Search Documents

By Colin C. Harris, Nathaniel Arbiter

Current scale-up procedures are discussed critically, including: constant specific energy criterion; determination of mill size and power for a given ore, throughput and mesh of grind; specification of operating speed and loading. A major dynamic and kinetic factor now recognized is that the ratio of media rotational flow to ore axial flow, and the number of mill revolutions that ore is subjected to during residence, both diminish as mill diameter increases. These factors can lead to capacity limitations when mill diameters reach a critical range, especially regarding coarse sizes. Experience at the Bougainville and Pinto Valley operations is contrasted. Corrective measures suggested are to reduce loading and increase speed towards the Davis best operating speed.

Jan 1, 1982

By T. W. Watson, D. R. Flynn

,Measurements are reported for the thermal conductivity of four heat-resistant alloys which were measured at the National Bureau of Standards. Data are given for two samples of AISI Type 316 stainless steel covering a combined temperature range from -150° to + 800°C. The thermal conductivities of three samples of AISI Type 347 were measured over the temperature range from -150° to +150C. Thermal conductivity values are given for Carpenter 20 stainless steel from 100" to 800" C. Data are given for Inconel 702, in both the solution-annealed and the age-hardened condition, over the temperature range from -150" to +800C. SINCE 1958 the National Bureau of Standards, at the request of other government agencies or private laboratories, has carried out measurements of the thermal conductivity of a number of metals and alloys. This paper presents available thermal conductivity data obtained in this way on samples of four heat-resistant alloys. The data presented for Carpenter 20* stainless steel are, to the best of our knowledge, the only thermal conductivity values which have been reported for this alloy to date. Although thermal conductivity values for AISI stainless steels 316 and 347 have been reported by previous investigators, the present data are believed to be of particular interest because, for each alloy, the effect on thermal conductivity of small changes in chemical composition can be observed. The data on Inconel 702' are of interest, not only for

Jan 1, 1969

By H. J. Struth

A glance into the immediate future of the refining industry, and a retrospective view of 1929, cannot fail to emphasize the need for effective measures of control of refinery still runs. With oil producers alert to the need for control of the crude supply, it has become more than ever necessary for refiners to complete the movement toward stabilization by concerted determination to maintain still run schedules within the limitations prescribed by the demand for gasoline. The outlook for continued growth in the demand for gasoline appears to be well sustained by a preliminary survey of requirements for 1930. In fact, it is apparent that the industry will be assured of a market for gasoline that will aggregate in volume at least 472,000,000 bbl. this year. This indicates a gain in total demand over 1929 of about 9 per cent. or about 4.6 per cent, less than the gain recorded during 1929 over 1928, which amounted to 13.6 per cent. Despite the indicated increase in gasoline demand this year, it is apparent that little, if any, more crude will be required than last year. This is shown in Table 1, presenting estimates of gasoline demand and probable crude requirements for 1930. Table 1.—Preliminary Survey of 1930 Gasoline and Crude Run Requirements Millions of Barrels Doniestic gasoline demand................................... 397 Foreign gasoline demand..................................... 75 Total indicated demand...................................... 472 Natural gasoline content..................................... 53 Net gasoline from crude...................................... 419 Imported gasoline........................................... 13 Net gasoline required from refineries.......................... 406 Indicated excess stock Dec. 31, 1929........................... 10 Maximum protluction required................................ 396" At 40 per cent. gasolitlc recovery, this represents a maximum crude converson of 990,000,000 bbl., or a daily average for the ycar 2,712,000 barrels. Year after year, the refining branch of the petroleum industry has been found guilty of running crude to stills greatly in excess of normal requirements, causing frequent periods of market depression. A review

Jan 1, 1930

By Ronald L. Longwell

PROPERTY LOCATION Located in the Copper Creek area of the Galiuro Mountains, the Old Reliable is on ground first claimed for mineral value during the Civil War. The deposit was mined sporatically from 1880 to 1919 and again in 1953 and 1954, with a total of about 30,000 tons of ore removed. The ore body is a near vertical breccia pipe containing approximately 4,000,000 tons of 0.80% copper with mineralization occuring as chalcocite, chalcopyrite, malachite, chalcanthite, and chrysocolla. The host rocks are extrusive lavas of cretaceous age which were intruded and mineralized by Copper Creek Granodiorite, which is Laramide in age. The ore zone, which occurs on the toe of a ridge, is about 300 feet by 600 feet in plan, with the bulk of the deposit extending from the surface to a depth of 500 feet.

