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By J. E. Elliott

ALTHOUGH the firm in which the writer is a partner is not exactly the pioneer in the coring of rotary-drilled wells in Southern California, it has taken the lead in bringing coring to its present status. To the Shell Company of California belongs the, honor of having first used the core drill in its endeavors to locate subsurface structures west of Santa Fe Springs. Following those operations, similar work was done near Wasco in the San, Joaquin Valley. Results of the latter core drilling were successful, in that they made it possible to determine the under-ground structure. At, about the same time that the Shell Company was doing the work at Wasco, it was experimenting in the use of the core drill in connection with rotary-drilled holes. The oil sands in its dis¬covery well at Signal Hill were located by means of the rotary core drill. In 1921, in view of the trouble that the operators were having in the fields of Southern California, and particularly at Huntington Beach, R. E. Collom, of the State Mining Bureau, called their attention to the possibilities of the core drill for eliminating many of the serious problems that were facing them. It was this same difficulty encountered by the operator in locating the oil sands that caused the writer to enter into con-tract core drilling; late in 1921 the California operators became converted to the advantages of that method, and in the short space of one year core drilling in rotary-drilled holes has risen from a theory to an established practice.

Jan 10, 1923

By Richard W. Lodge

Several methods, both wet and dry, for the assay of zinc-box residues from the cyanide process, have been described in recent years, and each of them has been claimed to be superior to all others. In the year 1901, a paper, entitled "Assay of Zincy Precipitates," was published ill the School of Mines Quarterly to the purport that the scorification method for the assay of zinc-box residues was absolutely unreliable. In order to shed light on this matter, the following experiments were undertaken by Messrs. C.B. Hollis and F. D. Kehew, undergraduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The zine-box residues used were obtained through the courtesy of Mr. H. R. Batcheller. The samples were very rich and varied greatly in the fineness of their condition. SCORIFICATION-ASSAYS. In the preliminary tests, the charge, which was weighed on a chemical balance, consisted of 0.1 Assay Ton of residues mixed with from 30 to 35 grammes of test-lead and placed in a 3-in. scorifier, over this an additional quantity of test-lead (from 30 to. 35 grammes) was placed for a cover, and borax-glass, varying in quantity from 3 to 15 grammes, was sprinkled over the top of each charge of the various assays for a cover. The charges were scarified in a muffle-furnace heated to the ordinary temperature which is used in scorification; in some cases the door of the muffle was left open, while in others it remained closed. Generally, the charges spit badly, especially in the assays that were made with door of the muffle left open, or in those in which the door was opened too quickly. The results of the preliminary assays showed: 1. That in order to obtain approxi-

Jan 1, 1904

By Ernest A. Hersam

The rate of output of a rock crusher is based upon a certain space relation, the calculation requiring that the size and position of the jaws, the principle of motion, and the speed of the machine be known. The result is a calculated maximum output. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method of calculating this maximum output, to judge the general applicability or utility of such a calculation, and, so far as possible, to lecord calculated values as a basis for the comparison of actual results, or for estimating the capacity of a new crusher or of a standard crusher working under new conditions. A method for calculating the capacity of crushing rolls, which has been in common use for a long time, is well presented by R. H. Richards.' The output is conceived as a ribbon of rock, of which the breadth, thickness and length are governed respectively by the width of the rolls, the space between them, and their peripheral velocity. The weight of the rock thus crushed in a given time can be calculated from its specific gravity, after applying a factor representing the percentage of voids in the hypothetical ribbon. The calculation of crusher capacity is made in a somewhat similar manner. While the action of rolls is simple, with few irregularities in operating conditions, in rock crushers the material advances intermittently, usually under the force of gravity alone, and is subjected to a variety of variable conditions. The effect of these variable influences upon the calculation of capacity is now to be shown. In this paper, capacity will be discussed quite apart from any consideration of mechanical efficiency; that is, results will be stated not in terms of output per horsepower, but of output for a given machine when operated at a known speed, constructed and adjusted to receive material of a known size, and to yield a product having a definite maximum coarseness.

