Search Documents

By I. Fatt

The chromalographic effect refers to the separation of constituents in a moving fluid phase which occurs when the phase is passed over a stationary phase, either solid or liquid, or large areal extent. In performing chemical analyses, the large surface contact areal is provided in the case of gas-solid chromatography by-passing the gas over a porous solid and for gas-liquid chronla tog rap hy by-passing the gas over a porous solid which has been coated with a nonvolatile liquid. The porous medium is usually placed in a cylindrical tube, although it may be a relatively flat sheet as in paper chroma-tography. According to one theory,' the separation results from the difference in time spent by various components in the stationary phahe. A gaseous component which is conlpletely insoluble in the stationary phase, or is not adsorbed on the solid, proceeds unimpeded through the column. The versatility and power of the various types of chromatogruphy for the analysis of complex mixtures are evident from their widespread use in performing chemical analyses and from the large number of symposia, books, and papers devoted to the subject in recent years. Associated developments are the application of chromatography to the determination of heats of solution, heats of adsorption, solubilities orK-values, etc. Gas-liquicl chromatography analyses may be characterized by the manner in which the samples are introduced and displaced from the column'. The three techniques used are known as (1) frontal analysis, (3) displacement analysis, and (3) elution analysis. The frontal analysis is performed by displacing an inert gas from the column by a continuous stream of the sample. As indicated in Fig. l(A), all but the first fraction leaving the column represent mixtures rather than pure components. The displacement analysis is conducted by filling the column with a sample, then displacing it with a more strongly adsorbed or absorbed vapor. The resulting chro-matogram is illustrated by Fig. 1(B). Finally, in the elution analysis a small sample of the mixture to be analyzed is introduced as a "plug" into a Rowing stream of carrier gas to give an elution-type chromato-gram. Fig. l(C). The three techniques may be used to provide models to which Row patterns in other physical situations may be compared. PURPOSE OF THE INVESTIGATION The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether natural reservoir rocks, when coated with crude oil, provided sufficient surface areas to give rise to a chromato-graphic separation of light hydrocarbon constituents. The tests were conducted with the light hydrocar-bons in the gaseous state. SANDS TESTED Two sands of widely different permeabilities have been studied: (1) Ventura core (16 md), and (2) Torpedo sandstone core (578 md).Table 1 gives a description of the cores that were tested. With the exception of one frontal-type flow arrangement which was performed on Core 3, the tests were of theelution-type in which a methane-propane mixture was eluted through the core by means of helium. The Ventura core, when impregnated with a weathered crude from the same field, became so impermeable to gas flow that it was necessary to conduct the tests on the granulated cores (Cores 2 and 3).

