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By L. E. Mannion

Sodium carbonate (soda ash) is one of two principal commercial alkalis. Its principal competitor is sodium hydroxide. The use of sodium carbonate is recorded in ancient Egypt, where naturally occurring brines and solid salts provided impure soda for early glassmaking. Until the 19th century, soda ash (as well as potash) was recovered mainly by leaching wood or other plant ashes. In 18th-century Europe, for example, leaching seaweed ash with hot water produced a brown laundry lye. One of the better grades of this material was a Spanish product, barilla, which analyzed 24 to 30% Na2CO3 (Hou, 1942). The modern chemical industry was born in 1691 with the LeBlanc process for making sodium carbonate from salt, sulfuric acid, and lime. English industry used this process extensively in the 17th and 18th centuries. The next major advance was in 1863, when Ernst Solvay devised the ammonia-soda, or Solvay process. The first of many Solvay plants was built in 1874. These supplanted the LeBlanc method and dominated worldwide soda ash production until 1974, when mined sodium carbonate became predominant. Although considerably less important until recently, natural sodium carbonate deposits historically have supported small soda ash operations throughout the world. Shortages during World War II stimulated production of "natural" soda ash from such deposits, particularly at Searles Lake, CA and Lake Magadi, Kenya. More spectacularly, increased production from the vast trona deposits in Wyoming has virtually supplanted the Solvay process in the US. Principal producers of natural soda ash as well as the character of the source deposits are listed in Table 1. [ ]

Jan 1, 1983

By John V. Beall

THIS is not simply the story of how a water filled shaft was developed into a million-ton- a-year producing mine in the space of four critical years, although it is reason enough for telling it, but it is also the saga of an engineering achievement in which knowledge nurtured by years of experience in coal and ore mines was blended together and the best from each type of mining selected. The entire system of mining was detailed on maps by the mining engineering department before the shaft was unwatered, and subsequent development followed these plans nearly to perfection. The selection of machinery was particularly critical as it was necessary to push production from only a few headings in the early stages of development and metal mine machinery was being used in a coal panel-system of mining.

Jan 12, 1950

By Albert F. J. Bordeaux

The immediate vicinity of the sea-shore, affording special facility for the exportation of ores, makes it possible to work certain mines in the Vladivostok district, which, in more remote places of Siberia., would remain unproductive. Outside of the city of Vladivostok the population is small and the country is very little prospected. Additional discoveries of valuable deposits like the large body of calamine which has recently been opened in the neighborhood of earlier worked lead-silver ores, in the Tetiuhe valley, are still in the field of possibilities. For many years gold alone was produced, in part from the coastal rivers and in part from a quartz-vein on Askold island near Vladivostok. But the production is diminishing, and prospectors are looking for other rivers in the interior, such as the tributaries of the Ussuri. These rivers are now more accessible than formerly, due to the slow but gradual development of colonization by the Russian peasants. The few natives of the country, called Orodjones, are of the Chinese race. They resemble the North American Indian and are hardy fur-hunters. They have given some attention to placers and have already shown good specimens of gold-dust from the rivers Iman, Bikin, Noto, etc. Coal-mining was begun in the Vladivostok region more than 20 years ago, but in a somewhat irregular way. The industry is not as yet important and the best coal-seams are badly prospected, or are even neglected. Copper, lead, and iron exist in several places. The amounts give some encouragement to the anticipation that the discoveries will give rise to important metallurgical works. I here present a review of the various deposits, based upon such safe information as is in hand, when I have not drawn upon my personal observations. Fig. 1 is a map of Eastern Siberia, showing the mineral deposits.

