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By Arthur Lubinski, K. A. Blenkarn

It is explained why the bottom portion of freely suspended tubing in a pumping well buckles and straightens in succession during the pumping cycle. Field evidence of resulting rod-on-tubing wear, excessive polished rod load, and excessive horsepower are given. The possibility that buckling hastens pump wear is strongly suggested. Means for either prevention of buckling or for mini-mizing its effects are explained, their relative merits compared, and field results of their use given. These means are: tension anchors, tail pipe, sucker rod guides, and corrosion inhibitors. Charts and formulas for best use of tension anchors, tail pipe, and guides are given. Use of tension anchors, or compression anchors with a heavy tail pipe, prevents both buckling and breathing, thus improving volumetric efficiency. Without tail pipe, buckling above compression anchors precludes such improvement. INTRODUCTION It is well known that a column must be subjected to some compression in order to buckle; and also that a structural member does not buckle if subjected to a tension. When consideration is given to a tubular column, the question may be asked, "How is the buckling phenomenon affected by inside or outside pressure?' At first, it seemingly should not be affected. However, this is not so. In order to arrive at a correct deduction one should first understand the basic reasons for buckling of a column under loading*. Then he should add to the effect of that loading the effect of pressure. Following this procedure, one may discover quite unexpected phenomena. In some cases, when subjected to more pressure inside than outside, a pipe may buckle under tension. In other cases, a pipe may remain straight, although subjected to a very large compression. In 1950 and 1951 it was explained why the bottom portion of a string of pipe freely suspended in a well does not buckle even when subjected to a large compression due to buoy- ancy.2,3 It was shown that the com-monly used concept of a neutral point, as being a point in the string with neither compression nor tension, is inadequate, and a more relevant definition of the neutral point was introduced. The findings were also generalized to cases of different pressures inside and outside a pipe.3a Later, in a further generalization, allowance was made for variations of stress and pressure with depth.' The findings were applied to the new technique of hydrostatic high pressure testing of lengths of pipe in the mill.5 In 1952 it was observed that previous theoretical findings apply to tubing in pumping wells. The lower part of freely suspended tubing buckles during the upstroke portion of the pumping cycle. Later, it was ascertained that this phenomenon is responsible for wear and malfunctioning of the equipment. Various remedial measures were devised and successful field trials conducted. Only brief mentions on the subject have been published.6,7 In this paper, the phenomenon of tubing buckling is explained, field

Jan 1, 1958

Most of the Ta-Nb ores in China occur in altered granites, and Ta-Nb minerals occur in these granites as accessory minerals. This type of Ta-Nb ores are characterised by whole mineralised granite mass, large reserves, low grade of tantalum and niobium, less economic minerals, complex mineralogy, difficulty in separation and concentration of Ta-Nb minerals and high operating cost of ore dressing. The Ta-Nb ore presented in this paper is a low-grade Ta-Nb ore occurring in altered granite in Jiangxi province. It has large reserves, with the grade of Ta2O5 0.013 per cent and Nb2O5 0.023 per cent. The process mineralogy study carried out by the authors determined ore mineralogy and ascertained occurrence of Nb and Ta and their mineral processing characteristics. The results are used as the guide for developing the optimum mineral processing flow sheet. The results also indicated that this type of Ta-Nb ore contains a high content of Li, K and Na, a low content of deleterious impurity Fe, and the tailings can be used as feed for glass and ceramic materials. This study provided important mineralogy information for exploiting and utilising low-grade Ta-Nb ore resources, developing a mineral processing flow sheet and further utilising the tailings.

