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By T. A. Rickard

In a previous paper (ante, p. 411) some description was given of the occurrence of the auriferous alluvium, extensive deposits of which lie among the highlands of the province of Otago, New Zealand. The present paper will describe some of the methods by which that alluvium is exploited. The alluvial mining of New Zealand is not yet hindered by " debris legislation." The mines are for the most part situated in a country of little agricultural value, and large rivers with rapid currents act as tailings conveyors. In time, however, steps will have to be taken to restrict the discharge into the Clutha of the tailings which are slowly raising the river-bottom. The methods of California have been followed in Otago with such alterations as peculiar local conditions require. The distinctive feature of the alluvial mining of Otago is the prominence given to the hydraulic elevator. The all-important factor in this form of mining is the control of an abundant water-supply at a suitable height above the level where it is to be utilized; and in this respect the gold-fields of the south island of New Zealand are most favora-

Jan 1, 1893

By Burnham E. Field

TAE chemical industry is constantly looking for new materials which either are more resistant to corrosion than those now available or have improved physical properties to meet the requirements of higher temperatures and greater pressures. Attack by acids is-one of the more important forms of corrosion-and in the last few years the development of acid-resistant alloys has been quite rapid. Perhaps the most notable example is that of nitric acid, 'the problem of which has largely been solved by the chromium-iron and chromium-iron-nickel alloys. Sulfuric acid may be handled in lead, iron, or the iron-silicon alloys, depending on conditions. As to hydrochloric acid, no metal or alloy can be called entirely satisfactory for handling. this acid under plant conditions.1 The results of our investigations on the resistance of the nickel-molybdenum alloys to hydrochloric acid have been confirmed by those of Guertler, Rohn, Schulz, Jenge, and others,' but thus far only one such alloy has approached commercial production in Germany; this contains approximately 15 per cent. chromium and 7 per cent. molybdenum with the remainder chiefly nickel. Dr. S. W. Parr, as far back as 1914, developed a complex alloy known as "illium," with a nickel base and containing some molybdenum.3 Dr. Parr was primarily interested in an alloy for lining bomb calorimeters, and while illium does show good resistance to acid it is too expensive for general use. Two United States

Jan 1, 1929

By Jan Wolski

Today's rapidly shrinking world requires a common language of measurements, a consistent system which could be used by everyone. The S.I. system of units is generally accepted as such and is already in use by a great majority of nations in the world. The change to S.I. units is also slowly taking place in U.S. engineering practice. The transition period is difficult and long because it takes time to get familiar with the new system, to start "feeling" values in new units. Instruments, formulas, computer programs, survey grids, etc. have to be converted or exchanged. The transition period should be used not only for substitution of units, but also for rationalization of presently used calculation methods. This paper examines the major parameters of mine ventilation from the above point of view and discusses a system which is much simpler and more consistent than the American Unit System still in use in the United States. In October 1979, the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME decided to introduce the S.I. unit system in all its publications including the periodical "Mining Engineering", and since February 1980 the system has been used consistently, not only in SME publications but in all conferences and meetings organized by this Society. The authors have no intention of explaining the details of the S.I. system in general. Any reader can find this information in many available publications and conversion tables, and in particular in the ASTM Standard for Metric Practice, E380-79. A comparison is made between various units used in mine ventilation from the past and those presently in use. This will allow an easy translation from one system to another, important when reading publications from abroad. S.I. and customary U.S. formulae are shown side by side for easier visualization of similarities and differences. Recommendations for the necessary steps in order to switch from American to S.I. units conclude the paper.

