Search Documents

By R. Hendricks

"IT IS a pleasure for me to appear before yon today and to have this opportunity of reviewing with you recent developments in the world lead and zinc industry. To provide essential background material, I propose reviewing the period from 1950 to the present, a period which has undoubtedly been the most hectic in the long history of the industry.In capsule form, the pattern for this period is one of repeating cycles of boom and recession, of failure through research to develop adequately new markets and new uses for lead and zinc, of surplus production and growing inventories, of price instability, and lastly, of an abdication in some sections of the industry of responsibility for control of its own destiny by turning to governments for support in time of stress. This is not a pretty picture but, as the 1950 decade ends, there are signs of a new maturity and of a growing determination on the part of the industry to put its own house in order.The difficulty suffered by the world's lead and zinc industry in the current decade originated with the support extended to it in 1950 by the U.S. Government at the time of the Korean conflict. Recalling the shortage of base metals in World War II and fearing that the Korean conflict might develop into World War III, the U.S. Government in 1950 adopted a policy to encourage the production of lead and zinc, both domestically and abroad by means of development loans and long-term floor priced purclu.se contracts."

Jan 1, 1960

By C. F. Weinaug, P. M. Blair

Many difference equations used to approximate reservoir flow problems treat the phase pressures implicitly but not the mobility-density coefficients. Such difference equations are neither wholly explicit nor implicit, but might be described as mixed. Mixed equations are relatively easy to apply. But the associated time truncation error is relatively large, and when used to solve problems characterized by high flow rates, these equations may be unstable for practical size time steps. This paper outlines the development of a completely implicit difference analogue for reservoir simulation, along with a Newtonian iterative method for solving the resulting nonlinear set of algebraic equations that arise at each time step. While this implicit equation requires two to three times more work than does the mixed equation, it is shown to markedly decrease the time truncation error and to yield a stable solution for much larger time steps than does the mixed equation. INTRODUCTION Calculation of multiphase, multidimensional flow in porous media is generally accomplished by numerical methods that involve approximating systems of partial differential equations by systems of partial difference equations. The early development of difference equation techniques was directed toward the solution of linear differential systems. However, the equations of multiphase fluid flow through porous media are highly nonlinear in that mobility and density often are strong functions of pressure and saturation. Thus, solution of the flow problems by difference equations involves solving sets of algebraic equations whose coefficients change from step to step of the calculations. Current practice is to evaluate most coefficients at the beginning of a time step and then to apply difference methods well suited for solving linear problems. At least two major difficulties arise from the use of this practice. First, evaluation of coefficients at the old time level and evaluation of pressures at the new time level results in larger time truncation errors near displacement fronts than if all quantities in the distance derivative were evaluated at the same time level. Second, evaluation of mobility coefficients at old time levels results in an unstable difference equation in regions of high flow rate. The first of these difficulties often results in optimistic recovery behind the displacement front, and the second requires the use of small time steps or special techniques in solving coning problems1 or problems of gas percolation.2 Evaluation of all quantities in the distance differences at the new time level results in a completely implicit difference system. Such a difference system has a lower time truncation error than equations in which mobilities are evaluated at the old level and pressures evaluated at the new level. The algebraic equations resulting from the fully implicit difference equation are, in this case, nonlinear and require some iterative method for their solution. This paper develops fully implicit difference equations for two-phase flow in porous media, describes their solution by Newtonian iteration, and gives examples of problems more easily solved by the new method than by previous methods. EVOLUTION OF DIFFERENCE EQUATIONS FOR NONLINEAR PROCESSES The completely implicit difference equation used in these calculations results from evolution beginning with explicit difference equations, proceeding through what we will call "mixed" equations, and arriving now at a completely implicit equation. Let us illustrate the evolution by considering different analogs of the nonlinear equation

Jan 1, 1970

By Bernard J. Scheiner, R. J. Wesely, Cy E. Jordan, A. D. Zunkel, Gary M. Wilemon

