Document 2q0NO6EXROyrgk7Nw0E05GQXg

ns* ATOMIC ENERGY REPORT Mfc first Janus! report of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, records a year of substantial prat- T ticsi and experimental progress. It will be remembered that after the end of the was, rpo<M/b<lrty (or research and development on atomic energy was transferred from the Department or Scientific and Industrial Research, to the Ministry of Supply. This arrangement, which was confirmed by the Atomic Energy Act. 1946. continued in being until January 1st, f9S4. when, by an Order In Council, transfer of control was made from the Minister of Supply to the Lord President of the Council Tht United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority came into being on July 19th, I9K under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, J9S4, and took over the exitting establishments on August 1st, 1954. The Government's decision to take this step wu tuaed on the belief that with the growing importance of che industrial uses of atomic energy, the case for a form of control more akin to the structure of a large industrial organisation than to tfiat of a Government department had become very strong, in fact, it would become much stronger as the need for closer co-operation and working with industrial organisations become more apparent. The Authority differ* from other mtionaihed w>demkji. in that t depends for its funds upon money voted by Pari urnent--the moneybeing paid tothe Authority by the Officeof the Lord President (Atomic Energyj, subject to Treasury consent. The estimate for the financial year |9$4-S$ gave a net total of $3.67$ million; and an estimate lor !9S$*5i showed that a sum of 50.$62 million would be required. The report states that the two most conspicuous event* of the period under review w*rc~-fa the eivi! field, the publication of the Government's Nuclear Power Programme and. on the defence Side, the announce ment! the Government's decision to proceed with the development and production of thetmo-micltar weapons. Upon reading the report, one cannot fail to be impressed by the magnitude of the field of activities which the Authority ha-, set out to cover, a field which. In fact, it must coven if it is to sucteee in its allotted task. Sue reading further into the report one finds that the fulfilment of the programme which the Authority has under taken s threatened by an acute shortage of skilled manpower---particularly scientists, engiiveers and craftsmen. ft is obvious fhet three factor* are esseafjaJ to she success of any engineering project--men, money and materials. Is is unlikely that Britain's atomic power programme hu suffered, in fact it probably will not suffer, from lack of the last two. Bus the problem of skilled personnel it a more serious consideration : It may prove to be something of a limiting factor m this country's nuclear development. As regards the procurement of radioactive material, an arrangemem was **tbltsf>ed some eleven years ago by the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada to secure uranium for the joint war effort. This war-time arrangement survives, wish modifications. % the Combined Development Agency, from which the British atomic energy project has so far drawn all its supplies of uranium. The Agency makes contract* for the supply of uranium, which in due course it eflocated 6<ww the United Statet Atomic Energy Commission and the Authority according to need. Other sources of uranium are the Belgian Congo. South Africa. Australia, Portugal and certain British colonial territories. The piles at the Authority's VVindscale plant have, says the report, worked efficiently during che period under review, and the planned amount of* plutonium has been produced. At the Wirrdseafe "separation " plant where plutonium is separated from the Irradiated cartridges, the report pomes out:--" It is noteworthy that although this plans was built on the assumption that once it has started working, nobody would be able to enter <t again on account of the activity, she operating staff have Succeeded in devising methods of decontamina tion, which allow access for limited periods," This has made possible a number of modifieactoir* which hate increased the capacity of the plant. One of the major items in the Authority's capital expenditure has been the continued construction of ihe prototype power nation and factory at Caider Halt, where the heat from the reactors will be used to produce steam to drive turbo-alternators; the generated electricity, apart from that required at the works and at Wmoscale. will be fed into the Central Electricity Authority's