perature properties. Cooke also hopes to increase the compound's curing rates without sacrificing safety. Another problem is to minimize the processing variables in the wire plant. CLPE is sold as a compound, containing resin, carbon black or other filler material and a peroxide catalyst. The cross-linking, or vulcanizing, is done as it is coated onto the wire. Within six months, Mr. Bluestein expects to have a quality control lab revamped and expanded. The lab, he claims, will assure trouble-free crosslinked polyethylene compounds. Cooke, a privately held company, doesn't reveal sales figures. But Mr. Cooke says that within a year, crosslinked polyethylene will be its biggest item in dollar sales. It already is the largest on a pound basis. He hopes that some of the momentum from this business will carry over to its other more profitable items, such as color concentrates and custom compounds. Meanwhile, although the company expects to increase its pound volume of cross-linked polyethylene business, it's afraid that new competition from bigger companies will diminish its percentage share of the market. Several companies have expressed interest in cross-linked polyethylene. Cabot Corp., which has been concentrating on cross-linked, high-density polyethylene for pipe, now appears to be renewing its interest in the wire and cable field.
Fault in Bedrock Found at Proposed Nuclear Plant Site Controversy continues over a nuclear power plant proposed for Bodega Head on the Pacific Coast 50 miles north of San Francisco. The Atomic Energy Commission said last week that excavation has disclosed a fault in the bedrock at a depth of 40 feet. AEC also released a report completed by the Department of Interior before the fault was discovered. Interior's report says the site is not an "adequately safe location for a nuclear power plant." Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which proposes a 325-megawatt power plant for the site, said the new-found fault is a "minor offset" and there is no evidence it has moved in tens of thousands of years. A group of California conservationists, who want to preserve the area for recreational use, has been trying to block construction of the reactor (C&EN, July 22, page 2 3 ) .
NYLON 6. An employee warps nylon 6 yarn onto beams at British Enkalon's new plant in Northern Ireland. Annual capacity of the plant is 4.5 million pounds
U.K. Steps Up Synthetic Fiber Capacity New nylon 6 plant already under expansion; nylon 66 and acrylic capacity head higher, too million pounds a year of nylon 6, nylon 66, and acrylic fiber compared to about 168 million pounds a year now. British Enkalon, 6 1 % owned by the Dutch company Algemene Kunstzijde Unie and 39% by British shareholders, operates the only nylon 6 plant in the U.K. (C&EN, June 19, 1961, page 35). (AKU is Europe's biggest nylon 6 producer.) Two years ago, both Imperial Chemical Industries and Courtaulds said that they planned to make nylon 6 as well as the fiber's starting material, caprolactam, in Great Britain. Since then, both companies have shelved their plans. British Enkalon imports caprolactam for its nylon 6 operation at Antrim
British Enkalon, Ltd., has already started to expand its nylon 6 fiber plant at Antrim, Northern Ireland. Capacity of the plant, which went into full production late last month, will be 7 million pounds a year by the end of 1964. The plant's present capacity is 4.5 million pounds a year. British Enkalon isn't the only company that's expanding its synthetic fiber capacity in the United Kingdom. British Nylon Spinners is increasing its capacity for making nylon 66 fiber by 50%, and Chemstrand is raising its acrylic fiber capacity by about 45%. When all the expansions are completed, probably by 1966, the U.K. will be able to produce about 235
There Are Five Synthetic Fiber Producers in the U.K. Company
Product Trade Name
Annual Capacity (millions of pounds)
Location
British Enkalon
Nylon 6 Enkalon
4.5; being increased to 7.0
Antrim, Nothern Ireland
British Nylon Spinners
Nylon 66 Bri-Nylon
112; being increased to 168
Doncaster and Gloucester, England; Pontypool, Wales
Chemstrand
Acrylic Acrilan
19.0:; being increased to 27.5
Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Courtaulds
Acrylic Courtelle
32
Coventry and Grimsby, England
Polyethylene Courlene
1
Coventry, England
Polyester Terylene
65
Wilton, England Kilroot, Northern Ireland
Polypropylene Ultron
5 to 10
Wilton, England Kilroot, Northern Ireland
Imperial Chemical Industries
OCT. 14, 196 3 C&EN
39