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has investigated leaching of off-grade western United States phosphate deposits using sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in the presence of methanol. A combination of ore grinding followed by sulfuric acid in methanol leaching extracted over 80 pct of the phosphate. This leaching technique significantly limited the dissolution of iron, aluminum, and magnesium impurities and produced a phosphoric acid that was well within the desired limits for these impurities. The dissolution rate of phosphate rock in the sulfuric acid methanol system was significantly slower than the conventional aqueous sulfuric acid dissolution. Initially dissolution of the phosphate particle was controlled by the amount of surface area available to the sulfuric acid reactant. After about an hour of leaching, phosphate dissolution was slowed almost to a stop, limited by the rate of ion diffusion through the calcium sulfate barrier layer surrounding the unreacted phosphate particle. Consequently, the ore was ground below 38-pm to increase the particle surface area available and improve the overall dissolution kinetics and extraction. In addition, the sulfuric acid was slowly metered into the reactor to prevent any excess heat from the mixing of acid with the methanol from simulating the formation of methyl sulfates. The formation of methyl sulfate ultimately lowered the overall phosphate extraction by exhausting the supply of available sulfate ions for the dissolution reaction. Subsequent evaporation of the methanol from the product acid decomposed the methyl sulfates leaving undesirable sulfate ions in the product acid. Slow acid addition to the reactor provided high phosphate extraction and limited the amount of sulfate in the final product acid.

Jan 1, 1993

By A. T. Tye

WHEN the roughing tables operated in 1923 were abandoned, all the coarse iron pyrite for-merly removed by the tables had to be ground to flotation size, which caused an increased power con-sumption of 2 kw.-hr. per ton. Recently, by increasing the tonnage, this has been reduced to a total of 16.6 kw.-hr. per ton. The cost of repairs has been slightly reduced by using an alkaline circuit instead of the acid mine water used in 1923. Other economies from elim-inating roughing tables and the finishing tables have more than compensated for the extra grinding and the total costs have remained practically the same, until the first part of 1927, when, with increased tonnage, the total cost has decreased to 72 cents and the repair cost to 9 cents. In 1923, with a combined gravity and bulk flotation flowsheet, the grade of concentrate was only 4.38 per cent copper. With preferential flotation this has in-creased to over 17 per cent copper. The tailing has decreased from 0.29 per cent -copper to 0.18 per cent. The copper recovery, instead of decreasing; as might be expected, has increased from 87.4 per cent to, 91.5 per cent. The silver recovery has also increased from 88

Jan 8, 1927

By Jean-Claude LeRoy, Herman Keller

"INTRODUCTIONEROCON's work is the reclamation of mine wastelands. It has had considerable experience in particular in the reclamation of gold mine tailings in the Canadian Shield since the latter part of the sixties when most gold mines were closing down.A typical example is the famous Hollinger Mine in Timmins which produced $566 million worth of metal from 1910 to 1968 and had left behind some 56 million tons of tailings covering about 1,000 acres which were reclaimed on very short order and are now lush meadows of agricultural quality.To date, practically all gold mine tailings have been reclaimed once and for all by establishing a permanent, self-sustaining and maintenance free vegetation cover.RECLAMATION & THE MINING TOWNSThe first appreciation of people in a mining community where the tailings have been revegetated will be noticing one day the elimination of dusty conditions that used to arise formerly on every dry and windy day. In that respect, EROCON encourages not only vegetating the tailings but also the immediate surroundings of the mills and plants themselves at active mines. The elimination of windborne dust will result in an appreciable decrease in maintenance costs of plant and machinery and more pleasant working conditions for all."

