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By O. George Specht, Carl A. Zapffe

IN recent print, some remarkably contradictory statements have appeared regarding the importance to be attached to sponge iron,1-6 a metallurgical commodity whose history goes back at least to the time of Diodorus Siculus in the fourth century B.C. This disagreement, however, expresses the lack of a satisfactory method for producing sponge iron rather than defection in the commodity. The blast furnace is admitted to have certain inherent disadvantages, such as a general unsuitability for magnetite and the heating and blowing of vast quantities of undesirable nitrogen, so that a workable sponge-iron process remains attractive. In this respect, low-temperature gaseous reduction shows especial promise; but confusion persists regarding the factors involved. The present paper, therefore, has three principal divisions: (I) an exhaustive examination of all previous work on low-temperature gaseous reduction, (2) experimentation on the reduction of a magnetite with hydrogen, and (3) development of certain thermodynamic relationships in reduction, with a summarized depiction of the factors in the general process. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Gaseous media used in the reduction processes under discussion can be classified in three types: (I) H2, (2) CO, and (3) other gases. In the second, the CO is often admixed with H2. The third principally comprises hydrogeniferous gases, such as natural gas and producer gas, and in addition includes chlorine. Because hydrogen therefore features in all three, a study of hydrogen reduction based on investigations using pure hydrogen alone may be incomplete. The present paper reviews the three groups of investigations in the listed order, paying particular attention to hydrogen reduction. For the benefit of future workers, an exhaustive bibliography has been prepared and similarly classified. GROUP I: REDUCTION WITH HYDROGEN Equilibria Although the present problem is specifically one of kinetics, a first consideration is the equilibrium of the system, since the reactions to be studied comprise that equilibrium, and their direction and end points are defined by it. The historic development of these researches is interesting and informative.

Jan 1, 1946

PRECEDING chapters on thermochemistry, and the reactions in and between metal and slag phases in the bath of the furnace tend to emphasize the equilibrium or "static" conditions in the furnace and process, such as the total amounts of heat from fuel combustion or from certain bath reactions, the concentration relationships between slag and metal at the steady state for certain reactions, and the like. Such data are obtained essentially by means of the logic of thermo- dynamics, which helps to determine the energy change between initial and final states in a process as well as to define its equilibrium or steady-state condition, but which is not concerned with the rate of change in the process or with the mechanisms or path followed between initial and final states. These questions of just "how it works" and "how fast" belong to the kinetic aspect of any process; their answers are helpful in speeding up or slowing down and thus controlling intelligently its operation, and also to understand certain natural limitations which are especially important in many high-temperature processes. The kinetic aspects of interest here comprise mainly (1) the flow of gases through the furnace system, (2) the flow of heat in the system, and (3) the mechanisms and rate factors in the various chemical reactions. A really adequate discussion of the first two subjects would require at least three or four times the space available here; it has been tried, therefore, in this and the next chapter to outline but a few fundamentals necessary to an intelligent approach and to indicate some of the conditions of heat and gas flow more or less peculiar to the open hearth, since several good general discussions on these subjects may be found in the literature.(1) For the designer of open-hearth furnaces, the principles of gas flow are of paramount importance.(2,3,4,5) They are also important to the operation of the process, however, at least to the extent of a general qualitative picture of the movement of gases in the system, which is all that is attempted here.

Jan 1, 1944

By B. A. Rogers

THE etching effect which is produced on a piece of polished iron or steel when it is heated in hydrogen or in a vacuum seems to have been observed first by Osmond,1 who believed that he could distinguish four systems of grain boundaries on a piece of steel which had been heated in hydrogen. In a number of other investigations, samples of pure iron were found, after heating, to have complex networks in which two or three systems of grain boundaries could be detected. It was further noticed that samples that had been polished plane before being placed in the furnace were, after treatment, roughened and undulating over their entire surfaces. From a comparison of the temperature of heat treatment with that of the A 3 transformation, it was concluded that the changed appearance of the samples was definitely related to the latter phenomenon. Certain other deductions were made but these are not of importance here and only observations on the appearance of the samples will be reviewed. Ewen2 heated a strip of polished iron in a vacuum in such a way that one end was maintained at a temperature of 1000° C. and the other at 580° C. On the cooler end there was outlined a simple polyhedral network, and at the hotter there appeared the complex system of lines and the undulating surface characteristic of iron which has passed through the A3 transformation. He found that in going from the cooler toward the hotter end the sample maintained much the same character of surface up to the beginning of the transformed area, but that near this region double grain boundaries were of frequent occurrence. Rawdon and Scott' concluded that the simple type of network brought out by heating a sample of pure iron in a vacuum was of the same type as that developed by ordinary etching methods. They also confirmed the observations of

