C & E N

Chem Show Spotlights Engineering Coliseum visitors see kaleidoscope of technical trends, solid solutions to many CPS problems

ALL GLASS. Β orosilicate distillation column is 6 in. in diameter , is packed wi th glass. M a d e b y Sovirel ( Par is , F rance ) a n d marketed b y G. K. Porter & Co. , the process system has five Teflon and glass d i aphragm valves

AÏSTY T I M E that 550 vendors of chemi­

cals and equ ipment get together to dis­play their wares, you can find manifes­tations of dozens of trends—technical, economic, a n d business. This year's Chem Show—the 27th Exposit ion of Chemical Industr ies, held in New York's Coliseum—has certainly been no excep­tion. But one factor—the steel s t r ike-loomed over everything else.

Steel strike levels materials handling boom

The damaging effects of the steel strike filtered into many sectors o£ the economy; among those w h o expeot t o feel a steel-strike squeeze in early I960 are the makers of materials handling equipment . Nevertheless, materials handling equipment manufacturers that serve t he chemical industry tu rned out en masse at t he Exposition of Chemical Industries in N e w York. Their general outlook: 1960 should b e a good sales year, even though it m a y get off to a slow start because of steel's troubles,

Last month , the Material Handling Institute asked its 91 member compa­nies abou t business prospects . The r e ­plies mostly gave an optimistic forecast of a 15 to 2 5 % sales gain in 1960 com­pared to this year. However , compa­nies expect to rack up most of their increases in the last half of the year. Early 1960 does not look bright, espe­cially if the steel strike drags on. This would force a cutback in production of materials handl ing equipment: and make buyers reluctant to commit "them­selves to spending for equipment.

The effects of the steel strike were emphasized in a recent statement fay W . A. Meddick, president of E l well-Parker Electric, a producer of po^vered industrial trucks. Mr. Meddick says that t he strike will cost manufacturers of materials handling equipment a t

7 4 C & E N DEC. 14, 1959

S P E C I A L R E P O R T

Developments

least 509c of their expected business • 2 — Ι Π ΰ Λ Τ ι. 1 .. C l-l- _ · . - ; l l U J I C c i a C 111 1 C 7 U U . JLl l^LCclCl UL L11CT l l l l l l l -

mum 30% gain over 1959 expected earlier, business will be up no more than 15% next year, h e says. And this 159c gain will occur only if steel inven­tories reach a satisfactory level by the end of January.

If a steel contract ,s signed during the current injunction period, Mr. Med-dick continue-, business activity will not return to ρ .»crike levels before the third quarter. Total effect: The start of the much-heralded boom of the 1960's is being severely delayed.

• Hope Springs Ete rna l . Still, the outlook for the long term is bright. Mr. Meddick predicts that total sales volume of materials handl ing equipment will increase 60% over the next 10 years. His reasons: growing demands of management for maximum operating efficiency, plus union demands for the best possible working conditions.

At the chemical exposition itself, materials handling equ ipmen t manufac­turers forgot, at least for the moment, about clouds gathering on the horizon and showed off their newest innova­tions in conveyors, feeders, fluidized systems, weighing equ ipmen t , and con­tainer handling. Advances in handling systems were generally in the ' 'just a little bit better" category. Companies showed design improvements that of­fer faster, cheaper, a n d more reliable movement of materials.

As one example, Tote System ex­hibited a new discharge station which gives a better seal be tween bin and discharge chute . Also, the company had on hand a new Tote tank for liq­uids. Tote System says there is a great deal of interest in "containerization" for moving chemicals. T h e company re­cently scored a major point with the railroads: Shippers us ing Tote bins can

PFAUDLER OFFERS FLUIDICS. Since hooking up with Permutit , Ffaudler sells its corrosion resistant equipment as par t of complete fluids processing systems

now lease a fiatcar complete with con­tainers. This means savings in shipping costs, since freight is not paid on the containers.

