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By A. W. Fahrenwald

Flotation practice in Idaho is now about 13 years old. The advance has been steady during these 113 years. The operators have been alert to take advantage of the newest developments and they have themselves made a constant effort to improve their work. The metallurgical improvements are due to the development of (1) better equipment, (2) better reagents, and (3) better understanding and control of the process. During the eight years the writer has been in this district, there has been continuous experimentation by several companies to improve the ore dressing by flotation methods. Gravity concentration has fought hard to hold its place, and although it is true that gravity processes have been improved during this period, nevertheless, in several of the important mills of the district the few tables that managed to hang on have finally given way. On the straight-lead ores, tables and jigs are still used; and, due to better classification, their hold on this job has been strengthened. Ores of the District The ores of the district are of two general classes: (1) clean lead ores, such as those from the Bunker Hill and Hecla mines, and (2) complex lead-zinc ores. The general impression prevails that the clean lead ores, class 1, are simple and that it is easy to obtain high recoveries and good grade products. This, in a way, is a false impression; there is quite a high percentage of locked middling in these ores at 100 and' 150-mesh sizes. Improved classification preparatory to table treatment of this type of ore has made it possible to segregate effectively a high-grade middling which is further comminuted and floated. The complex lead-zinc ores of the district, of which the ore from the Morning mine of the Federal Mining & Smelting Co. is a typical example, always have presented a difficult problem. It always has been comparatively easy to make a clean lead concentrate, but it never has been possible to concentrate sphalerite with a specific gravity of 4.10 from siderite of gravity 3.88. Also, a large percentage of the galena and sphalerite of this class of ore refuses to separate out until the crushing has been carried

Jan 1, 1928

By F. Petkovich, M. P. Sudbury

Development of a new method of treating flotation concentrates for the preparation of feed suitable for direct charging to blast furnaces or converters is described. The method takes advantage of the fact that pyrrhotite contained in the concentrates can be made to undergo exothermic reactions which, under properly controlled conditions, result information of oxidation products that serve to cement the concentrate particles together. Thus green concentrates either in the form of pellets or briquettes containing 5 to 8 pct moisture not only were hardened, but also completely dried autogenously by continuous countercu,vrent shaft treatment with air. The process was developed through pilot plant operations ranging from 35 1b per hr to 2.5 tph, culminating in products evaluation tests on a railway-car scale. Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd., Falconbridge, Ont., have practised sintering, on a travelling grate machine, for many years to prepare a pyr-rhotite-bearing Cu-Ni sulfide flotation concentrate for blast furnace smelting. In recent years the development of new mines, and the construction of concentration plants some 40 miles from the smelter has increased the quantity of concentrate shipped, and encouraged the search for a method of producing dry, hard pellets or briquettes suitable for direct charging to a blast furnace or converter, and capable of withstanding considerable handling. The cementing properties of pyrrhotite oxidation products were discovered during a search for a suitable agglomeration method for sulfide concentrates, and were exploited in a process subsequently developed for autogenously drying and hardening pellets and briquettes of pyrrhotite-bearing Cu-Ni sulfide flotation concentrate. EARLY TEST WORK The production of hard, dry pellets of concentrate filter cake was attempted in the drying plant of one of the new concentrators. While soft pellets were produced containing 5 pct moisture, attempts at further drying resulted in disintegration of the pellets and intolerable dusting. The plant therefore was controlled to produce a concentrate containing about 6 pct moisture. The partially dried concentrate, which was shipped to Falconbridge for sintering, tended to heat spontaneously in transit. An at- tempt to briquette the moist concentrate at Falconbridge, in a plant incorporating a muller, a 20-in. roll briquetting press, and a steam-heated travelling grate oven, was more successful, although the equipment corroded rapidly due to the acid nature of the concentrate after spontaneous heating had occurred. LABORATORY STUDIES OF SPONTANEOUS HEATING OF CONCENTRATE The spontaneous heating of partially dried concentrate was studied in the laboratory. Moist concen-

