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By William Reisz

Many different types of drills coming in a wide range of sizes and configurations are used in the blasting industry today. While each system may have its own unique attributes and capabilities, it may hold its own perils as well. This article will focus primarily on hazards that are mutual to most every type of drilling system.

Jan 1, 2013

By Chris Castle

Following the recent award of a prospecting license by the New Zealand Government, Widespread Energy Ltd. (Widespread) is focused on the acceleration of its exploration program in order to bring a potential phosphorite deposit to market in the near future. Rock phosphate is the primary constituent of most fertilizers that are manufactured and distributed in New Zealand. Field trials in the 1980s demonstrated that direct application of rock phosphate can result in a more effective fertilizer (than super-phosphate) with less environmental damage from run-off. At present virtually all of the rock phosphate used by the New Zealand fertilizer industry (approximately 1 million tonnes a year) is imported from Morocco. In recent years price increases of up to 12 fold (peak of $500/t) with massive increases in freight costs have bought to the forefront the economic opportunity to in part replace foreign imports with a local source of phosphate. The Chatham Rise phosphate deposits are relatively well understood, having being discovered during the 1950?s and it is estimated that approximately 100 years supply (at current requirements) is present at shallow depths. An estimated 100 million tonnes of rock phosphate is present within the license area based on previous private and publicly funded research. Widespread has engaged several parties to assist in the exploration planning to confirm the resource potential. Widespread has commenced investigating the feasibility of recovering the phosphorite nodules off the sea floor, and presently has several conceptual technical solutions under consideration and will advance the discussions with potential contractors during the exploration phases. Widespread is acutely aware of its responsibilities to conduct both the exploration program and extraction of the rock phosphate, in a manner that causes minimal disruption to the marine environment. To this end, the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) ? a New Zealand Crown Research Institute has been engaged to assist in designing sampling and extraction methods that will minimize disruption to the seabed. All sampling and extraction activities are planned to be conducted with reference to the environmental guidelines published by the International Marine Minerals Society ?Code for Environmental Management of Marine Mining.? Widespread is conducting its project with a background of changing regimes to both the allocation and environmental management of its activities.

Jan 1, 2010

By John A. Vallomy

"The CONSTEEL Process introduces a new concept in electric steelmaking by continuously feeding-preheating-melting and refining ferrous scrap or direct reduced iron. The process uses the furnace off-gas and fuel to preheat the scrap in a specially designed preheater. Thermal incineration of the flue gas reduces the carbon monoxide level to the more stringent requirements. Hot water or steam production from heat of flue gas is optional. The tap-to-tap time is set to match the cycle of the caster. The steel is treated via ladle metallurgy. The environment inside and outside of the steelplant is improved by decreasing levels of noise and hazardous emissions. Energy consumption decreases and disturbance to the electric network is eliminated. A CONSTEEL prototype was tested at Nucor Steel, Darlington, SC. A greenfield project is in the completion stage at the Florida Steel plant of Charlotte, NC, USA. The Process PhilosophyThe philosophy of the CONSTEEL Process is not solely to enhance efficiency; this was just a natural result of the change from a batch to a continuous practice. The primary objective in development was four-fold:1) 100% process control2) Rational use of available energy3) Improved environment inside and outside the plant4) Stability of energy input from the power systemIt was to make electric steelmaking more a science than an art and amenable to modern automation.The Basic Concept of CONSTEELThe concept of the process is shown in figure and includes basically a continuous feeding system, a preheater and a melting - refining furnace. A pre-established amount of heat is introduced into the scrap while traveling through the preheater using the sensible and chemical heat contained in the furnace off-gas and additional fuel. Melting-refining is carried out in the electric furnace. Slag formers, slag foaming additions and oxygen are injected to refine the melted steel continuously, to minimize the refractory erosion, to shield the arc, thus optimizing the transfer to the metal bath of the heat generated in the arc, to keep the bath homogeneous in composition and temperature and to produce carbon monoxide (CO) which is fuel for the preheater."

