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By N. J. Sather

A detailed description is given of Bunker Hill's concentration process employed at the company's lead-zinc property in the Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho. The plant is equipped to process 3000 tpd of Pb-Zn ore. The history of the Bunker Hill mine dates back to Aug. 26, 1885, when Noah S. Kellogg found the outcrop of the Bunker Hill orebody on the hillside of Milo Gulch above the present town of Wardner, Idaho. A small concentrator was erected in 1886, and before the railroad came, the mine output was transported by mule teams to the head of navigation on Coeur d'Alene Lake. After ten years of production, an interest was purchased in the Tacoma smelter at Tacoma, Wash., to which the entire output was shipped. In 1916 and 1917, a modern lead smelting plant and refinery was erected, and a modern electrolytic zinc reduction plant was built in 1927-1928 by the Sullivan Mining Co. which was 50 pct owned (and now totally owned) by the Bunker Hill Co. The first concentrator, a 100-tpd capacity plant, was built in 1886 near the Reed Tunnel in Wardner. The treatment consisted simply of crushing ore to 2 in. and then to 1/2 in. through rolls in closed circuit with a bucket elevator and trommel screen. The undersize was further sized in trommels to 10 mm and 3 mm. Oversize from the latter was treated in Hartz jigs. The 3 mm undersize was classified in crude hydraulic classifiers furnishing sands to sand jigs, the overflow being dewatered in a long V tank which supplied sands to a Cornish buddle and to Frue vanners. The concentrates were of excellent grade, old records showing assays of 69 pct lead and 29 oz. of silver per ton. Tailings were high inasmuch as the provision for treating the slimes was inadequate. Since the erection of the first mill, the Bunker Hill plant has gone through many changes and improvements. In succeeding years, the flowsheet was enlarged somewhat with Huntington and Chilean mills, vanners, tables, ball mills, and flotation cells being progressively added. In the transition period to the present day practice, the object was not only to improve the equipment for better mechanical performance, but to add new equipment whenever practicable so as to improve both grade and recovery of the product at a lower cost. For the modern plant and flow-sheet, see Figs. 1 and 2. The history of flotation at Bunker Hill dates back to 1913 when experimental work was done in a cell in which the pulp was circulated through a centrifugal pump set outside the cell and discharged against a baffle in the cell. The cell was built with a spitzkasten, and the quiet zone in the latter tended to let the froth break down before it got to the overflow weir. To remedy this situation, a belt drag with light metal flights was arranged for drawing off the froth over a ramp in each cell. Recovery of lead was not as high as present day practice, but was so much better than the vanners that the cells were multiplied gradually to eight cell units. The mill men called them mud hens. Flow between the cells was controlled by a weir, which determined the pulp level in each cell. These early machines were called Bunker Hill machines. The tailings were later treated in pneumatic scavenger flotation machines in a series, producing concentrates for retreatment in the Bunker Hill cleaners as well as the final tailings. This system of flotation served with minor changes until the Fahrenwald machine was developed at Bunker Hill during the period from 1921 to 1925. In 1925, the Fahrenwald flotation machine gradually replaced the Bunker Hill machine, although the Hearing pneumatic scavengers for retreatment of the tailings from the Fahrenwald machines were retained in the lead section until 1928. The use of the Hearing pneumatic machine for cleaning the rougher concentrates was begun in 1924. In 1941, plans were made for remodeling and modernizing the concentrator, the goal being a modern concentrator employing the latest equipment and milling practices. The old wooden building was to be replaced by a steel and concrete structure. Shortly after preliminary work got under way, the United States entered World War II and the demands for metals increased. To meet this requirement, the management decided to increase the capacity of the concentrator to 1800 tpd. This was accomplished in record time by the construction and operation of a sink-float plant. Installation of this plant was the first step in the general plan for modernization. In 1947 the concentrator (including the sink-float plant) was enlarged to handle 3000 tpd. Milling operations today are at the rate of 2300 tpd, five days per week. During 1959, 453,000 tons of ore was beneficiated. The Bunker Hill concentrator is in three sections: the crushing plant, a 3000-ton capacity storage bin, and the concentrator building. The crushing plant is of wood design with a gunnite coating on the exterior.

