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By J. J. Bowman, E. H. Dix

A lack of experimental data illustrating the effect of composition, particularly in respect to impurities, on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of aluminum-alloy die castings induced the authors and their associates to undertake a limited study of these relations. A number of commercial alloys and several experimental variations of a commercial alloy were used for the investigation. Mechanical property, growth, steam, paraffin, salt spray and atmospheric exposure tests were employed. This paper deals with the more accelerated tests and the results they have produced. It is concluded that a high-silicon alloy with all impurities except iron strictly limited to small amounts will develop an excellent resistance to corrosion and retain satisfactory mechanical properties and casting characteristics. As a direct result of this investigation an alloy of this character with superior corrosion resistance is now available commercially. In general, copper increases the strength and decreases the elongation and corrosion resistance. Tin reduces the mechanical properties and the resistance to corrosion. Iron reduces the elongation and, if excessively high, may adversely affect the tensile strength. Even excessively high iron contents do not affect the corrosion resistance, which is fortunate for the die caster as it is this element that is the most difficult to control. Nickel and zinc in limited amounts do not seem to affect the properties or corrosion resistance of at least the high-silicon alloy. Growth tests have confirmed the previous common belief that dimensional changes under either dry or wet conditions at 100" C. are too small to be of practical importance. Introduction The technical literature contains numerous papers describing die castings, their production, compositions and uses, but nearly all of these

Jan 1, 1935

By Robert Linton

IN 1898, Joseph L. Giroux and J. A. Snedaker organized the Pilot Knob Copper Co. and began developing the Pilot Knob mine at Kimberly, Nev., for high-grade copper ores, carrying good gold and silver values that the formation had disclosed. At that time the nearest railroad was over 150 mi. distant. The high-grade ores did not prove to be extensive at this point-at least to the depth. (240 ft.) to which the work was carried-but development of neighboring claims indicated extensive deposits of sulfide porphyry ore of concentrating grade lying at shallow depth, and deeper deposits of direct-smelting oxidized ores occurring in limestone near the limestone-porphyry contact. The properties passed through the hands of several organizations, with only meager development, until acquired in 1913 by Consolidated Coppermines Co., whose holdings now comprise 3480 acres of mining claims in the Robinson district. Since that time development has been prosecuted more actively; and for the purpose of determining the most efficient and economical method of treating the ores, considerable testing work has been done during the past three years, both in the laboratory and in actual mill operations. At first, the shipments were of ore high enough in grade to be profitable even with the long wagon hauls to the railroad and prevailing freight and smelting charges. In 1905, a blast furnace and a concentrator were erected at Kimberly. On account of insufficient ore supply, the blast furnace was never blown in and later was dismantled. The concentrator as originally equipped wag operated for only about two months, both because the ore supply was not sufficient and because gravity concentration did not yield satisfactory extraction. The location and arrangement of the mill further entailed high operating costs. In 1908, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co. began to mill successfully, on a large scale, its sulfide porphyry ores, which are similar in character to the adjacent Coppermines ores. After that time, all of the ores and concentrates produced by Coppermines Company were

Jan 8, 1920

By Leland Van Wert

IN 1888, Howard,1 working at the Watertown Arsenal on the tensile properties of ferrous materials at various temperatures, noted the curious fact that the stress-strain diagrams of low-carbon steels tested within a certain temperature range (200° to 350° C.) departed more or less from the normal regularity of such diagrams as secured by testing at either above or below these temperatures. This same jagged appearance of similar diagrams for steels has been observed by at least one other investigator, and de Forest2 has reported similar irregularities in the tensile testing of some nonferrous alloys. Recently again, this anomaly in diagram contour has been shown in a most striking fashion, apparently because of its accentuation by the method of testing employed, by Dr. Albert Sauveur.3 He described (for nonaustenitic steels) two quite distinct types of torsional stress-time diagrams: (1) those with a regular and smooth outline, derived normally by testing at temperatures above 300° C., or below 200° C. (as, for example, Figs. 4a or e); and (2) those presenting a decided "stepped" appearance, which are invariably produced when twisting is done within the 200° to 300° C. range (examples, Figs. 5a and b). The torsion test brings out so much more sharply (and convincingly) the irregularities occurring at 200° and 300° C. than does the tensile test that they can no longer be considered as resulting from simply idiosyncratic or accidental and inconsequential causes. Clearly, from the temperatures involved, the "stepped" type of diagram, or more accurately, the peculiar manner of response to torsional stress which manifests itself in the diagram, is an aspect of the "blue-heat" phenomenon. One's curiosity if, nothing else, prompts an inquiry as to the nature and significance of these "steps." What do they mean? What causes them? To these questions there are no completely satisfactory answers. The following experimental observations are offered as suggestions towards the solution of the problem.

