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By Gunnar Thaning, Borje Bjorkvall

At LKAB Central Division for Metallurgical Research at Malmberget, Sweden, fired pellets are examined in respect to mechanical and reduction properties. The paper deals with descriptions of the test methods. It also involves the rationale for the choice of these tests. Their correlation to the blast furnace operation will be examined. The mechanical tests used are the ISO-tumbler test and the cold compression strength test. Concerning the metallurgical properties, experiments have shown that some superbasic pellets in particular have different disintegration properties in different temperature ranges. Pellets which have favorable reduction properties when tested under isothermal reduction at high temperature may disintegrate to a large extent under low temperature reduction. This is also valid for some types of acid pellets. Consequently, it was found to be necessary to determine the reduction strength both at high and low temperatures. In the low temperature range, the disintegration is measured by tumbling the pellets in soft reducing conditions at 600°C in a modified Linder test equipment. The high temperature reduction strength is determined under load in the Burghardt-Grebe equipment. However, in order to get more information of the high temperature strength, LKAB intends to introduce a softening test. The tendency of high temperature disintegration will also turn up in the swelling test. The swelling properties are examined according to a procedure developed at LKAB. In this test the pellets are subjected to free swelling without mutual contact. The reducibility of the pellets is recorded in the swelling test.

Jan 1, 1974

By G. A. Wells

The consumption of barytes in certain paints, polyurethane foams, seamless flooring, glass, brake linings, plastisol gaskets for food containers, and in fluids used for gastrointestinal X-ray examinations relies on the unique properties of barium sulfate. There are no readily available mineral substitutes. Barytes are also the essential raw material for the manufacture of industrially important barium chemicals. High quality barite ore has become scarce throughout the world. Processing ore into quality end products is both capital and energy intensive. These factors have tended to limit availability and increase Prices which have encouraged the use of alternative or competitive materials and restricted market growth.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. F. Hollis, C. K. McArthur

PRIOR to the application of anion exchange, all recovery of uranium from acid leach liquors precipitated an impure product requiring further upgrading before it could be refined. The ion exchange process, on the other hand, provides excellent selectivity for extracting soluble uranium from leach liquors, so that high grade concentrates can be produced directly. The discovery that uranium is readily adsorbed by anion exchange resins, together with the experience of resin and equipment manufacturers in water treatment, led to rapid development of ion exchange in a multiple column operation. Many processing plants using fixed bed ion exchange are in operation or under construction in Africa, Australia, and Canada. There are a limited number in the U. S. Although the fixed bed process has been highly successful, the feed to the ion exchange columns must be a clear solution, which is obtained by filtration or by countercurrent decantation of leached pulps. With some ores, poor filtration or settling characteristics make production of a clear solution difficult. Most processing plants in the U. S. receive their ores from a number of small mines, and there is considerable variation in the settling and filtering behavior of the ores. An ion exchange process was therefore desirable in which the uranium could be recovered directly for the leached pulp by adding ion exchange resin, which could be then separated from the pulp by a screening operation. The process would thus resemble the cyanide-charcoal process in which gold is adsorbed from cyanide pulp by means of activated charcoal. Preliminary tests in which leached pulps were directly contacted with resin beads led to the development of the RIP process.

Jan 4, 1957

By V. H. Wilhelm

The trend initiated in January 1936, of stabilized gasoline prices, increased demand and extraordinary drilling activity, continued in California during the year 1937. Crude prices were maintained during the year at the highest level since September 1930. Wildcat activity with resultant new discoveries and development of proven acreage were greater than in any year since 1928. Many fields in California in former years have been produced at full capacity, with consequent loss of reservoir energy, but at the present time continued activity is maintained to develop adequate reserves, so that production in these fields can be taken at a rate to correspond with good operating practice. Naturally, this good operating practice will be influenced to some degree by gas outlets and, in certain instances perhaps, by oil outlets. In any event, these last two controlling features will result in favorable rather than detrimental operation. In fields producing from great depths, ultimate production will be practically limited to the flowing and compressor life of the well, since there is as yet no economical method for pumping wells below depths of approximately 7000 ft. Experience has shown, however, that such pumping difficulties will be overcome and that production secured by pumping will add some to reserves established on the flowing life of the wells. California continued to operate under voluntary curtailment, but with unlimited transfers of allowable between various fields. Even though there was at all times considerable production above the Umpire's established quota, a constantly increasing demand reduced storage during the year. This increasing demand was due mainly to the rapid rise in Pacific foreign shipments from May to September. It is questionable, however, whether this favorable condition will be maintained over a prolonged period. (See Fig. 1.) Field Discoveries The great drilling activity during the year resulted in the discovery of three new fields in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as many extensions