from the Netherlands, where it is produced by Dutch State Mines (C&EN, June 24, page 7 2 ) . Polymerization is carried out at Antrim. Nylon 66. British Nylon Spinners is by far the largest U.K. producer of synthetic fibers. It operates three nylon 66 fiber plants in the U.K., having a combined capacity of about 112 million pounds a year. Plant modifications now under way at the three plants will raise capacity to 168 million pounds a year within the next two to three years. British Nylon Spinners, jointly owned by ICI and Courtaulds, Ltd., gets the base polymer for its nylon 66 operations from ICI's Billingham plant. The U.K.'s present nylon 6 capacity (4.5 million pounds a year) is almost lost when stacked against the country's nylon 66 capacity (112 million pounds a year). Nevertheless, there is likely to be increasing competition between the two fibers in the years ahead. AKU is sure to throw the full weight of its technology and experience into promoting nylon 6. Acrylics. Chemstrand's acrylic fiber expansion at its Coleraine, Northern Ireland, plant should be completed next spring. It will raise the plant's capacity from 19 million to 27.5 million pounds a year. Courtaulds, however, is the largest producer of acrylic fibers in the U.K. Its two plants at Coventry and Grimsby, England, have a combined capacity of 32 million pounds a year. Both Chemstrand and Courtaulds now import the raw material, acrylonitrile, for their acrylic fiber plants. However, Border Chemicals, Ltd., a joint venture of ICI, Distillers Co., Ltd., and British Petroleum, is now building a $17 million, 40,000 ton-ayear acrylonitrile plant at Grangemouth, Scotland (C&EN, April 15, page 46). Based on a process developed by Distillers and Ugine of France, it is due on stream in 1965. Last year, the U.K. produced almost 183 million pounds of continuous filament and staple based on nylon 66, acrylic, polyester, and polypropylene fiber. In 1961, total output was 136 million pounds. Viscose is by far the leading man-made fiber produced in the U.K. Output of viscose continuous filament and staple was about 367 million pounds in 1962 vs. 350 million pounds in 1961. U.K. production of acetate and triacetate staple and filament was about 78 million pounds last years vs. 71 million pounds in 1961. 40
C&EN
OCT. 14,
1963
Kaiser Plans More Chemical Expansions Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical is planning substantial expansions in industrial chemicals, William Hobbs, Kaiser treasurer, told the financial analysts of Philadelphia early this month. Chemical products, he says, are destined to contribute a large portion to the company's over-all business. First steps toward this goal were taken about a year ago when Kaiser formed its chemical division. About the same time, Kaiser made its first shipment of a fluorochemical product, aluminum fluoride, from new facilities at Gramercy, La. Since then, the Gramercy facilities have started producing anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and fluorocarbons. Now, the chemical division is preparing to build another chemical plant at Gramercy, for production of isocyanates, a major constituent of urethane plastics (C&EN, July 1, page 17). Kaiser is also deeply interested in expanding its world markets, Mr. Hobbs stresses. A primary objective is to establish metal-using outlets or aluminum-fabricating facilities which require primary metal. Another objective is the development of new and additional raw material reserves and basic production facilities overseas. The company's present investment in foreign operations is about $100 million, he says. In recent years, Kaiser has emphasized the expansion of its mill fabrication capabilities and the fabrication and marketing of end-use or consumer products, Mr. Hobbs says. This broadening of policy has taken the company into a number of strictly consumer product areas, including household foil, containers, and residential building products, he adds. Aluminum prices are still well below last and previous years' levels, Mr. Hobbs points out. The factors largely responsible for the price declines are substantial excess capacity and the desire of companies to develop new markets and products to use up that capacity, he says. The difficulty of maintaining profit levels under adverse pricing conditions is illustrated by Kaiser's 1963 operations, Mr. Hobbs says. Although new records were set in tonnage shipped during the first half of 1963, net sales for the six months ending June 30 totaled $216.5 million, down from $223.9 million for the same
period last year. Income for the first half dropped from $16.9 million in 1962 to $10.3 million this year. Annual dollar sales are expected to be down 2 to 3 % from last year's $444 million, he says. The major outlets for aluminum are the building industry and transportation. They account for almost half of total aluminum shipments. However, according to Mr. Hobbs, the most outstanding growth in a single aluminum market is in the field of containers and packaging. Since 1950, this market has increased from 3.8% of total shipments to 8.2% in 1962, or an average growth rate of 14%.
