Search Documents

Upon the recommendation of its Technical Committee, The Com-pressed Air Society has adopted the following definitions of, certain terms. Displacement.-The displacement of an air compressor is the volume displaced by the net area of the compressor piston. Capacity.-The capacity should be expressed in cubic feet per minute, and is the actual amount of air compressed and delivered, expressed in terms of free air at intake temperature and at the pressure of dry air at the suction. Volumetric Efficiency.-Volumetric efficiency is the ratio of the capacity to the displacement of the compressor, all as defined above. Compression Efficiency.-Compression efficiency is the ratio of the work required to compress isothermally all the air delivered by an air compressor to the work actually clone within the compressor cylinder, as shown by indicator cards, and may he expressed is the product of the volumetric efficiency (the intake pressure and the hyperbolic logarithm of the ratio of compression), all divided by the indicated mean effective pressure within the air cylinder or cylinders.

Jan 8, 1918

By H. M. Shepard

THE copper industry operated at high capacity throughout 1947, with no serious tie-ups in operation as was the case in 1946, when almost the entire industry was shut down by a four-month strike. Refined copper production in the United States averaged 94,250 tons for the first eleven months and deliveries to domestic consumers, including foreign copper for domestic consumption, averaged 114,000 tons per month. On April 29 the import duty of 4d per lb was suspended until March 31, 1949. Copper prices fluctuated considerably for a short time thereafter. Over the year the price of domestic electrolytic copper at refineries on the Atlantic seaboard advanced from 19.225¢ on Jan. 2 to 21.200d on Dec. 24.

Jan 1, 1948

By E. A. Devuyst, M. A. Mosoiu, V. A. Ettel

Nickelic hydroxide is an important metallurgical reagent used for precipitating cobalt from nickel sulfate solutions. Existing methods of preparation of nickelic hydroxide involve electrolytic oxidation of Ni(OH)2 or the use of strong oxidizing agents such as chlorine, ozone and persulfate. Although the oxidizing properties of the SO2 + O2 system have been known for some time, e.g., detection of SO2 and oxidation on iron in acidic solution, the application of this system for the preparation of nickelic hydroxide as a process was not considered in the past. The present paper describes a new method for chemical preparation of nickelic hydroxide which has been developed in INCO laboratories. The technique consists of reacting nickelous hydroxide suspensions with a slurry of calcium sulfite in the presence of air or oxygen. The main advantage of the process is the cost of reagents and an absence of soluble by-products (e.g., C1-). The chemistry of this process is unusual since the redox potential obtained during the reaction exceeds that of the oxygen electrode. Therefore, the effect of CaS03 is not just a catalytic acceleration of the reaction NI(OH)~ + 02. The so3= must be involved in the stoichiometry of the overall reaction producing in the initla1 phase some strongly oxidizing intermediate species.

Jan 1, 1981

By J. B. Wagstaff, R. A. Buchanan, J. F. Elliott

High speed photography through blast-furnace tuyeres showed coke particles moving rapidly. Model studies showed a raceway was formed and gave quantitative results which were correlated with actual blast furnaces. Another study showed the similarity between hanging and the flooding of a packed column. This was explored by models. THE combustion zone before the tuyere in an iron blast furnace is a vital region because here are generated: 1—most of the gases on which the furnace depends to carry out its basic operation of reducing iron ore to the metallic state, and 2—the major fraction of the heat required in the nearby regions of the furnace for the various reduction reactions, the fusion of the slag, and the melting of the iron. Since the greater part of the coke is consumed in this region, the descent of the burden must be greatly affected by the characteristics of the tuyere zone. This region then would seem to be a profitable field for study. Fortunately, a view into this important zone is available to the operator through the tuyere peep sight. Here he sees relatively dark pieces of coke "dancing" in the blast. What he sees is of considerable help in interpreting the behavior of the furnace at a given time but the very rapidly moving particles and the intense radiation obscures what is happening very deep in the zone. This investigation was initiated in the hope that a better understanding of the combustion region could be obtained by using a high speed camera with a maximum speed of 3000 frames per sec. It seemed the best practical method of "slowing down" this characteristically violent action within the highly luminous field. Model studies and tuyere probing also have been used to aid in explaining the observed phenomena. Above the combustion zone, but below the fusion zone, there is probably a region in which the coke is comparatively stationary. Here are zones in which the gases must flow up through the granular bed counter to descending liquid slag and metal. There is no easy way to observe this zone in a blast furnace, but model studies have been of some help in explaining the nature of the zone and the laws governing the flow of the fluids involved. The whole problem is difficult and involved and any approach to a complete solution may require long investigation. This preliminary report has been written, therefore, because it is believed that appreciable progress has already been made that would be of interest to others. Tuyere Studies, Chemistry and Kinetics It is well known from the early work of Kinney and coworkers1,2 that combustion of carbon before the tuyeres appears to occur in two zones: Zone A: C + O, = CO2; AH77°F. = — 14,108 Btu per lb of carbon [I] Zone B: CO2 + C = 2CO; H77°F = + 6,183 Btu per lb of carbon [2] Zone A (Fig. 1) is close to the tip of the tuyere and zone B is somewhat farther back; there being a transition region in which both reactions occur. It is interesting to estimate the rate at which coke is burned before a tuyere with a wind rate of 90,000 cfm in a modern furnace having 18 tuyeres. Approximately 0.55 lb of carbon is consumed by eq 1 per tuyere per sec. A like amount disappears by eq 2 for a total consumption of 1.11 Ib per sec per tuyere. Assuming the coke is 85 pct C and has a bulk density of 30 lb per cu ft, this figure can be converted to a total of 1.30 lb of coke with a bulk volume of 0.043 cu ft disappearing per sec per tuyere. At the temperatures prevailing in the combustion zone (according to Kozlovich,³ he maximum is about 3400°F), the rate at which carbon is con-

