Search Documents

By A. W. Ashbrook

The constraints which are being imposed on metallurgical operations in respect to the environment and worker hygiene are having a substantial influence on the various processes which are being studied and developed for future use. The unit process of solvent extraction can be no exception. It is therefore vital that sufficient be known about the effects of a solvent extraction process in terms of its environmental and hygiene impacts before the process gets to the construct- ion stage. The purpose of this section is to bring these matters to the readers' attention, and to indicate, albeit briefly, some of the problems, and what we know about the effects, of SX processes from an ecological point of view. Hydrocarbons Petroleum hydrocarbons are bio-degraded to form C02; several factors may limit the rate of bio-degradation, which are as follows:

Jan 1, 1978

By Theron Wasson

The Central Michigan area held first place in the state during the year. Midland and Isabella, the leading counties in 1932, produced most of the oil in 1933. The Porter field southeast of Mt. Pleasant and along the same structural trend saw the greatest drilling activity. In Porter during the year 117 new wells were drilled. Under proration these wells produced 3,583,617 bbl., or nearly one-half the total for the state, which has been estimated at 7,947,695 bbl. The Porter field is already outlined on all sides except the northwest. It probably reached its peak in 1933. Unless a new field of some magnitude is developed in 1934, Michigan will see a continuous decline. The Greendale extension to the old Mt. Pleasant field furnished the new flush for 1932. In 1933

Jan 1, 1934

By L. Moussoulos

Pyrite concentrates produced at the Olympias mines, Northern Greece, show an unusually high gold and silver content (16-20 and 25-40 ppm respectively), associated with the presence of arsenopyrite; their high As content (5-8%) has hindered their utilization so far. In the present paper a simple and environmentally safe method that permits their complete utilization for the production of SO2 gas, As203, and the recovery of Au and Ag is described. According to this method, the pyrites are subjected to a single-stage oxidizing roasting in a fluid bed reactor. The precious metals, and approximately 45% of the contained As, remain with the cinders, while the rest of the As is removed with the SO2 - bearing gases and can be recovered by suitable treatment. The gases, after further cleaning, can be utilized for the production of sulfuric acid.

Jan 1, 1984

By David R. Mitchell, H. E. Oehler, Henry Emmett Gross

The production of fluorspar is one of the smaller nonmetallic industries in the United States with a capital investment—about $10,000,000. Shipments from United States mines1 in 1936 totaled 176,231 short tons valued at $3,111,268, an average price of $17.65 per ton. The United States produces about 40 per cent of the world's fluorspar, of which about 90 per cent comes from the Illinois and Kentucky deposits along the Ohio River.2 Further detailed information on the fluorspar industry in the United States is given by Hatmaker and Davis.28 The concentration of the coarser sizes presents relatively little difficulty, good recoveries being obtained with jigs and tables. However, sizes smaller than about 10 mesh cannot be successfully treated by ordinary gravity separation methods and so have been accumulating as

Jan 1, 1939

By Noel F. Boyd

Coal can be liquefied and gasified by several methods, all of which are being investigated and evaluated because each has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of capital costs, end-products, and extent of required gas clean-up. Since coal conversion requires coal preheating to some extent, all these schemes begin with a coal-preparation step in a pressurized and heated reactor vessel where, in most cases, some additive or catalyst is usually injected. Extracting hydrogenated fuels from coal is not really a new science. Many people still recall the old "coal oil" that fired the lamps of stoves of rural America until the 1920's; the coal oil was produced by a basic Fischer- Tropsch method which has since been further developed to synthesize liquid fuels in the form of 86 to 90-octane gasoline and diesel fuel.

Jan 9, 1974

By Henry Emmett Gross, David R. Mitchell, H. E. Oehler

The production of fluorspar is one of the smaller nonmetallic industries in the United States with a capital investment—about $10,000,000. Shipments from United States mines1 in 1936 totaled 176,231 short tons valued at $3,111,268, an average price of $17.65 per ton. The United States produces about 40 per cent of the world's fluorspar, of which about 90 per cent comes from the Illinois and Kentucky deposits along the Ohio River.2 Further detailed information on the fluorspar industry in the United States is given by Hatmaker and Davis.28 The concentration of the coarser sizes presents relatively little difficulty, good recoveries being obtained with jigs and tables. However, sizes smaller than about 10 mesh cannot be successfully treated by ordinary gravity separation methods and so have been accumulating as

