Search Documents

By William P. Blake

We are so familiar with water in its liquid and its solid form, that we seldom think of it as a mineral, and still less as a mineral product of any considerable industrial importance, though in the form of ice it is mined and stored up in enormous quantities yearly. The industry is peculiarly American, and in no other country has the business of cutting and storing ice been so well systematized and perfected. The interest has grown steadily from year to year, until it has attained large proportions, the annual production being counted in millions of tons, requiring, in the aggregate, a large investment of capital in all the Northern States. It gives employment, also, to thousands of men and horses, in the depth of winter, when farming work cannot be carried on. Ice is not only a luxury, but a necessity, in our climate, and is indispensable in many manufacturing operations: and finds constantly increasing applications and uses. As the industry has grown, so the necessity for suitable implements and tools has grown with it, and it has become necessary to systematize and cheapen the methods of handling such a large amount of material with rapidity and economy. As the industry is properly a branch of mining, and as our mining literature does not, to my knowledge, contain any description of the methods and appliances used in it, it seems desirable to place a brief description on record in our Transactions, and I therefore offer to the Institute the following outline description, based partly upon observations for several years past of the methods and processes employed, and partly upon the information obtained from prominent ice-miners and from the manufacturers of ice-tools. My acknowledgments are particularly due to the firm of W. T. Wood & Co., of Arlington, Massachusetts, for much information in detail, and also to the Knickerbocker Ice Company, of Philadelphia. The wood-cut blocks used in the illustration of this paper, have been kindly lent by both of these firms. The sequence of operations in getting ice is as follows : 1. Wetting down a light snow. 2. Scraping off an excess of snow, if present. 3. Marking out the field. 4. Ploughing and cross-ploughing. 5. Cutting the channel and detaching large floes.

Jan 1, 1883

By C. M. Brinckerhoff

Safety work in mining at the Andes Copper Mining Company, Potrerillos, Chile, is divided into three parts: (1) accident prevention, (2) fire prevention and protection, and (3) silicosis prevention and control. In the company's operations a steady campaign has been waged to reduce accidents and silicosis, and to prevent fires. In the following pages the safety record for the past twelve years will be examined and the methods explained by which the accident rate was reduced. Table 1 contains yearly data pertaining to the scale of the mining operations and the accident record. Block caving is used for all ore production and the tonnage mined has averaged 30,000 short tons per day for the past seven years. Table 2 classifies 44 fatal accidents which have occurred since 1935. The leading causes of accidental death are transportation of ore and use of explosives, followed in order by persons falling, falls of ground, and by asphyxiation. In the case of serious accidents, however, the greatest cause is falls of ground, followed, in turn, by ore transportation, persons falling, explosives, and asphyxiation. Accident Prevention The improvement of the safety record was obtained by a combination of many factors. In surveying the results at Andes for the past twelve years, it is possible to select some features of the present operation which have contributed to the accident record. The most important of these are: (1) good staff planning, (2) good equipment, (3) an alert safety organization, and (4) education and selection of the workmen. GOOD STAFF PLANNING As a result of good staff planning, the mine has good working conditions, namely, good ventilation, moderate temperatures and humidity, and good lighting. These factors not only reduce accidents but also improve efficiency. In haulage work, accidents have been reduced by having traffic move in a forward direction only. The latter makes possible a one-man train crew. Trains are centrally dispatched from loading drifts which are interconnected by signal lights, so that when a train in a lateral drift is given permission to move into a main line drift, a red light signals in all other lateral drifts in that area. Good track is maintained, and safety niches are required at all switch throws. Since safety niches were provided there have been no fatal or serious accidents at such points. All main line haulage drifts are illuminated by electric lights. Haulage drifts are kept clean. Adequate clearance has been provided between cars and between cars and the sides of the haulage drifts. The 4 1/2 ton Cranby type cars are equipped with roller bearings, and the 10 ton loconlotives with trolley shoes instead of wheels. These two features are responsible for improved ore haulage conditions and contribute to greater efficiency and safety.

