Search Documents

By M. ROWE, H. E. Gilliland, L. BARNES

The authors of this paper are to be commended for a clear exposition of a timely subject. However, some important conclusions, in addition to those presented in the paper, can be drawn from the results of their elaborate and rather complete numerical computations. First of all, the major part of the calculations presented in the paper are for semi-infinite slabs of oil shale (the authors designate this as Model I) and a question must be posed — Are these elaborate computations needed to arrive at realistic estimates of the shale oil displaced. Consider the model of Lauwerier* that corresponds to the authors Model I if thermal conduction parallel to the fracture be neglected. If one also neglects the finite (but relatively small) heat capacity of the material in the fracture, it is easily shown from Lauwerier's solution that the cumulative oil production would be:

Jan 1, 1969

By AIME AIME

Award of a Gold Medal : to the Institute. The Jury of Awards of the Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition has conferred a gold medal, the highest distinction within its power,. on the American Institute of Mining Engineers for the excellence of its publications during the past decade. ; A half-tone photographic reproduction of both sides of the medal is given in the accompanying illustration.

Jan 7, 1908

ENGINEERS AVAILABLE (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) Member, technical graduate, aged 36. Experienced copper metallurgist and mining geologist. Familiar also, through 15 years' broad practical experience, with mining, cyanidation, concentration (including oil flotation), metallurgical accounting, and mine and plant management. Best references. No. 237. Member, graduate engineer with 10 years' experience in malleable, gray -Iron, and steel, as chemist., metallographist, and metallurgist. Researches and investigations by laboratory methods and under works conditions. No objection to some routine. No. 243. Member, technical graduate, broad experience in coal, oil, and clay. Will go anywhere as mining geologist after Sept. 1, 1915. No. 244. Member, technical graduate, aged 30, married, with over 10 years' experience as chemist, engineer on construction, superintendent and general superintendent of bituminous coal and coke plants. SpeaksSpanish. References. No. 245. Member, open for engagement as mine safety inspector or as superintendent of bituminous coal mine. No. 246. Member, graduate mining engineer, with five years' experience in coal mining as mining engineer, construction engineer, pit boss, and superintendent, open for engagement. Best references. No. 247.

Jan 9, 1915

By F. Weinberg, L. MacAulay

DAVIS,' in an investigation of solute redistribution along molten rods of dilute silver in tin, concluded that at horizontal temperature gradients below approximately 5°C per cm very little convective mixing takes place. Cole and winegard2 observed temperature oscillations in horizontal melts of tin, with temperature gradients of several deg per cm. They associated the temperature oscillations with the presence of convective flow in the melt. At temperature gradients less than 1°C per cm they did not detect convective flow. In the present work, direct measurements of con-vective flow in liquid tin have been made using a radioactive tracer technique. The results indicate that extensive convective flow occurs at temperature gradients below those previously reported. The apparatus used to determine the extent of con-vective flow is shown in Fig. 1. The graphite boat Fig. l(a), has two rectangular channels both of which contain molten tin. Radioactive Ag110 in the form of Sn-0.2 pct Ag alloy was introduced at the end of one channel, by rotating the cylinder shown. A series of fixed thermocouples were positioned along the center of the second channel to determine the temperature gradient. It was assumed that the two channels had identical temperature distributions. The graphite boat was inserted into a vycor tube which was surrounded by a multiple winding tube furnace as shown in Fig. l(b). The tin was melted in an argon atmosphere. The distribution of Ag110, as a function of position along the boat at a given time after introduction of the ~g"', was determined with the

