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By W. S. Burbank, B. S. Butler

STUDY of the ore deposits of Colorado has disclosed, in numerous places, sharp changes in both mineralogy and metal content of the primary or hypogene deposits with change in depth. A clear understanding of the meaning of these changes is requisite to form intelligent conclusions that can be applied in the exploration of such ore deposits. This paper is an attempt to set forth some of the geologic and chemical relations of minerals that bear on this problem. The effect of the differing electrode potentials of elements on the order of oxidation and on the order of displacement of one metal by another metal in supergene sulfide deposits has been studied for many years by several investigators. The results all agree rather closely with the original Shurmann series of replaceability of metal sulfides, as Wells has shown.1 So far as the writers are aware there has been little attempt from the geologist's viewpoint to correlate the electrode potentials of the elements, other than those of the common metals, with the positions and mode of combination of the elements as found in ore deposits, and in particular in hypogene deposits. Wells2 discusses electrochemical activity between solutions and certain ore minerals and mentions the possibility of its effect in precipitation reactions. The senior writer for a number of years has emphasized the importance of oxidation-reduction reactions as a factor in the formation of certain hypogene ore minerals, and as the electrode potentials are a measure of the relative Oxidizing and reducing power of the elements and their ions, it seems possible that a study of them may offer some suggestions on certain problems. The data at present available for such a line of

Jan 1, 1929

By R. E. Head

Some mixtures of sulphide and oxide ores from the Tintic district in Utah are of a sufficiently good grade to be shipped to the smelter without beneficiation. In mining this type of ore, however, a material tonnage of ore of a similar composition but of lower grade is obtained. It is a question of economics whether such ore should be shipped with a certainty of a small return or concentrated if that would yield a sufficiently increased return to amortize plant construction and upkeep and yield a higher rate of profit than at present. It may be assumed that the tonnage of this borderline ore is constantly increasing and that eventually it will attain such proportions as to justify plans for milling on a relatively large scale. Under existing conditions, the producer of mixed sulphide and oxide ores is not greatly concerned about the physical characteristics of his ore or of its mineralogical complexities, since his contract with the smelter calls for payment on the basis of chemical analysis. When concentration is contemplated an entirely different picture is presented. Percentages of valuable metal content must then be con-sidered in terms of minerals, for it is in the form of minerals that recoveries are made and losses sustained. In describing the performance of a given flotation mill and reagent combination, it may be stated as a generality that a specific percentage recovery of valuable elements is made. Technically, however, the concentrator is really constructed and the reagents are selected to recover the valuable minerals. These considerations must be given prominence in discussing borderline ores from the Tintic district because of their physical characteristics and mineralogical composition. Because of these peculiarities they may be justly termed complex, since their lead, silver, and copper contents are each represented by two or more minerals of different chemical composition and presenting widely divergent physical properties. This paper sets forth the results of a microscopic study of a type of borderline ore from the Tintic district that is now being treated by direct smelting. A

Jan 1, 1939

By R. E. Head

Some mixtures of sulphide and oxide ores from the Tintic district in Utah are of a sufficiently good grade to be shipped to the smelter without beneficiation. In mining this type of ore, however, a material tonnage of ore of a similar composition but of lower grade is obtained. It is a question of economics whether such ore should be shipped with a certainty of a small return or concentrated if that would yield a sufficiently increased return to amortize plant construction and upkeep and yield a higher rate of profit than at present. It may be assumed that the tonnage of this borderline ore is constantly increasing and that eventually it will attain such proportions as to justify plans for milling on a relatively large scale. Under existing conditions, the producer of mixed sulphide and oxide ores is not greatly concerned about the physical characteristics of his ore or of its mineralogical complexities, since his contract with the smelter calls for payment on the basis of chemical analysis. When concentration is contemplated an entirely different picture is presented. Percentages of valuable metal content must then be con-sidered in terms of minerals, for it is in the form of minerals that recoveries are made and losses sustained. In describing the performance of a given flotation mill and reagent combination, it may be stated as a generality that a specific percentage recovery of valuable elements is made. Technically, however, the concentrator is really constructed and the reagents are selected to recover the valuable minerals. These considerations must be given prominence in discussing borderline ores from the Tintic district because of their physical characteristics and mineralogical composition. Because of these peculiarities they may be justly termed complex, since their lead, silver, and copper contents are each represented by two or more minerals of different chemical composition and presenting widely divergent physical properties. This paper sets forth the results of a microscopic study of a type of borderline ore from the Tintic district that is now being treated by direct smelting. A

