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trendsletter TO
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• Space flights boost cesium
• ORINS offers n e w research program
• Accurate mass flowmeter for gases
• Sun Oil ups propylene capacity
IN STORE FOR TOMORROW Cesium is headed for outer space, and U. S. production will blast off to new heights, too. Current cesium output is only a few hundred pounds annually, but ion propulsion systems are expected to consume a million pounds per year four years from now, and four million pounds in 1970. In the ion engine, cesium is vaporized in a boiler and diffused through a heated, porous tungsten plate. Tungsten captures electrons from cesium atoms, and positively charged cesium ions are accelerated to 300,000 miles per hour by an electric field. Ion stream is exhausted through a nozzle. Although not usable in Earth's atmosphere, in outer space 1 pound of cesium theoretically would propel a vehicle 140 times as far as the burning of the same amount of any known liquid or solid. Timetable for the first ion-propulsion test flight—originally scheduled for 1963—has been stepped up, and it may take place next year. Also receiving immediate attention is use of cesium (in form of the perchlorate) as an oxygen carrier for solid fuel rockets. The drive is on toput up a 10-ton U. S. space vehicle within a year and a half, using solid fuels. And, forecasters see big cesium potential in thermionic devices (already experimentally successful in converting heat to electricity through cesium plasma) predicted for commercial use by 1970. Carpets of the future will collect and store energy from the sun to heat homes, according to an American Cyanamid scientist. Carpets will include fine-wire heating elements, woven into fabric and leading to a battery of silicon photo-voltaic cells on a window sill or roof. Rays of the sun will activate the cells, producing electricity for direct passage through the carpet or for collection in a storage battery to provide power-heat at any desired rate. Quicker, cheaper production of nuclear fuel rods and reactor control rods should result from a vibratory compaction method developed by General Electric's Atomic Power Equipment Dept. Powdered uranium oxide fuel or boron carbide is compacted in a tube to 90% of theoretical density in a few minutes by sound vibrations. Present standard methodfilling tube with small uranium oxide pellets made to exacting specifications—is effective, but slower and more costly than vibratory compaction. New process also permits use of thin-walled tubes, allowing more fuel in a given outside diameter and giving better neutron economy. Ionics, Inc., got a government research contract to study electrical removal of industrial and household pollution from sewage waste water to make it suitable for re-use. Ion exchange membranes in electrodialysis cells could effectively double the nation's available water supplies if the process is perfected. Ionics plans to build a small pilot plant to recover water from the secondary effluent of a municipal sewage treatment plant during final stages of the experimental program. This will enable cost estimates for plants to treat 10 to 100 million gallons per day. VOL. 53, NO. 11 ·
NOVEMBER 1961
17 A
trendsletter
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NEW IDEAS YOU CAN USE TODAY Automatic operation changes Thermvent ventilators to suit the weather. Factory—set thermostat closes movable louvers in cold weather to prevent heat loss; opens them when temperatures warm up to allow air circulation. Units are complete —require no electrical connections—and come in seven standard models from foundation to roof louver types. Ventilators are made of heavy—gage aluminum sheet. An accurate mass flowmeter developed for transcontinental natural gas pipelines may answer other gas flow metering needs. Importance of eliminating even small errors where trillions of cubic feet of gas are handled led Daniel Orifice Fitting Co. to sponsor a project at Stanford Research Institute. Result: a new gage that compares gas flow velocity in a pipe with controlled velocity of a specially-designed cylinder rotating perpendicular to the flow. An orifice gage gives the product of density and velocity squared. Once velocity is determined, density can be derived, and mass flow rate is calculated. Prototype gage gives its reading directly as mass flow rate. ON THE PERSONAL SIDE University scientists can now spend from three months to a year conducting research in the extensive government facilities at Oak Ridge, Tenn., while retaining their academic positions and drawing their regular salaries. New program is administered for the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission by the University Relations Division of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies. Projects—carried out primarily at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—cover broad range of scientific fields. Deadline for 1962 appointment applications is December 15, 1961. Information is available from ORINS Research Participation Office, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, Tenn. College recruiters still have problems, it seems. Recent figures show recruiting costs per man hired range from as little as $500 to as much as $5000. Ratio