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By R. T. McLamore

Lack of sufficient native permeability or skin damage caused while drilling wells for in situ leach mining projects may necessitate stimulating injection and production we1ls to increase the leaching rate to economic levels. Such stimulation processes could include acidization, hydraulic fracturing, or explosive fracturing. This paper describes an explosive fracturing process that is being developed primarily to stimulate the production of oil and gas wells, but may be useful in in situ leach mining projects as well. The process utilizes a liquid explosive that has unique safety features. The chemicals that form the explosive are subdivided into two pumpable, non- detonable components. Technology has been developed to pump these two components independently but simultaneously into the well and blend them together downhole to form the explosive. As such, surface facilities and personnel are not exposed to explosive hazards. The explosive formulations utilized in the process have been subjected to numerous safety and characterization tests and been qualified for use in deep wells with temperatures and pressures up to 250°F and 10,000 psi. The explosive composition can be varied to produce an explosive ranging, energetically, from a blasting agent to a high explosive that can be detonated after injection into a borehole, a porous media or into thin naturally occurring fractures within the roc

Jan 1, 1974

By James Johnston

Synopsis.-A description of the working of the mills of this company and the metallurgical practice in vogue, by which a remarkably. complex silver ore, averaging 54 oz. of silver per ton (run-of-mine ore), is treated to give a 95.66 per cent. extraction. The main features of the, processes are: The cyanide amalgamation of the high-grade ore. The cyanide treatment of the low-grade ore, after extremely fine grinding and close classification, in a caustic soda solution. The use of a wet desulphurizing process to break up refractory silver minerals. The substitution of aluminum dust for zinc dust as a precipitant. The recovery and shipment of over 13,000,000 oz. of silver in bullion at. 997 to 999 fine since this metallurgy was inaugurated, about 2.5 years ago. On the completion and successful operation of the mill to treat their . high-grade ore,1 the Nipissing Mining Co., under the general management of R. B. Watson, started a series of investigations of the possible treatment of the low-grade ore by the cyanide process, so that they would be in a position to market only silver bullion. These tests were run in July, 1911, on a large scale, by G. H. Clevenger, on an average mixture of Nipissing ore. The results obtained by a partial amalgamation followed by cyanide treatment gave an extraction varying from 90 to 93 per cent. and were sufficiently encouraging to warrant Charles Butters, the company's Consulting Metallurgist, in recommending that the new low-grade ore mill under contemplation should be a cyanide mill, instead of a concentrator. The cost of such a mill, capable of treating 200 tons per day, to obtain a 90 per cent. extraction at a working cost of $3 per ton of ore treated, was estimated at $250,000.

Jan 1, 1914

The National Mine Health and Safety Academy near Beckley, W. Va., is dedicated to reducing accidents and improving health conditions in the mining industry through education and training. Though this basic mission remains unchanged, the Academy now serves a much broader mining community than it did when established in the late 1960s. From its original emphasis on training federal coal, metal, and nonmetal mine safety inspectors, the Academy has expanded its programs to reach mining industry and labor representatives, state agency employees, and university students taking mining-related courses. The Academy's resident programs, short courses, seminars, and continuing education courses cover a wide range of subjects and various experience levels, but all have been developed with one idea in mind - to reduce accidents and health hazards through education and training of the widest possible audience.

Jan 11, 1979

By W. Griffith

The purpose of this paper is to make public record of new information in regard to the sustaining power of artificial mine-roof supports (not timber props), the result of investigations recently made in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania. First.—By the "Scranton Mine Cave Commission," appointed to investigate the mining conditions under the City of Scranton. Second.—By the "Pennsylvania Mine Cave Commission," appointed by the Governor to investigate the general subject of mine caves in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. Third.-—By the personal researches and tests made by the author in an effort to secure a better artificial mine-roof or surface support. During the progress of the work of the Scranton Mine Cave Commission, the Engineers for the Commission, Messrs. Conner and Griffith, being aware of the general lack of exact information in the engineering profession as to the strength of the ordinary artificial mine-roof or surface support, and particularly the stronger kinds, such as mine cogs, rock piers, etc., had tests made at the Fritz Engineering Laboratory at Lehigh University, to determine the sustaining power under various compressions of the several kinds of artificial mine supports in use in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. A report of these tests wasincluded in the report of this Commission, which was published as Bulletin No. 25 of the United States Bureau of Mines, Washington. A similar series of tests, more extensive and more elaborately planned, were subsequently made for the Pennsylvania Minc Cave Commission at the U. S. Government Testing Laboratory at Pittsburgh, Pa. The report of this Commission was made to the Governor, but has not yet been published. The author, during his connection with the Scranton Mine Cave Commission, observed that of all the various devices employed for sustaining the roof of coal mines, the one universally used and the best

