Volume 6 Issue 7 Justin C. Abnee; Co-Editor May 2000
NEWSLETTER OF THE EAST TENNESSEE SECTION OF AIChE
Local section website: http://www.geocities.com/aiche_etenn/aiche.html
May Meeting – Virtual Tour of the Argentina PET Plant
The May AIChE Meeting will be held on May 9, 2000, starting at 11:30 AM in the Multimedia Room (Room 201C) in B-150C. Alan Hobbs, the former Argentina PET Project Manager, and Heather McNabb, the former Argentina PET Project Engineer, will guide the audience through a photographic journey of Eastman Chemical Company's Argentina PET Project from groundbreaking through final construction. This multimillion-dollar project began in 1995 and was completed less than 3 years later. The Argentina Project was one of a series of international projects initiated during Eastman's global expansion of the 1990s, but it was faced with a unique set of challenges from project operations spanning three continents. The speakers will touch upon multi-cultural differences in business, strategic business decisions, economic and political stability, and labor and construction practices in Argentina.
Date: May 9, 2000
Time: 11:30 - 12:30 PM
Location: B-150C, Room 201C (Multimedia Room)
Honoring 50 Years of Service to AIChE
The May AIChE Meeting will also include special presentations to Toy F. Reid and William S. Shaw recognizing each of them for 50-yrs of AIChE membership. This is a tremendous milestone to achieve and we invite each and every one of you to come and join us in the celebration.
Date: May 9, 2000
Time: 11:30 - 12:30 PM
Location: B-150C, Room 201C (Multimedia Room)
Report on April 11 AIChE Meeting – Windows 2000 & Beyond
In April 11, Mr. P. J. Grinsell (CEO of Bailey Computing Technologies, Inc.) presented a very interesting and informative program on the new Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system and on several possible future Microsoft operating systems. Mr. Grinsell discussed some of the advantages and disadvantages and system requirements and then demonstrated some of the new features of the Windows 2000 platform, including Windows 2000 Professional, Server, Advanced Server, and Datacenter Server. Windows 2000 is basically a replacement for Windows NT that offers the enhanced stability, security, and performance of the NT platform, coupled with the some of the flexibility of the Windows 98 platform. It is aimed primarily at business users. The desktop and start button on Windows 2000 will be more user configurable than in the past. Improved device manager functionality will be added. Windows 2000 will enable individual files to be encrypted (useful in case a laptop is stolen). It will also enable users to copy a local version of a server folder for use when taking a laptop home or on travel.
In addition to Windows 2000, Mr. Grinsell also discussed and demonstrated test versions of several other developmental Microsoft operating systems. Windows "Me" (code name "Millenium") is being aimed at the consumer market as an enhanced Windows 98-type product and is expected to be released by the end of this year. It will focus on uses involving digital media (includes built-in digital video editing capability) and will provide better security and better protection against disk drive failures (useful system restore feature). Windows "Whistler 2001" is a proposed new generation operating system that will finally merge the Windows 98 and Windows NT platforms into one. It will likely feature centers or portals versus the current desktop configuration. It will have strong links to Microsoft Network and to the internet and will have more of a web look and feel. "Whistler 2001" is expected to be released near the end of 2001. Windows "Blackcomb" is the code name for a potential operating system that would eliminate the current desktop-type configuration and look very much like web pages with simultaneous incorporation of internet and desktop applications. Microsoft will likely introduce a series of these new operating systems about 18-months apart to entice continual upgrades.
David L. Denton
Local Section Tour of Lab Glass
On Tuesday, April 4, twenty members of the Local Section enjoyed a fascinating tour of Lab Glass. Lab Glass has facilities in New Jersey and Kingsport. The Kingsport facility employs 10 people, including six scientific glass blowers, and specializes in custom fabrication. They mostly use glass, but also work with metals and plastics, including Eastman’s Spectar.