Jan 1, 1931

By John A. Prof. Church

ONE of the most striking phenomena connected with the mines on the Comstock lode is the extreme heat encountered in the lower levels. This heat is not due to the burning of candles, heat of the men, and decomposition of timbers, all intensified by bad ventilation, as was the case nearer the surface. It proceeds from the rock, which maintains constantly a temperature very much higher than the average of the atmosphere in Nevada. The heat of these mines is a matter of more than usual interest, for they are the only hot ones now worked in the United States, and both in the present temperature encountered and in the increase which is to be expected as greater depths are reached, they appear to surpass any foreign mines of which we have a record. Hot mines are known also in other countries, as in the tin and copper lodes of Wales, where one of the veins worked by the United Mines is known as the hot lode. It has springs which discharge water at a temperature of 116° Fahrenheit, the depth being 220 fathoms, or 1320 feet. The heat of the air in these workings is given at 100° to 113° Fahrenheit. The air is bad, and the heat in the drifts seems to be traceable to defective ventilation rather than to the real necessities of the case. Air is supplied through a small pipe, and is drawn from a place where the temperature is 95° Fahrenheit. Under such circumstances it is not surprising to read that in this hot mine the air is hotter than the rock, a state of things which I have never observed in the Comstock. Other mines have been reported to the British Coal Committee as having temperatures of 106° Fahrenheit and thereabouts, but the only positive comparisons that are available at this writing are the following, all from Cornish mines * Read by permission of Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Enginerrs, U. S. Arm J, in charge of U. S. Geographical and Geological Surveys, west of the 100th meridian.

Jan 1, 1879

By Charles Willis

THE time is no longer when a man can act as an independent unit; the appreciation of the interdependence of one man upon another has emphasized the importance of the social unit. Epidemics have made us recognize that even a man's health is not distinctly his own to control as he pleases. The physical examination of workmen previous to employment started with an effort to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, for tuberculosis may be .detected in its early stages and cured. But it was soon found that many other diseases were detected and the saving of lives made possible. The physical examination does not mean the elimination of the unfit-on that basis it would utterly fail- but rather the measuring of a man's physical fitness and placing the man where he can do the best for himself, his fellow worker, and the company. Industry as a whole cannot expect to live up to the standard of physical examination set for the army, nor should it expect to do so, for in all branches of industry there are types of work that do not require -the same amount of endurance as does army work, and the placing of men with physical limitations in the work for which they are' capable permits a higher average of physical fitness for the work requiring physical excellence.