Jan 1, 1953

By H. Brevers, Maurice Rey

Through circumstances connected with the war, the senior author lost his records, therefore it has been impossible to include numerical data in this paper. The arsenical quicksilver ore investigated had been roasted, with poor metallurgical results. The vapor-tension temperature curves of mercury and arsenious trioxide are similar, and the arsenical compound hampers the coalescence of mercury drops in the condenser and is the cause of large stack losses. The ore was a gray limestone carrying small amounts of carbon and mineralized with cinnabar and two arsenic minerals, realgar (As2S2) and arsenopyrite (FeAsS). The proportion of realgar often exceeded that of cinnabar; the proportion of arsenopyrite was smaller. The grade of the ore varied between 0.8 and 4 per cent Hg. The problem was to make a high-grade mercury concentrate, as free from arsenic as possible. The water used throughout the testing was hard, having a pH of about 8. Flotation of Realgar Realgar showed a very strong tendency to float. It formed a film at the surface of the pulp and floated in abundance with only pine oil. Therefore an attempt was made to float the realgar before the cinnabar, but this was not very successful; the percentage of mercury in the realgar concentrate could never be brought below 2 or 3 per cent. Cinnabar slimed easily and floated with pine oil, so that some of it always accompanied the realgar. There was also the question of the cinnabar-arseno-pyrite separation. On further investigation it was found that realgar can be floated not only with pine oil but even better with a combination of hydrocarbons and pine oil. Washing the ore with ether revealed that it contained hydrocarbons, which helped to float the realgar. In this connection it belongs to the same class as carbon, sulphur and talc. It can be floated also with a xanthate, when activated by a heavy-metal salt. The conditions favoring the two types of flotation are opposed, as activation by a copper salt facilitates xanthate flotation (in fact, is even necessary to it), whereas it hinders pine oil and petroleum flotation. One type of flotation can be termed non-polar and the other polar, a distinction that has been stressed in a previous paper.' Depression of Realgar and Flotation of Cinnabar Many chemicals were tested in an attempt to float the cinnabar and depress the realgar. Finally starch rendered soluble with caustic soda was tried, also several grades of commercial soluble starch, and dextrin was found to be the best and the most convenient reagent. Several of these starch preparations have a strong flocculating effect on the pulp, which is a distinct disadvantage. Dextrin, with its low flocculating power, is excellent. It is noteworthy that starch preparations are also depressants for carbon and talc, so that the fact apparently has a general

Jan 1, 1943

By Maurice Rey, H. Brevers

Through circumstances connected with the war, the senior author lost his records, therefore it has been impossible to include numerical data in this paper. The arsenical quicksilver ore investigated had been roasted, with poor metallurgical results. The vapor-tension temperature curves of mercury and arsenious trioxide are similar, and the arsenical compound hampers the coalescence of mercury drops in the condenser and is the cause of large stack losses. The ore was a gray limestone carrying small amounts of carbon and mineralized with cinnabar and two arsenic minerals, realgar (As2S2) and arsenopyrite (FeAsS). The proportion of realgar often exceeded that of cinnabar; the proportion of arsenopyrite was smaller. The grade of the ore varied between 0.8 and 4 per cent Hg. The problem was to make a high-grade mercury concentrate, as free from arsenic as possible. The water used throughout the testing was hard, having a pH of about 8. Flotation of Realgar Realgar showed a very strong tendency to float. It formed a film at the surface of the pulp and floated in abundance with only pine oil. Therefore an attempt was made to float the realgar before the cinnabar, but this was not very successful; the percentage of mercury in the realgar concentrate could never be brought below 2 or 3 per cent. Cinnabar slimed easily and floated with pine oil, so that some of it always accompanied the realgar. There was also the question of the cinnabar-arseno-pyrite separation. On further investigation it was found that realgar can be floated not only with pine oil but even better with a combination of hydrocarbons and pine oil. Washing the ore with ether revealed that it contained hydrocarbons, which helped to float the realgar. In this connection it belongs to the same class as carbon, sulphur and talc. It can be floated also with a xanthate, when activated by a heavy-metal salt. The conditions favoring the two types of flotation are opposed, as activation by a copper salt facilitates xanthate flotation (in fact, is even necessary to it), whereas it hinders pine oil and petroleum flotation. One type of flotation can be termed non-polar and the other polar, a distinction that has been stressed in a previous paper.' Depression of Realgar and Flotation of Cinnabar Many chemicals were tested in an attempt to float the cinnabar and depress the realgar. Finally starch rendered soluble with caustic soda was tried, also several grades of commercial soluble starch, and dextrin was found to be the best and the most convenient reagent. Several of these starch preparations have a strong flocculating effect on the pulp, which is a distinct disadvantage. Dextrin, with its low flocculating power, is excellent. It is noteworthy that starch preparations are also depressants for carbon and talc, so that the fact apparently has a general

