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By P. W. Bennett, E. M. Elkin

A new technique for the recovery of palladium and platinum and sludge from go12 electrolyte eliminates many of the drawbacks of the zinc-dust cementation process. In the electrolytic refining of gold by the Wohwill method, the electrolyte contains about 100 gpl gold as AuCl, and 100 gpl free hydrochloric acid. Any palladium and platinum contained in impure gold dissolve and accumulate in the electrolyte. When their concentration approaches that of gold, it becomes desirable to discard the electrolyte and to recover the gold and the palladium and platinum. As practiced at Canadian Copper Refiners until recently, discarded electrolyte was treated with sulfur dioxide to precipitate the gold. 2AuCl3 + 6H2O + 3SO2 —2Au + 6HC1 + 3H2SO4 The gold precipitate was filtered off, washed with water, and melted with scrap anodes. The wash water was added to the gold-free filtrate and treated with zinc dust to cement the palladium and platinum. PdCl2 + Zn — Pd + ZnCl2 PtCl4 + 2Zn—Pt + 2ZnCl2 The precipitate was separated and sold as Pd-Pt concentrate, and the barren filtrate and wash water were discarded. The receipts of palladium and platinum at this company were too small to warrant their refining. The process suffered from a number of disadvantages. Handling the gold-free solution was disagreeable, as it was laden with sulfur dioxide even after blowing with air overnight. Subsequent treatment with zinc dust was also troublesome. A large excess of zinc dust was required. Spray, acid mist, and vigorous evolution of hydrogen accompanied the reaction. The Pd-Pt precipitate was grossly contaminated with occluded unreacted zinc and with yellow granules of sulfur, thought to be formed by the reduction of sulfur dioxide and its derivatives. Repeated boiling of the precipitate with hydrochloric acid and washing with water decreased somewhat, but did not eliminate, the zinc. After drying overnight, the precipitate hardened to a clinkerlike mass that was difficult to grind. Grinding, handling, and packing created heavy dusting. Even weighing in an analytical balance generated dust, indicating that the powder was easily charged with static electricity. The total palladium and platinum content of the powder varied from 56 to 72 pct, with an average of 65 pct. The powder dissolved in aqua regia with difficulty, leaving a small amount of insoluble residue. However, the main drawback of the process was the strongly hygroscopic Pd-Pt product. The powder showed a marked though erratic increase in weight and a corresponding decrease in assay on exposure to air, even during the course of laboratory analysis. Such changes were the source of disagreement between Canadian Copper Refiners and the buyers of concentrate. The cause of the change in weight is believed to be hydrogen, liberated by the action of zinc dust on hydrochloric acid. Some of this hydrogen was adsorbed so strongly by the precipitate that it could not be driven off during the drying. On exposure to air it oxidized catalytically, forming water. Experiments soon showed that the entire process of treatment of discarded electrolyte then in use would have to be changed. A small quantity of apparatus was moved into the gold room, and experimentation was held to a minimum compatible with the development of a new process. PALLADIUM AND PLATINUM PRECIPITATION It was thought that zinc could be replaced with a reagent other than a hydrogen-evolving metal. Semiquantitative experiments showed that platinum and palladium could be precipitated completely from the gold-free solutions with such well-known reagents as sodium formate, formic acid, formaldehyde, and paraformaldehyde. Sodium formate was the preferred reagent, since the other three are volatile and somewhat toxic. The gold-free solutions used were those saturated with sulfur dioxide, partly freed of sulfur dioxide by aerating overnight, completely freed by boiling, as well as strongly and weakly acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions. The reactions are complex and can be represented by these over-all equations: PdC1, + HCOONa — Pd + NaCl + HC1 + Co2 PtCl4 + 2HCOONa — Pt + 2NaCl + 2HC1 + 2CCX, Strongly acidic solutions required as much as five times the theoretical amount of sodium formate as did solutions neutralized to pH 4.5. Increasing the pH decreased the consumption of

Jan 1, 1965

By Tokio Yanagida

Major parameters relating to the operating of the conventional calcine-charged reverberatory f'ce process such as distribution coefficients of major elements among slag, matte, blister, and gases, temperatures and weights of intermediates, and heat losses of furnaces were measured and determined. A computer program to estimate heat and material balances at the process was prepared utilizing these data, showing a good agreement with actual results.