Jan 1, 1982

By Harry K. Ihrig

THE hot-working of iron and steel is an art dating back to antiquity, but until about 25 years ago, relatively few alloying elements were used, and these were present only in small percentages. With the exception of sulphur, the amounts of other elements in steels did not markedly affect their hot-workability. The references in the literature on the effect of other elements on the hot-workability of steel are usually reports of failure of these steels in forging or rolling.1/8 With the increased use of alloying elements, and their use in larger amounts, it was observed that many of the new steels were red short in certain critical ranges or at all hot-working temperatures. The stainless steels are particularly difficult to hot-work. The determining of the correct conditions for piercing, rolling and forging of these alloys by experimentation in the mill often results in large losses of these expensive metals. It also is found that the hot-workability limits of many types vary from heat to heat, and hence poor results are obtained on changing to a new heat after a previous one has rolled satisfactorily. To determine the effect on hot-workability of iron to which various elements have been added, it was, necessary to devise a method that could be used on small quantities of metal. In such a method, the minimum number of variables should be present, and the procedure should be simple, quick and correlatable with large-scale hot-working operations. Sauveur,9 in the first Henry Marion Howe lecture in 1924, described the effect of carbon on the ductility of steels in torsion near their critical points. He found that carbon increases the plasticity of gamma iron. In the 1930 Campbell Memorial lecture,10 he gives the effect of carbon, chromium, and chromium and nickel on the ductility of steels under 2000°F. in torsion. Ellis11 has studied the malleability of steels at various elevated temperatures by means of a single-blow drop-hammer test. In this test the percentage decrease in height of standard cylinders is taken as a measure of their malleability. He has shown that in the low-alloy steels studied, carbon has a greater effect than nickel, chromium and vanadium. In 1938 the first tests were run on a new quantitative hot-workability test in the laboratories of the Globe Steel Tubes Co. Thum12 mentioned it in 1940. An illustration of the apparatus was published in January 1942.11 The effect of a few alloying elements on the hot-workability of metals was shown in a description of the test in 1944.14 DESCRIPTION OF TEST METHOD The method adopted after a trial of several others is a rapid twisting of bars to failure in a furnace. The standard-size bar was chosen as 9/16 in. It is prepared from larger pieces by forging and cold-

Jan 1, 1945

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

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

Jan 1, 1948

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

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

Jan 1, 1948

By T. D. Yensen

In the investigation of the magnetic properties of iron-nickel alloys,' it was found necessary in order to make the alloys forgeable, or malleable, to add small quantities of some other element. Iron-nickel alloys have been known for nearly a century, but have been made in commercial quantities only since 1885. Their remarkable mechanical properties were disclosed by Riley in 1889 and from that time on a large amount, of research work has been done both to discover new properties and to correlate the results obtained.2 Lately the Bureau of Standards has collected the published data in a special circular" giving in compact form an account of the properties of the iron-nickel alloys. It also contains a clear historical sketch of the development as well as a selected bibliography. The chief difficulty with the development of iron-nickel alloys was that the "pure" alloys do not forge readily. The addition of small amounts of manganese, however, made the alloys forgeable, and manganese has therefore come to be regarded as a necessary constituent of nickel steels. The present paper shows to what extent manganese is needed for various nickel contents and also what is the effect of other alloying elements on the forgeability. It also touches upon the cause of forgeability but refers to other sources for more exhaustive treatises on the subject. The alloys were prepared by melting electrolytic iron and electrolytic nickel with or without other alloying elements in the desired proportions in a magnesia crucible in a vacuum furnace under a pressure of 1 mm. mercury. The ingots, weighing about 2 kg., were allowed to cool in vacuo. If pipes or blowholes were present, the ingots were cut in such

Jan 1, 1922

By T. D. Yensen

In the investigation of the magnetic properties of iron-nickel alloys,' it was found necessary in order to make the alloys forgeable, or malleable, to add small quantities of some other element. Iron-nickel alloys have been known for nearly a century, but have been made in commercial quantities only since 1885. Their remarkable mechanical properties were disclosed by Riley in 1889 and from that time on a large amount, of research work has been done both to discover new properties and to correlate the results obtained.2 Lately the Bureau of Standards has collected the published data in a special circular" giving in compact form an account of the properties of the iron-nickel alloys. It also contains a clear historical sketch of the development as well as a selected bibliography. The chief difficulty with the development of iron-nickel alloys was that the "pure" alloys do not forge readily. The addition of small amounts of manganese, however, made the alloys forgeable, and manganese has therefore come to be regarded as a necessary constituent of nickel steels. The present paper shows to what extent manganese is needed for various nickel contents and also what is the effect of other alloying elements on the forgeability. It also touches upon the cause of forgeability but refers to other sources for more exhaustive treatises on the subject. The alloys were prepared by melting electrolytic iron and electrolytic nickel with or without other alloying elements in the desired proportions in a magnesia crucible in a vacuum furnace under a pressure of 1 mm. mercury. The ingots, weighing about 2 kg., were allowed to cool in vacuo. If pipes or blowholes were present, the ingots were cut in such