Jan 1, 1943

By Gerald Edmunds

Castings of pure metals and many alloys usually have a coarse-grained structure characterized by long columnar grains throughout the main body of the casting. Frequently, the surface exhibits finer, sometimes nearly equiaxed grains, and such grains may also compose other parts of the casting. This paper deals .primarily with determinations of the grain-orientation textures of the columnar and surface grains of polycrystalline zinc castings. It includes some results upon a cadmium casting and a magnesium casting. A hypothesis is developed to account for the observations on columnar grains and to use as a basis for predicting orientations in other cast metals. A general description of the position of the columnar grains in castings is that their long axes are approximately parallel to the direction of the thermal gradient during crystallization. Thus, in cylindrical castings the columnar grain axes tend to be radial, and in large flat castings where most of the cooling is through one or both of the large mold surfaces they tend to be perpendicular to the mold surfaces. At the edges and corners the direction of heat flow and therefore the position of the grains is more cornplex. Actually observation shows that even in castings made in flat molds the cooling seems to be somewhat irregular, since columnar grains tend to emanate from certain areas of the cooling surface, indicating that thermal contact was better there than in neighboring areas. The nucleus from which a columnar grain grows may be so oriented that its direction of maximum growth rate does not coincide with the direction of the thermal gradient. In this case the long axis of the grain probably assumes an intermediate position. Notwithstanding these minor irregularities, the situation does exist that the long axes of the columnar grains are generally disposed approximately perpendicular to the mold surface. Schmid and Wassermanl and Nix and Schmid2 have determined the orientation texture of columnar grains in castings of several cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal close-packed and rhombohedra1 metals. For zinc and cadmium, they report the basal plane to be parallel to the columnar grain axes, with no preference for any particular direction in this plane to coincide with the grain axes. This texture, termed a ring fiber texture,3 is uncommon in metals; zinc and cadmium are the only ones reported to exhibit it. Generally, it is stated, a simpler texture exists in which a principal, though not necessarily the most closely packed, crystallographic direction is parallel to the direction of heat flow. In cast magnesium (also hexagonal close packed) they report a digonal axis I, [100] direction, parallel to the direction of heat flow. The writer is not aware of any other orientation-texture determinations on cast polycrystalline hexagonal metals. In view of the observations reported in the present paper it is of interest also to note that Nix and Schmid stated that a

Jan 1, 1941

By Gerald Edmunds

Castings of pure metals and many alloys usually have a coarse-grained structure characterized by long columnar grains throughout the main body of the casting. Frequently, the surface exhibits finer, sometimes nearly equiaxed grains, and such grains may also compose other parts of the casting. This paper deals .primarily with determinations of the grain-orientation textures of the columnar and surface grains of polycrystalline zinc castings. It includes some results upon a cadmium casting and a magnesium casting. A hypothesis is developed to account for the observations on columnar grains and to use as a basis for predicting orientations in other cast metals. A general description of the position of the columnar grains in castings is that their long axes are approximately parallel to the direction of the thermal gradient during crystallization. Thus, in cylindrical castings the columnar grain axes tend to be radial, and in large flat castings where most of the cooling is through one or both of the large mold surfaces they tend to be perpendicular to the mold surfaces. At the edges and corners the direction of heat flow and therefore the position of the grains is more cornplex. Actually observation shows that even in castings made in flat molds the cooling seems to be somewhat irregular, since columnar grains tend to emanate from certain areas of the cooling surface, indicating that thermal contact was better there than in neighboring areas. The nucleus from which a columnar grain grows may be so oriented that its direction of maximum growth rate does not coincide with the direction of the thermal gradient. In this case the long axis of the grain probably assumes an intermediate position. Notwithstanding these minor irregularities, the situation does exist that the long axes of the columnar grains are generally disposed approximately perpendicular to the mold surface. Schmid and Wassermanl and Nix and Schmid2 have determined the orientation texture of columnar grains in castings of several cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal close-packed and rhombohedra1 metals. For zinc and cadmium, they report the basal plane to be parallel to the columnar grain axes, with no preference for any particular direction in this plane to coincide with the grain axes. This texture, termed a ring fiber texture,3 is uncommon in metals; zinc and cadmium are the only ones reported to exhibit it. Generally, it is stated, a simpler texture exists in which a principal, though not necessarily the most closely packed, crystallographic direction is parallel to the direction of heat flow. In cast magnesium (also hexagonal close packed) they report a digonal axis I, [100] direction, parallel to the direction of heat flow. The writer is not aware of any other orientation-texture determinations on cast polycrystalline hexagonal metals. In view of the observations reported in the present paper it is of interest also to note that Nix and Schmid stated that a

