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By A. E. Worthington, R. F. Meldau

An analog computer study was made of the reduction of the magnitude of the SP by formation geometry and resistivity effects. Practical field .situations were studied. The analog data were converted to the form of departure charts. These charts may he used to determine the reduction in the SP due to the above eflects pith good precision Quantitative interpretation of the SP log in terms of formation water resistivity is presently based on the premise that the observed SP is equal to the electrochemical potential developed across a shale between the mud filtrate and the formation water. This procedure inherently assumes that, first, no electro kinetic (streaming) potential is present, and, second, that the SP is not reduced by resistivity or geometry effects in the formation. When, however, such a reduction of the observed SP does occur, one may write, SP = b,E, b, E, (1) where SP is the observed self-potential opposite the center of the bed under consideration. In this case, E, is the electrochemical potential, E, is the electrokinetic potential, b, is the electrochemical reduction factor, and h, is the electrokinetic reduction factor. The first assumption above is equivalent to assuming E, = O in Eq. 1 and the second assumption is equivalent to h, = b, = 1. Examination of electric logs shows that for many formations of interest the observed SP is reduced below its maximum value. The object of this work is to aid quantitative SP interpretation in at least some of these situations by obtaining values for b, and b, in Eq. 1 as functions of realistic combinations of bed thickness, depth of invasion, and formation resistivity. The only previously published work in this field known to the authors is by H. G. Doll' in 1948. He evaluated b, under conditions permitting exact analytical solution. His work clearly established the importance and qualitative nature of formation geometry and resistivity effects upon the SP, but the necessity of obtaining analytical solutions restricted his study to situations of limited practical interest. In order to extend such studies to practical combinations of formation parameters which do not lend themselves to feasible analytical solutions, the results reported in this paper were obtained by use of a special analog computer. THE ANALOG MODEL The analog model used for this study was the Guyed Analog Computer which originally was designed and built for resistivity log departure curve studies. It consists of a two-dimensional mesh of resistors, with the vertical mesh corresponding linearly to vertical distance along the borehole, and the horizontal mesh corresponding to radial distance from the borehole axis. By proper choice of horizontal resistor values, a three-dimensional, axially symmetric, borehole-formation problem can be modeled with this two-dimensional array. These and other details of the model are contained in a paper by H. Guyod'. The geometry used for the SP studies with the analog is depicted in Fig. 1. This configuration has a horizontal plane of symmetry, and, hence, the model, and the following discussion, need only to be concerned with one quadrant such as shown in Fig. 2. A further simplification arises by considering that both the natural potential sources and those used in the model have fixed internal impedance. Therefore, the current flows produced by these sources can be separated and studied independently ( i.e., the superposition theorem can be applied). SP = SP, i SP, = h,E, + b,E, ,(7)

By David R. Maneval, Sylvester Lemezis

All acid mine drain waters, regardless of source, share certain characteristics; but they do differ in exact chemical composition, degree of acidity, and total solids content. Any serious program to treat such waters must recognize these differences and apply to each specific case the technique which offers the best promise of each specific case the technique which offers the best promise of technical and economic success. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Mines and Mineral Industries has originated and funded studies of many different treatment means. Neutralization with lime is now being used on 200 different polluted streams in Pennsylvania, and multistage flash evaporation has been selected for a particularly large and troublesome outfall near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. A 5 x 106 gpd plant for this latter site is now being designed by Westinghouse Electric Corp. which developed a concentration process based on multistage flash evaporation as part of the State's research program.

Jan 1, 1973

By Eugene Guccione

For at least a decade, the energy crisis was accurately predicted by a small number of industry people who were ignored until last year, when they suddenly found themselves accused for their "lack of planning" and "greed." With the worsening shortage of natural gas and oil, the current scramble is for alternate energy sources-which means: a big rush into coal and uranium mining. (Some big plans are also on the drawing boards regarding geothermal steam, oil shale, tar sands, and even solar energy. But developing such new industries from scratch would be difficult enough even in a healthy economic climate-which is not exactly what the country currently enjoys.)