Jan 1, 2008

IT is intended in this paper to present in broad outline to the members of the Institute a short account of the conditions and operations that constitute what is, variously known as Subterranean Warfare, Military Mining, or Tunnelling. Realizing ,the magnitude of the operations, and the varied and minute details met with in them on,the Western Front, it is the writer's intention to confine these notes to operations carried out by the First Australian Tunnelling Company. In so doing there is no wish to detract from the very fine records of the Second and Third companies it is to be hoped that members of the Institute (or others) who were with these companies will write accounts of their doings-the former in the water-logged areas to the south of Armentieres, and later in the sand-dunes at Lombardzee, and the latter in the chalk area of the Lens coal...

Jan 1, 1920

Jan 1, 1951

By B Murphy, S O’Connell, J L. Heath

In the 1989 best-seller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the author, Stephen Covey, highlights the importance of maintaining not only ‘production’, but also, ‘production capacity’. When operating a modern flotation concentrator, production is often measured in terms of concentrate tonnage, tonnes milled and plant utilisation. There are very few metrics that focus directly on flotation equipment condition in relation to performance, which is analogous to Covey’s production capacity principal. It is evident on many mine sites that flotation equipment condition is not monitored on a proactive basis and that the prevailing culture is to wait for a failure, before addressing an issue.This paper discusses examples of how poor equipment condition can lead to production loss through poor metallurgical performance. Actual examples are given where these problems have occurred in operating plants. An outline is provided on how metallurgical and maintenance departments can work together to protect production capacity and gain more from existing equipment.CITATION:Murphy, B, O’Connell, S and Heath, J L, 2014. Maximising value through maintaining your flotation equipment, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 71–76 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By Karen Bolm, Floyd Gray, Ailiang Gu, Kerry Caruthers, Carlos Velez, Laurie Wirt, Douglas M. Hirschberg

Understanding sources of dissolved metals and transport characteristics of acid drainage is needed to assist land-use strategies in mineralized regions, particularly in the semi-arid southwestern United States. Water- quality samples were collected from mined and un-mined parts of the Patagonia and southern Santa Rita Mountains of southern Arizona from streams, springs, seeps, adits, alluvial wells, and bedrock wells. Water quality during base-flow conditions was compared with that *of runoff samples from infrequent winter and summer storms. The largest fraction of annual discharge in these ephemeral streams consists of storm runoff, although springs provide a steady source of low discharge base flow to numerous intermittent perennial reaches. Several abandoned mines in the northern Patagonia Mountains contribute acid and heavy metals to streams. During base-flow conditions in mineralized areas, natural springs and intermittent stream reaches produce acidity but the volume is typically low and acidity is often diluted or neutralized down gradient. Overland runoff contains low concentrations of dissolved metals and moderate acidity, however, stream waters were strongly acidified and metal-laden from contact with abundant pyrite-bearing stream sediments derived from erosion of waste-rock material in and along the sides of the stream channel.

Jan 1, 2000

By C B. Smith, G L. Boxer, S W. Moss, A L. Jaques, V Lorenz, M J. Rayner

The Ernest Henry Iron Oxide Copper Gold deposit is hosted in a large dilation between two moderately dipping shear zones found in the footwall and hanging wall of the deposit. These shears are controlled by a large diorite intrusion to the north-east and south-west of the deposit, formed ~1660 Ma. A shear zone dubbed the ‘Interlens’ uncovered through underground workings truncates the main orebody into two lenses, and is hypothesized to have formed in conjunction with the Hanging Wall Shear Zone and Footwall Shear Zone. All three shears dip moderately to the SSE (50–140) from open cut exposures through to the current mining horizon approximately 800 m below the surface. Routine geological work and a capital drilling campaign has identified a significant flexure in these sub parallel ore bounding shears with increasing depth. A shift in shear orientation in the Interlens over approximately 100 m vertically from ~50° to the SSE to a steep, easterly trend (~85° to the east) is observed in both drill core and exposures in the underground workings. It is hypothesized the diorite intrusive to the south-west of the deposit controls the shear zone geometries at depth. The geometry of the Interlens mirrors the surface expression of the Proterozoic package of the orebounding shears to the south-west of the deposit, suggesting the surface geometries of the shear zones are consistent with depth. Additional drilling to explore the validity of this hypothesis is planned for the near future to better understand the structural controls on the Ernest Henry mineralisation with increasing depth.

