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By W. J. Taylor

Nature has furnished us with fuel in three forms, solid, liquid, and gaseous; solid, the most common; liquid, containing the greatest energy; gaseous, the most convenient for use. The tendency of the day is to the conversion of solid and liquid fuel into the gaseous form. There is magic in the word gas to many men who through ignorance or indifference imagine that by mere conversion into gas an immense quantity of energy can he added to fuel of other forms, forgetful of the law of nature, that. the conversion of any substance from one form to another involves a loss of effective energy, and therefore that if in certain cases more duty can be obtained out of the gas resulting from a given amount of coal than the coal itself will supply when used direct, the cause lies solely in the more efficient utilization of the fuel in its gaseous state. Nevertheless, new processes for making gas are constantly crowded upon our notice with claims of less cost for manufacture and delivery than natural gas, and often of far more energy for the product than is contained in the coal or oil from which it is made. I was recently asked to examine a new process of this kind. From an analysis shown me the calorific energy of the gas approximated 375 heat-units per cubic foot; on ascertaining the quantity of gas claimed to be made from a given amount of solid and liquid fuel, it appeared, that for every 325 heat-units contained in the latter 900 heat-units were alleged to he delivered into the gas, or nearly three times as much energy as the original fuel really held. The extravagant claim of some oil-gas advocates is still frequently heard, that by vaporizing oil with steam and then passing the mixture through a coil of hot iron pipe, an oil-water-gas containing 26,600 heat-units is formed from 1 pound of oil carrying originally 21,000 heat-units, while the only energy expended on the gas has been by the introduction of a -little steam and a little extraneous heat. Theoretically, 1 pound of oil converted into water-gas carries 26,600

Jan 1, 1890

By Thomas B. Douglas

INSTRUMENTATION in the process industries can no longer be regarded as a convenience, but rather an absolute necessity. Although many chemical processes must already be conducted with instruments, every properly designed application of automatic process control will improve operation: 1) the product will be more uniform and of higher quality; 2) the manual labor saved will reduce cost; 3) uniformity of flow and uniform control of process will increase production; and 4) surges will be eliminated, making it possible to operate equipment near ultimate capacity at all times. Industrial instruments fall into two general classifications-those that measure and those that measure and control. The cement industry has been using instruments for a number of years, particularly in the burning process, primarily for indicating and recording. Automatic process control makes additional use of these instruments, and others, to control variables. Assisted by the instrument manufacturers, engineers at Ideal Cement CO. achieved considerable progress in determining how well the usual recording instruments could be made to control various phases of cement-making. The results of these experiments were used to make the new plant at Houston as wholly automatic as possible.

Jan 2, 1958

By C. A. Hansen

The furnace used for experimental work is shown in Fig. 1. One fireclay sagger, or pot, was set within another and the space between the two filled with Silox heat insulation. The hearth is a cast-iron plate with an imbedded ribbon of nichrome wire; this wire heater is connected to a potential regulator, which permits a very close voltage control. A mechanically driven arm is fitted with rabble blades so arranged that a uniformly thick ore bed may be maintained indefinitely. This arm is usually driven at about one revolution per minute but its speed of rotation can be varied as desired. Compressed air is led into the furnace through a meter, and it was found necessary to preheat the air in order to secure the definitely isothermal conditions sought. With this arrangement, it is possible to maintain any desired temperature constant within about 5" C. for any desired length of time and to

Jan 1, 1921

By Ellsworth Daggett

In the first paper on the Russell process presented by Mr. Stetefeldt, in May, 1884 (Transactions, xiii.), the process was treated from a purely theoretical standpoint.. 111 his second paper of October, 1886 (Transactions, xv,), the details of the plant, the chemicals used, and the manipulation in both mill and laboratory were treated. The aim of the present paper is to present economical results recently attained, new data affecting the preparation and manipulation of ore in the mill, and a more complete and systematic scheme of laboratory work. This paper is compiled mainly from Mr. Russell's notes of his own experience. Many of these notes, particularly those relating to work at Cusihuiriachic,* Mexico, have been upon work directly under the personal observation of the compiler, who takes pleasure in thus presenting to the Institute, data and considerations of much interest and value pot only to users of the Russell process, but to mill men generally. The description of the chemicals used and of the preparation of the mill-solutions being' in part the same now as when Mr. Stetefeldt's second paper was published, some use is here made of portions of that paper. No theoretical matter is here given. For a treatise containing also the theory of the process the reader is referred to Mr. Stetefeldt's complete work on " Lixiviation of Silver Ores by Hyposulphite Solutions," now in preparation. To facilitate the consultation of this paper, the following synopsis and index is prefixed. The figures in parenthesis indicate the page of this paper on which the subject is treated.

