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By Daniel Houdouin

Data is frequently collected in mineral processing plants in order to evaluate operating performance or to model process units. Metal concentrations, circulating loads, products flow rates, classifiers efficiencies, flotation units recoveries, grinding mill efficiencies are typical parameters calculated from plant data. The validity of these calculations depends strongly upon the reliability of the data used for that purpose. The objective of this paper is to illustrate that flowrates, efficiencies and rate parameters of mineral processes are more reliable when calculated from balanced data rather than from raw data. Using variance-covariance matrices of balanced data produced by automatic mass balance packages (including flow rates, concentrations, percentage of solids and size analyses), variances of separator efficiencies (flotation or classification) and of mill grinding rates are derived. The variances are compared with those of variables calculated from raw data. The advantage of using balance data is illustrated with real data from flotation, grinding and classification units.

Jan 1, 1984

By C. E. Birchenall, G. Derge

IN studying the kinetics of slag-metal reactions, it has become increasingly apparent that a complete knowledge of all aspects of interface phenomena will be required to clarify these processes adequately. A part of the data required for all oxidizing slags used in the refining of impure iron to steel is the rate of exchange of iron between the slag and metal phases. The simplest equilibrium of this type is that between liquid iron and iron silicate slag when both phases are equilibrated with the silica crucible containing them. In this study, the exchange of iron between the two liquid phases has been measured by using radioactive Fe as tracer. The observed high exchange rate indicates the ease with which such interfaces may be crossed in refining processes. The experiments required for this study involved relatively minor and normal modifications of well established techniques. Melting was accomplished by induction heating in heavy walled, fused silica, rotating crucibles." Rotation was used to minimize dilution of the slag by crucible erosion. The melting stock was ingot iron. Slags were prefused in iron crucibles using chemically pure grade oxide reagents. The special conditions applying to the active iron additions will be described for individual experiments. Suitable precautions were observed with regard to protection against radiation hazards.' Identification of Activity This particular study was initiated several years ago, but held in abeyance because the radioactive iron available at that time contained a foreign activity which concentrated in the slag so as to mask the iron activity and render the results unin-terpretable. With the benefit of experiences from other studies, radioiron of suitable purity can now be prepared. As received from the Isotope Div. of A.E.C., the unit appears to contain Fe + Fe50 and a high activity cobalt. The cobalt and iron are separated by repeated ether extractions, and the purified iron stored for sufficient time for the Fe'7 44 day half-life) to decay to negligible activity, leaving only Fe as the active isotope. This was confirmed by the absorption curves for slag and metal samples from heat No. 1. In Fig. 1 the experimentally measured points for the absorption curves of slag and metal are fitted by the calculated slope of 5.8 mg per sq cm in aluminum, which corresponds to the Mn K doublet emission resulting from the capture of an orbital electron of Fe" by the nucleus. This shows that the radioactive species are the same in both slag and metal and identifies it as Fe55 Description of Individual Heats For the first heat, the radioactive iron was contained in the prefused slag. The active Fe55 had been precipitated with carrier and was added as Fe2O3 during fusion in the iron crucible. The charge of 500 grams of ingot iron was melted, the protective iron sleeve added, rotation started, and a prefused, inactive slag was added to allow the system to approach equilibrium. After about 5 min at temperature, the wash slag was skimmed and the active slag added. Initial slag and metal samples were taken as soon as the slag was molten. Additional samples were taken at indicated intervals thereafter. Slag samples were dipped with a small iron spoon and metal samples were sucked into 1/4 in. ID silica tubes. The slag and metal samples were pulverized and mounted for radioactive counting. The slag samples were analyzed chemically for FeO. Temperature was read after the last slag sample by immersion of a Pt-Pt-Rh thermocouple protected by a fused silica sheath. Since no significant variation of rate with temperature was observed