Mar 22, 2022

By Gerald Edmunds

CASTINGS of pure metals and many alloys usually have a coarse-grained structure characterized by long columnar grains throughout the main body of the casting. Frequently, the surface exhibits finer, some-times nearly equiaxed grains, and such grains may also compose other parts of the casting. This paper deals primarily with determinations of the grain-orientation textures of the columnar and surface grains of polycrystalline zinc castings. It includes some results upon a cadmium casting and a magnesium casting. A hypothesis is devel-oped to account for the observations on columnar grains and to use as a basis for predicting orientations in other cast metals. A general description of the position of the columnar grains in castings is that their long axes are approximately parallel to the direction of the thermal gradient during crystallization. Thus, in cylindrical castings the columnar grain axes tend to be radial, and in large flat castings where most of the cooling is through one or both of the large mold surfaces they tend to be perpendicular to the mold surfaces. At the edges and corners the direction of heat flow and there-fore the position of the grains is more com-plex. Actually observation shows that even in castings made in flat molds the cooling seems to be somewhat irregular, since columnar grains tend to emanate from certain areas of the cooling surface, indicat-ing that thermal contact was better there than in neighboring areas.

Jan 1, 1940

By Ludimila Melo Vieira

O foco deste estudo é avaliar a capacidade de dissolução das partículas de cal a uma temperatura próxima da fase inicial de sopro do processo BOF. Os testes foram realizados em um forno elétrico utilizando amostras de Cal com diâmetros de 6 mm e 9 mm, 80% e 100% calcinadas em diferentes basicidades de escoria. Os resultados mostram que com o menor nível de calcinação a dissolução foi mais rápida. Podendo ser atribuído a algumas diferenças na porosidade da cal ou um efeito de formação de espuma observado durante os testes devido à evolução do CO2 da calcinação restante. O aumento na basicidade da escória resultou na redução da taxa de dissolução que pode ser atribuída a uma precipitação de fase sólida mais densa na interface das partículas aumentando a viscosidade da escória e reduzindo a porosidade da partícula. A partir de um modelo de regressão linear o nível de calcinação mostrou maior efeito sobre o coeficiente cinético do processo de dissolução seguido do tamanho de partícula. O efeito mais fraco foi a basicidade da escória. Este resultado sugere que a área de contato cal escória parece ser mais significativa do que a viscosidade no processo de dissolução de cal nos presentes experimentos.

Oct 30, 2017

By H. F. Winham

The history, development, subsurface geology, production, economics and estimated reserves are discussed in this paper. The Magnolia structure is an anticline with a known maximum structural relief at 372 ft., and the areal extent of the producing acreage is 4494 acres. Production is obtained from the Smack-over oölitic lime and 116 successful wells have been drilled. The field, which was developed on 40-acre spacing, has been under strict control. It is believed to be producing with a strong water drive, To date it has produced more than eighteen million barrels and the estimate of ultimate recovery is 220 million barrels. Early History The Magnolia field is in colurnbia County, Arkansas, T. 17 s., R. 19 and 20 W. Various geologists had long been interested in this general area, and as early as 1921, John F. Magale was able to define a surface structure. The first wildcat, one of the first in Columbia County, was drilled in 1923 by Mid-States Oil Co., in sec. 10, T. 17 S., R. 20 W. This well was about 11/2 miles northwest of the Kerlyn oil Company's discovery well and was based on surface geological work done by Jewel and Dobie. Subsequently, several shallow wells that were not carried below the Upper Cretaceous beds were drilled in the immediate area of the discovery well, but none of them contained any commercial showings of oil Or gas. In the latter part of 1935, Elam and Magale (or Southwood) Garrett NO. I was located in sec. 13, T. 17 S., R. 20 W., 3/4 mile east of the discovery well. It was drilled to a total depth of 4018 ft. in the lowermost Glen Rose beds but failed to obtain any showings of oil or gas. Interest had been stimulated in this general area, however, by the discovery of several oil fields, mainly Glen Rose oil production in the Rodessa field in Louisiana in 1935, Smackover lime productioil in Snow Hill in May 1936, production from the Cotton Valley formation in Schuler in 1937, and Smackover lime production from the Buckner field in November 1937. With this background and subsequent seismic work, which was carried on partly because the old shallow wells drilled in the township had shown evidence of closure in the Upper Cretaceous beds, the discovery well, Kerlyn Oil Company's Barnett No. I, Sec. 14, T. 17 S., R. 20 W., was originally projected to a total depth of 6300 ft., to test the equivalents of the Morgan sands of the Cotton Valley series, then producing at Schuler. The well was carried to a depth of 6325 It. and tested the objective beds without finding commercial production. In the meantime, however, one well had found production in the Jones sand and another in the Smaclrover lime at Schuler. Kerlyn immediately made arrangements to deepen the Barnett well to the Smackover lime. The top of the Smackover lime was encountered at 7618 ft. and the well