Jan 7, 1919

By C. R. Johnson, R. A. Greenkorn, R. E. Haring

Three confined five-spot miscible displacements at unity, favorable, and unfavorable mobility ratios were conducted in a shallow, water-saturated sandstone of Pennsylvan-ian age near Chandler, Okla. These studies, plus associated laboratory experiments, were designed to measure miscible displacement performance in a controlled natural system, using known scaling criteria to develop an approach to modeling the heterogeneous field system. We have concluded from these studies that: (I) displacement efficiency in the field is a pronounced function of mobility ratio, indicating that miscible fingering observed in simple laboratory models occurs in the field: (2) field displacements can be quantitatively predicted by scaled laboratory models if the degree and location of field permeability variations are preserved in the models: and (3) arbitrary simplifications of heterogeneity will not necessarily predict observed displacement efficiency, and the simpler the model, the more optimistic the prediction. INTRODUCTION Many processes to achieve miscible displacement of reservoir oil by injected fluids have been conceived and field tested by the oil industry. Among the better known are high-pressure gas, enriched gas, and LPG banks. The simplest form of miscible displacement—one fluid miscibly displacing another fluid of different viscosity but the same density—has been studied extensively in homogeneous laboratory models. Observations of unstable fingering have been made which explain the significant decrease in displacement efficiency as the mobility ratio (ratio of displacing fluid mobility to displaced fluid mobility) increases. General industry experience with field tests of miscible displacement projects, mostly LPG banks, has been premature solvent breakthrough and lower than predicted production rate increases. These results have been attributed to either unstable fingering, unusual or unexpected permeability stratification, or both. Miscible displacement data in a controlled natural system have never been reported, however. Also, it has not been shown that properly designed and constructed laboratory models quantitatively predict field-scale behavior. The purpose of the combined field and laboratory ex- periments reported in this paper is twofold. The first was to measure miscible displacement performance at different mobility ratios in natural rock approaching field size under precise, controlled conditions. The second purpose was to utilize known scaling criteria plus several approaches to heterogeneity to model the field. Comparison of model and actual field results should then determine whether or not the laboratory phenomena (manifested by miscible displacement efficiency) are exhibited in large, natural rock systems. We carried out our program by first locating a shallow, water-saturated reservoir whose rock properties were representative of oil-bearing reservoirs. Detailed reservoir description by core analysis and interference testing showed the field site to be heterogeneous. A sequence of controlled, aqueous-phase miscible displacements was conducted at unity, favorable and unfavorable mobility ratios. A central, confined pattern was used to obtain the displacement data. A laboratory program using sand-packed models was conducted to determine the modeling criteria necessary to simulate field behavior of miscible displacement in a heterogeneous system. SCALING THEORY The detailed derivations and descriptions of the scaling laws that apply to laboratory models of reservoirs are adequately described elsewhere, so the following discussion will be restricted to facets of importance in this study. For a displacement in which one liquid miscibly displaces another, the following dimensionless groups are required to have the same numerical value in the model as in the field: The model also must be geometrically similar to the field, be spatially oriented the same as the field (same dip angle), and have the same initial and boundary conditions as the field (same initial fluid saturations and same injection-production well arrangement). When these conditions are satisfied, the theory predicts that at dny dimensionless time (pore volumes of produced fluids) the dimen-sionless flow potential and dimensionless fluid concentrations will be identical at all dimensionless spatial locations within the model and the field. If this prediction is correct, then the local dimensionless velocities must be identical, thus the instantaneous fraction of displaced fluid produced and the cumulative recovery expressed as fraction of original fluids in place must be identical at all dimensionless times. The theory outlined above has been obtained by either dimensional analysis or inspectional analysis of differential

Jan 1, 1966

By R. Philip Hammond

MONAZITE has had a Cinderella-like history. Although nearly go per cent pure rare-earth compound (rare-earth phosphate) it was sought at first not for the rare earths but for the sake of a minor constituent-thorium. The thorium, essential for the Welsbach gaslight mantle, was present in only small quantities and the principal constituents, the rare earths, were largely discarded. Gradually, however, the rare earths have developed uses of their own and today have left the thorium far behind in value. OCCURRENCE Monazite was first produced commercially about 1886, in North Carolina, where it was collected in small sluices by farmers who found it in stream beds on their land. The deposits were later exploited on a larger scale, but were mostly abandoned in a few years, when monazite from Brazil came upon the market in far larger quantities. Domestic production ceased entirely in 1906. The Brazilian source is still active, together with Indian, Dutch East Indies, and Australian deposits. Several other localities in the United States have yielded monazite, but none of these has produced commercially as yet. Monazite occurs originally in pegmatites and gneisses, through which, unfortunately, it is scattered in highly dispersed form. All commercially useful deposits consist of transported monazite sands liberated by erosion and concentrated by the action of water, which has sluiced away lighter materials and concentrated the heavy (D = 5.0 to 5.2) grains of monazite, together with ilmenite, zircon, garnet, and other dense minerals. The Carolina deposits were in stream beds; most of the other deposits mentioned are on or near the seashore, where the action of the waves has served to concentrate the monazite. In most cases today, the sands are worked to obtain the ilmenite and zircon, as well as monazite. The minerals are separated by means of sluices, dry tables, and magnetic separators, and each is finally obtained nearly pure. No crushing or grinding is necessary. The concentrates are shipped in fiber bags. COMPOSITION OF MONAZITE As Table I illustrates, monazite is the anhydrous orthophosphate of the cerium [ ] group of rare-earth elements. A small amount of yttrium and terbium group phosphate is also present.* All the rare-