Jan 1, 1929

By Glenn C. Waterman, Scott Hazen

3.1-1. Purpose. Development drilling is directed towards determining the grade, volume, and three-dimensional outline of a mineralized zone previously located by exploration. It is distinguished from exploration or reconnaissance drilling, which has as an objective the discovery of new mineralized areas. A development drilling and bulk sampling program should furnish the following information: 1. Geology of the mineralized zone. 2. Quantitative data on grade and tons of material within pertinent cutoff limits. 3. Physical size and shape of the deposit. Areas underlain by waste as well as ore. 4. Mineralogica1 and metallurgical characteristics of the ore. 5. I1hysical characteristics of the ore. 6. Hulk samples for metallurgical testing and grade check. 7. Data on other factors that could affect mining operations, such as ground water, ground conditions, etc. 3.1-2. Procedures. There are numerous methods and techniques that are used to acquire pertinent data on a potential ore deposit. The total cost and accuracy of a development program depends on significant evaluation of the geology, proper selection of a drilling method, thorough analysis of sample data, and accurate evaluation of all the information. Knowledge of the geology of the mineral deposit is important in planning the development testing program and in evaluating the data obtained from such a program. Exploration work usually provides some significant information on the general size, shape, thickness, grade, and geology of the deposit. In some cases no further data are needed; in many cases geological complexities suggested by the preliminary work require further geological study. Of considerable importance may be the following:

Jan 1, 1968

By A Allen, J. A. Garcia

The large increase in the wages of mine workers makes it imperative that all factors tending to limit production per miner be eliminated, if possible. The trolley and storage-battery locomotive, mining machine, hoisting engine, mining system, etc., have increased the possible output per man. But this output is still limited by the capacity of the hoisting engine and cable and by the size of the mine car. The superiority of skip hoisting in metal mining is shown by its almost universal adoption. By varying the size of skip and the rope speed, any desired tonnage can be secured and, since frequently only one kind of material is handled and breakage is unimportant, the loading of the skips can be easily and cheaply effected from bins into which the cars are dumped. The cars may then be designed to fit the conditions in the mine instead of being a compromise between hoisting and mining conditions, very likely suiting neither. In coal mines, the usual practice has been to hoist the car to the surface, either on platform or self-dumping cages. Of late years the number of skip-hoisting plants in coal mines has been rapidly increasing, but there is more or less inertia to overcome in establishing so radical a change in practice; also the earlier skip operations were not uniformly successful. As a result, it became evident that metal-mining practice would require radical modification before skip hoisting could be successfully used in coal mining. Objections to Skip Hoisting Breakage Except where coal is used for coking, or for other purposes whcre breakage is unimportant, breakage of the coal is vitally important all the way from the face to the railroad car. The average selling price is seriously reduced when the percentage of screenings is increased. Following metal-mining practice exactly, the coal would be dumped into a deep pocket, cut off into a skip load by a measuring hopper or other means, dumped into a deep, narrow skip, and dropped into a bin at the top, all of which would contribute to excessive breakage.

Jan 1, 1922

By Oswald J. Heinrich

The great improvement which have been made in late years in the different systems and instruments used to perforate the crust of the earth for purposes of testing and exploring for mineral resources or for other reasons, by means of bore-holes of greater or less diameter and to greater or less depths, are manifold. It may therefore be of interest to make an impartial comparison of them, or of such as are most commonly used. Being well aware of the difficulties which are encountered in such a task, a reasonable allowance most be made in such a comparison. It is a rare instance when even two decidedly different systems or instruments have been used in the same locality, penetrating identically the same strata to the same depth. The diameter of a borehole as well as its greater or less depth must also be considered in regard to its cost per foot, etc. But for practical purposes, for exploration at least, we may assert this rule: Any bore-hole, of whatever diameter, which allows the means of examining the strata most carefully and completely, will be sufficient for this purpose, but that one which will do it most economically and in the least space of time, must be considered the best for it. It will, therefore, partially depend upon circumstances, what system, in spite of other superiorities, may be the best in each case, and the following remarks may aid in deciding this question. To make the attempt here to review all that has been published upon the different systems and means of boring would be out of place. Reference can be had to the able publications treating upon this subject. A difference in this respect exists in regard to the use of the hollow rods in connection with the diamond drill, used for that purpose. The great future, which appears to be evident for this instrument, will be warrant enough for any one, who has had the opportunity to test it, to give his experience to the public. Only in this way can we bring this system to such perfection, as it seems to deserve and