Jan 1, 1939

By Peter J. Huck, Madan M. Singh

IIT Research Institute has investigated the potential of high pressure water jets for rapid rock excavation. During this study, an attempt was made to correlate the extent of breakage effected to the mechanical properties of rocks. Six rock types were used in these experiments and nine properties were determined for each rock variety. A regression equation using the two most significant rock properties and one jet parameter (pressure) was established. Although tests were conducted to specific pressures of 35, no minimum in the specific energy consumption was noted.

Jan 1, 1971

By J. O. Edstrom, G. Bitsianes

Parabolic rate constants were determined for the formation of wiistite by the solid state reaction between magnetite and iron. The reaction was diffusion controlled and inert marker studies indicated that the mass transport through the wiistite layer was accomplished by means of iron migration. Relationships between rate constants and self-diffusivities are discussed. The transport capacity for iron through dense wustite layers was found to be sufficient to carry on reduction, even in gaseous reduction processes. REDUCTION of iron oxides has been the subject of many investigations. Most of the work, however, has been done on rather crude material and there have been difficulties in correlating the data on a quantitative basis. The reverse process of the oxidation of iron has been studied more thoroughly and usually by starting from the pure metal. As a result, the mechanisms of oxidation are now fairly well known.It has generally been found that the oxidation of metals follows the so-called parabolic 1aw;Q hat is, when the oxides are formed as dense layers, their thicknesses are proportional to the square root of the reaction time. This parabolic law follows directly from Fick's first law of diffusion The flux, J, is defined as the quantity of diffusing substance passing per unit time through unit area of a plane at right angles to the direction of diffusion. This flux is proportional to the concentration gradient of the diffusing substance, and the factor D, known as the diffusion coefficient, is introduced as the proportionality factor with dimensions of (length)'/time. If the flux is measured as the increase of thickness of the oxide layer (Ax) per unit time (t) and the assumption is made that the concentrations of the reactants at the phase boundaries of the layer are independent of time, Eq. 1 reduces to Integration of this expression yields the parabolic function ax = k . t. [31 The product of the diffusion coefficient and the concentration difference across the oxide layer is included in the constant k. When iron is exposed to a highly oxidizing atmosphere, the oxide phases are formed normally in a topochemical fashion, i.e., the interfaces between the phases maintain parallel positions to the original surface of the specimen. Above 570°C, the phases are orientated usually in the order of iron, wiistite, magnetite, and hematite, a condition in conformance with the requirements of the Fe-0 system. Below 570°C, the wiistite phase is unstable and has not been found as a normal constituent in the oxidation products of iron. There is a strong probability that continuous layers of the solid oxides are formed as the specific volumes of the phases increase in direct order from iron to hematite.' , ' Regarding mass transport through dense solid oxide layers, Wagner' has postulated that diffusion in oxides generally may be interpreted as migration processes of ions and electrons. There must be normally a concentration gradient across the growing oxide layer for diffusion to occur. This condition requires that there be deviations from the ideal stoi-chiometric composition of the oxide and accordingly deviations from the strict order of an ideal lattice. Such "lattice defects" include interstitial ions, cation and anion vacancies, quasi-free electrons, and electron holes and are decisive for all migration processes.' Cations, anions, and electrons all may have some mobility in the oxides but the movement of one of the particles generally far exceeds that of the others. Previous work', 1,2,7 has shown that during the oxidation of iron the migration through the wiistite layer, and probably also the magnetite layer, is confined to the movement of iron ions. Migration through hematite, however, has been found to take place by oxide ion movement. These behaviors are in direct agreement with the type of vacancies present in the respective oxides. Reduction of Iron Oxides The gaseous reduction of iron oxides, like the oxidation of iron, takes place in a topochemical fashion at distinct interfaces between the appearing phases."-'" Porosities might be expected in these reaction products, since their specific volumes are less than that of the starting material. Frank and van Der Merwe" have shown, however, that it is theoretically possible for nonporous layers to form if the degree of misfit in specific volume is less than about 15 pct. These aspects on porosity formation

