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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 T. R. Scott

The acid pressure leaching of zinc-lead flotation concentrates from the McArthur River deposit, Northern Territory, Australia, has been studied in a three-stage, continuous, co-current system, using titanium reactors of 6 gal capacity. The starting pulp contained 2.7 lb solids per gal of synthetic spent electrolyte and the final liquors contained 120-125 gpl Zn. Parameters investigated included temperature (95-120°C), oxygen pressure (30-100 psi), acid addition (80-130% of theoretical), and leaching time (35-65 min per stage). Technical factors studied included mixing and pumping of feed, agitation, settling and washing and control mechanisms. The chemistry of liquor impurities, of scale formation in autoclaves and of lead jarosites in residues was studied in some detail. Results indicated that 90-93% zinc recovery could be obtained with a "low- acid" process, using 113°C and 70 psig with oxygen as the favored operating conditions. Residues contained 16-18% elemental sulphur and 15% lead, together with unreacted pyrite and gangue minerals. Pelletizing of residues was impracticable, and alternative suggestions for the recovery of lead, sulphur and silver are discussed. Preliminary estimates for plant and operating costs are given and enable some comparison to be made with conventional procedures.

Jan 1, 1973

By Everette Lee DeGolyer

FIFTEEN thousand barrels of oil daily, the production of the United States 75 years ago, amounted to more than 90 per cent of world supply. Russia and Romania, neither of which produced as much as one thousand barrels daily, were the only other suppliers in substantial quantity. The adolescent oil industry of the United States, a dozen years old in 1871, was still confined to the Appalachian region. Wells were drilled by cable tools; many of them were "kicked down" by manpower with a spring pole; and depths were measured in hundreds rather than thousands of feet-a 1000-foot well was a deep well. Casing was an innovation, come into general use only a few years previously and still so new as to be subject to bitter patent litigation. Crude oil was packaged in wooden barrels and shipped by flat boat and barge on the creeks and rivers and by railroad. Such pipe lines as existed were only a few miles long. There were many refineries. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and the Atlantic seaboard were refining centers. Refineries were very small, however, and their operations consisted essentially in simple fractionation by distillation and treating for quality. The products in demand were burning oil or kerosene and lubricating oils. Oil was not yet used as fuel and gasoline was a nuisance to the refiner.

Jan 1, 1947

By Charles Behre

THIS paper deals with recent geologic studies in the slate belt of Northampton, Lehigh and Berks counties, Pennsylvania. The work was conducted under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey. Three years have now been spent in detailed consideration of the economic geology of this region. In the field, particular attention was paid to the bearing of geology on quarry development and property valuation and the object of this paper is to summarize the results from that viewpoint. Excellent studies of a somewhat similar nature have already been carried out by Bowles,1 but with the emphasis upon the details of quarrying and fabricating methods, rather than upon the geologic relations. THE NORTHAMPTON-LEHIGH-BERKS DISTRICT Location The region here discussed lies in east-central Pennsylvania and extends southwestward from Delaware River, on the New Jersey line, to the Schuylkill in north-central Berks County. It is an elongated belt occupying the northern sections of the three counties mentioned and lying along the southern edge of Blue Mountain. Its length is about 50 miles and its average width five or six, though in places it attains a maximum of 10 miles.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. O. Nelson, C. J. Altstetter

