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By Robert Craig, Earl L. Rau

Introduction Grinding circuits are used to reduce the particle size of ores to the size desired for beneficiation or to grind a concentrate to a size required for final marketing. Grinding and classification can be carried out using either wet or dry circuits. Most sulfide ores are ground in wet circuits using one or more stages of grinding to obtain the necessary mineral liberation to produce a final concentrate which will meet the desired criteria. Iron ores are ground in circuits applicable to the particular ore using either wet or dry grinding. Nonmetallic minerals frequently present different requirements. Barite is likely to be subjected to wet grinding before beneficiating the ore; the concentrate is dried and then dry ground to meet market particle size requirements. The one thing that most mill operators will agree to is that there is no such thing as the "best" configuration of equipment for grinding. The circuit which works well on one ore may be totally unsatisfactory for another ore body. The general trend in the industry is flow sheet simplication with fewer parallel circuits instead of multiple-line circuits using small mills. This change in philosophy has been brought about by the saving of both capital and operating costs that may be possible with larger equipment. Remember that comminution is basically a very inefficient process, and that the costs can range upwards to 50% of the total milling costs. It, therefore, behooves the mill operator to carefully design his grinding and classification circuits. He must ascertain the optimal economic particle size for beneficiation and then make certain he has achieved the best balance between capital and operating costs to achieve the desired mesh of grind. Equipment Grinding circuits consist of one or more pieces of equipment to grind the solids. Generally, these circuits include one or more grinding mills, classification equipment, and the necessary materials handling equipment such as pumps, pipelines, and conveyors. There are many different types of equipment available which are used to grind and classify ores and minerals. Following is a tabulation of most of the equipment used for wet and/or dry grinding.

Jan 1, 1982

By Edward Pesout

The McGill smelter started operations in the year 1907. The smelter furnaces were fired with run-of-mine coal on grates until April 1911, when oil firing was introduced. Oil firing continued until April 1918, when the initial coal-pulverizing plant was started.' Early Pulverizing Plant Various alterations were made to that plant during its operation, one of the more important being in connection with the system for delivering pulverized coal. In order to minimize coal-dust explosions and fires, the return portion of the main delivery line was eliminated in the year 1928. Thereafter coal-dust explosions and fires were greatly reduced. Pulverized coal was prepared at this plant primarily for the reverberatory furnaces, but for several years it was also delivered to the converting plant, roasters and power-plant boilers by a system of auxiliary fans and delivery lines. During the period March 29 to April 8, 1929, one reverberatory furnace was fired with pulverized coal produced by an Aero, type J, unit coal pulverizer with a rated capacity of 5 tons per hour. This machine actually pulverized its rated capacity but the product was too coarse. After certain regulations, a her product was obtained but the pulverizer capacity decreased and this resulted in insufficient coal for efficient furnace operation. Table I gives a comparison of the average screen analyses of the pulverized-coal products from the impact-type unit pulverizer and the regular coal-plant installation. It was definitely proved that this size and type of unit pulverizer could not furnish sufficient coal of proper fineness to give smelting results comparable to that obtained with the regular coal-pulverizing plant. The coal from this unit pulverizer was so coarse that it did not ignite or burn properly and thus did not produce the proper heat for efficient smelting. During the latter part of 1929 and the early part of 1930, experimental work was conducted with a 7-ft. o-in. by 48-in. Hardinge conical ball-mill coal-grinding unit, which was installed alongside a furnace in the reverberatory building. Results obtained from the test run indicated that this unit would furnish sufficient coal of proper fineness for good smelting.

Jan 1, 1947

By José Aloisio Paione, Eudes Prado Lopes

The geophysical exploration carried out by the Brazilian government through the Mineral Resources Development Co. (CPRM) to discover and develop Brazil's mineral resources is discussed. Particular mention is made of procedures specially adapted for contracting companies specialized in geophysics, CPRM's activities, statistical data from study programs, as well as the financial investments committed. More than 500 000 km of aerogeophysical surveys have been carried out by CPRM in the last four years, and it is expected that more than 600 000 km will be flown in 1974 and 1975, at an investment of approximately $30 million.

