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By R. Thiessen

The question whether the kind, rank and grade of coal is in any way determined by the kind or type of plant from which it originated has been a problem since coal was first studied. Some investigators claim that the kind of plants has contributed none of the attributes that characterize the differences found in the various coals; others claim that all differences are caused by the contributing plant; and others hold that only a few characteristics are inherited from the kind of plant from which the coal originated. Most coalologists, however, give this matter no thought. It can easily be shown that the kind of plant which contributed to a coal had a marked influence on its kind and type. A number of factors enter into this problem, and all unrelated ones must be carefully eliminated, including metamorphism caused by the pressure of the cover, earth movements, mountain building and higher temperature. Only the fundamental substance—the plants out of which coal was formed—• and the causative conditions that gave rise to a peat swamp and the conditions imposed upon the plant and the plant substances during the formation of the peat swamp can be considered. Everything else being equal, the question then is, how far do different classes and types of coal owe their differences to different kinds or types of plants? Geologic Age of Coal Coal has been laid down in almost every geological period since the Devonian era. Even as early as the middle Devonian some coal was formed; although of no value it has great scientific significance. The most valuable coal was deposited during the Carboniferous. The coals of England were formed during the Mississippian, and most of the valuable coals of America, Europe and China during the Mississippian and chiefly the Pennsylvanian. From the Permian come the coals of France, Saxony, Thuringia and Schwarzwald in Germany and of Bohemia and of the Ural districts of Russia. From the Mesozoic come the coals

Jan 1, 1930

Through the generosity of Sir Robert Hadfield, Honorary Member, the Directors of the American Institute of Mining Engineers are enabled to announce the Hadfield Research Prize of $1,000 for the best contribution to the publications of the Institute upon the general subject of The Different Forms and Combinations of Carbon with Iron, including those in Iron Alloys. The prize will be awarded at the Annual Meeting of the Institute in February, 1916, to the best paper upon this subject which is presented to the Institute before Nov. 1, 1915, provided such paper is deemed worthy by the Institute's Iron and Steel Committee. The following suggestions are also added for the guidance of those who may take part in this research. While it is not desired to define closely the exact lines or scope of the proposed research, as it is advisable to make these as broad as possible, the object in mind may be said to be generally as follows: To elaborate and find out the best methods of determining the forms of carbon in steel or iron, including those in iron alloys. A portion of the work would probably be a continuation of the researches which have in the past been carried out by Jullien, Abel, Muller, Ledebur, T. Sterry Hunt, Akerman, Arnold, Stead, E. D. Campbell, Hogg, Parry, Upton, and others.Through the generosity of Sir Robert Hadfield, Honorary Member, the Directors of the American Institute of Mining Engineers are enabled to announce the Hadfield Research Prize of $1,000 for the best contribu¬tion to the publications of the Institute upon the general subject of The Different Forms and Combinations of Carbon with Iron, including those in Iron Alloys. The prize will be awarded at the Annual Meeting of the Institute in February, 1916, to the best paper upon this subject which is presented to the Institute before Nov. 1, 1915, provided such paper is deemed worthy by the Institute's Iron and Steel Committee. The following suggestions are also added for the guidance of those who may take part in this research. While it is not desired to define closely the exact lines or scope of the proposed research, as it is advisable to make these as broad as possible, the object in mind may be said to be generally as follows: To elaborate and find out the best methods of determining the forms of carbon in steel or iron, including those in iron alloys. A portion of the work would probably be a continuation of the researches which have in the past been carried out by Jullien, Abel, Muller, Ledebur, T. Sterry Hunt, Akerman, Arnold, Stead, E. D. Campbell, Hogg, Parry, Upton, and others.

Jan 1, 1917

Jan 1, 1908

By AIME AIME

THE steel industry has always been noted for producing men of forceful and versatile personality, many of whom combine the practicality that results from wide experience with an excellent theoretical background that comes from a college training plus years of wide and constant study of metallurgical literature. One of the best known examples of this type is Earle C. Smith, present Chairman of the Iron and Steel Division. After graduating from Ohio State and from Columbia, where he studied under Campbell, Earle started his career at that grand old prewar training school for steel men the Illinois Steel Co., where in the days of the twelve-hour shift he worked on the open-hearth floor. Following World War I, when he was in charge of government inspection at the Central Steel Co., Massillon, Earle held successively jobs of increasing responsibility with Central Alloy Steel, and when this company was taken over by Republic in 1930 he was made assistant district manager and a few years later was appointed chief metallurgist of the whole corporation.

