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By Oscar M. Wicken

The mineral magnesite (MgCO3) if pure would consist of 47.7 pct MgO and 52.3 pct CO2. It is one of the calcite group of rhombohedral carbonates which includes calcite (CaCO3), siderite (FeCO3), rhodocrosite (MnCO3), and smithsonite (ZnCO3) among others. The members of this group enter into a wide range of substitutional solid solutions, whose range is still imperfectly known.* MgCO3 and FeCO3 appear to form a complete series of which breunnerite (ferroan magnesite) is a well known variety. Because of the considerable difference in size of the Ca and Mg ions, there is only a limited range in substitution in the MgCO3-CaCO3 series. (Dolomite, not strictly a member of the calcite group, may be regarded as an ordered structure developed when Ca: Mg is approximately 1:1.) The practical consequence of these relationships is that the lime carbonates (calcite and dolomite) are commonly present in magnesite deposits chiefly as mechanical mixtures. Magnesite may be either crystalline or "amorphous" (cryptocrystalline). The crystalline form has a hardness of 3.5 to 4.0. The color may range from white to black through shades of yellow, blue, red or gray. It is rarely found pure but generally contains variable amounts of iron, lime, and silicate minerals. Color cannot be used as an index of purity except under specific local conditions in a single quarry. In a given quarry an experienced man may be able roughly to grade magnesite by intuitively assessing such features as crystallinity and color. Crystalline magnesite occurs in larger deposits, but the cryptocrystalline variety is more common. The latter is fine-grained and compact and shows no cleavage; often it is descriptively called "bone magnesite." The fracture is usually conchoidal, and hardness is 3.5 to 5.0. It is normally white, but sometimes it is light yellow to orange or buff because of included impurities. In addition to lime and iron, which may be present in small amounts, silica may be present as inclusions of serpentine, quartz, chalcedony, or other minerals. In general, commercial deposits of "amorphous" magnesite have lesser amounts of accessory minerals than does crystalline magnesite. The specific gravity of "amorphous" magnesite is 2.90 to 3.0. Pure, crystalline magnesite has a specific gravity of 3.02, but iron carbonate, commonly present, raises the specific gravity to somewhat higher values. Magnesite dissociates, when sufficiently heated, into magnesia (MgO) and carbon dioxide. Either simultaneously or upon further heating the magnesia develops a crystalline structure identical with that of the natural mineral, periclase, which occurs sparingly in nature but not normally in workable deposits. Brucite is another magnesium mineral capable of being directly reduced to magnesia by heat alone. Brucite (Mg(OH)2) has been mined for the production of various grades of magnesia. It theoretically contains 69.1 pct MgO and 30.9 pct H2O. It may be white, but is generally blue or green with a gray cast. It has a translucent appearance. The mineral is soft (hardness, 2.5), and has a specific gravity of about 2.4. Nomenclature of Products The word "magnesite" literally refers to the natural mineral, but common usage has applied it plus a prefatory word to two other

Jan 1, 1960

As a basis for my address to you tonight I thought it might be opportune if we considered the great history of the mineral industry in Australia, and the contribution it has made to the development of the country. While it is perhaps interesting to review the achievements of the past there is also the opportunity to examine the developments of the future.The names generally given to the three periods of man's life on the earth-the Stone, the Bronze, and the Iron Ageand to which should perhaps now be added the Atomic Age, imply the vast importance of the progressive steps in 'man's discovery of minerals and the means of working them. They tell the story of his advance from the flint knife to the bronze celt, and then to the keen-edged iron weapon, and now to the possibilities of the peaceful application of atomic energy. Not only have the stories of gold, iron, copper and tin told a great deal of the history of the progress of mankind, but they have also traced the commercial and industrial growth of Australia over the last century.Gold in the 1850's was responsible for the most significant period of immigration Australia has ever had-when the population almost tripled in the ten years to 1860. Minerals were also responsible for opening up Australia and determining the pattern of settlement. As mineral finds were made, railways were constructed to these fields, then agricultural development followed.Then, as the industrial era started, minerals provided the raw material for Australia's rapid industrial expansion, and they have all contributed to the extent that they have made...