Jan 1, 1954

By P. H. Royster

SOMETHING of a mystery has attached itself to the production of ferromanganese in the blast furnace. This alloy has been produced on the Continent almost continuously since 1876 and in very considerable tonnages, but little definite information concerning the practice is to he found in technical literature, and almost nothing in the way of a theory of the manganese furnace. In this country prior to 1904, bit one company had attempted its production in a serious way, and none of the operating data or other information from this company has been, or is, available to the public. In the last 5 years, as a result of the restriction of imports, a number of furnaces have been blown in on this alloy, with the result that in 1918 as many, as 18 furnaces were in blast. The majority of the men in charge of these furnaces had had little previous experience in such operations. Realizing the advantages both to the country and to the industry from a pooling of operating data and experiences, the Bureau of Mines, in the summer of 1918, undertook the collection of data from ferromanganese furnaces. Although the results of this investigation have already been reported to the companies cooperating, they may he of permanent metallurgical interest, so this paper attempts to give, briefly, the more important points brought out in the investigations. OPERATING DATA IN FERROMANGANESE PRACTICE Operating data were collected by the Bureau from 11 ferromanganese furnaces, which will be referred to throughout this paper as furnaces A, B, C, F, G, I, J, K, L, M, and P. The dimensions, of seven of the furnaces are given in Table 1. The companies from whom this infor-

Jan 2, 1919

By D. E. Moore

The strength of a natural serpentinite gouge was measured at 400°C and an effective pressure of 100 MPa. The strength of the gouge decreased with increasing pore pressure to 50 MPa and then was nearly constant between 50 and 125 MPa. The samples at 50-125 MPa pore pressure slid stably, whereas those at 3-25 MPa pore pressure showed stick-slip behavior. Lengthening the pre-heating time to 72,000 s of samples at 100 MPa pore pressure led to increases in both the strength and the likelihood of sliding unstably. With still longer pre-heating times, the strengths decreased again and sliding once more became stable. The strength of the gouge at 3 MPa pore pressure was unaffected by changes in pre-heating time. A possible explanation for the results is that excess pore pressures are being generated in the gouge, causing the true effective pressure to be lower than the apparent value.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. E. Reed-Hill, W. H. Hartt, W. A. Slippy

An unusual form of double kinking has been observed at the ends of {1121} twins in deformed zirconium. These kinks lie partly outside of the twin and partly inside. While they are undoubtedly closely associated with accommodating the twinning shear into the matrix, they are apparently closely related to other important aspects of twin growth. A mechanism is proposed for {1121} twin growth involving interactions between 1/3 (1120) dislocations in the bend planes and twinning dislocations. It is also shown that boundaries without long range strain fields develop at the tapered ends of the twins. The {1121} twins can, therefore, grow without forming high-energy noncoherent twin boundaries containing large numbers of closely spaced twinning dislocations. NUMEROUS investigators have indicated that slip is often closely associated with deformation twinning. An example is twin accommodation kinking,1-3 where dislocations form bend planes and permit accommodation of a twinning shear within the parent crystal. Another is the incorporation of slip dislocations into twins, as proposed by Sleeswyk and verbraak4 and Ishii and Kiho5 for iron and ß-tin, respectively, and observed in hcp metals by Price.6 In addition, it has been shown that shear discontinuities exist at the points of twin intersections in zinc,7 magnesium,8 titanium,9 ß-tin,10 and bismuth," where the continuity conditions for twin intersections, originally proposed by cahn,12 are not satisfied. A similar situation occurs for zig-zag (1121) twins in zirconium13 and ?-phase silver-aluminum alloys,14 where the twinning shears of the two component twins are not parallel. In all these latter cases additional deformation by slip is believed to accommodate the twinning shear discontinuity. The present paper is concerned with a newly observed aspect of the slip and twinning interrelation, in which two kinks, one inside the twin and the other external to the twin, are formed. These kinks, observed in conjunction with (1121) twinning in zirconium, form to accommodate the twinning shear. A model has been constructed explaining the growth and accommodation of (1121) twins in terms of these kinks. This mechanism may be significant since it is concerned with an important twin mode, which occurs not only in zirconium but also in titanium and hafnium. The practical significance of (1121) twinning has been adequately demonstrated. At 77° K the high ductility of zirconium containing a large number of grains unfavorably oriented for slip is primarily due to (1121) twinning.'5 Also, (1121) twins nucleated at 77°K may grow during further deformation at room temperature. This growth can greatly increase the transverse ductility15 as well as produce large mechanical hysteresis effects.= EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Arc-melted, sponge zirconium plate previously described17 was prestrained 0.65 pct at 77° K by cold-rolling to introduce {1121} twins into the structure. Tensile specimens were cut with axes normal to the plate rolling direction. These specimens were pulled in tension to near the point of failure in an Instron machine at room temperature at a cross-head speed of 2 x10-2 in. per min. This additional deformation caused growth of the twins nucleated by prestrain. Deformed specimens were then prepared for metallo-graphic examination. This included an anodizing treatment18 that made the surfaces sensitive to polarized light, permitting small lattice rotations to be revealed. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Nature of the Twin-Kink Band Structure. Fig. 1 is a photomicrograph of a typical specimen after prestrain at 77° K. The structure is characterized primarily by long, narrow, parallel sided (1121) twins which norma1ly traverse the entire grain. Fig. 2 shows several (1121) twins after additional straining at room temperature. These lie near the center of the polarized light photomicrograph and are inclined upward to the right. It is evident that this latter deformation has resulted in appreciable twin growth. The dark regions extending from the ends of these twins are accommodation kinks. The difference in reflected light intensity indicates the

