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By Roy A. Lindgren

SINCE the year 1643, when the first blast furnace in America for treating iron ore was built at Saugus, Mass., out of mica schist quarried in the neighboring district, the procurement of a suitable refractory for furnace lining has been a problem of concern to the operators of furnaces. The stacks built of mica schist continued to smelt iron ore until about 1836, when, according to F. H. Norton, the first firebrick were produced', at Queens Run, Pa. Other writers speak of brick having been molded and burned in Massachusetts about the year 1834. In 1841, Andrew Russell began to produce medium refractory plastic clay brick near East Liverpool, Ohio, that were used for lining blast furnaces'. The well-known Kentucky clay-producing district was not opened up until the year 1871, but since then it has produced a large percentage of the linings for iron blast furnaces. While some strides have been made by the refractories industry during the 100 years that have passed since the first firebrick were produced, it has been only during the last two decades that any real progress has been made towards bettering the product, even though the method of production had improved. Perhaps the fault lies with the user of the brick rather than with the producer, for not sooner demanding a supe¬rior product. During the past 15 years the tonnage produced per lining has increased from 500,000 gross tons to 1,000,000 gross tons, and now some furnaces are producing 1,600,000 gross tons and better on a single lining. It is true that enlarged capacity of furnaces and improved practice have accounted for some of this increase in tonnage, nevertheless better quality in firebrick must be given credit for its share. However, we are not yet ready to say that we have reached a maximum life of furnace lining. We believe that a better product can be produced and that the refractories industries of America will, through their extensive research depart-

Jan 1, 1937

By Shiou-Chuan Sun

THE fact that coals of different ranks and even of the same rank differ greatly in their amenability to iroth flotation is well known. In recognition of the need for an explanation of this phenomenon, two hypotheses have been suggested. Wilkinsl reported that the floatability of coals increased with an increase of the carbon content or rank. This postulate is handicapped by the fact that bituminous coals that possess moderate carbon contents are actually more floatable than anthracite coals that have high carbon contents, as shown in columns 6 and 9 of Table I. Taggart and his associates' implied that the difference of floatability between bituminous and anthracite coal was caused by the variation of carbon-hydrogen ratio. This is not applicable to the relative floatability of other coals and carbons. For example, column 11 of Table I shows that the carbon-hydrogen ratios of low-floating lignitic coal and non-floating animal charcoal are not only smaller than the moderate-floating anthracite coal, but are also similar to the high-floating bituminous coal. Furthermore, according to this hypothesis, high temperature coke-A (464), Ceylon graphite (1238), and lamp-black (357), all possessing extremely high carbon-hydrogen ratios, should be less floatable than other substances having much lower carbon-hydrogen ratios such as high volatile-B bituminous coal (11.9 to 22), anthracite coal (35.7 to 60.5), lignitic coal (15.6 to 33.6), and charcoal (13 to 26.2). However the former group is actually more floatable than the latter group. In this paper, a surface components hypothesis is Proposed to explain the different floatabilities of coals, carbons, and hydrocarbon minerals. The validity of the hypothesis is experimentally supported by the actual floatability, natural floatability, wettability, and adsorbability for neutral oils of coals, carbons, and hydrocarbon minerals tested. The combustible recovery of the flotation results, as used in this paper. was calculated from Eq. 1: P (100-Ep) 100 RWCP Rc= [1] F (100-E,) C, where R, is the percent combustible recovery; F and P are, respectively, the weight of feed and the weight of concentrate or product; E, and Ep are, respectively, the total percent of ash plus moisture in feed and in concentrate; Ru. is the percent weight recovery: and C, and C, are, respectively, the percent of combustible in feed and in concentrate. Except for ash and moisture content, all chemical components of a coal are assumed combustible. The experimental work included studies on flotation, ultimate and proximate analyses, contact angle tests, extractions of bitumen-A with benzene, adsorptions for liquid hydrocarbons, and wetting tests. Most of the flotation experiments were performed in a laboratory Fagergren machine; others were tested in a small Denver machine. The solid feed for the former was 300 g and for the latter was 30 g. The solid materials used for flotation were crushed to —48 mesh. After the mineral pulp in the flotation cell was agitated for 6 min and the pH was adjusted to 7.5 & 0.2 with sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid, a petroleum light oil having a viscosity of 5.73 centipoises at 77 °F was added and conditioned for 2 min. Finally, pine oil was introduced and the froth was collected for exactly 3 min. The weight ratio of petroleum light oil to pine oil was kept constant at 1.5 to 1. Tap water was used for all flotation tests. Contact angles were measured with a captive bubble machine. For each coal sample, three specimens were mounted in transoptic mounts and polished with levigated alumina, first on a sheet glass, then on a cloth-covered metal polishing wheel. The polished specimen was first washed with distilled water and wiped thoroughly on a cleaned linen pad, then transferred into the pyrex cell of the captive bubble machine and conditioned for 6 min., and finally measured for contact angles at three or more points. Except where otherwise stated, the induction time for each measurement was 1 min. The contact angle representing each material was obtained by averaging the measurements of three specimens. The linen pad was first washed with warm distilled water, then boiled 30 min in a 2N sodium hydroxide solution, and finally washed with distilled water until no trace of sodium hydroxide could be detected in the decanted solution. The cleaned linen pad was stored under distilled water. Immediately before using, the pad was rewashed and transferred into a clean pyrex petri dish partly filled with distilled water. The glassware and rubber gloves used were cleaned by soaking in sulphuric acid-potassium dichromate cleaning solution, followed by rinsing with distilled water. The polished specimens were handled only by glass forceps. The ultimate and proximate analyses were made in accordance with the ASTM standard procedures for coal and coke. The extractable bitumen-A was determined by weighing 1 g of —100 mesh sample and placing it in a desiccated and weighed ASTM aluminum-extraction thimble. The thimble was placed in condenser hooks and inserted into an extraction flask containing 100 cu cm of benzene. The flask was heated and the benzene vapor was condensed by water coils. At the end of 24 hr of percolation, the thimble was removed, desiccated, and weighed. Loss in weight of sample was taken as bitumen-A and calculated to dry and ash-free basis.

