AbstractsEngineering

Construction and operation of a vacuum retort pilot-plant for distillation of alloys

by Robert Frederick Doelling




Institution: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Department:
Year: 1950
Record ID: 1515817
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10355/37594


Abstract

"The widespread appearance of large scale vacuum systems operating commercially in the micron range of pressures has initiated a new field of industrial endeavor, vacuum engineering. The ever increasing number of applications of vacuo in commercial processes and laboratory research has stimulated the design and improvement of vacuum equipment, and at the present time equipment may be obtained to meet practically any need. In turn, the variety of available tools has directed the engineers attention to improving old processes and developing new ones through the utilization of vacuum techniques ... The possibility of producing a relatively high purity silver in a single step by distilling off the zinc and lead in a vacuum was suggested as early as 1912 by H.J. Humphries in discussing a paper by Turner but until recently no experimental work on this possibility has been published. In 1949, experiments were conducted by Mr. C.H. Shih on the distillation of artificial and commercial crusts in a small vacuum furnace. Mr. Shih's findings were extremely encouraging and it was decided to carry the investigation to the pilot plant stage. It is the purpose of this thesis to construct and put into operation the pilot plant for the vacuum distillation of Parkes' process crusts" – Introduction, pages 1-4.