Jan 1, 1956

By C. H. Mathewson

MICROSCOPIC. rnetallography has been exploited quite well enough to bring about a very general understanding that the typical metal or alloy is composed of minute crystalline particles blended into a coherent microstructural mosaic. One does not have to be a specialist in metallography to realize that the properties of such an aggregate are essentially a summation in appropriate form of individual effects derived from the shape, size, placement or orientation and cohesive characteristics of the component particles. It is clearly of great importance to consider the various forms of discontinuity which may occur at the boundaries between these crystalline particles. When a number of 'particles each possessing the same orderly arrangement of atoms are brought together into a close-fitting system of purely haphazard contacts, not unlike a handful of snowflakes compacted into a snowball, the particles are said to possess random orientation. There are no generally accepted views concerning the arrangement of the atoms or the constitutional reaction between atoms where one crystal meets another, but these contact regions are characterized by strength rather than weakness and it is customary to require the presence of many rather than few boundaries in preparing metal for useful service. Under certain circumstances all of the particles in a metal may be nearly alike in orientation. Other general tendencies of orientation may be associated with particular forms of mechanical and thermal treatment. In contrast with these cases of fortuitous or statistical diversity of orientation, we often find adjacent particles united along a plane which possesses a grouping of atoms belonging equally well to both structures. This, of course, determines a fixed relationship between the two orientations and it is always possible to derive one from the other by some form of rotation or reflection prescribed by the symmetry of the crystal structure under consideration. Particles united in this manner are known as twin crystals although the term refers to the form of association rather than the number of individuals concerned.

Jan 1, 1928

By Douglas R. Piteau, Dennis C. Martin

Instability of rock slopes may occur by failure along pre- existing structural discontinuities, by failure through intact material or by failure along a surface formed partly along discontinuities and partly through intact material. Although certain fundamental failure modes are recognized, the mechanisms of slope failure are varied and complex. Such mechanisms are governed by the engineering geology conditions of the rock mass, which are almost always unique to a particular site. An understanding of failure mechanisms requires a knowledge of the physical, mechanical and strength properties of the intact material and discontinuities which make up the rock mass, as well as the structural geology and hydrogeology. These engineering geology parameters also must be evaluated with respect to the slope geometry to determine failures which are kinematically possible. Only after obtaining a reasonable appreciation of the possible failure modes can a rational mechanical stability analysis be carried out. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional failure mechanisms should be considered in assessing the design of rock slopes. Simple analyses methods are used initially to identify those possible failures which could control slope stability. More complex and detailed analyses usually are required for a few critical failure modes which could control stability, or where a more complex type of failure mechanism is envisaged. Complex failure mechanisms are usually identified when assessing previous slope failures. More detailed information concerning slope geometry and engineering geology parameters must be acquired where analyses must be more rigorous.

