FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE PHOTOGRAPHIC CHEMICAL SYSTEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B04747A000600030006-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 26, 2001
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: April 29, 1960
• Content Type: MF

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29 April 1960
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, TISD
SUBJECT: Final Report and Recommendations on the
Photographic Chemical System
STATINTL
STATINTL
STATINTL
1. On 30 March 1960, the undersigned was directed to conduct
a study which would result in the recommendation for a complete
chemical mixing, storage, replenishment, recirculation, temperaTINTL
control and analysis for the proposed photographic laboratory
sponsored by the 1NTL
1960, the laboratory facilities at W A T I N T L
visited; on 21 April 1960, the facilities of the
E were visited and on 26 and 2 April
1960 the chemical laboratories of
were visited. These recent trips were for the purpose
of investigating methods and procedures as well as equipment used
in a modern photographic laboratory for the most efficient operation
of that type of laboratory with particular regard to the usage of
the various photographic chemical solutions. It should be pointed
out that the following recommendations are not based solely on these
most recent investigations but rather upon the experience in this
particular field over a considerable number of years. However, these
most recent investigations did establish the most recent state of the
art as it exists in both private industry and the military.
2. There are two schools of thought on this subject, the
first being that in an intermittent type of operation, photographic
chemicals are mixed in rather small quantities of 50 gallons or less
from either bulk or packaged dry chemicals or concentrated liquids.
These chemicals are prepared into working solutions by ordinary mixing
procedures and are transported to the various processing stations
and equipment either by hand, in buckets, or in small portable dis-
tributors. These chemicals are used during a working day and are
discarded at the end of the shift or are left standing in equipment
to deteriorate themselves and the equipment. It is reasonable to
assume that this is the most inefficient modus operandi: 1) man
hours, which are expensive and sometimes difficult to come by, are
required almost on a daily basis to mix these chemicals; 2) the
mixing of chemicals by this method is a task not cherished by mQst
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laboratory technicians; 3) even though some of these chemicals
are mixed into working solution from packages which have been
weighed and compounded by the manufacturer or from concentrated
liquids, there are considerable variables which must affect the
final result with each new batch of solutions; 4) since these
photographic solutions are expensive, it is reasonable to assume
that a considerable amount of dollars are flushed down the drain
each day in the form of partly used chemical formulae; 5) each
new batch of solutions must undergo a breaking-in period in which
the results are entirely unpredictable and only after a certain
amount of usage of these solutions do they settle down and provide
consistent results. It is very often in practice that at this
point that they are discarded when in fact they have just reached
a point of maximum usefulness and efficiency.
3. The other school of thought on this subject is to carefully
compound a fairly large quantity of the various working solutions
used in the photographic laboratory and to maintain these solutions
almost indefinitely. It is needless to say that some few developer
formulae do not lend themselves to this treatment; such a developer
is used on most photo-mechanical emulsions for line and half-tone
negatives in which extremely high contrast is obtained by a highly
alkaline or caustic soda solution such as D-85 or Kodalith formula.
Usually this formula is kept in two parts in which the organics and
inorganics are combined immediately prior to use and then discarded
within a period of 4 to 6 hours due to excessive oxidation caused by
the combining of these incompatible chemical elements. However, the
two parts of the solution have excellent keeping qualities while
stored separately. Most other standard developer formulae have
inherently good keeping qualities and long, useful lives if properly
stored, filtered, and replenished and once they have been properly
compounded and tested by sensitometric analysis, they are entirely
predictable. The same is true of the acid fixing and hardening
solutions commonly used for paper or film. If the free silver in
these solutions is properly removed by silver recovery techniques,
their useful life can be extended almost indefinitely.
4. In this more modern concept of photographic chemistry, the
major emphasis on quality control is correctly placed in the proper
compounding and the maintenance of these working solutions and the
role of the technician's responsibility for this operation assumes a
stature of major importance. In this case, the chemist is in fact the
control officer for the photographic laboratory operation and he bears
the responsibility for all products generated in that laboratory.
We will say, certainly, that the very first step in the concept of
the 8white gloves" laboratory must begin and end with the proper
photographic chemical supply system. By necessity, the system must
be a completely enclosed loop to prevent excessive oxidation of the
solutions and contamination of the air in the rest of the laboratory.
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REC OMMDATIONS
1. Space: In any proposed new location of the PIC
laboratory a space not smaller than 20x4O feet should be
allowed to house the tank farm. Ideally, this space should
be located on the floor above and centrally located above the
laboratory facility. In addition, a space should be provided
adjacent to the tank farm for the chemical analysis section,
approximately 12x20 feet.
2. Initial Mixing: There should be two 50-gallon and Rive
100-gallon mixing tanks of type 316 stainless steel with properly
fitted floating lids and dished bottoms. These tanks would serve
for the initial mixing or charging of the larger tanks in the
tank farm. After the initial mix, these same tanks would be used to
receive partially used solutions from the various processing stations,
at which point the analysis sample would be taken.