distribution system. The reactors, which are graphite-moderated and use cooled carbon dioxide under pressure, will also produce plutonium. The Authority eapecn that by *9S? it will be supply*g electricity from Caider Hail to the C.E.A- The Dounreay establishment in the north f Scotland Is intended to house several reactors of experimental or advanced types, together with the plants lor fabricating their fuel elements and treating them after irradiation. The construction of a fast " breeder " reactor at she site it now proceeding. The result of all this has been thai th>s country is now in a very favourable position fn che devefopmenc of noefear pow^r. It it, ho*tfrer, not difficult to foresee that this position could very easily b lost, and the development of much needed nuclear energy be retarded if the supply of technologists and trained men temams inadequate. This difficulty, and in fact the seriousness, of the position is emphasised several times iti the report, and u u dear that the Authority may face an increasingly difficult task in recruiting the staff it needs to fulfil <ta programme tautfacroe.iy. WV-03136 ENGINEERING AND BOILER HOUSE REVIEW INDEX so VOLUME 70 January 10 December, 19S5 Copies t>f Bosk (ij avoi/able) supplied or 2. 6J. each, including postage} Page Air Pollution--Th Fim International Cengre# ^ Art Welding Equipment Supply Organisation Asbestos Thermal Insulation Factors, An Auxiliary Cbl-Firmg for Pulv<jid*Fuel*Fired Boslera JS3 55f 416 287 B B.C.U.R.A., Shell Boikf Research at Belfast West Power Station....................... . Boiler Drums for India, Welded BoW ' A ' Power Station ......................... Battling Plant, A Modem British Coal Utilisation Research Association .. British Industries Pair..................................... Brtuih insemmeat if&keevve* F.xMsiiier: Boos Reviews Directory of Welding and Fabricating Equipment Elennc Power Stations *p*osm tv Etploion ......................... Metallurgical Progress .......................... Practical Engineer Pocket Book, The Safety in Industry; An introduction to the Pro section of Personnel 574 322 l8<3 S4z 181 225 159 1*6 lot JO 'S' 358 to t$i H Heat Exchangers, FSoned*Tube Page .......................... <7 Incorporated Plant Engineers.......................... m, 22! Indian Power Station, A Mew (Ahroedsbad ` C. 333 Inspection, Explosvoo and Breakdown of Boilers and Pressure Vessels .. .. .. .. .. n institute of Fuel, The {Presidential Address) *7 K Keadby--360MW Installation pears Completion .. 74 L Latest Power Plant Fatocts 32, 66, 102, 134, i68, 202, 236, 274.394, 3S4> jsa. 426 M Meta! Powder Deposition Process, A Mew .. 219 N National Fuel Efficiency Exhibitis*.......................... 339 Nuclear Power, A Programme of .......................... 96 Notts--Personal and Industrial 36,70,106,138,172, 206, 240, 278, 328, 358, 392. 43 " F~A. Research Laboratories..................................... 258 iddencn * B ' Generating Station ., ,. .. 244 -umnertand eheDispersal ofSmofce ,. ,, ,. 406 Combustion Efficiency Tests on s Lancashire Boilet Plant....................................................................... *57 D Draketow ` A Power Station . 396 East Yeliand Power Station ............................................ 142 Engineering, Marine & Welding Exhibition .. ., 295 EDtTOftiAL Motes Atomic Energy Report Atomic Power Swoons ............................................393 ......................................... 7* Boiler and Machinery Failure* .................................107 Clear. Atr Bill,The........................................................279 Clean Air, Tlec Problems of . .. .. .. r Electrical Generation in the Next Ten Tears .. 24/ Fuel Efficiency, Progress in............................................207 Geneva and Kucleas Pow Ptogress .. 3*9 jndunry's Future ................................................. 139 toad factor. The Peobknt of ,. .. ., 359 Plant, People and Prosper)tv .. .. .. ., 173 Ptos and Cons of the Beaver Report, The .. .. 37 FvcdwMcr Treatment at Stella South................................ 328 Fluidrivt for Boiler Feed Pumps ., .. .. 370 Eluidnve, Twtmy-Five Years of .. ,, .. 54 Forging Press, New z^cco ton .. ,, ,, 290 Kurland Power Resources ofGermany and their Utilisa tion .............................................................................. 123 Fuel Conservation inPractice....................................... it Put? Efficiency Pays -- 152 Gfc.C. Heaw Turbines, Mew Production Facilities foe <i*v7ufOo-Abcmeior Sen for Ea*r Mriet, 2,500 kW Gas'Tus&e*Alternator Set lor Metropolian Water Boasd. s-'CO kW .. ., .. Gasworks, Extensions si a London .. 