Chemical careers in General Electric - ACS Publications

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Employment Policies and Practices in American Organizations

A. 1. ARKER and A. 6. ALBARIAN General Electric Co., Pittsfield, Massachusetts

valuable contributions, and financial stability are all important factors. Alarge concern,such as the General Electric Company, is a good example. CHEMISTRY IN THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY

But where docs the chemist or chemical engineer fit into such an organization? There are many answers to this question. For instanre, let's take a piece of e1ec.trical equipment apartsay, a power transformer. Power transformers are commonly used in connectionwiththe production and distribution of electricity, and General Electric manufactures a large number and variety of them, ranging in price from approximately 62,000 to 6400,000. When me take one apart, what do we have? A veritable storehouse of specialized chemicals and metals confronts us. There are transformer oils which serve as insulation and as cooling media. A Partid View of General Electric Research Laboratom Some contain hydrocarbon oils-highly refined and processed; others use noninflammable oils such as WHERE do YOU want to spend your career? ' h i s question faces every promising young technical man. Pyranol.' We also have solid insulations of all types Do you want a. large, diversified organization or a small -resin coatings for the electrical conductors, resinconductors. specialized one? Much could be said in favor of either impregnated paper wound around selection, but in this paper me will discuss some of the laminated paper-resin tubes separating prlmary and factors involved in becoming associated with a large secondary coils. Specially developedfinishesenablethe company. The variety of activity which creates OP,General Eleetric2s for certain msteria,s used as portunity for advancement and the ability to select liquid dielectrics in transformers and capacitors. See CLARX, one's own type of work, the facilities necessary to make F.M., Chem. Eng. News, 25,2976 (1947).

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txansformers to withstand all sort:s of weather and exposure conditions, x~hilecarefully selected materials serve as gaskets t,o prevent oil leakage. The list could well fill t,his entire paper, and it is growing all the time. Or me could have chosen a household refrigerator as our example. The enamel finish and the plastic laminated doors immediately come to mind. The extruded or molded plastic breaker strips along the inner edges of t,he cabinet and the special rnhber door gasket are also present. The oil-filled, hermetically-sealed mechanism contains solid slot insulators, and each strand of wire is coated with a high-polymer enamel. We could go on vith electric motors, generators, clocks, radios, television receivers, washing machinesan almost interminable list. In cach case we sce the need for chemist.^ and chemical engineers to develop t,hese varied materials. Specifications are rigid and new requirements are constantly cropping up. Most of the time no available products will fill t,he bill; so Ire have t o create new types of molecules and modify cxist,ing compounds to meet, o w needs. Aft,er these materials are made in the laborat,ory, thc prohlem of manufacturing thcm in commercial quantities immediately appears. This mcans pilot plant, projects and plant design and operation. Rut the problems aren't licked yet. New wire coat,ings, new gasket material, new transformer oils, new washing-machine finishes all present new problems in application. Does the new oil, which is so noninflammable, dissolve too much of some of the other insulat,ionY Does the new wire coat,ing, which has such high arc-rrsist,ance, form hnbhles on t,he surfacc? Does the washing-machine finish, which is so highly resistant to detergents stick well t,o the st,eel or under-coating? These and many ot,her problems must be solved before a new mnt,erial appears as part of a finished product. How are we organized t,o cope wit,h t,hese vast and ever-changing problems? Let's start at. the hcginning with basic, fundamental research-the effort to find new facts and ideas and formulate them into gcncral principles. Out of these efforts, which are not primarily directed toward exist,ing product lines of G-E, we hope to ohtain formerly nnknown eompounds as well as basically new knowledge which will allow us to cstab lish new uses for existing materials. The center of t,his work is the General Elect,ricResearch Lahorat,oryat t,hc Iholls, near Schenertady, sew York. Howevcr, many of t,he other laboratories of the Company also engage in hasic research. The importance attached t,o chemical work is clrarly shown here, since the Chemistry Division is the largest in the Research Laboratory. General Electric has just completed a new sit,e for i1.s Research Laborat,ory. The buildings an, among the most scientifically designed in t,he country. S o effort, was spared to make them perfectly conducive t,onarcl research activities; no co&ideratcon was overlooked. Flexibility, arrangement of sections, centrally-located. well-equipped shops, and all sorts of safety features are parts of the design' An extensive library brings information to the researchers' fingert,ips. Facilit,ies of

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all types are available in every room of the laboratory. Furthermore, specialized buildings are available for various types of work-the Chemical Pilot Plant Building, the Low Temperature Laboratory, t,he Fluid Flow Laboratory, and others. While the Research Laboratory is a large organization devot,ed primarily t o basic research, most of the Gcneral Elect,ric laboratories are concerned with development and application work. The Transformer and Allied Products Laboratory in Pittsfield, Massachuset,ts, the Thompson Laboratory in Lynn, Massachusctts, the Schenectady Works Lnhorat,oly are a few examples. Chemical development is also carried on in Erie and Philadelphia, in Cleveland, Fort Wayne. Indiana, West Lynn, Massach~sett~s, and Bridgeport,. Connecticut. Almost every G-E plant of any size has its laboratory which engages in developing new chemical prodncts and seeking better !rays to apply existing materials t,o the particular products they mannfaatore. CHEMICAL MANUFACTURE