By G. B. Walker, S. A. Falconer, S. J. Swainson, H. H. Vogel

During the past few years much interest and attention has been focused on a relatively new method of ore concentration, which utilizes the principles of sink and float and employs as the heavy medium a suspension in water of a finely ground solid, such as galena or ferrosilicon. Although a relatively recent development, much progress has already been made in applying heavy-media separation processes to a considerable number of ores. Eight plants in this country and abroad are now treating approximately 10 million tons of ore annually by heavy-media separation (sink-float) processes, including lead-zinc, lead, iron, garnet, tin and tungsten. At the annual meeting of the A.I.M.E. in 1941, three interesting papers (unpublished) dealing with heavy-media separation (sink-float) processes of ore concentration as practiced in four commercial units in the United States were presented by Victor Rakowsky, Grover Holt, Elmer Isern and Robert Ammon. These papers gave an excellent exposition of the principles of sink and float, as well as the operating practice in two iron-ore-beneficiation plants, the Harrison and the Merritt, of Butler Brothers, in Minnesota; the Central mill of the Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co.; and the Mascot mill, of the American Zinc, Lead and Smelting Co. Augmented by pictorial descriptions and a working model demonstrating the processes, these papers evoked a great deal of interest and discussion. In fact, in reporting the high lights of the meeting in the April 1941 issue of Mining and Metallurgy, Professor Taggart made the statement that " preconcentration by heavy suspension was Miss A.1.M.E 1941 so far as milling is concerned." Although to date the greatest application of heavy-media separation from the tonnage point of view has been for the treatment of lead, zinc and iron ores, these processes have a much wider field of usefulness. In this regard, it is to be noted that recently new heavy-media separation plants for treating cassiterite ore and garnet ore have been placed in successful operation. Moreover, numerous other types of ores have been found to respond well to these processes when tested on a semi-commercial scale, and it is expected that in the near future a considerable number of new plants will be erected. In view of the fact that heavy-media separation processes offer such attractive possibilities, particularly now, when the mining industry is being called on for an even larger production than ever before has been attempted, despite shortages of labor and supplies, it was felt that a description of some of the successful separations that have been worked out during the past year in the Ore Dressing Laboratory of the American Cyanamid Co. on a variety of ores of strategic importance would be of interest. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to present the essential data relating to investigations of heavy-

Jan 1, 1943

By Frank Schrader

INTRODUCTION THE present sketch is submitted by request in the hope that it may serve as a basis for geologic discussion of the mining camps in Mohave County, which is experiencing a marked revival of activities. The region, commonly known as the Mohave district and Kingman district, lies in western Arizona in the southern part of Mohave County, bordering California and Nevada on the west (Fig. 1). Kingman, the principal-town; is situated near the center of the area. on. the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Transcontinental Railway. This region is composed of naked desert ranges of mountains and broad detritus-filled valleys, the southern extension of the characteristic topography of the Great Basin. In altitude it varies from 500 ft. in the southwest to 8,300 ft. on Hualpai Peak southeast of Kingman. The mountains trend north-northwest. They rise about 3,000 ft. above the valleys, are generally rugged and were formed mainly by erosion. They are composed in the main of a, complex of pre-Cambrian granitoid rocks which underlies the area as a whole. Like the valleys, they average about 10 miles in width. Beginning on the east, they are the Grand Wash Cliffs, the Cerbat Range, the Black Mountains or River Range, and the Eldorado Range. The upper or dominantly cliff half of the Grand Wash Cliffs, marking the edge of the Colorado Plateau, is composed of nearly horizontal sedimentary Paleozoic strata of the Grand Canyon section, and the lower half of the underlying pre-Cambrian complex. The Cerbat Mountains situated in the central part of the area, and the Black Mountains situated between Detrital-Sacramento Valley on the east and Mohave Valley, the great trough of the Colorado River, on the west, are locally flanked or overlain by Tertiary volcanics (Fig. 2). The latter consist of five groups of mountains of which the most important is the Black Mesa group on the south. The Eldorado Range, rising from the great trough of the Colorado on the west and containing Searchlight, Eldorado Canyon, and other camps, is topographically and geologically similar to the Black Mountains.

