INDUSTRY 8c BUSINESS
Harbison-Walker Opens N e w Lab Refractories maker sets up research cenfer near ritfsb u r g k ; part of research aimed a t specialties JHLARBISON-WALKER,
the
refractories
maker, has opened a $2 million research center near Pittsburgh. Called the Garber Research Center, it gives the firm about four times the research space it h a d before. Previously, it d i d research at its H a y s Works, also near Pittsburgh. At the opening, H-W researchers talked about t h e company's newest product—Coralite 3 - 5 9 - a refractory brick useful in aluminum metallurgy. N e w alloying ingredients are so corrosive that they -penetrate and corrode standard refractory bricks, greatly reduce the life of aluminum melting furnaces. However, Coralite—80% alumina with undisclosed chemicals added —makes a furnace almost repellent to the metal bath, H - W says. Two main buildings comprise the working area, 4 5 , 0 0 0 square feet. One building houses administrative offices and analytical labs for both dry and wet analyses; t h e other contains the pilot plant for product research and development. T h e buildings stand on a site that allows for 100% expansion. And already t h e company is adding more space.
Refractories, usually looked upon a s materials t o resist high temperature, must buck other damaging factors. High loads, abrasion, a n d corrosion are some. Thus, work at t h e center will point to overcoming such drawbacks. One of the busiest sections of t h e center is t h e minerals identification lab. Here, analysts constantly look for changes that materials undergo due to heat, corrosion, and th e like. A bevy of instruments, many sparkling new, d o the job. Among them: microscopes for studies with transmitted and reflected light, emission and x-ray spectrographs, and an x-ray diffractometer. The chemistry lab and photographic facilities round out the section. H-W is putting a good part of its research time into refractory specialt s— mortar, concretes, a n d plasticized mixtures. They find u s e in forming hearths, lining walls, and repairing worn spots in industrial furnaces. Annual growth rate for specialties is faster than that for bricks. In a move to strengthen its place in specialties, the company will open a plant later this year a t its Fulton, Mo., works.
HOT SHOT. L o a d test furnaces often subject refractories to higher temperatures than those occurring in actual serv-
CLOSE LOOK· The metallographic microscope provides a w a y t o examine under high magnification t h e changes that take place i n refractories after extended periods of furnace u s e
ice. Harbison-Walker is constantly trying to refine kiln performance, has driven testing temperatures higher and higher JUNE
15,
1959
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INDUSTRY & BUSINESS ample is the aluminum industry in the Ohio Valley. Here, power generated to produce aluminum requires about 7 tons of coal for every ton of aluminum produced, Salvati says. With U. S. population rapidly swelling, there will be other opportunities to develop new markets.
Home Aluminum Growing
Dynamitron Cuts Irradiation Costs This beam tube and rectifier assembly are part of an electron accelerator unit from Radiation Dynamics, Westbury, Ν. Υ. Dubbed Dynamitron, the units are available to industry for in-adiation purposes, come in power levels up to 15 kw. Irradiation costs using the Dynamitron are about one third those of other methods, according to the company.
Coal Outlook Good Coal has a sound future. During tile next Aive years, electric utilities will continue as its biggest outlet, and steel •will be a bigger customer. But the coal industry does have problems. These were some of the observations made by Baymond E. Salvati, president of Is land Creek Coal, during a panel dis cussion o n the nation's energy outlook for the next Rve to 10 years. The event was part of the Natinnnl C^oal Associa tion's 42nd anniversary convention, held in Washington, D . C. Salvati names as one problem the effect of imported residual oil on East Coast markets. Federal restriction placed on this foreign fuel is of some help, he says, but it only reduces these imports to the 1957 level. At that time, residual oil had already damaged the coal industry. Says Salvati, "The coal industry must preserve the principle of making America dependent on its own fuel supply, not on foreign resources." Another of coal's problems: dump ing of natural gas in the industrial boiler fuel market. This practice squanders an important natural resource, says Salvati. It injures both coal and gas in their natural markets, and usually results in higher gas prices for the 26
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household consumer, he adds. Here again, Salvati warns the coal industry to work for a government policy that would s too the practice. Since 1946, coal markets have been slipping. Railroads are no longer big coal customers. Retail deliveries have plummeted. The use of coal for in dustrial steam has fallen off. Between 1946 and 1958, the nation's energy re quirements have risen 22%, but coal lost ground nevertheless; demand for bituminous coal fell off .27% during the period. Stacked up against other energy sources, the situation looks like this:
Bituminous coal Anthracite coal Petroleum products Natural gas Hydro power Source:
Per Cent of U.S. Energy 1946 1958 55.7 33.3 5.8 1.8 20.7 26.9 11.6 32.1 6.2 5.9
National C o a l Association.
