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T H E JOURiVAL OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
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DEDICATION OF PITTSBURGH STATION UNITED STATES BUREAU OF MINES Formal dedication exercises in connection with the new experiment station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines a t Pittsburgh were held on September 29-30 and October I, rgrg. The building has been in use for about two years, but the dedication ceremonies were postponed on account of war conditions. T. J. Gillespie, of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, was the presiding officer a t the opening session, and addresses were delivered by the Mayor of Pittsburgh, A. T. Vogelsang, First Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Governor Sproul, and J. Parke Channing, representing the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. Director Van H. Manning of the Bureau of Mines formally received the keys to the building, which he said he regarded as a symbol of the function of the Bureau to unlock the secrets of nature for the benefit of all mankind. During the second day’s exercises announcement was made by Director Manning of the names of those to whom there had been awarded the first gold medals of the Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association, in recognition of remarkable heroism displayed by minep in attempting to save the lives of others. A feature of the three days’ program was the Fourth National First Aid and Mine Rescue Meet. Contestants from various industrial corporations, representing fifteen different states, carried out various problems in mine rescue work and first aid to the injured in mine and mill accidents, and medals were awarded to the winning teams in each event. The exercises included an inspection of the experimental mine a t Bruceton, Pa., where methods of prevention of explosions were not only demonstrated, but actual experimental explosions involving hundreds of pounds of coal dust were carried out. On the second evening there was presented a pageant entitled “The Hidden Treasures of Earth,” which showed in spectacular form the story of the conquest of the secrets of the earth by the aid of knowledge. The new laboratories and museum were open for inspection by the official delegates and guests. This new building of the Pittsburgh Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines is a realization of the vision of a great man, the first director and organizer of the Bureau of Mines, Joseph Austin Holmes, Professor of Geology in the University of North Carolina, from 1891to 1901,and from 1901 to 1903 State Geologist of North Carolina. He was chosen in 1903 to organize the Department of Mines and Metallurgy of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition a t St. Louis. His creative imagination saw there an opportunity to secure results of permanent value through the analyzing and testing of the coal resources of the United States and of structural materials in connection with the exhibition, and this was done under the direction of a commission of which he was a member. In 1907 the Technologic Branch of the U. S. Geological Survey was organized with Dr. Holmes in charge. At that time the United States had the unenviable distinction of being not only the most prodigal nation in the expenditure of national resources, but of the lives of its citizens as well. There was an unusual number of mine explosions during that year, and the result was a general movement to take steps to prevent the needless loss of life. These culminated in the creation of the Bureau of Mines, in 1910,for the purpose of increasing health, safety, and efficiency in the mining industry. Though the work of the Bureau was a t first housed in temporary and unsuitable quarters, Dr. Holmes had a vision of a great experimental station for mining, where all kinds of accidents could be studied, and methods developed for their prevention, which miners and
operators alike could feel was their station and could come to for information and education. It was also his conception that this station should help to stop the waste in mining resulting from the inefficient methods employed and the excessive competition in the coal industry. To this end he foresaw the need for research laboratories for chemical and physical bvestigation of gases, explosives and mineral substances, and equipment for the testing of mine lamps and other machinery, and finally, of the establishment by the Bureau of such agencies as would result in the training of thousands of miners in the use of rescue apparatus and in giving first aid to the injured.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING B y A. C. FIS~DNER