We saw demonstrations of glass blowing, silvering and evacuation (for thermal insulation). We watched one glass blower joining two halves of a jacketed kettle he was making—using one lathe, four torches, one graphite rod (to shape the glass joint), one blow tube, and only two hands. Amazing!!! Another glass blower with 39-years experience was fabricating a 50-liter, four-neck, round-bottom flask. (Lab Glass can go up to 100 liters.) A very hot job!!! Lab Glass also displayed an intricate distillation head with an internal condenser, chilled decanter, and two reflux splitters (one for each phase), all built out of glass. Very impressive!!! Glass blowers have to plan ahead, visualizing their work, because they can’t stop to plan their next step once the glass is hot.
The silvering and evacuation process is also very interesting. Silver is plated from a supersaturated solution onto a glass surface (e.g., the interior of glass jacket) precoated with tin, resulting in a mirror-like finish. The piece is then heated to about 300° C with the jacket under vacuum (down to 10-7 torr) for 24–36 hours to drive residual gases from the glass. After heating and evacuation, the jacket is "pinched off" (sealed) and the vacuum removed.
Many thanks go to Lab Glass, and especially to our tour guides—Gary Delkamp and Eddie Bishop—for a fascinating tour and delicious lunch.
Richard Colberg
NETS-ACS Chooses NSTCC for 516th Meeting
On Tuesday, March 21, the Northeast Tennessee Section of the American Chemical Society (NETS-ACS) held its monthly professional meeting at Northeast State Technical Community College (NSTCC). This is the first time that NSTCC has been selected for one of these evening meetings. Normally NETS-ACS rotates the meeting location among the Tri-Cities: Bristol, Kingsport, and Johnson City. Mark Pollock (mapollock@nstcc.cc.tn.us), David Fagerburg (dfagerburg@nstcc.cc.tn.us), and Jay Harvey (jaharvey@nstcc.cc.tn.us) of the Mathematics & Sciences Division of NSTCC worked with Michael Shelton (mcshelton@eastman.com), NETS-ACS Chair, Gerry Rhodes (grho@eastman.com), and others with the Eastman Chemical Company (ECC) to make this new meeting option a success. Skoby’s Restaurant, 1001 Konnarock Road, Kingsport, TN 37664 (www.skobys.com) catered the meal.
The meeting was held in the Faculty/Staff/Guest Dining Room (A-110), with the Social at 6:00pm, the Dinner at 6:30pm, and the Meeting at 7:30pm. The speaker was Matthew Studholme, Universal Fiber Systems, LLC. The title of his presentation was Stain Resistance of NYLON Fibers. Twenty-six professionals, spouses, and friends attended this meeting. Art and Margaret Bond (artbond@mounet.com) really seemed to enjoy the meeting. Ms. Trudy Dayton (tadayton@deq.state.va.us), Environmental Engineer, Department of Environmental Quality, Commonwealth of Virginia came in from Abingdon, VA. We had faculty from Emory & Henry College, Milligan College, and East Tennessee State University. Also attending was NETS-ACS Chair-elect, Craig Lott (Craig.Lott@coastalcorp.com), Environmental Chemistry Department, Spectrum Laboratories, P.O. Box 1578, Coeburn, VA 24230. Several Eastman chemists, engineers, and retired professionals were in attendance. One conclusion is that NSTCC’s central location is both adequate and convenient.
Dr. M.A. Pollock
Local Section Officers, Directors, and Support Staff
Chair: David Denton 229-6559
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and Program Committee Chair: David Hitch 229-5398
Secretary: Brian Joyner 229-6193
Treasurer: Richard Colberg 229-3184
Directors: Joe Bays 229-5854
Joe Parker 229-3850
Mark Harrison 229-4861
Local Section Webmaster: Tim Nolen 229-8287
AIChE Pipeline Newsletter Editors: Justin Abnee 229-5513
Jennifer Mize 224-7018
ETEAC Representatives: Beth Alderson 229-8163
Vera Williams McGill 224-0959
Roy Conn 229-2642