Jan 1, 1970

Jan 1, 1967

By L. A. Updegraff

Before discussing the application of capacitance for the measurement of moisture content in a moving stream of coal it might be well to first give a brief description of the process and then show how it can be applied to the coal industry. A capacitor may be described as a device having two conductors separated by an insulator, the conductors hereafter being designated as a test cell or test plates and the insulator as the dielectric. Capacitance, therefore, is a measure of the ability of a capacitor to store an electrical charge. Two basic factors that affect capacitance are the dimensions of the capacitor and the dielectric constant of the insulator. Capacitor dimensions which affect its capacity are the area A of the conductive surface, and the distance d between plates. Capacitance is inversely proportional to the distance between plates and directly proportional to area A, so if capacitance is indicated as C and the dielectric constant as K the equation for capacitance would be C = AK/d. The dielectric constant can be described as the ratio of the actual capacitance of any given material to that of a vacuum, which is unity. In industrial applications the area of the plates remains constant as also does the distance between them, leaving the dielectric constant as the only variable to affect the capacitance measurement. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an r-f excited capacitance bridge in which a test cell is part of the circuit. This bridge consists of four capacitors in two pairs connected across an a-c voltage source. In one side of the circuit the two capacitors are fixed but in the other side they are variable, one being the rebalance capacitor operated by the servo motor and the other the test plates between which the dielectric passes. Capacity of the plates is a function of the dielectric constant of the material between them and is measured at radio frequency. Within the recording instrument is an r-f oscillator and a 60 c ps modulator. The radio frequency signal is generated by the oscillator, modulated by a 60 cps wave, and sent to the bridge. Therefore the signal entering the capacitive bridge is a radio frequency carrier with a 60 cycle envelope, If the bridge is in balance as the signal enters there would be no voltage drop and so no output by the detector. As long as the dielectric constant remains the same the bridge will stay in balance. However, any change in the dielectric constant, which in this case would be a change in moisture content, would affect the bridge. Higher moisture increases the capacity of the test cell which causes less voltage to develop across it causing imbalance of the bridge. This in turn causes a radio frequency signal to appear at the detector. Output from the detector is a 60 cycle ripple which is in proportion to the imbalance of the circuit. A 60 cycle amplifier boosts the detector signal to enough power to drive the servo motor which positions the recording pen and also rotates the variable capacitor, to which it is mechanically connected, to bring the bridge back in balance. An increase in moisture causes the servo motor to rotate in one direction, but a decrease causes imbalance in the opposite direction, and thus rotates the motor in that direction. This brings the bridge back in balance and stops the motor. The bridge shown in Figure 1 has been modified so as to provide a wide range of adjustments. Coarse and fine span adjustments located in the recording instrument are set to govern the amount of pen movement for a given change in capacitance. A measuring head unit contains coarse and fine zero adjustments for

Jan 1, 1961

Jan 1, 1968

The income of the Institute is derived from dues, subscriptions to MINING AND METALLURGY and sale of publications. These sources are fortunately supplemented by the interest from invested funds now amounting to over $500,000, a considerable portion constituting endowments for especial purposes. Aside from the medal funds the principal endowments are the James Douglas Fund for support of the Library, the Rocky Mountain Fund and the Seeley W. Mudd Memorial Fund. The income from the two last named is available for the support of research and a variety of other purposes. It is allocated by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of standing committees in each case. An active effort is being made to increase the endowments of the Institute, it being felt that unusual opportunities exist for research and public and professional service through the organization and at a minimum of expense. J. V. W. Reynders is chairman of the Endowment Committee.

Jan 1, 1923

By Ralph M. Roosevelt

IN AS MUCH as our Institute, by tradition, never adopts any official view of matters upon which difference of opinion exists, it may be taken for granted that the duty of its Production Control Committee does' not embrace the formulation of any general policy on that much-discussed subject. During the first years of its existence the Committee confined its activities to making arrangements for an annual general session at which the broader aspects of the general problem were discussed by men both within and outside the mineral industry. These general sessions, although interesting, did not indicate any definite path of progress, so during the last year the Committee has held a number of luncheon meetings at which the members might discuss in detail problems existing in the specific industries with which they are most closely acquainted, in the hope that discussions dealing with conditions rather than theories might result in the bringing to light of some general truths. Most of these truths have been fairly obvious from the beginning but they are of such basic importance that a periodic restatement of them seems worth while,

Jan 1, 1932

THE transformation, in a sample of levitation melted iodide titanium, has been studied with a Leitz hot-stage microscope. The specimen was etched in HF:HNO3: glycerine, (1:1:2) giving a structure shown in Fig. 1, and was then heated at approximately 5OC per min. At 870°C (±5OC) the etching product disappeared, the a-grain boundaries showed in relief, and some new grain boundaries (presumably of ß) appeared (Fig. 2, see arrow). Some evidence of ß-grain growth is indicated by the apparent longitudinal movement of a ß-grain boundary shown in Figs. 2 and 3 (see arrows). The specimen was later heated to 1000°C and then cooled at 2°C per min. At 845°C rumpling of the surface was first noticed, Fig. 4, and continued at constant temperature. The photomicrograph reproduced in Fig. 5 was taken 6 sec after Fig. 4, at 845°C. Fig. 6 shows the structure after cooling to room temperature. The room-temperature structure, showing a rumpled surface has been observed by previous investigators.' These structures presumably indicate a sheer transformation ß - a, athermally nucleated, but capable of isothermal progression.

