Search Documents

By S. S. Nosseir

INTRODUCTION General Quebec Cartier Mining Co. (QCM) , Canadian subsidiary of U . S. Steel Corporation, operates two iron ore concentrators at the North Shore of Quebec, Canada. In its own operation at Mount-Wright, over 45 million tons per year of crude ore are ground, fully autogenous in six 32' x 11-1/2 Dominion Engineering mills. At Fire Lake/Lac Jeannine operation, property of Sidbec Normines Incorporated (SNI), over 11 million tons per year of crude ore are now ground, fully autogenous, in twelve 18' x 5' Hardinge mills. The Lac Jeannine concentrator was originally constructed by Q.C.M. in 1960 and. was since operated, in beneficiating the Lac Jeannine ore deposit until fully depleted in 1977, at an annual capacity of 18 million tons of crude per year. In 1976, the new company, Sidbec Normines, was incorporated by Sidbec Corporation, British Steel Corporation and Quebec Cartier Mining Co., in proportional holding of approximately 51 to 41 to 8 percent respectively. Since the acquisition of the Fire Lake ore deposit and Jeannine concentrator by the new company, QCM has continued managing the mine and concentrator operaions for S idbec Normines Inc . Flow-Sheet Design Jeannine concentrator comprises twelve identical mill lines grinding the ROM from 8" top size to 14 mesh nominal size range. Driven by 600 H.P. motor at 13.4 RPM corresponding to 73% critical speed, each mill is operated in a closed circuit with two 5' x 12' vibrating screens dressed with 2.5 x 25 mm slot opening cloth. The ground product or screen undersize at an average grade of 33.4% Fe is beneficiated by gravity separation to produce 66.5% Fe concentrate grade at 42.7% weight recovery. At the rougher stage, each mill line con-tains 128 Humphrey 13- 1/2" pitch spirals which produce a final tailing, middling and concentrate products. The rougher concentrate - so produced - is classified by 64 Humphrey pocket sizers into an underflow, which is a final concentrate product and an overflow which is further upgraded by 64 cleaner spirals. The cleaner concentrate together with the pocket sizer 's underflow are dewatered on a 13'[6] horizontal filter. The rougher middling together with the cleaner tailing are recycled in a closed circuit with the spirals. The rougher tailing after dewatering by hydrocyclones is disposed of by a

Jan 1, 1982

By W. Hurst, A. F. van Everdingen

A distillate-bearing sand complex is often made up of sand stringers of different permeabilities. In order to take into account the influence of the different permeabilities, "parallel flow" is defined, and this concept is used to compute the recovery efficiency of recycling such a sand complex. In the first approximation the position of the wells with respect to one another is not considered. In order to compute the effect on the recovery efficiency of the position of the wells, the area of a field is considered to be made up of rectangles; each rectangle containing one input well in the center and two producers located symmetrically with respect to the input well. Formulas are given from which to obtain the pressure and streamlines in a steady-state flow. A method is devised to compute rapidly the successive positions of the dry gas front. If the field is irregular in shape, pressure and streamlines can be obtained by a potentio-metric electrical model study. By using the concept of "parallel flow" and the results obtained by mathematical analysis or by electrical model study for a homogeneous formation, the effects of different permeabilities and of the location of the wells can be established. From these studies it is apparent that the efficiency of recycling can be profoundly influenced by differences in permeability among the various parallel strata. Introduction With the discovery of an increasing number of gas-distillate fields in the Gulf Coast, engineers have had occasion to give more thought to the performance of these reservoirs, as evidenced by the literature published in recent years. In the majority of studies published so far the formations are considered to consist of uniform, homogeneous sand. In this paper the authors wish to bring out the effect of variations in the permeability of the formations on the over-all recovery efficiency of wet gas in cycling operations. The importance of the permeability profile is clearly indicated by the fact that in gas cycling, highly permeable stringers in an otherwise tight sand can allow complete displacement of wet by dry gas in these stringers long before the wet gas in the tight portions of the sand is displaced. This by-passing will be reflected by a reduction in the condensate content of the production sooner than can be anticipated from a mathematical analysis or an electrical model study on uniform sands. Electrical model studies or mathematical analyses cannot take into consideration the manifold variations of permeability within the reservoir. Experimental as well as analytical difficulties make it necessary to consider the prototype for either of these studies as a perfectly uniform sand. Mathematical analyses are applicable only when a reservoir can be divided into units of simple geometrical form, of uniform thickness throughout. Electric model studies are capable of giving information on reservoirs of any shape or thickness, but it is essential that the sand be considered homogeneous, so that three-dimensional flow can take place. The method of approach in the following