By R. O. Leach, O. W. Wagner

Because of unfavorable wetting conditions much residual oil is left when a porous material is Pushed by water. Methods suggested to change reservoir wetting to improve oil displncernrnt efficiency are generally expensitlr. The present 1aborator.y study was undertaken to gain an under.standinx of the factors which determine reservoir wettability, arid to find out if oil displacement efficiency might be improved by a wettahility change accomplished at low cost in on oil reservoir. Contact angle measurements were made on mineral surfaces using sevc.r~zl sets of reservoir oil and water samp1es. Results of the contact angle studies suggest that reservoir wetta-hility may he primarily determined by natural surface-active substances present in the reservoir fluids. The effect of changing sa1inity and pH of the water phase was studied. The re.suits suggest that gross changes in preferential wettability might be acc~o~npli.shed by injection of water containing simple chernicnls to alter pH or salinity in the reservoir. Such treatment could he much less expensive than injection of commercial surface-active agents. Waterflood tests have also been made using synthetic cores and oil and water having wening characteristics similar to those of reservoir fluids. Cores initially oil-wet were flooded in such a way that they were made prefermtial1y water-wct by the advancing flood water. This reversal in preferential wettability achieved greater oil displacement efficiency than when either oil-wet or water-wet conditions were maintained throughout the flood. For the systems studied, the higher the oil viscosity the greater the percentage improvement obtained over conventional waterflood recovery. This suggests that a flooding process making use of wettability-reversal may extend the oil viscosity range over which water flooding is attractive. Because a precise adjustment of reservoir wettability does not seem to be required, and because altering the pH or salinity in some reservoirs may be inexpensive, it appears that a waterflooding process employing wet-[ability-reversal could find .succesful field application. I NTRODUCTION The efficiency with which water will displace oil from a porous material is related to the nature of the capillary forces present. These in turn are controlled by the preferential wetting of the solid by the two fluids. Because of unfavorable wetting conditions, 30 per cent or more of the original oil in place may remain unrecovered in that portion of a reservoir flushed by water. This paper is concerned with the possibility of improving waterflood oil displacement efficiency by alterations in the wettability of the porous material. A laboratory study was made to gain a better understanding of the factors which control reservoir wettability, and to determine if the oil displacement efficiency could be improved by some inexpensive means of manipulating wettability of the porous medium. Contact angle measurements were made with several natural and synthetic oil, water and solid systems (1) to obtain a better understanding of how to duplicate reservoir wettability in the laboratory, and (2) to discover possible means for changing preferential wettability of natural reservoir systems. Flooding tests were also made in synthetic systems to determine if oil displacement efficiency could be improved by those wettability manipulations suggested by the contact angle measurements. Based on these studies a possible method for improving waterflood oil displacement efficiency is presented. This method involves causing an originally oil-wet porous material to become preferentially water-wet during the course of a water flood. The purpose of this paper is to present results of the laboratory studies. THEORY Rock surfaces in some oil reservoirs are believed to be covered with a firmly attached bituminous or other organic coating. Such surfaces would be preferentially oil-wet in the presence of both oil and water, regardless of composition of reservoir fluids. Other reservoirs are believed to contain rock surfaces not permanently coated with such materials, and which would be preferentially wet by water in the presence of water and oil free from surface-active substances. However, when the reservoir fluids do contain certain natural surface-active materials in sufficient quantity, rock surfaces acquire a degree of preferential oil wettability caused by adsorption of these natural surface-active materials on the solid. The equilibrium amount of these materials adsorbed per unit surface area is believed to depend upon their concentration in the bulk liquid phases.

By Nelson Severinghaus

The Rock Chapel plant of Consolidated Quarries Corporation (Fig. 1) is three miles northeast of Lithonia, DeKalb County, Georgia. It was opened about eight years ago for crushed stone aggregate. This paper reviews a number of experiments that have been tried in drilling and blasting, and gives the practice in use today. It also presents several theories on the action of explosives in this type of blasting. The rock worked is a bare dome of granite gneiss about 3000 ft. in diameter, rising 150 ft. above the surrounding ground (Fig. 2). It is uniform in composition and quality, without seams, and extends downward to unknown depth below the quarry floor. A water well drilled 600 ft. remained in the same rock. The principal difficulty encountered in blasting is an easy split, which tends to break down the rock in large blocks.

Jan 1, 1938

By Nelson Severinghaus

The Rock Chapel plant of Consolidated Quarries Corporation (Fig. 1) is three miles northeast of Lithonia, DeKalb County, Georgia. It was opened about eight years ago for crushed stone aggregate. This paper reviews a number of experiments that have been tried in drilling and blasting, and gives the practice in use today. It also presents several theories on the action of explosives in this type of blasting. The rock worked is a bare dome of granite gneiss about 3000 ft. in diameter, rising 150 ft. above the surrounding ground (Fig. 2). It is uniform in composition and quality, without seams, and extends downward to unknown depth below the quarry floor. A water well drilled 600 ft. remained in the same rock. The principal difficulty encountered in blasting is an easy split, which tends to break down the rock in large blocks.

Jan 1, 1938

By James T. Kemp

AN historical society of particular interest to mining engineers all over the world was born in Cornwall in 1935. A hundred-year-old winding engine then finished its long labors at the Levant mine on the cliffs near Lands End, England. The engine was to be dismantled and scrapped. A few men living near-by, appreciating that this event was one of the final acts in closing a long century of extraordinary mining and engineering evolution. armed a committee to prevent the destruction of the old mine hoist and succeeded in purchasing the engine. They restored the engine house and in time arranged with the Manor of Trewellard, owners of the land, for a 99-year ground lease on a peppercorn rental.

