Search Documents

By R. M. Caitlin

QUITE a number of years ago in looking for basic facts, it seemed obvious, in view of an unquestion-able supply of raw material and an extensive requirement probable in the near future, that the funda-mental requirement of any shale-oil industry was mass production 'by a continuous process. This decision greatly simplified matters, as it eliminated all considera-tion of externally-heated retorts, and all batch processes, which only utilize a part of the capacity of the interior space because, unless the ashes are removed as rapidly as formed, the space occupied by them is dead, instead of being occupied either by shale in active distillation or in drying out and heating up preparatory thereto. A second imperative and basic necessity soon appeared as a natural sequence, namely, the fixed carbon of the spent shale must be utilized to supply the heat for the eduction of the oil. PRODUCTION OF THE CRUDE As the production of the crude oil is the first and most important step in the utilization of oil-shale, being the only source from which the multitude of possible by-products can come, each by a special treatment of the crude oil, I will devote the time allotted to me to the subject of crude oil production-its cost expressed in terms of tons treated per man per shift. The costs of mining the shale and refining the crude shale oil vary with local conditions and are not specially influenced by the source of the crude. But the cost of distilling the shale in terms of tons per man shift seems to be the basis of any proper comparison of costs. After considerable experimenting, ranging from laboratory tests up to and including quantities of fifteen to twenty tons, it was evident that a plant might be made up of an indefinite number of units operating in concert. The economic size of the units, however, would .have to be determined by experiment. The general theory of our process contemplates a regulated combus-tion of the fixed carbon in the spent shale, in its incan-descent condition after all the oil has been driven out of it; and a transfer of the resultant heat to the mass of raw shale above.

Jan 1, 1927

By M. Cepak, K. Donovan, W. G. Pariseau

This paper examines the difficulties of applying the finite element (FE) method of analysis to quantitative design of cable bolt systems. Cable bolt systems are in general use for ground control in VCR (Vertical Crater Retreat) topes throughout the world. However, despite their widespread use and importance, design of cable bolt systems is highly subjective. Two difficulties with the FE approach are examined: (i) the use of standard elements with a high aspect ratio (slender elements) to represent bolts, and (ii) the influence of cable bolts on hanging wall stability of a VCR study stope. Analysis results indicate that the use of slender elements for bolts is practical in large scale finite element analyses of VCR stopes. There are significant advantages in this approach to the engineering design of cable bolt systems in underground mining.

Jan 1, 1984

By L. A. Wright, H. L. McKinley

PINE Creek mine of Union Carbide Nuclear Co. is some 23 miles northwest of Bishop, Calif., in the Sierra Nevada Mts. Office and mill are 7800 ft above sea level, the 1500 level portal is at 9300 ft, the A level portal at 10,800 ft, and the 3050 portal at 11,500 ft. Original claims were located in 1916, and the mine worked intermittently until 1936, when it was purchased by Union Carbide Corp. Since then the property has been operated continuously, except for two brief periods when operations were suspended because of manpower shortages. Mine production through 1956 amounted to 2,792,425 dry tons of ore.

Jan 10, 1957

By N. P. Goss

ASTERISM appearing in X-ray Laue dia-grams is an extremely sensitive index of changes in the internal structures of indi-vidual grains of polycrystalline metals. It indicates the existence of various forms of subboundary structure or subdivision within the grain. The present viewpoint is that the grain is made up of lattice blocks having substantially the same size and shape.1-4 When these blocks all assume exactly the same orientation, the crystal is perfect and asterism is absent. Cleaves and Thompson5 observed that the hardness of iron is virtually constant over a range of grain sizes. It is quite possible that the subboundary structure caused this, and that the latter is just as important as grain size itself. While the experiments reported here are not con-clusive, they do support this viewpoint. Metals can, under certain conditions, be prepared entirely free from asterism, but this preparation does not necessarily require long heating or slow cooling, as will be shown here. In this paper a distinction is made be-tween mosaic and distorted grain struc-tures but the difference is only a matter of degree. In a previous paper9 it was shown that the grains can become distorted even during heat-treatment. The block structure exists inherently, even in a perfect crystal; the size and shape of these crystallites, or lattice blocks, varies, depending upon a number of factors. Goetz, for example,7 has shown that a metal before crystallizing from the molten state must go through a paracrystalline phase with oriented groups of atoms about 10-14 to 10-15 c.c., or 10-5 cm. in size.