Jan 1, 1946

By R. M. Leibrock, R. P. Vincent, C. W. Ziemer

The Stanolind flowmeter, which employs a hot-wire anemometer connected in a Wheat-stone bridge circuit, has proved useful for determining the relative productive ability of individual sand members of gas wells. The operation of this instrument in measuring gas velocities in the well bore above each producing member has provided both a direct and accurate means of analyzing reservoir performance. Results of tests conducted with the well flowmeter in the Hugoton gas field of western Kansas have indicated some rather unusual production characteristics. In two cases it was found that all or the greater part of the total gas produced was coming from one section in wells where four "pay" sections had been perforated individually. These actual measurements contradict in many instances the indications of data obtained from electric logs and from core analysis; the fact that these latter sources often give incorrect results, demonstrates the necessity of a method, such as is provided by the well flowmeter, for accurately determining the amount of gas coming from each producing member. Introduction In any gas well where a number of pay sections have been perforated individually and are producing to a common outlet, the question arises as to the relative amounts of gas being passed through each set of perforations. In the past it has been the policy to depend on core analysis to estimate relative productivities, or, where the sections were not cored, to obtain some idea of production characteristics from electric-log studies. The weaknesses in these methods are readily apparent and indicate the need for more reliable means of measuring gas flow from each zone. The Stano-lind flowmeter* was developed for this purpose. Preliminary tests were made with the instrument in the Katy gas field near Houston; however, the bulk of the routine work with the well flowmeter has been confined to the Hugoton gas field in western Kansas, where results obtained have been encouraging. A description of the instrument, the field technique employed in testing, and a few of the results obtained in the Hugoton area are discussed in this paper. Description or Instrument The well flowmeter is 1¾ in. od and 7 ft long; it is entirely self-contained, can be run through tubing as small as 2 in. id in wells with high pressure (4500 psi) and temperature (210°F) and is lowered on a wire line commonly used for other instruments of the bottom-hole type at falling rates up to 500 ft per minute. It will detect gas flow as low as 10 ft per minute linear velocity, and yet withstand and record velocities of 1000 ft per minute without damage to the detecting element. Killing the well is not required nor desirable for running a production profile when using the instrument, and it is necessary to stop flow for only a short time. The detecting element of the instrument is a hot-wire anemometer connected in a

Jan 1, 1948

By John D. Sullivan, Chester R. Austin, Edwin J. Rogers

The problem of making a building unit combining the necessary physical and mechanical properties and good thermal insulation has been foremost in the minds of architects and ceramic and construction engineers for many years. This paper presents the results of studies on thermally expanding shales or clays to produce lightweight cellular products suitable for making building units. An expanded clay block suitable for building purposes should be large enough qo that substantial savings may be effected in labor costs in laying the wall. The permeability should be low and it should have sufficiently good "dry-wall" characteristics to permit exposing the exterior surface to the elements, and to permit plastering directly the inside wall surface. The thermal conductivity should be low and the mechanical properties should be adequate. Obviously, a unit possessing satisfactory qualities for constructing an - outside wall would be satisfactory for interior walls and for back-up purposes. The results of studies on bloating various shales or clays† and the properties of the expanded products are reported. In another paper1 basic factors involved in bloating of clays are discussed. Manufacturers of ceramic products, partitularly structural clay, may encounter bloating of the ware during burning, and precautions must be followed to avoid this phenomenon. About 1927 the C. F. Burgess Laboratories, Madison, Wis., while carrying on an investigation for the American Face Brick Research Corporation, conceived the idea of intentionally bloating clay while holding it in a restrained condition, with the hope of producing a unitary cellular mass. Work was carried on until about 1931, when studies were terminated because of business conditions. These studies were continued later by The Western Brick Co., Danville, Ill., which developed a process of "inwardly expansive bloating."² The major purpose of the latter investigation was to produce back-up tile to compete with concrete blocks made from Haydite or cinder aggregate. Haydite is a light-weight aggregate formed by heating certain clays or shales rapidly in a rotary kiln. While the investigations at the C. F. Burgess Laboratories or at Western Brick Co. were not carried far enough to lead to the commercial production of material for the construction of walls, particularly outside walls, they showed that certain clays could be thermally expanded and that it was possible to produce a material of low permeability with a large percentage of the total voids or cells closed. commencing in 1939, the Ozark Chemical Co. sponsored a research program at Battelle Memorial Institute for the Purpose Of determining whether it is technically feasible to make thermally expanded building units, and specifically to get answers to the following questions:

Jan 1, 1942

By R. D. Stover, F. O. Shuck

The variation of binary-diffusion coefficients with composition in the liquid Bi-Sn system at 300°C was measured using the capillary-reservoir technique. The experimental coefficients did not exhibit a simple composition dependence. A number of tests were also made to determine the effect of variation of density with composition on convection within the capillaries. These tests indicate that the density changes arising from composition duferences may give rise to high diffusion coefficients unless care is taken to maintain a stable configuration. In recent years there has been considerable interest in diffusion in liquid metals. However, the bulk of the work done to date has involved measurements of self-diffusion or diffusion of dilute concentrations of "solute" metals. Because there are possible applications to liquid phase processing of metal alloys and since additional data may help to clarify the nature of diffusion in liquid metals, investigations of the concentration variation of diffusion coefficients in binary alloys have been undertaken. Of past studies only two have covered large ranges of binary composition. Niwa et al.' investigated the Pb-Sn, Bi-Pb, and Bi-Sn systems and Grace and Derge2 investigated the Bi-Pb system. Because of the discrepancy between the data of these investigators, it was deemed desirable to check the possibility of convection arising from the variation of density with composition. The capillary-reservoir technique of Anderson and saddington3 was chosen for the present investigation since it has been widely used for measurements involving dilute solute concentrations and it was the technique used by Grace and Derge.2 It was necessary, however, to modify the normal procedure of using a pure metal bath to avoid measurement of integral diffusion coefficients over large concentration ranges. The alloy system chosen for study was the Bi-Sn system for which there are some data available.' EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE In order to utilize the capillary-reservoir technique for measurements of diffusion coefficients as a function of composition, it was necessary to modify the normal procedure slightly. This modification consisted of using a reservoir composition which was only slightly different from that in the set of capillaries, in order that the integral coefficients measured might be taken over a small composition range and might thereby be assumed to approximate the differential coefficient at some average composition between that of the capillary and that of the bath. It was found that a composition difference of approximately 0.10 mass fraction provided a satisfactory compromise between a small increment in composition and reasonable accuracy in measuring changes of composition. The alloys were prepared from tin and bismuth of 99.999 pct purity. The materials were first cleaned of surface oxides, then weighed and melted to form a homogeneous alloy in a Pyrex filling apparatus. The capillaries used were of precision bore Pyrex tubing 1.000 *0.005 mm bore. Capillaries of various lengths (from 2.85 to 5.85 cm) were cut and sealed at one end by fusing a 3-mm Pyrex rod to the end. The capillaries were filled by inserting them into the filling chamber, evacuating the chamber, submerging the capillaries, and pressurizing the chamber with argon. Two sets of capillaries were prepared for each run. One set contained an alloy more dense than the bath alloy and one set a less dense alloy. This procedure was followed so that the effect of density difference on the measurement could be determined. After filling one set of capillaries, these were placed open end up in a capillary holder and transferred to the diffusion chamber which consisted of a Pyrex tube inserted into a graphite block. The second set of capillaries was then filled and placed into the diffusion chamber. The reservoir alloy, which had been melted in a separate crucible, then was poured carefully into the diffusion chamber. Sufficient reservoir alloy was used to cover all capillaries to a depth of several centimeters. All of these operations: capillary filling, melting of alloys, and diffusion anneal, were carried out in a fused-salt bath which maintained a temperature of 300"*1°C. All capillaries were permitted to diffuse for approximately 48 hr. At the end of the diffusion period the capillary holder was removed from the bath and