Jan 1, 1960

By Y. L. Yao

The solubility limit of oxygeu in a titanionn at 850°C has been determined by magnetic measurements as 12.5 + 0.5 pct (29.0—30,9 at. pct). Also in the susceptibility-co~centmtion curve, there is n distinct but not sharp maximum at 19.0 * 0.5 z~t pet (40.5--42.1 at. pct), which indicates the presence of the 6 phase. The magnetic susceptibilities of the alloys of the titanium-oxygen system were determined byEhrlich in 1939.' is alloys were prepared by sintiring mixtures of titanium and its oxide at high temperatures. On the titanium-rich side, despite the fact that the alloy compositions he measured crossed two phase boundaries, the limited results obtained

Jan 1, 1960

By P. C. Good

High-purity chromium was prepared in massive form by the electrolysis of chromium trioxide solution at high temperatures. The metal thus obtained, containing 50 to 150 p.p.m. of oxygen, 20 p.p.m. of nitrogen, and traces of metallic impurities, could be hot-worked to rod and sheet and drawn to wire ductile at room temperatures. Optimum concentrations and operating conditions were established for the deposition of chromium from chromic acid baths containing sulfate, fluoride, and silicofluoride ions. Current efficiencies of 13 percent were attained with baths containing sulfate ion, and efficiencies of 40 to 44 percent with baths containing fluoride and silicofluoride ions. Cation exchange resins were used for removing metallic impurities from chromic acid solutions containing sulfate ion; solutions containing fluoride and silicofluoride ions were purified by recrystallization.

Jan 1, 1960

BUFFALO C E Moyer, Chairman (Buffalo, N Y ) R M Jordan, Vice-Chairman H A Morlock, Secretary CHICAGO M E Nickel, Chairman (Chicago, Ill) A M Kroner, Vice-Chairman W R McLain, Secretary-Treasurer

Jan 1, 1960

By J. T. Brown

AS far as could be ascertained, no one had previously investigated the creep strength of silicon poly-crystals. Literature has appeared showing evidence for plastic deformation in silicon single crystals and whiskers.*1"6 Also the fact that germanium, a material of similar crystal structure to silicon undergoes plastic deformation under stress at temperatures above about 60 pct of its melting temperature, has been known for some time.2"4'7 This investigation was performed for the purpose of determining the strength and ductility of silicon polycrystals under creep conditions that would give fairly long times to rupture. PROCEDURE The silicon specimen blanks were obtained by first placing granulated transitor grade silicon (99.999 + pct pure) in a silica crucible. The crucible was surrounded by a graphite susceptor, and induction heating was used for melting the silicon in a vacuum furnace. Blank specimens were formed by freezing molten silicon onto a polycrystalline seed of silicon in a vacuum furnace. The seed was attached to a motor driven revolving rod. As silicon solidified, this rod was gradually withdrawn from the melt. A shape with a contracted center section was obtained by varying the rate of withdrawal from the melt. Specimens for the creep-rupture tests were ground from these "pulled" blanks. Creep-rupture tests were performed in spring loaded machines under constant load at 1800" and 2000° F. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A test specimen which was sectioned longitudinally is shown in the photomacrograph in Fig. 1. Very little deformation has taken place in the portion of the specimen shown, however, slip lines from several slip systems within the same grain, and deformation band formation was seen. The elongated appearance of the grains is due to the method of growing the specimens. One of the most interesting aspects of the results obtained from the creep-rupture tests was the high strength and the accompanying large amount of ductility. The data obtained is listed in Table I which shows the stress to rupture in 100 hr at 2000°F is between 8000 and 9000 psi. This indicates that silicon's strength at 2000°F is about equal to that of the best commercial super-alloys. It is important to mention that silicon has less than 1/3 the density of iron-, nickel-, and cobalt-base alloys. The usual type alloys for high-temperature applications

