as more esperience is gained. Thc follon-ing is a list of some of these controversial points. APPLICABILITY OF MODULE SYSTEM
The module slstcm tan be applic d c~~u:illv xell to both phjsical and chemical research in one building, in spite of the Bide variety of Figure 3. P i l o t p l a n t operation too large for m o d u l a r system Instruments and materials emplojed by the workers. It is not within the scope of this paper to catalog the various tools and machines to be found on the physics or chemistry work Existing industrial research laboratories are almost unanitable or to describe the variations in the equipment of different physics or chemistry work tables. What, is important to note is mously agreed on the absolute essentials required in the space €or the individual worker, and there is fairly close agreement as that, in spite of the variety of instruments utilized, the space requirements of the great majority of research workers are t o t'hc amount of space required for these essentials. The work table itself is from 16 t o 24 feet long and from 2 t o 3 feet wide. practically identical. T h e other essential furniture consists of a desk (2.5 t o 3 feet wide .1 problem arises, however, in the case of research done with and 4 to 5 feet'long) and about 80 cubic feet of drawers and cabispecial tools and equipment t h a t cannot be placed on the work nets for st,oragc. 4 working aisle must, be provided, from 3.3 to table. familiar esample is t,he high rack for chemical distilla4.5 feet wide. The essential services to the viork table include tion (Figure 1). Since such distillation racks have to be placed drains, cold n-ater, a n a electric pori-er. Other essential services on the floor, they can be housed in a n ordinary module only at, t o the module include artificial lighting, ventilation, and heating. the expense of aisle space, work table space, or desk space. All The total space allotted to the individual Jvorker for his direct three methods have been tried, with the result t h a t the work of research n v r k has varied from 6 X 24 feet to 11 X 32 feet, b u t the module has been cramped. Ot,her esamples of special rei n the great niajoi,ity of laboratories the dimenPions have been search instruments t h a t cannot be placed in a module containing well within these two extremes; the typical module n-ill thcrea work table are the electron microscope (Figure 2) and x-ray fore measure approsimately 9 X 27 feel. :tpparatus requiring lead-shielded enclosurcs. The shape of the module is determined chic,fly by the dimenResearch activities requiring such special apparatus have gclnsions of the 1rork table and is thereforc oblo era114- been housed in separate rnonis rather than in modulcs. Cour times as long as it is wide. The module is r, i t has recently been shown that thc module systciii v b long axis p(,rpcntiicular to thc ~ r i n d o ~n.all, can be applied with advant,age t o particular items of apparatus pitr:ill~~l t o tlic \vintlo\r wall the result ~vouldtx a n csccssivcly just as it can t,o individual workers and that the placing of surh narrow building, and uneconomically long lines of service pipin): apparatus in empty modules rather than in sprcial room: may would be required. Probably the most natural, efficient, and prove niore economical and give a better appearance. economicnl orientation of the modules is to dispose them on both The module system has even been applied to some of the in& sides of a central corridor, which serves as the main exit. For Tect services to research, including stock dispensing, physical reasons of safety a secondary means of exit has been provided in twting, shop work, chemical analysis, and clerical office ~ w r k . m a n y laboratories at. the window-wall end of the module, either If the housing of these a c t i v i t i e in modular space p r o w s t o 1)c in the form of a continuous balcony on the outside of the buildsuccessful, a tremendous gain in economy, flexibility, and stan(1ing or a secondary aisle just inside the exterior wall. ardization will be achieved. For example, it will be possible a t Thtr application of the module concept to industrid resrarc!~ short notice t o change a shop or part of a shop into a chemical curcs ccono~niesby recognizing and fostering the litrgc, research unit, or vice versa. measure of st:tnti:irtiization indicated but also permits grc:itcxr T-he applirability of the module concept appears to be limitrd flexibility in thr iiw of space and proniotcs bcttvr p1:rnriiiig and oronly by the size of the apparatus used. Orily very large equipganization of thcl niatc~rialsof research, Flexibility is achi ment (Figure 3) such as wind tunnels, engine test standP, hydrothrough the conihiwtl u w of niovablc partitiow : ~ n dniounlilc. dynamic pools, and plutonium pilcs, cannot be adapted t o modufurniture, td permit any tiesired arrangement of modules into lar space. For this rrason it is also inapplicable t o pilot plants rooins at any time. Bet,tisr planning results from the adoption of or to large scale testing equipment. t h e modular system, because it forces the planner to think in
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April 1942
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINFERING SIZE OF ROOMS
