I/EC
ticularly effective in indicating pip ing changes. T h e engineer, instead of preparing complex blueprints, merely marks the desired changes on a transparent overlay placed over a p h o t o g r a p h of the existing piping. This method can be cheaper, faster, a n d easier t h a n making complete engineering drawings. It's espe cially recommended where the j o b must be t u r n e d over to unskilled workers w h o might boggle at reading blueprints. I n all phases of research, analysis, a n d production in the chemical in dustry, the c a m e r a is making its i m p a c t felt. Although m a n y in dustrial uses for photography have come to the fore only within the past few years, others are as impor t a n t today as they were decades ago. T h e n as now, the c a m e r a is provid ing for a presumably grateful pos terity e n d u r i n g images of the plant a n d of those merry-making guests at the a n n u a l c o m p a n y banquet. H.J.S.
Metal Protective Paints Your customers demand the greatest ability
in paints they use for
bridges, railway
protect-
protecting
signals, w a t e r towers, fire
escapes, other steel structures a n d
REPORTS
equip
IEC
ment including metal furniture. G i v e it to them!
Ozone for Oxidation
Two Pure Black Iron Oxides Try formulating with either of these two Pure Black Iron Oxides made by Williams f o r just this purpose. Both produce tough, non-porous, elastic films o f high protect-ability.
unusually-
Used in combination with either zinc
chromate or r e d l e a d , they can be formulated to give metal protective paints o f exceedingly long life.
O u t l o o k is bright and getting brighter as a d v a n tages begin to outweigh problems
W*
ZONE, t h a t scarce allotropie form of oxygen, is receiving lots of attention lately as an industrial oxidant. It's extremely powerful— second only to fluorine in oxidationreduction potential—although this advantage is also one of ozone's big handicaps. Ozone is the air all a r o u n d us. I n m i n u t e quantities, it can purify air by destroying odors a n d bacteria. But even a t 1 p.p.m., ozone be comes obnoxious, causing eye a n d throat irritation. And just a little more in a test t u b e could start a violent reaction. But despite a n d because of its activity, ozone is finding a place in industry. Emery Industries in Cincinnati uses ozone to oxidize oleic acid to azelaic a n d pelargonic acids. A r m o u r has a pilot process
O For samples, ask your Williams representative or write us today for complete technical information. Address Dept. 2, G Κ. Williams & Co., Easton, Pa.
WILLIAMS COLORS
&
PIGMENTS
C . K . W I L L I A M S & C O . · E a s t o n , P a . · East S t . L o u i s , I I I . ·
Emeryville,Cal.
108 Shades & Types of I r o n O x i d e P i g m e n t s , C h r o m i u m Oxides & Hydrates For further information, circle number 28 A on Readers' Service Card, page IIS A 28 A
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
E3EH3
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u n d e r way which replaces chromic acid with ozone in the oxidation of fatty acids. U p j o h n is working with ozone to oxidize certain ster oids. T h e Boeing Aircraft plant at Wichita, K a n . , uses ozone to oxidize toxic cyanide wastes before disposal. A n d Philadelphia purifies one fifth of its water supply with ozone. W h y use a tricky item like ozone where other easier-to-handle oxi dants will also work? T h e r e are at least three good reasons:
Steel Pickling Installation
KNIGHT Fume Washers Knight Fume Washers are wet contact scrubbers. The working surface is BERL Saddle packing. This unique shape not only pro vides maximum surface area and minimum pressure drop, but also causes the repeated directional changes in the gas stream necessary for efficient scrubbing. Each unit is designed to provide low-cost operation, minimum fan power and water consumption. Careful a t t e n t i o n is given the liquid distribution system, since it is so important to efficient opera tion. Each unit is equipped with a mist eliminator section through which the washed gas is discharged. Knight Fume Washers are fully protected against corrosion by ap plication of Pyroflex, Sealon, or Neoprene lining to the full-welded steel shell. W h e n required, an acid-proof brick lining is installed over the membrane. All internal parts such as the grillage, BERL Saddle packing and distributor are made of acid-proof material. Thus, the entire unit is inert to chem icals being handled. Write for Bulletin No. 9 on Fume Washers.
