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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 A. S. Adams

A GLANCE at the list of papers1 that have been published since 1920 on the general subject of flotation suggests the variety of ideas that exist regarding the underlying cause of the phenomenon. Among these ideas, we find several coherent theories, but none that adequately and completely explain the phenomenon. Ralston2 and Bains3 suggested an electrical theory which has to do with the attachment of mineral particles to a bubble by the attraction of unlike electrical charges. This theory has its root in the fact that a bubble of air in pure water is electrified in such a way that the surface is negatively charged while the body of the water is positively charged. This result, which was first discussed by Helmholtz, also obtains when the water contains anything except a high concentration of hydrogen ions, or ions which are trivalent or tetravalent. The theory also holds that the mineral particles have positive charges on their surfaces, and so there is attachment between bubble surface and mineral particles by the old law of electrostatics, which states that unlike charges attract.

Jan 1, 1928

By David H. Browne

The use of coal-dust fired reverberatory furnaces, or indeed of rever-beratory furnaces of any description, was for the Canadian Copper Co. a matter of necessity, and not of choice. For 20 years smelting had been done in blast furnaces alone, and with the Herreshoff furnaces used prior to 1904 there was no trouble in treating fine ores. But little flue dust was produced, and this, following the time-honored custom, was wetted down and put back with the charge. Whether the flue dust really smelted, or whether it was worn out by being chased around in a circle, was a problem that troubled no one. With the installation of modern blast furnaces and high-pressure blowing engines, in 1904, flue dust commenced to assert itself. Evidently more dust was made than could be smelted, but so many vital. problems engaged our attention at that time that this minor question was pushed to one side. In 1906, the details of blast-furnace smelting and the conversion of matte had been worked out to a satisfactory conclusion, and the ever-increasing piles of flue dust and fine ore on the stock yard demanded serious consideration. Numerous experiments in sintering, briquetting, mixing with converter slag, forming blocks of flue dust with green-ore fines and cement, and so on, were undertaken. None of these showed much promise. Our problem was still further complicated by the question of treating converter slag. The ore was basic, the slag was not needed as a furnace flux, and it was felt that under these conditions the old method of pouring slag in molds and resmelting in the blast furnace was an unnecessary expense. If the converter slag could be settled in basic-lined reverberatory furnaces, in which at the same time flue dust and green-ore fines could be smelted, two problems might thus be solved. Reverberatory practice with our ores was, however, an unknown factor. As carried on in the West, on siliceous ores and concentrates, at least 25 per cent. of fuel was required, and even this ratio depended greatly

Jan 1, 1915

By J. B. Nau

A short time ago some interesting experiments concerning a new steel-making process in the open-hearth furnace were made by the writer at the Croton magnetic mine, N. Y.