Jan 1, 1940

By G. H. Wilson

INTRODUCED in 1946 to serve a need in power- plant operation, closed-circuit TV has been used by well over 200 organizations in approximately 25 different industries. Known as industrial television, or simply ITV, it can be described as a private system wherein the television signal is restricted in distribution, usually by confinement within co-axial cable that directly connects the TV camera to one or several monitors, Figs. 1, 2. The picture is continuous and transmission is instantaneous, permit- ting an observer to see an operation that may be too distant, too inaccessible, or too dangerous to be viewed directly. Destructive testing or the machining of high explosives can now be conducted hundreds of feet away by personnel who still have close control through the eyes of the TV camera. It is also possible for one man to control operations formerly requiring the co-ordinated efforts of several workers. For example, at a large midwestern cement plant conveyance of limestone from primary crusher to raw mill and loading into five storage bins once necessitated the work of two men, one having little to do but prevent spilling of material by manually moving the tripper on the belt conveyor as occasion required. TV cameras mounted on the tripper now provide bin level indication to the conveyor operator at the crusher position so he is able to control the entire loading operation remotely, Fig. 3. By means of a switch, the picture from either camera is alternately available on a single viewer, or monitor, Fig. 4. Each camera is mounted on the tripper by means of a simple adjustable support and looks down into the bin, which is identified by the number of cross members on the vertical rod. Each associated power unit is located on a platform above the camera, Fig. 5. This centralized control by means of TV often has produced superior results, and in many instancés saving in operating costs has been sufficient to write off equipment costs within six months to a year.

Jan 7, 1954

By Gerhard Derge

THE extension of metallurgical control of steelmaking processes has always made it desirable to have some quick method for determining the oxygen content of molten steel. To meet the practical demands of the steel industry, this method must also be simple enough so that the sampling can be done by the regular furnace crew. This requirement was kept in mind continually in the work to be described. An oxygen value is required for proper control, whether it be of a rimming steel or of a fully killed steel. However, two factors have discouraged the development of such direct methods: I. The reaction C + FeO -+ Fe + CO is rapid enough to make the correct sampling of the bath a difficult problem. The most generally accepted means of circumventing this difficulty have been the aluminum-killed bomb test of McCutcheon and Rautio1 and the aluminum-killed spoon test of Herty.2 The theory of these tests is that all of the oxygen in the iron is converted to A1203, which can then be determined by chemical methods. Even when simplified so that the analysis is made by a measurement of turbidity, this method is too slow to be used in routine control. Furthermore, the results obtained have never been entirely satisfactory, and some of the reasons for this will be discussed later in this paper. 2. The ordinary chemical methods of analysis for oxygen in steel are not reliable. The only analysis that seems to possess sufficient dependability to be of value is vacuum fusion,3 and the apparatus and technique developed for this have been too complex and slow for routine work. INDIRECT METHODS Indirect methods of estimating the oxygen have been resorted to in mill practice. Generally these depend upon the chemical equilibria involved. The oxygen in the bath is related to other components in the slag or metal that can be analyzed more readily. These methods have many difficulties in common. Steelmaking processes involve a complicated set of interrelated reactions, all of which tend to approach equilibrium at varying rates. The degree to which any particular equilibrium is approached, is not , well established. Moreover, a proper use of theoretical equilibrium constants requires a more extensive knowledge of the activities of the reactants than we now have. This is well illustrated by the irregularities observed when trying to determine the oxygen in the metal by its ratio to the iron oxide in the slag. Equilibrium relations may be used more readily if they are evaluated by plant experience, but the extent of approach to equilibrium remains an undetermined variable and lack of an entirely satisfactory means of determining oxygen for the calibration is felt keenly. For example, the statistical analysis of the relation between carbon and oxygen4 5 illustrates that even in a single plant wide variations exist under normal conditions of operation. Nevertheless, this is one of the best methods now

