October 10, 1929
INDUSTRIAL
AND ENGINEERING
Our Poets' Corner R. I. P.1 E D I T O R ' S N O T E — T h e following poem w a s submitted in response t o o u r inquiries regarding t h e use of t h e plural of " r e s i d u u m . " We d o not w a n t to be selfish a n d keep i t to ourselves, and so take t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y of s h a r ing it with our readers.
For "residuum" two plurals are "Residuums" a n d "residua" The classic and the modern form, Which o n e to use, has raised a storm. One party loathes the final " s , " T h e other, with a heat no less, Proclaims its scorn of high-hat stuff, And thinks "uums" i s good enough. T o yield an inch both sides refuse, B u t here's a rule they both can use, For high intelligensia The proper word's "residua" For those whom "vacuums" delight, "Residuums" i s always right. B u t either word will b e the same, T o those who think beyond a name. " R e s i d u u m " in plural.
He Took No Chances, But1— He brushed his teeth twice a day—with a nationally advertised toothpaste. The doctor examined him twice a year. He wore h i s rubbers when it rained. He slept with t h e windows open. He stuck t o a diet with plenty of fresh vegetables. He relinquished his tonsils, and traded in several worn-out glands. He golfed—but never more than 18 holes at a time. He got a t least eight hours' sleep every night. He never smoked, drank, or lost his temper. He did h i s daily dozen daily. He was all set t o live to be a hundred. The funeral will be held next Wednesday. H e is survived b y eighteen specialists, four health institutes, six gymnasiums, and numerous manufacturers of health foods and antiseptics. He had forgotten about Safety in chemical plant operations! Apologies to Connecticut Industry 1 Reprinted from Council.
News Letter, Chemical Section, National Safety
A n n o u n c i n g t h e Whiting-Swenson Co, A Message to the Process Industries The research work t h a t the Swenson Evaporator Co. has carried out for years at its experiment station a t A n n Arbor is well known. Frequently it has been 'asked to cooperate in the development of n e w processes or the improvement of existing ones. T h e organization of a purely research unit h a s certain limitations when applied t o such problems. To satisfy the growing demand for engineering and consulting work, a n e w company h a s been formed—the Whiting-Swenson Co. This company offers the following services to t h e process industries: ENGINEERING R E S E A R C H — T h e company is prepared to carry o u t investigations leading to t h e development of new equipment for special purposes, to t h e application of existing equipment to new processes, and to obtain the data necessary for carrying a new process from t h e laboratory scale to t h e engineering scale. At present the Whiting-Swenson Co. has several such contracts, including t w o for t h e adaptation of existing types of evaporators t o new processes; one for the development of a new type of oilrefinery condenser; one for the development of a totally new type of evaporating apparatus for a n operation which has always been conducted over direct tire; and one for t h e development of specialized heating apparatus for extremely viscous liquids. PILOT PLANT OPERATION—When a process which has been developed o n the beaker-and-test-tube scale is to b e put into actual production, the pilot plant or semi-works operation is most important. I n many cases, this semi-works scale operation can be carried out in the laboratories of t h e Whiting-Swenson Co. This has been done on several occasions in t h e past. O n the other hand, if the scale of the pilot operation or the properties of the material being handled are such that the proposed process cannot be carried out in its own laboratories, t h e Whiting-Swenson C o . is prepared to design pilot plants, to furnish a staff for
CHEMISTRY
9
their operation, and t o make the recommendation for the largescale plant. At present the company h a s a project for building a pilot plant for a very complicated inorganic chemical process involving evaporation and crystallization. COMPLETE
PLANT
DESIGN—The
Whiting-Swenson
Co.
is
prepared to design complete plants. T h i s n o t only includes t h e preparation of all necessary working drawings and the specifications of all the equipment, b u t it also includes, if desired, supervision of t h e erection and operation o f t h e plant during t h e breaking-in period, either for the purpose of establishing capacity guarantees or for training t h e operating staff. A t present t h e company has a contract for a small heavy-chemical plant which involves design, erection, and initial operation. ENGINEERING
CONSULTATION—The
staff
of
the
Whiting-
Swenson Co. contains men w h o can qualify a s experts i n many lines of the process industries and on m a n y of the u n i t operations. A s the business of t h e company d e v e l o p s , it i s intended to a d d experts in different processes and fordifferentit operations until the field is completely covered. T h e s e r v i c e s of these men are available for advice a n d consultation, either i n connection with some specific new project, or a s permanent advisers making regular visits to a plant. The Whiting-Swenson Co. does n o t manufacture anything. I t offers its staff for a n y phase of engineering service, b u t it h a s no machines or material to sell. N e i t h e r does i t do chemical laboratory work, either routine analysis or beaker-and-test-tube research. Other organizations are b e t t e r equipped and staffed for such problems. At t h e head of this group of engineers i s W. X. Badger, who h a s spent his entire professional experience in a study of t h e unit operations of chemical engineering. A s a specialist in evaporation a n d heat transfer, he h a s gained international recognition. He h a s been director of the Swenson Evaporator Co.'s research and development work for eleven years, and h i s accomplishments during this period are summarized b y h i s two books—"Evaporation and Heat Transfer," and "Inorganic Chemical Technology" (the latter written jointly w i t h E. M . Baker)—as well a s numerous journal articles. A s an example of his contributions may be mentioned the development of the forced circulation evaporator. Many of the engineers associated w i t h Professor Badger are specialists in their respective fields. O n e is preeminently familiar with salt, another with paper, a third w i t h s o a p a n d glycerol, etc. Since t h e Whiting-Swenson Co. is l o c a t e d in Ann Arbor, some of the foremost authorities in t h e country i n chemistry, physics, and mechanical, civil, a n d electrical engineering are available as advisers. And back of all this are t h e combined assets and experience of the Whiting Corp. and the Swenson Evaporator Co., both reliable business concerns w i t h l o n g a n d successful careers in their respective fields.
Hercules Plans New Experimental and Chemical Research Laboratories Plans for the erection near Wilmington of a n e w experimental station, consisting of experimental a n d chemical research laboratories, have been announced by officials of t h e Hercules Powder Co., manufacturers of explosives, n a v a l stores, nitrocellulose, and cellulose. Property consisting of about 3 0 0 acres i s being acquired by the Hercules organization about 2 . 5 miles west of Wilmington city limits. Following the erection of structures n o w being designed, the experimental staff a n d research equipment will be moved there from Kenvil, N . J., t h e p r e s e n t site. Construction will consist of a main building, containing chemical laboratories, offices, and library, a n d auxiliary buildings housing experimental plants. A power house a n d store rooms will also b e erected. A t the present s t a t i o n about 120 people are employed, of whom more than half are technically trained chemists, physicists, and engineers. Removal of the Hercules experimental work t o Wilmington will bring i t into closer contact w i t h t h e m a i n office organization, facilitating the technical service t h e company offers users of explosives, cellulose, nitrocellulose, a n d naval stores (turpentine, rosin, pine oil). T h e Hercules c o m p a n y h a s carried on extensive experimental research work for a n u m b e r of years.
Calendar of M e e t i n g s American Chemical Society—79th M e e t i n g , Atlanta, Ga., April 7 to 11, 1930. Regional Meeting—George Washington University, Washington, D . C., October 18, 1929. Regional Meeting—Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, October 25 t o 2 6 , 1929. Third Organic Symposium—Princeton University, Princeton, N . J., December 30, 1929, to January 1 , 1930. American Institute of Chemical Engineers—Winter Meeting, Asheville, N . C . , December 2 t o 4, 1929.
