i Tantalum, metal of prime strategic importance, grew up in World War It. Mare than 1.5 million pounds i s mwilable and a second producer has begun operation.
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The answer to a process equipment designer's prayer in . many respects is the subject of this month's staff-industry report. Tantalum can withntand temperatures up to 3ooo" C., is highly resistant to acids, and is easy to work. Because tantah.un is 80 extensively wed in chemical processing equipment, and bxause AI Hester, Aeaociste Editor in our Chicago office,was 80 impressed when he was writing a news story on the expansion program of the Famteel Metallurgical Corpore tion, here we are with Fansteel's manufacturing story, from ore concentrate to liniihed ingot. (Fsnsteel is a fahricator, too, of all
Platinum and Rhodium Refining: Butler has developed an ion exchange method simpler, leu timeconsuming, and cheaper than conventional means. A ceramic fiber that will withstand temperatures up to 2000" F. provided the springboard for high temperature dust flltration studies b y First and coworkers. Long service life and extremely high removal efficiency in the particular 'problem studied indicate that the performance data will be useful in other hiah temoerature gas filtration proilems.'. Acrivor sham how a mathematical technique, Iha method of charaderistics, can be employed to salve numerically a large number of important chemical engineering prablems, in mass and heat transfer, with chemical reaction, in a packed bed.
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the types and shape8 in which tantalum is sold, hut we stopped our story with the end of the chemical processing.) Hester didn't get to write the story hiaself, because he wae tied up with the Tuscoh story in last month's issue. The honors go to Chester Placek, Chicago Assitant Editor, his colhhorator, Don Taylor, and to AUan Percy of Fansteel's public relations department, who gave some great hehmd-theecenes help. Fansteel, incidentally, is the r e d pioneer in commercial tantalum production, and Don Taylor did a monumental piece of basic corrosion research work on tantalum. Fansteel u ~ e aa refinement of the p r o m developed by Balke in 1922 and obtains most of ita raw material today from the Belgian Congo.
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