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By J. G. Balkestein, J. W. R. Baerts

During an attempt to develop a method for accurate, rapid, continuous analysis of ash content of wal, the Dutch State Mines Laboratory found that the absorption coefficient for X-rays was related to ash content. This relationship was utilized in the development of an apparatus called CendreX, used to measure the absorption and in turn the ash content. The principle, procedure, accuracy, and applications of the CendreX automatic determination of ash in coal are discussed in detail. Until recent years coal preparation research was concentrated on the possibilities and efficiency of preparation equipment. Ever increasing demands for quality in coal, however, have caused researchers to become concerned with quality control. One of the characteristics strongly influencing quality (calorific value) and, consequently, the price of coal is ash content. Both customer and producer require that the ash content be controlled. To make this possible it is necessary for the producer to collect samples from the coal stream in the washery and to determine their ash content. On the strength of the results obtained the production process can then be adjusted, if required. Until recently incineration was the only method for determining ash content. When coal is incinerated with oxygen, it takes at least 15 min to determine the ash content. Even then some time may be lost in passing on the data. Therefore, this discontinuous and time-consuming method does not make a suitable starting point for checking, re-adjusting, or modifying the production process. Since it was not possible to accelerate incineration by mechanization and automation, another type of rapid continuous analysis had to be found. This would have to depend on some coal characteristic closely linked with ash content. At the Central Laboratory of Dutch State Mines, Dijkstra and Sieswerda found that the absorption coefficient for X-rays was suitable for this purpose. An apparatus based on the measurement of this characteristic was developed. Named CendreX,* this patented equip- *A Stamicarbon N. V. registered trademark. ment, used in combination with a sampler and conditioning apparatus, permits continuous determination of ash content with satisfactory exactness to within 3 min.t At the American Mining Congress meeting of May 1961, Log A. Updegraff, surveying aspects of continuous analyaia, reported on the CendreX appartus (Mining Congress Journal, August 1961). Since the first Condition for correct ash determination, whatever the method used, is always a sample taken in the right way, some practical aspects of sampling will be discussed first. SAMPLING In coal handling operations, each grain has its characteristic properties. In both the cross-sectional and longitudinal direction of the product stream the mixture of these grains is imperfectly blended. The elimination of the factor of segregation between the cross-sections from the direction of the stream is the principal aim of continuous analysis. Therefore, the samples to be analyzed are withdrawn in various places from the segregated product stream in such a way that they form a semi-continuous flow. In order to be truly representative of the product stream, the sample flow must fulfil two conditions: 1) The sample flow must be sufficiently large to insure that adventitious differences between the composition of the product stream and sample flow will be as small as possible. 2) All grains through the entire cross section of the product stream must have an equal chance to get into the sample flow. Since there is always a segregation through the cross section the sample flow will have a bias if the sampler collects only part of this section. In order to prevent the volume of the sample flow from becoming too large, the cross sections are taken discontinuously. However, this discontinuity gives rise to the adventitious differences that arise between the composition of product stream and the sample flow, and these differences become greater and are more deranging as the fluctuations follow each other more quickly. Moreover, the intervals between the morrnents of sampling mean a delay in the analysis. The aim will, therefore, be to collect small samples, or in other words thin cross-sectional increments, taken at sufficiently high frequencies. The following points should also be taken into account: 1) The smallest dimension of the openings in the sample collector must be equivalent to at least 3 d in

Jan 1, 1962

The Committee on Papers and Publications has set June 1, 1919, as the closing date for the receipt of manuscripts intended for the Chicago meeting, which is to be held Sept. 22 to 27, 1919. Manuscripts must be received by the Secretary on or before this date. If they are sent through members of the technical committees, they must be sent to those committees long enough in advance to be forwarded and in the hands of the Secretary by the time specified.

