April 1947
I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY NUMBER OF BUILDINGS
The number of buildings in which large industrial research enterprises are housed depends on several factors which vary from one company to another. Among these factorb are the nature of the business, the size of the equipment, and the place of research on the organization chart. Underlying all these factors are the fundamental principles of economy and efficiency. I n general it may be said that the greater the number of buildings the greater the cost per unit, so t h a t a saving is usually effected when all the research and all its services are housed in a single building. In many research organizations, however, this concentration into one building is either impossible or undesirable. In this case there is normally one main laimrxtory, in which as much as possible of the work is concentrtited, and one or more smaller 1)nildings. Tlie nature of the businesr may be s~ucht h a t the hazards of operation in one or more of the rmearch departments may constitute a danger or a nuisance t o other depnrtments more or less contiguous. The principal hazards of t!ii+ Fort :ire fire, cxplosion, and poiqonous gases, and otlier leas d:ingerous biit dcleterious nuiqmces are dust, vibration, noise, and corrosion by fumes of chemicals. As early R R 1003 The U. F. Goodrich Company had an experimental station for hazardous lnlmratory \\-oric situated tIvo miles away from its main lntiorntnry on t,lie Ohio Canal. In that year the principal danger at the experimentnl station was from fires, since the experiments being condiicted a t t h a t time were mostly on the extraction of putt:? p r r c h with gasoline as the solvent. The station actunlly burtied d o w n i n 1909 but was later rehnilt. The isolation of dnngeroui research work in buildings apart from the main laboratory is now n. gmeral principle; but it may be going a little far to piovide sepnratp
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buildings for research work t h a t causes such nuisances as noise, dirt, or vibration, as is actually done by one large powder company. It is perhaps a question of degree, and the smaller nuisances can he sufficiently circumscribed within a single building by the USE. of partitions. ;\nother factor is the size of the research equipment. When very large equipment has t o he used, separate buildings are often indicated. This has already been discussed rn connection with the applicability of the module system. Aithird factor affecting the number of buildings is the place of research on the organization chart, which differs in different rompanies. If re*e:mh is intimately joined to factory control and development, as it i. in many large concerns, many of the technical service operations for research will be locat,ed in the same building as are similar factory technical services and mill perhaps he performed by the same technical staff. Siich operations cannot he located in the main laboratory, since the apparatus reqiiirrd for the factory scale technical work is too large. T h e prohlem of whether research and development should he joined or qeparated on the organization chart is one on which agreement ha? not been reached. Its solution would require a deep incursion into the philosophy of industrial research, and that is quite beyonti the purpose of this paper. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The I\ I iter iqhes t o acknol! ledge the very valuable as-i-tance he liai received from Howard E. Hanthorn, [of The B. F. GoodI ich Company, who has acted as liaison between the research staff and t h e architects throughout the planning of the new B. F. Goodric.11 reqearch center at Breckwille, Ohio.
PROCESS ENGINEERING RESEARGH LABORATORY G . M. D A R B Y ,
E.J . R O B E R T S , A N D J . D. G R O T H E
THE D O R R COMPANY.
THE requirements of a customs process engineering research laborators are elasticity and adaptability ; t h e test of t h e design is t h e speed and economy n i t h which t h e installation of equi;,ment can be made and operated. The Dorr C‘ompanv’s seniiworhs section built iri 19 k4, doubling t h e size of the pre\iouslj cui-ting main laboratory building, supplies these rerluiremcntq i n a stone and h i & building 90 X L.2 feet a t a cost of forty cents per cubic foot. i 31foot high ha+open to attic abo\e, 20 X 110 feet, ia spanned by a 2-to11 crane a t the 70-foot leiel. ’Ihe other half, consiating of 3 floors a t 10-foot ele\ations, containr offices, conference rooin, storage space, and t h e permanentl\ installed crushing and grincling equipment. Seriire- include p o w cr, water, ~ a c ~ i nair, n i gas, and proreas steam. Other equipment ifi unit-connected and portable, permitting eas! assenibly into \arious sequences for process operations in\ol+ing grinding, clas~ifications,h?draulic sizing, agitation, thickening, filtration, roasting, tabling, magnetic concentration, and flotation. T>pica1 tonnage-scale process operations include magnesia production from calcined dolomite, foundr? sand reclamation, chromite concentration, washing of polystyrew resin, iron-nickel asbestos fibre separation a n d concentration, lime-soda sintering of
W E s r P o R r , CONN.