Jan 1, 1918

By M. A. Scheil, S. L. Hoyt

About three years ago eight standard steels were prepared for the cooperative investigation of methods for oxygen analysis, sponsored by the Iron and Steel Division of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and by the National Bureau of Standards. A preliminary report of the results was made at the annual meeting of the A.I.M.E. in February, 1936. † This report showed the reliability of vacuum-fusion methods and further brought out certain advantages of the fractional vacuum-fusion method. The results obtained by the authors with the latter method will be discussed here, with some comments on the procedure for those who are interested in determinations of gases in steel. Some additional comments are offered on the use of the polarizing microscope for identifying the inclusions in the steel to check and amplify the findings of the fractional vacuum-fusion analysis. For details of the fractional method, see the paper by L. Reeve1. Degassing the Crucible One of the sources of error in vacuum-fusion methods has been the blank gases evolved from the graphite crucible after preliminary out-gassing. We have used 1750" C. as the outgassing temperature. This gives a base pressure at that temperature of less than 0.030 mm. after one hour and of 0.004 mm. on dropping the temperature to 1575" C. At lower extraction temperatures the base pressure is 0.001 mm. at 1050" C., 0.002 mm. at 1170" and 0.003 mm. at 1320' C. Because of the size of our induction coil we are limited to this temperature, although it 'would be advantageous to use 1950" to 2000" C. Hamilton2, after outgassing at 1850" C. for 100 min., was able to reach a base pressure of 0.001 mm. for a temperature of 1700' to 1725" C. This would give a blank corresponding to less than 0.00015 per cent 02 and 0.00005 per cent H2. Chipman and Marshall outgas at 2000" C. for one hour by using a special construction

Jan 1, 1937

By M. Baeyertz

SINCE 1915 many papers and books have covered industrial applications of X-rays from various angles. Two of the more recent are a paper by Fink and Archer1, which describes in detail the technique of radiography, and a paper by Clark2, which embraces the whole field of X-ray metallography. This paper, therefore, is confined to work of the X-ray Laboratory of the Western Electric Co., which naturally divides into two categories: radiography and diffraction patterns of various types.

Jan 1, 1930

By Herbert Johnson

DURING the past 10 or 12 years very little information has been made generally available concerning the commercial possibilities of separating materials by means of static electricity; and yet during that same period important improvements have been made in various branches of the science of electricity, which, when taken together, and applied to electro-static separation, have resulted in important improvements in that art as well. For example, much improvement has been made in high-voltage electrical equipment such as full-wave vacuum-tube rectification and improved mechanical rectification. Great strides have likewise been made in the development of insulators for high-voltage work, not only in the materials used but also in the design of the insulators themselves. Again, in another field, the development of air-conditioning equipment has improved the technique of controlling the surface condition, through drying or humidifying, of the various materials that are passed through the electrostatic separator. In many authoritative publications and textbooks, the electrostatic separation process is declared to require a balance far too sensitive for general commercial application. For example, one publication1 in the past has referred to an unfavorable effect on the process caused by varying atmospheric conditions such as humidity. Some2 have even gone so far as to state that sunlight and shadows may seriously affect the separating efficiency of the process. Such statements may have been true in the early development of the art, when the source of static elec-tricity was derived from a friction disk machine, such as the Wimshurst. The Blake Mosher equipment and the work of Huff in applying motor-generator sets, transformers and mechanical rectification overcame much of this kind of objection to the commercial application of the elec-trostatic separating process.