Jan 1, 1974

By John S. Alexander

DURING the past few years the block coal of Indiana has been talked about and written upon to such an extent, that almost every one at all interested in such subjects, has been made acquainted with the area and geographical position of the field, the quality and peculiar properties of the coal, the thickness of the veins, the manner of mining, etc. The writer, therefore, taking for granted that to those present all this is familiar ground, desires more especially to call attention to the position this coal takes in the market, and at those points of consumption where it is brought in direct competition with rival fuels. Chicago, thus far, has been the chief consumer of Indiana block coal, the distance from the mines at Brazil, via Terre Haute and the 25

Jan 1, 1873

By R. H. Wightman, C. D. Chandler, P. B. Nalle

SURFACE quarrying at the Crestmore Div. of Riverside Cement Co. in California was started in 1909. In the early 1920's it was considered that these deposits were nearly exhausted for the equipment available at that time, and in 1927 the company began a block caving system. This mine continued operating until February 1954. In 1941 trucks and crawler-mounted shovels had reached a stage of development that permitted reopening the quarries in conjunction with the underground mine. In 1948 surface reserves and the well developed limestone of the caving system neared depletion. To go deeper with the caving system was unattractive because of the economics, changes in physical structure of the rock at depth, and the perched water table

Jan 4, 1957

By Edward Estabrook

THIS paper gives a brief account of the geologic and production problems encountered in the Grass Creek oil field, the methods used in their solution, and the beneficial results obtained from the work. The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance received from J. H. Pearson and Miss Ninettta A. Davis in the collection of the data and the preparation of the cross-sections. Permission for its publication was given by the officials of the Midwest Refining Co. and the Ohio Oil Co. The Grass Creek oil field is located in Ts. 98-99 W., R. 46 N., Hot Springs County, Wyo. The productive area includes about 2 1/2 mi. (4 km.) on the apex of a great anticlinal fold occupying more than 150 sq. mi. Fig. 1 shows the structural contours of the field. Oil was dicovered in the field in June, 1914; development proceeded rapidly and production rose to a maximum in 1918. The marketed production has been approximately as follows: BARRELS BARRELS 1915 94,073.5 1918 2,946,774.27 1916 1,404,183.97 1919 2,000,584.84 1917 2,780,697.51 1920 1,485,080.94 About 350 wells, 800 to 1500 ft. (243 to 457 m.) deep have been drilled to reach the upper oil sands; two companies, the Ohio Oil Co. and the Midwest Refining Co., operate the entire field.

Jan 2, 1922

By Dennis J. McCarthy

TAX TREATMENT OF EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES Exploration Expenditures General Principles. Exploration expenditures are expenses incurred within the United States or the Outer Continental Shelf for the purpose of ascertaining the existence, location, extent or quality of any deposit of ore or other mineral. Section 617 of the Internal Revenue Code permits a taxpayer to elect to deduct these expenditures currently. In default of election, exploration expenditures must be capitalized and included in the basis of the mineral property for purposes of determining cost depletion. Entitlement to Deduction. In order to qualify for current deduction, exploration expenditures must be incurred prior to the commencement of the development stage, i.e., when mineral deposits are shown to exist in sufficient quantity and quality to reasonably justify commercial exploitation. Generally, expenditures for geological and geophysical investigations, reconnaissance, surveying, testpitting, trenching, drilling, driving of exploration tunnels and adits and similar types of work constitute exploration expenditures if incurred prior to the commencement of development. However, expenditures to further delineate the extent and location of an existing commercially marketable deposit are not exploration expenditures. Exploration expenditures may be incurred from within a producing mine to ascertain the existence of what appears to be a different ore deposit. Expenditures for property which is subject to an allowance for depreciation are not deductible under §617. However, depreciation properly allowable on assets used in exploration is an exploration expenditure. Election to Deduct Exploration Expenditures. The election to deduct exploration expenditures is made by deducting these expenditures in the return for the first taxable year for which such treatment is desired. The election applies to all properties of the taxpayer. Once the election is made all exploration expenditures, in the year of election and thereafter, must be deducted, unless the election is revoked with the prior consent of the Commissioner. The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) made substantial changes in the treatment of exploration expenditures. For exploration expenses incurred after 1982 and before 1984 by a corporation, the amount currently deductible is limited to 85% of the expenditure. The remaining 15% must be capitalized and recovered over a five-year period. Although exploration costs capitalized under this provision are not part of the basis of the property for cost depletion purposes, investment credit may be claimed with respect to these expenditures. Further changes have been added by the Tax Reform Act of 1984 with respect to expenditures made after 1984. The Act reduces the amount of otherwise currently deductible costs from 85% to 80%. Additionally, it limits the availability of the investment credit for capitalized mineral exploration costs to deposits located in the United States. TEFRA also allows individuals a special method of recovery under which exploration expenditures may, at the election of the taxpayer, be amortized ratably over a 10-year period beginning with the year in which the costs are paid or incurred. If taxpayer does not use this method, the excess of the exploration expenditures actually deducted over the amount that would have been deducted if 10 year amortization had been elected is an item of tax preference subject to the alternative minimum tax.