Single crystals of hcp cobalt, 3 mm in diameter and up to 35 cm long, were grown using an electron-beam, zone-melting technique. The martensitic-phase transformation was studied in single-crystalline and polycrystalline specimens by making length-change measurements as a function of temperature under various elastic compressive stresses. Upon thermal cycling, single-crystalline or polycrystalline specimens repeatedly transformed almost entirely on the same variant of close-packed plane provided the maximum temperature did not exceed 600°C. Cycling to 1000°C resulted in transformation on more than one {111} variant. This behavior is termed multivariance. The multivariant transformation occurred very rapidly at an M, temperature 2° to 6°C lower than the M, of a transformation which would result in a single-crystal product. Elastic compressive stresses (up to 253 g per sq mm) tended to lower the A, and raise the M, temperatures, decreasing the width of the temperature vs dilatation hysteresis loop. The transformation habit plane and transformation shear direction of an as-grown single crystal were not grossly affected by elastic compressi?ie stress. This was evidenced by similar dilatations on the temperature us dilatation loops joy specimens with and without compressive stress. A dislocation mechanism is proposed to explain the observed results. IT has been shown that, on heating, cobalt transforms martensitically from the hcp to the fcc phase.' The transformation habit plane is (0001)hcp || (lll)fcc and the transformation shear direction is (1010)hcp || (112)fcc. The transformation involves a shear of 1g°28', which may be achieved by a shearing of a/6(112) of every two planes with respect to the plane beneath, thus changing the ABABAB stacking of hcp to the ABCABC stacking of fcc. Associated with the phase change is a 0.3 x 10"3 contraction in the habit plane and a 4.2 X 10"3 expansion perpendicular to the habit plane resulting in a 3.6 x X volume increase on heating.' On cooling, an identical volume decrease takes place. The temperature at which the fcc phase begins to form on heating (A,) is reported as 430°C, and the temperature at which the hcp phase begins to form on cooling from an elevated temperature (A&) is reported as 390oC1,3 Consequently, temperature vs dilatation plots have the form of a hysteresis loop. If heating or cooling is reversed during a transformation, a smaller hysteresis loop results. Upon heating, the transformation is always complete; whereas, fcc is often retained at room temperature as a metastable phase entrapped in the polycrystal-line hexagonal matrix.1,4,5 Two obstacles in the theory of the allotropic-phase transformation of cobalt have been: 1) a detailed knowledge of the product nucleus, and 2) a plausible method of propagation of the transformation. Bilby,8 christian, 7 and seeger 8,9 have suggested a "pole mechanism" as a means of propagation of partiai dislocations from plane to plane. A pole dislocation and a Shockley partial come together at a node. The a/6(112) Shockley partial rotates about the pole dislocation effecting the transformation shear. The pole dislocation must have a 2a/3(111) screw component which causes extension of the transformed region by two atomic planes with each full rotation of the Shockley partial. Bollmannl0 suggested, on the other hand, that transformation propagation occurs due to the stress fields of intersecting (111)-type stacking faults. As faults intersect, a stress distribution is set up about their intersection which is in turn reduced by the emergence of another fault on the second nearest plane. This process continues with the final result of a complete phase transformation. In view of the similarities between deformation and transformation in cobalt, the effect of stress on the transformation would, hopefully, yield valuable information concerning nucleation and propagation. In the present work single-crystalline and polycrystalline specimen length changes were measured as a function of temperature at various compressive loads. PROCEDURE Several orientations of single crystals of hcp cobalt in lengths up to 25 cm were grown by electron-beam floating zone melting from 99.95 and 99.999 pct, 3-mm-diam cobalt rod as supplied by Johnson

