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Jan 1, 1903

By Bevan Presley

THERE has been developed at Latouche a rather unusual system of mining which, for want of a better name, has been called the "Latouche system of mining." It is a modified form of shrinkage stoping applicable to orebodies of large or fairly large size where the ground is such that timbering would not be required in stoping. Mention has been made of this method of mining by Birch,1 who gave no details as it had been in use only a short time and the final outcome undetermined. The system, however, has proved to be entirely successful and it is thought that a paper covering it might be of general interest. Before proceeding with a detailed description of the "Latouche system" a brief description of the property and the various mining methods previously used will be given. LOCATION The Beatson mine of the Kennecott Copper Corp. is situated on the west coast of Latouche Island-, in Prince William Sound, Southwestern Alaska, 45 miles east of Seward, the coast terminus of the U. S. Government Railroad. It is a regular port of call for ships on the Southwestern Alaska run. The island is about 12 miles long and 3 miles wide. A ridge of mountains runs the entire length with a maximum elevation of 2500 feet. CLIMATE Latouche has to contend with possibly the greatest amount of precipitation on the North American continent. The annual average precipitation for the past 4 years has been 188 in., with 248 in. for the year 1926. A rainfall of 4 in. per day is not uncommon. In the winter the thermometer rarely falls below +20° F. and the snowfall is usually heavy during the months of March and April.

Jan 1, 1927

By Rodney P. Smith

The rate of motion of the boundary between a single-phase a-iron region and a two phase a-iron plus ?-iron, or a-iron plus cementite region has been measured on decarburization at several temperatures between 500" and 865°C. These data, together with data for the carbon content of a-iron at the boundary, yield the diffusivity of carbon in a-iron. The activation energy for carbon diffusion is 19.8 kcal per mole for the temperature range —50° to 150°C and increases to an average value of 23.0 kcaL per mole for the temperature range 727" to 865°C. AS part of an investigation of the diffusivity of carbon in iron using a steady-state method,' the diffusivity of carbon in a-iron was determined at the temperatures 802" and 851°C. The diffusion constant thus obtained was larger, by nearly a factor of two, than that predicted from the combined results of stanley2 and of Wert.3 It seemed desirable, therefore, to continue the investigation. Since the temperature range in which the steady-state method can be conveniently used is limited, we have chosen a decarburization method, based on the laws of diffusion in metal accompanied by a phase change.4,5 If the initial carbon content of the Fe-C alloy is such that two phases coexist at the decar-burizing temperature* and decarburization is car- ried out such that the surface is maintained at substantially zero wt pct. C, the carbon distribution after a time, t, will be as shown in Fig. 1. The boundary between the single-phase and two-phase regions moves from y = 0 to y = x in the time, t, where x is proportional4 to tl". If the initial carbon (content of the sample is Ci, and CB is

Jan 1, 1962

By J. L. Jones

1. Brinell tests at progressively increasing temperatures are given for a representative lead-base and a representative tin-base babbitt, showing that the former has superior resistance to deformation at the working temperatures of bearings. 2. Small squares of bearing bronze, tinned and then babbitted with a representative lead-base babbitt and a representative tin-base babbitt were subjected to compressive loading. The lead-base babbitt showed less average compression than the tin-base babbitt. Compression did not materially increase the Brinell hardness of the babbitts. 3. A process and a tool are described for giving smoother and more accurate surfaces to bearings than has heretofore been possible. The following experiments have recently been carried out in the chemical laboratory of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. While the work is incomplete, it is described at the present time because data on the comparative merits of lead-base and tin-base babbitts are of interest in connection with the present shortage of tin. BRinell Habdness of Babbitt at Increasing Temperatures Bearings fail because of wiping, or deformation. Hence tenacity is desirable in a bearing metal, especially tenacity at high temperatures. The Brinell test is commonly regarded as a measure of tenacity. In fact, it has recently been proposed to substitute for Brinell hardness number the expression " tenacity number."l It seemed, therefore, that the Brinell test was especially adapted for the tests described. Disks, 4 in. (101 mm.) in diameter and 1.5 in. (38 mm.) thick, were made of the babbitts to be studied, designated A, B, C. They were poured into metal molds, pyrometer leads being soldered in the center of each disk. The composition of the babbitts was as follows:

