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By H. J. Rose

Graphic methods have long been used to advantage in dealing with diverse phases of fuel technology and research. Not only are graphs convenient for presenting data and making calculations, but they are invaluable for deriving generalizations from a mass of data. This is particularly true when relationships are obscure and numerical correlation is poor. This paper describes a new form of graph, the Multibasic Coal Chart, which has been developed to facilitate the study and comparison of coals of all ranks from peat to anthracite on any moisture and purity basis. This type of chart is of unique value for coal classification purposes, since it permits a direct visual comparison of the results obtained when coals are classified by the various systems which have been proposed. Coals are highly variable in character as a result of wide differenees in original vegetal ingredients, degree of metamorphism, and nature and amount of associated impurities. For nearly 100 years, attempts have been made to devise a satisfactory method of classification, and many tables, formulas, ratios and graphs have been suggested. Many of the suggested systems possess considerable merit and have found a limited use, thus promoting a better understanding of coal. However, objections have been raised against each system, and none has received general adoption. When the various systems of classification are compared, it is found that there is an apparently almost hopeless confusion due to: 1. Serious lack of agreement as to the proper moisture and purity basis on which to classify coal. More than ten different bases have been proposed, each of which requires complete recalculat.ion of the analysis data used. 2. Lack of agreement as to what chemical and physical properties are most important and best to use for classification purposes. There is too little knowledge of the degree to which these properties can be correlated.

Jan 1, 1930

By George H. West, Ross Cummings, L. V. Steck, B. P. Little, Robert D. Pike

The drilling of constantly deeper oil wells has made it imperative that the manufacturer of casing be ever searching for new methods and new materials to meet the increased demands. One phase of this search constitutes the subject matter of the present paper. Starting from the original Drake well in 1859, the depth of wells has advanced by leaps and bounds, until today depths of 6000 to 8000 ft. are common. Conditions point to the necessity for drilling to greater depths, and it is not at all improbable that much of the future oil produc- tion will be from wells around 10,000 ft. deep. The trend to deeper wells is nicely illustrated by the curve in Fig. 1.l The points plotted are the maximum depths attained in the various pools which were at their peak for the years given. It may be of some interest to observe the change that has taken place in the tensile and collapsing stresses over the last 25 years. The pressure at the bottom of a 900-ft. hole, equivalent to the pressure caused by an equal column of water, is only 450 1b. per sq. in. The equivalent water pressure corresponding to the depth of the deepest hole today would be 4762 1b. per sq, inch.

Jan 1, 1930

Ninetecn papers and a round table. as follows: The Future of the American Iron and Steel Industry (Howe memorial Lecture), by Zay Jeffries; Rote of Carbon Elimination and Degree of Oxidation of metal Hath in Isasic Open-hearth Practice. 11, by ,Alexander L. Feild; A New Method for determining lron Oxide in Liquid Steel, by C. H. Herty. Jr., J. M. Gaines. Jr., H. Freeman and M. W. Lightner; I'racticsl Obarrvntions on Manufacture of basic Open-hearth, High-carbon Killed Steel, by W. J. Itcagan; Production of Gray lron from steel Scrap in the Electric Furnace, by T. F. Baily; reclaim ing Steel-foundry Sanda, by A. H. Dierker; Influence of Rate of Cooling on Dendritic Structure and Microstructure of Some Hypocutectoid Steel, by Albert Sauveur and C. H. Chou; Transformation of Austcnite at Constant Subcritiral Temprratures, by I?. S. Dnvenport and E. C. Bain; Progress Notes on the Iron-silicon Equilibrium Diagram, by Bradley stoughton and S. Greiner; Influence of Nitrogen on Special Steels and Some Experiments on Case-hardening with Nitrogen; by Shun-ichi Satoh; Production and Some properties of Large Iron Crystals, by N. A. Ziegler: Tensile Properties of Rail and Other Steels at Elevated Temperatures, by John R. Freeman, Jr. and G. Willard Quick; Endurance Properties of Steel in Steam, by T. S. Fullcr; Development of Casing for Deep Wells; a Study of Structural Alloy Steels, by F. W. Bremmer; Electrolytic Iron from Sulfide Ores. by Robert D. Pike, George H. West, L. V. Steek, Ross Cummings and B. P. Littlc; Sintering Limonitic Iron Ores at Ironton, Minnesota, by Perry G. Harrison; Concentration of the mesabi Ilematites, by E. W. Davia; Resistance of Iron Ores to Decrepitation and Mechanical Work, by T. L. Joseph and E. P. Barrett; Experiments Demonstrate Method of Producing Artificial Manganese Ore, by T. L. Joseph, E. P. Barrett and C. E. Wood; Iron Ore Round Table.

