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By J. Buchwald, R. W. Heckel

THE DeHoff method' of analysis of ellipsoids of constant shape provides a quantitative metallo-graphic technique whereby the actual size distribution of the ellipsoids may be determined from polished and etched random planar sections. This method provides a useful metallographic tool since it appears to be the only method available for determining the size distribution of nonequiaxed second-phase particles. This method, however, assumes that the type of particle being studied is known to be either oblate or prolate of a fixed minor to major axis ratio, q. This, in general, means that one assumes either oblate or prolate ellipsoids of a given q and checks the total volume and surface area of the second phase as determined from the particle size distribution to values of these quantities determined by other techniques. Suitable check methods may be point counting, lineal fraction, and areal fraction methods for obtaining the total volume and the Smith and Guttman2 method of intercepts for obtaining the total surface area. If the initial guess at particle shape and q were incorrect, i.c., the volume and surface information obtained from the particle size distribution data does not agree with those values obtained by other techniques, another assumption must be made and the particle size dist distribution must be recalculated. A current study in this laboratory has involved a large number of these calculations. To facilitate the handling of the calculations, the DeHoff method was programmed in the FORTRAN language for an IBM 1620 computer. The purpose of this note is to briefly describe this program. The complete program along with a list of variable names, a sample input, and a sample output may be obtained from the senior author. Basically, the program provides for the calculation of particle size distributions for a series of q values for both oblate and prolate ellipsoids for each set of input data. The total volume of second-phase particles per unit volume are calculated for each calculated particle size distribution. The output of the program is arranged to allow a rapid comparison of the calculated volume and surface values to data obtained by independent check measurements. A condensed flow chart of the program in the notation of DeHoff1 is given in Fig. 1 The calculation of the number of particles per unit volume in the jth size class, Ni, according to the DeHoff method' is: where k(q) is the shape-correction factor given by DeHoff as a function of q for both oblate and prolate ellipsoids, A is the size-class increment, k is the number of size classes, ni is the number of particles in the ith class on the planar measurement surface, and B(j,i) are the saltykov3 coefficients which correct for measurement surfaces which do not pass through the major and minor axes of the particles. The values of /3(j,i) are included as a two-dimensional array in the program. Particular values of k(q) are included in the program in increments of q of 0.05. The first calculation is carried out for q = 1 (spheres), the second for q = 0.95 oblate, the third for q = 0.95 prolate, and so forth. The number of q values chosen for the calculation is determined by a control card in the input for each set of data.

Jan 1, 1965

By M. H. Caron

D. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.)

Jan 1, 1951

By H. H. Kellogg

0. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.)

Jan 1, 1951

By M. H. Caron

D. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.) O F. A. Forward, C. S. Samis, and V. Kudryk: Trans. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. (1948) 151 (Bull. 434) 350-355.

Jan 1, 1951

By L. W. Page

PrEvious to the introduction of the motor vehicle the broken stone or macadam' road met the conditions of rural horse-drawn traffic better than any other type of road, but under fast motor traffic it has been proved to be quite unsatisfactory, and necessitates high maintenance charges. Such a road depends for its success upon the fact that the rock dust fills the voids between the stones and acts as a cement or binder. Under ideal conditions it should be constructed of rock so suited to the volume and character of horse traffic that only enough fine dust is worn from the stones of which the road is composed to take the place of that carried off by wind and rain; and when these conditions are met, the fine dust resulting from the wear of traffic forms with the stone a smooth, impervious shell, shedding the surface water and protecting the foundation. With increase in the number and speed of motor vehicles, however, it was soon found that the cost of maintenance also increased, until at the present day highway engineers consider the old method of constructing and maintaining broken-stone roads increasingly inadequate, and are introducing every known type of binding material other than rock dust to cement the stone together. Among the most prominent types of products in use are those produced from our various petroleums. That the value of modern methods of road preservation was appreciated in this country much earlier than we have been accustomed to believe is demonstrated by the recent revival of an old patent which was granted to one John Martineau, of Elbridge, N. Y., in 1834. Petroleum had, of course, not been discovered at that time, but he claims as his invention and improvement "The application of tar, turpentine, or any of that class of tenacious, cohesive substances, reduced before use to a fluid state, and that state used as a cement, to apply to, and combine with sand, gravel, pebbles, and pulverized stone, such as is used for a Mc-Adam road, or cobble stone, the interstices of coarser material being in all cases filled,'as well as may be, with sand and gravel and cemented with tar or turpentine, to form the wearing face or surface of streets,