Jan 1, 1938

By G. Sachs

THE iron-rich iron-nickel alloys have at-tracted considerable academic interest in recent years. The carbon-free alloys are of minor practical importance, but they are Atomic per cent nickel FIG. I. FIG. 2. FIG, I.-HONDA'S AND MERICA's IRON-NICKEL DIAGRAM, FIG. 2.-MARSH'S IRON-NICKEL CONSTITU-TIONAL DIAGRAM. the base of many alloys with various out-standing properties. The iron-nickel alloys, therefore, have been investigated exten-sively regarding both their structures and their properties. The researches on these alloys up to 1938 have been collected and critically reviewed by J. S. Marsh,1 and will be discussed in some detail in the sec-tions of this paper dealing with specific subjects. These numerous investigations have not succeeded in establishing the equilibrium conditions in this system. Alloys containing more than a certain amount of nickel (8 to10 per cent Ni) undergo the allotropic transformation extremely sluggishly, both on heating and cooling, showing a large hysteresis,2 which is not dependent upon

Jan 1, 1940

By J. J. Forbes

THE Federal Coal Mine Safety Act (Public Law 552, 82nd Congress) was approved on July 16, 1952. It incorporates, as Title I, the Coal Mine Inspection and Investigation Act of May 7, 1941 (Public Law 49, 77th Congress), which gave Federal inspectors only the right to enter coal mines for inspection and investigation purposes but no power to require compliance with their recommendations. Title II contains the enforcement provisions of the act; its purpose is to prevent major disasters in coal mines from explosions, fires, inundations, and man-trip or man-hoist accidents. At this point a brief account of events that pre- ceded the enactment of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act seems appropriate. The hazardous nature of coal mining was recognized by the Federal Government as long ago as 1865, when a bill to create a Federal Mining Bureau was introduced in Congress. Little was done, however, until a series of appalling coal- mine disasters during the first decade of this century provoked a demand for Federal action. As a result an act of Congress established a Bureau of Mines in the Department of the Interior on July 1, 1910. The act made it clear that one of the foremost activities of the Bureau should be to improve health and safety in the mineral industries. One of the first projects selected by the small force of engineers and technicians then employed was to determine the causes of coal-mine explosions and the means to prevent them. By investigations after mine disasters the fundamental causes and means of prevention were soon discovered, and the coal mining industry was informed accordingly. However, despite this knowledge and the enactment of State laws and the Federal Coal Mine Inspection and Investigation Act of 1941, mine disasters continued to occur with disheartening frequency and staggering loss of life. The devastating explosion at the Orient No. 2 mine on December 21, 1951, resulted in the death of 119 men. The Orient disaster rekindled the memory of the Centralia, I11., disaster of March 25, 1947, which caused the death of 111 coal miners. These two tragedies ultimately brought about enactment of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act.

Jan 1, 1954

By Reinhardt Thiessen

During the last few years a type of coal called "splint coal" has been brought to the attention of the United States Bureau of Mines, through numerous inquiries concerning its nature. Until recent years it appears to have escaped general notice. The term "splint coal" is of long standing, but was thought to be merely another expression applied by the miner to coal having certain minor characteristics. When closely examined, however, these coals were found to form a marked and distinct type, with distinctive characteristics that cannot be mistaken. Because splint coals produce a hot cheerful flame, possess a clean blocklike nature, and have a high volatile content, they have lately become much valued for domestic, gas-producer and steaming purposes, and have attracted considerable attention. Mattkohle For many years we have heard from the Germans about Mattkohle and Streifenkohle, in contradistinction to Glanzkohle, but have not realized that they were of a different type from the coals with which we were most familiar. This type of coal was first brought to general notice by Muck, in 1881, who gave a good description of it.' Because this coal is often intercalated with thin sheets of brightly shining cod, Schondorff, who was more familiar with the Saar coals, called it Streifernkohle. This term was later used by Muck also. Still later Potoné² used this term exclusively for the whole group in contradistinction to a class called Glanzkohle, and considered these coals to be composed alternately of Humuskohle and Faulkohle or Mattkohle (Pig. 20). Not knowing the nature of the German coals and not realizing that the term Streifenkohle was applied to a distinct class of coal, the terms of its components as used by Potonié and others were translated to "bright Coal" and "dull coal" and applied to the components of our

