TECHNOLOGY
Economics Behind instrumentation Annual output of industrial instruments approaches value of $ 2 0 0 million—industry employment hits 2 0 , 0 0 0
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Imagine banking more blood in a year than has been shed by all American fighting men since Braddock's defeat. That's liow many red blood cells a new Glycerine -preservation process promises to make available—from today's normal supply of donated blood. Until ηοΛ,ν, it's been impossible to prevent red cells from spoiling after three or four weeks' storage. But by suspending cells in Glycerine at subzero temperatures, scientists have suc cessfully preserved them foroversix months. And bunking for as long as one to three years or more is a practical possibility. The unique balance of properties that won such -wide acceptance for Glycerine in the past continues to open neio doors to chemical progress. In paints, foods, pharma ceuticals, packaging . . . for tomorrow's surge of new specialties . . . in formulations and reactions yet unknown. Nothing takes the place of Glycerine. For your free copy of a 16-page booklet on Glycerine properties and applicati ons, ivrite to — GLYC ERINE PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION · 295 Madison j\ve„ ISJew York 17, W. Y.
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COLLEGE STATION, TEX.-Compared with many basic industries, the manufacture of industrial process instruments is not a large operation, but its importance to our economy and way of life far exceeds its size, says Raymond E. Olson, president of Taylor Instrument. Without the benefit of recent instrumentation progress, m a n y of our modern processes would hardly be possible because of their complexity. "It is generally c o n c e d e d / ' he stated, "that the gaseous diffusion process for uranium separation would not h a v e become a commercial reality without the technical skills and production facilities of the instrument companies." At Texas A&M's T e n t h Annual Symposium on Instrumentation for the Process Industries, Olson further stated that the instrument industry is plowing back 6.4% of its dollar income into research. Only t h e electrical machinery industry equals this high percentage —the chemical industry is reported to be spending 4 . 8 % ; oil industry, 0.6%. It is deplorable, h e said, that very little data are being circulated on actual savings derived from the thousands of different instrument applications in use. "Progress even greater than that m a d e in t h e past would most assuredly accrue to the benefit of all, if there could be a free interchange of t h e economic facts of process instrumentation/' insisted Olson. M u c h publicity is given to the technical aspects of instrument design and performance—too little is given in terms of economic gain. Plant Training. The majority of technical personnel enter industry from college almost completely unfamiliar with the field of instrumentation and automatic control, asserted E. W . Steffee of D u Pont. T h e science of instrumentation is so new that it has generally not been recognized as an important part of engineering training in colleges and universities. T h e only recourse, says Steffee, is to teach these fundamentals by means of a plant training program. A good program should eliminate novice instrument engineering, reduce lost time and trouble shooting, a n d provide proper evaluation of instrument performance, T h e design of a process, he says, is too often performed on paper b y process engineers lacking instrument experience. W h e n the design is given to t h e
instrument department it is supposedly complete, but the instrument engineer must, in many cases, rework t h e layout. Time spent by the instrument engineer in obtaining approval for the addition of new instruments is often excessive, d u e to the limited instrument know-how of process engineers. Every detail of each job must b e explained minutely, and oftentimes special meetings are called for clarification of proposals. The same condition exists, lie said, w h e n approval is sought to m a k e changes in existing instrumentation. T h e process engineer h a s constant contact with the operation of a process and t h e instrument department often relies on him for t h e recognition and reporting of many instrument problems. Sometimes the operating performance of an instrument or control system is erroneously judged because of i n a d e quate knowledge on the part of the process engineer. Industry training programs are not generally intended to produce instrument personnel, he indicated. Their purpose is to achieve better u n d e r standing of instruments. Electronic Control. T h e future of electronic controls appears very bright, once the problem of operating the valve electrically has been solved, indicated D. M. Boyd, Universal Oil Products. Even though measurement of process variables, the transmission, and t h e controlling can be d o n e electrically, t h e valve must still be positioned by m e a n s of compressed air. Contrary to common opinion, electronic controllers are not as fast as properly installed pneumatic controllers, b u t they a r e faster than t h e usual installation. T h e real advantages are that electronic controllers give increased reliability in cold climates a n d eliminate the need for costly t u b i n g racks. In some of the more complicated control problems, they give a d d e d flexibility and more sensitive, b u t n o t faster, control. It should b e possible, he says, to use servomechanism techniques of filtering out undesirable noise t h a t is upsetting to t h e controller, a n d this will provide more effective u s e of the derivative function. U O P now has a platforming u n i t with electronic controls at Rock Island Refining's plant in Indianapolis, says Boyd, which requires only one m a n p e r shift to supervise t h e operation.
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Lummus gives you
maximum return for
your capital investment! In the past half century Lummus h a s designed, engi neered and constructed over 700 major installations throughout the world. The excellent operating- records of these plants indicate that the coordinated directing of a project from idea to startup is the best possible guar antee of a profitable investment. Our staff and facil ities can complement your own — on your next project.
