Search Documents

By Herbert A. Everest

Discussion of the paper of HERBERT A. EVEREST presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 109, January, 1916, pp. 165 to 167. NEWELL G. ALFORD, Earlington, Ky. (communication to the Sec-retary*).-Mr. Everest's statement concerning the economies in a small coal mine has interested me very much. The majority of discussions on coal-mine economy omit the small operator and for this reason Mr. Everest's paper should lead to productive thought. I agree that close concentration of working places and constructive supervision of labor are two items of salvation to the small operator. It is also true that small mines often yield as much profit per capital invested as their larger neighbors. Mr. Everest also says that the small operator has so keen a regard for the inroad on his profits that even one extra day hand is an extravagance not tolerated, and this is rightly so. But, does not this earmark of the small operator in many cases offer a clue to his vital weakness? A credit balance is the acid test of success in any enterprise. With the small operator who owns practically all the capital stock this is particularly significant. He never takes his eyes off the market price and at the same time strains every nerve to cut down his payroll. In several cases I have noted that the resultant close supervision of labor was in fact too close. The "stitch in time" was not applied to the repair of this or that, with a decided increase to the cost of the work when it had to be done at the expense of cutting off the run when orders were on the books.

Jan 5, 1916

By Amos P. Brown

PYRITE, the bisulphide of iron, FeS2, is found more or less in all coal-beds: but, as a rule, in certain definite forms. More than any other impurity, it detracts from the commercial value of a coal-deposit, and yet its presence is so universal that it might almost be said that there is no coal entirely free from pyrite. My observation has been confined to the Pennsylvania bituminous and semi-bituminous coals, and to them, therefore, my remarks will be confined. Certain generalizations which I may make, however, will be found of universsl application. The lowest members of the coal-formation, No. XIII. of the Pennsylvania bituminous region, are nearly always pyritiferous, and in many cases highly so. In Cambria county, for instance, coalbed A, the Brookville, is locally known as the " Sulphur seam." The Lower Kittanning, in parts of Clearfield county, is so sulphury as to be almost unmarketable, though otherwise it is a strong locomohive coal. In Mercer county the Pardoe bed, so extensively mined there, carries great quantities of sulphur in the form of pyrite, though usually this can be separated in such a way as to detract little from the market-value of the coal. The other coal-beds of the Lower

Jan 1, 1888

By Richard D. Mills

Throughout the mining industry, many companies perform sophisticated business and financial analyses of proposed capital investments. However, once the project is approved, it is never reevaluated. At best, there is an attempt to control capital costs and minimize overruns. The post-installation appraisal, a formalized review of investment performance, may prove helpful. Typical Project Review A typical capital investment is approved after business and financial benefits have been reviewed with management.* The financial data shown to management often include a net income statement, cash flow analysis and summary economic data similar to those shown in Table 1 overleaf. These financials report the expected impact of the project on the corporation financial statements. This project is a rudimentary example of a capital investment decision. An actual project would undergo a more sophisticated analysis incorporating depletion benefits, deferred taxes and a detailed cost breakdown. The example project has several financial benefits that could result in management approval. For example, it provides an immediate net income benefit to the company, generates positive cash flows every year of the project life and has a discounted cash flow rate of return of 25 percent. However, it also has the disadvantage of a long payback period. A sensitivity analysis would show which areas of the analysis have the greatest impacts on profitability. Post-Installation Program Objectives The post-installation appraisal goes beyond the analysis shown in Table 1 by comparing actual results to those projected in the original economic analysis. The post-installation program has three primary objectives: 1. To provide a periodic performance review of major spending programs. 2. To review decision-making and evaluation procedures. 3. To provide a means of controlling individual project investments. The first major function of the post-installation program is the periodic review of actual performance of projects and investment programs, identifying those factors which proved critical to the health of investments. This review will serve to keep management abreast of progress, provide a comparison of actual performance against expectations, and provide valuable information that can be used for improving future economics. The second major function of the program is to perform a continuous review of the decision-making process. This includes testing of evaluation procedures, forecasting techniques, and logic used in making decisions. An information system should be set up whereby original evaluations and historical performance data gathered under the appraisal program are documented for use by evaluators and management when assessing past and future investment proposals. Such data should be particularly useful in evaluating new and developing types of operations and in activities where companies repeatedly reinvest. The primary purpose of this feedback system is to sharpen estimates to assure that they are realistic and attainable. The appraisal program also provides assurance that consistent evaluation procedures are being used throughout a company, leading to improved procedures