Jan 1, 1960

By D. R. Cook, W. M. Shepard, H. T. Morris

The East Tintic district in central Utah has produced ores of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc valued at more than $120,000,000. All of this ore has been produced from blind ore bodies in Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that are concealed beneath hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks and cut by intrusive bodies of Eocene age. The Paleozoic rocks, which range in age from Early Cambrian to Mississippian form the core and limbs of a large, northtrending asymmetric anticline that is cut by low-angle thrust faults, high-angle transcurrent faults, mineralized fissures and faults, and normal faults that are both older and younger than the mineralized fissures. The ore bodies generally may be grouped into two classes: ( 1) massive replacement bodies that are rich in silver, lead, zinc and manganese and (2) fissure veins that are valuable primarily for their content of gold, copper, and silver. The replacement ore bodies are localized chiefly in the Middle Limestone Member of the Ophir Formation of Middle Cambrian age where it has been thrust-faulted against older or younger rocks and cut by northeast-trending mineralized fissure zones. The fissure veins primarily are productive only in the Lower Cambrian Tintic Quartzite. Extensive lowgrade deposits of lead-zinc-silver ore recently have been discovered in Devonian carbonate rocks in the Lower plate of the East Tintic thrust fault but as yet are unevaluated. The principal guides to ore include: ( 1) intersections of northeast-trending fissures and crossbreaking faults that brecciate the carbonate rocks; (2) zones of late-stage pyritic, calcitic, and sericitic alteration in the lavas; ( 3) primary geochemical anomalies in the altered rocks; and ( 4) mineral zoning patterns of the known ore bodies. The present development of the Burgin mine would seem to assure the continued productivity of the district for at least a decade.

Jan 1, 1968

By William P. Shinn

Jan 1, 1880

By H. C. Johnson, J. K. Elliott

One of the primary requirements for successful operation of an enriched gas-drive project is to control the composition of injection gas. This can become a serious and difficult problem, particularly in cases where the enrichment material is being furnished from a number of field -produced gas streams. It is possible to effect control of the injection gas composition through frequent or continuous sampling; however, this can be extremely costly and, in many cases, impractical due to laboratory requirements of time. Another alternative would be to provide a calculation technique which would be flexible and sufficiently accurate to predict composition of the liquid and gas streams of interest at any point in the system. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a technique that was used successfully on an operating enriched gas-drive project for developing information which could be used for controlling composition of the injected gas. FIELD OPERATIONS The particular field (hereafter called Example field) in the example operation being discussed is composed of four oil reservoirs (A. B, C and E) and one gas condensate reservoir (D). Casinghead gas from the oil reservoirs and gas from the gas condensate reservoir are gathered through a field gathering system as shown in Fig. I for injection into Reservoir C. The gas mixture which is recovered from the five reservoirs for injection purposes is composed of gases liberated in 19 individual separators, each operating at a separate temperature and pressure. PROPOSED CALCULATION TECHNIQUE It is well known that vapor-liquid equilibrium calculations in general use throughout the petroleum industry can be used to predict reliably the phase behavior of hydrocarbon mixtures, particularly at pressures less than 1,000 psig. It is then a simple matter to account for the material on a ComPonent basis by m''ing flash and material balance calculations at each separation point in a hydrocarbon system. Accordingly, it was proposed to use vapor-liquid equilibrium and material balance cal- culations with a medium-sized electronic digital computer as a basis for developing a control procedure for use in controlling injection gas composition in the enriched gas-drive project. Although the approach is a simple one, the numerous vapor-liquid equilibrium calculations involved make the problem laborious; in this particular case, it would have been impractical to make sutficiently complete analysis without the aid of digital computing equipment. SAMPLING AND VERIFICATION OF CALCULATION PROCEDURE To obtain representative gas and liquid stream samples and to provide a quantitative measure of overall system Performance for comDarative purpLses, a thorough test of the field and plant system was conducted in the summer of 1957. Oil production at each battery was sta-

By John V. Beall

Cutting costs and increasing safety with new ideas is the byword with The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. on the Marquette Range in Michigan. Among the new ideas being tried out are mechanical shaft mucking, prefabricated lagging to replace timber poles, Carset bits in shaft sinking, and rubber tired guide wheels on the ore skips. Plans are being made to stockpile ore with conveyor belts during the winter. In sinking the Mather "B" Shaft a 3/8-yd clamshell-type bucket is used for mucking. The clamshell is opened and closed by means of a verticallymounted hydraulic ram actuated by 5000 psi oil pressure. An Ingersoll Rand-type hoist is used to raise and lower the clamshell. The hoist is controlled by one member of the crew on the floor of the shaft. When the bucket is raised, the men swing it over the muck pile to the desired position and then it is lowered on to the broken rock. The 1400-lb weight of the bucket causes it to sink into the broken rock and it digs as the ram closes the bucket. The hydraulic ram is operated by a man on the lowest shaft steel set who controls a specially designed oil pump which supplies oil pressure. The clamshell is emptied.