Jan 1, 1961

By H. J. de Haan, J. van Lookeren

In view of their size and favorable characteristics, Shell's heavy-oil fields on the eastern coast of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela — known as the "Bolivar Coast" — are obvious candidates for the application of thermal recovery methods. During the last decade various methods have been tested, such as steam drive,', steam soak and in-situ combustion.3 Steam soak was discovered as a promising production method rather accidentally in 1969, during early steam drive testing in the Mene Grande Tar Sands1 When steam erupted at the surface due to breakdown of the overburden, the injection wells were back-flowed to relieve the reservoir pressure. This resulted in high oil production rates, all the more impressive because the reservoir is unproducible by primary means. It was concluded that injection of limited amounts of steam might be a very effective method for stimulation of heavy-oil wells. To obtain information that would be more widely applicable, testing of the process was continued in the eastern part of the Tia Juana field (Fig. 1). Here even more favorable results were obtained than in Mene Grande. This created sufficient confidence to prompt a large-scale project, which was considered essential for an adequate evaluation of ultimate recovery, steam requirements, mechanical problems and economic prospects. To obtain an early answer on the ultimate recovery a fairly depleted area was selected in the western part of the same field ("A" in Fig. 1). The first steam was injected in March, 1964. This paper describes the performance until the end of 1966. The production mechanism and well inflow performance are discussed in some detail. In view of the favorable results obtained so far, steam soak operations have expanded considerably since the start of this project. Presently, five other projects are under way, of which two are about the same size as the one under discussion, with further extensions being programmed. Description of the Project Reservoir Data Shell's part of the Main Tia Juana reservoir has a proven area of 8,800 acres and an average net oil sand thickness of 130 ft. It contained an initial quantity of 2,750 million bbl of stock tank oil (STOIIP), with an API gravity ranging from 10 to 15 API and a viscosity of 100 to 10,000 cp (at 122F). As a geological unit it is known locally as the Lower Lagun-illas member of the Lagunillas formation, which is early Miocene in age. The sand bodies are believed to be distributary channel sands deposited in a lower coastal plain. Most of the channel sands have lateral and some vertical communication. The field was developed mainly in the period from 1936 to 1950. The ultimate primary recovery is estimated at 18.1 percent of STOIIP, of which 12.5 percent STOIIP had been produced by the end of 1963 from some 540 wells. By then the average pressure had decreased from an initial value of 960 to 550

Jan 1, 1970

By C. Crussard, R. Tamhankar

It is the policy of The Metallurgical Society to provide, in the TRANSACTIONS OF THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY OF AIME, a prompt and accurate medium for publication of reports of significant new research in both the scientific and engineering aspects of metallurgy. Papers submitted to the Society are judged by competent reviewers accord-ing to established criteria for technical merit, accuracy, originality, and presentation. STAFF: Editor, Gerhurd Derge Carnegie Institute of Technology Schenley Park Pittsburgh 13, Pa. Editorial Assistant, M. A. Redmerski Staff Coordinator, James J. Burke THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY: W. R. Hibbard, Jr., President; J. C. Kinnear, Jr., Past-President; John Chiprnan, Vice President; T. D. Jones, Treasurer; R. W. Shearman, Secretary. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY: A. W. Thornton, Chairman; Dennis Carney, John Chip-man, J. C. Fulton, J. H. Hollomon, H. H. Kellogg, A. E. Lee, R. Maddin, J. D. Sullivan, and D. Swan. Review and selection of manuscripts is under the supervision of the following Publications Committees: Extractive Metallurgy Division: T. B. King, Chairman; S. J. Dickenson, R. P. Hermsdorf, R. Schuhmann, Jr., and P. T. Stroup. Institute of Metals Division: Robert Maddin, Chairman, F. Lincoln Vogel, Jr., Vice-chairman, W. A. Backofen, R. W. Balluffi, J. H. Bechtold, M. B. Bever, R. S. Busk, C. G. Goetzel, Paul Gordon, C. D. Graham, .Jr., Robert F. Hehemonn, R. I. Jaffee, F. E. Jaumot, Jr., Irving R. Kramer, A. J. Lena, Harold Margolin, C. J. McHorgue, Russell A. Meussner, J. B. Newkirk, H. W. Paxton, G. E. Pellissier, I. S. Servi, Alan U. Seybolt, A. J. Shaler, and Jack Washburn. Iron and Steel Division: J. C. Fulton, Chairman; T. B. King, F. C. Langenberg, W. 0. Philbrook, and T. 0. Winkler. Published bimonthly by the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc., 29 West 39th Street, New York 18, N. Y. Telephone: PEnnsylvania 6-9220. Subscription $20 per year for non-AIME members in United States and North, South, and Central America; $25, foreign; $5 for AIME members. Single copies, $4.00, single copies foreign, $5.00. The AIME is not responsible for any statement made or opinion expressed in its publications . . . Copyright 1958 by the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc. . . . Registered cable address, AIME New York ... Indexed in Engineering Index, Industrial Arts Index, and Chemical Abstracts... Second class postage paid at New Yark, N. Y., and Ann Arbor, Mich. Volume 212, Number 6.