Maurice A. Knight 99 Kelly Ave., Akron 6, Ohio
KNIGHT-WARE C ΗE Μ I C A L
EOUIPMENT
Ozone is rapid. Ozone adds nothing but oxygen. Ozone is specific in its reac tion with carbon-to-carbon double bonds. T h e last reason is perhaps most important. For example, in oleic acid oxidation ozone gives better yields of purer products t h a n the old standby, chromic acid. This is a direct result of ozone's specific action on the double bond. O r in corti sone synthesis, where ozone cleaves an unwanted side chain without affecting the steroid nucleus. T h e oxidation product of ozone and car bon-to-carbon double bonds is called a n ozonide which can be treated to give acids, aldehydes, ketones, or alcohols. Peroxides or electricity. O z o n e can be generated by heating b a r i u m peroxide with strong sulfuric acid, or by heating peroxides in a stream of oxygen. But the safest way, a n d the only way it's done commer cially, is to pass air or oxygen through a n electric discharge. T h e electric current dissociates p a r t of the oxygen, which recombines in the form of ozone. O z o n e gen erators, or ozonators as they are called, produce a b o u t 2 % by weight of ozone in oxygen. O z o n e c a n ' t be packaged for commercial shipments; hence it's necessary to m a k e it on the spot. This isn't necessarily a disadvantage, except in the case of small plants where cost goes u p . T h e Welsbach Corp., which supplied the ozonators for Emery's plant, is prepared to install generators a n d sell the ozone on a metered basis. Depending on the size of the plant, Welsbach says the cost can go as low as 10 cents per p o u n d of 1 0 0 % ozone. Either oxygen or air can be used
Circle No. 30 A on Readers' Service Card, page 115 A
30 A
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
as a raw material for ozone. Straight oxygen is usually more economical, as with oxygen fewer ozonators are needed to produce a given a m o u n t of ozone. However, except in spe cial cases, to be economical the oxygen must be recycled after the ozone is used out of it. This is the way Emery's process for oxidation of oleic acid works. Oxygen, acting as a carrier for ozone, is stripped of ozone during the reaction with oleic acid. Any organic material picked u p by the oxygen during the oxidation is removed, a n d the oxygen is fed back into the ozonators. T h e above process works well for Emery. However, it's not always possible to re-use the oxygen. Also, in some organic ozonations the pres ence of oxygen gives undesirable by products. Until recently, no one has been able to come u p with a practical way of separating ozone from oxygen. A new development from L i n d e Air Products m a y be the answer. Briefly, the Linde method con sists of adsorbing ozone on refriger ated silica gel, a n d then desorbing it—either in p u r e form at reduced pressure, or diluted by air, nitrogen, argon, or some other carrier. This process should greatly extend the useful range of ozone's applications, a n d may provide a way to ship ozone from manufacturer to user. As an example of where the Linde process would be valuable, take the ozone water purification plant in Philadelphia. Since oxygen c a n ' t be recovered from treated water, it was necessary to use air as a n ozone source. This in t u r n required a larger e q u i p m e n t instrument t h a n if straight oxygen were used. Now with the Linde process, a watertreating plant could be set u p based on oxygen which would be recycled after the ozone was transferred to a less costly carrier. I n some applications, ozone is al ready competitive with the more c o m m o n oxidizing agents. And Welsbach is introducing a new power supply for its ozonators, which is expected to reduce equip m e n t investment u p to 2 5 % . Wels bach says this tidy sum can be saved by converting the current r u n n i n g through the ozonator from 60-cycle to 180-cycle, which in t u r n increases ozone o u t p u t three times.
BROOKS LEADERSHIP achieved through design
ROTAMETERS
I/EC
REPORTS
Industrial use of ozone isn't new. O v e r 50 years ago a n ozone water treating plant was set u p in Nice, France. Even so, today there a r e only a half-dozen commercial a p plications in this country. But for the future, it seems certain that t h e u n i q u e properties of ozone together with cost-cutting new developments will make ozonation just as well known as oxidation. L.J.W.