Jan 1, 1964

By R. B. Snow

This paper describes a technique of polishing and etching specimens of open-hearth furnace slags or hearth aggregates for identification of the crystalline constituents —lime (CaO), tricalcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2), dicalcium silicate (2CaO.-SiO2), rnonticellite (CaO.MgO.SiO2), or forsterile (2MgO.SiO2), with especial em-phasis on the mineral merwinite (3CaO.-MgO.2SiO2). With proper standardization, this identification does not require the use of the petrographic microscope. The composition of basic open-hearth slags and furnace bottoms falls, almost without exception, within systems containing CaO, MgO, 'IFeO,,, MnO and SiOz, in which the number of basic molecules so greatly exceeds the orthosilicate ratio (two molecules of base to one of silica) that free basic oxides, and combinations between them such as alumi-nates or ferrites, are present in cooled specimens. Orthosilicates of (CaO + NgO) are the most common in such specimens, since in nearly all cases, except premelt slags, the molecular ratio of (CaO + MgO) to SiO, is more than 2 to I. When sufficient lime is available it combines with the silica to form dicalcium silicate (2Ca0.Si02), which contains little, if any, IvfgO, FeO or MnO in solid solution whereas the latter oxides combine to form the oxide solid solution known as periclase. If the lime present is insufficient to form dicalcium silicate (2Ca0.Si02) it combines with Mgo to form either merwillite or moIlticellite (SiOz); these minerals take little if any FeO or MnO into solid solution and the remaining MgO, FeO and hInO combine as periclase. This generalization seems to be valid for basic slags and furnace bottoms, since minerals such as Ca0.MnOSi02 and CaO.FeO.SiOz are found only in slags in which the lime-silica ratio is less than 2 and are not observed in 'pecimens from furnace bottoms. The identification of crystalline constituents in such materials, especially of fine crystals in the groundmass, is difficult under the petrographic microscope. They are often masked by their neighbors because of their small size in relation to the thickness of the thin section and because of the presence of Opaque Or colored constituents. The indices of refraction and the optical sign of the mineral are sometimes difficult to determine because of the small size or because Of twinning or of inclusions within the crystal. Moreover, the positive identification of merwinite (3Ca0.Mg0.2Si02) from its optical properties is usually difficult in the presence of dicalcium silicate (zCaO.SiO2). CaO, MgO, jCa0.Si02 and 2Ca0.SiOz in open-hearth 'lags have been identified for a number of years in the U.S. Steel Corporation Laboratory by the usual

Jan 1, 1948

By R. B. Snow

This paper describes a technique of polishing and etching specimens of open-hearth furnace slags or hearth aggregates for identification of the crystalline constituents —lime (CaO), tricalcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2), dicalcium silicate (2CaO.-SiO2), rnonticellite (CaO.MgO.SiO2), or forsterile (2MgO.SiO2), with especial em-phasis on the mineral merwinite (3CaO.-MgO.2SiO2). With proper standardization, this identification does not require the use of the petrographic microscope. The composition of basic open-hearth slags and furnace bottoms falls, almost without exception, within systems containing CaO, MgO, 'IFeO,,, MnO and SiOz, in which the number of basic molecules so greatly exceeds the orthosilicate ratio (two molecules of base to one of silica) that free basic oxides, and combinations between them such as alumi-nates or ferrites, are present in cooled specimens. Orthosilicates of (CaO + NgO) are the most common in such specimens, since in nearly all cases, except premelt slags, the molecular ratio of (CaO + MgO) to SiO, is more than 2 to I. When sufficient lime is available it combines with the silica to form dicalcium silicate (2Ca0.Si02), which contains little, if any, IvfgO, FeO or MnO in solid solution whereas the latter oxides combine to form the oxide solid solution known as periclase. If the lime present is insufficient to form dicalcium silicate (2Ca0.Si02) it combines with Mgo to form either merwillite or moIlticellite (SiOz); these minerals take little if any FeO or MnO into solid solution and the remaining MgO, FeO and hInO combine as periclase. This generalization seems to be valid for basic slags and furnace bottoms, since minerals such as Ca0.MnOSi02 and CaO.FeO.SiOz are found only in slags in which the lime-silica ratio is less than 2 and are not observed in 'pecimens from furnace bottoms. The identification of crystalline constituents in such materials, especially of fine crystals in the groundmass, is difficult under the petrographic microscope. They are often masked by their neighbors because of their small size in relation to the thickness of the thin section and because of the presence of Opaque Or colored constituents. The indices of refraction and the optical sign of the mineral are sometimes difficult to determine because of the small size or because Of twinning or of inclusions within the crystal. Moreover, the positive identification of merwinite (3Ca0.Mg0.2Si02) from its optical properties is usually difficult in the presence of dicalcium silicate (zCaO.SiO2). CaO, MgO, jCa0.Si02 and 2Ca0.SiOz in open-hearth 'lags have been identified for a number of years in the U.S. Steel Corporation Laboratory by the usual

Jan 1, 1948

By N. O. Johnson, J. Boyer, D. H. Sargent, R. B. Frahme

Although the Western bentonite industry has grown rapidly, it is facing major challenges to sustained growth. The fundamental penalty of costly overland transportation to both domestic markets and to US seaports is of increasing importance; as both substitute materials and foreign bentonites present more formidable competition in the historic market areas of drilling muds, foundry sands, and iron ore pelletizing; and as foreign demand grows more rapidly than domestic demand. The Western bentonite industry is facing these challenges by altering its transportation patterns, by upgrading of products, and by emphasizing customer service and stringent quality control.