Jan 1, 1888

By D. W. Fuerstenau

On page 1243, column 1, the first line of the author's reply should read "D. W. Fuerstenau (author's reply)---," rather than D. E., as printed. In the sentence immediately preceding the first equation (page 1243, column 2)' the word "none" was omitted. The sentence should read: "However, if enough ore is put into the mill [so] that none of the energy put into the mill is wasted on metal-to-metal impact, then the product should have size modulus determined by the relation: ..."

Jan 1, 1961

By John H. Bassarear, A. A. Dor

INTRODUCTION Primary grinding mills as defined in this paper, are autogenous or semi-autogenous rotating, tumbling mills having a coarse feed with a top size usually varying from 150 to 300 mm (6 to 12 inches). Most frequently, the feed to these mills is the product of primary crushing plants but in some cases run of mine ore is used as feed such as at Benguet, McDermitt, L-Bar Sohio, Bear Creek and others. The size of the largest lumps in the mill feed is principally determined by limits set by the mill feed trunnion diameter and by the type and size of conveying equipment used for handling and of bins and stockpiles used for storage. The use of primary mills in mineral processing plants has expanded very significantly in the last twenty years, and they have been successfully applied to the treatment of a wide variety of ores in both wet and dry grinding applications. In the present state of technological development for primary grinding mills, there is a wide choice of acceptable options with respect to type and size, grinding flowsheet and grinding media. The choice of the optimum combination which would result in the most satisfactory condition of operation, from the standpoint of both metallurgical results and costs, depends on the nature of the ore, the required characteristics of the grinding products and on various geographic and economic circumstances. The effects of such factors and considerations on the choice and sizing of primary grinding mills and flowsheets are reviewed and discussed in the following pages. PRIMARY MILLS SELECTION Inherent Characteristics of Primary Grinding Primary grinding is complex because it involves several comminution mechanisms which occur simultaneously and to some degree interfere with one another. These mechanisms of impact, attrition and abrasion have been described earlier. The relative importance of these three main grinding actions and their mutual balance resulting in a continuous uniform operation of the mill depend to a very large extent on the nature of the ore and its physical properties. Homogenous, single mineral ores will behave quite differently from heterogenous ores consisting of different minerals bound together along defined

Jan 1, 1982

By Stewart R. Wallace

Members of the Society, it is a very great honor for me to be here today and to have the opportunity of telling you about some things that have been accumulating in the back of my mind for some time. Before attempting to do so, I should acknowledge my debt to the many people who are responsible for my presence here this afternoon. To do this properly, however, would consume much of my allotted time and I will therefore mention only two men, both of whom were directly involved in the discovery of the Henderson ore body. The first of these was Robert Henderson, now dead, who at the time the work was going on was vice president of Western Operations of the Climax Molybdenum Co. Truly, he provided the environment that permitted the exploration program to function effectively, and the deposit appropriately bears his name. The second man I meant to mention was resident geologist at Urad at the time of the Henderson discovery. I think I should explain right here that the Urad ore body and the Henderson ore body, although entirely separate, are closely related deposits, and that both are located at Red Mountain in Clear Creek County, Colo.

Jan 6, 1975

By Jose Luis de Valle Alonso

Although present electrolytic zinc manufacturing processes are aimed at the direct wet process recovery of the metal, and, with this end in view, several industrial scale patents have been applied for during the last few years, the object of this paper is to enhance the possible metallurgical interest in the conventional recovery of zinc and other metals from leaching residues. Therefore, its main end is the description and discussion of the recovery process of zinc, lead and cadmium from leaching residues. Fundamentally, the process consists of the following: Flotation processing to recover the non-roasted blende still contained in the residues. Pyrometallurgical processing of flotation tails in low-shaft furnaces (kilns) and open-flame rotating furnaces and the ensuing recovery of zinc, lead and cadmium as a mixture of their oxides through volatilization.