Jan 1, 1942

By F. C. Schora, H. P. Meissner

Iron ore from Cerro Bolivar, Segre', and Sierre Grande was reduced in fluid beds at about SOOT, using gas analyzing 20.5 pct CO, 41 pct Hz, and 38.5 pct N2. Except in the early stages of reduction, the rate of oxygen loss from the bed was directly proportional to the oxygen concentration in the bed, independent of gas composition as long as the gas was reducing, and little affected by temperature. The percentage reduction of the bed solids at any time was independent of particle size. I HE reduction of spheres or cubes of dense iron ore in a slowly moving stream of either pure H, or pure CO has been found to take place at distinct interfaces between well defined layers of iron and the iron oxides.'y4 These interfaces generally penetrate the ore lump in topochemical fashion, remaining parallel to the original contours of the specimen. Thus in the earlier stages of reducing hematite, the specimen's core is Fe,O, surrounded by successive shells of the lower oxides, and finally by an exterior shell of iron. McKewan5 assumed that the rate limiting step occurred at the Fe-FeO interface, with reducing gas penetrating up to this interface through the external porous iron shell, and reduction of the higher oxides within the ore lump occurring by diffusion of iron through the dense FeO shell. He developed an analytical expression based on this model relating the amount of oxygen removed from

Jan 1, 1962

By A. W. Schlechten, R. P. Abendroth

Equilibrium H2S/4 ratios were determined as functions of temperatunz and composition in a hydrogen recirculation apparatus. A high-temperature solid solution exists in the range two-phase regionfrom TiS 1.96, to TiS1.30, Various thermodynamic quantities were calculated from the data. COMPOUNDS in the titanium -sulfur system have not receiyed much attention in the past, probably because they do not occur naturally in the earth's crust. However, titanium-sulfur compounds have been used in various metallurgical processes. The U.S. Bureau of klines' studied the formation of ti- tanium-sulfide mattes from charges composed of rutile, pyrite, and carbon, with the resulting sulfide matte being chlorinated to form titanium tetrachlo-ride. Fishel, Roe, and Ellis' investigated the de-sulfurizing action of titanium in steels, and Schwarz and Koster studied the preparation of metallic titanium from the sulfide using aluminum and magnesium reduction. The thermodynamic properties of some of the compounds present in the titanium-sulfur system may prove to be of some use in the consideration of future processes using these sulfides, and would

Jan 1, 1960

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

Twin crystals are those in which one or more parts regularly arranged are in reverse position with reference to the other part or parts. They often appear externally to consist of two or more crystals symmetrically united, and sometimes have the form of a cross or star. They also exhibit the composition in the reversed arrangement of part of the feces, in the striae of the surface, and in re-entering angles; in certain cases the compound structure can only be surely detected by an examination in polarized light. The above figures (Figs. 384-386) are examples of typical kinds of twin crystals, and many others are given on the pages following.

Jan 1, 1922

By Gary E. Melickian

Last year's review was characterized as a year of politics and began an era of legislation. The 1972 review can be similarly characterized, with even more rigid health and safety regulations and environmental legislation. The mining industry should be aware of what's happening in the nuclear power and other fields as a result of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, where the environmental impact of most major construction activities are already under close scrutiny. Section 102 of NEPA requires that all federal agencies include a detailed statement on specified environmental conditions as part of every report on proposed actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. All such environmental reports must consider the same general conditions: • The environmental impact of the proposed action. • Any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented. • Alternatives to the proposed action. • The relationship between local short-term uses of man's environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity. • Any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources which would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented.

Jan 2, 1973

By J. C. Bartlett

The following discussion was suggested by an experiment of Mr. Krom, the Manufacturer of air-jigs, to illustrate the superiority of air over water as a medium of concentration. The paper is written in the interest of no system of concentration, but simply to test the experiment, and, perchance, to add something to the general fund of information on the subject. To speak of testing an experiment by a theoretical discussion, may seem a misuse of terms, but the theories concerning falling bodies and the resistance of fluids are pretty well crystallized into laws, which may properly be used to show where experiments which seem to refute them were improperly performed, and that instead of refuting they only corroborate. It is well known that a sphere of galena & inch in diameter, and a sphere of quartz 1/2 inch in diameter, are equal falling in water ; that is, these two spheres, being placed together in a column of water at rest or in motion, will practically remain together, filling or rising together, or remaining in suspension. Mr. Krom, to show that these