Jan 1, 1943

By H. F. Winham

The history, development, subsurface geology, production, economics and estimated reserves are discussed in this paper. The Magnolia structure is an anticline with a known maximum structural relief at 372 ft., and the areal extent of the producing acreage is 4494 acres. Production is obtained from the Smack-over oölitic lime and 116 successful wells have been drilled. The field, which was developed on 40-acre spacing, has been under strict control. It is believed to be producing with a strong water drive, To date it has produced more than eighteen million barrels and the estimate of ultimate recovery is 220 million barrels. Early History The Magnolia field is in colurnbia County, Arkansas, T. 17 s., R. 19 and 20 W. Various geologists had long been interested in this general area, and as early as 1921, John F. Magale was able to define a surface structure. The first wildcat, one of the first in Columbia County, was drilled in 1923 by Mid-States Oil Co., in sec. 10, T. 17 S., R. 20 W. This well was about 11/2 miles northwest of the Kerlyn oil Company's discovery well and was based on surface geological work done by Jewel and Dobie. Subsequently, several shallow wells that were not carried below the Upper Cretaceous beds were drilled in the immediate area of the discovery well, but none of them contained any commercial showings of oil Or gas. In the latter part of 1935, Elam and Magale (or Southwood) Garrett NO. I was located in sec. 13, T. 17 S., R. 20 W., 3/4 mile east of the discovery well. It was drilled to a total depth of 4018 ft. in the lowermost Glen Rose beds but failed to obtain any showings of oil or gas. Interest had been stimulated in this general area, however, by the discovery of several oil fields, mainly Glen Rose oil production in the Rodessa field in Louisiana in 1935, Smackover lime productioil in Snow Hill in May 1936, production from the Cotton Valley formation in Schuler in 1937, and Smackover lime production from the Buckner field in November 1937. With this background and subsequent seismic work, which was carried on partly because the old shallow wells drilled in the township had shown evidence of closure in the Upper Cretaceous beds, the discovery well, Kerlyn Oil Company's Barnett No. I, Sec. 14, T. 17 S., R. 20 W., was originally projected to a total depth of 6300 ft., to test the equivalents of the Morgan sands of the Cotton Valley series, then producing at Schuler. The well was carried to a depth of 6325 It. and tested the objective beds without finding commercial production. In the meantime, however, one well had found production in the Jones sand and another in the Smaclrover lime at Schuler. Kerlyn immediately made arrangements to deepen the Barnett well to the Smackover lime. The top of the Smackover lime was encountered at 7618 ft. and the well

