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By Herbert H. Kellogg

C. M. Decroly (University of Brussels, Belgium) — The importance of the fluorides in the process metallurgy of special metals has already been accepted and it will probably increase in the future. Free energy diagrams as such established by Professor Kellogg are therefore very useful. It is interesting to note that the absolute value of the standard free energy of formation of HF increases with temperature, whereas for almost all the other fluorides it decreases; consequently it should be theoretically possible to reduce all the fluorides of the metals which, at low temperature, have a greater affinity for fluorine than hydrogen by this last element, provided a sufficiently high temperature is used in order to have a good efficiency. However, with regard to the reduction of UFe by hydrogen, I doubt that it will be possible to obtain directly the metal at comparatively low temperatures. There are other uranium fluorides which are more stable than UF6 and it is very likely that such fluorides will be obtained first. For example, in considering the reaction: UF6gas + H2gas + UF1so1id + 2 HFgas it is found, using the thermodynamic data of Brewer et al, that ?H298 = —66 kcal and ?G°298, = —65.2 kcal. As a result, the reduction of UF6 to UF4solld should proceed spontaneously even at ordinary temperature. On the other hand, the standard free energy of formation of UF4solid at 298°K is AG°298 = -209 kcal per mol of F2. The reduction of UF4 by hydrogen will be practically difficult and, as it is known, the only practical way of reducing this compound is to use alkaline-earth metals such as calcium or magnesium. I should like to point out, further, that the fluorination of many metal oxides can be carried out very easily by using the ammonium difluoride method of preparation, which renders the use of fluoride gas unnecessary. The first compound formed is generally a double fluoride of the metal and ammonium. This compound can be decomposed by heating either in a vacuum or in an inert atmosphere, ammonium fluoride being volatilized leaving the metal fluoride in a very pure state. H. H. Kellogg (author's reply)—Professor Decroly is quite right in pointing out that the formation of lower halides of uranium may complicate the reduction of UF6 by H2. I was unable to find his reference to the free energy of formation of UF4 in the compilation of Brewer.13 however. The value of AG°298, = —209 kcal for formation of ½ UFa seems rather high, and I hope the source of this value may be made clear.

Jan 1, 1952

MEN AVAILABLE Engineering Manager, many years' experience in design, construction and operation of industrial plants and mining properties, requiring a knowledge of mechanical, electrical, civil and mining engineering. Have directed many men and engineers working on foregoing projects. Domestic and foreign experience. Now available. M-702. Mining Engineer, 36, married. Thirteen years' experience underground mining operations; exploration, development, mine evaluation, cost estimation and job evaluation. Registered Professional Engineer. Employed. Available reasonable notice. M-697. Mining Engineer, B.S. plus 2 years' pre-law. Three years' experience; completed training program all phase open pit and underground. Last 2 years sintering, nodulizing and wash plants. Varied pre-professional job experience. Veteran, 32, married, 2 children. Available immediately. Will consider any location. M-703.