Rut laborat,oriesare only part of the picture, for G-E is a large producer of chemical proclucts. This production is centered in the Chemical Department and the Nucleonics Department, although many of the other Depart,ment,sof the Company hoast t,heir own chemical plants. The Chemical Department is a large-scale producer of industrial chemicals. While it originally stemmed from t,he needs of t,he electrical industry, it has now hranched out so far that, it. serves all types of industries. It,s products may he rlassified into three groups-industrial chemicals, molded plast,ic part,s, and laminat,ed plastic materials. The silicones-organic silicon polymerbarr fast. hecoming a major chemical indust,ry. The alkyd resinsusedfor paints, varnishes, adhesives, and insulation form another large part of General Electric's chemical pro~lnction. Our phenolic resin plant is onr of the largest in

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and build atomic powcr units. This ever-growing operation, under the (lircction of the Research Laboratory is already a large one. Here, again, chemists and chemical engineers participate. For those who are fascinated by radically new methods and materials, no better place could be found than our Atomic Power Laboratory. EXPERT ASSOCIATES

Because of the great varietyofactivitiesinwhichthe General Electric Company is interested, we maintain a large statr of emerts in almost every branch of t,hc -2 physical sciences who help one utilize related fields in solving his problems. Instead of having.. t o consult voluminous reports, or engage in time-consuming In This Modern Chemical Plant. G-EProduces Silicone Products 101 an Euer-rncmasing Number of Applilibrary research, one has c.ti0r.r but to reach for the nearest: then orld and our protective finishes-paints, varnishes, phone to obtain first-hand information about almost enamels, lacquers-are supplied to all types of con- any subject from an expert. For example, you might sumers. The permafils, which are made from vinyl and be preparing laminated plastics materials primarily for ally1 monomers and special alkyd resins are liquid ma- decorative purposes and discover that the material has terials which solidify on heating. We make them in very desirable electrical insulation properties. Rather large quantities for the aircraft, automobile, electrical, than discard t,he information because of insufficient metal casting, laminating, and other industries. While time or knowledge, you have merely to call on one of this is necessarily only a partial list, new developments your associates, perhaps just dowu the hall, to obtain are constantly enlarging our scope. The New Products expert electrical or mechanical information which will Development Laboratory in Pittsfield, the Research enable you t o determine, on the spot, whether fwther Laboratory, and other of the company's laboratories, investigation is warranted. are constantly bringing out new materials which, after Over and over in General Electric we have seen new going through the pilot plant and semiproduction materials emerge from the company's laboratories. stages, keep the list growing. Careful study of their properties by experts in many General Electric operates one of the world's largest fields, have enabled us radically to redesign all sorts of rhemical plants, the Hanford Works, for the Atomic equipment and come up with new products for our inEnergy Commission. This plant, located at Richland, dustrial and consumer markets. Invariably, these new Washington, produces plutonium and other fissionable products call for the development of other materids so materials. Here, large numbers of chemists and chem- that they can he steadily improved. And so the cycle ical engineers work with physicists, mechanical and is started again. rlectrical engineers, as well as scientiSts in many other fields. Their work ranges from basic research, to large ADVANCEMENT This tremendous variety of activity presents an ideal scale production and includes all the steps in between. Since safety is a prime consideration, a large corps of opportunity for advancement, for General Electric is an organization built from within. This is one of the technical men are engaged in that activity alone. While the production of fissionable materials is a basic business principles of our company, and carrying major effort, General Electric is also vitally concerned it out requires us t o watch each individual. We cannol with their use to produce power fcr industry and the afford t o lose track of even one, for our principal asset, public. We therefore also operate the Knolls Atomic andsalableproduct is scientific and engineering thinking. Power Laboratory, whose primary purpose is to design How do we achieve this goal, when so many technical

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people are involved? The job is not a simple one; it rcquires careful planning. But the principle is straightforward-the progress of every man is carefully evalnated by his supervisor, who at frequent and regular intervals seeks the counsel of several of the man's associates and that of anyone else who can contribute to the over-all evaluation. These studies form the basis for reports which give us a constant evaluation of our technical manpower. Whenever a new job is t o be donc or a vacant position t o be filled, men whose interests and abilities qualify them are considered. I n this way the opportunities for advancement are never-ending. Take, for example, a man who is working with a group on insulation problems in connection with large electric motors in the Thompson Laboratory in Lynn, Massachusetts. One of the developments of this group shows promise for use in circuit breakers-in fact, it might enable the electrical engineer t o redesign one of our products. The chemist or chemical engineer involved may then be called upon to head a new group in the Switchgear Divisions Laboratory in Philadelphia to study the possibilities and develop new product,^ along the same lines. Frequently such work leads to a new class of materials which finds wide application throughout industry. Should this be the case here, thc Chemical Department would be interested in studying it for large-scale production. Our man might then head a special unit to evaluate commercial production, and finally to develop methods for such production. I n the example above, a man followed a new idea from its conception through the application and production stages. At any point along the line he might, have branched out and developed his career in thc direction of one of the fields he entered. For instance, if he shows definite talent in devising new methods for the application of chemical products to industrial equipment, or in leading others in such efforts, hc