Jan 1, 1930

By Frederick L. Knouse

THE south border of Espirito Santo begins about 400 km. north of Rio de Janeiro and extends along the Atlantic Coast northward some 325 km. and inland 100 to 150 km. The area under consideration, where quartz crystal of strategic grades has been mined, extends from 19° to 21° and 30" south latitude; and from 40° to 41° and 30" west longitude. This includes the central part of Espirito Santo, chiefly south of the Rio Doce from the Atlantic ocean, and west across the border into Minas Gerais near the town of Aimores, in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais; Baixo Guandu, Santa Teresa, Santa Leopoldina, Colatina, Joao Neiva, Fundao and Domingo Martines, Espirito Santo (Fig. 1). During 1943 and the first half of 1944, this region accounted for approximately 3 to 5 per cent of the quartz crystal produced in Brazil. Shipments of crystal have been made chiefly by rail to Rio de Janeiro. This region is serviced by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Leopoldina to Rio de Janeiro through Vitoria; and by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Central do Brasil through Bello Horizonte, Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro. The major deposits are accessible from the railheads by dirt roads, some being 5 to 30 km. off the road, reached by trail. In 1943 and the first half of 1944, the bulk of the production was from inter mountain marshes and adjoining hillside alluvial placer deposits in the zone surrounding the town of Santa Teresa. Most of these deposits were formed from the erosion of pegmatites, quartz veins and pockets in the gneiss, with minor quantities produced from miarolitic cavity fillings in the granitic rock. EARLY OPERATIONS Mining of quartz crystal in this region began in 1928, and has been stimulated by the market demand for military uses. Before 1936 little attention was given to it, either in Espirito Santo or eastern Minas Gerais. From 1936 to 1941 the Japanese sent agents to various points of production or potential production to acquire quartz through purchase. They bought crystal as small as 10 grams. Since 1941 only the United States and Great Britain have received quartz from Brazil. The United States purchases crystals of loo grams and larger for strategic purposes. The first known discoveries were made either in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais, or in Baixo Guandu, or Domingos Martines, Espirito Santo. Marketable quartz crystal was first found either in the massive quartz replacement veins of the Victor Hugo mine in the municipality of Domingo Martines, or in the large cores of quartz in the pegmatites near Baixo Guandu, extending into Minas Gerais. PRODUCTION The production of quartz in Espirito Santo from 1936 through 1941 as recorded

Jan 1, 1946

By Archer E. Wheeler, Milo W. Krejci

The Boston & Montana Reduction Works at Great Falls, Mont., was formerly the reduction works of the Boston & Montana Consolidated Copper & Silver Mining Co., and continued as the reduction plant for the independent company until June 1, 1910, when the consolidation of a large number of the operating companies of Butte was effected. It then became merged in the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. as the Boston & Montana Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The history of copper converting at this plant, while not covering the entire period of the commercial use of the process in this country, does cover by far the larger part of it, and as the operation of and appliances for the process have undergone many changes during the time, it may, perhaps, be of some interest to put the record of these changes into permanent form. The plan followed in the preparation of this paper has been to give first a brief chronological record of the principal events and changes and then, even at the risk of some repetitions, to give more detaild accounts of some of these changes under separate headings. The headings for the complete paper are as follows: 1. General. Chronological Review. 10. Development of Different Classes 2. Mechanical Manipulation. of Converters After Class I. 3. Casting of Finished Copper. 11. Basic Lining. 4. Tamping of Linings. 12. Number and Size of Tuyeres. 5. Early Acid Linings. 13. Cast Copper Tuyeres. 6. Acid Linings With the Use of Ore. 14. Efficiency of Air. 7. Introduction of Flux Through the 15. Size of Converter Mouth. Tuyeres. 16. Height of Converter. 8. Bottom Blast. 17. Summary. 9. Disposal of Converter Slag, General Chronological Review. Ground was broken for the general concentrating and smelting plant in the spring of 1,891. The first departments to start operations were the concentrator in March, 1892, and the Brückner roasting and reverbera-tory smelting departments in April, 1892. The converter department