Jan 1, 1975

By B. J. Elliot

The Outokumpu Oy flash smelting furnace was designed for a capacity of 69,5 mtph of concentrate. The history of developments on the flash furnace, from the original operating capacity of 55 mtph to a proven capacity of 115 mtph of concentrate, is summarised. The new feature of operation at BCL Limited is ?the use of screened lump coal reduction in the settler region of the furnace. This paper considers the effects of settler bath reduction on the furnace smelting capacity, the condition of the furnace ?lining and bath, and ,the slag losses generated from the flash furnace and ultimately to discard. By using the settler bath reduction technique the capacity of the furnace for smelting new concentrate has been increased by 15% and hearth accretion has been eliminated by direct reduction with coal, which has also allowed the generation of a substantial protective lining on the furnace walls and roofs. As a result of improved slag losses from lump coal charging the metal recoveries on the flash furnace have increased from 70% to 87% for nickel, 68% to 82% for copper, and 28% to 45% for cobalt.

Jan 1, 1983

By E. M. Wise

IN a previous communications the improvement in strength, harden-ability and color, occasioned by replacing gold in a typical gold-silver-copper alloy by various amounts of platinum, or palladium, was discussed. In the present paper the results of further studies upon the constitution and the nature of the hardening transformation in these alloys are pre-sented. This research may be summarized as follows: 1. The liquidus and solidus have been determined for the alloys of the palladium and platinum series. Cooling curves were utilized for deter-mining the liquidus of the palladium alloys but this method proved unsuitable for the platinum alloys so that a, novel quenching method was utilized for the latter. Both the liquidus and solidus of the palladium alloys increase steadily with the palladium content. The liquidus of the platinum alloys increases rapidly with the platinum content, while the solidus temperature increases with the platinum content up to about 14 atomic per cent platinum, but suffers no further increase with additional increments of platinum up to 20 atomic per cent at least, owing to a peritectic reaction. 2. Palladium, and even more effectively platinum, reduces the rate of grain growth. Owing to this fact and to the increase in the solidus temperature, "overheating" does little or no damage to alloys containing reasonable quantities of these elements. This is confirmed both by tensile tests and metallographic examination. 3. The excess phase present in one of the high-platinum-content alloys has been isolated and chemically analyzed and was found to consist almost wholly of platinum, gold, and copper, evidently derived from the compound AuCu, by the partial replacement of gold by platinum.

Jan 1, 1933

By L. F. Coffin

Monotonic tension and controlled cyclic-strain tests have been conducted on an annealed steel at various strain rates and temperatures in the weep range. Evidence of a strain-induced precipitate reaction abozle 500°C was determined from pronounced cyclic-hardening effects, increase inflow stress, inter granular fracture, drastic decrease in low-cycle fatigue resistance, and loss in tensile fracture ductility, as well as through electron-microscopy examination. It was found that strain rate as well as temperature had a pronounced effect on these observations. A parameter of the form P = T(7.95 - log ip) was determined, which was directly related to the ductility, defined either as the true strain at fracture in the case of simple tension, or as 2N 1/2 ? E p in the case of cyclic plastic strain. A highly satisfactory comparison of the cyclic life as measured and as computed from the ductility predicted by this parameter was obtained for a range of temperatures from 400° to 650°C and for crosshead speeds of 0.002 to 0.2 in. per min. MANY metals subjected to sustained loading at elevated temperatures derive resistance to creep from solid-state reactions of various alloying constituents. These reactions can be many and varied, and occur as a consequence of time and temperature according to reaction-rate principles. Strong evidence exists that many of these reactions are influenced by plastic strain, the argument being put forth that dislocations act as sites for nucleation and growth for the new phase.' Many examples can be cited where plastic strain during transformation influences the structure, and as a consequence affects the properties.2 The low-alloy steels serve as particularly good examples for investigating the effect which aging reactions have on resulting properties. Alloying elements such as carbon and nitrogen, and carbide formers such as manganese, chromium, molybdenum, and so forth, can, by the particular aging reaction which occurs, produce strengthening effects at various temperatures, and so endow strength to the alloy over a broad range of temperatures. These effects have been systematically studied by Glen both during creep3 and for constant strain-rate tension testing.4,5 The work of Glen is of considerable interest in connection with the present study, particularly in regard to the effect of various alloying additions on the true stress-strain curve and on fracture ductility at various elevated temperatures. He has shown that strain-age hardening occurred during plastic straining, which was quite specific both to the temperature of the test and to the alloying element involved. When strain-age hardening was noted at a particular temperature, a .minimum in reduction of area was also obtained. Provided the temperature for the minimum reduction of area exceeded 300°C, all minimum ductility fractures were found to be inter-crystalline in nature. For carbon steels containing molybdenum, two minima in reduction of area were noted, one occurring at 200° to 250°C, the precise temperature depending on the percentage of molyb-