Jan 1, 1915

By AIME AIME

APPARENTLY unperturbed by any misgiving as to ill luck connected with the mystic number thirteen -for there were exactly that number of Directors on deck-the Board held two sessions on Tuesday, Feb. 21. , . Between the executive session at 5:15 p. m. and the general session at 8:30 p. m., 28 Section and Division delegates were wests of the Directors at dinner. Committee chair- " men and past officers brought the attendance to 75. Messrs. McAuliffe, Merica, Mudd and Tally had expressed their intention to be at the Directors' meeting, but each was prevented unavoidably at the last minute. At the executive session of the Board, J. V. W. Reynders was unanimously chosen to fill the unexpired term of Dr. Becket as Director: and Eugene McAuliffe in like " manner was selected to become Vice-president to fill the vacancy created hy Dr. Becket's assumption of the Presidency. Upon nomination of President Becket the following Executive Committee was appointed: Frederick M. Becket, chairman; Howard N. Eavenson, H. A. Guess, J. V. W. Reynders and William Wraith; and the Finance Committee was appointed as follows: Henry Krumb, chairman; Paul D. Merica and H. G. Moulton. Karl Eilers was reelected Treasurer and A. B. Parsons was re- elected Secretary to serve for the ensuing year, whereupon the executive session was adjourned.

Jan 1, 1933

By R. D. Lord

The search for the best practical means of storing sulfide bearing tailings, where there is no residual excess of carbonate material is discussed in this paper• Usually the sulfide content decomposes, with the aid of bacterial action, and the resulting sulfuric acid escapes, along with any heavy-metal solutes, through embankments that are usually porous to some degree• The problem is typified in the tailings of the uranium operations of Elliot Lake, Ont., where mining started some 20 years ago• The approach to tailings disposal paralleled the practice for other hydrometallurgical plants treating gold and base-metal ores• Impoundment areas were designed to retain solids, and a clear and neutral overflow was considered satisfactory practice• Now experience has shown that these areas, some of which have been idle for over a dozen years, release acids in seepage and overflows to an unacceptable degree• To protect natural water courses, neutralizing plants are operated wherever required• Lime slurry is fed continuously into the tailings outflows in a quantity sufficient to raise the pH to 8•5 and precipitate heavy metals that may be in solution• The objection to this procedure is that the plants will require servicing indefinitely, unless a better remedy is found• The problem differs only slightly from that common to base-metal concentrators in that here the ore has been leached with sulfuric acid for the recovery of uranium• Any native content of calcareous material has been digested, and only that added for final neutralization is available to maintain a pH unfavorable to bacterial activity• Chemical oxidation slowly lowers the pH and when this reaches a level of 4•5 or less, bacteria become active and greatly accelerate the formation of acid. The bacterial process is probably at least ten times as fast as the chemical oxidation• Location and Processing The operations referred to, uranium and one copper mine, are located at approximately 46°N and 82°W longitude• This is typical Canadian Shield country, a land of lakes, deeply glaciated and rocky, with sparse soil which supports mixed forest cover• Drainage is to Lake Huron, 25 miles to the south• Average temperature is 45°F, ranging from -40° to +95°F• Annual precipitation is 38 in•, about half of which is snow• The ore is Precambrian, quartz-pebble conglomerate, with mineralization in the matrix• From 5 to 10% pyrite is present• All known means of pre-concentration have been tested, but a bulk sulfuric acid leach has proved the most efficient. Tailings have from the outset been neutralized before release• Current practice is to add ground limestone to bring the pH to 4•5, and then lime to raise the value to 10•5• Environmental regulations have recently been increased and the foregoing meets the new standards• Separate measures are taken to precipitate radium• Remedial Measures Since the outstanding environmental problem is the oxidation of pyrite by bacterial action, the solution is to contain the products, or arrest the process• Given the ambient temperature, favorable half of the time, four items are essential to the activity• 1) Pyrite• 2) Moisture pH < 4•5. 3) Oxygen• 4) Bacteria• Removing any one of these out of the range of tolerance will bring the reactions under control• A variety of proposals considered, and a number tested for the arrest of the process, are: (a) render embankments impermeable, (b) provide an impermeable cover, (c) cover with an oxygen absorbing layer, (d) provide a vegetative cover, (e) flood the site, (f) remove pyrite from current tailings, (g) add excess limestone to current tailings, (h) poison the bacteria• Bank Seal-On existing impoundment areas, where the embankments are several thousand yards in length, it is believed that any program of injecting sealants can have small chance of success• However, a moisture barrier is an indicated specification for future construction, and this can be highly expensive• Surface Seal-Depending on the configuration of the deposit, the downward travel of water should be prevented, and oxygen excluded• Burying a plastic membrane just below the surface has been considered, as has the application of a liquid sealant that would penetrate the surface. The objection to these remedies is the excessive cost of dealing with large areas and the expectation of only temporary benefit as a result• Frost penetration is over 4 ft, and frost action breaks up asphalt paving and all but heavy concrete in a few years• Organic Layer-An oxygen-absorbing layer, such as bark fines from paper mills has been proposed as a surface treatment• Cultivated into the tailings such material might be expected to arrest subsurface oxidation for some years• Estimates are 100 tons per acre of bark fines, or 35 tons per acre of sawdust, and these enormous quantities do not so far give assurance of providing a long-term remedy• Vegatative Cover-Several obvious benefits would result from a good growth of grass or other vegetation on abandoned tailings• While restoring the natural green of the tract the growth would prevent wind-blown dust and reduce erosion• Subsurface oxidation should be reduced, as well as the upward movement of ground moisture as occurs in dry weather. To this end, considerable research and field testing has been carried out to arrive at a formula - a prescription which will provide a self-sustaining growth on the tailings surface, or at least one that would survive with reasonable maintenance attention. Many test plots have been run with different combinations of surface treatment and seed mixtures. Generally, by addition and close cultivation of limestone, lime, and fertilizers, technical success has been demonstrated• Plants with a high tolerance for acid soil seem the more hardy, and a pH above 3 is indicated so that nutrients can be absorbed• Recommendations are for 12 to 15 tons of

