Search Documents

By B. M. Larsen, T. E. Brower

A perspective is presented of the steel plant sulphur distribution and elimination problem from coal to liquid steel ready for teeming, giving distributions of sulphur over a range of coke sulphur content, and some methods of sulphur control, in the blast furnace, external desulphuriza-tion between blast furnace and open hearth, distribution between fuel, slag, and metal, and methods and limitations of control of sulphur in the open hearth furnace. AS a part of the 1951 AIME symposium on sulphur in steelmaking, it was thought that a discussion of the distribution of sulphur throughout the whole series of operations, from coal and ore to finished steel ingots, might have some value in giving a perspective on the whole problem. The following discussion is an attempt to present such an overall picture. The order is that of the actual plant operations, beginning with a very brief consideration of the coking process. Sulphur in Coal and Coke Since by far the largest source of sulphur entering the steelmaking cycle is in the coal used to make coke for the blast furnace, it would seem reasonable to eliminate some of it, either from the coal, or the coke, or during the coking process. This has appeared impracticable up to the present, at least, for two main reasons: the low activity of the organic sulphur in either coal or coke, and because of price limitations involved in treating a low cost material such as coke. A variable portion, usually M or less, of the sulphur is present in coal in the form of pyrites or similar compounds, and a large part of this sulphur may be removed in the coal washery. Most of the sulphur, however, is normally present as "organic" sulphur, intimately associated with the coal structure. Its distribution prevents any separation by mechanical means. Its low activity makes improbable ' any rapid chemical removal, although hydrogen will remove sulphur from both coal and coke. Thus, prolonged recirculation of coke oven gas in the coking process would tend to leave a smaller percentage of the total sulphur in the coke residue. Table I shows a typical distribution of sulphur from coal into products in the coking process. As the sulphur in the coal increases, the sulphur in the coke tends to increase in about the same proportion. Sulphur in the Blast Furnace The best picture of the situation in the blast furnace is provided by a sulphur balance of raw materials entering, and of products leaving, the furnace. The difficulties in accurate weighing and sampling of the variable solid materials entering this process, and the number of hours required for the raw materials to descend through the furnace under variable operating conditions, make it difficult to obtain an accurate balance. However, balances made over periods of weeks or months tend to average out some of these uncertainties. Table I1 presents three typical sulphur balances similar to a number that the writers have calculated. In most of these the slag volume calculated from the sulphur balance is, in some instances more, and in other instances less, than the value corresponding to the best input and output balances of the other slag constituents (lime, silica, alumina, etc.). Probably the greatest source of error in these calculations is the sulphur content of the slag. Despite some possible inaccuracies the balances of Table II show rather definitely the following points: 1—That 87 to 95 pct of the total sulphur input is in the coke and 95 to 97 pct of the total sulphur output is in the slag. Also, that if any sulphur leaves the furnace with the gas it is relatively small, amounting to a possible 1 pct or less. 2—At the lower sulphur coke level of 0.86 pct the total amount of sulphur charged is 15 Ib of sulphur per ton iron increasing to 26 lb per ton at the higher sulphur, intimately associated with the coal struc-rare burdens containing sulphur-rich ores will the total sulphur burden fail to be nearly proportional to the content in the coke used. 3—The 7 to 9 pct of the total sulphur input from the limestone of furnaces B and C is due to the relatively high sulphur content of the stone, 0.226 and 0.265 pct, respectively. In the case of furnace A, the sulphur content of the limestone was only 0.06 pct which resulted in only 3 pct of the total sulphur input coming from this source. It is rather interesting to compare the sulphur balances of a typical ferromanganese furnace with

Jan 1, 1952

By George A. Miller

AMERICANS like engines, but more than anything they like powerful engines, and next to that they want them quiet, silent, smooth; perhaps a slight purr might be permitted, but they must not knock. To provide a gasoline to fit all these requirements, American petroleum technologists have experimented for years, and mounting octane numbers of the gasolines the refiners have produced both before and during the war bear witness to their success. The question on everyone's mind now is what may we expect in the way of engine fuel in the postwar period? The gasoline drouth during the war rationing, the inconvenience of doing without a car were major annoyances to all motorists, but they put up with them pretty cheerfully for the most part. However, now that the war is over, and the jalopies are all out and the better cars have been taken off the jacks and brought out on the road, the call is for "Some of that good gas-fill her up, if you please."