Jan 1, 1988

By L. R. Nelson

Cyprus Pima is a medium-sized open-pit copper mine located 35 km (22 miles) south of Tucson, AZ. The ore body was discovered using geophysical prospecting methods in 1953 and was originally worked as a small underground mine followed by small open-pit operations. As mining equipment grew larger and the economic ore grade dropped, the operation grew in size, through four expansions, to the present 50 500 tpd (56 500 stpd) milling rate. The remaining stripping ratio is about 2.5 to 1. Mining equipment includes 11 electric shovels ranging in size from 6 to 15 m3 (8 to 20 cu yd) and 42 diesel-electric haulage trucks ranging in size from 89 to 223 t (100 to 250 st). Mine planning is performed at Cyprus Pima to serve several functions. The most important is to plan ahead, one year at a time, to predict the ore grade and stripping requirements on a month-by-month schedule. This yearly plan is necessary for budget preparation and is revised once each quarter to incorporate variations in actual production experienced during the preceding quarter.

Jan 1, 1979

By L. L. McDaniel

ROLLER—As one who has been privileged to read Mr. Poland's paper before its publication, I wish to express high praise for it and the record which it gives of the work done by the Research and Development Department of Revere Copper and Brass Inc. in developing a satisfactory furnace for the recovery of metallic zinc from secondary metals by distillation. I have also had the opportunity of studying the operation of the furnace when running on scrap brass at the Detroit plant of Revere, and I can therefore say from knowledge gained first-hand that the unit is efficient and economical when used in conjunction with distillation. However, when I read what Mr. Poland has to say in reference to the possibility of using the furnace for melting copper cathodes for the production of oxygen-free and tough-pitch copper shapes, I am constrained to be somewhat skeptical. No doubt the furnace can readily be modified so as to make it possible to melt cathodes, but that is only a part of what is required to produce refinery shapes. Because of its construction the atmosphere in the furnace is highly reducing and even without protective gases such as nitrogen the copper cathodes which are

Jan 1, 1950

By D. Torrey

CONSIDERING the two great interests of to-day, in iron upon the one hand and steel upon the other, and recognizing with measurable distinctness the peculiar fitness of each for special services to which they are applied, the proposition to unite the two metals in combination, to bring into simultaneous use the peculiar advantages which each offers, has great attractions. The limited success which has been attained by trying to bring about such combinations of the two metals through the use of fluxes in welding, has led to the general adoption of the opinion that an effective union of the two metals is impracticable, or to the view that if practicable it would have but limited commercial value. Such opinions are, I think, premature and erroneous, and having gained some knowledge of the character and value of the "Wheeler process" for welding iron and steel without the use of fluxes, I submit the following observations and opinions of the matter for your information, with the hope of eliciting such a discussion of the subject as it may require. The principle of the invention is to bring the two metals simultaneously to a welding heat in one pile, and then to manipulate it.

Jan 1, 1879

By Basil Prescott

In the science of evolution of the species, there is a law which, simply stated, avers that the history of the individual repeats the history of the race. Similarly, if unassisted by the experience of others, each SUCcessful engineer would perfect and develop his methods and technique from the rough grab sample up to the carefully taken, recorded and studied samples and observations which now determine and decide the expenditure of the large sums required for modern mining. Hence real progress results from the interchange of experience, as in that way the entire experience of the profession can be made available to every engineer. The literature of this subject is already voluminous, but some progress has been made in the gathering of data and in their compilation or presentation. More Romance than Developed Ore in Limestone Deposits In certain types of deposits, methods little known 25 yews ago have been developed, perfected and standardized to a degree that lifts sampling from the field of manual labor to the plane of an applied science; for instance, the modern methods of estimating the so-called porphyry coppers. With some types of orebodies, we have become familiar, and sometimes on too easy speaking terms, with millions of tons of ore in reserve and tens of millions of dollars; while with others even these once marvelous figures sink into insignificance before the array of ciphers that are presented. .In such company, the average limestone replacement orebody is entirely out of place, for its reserves seldom reach a figure to arrest the attention of the modern engineer, and more often are insignificant. It is only when the records of the production of some of the older camps are studied, which show them to have continuously produced over very extended periods, that a realization is borne home that occasionally this type is worthy of consideration even in these days of gigantic tonnage.

