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By Irving M. Symonds

Compania Minera de Penoles, S. A., at its Avalos unit operates a lead-zinc concentrator having a capacity of about 600 short tons per day. Lead and zinc concentrates are made by flotation methods. The concentrator is at Terminal de Provi-dencia, in the state of Zacatecas, some 70 miles south of Saltillo, Coahuila. The Penoles-Avalos railroad operating between the plant and Estacion Avalos, a distance of 6 miles, makes connections with the Coahuila and Zacatecas railroad, which in turn connects with the Nacionales de Mexico at Saltillo. The three railroads are each of different gauge, requiring the transfer of all supplies and concentrates at each junction. The mill operates on company ores, on ores from leased mines, and as a custom mill. The custom business is very small. The lead concentrates are shipped to company smelters at Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and Torreon, Coahuila. Since the European war, all zinc concentrates have been shipped to the United States. Ore Treated The major source of ore supply is a group of four mines owned or leased by the company, some three miles south of the mill in the mountains, from which the ore is delivered to the mill by a gravity aerial tramway. Custom ore comes in by rail. The ores occur in chimneys. The upper levels contained oxidized siliceous ores of lead, copper, silver and gold, with varying amounts of zinc. These ores were direct-smelted. In the first two years of operation a good deal of the tailing loss was caused by the oxidized content of the ores milled. Much of the ore in the transition zones between the oxides and sulphides was not mined. The ores now being milled are clean, hard sulphides in a limestone gangue, with only occasional contamination of oxides. The lead and zinc sulphides are of coarse structure and are freed even above flotation sizes. The galena is usually "steel" colored, easily and quickly floated. When there is any oxidation, it is usually on the coarsest crystals. The zinc minerals vary a good deal in color; a resin sphalerite predominates but there are varying shades of brown marmatites. On an average, the zinc sulphides contain 64 per cent zinc. The only common copper mineral is chalcopy-rite. Little is known of the occurrence of gold and silver. Waste minerals are mainly limestone and pyrite, both of which are barren. The ores vary from 20 to 35 per cent pyrite. Mill heads for the year 1940 and the first eight months of 1941 are given in Table I.

Jan 1, 1943

By Irving M. Symonds

COMPAÑIA Minera de Peñoles, S. A., at its Avalos unit operates a lead-zinc concentrator having a capacity of about 600 short tons per day. Lead and zinc concentrates are made by flotation methods. The concentrator is at Terminal de Providencia, in the state of Zacatecas, some 70 miles south of Saltillo, Coahuila. The Peñoles-Avalos railroad operating between the plant and Estacion Avalos, a distance of 6 miles, makes connections with the Coahuila and Zacatecas railroad, which in turn connects with the Nacionales de Mexico at Saltillo. The three railroads are each of different gauge, requiring the transfer of all supplies and concentrates at each junction. The mill operates on company ores, on ores from leased mines, and as a custom mill. The custom business is very small. The lead concentrates are shipped to company smelters at Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and Torreón, Coahuila. Since the European war, all zinc concentrates have been shipped to the United States. ORE TREATED The major source of ore supply is a group of four mines owned or leased by the company, some three miles south of the mill in the mountains, from which the ore is delivered to the mill by a gravity aerial tramway. Custom ore comes in by rail. The ores occur in chimneys. The upper levels contained oxidized siliceous ores of lead, copper, silver and gold, with varying amounts of zinc. These ores were direct-smelted. In the first two years of operation a good deal of the tailing loss was caused by the oxidized content of the ores milled. Much of the ore in the transition zones between the oxides and sulphides was not mined. The ores now being milled are clean, hard sulphides in a limestone gangue, with only occasional contamination of oxides. The lead and zinc sulphides are of coarse structure and are freed even above flotation sizes. The galena is usually "steel" colored, easily and quickly floated. When there is any oxidation, it is usually on the coarsest crystals. The zinc minerals vary a good deal in color; a resin sphalerite predominates but there are varying shades of brown marmatites. On an average, the zinc sulphides contain 64 per cent zinc. The only common copper mineral is chalcopyrite. Little is known of the occurrence of gold and silver. Waste minerals are mainly limestone and pyrite, both of which are barren. The ores vary from 20 to 35 per cent pyrite. Mill heads for the year 1940 and the first eight months of 1941 are given in Table I. [ ]

Jan 1, 1942

By H. E. McCoy, C. J. McHargue

Single crystals of columbium containing various levels of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, or hydrogen were deformed by slaw compression and impact loading at -196°C. For the slow deformation rates. 1500 to 1900ppm oxygen, 500 pprn nitrogen, or 150 to 200 ppm carbon completely suppressed mechanical twinning. Hydrogen in concentrations to 1000 ppm had no apparent effect on ease of twinning. Impact loading caused twins to form at all levels of contamination studied, and cleavage mucking on (100) planes occurred in specimens having higher interstitial contents. It is well established that, under some conditions, the bcc metals vanadium, columbium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and iron deform by formation of mechanical twins. In general it has been accepted that high strain rates, low temperatures, and large grain sizes are conducive to this kind of deformation.' Since interstitial impurity atoms have a relatively large effect on slip in bcc metals, one might sus- pect a similar effect on twinning. This could occur directly by the interstitials affecting the nucleation or growth of the twins or indirectly from their effect on slip. It has often been argued that the large increase in yield stress caused by interstitial elements enables the effective stress to exceed that necessary to cause twinning. The twinning stress has always been thought to be higher than the stress necessary to cause slip in pure metals.2 simonsens and Tipper and Hall4 found profuse twinning in very pure a iron even at room temperature, whereas Low and Fueste15 and Churchman and tottrell' observed twins in a iron containing carbon but none in highly decarburized specimens. McHargue7 reported mechanical twins to form readily in vanadium which contained 390 ppm interstitigs, while Clough and Pavlovic8 found twins only in the one or two grains adjacent to the fracture surface in vanadium which contained 1500 to 1700 ppm interstitials. In columbium, McHargue9 found high-purity single crystals to twin easily whereas Churchman,10 Adams, Roberts, and mallman,11 and Johnson12 studied less pure material and found far fewer twins. Although the results of Leadbetter and Argent13 showed oxygen to inhibit twinning, a study by sheely14 indicated the opposite to be true. Chromium exhibits this mode of deformation15,16 but there are no data regarding impurity effects. Lawley, Van den Sype, and Maddin17 observed twins in very pure molybdenum single crystals deformed at 77°K but none in less pure crystals. The work by Cahn18 and