Jan 1, 1959

By J. F. Butler, H. W. Paxton

The vapor pressures of manganese in equilibrium with several alloys in the iron-manganese-carbon system between 1200° and 1275°K have been measured using the Knudsen effusion technique in conjunction with a vacuum microbalance. The effect of orifice area of the effusion cell upon the measured pressure has been determined. The binary iron-manganese system shows small negative departures from ideality, and the system of mixed carbides, (Fe, Mn)7C3, in equilibrium with graphite behaves ideally. THIS work is a continuation of the investigations in which the Knudsen effusion method has been used to determine thermodynamic activities in systems and at temperatures of interest to metallurgists. In a previous publication,' the free energy of formation of Mn7C3 was determined and some preliminary work on the solution behavior of this carbide with the hypothetical "Fe7C3" was reported. The present work deals with this latter topic and also includes data on the binary ir-on-manganese system. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The Knudsen effusion method was used to measure the vapor pressure of manganese in both the alloy and carbide sections of this investigation. This dynamic method of vapor pressure measurement presents a problem when studying solid alloy systems in which one of the components has a much larger vapor pressure than the others. Over-all depletion of the alloy in the most volatile component will occur during evaporation so that the pressure of that component will decrease. Even more serious than the over-all concentration change is the surface depletion of volatile component in the alloy brought about by the slow rate of diffusion of this component from the interior to the surface of the solid particle. Since knowledge of this surface composition is necessary in order to relate it to the activity determined through the measurements, changes in surface composition from the analyzed bulk composition are to be avoided in dynamic vapor pressure studies of solid alloys. The system under investigation in this study presents the problem of surface depletion of manganese since its pressure at 1230°K is 105greater than iron and 1020 greater than carbon. Since the existence of a volatile manganese carbide had been ruled out previously,' the high manganese pressure relative to iron and carbon insured that the only species leaving the effusion cell was manganese. Therefore, the effusing species required no analysis so that the manganese pressure was determined directly from the weight loss of the effusion cell. In order to detect small weight losses near the beginning of effusion, a vacuum microbalance was used to weigh the cell continually. These initial weight loss data allowed the rate of manganese effusion to be determined before the surface of the alloy became depleted in manganese. The apparatus used in this investigation is shown in Fig. 1. Temperature was measured using chro-

Jan 1, 1962

By L. B. Davidson

The petroleum literature contains many reports on the relative permeability properties of porous media. However, only recently have studies of relative permeability at elevated temperatures been made.1 -5 Each of these studies presents relative permeability data on water-oil systems in linear sandpacks or sandstone cores under isothermal conditions. The results of these investigations are dissimilar. Edmondsonl found that in Berea sandstone a temperature-dependent effect was present, while Shilobod,2 using the same material, found no temperature dependence after normalizing for initial water saturation. Workers at Texas A&M U.3-5 found that the ratio kw/ko was temperature dependent in an unconsolidated system. The differences in results of these studies are probably a consequence of differences in the material employed, in the experimental procedures followed, and in the properties of the porous systems used. This paper describes an experimental investigation of permeability ratio temperature dependence, conducted to clarify some of the results obtained by previous workers. Each experiment described in this paper involved the isothermal displacement of Chevron No. 15 white oil by either nitrogen, steam, or distilled water and displacement of water by nitrogen. All permeability ratios were calculated using the Welge procedure. Values of the water-oil permeability ratio were obtained over the temperature range 75OF to 540°F. Results indicate the ratio is temperature dependent at low water saturations, probably due to interfacial effects. However, as the saturation is increased, temperature dependence decreases until, above some minimum saturation, the ratio becomes insensitive to temperature. Previously published work indicates that the dependence reappears at very high water saturations, a region of the ratio curve not completely examined in the present study. It appears that water-oil permeability ratios are temperature dependent at the extremes of the ratio curve where changes in interfacial tension with temperature induce variations in residual saturations. Between the extremes, there is a region in which the permeability ratio is insensitive to temperature. The size and location of this region is probably a function of the characteristics of the porous system. Gas-oil permeability ratios calculated from nitrogen-white oil displacement experiments indicate a definite temperature dependence over the range 75OF to 500°F and over the entire gas saturation range studied. Evidence discussed in this report indicates that this dependence is a consequence of molecular slippage in the gas phase. This is an extension of the Klinkenberg effect6 to two-phase systems at high temperatures (the existence of slippage in two-phase systems at room temperature has been demonstrated7). Evidence for a similar source of temperature dependence in superheated steam-white oil experiments