Jan 1, 1977

By J. E. Gosline

IN any theory of a hydrodynamic nature dealing with the vertical flow of gas-liquid mixtures in pipes, the two factors that present the greatest difficulty are the relative motion between the phases and the energy loss resulting from turbulence work. The former has generally been referred to in the literature as "slippage" and the latter as "fric-tion." A third factor of importance is the nature of admixture between liquid and gas for both the relative motion between the phases as well as the turbulence work are functions of the type of mixture. Although much work of a general nature has been performed on the vertical flow problem, there have been very few attempts made to study experimentally the factors involved in the phenomenon individually. Of these, perhaps the most notable is the work of Moore and Wilde1 on slippage. Some writers on the subject have assumed that over a wide range of operating conditions the controlling type of mixture, is one in which gas bubbles of uniform size are distributed throughout the liquid, and that the data obtained from experiments on the motion of single bubbles through various liquids may be used in evaluating the slippage. Ver-sluys2 has further assumed another controlling type of mixture in which the liquid occurs as a dispersed phase within the gas and applies data on the fall of drops of water in air to calculating the relative velocity. It was for the purpose of studying the applicability of data on single bubble motion to the slippage factor and to further observe the nature of mixtures that a research program was conducted at the University of California during 1932 and 1933. These experiments formed a basis for

Jan 1, 1935

By Ian Wark

IN defending the chemical theory of flotation, Taggart, del Giudice and Ziehl have criticized1 the views of those who prefer to attribute the effects of certain flotation agents to adsorption. Perhaps with some justifica-tion, they describe the latter term as the "haven of refuge of writers lost in a morass of shaky experiment and muddy thinking." We prefer to regard it, however, as a haven of refuge for writers who seek a conven-tional term to describe the formation of films of flotation reagents on solid surfaces, because in many cases it is not yet possible to specify the forces that hold them there. Originally, as Taggart and his associates state, adsorption connoted a. concentration difference and nothing more. In recent years, workers in the field of surface chemistry have tacitly added other meanings, and they now speak of orientated adsorption of unimolecular films on a solid sub-strate, of chemi-adsorption, and of exchange adsorption. Thus the term adsorption may connote-simply the Gibbs layer of excess concentration at the surface of a solution, or a unimolecular film at the surface of a solid. Perhaps this has led to the misunderstanding of Taggart, del Giudice and Ziehl concerning the relationship between surface tension and adsorption at solid surfaces. The change in "surface tension" accompanying adsorp-tion at a liquid surface can be used as a measure of the adsorption, and the Gibbs equation as quoted by these authors correlates these two con-ceptions. But, to correlate two conceptions does not necessarily imply an attempt to explain either, although sometimes. such an "explanation" is carelessly inferred. Use of "surface energy per unit area" instead of the numerically equal but more difficult and less definite conception of "surface tension per unit length" would lessen many of the present diffi-culties. (Compare with Adam.2) At interfaces involving a solid phase, neither "surface tension" nor "interfacial tension" can have any meaning, but the conception "interfacial energy per unit area" can be understood by anyone who is familiar with the concept of free energy. While it is true that surface energy cannot be directly measured at a solid surface,

Jan 1, 1936

By Everett Parker

THIS paper describes the methods used to determine the rates of payment for contract work and the plan of contract supervision in the Elm Orlu mine. A discussion of the theory of wages and the eternal question-what is a just wage-are beyond the scope of this article. In the fall of 1920 the Elm Orlu was the largest mine in Butte using the day's pay system of payment for stoping operations. High labor and supply costs and a falling market for the product of the mine made economic mining difficult. The mining method had been changed from the square set stoping to timbered rilling to eliminate most of the shoveling. There was no opportunity to reduce the cost of supplies other than more rigid economy in their use. It was recognized, however, that the labor efficiency was low and that the reduction in costs depended on increasing the output per man. While in general, the low man efficiency was a resultant of the high wages paid and the shortage of men during the war and subsequent period of inflation, it was felt that the contract and bonus system used in the other mines was the main factor in that the most capable and energetic men had been attracted to those mines where more than average skill and dili-gence were recognized by more than average pay.

