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Atoms for Peace conference at Geneva brings out international rivale-y in atomic research and the sale of atomic energy know-how. Here the U. S. shows its latest techniques in tracer -work b y doing an assay of tritium and carbon-14
Atoms for Peace at G e n e v a S e c o n d U N conference brings out 5 0 0 0 d e l e g a t e s f r o m 6 6 countries, puts scientists a n d industry on display f o r w o r l d ' s attention JL HE THEME was Atoms for
Peace.
But the scene was set for rivalryrivalry both in research and in the sale of atomic energy know-how. Both the United States and the 90
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United Kingdom announced a t the b e ginning of the conference thitt all s e crecy labels were removed from their research on controlled naieleazr fusion. The U . S. had the most extensive sci-
entific exhibit and devoted a large part of it to its fusion research. Said one American, only half-joking: "They brought over everything—probably set us back six months!"
A Included h i t h e U. S . exhibit of i t s research on controlled nuclear fusion w a s t h i s section of the confining coil f o r its G Reseaech Siailla^ rator. T h e coil has 4 2 water-cooled turns,, develops a peak m a g n e t i c field of 28,!©O0 gauss
• D u r i n g t h e conference, eight employees of Argonne National Laboratory assembled an Argonaut "do-ityourself* reactor d e signed for university studies. H e r e , the Argou t i u t v T c w iGvnBTS H CGïi-
crete block into p l a c e at the TJ. S. exhibit
> Also i n its fusion r e search exhibit was a quarter-size m o d e l of C Research Stellarator
Great Britain and F r a n c e b o t h h a d large exhibits. T h e Russians displayed a n u m b e r of models of their power plants, particle accelerators, a n d otber items, b u t it was obvious ttiat t h e y h a d not spent too much money o n their effort T h e F r e n c h , in their atomic power program, wish to produce ijxaiiiu.rn-235, the fissionable isotope. The U. S., U.S.S.R., and Great Britain, with plants
and know-how in separating this isotope, have b e e n close-mouthed, have released little information about h o w they do it. T h e French, hoping that the o t h e r countries would loosen u p , gave o u t a lot of information at Geneva on t h e i r work, but so far t h e other countries haven't followed suit. I n atomic power, the international competition between the United States and Great Britain for sale of design and
construction know-how w a s brought into sharp focus both in the commercial exhibit—separate from t h e scientific ex» hibit—and in t h e technical papers. A t the commercial exposition, the U . Sand British displays competed diirectly for attention, being on opposite sides of t h e same aisle. A n d d u r i n g the conference, Britain's Nuclear Power Plant Co. signed a contract to build an a_tomic power plant in Italy. SEPT.
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T h e Russian exhibit had its inevitable copy of Sputnik III. A chartboard described key design points
Great Britain's exhibit at the U.N. conference featured a onethird scale model of its Zeta fusion research apparatus
T h e Russians had on hand a model of their OGRA magnetic mirror machine for fusion research. The original of this one-tenth scale model is in the Institute for Atomic Research 92
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in Moscow, w a s completed a few weeks ago after only one year of construction. H e r e , the Russians demonstrate thenmodel t o a delegation from the United Arab Republic
INTERNATIONAL
The Canadian exhibit stressed uranium production, a number of ore samples were included
Indian exhibit featured atomic minerals and their refining. India has large deposits of uranium, thorium, beryl» and lithium, and the country produces or has plans to produce thorium, rare earths, uranium metal, and heavy water for its reactors
Here, outside the Palais de Nationes conference building, a group rests from the arduous task of touring the exhibits
John Irvine, o n leave from M I T and with the Office of Naval Research in London, doffs his shoes before getting a body count of his natural radioactivity at the United States exhibit
The South African exhibit showed location of the country's uranium reserves—the largest i n the world. The wall map shows other ore deposits SEPT.
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versatile, selective reducing agents, foaming agents—
Briefs.. * • Gross industrial output in the U.5.S.R. is -4% ahead of goal set for first half of this year, says the Soviet embassy. Tïie embassy points out that output Is up 10V*% over first half of 1957. This advance includes a 1 3 ' * increase in the gross output of the chemical and rubber industry over the first half of last year. Capital invest* merits in the chemical industry are up
POTASSIUM B O K O H Y D E I D E KBH4 SODIUM B O K O H Y D K I D E NaBm P o t a s s i u m Borohydrîde i s easy to handle—has great storage stability plus the versatility a n d selectivity of o t h e r alkali m e t a l borohydrides. U s e d in reduction o f ketones a n d aldehydes without reduction o f double bonds and other reducible groups. Write for B u l l e t i n C-120. As foaming agents both N a B H * and K B H 4 offer high g a s evolving capacity: 2.S*7 liters o f H2 per gram o f N a B U i (38 cu. f t . / l b . ) and 1-66 liters &ΪΆ2 per gram of EBELt (2BjB en, £t,/Ib»)* Sodium Borohydride, i n a variety of solvents, i s commonly used t o reduce aldehydes and k e t o n e s without effect upon other groups. I t h a s liigh reducing capacity. Write for Bulletin C-110. Phone: FOrest 4-1130
CHEMICAL
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COMPANFY
Heat Transfer Research and Development for Organic Cooled and Moderated Nuclear Power Reactors Chemical and M e c h a n i c a l Engineers—BS a n d M S w i t h 1-5 y e a r s e x p e r i e n c e i n experimental h e a t transfer a n d fluid mechanics to work i n the challenging field of organic reactor coolant technology. P l a n , evaluate a n d analyze original experiments which include: IForced a n d free convectionL h e a t transfer. Surface boiling studies. Two-phase heat transfer and pressure drop. Development of heat transfer correlations.