Jan 1, 1930

By Russell C., Fleming

FOK, many years the officials of the Magma Copper Co. mine at Superior, Ariz., have had to contend with adverse conditions underground in the form of high rock temperatures, hot water, and high relative humidity. These conditions in the mine have been such that working the mine would have been impossible were it not for the constantly expanding and improved sys- tem of ventilation to produce bearable conditions in the working places. Results that have already been achieved make an interesting study of what can be done along those lines. From the time the mine was first opened in 1910 it has been hot. An idea of the conditions that have persistently been encountered can be obtained from parts of the mine that are not being worked at present or that do not yet have sufficient ventilation. Virgin rock temperatures as determined in drill holes at the faces range from 104° to 116°*. An observation made at the face of No. 5 West footwall drift on the 2800-ft. level.

Jan 1, 1930

By T. L. Joseph

LARGE deposits of manganiferous iron ores, representing several million tons of metallic manganese, occur in the United States. The Minnesota deposits of such ore-are of outstanding importance because of their size, state of development, ease of mining and proximity to the Great Lakes, which permits water transportation to steel centers. In' view of the fact that our steel industry requires large quantities of manganese, for which no satisfactory substitute-has been found, and because our reserves of ferro-grade ore are comparatively small, the development of methods that will make our large deposits of manganiferous iron ores available as a source of ferromanganese is an important problem. Realizing the importance of this problem, some years ago the North Central Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the Minnesota School of Mines Experiment Station undertook jointly the development of methods for recovering the manganese content of manganiferous iron ores in a: form suitable for the production of ferromanganese, the 80 per cent. alloy indispensable in producing steel. Two types of manganiferous iron ores have been described in previous reports. I The brown ores are higher in iron and lower in manganese than the black ores; the black ores are more siliceous but contain less phosphorus. The utilization of the iron content of the brown ores in the production of steel appears to furnish the best basis for their treat-ment. The method of attack has been to work out modifications in iron and steel practice so as to recover manganese in the form of slag comparable to ferro-grade ores. The greater part of the experimental work has been conducted with a 6-ton blast furnace and a Y2-ton basic open hearth. This paper is devoted mainly to open-hearth tests in which high-phosphorus spiegel

Jan 1, 1930

By R. L. Templin

THE modulus of elasticity is defined as the ratio of stress within the proportional limit to corresponding strain. This property, as thus defined, is a constant for each kind of material; and in tension or compression is usually designated by the symbol E. The modulus of elasticity serves as an index of the stiffness of a material or a measure of its ability to resist change of shape under stresses not higher than the proportional limit. In view of the frequency with which the modulus of elasticity is used in engineering calculations, it is surprising to note the uncertainty that exists as to authentic values, and the marked lack of published information relating to the variation of the constant E within individual alloy systems. A value of 10,000,000 lb. per sq. in. has been quoted as representative of aluminum and its alloys. This value has been found to be approximately correct for pure aluminum and aluminum alloys in which the total percentage of the alloying elements is low, but seriously in error in the case of alloys that contain relatively large amounts of the alloying elements.

Jan 1, 1930

By I. G. Grettum, Eugene A. Stephenson

The flooding process was originally the result of accidents to casing and tubing, but it has gradually passed from an accidental condition to a definite engineering procedure. In spite of the general sheetlike char-acter of the major sand body, the position of shale bands, their thickness, the size of the grain and variations in effective porosity all give the sand different characteristics in different layers and in different places in the same layer. This condition has an important influence on the movement of flood oil and water, and on the yield per acre, as well as a bearing on what shall be considered the best method of handling flood wells. . A valuation takes into consideration six factors: (1) Flooding methods, of which four have been in common use, as follows, in order of effective recovery, (a) circular flood, (b) line flood, (c) five-spot and (d) five-spot with delayed drilling; (2) recovery per acre, which is definitely related to the oil content, the porosity, the method of flooding, the spacing program, and the continuity of the water supply; (3) the rate of production per well per day, which is definitely related to the mcthod of flooding, the oil content and the porosity of the sands; (4) the operating cost of the well, including royalty, overhead, taxes, etc. (Operating costs are usually expressed as unit cost per barrel.); (5) the expected price per barrel. It is safer to use the average price over a number of years than to attempt to forecast future price fluctuations. The discount factor (the sixth factor) used in appraisal of Bradford flood properties should be less than that commonly applied to other properties, because the hazards of operations have been reduced almost to those of a manufacturing industry.

