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By G. W. Healy, W. D. Forgeng, N. R. Griffing

The liquidus surface of the C-Cr-Fe system to 1900°C has been mapped from carbon solubility and freezing point measurements, metallographic observations, and published data. In the graphite field, the surface drops precipitously to meet a slope descending from the Cr3C2-C join through the mixed carbide fields to a meandering eutectic valley; this flows from the Cr-C to the Fe-C edge. On the low-cavbon side of the valley, the surface rises to the chromium corner. 1 HE purpose of this inquiry was to gain a more complete knowledge of the C-Cr-Fe liquidus surface. This required an extensive study of carbon and chromium-rich alloys which, in the past, have received the least attention. Sanbongi el al.1 measured the solubility of carbon in liquid alloys containing up to 25 wt pct Cr at temperatures of 1460" and 1545°C and found that it increased with chromium content and temperature. Lucas and wentrup2 also made solubility experiments in graphite crucibles, but at higher chromium contents in the range of 38 to 80 pct and at temperatures of 1550" to 1700°C; however, their experiments were relatively few, and the effect of temperature was not consistent. The present investigation included compsitions ranging from 0 to 94 pct Cr and 1.4 to 11.7 pct C at temperatures up to 1800°C. Saturation experiments in graphite crucibles, thermal analyses during freezing, and metallographic and X-ray diffraction studies were employed to obtain desired information which, together with published data from other investigations about the binary edges and the ternary system at lower carbon levels, made possible the construction of a comprehensive C-Cr-Fe liquidus surface. C-CR-FE LIQUIDUS SURFACE The derived ternary liquidus surface is shown in Fig. 1 where the solid curves are liquidus isotherms. The dashed curves and the binary edges are the liquidus field boundaries of the primary crystals, the arrows along these boundaries indicating their direction with decreasing temperature. Each intersection of three internal boundaries is the composition of liquid involved in four-phase isothermal equilibrium with the three primary crystals whose liquidus fields touch there. It may be observed that a total of six four-phase equilibria occur at melt temperatures. The general topography of the liquidus surface consists of a eutectic valley sloping down from the Cr-C edge at 3.2 pct C to the Fe-C edge at 4.25 pct C. The liquidus surface rises in two directions from the valley, one hillside terminating at the Cr-Fe edge while the opposing hillside rises toward the carbon corner out beyond the top edge of Fig. 1. Both hillsides are interrupted by intersections of surfaces or joints representing the liquid colmpositions of various three-phase equilibria. Seven primary crystals occur, namely a(bcc), ?(fcc), graphite, (Fe, Cr)3C capable of dissolving as much as 15 pct Cr, and three different chromium carbides in which iron is partially soluble by substitution for chromium. The composition ranges of the primary l~hases at melt temperatures are shown

Jan 1, 1962

By W. W. Stephens, W. J. Kroll, H. P. Holmes

THE only two methods for producing commercial quantities of malleable zirconium, up to now, have been using magnesium reduction of the anhydrous chloride under a neutral gas, and using purification of raw zirconium by the iodide dissociation method on a hot filament. The purity of the metal obtained by the latter process is about the same as that resulting from the chloride reduction, with the exception of the oxygen content, which may be about 0.05 pct lower in the iodide metal. Even traces of oxygen have a strong hardening effect on zirconium. Since, in the iodide process, the impurities, Si, Al, Fe, Ni, and Mg in the raw zirconium used, are carried over, it would appear uneconomical to use this method of refining solely to eliminate the traces of oxygen, unless very soft metal is desired. One important step to improve the iodide method, namely, dissociating pure iodide made from carbide and recycling the iodine, which would change this refining process into a method for extracting zirconium from the ore, has not yet been made. The Bureau of Mines, by using the chloride reduction, wanted to produce quantities of a reasonably pure and malleable metal at low cost for large-scale industrial use. This aim has been achieved, and a pilot plant permitting production of 600 lb of malleable zirconium per week will be described (fig. 1). Briefly, the Bureau of Mines process consists of reducing purified gaseous anhydrous zirconium chloride with fused magnesium under a noble-gas atmosphere. The reaction product, magnesium chloride, and any excess magnesium metal present are removed from the sponge zirconium in the next step by fusion and evaporation in a good vacuum at about 925°C. In this process, care is taken to keep air out of contact with the hot metal, which otherwise would contaminate the product with oxygen and nitrogen. Both these impurities embrittle zirconium even when present in an amount as low as 0.1 pct. A number of previous reports1-3 describe the method and the various improvements that finally led to a workable process. The major steps made were the production of large quantities of carbide, which is the raw material for producing the chloride, its chlorination with reasonable efficiencies, and the elimination of iron trichloride contained in the raw chloride, as well as that of the zirconium oxide which is always present in this product. The physical nature of the anhydrous chloride, which sublimes at 331°C at atmospheric pressure and melts at 420°C under a pressure of 25 atm, made it necessary to provide a special safety device on the purification and reduction vessels in the form of a lead-alloy seal, permitting escape of excess gases if pressure tended to build up. The main difficulties encountered in the reduction and in the following step, salt separation in a vacuum at elevated temperature, were caused by the material from which the reaction pot was constructed—iron. This metal reacts with zirconium at about 940°C with formation of a eutectic. The last step, salt separation by evaporation of the magnesium and magnesium chloride in a vacuum, is quite unconventional and has not been used before on such a scale. It is only due to the improved construction of high-vacuum pumps, especially oil-diffusion pumps, that such a method could be used. The various steps of the Bureau of Mines process, as described in the general outline above, may be summarized as follows: (1) production of the carbide, (2) chlorination of the carbide, (3) purification of the raw chloride, (4) reduction of the pure chloride with fused magnesium, (5) separation of excess magnesium and magnesium chloride in vacuum at elevated temperature, and (6) melting of the sponge obtained. Production of Carbide The arc furnace, described in a previous report,' was improved both to reduce the graphite consumption caused by the burning of the bottom plates and to concentrate the heat in order to obtain better power efficiency. This was achieved by providing the bottom with graphite plates entirely embedded in refractory bricks, the contact with the current being made with three water-cooled copper plugs. Figs. 2 and 3 show the arrangement. The crucible, made