Jan 9, 1979

By B. G. Klugh

(New York Meeting, February, 1913.) THE present paper represents a preliminary investigation of the ultimate structure of iron-bearing materials which have been subjected to heat treatment for the purpose of agglormer-ating the fines, or for chemical changes, or for both. Primarily, the object of this inquiry was to determine the relation of the microstructure of each of these materials-to its specific susceptibility to the action in the blast-furnace. It is hoped that this small contribution will serve as a nucleus to a line of research that will throw some light upon the debated questions involved in blast-roasting. Thus far the investigation has been conducted along lines of analogy of known principles, rather than through the applica-tion of any well-defined system of microscopic petrography. This is obviously due to the fact that we are dealing with materials which are the artificial products of a new art, rather than with the natural materials from which the essence of the pure science has been evolved. In the limited tune allowed for this research, it has been conducted upon those materials the chemical content of which allows of their use commercially in the blast-furnace.

Jan 5, 1913

By Henry F. Adams, Guy H. Ruggles

IN this paper the authors aim to chronicle the experience and salient points brought out in changing flotation reagents at a concentrator which had probably been using a mininium amount of oil at a minimum cost per ton, to a more complicated system requiring a partial chemical control. The original oils were coal tar and pine oil. The new reagents are lime, xanthate and pine oil. It was found that there were no insurmountable difficulties and eventually the cost of the new reagents per ton of ore proved to be very little more than that of the old. LIME PLANT When the question of handling lime came up there were two propositions open: (1) to handle the lime dry; (2) to handle it wet in the form of an emulsion. Granting that a dry lime feeder would function properly, delivering lime uniformly, the chief objection was the dust that would be raised when these feeders were being charged or operated, as the only possible location was on a gallery beneath which men were working. With this objection the handling of lime as an emulsion seemed to be the better scheme. The lime plant which was first installed was for experimental work on one section. This was gradually changed and developed until it was of sufficient size to accommodate 20 sections. The various changes will not be discussed and the following description deals only with the fully developed plant. Crude as it is, and perhaps somewhat expensive to operate, the lime-handling plant has been quite successful. Much has been learned which will pave the way for a better installation in the future. Burnt lime is received loose in standard gage box cars. This is the product of the kilns and has had no screening or sorting. A grab sample is taken from each car as it is unloaded. An average of the analyses of samples from 44 cars gave the following: [ ]

Jan 1, 1928

By John H. Hollomon

The interpretation of notched-bar impact results has been a matter of controversy since the introduction of more or less standard tests by Fremont,' Charpy2 and others at the turn of the century. Many investigators3-l1 have contributed to the understanding of the significance of such tests. Several symposiums12,13 have been held with the express purpose of discussing the significance and interpretation of the impact tests. It is not the purpose of this paper to review all these contributions to the development of the knowledge on this subject, but rather to present an interpretation of notched-bar impact tests that appears to be in agreement with the available published data. Fundamentally, the interpretation discussed in this paper of the brittle failure of some steels in notched-bar impact test is similar to the qualitative analysis presented by Ludwik3 in the I92o's. Essentially, Ludwik stated that the function of the notch was to increase the tensile stress necessary for yielding, and that brittle failure occurred when the stress necessary for yielding exceeded the normal stress required for fracture (with no plastic deformation). Ludwik, however, had no means of measuring this normal stress necessary for failure of a plastically* undeformed metal, therefore he could not extend his interpretation beyond the qualitative stage. Kuntze14 and recently Mc-Adam15 attempted to determine the effect of deformation on the stress necessary for fracture by testing, in tension, specimens notched to various depths and angles. Because of the uncertainties in Kuntze's (and McAdam's) analysis of the stresses (which have been pointed out by Sachs16) and the inherent nonuniformity in the stress distribution in notched bars, the results of such investigations are difficult to interpret. A more direct method of measuring the effect of deformation on the fracture stress was suggested in previous papers"-18 and has been utilized in the present investigation. The present paper concerns itself primarily with the behavior of notched impact specimens. The effects of strain rate, temperature, and stress distribution, which are discussed with reference to the impact specimen, apply just as well to the behavior of metal at the bases of notches in any engineering structure. All that is necessary is to determine the stress distribution in the structure at the base of the notches.