Jan 1, 1923

By Ernest A. Hersam

The rate of output of a rock crusher is based upon a certain space relation, the calculation requiring that the size and position of the jaws, the principle of motion, and the speed of the machine be known. The result is a calculated maximum output. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method of calculating this maximum output, to judge the general applicability or utility of such a calculation, and, so far as possible, to lecord calculated values as a basis for the comparison of actual results, or for estimating the capacity of a new crusher or of a standard crusher working under new conditions. A method for calculating the capacity of crushing rolls, which has been in common use for a long time, is well presented by R. H. Richards.' The output is conceived as a ribbon of rock, of which the breadth, thickness and length are governed respectively by the width of the rolls, the space between them, and their peripheral velocity. The weight of the rock thus crushed in a given time can be calculated from its specific gravity, after applying a factor representing the percentage of voids in the hypothetical ribbon. The calculation of crusher capacity is made in a somewhat similar manner. While the action of rolls is simple, with few irregularities in operating conditions, in rock crushers the material advances intermittently, usually under the force of gravity alone, and is subjected to a variety of variable conditions. The effect of these variable influences upon the calculation of capacity is now to be shown. In this paper, capacity will be discussed quite apart from any consideration of mechanical efficiency; that is, results will be stated not in terms of output per horsepower, but of output for a given machine when operated at a known speed, constructed and adjusted to receive material of a known size, and to yield a product having a definite maximum coarseness.

Jan 1, 1923

By Bernard York, John J. Reed

Mine opening stability was investigated by loading model openings to failure. Eight-inch plaster blocks were cast with small uniform section openings passing through the centers. After curing, the models were jacketed and loaded hydrostatically in a closed vessel. Opening size, shape, and orientation were varied to determine how these factors influence opening stability. THE investigation described in this paper is a continuation of a project begun in 1946 by Bernard York and W. E. Bush. .The experimental method used in the investigation involves the hydrostatic loading of a model mine opening to failure. Most investigators agree that this loading closely approaches actual conditions in very deep mines. The conditions are further idealized by using an essentially isotropic model material. The experiments consist of casting 8-in. plaster cubes, or 8-in. diam cylinders 8-in. long, having a relatively small uniform section hole passing through their centers. After thorough drying, the models are jacketed in a flexible plastic bag and loaded hydrostatically with water in a closed vessel. At about 300 to 500 lb per sq in. pressure the central opening fails. The fracture pattern resulting from opening failure is studied in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the opening. The model block is sawed through its center after loading to expose this plane and to eliminate the possibility of end effect. By changing

Jan 1, 1954

By H. H. Stoek

A study of Americarf coal-mine practice shows two of its distinctive features to be: A greater number of accidents per thousand employees than in any of the other leading coal-producing countries; a much greater percentage of the coal lost than in any of the other leading coal-producing countries. Although our subject is mainly concerned with the second feature, any consideration of mining methods should include safety, efficiency, and economy or costs. If the argument could be offered that our wasteful mining was necessary on account of safety, and that it is carried out with less loss of life than in other countries, the plea for conservation of coal could not he so strongly urged. But when we are wasteful of both life and property, the subject merits more: consideration than it has received. Some coal operators will doubtless say that the unit of accidents should be the number per million tons produced rather than per thousand employees, for by adopting this unit America probably stands in the lead rather than the lowest among the countries. However, vital statistics are not usually so expressed by other governments, by life and accident insurance companies, or in other industries, and it is merely begging the question and attempting to bolster up a bad condition to adopt a peculiar unit for the statement of our accidents. For many years the statement was made by various agencies, and was unchallenged, that "For every ton of bituminous coal mined in the United States a ton had been lost in the way of pillars left in the mines." This statement was undoubtedly true for many years, and although in the past decade some progress has been made toward obtaining a higher extraction, and in some districts very decided progress, the loss is still great; and, although no exact data can be given, it is probable that for the United States as a whole at least one ton is lost for every two mined.