Jan 5, 1919

By J. A. Herbst, O. A. Bascur

Fine coal cleaning by froth flotation has become common practice in the US with more than 73 kt/d (80,000 stpd) treated in this way. In spite of this large tonnage, developments in the automated control of coal flotation circuits have lagged significantly behind those for mineral systems. The primary reason is that instruments have not been available for the online measurement of carbon ash content or other critical variables in coal slurries. A second reason is that the influence operating variables have on coal flotation are not completely understood. During the last few years, some of the needed instrumentation has been developed, while an improved knowledge of the flotation process itself has occurred through mathematical modeling. As a result, certain control strategies for coal flotation are beginning to emerge. This paper attempts to evaluate several control strategies using a detailed flotation dynamic simulator, Dynafloat. After construction of a process matrix for the system of interest, promising alternatives for linking manipulated and controlled variables were analyzed. To develop combined grade and recovery control strategies, it was necessary to construct a grade/recovery map with the aid of the simulator to drive the system to known, final, feasible grade/recovery operating conditions. Finally, an advanced strategy that uses an on-line model to identify disturbances and take control actions is proposed.

Jan 1, 1986

By Donald R. Lessard

I. INTRODUCTION There is no question that the choice of an appropriate discount rate is a critical element in virtually all business decisions in extractive industries. The standard textbook approach relies on a single overall cost of capital for an entire firm, itself a weighted average of the firm's cost of debt and equity. But a single rate is appropriate only if the commercial risks and financing structures are similar for all projects under consideration. In extractive industries, appropriate discount rates are likely to vary greatly from project to project. Risks of projects differ markedly by mineral, by country in which the project is located, by stage in production, and by position in the project's life. Further, for a variety of institutional reasons, financing structures vary greatly in relation to these same variables and thus the discount rate appropriate to the entire investment and, in particular, to the sponsor's equity investment will vary even more markedly. Failure to select discount rates which reflect these differences can result in extremely distorted decisions. Our interest in this subject results from our ongoing research on alternative ownership and financing structures for large scale extractive ventures in less developed countries where risks to the various participants--the sponsors, the financiers, and the host government--vary dramatically with the different options. Given the magnitude of these differences, a single discount rate for all options is clearly inappropriate. However, there appear to be few guidelines for practicing managers to follow in setting appropriate rates. In this paper, we take a first step in this direction.

Jan 1, 1977

By Samuel Doak

THE utilization of rotary kilns, of the well-known cement type, for the preparation of iron ores, for the blast furnace, has become of considerable economic importance within the past 10 years in certain localities, notably those where the native ores are lean. Such kilns may be used simply for the agglomeration of ores too fine to be charged into the blast furnace (i.e., ores whose loss in the dust catchers is excessive, and whose fineness is detrimental to the working of the furnace), or for the desulphurization of lump and fine ores the sulphur content of which does not exceed 6 or 7 per cent. The desulphurizing action can be combined with that of agglomeration provided the kiln is sufficiently large. Other processes have been developed for the same purpose, but while I am not able to draw a comparison between them by reason of lack of sufficient data, it is safe to say that the kiln, if properly dimensioned for the character of ore to be treated, will compare favorably in its results, both as to economy and quality of product, with any other process. It is not, however, as well adapted for the treatment of flue dust, as is a sintering operation, on account of the large percentage of fine coke contained therein. Any combustible entering the kiln at its feed end renders the process very much more expensive and unsatisfactory on account of the difficulty of controlling the temperature, also because of the rapidity with which long "rings" form, due to the increased heat at the cooler end of the kiln. The greatest value of the kiln at present is in the treatment of pyrites cinder; that is, the residue from pyrites ore after the extraction of the greater part of the sulphur. This cinder, while high in iron content, has too much sulphur remaining in it to be allowed to form a large part of the blast-furnace burden, without further treatment. It will range in metallic iron from 42 per cent., representing a very low-grade cinder, from a domestic pyrites, to 64 per cent. of the residue from the best Spanish ore, and the corresponding silica content will vary from the maximum of about 25 per cent. to 1 ½ per cent. The residual sulphur depends largely on the type of burner used in the original desulphurization. In general, the leanest original ores retain the greatest amounts of sulphur. In

