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By L. Ianniello

AMONG the more interesting peculiarities of plutonium is the brittleness of its room-temperature monoclinic phase, a, since the adjacent higher-temperature phase (transformation temperature, 112C), ß, is also monoclinic but very ductile. Other elements, e.g., tin and manganese, have phases which exhibit similar contrast in plasticity. However, it was considered unusual when the a phase which has less than 0.1 pet tensile elongation' was rolled to 90 pct reduction in thickness at room temperature.' Since brittle behavior often is a structure-sensitive property, but could also be the result of covalent-type bonding, further experiments reported here have been conducted in an attempt to illuminate the problem. Electrorefined plutonium was rolled under various conditions and examined to determine the strain-hardening characteristics and also to determine under what conditions rolling could be performed. The rolling mill had 6.0-in.-diam heatable rolls with a variable roll speed (6.25 to 445 in. per min). Microhardness measurements were taken using a square-base diamond indenter with loads from 50 to 1000 g. The method used for rolling plutonium at room temperature consisted of prior

Jan 1, 1964

A. K. McCosh, Coatbridge, Scotland (written discussion*).-It is well known in Great Britain that oven operators in the United States have been able to reduce the coking time much below European standards by the employment of higher temperatures. Our linings have always been the factor that has prevented our doing the same, and it would be of much interest to coke-oven operators here if Mr. Blauvelt would give a typical analysis of the bricks his company uses for the linings of its ovens, and if he could see his way to send me a sample so that I could have the texture examined, I should personally be very much obliged. The lining brick which my company has found most successful is of a ganister variety, and has the following analysis: Silica, 80.8 per cent.; alumina and iron oxide, .17.8 per cent.; lime, 0.8 per cent.; magnesia, 0.07 per cent.; but with this brick the least carelessness on the gas regulator's part may destroy the lining. It would also be of interest if Mr. Blauvelt could give the temperatures of the air leaving these generators and also of the oven flues.

Jan 10, 1918

By R. A. Wagstaff

MANY changes in equipment have had to be made to handle the flotation products at the blast furnace, and these changes have meant an expenditure of considerable money, which has not been compensated by an increase in smelting tonnage. To date, very few new lead mines have been developed, so that the help derived by the innovation of flotation has been directed to old producing properties, where the ratio of concentration is greater now than when gravity concentration was in effect. In some smelting plants there has been an abandonment of complete units due to the introduction of flotation. FLOTATION PRODUCTS DIFFICULT TO HANDLE The physical characteristics of the flotation product do not make for economic handling for lead blast-furnace work, either mechanically or metallurgically. The millman or miner do not know what trials and tribulations they have passed on to the smelterman. To the smelterman it is "the everchanging flotation," for little does he know what new reagent will be perfected tomorrow that may completely change the grade and physical characteristics of the product. Even the mining companies who have complete units of mining, milling and smelting have had a hard time to reconcile themselves to the fact that the unit cost per ton of ore smelted must go up with the increase of flotation product on the blast-furnace charge. The "smelterman's burden," for that is what flotation has been for the last few years, has not caused the smelter operator to lag or fall down, but has spurred him on with new zeal. The physical properties of the flotation products are as follows: (1) High moisture content; (2) mucky nature of product; (3) fineness of product, and (4) high metal content. NEW MECHANICAL DEVICES FOR HANDLING FURNACE PRODUCT These characteristics have caused the use of many new mechanical devices in smelting practice, for example: New transportation equipment, such as solid-bottom cars, is required; unloading equipment and sampling

Jan 1, 1928

By R. W. Smith, R. W. Lai

Very recently there has been a quickening of research effort in the field of silicate mineral flotation, particularly as regards the flotation of beryl.' These studies have already contributed much to the understanding of both anionic and cat-ionic flotation of silicates. Of particular interest concerning anionic flotation has been the work done on heavy metal activation of silicates by M. C. Fuerstenau and co-workers.4,7 In addition. in the paper by Fuerstenau, Rice, Somasundaran and Fuerstenau7 attention was paid to low pH anionic flotation of beryl in the absence of activators. This subject was also covered in the papers by Avotins,3

Jan 1, 1967

By S. Clark Komardi

Freeport Indonesia, Incorporated produces 180,000 tons per year (200,000 STPY) of 32% copper concentrate. A 111 kilometer (69 mile) pipeline transports the concentrate slurry to the sea coast. Rheology characteristics of the concentrate slurry must be monitored continuously to assure that the pipeline does not plug and that mini- mum degradation of the pipeline occurs. Factors affecting the rheobgy include particle size, percent solids, pH, and reagent additions. This paper includes a general pipeline description, slurry rheology factors affecting operations, and the problems encountered and their subsequent resolution. Six years successful operation of the worlds longest copper concentrate slurry pipeline has provided a unique insight into slurry behavior.