Boiling Water Reactor Profile
α FULL for every
LINE service
W h a t e v e r y o u r flow m e a s u r e m e n t or r e m o t e transmission n e e d s . . . B r o o k s h a s t h e answer. M o r e over, i t is a practical answer . . . because t h e same practical design features a r e carried t h r o u g h t h e line. F r o m Hi-Accuracy F l o w I n d i c a t o r s t o low-cost p u r g e m e t e r s . . . from t h e well-known A r - M e t Ar m o u r e d M e t e r t o t h e n e w con vertible electric o r p n e u m a t i c flow t r a n s m i t t e r s , you'll find t h e s e com m o n features: self-alignment of essential p a r t s , simplified cleaning a n d assembly, a n d designs t h a t eliminate troublesome line s t r a i n on t h e m e t e r i n g elements. Y o u c a n depend o n B r o o k s r o t a m e t e r e q u i p m e n t for lowest final cost all d o w n t h e line—because i t h a s been performance-proven w h e r e it c o u n t s m o s t : in daily service. Send for your copy of Bulletin 110b, a brief, well illustrated guide to Brooks Rotameters and Accessory Equipment,
BROOKS ROTAMETER COMPANY SS7 Β Street, Lansdale, Pa.
the
n e w s t a n d a r d of flow measurement and c o n t r o l
In a nuclear power generating plant, the reac tor serves the same purpose as the boiler in a standard steam power station. Argonne's boiling water re actor is now drawing the attention of everyone inter ested in just what makes up a nuclear power reactor
Γ
Ε Argonne experimental boiling water reactor (EBWR)—first of five reactor projects in A E C ' s civilian power reactor development pro g r a m is the first reactor on which all the details are known. I n a nutshell, nuclear energy liberated by a chain reaction heats u r a n i u m metal fuel plates. H e a t is transferred to water t h a t comes in contact with the fuel plates, the water is converted to steam, a n d the steam is used for generating electric ity. E B W R generates 5000 kw. of electricity a n d 20,000 kw. of heat. Reactor fuel is a mixture of n a t u r a l a n d slightly enriched u r a n i u m . Light water serves as a moderator a n d coolant. W i t h some variations, a n u m b e r of commercial reactors now being planned will probably look a lot like E B W R . T h e reactor proper is con tained in a pressure vessel 7 feet in diameter a n d 23 feet high with 2 3 /s-inch thick steel walls. Inner surfaces in contact with the reactor water or steam a r e stainless steel clad. T h e vessel wall is protected from excessive heat generation by a
Circle No. 32 A on Readers' Service Card, page 115 A 32 A
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
boron-stainless steel thermal shield. Inside this pressure vessel, a core 4 feet in diameter consists of fuel assemblies a n d control rods fitted into a support a n d shroud structure. Core diameter can be increased from 4 to 5 feet a n d fuel elements of dif ferent dimensions are provided to change the water-to-uranium ratio in t h e core. T w o enrichments of u r a n i u m , 0.7 a n d 1.4% U 236 , are available to permit the critical size and power distribution pattern of the core to be varied. U p to 148 fuel assemblies—77 5 / 8 inches long by 3 s /4 inches square—can be held within a 5-foot diameter. Cur rently, because of the 4-foot core, only 114 assemblies a r e used. Of these, 106 contain enriched u r a n i u m a n d 8 contain normal u r a n i u m . A total of 6.1 tons of u r a n i u m averag ing 1.4% U 2 3 5 is now being used. D u m m y assemblies fill out the core. Space between the core a n d the ves sel wall is downcomer space for circulating water. Components in the core's active region are m a d e of Zircaloy-2, a metal which does not absorb neu trons readily a n d has good corrosion resistance. Outside of the active region stainless steel is used. Fuel plates are uranium-zirco nium-niobium alloy sheets, m a n u factured in two thicknesses as well as in two enrichments. T h e u r a n i u m alloy is clad with Zircaloy-2 sheet. T h e six fuel plates are arranged parallel to one another with water channel space between adjacent plates. T h e side plates are also m a d e of Zircaloy sheets, a n d d u m m y fuel assemblies are m a d e of a l u m i n u m nickel alloy sheets t h a t have shown promising corrosion resistance in laboratory tests. T h e y are used in stead of zirconium because of lower cost. Should corrosion become ex cessive, the dummies can be replaced. T o control t h e rate of change of the nuclear chain reaction, nine control rods are used in the reactor. M a d e of neutron-absorbing metals, the rods, when inserted into the active region of the core, act as a d a m p e r on the reaction. T h e rods can pre vent a chain reaction from occurring or stop one that is already in prog ress. Pushing the rods u p a n d out of the active region starts the chain reaction a n d raises the power level to the desired point.