• Completely Automatic. Behind the scenes in materials handling, manufacturers are looking toward the day of complete automation—computer controlled systems that will eliminate even the button pushers. Many expect that this will be a natural evolution in materials handling. Automated plants will create a demand for automated materials handling systems. At pres­ent, however, equipment makers have little to say or show publicly about their plans for automation.

Some piecemeal progress in more completely automatic handling was dis­played at the exposition. Toledo Scale and Richardson Scale showed refined systems for taking the human element out of weighing. Richardson, for in­stance, had its new formula capsule— an electronic "brain" which can be plugged into a regular automatic weighing system. The capsule con­trols the weighing of up to 24 ingre­dients in a batch and cuts out the need for setting dials manually. To switch to another formula, the operator simply plugs in another capsule. Also, with a simple adjustment, the operator can increase or decrease total weight of the batch while the proportion of each in­gredient stays the same.

Barrel Market Changes Steel barrel makers were hurt badly

by the steel strike, too. Prestrike de­mands for barrels were high; barrel

makers had little chance to build up large steel inventories. Now steel is coming through again, but, a Rheem spokesman at the Chem Show pointed out, it is questionable whether large enough inventories can be built up while the Taft-Hartley back-to-work order is in force. Rheem is in good shape for December and January, but if the steel strike isn't settled, troubles will mushroom. Greif Bros. Cooperage Corp. adds that the strike hurt them but they did all right. But if the strike isn't settled—watch out! On the other hand, Delaware Barrel & Drum main­tains it had enough steel and was not hurt by the strike.

Meanwhile, fiber drum manufac­turers, wooden barrel makers, and steel barrel reconditioners did a land office business. Continental Can says that demand tripled for its Liquipak fiber drums. The company couldn't handle the onrush of business because steel is also used in the covers and edges of fiber drums. Before the steel strike, normal lead time for delivery ran seven to 10 clays; now it's running seven weeks.

In many cases, chemical firms switched to fiber or other drums to ship products and, as a result, will probably stay with the new containers. There were cases, too, where companies had been shipping chemicals in steel drums but during the strike went to fiber drums and then to paper bags. They found a considerable savings and will likely stay with the new shipping method. Adhesive emulsions, acrylics, and resins are among the products which had been shipped in steel drums

DEC. 14, 1959 C & E N 7 5

and are now being moved in fiber con­tainers. A typical lined (with an epoxy resin, for example) steel drum sells for around $8.50. A similar size fiber drum goes for about $5.50—a substantial price difference. Hence, fiber drum makers have picked up new permanent markets as a result of the steel situation.

But wooden drum makers don't ex­pect any permanent new outlets as a result of the strike. A spokesman for Associated Cooperage Industries of America says demand for wooden drums has increased, but once the steel strike is settled, companies will prob­ably go back to steel drums.

Penton pushes into linings

Linings for chemical equipment and containers shown this year continue to reflect the increasingly rigorous de­mands placed on them. However, most current materials are basically improve­ments on older, successful coatings. Major improvements include greater chemical resistance, ease of handling in the field, and—in the case of con­tainer linings—smoother application.

Penton, a chlorinated polyether made by Hercules Powder, got its first major push at the Chem Show. Acceptance over the past few months of this ther­moplastic polymer as a protective coat­ing by the chemical industry has been really gratifying to Hercules. A number of fabricators and parts manufacturers featured solid Penton or Penton-lined equipment—machined parts, fittings, pipe, tubing, flowmeters, pumps, valves —in their own displays.

Perhaps the most valuable property of Penton for chemical use is its re­sistance to corrosion at high processing temperatures. Hercules recommends it now for the 250° F. range, is running successful tests from 275° to 300° F. under moderate pressures. Melting point of the thermoplastic is 358° F., and Hercules has run 60 p.s.i. steam (at 307° F.) through a solid Penton valve continuously for two and a half years. Resistant to boiling hydrofluoric acid, hot phosphoric, and concentrated sul­furic at ambient temperatures, Penton has also resisted glacial acetic acid at 275° F. for a year. It is unaffected by concentrated hydrochloric acid and 70% caustic, both at 280° F., accord­ing to Hercules.

