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By Rudolph G. Wuerker

THE Krupp-Renn Process,[1] has been successfully used to treat low-grade iron ores, laterites, titaniferous sands, and other minerals, and before World War I1 25 units were built by the Krupp-Grusonwerk, Magdeburg, Germany. J. J. Howard[2] has shown theoretical advantages of the pyro-metallurgical treatment over conventional approaches; and the process was described by R. Durrer[3].

Jan 1, 1951

By B. F. Zwick

The entire production of oil in Ecuador so far has come from the Santa Elens Peninsula, Province of Guayas. Both the shallow fields of the northern and the deeper fields of the southern part of the peninsula have been in constant exploitation, though the former are of doubtful economic value. In Table I herewith, which commences with the total amounts produced by the various companies up to 1940, annual company totals are given for the succeeding years. The figures for 1944 have been partly estimated. Table 2 gives figures on casinghead gasoline. Shell Company of Ecuador (formerly known as Anglo-Saxon) has continued active exploration in the Oriente region east of the Andes, and during 1944 the Company's first wildcat well was spudded in. International Ecuadorean Petroleum Co. (formerly International Petroleum Co., Limited) has pursued an active exploration campaign since the latter part of 1939, and a drilling string was placed in operation about a year later. A second string of tools was added during 1943 and a third a few months ago. Ten wildcats, all dry, have been completed in this period, two wells are drilling at the present time and other locations are on the program. Seven of the wells thus far drilled are in the area between Guayaquil and the Santa Elena Peninsula, one up the Daule River beyond Balzar, one on Puna Island in the Guayas Estuary and one in the northern province of Esmeraldas. Both the present drilling wells are in the Guayaquil-Santa Elena zone. The situation in regard to concessions has changed during the past four years because I.E.P.C. has made its selections from the extensive Daule-Guayas Study Concession, as a result of which large tracts were returned to the Government; because of the expropriation of the holdings of the "Ecuapetrol," a German concern whose acreage has passed into other hands; the Peruvian-Ecuadorean boundary settlement, which has reduced Shell's holdings somewhat; and the transfer of most of the holdings of the Cia. Minero-Petrolera del Pacifico to I.E.P,C. The greater part

Jan 1, 1945

Jan 1, 1968

By Simon D. Strauss

Production and consumption of nonferrous metals in the United States during 1950 were at peak levels for the postwar period, as is shown in Tables I, II, and III. The trend of production was upward through most of the year. At the year end, with the possible exception of the Tri-State zinc-lead district, the large mining operations in the country were running at capacity. The absence of serious labor interruptions during the year was an important contributing factor in the increased out-put of metals, since in each of the previous postwar years there had been a number of major strikes which affected production adversely.

Jan 2, 1951

By Gordon B. Brox, Joseph F. Mcaleer, Charles C. Goddard, Edward P. Shea, Robert G. Ingersoll, Lester G. Zeihen, George J. Burns, John M. Guilbert, Richard N. Miller, Charles Meyer