Jan 10, 1916

By G. B. Walker, S. J. Swainson, S. A. Falconer, H. H. Vogel

During the past few years much interest and attention has been focused on a relatively new method of ore concentration, which utilizes the principles of sink and float and employs as the heavy medium a suspension in water of a finely ground solid, such as galena or ferrosilicon. Although a relatively recent development, much progress has already been made in applying heavy-media separation processes to a considerable number of ores. Eight plants in this country and abroad are now treating approximately 10 million tons of ore annually by heavy-media separation (sink-float) processes, including lead-zinc, lead, iron, garnet, tin and tungsten. At the annual meeting of the A.I.M.E. in 1941, three interesting papers (unpublished) dealing with heavy-media separation (sink-float) processes of ore concentration as practiced in four commercial units in the United States were presented by Victor Rakowsky, Grover Holt, Elmer Isern and Robert Ammon. These papers gave an excellent exposition of the principles of sink and float, as well as the operating practice in two iron-ore-beneficiation plants, the Harrison and the Merritt, of Butler Brothers, in Minnesota; the Central mill of the Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co.; and the Mascot mill, of the American Zinc, Lead and Smelting Co. Augmented by pictorial descriptions and a working model demonstrating the processes, these papers evoked a great deal of interest and discussion. In fact, in reporting the high lights of the meeting in the April 1941 issue of Mining and Metallurgy, Professor Taggart made the statement that " preconcentration by heavy suspension was Miss A.1.M.E 1941 so far as milling is concerned." Although to date the greatest application of heavy-media separation from the tonnage point of view has been for the treatment of lead, zinc and iron ores, these processes have a much wider field of usefulness. In this regard, it is to be noted that recently new heavy-media separation plants for treating cassiterite ore and garnet ore have been placed in successful operation. Moreover, numerous other types of ores have been found to respond well to these processes when tested on a semi-commercial scale, and it is expected that in the near future a considerable number of new plants will be erected. In view of the fact that heavy-media separation processes offer such attractive possibilities, particularly now, when the mining industry is being called on for an even larger production than ever before has been attempted, despite shortages of labor and supplies, it was felt that a description of some of the successful separations that have been worked out during the past year in the Ore Dressing Laboratory of the American Cyanamid Co. on a variety of ores of strategic importance would be of interest. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to present the essential data relating to investigations of heavy-

Jan 1, 1943

By W. C. Coffin

The refractory linings of open-hearth steel furnaces above the bath line are subject to severe wear not only from the heat caused by the combustion of the fuel and the reactions of the bath, but also from the melting action of the gases when not controlled and directed, and from the scouring of the oxides, etc. with which the products of combustion are charged. The framework that encases or binds the furnace is made up primarily of an iron or steel pan in which the furnace proper is built, side and end buckstays, and tie-rods. The expansion and contraction are so great and variable that the bindings may be subjected to severe stresses unless the tie-rods are carefully adjusted in heating up the furnace, but they are most affected by direct heat and usually become deformed from that cause when the lining is worn thin and, sometimes, when sections of the lining fall in and expose some of the framework. A deformed framework displaces the skewback of the roof arch and tends to distort or crush the roof. Bent buckstays deform the front wall, causing the door frames to stand away from the lining so that the gases burn between the lining and the frames, destroying both of them. Frequently the frames are attached to the buckstays; then when the latter bend the frames usually break. Preventing the distortion of the framework and maintaining the economy of the refractories are real factors in the cost of steel making. Nat only does the cost of general repairs and reconstruction add directly to the cost of steel produced, but the time lost in making repairs cuts down the steel production and increases the overhead expense of both the furnace shop and its allied foundry or mills. Many years ago water-cooled equipment applied to iron blast furnaces made it possible to increase greatly not only the size and production of the furnaces but also the life of the lining. It also cut down the loss from frequent repairs. The open-hearth furnace is a much later invention, especially as a commercial factor; for though it dates from the Fred Siemens patent of 1856, much more progress was made in the Bessemer process until the latter eighties and most of the development

Jan 1, 1920

By Alfred Boyles

THE experiments described below are a continuation of work on the graphitization of cast iron conducted as part of the program of funda-mental research at Battelle Memorial Institute. In previous work it was found that melting in hydrogen increased the amount of eutectic and in others i produced al marked changes in the size of the graphite flakes. These effects seemed to be III sulphur and manganese present in the material studied. Iron-carbon- respond silicon alloys did same manner as mg cast iron and there was no evidence to show that hydrogen was able to stabilize the carbide in such alloys unless additions of sulphur were made. The two alloys examined contained about 2 per cent of FIG. 1.-APPARATUS FOR MELTING UNDER PRESSURE. silicon. The present paper is con- A, inlet for gas. cerned with alloys of lower silicon B, outlet for evacuation. content and describes the structural C, power lead. D thermocouple changes produced by melting in E, plug for access to furnace. various atmospheres at pressures F, crucible. ranging from a partial vacuum up to 300 lb. per sq. inch.