Jan 1, 1963

By Frank Foote, E. R. Jette

Precision lattice-constant measurements have been widely used in the study of cubic solid solutions but as yet have been rarely applied to noncubic solid solutions. (See, however, references I and 2.) With the high precision at present attainable in the measurement of lattice constants, the X-ray method should be readily applicable to noncubic solid solutions. In the work reported here, hexagonal close-packed magnesium was used as the solvent and either lead, bismuth or gold as the solute. In the magnesium-lead and magnesium-bismuth systems the a and c lattice constants were determined as a function of composition, densities were calculated from these lattice-constant data, these theoretical densities were compared with those directly measured and the solid solubility limit was determined on quenched specimens over a considerable range of temperature. In the magnesium-gold system, the solid solubility is very small but we have obtained an indirect check on the solubility limit previously reported. Materials and Preparation oF the Alloys The magnesium used was obtained from the Aluminum Company of America and was 99.987 per cent pure. Impurities as reported On the label were: Fe, Al, 0'004 per cent; Si, 0.009 per cent; Zn, trace; Cu, Pb, nil. The bismuth was Merck's analytical grade, minimum purity 99.95 per cent. Maximum impurities as listed on the label were: Fe, 0.008 per cent; Pb, 0.010 per cent; Ag, 0.010 per cent; Cu, 0.005 per cent; Sn, 0.003 per cent; Sb, 0.00; As, 0.000; S, 0.01 per cent. The gold was purified by double precipitation with sulphur dioxide. The lattice constants of these three metals have been previously reported.3 The lead used was test lead, silver free and with a maximum of 0.10 per cent heavy metal impurities. The lattice constant 01 this lead has been measured and found to be 4.94057 ± 0.00016 at 25°C. The alloys were prepared by melting together weighed amounts of the constituent metals in magnesia-lined alundum crucibles under an atmosphere of hydrogen purified by passing over magnesium heated to 500°C. The magnesia lining prevented contamination 01 the alloys with aluminum. Vacuum melting could not be used because of the volatility of magnesium. A high-frequency induction furnace was used for the melting operation and the stirring action of the current resulted in thorough mixing of the constituents. The melts were allowed to freeze in the crucible, the ingots obtained weighed about 10 grams. An extremely thin white film formed on the surface of the melts, sometimes covering only a part of the exposed surface. The ingots were filed clean, placed in small iror crucibles with close-fitting lids and indi. vidually sealed into Pyrex glass tubes Before sealing off, the tubes were alter

Jan 1, 1941

By G. D. Monk, W. C. Krumbein

The relation between permeability and the size parameters of unconsolidated sand is approached by considering sands as logarithmic frequency distributions having the basic parameters mean size and standard deviation. Sieve separates were mixed in accordance with the normal logarithmic probability law, so that the mean and standard deviation could be varied at will. Experiments were conducted in which one parameter was kept fixed and the other varied; in this manner the dependence of permeability on the individual parameters was evaluated. It was found that permeability can he expressed as the product of a power function of the mean size and an exponential function of the standard deviation. Earlier studies of the effect of size of particles on the permeability of uncon-solidated sand have shown that the permeability varies with the square of some average diameter. This was first pointed out by Hazenl in 1892 and verified by Slichter2 in 1898. Hazen's mean size was defined as the 10 percentile of the cumulative curve (i.e., size that is smaller than 90 pel cent of the distribution and larger than 10 per cent). Slichter's effective size, on the other hand, was found by Wilsey3,4 to agree with the 31 percentile. Fair and Hatch6 found that the geometric mean size of sieve separates yielded the same power function; Hulbert and Feben6 found that the permeability of sieve separates varied as the 1.89 power of the median diameter (i.e., the size associated with the 50 percentile of the cumulative curve). Relatively few studies included the effect of the "sorting" of the sediment on the permeability. It was recognized that the nature of the size distribution, in terms of the spread of the particles about the mean, affects the permeability, but no systematic investigations of this effect are known to the writers. Cloud7 demonstrated that the effect of the grain-size distribution on permeability is definitely measurable. In the present paper the authors investigate this relation analytically, and show that the effects of the size parameters on permeability may be predicted for at least a restricted set of conditions. Properties OF Sediments Recent investigations have shown that essentially all the geologically important characteristics of sediments may be expressed in terms of six measurable quanti-tities possessed by each clastic sedimentary particle. These attributes are: (I) size, (2) shape (sphericity), (3) roundness (angularity) , (4) mineralogical composition (density), (5) surface texture, (6) orientation. Each of these characteristics may be defined in several manners. Size may be expressed in terms of sieve mesh, settling velocity, volume, etc. Sphericity is a shape concept introduced by Wadell;8 it is essentially a measure of the ratio of the surface area of an equivalent sphere to the surface area of the particle. The same