Jan 1, 1947

By K. J. Brondyke, P. D. Hess

Two processes have been developed for improving the quality of molten-aluminum alloys before casting. The Filtration Process. which involves passing molten metal through a packed bed of granular filter material, is a rapid means of removing finely divided particles. It has the most potential in those instances where removal of inclusions is of primary importance. The Combination Fillration-Inert Gas Fluxing Process inuolzles introduction of an inert gas so that it will diffuse countercurrent to metal flow through the filter bed of granular material. Dissolved hydrogen is removed from the metal in addition to removal of finely divided particles. The Combination Process is most useful where both inclusion removal and attainment of conistently low-hydrogen-content metal are important. Metal treated by the Combination Process is of higher and more uniform quality than heretofore attainable with prolonged chlorine fluxing. Costs of the Combination Process can, for the most part, be offset by savings derived from high recoveries and increased production of superior-quality products. IMPROVEMENT in the quality of molten-aluminum alloys is secured generally through the use of some fluxing practice in a crucible, holding furnace, or ladle involving either gaseous or solid fluxing media. Typical fluxing agents may include the gases nitrogen, argon, or chlorine used either singly or as mixtures and the solids aluminum chloride or hexachloroethane. Regardless of the fluxing means used, the primary objectives are the adequate removal of both metallic and nonmetallic inclusions and reduction of hydrogen content to an acceptably low level. The ultimate goal is to produce ingots and cast products of high quality free from inclusions and porosity. The development of ultrasonics for measurement of internal quality, tightening of quality controls, and the application of the aluminum alloys to new or different commercial fields have been responsible for an ever increasing demand for improvement of quality of both cast and fabricated products. This demand for high quality has not been restricted to any single type of product. On the contrary, the demand encompasses about the entire variety of products including those for fabrication, those to be machined, buffed, or finished for decorative purposes, and those for critical applications where both surface and internal quality is of utmost importance. In many instances products acceptable in the 40's would now be scrapped as unacceptable by these higher present-day standards. With this ever increasing demand for higher quality, it became apparent at Alcoa that conventional means of melt treatment were inadequate in many instances and new approaches were necessary. Consequently the research program was intensified with attention focused on metal treatment during transfer in order to reduce the furnace processing time to a minimum in an effort to attain the desired results at a minimum of additional expense. As a result of this intensive research program which covered numerous variations and adaptations of conventional methods in addition to new methods of melt treatment, several new processes were developed, two of which will be described here. The first of these, a method of melt filtration, was patented in February, 1959.l The second process involving combination filtration—inert gas fluxing was patented in June, 1962. 2 Other melt-treatment processes developed during this period of investigation were patented as listed.3 FILTRATION PROCESS General Description. The Filtration Process, which involves passing molten metal through a packed bed of granular filter material, is a rapid method of effectively removing finely divided particles. It is an impingement-type filter; hence the size of the particles removed from the metal are considerably smaller than the interstices of the

Jan 1, 1964

By Henry Mulryan

DIATOMS are microscopic aquatic plants of the order Bacillariaceae. They are unicellular plants with skeletons made up of amorphous opaline silica. The skeletons show highly ornate, complicated geometrical designs. Diatoms live in water virtually everywhere. They are found in clean sea water, brackish water, and fresh-water lakes and ponds. When conditions are right, diatoms propagate by subdivision in huge numbers. Alkalinity, temperature, and the presence of high concentrations of silica in the water largely control diatom life. When the diatoms die the skeletons drop to the bottom of their habitat to form oozes of varying thicknesses. DIATOMITES Diatomite, or diatomaceous earth, is composed essentially of the siliceous remains of the diatoms, although other organic skeletons are also present, especially in sea-water deposits where radiolaria, sponges and silico-flagellates are common. Impurities are generally carbonaceous material, fine-grained silt, volcanic ash and dust, and occasional coarse grains of sand. Diatomites are marine, brackish, or fresh-water, depending upon types of diatoms and their method of deposition. DIATOMS More than 8000 species of diatoms have been named and classified. Some are definitely classified as to their habitat; some are so well recognized as to their living conditions that they can be stated to be diagnostic types, and when encountered in a deposit determine the origin of the deposit. Some of the commoner types of diatoms found in the fresh-water diatomites on the Pacific Coast are: [Cymbella lanceolata Agardh Fragilaria virescens Ralfs Encyonema prostratum Ralf s Diatoma vulgare Bory Surirella biseriata Brebison Eunotia major Ehrenberg Amphipleura pellucida Kutaing Stictodiscus niagarae Ehrenberg Gomphonema geminatum Lynberg Melosira granulata Ehrenberg]

