THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK

Hickman Honored for Vitamin Distillation Work C&EN REPORTS: Franklin Institute Medal Day

P H I L A D K L P H I A . - K e n n e t h C. D. Hick­man, for making possible production of vi tamins A and Ε from waste materials, was among 11 prominent scientists

Kenne th C. D . Hickman , consultant, re­ceives t h e Wetheri l l Medal from R. T. Nal le , president of Frankl in Inst i tute

honored here on Oct. 18 by the Franklin Inst i tute . Each year the institute awards a series of medals for achievements in the fields of physical and applied science.

To Dr. Hickman, currently splitting his consult ing t ime between the Eas tman Kodak Co. and Arthur D. Little Co., went a John Price Wetheri l l medal, presented by Richard T . Nalle, president of the Frankl in Institute. In addition to his work on vitamins, Dr. Hickman was cited for his "ingenuity and leadership resulting in development of improved means in pro­duc ing high vacua by the use of oil diffu­sion pumps and for significant advances result ing from the design of the centrif­ugal still."

Frankl in Meda l T h e institute's top award, the Franklin

Medal , went to Eugene Paul Wigner of Princeton University for his work in the appl icat ion of group theory to quan tum mechanics and his work on many funda­menta l problems of theoretical physics. In Dr. Wigner 's absence, his wife, Mary Whee le r Wigner acted as proxy and de­livered his address on the role of mathe­matical methods in physical theories.

Other Wetheri l l medals were awarded to Dona ld W . Kerst, University of Illi­nois, for development of the betatron, and

to Russell H. and Sigurd F. Varian, brothers, for their development of the klystron radio tube.

N(*w work on the theories and practice of using prestressed concrete earned Frank P. Brown medals tor Eugene Freyssinet of Paris, France, and Gustave P. H. Mag-nel. University of Ghent. Belgium. Dr. Fre\ ssinet was represented by R. M. I)u-Bois, Inter-Continental Equipment Corp . Prof. Magnel's ideas on prestressed con­crete girder methods were first applied in this country only reeenth in the design

and planning of Philadelphia's Walnut Lane Bridge when both arch construction and steel had to be rejected.

Charles Sanborn Barrett, Institute for Study of Metals of the University of Chi­cago, received the Francis J. Clamer Medal for his contributions on the effects of de­formation and aging on various metallic crystals. For his work on the VT proximity fuse Merle Tuve, Carnegie Institution, was awarded the Harold X. Potts medal. Other awards included the George B. Henderson medal to Paul Walter Kiefer, New York Central Svsteni, for achievements in t he field of rai lroading, and the Elliott Cresson medal to Basil F . J. Schonland of South Africa, who is following in the steps of Ben Franklin by studies of lighting. Schon­land was represented by D. R. Masson, scientific attaché of the Embassy of Union of South Alrica.

AEC Considers Monsanto Proposal To M a k e Plutonium, Develop Atomic Power

Atomic Enerjiv Commission is seriously considering a proposal that private industry undertake to design, con­struct, and operate atomic power plants . In answer to questions posed at a recent press conference. Cordon Dean, A E C chairman, said the proposal called for in­dustry's erecting such plants at its own ex­pense, operating piles using uranium loaned or leased from the AEC. T h e principal products of the pile would be power and fissionable by-products, includ­ing plutonium. The AEC would receive all the fissionable materials and the com­pany operating the pile would have u s e of the power produced.

This idea was originally outlined i n a public address made several months ago by Charles Allen Thomas, Monsanto Chemical Co. executive vice president, and chairman of the Board of Directors of ACS. More recently Dr. Thomas and representatives of the AEC have discussed the mat ter in greater detail. Mr. D e a n said at the press conference so many problems are involved that no definite answer can be given at this time a s to whether a proposal of this type could be accepted. Among these problems are ques ­tions of security, costs, manpower, and Congressional approval.

Dr. Thomas has made the point that little has been done toward developing the beneficial side of atomic energy. He believes that the atomic program, other than weapon research, should be m a d e so attractive to industry that it w o u l d throw its best resources into research and development work. As a specific example, he pointed out that industry would like to know whether atomic energy can pro­duce power comparable in cost to coal or water power. At its present stage of technological development, t he capi ta l

cost for an atomic power plant is about 2.5 times that of a conventional coal power plant.

If the Government were willing to lend or lease uranium to private industry and pay for the plutonium produced in t h e uranium pile, the cost of power produced would b e reduced accordingly. Such an incentive would encourage industry to undertake the capital investment required.

Even though more costly than other sources of power, atomic energy might be useful in areas with limited power supplies. This is true in several western states which have extensive phosphate d e ­posits. With the depletion of such de ­posits in Tennessee and Florida, t h e western sources are becoming increasingly important. Dr . Thomas said, for example, that a 75,000 kvv. power plant in Idaho could he used to operate electric furnaces for production of elemental phosphorus from the available phosphate rock.

Dr . T h o m a s has suggested that the Government would benefit from this pro­gram through the dispersal of productive units. T h e training of industry in the field of atomic energy would also be of aid in the event of war. Other advantages would include lowered cost of plutonium and advances in technological know-how resulting from more widespread research and development programs.

By dealing with reputable companies, Dr. Thomas thinks the question of secur­ity could be settled with no difficulty. As to raising capital, h e believes t he hesitancy of industry could be overcome by long-term government-industry con­tracts which would allow the capital to be amort ized.