Jan 1, 1969

By John L. Lamont, Walter Crafts

STUDIES of the effect of composition of steel on hardenability by Grossmann,1 and as-quenched hardness by Field2 and by the authors,3 have made it possible to predict the results of quenching when the composition and cooling rate are known. In order to extend the application of the hardenability calculation to the quenched and tempered condition in which steel is finally used, a survey has been made of the hardness changes caused by tempering. From this study a method has been developed for the prediction of hardness and tensile strength of steel in the tempered condition. The method of calculation was developed from Rockwell C hardness tests on quenched and tempered Jominy specimens and is expressed in Rockwell C hardness units. It is of an additive type in which the degree of softening from as-quenched hardness is estimated. Tempered properties may be calculated within about plus or minus 5 Rockwell C hardness or plus or minus 15,000 lb. per sq. in. tensile strength. This degree of accuracy is less than that necessary for the control of heat-treatment, but is adequate for the comparative evaluation and selection of alloy steels. The formula indicates that tempered hardness is primarily dependent on as- quenched hardness and, as in the hardening reaction, the progress of tempering is controlled mainly by the carbon content- Alloys tend to retard softening by a secondary hardening mechanism in which the alloy appears to migrate from ferrite to the carbide phase. The factors for the effects of alloys in tempering vary so much from the effects of alloys in hardening that different steels of equivalent hardenability may, after lie heat-treatment, differ considerably in tensile strength. PROCEDURE In developing the method for calculating tempered Rockwell C hardness, simple and complex steels were tested over a range from 0.08-to 0.65 per cent carbon and up to 2.68 per cent manganese, 2.18 silicon, 3.50 chromium, 4.94 nickel, and 1.06 molybdenum. The steels were made as small induction-furnace heats at the Union Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories, Inc. The accuracy of the method was finally checked on a variety of carbon, low-alloy and high- alloy types of heat-treating steels produced under commercial conditions. The method was based on a study of tempered Jominy bars, and its validity was tested by correlation with the center hardness and tensile strength of oil-quenched and tempered bars from ¼ to 4 in. in diameter. The method of calculation was derived from the differences in Rockwell C hardness between as-quenched and quenched and tempered Jominy specimens. Prenormalized Jominy hardenability specimens quenched from a normal temperature for austenitization were used to obtain a range of as-quenched Rockwell C

Jan 1, 1946

By J. J. Scott

This investigation utilizes three dimensional photo-elastic techniques to determine the stress distributions in the pillars and the roof of a room and pillar mine model. Castolite plastic was used for the construction of the model in which a stress pattern was developed by the stress freezing process. Analysis of the stress pattern was accomplished by observation of points in slices from the model with a polariscope and solving the data thus obtained by the shear-difference method. Slices through the centerline, edge of pillar and centerline of span were investigated. The results of this work provide information on the overall stress distribution in points of stress concentration in compression, shear and tension, show relative magnitude of stress throughout the model and indicate directions of the most important stress values. A generalized roof bolt pattern is developed for room and pillar mines based on the stress distribution. A digital computer was used in the reduction of data and proved to be extremely useful for investigation of this type. Underground excavations disturb the equilibrium of the earth's crust and a core of fracture, or altered stress distributions exists around the openings. This fact is well known by mining operators and investigators in the rock mechanics field. Analysis of the stress distribution in the areas around mine workings is a most difficult problem and one which has no simple and direct solution. Some of the approaches used by investigators in attempts to study stress distribution around mine openings involve mathematical analysis, photoelastic techniques, statistical analysis, model studies on brittle materials and observation of fracture patterns. Models involving imbedded strain gauges, gelatin models using imbedded strings to show internal movement, and many other unique laboratory techniques are employed. Work is also being done in mining operations where load cells, strain gauges, photostress material, convergence plugs, dynamic plugs, etc., are used to measure strain which can in turn be used to obtain stress. Some of these devices measure strain from which stress may be derived. All approaches to the solution of stress distribution are hampered by the fact that the earth is not a homogeneous, isotropic and elastic media. Geologic faults, fractures, bedding planes, vugs, variations in material composition, variations in grain size and structure, etc., make it extremely difficult to obtain results which can be universally applied to mining operations. The purpose of this investigation will be to demonstrate the use of three-dimensional photoelastic techniques to obtain the stress distribution in the pillars and roof of a room and pillar mining operation. This method utilizes full analysis of interior points, and thus it may be that small tensile or shear stresses found in the investigation will prove to be of greater significance than the more obvious points of stress concentration found by two-dimensional techniques. A digital computer was employed to simplify and to shorten the time necessary to obtain final results. Application of the computer to problems of this type may enable future investigators to attempt more elaborate analyses than have been previously considered feasible. THEORY Three Dimensional Stress Analysis-Shear Difference Solution:' Photoelastic studies are based on the fact that an optically isotropic transparent solid becomes optically anisotropic when subjected to forced deformation; the degree of optical anisotropy being proportional to the deformation of the material. There are two fundamental laws which govern photoelasticity: 1) Light is polarized in the directions of the principal stress axes, and is transmitted only on planes of principal stress. 2) The difference in principal stresses is proportional to the difference in the indices of refraction along the planes of principal stress. One method used in three-dimensional photoelastic work is to examine a slice of the object by normal incidence and oblique incidence. In normal incidence,