Jan 1, 1923

By H. H. Stoek

A study of Americarf coal-mine practice shows two of its distinctive features to be: A greater number of accidents per thousand employees than in any of the other leading coal-producing countries; a much greater percentage of the coal lost than in any of the other leading coal-producing countries. Although our subject is mainly concerned with the second feature, any consideration of mining methods should include safety, efficiency, and economy or costs. If the argument could be offered that our wasteful mining was necessary on account of safety, and that it is carried out with less loss of life than in other countries, the plea for conservation of coal could not he so strongly urged. But when we are wasteful of both life and property, the subject merits more: consideration than it has received. Some coal operators will doubtless say that the unit of accidents should be the number per million tons produced rather than per thousand employees, for by adopting this unit America probably stands in the lead rather than the lowest among the countries. However, vital statistics are not usually so expressed by other governments, by life and accident insurance companies, or in other industries, and it is merely begging the question and attempting to bolster up a bad condition to adopt a peculiar unit for the statement of our accidents. For many years the statement was made by various agencies, and was unchallenged, that "For every ton of bituminous coal mined in the United States a ton had been lost in the way of pillars left in the mines." This statement was undoubtedly true for many years, and although in the past decade some progress has been made toward obtaining a higher extraction, and in some districts very decided progress, the loss is still great; and, although no exact data can be given, it is probable that for the United States as a whole at least one ton is lost for every two mined.

Jan 1, 1923

By Karl S. Kurtenacker

In attempting to find a rapid and economical means for solving many of the subsurface problems that confront the highway engineer, the author for the past two years has utilized a Megger Ground Tester on resistivity surveys in conjunction with highway construction. Electrical surveys in connection with highway work are largely shallow depth surveys, thus differing from most other types of resistivity work. Consequently, the readings are affected by a great many qualifying factors such as the density and moisture content of the media under observation and the amount of weathering and leaching. In most cases the surface layer is decidedly heterogeneous in character, and, because of the great number of side hill cuts, the second layer, which in most cases is rock overlain by some sort of surface soil, silt, or debris, seldom lies in a horizontal position. Shallow strata, lacking homogeneity and not lying in a horizontal position, do not lend themselves readily to accurate theoretical interpretations, therefore the author has used empirical rules to a large extent in interpreting depth soundings. The following empirical rules of interpretation are surprisingly adequate for highway work, since much of the work is in the nature of reconnaissance surveying and the results are construed to be approximations. The writer is careful not to risk interpretation on some special feature of the curve, since such features are usually due to random errors or lack of homogeneity among the subsurface strata. Effect of Surface Medium A resistivity depth sounding taken to a depth of 200 or 300 ft. is not much affected by superficial conditions, but these conditions have a great effect in depth soundings to 25 or 30 ft. In shallow soundings the character of the surface medium has a very marked effect on the entire resistivity graph. Fig. 1 illustrates a very striking example. Graphs A and B are depth soundings taken in approximately the same place. The surface stratum is a clay loam but at the place where graph B was taken

Jan 1, 1934

By W. T. Thom

Interest naturally attaches to fissuring and subsidence of the earth's surface, whatever the cause may be, and the induced movement and fissuring of the impervious strata overlying an oil sand is of even greater practical importance because of its bearing upon the recoverability of the portion of the oil not already extracted or extractable by ordinary production methods. It is probably true that significant ground movement induced by oil production occurs only in oil fields in relatively young formations, where the oil comes from incoherent or only slightly cemented sands and oil-soaked clays, but inasmuch as a great proportion of our "gusher" wells produce from "running" sands and yield a large part of the total oil output, it seems worth while to make an effort to inspire the collection and recording of data indicating the nature and magnitude of oil-field subsidence, both surface and subsurface. Goose Creek Field The single known instance in which the nature and magnitude of the surface subsidence incident to petroleum withdrawal has been accurately ascertained is that in the Goose Creek oil field of Texas, described by Pratt and Johnson.' There subsidence caused the submergence of a considerable area within the oil field, and, because the title to the naturally submerged lands of Texas rests in the State, it became necessary to determine whether the submergence was due to natural or artificial causes. A detailed study revealed that the sunken area conformed very closely to the limits of the productive oil field and that the cumulative depression over an eight-year period ranged from zero at the margin to 3.25 ft. at the center. This depression was accompanied by the development of local marginal surface fractures along which the subsiding ares