Jan 1, 1985

Discussion of the paper of CHARLES T. MALCOLMSON, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 98, February, 1915, pp. 271 to 289. E. W. PARKER, Washington, D. C.-The briquet or boulet, or coalette (whatever name is used) has come to stay as a part of the fuel supply, particularly for domestic purposes. During the past winter I have had some personal experience with the use of boulets made from anthracite coal. All of this winter I have used boulets in my furnacee and in my grate at my home in Washington. One reason for doing so is that we get the boulets at a price considerably cheaper than the prepared sizes of anthracite coal. The fuel has proved entirely satisfactory. One advantage possessed by the boulet is its absolutely uniform size, which makes the ventilation of the firebed practically perfect. The boulets burn until entirely consumed. There is not, even in an open grate fire, if the fire is kept constantly going, any unconsumed fuel passing through the grate bars. The boulets hold their form until entirely consumed and then break away into a clean white ash, with absolutely no clinker. That in itself is a particularly favorable recommendation to the housekeeper. Mr. Malcolmson has mentioned the fact that notwithstanding the smokeless character of anthracite, the boulets made from it emit smoke. The emission of smoke is due to the coal-tar pitch used as a binder. This is particularly noticeable if the fireman is somewhat careless, or wants to save labor, and feeds too much of the fuel on the fire at one time, cooling it down and thus causing an unnecessary amount of smoke. The smoke lasts but a short time, however, and if the fire is fed a little more frequently, with a small quantity of fuel at one time, the smoke is reduced to a minimum. I believe it will not be long before some of our engineers will have overcome the objectionable smoke; and will produce either from anthracite or from the so-called smokeless New River and Pocahontas semi-bituminous coals, a briquet which will be as smokeless as anthracite for all. practical purposes.

Jan 5, 1915

By Olin G. Bell

During the year 1928 ten new producing areas have been discovered and several extensions in oil and gas fields have been found in southwestern Texas. This year, however, will reveal itself as one of small profits in spite of considerable increase in production for the area as a whole over the previous years. At the beginning of 1928 the fields in this area (Fig. 1) were producing a daily average of 7500 bbl. from 730 wells, whereas at the close of the year the daily average had increased to approximately 14,000 bbl. from 827 wells. Production for the year was 3,453,938 bbl. The total oil produced in Southwest Texas since its discovery has been 16,955,-388 barrels. (Table 1.)

Jan 1, 1929

It appears that Utah is about to add another mining district to its already impressive roster. This time it is the Great Salt Lake, whose high-mineral content waters are being subjected to intensive study aimed toward the recovery of potassium, magnesium and lithium compounds by solar evaporation techniques. Among the firms conducting such experiments is Lithium Corporation of America, which, in a joint venture with West Germany's Salzdetfurth A.G., is operating evaporating ponds and running engineering tests at a site near Little Mountain, about ten miles west of Ogden. Here, on the clay flats along the northern portion of the lake, LCA holds leases and options totalling about 55,000 acres in the Bear River Basin.