Jan 1, 1950

By E. Douglas, D. N. Collins, J. R. Stevens

E. Douglas (Dept. of Scientific and lndustrial Re-search, Warren Spring Laboratory, Hertfordshire, England) — The authors are to be congratulated on the considerable improvements they have made in tailoring efficiency and selectivity terms which are generally superior to the alternative forms in current use. However, I feel that their efficiency expression is limited to lower-grade feeds; its accuracy reduces as the feed grade increases. For example, its application to such processes as the beneficiation of glass sands, refractories and clays will invoIve considerable inaccuracies. The reason for this lies in the direct use of recovery, which, with high-grade feeds, biases their empirical expression, R(1 - c/h). With a 90% grade feed, the recovery weighting for the slightest degree of beneficiation, over a zero efficiency sampling operation, will be 90+%+ I disagree with their second basic requirement which states that there can be no fundamental basis for any single quantifying expression. A formula giving a comprehensive representation of concentra- tion efficiency can be derived fundamentally accord-to the procedure outlined in the literature. '' This formula, called the Basic Efficiency formula, is

Jan 1, 1963

By Robert D. Longyear

IN MOST diamond core drilling the primary objective is the recovery of samples to be used for chemical analysis, physical tests, or visual inspection. Unless these samples are reliable and the information systematically recorded, the time and money spent in securing them are largely wasted. A properly taken diamond-drill sample is similar to a properly moiled channel sample but more accurate. No channel sample can be moiled in as even a groove as the smooth cylinder of material normally removed in diamond drilling. More important still, sampling by the diamond drill practically eliminates that personal equation which Jora1emon4 reference numbers apply to publications listed in the bibliography at the end of this article) has aptly termed "the almost magnetic attraction of the most conscientious hand toward rich pieces of ore."

Jan 1, 1937

By M. D. Curran

AS applied to coal, the term processing is subject to many interpretations. To some it means preparation of coal for the market by mechanical means such as crushing, sizing, washing, or treating with oil or chemicals to eliminate dust or improve combustion quality. To others it means conversion of the coal to other commodities as in carbonization to produce coke and by- products, or to liquids by application of the hydrogenation process. I prefer to classify the various forms of mechanical treatment under the heading of beneficiation and apply the term processing to those methods of treatment that destroy the coal sub- stance through distillation or hydrogenation.

Jan 1, 1939

By E. H. Jr. Dix

A LACK of experimental data illustrating the effect of composition, particularly in respect to impurities, on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of aluminum-alloy die castings induced the authors and their associates to undertake a limited study of these relations. A number of commercial alloys .and several experimental variations of a commercial alloy were used for the investigation. Mechanical property, growth, steam, paraffin, salt spray and atmospheric exposure tests were employed. This paper deals with the more accelerated tests and the results they have produced. It is concluded that a high-silicon alloy with all impurities except iron strictly limited to small amounts will develop an excellent resistance to corrosion and retain satisfactory mechanical properties and casting characteristics. As a direct result of this investiga-tion an alloy of this character with superior corrosion resistance is now available commercially. In general, copper increases the strength and decreases the elongation and corrosion resistance. Tin reduces the mechanical properties and the resistance to corrosion. Iron reduces the elongation and, if excessively high, may adversely affect the tensile strength. Even excessively high iron contents do not affect the corrosion resistance, which is fortunate for the die caster as it is this element that is the most difficult to control. Nickel and zinc in limited amounts do not seem to affect the properties or corrosion resistance of at least the high-silicon alloy. Growth tests have confirmed the previous common belief that dimensional changes under either dry or wet conditions at 100° C. are too small to be of practical importance.

Jan 1, 1935

D EC. 20-The spirit of Christmas and good will toward men has managed a few brief appearances on the front pages, welcome relief from man's usual ill-will toward man. A couple politicos did their best to brighten the scene by well-publicized romances. There was a general exodus to Florida to patch up nervous systems, and even the UNO quieted down as Mr. Vyshinsky departed for home via Eastern Germany. Before going he opened up a preliminary bombardment for the worldwide "communist peace offensive," and it is now the duty of the 600 million (according to the Cominform) ideological converts to press home the attack. In Washington, Mr. Lilienthal resigned as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and demonstrated again the difficulty of government to retain the services of capable men. The President has yet to appoint another victim- possibly someone nicely noncontroversial and timid. So might the critics be appeased, but it would bode ill for the rapid exploitation of peaceful uses of atomic energy, the relaxation of excessive secrecy, wider sharing of developmental work with friendly nations and possible revision of the Acheson-Lilienthal proposals for inter- national control of the atomic bomb.

