R E P O R T FOR
MANAGEMENT
Production Looks at the Analytical Chemist Production has definite needs that require up-to-date and aggressive analytical laboratory support. Such laboratories and their professional staffs not only are guardians of quality but contribute materially to cost reduction and process and product improvement. In the Dow Chemical Co.'s operations the relationship between the analytical chemist and the production man is purposely kept intimate to encourage a team type of effort. Here is the analytical chemist and his laboratory as seen specifically through the eyes of a production man.
G . F. DRESSEL Production Manager, Inorganic Chemicals, Midland Division, The D o w Chemical Co.,
Midland, Mich.
VOLUME
2 8 , N O . 4, A P R I L
I o SAY t h a t the analytical chemist is essential to the operation of a chemical manufacturing concern is almost a cliché. In varying degrees his services are either required or highly desirable across a broad front of industry, but probably nowhere outside the chemical industry itself is chemical analysis so acutely involved in all phases of operation from raw materials testing through research and production to product development, sales, and customer service. In considering the role of the analytical chemist it is impossible to isolate one such area completely from another because of the overlapping or mutuality of interest. There was the case, for example, where we were at the point of losing a large customer because a competitor had presented assays showing higher purity for the material in question than we were able to supply. Upon investigation, one of our analytical chemists found that the competitor's method of determination was inadequate to the point that while the resulting assay indicated a product superior to our own, the material was actually less pure than ours. With the aid of the chemist we were able to convince the customer of these findings and an important volume of business was retained. The interest of the sales department in this problem and its solution is obvious, but it should also be obvious that the production department has an equal stake in the outcome.
1956
Our objective here, however, is to consider the role of the analytical chemist from the viewpoint of production, so we shall, for the most part, purposely ignore other areas of interest which may be involved. Scope of A n a l y s t ' s Service
In the simplest terms the production man requires of the analytical chemist or laboratory the amount and kind of service required to enable him to meet product specifications. Presumably this entails analysis of finished product. I t may require analytical scrutiny of raw materials. I t may require the application of analytical procedures at one or more production steps. In these things he always wants accuracy. Generally speed is also required, if bottlenecks are to be avoided and production maintained at an efficient level. These functions are indispensable to adequate quality control and hence to the company's reputation for dependability as a supplier. In the same breath it must be said that they are most often repetitive, routine, and carried out according to set procedure. They are, therefore, the type of duty responsible for the canard that the role of the analytical chemist is monotonous, unimaginative, and lacking in opportunity. However, there is a very large " B U T , " whereby hangs the difference between the canard and reality. I t 7A
Ventgard Bottle P u m p . Purified air is forced into the bottle and syphon is started. AH air in contact with contents must pass through special filter element. Protects contents from bacteria, dust, mist, and gases including COs.
Changing Ventgard Filter E l e m e n t . Bottle Pump Element re quires changing every 2 months or after every 1,000 gallons have been drawn off. Standard Solutions thus protected remain at peak quality for maximum time.
MAKE YOUR OWN STANDARD SOLUTIONS? The equipment shown here will insure high quality and maximum shelf life. For further i n f o r m a t i o n , write t o : T h e Barnstead Still & Sterilizer Co., 9 Lanesville Terrace, B o s t o n 3 1 , Massachusetts. Drawing Distilled Water through new Self-Closing Faucet from tank equipped with Ventgard and Seal pro tection. Distilled water, which is nec essary in Standard Solutions where organics and bacteria cannot be tol erated, needs protection from the at mosphere at all points.
8 A
P r e p a r i n g a Normal Solution o f Sulfuric Acid. Here water purified by a cartridge-type demineralizer is suitable. Purifying cartridge is changed when its purifying resins become ex hausted.
Your Own Laboratory S u p p l y Dealer can tell you more about the equipment illustrated here: Barnstead Ventgard Bottle P u m p Barnstead Water Stills Barnstead Self-Closing Faucets Barnstead Ventgard and Seal Barnstead Water D e m i n e r a l i z e r s Barnstead Distilled Water H e a t e r Making u p a Standard Solution o f S o d i u m T h i o s u l f a t e using hot dis tilled water from a new thermostati cally controlled Distilled Water Heater. Hot distilled water can often be used to advantage in mixing Standard Solu tions since chemicals are more readily soluble in hot water.