aluniina residues i n rotary kiln, and alio a food product processing problem in\ol\irig t h e use of glass-lined autoclaie and concentrating equipment, acidproof canteying equipment, a n d filter presses a n d centrifuge, all of which were purchased for the job h> t h e client. >lachine shop, anal! tical laborator?, and bench-scale testing and research laboratories supplement t h e wmiworks and bring t h e total staff to an aFerageof fort?, including chemical, metallurgical, sanitary mechanical, and elcctriral engineers.
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T
HE question may rightly be asked, ‘Why did the Dorr Conipxiy, a firm known to many only for its equipment,
build a Inhorntory for proces? engineering research when the company has no proces4ng plants of its o\vn?” The ansn.er t o thiy q c e h o n has an important hearing on lhe construction and equiiiping of 11-estport Mill, the lahoratoriez and testing plant of The Dorr Company a t Kestport, Conn. The functional design of our equipment, the prescription of the ri:lit equipment for the job, and the determination of the proper size of t h a t equipment required engineers specializing in the unit operations related t o liquid-solid handling. With a staff of this caliber it \vas a logical step t o make this experience available to
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
454
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Figure 1.
Semiworks plant
industry a t large through a contract engineering service, which includes jobs ranging from a subseive size analysis u p t o the design, erection, and starting u p of complete processing plants. Such a service required a laboratory with facilities adequate for process demonstration as me11 as the acquisition of the necessary design data on standard unit operations. The general laboratory was satisfactory for the latter, but, although process demonstration had been carried out for many years prior, increased demands for this type of work necessitated a n expaniion of these facilities. Therefore in 1943 it n-as decided to apply for priorities t o double the size of the existing building, the addition to he e+ sentially all semiworks space. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The Westport Mill is a customs semicommercial testing lahorntory, and its design and construction therefore posed problem.. not ordinarily encountered by the designer of a pilot plant nhicli is especially built for determining engineering factors of a predetermined process. T h e primary requirement in the design iva', therefore, elasticity, n-ith facilities t o allow the rapid and economical installation of equipment for processes Ivhich might vary widely, particularly as regards end product; reference to the scope of the work which is carried out at Restport will empha.ize this point. It is true, hon-ever, that the problems examined at this laboratory have many points in coniinoii and concentr:ite on a limited number of unit procesies. In that 3eii.e t h r c-ontinued uqe of the laboratory actual1)- repre-pnts runtinued d e + m for every individutll prohlem, and the te-t of the succcss of the original conception is the speed, eronomy, and facility n-ith ivhich such modifications can he made. The method adopted by thia company in arriving a t the h i s for the design was the appointment of a committee ivhicli made an intensive study of other similar lal)oratories-notably, A . 11. Little in Ro.ton, the Metnllurgical I>aboratorJ-a t M.I.T., t h r Chemical Engineering Laboratory at Cornell, and the 1-nited States Bureau of Mines Lnhoratorip--anti estaljlislied the basic +pecifications nhicli were turned over t o The Dorr Company's Plant, Engineering Diviaion for the production of detail drawings. These specificatioris, broadly, xr-ere the folloxing:
Vol. 39, No. 4
1. The new- building had t o harmoiiize architecturally with the existing structures and must not in any way mar the landscape. The exiFting laboratory was in an AA diatrict subject to strict zoning regulations, and the appearance of the installation constituted a definite commercial and aesthetic value. This requirement set prime limitations as to the general shape of the building and the building material t o be used. 2. The neiv building was to provide an are& n-ith a t least 30 to 35 feet head room to permit the, ,installation of equipment requiring heights, such as baronietric columns, etc. 3. The building was to provide additional office facilities to alleviate the somewhat crowded ofice conditions in the existing structure. 4. Facilities were t o be provided which would enable support of equipment a t intermediate levels between the ground and the ceiling nithout Dermanently obstructing- the open space. 5 . Among the facilities to be movided were tower, process steam, compressed air, water, gas, and vacuum; the necessary generating equipment for these facilities were to be housed either within the new structure or in the basement of the old building. 6. S o permanent equipment installation was to be undertaken except for the mechanical preparation of ore, such as crushing, grinding, sampling, and screening, and for the storage of large bulk samples of raw materials in a dry state.