Jan 1, 1943

By Sidney G. Parker, Jack E. Pinnell

Cubic ZnSe crystals have been grown with HCl, HBr, and I, as chemical transport reagents. The growth of large, well faceted crystals is in the order HCl < HBr < I, with some produced by I, transport being 1 cm on an edge. ZnSe:I crystals showed no strain in cross polarized light and were homogeneous as determined by electron microprobe. These ZnSe:I crystals had a mobility at 25°C of about 300 sq cm per v-sec and contained 103 dislocations per sq cm; further, these crystals were pure cubic and showed both photolumi-nescence and photo conductance. Doping was attempted during crystal growth. ZnS and Zn (S,Se) crystals were also grown by I, transport. ZnSe crystals have been grown by most of the common techniques.1"6 Of these, chemical vapor transport as developed by Kaldis2 showed promise of producing high perfection, cubic ZnSe. With chemical transport, crystals can be grown far below the transition temperature for conversion of cubic to hexagonal structure. A small temperature gradient between source and growth region tends to allow near equilibrium growth, which should lead to good crystalline perfection. Because it is necessary to form volatile compounds, halogens or their compounds are extensively used as transport agents. HCl, HBr, and I, were compared as transport agents for growth of ZnSe crystals. Doping during crystal growth was attempted. ZnS and ZnSxSe1-x crystals were also grown by chemical transport. Electrical and optical properties of the crystals were examined. EXPERIMENTAL Fig. 1 is a sketch of the growth apparatus, which was a modification of Kaldis&apos;. A quartz rod which butted against the seed crystal served as a heat sink to promote growth only on the seed. Initially, crystal growth was attempted with ZnSe prepared by wet chemical methods. Because such a material contained oxides and selenates, HC1 reacted with these oxygen compounds to form H2O and no ZnSe transport occurred. Further, this ZnSe contained about 10 ppm Cu plus other impurities. High purity ZnSe, containing small amounts or no oxygen compounds, was prepared by reaction of H2Se with zinc vapors at 600° to 800°C in an atmosphere of palladium diffused H2.7 The ZnSe thus produced was usually copper free and contained only 1 ppm by weight of magnesium as determined by emission spectrographic analysis. G.E.&apos;s electronic grade ZnS, which had about 10 ppm metallic impurities, was used without further treatment. ZnS-ZnSe charges were prepared by mixing the two compounds together, then sintering 24 hr at 1100°C in an H2S ambient. The gases, HBr and HC1, were commercial grade, of 99.9 pct purity, while the I2 was 99.999 pct pure. The single crystal seeds with (111) faces for growth were mechanically held in place by sealing the outer quartz tube to the growth tube. After the charge was introduced, the system was outgassed at l0-5 torr while heated to 500°C. The desired quantities of transport reagents were then sealed off in the system, which had been cooled to 25°C. The growth tubes were inserted into a furnace with the desired temperature and thermal gradient. The system was allowed to cool for 1 to 12 hr from growth temperatures of about 850" to 25°C. The tubes remained stationary during crystal growth. HCl CHEMICAL TRANSPORT GROWTH Preliminary runs with HC1 had a temperature gradient of 100° to 200°C and no seed or heat sink. Only small crystals were obtained in these experiments as

Jan 1, 1970

By H. R. Aldrich

This paper presents some of the results obtained during the field season of 1919 while mapping, in detail, the stratigraphy of the Gogebic Range in Wisconsin. The detailed stratigraphic section for the range was first published, in 1919, by W. 0. Hotchkiss,1 State Gcologist of Wisconsin. The idea of the continuity of the definite succession thus established was the result of underground work in the productive part of the range in Michigan and Wisconsin, where most of the required data also were obtained. The bulk of the range in Wisconsin is heavily covered by drift; in fact, there is but one satisfactorily exposed section across the entire formation, few partial sections, and only scanty outcrops of any size. Evidently mapping of the detailed members of the formation could only be established at a few points; and if from these small areas the .unexposed portions were to be mapped by projection, the only apparent method for projection was straight-line interpolation modified or supported by data from the scanty outcrops and from test workings. It was found that by tracing a magnetic line, the position of which in the formation may be determined from test pits and outcrops, the projection of that member through the drift-covered areas can be accomplished. The magnetic line serves as a datum horizon within the formation to which reference may be made in correlating outcrops and ledge matter thrown from test workings. The foot wall is easily located also, and from the two datum horizons thus available and the known proportional thickness of the several members in the type sections, outcrops and artificially exposed ledges can be correlated by lithological characteristics. As a result, the tracing of magnetic lines became the basis of our work on the stratigraphy and we were able to carry the mapping of detailed members throughout the length of the range. It was found that the magnetic horizon at the base of the Tyler slate was most easily followed by the dip needle; that discontinuity caused by cross-faulting could be established; that folding along the strike could be detected in a repetition