Jan 1, 1952

By J. H. Polhems, R. B. Brackin, D. B. Grove

THE heavy media separation process plays an outstanding role in the concentration of 4000 tons of zinc ore per day at the Mascot mill of the American Zinc Co. of Tennessee. Of the total tonnage, 72 pct is treated in the heavy media separation plant to reject 56 pct of the ore as a coarse tailing, which has a ready market. Concentrates from this separation are beneficiated further by jigging and flotation. Approximately 25 pct of the total zinc concentrate production is made in the jig mill. Jig tailings are ground and pumped to the flotation circuit where the balance of the production is made. Fig. 1 shows a generalized flowsheet of the mill. The Mascot ore is a lead-free, honey-colored sphalerite in dolomitic limestone, with lesser amounts of chert and some pyrite. A mineralogical analysis is given in Table I. After 10 years of successful operation with galena medium and treatment of nearly 10,000,000 tons of ore, a decision to convert to ferrosilicon was made early in 1948 because of the increasing price of galena and consequent high operating costs. The conversion was made on Nov. 6, 1948, and the results obtained since that time have shown remarkable improvement over those made with galena. The Table I. Mineralogical Analysis of Mill Feed, Pct Calcium carbonate 49.5 Magnesium carbonate 35.2 Iron oxide and aluminum oxide 1.5 Zinc sulphide 4.5 Insoluble 9.3 100.0 Table II. Comparative Data, Galena and Ferrosilicon Ferro- Diner-Gelenaa siliconb ence Operating costs per ton milled, ct. 21.21 9.12 12.09 Medium consumption per ton milled, lb 0.80c 0.15 0.65 Reagent consumption per ton milled, lb 0.45 0.02 0.43 Tailing assay, pct Zn 0.310 0.297 0.013 Concentrate. oct Zn 12.08 10.33 1.75 Heavy medla ieparatlon recovery. pct 89.38 90.22 0.84 Mill feed rate, tons per hr 153 166 13 Heavy mesa separation feed rate. tons per hr 100 10 0 Tons milled per heavy media separation man shift 350 620 270 Mill feed to coarse tailings, pct 51.0 56.7 5.7 Lost mill time, pct 5.6 5.0 0.6 Power consumption, kw-hr per ton 2.06 1.92 0.14 a 1947. " First 6 months of 1950. c Net consumption after deducting credit for reclaimed waste galena. Consumption of new galena was 1.320 lb per ton milled. For entire life of galena operation, a credit of 40 pct of the value of the new galena added was realized from the sale of waste galena. comparisons given in this report cover the first 6 months of 1950 as representing the ferrosilicon operation, and the year 1947 as representing the galena operation. This was the last full year in which galena was used exclusively and is representative of the best work done during the 10 years of operation with this medium. After only 2 years' operating experience, with ferrosilicon and treatment of 1,807,585 tons many advantages have been revealed and are summarized in Table 11. Development Prior to the introduction of the heavy media process, all the mill feed was crushed through 5/8 in. and treated by jigging. A finished tailing assaying 0.66 pct Zn was made on rougher bull jigs, and cleaner jig tailings were ground for treatment by flotation. The first test work on the sink-and-float method of mineral beneficiation was carried out at Mascot in 1935, using a 3-ft cone and galena medium for batch tests. The following year a 6-ft cone was installed for pilot-plant work. This unit became a part of the mill circuit on March 1, 1936, and handled a gradually increasing tonnage in the next 2 years as the process developed to the point where it could treat all the + 3/8-in. material in the mill feed. Coarse jigging was then discontinued on March 1, 1939, and all coarse tailings have been made by the heavy media separation plant since that time. Feed Preparation: The original feed preparation plant consisted of a drag washer followed by two 4x10-ft Allis-Chalmers washing screens. A surge bin and two additional 5x12-ft AC washing screens were added in 1943. Use of primary and secondary washing screens was found essential to provide the cleanest possible feed for the cone and thereby avoid excessive contamination of the galena medium. Improved washing was obtained by replacing the drag washer with a 7x20-ft Allis-Chalmers scrubber, shown in Fig. 2, which has been in service since May 1944. Throughout the life of the galena operation, delivery of extremely muddy ore to the mill overloaded the medium cleaning system, and it frequently was necessary to cut off the feed and clean the medium for several hours until its normal viscosity had been re-established. The cleaning circuit

Jan 1, 1952

By C. B. Scotty, E. F. Egan

INTRODUCTION The neutron-garnma log has been used for stratigraphic correlation by the oil industry for a number of years. In the past few years, the quantitative application of the log to provide information with respect to porosity has received considerable attention. The basic concept of quantitative interpretation has been pointed out in the literature.1 It shall be the purpose of this paper to develop by empirical means a method whereby the relationship of porosity to neu. tron-gamma deflection may be predicted for various bore hole diameters. This relationship is applicable to the present commercially available neutron-gamma log run in open hole. Data available at present are insufficient to establish similar correlations for cased holes. Through the development of such a correlation, the importance of the various factors which influence the log become evident. NEUTRON-GAMMA CURVE The logging tool conisists of a source of neutrons and a means of detecting and measuring gamma rays, the detector being shielded from the direct emission from the source. The gamma rays reaching the detector have three sources of origin: (1) the natural gamma radiation emitted by the formations, (211 induced gamma radiation resulting from neutron bombardment. (3) gamma rays emitted by the source and scattered by the formation. It has been found that a neutron derived porosity correlation is best for shale-free formations. Under this condition the natural gamma ray radiation is quite low, and therefore, will be neglected in this work. The induced gamma ray radiation resulting from neutron bombardment is predominantly a function of the hydrogen atom concentration of the substance penetrated. Due to the geometry of the presently used system, the neutron-gamma curve indicates low radioactivity opposite high hydrogen concentration and high radioactivity opposite low hydrogen concentration (Figs. 1 and 2). Having a curve which measures hydrogen atom concentration, it follows that if the matrix of the formation penetrated consists only of atoms other than hydrogen, and if the fluid filling the pores is either oil or water, the curve should be an indication of porosity (both oil and water have practically the same number of hydrogen atoms per unit volume'). The above criteria for a porosity (Correlation are fulfilled in clean sandztones and limestones in which the pore volume is completely filled with liquids (oil or water), but not in formations containing either free gas or shale or both. Free gas. even under pressure, contains considerably less hydrogen per unit volume than oil and water; therefore, a variation in response on the curve would be expected. Camp- bell and Winter,' indicate that this difference in hydrogen concentration is sufficient to distinguish between sands containing water or oil and those containing dry gas. Shale is a mineral that contains hydrogen in its molecular structure in addition to the hydrogen which is present in the water of hydration. Thus, in formations containing variable amounts of shale, the hydrogen concentration indicated by the curve is not a direct indication of porosity. Bush and Mardock' have indicated that a correction may be made by use of the gamma ray curve to provide a porosity correlation. Since the induced gamma rays are predominaiitly a function of hydrogen concentration, it would be anticipated that the fluid filled bore hole would materially influence the logs. It has been pointed out that the neutron-gamma curve response decreases with increase in hydrogen concentration, therefore, the response due to the induced gamma ray component decreases with increase in fluid filled hore hole diameter. The scattered gamma ray component of the log increases with increase in bore hole diameter. Although there is an