Jan 1, 1927

By P. K. Koh, G. C. Dunn

Si-Fe single crystals in a number of selected orientations were cold rolled 70 pct and analyzed to obtain quantitative (110) pole figures. Stable end orientations were ddetermined, and the effect of orientation on deformation behavior was investigated. WHEN single crystals are cold rolled sufficiently, they rotate into end orientations that are stable or unchanged in position with additional deformation. The end orientations of heavily cold-rolled iron crystals, positioned in holes in copper to limit lateral flow and to simulate polycrystalline conditions during deformation, were determined by Barrett and Levenson.' They found that the sum of the end orientations, a pole figure for all the crystals studied, reproduced the essential features of the cold-rolled texture of polycrystalline iron. In. an investigation of Fe-Si alloys, Barrett, Ansel, and Mehl' observed little effect of silicon content on the textures of heavily cold-rolled samples. Since alloys with less than 4 pct Si are known to have the same slip systems as iron," it seems logical to expect that they would also have the same end orientations as those for iron. Whereas Barrett and Levenson in their study of single crystals were interested in the problem of the origin of the cold-rolled texture of polycrystalline iron, the present authors are more interested in the final cold-rolled textures of single crystals of Si-Fe from the point of view of their relationship to subsequent recrystallization phenomena which will be reported in another paper. Nevertheless, such points as the tendency of an end orientation not to rotate (stability), the tendency of a pole concentration to spread out, and the tendency of the crystal to widen during cold rolling become interesting separately when the initial orientations are selected already in end orientations. Also the initial orientations having a [I101 axis parallel with the transverse direction, which include the two end orientations (111) [Ti21 and (001) [110], comprise a series that needs further clarification regarding the way such crystals rotate during deformation. Finally the present use of quantitative pole figure methods* represents an advance over the X-ray photographic method employed by Barrett and Levenson in their work on end orientations. The present investigation provides information on the cold-rolling behavior of two groups of Si-Fe crystals: 1-—crystals initially oriented in recognized end orientations for iron crystals with a [I101 direction parallel with the rolling direction, and 2— crystals initially oriented with a [I101 direction 90" to the rolling direction and in the rolling plane. For the second group, there is a 90" range between the (001) [110] orientation and the (110) [001] orientation. Since the 35" portion of this range from (110) [OOl] to (111) Di2] was included in a previous investigation," only the remaining 55" portion from (111) fii2] to (001) [I101 needs further consideration. Also, since both (111) [xi21 and (001) [I101 are end orientations for iron crystals,' there might be a critical orientation* or orientation range be- • W. W. Martin and C. G. Dunno noted that (112) [Till was such a critical orientation. tween them such that early in the deformation an orientation within this critical range splits into two orientations. Upon further deformation, these two orientations rotate to produce a final texture consisting of (001) [1101 and (111) [?i2] components. The end orientations obtained are discussed in connection with the work of Barrett and Levenson, while the observed tendency for lateral flow of crystals in these orientations is treated in terms of the theory of Hibbard and Yen.' Lateral flow according to the theory increases with deviation of the plane containing the rolling direction and the slip direction from a position perpendicular to the plane of rolling. Experimental Procedure Single crystals in sheet form with preselected orientations were prepared by methods that have been described elsewhere." Three lots designated A, B,

Jan 1, 1956

By E. D. Leavitt

I desire to state briefly my views respecting the great practical value of the Watertown testing-machine, and the necessity that exists, for an able permanent commission to supervise its operations, in order that the results of all tests made thereon may be properly worked out and rendered available for public use. It is doubtless known to the Institute that this machine has, for the past two years, been placed at the service of the public upon payment of a per diem charge. It was my privilege to be among the first to use the testing-machine, and the results of my first experiments were of such importance, owing to the great capacity and extreme accuracy of the machine, that it has since become my practice to have tests of all materials used in constructions that came under my charge, made at Watertown. As a conseqnence, nearly one hundred tests have been made on my account directly, and some two hundred and forty additional for work built from my designs. It may be confidently affirmed, that the factor of anxiety on all these structures is exceedingly small .m far as the quality of material is concerned, and it is undoubtedly a very great advantage for parties interested in construction to have