Jan 1, 1939

By Thomas M. Chance

All gravity methods for the separation of ore from gangue, or of slate and other refuse from coal, are based upon differences in the falling velocities, in some fluid medium such as air or water, of the materials to be separated. As all materials falling in a vacuum have the same velocity, independent of the size, shape, weight or specific gravity of their individual particles, it would be more accurate to describe the operation of these methods as depending upon the retardation of falling velocities effected by the resistance of a fluid medium, this retardation being greater for small or light particles than for large or heavy particles. This generalization is true also of those appliances utilizing centrifugal force to replace or to supplement the action of gravity. The separation of materials of different specific gravities by means of a fluid having a specific gravity greater than that of the lighter particles and less than that of the heavier particles has not been applied commercially, or on a large scale, to the separation of ores or to the washing of coal, the method being limited to laboratory experimental work or to laboratory determinations for the purpose of checking up the work of jigs, classifiers, and other types of concentrating appliances. A solution of zinc chloride has thus come into general use in the laboratory to separate coal, bony coal, and slate, both to check up the work of coal-washing plants and for the purpose of making tests preliminary to the designing of coal-washing plants. The use of a heavy solution of some chemical in water has often been proposed for making such separations, especially in connection with the washing or preparation of coal. Practically insuperable difficulties, however, have prevented the commercial development of any such process, the difficulties being both physical and financial. The cost of the chemical used to make high-gravity solutions is usually prohibitive, and the freeing of the coal from all traces of the chemical is found to be practically impossible. Such solutions inevitably penetrate the individual lumps and particles of coal, transfusing into the pores and saturating the joint-planes, and very large quantities of wash water

Jan 1, 1918

By Nicholas J. Grant, Rolf Nordheim, Thomas B. King

Constant-load creep-rupture tests were conducted in an argon atmosphere at temperatures of 1600 to 2200°F on two heats of iron containing about 0.06 and 0.09 pct P in solid solution. The tests were conducted in the as-cast condition. Stresses were selected to give strain rates approaching those encountered in the hot working of steel, and within the limits of the creep-rupture test apparatus, namely. from about 0.001 to 50 pct per sec. FOR generations, rolling and forging practices have been developed largely by empirical methods, based on prior experience. While largely successful, difficulties are frequently encountered when new or different alloy compositions are tried for the first time. There is need to know the relationships which exist among temperature, strain rate, composition, and other variables on the deformation and fracture characteristics of steels. It has been shown for aluminum and several high-temperature alloys that the deformation and fracture characteristics follow rather well-defined laws and patterns which are closely related to the effects of strain rate, temperature, and composition.1"3 As the melting temperature of aluminum or its alloys was approached, it was possible to study the interplay of work-hardening factors and recovery or recrystal-lization, the latter resulting in improved ductility and increased resistance to intercrystalline fracture. In particular, the effects of composition are very poorly known. Within the meaning of "composition" should be included impurity elements, such as sulfur, phosphorous, lead, copper, and many others, as well as those elements which are added for alloying purposes in iron. The role of multiphase structures, in contrast to solid solutions, should also be studied in much greater detail. high strain rate creep-rupture tests would provide information regarding the deformation and fracture characteristics of metals at hot-working temperatures. It was also desired to establish the stresses which are necessary to accomplish the desired deformation, and to relate these to the strain rate and temperature. Secondly, it was the purpose of this particular study to determine the effects of phosphorus, within solid solution limits, on the deformation and fracture characteristics of iron at hot-working temperatures. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Two phosphorus levels were selected, one corresponding to the upper limit normally found for commercial steels, and one substantially higher than this, but within the region of solid solubility at the test temperatures chosen for this investigation. Twenty-pound heats were prepared by induction melting electrolytic iron in air in a magnesia lined furnace. After deoxidation with about 0.2 pct Al, ferro-phosphorus was added, and the heats were then poured into prefired silica molds. The purpose of using silica molds was to obtain a slow cooling rate during solidification to produce a relatively coarse grain size, producing a structure subject to some segregation and therefore more nearly characteristic of ingot structures. The major part of the casting assembly provided a large shrinkage head in order to produce sound castings and to promote slow cooling of the specimens. The primary austenitic grain size varied from ASTM No. 2 to No. 00. The composition of the heats, including a low phorphorus melt, used for comparison purposes, is shown in Table I. It will be noted that the oxygen content of the phosphorus containing heats is relatively high, in spite of the deoxidation practice, a condition which is difficult to control in small melts. Creep-rupture tests were nevertheless undertaken when it was noted that this quantity of oxygen did not appear to give results any different from those from a heat containing 0.01 pct 0, low phosphorus and comparable carbon Content;4 see Table 11.