Jan 1, 1925

By J. M. Pugliese

The Bureau of Mines, in support of its overall goal of helping to meet future U.S. demand for minerals, undertook this study to aid the quarry entrepreneur and/or operator in developing quarries near urban areas. In response to increased environmental concerns, the quarry operator often must take steps beyond those required in the last decade toward gaining permits for quarrying near metropolitan areas. Following the steps suggested in this report should increase the chances to obtain the permits to open and develop a quarry. Each task and question in the general plan flow diagrams are described in detail, with the flow diagrams aimed at the goal of acquiring the necessary permits. The appendixes include (1) types of projects for which Environmental Impact Statements (EIS's) may be prepared and Federal agencies responsible for preparing them, (2) State contacts for information regarding environmental impact assessment requirements and mining and mineral land reclamation laws, (3) a checklist of environmental inventory factors, (4) a tabulation of different regulations that affect mining in Michigan and the number of townships and counties that have each of the listed regulations, and (5) environmental logic associated with site selection. A central recommendation is that the quarry entrepreneur and/or operator coordinate plans at the beginning with local government officials (such as township supervisors and/or city and county planning board members), State and Federal officials, and public groups that will be affected.

Jan 1, 1979

By M Olsson, U Nyberg, K Widenberg, P Svedensten, F Ouchterlony

During 2007 and 2008, the project Optimal Fragmentation in Blasting II was conducted at the Långåsen quarry of NCC Roads AB near Arlanda. The main goals were:an evaluation of the effect of using electronic delay detonators (EDDs) in quarry blastinga validation of the design curve concept introduced at the Vändle quarry.Five production blasts were monitored. After a first trial round, the remaining four rounds each had about 100 Ø89 mm holes in a 14–19 m high bench charged with site mixed emulsions. In rounds 1 and 2, a tighter pattern than normal was used in one half of the rounds, raising the specific charge there from 0.7 to 1.0 kg/m3. Non-electric initiation was used with two holes per 25 ms delay in-row and 67 ms between rows. In rounds 3 and 4, electronic delay detonators were used instead, with 10 and 5 ms in-row delays respectively.The monitoring encompassed drill hole collaring and alignment, in-hole deviations, the rock structure in the bench faces from 3D imaging, first row burdens, etc. Eleven 400 t samples were taken from the muck piles and sorted in the quarry and sieved in the laboratory (lab). The lab data made up a fines tail that was grafted onto the in-pit sorting data to form sieving curves for the test piles. These curves were then compensated for the absence of boulders to construct the sieving curves for the blasted muck pile.These have been used to derive fragmentation model formulas for the non-electric rounds, also called design formulas. They are based on blast geometry, charging data and the properties of the rock mass. The formulas may be used to estimate the effect of changing blasthole pattern, borehole diameter and stemming length for example.The use of EDDs gave several unexpected results. In comparison with non-electric initiated rounds with a somewhat lower specific charge the fragmentation was much coarser; x50 increased from 160 to 200 mm. The effect of raising the specific charge in the non-electric initiated rounds from 0.72 to 0.99 kg/m3 was a much finer fragmentation; x50 decreased from 160 to 120 mm.CITATION:Ouchterlony, F, Nyberg, U, Olsson, M, Widenberg, K and Svedensten, P, 2015. Effects of specific charge and electronic delay detonators on fragmentation in an aggregate quarry – building fragmentation model design curves, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 727–740 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By Hiromu Kusakawa, Tetsuo Kanematsu

INTRODUCTION In urbanized area with heavy street traffic and with environmental requirements to lessen construction noise and vibration, the cut-and-cover is not always a feasible method to build a small diameter tunnel for sewage, water or other utilities. That is where the use of the shield machine to bore such a small diameter tunnel should be considered as a more acceptable alternative. Although the shield machine of this type should be small enough to meet specific requirements for a given tunnel, it should be big enough to provide some working space inside of the tunnel. Recently, we have successfully developed the fully mechanized small diameter tunneling method which enables us to bore a tunnel as small as 600mm in finished diameter. This paper discusses the concept of this newly developed method, including a case history where sewage tunnels of 800mm finished diameter were constructed by using this method. OUTLINE OF METHOD Developed from the original slurry shield pipe-jacking tunneling method, this method is highly automated so that all operations inside of the tunnel can be remotely controlled. Various data including the advance rate, position and inclination of the shield are transmitted to the central control room outside of the tunnel and monitored by the CCTV and the instrument panel at all times to