Jan 1, 1950

By Hiram B. Woon

Uranium ore deposits in the Lisbon Valley area are in an arcuate belt, 15 miles long by one-half-mile wide, on the southwest flank of the Lisbon Valley anticline. They range in size from 500 to 1,500,000 tons and by mid-1965 had yielded 6,147,000 tons containing 48,530,000 pounds of U3O8. Ore bodies average 6 feet thick, are tabular, amoeba-shaped masses, concordant to the bedding, and are in the thickest, lowest sandstone unit of the Moss Back Member of the Chinle Formation of Triassic age. The host rock is predominantly a fluviatile, calcareous, fine-grained to conglomeratic sandstone. Uraninite, the principal ore mineral, fills the pores in the sandstone and partly replaces sand grains and fossil wood fragments. During Late Permian and Early Triassic time pre-Chinle Formations were arched to form the ancestral Permian anticline. Moss Back streams truncated Moenkopi and Cutler beds which capped the ancestral anticline and then covered it with fluviatile elastics, which were subsequently covered by thousands of feet of Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous sediments. Uranium, probably derived from the Chinle Formation by diagenetic processes, was transported in connate ground waters, was moved by compaction or hydrostatic forces, and was deposited under reducing conditions. Uranium was emplaced around the crest of the ancestral anticline, prior to the Laramide orogeny. During the orogeny, the Tertiary-Lisbon valley anticline was super induced on the Permian anticline and, penecontemporaneous with uplift, was faulted parallel to its longitudinal axis. The Big Indian ore belt on the southwest flank footwall block was elevated to approximately its present position, and the northeast flank hanging wall block was elevated only slightly. An extension of the Big Indian ore belt around the northeast flank of the ancestral Permian anticline may exist in the Moss Back sandstone in the downthrown block northeast of the Lisbon Valley fault.

Jan 1, 1968

By AIME AIME

THE stage is set for the 1930 Annual Meeting. It will take place in the Engineering Societies Building. Feb. 17, 18, 19 and 20, and an unusual pro- gram of technical papers, symposia, lectures and addresses, interspersed with luncheons, dinners, excursions and worthwhile entertainment for the four days has been arranged. The curtain rises on Monday morning and the first act is by the entire company-registration. Then the meeting hits its stride, for there are ten technical sessions on Monday, and the range of subjects includes most of the Institute membership. The Committee on Coal and Coal Products, which is about to become the Coal Division, presents a symposium of a dozen or more papers on Coal Classification, concluding its afternoon session with several papers on general subjects. At its luncheon between sessions, C. E. Bockus, president of the National Coal Association, will be the honored guest. Papers of theoretical character will be discussed at the morning session of the Committee on Geophysical Prospecting; at its afternoon session there will be presented summaries of results obtained at various properties by methods described at previous meetings of this group and permanently recorded in "Geophysical Prospecting," published by the Institute early in 1929. Members of the Petroleum Division should not overlook the paper by Theodor Zuschlag, on this Committee's program. It is entitled, "Oil Structure Mapping by the Sundberg Method." Members of the Iron and Steel and Institute of Metals divisions will find it profitable to attend the session on Engineering Education on Monday afternoon. E. A. Holbrook has arranged a program of ten-minute talks on Metallurgical Education which are designed to get down to "brass tacks." and the practical man may, in discussion, contribute as well as learn. At 5 p. m. Thomas T. Read will lecture+ at Columbia University, on "Recent Progress in Economics of the Mineral Industries."