Jan 1, 1945

By R. Maddin

IN analyzing the relation between the orientation of new grains and that of the deformed matrix of axially extended and recrystallized single crystals of face-centered cubic metals, a two-stage rotation process" is generally used where the first rotation is made in order to account for an "adjustment of orientation to the environment of strain."&apos; It has been argued that in spite of the difference of orientation, which may amount to as much as 12" (in a brass),&apos; between the octahedral plane as observed in the parent lattice and in the recrystallized grain, it is believed to be a common plane in the sense that it constituted the nucleus in the parent strained crystal from which the new grain grew.&apos; A possible source of the deviation in orientations of a common pole in the new grain and that of the deformed single crystal matrix from which it has grown may be found in the distribution of strain resulting from the plastic deformation. It might be expected in view of the incongruent nature of shear&apos; that the perfection of the octahedral plane along which glide has occurred is disrupted and that this disruption constitutes the strain from which nuclei of new grains can grow during recrystallization. Evidence for the existence of strain along glide planes was first detected by Taylor" in 1927 and substantiated by Collins and Mathewson&apos; in 1940. In their investigations, however, the deformed single crystalline specimens (aluminum) were cut mechanically along the glide planes followed by mechanical polishing. X-ray exposures (glancing angle) of only 8 min with filtered radiation were used. It was later shown&apos; that this type of surface preparation did not remove with all certainty the mechanically disturbed surface. It was felt that a re-investigation of this phenomenon using more refined techniques might reveal a more correct extent of the strain resulting from the deformation which might correlate the deviation of the common pole of the recrystallized grain with the acting slip plane of the matrix crystal. In accordance with these thoughts, a single crystal of a brass (70/30 nominal composition) M in. in diam x 5 in. long, tapered as in previous experiments,&apos; was extended and carefully documented with respect to elongation and shear. Disks about % in. thick paralle&apos;l to the primary slip planes were cut from the specimen by means of an etch cutter." These disks represented volumes of the specimen which had been extended 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 pct. Copper Ka monochromatic radiation was obtained by reflecting 35,000 v copper radiation from the c-cleavage face of a pentaerythritol crystal. The monochromatic radiation was collimated and led on to the disk set at the proper 0 angle for reflection from the primary (111) planes. The monochromatic beam was aligned in a plane containing the active slip direction. Following a 10 hr exposure at the theoretical Bragg angle, the disk was reset at 0 + 1°, 0 — 1", 0 + 2", 0 — 2", etc., until no Bragg reflection was obtained. The disk was then rotated 90" about its polar axis, and the same X-ray procedure was used. The results are shown in Table I. It may be seen from the results in Table I that the plastic deformation (20 pct elongation) produces fragments of the glide plane which are rotated or tilted as much as 25 " from the normal position on a purely block slip model. In addition to the large variation in 0 angle in the slip direction, there is a variation in 0 as much as 20" in the direction at right angles to the direction of slip, i.e., <110>. In view of the results shown, it may now be argued that the strain distribution finds its origin in the incongruent nature of the slip process.&apos; The use of the two-stage rotation process seems valid in attempting to explain the relation between the orientation of recrystallized grains and the matrix from which they have grown. Acknowledgment This work was sponsored by the ONR under Contract Number N6 onr 234-21 ONR 031-383. The author would like to thank N. K. Chen for reading and correcting the manuscript. References &apos;R. Maddin, C. H. Mathewson, and W. R. Hibbard, Jr.: The Origin of Annealing Twins. Trans. AIME (1949) 185, p. 655; Journal of Metals (September 1949). &apos;J. A. Collins and C. H. Mathewson: Plastic Deformation and Recrystallization of Aluminum Single Crystals. Trans. AIME (1940) 137, p. 150. eN. K. Chen and C. H. Mathewson: Recrystallization of Aluminum Single Crystals After Plastic Extension. Unpublished. 4 C. H. Mathewson: Structural Premises of Strain Hardening and Recrystallization. Trans. A.S.M. (1944) 38. :&apos;C. H. Mathewson: Critical Shear Stress and Incongruent Shear in Plastic Deformation. Trans. Conn. Acad. of Arts and Science, (1951) 38, p. 213. "G. I. Taylor: Resistance to Shear in Metal Crystals, Cohesion and Related Problems. Faraday Soc. (1927) 121. &apos;R. Maddin and W. R. Hibbard, Jr.: Some Observations in the Structure of Alpha Brass After Cutting and Polishing. Trans. AIME (1949) 185, p. 700; Journal of Metals (October 1949). &apos;R. Maddin and W. R. Asher: Apparatus for Cutting Metals Strain-Free. Review of Scientific Instruments (1950) 21, p. 881.

Jan 1, 1953

By G. F. Fix

Oil and gas activity reached a higher peak in Indiana during 1940 than for any like period during the past decade. Major activity, as during 1939, was in the southwestern part of the state, the Indiana portion of the Eastern Interior Coal Basin, where most of the increase was due to field drilling in previously proven areas. The amount of wildcat drilling was about the same as for 1939. No new fields of any apparent consequence were discovered during the year, with the possible exception of the College pool, in southwest Posey County. Only one well had been completed in this area at the end of the year. About 10 ft. of saturated Aux Vases sandstone was drilled in this well and the initial production was I00 bbl. of oil a day. Other discoveries during the year 1940 include: St. Thomas, in southwestern Knox County, where four McClosky wells, ranging from I00 to 300 bbl. a day initially, were com-pleted; Buff kin, in central Posey County, with 11 oil wells and 5 gas wells completed; and new developments in two old areas —Randolph County (part of the old Trenton field) and Gentryville, northwestern Spencer County, where some oil was found many years ago. The St. Thomas field proved disappoint-ing, with very spotty production from the McClosky horizon of the St. Genevieve limestone at a depth of about 1875 ft. The discovery well flowed 362 bbl. a day ini-tially. At the end of the year the field was pretty well outlined by dry holes and some inside locations were dry. The Buffkin pool also proved spotty, with production from shallow Pennsylvanian sands and from the Basal Pennsylvanian Mansfield sandstone, the latter at a depth of approximately I175 ft., with small production from the Cypress sandstone of Chester age. Oil wells in this pool are small, ranging from 25 to 75 bbl. a day. The Randolph County area, on the east side of the Trenton gas field, showed some promise for a commercial gas field, with four completed gas wells having cumulative initial flows of about 1,200,ooo cu. ft. a day. The area appar-ently was not depleted during the Trenton boom at the turn of the century, since casing pressures are about as high as the virgin pressure in the old field. Elsewhere the pressure has dropped as low as 5 pounds. The Griffin field received most of the drilling during 1940, with 163 completed oil wells. This field now covers about 3200 acres on the Indiana side of the Wabash River and is not as yet completely delimited. It produced the major part of Indiana&apos;s oil during the year—a total of 3,594,000 bbl. At the end of 1940, there were 253 producing wells in Griffin. New Harmony had five completions for a total of 24. The Rockport field, in Spencer County, continued to be actively developed and had a total of 45 gas wells and 9 oil wells at the end of the year. Oil in commercial quantities had not been found in the field previous to 1940. Total gas production for the year was 394,470,000 cubic feet. In all, 521 wells were drilled in the state during 1940, as compared to 377 for 1939. Of this number 248 were oil wells, 77 were gas wells and 196 were dry. Divided into