Jan 1, 1970

By Don K. Smith

The Reclamation Program for the Northern Zone of the Indus Plains in West Pakistan involves the construction of 30,000 irrigation wells to serve 20 million acres with an annual pumpage of nearly 40 million acre-ft. Detailed hydrologic studies indicated that mild steel would be satisfactory for casing; however, within two years after construction, about 10% of the wells began to fail due to encrustation and corrosion of the casing. A search to find a noncor-rosive substitute for the steel casing disclosed that only fiberglass-reinforced plastic pipe satisfied all requirements. The results of initial use of fiberglass have been highly satisfactory and have resulted in a lower over-all well cost. Advances in technology pomise further reduction in prices and improvement in performance. The northern zone of the Indus Basin comprises a vast area of essentially level land in West Pakistan which is irrigated by means of a complex system of canals that distribute more water to more land than any other irrigation system in the world. In spite of the development of this extensive irrigation system, production of food and fiber has not met the requirements of the country. The major reasons that crop production has not reached anticipated levels are the lack of adequate irrigation supplies and effective subsurface drainage. As a result, yields per acre are among the lowest in the world for areas where irrigation is practiced, and many thousands of acres of valuable crop land have been removed from production or seriously affected by salinity and waterlogging. To rectify the problems of irrigation supply and drainage the Government of Pakistan has undertaken a program of Salinity Control and Reclamation which is being administered by the Water and Power Development Authority. The Authority retained Tipton and Kalmbach, Inc., of Denver, Colo., as engineers for the program in the northern zone of the Indus Basin. This program consists of the construction of about 30,000 irrigation wells to provide drainage for waterlogged lands and full irrigation supplies, including leaching requirements, for all cultivated lands. The program will ultimately ensure the productivity of 20 million acres and involve an annual pumpage from groundwater storage of nearly 40 million acre-ft of

Jan 1, 1970

Jan 1, 1961

By J. R. Kyte, L. A. Rapoport

The material balance equation for partiai or complete 1:trter-drivc reser1,oir.s been re-arranged to include a pressure irrferferencr ternr. This pressure interfernce term was ohtained from the theory established hy Morinda. A .successful progranl deissed to solve the resrclritlg c,qrration in a few hours on a nleelitr .sizeti, digital compuier. No prior knowdelge of the properties of the eqrrifer is required in the solution. 7' ri~rl calculations areatle using various assumed con!binuiions of value of the constant expretsing the qquifer properties correspoinds to the best fit ohtained between observed and calculated field history. Details of the method of calculaion are illus trated by an example. INTKCDUCTICN A method 01' calculating the material balance equation for a partial water-drive reservoir completed in an aquifer has been described in the literature." Pressure interference i'rc,m other pools iocated in the same nquiucr is not taken into account in this solution. When present, the pres- sure interference effect must be included in order to make a complete performance analysis. A correction for this effect has been developed using the theory cstahlished by Mor-tada.' Manual calculation of the material balance for water-drive reservoirs is a formidable task. Such manual ca1culation when interference eflects are includcd would be impossible to completc in any reasonable time period. However, a medium-sized stored program, digltal conlputer can he used satisfactorily. The method is described in the following sections. THECKETICAL CONSIDEKATIOhS The material balance equation for a reservoir producing by partial or total water drive, as proposed by Van Everdingen, This relationship is linear for Z/a from which thc slopc, Z, and the intercept, N, can be obtained by the least-squares method from the data points. It is not necessary lo know the aquifer properties to uktain oplimum values tor 2nd IV. Various assumptions are made tor At,,: where 11 is production time, seconds (oilfield between the equal successive time intervals into which the history is divided. t,, h It, times the number of equal time periods from i.e.. the total dimen-sionless time interval from It is noted that the dinlensionless time interval, At,,, involves all the relevant aquifer properties. Accordingly, any assunlption of is an assumption of the combined aquifer properties which pertain to the solution of the equation. Deviations of the data points from a straight line arc calculated for each assumption of and the value of A, correspond ing to the minimunl deviation is chosen as the optimum solution. This method is described in Ref. 1 and 2. Thc material balance solution is usually made with an initial assumption that the reservoir being studied is located in an infinite aquifer from which there are no other withdrawals. Deviation of the points by amounts greater than can be attributed to inaccuracies in field data may be the result of: (1) boundary effects of a limited aquifer, (2) pressure interference from othcr pools completed in the .sarne aquifer, and (3) a combination of these effects. Differentiation of these effects can be made only on the basis of geologic data. Pressure interference from other fields will result in a pressure drop at the original oil-water boundary having an interference component, The measured instantaneous pressure drops at the oil-water