Jan 1, 1964

By Anson Hayes

THE quality of sheet and strip products made of rimming steel is closely related to the structure and chemistry of the ingots. The varia-tion in composition throughout the ingot, as affected by segregation, is of great importance, as are also the form and distribution of the voids that result from the gases evolved. It is because of this importance that the considerable literature in this field has accumulated. No attempt is made in the present paper to compile a bibliography of the excellent work that has already been done, as this has been adequately covered in the many excellent reports on the heterogeneity of steel ingots prepared by a joint committee and published by the British Iron and Steel Institute.1 From time to time, in any field of investigation new tools and new technique are developed, which make further progress possible. In the field with which this paper is concerned, this is true. The development of the vacuum-fusion method as a means of following oxygen segregation, and a technique for obtaining the volume and composition of the gases evolved during solidification, have opened the way to obtaining data by means of which some considerable progress has been realized in developing more of the detailed mechanisms of solidification and segregation in rimming-steel ingots.

Jan 1, 1938

By S. R. Rao, J. Leja, K. S. Moon

A prolonged grinding of sulphide ores in steel mills appears harmful to flotation recovery and selectivity whenever xanthates are used as collectors. Particles finer than about 10µm show a pronounced decrease in floatability. A supposition was made that the cause of the reduction in floatability of ground sulphides is the presence of metallic iron abraded during grinding and deposited on the ground particles. Electro- chemical measurements were made of mixed potentials developed by different sulphide-mineral electrodes (galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite, marmatite, pyrrhotite) in xanthate solutions, without a direct con- tact or in contact with a metallic iron electrode. These measurements showed that without a galvanic contact between the sulphide and the iron, the values of mixed potentials were in the vicinity of the xanthate/dixanthogen redox potential. When contact with iron was established, the mixed potentials shifted towards the more negative reducing or cathodic values. The shift was greater the higher was the ratio of the surface areas: iron electrode to sulphide electrode. Further, the shift in mixed potentials was greater the more reducing were the conditions on the sulphide electrode. Chemical analysis of reaction products produced on the surfaces of sulphides and in the bulk solution showed that less thiosulphate was formed in all of the sulphide-xanthate systems and that more elemental sulphur was detectable on the pyrite and marmatite surfaces. Adsorption of xanthate parallels the amount of thiosulphate formed with which xanthate is exchanged by metathesis. If the supply of oxygen is limited, the demand for oxygen by the abraded metallic iron competes with that by the valuable sulphide, resulting ultimately in poorer hydrophobicity. If excessive amounts of pyrite or pyrrhotite are present as well, the conditions are so reducing that there is little adsorption of xanthate ions on the valuable sulphides to make them hydrophobic and floatable. The presence of increased quantities of sulphur on pyrite or marmatite is responsible for a non-selective flotation. Flotation tests on synthetic mixtures with and without metallic iron powder in the feed confirmed the above conclusions from electrochemical and chemical measurements.

Jan 1, 1976

By Regina N. Tempel, Laurie S. Balistrieri, Lisa L. Stillings, Lisa A. Shevenell, Maggy F. Lengke

Dexter pit lake, within the townsite of Tuscarora, Nevada, has been in existence since 1990 and provides a natural laboratory for the study of cycles of trace elements associated with ore deposits (e.g. As, Cu, Pb, and Se). Our goal in this study is to develop and calibrate methods of geochemical modeling that may be applied to estimating the concentrations and fluxes of trace elements in pit lake systems. Our initial modeling work considers limnology, hydrology, wall rock mineralogy and geochemistry, benthic fluxes, and colloid composition. Results from our work may be useful in evaluating water quality in the arid West.