Jan 1, 1922

By Howard Hughes

IN drilling for water and oil to reasonable depths through the generally soft yielding clay and sand formation of the Coastal Plain of Texas, . Louisiana, and Mississippi, the rotating method of drilling was adopted, principally on account of the easy and quick penetration, and the low cost of the drilling plant. In favorable ground, free of heavy gravel and rock strata, as much as 1,000 ft. has been drilled in less than 36 hr., although such performances were of course rare. Hydraulic rotary drilling, or, as it is now called, rotary drilling, was used in the above States as early as 1880. The plant consisted of an ordinary derrick, a 25-h.p. boiler, a small hoist, a steam pump, and a water swivel with hose attachment, and an ordinary flat diamond-pointed bit. The successful drilling in of a phenomenal oil well by this process on Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas, on Jan. 10, 1901, and the ascertained impracticability of drilling subsequent wells in the same locality by other methods (owing principally to heavy quicksand under pressure from below), brought rotary drilling into great prominence, practically to the exclusion of any other process throughout the Coastal Plain, and later on elsewhere. The method, as its name implies, involves the rotation of a pipe by means of machinery placed on the derrick floor. A drill bit attached to the lower end cuts a clearance for the drill pipe, with much the same motion and effect as an auger. Water forced through the drill pipe by means of a pump, and escaping through the bit, removes the cuttings and returns to the surface outside the drill pipe. In this manner the hole is kept open, permitting the drill stem to rotate freely. The pressure of the column of muddy water holds up the walls of the hole until it has been cased. Practically all the wells of the Gulf coast region, numbering nearly 10,000, have been drilled with this system. During the last five years its use has been extended to many other States and countries.

Jan 3, 1915

By C. E. Lawall, C. T. Holland

When this study was started very little information was available regarding the physical characteristics of West Virginia coals. This was particularly true of friability and of crushing strengths of the coals. Some work had been done on specific gravity studies but the available information applied to only a few coals. In practically all coal-classification systems thus far proposed, the predominating factors of classifications are largely based on the chemical characteristics of the coal. Recently some investigators have pointed out that a classification based on chemical and physical properties of coal might serve to place coals in their proper group better than classification systems based on chemical properties alone. One of the aims of this study was to obtain some data on the physical properties of coal which might help to classify West Virginia coals. The Samples Fig. I shows where the coal samples were obtained and the approximate division line of the high and low-volatile coal fields of the state. The relative geological horizons of the coal beds tested are shown in Fig. 2. In securing samples of coal for friability and specific gravity tests, it was the aim always to obtain a representative sample of lump coal produced at a particular mine. The samples were obtained from the loading boom, the railroad car, or the mine cars. Wherever it was possible to secure samples from a loading boom they were taken from it by taking shovelfuls of coal from the loading boom every minute until about 200 lb. of coal was obtained. If there were no loading booms used at the mines sampled, the coal sample was taken from a loaded railroad car by systematically taking shovelfuls of coal at definite intervals over the whole top of the car until about 200 Ib. of coal was obtained.