By Johannes Moeljono, Werner Wenzel, Heinrich Wilhelm Gudenhau

As an important mechanism for increasing production of the suction-draft-sinter process, it has been shown that gas permeability through the sinter layer plays an important role. Methods to increase production rates have been indicated and suggestions for carrying out the process have been made to improve the rate of production, reduce the fuel consumption, and at the same time obtain a uniform sinter. Laboratory experiments were conducted at the Institute for Ferrous Metallurgy of the Technical University at Aachen to illustrate these methods. Methods of Increasing Gas Penetration Through Sinter Layers The following are of fundamental importance in determining the process cycle during the sintering of iron ores: 1) Generation of maximum temperature, since its form and range determine sinter quality. 2) Propagation velocity of the temperature maximum which controls the attainable output. 3) The convective heat transfer which influences the velocity of travel of the temperature maximum.

Jan 1, 1974

By R. J. Stokes

S. Floreen (international Nickel Co.)— One fairly simple way to differentiate between em brittle me nt due to surface microcracks or due to a dislocation barrier effect might be to load a brittle rock salt crystal in tension to some stress just below the fracture stress and then immerse the loaded crystal in water. If a surface film is retarding plastic flow then one should observe some plastic deformation of the rock salt as

Jan 1, 1962

By D. L. King, C. D. Rubert, R. W. Christy, B. A. Schepman

R. W. Christy (Manager of Sales, Sanitary Engineering Equipment, Link-Belt Co.) and C.D. Rubert (Barrett, Haentjens & Co.) — Messrs. King and Schepman have presented an excellent paper which outlines the general practice in the design of thickener mechanisms. Lifting devices, controls, special applications and underflow pumping arrangements have been reviewed in detail. Pumping arrangements were illustrated which eliminate the need for an expensive tunnel beneath the thickener floor. Most of those illustrated have the common feature of a relatively long underflow suction line extending from the hopper floor to the pump located on the bridge at the periphery of the tank. The authors limit these arrangements to comparatively dilute or thin slurrys. It is implied that dense and coarse concentrates, which are difficult to pump, cannot be handled unless a tunnel is constructed. Fig. 1 shows an underflow pump arrangement which negates the need for a tunnel but which permits the operator to convey a heavy dense slurry. The pump is mounted directly on the fixed hoist platform and the impeller is located at the base of the steel center column. Priming water is not needed. The column

Jan 1, 1963

By J. H. Swisher

An experimental study has been made of the possible mechanisms for foam stability in the system CaO-SiO2-Cr2O3, where Cr2O3is the foaming agent. The degree of lowering of surface tension by Cr2O3 was determined at 1600 "C for high -silica melts. Measurements were also made of foam stability under standardized conditions. The results of the two sets of measurements then were correlated by applying the Gibbs and Marangoni theories of film elasticity. It was demonstrated that the Marangoni elasticity effect is probably the largest single contributor to foam stability, although the high uiscosity of' silicate melts makes some contribution in controlling the rate of drainage of liquid from bubble lamellae. ThE tendency of metallurgical slags to foam has frequently been observed during steel-refining operations. In the open-hearth furnace,this tendency is considered undesirable because it slows down the rate of heat transfer from the burners to the molten-metal bath. On the other hand, it is sometimes desirable to have a "foamy" slag in the basic oxygen converter.' A more effective blanket over the steel bath is made by a "foamy" slag, and loss in yield of metal due to splashing is minimized. In addition, a flush slag can be removed more easily in this condition. Since slag-foaming problems in the field have been attacked largely on an empirical basis, it appeared desirable to obtain a better basic understanding of the mechanism of foam stability. The experimental work was directed almost entirely toward the behavior of Cr2O3 as the foaming agent in CaO-SiO,-Cr2O3 melts. In the first stage of the investigation, the degree of lowering of surface tension by Cr2O3 was determined at 1600°C. The second stage consisted of measuring foam stabilities under standardized conditions. The two sets of experimental results then were correlated by applying various theories of foam stability. For convenience in interpreting the surface-tension and foam-stability results reported here, a portion of the CaO-SiO2-Cr2O3 phase diagram2 is reproduced in Fig. 1. EXPERIMENTAL 1) Surface-Tension Measurements. Very little information is available in the literature on the lowering of surface tension of slags by foaming agents. Kozakevitch 3 mentioned that the addition of 1.5 pct Cr2O3 lowered the surface tension of FeO slightly. In another system, some data on the lowering of surface tension of foaming slags by P2O5 were reported by Cooper and Kitchener.4 The technique used for the surface-tension measurements was the maximum bubble-pressure method,' using a single tube immersed to various depths in the melt. This method has been used extensively in high-temperature systems, such as in liquid metals, slags, and glasses.6,7 It has the advantage that the contact angle between the liquid and the tube material need not be known. The equation used for calculating surface-tension values from maximum bubble-pressure measurements is the Schroedinger equatioq5 which can be written as follows:

Jan 1, 1964

By W. H. Boyer, J. W. Gabelman

The concept of metal zoning has long been recognized (Spurr, 1907, 1923; Emmons, 1924, 1926; Lindgren, 1933; Rateman, 1950), although it has been considered indistinct for most epithermal districts. The geometric relation of barren zones of hydrother-mally altered rock to ore deposits was emphasized in the work of Lovering (1941, 1949, 1950), Sales and Meyer (1948, 1949, 19501, Burbank (1941, 1950), Schwartz (1939, 1950), and Kerr (1947). Lovering (op. cit.) and Sales and Meyer (op. cit.) emphasized the consistent presence of barren alteration envelopes enclosing individual ore bodies, particularly of the vein type. Schwartz (1950) noted a difference between the distribution of alteration zones described by Lovering and by Sales and Meyer, as compared with those associated with the porphyry copper deposits of the Southwest. The disseminated deposits of the Southwest usually occur within large bodies of altered rock whereas most veins do not. In the following discussion the mineralization process is conceived of consisting of two distinct phases: pre-ore nonmetallic alteration and metallization. In the present investigation the position, size, and shape of all known hydro thermally altered areas and the position, size, and metal type of all known ore deposits were plotted on base maps of southwestern and west-central Colorado (Figure 1). The maps indicate a generally consistent geometric relation between altered and metallized areas. The addition of alteration to the pattern of metal deposits establishes a temperature zoning pattern of much greater clarity than that formed by the epithermal metal deposits alone, and allows a more precise definition of mineral belts. The center of strongest mineralization is indicated to be the area of greatest barren alteration, and metal deposits are grouped about it both under structural control and crudely in response to temperature zoning. The combination of an area of strong alteration and associated marginal clusters of metal deposits is defined as a mineral district. The strong similarity in individual deposits, in groups of different types of deposits, and in the alteration-metallization relation in districts throughout the region implies that a single metallogenic province is represented in southwestern and west-central Colorado. The occurrence of deposits in Tertiary voi-canics indicates a late Tertiary metallogenic epoci., although an early Tertiary epoch is known locally as at Ouray. Patterns formed by mineral districts can be

Jan 1, 1961

By J. L. Green

Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corp., in its Florida Operations, uses both roller mills and ball mills in dry grinding of phosphate rock. The roller mills have been in operation since 1954 in the Mining Department. The ball mills were installed and put in operation in 1960 in the Harding Concentrate Superphosphate Plant. The roller mills in the Mining Department are used to grind phosphate rock for outside customers. This involves short notice orders of varying grinds, grades and types of rock. The ball mills grind phosphate rock for use in V-C's own phosphoric acid and concentrated superphosphate plant. These mills grind generally two types of rock for one grind. In 1959, a 10% speed-up was made in the operating speed of the roller mills. This paper deals with the operational gains and resulting cost savings which evolved from this speed-up, and compares the present operations of the roller mills and of the ball mills in grinding phosphate rock. In January 1959 it was decided to determine the feasibility of reducing the grinding cost on the roller mills, per ton of rock ground, by speeding up the mill 10%. At this time, one mill was completely reconditioned so it would be in top condition. Extensive tests were then run both before and after the mill speed-up to determine the resultant cost savings. These tests showed that, due to this 10% speed-up, the mill capacity was increased approximately 20% and grinding power costs per ton were reduced approximately 10%. Table I shows the results of these tests. Each test run actually represents several of the same type rock and grind, averaged together. Each test run lasted approximately three hours. The validity of these runs has been confirmed by subsequent operation in grinding over 1,000,000 tons of phosphate rock. Accurate records have been kept on power consumption and repairs as well as tons produced. Two types of feed rock were used for the tests — pebble phosphate rock and flotation phosphate concentrate rock. The pebble phosphate rock size is approximately 80-90% plus 20 mesh. The flotation concentrate phosphate rock size is approximately 15% plus 20 mesh and 95% plus 100 mesh. The same two types of rock feed were used for all the test runs. Test Nos. 1, 2, and 3 were run at the original mill speed of 85.5 rpm on the vertical shaft. Test No. 1 was run with a feed of high grade flotation concentrates; the desired fineness attempted was 70% passing 200 mesh. Tests No. 2 and No. 3 were run with a feed of low grade pebble. Test No. 2 was run for a desired fineness of 70% passing 200 mesh. Test No. 3 was run for desired fineness of 50% passing 200 mesh.