Jan 1, 1955

By Franklyn Oatman

IN order that the conditions which obtain in an oil well may be readily understood, a brief description of a typical California well and. a number of the phenomena accompanying same will be given. That the necessity for the exclusion of water be realized, the effects of water intrusion, a description of methods of prevention, and a discussion of causes of failure will be presented, followed by a summary and recommendations. Fig. 1 shows a section of a typical well which illustrates the relation of oil sands to overlying strata. It indicates a deep water sand separated from the oil sand by shale, and the proper place for the final shutting off of water. In this well a comparatively thick stratum of compact shale protected the oil from overlying water so that the operation of landing the water string was a simple matter. In some wells the protecting stratum may be only from 3 to 5 ft. thick and very careful operation is necessary in order to land the water string of casing properly and not puncture through to the oil sand. The cases just cited are common, but occasionally, after excluding overlying water, productive oil sands are drilled through in the expectation of finding more productive underlying sand, and a water-bearing stratum is tapped. In this case the problem is the reverse of the normal; water must be prevented from ascending rather than descending. A discussion of well-drilling methods is not within the scope of this paper, except such operations as pertain to shutting off of water. A brief outline of the several conditions which may accompany drilling follows. Some or all may be present in any particular case. The direct relation of these to prevention of intrusion will he discussed in detail further on. In drilling, the hole. becomes more or less irregular in shape, and rough, and as the casing follows the bit into the well it does not fit snugly against the walls. As a result, water may descend between the casing and walls of the well. If a circulation pump is not used during drilling, the hole is simply punched through and the pulverized material removed from the well by means of a bailer. If circulation is maintained there is a continual flow of water down inside the casing and up around the outside between the pipe and the walls of hole. This keeps an open. space around the pipe.