Jan 1, 1879

By W. P. Sykes

In an earlier paper1 the composition-temperature limits of the gamma iron phase in the iron-tungsten system were reported as approximated by thermal analyses. At that time no attempt was made to develop metallographic evidence of the coexistence of two phases in the iron-rich solid solution at temperatures between 900" C. and 1400" C.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. E. Newberry

The Aspen Mining District is situated at the eastern edge of the system of stratified rocks of western Colorado, where this edge meets the ridge of metamorphic granite which divides the State into two unequal parts. In following the valley of the Roaring Fork westward from the continental divide towards Aspen, one passes through a country of granite and gneiss, with no sedimentary rocks until the town is nearly reached. At this point the Cambrian quartzites first make their appearance, lying on the granites, with a dip of from 30' to 45 to the northwest. Beyond these quartzites and conformably upon them lie dolomites, limestones, shales, porphyries and sandstones, gradually flattening in general dip as one proceeds westward, but much disturbed by local foldings and faultings.

Jan 1, 1890

By S. R. Rao

Interaction of potassium amyl xanthate with pyrrhotite has been studied thermochemically. Heats of adsorption of xanthate on unactivated mineral and the mineral activated with cupric ions have been compared with heats of reactions between potassium amyl xanthate and ferrous and cupric salts. It is shown that xanthate is consumed by stoichiometric exchange with anions present at the mineral surface. The floatability of the unactivated mineral is poor since xanthate is precipitated in bulk without creating a hydrophobic surface on the mineral. At the activated mineral surface, xanthate is adsorbed in certain isolated patches (active spots) and thereby creates a hydrophobic surface. The hydrophobicity of the mineral is greatly improved by lowering the pH to 4.5.

Jan 1, 1972

By L. R. Flint, W. L. Freyberger, W. J. Howarth

W. L. Freyberger (Director, Institute of Mineral Research, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Mich.)-The authors are to be complimented on their theoretical analysis of a column flotation process, and the comment I wish to make is not related to that analysis, but to the use of the word "countercurrent" to describe that process. Strictly speaking, the process the authors have described is countercurrent only in the sense of particle-bubble contact. That is, as solid particles and air bubbles pass through the column, the leanest flotation feed (the tailing) comes in contact with the greatest concentration of mineral-free bubbles. However, air bubbles alone do not comprise the complete extracting phase in a flotation system. A second component of this extracting phase is the collector, which is really the extractant inducing transfer of mat-

Jan 1, 1972

By C. A. Wert, K. C. Hsieh

Mineral particles in coal have enormous variation in size. Some are large enough to be seen by eye, others can be seen with the optical microscope and still others are so small that they can be resolved only by electron microscopy. We paid particular attention to particles of clays and sulfides less than 1 pm in size. This paper describes typical minerals and reports on the application of the techniques of electron microscopy to coal.

Jan 1, 1984

By Uwe Neis, K. Peter Kiefhaber

Whereas single particle flotation is considered to be evoked by physico-chemical bubble adhesion, floc flotation seems to be governed by other mechanisms. This study demonstrates that air bubble size does not affect the flotation efficiency of inorganic particles which have been destabilized by different means: 1. addition of simple salts and 2. polyelectrolyte dosage. The air-to-solids ratio A/S does not influence the solids removal efficiency within a broad range of examination. However, there is a significant difference between A/S-values necessary to obtain optimum flotation comparing both destabilization mechanisms. Polyelectrolyte concentration corresponding to complete particle destabilization at the isoelectric point leads to optimum sedimentation rates but not to optimum flotation efficiency. To obtain optimum solids removal by flotation higher polyelectrolyte concentrations are necessary resulting in a positive solids surface charge. These effects are explained on the basis of different floc structures.