Jan 1, 1913

By Dan G. Cojocariu, E. Ene-Danalache, I. Huber-Panu

A general model which represents not only batch but also continuous flotation in multi-cell machines is presented. This model considers both the size distribution and the distribution of flotabilities in a size class for valuable mineral particles in the pulp. The general expression is shown to reduce to several previously reported models. In addition, a number of new models are found to arise for different specific assumptions concerning the flotability distribution and/or the size distribution of the particles undergoing flotation. Several of these new models are tested experimentally using laboratory-scale batch and pilot-scale continuous data. Model parameters are estimated from this data and a comparison of calculated recoveries and those experimentally determined are presented. Finally, the influence of the feed rate, aeration rate and valuable mineral content of the feed on the recovery is examined.

Jan 1, 1976

By Will B. Jamison

Man's material advance from one level of civilization to the next has involved the development of new, more useful tools and the utilization of energy greater than he alone could produce. These two essentials for material progress have developed at an ever increasing rate in the last century. While the first really successful use of mechanical energy derived from burning fuel was in James Watt's steam engine which pumped water from coal mines in Cornwall about 1770, there was still very little use of mechanical energy in mining by 1900 except for pumping and hoisting. Compressed air, having some of the characteristics of steam and which operated engines not unlike steam engines or steam hammers, powered the first attempts to mine coal with energy greater than human muscle could provide. When direct current-powered traction cars replaced horse-drawn transportation cars on city streets, it was natural that direct current locomotives should begin to replace animal and human power in mine haulage. Slowly, trolley and battery locomotives were developed and introduced. With d-c systems being established for haulage, it was natural that improved cutting machines should be developed and powered by d-c motors. Thus began the years of

Jan 5, 1960

THE opening session* was held in the hall of the Franklin Institute, on Tuesday evening, June 20th, President Holley in the chair. The President introduced. Mr. Franklin B. Gowen, who addressed the Institute as follows MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN : It has been made my pleasant duty to welcome you to the city of Philadelphia, but in so doing I shrink, with some natural reluctance, from appearing before an audience so much better fitted than I am to cope with the subjects which are usually presented to your association, and I can assure you that no trembling neophyte, first venturing within the groves of the Academy, or walking, with sacred reverence, in the gardens of Plato, felt more natural dread at the consequence of his own temerity than I do in appearing before an audience composed of gentlemen belonging to a scientific society of which I am but too sensible that until now I have been a member only in name. In olden times, upon entering a temple sacred to the worship of any deity, it was customary to lay some offering upon the altar, and, in following this custom, it will be my duty, before entering upon the more pleasant part of the task which is assigned me, to call your attention to a subject with which I have been somewhat familiar, and which is entirely within the scope of your investigations, in the belief that I may throw out some hints or some suggestions of a pro¬cess that may be fully developed by some of you, and eventually lead to the introduction of that which may be of service to the human race. The satirist who described the philosopher whom he met, as engaged in the process of extracting sunbeams from cucumbers, * A joint discussion of the subject of Technical Education, by the members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Mining Engineers, was held in the hall of the Franklin Institute, on Monday evening, June 19th, and Tuesday morning, June 20th. This discussion has been printed in a separate pamphlet by both societies.

Jan 1, 1877

By R. V. Ramani, G. W. Luxbacher

Computer simulation of mine ventilation system is rapidly becoming an essential tool in mine planning and design. This Paper examines the utilization of ventilation simulation techniques to evaluate the number, shape, size and layout of mine entries in a typical coal mining system. Since the mains and sub-mains serve primarily for transportation and ventilation and the ventilation system is critically important to the health and safety of the workers, there exists a great need for optimal designs in this area. Evaluation criteria could include, among others, minimization of power costs, shaft requirements and leakage. Constraints of this optimization problem include health and safety regulations and production and mine infrastructure requirements.