Jan 1, 1984

By Fred C. Bond

SIZE of grinding media is one of the principal factors affecting efficiency and capacity of tumbling-type grinding mills. It is best determined for any particular installation by lengthy plant tests with carefully kept records. However, a method of calculating the proper sizes, based on correct theoretical principles and tested by experience, can be very helpful, both for new installations and for guiding existing operations. As a general principle, the proper size of the make-up grinding balls added to an operating mill is the size that will just break the largest feed particles. If the balls are too large the number of breaking contacts will be reduced and grinding capacity will suffer. Moreover, the amount of extreme fines produced by each contact will be increased, and size distribution of the ground product may be adversely affected.

Jan 5, 1958

By M. R. Geer Olds, H. F. Yancey

.I. S. Huckaba (Western Machinery Co., Spokane, Wash.)—It has been my pleasure and privilege to be able to follow this work with the H.M.S. pilot plant very closely. This has been a very thorough and painstaking piece of work and will be of great value to the dense-media operators and manufacturers. Unfortunately time was not available to make an accurate comparison between this pilot plant and the commercial plant at Bellingham Coal Mines, both plants having Wemco drum separators. Briefly I would like to point out what I consider the most interesting finding of this work. Capacity: Very good results were obtained at a feed mte of 5.2 tons per hr in a 30-in diam by 24-in. long drum separator. The maximum capacity of this drum is not known but it is something over 5.2 tons per hr for the available area of 2.08 sq ft. Medium Preparation: The importance of proper medium preparation is well demonstrated. A "tailored" or

Jan 1, 1954

By A. McLean, D. W. Gomersall, R. G. Ward

An experimental study has been made of the solubility of nitrogen in liquid iron and liquid Fe-C alloys using levitation melting and a rapid quenching device. Iron alloy droplets were equilibrated with nitrogen gas at 1 atm pressure, quenched, and analyzed. Previous techniques for studying the Fe-C-N system have produced data which me in marked disagreement. This disagreement is due largely to errors caused by reaction between the molten alloy and the crucible material. With the levitation procedure, errors from this source have been eliminated and precise solubility data obtained for temperatures between 1450° and 1750°C. C-N interactions in molten iron have been expressed in terms of first- and second-order free energy, enthalpy, and entropy parameters. ALTHOUGH the solubility of nitrogen in iron base alloys is in general small, the effects of nitrogen on the properties of steel may be quite profound. For most purposes nitrogen in finished steels is undesirable, particularly in the low-carbon grades, since on cooling to room temperature the solubility limit of nitrogen in the steel may be exceeded and this can lead to embrittlement and loss of ductility on aging. On the other hand, nitrogen can improve the work-hardening properties and machinability of steels while in certain stainless grades nitrogen is important in order to stabilize the austenite phase. It is, therefore, desirable that one should be able to predict the solubility of nitrogen in liquid iron alloys. To do this, information is required concerning the interactions between nitrogen and the various alloying elements which may be present in liquid iron. There have been several investigations of these effects in recent years1"7 and the interactions between nitrogen and many elements dissolved in liquid iron are now known to a high degree of precision at steel-making temperatures. Unfortunately, a number of iron alloy systems which are of interest in steelmaking have been difficult to deal with by the experimental techniques generally used for this type of investigation. Among the most important of these are the Fe-C alloys. In the past, two methods have been widely used for determining nitrogen solubilities: the Sieverts' technique, in which the amount of nitrogen required to saturate a given mass of liquid metal at a particular temperature and pressure is measured volumetrically, and the sampled-bath technique in which liquid metal held in a crucible is equilibrated with a gas phase containing a known partial pressure of nitrogen, and samples drawn from the melt are quenched and analyzed. These two methods have been discussed in detail elsewhere.5,8 With the Sieverts' technique, errors may be introduced from the following sources: i) Gas adsorption on metal films which have condensed on the cooler parts of the reaction chamber. ii) Uncertainty in the determination of "hot volume" calibrations. iii) Crucible-melt interaction, particularly if a gaseous reaction product is formed or if the melt becomes contaminated with material from the crucible walls. The sampled-bath method may also suffer from errors due to reaction between the melt and the crucible material. In addition, there is the possibility that gas may be lost from the sample during solidification and cooling. In the present investigation, the solubility of nitrogen in liquid iron alloys has been studied by means of a new technique based on the use of levitation melting equipment and a rapid quenching device. In addition to the fact that problems of the type outlined above are avoided, this particular approach has the following advantages: i) The high-frequency current induces vigorous stirring within the levitated droplet so that gas-metal equilibration is rapidly attained. ii) The gas phase surrounding the melt can be changed very quickly and is easily controlled. For example, a droplet may be levitated in helium, deoxidized in hydrogen, equilibrated with nitrogen, and quenched, within a period of 15 min. ii) Melts can be readily under cooled or superheated, thus extending the effective temperature range of an investigation and allowing temperature-dependent data to be determined with a high degree of precision. Excellent reviews of levitation melting techniques and their application to physical-chemistry studies at high temperature have been published recently by Jenkins et al.,9 Peifer,10 and Rostron.11 In the present investigation a levitation melting technique has been used to obtain data for the solubility of nitrogen in pure liquid iron and liquid Fe-C alloys at temperatures between 1450° and 1750°C. The solution of nitrogen in liquid iron can be described by the reaction:

Jan 1, 1969

By C. A. Heberlein

C. A. HEBERLEIN, New York, N. Y.-The results stated by Rey and Brevers are so startling that they are of great interest, as the concentration of a low percentage of cinnabar by differential flotation yields a high-grade concentrate in the presence of either arsenical or iron pyrite. The authors say: "Cyanide can thus be used to depress arsenopyrite and make a good cinnabar-arsenopyrite separation. A cinnabar-pyrite separation could probably be effected in the same way." Corrosive sublimate at the present price of mercury would be a very expensive reagent but the expense would be justifiable if a high rate of concentration could be obtained with a high extraction. On my request, special tests were made in the Punitaqui mill in Chile along the line suggested by the authors, without any improvement of either grade or extraction. As the recovery of the cinnabar in a complex sulphide of chalcopyrite and pyrite gave unsatisfactory results, I had tests made at the testing laboratory of the American Cyanamid Co. at Stamford, Conn. As these tests turned out to be highly satisfactory, not only at Stamford but later at the mine, they are presented here. [ ] The pulp had a density of 22 and a pH of 7.8. Total time of conditioning was one minute. The reagent added was Texas fuel oil, 0.116lb. of 33.7 Bé. gravity containing 0.9 per cent sulphur. Frother, 0.062 lb. of No. 5 pine oil. Rate of concentration of mercury was 25.7: 11. [ ]

Jan 1, 1941

By G. S. Coe, G. F. Bolling

The columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) has often been studied as a function of concentration, C, temperature gradient in the melt, G, and rate of solidification, R. Although it may not be immediately obvious it is sure that the CET, expressed as some ratio G/R necessary to suppress equiaxed nucleation for a given C,' cannot be a single-valued function of C. This restriction which is ignored in theoretical presentations is most trivially illustrated by the following simple reasoning. An ordinary casting is an unconstrained system where the thermal conditions change continuously with progressive solidification, and thus where the ratio G/R decreases from the outset. A CET occurring early in a casting (much equiaxed material) must then mean a higher value of G/R at transition, in comparison with the late CET which implies a more columnar ingot. Therefore, when we choose to experiment under constant superheat for all alloys across the simplest binary, and we find an inversion in the amount of equiaxed material, we shall find two values of C satisfying the G/R condition. However, in addition to this simple instance, the early experiments of ~orthcott' seem to show that the amount of equiaxed material in cast ingots may be a multivalued function of composition in a given binary system. In the present investigation, the CET has been examined in Pb-Sb, Pb-Ag, Pb-Sn, and Sn-Pb under several types of casting conditions. First, we have used the "bidirectional" ingot section Simulation;~ and we have used .'i~z situ" ingot solidification where a hot mold already filled with liquid is chilled so that there is no disturbance provoked by pouring. Differences in method are trivial to our purpose except for the fact that certain variations are more simply observed by one technique than by the other. Second, we have varied the mode of superheating from the simple extreme of casting all alloys from the same temperature regardless of composition to the careful casting at a standard superheat, calculated with respect to the alloy liquidus. Third, we have made provisions for decanting and interface observation, so that some "castings" were not completed. The results obtained with Pb-Sb are exemplary; some of these are shown in Fig. 1 along with explanatory captions. At 9 to 10 at. pct Sb, and thus above the solid-solubility limit Cs = 5.8 at. pct Sb and yet below the eutectic concentration Ceu = 17.5 at. pct Sb, there is a persistent anomaly in all the variations. Measurement was easy enough and standard enough so that we may forgo discussion of either method or possible error, in view of the forceful self-consistency shown by experiment. Solute distributions were measured along the bidirectional ingots in order to determine if a solute buildup had occurred at the CET. No anomalous changes in concentration were observed along the bars at either side of the solute anomaly of 10 at. pct Sb. The microstructures of the ingots were also examined across the range of composition investigated. At concentrations less than 9 at. pct Sb the micro- and macrostructures were typical of the cellular-dendritic growth usually reported for the columnar zone. Above the anomaly, both the columnar grain size and the amount of primary phase decreased. This microstruc-tural observation can be correlated with observations made of decanted interfaces. Below 9 at. pct Sb, the interface reveals the "normal" columnar dendritic structure; however above the anomalous concentration range, preferential growth of certain dendrites appears to form a "super dendrite" pattern. In Fig. 2 a microstructural view of the etched '(super dendrites'' shows their constitution both in terms of relative phase proportion and in terms of the ordinary smaller dendrites.