Jan 1, 1941

By C. S. Matthews, J. L. Mahaffey, W. M. Rutherford

This paper gives results of an experimental study of the sweep efficiency of a miscible displacement in a five-spot. The study was carried out in a parallel-plate glass model in which effects of diffusion were scaled at or near the molecular diffusion level. The experiments show that very early breakthrough (25 to 35 per cent of pore volume (PV) injected) may be expected in miscible floods because of the unfavorable viscosity ratio. However after 1 PV of displacing fluid is injected, the sweep rises to a reasonable value (50 to 60 per cent). Photographs show that small slugs of less than 10 per cent of PV tend to dissipate before breakthrough. A minimum slug size of 15 per cent of PV would appear to be necessary even in a relatively homogeneous formation. Presence of a slug whose viscosity is inter-mediate between that of oil and gas increases the sweep efficiency of the oil-gas system. In a typical system the sweep at breakthrough rose from 26 to 37 per cent of PV for a 25 per cent slug. The increase in sweep brought about by use of a large slug could well pay for the extra deferment cost of the additional slug material. INTRODUCTION Most miscible displacement processes involve the displacement of oil with fluids of much lower viscosity and density. The displacement process at these adverse viscosity and density ratios is dominated by instability phenomena, i.e., viscous fingers and gravity tongues. These phenomena have highly adverse effects on oil recovery. Although a number of laboratory studies have been made to determine the effect of adverse viscosity ratios on five-spot sweep patterns,l,2 the scaling of diffusion effects is uncertain. In the series of scaled model studies reported herein, an attempt was made to scale diffusion. Model studies of miscible displacements in which molecular diffusion predominates are per-mitted by controlling the parallel plate spacing which reduces convective mixing to arbitrarily small levels. To decide how this scaling relates to any particular Geld displacement necessitates an estimation of diffusion effects for the natural rock being considered and conditions under which displacement will be conducted. The approach normally taken is to extrapolate data obtained from stable miscible displacements performed in the laboratory, such as those presented by Brigham et al.3 The validity with which such an extrapolation can be applied to an unstable flow system has yet to be established. If this approach is accepted, a family of oil recovery curves can be generated for a single viscosity ratio based on Brigham's observation that the magnitude of the dispersion coefficient is dependent, among other things, upon specific rock properties. Objective of our test was to define the lower limit of this range by presenting the case where dispersion effects were reduced to the molecular diffusion level in both the transverse and longitudinal directions.

Jan 1, 1967

By E. M. Tory, P. T. Shannon

An analysis of batch and continuous thickening in terms of the movement of planes of constant concentration (i.e. continuity waves) is presented. Use of solids flux as a primary variable greatly facilitates the analysis and clarifies the relationship between batch and continuous thickening. An "ideal" slurry is defined as one whose settling rate is a function only of the local solids concentration. An analysis of continuous thickening of this ideal slurry in an ideal thickener explains many aspects of the steady — and unsteady — state behavior of real slurries, such as the main features of a thickener's "solids profile" (including the break attributed to rake action), the sudden appearance at abnormally high feed rates of a zone of constant concentration and the velocity with which it rises, and the effect of detention time at constant weight of sludge per unit area. Where deviations exist, they are explained in terms of the batch settling behavior of real slurries. The purpose of this paper is to interpret continuous thickening phenomena in terms of batch settling behavior. Both types of thickening may be considered as the process of propagating concentration changes, due to the downward movement of the solids, from the bottom of the settling vessel upward through the slurry.' These concentration changes may be either finite or infinitesimal as in the case of the propagation of a continuous concentration gradient. The slurry itself may be moving downward as in the case of continuous thickening. The downward velocity of the slurry may be such that the concentration changes being propagated up from below remain stationary relative to the thickener walls. This is the case for steady-state thickening. It seems appropriate to analyze continuous thickening in terms of the movement of planes of constant concentration. This has already been done for batch settling."3 Although our main interest is in real slurries, there are certain aspects of both types of settling which can be deduced from a theoretical analysis of highly idealized systems. To this end, an "ideal slurry" is defined as one for which the dimensionless settling rate at any point is a function only of the local solids concentration.1,2 An "ideal thickener" is one in which there is no radial variation in either the solids concentration or in the downward component of slurry velocity. The underflow outlet is a point sink. It is to be expected that the behavior of non-ideal systems will deviate in some measure from theoretical results. However, the same characteristics which cause deviations in continuous thickening should be evident in batch settling, permitting a rational explanation of the former in terms of the latter. PREDICTED RESULTS FOR AN IDEAL SLURRY IN AN IDEAL CONTINUOUS THICKENER General Theory: In continuous thickening, the downward solids flux (mass/area-time) relative to the thickener, G, results from two different