282 262 -92 41a O Ovrutas Steam Fnoinibvno Practice :-- Air Pollution and Oxycaufym .......................... 3* Air Preheaters for Smsli Power Planes -, ,, 234 Atomic Power Plant for Chicago ..........................353 Benton Boiler*, Stan and Shutdown of ., 62 Boiler as the Rouge Plant, doa&n lb..'hr. .. .. 30 Boiler Settings, Modem Insulated ,. ., ,, 131 Both* with Slap-cep Fuenscc, Service Earperieftce with......................................................................... 64 Rotter*, Quick Starting 0/ i$c*xx> Jb. 'hr. Industrial 233 Bfown-Boveri Turbo-Blower, Progressive Tests on a 6j Calculator for Natural Draught of Chimneys, Simple *32 Carbon-Molybdenum Steel Steam Pipe ifter too^co Sioux' Service ........................................................ 130 Central Station Plant in U.S.A., Large .. ., 167 Civitavecchia Power Staxion, The.................................lot Cleaning Tubes, A Novel Method of .. ,. 31 Combined Power and Heat Generation with Open* Cycle Gas-Turbine ,. .. ,, .. ., 3*0 Cooling of Dry or Wet Granular or Pulverulent Materials, The ,, ., .......................... 30 Cyclone-Fired Boiler, Acceptance Teat of a .. .. m Cyclone Furnaces for Small Soikrs.................................3*o Fan Casing Erosion, A Curt for .................................rid Gaseous Fuels on Modem Industrial Development, The Influence of -............................................... 62 Gat Turbine GeoerzOssg Plane, a 22.5 MW ,. 200 Granular insulation for Underground Pipes .. 386 Heaung Boilers Speed Starring up of Plant, Station's 352 Heating Systems, High Temperature ,, .. ice Imulssing Masers*) for Application in Liguid Form 299 huvteioa forOutdoorBader>jaw................................ jji Lignite in Italian Thermal Power Stations, Practical and Experimental Results of the use of Sardinian 200 Martin* Creek Power Station, Pennsylvania, Out door PUrt* at ,, .. ,, ., ,. 63 Measurement of the Coefficient of Internal Thermal Conductivity of Heat Insulator* and Refractories 132 Metering and Control Equipment in Solid-Fuel Central-Heating Plants, The Appropriate Use os* 29 Methane, Safety Problems n the L>i*tnbuuon and Industrial Use of .. ., .. $4 `.Vruc Gjs-TurHoc-Dmvn i`:.\r,{. A No* 1.25010. o. in. IVw or Plant 5o:w' uvyjnuv.; 1 .;*! .\Jiii .1 Ls S-cit4r-I*vMon Power Pi.mi Ji;.'.nr" 0.1-1 iro-' Superheater, U-S. .. Nuclear Power in Switzerland Onee-torough Boiler. SubcrmcaJ Pressure Gper.-Hearth Furnaces, Aosman Expcru-nco with Oil-Fired Palermo Power Station, The ......................... Polyphesphato for Water Softening Pororic underground Power Swoon. The .. Power Plain Development. Problems of .. Process ChcnuaJ* lor Flue Gas Scrubbing Rehm-Dual-GtculatKin at the East River Station, New YotM.......................................................... Robes! Installation, High Efficient^' .......................... Reheat Steam for Large Power Plant Reheaters at Mannheim II Plant .. Schiller Power Station, U.S.A. Spreader Stoker Fiy*h, Gravity Re-lnjcctkoo Reduces ............................................................ Spreader Stoken, Firing Bagasse with Steam Tables up to 15,000 lb. q. in., and 1,500 der, F., The Need for..................................... Steam Turbine Lubrication..................................... Steel Shot Replaces Fluid in " Fluid '' Drive Unit.. Thermal Power Station for the MoUnclis Sugar Factory at Bologna, Italv, a New......................... Water Heating System for L'.S.'Air Force Station, High-Temperature .. rv... m 350 101 2 1)2 *? 350 424 312 385 29 166 385 234 272 29 270 jg 270 P Peat-Fifed Power Stations ..................................... Peit'Fwed Water-Tube Boilers m Irish Hospitals .$5 40 Pros and Cods of the Beaver Report $8 Fount and Points** .. 2, 38, 72, roS, uo> 174. 208, 242. 280, 320. 3*> 394 Pownt PlAKT ENCINURING DURING 19J4 :-- British Thomsoa-Houston Co, Lid., The . 48 English Electric Co. Ltd............................... >> 52 General Elecrnc Co, Ltd., The 93 Metropolitan*Vickers Eleeuscai Co, Lid, .. 94 Parsor*. C, A-, & Co. Ltd........................................ 53 Refroaories Manufacturing Group, Central Research Department of,. .. ,, Roosecote Generating Station > 22 .......................... 210 RiCENT BpU7PMN7 AND ACCESSORIES Air and Gas Cleaning Equipment................................440 Air Leakage in Boiler Plants, Prevention of .196 Alternator for Carmanheo Bay, First fto-MW .. 27 Alternator with * Permanent Magnet Field, A New High Frequency ................................................. 26 Aheraators, Large Direct-Coated................................ 