Jan 1, 1961

By L. H. Duschak

Electrolytic zinc produced from sulfate solution and with pure lead anodes is always contaminated with a small and varying percentage of lead. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the characteristics of several lead alloys and their influence on the products of electrolysis and power consumption. The study of alloyed anodes has been a matter of interest for some years. Tainton, Taylor and Ehrlinger prepared a highly interesting paper' on this subject a year ago, in which the effects of silver-lead and some ternary alloys of lead-silver-tin were described, and the presentation of any paper on insoluble anodes will owe much to the inspirational results achieved by Dr. Colin G. Fink and Li Chi Pan in their work on insoluble anodes for the electrolysis of brine,2 and to other published papers by Dr. Fink and his coworkers embracing the development of the copper-silicon-manganese anode for the production of electrolytic copper and the general subject of anode development. The present paper describes a study of various combinations of 10 metals. The general plan of the work provides for the fabrication of the alloyed anode, its adequate conditioning by preparatory electrolytic operation, the production of cathode zinc and its analysis, the determination of the anode polarization, and other features. A list of the anodes tested, showing composition and polarization at various current densities together with the lead assay of the cathode zinc, is shown in Table 1. Determination of Anode Polarization In the determination of anode polarization under operating conditions it is essential that the anode area used be restricted to the side facing the cathode, in order that these measurements may be referred to a definite current per unit of area. It becomes necessary, therefore, to insulate the inactive face of the anode, to prevent the leakage of lines of force

Jan 1, 1930

By Juhani Pulkkinen, Pekka Lappalainen

Preplaced cable bolts - fully grouted old hoisting cables or stress relieved steel strands - have been used succesfully to pre- reinforce ore contact zones and pillars in sublevel stoping at Outo- kumpu Oy mines for ten years. The purpose is to make open stoping methods possible even in "poor'' conditions and to decrease waste rock dilution. Since 1971 more than 120 km cable bolting has been done, and plans for this year in five mines amount to 33 km. In order to understand the function of cable bolt, pull-out tests have been done both in the laboratory and in situ. Bond strength between cable and cement is highly dependent on cable structure and cable surface dirtiness. Steel cables with steel core and rough surface structure have highest bond strength ( 6 MP~). A cable bolt is a friction bolt. After losing its peak bond strength - after starting to move - a cable bolt still has a high loading capacity due to the friction caused by the uneven surface of the cable. Cable bolting is done before actual stoping from existing drifts, sublevel drifts, e.g. or from special bolting drifts. In general stress relieved steel strands are used; 2 x 15.2 mm dia per hole. FEM or BEM calculation is utilized in cable bolting design. Bolts 2 are in fan shape, 10 m ... 50 m long and are spaced 1/20 m ... 1/50 m2 at stope walls. Pretensioning of cable is not needed, when bolting is done before rock deformations. Bolting costs vary between 0.3 USD ... 1.0 USD/ore ton. In the beginning only manual cable installing technique bras used. Now bolting can be done as fully mechanized with the developed cable bolting machine; i.e. drilling of the hole, installing and cutting of cables and grouting of hole.