Jan 1, 1941

By G. F. Fix

Oil and gas activity reached a higher peak in Indiana during 1940 than for any like period during the past decade. Major activity, as during 1939, was in the southwestern part of the state, the Indiana portion of the Eastern Interior Coal Basin, where most of the increase was due to field drilling in previously proven areas. The amount of wildcat drilling was about the same as for 1939. No new fields of any apparent consequence were discovered during the year, with the possible exception of the College pool, in southwest Posey County. Only one well had been completed in this area at the end of the year. About 10 ft. of saturated Aux Vases sandstone was drilled in this well and the initial production was I00 bbl. of oil a day. Other discoveries during the year 1940 include: St. Thomas, in southwestern Knox County, where four McClosky wells, ranging from I00 to 300 bbl. a day initially, were com-pleted; Buff kin, in central Posey County, with 11 oil wells and 5 gas wells completed; and new developments in two old areas —Randolph County (part of the old Trenton field) and Gentryville, northwestern Spencer County, where some oil was found many years ago. The St. Thomas field proved disappoint-ing, with very spotty production from the McClosky horizon of the St. Genevieve limestone at a depth of about 1875 ft. The discovery well flowed 362 bbl. a day ini-tially. At the end of the year the field was pretty well outlined by dry holes and some inside locations were dry. The Buffkin pool also proved spotty, with production from shallow Pennsylvanian sands and from the Basal Pennsylvanian Mansfield sandstone, the latter at a depth of approximately I175 ft., with small production from the Cypress sandstone of Chester age. Oil wells in this pool are small, ranging from 25 to 75 bbl. a day. The Randolph County area, on the east side of the Trenton gas field, showed some promise for a commercial gas field, with four completed gas wells having cumulative initial flows of about 1,200,ooo cu. ft. a day. The area appar-ently was not depleted during the Trenton boom at the turn of the century, since casing pressures are about as high as the virgin pressure in the old field. Elsewhere the pressure has dropped as low as 5 pounds. The Griffin field received most of the drilling during 1940, with 163 completed oil wells. This field now covers about 3200 acres on the Indiana side of the Wabash River and is not as yet completely delimited. It produced the major part of Indiana&apos;s oil during the year—a total of 3,594,000 bbl. At the end of 1940, there were 253 producing wells in Griffin. New Harmony had five completions for a total of 24. The Rockport field, in Spencer County, continued to be actively developed and had a total of 45 gas wells and 9 oil wells at the end of the year. Oil in commercial quantities had not been found in the field previous to 1940. Total gas production for the year was 394,470,000 cubic feet. In all, 521 wells were drilled in the state during 1940, as compared to 377 for 1939. Of this number 248 were oil wells, 77 were gas wells and 196 were dry. Divided into

Jan 1, 1941

By Edward B. Walker, Michel Grosmangin

The geological and economic conditions peculiar to the Greater Oficina area are presented to demonstrate the necessity of a low-cost, well-site method of distinguishing gas-bearing formations. The method of gas detection with the neutron log is briefly discussed and its limitations are explained. A new method is described which consists in running a second neutron log with a larger source-to-detector spacing. Field data indicate that under favorable conditions the larger spacing response is proportionately more influenced by the virgin gas zone than is the shorter spacing response. One important condition is that the gas sands be invaded, with a diameter of invasion equal to about two to three times the hole diameter. The calibration of the longer spacing log is made so that the two logs read the same deflection in shale and in a known water or oil sand. Under such conditions, gas is indicated by a positive separation, i.e., the curve for the longer device is displaced to the right of the curve for the shorter device. Because of the non-linearity of the long spacing response, low porosity formations also show positive separations. In sands with large porosity variations, the gas sands can no longer he located visually. They can be detected on a plot of shorter spacing vs longer spac-ing deflections. INTRODUCTION In the Greater Oficina area of Eastern Venezuela, the rapid and accurate detection of gas from well logs is of primary importance because of a combination of economic, geologic, and operational conditions. Briefly, these conditions are: economic—there is no market for gas at the present time; geologic—a single well may contain as many as 30 or more oil or gas sands for which intervals -to be tested must be selected; opera-tional—first, once opened to the casing through perforations, gas sands are extremely difficult and expensive to squeeze off, and second, gas detection must be rapid because the geologist must decide immediately, at the well, which sand to perforate. During the early period of exploitation in Greater Ofi-cina, when clay base muds were used, sidewall samples, together with electric logs, gave fairly good distinction between oil and gas sands. When exploitation became concentrated on deep fields of poorer sidewall sample recovery, and after the advent of oil emulsion muds, now the standard drilling fluid in Greater Oficina, the regular neutron log became the most reliable indicator of gas. In 1953, R. Norelius devised the dual-spacing neutron technique for gas detection. The dual-spacing neutron log has proved to be highly successful in detecting gas and has been adopted as a regular survey by all of the oil companies of the area. Several hundred dual-spacing neutron logs have been run in Eastern Venezuela and several tests per well are available for positive evaluation of the logs. The findings outlined below are based upon this extensive field experience. GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE GREATER OFICINA AREA The Greater Oficina area lies on the south flank of the Eastern Venezuela Basin (Fig. 1). Nearly all accumulations of oil and gas in the area are trapped, in whole or in part, against normal faults. All known oil and gas reservoirs in Greater Oficina occur in the Ofi-cina formation (Miocene-Oligocene) or in the "U" sands. The U sands are the lithologic equivalent of the Merecure group (Otigocene-Eocene), which contains oil in many fields north of Greater Oficina. Most of the petroleum produced in Eastern Venezuela is from the Oficina formation.

Jan 1, 1958

By D. M. Dunbar

LONG before Columbus discovered America the original inhabitants toiled in the copper workings of the Andean Cordillera. Their best diggings appear to have been at Chuquicamata, site of the huge present-day open pit owned by the Chile Exploration Co., subsidiary of Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Located in Antofagasta Province of northern Chile, Chuquicamata is in the Atacama desert, high on the western slope of the Andes at 9500-ft elevation. In the Chuquicamata area the Atacama desert merges into the Cordillera. The climate is extremely arid and precipitation, either in the form of rain or snow, is very infrequent. The temperature varies from 50° to 85°F during the day, and drops to 20° to 40° at night. The Antofagasta and Bolivia Railroad, which connects the Chilean Port of Antofagasta with La Paz, Bolivia, passes within approximately 6 miles of the plant. A branch from the main line to Chuquicamata serves the property for outgoing copper and incoming freight. The distance to Antofagasta by rail is 163 miles. Previous to the Inca conquest, this region was inhabited by the Chuco Indians, a small tribe, descendants of the Aymaras and Quechuas. The Incas, whose capital was located in Cuzco, Peru, gradually extended their empire to the south, reaching at one time to what is now central Chile. It is believed that they built crude primitive furnaces on the banks of the Rio Salado where on a small scale they smelted copper ore from Chuquicamata. At the time of the subsequent Spanish conquest, legend has it that Diego de Almagro, on his return to Cuzco in 1536 after his invasion of Chile, obtained from these furnaces metallic copper for horseshoes. During the period from 1560 to 1879 the high grade veins of the Chuquicamata deposit were worked superficially by the Spaniards and Bolivians. The treaty signed after the war of 1879 recognized the sovereignty of Chile over this territory and Chile, realizing the importance of the district, started to develop it in an orderly manner, although only high grade veins were worked. New Process Is Key Reports on the deposit were brought to the attention of Albert C. Burrage, a Boston lawyer and financier, in 1910. Chuquicamata was described as a huge deposit of ore that was not amenable to the usual treatment by concentrating and smelting since much of the copper occurred as oxides. He had been working on a process for the recovery of copper from sulphide ore which involved a sulphating roast, leaching of the roasted product, and pre-