Jan 1, 1985

By Luther Wagoner

For a number of years I have, at odd times, tried to perfect a method of assay sufficiently delicate to find and estimate minute quantities of gold and silver. The object in view was to examine rocks remote from veins or mineral areas, in order to test the probability of the lateral-secretion theory. Having succeeded in measuring approximately the amount of gold and silver contained in one cubic centimeter of sea-water, I present a detailed account of the method employed, with some of the results obtained. General Method of Assay. The use of purified lead without other flux, blowpipe methods, extraction by cyanide, and measurement of the beads by the microscope. Purged Lead. The method of testing is by cupellation. On a properly prepared cupel, it is easy to cupel and find a bead of 0.002 mm. diameter. Such a bead of silver weighs about 1 part of a milligramme. A bead 0.02 mm. in diameter weighs about 1/24,000 mg., and a close approximation can be made to its weight. It is desirable that the lead used in the assay should be low in silver so as to avoid large correction, but as the parted

Jan 1, 1902

By C. P. Watson, R. E. Collom

Various chapters already written in the history of development of the North Dome of Kettleman Hills are monotonoysly identical in the one underlying' theme of conservation of oil and gas. Discovered on Oct. 4, 1928, by Milham Exploration Co. with its wildcat Elliot No. 1, the field has been subjected to practically every modern form of production restraint in the name of conservation. The record thus far developed shows that conservation was had for a time, at a price; and that unitiza-tion must be blessed by single ownership or 100 per cent participation to be effective. In fact, incomplete unitization places a heavy handicap upon its participants in the competitive development that follows. Shut-in Agreement of July 25, 1929 Not long after discovery at Kettleman but after the Continental Oil Co. and the Standard Oil Co. had completed several producing wells in the discovery group, came the so-called Shut-in Agreement negotiated at the instance of the Department of the Interior. This agreement became effective July 25, 1929. The fundamental purpose of the agreement was to prevent bringing on production of some 30 wells then being drilled and forestall a flood of Kettleman oil on the market. A cooperative scheme was developed whereby wells in the discovery group would continue to produce. Two of them could not be shut in. Drilling wells would be completed to a water shutoff in top of Temblor and operations suspended. Producing wells would contribute the value of 10 to 25 per cent of their production to the owners of suspended qualifying wells. The percentage rate of drainage contribution was left to a committee or umpire. Some acreage was not placed under the agreement. This same acreage later did not come into the Kettleman Unit Agreement. Several wells on this acreage did not contribute to the drainage fund. The total amount of oil produced during the 17 months of the shut-in agreement, by Milham, Continental and Standard from wells in the discovery group, was 5,297,262.22 bbl. The total amount paid out in "drainage" contributions was $2,046,048.18, representing sales value of 1,266,044.06 bbl. of oil.

Jan 1, 1937

By P. K. Chatterjee

The overall success of many strip coal mining operations depends primarily upon the efficient use of draglines to remove overburden. These machines require enormous capital investment and unless used efficiently the profitability of a venture is adversely affected. It is important that the dragline works continuously and it is imperative that the walking path and other facets of its operation be predetermined exactly so that the desired production rate is achieved with a minimum of non-productive time. Details of dragline operations which are of particular interest are walking path, prediction of best cut and positioning to maximize production, the angle of swing which produces the swiftest operation, optimum fill factor allowable for the type of material and conditions of ground, the maximum depth from which it can excavate and operating level with respect to the elevation of the high wall. The aims of the present paper are: 1. To establish a cut-off point in the cost-depth ratio. 2. Predict the most economic method of stripping in a given area using graphical plots of walking path implemented with information necessary to ensure optimum production. The optimum operating efficiency of the dragline in relation to the terrain and other conditions imposed on its operation will be evaluated. The model is based upon operating data which has been collected from site observations of a large strip coal mining operation in Central Queensland, Australia.