Jan 1, 1980

By C. E. Corson

The experiments of which the results and significance are set forth in this paper do not by any means cover the whole subject of the heat-treatment of the material referred to, yet they constitute a contribution to that general subject, rather than to the special department of' annealing. The material here considered is acid open-hearth steel, containing from 0.50 to 0.80 per cent. of carbon, with a nearly uniform percentage of other elements. This class of steel is rapidly increasing in commercial importance. It is even rumored that the rail-specifications of some railroads will hereafter require open-hearth steel. Yet this particular grade seems to

Jan 1, 1907

By R. A. Blake

Measurements of the quantity of xanthate abstracted from mineral surfaces and put into solution by an increase in the hydroxyl ion concentration were made. A residual xanthate concentration of 59.6 ppm was found in one case at a pH of 11.8. The abstracted xanthate is capable of acting as a collector on fresh mineral surfaces under proper conditions. It was learned that as the hydroxyl ion increased and the xanthate abstracted, the coarse particles lose their floatability first. A volume weight relationship based on percentage coverage was established and seems to offer a reasonable explanation of the cause of observed results.

Jan 1, 1973

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

This section includes the common calcium titano-silicate, Tiianite; also a number of silicates which contain titanium, but whose relations are not altogether clear; further the titanate, Perovskite, and niobo-titanate, Dysanalyte, which is intermediate between Perovskite and the species Pyrochlore, Micro- lite, Koppite of the following section. In general the part played by titanium in the many silicates in which it enters is more or less uncertain. It is probably in most cases, as shown in the preceding ages, to be taken as replacing the silicon; in others however, it seems to play the part of agaaic element; in schorlomite (p. 510) it may enter) in both relations.

Jan 1, 1922

Reducing Fusion: The impure or low grade uranium concentrate is mixed with a formulated flux of sodium carbonate, salt, and sawdust or fuel oil and heated, while being stirred, to about 950°C. This reduces the uranium to the black, water insoluble uranium dioxide and with the exception of nonamphoteric metals forms water soluble sodium salts of the vanadium, alumina, silica, phosphates, and other constituents of the cake. The cooled melt is then water leached, leaving a residue of black insoluble uranium dioxide. "Green Sludge" Digestion and Liquor Purification: The green sludge is redissolved in acid, and by selective precipitation involving pH adjustments and a final neutralization

Jun 1, 1956

By M. Mathieu

The Rove tunnel is the means by which the canal from Marseilles to the Rhone Riverl penetrates the hills of Nerthe, lying between Mar- seilles harbor and Lake Berre, Fig. 1. The canal will communicate at sea level with both terminals. The original project planned a lock near the village of Marignane; but observations, pursued for more than three years, showed that the water surface gradient would average only 0.015

Jan 1, 1923

By M. Mathieu

The Rove tunnel is the means by which the canal from Marseilles to the Rhone Riverl penetrates the hills of Nerthe, lying between Mar- seilles harbor and Lake Berre, Fig. 1. The canal will communicate at sea level with both terminals. The original project planned a lock near the village of Marignane; but observations, pursued for more than three years, showed that the water surface gradient would average only 0.015