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REPORT FOR MANAGEMENT would be a sad mistake indeed to overlook the fact that these are minimum requirements. They are "defensive" activities, in that they might be considered the least amount of analytical effort needed to maintain effective production and a salable product. From this point out the analytical chemist largely "makes his own bed." He can, of course, be encouraged or impeded by company policies or the attitudes of those to whom he is immediately responsible. He may have only to walk through the door of opportunity, or he may have to batter it down. But the door is there. If the individual is a dull and unimaginative fellow he will probably settle for the routine. If he has imagination, perception, and initiative, he can go far beyond the realm of the routine into the vaster area of creative activity. Any alert and ambitious production man wants more than just the minimum, requisite analytical service. While his immediate responsibility is to keep the plant running profitably and to maintain product quality, he would like to make it run more profitably, or more safely, or more simply. He would like to improve the product, or, perchance, reduce a waste, increase a yield, or salvage a by-product. In these matters the analytical chemist can be a valuable ally. To begin with, the production man wants the analyst to be alert to any changes, however small, in product or material or intermediate stages which may forewarn of trouble. The analyst is most often in a position to note such things ahead of the production man and even though an analysis may fall within specifications, an unexpected result may be an evil omen. Beyond that he needs suggestions from the analyst on improvement of product, or process, or control. The analyst is most often more intimately familiar with the process than the production supervisor. He is, at the same time, in a position to be aware of new methods, new technology, or instrumentation which may be applicable. Hence the production man may logically look upon the analytical chemist or laboratory as a fertile source of ideas. Technology is a constantly changing thing, and while most companies make a definite business of improvement research, many significant improvements spring from "routine" analytical chemists who are sufficiently alert and imaginative to go beyond the bounds of the "asked for" and the required. Finally, the analytical chemist is extremely important to production as a trouble shooter or problem solver. Old processes occasionally go wrong and new processes rarely move from laboraV O L U M E 28, N O . 4, A P R I L 1 9 5 6
tory or pilot plant to production without unpredictable obstacles. The analytical chemist who has earned a reputation for imaginative and creative thinking will find himself repeatedly assigned to divergent problem areas. When troubles are serious and costly, whole teams of analysts may be required. Analyst as Trouble Shooter
A few examples of experiences within our own company may be indicative of the contributions the analytical chemist and laboratory can make when routine ceases to be confining. A classic one in the area of trouble shooting dates back to 1941 when we were starting up our new plant in Texas for the recovery of magnesium from sea water. I t so happened this was important not only to Dow Chemical but to the country's defense effort. The process had worked well in a Midland pilot plant on both synthetic sea water and limited quantities of real sea water shipped up from Texas. Initially it worked well in Texas, but after a short period of operation the efficiency of the electrolytic cells began to drop at an alarming rate and soon the plant was forced to shut down. Needless to say, a considerable army of scientific brains tackled the problem on an around-the-clock basis. The need for the metal was critical. The trouble ultimately was traced to boron, present in extremely minute quantities in sea water, but being precipitated in the process and carried through in the magnesium chloride cell feed. In the cells it tended to remain, with cell efficiency dropping as the concentration of boric acid increased. In the process of discovering the culprit and then finding means of either removing the boron or preventing its precipitation literally thousands of analyses were made, thus making the analytical chemist an extremely important member of the team that brought a costly and critical production facility back into operation. Production people may generally be inclined to be cost conscious where analytical services are concerned. In Dow, however, we try to be value conscious, and a striking example of dollarsand-cents value in chemical analysis is afforded by a much more recent experience—this, again, in the problemsolving area. In the manufacture of a polymeric material poor yields were resulting in losses of up to 20% of the starting materials. A research team was set up to study the problem, one of the members being an analytical chemist. I t so happened that he was working in a new
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REPORT FOR
MANAGEMENT
modem laboratory built at a cost of nearly half a million dollars. His studies eventually revealed that a heavy metal, present in trace quantities, was interfering with the operation of the polymerization catalyst. The metal had escaped detection in routine analyses because part of it plated out on the metal sample containers and the remainder was present as a volatile complex. This finding represented a teamwork accomplishment, much eiïort being expended along many lines before the
problem was solved. However, the resultant production savings were sufficient to offset the cost of the half-million-dollar laboratory within one year, plus enough to pay for operating the building and the salaries of all the chemists employed in it for a similar period. Development of N e w Analytical Techniques
Determined analytical effort which takes nothing for granted can sometimes have far-reaching effects. In the manufacture of a pharmaceutical material,
MœmsSU is a highly FOR
selective
adsorbent..
CHROMATOGRAPHY
A hard, porous, white granular synthetic ads;orbent, produced in a variety of mesh classifications, Florisil is being successfully used in the most difficult separations of organic compounds. Originally recognized for chromatographic adsorption, Florisil is finding a variety of uses in research and manufacture. We also have available Fullers Earth and bauxite-based adsorbents for all types of adsorption filtration, including economical decolorization, dehydration and purification.