Jan 1, 1943

By G. D. Monk, W. C. Krumbein

The relation between permeability and the size parameters of unconsolidated sand is approached by considering sands as logarithmic frequency distributions having the basic parameters mean size and standard deviation. Sieve separates were mixed in accordance with the normal logarithmic probability law, so that the mean and standard deviation could be varied at will. Experiments were conducted in which one parameter was kept fixed and the other varied; in this manner the dependence of permeability on the individual parameters was evaluated. It was found that permeability can he expressed as the product of a power function of the mean size and an exponential function of the standard deviation. Earlier studies of the effect of size of particles on the permeability of uncon-solidated sand have shown that the permeability varies with the square of some average diameter. This was first pointed out by Hazenl in 1892 and verified by Slichter2 in 1898. Hazen's mean size was defined as the 10 percentile of the cumulative curve (i.e., size that is smaller than 90 pel cent of the distribution and larger than 10 per cent). Slichter's effective size, on the other hand, was found by Wilsey3,4 to agree with the 31 percentile. Fair and Hatch6 found that the geometric mean size of sieve separates yielded the same power function; Hulbert and Feben6 found that the permeability of sieve separates varied as the 1.89 power of the median diameter (i.e., the size associated with the 50 percentile of the cumulative curve). Relatively few studies included the effect of the "sorting" of the sediment on the permeability. It was recognized that the nature of the size distribution, in terms of the spread of the particles about the mean, affects the permeability, but no systematic investigations of this effect are known to the writers. Cloud7 demonstrated that the effect of the grain-size distribution on permeability is definitely measurable. In the present paper the authors investigate this relation analytically, and show that the effects of the size parameters on permeability may be predicted for at least a restricted set of conditions. Properties OF Sediments Recent investigations have shown that essentially all the geologically important characteristics of sediments may be expressed in terms of six measurable quanti-tities possessed by each clastic sedimentary particle. These attributes are: (I) size, (2) shape (sphericity), (3) roundness (angularity) , (4) mineralogical composition (density), (5) surface texture, (6) orientation. Each of these characteristics may be defined in several manners. Size may be expressed in terms of sieve mesh, settling velocity, volume, etc. Sphericity is a shape concept introduced by Wadell;8 it is essentially a measure of the ratio of the surface area of an equivalent sphere to the surface area of the particle. The same

Jan 1, 1943

By J. C. Cordell, C. F. Weinaug

A study of the behavior of retrograde condensation from gas mixtures was made in the presence and absence of sand in order to determine if the condensed liquid would re-vaporize in the Presence of sand. Methane-butane and methane-pentane mixtures that would form liquids by retrograde condensation when produced from a constant volume cell were used. The methane-butane mixtures of similar composition were produced by three different methods. The first two were charged into an empty cell and were produced in one case within a period of 9 hr and in the other within a period of 3 days. The third mixture was charged to a sand-packed cell and produced within a period of 9 hr. The curves relating composition of the produced gas to pressure obtained from these experiments show that equilibrium was maintained as long as liquid was condensing. However, during the portion of the pressure decline where the condensed liquid should be revaporizing, equilibrium was maintained only when the mixture was produced from the sand-packed cell. The methane-pentane mixture is produced only in the presence of sand. The data obtained for this system also show that equilibrium is maintained at all times during the pressure decline. These results indicate that revaporization is aided rather than prevented by the fact that the condensate "wets the sand." The significance to the petroleum industry of the behavior of hydrocarbons in the retrograde region is becoming increasingly important because a large percentage of reservoirs being discovered today arc of the gas-condensate type. The important characteristic of a gas-condensate reservoir is the retrograde condensation of a liquid phase throughout the reservoir if the pressure is allowed to decline. In order to prevent the loss of this retrograde liquid in some of these reservoirs, they are "cycled"; that is, the material produced from the reservoir is processed to remove the heavier hydrocarbons and the light fractions are returned to the reservoir to maintain the reservoir pressure. Another method of producing these reservoirs is Pressure depletion. There are other methods but they are not in general use. Although a large number of factors are involved in determining the optimum method of producing a reservoir, only the problem of whether the retrograde condensate resulting from pressure depletion will revaporize from sand at equilibrium conditions is considered in this paper. Also the data are limited to the methane-n-butane and the methane-n-pentane systerns at loo°F and one type of sand. Three types of tests were run in order to compare the revaporization of retrograde liquid formed in a cell with that formed in a sand-packed cell, and to establish the effect of time. The results of tests presented in this paper indicate that both time and the presence of sand promote the revaporization of

Jan 1, 1949

By F. H. Allen, R. P. Roe

The performance history of a volumetric gas condensate reservoir is presented. Curves depict the pressure-production relation and illustrate the phace behavior of the reservoir fluid. This performance is compared to calculated performance. This Bacon Lime Reservoir was discovered in 1941 and has been produced to field separators and gas sales. Reservoir performance has been observed by periodic bottom hole pressure sur. veys and companion sample analysis of well effluents, in addition to gas and condensate production data. , The pressure-production history demonstrates that the reservoir has produced under volumetric control. The "retrograde" behavior of the reservoir fluid is illustrated by decreasing butanes-plus content of the well effluent, followed by revaporization as the reservoir pressure approaches abandonment. Calculated performance predictions are compared to actual performance and some discussion offered on apparent discrepancies. INTRODUCTION Since the late 1930's, many gas condensate reservoirs have been developed, the retrograde theory of phase behavior has been generally accepted, and a number of cycling programs have been initiated. Numerous technical papers have since appeared in the literature dealing with the theory and application of cycling the gas condensate reservoirs. Some cycling operations have now advanced to a stage where it is possible to determine performance characteristics to a fair degree of accuracy. Field performance data for gas condensate reservoirs operated by pressure depletion have not been so extensively reported in the literature, although their probable behavior has been discussed in explanation of the retrograde theory. It is the purpose of this paper to compare calculated theoretical reservoir performance with field observations and well stream analyze; which have been obtained throughout the practical producing life of a small volumetric gas condensate reservoir. The reservoir under study is the Bacon Lime Zone of a field located in East Texas. The Bacon Lime occurs in the Lower Glen Rose Formation of Cretaceous Age. This Bacon Lime Reservoir is encountered at an average depth of 7600 ft (7203 ft subsea elevation) and comprises approximately 3100 acres located on a structural high with 80 ft of productive closure. The producing formation consists of approximately 50 ft of dense crystalline fossiliferous dolomite of generally low permeability with typical wide variation in both permeability and porosity, the more permeable stringers measuring 30 to 40 millidarcys. The average porosity is extimated to be 10 per cent with a connate water saturation of approximately 30 per cent of the pore space. The reservoir temperature was found to be 220°F and the original pressure was 3691 psia at -7200 ft elevation. The re ervoir was discovered in November, 1.941, and is now essentially depleted, Throughout most of its productive life, from the standpoint of cumulative withdrawals, the reservoir has been produced by five wells. During its latter stages of depletion, 16 wells were completed in the Bacon Lime.