Jan 1, 1946

By V. G. Mooradian, John T. Norton

THE diffusion of metal atoms into the crystal lattice of another metal and the assumption of regular positions to form a homogeneous alloy are some of the most fundamental phenomena of structural. metallurgy. The mechanism of this process has been the subject of a great deal of study from many viewpoints, but the picture is still far from complete. It is generally believed that if one metal is to diffuse into another, the first must have some solubility in the second1. This means that the solvent must be able to accommodate the stranger atoms, either on points of its own lattice or in the interstices between, without losing its own crystallographic identity. It is also a general observation that cold-working is a distinct aid in the diffusion process, causing it to take place with greater rapidity at the same temperature or with the same speed at a lower temperature. There is considerable doubt, however, as to the real significance of the deformation in its effect on the diffusion mechanism. Several factors associated with the cold-working. may be responsible for the increased diffusion rate. The plastic deformation causes a distortion of the solvent lattice, which may be an aid in the assimulation of atoms of another kind. There are many references2 in the literature that suggest that some distortion or "loosening" of the lattice is necessary for atomic migration and that diffusion cannot take place in the undis-

Jan 1, 1935

By Robert Sisselman

Dramatic changes have been effected since 1955 in the mode of iron ore shipments within the U.S. In 1955, less than one percent of ore consumed in domestic blast furnaces-approximately 125 million long tons-consisted of pellets. Five years later, in 1960, some 94.8 million tons of ore were consumed, 14% in the form of pellets. Projections for 1980 reinforce confidence in this most economic of blast furnace feeds, and set U.S. pellet consumption at 151.2 million tons. In the last decade, pellets caught fire in other countries. By 1969, world production reached 96 million tons. This compares strikingly with present world output of 154 million tons.

Jan 9, 1973

This paper "On Coal" was published in three issues of The Western Gleaner in 1814. Name of author is not given. This magazine was started by Cramer, Spear & Eichbaum, in Pittsburgh, Pa., in December 1813, and ran for about two years. Copies are very rare, and this one is made from an original in the Darlington Library, University of Pittsburgh. This is almost certainly the first general article on coal published west of the Allegheny Mountains, and one of the earliest in this country. ON COAL Its Natural History-Mining of Coal-Phenomena occasioned by Fire-damp-Method of Coking-Distillation of Tar from Pit-coal-Gas-light-Coal, a Manure I. NATURAL HISTORY OF COAL There are few productions of nature which present to the philosopher a wider field of investigation than pit-coal. A substance highly inflammable is found in the deep recesses of the earth, sometimes loaded with numerous superincumbent strata of hard rock, and extending frequently along with these strata through a vast expanse of territory. Though metals may be said to be inflammable substances, as they combine more or less rapidly with oxygen when placed under particular circumstances, yet the character of rapid combustion with disengagement of light and heat, seems to belong. principally to such substances as are derived either from the animal or vegetable kingdom. That this is probably the case with regard to coal we are further induced to believe, by the remarkable circumstance, that the chemical analysis of this natural production yields especially, though in various proportions, those materials which constitute essentially the vegetable. And if any thing was wanting to confirm, us in that opinion we might trace in a number of fossile substances the gradual transition of the vegetable into the state of mineral coal. This fact is so intimately connected with the natural history of coal, that we cannot think it superfluous to give it some farther development. Among the great number of principles which the chemist is capable of tracing in the vegetable kingdom, the presence of extract, resin and fibre seem to form the characteristical marks of plants.-If vegetable matter be boiled in water, and the water, after having been strained and filtered, be exposed for some time to the open air, a flocculent precipitate takes `place from every part of the liquor; which soon subsides to the bottom of the vessel containing it. This is the extract; altered, indeed, by exposure, and now no longer soluble in water, a change which is supposed to depend on the absorption of oxygen; and if, by any means the proportion of oxygen be increased, the extract gradually becomes of a darker color, blackens, and approaches to the state of charred wood.