Jan 1, 1980

By J. W. Hickman, E. A. Gulbransen

In a previous paper' the authors have investigated the structure of the oxide films formed on most of the metals that make up the alloys of this study. The metals were studied in order to provide basic information on the structures, both physical and chemical, of the oxide films and to determine how these structures are effected by the temperature, time of oxidation, and surface preparation. It was felt that an understanding of the physical and chemical structure as well as the stability of the oxide film might furnish clues as to the nature of the reaction process and the protective quality of the film. The oxidation of the metals was studied over the temperature range 300' to 7o0°C. except for copper, wherc the range selected was 100' to 500°C. The results of these studies were presented in graphical form as existence diagrams of the oxides on a time-temperature scale. For some of the metals the existence diagrams were simple and showed few chemical transitions, but there were numerous cases where the physical state of the oxide surface was a function of time and temperature. In general the physical state of the oxide surface changed with increasing temperature so as to increase the sharpness of the diffraction patterns and to cause orientation effects to be more pronounced. Deviatiois in lattice Darameters from X-ray values were noted. In general these deviations were of positive nature and may be due to solid solution of the metal in the oxide lattice. This effect might be expected in thin oxide films. In a study of the oxidation of alloys containing two or more metals, there may arise the complicating factor of identification of the oxides formed. A thorough understanding of the oxides formed on the pure metals, therefore, was, essential before investigation of the oxidation of alloys. In this paper it is our purpose to present a study of the following problems: 1. The existence diagrams of various alloys. 2. The effect of the structure of the alloying metal on the existence diagram of iron. 3. The effect of the percentage of chromium on the oxides formed on Fe-Cr alloys. 4. The relationships, if any, between the oxides formed and the protective quality of the oxides. The following alloys are included in this study: alloys of iron with body-centered cubic, face-centered cubic and other metals, 13 Cr-Fe, 18-8 stainless steel, K4²B, Nichrome V, Hipernik, Inconel, Stellite "²I," Refractaloy, Kovar, mild steel, a series of Cr-Fe alloys and a series of Co-Fe alloys. Since many of the commercial alloys in this list contain more than two metals, various complicating factors in the identification of the oxides formed may arise.

Jan 1, 1947

By E. A. Gulbransen, J. W. Hickman

In a previous paper' the authors have investigated the structure of the oxide films formed on most of the metals that make up the alloys of this study. The metals were studied in order to provide basic information on the structures, both physical and chemical, of the oxide films and to determine how these structures are effected by the temperature, time of oxidation, and surface preparation. It was felt that an understanding of the physical and chemical structure as well as the stability of the oxide film might furnish clues as to the nature of the reaction process and the protective quality of the film. The oxidation of the metals was studied over the temperature range 300' to 7o0°C. except for copper, wherc the range selected was 100' to 500°C. The results of these studies were presented in graphical form as existence diagrams of the oxides on a time-temperature scale. For some of the metals the existence diagrams were simple and showed few chemical transitions, but there were numerous cases where the physical state of the oxide surface was a function of time and temperature. In general the physical state of the oxide surface changed with increasing temperature so as to increase the sharpness of the diffraction patterns and to cause orientation effects to be more pronounced. Deviatiois in lattice Darameters from X-ray values were noted. In general these deviations were of positive nature and may be due to solid solution of the metal in the oxide lattice. This effect might be expected in thin oxide films. In a study of the oxidation of alloys containing two or more metals, there may arise the complicating factor of identification of the oxides formed. A thorough understanding of the oxides formed on the pure metals, therefore, was, essential before investigation of the oxidation of alloys. In this paper it is our purpose to present a study of the following problems: 1. The existence diagrams of various alloys. 2. The effect of the structure of the alloying metal on the existence diagram of iron. 3. The effect of the percentage of chromium on the oxides formed on Fe-Cr alloys. 4. The relationships, if any, between the oxides formed and the protective quality of the oxides. The following alloys are included in this study: alloys of iron with body-centered cubic, face-centered cubic and other metals, 13 Cr-Fe, 18-8 stainless steel, K4²B, Nichrome V, Hipernik, Inconel, Stellite "²I," Refractaloy, Kovar, mild steel, a series of Cr-Fe alloys and a series of Co-Fe alloys. Since many of the commercial alloys in this list contain more than two metals, various complicating factors in the identification of the oxides formed may arise.