Jan 1, 2000

A review of the most widely used global extraction sequences in sublevel is undertaken. The review includes techniques used to extract massive as well as single or multiple steeply dipping tabular orebodies. The paper also deals with thick flat lying orebodies suitable for open stoping. Techniques used to minimise the effect of stress redistributions on a global scale are discussed for all the extraction sequences analysed.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. E. M. Warner

Inco Limited has long and extensive experience in converting nickel-copper primary smelting mattes over a broad range of nickel/copper weight ratios and combined nickel-copper-cobalt contents. At the Copper Cliff Smelter, the composition of the converter product matte has to meet the requirements of the matte separation process; at the Thompson Smelter, converter matte of a different composition is cast into anodes for nickel electrorefining; and in Soroako, Indonesia, a very low copper product matte is granulated for the Japanese market. Recently, Inco has conducted pilot plant testing of three possible nickel-copper matte continuous converting routes, namely flash converting, oxygen top blowing-nitrogen bottom stirring, and tuyere blowing. This test work has generated substantial new information on nickel-copper matte converting chemistry. This overview paper reviews the metallurgy of nickel-copper matte converting, in particular the behaviour of cobalt and the operating conditions required to meet the iron and sulfur specifications of the product matte. The relevant thermodynamic information is used to discuss the industrial data.

Jan 1, 2003

Societies, Boards, Etc , on Which Institute Has Representation United Engineering Society WILLIAM L SAUNDERS, President GEORGE H PEGRAM, 1st Vice-president ALFRED D FLINN, Secretary J V W REYNDERS, 2d Vice-president JACOB S LANGTHORN, Treasurer HENRY A LARDNER, Assistant Treasurer Finance Committee GEORGE H PEGRAM Chairman J VIPOND DAVIES BANCROFT GHERARDI W F M GOSS WILLIAM L SAUNDERS, ex-officio House Committee ALFRED D FLINN, Chairman FREDERICK F SHARPLESS' GEORGE T SEABURYO F L HUTCHINSON CALVIN W RICE

Jan 1, 1923

By R. F. Davis

The evaluation and selection of coals for producing metallurgical coke is indeed a com- plex process simply because coal is a complex and variable substance which is sensitive to how it is treated from the time it is mined until it is transformed into coke. A review of the the more common evaluation tests made on coal and how the test results are applied in commercial practice. Parameters used to select coal blends for wet and preheated charges should also be of interest.

Jan 1, 1980

By A. E. Raddatz

In an attempt to develop technology to use domestic resources in place of imported bauxita, the Bureau of Mines investigated sulfurous acid leaching to extract alumina from kaolin. The process consists of leaching the calcined kaolin with a 30 wt-pct S02 solution at 60° C and 160 psig for 17 hours, fil¬tering the leach slurry, precipitating monobasic aluminum sulfite from the filtrate at 110° C and 60 psig, a& decomposing the sulfite in the spent liq¬uor at 150° C and 55 psig to produce crude alumina. Purification of the crude alumina was accomplished using a modified Bayer process. Results from closed-circuit tests employing the sulfurous acid process showed that overall extraction of alumina from kaolin was 67 pct. Production of 1 ton of alumina would require 3.6 tons of calcined kaolin, 0.7 ton of sul¬fur dioxide, and 8.4 tons of water. After purification by a modified Bayer process, the alumina product contained the following; impurities, expressed in weight-percent: Fa203, 0.009; S, 3.6; Si02, 0.07; Ti02, 0.002; K20, 0.017; and P205, 0.03.