Jan 1, 1942

By M. E. Wadsworth, K. J. Richards

The oxidation rates of tantalum in various partial pressures of carbon dioxide in the temperature range 700°to 950°C were measured with a thermo-gravimetric balance. Oxidation involved a surface -controlled reaction associated with the formation of a nonprotective layer of Ta2O5. Below about 720°C, there was a change in the rate-determining mechanism, and above 830°C the linear rate was preceded by a complex region of nonlinear oxidation behavior. The linear oxidation of tantalum has been explained quantitatively in terms of carbon dioxide adsorption, followed by a rate-controlling surface reaction. The initial adsorption has been expressed both as an equilibrium process and as a steady-state reaction. The enthalpy for chemisorption of CO, was determined to be -17.3 kcal per mole. The surface-controlled reaction had an activation enthalpy of 40.4 kcal per mole. A considerable amount of interest has been shown in recent years in the oxidation of tantalum and the nature of the oxide film produced. This interest is associated with the increasing demand in our technology for structural materials to withstand high temperatures and corrosive atmospheres. The low oxidation resistance of tantalum has severely restricted its application as a high-strength, high-temperature material. As a fundamental approach to the realization of the full poten- tials of this metal, the kinetics of the oxidation of tantalum in oxygen and air have been extensively studied; however, very little work has been reported on the effect of other gases, including carbon dioxide. According to Miller,' the only reported study of the reaction between tantalum and dry carbon dioxide is a restricted observation by O'Driscoll et al.2 at 8 atm absolute pressure and 500°C. Therefore, this study was made to investigate the reaction of tantalum with carbon dioxide. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS AND METHODS The vacuum-annealed tantalum used in this study was obtained from Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. as 0.025-mm-thick sheet stock. This material had less than 0.1 pct total impurities, and the maximum individual impurity concentrations were

Jan 1, 1964

By C. F. Rust

Experimental evidence is presented showing that reproducible formation resistivity factor measurements and resistivity index determinations on reservoir core samples map be made utilizing either the two- or four-electrode methods. Equipment is described which permits the application of either technique to the core specimen without loss of time and with a minimum amount of effort. Since electrical resistivity measurements on reservoir rocks are important not only in electric log interpretations, but also in the study of fundamental rock parameters, it was considered desirable to compare the applicability of both techniques of resistivity measurement. INTRODUCTION The techniques employed in the measurement of electrical resistivity on reservoir rocks, as practiced in the petroleum industry, may be reduced to two fundamental methods: one utilizing two electrodes only, usually referred to as the two-electrode method; the other using two additional electrodes and commonly known as the four-electrode method. In the former, the core sample whose resistivity is to be measured is mounted between two electrodes, usually metal discs, which serve to pass a current of known magnitude through the saniple. The potential drop across the sample, measured between these same two electrodes, and the core dimensions furnish the necessary data to compute he resistivity of the sample. In the four-electrode technique the end plates, again usually ol metal, still serve as current electrodes. Additional probes or electrodes dispersed along the sample are utilized to measure the potential drop. Both methods are used in practice1,2 and it is the purpose of this paper to compare the two techniques as applied to the determination of formation reiistivity factors and the resistivity index exponent n, in Archie's empirical equation I = p/po = Sw 11. To evaluate the two techniques it is desirable to point out the experimental precautions which must be taken to insure reliable results. It is evident from the electrode arrangements of the two- and the four-electrode methods that, for a given sample, the volume of sample included by the four-electrode method is less than the volume included by the two-electrode method. One of the prime difficulties associated with the two-electrode method is the possible occurrence of an abnormally high resistance between the electrodes and the brine-saturated sample, which results in erroneous resistivity values for the core sample itself. Attempts to alleviate this difficulty meet varying degrees of success. Methods used in the past employ such absorbent materials as brine-saturated Kleenex: chamois, or felt. A technique described by Morgan, Wyllie, and Fulton,1 appears to be more satisfactory. Their method consists of spraying or painting the end areas of a core sample with conductive silver paint. This technique reduces contact resistances between the porous medium and the electrodes to a value which is generally negligible as compared to the resistance of the sample itself. In the four-electrode method these requirements are not as stringent since separate probes are used to measure the potential difference acrozs a portion of the sample. In this case, contact resistance occurring at the current electrode; are of no consequence. and those appearing at the potential