Jan 3, 1914

By Edwin S. Sperry

Metals differ widely in their behavior under the cuttingtool. Some, like iron or steel, require a slow speed and light feed, a tool shaped differently from that used for other metals,

Jan 1, 1898

By Alden Greninger

THE time-honored description of the growth of metal crystals to form polycrystalline aggregates is one in which two important steps are con-sidered: (1) nucleation, and (2) dendritic growth, each dendrite starting from its individual nucleus and resulting (upon slow cooling, assuming no solid phase changes) in a macrograin. This picture of the process of crystallization is incomplete, and it is with the hope of enlarging upon it that the following summary and correlation of experimental results are given. MOSAIC STRUCTURE For an exact definition of the mosaic structure of metal crystals-if, indeed, one can be found that will hold for all metals-one must await the results of much experimental work in this field. The writer's investiga-tions have been confined almost entirely to copper and a few of its alloys. The following terms are proposed, and will be used in this report: Macromosaic Structure l.-Large-scale mosaic structure; more specif-ically, mosaic structure of a scale large enough to produce splitting of Laue spots on back-reflection Laue X-ray patterns2. The deviation from exact parallelism of neighboring macromosaics varies from a few

Jan 1, 1935

By A. E. J. Gallagher, W. D. Charles

The chapter is a review of published and unpublished data concerning energy usage and material wear in commercial crushing and grinding operations. Examples are given from practice and factors influencing power and wear are discussed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Charles P. Williams

The lead-bearing area of Missouri has been subdivided, geographically, into the Southeastern, the Central, and the Southwestern

By J. W. Hickman

Most of the electron diffraction studies of oxide films which form on metals and alloys have been carried out by oxidizing the specimens in an auxiliary furnace, cooling down to room temperature and then inserting the sample in the camera and taking a diffraction photograph. Prior to the investigations at the Westinghouse Research Laboratories, no systematic study of the oxidation of any metal or alloy had been made over a wide temperature range with photographs taken at elevated temperatures except the investigation of iron by Jackson and Quarrell.' In order to interpret the electron diffraction patterns of the oxides which may form on alloys, it seemed advisable to make a comprehensive study of the oxidation of the purest metals available in the bulk form. Thus far studies have been completed on iron,2 cobalt,~ nickel,= chromium,= copper,z tungsten,s molybdenum,3 beryllium,' uranium,' thorium,' titanium6 and zirconium6 while investigations are in progress on tantalum and columbium. The next step in the study is concerned with the investigation of the oxides which form on binary alloys. Some of the alloys consist of a single phase while others contain more than one phase. The identification of the oxides on the surface of a binary alloy may be more difficult than on the metals since oxides containing both metals as well as those of each metal separately may form. Furthermore, it is possible that solid solutions of the various oxides may occur. In these cases the electron diffraction method may not be able to identify the oxidation products unequivocally. Examples of solid solutions which may present difficulties are MOO* and WOp, Fe304 and FeO.CrnOa since the diffraction patterns are so similar. Since electron diffraction can determine only the structure of the oxide, the chemical composition must be inferred from the diffraction data based upon X ray diffraction investigations of specimens of known composition. It is possible in some cases to decide whether a given solid phase reaction can occur on the surface of an alloy by a study of available thermodynamic data. Table I lists the equations for the formation of most of the oxides from the elements together with values of loglo Kg for the several temperatures. AF"B = -RT In KR AF°R and KR are the free energy and equilibrium constant of the reaction. Calculations may be made using the the given in I 1 to determine whether a given solid phase reaction is possible thermodynamically. For example, a solid phase reaction should occur between aluminum and chromium oxide to form

