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By Joseph W. Leonard

Evidence is presented to show that certain coals can be super-cleaned, using present coal preparation processes, to reduce sulfur below levels that are commonly believed to be possible. The evidence points to the need to develop continuous sorting methods by which coal coming from a mine can be segregated so that different raw coal types can be processed separately to produce a super-clean coal in addition to coals cleaned to more common levels of sulfur. Evidence is presented and techniques discussed that may be applicable for making the method feasible.

Jan 1, 1976

By Edgar A. Scholz, Attilio G. Spat

The rapid worldwide increase in labor costs, prices of goods and services, and the rising tide of economic nationalism do not bode well for the future of mineral exploration and the mining industry. The increasing complexity and difficulty involved in finding economic mineral deposits makes these trends particularly significant. A comparative cost analysis of domestic and foreign exploration projects which developed into mines during the period 1960-74 may be useful in indicating the general nature of exploration expenditures as these trends continue. This analysis is based on a survey of 18 US and Canadian mining companies. Due to the inexact nature of exploration expenditure data, plus the fact that no two mining companies follow the same system of cost allocation, the results of the survey must be considered quite general in character.

Jan 6, 1977

POSITIONS VACANT (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons.) A copper company in Arizona desires a young engineer to assist the superintendent and take charge of the surveying, sampling and assaying. A graduate mining engineer with a few years' experience in mine surveying and sampling preferred. Salary, $125 to start. No. 10. A company in Quebec desires a metallurgist familiar with copper smelting to remodel an old plant and carry on experimental work to determine whether its ore can be smelted profitably in the district. No. 11. A foundry making a specialty of medium and light weight. steel castings of high grade waists a competent man as assistant manager capable of taking complete charge of production in the absence of the general manager. No. 12.

Jan 3, 1914

By Richard A. Boulay

The effects of capital, operating and debt cost variations on project performance criteria are examined using a theoretical model and an actual case history. On an after-tax basis, financial measurements are found to be most sensitive to operating cost changes, somewhat sensitive to reasonable changes in capital costs and relatively insensitive to interest rate fluctuations.

Jan 1, 1985

By Charles Berry

Conventional and nonconventional insurance is examined from the point of view of a financier of a major mining and minerals project. The paper reviews the elements of a conventional insurance program; explains why such a program is not fully responsive to the project financier's needs; examines some of the new insurance coverages that can supplement a traditional program; and emphasises that these insurance markets are still in the early stages of their development with consequent effects on capacity (insured amount) and to some extent price (insurance premium).

Jan 1, 1985

By J. B. Newsom

DURING July and August, 1931, the Bloomington Limestone Co.,. at Bloomington, Ind., ran a single wire saw on ledge No. 2 at Maple Hill quarry. The ledge was hard rock, much harder than the average Indiana limestone. It was opened at two ends for a depth of about 20 ft., leaving a 130-ft. section between. During the tests 21 cuts were made in this ledge, to an average depth of 10.42 ft., for a total effective cutting area 028,445 sq. ft. The actual area sawed was about 20 per cent higher, as we did not level down in the center, preferring to cut deeper on the ends. The various cuts were carefully, logged, and the results plotted. A study of these results is interesting, as it enables a forecast of probable future costs to be made, and also because it points out the limitations of wire saws, and the lines development should logically take. Some of the inferences to be drawn are discussed below. Best Length of Cut.-No. trouble was due to length of cut, except that we could not easily level down a long cut, and it is probable that longer cuts, say up to 200 f t., can be made. Obviously, longer cuts will result in a higher sawing rate, in square feet per hour if- they do not cause stoppages. Working Higher Ledges.-The cuts averaged 10.42 ft. high by 130 ft. long. A study of several logs indicated that during only about 15 per cent of the cutting time was the saw cutting to its full efficiency; that is, during about 85 per cent of the time the saw was bedding in at the ends and not cutting well in the center, or the ends were below the floor line and only part of the wire was doing effective cutting. This does not mean that the wire was cutting to only 15 per cent of its capacity, but it means that during about 85 per cent of the time part of the cutting was being wasted. If higher ledges had been worked, the wire would have cut to its full efficiency a large part of the time, as it would have had a greater distance; to saw after it had bedded in to the ledge before the ends went down below the floor level. The exact saving to be expected cannot be calcu-lated, but it would be large, if really high cuts were made.