Jan 8, 1974

By Orson Cutler Shepard, Charles F. Skinner

THE leaching method that was first widely used with the cyanide process consisted of percolation leaching of crushed ore in vats or leaching tanks. It was frequently necessary to separate the sand for cyanide treatment and discard the slimes, because only granular material allows the necessary amount of solution to percolate through it in a reasonable time. Later a slime process consisting of agitation followed by thickening and filtration was developed, and is extensively used to the present day. Even though the agitation-leaching slime process is considered satisfactory, the cost of plant and of operation are both greater than for a percolation-leaching plant of equal capacity. This situation has been recognized in the hydrometallurgical treatment of copper-bearing slimes; and a considerable amount of work has been done at the Southwest Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines in an effort to develop a percolation method of treating slimes. Experimental work on the copper-leaching problem was started by H. E. Keyes1, and later tests were made by J. D. Sullivan and A. P. Towne2. The Bureau of Mines work resulted in the development of a process by which slimes were moisture-agglomerated with sand and crushed ore, to form a permeable mass through which solution could be trickled without breaking down the glomerules. The agglomeration trickle-leaching method was developed on a small scale and finally tried out in a 12-ton vat. Successful results were obtained as long as the leach solution was added slowly, so that the agglomerated charge was never flooded. If the leach solution flooded the charge, the glomerules broke down and the charge became impervious. There are two important difficulties in the application of the agglomeration trickle-leaching method to the cyanide process for gold and silver ores:

Jan 1, 1937

By J. V. Richards

The Altar district, State of Sonora, Mexico, is for the most part a desert with but little rain-fall and few running streams. On account of this scarcity of water it is necessary for the natives to " dry-wash" the placer-gravel, and the object of the present gaper is to describe some of the more commoil Mexican dry-mashing devices. My observations were confined to a property known as Las Palomas placers, 15 miles from the Gulf of California and about 150 miles south of the United States border; a brief description of which property may be of interest as illustrating what is, perhaps, a typical Sonora dry placer. It is said that as long as a century ago the Yaqui Indians discovered rich cement-gravel, known as argo masa, at Las Palomas, and that there has been a more or less steady production of gold from the property ever since. The argo masa, is a fairly-coarse gravel, the pebbles being quite firmly held together with a lime cement. Gold is scattered through this cement in particles ranging from fine specks to pieces several grams in weight, and occasional large nuggets are encountered. The contents vary so widely that it is difficult to estimate the average value, but returns of from $10 to $50 per cubic yard are common, and it is doubtful if the Indians considered anything less than from $4 to $5 a yard as "pay dirt.'' This ar-90 masa, occurs in channels varying in thickness from a few inches to several feet, and in width up to 300 ft. These channels are continuous and are probably ancient stream-beds. They are for the most part covered with an over-burden of a more recent gravel, varying from 30 to 50 ft. thick, and the fact that this over-burden contains values as high as $1.50 per cubic yard, and yet was not worked by the Indians, shows that their idea of what constituted mas high.

Jan 1, 1911

By W. A. Bruce

This paper presents the essentials of a mathematical method of studying the pressure behavior of an oil reservoir as the fluids are withdrawn. Methods are shown Whereby the behavior of a reservoir can be used to predict the future relationship between withdrawals and pressure. The oil reservoir is considered as a small part of a large porous continuum, which contains for the most part water. The expansion of this water resulting from a decrease of pressure in the oil zone causes a movement of water that is an important factor in the relationship between fluid withdrawals and reservoir pressure. Examples are given to illustrate the methods of pressure prediction for a circular reservoir containing undersaturated crude, the pressure distribution over a field that has a uniform production rate, the effect of a fault line near a field, the mutual interference of near-by fields, and the perturbing influence of a gas cap. Applications of the analysis to well-spacing problems are shown. Introduction The pressure-prediction methods to be described here are based upon the conception of an oil pool as a small part of a large porous continuum, containing for the most part water. The formation containing this water may be thought of as extending over an area of many square miles and having one or more small bodies of oil or gas trapped in high spots or reservoirs. It will be treated as having the genera1 aspect of a thin, flat sheet with an over-all tilt to the horizontal and with numerous small high spots, tight zones, and irregularities This porous continuum will be treated as being much more extensive than the oil or gas zones, but will be recognized as terminating at such large boundaries as a general fault, outcrop, unconformity, or pinch-out. Throughout the greater part of this limited porous continuum it is likely that there is a hydraulic connection. If this is true, the removal of fluid in one place will cause a disturbance that eventually will travel to all parts of the continuum. This picture has led to the recognition of water as the major fluid in the porous continuum and in many cases the expansive nature of this water as the main driving force producing the oil. The next step is the solution of the general problem of compressible liquid behavior in porous media. The works of Hurst I and Muskat2 introduced the idea of using heat-flow mathematics to consider the problem of compressible liquid flow in a porous medium. Before their reports, it had been thought sufficient to use the incompressible fluid-flow work of S1ichter.3 Law Muskat4 pointed out in detail how far the incompressible-fluirl assumption, deviated from fact even for water, of which the compressibility is about 3 X 10-6 volumes per unit volume per pound per square inch. He showed that this deviation increased with increases of distance. For example, the incompressible-fluid formula might show good agreement with the