Jan 1, 1951

By A. W. Peake, F. O. Prior

Considering the great advance in the development and application of electricity, it is not strange that eventually a big field for its use has been found in oil-field operations. So far as is known, the first electric drive in oil-field operations was in the Russian field of Baku in 1900. The first application in this country was made by the South Penn Oil Co. near Folsom, West Va. in 1903. In 1916, electric power was first used in the Burma fields of India for drilling and pumping. Between 1916 and 1922, The Empire Gas & Fuel Co. made the first large electrical installation in the Mid-Continent fields. But although the first application was made 27 years ago, it is only within the last 10 years that oil companies have begun to look upon its use with much favor. Within the last few years, there has been a steady increase in the use of electricity in the oil fields. The first application of electricity for oil-field operations in Wyoming was in the Lander field in 1919; the second was in 1924 in Salt Creek; and the third, and last to date, was made by the Continental Oil Co. in the Big Muddy field during 1926. Lander Field The electrification of oil-field operations in Wyoming was initiated by J. W. Steele, superintendent of the Producers & Refiners Oil Corpn., in the Lander field in 1919. At that time, 32 wells were being pumped from five band-wheel powers, with oil engines as the prime movers. Eight barrels of fuel oil were used for power per day and at the price of 90 c. per bbl. the fuel bill was $36 per day. It was decided to try a 15 to 35-hp. oil-field motor on one of these powers. Electric power was generated with steam at the old Wind River refinery station. This test was so successful that in 1920 all five powers were equipped with 15 to 35-hp. oil-field motors, the power being obtained from the Sinks Canyon hydroelectric station. Four of these powers pumped wells at an average depth of 1450 ft., and the fifth pumped wells at an average of 2100 ft. In 1920, the average production per day from the 32 wells was 325 bbl. The power bill on the

Jan 1, 1928

By H. N. Hall

Various factors must be considered in an engineering evaluation of gravity-drainage reservoirs. Among these are: (1) the effect of producing rate on total oil recovery; (2) the effect upon well productivity and ultimate recovery of the pressure level maintained during the producing life of the reservoir; (3) the economic advantage of full or partial pressure maintenance; and (4) estimate of the rate of gas production and injection and the possible purchase of gas under conditions of full pressure maintenance to ascertain compressor facilities needed. All of these factors can be evaluated only when a reliable method is employed for determining reservoir performance in gravity-drainage reservoirs. The purpose of this paper is to present a general method for calculating the performance of a gravity-drainage reservoir. This method is applicable for conditions of complete pressure maintenance, partial pressure maintenance and normal pressure depletion. Provisions are made to take into account variations throughout the reservoir of reservoir configuration, changes in permeability and fluid composition. Based on the method presented in this paper, an IBM 650 computer program has been developed. The past performance of an actual gravity-drainage reservoir producing under conditions of declining pressure and no gas injection was duplicated using this program. INTRODUCTION In tilted reservoirs the production of oil is influenced by drainage of oil from upstructure to downstructure locations. When this downstructure drainage of oil is sufficient to cause effective segregation of the gas and oil in a reservoir, the reservoir is usually classified as a segregation drive or gravity-drainage reservoir. (Discussion will be restricted to gravity-drainage reservoirs which have no encroachment of edge water.) The important feature in gravity-drainage reservoirs is the density difference between reservoir oil and gas. These phases tend to segregate in the reservoir with the result that in the gas cap the oil saturation is maintained at a higher level by drainage of oil from the gas-cap area. Oil can be produced from the oil zone at a low gas-oil ratio and reservoir energy is thereby conserved. The standard material balance in not adequate for predicting gravity-dramage reservoir performance because it does not take into account the difference in saturation above and below the gas-oil contact. Several authors'.' have presented methods for calculating the performance of gravity-drainage reservoirs in which reservoir pressure is maintained constant by gas injection into the gas cap. Using some simplifying assumptions, these methods can be employed with a desk calculator to give acceptable results. The problem of predicting the performance of gravity-drainage reservoirs under the conditions of declining reservoir pressure is many time more complex than that of constant pressure. fierefore, attempis to develop a method suitable for desk calculation have required excessively simplified assumptions. In the past several years, highspeed digital computers have become more widely available for reservoir engineering problems. These corn puters are well suited to problems such as the prediction of the performance of gravity-drainage reservoirs with pressure decline. Many of the simplifying assumptions necessary for hand computation can be eliminated so that a realistic approach to the gravity-drainage process can be made. CONCEPTUAL PICTURE OF OIL MOVEMENT IN GRAVITY-DRAINAGE RESERVOIRS Before attempting to develop an analytical treatment for conditions occuring in a gravity-drainage reservoir, a concept should be formed concerning the movement of fluids in the reservoir as oil is produced. A review of the literature'.' shows that it is customary to classify gravity-drainage operations into two categories—(1) with complete pressure maintenance, and (2) with declining pressure. The same line of reasoning will be followed in presenting the concept of the movement of fluids in the reservoir because it is easier to visualize the movement of fluids under conditions of complete pressure maintenance. After discussing complete pressure maintenance, an analogy will be made between that and the case of declining pressure. It should be kept in mind throughout that the final aim for the problem of solving gravity-drainage performance with digital computers will be to develop a general program for any kind of gravity-drainage reservoir. COMPLETE PRESSURE MAINTENANCE One feature which is generally common in gravity-drainage reservoirs is a gas cap located at the top of the structure. This is shown in Fig. 1(a). Fig. l(b) shows oil saturations that might occur through the reservoir. In the gas cap, oil saturation is lower than