Jan 1, 1983

By Milton H. Fies

THE writer wishes to acknowledge at the outset his great sense of obligation to those who contributed so broadly and expertly to the preparation of this paper: Dr. Albert DeSmaele, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Socogaz, Belgium; Dr. Julien Venter, Director of the National Institute of Coal Mining, and Coal Utilization Industry, Belgium; Dr. Roger Loison, Chief Engineer, French National Coal Research Board, France; and Dr. Erich Sarapuu of the Sinclair Coal Co., Kansas City, Missouri. Liberal use has been made in this paper of a recent publication on Russian, Italian, Belgian, and French experiments prepared jointly by the Centre d'Etudes et Recherches des Charbonnages de France (Cerchar) and the Institut National de I'Industrie Charbonnière of Belgium (Inichar) .l The writer is particularly indebted to Dr. E. T. Wilkins, of the Fuel Research Station, London, and to Mr. James L. Elder, of the Alabama Under- ground Gasification Experiment at Gorgas, Alabama, for their unfailing patience and effective support. Not only did these experienced and capable men edit and revise this discussion, but much of its content is a direct contribution quoted in full from their memoranda. Without the assistance of all these colleagues, this presentation would not have been possible. It has been a privilege to serve and work with them and to acknowledge repeatedly their loyal cooperation. The recovery of the energy inherent in coal beds throughout the world has been done through the years by methods that today may be justly regarded as primitive. While the techniques of coal mining through the application of machines and the enhancement of information and skills have advanced to an extraordinary extent, particularly during the past 20 years, the underlying means is essentially the same as when man first began to mine coal. Despite this progress in the manner of coal mining, it continues today as a hazardous, toilsome, grimy task. Coal mining per se has advanced at a greater and more rapid stride in the past 25 years than the mining of any other mineral, but the basic method is fundamentally the same as it was the first day a miner took a pick into his hands many centuries ago. This situation presents a challenge to mining engineers everywhere, from

Jan 1, 1953

By R. W. Raymond

Richard Pennefather Rothwell, was born May 1, 1836, at Oxford, Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario). His father, Rev. John Rothwell, was a native of County Meath, Ireland, where the family (originally, no doubt, a Scottish one) still holds large estates, under a grant from William and Mary. John Rothwell was graduated at Trinity College, Dublin, and became a clergyman of the Established Church. He married Elizabeth Garnett, of Athearn Castle, Ireland, and subsequently came to Canada. It is said that he was a man of liberal views combined with sterling piety, an enthusiastic sportsman and yachtsman, and a pastor who refused for many years to accept any remuneration from his parishioners. After preliminary education, the subject of this sketch entered Trinity College, Toronto, with the intention of studying law; but a year later he resolved to become a civil engineer, and entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., where he was graduated, with high standing, as civil engineer, in 1858. He then went to Paris, and entered the Imperial School of Mines, where, by reason of the proficiency he had already acquired in civil engineering, he was able to finish in two years and a half the full three-year course, and to take the degree of Engineer of Mines. In 1861 he took the "practical courses" in mining and ore-dressing at the Mining Academy of Freiberg, Saxony. After traveling in Italy, etc., he went in 1862 to London, where, for the purpose of familiarizing himself with business methods, he entered the offices of W. T. Henley, a manufacturer of wire

Jan 1, 1902

By John G. Hall

The pumping operations at the Chief mine have been unique in the respect that for many years the entire flow of water into the mine has been disposed of by pumping into natural underground "caverns" or "sinks." Volumes up to 4000 gpm have been pumped into these caverns with no apparent tendency for the caverns to fill with water, and it has never been proven that any of the water returns to the mine workings. Major pumping operations have been carried on during two periods, the first from 1918 to 1927, and the second from 1942 to the present time. Early Pumping Operations CHIEF MINE The Chief Consolidated Mining Co. was organized in 1909, and for the following nine years ore was developed and mined from the 600 level down to the 1800 level, all above the permanent water table, the 1820 level. The ore occurs as extremely-irregular pipes of replacement ore in limestone, and to date a total of approximately 2 1/2 million tons of ore has been produced. The ore was highly oxidized down to the permanent water level, and some highly-oxidized ore runs occur beneath the permanent water table. In 1916, with extensive mining being done on the 1800 level, 20 ft above the water table, there were indications that a zone of secondary enrichment might exist below the water, and in order to follow the ore runs to greater depth, it was realized that arrangements would have to be Made to pump water to the surface. The original pumping installation was designed to pump 350 gpm in five stages against a 1900-ft head to the surface. By January 1919, the water had been lowered to the 1900 level and an excellent grade of silver-lead ore was being produced from the zone of secondary enrichment. At this point. the flow of water equalled the capacity of the pumps, and pumps of an additional 1000 gpln were installed to supplement the original system. By January 1920, the water had been lowered approximately 100 ft, and the total flow of water was 1000 gpm. The water was being pumped from many different places in the mine where ore was being followed downward, with 27 different pumps operating below the 1800 level, mainly Cameron air-driven sinker pumps. These first sinking pumps were cumbersome and inefficient, and each of the larger pumps weighed approximately three tons and required tremeridous volumes of compressed air. During this period, an exploration drift being extended north and west from the Chief shaft on the 1600 level encountered a large natural cavern some 2000 ft from the shaft. This cavern in places measured 60 ft in diameter. Sometime later the disposing of water into this cavern was suggested, and as an experiment to determine the results of such an operation, an attempt was Made to fill the cavern by pumping in a small volume of water, but the water disappeared as fast as it was discharged into the cavern. It was decided then to try the cavern as a drainage outlet for the entire volume of water being pumped to the surface, and the water apparently did not return to the mine workings. Subsequently water up to 3000 gpm was pumped into this cavern. An attempt was made to determine whether any water was being returned from the cavern to the lower workings, and 100 lb of sodium fluorescein salt was added to the water discharged into the cavern, but no trace of it was found in the drainage water in the mine. Results of another such test will be described later.