Jan 1, 1943

By W. A. Bruce

This paper presents the essentials of a mathematical method of studying the pressure behavior of an oil reservoir as the fluids are withdrawn. Methods are shown Whereby the behavior of a reservoir can be used to predict the future relationship between withdrawals and pressure. The oil reservoir is considered as a small part of a large porous continuum, which contains for the most part water. The expansion of this water resulting from a decrease of pressure in the oil zone causes a movement of water that is an important factor in the relationship between fluid withdrawals and reservoir pressure. Examples are given to illustrate the methods of pressure prediction for a circular reservoir containing undersaturated crude, the pressure distribution over a field that has a uniform production rate, the effect of a fault line near a field, the mutual interference of near-by fields, and the perturbing influence of a gas cap. Applications of the analysis to well-spacing problems are shown. Introduction The pressure-prediction methods to be described here are based upon the conception of an oil pool as a small part of a large porous continuum, containing for the most part water. The formation containing this water may be thought of as extending over an area of many square miles and having one or more small bodies of oil or gas trapped in high spots or reservoirs. It will be treated as having the genera1 aspect of a thin, flat sheet with an over-all tilt to the horizontal and with numerous small high spots, tight zones, and irregularities This porous continuum will be treated as being much more extensive than the oil or gas zones, but will be recognized as terminating at such large boundaries as a general fault, outcrop, unconformity, or pinch-out. Throughout the greater part of this limited porous continuum it is likely that there is a hydraulic connection. If this is true, the removal of fluid in one place will cause a disturbance that eventually will travel to all parts of the continuum. This picture has led to the recognition of water as the major fluid in the porous continuum and in many cases the expansive nature of this water as the main driving force producing the oil. The next step is the solution of the general problem of compressible liquid behavior in porous media. The works of Hurst I and Muskat2 introduced the idea of using heat-flow mathematics to consider the problem of compressible liquid flow in a porous medium. Before their reports, it had been thought sufficient to use the incompressible fluid-flow work of S1ichter.3 Law Muskat4 pointed out in detail how far the incompressible-fluirl assumption, deviated from fact even for water, of which the compressibility is about 3 X 10-6 volumes per unit volume per pound per square inch. He showed that this deviation increased with increases of distance. For example, the incompressible-fluid formula might show good agreement with the

Jan 1, 1943

By Paul H. Lu

This report by the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, presents several practical and inexpensive types of rock mechanics instrumentation for ground control around longwall panels. Application of these critical parameters, determined by this instrumentation, to the design and modification of rational longwall-mining systems is also discussed. In order to design or select an optimum mine structure or system, realistic and precise values of the design parameters must be determined in operating mines by measuring (1) existing ground stresses, (2) mining induced load transfer, and (3) strata movements as well as deformation moduli and rock strengths. Based on these parameters, rational and realistic criteria for mine design can be established by conducting case studies. It was found that several basic design parameters can be easily measured or determined in situ with simple, inexpensive, and practical instruments such as hydraulic borehole pressure cells, automatic recording convergence meters, automatic recording multiple-anchor-point extensometers, and hydraulic pressure recorders.