Jan 1, 1952

By G. G. Gunther, C. L. Boeke

THE zinc deleading processes at the Parral and Santa Barbara mills are described separately to provide a basis for comparison. Although the two procedures are fundamentally alike, there are some differences in application to meet specific conditions. The Asarco mill at Parral in the State of Chihuahua is a flotation plant treating 1450 metric tons- per day of complex sulphide copper-lead-zinc ores. In general, the procedure used for selective separation of the minerals into a copper, a lead, and a zinc concentrate follows the usual practice. First, a bulk copper-lead concentrate is floated and then separated into a final copper and a final lead concentrate by the sulphurous acid process. A small tonnage of high grade gravity lead concentrate is tabled from the bulk copper-lead cleaner tailing before it is reground so as to avoid undesirable over-grinding and sliming of this portion of the lead, mineral. Next, a zinc concentrate is floated from the lead rougher tailing and, as described later, is separated into a final lead product and a final zinc concentrate. Finally, the zinc rougher tailing receives a strong scavenger float to remove all recoverable middling values for regrinding, and return to the flotation circuits. The slime is separated from the scavenger flotation product, and only the sand portion goes to the regrind section. The minerals in the separated slime are extremely resistant to all methods of selective separation and pose one of the major problems awaiting solution. Nevertheless, the slime shows a profit when mixed with either the lead or the zinc concentrate, except when metal prices are very low, so it is accepted as a final product for lack of a more profitable method of handling it. In contrast, the minerals in the reground sands of the

Jan 1, 1952

By J. P. Manning

UNQUESTIONABLY, the outstanding feature of the piping for the sulphide plant is the large amount which had to be done in almost every size from instrument tubing to 84 in. OD pipe. In this article the piping will be considered under the main headings of Yard Piping and Building Piping. Tables I and II give data concerning the individual systems. In the case of yard piping the figures pertaining to lengths and weights are approximately correct; those for building piping are given only for the concentrator and smelter buildings where the amounts were the most extensive. Yard Piping The installation specifications for yard piping called for all sizes larger than 12 in. to have welded joints made with outside welding rings. This type of joint was selected over butt-welded joints because less time would be needed for lining up, damaged pipe ends would be less of a problem, and deflections up to 6° per joint could be made when necessary. These advantages were thought to outweigh the disadvantage of the greater amount of welding required. Yard piping in sizes of 3 to 12 in. was specified to have butt-welded joints made with inside welding rings which were intended to facilitate lining up and keep welding material out of the lines. Screwed connections were specified for sizes under 3 in. No protective coatings or wrappings were required on pipe to be buried because of the dry climate at Chuquicamata.

Jan 1, 1952

By Garnet T. Page

"ABSTRACTThese societies •can help in such aspects of a vocation.al guidance program in secondary schools as: provide vocational and technical information, and assist with vocational exploration, such .as plant visits, films, etc. -as .an aid to the student in making a self-inventory. Evidence is increasing that employers' needs for engineers and scientists will not be adequately met in the future. Therefore, the E.I.C., C.I.M., .and C.I:C. recently revised and extended the activities of the Canadian Counselling Committee on Engineering and Science. This co-•operative .action is to be integrated with the educational system, nationally .and locally, and with provincial associations •of engineers and other groups interested in the provision of vocational information in engineering and science.DEFINITIONTHE scientific treatment of any subject requires consistent use of carefully defined terms. The National Vocational Guidance Association of the United States studied the problem of the definition of vocational guidance for .about 16 years, and in 1937 finally arrived at:""Vocational guidance is the pro-cess of assisting the individual to choose an occupation, prepare for it, enter upon and progress in it. It is concerned primarily with helping individuals make decisions and choices involved in planning a future and building a career -decisions and choices necessary in effecting satisfactory vocational adjustment.""RANGEAs a school enterprise, vocational guidance begins at that point in the individual's life when he finds it necessary to make choices that have a definite significance for his future vocation."