Jan 1, 1950

By Clarence E. Jackson, George G. Luther

THE ever increasing array of information concerning the measurement of the effect of the welding process on the properties of a steel is an indication of the tremendous effort that is being expended in this field. The methods that have been considered may be divided into two groups: first, those that measure directly the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel, and, second, those that observe the change in some property, such as the hardness of the heat-affected zone, and assume a direct correlation between this change and the resultant ductility. The nick-bend test is a direct method designed for studying the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel. The test specimen (Fig. I) consists of a bar cut from a plate with a bead weld on the surface. The specimen is prepared with a saw-notch placed so as to restrict deformation to the heat-affected zone under the bead weld when tested as a static bend. Failure is caused by rupture of the low-ductility metal in the heat-affected zone. The angle at maximum load is used as an index of the effect of the welding process on the material. In the development of the nick-bend test considerable scatter was noted in some of the results, although the agreement of duplicate specimens welded at the same time and tested consecutively was excellent. Upon further investigation it was found that the change in ductility was dependent upon the interval of time between the welding operation and the testing of the specimen. For the six steels of Fig. a, the angle at maximum load in four cases was doubled and in one case was tripled. All steels that have been studied show an improvement in the angle of bend for longer intervals between welding and testing. This same behavior has been found in weldability tests using the Navy T-bend

Jan 1, 1945

By Ellis Clark

The mining town of Pribram is situated in Central Bohemia, on the western slope of the Heiliger Berg. 30 miles southwest from Prague. Birkenberg, the village ill which most of the shafts and ore-dressing establishments are situated, is built on a mountain of the same name. It is about a mile from Pribram, is 1700 feet above the sea, and is surrounded by graywacke rocks of Silurian origin, which arc intersectd by greenstone dikes, and in the southerly, southeasterly, arid southwesterly direction are bounded by granite. The graywacke formations consist on one side of graywacke sandstone and quartzite, and on the other of graywacke slate. These last are separated from the first in the immediate vicinity of the mines by a graywacke seam converted into clay. For many years this so-called clay seam (lettenkluft) was considered as a boundary of the ore deposits in both zones of graywacke. The graywacke formation L divided according to its harduess, structure, texture, and color, into fine, coarse, compact, slaty, whitish-gray, reddish-gray, and black graywacke. The miner divides the formation into four divisions. The first or lowest division, which is in contact with the granite, consists of a fine-grained dirty gray slate; the -second is a very fine to a very coarse schist, white to reddish-gray in color, and rich in quartz, but containing little mica; the third consists of a slate with a confused cleavage, which has a dirty gray, dark gray, and very often black color and is often graphitic in its composition; the fourth consists of a fine to coarse-grained graywacke schist, of a grayish-white or reddish-gray color, and rich in quartz. The cleavage in all four divisions strikes from northeast to southwest, and the dip is sometimes northwesterly, sometimes southerly, and often vertical. All four zones are cut through by a great number of diorite arid greenstone dikes and chimneys. The thickness of these dikes, which are of