Jan 1, 1914

By D. F. Hewett

ALTHOUGH most persons will agree that an individual or a nation can profit from the experience of other individuals or nations, there is always room for debate over the degree of similarity of their past and present conditions and of their future problems. Noting the increasing interest that Americans are showing in our mineral problems, I have felt that we could profit from reviews of the experiences in mineral exploitation acquired by the industrial nations of Europe. Whether we can learn much from Europe's experience in exploiting such minerals as petroleum may be debatable, but certainly, with a record of metal production extending back nearly 3000 years, Europe should hold much of value for America. A trip to Europe in 1926 permitted me to visit 28 mining districts, of which about half are now or have been in times past outstanding sources of several metals. The districts range from England to Greece and from Spain to Poland. To summarize briefly my impressions of these mining districts, as well as such reactions to the thought and life of Europe as so short a visit permits, I shall only venture the opinion that Americans can review with great profit the ideas and actions of Europeans, with regard not only to the production of metals but to many expressions of life. I believe that America has made and is making new contributions to the art of living, as well as to the arts of mining and metallurgy, but in so far as Europe is and has been a laboratory of economic, social and political experiments, the results she has attained deserve the thoughtful attention of America. I have come to believe that many of the problems that harass Europe lie in our path not far ahead. I have therefore hoped that a review of metal production in Europe in the light of its geologic, economic and political background may -serve to clear our vision with regard to our own metal production.

Jan 1, 1929

By F. T. Selleck, H. H. Reamer, B. H. Sage

An experimental investigation was made of the effect of temperature upon the three-phase pressure associated with the propane-water and propene-water systems when hydrates were present. In addition, the characteristics of the propane-propene-water system were established over a limited range of ternperatureo under conditions such that hydrate was formed. The hydrate phase for this system may he a solid solution and the distribution of propane and propene in it is similar to that found in the coexisting hvdrocarhon liquid phase. INTRODUCTION A knowledge of the characteristics of hydrates of the hydrocarborrs encountered in industrial practice is of importance in connection with the design of process equipment. Villardl.1,2 carried out early studies of hydrates, and de Forcrand1 con-sidered the more probable compositions of the hydrates of hydrocarbons. Hammerschnid1 presented information about the propane-water and the isobutane-water systems. Scheffer5 studied the hydrate of hydrogen sulfide in detail, and de For-crand reported on the hydrates of krypton, argon, and xenon.1 Roberts and co-workers1,2 determined the nature of the hydrates formed in the methane-water and ethane-water systems. Carson and Katz10 studied the methane-propane-water, methane-pentane-water, and the methane-hexane-water systems in the four-phase region. The results of this rather extensive investigation indicated that the paraffinic hydrates formed solid solutions. The experimental evidence now available does not Support the existence of hydrates of the pentanes-antl-heavier hydrocarhons but it cannot be stated with certainty that such hydrates are not formed. Stackelherg. 11,12,13 made extensive studies of the crystal structure of paraffinic hydrate; by means of x-ray techniques and found that hydrates poses; a definite structure and composition. The existence of such a Structure does not preclude the firmation of Solid solutions of hydrates in aqueous systems containing two or more hydro-carbon~. Wilcox, Carson and Katz" reviewrd the information on the hydrates of importance in the processing of natural gas and presented data concerning their formation from natural gas. Kobayashi and Katz1' made studies at high pressure of the Hydrate of methane. and Unruh and Katz"' investigated hy-drates in mixtures of carbon rlioxide and methane. Frost and Deaton contributed to the knowledge of the composition of the paraffinic hydrates The irregularities in the experimental results were several times the expected uncertainties. This experience confirms the behavior encountered by other investigators indicating that hydrates tend to occlude water during their formation, thus rendering difficult the direct measoremeut of their composition. Miller and Strong2 investigated a number. of paraffinic hydrates from the standpoint of their possible application to (, the industrial storage of gas. Powel1 studied the effect of solutes upon the decomposition temperature of paraffin hydrates. Marked lowering of the decomposition temperature at a given pressure may he obtained by the use of such additive agents as ethylene glycol, urea. and sodium chloride. APPARATUS AND METHODS Two method* were here employed to study the behavior of hydrates. The first involved a glass capillary within which the hydrocarbons and water were confined over mercury. The second made use of a double-ended weighing bomb technique." The glass capillary equipment has been described elsewhere.'" A schematic drawing of it is presented in Fig. 1, where the arrangement of the agitator and mercury reservoir is shown in some detail. The lower part of the glass capillary, D, was enlarged to afford space within which the fluids used in the investigation could he stored at low pressures after their introduction through the valve. G. The temperature of the capillary was controlled by the circulation of a hydrocarbon oil of low viscosity from the agitated bath, B, through the vacuum jacketed column. C. The pump, A, was employed for the circulation of this oil. A relatively clear view of the capillary tube, D, was obtained through the vacuum jacket. Mercury was introduced into the lower part of the vessel, E, from

