T

B E 1, 1, 3 D.57
C HE M I CA L E N G IN E E R IN G. S ER I E S

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
FOR

PRODUCTION SUPERVISION
 MCGRAW-HILL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SERIES

Texts and Reference Works Outlined by the Following Committee .

H. C. PARMELEE, Chairman Editor, Engineer- ALBERT E. MARsHALL • President, Rumford
ing and Mining Journal Chemical Works

S. D. KIRKPATRICK, Consulting Editor Editor, - - -

R. S. McBRIDE -• Consulting Chemical Engineer
Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering.
L. H. BAEKEland. President, Bakelite Corpora- C. M.A. STIN: , Vice President, E. I.
de Nemours & Co.
du Pont
tion

HARRY A. CURTIs Dean of Engineering, Uni- E. R. WEIDLEIN - Director, Mellon Institute of

versity of Missouri Industrial Research

J.
9.Ptº
W. N. DoRR - President, The Dorr Company President, American
C. WHITAKER • Vice
Me yanamid Company
A. W.
::::::EExecutive
of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University
A.H. WHITE • Professor of Chemical
ing, University Michigan
Engineer
J. H. JAMEs Professor Emeritus of Chemical of
Engineering, Carnegie Institute of Technology
- WALTER G. WHITMAN - Professor of Chem
W. K. LEwis - Professor of Chemical Engineer- ical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of
ing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Technology

T HE S E RIES
BADGER AND BAKER—Inorganic Chemical Technology
BADGER AND McCABE-Elements of Chemical Engineering
EDwARDS, FRARY AND JEFFRIES-The Aluminum Industry (in Two Volumes):
Aluminum and Its Production; Aluminum Products and Their Fabrication
GROGGINs—Unit Processes in Organic Synthesis
LEwis AND RADASCH-Industrial Stoichiometry
MANTELL–Industrial Electrochemistry
NELSoN–Petroleum Refinery Engineering
PERRY (EDITOR)—Chemical Engineers' Handbook
PIERCE–Chemical Engineering for Production Supervision
RHoDEs, F. H.-Technical Report Writing
RHoDEs, T. J.-Industrial Instruments for Measurement and Control
SHERwood—Absorption and Extraction
SHERwood AND REED–Applied Mathematics in Chemical Engineering
TYLER—Chemical Engineering Economics
WILBRANDT-Chemical Engineering Plant Design
WALKER, LEwis, McADAMS AND GILLILAND–Principles of Chemical Engineering
C H E M I C A L E N G 1 N E E R I N G s E R I E s

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
FOR

PRODUCTION SUPERVISION

BY

DAVID E. PIERCE
Chemical Engineer, Röhm and Haas Company, Philadelphia

FIRST EDITION
SECOND IMPRESSION

McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, INC.

N EW Y O R K AN D L ON DO N
1942
 >

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING FOR PRODUCTION SUPERVISION

CoPYRIGHT, 1942, BY THE

McGRAw-HILL Book CoMPANY, INC.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

All rights reserved. This book, or

º
parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission of
the publishers.

ENGINEERING LIBRAR v
! ºr

THE MAPLE PREss company, York, PA.

 PREFACE

For the collegiate education of young men as chemical engi

neers, excellent textbooks have been available for nearly twenty
years. For the nontechnical men of the chemical industry, how
ever, for the foremen and supervisors in direct charge of operating"
chemical engineering equipment, there has not been a single
understandable book to which they could turn for information
about the basic principles upon which that equipment depends.
This need has been brought home to the author during the past
year by his assignment to direct an Engineering Defense Training
Course for nontechnical men in the organization of which he is a
member. The notes used in the six months' course, as given to
these men, have now been amplified to form the basis of this
book. It is presented with the hope that it will meet the need of
nontechnical operating men for a simple explanation of the equip
ment for which they are responsible.
In the effective use of this book, the problems are of the utmost
importance. According to the author's belief, any training
course using this book as a text should be so arranged that each
student works, or at least attempts to solve, every problem in the
book. Class discussions should clear up all baffling points as the
work proceeds. Ability to make use of the data and the methods
of calculation should be the primary aim, rather than recitation
of the subject matter of the text. The point of view throughout
the course should be that of the man who wants to analyze
difficulties in operation, check efficiencies, and utilize his equip
ment to the best advantage.
The material for this book has been selected from textbooks,
handbooks, technical journals, and manufacturers' bulletins.
Such a method invites criticism. The author hopes that those
who submit suggestions and criticism will assume the viewpoint
of the operating man, so that future editions may make this
book more useful to those for whom it is written.
The first chapter covers those principles of chemistry and
physics which are needed for an understanding of the succeeding
V