Jan 9, 1915

By P. Somasundaran, I. J. Lin

There are several methods described in the literature for the determination of the order and the rate constant for the flotation of minerals. These often involve some type of computational or graphical procedures. A relatively simpler method developed on the basis of a technique used by Chang" in chemical kinetics is described in this paper. Chang's technique, like most others in chemical kinetics," is based on the law of mass action which states that the rate of a chemical reaction is proportional to the active masses of the reacting substances at any given time. Application of this law to the flotation of minerals would involve the adaptation of the terms "flotation" for "chemical reaction" and "floatable amount of the minerals" for "the active masses of the chemical reactants." There are indeed a large number of physical processes controlling the actual flotation rate. The most inefficient one of these could be considered equivalent to the slowest reaction in a series of chemical reactions. If variables such as aeration rate and agitation are kept at constant levels, the rate of flotation under free flotation conditions (i.e., conditions under which the suspension is dilute) will be given by the following equation: where C is the concentration of the floatable minerals in the pulp at any given time t, K is the rate constant, and n is the order of the reaction. If we represent the floated fraction of the floatable mineral at time t as m (0 m - 1) and C at t = 0 as Ca, integration of Eq. 1 yields

Jan 1, 1974

By Robert F. Shurtz, William J. Verner

Three basic questions must be answered by an engineer performing an economic analysis of a mineral property: (1) How much can the company afford to pay for the property; (2) At what rate should the property be mined; (3) What will be the return on the investment. These questions often defy reasonable analysis, because at the point in time at which they must be answered little may be known about the grade of ore and the reserve tonnage. The purpose of this report is twofold. First, to derive a method of determining purchase price, rate of production and return on investment which is valid under varying conditions of ore grade and tonnage reserve; and, second, to apply this method to the Margay deposit in an attempt to evaluate it as a business enterprise. This is an actual economic analysis of an existing nickel-copper deposit fictitiously named the Margay. It was carried out for a mining corporation and proved to be the determining factor in the subsequent purchase and development of the property. All data referring to costs, quality and quantity of ore, etc., are accurate and truly represented. Prices used are obsolete but the method is not dependent on those variables. Basic assumptions for the analysis are given in Table I, page 71.

Jan 11, 1966

By E. E. Donath, W. L. Crentz, J. D. Doherty

The principal washing problems in preparing coal for the synthetic fuel industry may be stated as: (1) ash removal for the Bergius process; and (2) sulphur removal for the Fischer-Tropsch process. A study is made of the effect of ash on oil losses during the elimination of the nonliquefiable portions of the coal in the hydrogenation process. The oil loss increases with ash content and results in increased consumption of coal, hydrogen, and power.

Jan 4, 1950

Report of the Secretary GENTLEMEN Herewith are transmitted reports from the Treasurer and of the principal standing committees of the Institute. To these special reports members are referred for details as to the year's work. Despite the unfavorable business conditions obtaining throughout the year, the Institute was able to carry on its various activities without curtailment and without drawing on the surplus accumulated through previous years. In fact, small additions were made to the Life Membership and various other funds. It is highly desirable that such additions should continue to be made, especially to the Life Membership fund, for reasons reported last year. At present, money must be used from current receipts in order to enable the Institute to fulfill its obligations to those who on joining the organization commuted their dues by a single payment. In addition, with the passage of years the number increases of those who have paid dues forty years or more and who, by reason of age or disability, are unable longer to practise their profession. These men have supported the Institute through their active professional life and it would be a pity to lose them as members through resignation or for failure to keep up their dues. In accordance with the By-laws the Board has authority to advance such members, on application, to the Honor Roll of Senior Members and to relieve them from further payment of dues. It has been the policy of the Board to do this liberally, but to keep up this, as well as to meet other obligations, it is necessary for money to be provided. It has been estimated by the Treasurer that nearly $50,000 additional should be placed in the Life Membership fund as soon as possible to meet these obligations without using current income and to that end it is necessary, not only to avoid running behind currently but to earn, if possible, some surplus each year. The small amount transferred to the Life Membership fund from surplus this year was, as a matter of fact, made possible by certain members paying personally bills that were properly chargeable to the Treasury. Such generosity is common among those active in Institute work and probably no year would have closed with a surplus except for it.