Jan 1, 1949

By J. H. Pratt

In a recent paper* on the origin of corundum associated with the peridotites of North Carolina, attention was called to the constant occurrence of the mineral, chromite, in these rocks. The field-data obtained during the preparation of that paper have been used largely in the present paper. During the past summer the general occurrences of chromite have been carefully studied, and those in North Carolina have been especially examined in the field. It is purposed to give, in this paper, the reasons why the chromite should be regarded as having been formed at the same time with the peridotites, having been held in solution by the molten mass of the peridotite, and crystallizing out among the first minerals as the mass began to cool. This theory is essentially the same as that advanced by me for the origin of the corundum associated with the peridotite rocks, and a similar line of reasoning has been used to substantiate the theory proposed. Investigations concerning the igneous origin of some of the ores have been materially aided, during recent years, by the skillful experiments of Morozewicz and Lagorio,§ and by researches that show us, more clearly, why we should regard a fused mass of rock as a liquid, having similar properties to an ordinary solution. These experiments have shown that a molten basic glass, similar in composition to the basic magnesian rocks, dissolves alumina readily, and that upon cooling, the first minerals to separate out are corundum and spinel.

Jan 1, 1900

By Paul R. Wieber, Atam P. Sikri

This paper describes the U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration's (ERDA) program to develop in situ coal conversion processes, especially gasification. The potential of this technology, the technical directions being explored, and the program strategy to carry the process concepts toward commercialization are emphasized. The geographic location of the U. S. coal resources and a market analysis are described. Commercially successful in situ coal processes could add over a trillion tons of coal to the U. S. coal reserves. The economics of these processes is compared with surface gasification. Independent studies show this process to be 25% cheaper than surface gasification for Western coals. The major projects are briefly described. The Linked Vertical Well process is in the most advanced stage and shows great promise. The last test produced a low-Btu gas averaging 171 Btu per standard cubic foot for average production rates of 8.5 million standard cubic feet per day. The other projects are Packed Bed, Longwall Generator, and Steeply Dipping Beds. Unique factors of the process development are discussed which may lead to commercial processes in the near term. A development strategy is proposed by which this technology could be commercialized before 1985 with potentially lower gas prices and lower environmental impacts, relative to mining plus surface gasification.

Jan 5, 1978

By C. F. Wang

Page I. Introduction............:.............. 395 Manchuria in General ....................... 395 Pen-hsi-hu............................ 397 Pen-hsi-hu Coal & Iron Co., Ltd................... 399 I1. organization........................... 400 III. Coal Deposit........................... 402 Location..............................402 Geology............................. 403 Coal Mining...........'.................. 404 Mining Methods........................407 Mining Cost.........................408 IV. Coal Washing Plant.......................408 V. Coking Plant..........................410 VI. Iron Deposit...........................413 Magnetite Belt.......................... 413 Origin of Deposit......................... 414 Iron Mining........................... 415 VII. Concentration Plant........................ 417 VIII. Briquetting Plant.......................... 418 IX. Blast-furnace Smelting...................... 418 iNTKODtrCTION Manchuria in General Manchuria. called the "Three Eastern Provinces" in Chinese. forms the northeastern corner of China and is bordered by Siberia on the north and northeast. and by Korea on the east. It is a land famous in Chinese annals as the place of origin of the Ching dynasty. and in more recent times it has bcen an arena for diplomatic maneuvering and commercial competition between the Russians. advancing from the north. and the Japanese from the southeast. It derives its name of "three eastern provinces" from the fact that it is divided into three provinces; Hei-