Jan 1, 1892

By R. A. Meussner, C. T. Fujii

Chromium solution in wustite depresses the oxygen activity in a nonideal manner and expands the lattice slightly. Gravimetric measurements of the equilibrium compositions of wustite containing 0.00 to 1.38 wt pct Cr define the oxygen potential (CO2-CO atm) and the limits of the phase field at 1000°C. These data extrapolate to a maximum solubility of 2 wt pct Cr. The lattice parameter data, room-temperature measurements of quenched samples, differ significantly from those in the literature. Both pure and chromium wus-tites contract at uniform and equal rates as the oxygen content (metal deficit) increases. The a. US metal deficit relationships are straight lines showing none of the curvature previously reported. At constant metal deficit, the a. expands by 0.002? on alloying with 0.4 to 0.5 wt pct Cr but is insensitive to further chromium additions: a small expansion rather than a marked contraction. These results require a modification of the accepted alloying mechanism. IN the high-temperature oxidation of Fe-Cr alloys in Ha-H,and CO2-CO atmospheres the vapor transfer of oxygen from the continuous wustite outer scale to the porous inner scale/alloy interface sustains the high oxidation rates.1"3 The driving force for this transport is the difference in the oxygen activity of the outer wustite and that at the inner scale/alloy interface. In pure CO2, as well as in CO2-CO atmospheres, carburization of the alloy accompanies this oxidation. Current efforts to evaluate the parameters controlling this carburization have shown that the process is not simple; i.e., the carbon concentration in the alloy initially increases rapidly, reaches a maximum, and then decreases slowly as the oxidation time is extended. This is the same pattern reported by McCoy for the more complex oxidation-carburization of stainless steels and an Fe-Cr alloy in CO2 at lower temperatures.4 These changes in the carburization process occur while the overall oxidation rate and the lattice parameters of the scale layers remain constant. If this invariance of the lattice parameter is assumed to indicate a constant scale composition and thus a constant oxygen potential, the carburization results are not easily explained. Electron microprobe traces across the thickness of these outer scales, however, have revealed distinct chromium gradients penetrating 10 to 50 µ from the inner surface where the chromium concentrations were estimated at a few tenths percent. The variation of the chromium cmcentration on the inner surface of the scale, and the resulting change of the oxygen activity, during the oxidation process is considered to be important in defining the carburization process. Thus, to gain an understanding of the complex oxidation-carburization proc- ess, it was necessary to measure the properties of wustite containing known amounts of chromium (chromium wustite). Although the general features of the Fe-Cr-0 equilibrium diagram between 900° and 1300°C have been fairly well established by Richards and white: Wood-house and White,6 Seybolt,7 and Katsura and Muan,8 there have been no detailed studies of the limits of the chromium wustite phase field or the properties of these alloyed wustites. The recent results of a limited study of chromium wustite by Levin and wagner9 indicate that more than 0.67 wt pct Cr is soluble in wustite above 850°C and that this alloying is accompanied by a substantial lattice contraction. This change in the lattice parameter was not evident in the X-ray diffraction patterns of wustite layers from the oxidation experiments;1,3 the lines were sharp even though a chromium gradient existed in the scale. The present paper describes gravimetric equilibrium experiments which delineate the boundaries of the chromium wustite single-phase field at 1000°C and define the changes in the oxygen activity and the lattice parameter of wustite as functions of chromium and oxygen contents. The lattice parameter data of chromium wustite obtained from these equilibrium and special quenching experiments differ considerably from those reported.9 Those for pure wustite show significant differences from the widely accepted data of Jette and Foote.10 Since the causes of these differences are not easily assignable, and since the literature contains many sets of data on wustite which if not in conflict are at best not in harmony, the experimental procedures are discussed in the present paper. EXPERIMENTAL Oxide Preparation. The specimens used in these studies were porous pellets compacted from high-purity (Fe,Cr)2O3 or Fe2O3 powders. These powders were prepared from electrolytic chromium (99.8 pct purity) and electrolytic iron purified by consumable-electrode, vacuum arc-melting processing (299.9 pct purity).11 The oxides were produced by standard analytical procedures: solution of the metals in acids (HC1, then HNO3 added), coprecipitation of the hydroxides (NHaOH), and filtering and washing these precipitates. Initial dehydration of the coprecipitated hydroxides was done in a porcelain evaporating dish heated by a Meker-type burner, final dehydration by firing in a recrystallized alumina crucible at 1000" to 1050°C for 20 hr in an electrically heated furnace. Spectrographic analysis detected the following impurities: silicon, 0.01 pct or less; aluminum, 0.001 pct to trace; manganese and copper, 0.0001 pct to none. Each of these levels is at least one order of magnitude lower than in commercially available CP grade ferric and chromic oxides. Fluorescence analy-