Jan 1, 1932

By R. K. Dunham, A. N. Styler

The results of two studies into the effects of undermining offshore room and pillar workings by longwall faces are presented. The first study indicated no potential instability from undermining one level of room and pillar workings. On the basis of this it was decided to undermine two levels of room and pillar workings, again monitoring pillar stability. The results showed no signs of increased instability.

Jan 1, 1982

By Paul T. Allsman

Recently the U.S. Bureau of Mines completed organizational changes that, for the first time since the beginning of World War 11,. re-emphasize mining research as an important part of its responsibilities. A progress report follows on the Bureau's improved program for mining research. During World War II the Bureau's mining research lapsed in favor of short-range, more urgent activities. Since the end of the war mining has grad- ually returned to an economy where reduced costs and increased efficiency are essential to a vigorous industry, and demand for improvement through expanded research is again pre-eminent. In recognizing this situation, the Bureau is again emphasizing mining technology and has reinstituted some of its earlier mining research activities. Recent research, however, follows a more scientific approach in solving mining problems because new technology, particularly new instrumentation, has developed rapidly during the past decade.

Jan 7, 1960

By Charles O. Thompson

IN 1867 the city of Worcester walled in the Mill Brook for its main sewer. This stream, one of the important affluents of the Blackstone River, flows through the city in a southwesterly course from Salisbury Pond, and along its valley a considerable part of the heavy manufactories of the city are placed. At two points, a mile apart, a sufficient fall occurs to be turned to account for motive power, and at many points it was the right and practice of the riparian proprietors, prior to 1867, to use the water for steam and other manufacturing purposes. But the

Jan 1, 1881

On June 15, Dr. E. E. Southard gave the following report to the Advisory Committee on Industrial Mental Hygiene of the. Engineering Foundation. Psychiatric social work, a new specialty in social work, was the topic of several section meetings (500-600 in attendance) at the National Conference for Social Work, held at Atlantic City, June 1-6. The new specialty was stated, by Dr. R. C. Cabot, to be the greatest single advance in medical social work since its establishment. Reports from three schools (Smith, New York, Philadelphia) indicate a good production rate of personnel, probably at least one hundred a; year, chiefly to be absorbed by hospitals, unless industrial psychiatry steps into the field. No detailed public announcements concerning industrial psychiatry were made; but private discussions elicited approval only for the program. Indications are that many non-medical social workers will decide to get additional training to go into medical social work and then to specialize in psychiatric social work and that many medical social workers will desire to specialize in psychiatric social work, with a view partly to entering reconstruction work, partly to entering industrial psychiatry. Suggestion has been made that psychiatric social workers may go into some kinds of, employment management and may look for special courses to that end. Evidence. has been brought that certain "compensated" psychopathic employees have been good (even very good) workmen: emphasis should be laid on this point to show the constructive aspect of industrial psychiatry:

Jan 8, 1919

FRED. MACCOY, Raton, N. M. (written discussion *).-In the review of the Chilean nitrate industry presented by Messrs. Rogers and Van Wagenen, the most critical point relating to the future of the industry has been summed up in the last paragraph: when nitric acid can be produced synthetically cheaper than from the Chilean deposits, the Chilean industry will cease. A study of the prevailing mining methods and extraction process leads one to suspect that much can be done to reduce the present cost of the finished product; and a reasonable reduction of the cost would make available immense reserves of low-grade caliche, the locations of which are fairly well delimited. In a study of costs, one finds that actual data are very hard to procure. The average operator does not know, with any degree of reliability, his "head assay," what percentage of the caliche is lost in mining, nor what tonnage of caliche he is putting into the maquina. One manager remarked to me, "We are not concerned in what it costs to treat a ton of caliche, we are interested only in what it costs to, produce a quintal of' finished nitrate." Apart from the crude methods of mining, and the inefficient work in extraction, attention is at once drawn to the fact that the 40d., stated as the cost of the nitrate at the plant, has become 80d. by the time it is on board ship. Of this 100 per cent. increase in value, 70 per cent. is

Jan 4, 1918

By F. Hulsmeir

The increase in drilling activities in Venezuela noted during the latter half of 1932 continued, and 132 wells were completed in 1933 as compared to only 60 completed during 1932. Notwithstanding these new wells, 114 of which were producers, and also the appreciable increase in artificial lifting installations during the year, Venezuelan production was maintained at only a slightly higher level than in 1932, amounting to 120,356,000 bbl. in 1933 as compared to 118,167,000 bbl. in 1932. However, at the end of the year the daily average production of 358,-860 bbl. was 16 per cent higher than that at the end of 1932. Exports from Venezuela recorded an increase of approximately 4 per cent, totaling