Jan 1, 1977

By J. C. Williams, M. J. Blackburn

In recent years examination of thin foils of metals and alloys has been widely used in studies of deformation and phase-transformation mechanisms. Applications of this technique to studies of titanium and titanium alloys have been infrequent. Therefore, as a large number of titanium alloys have been investigated in this laboratory, it is proposed to give an account of methods used. Particular emphasis will be placed on some of the artifacts introduced in thin foils of titanium and titanium alloys during preparation. Experimental Procedure. It has been found that a large number of titanium alloys can be electropolished in a solution consisting of 30 cu cm perchloric acid (60 pct), 175 cu cm n-butyl alcohol, and 300 cu cm methyl alcohol. Thin foils are prepared using the window method and the electropolishing conditions listed in Table I. Although this solution is not unique, it is attractive because of its low concentration of perchloric acid and the wide range of alloys for which it can be used. Electropolishing is conducted at below -25°C as above this temperature a brown anodic film is produced on the specimen surface. Temperatures above -25°C also accentuate preferential attack of the 0 phase in the two-phase alloys, which unfortunately occurs at all temperatures. Contamination. It is advantageous to reduce the specimen to a thickness of 25 to 50 p prior to electropolishing, since the low-temperature electropolishing technique results in a low rate of metal removal. Both chemical polishing and grinding have

Jan 1, 1968

By H. I. Smith

WHEN Spain established colonies on the North American continent, some of her land grants, in what is now the United States, reserved to the Crown deposits of gold, silver, and mercury. Later mineral rights were reserved under some of the English Crown charters involving land in the eastern part of North America, with provisions for the payment of royalties thereon to the Crown. Reservation of mineral deposits to the United States Government was instituted by an ordinance of Congress on May 20, 1785, which applied to such deposits in the Northwest Territory, then north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, and provided that there should be reserved "one third of all gold, silver, lead, and copper mines, to be sold or otherwise disposed of as Congress shall hereafter direct." Little was known then of the mineral resources of the country; the Great Lakes copper region had just come into the possession of the United States by treaty and much of the western mineral land still belonged to France and Spain.

Jan 4, 1954

By Lester Woolsey

THE State Department can be of assistance to Americans in the petroleum business directly and indirectly. During the past few months, at the Arms Conference, it had a large hand in dealing with affairs indirectly affecting the oil problem. The conference has somewhat relieved the emphasis on naval strategy in relation to oil supply by limiting the number of naval vessels or the fleets of the Great Powers and in maintaining the "open door" in the Far East in respect of the development of the natural resources of that region by defining that policy in a nine-power treaty. The largest competitors of the. United States in the petroleum field are parties to that treaty. The Department of State also has stood steadfastly for the principle of equal opportunity in the Dutch East Indies, Mesopotamia, and Persia. The Department of State has been of indirect assistance in connection with oil problems by insisting on the recognition of treaty rights and other guar-antees, such as most-favored-nation clauses, and mandate provisions. I am not speaking as a representative of the Depart-ment of State, as L now have no connection with that institution, but my experience of several years as a member of the department and my practice since my resignation have given me opportunity to see the department from both the inside and the outside, and to measure its limitations as well as its resources.

Jan 7, 1922

By M. L. Brashears

IN the last 15 years industrial use of ground water has more than doubled, and in 1951 amounted to 5 billion gallons per day. A similar sharp increase in the utilization of ground water for irrigation and public-water supply occurred in the same period. In many areas rapid increase in withdrawal from wells has taken place almost entirely unhampered by regulatory control and with little or no integration of effort. As might be expected, the chief interest in many regions has been maximum production rather than sustained perennial yield. As a result, widespread depletion of underground reservoirs and deterioration of the quality of the water stored in them has taken place in many areas, even though total pumpage in the United States is far below ultimate potential. Of even more concern is the fact that excessive withdrawal has drawn salt water into the reservoirs beneath many heavily populated centers along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts, causing costly abandonment of pumping plants.1

Jan 10, 1953

By B. D. Thomas

GRAVITY concentration is a general term designating processes for separating and sorting granular material by means of forces that depend on the density, size and shape of the particles. When these forces are applied to the particles the latter are caused to move, those of a given density along one path and those of a different density along another, until ultimately they are sufficiently separated to be removed from the operation of the process. The forces producing this separation are in general complex and, unfortunately, no completely rigorous analysis of them has as yet been devised. The science of the hydrodynamics of viscous fluids deals with the little that is known about the problem. Every observer of nature is familiar with the fact that an object moving in a fluid encounters a force of resistance. We have only to walk against a brisk wind or stir a cup of coffee, or observe the slow fall of a grain of sand in water, to experience directly the fact that such forces exist. The exchange of force between an object and a fluid in which it is moving operates on the fluid as well as on the object. Thus a sailboat may be set in motion by the force exerted by the wind on the sail; but the sail also deflects the wind-furthermore, the water in which the boat floats is set in motion by the force exerted by the boat as it cleaves through the water. The wind is thus enabled to do work on the water through the intermediary of the boat. In general, an object moving through a fluid encounters a force that opposes the motion and also acts to change the motion of the fluid. In gravity concentration we are dealing with this force of resistance acting - on the granular particles that are to be separated. Furthermore, the motion induced in the fluid by a particle will in turn affect the motion of a neighboring particle. This effect will be reciprocated and in consequence there will be an exchange of forces between all the particles in the material. These effects are complex and the most that can be expected is that we may be able to determine in a qualitative way how they operate. In gravity concentration, then, the following types of forces may be distinguished as acting on the particles: 1. The force of gravity, which acts on every particle in the system in proportion to its mass. 2. Buoyant forces, which arise from the force of gravity acting on the fluid.