Jan 1, 1944

By John H. Hollomon

The interpretation of notched-bar impact results has been a matter of controversy since the introduction of more or less standard tests by Fremont,' Charpy2 and others at the turn of the century. Many investigators3-l1 have contributed to the understanding of the significance of such tests. Several symposiums12,13 have been held with the express purpose of discussing the significance and interpretation of the impact tests. It is not the purpose of this paper to review all these contributions to the development of the knowledge on this subject, but rather to present an interpretation of notched-bar impact tests that appears to be in agreement with the available published data. Fundamentally, the interpretation discussed in this paper of the brittle failure of some steels in notched-bar impact test is similar to the qualitative analysis presented by Ludwik3 in the I92o's. Essentially, Ludwik stated that the function of the notch was to increase the tensile stress necessary for yielding, and that brittle failure occurred when the stress necessary for yielding exceeded the normal stress required for fracture (with no plastic deformation). Ludwik, however, had no means of measuring this normal stress necessary for failure of a plastically* undeformed metal, therefore he could not extend his interpretation beyond the qualitative stage. Kuntze14 and recently Mc-Adam15 attempted to determine the effect of deformation on the stress necessary for fracture by testing, in tension, specimens notched to various depths and angles. Because of the uncertainties in Kuntze's (and McAdam's) analysis of the stresses (which have been pointed out by Sachs16) and the inherent nonuniformity in the stress distribution in notched bars, the results of such investigations are difficult to interpret. A more direct method of measuring the effect of deformation on the fracture stress was suggested in previous papers"-18 and has been utilized in the present investigation. The present paper concerns itself primarily with the behavior of notched impact specimens. The effects of strain rate, temperature, and stress distribution, which are discussed with reference to the impact specimen, apply just as well to the behavior of metal at the bases of notches in any engineering structure. All that is necessary is to determine the stress distribution in the structure at the base of the notches.

Jan 1, 1944

By Charles S. Barrett

THE experiments reported in this paper have been fruitful in disclosing the mechanism of the deformation of iron in compression. They have established the nature of "deformation bands," "etch bands," or "X-bands," that have been a recognized but little understood feature in the structure of cold-worked metals since the early days of metallography, and have shown the role of the bands in the development of preferred orientations by cold-working. The work has also shown the relation of the orientation of individual grains to the preferred orientation of the aggregate. Some of the methods previously used in the determination of the indices of slip planes and slip directions are shown to be untrustworthy in the presence of deformation bands. The conclusion is reached that many slip planes and slip directions must operate during each stage in the compression of a single crystal, and that theories failing to take account of this require revision. In conducting the experiments a method of compression has been used by which extreme reductions can easily be reached, even to the limit set by the metal's capacity to deform without fracture. The work is a portion of a research program on the plastic properties of iron and steel. It is being used as a foundation for studies of orientations resulting from recrystallization and is being extended to other metals and other types of deformation. PREVIOUS WORK The previous experiments are few and have given confusing results. Ono1 compressed a polycrystalline alpha-iron specimen between two flat plates of a testing machine and found that severe deformation oriented the crystals into a duplex preferred orientation, one set of crystallites having a cube diagonal of the body-centered cubic lattice parallel to the compression axis, and another set having a cube axis parallel to the compression axis. We shall speak of this structure as a. double fiber texture of the type [111] + [100]. Wever2 also made an X-ray determination of the texture