Jan 1, 1977

By F. Keller, A. H. Geisler

Some of the important changes that take place in the structure of aluminum alloys are largely submicroscopic in character. This is especially true of the changes that accompany age-hardening and recrystallization. Although improved metallographic practices have been helpful in indicating some of these changes indirectly, results are limited by the resolving power of optical microscope lenses. The electron microscope, however, provides a new and important means for investigating the fine structure of metals in a range not possible heretofore. It is anticipated that this microscope will yield new and useful information to metallurgists when suitable techniques are developed to utilize its very high resolving power. Several unique methods have been devised to permit the examination of the structure of opaque samples by the electron microscope. These are all based on the principle of producing a very thin film that represents the prepared surface of the opaque metal sample, which can be examined in the transmission microscope; however, the available methods fall into three categories, depending on the manner in which the film is obtained. With the oxide-film method developed by Mahl3-17 a very thin surface layer of the metallographic sample is converted into oxide by a thermal, chemical or anodic treatment. After removal from the metal sample by one of the special techniques described by Evans,19 this oxide film is examined in the electron microscope, and is found to portray the structure of the original metal surface. Films formed on aluminum,8,17 nickel,7 iron 3,8,9 and a nickel-beryllium alloy" by heating; films formed on iron 8.9 by chemical action; and films formed on aluminum3-16 by anodic oxidation, have been examined. The other two are more recent methods developed principally in this country; they consist in making the thin film in the form of a mold or replica of the surface contour of an etched sample. With the negative replica method the thin film is made directly on the sample; with the positive replica method it is made on a negative reproduction of the sample. With both methods, variations in the contour of the metal sample, caused mainly by etching, produce variations in the thickness of the surface replica. Because of the direct dependence of the amount of scattering of the illuminating electrons upon the thickness of the film penetrated, only the variations in thickness of the replica are responsible for tones in the electron image. Negative replicas are made by forming a thin film of some suitable material directly on the polished and etched metal sample, and derive their name from the fact that after removal from the sample they have the high and low points in the sample reversed, as shown in Fig. I. Nega-