Jan 1, 1950

By Frank Foote, E. R. Jette

Precision lattice-constant measurements have been widely used in the study of cubic solid solutions but as yet have been rarely applied to noncubic solid solutions. (See, however, references I and 2.) With the high precision at present attainable in the measurement of lattice constants, the X-ray method should be readily applicable to noncubic solid solutions. In the work reported here, hexagonal close-packed magnesium was used as the solvent and either lead, bismuth or gold as the solute. In the magnesium-lead and magnesium-bismuth systems the a and c lattice constants were determined as a function of composition, densities were calculated from these lattice-constant data, these theoretical densities were compared with those directly measured and the solid solubility limit was determined on quenched specimens over a considerable range of temperature. In the magnesium-gold system, the solid solubility is very small but we have obtained an indirect check on the solubility limit previously reported. Materials and Preparation oF the Alloys The magnesium used was obtained from the Aluminum Company of America and was 99.987 per cent pure. Impurities as reported On the label were: Fe, Al, 0'004 per cent; Si, 0.009 per cent; Zn, trace; Cu, Pb, nil. The bismuth was Merck's analytical grade, minimum purity 99.95 per cent. Maximum impurities as listed on the label were: Fe, 0.008 per cent; Pb, 0.010 per cent; Ag, 0.010 per cent; Cu, 0.005 per cent; Sn, 0.003 per cent; Sb, 0.00; As, 0.000; S, 0.01 per cent. The gold was purified by double precipitation with sulphur dioxide. The lattice constants of these three metals have been previously reported.3 The lead used was test lead, silver free and with a maximum of 0.10 per cent heavy metal impurities. The lattice constant 01 this lead has been measured and found to be 4.94057 ± 0.00016 at 25°C. The alloys were prepared by melting together weighed amounts of the constituent metals in magnesia-lined alundum crucibles under an atmosphere of hydrogen purified by passing over magnesium heated to 500°C. The magnesia lining prevented contamination 01 the alloys with aluminum. Vacuum melting could not be used because of the volatility of magnesium. A high-frequency induction furnace was used for the melting operation and the stirring action of the current resulted in thorough mixing of the constituents. The melts were allowed to freeze in the crucible, the ingots obtained weighed about 10 grams. An extremely thin white film formed on the surface of the melts, sometimes covering only a part of the exposed surface. The ingots were filed clean, placed in small iror crucibles with close-fitting lids and indi. vidually sealed into Pyrex glass tubes Before sealing off, the tubes were alter

Jan 1, 1941

By H. R. Stahl

The ore of the Southeast Missouri lead district consists essentially of galena in dolomitic limestone. The galena usually is in a very finely disseminated condition. The experience of recent years in the concentrating plants of the St. Joseph Lead Co. has shown that dry crushing carried to a point where about 90 per cent of the ore passes a 14-mesh screen liberates the larger portion of the galena, and minimizes further necessary reduction in rod or ball mills. Concentration practice has attempted to carry size reduction to a point where economic unlocking of the galena is obtained, without causing undue sliming of the very friable galena. While 60 per cent of the tonnage of the district is treated by the flotation process, only 40 per cent of the total concentrates is produced by that means, as efforts have always been made to keep the grade and tonnage of flotation feed as low as possible. The milling practice of the district for some years has recognized the generally accepted idea of better selective grinding in rod mills as compared with ball mills, with the attendant decrease in production of fines. The function of rod and ball mills in the various concentrating plants is the grinding of table middlings and coarse tailings that carry lead values too high to be discarded. The simplified flowsheet in Fig. I illustrates the place of grinding mills in the circuit. The arrangement of classi- fiers, tables and mills constitutes a closed circuit within somewhat flexible limits. In 1937 experiments were conducted in replacing the ball charge in a 6 by 4-ft. ball mill with rods 2 in. in diameter and 51 in. long. This step was taken with some hesitancy, as it was easy to picture a mass of tangled and crossed rods. However, no difficulties developed, and after a short trial period, six more ball mills were converted to rod mills. These mills are of the spur gear and pinion, belt-driven type, using in most cases a 75-hp. motor and having a 9½-in. open trunnion discharge. As ball mills, they carried a charge of 16,000 to 20,000 lb. of balls, 2 in. in original size. The feed to the mills was dewatered by dewatering wheels and introduced at 70 to 75 per cent solids, with a single scoop feeder. One change in mill design was found advisable when rods were introduced. The existing end liners had an outward flare of 3½ in. in 12 in. These were replaced by linings having vertical interior faces, in order to prevent undue end travel of the rods. This change gave an effective working length of 52¾ in. inside the mill. No alterations were made in the shell liners, which are of the smooth type, made of manganese steel 2 in. in original thickness. The rods at present in use are 51 in. long and 1¾ in. in diameter. The composition has been varied at times; at present they contain 0.70 per cent carbon and 0.70 per cent manganese. Some breakage and etching occurs as the rods become small, but this is considered preferable to using softer rods, which may kink and cause tangling of the charge. The mill charges