Jan 1, 1967

By Norman Weiss

THE need for more efficient utilization of labor in the metal-mining industry has been the subject of several recent editorials in the mining press, and one attractive possibility for such improvement lies in the designing of future milling plants particularly with economy of man-power in mind. We are accustomed to think of mill design as the selection and coordinated arrangement of process equipment, but if labor is to be efficiently utilized it must be given early consideration in planning the new mill. There are three good reasons for economizing in labor: (I) to reduce costs, not only in the form of wages but also in housing, hospital, welfare, and other obligations that a company accepts when a new man is added to the payroll; (2) to prepare for recurrent periods of manpower shortage, during which a well-designed plant can manage to get along with skeleton crews; (3) because a milling plant that must depend upon an inordinately large labor force for its operation and maintenance is certain to be inefficient in other respects, for many of the shortcomings in design that make necessary the excessive use of labor are generally not corrected merely by having too many men. A simple example of this is a poorly designed ore-feeding system: if this is inadequate to the extent that one man must be constantly unclogging feed chutes, it may help the situation to put two men or three at this task instead of one, but the feed rate will still be inconstant. First of the factors that affect labor saving is the location of the mill. This is often determined by transportation costs alone, and as a result the mill may be placed close to the mine regardless of the nature of the terrain. The designer must then adapt his layout to the conditions, favorable or not. This happens often at small properties, where capital investment may seem more important than operating expense. In most instances, however, a mill site carefully selected for the advantages it gives the designer in laying out the plant is the most economical in the long run, even if it involves a slight increase in cost of ore haulage. Given some freedom of choice, the design engineer may be able to find just the piece of ground that provides the proper gradient for the needs of the flowsheet, permits installation of essential yards and trackage, and perhaps supplies an excellent site for a tailing dam. Further justification for having placed the mill not too close to the mine sometimes emerges only years later as an opportunity to treat ores from other properties. When it is known from the beginning that the new mill will serve a number of scattered mines, a free choice of mill site is naturally stimulated. The most important single factor in limiting the labor requirements of a mill is its materials-handling system for bring-

Jan 1, 1946

By J. R. Thoenen, M. C. Malamphy, G. K. Dale

THE beginning of the war and the events leading up to it precipitated a near crisis in the aluminum industry. Demands for the metal reached proportions far beyond the prewar production capacities and, in addition, the submarine menace seriously curtailed the importation of bauxite from South America, hitherto a chief source of high-grade ore. The situation required an intensive search for domestic ore to augment the reserves and in October 1941 Congress directed the Department of the Interior to investigate the extent, mode of occurrence, and quality of bauxite in the United States. In December of that year the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey began the search for bauxite in Arkansas, where more than 90 per cent of the domestic ore had been produced and where the greatest amount of bauxite was known to occur. The program involves the geophysical and geological investigation of the Arkansas bauxite region and the core drilling of areas considered favorable for the occurrence of bauxite deposits. Cores taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone are sampled and analyzed in the Bureau of Mines laboratory in Little Rock. The information from each of the deposits discovered is then assembled, the bauxite is graded with respect to its possible utility, tonnage estimates are made, and the whole is presented in the form of a war minerals report. Thirty-eight new bauxite deposits had been discovered and investigated at the end of the calendar year 1944, and the presence of several others had been indicated by the drilling. More than 5000 holes had been drilled throughout the bauxite region, and more than 60,000 chemical analyses had been made of samples taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone. A study of the chemical analyses led to certain general conclusions not only with regard to the chemical composition of Arkansas bauxite, but also with regard to its component minerals. Charts and diagrams based on these conclusions have been developed for practical use by the Bureau of Mines: (I) to serve as a check against laboratory analyses, (2) to present tonnage estimates of ore bodies based on mineral composition, (3) to illustrate the relationship of tonnages of bauxite to the alumina, silica, and iron content, and (4) to serve as a control for mining operations by providing a means for quick estimates of the value of the ore from a partial analysis of its chemical constituents. The use of charts and diagrams similar to those discussed in this paper is not new. The use of the trilinear diagram for studying the ultimate analyses of coals as originally proposed by Ralston in Bureau of Mines Technical Paper 93 (1915) showed that the various ranks of coal fell in different areas on the diagram and that volatile matter, calorific value and other properties could also be plotted by the use of contours. A considerable subsequent literature, largely on classification of coals, has accumulated since then, showing the utility

Jan 1, 1945

By John T. Norton

In spite of the very general errlployment of nitride hardening, there is still considerable doubt as to the real nature of the mechanism involved. Experience has shown that the addition of small amounts of hardening elements to iron or steel results in a wide variety of desirable properties in a nitrided case. Perhaps the foremost of these elements is aluminum and in this investigation an attempt has been made to study the behavior of aluminum during the hardening process. It is believed that the establishment of a complete atomic picture of the metal at various stages of the process will indicate the relationships between the several kinds of atoms and their individual influences on the physical properties in a clear and direct fashion. A consideration of the problem suggests a surprising similarity between the mechanisms of nitride hardening and of age-hardening. It is now generally understood that age-hardening may take place by one of two distinct processes, the first involving the precipitation of a finely dispersed phase and the other being concerned with the modification of an existing phase. Following much the same line of reasoning, two theories of nitride hardening have been suggested. The first explanation, which has been generally discussed, particularly by Fry,' states in brief that the presence of aluminum causes the precipitation of aluminum nitride during nitriding and that this finely dispersed phase is the primary cause of hardening. The second explanation, which has not been published but which has been freely discussed by those interested in the problem, postulates the substitution of aluminum atoms for certain of the iron atoms in the several iron-nitrogen phases in the same manner that the substitutional iron-alurninurn solid solution is formed. The marked increase in hardness, as compared with the aluminum-free system, is attributed to the severe lattice distortion accompanying this replacement.