Jan 1, 1947

By Harrison R. Cooper

The key to concentrator automation is practical means for obtaining continuous assay data from concentrator streams. The technique most successfully used is x-ray fluorescence analysis. The practical reality of on-stream x-ray analysis has been achieved through effort over the past twenty years, marked by an occasional breakthrough, but more typically a step-by-step development to which many individuals and organizations have contributed. The net result of this progress is the present capability to install on-stream x-ray analyzer systems on a turn-key basis. It is now possible to provide all components of an x-ray analysis system as a completely engineered unit which can be put into immediate use, minimizing needs for specialized application knowledge to benefit from continuous assaying in process control. The economic factors which influence the choice of system and limitations of the x-ray fluorescence technique for slurry analysis are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1976

By James Douglas

The Copper Queen mine was opened in 1880 by Messrs. Martin, Ballard & Reilly, and the first copper-furnace was blown-in on August 20th of that year. Prior to that summer nothing but prospect-work had been done on the copper Queen and on a number of adjacent claims. In fact, it was a small deposit, not of copper-ore, but of cerussite, which still remains undeveloped, on the western slope of the Queen hill, which

Jan 1, 1900

By Bernard H. Coyle, Robert N. Anderson, Judith A. Koperski

Between 6 and 8 million cars are shredded annually in the U.S. This shredded material is magnetically separated leaving a mixture of nonmetallics and nonferrous metals which can be further separated into its metallic and nonmetallic constituents. The metallic portion is a mixture of metalr; and alloys containing predominately zinc, and some aluminum, copper, and residual iron. Hydrometallurgical strategies are proposed for recovering the aluminum, copper, and zinc. The thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of the most promising alternatives to separation are discussed.

Jan 1, 1978

By John D. Siddle

Efficient energy utilization in the electrolytic zinc process, relative to other zinc processes, is one of the reasons for its wide adoption in recent years. Designers and operators of electrolytic zinc plants have pioneered process improvements, new equipment, and operating techniques to conserve energy. As energy costs advance still higher in the future, and competitive pressure against the less efficient producers increases, these or alternative energy-saving methods will be looked upon as a necessity for economic survival. Estimated energy savings which may be achieved by various equipment and techniques are included.

Jan 1, 1977

By H. H. Rachford

This work presents a first-order analysis of the instability underlying viscous fingering in adverse viscosity-ratio water floods. It extends previous analyses of frontal instabilities, which were carried out with equations for parallel plate models, by including effects of the saturation transition zone observed behind the front in water floods in water wet systems. This zone tends to insulate incipient fingers from the high-mobility watet;. thus conditions for the onset of fingering differ from those in the parallel plate theory. Finite-difference solutions of the two-dimensional equations of displacement in porous media exhibited the predicted stability characteristics in six hypothetical field- and laboratory-scale floods in rectangular reservoirs. In contrast to results with parallel plate systems, this paper concludes that for waterwet reservoirs, laboratory models scaled by the usual criteria are also correctly scaled for frontal instability. Further, fingering in the systems studied can occur in any saturation range behind the front, and may occur at an intermediate saturation even though stability obtains both at the saturation corresponding to the Buckley-Leverett front and near residual oil saturation. Other points of contrast are that the likelihood of occurrence of fingering may not increase as flow rate or viscosity difference increases, but my be sensitive to changes in he relative permealdlity and capillary pressure functions. INTRODUCTION The recovery of oil by water flooding frequently involves displacing the oil by water of a lower viscosity. Displacement of a fluid by a less viscous one may lead to gross channeling or fingering like that observed in solvent floods, in which it severely lowers recovery efficiency.1 In addition to adverse effects on recovery, it has been suggested that the unstable move- ment causing fingering may interfere with interpretation of scaled model studies of proposed water floods, since the instability in the model might not be faithfully scaled to that in the reservoir prototype. In view of the serious implications of this possible breakdown of widely used scaled model techniques4-6 it is the purpose of this paper to examine the question further. Instabilities in the solutions of systems of differential equations imply a loss of smooth dependence on initial and boundary conditions. Thus, the possibility exists that in using models whose scaling is based on the differential system there may arise size- and rate-dependent factors which are not properly scaled. This possibility was examined in detail by Chouke et al., who analyzed the instability of frontal advance in a related problem, water-oil displacement in parallel plate models,2 in which a moving interface separates two regions of constant, unequal mobilities. First-order perturbation theory predicts the existence of a critical wave length for the growth of perturbations: and a wave length of maximum instability of A, = The interpretation is that wave lengths in a perturbation which are longer than A, will grow. Thus, if the width of a two-dimensional channel is greater than A,, fingers will grow, and the spacing of the fingers which grow at the maximum rate will be approximately It is important that the higher the velocity and/or the difference in flow resistance, the lower is A,, and thus the greater the number of fingers that can grow in a given model. In applying these conclusions to porous media, a pseudo-interfacial tension, , was assumed for the invasion front. Since this would not necessarily be equal to the liquid-liquid interfacial tension, an unknown constant was substituted for the foregoing expression for A, This was determined