Jan 1, 1923

By H. Doi, Y. Fujiwara, K. Miyake

In order to throw light on the mechanism of plastic deformation of WC-Co alloys, compressive tests of WC-(7 to 43) vol pct Co alloys have been carried out at room temperature, and stress-micro strain relation has been investigated in detail. The analysis of the factors affecting the yield stresses reveals that the yield stresses can be predicted by modified Oro-wan's theory if one properly estimates the planar in-terfiarticle spacings. Conzpressive straining of some of the alloys by 0.066 to 0.17pct increases the decrements by a factor of as much as 3.4 to 14, whereas the corresponding increase in the electrical resistivities is less than 10 pct. The analysis of the decrement data in terms of -Gramto and Lücke theory shows that the marked increase is attributed to increased dislocation darnping itt the binder (cobalt) phase. By cornbilling the decrement data and the conzjwession duta, one obtains the relation between flow stress in shear (?t) and increase in dislocation density (p): At = const . v6 . This is interHeted to mean that the mechanism of strain hardening of CirC-Co alloys is essentially sarne as the one for dispersion strengthened alloys. The possible effect of bridge formations between the carbide particles has also been examined. OWING to the combination of hardness, strength, and other physical and chemical properties, WC-Co alloys have opened the way for unique fields of applications, the recent ones being, for instance, anvils for super-high-pressure generation apparatuses. In such applications, the alloys are frequently subjected to very high compressive stresses: these stresses may cause the alloys to deform plastically and eventually to fail. However, much remains obscure regarding the nature of the plasticity of the alloys. Evidently, the alloys owe their high strength to the hard carbide particles which frequently occupy as much as 80 to 90 pct in volume fraction, whereas the ductility required for practical applications is provided by the small amount of the binder phase between the carbide particles. When the volume fraction of the carbide phase is not very large, deformation behavior of the alloys may be described by some of the current dispersion strengthening theories. However, greatly increasing the carbide phase is thought to lead to some carbide skeleton structure or bridge formations owing to the increased chances for direct contacts between the carbide particles;1,2 this may appreciably affect the plasticity of the alloys. Regarding the effect of formation of the carbide skeleton structure, it is interesting to note the work by Ivensen et al.3 on compression tests of the alloys containing somewhat large carbide particles; they observe extensive generation of slip bands in the carbide particles after application of some preliminary compressive stresses. They interpret the results in terms of plastic deformatiot: of the carbide particles which are supposed to have formed a skeleton structure; the binder phase plays only a passive role, at least in the early stages of the deformation. That carbide crystals exhibit microplasticity at room temperature is apparent from the work of Takahashi and Freise4 and French and Thomas5 on indentation of WC single crystals. On the other hand, Dawihl and coworkers6-10 maintain that even when volume fraction of the carbide phase is very large (for instance, more than 90 pet), a very thin binder layer generally exists between the carbide particles. They interpret the results of the extensive mechanical tests in terms of the plasticity of such a layer. Gurland and Bardzil11 point out that decrease in ductility of the alloys with increase in the carbide phase is caused by the effect of plastic constraint exerted by the dispersed carbide particles. Drucker12 further develops this concept from a continuum-mechanics approach on an assumption that a continuous thin binder layer separates the carbide particles. A common feature of the studies reported so far on the plasticity of the alloys is that the information deduced is invariably qualitative in nature. Thus, very few systematic experiments for obtaining reliable and sufficiently detailed stress-strain curves of the alloys varying widely in the microstructural features have been carried out. In particular, it may be of special interest to investigate in detail the early stages of the plastic deformation of the alloys in order to shed light on the strengthening mechanism. However, such work appears to be extremely rare. Doi et al.13 recently reported a first brief account of the results of some quantitative analysis of the plasticity of the alloys in terms of dislocation theory. Their experiment was rather limited in the composition range covered (volume fraction occupied by the carbide phase: 79 to 83 pct), and thus they could not necessarily elucidate the controlling mechanism of plastic deformation of the alloys of a more general composition range. Consequently, in the present investigation, deformation behavior and some other physical properties of the alloys were investigated and discussed in more detail over a much wider composition range. SPECIMEN PREPARATION WC-Co alloys used in this experiment were prepared in cylindrical or rectangular form by sintering in vacuo compressed mixtures of tungsten carbide and cobalt