266 BTH Magnesui Voltage Regulator ,. .. 230 BTH Portable Electronic Dynamic Balancing Equip ment for Routing Matfuaery ,, ,. .. 195 Babcock " Selectable Superheat " Marine Boiler, The ...............................................................................308 Bailey Reducing Valve, New ................................ 382 Benrus Mark HI Chain-grate Stoker for Shell-type Boilers ............................................................ Boiler Drum, Largest Hollow-Forged Ever Made .. 268 Brook Motors of ftigher Horae-power Range . 308 Sumer for Heavy Oil, A Smell .......................... 25 >'.vmoraiev ensin/ni-m 7o fc.-c.ni IX'Vvwpmvm* h> rv.i^v F >v < .onijfa!o<*>. Hvait i.tfcitv Conwvors, Tubular Vibrasorv l 5pc Crosby Procto-scai Bdlows-sc.ikd Relief VjJvo .. E.J.L. pH Meter. Nc^ HIic;ro*Magnetic Transducer S\tvm, An EJeciro-Pnoumauc Comenor iorpH Control, An Fielden Setvograph Mark H, The Now Flange-Facing Machine, A Portable Five Gas Heal Ims Indicator .............................. Foxboro Siabilflo Valves and the Vernier Vatvactor G.E.C, Pass-Out Turbo-Alternator S for Scottish Paper Mill ............................................ Gear Drive, Unusual Generator-Transformer. *4or Ince. Jtofflex-, Srau>ur 72 MVA ,. .,, .. .. .. " Hardgrove " Machine for Measuring the Grind- ability of Coal .......................................................... Hardness and Alkalmiiv of Water, Testing Set for the......................................................... Hong Koag, New Potter Station for Ivor Traverrinfc-jet Sootblower Kent (George) " Commander" Range of Instru ments, Additions to the Liquid Level Controller Transmitter, Ail-Operated Loodex Relay*Type MOL, New.............................. Meiropolitan-Vicfcers Turbo-Generaong rwnc at Pinkston Power Station Oil-fired Boilers, Control Unit for ... Philip* Seam Welder, New........................................... Quast-Aro Welding Set, Sew Quasi-Arc "2ban" El corrode ............................. Kadicoa Worm Reducer, New Recording Instrument, .Miniature Refractory Coating, A New Rolling MtB Dnve, Important Order for Screw Threads, Compound for Preventing the Seis ing of Sight Glass, A New......................................................... Scot Blower, Looj Recreating Type Stud Welding on to Small Curved Surface* Sugg Solar '* Mars" Gas Turbine ,. Teddingtrw Burner Watcher .............................. Thermocontrol Compensated Controller Thermocontro) Electronic Vanat&r, The Turbine-Generator Set for Morwell, Victoria, A 20*MW l-ow-presswre Turbo-blower and Open-Health Furnace at Applcby- Frodingham, New.......................................................... Twinner Weldistg Accessories ............................. Valves with " Hard-Faced " Sealings Welding Power Unit. New Multi-Purpose Stud Arc Wobbe lodes Controller ........................................... Woods Millionth Fan ............................................ 382 26 4 383 jO420 US 383 164 i .a5n,9 do !28 ?29 32 38l 229 *3 m 6 421 3&7 126 23 26 98 195 308 99 98 39 269 266 424 !29 26 3^ 4il >97 98 164 38i 197 Smog Prevention, Practical Steps Towards .. ,. Smoke Plume* from Chimneys, Factors Affecting .. Sifiro Power Plant at a French Chemical Works, New 92 U8 4 Taaibos Power Station--South Africa .. ^,herxnal Fatigue in Bode* Plant, Reducing Turbo-Alternator, First British scc-MW .. HO .. 183 .. 122 Pace Ncm0irs ts Each isstir tor Vol, 70 /aitaary' to 46 February .. ......................... 37 70 March tod April Mav June July ......................... 107 ......................... 39 .. m ..........................207 138 m 206 240 AUBUbt September ........................24/ ......................... 279 278 u 318 October November December .. .. 3>9 358 359 392 m > 43 1 rse, l ,mnic. `.(-..uri'ic.u An Asbestos Thermal Insulation Factory Asbestos fibre from the company's own mines in South Africa and~Conada is used by the Cope Asbestos Campon? Ltd. ~l'~` for the monufocture of a widt range of preformed mwlatifin products. Such Homs as insulation blocks, p,pts. miKbeord, and asbestos motuesses ore produced at the Barking factory. N' view of tlte ftnwate importance of the use ofefficient I thermal insulation for dealing with the twin prob lems of heat conservation and fuel economy, to which so much auemkm a being paid jodoy, we readily accepted the invitation recently extended to us to pay a visit to the Barking factory of the Cape Asbestos Com pany Limited, where asbestos fibre from the company's own mines in South Africa and in Canada is used to manufacture an extensive range of preformed insulation