Jan 1, 1927

By Robert L. Voss, Richard D. Hagni

Sparry dolomite from all of the operating mines in the Viburnum Trend of Southeast Missouri have been found by cathodoluminescence microscopy to reveal a systematic pattern of banding resulting from a growth zoning within individual dolomite rhombs. Four principal bands have been recognized throughout the entire Trend and each of the major bands contain even finer internal banding. Minor bands a few microns in width can be correlated in specimens collected ten's of kilometers apart along the trend. The first three principal dolomite bands decrease from south to north. This feature, together with the fact that the white sparry dolomite crystals decrease in abundance from south to north in the Trend, suggests that a major source for the fluids was from the south. The application of cathodoluminescence microscopy to crystalline dolomite demonstrates a strong correlation between ore grade and the intensity of internal banding and dissolution textures.

Jan 1, 1985

By M. R. Louthan

The susceptibility of titanium to stress orientation of hydride precipitates was investigated. It was determined that, when hydride precipitation occurred in titanium under an applied tensile stress of 30,000 psi, the hydrides precipitated on the titanium habit plane oriented most nearly perpendicular to the stress axis. Stress orientation of the hydride platelets occurred because the precipitation of the lower density hydride phase perpendicular to the stress axis caused expansion of the matrix in a direction that tended to relieve the applied stress. The Ti-H system has received considerable study in recent years, mainly because of concern over the effects of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of titanium. The amount of hydrogen present in commercial titanium is now quite low and should have no appreciable effect on its mechanical properties; however, many titanium applications require ex- posure to hydrogenous atmospheres under conditions in which hydrogen pickup is likely. In such cases continued exposures may cause the hydrogen content to increase to the extent that titanium hydride does precipitate as a second phase. The hydride phase has been shown 1,2 to have an adverse effect on the mechanical properties, particularly the impact properties, causing reductions in strength and ductility. BACKGROUND The behavior of titanium is often quite similar to that of zirconium and zirconium-base alloys, and the technology developed on one metal can often be applied to the other. Marshall and Louthan3,4 have shown that Zircaloy is susceptible to stress orientation* of zirconium hydride platelets, and that the platelet orientation has a pronounced effect on the mechanical properties of Zircaloy. They showed that when zirconium hydride precipitated in Zircaloy under an applied stress the hydride platelets tended to be aligned parallel to a compressive stress and perpendicular to a tensile stress. They also showed

Jan 1, 1963

By H. A. Schwartz, W. Kenneth Bock

IN this paper it is shown that when the tensile strength of a given steel in various states of heat-treatment is plotted against its elongation, a straight line results. The equation of this straight line can be computed with considerable accuracy from its chemical composition. The appropriate equations are given. The logarithm of the slope of the tensile-strength locus is shown to be proportional to the cumulative effect of the total alloy addition and the position of the line to be directly proportional to the cumulative effect of the alloy content. It is further pointed out that heat-treatment is more effective than composition in determining yield ratio. The latter enters mainly by its effect on hardenability, which is briefly discussed. Reduction of area and Brinell number are given some incidental attention. The data are applicable only to steels that have been normalized and/or quenched. The steels, if normalized, may or may not have been tempered. If quenched they must have been tempered at or above 400°C. (750°F.).