Jan 1, 1930

By G. Sachs, C. C. Chow, L. J. Klingler

Most structural parts which are heat treated are designed using strength properties which have been determined in the principal direction of the wrought material. For example, for rolled or drawn materials, properties are given for the rolling or drawing direction. The structures, however, may be loaded so that the critical stress is in some direction other than that for which the properties of the material are known. Investigations of forged products,123 have shown that while the yield strength and tensile strength of carbon steel billets and bars vary little with the direction of the test specimen in relation to the fiber, the contraction in area in tension tests and the impact strength in notched bar impact tests decrease in the transverse direction. The contraction in area and, consequently, the fracture stress of hard aluminum and magnesium alloy forg-ings have also been found to be lower in the transverse direction. An investigation on aluminum alloy plate4 likewise has shown the dependence of the fracturing characteristics upon the direction* of the test specimens, the longitudinal direction being considerably stronger than the transverse direction and the normal direction, with the normal direction being the least strong. The variation of properties with direction has been explained by a type of anisotropy called mechanical anisot-ropy. This anisotropy results from the elongation, in the direction of the principal strain, of certain phases, inclusions, and/or cavities in the metal during working. A mechanical fibering is thus produced which seems to persist through annealing and heat treatment. This investigation was initiated to determine the flow stress and fracture stress, at high hardness levels, at 90° to the rolling direction in a round steel bar. It is this direction which receives the critical stress in drawing dies machined from round bars. Preliminary tests showed a large difference in properties between the 0° and 90° directions. Consequently, it was felt that a more complete investigation, utilizing several types of tests, was warranted to determine the flow and fracture characteristics of a steel at various orientations, for a number of hardness levels. This investigation was conducted on an air hardening nondeform-ing die steel. Material and Procedure The distribution of properties was made on a 3-in. round bar of annealed high-carbon, high chromium steel of the following analysis: Pct Carbon................... 1.53 Manganese................ 0.39 Silicon.................... 0.27 Chromium................ 11.76 Vanadium................. 0.25 Molybdenum.............. 0.81 The 3-in. bar was produced from an 8-in. ingot, which was annealed and forged to a 4-in. square billet. The billet was annealed and rolled to a 3-in. round which was then annealed and straightened. This steel is an air hardening die steel which has very good dimensional stability on hardening; therefore, the residual stresses resulting from hardening would be expected to be low. A hardness survey across the diameter of the annealed bar showed no difference in hardness from the center to the outside. However, the test sections of all the specimens were taken approximately half way between the center of the bar and the surface to avoid any surface effect or possible porosity at the center. Tension, compression and bend tests were made on specimens hardened and tempered at six different temperatures. The tension test specimens, Fig 1, were machined from the bar at orientations of 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5 and 90° from the axis of the steel bar. The specimens were rough machined, heat treated and then ground to size. The test section on each specimen was lapped in a direction parallel to the axis of the specimen to remove any transverse scratches which might act as stress raisers. The specimens were tested in fixtures which insured concentricity of loading of less than 0.001 in.5 The transverse strains were measured with a radial strain gauge,5 the least count of which was 0.0001 in. change in diam. The compression specimens, Fig 1, were machined from the bar at ori-

Jan 1, 1950

By P. Duwez, C. B. Jordan

The phenomenon of the change of volume of pressed powder compacts upon sintering is well known in the field of powder metallurgy. Depending upon the metal or metals involved and the pressure used in forming, a compact may, in the course of time of sintering at a given temperature, expand mono-tonically, contract monotonically, or first show a volume change of one sign followed by a change of the opposite sign. It is clearly desirable to have accurate knowledge of the magnitude and sign of the change in dimensions to be expected in any given case, both from the point of view of direct usefulness in the fabrication of parts by powder metallurgy, and from the longer range viewpoint of elucidating the fundamental mechanism of metallic sintering. The present study was therefore undertaken as a first step in acquiring systematic and reasonably quantitative knowledge of the change in density of metal powder compacts during sintering. For practical reasons, copper was selected as the material to be studied first, and its densification followed as a function of temperature and time of sintering in hydrogen and in vacuum. Experimental Procedure The copper powder used was that designated by the manufacturer (Metals Disintegrating Co., Elizabeth, N. J.) as MD-151. This powder was sifted through Tyler standard screens to separate the fraction having particle size range between 200 mesh and 325 mesh, and this fraction was used in all the subsequent work. Compacts weighing about 10 g were then pressed in a 1 in. diam round die, using a pressure of 20,000 psi throughout. Sintering was carried out in commercially built electric furnaces in which the resistance windings are so disposed as to produce a nearly uniform temperature along the axis of the furnace for a length of about 18 in. centrally located. In order to be able to sinter in a controlled atmosphere, a 2 in. stainless steel tubing was inserted in the furnace. Each end of the tube was cooled by a water jacket about 7 in. long, and closed with a rubber stopper. The hydrogen used for one series of specimens was purified as described in Ref. 1. For the other set, a pressure of about 0.5 mm Hg was maintained during sintering by a Welch Duo-Seal Pump. The specimens were heated on square trays made of stainless steel. In placing specimens in the trays, a thin even layer of powdered aluminum oxide was first sprinkled on the bottom of the tray. A copper guard disk about half the thickness of the specimen was then placed in the tray and covered with a second layer of alumina. The actual specimen was then set on the guard disk, and a final coat of alumina sprinkled over the specimen. This technique was evolved for sintering the specimens in such a way as to reduce the influence of unknown extraneous factors to a minimum. If the specimen is placed directly on the tray and sintered, it is found that the resulting shape is that of a frustum of a cone, rather than a section of a right circular cylinder, since friction with the tray prevents the bottom of the specimen from contracting at the same rate as the top. In the arrangement used in these experiments, the guard disk provided a support which shrank at the same rate as the specimen, and the alumina powder reduced to a minimum friction between guard disk and tray, and between specimen and guard disk. The procedure followed in sintering consisted of bringing the furnace to the required temperature, and then inserting the specimen into the central heated portion of the furnace tube in one of the two atmospheres used. At the end of the heating period, the specimen was cooled by bringing it into a portion of the furnace surrounded by a water jacket. These manipulations were carried out without opening the furnace, by means of rods which were attached to the trays and operated through a sliding seal in the rubber stopper. The progress of densification of the copper compacts was studied at 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, and 1800°F. At each of these temperatures, a specimen was allowed to sinter for each of the following time intervals: M, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 hr. The thickness and diameter of each specimen were measured with micrometers before and after sintering, and each was weighed on an analytical balance after sintering. Results The techniques described in the preceding section were found to give satisfactory results. The specimens were not detectibly warped after sintering, and were usually of uniform diameter (that is, truly round) to within 0.001 in., a very few showing a variation in diameter of ±0.002 in. All specimens were found to have the same diameter