Jan 1, 1922

By Bernard Schneider

The diversity of methods available to engineers and geologists for studying rock masses is a reflection of the fact that, despite the rapid and encouraging progress made over the last few years, there is still no unified and comprehensive method which can be used to predict the over- all behavior of a foundation. Nevertheless, it is agreed that the fundamental characteristic affecting the engineering properties of rock is fissuration, and this paper de- scribes a few new or improved methods of studying fissuration and its influence on major engineering factors such as permeability, deformability, or internal stresses in the rock volume. TESTS ON SAMPLES Conventional tests on samples using thin slices can be improved by staining the slices before cutting with certain ionic dyes which have an affinity for certain types of surface. This shows up the microdiscontinuities. For example (quoted terms are French trade names) : "Turquoise Motylhne JSA" will show up porous alteration of basic feldspars. "Vert brillant SA" is used for acid feldspars. "Fushine ASA" will show up voids in all rocks. A mixture of "Turquoise" and "Rhodamine BSA" will show up zones of alteration in all types of feldspars. With this technique, it is easy to make an optical classification of the different structural types, e.g.: (1) rocks completely free from voids; (2) rocks with microfissures, which in turn can be subdivided into (a) rocks with microfissures secant to the mineral structure, (b) rocks with microfissures parallel to the mineral structure, and (c) rocks with ran-

Jan 1, 1970

By R. J. Blackwell, J. R. Rayne, J. R. Henderson, W. M. Terry, D. C. Lindley

This paper presents the results of a laboratory investigation of the efficiency of water-solvent mixtures in recovery of oil. These mixtures may have the high displacement efficiencies characteristic of solvent floods and the high sweep efficiencies characteristic of water floods. Thus, the water-solvent process may increase the number of reservoirs in which a miscible-type displacement can be used profitably. The experiments on the use of water-solvent mixtures for recovery of oil were conducted to find the general applicability of the process. These studies demonstrated that, in flowing through sands, water and solvent segregated into a solvent layer on the top and a water layer on the bottom rather than flowing through the sands as a uniform mixture. Calculations based on the simultaneous flow of the water and solvent in layers were used to predict the effective mobility of the mixtures and the optimum operation of the process in steeply dipping, homogeneous reservoirs. As most reservoirs are not suited for the operation of the process under ideal conditions, experimental studies were conducted with sand-packed models scaled to represent more realistic reservoirs. These studies included the effects on recovery of oil of rate of injection, viscosity of oil, variations of permeablity within a formation and variations in water-solvent ratio. For the range of con-ditions studied, higher recoveries of oil were obtained with water-solvent mixtures than with water or practical volumes of solvent alone. INTRODUCTION A group of intriguing—because of their great possibilities—new oil recovery methods at the disposal of the petroleum engineer are the miscible displacement processes. These processes (high-pressure gas drive, en-riched-gas drive and LPG bank driven by methane) displace all of the oil from the portions of the reservoir swept by the injection fluid. The key question confronting the engineer applying one of these techniques to a particular reservoir is, "What fraction of the reservoir can be swept by injection of a practical volume of solvent?"." Intensive laboratory studies have been made during the past several years in seeking answers to the question of the sweep efficiencies which can be expected in solvent floods.' - These studies provided the answer that low-viscosity, low-density solvents channel and by-pass oil in sands with no dip. In horizontal sands, solvent flooding becomes less efficient as the viscosity of the oil increases, the recovery of oil at solvent breakthrough decreases and larger volumes of solvent are required to achieve a given recovery. More efficient displacement of oil by solvent is observed under certain conditions in sands with dip.".' If the permeability and dip of the sand are sufficiently high, gravity segregation of low-density solvent injected updip can prevent channeling. At rates of depletion below a critical rate,"." no channeling occurs. Unfortunately, in many reservoirs, the critical rate is so low that production of oil at rates below this rate is not economically attractive. And at rates over four times the critical rate, channeling is almost as severe in sands with dip as in horizontal sands. These findings pointed out that, for solvent floods to be generally applicable in recovering oil from all types of reservoirs, new methods of improving their sweep efficiencies are needed. Simultaneous injection of water with the miscible fluid was suggested by Caudle and Dyes7 as a method for improving sweep efficiencies. They theorize that water flowing with the solvent would decrease the effective mobility of the solvent and cause it to contact more oil sand. If, indeed, the water and solvent flowed as a uniform mixture, the process should have the advantages of the high displacement efficiencies characteristic of miscible floods and the high sweep efficiencies of water floods. Thus, the method (at least in theory) would greatly increase the number of reservoirs in which miscible-type displacements would be feasible. A research program was conducted to probe the technical feasibility of the water-solvent process. It