Jan 1, 1944

By J. A. Danko, C. D. Pears, L. D. Schmidt, J. P. McGee

This paper describes a pilot plant built on the campus of West Virginia University by the Federal Bureau of Mines station at Morgantown, West Virginia, for gasifying pulverized coal in a mixture of oxygen and steam at pressures in the gasifier up to 450 psig. The work upon which this report is based was done under a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Mines and the West Virginia University. The goal of Bureau of Mines work at Morgantown is development of a low-cost process for producing mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen for the modified Fischer-Tropsch synthetic-fuel plants, which may be shifted to produce hydrogen for coal-hydrogenation plants. Gasification with oxygen offers the inducement that the gas may be generated at the pressure at which the gas will be utilized in a gas-synthesis plant. Since the optimum pressure for the synthesis appears to be about 400 psig, the gas should be produced at approximately 450 psig to take care of pressure drops in the purification train and control valves. If the gas is generated at the pressure of utilization, only the oxygen need be compressed, not the raw synthesis gas. This means a saving in power of 5 hp per hour per 1000 cu ft (CO + H2), which is approximately a saving of 4 cents per gallon of gasoline. For example, consider a commercial plant generating 18,000,000 standard cubic feet per hour of raw gas that would produce approximately 10,000bbl of liquid product per stream-day. Assume that this gas would be 85 pd CO + H2 and that the oxygen required would be 320 cu ft per 1000 cu ft of CO + H2. The following estimate is based on a commercial centrifugal compressor. If the 18,000,000 std cu ft per hour of synthesis gas is compressed to 450 psig with 74 pd efficiency, 107,000 hp is required for compression. If the synthesis gas is generated at 450 psig pressure, only

Jan 1, 1953

By E. J. Wasp, T. C. Aude, F. B. Raymer

Abstract-The following paper deals with technical aspects of terminal facilities for western coal pipelines. The information is taken from the Ohio and Black Mesa pipelines and the proposed one in Wyoming. This paper first discusses the feed terminal, the product that it must produce, and the reasons for coal cleaning. Then, in the delivery terminal section, the various methods of dewatering the coal and some recent innovative ideas on bunkering the dewatered product and storing the dewatered coal in large outdoor piles are discussed.

Jan 2, 1978

By G. R. St. Pierre, L. M. Adelsberg, R. Speiser

The rate of scale fot'~I~ti0n on tantalum held in H20-Hz-Ar gns mixtures at temperatures between 840" and 1250°C is related to gas composition and ternpevature. It is found that water vapor partial pressure determines the oxidation rate at a given temperature and that the oxygen potential as fixed by the water vapor to hydrogen ratio Ins no significant effect on the oxidation rate. The Ta205 scale formed during oxidation is composed of an inner lattice-dijf~ision barrier and an outer layer of- cracked/porous oxide 1 HE oxidation of tantalum at temperatures less than 800°C is characterized by solution of oxygen into the metal,'-' the formation and growth of suboxides into the metal,')2~10-15 and the delayed nucleation of the highest oxide, Above 800°C, Ta205 is found to nucleate rapidly10, 11, 15, 16 except at low oxygen pressures:15 however, there is uncertainty regarding which does not retard the oxidation process. For each gas con~position and temperature investigated, the oxidatioz rate becomes constant after a short adjustment period. It is shozm that a constant oxidation rate nzay pre~?ail even though the tlzickness of the inner lattice-dijjitsion layer of Ta205 is clanging. TFze initial czcrz!ature of the typical 'Paralinear" oxidation curve may result froprz causes other than an increasing thickness of tlze inner protective layer. the detailed mechanisms of the high-temperature oxidation. Peterson, Fassell, and wadsworth17 observed linear oxidation behavior for tantalum in oxygen at temperatures between 600" and 1000°C. They reported that equilibrium adsorption of 0, occurs on a surface prior to the rate-deter mining step of the reaction. Cowgill and stringer1' confirmed the observations of Peterson and his coworkers. They stated that the rate-determining step of the reaction could be either the incorporation of adsorbed oxygen into the anion lattice or the dissociation of 0, at the gas-oxide interface. The relative rates of the two surface reactions were proposed to be dependent upon the reaction temperature and the oxygen pressure. stringerlo subsequently reported that the reaction surface is located somewhere