Jan 1, 1981

By Joseph A. DeCarlo

Coal is one of our basic sources of energy (heat, power, light) and an essential raw material for most metallurgical processing. More than two-thirds of the electricity currently produced by thermal powerplants in the United States is generated by coal, and it is expected that coal will continue to be the major fuel used for this application at least through the 1970's. Coke produced from bituminous coking coal is the principal fuel of iron blast furnaces, and unless ironmaking methods change greatly, coal will continue to maintain a dominant role in iron-ore processing and steel manufacturing for many years. Export markets are expected to increase also, adding to the overall increased demand for coal. Accompanying the increased total requirement, however, will be an ever-increasing demand for higher quality coals, specifically, coals of low sulfur content. Except for special-purpose coals such as those used for the production if coke and ceramics where impurities in the fuel contaminate the end product, the amount of sulfur in coal has been only a minor consideration in the selection of a particular coal for fuel. Major considerations, particularly for the coals used to generate electric power, have been availability and cost. An increased national concern for control of air pollution, however, particularly that resulting from the emission of sulfur oxides in stack gases to the atmosphere, has led to more rigid specifications on coal quality, and the sulfur content of coals will become increasingly more important in the future.

Jan 1, 1966

Ceremonies for the induction of five mining industry pioneers into the National Mining Hall of Fame will be on Sept. 12, 2009 at the Charles F. Barber Pavilion of the Museum Convention Center in Leadville, CO. The five inductees are: Paul A. Bailey, 82, Richard T. Moolick, 89, William Braden and Alonzo Pawling and Henry Harnischfeger. Paul A. Bailly was president of Bear Creek Mining Co., the U.S. exploration subsidiary of Kennecott Copper, from 1961 to 1967. In 1968, he joined Occidental Petroleum Corp. and was tasked with creating the company?s international mining division, Oxymin, which he led as president through 1983. During his distinguished career, Bailly participated in numerous significant mineral discoveries, developed a new exploration philosophy and made important additions to the mineral exploration literature. William Braden was the first to recognize the immense potential of the El Teniente orebody in Chile. He founded Braden Copper Co. and developed the El Teniente Mine which now, 100 years later, remains the world?s largest underground copper mine. Braden?s endeavor survives to-day as the El Teniente division of the Chilean state copper company, CODELCO. T. (Dick) Moolick established a lasting legacy in the mining industry, first during a 35 year career with Phelps Dodge Corp. and then as the driving force in establishing the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville. The Hall of Fame and Museum ? a monument to the memory of the men and women who pioneered the discovery and development of the United States? natural resources ? has become one of the fi nest museums in the western United States.

Jan 1, 2009

By Milne J. Schmid

A program has been conducted to determine the feasibility of providing a borehole liner for Kelly Bar drilled boreholes in Southern Florida. The concept was to drill the borehole with the Kelly Bar and with it still in the borehole insert a tube which would remain in the unstable ground after withdrawl of the bar. The tube then will provide an unobstructed borehole for the charging of explosives upon completion of the drilling the shot pattern.

Jan 1, 1977

By José Díaz Barrios

El proceso de la explotación minera de la veta Oroya Techo, perteneciente a la mina Casapalca, ha generado un desequilibrio del macizo rocoso, donde la energía que la roca de la caja, piso y techo (volcánicos de la formación Carlos Francisco) no pueden soportar mas allá del límite de su resistencia y deformabilidad natural, es liberada o “compensada” con el estrujamiento plástico de la veta Oroya Techo (estructura carbonatada). En ese sentido, el presente texto describe una manera de cuantificar dicha deformación a través del monitoreo de convergencias, donde se emplea un simple extensómetro de cinta manual y asímediante una análisis estadístico, seleccionar estaciones de convergencia por rangos de mediciones.