On the bright side of the ledger, Salvati estimates a total coal demand of 50O million tons in 1963. And, he says, "this is a sound, conservative fore cast, representing a respectable increase over production in 1958." There are new markets opening up, too; one ex-
The use of aluminum in residential construction and building will rise from 492 million pounds in 1958 to 910 mil lion pounds in 1965. This prediction comes from Kaiser Aluminum, which has just launched a broad marketing and development program. A Wash ington, D. C , builder, working with Kaiser, is now showing a model home— which uses aluminum extensively—as the prototype for a planned develop ment of more than 100 homes. Alcoa, which began pushing a model home in 1957, says National Homes Corp. now offers a complete line of homes that use 2000 pounds of alu minum per unit. Reynolds Metals started a pilot project in Detroit in late 1957, expanded it to six other cities in 1958, and expects to have its proto type homes in 160 different housing projects by year's end; 40 such homes have already been built.
ί Synthetic rubber production in the
U. S. reached 2,2 billion pounds last year—down 6.4% from 1957, according to the U. S. Tariff Commission's pre liminary report on production and sales of elastomers. The report adds that sales declined, too, totaling 2.0 billion pounds compared with 2.1 billion in 1957. • Bridgeport Brass will "manage" Mallory-Sharon Metals, major pro ducer of titanum and other refractory metals, under terms of a five-year con tract. Bridgeport also gets an option to buy an interest in the company; this would divide ownership evenly among four controlling firms (P. R. Mallory, Sharon Steel, and National Distillers & Chemical are present owners). M-S apparently feels that the move can secure its position in exotic metals. • Alcoa reactivates a 12,000 ton-a-year potline at Alcoa, Tenn., raising alu minum smelting production there by 107c In recent weeks, the company
INDUSTRY & BUSINESS has restarted idle facilities in Point I Comfort, T e x . , a n d V a n c o u v e r , Wash. * « . S. N w d e a r C o r p . , Burbank, Calif, j is a n e w c o m p a n y f o r m e d t o serve) isotope users. Products i n c l u d e alpha, b e t a , g a m m a , a n d neutron sources; in dustrial tracers; h a n d l i n g a n d shielding equipment. S o m e services: consult ing, d e c o n t a m i n a t i n g , a n a l y z i n g , train ing.
IS T
IS THERE AN IDEA
FOR YOU?
• G l e n s Falls P o r t l a n d C e m e n t C o / s stockholders a p p r o v e a proposal for acquisition b y F l i n t k o t e (C&EN, M a y 11, p a g e 3 0 ) . E x p e c t e d to become final this week, t h e acquisition marks Flintkote's 10th since 1 9 5 6 . • A t o m i c s I n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d English Electric C o . , Ltd., a g r e e to provide mu tual assistance in the t e c h n o l o g y o f or g a n i c nuclear p o w e r reactors. The
Process Industries Trends B Y - P R O D U C T COKE
CAR ι ONS treated for slip resistance with "Ludox" are easier and safer to ship and.store... permit mechanized handling that cuts costs.
Million* of Short Tons
March.
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B I T U M I N O U S COAL Production Millions of Short Tons
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PHOTOMICROGRAPH (50.000 x) shows discrete particles of "Ludox". Each par ticle is a clear, hard, transparent sphere. Surface area is approximately 210 sq. meters per gram.