Jan 1, 1939

By R. S. Schechter, T. R. Guilinger, P. Bobeck, J. G. Price, L. W. Lake

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the rate of uranium and molybdenum extraction from a flow reactor. Specific variables tested are fluid throughput and flow rate, lixiviant cation, and injected pH and carbonate concentration. The ore tested was from the Felder mine in southern Texas. It contained substantial quantities of marcasite and molybdenum disulfide that competed with the uranium ore for oxidant. Flow studies showed the oxidation of molybdenum disulfide under field conditions is mass transfer controlled, whereas the uranium oxidation is limited by surface reaction rate. The rate of uranium oxidation decreased with decreasing pH. The total carbonate levels, on the other hand, were unimportant. Ammonium carbonate appears to greatly decrease, if not completely halt, the reaction of marcasite with the oxygen. This effect was not found using either sodium or potassium carbonate.

Jan 1, 1986

Henry Carlisle: This is June, 1961, and my friend Arthur Bunker is on the other side of the tape recorder. I, Henry Carlisle, am pursuing the hobby of chronicling the interesting parts of the mining careers and the lives of well-known mining engineers. Now, Arthur, supposing we skip, for the time being, where you were born and brought up, and start right in with where you went to school. Arthur Bunker: I graduated from Taft School and then went to Yale, Sheffield Scientific School, and took a course in electrical engineering. I was quite fascinated by higher mathematics and physics, and this offered more in mathematics and physics than any other one of the engineering courses at that time. The school was only a three-year course, and so I graduated from there in 1916.

Jan 8, 1963

By Brij M. Moudgil

Disposal of fine coal refuse is one of the major technical problems which could adversely affect growth and development of the coal industry. At present one of the most: common methods for disposal of fine coal refuse slurry involves impounding the slurry behind dams. However meeting new federal and state government regulations for building, maintaining and reclaiming these impoundments in addition to terrain and space considerations render this technique to be only marginally competitive with other disposal methods. The coal industry has been actively engaged in developing alternate disposal techniques which are economically feasible and environmentally acceptable. A review of coal refuse disposal problem and current refuse disposal practice both in the eastern and western coal fields is presented. Various promising techniques being developed for economical and safe disposal of fine coal refuse slurry are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1980

By W. C. Spence, Burt C. Mariacher

Methods employed to beneficiate ores utilize relatively few fundamental principles to effect size reduction and concentration. In crushing and grinding only impact and compressive forces with a minor amount of shear are employed. In concentration, gravity, magnetic, electrostatic and flotation constitute the major methods of concentration with minor use of sizing, hand picking and adhesion. This industry, as all others, can expect in the near future to see the development of new techniques for improved efficiency, cost reduction, and exploitation of raw materials hitherto considered unmanageable. NATURAL AND INDUCED RADIOACTIVITY At the Canadian Department of Mines in Ottawa in 1946, C. M. Lapointe developed a picker belt system whereby radioactive ores could be concentrated by electromechanical means. This invention ultimately led to development of what is now refer- red to as the Lapointe Picker and which has been used commercially at Port Radium and Port Hope for the upgrading of jig concentrates. Basically, the system consisted of conveying sized uranium ore on a belt under a radioactivity detection device which in turn electronically operated a kicker or plunger that separated the ore from the gangue constituents. Thus, a new principle for mineral concentration, radioactivity, was introduced commercially.