Jan 1, 1952

LIBERIAN ore has been called the richest iron ore mined in the world, and thus far, the output from the Liberian Mining Co.'s Bomi Hills mine has lived up to its reputation. Iron content has been variously given as 68.47 pct to 68.825 pct. A recent United Nations survey gave it first place, surplanting the previously top-rated Swedish product. The first shipment of Liberian ore to the United States reached Baltimore in June, 1952 and went into blast furnaces at Republic Steel's Cleveland plant, where excellent results were reported. The physical make-up of the ore was hard, dense lumps, free of fines and with ideal size distribution. The Bomi hills mines were scheduled to be in full operation by the end of 1952. At the close of 1951, 200,000 tons of ore had been delivered to Baltimore. Liberian Mining Co. states that production is about 90,000 tons of ore per month at present. Between 1200 and 1500 men are employed at the mine site, with about 25 pct of them Americans. The Bomi Hill project was financed with the aid of the Export Import bank, which loaned Liberia Mining part of the sum needed to initiate and put the development into production. No definite expansion plans are in the making but extensive diamond drilling is being pursued. Original estimates of annual production for Bomi Hills ran in the neighborhood of 1.5 million tons, but the figure is no longer applicable. Liberia's potential as an iron producing country has been known for a long time, but the physical obstacles in the way of large scale production were such as to prohibit even contemplation of the project. Until recent years, the only route from the mine site to Monrovia was a foot trail. Once to the coast, over swamps and unbridged rivers, the ore was still useless because of the lack of loading facilities. Transportation Solved One problem was solved with the completion of the artificial harbor at Monrovia. Harbor construction was well under way when the mine project began in 1948. The island location of Monrovia also made the building of a bridge across the St. Paul River necessary. The 980 ft reinforced concrete structure, accommodating railroad and vehicular traffic, was opened in 1949. Meanwhile, preliminary work on railroad construction started. Grading was completed quickly. In April, 1951, the first train made the trip from Monrovia to the Bomi Hills. About half of the cost of the entire project went into railroad construction. More than 2200 men, often forced to resort to primitive methods, were engaged in clearing a path through the heavy forests between the mine and port. Swamps were drained and filled, and bridges, including the William V. S. Tubman, named for the Liberian President, were constructed. At the port, a Robbins Conveyor Belt Co., orehandling plant was installed. Ships can be loaded from the stockpile at the rate of 3000 tons per hr and vessels need spend only one day in port. Liberian Mining is operating under an 80 year lease, giving the company exclusive mining rights to all minerals, except gold, platinum, and diamonds, within a 40 mile radius of Bomi Hills. The contract provides a fixed royalty to the Liberian Government of five cents per ton of ore extracted, and a premium -based on the New York market price for Bessemer-grade pig iron. The entire project started because an American,

Jan 1, 1952

MIXED emotions were produced by the announcement that the buildup of weapons will be stretched out till mid-1954 instead of the previous 1953 deadline. Reason: government assistance programs will be tougher to get but there will be easement in materials allocations. Earlier in February, DPA had announced that tightening up on regulations governing rapid tax -amortization would become effective March 1. In the future, DPA will have to certify amortization contracts for all construction and permanent installations costing more than $100,000. This action was necessary according to DPA's James F. King, so that new industrial expansions already approved could be assessed in the light of the changing critical mineral picture. When DMPA inherited the backlog of government assistance, requests from DMA, it moved in fast. The results of DMPA's work is described in the article on p. 351 by James K. Richardson; The speed with which these requests were approved and the lengthening of the military program have made a reappraisal of the critical mineral list necessary. It looks as though the consumer industries will be getting more metal soon and, led by steel, there is an industry push toward the abandonment of CMP. Relaxing of materials controls appears imminent but discontinuing CMP is in the "let's talk this thing over" stage.