Jan 1, 1932

By Charles R. Cavanaugh, John F. Elliott

The activity of nickel in liquid Pb-iVi alloys which are rich in lead was measured in the temperature region of 700° to 1100°C by means of the galvanic cell: The electrolyte used was stabilized zirconia. Tlze data were correlated using the a function, and a plot of the temperature coefficient aE/aT All subsequent calculations of the thermodynamic properties are based on these two functions. The activity, activity coefficient, and molar properties of mixing of nickel are reported. Nicke1 shows extreme positive deviations frorn ideality while lead shows a very slight positive deviation in the composition range studied The study of the activity of nickel in liquid Pb-Ni alloys reported herein was undertaken to explore the use of stabilized zirconia, an oxygen-ion electrolyte, with liquid-metal electrodes, and to obtain further information on the thermodynamic properties of the liquid binary Pb-Ni system. The cell The reversible electromotive force of the cell results from the difference in the chemical potential of the oxygen at the two electrodes: po, (left) - p~ (right) = -4E5 [I] The chemical potential of oxygen on the right is fixed by the activity of nickel in the solution and pure solid nickel oxide. That on the left is set by pure solid nickel in equilibrium with pure solid NiO. By definition: Since the chemical potential of nickel is related to the chemical potential of oxygen through the equilibrium constant for the formation of NiO from nickel and oxygen gas, the electromotive force of the cell is also expressed In this case, n is 2, E is the reversible potential of the cell, and 5 is Faraday&apos;s constant. The work of Kuikkola and wagnerl and Schmalz-reid2 has shown that the stabilized zirconia electrolyte is essentially an ionic conductor at the oxygen levels encountered in the experimental arrangement of the work, i .e., PG > 10-l7 atm. THE EXPERIMENTS The advantage of this type of reversible cell over those using a liquid electrolyte is the simplicity arising because the electrolyte also functions as one of the containing crucibles. A further simplification was the choice of the Ni (sat.)-NiO electrode as the standard. This permitted a ready check on the behavior of the electrolyte, as the potential of the cell must become zero when the right electrode becomes saturated with nickel, either because of a change of temperature or because of the addition of nickel to the electrode. It also permitted the potentials being measured to lie in the most satisfactory experimental range of 0 to 100 mv. Although it was not theoretically necessary, lead was included in the standard electrode as it assured good contact between the electrode and electrolyte. Cell Design. The general arrangement of the experimental cell assembly is shown in Fig. l(a) and the details of the cell itself are contained in Fig. l(b). The anode lead wire on the interior of the cell was connected to a coil of perforated sheet nickel. Within this coil were nickel oxide pellets which were held beneath the surface of the liquid Pb-Ni alloy. A disc of nickel oxide was held at the bottom of the external crucible (alumina) by means of the thermocouple protection tube. The nickel oxide disc and pellets were compressed dry at 10,000 psi and sintered at approximately 1000°C for an hour in air. A major experimental difficulty of reversible electromotive force cells with liquid electrodes is the selection of suitable materials for connecting

Jan 1, 1964

By Robert Bell

The Tar-Sands" is the name which has been given to the extensive horizontal deposit of fine Cretaceous sand, blackened by tarry petroleum, which forms the banks of the last or lowest 130 miles of&apos; the Athabasca river before it terminates in Athabasca lake. The Cretaceous strata, to which these sands belong, extend northwesterly from Dakota all the way to this lake and for 500 miles beyond it. The Athabasca river forms the uppermost section of the Athabasca-Mackenzie, one of the great rivers of the world. It rises on the Pacific side of the Rocky mountains, westward of Edmonton, and flows north of east to a point called Atha-basca Landing, 100 miles north of Edmonton, where it turns northward and runs about 280 miles before it falls into the west end of Athabasca lake. The section of this river-system which discharges the lake just named into Great Slave lake, is called Slave river, and below the latter lake it becomes the Mackenzie river. Along the section of 280 miles of the Athabasca river above mentioned, the Cretaceous strata consist of bluish-gray and drab-gray marls, on top, from Athabasca Landing to Drowned rapid, 110 miles down stream; then heavily bedded gray sandstones, 225 ft. in greatest thickness, underlying these, form the banks for about 40 miles further. The strata appear to be horizontal, but they really dip very slightly to the southward. At Drowned rapid, we see the first of the tar-sands resting on almost horizontal beds of bluish-gray limestone of Devonian age. In some places the limestone is associated with shaly or marly bands. Notwithstanding the great hiatus between the two series, the horizontal tar-sands lie conformably upon the almost level upper beds of the limestone wherever the two formations are seen together, all along the river, throughout a