The close proximity of the Bureau of Mines Station, located in the educational center of Pittsburgh, to the Carnegie Institute of Technology, the University of Pittsburgh, the Mellon Institute and the Carnegie Library, affords many advantages in carrying on the research and educational work of the Bureau. The general style of architecture harmonizes with the adjoining Carnegie Institute of Technology group of buildings. The construction is practically fireproof. The side walls to the first Aoor are imitation granite, above which is reinforced concrete faced with buff bricks. The floors are tile and concrete overlaid by wood floors in the offices and some of the laboratories. The partitions are of gypsum block and the roof is slate. The central part of the building measures 59 X 240 tt., a n d each of the east and west wings is 46 f t . wide and P I X ft. long. The central portion contains the offices of the administrative, mining, mine safety and explosives sections; the east wing is devoted to the chemical, physical and metallurgical laboratories ; and the west wing to offices and laboratories of the mechanical, electrical and fuels investigations sections. The west wing has no basement and the ground floor is one large open room of a height equal to the basement and first floor rooms in the center and east wing. This room is arranged for large scale experimental work. A traveling crane track runs from end to end of this wing, whereby machinery and large apparatus may be installed and removed. Under the cement floor along the side of the laboratory is a service tunnel; connecting with the tunnel and a t right angles to it are six cross tunnels; these are 2 f t . deep and 3 f t . wide. The tunnel and trenches carry the service pipes and wires for convenient distribution to any required point. A t the present time theporth end of this laboratory is devoted to a museum illustrating the investigative work of the Bureau. The south end of the wing contains a well equipped machine and carpenter shop for building apparatus and equipment used in connection with the investigative work of the statim. The electrical laboratory occupies the south end of the second floor of the west wing. The central portion is one story higher than the two wings of the building. On the top floor is a cafeteria for employees, a photographic laboratory, drafting and compu&hg rooms. The headquarters of the mining and mine safety sections, and a well stocked technical library occupy the second floor. On the first floor are the general administrative offices and the office of the explosives section which has its testing laboratories a t the Bureau’s Experimental Mine a t Bruceton, Pa. In a circular bay projecting into the court a t the rear is a well-furnished auditorium capable of seating 2 2 8 persons; the
GIINIXAL Vzriw PITISBUIIOB STITEON Rii~ilbio : n D.IINES, L o o ~ i x i ;N u x r ~
stage is q u i p p e d ior iantwn slide. motion picture, and demonstration work of various kinds. All chemical and othrr supplies are handled through the storeroom in the basement. Here is also an instrument shop with precision machines and benches for five instrument makers. Special and delicatc apparatus of all kinds are made in this shop. Laboratories for testing oxygen breathing apparatus, safety lamps and for trnining men in the use of such apparatlis orcupy the remainder of the basement floor.
Most of the hoods are of alberenr stone and ~ I ~ L s s . They arc usually placed with the back against the corridor wall so that the flue can pass directly upwards and into the runnel connecting to galvanized iron ducts of liberirl dimensions. The ducts are sainted with black acid resisting paint. The ventilating system oi the entire wing includes four vertical flues 2 ft. in diameter equally distributed along the length of the building. These flues are oi vitrified tile embedded in concrete. At the top of each flue in the attic of the wing are exhaust Pins directly connected to IZ h. p. motors. The ventilation has proven adequate. CHEMICAL A S D PHYSICAL 1,ARORATOXIISS The entire east wing of the building is especially designed for Each hood has a slide damper whereby the amount o f draft can be regulated. Hot air and gases from large iurnaces are removed chcmical and physical kiboratories. The general arrangement nf the various moms are shown in the floor plan. Thr par- througb sheet iron canopies connected to the same system. Most oi the laboratory work tables are of oak with heavy titions are of pyrubzr, 6 in. thick over all, including tlie plaster. .AIS doors into tlic.rooms are 3'/z it. wide, thus iacilitnting the wood tops built up of strips of maple or birch. An acid resisting removal of desks and tahlcs from one room to another. Servicc black finish is applied to the tops of tables and shelves. Tables and lxnclres on wliich buniers and iuinaccs are used have tops pipes, wires and flues to the hoods itre distributed to the various rooms from tiinnels tliat occupy thc upper jiortions of the cor- of nlberenc stone. Owing to the fact that the woms are heated steam cartiators pl.iaccri at the windows, it was ridor.;. This rnakes the ceiling in the corridor bia Ecct ltrwer thau irorn low p'iess~~sc 'ary to omit cuphoard space hencath all tables placed nt in thr, laboratory rooms. Arniile space is thus ohtaincil For thc thc windows. In such cases the table toix are snppoited 0x1 g e m m l scrvicc i)ipcs and wires. Thcse consist of hot mid cold iroii i i i x legs. This construction is alsu iiscd ior special tables water, gas, vacuiim, corn~~resscd air, i IO- axid 44o-volt alternatins, zzo-volt direct cwieiit, leads to the large storage I>atter>- for specific apparatus. in the baie~ncnt:md tlues from the hoods. .A Irorizotitnl sei'. Servicc pipes are entirely cxposcd in d l laboratories to facilition of terra w t t a in each side of these turinels is provideri for tate chnnges and repairs, The electric wires are enclosed in running the service branches into tlie upper portiiln