By B. G. Klugh

The present paper represents a preliminary investigation of the ultimate structure of iron-bearing materials which have been subjected to heat treatment for the purpose of agglomerating the fines, or for chemical changes, or for both. Primarily, the object of this inquiry was to determine the relation of the microstructure of each of these materials to its specific susceptibility to the action in the blast-furnace. It is hoped that this small contribution will serve as a nucleus to a line of research that will throw some light upon the debated questions involved in blast-roasting. Thus far the investigation has been conducted along lines of analogy of known principles, rather than through the application of any well-defined system of microscopic petrography. This is obviously due to the fact that we are dealing with ma-terials which are the artificial products of a new art, rather than with the natural materials from which the essence of the pure science has been evolved. In the limited time allowed for this research, it has been conducted upon those materials the chemical content of which allows of their use commercially in the blast-furnace. The following microphotographs are arranged in the order of the degree of complete fusion to which the mass in question has been subjected, in effectively binding the particles together. A very notable fact here clearly demonstrated is that the degree of fusion to which the material has been subjected is inversely proportional to the reducibility of the product. The characteristic of the material under consideration to which reducibility is almost universally attributed call be progressively traced in the following arrangement, through the identity of the obvious microscopic constituent. Furthermore, the degree of fusion to which a bod? has been subjected is recorded in the presence of resultant products of fusion in that body. Such readjustment is generally apparent

Jan 1, 1914

By R. A. Deju, R. B. Bhappu

Further information on the surface characteristics of the silicate minerals was obtained by experimentally correlating the oxygen-silicon ratio of the silicates with their electrokinetic properties. Specifically, the behavior of the minerals in an electric field was investigated using zero point of charge as a parameter. A modified electrophoresis cell was used for the determination of electrophoretic mobilities. It was shown that there is an increase in the zero point of charge with increasing oxygen-silicon ratio in the silicates. Finally, a chemical interpretation was presented to describe the surface phenomena observed in the experiments. In recent years great interest in surface chemistry has produced a number of methods to study the surfaces of minerals and to observe the phenomena occurring at their interfaces. One such method is discussed in this paper. A rather complete review of the surface characteristics of the oxide minerals has been undertaken by parks,' but, a similar study has not been made for the silicate minerals. Two previous papers by the authors2'3 attempted to remedy this situation. In these papers it was demonstrated that the reaction between the silicate mineral particles and acidic water involves mainly an exchange of metal ions for hydrogen ions on the surface of the solid, leading to an increase in pH of the aqueous phase. Also, the degree of reaction was found to depend on the oxygen-silicon ratio of the silicate structure, being least for the quartz and greatest for the olivines. A hypothesis was then set forth explaining that upon the fracturing of a silicate mineral, the oxygen-metal bond (which is almost entirely ionic in character) will break more easily than the stronger oxygen-silicon bond. This results in the exposure of unsatisfied oxygen sites on one hand and active, exchangeable cations on the other. These active sites on the fractured surfaces are then available for reaction with the hydrogen ions in acidified aqueous solution. Thus, an increase in degree of adsorption of hydrogen ions occurs as the oxygen-silicon ratio increases due to the presence of a larger number of active sites on such minerals. A correlation between oxygen-silicon ratio and electrokinetic properties will be further pursued in this paper from both the theoretical and experimental points of view. Efforts will then be made to present a chemical interpretation of surface phenomena observed in the experiments. It is believed that this study may supply pertinent information on the behavior of silicate minerals in froth flotation systems. ELECTROKINETIC STUDIES Equipment: In a previous paper,2 Deju and Bhappu described a simple method for determing the zero point of charge using a potential across a cata-phoresis cell and observing particle movement by means of a Rayoscope* optical system. This setup is simple in design and operation and extremely reliable. With care, reproducible results within 1.5% accuracy may be obtained. A new setup has been developed, based partly on the design by Zeta-Meter Corp.4 and partly on previous cells used at the New Mexico Bureau of Mines. This new, modified cell is shown in Fig. 1. Although