Jan 1, 1938

Note Any member who desires to be designated as being "Available for Consulting Work" can arrange it simply by sending a written request to the office of the Secretary of the Institute The following list of members is primarily arranged geographically, with secondary consideration to political subdivisions arranged alphabetically First, the states of the United States , then other North America, in order Alaska, Canada, Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America Then cones South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, each including the near by islands associated with those continents Australia, the islands to the north, and the Pacific islands except Japan are grouped together under Oceania The various countries are indexed on the preceding page NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES ALABAMA America -Dyar, G C Anniston -DePriest, S H Klugh, B G Lefforge, J W Auburn Poor, R S Bankhead -Armstrong, W D Bessemer -Beck, A IV, Jr Carnes, D Chabot, L S , Jr Creveling, J C

Jan 1, 1952

By AIME AIME

FEW mining engineers-noted as the profession is for migratory predilections.--can point to as varied a record as Scott Turner, director of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and newly elected vice-president of the Institute. His record as printed shows that from the time of his graduation from the Michigan College of Mines in 1904 until he went to the Bureau in 1925, he worked for 21 different companies. Geographically the record is no less imposing, although one reason for this is the fact that he was field engineer for several exploration companies. Virtually every important mining state in the Union is represented in addition to Canada, Alaska, Panama, and several countries each in South America and Europe. In addition to all of the common metals he has mined tin and coal. He opened and operated for five years a group of coal mines in 73" 13' S. Lat., on the Island of Spitzbergen. This was 825 miles north of the Arctic Circle on No Man's Land, where Mr. Turner claimed and maintained pos- session under the American flag of an area of 600 square miles. Incidentally, he was a survivor of the ill-fated Lusitania, sunk by a submarine in May, 1915.

Jan 1, 1930

By B. W. Gandrud

WET-PROCESS coal-washing tables as we know them today have been in use in this country for approximately 25 years. The literature records only a few table installations worthy of note prior to adoption of the present-day differential-motion table. According to Phillips,' six Campbell bumping tables were being operated by the St. Bernard Coal Co., Earlington, Ky., in 1893. As late as 1923, according to Richardson, 72 such tables were in operation in the Rosedale washery of the Cambria Steel Co., at Johnstown, Pa. Bumping tables probably were not used to any considerable extent except in the plant at Earlington, and at two or three plants in Pennsylvania, but they may be considered as forerunners of the present-day coal-washing table. The transition from bumping tables to the type of tables now in use signalized a revolutionary change iii table design. The advantages of the new design over the old were so outstanding as to make its adoption inevitable. BUMPING TABLES Bumping tables, as the name implies, utilized a bumping action for conveying the refuse and discharging it over the refuse end. The tables were hung from rods attached to overhead supporting beams. A shaft and cam arrangement at one end of the table served as ,the actuating mechanism and imparted to the table an endwise, back-and-forth, swinging motion. A bumping block was fixed in the proper position at the shaft end, so that the table would strike against it at the end of each backward swing. The hanger rods or stirrups were so adjusted as to give the table a slight uphill slope toward the refuse end; that is, the end next to the driving mechanism. The feed box was near the upper end of the table and designed to spread the mixture of coal and water over the width of the table. Wash water was added a short distance below the feed box. With the table in motion and coal mixed with water being fed to it through the feed box, a certain amount of stratification took place, depositing heavy refuse at the bottom of the bed in contact with the surface of the table. Constant bumping and a certain amount of