By Stuart S. Forbes

Changes and additions made to the Canadian Copper Refiners Ltd. electrolytic refinery between 1949 and 1955 are reviewed. The effect of high current density on current efficiency and section work is discussed. OPERATING and physical changes which have been made to the electrolytic tank house of Canadian Copper Refiners Ltd. suggest a review of present conditions. Previous papers1 a have described the general arrangement. Since then, expansion, closer anode spacing, and higher current densities have increased annual cathode capacity from 112,000 to 182,000 tons. A recent extension to the tank house, begun in the spring of 1954 and completed in August 1955, was undertaken to handle the monthly production of about 3,000 tons of anodes from Gasp6 Copper Mines. The anticipation of these additional receipts and large stocks of unrefined copper caused by the increase in custom smelting at Noranda made it necessary to increase production without immediately available additional cell capacity. Accordingly, from December 1954 through March 1955, the tank house was operated successfully at a current density of 24.0 amp per sq ft. Again, as of September 1955, one of the two tank house circuits is being operated at this high density. Although other refineries may operate at current densities higher than 24 amp per sq ft, none is doing so with anodes which contain silver and gold content as high as those being refined at Canadian Copper Refiners Ltd. General Arrangement The original building consisted of two parallel bays, each 660 ft long and 60 ft wide, with a 24 ft pump bay extending along the west side of the building. A previous expansion, completed in 1939, was to the west of the original building and consisted of two 60 ft parallel bays 240 ft long. The length of these two bays was extended in 1954 to 540 ft, adding one stripper and 12 commercial sections to No. 2 electrical circuit. Space is still available for an additional six commercial sections and one stripper section. Construction on these seven sections started in September 1955, and will be completed early in 1956. The tank house capacity will then be 206,000 tons of cathodes per year. In the two tank houses there is a total of 900 cells distributed as follows—commercial, 468; stripper, 36; total, 504 in the No. 1 tank house (No. 1 circuit): commercial, 360; stripper, 36; total, 396 in the No. 2 tank house (No. 2 circuit). Section arrangement consists of nine cells to a tier and two tiers or 18 cells to a section. Anodes, weighing 620 lb each, are cast with a Baltimore groove and are refined by the multiple system. Solution enters each cell through a bottom inlet at one end and overflows at the top of the opposite end. Rate of solution flow through the cells is controlled by valves at each section to 4.5 gpm. Electrical power to the tank house is now provided by nine 675 kw motor generator sets. Each set consists of a 135-12 v 5000 amp dc generator, driven by a 980 hp 2300 v synchronous motor. When No. 1 circuit is operated at 22,000 amp, five sets, at 4400 amp each, are connected in parallel. As the maximum allowable current on No. 2 electrical circuit has recently been set at 18,000 amp, only four sets are connected in parallel on No. 2 circuit. A tenth set, now being installed, will be reserved as a spare, for use in either circuit as required. Recent Changes In 1949, the annual capacity of the tank house was increased from 112,000 to 132,000 tons by closing the

Jan 1, 1957

By Welton J. Crook

Unless present, in considerable praportion, metals of the precious-metal group—other than gold and silver—are not readily detected by the methods of fire assaying usually applied to ores and metallurgical products. Platinum, when present in small quantity, will ordinarily be reported as silver unless special methods of parting are used. Other elements occurring in the gold itself are all fluxed and slagged in the assay operation and if analyses are made on bullions the melting and slagging operations to which the bullion has been subjected may eliminate most of the associated elements. On the other hand, the analysis of precipitate from the cyanide treatment of gold ores may reveal the presence of many unexpected elements, such as tungsten and molybdenum. It is uncertain, however, whether many of the elements present in the precipitate are derived from the ore gangue or from the gold itself. No very general survey of the distribution of metallic elements in gold seems to have been made. Rose and Newman,l in connection with the composition of native gold, say in part as follows: Gold is occasionally found alloyed with copper and sometimes also with iron, bismuth, lead, mercury, tin, antimony, palladium or rhodium. Rhodium gold from Mexico was found to be of the specific gravity 15.5 to 16.8 and contained 34 to 43 per cent of rhodium. The native alloy of palladium, gold, and silver from Porpez contains 85.98 per cent of gold, 9.85 per cent palladium and 4.17 per cent silver. Mal-donitk, from Victoria, contains gold 64.5 per cent, bismuth 35.5 per cent (Louis). Dana2 says that native gold is usually alloyed with silver in varying amounts, and that sometimes it also contains traces of copper and iron. Rare varieties contain palladium, rhodium and bismuth. Other authors, for instance Zeigler3 and Clark,4 give similar information. Most references on the subject agree that ordinary native golds contain, in common, the elements silver, copper and iron. After completion of the work of which this paper is a record, the conclusion is reached that all ordinary native gold probably does contain these elements and, although in certain cases other elements may be found to be present, that it is difficult to