Jan 1, 1967

By C. E. Cottrell, G. W. Preckshot, N. D. Delisle, D. L. Katz

Most crude oils contain asphaltic substances that may be naturally or artificially precipitated. In the Greeley field, California, this asphaltic bitumen is precipitated during the flow of the oil from the reservoir to the stock tank The mechanism of such precipitation is not well understood. This paper presents the progress that has been made by using the electron microscope as a new tool and by observing the effects of the streaming potential on the formation of bitumen particles. Crude oils at atmospheric pressure viewed in the electron microscope in very thin films under a vacuum showed no asphaltic particles. A technique of preparing slides of thin films by dilution of the oil with benzene and washing in petroleum ether was used at first, and these observations showed that the solvents caused the formation of the particles, varying from 0.01 to 0.2 micron in diameter. The electrical effects of fluids flowing through porous solid were studied, with emphasis on the formation of colloidal particles by the streaming potential. The streaming potential of crude oil flowing through sand was measured and was shown to be responsible for the formation of bitumen particles. These results bring out a new phenomenon, which may occur when crude oil flows through the porous oil reservoir. mechanisms. Asphalt has been the subject of widespread investigation but, owing to the complexity of the substances being considered, progress has been slow. Investigators working primarily with the asphaltic substances have treated the subject from the colloidal standpoint and have developed theories that picture the asphaltic particles as surrounded by adsorbed materia1s.14,15,17,24 The deasphaltization of lubricating oil by the use of solvents treats the subject primarily from the standpoint of liquid-liquid equilibria.'' A complete understanding of asphaltic substances would make possible the following of the material from its initial state in the crude oil through precipitation processes to the final plastic stage, the most common form of which is used in asphaltic pavements. Since these asphaltic particles are very small, it appears 'hat the electron microscope4 might be a useful tool in studying the precipitation processes. Specimens are examined by the electron microscope in a vacuum and as very thin films, requiring special techniques in preparation of samples. A brief description of the electron microscope and its operation will bring out the difficulties and advantages of its use for this problem. The first work was done with crude oils that had been diluted with solvents for the preparation of the film to be examined. Later a technique was developed by which the undiluted oil film could be made thin enough for direct examination. These two techniques show vastly different results Asphaltic particles have been precipitated from crude oils by a variety of