Jan 1, 1943

SLAG composition, slag constitution, reactions in slag, and reactions between slag and metal-in other words, the physical chemistry of slags-are matters of great importance to the open-hearth operator, whether or not he makes use of any detailed knowledge of them. Although this is a relatively young branch of the science of steel- making, much progress has been made; however, much remains to be learned, and many of the statements that can be made at present are probably--or even certainly-subject to future change. Nevertheless, the physical chemistry of slags is sufficiently developed to provide a reasonably secure basis for real understanding of steelmaking reactions. FUNDAMENTALS OF SLAG CONTROL By way of introduction, some time is spent in this chapter on effecting an easy transition from some of the more "practical" manifestations of slag to discussions couched in the more formal language of physical chemistry. This necessitates a certain amount of repetition, but it is felt that the purpose of the chapter is best served in this way. Reactions in the metal phase have products that find their way into the slag and are important components thereof; they are discussed in detail in the preceding chapter. Some substances distribute themselves Between slag and metal in definite fashion, and others are found only in the slag. Their reactions are a large reason for this chapter. Limitations of Slag Control. The open-hearth process is essentially oxidizing and cannot be otherwise operated. (Oxygen gradients in the furnace, the mechanism of oxygen inflow, and similar subjects are discussed in Chapter XIX.) As shown in the calculations of material and heat balances for the charge (see Chapter XV), from 25 to 50 lb. of oxygen will flow from air or combustion gases into the charge or molten bath during the heat for each ton of liquid steel

Jan 1, 1944

By Giovanni B. Barla, Stefan H. Boshkov

The block caving method is examined in this paper on the basis of experimental results and observations in the field, and through the use of numerical modeling by the Finite Element Method. The Grace Mine, developed by a panel caving method, served as a reference case. However, the results obtained and the simulation techniques which have been developed may find useful application in more general conditions as encountered in other mining operations by block caving. Following a brief description of the Grace Mine and of the mining method, the problems associated with the behavior of underground drifts at the production levels, during undercutting and caving, are addressed. The most important results obtained through monitoring of strains and loads in the supports of a runway are discussed, while giving relevance to the sequence of mining operations in the immediate vicinity. The most important geomechanical data, as provided for subsequent modeling, are described with reference to: (a) rock mass characterization and (b) in situ state of stress. Then, the numerical modeling procedures, developed by the Finite Element Method in order to predict the caving phenomena and the behavior of underground openings during undercutting, are discussed. Finally, an attempt is made to compare the pre- dictions of the numerical analyses with, the measurements carried out at the instrumented site. Suggestions as to how to improve the results both qualitatively and quantitatively are also given.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. E. Old

THROUGH the use of pressure and production records, formation properties and bottom-hole sample data, the performance of an oil reservoir may be studied analytically to define and evaluate the natural forces acting on and within the reservoir. Use is made of material-balance methods and the equations for natural water encroachment to estimate reserves. Methods for calculation of pressures are given. A study of the Jones sand, Schuler field, Arkansas, has been made and is given here to illustrate the value of the methods discussed.

Jan 1, 1942

By John L. Watson

A conceptual model (MAGSEP) is described to simulate the beneficiation characteristics of a drum magnetic separator in terms of the probability of an individual grain being recovered in the magnetic concentrate. This probability is determined as a function of particle magnetic composition and magnetic field strength and is modified by particle size and the separator operating conditions. The model predicts the size, magnetic grade and distributions of magnetic and gangue minerals in the concentrate and tailings produced by the drum separator. The configuration of the magnetic concentration circuit may be altered to permit single or double drum units in parallel or series operation. The characteristics of the feed material, in terms of a magnetic parameter, are essential in permitting the determination of individual grain recovery probabilities upon which the model is based. Thus the model requires input data relating to the distribution of composite grains in terms of magnetic grade and particle size. To illustrate the use of the conceptual model an example is given for the beneficiation of New Zealand iron sands.

