Management of Research Cooperative Chemical Engineering Research in the University D. B. KEYES Chemical Engineering Division, Engineering Experiment Station, University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill.
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OOPERATION between industries and universities, particularly in fundamental research work, is very desirable. This is especially true in the chemical engineering field. Few universities have sufficient funds to construct large-scale equipment for chemical engineering studies. Few industries, on the other hand, are equipped to undertake fundamental work which is so vital in the develop ment of new processes and in the solving of major difficulties. The primary mistake that has been made in the past has been that the industries have forced upon the university the type of problem which is not fundamental in nature and which may be classed under the head of commercial research. These problems usually involve some minor difficulty in a particular plant. The industrial concern naturally desires secrecy and absolute patent protection. The university in such cases receives very little for its efforts. The primary products of research in the university are scientific and technical papers. Experience has clearly shown that the only cooperative problems between industry and the university which are mutually satisfactory are those problems that the university research workers are well adapted to undertake and problems whose very nature are such that, upon publication of the results, will attract interest and respect on the part of a great many people. The question of patent rights has never been satisfactorily solved. The cooperating agent feels that it is entitled to at least a share of all patent rights which bear directly upon the problem which it has supported. This seems to be a reasonable attitude. The university, on the other hand, is quite often supported by the public and realizes its obligations as a public institution. It is therefore reluctant to permit a single concern or group of concerns to acquire a patent monopoly which has been developed largely within the university’s laboratories. The present tendency seems to be to organize a separate corporation with a board of directors consisting of members of the university administration and alumni actively interested in the scientific work of the university. The university itself is not equipped to deal with patents. A separate organization as indicated above should prove much more satisfactory in developing any patent situation, whether in selling shop rights or the actual patents. The tremendous expense incurred in patent application, prosecytion, and litigation makes it absolutely necessary to have sufficient funds to carry on this work. Further, it necessitates not only adequate lawyers but also men whose knowledge of science and patent law is sufficient for them to act as liaison officers between research workers and patent lawyers. This point cannot be overemphasized. Many valuable patent situations have failed to develop in industry because there was no one who was in a position to act as a go-between for the two parties. This is even more true in the university. Granted that the university has associated with it men who have the knowledge and ability to select as cooperative proj-
ects only those fundamental problems which can be adequately handled in the university laboratory, and that the university administration has decided upon a practical operating policy for the handling of patent situations, i t then becomes necessary to consider the proper research staff,
PROPER RESEARCHSTAFF Experience has clearly shown that important fundamental cooperative problems cannot be handled by the teaching staff without additional skilled help. I n other words, the normal university professor, especially in chemical engineering, is already carrying on the maximum amount of research with the assistance of graduate students, and it is impossible for him to undertake further problems successfully, especially those of an extensive nature, by merely adding one or more graduate assistants to his staff. If he is to be successful, he is forced to drop some of the research which he is already directing; he is usually rather reluctant to do this. The situation can be solved, however, by adding to the staff well-trained experienced research men who have already shown ability as research investigators in the industry. At the University of Illinois, men have been selected who have their doctors’ degrees in physical chemistry and several years experience in some industry. We have found that usually the doctor’s degree in physical chemistry has given the broadest possible training. We have deliberately selected for a particular cooperative research, project investfigatom without previous experience along the lines of that problem. It has been found that this fresh viewpoint, coupled with a broad general knowledge of chemistry, physics, and mathematics, has been very desirable in undertaking these fundamental problems. It has been mentioned by a great many research directors that training, experience, and the ability to get results are not the sole desirable characteristics; the statement is doubtless correct. However, knowledge and ability to obtain results in research are the most desirable characteristics that an investigator can have for this type of work. It is true, of course, that under this system it is necessary for the investigator to handle the problem largely by himself. He receives aid, however, from the research director whenever he desires it and especially when major difficulties present themselves. It has also been found desirable that he should handle the finances of the undertaking, with the privilege of hiring help to the extent of his budget and selecting what equipment and supplies he wishes. The research director is responsible for the research program and the expenditures, and therefore must have an intimate contact with the work a t all times. ADVANTAGES OF
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH
It has been possible under this system to carry on considerable research and have only one research director. These research experts become members of the regular staff of the university, receiving eventually the title of research professor. They contribute much to the reputation of the uni-
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versity not only through the medium of publications but also by offering financial aid to graduate and undergraduate students in the form of research assistantships. It is thus possible to increase the number of desirable students in the graduate school. These cooperative investigations have contributed to the university in still other ways. For example, many pieces of permanent equipment must be purchased for these investigations that are used only for a short while and are then left to the regular university workers to do with as they see fit. Sometimes adequate space for a special investigation is not available. The cooperating agent has provided Fufficient funds to erect a small temporary building for this particular purpose. This has permitted the men working on the investigation to have an almost ideal laboratory for the particular problem. A great many investigations are hazardous owing to high pressure or toxic fumes. The small temporary building has answered very well the problem of housing in these special cases. It has been pleasant from the research worker’s standpoint to have a room in which he can drive all the nails he desires, cut holes in the walls, and tear out a section of the roof if necessary. Only those who have worked in institutional buildings built for permanency can appreciate the real pleasure of such privileges. Most of all, these cooperative investigations have contributed much to both the cooperating agent and the university by bringing into intimate contact the staff of the university and the staff of the industry. Such contact is bound to be beneficial to all concerned; the exchange of ideas and the appreciation of each other’s viewpoint does much to advance both the institution of learning and the industry and to create a feeling of good fellowship between hoth.
EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL COOPERATIVE TXVESTIGATIOS The problem of embrittlement of boiler plate has been worked on for many years a t the University of Illinois and in recent years as a cooperative investigation between the University and the Public Ctilities of Chicago. The exact cause of this emhrittlement has never been found. It has heen shown conclusively, however, that it is produced by the concentration of sodium hydroxide solutions within the seams of a boiler in areas that are under great strain. The solution of the problem is relatively simple. It is necessary only to place in the boiler water some substance that will precipitate as an insoluble salt within these seams, thus preventing the concentration of the sodium hydroxide in the same area. Power plants of the middle western area, where such conditions of concentration of sodium hydroxide are possible, have been greatly benefited by the published results of this investigation. One company alone maintains that they have saved approximately two million dollars a year because of this investigation. The work is known not only throughout the United States, but is appreciated in foreign countries. A present investigation following along similar lines involves a phase-rule study of boiler water a t high temperature and high pressure, It also includes a study of the physical characteristics of scale produced under these new conditions. Power plants all over the world are increasing their pressures, and undoubtedly this fundamental study will supply data which will mean much in the development of a satisfactory water treatment for these new boilers. It is also interesting to note that the characteristics, especially as regards solubility of salts in water a t high temperatures, map be important in the development of processes involPing the separation of salts from one another. This is entirely outside of any processes utilized in a power plant. Coal found in the middle western fields contains a large percentage of sulfur. This sulfur burns and is transformed to sulfur dioxide in the flue gases. It become. a menace espe-
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cially in the thickly congested areas within our cities. Fundamental work on the removal of this sulfur dioxide from flue gases has been done a t the University of Illinois. Partial pressure of the sulfur dioxide in water even a t low concentrations is appreciable. I f , however, it is changed to sulfur trioxide or sulfuric acid, its partial pressure i q relatively low. The method developed has been to utilize the oxygen in the flue gas to oxidize the qulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide while in solution. Iron and manganese sulfates in small quantities are used as catalysts. I t is interesting to note that phenolic bodies present in the wash water to the extent of only four parts in ten million will prevent the catalyst from functioning. No ordinary methods for the removal of these compounds are satisfactory. It was found after considerable work that the intermittent application of a small electric current to the scrubbing liquid completely removed these phenolic bodies and permitted the reaction to run to completion. A more satisfactory solution to this general problem would be the removal of sulfur from the coal. Work along these lines has also been carried on. Washing processes, coking processes, and heat treatments in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases have been investigated on a laboratory scale. Present methods of washing coal will eliminate about 20 per cent of this sulfur. It is hoped that further developments will mean the economical removal of a considerably greater percentage. Much has been said about “stimulating the appetite” of the buying public during these days of depression. It has been realized by a great many industrial executives that this can be done only by producing new and interesting commodities for the public’s consumption. Perhaps the most promising development we have at the present time, as far as the public is concerned, is the cooling and dehumidifying of air in the small home during the summer months. President Hoover’s Committee on Home Building has stated that 90 per cent of the homes in this country cost less than ten thousand dollars. Any cooling device must not cost more than five hundred dollars installed. The operation costc during the summer months must not exceed one hundred dollars. A careful inyestigation of this general qituation seems to indicate that only ice can be used for thic particular cooling purpose. I n order to come within the figures, it is necessary, however, to cut the cost of ice considerably and a t the same time increase the production within an ice plant without materially increasing the size or equipment of the plant. Investigations a t the University of Illinois in the Chemical Engineering Division over the past four years indicate that it will be possible to increase the capacity of a n ordinary ice plant 100 per cent and a t the same time cut the cost of production approximately 30 per cent. These same investigations have shown quite conclusively that it iq no longer necessary to distil water in order to make satisfactory ice. Any natural water in the United States can he utilized for this purpose. The cost of the proposed modifications are far less than the cost of distilling the water. These investigations on the manufacture of ice have been centered entirely around the actual freezing process. Development of the freezing tank and the operation of freezing have been exceedingly slow in the past twenty years. Knowledge of crystal growth and the fundamental factors of the operation were all that was necessary to bring about these interesting results. It is hoped that a continuation of this investigation will make it possible to utilize ice for space-cooling in the small homes of the United States.