Jan 1, 1963

Meeting of Mar. 26, 1915.-The following Committee on Nominations was appointed: Fred W. Bradley, Chairman; James F. Kemp, Past President; Frank M. Smith, Chairman Montana Section; R. C. Gemmell, Chairman Utah Section; Frank A. Ross, Chairman Columbia Section; Louis S. Cates, Arthur Thacher. The Committee on Precious and Base Metals and the Committee on . Coal and Coke were appointed, the personnel of which is shown in another part of this Bulletin. The President was authorized to appoint a Committee on Welfare with J. Parke Channing as Chairman. W. P. Cutter, Librarian of the United Engineering Societies' Library, was appointed a representative of the Institute on-the Committee oh Classification of Engineering Knowledge to co-operate with similar committees of other engineering societies. A vote of thanks was extended-to Edward B. Sturgis for his excellent work in arranging for the Annual Dinner. in February, of this year. The suns of $57.30 was appropriated to the New' York Section. It was resolved that in response to the courteous invitation from 36 members of the Institute in Arizona and the neighborhood, the 1916 summer meeting of the Institute be held in Arizona.

Jan 5, 1915

By N. R. Morrow, C. C. Harris

The experimental points which describe capillary pressure curves are determined at apparent equilibria which are observed after bydrodynamic flow has ceased. For most systems, the time required to obtain equalization of pressure throughout the discontinuous part of a phase is prohibitive. To permit experimental points to be described as equilibria, a model of capillary behavior is proposed where mass transfer is restricted to bulk fluid flow. Model capillary pressure curves follow if the path described by such points is independent of the rate at which the saturation was changed to attain a capillary pressure point. Aemodified suction potential technique is used to study cyclic relationships between capillary pressure and moisture content for a porous mass. The time taken to complete an experiment was greatly reduced by using small samples. INTRODUCTION Capillary retention of liquid by porous materials has been investigated in the fields of hydrology,l soil science,2 oil reservoir engineering,3 chemical engineering," soil mechanics,5 textiles: paper making: and building materials In studies of the immiscible displacement of one fluid by another within a porous bed, drainage columnsl and suction potential techniques2 have been used to obtain relationships between pressure deficiency and saturation (Fig. 1). Except where there is no hysteresis of contact angle and the solid is of simple geometry, such as a tube of uniform cross section, there is hysteresis in the relationship between capillary pressure and saturation.2 The relationship which has received most attention is displacement of fluid from an initially saturated bed (Fig. 1, Curve R2), the final condition being an irreducible minimum fluid saturation Swr. Imbibition (Fig. 1, Curve A), further desaturation (Fig. 1, Curve R), and intermediate scanning curves have been studied to a lesser but increasing extent.2 ,3,9-12 This paper first considers the nature of the experimental points tracing the capillary pressure curves with respect to the modes and rates of mass transfer which are operative during the course of measurement. There are clear indications that the experimental points which describe these curves are obtained at apparent equilibria which are observed when viscous fluid flow has ceased; and any further changes in the fluid distribution are the result of much slower mass transfer processes, such as diffusion. Unless stated otherwise, this discussion applies to a stable packing of equal, smooth, hydrophilic spheres supported by a suction plate5 with water as the wetting phase and air as the nonwetting phase. The discussion can also be applied, in many

Jan 1, 1966

By AIME AIME

OPPORTUNITY may not be knocking but it, at least, is waiting for you, your family and your friends in that amazing republic south of the Rio Grande. For the first time we are able to publish the official itinerary for the forth-coming Mexico City meeting of 1936. As shown on Page 351, the deluxe special train leaves St. Louis on Thursday. Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m., returning to St. Louis on Nov. 18 at 8:15 a. m. The schedule provides seven days and six nights in Mexico City with numerous excursions to nearby towns and resorts. The oldest surviving city in' North America is Mexico City, dating back at least to the twelfth century. It was the Aztec capital when Cortez arrived in 1519. The famous cathedral still standing was built on a foundation of sculptured Indian images and the remains of a great Aztec temple. Today it is a city of romance.