The Lummus Company, 385 Madison Ave., New York 17, Ν. Υ. Engineering and Sales Offices: New York, Houston, Mon treal, London, Bombay, Paris, The Hague. Sales Offices: Chicago, Caracas. Heat Exchanger Plant: Honesdale, Pa. Fabri cated Piping Plant: East Chicago, Ind.
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ENGINEERS ·
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FEBRUARY
14,
1955
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TECHNOLOGY and is particularly well s u i t e d to c o a t ing engine valves, says GM e n g i n e e r s . In road tests, reported by G M e n g i neers, Aldip valves lasted more t h a n t w i c e as long as uncoated valves of t h e s a m e steel composition. • Super-soft f l e e c e c o a t i n g , w o v e n of 1 0 0 % Dynel, U n i o n Carbide & Carbon's fiber, has b e e n d e v e l o p e d b y D r a p e r Brothers. D r a p e r says the fibers c o m pare well with V i c u n a for softness a n d the fabric does not absorb stains a s readily as natural fibers. Moreover, it is more naturally a d a p t e d to t h e current fashion d e m a n d s for n u d e a n d pastel sliades.
Explosion Pattern Locates Oil Sites Man-made geysers of mud and water, part of a recent 25-explosion pattern are pro viding a Shell Oil geophysical party working west of San Antonio, Tex., with a record of rock layers thousands of feet beneath the surface. The simultaneous blasts send shock waves deep into the earth where they bounce off one or more layers. Reflected waves are recorded as wiggles on photographic tape. Best the crew can hope for is that the record of the shot will locate places where oil might be found. Pattern shooting is a new technique in the industry's endless quest for new fields
Patent Indexing Service For Chemical Industry T i m e required for p a t e n t searching will b e r e d u c e d to a t i n y fraction of present requirements, says L y n n Bartlett, president of a n e w l y f o r m e d c o m pany, Information for Industry, 2 5 2 1 C o n n e t i c u t Ave., W a s h i n g t o n 8, D . C . Bartlett's c o m p a n y is g o i n g to apply a patent indexing system to t h e c h e m i c a l industry. T h e system is called U n i t e r m and it w a s d e v e l o p e d for t h e G o v e r n m e n t b y D o c u m e n t a t i o n Inc. of W a s h i n g t o n . U n i t e r m employs s o m e of t h e s a m e basic principles used b y giant electronic brains but reduces all available i n formation in a particular field to a simple index system. In t h e n e w application of t h e U n i term system to the c h e m i c a l field, all chemical patents will b e i n d e x e d a n d cross-indexed as t h e y are a n n o u n c e d . P u b l i s h e d cumulative indexes to e v e r y chemical patent will b e sent o n a b i m o n t h l y basis t o all subscribers. M a n i p ulations of t h e index w i l l reveal s u c h items as products, applications, c h e m i cal families, solvents, reactions, cata lysts, environmental conditions, a s signees, or other information t h e p a t e n t searchers m a y b e seeking. E u g e n e M. Zuckert, former a t o m i c energy commissioner, is t h e secretary and a director of t h e n e w corporation.
b e e n a p p l i e d successfully to automo tive e n g i n e intake and exhaust valves. A l u m i n u m is sprayed onto t h e steel part. T h e n t h e part is h e a t e d in a flux bath until the a l u m i n u m melts. T h i s spray t e c h n i q u e makes possible quick, e v e n application o f aluminum
• Solar-powered experimental r a d i o transmitter, the size of a p a c k a g e o f cigarettes, has b e e n built b y E d w a r d Keonjian of General Electric. T r a n s mitter is self-contained. It uses trans istors instead of electron tubes a n d selenium solar e n e r g y converters i n stead of batteries. W h e n light r a y s strike the selenium, sufficient electrical energy is delivered to the transistors t o operate the transmitter. Keonjian s a y s transistors are u s e d in the transmitter's oscillator circuit b e c a u s e t h e y o p e r a t e on comparatively small a m o u n t s of power and require m u c h less s p a c e t h a n tubes.
Electronic Microscope Magnifies in Color 15,000 Times Cancer cells are shown magnified electronically in color 15,000 times o n a six-foot screen. This is the result of an electronic color microscope which requires several hundred times less light for projecting clear and bright images in full color than optical microscopes, according to developer, CBS Labs. The new CBS system makes observation ^ possible both inside the laboratory or instantaneously at distant points along existing cable or microwave facilities. Method of electronically enlarging and projecting microscopic specimens, using certain techniques of color television and microscopy, employs a single, standard television camera tube
> Automotive engine value life can be doubled with a n e w aluminum coat ing t e c h n i q u e , reports General Motors to t h e Society of A u t o m o t i v e E n g i neers. Called the A l d i p process, it h a s
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