Jan 1, 1952

By C. O. Dale, W. J. Rundle

THE upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead area was the first major lead-producing section in the United States. The lead ore, found near the surface in crevices, was relatively pure galena that could be smelted directly into lead, at first in log hearth furnaces and later in more efficient blast type furnaces. French Canadian fur traders encouraged the Indians to mine the lead ore and showed them how to smelt it into lead that had a high value for bullets1 Nicholas Perrot found lead ore on the Mississippi River bluffs near the junction of Wisconsin and Illinois and in 1690 established a trading post on the Wisconsin side of the river opposite the present site of Dubuque, Iowa.2 Shortly after 1720 discovery of Mine La Mott in Missouri diverted considerable attention from the Upper Mississippi area. Mining continued on a desultory basis with operations concentrated in the Galena, Illinois-Dubuque, area. In 1740 at least 20 miners were at work in the Fever River area around Galena and are reported to have shipped 2500 70-lb pigs of lead to Kaskaskia in 1741." Julien Dubuque established a mining and smelting operation in 1790 near the city that bears his name and was granted sole right to exploit the mining operations on the lands of the Sauk and the Fox Indians. He is reported to have produced 30,000 70-lb pigs of lead in 1805. Following the death of Dubuque in 1810 the Indians refused to let the white miners enter their lands, and little was done on the Iowa side of the river until the Indians were removed by treaty with the United States government in 1832." Early mining was entirely for lead but as the crevices were followed down, increasing percentages of zinc sulphide and zinc carbonate were encountered and at first discarded. Later a market became available for the zinc ores, and hand jigging devices were made to separate the lead, the zinc, and the rock or waste materials. The first record of zinc production from the area is for 1860. Production of zinc passed that of lead before 1900, reached a peak of 64,000 short tons in 1917, fell off rapidly and continually to about 2000 short tons in 1938, and since 1940 has ranged from 11,000 to 19,000 short tons. Lead has been of considerably less importance since 1900, and at present only about 10 pct as much lead as zinc is produced. Practically all of the zinc ore has come from orebodies that are rather flat and wide with considerable length as compared to width. Most of the early lead came from the crevice type deposit, but present production is from the predominately flat zinc orebodies. The Graham-Snyder orebody, scene of Eagle Picher operations, is practically all zinc with little or no lead being recovered. Marcasite, present in varying amounts, makes production of finished concentrates by gravity separation impractical. Satisfactory lead and zinc concentrates have been produced since flotation was introduced in the area in 1927. An acid recovery plant was operated for about 20 years after World War I, but it has been dismantled, and no recovery of the iron sulphides in the ores of the district is being made at the present time. In June 1950 there were three companies operating mines and mills, Tri-State Zinc Co., Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co., and Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. The Vinegar Hill Zinc Co. had completed a shaft at a new orebody and had started to develop the mine which will supply the Cuba City mill. The Cuba Mining Co. was holding the Andrews Mine inactive. The Dodgeville Mining Co. was not operating but was exploring for additional reserves. Several small mines were selling ore to the Eagle Picher mill. A general area map is given in Fig. 1. The Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. entered the area in 1946 with an active exploration campaign. Leases on a block basis were secured for the area south from the Wisconsin-Illinois line near

Jan 1, 1953

By C. O. Dale, W. J. Rundle

THE upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead area was the first major lead-producing section in the United States. The lead ore, found near the surface in crevices, was relatively pure galena that could be smelted directly into lead, at first in log hearth furnaces and later in more efficient blast type furnaces. French Canadian fur traders encouraged the Indians to mine the lead ore and showed them how to smelt it into lead that had a high value for bullets1 Nicholas Perrot found lead ore on the Mississippi River bluffs near the junction of Wisconsin and Illinois and in 1690 established a trading post on the Wisconsin side of the river opposite the present site of Dubuque, Iowa.2 Shortly after 1720 discovery of Mine La Mott in Missouri diverted considerable attention from the Upper Mississippi area. Mining continued on a desultory basis with operations concentrated in the Galena, Illinois-Dubuque, area. In 1740 at least 20 miners were at work in the Fever River area around Galena and are reported to have shipped 2500 70-lb pigs of lead to Kaskaskia in 1741." Julien Dubuque established a mining and smelting operation in 1790 near the city that bears his name and was granted sole right to exploit the mining operations on the lands of the Sauk and the Fox Indians. He is reported to have produced 30,000 70-lb pigs of lead in 1805. Following the death of Dubuque in 1810 the Indians refused to let the white miners enter their lands, and little was done on the Iowa side of the river until the Indians were removed by treaty with the United States government in 1832." Early mining was entirely for lead but as the crevices were followed down, increasing percentages of zinc sulphide and zinc carbonate were encountered and at first discarded. Later a market became available for the zinc ores, and hand jigging devices were made to separate the lead, the zinc, and the rock or waste materials. The first record of zinc production from the area is for 1860. Production of zinc passed that of lead before 1900, reached a peak of 64,000 short tons in 1917, fell off rapidly and continually to about 2000 short tons in 1938, and since 1940 has ranged from 11,000 to 19,000 short tons. Lead has been of considerably less importance since 1900, and at present only about 10 pct as much lead as zinc is produced. Practically all of the zinc ore has come from orebodies that are rather flat and wide with considerable length as compared to width. Most of the early lead came from the crevice type deposit, but present production is from the predominately flat zinc orebodies. The Graham-Snyder orebody, scene of Eagle Picher operations, is practically all zinc with little or no lead being recovered. Marcasite, present in varying amounts, makes production of finished concentrates by gravity separation impractical. Satisfactory lead and zinc concentrates have been produced since flotation was introduced in the area in 1927. An acid recovery plant was operated for about 20 years after World War I, but it has been dismantled, and no recovery of the iron sulphides in the ores of the district is being made at the present time. In June 1950 there were three companies operating mines and mills, Tri-State Zinc Co., Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co., and Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. The Vinegar Hill Zinc Co. had completed a shaft at a new orebody and had started to develop the mine which will supply the Cuba City mill. The Cuba Mining Co. was holding the Andrews Mine inactive. The Dodgeville Mining Co. was not operating but was exploring for additional reserves. Several small mines were selling ore to the Eagle Picher mill. A general area map is given in Fig. 1. The Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. entered the area in 1946 with an active exploration campaign. Leases on a block basis were secured for the area south from the Wisconsin-Illinois line near