Jan 1, 1930

By T. L. Joseph

THE United States Bureau of Mines has been studying the blast-furnace process for, about ten years. An experimental furnace was developed by the bureau in cooperation with the Minnesota School of Mines Experiment Station, University of Minnesota. Many data have been obtained and published.1 Royster, Joseph and Kinney§(48) found that the particle size of ore had an important effect upon the blast-furnace, process. Kinney(28) stated: Economy in blast-furnace practice depends largely upon efficient gas-solid contact in the shaft of the furnace. If efficient work is not done in the shaft, the hearth and bosh will not function properly. A condition may be readily imagined where the particles of ore in the shaft are so large that the time entailed in the descent of these materials into the bosh is not sufficient to permit proper reduction and preparation prior to the time the ore enters the bosh of the furnace. Another condition may be pictured where the density of the stock column and the flow of stock is such that the ore will take one course and the gas another. Both of these examples will result in insufficient contact between the gas and the ore. Unreduced ore will reach the hearth, and the gas which has not been efficiently oxidized will reach the stock line. The result is the use of an excess of carbon in the smelting process. It is obvious that fine ore particles occurring in the ore as charged, or . formed in the furnace due to heat and mechanical action, place a definite limitation upon the efficiency of the operation. There is also an economic loss of fine material as dust.

Jan 1, 1930

By Charles Eichrodt

THE ore that is being treated by the present plant lies between the leached zone, or capping, and the mixed sulfide and oxide zone. The principal copper minerals are chalcanthite (CuSO4.5H20), brochantite (CuS04 3Cu (OH)2) and atacarnite, (CuC12.3Cu (OH)2). There are, in addition, some other minerals such as cuprite and kröhnkite (CuSO4. Na2SO4.2H20). These minerals, with many others, occur in a greatly crushed granodiorite rock. Most of the copper-bearing minerals occur in the cracks and veinlets, but there are disseminated values and it is probably the relative proportion of these that accounts for some otherwise unexplainable variations in extraction. The entire mineralization of the ore is complex and varies with depth. This variation, the problems presented thereby, and the effect of various constituents of the ore will be taken up in detail. An analysis of an unweighted composite of the ore treated during 1927 follows:

Jan 1, 1930

By Barnabas Bryan

In the year 1875, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, acting on incorrect information concerning the production of oil and gas, established what has become the law of the land for the governing of oil production. While the decision was ideal for the refining monopoly which was completed in that year, there is no evidence that the court was in any way influenced by that refining monopoly. The evidence indicates that the court accepted the view of the royalty owner and independent oil producer. Throughout the life of the refining monopoly it accepted this law, which was so evidently to its advantage in securing cheap raw material. The same policy continued until the development of the exhaustion theory and the entry of the various units of the former monopoly into the production of crude oil. It is curious that no one doubted the new theory of shortage sufficiently to feel the need of changing the law. When the theory entered the economic field sufficiently to raise crude oil prices beyond justification it shortly disproved itself, but by this time the question of split ownership in producing fields made a change from legal error to justice too complicated to be undertaken by the large companies. Not even the ardent advocate of unit operation dared to carry the question to the United States Supreme Court, which has never been asked to pass on the complete question. The impossible position of the producing industry, hemmed in on one side by court law compelling wasteful production and on the other by the national law against cooperation, lasted until the demoralization of 1927 led to cooperation within a state and under state guidance. Since that time control of production has grown with the bringing in of each new field and at this time has the active support of the Department of the Interior in such ways as are definitely legal. As in 1875, the royalty owner and independent producer are opposing by all possible means the rational conduct of the business of producing crude oil. Fluctuation in Investments The investor in oil securities has not been as badly fooled as has the oil man himself. Fig. 1 is designed to show the composite regard of all

Jan 1, 1930

By H. R. Hanley

ELECTROLYTIC zinc produced from sulfate solution and, with pure lead anodes is always contaminated with a small and varying percentage of lead. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the characteristics of several lead alloys and their influence on the products of electrolysis and power consumption. The study of alloyed anodes has been a matter of interest for some years. Tainton, Taylor and Ehrlinger prepared a highly interesting paper1 on this subject a year ago, in which the effects of silver-lead and some ternary alloys of lead-silver-tin were described. The present paper describes a study of various combinations of 10 metals. The general plan of the work provides for the fabrication of the alloyed anode, its adequate conditioning by preparatory electrolytic operation, the production of cathode zinc and its analysis, the determination of the anode polarization, and other features. A list of the anodes tested, showing composition and polarization at various current densities together with the lead assay of the cathode zinc, is shown in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1930