Jan 1, 1980

By C. C. Wright, T. S. Spicer

A characteristic property of bituminous coal is that upon being heated the coal becomes plastic, evolves volatile gases, and finally solidifies into coke. This fundamental characteristic is of utmost importance and is utilized in the production of the high-temperature coke upon which the steel industry is so dependent; but from the standpoint of operation in the domestic underfeed stoker this coking tendency seriously interferes with efficient combustion. When the coke formed has too strong a structure, certain difficulties result, such as low rate of burning, slow response to heat demand, and, in extreme cases, extinction of fire. The plastic mass prevents uniform distribution of air through the fuel bed and, with strongly coking coals, large dense pieces of coke are produced which have much less reacting surface than was possessed by the original coal. In both ignition and combustion of solid fuels, the extent of the reacting surface is an accelerating factor. Poor combustion permits a surplus of fuel to accumulate in the furnace because the rate of feed and the rate of combustion are not in equilibrium, and this produces an unbalanced condition detrimental to continued automatic service. In order to bum strongly coking coals satisfactorily in a conventional stoker during the three requisite types of operation—continuous, intermittent and hold-fire, frequent attention is necessary. Domestic stokers are defined by the industry as residential stoker heaters that burn 60 lb. of coal or less per hour. With a few exceptions, these units employ the underfeed principle of combustion in which both air and coal move in the same direction up and through the fuel bed. Domestic combustion equipment has difficulty in meeting the problems presented by the several variations in ash and volatile matter, in ash-clinkering tendencies, in coking properties, and in the particle size of bituminous coals. The work of Bituminous Coal Research Inc. at Battelle Memorial Institute has shown that, of these, coking characteristics and the clinkering tendencies have the greatest effect upon the operation of the conventional clinkering type of stoker. Typical coke formations in a clinkering type of underfeed domestic stoker are illustratcd in Fig. I, which shows (A) the ideal fuel bed obtained with a noncoking or free-burning coal; (B) the type of fuel bed formed with a coal that produces a weak coke; and (C) the type of fuel bed obtained with a strongly coking coal. C is characteristic of the fuel bed developed when the average Pennsylvania bituminous coal is burned in an underfeed stoker of conventional type. It is apparent from these pictures that the formation of coke trees will seriously interfere with the efficient automatic combustion of Pennsylvania bituminous coals.

Jan 1, 1942

By T. S. Spicer, C. C. Wright

A characteristic property of bituminous coal is that upon being heated the coal becomes plastic, evolves volatile gases, and finally solidifies into coke. This fundamental characteristic is of utmost importance and is utilized in the production of the high-temperature coke upon which the steel industry is so dependent; but from the standpoint of operation in the domestic underfeed stoker this coking tendency seriously interferes with efficient combustion. When the coke formed has too strong a structure, certain difficulties result, such as low rate of burning, slow response to heat demand, and, in extreme cases, extinction of fire. The plastic mass prevents uniform distribution of air through the fuel bed and, with strongly coking coals, large dense pieces of coke are produced which have much less reacting surface than was possessed by the original coal. In both ignition and combustion of solid fuels, the extent of the reacting surface is an accelerating factor. Poor combustion permits a surplus of fuel to accumulate in the furnace because the rate of feed and the rate of combustion are not in equilibrium, and this produces an unbalanced condition detrimental to continued automatic service. In order to bum strongly coking coals satisfactorily in a conventional stoker during the three requisite types of operation—continuous, intermittent and hold-fire, frequent attention is necessary. Domestic stokers are defined by the industry as residential stoker heaters that burn 60 lb. of coal or less per hour. With a few exceptions, these units employ the underfeed principle of combustion in which both air and coal move in the same direction up and through the fuel bed. Domestic combustion equipment has difficulty in meeting the problems presented by the several variations in ash and volatile matter, in ash-clinkering tendencies, in coking properties, and in the particle size of bituminous coals. The work of Bituminous Coal Research Inc. at Battelle Memorial Institute has shown that, of these, coking characteristics and the clinkering tendencies have the greatest effect upon the operation of the conventional clinkering type of stoker. Typical coke formations in a clinkering type of underfeed domestic stoker are illustratcd in Fig. I, which shows (A) the ideal fuel bed obtained with a noncoking or free-burning coal; (B) the type of fuel bed formed with a coal that produces a weak coke; and (C) the type of fuel bed obtained with a strongly coking coal. C is characteristic of the fuel bed developed when the average Pennsylvania bituminous coal is burned in an underfeed stoker of conventional type. It is apparent from these pictures that the formation of coke trees will seriously interfere with the efficient automatic combustion of Pennsylvania bituminous coals.

Jan 1, 1942

By L. M. Cathles, H. R. Spedden, E. E. Malouf

Fluid flow through an igneous rock formation will occur mainly through fractures. A non-diffusing or slowly diffusing tracer (such as .5µ silica spheres identifiable under electron microscope) will arrive at a monitor well when enough fluid has been injected to displace the volume of water in the flow fractures between the injection and monitor wells. A rapidly diffusing tracer (such as NaC1)-will diffuse into the matrix blocks and so a volume of tracer nearly equal to the total fluid volume contained in the rock formation between injection and monitor wells must be injected before significant diffusing tracer arrival will be noted. The flow fracture porosity is typically one hundred times smaller than the total porosity of an igneous formation. The shift between diffusing and non diffusing tracer arrivals, together with the diffusional characteristics of the tracers, can define the diffusional accessibility of the matrix blocks of an igneous formation. A field test of these concepts and the problems encountered will be described.