Jan 1, 1934

By D. D. Pollock

The resistivity, temperature coefficient of resistance, and absolute thermoelectric properties of some binary terminal solid solutions of silver were determined. Equations are given which permit the calculation of these properties. CONSIDERABLE work has been done on the constitution and electrical conductivity of binary alloys of silver.1-l2 Some of these alloy studies are apparently complicated by doubtful chemical analyses. In some cases the limits of solid solubility are questionable. Those references which present electrical properties of binary silver alloys usually give just one particular set of characteristics such as conductivity (or resistivity). As a means of checking and extending this earlier work, an investigation was undertaken to describe and calculate the resistivity, temperature coefficient of resistance, and thermoelectric power of binary terminal solid solutions of silver. PREPARATION OF ALLOYS All of the alloys were made with silver containing less than 0.014 pet (by weight) of impurities. These materials were carefully weighed out into 225-g heats and melted in a high-frequency induction furnace. The indium, tin, and antimony systems were melted in Al2O3 crucibles, under a boric anhydride cover, and poured into split graphite finger molds. The aluminum, germanium, arsenic, lead, and bismuth alloys were melted in machined graphite crucibles, and they were also covered with boric anhydride and poured into split graphite finger molds. The alloys containing magnesium and manganese

Jan 1, 1964

By L. M. Barker, E. G. Lewis

THE literature of milling is replete with papers devoted to the subject of ball milling, all of which no doubt have contributed in one way or another to progress in that art. In this paper reference will be made to only a few of the many authors, but the value of the contributions of all who have written on that subject is hereby acknowledged. With a few exceptions the efforts of most students of the subject have been devoted to laboratory investigations of principles. Davis1 was one of the first to report on plant-scale investigations and to present to mill men certain criteria for the guidance of ball-milling practices. His conclusions with respect to the significance of sizing analyses of classifier sands in their relation to the factors of mill speed and ball sizing are particularly referred to. Those conclusions were: I. If the balls are large or the speed of the mill is high, crowding will appear at the finer sizes in the classifier sands. 2. If the balls are small or the speed is low, crowding will appear at the coarser sizes in the classifier sands. 3. The indications are that best efficiency is obtained when the screen analysis of the sands show a minimum crowding at any size. The last conclusion was qualified by the statement that it had not been proved conclusively. It is surprising, however, that the literature of later years reveals little evidence that millmen have made any serious attempt to apply those criteria. This may, perhaps, be explained by the fact that the average plant-scale ball-milling problem presents so many variables that an investigation of any one of them encounters the problem of control of the others-a problem that often is unsurmountable in a small plant. In a large plant, in which there is a duplication of grinding units in parallel operation, opportunity may be afforded for determining the value of such criteria. Nevertheless, a study of published data from grinding circuits of both large and small plants suggests that either Davis' criteria have been tried and found inapplicable or have never been given consideration. For the purpose of testing Davis' conclusions and with improvement of ball-milling efficiency as the final objective, a test program was initiated in the concentrator of the New Cornelia branch of the Phelps Dodge Corporation early in 1938. The practices of that plant have already been described .2 The fine-grinding units are arranged so that any one of eight units may be operated as a test unite and its results compared with those of the remaining units. All units receive similar feed from a common storage bin, in which the product of the fine-crushing plant is bedded by traveling tripper. The ball mills are all similar in size and operated at the same speeds, and are individually metered. The feeder conveyors of each unit are equipped with Merrick weightometers. The test program as initially outlined proposed investigation of the following:

Jan 1, 1941

By John K. Gustafson

The title of my talk is "The Gold Miner and the Future of Gold." This title might just as accurately have been stated as "Gold and the Future of the Gold Miner." Since prehistoric times gold has been sought by mankind for its beauty and its unusual physical and chemical properties. Early in the dawn of civilization it became the ultimate unit of value and lubricated trade between peoples. For at least 6000 years, gold has been used to barter for other commodities. It has been prospected for, treasured, made into works of art and personal adornment, and from time to time has been the object of conquest. Because of its predominant role in recent centuries as a basis for money, economists began to think of it solely in these terms. Annoyed by the disciplinary pressure of gold on the money manager's desire to manipulate money, the famous economist, John Maynard Keynes, characterized it as a "barbaric relic of the past", a characterization repeated by William McChesney Martin, Jr., when he was head of the Federal Reserve Bank. Gold, however, has physical and chemical properties that make it one of the most useful metals in the modern world.' It is the most ductile metal known. An ounce of gold, for example, can be drawn into a continuous wire over 35 miles long. It also is so malleable that an ounce of gold can be beaten into films ten one-millionths of an inch thick sufficient to cover 68 sq ft of surface. It has a density of 19.3 and is so heavy that 1 cu ft of gold weighs more than half a ton. Gold is nonmagnetic and has a high electric conductivity, only slightly less than silver and copper. Gold is so inert to all the chemicals found in nature that gold coins and jewelry buried beneath the soil or at the bottom of the sea for thousands of years appear to be as bright and perfect as when they were first immersed. Finally, gold has an extremely high reflectivity both to light and infrared rays. Because of these qualities, in addition to its rare beauty, industrial and artistic uses of gold have been growing rapidly. On a world basis, a recent study estimated that in 1960 about 750 tons of gold were used for fabrication, and that the amount had grown to about 1296 tons in 1968. My objective in this talk is to discuss with you the present and future supply of and demand for gold on a worldwide basis and the effect these forces are likely to have on the price the miner can expect to receive for the gold he produces. This is a highly controversial and risky subject to discuss before any audience. Nevertheless, it is a subject that I live with constantly as Chairman of the