Jan 1, 1934

By Mario L. Villa

Oil activities and the petroleum industry in general have suffered severely in this country as a result of present war conditions. War has imposed a very heavy and unpleasant burden on the shoulders of those whose duty it is to keep .Argentina supplied with the necessary oil to meet industry's growing demands. Since 1940, imports of manufactured products from Europe and the United States have fallen to a minimum, making it necessary to manufacture as many of them as possible locally. This has brought about the establishment of many new industries and the enlargement of already existing plants, creating new demands for fuel that drain heavily the country's stocks, which already were overtaxed because of the diminished supply imported. To cope with this problem, a plan for an intensification of oil-field activities was drawn up by Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (Argentine Government Oil Fields) which included the drilling of many new

Jan 1, 1943

By Mario L. Villa

Oil activities and the petroleum industry in general have suffered severely in this country as a result of present war conditions. War has imposed a very heavy and unpleasant burden on the shoulders of those whose duty it is to keep .Argentina supplied with the necessary oil to meet industry's growing demands. Since 1940, imports of manufactured products from Europe and the United States have fallen to a minimum, making it necessary to manufacture as many of them as possible locally. This has brought about the establishment of many new industries and the enlargement of already existing plants, creating new demands for fuel that drain heavily the country's stocks, which already were overtaxed because of the diminished supply imported. To cope with this problem, a plan for an intensification of oil-field activities was drawn up by Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (Argentine Government Oil Fields) which included the drilling of many new

Jan 1, 1943

By D. J. Spottiswood

The control of thickener operation has proved difficult due to a lack of understanding of thickener operation and the long retention times involved. This is particularly true in counter current decantation circuits where the interact ion between thickeners further complicates the control problem. In this paper, the control aims and controlable variables are identified, and the development of a control system is discussed. Models of the sedimentation process, as carried out in thickeners, have been primarily aimed at thickener design. These models are examined and utilized in a dynamic model development. A preliminary dynamic model of the thickener operation is discussed here with relation to control application and its use in CCD circuit control examined.

Jan 1, 1984

By Richard Moldenke

So FAR as the quality of the product is concerned, the history of the production of pig iron for foundry purposes is one of constant retrogression. The steps in this deterioration began with cold-blast charcoal pig iron, then anthracite iron, coke iron; then gradually warm to hot-blast coke iron, with the charcoal furnaces also heating their blast to get greater tonnages, and finally the present day hot-blast coke irons with scrap additions to the ordinary burden that, according to one European report, have gone as high as 135 per cent. Parallel with this quality retrogression is the enormous increase in furnace tonnages from about 15 tons daily to over 1000 tons per day in exceptional instances of modern practice. The key to this situation is economic pressure. The effect is a growing differentiation between furnace production for gray iron and malleable foundries and for the production of commercial steel. As the foundry is often compelled to draw upon the pig irons made for steel purposes, for economic reasons, whereas the steel industry does not draw upon foundry pig irons proper, the situation is resolving itself into one of grave consequence for the life of the gray-iron castings industry, and hence the intensive present-day feeling in foundry circles for rigid specifications to govern the quality of pig irons sold for foundry use. In the discussion of a paper on the use of scrap in the blast furnace held recently in the Institute, a very pertinent remark was made by one of the participating furnacemen, who confessed that "the things found wrong by the foundryman with his iron were beyond his depth." It may be added that those things are also beyond the depth of most foundrymen who, however, know from their results that they are getting poorer castings today with many pig irons than they did with those same brands in former years. Under the former fracture buying, the foundryman at least could select the strongest metal, as judged by the sledge, from various brands of similar fracture and pig section, and his results proved the soundness of his conclusions. With the advent of iron analysis, and in spite of the growing uniformity of the metal through greater tonnage

Jan 2, 1927

Depending on viewpoint, slurry pipelines are a necessary part of coal expansion in the West, or an opportunistic venture that could cripple many American railroads.