Several provisions in the Atomic Energy Act raise legal questions that would have ίο be answered before the suggested plan

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THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK

could be put into effect. The act has looked ahead to the day when industrial, commercial, or other nonmilitary use of fissionable material or atomic energy has progressed to the point where it becomes of practical value. I t calls for the AEC to report to the President on these de­velopments, evaluating their social, politi­cal, economic, and international implica­tions, and recommending to him desirable additional legislation. The President must

then present the proposal to the Congress for its action. The act states:

X o license for any manufacture, produc­tion, export, or use shall be issued by the Commission under this section until after ( 1 ) a report with respect to such manu­facture, production, export, or use has been filed with the Congress; and ( 2 ) a period of ninety days in which the Congress was in session has elapsed after the report has been so filed.

Cities Service Opens House af $4 Mi l l ion Packaging Plant in Cicero, Ill. χ \ τ A mammoth open house on Oct. 20, the Cities Service Oil Co. dedicated its new $4 million compounding, blending, and packaging plant at Cicero, 111. Lo­cated on a 42-acre site just outside Chi­cago, the plant is one of the largest of its kind in the world, with an annual pack­aging capacity of more than 25 million gallons of lubricating oils and special prod­ucts.

Base oils for blending are transported to the Cicero plant by barge, from the new Cit-Con lubricating oil refinery re­cently completed at Lake Charles, La. The barges a r e compartmentalized to handle various grades of lube-oil stock, and were built especially for this service. Since the Cicero plant is bordered on one side by the ship canal, unloading of the barges into the plant's storage tanks is a simple operation. Facilities are also pro­vided for transporting base stocks into the plant by railroad tank cars. Shipments of finished oils from the plant can b e made by rail, truck, or boat.

Storage facilities at the Cicero terminal include 42 all-welded tanks ranging in size from 10,500 to 420,000 gallons. Total storage capacity is approximately 7 million gallons. Inside the plant are 52 additional tanks ranging in size from 4,200 to 12,600 gallons, used principally for storage of finished oils.

Small batches of special oils are blended to specification in the plant in kettles of various sizes u p to 1,700 gallons. Larger batches are automatically blended by two accurately controlled proportioners, each capable of blending five separate ingredi­ents. Each batch is tested for quality and conformity to specifications in a well equipped laboratory staffed by petroleum chemists.

T h e finished and tested oils are auto­matically packaged on one of three major can-filling lines. The one-quart line h .s a capacity for filling, sealing and package ing 300 cans per minute. The five-quart line will handle 35 cans per minute, while the third line, designed to handle one-, two-, and five-gallon cans, operates a t an average rate of 6 cans per minute. Volume-controlled drum fillers which fill a 55-gallon drum in one minute are avail­able for handling the larger size containers,

and machinery is provided for the packag­ing of special products in containers of various shapes and sizes.

Ceramic Industry Growing On Pacific Coast

The nationwide number of production workers in t h e ceramic industry increased 52Vr during the period from 1939 to 1947. During the same period, the increase on the West Coast exceeded 140%. These and other facts pointing out the increasing importance of the ceramic industry in the industrial economy of the Pacific Coast were described by Fred B. Ortman, Glad­ding, McBean & Co., to some 350 mem­bers of the American Ceramic Society who met in San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 19 to 21 for the society's third Pacific Coast re­gional meeting.

The speaker described southern Cali­fornia as the second-ranking ceramic center in the U. S. Its sales volume of dinnerware is 207c of t h e nation's total. He further pointed out that the Pacific states manu­facture approximately 16% of the U. S.'s vitrified clay sewer pipe and related prod­ucts, 20r/c of the floor and wall tile, and 409c of the architectural terra cotta.

An approach to plastic pressing which

bridges the gap between hand pressing and manufacture with metal dies was de­scribed by A. R. Blackburn, Ram, Inc. The new process, which is applicable to all of the clay industries, can be used for forming quality products from fine dinner-ware and artvvare pieces to heavy clay products, according to Blackburn. The operation is performed with hard gypsum cement dies which are easily constructed and inexpensive in cost. Intricate and detailed design can b e incorporated in their construction much more readily than in metal dies. Ware produced by the method has fewer strains and consequently may be fired with greater success, Black­burn concluded. Several plants a re utiliz­ing the new process at the present time.

Drying of many clays and other mate­rials used in the ceramics industries can be accelerated through the use of infrared heat, according to J. L. Boyen, Currier Co., who reported on the research of Ira J. Barber of Fostoria Pressed Steel Corp. While many of the possible applications are yet to be tried out, Boyen stated that foundry cores have been satisfactorily proc­essed with infrared for several years, and that glaze may be dried on ware in less than 15 seconds. Mirror coatings are dried with infrared in about one sixth the con­ventional time. The temperature ranges of commercial infrared equipment are being increased in order that many applications not now possible might be investigated.

Fansteel Expands Tungsten And Molybdenum Facilities

Work has begun on a $390,000 program to expand production facilities for tungsten and molybdenum, Fansteel Metallurgical Corp., North Chicago, 111., announces.

Equipment for this expansion involves addition to chemical and ore treating facili­ties, drying ovens and reduction furnaces, hydrogen storage, purification and com­pressing equipment, additional sintering furnaces with transformers and control

T h e compounding plant of Cities Service at the outskirts of Chicago. I t is one designed to compound, blend, package, and ship eating oil yearly. Part of the 7 million-gallon

Co. is located on of the largest of

25 million storage is

busy Cicero Ave. its kind and is gallons of lubri-shown on right

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