3. Bulk Storage (Tank Farm): Bulk storage would consist of
two 5Q-gallon sealed tanks of Type 316 stainless steel which would
contain the two-solution developer for photo mechanical use. These
two solutions would be combined at the processing station, used,
and then discarded as the solutions are drained from the two
50-gallon storage tanks. The void would be filled with nitrogen
to prevent oxidation. Five enclosed storage tanks of 300-gallon
capacity would contain three standard developer solutions for film
and paper, one fixing and hardening solution for film and one fixing
solution and hardening solution for paper. These larger tanks would
also be completely sealed against air and the void created filled
with nitrogen.
In the bulk storage tanks the temperature of the various
solutions will be maintained to within plus or minus one degree of
the actual operating temperature of the solutions. A gentle circulation
will be provided inside the tank to keep these solutions in proper
suspension. Solutions entering and leaving the bulk storage will be
properly filtered and cleaned of impurities.
1I. Piping to Stations: Since the tank farm is situated on a
floor above the photographic laboratory, the supply of chemical
solutions to the various processing stations will be by gravity flow
through PVC (polyvinylchloride) tubing of U. S. manufacture. All
shut-off valves under low pressure will be also of PVC construction.
Those valves under increased pressure from pumps will be of stainless
steel construction and those parts of the necessary pumps will like-
wise be of Type 316 stainless steel.
5. Return to Intermediate Storage: The three standard developer
formulae and the fixing and hardening solution mentioned in Item 3
above will be returned to the 100-gallon tanks mentioned in Item 2
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above. In this fashion the tanks which were used initially to
charge the tank farm are now being used to receive the returned
solutions from the processing stations. By this method the
partially used chemicals will not be returned to bulk storage
immediately but returned to these intermediate tanks from which
will be taken appropriate samples for chemical analysis by
instrumentation. This system provides means of draining those
pieces of processing equipment of their standing solutions so that
the equipment can be properly flushed, cleaned, and buffered at
the close of the working day. When these solutions have been
properly replenished, they will be returned to the bulk storage
and the intermediate storage tanks will again be available for
mixing.
6. Water Treatment and Purification: All water used for
the initial mixing of the photographic solutions will be properly
filtered and purified to remove all solids, minerals, and algae
from the local water supply. Water used for washing film and paper
products generated in the laboratory will be filtered for solids.
The Washington area water supply lends itself particularly well to
purification and treatment by filtration rather than the more
elaborate deionization processes.
7. Chemical Analysis: Samples taken from the intermedia eATINTL
storage facility will be analyzed by instrumentation such as the
-spectrophotometer, the PH meter and the MEMESTATINTL
sensor rather than by chemical ti ration. The samples thus taken
will be compared for signature and comparison with known standards.
Those elements found deficient will be restored by the addition of
proper concentrated solutions and those elements such as bromides found
to be in excess will be properly neutralized in the intermediate
storage system and then returned to bulk storage.
8. Flexibility: All three standard developer formulae and
the two fixing and hardening solutions will be made available at
each processing station using a continuous roll film or paper processor.
In this fashion the proper developer for film positives, film negatives
and paper can be interchanged in the processor with minimum delay and
no volume loss of the solutions. Replenishment of these processing
machines will be by separate integral systems associated with the
equipment for continuous operation. Should it be necessary to change
the type of developer in the continuous processor at some time during
a working day, the partially-used solution in the developer compart-
ment would be pumped back to intermediate storage and the compartment
would be flushed with water and refilled with another developing
solution. Another important consideration is that these processing
machines are never left idle with standing solutions. It is at this
time that the equipment suffers the most deterioration. During
ascertained periods of inactivity for a particular piece of equipment,
the entire machine would be drained, flushed., buffered, and refilled
with water and leader material so that it could be run for a few
moments each day to keep the equipment in the best operating condition.
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9. Silver Recovery: A suitable silver recovery system
would be employed for the fixing and hardening solution used
for film. There would be no silver recovery for that fixing and
hardening solution used for paper prints. The free silver
recovered from the film fixing bath could be purified by one of a
number of commercial silver purification plants and the monetary
value of this silver used to defray the cost of the system over
a period of years. Not enough free silver is recoverable from a
paper fixing solution to make it economical to employ silver
recovery.
10. Capacity and Cost: The system described above would
provide chemicals sufficient to operate a photographic laboratory
generating a volume of products three times increased over our
present rate. The cost of such a system is very approximately
STATINTL estimated at - The benefits to be derive are mmeasurable:
11. Floor Plan: As soon as possible, detailed floor plan of
the proposed laboratory should be made available to the undersigned
so that accurate cost estimates can be made regarding the installation
of the above chemical system. Since most of the hardware required
to build such a system is virtually hand tailored, it will be
necessary to negotiate a contract as soon as possible in order to
have all the component parts ready for installation and use by
early fall of this year. Permission is requested to monitor iATINTL
a contract as well as the installation in the proposed builds
STATINTL PIC/TIED/TD&SS gm(3591) - 29 Apr 60
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