Sep 12, 2005

By J. H. Carpenter

LMENITE, rutile, zircon, and other heavy minerals are found in small amounts in the sand that covers most of Florida. Small enriched deposits occur on the beaches and coastal dunes. One beach deposit east of Jacksonville was worked during World War I and another near Vero Beach during World War 11. Both ceased operation when the resumption of imports reduced prices. Early in World War II reduction of rutile imports made a domestic source of the mineral necessary to maintain the expansion of armaments. Explorations made near Jacksonville discovered a relatively large body of low-grade ore about 10 miles inland from the beaches. A plant installed by Rutile Mining Co. of Florida using both flotation and tables encountered difficulties because of low plant capacity and organic slimes in the ore. In 1944 Humphreys Gold Corp. solved the problem of concentrating the low-grade ore by using the newly developed Humphreys spiral concentrator and by mining with a hydraulic dredge. This combination of low cost mining and concentration permitted the plant to continue operation in competition with foreign ores when imports were resumed following the war. The success of the Jacksonville operation renewed interest in Florida as a source of titanium. An extensive survey of the state was made by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc., under the direction of J. L. Gillson in 1945 to 1946. Sampling was carried on by drive pipe drilling to depths of 20 to 25 ft. Encouraging values were discovered near the location of the present Trail Ridge mine, 50 miles southwest of Jacksonville, near the town of Starke. The United States Bureau of Mines was interested in exploring for heavy minerals in Florida, and on the recommendation of both the state geologist of Florida and of Du Pont geologists, drilled deeper where marginal indications were found on Trail Ridge. In 1947 it was discovered that sufficiently higher values occurred at depth to make the deposit commercial. The orebody at Trail Ridge is a long sand deposit averaging about 1 mile in width and 35 ft in depth. It is approximately 1 1/2 miles wide at the north end of the portion now being worked, tapering to a blunt point 3 miles to the south. The ore reaches a maximum depth of 65 ft near the center and feathers out into barren sand at the edges. The ground surface is relatively flat and is covered with vegetation including pine, scrub oak, palmetto, and occasionally in swampy areas, cypress. The remain of a dense woody growth underlies and marks the bottom of the Ore 'One. It is difficult to drill through this layer, but in some cases where it is less than 5 ft thick it has been possible to drive through the wood. Sand lying below is coarser than that in the ore zone and contains no values. The wood layer consists of unconsolidated carbonized fragments of branches and other forest trash associated with a considerable amount of ar-

Jan 1, 1954

By Gülay Bulut, Mustafa Özer, Yunus Emre Benkli, Olgaç Kangal, Istanbul Technical University, Mustafa Tarkan

"Zeolites are naturally occurring as hydrated aluminosilicate minerals. They belong to the class of minerals known as “tectosilicates” and are related to the common minerals feldspar and quartz. Seven natural zeolites that occur in large, commercially exploitable deposits, are: clinoptilolite, chabazite, mordenite, phillipsite, erionite, analcite, and ferrierite. Among them, clinoptilolite is the most abundant one and is not the best known, but is one of the more useful natural zeolite. Clinoptilolite [(Na3K3) (Al6Si30O72) 24 H2O] is very closely related to heulandite and is currently being considered for disuse it self as it may just be a variety of heulandite. It differs from heulandite significantly only in its enrichment in potassium and slightly more silica and it is argued that a separate mineral is not needed.There are large zeolite deposits in western part of Turkey. The sample used in this study was taken from the Gördes region of these deposits. Screen, chemical, XRD and mineralogical analyses were used to determine properties of the natural zeolite sample used in this work.According to the size distribution of the sample, it is found that the zeolite sample used in this study is below 1 mm in size and almost 80% of it is below 0.5 mm. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and mineralogical analyses show that the natural zeolite is found to be in the forms of clinoptilolite and heulandite. Clinoptilolite forms as a devitrification product of volcanic glass in tuffs. Quartz, clay minerals, orthoclase, plagioclase, biotite, seruzite-muskovite and epidote were observed as impurities. XRD analysis also shows that the sample contains approximately 58-60% clinoptilolite, 5% quartz, 5% feldspar, 10% smectite, 5- 10% illite and mica and remaining volcanic tuffs. Several types of mineral processing methods were performed in order to remove impurities from the natural zeolite sample to produce high purity zeolite. Gravity separation methods such as shaking table and superpanner were carried out for separating heavy minerals, while high intensity dry magnetic separation was used for discarding magnetic minerals."