Jan 1, 1961

By R. Salter, C. K. Chase

Although Asarco's Silver Bell Unit, 40 miles west of Tucson, Ariz., is known primarily for copper production, molybdenite is also produced as a byproduct in the 8000 tpd flotation mill. The Silver Bell ore comes from two pits approximately two miles apart. Copper mineralization is essentially chalcocite resulting from two to three-fold secondary enrichment in a highly altered zone. A typical porphyry copper deposit, Silver Bell ore is of medium hardness. The ore consists of about one part molybdenum to 65 parts of copper. In the copper concentrate which is the starting point for separate molybdenum recovery, the ratio is also one part molybdenum to 65 of copper. Molybdenum mineralization is primary. Enrichment is not evident but it is notable that the molybdenite is more common in the more siliceous, harder rocks. The actual molybdenite occurs as diversely oriented flakes of fairly constant grain size, mostly in fractures associated with quartz veins. Most of the mineral appears unoxidized; secondary coatings on the molybdenite flakes are fortunately rare. In May 1962 a modified, improved version of the molybdenite circuit was put into operation.

Jan 7, 1964

By Kenneth Cotingham

Many factors joined in reducing drilling activity in Ohio in 1942. Conservation Order M-68 was important, but other things, such as operators and members of drilling crews joining the armed services and going into war plants, had an important part. The reduction in number of completions was considerable. In 1941, the total of wells drilled was 1561 but in 1942 the total was 1008. The total initial daily open flow discovered by the 701 gas wells drilled in 1941 was 492,000 M cu. ft., whereas the open flow of the 471 gas wells completed in 1942 was 314,488 M cu. ft. The total initial daily production of the 333 oil wells drilled in 1941 was 10,300 bbl., and in 1942 the 181 oil wells had a total daily initial of 7570 bbl. The average daily initial per gas well therefore was somewhat less in 1942 when compared with the preceding year, but the initial per ail well increased about 36 per cent over 1941. General Activity The total depth of the 652 oil and gas wells drilled in 1942 was 1,597,000 ft. The most active county was Perry, where 63 oil wells were drilled, most of them in Clayton township. In Morgan County. where 43 gas wells were drilled, the greatest activity was in York and Marion townships. Medina County was third in number of wells drilled, although of the total of 33 gas wells in the county, 26 were in the new Hinckley township pool. The total initial open flow of these 26 wells was 39,202 M CU. ft., and was considerably larger than from any other single area. Muskingum was an active county, particularly Washington and Wayne townships, in each of which seven gas wells were drilled, and Blue Rock and Harrison townships, in each of which five gas wells were drilled.

Jan 1, 1943

By Kenneth Cotingham

Many factors joined in reducing drilling activity in Ohio in 1942. Conservation Order M-68 was important, but other things, such as operators and members of drilling crews joining the armed services and going into war plants, had an important part. The reduction in number of completions was considerable. In 1941, the total of wells drilled was 1561 but in 1942 the total was 1008. The total initial daily open flow discovered by the 701 gas wells drilled in 1941 was 492,000 M cu. ft., whereas the open flow of the 471 gas wells completed in 1942 was 314,488 M cu. ft. The total initial daily production of the 333 oil wells drilled in 1941 was 10,300 bbl., and in 1942 the 181 oil wells had a total daily initial of 7570 bbl. The average daily initial per gas well therefore was somewhat less in 1942 when compared with the preceding year, but the initial per ail well increased about 36 per cent over 1941. General Activity The total depth of the 652 oil and gas wells drilled in 1942 was 1,597,000 ft. The most active county was Perry, where 63 oil wells were drilled, most of them in Clayton township. In Morgan County. where 43 gas wells were drilled, the greatest activity was in York and Marion townships. Medina County was third in number of wells drilled, although of the total of 33 gas wells in the county, 26 were in the new Hinckley township pool. The total initial open flow of these 26 wells was 39,202 M CU. ft., and was considerably larger than from any other single area. Muskingum was an active county, particularly Washington and Wayne townships, in each of which seven gas wells were drilled, and Blue Rock and Harrison townships, in each of which five gas wells were drilled.