Jan 1, 1943

By Robert J. Ramsey, Robert D. Jeppson

Introduction The Utah Copper Division of Kennecott Copper Corporation will present its contribution to the A. M. Gaudin Flotation Symposium in four parts. The first two segments will discuss briefly the historical development of the Utah Copper Division and describe the ore body. The third segment will review the facilities and operating procedures for the Utah Copper division's newest plant, the Bonneville Concentrator. The fourth segment describes flotation process circuitry, including molybdenite recovery procedures, at the Arthur and Magna concentrators. (The Bonneville concentrator is a crushing and grinding unit and does not have its own flotation plant). I. Historical Development Progress through change has been the key to the successful operation of the Utah Copper Division for more than 70 years. As the original low-grade copper operation, the pressures to remain competitive and profitable have dictated the timing and extent of each change. Much of the change has occurred through technological and economic advancements in the area of ore concentration. The Utah Copper Division of Kennecott Copper Corporation had its origin June 4, 1903, when the Utah Copper Company was organized. The initial mill of 300 tpd (tons per day) capacity was built at Copperton a few miles below the present Bingham Canyon mine site. From 1904 to 1910, the Copperton mill was expanded to a capacity of 1,000 tpd, and all of the known apparatus for gravity concentration were evaluated.

Jan 1, 1976

By G. E. Agar, P. L. De Bruyn

Flotation is an important example of a chemical process by which one solid may be separated from other solids in a mixture. In contrast to other chemical processes such as leaching and smelting, separation of solids by flotation is characterized by the establishment of contact among three phases. In froth flotation these three phases are the solid to be floated, an aqueous electrolyte solution, and a gas, usually air. The gaseous phase may be re- placed by an organic liquid phase or this organic liquid phase may be added deliberately as a fourth phase. To gain an understanding of the flotation sys- tem, it is therefore necessary to study the chemical and physical properties of surfaces and to establish the effect of changes in composition of the bulk phases on the nature of the three interfaces, solid-gas, solid-liquid and liquid- gas. With very few exceptions inorganic solids are completely wetted by the aqueous phase so that the first step in flotation is to replace partially the solid-liquid interface by a solid-gas interface. This displacement process is accomplished by the addition of suitable reagents to the aqueous phase. The resultant surface reaction leaves the solid surface with a hydrophobic film. Although the primary objective of these reagent additions is to alter the solid surface, chemical reactions between the added chemical species and those species derived from the dissolution of the solids are unavoidable. For a quantitative description of such reactions and for the determination of the feasibility of a proposed reaction, we rely on available thermodynamic data. The application of thermodynamic principles to flotation systems has contributed much to our understanding of flotation. The changes in thermodynamic properties such as free energy and chemical potential are accessible to experimental determination, and a knowledge of their magnitude allows us to develop and predict a chemical mechanism oy which a solid becomes floatable. In this chapter it will be assumed that the reader has a working knowledge of the general principles of thermodynamics and solution chemistry. A complete discussion of the physical chemistry of flotation must include a treatment of solubility relations, complex ionic equilibria, reaction potential, and the elements of electrochemistry, especially those dealing with reversible electrical cells. The principles related to all of these features of the flotation system will not be discussed in this chapter. The discussion will be concerned with the thermodynamics and electrochemistry of surfaces and the electrical double layer model of the interface.

Jan 1, 1962

By F. Lynwood Garrison

It is not intended to make in the present paper any deduction or to formulate any theories from the results obtained by experiments. The further expenditure of considerable time and labor would be required to obtain a sufficient basis for positive assertions as to the microscopic structure of the different varieties of iron and steel, and the structural changes which take place in them. It is therefore my purpose at this time to offer simply a synopsis of the general results arrived at in a few months' work, a brief description of apparatus used, and a few hints as to the preparation and preservation of the material which it is intended to investigate. The study of the microscopic structure of iron and steel is not altogether new. Some attention has been given it in both England and Germany. But the foreign publications on the subject have thus far been confined, so far as I am aware, to two papers, one by Herr Martens, of Berlin, contributed to the Verein zur Befoerderuny des Gewerbfleisses and the other a lecture by Dr. H. C. Sorby of Sheffield. Dr. Sorby, it seems, was induced to investigate the subject as bearing on the structure of meteoric iron ; and the results he obtained are certainly very interesting. At the Boston meeting of this Institute, in February, 1883, Mr. J. C, Bayles called attention to the subject in a neat and exceedingly interesting paper, in which the work of Messrs. Martens and Sorby was summarized,* and original suggestions were added. It is at present difficult to say what will he eventually the practical value of the microscope, thus employed, in the sciences of engineering. The role which it seems most likely to play is that of' an adjunct to the testing-machine, and not (as some have supposed) a rival to the chemical laboratory. That it will be a most valuable accessory seems, to say the least, highly probable. I need hardly go at length into the details of preparing the material for examination. Mr. Bayles has described the process in such a plain and comprehensive manner that if his instructions are