W1891.48
vi PREFACE

chapters. Since many operating men have had no training in

chemistry or have been out of touch with it for a number of years,
as much as a fourth or a third of the entire course may be devoted
to this chapter. The use of slide rules should be encouraged
from the beginning of the study.
The second chapter, Transformation of Energy, is planned to
acquaint the student with calculations involving energy in its
various forms. The development of facility in using steam tables
is to be emphasized at this stage of the study. The remaining
chapters present the five unit operations of chemical engineering
which are of major importance in most chemical plants. As
previously suggested, the discussion of fundamental principles,
rather than extended descriptions of many types of equipment,
will be stressed.
In preparing the notes upon which the book is based, the author
has been materially assisted by B. F. Feick, E. T. Sauer, and
H. H. Tiedemann, all of the Röhm and Haas staff. Their help is
gratefully acknowledged. Dr. M. C. Molstad of the University
of Pennsylvania, under whose supervision the Defense Training
Course was presented, has also given helpful suggestions and
criticism. Among the many texts and reference books consulted
in writing this book, “Principles of Chemical Engineering” by
Walker, Lewis, McAdams, and Gilliland has been the chief source
of information, and thanks are extended to the authors for their
permission to use their material so extensively. Finally, the
author wishes to express appreciation for the cooperation of the
various manufacturers of engineering equipment for their
courtesy in supplying illustrations.
-
DAVID E. PIERCE.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.,
January, 1942.
 CONTENTS
PREFACE. . . . . . . . . . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CHAPTER I
GENERAL PRINCIPLEs of CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICs . . . . . . . . .

Introduction—Chemical Principles—States of Aggregation—Prop

erties of Matter—Changes of State of Aggregation—Gas Laws—
Properties of Solutions—Problems.

CHAPTER II
TRANSFORMATION OF ENERGY . - - - - - - - - - - - - - 34
Chemical Energy and Heat—Combustion of Fuels—Condensing
Vapor as an Energy Source—Sensible Heat of Gases as an Energy
Source—Sensible Heat of Liquids as an Energy Source—Electrical
Energy as a Source of Heat—Electrical Energy as a Source of
Chemical Energy—Mechanical Energy from Electrical Energy—
Work and Heat from Mechanical Energy—Problems.

CHAPTER III
72

—Transfer by a Combination of Methods—Over-all Coefficients—

Average Temperature Difference—Problems.

CHAPTER IV
Eva PorATION. . . . . . . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 95
Essentials—Equipment Types—Operating Factors for Tubular
Evaporators—Auxiliary Equipment—Heat Recovery—Operating
Difficulties in Multiple-Effect Systems—Problems.

CHAPTER V
DistillATION . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . 126
Classification—Vapor Pressure Relationships—Steam Distillation
—Enrichment of Vapors—Equipment—Vaporization—Fraction
ation—Condensation—Accessories—Problems.

CHAPTER VI
. 156

Gas Contact—Problems.
vii
viii CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER VII
FLow of FLUIDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

ConstantEnergy—Potential—Head—Pressure Drop and Rates of

Flow—Flow Measurement by Conversion of Heads—Other
Methods of Measurement—Pumping—Water Hammer—Con
tinuous Separators—Problems.

APPENDIX
TABLE 1. Dry Saturated Steam—Temperature Table. . . . . . . . 208
TABLE 2. Dry Saturated Steam—Pressure Table. . . . . . . . . . 210

TABLE 3. Properties of Superheated Steam . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

TABLE 4. Properties of Dowtherm A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
TABLE 5. Standard Dimensions for Wrought-iron and Steel Pipe . . 218
TABLE 6. Mantissas of Common Logarithms . . . . . . . . . . . 219

INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . 221