Jan 1, 1944

By E. G. Leonardon, C. Schlumberger, M. Schlumberger

In the search for practical geological problems amenable to solution by the potential methods, the geophysicist is led to study mathematically various theoretical cases. In these idealistic discussions, the media under consideration are generally supposed to be homogeneous and iso-tropic. The geophysicist, of course, realizes perfectly that these conditions do not occur in their entirety in reality. However, the assumptions made are justified, because very often they are necessary in order to render possible an exhaustive study of a given problem, which otherwise would be too complicated, and would not lend itself to a complete mathematical analysis. Of the above two assumptions, that concerning the homogeneity of a given geological formation is satisfactorily realized except in so far as isotropy is concerned, since this property is not often encountered in practice. As a consequence, it is very desirable for the geophysicist to have quite an extensive knowledge of the properties of anisotropic formations, and of the laws that govern the propagation of electric current therein. With such principles in mind, he will be able to decide whether the conclusions arrived at in simple, isotropic conditions are still correct in more complex cases, or in what way they must be modified or adapted in order to constitute a sound basis for the interpretation of the results obtained in anisotropic media. On the other hand, the fact that in anisotropic formations the mobility of the ions is greater along the strike than perpendicular thereto can be utilized for determining the direction of the dip by induction measurements. We therefore propose to study in three successive chapters the following points: 1. Propagation of the electric current in anisotropic media. 2. Some consequences of the anisotropy of geological formations with reference to the surface electrical measurements, and their interpretation. 3. Determination of the direction of the dip of anisotropic formations by surface induction measurements.

Jan 1, 1934

By J. C. Febles

HISTORY. THE use of iron for the precipitation of copper was known at least as early as the fifteenth century. Both Paracelsus and Basil Valentine refer to it in their writings, as early as 1500 A. D. It was used in Peru for this purpose prior to 1637, and at Rio Tinto, Spain, as early as the sixteenth century. The statement has been made repeatedly that in the early history of the mining industry at Butte, the practicability of this method of recovering copper from solution was overlooked, and that enormous quantities of copper-bearing water were allowed to go to waste, the copper in which might easily have been recovered at small cost; and .that this oversight on the part of the mine operators was due to ignorance of this method of recovering copper. As a matter of fact, very little copper-bearing mineral was encountered in the mines of Butte until a depth of 400 or 500 ft. bad been reached, and in many cases much greater depths were necessary to reach the copper-bearing zone. The water encountered in the upper levels (although in most cases quite highly mineralized) contained little or no copper, and it was only after considerable areas of copper-bearing ore&apos; had been uncovered and developed that copper sulphate began to appear in the mine water in any considerable quantity. In fact, the first water that was observed to contain copper carried it in such small amounts as to be of little or no importance. It was only after years of underground work had opened extensive areas of stopes, drifts, and other underground workings, these being subsequently filled with waste, nearly all of which contained small copper values, which became oxidized by exposure to the air and were acted upon by the slowly percolating mineral water, that the recovery of copper from mine water became commercially important.

Jan 7, 1913

In the Bowen Basin of central Queensland, coal production has gone from virtually nothing in 1961 to more than 24 million tons today4ut there&apos;s a cloud over this success.

Jan 1, 1977

By D. Havlena, A. S. Odeh

The use of the straight-line method of solving the material balance equation is illustrated by means of six field cases. Also, the application of statistical criteria to arrive at the most probable answer is shown. The theory underlying the straight-line method of solution and the applicability of the statistical criteria was presented in a previous paper.&apos; The field cases include saturated and undersaturated oil reservoirs with and without water drive. The aquifers discussed are: limited radial, infinite radial, very small aquifer and infinite linear. The field cases also include a gas reservoir producing under water drive. INTRODUCTION In a previous paper,&apos; the authors presented the theory underlying the solution of the material balance as an equation of a straight line. The appropriate equations for various material balance cases as well as the methods of analysis and interpretation with comments and discussion were also included. To illustrate the various theoretical cases treated previously, five field cases are analyzed in this paper by employing the straight-line method of solving the material balance equation (MBE) and one example previously published is referred to. The use of statistical criteria to arrive at the most probable answer is also shown. All the field examples presented, except Case 2, are excerpts from complete reservoir studies. To illustrate the method, only sections specifically dealing with the material balance principles are included. Additional geologic information and basic data are reported to better acquire an understanding of the cases and thus to better follow the reasoning that suggested the successful application of the straight-line method of solving the MBE. The six cases are: (1) saturated reservoir, small gas cap, limited aquifer; (2) saturated reservoir, very small gas cap, infinite aquifer; (3) undersaturated-saturated reservoir, very small aquifer; (4) highly undersaturated reservoir, no water drive; (5) high undersaturated one-well reservoir, limited aquifer; and (6) gas reservoir, infinite linear aquifer. THE D4 SAND, GUICO FIELD, VENEZUELA The D, sand, which was discovered in 1943, is presently in a depleted state. Since its discovery it has produced under water drive, gas-cap-gas expansion, and solution gas drive. In Nov., 1947, water injection was initiated to arrest further pressure decline. When discovered, the D, sand was a saturated reservoir with a gas cap /oil zone volume ratio m estimated volu-metrically at 0.0731, an average permeability of 500 md, a porosity value of 25 per cent, and an oil viscosity at reservoir conditions of 0.3 cp. The volumetrically determined stock-tank oil initially in place was 23.1 million bbl. The volumetrically weighted physical data and production data available until Nov., 1953 are reported in Table 1. In Ref. 1, the effects on the straight-line plot of various values of ro/r for a constant ?to, or of various dimen-sionless times for a constant r8/r10 were theorized and were illustrated in Fig. 3A of that reference. In this field case, the previously theoretically predicted effects are established. Thus, the MBE calculations using Eq. 3c of Ref. 1 were performed for various r6/r10 and dimension-less time values. Eq. 3c of Ref. 1 is:

Jan 1, 1965

[EXEOUTIVE OOMWITTEE OF TEE BOARD OF DIREOTORS DONALD H. MCLAUGHLIN, Chairman WILBER JUDSON, Vice-Chairman JOHN L. CHRISTIE CLYE E. WEED FELIX E. WOBYSER]

Jan 1, 1946

By J. R. Dawson, J. A. Glunt

VESTA No. 4 and 5 mines supply most of the high volatile coal required for Jones & Laughlin&apos;s byproduct coke plants. Until 1944 all coal produced in these mines was loaded by hand. Pressure to mechanize at Vesta was brought on by the manpower shortage in World War 11, and in 1943 a decision was made to change to mechanical loading. It was the opinion of those concerned that by use of selective mining the coal would be clean enough to be processed by the existing preparation plants. At that time coal cleaning at Jones & Laughlin consisted of hand picking the larger sizes at the mine tipples and wet washing at plants located at the Pittsburgh and Aliquippa Works. A typical section of the Pittsburgh seam as it occurs at Vesta is shown in Fig. 1. The 14 to 16 in. of drawslate immediately over the coal is too soft to be used for roof and must be taken down, leaving the rooster coal just above for roof. In selective mining an attempt is made to mine the coal under the drawslate first and then load out the drawslate separately as refuse. In full seam mining slate and coal are shot down at the same time and loaded out. Mechanical loading at Vesta created new problems. It was found that selective mining, even when carefully applied, increased the refuse in the raw coal to such an extent that the washers at the mills were unable to handle it. Large tonnages of refuse were being transported, a reject disposal problem was created, and good metallurgical coal was being loaded out and lost. In addition, the selective method handicapped operation of the loading machines. Fig. 2 shows how the ash content of the raw coal increased as mechanization proceeded at No. 5 mine. New Preparation Plant: After an exhaustive study of this situation by J & L management, is was decided that a preparation plant should be constructed at the mines, capable of handling full seam mined coal and large enough to process full production of both No. 4 and No. 5 mines. It was decided that from the standpoint of inside operation and haulage the new plant should be located as near as possible to the old No. 5 tipple on the Monongahela River near Vestaburg. Full seam mining at Vesta could be expected to produce a tremendous volume of refuse along with the coal, since 14 to 16 in. of slate would be mined with an average 78 in. of coal. Disposal of this refuse required serious consideration in selecting a plant site. The only area near Vestaburg large enough for disposal of the plant refuse was across the Monongahela River at LaBelle. Ample space was available here, and construction at this location would not interfere with operation at the No. 5 tipple. It had been noted over the years that the sulfur content of the coal produced at Vesta was gradually increasing, and there was every indication that this increase could be expected to continue as the mines developed further from the river. It was decided to construct a three-part separation plant with complete blending facilities to produce both metallurgical and steam coal. In this system an attempt is made to reduce the sulfur in the metallurgical coal in a secondary cleaning process. Construction of the new preparation plant got under way early in 1947 and continued until the spring of 1950. The plant was designed to handle 2400 tph of raw coal containing 30 to 35 pct refuse. Cost of outside buildings and equipment was about $14 million. Total cost of the plant, together with improvements and changes made at this time, was approximately $21 million.