Jan 1, 1881

By D. F. Hewitt

Page Introduction..............................305 Geologic features of eastern Oregon....................306 Geology of the Sumpter quadrangle....................306 Rocks older than the ore deposits...................307 Rocks younger than the ore deposits.............. . Lodes of the Sumpter quadrangle..................312 Areal distribution.......................312 Geologic distribution.................... . Major features of the veins...................313 Mineralogy and texture of the veins.............. . Ore deposits zonally disposed around the Bald Mountain batholith . 317 Summary of mineralogy and texture.............336 Zonal relations......................337 Ore deposits zonally disposed around Greenhorn Mountain batholith. 340 Zonal relations..................... . Relation of textural features to zonal arrangement of veins.....341 Summary of zonal relations.................. . Comparison with similar districts................. . Outlook for the district......................344 Introduction In an earlier report on the Sumpter quadrangle1 it was briefly stated that the quartz lodes of that region might be separated into several groups or belts on the basis of the kind and abundance of the minerals of which they are composed, and that these belts were disposed as areal zones around the principal intrusive mass of the region. When the opportunity to revisit the region was offered in 1929, as a result of a cooperative agreement between the State Mining Board of Oregon and the United States Geological Survey, it seemed advisable to pay particular attention to this feature of the lodes, in the hope that if the idea of zonal relations was confirmed it might serve as a guide in exploitation.

Jan 1, 1931

By Frederick Becket

DOCTOR Albert Sauveur, distinguished scientist and Honorary Mem-ber of this Institute, predicted in the first Howe Memorial Lecture that the privilege of delivering this annual address would be considered a highly significant honor. The intervening years have well borne out Sauveur's prophecy. I wish to assure the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers that I also deeply appreciate this honor, recognizing at the same time the present and even more the future respon-sibilities with which it is accompanied. Several of the previous lecturers had the good fortune to attend the classes of Professor Howe and to work in his laboratories. I was similarly favored, although in my instance and to my great regret the period was all too short. However, Howe's book, published in 1903, "Iron, Steel and Other Alloys," afforded me abundant opportunity to continue these studies. How well I remember the inspiration I derived from this famous book by Howe, the metallurgical master, pioneer, and educator! Remembering that Professor Howe contributed numerous papers to The Metallographist, a magazine supported from a technical point of view by the world's pioneers in metallography, I was curious a few days ago to learn the nature of Howe's early contributions to this magazine. The first paper by Howe in the first year of The Metallographist (1898) dealt with the allotropic theory; the second also treated of allotropy, and I quote the first sentence. of that paper: The allotropic theory of the hardening of steel may, like so many other important theories, have to be accepted or rejected not on direct proof or disproof, but on the accumulation of circumstantial evidence for or against it.