Jan 7, 1962

By Robert Gillham, Victoria Yablonsky, Grover R. Castle

INTRODUCTION The commercial paper market, unique to the United States, is a direct exchange of funds between high-grade borrowers and large lenders; because it eliminates both the bank's role as middleman and also some significant transaction costs, commercial paper is the lowest cost short term instrument in the world. For this reason, virtually all borrowers would like to enter the market, but only issuers with the highest rating from Moody's and Standard & Poor can attract purchasers at the best rates. COMMERCIAL PAPER The commercial paper market, in existence for over 100 years, has traditionally been used for short-term financings, with most paper maturing within 30-45 days. Under the U. S. Securities Act of 1933, (section 3(a)3) industrial paper can avoid registration only if it matures within 270 days and is used for current transactions. It was first used to finance the short-term seasonal working capital needs of manufacturing companies. Since World War II, commercial paper use has grown steadily, serving in the 1950's as the market in which finance companies financed the explosion in consumer credit purchases of heavy consumer durables. LETTER OF CREDIT BACKING As far as is known, the use of letters of credit to support energy-related commercial paper began about 13 years ago with an arrangement to finance the nuclear fuel for Con Edison's Indian Point 3 Plant. Goldman, Sachs was the architect of this financing and Chemical Bank provided the letter of credit support. After an early burst of interest, this type of financing wobbled severely in the difficult credit markets of the mid-seventies before regaining serious momentum in 1976 and 1977. A mining project would not normally qualify as a borrower in the commercial paper market because of its credit standing and because its large capital needs require long term financing. However, lately, commercial paper has begun to take the place of a bank term loan in limited recourse project financings. L/C backed commercial paper took this new and startling turn in 1982 when it was used as part of the $700 million financing for the development of the Newlands-Collinsville coal mines of Mount Isa Mines Ltd. in Australia. This was the first use of L/C backed commercial paper in a long-term limited recourse project financing. First Boston acted as financial advisor and, again, Chemical Bank provided sole letter of credit support of $155 million. The $785 million BHP financing for the acquisition of the Queensland (Australia) coal assets of Utah International from General Electric Company followed the next year; there we acted with two other Front Banks to provide $270 million of L/C support. These two important transactions indicate that not only has commercial paper become an integral part of a long-term financing package, but also that it is no longer the exclusive domain of the best known U. S. companies. Lesser-rated companies and a multitude of foreign borrowers have gained access to this "exclusive club." How has this become possible? OPERATION OF AN L/C An instrument of the commercial banks, the "direct pay" letter of credit, has enabled lesser-rated companies to issue commercial paper in their own names. The letter of credit allows the issuer to substitute the credit rating of the supporting bank for its own. The L/C in effect allows a lesser-rated company to rent the bank's credit rating. This upgrading is possible because the bank is unconditionally obliged to pay the note-holders at maturity and then turn to the Issuer for reimbursement. The Issuer commonly "rolls over" a new short-term issue and reimburses the supporting bank from the sale of the new issue until cash flows from the project allow the borrower to reduce the level of paper outstanding. The commitment for an L/C facility, up to 12 years in the case of the Broken Hill transaction, governs the life of the commercial paper tranche of the financing. The term of the L/C commitment thus has the power to extend the ordinary 30-45

Jan 1, 1985

By J. Marin, H. A. B. Wiseman

This paper presents results of an experimental study dealing with the plastic stress-strain relations of aluminum alloy 14s-T6 subjected to combined biaxial tension and compression stresses. Plastic stress-strain relations for both constant and various types of variable stress ratios were determined and a comparison made with the simple flow theory of plasticity. THIS investigation was undertaken for two main purposes: 1—to obtain plastic stress-strain relations for Alcoa 14s-T6 when subjected to various combinations of biaxial stresses, and 2—to determine the validity of the flow theory in predicting plastic stress-strain relations for combined stresses. The biaxial stresses used were tension combined with compression. These stresses were produced by subjecting a thin-walled tube to axial tension and torsion. Various types of combined stress conditions were investigated. To provide control test data and information on the influence of biaxial stresses on the strength, the usual constant stress ratio type tests were made. These tests showed that the biaxial yield strength agrees approximately with the distortion energy theory. However, the Prager semi-empirical theory agrees best with the test results. For these constant stress ratio tests the plastic stress-strain relations were found to agree approximately with the flow theory. (For constant stress ratio the flow and deformation type theories are identical.) In view of the fact that the constant stress ratio tests cannot distinguish between the flow and deformation theories, a number of variable and special biaxial stress tests were made. These tests showed that the flow theory is inadequate, since large differences exist between the experimental and theoretical results. Special tests were also conducted to check the validity of the isotropic yielding assumption. This assumption is made in the linear-type flow theory. In these tests specimens were loaded in tension to predetermined values beyond the proportional limit stress. The tension load was removed from the specimen and the specimen was subsequently loaded in torsion to fracture. Other tests were applied with the order of torque and tension loading reversed. The nominal stress-strain curves for these two tests approximately coincide indicating that the assumption of isotropic yielding is valid. In addition, these tests verified the requirement by the slip theory of plasticity that prestraining below 140 pct of the proportioned limit stress in either torsion or tension did not influence the subsequent plastic stress-strain relations in tension or torsion. Another type of test was conducted to check the assumption that the axes of principal stress and strain coincide during plastic flow and variable stress conditions. These tests were conducted by applying combinations of axial tension, internal pressure, and torsional loads such that the axes of maximum principal stress could be rotated through 90" during the loading path. The results of those tests showed that the angle between the axes of principal stress and strain varied greatly and that the assumption of coincidence between axes of principal stress and strain is not valid. Introduction In various metal processes including forming of sheets, rolling of bars, and extrusion of rods, metals are subjected to stresses beyond the yield strength of the material. Often these stresses are not simple stresses acting in one direction, but are combined stresses acting in more than one direction. Structural and machine members are often subjected to combined stresses. To adequately determine the factors of safety for these members, it is necessary to know the plastic stress-strain relations of the material used for various combined stress conditions. Various theories have been proposed for predicting the plastic stress-strain relations for combined stress in terms of the simple tension plastic stress-strain relation for the material. To determine which theory might be adequate, test results must be obtained for various combined stress conditions, in order to compare the actual with the assumed theoretical behavior. Although there is considerable test data available for combined stress conditions in which the principal stress ratios are constant, relatively little test information is available for vari-