Jan 1, 1950

By Thomas P. Meloy, Duane T. Eppler

The science of particle shape analysis has expanded rapidly in the decade since precise numerical-statistical techniques were developed for use in characterizing the shape of closed forms. Use of Fourier descriptors permits shape to be quantified to whatever degree of precision is required. With this technique, particles and particle systems can be compared either on the basis of shape characteristics displayed by individual particles, or on the basis of aggregate shape characteristics representative of large samples of particles. Shape characterization work completed to date has shown that the physical characteristics of particle systems (porosity, permeability, strength, mechanical stability, chemical reactivity, and flow characteristics (viscosity)) are related directly to particle shape. Furthermore, it has been shown that particle shape is a function of chemical composition, process of formation, and post-formational history of the particle. In this light, particle shape analysis has potential applicability to a host of engineering and industrial problems encountered in processing particulate material. It can be used to optimize the efficiency of separation processes and particle feed systems, to trace particle pathways through processing systems, and to monitor the operation of specific processes, the wear of critical machine parts, and the quality of end products in processing systems. In this paper we discuss these specific applications of shape characterization to particle processing.

Jan 1, 1980

By H. S. Hanna, C. Rampacek

The problems and limitations encountered in the Physical beneficiation of the Appalachian Red Iron Ores are discussed. Two major problems are identified - the high phosphorus content and the fine dissemination or encapsulation of mineral impurities in the iron-bearing minerals. A process that combined extreme fine grinding techniques with magnetizing roasting or flotation-separation methods is suggested. By these methods, concentrates assaying 60-61 % Fe, exceeding the widely accepted upper limit of 56% Fe set for these ores, were produced with 75-90% iron recovery. Moreover, it was shown that the phosphorus content of these concentrates could be reduced from 0.25% to 0.03% phosphorus by acid leaching. A brief discussion on production costs based on current and future developments in iron ore processing is given.

Jan 1, 1983

By M. J. Shulman

With the spiraling cost of exploration, all stages of exploration must be optimized. Search theory calculates the optimal distribution of effort by maximizing the probability of discovery under the constraint that the total exploration budget is not exceeded. It may help formulate strategies during the reconnaissance phase of exploration. An incremental optimization analogous to the exact solution of the search problem is introduced. In conjunction with the optimization, various stopping criteria can be defined. The stopping criteria terminate exploration in an area during a particular stage. It does not refer to abandoning exploration. The following stopping criteria were considered: the exploration effort in an area should not exceed a maximum value; the posterior target location probabilities should not be less than a percentage of the initial probabilities; the change in the posterior target location probabilities should not be less than a given value; and the change in the marginal rate of return should not be less than a given value. The incremental optimization and the stopping criteria are used to allocate reconnaissance mapping and sampling effort for phosphorite in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.

Jan 1, 1986

By Warren Blauvelt

IN VIEW of the enormous wastes of natural resources, of labor and of capital, due primarily to the economic environment, established by legislation, the general neglect of this phase of the problem of the elimination of waste is difficult to understand. In such a study, the engineering method of attacking a problem should be employed. The engineer does not try to solve his problem by disregarding natural laws, but by utilizing them. The successful engineer establishes an environ-ment in which forces, acting in harmony with natural laws upon an object or objects, will produce the desired results. The engineer who notices that the water level in a vessel, into which a gallon of water per minute is flowing, is two feet higher than the level in an adjacent vessel, connected therewith by a 6-in. pipe, does not assume that the law of gravity has ceased to work, or that water no longer seeks its level; he examines the connecting pipe for obstacles which prevent the free flow of water. Some editors, many reformers and most politicians tell us that the law of supply and demand no longer works; hence governmental control of commerce is necessary. Governmental control may temporarily-that is, until trial proves its futility- "insure domestic tranquility" and "promote the general welfare;" but it cannot "secure the blessings of liberty" which it cur-tails, nor can it "establish justice" which it violates.

Jan 9, 1922