The Boulder batholith is a composite intrusive in which the Butte quartz monzonite is the dominant rock type. Quartz porphyry dikes intruded the quartz monzonite in directions which were subsequently followed by the eastwest- striking Anaconda system of veins, the earliest major veins in the district. Anaconda veins are faulted by northwest-striking veins of the Blue system, which are most prominent in the central third of the district. Anaconda veins are the major producers in the western third of the district and also in the eastern third, where the "horsetail" zones break off from them. Individual oreshoots are thousands of feet long as well as deep on both systems of veins, but they are generally more persistent and thicker on the Anaconda veins. Viewed broadly, the mineralization in the big veins is arranged in crudely concentric zones of zinc and manganese around a central zone of copper. Only slightly offset from these zones, but earlier structurally, is a zone in which quartz-molybdenite veinlets are prominent. This zone tops at about the 2800 level and widens downward. The pattern of distribution of Cu-Fe-S series minerals in the large veins of the copper zone is not symmetrical with respect to the metal zones. There is a fringe of chalcopyrite-bornite all around the copper front. However, within the copper zone, pyrite-chalcocite-enargitecovellite- digenite assemblages are prevalent near its eastern edge from the 3800 level to the surface, whereas deep on the large Anaconda veins in the western part of the copper zone, chalcopyrite is dominant. Here the chalcopyrite grades upward into bornite-chalcocite ores and eastward into the high-sulfur assemblages of the Leonard mine. Sericite-biotite-K-feldspar alteration envelopes, containing up to about 2 per cent copper as chalcopyrite, are present on some of the quartz-molybdenite veinlets at deep mine levels in the molybdenite zone. These envelopes contrast sharply mineralogically and chemically with the later sericitic and argillic alteration envelopes around Main Stage veins. K'0-Ar'0 ratios indicate that they may be older by about 4 m.y. Secondarily enriched copper ores are mined in the Berkeley pit in the southeastern part of the district. At the present time they account for about half of Butte's production of copper.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. L. SILSBEE

THE existence of large saline deposits in that flat arid basin, known as the Great Salt Lake Desert, has long been recognized, but the extent and great commercial value of these deposits has not been generally appreciated. That a very considerable interest has recently developed is indicated by the fact that about 263 prospecting permits-each covering about 2560 acres of land in this Desert-have been issued under the Potash Leasing Act (Act of 0ct. 2, 1917-40 Stat. 297), and patents granted on approximately 40,000 acres. It is reported that patents and leases have, or will be applied for on an additional 80,000 acres in the basin. , Tests have been made on probably less than 10 per cent. of the total area of the basin, but these have proved a practically unlimited supply of brine available -sufficient, probably, to. furnish the potassium and magnesium chloride requirements of this country for at least a hundred years.

Jan 1, 1925

By William G. Kegel

Apart from a usable product and good mining conditions, the greatest asset for a profitable coal mining organization is an effective mine maintenance program. The first step in achieving this is to have good mechanics-or men who want to be mechanics and are interested in knowing ,more about the design and control of the machines in their charge. A good mechanic's knowledge and ability result from ambition, curiosity, and determination. Starting with these qualities, the aspiring mechanic can launch his career by learning all he can about mechanics, electricity, and hydraulics. Though the path is rough, the end result is rewarding. Mining machinery probably receives as much, if not more, abuse as any other heavy equipment in use today. Considering the conditions under which much of the repair work must be done, it is essential that the mine operator has the best men and tools to perform the work. Mining machines, from their inception, have utilized the electric motor ; and down through the years of mechanization, this power source has undergone many changes to better adapt it to the job. The first motors used were direct-current (d-c) motors since d-c power was the most economical power source for mining at the time of early mechanization. These motors were large open-type machines which are seldom used in modern mining. Because of the mine environment, the d-c motor has been reduced in size to better suit the application in mining machines and is now manufactured with dust-tight or explosion-proof enclosures. The d-c motor is constructed with either (or both) series and shunt fields located on the stationary part of the motor (stator) and an armature coil wound on the rotating part of the motor (rotor). Power is supplied to the armature by brushes which are held stationary and make sliding contact with the armature. The brushes requires regular and careful maintenance because worn or defective brushes will cause heat or arcing which can destroy the motor. D-c motors can be used as d-c generators when mechanical power is supplied to them by the rotating

Jan 1, 1981

Jan 1, 1968

Jan 1, 1968

By C. D. Thurmond

Jan 1, 1968

By Walter Mueller

Transition in the underground coal industry, begun with the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, should be completed midway in the 1972-80 period. Surprisingly, many of the far reaching effects of this act have been, for the most part, beneficial to the industry from the standpoint of health, safety and basic operating standards. Production has dwindled, but the next few years will see production declines level out. Average declines of approximately 27% have been recorded since passage of the 1969 act, with costs increasing an average of $1.50 per ton throughout the industry. Nationwide averages presently are in the range of 14 tons per man-shift, and by 1980 this may be further reduced to a 10-ton per man-shift average for the industry. But in spite of the many temporary set-backs affecting the industry, the marketing opportunities are clearly visible. Due primarily to the energy squeeze facing the U.S. over the near term, the 'underground coal operator is and will be enjoying unusual leverage in selling his product.