Jan 1, 1954

By D. Turnbull, J. H. Hollomon

THERE is a large body of evidence'" indicating that solidification during the liquid-solid transition is usually induced by heterogeneities present in the liquid. By dispersing liquid metals into small droplets, the impurities responsible for catalyzing solidification are isolated within a small number of these droplets. The effect of the foreign body therefore is restricted to a single drop by this technique. Thus upon cooling below the melting temperature, solidification is initiated by homogeneous nucleation in the majority of the droplets that do not contain impurities. In the case of solidification of liquid metals, the activation energy for nucleation is so great that its rate changes by orders of magnitude for a change in temperature of only several degrees centigrade.' Effectively homogeneous nucleation occurs at a critical temperature upon continuous cooling. Thus by microscopic observation of single particles during cooling, a temperature at which the rate of homogeneous nucleation becomes sensible can be determined.3 since at the temperatures at which nucleation occurs in the absence of impurities the rate of crystal growth is extremely rapid, the temperature at which the entire particle solidifies is very nearly the temperature at which the nucleation of the solidification occurs. Thus for liquids that freeze at high temperatures the onset of nucleation can be established by simply observing the temperature at which the marked heat evolution and increase in brightness of the particle occur. For liquids that freeze at lower temperatures the onset of nucleation can be determined by a rumpling and change in shape of the particle resulting from its solidification. The microscopic technique for observing the solidification of small particles has already been described." In earlier papers the nucleation of solidification of pure metals 5,6 and of alloy systems7 showing complete liquid and solid solubility have been described. In the present paper, the observations are extended to a simple eutectic system (Pb-Sn) where the possibility of the formation of two solid phases exists. Metals for the investigation were obtained from the American Smelting and Refining Co. in the form of pure lead and pure tin, 99.8 and 99.9 pct purity, respectively. An ingot of each of the pure metals was made into shot by heating the metals at a temperature about 50 °C in excess of the melting point and pouring the liquid slowly into a container of water at 15°C. Samples of the shotted pure metals were weighed out to make alloys containing 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 atomic pct Pb. Samples of each alloy were then melted in separate beakers. Each melt was poured through a pyrex funnel into a cylindrical mold (% in. ID). The casting solidified in 10 to 20 sec. The inside of the mold as well as the funnel through which the metal was poured were coated with graphite to eliminate adherence of the metal. Analyses were performed on some of the compositions and are given in Table I. The compositions also were checked for these samples and for those that were not analyzed by determining the spread between the liquidus and the solidus upon melting the small metal particles. These measurements agreed as well with the nominal compositions as the analyses listed above. Results The results of the supercooling experiments for the several alloys are summarized in Table II and plotted on the constitution diagram in Fig. 1. Data for the pure lead and pure tin were taken from earlier investigations. The values for the maximum supercooling of the several alloys are the average of several determinations on a number of drops of each alloy. The maximum value in any determination was within about 2 pct of the average. For the alloys containing from 20 to 60 atomic pct Sn, inclusive, two marked changes of the surface structure were observed upon cooling. At the higher temperature, after the first appearance of the solid phase it continued to grow slowly at a constant temperature and then stopped. At the lower temperature the alteration of surface structure was abrupt. For the alloys containing from 70 to 95 atomic pct Sn, inclusive, an abrupt change in surface structure was observed at a single critical temperature.

Jan 1, 1952

By C. Wegert, L. E. Paulson, S. A. Cooley, R. C. Ellman

The Grand Forks Energy Research Center (GFERC) and Commonwealth Edison of Chicago jointly conducted tests in which 400 tons of subbituminous and lignite coals were dried in a commercial scale dryer, oil sprayed and cooled, then shipped from Pekin, Ill., to Grand Forks, N.D., and stockpiled. Cars containing raw coal and dried coal which had not been sprayed, were also transported for comparative purposes. During transit, observations were made of changes in the coals' moisture content, dust losses, and temperature.