Write t o d a y , Answers will be prompt, confidential. Mr. Β JU Newton, Personnel Office 21600 Vanowen Street, Canoga Park, California (in. the s u b u r b a n San F e r n a n d o Valley, n e a r L o s Angeles)
ATOMICS A
DIVISION
PIONEERS
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• Australia will supply almost all of her polyethylene requirements now that two n e w polyethylene grades are to be made at the Imperial Chemical Industries plant near Sydney. T h e plant, which started up last December, now makes 5 0 0 0 tons of polyethylene a year, cutting $4.5 million in imports. • German foreign investment regulation, effective July 1, eliminates liberalized capital marks (Libka-Mark), allowing direct foreign exchange investments in Germany. Foreigners are now free to invest in German businesses, acquire German shares, and buy real estate without licenses.
niiiiicuiaic upciiiiig^ m
1. 2. 3. 4.
^Ltgnosol Chemicals will double the waste sulfite liquor capacity of its Quebec plant in a $1 million expansion program, Bowen Engineering, of N e w Jersey, will install a spray drier for the Canadian firm which will give 100,000 lb. of spray-dried product daily»
INC.
ATOM
• Polymer grafting technique, which includes preliminary treatment of the polymer with ozone, has been developed b y the Paris firm, Polyplastie. A surface grafting is obtained which is more easily penetrated by dyes. • Nonelectrolytic chlorine-making process is t h e goal of East Germany's Farberifabrlk Wolfen, which hopes tG develop it t o technical maturity by the end of this year. It will probably be a further development of the Deacon process used in East Germany for some years to extract chlorine from hydrochloric acid coming from the potash industry. • Catalin C-orp. of America will make and sell emulsions and solutions of acrylic polymers used for plastic paints, coatings, a n d adhesives under a 10-year license agreement with Union Chimique Belge, Belgium.
• Ammonia Is now being made directly from coke oven g a s by Huettenwerke Salzgitter of Brunswick, Germany. Capacity: 161 metric tons a day. b Vitro Corp· of America lias formed a subsidiary, Vitro Italiana, to handle its design engineering and construction management activities in Italy.
PITT-CONSOL Μ Ε TA PA R A C R E S O L higher în META content by
Ρ Esso Petroleum* Ltd., affiliate of Standard Oil ( N . J.) has contracted with Foster Wheeler, Ltd. to build a 100,000 bbL-per-standard-day "grass roots** refinery at the port of Milforcl Haven, Wales. Cost o f the refinery, tankage, and deep-water port facilities will b e about $50 million. • Chinese Petroleum has contracted with Badger Mfg., Cambridge, Mass., to design, engineer, and supply equip ment for a 600 hbl.-per-day sulfuric acid alkylation plant to be built at Kaohsiung, Formosa. The plant will use a process licensed by Texaco Devel opment, will increase Formosa produc tion of 100/130 and 1 1 5 / 1 4 5 octane aviation gasoline. • Nineteen petroleum companies from French and international groups have formed a new company, Société du Pipe-line Sud-Europeen, to study the layout and cost o f a pipeline joining a Mediterranean port with Strasbourg where petroleum refineries will be built. • Procter & Gamble has formed a new overseas company, Procter et GambleMaroc, with headquarters in Casablanca» Morocco. The firm is a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, A.-G. Luzern (Switzerland). It will make and sell P&C products for the Moroccan market. ί Carbon bisulfide plant has been started u p b y Hunter River Chemical at Newcastle, Australia. The plant, cost ing more than $1-5 million, will supply Australia's rayon industry. H R C is a subsidiary of the Australian firm, Cream Tartar, in which Stauffer Chemical, N e w York, has a 34 *7c stock interest. Stauffer engineers directed the build ing and startup of the plant. • D o w Agrochemicals is a new subsidi ary of D o w Chemical in Great Britain. The firm will make and sell one of Dow's weed killers, Dowpon, and even tually other agricultural chemicals.
P i t t - C o n s o l META PARA C R E S O L h a s 2 . 7 parts of meta t o every one of para . . . more meta cresol ( over 70%) than most mp cresols o n t h e market today! Offered i n 2° and 3 ° grades of high purity and closely controlled uniformity, tfeis phenolic product i s unique • . . shows great promise for new phenolic resin applications.
Pitt-Consol META PARA C R E S O L i s part of a full line of high quality phenols, c r e s o l s a n d cresylie a c i d s produced b y our continuous extraction process. Whether you seek high meta content in mp cresols or high quality in any cresylie acid, look t o Pitt-Consol first.
Consult our insert in Chemical MateriaL· Catalog or write for your file copy» ^ ^
•••••»• ISIIIIM^^
' ^ ^ ^ ^ ^B:;'4Eë#2p££l
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