TECHNOLOGY
Gambling with Synthetic Fibers Development of a new synthetic fiber may cost $ 4 0 million— possibility it will cost as much as $75 million N E W YORK.-Every one of the large chemical companies and many of the smaller ones now maintain sizable programs aimed at the development of new synthetic fibers. Any given program of this kind must be considered one of the riskiest of enterprises for the elementary reason that no scheme has vet been devised for appraising a given fiber without gambling tremendous sums of money, said G. H. Fremon of Carbide and Carbon Chemicals, speaking at the recent symposium of the New York Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. A major question is: Will a given fiber succeed commercially in competition with all the other fibers already available and all the fibers just on the point of being born? Any answer that can be depended on will probably cost $40 million and perhaps $75 million. The many firms that are today exploring new fibers recognize these realities, and yet they proceed undaunted, says Fremon. The fundamental philosophy is obvious: The search is worth the candle. Last year, D u Pont probably sold more than $600 million worth of synthetic fibers. Synthetic fiber plants in the U. S. can produce about 22% of the nation's total fiber consumption. In Germany, the comparable figure is more than 30%. In 1953, the rayon and acetate sales volume in dollars was of the same order of magnitude as plastics. About 1 2 billion pounds of rayon and acetate were produced last year, in addition to 284 million pounds of noncellulosic fibers. All of the synthetic fibers made up a larger dollar volume than the aliphatic chemicals, exclusive of plastics. The new cellulosic fiber, Arnel, is of major technological interest, Fremon says. Made of cellulose triacetate, Arnel is less sensitive to water than ordinary cellulose acetate and has a softening point about 50° C. higher. Thus its high-temperature properties approach those of nylon. Also of considerable interest has been the development of the Hellanca process for making stretchable nylon or Dacron. Continuous filament yarn is given a high twist, the twist is set with heat, and the yarn is then untwisted and given a modest reverse twist. The result is a yarn that has a high extensibility and low modulus of extension. Although the first stretch4286
able nylon was introduced only three vears ago, sales of this item during the past 12 months ran to more than $15 million, chiefly for men's socks. Synthetic Detergents. Synthetic detergents have almost completed their conquest of soap for household detergents and are now beginning to challenge bar soaps, reports Thomas H . Vaughn of Colgate-1 xlmolive. The year 1953 saw sales of s/nthetic detergents outstrip soap. For iîkdustrial use where soft water is available in commercial laundries, for example, the transition is not expected to be quite so rapid. The field of high-foaming detergents is dominated by the alkyl aryl sulfonates and alcohol sulfates. With the low foamers, the leaders are t h e nonionic detergents based on ethylene oxide condensation products of alkyl phenols or rosin derivatives. Use is also being made of various foam boosters or depressants. The principal synthetic detergents employed in toilet articles include t h e alcohol sulfates, the fatty acid monoglyceride sulfates and sulfonates, and anti-enzyme detergents such as AMauroyl sarcosinate. Fluid Coking Process. The production of residual material from crude petroleum can b e substantially reduced by fluid coking, according to Frank T. Barr of Esso Laboratories. As an important advantage, fluid coking provides a maximum of gas oil suitable for catalytic cracking from materials that might otherwise give no distillate products. An appreciable amount of naphtha is also formed. The coke produced, while kept at a minimum, is a new and unusual material. Since fluid coke is distinctly different from the petroleum coke now known to the industry, considerable interest has developed in its properties, handling techniques, and potential markets. Plants now under way will be able to produce fluid coke at a rate of 200,000 tons a year or more. This is considerably smaller than the 70 million tons of metallurgical coke used in the U. S. annually. First commercial production of fluid coke will begin late this year at the Carter Oil Co. plant in Billings, Mont. In the burning of fluid coke, its relatively poor ignition characteristics must b e kept in mind, said Barr. While this property is valuable in the storage
and handling of the coke, it does mean that special care must be taken i n its combustion, as with other low-volatile fuels. Ignition and burning-rate problems can be solved by the use of auxiliary fuel and by grinding the coke to proper size. Fluid coke is approximately as easy to burn as low-volatile bituminous coal. The percentage of unburned carbon from fluid coke is essentially the same as from low-volatile bituminous coal of the same fineness burned under the same conditions. Since these coals are normally burned satisfactorily in conventional boiler furnaces to 1 to 2 % or less of unburned carbon, no major problem is expected in the combustion of fluid coke in furnaces of conventional design. In addition to its use as boiler furnace fuel, a number of specialty uses are also being developed. Fluid coke might be used in carbon electrodes for the aluminum industry, as well as in the manufacture of calcium carbide, phosphorus, and carbon disulfide. Fluid coke might well be developed for use in the metallurgical industries, Barr says. In this, as in some of the other fields, the development of pelletizing or briquetting techniques is necessary. Cost of Auxiliaries. The cost of chemical plant auxiliaries ranges from 20 t o 4 0 % of the total installed plant cost, declares H. Carl Bauman of Chemical Construction Corp. For a small, single-product plant employing less than 50 people per shift, the cost is a p t to be closer to 20%. T h e cost increases to 40% for a large, multipurpose, "grass-roots" plant, he said. Chemical plant auxiliaries include all structures, equipment, and services that do not enter directly into a chemical process. Auxiliaries fall into the two major classifications of utilities and service facilities. Cost of these auxiliaries is affected by the geographical location of the plant, size and type of plant, number of operating personnel, proximity to equipment suppliers, availability of fuel and suitable water, and cost and efficiency of labor—to mention some of the major variables. I n a study of four "grass-roots" chemical plants, auxiliaries varied in cost from 28.4 to 34.6% of their total costs, Bauman says. Of all the auxiliaries, steam generation and distribution, water supply and distribution, and auxiliary buildings made up more than half but less than two tiiirds of the total auxiliary cost for each plant. Laboratory and office buildings have the highest unit costs. For each type of building, the unit cost tends to decrease as the area of the building increases. Steam generating facilities
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ENGINEERING
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represent the second largest investment for auxiliary equipment. The actual cost is greatly influenced by the size of the installation, location indoors or outdoors, type of fuel fired, and the pressure and temperature level.