oi each room galvanized iron conduits which are run in parallcl lines with the Also, connrctioiis can be made to the floor oi the rooms on the service pipes from the timncls along the walls of the rooms to story above the tiiiitici between the wood joists that support the tables and hoods. Wall tables have backboards above the the wood Aoor above the concrete. table on which the pipes are fixed. Above this wall board The main service pipes and clectricrrl wires come iroin the are oak shelvcs for reagent bottles. Each table and hood is power plant into the hacement in a tunnel which continues providcd with 811 I > / % in. galvanircd iron drain pipe beneath under the basement corridor; from here they pass through a the back of the lablcs. Risers from this pipe are flush with the vertical shaft up to the first and second floors, where connection table top and serve to receive drains irom condensers and water is made to the service timncls of each floor. baths.
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Drains from the benches and sinks are carried to vertical risers of acid resisting fiber pipe leading down to a terra cotta drain in the basement tunnel. The fiber pipes have proven unsatisfactory in service and are being replaced with cast iron pipe. The sinks are of alberene stone. NATURE O F WORK O F CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL LABORATORIES
The chemical and physical laboratories consist of research units and special laboratories devoted to those branches of the Bureau’s work in the mining and metallurgical industries which are represented a t the Pittsburgh Experiment Station. These laboratories with the other stations of the Bureau have many problems which require the aid of a large, well-equipped organization with all the essential accessories of research such as instrument shop, glass-blower, drafting and photographic departments, storeroom and technical library. Someone has said that the output of a group of investigators working in close cooperation with each other is proportional to the product rather than the sum of the individuals. The research organization is operated on this principle. Weekly conferences are held at which each investigator brings up his problems for discussion and receives the benefit of advice from other members of the group. The nature and purpose of the investigations carried on by the various subdivisions of the chemical and physical laboratories are briefly given in the following description. COAL AND MISCELLANEOUS ANALYTICAL LABORATORY
The analytical laboratory is engaged principally in making the necessary analyses and tests that are constantly required in connection with a study of the more efficient utilization of the fuel resources of the country, and with the investigations of mine accidents that are being conducted a t the station and in the field. The laboratory is equipped with the most improved apparatus for the complete and accurate analysis of coal, coke, lignite and peat. Special features of this equipment are automatic, constant-temperature calorimeters constructed in the Bureau’s instrument shop, iYhch are capable of giving the highest precision in determining the heating value of fuels in
approximately half the time required by the ordinary commercial instrument. There is also a special room equipped with complete outfits of furnaces, pyrometers, and all accessories needed for the determination of the fusibility of coal ash. For several years the Bureau has been conducting a survey of the composition of American coals and the fusibility of the ash from various coal beds. The results of this work are published from time to time, so that much of this data is now available to the operating engineers and purchasing agents of railroads, steamship lines, and industrial concerns. From these publications they can determine in advance the probable quality of coal available in any given locality. An excellent example of one of the branches of miscellaneous work carried on by this laboratory is the examination and determination of the amount and nature of rock dust in the atmospheres of metal mines. The drilling of holes in quartz rock throws into suspension in the air minute particles of quartz and other rock dust. The quartz particles, because of their splintery fracture and knife-like edges, penetrate the tissues of the lungs of miners working in these atmospheres, and if this air is breathed for a considerable period of time, the health of the miner is seriously affected, producing silicosis, commonly called miners’ consumption. In cooperation with the U. S. Public Health Service, the Bureau is making an examination of the amount of siliceous dust that is in suspension in the. atmosphere of some of the copper mines in Arizona and the effect of this dust on the lives of the miners. Samples of dust are collected by pumping 15 or 20 cu. f t . of the dust-laden air through glass tubes containing a two-inch layer of granulated sugar. These sugar tubes are then mailed to the Pittsburgh Laboratory, where the sugar is dissolved in water, which leaves the dust particles that were filtered out by the sugar in suspension in the sugar solution. A drop of this suspension is examined under a microscope, and the number of silica particles are counted and their size noted. The total quantity of rock dust is determined by weighing the insoluble residue.