Jan 1, 1882

By Jack A. Simon, M. E. Hopkins

GENERAL GEOLOGY Coal is defined as a combustible rock that originated in the accumulation and physical and chemical alteration of vegetation. Coal can be ignited and burned like the wood that was man's earliest fuel, but coal gives more heat than the same amount of wood and has many industrial uses. Unlike wood, coal is not generally found on the surface of the ground but is mined from the solid rock of the earth. Before taking up the occurrence, formation, and the unique character of coal in the rock sequence, let us briefly consider the general character of all rocks in the crust of the earth. Relatively little is known about the very earliest history of the earth, although a number of logical theories have been developed. Manned exploration of the moon and the rocks returned to earth continue to provide some answers to questions concerning the earth's origin and history. The period of earth history with which we concern ourselves here begins after great areas of water had evolved on earth and substantial land areas of once molten (igneous) rock existed. Weathering and other processes that attacked the surface of the rocks reduced them to small particles. Water provided by rainfall transported this material, ultimately, to large bodies of water where it was deposited. Thus was initiated the geologic sequence of sedimentary rocks that lie above the once molten igneous rocks. The crust and upper mantle of the earth are made up of several large plates along which differential movement (primarily horizontal) takes place. Such movements, although small, are occurring today. These horizontal movements are accompanied by vertical movements causing important changes in the relative position of the continents and oceans. Low-lying coastal swamps with favorable climates are ideal locations for coal accumulation and burial by river-borne sediments, and large areas

Jan 1, 1981

By Raja V. Ramani, Jan M. Mutmansky, Ralph W. Barbaro

This paper discusses the effect of the computer revolution on Penn State's facilities and personnel and provides a short history of computer applications in mining in the Department of Mineral Engineering. The computer era began in 1955 at Penn State when the engineering faculty built a sizeable vacuum-tube computer. Since that time, a succession of machines has introduced many changes and presented a variety of opportunities and problems to the university's computer personnel and to the community of users. This paper discusses both the changes in computers and the accompanying problems that occur in a university computing environment. A historical summary of computer simulation programs developed within the Department of Mineral Engineering is presented along with information on computer applications in ventilation, statistics, mathematical programming, coal preparation, and other areas. Finally, computer plans for the future are discussed in terms of the develop- ments in the Charles B. Manula Computer Library and in terms of ongoing and future computer-related research projects.

Jan 1, 1983

By Robert R. Boyd

The gravity discussed here is that of the clean oil produced. Gravities of fluids containing water, free or in the form of emulsion, sand, drilling mud or mineral salts of a nonbituminous nature do not represent the gravity of crude oil as considered in this paper. During recent years it has become a frequent occurrence for operators to be called upon to explain to landowners the reasons for variations in gravity on shipments of oil from wells in which they are interested as royalty owners. In regard to single well leases it has been noted that marked changes in gravity frequently have occurred for no apparent reason. Data collected on the subject and correlated with production methods reveal interesting facts. It is the purpose of this paper to present some of the highlights on the subject. These gravity changes in the natural crude oil are with a few exceptions the result of the liberation under varying conditions of the volatile hydrocarbons from the natural oil-gas solution contained within the pool. The subject of the liberation of gases from natural oil-gas solution has been investigated by Ben E. Lindsly, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and the observations recorded here are in the main consistent with his conclusions. Investigators have recognized two methods of liberation of gas from solution—flash and differential. In the latter method the vapors are removed from the liquid as rapidly as formed and have no opportunity to come to a condition of equilibrium with the oil. In flash liberation an equilibrium condition between the oil and the gas exists at the pressure of separation. Mr. Lindsly has found that the method of liberating the gas from the oil has a pronounced effect on the final gravity and that differential liberation results in a higher A.P.I. gravity due to the higher ratio of gasoline producing hydrocarbons left in the oil. Under actual production practices with high velocities in flow strings, it is our contention that conditions of perfect equilibrium between gas and the oil rarely exist, and that gas separation is made under varying conditions, sometimes approaching that of equilibrium and at other times departing from it.