Jan 10, 1972

By J. A. Morgan

IN the art of roasting sulfides it is well known that the lower the temperature and the higher the pressure of SO, the larger will be the amount of sulfate present in the product. However, the mechanism of sulfate formation is not generally understood. The following experiment" demonstrates in a direct way that, in the roasting of Cu2S, the sulfate forms from the reaction of Cu2O, formed by the oxidation of Cu2s, with gaseous SO, (or SO3) and 0,. Thus, the sulfate does not form at the sulfide surface. The reaction at the sulfide surface is the same whether or not sulfate is formed. Using an indirect method, Ong, Fassell, and Wadsworth' infer that sulfate forms after oxidation, during the roasting of sphalerite, agreeing with the observations of this paper. The method presented here of demonstrating that sulfate forms after formation of Cu2O is to roast a sample of Cu2S and then to locate and identify the phases formed.' A solid cube of cuprous sulfide, made by melting Fisher reagent grade Cu2S powder and measuring about 1.5 cm on edge, was placed on a Nichrome wire grid suspended over the top of an Alundum combustion boat. The assembly was placed in a tube furnace at 600°C and oxygen gas, flowing at 0.60 liters per min, was passed around the specimen for 24 hr. The furnace tube diameter was 1.5 in. The partially roasted sample was removed from the furnace and impregnated with resin No. BR 0014, obtained from the Palmer Products Co., and the impregnated sample was then mounted in Lucite. A cross section was obtained by grinding and the surface was prepared by the following steps: 1) grinding—60 grit, 3M disk, dry; 2) preliminary polishing —60 through 600 grit, 3M disk, dry; 3) polishing— 8 µ diamond putty, silk cloth; and 4) final polishing —1evigated magnesia in isopropyl alcohol, Selvyt cloth. The color micrograph of the polished surface is shown in Fig. 1. The layers present in the micrograph are given along the side. The comwositions of the various layers were established by Debye-Scherrer patterns. From this evidence the following sequence of reactions which occur in the roasting of Cu2S is inferred: 1) The oxidation of Cu2S occurs with oxygen which has been transported through the oxide-sulfate layer by either gaseous or solid state diffu- sion. The products of this reaction at the Cu2S surface are Cu2O and SO,. 2) The SO, diffuses out through the pores in the Cu2O and finally reaches a position in the Cu2O where the oxygen pressure and the SO, pressure have values such that the thermodynamic conditions for the formation of CuSO4 are fulfilled. Then, the mixture of SO2, SO3, and oxygen reacts with the Cu2O to form CuSO1. 3) The CuSO, decomposes by the evolution of SO,, or SO, and O2, to form the basic sulfate. This is reasonable, since the SO, gradient will decrease toward the oxygen gas phase from the CuSO4 layer. 4) For this same reason the basic sulfate will decompose to form CuO. The above sequence of events is based on the assumption that diffusion through the oxide and sulfate layers, rather than the reaction at the sulfide-oxide interface, is rate-determining. This assumption is supported by the observation that these oxide and sulfate layers combined are almost nonperme-able to the flow of gases through them. Acknowledgments This research was supported by the U. S. Air Force, through the Office of Scientific Research of the Air Research and Development Command. The authors wish to acknowledge the helpful suggestions of Ralph Wells of the Applied Research and Developmeit Laboratory, U. S. Steel Corp. References E. A. Peretti: A New Method for Studying the Mechanism of Roasting Reactions. Discussions Faraday Soc. (1948) 4, p. 174. - J. N. Ong, Jr., M. E. Wadsworth, and W. M. Fassell. Jr.: Kinetic Study of the Oxidation of Sphalerite. Trans. AIME (1956) '206, pp. 257-263; Journal OF Metals (February 1956).