Nov., 1919
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY GAS LABORATORY
The analysis and examination of gases is a very important part of many investigations on which the Bureau of Mines is engaged. The gas laboratory cooperates with the mining division in analyzing samples of mine atmospheres from all parts of the United States. These samples are taken in connection with improving mine ventilation and thus reducing the dangers from explosions in coal mines and promoting more healthful working conditions for miners in metal mines. The nature of the gaseous products of explosives used in mining and also the atmospheres created by fires and explosions in coal mines are determined. This laboratory also makes analyses and tests of flue gases and products of combustion required in the fuels investigations of the Bureau, as well as examinations of natural gas and various industrial gases that may be required at the Pittsburgh station or in field investigations. The equipmerlt used in gas investigations is highly specialized. Much of it has been developed in the laboratory and built in the Bureau’s shops ; the Burrell-Haldane mine air analysis apparatus is capable of determining the constituents of mine air to an accuracy of 0.01 per cent; the Burrell methane-indicator is probably the first simple and accurate gas detector that has been found practical for use in mine air. Complete apparatus for the liquefaction and fractional distillation of gas mixtures a t low temperatures by using air and mercury pumps are available for natural gas and other complex gas mixtures that cannot be handled by ordinary methods. At the beginning of the war the gas laboratory was turned over completely to war gas investigations and thus formed the nucleus from which the large war gas research organization was built up. The first gas masks made in this country were tested by methods and apparatus specially designed for the purpose, and these methods in their essential features were used throughout the war m connection with the manufacture and improvement of the American gas mask. GAS MASK LABORATORY
With the close of the war the Bureau of Mines took up the investigation of the use of the army type gas mask in the mining, metallurgical and allied industries. The army mask was found unsuitable for use in mines or any places where carbon monoxide was likely to be present, such as blast furnaces, illuminating gas plants or gas producer installations. It was found useful for protecting workmen around smelters and acid plants from sulfur fumes and in many chemical industries. The standard army mask m s also found to be a good smoke filter for fire fighters, although in this case the protection is not always complete, as carbon monoxide and insufficient oxygen may sometimes be encountered, in which event the gas mask will not save the wearer. The purpose of the gas mask laboratory is to furnish information regarding the usefulness of various types of gas masks under various conditions and t o develop suitable masks arid breathing apparatus for special gases. A large gas chamber of 1000cu. f t . capacity built air-tight of glass and metal has been installed for testing out masks in any concentration of gas, by actually wearing the mask under working conditions. Other apparatus is provided for testing absorbents and canisters for their capacity for removing poisonous gases from air. Chlorine, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and ammonia are some of the poisonous and asphyxiating gases that are frequently met with in the industries. The Bureau will make tests of commercial gas masks submitted by manufacturers, to determine whether they are permissible for use in the gases for which they are intended. If they pass the tests they are placed on the list of approved masks. A novel and important peace-time application of some of the evil-smelling but non-poisonous gases that were developed in connection with the Bureau’s war gas investigations is their use
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as danger signals in metal mines. The introduction of a few ounces of ethyl or butyl mercaptan above ground into the compressed air lines will in a few minutes spread a very penetrating and disagreeable odor throughout the mine and thus warn the miners that something is wrong and that they must leave the mine a t once. Engineers of the Bureau have tested this method of giving signals in metal mines in Montana and California with complete success. The problems of the natural gas research unit pertain t o the more efficient utilization of our natural gas resources. Several publications have been issued on the recovery of gasoline from natural gas both by compression and absorption processes. Recent investigations have shown that the activated charcoal that was developed for gas masks is an excellent catalyst for making carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and methyl chloride from natural gas. Another important problem is the production of carbon black. Various methods of producing this material by the incomplete combustion of natural gas are being investigated. In present methods of manufacture only 3 per cent of the carbon in natural gas is being recovered. However, if the process is modified t o increase the yield the quality of the black deteriorates. Hence in the interest of conservation i t is important that some method of increasing yields without sacrificing quality be worked out. An exhibit showing the various grades of carbon black and lampblack and their function in the production of products such as rubber tires, printing inks, etc., is shown in the museum. BY-PRODUCT COKING RESEARCH U N I T