While Miore expensive than vinyl and rubber coatings, Penton costs less than Teflon or Kel-F and has better physical properties at 212° F. than any other

polymer, according to Hercules. Some epoxy formulations which can take higher tenmperatures have unsatisfactory physical properties, Hercules feels. Stress resistance at 280° F . under 500 p.s.i. is particularly good, Hercules points out, reaching equilibrium (only about 2f/f creep) in 1O0 to 300 hours. Penton is being recommended, too, as a molding material, since it is easily processed by extrusion or rapid-cycle injection molding.

> improved Glass Linings. À new high-temperature glass coating for steel products tias b e e n developed by A. O. Smith's Glascote products division. Called Glascote 778, the compound shows only one fifth the material loss suffered t>y borosiiicate glass when ex­posed to 0.595» sodium hydroxide solu­tion at 2O0° F . In 10% HC1 for 16 hours at 3o0° F., Glascote 778 corrodes only about 60r/r as much as borosiiicate, the company says.

Glascote engineers say the new lin­ing therefore permits a 75° F. in­crease in operating temperatures for acidic reactors. This means hotter and possibly faster processing in latex poly­merization, resin manufacture, salt processing. It also allows process use of more corrosive reagents than would normally !:>e possible.

Thermal-shock: resistance is good, too, the firm reports. Glascote 778 heated to 350° P . does not spall when plunged into c o l d water. Steam-clean­ing, then, will not be risky, says Glas­cote, in equipment now being lined with the material—reactors (up to 8000 gallons), vessels, columns, storage tanks, rotary dryer-blenders, pipes, and various components and fittings.

Besides its o svn glass-lined equip­ment, Pfaudler division of Pfaudler Permutit now has a special steel pipe, lined witL· borosiiicate glass, which can be cut, threaded, and fitted, in the field. Unlike other glass-lined pipe, which is made in custom lengths to fit individual specifications, F-C Glasteel pipe comes In standard lengths up to 10 feet. Three diameters are available: 1.5, 2, and 3 inches.

The new pipe can be handled much like unlhned metal pipe. Piping lay­outs need not b e precise, says Pfaudler. Lengths can be field-cut to fit, during installation. A standard "stone saw," a dry abrasive cut-off wheel, will cut to lengtb. The pipe is then threaded conventionally. The end is next fire-polished,, and finally belt-sanded for a seal-tight connection.

HOODS HAVE EXTRAS. Duralab offers twin-sashed hood with outside control of air flow plus raisable center post

Said to be priced below conventional glass-lined pipe, F-C Glasteel has a 0.125-inch borosiiicate lining which re­sists all acids to 350° F., except hydro­fluoric, and is rated at 150 p.s.i. inter­nal pressure.

• Exotic Metal Linings, Too. Besides glass linings, Pfaudler showed a 14-sqnare-foot tantalum shell-and-tube heat exchanger designed for highly cor­rosive service at 75 p.s.i. A 6-inch car­bon-steel shell is lined with 0.02-inch Ta sheet. Walls of the Ta tubes are 0.015 inch thick, and the Glasteel fit­tings used show substantially the same corrosion resistance.

Pfaudler uses tungsten inert-gas welding on the tantalum joints in a "vacuum purge" welder. The firm features equipment lined with zirco­nium and titanium, too, fabricated with similar refractory-metal processing tech­niques.

• Lining Process. Another lining novelty noted at the show was Rheem's process for coating insides of metal con­tainers. Instead of conventional spray­ing equipment, Rheem uses a whirling disk (about an inch less in diameter than the container) which throws mi­croscopic droplets of liquid coating onto the wall surface.