Jan 1, 1964

By James A. Crookston, William D. Fitzpatrick

Committee C-8 of the American Society for Testing and Materials defines refractories as "material, usually nonmetallic, used to withstand high temperature," and it defines the term refractoriness thus, "in refractories, the capability of maintaining the desired degree of chemical and physical identity at high temperatures and in the environment and conditions of use.” The ability to withstand high temperatures is critical to classifying a material as a refractory. However, as the foregoing definition of "refractoriness" implies, the refractory material may be subjected to and is expected to resist not only high temperatures but a variety of other destructive forces incidental to its use. These include abrasion, impact, thermal shock, chemical attack, and high level loads at high temperatures. The various industrial applications of refractories represent an infinite variety of combinations and degrees of severity of these destructive forces, including high temperatures. Naturally, such a variety of application conditions leads to a need for a wide variety of refractory products to satisfy those conditions. The number of refractory products available is great enough that some form of classification is necessary to a discussion of refractories. Refractories may be classified in several ways, but the most suitable one is based on their general compositions and to lesser degrees on their physical condition and distinctive properties. The primary types of brick include aluminosilicate brick (fire clay and alumina), basic brick (magnesia and chrome ore, alone and in various combinations), silica brick, insulating brick, and special refractories (carbon, SiC, ZrO2, zircon, borides, and nitrides). Brick is, of course, preformed and usually is heat treated at high temperatures before use, but in some instances is unburned and/or chemically bonded, including the relatively new class of tar-bonded magnesia and/or dolomite brick. In addition to preformed refractories, another broad category includes the so-called specialty refractories, which are usually made in the same types as itemized for brick-bonding mortars and high temperature cements, hydraulic setting castables or refractory concrete, plastic firebrick, and ramming mixes. Refractory grains, such as fire clay and high alumina calcines, dead-burned magnesite and periclase, and dead-burned dolomite are also considered refractory products. Bricks are also classified on the basis of physical dimensions, as standard sizes and special shapes. The standard sizes are those which are of definite shape and design and are designated as 228.6 x 114.3 x 63.5 mm (9 x 4 ½ x 2 ½ in.) and 228.6 x 114.3 x 76.2 mm (9 x 4 ½ x 3 in.) straights and series. Bricks of nonstandard sizes are referred to as special shapes. These come about as a result of a particular need for a given furnace or for a particular application. Types and Classes of Refractories Fire Clay Refractories Classification: Fire clay refractories, as the name implies, are composed essentially of fire clay and/or calcined fire clay in varying proportions. The ASTM Standard Classification of Fireclay and High Alumina Refractory Brick, C27-70 (reapproved 1976), gives five classes of fire clay brick designated as super-

Jan 1, 1983

By John D. Sullivan, Edwin J. Rogers, Chester R. Austin

The problem of making a building unit combining the necessary physical and mechanical properties and good thermal insulation has been foremost in the minds of architects and ceramic and construction engineers for many years. This paper presents the results of studies on thermally expanding shales or clays to produce lightweight cellular products suitable for making building units. An expanded clay block suitable for building purposes should be large enough qo that substantial savings may be effected in labor costs in laying the wall. The permeability should be low and it should have sufficiently good "dry-wall" characteristics to permit exposing the exterior surface to the elements, and to permit plastering directly the inside wall surface. The thermal conductivity should be low and the mechanical properties should be adequate. Obviously, a unit possessing satisfactory qualities for constructing an - outside wall would be satisfactory for interior walls and for back-up purposes. The results of studies on bloating various shales or clays† and the properties of the expanded products are reported. In another paper1 basic factors involved in bloating of clays are discussed. Manufacturers of ceramic products, partitularly structural clay, may encounter bloating of the ware during burning, and precautions must be followed to avoid this phenomenon. About 1927 the C. F. Burgess Laboratories, Madison, Wis., while carrying on an investigation for the American Face Brick Research Corporation, conceived the idea of intentionally bloating clay while holding it in a restrained condition, with the hope of producing a unitary cellular mass. Work was carried on until about 1931, when studies were terminated because of business conditions. These studies were continued later by The Western Brick Co., Danville, Ill., which developed a process of "inwardly expansive bloating."² The major purpose of the latter investigation was to produce back-up tile to compete with concrete blocks made from Haydite or cinder aggregate. Haydite is a light-weight aggregate formed by heating certain clays or shales rapidly in a rotary kiln. While the investigations at the C. F. Burgess Laboratories or at Western Brick Co. were not carried far enough to lead to the commercial production of material for the construction of walls, particularly outside walls, they showed that certain clays could be thermally expanded and that it was possible to produce a material of low permeability with a large percentage of the total voids or cells closed. commencing in 1939, the Ozark Chemical Co. sponsored a research program at Battelle Memorial Institute for the Purpose Of determining whether it is technically feasible to make thermally expanded building units, and specifically to get answers to the following questions:

Jan 1, 1942

By SME

A regular feature of the December issue is the abstracts of graduate theses in the mineral industry field presented during the preceding year. The following abstracts were submitted for this second article in the series.