Jan 1, 1957

By J. Kostuik, M. J. de Bastiani

The method of mining the uranium orebody at Denison mine in the Elliot Lake district of Ontario is discussed. Details of the development of haulage-ways and rooms are giuen, as well as methods of ore haulage. The milling and beneficiation stages are noted briefly. Located in the Elliot Lake mining district of Canada, the Denison mine lies between Sudbury to the east and Sault Ste. Marie to the west, Fig. 1. This area is overlain by Huronian sediments filling a basin in the Keewatin basement complex. Subsequent folding of these sediments developed a synclinal structure, known locally as the Quirke Lake Trough, which forms the northern portion of the now famous big Z structure, the geological trademark of this region. Plunging to the west and extending nine miles from the granite outcropping in the north to the Keewatin lava contact to the south, the syncline has dips of 10" to 45" on the north limb and 10" to 20" on the south limb, Fig. 2. The Denison orebody, located on the north limb of the syncline, lies between 800 and 3000 ft below the surface. The main ore zone is within 50 ft of the Missisagi-Keewatin contact (see Fig. 3), and it varies in thickness from 6 to 32 ft. This ore zone has a composite dip of 19" to the south and is composed primarily of two pyritized conglomerate beds separated by a band of pebbly quartzite stratum. The upper conglomerate bed of the main zone varies from 2 to 15 ft in thickness, while the lower conglomerate varies from 2 to 12 ft. Over extended areas, mining is carried out over the entire section comprising the two conglomerate layers and intercalated quartzite; in other areas, the conglomerates are selectively mined, depending on the thickness of the quartz-ite. The ore zone contains approximately 6 pct sulfides and 80 pct silica. The predominant uranium-bear ing minerals are brannerite, uraninite, and an unidentified mineral (probably thucolite). Some of the uneconomic metallic minerals identified to date are pyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite. MINE LAYOUT Shafts: Underground exploration and development (Fig. 4) were performed through two shafts 1/2 mile apart. The No. 1 shaft, sunk to a depth of 1856 ft with the main station established at the 1600-ft ore level, is a 250-sq ft, 5-compartment shaft capable of handling 4500 tpd. Two 5x5-1/2-ft compartments serviced by a 12-ft diam double-drum hoist, are used for hoisting 190-cu-ft bottom-dump skips in balance. A 30-man cage, offset by a counterbalance, operates within a 5-1/2x11-1/2-ft compartment. The fifth compartment is used as a manway, pipe, and cable-way. This shaft is also provided with an intermediate pumping station used during the initial mining phase as well as loading-pocket and spill-pocket installations and pumping facilities. The 480-sq ft No. 2 shaft, located down-dip from No. 1 shaft, has a 2776-ft depth. Serving as the main hoisting shaft with a maximum capacity of 9000 tpd, it has eight compartments, four of which are used for hoisting ore in 10-ton capacity bottom-dump skips. These four compartments, measuring 5x6-ft in section, are serviced by two 12-ft diam double-drum semi-automatic hoists. A 50-man cage is operated in a 15x8-ft compartment, and it is counterbalanced by a 12-ton weight. Two compartments are used for ventilation, manway, electric cables, and pipes. A station was constructed at the 1325-ft horizon of the No. 2 shaft for relay pumping. The main sta-

Jan 1, 1961

By John A. Dunn

Continued increase in electric power requirements for mining, brought on by higher capacity mining machines and total mechanization, emphasizes the importance of proper power system design and planning. How effective a mine operates to produce quality coal at low cost depends to a great extent on how well its power system is planned and how well it is maintained. To be planned well it must be adequate to serve all the needs of the mine, it should be safe, there should be a margin for expansion, and it should be easily maintained. In planning a power system for mining coal it is helpful to establish a reliable base for estimating loads. Since most mines are served electric power by utility, power bills for similar mine loads are useful in setting up a base for estimates.