Jan 1, 1918

Jan 1, 1891

By R. Floyd Farris

A method is presented for determining minimum waiting-on-cement time, which takes into account the differences that exist between types and brands of cements and such individual well conditions as depth, temperature, and pressure. The basis for the method was determined by laboratory tests. Being a laboratory development, several steps were required to prove its merit. The first step consisted of laboratory tests designed to determine the minimum cement strength required in wells. Basis was found for setting a minimum value of 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength. Next, it was shown by laboratory tests that the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength may be expressed as a function of consistometer stirring time to loo "poises," the approximate relation being "the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength equals the time to I00 'poises' times three." Next, it was shown that the time of maximum temperature development in cement slurries, due to heat of hydration, is also related to consistometer stirring time to loo poises, but only by a factor of approximately two. It was shown also that the shut-in casing pressure will build up after cement is placed and register a maximum pressure at approximately the same time the slurry down the hole attains maximum temperature. From this and the relationships listed above, the general rule was established that minimum waiting-on-cement time (time to 8 Ib. per sq. in.) after casing cement jobs in any well is equal to the time when the shut-in casing pressure reaches a maximum, as measured from the initial mixing of cement, times a factor of 1.5. Cement plugs drilled in the field at the time prescribed by this formula were found to drill "firm to hard," thus confirming the laboratory tests. These tests prove that many of the present regulations for waiting on cement require a longer time than is absolutely necessary. Use of the method herein proposed offers the possibility of a saving of $1200 per well. Introduction The length of time allowed for cement to set after casing is determined either by state-wide rules, field rules, or self-imposed rules written into drilling contracts. In general, the time is dictated by experience and common practice. However, owing to differences in opinion and in experience of the various groups involved, waiting-on-cement time often varies from one area to the next. For example, an operator in an area where no rules exist may drill out of surface pipe at 24 to 36 hr., while another operator in another area may wait 48 hr. or more to comply with state or field rules, although the depth of the well, hole size, type of cement, and other data are identical. An even greater difference in practices will be found by making similar comparisons with respect to oil-string cement jobs. Differences in waiting-on-cement times of 36 to 48 hr. are common. Further complicating the picture is the rather common practice of allowing more waiting time for cement to set at the greater depths than is allowed at the shallow depths. This practice has existed for years in spite of the common knowl-edge1,2,3 that the temperature of the earth at the usual setting depths of surface

Jan 1, 1946

By R. Floyd Farris

A method is presented for determining minimum waiting-on-cement time, which takes into account the differences that exist between types and brands of cements and such individual well conditions as depth, temperature, and pressure. The basis for the method was determined by laboratory tests. Being a laboratory development, several steps were required to prove its merit. The first step consisted of laboratory tests designed to determine the minimum cement strength required in wells. Basis was found for setting a minimum value of 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength. Next, it was shown by laboratory tests that the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength may be expressed as a function of consistometer stirring time to loo "poises," the approximate relation being "the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength equals the time to I00 'poises' times three." Next, it was shown that the time of maximum temperature development in cement slurries, due to heat of hydration, is also related to consistometer stirring time to loo poises, but only by a factor of approximately two. It was shown also that the shut-in casing pressure will build up after cement is placed and register a maximum pressure at approximately the same time the slurry down the hole attains maximum temperature. From this and the relationships listed above, the general rule was established that minimum waiting-on-cement time (time to 8 Ib. per sq. in.) after casing cement jobs in any well is equal to the time when the shut-in casing pressure reaches a maximum, as measured from the initial mixing of cement, times a factor of 1.5. Cement plugs drilled in the field at the time prescribed by this formula were found to drill "firm to hard," thus confirming the laboratory tests. These tests prove that many of the present regulations for waiting on cement require a longer time than is absolutely necessary. Use of the method herein proposed offers the possibility of a saving of $1200 per well. Introduction The length of time allowed for cement to set after casing is determined either by state-wide rules, field rules, or self-imposed rules written into drilling contracts. In general, the time is dictated by experience and common practice. However, owing to differences in opinion and in experience of the various groups involved, waiting-on-cement time often varies from one area to the next. For example, an operator in an area where no rules exist may drill out of surface pipe at 24 to 36 hr., while another operator in another area may wait 48 hr. or more to comply with state or field rules, although the depth of the well, hole size, type of cement, and other data are identical. An even greater difference in practices will be found by making similar comparisons with respect to oil-string cement jobs. Differences in waiting-on-cement times of 36 to 48 hr. are common. Further complicating the picture is the rather common practice of allowing more waiting time for cement to set at the greater depths than is allowed at the shallow depths. This practice has existed for years in spite of the common knowl-edge1,2,3 that the temperature of the earth at the usual setting depths of surface