Jan 1, 1976

[ ]

Jan 1, 1938

By C. H. Bowen

Industry needs a generally applicable means of defining average grain sire and grain size distribution. Students of sediments have explored this field, employing methods that might also prove useful in engineering problems. Before attempting to solve specific problems it is well to review the derivation of commonly used grade scales and the reasons for their selection. This aspect of the problem seems largely to have been lost, and a review of basic factors may suggest causes for failures in using size analysis data.

Apr 1, 1956

By Gary A. Kordosky

Winning copper from oxide ores usually involves hydrometallurgical techniques. The processes involved are the leaching of copper from the ore and the recovery of the leached copper from the aqueous solution.

Jan 1, 1981

By G. E. Kedzie

The ore-deposits of ail that portion of the San Juan country within the borders of Ouray County are either in the tertiary ernptives or, confined to a relatively narrow zone, in the sedimentary beds just beneath them. The ore-deposits in the igneous formation

Jan 1, 1888

By Lynn C. Jacobsen

Among the unforeseen consequences of the 1973 Arab oil embargo has been a considerable array of new or increased taxes on the so-called energy minerals. These taxes will be the subject of this report. Both Federal and State taxes have been enacted, but I will be concerned mostly with state severance taxes and particularly those on uranium. Severance taxes are considered to include all taxes having the distinctive feature of being applied on a natural resource at the stage of extraction. The tax may be based on units of production or on value, and if on values it may be on gross value or on gross value less either arbitrary or cost-related deductions. The tax has a number of aliases - resource excise tax, conservation tax, privilege tax, mining excise tax, ad valorem production tax, and more - and this makes comparison of tax burdens among states difficult. The windfall profit tax on oil is an example of a severance tax at the Federal level. Severance taxes are an established feature of state tax systems, but they continue to be a controversial issue, and proposals to raise or modify existing severance taxes are regularly submitted to the legislatures of the Western energy producing states. No concensus exists as to what is a reason- able and proper level of severance taxation or to the form it should take. The taxes which have been adopted by the various states reflect the interaction of a variety of interests and the specific circum- stances in each state. What follows is a summary of theoretical, practical, and emotional viewpoints and arguments that surface in any statehouse in which a severance tax bill has been introduced. The New Mexico experience will be heavily relied upon. THE ECONOMISTS Marginal effects. A severance tax which is based on a gross percentage of revenue or on units of production is a constant addition to variable costs, and to the mine operator has the same effect as any other increase in operating costs. The direction of these effects is straightforward: the tax will cause the property to have a lowered present value, to be mined at a lower rate than without the tax, raise the minimum grade that will be mined, lead to lower total recovery, make marginal properties sub-marginal and discriminate in favor of richer, more profitable operations (Lockner, 1965; Steele, 1967). In the short run, production facilities are fixed and imposition of a severance tax will have little effect on production levels. In the longer term, capital is mobile and investment and exploration expenditures will shift from minerals and jurisdictions with high taxes to those with low taxes. Over a considerable range of taxation the effect will be to change the relative position of the taxing state, but an overly optimistic evaluation of the capacity of mineral producers to absorb a tax can bring an industry to a halt. It is generally acknowledged that imposition of high severance taxes on taconite in Minnesota stopped development completely, and that only the adoption of a constitutional amendment limiting the amount of taxes that could be imposed in the future brought the firms back and encouraged them to make the huge investments required (Weaton, 1969). A tax which is a percentage of the net operating income (gross revenue less cash operating costs) does not influence the cut-off grade for recovery nor change the time preference for extraction, and hence, is free of the negative features of the tax applied to gross revenues or units of production. In theory it is a more efficient tax but relative administrative complexity and inherent difficulty in predicting revenue have discouraged its use. The Wyoming severance tax on uranium, which uses grade of ore as well as price in establishing taxable value, is the most cost related, and hence, the most neutral and efficient of the various state severance taxes on uranium. Economic rent. Despite the discrimination and the anti-conservation aspect inherent in most severance taxes, economists generally endorse their use because they are seen as a vehicle to appropriate rents - that is, returns greater than the long-run competitive supply price. Conspicuous examples of supposed economic rents are the returns to oil producers because of the OPEC cartel, the returns of the uranium producers under AEC buying contracts in the 19501s, and the high prices obtained by the uranium producers for contracts entered into in the 1976-1979 period. Mining of coal in the Western states is believed by some to generate huge economic rents because of the OPEC caused increase in price of a competitive fuel (McLure, 1978, p. 261), and possibly because of clean air regulations favoring the burning of low-sulfur coal. In theory, such surplus returns could be taxed completely away without affecting supply. In practice, the situation is more complex (Steele, 1967, pp. 234-236); economic rent of mineral production is an elusive quantity involving as it does replacement costs, and technical and market risk, and it, like beauty or pornography, probably exists mostly in the eye of the beholder. Rent may also be perceived to be present in the upper portion of a cyclic market which also has a downside. Where rent exists, it is almost certain to be short-lived - cartels self- destruct, government subsidies end, competitive adjustments occur - but the taxes imposed to capture it tend to be immortal. There is little doubt that the perception of un- usual and undeserved (obscene) profits in the mid- and late 1970's was a major factor in the adoption of energy mineral taxes strikingly higher than had been previously considered. At the New Mexico legislature of 1977 supporters of a moderate tax were repeatedly confronted with some variant of the statement, "You can't expect me to believe that a