Jan 1, 1937

ERDA Issues Figures for 1975 Uranium Production and Drilling, 1976 Reserve Estimates

Jan 5, 1976

By N. J. Grant, C. Stein

A more complete determination of the chromium-rich portion of the Cr-Ni phase diagram was made, based in part on resistivity measurements. The existence of a eutectoid reaction at 1215°C,made,based in addition to the previously reported eutectic reaction at 1343°C, was confirmed. Metallographic studies, lineal analysis, and diffusion-couple evidence were utilized to support Metallographicand extend the findings of the resistivity measurements. Delineation of the a chromium solvus line shows that the maximum solubility of nickel in a chromium decreases rapidly from 25 wt pct Ni at the eutectoid temperature to 16 wt pct. Ni at 950°C. IN recent years alloys of high chromium and nickel content have become of more interest as better performance of metals at higher temperatures is sought. It has become increasingly important, therefore, that the Cr-Ni binary diagram, which is composed of two of the elements commonly found in many high temperature alloys, be known more accurately. In particular, the chromium-rich portion of this diagram has for a long time remained incompletely determined and has been reported in the literature with a great deal of conflicting evidence. In general, electrolytic chromium of nominal purity was used by most of the earlier workers, who, except for Jenkins et al., made no further attempt to purify the metal. In the present redetermination of the chromium-rich portion of the Cr-Ni phase diagram, every effort was made to use the purest component metals available and to retain this purity throughout the preparation of the alloys and their subsequent handling. Early work by Voss, Bain," and Phebus and Blake4 indicated that the Ni-Cr binary diagram was a simple eutectic system with rather extensive terminal solid solutions. Later, Nishigori and Hamasumi," Tasaki, Weaver and Jellinghaus,' Matsunaga, and Jette, Nordstrom, Queneau, and Foote attempted to determine the limits of the phase fields. Except for Jette and coworkers, the other investigators agreed that the temperature of the eutectic reaction occurred between 1320" and 1340°C and at a composition of 50 or 51 pct Cr. There was, however, considerable disagreement as to the melting point of the chromium-rich alloys and the limits of the solid-solution fields. As a result of the studies of Jenkins et al., the liquidus and solidus curves up to 80 and 90 pct Cr, respectively, were outlined. In addition, the solid-solution phase fields at higher temperatures had been investigated and showed only two phases. The boundary of the chromium-rich a phase was not determined precisely according to these authors, but indications were that it tended to confirm the earlier work of Nishigori and Hamasumi. A more recent investigation by Taylor and Floyd,'" using X-ray methods, essentially corroborated the diagrams proposed by Jenkins et al., and by Wise and Eash (see Fig. 1). Again, no indication of a third phase in the chromium-rich portion of the diagram appeared. The earlier observations, however, are not substantiated by the modifications to the Ni-Cr binary diagram proposed by Bloom and Grant." In the investigation carried out by Bloom and Grant, X-ray methods showed that an eutectoid reaction existed at approximately 1180°C, in addition to the eutectic reaction at 1343°C (see Fig. 1). Their determination of the melting point of pure chromium was 1930°C (later revised to 1903"C)." Experimental Procedure and Results The chromium used for this study was electrolytic chromium, made available by the United States

Jan 1, 1956

By Henry Hebley

IN recent years, especially in the last decade, great interest has been shown and many advances have been made in the preparation and clean-ing of coal. In the major coal-producing countries, the percentage of tonnage cleaned has been increasing ever since 1924. As separating media, both liquids and gases are used, these generally being water and air respectively. Some systems, instead of obtaining separation by the velocity of the medium in which the coal is cleaned, depend on the density of water mixed with sand, or coal dust and shale, or with chemicals such as calcium chloride. In studying the results of coal-cleaning equipment, it will be observed that the efficiency of the cleaning apparatus lowers as the size of the coal decreases. This inability to obtain any marked improvement in the fines has been partly responsible for the installation of dedusting equipment, to remove the fine sizes from the raw coal prior to cleaning. When considering the possibility of installing dedusting equipment, many factors must be taken into account. Very often, but not always, both the ash and sulfur content of the coal increase as the coal size decreases. When bituminous coal, containing soft powdery fusain, is subjected to a wet washing process, the porous fines of the fusain remain in the small coal or in the wash water and delay the dewatering of the washed coal and increase the difficulty of clarification in settling tanks or thickeners. When a dedusted coal is cleaned by a wet process, the sludge recovered from the settling tank often runs so high in ash that the sludge can be discarded without further treatment and still the loss is small. Where treatment of the sludge is desired, however, froth flotation may be used to advantage if the size of the feed is below 1/10 in. Dust from the deduster can be treated in a similar manner. Fusain, which is usually found in the fine sizes, has often a much larger ash content than other coal.

