Nov.,
I917
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
THE PROQRESS OF AMERICAN CHEMICAL ENQINEEBING By G. W. THOMPSON President American Institute of Chemical Engineers
This Exposition demonstrates the greatness of the progress which chemical industry in all its branches has made in the United States in recent years. When a n industry is small, its requirements are small. As it becomes larger, its requirements become larger. The manufacture of chemical products on a small scale in a laboratory is a relatively simple operation, but when this manufacture is conducted 0n.a large scale, involving the investment of considerable capital, then the problem is much more complicated and much more difficult to solve. CHEMICAL MACHINERY
On this large scale the chemical engineer is the important factor; not so much, perhaps, in the development of the processes as he is in the devising of machinery that will carry out these processes. Most chemical processes have been developed upon a small scale in the laboratory. All of the reactions have been worked out in this way. When the process has become so developed, it is studied for the purpose of putting it into operation on a scale that will produce a relatively large quantity of chemical product. To do this, the knowledge of the mechanical engineer is needed, but in addition t o the knowledge of the mechanical engineer, there must be supplied a knowledge of the resistance of materials to chemical reaction, which is provided primarily by t h e chemical engineer. This is particularly well illustrated in this Exposition, where apparatus for a great variety of uses in chemical manufacturing are displayed. I n practically every chemical manufacturing operation a great part of the study leading up to its becoming a commercial success has been the finding of materials suitable for making the apparatus in which t o conduct the chemical reactions involved. In small scale manufacture, platinum, glass and porcelain have in most cases been satisfactory. The use of these materials, however, for large scale operations, has been prohibited by the high cost of the materials or their fragility. It has been found, however, that by the selection of certain alloys of iron, chemical apparatus can be manufactured in which certain chemicals have been made to react upon each other without reacting upon the apparatus. Such reactions could be conducted in porcelain or stoneware were it not for the difficulty of making large porcelain or stoneware vessels that would not be destroyed by the heat of reaction necessary to the reaction involved in the process. The discovery that silica could be made into chemical ware and t h a t such ware had a very low coefficient of expansion, has made possible the use of such ware for many operations requiring the application of heat to liquids. With the demand made upon it, the manufacture of chemical stoneware of intricate shape and design has progressed to a remarkable degree, so that within the limits of its use there is practically nothing that can be asked for in this class of apparatus. Our early knowledge of chemistry had to do almost exclusively with irreversible reactions. Modern chemistry has largely to do with the reversible reaction, a reaction which takes place according to fixed rule as determined by the temperature and pressure under which and a t which the chemical reaction takes place. Every chemical manufacturer desires to get as high a yield of product as possible from every chemical reaction employed. To do this he must in many cases control the temperature or the pressure, or both, as the case may be, within certain relatively narrow limits. The needs of chemical industries in this respect have been so great that accurate instruments for the measuring of temperature and pressure and for their automatic control, have become imperative needs. A t this Exposition there are on view numerous pieces of apparatus designed
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particularly for the purpose of controlling temperature and, t o some extent, pressure. ECONOMIES I N P O W E R PRODUCTION
Every chemical industry depends, t o a certain extent, upon its operation being carried out economically. This economy must extend t o all departments. One of the most important departments is that connected with the production of power. The importance of obtaining the highest efficiency possible from a steam boiler is self-evident, and this can only be done by having as complete as possible combustion of the fuel used. There is one sure way of doing this, and that is by having continuous readings made of the carbonic acid present in the stack gases. It would be too expensive to employ a chemist to take samples of these gases and analyze them frequently, but with modern COn recording instruments, this is done automatically with great economy in steam production. Such apparatus has also been available in cases where the COZ is used in chemical processes. By a greater concentration of Cog, the handling of excessive quantities of useless gases is avoided. The designing of apparatus in which t o conduct chemical reactions with the result that desirable chemical compounds are produced, is also peculiarly the work of the chemical engineer. The reactions themselves, as indicated above, have become known as the result of laboratory work, but to design apparatus so that these reactions will go on with the greatest practicable rapidity and to the highest degree of efficiency requires a man peculiarly trained in some way t o apply on a large scale the law of mass action and the other laws of physical chemistry. The removal of a n undesirable component rapidly and efficiently, thereby taking away the slowing-up effect due to its partial pressure, is often a difficult problem, but, with the modern methods illustrated in this exhibition, the problem becomes easier. Here we find apparatus designed for particular purposes, in which operations can be carried on in vacuum or with the assistance of efficient stirring appliances, or in the utilization of centrifugal force. Much of our progress has been due to the utilization of electrical energy, and in this Exposition are shown the products of the electro-thermal reactions, also electrolytically prepared or refined metals and chemical products. Here also are seen illustrations of the removal of suspended matter from gases by terminals highly charged with static electricity, and means for separating minerals electrostatically or by the electro magnet. These are only a few of the many illustrations which could be offered of what is seen in this Exposition, showing the mechanical genius of the American manufacturer and his ability to convert chemical reactions into profitable business enterprises. I believe it would be proper t o extol this ability. The American cannot expect to excel in everything, and if he excels in this particular line it is a sufficient “crown of glory.” That the manufacturer of chemical products has not accomplished everything that could be desired has not been due to his lack of ability or energy, but has been due to his inability to obtain those raw materials which nature has furnished t o other countries more generously than she has t o us. With the progress of chemical industry the kinds and varieties of chemical products made are increasing from day to day. We see evidences of improvement in quality and the probable reduction in price as the competitive conditions become more nearly normal. The Institute of Chemical Engineers is glad t o join in this Exposition in an advisory capacity, or in any other way it can be useful, because i t believes that the future commercial success of our country depends upon the continuance of the present efforts looking in the direction of the expansion of chemical production and the manufacture of chemical products.