Jan 1, 1960

By J. H. Holden

The Federal Bureau of Mines is doing research and development work on a pressure-gasification pilot plant for producing synthesis gas directly from pulverized coal, oxygen, and steam. A pressure-gasification pilot plant has been constructed, and an investigation was made with the following basic objectives: 1. Determining the effect of varying pressure (75, 100, 150, and 300 p.s.i.g.), coal rate (400, 700, and 1,000 pounds per hour), and oxygen-to-coal ratio (8 to 11 std, c,f. per pound), on percentage of carbon gasified, oxygen and coal requirements per unit of CO + H2 produced, exit-gas temperature, and heat loss. The steam-to-coal ratio was maintained at approximately 0.3 pound per pound. 2. Development of a stabilized gasification zone or reaction space. 3. Improvement in operability of the pilot plant.

Jan 1, 1960

CARACAS PETROLEUM Established February 24, 1957 Official year begins in January Harry J Sykes, Chairman G J Clarke, Vice-Chairman Robert S Longwell, Vice-Chairman David L Stepanek, Treasurer Robert C Newman, Secretary Texas Petroleum Co Apartado 267 Caracas, Venezuela

Jan 1, 1960

By James M. Stuckey

In a search for improved methods of upgrading tar obtained by low-temperature carbonization of coal, monoethanolamine (MEA) was found to be effective in extracting tar acids from coal tar distillates derived from a subbitunwous and a lignite coal. Patch extractions showed that both yield and purity of the extracted acids improved with increasing volume ratios of monoethanolamine to tar acid, varied from 1:4 to 8:1. Yield improved, but purity decreased as the concentration of monoethanolamine was changed from 30 to 70 volume-percent, and as the concentration of tar acid in distillate was increased ad from 14 to 45 percent. In a continuous countercurrent extraction employing a double solvent (monoethanolamine and hexane) approximately 80 percent of the tar acids was extracted from 170° to 350° C. tar distillate when using 1.6:1 volume ratios of amine:tar acids. Tar acids isolated from his extract, although of improved purity, contained appreciable quantities of neutral oils and some tar bases. Aqueous monoethanolamine was not effective for extracting the last 10 to 15 percent of tar acids in 170° to 350° C. distillate oil from lignite coal. The highest yield of isolated tar acids and the best recovery of monoethanolamine were obtained by diluting the extract with water and saturating with C02. Some losses of solvent were encountered when aqueous monoethanolamine solutions were heated through decomposition of the amine with the liberation of ammonia.

Jan 1, 1960

By T. E. Gray

This report describes the preparation characteristics of the more significant coalbeds in Butler County, Pa. It is one of a series planned to determine which coals are suitable for producing metallurgical coke, either as mined or after beneficiation. More than 2 million tons of coal was produced in Butler County in 1958, of which about 25 percent was cleaned mechanically in four cleaning plants. Updating the 1942 coal-reserve estimates made by Ashley to December 31, 1958, more than 1,266 million tons of recoverable coal reserves remain in the county in beds that arc 24 inches or more thick. The Upper and Lower Freeport, Upper, Middle, and Lower Kittanning, Clarion, and Brookville beds were selected on the basis of production and estimated minable reserves. Sample locations were chosen after a study of the literature, conferences with mining engineers and mining company officials in the field, and examination of the available sites. Four samples each were collected from the Upper Freeport and Middle Kittanning beds, three samples from the Brookville bed, two, samples from the Upper Kittanning bed, and one sample each from the Lower Freeport, Lower Kittanning, and Clarion beds.

