November, 1928
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
1131
Synthetic Ammonia E. M. Allen' THEMATHIESON ALKALIWORKS,INC.,250 PARKAvE., Nsw YORK,N. Y.
H E developments of the direct synthetic ammonia process and its various modifications in the last fifteen years have been so revolutionary that even many closely connected with the chemical industry do not fully appreciate its present position in the United States, or fully realize the tremendous strides that have been made and that are now planned for the future expansion of this process, which produces pure liquefied ammonia gas in anhydrous form. Much has been written on this subject by those who knew what they were writing about, as well as by those who did not, but virtually all of these papers have been discussions of the manufacturing process with theoretical costs of operation. It therefore seemed to be in order for the writer to approach this subject from a commercial viewpoint, not as a theorist, but as an executive of a company that manufactures ammonia, sells ammonia, and is supposed to know the costs of so doing. With the exception of a small amount of anhydrous ammonia produced from the cyanamide process, and one company that produces ammonia from gas-house liquor, practically all the anhydrous ammonia now made in the United States is manufactured by the synthetic process; and while in the past this product has been regarded almost exclusively as a refrigerant, its most important and largest use now is as a nitrogen-bearing chemical commodity. E. M. This is a chemical age, and in it things are moving so fast that little attention can be Daid to exDeriences that are over three td five years old; and in the field of synthetic ammonia it seems that this time limit can be safely placed a t from six to twelve months, and it is safe to state that no two installations are, or have been, identical. The president of one of the largest chemical companies in the m-orld advised the writer that a new plant that his company was installing, that would cost millions of dollars, was virtually obsolete before its construction had even been started. In discussing the commercial side of this subject, the writer wishes to point out the glaring fault of most of our technical chemists-they neglect to pay enough attention to the commercial side of their industry, the inclination being to devote all of their time to the technical side of their scientific problems.
T
Costs of Selling, Distributing, and Transporting
Very little has been written as to the cost of selling, distributing, and transporting of anhydrous ammonia, but to those executives who are responsible for the millions of dollars now invested in the synthetic ammonia plants it is a very important and serious problem. Prior to 1925 anhydrous ammonia was shipped in cylinders containing 50 pounds, 100 pounds, and 150 pounds, and this type of container is still used exclusively for the shipment of anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration purposes, being considered the safest and most practical container to use for this President, The Mathieson Alkali Works, Inc.
trade. Today there are between 185,000 and 200,000 cylinders in the hands of the manufacturers of anhydrous ammonia, all of which could be very easily handled by 100,000 cylinders. Here we have over $2,000,000 tied up in this class of equipment that is unnecessary, but the interest on this excessive investment has to be taken into consideration by the manufacturer in arriving a t his exact costs. Since 1925 specially constructed tank cars have been developed for. this growing industry-first, those that would hold 30,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, and now the last word in tank cars for this trade is one that holds 50,000 pounds. While there are approximatelv fortv of these cars now in use, it is safeto saythat before the end of 1929 one hundred and fifty or more will be in the service for the transportation of a n h y d r o u s ammonia. These large ammonia tank cars are built in accordance with the rigid specifications of the United States Bureau of Explosives and are shipped under the regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission. There have also been developed single-unit containers that will hold 1000 pounds of ammonia, similar to the 2000-pound container now being used for the transportation of liquid chlorine on the well-known multiple-unit tank car. Effect on Prices of Introduction of Synthetic Process
The beginning in this country of the manufacture of anhydrous ammonia by the synthetic process forecast the elimination of the old method of distilling ammoniacal liquor. While this economic change was hard for those old-line companies engaged in that field it was an economic step that they must have anticipated and made their plans accordingly. This economic change is a very apt illustration of a reason why all those engaged in the chemical industry should be very conservative in handling their depreciation and obsolescence charges, for there is no industry known to the writer that is so continuously menaced by new discoveries. This replacement of the old method of the manufacture of ammonia by the synthetic process was followed by a drop in the price of anhydrous ammonia to about one-third of the old prices but the old method of selling and distributing ammonia for the refrigerating trade still maintains, with its high costs. Here we have a situation whereby it costs the manufacturer two and a half or three times as much to sell and distribute a product as it costs to produce, and a change in the selling and distributing practices must be developed.
Allen
New Uses Due t o Reduction in Price
Anhydrous ammonia for the refrigerating trade in the United States calls for 30,000,000 to 35,000,000 pounds per year. This quantity is not being expanded much, mainly on account of electric and gas refrigeration, but the radical cut in the sales price of anhydrous ammonia has caused many new developments in its use, such as the manufacture of photographic films, artificial leather, imitation ivory, dyes, rayon, lacquers, etc.
1132
I Y I ~ T I ~ T R I .ISD A L ENGINEERING cm.mwIz~
With the price that now prevails for ammonia, the SUIfuric acid industry by tlic oxidation of ammonia tias%reated a new and growing outlet for its consumption, both as anhydrous and aqua, and it is also being successfnlly used as a substitiite for the Chilean nitrates. Almost all of thc ammonia for this new use i8 transported in tank ears and there are a t present approsimatrly twenty-five plants in the United
Vol. 20, No. 11
plioric acid, and potasli. Such an ideal fertilizer is now beimg produced in Germany, but according to reports there seems to be some question as to its economic success; however, time slionld work this out satisfactorily. The greatest need in the fertilizer field, however, is to educate its users to buy highly concent.rated fertilizers and do the mixing at or near the p i n t of consumption. In t,his connection it may be in-
Ningnra X’aitr (N.Y . ) Plant of The Mathisson Alkall Works. In