products- This company was formed about sixty years ago and has devebped and expanded {com the humbie beginnings with a small asbestos mattress-making shop in London in 1894 to the present large organisation with its own mines, a group of faetoritt in Great Britain, and subsidiary companies at home and abroad. Barking is the main factory and is one of fourteen owned, or partly owned, by the company in Britain and overseas. Il w%s buili in 1913, but has been very considerably enlarged since that date, and today, in addition to the extensive factory buildings and storage sheds, there are a Urge and modem laboratory (where a staff of chemists are constantly engaged in research concerning the produelion of ail materials in the "Caposste" range to ensure correct thermal conductivity and other essential standards), a new administration building, etc. There is also a well-equipped engineers1 and millwrights' shop, which not only provides the necessary works main tenance services, but constructs some of the mechanical equipment used for certain manufacturing processes, la close proximity is the sheet metal department, in which is fabricated the sheet metal protection and other metal accessories for the fixing of insulation material. Employment is given jo nearly 800 people at Barking. Of the company's other factories in the U.K., Acte Mill in Yorkshire is mainly concerned with the manu facture of the company's range of asbestos cloth, yam, rope lagging and packing , Cowley Bridge Works, Uxbridge, with high-temperaiurr insulating blocks and " Asfeestolux " asbestos insulation board ; and Kentmere, Westmorland (where England's only deposit of diatomaceous earth is excavated and processed) with asbestos plastic insulating compositions. "RocksiP' Song fibre rock wool is made at the company's factory at Stirling, and "Marimcc," a non-combusiiblc joiner material used primarily for marine purposes, is manu factured at the factory of the subsidiary Marmkc Ltd., at Genniston, Glasgow. Overseas, " Caposite " thermal insulation materials ate manufactured tn ruo subsidiary companies : Csparmamo S.p.A . Turin \as " Capisohte and Cape Asbestos Insulations (Pry.) Ltd., Benoni, South Africa; and two associate companies: hoiarmaiut S.A., Roubaix, France (as *` Isolamiame ") and Capostie Insulations Ltd, Sarnia, Canada. " Caposite " materials are also manufactured under licence in Holland and Spam. In the U.S.A. they are manufactured by Union Asbestos & Rubber Co, of Chicago, under the nameof" Urubestos' The main products of the Barking factory are pre formed sectional insulation, asbestos mattresses and clothing, millboard, jointing, asbestos processed fibres. Large block.1 msrfe of crmsnfe asbettos in their stole bt'H pnotton moulded 0* 0 spatially oonitructtti machine ot the be'^S fectory of the Cap* Ar&tjros Company. and moulded brake and clutch linings. MineraloaiM'O there arc several groups of asbestos fibre but the Barkis factory is principally concerned with fibre from the tw(? mam classifications, namelv, amphibole asbestos--ll' which group belong *.a) crocidobie or blue asocs^readily identified bv us distinctive blue colour. and ........ i~(>Mrr*r.s cnc Soder House &***-. December. I*S5 417 .>r.iv u iM,.u>n m ,oiour. l>m _i these ace pioouted principally in South Africa, and chrysotiJe or white asbestos--white m colour, of fine texture--produced mainly from extensive deposits in Canada, Rhodesia, and to a smaller degree In the Trans vaal, .Australia and elsewhere. Scientists have shown that there is a fundamental difference in structure between the fibres of chrysotiie asbestos on one hand aod of amphiboic asbestos on the other. The finest chrysotiie fibres are believed to be hollow, whereas the ultimate amphibole asbestos fibres are solid throughout. This explains why amwite and blue asbestos fibres are springy but brittle, and why white asbestos fibres are soft and absorbent. The asbestos-bearing rock from the company's amosite and blue asbestos mines in South Africa is crushed and sorted. Different " fiberising " methods arc used to obtain suitable graded fibres for the firm's various processes; the rock is combed or beateo out in order to separate from the fibre, which is then blows or drawn away. This process produces asbestos the raw or crude form, in which the bundles, or tufts, of fibres are really made up of thousands of smaller bundles which have not been completely separated. It is estimated that a piece of crude amorite asbestos as big as die cop of a finger yields insviJiion. > ''u :,ioiern science has made great advances m tit? study of fuel wastage and in consequence increased