Jan 1, 1943

By Irwan Halim, Bhoshaga Mitrran Ravi Chandran, Kevin Huynh

Tunnel segmental lining design constitutes a significant iterative process where modeling and numerical analysis are factors in deciding the number of segments, their dimensions, gasket placements, as well as the locations of dowels and bolts. Consequently, these modifications lead to revisions in the final drawing details. However, the current tunnel engineering practices lack systematic solutions that effectively bridge the gap between the iterative design process and efficient visualization of completed drawings due to the time- consuming nature of redrawing. This paper presents a pioneering application of AI-driven solutions including using Autodesk's API, for the Northside Interceptor Tunnel (NSIT) Project. It showcases the automation of drawing design and the real-time visualization of modifications, thereby streamlining the drawing process.

Jun 23, 2024

By Monteirom Sergio N., Romulo L. Loiola, Giulio R. Altoe, Noan Simonassi, Frederico M. Margem

"The environmental concern is creating pressure for the substitution of high energy consumption materials for natural and sustainable ones. Compared to synthetic fibers, natural fibers have shown advantages in technical aspects such as flexibility and toughness. So there is a growing worldwide interest in the use of these fibers. Buriti fiber extracted from buriti palm tree (Mauritia flexuosa), presents some significant characteristic, but until now only few studies on buriti fiber were performed. This work aims to make the analysis of the tensile strength of epoxy composites reinforced with buriti fibers. This analysis was performed in fibers with diameters between 0.1 and 0.4 mm. Those fibers were incorporated into the epoxy matrix with volume fraction from 0 to 30%. The fiber diameters were measured by a profile projector. After fracture the specimens were analyzed by a SEM (scanning electron microscope).IntroductionNatural fibers with high amount of cellulose, also known as lignocellulosic fibers, have been used from primeval times of our civilization. In the last century, synthetic fibers such as nylon, carbon, aramid and glass fibers gained interest owing to superior strength and precise dimensional control. Natural fibers were then replaced by synthetics in many fields such as textiles, sports goods and appliances. In the past decades, however, environmental issues drawn, once again, the attention to lignocellulosic fibers as possible substitute for intensive energy-consuming and long term polluting synthetics, specially the glass fiber(1). In particular, research works have disclosed the potential advantages associated with the use of lignocellulosic fibers as the reinforcing phase in polymer composites(2-3). Among the advantages it is worth mentioning the renewability, recyclability, biodegradability and the fact that natural fibers are neutral with respect to CO2 emissions responsible for global warming. In addition to environmental benefits(l,10) the lignocellulosic fibers present economical advantages, such as worldwide abundance and comparatively low costs as well as some technical properties associated with flexibility and toughness( 4), which contribute to the performance of automobile components fabricated with natural fibers composites(l 1-13)."

Jan 1, 2013

By Robert L. Llewellyn

Preparation of coal begins at the face in underground mines or in the pit with surface mines. Impurities in raw coal can be in the seam itself or in extraneous material taken in mining from the roof or bottom. Raw coal is prepared only to the extent that is necessary to make the product salable. Over 60% of all coal production is processed to some extent in cleaning plants. For underground mines the proportion cleaned is 72% as compared to 42% from surface and 15% from auger mines. Coal supplied for coking purposes is nearly all upgraded by washing, while for the largest market, electric power generation, a high proportion is shipped as a raw product with processing, in whole or in part, only as necessary when excess impurities are mined with the coal. This chapter will deal primarily with plants that process or wash coal to some extent and only incidently with mines shipping raw run-of-mine coal crushed to a top size of, usually, 2 to 4 in., with little, if any, other treatment. ECONOMICS OF COAL PREPARATION During the past decade, major changes have occurred affecting the market, profit, and long-rang planning of the coal industry. Mining companies have become "partners" with consumers at many new and some old mines, both for steam and metallurgical coals. Coal properties have become "assigned" tonnages at mutually agreed upon conditions and prices. Lower unit-train tariffs have been instrumental in helping coal markets to compete against oil and atomic energy. Cod prices for power plants are still on a Btu (British thermal unit) basis but with more emphasis on sulfur content. For metallurgical coal, the lower and medium volatile coals are in demand and the price rises, generally, as the volatile percentage is lower. Moisture affects the Btu value of coal almost the same as ash content, but dusty conditions during loading and unloading are no longer accept-