Jan 1, 1950

By Fred P. Peters

T. D. Yensen.*—As my information is of a negative nature, I think it belongs under this paper. We are particularly interested in magnetic materials and we would like very much on occasions to make use of powder metallurgy. We have tried repeatedly to use powder metallurgy in preparing our nickel alloys but always. with negative results; that is, we cannot get as good magnetic properties by powder metallurgy as we can by starting with a molten material. We have tried by all possible means to make materials' like 50 per cent iron-nickel alloys by powder metallurgy. The compacts can be regularly lorged and rolled but no matter what we do in the way of annealing, the magnetic properties come out very much poorer than if we start with molten material. F. V. Lenel. †—I want to mention one characteristic of articles made from metal powders which distinguishes them from die castings; that is, their wear resistance. Die castings usually are made from zinc or aluminum alloys and a few copper-zinc alloys; all of them are comparatively soft and not very wear resistant. I know of a number of cases where powder metallurgy rather than the die-casting method was used for producing a certain part because higher wear resistance was needed than could be attained in die castings. A, J. LanghammeR.*—The subject of powder metallurgy is somewhat difficult to discuss, and portray, in the time that his been allotted. Most of you would rightly be bored if we went into details. However, I will cite one incident that possibly will help illustrate some of the potentials. Last summer I was in Washington and met Navy officials for the purpose of studying the possibility of making a certain part by powder metallurgy. The part is highly intricate and I happened to remark that the material cost would be high; that is, the cost on one raw material. Promptly a high-ranking Navy officer said: "Mr. Langhammer, if you must pay x dollars a pound for the raw material, but achieve the desired results, the cost of the finished part would still be low."

Jan 1, 1945

By J. G. Eberhort

ThE literature of surface phenomena shows that, except for most of the rare-earth elements, surface tensions have now been determined for almost every liquid metal. The situation for liquid metal oxides is, in contrast, characterized by a great scarcity of surface-tension data. A surface-tension correlation between these two classes of substances has been found which provides a means of estimating unknown liquid-oxide surface tensions from the corresponding known liquid-metal surface tension. Lf the surface tension of the liquid metal is a(M) and that of the liquid metal oxide is o(M,Oy), then oxides of all stoichiometries can be brought into one correlation if is plotted against with the surface tensions taken at the respective melting points. The available data is displayed in this fashion in Fig. 1 where the relationship between the surface tensions of the two classes of liquids is found to be The correlation in Fig. 1 is based on data found for nine liquid metal oxides and the corre- sponding liquid metals In cases where several sur-face-tension determinations were available on the same substance, higher values were generally favored over lower ones because they usually indicate greater Sample purity. All of the metal-metal oxide pairs are in good agreement with Eq. [I] except for B-Bz03. The reason for the departure of this pair from the correlation is not understood. To estimate the surface tension of other liquid metal oxides the corresponding liquid-metal surface tension must be found. A nearly complete bibliography of the surface tension of liauid elements is available in the 46th edition of the Handbook of Chemistry and physics. Some additional references on metals are included here for convenience Se,26Sr,'?ThanduZ5). It is also possible to estimate the surface tension of a solid metal oxide or metal from the corresponding liquid-state data. As a liquid material is cooled through its melting point the surface tension increases abruptly by an amount Ao. bondi' has estimated that the maximum value of Aa at the melting point is Ao = Ahf/A [2] where Alzf is the heat of fusion per atom and A is the area per atom in the interface. Thus with heat of fusion and crystallographic data the surface tension of a solid at the melting point can be estimated as o + Ao.