Jan 1, 1886

By H. Tabachnick, N. Hedley

The extraction of gold and silver from ores with alkaline cyanide solutions is well known. Cyanide solutions are also good solvents for many base metal minerals, particularly most of the copper minerals. Leaver and Woolf,1 who determined the solubilities of copper minerals in 0.10 pct sodium cyanide solution, showed that malachite, cuprite, chalcocite, and bornite are readily soluble in cyanide; least soluble are chalcopyrite and chrysocolla. The Mining Chemicals Laboratory of American Cyanamid Co. has studied the possibilities of using cyanide solutions for leaching base metals. In this article the authors present the results of their experiments with cyanide leaching to reduce the copper content of a zinc concentrate from 0.050 pct to the desired specification of less than 0.02 pct. Zinc Ore Sample: The sample of commercial zinc ore used in this investigation to produce zinc concentrates was ball mill feed ranging from 1/2 in. to fines. The ore was crushed to —10 mesh and riffled into 600-g charges for zinc flotation. Analysis revealed 4.54 pct Zn and 0.005 pct Cu. Examined microscopically, the ore consisted essentially of cream-colored sphalerite and carbonate gangue. It contained a small amount of pyrite, partly tarnished. The only copper mineral identified was chalcopyrite, mostly smaller than 20µ, some of which occurred as attachments on sphalerite. Flotation Procedure: Batches of zinc concentrates were made as required according to the following general procedure. A 600-g charge of —10 mesh ore was ground for 4 min at 60 pct solids in a laboratory steel rod mill. Screen sizing showed it to be all —35 mesh with 42 pct —200 mesh. The pulp was transferred to a Fagergren laboratory flotation machine, diluted to 25 pct solids and conditioned for 5 min with 0.6 lb per ton CuSO4, . -5H2O. It was then conditioned with 0.10 lb per ton Sodium Aerofloat promoter and floated for 5 min with pine oil as frother and creosote as froth stiff-ener. The pH during flotation was 8.5. A typical analysis of zinc concentrate subjected to leaching is 44.41 pct Zn and 0.051 pct Cu. The ratio of concentration was close to 10 to 1. Leaching Procedure: Aero Brand cyanide, technical calcium cyanide analyzing 49.5 pet NaCN equivalent, was used for all cyanide leaching tests. For each test three rougher concentrates floated as described were combined (total weight close to 180 g) and the water content adjusted to 150 ml. The percent solids in the pulp was thus 55. After a weighed amount of cyanide flakes had been added, the pulp was agitated on rolls for a given period, then filtered and washed. Filtrate and washed concentrate were assayed for copper content. The procedure for ammonia leaching was similar to the cyanide process. A series of tests was run in which the effects of ammonia as a solvent for copper in the zinc rougher concentrate were investigated. In each test 180 g of zinc rougher concentrate was leached with 150 ml of ammonia solution. Various strengths of ammonia and times of leaching were investigated. The results are shown in Table I. It is apparent that ammonia was a poor solvent for copper in the zinc concentrate; 60 min of agitation with a relatively strong NH:, solution extracted only 2 pct of the copper. CYANIDE LEACHING TESTS Effect of Solution Strength: The solvent effects of 0.125, 0.187, and 0.250 pct NaCN equivalent solutions were compared for leaching periods of 15 min. Residue and filtrate were assayed for copper content. The copper content of the filtrate plus wash was calculated back to the original volume of cyanide solution (150 ml). The effects of cyanide strength are given in Table II, It will be noted that 15 min leaching with 0.25 pct NaCN equivalent solution extracted 74.6 pct of the copper in the zinc concentrate. The leached product assayed 0.013 pct Cu, appreciably below the required specification of 0.020 pct. Effect of Leaching Time: Portions of zinc concentrate were leached with 0.25 pct NaCN equivalent

Jan 1, 1961

By W. Philippoff

ALTHOUGH Gaudin1 and more recently Sutherland2 have calculated the probability of collision of a falling mineral particle with a rising bubble, there is no published information concerning the details of the mechanism of attachment of a collector-coated particle to a bubble. During the past year the writer has developed a theory for the mechanism of attachment, which has been substantiated experimentally. Funds for the investigation and for some of the equipment used have been supplied by the Mines Experiment Station of the University of Minnesota. Motion picture studies of the phenomena involved in the collision between mineral particles and bubbles, such as those of Spedden and Hannan," show that the contact can be completed within 0.3 millisec. Formulas developed for rigid bodies have hitherto been used' for the calculation of the motion of bubble and particle, but it is obvious that a bubble cannot be regarded as a rigid body. On the contrary, Spedden and Hannan's pictures show a great degree of deformation during the collision. The time of attachment was calculated as the time the particle drifted past the bubble. Time of Collision The theory presented in this paper enables calculation of the time of collision, using the concept that the bubble, or more generally, a liquid-air interface, acts as an elastic body. The elasticity, defined as the restoring force on a mechanical deformation, is caused by the surface tension and is the result of the principle of the minimum of free surface energy. It is well known that an elasticity together with a mass determines a frequency of vibration. The vibrations of jets and drops caused by the elasticity of the interface are known to comply exactly with the classical theory of capillarity.' However, the vibrations of isolated bubbles, as distinct from foams, have not been investigated previously. The following equation, presented elsewhere,' has been deduced for these frequencies: 3_____________________ fB = 9.20.vV.vn. (n-1).(n+2)/8 [I] in which fB is the frequency of a harmonic of the bubble in cycles per second, V the volume of the bubble in cc, n a number determining the order of the harmonic, and n = 2 the basic vibration. The first (basic) harmonic describes a change of the spherical bubble to an ellipsoidal bubble. The higher harmonics are more complicated, for the circumference of the bubble is divided approximately into as many parts as the order of the harmonic. As an example, Spedden and Hannan's published motion picture of a vibrating bubble corresponds to the sixth harmonic. Eq 1 shows that only the first and third harmonics are simple multiples (1 and 3), all the others being irrational fractions of the basic frequency. This means that the shape of the vibration can change with time and is in general unsym-metric in respect to the time axis. Such conditions prevail when there is a distributed elasticity or mass, as in the case of vibrating membranes or rods. The constant 9.20 is valid for water at room temperature, but a general solution involving the physical constants of the liquid has not been found. The case of the floating particle is much easier to treat than that of the bubble. It can be assumed that the elasticity is caused exclusively by the interface and that the mass is concentrated in the particle together with some adhering water. The following expression for the frequency of a system of one degree of freedom can be applied: fP = -1/2-vE/m [2] Here fp is the frequency of the particle vibration in cycles per second, E the elasticity in dynes per cm, and m the mass in grams. The classical theory of impact phenomena gives the time of collision during the striking of a spring (in this case the surface of the bubble) by a mass, as: t, = 2/f = nvm/E [3] It is now possible to develop an expression for the elasticity of a floating cylindrical particle. The force equilibrium of a cylinder floating end on at the air-liquid interface is given by the well-known equation (Poisson7 1831) P = /4 D2-pL-g-h + D.y sin a [4] which accounts for the buoyancy and the action of the surface tension where P is the force acting on the particle in dynes (weight-buoyancy), D the diameter of the cylinder in cm, PL the density of the liquid in grams per cc, g the acceleration of gravity = 981 cm per sec2, h the depression of the cylinder below the surface of the liquid in cm, y the surface tension in dynes per cm and a the supporting angles or the one required to insure equilibrium, a being smaller than the contact angle 0. Although demonstrated by Poisson, it has not