New and w a t t s 1"Sulation coatines tor Wire present Chdlenge to Chemist. e n d Engineers

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Contzol Adjusting during the Preparation of G l y p t d Resins

might stay in that field. He would then concern himself with developing and evaluating new materials for specific uses. On the other hand, his talent for developing the processes for the manufacture of new chemicalsmight lead him to stay in that field of work. Thepossibilities are manifold in an organization which buys, develops, applies, and manufactures a tremendous quantity of chemical materials each year. Furthermore, never-ending opportunities for advancement and grcater financial remuneration exist for men who are outstanding as either individual workers or leaders of others. Recently, for instance, one of our chemists in the Transformer and Allied Products Laboratory in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, whom we can call Ralph Robbins, was offered the choice of taking over the group he was working with or heading a larger section in the Locomotive and Car Equipment Laboratory in Erie, Pennsylvania. He chose to accept the latter. Whathas been this man's history with General Electric? He joined G-E in 1941, after graduation from college, as a member of one of our laboratories devoted to the development of new chemical products. Here he spent. one year in studying patent applications the laboratory was making in connection with the many resins it wasworking on-a liberal and practical education in highpolymer theory and applications. For the next tmw years he worked on the development of specialized synthetic rubber for electrical applications in connec-. tion with a government project being handled by G-E.

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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION TRAINING

Since the abilities and backgrounds of its technical staff are of vital importance to an organization such as General Electric, a great deal of effort goes into t,raining new technical personnel. For the field of basic research, the graduate curriculum is admirably suited to impart a good grasp of basic technical principles through its course work and general examinations. Furthermore, thesis projects leading to the Ph.D. degree go far toward developing analytical ability, creative thinking, and clear expression. Outside, the field of basic research, however, industry must develop its own methods for postcollegiate training. Such training, as it is G-E Research Chemists Keep the List of ChemisP Products Growing practiced in G-E, serves to In this work he de~-elopedseveral resins \vhic.h conld hc cstahlish thn broad basc of varied experience upon used in place of synthetic rubber, and he came to have vhioh the yonng chemist or enginccr can successfully such knowledge in this field that the government "bor- huild his career. It also gives him proper orientation rorvcd" him for n year for work on t2heR.lanhat,tanProj- and acquaints him with his company by a series of rrt. After his return t,o G-E in 1945 Ralph spent about working assignments in various departments. I n order two years on the development of high-t,emperature in- t,o givc each man a sound basis for selecting the best sulation resins derived from the same raw materials as area of endeavor for at least, the early part of his career, synthetic rubbers. t,liese assignments cover a numher of different, types of Kow it happens in evely progressive industry that, work, in chemistry and chemical engineering.% t,echnological and economic developments require t,he For those men whose interests and abilities qualify reduction of activity in some fields and expansion in them for highly technical work, academic training a t an others. I n early 1948 the laboratory in which he was advanced level3 is offered in addition to the practical working found that it had to limit its ~vorkalong th? experience obtained on the various work assignments. lines in which Ralph had been engaged. A small con- I%erethe emphasis is placed on the development of an cern, in such a case, might have had to lose this valuablc malytical approach t o real situations and the applicaman, but we had other activities which badly needed tion of fundamental physical principles to the resolution such t,alent as his. He mas therefore transferred to the of complex industrial problems. Transformer and Allied Products Laboratory. After the completion of such a training program the As one can note, most of Ralph's work up unt,il this young chemist or engineer is prcpared to select a positimo had been research and development work, with t,ion in one of the many laboratories, engineering, manulittle emphasis on application of his results. In his new facturing, or commercial organizations of the company. assignment he had the opportunity t o round out his Thus we see that a large indnstrial organization prohackground, for he worked on t,he application of new vides the facilities, variet,y of activit,y, and the training liquid dielectrics to transformers and capacitors. With necessary for real contributions and steady progress of this addition to his background, Mr. Robbins was per- t,he professional chemist and chemical engineer throughfectly prepared for the opening which appeared in the out his career. General Electric., one of t,he largest emLocomotive and Car Equipment Laborat,ory in Erie. ployers of chemists and chemical engineers in the In his new assignment he will lead a section whose chief Iinited States, offers almost unlimited opportunity for problems deal with the development and application talented young men in t.hr chemical field. of high-temperature insulations for elect,ric locomotive KLINE,C. H., Chem. Eng. N m s , 26, 2692 (1948); ARKER, components. Ralph Rohbins has a bright future, and A.aJ., Educalional Seruiee News, January, 1949. he is typical of the many technical leaders who are mak"RKER, A. J., AND C. H. KLINE,"Postcollegiate education for ing for continuing progress in American industry. teehniasl loadership," Chem. Eng. News, 28, 1184 (10501.