Jan 1, 1943

By G. W. Preckshot, C. E. Cottrell, D. L. Katz, N. D. Delisle

Most crude oils contain asphaltic substances that may be naturally or artificially precipitated. In the Greeley field, California, this asphaltic bitumen is precipitated during the flow of the oil from the reservoir to the stock tank The mechanism of such precipitation is not well understood. This paper presents the progress that has been made by using the electron microscope as a new tool and by observing the effects of the streaming potential on the formation of bitumen particles. Crude oils at atmospheric pressure viewed in the electron microscope in very thin films under a vacuum showed no asphaltic particles. A technique of preparing slides of thin films by dilution of the oil with benzene and washing in petroleum ether was used at first, and these observations showed that the solvents caused the formation of the particles, varying from 0.01 to 0.2 micron in diameter. The electrical effects of fluids flowing through porous solid were studied, with emphasis on the formation of colloidal particles by the streaming potential. The streaming potential of crude oil flowing through sand was measured and was shown to be responsible for the formation of bitumen particles. These results bring out a new phenomenon, which may occur when crude oil flows through the porous oil reservoir. mechanisms. Asphalt has been the subject of widespread investigation but, owing to the complexity of the substances being considered, progress has been slow. Investigators working primarily with the asphaltic substances have treated the subject from the colloidal standpoint and have developed theories that picture the asphaltic particles as surrounded by adsorbed materia1s.14,15,17,24 The deasphaltization of lubricating oil by the use of solvents treats the subject primarily from the standpoint of liquid-liquid equilibria.'' A complete understanding of asphaltic substances would make possible the following of the material from its initial state in the crude oil through precipitation processes to the final plastic stage, the most common form of which is used in asphaltic pavements. Since these asphaltic particles are very small, it appears 'hat the electron microscope4 might be a useful tool in studying the precipitation processes. Specimens are examined by the electron microscope in a vacuum and as very thin films, requiring special techniques in preparation of samples. A brief description of the electron microscope and its operation will bring out the difficulties and advantages of its use for this problem. The first work was done with crude oils that had been diluted with solvents for the preparation of the film to be examined. Later a technique was developed by which the undiluted oil film could be made thin enough for direct examination. These two techniques show vastly different results Asphaltic particles have been precipitated from crude oils by a variety of

Jan 1, 1943

By L. P. Davidson

THE new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, Ill., in 1929 and .operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through Shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to storage tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment and recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in. the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching period, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutions can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid-either as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine-because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60° Be. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1942

By W. K. Tony Seiler

Further development of mechanical boring machines for hard and abrasive rocks will be effected by the development of more efficient rock cutting tools or the evolution of entirely new rock excavating principles. Presently the cutting tools suitable for extremely hard rocks and successfully and economically used with raise and tunnel boring machines are tungsten carbide insert big hole cutters. This paper explains the design, rock cutting principles, and actual boring operations to illustrate the capabilities and applications of tungsten carbide (TC) insert cutters. While the rate of borehole advance may fall short of the rapid excavating results achieved with soft rock boring machines, the cutter described in this paper may prove to be the most suitable tool in hard rock excavation for many years to come. DEFINITION OF HARD ROCK Existing bored excavations in hard abrasive rocks are proof of the economic application of new methods and mechanical rock boring in the mining industry. Most of the experience in cutting hard to extremely hard rocks has been gained in raise boring where relatively short and small diameter openings are bored. This poses a lesser risk regarding cutter cost than a long and large diameter tunnel and has therefore promoted the testing of various cutter products. Many types of rocks and geologic conditions were en- countered and actual test data was recorded in materials of up to 100,000 psi uniaxial compressive strength. To clarify the term hard to extremely hard, a 1970 interpretation of rock strength which was recently used is adopted and expanded in this paper.