attention j$ today being given to the correct use of insulation in minimising that wastage. Crude asbestos, roughly " fiberised *' at the nuoehesd is taken in sacks from the mines to South African ports-- Lourenco Marques for wnosite, and Capetown for blue asbestos--from where it is shipped to London Docks from whence is delivered by barges at the Barking factory's private quay on the River Roding, and*then taken to a store, the capaciryVfwhichiS'jrppnfid* mately 6,ot>3 tons or sufficient for about one year's production. From the store the asbestos is transferred io the " fiberising" department, where it is fed into hammer mills, to be further processed to produce fibre of a predetermined length. Through a system ofducting the milled fibre is exhausted by fans to cyclones, from which the asbestos is put into dust-free bags and auto- (Ufi) A ct<* iiir>'ei&eiipvpe being tarth up ft* nroir'mg moft- t/rei m re quired tHcfcWt end diameter. A moafded pipe tectiM beui; rtfnerti (torn the aawfflf mochw. about three thousand million fibres, which would stretch to seme twenty thousand miles if placed end to end. It would be difficult to make a complete list of produces in the manufacture of whieh ssbesro* fs exclusively or partly used. Wherever industrial and scientific work is being done and where there is need of a material that insulates against electricity and sound, that is heat proof, undecaying and resistant to water, acids or lyes, that is porous, flexible and capable of being spun, asbestos, or an asbestos product, finds an application. Every day new uses for asbestos are being discovered. As regards heat maticsUy weighed, la the department in which products for thermal insulation are made, there is a number of hammer mills with receiving hoppers into which the bags of asbestos are emptied. The fibre is conveyed through ducting to cyclones, then transferred by con veyor to the machines for making insulation in block form. Each of these machines, many of which are of the Cape Asbestos Company's own design, has two feed hoppers from which the asbestos is fed on to a plywood board, the supply being controlled by an automaticallyoperated flap. The insulation block, or rather " slab," is, in its wet state, built op in layers of about | in. to the required thickness. After each addition of asbestos, the block is passed under a roller, is sprayed with a chemical solution and finally passes under a paii of steel rolls before proceeding along a return conveyor to pass once more through the machine for a further layer to be added. When the specified thickness is attained, the block or slab is turned over manually so tliat the 418 gtw<Ag Boiler House Review. December. bouom surface can be chemically sprayed. The blocks are then placed in racks ready for passing to she drying ovens. For He insulation of hostess, turbines, air-heaters, ducting, etc,, with large flat or curved surfaces ,*Caposite " blocks are manufactured in standard sizes ranging from 4 ft by 3 ft. and 3 ft. by 3 ft., to 3 ft. by 6 in, and we available from l in. thick rising by i in. to a maximum of 5 n, All blocks arc passed through s side-trimming machine having twin cutlers set to trim to an overall width of 3 ft.--the square blocks passing through a second time, while those of 4 ft. in length are cut by high-speed band saw, Jn the manufacture of preformed sectional pipe insula tion, the asbestos is fed on to a moving lattice conveyor and sprayed with 8 chemical solution, A mandrel is rolled by hand over the moving layer ef asbestos and gradually picks up the required thickness of insulation. The mandrel and its covering 0/ asbestos are placed on a polishing machine, where the external surface is sprayed. When the outer surface is smooth the pipe is placed in a half-round sheet steel drying fray and the mandrel withdrawn. The trays are loaded on to a specially designed drying frame for transfer to the gas-fired drying oven, the temperature ol which ranges over its length with three metal securing bands. There is also manu factured a range of " Caposite l' preformed insulations specially designed to in sulate valves, Ranges, teas, bends, elbows, etc. These are supplied as removable moulded accessories. For the manufacture of asbestos millboard, chrysetile fibre is used and is mixed with china clay and starch, the pulp being fed tb^cock cfieSflftfitSd with' "agitators, where it is further diluted before being pumped up to gravity tanks. This arrangement is adopted to ensure that the liquor is fed at a constant head to the vats supplying the millboard manufact uring machine. From the vats the liquor flows through the gam* covering