Jan 1, 1929

By L. G. Austin, P. T. Luckie, R. R. Klimpel, R. S. C. Rogers

1. INTRODUCTION The Bond method(1.2) for sizing tumbling ball mills has been used successfully for many years. The primary purpose of the Bond calculation is to predict the mill size and mill power to give a desired capacity (Q tph) from a wet overflow ball mill in normal closed circuit operated with a circulation ratio of 2.5. The input to the calculation is the make-up feed size characterized by the 80%-passing size in micrometers (xG), the desired circuit product size characterized by the 80%-passing size (xQ), and an empirical grindability number (the standard Bond Work Index) determined by a standard test. A series of empirical correcting factors(2) are used to convert the results to open-circuit or dry grinding in grate discharge mills. The Bond method has two major engineering advantages: (i) it is very simple; (ii) experience has shown that it works for many circumstances, as a reasonable approximation, because it is based on direct conversion of test data to results measured on industrial mills. There are four main disadvantages of the Bond method. First, there will be a range of error for any specific mill and material and set of operating conditions because the method does not explicitly include several variables which are obviously important: (i) recycle ratio and classifier efficiency (ii) mixture of ball sizes in the mill (iii) variations of residence time distributions with mill geometry and slurry density (iv) lifter design (v) slurry rheology (vi) different underfilling or overfilling of the mill as flow rate is changed. Second, the Bond method explicitly assumes that specific grinding energy E is not a function of ball load, whereas industrial practice and laboratory tests(3) show that the specific grinding energy (to go from a specified feed to a specified product) is less for lower ball loadings than the ball loading for maximum mill capacity. Third, the method uses only the 80% passing size of circuit feed and product to characterize the size distributions, whereas mill capacity in general must depend on the shape of the feed size distribution and the product size distribution. The prime example of this is the use of the reverse closed circuit which removes some fraction of the make-up feed before it is

Jan 1, 1982

By Frank Ruskey, Richard G. Burdick

Many problems associated with potential hazards in a proposed mining area may not be adequately appraised because of the complexity of trying to evaluate them in terms of production requirements. Frequently, encountered hazards have to be dealt with by day-to-day operational schemes that require the miner to either force a way through them or avoid them by blocking off the area in which the hazards are known to exist. These considerations, after the mine is in full production, can be costly to the mine operator and can increase the danger to the miners. A hazard-evasion computer program for mine planning that will appraise proposed mine layouts on the basis of existing or potential hazards has therefore been developed. The program is intended for use during the planning phase of a mine, where it should assist the mining engineer in making decisions in mine design, With the output from this program, the mining engineer should be able either to corroborate his judgments made on the basis of mining experience or to find unanticipated solutions to design problems. The program tests hundreds of possible solutions to a mining layout, and by sorting out the 10 best (based on a criteria of minimum-abandoned-coal) limits the number of choices that need to be considered and appraised for applicability to a given mine scheme.

Jan 1, 1976

By Orville R. Lyons, A. C. Richardson

Operating data is presented for a Bird centrifuge used to dewater coal treated at one preparation plant. The data include: (1 ) percentages of solids in centrifuge feed, cake, and effluent and the plant circulating water for a period of four consecutive operating shifts, and (2) screen-sizing data for a number of centrifuge feed, cake; effluent, and combined cake-effluent samples. An evaluation is included of the relationships between fine solids in the centrifuge feed and the total moisture content of the centrifuge cake.

Jan 3, 1950

By Charles E. Nelson

THIS paper will outline briefly the practices commonly followed in this country for the melting and refining of magnesium and its alloys. The processes used for the various forms of primary magnesium, as jar as there are differences in the physical shape or behavior, will be discussed. The refining of general fine scrap or secondary magnesium was presented in an earlier paper and will be discussed briefly.1 Inasmuch as the use of fluxes is an essential part of all the melting and refining processes, this paper will deal with these in sufficient detail to point out their unique characteristics, in order to make their use more effective. The outline of this discussion will closely follow that of an earlier paper,2 with such changes and additions as seem necessary to bring it up to date. TYPES OF MELTING PRACTICE All melting and refining processes for magnesium and its alloys require the use of fluxes. These fluxes have a magnesium chloride base and other halide salts or oxides are added to give a density or behavior exactly suited to the particular melting practice. The successful handling of magnesium depends upon the proper use of the correct fluxes. There are four general methods of melting, summarized in the following paragraphs and treated in more detail in the section on Melting and Refining. Open-pot Method The open-pot method makes use of No. 230 flux, which provides protection during melting and a molten pool of flux into which the solid magnesium melts. The flux is stirred through the molten metal bath and agglomerates oxide or similar foreign bodies;, on quiet standing, it separates away, leaving the refined metal ball floating in an encircling layer of molten flux. It forms only a thin fluid film over the surface of the molten metal, which may be parted for hand-ladling processes and tends to cover the metal again after the ladle is removed. A very light dusting of the pot surface with fresh flux immediately after the ladle is removed is desirable. The open-pot method is used generally in the following processes: (I) alloying and remelting in the production of ingot, (2) in sand foundries for premelting and to a smaller extent for the production of small castings, (3) in permanent-mold founding for premelting and also direct ladling to castings, (4) for continuous methods of preparing metal in the production of billets or ingots from which wrought products are fabricated, (5) in general scrap recovery. Crucible Process The crucible process makes use of No. 310 flux, which has the property of being thinly fluid at the start, to provide protection and refining qualities, and then drys out or thickens after a time, leaving a protecting crust on the pot surface until the time of casting. At that time it can be readily skimmed off or held back, thus allowing the contents of the crucible to