Jan 10, 1977

By J. Morgan Clements

Petroleum has been known in Japan since at least 668 A. D., for a picture shows the presentation, during that year, to the Emperor Tenchi (Tenji) of "burning water" and ('burning earth" by his subjects from Echigo Province, which today is the largest producer of petroleum in Japan. The burning water was doubtless petroleum and the burning earth either bituminous shale or oil-soaked earth or rock from near the oil seepages. The early methods of getting the oil were simple and similar to methods used today in Japan and in China. Where the seepages occurred, trenches or shallow wells were dug along the seepages and allowed to fill with oil, which was then bailed out; in some cases, they filled with oil and water and overflowed. During the 300 years following 1500 A. D., the use of petroleum in Echigo Province seems to have increased considerably, as compared with earlier centuries, and records show that in 1818 the depth of the wells had been greatly increased. Doubtless, they passed through the seepages and tapped the shallow oil-bearing strata; probably some of these deeper wells were dug before that time. The real value of petroleum was not recognized until early in the Meiji era, which began in 1868, when the Japanese learned that the kerosene that was being imported was derived from petroleum. Guided solely by information obtained from books, they refined the oil and increased the depth of their wells in order to increase the production. The deepest well, dug by hand, about this time was 894 ft.' (273 m.) and by 1874 the recorded production reached 3499 barrels. In 1876, Benjamin Smith Lyman prepared geological maps of the Echigo oil field, which were the first of such geological maps made in Japan, and based on these a more enlightened development of the oil fields began; the Japanese, however, still dug the wells by hand. Toward the end of the '80s) an American well-drilling outfit was secured, but the efforts to use it failed from lack of experience by the operators. In 1888, a complete well-drilling outfit was purchased and American oil-well

Jan 1, 1923

By J. Morgan Clements

Petroleum has been known in Japan since at least 668 A. D., for a picture shows the presentation, during that year, to the Emperor Tenchi (Tenji) of "burning water" and ('burning earth" by his subjects from Echigo Province, which today is the largest producer of petroleum in Japan. The burning water was doubtless petroleum and the burning earth either bituminous shale or oil-soaked earth or rock from near the oil seepages. The early methods of getting the oil were simple and similar to methods used today in Japan and in China. Where the seepages occurred, trenches or shallow wells were dug along the seepages and allowed to fill with oil, which was then bailed out; in some cases, they filled with oil and water and overflowed. During the 300 years following 1500 A. D., the use of petroleum in Echigo Province seems to have increased considerably, as compared with earlier centuries, and records show that in 1818 the depth of the wells had been greatly increased. Doubtless, they passed through the seepages and tapped the shallow oil-bearing strata; probably some of these deeper wells were dug before that time. The real value of petroleum was not recognized until early in the Meiji era, which began in 1868, when the Japanese learned that the kerosene that was being imported was derived from petroleum. Guided solely by information obtained from books, they refined the oil and increased the depth of their wells in order to increase the production. The deepest well, dug by hand, about this time was 894 ft.' (273 m.) and by 1874 the recorded production reached 3499 barrels. In 1876, Benjamin Smith Lyman prepared geological maps of the Echigo oil field, which were the first of such geological maps made in Japan, and based on these a more enlightened development of the oil fields began; the Japanese, however, still dug the wells by hand. Toward the end of the '80s) an American well-drilling outfit was secured, but the efforts to use it failed from lack of experience by the operators. In 1888, a complete well-drilling outfit was purchased and American oil-well

Jan 1, 1923

By C. W. Washburne

THE waters of many oil fields have been regarded as buried sea water which has been retained in the sediments since the time of their deposition. The preservation of connate water through geological time has seemed improbable to only a few geologists, but there is room for doubt that buried sea water could remain in the strata during their periods of deformation and during the many subsequent epochs of. the circulation of meteoric ground-water. Some have even suggested that the calcium chloride water in the deep mines of the Lake Superior region is ancient sea water buried in the Algonkian lavas, but it is hard to understand how such water could be derived from the highly sodic and sulphatic water of the sea. It would seem more plausible to connect the calcium chloride with the highly calcic magmas of the greenstones in which it is found. Chemical analyses of waters associated with oil differ widely from the composition of sea water, requiring extensive alteration of the latter, if the former is truly its derivative. The first notable difference is the general absence of sulphates from oil-field waters, but this has been explained satisfactorily through reduction by hydrocarbons and organic matter. Oil reduces sulphates with the production of hydrogen sulphide (or sulphur), water, and carbonates (or carbon dioxide). The second striking difference is in the high ratio of chlorine to sodium. An examination of the analyses of chloride waters from oil fields shows that they contain a large relative excess of chlorine over that in sea water. Moreover, there is difficulty in finding chemical reactions that are probable in nature, by which sea water could be converted into anything like the chloride waters of oil fields. In the latter a large part of the chlorine occurs as calcium acid magnesium chloride. This condition might be produced by the removal of sodium carbonate, which; however, cannot be precipitated in the presence of much calcium or, magnesium.

Jan 3, 1914