Jan 1, 1938

By B. H. Cody

THE Morenci concentrator of the Phelps Dodge Corporation is a part of the project that was completed after five years had been spent in development of the open-pit mine, equipment and process testing in the former No. 6 concentrator, and construction of the reduction works. The reduction works, of which the concentrator is a part, is about a mile and a quarter southeast of Morenci, on the highway that leads up Morenci Canyon. The concentrator has a nominal capacity for the treatment of 45,000 tons of ore daily. The original plant, which has a rated capacity of 25,000 tons of ore daily and is now in its fifth year of operation, began production on Jan. 30, 1942. The addition, to increase the capacity 8o pct, began operation on Dec. 1, 1943. The equipment of the original plant has been described in MINING AND METALLURGY (May 1942). No changes in equipment were recommended for installation in the concentrator extension and only one major change, forced by a shortage of maintenance labor, has since been made. Metallurgical treatment has been altered in some ways as experiments progressed and as labor and economic conditions dictated. No complete description of the operation of the concentrator has been published, so this paper will record such operating and equipment changes as have been necessary, the operating methods that have been developed and the metallurgical results that have been obtained. Descriptions are given in the order of the processes with a flowsheet and an equipment list of each process for convenient reference. The questions asked by engineer visitors have guided the detail in which operation and maintenance are described. During the period Jan. 30, 1942 to Sept. 1, 1946, ore milled has totaled 43,595,253 dry tons, from which 1,643,885 tons of concentrate have been made, containing an indicated production of 783,164,809 lb of copper. The principal results obtained in operation of the concentrator during the years 1942 to 1945, inclusive, and to Sept. 1, 1946 are shown in Table 1. A graphic general flowsheet of the plant is given in Fig I. ORE The Morenci ore that is now being treated is a medium-hard monzonite porphyry in which the principal sulphide minerals are chalcocite and pyrite. A minor amount of covellite is present. Chalcopyrite and bornite have been observed under the microscope. The chalcocite occurs mainly as a coating on pyrite. Some of the coatings are so thick that the pyrite presents the appearance of being an inclusion in chalcocite. Some are less than one micron thick and are barely visible at 500 diameters magnification of a polished cross section. Some chalcocite is present as a dissemination in the gangue. Various oxidized copper minerals are present as a result of oxidation in place but they represent a minor proportion of the copper minerals of the ore body. Oxidation

Jan 1, 1947

By T. B. Armstrong

Electrical energy conservation sees that service facilities are operated only when needed and that production equipment is operated under an optimum condition. Specific energy consumption (kw-hr per tonne) is not regularly recorded for comminution circuits because of variations in ore characteristics and the low grinding efficiency (0.1 to 2.0%) of the equipment. Improved data acquisition can produce meaningful results. Particle size monitor systems and density gauges permit comparison of energy (kw-hr) and production (tonne) for a "fixed" condition. Finding the operating condition producing the lowest unit energy consumption provides a target for an effective energy management program.

Jan 1, 1982

By R. H. Foley

It is difficult to consider any seam as unsuitable for longwall mining operation for something like 95% of British coal is produced by this system. The following is a brief report on how they do it-their techniques and equipment. Depth of working in British mines varies from about 150 ft to more than 3000 ft, with the average being about 1300 ft. Average seam thickness is approximately 40 in., but working seams vary from 16 in. to as much as 14 ft.

Jan 8, 1965

By J. W. Wolfe

The Benedict-Webb-Rmbin equation of state was used in digital computer programs to make rapid determinations of natural gas equilibrium phase compositions. Mixture components were the nine hydrocarbons, methane through heptane. Comparative tests were made with data from field separators, plant exchangers and literature sources. For most tests made, the B-W-R equations predrcted component K-vallles, mixture enthalpies and phase aensities within tile accuracy of available correlations for rune-component mixtures: significant deviations were noted when mixtures contained components heavier than heptune. INTRODUCTION Rapid, accurate methods for calculating the properties of hydrocarbon mixtures are needed for predicting the behavior of natural gas processes. For example, because of the common use of two-phase separation methods in gas proccssing, calculations must be made for the density and composition of equilibrium vapor and liquid phases. In addition, predictions must often be made for the temperature and pressure changes associated with the flow of single- and two-phase natural gas fluids through heat exchangers, chokes and turbines. The complex nature of non-ideal mixtures makes rigorous calculations for these natural gas properties difficult and time-consuming. Natural gas properties have conventionally been determined with generalized data correlations. These correlations, such as the K-values presented in the NGAA Equilibrium Ratio Data Book, are usually based on some average property of the mixture and have proven to give satisfactory estimates for the properties of most oil and gas systems. Digital computers, however, have not only increased the utility of these correlations, but also have made practical the use of equations of state for calculating the properties of natural gases. Potentially, if basic pure component data are available, all the desired thermodynamic properties of mixtures can be derived from a single equation of state describing the mixture. Currently. the best equation of state for describing the behavior of pure, light hydrocarbons over single-and two-phase regions, both below and above critical pressure, is that of Benedict. Webb and Rubin.' The equation contains eight constants which are determined by empirically fitting the equation to pure-component PVT data. Benedict and his co-workers presented the clevelopment of their equation as early as 1940.2 The B-W-R equation is a modification of the Beattie-Bridgeman equation of state and gives better PVT predictions than the Beattie equation at densities above the critical density. Benedict et al. made the equation applicable to mixtures by relating the mixture constants to composition and the constants for pure compounds. These authors, in a serics of articles in 1951,' showed the accuracy of the B-W-R equation when applied to light hydrocarbons and their simple mixtures, and demonstrated the equation's utility for making vapor-liquid equilibria calculations. Since its inception, the B-W-R equation has been the subject of many papers. Numerous additions and modifications have been proposed,'-',"'-':' the purpose of most being to improve the equation's ability to predict PVT properties of specific mixture systems. In 1959, Opfell, Pings and Sage summarized much of the work on the B-W-R equation in their book on equations of state." Since natural gases are primarily mixtures of light hydrocarbons, the B-W-R equation is a natural choice for an equation of state to compute both phase equilibria and thermodynamic properties of natural gases. Consequent-