With these specifications as a guide the preliminary plans were prepared and preliminary estimates .;ecured by the Plant Engineering Division. These were submitted t o the building committee for their suggestions and approval, and, after incorporation of the suggehons of the committee, the final arrangement of the new building resulted (Figure 1). The euension measure> (33 feet long by 42 feet n-ide and 31 feet high, which in area and volume are roughly equivalent to the already existing laboratory. Tlie building is three stories high, and the roof line is subitantially a continuation of t h r original one. Tlie huilding as erected is a continuation of the oi.iginal .trueture and, conforming r\-ith original building and terrain condition., ha.? it5 hascmrnt elevation 15 feet below the public road; the road has been extended down to basement level and provides truck entry t o the hirh vorking area. Foundation, footings, and floor slabs are reinforced concrrte, upper floor .labs being supported cm precast, concrete j o i h . Lxterior ~:11lsare constructed of local stone on the road elevation e cour'e of local $tone on river elevation, above wliich hnse cuurse n d l s are conqtructed of concrete block \r-ith brick facing. Interior partitions are cinder block. Roof framing is timber Tr-itli ir-ootl sheathing and slate roofing. Sashe. are industrial-tj-pe 1)ivoted n.ood. The building is divided longitudinally along the center line into t w o equal portions by a row of columns extending from the base-,
T ~ B LI.E EQUIPVEXT L~YOCT Equipment J a w crusher Gyratory crusher Sample grinder Ring roll pulverizer Vibrating screen Sampler Air classifier
Description 10 X , ? i n . Superior Type A 20 in. Yo. 1 1 Yenin type Ruboclone
Supplier Allis Cbalniers RicCully Allis Chalrners Gruendler Rotex
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April 1947
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
ment floor t o the attic level. One side is completely open from t h e basement t o the roof rafters. On the other, three floors correspond t o t h e floors in the mainlaboratory building. T h e first is a mezzanine floor open t o a high area which also serves as a transfer and intermediate point when ore is to be crushed. The floor above the mezzanine corresponds t o the main office floor of t h e original laboratory building and is separated from the open area I-)>- a glass corridor. Five offices and a conference room are , installed on this floor; each office is arranged so t h a t , by the completion of the necessary plumbing, it can be turned into an individual laboratory if desired. -1loading ramp is provided a t one end of the building, and access to tlie basement floor is obtained through a large door permitting entrance of trucks into the high area. The latter is spanned by a 2-ton electrically operated traveling crane. A concrete staircase which connects the basement, mezzanine, office, arid attic floors is separated from the work space by a glass
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brick nall ensuring adequate illumination. From this staircase access can be provided b y doors a t elevations 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, and 31 feet above the basement floor. To permit t h e temporary installations of intermediate floors in the open space, brackets are built b t o the columns a t such heights t h a t the temporary floors correspond to the access doors mentioned (Figure 2). Compressors, blowers, vacuum pumps, and other service equipment are located in a small machine room under the stairs. Service facilities with convenient outlets throughout the huilding consists of 220-volt, 3-phase electric power with 110-volt utility outlets, compressed air at 40 pounds, and process steam a t 100 pounds pressure, t h e latter supplied through a Cleavctr Brooke 35-horsepower boiler. A portion of the area under the mezzanine floor accommodates five &ton capacity concrete bins which are self-cleaning and which can be filled, if received in hulk, through chutes at' road level. Further provisions have been made for the installation of a 1000pound freight elevator Ti-hen it becomes necessary. The building was constructed by Tomlinson and Hawley of Bridgeport, Conn., ~ . h 0 were the low. bidders. Because of wartime delays and t h e difficulties of obtaining material3 under the TTar Production Board's material conservation plan, actual construction TI-as delayed; consequently part of t h e work had to he carried out during severe winter conditions. Tlii- is undoubtedly reflected to some extent in the costs. T h e cost of construction can be broken don-n as follows: Building Plumbing a n d heating 1:lectrical Painting Total
849,748 7,748 3,308 1.165
$61,959
€QUI PMENT
Figure 2.
