who call themselves combustion engineers. T h e mystical incantation of “Time, Temperature, and Turbulence,” without any numbers, is no longer good enough; the apology for the use of differential equations found in a footnote on p. 18.6 in the 1967 revision of “Combustion Engineering” should no longer be necessary. Those to whom that footnote was directed are 30 years and more out of date and, since, of course, it is not to be expected that they will succumb gracefully to finding themselves displaced, we may expect attempts to dismiss these new developments as “mere arithmetic” or “playing with mathematics” to quote recent comments to this reviewer in connection with similar analyses. An even more startling revelation to those gentlemen would be to make acquaintance with a classic text by John Bourne titled “A Treatise on the Steam Engine,” 1st Ed., 1848; 5th Ed., 1861, published by Longmans, Green, Longmans, and Roberts (London). This book uses partial differentials in three dimensions. Nevertheless, that is the situation; the trend in combustion engineering today is back to John Bourne’s philosophy of starting from fundamentals. This book on “Combustion of Pulverized Coal” has therefore provided a major stimulus to force the less-educated combustion engineers (probably screaming) into the 20th century, or else to put them out to grass. For that alone it is significant and will remain a landmark in the development of the effective application of theory to the understanding of industrial flames.
+
413 pages. British Coal Utilisation Research Association, R a n dalls R d . , Leatherhead, Surrey, E n g l a n d . 1967. $7.00 xvi
A N INVESTIGATION ON PROMOTED IRON CATALYSTS FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF NH3 B y A n d e r s Nielsen. Reviewed by M . C . H o b s o n , Jr., Virginia Znstitute for Scientific Research T h e author has produced, in this 3rd edition of his book, a fine stateof-the-art account of research on iron catalysts for ammonia synthesis through 1967. There are 394 references interspersed throughout 10 chapters in such a manner that one has, in effect, an annotated bibliography of the extant literature included in this book. Although not all the existing literature o n the iron-ammonia system may be referenced, certainly most of the literature pertinent to reducing NH, synthesis to practice is covered. After a brief introduction, the thermodynamic properties of the H,-N,-NH, system are discussed, and the experimental procedures for obtaining engineering design data are described. This is followed by a long discussion, Chapters IV, V, and VI, on conversion efficiency, evaluation and application of rate constants under reaction conditions, and a n assortment of other factors that influence the process. T h i s section presents a n exceptionally clear picture of the problems the chemist and engineer face on scale-up from the bench to the operating plant, and it is one aspect of industrial research and development that is seldom described adequately in the literature. T h e rest of the book is devoted to the physical properties of catalysts as determined by X-ray analysis, microscopic examination, surface area measurement, and pore size distribution. It closes with a brief review of fundamental studies on the mechanism of the reaction. T h e author states that the book was written for the chemist and
chemical engineer directly associated with the ammonia process. If it fails in its goal, it does so only for those with a long history of close association with ammonia plants and are, consequently, already well acquainted with its contents. T o the initiate it is must reading. However, this reviewer would like to suggest a secondary audience. T h e book covers the essentials of a good company report on a major process. It illustrates so well the role of the bench chemist in a process development laboratory that it would make worthwhile required reading in an industrial chemistry course, where it might contribute some small measure of relief to the shock an otherwise uninformed graduate often experiences on joining an inustrial concern. There are all too few texts today that fulfill this function in even a small way. It could make a positive contribution to the recently much discussed interface, or lack thereof, between the academic and industrial worlds. T h e principal criticism of the book can be directed toward the publisher. There are a number of spelling and grammatical errors found predominantly near the front of the book. One might excuse this o n the basis that it is printed in a language foreign to the publisher, but it is the third edition and, in this reviewer’s experience, the Danes are exceptionally fluent in the English language. Also, the paper cover of this reviewer’s copy would have a limited lifetime in the rigorous environment of industry. Over-all, the book is a fine contribution to the literature on ammonia synthesis and should be appreciated by a limited number of readers. 263 pages. H a l d o r T o p s o e , F?-ydenlundsvej, P. 0 . B o x 12, Vedbaelt, D e n m a r k . 1968. d.kr. 28 VOL. 61
NO. 3
MARCH
1969
9