Jan 1, 1977

By K. Harms, T. D. Jones

TO unload large tonnages of lead bullion cast in 100-lb. bars is a problem which has confronted the lead refineries for many years. The bars, on arrival, must be restacked for unloading by truck or hand-charged to charging machines. Selected crews of labor, capable of working at sustained speeds for five- or six-hour periods, are required for this exhausting task. Due to the fatigue involved crew personnel changes rapidly. During the war it became increasingly difficult to maintain crews, especially in critical labor areas, so that the development of casting and shipping ten-ton lead blocks from the smelters to the refineries became a must in our operating program. For many years lead refineries, when making interdepartment or intradepartment transfers, have cast lead blocks weighing five or ten tons which are easily handled by crane by merely attaching the crane hook to a steel anchor embedded in the frozen lead blocks. In previous years, the practice was to use regular smelter slag pots which, due to their rounded shape, produced what were called "buttons" by the refinery personnel. The button-type blocks were unsafe as they rolled and tipped easily and were unsatisfactory for stacking since no piling pattern could be followed. To remedy this situation, flat-bottom molds came into general use and later the bottoms were made concave to prevent slipping.

Jan 1, 1946

Delay in classifying the war minerals claims geographically and by minerals' has resulted because a part of the claims is in the hands of the commission which is holding hearings at points easy of access from the mining districts. It was necessary for the commission to take many claims for use at these hearings. Twenty days will be allowed claimants to file typewritten or printed briefs based on the record made by the commission's findings. At the end of twenty days, the case will be finally submitted to the Secretary of the Interior. No new facts will be considered, those which have been submitted to the commission only being given consideration. The Attorney General has issued a decision whereby only such claimants as were directly requested by the government to start operations will receive consideration under the War Minerals Act.

Jan 9, 1919

By Ira A. Stark

Use of clay-working machinery in the metallurgical industry is by no means new. Extrusion- agglomeration as a basic operation in the non-ferrous field has a history of more than 50 years. This article advocates using the technique in the ferrous field where it might serve a useful purpose in today's operations. Many of the processes involved in production of iron ores result in fine powders, with a considerable percentage running finer than 200 mesh. In many instances, mining and related processing operations are located far from furnace operations. Shipping the powdered ore is impractical since handling losses and furnace losses from dusting would be excessive and powdered material must be agglomerated. The agglomerate must withstand the handling involved in transportation and here the continuous pugmill-extruder can be used to form a strong dense product.

Jan 6, 1959

Downtime cannot be tolerated on electric shovels whose cost may approach or exceed $400,000 each. The same may be said for larger-variety off-highway trucks which require an operational expenditure upwards of $50 per hour. One company, for instance, in order to ensure a more continuous operation, has specified centralized lubrication for all of its new equipment. In wet or dry weather, the mining of asbestos can place undue strains on machinery and other equipment. When the mineral is dry, its dusty, loose fibers work their way into crevices, and when wet, the glutinous asbestos may adhere to axles, gears and other wear components. Such conditions are multiplied during the extreme cold winters of eastern Canada. It is more difficult to lubricate and maintain equipment, and erosiveness becomes more punishing to wear parts. Resultant breakdowns rapidly drain off profits.

Jan 1, 1971

The 114th (New York) Meeting of the Institute will be held in the third week of February, 1917. The Committee on Papers and Publica- tions has set Dec. 1,1916, as the closing date for the receipt of manuscripts intended for this meeting. Manuscripts must be received by the Secretary on or before this date. If they are sent through members of the technical committees they must be sent to those committees enough in advance of the time to be forwarded and in the hands of the Secretary by the time specified. While Dec. 1, 1916, is the final closing date, it is a great advantage to get papers in as much before that time as possible as it enables them to be submitted in proof form to their authors. Papers received on or before

Jan 10, 1916

H. D. HIBBARD, Plainfield, N. J. (written discussion *).-While this valuable and timely paper may not go to the root of the matter, it deals with many of the elements and factors involved. It might be taken as the engineer's solution of the case, starting with the assumption that steel is steel, while the tendency for a rail to have transverse fissures may, and probably does, depend, in part at least, on conditions met before it reaches the track. Admitting with the author that "brittleness of fracture in all grades of steel is characteristic of fatigue tests" we may yet look farther back to find out, if possible, why some rails and some steels are more prone to have transverse fissures than others, for it has been found that rails from certain heats of steel developed these fissures under a service which

Jan 3, 1918