Jan 1, 1947

By H. R. Stahl

The ore of the Southeast Missouri lead district consists essentially of galena in dolomitic limestone. The galena usually is in a very finely disseminated condition. The experience of recent years in the concentrating plants of the St. Joseph Lead Co. has shown that dry crushing carried to a point where about 90 per cent of the ore passes a 14-mesh screen liberates the larger portion of the galena, and minimizes further necessary reduction in rod or ball mills. Concentration practice has attempted to carry size reduction to a point where economic unlocking of the galena is obtained, without causing undue sliming of the very friable galena. While 60 per cent of the tonnage of the district is treated by the flotation process, only 40 per cent of the total concentrates is produced by that means, as efforts have always been made to keep the grade and tonnage of flotation feed as low as possible. The milling practice of the district for some years has recognized the generally accepted idea of better selective grinding in rod mills as compared with ball mills, with the attendant decrease in production of fines. The function of rod and ball mills in the various concentrating plants is the grinding of table middlings and coarse tailings that carry lead values too high to be discarded. The simplified flowsheet in Fig. I illustrates the place of grinding mills in the circuit. The arrangement of classi- fiers, tables and mills constitutes a closed circuit within somewhat flexible limits. In 1937 experiments were conducted in replacing the ball charge in a 6 by 4-ft. ball mill with rods 2 in. in diameter and 51 in. long. This step was taken with some hesitancy, as it was easy to picture a mass of tangled and crossed rods. However, no difficulties developed, and after a short trial period, six more ball mills were converted to rod mills. These mills are of the spur gear and pinion, belt-driven type, using in most cases a 75-hp. motor and having a 9½-in. open trunnion discharge. As ball mills, they carried a charge of 16,000 to 20,000 lb. of balls, 2 in. in original size. The feed to the mills was dewatered by dewatering wheels and introduced at 70 to 75 per cent solids, with a single scoop feeder. One change in mill design was found advisable when rods were introduced. The existing end liners had an outward flare of 3½ in. in 12 in. These were replaced by linings having vertical interior faces, in order to prevent undue end travel of the rods. This change gave an effective working length of 52¾ in. inside the mill. No alterations were made in the shell liners, which are of the smooth type, made of manganese steel 2 in. in original thickness. The rods at present in use are 51 in. long and 1¾ in. in diameter. The composition has been varied at times; at present they contain 0.70 per cent carbon and 0.70 per cent manganese. Some breakage and etching occurs as the rods become small, but this is considered preferable to using softer rods, which may kink and cause tangling of the charge. The mill charges

Jan 1, 1947

By Edward P. Chapman

In the Leadville district toward the close of the "intermediate mesothermal period" of mineralization, there occurred a stage of ore deposition marked by a rather complex mineral association. As bismuth minerals formed in many places during this period, it is here called the "bismuth stage" for convenience of description. The minerals so far identified with this stage, listed roughly in the order of prominence, are: chalco-pyrite; several varieties of galena, differing slightly from one another in their small contents of silver, bismuth and tellurium; altaite; hessite; galenobismutite; alaskaite; aikinite; gold; tennantite; argentite; and perhaps sphalerite and arsenopyrite. With the exception of gold, the age relations of these minerals are difficult to determine. As shown in their descriptions, they all appear contemporaneous and hypogene. Gold may be in part contemporaneous, but most of it is distinctly later. Where minerals of this stage occur so that they can be mined alone, as at the Tucson mine, they constitute high-grade ore. Elsewhere their presence in small amounts has served to increase greatly the value of what otherwise would be low-grade pyritic or zinc-lead sulphide ore. The distribution of the bismuth ores corresponds closely to the distribution of gold ores, though not so general. It seems probable that most of the old in the district was deposited during the "bismuth stage." These ores occur relatively near the supposed centers of mineralization in Breece and Printer Roy Hills or deep down along the Tucson-Maid fault, which is one of the well recognized channels of mineralization in the Iron Hill and Graham Park areas. Consideration of the high-grade nature of this mineralization and the fact that it appears to be found relatively close to the source of mineralization suggests that prospecting along some of the known channels, even deeper than they have yet been prospected, may offer hope of commercial success. Introduction The Leadville district has been studied sinee 1880, and numerous detailed geologic descriptions of it are available in print; so also are more or less complete summaries of the mineral paragenesis, representing what was known at various periods up to 1927, the year of publication of Professional Paper 148.V lie writer has been engaged as consulting geologist at Leadville since the year 1926, and has been able to examine various types of Leadville ores throughout this period. Inasmuch as