Jan 1, 1960

By R. D. Mollison, C. F. Fogarty

Sulfur is widely distributed in nature. It is present in the earth's crust, the ocean, the meteorites that come to us from cosmic space and in practically all animal and plant life. According to Clarke,9 the earth's crust contains 0.06 pct sulfur. Large quantities of free or combined sulfur are found in coal, natural gas and petroleum. Mineral waters contain sulfates and hydrogen sulfide. Sulfur is rather plentiful in the crust of the earth; however, only under special circumstances can it be produced profitably. Sulfur is one of the cheapest raw materials used by industry; and, therefore, the economic feasibility of a given deposit is strongly dictated by the law of supply and demand on local as well as world-wide levels. The forms which are commercially important are elemental sulfur or brimstone, and the sulfides such as pyrite (FeS2), pyrrhotite (FenSn+1), chalcocite (Cu2S), sphalerite (ZnS), and galena (PbS); the sulfates such as gypsum (CaSO4,2H2O), anhydrite (CaSO4), and kieserite (MgSO4,H2O). Elemental Sulfur Elemental sulfur is found in many localities, generally in solfataras and gypsum type deposits. The solfatara deposits are found commonly in the neighborhood of active or extinct volcanoes as in Italy, Japan and Chile, or fumaroles associated with mineral springs such as the Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park. Here the sulfur is deposited in tufas or other porous host rocks. This type of sulfur deposit probably results from the oxidation of hydrogen sulfide or the reaction of hydrogen sulfide with sulfur dioxide. Most of the world's supply of elemental sulfur comes from the gypsum-type deposits. Here the mineral occurs as either crystalline or amorphous sulfur in sedimentary rocks in close association with gypsum and limestone. This association is characteristic and occurs in almost all the great gypsum beds of the world, although sulfur is not always present in quantities of economic importance. Various theories have been advanced to account for this association. Bischof5 suggested that the sulfur came from hydrogen sulfide which resulted from the reduction of calcium sulfate by carbon or methane in accordance with the following reactions: CaSO4 + 2C= CaS + 2CO2 CaS + C02+ H2O = CaCO3 + H2S CaSO4 + CH4= CaS + C02+ 2H20 2H2S + 02= 2H20 + 2S All of the sulfur-bearing domes on the Gulf Coast have calcium sulfate in great quantity in the cap. They all show the presence of hydrocarbons. The oxygen for the final reaction could have been supplied by circulating ground waters. The principal objection to this theory is that temperatures of 700° to 1000°C are needed to reduce the sulfate to sulfide with carbon compounds. The geologic evidence is that the temperature of the sulfur-bearing domes of Texas did not exceed 100°C. Proponents of the theory say that geologic time or a catalyst replaced temperature. According to another theory the sulfur in the salt domes is the result of bacterial action. Sulfate reducing bacteria have been detected in sulfur cores and in the formation water issuing from salt domes. It has, therefore, been suggested that these bacteria converted the sulfate to sulfide which subsequently was converted to elemental sulfur.

Jan 1, 1960

By D. W. MacFarlane

In the formation of Oil and Gas Producing Units lawyer& and engineers are interdependent members of the same team. Management is, there-fore, entitled to expect no less than a total cooperative effort from the members of these professions. The petroleum and natural gas lawyer must diligently inform himself on the implications of engineering evidence. Otherwise he can be of little assistance to his engineering witness in a thorough, systematic and convincing presentation of his technical evidence. Conversely, the engineer must appreciate the concern of counsel that quasijudical hearings, whether technical or otherwise, be con-ducted in such a manner as to pre-serve some semblance of organized judicial procedures in the adjudication of property rights. The principal problems in unitization are the participation formula and the adjustment of investment in unit facilities. The equating of oil to gas, the effect of unit infill drilling, the relative values of producing zones and well productivity have •been controversial factors in several Saskatchewan units to date. Perhaps the most perplexing of these has been well productivity. While preserving current income, it may also preserve an ability to drain adjacent tracts plus an inequitable sharing of .reserves properly attributable to secondary recovery operations. However, inequity may also result in depriving an operator of the benefits accruing to him under competitive operations by virtue of his favourable reservoir position or his use of advanced production techniques. The Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Conservation Act has been construed by the Department of Mineral Resources as •completely negating any benefits inherent in the rule of capture when determining equities under unit operations. Under adjustment of investment provisions, large cash flows between owners of exploited acreage should be avoided upon the creation of a unit. These provisions should not deprive any company of the benefits it may have obtained under competitive operations in producing its fair share of the reservoir at a lower net cost per barrel than its competitors. Unitization should be concerned with physical conservation rather than in equalizing production costs as between operators.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. E. Gill