Jan 1, 1953

By C. O. Dale, W. J. Rundle

THE upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead area was the first major lead producing section in the United States. The lead ore, found near the surface in crevices, was relatively pure galena that could be smelted directly into lead, at first in log hearth furnaces and later in more efficient blast type furnaces. French Canadian fur traders encouraged the Indians to mine the lead ore and showed them how to smelt it into lead that had a high value for bullets.1 Nicholas Perrot found lead ore on the Mississippi River bluffs near the junction of Wisconsin and Illinois and in 1690 established a trading post on the Wisconsin side of the river opposite the present site of Dubuque, Iowa.2 Shortly after 1720 discovery of Mine La Mott in Missouri diverted considerable attention from the Upper Mississippi area. Mining continued on a desultory basis with operations concentrated in the Galena, Illinois-Dubuque, area. In 1740 at least 20 miners were at work in the Fever River area around Galena and are reported to have shipped 2500 70-lb pigs of lead to Kaskaskia in 1741.3 Julien Dubuque established a mining and smelting operation in 1790 near the city that bears his name &apos;and was granted sole right to exploit the mining operations on the lands of the Sauk and the Fox Indians. He is reported to have produced 30,000 70-lb pigs of lead in 1805. Following the death of Dubuque in 1810 the Indians refused to let the white miners enter their lands, and little was done on the Iowa side of the river until the Indians were removed by treaty with the United States government in 1832.4 Early mining was entirely for lead but as the crevices were followed down, increasing percentages of zinc sulphide and zinc carbonate were encountered and at first discarded. Later a market became available for the zinc ores, and hand jigging devices were made to separate the lead," the zinc, and the rock or waste materials. The first record of zinc production from -the area is for 1860. Production of zinc passed that of lead before 1900, reached a peak of 64,000 short tons&apos; in 1917, fell off rapidly and continually to about 2000 short tons in 1938, and since 1940 has ranged from 11,000 to 19,000 short tons. Lead has been of considerably less importance since 1900, and at present only about 10 pct as much lead as zinc is produced. Practically all of the zinc ore has come from orebodies that are rather flat and wide with, considerable length as compared to width. Most of the early lead came from the crevice type deposit, but present production is from the predominately flat zinc orebodies. The Graham-Snyder orebody, scene of Eagle Picher operations, is practically all zinc with little or no lead being recovered. Marcasite, present in varying amounts, makes production of finished concentrates by gravity separation impractical. Satisfactory lead and zinc concentrates have been produced since flotation was introduced in the area in 1927. An acid recovery plant was operated for about 20 years after World War I, but it has been dismantled, and no recovery of the iron sulphides in the ores of the district is being made at the present time. In June 1950 there were three companies operating mines and mills, Tri-State Zinc Co., Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co., and Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. The Vinegar Hill Zinc Co. had completed a shaft at a new orebody and had started to develop the mine which will supply the Cuba City mill. The Cuba Mining Co. was holding the Andrews Mine inactive. The Dodgeville Mining Co. was not operating but was exploring for additional reserves. Several small mines were selling ore to the Eagle Picher mill. A general area map is given in Fig. 1. The Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. entered the area in 1946 with an active exploration campaign. Leases on a block basis were secured for the area south from the Wisconsin-Illinois line near

Jan 1, 1952

By C. D. Tedmon, D. P. Ferriss

THE yield stress, o of low-carbon steel has been shown to vary with the average grain diameter, d, according to the relation1-3 where o is taken to be the lower yield-point stress Of is the friction stress on an unlocked dislocation, and ky is a constant. The interpretation2,4 of ky in terms of dislocation theory relates this constant to the stress to unlock a source across a grain boundary. cottrel14 predicted that ky would increase with decreasing temperature. This was observed to be the case by Adams and coworkers5 in their investigation of niobium (columbium). However, petch6 and Backofen: both working with low-carbon steel, found ky insensitive to temperature. In his work with high-purity niobium, Johnson&apos; found ky equal to zero. Evansg showed that k, was essentially zero for niobium containing nitrogen in an appreciable concentration range. The present experiments were designed to check this apparent anomaly in the value of ky in another Group V metal. Yield points were determined as a function of grain size at several temperatures for tantalum and a tantalum-tungsten alloy. The material used was double are-melted tantalum and a double are-melted alloy of 90 pct Ta and 10 pct tungsten (by weight), both obtained as unannealed, swaged rod. The impurity content of the materials is given in Table I. The tantalum was annealed at 1325"C. in a vacuum resistance furnace using a tantalum boat. The alloy was similarly annealed at 1660°C. Annealing times varied from 15 min to 2 hr, depending on the desired grain size. Nominal pressure in the furnace was 3 X 10~4 mm of Kg. Metallographic examination showed that the annealing treatment produced grain sizes ranging frorn 0.021 to 0.200 mm in the tantalum, and 0.060 to 0.160 mm in the alloy. Tensile bars were made by centerless grinding the annealed specimen;, and then electropolishing to remove all grinding marks. The specimens were than pulled :it 2 1/2 pct per rnin in an Instron testing machine. The tantalum specimens were tested at 77", 195", and 300°K. The alloy was tested at 300°K only. All specimens exhibited a yield-point phenomenon at all temperatures. Typical load-elongation curves at the three test temperatures are shown in Fig. 1. The lower yield stress is plotted as a function of (grain size) in Figs. 2 and 3 for tantalum and the 90 pct Ta-10 pct W alloy, respectfully. The position and slope of the curves was determined by least-