Jan 1, 1941

By Edward P. Chapman

In the Leadville district toward the close of the "intermediate mesothermal period" of mineralization, there occurred a stage of ore deposition marked by a rather complex mineral association. As bismuth minerals formed in many places during this period, it is here called the "bismuth stage" for convenience of description. The minerals so far identified with this stage, listed roughly in the order of prominence, are: chalco-pyrite; several varieties of galena, differing slightly from one another in their small contents of silver, bismuth and tellurium; altaite; hessite; galenobismutite; alaskaite; aikinite; gold; tennantite; argentite; and perhaps sphalerite and arsenopyrite. With the exception of gold, the age relations of these minerals are difficult to determine. As shown in their descriptions, they all appear contemporaneous and hypogene. Gold may be in part contemporaneous, but most of it is distinctly later. Where minerals of this stage occur so that they can be mined alone, as at the Tucson mine, they constitute high-grade ore. Elsewhere their presence in small amounts has served to increase greatly the value of what otherwise would be low-grade pyritic or zinc-lead sulphide ore. The distribution of the bismuth ores corresponds closely to the distribution of gold ores, though not so general. It seems probable that most of the old in the district was deposited during the "bismuth stage." These ores occur relatively near the supposed centers of mineralization in Breece and Printer Roy Hills or deep down along the Tucson-Maid fault, which is one of the well recognized channels of mineralization in the Iron Hill and Graham Park areas. Consideration of the high-grade nature of this mineralization and the fact that it appears to be found relatively close to the source of mineralization suggests that prospecting along some of the known channels, even deeper than they have yet been prospected, may offer hope of commercial success. Introduction The Leadville district has been studied sinee 1880, and numerous detailed geologic descriptions of it are available in print; so also are more or less complete summaries of the mineral paragenesis, representing what was known at various periods up to 1927, the year of publication of Professional Paper 148.V lie writer has been engaged as consulting geologist at Leadville since the year 1926, and has been able to examine various types of Leadville ores throughout this period. Inasmuch as

Jan 1, 1941

By I. R. Kramer

Single crystals of aluminum were pulled in tension in a solution of paraffin oil and stearic acid. The critical resolved shear stress did not change with the concentration of the stearic acid solution; however, the extents and slopes of Stages I and II were affected greatly. The observations lend evidence that the weakening effect of surface-active agents is controlled by the rate of desorption of the metal soap formed by the reaction of the surface-active agent and the metal surface. IT has been shown by various investigators1-" that surface-active agents markedly affect the mechanical properties of single crystals. (A surface-active agent, for the purpose of this report, is defined as a long-chain organic molecule which contains one or more polar groups. Usually, however, investigations have considered only molecules having one polar group.) In general, when single crystals are deformed in some solutions containing surface-active agents, the creep rate, Fig. 1, is increased and the yield strength is decreased. The fatigue strength has been reported to be affected also.ll Rehbinder and his asociatesl' explained the "weakening" effect of surface-active agents in terms of physical adsorption. They assumed that a large pressure was created in microcracks which existed on the surface of the crystal." Harper and Cottrell,' from their study of the effects of surface conditions, found that the deformation characteristics of zinc single crystals were not altered by a solution containing a surface-active agent unless the surface of the specimen had an oxidized surface. They concluded that the role of the polar molecule was to remove the strengthening effect of the oxide coating. Later, And-radeetBpresented additional evidence which appeared to agree with this conclusion. In contrast, Klinken-berg et al.7 reported data which confirmed the results of Rehbinder. Using zinc and cadmium crystals which had been cleaned by electrolytic polishing, a large increase in the creep rate was observed when Lle specimens were tested in a 1 pct oleic acid-paraffin oil solution. They also reported that the creep rate

Jan 1, 1962

By V. R. Garfias

EVEN before the arrival of Cortes in 1519, the history of Mexico was closely linked to that of its mineral production; the mining activities of the Aztecs being thus described by Clavigero, one of the early historians: In the mountains of Anahuac there abound in veins all kinds of metals, and infinite variety of other fossiliferous products. The Aztecs obtained gold from the countries of the Cohuijques, of the Mixtecas, of the Zapotecas and from various other places. They gathered that precious metal usually in grain, from the sands of the rivers, keeping a certain portion for the crown. They obtained silver from the mines of Taxco, of Tzumpango and others; however, this metal was not as esteemed by them as by other neighboring nations. They had two kinds of copper; one hard, which they used instead of iron to make sickles, lances and all kinds of rural and military instruments and another, soft, with which they made kettles, goblets and other receptacles. This metal abounds mainly in the province of Zacatula and in that of Cohuijques, which at present is in the kingdom of Michoacan. They obtained tin from the mines of Taxco and lead from those of Izmiquilpan, located in the country of the Otomiea. From the tin they made money, and the lead, we know they sold in the market places, but we ignore the uses to which they applied it. They also had mines of iron in Tlaxcala, in Taxco and in other places; but they either had not discovered them, or did not know how to make use of the metal they contained. In Chilapa there were mines of mercury, and in other places there were mines of sulphur, alum, vitriol, cinnabar, cohre and of a white earth which they esteemed highly. As regards mercury and vitriol, we do not know of what use they were to them; the other metals they used in paintings and dyes. There were then great abundance of amber and asphalt-bitu- men of Judea--on the coast of the seas and many cities of that territory paid tribute of one and the other to the kingdom of Mexico. They mounted the amber in gold, and it was only used as ornament and display by them. With the asphalt they made certain perfumes. The following extracts dealing with pre-Colonial gold are taken from the famous "Cartas de Relación" to Charles V, in which Cortea described the progress of the Conquest: . . . here there came two chiefs who owned lands in the valley; one four leagues down the valley and the other two leagues up the valley and they gave me some gold necklaces of little value and seven or eight girls. . . . . . . that day I left the City of Churultecal and traveled four leagues to some villages of the City of Cuasucingo where the natives received me very well and gave me women and pieces of gold. . . .