Jan 7, 1966

By F. E. Wood

Since the earliest discoveries of oil in the Rocky Mountain area the spirit of cooperation in drilling and production programs has prevailed. There has scarcely been a field which has not been developed in an orderly manner through mutual agreement between competitive operators. An appreciable saving has resulted, as many unnecessary wells have been eliminated. We have unit operation plans and agreements which were developed at an early date. Rock River, found in 1918, has been a unit operation. One of the first prorate agreements ever attempted was made in Salt Creek in 1921. Teapot, first developed in 1922, has been a unit operation; the lessee, the Government, and the lessor, one operator. South Casper Creek, found in 1918, has been developed as a unit. Rex Lake, found in 1923, is a unit operation. The list might be extended materially but it serves to indicate that the Rocky Mountain region enjoyed the fruits of unit operation at an early date. It is concluded from this unitization study in the Rocky Mountain region that there is an appreciable saving in both development and production costs as well as the elimination of waste of a natural resource. Certainly, when unit operation conserves an irreplaceable natural resource as well as capital, any legal or political impediment to its successful development will be overcome. If one company supervises the operations in one field, it appears to be a unit operation. This may not be true if the lands involved have been leased from a great number of lessors. Royalty holders create a most intense competitive operation. The Rocky Mountain region has its full quota of such diversified interests. The original study calls for consideration of two types of fields, unit and near-unit operation. This Committee has felt that if an agreement of any character has brought about a saving it is an approach to unit operation. The fields have been classified into four types: 1. Unit Operation.—Any field whereby the competitive drilling-drainage feature is or will be absent in the development and operation of the pool.

Jan 1, 1930

By G. E. Karantzavelos

Although jigging has been the subject of extensive studies, evaluation of the effect of various jigging factors on the efficiency of separation has been less comprehensive. The basic factors that affect jigging separation are reviewed, a mathematical model describing jigging kinetics is presented, and attention is focussed on the mechanisms of the stratification process. The parameters of the kinetic model (the Wei- bull distribution function) are redefined in a gravity concentration technological sense, and their values are estimated for a wide range of jigging conditions. Several mathematical relationships (regression models) are also formulated which express the dependence of total time required for the complete stratifaction of mineral particles on the operating jigging variables.

Jan 1, 1984

By Murray F. Hawkins, Marion L. Kimmel

sage' appears to have been the first (1933) to design a rolling ball viscosimeter for the express purpose of measuring the viscosity of oils with natural gas in solution, i.e., under reservoir conditions. In 1940 Hocott and Buckley' further refined the rolling ball instrument in both design and method of operation, and their instrument, known as the Humble type, was the forerunner of present day viscosimeters used in petroleum production and research laboratories. They also initiated the technique of charging the viscosimeter with a sample directly from a bottom hole sampler. In 1948 the committee on engineering research 01 the Petroleum Division of the AIME in Part 3 (1) of

Jan 1, 1955

By B. C. Mariacher, I. Hoffman

In 1952, beneficiated phosphate ore first began to move from the Oron plant of Negev Phosphates Ltd. in the Negev Desert to the super-phosphate plant at Haifa, Israel. Since that time this company has continually sought to overcome its natural handicaps affecting the operating efficiency and quality of the product in an effort to bolster the agricultural program of Israel and the development of an exportable commodity. The most serious deterrent to the development of a beneficiation process was the total absence of water. The Oron plant lies approximately 30 miles south of the irrigated regions of Israel with the nearest producing water well located about 10 miles to the northwest. The urgency of early phosphate production made it necessary to consider only dry processes in the initial operation. Fortunately, the ore was amenable to a dry process which yielded a usable concentrate assaying about 28.5 pct P2O5; but phosphate recovery was low. A description of the characteristics of the Negev ore should help to clarify the principles upon which the dry concentration is based.

Jan 5, 1961

By R. L. Stephenson

A sampling technique has been developed for procuring a sample of sinter representative of the entire depth of the sintering bed. The sampling method involves the use of an open-bottom metal basket that rides on the grate of the sintering machine and when removed contains a sample of the sintered product. Additional data have been obtained to indicate that the tumbler test is a suitable means of measuring sinter strength.