Jan 1, 1962

(The following -list, contains the navies of those members of the Institute of whose connection with military service we have only recently become acquainted; it also includes the names of a few who have recently been promoted or transferred. A com-plete list was published in the Year Book, issued as a supplement of the Bulletin for March, 1918.) ADDICKS, LAWRENCE, Naval Consulting Board. ALINE, P. A., Camp Lewis. BARCUS, WALTER .J. E., Captain, Ordnance Department. BAUSH, JOHN R., Private, 1st Army Headquarters Regiment, Co. M. BENNETT, A. F., Lieutenant. BILLINGSLEY, PAUL, Engineer Officer, Aviation Section, Signal Officers&apos; Reserve Corps. BOOTH, L. E., Ordnance Department. BROWN, JAMES F., 2d, 1st Lieutenant, Ordnance Reserve Corps, A. E. F.

Jan 4, 1918

By Robert Uhley, Tsvi Meidav, L. Scharon

Before National Lead built an industrial plant on its Fredricktown property, some 100 miles south of St. Louis, a 750x500-ft area on the proposed site was investigated by electrical resistivity, seismic refraction, and churn drilling. Data were accumulated to prepare an isopach map of the overburden and to determine soundness of the dolomite bedrock and the depth to bedrock at fixed points. The site was on a gently sloping hillside. Elevations above sea level ranged from 760 ft in the northwest corner to 820 ft along the eastern edge, giving a total relief of 60 ft. There were no major drainage features, but in the northern part of the plant site there was an indicated depression area which later was interpreted as reflecting subsurface conditions in the bedrock. No rock was exposed in the entire plant site area; the surface was characterized by soil and overburden. GEOLOGY Prevailing geology in the area of investigation was relatively simple—Bonneterre dolomite overlain by residuum. The red overburden was that derived from the weathered Bonneterre. Some chert was present, interpreted in the general area as a weathering of both the Bonneterre dolomite and younger sedimentary rocks such as the Potosi dolomite. During the period of actual measurements the residuum varied from moist near surface on the western edge of the proposed site to dry near surface on the eastern edge, and for this reason overburden resistivities ranged from low on the west to high on the east. Seismic velocities were low, since the material was not well packed. The bedrock encountered was dolomite, specifically the Bonneterre of Upper Cambrian age which, according to McQueen,&apos; consists of an upper dark gray member and a lower light gray member. These have been further divided into four zones, in ascending sequence a dark gray, sandy argillaceous dolomite; a dark brown or black, fine-grained dolomite: a light gray, finely crystalline, compact dolomite; and, at the top, a dark brown, finely crystalline, compact dolomite. In the area of investigation the upper two zones were encountered in the drilling tests as constituting the bedrock. The dolomite varies widely in porosity, which is low in the dense, fine-grained layers. In this area, therefore, both electrical resistivities and seismic velocities were high. Fracture zones in the Bonneterre are nearly Geology, and may extend to some depth, causing considerable deep weathering. It was realized that over deep fracturing the apparent resistivities

Jan 1, 1960

By D. E. Marks, Arnold, C. W, R. J. Robinson, A. E. Hoffmann

The efficiency of operation of a fixed-bed adsorption unit is infEuenced both by the absolute adsorption capacity of the bed and by the rate of adsorption. This paper describer studies of adsorption rate which were conducted in an experimental unit designed such that conditions existing in the treatment of high-pressure natural-gas mixtures could be duplicated. Variables investigated included pressure, temperature, gas composition, adsorbent particle size, depth of packed bed and gas velocity. The adequacy of a simplified mathematical model for predicting the observed phenomena was tested. A correlation is preserited which relates adsorption rate to the process variables stlldied. This correlation is useful in combination with the matheinatical model. INTRODUCTION Of the techniques available for contacting adsorbent particles with fluid streams to be treated, fixed-bed adsorption columns offer definite advantages in simplicity and ease of operation. As a result, they are often used in preference to others for such petroleum industry applications as dehydration and purification of natural gas and hydrocarbon recovery. Fixed-bed adsorption units usually consist of two or more towers filled with a desired adsorbent and operated in a cyclic manner. While one is being used to process the main flow stream, the others are undergoing regeneration to remove the adsorbed phase. When the tower on stream becomes saturated with the preferentially adsorbed material, the roles of the towers are switched, and the freshly regenerated tower is placed on stream. Cacle duration is determined by the bed capacity under the process conditions and by the flow rate through the bed. The sharpness of separation which can be effected is a function of both the absolute capacity of the bed and the rate of adsorption in the bed. The effect of rate for a particular set of conditions is evidenced by the sharpness or diffuse-ness of the adsorption front as it advances through the bed. Since data needed for design of adsorption units to treat high-pressure natural-gas systems were not available, an experimental program was designed to investigate the effects of different variables upon adsorption rate in fixed beds. In the present paper, effects of gas composition, column length, temperature, pressure, adsorbent particle size and flow rate (actual linear flow rate of the gas) are shown, and utility of a simplified mathematical model for describing the process is discussed. As gas enters the top of a cool, clean bed of adsorbent, preferentially adsorbed materials are stripped from the main flow stream by the uppermost particle layers. As these layers become saturated with a particular component, new supplies of this component are carried further down the column until fresh adsorbent is encountered. An adsorption wave thus moves through the column as material is supplied to saturate succeeding elements of the bed. Adsorption from a Multicomponent gas stream occurs as a succession of such moving waves corresponding to the different components in the gas. The leading edge of an adsorption wave for a component of a natural-gas stream moving through a bed of a common commercial adsorbent such as silica gel would be sharp but for the influence of certain broadening fac tors. These factors include a nonuniform velocity profile in the bed, longitudinal dispersion or mixing in the main gas stream, and the time required for a molecule to migrate from the main gas stream and be adsorbed at a site within the body of an adsorbent particle. If packing is uniform and the ratio of column to particle diameter is greater than approximately 15:1, the first factor is relatively unimportant&apos; Longitudinal mixing is of importance only for the case of moderately high mass transfer with extremely slow flow rates.&apos; The sharpness of an adsorption front, therefore, is, primarily a function of the rate of adsorption or the time required to saturate a particle of zdsorbent. Two methods for defining adsorption rate are used in this work. The first is a normalized or relative rate which describes the rate of saturation of a differential element of the packed bed. This can be measured by observing the time required for the concentration of the preferentially adsorbed material in the effluent gas from the bed to rise from zero to a value equal to that in the inlet gas stream. The second definition describes the absolute rate of mass transfer from the gaseous to the adsorbed phase. This definition is used in a mathematical description of the adsorption process. If the concentration of a component in the gas strcam leaving an adsorption column is measured and plotted as a function of time, a curve such as that shown in Fig. I results. It is seen that for a period of time the effluent gas is devoid of the component under consideration. As the bed approaches saturation, a small percentage of this material will appear in the effluent gas. The concentration will then rise with time, or increasing cumulative gas flow, until it is equal to that in the inlet gas stream. If adsorp-