Jan 1, 1970

By C. A. Stetefeldt

FoR the convenience of those who do not care to enter into the details of this long essay, I begin with a summary of the most important results it presents. The extraction of silver by the lixiviation-process from ores which have been subjected to a chloridizing-roasting, is based upon the fact that silver chloride is easily soluble in solutions of sodium or calcium hyposulphite, and that silver is precipitated from such solutions by an alkaline sulphide, with regeneration of the hyposulphite salts. In case the ore contains lead a large portion of the latter is and dissolved, lead sulphate being soluble in hyposulphite solutions. If, at the same time, copper is present, the sulphides precipitated from the solution, contain silver, copper, and lead, a combination of metals not desirable for subsequent treatment. Mr. E. H. Russell, of Park City, Utah, is the inventor and the patentee in the United States and several foreign countries of a new lixiviation-process, based upon the chemical facts discussed in this paper. Mr. Russell has discovered that lead can be completely separated from a sodium hyposulphite solution, as lead carbonate, by sodium carbonate or purified soda-ash, without precipitating any copper or silver. After decanting the solution from the lead carbonate, silver and copper are obtained from it in the usual way. This method of separating lead prohibits the use of calcium poly-sulphide as a precipitant for the sulphides, because any calcium entering the regenerated lixiviationsolution would also be precipitated as a carbonate with the lead by soda-ash. Hence, a sodium sulphide must be employed. A full investigation has demonstrated that this is by no means detrimental. Sodium sulphide and hyposulphite are more advantageously used in the lixiviation-process than the corresponding calcium-salts. Another defect in the lixiviation-process consisted in the necessity of a very perfect chlorination of the silver in the ore, because silver in

Jan 1, 1885

By AIME AIME

AMONG the recent mining and metallurgical developments in England great interest has been shown in the development of an iron-ore field covering 26,0.00 acres in Northamptonshire, containing 500,¬000,000 long tons of ore; and the erection at Corby, by Stewarts & Lloyds, of a modern basic bessemer steel plant and tube works. The entire project was planned to cost about £3,300,000. Many improvements have been made in the varied equipment that is being installed, some of which has set mew records for massiveness. There is, for instance, a new roll crusher, which has been manufactured by Hadfields, Limited, of Sheffield, the largest ever built in England, and weighing 130 tons. This machine, shown in Fig. 1, as erected at the Hadfields shops, is primarily designed to take blocks of iron ore as they come from the steam shovel. The maximum size is 54 by 48 by 36 in., hut occasional pieces slightly larger than this may be accommodated. The capacity is upwards of 500 tons per hour, the product passing to a secon-

Jan 1, 1934

By Thomas, J. Elmer

WHEN the price of crude oil was advanced on July 26, 1928, with some 4,000,000 bbl. daily of potential production shut in under proration regulations, and with as much more new production shortly available from semi-proved undrilled reserves, students of the oil industry were made to realize that a new order of things now prevailed in petroleum economics. A new interpretation of the law of supply and demand had taken the place of the archaic method of influencing current production by changing crude price levels. Proration had caused the change. The long period of over-production just experienced, the prospects of a potential over-supply far into the future, had set up certain forces which brought about some fundamental changes. Their cause, effect and future influence can best be developed by a detailed study of the history of the period since war-time regulation

Jan 1, 1928

By Paul Sterling

1. INTRODUCTION. THE general impression regarding the preparation of merchantable anthracite is that it is confined to a colossal, grimy structure, called a "coal-breaker." This name is misnomer; for the desired result is not to break the coal, but to prevent its being broken. Preparation may be said to begin at the face of the chamber, with the mining and loading of the coal. Local conditions vary, not only in the same field or basin, but also in the same mine, so that there is no fixed empirical rule governing the method of blasting or cutting coal. Tests should be made, when possible, to determine the explosive, or the mechanical coal-cutter, which will produce the largest percentage of what are locally known as " lump " and " prepared sizes " of anthracite. The prepared sizes are those mostly consumed for domestic purposes. All other sizes might be called by-products of the anthracite industry; for they are not especially desirable, being the degradation resulting from the mining and handling of a brittle or laminated material. Being low in volatile combustible matter, anthracite burns most successfully when nearly of a uniform size, permitting the easy passage of air through the voids. This accounts for the large number of sizes into which the coal is separated. Table I. gives the various sizes, the diameter of ring over and through which each size is made, and the usual purpose for which it is employed.