Jan 1, 1968

By K. A. Slagle

Hydraulic analysis of the wellbore has become increasingly inzportant for designing cementing operations and selecting equipment, materials and techniques to complenzent modern well-c-ompletion practices. Non-Newtonian fluid technology has advanced beyond the point where former empirical methods of analysis adequately define the hydraulic system and fluid properties. In view of these factors, this paper describes a series of rheological calculations which have been found practical, through field usage, for assistance in selecting a cementing program. A relatively simple laboratory method using standard viscometric equipment is suggested for determination of the rheological properties of slurries, and clrrta are presented on some of the more common cementitrg conzposition.A. A criterion for divergence from laminar-flow characteristics has been proposed. Usefulness of the calculations is indicated by examples of cementing operations where they have been used. INTRODUCTION With the changing aspects of well-completion practices during the past few years, it has been increasingly important to have a relatively simple method of analyzing the flow conditions existing in the well during cementing operations. This is particularly true in view of the improved economics toward which most of the changes have been directed. Rheological characteristics of slurries used for cementing should be a major consideration in the trend toward smaller casing sizes, either single or multiple strings. Receiving increased attention is the practice advocated in 1948 by Howard and Clark' of attaining turbulent flow with the fluids circulated during a primary cementing operation. While there may still be a difference of opinion concerning this technique, most available information indicates that superior primary-cementing results are generally obtained when high displacement rates are employed. Fluid properties of the slurry to be used must be available, as well as calculation methods, to determine what flow rates should be attained and the probable consequences in terms of frictional pressure and horsepower utilization. It would certainly be inappropriate to attempt high displacement velocities if sufficient pressure might be developed to create lost circulation. Since cementing slurries are non-Newtonian fluids, it is not possible to define their rheological or fluid properties by the single factor of viscosity and then make calculations for the quantities just described. Because the shear stress-shear rate ratio is not constant: it becomes necessary to establish at least two parameters for adequate fluid-flow calculations. It is not the purpose of this paper to delve into the mathematical development of non-Newtonian technology, nor to discuss the arbitrary classification system under which a single fluid may resemble two or three different classes depending upon experimental conditions. Rather, the intention is to present a useful series of calculations based on a concept applicable to both Newtonian fluids and to the preponderance of non-Newtonian fluids encountered in the oil-producing industry. Development of this approach was begun some 32 years ago,' and has most recently been brought to fruition by Metzner and his co-workers at the U. of Deleware. Some non-Newtonian fluids encountered in the petroleum industry, other than cementing slurries, have also had the benefit of this method of analysis."' The two parameters required to define the fluid are usually denoted by the symbols n' and K' and, for the purposes of this discussion, are called "flow behavior index" and "consistency index", respectively. These two slurry properties permit calculation of the Reynolds' number and the "critical" velocity, or the velocity at which departure from laminar flow begins. EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATIONS The two principal instruments used for rheological studies are the pipeline (capillary-tube) viscometer and the rotational viscometer. When conveniently possible, a capillary-tube viscometer (where the pressure drop and flow rate of the material can be measured) is the better method for rigorous determination of the flow behavior index and consistency index for non-Newtonian fluids. With pressure-drop data at various flow rates, it is then possible to prepare a logarithmic plot of shear rate as the abscissa-shear stress as the ordinate. For fluids which do not exhibit time-dependency, these data will usually produce a straight line. The flow behavior index n' represents the slope of this line, while the consistency index K' becomes the intercept of this line at unity shear rate in accordance with the mathematical derivations associated with this concept of rheology. Due to the difficulties anticipated in maintaining a uniform, pumpable cement slurry for the time interval required to obtain measurements from the pipe viscometer, the n' and K' data reported herein were obtained using a direct-indicating rotational viscometer (Fig. 2). The

By R. A. Breitrick, J. N. Swinderman, J. J. Cooper, H. L. Bauer Jr.