Temporary installation i n t h e high working area
Flexibility being the Ireynote, the only equipment permanently fixed is t h a t t o be used for the dry mechanical preparation of the solid raw materials. Such operations as crushing, dry grinding, screening, and sampling are well established and are generally discontinuous n-ith the succeeding steps of any process; therefore nothing is sacrificed by isolating such equipment and operating it batclivke under t h e simplest possible conditions (Figure 3). To tliic end a layout was adopted n.hic-of various sintering and controlled atmosphere roaRting operations a t temperatures u p to 1100 c. A n-ell equipped machine shop in an adjacent building is available for maintenance and repairs, assembling and erecting of equipment, and for construction of special apparatus needed in t h e laboratories.
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ABRASIVES.Classification and sizing of reclaimed abrasives into sizes for re-use in grinding quartz Frisms for Army and S a v y use. FOUXDRY SAND. Grinding, classification, and sizing of used foundry sand. Car,cIvlr CARBOXATE. Preparation of several tons of -10 micron material by hydroseparation, thickening, and filtration, and several tons of - 2 micron material by controlled precipitation, thickening, and filtration. hIaGsEsIa. Complete procesh study along modified Closson principles involving reaction agitation, countercurrent decantation, wqshing, and filtration. Carbon dioxide gassing of liquor for ca,lcium carbonate production, followed by countercurrent filtration of thickened solids. SODICMCHRoirATE. Sintering of chromite with soda ash in rotary kiln, folloffed by grinding, agitation, countercurrent decantation, and washing for production of strong sodium chromate liquor. POLYSTYRENE. Reaction agitation followed by countercurrent filtration. ALGLIINA. Extensive studies on bauxite and red mud digestion on sintered material along modified Bayer process lines. ASBESTOSm'.4STE. Separation and recovery of asbestos fiber, iron concentrate, and nickel concentrate, requiring classification, thickening, filtration, tabling, and magliptic concentration. SODIUM GLCTAMATE.Hydro1 of qluten in glass-lined Pfaudler 150-gallon autoclaves. filtration through glass filter cloth in Shriver presses, concentration, cry$tallization, and centrifugation in rubber-covered centrifuge. .Ill of this equipment was of acidproof construction and 1r.a; 1)urchased especially for this job by the client. IROXORE. Extensive investigation on iron ore beneficiation including classification, sizing, screening, tabling, and filtration. I n such projects as the sodium chromate and alumina investigations, only the sintering operations were carried out in t h e equipment described earlier; extraction jtudies were made in the regular laboratory on a bench scale. PERSONNEL
i. the cn-e in many organizations, the same (*liemists or engineers \vho d o the preliminary and hench scale ir-ork on a problem gencrdly czrry the i n v e d g a t i o n through t h e seniiir-ork stage. In addition, they may call upon any of the We.stport RIill staff for help in carrying on 24-hour operation for a week or a month, a. is necse+sni.y. The combined qtaff of 46 include-: twelve rliemical engineew, four metallurgical engineers, one sanitary engineer, one electrical engineer, one mechanical engineer, six chemists, one physical chemist, eight trained laboratory ansistants, five general service men, four mechanics and mechanics' helpera, and three secretaries. The pei,sonnel represents broad training arid plant operating experience; consequently Weatport Mill receives practical as \yell 3.: theoretical vien-points on it? prohlems. The statements made on the semiworks building, equipment, and Westport Mill staff emphasize t h e flexibility which was eztahlished as the keynote of t h e design and equipping of t h e laboratory. Further adaptability is evidenced by t h e fact t h a t the space and facilities are also used for equipment and process developnieiit for The Dorr Company's own account. -45
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