Jan 1, 1969

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

Jan 1, 1891

By Sidney Fischler

Large striation-free single crystals of bismuth have been grown from the melt by rapid freezing. Zone-refined bismuth, together with doping impurities if desired, is placed in a shallow flat-bottomed graphite boat and melted in air with a propane hand torch. The torch is then withdrawn in a manner which causes the melt to freeze direction-ally. Crystallization, which resuires only a few minutes, usually results in the formation of a single crystal even when a seed crystal is not used. Crys -tals of any desired orientation may be grown by using oriented seeds. Undoped crystals grown by this method have residual resistivity ratios greater than 200. THE growth of large single crystals of bismuth by either the Czochralski or horizontal zoning technique is not entirely satisfactory. Specifically, difficulties are encountered in producing single crystals of the required dimensions in all desired orientations, and striations caused by low-angle polysynthetic twins are frequently present in the crystals. In addition, both methods are time-consuming and require special apparatus of some complexity. A simpler method has now been developed for growing large striation-free bismuth single crystals of desired orientation in a short time. Fig. 1 shows a typical setup consisting of a rectangular graphite boat which contains zone-refined bismuth, a 1/8-in.-thick flat quartz plate which covers the entire inner bottom of the boat, and three additional quartz plates about 1/4 in. thick which are used to separate the bismuth from the graphite everywhere except at a small area at the left of the boat. The graphite boat is 1 in. high, and its sides and bottom are about 1/8 in. thick. The quartz plates should be smooth and clean. The graphite boat is heated from the right with a propane torch, as shown in Fig. 1, until the bismuth is completely melted. The melt has the shape of a triangle with a narrow neck at the apex farthest from the torch. The melt is frozen direc-tionally by gradually moving the torch toward the right, away from the boat. The bismuth in contact with the graphite, at the left end of the neck, freezes first. The freezing interface then moves down the neck into the main bulk of material, where it develops a convex shape ideal for the continuation of single-crystal growth. The interface continues to move through the melt until the entire bulk is solid. The entire procedure may be completed, in air, in a matter of minutes. The technique described almost always yields a single crystal whose basal plane is nearly perpendi,cular to the bottom of the graphite boat. In earlier experiments, in which the bottom of the melt was in direct contact with the graphite boat, single crystals were grown with basal planes parallel, perpendicular, or at some intermediate angle to the bottom of the boat. At times the orientation of the bulk of the material differed from the orientation of the material in the narrow neck. In these cases, a nucleation site initiated the growth of a differently oriented crystal, and the thermal conditions favored the new orientation over the initial one. The thermal conditions depend on a number of factors, including the heating technique, the placement, shape, and thickness of the quartz plates, the thickness of the walls and bottom of the graphite boat, and the quantity of bulk bismuth employed. All of these factors, plus the initial orientation and the presence and effectiveness of nucleation sites, will determine the orientation of the final large single-crystal slab. When a crystal of specific orientation is desired, an oriented section of a rapid-freeze crystal is shaped by spark cutting and grinding for use as a seed. To grow a doped crystal, the desired impurity is placed in the graphite boat together with the bismuth chunks and seed. Crystals doped with mercury, cadmium, lead, and selenium have been grown. The rate of freezing is so great that the distribution coefficient of any impurity approximates unity. On a gross scale, therefore, impurities should be more homogeneously distributed in rapid-freeze crystals than in Czochralski or zoned crystals. Because of the possibility of constitutional supercooling, however, it is quite possible that impurities are not homogeneously distributed on a microscopic scale in the rapid-freeze crystals. Generally the single crystal slabs which have been prepared are initially 5 to 7 mm thick. Thicker crystals may be obtained by using one of these slabs as a seed. The slab is placed in a graphite boat resting on a large aluminum block, either air- or