Jan 1, 1952

By H. LeRoy Scharon, A. B. Cleaves

THE application of geophysical techniques in the A engineering surveys of the Philadelphia and Western Extensions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike System is unique inasmuch as this is the first time, (to the authors' knowledge), that such studies have been employed on a large scale on a major highway system. These investigations were confined to specific areas along the center line of the proposed Philadelphia Extension between Carlisle and King of Prussia, and the Western Extension between Irwin and the State line near Youngstown, Ohio, as shown in Fig. 1. Along the 100 miles of the philadelphia Extension, the geophysical surveys were confined to 137 individual cuts and comprised a total length of 37.4 miles of line. The Western Extension, 66 miles in length, has 108 individual cuts. The accumulated length covered by electrical resistivity studies was 17.3 miles. The depth of the cuts varied from a minimum of 10 ft to a maximum of 62 ft. The geophysical investigations were made for the purpose of determining depths to bedrock in the 245 proposed cuts and at the sites of various structures. The 'data also served as a basis for geological interpretations of the condition of bedrock, contact zones, rock types, water table, and other factors significant in highway construction. The geophysical method of investigation employed the use of the electrical resistivity principle using the Gish-Rooney type electrical resistivity meter and the Wenner electrode configuration.* Apparent resistiv- ities were determined for constant intervals to various depths and were correlated with surface geological observations and subsurface geological conditions revealed by key diamond drill holes situated within a given cut interval. From these correlations, depths to bedrock were postulated with notations on other geological features that might be pertinent to modern highway construction. Geology The bedrock underlying the areas of the extensions of the Turnpike afford an excellent academic study of the electrical resistivity depth method as well as a practical application to modern highway engineering. The rocks encountered on the Philadelphia Extension vary in age from pre-Cambrian to Triassic and Quaternary, whereas in the Western Extension, bedrock is confined to relatively flat-lying strata in the Allegheny, Conemaugh, and Monongahela formations of the Upper Paleozoic, Pennsylvanian. Glacial and Recent stream, valley, and terrace deposits are common. Philadelphia Extension The oldest bedrock encountered in this extension are igneous and metamorphic. These, encountered chiefly in Chester County, consist of the strongly

Jan 1, 1952

By O. C. Blade

A summary of the characteristics of motor gasoline for the winter 1951-52 is presented in table I, and for comparison, a similar summary for the winter 1950-51 is shown in table 2. Trends of some of the more important characteristics over a period of years are shown in figures 1 and 2. The results of this survey show that octane numbers have risen slightly since the summer of 1951 but are below the record levels of the winter of 1950-51. The fractions of a unit change since the summer preceding have resulted in the research and motor-method octane values being virtually the same as the figures for the survey of summer 1950. In volatility characteristics the winter gasolines have changed very little. Average Reid vapor pressures are 10.5 pounds for both grades of fuel compared to 10.4 and 10.5 pounds for premium and regular-price gasolines, respectively, of the winter of 1950-51.

Jan 1, 1952

Jan 1, 1952

By E. E. Cudby

"FOLLOWING the Leduc discovery •by Imperial Oil in 1947, The California Standard Company began to acquire land in the area immediately west of Edmonton and in line with the Leduc reef trend (Figure 1).The California Standard Winter-burn Province No. 1 in Lsd. 10, Section 4, Township 53, Range 25, West 4th, which was spudded, on the basis of a seismic anomaly, in December, 1949, failed to find reef. This well was located on the eastern .edge of a large land block which California Standard and Imperial Oil had pooled as a joint venture, with California Standard a:s the operator (Figure 2).The culmination •of an extensive exploration and land aquisition programme was the drilling of the California Standard-Acheson Province No. 1 well .in Lsd. 13, Section 2, Township 53, Range 26, West 4th. On August 24th, 1950, a drill stem test was run in the D-3 zone which had been encountered at 4,969 feet, and a flow rate of 702 barrels per day •of 36° gravity oil was obtained. Just previously, Imperial Oil had completed a similar programme in the Stony Plain Reserve with the swabbing-in of Imperial Stony Plain No. 1. These two discoveries set off a drilling programme to determine the extent and value of the oil accumulation.Subsequent drilling of wells some successful .and others not by several other companies as well as California Standard bias, .to date, still left much to be determined as to the approximate delineation of the productive limits of the Ache-son-Stony Plain area. However, to August 31st, 1951, there were twenty-one D-3 producers north of the reserve and three in the Stony Plain Reserve."

