ORIGINAL RECORDS OF EXPERIMENTAL WORK*
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E. L. d8OWILLE Standard Oil Company (Indiana), Chicago, Illinois
T H E RESEARCE projects carried on in the laboratories of the Standard Oil Company vary in magnitude from bench projects employing one man to pilot plant projects which require not only several technically trained men, but three shifts of operators as well. This great difference in the scale of research carried on makes it necessary to provide a system mhich not only fulfills the ordinary requirements, hut which is extremely flexible as well. The purpose of this paper is to show one method by vhich this necessary flexibility may be obtained. In order to illustrate the necessity for flexibility, it is perhaps well to look a t the t ~ v oextremes. Figure 1 illustrates the simplest case, that is, an individual conducting all his own research, recording and correlating his own data. Figure 2 illustrates a rather compli.cated pilot plant project in catalytic cracking which requires six or eight technically trained personnel in addition to a number of operators and analysts. It can readily he seen that the recording of data and ohservations on such a large scale, twenty-four hours a day, requires a rather involved system for recording original data.
are lisferl in Tablr I. The basic device used for recording data a n l observations is a formal, large, hound notebook 9 by 12 in. having 152 pages. These large notebooks arc issued by the librarian and carry a prohlem number. Information and data pertinent to a single prohlem are recorded in this book. The second device is used in a small pocket notebook which can he conveniently carried by the chemist or operator. The information recorded in this small pocket notebook, mhich is 4 by 7 in. and has 150 pages, is usually transcribed into a large notebook at the end of the day or at convenient intervals. In the case of pilot plant experiments or the type of research which involves a systemic study of a large number of variables, use is frcqucntly made of specially prepared run sheets or data sheets. These can be hound into folders or can he pasted in or attached to the
TABLE I Devices Used for Original Records of Experimental Work
TYPE Registered bound notebook (numbered P W ~ Pockot notebook Loose-leaf or printed data or operstion sheets ,Ori~insland diplicatesweekly progress renart book ' Diaries
Size, Inches
No. of Pages
Uses
9 X 12
152
Genefal
4 X 7 Variable
150
...
General Pilot plant full-scslo tests
81/1 X 11
52
General
5'/* X 7=/4 One page for each General day plus 18 Daees of useful
In order to provide a system with sufficient flexibility F ~ I ~ u ~ ~ t o take care of these two extremes, it has been found advisable to make use of four or five simple devices which appropriate page in the large, bound notebook. Bound can be used singly or in multiple units. These devices diaries are provided to each of the technically trained * Presented before the Division of Chemical Education at the men so that they can record ideas and information mhich 112th meeting of the Amerioan Chemical society, september, are not directly related to the problem to which they 1947, New York City. are assigned. Likewise, ideas which are in the early 97
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stage of development and which would be out of place in a formal notebook may be recorded in these diaries under the appropriate day. In addition to this function, the diaries may be used in the conventional way to assist the owner in keeping a record of his daily activities such as conferences, meetings, interviews, etc. Duplicate copy, weekly progress reports in duplicate, are sometimes but not always used for recording original data. The weekly progress report is prepared by each technical man in triplicate, and providesnot only a running record of his activities, but also provides for the rapid dissemination of his experimental result to his supervisor and the Patent Department. One copy is retained by the worker, while the other two copies are circulated and filed. Before filing, they carry the initials of both the patent adviser and supervisor, and are consequently excellent evidence not only of the nature and date of the work but of the fact that the information was disclosed to others. These several devices are illustrated in Figure 3. The manner in which these unit devices are combined to provide flexibility for the larger research projects is shown in Table 11.
search generally requires the use of several bound notebooks as well as specially prepared data sheets. The
particular uses of the number of notebooks on a pilot plant project are as follo~vs: 1. An equipment notebook which is usually a large,
hound notebook issued by the librarian. 2. An analytical procedure notebook may be the same form as No. 1 or specially prepared. 3. An operational order book in which are written detailed instructions to the unit operators. 4. 4 data run book in which are pasted the run sheets, analytical result sheets, etc. TABLE I1 Adaptation of Notebook Forms to Various Scales of Experimentation liormal .Yotrhook
Ueneh scale
Pocket Notehook
O m per prob- One for each Occesionally lom
research man and technician (1) Equipment Onc for each Pilot Plant (2) Analytical S c d e or operator prooeTcrhnioal Set~~eo dures (3) Operational order book
Simple bench-scale research, as was pointed out before, requires the use of only one notebook per problem. In addition, a pocket notebook, weekly progress report book, and diary are provided and used. Pilot plant re-
P I mted Ihtn Sheets
. .
run book (5) Progress and program
used
Used frequently -litter, attached to page of formal notebook or bound into folders
FEBRUARY, 1948
5. The principal formal notebook which is the prog-
ress and program record. In addition to these five notebooks, several pocket notebooks, specially prepared data sheets, weekly progress report books, and diaries are used. This system has been used in research laboratories of the Standard Oil Company (Indiana) for many years. It is not clear a t this time whether this system was
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planned or whether it gradually grew to its present form as a result of experience and necessity. Undoubtedly, the various units which provide the basis for this system could be improved in some respects. However, it is felt that it would be difficult to obtain the desired flexibility in a system for recording original data in which the scale of research varies widely without making use of this principle of combining simple units for the complicated situation.