Jan 1, 1981

By Fisher N. I

Disequilibrium ratios (U3O8/eU3O8), which assess the degree to which gamma activity represents the uranium content of a sample, have been measured on a representative set of samples from the ore zone of a carnotite ranium deposit located at Yeelirrie, Western Australia. A statistical analysis has been performed to investigate the dependence of the ratios on lithology and on the location of the sample in the orebody. The analysis indicates that dependence on lithology and on position across the orebody is negligible. Samples from the western end of the orebody and those from below the water table level tend to have slightly lower ratios than samples from other positions, although these trends are small compared with a large random variation in the data. The large random variation could result from some redistribution of the daughter isotopes of uranium within the orebody. On the basis of the results from all the samples, the estimated deficiency of uranium relative to radium in the ore zone of the deposit is 11 per cent.

Jan 1, 1980

By E Giles

Pike River Coal Limited (PRCL) is opening a new underground coal mine in the Paparoa Ranges north-east of Greymouth. To access the coal reserves, PRCL have had to build a 13 km access road through regrowth and virgin forest, and appointed McConnell Dowell Constructors Limited, with URS New Zealand Limited as their consulting engineers, to construct the final access link: a 2.3 km long, 5.5 m wide and 4.5 m high incline tunnel. This paper discusses the logistical issues of construction in an isolated pristine forest in mountain land and how they were addressed. It provides an overview of the 90 per cent complete tunnel and how challenging rock conditions have been mastered. It outlines briefly the remaining work which is construction of pit bottom workings where the mine infrastructure will be housed and construction of a 110 m deep, 4.0 m diameter, vertical ventilation shaft.

Jan 1, 2008

By W. H. Bassett, J. C. Bradley

Beads of metal frequently appear at the ends of cast-copper wire bars and on the sides of wedge cakes near the top. These are richer in cuprous-oxide than the rest of the casting. A micrographical study of these exudations has been made. 11 is suggested that the materical is forced through the surface while the copper is solidifying. If not eliminated in process of manufacture, it shows on the finished polished sheet copper in patches differing in color from the main body of the shad. Figures 1 to 4 show the copper exudations, at different magnifications, as they appear on the ends of cast wire bars, and on the sides, usually near the top, of wedge cakes. Sometimes the exudations are in fine "drops;" at other times, large masses of the material are found. Microscopic examination of the copper exudation indicates that it is high in oxide and of eutectic proportions. Because of the difficulty of securing a suitable sample, the protuberances have not been analyzed chemically; but the spectroscope shows no indication that there are any more metallic impurities present than in the balance of the copper. The lowest copper plus silver content of the coppers studied for this paper was 99.914 per cent.; the highest, 99.966 per cent.; so the oxygen content of the whole casting would be well under 0.07 per cent. Structure of Protuberances The segregation of oxide between grains in the interior of the cast bar, not far from the "set," is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In general, the amount of cuprous oxide begins to increase at a point about 0.01 in. below the normal surface of the casting, i. e., the base of the drop; but it does not attain maximum concentration in the main body of the metal. Vertical sections, Figs. 7 to 12, show that there is a definite line of large cuprous-oxide globules at the base of the drops. Horizontal sections at this place show that these large globules lie in a thin billowy

Jan 1, 1926

By A. H. Jones, J Leasia, S. J. Green, R. D. Perkins

Previously, two groups have conducted studies in order to define the influences of the intermediate principal stress. Mogi studied biaxial compression on prisms of Dunham dolomite and concluded that the intermediate principal stress should be taken into account. His study showed that failure strength increases with increasing [02], but less than the strength increase with increasing confining pressure. Handin, Heard, and Mogouirk's study on cylinders of Solenhofen limestone in torsion also found that the strength depends on the magnitude of [02]. More recent investigations by Mogi varying all three principal stresses independently and by Wawersik varying two of the principal stresses independently provide more detailed data confirming the effect of [02] on failure. All these tests were at low strain rates, and only the work of Wawersik reports measurement of all strains. The investigation here measures axial and transverse strains and included uniaxial and triaxial stress compression tests and biaxial stress tests using tubular samples (axial load and internal or external fluid pressure) at strain rates to 103/sec to provide the stress-strain response and to define the maximum stress or yield locus of Solenhofen limestone and Westerly granite.

Jan 1, 1971