Jan 1, 1972

By Howard A. Meyerhoff

IN western Argentina, in the Province of Mendoza and the Territory of Neuquén, there is a series of solid bitumen deposits which are claimed to be the most extensive in the world. In a linear belt 500 km (311 miles) long, roughly paralleling the axis of the Andes but occupying a variety of positions with respect to the orogenic structures, more than 100 outcrops have been reported. Approximately 70 of these have been prospected, and some mining has been planned or attempted for about half this number. Limited tonnage, high sulphur content, inaccessibility, labor shortages, and disastrous fires have taken a heavy toll among these operations, and in 1947, only 4 deposits were being actively mined, but 8 more were being explored and developed with a view to placing them in production. Inasmuch as these deposits are currently yielding a substantial fraction of Argentina's limited domestic supply of solid fuels, a brief account of the deposits and of the small industry based upon them will provide a commentary on Argentina's fuel problem. CHARACTER OF SOLID BITUMENS The solid bitumens of Mendoza and Neuquén are petroleum derivatives, as is indicated by the following ultimate analysis: [CONSTITUENTS PER CENT Hydrogen6.8 Carbon82.4 Nit.rogenI.6 Oxygen2.7 Sulphur2.2 Ash4.3 100.0] In physical appearance they bear a close resemblance to coal and are commonly called carbón. Their specific gravity has an extreme range of 1.10 to 1.777 in 36 samples weighed, but the average is between 1.14 and 1.24. The material is black, lustrous to dull, with blocky to sub-conchoidal fracture. Though brittle, the purest material is softer than anthracite and exhibits slightly more cohesion. This bituminous material is generally known as asfaltita or asphaltite, but definitive chemical studies indicate that the term asphaltite or grahamite can be applied correctly only to the exceptionally pure material of the Auca Mahuida district in Neuquén. Some other name should be used for the chemically variable bitumens found in all other districts, and the designation "asphaltitic pyrobitumen" has been proposed by Carlos A. S. Piscione.1 At the present time these bitumens, are finding favor as solid fuel and as a gas-producing medium. They yield heat values of 8650 to 9750 cal,2 or 14,500 to 16,750 Btu per pound, and in consequence of their excellent heating qualities and the scarcity of imported coal, they are marketed as far away as Buenos Aires at a price of go to 95 pesos, or approximately $22 to 23, per metric ton. In burning, the material swells and decomposes into solid, fluid, and gaseous fractions which burn violently though nonexplosively. Its combustibility has been responsible for disasters and virtually complete destruction at Mina La Esperanza and Mina Santa Marta, and for minor mishaps elsewhere, as at Mina Escondida in August 1947.

Jan 1, 1947

The Development of Research and Quality Control in the Modern Steel Plant. By Leo F. Rein-artz. (Metals Technology, April 1943) Blast Furnace and Raw Materials Essential Considerations in the Design of Blast Furnaces. By A. L. Foell. (,Metals Technology, December 1942) Results Obtained from Surveys of Gas at Furnace Tops. By James M. Stapleton. (Metals Technology, January 1943) Physical Aspects of the Dust Catcher, Gas Washer and Precipitator on No. 3 Furnace at Carrie. By C. P. Clingerman and C. J. FleiscH. (Metals Technology, January 1943) Slag Control by Introduction of Flux through Blast-furnace Tuyeres. By Carl G. Hogberg (Metals Technology, January 1943) The Electrical Conductivity of Molten Blast-furnace Slags. By A. E. MaRtin and GerRard Derge. (Metals Technology, August 1943) Some Physical Characteristics of By-product Coke for Blast Furnaces. By CEarles C. Russell and MichaeL Perch. (Metals Technology, December 19+2) Pyrometry at the Coke Oven. By Robert B. Sosman. (Metals Technology, December 1942) Calcination Rates and Sizing of Blast-furnace Flux. By T. L. Joseph, H. M. Beatty and Gust Ritsianes. (Metals Technology, December 1942) The Low-temperature Gaseous Reduction of a Magnetite. By M. C. Udy and C. H. Lorig. (Metals Technology, October 1942) Steelmaking Problems of Total Operation in Steelmaking. By William C. Marshall and Frank G. Norris. (Metals Technology, April 1943) Silicon-oxygen Equilibria in Liquid Iron, By C. A. ZapFFe and C. E. Sims. (Metals Technology, September 1942) Equilibria of Liquid Iron and Simple Basic and Acid Slags in a Rolating Induction Furnace. By C. R. Taylor and John Chipman. (Metals Technology, September 1942) Rapid Analysis of Oxygen in Molten Iron and Steel. By Gerhard DeRGe. (Metals Technology, January 1943) Silver Chloride as a Medium for Study of Ingot Structures. By Karl L. Fetters and Margaret Dienes. (Metals Technology, August 1943)