Jan 1, 1938

By G. A. Reinhardt, Albert Sauveur

Although many metallurgists know that some pearlitic special steels can be made troostitic, martensitic, and even austenitic, without quenching, and, therefore, without exposing them to the dangers of the quenching-bath, the practical significance of such possibility does not seem to have received the attention it deserves. Let us recall briefly the mechanism of the transformation alluded to. In Fig. 1 (after Guillet) is shown the constitutional diagram of nickel-steel; that is, of alloys of iron, carbon, and nickel. Any steel the composition of which falls within the area LPO is pearlitic after slow cooling; any steel the composition of which is represented by a point within the area MLO is martensitic, and any steel within the area MNO is austenitic. Starting with pearlitic steel, then by increasing the carbon-content or the nickel-content, or both, the metal becomes marten-sitic and eventually austenitic; that is, its composition crosses first the boundary-line LO and then the line MO—and it remains martensitic or austenitic after slow (air) cooling.' We have in this way imparted to the metal without quenching it the properties of hardened carbon-steel. In other words, the steel is now self-hardening; Nickel cannot be introduced into solid steel, but by the well-known process of case-hardening it

Jan 1, 1913

By Frank Tolonen

IRON-ORE beneficiation is becoming of vital importance to the Lake Superior region, since only a few decades will be needed to exhaust the direct shipping ores even if generous allowances are made for discoveries of new orebodies. If the region is to continue as the chief source of ore to the steel industry of the United States, it must concentrate or otherwise beneficiate the enormous tonnages of available iron formations. A beginning along this line has already been made. About one-fifth of the total shipment, even now, is the product of some sort of concentrating process, while another fifth is improved in physical structure by crushing, screening, drying, sintering, or some other similar method. The amount of material amenable to these processes is limited, however; and, in order to be able to utilize the billions of tons of iron formations that cannot be so beneficiated, an intensive study of their nature and concentration possi-bilities is necessary. As long as high-grade ores are available in ample quantities, ore dressing is economically impossible, but as soon as the supply nears exhaustion it becomes necessary. At first the products of ore dressing must meet as nearly as possible the same specifications as the rich ores in order to be adapted to the reduction processes already established. The future requirements as to quality will depend on the one hand upon the ability of the ore dresser to eliminate undesired constituents and charac-teristics in the material, and on the other upon the adaptation of the reduction processes to the product that can be economically supplied. A better understanding of the blast furnace and other reduction reactions, and improvements in the preparation of raw materials, should enable the Michigan districts to continue to supply ore for a long time to come. The study and testing of the iron formations necessary to bring a utilization of the low-grade ores, though requiring time and effort on the part of all concerned, should not be postponed, especially since the economic situation forces the use of the highest grade ore in preference to the leaner material.

Jan 1, 1933

By Harry L. Washburn, Robert L. Llewellyn, W. J. Halvorsen

Many of the problems that occur in the preparation plant originate from practices in the mine. Impurities in raw coal can be in the seam itself or from extraneous material taken in mining from the roof or bottom. In the case of underground mines, the choice of mining equipment will affect the size consist and the amount of extraneous material included with the coal. Also, governmental regulations concerning the degree of rock dusting, gobbing underground, and cleanup have increased the dirt in raw coal. Sulfur dioxide emission standards, on the other hand, are pressuring the coal industry to clean coal more thoroughly. Coal supplied for coking purposes is nearly all upgraded by washing, while for the largest market, electric power generation, a high proportion is shipped as a raw product with processing, in whole or in part, only necessary when excess impurities are mined with the coal. This chapter will deal primarily with plants that process or wash coal to some extent (Fig. 1) and only incidentally with mines shipping raw run-of-mine coal crushed to a top size of, usually, 51 to 102 mm (2 to 4 in.), with little, if any, other treatment. JUSTIFICATION FOR COAL PREPARATION During the past decade, major changes have occurred affecting the market, profit, and long-range planning of the coal industry. Mining companies have become "partners" with consumers at many new and some old mines, both for steam and metallurgical coals. Coal properties have become "assigned" tonnages at mutually agreed upon conditions and prices. Lower unit-train tariffs have been instrumental in helping coal markets to compete against oil and nuclear energy. Coal prices for power plants are still on a Btu (British thermal unit)