Cause of Utah Potash Mine Explosion Revealed The Aug. 27 explosion at Texas Gulf Sulphur's Cane Creek potash mine, near Moab, Utah (C&EN, Sept. 9, page 31), resulted from an underground ignition of combustible gas, says the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Mines. The bureau, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Utah State Industrial Commission had earlier announced that the immediate cause of the explosion could not be determined with certainty (C&EN, Sept. 30, page 2 6 ) . According to the bureau's official report, the gas was liberated after blasting at the face of the second south development drift, and was carried by the return ventilating current to the underground shop area. There it was ignited by an electric arc or sparks, an open flame, or heated metal surfaces. An air sample collected in the second south face after the explosion contained 6.7% total hydrocarbons, of which 4.74% was methane, 1.1% ethane, and less than 1% propane, butanes, and pentanes. "Positive ventilation of all underground working" is one of 29 recommendations made by the bureau "to prevent similar disasters." All are based on the findings of an investigating team at the disaster scene. First on the list of recommendations is that the mine "should be operated as a gassy mine." Other recommendations would require ventilation to carry away combustible air-gas mixtures before they accumulate in explosive quantities and provide for consistent testing of the mine atmosphere to detect unusually large emissions of gas.
Air Products Completes New Air Separation Plant in Delaware A liquid nitrogen trailer is filled from the storage facilities at Air Products and Chemicals' newly completed gas plant at Delaware City, Del., just south of Wilmington. The 500 tonper-day plant will supply liquid and gaseous oxygen, nitrogen, and argon by tank and a pipeline network to customers in the Middle Atlantic area and along the Atlantic Coast. The plant cost more than $5 million. It can be expanded, with minor modifications, to produce an additional 200 million tons a day, says Air Products. Operation of the plant involves temperatures in the range of —300° F. and below.
BRIEFS Metrochem Corp., a new subsidiary of Chemetron, will engineer and market film-type reactors and complete plants for sulfonation and sulfation processes used to make detergent ingredients. The company has a patent and technical information agreement with Allied's General Chemical Division to use General's Sulfan stabilized sulfur trioxide. Metrochem will also market sulfonation and sulfation equipment previously handled by Chemetron's Votator division.
Columbia Gas System Service Corp.
has entered into a long-term research and development agreement with Selas Corp. of America for development of a commercial, high-temperature, gas-fired furnace. Objective is a furnace that will develop temperatures substantially in excess of 3000° F.
Foote Mineral will acquire two plants from Martin Marietta's Standard Lime & Cement division. The two plants
at Kimballton, Va., and Knoxville, Tenn., and their attendant mining operations make high-calcium lime and hydrated lime. Foote will extend the plants' operations to meet increased needs for use in basic oxygen furnaces. The purchase is subject to the approval of the Federal Trade Commission.
use an evaporation method developed by Aqua-Chem engineers. The complete turnkey facility is to have a capacity for 40,000 gallons of pure water a day. Brackish well water in the area contains about 15,000 parts of dissolved solids per million parts of water. The unit is to begin operation next March. Aqua-Chem will operate the unit for a year.