Jan 1, 1908

By I. E. Campbell, R. I. Jaffe

Oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen are known to be absorbed by titanium at elevated temperatures. Ehrlichl reports that about 30 at. pct oxygen can be dissolved in solid solution by alpha-titanium. Nitrogen also has a solid solubility in alpha-titanium, but there is no information as to its extent. The solid solubility of hydrogen in titanium also is high. Kirshfeld and Sieverts2 report 50 at. pct soluble, while Hägg3 reports about 33 at. pct hydrogen to be soluble in alpha-titanium. General statements are made in the literature that oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen embrittle titanium, but no quantitative measurements have been made of the effect of these gases on the mechanical properties of the metal. One reason for this is the lack of a source of titanium pure enough to be considered a suitable starting material. Iodide-refined titanium, made by thermal decomposition of titanium iodide vapor on an incandescent wire,4 contains small amounts of carbon, silicon, iron, and aluminum, but is very low in oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen content, and, therefore, was used in this work. A further reason for the lack of quantitative information on the effect of these gases, particularly oxygen, is the difficulty of carrying out accurate analytical determinations at the low concentrations of interest in this work. For this reason, the oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen were added in measured amounts as gases, and diffused into the titanium, to avoid the necessity of chemical analysis. The purpose of the work reported here was to isolate and measure the effects of oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen on titanium of the highest purity available at the time. The concentrations studied were 0.25, 0.5, and 1 at. pct in each case. Experimental Work One-half of a 24-in. hairpin of iodide-refined titanium was available for this work. The rod was approximately 0.25-in. in diam and had a 0.003-in.tung sten core. From chemical and spectro-graphic analyses, the purity of the sample was estimated to be between 99.80 and 99.95 wt pct. The chief impurities (aside from the tungsten core) were iron (0.04 pct), silicon (0.01-0.1 pct), aluminum (0.05 pct), carbon (0.03 pct). The tungsten core constituted 0.05 pct by weight of the sample. Although some alloying undoubtedly took place between the tungsten and the titanium during the deposition reaction, the core remained substantially intact in the deposited metal. The initial average hardness of the titanium as deposited was 105 Vickers (10-kg load). The maximum hardness was 116 Vickers and the minimum 91 Vickers. The metal was somewhat harder than that currently being obtained by the iodide process, that is, 75-90 Vickers. The rod was cold swaged to ¼-in. diam and then cold rolled in diamond shaped rolls to about 0.080-in. square, using reductions of 15 pct in area per pass. The 0.080-in.-square wire was cut into 6-in. lengths for the preparation of the alloys by the gaseous absorption and diffusion method. ADDITION OF OXYGEN, NITROGEN, AND HYDROGEN TO TITANIUM A modified Sieverts&apos; absorption apparatus, shown in Fig 1, was used in

Jan 1, 1950

By Arnlf Muan, Bert Phillips

The quenching technique has been used for- a study of phase velntiorzs within the composition triangle 2CaO.Fe2O3-FeO.Fe2O3 Fe2O3 of the system Ca-Fe-O. Desired total compositions of sanzples were attained by weighing of starting materials in required proportions and keeping them in sealed 80 pct Pt 20 pct Rh tubes during equilibration .runs. The liquidus surface has been delineated. the existence of two ternary compounds has been established, and seven ternary inwariant situations have been determined. ONE unit within the research program on refractory oxides in progress in our laboratories is the study of phase relations in the system Ca-Fe-Si-O. The present paper deals with the ternary system 2CaOFe2O3-FeO.Fe2O3-Fe2O3, which is only a small part of the enormously complex quaternary system. Many of the phases occurring in iron ore sinter products have compositions which can be closely approximated within this ternary system, and a knowledge of stability relations existing among these phases may be expected to be a useful guide for improving sintering operations. Two fundamentally different experimental approach es are commonly used in studies of systems containing iron oxides, both permitting control of the oxidation state of Fe. One method consists in keeping constant the oxygen partial pressure of the gas phase in equilibrium with condensed phases (liquid and crystalline). In the other method, which is the one used in the present investigation, the total composition of condensed phases is kept essentially constant by keeping the samples in a gas-tight container. The details of this experimental procedure will be described in a later section. PREVIOUS WORK Extensive studies of phase relations in the bounding binary system FeOFe2O3-Fe2O3 have been reported by Greig, Posnjak, Merwin, and Sosman,&apos; by Darken and Gurry,2, 3 and recently by Phillips and Muan.4 A diagram summarizing the results of these studies is shown in Fig. 1. Particular attention is

Jan 1, 1961

By W. H. Craigue

The scope of this article covers only the mathematical principles involved in discounting to present worth future expected profits and it is believed answers definitely two questions, which were raised at a recent meeting of the Committee on Methods of Valuing Coal Properties, as follows: 1. The accumulative effect of carrying charges on the value of coal mines showing definitely the number of years beyond which the coal may not be mined at a profit and subsequent to which the possession of any unmined coal will be a liability rather than an asset. 2. The effect on the valuation of coal mines, in the presence of the carrying charges described in question 1, of an increase in plant capacity and production. In general, in considering these questions, it may be stated that the consideration of an increase in plant capacity and production follows as a matter of course after a determination has been made of the year beyond which no profits are to be realized (giving the carrying charges accumulative effect, or in other words capitalizing the carrying charges, as shown hereinafter). For example, if it is determined that any coal that is unmined after 45 years will have no value or less than no value, the question immediately arises as to whether or not a plant should be constructed that would result in a yearly production great enough to extract the entire tonnage in a time less than 45 years, and if so the number of years less than 45 years that would, from a financial standpoint, be the most desirable, all under the assumption that the market for the product or the transportation facilities are such that the yearly production can be increased to the desired amount. Specifically, the carrying charge is considered herein as yearly expense, such as state or local taxes, which are assessed each year against the total tonnage remaining in the ground (or the total coal acreage remaining) at the beginning of the year, at a fixed rate per ton (or a fixed rate per acre) OF a fixed percentage of the assessed value, in the latter case it being necessary to convert such percentage into a rate per