Jan 1, 1957

By Oscar A. Glaeser

It is common knowledge that the iron orebodies of the Mesabi Range lie nearly horizontal and are of trough or blanketlike types. These orebodies are from a few feet to several hundred feet thick and vary from a few acres in extent to the size of the largest one, at Hibbing, Minn., which is over 1 mile wide and 3 miles long. They are covered with sand, boulder and clay overburden and occasionally shallow depths of ledge material, varying in total depth from about 20 to 200 ft. Large areas are not capped with overlying ledge material; the top of the ore lies directly underneath the surface material. Because of the comparatively great tonnage of ore, open-pit mining has made tremendous strides since the first open-pit ore was shipped from this range by the Merritt brothers, from the Mountain iron mine in October, 1892, and along with the great development of open-pit mining on the Mesabi Range has gone a tremendous change in the character of. equipment used. Early Stripping Operations The first stripping at the Burt mine at Hibbing, Minn., started in 1902. The engineers spent a long time in selecting the most suitable location for a small pit area, involving a stripping contract of 350,000 cu. yd. This property afterwards had several million yards of stripping and several million tons of ore removed from it, but inasmuch as it was the first open pit of the Oliver Iron Mining Co. in this district it was necessary to try several different locations for the small pit area, to uncover maximum tonnage and the best grade of ore so as to sell the idea of open-pit mining and discontinue the underground operation then going on. The writer's first open-pit work on the Mesabi Range was in 1903 as an Oliver company mining engineer on a stripping job of 1,500,000 cu. yd. at the Monroe mine, Chisholm, Minn. Here the contractor, an old-timer used to railroad methods, was, to a small extent, using teams of horses hitched to 2-yd. narrow-gage cars and hauling the stripping material from the pit area to outside of the pit limits. The dirt thus moved was loaded by hand. The same contractor was also using 60-ton and 70-ton railroad-type shovels with dippers of 21/2 and

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1969

THOSE NOT MARKED ARE MEMBERS; MARKED THUS t ARE ASSOCIATES. HEAVY-FACED TYPE SIGNIFIES HONORARY MEMBERSHIP. JUNIOR MEMBERS ARE MARKED II. THE FIGURES AT THE END OF THE ADDRESS INDICATE THE YEAR OF ELECTION. AARONS, J. BOYD, Genl. Mgr., Chaffers G. M. Co., Boulder City, West. Australia. '05 ABADIE, EMILE R., Min. Engr Box 291, Porterville, Tulare Co., Cal. '76 ABBOTT, CLARENCE E., Genl. Supt., Iron Mines Div., 1405 Minnesota Ave., Bessemer, Ala. '04 ABBOTT, J. W., Min. Engr., "St. Omer," 123 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. '94 ABBOTT, Louis BENJAMIN, Chief Engr., Consolidation Coal Co., Elkhorn Div., Jenkins, Ky. '15 ABBOTT, ROBERT R., Met. Engr., Peerless Motor Car Co., Cleveland, Ohio. '12 ABE, ASAKA Yamagano G. M., Satsuma-Gori, Satsuma, Japan. '14 || ABRAHAMS, A. I., Student 1391 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. '14 tACKER, E. O'C., Met Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa. '86 ACKER, Louis K., JR., Min. Engr 565 Highland Place, Bellevue, Pa. '08 ADACHI, JINZOO 11 Shiba Park, Shiba-ku, Tokyo, Japan. '88 ADAMI, C. J., Min. Engr., St. Joseph and Doe Run Lead Companies, Bonne Terre, Mo. '12