Jan 1, 1983

By Roshan Bhappu, Laszlo Dudas, Herman Maass

Introduction Chemical and mineralogical constitution play a very important role in the processing of ores because they dictate the method, either physical or chemical, for extracting the mineral or metal. Similarly, the mineralogical nature of the ore, especially the grain size of the valuable minerals, is very important in its processing. The fineness of the grain may be such that physical separation pro- cesses may be eliminated in preference to chemical techniques. In the past, very little attention has been devoted to the geo- logical and mineralogical occurrences which may be potential sources of ores by both the geologist and mineral processing engineer. On the one hand, geologists have devoted less attention to lower grade, complex mineral deposits, and, therefore, may have inadvertently curtailed an exploration 2rogra.m. On the other hand, the metal- lurgists have neglected to study in detail the geological environ- ments and mineralization of potential ores with the view of deter- mining the critical parameter that could assist in economically processing complex submarginal deposits. In the final analysis, a chemical processing technique converts the valuable metals to a mobile state under conditions similar to those which deposited originally in the host rock. The relationship between ore-genesis and chemical processing is close when the process of mineral or metal deposition in a particular ore deposit is understood--putting the metal in solution by reversing the process of deposition is re- latively easy. For this reason, some researchers and educators have been stressing the importance of ore-genesis, geochemistry, mineral equilibria, and ionic equilibria in studying and explaining the

Jan 1, 1974

A Discussion at a meeting of the New York Section, Dec. 2, 1914 D. H. BROWNE.-If 35 years ago we had met to discuss the subject that is before us to-night, the criticism that we must all be mad or we would not be here at all would have been perfectly applicable. No group of men would have come together a generation ago to discuss the subject of smelting ores without extraneous fuel, or largely by the oxidation of their own impurities, without incurring the imputation of being crazy. But metallurgy, like all other branches of human industry, progresses by idealism. In every generation there are old men who see visions and young men who dream dreams. Thirty-five years ago John Hollway conceived the idea that in the Rio Tinto ore the sulphur and iron, if properly oxidized, could be made to produce heat enough to carry on the smelting of the ores. He saw the vision. Twenty-five years ago Mr. Austin, of Montana, took out a patent on a furnace in which to carry out Hollway's ideas. He dreamed the dream. Twenty years ago a man working in Montana grasped the possibilities of this idea. To him has been given that inexpressible pleasure which comes from realizing the idea and making the concept concrete. Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the man who made the ideal real, Robert Sticht, of Tasmania. ROBERT C. STICHT, Queenstown, Tasmania.-I find it extremely difficult to act up, in the smallest degree, to the enconium passed upon me by Mr. Browne. It is true it has been my good fortune to be able to put some sort of method into the "madness" of 25 years ago; but I am not the originator of the idea, nor the only one who has carried it out. Mr. Browne mentioned the originator, who undoubtedly is Mr. Hollway. He also mentioned Mr. Austin, who gave the first instigation to pyrite smelting as now practiced. As against both of these men I was fortunate enough to be able to command the necessary natural resources to carry out the idea continuously in a practical way, so as to make it permanently possible.

Jan 4, 1915

By T. J. Bosworth

The effect of hydrogen pretreatment of alumina, magnesia, and zirconia crucibles on reduced oxygen levels in iron charges has been studied. Hydrogen treatment of commercial high-purity magnesia crucibles was observed to produce as high as 70 pct reduction in oxygen content in iron melts. Hydrogen treatment of the commercial high-purity grade zirconia crucibles produced a 25 pct reduction in oxygen levels in iron melts. An average reduction of Knoop hardness of 47 pct was recorded on the iron charges melted in hydrogen-treated crucibles. On the basis of the experiments and the free-energy diagram, it appears that the major source of reducible oxygen to the iron charge is the suboxides and impurity oxides rather than the major oxide of the crucible. Suitable pretreatment of the crucibles to reduce and remove these oxides yields low oxygen levels in iron melted in the crucibles. DURING the last decade, attempts to produce more pure and uniform alloyed metals have brought about the development of many new melting techniques. Notable among these are vacuum-induction melting, inert and consumable-electrode melting, the cold-mold technique, and numerous techniques for removal of impurities by chemical reaction. However great the achievements in this field, metals must still be melted in contact with media of varying reactivity; i.e., gas, ceramic, and slag. Studies have been made to attain an understanding of the reactions that take place during melting, including slag-metal reactions and equilibria, equilibrium of hydrogen and water vapor, and carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide with oxygen in molten iron. These reactions have been treated quite thoroughly. There is one condition, however, that has been widely overlooked, and, to the author's knowledge, only cursive investigation has been made of it. This is the reaction between the ceramic crucible material and the iron charge. In recent years, Hadley and Bianchi' made a series of studies on hydrogen deoxidation of iron in magnesia crucibles. Bianchi2 studied crucible-FeO equilibria in the temperature range 1525°to 1650°C in high vacuum with, however, inconsistent results. Richardson and Jeffes3 in their series of articles on thermodynamic reactions in the making of iron and steel refer to Wentrup and Hieber's4 work on iron and aluminum deoxidation. Their pork included melting iron in alumina crucibles and measuring the aluminum and oxygen content in the iron. Because of the low values obtained, question has arisen of their analytical accuracy.3 Dastur and chipman5 obtained values on hydrogen-oxygen equilibrium in molten iron contained in alumina crucibles similar to those obtained in experiments in the present program. Hochmann6 studied removal of impurities in chromium irons in high vacuum. His results with respect to oxygen level in chromium-iron melted in magnesia crucibles are consistent with results we have obtained.

