The Penn's Grove record., 1916-04-07
POWDER MAKING PROGRESS
Great improvements In Quality and
Speed Made In Recent Years

MIR. A. F. Porter, the general SUP.
erintendent OF the powder works on Car
ney Point, read a very interesting pap
on the great improvements in making
smokelesS powder in recent years. and
especially the speed gained within the
past year, before the Carney Point
Mems Club in the p. f. Chapel Thurs
day evening of last week.
Some years ago the work and expense
of nitrating the cotton WAS made by the
Introduction Of machinery which gave
Il greater capacity at much less cost
which Is now less than "a cent a pound
when it used to cost eight cents. The
use OF pyro. a low grade cotton. has not
only made a new chemical process nee
esSary- but has reduced the cost. A.
the water is pressed from the nitrated
cotton alcohol is pressed in to replace
it. The addition Of ether changes the
composition from u white powder to
collold, which is a waxey nature and al
lows the composition to be pressed into
different shapes. The powder would not
retain its explosive power and the gov
eminent would not accept it until a
stabilizer was found in ~diphenylanine.
The powerful hydraulic presses not
only resulted in fastening the speed of
powder making but has been the means
OF saving between five and six million
gallons Of alcohol each year. Sixty Der
cent. of the alcohol is saved at the sol
vent recoveries. This is redistilled and
used again.
About 100000 pounds of cotton is
treated every day with nitric acid. This
makes an explosive. but is not stable and
will not exert its power no matter how
carefully manufactured unless a strong
stablizer is used. The great problem
now IS to get enough nitrogen with
which to manufacture nitric acid. The
world has been drawing largely for years
GA the nitrate beds of Chill. 1t has
been estimated that the supply will be
exhausted in ten years, consequently an
other source of supply must be sought.
Germany is recovering nitrogen from
the air. foHr-ifths of which is nitrogen.
The duPonts contemplate lerecting a
similar plant and have made a PROPOSE
rion to. the government.
The placing of the powder into air
tight cans and the heating of the powder
to drive out the excess of alcohol and
ether by evaporation is known as the
solvent recovery which has saved the
fmiiliens of dofihrs worth or alcohol. This
alcohol is condensed after evaporation
and also redistilled.
Making the explosive mass into a
waxey nature allows it to be pressed into
different size sticks perforated with holes
to increase the surface and explosive
power. The powerful cutting machines
add much to the efficiency of the output.
Eight men can cut 1000 pounds daily.
The water drying process begun last
July gives the greatest speed in finish
ing powder for use over the old process
of drying. In the early days of making
smokeless powder on Carney Point TWEEN
ty years ago. dry houses were erected
at many places on the plant. 1t took
from six to nine months for the powder
to dry. About five years ago the grain
dryer process was put in. Instead of tax
ing months to dry rife powder it was
lone in a day with hot air blasts being
forced through the powder.
BY water dry process running water
at a certain temperature is run through
the sticks of cannon powder. The wat
err takes up the excess alcohol and ether
and does not deteriorate the quality of
the powder. Instead of taking 175 days
to dry 1000 pounds of cannon powder il
can be done with running water in a
day.
Mr.. Porter spoke of the efficient or
ganization and loyal support the work
men rave the officials in producing the
large quantities of powder at so great
a speed.