Jan 1, 1953

By J. J. Rutledge

On Sept. 4, 1914, Mine No. 1 of the Union Coal Co., Adamson, Oklahoma, suddenly caved, entombing thirteen miners whose bodies were never recovered. The seam of coal mined, the Lower Hartshorne, averaged 5 ft. in thickness and dipped at an angle varying from 22" to 30n. The strata overlying the coal seam were sandstones and shales. The mine was worked by the pillar-and-room method, the rooms being driven directly up the dip of the seam. All coal was blasted off the solid. Rooms were turned on short centers and room pillars were thin and irregular, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the form; showing the mine workings. Some cracks had been observed on the surface, it is said, at least a month before the squeeze occurred, but the collapse of the mine workings came very suddenly. As is usual when squeezes occur on such steep dips and the pillars fail, the crush progressed rapidly down the dip until it reached solid coal; there was a line of break, or draw, over in the solid coal. Several well-defined cracks appeared on the surface, after the mine had squeezed, but there was no appreciable subsidence of the surface, the weight seemed to be thrown entirely to the dip. About one year after the squeeze, and after the workings of the adjoining mine, NO. 4, had been retimbered and made safe, the writer inspected the tenth north (right) entry, or lift, off of No. 4 slope, which was below and fairly near the lowest caved portion of mine No. 1. The roof shale was composed of thin layers, which had been bent in somewhat the same manner as the leaves of a book having flexible covers are bent when the book is folded or rolled up in the hands. Though the mine workings are immediately beneath the streets and buildings of the mining town of Adamson, business was not disturbed by the squeeze, so far as any subsidence of the surface was concerned. No surface monuments were available and no elevations were taken, but the mine workings had been accurately surveyed and traversed, and the streets of the town overlying the mine workings had been carefully platted on the mine map, so that it was possible to locate accurately the cracks on the surface.

Jan 1, 1923

By James Herbert Bartlett

The MANUFACTURE of Iron in the PROVINCE of Quebec. The St. Maurice Forges.—The deposits of iron-ore in the St. Maurice district, in the rear of Three Rivers, were probably known to the Indians and .Jesuits, but it is not till 1667 that any discovery is reported. The affairs of the colony were then in the control of the " West India Company," who amongst other monopolies had a right to all mines and minerals." Specimens of the iron-ore were examined in Quebec. in 1668 by the Sieur la Potardière, who reported unfavorably on them. In 1671, Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac, was appointed governor of La Nouvelle France ; and in the original manuscripts relating to his administration some allusion is occasionally found to the St. Maurice iron mines.? In a letter to the Imperial Government, dated 2d November, 1672, he says: "The iron mine of which I have already spoken is of great consequence. I have visited it myself, in order that I may be enabled to give a more accurate account of its nature. I am gratified to learn that another mine has been discovered in Champlain, which is much richer than the Cap de la Madelaine mine, and the ore is in greater

Jan 1, 1886

By L. N. Brown

The use of sheet and strip metal has increascd rapidly during the last few years and manufacturers have been called upon for an ever-increasing tonnage, better drawing quality, and better surface. The automobile industry is probably the most insistent in striving for a better product and a desire to reduce costs. Confronted by these demands, the mills have directed their efforts toward the delivery of material. Their personnel has been occupied largely with the problems incident to production, as any increase forced the use of new sources of raw material with their problems. These problems, combined with those met in the daily routine, have demanded immediate attention, with the result that the standardizing of heat treatments, quality, or temper, etc., have been neglected. Considerable work in standardizing has been done by many companies, but no acceptable method has been developed. The following method, therefore, is given with the hope that some method that can be accepted by the manufacturers and users may be developed. The problem of selecting a material with such properties that the losses in processing are a minimum is interesting and difficult. A description of the properties required is likewise difficult, largely because of loose terms. Another handicap is the number of methods of testing which have not been standardized and concerning which little information is available. In the selection of drawing or forming stock, it is advisable to eliminate as many variables as possible; consequently the method of testing the material is of the utmost importance. The method should be rapid and comparatively easy of application, as it is more important that a large percentage of the stock be tested with reasonable accuracy than that

