INDUSTRY & BUSINESS
N e w Specialty Rubber To Be Coming Soon Du Pont to put plant on stream next week, calls product a major breakthrough
V ITON, D u
The technician is mixing a b a t c h of Viton synthetic rubber with other ingredients on a lab mill. Material is then sheeted, molded, and cured Viton is a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene. tion is handled from this control system at Deepwate.r Point, N. J.
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C&EN
MARCH
2 4,
1958
Polymeriza-
in
elastomers
Pont's new
fluorine-con-
taining elastomer, will soon make its bid for the specialty rubber market. Next week, D u Pont will start to make Viton in a new plant at Deepwater Point, N . J. Company spokesmen herald this new synthetic rubber as a major breakthrough in elastomer chemistry. T h e y claim that no commercial elastomer can match Viton's resistance to oils, fuels, and solvents at temperatures above 400° F . The new rubber is a linear copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene—likely the first major commercial use of the hexa compound. T h e finished elastomer contains 6 5 % fluorine by weight, and has been a pilot plant product since 1956. Amounts available were small, however, and aimed chiefly at development and evaluation programs by rubber companies and others. Now the rubber moves to t h e fullscale plant class. Du Pont has not revealed the new plant's capacity, but says it's enough to meet demands in the foreseeable future. The new elastomer should compete, they explain, with other specialty rubbers such as silicones and trichlorofluoroethylenes —an annual market now believed to be in the 3 to 5 million pound range. • Growth Expected. Viton will sell for $15 a pound now, but may go at a lower price as the market expands. It's supplied to rubber product makers as a white translucent material. Viscosity and plasticity match those of today's commercial elastomers. Viton processes easily in standard rubber
INDUSTRY & BUSINESS
processing equipment, D u Pont says. Viton products, claims D u Pont, show "outstanding" heat resistance, particularly at 400° F., where service life exceeds 2400 hours, according to lab tests. Also, i t resists oxygen, ozone, and many solvents, such as aliphatic, aromatic, or chlorinated hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, and diluted a n d con centrated mineral acids and alkalies. But unvulcanized stocks are soluble in ketones, thus opening t h e way to ce ments and doughs. These properties mean Viton has a market future in O-rings, packings, seals, fuel cells, hose, wire jackets, caulks, a n d adhesives, explains Du Pont. Because of steadily increasing operating temperatures in commercial engines, components made of Viton are being studied actively for use in trans missions, brakes, instruments, and pumps. The largest single outlet today is aircraft seals, chiefly for military air craft. But there is growing interest in nonmilitary applications. D u Pont ex pects that commercial uses will far outstrip military uses in the future. • Follows Teflon. Viton might be looked at as an outgrowth of Du Pont's Teflon fluorocarbon resins. Results with Teflon suggested that an elastomer with similar properties, including the same level of heat and chemical re sistance, would open u p new fields in design. This was one reason t o develop Viton, but jet power developments were a much more compelling force. Such developments meant that, in air craft a n d missiles, oils, hydraulic fluids, and fuels would run hotter; better liquid seals would b e needed. These seals must resist oil and heat in the 400° F . range. Shortly after Teflon was offered t o the trade, Du Pont chemists found that they could make flexible polymers of fluorinated olefins. Later, research workers at Du Pont's Jackson labora tory made copolymers of hexafluoropropylene a n d vinylidene fluoride which were rubbery and also resisted heat, oil, and solvents. After more lab and develop>n? ont work, field trials of Viton started in mid-1956. Wright Air Development Center worked with D u Pont to test these polymers. T h e n e w rubber did well, exceeding lab hopes in some cases, and early in 1957, Du Pont gave t h e goahead on the Deepwater Point plant.
Gas Turbine Impact Gas turbine will hurt markets for antifreeze, lubricants^ and fuel additives A . DRASTIC readjustment period i s in
order for the chemical industry if it i s to meet the gas turbine challenge. T h e time is not too far off. Within 10 t o 15 years, practically all new cars will h a v e gas turbine power plants; 1975 could see about 30 million turbine engines on the road. So says Roger Williams, Jr., of Roger Williams Technical and E c o nomic Services. Herman W. Zabel col laborated with Williams on d i e study. Here's a look at top areas where m a jor shake-ups in chemical requirements loom, and the products affected: • Antifreeze: Glycols and t h e ethyl ene oxide used to make them face hard, times; methanol will lose this market, but has picked u p in aircraft uses. •Lubricants: Many present lube ad ditives will disappear. • F u e l additives: A softer market ahead appears evident for both so dium and chlorine. In addition, demands for deep crack ing and reforming catalysts will s l u m p badly. Thus, the future looks dim for sodium silicate and acid clay suppliers. Pig iron, too, will suffer from the lighter turbine engines, resulting in a smaller volume of chemicals from by-product coke ovens for pig iron, Williams told the N e w York Chemical Marketing a n d Economics Group of CHEMICAL SOCIETY.
the
AMERICAN
Perhaps the most drastic changes will
come about as by-product hydrogen becomes less available. Much of the recent capacity increase for synthetic ammonia is based on low cost, by-prod u c t hydrogen from petroleum refining. This hydrogen will no longer b e avail able to ammonia manufacturers. It will eventually find two major uses: to remove sulfur, as in Hydrofining, and to saturate all stocks used for turbine fuel. Except for a very few areas, t h e plus side of t h e ledger is bare indeed, says Williams. Here are the exceptions he points out: • Lubricants: T h e r e is a potentially big market for a synthetic lubricant for the turbine's main bearing. • N e w metals or ceramics: There is possible big business ahead here, since new metals or ceramics probably will b e required t o operate t h e turbine at maximum temperature. Price is a big factor—little potential for high unit cost items. If fuel production for turbine pow ered engines is simplified as much as has been indicated, petroleum refineries will b e able to reduce investments. But this is a long way off, Williams adds. Antifreeze makes u p a major market for glycol. Turbines require no anti freeze. So, a very soft market appears likely for glycols a n d ethylene oxide used to make them. Methanol will lose out in t h e antifreeze field, too. But the Air Force in 1957 took more of the methanol produced than did antifreeze manufacturers. However, methanol's use to provide a n additional burst of power during plane take-offs will prob ably not be extended t o gas turbine autos, Williams believes.
I N V E N T O R I E S & SALES
(Chemical)
INCLUDING ALLIED PRODUCTS, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED Source: U. S. Depf. of Commerte
4.0 • Jan. 3.82 3.5|
[y 3-OJ 2.5
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CHEMICAL INVErNTORIES
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CHEMICAL SALES
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MARCH
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