Jan 1, 1969

By M. R. J. Wyllie, H. W. Patnode

In the quantitative interpretation of electric log data it is essential to know the formation factor, defined as the ratio of the resistivity of the formation 100 per cent saturated with brine to the resistivity of the brine.' This concept implies that the formation factor for any given rock is constant irrespective of the resistivity of the brine or solution with which it is saturated. It is apparent that this can be true only when the rock matrix is wholly non-conductive. As reservoir rocks may contain clay or shale having an appreciable conductance one may expect these constituents to influence the determination of true formation factor. The formation factor may be theoretically derived from log data by dividing the resistivity of the mud filtrate invaded formation by the resistivity of the mud filtrate. Such a method of calculntion has implicit in it the assumption that the fluids in the invaded formation are wholly replaced by mud filtrate. that the solid matrix is non-conducting, and that the formation factor of the invaded zone is identical with the formation factor of the uninvaded zone. Since the validity of the first two basic assumptions regarding the insulating character of porous matrices and the displacement of the interstitial fluids in porous media do not appear to be fully established, the formation factors of a number of cores and clay slurries have been measured under conditions suitable for verifying the assumptions and the extent of any errors inherent in them. CORE STUDIES Apparatus and Procedure Resistivity measurements were made on short cylindrical permeable cores which had been previously mounted in lucite.2 The cores were clamped by means of insulated bolts between brass plates about 5 cm square and 1 cm in thickness. The plates were provided with a ring seal to prevent leakage between them and the core mount, and had a centrally located orifice so that fluids could be flowed through the mounted core. The brass mounting plates were used as electrodes and any current flow between them necessarily passed only through the constituents of the intervening core. Fluid saturation of the core, and fluid flow through the core, were effected by a centrifugal pump connected to the outflow end of the core, thus providing a differential pressure across the core of approximately one atmosphere. The procedure used was first to evacuate each core by means of the pump and then to saturate the core with an aqueous sodium chloride solution of known resistivity. The resistance of the core was measured and flow of the solution through the core continued for sufficient time to establish a constant resistance reading. After equilibrium had been reached with one solution, another sodium chloride solution of a different resistivity was flowed through the core and the flow continued until a constant resistance reading was again obtained. This procedure was continued until resistance measurements of the core had been made with a series of solutions within a salinity range from 1.0N NaCl to distilled water. The data obtained enabled the apparent formation factor of given porous rocks when saturated with fluids of different resistivity to be computed and also provided information regarding the ability of an invading fluid to displace interstitial water from a core. Results Berea Sandstone — The first core examined was a specimen of Berea sandstone." This core had been cut essentially parallel to the bedding for permeability studies. The core was clamped in the core holder and saturated with 1.0N NaCl solution and the resistance determined. It was subsequently flushed and the resistance measured when saturated in turn with 0.1N, 0.025N, 0.01N, .005N sodium chloride solutions and finally with distilled water. In flushing the core with each