Jan 1, 1982

By W. J. Parton

The efficient recovery and preparation of small sizes of anthracite called No. 4 Buckwheat (3/32 by 1/32 in.) and No. 5 Buckwheat (1/32 in. by 0), pre-sent a difficult problem to the anthracite operators. In many instances preparation of these sizes, particularly No. 5 anthracite, is extremely inefficient. In many of the older preparation plants, inadequate facilities, and often none at all, were provided as an integral part of the plant for cleaning this fine anthracite. Consequently, much of the material smaller than 3/32 in. was discarded. As the demand for these sizes increased, facilities for preparing the fine sizes were often crowded into existing structures with consequent sacrifices of capacities and efficiency. In addition to this condition, the methods of preparing the finest sizes are being developed in an attempt to improve their efficiencies. Because the demand for small sizes of anthracite still is increasing, many operators would benefit by investigating and improving the cleaning equipment employed on these sizes. The object of this paper is to de- scribe a stationary screen device from which the underflow is restricted by orifices, called a launder screen, along with operating results of several applications of this screen; a settling tank in which two classified products are produced by the installation of a cylindrical partition of smaller diameter than the original tank, one product being recovered from the small tank created by the partition and one product from the space between the inner and outer tank walls; a small pocket classifier or hydraulic trap for use in removing high ash particles from a sludge flow; the classification or segregation of sludge solids occurring in a 16 in. diam pipe flow by analysis of samples procured at different zones; and the operating results of a Fahrenwald sizer, as well as the performance of the concentrating tables handling the classified products. These simple devices were employed at the collieries of the Lehigh Navigation Coal Company Incorporated, Lansford. Pa., in order to improve preparation results on the fine sizes of anthracite. Launder Screens The launder screen is a screening and dewatering device which probably could be used advantageously in the flow diagram of many fine coal plants. Fig 1 shows that it consists of a stationary screen constructed by placing 6 in. high partitions every 6 in. along a launder. Holes are then drilled on 6-in. centers across the bottom of the launder to receive pipe bushings of the desired diameter. The screen cloth is tacked on top of the partitions. When water and solids are fed to the screen, only a small portion of the total water is removed through the orifices in each compartment so that the water in the feed is distributed evenly over the whole length of the screen. The screening action which results is very efficient because the solids are kept in a fluid condition for the full length of the screen. Blinding of the screen can be minimized by the use of screen cloth

Jan 1, 1950

By R. W. Nelson

Methods for determining permeability presented by W. D. Kruger3 in a paper entitled "Determining Areal Permeability Distribution by Calculation" have considerable merit. They can be expected to contribute significantly to analysis of flow in heterogeneous systems. Some rather subtle yet important conditions must be met, however, to assure that the computed permeabilities are correct. The conditions which insure a unique permeability distribution may have been overlooked in the method as proposed and presented in the subject paper. The subtlety of the special requirements may permit good agreement between computed and measured pressures in the reservoir; but the computed permeability may still be in error. The general theory and discussion of the requirements for a unique determination of the permeability distribution are presented elsewhere in more detail.7'8 Accordingly, only major features will be presented here in the notation of Kruger. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS A brief mention of the route to be followed in showing the special requirements may be helpful. The equation to be solved is a quasilinear, first-order, partial differential equation in the unknown permeability. This equation can be solved through an extension of Lagrange's method by reduction to a system of subsidiary ordinary differential equations. Through consideration of the identity of one of the Lagrange subsidiary differential equations with the stream function, a special interrelationship can be shown. The interrelationship has special significance with respect to the boundary condition. If the boundary function satisfies part of the subsidiary differential equation, no unique solution for the permeability distribution exists. In the physical problem this requirement for uniqueness indicates that the permeability measurements used as a boundary condition can not be along a stream tube. The boundary condition must be along a line, or series of lines, which completely traverse the region and pass through every stream tube.

By H. Landsberg

MANY of the sedimentary rocks contain small amounts of radioactive constituents. These vary in quantity in different layers. Some recent deposits show rather high activity as; for example, the deep sea oozes and some lake deposits.1,2. Measurements made in boreholes have also shown considerable changes in activity from horizon to horizon. The first to publish data on this fact was Ambronn,3 and recently Russian geophysicists have shown remarkable variations of activity from one layer to the next in various wells. Spak4 felt even that he was able to line up horizons from data measured in two neighboring wells. ? The measuring of radioactive radiation is fairly difficult. Large errors are possible by the circulation of gaseous emanations in the well and porous strata. It is, therefore, never certain whether the activity of the layer where the instrumental device or collector is located will be measured, or that of some adjacent layer, For this reason it seemed to be advantageous to take samples of rocks into the laboratory and test them therefor their contents of radioactive material, Such a method has been followed in the past to distinguish radioactive ore from other rocks. Radioactivity of rocks, especially of the igneous type, was also deter-mined in the laboratory by numerous authors for absolute age investi-gations.6 Corresponding data from studies of sedimentary formations are scarce. Specimens taken from a core of the Bradford oil sandstone were tested by Landsberg and Ingham,7 with the results illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows that within relatively small vertical distances the differences of relative activity were considerable. If one assumes that the distribution of radioactive material is fairly uniform throughout a layer, measurements of radioactive radiation in various horizons would offer additional information for stratigraphic