Jan 1, 1919

By AIME

The following corrections (in italics and bold face) were received too late for the September issue of Transactions: Page 270, Abstract, line 1, spelling should be goethite. Page 270, column 1, authors' box, authors' affiliations should read: L. A. BAKER, formerly Principal Research Scientist, is Pellet Plant Superintendent, Cliffs Western Australian Mining, Cape Lambert, W. A., Australia. C. G. THOMAS is Experimental Officer, Minerals Research Laboratories, C.S.I.R.O., North Ryde, N.S.W., Australia. R. J. CORNELIUS and K. S. LYNCH are General Superintendent, Product and Process Development, and Superintendent, Pellet Plant, respectively, Hamersley Iron Pty. Ltd., Dampier, W. A., Australia. G. J. ARMSTRONG, formerly Chief Metallurgist, Hamersley Iron Pty. Ltd., is Mill Superintendent, Samin Ltd., Burra, S. A., Australia. Page 271, column 2, line 41, should read "highest possible spalling temperature and to adjust the. . :' Page 275, column 1, line 1, should read "(LOI) figures are shown in Table 1 and vary from 2.61..." Page 275, column 1, line 16, spelling should be goethite. Page 276, column 2, line 6, should read "Predicting Grate Speed and Production Rate: The cor-..." Page 276, column 2, line 8, should read "basis of Blends A, B, C, D, and Plant Ore 1, shown in Table..." Page 276, Table 3, heading under "Prediction Method" should read Blend E. Page 277, column 1, line 38, should read "=293 tph of specification pellets (see Table 1 for loss-..." Page 277, column 2, replace caption for Fig. 14 with the following: Fig. 14-Example of calculation of hood temperature profile during downdraft free-water drying, given plant free-water drying time. Page 277, column 2, replace caption for Fig. 15 with the following: Fig. 15-Example of calculation of hood temperature profile during drying, given plant goethite drying time.

Jan 1, 1974

By Walter O. Snelling

In combating mine-fires the use of carbon dioxide as a means of producing an atmosphere in which combustion cannot be sustained, has been many times suggested and frequently tried, generally with a fair degree of success. The carbon dioxide is produced by acting on limestone with dilute sulphuric acid, large wooden boxes being used to hold the limestone, and arranged in such a manner that one box may be cleaned and refilled with blocks of limestone while another is being used in generating the carbon dioxide.. The gas is led by means of pipes of large diameter to the location of the fire, tight brattices having been previously put up as close to the fire as possible on every side, so as to limit the space to be filled with the gas to the smallest possible volume. The cost of producing carbon dioxide has been, however, a decided draw-hack to the use of this method, and the danger of producing carbon monoxide by the reduction of the carbon dioxide by heated carbon, and consequently bringing about an explosion, has also tended to prevent the application of this method. The use of sulphur dioxide in combating mine-fires has not, I believe, been previously suggested or tried, and yet the method presents such decided advantages over the use of carbon dioxide that it seems proper to suggest the advisability of considering it as a cheap, convenient, and safe means of fightr ing stubborn mine-fires. 1. Cost, Preparation, etc.—One ton of brimstone, costing from $20 to $30, will produce about 25,000 cu. ft. of sulphur dioxide gas, and allowing for all sources of loss it is probable that sulphur dioxide gas can be produced for about $1,300 per 1,000,000 cu. ft. For carbon dioxide gas, produced by the action of sulphuric acid on limestone, a good estimate would be $4,000 per 1,000,000 cu. ft., provided that sulphuric acid

Jan 1, 1909

By J. A. Ryder

TRANSIM II is a general purpose mining-oriented transport simulation program. It features the accurate modelling of locomotive tramming systems involving interferences and queue build- ups, as well as inter-level transport facilities linking bunkers of finite capacity. Features of the program are described, and a number of practical applications briefly reviewed including studies of optimal train capacities, pulling schedules, tip and bunker capacities, and operation of simple traffic-light systems.