Jan 12, 1964

By G. R. Speich

The precipitation of the Feab and Fe,Ti Laves phases (MgZn, type, C14) from Fe-Nb and Fe-Ti solid solutions, respectively, has been studied in the temperature range 500" to 800°C using hardness measurements, light and electron microscopy, and X-ray and electron diffraction. The Fe-Nb alloys contained 0.96, 1.67, and 3.80 pct Nb and the Fe-Ti alloys 3.5, 5.8, and 8.8 pct Ti. In both systems only the equilibrium Laves phase is formed, with nucleation occurring at grain boundaries, at dislocations, and in the matrix. No cellular precipitation or transition phases were observed. The precipitation of the Laves phase in a fine dispersion leads to significant hardening in both systems. The hardness of the aged alloys is proportional to the reciprocal of the square root of the interparticle spacing. The maximum solid solubility of titanium in a! iron is 9.0 pct Ti at 1280°C. THE precipitation of the FezNb and FezTi Laves phases (MgZn2 type, C 14) from Fe-Nb and Fe-Ti solid solutions, respectively, has been investigated as part of a continuing study of the mechanisms of precipitation from ferritic binary iron-base alloys. The iron-rich portions of the Fe-Nb and Fe-Ti phase diagrams are shown in Fig. l(a) and l(b). The Fe-Nb diagram is essentially that given by ansen&apos; with the more recent work of Hume-Rothery and Gibson2 added. Goldschmidt3 indicates that the FezNb Laves phase has a solubility extending from 32 to 55 wt pct Nb. The Fe-Ti diagram is also essentially that reported by Hansen.l The recent results of Nishimura and kamei, Murakami, Kimura, and Nishimura,&apos; indicate that the FezTi Laves phase has a solubility extending from 22.5 to 30.5 wt pct Ti. The L/6 + FezTi eutectic temperature of 1298°C indicated by Kornilov and oriskina&apos; has been adopted. The addition of niobium or titanium to iron lowers the 6 — y transformation temperature and raises the y — a! transformation temperature. This results in a closed y field in the Fe-Ti system, but the lower solubility of niobium in a! (6) iron results in a eutec-toid, 6 — y + FezNb, at 1200°C, and a peritectoid, y + FezNb —-a, at 989°C in the Fe-Nb system. The maximum solubility of niobium is reported to be 4.5 wt pct in 6 iron,&apos; 1.0 wt pct in y iron,7 and 1.8 wt pct in a iron.&apos; Some results from the present work indicate that the maximum solubility in a! iron is actually less than 0.96 wt pct Nb. The maximum solubility of titanium in a! (6) iron is somewhat uncertain since the early work of To faute and Butting-haus indicated a value of 6.0 wt pct while later work of Kornilov and Boriskina6 yielded a value of 14.0 wt pct. The present work indicates that the maximum solubility is actually 9.0 wt pct. In both systems the phase in equilibrium with the iron-base solid solutions is a Laves phase (Mg znztype, C14), FezNb or FezTi. Both of these Laves phases have a wide range of Solubility. The precipitation-hardening behavior of Fe-Nb or Fe-Ti alloys has not been studied extensively. Genders and Harrison&apos; reported that binary Fe-Nb alloys hardened upon aging. Peter and Fisher7 studied the mechanical properties of Fe-Nb and Fe-Ti alloys quenched from different phase fields.

Jan 1, 1962

By J. T. McGrath, R. C. A. Thurston

Poly crystalline specimens of copper, and copper with various additions of zinc, were tested in plane-bending fatigue. In tests performed at a constant stress, the fatigue life of copper increased slightly with the addition of up to fifteen per cent zinc. There was a sharp increase in fatigue life as further additions of zinc of up to 35 pct were made. Surface observations showed that the coarse slip bands that are characteristic of fatigue became narrower as the concentration of zinc increased. The rate of crack propagation also decreased with increasing zinc content. It is suggested that the fatigue behavior is controlled by cross slip processes. CROSS slip occurs when dislocations move from one primary slip plane to another along a connecting or cross slip plane. The primary and cross slip planes have a common slip direction. Wide stacking faults, having low energy, tend to make cross slip more difficult. According to recent theories, the ability of a material to cross slip is important to the formation and propagation of fatigue cracks. McEvily and Machlin2 have examined this concept experimentally by fatiguing single crys tals of lithium fluoride, sodium chloride, silver chloride, and KRS-5.* The latter two materials ex- hibit easy cross slip, while the former two do not. Normal rapid fatigue failure was obtained in the silver chloride and KRS-5 specimens, whereas it was much more difficult to achieve in sodium chloride and lithium fluoride crystals. Furthermore, numerous slip band extrusions and intrusions were found in silver chloride and KRS-5 crystals, whereas only one isolated extrusion was found in lithium fluoride and none was found in sodium chloride. McEvily and Machlin also consider that there is no clear-cut demarcation between crack initiation and propagation. The intrusion-extrusion process, which initiates crack formation, continues ahead of the cracks to allow propagation of these cracks along slip bands. The process of cross slip is therefore important not only to crack initiation, but also to crack propagation. Holden4 postulates that fatigue crack growth is dependent upon cross slip and thus upon stacking-fault energy. Using an X-ray microbeam technique, he found a cyclic subgrain structure in fatigued aluminum and a-iron. Holden suggests that micro-cracks develop in the densely-packed sub-boundaries ahead of the main crack front, and when sufficiently numerous join up to promote crack growth. The ease with which a subgrain structure could form would depend upon the ability of the dislocations to cross slip, and thus upon the stacking-fault energy. Hence in aluminum, which has a high stack-ing-fault energy and in which cross slip is easy, Holden found that the relative rate of fatigue crack propagation was considerably greater than in stainless steel, a low stacking-fault energy material. It has been shown by a number of investigators that the probability of forming deformation stacking faults in copper increases as zinc is added.5-7 Cross slip should, therefore, become more difficult as the zinc concentration is increased. In order to check the validity of the foregoing theories, it was decided to test copper and copper with various additions of zinc in plane bending fatigue, and determine to what extent their fatigue properties are dependent upon their ability to cross slip. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Fatigue tests were carried out on polycrystalline OFHC copper and various copper-zinc alloys with 5, 15, 20, 30, and 35 wt pct Zn. The Cu-Zn alloys were obtained commercially in sheet form. Test specimens, as shown in Fig. 1, were machined from sheet that had been reduced to an approximate grain size of 0.040 mm, the heat-treatment procedure being similar to that of Feltham anc copley.8

