The calcium nitrite plant in Wilmington, NC was based on technology Grace had licensed from the Japanese chemical firm, Nissan.  The Nissan process utilized three (3) reactors.  In this scheme so called Rich NOX gas entered the first reactor, and so called Lean NOX gas from the first reactor went to the second reactor.  The third reactor was being emptied of product and then charged with fresh lime slurry.  We learned from  plant data and analytical results that the Lean gas reactor produced mostly nitrates which represent yield loss.

We advocated running the process with only two (2) reactors.  One vessel would be emptied of product and recharged with fresh lime slurry.   We would use the other reactor to start and finish the batch.  This was tested in the plant and found to work quite well in reducing nitrates in the product while maintaining reaction rate.  This procedure became the norm for Wilmington and later became the basis for the Augusta, Georgia plant design.

We must have done something right.  Grace closed the Research Division in late 1996.  We took early retirement.  Grace Construction Products asked that we would become their consultant to complete the Augusta plant design, start up and later process optimization.  This consulting relationship lasted for another 8 (eight) years (1997 to 2005)

Grace Sugar Process

On the Grace Sugar Process, we did most all the process development for it on larger scale pilot plant spray dryers because dryer volume and distance was needed for flowable particles to form using centrifugal atomizers.  This novel process to get a dry crystallizable product (and not cotton candy) resulted in two (2) US patents for us.  These are US 3706599 and US 3704169.  These patents added to the patent portfolio of the  Grace Sugar Process which was an important thing management wanted to do at that time.

Camet

The Camet metal monolith program sought to develop an electrically heated unit that not only controlled normal automotive emissions, but deal with emission control at engine start up.  Without the pre-heating features of the electrically heated monolith, it takes a period of time from engine start up until the exhaust gas temperature reaches 700 F.  It has to be this hot to get the platinum catalyst to light off. 

Eventually the Camet development went in the direction of a non electrically heated metal corrugated foil so called light off catalytic converter placed downstream the electrically heated catalytic converter ahead of it.  This would require 2 units for emission control.  Edward T. Woodruff conceived of a way to embody both functions within the same unit.  A US patent (US 5546746) was received for this development.  By combining both functions in the same unit the package would be more marketable to the automobile companies.

Artificial Pancreas

The artificial pancreas product under development at Grace Research was a hollow fiber medical device that would provide insulin for diabetic patients.  The product concept was that the patients blood would pass through the hollow fiber tubing.  On the "shell side" of the device were pig liver islets which generated the insulin that was transferred to the patients blood stream.

The artificial pancreas project utilized our chemical engineering consulting services for the process design and economics for a conceptual commercial plant to make this product.  This was an important engineering scope study which afforded management the opportunity to see what capital and operating cost this project would be if commercialized.

Also see Research and Development.