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W h a t can you do w i t h a n a q u e o u s sol of col loidal silica—particle s i z e 15 niiïîimicrons— t h a t dries i n t o insoluble silica films? S o m e c h e m i s t s find " L u d o x " useful i n increasing t h e surface friction a n d slip resista n c e o f fibers, paper, a n d o t h e r substrates. I t forms strongly a d h e r e n t films o n t h e surfaces . . . is s o finely d i v i d e d t h e r e is n o perc e p t i b l e c h a n g e in surface appearance. Others use " L u d o x " a s a b i n d e r for h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e fiber insulation m a t e r i a l s , bec a u s e the surface-active particles of " L u d o x " b o n d well t o a l u m i n u m silicate a n d other glass fibers . . . provide excellent t h e r m a l resistance. S t i l l others add " L u d o x " t o water-soluble or dispersible organic polymers s u c h as sizes, binders and rubber. T h e great surface area of t h e m a n y small particles p r o v i d e s reinforcing action contributing t o hardness, stiffness, adhesiveness, and w e t abrasion resistance. Y o u r use for D u P o n t " L u d o x " m a y be o n e o f these, or a n e w profitable use tailored t o y o u r o w n n e e d s . B e sure t o e v a l u a t e " L u d o x " in t e r m s of y o u r own d e v e l o p m e n t work! Just write address given b e l o w for more information.
^ W r i t e now for this free 20-page booklet describing the properties and uses of "Ludox". E. I. do Pont de Nemours & Co. (Inc.), Grasselli Chemicals Dept., N-2543, Wilmington 98, Del.
-
f S. PAT. Off
BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER L I V I N G .
THROUGH CHEMISTRY JUNE
15,
1959
C&EN
27
COORS U.S.A.
GOOCH
CRUCIBLES S p e c i a l d e e p form G o o c h Crucible especially suitable for d e t e r m i n a t i o n of gra p h i t i c carbon i n iron b y combustion.
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β
Diaxn. mm
Height mm
List Price Each
16 19 22
50 50 50
1.43 1.71 2.04
agreement involves the manufacture of reactors and reactor parts by both firms, the exchange of technical advisory serv ices, and the training of English Electric personnel. >Schutte a n d Koerting, Cornwells Heights, Pa., acquires a majority inter est in Whitlock Mfg. Co., West Hart ford, Conn. Schutte and Koerting's products include jet apparatus, rotam eters, pumps, and heat transfer ap paratus; Whitlock manufactures heat exchangers, heaters, and coolers. ί Smith-Douglass is working out a merger with Smith Agricultural Chemi cal Co. to strengthen its position in midwestern fertilizer markets. Smith Agricultural, with plants in Ohio, Indi ana, and Michigan, has annual sales of about $10 million. Merger terms must still be approved b y stockholders of both firms.
CRUCIBLE N O 29Î Size
INDUSTRY & BUSINESS
Discounts in Package Quantities
New Facilities · · · COORS
PORCELAIN
COMPANY
• Permanent Filter Corp. breaks ground at Oxnard, Calif., for a $1.25 million plant and office headquarters. The company will consolidate manu facturing, research and develop ment, and offices in the n e w facilities. Per manent makes equipment for filtering fuels, hydraulic fluids, gases, and other liquids.
GOLDEN, COLORADO
NEW, HEVI-DUTY
CiRC-O-THERM OVEN HIGH PERFORMANCE (Temperatures to 250° C.) PLUS MODERN STYLING!
• Quaker State Oil Refining is expand ing its refinery at Farmers Valley, Pa. Company says the expansion results from increased foreign demand for wax and proximity of the plant to the sea way port of Buffalo. N e w construction costing $400,000 will up total output by about 18%.
Improved Temperature Uniformity . . . " C i r c l e - o f - h e a t " design delivers uniform temperatures t h r o u g h o u t chamber. N o cold corners. V a r i a t i o n s held w i t h i n
i°c Low-Cost Operation . . . o n either 1 1 5 o r 2 3 0 volts. P o w e r selector s w i t c h permits high i n p u t t o the enclosed Cex'Mosion-TooF^ heating elements. Four strategically located heaters give uniform heat d i s t r i b u t i o n , no hot spots. Durable D o u b l e - W a l l Construction . . . Steel c u t e r shell, finished in neutral hammertone green. C y l i n d r i c a l design w i t h stands accidental bumps. Non-deteriorati n g fireproof insulation keeps exterior c o o l . D o u b l e - w a l l e a , full insulated d o o r . Fast H e a t - U p . . . assured b y " C i r c l e - o f h e a t " design. A l l inner surfaces of heâtconducting aluminum for temperature uniformity. Temperature can b e raised from " r o o m " to 2 0 0 ° C . i n less than o n e hour.