Jan 1, 1970

By R. A. Wagstaff

Many changes in equipment have had to be made to handle the flotation products at the blast furnace, and these changes have meant an expenditure of considerable money, which has not been compensated by an increase in smelting tonnage. To date, very few new lead mines have been developed, so that the help derived by the innovation of flotation has been directed to old producing properties, where the ratio of concentration is greater now than when gravity concentration was in effect. In some smelting plants there has been an abandonment of complete units due to the introduction of flotation. Flotation Products Difficult to Handle The physical characteristics of the flotation product do not make for economic handling for lead blast-furnace work, either mechanically or metallurgically. The millman or miner do not know what trials and tribulations they have passed on to the smelterman. To the smelterman it is "the everchanging flotation," for little does he know what new reagent will be perfected tomorrow that may completely change the grade and physical characteristics of the product. Even the mining companies who have complete units of mining, milling and smelting have had a hard time to reconcile themselves to the fact that the unit cost per ton of ore smelted must go up with the increase of flotation product on the blast-furnace charge. The "smelterman's burden," for that is what flotation has been for the last few years, has not caused the smelter operator to lag or fall down, but has spurred him on with new zeal. The physical properties of the flotation products are as follows: (1) High moisture content; (2) mucky nature of product; (3) fineness of product, and (4) high metal content. New Mechanical Devices for Handling Furnace Product These characteristics have caused the use of many new mechanical devices in smelting practice, for example: New transportation equipment, such as solid-bottom cars, is required; unloading equipment and sampling

Jan 1, 1928

By D. L. Albright, G. A. Colligan

An investigation has been conducted to determine the nature of the crystallographic substructure of nickel and a 1.0 wt pct Ag-Ni alloy which had been undercooled 105°C prior to solidification. A rotating back-reflection X-ray technique and modified Weissmann diffractometer were used to orient single-crystal sections from these poly-crystalline ingots and to determine the substruc-tural features of these single crystals, The sub-grain size in the pure nickel ingot is 0.5 mm diam while the silver-doped nickel subgrain size is only 0.1 mm diam. The misorientation between adjacent subgrains is approximately 1 deg of arc in both ingots, and the spread of orientation of sub-grains about the mean orientation of the crystal is 5 deg of arc in both ingots. The addition of silver results in a stable impurity substructure which is preserved during isothermal solidification and subsequent cooling to room temperature. In the absence of silver the initial impurity substructure is destroyed by dislocation interactions which produce a secondary substructure which grows to a size five times larger than the initial substructure. THE process of undercooling a metal entails cooling of the molten sample below the equilibrium freezing point without the occurrence of solidification, i.e., by exercising proper constraint over the experimental variables contributing to nucleation in the melt. The current work of walker1 and Colligan Metal reports undercooling large continuous samples of nickel by imposing appropriate restrictions upon the parameters of solidification. The silver-nickel equilibrium diagram3 reveals the presence of a monotectic reaction at 1435°C. At this temperature the maximum solid solubility of silver in nickel is approximately 3 wt pct, but this solubility decreases with decreasing temperature and the solute is rejected as a silver-rich liquid phase at temperatures below 1435°C. Thus, the 1.0 wt pct solute should be held in solution during undercooling and solidification and subsequently precipitate as a silver-rich liquid phase at grain and subgrain boundaries following solidification during cooling below 1435. This assumes no solute segregation sufficient to cause the monotectic reaction. One would expect this second phase to inhibit grain and subgrain growth by retarding dislocation motion after solidification is complete. The effectiveness of silver addition in growth retardation of high-angle grain boundaries has been demonstrated by Colligan and suprenantS4 The principal [l00] dendrite growth directions in a 2 wt pct Ag-Ni alloy undercooled 53 all radiated from the nucleation site. A similar pure nickel ingot undercooled 59°C exhibited a random orientation of [l00] dendrite directions with respect to the nucleation site. Since undoped nickel ingots do not retain any evidence of the casting or solidification texture and silver-doped ingots do retain this texture, it is reasonable to assume that considerable grain growth has taken place in the pure nickel. These particular experiments were performed in order to reveal the differences, if any, in the features of the crystallographic substructure of undoped undercooled nickel and silver-doped undercooled nickel. 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Data are reported on selected specimens from two massive (approximately 260 g) undercooled ingots of nickel. One ingot consisted of electrolytic nickel and the other of this same material with 1.0 wt pct addition of high-purity silver. Powder patterns were taken of both the as-received and as-solidified materials; in all cases the reflections recorded were attributable to the individual elements nickel and/or silver. Fig. 1 is a. schematic diagram of the apparatus employed for the undercooling experiments. The equipment consists in part of a fused silica crucible for containing the charge. A fused silica tube encloses the system, which is covered by a brass cap to permit partial sealing of the inert atmosphere. This cap contains a hole through which a Pt-Pt 13 pct Rh thermocouple is inserted for temperature measurement. The charge is inductively heated under a purified argon atmosphere.