Any module, or any number of contiguous modules, may be made into a room by the erection of partitions. Opinions differ and principles sometimes conflict with regard to the relative advantages of large and small rooms. The arguments advanced for the large room containing many modules are the saving in cost, greater flexibility, and emier supervision (Figure 4). The arguments for the small room are its privacy, greater safet,y from fires, explosions, or other troubles in neighboring units, and freedom from distractions. Statistics of existing large industrial research laboratories shoiy that, although much research is organized in large rooms, it is the two-man, tno-module room which predominates (Figure 5 ) . Evidently privacy and freedom are considered as strong factors in the xork of the research scientist. However, this principle is seldom carried to its logical conclusion by malting a room of a single module. There are tlvo main reasons for this, one psychological and one legal. The psychological argument against complete seclusion of t,he research worker is fairly obvious, but in addition the presence of an associate is required to witness certain research work that map later be the subject of a patent application. The economic advantages of the large room and the relative privacy of the small room can be combined by using such equipment as storage cabinets instead of partitions t o form divisions. At the new B. F. Goodrich research center storage cabinets seven feet high will separate the two-module unit,s from one another, and ceiling-high partitions will separate the various departments, such as physical research, organic chemical research, polymerization research, textile research, rubber research, pioneering research, etc. SERVICES T O BE SUPPLIED
As stated earlier, the most essential direct services are illumination, heating and ventilation, drains, cold water, and electric power. Many modules require additional direct services, and opinions are divided as to which services should be supplied from a central source. Fuel gas is probably required by a sufficient number of modules t o make it a necessary addition to the list given. Other services required in varying quantities by different modules include hot viater, compressed air, steam, distilled water, vacuum, and gases other than fuel gas and air, such as oxygen, nitrogen, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Electric power supplies of various Characteristics may also be required in some modules, such as direct current or polyphase alternating current of various voltages, as w l l as the more conimonly used single-phase 110-volt alternating current. Most of these services could be supplied within each unit as required rather than from a central source, and the decision concerning whether To supply them from a central source must be made by each organization in accordance with its peculiar requirements. Probably compressed air could be supplied from a central source to greater advantage, since the small individual pumps applicable to individual ,units usually give a poorer supply. On the other hand, the supply of distilled .water from a central source has been Figure 4.
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criticized because of the danger of contamination. T h e central supply of various gases other than fuel gas and air is also open to question because of the extremely varying demand for them. D I S T R I B U T I O N OF SERVICES
The services may be brought to the module in various ways, and up to the present there appears to have been little attempt a t standardization. Two general methods iof distributing the services exist, but each may be subdivided according to detailed treatment. The services are led through a piping and duct system which is either essentially l-ertical or essentially horizontal. I n the vertical syst,eni the mains pass through shafts placed as needed in the building, and in the horizontal system the mains pass under the floors with risers going t o the equipment. The detailed treatment of the distribution of the services must vary widely according to the structure of each building and the various needs of the laboratory units. As the subject is fairly technical, i t may suffice here to offer tiyo general principles of procedure: I n the first place, the distribution of services should be planned simultaneously with the planning of the dimensions and location of the modules and their occupation by particular research departments: othervise the architect is bound t o hit some difficult snags. Second, t,he service distribution should be such that the repairing or altering of services to any one module will inconvenience only a minimum of other modules, or none if possible. This is an engineering problem which awaits the best and most economical solution. CONCEALMENT OF P I P I N G
A sharp difference of opinion exists with regard to the importance and advisability of concealing the piping and duct work. This is one branch of the general problem of interior finish and appearance, which is perhaps of greater importance to the company in general t'han it is t o the research worker in particular. A good appearance is an important adjunct to advertising, and casual visitors to a laboratory are apt to judge it on that superficial basis. hlthough exposed piping has often been insisted upon to ensure accessibility and ease of mainte-
I n d u s t r i a l research organized in large room
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porarily replaced with an aging oven or with a battery of small presses. This also provides an ex-’ cellent solution to the problem of distillation racks in the organic chemical units.
I L L U M INATION
Figure 5.