Jan 1, 1946

By T. Cantwell, N. C. Rasmussen, H. E. Hawkes

Beryl is a mineral that may be difficult to distinguish from quartz by casual field inspection. The easily recognized green color and hexagonal crystal form of coarse-grained beryl are by no means universal, even in beryl from pegmatitic deposits. If it occurred as a fine-grained accessory mineral in an igneous rock, it would almost certainly escape detection unless samples were submitted for petrographic or chemical analysis. There may be substantial deposits of some beryllium mineral, other than beryl, that has been overlooked because that mineral also closely resembles the common rock-forming minerals. A reliable and simple method of identifying beryllium minerals and determining the beryllium content of a rock would be helpful in exploration. This article describes preliminary experiments in applying nuclear reaction to the qualitative identification of beryl and to the semiquantitative determination of the beryllium content of rock samples. Gaudin,1,2 the first to apply a nuclear reaction in detecting beryllium minerals, developed a method that irradiates the sample with gamma rays, which react with beryllium nuclei to produce neutrons. The neutrons are then measured with standard equipment. The cross section for this reaction is about 1 millibarn. The cross section is a measure of the probability that a reaction will take place, for example, between a beryllium nucleus and an incident gamma ray or alpha particles.3-5 At 1-millibarn cross section for the reaction, satisfactory performance required a source strength of the order of 1 curie (3.7 x 10"' disintegrations per sec, where each disintegration releases one or more gamma rays). The reactions will not take place if the gamma radiation is below a minimum energy, in this case 1.63 mev. The size of the source and the energy of the radiation made heavy shielding necessary for these experiments, both to reduce the background count of the neutron counter and to safeguard personnel. The original discovery of the neutron by Chad-wick in 1932 resulted from experiments with another nuclear reaction, induced by bombarding beryllium with alpha particles in which the products are carbon-12 and neutrons. The equation for this reaction is as follows:' " ,Be" + ,He'? 6C12 + 8,n' [1] re-particle neutron In the above nuclear equation (Eq. 1), the sub- script number indicates the number of protons in the nucleus (the atomic number) and the superscript the total number of neutrons and protons (approximately the atomic mass). For the alpha-neutron reaction the cross section is about 250 milli-barns, or 250 times that of the gamma-neutron reaction used by Gaudin. The positively charged alpha particle is repelled by the positive charge of the beryllium nucleus; it must, therefore, have a certain minimum energy in order to approach close enough to the beryllium nucleus to react. For reaction with the beryllium nucleus, the lower limit of the alpha-particle energy is 3.7 mev. The alpha-neutron reaction, with polonium-210 as an alpha source, was selected for the present experiments. Alpha particles are emitted by polonium-210 at 5.30 mev, which is adequate for the reaction with beryllium. Furthermore, this isotope of polonium emits alpha particles with negligible associated gamma radiation, thus eliminating the necessity of shielding. The half-life of polonium-210 is 138 days. Inasmuch as alpha particles carry a possible charge and are large compared with most nuclear particles, their energy is rapidly dissipated in passing through matter. Their range in standard air is 3.66 cm,3 and they penetrate only a few tens of microns into a mineral sample. The short range in air can be minimized by preparation of a flat sample surface that can be brought very close to the alpha source during analysis. On the other hand, short range of alpha particles in air lessens the radiological health hazard and makes it possible to use this method without shielding. It must be emphasized, however, that the alpha emitters are potentially very dangerous if they enter the human body. Polonium must be handled with extreme caution. The literature has reported experiments on the yield of neutrons from reaction of alpha particles with beryllium nuclei. Feld" reports that in intimate mixtures of polonium and beryllium, 3 x 106 eutrons per sec are produced per curie of polonium. Elsewhere in the same reference it is stated that a sandwich-type source yields about one third as many neutrons as an intimate mixture. A table of neutron yields for full energy polonium alpha-particles on thick targets as reported by Anderson7 is the basis of Table I. From Table I it can be deduced that the elements most likely to interfere, i.e., those that also produce neutrons when bombarded by alpha particles, are boron and fluorine. These data also show that it will probably not be possible to determine very small quantities of beryllium in rocks because of the masking effects of the major elements, sodium, magnesium, and aluminum. The neutrons emitted in the alpha reaction are detected by another nuclear reaction. Either of the