Jan 1, 1965

Jan 1, 1881

By R. H. Hawkins

AN investigation of the applicability of geophysical methods to north-ern Ontario lignite deposits was undertaken early in 1930 by the Ontario Research Foundation at the request of the Ontario Department of Mines TABLE 1.-Formations Associated with Moose River Basin Maximum System Formation Lithology Observed Correlation Thickness, Ft. Pleistocene Marine clays 150 Glacial till (Minimum Interglacial 30) clay and peat Glacial till Lower Cretaceous or Mattagami Fireclay, sand 138 Kootenay (?) Upper Jurassic. and lignite Devonian (Upper) Long Rapids Petroliferous, 50 Portage and black and gray Genesee shale Williams Limestone and 87 Tully (?) Island calcareous shale Devonian (Middle).... Abitibi River Gray fossiliferous 65 Onondaga limestone Devonian (Lower) ?... Moose Rive- Limestone and 50 gypsum Devonian (Loner) Sextant Arkose, clay, etc. 50 Pre-Cambrian Syenite, granite gneiss, etc. Igneous intrusives. . Lamprophyre dikes cut the Abitibi River and lower formations. (Permission of Ontario Dept. of Mines) and was financed in part from a research grant made by the latter organ-ization. The work to date has included gravitational, magnetic and electrical resistivity studies. The gravitational and magnetic measure-

Jan 1, 1933

By A. N. Winchell

Petrographic studies of over 1400 rock and mineral samples, and studies of their field relations, show that there is a complete gradation between sandstone and limestone; the lime-silicate rocks were produced by recrystallization of limestone; mineralization and silicification occurred after silication and at considerably lower temperature; carbonation occurred at still lower temperatures. IN CONNECTION with law suits between mining companies at Bingham, Utah, a few years ago, the writer made petrographic studies of more than 1400 rock and mineral samples in thin sections, and also careful studies of their field relations. In petrographic studies, even when an area is studied intensively, attention is commonly centered very largely on the unusual features of special interest, so that the relative abundance of rock types (or minerals or textures) can only be determined by a study of map areas outlined largely by field methods, and cannot be based directly on microscopic work. It is very uncommon, and usually impossible, to take samples at regular short intervals along and across formations. It is precisely because such methods were used at Bingham that the work presents a rare opportunity for determining, on a microscopic basis, the relative abundance of rock types and the continuity of gradations between rock types. At the same time, a study was made of the alteration of sediments under the influence of igneous intrusions, with results that are believed to be of interest and importance.