Jan 1, 1939

By Max Mason

IN 1923 a Western mining company was experimenting with the device of an inventor designed to locate buried ores by radio. Because the progress was slow and the results were confusing, the company began to doubt the usefulness of the method and invited me to review the whole question of the application of physics to ore detection. I was fortunate in securing the cooperation of several physicists who had worked with me during the war on the problem of submarine detection. This group has been increased and has been studying the problem of physical exploration for ores since that time. It was evident that the problem is a big one, with many angles of approach. Its general features may be set down, in rough outline, as follows: The soils, rocks and ores hidden beneath the surface differ one from another in many respects. These differences may be made to furnish a clew for the physicists working from the surface. To bring these differences into action the physicist creates some kind of an effect which penetrates into the ground and is distorted and reflected when it meets boundaries between different sorts of underground structure. In other words, he sends a message down, and the rocks and ore send back signals in reply. In picturing this process, we should not regard the ground as dense and impenetrable. The kind of messages used pass through the earth about as readily as a sound wave travels the air. If, then, the fundamental procedure is to shout down questions in the hope that an orebody will hear and answer back to us, it is clear that a large part of the expert's study must relate to the kind of questions best suited to the temperament and intelligence of orebodies. It will be easier for the ore to reply to some of our questions than to others, and it is for us to find the right questions. In certain cases, we are spared the necessity of using a messenger; because nature has already provided one. For example, we already have a terrestrial magnetic field which auto-matically and continually conveys messages from underneath. We also have available the earth's gravitational field. which furnishes us

Jan 1, 1927

By Frederick Beckett

WIDESPREAD experimentation has been conducted in recent years to devise a means of preventing intergranular corrosion in austenitic chromium-nickel steels of the 18 per cent chromium-8 per cent nickel type. Additions of titanium to these steels have been used commercially to overcome this difficulty, as advocated by Krupp of Germany, and the latest literature reference concerning improved details of this method is the article by Bain, Aborn and Rutherford.1 Extensive work by the present authors has shown columbium also to be a particularly valuable agent for inhibiting intergranular corrosion. This paper does not deal with steels that are largely or wholly aus-tenitic ; it is limited to a discussion of the results obtained through the use of titanium and columbium in plain high-chromium steels. For many years titanium has been used commercially by some steelmakers as a cleanser, and to a lesser extent as a hardener, but then in greater per-centages. The results of the work to be described disclose that titanium and columbium in proper proportions act as effective softeners in the high-chromium steels. It is well known that chromium intensifies the hardening effect of carbon in steel; it imparts pronounced air-hardening properties within a rather wide range of chromium content; it provides increased ductility in steels of given strength and hardness; and it enhances resistance to corrosion and oxidation at elevated temperatures to a marked degree. However, in applications requiring a combination of some of these valu-able properties great hardness is frequently a detriment rather than a merit. When the objective is a soft and ductile steel having optimum corrosion resistance, the producer strives for a carbon content as low as commercially practicable.

Jan 1, 1933

By Delbert E. Gann, Richard D. Hagni

Ore microscopic study of copper-bearing shale at the Creta mine in southwestern Oklahoma reveals a variety of copper sulfide grains and shows that each has originated by replacement of original constituents In the Permian Flowerpot Shale at Creta. The largest grains, about 120 pm in diameter, are replacements of megaspores with triletes morphology. Their interiors are shown by Auger microprobe analyses to be organic matter. The interior organic matter and the spore exines have been replaced by anilite and djurleite. Digenite and anilite replace collomorphic pyrite averaging 40 pm in diameter. Grains 10 pm or less in d~ameter are mostly euhedral, six-sided, platy crystals that have anllite compositions and are pseudomorphous after pyrrhotzte. Other 10 pm copper sulfide grains are pseudomorphous after octahedra and cubes of pyrite. The results of this study indicate that the copper minerals are epigenetic and were deposited from fluids introduced into the Creta shale when it was relatively uncompacted and permeable. The shale served as a favorable reducing environment that contained a source of sulfur in the form of pyrite and pyrrhotite.