Temperature Control . . . by sensitive b u l b type thermostat, U L a p p r o v e d . M e r c u r y filled thermometer w i t h magnified centigrade scale f o r easy reading. N e o n p i l o t light indicates p o w e r on o r o f f . Ventilation . . . Bottom port a l l o w s fresh air intake. T o p exhaust port adjustable. Hevi-Duty Laboratory Oven, Η Κ 1 5 " diameter, 1 3 " deep work chamber * Over-all dimensions, 2 0 " w i d e , 1 8 " deep, 23"" hiah · 1 "Ί 5 or 2 3 0 volts A C , 6 0 cycles, rated 600 watts · Three-wire, rubber-coated cord end plug, w i t h adap ter for conventional outlets · Three perforated aluminum shelves removable for easy cleaning · Rubber legs to eltmmate slipping and scratching.
Cat. N o . C - 8 0 0 0 0
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STANDARD SCIENTIFIC 8 08 BROADWAY N E W Y O R K 3 , Ν . Υ;
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C&EN
JUNE
15,
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$169.00
• Glidden is planning to build a $ 2 million central laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio. The lab will assist other Glidden labs, also conduct basic research a n d development in new areas. • Americcn Industrial Chemical Co., a division of Amerace Corp., is producing synthetic magnesium silicate from a new plant at Butler, N. J. AICCO also makes hydro gel, silica gel, and other silicates. • General Tire & Rubber's Textileather division is planning to increase produc tion of vinyl products at Toledo, Ohio. Cost: $1 million. • Bright Star Industries, maker of dry batteries and flashlights, is doubling its
CHEMICALS OUTLOOK
June, 1959
This news bulletin about Wyandotte Chemicals services, products, and their applications, is published to help keep you posted. Perhaps you will want to route these and subsequent facts to interested members of your organization. Additional information and trial quantities of Wyandotte products are available upon request . . . may we serve you?
RIGID URETHANE FOAMS FROM WYANDOTTE POLYOLS
Rigid urethane foams of superior properties are being produced with polyethers from Wyandotte. These foams are readily prepared using a semi—prepolpier, and are generally foamed— in—place. They have exceptional insulation properties (low "K" factor), a high percentage of closed cells, low water absorption, and good strength. Foams of a two—pound density are dimensionally stable from 0°F. to 160°F. at 100% relative humidity, and show no distortion when held at 250°F. under moderate load. Densities can be varied with ease over a wide range from one pound per cubic foot to much higher densities. These properties suggest use in thermal insulation, especially refriger tors and insulated vehicles; in the manufacture of building panels; as a shock-absorbing packaging material; in marine use Tor buoyancy; and a host of other applications. The outstanding Wyandotte polyether for these rigid foams is Pluracol* TP 440, a polyether triol of relatively low viscosity. Prepolymers prepared from this Pluracol are stable in storage and easy to handle due to low viscosities. Wyandotte Qiaadrol·*- polyol serves as the cross-linking agent in the preparation of these rigid foams, as the sole catalyst, and as a solvent for the fluorocarbon blowing agent. Since Quadrol is such a good solvent for the fluorocarbon, it is a simple matter to prepare solutions that will yield foams covering a wide range of densities.
RESEARCH PAPER ON URETHANE COATINGS PRESENTED
A paper, "Polyether Polyols in Urethane Coatings," by Wyandotte Researchers A. Damusis, J. M. McClellari, and K. C. Frisch, was presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in Boston. The paper described recent work on specially designed polyethers which, when reacted with organic is^cyanates, form urethane coatings. Technical information on the preparation of these coatings and samples of the polyethers are available now. For further information on materials for either urethane coatings or rigid foams, address your inquiry to Department CO. *REG. TJ.S. PAT. OFF.