Jan 1, 2003

By R. O. Neal

There are two main sources of the water that floods productive oil or gas sands. The water may rise from the lower depths of the producing stratum, or it may come from beds above or below the oil-bearing formation. Usually the recovery of oil is decreased by water entering the oil sands, and most oil-field waters, especially those of deep wells, tend to foster the formation of an emulsion, which is expensive to treat. This paper deals with a method of distinguishing between waters that encroach upon oil-bearing beds from sources in the same stratum and waters that reach the oil sands from horizons above. In order to remedy effectually water difficulties in oil and gas wells, it is absolutely necessary to determine the source of the invading water. Sometimes evidence such as the structural relations between the strata penetrated by deighboring wells and those found in the well under investigation is not adequate; also, data from drill logs and well records, from mechanical tests made on the wells by plugs, testers, drilling tools, etc., and from tests by chemical indicators such as eosin and Venetian red, may be unsatisfactory, for such data may fail to locate the source of the infiltrating waters. As a resort in such cases, the application of chemical analyses, that is, the comparison of an analysis of the water in question with that of typical waters from the various water horizons in that particular district, has in certain instances proved of value. This method has been used to advantage in the Westside Coalinga field of California, where the source of water may be fairly definitely determined , from its composition. The chief conclusions concerning the chemistry of the oil-field waters in California by G. S. Rogers1 are: "Oil-field water is not necessarily salty, as is generally believed, and may not be even slightly salty to the taste. The degree of concentration of chloride in such water is governed primarily by local conditions and is not affected by the position of the water in relation to oil. Sulfate diminishes in amount as the

Jan 1, 1920

By H. Peter Knudsen

Karst hosted lignite deposits are characterized by variable thickness of lignite that was deposited in depressions in the karst topography and by the variable extent and shape of the lignite pods. Since the lignite to be mined will feed a mine mouth generating plant, an extremely important criteria in the mine plan is to assure continuous feed to the plant. The variability in both the extent of the pods and the thickness of the lignite within the pods must be taken into account in any mine design in order to quantify the risk that an area being developed will have enough lignite to feed the plant for the specified period. Indicator kriging was used to create a model of lignite thickness of the deposit. Pod boundaries were determined from the indicator kriging model by two methods. First, contour maps showing the probability that the lignite is above a minimum mining thickness were prepared. Using these maps the mine planning engineer can determine either conservative or optimistic boundaries. The second method recognized that the most costly error that can be made in the mine plan is to run out of lignite. Thus, a loss function was determined from the costs of overestimation and underestimation. Using this function, the probability that minimizes the risks of overestimation versus underestimation was calculated.