Jan 1, 1971

By B. L. Landrum, P. B. Crawford

The rise of a new laboratory model for studying tran-sient fluid flow problems, is described. The theory of he model is based on the analogy between the equa-ions which describe the flow of compressible fluids in porous media and the conduction of heal m solids. The "thermal model" is used to study the Iransient Pressure distributions during fluid displacement in five Standard well patterns. The studies indicate quantita-ively how die pressures change with lane at any poit in the reservoir. It was found that, in general, the equipressure contours are more radial about the wells early in the program than after steady-state conditions are established. In addition two studies of fractured five-spot patterns are presented to illustrate the opplicability of the model for a wide range of reservoir conditions. INTRODUCTION In reviewing the oil recovery techniques involving fluid displacement it was found that a very considerable quantity, if not all of the fluid within the pattern, mav be displaced (during a time-dependent or transient period rather than the usually applied steady-state conditions. Since the oil is displaced during a transient period, it was believed desirable to study the nature of the transients for several of the commonly used fluid displacement patterns. A literature review indicated fairly complete studies of the streamlines and isopotentials for steady-state: yet few data were available on the transient displacement process. Several simulated steady-state multiwell displacement programs were carefully mapped by Foster and Lodge on an electrical conducting sheet as early as 1875, hut the more recent work of Muskat provides the best source for steady-state phenomena having direct petroleum production applications. In order to study the transient phenomena a new lab-oratory model was developed which is based on the similarity of the equations that describe the flow of fluids and the conduction of heal. The equations describing heat flow were developed early in the nineteenth century. Regorous solutions tor most transient problems are in gcneral complex and usually limited to fairly restricted houndary conditions.2 the thermal model may be used to obtain approximate solutions for many transient problems without some of the restrictions required for analytical solution. The application of the analogy between heat conduc-. tion in solids. electrical flow and fluid flow, in a porous media has long been recognised. Techniques originally developed for the solution of heat conduction prol?lems have in many instances proved useful in ohtaining solutions to fluid flow prohlcms. Ir is not surpri5ing then that a heat conduction or thermal model might bf usefull in sludying transient fluid flow. As an example ol the problems suitable for the study with the thermal model, transient pressure distributions during fluid displacement programs are studied for the five-spot, line-drive, staggered line-diibe. seven-spot 211 two fractured patterns. A model was constructed of an iron plate of geometry similar to the reservoir patterns under study. The principle of mirror images as suggested by Bryan was employed in shaping the model. A temperature differential was obtained by soldering two sections of copper tubing to the plate at points analogous to the well location in the field. Hot and cold water was passed through the tubing. The temperature distribution, analogous to the pressure distribution in the field. was obtained a a function of time from thermocouplcs distributed over the plate.

By Carlton D. Hulin

The usual concurrence in time and space of intrusive igneous activity, favorable structural disturbance and mineralization, which is so manifest in the mineralized district necessarily indicates a close interrelationship between these events. Evaluation of available evidence leads to the recognition that an appreciable time interval exists between the emplacement of the igneous intrusive and the formation of associated ore deposits. During this interval known portions of the intrusive are completely solidified, highly differentiated magma facies are injected as dikes, and important faulting occurs, which may fracture and shatter the solidified intrusive body. The highly differentiated dike types could only have originated in some deep portion of an underlying plutonic body that had reached an advanced stage of magmatic differentiation. Appearing after these dikes, the mineralizing solutions may likewise be presumed to have originated at great depth. Certainly no source for these solutions can be found in near-by portions of the intrusive igneous body. The association of igneous intrusives and clustering ore deposits must be recognized as resulting from structural control. The emplacemerit and the subsequent solidification and cooling of the intrusive set in operation forces that are responsible for the favorable structural disturbances that control the mineralized district. The emplacement of the body of fluid magma weakens the crustal rocks to the extent that failure due to strains originally present in the rock body may occur. Faulting of any type and of any magnitude may be the result. Subsequently, owing to the change of state from fluid magma to crystalline granitic rock, volume decreases approximating 10 Per cent may Occur, with resultant shrinkage and collapse within the rock body. Following solidification, thermal contraction, induced by cooling of the rock body, causes a further volume reduction of 6 per cent. This thermal contraction, extending over a lengthy period of time, results in a succession of minor fault movements. These small fault movements, occurring progressively throughout the period of mineralization, are responsible for maintaining the permeability of the rock body, without which access of the mineralizing solutions and the formation of the ore deposits of the mineralized district would be impossible. Introduction A proper understanding of the causes that have localized our mineralized districts should be of considerable value to geologist and engineer alike. under current conditions the known ore reserves of productive mining camps are being rapidly depleted. Although ore of the future will be derived in part from deposits now known and from Ore bodies that are still to be discovered within the limits of productive mining districts, in part at least it must come from mineralized districts whose existence or importance yet remain to be recognized. The mining geologist is thus faced with two problems of paramount importance: (I) the location of new ore bodies within known mineralized areas and (2) the location of new mineralized districts within whose confines, previously unknown, valuable Ore deposits may occur. Any contribution to our knowledge concerning the causes for the localization of mineralized districts