Jan 1, 1963

By Jacques B. Wertz

Even with the best geological maps, there is a constant need for further information and a constant demand for new clues, particularly in exploration work. New ideas and new thoughts are a necessity for progress. In the structural study of an area, be it in Arizona, Africa, or British Columbia, the basic fracture pattern has to be determined first. There is, however, no assurance that the trends shown on the map are really meaningful because they often are secondary in nature, having occurred as a consequence of an intrusion, of doming, or of gravity faulting. Thus, such trends often are a weak basis for assuming the presence of ancient and important zones of fractures that could constitute useful guides to mineral exploration.

Jan 6, 1969

By J. W. Freeman, D. N. Frey

Fundamental reasons for the improvement in creep resistance of an austenitic alloy by cold working were investigated mainly by X-ray diffraction. The creep resistance was found to be improved by the internal stresses in the lattice of the alloy induced by the cold work. THIS investigation was concerned with the fundamental reasons for improvement in creep resistance of an austenitic alloy as a result of cold working. Also, the investigation was carried out to elucidate the conditions under which cold working could be expected to improve the creep resistance. To achieve these ends, creep resistance and internal structure were correlated for a variety of cold-worked conditions. Since the aim of the investigation was not to obtain specific and extensive information on any one alloy, creep testing was done with a single stress at 1200°F. Structural studies were carried out primarily with X-ray diffraction characteristics. The alloy used, low carbon N-155, was selected on the basis of being representative of at least some of the alloys used in gas turbines. Low carbon N-155 alloy in the form of %-in. sq bar stock was used in this investigation. The chemical composition, in percent, was: C, 0.13; Mn, 1.43; Si, 0.34; Cr, 20.73; Ni, 18.92; Co, 19.65; Mo, 3.05; W, 1.98; Cb, 0.98; N, 0.14; and Fe, balance. The bar stock was produced from a 13-in. sq billet, finished to 7/s in. round cornered square between 2060" and 1910°F. Prior to use in this particular investigation, the bar stock was solution-treated 1 hr at 2200°F and water quenched. This procedure was used in order to put the stock in a condition where effects of prior processing were minimized. Experimental Procedure The specific approach to the problem was twofold. First, the influence of cold working, under various conditions, on the creep rate under a single stress at 1200°F and on the internal structure was in part determined. Second, the effect of annealing at various times and temperatures on the creep rate and internal structure of the cold-worked samples was in part evaluated. The first step was basic to the investigation—creep resistance and structure were to be correlated. The second step was taken to see if the annealed samples showed some internal changes which could also be correlated with changes in creep resistance. This it was felt would facilitate solution of the basic problem. The creep and structural studies were carried out on samples reduced approximately 5, 15, and 40 pct at room temperature and 15 pct at temperatures up to 2200 °F. Annealing of various of the samples was done at 1200°, 1400°, 1600°, and 1800°F for time periods up to 1000 hr. Studies of the annealed samples were concentrated on materials rolled approximately 5, 15, and 40 pct at room temperature and 15 pct at 1400°F. The creep tests were carried out at 1200°F under 40,000 psi, the latter being approximately the 1000 hr rupture stress of the material