Jan 1, 1985

By George A. Moore, Donald P. Smith

In spite of many investigations of the occlusion of hydrogen in iron, the nature of the process and the reasons for the accompanying effects upon the metal are still open questions. This is in large part due to three causes: (1) the difficulty of obtaining iron of adequate purity as starting material; (2) the occurrence of allotropic transformations, which complicate the effects; and (3) the fact that the body-centered cubic modification does not lend itself readily to crystallographic investigation. The present paper attempts a critical review and correlation of the somewhat scattered and disconnected existing observations, and an experimental determination of the extent to which the conclusions that appear to follow from these are applicable to iron of really high purity, studied under well-defined conditions. Review Although only a comparatively few investigations have so far been made on the pure system iron-hydrogen, there is a much larger volume of literature which throws some light on the problem but falls short of a place in the systematic investigations, either because no attempt was made to measure equilibrium conditions or because the metal used was not iron or the gas not pure hydrogen. Such results have been variously dismissed in the past as of no importance, or as too complicated to try to explain; or they have been explained in terms of any of a dozen or more pictures, each of which is contradicted by data from other sources. The present importance of these data thus arises from their very mass and diversity, which present a picture of occlusion as a phenomenon whose variability cannot be ignored. We have attempted to organize the literature into groups comprising similar experiments or data leading to similar conclusions, thus of necessity sacrificing accuracy of historical order. Lattice Occlusion.—Throughout this discussion, the term "lattice occlusion" will be used to denote the formation of a simple solid solution of a gas in a metal lattice, usually of interstitial distribution. The word

Jan 1, 1939

By Norman B. Pilling

The technical difficulties hampering the metallographic analysis of silicon steels are chiefly the result of the extreme corrodibility of these alloys. The addition of silicon to iron in increasing quantities, up to about 6 per cent., rapidly increases the susceptibility of the alloy to chemical attack, not only in acid solution, but in water. This renders the preparation of metallographic sections very difficult, because of a non-selective attack upon the finely polished surface by the water used as a lubricant in polishing. This water attack masks the true structural details revealed by suitable etching reagents. It is thus necessary to use alcohol as a polishing lubricant in the last stages of preparation and to avoid all etching reagents having an aqueous base. A specific reagent for the identification of iron carbide in ferrous alloys, and the one hitherto used almost' exclusively by metallurgists, is an alkaline aqueous solution of sodium picrate, which stains this constituent selectively. Its application to silicon steels has not proved successful, as its distinctive selective action is more or less completely hidden by the general attack of the aqueous solvent on the silico-ferrite, greatly accentuated by the fact that this reagent must be used at its boiling temperature (105' C.). Thus, a powerful metallographic aid to the study of the higher silicon alloys, such as transformer steels, is lost. A new reagent has been developed for the purpose of overcoming this difficulty. It is with some hesitation that the list of etching reagents, already overburdened, is increased, but the properties of this new reagent are advantageous in several ways and a definite field for it may be found in the metallography of ferrous alloys. The reagent consists of a dilute solution of nitric acid and methyl alcohol in nitrobenzol. It is a great advantage to secure an anhydrous solution, as a tendency toward acidic etching has been traced to small amounts of water. A convenient method of preparation is to make an anhydrous stock solution of nitric acid in methyl alcohol in the proportion 20 per cent. acid by weight (12.5 per cent. by volume). The alcohol can

Jan 1, 1924

By George A. Moore, Donald P. Smith

In spite of many investigations of the occlusion of hydrogen in iron, the nature of the process and the reasons for the accompanying effects upon the metal are still open questions. This is in large part due to three causes: (1) the difficulty of obtaining iron of adequate purity as starting material; (2) the occurrence of allotropic transformations, which complicate the effects; and (3) the fact that the body-centered cubic modification does not lend itself readily to crystallographic investigation. The present paper attempts a critical review and correlation of the somewhat scattered and disconnected existing observations, and an experimental determination of the extent to which the conclusions that appear to follow from these are applicable to iron of really high purity, studied under well-defined conditions. Review Although only a comparatively few investigations have so far been made on the pure system iron-hydrogen, there is a much larger volume of literature which throws some light on the problem but falls short of a place in the systematic investigations, either because no attempt was made to measure equilibrium conditions or because the metal used was not iron or the gas not pure hydrogen. Such results have been variously dismissed in the past as of no importance, or as too complicated to try to explain; or they have been explained in terms of any of a dozen or more pictures, each of which is contradicted by data from other sources. The present importance of these data thus arises from their very mass and diversity, which present a picture of occlusion as a phenomenon whose variability cannot be ignored. We have attempted to organize the literature into groups comprising similar experiments or data leading to similar conclusions, thus of necessity sacrificing accuracy of historical order. Lattice Occlusion.—Throughout this discussion, the term "lattice occlusion" will be used to denote the formation of a simple solid solution of a gas in a metal lattice, usually of interstitial distribution. The word