Jan 1, 1952

By Newell Alford

AT its meeting in the fall of 1937, the Executive Committee of the Coal Division considered the growing scarcity of young engineers entering coal mining with serious intentions. This scarcity was the cause of con-siderable alarm and a committee consisting of C. T. Hayden, E. A. Holbrook, C. E. Lawall and L. E. Young, with the writer as chairman, was appointed to gather factual data on the current trend. A questionnaire1 was designed and mailed to the heads of the 60 mineral technology schools listed by Prof. W. B. Plank in his article in September 1937.2 Replies were received from 46 institutions, not all from heads of coal-mining courses but all from men that at one time or another have had experience with some kind of coal-mining curricula and know current student impressions. Our committee is indebted to all of these gentlemen for their cooperation. Our committee hoped by this means to quickly reach the root of the trouble and make a set of comprehensive recommendations to the Coal Division for relieving the industry immediately from the growing dearth of youth who yearn for coal-mining careers, but the condition is more serious than at first diagnosed. We must now refer the question back to the Coal Division, with the recommendation that the Division get the industry's permission for still another major operation on its frame of mind. In addition to 10-year statistics on the first pay received by graduates in coal mining and other technical work, we requested enrollment data for 20 years from all schools with either mining engineering or mineral technology curricula. Nine leading questions were also plied, as shown in the Appendix. Every one of the answers was significant and inter-esting. Fortunately, we encountered positive frankness that was extremely helpful.

Jan 1, 1938

By E. W. Steele

IN THE copper-casting department of a modern electrolytic copper refinery there are two kinds of casting furnaces: the first, or anode furnace for casting crude copper into anodes for electrolysis; the second, or refined-copper furnace for casting the cathodes resulting from electrolysis into market shapes, such as ingots, wire bars, and cakes. Both furnaces are reverberatories of practically the same general design and are operated intermittently, putting through a charge normally in 24 hours. The treatment of the copper in both furnaces is similar, in so far that oxidation followed by skimming and reduction (poling) is carried on in both; but in the refined-copper furnace, the work must be done with greater care and it is of extreme importance that not the slightest trace of impurity be introduced into the copper. The furnaces usually hold from 150 to 300 tons of molten copper, which constitutes the daily charge. Except in the case of furnaces in the Lake district, where the concentrates from native-copper ores are charged through the roof, the furnaces are charged through the side doors by charging machines similar to those used in open-hearth steel practice. In 1916, at the Perth Amboy plant, of the American Smelting & Refining Co., located at Maurer, N. J., a study was made of the possibility of firing the copper refinery furnaces with pulverized coal instead of by hand. The proposed method possessed obvious advantages over hand firing and coal was a much cheaper fuel than oil at that time. It was realized, however, that there were several objections to its use, the principal ones being the liability of increasing the sulfur content of the refined copper, and the additional slag that might be produced from the ash. The increase of the sulfur content of the refined copper was the more serious, as more than 0.002 per cent. sulfur is objectionable. In the case of the slag, any increase would be expensive as the copper in this slag would have to pass again through the entire smelting and refining process.