Jan 1, 1939

By P. W. Gilles, B. D. Pollock

THE pioneering work of Steinitz1 and Steinitz, Binder, and Moskowitz2 has shown conclusively the existence at high temperature of two additional phases in the molybdenum-boron system and thus brings to a total of six the number of structures appearing in this system. To the structures Mo2B, MOB, and Mo2B5 they have added MO3B2, a new -MOB form, and have shown that MOB,, which has the same range of composition as Mo2B5, is only a high temperature structure of the latter. This solid solution, interestingly enough, includes neither of the compositions corresponding to the stoichiomet-ric compounds, MOB, or Mo2B5, but rather at all temperatures has intermediate values of composition. These workers have also, in the course of their work, measured melting points, transition temperatures, eutectic and peritectic points in the system and have shown that Mo3B2, because of its dispro-portionation at low temperature to Mo2B and MOB, is stable only in a limited high temperature range. During the course of the present work on the vaporization properties of the molybdenum-boron compounds, a few transition temperatures were observed. When the report of the other workers appeared, it was decided to repeat, in part, their study of the system. As a result, considerable evidence has been obtained that substantiates the specific kinds of melting processes they report as well as the general features of their diagram. However, a marked difference was found between the temperatures they report and the ones observed in this study, with the latter being higher. The purposes of this paper are to present the evidence obtained in this laboratory that verifies their diagram of the system, to give some important temperatures in the system, to compare them with those previously published, and to seek an explanation of the difference. Samples The metal starting material was 400 mesh molybdenum powder with a purity stated by the manufacturer to be 99.9 pct. The initial treatment, designed to remove volatile contamination, consisted of heating in a vacuum for 10 min to a temperature of from 800" to 1000°C during which a loss of 0.3 to 0.4 pct occurred. An assay following this treatment showed it to be 99.4 pct pure, with the principal impurity probably being oxygen. The boron starting material was obtained from the Cooper Metallurgical Laboratories and the Fair-mount Chemical Co. as 325 mesh powder with manufacturers' analyses of 99 pct or better. Initial treatment consisted of heating in molybdenum in a vacuum at about 1700°C for 10 min. During this time a loss of 3.5 pct occurred. An assay following this treatment showed the different samples to have purities ranging from 95.5 to 99.0 pct with iron and carbon as the principal impurities. Following the initial treatment, the elements were combined to form stocks of Mo2B and MOB by heating pressed mixtures in a vacuum to 1100" to 1200°C to accomplish reaction and to 1500" to 1900°C for a few minutes to evaporate the more volatile impurities. Analysis of the two compounds for boron by a modification of the method of Blumenthal3 and for molybdenum by the lead-molybdate method indicated them to have purities greater than 99 pct. The individual samples to be studied had compositions in the Mo2B-MOB range and consisted of mixtures of the stock compounds. Procedure As is usually the case in high temperature work the selection of containers for the samples posed some problems. For vapor pressure studies tantalum crucibles, allowing little contact with the pressed samples, were used and some of the observations made during these experiments are pertinent to the study of the phase diagram. Most of the experiments, however, were performed in graphite containers, as were those of the previous authors. Two kinds of spectroscopic grade graphite crucibles were used. One was a % in. cylinder, 3/4 in. high, containing seven 3/16 in. holes drilled 1/2 in. deep into which were packed samples of the different mixtures weighing 250 to 500 milligrams. The other, consisting of separate crucibles, was prepared by drilling 3/16 in. holes, 1/2 in. deep into 1/4 in. graphite rods % in. long. The 7/8 in. cylinder was heated directly by induction while the small crucibles were packed in a tantalum heating element for induction heating. All heating was done in a high vacuum system in which the pressure was generally less than 1x10-5mm and never rose above 2x10-5mm when the samples were hot. The general pattern of the heating in graphite was to heat rapidly to a temperature somewhat below the desired one, then to raise the temperature slowly. The samples were held for 2 to 5 min at the maximum temperature, which in all cases was far higher than that needed to produce reaction. The short time was employed to reduce possible contamination by the crucible material and to reduce composition changes that would occur because of vaporization. After examination following the heating, the samples were reheated to a higher temperature. Temperatures were measured with a Leeds and Northrup disappearing filament optical pyrometer, certified by the National Bureau of Standards, by sighting through a window at the top of the vacuum