FLORIDIN COMPANY
Adsorbents IDesiccants ^ Diluents
Dept. X , Box 9 8 9 , Tallahassee, Fla.
analysis according to the official compendium consistently indicated the presence of an undesirable impurity. Not satisfied that our process was that much in error, the analytical chemist devised a different method of analysis and no such impurity was found. He was ultimately able to substantiate that the offensive material was merely a "ghost" conjured up by a basic flaw in the official test, and the compendium was revised accordingly. The development of new analytical techniques may at times permit a reevaluation of old processes—that is, assuming the analytical chemist or laboratory is alert to the potentials of their application. For example, a plant engaged in production of an aromatic aldehyde operated for years using a distillation method of laboratory control. Yields appeared to be satisfactory. Later, however, an ultraviolet spectrophotometric method was tried with the idea of saving time. First results by the new method pointed to losses of about 50% of the aldehyde in tar from distillation. The figures were naturally received with some skepticism. After the method was tested thoroughly, everyone became convinced that the losses were real and further research then turned up ways of recovering practically all of the aldehyde in useful form, thus doubling plant capacity. In somewhat similar fashion the recent installation of a flame photometer has eliminated a source of loss in one of our rather venerable processes—the manufacture of calcium and magnesium compounds. Occasional batches of product failed to meet specifications and the trouble was traceable to an intermediate crystallization step. Production appeared to be helpless because the fault was occurring at a critical stage where the existing methods of analysis did not produce answers fast enough for the operators to exert remedial control. The speed of the flame photometer has given production the control it needed and the losses have thereby been eliminated. Instrumentation is a rapidly developing field, constantly arming the analyst with new tools. The other side of the picture is that it is possible to become "instrument happy." The competent analyst will think problems through thoroughly and not ignore older classical methods which may be applied to new situations. A recent problem called for determination of a surface coating material on a plastic product. It was at first thought that it would be necessary to buy an electronic instrument costing more than $10,000 and train an operator to use it.
For further information, circle number 10 A on Readers' Service Card, page 61 A
10 A
ANALYTICAL
CHEMISTRY
REPORT FOR MANAGEMENT An older analytical chemist, however, found that the coating could be dis solved in a known volume of warm alco hol and reprecipitated upon cooling, so that a simple cloud-point method was perfectly satisfactory. In the development of magnesium alloys containing zirconium, analysis consistently showed the presence of an insoluble form of zirconium which re mained unalloyed. This type of infor mation was not requested and for a long time the metallurgists ignored it. None theless the analyst continued to report the unalloyed zirconium as well as the percentages of the various alloy con stituents. With growth to volume production things took a different turn. As the unalloyed zirconium added nothing to the properties of the alloy, it repre sented a waste of a relatively expensive metal and metallurgists tackled the problem of perfecting their alloying techniques to eliminate it. Thus the analyst's insistence upon reporting more than the required information brought about an early recognition and correc tion of a situation which could have proved costly. Contributions like these are being made constantly wherever competent analytical chemists are at work. Any successful chemical manufacturer, cer tainly, could point to similar experi ences. The area of operation is enormous. In Midland alone our laboratories counted nearly 200,000 samples analyzed last year. This, of course, in cludes participation in research proj ects as well as services to produc tion and other sections. The other side of the coin, however, is that it in cludes only the major analytical labora tories and does not take into account the dozens of "captive" laboratories or analytical chemists scattered through out the various production units. It might be interesting to note in passing that nearly half, 47%, of these samples were accounted for by our spectroscopy laboratory—not including analyses by such virtually automatic means as the direct-reading spectro graph. This laboratory has been ex tremely aggressive in the adoption of new methods and has frequently de veloped its own instruments where noth ing commercially available would ade quately serve. The now common direct-reading spectrometer for rapid analysis of metal alloys was an out standing example. It likewise pioneered the use of continuous infrared analysis for automatic process control and we have some 27 such installations within the Midland plant. Virtually every known type of ana lytical instrument may be found among V O L U M E 28, NO. 4, A P R I L
1956
the laboratory's facilities and, as sug gested, some that are not generally known. Training for Greater Responsibility There is a final aspect to the oppor tunity of the analytical chemist that should be touched on. His field is an excellent training ground for other re sponsibilities, either in production or another area. Working closely with production, he has an opportunity to become acutely familiar with produc tion processes and thereby becomes an excellent candidate for either an admin
istrative capacity or a larger area of technical responsibility. Our own company has grown rapidly, resulting in a comparably growing need for supervisory personnel. Both by necessity and by policy Ave have con sistently developed our own manage ment people within the organization. Hence the advancement opportunities for capable men of virtually all callings have been plentiful. It would seem that this condition should pretty much hold as a general truth throughout a vast and creative industry which is itself growing prodi giously.
LET'S TALK
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