Jan 1, 1984

By B. Bernstrom

A 22-ft diam, 7-ft long, wet autogenous grinding mill was installed in the new Cretaceous plant of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. to prepare crude iron ore for concentration in spirals and flotation cells. The paper describes the flowsheet and gives a description of the operating and metallurgical results that have been obtained. These results include capacity, horsepower, operating problems and a comparison of pilot plant results with those obtained in commercial operation. The Cretaceous plant at the Hill Annex mine of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. was designed with a wet autogenous mill for grinding low grade iron ore so that it could be concentrated by spirals and flotation cells. The plant, on the west end of the Minnesota's Mesabi Range, went into operation in June 1961, and preliminary operating and metallurgical information describing the performance of this mill can now be given. The crude is lean ore from the Cretaceous iron foundation. This formation is a beach deposit of Cretaceous age that overlies the Precambrian direct shipping and concentrating ores. This rock in nature is not extremely hard but is quite resilient, resisting blasting in mining and size reduction in milling. It contains hematite as water-rounded particles and other fragments of the underlying iron formation and adjacent rocks cemented together by a high alumina-silica ferruginous matrix. It is interspersed with hard dense hematite agglomerates and also contains granite pebbles and boulders that were not cleaned off during removal of the surface. It has a 3.48 sp gr and in the stockpile the material consists of frag-

Jan 1, 1962

By Gust Bitsianes, Joseph H. M. Beaty

Successful blast-furnace operation depends upon securing an optimum balance between a number of important variables. This balance will vary somewhat from furnace to furnace in the same plant and with raw materials available in different plants. It is difficult to isolate the effect of any one variable unless it has a rather pronounced effect upon the efficiency of operation. The physical properties of iron ore and coke are known to affect the process, yet it is difficult to set up any definite yardstick by which these differences can be appraised. In recent years, whenever practicable, operators have taken steps to obtain better control over the absolute size and uniformity of size of the ore and coke. The size and physical character of the stone, however, have received comparatively little attention, emphasis being placed upon chemical composition, fluxing efficiency, and action as a desulphurizing agent. Since the stone occupies only about 10 per cent of the volume of the stock column, its influence upon permeability is less than that of the ore and the coke. The large pieces now used have a tendency to roll to the center and thus increase the permeability of this part of the stock column. Smaller pieces would be more effective in promoting the permeability of denser portions of the stock. The size and physical properties of blastfurnace stone are important also for reasons best understood by considering the results obtained by the crushing and the sizing of iron ore. Crushing ore to about 2 in. at Provo, Utah, and to about I in. in Alabama produced material somewhat less permeable to gases, even though sized. In spite of some sacrifice in permeability, the efficiency of the process was improved by crushing and sizing the ore, as indicated by a substantial saving in fuel and increased output. This saving in fuel is due in large measure to more thorough reduction of ore in the upper part of the furnace and to a corresponding decrease in the amount of carbon consumed prematurely above the tuyeres by the reaction CO2 + C = 2CO - 70,080 B.t.u. [I] The physical properties of stone, its size and rate of calcination are important because they influence the rate at which CO2 is released and the completeness of calcination before reaching a level in the furnace where the temperature does not exceed 1050°C. (1920°F.). Briefly, carbon dioxide from the limestone or from the reduction of ore may cause premature corn bustion of carbon above the tuyeres. Assuming that 1000 Ib. of limestone is used per ton of pig iron, about 435 Ib. of CO2 will be liberated during calcination of a good grade of stone. If all this CO2 from the stone were to oxidize carbon prematurely, about 120 lb, would be consumed above the tuyeres in a heat-absorbing reaction. The amount of carbon thus consumed when a