Jan 1, 1939

By Kenneth K. Humphreys

INTRODUCTION What is automation? Why automate? Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines automation as "the automatically controlled operation of an apparatus, process or system by mechanical or electronic devices that take the place of human organs of observation, effort, and decision." This definition gives an implied answer to the second question, )"Why automate?" Automation, automatic control devices and process control equipment receive their justification in supplementing or replacing manpower, which results in decreased operating costs. In the past, processes were operated with a minimum of instruments for the purpose of merely guiding the operators. Processes were manually controlled by the operator on the basis of simple temperature, pressure, flow and level indications on a panel. Today the tendency is to design a new plant to operate in a fully automatic manner according to a preset pro- gram utilizing a minimum of manpower. In addition to this direct cost reduction savings in manual labor, increased equipment capacity results from uniformity of flow and uniform control of process variables. This control eliminates or minimizes surges and permits equipment to be operated at or near its ultimate capacity and, for a given material through- put, permits the use of smaller process equipment. Automatic control, therefore, be it in the field of coal processing or in any industrial field, is simply a problem of economics. Control equipment is justified in terms of its contribution toward increasing productivity, increasing profit margins or producing a new and saleable product at a profit. Instruments and control devices can be divided into two general groups: (1) units which measure, and (2) units which both measure and control a process variable. In coal processing, the first class of instruments, those which measure only, include analytical devices such as automatic ash, moisture and sulfur measuring units and the simple pressure, temperature, flow and level indicating devices mentioned previously. The second group of instruments, those which both measure and control, include a wide variety of units such as continuous weighing devices on conveyor belts and photoelectric cells which gauge the position of railroad cars on the track and insure that the cars are in the proper location for loading (see Chapter 15). The latter types of units as used in the coal industry differ from those used in other industries in one significant point. In coal processing these instruments need not be as highly sophisticated and accurate as in other industries; hence their cost is proportionately lower than in other industries. Because of the economic fact that coal sells for only a fraction of a cent per pound compared to dollars per pound for many chemical products, and

Jan 1, 1968

By H. W. Winkler, Discussion, V. L. Forsyth

The development of a new gar lift valve has removed many of the obstacles limiting over-all gas lift efficiency. The valve is pressure charged in place in a well, and operating pressure can be changed without pulling. Temperature and gas gradient compensation have been eliminated. Intermitting and constant flow installations, using conventional pressure-charged valves, are compared with designs incorporating the new automatic stabilizer controlled valve. Specific well performance data are presented. The means of obtaining and controlling multiple-point injection of gas are explained and contrasted with single point injection. The effect on small diameter strings and multiple string installations is discussed. The effect of flowing temperature gradient on a design using conventional pressure-charged valves, the limitations imposed by such temperature, and the obvious benefits which result from the use of automatic stabilizer controlled valves are shown. Reduction of gas requirements is stated mathematically and demonstrated with specific examples which are identified as to oil company and well. Increased fluid recovery resulting from greater drawdown is illustrated. The economic advantages are mentioned with emphasis on reduction of capital expenditures, as well as reduction in operating expenses. INTRODUCTION Much of the engineering and research work performed with gas lift has been based upon the supposition that under producing conditions gas would be injected at a single point in a well. Many tests were performed in determining the optimum size of the opening through which gas would be passed and the exact placement of the valve equipment. The objectives in a gas lift installation are to unload the well and to efficiently produce the well after it is unloaded. Until recently, the function of upper valves was simply to unload the well. An operating valve located at a proper place in a well served as a single injection point for lifting liquid to the surface. The basic problem in using such equipment is to arrive at operating depth with sufficient operating pressure to efficiently lift the liquid. Few gas lift installations are designed with all required well data available. However, regardless of the quality and availability of data, and regardless of the accuracy of the design, there is the practical problem of preparing and placing gas lift equipment in the well in exact accordance with the plans and intentions of the engineer. In recognition of these and many other problems, attention was directed toward a means of removing the need for temperature and gas gradient compensation, a way to change the gas lift installation to meet the changing requirements of the well itself, and a manner of compensating for changes in oil-water content, fluid volumes, PI, and bottom-hole pressure resulting from flood or repres-suring activity. A device which could actually set and change the operating pressure of gas lift valves in the well would meet most of these needs. There now exists a new gas lift valve which fulfills the original objectives and in so doing actually accomplishes much more. With this device, called an Automatic Stabilizer Controlled valve, there is an exact matching of valve operating pressure and well conditions. Gas is injected at more than one point in the well, thereby making controlled multiple-point injection of gas a reality. Installation calculations are materially simplified and the need for basic temperature and gas gradient data no longer exists. Section I—The Automatic Stabilizer Controlled Valve The operation of the ASC valve is more easily understood by first studying a conventional pressure-charged valve and then inserting the stabilizer element to observe the changes which result. Fig. 1 is a schematic of a conventional precharged pressure-operated valve. The pressure in the dome pd, acts downward, against the area of the bellows A,, to hold the valve closed. The resulting force Bf plus the spring effect of the bellows Sf represents the total force acting to close the valve. Correspondingly, the tubing pressure ptbg works upward against the port area Atbg and the casing pressure pc works upward against a portion of the area of the bellows