Jan 1, 1977

Data about production are very meager. In this county from the earliest days until after the Civil War, the amount of coal used locally greatly exceeded that shipped on account of the iron produced; for many years the furnaces used raw coal for melting the ore. In 1846 it was stated that in this county one ton of iron required three tons of iron ore and three tons of local coal used raw.1 In 1864, eleven furnaces in Pennsylvania using 102,230 tons of raw coal produced 44,671 tons of iron, or 2.3 tons raw coal per ton of pig iron .2 This was probably as good a record as was made, as nearly all furnaces changed to coke some years later. Neither of these figures include the coal used for steam and other purposes around an iron plant. The Beaver and Erie Canal was opened in 1845 and the shipments shown from then to 1865, inclusive, are of coal received by the canal at Erie, and do not include any used at local points along the canal. From the completion of the Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad in 1864 the tonnage shipped by canal decreased. rapidly, and, while the canal shipments after 1864 are supposed to be those received at Erie by canal only, they may include some rail tonnages. Tonnages on Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad may, and probably do, include some used locally; those on the Jamestown & Franklin Railroad do not. It is likely that both canal and Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad figures include some coal originating in Lawrence County, and possibly a little from Beaver County. These tonnages are not duplicated in the data for either of the other counties. Not all of the railroad reports can be found now.

Jan 1, 1942

By S. C. Lindsay, D. J. I. Evans

With each year that passes hydrometallurgical processes are being more widely used to recover base metals from ores and concentrates. Generally these processes involve liquid-solid separation of metal-bearing liquors from barren residues. This may be done by countercurrent decantation, thickening and filtration, or filtration or centrifuging only. Choice of method is governed by chemical and physical characteristics of the pulps; cost of labor, power, materials, and waste disposal; and even by the amount of capital available when building plans are under way. Since all these controlling factors change with time and location and with technological advances, the separation method must be re-evaluated when new plants or expansion programs are contemplated. At the Sherritt Gordon refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, an ammonia pressure leaching process recovers nickel, copper, and cobalt from the nickel concentrate produced at Lynn Lake, Manitoba.' Pregnant liquors are separated from the barren leach residues in a thickener-filter liquid-solids circuit. The decision to use this type of separation was based on a summation of economic factors during the pilot plant and design stages. Although countercurrent decantation was not incorporated in the refinery flowsheet, the problems solved in thickening the leach residues and the experience gained in operating the commercial plant are pertinent to countercurrent decantation, particularly where it is applied to slow-settling leach slurries or slurries having a relatively high vapor pressure of a valuable, obnoxious, or poisonous vapor.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. McD. Porter

IN many of the old placer-mining districts are still to be found large tracts of gold-bearing gravel not suitable to be worked with a dredge, because the bed is too shallow- or the gulch too narrow. Frequently there is not enough grade to handle the gravel successfully by ground-sluicing or a bedrock flume, or it contains too many boulders to be worked successfully with the ordinary pipe or tube hydraulic elevator. In southwestern Oregon, two practical placer-miners named Ruble, after working for years trying to make money out of placer-ground containing many large boulders, invented and patented a hydraulic elevator of an entirely new type, and one . that has been found to work very successfully in flat' ground and in gravel containing many large boulders. It is a very simple contrivance. A few years ago I acquired the property near Pierce City, Idaho, known as the American placer-mine. Various attempts .bad been made to work this ground. A bed-rock flume had been installed by one company, an Evans elevator by another, and still other methods were tried on a smaller scale. All were unsuccessful. I installed a Ruble elevator, and it has proved very satisfactory. Working under 100-ft. (pipe) head, the 'ground has been handled at a cost of a little less than 8 cents per cubic yard. The conditions at the American mine are exceptionally hard, the boulders being large, heavy, and numerous. Basalt-boulders, up to a size of 16 by 18 by 32 in., have been elevated to a height of 16 or 17 ft., with a 4-in. nozzle-stream, under 100-ft. head. Boulders larger than this size are blasted. At the American mine, a foreman, two pipemen, and two laborers are-required per day of 24 hr. to operate the elevator. Several sizes of this elevator are in use, the one at the American mine being the 25-ft. size, having 25 ft. of grizzly

Oct 1, 1909

By A. R. Denison

This field in 1933 continued as in 1932, although to a much less extent, to dominate the drilling and production situation throughout the oil business. The 2466 producers completed in this field during the year are 28 per cent of such wells completed in the United States. The 2556 completions reported in the five counties within which the East Texas field lies are 21 per cent of all such wells reported in the United States. It follows that with such a command of the development situation, every other factor with regard to this field has an important bearing on the entire oil business. As a consequence, the important developments in the East Texas field are the important developments of the year. Very little new productive territory was added to the already known limits of this enormous field. On the other hand, drilling has shown that with a few very minor exceptions this field is a continuous productive area, with a regular outline and no "dry spots" other than that of a single well surrounded by producing wells. Drilling was confined to the already proven limits of the field. This consisted essentially of more adequate coverage of leases by wells, the meeting of required offsets and the drilling of a large number of small tracts which developed from subdivision of larger leases due to court action and other causes. The allowable throughout the year was, with minor variable factors, on a per-well basis. With the steady decline in per-well allowable after May, every operator was faced with declining

