Technikatörténeti szemle 19. (1992)

KÖNYVISMERTETÉS - Papers of the First „MINERALKONTOR” International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Veszprém, 12-16 August, 1991)

Table I. Introductions of early process instruments for analysis of gas streams Type First analytical First process application instrument heat of combustion volumetric analyser density balance density, by pressure difference heat conductivity Lux (Ger.) 1886 (1, 2) Müller, (Ger.) 1890 (3) Arndt (Ger.) 1907 Oeconometer (4) Schleiermacher Grüss, Schmick (Ger.) 1888 (5) (Siemens) 1928 (6) Gmelin (BASF) 1921 (7) Hempel, Bunte Ados 1890 (8) infrared absorption mass spectrometry Coometer (Budapest) (9) URAS (BASF) 1938 (10) thermomagnetic Aston, 1919 Nier, Abbott etc. (USA) 1948 (11) Lehrer 1926 (12) Lehrer, Ebbinghaus 1950 (13) Analysis of liquids. The continuous or periodic analysis of liquids can not be solved so easily as that of the gases. Although there are some simple physical properties (density, viscosity, electric conductivity, light refraction and absorption, optical rotation) which of measurements can serve as analytical chemical information, in a single component from a mixture is to be determined selectively the use of more complicated chemical procedures are necessary. Spandau (14) developed an automatic sampling equipment in 1886. By the equipment liquid portions from a liquid containing tank at different levels could be obtained at given time intervals. By the filling of the tank the swimmer was rising, and at given height the sampling slots opened. One of the first continuous measuring system, which was used for control of a destination process originats from Germany (in 1906). The key of the control system was a floating areometer, by which the density of the destillate was measured continuously. The collection of fractions was directed automatically by the position of the density-meter (15). The electric conductivity for analysis of aqueous solutions was used first by Erdmann (16) in 1897. As industrial measuring system was introduced only in 1930, in the factory of the BASF to control the production of sulphuric acid and oleum (17). The measurement of viscosity has an old history. However the automatisation of the measurements using capillary viscosimeter for continuous control of oil-raffinary processes was introduced only in 1956 (18). The rotating viscosimeters were introduced in 1959 (19). Light refraction in the analysis was used first by Zawidzki (20) in 1900. The continuous system appared only in 1949 (21).