Laboratory page: Biltmore 3107 at NC State Univ

Opportunities in Wet-End Chemistry:
Wet-End Chemistry Laboratory Facility at NC State University

People are welcome to visit our newly rennovated wet-end chemistry lab in Biltmore Hall on the main campus of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. It's near the corner of Western Boulevard and Dan Allen Drive. There's a convenient pay parking lot just north of our building on Dan Allen Drive (opposite Sullivan Drive, North of Western Boulevard) and you can walk up Dan Allen Drive to Biltmore Hall. Look for the building with the cylindrical glass section. It's always a good idea to call ahead if you want to visit.

For those who aren't able to visit us in person, we thought that you might enjoy seeing pictures of various instruments that we work with. See how many of them you can identify before you look at the labels:

Our "Positive Pulse Jar" (PPJ) makes it possible to separate flow effects such as those associated with approach-flow shear, jet-wire speed difference, and hydrofoil action.

The PPJ uses a bellows pump, driven at up to 600 rpm, to deliver flow pulses of known velocity, distance of flow, and frequency.

Rotor for uniform time-averaged shear stress during dewatering

Here is the PPJ after the gear pulp has completed the dewatering cycle, with simultaneous pulsations from the bellows pump.

We have updated our Britt Dynanic Drainage/Retention Jar with a Yamato stirrer.

Here is the Britt Jar with headbox stock being stirred at 1000 rpm.

Laser Zee

We can evaluate zeta potentials of fine, suspended particles with a micro-electrophoresis instrument. This is the Lazer-Zee from Pen Kem.

PDA 2000

We can evaluate effects of chemicals and shear on the degree of fiber flocculation with this Photometric Dispersion Analyzer (Low Gain) from Rank Brothers.

Streaming Potential Jar

This is an overall view of our Streaming Potential Jar (SPJ) with its air system, pressurizable jar, millivolt meter, various other sensing devices, and data acquisition system.

Zeta Data

We also can test the streaming potential and the drainage characteristics of furnish with this commercial Zeta Data device from Paper Chemistry Laboratory.

Contact Angles

This contact angle goniometer is among various equipment we have at NC State to evaluate wettability of paper and other materials. It happened to be in our lab so I took a picture of it.

Streaming Current

We can titrate the colloidal charge of aqueous samples with either of two widely used streaming current detectors, the ECA2000 from Chemtrac or the PCD03 from Mutek.

Coulter DELSA

One Coutler DELSA is missing a few parts. Once operational it will provide distributions of zeta potentials when testing particle suspensions.

Micro-electrophoresis

The Charge Analyzer 2 micro-electrophoresis instrument from SKS is especially good for titrations with zero zeta potential as your endpoint.

SPJ d etail image

Did you recognize this? This is a closer view of the jar and the filtrate overflow container of the SPJ. Look for our article in Colloids & Surfaces A.

Viscometric test

This Brookfield viscometer, with its modified rotor and two vertical probes is used to evaluate the strength of fiber flocs in heabox-consistency furnish.

Zeta Data sample cell

Here's another picture that you might recognize. This is a closer view of the sample cell of the Zeta Data fiber-pad streaming potential apparatus.

Lazer Zee overall view

Did you identify this one correctly? It is a fuller view of our Laser Zee micro-electrophoresis instrument. You are a champ if you got 9 or more correct!