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By J. W. Bolton

PRODUCTION of sound bronze castings is a matter of great practical interest to users and manufacturers of high-grade non-ferrous engineering specialties. Although there has been much excellent research in this field, there still remains some confusion regarding the fundamental principles underlying production of really sound bronze. The literature of the past 20 years on this subject indicates that the prevailing opinion of metallurgists and foundrymen has been that unsoundness in bronze is due generally to oxidation. The following references are typical.

Jan 1, 1929

By Ottokar Hofmann

In tank-lixiviation, the extraction of the silver from chloridized ore by solutions of hyposulphite salts is performed by filtration. The ore-particles are kept stationary, while the solvent moves down through the mass of ore. The quickness of extraction, other conditions alike, is in direct proportion to the rapidity of the movement of the solvent through the ore. The solution, if left in contact with the ore without moving, displays but very little solving energy. If the filtration is interrupted for ten or twelve hours, and thus solution and ore are left in complete contact for that length of time, it mill be found that, when filtration is started again, the outflowing solution is but very little more saturated with silver than it was at the time of interruption, and that the ten or twelve hours were almost a perfect loss in the total time of extraction. Notwithstanding the long contact, the solution had not become saturated with silver chloride to its full solving capacity. A rapid movement of the solvent through the ore is essential to a quick extraction. This fact is well known ; and the endeavor of leachers has been to hasten extraction by increasing the rate of filtration. Siphons, vacuumpumps and other devices have been used with more or less success; but none of them have given full satisfaction. I have found that, if chloridized ore is brought into rapid contact with a proper volume of moving sodium hyposulphite solution, the silver chloride contained in the ore dissolves almost instantly, and that it is rather the volume of the solvent than its concentrated state which produces this effect. Such favorable conditions cannot be attained in tanks. The rapidity with which a certain volume of the solvent can be brought into contact with the ore-particles is limited by the speed with which the solution descends through the ore; and thus the leaching-time in tanks cannot be shortened beyond the limit set by the filteringcapacity of the ore. In a trough, however, these favorable conditions can be attained by gradually introducing the ore into the moving stream of the solvent. The ore can thus be brought into

Jan 1, 1888

By AIME AIME

MOST of us are far .from home, and yet our Japanese hosts- have made us feel very much at home. Here in the Orient we engineers are .learning a new meaning for the word "orientation"- hereafter that engineering term will be a synonym for gracious hospitality, and "to orient" will mean to turn a whole country over to the World Engineering Congress. Mere geographic distance is no longer able to separate nations, for the conquest of distance is one of the triumphs of 'modern engineering. We of the Americas are fortunate in the position of our continents: with their shores lapped by the waves of two oceans, we face' two great civilizations, the' Occidental and the Oriental, and thus we can share the intellectual resources of these two older cultures.

Jan 1, 1929

By Charles S. Barrett, Hermann F. Kaiser, Robert F. Mehl

THE copper-silver system presents several points of special interest in the study of segregate structures. The system is simple eutectic, with limited solid solutions terminal with the pure component metals. The extent of solid solubility decreases with decreasing temperature for both the copper-rich and the silver-rich alloys, thus offering a possibility for the formation of Widmanstätten figures and also a possibility for aging after quenching. In contrast to the structures studied previously the structures in this system are unique in their origin, for one terminal solid solution will precipitate the other, and vice versa. In most of the other systems for which crystallographic data on the precipitation (or transformation) process are available, either intermetallic compounds or intermediate phases partake in the decomposition process; the absence of such phases thus distinguishes this system. The lattice structures of the two solid solutions are identical in type, differing in lattice spacing by approximately 10 per cent; because of this it seems difficult if not impossible to predict on the basis of present theory either the outward form of the precipitate or the lattice orientation relationships between matrix and precipitate. The eutectic temperature in the copper-silver system1 is 779° C. At this temperature copper dissolves 4.3 atomic per cent (7.0 weight per