Jan 1, 1952

By M. T. Simnad, C. E. Birchenall, M. H. Davies

THE marker movements observed by Davies, Simnad, and Birchenall during the growth of magnetite on wustite have been misinterpreted. It is the purpose of this note to correct the original interpretation. In that investigation wustite specimens were prepared by oxidizing pure iron disks in water vapor until the iron was consumed. Argon was used as a carrier gas for the water vapor and on the complete conversion of the metal to its oxides ('FeO' plus a small amount (10 pct) of surface Fe3O) the water supply was bypassed and the specimens were annealed in argon alone in order to equilibrate the wustite with the overlying magnetite. After cooling, the magnetite was ground off, a crude magnetic test being employed to determine its complete removal. Radioactive silver streaks were then applied to the surface and the specimen was oxidized completely in water vapor to prevent hematite formation. After complete oxidation the markers were found to enclose about 80 pct of the magnetite with the other 20 pct lying outside the markers. This observation was interpreted to mean that oxygen transport was four times as great as iron transport during the growth of the magnetite. The conclusion would have been correct if, as in the case of wustite growing on iron, all the iron had started from one side of the marker and all the oxygen from the other side initially. Actually a material balance is required. For simplicity, take wustite to be exactly FeO, and magnetite to be Fe3O,. Then at the start of the reaction 3 FeO + O -> Fe,O., All of the iron and three-fourths of the oxygen of the final product will be within the marker inter- faces. The other fourth of the oxygen is in the gas phase outside the marker. From the experimentally determined final position of the markers simple calculation shows that one-fifth of the total iron has crossed the marker interface, while one-twentieth of the total oxygen has crossed in the reverse direction. The simplified result favors iron transport in the ratio four to one. However wiistite is not stoichiometric FeO. At 900°C, the temperature of the measurement, the composition is about FeO When the material balance for the same experimental result is repeated, assuming the product will be 1 mol of Fe3O4, it is found that 0.6 gram atoms of iron and 0.19 gram atoms of oxygen must have passed the marker in the same direction. (This is readily apparent from the reaction to form 1 mol of Fe3O4 SFeO The total oxygen supplied from the atmosphere is 0.61 gram atoms, but the iron which passes the marker interface, i.e., 0.6 gram atoms, requires 0.8 gram atoms of oxygen to convert it to Fe,O,.) If all the transport during magnetite growth is due to iron ion diffusion, then the marker would enclose about 85 pct of the final magnetite and the original measurement is in error by about 5 pct. This error is probably less than the uncertainty in locating the markers by autoradiography. The possibility also exists that the starting wustite was not quite saturated with oxygen and underwent further enrichment with consequent envelopment of the marker before magnetite caught up with the marker interface. In any case it appears that these measurements actually favor iron ion diffusion in magnetite overwhelmingly as the factor controlling its growth, although further experimental measurements are needed to eliminate the error in material balance described. Such studies are planned.

Jan 1, 1954

By Louis C. McCabe

The control of dusts and fumes of submicron size is involved in many process industries. This paper presents in tabular form the quantitative data from a number of metallurgical operations and discusses allowable discharge in terms of effluent-weight ratio. Typical installations for recovery of stack effluents are cited. THERE are many sources of smoke, fumes, gases, and dusts that may cause undesirable contamination in an industrial area. Fumes and gases are the result of chemical action or volatilization, while dusts are produced in processes of disintegration and dispersion. Commonly, smokes are suspended particles formed by combustion or destructive distillation. Methods for controlling smoke are generally known, and great improvements have been made in equipment for removing fine dusts and fumes from gases. In most of the industrial centers of the country, the chief duty of the air-pollution abatement agency is the elimination or reduction of emissions resulting from improper combustion. Correct methods of firing, proper fuel selection, and installation of properly designed equipment may accomplish this. It is becoming more widely recognized that much of the contamination of an industrial atmosphere is caused by dusts, fumes, and gases that are not related to the process of combustion. As such emissions are usually a functional part of plant operation, they rarely can be prevented even by better design and careful operation. When dusts, fumes, and gases are an integral part of the operation, mechanical equipment must be designed to remove these emissions. Most of the dusts and fumes that should be controlled are less than 1 micron in size. Control of such small particles is largely a new and untried field in many industrial areas. However, where conditions have been critical, effective control equipment for dusts, fumes, and gases has been in operation for many years. The problem is not one of smoke abatement and requires an entirely different set of standards for effective solution. Identical standards need not be applied to all industrial areas because of differences in meteorology, physiography, plant location, plant density, and nature of stack effluents. In this paper, discussion of control of atmospheric contamination by industrial plants refers specifically to the Los Angeles area, but the method of approach is applicable to any area where similar problems are encountered. Quantities of particulate matter reported in analysis of stack effluents indicate the need for standards of emission. Many types of dusts and fumes that contribute materially to the air-pollution problem are discharged into the atmosphere at a lower rate than 0.40 grain per cu ft at standard conditions. On the other hand, some stacks discharge at a higher