Jan 3, 1953

By C. S. Roberts

THE advent of a sensitive X-ray method of analysis recently has allowed the determination of retained austenite in amounts as low as 0.3 pct.' As a result this phase has been found in quenched low carbon steels where its presence has not been generally suspected. In the course of a study of the tempering process,' retained austenite determinations were made by the X-ray method on a series of high purity Fe-C alloys and plain carbon steels. The chemical analyses of these materials and details of the hardening procedure are given in Table I. Results were obtained after quenching to 72°F (22°C) and — 321 °F (—196°C). Austenitizing temperatures were between 100" and 150°F above A, or Acm. All proeutec-toid cementite or ferrite was in solution. The combination of the results with those of Averbach, Castleman, and Cohen,' and earlier results of Esser

Jan 1, 1954

The Oregon School of Mines Society held its regular monthly meeting on the evening of October 23. This meeting was an informal reunion at which members gave accounts of personal experiences during the last three months. Many members of both junior and senior classes answered their country's call to arms and so did not return to college. The senior class is particularly well represented in the Army, as two men hold lieutenant's commissions and a third is already in France with a hospital unit. The junior class has also contributed men to various branches of the service. Plans for the regular meetings include discussions by members and lectures by outside authorities oil mining and allied topics. These meetings are open to the lower classes and all others interested. The Oregon School of Mines Society, composed of members of the junior and senior classes, has, joined with the sophomore and freshman relining students in purchasing a Liberty Bond under the name of the Miners' Club of 0. A. C. H. W. THOMS, President.

Jan 12, 1917

By Rizo-Pairón Alfonso, A. M. Gaudin

PREVIOUS studies of activation in flotation have directed attention to the action of the activator on the mineral to be floated rather than to the relationship of the activator to the collector The latter phase of the problem, however, seems to have definite scientific, if not also practical, interest In the investigation reported in this paper, experiments were carried out, largely with quartz as subject, barium as activator, and oleate as collector The results obtained indicate that a I I ratio of collector ion to activator ion gives optimum results, and that a 2 I ratio almost fails to achieve activation and flotation Yet, a 2 I ratio would have been expected on stoichiometric grounds, had the coating been a normal salt of the activator ion with the collector ion, since barium is a divalent cation and oleate a monovalent anion To interpret and rationalize the observations, considerations of the crystal chemistry of quartz are helpful The point of view to which these considerations lead may be of general applicability to systems involving suspensions of solids in liquids, they confirm that an adsorbed coating is inescapable APPARATUS AND SUPPLIES The experimental work consisted in barium-ion abstraction tests, hydrogen-ion and hydroxyl-ion abstraction tests, flotation tests, and determinations of the surface of the crushed quartz The flotation machine was built according to the design of D W McGlashan It consists of a drill press in which the bit has been replaced by a stainless-steel impellor surrounding a stainless-steel stator, as in the Fagergren laboratory machine The air intake is controlled by a valve, and the cell consists of a beaker The quartz was obtained from vein quartz stored in large chunks It was first crushed to 20 mesh, then sized on a 28-mesh screen The 20 to 28-mesh size alone was retained for use This size was freed of coarse iron by passage through a Ball-Norton magnetic separator, bleached with boiling hydrochloric acid to remove residual abraded iron, washed with distilled water until the washings were thoroughly free of ferrous, ferric, and excess hydrogen ion, and stored in covered Pyrex beakers under water until used The barium was used as barium chloride, Baker's analyzed C P The oleate was used as sodium oleate It was prepared from sodium hydroxide, Baker's analyzed C P , and oleic acid purified by R R de Arellano3 in the laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology The purification procedure was elaborated from the recent researches of Brown and Shinowara 2 It consisted in (I) saponification of olive oil with potassium