NEW FACILITIES Borden Chemical has completed a second formaldehyde plant and started production of phenolic resins and ureaformaldehyde resins at Demopolis, Ala. The company is also completing an expansion of its hexamethylenetetraamine capacity and will build a research, development, and technical service laboratory at Demopolis. The laboratory will serve the southern pine plywood industry.
Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. is expanding its research laboratory at Natrium, W.Va. The expansion includes a new building to contain about 10,000 square feet of floor space, completion of a second floor in the existing lab building, and the addition of a mezzanine in the technical laboratory. A clay products laboratory, a corrosion laboratory, and a customer service laboratory will be housed in the new additions.
Aqua-Chem, Inc., is building a water conversion plant for the Hill Air Force Range, Lake Point, Utah, under a $276,000 contract from the Army Corps of Engineers. The unit will
Merck & Co. is planning a major expansion of its research and development laboratories at Rahway, N.J. Cost of the program, together with that of a less extensive expansion OCT. 14, 1963 C&EN
41
started last year at its West Point, Pa., research lab, is estimated at more than $13 million. The Rahway plan calls for a two-story chemical laboratory, a one-story extension of the biological research lab, a physical chemistry lab, and an administration building. The project should be completed in 1965. Expanded quarters for developmental, industrial, and microbiological research will be provided through the renovation of the research facilities vacated after the new construction is completed. Expansion of Merck's West Point labs, scheduled for completion this fall, includes new buildings for medical research, pathology, toxicology, and virology.
Philip Morris' chemical subsidiary, Polymer Industries, Inc., has started production of specialty polymers for the textile industry at its new plant in Greenville, S.C. ' (C&EN, May 20, page 45).
INTERNATIONAL
chloride resins. Start-up is scheduled for 1964. The facility, to be called Petroquimica Colombiana, S.A., will be owned and operated by Diamond, Corporation Financiera Colombiana de Desarrollo Industrial, Colombia indus trialist Victor Shaio, and engineering consultant Alberto Vargas.
Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi, Italy's state-owned petroleum company, and the Congo Republic have started construction of a 600,000 ton-a-year petroleum refinery at Banana, Congo Republic. The refinery will be operated by Societe Congo-ltaliene de Raffinage. Cost is expected to be $12 to $13 million, financed on a 50-50 basis by the Congolese government and companies of the ENI group.
Reichhold Chemicals (Canada), Ltd., is increasing its formaldehyde capacity. Construction of a 15 million pound-per-year unit has begun at the film's Port Moody, B.C., plant. Scheduled for December start-up, the unit will use Reichhold's continuous oxidation process. Start-up is imminent for another unit of the same capacity at Ste. Therese de Blainville, near Montreal, Que. Both units will furnish formaldehyde for Reichhold's phenolic resin operations.
Diamond Alkali plans to build a polyvinyl chloride plant in Colombia in partnership with local interests. It will have a capacity of 25 million pounds a year and will be located on the Caribbean coast. Initially, the plant will produce vinyl chloride polymers, vinyl copolymers, and vinyl
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CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING NEWS
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Shell Chemical has completed the first portion of a capacity expansion at Martinez, Calif., for the production of p-tert-buty\ benzoic acid. The product is used largely as a modifier for surface coating alkyds and in the manufacture of vinvl stabilizers.
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Avisun is in full commercial production of Olemer, its polypropylene copolymer (C&EN, May 27, page 39) with high impact strength at low temperatures. The product is being made at New Castle, Pa.
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Hooker Chemical's sales and earnings for the nine months ending Aug. 31 set new records. Sales of more than $135 million were 1.5% higher than those for the comparable 1962 period. Net income was about $11.8 million, or $1.40 a share, up 4 . 1 % above the 1962 figure. 42
C&EN
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1963
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