Jan 1, 1960

RECENTLY, we were asked to name the greatest contribution to progress in mining technology during the past 25 years. Immediately, the introduction of the pneumatic hammer for making blastholes came to mind because it can be credited with speeding the excavation of rock and the elimination of hand drilling. Possibly this answer was so spontaneous because we were working on this "drilling issue" Of MINING ENGINEERING. Present drilling tools have devel¬oped so rapidly, that a great deal of engineering is. required in the selection of bits, steel, and machines for the drilling conditions at each mine. Formerly a modicum of engineering was utilized in selection of equipment for it was purchased from manufacturer preference. With the development of alloy drill steels, tungsten-carbide bits, throwaway bits, and the jackleg drill, mining companies began doing more experimental work before making selections. It is unfortunately true, that each operator must begin at the beginning by doing his own test work before choosing his drilling method, and tools. Some of this work has been done very well-under controlled conditions and obtaining proper data on the variables. Such data should be accumulated from the various mines, tabulated, and published. Such a volume would be of tremendous help to the small operator in selecting equipment and would permit the research departments of the larger companies to formulate some measure of rock drillability and to undertake more specialized research on the different phases of drilling.

Jan 1, 1952

By Breaux B. Castleman

The ultimate test of a business strategy is whether it achieves the owner's objectives. Most shareholders are interested in growth and profits, and share values on stock exchanges are very often closely correlated with profit growth and profitability measured as return on equity (ROE). Strategic management, then, involves managing investments or resource allocations to optimize long-term growth and real return on equity, within reasonable limits of risk. Figure 1 shows a plot of the five year, weighted average ROE of a number of communications companies against their stock market valuations in 1983, measured as a ratio of market value to book value. The principal explanation of the differences in the relative valuations of the individual stocks is historical ROE, weighted toward the most recent years. Further analysis demonstrates the added importance of growth in explaining the differences in stock market to book ratios. [ ] Research conducted by Booz Allen and others in recent years suggests that the relationships between ROE and market to book multiples hold true in industry after industry. Furthermore, we have found that in assessing business strategies for companies in these industries, the analyses should focus on whether proposed strategies are likely to lead to consistent long-term growth in real ROE, without excessive leverage. Our research also reveals, however, that these approaches to strategy assessment are not consistently applicable in the natural resource extractive industries. Figure 2 shows a similar comparison of market to book values against five year average ROE for a group of nine mining companies in 1983. Market value of the shares shows little correlation with ROE. [ ] Analysis of the data for other extractive industries indicates a similar pattern; that is, low correlation between share values and

Jan 1, 1985

By Wang Yongjia, Steven L. Crouch

This paper describes a numerical method for computing time- dependent displacements and stresses in linear viscoelastic media. For such materials, the correspondence principle can be used to obtain the time-dependent solution directly from the solution to an associated elastic problem in Laplace transform space. The elastic solution, in turn, can easily be obtained by boundary element methods. The work presented in this paper is based on the displacement discontinuity method, adapted for the case in which the region of interest consists of two half-planes bonded together. A practical example of the method is given for a problem involving a panel of rooms and pillars in a thick layer of salt that is overlain by limestone. Viscoelastic behavior of the salt causes time-dependent displacements and stresses in both rock types.