Jan 1, 1950

By Clyde Wyman

THERE has always been a question as to the extent to which oxidizable alloys might he recovered from charged scrap in the, acid electric furnace. While qualitative information was not lacking, the quantities that might be recovered and the conditions best suited for such recovery were not clearly defined. The present investigation was carried out to determine the efficiency of alloy recovery from residuals contained in the bath, especially in regard to the recovery of vanadium. A series of 24 heats was produced at the Burnside Steel Foundry Co., including medium manganese-molybdenum-vanadium, manganese-chromium, and grade B steels, in which vanadium recoveries from the residual vanadium were investigated. Recoveries of other alloys were also studied from the accumulated data. These heats were produced in a 5-ton acid-lined electric furnace. The analysis of metal and slag samples and the micrographs were prepared by the Research Laboratories of the Vanadium Corporation of America. In addition to the vanadium contained in the scrap charge, ferrovanadium was added to the charge and to the molten bath to bring the residuals up to the desired level. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) in one series of heats was added to the bath after meltdown, for the same reason. In addition to the general furnace practice, the slags of these various heats were treated with coke breeze, Ferrocarbo-S (silicon carbide), and aluminum dross to determine the effects of different reducing agents upon the alloy recoveries and upon the final product.

Jan 1, 1947

By James C. M. Li

James C. M. Li (Edgar C. Bain Laboratory for Fundamental Research)—Professor Weertman has suggested the interesting possibility that dislocation tangles are formed by helical formation of dislocations stopped by long-range stresses or by jogs. Such a possibility is similar to that of "mushrooming"374 in the respect that a dislocation must first be stopped and then interact with vacancies. The effect of short-range internal stresses which may exist at the time a dislocation is stopped has not been considered. It seems that the effect of these internal stresses may be just as important as, if not more than, that of the interaction with vacancies. The internal stresses produced by dislocations of

Jan 1, 1964

By W. B. Tijmann

Maintaining safe, yet economical, slope geometries in a mining operation is paramount. When design analysis and engineering judgement have dictated conservative and usually more expensive problem solutions, monitoring has often proven to be a valuable method in dealing with potential slope instability. A well planned and executed monitoring program can allow operation at a lower theoretical margin of safety. Monitoring provides a valuable check on design parameters and can measure effects of remedial improvements. Warning of impending failure can often be established well in advance. The monitoring problem situations in civil engineering works and open pit mining are much alike. Instruments used for monitoring in both industries are often the same. In this paper, geotechnical instruments for measuring deformation and groundwater pressure in rock and overburden are discussed with a broad-brush approach. Results obtained over extended time periods are presented in a graphical presentation for a case history. Descriptions of various types of instruments, mostly used to monitor stability of rock slopes, are discussed, and data analysis and approximate costs are presented.

Jan 1, 1983

By M. O. Holowaty, C. M. Squarcy

Bituminous coal furnaces give way to coke, and by 1880, the American iron and steel industry was growing at a tremendous rate. In the twentieth century, the number of operating blast furnaces was cut in half while pig iron capacity more than doubled. Bituminous coal furnaces Attempts to relieve the shortage of charcoal by the use of bituminous coal in American furnaces began quite early. Use of bituminous coal in the blast furnace was restricted to areas lacking anthracite deposits but rich in deposits of bituminous coaL The largest concentration of bituminous coal furnaces was in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Western New York state. Other areas included Kentucky and southern portions of the states of Indiana and Illinois. The first trials were made in Pennsylvania around 1780. Gradually several more furnaces began charging coal with their burdens as a partial substitution for charcoal. These so called cheaters were numerous, especially in Western Pennsylvania, which around 1810 began to expand its ironmaking capacity to catch up with the Lehigh Valley and the Schuylkill According to the existing references, complete bituminous coal burdens began to be used in this area only around 1840 when the ironmakers hastily adopted the hot blast apparatus introduced from England. The majority of these furnaces were built, however, after 1844 when an extensive experimental program, carried out at the Shenango Steam and Water Hot Blast Charcoal, Coke and Raw-Coal Furnace produced favorable results, with coal containing up to 35 pct volatile matter. The furnace was located near the Shenango River on the Lackawannok Run, five miles northwest of Mercer, Pennsylvania. It was built, owned, and operated by David Hogeland of Mercer. The first furnace was built in 1836 or 1837 as a charcoal furnace. Soon, however,