Jan 1, 1942

Discussion of the paper of GEORGE K. BURGESS and SIR ROBERT A. HADFIELD, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 98, February, 1915, pp. 455 to 468. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Cambridge, Mass.-There is a definiteness and finality in the investigations that have been conducted by the Bureau of Standards and in the method of presenting the results that is most satisfactory and refreshing.. A year ago Dr. Burgess and his co-workers investigated the question of critical points in carbonless iron, and they settled the question once for all. No one can now claim that the thermal point A2 in carbonless iron does not exist. At the past meeting of this Institute in Pittsburgh, Dr. Burgess showed the worthlessness of the shrinkage clause. To my mind after his demonstration no one can again claim that the shrinkage clause renders any service. He also showed us that it was a practicable proposition to use pyrometers in steel work in order to ascertain the finishing temperatures of rails. No one can again come before this body and make the claim that it is not a practical proposition. And now Dr. Burgess shows us that steel ingots can be made in a commercial way, practically free from pipe, from segregation, aid from blow holes. It places again before us in a very clear manner the question of piped ingots and of segregation, a question which has been debated for 20 years or more. I know very well the attitude of the standpatters in the matter. They claim that most of the pipe is removed in the discard, and that if a little is left it is so thoroughly welded that it does no harm. I for one am not convinced of the soundness of the argument. I do not believe there is any one present who would claim that, given an ingot free from pipe, free from segregation, and free from blow holes, better rails will not be made out of that ingot than out of the ordinary piped or segregated metal which is used by almost all of our steel mills. In my opinion, if we give our sanction to the casting of steel in the shape of piped or segregated steel ingots, we are guilty. If we give our sanction to the rolling of rails from such metal, we are guilty. It is our duty as experts, as steel makers, and as steel consumers to make and to use the best steel obtainable on a commercial basis, for the manufacture of rails. Now, we have been shown that sound ingots can be produced from which superior rails can be made. If we do not insist upon these sound ingots, then we fail in our duty. I think that the art of casting steel ingots has advanced to such a point that the casting of steel ingots piped and segregated ought no longer to be tolerated.

Jan 5, 1915

By L. L. Peterson, W. C. Morgan

This paper discusses some of the problems involved in predicting the productivity of a shovel and truck fleet in a new set of operating conditions. More specifically, it concentrates on the problems of predicting the travel times on the haul and return portions of the truck cycle under new profile conditions and the prediction of the interaction effect between the shovel and truck at the loading point. The ability to calculate the travel times for a new road profile is not new. Additional corrections of these calculated times for expected actual operation can be made. In considering the interaction between the loader and the hauler, there are two approaches that can be taken. Probably the most accurate method of predicting the shovel-truck interaction is a simulation of the step-by-step operation considering the variation in cycle times of the shovel and trucks. This is usually called a stochastic simulation and requires input describing how these cycle times vary. However, by understanding the causes of this shovel-truck interaction it is possible to make sufficiently accurate predictions with much simpler methods. Haulage Cycle Established from Existing Operations For the purpose of this discussion let us assume that the problem involves trying to predict the productivity of a single shovel-truck fleet at some future time in an existing operation. Let us also assume for simplification that the new operation to be simulated has the same loading and pit conditions and the same dumping conditions as did the existing operation. Therefore, the only difference would be the difference in the hauling profile for the new operation. The problem then becomes one of predicting the change in the travel times on the haul and return portions of the cycle, and in determining the change in interaction between and the shovel and trucks with the new truck cycle times.