Jan 1, 1967

By A. M. Keenan, R. H. Carpenter

Geologic faults have always been a plague to the mining industry, and have often reduced a mining venture from a profitable to a marginal operation, and even at times have forced companies to liquidation or bankruptcy. The use of geology as an economic tool in coal mining is not generally recognized, particularly in coal deposits which are horizontal or essentially flat-lying, in which faulting might not be prevalent. However in pitching coal seams, the existence of faults is considered an inherent challenge, as the inclination of the seam or seams per se, is a product of geologic disturbance. The problems of faults are a constant challenge to the management of the Thompson Creek Coal and Coke Corp. in their operations in Pitkin County, Colorado, where high grade medium volatile coking coal is mined. The background for this paper has been provided by the experiences of these operations, in overcoming the effects of faults in mining, and resolving the fault structures. The properties of the Thompson Creek Coal and Coke Corp. are located in central Colorado, 13 miles southwest of Carbondale, Colorado, a tow] on the main highway between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, Fig. 1. The elevation at the mine portals is approximately 8000 feet: there is a relief of some 2.000 feet to the adjacent ridges rising away from the [nine portals. 'The entire present production of these properties totaling 180.000 tons of clean coal per year is trucked to the railhead at Carbondale, Colorado, from whence it is shipped to the Geneva Steel Plant at Provo, Utah. The properties were initially opened in September 1952. A total of 125 men are currently employed with the production conting from the Number 1 and 3 Mines, and development workings of the Number 2 and 5 Mines respectively. While the No. 2 Vine was opened in 1953 prior to No, 3 Mine, the encountering of faults without sufficient development work accomplished to sustain production, necessitated the diversion of manpower to the other [nines for economic considerations. GEOLOGY '1-he productive coal seams occur in the Mesaverde formation of Late Cretaceous age which outcrop along the eastern edge of the Piance Creek Basin from the Grand Hogback, a part of the southwestern flank of the White River Uplift north of Glenwood Springs, southward through the 'Thompson Creek area and the

Jan 1, 1961

By Linn M. Farish

SOVIET RUSSIA reserves must be stupendous. In 1937 I. M. Goubkin placed the reserves of all categories it approximately 48 billion barren which was about twenty billion horn Is in excel:, of all the oil produced in the world since 1857. It is not unlikely in fact it is probable, that these huge stores of petroleum may ultimately be proven to exist within the present boundaries of the U.S.S.R. The size of the country is almost beyond imagination it is 2.7 times as big as the United States. Great sedimentary basins exist in all its different geological provinces, much of which are entirely untested and barely prospected. Oil in commercial quantities is actually produced from formations in every period from the Devonian to the Pleistocene. In the Emba region alone, 300 salt domes are known with an estimate of 700 still to be found. Only 22 of the 300 have been drilled and all showed oil. Of the 22 domes drilled six are now producing. There are 400 mapped structures reported in Azerbaijan

Jan 1, 1940

mean to say that these explosions are mechanical, but that the ejectment of the stock, throwing out of tops, etc., are mechanical. I see no reason at present, although I have had almost no experience in the use of large quantities of Mesabi ore, to change my ideas on the subject. That these explosions should follow irregular working or slipping in the furnace, I think can be explained. I have noticed that immediately following slips there is little or no settling of the stock on top, although there is no lessening of the volume of gas passing into the stoves and boilers. Supposing that, after a slip of 3 or 4 feet, the filling continues, but for some distance from the 'top the stock fails to move: there would be a much better chance for the deposited carbon to clog interstices in the stock, and for the additional effect in the same direction of the fine ore in the charge, than if the stock were properly settling. Under such conditions it is easily supposable that the openings would be entirely closed, or closed so tightly that the pressure below the obstruction would be raised to a point approaching the blast-pressure, or to a point high enough to force a passage or an enlargement of the small passages which may remain. When this occurs, gas from below under pressure carries with it large quantities of deposited carbon and fine ore; if the case is aggravated, coke, stone, bell, etc. As soon as the red-hot deposited carbon meets the air there are perfect conditions for a dust explosion, which naturally follows, the same as in a coal-mine or flour-mill.