Oct 1, 1911

By WALTER VOIGTLANDER

FOR nearly 100 years wire rope has been fabricated in much the same way. To the great majority of mine superintendents wire rope is just wire rope, little or no semblance of individuality or identifying characteristics. Such an impression was fairly justified until three or four years ago when a practical means was found of performing or preshaping the wires and strands. This discovery permitted a revolutionary change in wire rope manufacture. Instead of merely twisting a number of wires into a strand, then twisting several strands into a complete rope (which twisting would naturally result in great internal strain, thus reducing the resiliency and over-all efficiency of the completed rope), the preformed wires and strands were laid in place without force or twisting. The obvious result was a rope more nearly approximating mechanical perfection. The applied loads are more evenly distributed throughout the component wires and strands, thus reducing unbalanced wire stresses. This results in a higher safety factor. The fact that preformed rope will not unravel when untied at the ends proves the absence of a torsional stress that exists in ordinary rope. A greater useful allowable stress in the wires is therefore possible in actual operating service.

Jan 1, 1926

By A. W. Hesse

The trend of American construction toward permanence and longevity is noticeable in the more recent coal plant installations; also, the policy of many coal operators has changed from seeking to obtain the desired tonnage from several plants of small capacities to designing a single installation to produce the whole amount. The mine openings and plant of the Nemacolin mine of The Buckeye Coal Co., are located on the Greene County side of the Monongahela River, 73 miles south of Pittsburgh. The map (Fig. 1) shows the general location, also the Lambert syncline. This syncline partly accounts for the selection of the site; the other reasons were the possibilities of rail and river shipments. Two shafts and a slope were sunk to the coal, work starting on all three in the second half of the year 1917. The air shaft was sunk to a depth of 243 ft. and completed in February, 1918; the slope was completed in November, and the skip shaft was stopped at a depth of 21 ft. below the coal, then the concrete lining was stopped 8 ft. above the coal August, 1918. Work on the skip shaft was resumed May, 1923, and sunk to a depth of 60 ft. below the coal by September, but it was not until May, 1924, that the lining was poured. Max. Min. WateR Water during after Sinking, Crouting, Depth or Cu. Yd. Cu. YD. Gal. per GaL. per Opening Size Length Excav. Conc. Min. Min. Air shaft..... 20 ft. diam. 251 ft. 8 in. 4788 1902 475 2 Slope........ 11 it. by 19 it. 1 in. 857 ft. 11500 5200 50 2 Skip shaft.... 32 ft. 8 in. by 12 it. 8 in. 296 ft. 6042 2293 300 3 Fig. 2 shows sections of these openings. The surface plan shows the relative positions of the openings. Coal was first hoisted from the air shaft May 7, 1918, and entry driving was continued; but the coal had to be stored, as the railroad had not been extended from Crucible to Nemacolin. As soon as the slope was driven to the coal and the linings concreted, the entries were driven along projected lines to connect with those advancing from the air shaft, and skip shaft. As soon as the underground connections had been made between the two shafts, the hoisting by buckets was inaugurated at the skip shaft and construction on the fan at the air shaft started.

Jan 1, 1927

By Bruno Nordberg

THE high cost of coal in Butte and the development of large amounts of cheap electric power from the Missouri river caused the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. in 1908 to make an investigation as to the possibility of adapting this cheap electric power for the operation of their many large hoisting plants. At this time electric power had already been adopted for practically all other power purposes around the mines, such as pumping, compressing air, etc. The map (Fig. 1) shows the location of the mines of the Butte mining district. These mines are located within a circle of approximately a 1-mile

Jan 9, 1913

By Mario L. Villa

Argentina's oil production continues in its upward trend. The year 1940 closed with an important increase over 1939; that is, 1,996,371 bbl., or 10.72 per cent. The Government oil fields (Y.P.F.) are responsible for these results, as their total output was 12,474,655 bbl., which compared with the 10,222, 533 bbl. produced in 1939 represent an increase of 2,252,122 bbl., or 22.03 per cent. Fields operated by private companies yielded 8,134,882 bbl., against 8,390,633 bbl. in 1939, a decrease of 255,751 bbl. (3.04 per cent). To the total of 20,609,538 bbl. produced in 1940 in Argentina, the Comodoro Rivadavia field contributed 14,976,222 bbl.; Plaza Huincul, 1,275,814 bbl.; the Province of Salta, 1,845,1977 bbl. and the Province of Mendoza, 2,51I,475 bbl. Table 3 compares the output of companies working in Comodoro Rivadavia. The total increase of 186,819 bbl. (1.26 per cent) registered in the Comodoro Kivadavia area is due only to an intensification of development programs in the known