Jan 1, 1943

By H. E. Cline

Solidification of Pb-Sn alloys ranging in composition from 1.2 to 56 at. pct Pb ws observed with polarized light. Lamellar structures were observed over a larger range of compositions in alloys containing excess tin than excess lead, as expected from constitutional supercooling. The occurrence of pools of supercooled liquid surrounded by lead is explained by the difficulty in nucleating tin. Cells and dendrites weve observed in tin-rich alloys. Evidence was found that the degenerate structure formed at low growth rates, the formation of faults, and abrupt changes in composition and structure can be attributed to non-steady-state growth. The apparent interface shape was observed to have deep grooves at the interphase boundaries. HUNT and Jackson have observed the shape of the interface during growth of organic eutectics. They observed the formation of lamellar faults and shape instabilities upon changes in growth rate. The lamellar structure in these organic eutectics was not restricted to the eutectic composition. Recent work by Mollard and Flemings2 indicated that Pb-Sn alloys from 12 to 26 at. pct Pb could be solidified with a lamellar or rodlike structure if a sufficiently steep temperature gradient was used at a slow growth rate. Observations of the solid liquid interface of the Pb-Sn eutectic were made by Davies3 using polarized light. Photographs were at too low a magnification to determine the interface shape, but he has concluded that tin was the leading phase. In the following experiments, solidification of a range of Pb-Sn alloys from 1.2 to 56 at. pct Pb was observed using polarized light, to determine the factors controlling stability of the lamellar structure. EXPERIMENTAL Procedure. One hundred-gram ingots of alloys prepared from 99.999 pct pure Pb and Sn were cast into graphite molds under argon. The compositions of the alloys were 1.2, 6, 12, 26, 36, 46, and 56 at. pct Pb. Two-gram pieces were melted between two cover glass slides which were squeezed into a 1-mm separation. Samples were then observed under polarized light in a hot stage shown in Fig. 1. A long working distance objective designed for viewing at 500 times was used. Photography was made difficult by the lack of illumination and contrast at these high magnifications. By using an elliptical polarization compensator, as suggested by A. Holik, the contrast and illumination could be optimized. Photographs could be taken only at slow growth rates to avoid excessive interface motion during the 15-sec exposure used. The solidification rate was varied by increasing or decreasing the power to the heater. It was found that insulation was necessary to avoid undesired growth rate fluctuations. The temperature gradient, as measured with two thermocouples 1 cm apart, was 80" ± 20°C per cm during all the experiments reported here. The advantage of this procedure is in being able to observe solidification while it is occurring. However, the observations are restricted to the glass-metal surface and may be influenced by this surface. Also, one has no knowledge of the interior of the sample, in contrast to studies of the freezing of transparent organic eutectics.' Observations. The alloy near the eutectic composition (26 at. pct Pb) solidified in a lamellar structure when the growth rate was uniform. If the growth

Jan 1, 1968

Jan 1, 1955

By Elmer R. Kaiser

Industry Adopts Research: Seventy-Ave years ago Thomas A. Edison began in a modest way and with limited funds to gather about him men of various talents to form the first industrial research laboratory. His laboratory at Menlo Park, N. J., became famous for many discoveries and inventions, but possibly the most important of all may yet be the industrial research laboratory itself. Today, private industry operates 2500 research laboratories in which 135,000 persons' are directly and indirectly creating new processes and products and improving old ones, as well as developing new information to help keep the fountain of knowledge from running dry. In this change-making function, the scientific personnel comprises 41 pct; the technical personnel 26 pct; and the balance, 33 pct, nontechnical. The term "industrial research" has become so broad as to include almost everything beginning with the search for and discovery of the laws governing the properties of matter and energy to the development and testing of processes, methods, and equipment. These classes of investigation commonly merge so that no sharp boundary can be traced between them. The National Research Council therefore defines industrial research as "the endeavor to learn how to apply scientific facts to the service of mankind."' Currently, expenditures for research by industry are variously estimated at between $450,000,000 to $700,000,000 a year,' or about twice the expenditure for 1940. The President's Scientific Research Board" estimated that the national research and development for 1947 (excluding atomic energy) was as follows: A few companies spend as much as 5 pct of their gross receipts for research, but 1% to 2 pct is considered a good proportion by many." Shortages: Commendable as is the record of growth and accomplishment of science in industry, it is only a beginning. America and the rest of the world have merely sampled the fruits of industrial research; most industries have yet to make research the key to their future. A top research consultant, T. A. Boyd, of General Motors, states ". . . perhaps 90 per cent of all companies still have no research laboratories."Y or example, of more than 17,000 manufacturing concerns whose gross sales exceed $500,000 a year, less than 2500 have research laboratories. A still smaller proportion of the 184,230 manufacturing establishments in 161 industriese have or could afford their own research facilities. Yet, the small and mediurn-sized com,panies with less than 250 employees each, produce one half of the dollar volume of manufactured products.' How are these companies to participate in and share the benefits of research? Boyd gives two reasons for the inadequate number of laboratories in industry: Many people still do not appreciate the importance of research, nor understand its tremendous potentiali-