Jan 1, 1933

ON THIS page is a photograph of a machine that has played a key role in the recent history of Kennecott's Ray mine, situated in the Mineral Creek District, Pinal County, Arizona. It is a huge, rugged, Diesel-powered, rubber-tired truck, having a capacity for carrying fifty tons of ore. It has, to a substantial degree, revolutionized the business of moving broken rock by cutting down both maintenance and operating costs. From 1911 until the end of 1954 Ray had produced 79,000,- 000 tons of ore by underground block-caving. However, in 1947 [ ]

Jan 1, 1957

By J. David Lowell

On a low desert ridge six miles south of Cairo lie the remains of the world's earliest known mining town, Maadi of predynastic Egypt. Copper artifacts, including ingots and an ax head which was spoiled in casting, indicate that copper ore was smelted in Maadi, and radio- carbon dating has placed the activity at least as early as 3300 B.C. This is the oldest documented date for the use of smelted copper, the first industrial metal used by man. Copper was mined and smelted almost as early in Asia Minor and on the island of Cyprus, but the greatest development of the budding copper industry was in Egypt, where specific historical records show that about 10,000 tons of copper metal were produced in the period from 1850-1580 B.C. Contrast this production of 35 tons per year with the present world production of about 7 million tpy.

Jan 1, 1970

By John F. Blandy

With the Report of Mining Statistics, for the year 1872, there was published a geological map of the United States and Territories. This is, I believe, the only map which represents the geology of Arizona, and is, as far as my observations go, correct. It is, however, on so small a scale as to be of little practical value to the miner. I know of no other maps, even of localities, of this Territory. The topographical maps are also on so small a scale as not even to serve as guides from place to place; the largest, that of Eckhoff and Ricker, being only 30 by 30 inches to represent a territory of 135,000 square miles. For these reasons, it makes it exceedingly difficult to describe the various mining centres in an intelligent manner, and equally so to examine such a hilly country as it is intended to describe in this paper. When I first came into this Territory I soon realized the troubles I had to encounter in trying to form an opinion, or even to get the needed information on the geological contour. I have, therefore, labored as best I could to get a topographical diagram of the section of country represented by the map which accompanies this paper.* The lines run by the Land Department up the valleys of the Aqua Frio, and those west of the Hassayampa, and connected east and west to the north of Prescott, enabled me to inclose correctly the space covered by the Bradshaw and Sierra Prieta mountain groups, but the territory covered by these mountains, and the most difficult part, I have had to fill up as best I could. I have met with such success as to meet the approbation of those most familiar with the country, and, with the map in hand, any one would he able to cross it in any direction. As there has not been a single line of survey made across it, this has been no small undertaking, and I have had to depend upon sights from prominent points with the pocket-compass, or, in the absence of that, to make observations, with watch in hand, and guess as near as possible the meridian direction. Rut one main wagon-road passes through the district, that from Prescott to the Peck mine.

Jan 1, 1883

By D. F. Haley

The molybdenite deposits at Climax, Colo., have recently attracted considerable notice, because of their great size, as compared with other known deposits of the same mineral. Climax station, on the Colorado Southern narrow-gage railway, was at one time the Fremont Pass station on the Denver & Rio Grande. It is 141/2 miles northeast of Leadville, and exactly on the divide between the headwaters of the Arkansas and Blue Rivers. Climax station is 11,300 ft. (3444 m.) above sea level. The working tunnel of the molybdenum mine is about 1 mile from the railroad, and 900 ft. above it, at an elevation of 12,200 feet. The climatic conditions are severe, and snow can be expected during any month of the year. Winter sets in not later than Nov. 1, the snowfall is very heavy, and the ground remains covered with snow until June 1, and sometimes even later. From June 1 to Oct. 1, there is much rain and a little snow falls in the late afternoon nearly every day. In October, 1917, there was one of the biggest snowstorms and blizzards of the year. Being just on the divide, constant strong winds blow the fine, dry snow with such force that, during most of the winter, outside work of any kind is accomplished under most trying conditions. Within a few miles of Climax, some of the richest gold placers of Colorado occur. One of them, McNulty Gulch, was just across on the northeastern flank of Bartlett mountain. This mountain, therefore, was well prospected, and the presence of a bluish mineral and a yellowish one resembling sulfur was known to the old prospectors. They thought for many years that the blue mineral was graphite, and it is difficult to say when it first became definitely known that it was molybdenite. Claims had been staked as early as 1896, but it is evident that the prospectors at that time were looking for gold. In 1902, several claims were acquired by H. Leal, who drove a tunnel about 900 ft. (274 m.) long, probably to intersect a fault, which shows on the surface, and was thought to be a possible gold carrier. Gold was not found in paying quantities, but throughout its length the tunnel passed through a fractured silicified granite, showing a fairly uniform distribution of a fine-grained bluish mineral, which was finally determined as molybdenite. For several