Jan 1, 1982

Secretary Membership Committee Increase of Membership Papers and Publications Committee Library Committee Treasurer Report of the Secretary TO THE BOARDOF DIRECTORASN D THE MEMBEROS F THE AMERICANIN STITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAENL GINEERS GENTLEME:N As will be shown by the special reports of the Finance, Membership, Library, Papers and Publications, Increase of Membership, and other standing Committees, together with that of the Treasurer, the year 1927 was one in which the Institute made very satisfactory progress in a number of directions. In total numbers the membership is no larger but in revenue from dues there has been a marked increase. This has been due to the promotion to full membership of Junior Associates of earlier years, to the larger proportion that come in originally as members rather than juniors, and to the keener interest in the work of the Institute reflected in prompter payment of dues. The latter is important, since experience shows that of those who fall behind a large number must ultimately be dropped for non-payment. Conditions in the mining industries have been healthy though not booming. It has been much easier for members to find employment and meet their financial obligations but there has not been that flow of young men into mining, and hence in part into the Institute, that characterized certain earlier years. Rather the tendency toward centralization and larger industrial units has restricted the number, though not the scope, of opportunities for technical men in the mineral industries. The Institute is constantly receiving resignations from members crowded out of mining into other lines of activity. On the other hand, those who remain in mining and metallurgy have a greatly increased necessity for i,dormation and contacts with technology. A few years ago many superintendents and most foremen were non-technical men. Today the reverse rule obtains and shift bosses and men who occupy even lower positions in industrial units are called upon to know and to apply such an amount of technical knowledge that graduate engineers are the rule rather than the exception. The curious situation has obtained that with a much smaller enrolment of students in the schools of mining and metallurgy there has been at times an actual shortage of young engineers for beginners' jobs. The young men retort that the conditions of employment and pay offered in mining are not equal to those in other lines and, while it is undoubtedly true that the young engineer beginning in mining is able to start under conditions markedly better as to pay, living, and responsibility than did the men who are now leaders, they are required to know much more and have usually spent more in time and money to qualify for their jobs. The whole matter is one which warrants much more attention than has been given to it. For the Institute it is important since the young men

Jan 1, 1928

By P. V. Roundy

PUBLIC lands in Florida were first withdrawn from entry by President Taft on July 2, 1910, as a conservation measure because of their possible phosphate content. The reserve thus established was subsequently modified by further withdrawals and by restorations, so that on Jan. 1, 1934,' it contained 66,796 acres, of which only a small part had been defi-nitely classified. The reserved land was in scattered parcels, ranging from less than 40 acres to 320 or more, distributed in many counties. For administrative purposes and for final disposal of any of the numerous parcels, mineral classification of the land is legally necessary. In 1934 and 1935 the United States Geological Survey, under two successive grants from the Public Works Administration, prospected some 83 tracts of these lands in Polk County, comprising in all about 3300 acres, and six tracts comprising 240 acres in Citrus and Marion Counties. The tracts in Polk County were all in the so-called land-pebble field and the others in the hard-rock field. The Survey field party was under the direction of P. V. Roundy, from whose unpublished report the material in this paper is largely taken. The foreman of the prospecting crew was J. H. Wingate of Zephyrhills, Fla. The individual tracts were identified through the cooperation of the General Land Office, by transitman Hugh B. Crawford. This prospecting work fitted well the classification adopted for Public Works projects in general: it could not he done on any considerable scale under the Survey's usual appropriations; it gave employment to unem-ployed labor; and it may be expected ultimately to repay the Government in royalties more than the cost of the exploration.

Jan 1, 1937

By J. W. White, J. M. Richardson

Mass balance calculations on industrial grinding circuits are routinely performed during circuit design as well as during post-installation evaluation of operating circuits. Though such routine mass balances are straight- forward, a systematic approach can yield substantial long-term benefits. This chapter presents and evaluates several approaches useful for achieving various circuit design objectives and also considers several methods for reconciliation of data collected around an operating circuit. Numerical examples illustrate the basic concepts and techniques.

Jan 1, 1982