Jan 1, 1934

By Wheeler Davey

WHEN metals are subjected to mechanical working, such as rolling, one of the phenomena that take place is a movement of the crystals of the metal into a system or systems of orientation which bear an angular relation to the direction of working. In rolled metal the crystals may orient themselves with respect to the rolling plane or the rolling direction, or both. Direct evidence of the existence of preferred orientations in rolled metal has been obtained by numerous investigators from X-ray patterns of the rolled metal. Most of these workers used a monochromatic pinhole method. Where the degree of preference for a single orientation is high the monochromatic pinhole pattern may be interpreted by a geometrical calculation based on the angular relationships of the planes in the crystal and the diffraction arcs on the X-ray pattern. This process may be aided by the geometrical construction of the locus sphere (Langenkugel), and reflection circles of Polanyi,1 Polanyi and Weissenberg,2 and Mark and Weissenberg,3 and of the plane polar figures (flachenpolfigur) of Franz Wever.4 R. M. Bozorth5 solves X-ray patterns from metals having a single preferred orientation by means of a series of charts which when placed over the X-ray pattern give directly certain angular relationships, between the crystal planes and the surface of the specimen.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. W. Waterfill

MANY existing ore deposits of valuable metals have been worked out in their upper surface levels and the continued productivity of these mines is dependent on their extension to greater depths in the earth. The maximum depths at present reached are about 6000 to 8000 ft. below the surface, with no evidence of an impoverished ore vein. These mines are widely distributed; some of the best known are in South Africa, Brazil, India and in the western sections of the United States. Among the factors which increase the difficulty of working these mines at increasing depths are hoisting, rock pressure and temperature. The manner and effectiveness with which these problems are met will, no doubt, determine in a large measure the ultimate depths to which any mine can be profitably worked. The most critical of these three factors at present is the increase in temperature with depth. The high temperature and humidity in many of these mines at present is severely detrimental to the health of the workers and greatly hampers their efficiency. Some have almost reached a condition in which the human system cannot survive. The problems involved in the cooling and ventilation of mines have all been ably analyzed and presented in previous articles. For this reason, only a resume of conditions affecting the cooling and conditioning of deep and hot mines will be given in this paper before attention is directed to possible methods of improving atmospheric conditions in the working levels.

Jan 1, 1929

By Robert E. Cuthbertson

IT is the purpose of this paper to describe in detail the laboratory development and mill application of an unusual combination of flotation reagents employed in the concentrator of the Climax Molybdenum Co., on the Continental Divide, near Leadville, Lake County, Colorado. This development originated in an ore-dressing research laboratory maintained by Climax at the experimental plant of the Colorado School of Mines, which is staffed by men directly employed by the Climax Molybdenum Co. Mill-scale testing of laboratory developments was supervised by a representative from the testing laboratory, working in close cooperation with the operating staff at the mill. General milling practice at Climax is ably described in a paper by E. J. Duggan,1 mill superintendent. Other aspects of the Climax project have been described in papers by W. J. Coulter,2 by Butler, Vanderwilt and Henderson3 by Allen Kissock,4 and by Leo H. Glanville.5 Consequently, this paper will be confined to the metallurgical aspects of recent reagent developments, avoiding, as much as possible, repetition of material covered in these earlier publications. BRIEF HISTORY OF REAGENT PRACTICE AT CLIMAX Prior to the year 1937, the only reagents employed at Climax for froth production and collecting action in the flotation of molybdenite were steam-distilled or destructively distilled pine oils. The only exceptions to this practice were brief periods of mill testing, when reagents of various types were tried on an experimental basis. None of these experimental runs was sufficiently encouraging to justify its continuation as regular practice. Sodium, cyanide has been employed since the very early days of milling at Climax as an inhibiting agent for control of pyrite and chalcopyrite. Alkaline reagents such as lime or soda ash have been used in recent years to minimize the detrimental effect of iron salts on flotation of molybdenite. The presence of these harmful salts is attributed to the decomposition of fine metallics abraded from liners and balls in the first stage of regrinding rougher concentrate. Flint pebbles are used in subsequent regrinding, since alkaline reagents are not entirely adequate to offset the inhibiting effect of iron salts as the grind becomes progressively finer and the grade of concentrate progressively higher. Climax metallurgists were familiar at an early date with the use of petroleum products such as kerosene and gas oil as promoters of flotation of molybdenite. Charles C. Oliver6 discussed the use of pine oil and kerosene as early as 1920, in connection with the milling practice at Dominion Molybdenite Co., Quebec. Never theless, the early attempts to apply this knowledge in the Climax concentrator were complete failures. In the light of recent experience, it may seem strange that the early mill tests with petroleum