Jan 1, 1961

By H. K. Shearer

The principal events in the oil history of south Arkansas, north Louisiana and Mississippi in 1930 have been: In Arkansas, very little activity, except for discovery of deep oil production at Urbana, and completion of the first oil well in Miller County. In Louisiana, continued development of the Zwolle area, bringing production up to about 10,000 bbl. per day; practically complete development of the Carterville oil-producing area; discovery and drilling of the rather disappointing Holly area, and discovery of Trinity gas production at Sugar Creek, Claiborne Parish and Rodessa, Caddo Parish. In Mississippi, discovery of the Jackson gas field, in Hinds and Rankin counties. Proration of oil runs was not put in effect in these areas during 1930, because the natural decline of the older fields brought production below the demands of local markets. The only effect of the oversupply and low price of oil was the curtailment of some drilling which might otherwise have been done. Drilling in Arkansas reached the lowest stage since the discovery of oil, with less than 100 completions. Louisiana showed some increase in drilling over 1928 and 1929, but almost half of the wells were drilled primarily for gas rather than oil. As no review on north Louisiana production has been prepared since 1927, and there was none on south Arkansas for 1928, the developments of the three years, 1928, 1929 and 1930 are here briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 1931

By AIME AIME

EVEN in the choice of his birthplace and parents, Donald B. Gillies indicated clearly the trend of his professional career. He was born on Nov. 4, 1872, at Bruce Mines, in Ontario. His father and mother came from the Isle of Skye, Scotland, to Nova Scotia, moved from there to Canada, and finally settled in the copper country in the northern peninsula of Michigan, where the senior Mr. Gillies followed mining as an occupation. Donald's early education was in the public schools and he graduated from Linden Lake (Mich.) high school in 1890. Following the family interest in mining he entered the Michigan Mining School, now Michigan College of Mining and Technology. There he was the rare student who excelled both in athletics and scholastic work. On the athletic field he was a crack football player and track roan. As early as 1890 lie established a record of 10 sec-

Jan 1, 1938

COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS. General Committee.-J. F. Lewis, Quinnimont, W. Va. Committee of Reception at Staunton.-Major Jed. Hotchkiss, Chairman ; W. A. Burke, M. E. Miller, R. N. Catlett, W. J. Nelson, J. T. Effinger, D. A. Kayser. Local Committee of Arrangements.-G. T. Wickes, Low Moor, Chairman; G. W. Bramwell, Stone Cliff, Secretary; J. E. Johnson, Longdale; H. Firm¬stone, Longdale; S. F. Morris, Quinnimont; O. A. Randall, Ferrol; William N. Page, Ansted; F. Lyman, Low Moor; S. M. Buck, Coalburgh; E. S. Hutchinson, Cannelton ; M. F. Maury, Saltpetre Cave. THE opening session of the Institute was held at Staunton, on Monday evening, May 30th, in the Opera House. Major Jed. Hotchkiss, Chairman of the Committee of Reception, called the meeting to order and introduced Mayor Balthis, who spoke a few words of welcome to the members present, and then introduced the Hon. A. H. H. Stuart. Mr. Stuart in addressing a formal welcome to the Institute to the " little city of the mountains," spoke of the value of the services of the mining engineer in developing the mineral wealth of Virginia and in solving the problems of her geological history. Mr. Metcalf, President of the Institute, replied on behalf of the Institute to the cordial welcome of the mayor and Mr. Stuart, and then read an inaugural address on Force. At the conclusion of the President's address the following papers were read The Electrolytic Determination of Copper and the Formation and Composition of so-called Allotropic Copper, by J. B. Mackintosh, Hoboken, N. J. Read by Professor Egleston. The New Unpublished Map of Chester County, Pa., by Professor Persifor Frazer, Philadelphia. The second session was held at the Opera House on Tuesday morning. The papers read at this session were: Investigations on the Ore Knob Copper Process, by Professor Thomas Egleston, School of Mines, New York city. A Volumetric Estimation of Manganese in Pig Iron and Steel, by F. H. Williams, Vulcan Steel Works, St. Louis, Mo. Read by the Secretary.