Jan 1, 1943

By Joseph H. M. Beaty, Gust Bitsianes

Successful blast-furnace operation depends upon securing an optimum balance between a number of important variables. This balance will vary somewhat from furnace to furnace in the same plant and with raw materials available in different plants. It is difficult to isolate the effect of any one variable unless it has a rather pronounced effect upon the efficiency of operation. The physical properties of iron ore and coke are known to affect the process, yet it is difficult to set up any definite yardstick by which these differences can be appraised. In recent years, whenever practicable, operators have taken steps to obtain better control over the absolute size and uniformity of size of the ore and coke. The size and physical character of the stone, however, have received comparatively little attention, emphasis being placed upon chemical composition, fluxing efficiency, and action as a desulphurizing agent. Since the stone occupies only about 10 per cent of the volume of the stock column, its influence upon permeability is less than that of the ore and the coke. The large pieces now used have a tendency to roll to the center and thus increase the permeability of this part of the stock column. Smaller pieces would be more effective in promoting the permeability of denser portions of the stock. The size and physical properties of blastfurnace stone are important also for reasons best understood by considering the results obtained by the crushing and the sizing of iron ore. Crushing ore to about 2 in. at Provo, Utah, and to about I in. in Alabama produced material somewhat less permeable to gases, even though sized. In spite of some sacrifice in permeability, the efficiency of the process was improved by crushing and sizing the ore, as indicated by a substantial saving in fuel and increased output. This saving in fuel is due in large measure to more thorough reduction of ore in the upper part of the furnace and to a corresponding decrease in the amount of carbon consumed prematurely above the tuyeres by the reaction CO2 + C = 2CO - 70,080 B.t.u. [I] The physical properties of stone, its size and rate of calcination are important because they influence the rate at which CO2 is released and the completeness of calcination before reaching a level in the furnace where the temperature does not exceed 1050°C. (1920°F.). Briefly, carbon dioxide from the limestone or from the reduction of ore may cause premature corn bustion of carbon above the tuyeres. Assuming that 1000 Ib. of limestone is used per ton of pig iron, about 435 Ib. of CO2 will be liberated during calcination of a good grade of stone. If all this CO2 from the stone were to oxidize carbon prematurely, about 120 lb, would be consumed above the tuyeres in a heat-absorbing reaction. The amount of carbon thus consumed when a

Jan 1, 1943

By Hugh Steele, Brower Dellinger

U. S. mining trends for 1956 continued steadily U+ S. uphill, technique and equipment advanced with the pull, and exploration and development of once mined districts attracted more attention than new areas. Expansion of the Ambrosia Lake district in New Mexico more than doubled known uranium ore reserves, and production began from several of the large new ore discoveries. In Canada the up trend was more spectacular, especially in exploration and development. To combat increasing problems arising from high labor costs, taxes, low grade orebodies, and dwindling discoveries, manufacturers and mining companies have continued to introduce new techniques and new products-reamer bits for enlarging small holes drilled by jacklegs, whup d'whups for drift mucking, Cryderman machines and over-the-head small crawler-type machines for shaft mucking, the 20-ton TL 220 four-wheeled tractor trailer unit for underground haulage, inertia-type dust collectors, roof bolting in conjunction with chain link fencing for wall support, wooden roof bolting using compression support of ground for wall support, and new one-use carbide bits.

Jan 2, 1957

By V. M. Lovell

The recovery of apatite from the phoscorite ores occurring in the Transvaal, Republic of South Africa, involves a flotation process that is particularly difficult to characterize from a fundamental point of view. However, the reagents used, (tall oil fatty acid, nonylphenyltetraglycol ether, sodium silicate, and sodium hydroxide) can successfully bring about a separation of apatite from dolomitic calcite, which is the most troublesome gangue component. Recently, it has been demonstrated with some flotation feeds that the addition of certain polysaccharides can improve the flotation significantly. It has been shown that the metallurgy obtained is closely linked to the nature of the froth, and this, in turn, is influenced, often dramatically, by the presence or absence of certain of the reagents. The character of the froth depends less on the inherent frothing ability of these reagents than on the presence or absence of fine mineral particles in the froth, and on their surface characteristics and state of aggregation. The polyglycol ether and the polysaccharides have been shown to affect these properties, and it is suggested that a major function of these reagents is to modulate the properties of the fine particles in the pulp, thereby changing the character of the froth and giving rise to improved results.

Jan 1, 1976

By Roger M. Nendick

The recovery of precious metals from heap leach solutions can be accomplished by two processes: 1. The Carbon Adsorption Process 2. The Merrill-Crowe Zinc Precipitation Process A brief review of the relative process economics is made. Each process presents certain design considerations that must be addressed during the evaluation and engineering design for the project. Discussion is presented on the design criteria for each process.