Jan 1, 1963

By D. S. Fuerstenau, S. Chander

The results of a preliminary investigation undertaken to explore the possibility of treating potential in sulfide mineral flotation systems as an external variable are reported in this note. Two different methods were used to assess floatability. One involved measurement of contact angles at a mineral electrode in reagent solutions, and the other involved direct measurement of flotation recoveries in a Hallimond tube flotation cell that had been modified such that mineral particles were in electrical contact with a gold electrode. Fairly good correlation between the contact angles and flotation recoveries has been obtained.

Jan 1, 1976

By Herbert W. Huse

Nitrogen, and its compounds, unique among the materials described in this volume, is absolutely essential to the existence of the human race. Almost all minerals are important and the absence of any one of them would be sorely felt; but nitrogen is an integral part of the cycle of life itself. Man cannot live without nitrogen which, as an inert gas, composes the major part of the air he breathes; as compounds, nourishes the vegetation which he eats; and, as protein, forms a part of his very flesh and blood. Nature originally provided man with a vast reserve of usable nitrogen compounds in the form of fertile soil. She constantly replenishes the supply by "fixing" nitrogen in the air at the estimated rate of 400,000,000 tons per year (an insignificant 6 lb per acre) during electrical storms. She has also placed certain microorganisms in the soil which are able to "fix" nitrogen and convert it into forms which plants can use. Legumes like cow peas, soy beans, clover, and alfalfa have extraordinary roots which serve as stimulating hosts to these bacteria which, in turn, nourish the plant. By plowing in all or part of such crops, their above-average nitrogen content can be returned to the soil for other more useful crops. The mechanism for this recycle is supplied by "denitrifying" bacteria which attack the dead plant tissue and liberate nitrogen and ammonia. However, since one crop of grain, sugar beets, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., takes out a major portion of the nitrogen which a plowed-in legume crop can supply, this method of fertilization is obviously inadequate. Drastic intervention by man has become necessary to support the ever-growing population of the world.9,15,20 Old civilizations with a high population density, such as the Chinese, were able to exist for centuries by carefully tilling the soil, rotating crops, and returning to the soil all the nitrogen in vegetable wastes plus human and animal excreta. But the lack of a means for augmenting their supply of nitrogen placed a ceiling on further development and kept the mass of the population in a chronic state of undernourishment, frequently punctuated by famine. Nitrogen plays another important role in the life of mankind. In the form of explosives, nitrogen helps to wrest from the earth many materials needed for our material well-being. Also, in the form of explosives and propellants, nitrogen increased the destructiveness of wars to a point only exceeded by the fantastic power of atomic energy. Man&apos;s first really effective efforts to improve his position with respect to nitrogen began in the 18th Century with the mining of sodium nitrate. By the late 1880&apos;s this had become a big industry serving a large part of the world. In the late 1890&apos;s nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, was being recovered from coke-oven operations. In 1900 nitrogen, in the form of nitric oxide, was being obtained from the air by an electric-arc process. About 1904 another "fixation" process based on the reaction of nitrogen with calcium carbide to form cyanamide was commercialized. By 1913 the Haber-Bosch process of "fixing" atmospheric nitrogen by reacting it with hydrogen to produce synthetic ammonia was successfully applied on a large scale, first in Germany and then throughout the industrial areas of the world.9 All the above methods of obtaining nitrogen compounds are still in use and, between them, they assure mankind of adequate supplies for all time. While this fortunate situation is not unique amongst industrial raw materials, all too few of man&apos;s needs are so well in hand.

Jan 1, 1960