Jan 1, 1954

By R. Crnojevich, J. L. Blanco, C. Nikolic, W. G. Sherwood

This paper describes the process used for cobalt purification and recovery at the AMAX Nickel Refining Co. plant In Port Nickel, Louisiana In the first stage, cobaltic precipitate produced in the Outokumpu electrolytic nickel cobalt separation process is dissolved using methanol and sulfuric acid liquor produced in this step is converted to an ammoniacal complex, and sufficient ammonium sulfate is added to facilitate cobalt oxidation to cobaltic pentammine Nickel is then selectively precipitated as nickel-ammonium sulfate double salt at pH 2 5 Final purification of the pentammine liquor is effected by pH adjustment with ammonia and removal of divalent nickel by ion exchange Purified liquor is then advanced to hydrogen reduction to produce cobalt metal Although similar to other cobalt refining processes used in the nickel industry, the Port Nickel process is unique because of a single point chemistry adjustment for a number of unit operations that occur in succession.

Jan 1, 1981

By John Birkinbine

An item of considerable importance to the producers of pig-iron is the disposition of the slag or cinder from the blast-furnace; and various plans have been adopted at different works to care for the rapid accumulation of this generally waste material. The charge per ton of iron made which must be allowed for the care of cinder is sufficient in times of business depression to give plants having facilities for disposing of their slags an advantage over others less favorably arranged, and to allow iron to be produced profitably in the one case and prevent a profit in the other. The varied methods employed and the means of conveyance utilized need not be detailed. It is sufficient to say that the large outputs of American blast-furnaces, and consequent rapidly augmenting dump-piles, have brought into general favor the use of cars carrying the slag in a liquid condition. The advantages of this method are the prompt removal of the slag, the reduced space occupied by the dump-piles, and the facility of converting the slag into such forms for use as may be desired. The progress in iron-manufactlire is also marked by a more general adoption of methods by which molten metal is carried in vessels away from the point of its production; and, anticipating the prospective advance in pig-iron manufacture, it does not seem unreasonable to prophesy the early abolition of casting-houses at blastfurnaces, particularly where several are grouped together; or the casting of steel ingots away from the converters or furnaces. In some large blast-furnace plants, the iron is carried molten from the blast-furnaces to the converters or other furnaces. Even where it is cast into pigs, casting-sheds removed from the immediate vicinity of the furnace-stack would, perhaps, be superior to casting in beds in front of the furnaces. The idea of casting-sheds appears to present the following advantages : 1st. The equipment of boilers, hot-ovens, and blowing-machinery could be closely grouped around the blast-furnace stacks, permitting

Jan 1, 1887

By Orson Shepard

TEXTBOOKS on fire assaying list the following standard methods of assaying sulphide ores: (1) scorification, (2) litharge-niter, (3) soda-iron, (4) roasting, (5) combination wet and fire. The litharge-niter method has proved the most satisfactory, and is the usual method for assaying sulphide ores and concentrates. It gives good results when suitably conducted and when lead buttons of uniform size are produced so that the cupellation temperature can be properly controlled. The main objection to the method is the inconvenience of determining the amount of niter to add to each assay charge to produce lead buttons of suitable size from a set of fusions. For the assay of different materials, the niter requirement varies with the particular sulphide minerals present, the amount of sulphide minerals present, the slag composition, and the rate of heating the charge in the furnace. Except for some materials, so uniform in composition that the same amount of niter can be used in assaying all samples, the amount of niter must be determined for each sample to be assayed. This is done by either: (1) calculation from an estimate of the kind and amount of sul-phide minerals present in the sample, or (2) a preliminary fusion. Some assayers use one method and some the other. The estimation method takes the least time; but much experience is required to obtain close estimates on a wide variety of materials. At best, the sizes of the lead buttons obtained vary considerably. The preliminary fusion method usually gives lead buttons of fairly uniform size, although sometimes there is a variation because the oxidizing power of niter varies a little with the charge. This variation can be eliminated by two preliminary fusions: one to determine the reducing power of the ore, and the other to determine the oxidizing power of niter in the charge. The objection to the prelimi-nary fusion is the extra time and expense involved.