Jan 1, 1949

By Carlton D. Hulin

The usual concurrence in time and space of intrusive igneous activity, favorable structural disturbance and mineralization, which is so manifest in the mineralized district necessarily indicates a close interrelationship between these events. Evaluation of available evidence leads to the recognition that an appreciable time interval exists between the emplacement of the igneous intrusive and the formation of associated ore deposits. During this interval known portions of the intrusive are completely solidified, highly differentiated magma facies are injected as dikes, and important faulting occurs, which may fracture and shatter the solidified intrusive body. The highly differentiated dike types could only have originated in some deep portion of an underlying plutonic body that had reached an advanced stage of magmatic differentiation. Appearing after these dikes, the mineralizing solutions may likewise be presumed to have originated at great depth. Certainly no source for these solutions can be found in near-by portions of the intrusive igneous body. The association of igneous intrusives and clustering ore deposits must be recognized as resulting from structural control. The emplacemerit and the subsequent solidification and cooling of the intrusive set in operation forces that are responsible for the favorable structural disturbances that control the mineralized district. The emplacement of the body of fluid magma weakens the crustal rocks to the extent that failure due to strains originally present in the rock body may occur. Faulting of any type and of any magnitude may be the result. Subsequently, owing to the change of state from fluid magma to crystalline granitic rock, volume decreases approximating 10 Per cent may Occur, with resultant shrinkage and collapse within the rock body. Following solidification, thermal contraction, induced by cooling of the rock body, causes a further volume reduction of 6 per cent. This thermal contraction, extending over a lengthy period of time, results in a succession of minor fault movements. These small fault movements, occurring progressively throughout the period of mineralization, are responsible for maintaining the permeability of the rock body, without which access of the mineralizing solutions and the formation of the ore deposits of the mineralized district would be impossible. Introduction A proper understanding of the causes that have localized our mineralized districts should be of considerable value to geologist and engineer alike. under current conditions the known ore reserves of productive mining camps are being rapidly depleted. Although ore of the future will be derived in part from deposits now known and from Ore bodies that are still to be discovered within the limits of productive mining districts, in part at least it must come from mineralized districts whose existence or importance yet remain to be recognized. The mining geologist is thus faced with two problems of paramount importance: (I) the location of new ore bodies within known mineralized areas and (2) the location of new mineralized districts within whose confines, previously unknown, valuable Ore deposits may occur. Any contribution to our knowledge concerning the causes for the localization of mineralized districts

Jan 1, 1949

By Frank R. Milliken

This paper is a running commentary on metallurgical problems and developments, stressing ilmenite flotation, since the start of operations five years ago, at the mill of National Lead Company, Titanium Division, MacIntyre Development, Tahawus, New York. In early 1941, when world conditions threatened to cut off the supply of ilmenite (obtained largely from India) to this country, the National Lead Company started to develop and bring into production their MacIntyre Development. This operation supplied the bulk of the ilmenite used during the war period for the manufacture of the much needed titanium pigments. MacIntyre Development is at Tahawus, New York, on the headwaters of the Hud- son River in the center of the scenic Adirondack Mountains. A general description of the operation was given in the Adirondack Issue of Mining and Metallurgy for November 1943. Operating tonnages and production have increased since 1943, however. Nearly 10,000 tons of.ore and waste is broken and loaded daily in the open-pit mine. About half of this tonnage is ore, from which is produced nearly 800 tons of ilmenite concentrate and 1600 tons of magnetite concentrate daily. Ore—types From an ore-dressing standpoint, there are five rather distinct ore types and two waste-rock types in the mine. The ore types are shown in Table I. The anorthosite waste is a coarse-grained white rock, largely labradorite feldspar. The gabbro waste is generally finer grained, and contains, in addition to feldspar, 35 to 75 pct iron silicates such as hornblende, in garnet and biotite. A minor mineral mineralogically, but important metallurgically, is apatite. A few calcite

Jan 1, 1949