PEBLICITY FOR RESEARCH FACILITIES OF UKIYERSITY It will be noticed that nothing has been said regarding the development of a sales organization by the university in order
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t o bring t o the attention of the industry the research facilities of the university. It is felt that a satisfactory staff composed of able research men, a proper selection of fundamental problems, and a judicious handling of patents will result, in a natural publicity. This publicity should be so effective that no salesmanship on the part of the university will be necessary. The industries, like the public, are interested in resiilts and accomplishments, not in propaganda or advertising. If the results of worth while investigations are published in the scientific and professional journals, the industries will have no difficulty in learning the facts. Furthermore, industrial
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officials will readily appreciate the value and desirability of this type of cooperative work, providing the reports of these investigations are not only published but also presented in a form that can be clearly and easily understood. It is expected that cooperative investigations, financed by industries or groups of industries and carried out in the universities under proper management, will become more and more popular as the years go by. This development is a logical one, based on a sound argument, and it is bound to succeed. RECEIVED April 2 5 , 1932.
Information Service in Industrial Research Laboratories JULI~N F. SMITHAND IRENE F. SMITH, 1408 Riverview Ave., Wilmington, Del.
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S THIS age of large-volume production there is widespread recognition of the need for efficient economical distribution of the technical literature pouring like a flood from the world’s printing presses. But there is not a corresponding realization of the complexity and difficulty of the problems to be solved in rendering such a service; hence this phase of industrial research has not received the systematic attention and study it deserves. I n many laboratories, information service has developed by irregular increments and accretions, each attached to the original system to meet a need of the moment. In a few, it has been built up systematically with the aid of foresight and skilful planning. The pioneer organizers of industrial research laboratories were quick to see the necessity of providing library facilities. But the research director of today cannot stop there; he must think in terms not merely of ample book shelves and patent files, but of active service to his staff. His library must be dynamic, not static; it must go to the research men, not wait for them to come. The whole problem resolves itself into a quest for ways and means to achieve adequate distribution of technical information to the laboratory’s staff a t minimum cost. Technical literature has become so voluniinous and its rate of increase has been so rapid that need for skilful management of information service has grown up faster than the requisite skill has developed. Hence research directors experience difficulty in finding thoroughly qualified persons to take charge of the service; this difficulty is sometimes increased by the fact that the research director is not fully familiar with the qualifications which he should seek. Even the proper functions of information service are not always clearly understood.
FUNCTIONS OF INFORMATION SERVICE To each chemist’s attention should be brought promptly the current literature and patents which he should see. This presupposes familiarity with the interests of the laboratory as a whole and of the individual workers; it is the principal means of promoting utilization of new ideas from outside sources. Literature searches, reference or reading lists, translations, etc., must be made. This miscellaneous reference service is the principal means of facilitating utilization of published information, new and old, on selected topics. Inquiries must be answered. This is a time-saving device, permitting research men to call up the library for minor items of information, such as physical and chemical properties of a given substance. Close contact with the staff should be maintained, helping
chemists to make the best use of the library by instructing them in the use of chemical literature, and helping them plan their reading and reference work, etc. Herein lies one of the secrets of success; it is a mutual aid function, a service which works both ways. The information staff acquires needed familiarity with interests of the men and of the laboratory; the research staff obtains more benefit from the literature with less effort than otherwise. The best possible reference library should be organized and operated. Properly only a means to an end, this function is too often administered from the opposite standpoint. In addition to major problems, such as choice of books and periodicals to be purchased, it includes all the routine and detail work necessary for smooth functioning of a wellmanaged library. Original ideas relating to the work of the laboratory should be contributed. Unlike the five inherently essential functions previously cited, this is an accessory function, and there is some disagreement concerning it. But, since the information staff must be intimately acquainted with the laboratory’s interests, it seems logical to expect from its members constructive thought and fruitful suggestions, even though they do no laboratory work. QUALIFICATIOSS OF PERSOX I N CHARGE OF INFORMATION SERVICE The man in charge of the information service should have thorough chemical training equivalent to the degree of doctor of philosophy, on the principle that he cannot appreciate research problems unless he has done research himself. He should possess executive ability-the faculty of harmonious and effective cooperation with his superiors, subordinates, and associates. He should be thoroughly familiar with chemical reference sources and their use, both in the laboratory’s own field and in the general literature of chemistry and technology. He should be able to summarize rapidly, but clearly and concisely-that is, to present information in form for rapid easy reference use by other chemists. He should have a fluent reading knowledge of German and French, and preferably also of other important languages, such as Dutch, Scandinavian, and Italian. He should possess a clear understanding of information service functions and their efficient economical performance, and the ability to distinguish between true and false economies and to make judicious choice of the tasks to be done and the best ways of doing them. Some of these qualifications are difficult to find in otherwise well-equipped individuals. This is particularly true of the last one, because it is not taught in schools and can be acquired only by experience aided by natural aptitude. The