Jan 1, 1934

E. A. HOLBROOK,*Urbana, Ill.-To those who have followed the development of powdered coal two questions often occur. First, as to the moisture in the coal. In Illinois we recognize that the bituminous coals contain about 12 to 15 per cent. of what we call "contained moisture," that is, the moisture is present in the coal although this may appear absolutely dry and dusty. In addition, the surface moisture may be present in any amount. I would like to ask what is the relative effect of these two forms of moisture upon the work of pulverizing. Does Mr. Collins refer to the contained moisture or to the surface moisture in estimating the degree to which the coal must be dried? H. R. COLLINS.-In the lignite coals, of which this country possesses a great deal and is beginning to develop them to considerable extent, the "contained" or "combined" moisture does not .trouble us; we have no difficulty in reducing lignites to a high degree of fineness. But when dealing with bituminous, sub-bituminous, or semi-bituminous, we, prefer to reduce the combined moisture as well as the hydroscopic moisture as far as possible. We have recently put into operation, at a plant, furnaces and boilers consuming the lignite from northern New Mexico, which contains between 4 and 5 per cent. moisture as we pulverize and burn it. The evaporating efficiencies under the boilers have been so remarkable that we wish to check the results half a dozen times before quoting them. We have also just started two boilers at the Garfield smelter, and have obtained the same high efficiencies.

Jan 11, 1918

By Carle Hayward

IN reheating quenched steel to remove part of the hardness, the softening effect has generally been considered to be a function of temperature and time. The temperature effect is well known, and long before pyrometers were heard of the blacksmith was able to do a good job of tempering, by rule-of-thumb methods and experience in judging temperatures. Modern conditions, which demand steel that will withstand the severest tests, require that the heat treatment he carried out with every possible precaution to secure the best results obtainable. Pyrometers and heat-treatment furnaces of many types are on the market and improvements are continually being made so that it is now possible to regulate the temperature in heat treatment very accurately. There is -still a question regarding the time that the steel should be subjected to treatment. It is customary with all operators to insure the desired tem-pressure throughout the specimen and it is generally supposed that a longer treatment of a hardened steel produces a further softening but there are few published figures showing the exact effect of time of treat-ment at constant temperature. A search of the literature disclosed several brief statements that the tempering effect was a function of both time and temperature, but in no case were any figures given. The opinion is very generally held that the well-known tempering colors are accurate indicators of the degree of tempering. This is disputed by Brearley (The Heat Treatment of Tool Steel, page 102) who states: It has been said that the result would be the same in respect to both hardness and other properties whether the colors were obtained by a shorter heating at a higher temperature or a longer heating at a lower one. This, to say the least, is a very doubtful conclusion, and is certainly not borne out by mechanical tests on oil-hardened and tempered motor car steels, which, after tempering for periods varying from 15 min to 2 hr., show no very great differences. The present investigation had for its object the obtaining of some definite data regarding the effect of time, which might serve as a guide to those engaged in the heat treatment of steel. The Rhode Island Tool Co. cooperated by furnishing the steel and machining the test specimens.

Jan 2, 1917

By E. A. Stevens

It has been ascertained in recent years that certain rocktypes, geological formations and structural conditions may be used as fairly reliable guides, when prospecting in recognized mineral belts or milling districts, with a reasonable certainty of discovering "pay-ore;" and that such is considered as a practically established conclusion may be inferred from a perusal of the recent reports of the U. S. Geological Survey and the literature of the several scientific societies discussing mining, geology, and kindred subjects. Cripple Creek is no exception to this conclusion, and the

Jan 1, 1903

By AIME AIME

T HE year 1920 will be a memorable one in the history of the world's coal supply. The prices reached were the highest of modern times, and as usually happens at such a time, the quality of the output deteriorated. In the last two years of the war, the world's output had risen close to the pre-war level. After the armistice, however, the cessation of munitions manufacture and the delay in resumption of normal business curtailed the demand for coal. Industrial disputes both in Europe and America closed many mines late in 1919 and further reduced the supply. Thus when in 1920 the world set its face to work again and industrial activity was resumed where resumption was possible, consumers' reserves of fuel proved insufficient and an almost universal feeling of apprehension over the coal supply swept around the world. The reasons for this alarm-lately a thing of the past-become clear when the world's production in 1920 is cast up.