Jan 1, 1944

By Ralph J. Schilthuis, William Hurst

The nature of the forces that are important in producing the oil in the East Texas field and the manner in which these forces are affected by the rate of production have always been problems of outstanding interest. These questions are of great interest to the industry as a whole on account of the economic importance of the East Texas field and to the engineers in particular on account of the unique character and behavior of the field. Subsurface pressure data throughout the field have been collected systematically, so that a quite complete history of the reservoir pressures has been kept as the field has been developed and produced. Subsurface samples of the oil and gas have been taken and these have been examined to obtain data on the physical properties of the reservoir fluids under the actual conditions of temperature and pressure. All of these data have been valuable because they have afforded the basis for a careful study of the means by which the oil is produced. It is the purpose of this discussion first to point out several of the important facts revealed by the data mentioned and then to describe studies that have been made concerning the interpretation of these facts. Reservoir Pressure Data and Properties of Oil The reservoir pressure data on the East Texas field have shown conclusively that the pressures are readily affected by changes in the rate at which the field is produced. This can well be seen in Fig. 1, where the average reservoir pressures obtained from time to time are plotted with the daily production rates and the cumulative production of the field. It is noted that the average reservoir pressure has declined irregularly, depending upon the rate of production, from the estimated original value of 1625 Ib. per sq. in. to the value of 1228 lb. per sq. in. observed for Aug. 11,1934. The decline in pressure has been more rapid at the higher rates of production than at the lower rates. In contrast, the average reservoir pressure has increased, on several occasions, upon reduction of the withdrawal rate from a high value to a lower value. The reservoir pressure data have also shown that a definite gradient in pressure has existed across the field from west to east since the begin-

Jan 1, 1935

INTRODUCTION In the preceding chapters we have discussed the various elements of mineral economic analysis, their interrelationships, and the most accepted and advanced techniques by which these elements are manipulated to provide the decision maker quantitative measurements for judging alternate investment opportunities. Regardless of how carefully the economic evaluation is made, and how comprehensive the study of economic parameters has been, uncertainty still remains a significant factor in the outcome of the analysis. The investor or money manager is acutely aware of the uncertainty factor. Many of the economic parameters are functions of economic forecasts and value estimates that can- not be known with any degree of certainty. The postulated DCF-ROR is based upon certain estimates representing "best guess" values, and a single point parameter DCF-ROR analysis represents a combination of "best guesses." The wise decision maker looks at such an analysis and asks the "what if" questions. What if the production cost is 10% higher than the estimate? What if there is an overrun in construction costs? What if the mineral price falls lower than expected? What will be the effect of a higher royalty rate? Many more such questions may arise in trying to assess the total risk involved in funding a mineral project. Prior to the advent of the computer it was difficult to answer all such anticipated questions because of the many laborious calculations involved. Now, with the aid of the computer, most of these questions can be answered by the analyst at the same time the original computations are made by using the process of sensitivity analysis. Sensitivity analysis shows the effect of critical parameter changes upon the DCF-ROR or other profitability measure. When probability of occurrence can be associated with the various parameter value levels, sensitivity analysis becomes probabilistic analysis, and the risk factor can be quantitized in terms of total probability. SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS The determination of the sensitivity of the profitability index (usually the DCF-ROR) to changes in the various economic parameters, taking them one at a time, is called sensitivity analysis. The analysis may be performed for any number of parameters involved in the DCF-ROR computation. Generally, in mineral evaluations the most sensitive and most tested parameters are: the metal or mineral price, the operating cost, the annual production grade, and the initial capital invest-

Jan 1, 1980