Jan 1, 1969

By B. Silliman

THESE ores occur in the Laurentian rocks in the town of Clifton, St. Lawrence County, New York. The Clifton Mining Company have opened these magnetites upon their estate of 23,000 acres, on the waters of the Grasse River, an affluent of the St. Lawrence, which flows for about nine miles across the estate, exposing a section of the formation, and affording ample water-power at numerous points. In approaching this district from De Kalb Junction, upon the Watertown and Ogdensburg Railway, the observer passes from the zone of the specular ores, which abound to a great extent in Jefferson County, across a belt of non-metal-liferous limestones, continuing for some miles intermingled with metamorphic rocks, and gradually giving place to heavy beds of granitic and porphyritic gneiss, the weathered surfaces of which present a gray and rough appearance, from the washing out of the feldspar; leaving the quartz very prominent, and completely disguising the real character of the rock, which, when freshly broken, has a lively reddish appearance from the predominance of flesh-colored and red feldspar. Beds of fine-grained quartzite appear also intercalated in the granitic gneiss. These are the dominating rocks of the magnetite region, but the magnetite is always found, so far as the speaker's observation extended, associated with beds of calcite, carrying hornblende, black and green, biotite, and brown garnet interspersed with yellow and magnetic pyrites. The strike of these rocks is about northeast, and their dip about 40° to 45° southeast.

Jan 1, 1873

By E. Swartzman, G. C. Behnke

THE free-swelling index, a numerical value for the free-swelling properties of coal, is being used to an increasing extent in specifying coal for burning in various types of equipment. The empirical standard ASTM method for determining this index uses, as a source of heat, a gas burner which requires frequent calibration because gas pressures are not constant, relatively small changes in gas pressure resulting in rather wide variations in the temperature attained in a crucible and thus in the resultant size of the coke button. Furthermore, the quartz crucibles specified for the test are not standard equipment, and relatively small variations in dimension and wall thickness from those specified often result in rather wide variations in the resultant size of the button. A method of analysis to be satisfactory not only for a scientific laboratory but also for use in industrial control laboratories under varying conditions should employ equipment which is rugged, easily calibrated, and readily replaceable by standard materials. Gas is not universally available as is electricity, and it is generally easier to calibrate and control a simple electric furnace or heater than a gas burner, the voltage not usually fluctuating to the degree that gas pressure does. Quartz crucibles are fragile, and the size specified in the test is not normally used for any other purpose in the laboratory. Although more expensive, the 15-cc platinum crucible, available in all laboratories where volatile matter in coal is determined by the standard ASTM method, is sturdy and standard and easily replaced. Because of these considerations, a modification of the standard method has been developed which employs a standard laboratory 350-w cone heater and standard 15-cc platinum crucibles. The results of numerous tests conducted with such apparatus show conclusively that the free-swelling index values as judged by the buttons produced with this equipment are exactly the same as those obtained by the standard gas burner method. Thus it is suggested that this electric cone heater method employing standard 15-cc platinum crucibles be considered as an alternative to the ASTM method, Designation: D720-46. The free-swelling index of coal is determined by means of the ASTM method, D720-46. This method, which is an adaptation of the crucible swelling test for coal of the British Standards Institution, consists of heating 1 g of coal in a special covered quartz crucible in a regulated gas flame for a period of not less than 2.5 min in which time the temperature of the inner surface of the bottom of the crucible reaches a temperature of 82025°C. The residual coke button is then compared in size and shape with a series of standard profiles shown in Fig. 1 and designated by number from 1 to 9 in increasing order of size. As the method is empirical, it requires rigid standardization of the apparatus and repeated calibration of the gas burner. The dimensions of the low form quartz crucible recommended must be rigidly adhered to as small variations in diameter or wall thickness result in variations in the rate of heat transmission and thus in the resultant size and shape of the coke button. The gas burner must be calibrated almost every time a new set of determina-