True conservation of coal and the abatement of the smoke nuisance in our cities demand that all bituminous coal for domestic use must eventually be carbonized in suitable or coking plants with the full recovery of valuable by-products such as ammonia, benzol, toluol, and the host of materials that can be made from coal tar. The by-product coking unit is engaged on problems in this field. A comprehensive investigation of the forms in which sulfur occurs in American coals and lignites is being conducted with special reference to the changes which this element undergoes in the coking process. Fundamental information of this character may prove to be a great aid in developing new and more efficient processes for removing sulfur from by-product and producer gas, thus enabling the use of high sulfur coals that are not now suitable in the metallurgical industry. Other important problems are the study of smokeless binders for carbonized lignite and utilization of the tars resulting from the low temperature carbonization of lignite. This work is in connection with the big government lignite carbonization plant that is to be erected in Texas. MICROSCOPIC RESEARCH UNIT
One of the best methods of studying the constitution of materials and the changes which they undergo in various processes is to examine them under the microscope. The microscopic laboratory has completed a comprehensive study of the constitution and origin of coal. Sections of coal and lignite have been made of such a thinness that rays of light can penetrate them and render the structure of coal visible under the microscope even a t very high magnifications. A collection of enlarged photomicrographs of coal and lignite as well as actual sections under the microscope may be seen in this laboratory. An important war problem was the substitution of American graphite in place of foreign graphite for making crucibles. In cooperation with the Bureau’s ceramic station a t Columbus, Ohio, valuable information was obtained on the form and structure of these graphites and their relation to the manufacture of durable crucibles for use in melting brass and steel. Aside from these major problems the microscopic laboratory is constantly being called upon to aid other investigators of the Bureau in their problems, as, for example, the examination
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of rock dust from metal mines to see if these particles are of such a nature as to endanger the health of the miners; the examination of dusts from coal mines after explosions to discover if the flame of the explosion passes the point from which the dust sample was taken; and the examination of explosives for use in mines to determine the nature and size of those constituents which have an important relation to the permissibility of the powder. PETROLEUM LABORATORY
The work of the Pittsburgh petroleum laboratory includes that part of the activities of the chemical section of the petroleum division requiring facilities for scientific research, as distinguished from investigatiOns along the technical and industrial lines, which work is conducdd in other stations, particularly that at Bartelsville, Okla. The Pittsburgh laboratory is equipped to handle the routine analysis of certain types of petroleum products and is believed to possess the best equipment available in the country for both fuel oil and gasoline testing. The major work of the laboratory is, however, investigative and includes several lines of activity. Considerable attention is devoted to the development of methods and apparatus for the analysis of petroleum products. At present attention is being given to the problem of making accurate and rapid vacuum distillation of high boiling oils, to the problem of accurately estimating the water content of oil emulsions and t o the problem of dehydrating such emulsions without changing the physical and chemical properties of the oil. A comprehensive survey of the grades of gasoline sold throughout the country has just been completed, the results to be published for the purpose of general information and for use in drafting specifications both for government purchases and for legislative enactments. An investigation of the vapor phase cracking method for the production of gasoline has recently been completed. A survey is also in progress of the various types of crude petroleum produced throughout the country. In addition some work has been begun for the purpose of obtaining accurate and comprehensive information regarding the physical and chemical properties of the constituents of different types of crude oil produced in this country. The laboratory has developed electrical heating devices and distillation apparatus for the varied needs that have arisen and this equipment will be found of particular interest. EXPLOSIVES CHEMICAL LABORATORY