Jan 1, 1921

By Werner Joseph, Richard R. Knobler

When the first batch of refined copper ingots was cast at Mantos Blancos in January 1961, eight years of exploration, development and metallurgical pioneering by Mauricio Hochschild & Co. had come to a successful conclusion. This Chilean copper deposit, located in the Atacama Desert 30 miles from Antofagasta, is now producing approximately 20,000 tons of copper per year. The Mantos Blancos deposit has been known since 1912 and various attempts had been made to work the high-grade zones before the present operation was started. The major drawback of the ore to any previous development was its chloride content which varies between 0.4% and 1.5% C1. Although the chloride ruled out the conventional leaching-electrolysis scheme, it did lend itself to the process of precipitating the copper as cuprous chloride.

Jan 1, 1962

By Northcutt Ely

A year ago the petroleum code was in effect, and Congress had before it bills with powerful backing designed to extend and put on a permanent basis the Federal authority impliedly recognized in the petroleum code. Those men in the industry who were convinced of the unconstitutionality of Federal regulation, who believed in conservation, and who were seeking accomplishment of a conservation compact among the oil-producing states, were at that time encountering difficulties in bringing about such an agreement. Since then there has been a shift in the center of gravity. Today, by virtue of the Supreme Court's Schechter case decision, the petroleum code is not in existence, the industry is not operating under an oil administrator, and the Federal-control bills are not on Congress' calendar. In view of what the Supreme Court has said in the Schechter case and the Hoosac Mills case about the local character of mining and manufacturing, the problem today is not whether the Federal Government or the State Governments ought to regulate oil production, but how effective we can make the devices that are available to us under the constitution for the conservation of the nation's oil resources. The interstate oil conservation compact ratified during the past year by Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Illinois, approved by Congress, but not yet in effect in California, is the mechanism now at work. Interstate Oil Conservation Compact What is this interstate compact? The basic theory is simple and logical. It has four elements to it. The first point is that in order to effect the maximum recovery of our oil arid gas reserves it is necessary for some governmental authority to regulate the way in which those resources are taken out of the ground, so that the reservoir energy is efficiently used, and used equitably by the various owners of the pool. Second, that the state, as distinguished from the national government, possesses the police power necessary to protect the public interest and to protect the correlative rights of the common owners of the oil pool. Third, that the state governments ought to cooperate with each other through an interstate advisory commission so that orderly production in one state is

Jan 1, 1936

Discussion of the paper of DOUGLAS BUNTING, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 97, January, 1915, pp. 1 to 21. ARTHUR HOVEY STORRS, Scranton, Pa.-I know something about accidents Nos. 4 and 8. At the Fuller mine there was no disturbance of the surface in connection with either of those accidents, there was no surface settling, nor signs of sand in the mine, and seemingly the water all came from a subterranean basin or water-bearing stratum overlying the Six Foot vein. A similar thing was shown, in an accident not referred to in Mr. Bunting's table, at the Avondale, where we had an inflow of water, as high as 12,000 gal. a minute, for a considerable period. Regarding the second accident (No. 8) at the Fuller mine: after the first inflow of water (No. 4 of the table), the mining was abandoned in the Six Foot vein. A long slope was. driven in an underlying seam, and when this had reached a point about 2,000 ft. southeast of the place where the first inflow of water occurred, and where the bore holes show there was apparently sufficient rock covering for the Six Foot vein, a rock plane was driven up to the upper vein (Six Foot) and one afternoon this exposed the coal. During the following night the inflow of the water occurred. There were absolutely no workings at this point so that no disturbance of the overlying rocks could have occurred. The result of the inflow of water was to fill up the entire lower-vein workings in about two or three clays and caused the abandonment of the mine. After several years, considerable time and money were spent in an effort to hoist the water from the shaft and mine workings, with varying, but in the main rather indifferent, success until, clue to the breaking of one hoisting rope, the engineer pulled the other hoisting tank up through the tower and down on to the engine, making a complete wreck of the whole plant. It was then decided to allow the mine to soak and it is still doing so, other portions of the property being mined from adjoining collieries.