Jan 1, 1939

By R. V. Wheeler, F. V. Tideswell

The suggestion, which appears to find increasing favor, that the elementary composition of coals should be used as the basis of their classification, makes it important that our methods of expressing this elementary composition should be refined. It is doubtful whether many published ultimate analyses of coals are accurate within 1 per cent. carbon. Many are probably as much as 3 or 2 per cent. in error in carbon. It is, perhaps, not always realized that the extreme variation in carbon content over the range of bituminous coals is but 16 per cent. An error of 1 per cent. in carbon on analysis corresponds therefore with one-sixteenth of the whole range, an amount which is unjustifiable even for the application to commercial needs of a system of classification based on ultimate analysis. For the purposes of scientific research such limited accuracy is of little value. The object of this paper is to examine one important source of error in ultimate analysis, that due to the occurrence in coal of inorganic material, and to emphasize the need for the quantitative measurements (of carbon more particularly) on coals to be rendered independent of their contents of such material. Adventitious Mineral Matter When a determination of calorific value, for example, is made upon a coal, it is customary to correct the measured value with respect to the ash left by the coal on incineration, recording the result as being on an "ash-free basis." It is desirable, before discussing the adequacy of the correction thus made, to demonstrate its validity, which turns on whether the ash is present as an adventitious impurity in the coal and forms no part of the coal substance itself. The inorganic matter associated with coal has originated in several ways1: 1. The "inherent" inorganic materials, occurring as constituents of the plants from which the coal-forming deposits were derived.

Jan 1, 1928

By Roland D. Parks

To construct a yieldable metal prop of demonstrated practicability has been the aim of the writer of this article for a period of years. Such a prop is herewith described; it involves a yielding principle not previously utilized, to the best of the author's knowledge, in any of the numerous types of props which are in use in Europe and England or on record at the United States Patent Office.' No attempt will be made in this paper to analyze the situation in regard to the economics of timber substitutes. Suffice it to say that shortage of suitable timber combined with high freight rates has already presented a problem in some mining districts, and in the relatively near future will probably demand considerable attention from the mining industry as a whole. In order to understand the problems involved in the design of timber substitutes for underground support, it will be well to review briefly the fundamentals of ground subsidence and of the action of timber as props. The forces encountered in the support of mine openings are not computable. As a rule subsiding ground moves slowly; but it moves with an irresistible force. The only way to be certain of stopping ground movement is to completely fill up the openings below such movement. This is, obviously, an impracticability from the mining standpoint. The ordinary procedure is to put in timber to hold up the loose back and permit the natural arch above to resist its own loading. Under these conditions the timber rigidly supports the loose; but if the natural arch fails, the timber is then called upon to resist this additional pressure. Usually it cannot do this. The result is a crushing of the supports. Efficient timbering is that which will last just long enough to complete in safety the mining operations necessary to extract the ore. Wood has a cellular structure. It has great longitudinal strength for its weight. Further, it possesses the ability to maintain a high percentage of its strength while it is being crushed. In other words, it rigidly supports loads up to its capabilities and then continues to sustain

Jan 1, 1934

By John M. Hartman

TWO systems are used for heating air in blast-furnace operations: I. The double surface system, in which a cast-iron pipe is heated on the outer surface, and, at the same time, heats the blast from its inner surface. This is simple in operation and gives a continuous effect, but is limited by 1100" F. as a maximum temperature of the blast. 11. The single surface system, by which large surfaces of fire-brick are heated, and air passed over the heated surface, absorbing the heat and carrying it on to the furnace. This system is more comylex than the double surface, as it invoives the reversing of the air and gas every hour and a half. The single surface system has two advantages: 1. The blast can be heated to a temperature of 1800° F. 2. The stoves are indestructible. From recent experience it has been found that 1300" F. to 1400' F. is the best average temperature for economy of coal for safe working. This is equivalent to a saving of 11/2 to 2 cwt. of coal per ton of iron over the extreme limit of cast-iron stoves. Independently of this, it is a strong point in favor of this system that the blast can be raised to a temperature of 1800° F. within an hour when the hearth is getting cold. All furnacemen know the ralue of a hot hearth for quality and quantity of iron. Cooling of a hearth occurs from leaky tuyeres, scaffolds, or heavy burden. When there is not sufficient coal at the tuyeres to seize on the oxygen of the entering air and convert it at once to carbonic oxide, there will not be enough heat to liquefy the cinder. Black cinder and poor iron are the results. The remedy is additional heat from the blast. If the stoves will give 1800" in place of 1100°, it is obvions that the furnaces will get around sooner, and without waiting for a change of burden at the tunnel head to bring extra coal to the hearth. The heat absorption caused by a leaky tuyere will chill the hearth and drive the zone of fusion higher up in the furnace. This loss must be supplied, and the calorics lost to the hearth must be regained before good iron can be made. Take another case: A furnace carefully burdened on No. 1 iron, during a spell of damp weather, goes on to No. 2 or No. 3. Heat is lost to the furnace through absorption by the moisture, and less burden must be carried in order to get back on No. 1. When the