Jan 3, 1925

By Joseph S. Malesky

As essential as the discovery of coal was to our state of advancement, the discovery and development of explosives marks one of the most important findings in the history of civilization. For this reason explosives are rightfully referred to as the forerunner of progress. Without explosives our vast economic enterprise concerning the mining of coal, copper, iron, aluminum, and various other ores could not function. Explosives are used in all kinds of construction works, in the razing of old buildings, blasting of trenches, driving of tunnels, and in many other instances common to our everyday life. An explosive may be defined as a substance (usually a mixture) that, where flame or shock is applied, yields readily to rapid combustion or oxidation, accompanied by the formation of such relatively large quantities of gases as to produce much violence and pressure which, in turn, react against their surroundings and cause what is termed an explosion. By their very nature the action of explosives is destructive and disruptive of adjacent materials. Decomposition of explosives can occur through deflagration, which is rapid burning or combustion, as in the case of black powder, or through detonation, which is an almost instantaneous disruption, as in the case of dynamites and blasting agents. HISTORY OF BLASTING WITH EXPLOSIVES At one time workmen obtained stone blocks for building by grooving the rock with crude picks, driving wooden wedges into niches in the rock, and pouring water on the wedges; the swelling of the wood forced out the blocks. As late as the 17th century, fires were placed against the face of rock to crack it, and water was sometimes dashed on the heated rock to shatter it by sudden cooling. The progress of our country is synonymous with advancement of the improved manufacture and extended use of explosives. Coal had been

Jan 1, 1973

By S. F. Shaw

The principles involved in lifting oil in wells flowing naturally are identical with those underlying the flowing of wells by means of the air-gas lift, and information of a dependable nature obtained in the study of the air-lift can be applied to wells with natural flow. A well flowing naturally is one in which the lifting is done by means of the gas-lift, for which the gas is supplied entirely by the formation from which the oil is derived. In air-gas lift operations, there is insufficient gas supplied by the formation to lift the oil to the surface in an efficient manner, therefore additional gas for this purpose must be furnished from an outside source. There may, at times, be conditions obtaining in natural flowing wells different from those in wells flowed by gas-lift, but these differences do not at all conflict with the main principles of gas-lift work. One such condition is met with in wells in which the gas supplied by the formation is in considerable excess of that required to lift the oil to surface; this excess may be so great as to reduce the quantity of oil that can be lifted through the particular diameter of casing or tubing that has been lowered into the well. This same condition can be brought about, however, by supplying a large excess of gas from an outside source to an artificial gas-lift well, and a study of the effects obtained from injecting a large excess into the well can be applied directly to handling wells flowing naturally which have a large excess of gas supplied by the underground reservoir. Conditions for Lifting Oil The main factors to be considered in flowing wells are as follows: 1. Submergence, or pressure at the bottom of the tubing or casing. 2. Lift; the height to which the liquid must be raised. 3. Diameter of the flow tubing or casing. 4. Quantity of liquid to be lifted. 5. Pressure at the discharge end of the flow tubing, or back-pressure, as it is sometimes called.

Jan 1, 1930

By S. R. Gilbert, B. W. Burdett, L. B. Hales

INTRODUCTION Grinding control is currently the most publicized control subject in the minerals industry. Flotation control and crushing control have not as yet received the widespread attention that grinding control has. The primary reasons for this center around the high capital costs of grinding equipment and the fact that grinding mills are extremely energy inefficient. In a typical copper concentrator the energy requirements to produce refined copper are: (1) [Total Energy Distribution (Kw-hr/yr)% Mining4.93 x 10817.3 Mineral Processing9.63 x 10833.8 Smelting and Refining13.9 x 10848.9] One-third of the total energy used for copper production is for mineral processing. A breakdown of this energy into process steps yields the following: [Total Energy Distribution (Kw-hr/yr)% Crushing and Grinding 7.16 x 108 73.8 Flotation 0.76 x 108 7.8 Materials Handling1.78 x 10818.4] It is apparent that comminution operations consume the largest proportion of the energy for processing and as such become major targets for improvements in efficiency. Unfortunately, size reduction operations are extremely inefficient. Efficiency calculations for grinding range from less than 0.1% to about 5% depending on the evaluation criteria. Because of these facts, grinding control has been and will continue to be the focus of major process control efforts. OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS All benefits achieved as the result of grinding control are derived from modifying physical parameters which improve the efficiency of the grinding mill. These parameters include:

Jan 1, 1982

By J. E. Johnson

The subject of blast-furnace slag is one which has had much consideration, particularly from the scientific standpoint, and several years ago technical literature contained many learned discussions on the oxygen-ratio of the acids and the bases, all on the assumption that acids and bases must be present in a ratio depending on molecular weight and chemical valency. Much work has also been don.e, sometimes in conjunction with the former, on the total heat and the temperature of initial fusion or softening of various slags. A wider knowledge of the blast-furnace now enables us to say that for practical purposes this work has been of almost no value. It is now generally admitted that on,the physical side the important point of a given slag is neither its total heat of fusion nor its softening-point, but its free-running temperature, since this is the critical temperature of the furnace. This temperature bears no definite relation to the softening-temperature, as determined by Seger cones, for instance, because some slags melt relatively like ice, with a very short viscous-range, while others melt relatively like tar, with a very long viscous-range. In one the difference between the softening- and the free-running temperature may be very small, as little as 100° F., while in another this difference may easily be 200' or 300°. The importance of this difference is so great in practice as to destroy completely the value of exhaustive investigations, even such as those of 0. Boudouard, published a few years ago.'

Jan 1, 1913

By Berke L. Thompson

INTRODUCTION Purpose of Wall System There were 2379.88 m (meters) of tied back wall along Interstate 77 in the Capitol Complex area in Charleston, West Virginia. The main purposes of this wall system was for aesthetics, reduction of excavation, saving the forested slopes, and control of sloughage of the back slopes onto the Interstate. Failure At 1 PM on Thanksgiving Day, 1982, 3 wall panels fell from the insitu position onto the interstate in a matter of seconds. See Fig. 1. The total length of wall that fell was 29.25m. The height of the three panels varied from 10.06m to 10.36~1 and each individual panel had a length along the highway of 9.75m. These were abutting panels that were approximately in the middle of a section of wall 165.81m long. The panels separated from the remainder of the wall at 2 expansion joints that occur at the ends of every 3rd panel. The reinforced portland cement concrete panels were designed on a 76.2mm (millimeter) batter. See Fig. 2 for Wall Dimensions. The footer for these panels was lm wide, was keyed into sandstone bedrock 0.30m and was approximately 1.52m below the portland cement concrete pavement and shoulder. Thirteen of the 17 panels in this section of wall were tied to the sandstone bedrock behind the wall by either 25.4mm or 34.93mm hollow rock bolts. Two panels on each end of the wall were cantilever type walls. The panels that failed had 25.4m hollow rock bolts. A portion of each panel adjacent to both sides of the failure was pulled out from the rock face and appeared to be in imminent danger of also failing. All of the 21 rock bolts in the panels that fell were separated either at the backface of the wall, in the extension from the wall to the rock face or at the rock face. None of the rock bolts had been pulled out of the bond length in the sandstone bedrock. After considering the condition of the wall and

Jan 1, 1984

By G. E. Steudel

THE study of the possibility of effecting a lower cost in the manu-facture of pig iron reveals the importance of the ever present question of slag chemistry and volume. Factors that determine slag chemistry and volume are the impurities in the ore available, the ash-sulphur content of the coke, and a flux material necessary to promote removal of sulphur. Of these, the ores present by far the major source of impurities and what may prove to be the lowest practical slag volume with desired chemistry in one locality may be considered low or high in some other center of iron manufacture. The Chicago district is not only blessed with ores of high quality, but with excellent coke and flux materials as well. It is the intent of this paper to discuss slag problems at the South Works only, where burdens consist of Mesabi ores, Michigan stone, and coke ranging from 7 to 9 per cent ash and containing an average of 0.57 per cent sulphur. Early in the development of modern blast-furnace practice, the con-sideration of slags was secondary to the many adjustments of mechanical difficulties, such as furnace lines, stock distribution, stove design for obtaining higher blast temperatures, improved chemical segregation and size of raw materials. Furnace operators, after making these improve-ments, turned their attention to the study of other refinements in practice, of which slag chemistry appeared to be the most important. It is only within the last two decades that operators have become familiar with the various aspects of slag compositions. The industry, while rather slow in its recognition, is indebted to such investigators as Rankin,1 Wright,1 Feild,2 Royster,2 McCaffery,3 Kinney,4 Holbrook,5 and Joseph5, whose researches concerning the elimination of sulphur within the blast furnace and the effect of slag composition upon melting point, viscosity, and desulphurizing power have established criteria for the selection of slags of the requisite quality.

Jan 1, 1939