of rotating horizontal cylinders to deposit the solids on the outside of the cylinders, An endless blanket runs over the top surface of the cylinder s and picks up the solids and returns overhead, where it passes over vacuum boxes which remove the moisrure from the blanket. The solids on the blanket are picked up by an end roller and the process continues until the material on the end roller has been built up to the specified thickness. The sheets are removed to a sutlage and interleaved with play.vc gauze before being put under a press to remove excess water. They are then hang in trucks and passed through a drying oven, in which the temperature is about 230 deg. F- The boards, which can be made to a maximum thickness of | in., are guillo tined to size. There is a separate department for the morufaevore of asbestos mattresses for the insulation where the contours of surfaces to be lagged are irregular, and therefore unsuitable for preformed insulation, such as locomotive boilers, marine boilers, flanges, valve bodies, cylinder tops, and turbine casings > in fact for all applications where speedy unskilled removal and reappUaeioft are essential without the possibility of break age or damage- " Pluto0 blue asbestos mattresses are made of two layers of chemically pure blue asbestos cloth filled with Jong, light and resilient blue asbestos fibre. TTie edges are sewn with blue asbestos twine, and the mattresses arc (Abort). Asbesw thermal pipe ttctlont being referee! from e trying oven. from 450 deg. F. at the initial end to 150 deg. V. at the other. The drying time taken to dry the material ranges from two to twelve hours. For ordinary steam pipe covering the sections arc manufactured in 3 ft, lengths in two half-circular pieces, to fit snugly to the pipe surface. Thicknesses of in. rising by j in. <0 a maximum of 5 in. are available. Pipe season* can be supplied in two halves up to a maximum outside diameter of 2b in. They can be supplied Cither plain or finished with strong canvas i>r asbestos cloth. Hath length is provided TfOt(C) eiorrole Q< "Copmtli * p/efssme< cwioj-te jifteiioj p/p* techo/n ir'S'ttot"'g sir"' ?.sn er an ir.'zt po-e< ir-t/t'n `.tginttripg one Boiler House Review. December. 1955 419 subbed at intervals to prevent the fibre from shifting. Ail mattresses are specialty tailored and provided with cut-outs for stays, mountings, etc., so that a very snug fit is assured. They can be put on accurately in * fetv minutes by unskilled labour. Menbm should also be made of asbestos fibre-filled repe lagging, which is made at the Barking factory. This lagging is a suitable form cf pipe insulation for both permanent and temporary work, k is manufactured from freshly carded asbestos fibre enclosed in a plaited envelope of asbestos yarns which is sufficient to reuin the fSbre effectively. Asbestos fibre-filled rope lagging is removable, and is an effective method of covering pipelines, especially those with bends and awkward shapes, as it immediately adapts itsdf co the contours of the surface to which it H applied. CWMNtYS AH9 7HS DtfPESSAk Of SMOKE .Continued from page 4fli by the cooling of the original air. The author's treatment of meteorology was unrealistic j for example, most of the pcifutioft occurred when wind speeds were low, in which case Sutton's theory (and therefore the author's calculation} did not apply. Dr. A. Porker (Director of Fuel Research, D.SXR) pointed out that the medical effects of SO, vary enor mously with the moisture content of the air, and probably with the arnouns of solid material in suspension. The formal Quoted by Mr, .Lucas for the me of corrosion of steei was far too simple j many other factors had to be taken injo consideration, With regard to the paper, Sn his (Dr, Packer's) opinion plume rise was not greatly effected by buoyancy. More practical observations were needed and it was important to establish whether drops of water came down with the gases from chimneys and, if so, whether they entrained substances such as sulphur. Mr. O. Meade mentioned that with the longer time 0? sampling recommended by the authors (15 min. instead of the 3 min. suggested by Soaon) the peak of the error curve would be flattened, and if4 iKeLpfrodesS" were continued tht result would be that'the curve would conceal the truth. The formulae quoted in the paper for the effect of height, alf gave different answers--the range being from 2 to 30. More observations were deeded to enable designers to select the correct formula. The Authors* Replies Mr. J. C. Heiokins, replying briefly to che discussion, pointed out that the authors* choice of a representative