Jan 1, 1943

The Development of Research and Quality Control in the Modern Steel Plant. By Leo F. Rein-artz. (Metals Technology, April 1943) Blast Furnace and Raw Materials Essential Considerations in the Design of Blast Furnaces. By A. L. Foell. (,Metals Technology, December 1942) Results Obtained from Surveys of Gas at Furnace Tops. By James M. Stapleton. (Metals Technology, January 1943) Physical Aspects of the Dust Catcher, Gas Washer and Precipitator on No. 3 Furnace at Carrie. By C. P. Clingerman and C. J. FleiscH. (Metals Technology, January 1943) Slag Control by Introduction of Flux through Blast-furnace Tuyeres. By Carl G. Hogberg (Metals Technology, January 1943) The Electrical Conductivity of Molten Blast-furnace Slags. By A. E. MaRtin and GerRard Derge. (Metals Technology, August 1943) Some Physical Characteristics of By-product Coke for Blast Furnaces. By CEarles C. Russell and MichaeL Perch. (Metals Technology, December 19+2) Pyrometry at the Coke Oven. By Robert B. Sosman. (Metals Technology, December 1942) Calcination Rates and Sizing of Blast-furnace Flux. By T. L. Joseph, H. M. Beatty and Gust Ritsianes. (Metals Technology, December 1942) The Low-temperature Gaseous Reduction of a Magnetite. By M. C. Udy and C. H. Lorig. (Metals Technology, October 1942) Steelmaking Problems of Total Operation in Steelmaking. By William C. Marshall and Frank G. Norris. (Metals Technology, April 1943) Silicon-oxygen Equilibria in Liquid Iron, By C. A. ZapFFe and C. E. Sims. (Metals Technology, September 1942) Equilibria of Liquid Iron and Simple Basic and Acid Slags in a Rolating Induction Furnace. By C. R. Taylor and John Chipman. (Metals Technology, September 1942) Rapid Analysis of Oxygen in Molten Iron and Steel. By Gerhard DeRGe. (Metals Technology, January 1943) Silver Chloride as a Medium for Study of Ingot Structures. By Karl L. Fetters and Margaret Dienes. (Metals Technology, August 1943)

Jan 1, 1943

By J. S. Marsh

Joseph Priestley prepared oxygen on Aug. I, 1774, and noted with great surprise "that a candle burned in this air with a remarkable brilliant flame." On Aug. 2, 1774, some ironmaker possibly began to wonder if this substance could be used to increase his rate of production; at any rate, there is no disputing the fact that the notion of using oxygen for steelmaking in concentrations greater than that available in great abundance—as air—has been in existence for years. Action was delayed by the lack of enough oxygen at a cost within reach of the steelmaker. Within the last several years enough has been available to permit large-scale tests of its use for both combustion, with which this paper is concerned, and for decarburization. The literature is now enormous and easily available; it is sufficient here to cite three items of historic importance in that all are about 25 years old and in that all are remarkably consistent as far as they go, with what is known today.1,2,3 Significance of High-temperature Heat The principal function of the open-hearth furnace is to supply sufficient high-temperature heat to melt the charge and then to increase its temperature to a range suitable for tapping, ordinarily in the neighborhood of 2900°F. That heat is required to make steel is understood by everybody; however, there seems to be some confusion now and then about the significance of high-temperature heat. Transfer of energy—and heat is energy— is always from a point of higher potential to a point of lower potential and, other things being equal, the greater the potential difference, the greater is the rate of transfer of energy. In the open hearth the flame, of course, is the high-potential source. Perhaps the most satisfactory approach is through the notion of theoretical flame temperature, which is the ratio of heat input to the heat content of the combustion products,* the former is composed mainly of heat of combustion of the fuel plus sensible heat of the fuel plus sensible heat of the combustion air. Thus, flame temperature can be increased by increasing the value of the numerator, by decreasing the value of the denominator, or both. The first method is as old as the open-hearth process and, of course, makes use of preheated air; its possibilities have been by no means exhausted. The second method can be put into effect only by changing the composition of the combustion air, since the combustion of a given quantity of fuel produces a definite quantity of product, and since the denominator includes the non-reactive fraction of the air, principally nitrogen. In other words, the denominator consists of the volume of exit gas multiplied by its heat capacity and that volume consists of carbon dioxide and water vapor as reaction

Jan 1, 1949