Ideas
Exchange C o l u m n
I/EC's f e a t u r e s b r i n g in lots o f f a n m a i l . Readers w a n t i n f o r m a t i o n , a n d they pass a l o n g i d e a s . Ideas Exchange Column is a c a r e f u l screening o f this correspondence. This is not a p l a c e f o r praise or criticism; it is a source o f technical questions a n d their f a c t u a l answers.
Package Plant Costs D E A R SIR :
In [ I / E C 52, No. 12, 64A-65A, December I960)] is an article of special interest "Chemical Package Plant Costs." I wonder if the author, Mr. H. Carl Bauman, American Cyanamid Co., would have additional information covering wider ranges and in particular lower capacities for refrigeration, air conditioning, and other auxiliaries. Reference is made to information on building costs from the October 1960 issue. I wonder if I could have a reprint of that article. L. A. SPENCE, Silicones Div., Union Carbide Corp., Long Reach Plant, P.O. Box 180, Sistersvillc, W. Va. Mr. Bauman's Reply: There is additional information covering wider ranges and lower capacities for refrigeration and air conditioning of other auxiliaries. Enclosed is a reprint of an article "Estimating Costs of Process Plant Auxiliaries," published in [ I / E C , 51, No. 1 (January 1955)]. T h e material in this reprint has been brought up to date and will be published as part of Section 26 of the forthcoming fourth edition of the Chemical Engineers Handbook. Other information will be published in later issues of I / E C . We are also pleased to enclose a reprint of the article entitled "Nonprocess Building Costs," published in the October 1960 Issue of I / E C .
clients of mine in obtaining license rights, etc., for efficient effluent recovery plants. None of the present systems, not even the modern Zahn or the Ruthncr plants, give reallysatisfactory and economical results. Dr.
F. F. JARAY, 6, Sansome
PI.,
Worcester, England. Editor's
Reply
The possibilities for licensing agreements with regard to this process will probably depend on the countries in which your clients want to operate. O u r information indicates that Ionics and the West German firm, Chemische Fabrik Budcnheim, have already negotiated licensing agreements covering the European common market countries. We have no information with regard to licenses in other countries.
Corrosion Inhibitors DEAR SIR:
In connection with the very interesting article [ I / E C 52, No. 7, 53A; domestic cd.,63A (July I960)], I should like you to kindly transfer the following question to the author: In our practice we often work with steel jacketed reactors. The reactors must alternately be heated and cooled, and therefore the jacket charged with steam and afterwards with brine. This practice causes a dangerous corrosion in the jacket. Could you suggest any additive to brine in order to prevent such corrosion? Dr. THEODOR HOFFMAN, 102 Katzenelson Street, Givatayim, Israel.
Acid Recovery
Dr. Bregman's
DEAR S I R :
The steel-jacketed reactor which is charged with steam and afterwards with brine represents a situation which is very difficult to protect by the use of corrosion inhibitors. The steam cycle would be readily susceptible to inhibition by the use of either volatile amines, such as morpholine, or long chain
In [ I / E C 52, No. 5, 20A; domestic ed. 22 A (May I960)] you mention that a company called Ionics Inc., has developed a new method of acid recovery for steel mills. Would it be possible for you please to let me have their address? I am very interested on behalf of
Reply:
film-forming amines such as octadecyl amine. The brine phase, however, is the difficult one. Here the presence of oxygen would minimize most of the protection which is normally obtained by inorganic inhibitors such as sodium hexametaphosphate or organic inhibitors such as the long chain fatty amines, imidazolines, or quaternaries. O n e possible approach is to attempt to minimize the oxygen content by the use of catalyzed sodium sulfite along with one of the above inhibitors in the brine phase. Another approach worth considering is that described in U. S. Patent 2,695,876 by Robert E. Fariss who states that Z n C r 0 4 is an effective inhibitor for brines even in the presence of oxygen and over a range of p H values. A third approach would be to spray the jacket with an inhibitor prior to introduction of the salt water and then to keep an inhibitor concentration in the brine sufficient to maintain the protective film on the wall.
Coal Gas DEAR SIR:
Could you give me the following information relating to the coal gas industry? 1. What is the price of gas produced per cubic meter? 2. Can plastic pipe be used instead of iron pipe? H.
S.
SHIEII,
P.O.