Jan 1, 1923

CHARLES CATLETT, Staunton, Va.-A great many important things have been said in an interesting way but the most startling, to me, is that for 25 years, the price has been in the neighborhood of $1.00, with a minimum of 86 cents and a maximum of about $1.25. It is evident that during all that time the price was inadequate. The amount paid to be divided between the land owner, the capitalist, and the laborer was too limited or too irregular to permit of a healthy condition; yet it is evident that the enormous industrial development of this country was fostered by this very cheap coal, probably the cheapest that has been provided in quantity in any country. I entered the coal business when the price was lowest and my interest and sympathy went out to the man who spent his days in the dirt and foul air of a mine and I was filled with schemes for helping. But at the end of the year, after exercising every economy and in blissful ignorance of proper depreciation and obsolescence, there was still only a profit of 1 cent per long ton for what I think is one of the best coals in the world, the best grade of New River coal. We are now paying a great deal more than we did a few years ago and probably will continue to pay more for some time; but any one who thinks we will not have low prices again is very young or very forgetful. Yet we must have larger profits if the industry is to be healthy, if the three parties to the production are to get adequate returns and be in shape to provide the improvements which will be needed to take the place of and supplement the man-power. This will come when the men are making so much money that the operator wants to replace the man by a machine, and when the operator is making so much money as to be in a shape to make the improvements. He will not put in machinery unless the machinery will save money. We have got to pay a higher prime cost for coal, but engineering skill will teach us how to handle it better and use it more economically, and the ultimate result ought to be of advantage to the public.

Jan 3, 1920

Some 15 years ago, Dr. Adolf Schmidt, director of the Magnetic Observatory in Potsdam, Germany, developed an instrument, which was a modification of Lloyds balance, for the measurement of the vertical component of the earth's magnetism in the field. There was a keen demand for this because (1) it was desirable to have a field instrument that would measure the component of the earth's magnetism which stands in the closest and simplest relation to the configuration of the subterranean magnetic formations-the vertical component; (2) it was desirable to have an instrument that was not only more sensitive but also more reliable than the existing vertical magnetometers (the dip needle, for instance). The application of the magnetometer in oil geology demanded such an instrument, because the magnetic disturbances produced by most types of magnetic formations associated with the occurrence of oil (salt domes, faults, anticlines with crystalline core, etc.) are too small to be detected with the ordinary dip needle. The writer can prove, by some investigations recently made for the U. S. Bureau of Mines, that these instruments may be used also to very great advantage in mining, because they are capable of measuring anomalies which are as great as twice the normal strength of the earth's magnetic field. Even for such anomalies, the field balance is more advantageous than the dip needle. First, the instrument rests on a firm support and can be adjusted in the proper azimuth, which insures measurement of the vertical intensity only, without a part of the horizontal intensity, which is very important for the interpretation. The readings give the vertical intensity in linear terms and not as a function of an angle; and the field balance is insensitive to temperature when used with scale values that are adequate for the determination of large anomalies. In another phase of mining, the gold placer work, the field balance has also shown excellent results for which the dip needle is not adequate. What has been said about the dip needle holds also, though to a lesser extent, for two other types of vertical variometers recently used, the Tiberg balance and the Thomson-Thalen magnetometer.

Jan 1, 1929

By Maurice Ewing, J. A. Peoples, J. W. Peoples, A. P. Craby

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the application of the earth-resistivity method of subsurface investigation to the problem of locating seams of anthracite coal beneath a mantle of soil and subsoil. Details are given of the successful use of this method in locating the outcrops of anthracite seams in actual prospecting. The presence of the outcrop of an anthracite seam is indicated at points where electrical resistivity tests showed relatively low readings. The reason for this is that in some localities the resistivity of anthracite was found to be about 0.0001 megohm-cm. compared to 1 to 200 megohm-cm. for shales and sandstones. For two reasons it is believed that the data summarized in this paper should be of particular interest. In the first place, most of the interpretations of the resistivity survey have been checked by subsequent drilling and some by the removal of the overburden and the exposing of the anthracite seams. It is infrequent that the opportunity for checking results so thoroughly is given. In the second place, the fact that recent commentatorsl,2,3 on the application of geophysical methods to mining have concluded that direct prospecting for anthracite and other types of coal is not promising makes the good results obtained more significant. So far as the authors can learn, the only previous experiment with electrical methods in the Pennsylvania anthracite field was one made by Sherwin F. Kelly in 1921, when he used the self-potential method at Wilkes-Barre4. The profile he made does not show a very marked correlation with the geologic cross section. Kelly points out that stray currents from electric motors in the mines undoubtedly affected 'his results, but the experience of the present authors with stray currents from mining machinery suggests the possibility that the potentials measured by Kelly were due almost entirely to this effect.

Jan 1, 1936

By G. Van Esbroeck, M. Van Weyenbergh

The copper mines of the Katanga region in the Belgian Congo lie along the same mineralized belt as those of Northern Rhodesia. There are two distinct types of deposits in that belt, the dolomitic and the quartzitic. In the dolomitic type the metallic minerals are found in a dolomitic limestone country rock. Through oxidation and enrichment, large deposits of high-grade oxidized copper ores were formed, some of which are being worked by the Union Minière du Haut Katanga. Such deposits are all in Katanga. The quartzitic deposits are found in Katanga and Northern Rhodesia. Here the primary mineralization occurred in sandstones and quartzites, in horizons stratigraphically lower than the dolomites. These rocks are not favorable to secondary enrichment and the oxidized zone is poorer than the sulphide zone, which alone contains the ore. There are also in Katanga a few ore-bearing veins. One of them is being worked in the Prince Leopold mine at Kipushi. Prince Leopold Mine The Kipushi ore body fills a fault vein and invades the wall rocks more or less extensively by metasomatic replacement. The vein strikes north-northeast and south-southwest and dips to the west. The variable dip averages 60' to a depth of 300 ft., and more uniformly 80' below 400 ft. In the upper section the average width is 200 ft. and below the width is about 150 ft. The length of the ore body is 2300 feet. The eastern side of the vein—the footwall—is dolomitic and contains irregular masses of ore sometimes extending 100 ft. or more from the main

