Products and
Processes
For further information o n any item mentioned here, fill out coupon on p . 1556.
Brine System Cuts Costs Modern salt handling and brine pro duction methods recently p u t into prac tice at the Soft AVater Service Co., Erie, Pa., have greatly simplified plant opera tions there and cut the cost of regener ating the firm's water softening units, according to International Salt C o . , Inc. T h e Lixator, designed and engineered by the latter company, produces selffiltered, saturated brine automatically from rock salt. Lixate brine is neutral and is always crystal clear and ready for use at a moment's notice. Its automatic production in the Lixator is said t o eliminate unnecessary salt handling and to streamline brine making. Essentially the Lixator consists of a storage hopper and a salt dissolving tank containing a salt filter and a brine eellection chamber. Rock salt enters the dissolving tank b y way of the hopper, which is placed on top of the tank. A s the salt already in the tank is dissolved, additional salt comes from the hopper to replace it. At a certain distance from the top of the tank, water enters, its flow regulated b y an automatic float valve; as it flows down, it dissolves t h e salt. Some distance from the bottom t h e brine becomes fully saturated, and t h e r e maining rock salt acts as a filter which removes all traces of suspended matter. When the brine reaches t h e brine col lection chamber, it is crystal clear. From there it enters a brine storage tank, from which it is piped t o any part of t h e plant requiring it. ρ j
Reducing Smoke
Nuisance
The D e l t a Engineering Co., in an effort to minimize the losses due to t h e use of high pressure s t e a m to improve the combustion and thereby reduce,the smoke nuisance, has developed a cata lytic process of combustion promotion. The catalytic substances used in t h e process are essentially of the terpene hydrocarbon series. The process is a means o f providing a minute quantity of a selective catalyst t o the upper flame zone o f the combus tion chamber or furnace where i t com bines with the rising volatiles a n d car bonaceous material t o , increase rapidly the combustion reaction in t h i s area without t h e escape of t h e combustibles or smoke. In the D e l t a catalytic process of com bustion promotion no attention is paid t o the fuel bed itself because concern is primarily with t h e gaseous zone only.
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The catalysts are transported into the reaction zone b y means of a small quan tity of steam at low pressure and, along with the predetermined quantity of sec ondary air drawn in through t h e turbulators, the stream is directed into the combusition reaction taking place there. The catalyst, in speeding up the reaction al this point, actually promotes the separation of t h e component gases and allows recombination at a much lower temperature. The results of this catalysis is indi cated b y the appearance of t h e flame color and length. I t changes rapidly from a long reddish orange smoky flame to a short intense dazzling white, having quite a different sound from the original. T h e amount of steam consumed by the process is extremely small compared to that used by the conventional plain steam jets. T h e cleaning of the fires is m a d e easier and in less t i m e when t h e D e l t a units are in operation, because no hard and chunky clinkers accumulate, accord ing to D e l t a engineers. This process may be installed in al most any size and type of steam boiler and can be applied to heavy oils and sludge as well as to bituminous coals and sawdust. Spray nozzles are avail able in 30 different spray angle combina tions, ρ 2
Resinous
Hydrocarbon
A new type of synthetic resinous hydrocarbon being produced commer cially b y Kenrich Corp. is said to h a v e unusual stability and extremely low electrical loss. It is produced by cata lytic condensation of specific alkyl naph thalenes followed b y purification and high vacuum distillation, and i s offered as Kenflex in several grades. Kenflex A i s derived from dimethyl naphthalenes: it has a drop melting point of about 160° F., a viscosity of ap proximately 300 centistokes a t 210° F., an initial boiling point in excess of 400° F. at 2 mm., and a dielectric dissipation factor of about 0.0025 to 212° P . Allied materials of different viscosities and melting points can be made b y selection of the proper alkyl and cycloalkyl substituents. For example, Kenflex Β pos sesses characteristics respectively of about 80° F., 60 centistokes, over 400° F. at 2 mm., and 0.005. Because of their high degree of aromaticity, Kenflex products exhibit out standing compatability with many resins.
CHEMICAL
They have tackiness, nonvolatility, and electrical properties comparable to the polybutenes, but are opposite in viscos ity index and soLvent power. Thus, t h e y may b e blended with most oils or resins to give compositions which will impreg nate or extrude easily at processing tem peratures and exhibit highly viscous or tough characteristics under usual operat ing conditions. Kenflex is recommended for vinyl in sulated wire, electrical cable filling, p o t ting and caulking compounds, rigid vinyl moldings, adhesives and sealing compounds, inks, paints and varnislies, high temperature lubricants, hot m e l t coatings, insecticides, vinyl floor tile, and composition rollers. p&
Titania Crystals Exceed Diamonds in Brilliance Titania crystals, said to be the only substance in existence more brilliant t h a n a diamond, are being sold in boule form in limited quantity t o the gem field, to test their appead and market potential as gems. T h e price in boule form before cutting is 50 cents a carat for the clear and 75 cents a carat for the blue and amber crystals. The index of light refraction of the stones is about 2.70, as compared with the less brilliant 2.41 of a diamond. T h e y are far below the diamond in hardness, however, with a hardness index of 7 on the Moh's scale, as compared to 10. Titania gems are an "accident of re search" at National Lead C o . Searching for a way to determine with greater ac curacy the optical and electronic prop erties of titanium dioxide pigment, c o m pany scientists were baffled by the m i n ute size of the crystals. Efforts to pro duce larger crystals resulted in what were obviously beautiful gems, as -well as a forward step in research. National Lead Co. is primarily interested in de termining the industrial and technical uses of the crystals, but is making avail able t o the gem trade a limited supply already produced. Ρ 4
UOP Food
Introduces Antioxidant
Universal Oil Products Co. has an nounced that i t will enter the food products field about June 15 with the manufacture of an antioxidant. The product is a mixture of 2- and 3-tertiarybutyl-4-hydroxy.anisoIe and has a carrythrough into baked products superior to that of other antioxidants. Used alone, with citric or phosphoric acid as a syner gist, or with nordihydroguaiaretic a c i d or propyl gallate added, it increases greatly the length of time that lard will remain free from rancidity in storage. T h e anisole i s highly soluble i n lard and has n o effect on color or odor tests a t ordinary concentrations. I t has been approved by the Meat Inspection D i v i sion of USDA. Ρ 5
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ENGINEERING
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