By A. J. May

THE Star shaft is near the north boundary of the group of mining claims belonging to the Ground Hog Unit of the American Smelting and Refining Co., near Vanadium, N. Mex. The shaft bins and surface plant are served by a siding from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, and this factor of railroad transportation influenced the choice of site. This paper describes the shaft sinking only, and does not cover the surface plant or other parts of the mine or its equipment. Experience with this shaft seems of interest because of the mechanical mucking, good rate of progress, and the costs obtained at the present level of labor and material costs. The shaft has four compartments, as shown in fig. 1. Equipment: Riddell Mucker: The mucking was done by a clamshell bucket and a Riddell mucker, which, as in other shafts sunk with this machine, consisted of a carriage mounted on axles with double flanged wheels that traveled back and forth on a swinging track, parallel to the long axis of the shaft (fig. 2 to 6). Three air motors were mounted on the carriage; one hoisted the clam, one operated the bucket opening and closing device, and the third moved the carriage along the track. The carriage was designed with guide shoes and could be hoisted to the surface in either skip compartment without trouble (fig. 4). During blasting operations the clam was tied on the rails and the carriage was hoisted up a few sets to protect it from flying rock. No attempt was made to hoist the carriage and clam together lest the clam catch in the timbers. The track on which the carriage operated was built of extra heavy 6 in. pipe with 1x2 in. strap welded on top for rails. A 1/2x4 in. angle was welded on the bottom of the 6 in. pipe with a 1 in. round rod welded in the angle for a filler and additional strength. The end or cross pieces of the track which kept the track to gauge, were also made of reinforced, heavy 6 in. pipe and were bolted to the long members on which the carriage traveled (fig. 2 and 3). This section of track was used, instead of heavy railroad rails, for two reasons: (1) this section would bend before it snapped and was much safer for the men in the bottom; and (2) it was a better blasting shield, and protected the timbers better, in fact, only five wall plates were broken by blasting in 1926 ft of shaft, although 150 to 225 lb of 40 pct powder was loaded per round, depending on the ground conditions. The swinging track was supported by four 5/s in. hoisting cables anchored to the end plates. There were also four safety cables fastened two to three sets above the carriage, which would catch the carriage if one of the supporting cables should fail for any reason (fig. 7). Clamshell Buckets: Two clams were used, each of 3/s yard capacity, both manufactured by Blaw Knox, Nos. 662 and 663. The No. 663 clam was 4 in. wider and 5 in. shorter than the No. 662, but seemed to dig and load more satisfactorily. It was easier to hoist and lower when it came up for repair. It did not turn over as easily, had less spill

Jan 1, 1950

By Albert L. Toenges

Alaska requires an adequate fuel supply for its development, and has large potential coal reserves ranging from lignite to subbituminous and anthracite. Coal production in the Territory now is less than the requirements. In L947, production was 361,000 tons, divided about equally between bituminous coal from the Matanuska field and subbituminous coal from the Nenana field. There is need for development of modern mechanized mines, which should produce the required output with a minimum of workers. These mines should not be thought of in the light of large potential capacity, as in the States. However, these new mines should be developed by modern methods, which should result in lower costs than at Present. Because of the diverse physical conditions in the coal fields, intensive investigation by diamond drilling is necessary to properly plan the development and equipment of mine sites at minimum cost. The Bureau of Mines is doing this now in the Wishbone Hill area of the Matanuska field. All coal land in Alaska is government-owned and subject to the Coal Leasing Act. Coal mining in Alaska has been handicapped by an inadequate supply of dependable workers. Wage scales have been very high in recent years, and "floaters" have been attracted to the coal mines. This type of labor is not conducive to efficient operation. Modernization of mines will require skilled and dependable workers and to induce such men to become interested in coal mining in Alaska, modern facilities, such as modern houses, schools, churches, and recreation halls, must be provided near the mines. Alaska is still a frontier and improvements in living standards must accompany development of mines in order that a stable community may be established. Coal is known to have been mined in Alaska at Port Graham, on Cook Inlet, by the Russians in 1854. During the Klondike gold rush in 1898, coal was mined in scattered areas for use on steamers plying the Yukon River and its navigable tributaries. After the Alaska Railroad was built, two important fields were developed—the Nenana and the Matanuska (Fig 1). The Bering River field was explored by the Guggenheim interests at one time, and a railroad to the area was constructed. However, the field was abandoned because of litigation and reported unsatisfactory physical condition of the beds. There are areas that today are unimportant but which may be developed in the future. Possibly the most important of these is the deposits of subbituminous coal adjacent to Cook Inlet, near Homer, on the Kenai Peninsula (see Fig 1). It is expected that the demand for coal in the Kenai Peninsula will increase because the population in that area has increased as a result of agricultural development. Numerous outcrops of coal are exposed on the peninsula and development of a mine there would obviate dependence on supplies of coal from the Matanuska field. Coal from this field must be shipped approximately 160 miles by rail to Seward and transported thence by boat about 180 miles to Homer. There has been no regular boat service from Anchorage to Homer. There are deposits of coal in the Arctic region but a description of them will not be given in this paper, which will describe the more important deposits in the Alaska Railroad belt. The results of a reconnaissance in the Arctic have been described.&apos; Description of Fields MATANUSKA FIELD The Matanuska field lies in the valleys of the Matanuska River and its tributaries and their separating ridges. This field has been interpreted by geologists as a sunken fault block that separated the Talkeetna Range of mountains from the Chugach Range. The Matanuska River flows west along the south side of the field and the Glenn highway, which extends from Anchorage via Palmer to the Richardson highway near Glen Allan, follows the Matanuska Valley. This road to the coal field can be traveled the year around. Although the snow-