For 55-gallon steel drums, the disk spins on a horizontal axis at 3600 r.p.m., makes one cycle from the open end of the drum to the closed end and back again. For smaller metal pails, the disk axis is vertical, speed is 7200 r.p.m. Paint is fed to the disk through the axle,

7 6 C & E N DEC. 14. 1959

P-K COMBINES BLENDER AND DRYER. Patterson-Kelley PENTON PUSHED. Hercules Powder used Chem Show as chief engineer John Fischer ( right ) explains how he de- forum to push high temperature corrosion resistance of its signed new equipment to combine steps, cut handling Penton chlorinated polyether resin

has a center table with sliding glass doors on a reagent shelf plus a titra­tion table and adjustable rack with en­closed services. Laboratory Furni ture also had at the show its new Instructo-lab, a portable science demonstration table for schools and colleges. This unit has an overhead projector, splash shield, and utilities.

Lab benches now are available in a host of materials—metal, plastic, wood, and stone. Most suppliers feel that metal is best, b u t a surprising amount of wood is still used, particularly by educational institutions. The reasons: mostly tradition, some makers feel—al­though educators also prefer Avood be­cause it does no t make so much noise when an exuberant s tudent kicks it.

Vendors push systems

Another t rend showed up strongly, too. Companies which have long been noted as suppliers of pieces of process­ing equipment are out to change their corporate images. Pfaudler Perrnutit, for example, now pushes the concept of Fluidics—its name for complote systems for fluids processing. Its line of glass-lined or corrosion resistant metal equip­ment is now sold ( as much as possible ) as part of a packaged system, engi­neered by the company itseif-

And Patterson-Kelley also made this point at the show; it now is selling it­self as a solids processing expert. Its new equipment, a combined blender and dryer, reflects this approach.

DEC. 14, 1 9 5 9 C & E M 77

is distributed to the disk circumference by centrifugal force. Coating is smooth, uniform, and free from pin­holes, says Rheem. Absence of air pro-pellant in the paint stream avoids bub­bles, and the thinness and viscosity of the liquid film prevent sagging and flow.

Fume hoods pace l a b furnishings

Fume hoods highlighted the displays of lab furniture makers at the exposi­tion. Most such suppliers had "jazzed-up" hoods, with selling points ranging from built-in reagent shelves to remote controlled baffles or split level working areas—with and without auxiliary air supplies.

Lab furniture includes cabinets, fix­tures, reagent shelves, bench tops, and the like. So why the spotlight on fume hoods? One producer points out that more and more researchers are handling radioactive and explosive materials. Thus, hoods to carry away these dan­gerous fumes are a must in most labs. Another spokesman adds that if you can sell a buyer your fume hood, you can often sell him the rest of your lab furni­ture line. Result: Lab furniture mak­ers are going all out to capture the buyer with the features offered on their hoods.

Not all of the emphasis has been on appearance and ease of operation of fume hoods. But much of it is. For example, both Metalab and Laboratory Furniture have built-in reagent shelves.

And Lab-JFurniture has some added wrinkles. One design has a remotely controlled baffle adjustment—a handle on the outside moves the baffle up or down to change the air flow inside the hood; another has a foot-operated de­vice to raise or lower the sash auto­matically.

Also equipped with remote control to adjust the baffle, Duralab's twin-sashed hood has a center post that goes up and down with either sash. Advantage: The user has more room to work in, Duralab says. Browne-Morse, on the other hand, eliminates the center post altogether in some of its large hoods, also includes swing out baffle plates to make cleaning easier and a split level working area.

Other factors have also had an effect on hood design. Chief among these is air supply. As more labs are air con­ditioned, there has been a demand for hoods with auxiliary air supplies. Ke­waunee Mfg., for example, makes one which uses a ratio of 50c/< room air from the building air conditioning system and 50 rA auxiliary air. Other makers have designed hoods using up to 75r/<- supplemental air. But most make them to the customers' needs, will supply hoods either with or without auxiliary air supplies.

Despite the focus on hood design, lab furniture suppliers have also stream­lined their basic furnishings. Labora­tory Furniture now has cabinets with self-closing drawers, pull-out shelves, and rotating corner shelves. Metalab