Jan 1, 1981

By H. F. Johnson, C. S. Harloff

The Nichols series system of electrolytic copper refining has successfully maintained its strong competitive position in the copper-refining industry of today; therefore the improvements made in accomplishing this result are of interest. While additional interest would lie in specific comparisons of results obtained in series operation with those in multiple, we have refrained from such a comparison because it can be fair to both only when they are operating under similar conditions on the same grade of materials. Historical The Nichols Copper Co. started a small refinery at Laurel Hill, using its present system, about 1892. The details of the process in its early stage of development were kept strictly secret, so that no information was published or interchange of ideas permitted with the staffs of other copper refineries, where the multiple system was being developed at the same time. However, the fundamentals of the process and type of cell used today differ very little from their earliest form. All operations including loading and unloading of tanks, and all transportation as well, were carried on by hand. The plant remained in this condition with a gradual expansion taking place until the World War forced such a rapid development that little time or thought could be devoted to modernization or mechanical improvement requiring careful design or detailed planning. Considerable progress was made, however. (1) Large refining furnaces were developed. (2) The old expensive air-lift type of circulation was abandoned in favor of the present system. (3) Operating technique was gradually developed to a high point of efficiency. (4) Tank construction and lining were greatly improved, the first concrete tank being installed in 1915. (This tank is still in operating condition.) (5) A new power plant was constructed. (6) Fuel oil was substituted for lump coal on the refining furnaces. (7) Mechanical casting of the finished product was accomplished. During this entire period the plant was particularly fortunate in receiving only high-grade, clean copper bullion coming principally from the Phelps Dodge mines in Arizona. This, together with the lack of

Jan 1, 1934

By C. F. Cigliana

TO accommodate a large tonnage at high speed from a single level at San Manuel, a very flexible haulage system was designed to give maximum access to stoping areas, minimize delays, and pro- vide for safety. With these requirements as a guide, the haulage was laid out as a simple double loop with one-way traffic of continuous pull. These loops consist of two parallel drifts 100 ft apart, center to center. Haulage drifts are numbered from north to south, the northernmost being the No. 1 drift. This holds true on both the North and South haulage loops. Haulage drifts are connected at 1000-ft intervals with crossovers so that it is possible to bypass any given section that may be inaccessible. Two of these turnouts are double diamonds, one located on the approach to the rotary dumps at the hoisting shafts and the other on the departure from the dumps. The turnout on the approach or North haulage is 835 ft in front of the rotary dump, and the one on the departure, or South haulage, is 1058 ft from the dump. This type of turnout allows trains coming down either haulage drift No. 1 or No. 2 to be routed into either shaft and expedites movement by avoiding delays due to congestion in the dumping area. The double diamond on the return haulage loop facilitates returning empty ore trains to the panels.