Jan 1, 1949

For the benefit of those of our members who are considerable holders of securities,but owing to their isolated situations are not in close touch with the metropolitan market and current quotations, we are publishing two very interesting graphs, showing the course of the bond and stock markets in New York over a long period. These graphs are furnished through the courtesy of the financial department of the New York Tribune.

Jan 11, 1919

By B. D. Thomas

When the origin and early plans, of Battelle Memorial Institute were described in this journal in October 1929 by R. W. Gillett the first director, the doors of the laboratory had just been opened and the hope of the founder that the institution serve the world by research for industry still existed only as an ideal in the minds of the thirty or so employees who then constituted the staff. Since that time the country has experienced troublous times. A devastating depression plunged the entire world into an unprecedented period of financial and industrial inactivity; and the slow recovery of the late thirties was soon to be overtaken and overwhelmed in the violence of war. Through this time of stress Battelle has continued to grow. The staff has increased to almost 600; buildings and equipment have been added, until now it stands in a place of pre-eminence in the metallurgical and engineering world.

Jan 1, 1944

Jan 1, 1967

Establishment of a Bureau of Mineral Research at the Michigan College of Mining and Technology, initiated by the State of Michigan with legislation in 1951, is moving toward realization. The Michigan Legislature appropriated $24,000 to cover preliminary costs of plans and specifications for "engaging in a broad, widespread study of the beneficiation of lowgrade ores, of ore dressing, and all the problems of metallurgy that enter into such a program." Ralph C. Calder, of Detroit, who designed Michigan Tech's campus buildings, is preparing plans for the proposed Ores Research Building. Members of the college staff, Professors F. J. Tolonen, W. E. Keck, and Research Engineer Paul Jasberg are assisting in preliminary planning. C. Harry Benedict, retired chief metallurgist of Calumet and Hecla and a member of Michigan Tech's Board of Control, is assisting with technical details. Professor Nicholas Manderfield, head of the department of Mineral Dressing, was assigned to visit other research installations and suggest plans for the Bureau.

Jan 1, 1952

By Robert D. Longyear

IN MOST diamond core drilling the primary objective is the recovery of samples to be used for chemical analysis, physical tests, or visual inspection. Unless these samples are reliable and the information systematically recorded, the time and money spent in securing them are largely wasted. A properly taken diamond-drill sample is similar to a properly moiled channel sample but more accurate. No channel sample can be moiled in as even a groove as the smooth cylinder of material normally removed in diamond drilling. More important still, sampling by the diamond drill practically eliminates that personal equation which Jora1emon4 reference numbers apply to publications listed in the bibliography at the end of this article) has aptly termed "the almost magnetic attraction of the most conscientious hand toward rich pieces of ore."

Jan 1, 1937

By Henry Schwellenbach

LABOR shortages, rising wages, and changes in moisture and fines content of the ore necessitated a review of the flowsheet at Warren Foundry & Pipe Co's. Mt. Hope, N. J. Mines Div. This plant had been designed prior to World War II, and started operations in January 1945. When this operation was designed there was an oversupply of labor in the area, wages were at a reasonable level, the run-of-mine ore was low in moisture, and there was a limited amount of fines. These factors all favored use of hand picking for cleaning rougher lump concentrate. Since that time, many changes have occurred. The proximity of defense industries and large military installations, has created one of the most acute labor shortages in the country. This labor shortage together with present wage levels, and the increase in moisture and fines in the ore created several problems. The increase in moisture and fines may be attributed to changed mining methods, the extensive use of sprays, and the opening of new mining areas bringing an increase in ground water. [ ] Two problems were presented by the increase in moisture and fines. The first was that lump ore arrived at the open hearth in an unacceptable condition, due to the segregation enroute of the large amount of fines that had adhered to the lumps. The second problem was that high magnetite content fines coated the large lumps, making it difficult for pickers to distinguish middling by other than the relative weight. [ ]

Jan 1, 1952