Jan 1, 1882

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons. ) A member, technically educated, with 20 years' practical experience as engineer, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and manager of large mines and mills on construction and operation, also experience in mine examination, is open to engagement. Metallurgist of 18 years' experience in Mexico with large plants is open to engagement. Last position, superintendent of copper smelting works. Best line, copper and lead smelting, but also experienced in mine valuation and ore-treatment investigation work. Speaks Spanish. A member of the Institute and graduate mining engineer with 10 years' experience in the Lake Superior copper district, also practical experience, desires position as superintendent or manager. Member, graduate mining engineer, experienced in mine and mill work, geology and field work, one year in the hydrometallurgy of copper, is open for engagement Aug. 15. A member, at present in the Southwest., desires a position as assistant superintendent or assistant manager with a mining company operating in Washington or Alaska. Experienced assayer and engineer. A member, technical graduate, with nine years' mining experience as assayer, engineer, foreman, manager's assistant, and superintendent of large development and operating mining companies in the United States and Mexico, is open for engagement. A member, technical graduate, 33 years of age, 11 years' experience as chemist, metallurgist and superintendent of lixiviation plant and in charge of construction of cyanide mill, desires position as assistant superintendent or superintendent of mining or milling company in United States or Canada. Young man, technical graduate, two and a half years' experience in chemical laboratory, desires position as chemist.

Jan 9, 1913

By W. A. Bruce

THIS paper presents the essentials of a mathematical method of studying the pressure behavior of an oil reservoir as the fluids are withdrawn. Methods are shown whereby the behavior of a reservoir can be used to predict the future relationship between withdrawals and pressure. The oil reservoir is considered as a small part of a large porous continuum, which contains for the most part water. The expansion of this water resulting from a decrease of pressure in the oil zone causes a movement of water that is an important factor in the relationship between fluid withdrawals and reservoir pressure. Examples are given to illustrate the methods of pressure prediction for a circular reservoir containing undersaturated crude, the pressure distribution over a field that has a uniform production rate, the effect of a fault line near a field, the mutual interference of near-by fields, and the perturbing influence of a gas cap. Applications of the analysis to sell-spacing problems are shown.

Jan 1, 1942

By W. C. MENDENHALL

THE problem of maintaining the mining industry is two-fold; finding new supplies in the face of increasing difficulties, and making such advances in the arts of extraction and preparation as to use supplies of lower grade. Progress in mining and reduction methods and in transportation makes ore today of that which was waste yesterday. These are the fields of the metallurgists and the transportation engineers. The geologists and mining engineers must work together on the problem of ore finding. As the old prospector fades from the scene, men with equal hardihood and patience and equal power to meet the physical obstacles which confront the seeker after ore, must take his place, armed with all that has been learned from human experience about the causes, the controlling conditions, the indications, and hiding places of the metals. Such a seeker is dealing with some of the most complex and obscure of natural phenomena. In nature's laboratory, tremendous forces are at work. Tempera-

Jan 1, 1926

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who registered at Institute headquarters during the period Oct. to Nov. 10, 1915: Lester S. Thompson, New York, N. Y. Arthur L. Sweetser, Boston, Mass. William Reed, El Oro, Mexico. Dorsey A. Lyon, Salt Lake City, Utah Heinrich Ries, Ithaca, N. Y. D. W. Blaylock has resigned his position with the St. Joseph Lead Co., Bonne Terre, Mo., and has accepted the position of division engineer for the Big Creek Coal Co., of Chicago, at Harrisburg, Ill. R. B. Lamb announces the removal of his office to Room 1809, 43 Exchange Place, New York, N. Y. C. C. Sanders has taken a bond and lease on the Red Mountain group of 34 mining claims (copper), Patagonia, Ariz., and has commenced extensive development.

Jan 12, 1915

By E. De Golyer

THE petroleum production of the world, in 1923, for the first time reached the billion-barrel mark. A preliminary estimate of production is 1,014,413,000 bbl., an increase of 159,604,000 bbl., or 18.6 per cent. over the 854,809,000 bbl. produced in 1922, the year of next highest production. This increase resulted from an increase of 178,469,000 bbl. in the production of the United States; the total for the rest of the world shows a loss of 18,865,000 bbl., a loss caused by the decrease of approximately 32,278,000 bbl. in Mexican production. The Mexican decrease more than offset increases in the production of Russia, Persia, Roumania, Venezuela, Sarawak, and various minor fields. The increase in production for the United States, and consequently for the world, was the result of flush production from development to maximum capacity during the year of eight, bonanza fields-fields reaching daily yields of 100,000 bbl. or better. It might be ascribed more exactly to the production from the three flush fields of the Los Angeles basin. Their production alone was greater than the increase in the world petroleum production, or the increase in the production of the United States, and it was cheap oil from these fields that demoralized the oil markets of the world. The Basin fields were. the features and dominating factors in the oil industry of the world during 1923. The bonanza fields of 1923, their estimated production for the year, and peak are given in Table 1.

Jan 3, 1924