Jan 1, 1935

By R. I. Parsons, M. B. Standing, E. N. Lindblad

The recovery of the heavier components from a gas cap or retrograde pool is shown to be the greatest when the sand is cycled with a dry gas at a low pressure. This conclusion is in direct opposition to the belief that the most efficient production program is pressure maintenance and cycling at or near the dew point. The results are calculated from: (I) constant volume, variable composition pressure-volume-temperature tests on a mixture of trap gas and liquid from a producing well; (2) published equilibrium constant data and the measured composition of the dew-point material; and (3) the fact that in a sand section of homogeneous permeability, injected gas displaces reservoir gas nearly, quantitatively. The results are based on the simplifying assumption that variable permeability systems may be defined by the ratio of two statistical parameters, and that gas injected into an actual sand will behave as though the sand were composed of many layers, each of constant permeability. Introduction Pressure decline in gas-condensate type reservoirs is accompanied by the formation of a liquid phase throughout the reservoir. Over the past ten years the processing of the material from these types of reservoirs for the heavier hydrocarbon components and the return of the light fractions to the reservoir ("cycling") has become increasingly popular. It has often been stated that the purpose of such a program is to prevent the loss of the retrograde liquid phase formed in the reservoir. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of laboratory tests and computations concerned with several possible methods of producing a gas cap or condensate type of reservoir. The results show that the recovery of heavier hydrocarbons for this type of reservoir is not a maximum under conditions of cycling at or near the dew-point pressure. Instead, variations in permeability and the ability of the dry injected gas to revaporize condensate, point to cycling at a considerably reduced pressure as the optimum production-method. In addition the paper suggests a way of evaluating sands for their permeability variation. The calculations presented in the following sections of the paper are in terms of the production of the butanes and heavier fraction from the gas cap of a field which had an original pressure of approximately 3000 psi. Specifically, the calculations show: 1. To what extent the condensate formed in the reservoir after pressure decline can be recovered by the cycling of a dry absorber-plant gas through the sands. 2. Whether there would be greater recovery of hydrocarbons if cycling were instigated at the original reservoir pressure.

Jan 1, 1948

By M. B. Standing, R. I. Parsons, E. N. Lindblad

The recovery of the heavier components from a gas cap or retrograde pool is shown to be the greatest when the sand is cycled with a dry gas at a low pressure. This conclusion is in direct opposition to the belief that the most efficient production program is pressure maintenance and cycling at or near the dew point. The results are calculated from: (I) constant volume, variable composition pressure-volume-temperature tests on a mixture of trap gas and liquid from a producing well; (2) published equilibrium constant data and the measured composition of the dew-point material; and (3) the fact that in a sand section of homogeneous permeability, injected gas displaces reservoir gas nearly, quantitatively. The results are based on the simplifying assumption that variable permeability systems may be defined by the ratio of two statistical parameters, and that gas injected into an actual sand will behave as though the sand were composed of many layers, each of constant permeability. Introduction Pressure decline in gas-condensate type reservoirs is accompanied by the formation of a liquid phase throughout the reservoir. Over the past ten years the processing of the material from these types of reservoirs for the heavier hydrocarbon components and the return of the light fractions to the reservoir ("cycling") has become increasingly popular. It has often been stated that the purpose of such a program is to prevent the loss of the retrograde liquid phase formed in the reservoir. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of laboratory tests and computations concerned with several possible methods of producing a gas cap or condensate type of reservoir. The results show that the recovery of heavier hydrocarbons for this type of reservoir is not a maximum under conditions of cycling at or near the dew-point pressure. Instead, variations in permeability and the ability of the dry injected gas to revaporize condensate, point to cycling at a considerably reduced pressure as the optimum production-method. In addition the paper suggests a way of evaluating sands for their permeability variation. The calculations presented in the following sections of the paper are in terms of the production of the butanes and heavier fraction from the gas cap of a field which had an original pressure of approximately 3000 psi. Specifically, the calculations show: 1. To what extent the condensate formed in the reservoir after pressure decline can be recovered by the cycling of a dry absorber-plant gas through the sands. 2. Whether there would be greater recovery of hydrocarbons if cycling were instigated at the original reservoir pressure.