Jan 1, 1952

By J. D. Verhoeven

In a recent study1 this author has investigated the effect of an electric field upon the solute redistribution accompanying solidification of Sn-Bi alloys. It was concluded that the primary effect of the electric current upon the solute redistribution resulted from electrotransport within the liquid boundary layer at the solid-liquid interface. In order to maximize the electrotransport effect all of the experiments were conducted at the highest current densities experimentally attainable. It was found that these high current densities produced considerable convective mixing within the liquid metal. This mixing reduces the boundary layer thickness and consequently reduces the effectiveness of the electric field in producing solute redistribution. Consequently, it is quite possible that the condition of maximum achievable current density would not correspond to maximum solute redistribution. It may be that, as the field intensity is increased, a point is reached where the additional solute redistribution from the increased electrotransport is more than offset by the decrease in solute redistribution resulting from the increased mixing in the liquid. In order to check this possibility the effective distribution coefficient has been determined as a function of current density in a series of experiments. The experiments were conducted on 6.6 at. pct Bi

Jan 1, 1968

By B. Silliman

THESE ores occur in the Laurentian rocks in the town of Clifton, St. Lawrence County, New York. The Clifton Mining Company have opened these magnetites upon their estate of 23,000 acres, on the waters of the Grasse River, an affluent of the St. Lawrence, which flows for about nine milt",3 across the estate, exposing a section of the formation, and affording ample water-power at numerous points. In approaching this district from De Kalb Junction, upon the Watertown and Ogdensburg Railway, the observer passes from the zone of the specular ores, which abound to a great extent in Jefferson County, across a belt of non-metal-liferous limestones, continuing for some miles intermingled with metamorphic rocks, and gradually giving place to heavy beds of granitic and porphyritic gneiss, the weathered surfaces of which present a gray and rough appearance, from the washing out of the feldspar; leaving the quartz very prominent, and completely disguising the real character of the rock, which, when freshly broken, has a lively reddish appearance from the predominance of flesh-colored and red feldspar. Beds of fine-grained quartzite appear also intercalated in the granitic gneiss. These are the dominating rocks of the magnetite region, but the magnetite is always found, so far as the speaker's observation extended, associated with beds of calcite, carrying hornblende, black and green, biotite, and brown garnet interspersed with yellow and magnetic pyrites. The strike of these rocks is about northeast, and their dip about 40' to 45' southeast

By Duane L. Whiting

Jan 1, 1985

By Jos. J. Walsh

Ventilation within a coal mine is essential to the welfare of those employed therein, from the standpoint of health, safety, and efficiency. While the saving of life and the preserving of health are the chief reasons for ventilation, efficiency and production are increased. In spite of the fact that we speak of air as having a certain composition, the proportions of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide are not fixed, but vary between small limits. The different elements are not chemically united, they are merely mixed and each is free and can be separated with little energy. For this reason air in the mine workings is seldom found in a pure state. Factors that necessitate ventilation in coal mines are those that change the composition of pure air. Contamination of mine air results from the burning of oil-fed flames, the use of explosives, the oxidation of coal, and the liberation of gases by the coal. The extent to which these factors exist governs the size and general plan of the ventilating applianccs required. An efficient ventilating system is one that will furnish air at the working faces in sufficient volume to dilute and render harmless noxious gases and at the same time maintain an oxygen content closely approaching that of pure air. In a well-ventilated mine, the oxygen seldom falls more than 0.5 per cent. below normal. The carbon-dioxide content of the air in the average coal mine will vary from 0.1 to about 0.8 per cent., which amounts are not harmful. Three per cent. of carbon dioxide in air doubles the frequency and the depth of breathing; it is plainly noticeable and if breathed continuously for several hours its effect would probably be harmful. Slight reductions in the oxygen content of the air, such as occur in well-ventilated mines, have no debilitating effect on the worker. A person not exerting himself would fail to observe any unusual physical effect in an atmosphere: containing 17 per cent. of oxygen. This condition, however, or even a condition showing an oxygen content below 20 per cent., would indicate poor ventilation and that the elements which tend to reduce the efficiency of the worker are present, namely water vapor and a high wet-bulb temperature.