Jan 1, 1899

By G. W. Healy, L. F. Sander

was investigated by reacting thin discs of calcium oxide with gas mixtures of CO2, CO, and Son. Its value was 19,300 * 300 cal independent of temperature in this range. No solid solubility of sulfur in calcium oxide was detected within the limits of the experimental method and it is estimated to be below 0.025 pct by weight. The importance of lime in desulfurization is well-established but complete information on the pure phase equilibrium: CaO + 1/2 s2 = CaS + +02 [11 is not yet available. The goal of this work was to evaluate solid solubility of CaS in CaO and to determine the free-energy change associated with Reaction [I] at temperatures of 1400" to 1650°C. The equilibrium constant for Reaction [1] can be written: It is convenient to rewrite Eq. [2] in the form: where A = {Ps /PqJ1'2 has been referred to' as the "sulfurizing power' of a gas mixture. In this work, thin discs of CaO were suspended in a vertical tube furnace and exposed to CO + CO2 + SOz gas mixtures having known values of A. The samples were then analyzed for sulfur. As expected, X-ray diffraction confirmed that CaS was the only sulfur-bearing phase formed at the relatively low oxygen pressures used. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Reagent-grade CaCO3 was pressed in a 3/8-in.-diam pill die and prefired in air to produce CaO discs weighing between 0.004 and 0.01 g. Several discs were used to provide a suitable weight for chemical analysis while maintaining a large surface area to react with gas mixtures. These were placed in a platinum mesh basket and suspended in the gas stream in the hot zone of a vertical tube furnace. Desired gas mixtures were prepared from cp grade CO and CO2 and anhydrous grade SO2. The method of soap bubble displacement was used to calibrate capillary flow meters. While this gave excellent results with CO and Con, some problems with bubble insta- bility and soap film "drag" arose with the use of SO2 at low flow rates. Hence, frequent sampling and analysis of gas mixtures was carried out to insure proper control of the ingoing SOZ. The furnace used for gas:solid equilibration was a vertical mullite tube externally wound with 60 pct Pt-40 pct Rh wire having a diameter of 0.028 in. An inner tube of $ in. ID served as the reaction chamber having Pyrex ground joints sealed to the mullite to provide gas-tight connections at top and bottom. A Pt-Pt 10 pct Rh thermocouple was inserted into a protection tube adjacent to the sample basket to measure sample temperature during a run. Constant-temperature control to 2C was observed at any desired set point within the range of this investigation. This was accomplished by a control thermocouple imbedded in the furnace windings which served to actuate an electronic controller wired for high-low operation. The sulfur analyses of the solid samples were carried out using a stoichiometric combustion technique based on the method of Fincham and Richardson. Some analyses were done using a modified evolution method3 but these were used primarily to check the results of the combustion method. The results were in good agreement but the combustion technique of-ferred an advantage in economy of time and material. CALCULATION OF GAS EQUILIBRIA Heating a given mixture of CO + CO + SO2 to high temperatures gives rise to a large number of product species. The details of calculating the partial pressures of these products of interaction and dissociation can be found in several references4,5 and need not be repeated here. The thermodynamic data selected for the major species in the gas mixtures are shown in Table I. Equilibrium constants from these reactions were combined with oxygen, carbon, and sulfur balances and a computer program written to facilitate the calculations. Some early difficulties in reproducing experimental results were finally traced to the effect of atmospheric pressure changes. No reference to consideration of this question had been found in the

Jan 1, 1969

By T. M. Chance

The first bituminous coal cleaning-plant to use the sand-flotation process1 was placed in operation on Oct. 1, 1925, at the tipple of the East Broad Top Railroad & Coal Co., at Mt. Union, Pa. The general principles governing the design of plants of this type and typical operating results of anthracite sand-flotation units have been previously outlined.2 I will, therefore, confine myself to a description of this particular plant and to some of the elements of design it incorporates. The Original Mt. Union Tipple The plant was installed to transfer coal.from steel narrow-gage cars of 60,000 and 70,000 lb. capacity to standard-gage equipment. The coal was hauled about 30 miles from the East Broad Top field. This coa1, mined by the Rockhill Coal & Iron Co. and other operators, is a low-volatile slow-coking coal with ash of high-fusion point. It is normally a high-grade coal that does not contain an excessive amount of free impurities, but it requires careful handling to secure a fair domestic yield, and, naturally, the need for narrow-gage transshipment increases the difficulty of the problem. The narrow-gage cars were discharged into an 8-car track hopper equipped with two feeders passing the coal to two 42-in. apron intake conveyors. Twin units were installed throughout the original plant, two lump-and-egg shaking screens, two lump picking-tables, two egg picking-tables and two stoker conveyors. The stoker coal was loaded without cleaning. The loading tracks and booms were in duplicate and, with the layout as originally installed, either unit could be run independently, each unit shipping a different class of coal or both units making the same product.