Jan 1, 1948

By L. C. Raymond

Valuations in the mineral industry differ from those of other enterprises because mines and oil wells have a definite life so cannot be considered a perpetuity. This requires that in any mineral-property evaluation the recovery of invested capital is necessary during the life of the property. Capital writeoffs for nonextractive industries are assumed to be continuously plowed back to sustain the operation and produce yields on the capital invested. The extractive or mineral industry, however, generally attempts to return to the investor both interest and principal during the life of a property. Normally this is done currently and the dividend includes both items. Where the mineral properly possesses large reserves and the life factor approximates a perpetuity, the return on investment is generally comparable to that of industrial stocks. The valuation of a mineral property, at best, is based on educated estimates and judgment factors. This is particularly true as it relates to estimating selling prices over a long term or assessing the quality of management. Also, it is possible to make various assumptions as to rapidity of working out the deposit, varying time for start-up of operations, varying earning rates, so as to obtain different results with the same basic facts. Thus it is not surprising that two engineers, irrespective of their abilities, may not agree exactly even when given the same facts, but their results should be close enough to be used in establishing a fair value for trading purposes. The valuation is no better than the source of basic data and the soundness of judgment factors. Fundamentally the basic principles of mineral valuation are similar for base metals, sulphur, oil, or any other mineral. Each mineral, however, requires an engineer to have a knowledge of such factors as its occurrence, distribution, mining and processing methods, and marketing problems in order to gather and analyze all the facts and data that have a bearing on the earning potential of the property. PRESENT VALUE OF A MINERAL PROPERTY In essence the present value of a mineral property is a sum of money in today's dollars that future earnings from the property are worth. It differs

Jan 1, 1964

By E. W. Davis

IF the tonnage of merchantable iron ore remaining in the Lake Superior district is divided by the average of the annual shipments for the past 20 years, it will be found that this ore supply will be exhausted in approximately 35 years. This computed exhaustion period would be an indication of the future activities of the iron-mining industry if it were not for the fact that merchantable ore is being manufactured from low-grade ore, of which there is an almost inexhaustible supply in the Lake Superior district. It is true that at present only the simplest of these low-grade ores are being concentrated to any considerable extent, but progress is being made with the treatment of the more complex ores, and now, in addition to 20 washing plants on the Mesabi Range, three plants are equipped with jigs for the treatment of ore that cannot be concentrated simply by washing. The latest addition to the ore-treating plants of the Mesabi Range is a magnetic roasting and concentration plant at Cooley, Minn., in which ore that cannot be concentrated either by washing or by jigging is roasted to the magnetic state and concentrated on magnetic separators. This plant is beginning its third season of operation, and while it is too soon to make definite predictions, there are strong indica-tions that this new process may make commercially possible the manu-facture of high-grade, merchantable iron ore from large quantities of low-grade ore now considered worthless. After the iron oxide contained in an ore has been converted to mag-netite, almost any desired grade of concentrate can be produced, using magnetic-concentration equipment of the types now in general use for the concentration of the natural magnetites of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The conversion of hematite (Fe203) to magnetite (Fe304) is easily accomplished by heating the ore to a dull red tempera-ture in a reducing atmosphere. The reaction is slightly endothermic, and while it requires 200 B.t.u. to heat to 900° F. one pound of hematite ore containing 45 per cent Fe, it requires only 100 B.t.u. to convert the oxide into magnetite. In the laboratory, using small quantities of ore, this conversion is very simple, but large furnaces suitable for commercial

Jan 1, 1936

By Ulick R. Evans, Maurice Cook

The structural changes in metals brought about by annealing follow-ing a deformation at a low temperature has been the subject of many investigations. No less than eleven metals and alloys have been studied in some detail; namely, aluminum, tungsten,2 iron,3 copperI4 gold, zinc,6 cadmium, tin: lead: brass,1° and cupronickel. As a result, it is possible to frame a qualitative statement of the effect of the degree of deformation and the temperature of annealing on the structure finally attained.

Jan 1, 1925

By H. W. Hitzrot

*Original Pages Missing From Book

Jan 5, 1954

By W. C. Elmore

THE magnetic powder method, long used for roughly mapping mag-netic fields, has recently been refined 1,2 for investigating the microscopic variations in the surface magnetization of ferromagnetic crystals. Bitter2 first discovered regular powder patterns connected with the crystal structure of such specimens. Several other investigators3 have used Bitter's original technique, with slight modifications, to study the varia-tion of the patterns with variations in the magnetizing field applied parallel to the surface, and their dependence upon the state of strain, of polish and of crystal cut. All of the explanations-of these patterns on metallic ferromagnetics have been couched in general terms. In a preliminary report we have described an improvement in the powder technique which led us to the discovery of a new effect throwing con-siderable light on the magnetic secondary structure of alpha iron4 and of nickel5 single crystals. We now report additional evidence confirming the existence and stability of a magnetic block secondary structure.