"THE YEAR 1959 appeared to be a good one in which to attempt a summary of progress in the location and study of sulphide deposits in Canada because a temporary surplus of metals caused prices to fall and many geologists who had been working like beavers were suddenly not so hard pressed. So it was •decided to arrange a Symposium. The response to the call for contributions was excellent and the result is the interesting collection of papers that follow.Activity in the search for massive sulphide deposits has never been as intense as in Canada since 1954. That was the year when the airborne electro-magnetometer first became generally available on a contract basis. These instruments work best on massive sulphide bodies, as do most of the ground electrical survey devices, so much of the new information relates to these. It was decided, therefore, to focus attention in the preparation of symposium papers on such masses. This served also to keep the survey within reasonable limits."

Jan 1, 1960

By P. R. Geoffoy, T. Koulomzine

"The discovery of the Mogador deposit concealed by 100 feet of overburden was the result of combined application of geological reasoning, ground geophysical surveys, studies of glacial float and extensive diamond drilling. The ground was acquired because it lay on the projected intersection of the Manville and Laflamme River faults. Systematic ground prospecting led to discovery of mineralized floats. A first unsuccessful exploration campaign lasted several years and consisted of 137 drill holes.In 1951 the boulder nests were reexamined and an associat'on of the mineralized float with boulders of a granodiorite, unknown in outcrops of the district, was established. Consequently, ground magnetic surveys were extended and re-interpreted, and a large anomaly interpreted as corresponding to a batholith was outlined. The existence of the batholith was immediately confirmed by drilling and the Mogador deposit discovered in third hole of new drilling programme in a zone of fractured volcanics paralleling southern contact of batholith.The Mogador deposit is a complex replacement of silicified volcanics by pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and galena carrying values in silver and gold. A total of 1,230,000 tons has been indicated, most of it now classified as fully developed proven ore."

Jan 1, 1960

By N. E. Hanna

As part of a program for improving, the safety of permissible explosives, the Federal Bureau of Mines has undertaken an investigation to establish the ability of sodium chloride to reduce the incendivity of permissible explosives to firedamp atmospheres. A motivating influence for this investigation has been the comparatively extensive experience of British and other European investigators, who used sodium chloride as a component of their permitted explosives (1, 5, 6 7).5/ In the United States research and development work of this type has been less extensive, although sodium chloride has been added to permissible explosives as a cooling agent (9) for many years. The results of the first phase of this investigation were presented in a previous paper (8), which established that adding up to 10 percent sodium chloride to permissible explosives reduces the likelihood of ignition of firedamp in the gallery test; however, the results were somewhat inconsistent, and the conclusions were qualified. Accordingly, the investigation was continued with a study of the effect of added sodium chloride as a function of the quantity added and of the particle size of the salt.

Jan 1, 1960

By H. Groeneveld, C. A. Connally, P. J. Hoenmans, W. L. Mason, John J. Justen

"A miscible displacement pilot, using a slug of LPG driven by separator gas, was conducted in the Cardium Reservoir of the Pembina Field. The injection pattern was a 10-acre, inverted, isolated five-spot. Upon completion of the LPG-gas phase, an .experiment was conducted using a slug of water followed by gas. Calculated performance of the pilot is compared with actual performance. Equations are developed to cakulate the distribution of LPG into zones of varying permeability, to estimate the progress of the flood at different times in the various zones, and to estimate gas rates after breakthrough. The analysis indicates that permeability stratification was a dominant factor in con-trolling oil recovery and that oil was completely displaced from the swept pore volume. The results of the pilot indicated that miscible flooding is a practical means of pressure maintenance in this reservoir. The total recovery from the pilot area was good in spite of the early breakthrough of LPG. The effects of stratification were reduced by injecting a slug of water into the partially swept reservoir."