Jan 1, 1989

By W. S. Gillam

A need for new supplies of fresh water exists today and in many specific areas that need is urgent. One solution lies in saline water conversion, a problem complicated by cost factors. The principles involved in saline water conversion, the status of development, and the estimated costs (present and future) of several processes are presented. Among the methods discussed are distillation, electrodialysis, and freezing. In general, the costs presented are based on a standardized procedure for estimating conversion costs, permitting a valid comparison among the various processes. The need for new supplies of fresh water and the potential benefits to be derived from an abundant supply of converted water are recognized by practically everyone concerned with water problems. The water supply problem exists today; it is urgent in many specific areas in this country and also in the world, and it will become more acute in the future. One answer to the growing problem of adequate water supplies is the development of new sources. Very significant quantities of brackish underground and surface waters exist in certain areas and an inexhaustible supply of ocean water is available. Thus in many areas water resources can be extended through saline water conversion. Congress recognized the need for new sources of fresh water in 1952 and passed the Saline Water Act, Public Law 448, amended it in 1955, and in September 1958, enacted Public Law 85-883, calling for the construction of at least five demonstration plants. The program is administered by the Dept. of Interior through the Office of Saline Water, and its primary objective is to reduce the cost of converted water produced, whether it be by development of new processes or improvement of known processes. This is a most difficult problem and one that will require several years of prodigious effort. It is difficult—not because of any intricate or new chemistry, engineering, or physics involved—but because of the difficulty in converting water at low cost. Whatever the sources of the saline water, the salts which are held tenaciously in solution must be removed before the water becomes suitable for industrial or domestic uses. Saline water is a relatively simple system of salts dissolved in water. It has certain chemical and physical properties that determine the various methods by which the salts may be separated from the water. The system, although not complex, in most instances, has had countless years in which to reach equilibrium and is, therefore, comparatively stable. Because of its stability, separation of saline solutions requires relatively large quantities of energy. The unique properties of water depend on the fact that its molecules are chemically active. The chemical and physical properties of water are associated with the type of bonding involved in the water molecule. Chemical changes such as hydrolysis, or rusting of iron, involve the breaking of chemical bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Physical changes, such as evaporation in a boiler, the melting of ice, or the viscous resistance to flow in a pipe, involve breaking of the hydrogen bonds. (The hydrogen nucleus is so small that it can attract two negative atoms.) Thus water molecules not only combine with molecules of other compounds but even with one another; e.g., each molecule may be bounded to four other molecules. Water molecules cling to the ions of dissolved salt to form water-encumbered hydrated ions and they cling to one another to form entangling networks through which hydrated ions can be propelled only by tearing the networks apart. That is one reason why considerable energy still needs to be expended in our simplest procedures for purifying water. If water molecules did not have this habit of clinging so tenaciously to other molecules, and to one another, it would be easy to push salt ions past the water molecule and get a separation. But the water would not then dissolve salt, so the problem would not exist.' Water when heated evaporates very slowly, relative to other liquids having simple molecules. Vaporization involves the separation of molecules from the liquid, and this means overcoming the attraction between molecules which is due to the hydrogen bonding. The heat of vaporization for water is high; consequently, the boiling point of water is also high. Water boils at 100" C; hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at -60" C; oxygen (02) at -183" C; nitrogen (N2) at -196" C; and methane (CH4) at-161°C, even though the latter has about the same molecular weight as water. Because of these peculiar properties of water, it exists as a liquid on earth instead of a gas such as hydrogen sulfide or nitrogen and oxygen.

Jan 1, 1961

By R. L. Virta

Editor?s note: Each year, the June issue of Mining Engineering features an industrial minerals review. Several people put in a fair amount of time in developing the material for this issue. Thank you to the industrial minerals annual review editor, to the technical committees chair and vice-chair, and to the authors of the individual commodity profiles. Jim Norman, member SME, of GeoTrans Inc., is the industrial minerals annual review editor. Abani Samal, member SME, of Pincock Allen & Holt, is chair of the industrial minerals technical committees. Technical committee vice chairs include: ? Abani Samal, member SME, of Pincock Allen & Holt, agricultural minerals. ? Aaron McMahon member SME, of Pincock Allen & Holt, ceramics and refractories ? Bradley S. Van Gosen, member SME, of the U.S. Geological Survey, chemical raw materials. ? Mark Zdunczyk, member SME, of Continental Placer Inc., construction materials. ? Jerry Gauntt, member SME, of Marston, fillers and pigments. ? Michael Cheshire, member SME, of Indiana University, sorbents, filters and process aids. ? Candace Trimble, Oil-Dri Corp. of America, specialty minerals. Their help makes possible this June industrial miner-als issue. On behalf of ME readers, the editors thank them. Ball Clay Four companies ? H.C. Spinks Clay (owned by Lhoist Group), Kentucky-Tennessee Clay (owned by Imerys Group), Old Hickory Clay, and Unimin Corp. ? mined ball clay in four states in 2008. Production, on the basis of preliminary data, was 964 kt (1.1 millon st) with an estimated value of $45.3 million. That was a 10- percent decrease in tonnage from 1.07 Mt (1.2 mil-lion st) with a value of $49.2 million that was produced in 2007. Tennessee was the leading producer state with 63 percent of domestic production, followed by Texas, Mississippi and Kentucky. About 73 percent of production was airfloat, 16 percent was crude and 11 percent was water-slurried.

Jan 1, 2009