Jan 1, 1923

By Jos. J. Walsh

Ventilation within a coal mine is essential to the welfare of those employed therein, from the standpoint of health, safety, and efficiency. While the saving of life and the preserving of health are the chief reasons for ventilation, efficiency and production are increased. In spite of the fact that we speak of air as having a certain composition, the proportions of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide are not fixed, but vary between small limits. The different elements are not chemically united, they are merely mixed and each is free and can be separated with little energy. For this reason air in the mine workings is seldom found in a pure state. Factors that necessitate ventilation in coal mines are those that change the composition of pure air. Contamination of mine air results from the burning of oil-fed flames, the use of explosives, the oxidation of coal, and the liberation of gases by the coal. The extent to which these factors exist governs the size and general plan of the ventilating applianccs required. An efficient ventilating system is one that will furnish air at the working faces in sufficient volume to dilute and render harmless noxious gases and at the same time maintain an oxygen content closely approaching that of pure air. In a well-ventilated mine, the oxygen seldom falls more than 0.5 per cent. below normal. The carbon-dioxide content of the air in the average coal mine will vary from 0.1 to about 0.8 per cent., which amounts are not harmful. Three per cent. of carbon dioxide in air doubles the frequency and the depth of breathing; it is plainly noticeable and if breathed continuously for several hours its effect would probably be harmful. Slight reductions in the oxygen content of the air, such as occur in well-ventilated mines, have no debilitating effect on the worker. A person not exerting himself would fail to observe any unusual physical effect in an atmosphere: containing 17 per cent. of oxygen. This condition, however, or even a condition showing an oxygen content below 20 per cent., would indicate poor ventilation and that the elements which tend to reduce the efficiency of the worker are present, namely water vapor and a high wet-bulb temperature.

Jan 1, 1923

By A. E. J. Engel

The New York talc deposits of commercial importance are in St. Lawrence and Lewis counties, in the northwest Adirondack Mountains (Fig 1). All of the deposits are of pre-Cambrian age and occur within highly deformed and recrystallized marble of the Gren-ville series. The deposits in St. Lawrence County, near Gouverneur, are the largest and most productive of their type known in the Western Hemisphere. In 1948 the seven mines which are in operation will produce about 130,000 tons of ground talc. All talc production in Lewis County is from one mine. There the annual production ranges from 15,000 to 30,000 tons. These so called talcs of New Yorb State include earth materials of different chemical and mineral compositions. In general the mineral talc is subordinate in amount to other minerals in both the Gouverneur and Natural Bridge deposits. In the Gouverneur district the mineral talc comprises less than 25 pct of the mined and ground rock. Most of the rock mined is a tremolite- or tremolite-anthophyllite schist somewhat altered to serpentine and talc. This characteristic in no way tlevaluates the "talc" for certain markets, and in some instances makes the material more desirable. The Natural Bridge talcs include types high in serpentine, as well as complex aggregates of serpentine, talc, carbonates, and diopside. Usage of the term talc, however, for

Jan 1, 1950

Greater automation of facilities is probably the best hope of the mining industry in its efforts to surmount continually rising labor costs. Underground mining, with its inherently low unit labor output, is especially vulnerable to rising costs, and here maximum automation is becoming increasingly important. One area of such operations that has been receiving a great deal of investigation is that of ore haulage and hoisting, two steps that often account for 10-35% of underground operating costs. Innovations and experimentation by mining firms and manufacturers over the past few years have resulted in larger, faster and more efficient tramming and hoisting equipment, but the White Pine Copper Co., at its operation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is preparing to start up an entirely new concept in haulage later this summer. Known as the Dashaveyor System, it consists of individually powered modules (cars) that run on tracks inside a rectangular tube or on an open trackway at predetermined speeds up to 50 mph. At White Pine the Dashaveyor will be used to carry ore (crushed underground to -10 in.) from the mine to the concentrator. Dr. James Boyd, president of Copper Range Co., which is a 25% shareholder in The Dashaveyor Co., has indicated that if the Dashaveyor meets the expectations for surface operation, it will also be used underground for ore transport in place of the several miles of conveyor belts currently in use (Business Week, July 29, 1967).