Jan 1, 1964

By J. D. Ridge

The geologic setting and mineral relationships of seven European massive sulfide deposits that more or less conform to the bedding of the largely noncal-careous sedimentary rocks and/or bedded volcanics in which they are found are considered here. These orebodies consist largely of massive beds or lenses of sulfides usually surrounded by halos of disseminated sulfides and distorted by tectonic activity. The formations containing these deposits have been metamorphosed in varying degrees at times subsequent to their lithification. The ore-forming process is thought to be essentially volcanic, with the ore constituents being brought to the shallow-water site of deposition through tectonic fissures from magma chambers at depth as gases or relatively concentrated hydrother-mal solutions. Certain European ore deposits of base metal sulfide have previously been considered to be of hydro-thermal or magmatic origin, but today a number of European mining geologists consider them to be syngenetically produced. In an effort to provide American geologists with some idea of the reasons behind this change in thought, the geological settings of seven of these deposits have been studied. These are: Ldkken, Meggen, Rammelsberg, Ergani-Maden, Outokumpu, Boliden and Roros. These deposits lie in bedded rocks that have undergone metamorphism from causes not universally agreed upon; most of the formations were originally shales, and may have been intercalated with limey and occasionally quartzitic beds, volcanic tuff, agglomerate, extrusive lavas and usually basic intrusives. Deposits of the conformable type, however, are not confined to these rock types but may be in calcareous and associated igneous rocks or almost entirely in volcanics. These deposits may be closely associated in space with igneous rocks that, again, are usually basic types. Although the ages of the enclosing rocks range from mid-Precambrian (Boliden and Outokumpu) to Eocene (Ergani-Maden), the bulk of them are Paleozoic, with two (Meggen, and eammelsberg) being upper middle Devonian and two (LØkken and RØros) being Cambro-Ordovician. Geographically, two are in West Germany, four in Scandanavia and one in Turkey. Of the seven deposits, six are mined for copper, with three of these also producing zinc, and two lead; one is mined for zinc and minor lead. In the discussions of the seven conformable deposits that follow, I have attempted to present as uniform a treatment as their varying characters will permit. For each deposit, I have considered the stratigraphy of the area, its major structural characteristics, the form of the orebodies, their mineral content, and the origin of the ore. In the last of these subdivisions, I have presented only the viewpoint of those who believe the ores to have been formed by syngenetic processes, processes that went on at the same time as those which produced the beds that enclose the ores but that are not, in the deposits in question, thought to have been sedimentary in the strict sense of the term. The materials of which these orebodies are composed, it is suggested, did actually collect by falling through sea water to the floor of that portion of the sea in which they accumulated. The ore constituents, however, are believed by a considerable number of European geologists to have been added to the sea water from intratelluric sources, probably igneous magma chambers, as exhalations — hydrothermal solutions or volcanic gases. The effect of the encounter with sea water on these ejected gases or water-rich vapors was to precipitate their potentially solid constituents with great rapidity; they were deposited so quickly, in fact, that the amounj of normally accumulated mechanical or chemical sediment deposited over the same period of time was essentially negligible. The ores formed in this manner, however, are generally interbedded with normal sediments or with lava flows, or with any combination of these two types of rock-forming materials. Such departures as these deposits may have from their original mineral content and attitude are thought to be directly related to the degree of dynamic or static metamorphism that they may have undergone after their accumulation. I have not attempted here to present alternate hypotheses to that of so-called exhalative sedimentation although, of course, such exist and, in my

Jan 1, 1963

By Walter L. Crow

MUCH has been published on highly technical phases of grinding. Very little has been written on how a mill man can improve his operations by determining the optimum size assortment of grinding balls that should be added as a makeup charge. This ball rationing is not to be confused with the ball ration used as an initial charge when the mill is started up. Ball rationing is considered for one or more of the following purposes: 1) to increase throughput of the mill, 2) to reduce the power required per ton of ore ground to the desired size, 3) to reduce steel consumption per ton of ore ground, 4) to improve product size, and 5) to lower retention time of ore in the mill.

Jan 7, 1957

Jan 1, 1954

By L.W. Eastwood, Arthur E. Bousu, C. T. Eddy

The recrystallization and grain-growth phenomena of cold-worked metals have considerable industrial importance because of their role in the fabrication of metals. For this reason, and because of the general academic interest in the subject, these processes have received considerable attention since the time of J. E. Stead's paper1 on The Crystalline Structure of Iron and Steel. There are considerable differences of opinion regarding the theory of recrystallization and grain growth and also differences in the observation of the modus operandi of the processes themselves. The value of many of the existing quantitative data on grain growth is decreased by the failure to distinguish between the grain sizes just after complete recrystallization and those resulting from coalescence. For this reason also, the value of the diagrams of stable grain sizes, like those produced by Bass and Glocker2 and Czochralski3, is lessened in so far as an interpretation of the facts of recrystallization is concerned. It is hoped that the data presentcd in this paper will help to clarify and to simplify the facts relating to recrystallization, and at the same time will show that some of the present-day conceptions are untenable. A paper on the theory of recrystallization, with additional data, will be completed in the near future by the writers. Since the literature on the subject has been adequately and frequently reviewed, the only referenccs to it in this paper will be those necessary in the discussion of the data presented.