Jan 1, 1917

By John Mills

THREE case histories from professions other than engineering will serve to introduce ideas basic to this discussion. Case (1) Date, about 1900. A young man, B. D. from a three-year graduate course in a prominent divinity school, was for two years a successful pastor of a small church; then friction over theological matters arose with a fundamentalist deacon of the "Bible belt" type. He resigned, returned to his university for a four-year medical course, interned for two more, and thereafter was successful and apparently happy as a physician. We may assume that he was converted in early adolescence and vowed himself to service as a minister. Acceptance of his announced career by parents, friends, and teachers plus his own determination confirmed his choice until illiberal criticism threatened his usefulness and he awoke to the fact that his inner needs were not along the direction in which inertia and his conscience had constrained him.

Jan 1, 1947

Jan 1, 1967

By Francis N. Flynn

Many excellent papers, descriptive of the milling and smelting of every kind of commercial ores, the refining of virgin metals, the casting into various shapes demanded by the trade, the rolling into shapes best suited to the factory machinery and the making of composition alloys to suit every requirement have been issued by the many technical societies dealing with non-ferrous metals. It is a wonderful collection of papers, of which the mining and metallurgical engineers may well be proud, but strange as it may seem, metallurgists in general appear to take the stand that when they have delivered suitable alloys to the foundry and rolled products to the factory their duty to write papers has ceased, at least in so far as the A. I. M. E. is concerned. Still we read in the daily papers that the mining companies are absorbing metal-manufacturing industries. The purpose of this paper is to describe the reclaiming of non-ferrous scrap metals at manufacturing plants, taking as an example the automobile industry. Collection and Disposition of Scrap Until about five years ago, much of the factory scrap, with little or no preliminary treatment, was sold to secondary-metal smelters. Of late years the factory salvage department has become an important part, of the plant in reclaiming everything of value and incidentally does much of the work formerly done by the smelters. Like most good things, it is sometimes overdone, and much work is done at the factory with inexperienced men that could be done much better by experienced skilled labor at the custom smelting plants. Employees of the salvage department collect the waste products in all departments at the source and in that way avoid much contamination. Every reasonable precaution is taken to keep the scrap clean. It is hand-sorted, cut, burned, magnetized, concentrated, separated or compressed, as the case may be, preparatory for re-use in the plant or for selling to others.

Jan 1, 1930

By L. C. Raymond

Valuations in the mineral industry differ from those of other enterprises because mines and oil wells have a definite life so cannot be considered a perpetuity. This requires that in any mineral-property evaluation the recovery of invested capital is necessary during the life of the property. Capital writeoffs for nonextractive industries are assumed to be continuously plowed back to sustain the operation and produce yields on the capital invested. The extractive or mineral industry, however, generally attempts to return to the investor both interest and principal during the life of a property. Normally this is done currently and the dividend includes both items. Where the mineral properly possesses large reserves and the life factor approximates a perpetuity, the return on investment is generally comparable to that of industrial stocks. The valuation of a mineral property, at best, is based on educated estimates and judgment factors. This is particularly true as it relates to estimating selling prices over a long term or assessing the quality of management. Also, it is possible to make various assumptions as to rapidity of working out the deposit, varying time for start-up of operations, varying earning rates, so as to obtain different results with the same basic facts. Thus it is not surprising that two engineers, irrespective of their abilities, may not agree exactly even when given the same facts, but their results should be close enough to be used in establishing a fair value for trading purposes. The valuation is no better than the source of basic data and the soundness of judgment factors. Fundamentally the basic principles of mineral valuation are similar for base metals, sulphur, oil, or any other mineral. Each mineral, however, requires an engineer to have a knowledge of such factors as its occurrence, distribution, mining and processing methods, and marketing problems in order to gather and analyze all the facts and data that have a bearing on the earning potential of the property. PRESENT VALUE OF A MINERAL PROPERTY In essence the present value of a mineral property is a sum of money in today's dollars that future earnings from the property are worth. It differs

Jan 1, 1964

Jan 1, 1961