Box
121,
Mac-
Donald College, Quebec, Canada. Reply by O. P. Brysch, Institute of Gas Technology, State and 34th Street, Technology Center, Chicago 16, III.
First, coal gas manufacture as such by carbonization methods has disappeared in the U. S. Since 1950, only minor quantities of surplus coke oven gas are finding sale in city utilities. However, growing demands for energy, especially gas fuels, have prompted continued reVOL. 53, NO. 3
·
MARCH 1961
79 A
IDEAS EXCHANGE COLUMN search a n d d e v e l o p m e n t on various n e w m e t h o d s of g a s p r o d u c t i o n from coal, as a future n a t u r a l gas substi t u t e in t h e U . S. a n d as a c u r r e n t c h e a p e r s u p p l y in E u r o p e . Costs will vary with location, process, and oxygen and labor supply, a n d s o m e a r e m e n tioned in t h e references below.
l a b o r a t o r y i n s t r u m e n t a n d requires the services of a well t r a i n e d tech nician. I t is t h e most sensitive a n a lyzer available c o m m e r c i a l l y t o d a y for t r a c e analyses of m e t a l s a n d is q u i t e r a p i d in use. T h e Mervyn-Harwell square wave p o l a r o g r a p h M a r k I I I is a well built i n s t r u m e n t in t h e British m a n Coal Gas ner. I t is priced a t $15,500 a n d is (1) Andrews, R. Α., Inst. Gas Engrs. supplied by t h e I n s t r u m e n t C o r p . Comm. 503; Gas World 145, 1048-57 of A m e r i c a , 516 G l e n w o o d A v e n u e , 1151-4 (May 1957). B a l t i m o r e 12, M d . (2) Hoyt, H. R., Wilkins, D. M., Bull. Brit. Coal Utilization Research Assoc. 22, 57 I n m y o p i n i o n this is p r i m a r i l y (February 1958). a n i n s t r u m e n t for a research o r g a n i (3) Ibid., p. 54 (March 1958). (4) International Conference on Complete zation r a t h e r t h a n a works l a b o r a Gasification of Mined Coal, INICHAR, tory a n d unless tight c o n t r o l of Liege, Belgium, May 3 8, 1954, Annales large processing throughputs is des Mines Belgique (R. Louis Editions), Techniques et Scientific, 37—39 Rue involved, t h e cost of m o n i t o r i n g w i t h Boirons, Ixelles-Bruxclles, Belgium. such a n i n s t r u m e n t w o u l d p r o b a b l y (5) Katell, S., others, U. S. Bur. Mines, be unjustified. Rept. Invest. 5547, Washington 25, D. G (6) Pyrcioch, E. J., Linden, H. R., INO. F.NG. CIIEM. 52, 590-4, 595-8, 584-9 (July 1960). A Lot of Citric Acid (7) Wood, G F., J. hist. Fuel 31, 55 (Feb ruary 1958). Plastics for Piping Gas (1) Am. Cas J. 187, 49 (September 1960). (2) Croley, L. B., Pipeline News 32, 42 (Mav 1960). (3) Matthews, G., Gas 36, 55 (April 1960). T h e s e references should be avail able at McGill or at Université d e M o n t r e a l . P e r h a p s y o u could get microfilm copies from t h e E n g i n e e r ing Societies L i b r a r y , N e w York.
Cadmium in Zinc Electrolyte DEAR D R . STIRLING:
O u r associated c o m p a n y in P e r u is interested in o b t a i n i n g all availa b l e information o n t h e i n s t r u m e n t used for c o n t i n u o u s l y m o n i t o r i n g t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n of c a d m i u m ions in zinc electrolyte, m e n t i o n e d in y o u r article "Instrumentation Moves A h e a d " [ I / E C 52, N o . 9, 53A ( S e p t e m b e r 1960) J. Could you kindly furnish this information? R I C H A R D P . C L I N C H , Assistant
Pur-
chasing A g e n t , C e r r o D e Pasco Sales C o r p . , 300 P a r k A v e n u e , N e w York 22, Ν . Υ.