Jan 1, 1959

Jan 1, 1910

By Roger L. Brockenbrough

Steels available for mine-shaft applications are discussed, and the use of steel linings for round and rectangular shafts is reviewed. For rectangular shafts, frameworks constructed of square or rectangular steel tubes offer advantages. Also, corrugated steel sheeting provides a suitable alternative to timber lagging for spanning between the main shaft supports. For round shafts, self-supporting cylindrical steel liners, with circumferential stiffeners to prevent collapse, have been used to depths up to 6000 ft. Several large-diameter round shafts have been constructed with a concrete lining and an internal framework: of high-strength low-alloy steel tubes. It is concluded that in any new shaft construction steel designs should be investigated as economical alternatives to designs using other materials.

Jan 1, 1976

By James Finlay

(New York Meeting, February, 1913) AT first blush one is tempted to say that iron-mines are like any other mines, and that principles governing mining-property in general will apply to them. But there are certain considerations which seem to repay reflection. Gold and copper are more or less independent of transportation. The proof of this is that those metals are profitably mined and shipped from the remotest corners of the earth. Their value is determined by the cost of production on the ground. This is quite true of gold, not quite so true of copper, not at all true of iron. If New York were a fishing-village and Chicago' a swamp, Calumet & Hecla might still be a bonanza. The main element of its value is the 60 lb. of fine copper per ton which it produced for years. But the Mesabi Range is absolutely dependent upon the industrial activity in the United States. Iron-manufacture in Europe would give it no value whatever. If Chicago and New York had a population of Peruvians or Hindus, the Hull-Rust mine would be as worthless a bit of landscape as any tundra in Alaska. I have discussed these facts more or less casually and dimly in my book on the cost of mining and in my report to the Tax Commissioners of Michigan1 I shall try here to bring them out in more detail. I have already referred to some differences in the problem of mining as between the more precious metals, e.g., gold, and the less precious and more abundant minerals, like iron and coal; but it is interesting to note that the literature of the eco-