Jan 3, 1924

By J. J. Beeson

Page I. PrimaRy MineRalization............................................ 356 1. Introduction..................................................... 356 a. Scope of Work............................................... 356 6. Acknowledgments............................................ 357 c. The Bingham Mining District.................................. 357 d. General Geology.............................................. 357 e. The Utah Copper Mine....................................... 376 f. Field and Laboratory work.................................... 376 2. The Quartz-Monzonite.............................................. 377 3. The Pegmatite Veins.....:.•..............................:........ 378 4. The High-Temperiture Veins.........................-.............:379 5. The Early Hydrotherma! Period.:......................'............ 380 6. The Late Hydrothermal Period................................:.... 385 II. Seconuabx EnricuMENT............................................. 386 . 1. Author's Note;..... ;............................................ 386 2. Factors Governing Enrichment.....................................: 387 3. The Enrichment.................................................... 387 4. The Covellite Enrichment.; .:; ; : .:. :..:.............:................ 388 a. The Capping above the Covellite Ores:....:....................... 388 b. Conclusions Drawn. from a Study of the Capping and the Covellite ; Ores....,.............................................:.....,.' 392 c. Covellite Enrichment at Depth......:......................... : : 392 5. The Chalcocite Enrichment...................................... ; 394 a. The Carbonates in the Capping above .the Chalcocite Ores...:..: .. 394 ' b. The Formation of Chalcocite..:.:. :......:..'...........,......' 394 . 6. Secondary Chalcopyrite and Bornite.............................i ..., . 395 111.- Conclusions as to the Formation.oF the ImpoRtant Sulphides in the Disseminated ORes........................................,.......... 400 I. Primary MiNeRalization 1. Intrdtiction a. Scop. e .of Work.. first part bf, this paper deals with the country rock, its pegihatitic, pneumatolytic', and hydrothermal altektions; also, the effect of magnetite on the deposition of the primary chalcopyrite and pyrite.

Jan 1, 1916

Jan 1, 1916

By R. L. Slobod, B. H. Caudle, R. A. Erickson

In predicting the sweepout pattern efficiency to be expected in a .secondary recovery operation, the reservoir engineer is often confronted with a situation in which part of the producing formation lies between the last row of wells and the reservoir boundary. To date, there has been little or no reference in the literalure to sweepout pattern efficiencies in such areas. This paper presents the results, of a laboratory study in which the area contacted around the edge of a reservoir injected in a five-spot pattern was determined. The X-ray shadowgraph technique was used in this study. It was found that surprisingly large portions of the reservoir area lying outside the well network are conracted by the injected fluid before, abndonment conditions are reached. In fact, it can he said that at least 00 per cent of the circa lying outside the last row of wells and within a distance of one well spacing of these wells will ultimately be contacted by the injected fluid in the case of most water floods. Frorn the results given in this paper, it is possible to estitilate not only the extent to which encroachment into these areas will occur but also the injection volume necessary to produce the wells to abnndonment conditions. INTRODUCTION While considerable work has hern done in recent years1.?.'.''.' evaluating the fraction of the reservoir contacted as a function of the mobility ratio for several different well patterns, there has been practically no mention of what happens to the oil in that portion of the reservoir which lies between the last row of wells and the reservoir boundary. In fact, the assumption is generally made that little or no recovery can he expected From this area. This assumption is incorrect and in many cases will lead to seriouq errors in calculating reservoir performance. The fraction of the area outside the regular well pattern contacted in a five-spot injection system has been studied using the X-ray technique5 to follow the progress of actual floods in porous models of reservoir elemental areas. In this paper, the method for carrying out such a study and the results showing the fraction of the area in question swept as a function of mobility ratio and the produced fluids are presented. THE REPRESENTATION OF A RESERVOIR BY ITS ELEMENTAL AREAS She portion of the reservoir lying between the edge of a reservoir and a line connecting the outermost wells may be roughly designated as the part of the reservoir outside the regular well pattern. An example of such an area is shown as the shaded portion in Fig. 1. The case of a square reservoir utilizing a five-spot injection program and with one full well spacing between the outermost wells and the boundary (Fig. 1) was selected as the single example which would provide the most insight into

Jan 1, 1956