The Robinson Mining District, near Ely, Nev., is one of the major porphyry copper districts in the world. Within the district is an eight mile long east-trending zone of altered porphyry, metamorphosed sedimentary rocks, and sulphide mineralization surrounded by Paleozoic limestone, dolomite, shale and sandstone, Tertiary volcanics, and Quaternary alluvium. Six major disseminated ore deposits have been exploited in this zone. About 20% of the district production has come from disseminated ore in metamorphosed sedimentary rocks found adjacent to altered quartz-monzonite porphyry. The following brief statements summarize some of the relations between porphyry alteration, metamor-phism, and mineralization: 1) Disseminated copper ore does not occur in unaltered porphyry or in m-metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. 2) Sedimentary rocks have been only weakly metamorphosed where intruded by unaltered porphyry. 3) Intensely metamorphosed sedimentary rocks are found only adjacent to altered porphyry. 4) Many hydrothermal minerals are common to both altered porphyry and adjacent metamorphosed sediments. 5) Disseminated ore is found in altered porphyry and adjacent metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. 6) In general, there is a direct correlation between grade of ore in porphyry and copper content in the adjacent rocks. 7) Chemical changes in the altered porphyry and metamorphosed rocks appear to be related. The foregoing relations support a hypothesis that the porphyry alteration, the metamorphism of the sedimentary rocks, and the ore deposition were all part of a continuous hydrothermal process which probably closely attended the porphyry intrusion. The Robinson Mining District, most often referred to as the Ruth or Ely District, is located in eastern Nev. and is one of the major porphyry copper districts of the world. Production from 1908 through 1962 was nearly 250 million tons of ore averaging a little over one percent copper with a total metal value of nearly one billion dollars. The ore has been produced from six major disseminated-type deposits with the Liberty Pit deposit accounting for 70% of the total district production. Less than one million tons of base metal and gold ores have been produced from the replacement-type deposits of the district. Approximately 20% of the district production has come from underground mining operations; the pit ore has been mined with shovels and removed by train haulage, truck-train haulage combinations, truck haulage, and presently by a combination truck-skip system. Many of the ore deposits formerly worked by underground methods have been and are being exploited by open pit methods. (See Fig. I.) Two co.'s have accounted for virtually the entire production from the district. In 1958 Kennecott Copper Corp. acquired the district assets of Consolidated Coppermines Corp. and is now the sole ore producer in the district. Present operations are confined to the Liberty Pit where 22,500 tons of ore averaging a little less than 0.8% copper is mined per day. Cutoff grade is 0.4% copper, and the stripping ratio is three to one. The ore is hauled by rail 23 miles to the McGill Reduction Plant where it is concentrated to about 20% copper. Molybdenite is recovered as a by-product in the mill. The copper concentrates are smelted in McGill, and the blister copper is shipped for refining to Balt. where gold, silver, platinum and palladium are recovered. The Robinson Mining District has been well known as a porphyry copper district for the past fifty years, but many geologists are unaware of the fact that a large portion of the production has come from disseminated ore found in metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. The scope of this paper describes the occurrences of disseminated ore in the various metamorphosed sedimentary rocks, and presents evidence for the hypothesis that these ores are genetically, spacially, and coevally related to the disseminated ore in the porphyry rocks. Publication of this paper was granted by the management of Kennecott Copper Corp. A. H. James suggested and encouraged the writing of the manuscript. Special mineralogical and spectrographic analyses were performed by the Kennecott Research Center. The deposits of the district have been studied by many geologists since the turn of the century, and