Jan 1, 1967

By J. J. Bowman, E. H. Dix

A lack of experimental data illustrating the effect of composition, particularly in respect to impurities, on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of aluminum-alloy die castings induced the authors and their associates to undertake a limited study of these relations. A number of commercial alloys and several experimental variations of a commercial alloy were used for the investigation. Mechanical property, growth, steam, paraffin, salt spray and atmospheric exposure tests were employed. This paper deals with the more accelerated tests and the results they have produced. It is concluded that a high-silicon alloy with all impurities except iron strictly limited to small amounts will develop an excellent resistance to corrosion and retain satisfactory mechanical properties and casting characteristics. As a direct result of this investigation an alloy of this character with superior corrosion resistance is now available commercially. In general, copper increases the strength and decreases the elongation and corrosion resistance. Tin reduces the mechanical properties and the resistance to corrosion. Iron reduces the elongation and, if excessively high, may adversely affect the tensile strength. Even excessively high iron contents do not affect the corrosion resistance, which is fortunate for the die caster as it is this element that is the most difficult to control. Nickel and zinc in limited amounts do not seem to affect the properties or corrosion resistance of at least the high-silicon alloy. Growth tests have confirmed the previous common belief that dimensional changes under either dry or wet conditions at 100" C. are too small to be of practical importance. Introduction The technical literature contains numerous papers describing die castings, their production, compositions and uses, but nearly all of these

Jan 1, 1935

By J. J. Bowman, E. H. Dix

A lack of experimental data illustrating the effect of composition, particularly in respect to impurities, on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of aluminum-alloy die castings induced the authors and their associates to undertake a limited study of these relations. A number of commercial alloys and several experimental variations of a commercial alloy were used for the investigation. Mechanical property, growth, steam, paraffin, salt spray and atmospheric exposure tests were employed. This paper deals with the more accelerated tests and the results they have produced. It is concluded that a high-silicon alloy with all impurities except iron strictly limited to small amounts will develop an excellent resistance to corrosion and retain satisfactory mechanical properties and casting characteristics. As a direct result of this investigation an alloy of this character with superior corrosion resistance is now available commercially. In general, copper increases the strength and decreases the elongation and corrosion resistance. Tin reduces the mechanical properties and the resistance to corrosion. Iron reduces the elongation and, if excessively high, may adversely affect the tensile strength. Even excessively high iron contents do not affect the corrosion resistance, which is fortunate for the die caster as it is this element that is the most difficult to control. Nickel and zinc in limited amounts do not seem to affect the properties or corrosion resistance of at least the high-silicon alloy. Growth tests have confirmed the previous common belief that dimensional changes under either dry or wet conditions at 100" C. are too small to be of practical importance. Introduction The technical literature contains numerous papers describing die castings, their production, compositions and uses, but nearly all of these

Jan 1, 1935