Jan 1, 1941

By Mario L. Villa

Argentina's oil production continues in its upward trend. The year 1940 closed with an important increase over 1939; that is, 1,996,371 bbl., or 10.72 per cent. The Government oil fields (Y.P.F.) are responsible for these results, as their total output was 12,474,655 bbl., which compared with the 10,222, 533 bbl. produced in 1939 represent an increase of 2,252,122 bbl., or 22.03 per cent. Fields operated by private companies yielded 8,134,882 bbl., against 8,390,633 bbl. in 1939, a decrease of 255,751 bbl. (3.04 per cent). To the total of 20,609,538 bbl. produced in 1940 in Argentina, the Comodoro Rivadavia field contributed 14,976,222 bbl.; Plaza Huincul, 1,275,814 bbl.; the Province of Salta, 1,845,1977 bbl. and the Province of Mendoza, 2,51I,475 bbl. Table 3 compares the output of companies working in Comodoro Rivadavia. The total increase of 186,819 bbl. (1.26 per cent) registered in the Comodoro Kivadavia area is due only to an intensification of development programs in the known

Jan 1, 1941

Since the comprehensive review of the Persian fields presented by Sir John Cadman last year, operations have proceeded normally. No developments of especial importance fall to be recorded and it remains only to bring up to date the full information given at the beginning of 1933. Controlled production from the Masjid-i-Sulaiman and Haft Kel fields has been maintained at slightly higher rates than during 1932. The figures for the past five years are as follows: These represent crude oil and products piped to the coast but exclude products reinjected into the reservoir, a process that has been in continuous operation at Masjid-i-Sulaiman during the period under review. The systematic delimitation of the Haft Kel field has been continued during the past year and results have been sufficiently encouraging to justify the inception of a wider scheme for distribution of production. Drilling has been resumed recently in the Persian sector of the Naft Khaneh field, and preliminary survey work is in progress for the selection of a site for a refinery at Kermanshah arid the construction of a connecting pipe line. Investigations in connection with the scientific control of reservoir were dealt with in considerable detail in last year's review. This work has been steadily pursued during 1933 and certain of the investigations have been the subject of papers presented to the World Petroleum Congress held in London in July of last year.

Jan 1, 1934

By Arthur C. Spencer

(Glen Summit Meeting, June, 1911.) THREE great deposits of iron-ore, in Camaguey and Oriente Provinces, Cuba, are well known to me through careful field-examinations executed in the years 1901 and 1907. In 1901 I visited the Cubitas iron-ore district, which lies about 12 miles distant from the city of Camaguey in a northerly direction, and the Mayari district, which includes the Sierra Nipe, lying opposite Nipe bay on the north side of Oriente Province. In 1907 I again visited the Cubitas district, and also made a sojourn of several days in the Moa district, where the extensive deposits of iron-ore were observed and studied. The observations of 1901 were made under the auspices of the then Military Governor of Cuba; Gen. Leonard Wood, and my conclusions concerning the value of these deposits were incorporated in a report.1 The examination of certain denouncements of iron-ore in the Moa district in 1907 was made in behalf of iron-masters operating in the United States, to whom I reported the existence of large amounts of easily-workable limonitic iron-ore, properly designated " brown iron-ore " in the terminology now current among iron-ore producers in the United States. In 1908 I published a paper entitled Three Deposits of Iron Ore in Cuba, outlining the occurrence and origin of the surficial ores existing in the Cubitas, Mayari, and Moa districts.2 . 1 A Geological Reconnoissance of Cuba, by C. Willard Hayes, T. Wayland Vaughan and Arthur C. Spencer, printed as a part of the report of the Military Governor of Cuba for the year 1901, vol. i. 2 Bulletin No. 390, U. S. Geological Survey, pp. 318 to 329 (1908).

Mar 1, 1911

By A. G. Gilbert

Paradoxical is the word. The coal industry, despite reach- ing a 22-year high in production (590 million tons), has been tagged as having its back to the wall vis-a-vis its valiant attempts to quench the nation's still unabated craving for coal. What must be even more reassuring to the industry, infected once with rumors of a uranium takeover, is a nation's almost insatiable appetite for electricity. Between 1967 and the summer of 1970, utility stockpiles were being gobbled up, diminishing to 79% of the January 1968 level.

Jan 1, 1971