Jan 1, 1935

By Arthur E. Bousu, C. T. Eddy, L. W. Eastwood

The recrystallization and grain-growth phenomena of cold-worked metals have considerable industrial importance because of their role in the fabrication of metals. For this reason, and because of the general academic interest in the subject, these processes have received considerable attention since the time of J. E. Stead's paper1 on The Crystalline Structure of Iron and Steel. There are considerable differences of opinion regarding the theory of recrystallization and grain growth and also differences in the observation of the modus operandi of the processes themselves. The value of many of the existing quantitative data on grain growth is decreased by the failure to distinguish between the grain sizes just after complete recrystallization and those resulting from coalescence. For this reason also, the value of the diagrams of stable grain sizes, like those produced by Bass and Glocker2 and Czochralski3, is lessened in so far as an interpretation of the facts of recrystallization is concerned. It is hoped that the data presentcd in this paper will help to clarify and to simplify the facts relating to recrystallization, and at the same time will show that some of the present-day conceptions are untenable. A paper on the theory of recrystallization, with additional data, will be completed in the near future by the writers. Since the literature on the subject has been adequately and frequently reviewed, the only referenccs to it in this paper will be those necessary in the discussion of the data presented.

Jan 1, 1935

By J. D. H. Strickland, K. J. Jackson

IN previous papers' ' details were given of the constructlon and use of an apparatus to study the rate of chlorine consumption and the rate of sul- fate and sulfur production when dilute aqueous chlorine solutions were allowed to react with pyrite and galena in acid solutions at or near room temperature. The reaction with pyrite was very rapid, and hence entirely transport-controlled in its kinetics, and produced only ferric and sulfate ions. The behavior of galena was much more complex and was studied in some detail. Sulfur monochloride could be detected as a reaction product and both

Jan 1, 1959

By Koert D. Burnham, John G. Broughton

WOLLASTONITE in Essex County, New York, occurs as a typical contact mineral in a series of rocks metamorphosed by anorthosite. Sole current use is in various types of electric welding fluxes. Its uniform lathlike shape suggests its use as a specialized filler.

Jan 1, 1944

By Howard Reiss, C. S. Fuller

A theoretical and experimental study has been made of those interactions between holes and electrons which influence the solubilities of donors and acceptors in semiconductors. The major portion of the work concerns the solubility of lithium in silicon doped to varying degrees with boron. This solubility increases with increasing boron content in a manner predicted by theory and exhibits the expected temperature dependence. A qualitative experiment in germanium is described which demonstrates, in accordance with theory, that doping with a donor decreases the solubility of another donor. SEVERAL authors have discussed the possibility that holes and electrons behave like chemical entities and influence the solubilities of ionized impurities, Wagner was the first to invoke this concept in connection with his studies on nonstoichio-metric oxides. He used it again in explaining the solubility of hydrogen in molten binary alloys. In a theoretical paper,' Reiss drew attention to the fact that solutions of impurities in semiconductors

Jan 1, 1957

By Charles E. Glass

A steadily growing body of evidence indicates that earthquake ground motions can cause failure of rock slopes that are otherwise stable under static loading conditions. As a result, the economic optimum working slope angle is reduced when earthquake shaking is considered in surface mine design, especially in regions of high seismicity. When designing surface mine slopes to withstand seismic motion it is as important to consider the probability of experiencing various levels of ground shaking as it is to consider the characteristics of the ground motion. For most slope designs, simple probabilistic techniques such as extreme value or maximum likelihood techniques are appropriate. These techniques, however, should be applied in such a way that a probability value is assigned to characteristic ground motion parameters at the mine rather than to nearby earthquake magnitudes. Several techniques have been developed to analyze rock slopes subjected to dynamic loads. Most of these techniques do not adequately account for the ground motion parameters of concern. The best technique appears to be one that utilizes actual earthquake time histories. A simple technique that calculates block displacement for any input accelerogram, using a linear acceleration approximation between time steps, has been developed that accurately accounts for rock block response. Results using this technique indicate that the following factors are important for assessing rock slope stability in earthquake regions:

Jan 1, 1983

By M. Prats, D. G. Russell

The performance of a well in a bounded, layered reservoir with interlayer crossflow has been investigated mathematically. The system studied comprises a centrally located well in a bounded cylindrical reservoir composed of two layers of contrasting physical properties. The reservoir contains a single fluid of small and constant compressibility. In the case of a well producing at constant pressure, the production rate of the crossflow system declines exponentially after the early transient behavior dies out. For wells which produce with constant rate, the pressure-time relationship is linear following the transient. For very early production time, the production rate of the two-layer crossflow system behaves as that of the two-layer stratified system (the case in which the layers are in communication at the well only). Except for early time, in most practical cases the performance of a two-layer reservoir with cross-flow can be duplicated by that of a single-layer reservoir. The equivalent single-layer reservoir must have the same pore volume and the same drainage and wellbore radii as in the two-layer case. In addition, the equivalent reservoir must have a "kh" (permeability x thickness) product equal to the sum of the "kh" products of the respective layers in the crossflow system. If the porosity and permeability distributions are known, the production and pressure behavior of a well with and without crossflow can be predicted. From a comparison of the observed pressure or production performance of a well and the theoretical behavior, the occurrence of interlayer crossflow can be detected. INTRODUCTION When flow is possible across the bedding plane from a low-permeability layer into an adjacent layer of moderate or high permeability, the earlier depletion of the more permeable layer will cause such flow to occur. If this situation exists, the oil recovery from tight layers can be appreciable; thus, the economic ramifications of interlayer crossflow are apparent. The possible importance and extent of flow between adjacent and connected layers — whether resulting from capillary, gravitational, or viscous forces — have been the subject of considerable speculation for many years. Jacquard1 presented a rigorous analysis of the crossflow due to single-fluid expansion occurring between two adjacent and connected layers when the well produces at constant rate. His presentation was entirely mathematical, however, and no numerical results from evaluation of the mathematical solutions were presented. Our objectives in the preparation and presentation of the present paper are essentially twofold— (1) to analyze the behavior of a well which produces a single compressible fluid from a bounded, layered reservoir with interlayer crossflow, and (2) to present practical numerical results and simplified formulas to facilitate engineering analysis of reservoirs with crossflow. The constant-terminal-pressure case was analyzed rigorously, whereas the constant-terminal-rate case was treated only for semisteady-state conditions. DESCRIPTION OF THE IDEALIZED TWO-LAYER RESERVOIR The reservoir to be studied is assumed to be bounded and cylindrical in shape, with a completely penetrating well at its center. The reservoir is composed of two adjacent horizontal layers between which fluid is free to flow. Each layer is assumed to be homogeneous, isotropic and completely filled with a fluid of small and constant compressibility. The total thickness of the reservoir is small enough

Flaubert, as we know, laid stress on the selection of the right word, le mot juste, the precise epithet, the word that belongs to the thing. A sentence, or even a paragraph, may be spoiled. by the use of a word that is not proper, that does not fit or is foreign to the meaning intended. An Australian mining expert is reported to have said: You have a property of considerable value, and what I saw warrants s good development of very rich cubicular galena, with gossan intermixed. 'Cubicular' means 'belonging to a small bedroom', a 'cubicle' being a sleeping compartment. He meant 'cubic', of course. This is a malapropism, and reminds me of the lady from Chicago that, on her return from Europe, said how much she had enjoyed the rural parts of France, because, among other things, it was "so delightful to hear the French pheasants singing the mayonnaise to the tune of the Los Angelus". It is impossible to amalgamate coal-tar thoroughly with the pulp in the agitating-tank. In metallurgy, 'amalgamate' refers to the combination of mercury with one or both of the precious metals, forming an amalgam, which is an alloy of mercury with another metal. It differs from other alloys, such as brass or bronze, in being made without the aid of heat, inasmuch as mercury is molten at the ordinary temperature. The word comes to us from the Greek through Old French and means 'something soft'. It is a mistake to use technical terms, having a specific meaning, for purposes that are foreign to that meaning. The writer of the quotation is not discussing any combination of metals; he is dealing with the physical process of mixing and is using 'amal-

Jan 1, 1931

By L. A. Roe

The flotation of fine particles less than five microns in diameter and the flotation of liquids from liquids generally requires bubble generation methods different than methods used in dispersed air type machines used in mineral flotation. Conditions in the separatory zone in mineral cells are generally more dynamic as compared to the quiescent conditions often absolutely necessary for the flotation of fine particles and liquids. An example of quiescent flotation with very fine bubbles is the lithium flotation plant which operated at Trona, California for 34 years, until it ceased operations in 1978. A review of the process development and the commercial flotation operations at Trona is given in this paper. The clarification of oil field brines by flotation of the oil from the brine has been used for over twenty-five years. Recent installations related to the Prudhoe Bay oil field and the Alaska pipeline are described.

Jan 1, 1980