Jan 1, 1946

By Frederick Laist, H. J. Maguire

The ore from the Butte mines of the Anaconda company is quite siliceous; that is, it contains considerably less iron than is needed for the fluxing of the silica. The direct smelting of this ore, therefore, requires the addition of considerable fluxing material. The only flux available in sufficient quantity at Anaconda is limestone containing no metallic minerals. This necessarily makes the direct smelting of the ore so expensive that it is more profitable to subject the ore to a preliminary treatment by concentration. However, as the losses in the concentrator were very high, compared with the losses in the blast furnaccs, it was found, by calculation, more profitable to send ores containing more than a given percentage of copper to the blast furnaces, in spite of the higher costs of treatment. The dividing point was dependent on various factors, the chief of which was the prevailing market price of copper. It was customary, therefore, to segregate the ore as mined into two classes. Ore in the first class generally contained 5 per cent. or over of copper; this was sent directly to the blast-furnace department. Second-class ore contained less than 5 per cent. of copper, and averaged around 3 per cent.; it went to the concentrating department. With the introduction of the flotation process, it mas found possible to maintain an average recovery, as concentrates, of 96 per cent. At the same time, the cost of reverberatory smelting was very materially decreased by the use of pulverized coal. These two changes in practice made the blast furnaces unable to compete with the reverberatory furnaces on a cost basis. The distinction between first- and second-class ore was therefore abandoned, and the ore was treated by concentration. Obviously, on ores as high in iron as the Butte ores, the concentrator produces a product that is self-fluxing; in fact, it is possible to produce a concentrate containing more iron than is necessary to flux the silica. Under these conditions, the amount of basic fluxing materials required for the smelting operations became very srnall and the converter slag lost its former value as a blast-furnace flux. For this reason, a less expensive method of recovering the copper, silver, and gold contained in it than smelting in blast furnaces had to be found. It was not feasible

Jan 1, 1921

By E. F. Kingsbury

ONE of the well-known and important uses of the noble or precious metals has been for electrical contacts. In fact, the elements of this group, comprising gold, silver and. the six platinum metals, have been called "noble" because of their ability to resist heat and corrosion, properties which. were early found to be of importance in good contacts. Of these, platinum and its iridium alloys, palladium, and silver, have been extensively used. In recent years the electrical industry has been responsible for about one-eighth of the total consumption of the platinum metals in the United States. Information is not available as to what part of this one-eighth has been used for contacts but it is certainly an important one. SUBSTITUTES FOR PLATINUM During the past 20 years a considerable number of contact alloys have been proposed in the patent literature largely with the aim of more or less replacing platinum by gold or silver, and some of these alloys are finding increasingly widespread application as the reliability of their performance becomes established. From even the partial data at hand it appears that this substitution by the less precious metals has replaced at least one-half of the amount of platinum that the entire electrical industry would otherwise be consuming at the present time. While the subject is of considerable interest to the metallurgist it is even more so to the electrical engineer and it is surprising that the literature records no systematic and' comprehensive investigation along these lines. Practically all the scattered work on noble metal contacts has centered around platinum as a standard and has had two more or less distinct aims. One of these has been the replacement of platinum by cheaper materials, and the other, the development of materials of superior electrical performance. The merit, of a contact metal has been assumed to be dependent on its infusibility, and since the more precious metals have the higher melting points there has naturally been an association of the two qualities in the sense that the more precious were