Jan 3, 1913

By I. R. Dunlap, R. F. Burdyn, F. D. Patchen

The composition and properties of a new type of cementing mixture are discussed. In these compositions, API Class A or C cements are added to n stable water-in-oil emulsion instead of the crsual water. The cement disperses in the oil phase and remains out of contact with the water under normal conditions of mixing and storage. At higher temperatcrres, such as those encountered down-hole during placement, the emulsion breaks and cement hydration can then proceed. An extremely low filtration rate is obtained; the major part of the filtrate is oil. Thickening times of the mixture may be increased to meet the 18,000-ft casing cementing schedule by varying the amount of emzilsifier. As in conventional Portland cement mixtures, high-temperature strength retrogression can be overcome by addition of silica flour. Results of several field app1ication.r show that mixing presents no diffculty if emulsion blenders are used and the emulsion is prepared beforehand. INTRODUCTION Water-in-oil emulsions., in which oil is the continuous or external phase and in which water exists as discrete droplets, have for some time been used successfully in drilling muds to reduce filtration loss.1,2 Applied to cement slurries, the same results are obtained; i. e., the fluid-loss is greatly reduced. In addition, thickening times may be extended, lower densities and strengths obtained, and water-base borehole fluids more easily displaced without contamination of the cement. A low filtration rate is often a desirable property in oil well cements since loss of fluid increases placement difficulties and may also cause damage to water-sensitive producing formations.' In the casing cementing operation where the cement slurry is pumped into the narrow annulus between open hole and casing, rapid loss of fluid to a porous formation can cause the slurry to thicken and plug the annulus before the desired fill is obtained. Where a casing or a liner is cemented against a productive formation and the well completed through perforations, the fluid lost between the time the cement first contacts the formation and the time a set is obtained may invade the zone past the depth of the perforations. If the sand contains a material which will swell upon contact with cement filtrate, permanent damage may result. Previous methods for reducing the fluid-loss of cements have employed bentonite4 as an additive, usually with a lignosulfonate as a dispersant, or a derivative of some naturally occurring polymeric material such as cellulose ether." Oil emulsion cements have also been proposedv or fluid-loss reduction, but these have been of the oil-in-water type. Bentonite cements have been used most widely and have been successful in reducing incidence of premature setting of cement attributable to loss of water by filtration. It is the purpose of this paper to describe preparation and properties of a water-in-oil emulsion cement and to relate procedures followed and results obtained in several field applications. DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM AND MECHANISMS A water-in-oil emulsion cement is prepared by adding an API Class A or C cement to a stable water-in-oil emulsion. Fig. 1 is a photomicrograph of this emulsion before addition of cement. Here the droplets are water and the surrounding medium is diesel oil. High emulsion stability is indicated by the small droplet size [1-5 microns], and by their uniformity.' To form a stable water-in-oil emulsion as illustrated, several conditions must be met. A predominantly hydrophobic emulsifier must be present in sufficient concentration to produce a strong interfacial film; initially, the phase volume ratio (the water-to-oil ratio) must be low;

By T. A. Wright

THE SAMPLING of waste materials containing copper, lead and tin has taken on a new significance within recent years, and is of increasing importance, on account of the entry of some of the copper refineries into this field and the tendency towards consolidations among the smelters. In the past, such material was sold on the basis either of a rough or grab sample or of casual inspection of the lot. The two principal sources of this waste are the processes of fabrication and the scrapping of automobile, electrical, plumbing, railroad and other equipment. In both cases much material can be sorted, salvaged and sold by classification and grade to be melted "as is" or with the addition of new or virgin metal. The increasing care in classifying exercised in the large manufacturing plants tends to increase the proportion of this usable scrap; on the contrary, the increasing use of more complex and special non-ferrous alloys tends to make sorting and grading more difficult in turnings, borings, clippings, etc., and consequently is making sampling of more moment. In tin, lead, aluminum, and zinc furnace by-products such as ashes, drosses, skimmings, etc., the trade practice of evaluation has not varied much. For instance, tin drosses, battery lead, and aluminum skimmings are ordinarily sold on what is called' "metallic button" or "metallic recovery" or "metallic yield." Copper and lead waste, however, is being sold more and more on actual copper and lead contents based on sample and chemical analyses. This paper will be devoted chiefly to the sampling of materials suitable only for refining and recovery of one or more of the metals present. The methods described are often based on the fact that but one metal, such as copper, is to be paid for. The loss of volatile constituents in melting does not appreciably affect the final copper result, as the "after-melting" assay can be readily calculated to the "before-melting" basis, but if smelter efficiency continues to increase, so that in time zinc, for instance, may be recovered on a paying basis, the method of sampling dirty brass, for example, will have to be changed also.

Jan 1, 1928

By Plato Malozemoff

Our young, technically oriented people today are entranced by the space program, by physics that unlocks the secrets of nature, by electronics, and by other new technologies. The mining industry seems to be their last choice. Enrollment in mining schools is dropping and so is the interest of our great universities in mining curricula. The image of the mining industry appears to be one of being conservative, nonprogressive, resistant to change, and lacking in excitement and challenge. I submit that this public image is wrong. While the initial development of mines is usually slow and seemingly plodding, the problem of solving the imponderables of nature-the ore emplacement, its structure and physical characteristics, its response to recovery processes, and its probable ultimate profitability-is stimulating to the most acute and searching of minds and requires careful application of a combination of many technologies. The paths to obtaining the desired results must be within the bounds of reasonable expenditures in the early stage of development when risks are still high, and this financial discipline is a further stimulus to the imaginative search for the right answers.

Jan 6, 1968