Jan 1, 1952

By K. K. Kershner, W. A. Calhoun, C. W. Funk

Future resources of aluminum may require the utilization of low grade ores to provide a more permanent protection for the nation. Aluminum minerals such as cloy, shale, and high iron laterites may become important sources. An evaluation of reserves is given. New laboratory results are reported on the Vereinigte desilication process. THIS report on future resources of aluminum metal emphasizes the necessity for investigating utilization of low grade potential ores to provide more permanent protection for the nation. Partial or complete interruption of the importation of high grade aluminum ores must be given consideration. Ultimately, aluminum minerals such as clay, shale, and high iron laterites may become the principal sources of aluminum. The development of extractive processes for treating these low grade materials is a step in long-range national preparedness that should receive more attention. In formulating such processes, the application of beneficiation methods for the purpose of classifying the several types of minerals before subjecting each type to the more expensive extractive procedures should be considered, and a careful survey of the basic factors of power sources, transportation facilities, and sources of raw material should be made. Domestic Bauxite Resources Of the domestic supply of current, treatable-grade bauxite, 95 pct comes from Arkansas. The present reserve of Arkansas bauxite suitable for metal production, including abrasive-grade, Bayer-grade, and modified Bayer-grade ores, is 34,000,000 tons. The total reserve of bauxite of all grades is approximately 75,000,000 tons. Reserves are estimated on a mined and dried basis. Data available to the Bureau of Mines in 1948 to 1949 were used in preparing Table I, which shows a breakdown by grades of bauxite for about a half of the reserves of the state. The modified Bayer ore, 10,555,500 long dry tons, is based on a cutoff of 8 to 15 pct silica. The sub- marginal 10,074,700 long dry tons is assumed to contain more than 40 pct gibbsite, more than 15 pct silica, and less than 32 pct available alumina. A considerable amount of this low grade material was consumed in 1949 and 1950. Additional tonnages of bauxitic and kaolinitic clays are indicated by the Bureau of Mines drilling project.' Applying a 50 pct factor to arrive at long tons mined and dried, the results of this project are approximately 31,500,000 tons kaolinitic clay at +35 pct Al²O3 and 11,800,000 tons kaolinitic clay at 20 to 35 pct A1,0,. Total reserves of kaolinitic clays are probably quite extensive—several times the reserves shown in the Bureau's work. Total reserves of bauxitic and high iron clays from the drilling program and previously established figures are 63,980,000 tons. The mineral dressing methods,' the lime-sinter process, he lime-sinter modification of the Pederson process," the lime-soda sinter process,"-' and the Alcoa combination processa. have been described in the literature and will not be elaborated upon here. The less familiar Vereinigte Aluminium-Werke process used by the Germans during World War 11 may require some amplification. It was used to bene-ficiate boehmite ores containing 12 to 18 pct silica for a feed to the European Bayer process. Ore was

Jan 1, 1952

By R. L. Slobod, H. A. Blum

A semiquantitative method for measuring the wettability of reservoir rocks has been developed. These data are needed for reservoir analysis and for interpretation of laboratory displacement studies. The wettability of a core sample is measured by the contact angle for the system oil-water-solid. These contact angles are calculated from the displacement pressure (threshold pressure) obtained by use of the centrifuge, using first oil-water and second air-oil in the same core sample. This method is based on the assumption that the air-oil and oil-water interfaces occupy similar positions in the porous medium when desaturation of the wetting phase is initiated. The assumption is also made that the Contact angle for the air-oil-solid system which is close to zero in value does not change appreciably even when the contact angle for the oil-water-solid system experiences marked changes. "Apparent contact angles'' for five different solids ranging from 31" to 82" have been determined, and changes irr the "apparent contact angle" of a given sample with laboratory use from 33" to 53' {lave been observed. INTRODUCTION Reservoir rocks vary in their wettability, 1,2,3,4 some being preferentially water wet while other are apparently preferentially oil wet. The degree of wettability, in theory, is measured quantitatively by the contact angle for the system solid-oil-water, hut in 1)practice this quantity is extremely difficult to determine." The need for obtaining some measure of this quantity has become obvious in recent years as a result of both laboratory. and field observations. Several reservoir.: such as the Bradford Sand in Pennsylvania and the Wilcox' at Oklahoma City are reported to be oil wet. If these report:: correctly reflect the true nature of the surface of the rock in the ground, then these reservoirs probably will not perform as predicted on the basis of a water wet rock. In the laboratory many core samples have been Observed to be oil wet. These samples, while perhaps not correctly representing the reservoir, have markedly different properties from water wet rock. The location of the phases is different (oil is in contact with rock instead of water), and other quantities such as the connate water, the capillary pressure curve; residual oil. relative permeabilities. and the recovery of oil by water flooding are markedly affected by the value of the contact -4 A further complication observed in the laboratory is the chang-ing of the wettability of a rock specimen with use. such changes mean that repeat runs on the same core are not the duplicate tests desired, but represent new experiments on a more oil wet material. The changes in surface characteristics are sometimes so rapid that by the time an experiment requiring several days is completed, the results may not be representative of the core as originally described, The, rock material itself (Silica. carbonates. etc.), whell Clean and uncontaminated, is water wet. There seems b( : little evidence of the presence of oil wet minerals such as heavy metal sulfides. The oil wetness of reservoir samples, therefore, is believed to be caused by the accumulation of an adsorbed film in which the polar group of a large organic. molecule is adsorbed on the surface leaving the organic or hydrocarbon part of the molecule projecting out from the solid. Such a surface is much more readily wet 17" oil than by water. These considerations indicate the need for a method which will provide some measure of tile wettalbility (Contact(angle if possible) for reservoir rock ..samples) The method should be capable of (1.1 distinguishing between tile wettalility of dif. ferent formation,.. (2) detecting (change. ill wettalbility of a core with use. and (3) measuring the changes in Wettability which may be accomplished with cleaning operations. such as the use of sodium silicate for increasing water wrettalbility." A preliminary report on such a method is preseted below. not with the idea that this procedure alone will Solve the wettabil-ity problem. but rather that it may provide encouragement to