Jan 1, 1940

By A. M. Gaudin, A. F. Taggart

Flotation of ores is a practical utilization of the energy that resides in the surfaces of solids and liquids. The best known manifestation of this energy is called surface tension; an equally important, though less apparent, phenomenon is adsorption. This paper reviews some of the recent investigations of these phenomena, and gives the results of certain experiments performed by the authors. Surface tension is a manifestation of energy having its seat at the bounding surface between the adjacent phases of a multiphase system. Thus, at the interface between a liquid and a gas, or between two immiscible liquids, or between a solid and a gas or a liquid, there are forces capable of doing work, their magnitude depending on the nature of the adjacent phases and the extent of the bounding area. These surface forces are inappreciable when the ratio of surface to volume of the adjacent phases is small, but they become powerful when this ratio becomes large, as it does when one of the phases is highly dispersed. Froth flotation, which consists in buoying solids heavier than water to the surface of water by means of gas bubbles, utilizes the force of surface tension to attach the solid particles to the gas bubbles and again to maintain the floating mass of bubbles as a more or less persistent froth at the surface of a pulp for a sufficiently long time to allow its removal. It follows from the second law of thermodynamics that the potential energy of a system in equilibrium is a minimum. Therefore a multiphase system, tending toward equilibrium, will arrange itself in such a way that the total energy of the interfaces will be the least possible. This end can be accomplished in two ways: by a change in shape that will reduce the interfacial area; by a change in the nature of the surface layer in

Jan 1, 1923

By Aureal T. Cross

THIS paper is a review of the published literature on research in coal geology, principally exclusive of resource studies, which appeared or became available during 1950 and the latter part of 1949. This report is not to be construed as being complete. The papers referred to in the bibliography are those among many more, which were read either in full or in abstract. Undoubtedly other papers were published which either escaped the author's notice or were not available to him. Those which were seen in abstract only (about one fourth of those listed) were not available in time for the inclusion of more than a notice. An outline of all papers listed in the bibliography has been arranged by subjects and reasonable subdivisions with some papers cited under more than one subject. Most papers are indexed according to the principal subject of discussion or research only as to an unusual or noteworthy section of the entire report. There will likely be some disagreement as to the quality or merit of some of the papers selected and the specialist may be supercritical of the outline or organization of papers in his field. It may be that attention has occasionally been drawn to papers reporting old information or conclusions of questionable value. Conferences and Meetings One of the best indications of the growing interest in coal geology problems in the United States is the increasing number of times this field has been the focus of attention at conferences and meetings. Notable among these are the joint meeting of the Society of Economic Geologists and the Geological Society of America at El Paso, November 1949, at which the principal thesis was concerned with low rank carbonaceous fuel deposits, especially of western United States. Among the papers given which are already available were those presented by Barghoorn,'" Parry? Roe? and Parks."' At the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America in New York, December 1949, a joint meeting of the Paleobotanical and Microbiological Sections was held for which a symposium on Microbiology in Relation to the Geologic Accumulation of Organic Complexes was organized. Publication of the six papers presented by Ralph G. H. Siu, Elso S. Barghoorn, Irving Breger, Claude E. ZoBell, James M. Schopf, and A. C. Thayson is anticipated. At the regular meetings of the Paleobotanical Section at the same time, several other papers of interest reported on coal ball studies, partial coalification of petrified wood, and floras. In Chicago, April 1950, a symposium on Applied Paleobotany was held by the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists in conjunction with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. The five papers presented at this meeting dealt with the use of Paleozoic plant microfossils for stratigraphic work, J. M. Schopf, Devonian-Missis-sippian fossils of the black shales, Aureal T. Cross, Mesozoic plants of stratigraphic value, Th. Just, plant microfossils of the Tertiary, L. R. Wilson, and studies of the Brandon lignite, Elso S. Barghoorn. Early publication of these in the Journal of Paleontology is expected. The Nova Scotia Research Foundation and the Nova Scotia Dept. of Mines sponsored an excellent 3-day conference in June 1950, which dealt with several aspects of coal geology. Papers on coal classification, P. A. Hacquenbard, structure and sedimentation problems in Nova Scotia, T. B. Haites, new techniques of thermal analysis, W. L. White-head, geochemical investigations of Nova Scotia coals, Irving Breger, the role of fossil plant spores in coal correlation and the stratigraphy of the coal-bearing strata of the Appalachian Region, Aureal T. Cross, were given. Some discussions of these papers by those in attendance were recorded, and the entire proceedings is being prepared for publication. In September 1950, an unusual 3-day field conference was held by the Ohio and West Virginia Geological Surveys under the sponsorship of the Coal Geology Committee. This study of the stratigraphy, sedimentation, and nomenclature of the Upper Pennsylvanian and Permian coal-bearing strata of southeastern Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia was augmented by two discussions on associated rocks (clays and shales) and stratigraphic nomenclature at Wheeling and Morgantown, West Va. An extensive guidebook was prepared, and transcriptions of the Morgantown meeting were made. As a follow-up of the September field conference, a round-table discussion was held on this general topic at a special open meeting of the Coal Research Committee in conjunction with the November meeting of the Geological Society in Washington. Short prepared statements to invite discussion were given on each of several topics by L. M. Cline, Carl 0.

Jan 1, 1953