Jan 1, 1964

By C.H. Davis, W.H. Bassett

The ease and value of the application of spectrum analysis to industrial chemistry appears to be appreciated in few of the large works laboratories of this country. For 8 years, this analysis has been of great value to the authors in both analytical and metallurgical work. To the analyst the complete qualitative analysis of an unknown alloy, revealed by a spectrogram, is a sure basis for the planning of the most direct and rapid method of attack. As the determination of each element proceeds, the purity of precipitates may be checked as often as desired. The spectrograph proves invaluable in the recognition of impurities, the separation of which would entail a lengthy and difficult procedure, or when the weight of an unknown is less than is necessary to complete the desired determinations. A few hundredths of a gram will usually suffice for spectrographic analysis. In the separation of the rarer elements, the spectrograph will show, with precision, the point where each step has been successful. In zinc of certain classes, indium, gallium, and germanium have been isolated in this way; the presence of antimony in lake coppers has been proved; and bismuth has been detected in zinc and in alloys where the presence of a few thousandths of a per cent. would be harmful. An antimony precipitate in a delicate determination may contain a considerable proportion of tin or arsenic, both of which will be revealed. The spectrograph is consequently important to the metallurgist as well as to the analyst. Impurities in raw material are often a source of annoyance, especially when their detection involves delay and costly analytical work. Whethcr low conductivity in copper is due to arsenic, nickel, or something else may be cluickly found out. Residual traces of boron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, vanadium, and other deoxidizing agents are easily identified where wet analysis may fail to reveal their presence, even after days of effort. Complex alloys of any kind are dissociated by the spectro-

Jan 1, 1923

By W. H. Bassett, C. H. Davis

The ease and value of the application of spectrum analysis to industrial chemistry appears to be appreciated in few of the large works laboratories of this country. For 8 years, this analysis has been of great value to the authors in both analytical and metallurgical work. To the analyst the complete qualitative analysis of an unknown alloy, revealed by a spectrogram, is a sure basis for the planning of the most direct and rapid method of attack. As the determination of each element proceeds, the purity of precipitates may be checked as often as desired. The spectrograph proves invaluable in the recognition of impurities, the separation of which would entail a lengthy and difficult procedure, or when the weight of an unknown is less than is necessary to complete the desired determinations. A few hundredths of a gram will usually suffice for spectrographic analysis. In the separation of the rarer elements, the spectrograph will show, with precision, the point where each step has been successful. In zinc of certain classes, indium, gallium, and germanium have been isolated in this way; the presence of antimony in lake coppers has been proved; and bismuth has been detected in zinc and in alloys where the presence of a few thousandths of a per cent. would be harmful. An antimony precipitate in a delicate determination may contain a considerable proportion of tin or arsenic, both of which will be revealed. The spectrograph is consequently important to the metallurgist as well as to the analyst. Impurities in raw material are often a source of annoyance, especially when their detection involves delay and costly analytical work. Whethcr low conductivity in copper is due to arsenic, nickel, or something else may be cluickly found out. Residual traces of boron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, vanadium, and other deoxidizing agents are easily identified where wet analysis may fail to reveal their presence, even after days of effort. Complex alloys of any kind are dissociated by the spectro-

Jan 1, 1923

By Ernest A. Hersam

The small amalgamation-test of the laboratory is not always reliable as a basis for important decisions as to the character and commercial treatment of ores. The conditions of continuous practice on a large scale are not always reproduced in the brief laboratory-test. Sometimes such a reproduction would be very difficult, or impracticable; sometimes it is not even attempted, and the test is performed in a rough way, without regard to the effects of small variations in the methods pursued. The aim of a laboratory amalgamation-test is to learn how much of the gold or silver in an ore can be economically recovered by amalgamation on a commercial scale. The yield can be increased, perhaps, by additional chemical treatment or by extreme comminution of the ore; but this might cost more than the value of such increase. Moreover, in practice, other operations often follow amalgamation; and these operations may remedy a defective extraction by amalgamation, more economically than could be done by directly increasing that extraction. The test should be performed, therefore, upon a uniformly-sized material, and under conditions that are precisely known and capable of being exactly duplicated, or purposely modified. The crucial feature of the test is the effectiveness of the contact made between the gold or silver of the ore and the amal-gamating-surfme. This may depend upon the temperature; the duration of contact; its force, due to gravity or impact; the hardness, plasticity or liquidity of the amalgam; the roughness or other quality of the amalgam-surface; the scouring action of the ore upon the amalgam, or the suspension and

Jan 1, 1905