Jan 1, 1952

Joseph Esrey Johnson, Jr., had already achieved rare distinction as an able metallurgist, clear thinker, brilliant author, and wise consulting engineer to bankers and operators; he had achieved the essentials of a great career when dcath cut short his activities on Apr. 4, 1919, in the forty-ninth year of his age. He belonged to a family of iron blast-furnace men and mine managers. His father, Major J. E. Johnson, after serving with distinction in the Army of the North, identified himself with the iron mines and blast furnace at Longdale, Va., with which he was connected during almost his entire business life. It is significant, that, during those troublous times of reconstruction in the South, he enjoyed always the affection and respect of his neighbors and associates alike. From him his son obtained not only a thorough training in blast-furnace practice and iron mining, but great personal courage and force of character. His mother, who survives both her husband and sons, possesses rare intellectuality, humor and a tenderness and human sympathy which those who were privileged to know well J. E. Johnson, Jr., recognized beneath his exterior of aggressiveness and will power. In a recently published analysis of the qualities which characterize the world's great men, three traits stand out preeminently; viz., independence, courage, and intellectuality. Each of these characteristics J. E. Johnson, Jr., possessed in extraordinary degree. His early education was obtained under a private tutor at Longdale, and this circumstance probably enhanced a natural tendency to independence of character and individuality which, however, under the control of his unusual power of straight thinking and clear analysis never allowed him to go far astray. It has been said of him that if once he set his mind to a problem, however knotty, he scored a bull's-eye before the subject was dropped. His manner of attacking a subject involved first mastering the details of the available knowledge; then, putting this acquired information to one side, with an untrammeled mind blazing out a path of his own, so clear, so well-defined, and expressed in such simple terms that he illuminated the whole subject without distorting the original data or discussion. His two books, "Blast-furnace Construction in America" and "The Principles, Operation, and Products of the Blast Furnace, "on the iron blast furnace together form the most comprehensive, the most enlightening, and the most useful treatise on the subject ever produced in any language. But his ability did not end with the mastery and elucidation of principles enunciated by his predecessors; his own

Jan 1, 1920

By Ancel St. John

Defects in the interior of metal objects are troublesome to both manufacturer and user. For the former, they frequently increase manufacturing cost through the rejection of material when defects appear after considerable work has been done. For the latter, they often cause damage to equipment, personal injury, or loss of life when a part, which has passed all inspections and has been put in service, gives way because of a hidden flaw. Methods of testing that locate such flaws without subjecting the specimen to possible, if not actual, destl-uction are few; x-ray examination, whether fluoroscopic or radiographic, is one. Hitherto, however, x-ray examination has been restricted to objects of nearly uniform thickness and regular outline; the inspection of such articles as those shown in Fig. 1 has been inconvenient and unsatisfactory. This figure represents a group of 5/16-in. hexagonal-head machine bolts,

Jan 1, 1923

By Ancel St. John

Defects in the interior of metal objects are troublesome to both manufacturer and user. For the former, they frequently increase manufacturing cost through the rejection of material when defects appear after considerable work has been done. For the latter, they often cause damage to equipment, personal injury, or loss of life when a part, which has passed all inspections and has been put in service, gives way because of a hidden flaw. Methods of testing that locate such flaws without subjecting the specimen to possible, if not actual, destl-uction are few; x-ray examination, whether fluoroscopic or radiographic, is one. Hitherto, however, x-ray examination has been restricted to objects of nearly uniform thickness and regular outline; the inspection of such articles as those shown in Fig. 1 has been inconvenient and unsatisfactory. This figure represents a group of 5/16-in. hexagonal-head machine bolts,