Dr. Stirling's
Reply:
T h e i n s t r u m e n t described in t h e I / E C Control Developments column is n o t a c o n t i n u o u s m o n i t o r i n g in s t r u m e n t in t h e on-line sense a t a l l . I t is a n e x t r e m e l y sensitive c o n t r o l 80 A
DEAR SIR:
Please clarify a s t a t e m e n t m a d e in I / E C , 5 3 , N o . 1, 28A ( J a n u a r y 1961), third c o l u m n r e a d i n g " a m o u n t used h e r e averages 0 . 9 % (as citric acid), some 10,000,000 o r so p o u n d s per year." A b o u t o n e half t h e p r o d u c t i o n of this c o m p a n y is citric acid, a n d t h e cigarette p e o p l e a r e t h e i r largest single c u s t o m e r s . T h e 1959 B u r e a u of Census figure for cigarette a n d c o n d e n s e r p a p e r is 49,713 short tons. I c h a l l e n g e t h a t 0 . 9 % e q u a l s 10,000,000 p o u n d s . W o u l d y o u please e x p l a i n t h e sentence in m o r e detail? W I L L I A M E. I R W I N , M a r k e t R e s e a r c h
D i r e c t o r , Miles C h e m i c a l Divi sion, M i l e s L a b o r a t o r i e s , E l k h a r t , Ind.
Editor's
Reply:
Y o u a r e i n d e e d correct in p o i n t i n g o u t t h e fallacy in o u r citric acid t o t a l figure. In manipulating the rather c o m p l i c a t e d factors involved in con verting t h e m i x e d h y d r a t e s of s o d i u m a n d p o t a s s i u m c i t r a t e (to get t h e e q u i v a l e n t citric acid) we lost sight of t h e m a i n objective a n d slipped in a n o d d zero. T h e correct figure s h o u l d , of course, b e 99,426,000 X 0.009 o r r o u g h l y 1 million r a t h e r t h a n 10 million p o u n d s of citric acid.
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Sulfur-Eating Bacteria and Radioactive-Gas Removal DEAR SIR:
A reference w a s m a d e in I / E C 52, N o . 1 1 , 2 9 A ( N o v e m b e r 1960) as follows : Sulfur-gobbling bacteria that oxi dize sulfur-containing materials 8 to 13 times as fast as they would normally oxi dize in air. Their natural habitat is in sulfide minerals, and they may be able to get rid of offensive smells from the smoke stacks of industries and power plants.
Also: A chemical route to radioactive-gas removal from air, developed at Oak Ridge, based on a charcoal filtering sys tem. Exceptionally effective at remov ing radioactive iodine from the atmos phere of nuclear reactor buildings, it represents a major advance in safe operation of nuclear power facilities. W o u l d y o u b e so kind as to refer us to s o m e o n e w h o m i g h t b e a b l e to supply us with m o r e specific information o n t h e above? C. C. G O O D S P E E D , Business M a n a g e r , R e s e a r c h - C o t t r e l l , I n c . , 456 W . U n i o n Ave., B o u n d Brook, N . J.
Editor's
Reply:
T h a n k y o u very m u c h for y o u r letter of D e c e m b e r 5, 1960, requesting m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e items w h i c h a p p e a r e d in I / E C . B o t h of t h e d e v e l o p m e n t s a b o u t w h i c h y o u asked w e r e from p a p e r s p r e s e n t e d before t h e A C S , 138th M e e t i n g . T h e reference to " s u l fur-gobbling b a c t e r i a " is from a p a p e r entitled " T h e E l i m i n a t i o n of Sulfur from C o a l by M i c r o b i a l A c t i o n , " by M . H . Rogoff, M . P . S i l v e r m a n , a n d I. W c n d e r ; U . S. B u r e a u of M i n e s , 4800 Forbes A v e . , P i t t s b u r g h 13, P a . T h e item o n " a c h e m i c a l r o u t e t o r a d i o a c t i v e gas r e m o v a l from a i r " is from a n o t h e r p a p e r , " R e m o v a l of R a d i o a c t i v e I o d i n e V a p o r from A i r S t r e a m s , " by R o b e r t E. A d a m s a n d W i l l i a m E. B r o w n i n g , J r . ; R e a c t o r C h e m i s t r y Division, O a k R i d g e N a tional L a b o r a t o r y , P . O . Box X , O a k Ridge, Tenn. A c c o r d i n g to o u r information, n e i t h e r of these p a p e r s h a s b e e n p u b lished a n d w e suggest t h a t y o u m a y w a n t to c o n t a c t t h e a u t h o r s for specific details a b o u t their work.