Jan 1, 1951

By Elmer R. Kaiser

Industry Adopts Research: Seventy-Ave years ago Thomas A. Edison began in a modest way and with limited funds to gather about him men of various talents to form the first industrial research laboratory. His laboratory at Menlo Park, N. J., became famous for many discoveries and inventions, but possibly the most important of all may yet be the industrial research laboratory itself. Today, private industry operates 2500 research laboratories in which 135,000 persons' are directly and indirectly creating new processes and products and improving old ones, as well as developing new information to help keep the fountain of knowledge from running dry. In this change-making function, the scientific personnel comprises 41 pct; the technical personnel 26 pct; and the balance, 33 pct, nontechnical. The term "industrial research" has become so broad as to include almost everything beginning with the search for and discovery of the laws governing the properties of matter and energy to the development and testing of processes, methods, and equipment. These classes of investigation commonly merge so that no sharp boundary can be traced between them. The National Research Council therefore defines industrial research as "the endeavor to learn how to apply scientific facts to the service of mankind."' Currently, expenditures for research by industry are variously estimated at between $450,000,000 to $700,000,000 a year,' or about twice the expenditure for 1940. The President's Scientific Research Board" estimated that the national research and development for 1947 (excluding atomic energy) was as follows: A few companies spend as much as 5 pct of their gross receipts for research, but 1% to 2 pct is considered a good proportion by many." Shortages: Commendable as is the record of growth and accomplishment of science in industry, it is only a beginning. America and the rest of the world have merely sampled the fruits of industrial research; most industries have yet to make research the key to their future. A top research consultant, T. A. Boyd, of General Motors, states ". . . perhaps 90 per cent of all companies still have no research laboratories."Y or example, of more than 17,000 manufacturing concerns whose gross sales exceed $500,000 a year, less than 2500 have research laboratories. A still smaller proportion of the 184,230 manufacturing establishments in 161 industriese have or could afford their own research facilities. Yet, the small and mediurn-sized com,panies with less than 250 employees each, produce one half of the dollar volume of manufactured products.' How are these companies to participate in and share the benefits of research? Boyd gives two reasons for the inadequate number of laboratories in industry: Many people still do not appreciate the importance of research, nor understand its tremendous potentiali-

Jan 1, 1951

Jan 1, 1963

Jan 1, 1967

By W. H. Bassett

THE ease and value of the application of spectrum analysis to industrial chemistry appears to be appreciated in few of the large works laboratories of this country. For 8 years, this analysis has been of great value to the authors in both analytical and metallurgical work. To the analyst the complete qualitative analysis of an unknown alloy, revealed by a spectrogram, is a sure basis for the planning of the most direct and rapid method of attack. As the determination of each element proceeds, the purity of precipitates may be checked as often as desired. The spectrograph proves invaluable in the recognition of impurities, the separation of which would entail a lengthy and difficult procedure, or when the weight of an unknown is less than is necessary to complete the desired determinations. A few hundredths of a gram will usually suffice for spectrographic analysis. In the separation of the rarer elements, the spectrograph will show, with precision, the point where each step has been successful. In zinc of certain classes, indium, gallium, and germanium have been isolated in this way; the presence of antimony in lake coppers has been proved; and bismuth has been detected in zinc and in alloys where the presence of a few thousandths of a per cent. would be harmful. An antimony precipitate in a delicate determination may contain a considerable proportion of tin or arsenic, both of which will be revealed. The spectrograph is consequently important to the metallurgist as well as to the analyst.

Jan 2, 1922

By G. Reinberg, C. D. Clarke

Most underground mining operations are dependent on pumping installations to keep the mine unwatered. The reliability of such installations is obviously of paramount importance. The volume of water to be handled is often considerable, and the total head is relatively high. In these cases, both capital cost and operating expense of the pumping installations will become significant factors in overall mining costs. To insure reliability and to keep efficiencies, and hence operating costs, within acceptable limits it goes without saying that mechanical maintenance of a mine pumping installation must receive scrupulous attention at all times. Large mine pumping installations today almost invariably use multistage centrifugal pumps, since positive-displacement units would not be economically competitive except under very unusual conditions of small volume combined with extremely high heads. Centrifugal pump maintenance, under ideal circumstances, would be confined to parts subject to normal running water, i.e., bearing surfaces, stuffing box packing, and shaft sleeves. Under adverse conditions, however, metal may be lost from the wetted surfaces of a pump by erosive or corrosive action of the pumped fluid, and maintenance costs can easily attain enormous proportions.