Jan 1, 1923

By R. W. Diamond

THREE mills are now operated by the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Co. of Canada, Ltd.: (1) The Sullivan Concentrator, Chapman Camp, B. C. (near Kimberley, B. C.), (2) the, St. Eugene Concentrator, Moyie, B. C., and (3) the. Tadanac (Customs) Concentrator,Trail, B. C. Differential flotation is the only concentration method employed in all three plants. Tables are used for pilot work only. Values in all ores treated are as minerals of some or all of the metals -lead, zinc, gold or silver. Occasional customs ores contain small amounts of copper. Sulfide iron content of ores treated varies from a FIG. 1.-THE SULLIVAN CONCENTRATOR, CHAPMAN CAMP, B. C. (NEAR KIMBERLEY, B. C.). low figure in some ores to 38 per cent. iron in Sullivan ore. Gangue minerals vary considerably. A few customs ores are somewhat oxidized and as a result present difficulties. Flotation equipment and control are similar in the three mills, and the flow sheets at the St. Eugene and Tadanac mills, while much simpler, are modeled after that of the Sullivan Concentrator. In this paper I will not detail treatment nor equipment in any of our plants but will describe special features in, or in connection with, all of them. I will then deal with flotation reagents, describing our use of each of them, particularly where differing from general practice. I will conclude with comments on special subjects related to differential-flotation.

Jan 1, 1927

By Paul D. V. Manning

MAGNESIUM is an exceedingly strategic material but the importance of its production at the time this war started was not realized. Our Government then suddenly became much alive to the need of a tremendous increase in magnesium output, and became a participator in the industry. In this paper an attempt will be made to given an over-all picture of the industry as it has been, and is being, developed. The present war is giving a great acceleration to the use of lighter metals. Development of facilities for production of great tonnages of aluminum and magnesium is bound to bring about some interesting changes in later peace times because costs will be low and production capacities high. As our knowledge of the metallurgy of magnesium alloys increases, this metal will become of vital peacetime importance and will be used in ways we do not now imagine. Household refrigerators, furniture, automobiles, even houses will all be lightened through the use of magnesium.

Jan 1, 1943

By E. A. Gulbransen, J. W. Hickman

INTRODUCTION DURING the past two decades considerable progress has been made in the art of manufacturing heater alloys. The conventional iron-chromium-nickel alloys have been improved by the addition of small quantities of other elements. Up to the present time, to our knowledge, there has not appeared a systematic study of these alloys where the newer tools of investigation have been brought to bear on the problem. It is not yet clear what roles the additional elements play in increasing life time in usage. As a first approximation one might guess that elements such as manganese, silicon, zirconium, calcium and aluminum would aid in the formation of a protective film on the alloy surface, thus retarding the oxidation rate and increasing lifetime. If these additional elements do form protective oxides in the outer surface of the oxide film, it may be possible to identify them by means of reflection electron diffraction. It is also possible that the additional elements may not diffuse to the surface but may remain at the interface between the oxide and the metal. Then, too, the major elements in the alloys undoubtedly form oxides which are stratified on the surface. If the minor elements concentrate in a layer in contact with the substrate where they undergo oxidation and if this oxide film offers resistance to the diffusion of iron, chromium and nickel ions, then the lifetime of the heater element might be expected to increase. It is also possible that preferential reduction in the diffusion rates of the several ions may occur to such a degree that oxides may form in the body of the film and on the outer surface which are different from those that would normally form if the additional elements were not present. The use of transmisson electron diffraction may aid us in interpreting these phenomena. Up to the present time all of the factors which influence the lifetime of a given heater element are not definitely known. Among these are: (I) The rate of oxidation of the alloy. This may be dependent upon the composition and the physical state of the alloy. (2) The stability of the structure of the coating which forms. Transitions from one structure to another or solid phase reactions resulting in a change of composition may occur. The tendency of the film to adhere to the substrate when heated and cooled successively will be important. (3) The evaporation of various constituents from the alloy such as the removal of carbon by oxygen in a decarburization reaction. With these possibilities in view, an electron diffraction study of the oxides occurring on six different nickel-chromium alloys was undertaken with the hope that the results of this study could be correlated with oxidation rate studies as determined by means of the vacuum microbalance method1 and with

Jan 1, 1948