wind speed was iusrified by the table at the end of the paper, which showed that the speed chosen prevailed for half of the time. As regards Mr. Lucas's point that a < in. thickness of steel would last for 40 years m certain conditions, it would be necessary to replace the steel long before the end of that period. Mr. G. Nonhehel, also replying, said he hoped that rfae paper had achieved its main object, which was to give some guidance to engineers concerned with the erection of factory chimneys. Power station chimneys were alretdy being designed in such a way as t eittttfe dispersal of the flue gases> it was the ordinary factory chimney <vhich was m doubr. Fifty Years of Monei On Friday, November sUh, we attended a reception given ki Lcrtdon bf> the directors of Henry Wiggle & Company Limsied to mark the 50th anniversary of monel. The past fifty years or so have been described as the " age of alloys," They have certainly seen a development of metallurgical research and investigation undreamed of at the beginning of this century. In consequence they have witnessed the introduction of a vast range of new alloys---with properties which in the Edwardian er* would have bees termed miracuSqus--which have enormously increased the scope of engineer ing des.gn. As these circumstances it is a little surprising that an alloy which was developed more kss fortuitously, certainly not as a result of highly scientific research, should sitil, in she yets ofirs jubilee, be one of the mass useful general purpose alloys available to the engineering and allied industries. Monel, winch comprises some ewo-thsrds nickel, one-third copper v?h controlled amounts of iron, manganese, etc., arose from an ingenious process applied to nickel-copper ores owned by the International Nickel Company Limited, at its mutes noseSudbury, Onrario> Canada. The nickel and copper were being separated into tuckef rich and coppet rich portions by the famous Orfwd " tops and bottoms' process, but it occurred to Mr. D. H. Bttwne, metallurgist, and Mr. R. C. Stanley, then sswstant general manage? at the company's refinery, that the nickel-copper Ore ould be directly treated 'o provide a wrought nickel-copper alloy. This process was perfected bv Mr. R. C. Stanley m >*>$, and the new alloy was named monel alter Mr. Ambrose Monel!, then president of the j/wwxjijonaf Nickel Company. This ahoy was sound to possess properties huherio lacking nsofc common maicnah used >n industry at that time, web at >tcc), bra*'. plwsphof bfotwe. tin arid lead. It was as ,uoc as mil.1-<;cirl jnd n-tam to ana. k bv sulphuric acid. ,s*a waur-no by hiyh-pro'Ufv stc-im. I: formed a valuable pinner to wrought nickel, a material of excellent resistance to alkaline conditions, but without the strength of monei Since the first i*rge order was placed with the tarerassteoel Nickel Company in 1907 for about 120 tons, more than 400,000 tons of monel have been used for many thousands of applica tions, from (he needles of hypodermic syringes w the rubes for high-pressure inter-stage superheaters in the boilers at modern steam power stations. Monel was the first of the modem corrosion-resisting alloys, and when one considers she vast strides made by both non-ferrous and steel metallurgists is the last fifty years, h Is surprising at first that the uses of this versatile alloy should continue to increase. AloneI is ao km&e , used for many of the purposes for which <( was first tried but new uses are continually being found, since industry is becom ing more and more corrosion conscious and the need foe eii es of corrosion resisting materials is increasing, t was Lord Weir, head of the G. dc J. Weir Company in Glasgow, who first foresaw the potsibihcics for mooci m che United Kingdom market. In i$ij a start was made in a department attached to the Weir pUat, and monel was first used in the manne pumps and ocher luxitiaries for which rhe Weir Company we famous. In 192s a separate subsidiary. Monel Weir, was established to handle (he rapidly growing monel business. Then in 1932 Henry WVggiir acquired the Monel Weir business. Wiggin were at that rime well equipped both in experience and plane to develop the monel business. They had been the first to make tu'cfcel-sifvct in wrougftr form in (his country and had been producers of nickel-copper, nickel-chromium and nickel-chromium-iron alloys for a long time. Thus the production fihoncf in fabricated fyems for the uopcan markets was transferred to she Viggm works m Birmingham and Glasgow. Bar, sheet, strip, wire and other forms were produced m Birmingham. whiic she manufacture of Uifi/N wa concernraiv.l in Glasgow,