Jan 5, 1915

By Northcutt Ely

A year ago the petroleum code was in effect, and Congress had before it bills with powerful backing designed to extend and put on a permanent basis the Federal authority impliedly recognized in the petroleum code. Those men in the industry who were convinced of the unconstitutionality of Federal regulation, who believed in conservation, and who were seeking accomplishment of a conservation compact among the oil-producing states, were at that time encountering difficulties in bringing about such an agreement. Since then there has been a shift in the center of gravity. Today, by virtue of the Supreme Court's Schechter case decision, the petroleum code is not in existence, the industry is not operating under an oil administrator, and the Federal-control bills are not on Congress' calendar. In view of what the Supreme Court has said in the Schechter case and the Hoosac Mills case about the local character of mining and manufacturing, the problem today is not whether the Federal Government or the State Governments ought to regulate oil production, but how effective we can make the devices that are available to us under the constitution for the conservation of the nation's oil resources. The interstate oil conservation compact ratified during the past year by Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Illinois, approved by Congress, but not yet in effect in California, is the mechanism now at work. Interstate Oil Conservation Compact What is this interstate compact? The basic theory is simple and logical. It has four elements to it. The first point is that in order to effect the maximum recovery of our oil arid gas reserves it is necessary for some governmental authority to regulate the way in which those resources are taken out of the ground, so that the reservoir energy is efficiently used, and used equitably by the various owners of the pool. Second, that the state, as distinguished from the national government, possesses the police power necessary to protect the public interest and to protect the correlative rights of the common owners of the oil pool. Third, that the state governments ought to cooperate with each other through an interstate advisory commission so that orderly production in one state is

Jan 1, 1936

By D. R. Spink

In the preparation of zirconium and hafnium metals, there are many indications that impurity levels control the physical and chemical properties of the metal. The purpose of this work was to develop methods of producing pure raw materials that could be reduced to highly pure metals. Early work by the Carbomcndum Metals Co. and others indicated that certain fused salts were highly efficient in the removal of impurities from gaseous zirconium tetrachloride. We have developed workable fused salts along with a continuous and higly efficient scrubber design which can be used to produce very pure zirconium tetrachloride. Metal made from the purified tetrachloride has been shown to approach crystal bar metal in purity. Scrubber designs are discussed with recommended materials of construction. VARIOUS methods have been used to purify zirconium (and hafnium) tetrachloride. Most of these methods involve thermal degassing initially (the removal of more volatile compounds at temperatures below that where zirconium tetrachloride exhibits a significant vapor pressure) followed by a sublimation step (which conveniently leaves the nonvolatiles behind.) While these procedures effect definite purification, such processing is batchwise and does not result in optimum purification. Early work by The Carborundum Metals Co. and others indicated that fused salts were highly efficient in the removal of impurities from gaseous zirconium tetrachloride. The objective of this work was to develop a continuous fused-salt scrubbing process that would yield high-purity zirconium and hafnium tetrachlorides. The term "fused salt" refers to the molten state of ionic compounds and as used here, specifically refers to alkali metal and alkaline earth halides. Fused salts, because of their many valuable properties, are becoming increasingly im- portant industrially. These valuable properties of the fused salts are: 1) stability at elevated temperatures; 2)low vapor pressure; 3) low viscosity; 4) ability to dissolve many different materials; and 5) good elctctrical conductivity. All but the last property enhances the use of fused salts as scrubbing agents for zirconium and hafnium tetrachlorides. Fused-salt scrubbing may be defined for our purpose as the intimate contact between a gaseous compound and a molten salt with the purpose of removing impurities from the gaseous compound. In this case, the gaseous compound is zirconium tetrachloride which submlimes at 331°C. When this gas is contacted with a molten salt, impurities such as aluminum, iron, and titanium are removed and the resulting product is considered fused-salt scrubbed. Zirconium and hafnium are sold to a purity specification. Generally speaking, normal production without scrubbing is capable of meeting specifications. There are, however, several considerations That make the knowledge of methods of additional purification highly desirable. These are: 1) the control of product analysis; 2) the production of a pure product for special applications; 3) the salvaging of off-specification material; and 4) the use of raw materials with higher impurity levels than 1 he present raw materials. You will note that items 1 and 2 are somewhat complementary to each other and that item 4 assumes that The present process has impurity removal limitations. To better understand the part that fused-salt scrubbing of zirconium tetrachloride plays in the manufacture of zirconium, Fig. 1 contains an illustrated flow sheet of the industrial production of zirconium metal. In referring to Fig. 1, we can point out the specific benefits derived from our ability to purify zirconium tetrachloride. Purification of the crude (hafnium-containing) zirconium

Jan 1, 1962