Jan 1, 1982

By F. W. Bloecher, A. M. Gaudin

Using an adsorption-column technique the partition of dodecylamine between quartz and water has been determined at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 4000 mg per liter. The adsorption varies as the square root of the concentration. Attachment of dodecylamine to quartz is reversible. The amount adsorbed in a flotation operation giving almost complete recovery is under 5 pct of the amount required for a monolayer.

Jan 4, 1950

By D. C. Holloway

Ceramic projectiles made from 94% to 99% alumina with a nominal mass of 3.1 gms were fired into granite blocks. The average compressive strength of the ceramic was 800 MPa and that of the rock was 135 MPa. Flat, ogive, conical and pyramidal nose shapes were evaluated at velocities ranging from 450 to 1400 m/sec. It was found that the conical and pyramidal nose shapes at the higher velocities did a significant amount of damage to the rock. On the average, they removed 10 5mm3 of rock and were six and ten times better than the flat and ogive nose shapes. It was also observed that increases in volume occur in discrete steps. This process is highly dependent on the ability of the projectile to penetrate the rock.

Jan 1, 1984

A GREAT and incomparable speculation is whether the discovery of A compounding the powder used for guns came to its first inventor from the demons or by chance. With this invention he certainly far surpassed all men of every age from the creation of the world up to that day when it was announced by him-men so very learned, indeed like angels and of divine intellect, powerful in every knowledge and power. These had not only revived-arts and sciences and discovered new ones with their intellects, but they had information about all natural

Jan 1, 1942

By W. W. Mullins

The development, by the mechanism of volume diffusion, of a grain boundary groove on an interface separating a solid phase and a saturated fluid phase is calculated under the following assumptions: 1) isotropy of the interfacial free energy 's, 2) applicability of the Gibbs-Thompson formula relating curvature and chemical potential, 3) a nearly planar groove surface. The groove profile is found to have a .fixed shape and linear dimensions that are proportional to (time)1/3. The constant of proportionality is evaluated and involves ?s in such a way that the latter my be evaluated from grooving kinetics. A grain boundary that intersects an interphase interface will tend to produce a groove along the line of intersection (Fig. 1). The ultimate motivation for the formation of the groove is the reduction in interfacial free energ that occurs as the grain boundary contracts. Smith has discussed the way in which the free energy of the interfaces determines their dihedral angles at the groove root and has given a detailed analysis of the effect of the dihedral angles upon the nature the microstructures developed in polyphase alloys. Herring2 has extended the considerations to the case in which the free energy of an interface depends on its orientation and has thus added torque terms to the condition for interface equilibrium. Although the grain boundary and the interphase interface may quickly achieve the proper equilibrium angles where they intersect, as determined by the balance of equivalent tensions and torques,"2 the groove will generally continue to grow (though with decreasing speed). Thermodynamically, this continued growth reflects the fact that the lowest free energy cannot be achieved until the entire grain boundary has been eliminated; mechanistically, the growth occurs in response to inhomogeneities of chemical potential that are caused by the constraint of fixed dihedral angles at the groove root. The latter point is illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows that atoms* near the groove are on the convex side of a cylindrically curved surface and therefore have a higher chemical potential than atoms on the flat interface beyond. Thus atoms tend to leave the curved groove shoulders and force the groove to deepen. When both phases are solid additional chemical potential gradient may arise from whatever strain fields are necessary to insure continuity of material across the interface. In the discussion that follows, this complication due to strain will not occur since we always assume one phase to be a fluid and the other a solid. The transport processes that may operate to permit growth of the groove are surface (interface)* diffusion, volume diffusion in the phase on either side of the interface, and evaporation-condensation when one phase is gaseous. (Also a melting-freezing process is responsible for groove enlargement on a solid-melt interface as discussed in Sec. VI). The theory of grain boundary grooving has been discussed in detail for the processes of surface diffusion and of one type of evaporation-condensation.3'4 The theoretical predictions for the mechanism of surface diffusion have been confirmed in an experimental study of grooving kinetics in copper.5 In this paper, the theory of groove development by volume diffusion will be presented. Volume diffusion can occur either by atomic migration in the solid S or by diffusion of S atoms in the fluid phase, or solvent, adjacent to the groove surface. As discussed in Sec. V, volume diffusion in the solid should be less important than surface diffusion in forming a groove. Apart from verifying this statement then, the main interest of the present analysis centers on diffusion in an external solvent. The solvent may be either a liquid (e.g., water, or-