Jan 7, 1968

By J. D. Testerman

A statistical technique to identify and describe naturally occurring zones in a reservoir and to correlate these zones from well to well is described. The technique is particularly useful in describing a reservoir where cross flow between adjacent strata is important in determining reservoir behavior. Although it has been used primarily for permeability zonation, the technique is general and can be used to correlate any reservoir property or related data, such as the information contained in well logs. INTRODUCTION One of the first problems encountered by the reservoir engineer in predicting or interpreting fluid displacement behavior during secondary recovery processes is that of organizing and using the large amount of data available from core analysis. Permeabilities pose particular problems in organization because they usually vary by more than an order of magnitude between different strata. Due to the sheer volume, it is almost always necessary to group data and to use an average value to represent a number of measurements. Perhaps the most common method now used to group permeability data is the capacity-fraction technique, which ranks permeabilities in order of magnitude, regardless of the physical location of the permeabilities within the reservoir. The cumulative per cent capacity is plotted against cumulative per cent thickness. This plot is divided into an arbitrary number of zones, generally of equal thickness. Five zones (or averaged groups of data) usually are obtained, each of which is treated as homogeneous in subsequent calculations. The division so obtained has no physical meaning; strata in the same zone, calculation-wise, are usually not adjacent in the reservoir. Reservoir engineering techniques being developed will handle crossflow that occurs between adjacent communicating reservoir strata because of imbibition and gravity segregation. Since crossflow occurs between physically adjacent layers within the reservoir, a new zonation technique recognizing the actual location of strata within the reservoir is necessary. Similarly, the recognition of natural zones is important for predictions of oil recovery by processes involving diffusion. One such process is miscible displacement, where predictions of lateral diffusion within the reservoir must recognize the actual location of the invaded zones in relation to the rest of the formation. Natural zones must also be adequately recognized to account for heat transfer within the reservoir during thermal exploitation. Because of the complexity of the problem, statistics appear to offer the only practical hope of dividing a reservoir into physically-meaningful natural zones. This paper presents a statistical technique for identifying these natural zones and for ascertaining which ones are likely to be continuous between adjacent wells. The zones defined have minimum variation of permeability internally and a maximum variation between zones. The technique is general and can thus be applied to reservoir properties other than permeability. The method will guide the reservoir engineer in estimating which zones are likely to be continuous between wells. However, a statistical correlation based on permeabilities in two different wells is no guarantee that the zones so defined are, in fact, continuous. Rather, the assumption of continuity must be consistent with geological data concerning the depositional environment, as well as justified on the basis of engineering judgment in combination with statistics, just as judgment is required with conventional zonation methods. CALCULATION PROCEDURE The reservoir zonation technique is a two-step operation. The steps are individually described, and a sample calculation is presented in the Appendix. ZONATION OF INDIVIDUAL WELLS First, the set of permeability data at a single well is zone, into Zones. These zones are selected so that variation is minimized within the zones and maximized between the zones. The equations4,6 used to zone the data are where B = the variance between zones, , = the number of zones, i = the summation index for the number of zones, j = the Sumation index for the number of data within the zone, mi = the number of data in the ith zone, k,. = the mean of the permeability data in the ith zone, k . = the over-all mean of the data in the well, W = the pooled variance within zones, N = the total number of