Jan 1, 1984

By G.A. Moore, C. E. Sims

In previous publications of the writers4-7 it has been shown that vacuum extraction of steel can be carried as close to quantitative completion as desired provided the steel is in the austenitic state and sufficiellt time is allowed. For precise work, the method claims preference because the equipmelit for holding and heating the sample can be made simple, and because crucibles, boats, and other unnecessary materials can be eliminated and the blanks thus made very small. It is well known that the evolution rate of hydrogen is smaller just above the trans. formation than immediately below, as would be expected from the increase in solubility when passing into the gamma state. Many attempts have been made to obtain analyses by extraction just below the transition, using times of approxi. mately 2 hr. while it is true that the rate of evolution drops nearly to zero under these conditions, it has repeatedly been shown that the process is incomplete since on raising the temperature into the austenitic range, evolution will be resumed, usually after a, considerable induction period. The low-temperature evolution process appears to be useful in some cases for comparative tests where the residual crror may be more or less constant between samples, For general use, however, there is no guarantee that the error caused by incomplete extraction is constant; hence, the more laborious but more reliable high-temPe'atu'e Process must be used. At high temperature, an original flash evolution, similar to that at lower temperature, is first observed. After not more than an hour, the flash subsides and cvolution settles down to a regular first-order reaction rate for which the half-life* is usually of the order of a few hours for the 5/8-in. diam cylinder at 1050°C. The regular evolution may be followed for whatever period appears justified, after which the residual gas may be estimated as equal to that which was evolved in the last observed half-life period. Tests have shown that the composition of the evolved gas does not vary greatly during the progress of evolution; therefore the residual gas may safely be taken to have the same composition as the portion col-

Jan 1, 1949

By C. E. Sims, G. A. Moore

In previous publications of the writers4-7 it has been shown that vacuum extraction of steel can be carried as close to quantitative completion as desired provided the steel is in the austenitic state and sufficiellt time is allowed. For precise work, the method claims preference because the equipmelit for holding and heating the sample can be made simple, and because crucibles, boats, and other unnecessary materials can be eliminated and the blanks thus made very small. It is well known that the evolution rate of hydrogen is smaller just above the trans. formation than immediately below, as would be expected from the increase in solubility when passing into the gamma state. Many attempts have been made to obtain analyses by extraction just below the transition, using times of approxi. mately 2 hr. while it is true that the rate of evolution drops nearly to zero under these conditions, it has repeatedly been shown that the process is incomplete since on raising the temperature into the austenitic range, evolution will be resumed, usually after a, considerable induction period. The low-temperature evolution process appears to be useful in some cases for comparative tests where the residual crror may be more or less constant between samples, For general use, however, there is no guarantee that the error caused by incomplete extraction is constant; hence, the more laborious but more reliable high-temPe'atu'e Process must be used. At high temperature, an original flash evolution, similar to that at lower temperature, is first observed. After not more than an hour, the flash subsides and cvolution settles down to a regular first-order reaction rate for which the half-life* is usually of the order of a few hours for the 5/8-in. diam cylinder at 1050°C. The regular evolution may be followed for whatever period appears justified, after which the residual gas may be estimated as equal to that which was evolved in the last observed half-life period. Tests have shown that the composition of the evolved gas does not vary greatly during the progress of evolution; therefore the residual gas may safely be taken to have the same composition as the portion col-

Jan 1, 1949

By C. Jackson, J. J. Harrington

The pH control system at Kennecott Copper Corporation's Nevada Mines Division concentrator consists of two independent systems, lime dilution and lime addition. Lime dilution is accomplished in a mixing tank where slaked lime and water are introduced proportionately. The desired dilution of the milk of lime is determined by the electrical inputs provided by eight pH probes, one per grinding section. The inputs are averaged and applied to a time base generator. The summation output of the time base generator determines the proportion of lime and water that are to be mixed and applies this input to a voltage sensitive switching device. The switching device provides a signal to one of two relays which will add either slaked lime or water, dependent upon the summation output. The entire cycle is based on a 2-min repetition rate to allow for sufficient mix time. Responsivity is controlled by maintaing a limited maximum solution level in the mix tank. Lime addition is controlled independently within each grinding section. The electrical input from the pH probe in a given section controls the solenoid valves which provide lime to each of the ball mills. The valves remain open within a time range capable of maintaining the pH of flotation feed at a given set point.

Jan 1, 1978