Jan 1, 1950

Some 30,000 people attended from 50 countries. Over 600 exhibitors brought with them a billion dollars of mining technology, ranging from tiny high-precision valves to giant off-highway trucks. Twenty-seven technical sessions with more than 100 papers covered the gamut of mining advancements. It was a grand display of industry vitality just to power the huge exhibit area required 22,000 kW of electricity each day, and support services for the exposition created more than 1000 daily jobs for local labor. Unquestionably, Las Vagas knew the miners were in town for the American Mining Congress&apos; International Mlining Show.

Jan 11, 1978

By F. B. Sherman, Keros Cartwright

Sanitary land filling has become one of the most widely used methods of disposing of solid refuse. A principal concern of regulatory agencies and the public itself is that landfill operations do not degrade the physical environment, including water resources, and the ground-water reservoir in particular. Knowledge of ground-water and engineering geology can guide landfill operations into suitable terranes or develop measures to compensate for natural limitations at a particular site. Experience and research in Illinois suggest four activities relating to landfill disposal that warrant attention by geologists and engineers: (1) regional delineation of favorable and unfavorable hydrogeologic conditions to facilitate planning and preliminary screening of potential landfill sites; (2) site evaluations, with considerations of geologic materials, topography, water levels, flow systems, and local occurrence and use of water resources; (3) research on aspects of the hydrogeologic environment that control effects of, or are modified by, landfills; and (4) formulation of practices in the siting, construction, and operation of landfills that prevent, mitigate, or isolate deleterious effects. The first two activities are basically in the domain of earth science, requiring the application of fundamental concepts of geology and hydrology and conventional site-exploration methods. The third activity, research, requires contributions from geology as well as other disciplines, including soil physics, sanitary engineering, and chemistry. The fourth calls for policy decisions by regulatory agencies and elected officials, using the contributions of scientists and engineers. Throughout history, man has disposed of unwanted materials by dumping. As urbanization has increased, haphazard dumping practices have given way to disposal under more controlled conditions because of increasing congestion of population and production of waste and greater concern for public health and environmental amenities. Many states and communities have already outlawed open dumping and open burning of refuse. The only practical methods of disposal of large volumes of refuse, therefore, are contained, high-temperature incineration, or burial in a sanitary landfill. In Illinois, regulation of solid waste disposal has been delegated to the Environmental Protection Agency. Each session of the legislature since 1965 has passed increasingly strict laws regulating waste diposal. As a result, the work of evaluating sanitary landfill sites has increased significantly for both the Department of Public Health, now the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Illinois State Geological Survey, which advises the Agency on matters of ground-water geology and pollution. In fact, our ground-water staff spends as much time on studies relating to waste disposal, primarily sanitary landfills, as on ground-water resource studies. Many other geological agencies are experiencing similar demands for increased assistance in solving waste-disposal problems. This paper summarizes some of the salient features of the sanitary landfill concept, describes activities of the Illinois Geological Survey in ground-water and engineering geology relating to landfills, and suggests policies that need consideration. A sanitary landfill is located and operated in such a way that vermin and pests, nuisances, and degradation of air and water are kept at acceptable levels. Some of the physical requirements of a sanitary landfill are all-weather roads for year-round access, fences to retain blowing paper, a daily cover of at least six inches of suitable earth material, and a final cover of at least 2 ft of earth material. Dumping into or adjacent to standing water generally is not allowed. Two common operating techniques are used. In the first, trenches are dug, the refuse is placed in them, and the earth removed from the trenches is used to cover the waste. In the second method, area fill, refuse is placed in low ground and covered with earth from adjacent high areas. The hydrology of the site is a prime consideration in locating sanitary landfills. Putrescible refuse, if saturated above field capacity, produces a leachate that usually has a high concentration of dissolved solids.2 As the leachate also acts as an agent for transporting bacterial pollutants, it constitutes a potential pollution hazard. To reduce the production of leachates, the topography of the landfill area should be such that surface water will not flow into or through the fill. Operations that will result in refuse disposal below or near the highest known water-table elevation may be required to take corrective or preventive measures to protect the ground water. In practice, under humid conditions such as prevail in Illinois, locations where disposal can take place above the water table are relatively few because surficial materials are commonly fine-grained, which permits slow gravity drainage and results in high degrees of saturation (100% moisture content) near the surface. At some sites, although disposal has taken place above the water table, ground-water mounds have developed, resulting in permanent saturation of the refuse. Permeability barriers usually are required to protect the ground-water reservoir from degradation by leachates. The convention in Illinois is to have a minimum of

Jan 1, 1972

United Engineering Trustees, Inc. GEORGE D. BARRON WILLIAM H. BASSETT R. M. ROOSEVELT The Engineering Foundation GEORGE D. BARRON H. C. BELLINGER E. DEGOLYER Engineering Societies Library Board ROBERT PEELE PHILIP W. HENRY H. K. MASTERS A. B. PARSONS, Ex-officio R. H. SWEETSER

Jan 1, 1932

Truman H. Aldrich &apos;78 W. S. Ayres &apos;73 Andrew A. Blair &apos;75 Walter M. Brodie &apos;72 H. M. Chance &apos;74 Fred&apos;k G. Corning &apos;77 Ralph Crooker &apos;81 A. W. Crookston &apos;80 George M. Davidson &apos;81 W. B. Devereaux &apos;80 H. S. Drinker Founder

Jan 1, 1929