By L. R. Plitt, E. O. Lilge

Tests carried out with both kaolin and silica slurries show that flocculants of the polyacrylamide type can be used to improve the thickening performance of hydrocyclones. This thickening improvement demonstrates that contrary to previously held theories, flocs can be formed which are capable of resisting the shear forces in a hydrocyclone. For the 1.25-in.-diam cyclone used, optimum thickening occurs when the flocculant solution is injected into the slurry stream at or near the feed inlet. Hydrocyclones offer many distinct advantages over gravity thickeners. These advantages include simplicity, low initial and operating costs, small space requirements, and flexibility of operation. In spite of these advantages hydrocyclones have not been widely used as thickeners. The main reason for their lack of application is that hydrocyclones are unable to efficiently remove semicolloidal particles (less than 5 microns) from the suspending solution. In gravity thickeners, the fine particles can be induced to form particle aggregates, or flocs, which have the settling characteristics of large particles. In the hydrocyclone, however, it was always assumed that the existence of shear would prevent the formation of flocs.1-3 Thus, if no floc structure is retained, the thickening hydrocyclone must be designed so that its separation size is below the size of the smallest particle to be recovered. To obtain a very small separation size requires the formation of very high centrifugal forces, which necessitates the use of small-diameter cyclones. Small hydrocyclones have, in turn, very low throughput capacities which render them impractical for many industrial thickening applications. Thus, if the effects of flocculation cannot be utilized, the usefulness of hydrocyclones as thickeners remains limited to pulps which contain no very fine particles. It is well established that most substances acquire a surface electric charge when brought into contact with an aqueous medium. The repulsive interactions between similarly charged particles act to prevent flocculation. One method of flocculating a dispersion is to neutralize the repulsive surface charges by the addition of an electrolyte. The reduction of the electrostatic surface charge (Zeta potential) then permits the universal van der Waals attractive forces to operate between the atoms of the various particles and form particle aggregates. The lime additions used by thickener operators promotes flocculation by this mechanism. A second method of flocculating a dispersion is by the addition of long-chain macromolecules. In this case flocculation is brought about by a bridging mechanism in which the molecules are adsorbed with part of their length on two or more particles, thus forming a molecular bridge between the particles.4,5 The molecules also form bridges between themselves when a single particle is bonded to several polymer molecules. The type of bonding between the flocculant molecule and the particle may be hydrogen bonding, chemical bonding, or electrolytic attraction.6 The flour and glue which are used as thickener additives are believed to promote flocculation in this manner. In the past decade synthetic long-chain polymers with extremely high flocculating capabilities have been developed. The flocs formed by these new polymeric flocculants are larger and more shear-resistant than those formed by the presence of electrolytes.7 The advent of these flocculants raises the question: Are the flocs formed by these synthetic polymers stable enough to resist the liquid shearing forces in a hydrocyclone? The investigations reported in this paper were carried out in order to provide some answers to this question. EXPERIMENTAL WORK For the bulk of the test work a 5% slurry of commercially available kaolin with an average particle size of 5 microns was used. An initial evaluation of the available flocculants was carried out to determine which flocculant formed the most shear-resistant flocs. A combination of the techniques used by Healy7 and Booth8 was used for this purpose. This initial study revealed that the neutral high-molecular weight polyacrylamides produced the most shear-resistant flocs. One of these flocculants, Separan MGL*, was selected and then used for all the hydrocyclone tests. The flocculant was dissolved in water and added to the hydrocyclone as a dilute solution.

Jan 1, 1968

By V. G. Leak, R. A. Swalin

The dilhsion of silver and trace concentrations of tin in liquid silver has been rrzeasured in the temperature range from about 975° to 1350°C. The difBsion dala. fil lhe following equations: fov self-diffusion of silver The ratio of DSn to DAg is found to be about 1.34. The higher diffusivity of tin is interpreted in terms of the coullombic repulsion which results from the fact that tin dissolved in silver has a valence of +3 relative to silver. THE phenomenon of diffusion has been well-described theoretically for hard-sphere gases and solids and found to be in good agreement with experimental data for certain gases and solids. Liquid-diffusion phenomena have not been well described theoretically and there is generally a lack of good experimental data. In this investigation self-diffusion and solute diffusion in liquid silver were studied. Silver was chosen as a solvent for two main reasons. First, silver is a noble metal and the atoms are considered to have a spherically symmetric charge field; hence the liquid may be considered to be a random array of approximate hard spheres. Mercury, gallium, and other lower-melting metals were eliminated from consideration since it appears possible that in their liquid states there is some residual long-range order and directional bonding. Second, silver behaves as a monovalent solvent and, while cadmium, indium, tin, and antimony all have nearly the same atomic size, they have chemical valences relative to that of silver of +1, +2, + 3, and +4, respectively. Slifkin, Lazarus, and coworkers1-5 investigated the diffusion of these solutes in solid silver and found that their diffusion rates increased with an increase of the excess valence of the solute. In the solid state the diffusion-rate increase was calculated to be due to a change in local modulus of the solvent caused by the excess valence of the solute.1"3 For the present investigation it was planned to determine the effect of valence upon solute diffusion in liquid silver. It was deduced that a coulombic repulsion between solute and solvent might be responsible for larger volume fluctuations in the vicinity of the solute thereby enhancing the diffusion of the solute atoms. Tin was the first solute investigated and was chosen for experimental convenience. If an excess-valence diffusion effect exists in the liquid state, the solute tin with its excess valence of + 3 might show a large enough effect to distinguish it from the self-diffusion of silver in silver. The silver self-diffusion data were obviously required as a base line for comparison. In addition silver self-diffusion was investigated with a view toward examining the data in connection with the Sutherland- Einstein: Coheen-Turnbull,7 and swalin8 theories of diffusion in liquids. I) EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES The diffusion coefficients for tin and silver in liquid silver were determined in separate experiments using the capillary-reservoir method of Anderson and saddingtono but following closely the experimental techniques outlined by Ma and Swa1in. The radioactive alloy bath was prepared by plating either tin-113 or silver-110 m isotope* onto 99.999 *Isotopes obtained from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. pct Ag rods.* The silver and isotope were melted *Silver obtained from Cominco Co. and mixed in a graphite crucible under a purified argon atmosphere, then outgassed for capillary filling. Some of the fused-silica capillaries were filled individually as reported by Ma and Swalin, but most were filled in a different manner. A long piece of capillary tubing was sealed off on one end and held in the system so that the open end was just above the surface of the molten alloy. The system was evacuated, the open end submerged into the alloy, and argon was admitted into the system up to atmospheric pressure. The molten alloy was forced up the capillary several inches where it solidified and was subsequently cut into segments of the proper length for diffusion annealing. The apparatus for diffusion annealing was the same as that used for capillary filling except that a Pt—Pt, 10 pct Rh therinocouple was placed in the solvent bath in order to accurately measure the temperature during the run. A diagram of the dif-