D I V I S I O N O F INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
PUBLICATION CRISIS A N IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE ILEC DIVISION
CUAIRMAN LEO FRIEND M. W. Kellogg Co. P. 0. Box 696 New Market, N. J. 08854 PHONE: 201-356-8400
CHAIRMAN-ELECT R. N. MADDOX Dept. of Chemical Engrg. Oklahoma State Univ. Stillwater, Okla. 74074 PHONE: 405-FR 2-6211 SECRETARY GORDON B. SKINNER Dept. of Chemistry Wright State Univ. Dayton, Ohio 45431 PHONE: 513-426-6650 TREASURER NORBERT PLATZER Plastics Div. Monsanto Co. P. 0. Box 1531 Springfield, Mass. 01101 PHONE: 413-788-6911 PROQRMI SECRETARY V. A. FAUVER Process Engineering Dow Chemical Co. Midland, Mich. 48640 PHONE: 517-636-0160 COUNCILORS JOSEPH STEWART &Research &. Engrg. CO. 50 Rockefeller Plaza New York, N. Y. 10020 PHONE: 212-974-2656 NORBERT PLATZER Plastics Div. Monsanto Co. P. 0.Box 1531 Springfield, Mass. 01101 PHONE: 413-788-6911 10
T h e year 1969 brings the Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry face to face with yet another in a series of crises. This crisis involves the generation and publication of industrial chemical and chemical engineering information of interest to its members and all industrially employed ACS members. Even a cursory examination of data on the circulation of Society publications reveals that industrially employed members, who are by far the largest segment of the Society, are not being effectively served. T h e existing publications program does not provide the profession with the technological information which the Society, by its charter, was organized to disseminate. A recent ruling of the Board of Directors of the ACS states that each publication of the ACS must take steps by 1970 toward becoming individually and independently AND ENCINEERIXC CHEMISTRY, self-sustaining. This ruling, as applied to INDUSTRIAL requires approximate break-even in 1970 and thereafter, as is the case with most of the other Society journals. Since I&EC is currently heavily subsidized by the ACS, and has been for the past several years, this new decision is critical to the applied chemists and chemical engineers who rely upon it. T h e Executive Committee of this Division believes that, if the steps currently contemplated for restructuring I&EC are put into effect, the journal will die and no broadscope publication outlet will exist in the Society to carry out effectively the dissemination of chemical technology to its members. T h e Executive Committee believes that this must not be permitted to happen, since dissemination of technological information is one of the major responsibilities of the Society to the profession and to industry. I n 1909 the ACS established the Joul-nal of Industrial and Engineeying Chemistry in partial fulfillment of the Society’s objectives: to encourage and promote research in chemical science and industry; to increase the diffusion of chemical knowledge; and, by its publications, to promote scientific interests and inquiry. Through the years, with the growth of applied and industrial chemistry, the journal has developed into one of the leading authoritative sources of such technical information. I n 1948 it had a profitable world-wide circulation of approximately 35,000. With its wide distribution and high editorial standards, the journal eminently met the objectives of the ,4CS. Since that time this prestigious journal has undergone a number of changes dictated by increases in technical material and publication costs. While the original journal remained a monthly of general interest, a series of separately published and circulated specialized offspring was spawned. These are: Chemical and Engineeying N e w s , A n a lytical Chemistry, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, Jouynal of Agl-icultwal and Food Chemistyy; ,and the I&EC Quarterlies: Process Design and Development, Fundamentals, and P7.oduct Research and Development. All but Chemical and Engineering N e w s and Aizalytical Chemistry have split off since 1948. While the decision to fragment the journal may have seemed wise at the time, the results appear now not to be in accord with the stated objectives of the ACS. Dissemination and diffusion of information have been further restricted by each change, and consequently the chemical profession has been less adequately served. Because the technical material of the profession was distributed through both the monthly and the nett7 specialized publications, the circulation of each part has declined. Each decrease in circulation of the parent journal was accompanied by a corresponding decrease i n advertising revenue. If, as a result of the recent statement of financial policy, we must further increase the price of the monthly, or further reduce the quantity of technical content, it is predictable that circulation will further decline, that advertising revenue will continue to shrink, and that the end result will be the demise of the world’s most influential journal of industrial and engineering chemistry. This will be in the face of the tremendous growth of the ACS membership and a
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