Jan 1, 1973

By Guillermo Zuloaga

THE iron deposits of the Imataca Range of Venezuela, which occur along the Orinoco River, in the northern border of the Guayana High-lands, have lately attracted attention on account of their economic possibilities. Many deposits occur in this area; some of slight economic importance and others that may rank with the largest masses of high-grade iron ore of the world. The geology and the character of the ores seem to be remarkably similar to those of the large iron deposits of Brazil. In the investigation of the Venezuelan deposits a definite relationship has been found between the mineralization of the large orebodies and igneous intrusions, especially norites and granites. The following paper is the result of a field and laboratory investigation of the ore deposits. The field work was done during the months of February and March of the year 1929, partly in the company of Prof. W. H. Newhouse. The laboratory studies have been made in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under the supervision of Profes-sor Lindgren and Professor Newhouse.

Jan 1, 1933

By Charles L. Kimbell

For a study such as this, which summarizes and amalgamates much information collected, compiled, and utilized by the numerous U.S. Bureau of Mines country specialists and branch chiefs for inclusion in the country and regional reports that comprise the five other sections of 1991 Minerals Yearbook-International Review, it is clearly impossible to cite all sources of information used in its presentation, but some recognition is due. Generally speaking, this study and its related detailed studies on countries and areas would be much more difficult, if not impossible, without the efforts of the personnel of national mining and geological agencies throughout the world. Information that they collect, compile, and then publish, either in their own volumes or those of central statistical agencies in their countries, are the foundations on which this work rests. Thus, appreciation is expressed to the multitude of persons employed by these agencies.

Jan 1, 1993

By Frank Clemes Smith

The study of the so-called refractory gold-ores of the Potsdam sandstone, ores which are probably of wider occurrence and of much greater economic importance in the Black Hills than is generally supposed, has led the writer to formulate in the present paper some of the results obtained in the course of a special examination of these particular ores, conducted at the State School of Mines at Rapid City, So. Dak. Various circumstances have interrupted the work, and it will easily be seen that relatively little has yet been accomplished; but it is hoped that this little may be of sufficient interest to justify a later supplement. Tellurium, discovered by Muller von Reichenstein in 1781, is generally classed as a very rare metal; it is further mentioned by one of our late writers as " of comparatively little importance," and as obtained from its ores by a " complicated process.'' Concerning its rarity, we have some trustworthy evidence below. Its commercial importance, particularly in connection with electrical appliances, has been passed upon by Mr. Edison ; * and it is certain that, in some metallurgical processes for the treatment of gold- and silver-ores, it may be saved as a byproduct at a relatively reasonable expense. The importance of tellurium as a mineralizing agent is emphasized by the remarks of one of our leading metallurgists,jwho, in his own practice and by a wide series of experiments, has found its occurrence to be much more general than has been supposed. Recently the same writer has discussed the occurrence of tellurides and oxidized tellurium compounds in the gold-ores of Cripple Creek, Colo., and in those of the Black

Jan 1, 1897

By Vi-Duong Dang

Lithium requirements in the next few decades for batteries and controlled thermonuclear fusion reactors (CTR) may exceed the availability of the current mineral and brine reserves. It is thus prudent to search for new reserves and resources to satisfy these and future lithium applications. The lithium content of the waters from the Smackover oil field. located in the Gulf Coast region of the United States, ranges from 100 to 500 mp/l and could represent a substantial new reserve. Experimental evidence described in the literature indicates that a specific chelating agent dipivaloylmethane (DPM), of the diketone type, has a specific selectivity toward lithium in the presence of other metal ions in aqueous solutions. Based in part on this unique property of dipivaloylmethane, a conceptual design of a full-size plant to extract lithium from the Smackover brine is presented in this paper. This study includes alternate flow-sheet development, design information on the major units of the process, energy requirements, and an economic analysis of a facility capable of producing 106 kg of lithium per year. The economics of three different process concepts depend primarily on the amount of water needing to be evaporated from the initial oil-field feed waters in concentrating the brine. The results, as a function of production rates, are indicated only in a general manner.

