1897 Acid Towers

This detail shows the layout of the acid towers and there relationship to the burner building and the chambers. An enclosed pipe conducts flu gas from the burner building to the Glover tower, another covered pipe conducts gases into the chamber building. An additional covered pipe travels from the chamber building into the Gay-Lussac tower. The drawing indicates that the towers are 60 feet tall and having a foot print of 10 feet by 25 feet. Although not clearly identified I believe that the 8 foot square below the nitrous recovery tower is the chimney.

1897 Buildings Burner House

This is the 1897 burner building and pyrite storage shed. The shed is a one story open sided building with 20 foot eaves its dimensions being 48' long by 58' wide.

The burner house is also a one story structure with 12" thick walls (brick) on all sides, 88' long and 58' wide. There are two windows indicated on the side opposite the shed, this side extending 24" above the roof line. The side walls do not extend above the roof line and are also 20' above the ground.

Why Talk About Chemistry?

Before I go further in my discussion I want to clarify how I look at modeling an industry. I believe that you need to understand what an industry does in order to model it effectively. In the case of the sulfuric acid plant it is necessary to understand how the acid is synthesized, this allows you to understand how the manufacturing process effects the building in which the process occurs.

In this case it clearly allows you to understand the relationship between the components described on the 1897 Sanborn map. The acid towers are the Glover and the Gay-Lussac towers. The modern plant has no towers shown but since they are essential in the production of the acid they must be on the interior of the building. In fact the end of the building by the burners shows alternating high and low roof elevations, the high ones most likely cover the acid towers.

David

An Industry You Can Model 3

We will start the examination of the components of this facility by looking at the Sulfuric Acid Plant. This plant exists in both the 1897 and 1950 Sanborns. The 1897 plant is comprised of four components; a pyrite storage shed, a pyrite burner building with horizontal furnaces, two external acid towers and an acid chamber building. The 1950 era plant has a pyrite burner building with vertical furnaces, attached to a three cell chamber building with no acid towers indicated.

The primary raw materials in the production of sulfuric acid are iron pyrite (source of sulfur), water and sodium nitrate (catalyst). The pyrite is burned to release SO2 and provide heat for the reactions. The sodium nitrite is mixed with sulfuric acid releasing nitrous fumes which promotes the reaction of the sulfur dioxide, oxygen and the water in both the Glover tower and chambers.

The Glover tower is a reaction vessel in which nitrated sulfuric acid and chamber acid are introduced at the top of the tower. In there passed down the interior they encounter the hot combustion gases from the pyrite furnaces. The interaction of the nitrated sulfuric acid and the SO2 gas releases the nitrous fumes dissolved in the acid. As the chamber acid passes down the tower, any water it contains is evaporated. The steam created reacts with the SO2 and oxygen to create sulfuric acid. Concentrated acid is collected at the bottom of the tower and pumped into storage tanks.

After the gases pass out of the Glover tower they enter a series of large lead chambers where more water/steam is misted into the gas flow to produce additional acid. This acid is collected along the floor of the chambers, it is known as chamber acid, and is drawn off through floor drains. After passing through the third chamber the majority of the sulfur oxides have been converted to acid, the residual gas vapor now being nitrous gasses.

The nitrous gasses are recovered in the Gay-Lussac towers. Concentrated sulfuric acid has a great affinity for nitrous gas and is introduced into the top of the Gay-Lussac towers, the chamber gases entering from the bottom. As the acid mingles with the chamber gas stream it absorbs the nitrous gases. The acid recovered at the base of the tower is then pumped to the Glover tower. After passing through the tower the flu gases are vented to the atmosphere.

An Industry You Could Model 2

Examination of the map reveled several bone warehouses, gelatin plants, a bone black plant, a sulfuric acid as well as a muriatic acid manufacturing facility, ammonia storage tanks, a lime kiln and an ammonium carbonate plant, a phosphate rock storehouse, a fertilizer plant and packaging building. Also scattered about were several smaller warehouses and a water treatment facility.

Questions I asked myself were how did this diverse assembly of factory's create fertilizer and gelatin? What is bone black? Is this the gelatin you eat or something else? What was the history of the Michigan Carbon Works?

This link gives a history of the company and an overview of the products produced, http://www.ebonex.com/hist.htm

I will continue this discussion looking at each individual facility and try to explain the relationships between all of the various plants.