Jan 1, 1965

By S. F. Reiter

The paper presents isothermal recrystallization curves for 0.08 and 0.15 pct C steel at subcritical temperatures following small amounts of plastic deformation. The effects of deformation, temperature, and aging on nucleation and growth rates ore described. The free energy of activation for grain boundary migration in steel is given. SEVERAL excellent reviews of the literature have appeared concerning the recrystallization of metals.'-' The present investigation follows the approach advanced by Mehl, Stanley, and Anderson,6-7 in which the rate of recrystallization was analyzed in terms of N, the rate of nucleation, and G, the rate of growth of recrystallization nuclei. Two lots of low carbon, capped steel of the analysis given in Table I were studied. Each lot consisted of a 150 lb coil which had been hot rolled to 0.083 in. and then cold rolled to 0.042 in. at the mill. Strips 0.930 in. wide were sheared perpendicular to the rolling direction. Both steels were normalized before studying their recrystallization characteristics. The strips were cleaned, painted with a magnesia-acetone paste, and made into packs of equal weight, wrapped in 0.002 in. copper foil. The packs were placed in a salt bath at 900°C for 30 min and air cooled. A relief anneal followed in a second salt bath for 15 min at 650°C. The relief anneal was found necessary from early tests in which a longer incubation period and slower rate of recrystallization were observed in relief-annealed lot A steel than in similar material which was strained and recrystallized directly after being normalized. This effect, which indicates the presence of transformation and/or cooling stresses in steel air cooled from above the A, temperature, has also been observed by Samuels8 and Masing.9 Figs. 1 and 2 show the microstructure of lot A and B materials and illustrate the rather uniform No. 8 ASTM grain size produced by this heat treatment. Winlock and Leiter10 observed that strip specimens which had their sharp edges removed elongated more uniformly than those which were not polished. Similarly, when the sheared edges were removed on a belt grinder, it was found in the present investigation that such samples recrystallized more uniformly than did unpolished strips. Therefore, all strips were carefully rounded prior to their extension. The approximate strain limits for the production of large recrystallized grains are from 6 to 12 pct extension." It was found that for the purpose of this investigation, 8 and 9 pct elongation were suitable deformations. The strain rate employed was 0.01 in. per in. per min and produced a yield point elongation of 4 pct. Winlock and Leiter found that mild steel of No. 8 ASTM grain size gave the same yield point elongation when extended at 0.012 in. per in. per min. All of the lot A and B strips extended in tension developed a straight, stretcher strain line at each grip when the upper yield point was reached. The lines were parallel and made an angle of 55" with the edge of the strip. They approached each other with increasing strain and met near the center of the sample at the end of the yield point elongation. Immediately thereafter, a small drop in load was observed and then the load increased in a regular manner with increasing extension. The grips were initially 8 in. apart. After extension, the 6 in. gage length was carefully cut into 1 in. samples. The remainder of the strip was discarded. After a flash pickle in hot 50-50 hydrochloric acid, six samples, each of which had been taken from a different strip, were placed in a basket and submerged in a lead pot for isothermal recrystallization. Although no recovery effect was observed, strain aging did occur after extension. Therefore, samples were always recrystallized within 24 hr after their cold deformation. After recrystallization, the samples were etched with a solution comprised of one part by volume of nitric acid with three parts of water. Bromide printing paper was exposed directly at low magnifications and later used with a mask to measure the desired quantities. First, the average diameter of the largest grain visible in each sample was determined using dividers. Next, the number of recrystallized grains per unit area was counted and recorded as n. Then, for each sample, the combined area of the recrystallized grains was measured by transcribing the grain outlines to standard graph paper. Many determinations of the area of the recrystallized grains were repeated five times and indicated a standard error that was not greater than 25 pct. The average area for six samples was divided by the area of the mask to yield the percentage recrystallized. Recrystallization of 0.08 Pct C Steel The progress of recrystallization at 670°C after 8 pct elongation of lot A steel is shown in Fig. 3, a through f. The shapes of the growing crystals are approximately equiaxed, as is assumed in the

Jan 1, 1953