Jan 1, 1952

The Morning Session of the Forty-Eighth Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute convened in the Little Theater of the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colorado, at 10:00.a. m.; June 2, 1952, Howard B. Crandell, President, presiding. PRESIDENT CRANDELL: Gentlemen, the meeting will come to order. I presume most: of you have heard the decision of the Supreme Court in the steel case. The decision was six to three that the President had no legal authority to seize the steel industry, and it is reported that the strike is already under way. Gentlemen, it is both a pleasure and an honor to talk to you who come to the meeting of the Coal Mining Institute, many of you, from long distances. Our program committee has suggested that the president give a 30-minute talk, but you may be at case because I assure you I won't take anywhere near that long, when we will pass to more instructive and enlightening subjects. Another reason for the short talk that I am going to make is that many men in this audience know more about coal mining, specialized subjects, than I do.

Jan 1, 1952

By R. B. Burt, James A. Barr, I. S. Tillotson

THE pumping of solids in water suspension is an important part of many metallurgical and mining operations. In most cases, it is still in the rule of thumb category for which no universal formula has been developed, and much research is needed. Because of the limited and incomplete data available, this article may be classed as an experience paper, which is presented with the hope that some contribution will be made toward the development of the so-called universal formula. This formula, if and when developed, may be evolved from several factors, many of which are not now available for general application. The designing engineer is interested in obtaining accurate forecasts on: 1-the minimum velocities needed to prevent choke-ups in the pipeline, which in turn dictates pipe sizes, 2-power required for pumping, 3-pump selection. The basic factors for a given problem will include: 1-weight per unit of time of solids to be handled, 2-specific gravity of solids, for calculation of volume, friction and power, 3-screen analysis of solids with the colloidal acting, i.e., the slime fraction, a very important factor, 4-shape of particle or some means of determining a friction constant, 5-effects of percentage of solids, 6-development of a viscosity factor to be used in the overall calculations, 7-calculation of the lower limits of pipeline velocities permissible, 8-calculation of total head, pump horsepower, and 9-setting up of pump specifications. In certain limited cases horsepower and total heads and minimum velocities may be computed and a suitable pump selected from basic data, but in many cases, as in mining of Florida pebble, phosphate, experience rather than a hydraulic formula still should be used as a basis of selection. Pumping Florida Pebble Matrix Pumping at the Noralyn mine of International Minerals and Chemical Corp. will be used as an example. Other areas will vary as to the characteristics of the matrix, especially the slime content. A typical screen analysis of this matrix is: +14 mesh, pebble size,* 2.1 pct; -14 +35 mesh, 11.4 pct; -35 +150 mesh, 60.5 pct; -150 mesh, 25.0; total, 100 pct; moisture in bank, 20.0 pct; weight per cu ft in bank, 120 lb. The -150 mesh fraction may increase to as much as 35 pct in adjacent areas. When thoroughly elutriated, the matrix has a relatively slow settling rate, which is an important factor in permitting lower pipeline velocities without choke-ups. Exact data is not available to evaluate settling rates. For a factor of 100 a suspension of clean building sand in water is suggested. When pumping long distances, a quick settling matrix allows the coarser solids to settle out along the bottom of the pipeline, causing drag, turbulence, and increased friction. With a slow settling matrix as at Noralyn, turbulence acts to keep the solids in suspension at a lower friction head, regardless of the pumping distance. When the pebble, content of the matrix, i.e., the +14 mesh fraction, is in excess of 10 pct of the total solids, trouble may be expected from settling out even in normal pumping distances. To prevent choke-ups and maintain tonnage, an additional pump must be added in the long runs, where one pump would otherwise be satisfactory. A typical pulp handled is: total volume, 7800 gpm; water, 4500; solids pumped per hr, 4200 lb; sp gr pulp, 1.4; percent solids in pulp, 46.; pipe size, 16-in. ID; pulp velocity, 12.85 fps; probable critical velocity, 10 fps, as below this minimum -velocity choke-ups would be numerous. In calculating friction heads the Armco handbook is used where a roughness factor based on 15-year-old pipe is set up. Because the pipe used in pumping matrix is, smooth and- polished because of the scouring, action of the phosphate and its silica content, the head losses in the Armco table for water are practically the same as in pumping the Noralyn matrix through smooth pipe, plus the fact that conditions vary widely over short periods, making accurate determinations difficult to obtain. New pumps and pump, changes are being tested continuously and a wealth of data built up. This has resulted in a substantial improvement and lower relative costs in pumping matrix. The Florida phosphate industry is constantly seeking to offset higher wage and material costs with improved technique. Until a few years ago a 12-in. discharge pump was commonly used, with heads as low as 80 ft. Sizes have gradually increased and heads more than doubled. For example, the following pump was placed under test at the Noralyn mine: make, Georgia Iron Works; size, suction 16 in., discharge 14 in.; impeller, 39-in. diam; motor, 600 hp, slip ring; full load speed, 514 rpm. The results were increased head, higher capacity than the older design, with fewer pumps in the line from mine to washer.