Jan 1, 1937

By Cyril Stanley Smith

ON the 6th of February 1684, Dr. Martin Lister mentioned at a meeting of the Royal Society1 that "brass is magnetical," and promised to give an account of that assertion at some other time. He repeated his promise but never fulfilled it, and it was left for William Arderon2 to show, in 1958, that brass could be made magnetic by hammering and that it would retain polarity after magnetizing. Twenty-seven years later Cavallo3,4 examined the matter in great detail. Working with cast calamine brass, he showed that it could be made magnetic by hammering and nonmagnetic by subsequent annealing at a red heat. He found that annealing at a very high temperature caused the samples to lose their magnetic quality permanently, even after subsequent cold-working, but that remelting and cold-working restored it. He encountered some samples of brass that could not be rendered magnetic by any treatment. Experiments in which these were remelted with iron additions gave negative results, and Cavallo concluded that iron impurity was not the cause of the magnetism. He worked with 50-grain (3-gram) samples melted under the blowpipe, hence cooled very quickly. Bennet5 made whole crucible charges from copper and zinc, and found the resulting brass ingots to be magnetic only when iron had been added and then only after cold-working. All these observations applied to material in the cast condition, in which coring would produce a continuous spectrum of composition and cooling would result in varying degrees of precipitation. This knowledge of the subject seems to have been forgotten in the nineteenth century. The older brass was made by the calamine process and frequently contained iron in amounts of 0.5 per cent or more, absorbed from the impure ore with which the copper and charcoal were heated in making the brass. When metallic zinc became available in commercial quantities, calamine brass gradually disappeared, and with it the knowledge of its curious magnetic properties. Only when sensitive apparatus replaced the compass needle of the earlier investigators could the effects be detected in relatively pure metal. The effect of cold-working in inducing ferromagnetism was rediscovered by Bitters in 1930 in a sample of impure copper, and this was confirmed by Lowance and Constant,9 Honda and Shimizu, 10,11 and others. In the same year, Tammann and Oelsen12 showed that copper-rich copper-iron alloys after certain heat-treatments could be rendered ferromagnetic or made more strongly ferromagnetic by cold-rolling. Kussman and Seeman13 showed that the change of susceptibility of relatively pure copper on cold-working was associated with the iron content, and concluded that actual precipitation of iron was caused by cold-working, which is a satisfactory theory until one considers the improbably high rate of diffusion that this would involve. When studying precipitation phenomena in

Jan 1, 1941

By William Fink

THE constitution of the aluminum-cobalt alloys has been the subject of relatively few investigations. Brunck1 analyzed the residue which remained after treating the 17 per cent cobalt alloy with dilute hydrochloric acid. The results of the analyses indicated the existence of a compound Co3Al13. Guillet2 published a liquidus for the aluminum-cobalt system which contained two maxima corresponding to CoAl6 and CoAl2 and two eutectic points at 30 and 74 per cent Co. The most extensive investigation of the system was carried out by Gwyer,3 whose results are summarized in Fig. 1. It will be noted that at the aluminum end there is a suppressed eutectic at 644° C. By extrapolation of the duration of the eutectic arrest to zero, the composition of the compound was placed at Co3Al13. Another thermal arrest was noted at 550° C., which Gwyer attributed to a peritectic reaction. The present investigation of the aluminum end of the aluminum-cobalt system is the eleventh of a series dealing with the constitution of aluminum; rich alloys prepared from electrolytically refined aluminum.4 Preparation of Alloys.-The alloys used in this work were all prepared from electrolytically refined aluminum, the analysis of which is shown in Table 1. In preparing some of the alloys, metallic cobalt (98 to 99 per cent) was used either directly or in the form of an intermediate alloy, the composition of which is given in Table 1. In order to obtain alloys of higher purity, cobalt was introduced into some of the alloys by means of chemically pure cobaltous chloride which was readily reduced by the aluminum. A small electric furnace with nickel-chromium heating elements was used in the preparation of the alloys.

Jan 1, 1932

By G. H. Kennedy, H. E. Criner

CYCLONE thickeners are "hydraulic centrifuges" designed either to produce a maximum practical separation between the water and solids of a feed slurry or to classify the slurry solids according to particle settling rate. The possibilities of utilizing the thickener to "close" plant water circuits have been investigated. Since the thickener becomes an integral part of the plant water circuit when installed, the basic means by which the solids content of all circulating water systems must be controlled is reviewed. All coal not separated from the circulating water by means of dewatering screens or settling devices must be bled from the plant at the same rate as they are being fed or created by degradation. If this were not true, the circulated volume would finally be completely filled with solids. If the rate of bleed is low, the solids concentration in the bleed and circulating water generally will be high. To keep a reasonable circulating water concentration, large amounts of fresh water must be supplied and the bleed rate must be high. These conditions are usually undesirable because of the difficulty in securing fresh water, the loss of large quantities of coal, and the pollution of nearby streams. Thickeners are the primary stage in the separation of the water contained in the bleed from the coal. Since a thickener, when operating with reasonable efficiency, usually cannot be expected to deliver an underflow containing less than 50 pct water, secondary dewatering devices such as a slurry screen or vacuum filter must be used to separate additional water from the bleed. The surface area required by the filter or screen will be nearly proportional to the total water which must be handled, and therefore the thickener becomes necessary to hold down the original cost. The water separated from the coal is then returned to the plant circuit to maintain the water balance and thus becomes the source of fresh water. It is not necessary to return clear water to the plant to maintain control of the circulating water concentration. It is only necessary that the bleed dewatering devices remove coal in all sizes at a rate equal to that at which these sizes are entering the circulating water. However, practically speaking, in order to maintain low solids concentration, it is usually necessary that the thickener have good recovery characteristics on bituminous coals in those sizes down to 400-mesh. The thickener can remove the smaller sizes from the closed-circuit system at the "solids in" rate and prevent their "build up" in the circulating water as shown in Fig. 1. With the portion of the feed water going directly to the underflow, comes the very fine solids not concentrated by the cyclone. All the larger solids are removed from the feed and delivered in a concentrated condition at the underflow. To apply thickeners with some reasonable assurance that operating requirements will be met, it is necessary to know the rate at which solids of all sizes must be removed from the circulating water and to know the thickener characteristics. The required removal rate of fine solids not recovered by other dewatering devices may be estimated from the size distribution and tonnage of the plant feed with a reasonable allowance for degradation in the circulating water system. A more reliable estimate may be secured by sampling the plant bleed water during a constant load period.