Jan 1, 1960

By W. R. Hardwick

This paper describes open-pit mining methods and practices at Copper Cities Division of Miami Copper Co, in Gila County, Ariz. It is one of a series being prepared by the Burea of Mines on mining methods, practices, and costs in various mining districts of the United States. A similar program, conducted from 1928 to 1939, provided technological information on the development and conservation of our mineral resources and assisted operators and engineers in evaluating and developing new mineral deposits. This circular contains a brief history of the district and describes the Copper Cities deposit, with particular emphasis on a detailed description of those characteristics--physical, economic, or engineering--that affect the choice of mining method. Prospecting and exploration, sampling and estimation of tonnage and values, development, and mining (including breaking ground, loading, hauling, ore control, and auxiliary operations related to mining) are described, Percentage of extraction, production rate, safety, first aid, Eire prevention, mine organization, and processing plant are discussed briefly, The final section gives such costs, on a percentage basis, as are available for publication. Where relevant, some information on the Castle Dome mine is included.

Jan 1, 1960

By M. G. Zabetakis

At ordinary temperatures and pressures methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)-air mixtures containing between 2.0 and 11 vol.-pct. MEK and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK)-air mixtures containing between 1.5 and 7.5 vol.-pct. MIBK are flammable. However, MEK-bromochloromethane (BCM)-air mixtures containing at least 6.2 vol.-pct. BCM and MIBK-BCM-air mixtures containing at least 7.0 vol.-pct. BCM are nonflammable. Also, MEK-BCM-air and MIBK-BCM-air mixtures containing less than 18.7 vol.-pct. oxygen are nonflammable. To assure the formation of nonflammable mixtures when mixed with air, MEK-BCM vapor mixtures must contain at least 1.6 vol. BCM per volume MEK, and MIBK-BCM vapor mixtures must contain at least 2.8 vol. BCM per volume of MIBK; these quantities of BCM would be produced by liquid mixtures containing 55 vol.-pct. BCM in the first case and 60 vol.-pct. in the second. An MIBK-BCM-trimethylene chlorobromide mixture containing equal volumes of each liquid forms nonflammable mixtures with air at ordinary temperatures and pressures. The same is true of a liquid mixture containing 34.6 pct. (liquid volume) BCM, 34.b pct. perchloroethylene, 15.4 pct. MIBK, 7.7 pct. toluene, 3.85 pct. ethyl amyl ketone, and 3.85 pct. trimethylene bromide.

Jan 1, 1960

By P. E. Price, N. J. Grant

DURING the course of creep studies in iron-chromium-nickel alloys, it became necessary to establish the limits of the two-phase ferrite-austenite field at 1300°C. The shape of this region, predicted from the iron-chromium and chromium-nickel binary

Jan 1, 1960

By S. R. Maloof

In 1945, Hollomon' showed that after plastic yielding and prior to necking under simple tension, both ferrous and nonferrous materials are approximated by an equation of the following form: where, a = true stress K = strength coefficient 5 = true strain n = strain hardening exponent If a material is stress free, a plot of log o vs log 6 would be expected to be a straight line, the slope of which is the strain-hardening exponent (n) and the intercept on the ordinate axis for 6 = 1. is the logarithm of the strength coefficient K. It can be easily shown that the strain-hardening exponent in the above equation is equal to the total uniform elongation prior to necking. Thus, one can determine the total uniform elongation prior to necking from such a plot and, as pointed out by C. W. MacGregor, 2 it is the amount of strain prior to necking which determines the extent to which a material may be deep drawn. In the view of the current interest in the fabrication of beryllium shapes, it was thought that a knowledge of the strain-hardening exponent of cross-rolled beryllium sheet would be of general interest. Load-strain data after yielding and prior to necking was taken from the work of Greenspan,3 converted to true stress and true-plastic strain, and plotted on log-log paper as shown in Fig. 1. The value of Young's modulus E for beryllium was taken as 43 . l06 psi. The slope of this plot gave a value of 0.212 for the strain-hardening exponent (n) and the intercept on the ordinate axis a value of 105,000 for K. The total uniform elongation is thus 21.2 pct, in excellent agreement with the value estimated by Greenspan (about 20 pct). Furthermore,

Jan 1, 1960