December 10,1933
INDUSTRIAL
AND ENGINEERING
CHEMISTRY
353
Industrial News
CORROSION I N FATTY ACH> STILL
CORROSION of several metals in a batch still handling crude split fatty acid—oleic and stearics—has been reported by T h e International Nickel Co. N E W PLUG COCK FOR A C I D L I N E S The specimens were held on "spool type" specimen holders and placed within the still for a 3-week period a t an operating tem A N E W T Y P E OF PLUG COCK for stoneware acid lines has been perature of 440° F . and an absolute vacuum of 35 mm. mercury. announced b y the General Ceramics Co., New York, Ν . Υ . , The still was operated most of the time, although with the usual under the trade name "Neverstick." It includes a plug or key shutdown periods. Results are given in the data below: of the usual tapered shape but with a round stoneware top plate, made integral with the plug itself, in place of the usual operating CORROSION R A T E handle. Between this round plate and the housing of the cock VAPOR PHASE LIQUID PHASE is inserted a stoneware ring, having two depressions which engage Mg. per eq. Mg. per sq. with corresponding projections in t h e top plate of the plug. dm. per day In. per yr. dm. per day In. per yr. An operating lever is fastened to the stoneware ring. O.0011 * Inconel δ.1 0.0008 6.4 When the stoneware plug is free to turn, any movement of the O.0039 Monel 15.3 0.0025 23.6 operating lever transmits to the plug only a rotating motion. 0.0041 Nickel 20.1 0.0033 24.9 Ο.015 Ni-Resint 71 0.014 76 If, however, the plug is stuck, movement of the operating lever 0.143 Plain steel 639 0.098 785 causes the stoneware ring to act as a wedge on the head of the 0.79 Cast iron 3675 0.73 3955 plug, thus prying i t loose. Actually there is no separation of lug and housing, a s the wedge effect ceases to operate immeiately the plug is free to rotate.
Off the Press
S
MANOMETER F R E E TO ENGINEERING COLLEGES ANOTHER U N U S U A L OFFER to colleges and other educational
RESEARCH ON COAL T H E REPORT OP THE F U E L RESEARCH BOARD, Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research, Great Britain, for the year ended March 31, 1933, has been published and can b e secured through Η. M. Stationery Office, 16 Old Queen St., Westminster, S. W. 1, England. Price, 2s. 6d. The report reviews the general policy and functions of the board b y the advisory council of the department and by the board itself. T h e economical use of fuel, the carbonization of coal, increased yields from horizontal gas retorts, the success of the Fuel Research Station's brick retorts, motor spirit from tar, pulverized fuel, the work with a mixture of finely ground coal and fuel oil, the coal survey, the purity of British coal, coal in heating the home, and coke-making at home are typical subjects in the report. The report suggests that, apart from the cost of cleaning coal, it may be possible to make coal too clean, having in mind the influence of different inorganic constituents upon the fusion point of ash, which is often of more practical importance than the actual amount of the ash. Coal as a raw material for the chemical industry is also discussed in the report which, while avoiding prophecy, points to the possibility that some dajr commercial processes will be devised in which the substances important as fuel and those important as a starting point for the manufacture of chemicals will be separated b y solvents before t h e coal is utilized in any other way.
SILICOSIS T H E INDUSTRIAL· HEALTH SECTION of t h e Metropolitan Life
Insurance Co. has issued a 32-page illustrated booklet on sili cosis, with a view to presenting t o manufacturers a brief de scription of the disease, its causes and complications, and a de tailed discussion of measures designed to prevent its occurrence. The booklet discusses the industries and processes using silica, harmfulness of silica dust, symptoms and diagnosis of silicosis, and gives particular attention to preventive measures, including rotective devices. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., N e w r ork, Ν . Υ., is prepared to furnish detailed bibliographies to those interested. Copies of the booklet are available from the com pany on request.
P
VAPOR PRESSURE—A
LOCAL SECTION PUBLICATION
AMONO THE PUBLICATION activities of local sections should be included that of the Petroleum Group of the Oklahoma Section which issues, in mimeographed form, a publication called "Vapor Pressure." H. M . Smith is editor and for three years the news sheet has been circulated with marked assistance in conducting the activity of the group. Vapor Pressure is printed a t the time of each Petroleum Group meeting of the local section and gives an abundance of news, as well a s matters of routine business.
VARIABLE FLOW OF FLUIDS.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Bulletin 44 of the Engineering and Science Series consist? of a 28page article on "Variable Flow of Fluids" by Grant K . Palsgrove and William J. Moreland, Jr. I t presents a method of analysis of variable or unsteady flow of liquids i n pipes or conduits b y direct application of a somewhat new form of the generalized energy equation.
centers having engineering courses is being made by The Meriam Co., 1955 West 112th St., Cleveland, Ohio. The company is prepared to give, free of charge, one of i t s latest type Ciean-Out manometers t o such colleges on request. Copies of its booklet, "The Manometer and Its Uses," will also be sent to any college or individual interested. T h e Clean-Out feature enables the U-tube and i t s aluminum housing t o be readily disconnected from the manometer head s o as t o avoid the need of disturbing the pipe connections when it is desired to replace a broken tube or to remove the dirt and scale deposited by the liquid upon the interior of the tube. A suitable cleaning brush, held by spring clips to the back of the housing, is also provided. As a result of a similar offer in the spring of 1930, 165 standard U-tube manometers were donated, and a number of requests for additional booklets were received. STANDARD T E X T I L E CHEMICAL COMPANY ANNOUNCES INCORPORATION CHARLES W. CARVIN, well-known throwster, h a s announced
the filing of incorporate papers i η the State of N e w York for the Standard Textile Chemical Co., a corporation formed to manu facture and sell chemicals in the textile field. At the outset, the company will concentrate its efforts upon sizing a n d related m a terials. B. L. Hathorne has been developing new sizing products for the new firm for some time and has been retained by the com pany to continue the development of sizing and other products for the textile industry. The new firm has located its plant in Conshohocken, Pa., its office at 450 Seventh Ave., New York, Ν . Υ., and i t s laboratories at 114 East 32nd St., New York, Ν . Υ. MERCURY THERMOREGULATOR T H E AMERICAN INSTRUMENT C O . , 774 Girard St., Washington,
D . C , announces a new sealed-type mercury thermoregulator which may be easily and accurately set at operating tempera ture. T o set this regulator, the bulb is immersed in liquid a t the temperature a t which the regulator is to be set, time is al lowed for the bulb to come to temperature, and the surplus mer cury is spilled off into the side reservoir by a quick tipping motion. B y this simple operation, the regulator is set within 0.02° C . and is ready to operate. The sensitivity is =*=0.01 ° C. or better. The setting is n o t affected by a 20° overshoot in temperature. The device is intended for use with an Aminco supersensitive relay, or any relay that does not use more than 10 milliamperes operating current. T H E H A Y S CORP., Michigan City, Ind., has announced a com plete line of compact electric contact gages for draft, pressure, and differential draft or pressure in ranges between 0.1 and 100 inches water employing the Hays dry type actuating unit. The corporation" has also developed an inexpensive light weight portable combustion test set housed in a sturdy stamped steel case. This set combines the Hays carbon dioxide analyzer and dry type pointer gage, and weighs only 9 pounds. THE
U N I T E D STATES STONEWARE
C O . has appointed
The
Merrill Co., 343 Sansome St., San Francisco, Calif., to represent it in the San Francisco territory.