of campus interviews to men hired runs about thirty to one. Some candidates still submit exorbitant expense accounts and one company tells them in advance what it will and will not pay. AT THE CORPORATE LEVEL Electric Storage Battery Co. is making another move in fuel cells. Exide Div. has been working with equipment makers on fuel cell-powered electric industrial trucks (I/EC, July 1960, p. 21 A). Now, Electric Storage Battery has agreed with Sun Oil to swap research data and co operate in future fuel cell developments. Sun has conducted independent research in catalyst systems for fuel cells. Metal & Thermit will merge with Udylite Corp. upon completion of formal agreements by both boards of directors and approval of stock holders. Udylite, maker of metal finishing equipment and materials, will continue under present management as a division of Metal & Thermit. M & Τ already has diverse operations- chemicals, coatings, minerals, chrome-plating processes and materials, welding and detinning. Enjay Chemical and J. P. Stevens are purchasing the operating assets and facilities of National Plastic Products. New jointly—owned company will continue the National Plastic name and management. Enjay, chemical marketing division of Humble Oil & Refining, will combine its synthetic polymer know-how with Stevens' knowledge of synthetic fiber textiles and National Plastic's operating experience in making fibers. Goal: to accelerate commercial development of polypropylene textile fibers and other new fibers. 18 A
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
WHO'S EXPANDING, WHERE AND WHY Sun Oil will boost production of propylene at Marcus Hook, Pa., by 150% with expansion of facilities to 180 million pounds-per-year design capacity. This will make Sun's total output of propylene 300 million pounds annually, to put Sun at the top of the list of U. S. commercial producers. $2.2 million project is scheduled for operation during second quarter of 1962. Full design capacity will be reached after completion of a $14 million catalytic cracking unit in October, 1962. In the meantime. Union Carbide is introducing initial quantities of slotcast and bi-oriented polypropylene film to the market. Film will come from Wayne, N. J., facilities, where new processing lines are expected on stream about mid-1962. More nitrogen fertilizer materials for the Midwest will come from Monsanto's 200 ton—per—day ammonia plant at Muscatine, Iowa. Plant will be adjacent to new anhydrous ammonia terminal on the Mississippi River and will be completed in the fall of 1962 Two Air Reduction divisions are expanding their air separation facilities. Air Reduction Sales Co. is building a plant to produce more than 250 tons per day of high purity oxygen at Huron, Ohio, for Du Pont's new methanol facility. Airco's $3-million plant will pipe oxygen to the Du Pont site where it will be used to make methanol synthesis gas. Some nitrogen will also be used by Du Pont. The air separation unit is due on stream in late 1962. And, Air Reduction Pacific Co. is doubling its air separation plant at Richmond, Calif., to give 200 tons per day output of liquid oxygen, nitrogen, and argon. Liquid nitrogen will be the primary product. Completion is scheduled for March 1962. Production will go to electronics, food, chemical, and aerospace industries. Contract to design, engineer, and build California Oil's 30 million pounds-per—year phthalic anhydride plant at Perth Amboy, N. J., went to Badger. California Oil will operate the plant for Oronite Division of California Chemical when completed in the fall of 1962. Design is based on California Research Corp.'s fixed bed process for making phthalic by oxidation of ortho-xylene. Fluor Corp. is handling engineering, purchasing, and construction of Mobil Chemical's benzene extraction facilities at Beaumont, Tex. Completion is set for February 1962. Crawford & Russell, Inc., of Stamford, Conn., landed the contract for Tenneco Chemical's planned 200 million pound-per-year vinyl chloride monomer plant. Monomer plant is part of a new petrochemical complex Tenneco will build on the Houston Ship Channel. And American Potash & Chemical will make titanium dioxide in a new plant near Mojave, Calif., to be designed by C. F. Braun and Co. First source of titanium dioxide west of the Mississippi, it will serve requirements of the paint, paper, rubber, plastics, floor covering, and other industries. Process information for the new operation is furnished by Laporte Titanium, Ltd. American Viscose will build a new plant at Newark, Del., to produce additional quantities of Avicel, the firm's new microcrystalline cellulose for use in preparing calorie—controlled and convenience foods. First unit of multimillion pound Avicel plant will start up in January. Semicommercial facilities are already operating. A major plant expansion at Oroville, Calif., will enable Koppers to go into commercial production with its new Cellon process for the pressure—treatment of wood. Process utilizes liquefied petroleum gas in a pressure vessel to deposit preservative chemicals in the fibers of wood. Experimental results look good, and Koppers plans to turn out treated poles, crossarms, and other wood products by March. VOL. 53, NO. 11
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NOVEMBER 1961
19 A