Jan 5, 1958

By Erwin L. Zodrow

A geological model of the modes of formation of magnetite and its distribution in the Smallwood iron-ore mine, Labrador, Newfoundland, is given, based on observation and geological mapping. This is called the conceptual model. If mathematical expressions plus probabilistic uncertainty are used to represent the conceptual model, then this is termed a mathematical model. The purpose of this paper is to test if there exists a correspondence between the conceptual model and two related mathematical models (called factor analysis). Details of the statistical technique are given. The results of factor analyses in relation to the magnetite formations in the Smallwood mine are discussed. Several practical mine applications are presented. The difficulty of maintaining quality control over ore mined from any deposit naturally depends on geological conditions; these are usually imperfectly known to concerned mining geologists. One geological condition that would greatly facilitate ore predictions is if a relationship between the observed ore particle distribution* and its mode of origin could be demonstrated. Such a casual interrelationship is normally sought through the application of well-defined geochemical principles of primary mineralization in given geological environments. However, the application of conventional tools of geological research, including geochemistry, to areas that have undergone repeated periods of geological deformation and metamorphism subsequent to primary mineralization becomes rather difficult. More important, the interpretation of such research results are nearly impossible on an objective basis. Mineral assemblages may have been reworked and changed due to tectonic influences to the extent that the present-day observable mineralogy and ore-particle distribution can effectively obscure the mode of origin of the ore. Quantitative measurements, based on petrological investigation of mineral assemblages, reflect the sum-total of all geological influences. Which of several influences had the most effect on existing ore particle distribution is difficult to assess, for these influences can neither be measured directly nor quantified by petro-logical logical or geochemical means. The present study is concerned with the magnetite distribution and its modes of origin within the Small- wood mine,' located in the southern extension of the Labrador geosyncline; see Fig. 1. This geosyncline is thought to have undergone at least two periods of geo-tonic tectonic deformation, separated in time, since the fer-rugenous rugenous sediments were deposited." Detailed geological observations and mappings (1 in. to 40 ft) have highlighted subtle, distinctive features of the magnetite distribution in the Smallwood mine: (1) The magnetite is generally concentrated in bands or layers within this ore body; these bands alternate with specularite-rich bands and quartz bands. The banded or layered nature is common in Precambrian iron-ore deposits, and this has been interpreted as a result of changes in depositional environments. (2) The grain size of the magnetite varies; near the contacts between the iron and quartz-carbonate formations, the magnetite occurs as well-crystallized octa-hedra. In areas of intense folding, magnetite is extremely fine grained and concentrated in bands and occurs in association with earthy manganese minerals. (3) Magnetite tends to be more highly concentrated near the geological contacts of the iron and quartz-carbonate formation in the northeast part of this mine, Figs. 2, 3, and 4. (4) Magnetite is also fine grained and tends to higher concentration near and parallel to fold axes; however, in this case, the ore is much softer than given in item 2. (5) Magnetite mineralization decreases along strike and away from the areas of intense folding, i.e., towards the approximate center of the mine, Fig. 3. How can these variations of magnetite be explained on a geological basis? We can postulate a conceptual model that the distribution of magnetite appears to be related to three basic geological influences: (1) geo-tectonics, i.e., concentrations of magnetite near geological contacts of the iron and quartz-carbonate formations, the fine-grained nature of magnetite and its higher concentrations near fold axes, and decrease of magnetite towards the approximate center of the mine; (2) secondary alterations, i.e., variation of grain size of magnetite near the iron and quartz-carbonate contacts, and in areas of intense folding where magnetite occurs together with earthy manganese minerals: (3) original

Jan 1, 1971

By Waldemar Lindgren

No one would maintain that all ore deposits or all deposits of useful minerals have been formed by the same processes. Generally they have originated by special processes of concentration but these may be of many different kinds. Some deposits have their origin in chemical or biochemical processes of concentration in rivers, lakes or seas, others developed on land by means of chemical reactions of surface waters on various forms of rocks. Certain insoluble substances remained behind; others were dissolved and precipitated in favorable places. This action proceeded in the realm of the oxidizing surface waters or in the deeper zones to which the waters from the surface could find their way. Examples of the latter kind may be found in the extensive copper and vanadium deposits of some sedimentary beds or in the lead and zinc deposits of certain broad limestone strata. In these instances the evidence for any other mode of origin would seem to be very weak indeed.' Nor does it seem possible to deny that circulating waters may form deposits of the more common metals along fissures after having dissolved many constituents from paths traversed. Another very large class has been formed by magnetic processes of concentration. The last 40 years have been a period of intense activity in the investigation and description of a vast number of deposits; all modern methods have been employed and the result is an accumulation of data, difficult or impossible to master. It has been a period similar to that in petrography. The generalizations, the able deductions, have lagged behind. Evidently several geologists have become weary of this "infinite detail" and a mistrust of the microscope seems to have arisen. Although this feeling of being swamped in microscopic detail is a painful experience, nevertheless only through the detail in combination with the large features, and only by utilizing all the related sciences shall we

Jan 1, 1927