Aug 1, 1956

Jan 1, 1967

Jan 1, 1967

Executive SCOTT TURNER, Chairman FREDERICK M. BECKET JOHN A. MATHEWS H. A. GUESS WILLIAM WRAITH Finance HENRY KRUMB, Chairman PAUL D. MERICA ROBERT E. TALLY Admissions JOHN M. LovEJOY, Chairman GEORGE D. BARRON ERLE V. DAVELER WILLIAM H. BASSETT W. D. B. MOTTER, JR. Alternates HENRY B. FERNALD F. JULIUS Polls AMOR F. KEENE

Jan 1, 1932

LIST OF THE MEETINGS OF THE INSTITUTE AND THEIR LOCALITIES FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO OCTOBER, 1904 Transactions Number Place Date Vol Page 1 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?71 1 3 2 Bethlehem, Pa August, ?71 1 10 3 Troy, N Y November, ?71 1 13 4 Philadelphia, Pa February, ?72 1 17 5 New York, N Y May, ?72 1 20 6 Pittsburg, Pa October, ?72 1 25 7 Boston, Mass February, ?73 1 28 8 Philadelphia, Pa May, ?73 2 3 9 Easton, Pa October, ?73 2 7 10 New York, N Y February, ?74 211 11 St Louis, Mo May, ?74 3 3 12 Hazleton, Pa October, ?74 3 8 13 New Haven, Conn February, ?75 3 15 14 Dover, N J May, ?75 4 3 15 Cleveland, 0 October, ?75 4 9 16 Washington, D C February, ?76 4 18 17 Philadelphia, Pat June, ?76, 5 3 18 Philadelphia, Pa October, ?76 5 9 19 New York, N Y February, ?77 5 27 20 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?77 6 3 21 Amenia, N Y October, ?77 6 10 22 Philadelphia, Pa. May, ?78 6 18 23 Chattanooga, Tenn May ?78 7 3 24 Lake George, N.Y. Oct. ?78 7 25 Baltimore, Md. Feb. ?79 7 26 Pittsburgh Pa, May ?79 8

Jan 1, 1923

LIST OF THE MEETINGS OF THE INSTITUTE AND THEIR LOCALITIES FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO OCTOBER, 1904 Transactions Number Place Date Vol Page 1 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?71 1 3 2 Bethlehem, Pa August, ?71 1 10 3 Troy, N Y November, ?71 1 13 4 Philadelphia, Pa February, ?72 1 17 5 New York, N Y May, ?72 1 20 6 Pittsburg, Pa October, ?72 1 25 7 Boston, Mass February, ?73 1 28 8 Philadelphia, Pa May, ?73 2 3 9 Easton, Pa October, ?73 2 7 10 New York, N Y February, ?74 211 11 St Louis, Mo May, ?74 3 3 12 Hazleton, Pa October, ?74 3 8 13 New Haven, Conn February, ?75 3 15 14 Dover, N J May, ?75 4 3 15 Cleveland, 0 October, ?75 4 9 16 Washington, D C February, ?76 4 18 17 Philadelphia, Pat June, ?76, 5 3 18 Philadelphia, Pa October, ?76 5 9 19 New York, N Y February, ?77 5 27 20 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?77 6 3 21 Amenia, N Y October, ?77 6 10 22 Philadelphia, Pa. May, ?78 6 18 23 Chattanooga, Tenn May ?78 7 3 24 Lake George, N.Y. Oct. ?78 7 25 Baltimore, Md. Feb. ?79 7 26 Pittsburgh Pa, May ?79 8 28 Montreal, Canada Sept, ?79 8

Jan 1, 1923

By P. S. Bagga, P. T. Luckie

Liberation (the process of destroying the interlock between unwanted materials, such as mineral matter and pyrite, and coal) is one of the most important precursors to the benefication of raw coal in order to produce high grade marketable coals at economical recovery levels. Liberation is achieved usually by comminuting the raw coal. However, because of the significant interaction between the production of fine particles to achieve liberation and the cost of separating fine particles, the coal industry needs a method projecting the change in washability with size reduction. Such a projection can be combined with size reduction and separation simulators in order to examine completely beneficiation circuitry to produce coals of stringent specification. This paper presents the development of an appropriate liberation model for coal and its solution by Monte Carlo simulation to predict the expected washability of the raw coal as a function of comminution. It includes model validation with a known binary mixture as well as with a known teritary mixture.

Jan 1, 1983

Coal Division Industrial Minerals Division Minerals Beneficiation Division Mining, Geology and Geophysics Division Established as a Society February 26, 1957 OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES J W Woomer, President A B Cummins, President-elect S D Michaelson, Past President C E Lawall, Eastern Regional Vice-President D W Scott, Central Regional Vice-President 3 D Forrester, Western Regional Vice-President R B Ladoo, Treasurer John Cameron Fox, Secretary

Jan 1, 1959