Jan 1, 1951

By Louis C. McCabe

The control of dusts and fumes of submicron size is involved in many process industries. This paper presents in tabular form the quantitative data from a number of metallurgical operations and discusses allowable discharge in terms of effluent-weight ratio. Typical installations for recovery of stack effluents are cited. THERE are many sources of smoke, fumes, gases, and dusts that may cause undesirable contamination in an industrial area. Fumes and gases are the result of chemical action or volatilization, while dusts are produced in processes of disintegration and dispersion. Commonly, smokes are suspended particles formed by combustion or destructive distillation. Methods for controlling smoke are generally known, and great improvements have been made in equipment for removing fine dusts and fumes from gases. In most of the industrial centers of the country, the chief duty of the air-pollution abatement agency is the elimination or reduction of emissions resulting from improper combustion. Correct methods of firing, proper fuel selection, and installation of properly designed equipment may accomplish this. It is becoming more widely recognized that much of the contamination of an industrial atmosphere is caused by dusts, fumes, and gases that are not related to the process of combustion. As such emissions are usually a functional part of plant operation, they rarely can be prevented even by better design and careful operation. When dusts, fumes, and gases are an integral part of the operation, mechanical equipment must be designed to remove these emissions. Most of the dusts and fumes that should be controlled are less than 1 micron in size. Control of such small particles is largely a new and untried field in many industrial areas. However, where conditions have been critical, effective control equipment for dusts, fumes, and gases has been in operation for many years. The problem is not one of smoke abatement and requires an entirely different set of standards for effective solution. Identical standards need not be applied to all industrial areas because of differences in meteorology, physiography, plant location, plant density, and nature of stack effluents. In this paper, discussion of control of atmospheric contamination by industrial plants refers specifically to the Los Angeles area, but the method of approach is applicable to any area where similar problems are encountered. Quantities of particulate matter reported in analysis of stack effluents indicate the need for standards of emission. Many types of dusts and fumes that contribute materially to the air-pollution problem are discharged into the atmosphere at a lower rate than 0.40 grain per cu ft at standard conditions. On the other hand, some stacks discharge at a higher

Jan 1, 1951

By Robert F. Brindisi

There are approximately thirty to forty operating mills in the United States which are currently producing uranium yellow cake. This figure includes a significant number of in situ and by-product operations however the conventional acid leach flowsheet depicted in Figure 1 is the most common process used by domes- tic yellow cake producers. Ground ore is leached with sulphuric acid and the solids are separated from the pregnant liquor and washed in a series of counter- current decantation thickeners. After clarification of the pregnant liquor, uranium is recovered from the solvent extraction/stripping circuit by the addition of ammonia with precipitation of ammonium diuranate, or simply yellow cake. The yellow cake precipitate is then thickened in a conventional thickener before re- porting to the dewatering/washing unit operation. De- watered solids subsequently report to thermal drying, and clarified liquor from the dewatering/washing step is recycled to the yellow cake thickener. The yellow cake dewatering/washing unit operation is generally accomplished using either a solid bowl centrifuge or a rotary vacuum drum filter. In most cases the underflow from the yellow cake thickener is pumped to the dewatering/washing unit operation at approximately fifteen to twenty percent solids. For the purpose of this discussion ammonium diuranate, the product of ammonia precipitation from a conventional acid-leach uranium mill flow sheet, as discussed earlier, will be considered. With only slight adjustment this discussion will be equally applicable to sodium diuranate or uranium perioxide precipitates and to either in situ or by-product operations where such precipitates are generated. Some of the domestic uranium mills which have selected solid bowl centrifuges instead of vacuum drum filters for the dewatering/washing unit operations are listed in Figure 2. Why have these uranium mills, as well as others not listed, chosen to use the solid bowl centrifuge for this particular application? It is simply a matter of performance, reliability and economics. In the remainder of this paper the performance, initial cost, installation cost, maintenance and power consumption of both the solid bowl centrifuge and the rotary vacuum drum filter will be com- pared. In order to provide a consistent basis for comparison the appropriate sized (centrifuge or filter) unit for the dewatering/washing of 400 to 500 pounds per hour of yellow cake solids will be considered. Such a flow will usually be generated by a typical 3,000 ton per day (acid-leach) uranium mill.

Jan 1, 1980