Jan 12, 1968

By R. V. Ramani, Y. J. Wang, R. Mishra

Abstract-The validity of the concept of mine resistance in ventilation systems is examined. Mine resistance is the proportionality constant relating the head generated by a fan and the quantity flowing through it when the fan is connected to a mine circuit. It is the total effect of all branches in the mine ventilation circuit. Its importance lies in the fact that for new mine projections, and in the extensions of existing mines, ventilation calculations are usually based upon adjustments of the mine

Jan 11, 1978

By R. L. Wiegel

This article proposes a physical model for an idealized binary mineral system and for the process of liberation by size reduction. Based on this model, equations are derived relating the amount of each component liberated as a function of the ratio of the volumetric abundance of the two mineral components and the ratio of the mineral grain size to particle size. A definite relationship is shown to exist between the mineral concentration within a locked particle and the frequency of occurrence of such a particle. These relationships are used to obtain theoretical expressions for the concentration-recovery diagram. Physical mineral beneficiation processes are based on breaking a mineral aggregate to liberate the dissimilar mineral grains and then making use of their physical properties to separate the mixture into its components. The effectiveness of the process is therefore dependent on how well the minerals are liberated and how efficiently they are separated. Although a substantial amount of work is being done to improve our understanding of mineral separation processes, the study of mineral liberation itself has been almost completely neglected. The purpose of this theoretical study is to shed some light on the liberation phenomenon by: 1) proposing a physical model for an ideal binary mineral system, 2) treating mathematically the fracture of this system into liberated and locked particles, and 3) deriving an expression for the liberation characteristics of this system. The results of this study are useful in understanding the effect and importance of various parameters in liberation, and provide a basis for comparison with real mineral systems. 'RANDOM' MODEL It is recognized that liberation can be caused by detachment which results from fractures occurring at the mineral grain boundaries, or by size reduction which restricts the occurrence of dissimilar mineral locking to a portion of the resulting particles. The detachment effect is dependent on the relative strengths of the mineral grains and the bonds between them, and must be treated empirically for each mineral system. The size reduction effect, however, can be treated analytically if certain assumptions are made concerning the shape and geometrical arrangement of the mineral grains.

Jan 1, 1968

By The Staff of Dames & Moore

Five factors are required for the formation of uranium deposits: a source, transporting medium, host, trap, and preservation. Locating and evaluating uranium deposits requires ail integration of methods and techniques to determine if the above factors are present. A typical exploration program consists of selection of a favorable area, field reconnaissance, land acquisition, and target definition and evaluation. Target definition and evaluation utilizes a combination of geologic mapping, geochemical surveying, geophysical surveying, and drilling and logging. Each overlaps the others to some degree.

Jan 10, 1978

By C. F. Dietz

WHEN thinking of industrial relations, we must not confine the term to what is ordinarily called "welfare work;" viz., organizing baseball teams, departmental parties, athletic contests, and such things. These are all of interest but not very helpful in solving the problems of industry. We must think of industrial relations as that understanding developed between workers and management that permits of harmonious progress because of a mutual understanding of each other's problems. Most of the industrial unrest, discontent, mistrust, or antagonism is due to misunderstanding; and that misunderstanding is the direct result of not having taken the workers into our confidence. If they are merely cogs in a machine, employed to do certain things, and have no interest in anything but the receipt of the pay envelope, we cannot expect intelligent harmonious progress. There are still some people who think that the interests of management, or capital invested in a business, and the interests of the worker are diametrically opposed. That is an unfortunate belief; the interests are identical. If the worker does not understand what his part of the work represents, what the management's part represents, and what the invested capital's part represents, he is bound to have a misconception, of the matter and will think only in terms of the pay envelope. The methods used for producing a better understanding between workers and management do not much matter so long as the end is attained. Some plants prefer shop committees; others attempt to work through the foremen in the various departments; others, by personal contact-between the management and the men, especially if a shop is small. It does not really matter how the end is attained as long as the object is accomplished. The best type of industrial relations can probably be attained when the mystery is taken out of industry-when the workers understand what they. are a part of, what their function is, what they are contributing. They should also understand something of fundamental economics-that it is not just a question of getting all they can and giving just as little as possible but that their contribution makes for expansion, progress, and permanence, and opens a field of activity for themselves that other-wise would probably be blocked.

Jan 6, 1925