Jan 1, 1879

By Denis G. Maxwell

INTRODUCTION It is my intention in this paper to deal with gold, uranium, diamonds, platinum, manganese, chrome, vanadium and heavy mineral sands. These are the most important strategic minerals produced by the Republic of South Africa which are not covered in other sessions of this program. In each case I have high- lighted the statistics and peculiar advantages which combine to make South Africa a vital source of these minerals. Before proceeding to give individual attention to these minerals I believe it would be useful to define what I mean by 'strategic'. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines strategic in the context of materials as 'essential for war'. However it is commonly used in a much broader sense than this (often, in fact, very loosely) and I prefer to define it as 'concerned with the acquisition and maintenance of power, whether economic, political or military.' A VITAL SOURCE In dealing with the individual minerals I have quoted statistics which are contained in Tables 1, 2 and 3. Table 1 clearly shows the absolute size of the South African mineral industry. However, it can also be used to demonstrate the importance of the industry to the South African economy if compared with the GNP in 1980 of about R60 billion. Table 4 illustrates clearly how important South Africa is as a supplier of these minerals to most of the important industrialized countries of the Western World. Gold If anyone had any doubts about the inclusion of gold in a list of strategic minerals I am sure that the above definition of 'strategic' will convince them that it certainly belongs there. Similarly no one is likely to have any doubt about the fact that South Africa is a vital source of supply. Tables 2 and 3 show that in 1980 we had 51% of the world's reserves and accounted for 55% of world production. The figures for the Western World are considerably higher. The only other major producer, of course, is Russia, with small but significant production in the Pacific Rim area coming from Australia, Canada, Latin America, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and the U.S. All South African mine gold production is shipped in bullion form containing about 88% gold and 9% silver to the Rand Refinery which is a modern refinery with large scale units capable of refining half a ton of bullion at a time. The Refinery is equipped to produce standard 'good delivery' gold as well as 9999 gold and 999 silver. The Refinery also produces the 22 karat blanks which are, used by the South African Mint to produce Kruger Rands. It goes without saying that the South African gold mining industry leads the world in all aspects of deep-level, narrow-reef mining technology. The industry's metallurgists, too, have a record of tenacious and continuing efforts to improve extraction to the level of the present finely honed efficient process used on all the modern mines. Uranium In 1980 South Africa had 14% of the uranium reserves of the Western World and accounted for 14% of production. In view of the paucity of data I am not in a position to estimate figures for the total world. All the other major sources of uranium in the Western World are situated around the Pacific Rim, with the U.S. and Canada already being major suppliers and accounting for 38% and 17% of Western World production in 1980. Australian production at the time was small but they have very large reserves and production is already rising rapidly. The U.S., Canada and Australia account respectively for 22%, 19% and 29% of the uranium reserves of the Western World. South Africa has been a major producer continuously for 30 years. Nearly all the uranium produced, amounting to about 115 000 tons up to the end of 1981, was a by-product or co-product of gold extraction. During that time the industry has frequently led the world in technological innovation, and has established a reputation as a reliable producer of a consistent, high-grade product. In the latter respect, it is helped by the fact that production is marketed by one company, Nuclear Fuels Corporation, which also blends, dries and calcines the product from the individual mines and samples and assays it before shipping. Diamonds Diamonds are the rock on which the South African mineral industry is founded. The discovery of diamonds in 1866 gave rise to the first major mineral industry in the country and the profits from diamond mining helped to finance the gold mining industry 20 years later. Although now overshadowed by gold, diamonds are still very important in the overall picture of mineral production and exports, as can be seen in Table 1. There are really three separate diamond markets - gem, natural industrial, and synthetic - and, to be meaningful, statistics should be provided separately. Unfortunately separate figures are not available. The figures in Tables 2 and 3 show that, for gem and natural industrial together, South Africa ranks third in the world in production and second in reserves. South Africa is a major producer of synthetics and probably ranks second in the world after the U.S. Recently, of course, Australia was the scene of a major diamond discovery and will soon become the only

Jan 1, 1982

By Reynold Q. Shotts

Data are presented which show that fractions of varying densities from the same coals are oxidized at different rates by nitric acid. From oxidation data, the approximate quantity of "bright" and "dull" components may be calculated. Definite relationships between oxidation rate and rank are shown for density fractions from at least two bituminous coals.

Jan 8, 1950