T w o - m a n , t w o - m o d u l e room
nance, the recent introduction of the use of unit panels, which are easily inserted into or removed from their framework, makes i t possible to conceal the pipes and still keep them easily accessible for repair work. WORK TABLE
Although the dimensions of the work table have been pretty well standardized, a number of problems still obtnin in coiintction with its construction and arrangement. For example, the space under the table is normally used for storage if the research worker performs his experiments standing up, as is the cake in most chemical units, x-hereas knee space is required under the tables of many physicists and mathematicians who normally sit a t their work. I n the latter case the best means of compensating for the loss of storage space must be considered. X more important problem, especially in two-module room.s, is that of central us. ivall arrangement of the work tables. Khile most research workers appear to have a predilection for facing the wall, it can be shotvn t h a t central arrangement is more economicnl in space. I n this arrangement the workers in a two-module room fnce each other, with their long x o r k tables between and contiguous. The advantage in space economy must be w i q h e d against the special arrangements that have t o be made t o protect each worker from the hazards of the Tvork being done by the other. The problem of flexibility appears again in connpction ivith the work table. I t would be a great advantage if part of the work table could be removed at times to make \vay for the temporary use of special apparatus. This can easily be done by replacing the present commonly accepted immovable table tops with removable ones constructed in separable sections. As a result of the recent advances in the field of plastics, some excellent materials for such table tops are available,; they can combine almost any desired qualities of resilience or elasticity, color, chemical resistance, 15-eight, and strength. This principle of flexibility of table space combined with a lightweight table top of watertight jointability will be one of the novel features of the new B. F. Goodrich research center, so that in a synthetic rubber unit, for example, four feet of work table space will sometimes be tem-
There is still some disagreement regarding the kind and intensity of artificial lighting best suited to large industrial laboratories. Probably the majority of those concerned prefer fluorescent to incandescent lighting for economic or other reasons, although at least one research director claims t h a t fluorescent lights are unsuited to laboratories because of the stroboscopic effect produced by them. The intensity of the lighting in laboratories visited varied from 12 foot-candles t o 37, with 25 the predominating figure. The new B. F. Goodrich laboratory will have fluorescent lighting designed to provide 35 foot-candles. A I R CONDITIONING
Some laboratory work, such as certain textile and plastics t o be done in controlled air-conditioned r o o m , but er regarding the general application of air-conditioning to a whole laboratory. While there is no question of its advantages, air conditioning a laboratory is expensive, because recirculation is out of the question and great quantities of conditioned air are wasted through the fume hoods. On the other hand, forced supply ventilation would be a n antidote for the cold drafts and infiltration of dirt through windows and doors produced iviien fume hoods are operating. I n view of t’his and many other advantages of air conditioning, it has recently become an important object, of our engineers t o invent some clever method to prevent na-tage of conditioned air by the hood$, while still nlairitaicing their efficiency. It is believed t h a t the problem has been solved by a n c v “pre-surized” or induced-draft hood, and the init,allation of over fifty of these special type fume hoods will be perhaps the most unique feature of the nety U . F. Gooilrich laboratories. W I N DOW LESS LABORATOR I ES
A few windoxless laboratories have recently been huilt, and the B. F. Goodrich research center at Brecksville will be another. Most people have a sort of esthetic predilection against the idea and, by instinct or habit, prefer a “room with a view”. But the few windowless laboratories in existence have been a n undoubted success and have several advantages over laboratories \Tit11 windows. Chief among these are the reduction in initial cost of the building, completely controlled lighting and air conditioning, cheaper heating in winter and cooling in summer, and less distraction to the workers. The two arguments against the rindowless laboratory are t h a t there is no view (which is more serious than i t sounds) and t h a t the lighting and ventilation ’systems might break down, with disastrous results. The latter objection can be met through the provision of a n automatic emergency lighting system and a n auxiliary system of ventilating units.