Cost data, Bauman emphasizes, must be compiled and correlated with thoroughness and care. At the same time, constant attention must be paid to the changing costs of equipment, materials, and labor.
Left to right: Frank W. McCurry, vice president in charge of manufacturing and research for Derby Oil, and his two sons, Thomas and Spence, plus John Baker, Derby engineer. They all assisted in the Wisconsin Oil Industry demonstration this year
"Worlds Greatest Oil Hobby" Technical hobby of updating a model refinery provides aid in keeping apace with the modern oil industry p RANK W. MCCURRY'S miniature rehxi•*· ery is an aid in keeping abreast witb t h e oil industry. McCurry, vice president i n charge of manufacturing and research for Derby Oil, spends a life time hobby on rebuilding the miniature refinery in an effort to keep it modern and representative of the oil industry of today. In designing the model refinery, McCurry uses glass wherever possible £or maximum audio vision. By this design, many chemical and physical properties of oil can be shown that can not b e shown in the operation of a large refinery. This technical hobby of McCurry's known as the "World's Greatest Oil Hobby" has been used as an educational feature in many high schools, colleges, and civic meetings throughout the country. It was one of the many features in the Hall of Science at the National Petroleum Exhibit in Tulsa. The Wisconsin Oil Industry Committee used it this year in connection with the Milwaukee State Fair where it is estimated that 500,000 people saw the refinery in operation. Moreover, it was used in the general assembly meeting at Friends University, Wichita, Kan.: at t h e Farm Bureau Leadership Training School at Oklahoma A&M, Stillwater, Okla.; and at the Ozark Empire Oil Mens Club in connection with the Ozark Empire State Fair, Springfield, Miss. A large number of schools, bov VOLUME
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scout troops, and other groups have also visited die refinery, says McCurry. McCurry's model unit includes a drilling oil well, a flowing oil well, and a scale model Horton pontoon floating roof tank for storage of the oil. A mass of pipe line motor driven pumps transfer the oil from the well to the refinery where the oil is heated to proper temperatures as it passes through electrically heated horizontal pipe stills and a petro-chem type vertical pipe still. T h e oil then passes on into specially designed fractionating columns or bubble towers which are equipped with take-off trays and lines for making different products. It also includes a working model catalytic cracking unit with an actual air lift catalyst circulation similar to the large unit. Next in line comes a syn-tower, a gasoline stabilizer, a debutanizer, and a de-ethanizer, all specially designed glass fractionating towers operated to show how synthetic gasoline, butane, propane, and L.P.G. are made. When the model unit is set up on the table it is approximately 10 feet high and 40 feet long. Including all the pumps, lines, compressors, blowers, heaters, generator flasks, cylinder, burets, bubble tower, drilling rigs, condensors, and tanks, the model is designed in such manner that it can b e dismantled and packed in individual foam rubber lined cases for shipping.
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2 B.
1954
Crushing Strength of C a r b o n Black Beads Determined A method for deterrnining t h e crushing strength of carbon black beads has been developed b y Columbian Carbon. The method employs a Christian Becker analytical balance manufactured by the Torsion Balance Co. Method consists in crushing single carbon black beads between microscope slide glasses arranged so that the pressure required can be determined accurately. A single bead is put in the center of a glass slide supported on one p a n of the balance and accurately counterpoised by a small glass flask on the other pan. A second glass slide is arranged just above the first one and parallel to it in such a way that any slight weight added to the flask will bring t h e two glass slides in contact with t h e bead u n d e r test. Water is measured into the flask from an analytical b u r e t and the breaking point of the bead is accurately determined by measuring o r weighing the added water. In practice, beads are screened and those held on 30 mesh are tested. Five from each lot are broken and breaking strength recorded as the average of five values. If anomalous values appear in the course of a day's operation, repeat tests a r e m a d e of 10 beads as checks.
PURE REAGENT CHEMICALS
Matheson, Coleman & Bell Reagent Chemicals include practically all the items used in research and analytical work. The Reagent Inorganic Chemicals carry upon the label a statement showing the maximum limits of impurities allowed. The Reagent Organic Chemicals are manufactured to pass the specifications shown in our price list. Complete stocks of MC&B items are carried at our East Rutherford and Norwood Plants. O u r new catalog listing 3 9 1 1 Reagent Chemicals, Biological Stains, Chemical Indicators and Solutions will b e sent to you upon request
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MATHESON COLEMAN & BELL·
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EAST' RUTHERFORD,; NEW JERSEY ; - « .NÔSWOQD (ÇlNCINNATIkJO'HtO DIVISION Or THE MATHESON COMPANY, INC.
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