Jan 1, 1961

By Gordon H. Geiger, John M. Svoboda

One mechanism of metal penetration into mold aggregates by cast steels is vapor state mass transport. In order to further understand and quantify this mechanism, the steady-state diffusion of metallic vapors was studied at 1250" to 1600°C in controlled oxygen pressure atmospheres by measuring the weight loss from a metal bath whose vapors were allowed to diffuse through a porous aggregate compact held at constant temperature. Mass transport rates substantially greater than those predicted from the assumption that the vaporizing species was the elemental metal vapor were observed. Vaporization rates were found to increase with an increase in the oxygen partial pressure in the gas atmosphere with maximum vaporization occurring at oxygen partial pressures just below those in equilibrium with a liquid oxide layer at the given temperature. When the liquid oxide layer was present, no vaporization was observed. Metal carbonyls were ruled out as the vapor species involved because of their thermodynamic properties. The species with the enhanced volatility were deduced to be gaseous metal-oxygen molecules, probably the polynuclear oxides (FeO)2 and (Mn0)2. Diffusion followed the ordinary diffusion mode, and Knudsen diffusion is not important in normal foundry molds. The interdiffusivities of the metallic vapors and the mold atmosphere, through the porous aggregates, were measured. The effective interdif-fusivity of the vapor species and mold atmosphere through the aggregate may be expressed as follows: Deff,12 - — where E is the void fraction of the aggregate and 7 is the "tortuosity factor". Aggregate material had no effect on diffusion rates, and the only relevant parameter was the void fraction. Values for 7 ranged from 3 to 6 for normal foundry aggregates with 4 being considered a good representative value. An area of interest in high-temperature metallurgical processes which has received little attention in the past is the diffusion of metal vapor species in porous aggregates. Research into the metal penetration phenomenon' in foundry molds has shown that a major penetration mechanism is the vapor transport of metallic species into the porous foundry sand molds, followed by condensation of metallic films on the sand grains. Considerable study of the vaporization of metallic species has been reported in the literature, and the vapor transport properties of many metallic species have been determined.2'3 Many instances have been observed where the vaporization behavior could only be explained by the existence of a metallic species with a vapor pressure greater than the elemental metallic species. These species were identified or, in some cases, presumed to be carbonyls,4,5 hydroxides,6-9 or vaporous oxides.10-16 The diffusion of gases through porous aggregates has received considerable attention in the literature pertaining to catalysis, although primarily at low temperature, and more recently in the literature concerned with ore reduction.17-22 The following experiments were devised and carried out in order to determine the nature of the metallic species involved in the metal penetration phenomenon, and the effective diffusivities involved. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Steady-state diffusion was selected for experimental convenience. The experimental systems used, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consisted of a porous aggregate specimen contained in an impermeable alumina tube held above, and just separate from a metal bath. The entire system was held at constant temperature and pressure in a furnace with a controlled oxygen partial pressure atmosphere. After a brief period of nonsteady state behavior, a steady flux of metal vapor through the porous aggregate will develop due to the concentration gradient of metallic vapor in the gas phase. The flux of metallic vapor from pressure may be neglected because there is no pressure gradient. There is no flux from convection because there is no net flow of gas within the metal-aggregate system, and thermal diffusion is negligible compared to the flux from ordinary diffusion. If the material being studied is allowed to vaporize until steady-state behavior is attained, the experimental results may be analyzed using Fick's First Law.

Jan 1, 1970