January 1O, 1928
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
3
A New Industrial Laboratory BY M . A. KRIMMEL Hammermill Paper Co., Erie, P a .
When the Hammermill Paper Company w a s founded in 1898, t h e building which had been used as a dining shack during construction was moved to a new site and became headquarters for the laboratory a n d engineering department. E. R. Behrend, founder, president, and general manager of Hammermill, took a personal interest in the entire matter. Otto F. Behrend, now treasurer of the company, was the first chemist, and under his direction the scientific work grew steadily. Additional rooms were made available in the plant from time t o time, and in 1912 a building was erected exclusively for laboratory use. A series of enlargements then took place, some rooms being added and control laboratories established in differe n t parts of the plant. In 1915 a n experimental laboratory for the production of pulp on a semicommercial scale was installed, and in 1917 a research laboratory was established. These laboratories were located in separate places in the mill and were operated independently of the testing and control laboratory until 1919, when all phases of the laboratory work were united under the direction of Bjarne Johnsen.
T h e Office and Laboratory of 189S
From 1919 to 1925 the activities of the department so increased that three more laboratories were installed in different parts of the plant, and a temporary wooden annex was added to the north end of the main laboratory t o relieve the congested conditions of this unit. In 1925, besides the main laboratoij unit, there was a laboratory in the sulfite mill, one in the paper mill, a n experimental laboratory, a dry-test laboratory, air'. a wood-testing laboratory, all included in the laboratory department with a staff of forty. Process control had been extended to all phases of the direct manufacturing process, and to such auxiliary processes as acid-making and water purification. Adequate control of raw materials had been established, and one hundred twenty-five recording instruments had been installed throughout the mill for continuous recording of vital data. A large number of different tests were being made on finished paper and, in addition to practical research, numerous speu.al investigations were in progress. However, the quarters available were inadequate for the everincreasing expansion, and the rather widely separated laboratory urnts could not be operated with the highest efficiency. It was also felt that enough valuable data and experience had been gathered in the development of process control to form a foundation upon which research might be possible that ultimately would prove of inestimable value. Control work had shown
FIRST FLOOR
PLAN
T h e Constant Humidity Room
exactly where research w a s needed, and the time seemed ripe for it. Evidently a new laboratory building was required, and after visits were made t o a number of laboratories, both in industry and in academic institutions, this new industrial laboratory, recently dedicated at Erie, was planned and uected. This laboratory has "been designed particularly for the requirements of the Hammermill Paper Company and embodies the following features: foundation sufficiently firm to eliminate vibration; fire-resistant construction throughout; ample window space for light only; indirect ventilating system; good illumination; exposed piping; the t y p e of laboratory hoods developed a t the Baker Laboratory a t Cornell; Alberene stone where needed; and a flexibility whidh. includes possibilities for expansion. The building was placed close t o the mill on account of control work and near t h e office for direct contacts, y e t far enough from the mill buildings t o be a s fiee as possible from annoyance from industrial buildings and to have plenty of light. Its 16,000 square feet of floor space, distributed on three floors and basement, is quite impressive when compared with the 720 csquare feet of fifteen years ago. Unfortunately, there is not pace t o describe in detail all features of construction nor t o reproduce all the floor plans.
T h e Laboratory of 1927
T h e building i s dedicated t o Moritz Behrend, father of the president and treasurer of Hammermill, and a pioneer in the sulfite paper industry i n Europe. He had a keen appreciation of t h e value of scientific work and the fact that his ideas and ideals are reflected in t.he Hammermill organization motivated this dedication. T h e new building contains besides library stock rooms, showers, desk rooms for calculations a n d preparation of reports, accommodations for janitor, a n d other usual facilities, the following special laboratories: paper and color; physical pulp-testing; chemical pulp-testing; dark-room color-testing; constant humidity room for paper-testing; fuel and oil laboratory; analytical laboratory; fiber and physical laboratory; four spacious research laboratories; a n d in t h e attic a vault for records; while in t h e basement i s a room for recording instrument calibration and the facilities for heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and sample-grinding. This new industrial laboratory is a welcome addition to the list of highly specialized units which industry has come to recognize a s the must important of the several units of which it is composed.