The explosives chemical laboratory is completely equipped for research and analytical work upon powders, dynamites, permissible explosives, detonators, fuses, and their component materials. All of the explosives submitted for permissibility tests are analyzed here, and field samples collected from time to time are examined to determine whether or not the original composition has subsequently been altered beyond the tolerance limits fixed by the Bureau. This laboratory also examines the explosives and explosive materials used in the extensive mining investigations of the Bureau. The files contain records of thousands of analyses comprising not only all types of mining explosives, their ingredients, and accessories, but also many military explosives and materials, for the resources of the laboratory were used during the past war in the development of synthetic methods for nitro-organic compounds such as hexanitrodiphenylamine and nitroxylene. Indeed, some of the researches such as that on the nitration of toluene, and on propylene glycol dinitrate anticipated military needs. Other studies, such as hygroscopicity of modified black powders, and the preparation of different crystal forms of potassium chlorate, were essentially military. Many of the tests, methods of analysis, and much of the equipment of the laboratory were developed here. One such test is the sand test for determining the strength of detonators. The detonator is placed in a suitable bomb, which is then par-
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tially filled with a given weighed quantity of pure quartz sand of uniform granulation, care being taken that the detonator is approximately in the center of the mass of sand. The detonator is then fired and the degree of the resulting disintegration or pulverization is determined by removing the sand and sifting it through a series of standard sieves. Other interesting features of the equipment are a densimeter for determining the absolute density of black powder under mercury, a large nitroglycerin shell first used in the investigation of the behavior of nitroglycerin when heated and now used for protection with tests of a like hazard, and a detonator cutter for opening detonators without risk to the operator. All of these were developed in this laboratory. This laboratory also possesses that desirable appurtenance for organic synthesis-a large stock of organic chemicals. One of the interesting recent researches in this line was the isolation for the first time of crystalline sucrose octanitrate. The subsequent study of its optical properties has opened the way for the estimation of nitrosugar in the presence of nitroglycerina mixture encountered a t present in many mining explosives. METALLURGICAL AND METALLOGRAPHIC LABORATORIES
The metallurgical and metallographic laboratories occupy rooms in the basement of the east wing, and a laboratory for metallurgical chemistry is on the second floor of the east wing. These laboratories are devoted to the Bureau’s work on the metallurgy and metallography of nonferrous metals and alloys. The metallographic laboratory is equipped with a photographic camera, a photographic microscope, and a large metallographic microscope for the study and photography of metals and alloys. Grinding wheels and polishing tables are employed for preparing microsections for examinations. A dark room is available for developing and printing. Electric furnaces are used for melting and heat-treating metals, pyrometers measure the temperatures. The laboratory for metallurgical chemistry is investigating routine and analytical work and chemical research on nonferrous metals and alloys and drosses. In cooperation with the nonferrous foundry industry, particularly the light aluminum-alloy casting branch, studies are being made of the details of nonferrous casting practice, the causes for and prevention of defective castings in the foundry, and the disposal of foundry wastes and drosses. The actual foundry studies are carried out a t a number of foundries through,out the country, and the required laboratory work is performed in the Bureau’s metallurgical and metallographic laboratories. Aluminum-alloy foundry practice is now being studied. PHYSICAL LABORATORY
The physical laboratory is charged with the repair and calibration of apparatus used in physical measurements, both a t Pittsburgh and in the field. For example, dozens of thermocouples are used in making a boiler or furnace test. Some of these are likely to become contaminated in the tests so that the temperature readings are incorrect. In order to guard against unknown errors, all thermocouples are checked in the physical laboratory against a standard couple after each extended test. For similar reasons, frequent checks are made on anemometers, aneroid barometers, thermometers and other physical apparatus. A large 60 cell storage battery, with 3 l / 2 k. v. a. motor generator set, is installed in the basement. Special leads from this battery through a suitable switchboard furnish current to the various laboratories. POWER PLANT
All power, light and heat are obtained from the station power plant which is shown in the lower foreground of the figure. This building also contains the laboratories of the fuels investigation section of the station. BUREAU OF MINGS PITTSBURGH, PA.