Jan 1, 1920

By G. W. Traer

The distillation of bituminous coals at what is commonly termed low temperature, and the quantities, nature and adaptabilities of the products have been the subject of considerable experimentation, during recent years. Fortunately, the earlier work in this country was done by men whose scientific training qualified them properly to record and interpret the results of their experiments. The work of Prof. Parr, of the University of Illinois, is especially notable in this respect. Prof. Parr's work, added to that of English experimenters, demon-strated-certain things to a degree which is generally regarded as convincing. They have proved that a caking bituminous coal, when subjected to a temperature of not more than 1000" F. (preferably somewhat less) will yield light tar having low specific gravity (about 1.06) and high value; also, that this yield, with a given coal, will depend upon the percentage of hydrocarbons in the coal, the maximum temperature used, and the promptness with which the distillate gases are removed. It is assumed that air is excluded from the retort, and that the coal is subjected to heat for a sufficient time to drive off all of the tarry hydrocarbons. The results attained in the first, or low-temperature stage of the car-bocoal process, recently described by C. T. Malcolmson,1 corroborate these general principles. It is the purpose of the writer to describe other work of a practical nature, directed toward the commercial adaptation of these principles, which was begun nearly two years ago; this investigation was assisted by A. J. Sayers, of the Link-Belt Co., and Carl Scholz. The first step was to draft tentative designs for the handling of the coal and coke so as to produce a coke having a suitable structure for sizing, storage, shipment, and handling, without the necessity of briquetting. Prof. Parr's results had indicated that the rather open-pored volatile coke produced by him had a low ignition point, which would contribute toward easy control of the fire in stoves, house furnaces, fire-boxes, and boilers. It is recognized by those experienced in the marketing of fuels that the hard non-volatile coke from the high-temperature process,

Jan 1, 1920

John Chipman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.)—After looking over the authors' shoulders for several years and after many discussions on the interesting diagrams of the types shown, it is a pleasure to see a formal paper published on this subject. There can be no doubt of the practical usefulness of the concepts shown. Inclusion formation in steel is such a highly complex matter that any system for understanding the subject is bound to be welcomed by those who must work with steels and who see in their day-to-day experience the good and evil effects of inclusions. A feature of the work with which the discusser has been concerned, and which he would now like to attempt to explain, is the relation between the schematic diagrams which the authors use and the phase diagrams for related systems. Obviously, the authors' diagrams are in no sense complete phase diagrams. However, there is a relation between this type of diagram and the true phase diagram, and the understand- ing of this relation ought to help in understanding the general picture which the authors are presenting. Consider the authors' Fig. 4, which shows the liqui-dus relations in the Fe-Mn-S-0 system. To show the complete relations between temperature and composition in these four ternary systems would require four triangular prisms, the vertical axes of which would represent temperature. The four triangles of Fig. 4 represent basal projections of certain lines from the four prismatic phase diagrams. Readers of the paper are all more or less acquainted with this type of projection and its usefulness and limitations are generally understood. In order to concentrate on the interesting parts and to minimize the less interesting features, the composition scale may be shifted to de-emphasize regions containing gaseous sulphur and oxygen. Such a diagram is shown in Fig. 16, which is a distorted version of the authors' Fig. 4. Here the oxide of iron is wiistite, denoted by W, and it is to be noted that between W and MnO lies the entire MnO-FeO "binary" system. Similarly, between MnS and FeS lies another binary whose

Jan 1, 1956