CHEMICALS WYANDOTTE CHEMICALS CORPORATION WYANDOTTE, MICHIGAN · OFFICES IN PRINCIPAL CITIES SODA ASH GLYCOLS
· ·
CAUSTIC SODA
·
BICARBONATE OF SODA ·
SYNTHETIC DETERGENTS (anionic and nonionic) ·
PROPYLENE DlCHLORfDE
·
POLYPROPYLENE GLYCOL
·
CALCIUM CAFBOMATE SODIUM CMC
·
CALCIUM CHLORIDE
· ETHYLENE OXIDE
DICHLORODIMETHYLHYDANTOIN
·
·
CHLORINE
·
MURIATIC ACID
ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE
·
·
POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL ·
CHLORINATED SOLVENTS
·
·
HYDROGEN
·
DRY ICE
PROPYLENE OXIDE
OTHER ORGANIC AND INORGANIC CHEMICALS
INDUSTRY & BUSINESS
Handling and Uses of the Alkali Metals N u m b e r 19 i n A d v a n c e s in C h e m i s t r y Series Introductory Remarks Recovery of Lithium from Complex Silicates Some Practical Aspects of Handling Lithium Metal Uses of Lithium Metal Lithium and Other Alkali Metal Polymerization Catalysts Binary System Sodium-Lithium Sodium Handling at Argonne National Laboratory Sodium Handling Equipment Recleaning Sodium Heat Transfer Systems Corrosion Resistance of Metals and Alloys to Sodium and Lithium Evaluation of the Sodium-Water Reaction in Heat Transfer Systems Manufacture, Handling, and Uses of Sodium Hydride Sodium Peroxide Production Story Preparation of Sodium Superoxide Preparation of Metal Powders by Sodium Reduction Present and Potential Uses of Sodium in Metallurgy Reactions of Sodium with Organic Compounds Determination of Sodium Monoxide in Sodium Manufacture of Potassium and SodiumPotassium Alloys Manufacture and Use of Potassium Superoxide 184 p a g e s — p a p e r b o u n d — $4.75 per copy order
from:
Special Issues Sales American Chemical Society 1155 Sixteenth Street, N.W. Washington 6, U.C.
30
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19 5 9
i Europe Joins World Butyl Makers Europe's first butyl rubber plant is this SOCABU (Société Caoutchouc Butyl) operation at Port Jerome, France. Now producing about 20,000 tons annually, SOCABU expects to market about one half of its production locally in France (mostly for automobile tires), the rest in western Europe. The new butyl plant was engineered by Compagnia Technica Industrie Petroli and C. F. Braun Co. World's other butyl plants are Esso's at Baton Rouge, La.; Humble's at Bay town, Tex.; and Polymer's at Sarnia, Canada.
output of electrolytic manganese dioxide. The new unit will adjoin the present plant at Clifton, N. J. • Hagan Chemicals & Controls will build a $250,000 addition to its research facilities near Pittsburgh, Pa. Completion is slated for early fall.
Financial! · · · • N o w listed on the American Stock Exchange are Imperial Color Chemical & Paper Co. (symbol: ICC) and Anken Chemical & Film Corp. (symbol: A K N ) . • Mansfield Tire shareholders have authorized a two-for-one split of the company's common stock. Quarterly dividend on the new shares will be 20 cents; the company had previously been paying 35 cents a share quarterly on the old stock. Another dividend increase finds Sieberling Rubber declaring a 25-cent quarterly payment, up from 20 cents earlier this year and 15 cents in 1958.
• Aerojet-General plans to sell 175,000 shares of its common stock to the public. It plans to use the money raised to repay $14 million of advances received from General Tire to carry larger inventories and receivables. The company is also negotiating to buy a plant in Southern California for $.4.7 million. • Carter Products hiked sales to $48.1 million, up 1 3 ^ from its previous year, for the fiscal year ended March 31. Profits of $7.0 million equaled $2.72 a share compared with $2.18 in fiscal 1958. • Schering is "studying" ways to diversify its product line, according to vice president Mortimer Fox, Jr., both through products of its own research and through acquisitions. At present, steroid products account for about a quarter of the company's $75 million sales. Fox told the Washington Society of Investment Analysts. H e estimates that Schering products account for about 20 f < of the $95 million corticosteroid markets.