Jan 1, 1952

By A. T. Aldred, K. M. Myles

The vapor pressure of chromium over solid V-Cr alloys has been measured by the torsion-effusion method in the temperature range 1450" to 1650°K. The chemical activities as well as the free energies, entropies, and enthalpies of formation of the alloys have hem computed from the vapor-pressure data. The activities of both chromium and vanadium exhibit fairly small negative deviations from Raoult's law over the entire composition range. The values of the excess entropies and the enthalpies of formation found at 1550°K are considered in terms of the changes in the clzaracteristic properties of vanadium and chromium that occur upon alloying. RECENT interest in the theory and properties of transition-metal alloys has shown the need for relevant thermodynamic data. The present investigation of the V-Cr system was undertaken as part of a more general study of thermodynamic properties of transition-metal alloys. The system was chosen because of the reported complete solid solubility of the components at all temperatures1 and because the difference in magnitude of the vapor pressures of vanadium and chromium allowed a simple effusion technique to be used. The torsion-effusion method was employed to minimize compositional changes in the alloys during the experiments. EXPERIMENTAL Equipment. The torsion-effusion apparatus, shown diagrammatic ally in Fig. 1, consists of a torsion system suspended inside a vertical vacuum chamber whose lower end is surrounded by a high-temperature vacuum furnace. An auxiliary optical lever and screen are used to determine the angle of rotation of the effusion cell. The torsion fiber is an annealed, high-purity, tungsten wire usually between 0.003 and 0.007 cm in diameter and about 43 cm long. The wire supports a concave mirror and a rigid tantalum connector tube. The effusion cell is fastened to the lower end of the connector tube by a dovetailed yoke and har- ness arrangement. The cells, which are 1.27 cm in diameter and 4.4 cm long, were made by electron-beam welding tantalum endcaps onto a 0.025-cm-wall tantalum tube. The two orifices, formed by drilling, have similar areas ranging from 0.011 to 0.031 sq cm. The noninductive sheath-type furnace consists of a single-phase tantalum heating element 6.35 cm in diameter, 15 cm high, and 0.013 cm thick; the element is completely surrounded by radiation shields in an evacuated chamber. The power system includes a 17-kva self-saturating saturable core reactor with an integral magnetic amplifier and a water-cooled, 15-kva, step-down power transformer with a multitap secondary. Temperatures are controlled to within ±1/2o at 1600°K by means of a unit that includes a reference voltage source, a dc electronic null detector, a current-adjusting proportional band relay, and the self - saturating reactor. At 1650°K the temperature variation within the cell, vertically and horizontally, is 3/4oK. Unwanted motions of the torsion system are damped by the movement of an aluminum vane, which is mounted on the connector tube, between the poles of an electromagnet. When not in use the magnet is withdrawn and rotated 90 deg to prevent its interaction with the rotation of the system. Measurements. The vapor pressure, p, is re-

Jan 1, 1964

By W. D. Brown

Newell1 has shown that hydrogen is removed from steel in a vacuum at a temperature of 500° to 900° C. within 136 hr. Holm and Thompson2 also state that, especially when the hydrogen is high, the results obtained by extraction at 800°C. agree with those obtained by vacuum fusion. In this laboratory, an apparatus was designed (Oct. 1940) and used wherein the piece of steel was heated at 100°F. in a Torricellian vacuum (Fig. I). This vacuum was produced by raising and lowering a "leveling bottle or bulb" containing mercury. Extensive tests were made with this apparatus. The weakness of the procedure was the possibility of leakage of air into the tube around the rubber stopper at the bottom. The present plan is to raise and lower the mercury by applying vacuum from a mechanical pump, to the top of the tube and then to a bottle of mercury in which the bottom of the tube is immersed. The Apparatus The extraction is made in a Pyrex tube A, I in. i.d. It is drawn down at the top at N and an 8-mm. i.d. tube is welded on it. To this a Pyrex stopcock E, 4-mm. bore, is welded. The tube between N and E is preferably 8 in. long and is graduated in milliliters. The total length of A to the stopcock is 28 inches. Heat is supplied by a split-tube furnace. 0 in. long by 6 in. in diameter, hinged on the side. A short pyrometer couple P is inserted through the walls of the furnace. In use this is standardized by comparison with a standard couple in a I-in. tube, just opposite this short couple. In the I-in. tube A a glass rod R, flattened at one end, supports the sample S and the length of R is so adjusted that the sample is in proper place. (It may float in the mercury.) The tube A is inserted in a large rubber stopper to fit the bottle B and extends nearly to the bottom. It is so placed that the handle of the stopcock faces the operator. In this stopper also is a short tube D bent at right angles for the application of vacuum. Also in this stopper is an 8-mm. tube C reaching nearly to the bottom; this is bent so as to miss the heater and again bent to bring it in line with and as near as possible to the upper and reduced part of tube A. On this tube C is welded a 4-mm.-bore stopcock H. In order that the two tubes may be as near as possible, the handle of stopcock H faces the back, or is the reverse of stopcock E. The total height of II above the bottom is 28 in. As explained later, this is the pressure-measuring tube C. The bottle B is about half full of mercury. The mercury must cover the ends of A and C by about I in. when they are evacuated. By tees T and rubber tubing RT the tubes A, C and D, the latter through the three-way stopcock M, are connected to the vacuum pump. A sheet of asbestos at K prevents the stopcocks E and H from becoming so hot that they leak. A good grade of vacuum lubricant prevents leakage of E and H. In order to measure the pressure of the

Jan 1, 1945