Jan 1, 1974

By R. L. Huntington, D. T. MacRoberts, Charles R. Hetherington

Since the equation of continuity governing transient flow of gases through porous media cannot be integrated mathematically into a simple usable expression free from series terms, empirical and approximate equations have been advanced relating cumulative production and future production rates from gas reservoirs with time. In order to check the accuracy of these empirical equations and to obtain an insight into the initial conditions pertinent to the solution of the fundamental equation of continuity, experimental work has been conducted on a vertical 2-in. tube, 91.6 ft. high, packed with unconsolidated Wilcox sand. The results presented in graphical form show the accuracy of the approximate relations. Data from unsteady-flow runs on the 2-in. experimental tube are presented graphically, and are applied to obtain an equation for this specific case, and are offered as an aid in future investigations of this basic equation. The close agreement between equations calculated for steady-state flow and the experiments indicates that the decline of actual gas reservoirs may be treated by an application of these equations without serious error. Introduction The steady-state flow of gas through a porous material—that is, flow wherein the boundary conditions do not vary with time—is subject to analytical solution. Muskat1 has shown that the general differential equation is simply the La Place equation in P2. Direct solutions may be at once obtained. The unsteady state, on the other hand, is not analytically reducible. Since nearly all phenomena of practical interest in gas production involve flow in the unsteady rather than in the steady state, it has been necessary to derive approximate Solutions to the general equation. The validity of such approximations has not hitherto been adequately tested. In the experiments to be described a simple, closed, linear system is substituted for the real complex gas field. The general results, however, are independent of the geometry Of the system' The problem studied is the rate of production, and the accompanying variations in pressure, when one end of a linear porous system is opened to the atmosphere and permitted to produce to exhaustion. An approximate solution to the general differential equation, based upon the assumption of an "infinite series of steady states," is then applied to the results to determine the validity of this method of dealing with actual reservoirs. Theoretical Considerations The fundamental differential equation governing the flow of a gas through a Porous medium can be derived easily from the equation of continuity, Darcy's law, Boyle's law and a statement of the thermo-dynamic nature of the flow. For isothermal flow it is: d2P2/dx2 + d2p2/dy2 + d2p2/dz2 = 2fµ/K dP-dT

Jan 1, 1942

By R. L. Huntington, D. T. MacRoberts, Charles R. Hetherington

Since the equation of continuity governing transient flow of gases through porous media cannot be integrated mathematically into a simple usable expression free from series terms, empirical and approximate equations have been advanced relating cumulative production and future production rates from gas reservoirs with time. In order to check the accuracy of these empirical equations and to obtain an insight into the initial conditions pertinent to the solution of the fundamental equation of continuity, experimental work has been conducted on a vertical 2-in. tube, 91.6 ft. high, packed with unconsolidated Wilcox sand. The results presented in graphical form show the accuracy of the approximate relations. Data from unsteady-flow runs on the 2-in. experimental tube are presented graphically, and are applied to obtain an equation for this specific case, and are offered as an aid in future investigations of this basic equation. The close agreement between equations calculated for steady-state flow and the experiments indicates that the decline of actual gas reservoirs may be treated by an application of these equations without serious error. Introduction The steady-state flow of gas through a porous material—that is, flow wherein the boundary conditions do not vary with time—is subject to analytical solution. Muskat1 has shown that the general differential equation is simply the La Place equation in P2. Direct solutions may be at once obtained. The unsteady state, on the other hand, is not analytically reducible. Since nearly all phenomena of practical interest in gas production involve flow in the unsteady rather than in the steady state, it has been necessary to derive approximate Solutions to the general equation. The validity of such approximations has not hitherto been adequately tested. In the experiments to be described a simple, closed, linear system is substituted for the real complex gas field. The general results, however, are independent of the geometry Of the system' The problem studied is the rate of production, and the accompanying variations in pressure, when one end of a linear porous system is opened to the atmosphere and permitted to produce to exhaustion. An approximate solution to the general differential equation, based upon the assumption of an "infinite series of steady states," is then applied to the results to determine the validity of this method of dealing with actual reservoirs. Theoretical Considerations The fundamental differential equation governing the flow of a gas through a Porous medium can be derived easily from the equation of continuity, Darcy's law, Boyle's law and a statement of the thermo-dynamic nature of the flow. For isothermal flow it is: d2P2/dx2 + d2p2/dy2 + d2p2/dz2 = 2fµ/K dP-dT

Jan 1, 1942