Jan 1, 1935

By AIME

TO say that Milton Fies has been active in promoting the Southern Research Institute is a masterpiece of understatement. He is a director and trustee who was in on the ground floor when plans were first made for the Institute and since it became an actuality early in 1945 his interest and efforts continue. He talked about it at the last regional meeting of the Birmingham Section of the A.F.A. and has talked all over the South-and when he makes a speech he has really prepared it. He does not try to rival a political spellbinder, but his careful, concise English is always well thought out and to the point. Southern Research might be called his present hobby as it has been for the past two or three years. Another major interest has been his encouragement and training of engineering students. Active in the formation of the Student Chapter of the A.I.M.E. at the University of Alabama, for several years he saw to it that the students had a prominent engineer at each monthly meeting, usually taking them down to Tuscaloosa from Birmingham in his own automobile. He has also been keenly interested in the mining engineering activities at Tuscaloosa, both in the Bureau of Mines and the University.

Jan 1, 1946

By P. C. Hodges

While there is very little romance connected with the operation of a stone quarry, yet to those who have participated in the growth and development of a business that has been a pioneer in its field and that has been in continual operation two-thirds of a century there is bound to be a background of experience, which if properly capitalized, brings progress as well as satisfaction in its accomplishment. The simple methods of drilling and blasting limestone and loading on to railroad cars everything that remained on a stone fork and leaving

Jan 1, 1936

By P. C. Hodges

While there is very little romance connected with the operation of a stone quarry, yet to those who have participated in the growth and development of a business that has been a pioneer in its field and that has been in continual operation two-thirds of a century there is bound to be a background of experience, which if properly capitalized, brings progress as well as satisfaction in its accomplishment. The simple methods of drilling and blasting limestone and loading on to railroad cars everything that remained on a stone fork and leaving

Jan 1, 1936

By Gardner F. Williams

These mines are situated in Griqualand West, which is now a part of the Cape Colony. The town of Kimberley is in latitude 28o40' South, longitude 25o10' East, about 640 miles northeast of Cape Town and 450 miles from Port Elizabeth on the east coast. It is connected with these towns by a railroad, which has been completed during the present year. The mines are located in a desert country, resembling the desert portion of Arizona. The elevation above sea-level is about 4000 feet. The climate is exceedingly hot during the summer months. Diamond Deposits.—There are four large diamond-bearing deposits at Kimberley, all lying within a radius of one and one-half miles, having the De Beers mine as the center. These are named the " Kimberley," " De Beers," " Du Toit's Pan," and " Bultfontein " mines. There is, also, directly west of the Kimberley mine, a small deposit, called " St. Augustiue," which has been prospected only, and

Jan 1, 1887

By P. J. Connors, William J. McCormick, F. B. Olender, Jerome F. Sheldon, Donald T. Mylar, Edgar T. Gregory, Owen S. Roberts, H. Colijn

A quiet revolution has taken place in the conveyor belt industry. Man-made materials, improved production facilities, better splicing techniques and emphasis on repair and maintenance have all contributed substantially to lowering material handling costs for the mining industry. Formerly the rubber industry had only cotton for a belt carcass and tree grown rubber for the protective cover. Monofilament rayon, with desirable elongation and elastic properties, was the first synthetic fiber to be used in place of cotton. But wet strength and other limitations restricted its use, and the conveyor belt industry turned to nylon.

Jan 3, 1972

By E. Higgins

It is the purpose of this paper to set forth the relation and function of the various organizations and institutes engaged in the promotion of safety in the iron mines of the Lake Superior region…