Jan 1, 1978

By Haydn H. Murray, Sam H. Patterson

The term clay is somewhat ambiguous unless specifically defined, because it is used in three ways: (1) as a diverse group of fine-grained minerals, (2) as a rock term, and (3) as a particle-size term. Actually, most persons using the term clay realize that it has several meanings, and in most instances they define it. As a rock term, clay is difficult to define because of the wide variety of materials that compose it; therefore, the definition must be general. Clay is a natural earthy, fine-grained material composed largely of a group of crystalline minerals known as the clay minerals. These minerals are hydrous silicates composed mainly of silica, alumina, and water. Several of these minerals also contain appreciable quantities of iron, alkalies, and alkaline earths. Many definitions state that a clay is plastic when wet. Most clay materials do have this property, but some clays are not plastic; for example, halloysite and flint clay. As a particle-size term, clay is used for the category that includes the smallest particles. The maximum-size particles in the clay-size grade are defined differently on various grade scales. Soil investigators and mineralogists generally use 2 micrometers as the maximum size, whereas the widely used scale by Wentworth (1922) defines clay as material finer than approximately 4 micrometers. Some authorities find it convenient to use the term clay for any fine-grained, natural, earthy, argillaceous material (Grim, 1968). When used this way, the term includes clay, shale, or argillite, and some argillaceous soils. Even though no standard definition of the term clay is accepted by geologists, agronomists, engineers, and others, the term is generally understood by those who use it. Clay is an abundant natural raw material, and it has an amazing variety of uses and properties which will be discussed in this chapter. Clays rank among the leading industrial minerals in both tonnages produced and total value. Their importance is indicated in Table 1, which lists the 1978, 1979, and 1980 production and values according to the US Bureau of Mines (Ampian, 1980). Statistical data summarizing world production of kaolin, bentonite, and fuller's earth are compiled by the US Bureau of Mines (Ampian and Polk, 1981). The total world bentonite production in 1980 was 6,625,204 st of which the United States produced 4,184,619 st. The total fuller's earth produced in the world in 1980 was 1,952,600 st of which 1,534,000 st was produced in the United States. The total world kaolin production in 1980 was estimated at 22,971,000 st. Approximately 13 million tons of this total was produced in two countries, the United States and the United Kingdom. World production data on ball clay, fire clay, and miscellaneous clays are not available. As industrial minerals, clays are a complex group that consists of several mineral commodities, each having somewhat different mineralogy, geologic occurrence, technology, and uses. In this chapter these commodities are organized as follows: (1) bentonite and fuller's earth; (2) kaolin, ball clay, halloysite, and refractory clays; and (3) miscellaneous clay and shale. Bentonite and fuller's earth are grouped together because they are closely interrelated. Though bentonite is a term based on mineral composition and fuller's earth is a term based on use, the two are virtually inseparable, because much, but by no means all, clay sold as

Jan 1, 1983

By Howard C. Turnage, Dana T. Updyke, Wayne C. Muhler

The objective of this project was to develop technical data and evaluate performance and utility of leaky feeder communications systems currently used in North American underground mines. The desired information was obtained principally through on-site surveys. Altogether, six of the seven mining companies known to be using leaky feeder communications were visited. This report covers the findings of these surveys. In addition, the report provides a brief background summary of mine communications, a technical discussion of leaky feeder systems, and conclusions and recommendations based on the results of the survey.

Jan 6, 1980