Jan 1, 1936

By Ivan B. Cutler, Milton E. Wadsworth

Coprecipitation of anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes has been applied to floccula-tion of several mineral systems. Results obtained in a study of the flocculation of kaolinite and hematite suspensions of polycationic and polyanionic electrolytes are presented. Greatly increased settling rates were observed following precipitation of positive and negative polyelectrolytes on the surface of finely divided minerals in aqueous suspension. The ratios of polycationic to polyanionic electrolytes required to produce maximum sedimentation have been shown to correspond closely with the equivalence points obtained by light scattering studies of systems containing the positive and negative polyelectrolytes by themselves. DISPERSION of colloids has been of interest to surface chemists for many years. Flocculation studies have been employed to evaluate the limits of colloid stability. In water suspensions, colloids become unstable and flocculate when the 5 potential, the potential of the kinetic solvation sheath, falls to a value at which van der Waals forces may act to draw the particles together. This may happen through an adjustment of the pH of the suspension or by addition of a salt. Optimum conditions for rapid formation of large flocs are found in the region of minimum < potential. In addition to these well known considerations, colloids in water suspensions are known to be flocculated by certain large organic macromolecules. These polyelectrolytes in some cases minimize the 5 potential and in other instances increase the attractive forces by supplying sites for hydrogen bonding.&apos; Use of organic polyelectrolytes in flocculation of mineral colloids has increased rapidly in recent years. These materials are now recognized as indispensable aids to fluid-solid separations in many extractive metallurgical operations. They have been found to increase both the settling rate in thickeners and the filtration rate of filters. In the elucidation of the characteristics of these organic reagents as floc-culants in this laboratory, it was discovered that interaction of certain polyelectrolytes had a surprisingly good effect on flocculation of mineral colloids. Experimental Procedure: The anionic flocculants used in this study were Lytron 886 and 887, produced by Monsanto Chemical Co. Both reagents are copolymers of vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride. Lime is added to Lytron 886, whereas Lytron 887 is all organic. These reagents possess two carboxyl groups for each acetate group and are therefore anionic in character. The cationic reagents used were the Peter Cooper Co. 1-X and 2-X glues. The structures are not definitely known, but the re- agents are amines and are cationic in character. The glues were prepared in the chrome-alum form. Both types of reagents may be classified as polyelectrolytes in that they are high molecular weight polymers and ionize in water. All data presented are in terms of sedimentation rate, measured in 250-ml glass-stoppered graduated cylinders. With suitable precautions such measurements are fairly reproducible and provide a sensitive means for selecting important parameters such as PH, reagent concentration, and floc size and density. Agitation was standardized with five complete end over end cycles of the suspensions in the stoppered graduated cylinders.

Jan 1, 1957

By M. N. Shetty

LARGE copper whiskers (-100 p) of 11111 orientation were tested in a floor-model Instron testing machine, at liquid nitrogen temperature. (Testing methods will appear elsewhere.) Whiskers deformed by twinning after some initial deformation. A load-elongation curve at the onset of twinning is reproduced in Fig. 1. Twinning was confirmed by taking a back-reflection Laue picture, using a slit colli-mator, which showed distinct splitting of reflections. The tensile stress reached just before twinning is about 1.4 x 107 g per sq cm (-7.0 x106 g per sq cm—resolved shear stress) which drops to 1.2 x107 g per sq cm (-6 x 106 g per sq cm—resolved). This twinning stress is about five to ten times larger than the value for bulk single crystals of copper deformed at 77°K (-106 g per sq cm—resolved). Twinning models based on Cottrell-Bilby&apos;s pole mechanism are discussed in detail by Venables.&apos; In the present work a mechanism based on the idea of failure of a Lomer-Cottrell barrier by recombination will be proposed. An L-C barrier may fail either by recombination or by dissociation.3 Fig. 2 provides the necessary information. It shows that the stress necessary to break such a barrier is about 1.8 x 107 g per sq cm by recombination and 4 x 107 g per sq cm by dissociation at 77°K. The twinning stress reached by whiskers is comparable to the stress level required for failure of an L-C barrier by recombination. (Stroh himself points out that his calculations should not be taken too literally.) We consider a segment of the L-C dislocation which has recombined (AB in Fig. 3) over a length to form the total dislocation which then glides in the

Jan 1, 1965