Jan 1, 1964

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

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

Jan 1, 1952

What do you think are the major problems that the mining industry is facing? While I don't have any intensive knowledge of the various problems that plague our industry, I know that they are all part and parcel of a more complex and fundamental question: What must we do to make mineral extraction successful, safe, and profitable? Obviously, as mining people, we must continue to expand our technical know-how and to make better use of it. In today's context, however, that is not enough. We must also improve the "public image" of the mining industry. Why? Because the key word in the term "public image" is: the public. Many people in our country and in Congress, for instance, are against strip mining-and some are even against underground mining. Pressures from the public, from voters, have affected past, present, and new legislation. And government controls can be a major problem in any industry, let alone mining. At first, people ask government to intervene, act, or resolve problems, even in management and labor contract negotiations. But later, after Washington gets involved, there are clashes between departments and personalities, and eventually there is resentment against the interference with mining operations or our daily lives.

Jan 3, 1975

By Walter S. Weeks

In this paper the effect of natural ventilation pressures is considered a part of the mine resistance and it is shown that their effect on the mine resistance is not the same as the total natural ventilation pressure of the shafts if the mine has several levels. It is shown that increasing the fan pressure causes the division of the air to approach the condition that would obtain if there were no natural ventilation pressure present. It is shown that if an appreciable difference in pressure is maintained between the beginning and end of a group of splits, the value of the integrated effect of the natural ventilation pressures on the individual splits does not change substantially with moderate changes of this pressure. A method is outlined for determining the resistance factor of the mine and the value of the effect of natural ventilation with the fan operating; also a method for determining this factor when circulation is caused by natural ventilation alone. Natural Ventilation Pressure Natural ventilation pressure (N.V.P.) is caused by the difference in weight of the air in two similar columns between two horizontal planes, and the difference in weight is caused principally by the difference in temperature of the two columns. The fan pressure causes some variation in density, but, since it is usually small and affects both columns, its effect is relatively unimportant. It has been suggested that "N.V.P." be called "stack effect"; but, since the term N.V.P. was used in a previous Institute paper,' applied in exactly the same manner, the term will be used. Frictional Resistance The frictional resistance to flow in a mine without natural ventilation may be expressed as RQ2 where R is a constant for a given air density and Q is the rate of flow. This frictional resistance plus the effect of velocity changes will be called the F pressure (F.P.) and a curve of F.P. against Q, the F characteristic of the mine. If a pressure is applied to a mine by a fan, the air flow so adjusts itself that the drop in pressure through any path from entrance to exit of mine, due to frictional resistances and velocity changes, is the same as that in any other path. The mine resistance varies as the square of the quantity. The air distribution without N.V.P. will be called "normal." Natural Ventilation Present When N.V.P. is irregularly distributed in a mine, it is more convenient in analysis to consider the N.V.P. as a part of the duct resistance. If it is so considered the resistance no longer varies as the square of the quantity, and if N.V.P. exists between levels the distribution of the air is no longer normal. The total N.V.P. of the mine is the pressure caused by the full length of the shafts. If a mine has several levels, N.V.P. exists

Jan 1, 1946