Jan 1, 1915

By Joseph W. Leonard, T. S. Spicer

INTRODUCTION Reasons for Thermal Drying The continuing increase in the percentage of minus %-inch coal produced as a result of the increased use of mechanical mining methods has, over the years, tended to shift considerable portions of the work of producing saleable coal to the fine coal cleaning section of the preparation plant. Because a given weight of fine coal will contain substantially greater surface area than an equivalent weight of coarse coal, it follows that, when subjected to wet cleaning processes, the fines will absorb and retain consider- ably more moisture than coarser fractions. Increased moisture pickup in the finer sizes complicates fine coal cleaning since beneficiation may not be limited to the removal of ash and sulfur but often must be expanded to include the additional step of thermal drying to remove excessive moisture. Thus, water which provides the medium for cleaning fine coal is in itself detrimental and, like ash and sulfur, reduces coal quality. Removal of surface moisture by drying is done for one or more of the following 1 reasons: (1) To avoid freezing difficulties and to facilitate handling during shipment, storage and transfer to the points of use; (2) to maintain high pulverizer capacity; (3) to reduce heat loss due to evaporation of surface moisture from the coal in the burning process, thus increasing heating efficiency; (4) to improve the quality of coal used for special purposes, such as in the production of coke, briquettes, and chemicals; (5) to decrease transportation costs; and (6) to facilitate dry coal-cleaning processes. Because benefits to coal transportation and utilization are the most common reasons for thermal drying, the following sections will examine these areas in greater detail. Benefits to Transportation Initial benefits from drying are the reduction of shipping costs from the mine to the point of utilization since more coal can be concentrated into a given weight of product when worthless moisture is removed. Non- combustible~ such as water and mineral matter in railroad shipments of coal are billed the same as coal at $3.32 per ton, according to the recent average costs. Savings of 10 to 20 dollars from drying on the shipment cost of each 50 to 60 tons of coal contained in a typical railroad car is common. Savings on coal shipments from individual mines which result from coal drying can be expressed in terms of hundreds of thousands of dollars and more each year. For example, a reduction of shipping charges of only 5 percent on one million tons per year would mean a savings of 166,000

Jan 1, 1968

By Albert Zima

ACCORDING to recently published statistics, it is predicted that as much oil must be produced during the next 16 years as has been produced during the past 75, in order to satisfy the high rate of consumption of petroleum products. During 1934, over 17,000 oil wells were completed in the United States, and it is expected that over 20,000 additional wells will be drilled during the current year. Were it not for the remarkable progress made during recent years in the improvement of drilling technique and in the development of equipment used in the production phase of the oil industry, it is doubtful whether sufficient oil could be produced to meet present requirements. A few years ago, wells seldom were deeper than 3500 to 4000 ft., owing to the limitations of the drilling methods and equipment employed. Today, however, through the application of scientific drilling methods and the adaptation of modern equipment and improved materials, many wells range from 6000 to 8000 ft, in depth, and a few recent completions exceed 10,000 feet.

Jan 1, 1935

By T. Prof. Ph. D. Egleston

(Read at the Amenia Meeting, October, 1877.) THE copper-bearing rocks of Lake Superior are composed of a series of metamorphic rocks, comprised under the names of amygdaloid and conglomerate, in which the copper and silver found with them are pseudomorphs. These rocks, generally, have well-defined walls which cause them to separate easily. Generally, the country rock is sterile, but it occasionally rises into the copper-bearing rock, and then carries copper. Usually, the amygdaloids carry copper, and the greenstones or melaphyres which encase them do not. There is a very generally received opinion that the copper in these beds occurs in shoots. This does not appear to be proved, though the opinion seems to have some foundation from the experience of the Calumet & Hecla Mine, where a body of poor rock has been left, which, on the mine map, shows a general direction. The theory may be true of that individual mine, but too little work has been done in the other mines to draw any decided conclusion. The copper is very unequally disseminated in the rock, if any given piece be taken as an example, but, if the whole copper-bearing series be considered, its distribution is uniform. It may prove that there are certain directions in which the copper has been deposited more abundantly than in others, and these may be found to correspond with certain geological causes, but up to the present time the knowledge gained is not sufficient to warrant any general conclusion. These rocks are supplemented by a series of true fissure veins, of which there are several systems, making the amount of native copper very large. Unfortunately, except in the fissure veins, known as "mass-mines," the copper is so scattered through the rock, and is in such a fine state of division, that, although it is not always difficult to mine, it is always difficult to dress it sufficiently too make it pay. The metal is so uniformly distributed through these copper-bearing rocks that detached pieces, called " float," are found in digging on almost any land in the country. These pieces vary from very small fragments, weighing not more than a few ounces,, up to many pounds. III one instance, in making an excavation for a cellar of a

Jan 1, 1878