Jan 1, 1927

By E. H. Lee, F. J. Fayers

Problems in reservoir analysis can usually he cupressed in terms of a system of nonlinear partial difjerential equations. A rnethod for .setting physically reasonable boundary conditions for these systerrls by ayplication of the theory of characteristics is discussed. A short description i.c. given of the technique for finding chnmcteristics of general first order and second orrler equations. Specific examples are quoted jrorn eqrrations occurring in theoretical reservoir studies. The princip1e. ossocicred wit11 the use of chnracteristic to set physically realistic boundary conditions me developed, and thr method is discussed in terms of boundary condition for the noncupillary, compressible, two-phase flow problen: jor the cupillary, ir~cowlpressible, two-phase flow problems for the tlrtergent flooding prohlenl; as for the compressible. noncapillary, two-phase flow pro11letn. INTRODUCTION In most problcms in reservoir analysis the physical situation is described by a system of nonlinear partial differential equations. The general solution to the set of equations usually comprises a wide range of functions ancl a particular solution is normally selectetl by applying suitable boundary conditions to the problem. In some cases it is clear from the physical situation what form the boundary conditions should take, but it is usually desirable to have an independent mathematical check of the suitability of the chosen conditions. From the mathematical standpoint, a system of partial differential equations with boundary conditions is said to be properly set if the combination determines a unique solution which is continuously dependent on the equation and the boundary conditions. Such a solution is sometimes termed "reasonable". In investigating the properties of the mathematical representation, it is useful to determine the structure of the system by the application of the theory of characteristics. This theory determines in the space of the independent variables, lines or surfaces which play a special role in thc system's behavior. The characteristics determine the possibility and nature of the propagation of discontinuities in the derivatives of the dependent variables. Along the characteristics certain differential relations hold which for some problems allow a so- lution to be obtained analytically. In the case of hyperbolic equations the characteristics can bc used as 3 basis for a numerical solution. If a complicated nonlinear system is to be solved, a study of behavior of the characteristics will indicate what boundary conditions should be chosen. By using the method of characteristics, several advances have rccently been made in solving reservoir engineering problems. Sheldon, Zondek and Cardwell' have discussed how the the method may be used grap-phically to solve the incompressible two-phase displaccmerit problem when the gravity term is included in the equations. Fayers and Perrine' have applied the method to study the equations representing detergent flooding. When compressibility and solution-gas effects are introduced into the two-phase flow problem, the equations and their characteristics become more complicated. It will be seen that in this problem the characteristics are useful for indicating a reasonable set of boundary conditions but cannot readily be used to compute a numerical solution. This problem has been solved on the IBM 701 using normal finite difference methods hy West, Garvin and Sheldon." The material to be prcscntcd in this report is divided into three sections. The first discusses the determination of the characteristics of first and second order partial differential equations; the second describes the selection of suitable boundary conditions by the application of the principle that the future cannot affect the past; the third discusses the use of characteristics for setting the boundary conditions of the two-phase solution-gas flow problem. A useful introduction to the method of characteristics has been given by Hildebrand.' A summary of the method will be given in this section of the paper. The First Order Equation The quasi-linear equation of first order is It is linear in the partial derivations of z. The properly linear equation has the form The characteristics of are curves along which the

By R. W. Raymond

THIS meeting was held in the new home of the Institute, the United Engineering Society Building, 29 West 39th Street, New York City, directly following the Dedication ceremonies. The first session was held in the large Auditorium, Thursday, April 18. The meeting was called to order by Mr. John Hays Hammond, President of the Council, who said Before taking up the reading and discussion of papers, I will call upon Dr. Rossiter W. Raymond, the oldest living past-President of the Institute, who has been in harness almost continuously for thirty-six years, and who has contributed more than any one else to bring this society to its present great success and to establish the reputation of the American mining engineer the world over, for a few words supplementary to those which were uttered to engineers generally, during the sessions of yesterday and the day before. ADDRESS BY R. W. RAYMOND. The generally accepted Darwinian doctrine of the survival of the fittest is sometimes illustrated by persons who are supposed to be the fittest because they have simply survived. I fear that I come under that category. Almost all of my contemporaries in the early history of this Institute have passed away. Only one or two of the original founders remain, and I may fairly say that scarcely any remain who were active at that : time in shaping the organization and the future career of the Institute. In May, 1871, I was thirty-one years old. Next week I shall be sixty-seven years old. All the intervening years have been devoted to the service of this Institute almost continuously, either as President or Vice-President or Secretary. You may easily imagine, therefore, with what pleasure I greet you on this occasion. I am not here to extend to you the welcome of the City - of

May 1, 1907