Jan 1, 1952

By A. F. Frederickson

A MINERAL can best be defined as a phase,' where the term "phase" is described as a homogeneous,* physically distinct, and mechanically sep- arable portion of a system. If one phase develops from another, certain nuclei must first be available.2.394 The manner in which new material is added to these nuclei, and the subsequent structural and other characteristics of the phase, is often markedly influenced by factors other than its temperature, pressure, and gross compositional environment. Rates of growth, presence of impurities, the availability or lack of oxygen, the pH of the system, and percentage of completion of the often determine which modification will develop. Many transitional phases develop when a relatively insoluble precipitate is formed from solution. Different modifications are formed, depending on the speed and percentage of reacting solution added. Some of these "forms" are stable and do not "age" or transform into the so-called stable modifications. These modifications are difficult to treat in terms of equilibrium diagrams for the simple reason that these minerals do not represent an equilibrium situation described by only two (temperature and composition) or three terms (when pressure is considered). Many crystals exist as stable or meta- stable phases in nature in environments much different from those indicated by certain equilibrium diagrams. Cristobalite octahedra grow on zeolite needles in vugs, diaspore develops from a medium that does not appear to have been subjected to high pressures and temperatures, authigenic feld-

Jan 1, 1952

Plans for the fall meeting of the AIME, to be held in conjunction with the Centennial of Engineering -marking the 100th anniversary of the Society of Civil Engineers-indicate that the Chicago gathering will be one of the most significant in Institute history. Headquarters for the six divisions represented will be the Palmer House. Twenty technical sessions will be held from September 3 to 6, with papers of industry-wide impact to be presented. The papers will follow the theme of the celebration-a century of engineering progress. The MBD will start the ball rolling with morning and afternoon sessions Thursday, September 4. A luncheon also will be held. MBD has scheduled morning and afternoon sessions for the following day as well. MGGD, Iron and Steel, and the Coal Div., will hold sessions Friday afternoon. The Industrial Minerals Div. plans an executive meeting, 5 pm, Friday. Geology Subdivision is slated for morning and afternoon sessions Saturday. The Coal Div. will meet again Saturday morning.

Jan 1, 1952

MINERALS BENEFICIATION DIVISION Established as a Division February 16, 1948 E. H. Crabtree, Jr, Chairman Donald W. Scott, Associate Chairman S D. Michaelson, Regional Vice-Chairman Will Mitchell, Jr., Regional Vice-Chairman William B Stephenson, Secretary-Treasurer Allen-Sherman-Hoff Pump Co 259 Lancaster Avenue Wynnewood, Pa. Raymond E. Byler, Past Chairman

Jan 1, 1952