Jan 1, 1928

By R. R. Unterberger

Three different physical techniques have been used to see through or probe into rocks, so miners might know what is ahead or overhead. These are radar, sonar, and a unique type of sonar called nonlinear sonar. Five radar systems have been developed. The highest frequency used is 4300 MHz for detecting small fractures at close range. This gives the best resolution. For longest range (over 2000 m, or 6560 ft) we use the 30 MHz radar for finding faults ahead of mining or ranging to salt dome flanks. Two types of salt, dome and bedded, are recognized. Radar works well in dry (dome) salt, but not in bedded salt which contains small amounts of water. The dipole moment of water absorbs energy from the radar. Thus was born the 30 MHz radar system and sonar probing systems. These can probe to 100 m (328 ft) even into wet salt. All probing systems measure data in time, which are converted to distance by measuring the time of travel of radar or sonar through salt pillars of known thickness. Ranges of probing in salt are from less than 1 m (3.3 ft) to more than 2000 m (6560 ft). Uses of radar and sonar probing in mines include mapping the top of salt above a mine; mapping salt dome flanks; finding impurities in salt such as anhydrite, sandstone, or potash stringers; locating old boreholes in salt pillars; locating fractures in salt; and finding faults or water zones ahead of mining.

Jan 1, 1985

By A. H. Rhoades, D. T. King, R. J. Gray

Tests and methods of detecting oxidized coal are studied. Particular emphasis is placed on the microscopically discernible changes that accompany the chemical and physical changes affecting the technological properties of coal during oxidation. Coal samples were used from the low-volatile Pocahontas No. 3 Seam, McDowell County, W.V., and from the high-volatile Cedar Grove Seam, Mingo County, W.V. Tests conducted include: carbonization, free-swelling index, phase inversion, froth flotation, Gieseler plasticity, oxygen by difference and by neutron activation, volatile matter, pH of coal slurries, alkali solubility, and electrostatic charge.

Jan 1, 1977

By Persifor Frazer

At a time when all those interested in the iron trade are carefully scanning the horizon for new sources of the raw material, a few words concerning a field, which though not new, has not been hitherto fruitful of statistical information, may be deemed appropriate at this meeting. The district alluded to is the belt of the Middle James River, or in other words, that portion of the ferriferous belts of Virginia lying between Josua Falls and the little settlement of Norwood, in the counties of Amherst and Nelson, and on the left bank of the James River. This region shows unmistakable signs of developing a very considerable market for iron ores and for iron in the future, as well as a tempting appearance of possible productiveness in the former. It, is extremely hazardous to deal in generalizations as to the productiveness or non-productiveness of these measures without a more thorough development than has yet been attained. It is true that they probably constitute an horizon whence comes a part of the marvellous mineral wealth of the northern peninsula of Michigan. But

Jan 1, 1883

By H. F. Hebley

In recent years, especially in the last decade, great interest has been shown and many advances have been made in the preparation and cleaning of coal. In the major coal-producing countries, the percentage of tonnage cleaned has been increasing ever since 1924. As separating media, both liquids and gases are used, these generally being water and air respectively. Some systems, instead of obtaining separation by the velocity of the medium in which the coal is cleaned, depend on the density of water mixed with sand, or coal dust and shale, or with chemicals such as calcium chloride. In studying the results of coal-cleaning equipment, it will be observed that the efficiency of the cleaning apparatus lowers as the size of the coal decreases. This inability to obtain any marked improvement in the fines has been partly responsible for the installation of dedusting equipment, to remove the fine sizes from the raw coal prior to cleaning. When considering the possibility of installing dedusting equipment, many factors must be taken into account. Very often, but not always, both the ash and sulfur content of the coal increase as the coal size decreases. When bituminous coal, containing soft powdery fusain, is subjected to a wet washing process, the porous fines of the fusain remain in the small coal or in the wash water and delay the dewatering of the washed coal and increase the difficulty of clarification in settling tanks or thickeners. When a dedusted coal is cleaned by a wet process, the sludge recovered from the settling tank often runs so high in ash that the sludge can be discarded without further treatment and still the loss is small. Where treatment of the sludge is desired, however, froth flotation may be used to advantage if the size of the feed is below 1/10 in. Dust from the deduster can be treated in a similar manner. Fusain, which is usually found in the fine sizes, has often a much larger ash content than other coal. Illustrative of this condition is a table of ash contents for the various petrographic constituents of Illinois coal (No. 5 bed) as given by Mitchell' (Table 1).

Jan 1, 1934