April 1947
I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY NUMBER OF BUILDINGS
The number of buildings in which large industrial research enterprises are housed depends on several factors which vary from one company to another. Among these factorb are the nature of the business, the size of the equipment, and the place of research on the organization chart. Underlying all these factors are the fundamental principles of economy and efficiency. I n general it may be said that the greater the number of buildings the greater the cost per unit, so t h a t a saving is usually effected when all the research and all its services are housed in a single building. In many research organizations, however, this concentration into one building is either impossible or undesirable. In this case there is normally one main laimrxtory, in which as much as possible of the work is concentrtited, and one or more smaller 1)nildings. Tlie nature of the businesr may be s~ucht h a t the hazards of operation in one or more of the rmearch departments may constitute a danger or a nuisance t o other depnrtments more or less contiguous. The principal hazards of t!ii+ Fort :ire fire, cxplosion, and poiqonous gases, and otlier leas d:ingerous biit dcleterious nuiqmces are dust, vibration, noise, and corrosion by fumes of chemicals. As early R R 1003 The U. F. Goodrich Company had an experimental station for hazardous lnlmratory \\-oric situated tIvo miles away from its main lntiorntnry on t,lie Ohio Canal. In that year the principal danger at the experimentnl station was from fires, since the experiments being condiicted a t t h a t time were mostly on the extraction of putt:? p r r c h with gasoline as the solvent. The station actunlly burtied d o w n i n 1909 but was later rehnilt. The isolation of dnngeroui research work in buildings apart from the main laboratory is now n. gmeral principle; but it may be going a little far to piovide sepnratp
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buildings for research work t h a t causes such nuisances as noise, dirt, or vibration, as is actually done by one large powder company. It is perhaps a question of degree, and the smaller nuisances can he sufficiently circumscribed within a single building by the USE. of partitions. ;\nother factor is the size of the research equipment. When very large equipment has t o he used, separate buildings are often indicated. This has already been discussed rn connection with the applicability of the module system. Aithird factor affecting the number of buildings is the place of research on the organization chart, which differs in different rompanies. If re*e:mh is intimately joined to factory control and development, as it i. in many large concerns, many of the technical service operations for research will be locat,ed in the same building as are similar factory technical services and mill perhaps he performed by the same technical staff. Siich operations cannot he located in the main laboratory, since the apparatus reqiiirrd for the factory scale technical work is too large. T h e prohlem of whether research and development should he joined or qeparated on the organization chart is one on which agreement ha? not been reached. Its solution would require a deep incursion into the philosophy of industrial research, and that is quite beyonti the purpose of this paper. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The I\ I iter iqhes t o acknol! ledge the very valuable as-i-tance he liai received from Howard E. Hanthorn, [of The B. F. GoodI ich Company, who has acted as liaison between the research staff and t h e architects throughout the planning of the new B. F. Goodric.11 reqearch center at Breckwille, Ohio.
PROCESS ENGINEERING RESEARGH LABORATORY G . M. D A R B Y ,
E.J . R O B E R T S , A N D J . D. G R O T H E
THE D O R R COMPANY.
THE requirements of a customs process engineering research laborators are elasticity and adaptability ; t h e test of t h e design is t h e speed and economy n i t h which t h e installation of equi;,ment can be made and operated. The Dorr C‘ompanv’s seniiworhs section built iri 19 k4, doubling t h e size of the pre\iouslj cui-ting main laboratory building, supplies these rerluiremcntq i n a stone and h i & building 90 X L.2 feet a t a cost of forty cents per cubic foot. i 31foot high ha+open to attic abo\e, 20 X 110 feet, ia spanned by a 2-to11 crane a t the 70-foot leiel. ’Ihe other half, consiating of 3 floors a t 10-foot ele\ations, containr offices, conference rooin, storage space, and t h e permanentl\ installed crushing and grincling equipment. Seriire- include p o w cr, water, ~ a c ~ i nair, n i gas, and proreas steam. Other equipment ifi unit-connected and portable, permitting eas! assenibly into \arious sequences for process operations in\ol+ing grinding, clas~ifications,h?draulic sizing, agitation, thickening, filtration, roasting, tabling, magnetic concentration, and flotation. T>pica1 tonnage-scale process operations include magnesia production from calcined dolomite, foundr? sand reclamation, chromite concentration, washing of polystyrew resin, iron-nickel asbestos fibre separation a n d concentration, lime-soda sintering of
W E s r P o R r , CONN.
aluniina residues i n rotary kiln, and alio a food product processing problem in\ol\irig t h e use of glass-lined autoclaie and concentrating equipment, acidproof canteying equipment, a n d filter presses a n d centrifuge, all of which were purchased for the job h> t h e client. >lachine shop, anal! tical laborator?, and bench-scale testing and research laboratories supplement t h e wmiworks and bring t h e total staff to an aFerageof fort?, including chemical, metallurgical, sanitary mechanical, and elcctriral engineers.
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HE question may rightly be asked, ‘Why did the Dorr Conipxiy, a firm known to many only for its equipment,
build a Inhorntory for proces? engineering research when the company has no proces4ng plants of its o\vn?” The ansn.er t o thiy q c e h o n has an important hearing on lhe construction and equiiiping of 11-estport Mill, the lahoratoriez and testing plant of The Dorr Company a t Kestport, Conn. The functional design of our equipment, the prescription of the ri:lit equipment for the job, and the determination of the proper size of t h a t equipment required engineers specializing in the unit operations related t o liquid-solid handling. With a staff of this caliber it \vas a logical step t o make this experience available to