Apart from the general cooperation received in many quarters, the Unitization Committee desires to make specific acknowledgment to the following individuals for assistance rendered in the study to this time. California.—Committee members: Joseph Jensen, chairman, L. L. Brundred, E. M. Butterworth, H. Norton Johnson, D. B. Myers, W. R. Wardner; others who contributed: C. R. McCollom, F. C. Merritt, E. B. Noble, Ralph Arnold, J. R. Pemberton, Roy R. Morse, T. F. Stipp, John R. Roberts, R. D. Bush, Alexander Anderson, J. A. Taff, F. 0. Martin, J. E. Van Gundy, E. K. Parks, A. C. Rubel, Lew Suverkrop, W. L. McLaine, Gerard Henny, Walter Stalder, Lester C. Uren, Hoyt S. Gale, W. L. Walker. Rocky Mountain.—Fred E. Wood, chairman, J. G. Bartram, C. E. Dobbin, Wilson B. Emery, Charles E. Erdman, R. D. Hawley, E. W. Krampert, Foster Morrell, W. T. Nightingale, K. B. Nowels, C. M. Rath, Earl Shoenfelt, J. W. Steele, E. T. Wilson, J. J. Zorichak. Kansas-Oklahoma.—Committee members: C. E. Beecher, chairman, A. W. Ambrose, R. C. Hauber, Clyde Alexander, R. F. MacArthur, C. R. Swarts, M. M. Valerius, E. H. Griswold, G. 6. Rollin, L. Murray Newman, David L. Trax, Richard K. Huey, Marvin Lee, Harry Johnson; others who contributed: E. A. Carr, Paul S. Ache, K. C. Slater, R. S. McFarland, J. R. McWilliams, Joseph Chalmers, Henry A. Ley, Dorsey IIager, H. C. George, W. K. Whiteford, L. G. E. Bignell, L. E. Smith, George E. Burton. Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico.—Frederic H. Lahee, chairman, Donald C. Barton, C:. E. Beecher, Olin G. Bell, G. E. Campbell, Paul Wagner, John West, Robin Willis, J. M. Forgotson, E. J. Gorman, P. S. Haury, Marvin Lee, C. F. Lytle, L. H. McBee, T. F. Petty, C. C. Pope, F. S. Prout, J. C. Stewart, J. R. Suman, L. P. Teas, W. C. Thompson, A. F. Truex, R. B. Campbell, M. G. Cheney, P. C. Dean, F. W. DeWolf, Dugald Gordon, B. A. Hardey, F. E. Heath, J. F. Lucey, George C. Matson, W. H. Perot, T. W. Pew, W. A. Price, W. A. -Reiter, R. C. Stewart. Eastern United States and Foreign Fields.—H. H. Hill and E. L. Estabrook, chairmen; Dr. Richard Ambronn, Gottingen, Germany; Arthur R. Andrew,

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1930

By Robert Pike

THE first authentic description of an iron bath for the deposition of iron is probably that of Bottger in 1846, who used a bath containing ferrous sulfate and ammonium chloride. In 1861, Kramer deposited iron from ferrous chloride solution. Electrolytic iron was produced in 1.869 by Bietz, who used it for making some magnetic tests. In the same year, Klein is said to have worked out his process. Jacobi1 in 1869 described the results obtained in electroplating with iron on copper for making dies and plates for bank notes, by Klein's process. A letter from Klein to Jacobi describes the bath more fully. It consisted of FeSO4 + (NH4)2S04. Lenz2 described ?some properties of electrolytically precipitated iron. He used Klein's bath, FeSO4 + MgSO4 + MgCO3, to neutralize and obtained fine-grained and hard iron. His conclusions were as follows: 1. Electrolytic iron and copper contain gases, notably hydrogen. 2. The volume of gas absorbed by iron varies within wide limits, but it is easy for iron to take up very considerable quantities of gas. 3. The absorption of gas is principally in the first formed layers of iron. 4. When iron is heated, gas begins to come off below 100°, principally hydrogen. 5. Heated to redness, reduced iron oxidizes in water, in part at least at the expense of the oxygen of the water, decomposing it and setting free hydrogen, which is partly or wholly absorbed. Siemens,3 in 1889, was the first to propose a general process embodying a step for leaching a sulfide mineral with ferric chloride or sulfate and a step for regenerating the leach and depositing iron on a cathode in a diaphragm cell. So far as is known, Siemens did not carry out his patent

Jan 1, 1930

By Horace Knerr

IT has been shown1 that the resistance to corrosion of duralumin sheet is greatly influenced by the quenching medium used in heat treatment, or, more specifically, by the rate of cooling during quenching. The severity of corrosive attack after exposure to salt-water spray increases in the following order: DEGREE OF CORROSION, BY INSPECTION, QUENCHING MEDIUM AFTER 30 DAYS OF SALT-WATER SPRAY TEST; Water, cold (60° F.) Very slight. Water boiling Slight, but more than with cold water. Oil (70° F.) Slight, but more than with cold water. Air, fan blast, 65° F Severe, scaled. Air, still, 65° F Deeply scaled. The tensile strength, yield point and elongation are only slightly affected by the quenching medium, as shown in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1930

By Reinhardt Thiessen

During the last few years a type of coal called "splint coal" has been brought to the attention of the United States Bureau of Mines, through numerous inquiries concerning its nature. Until recent years it appears to have escaped general notice. The term "splint coal" is of long standing, but was thought to be merely another expression applied by the miner to coal having certain minor characteristics. When closely examined, however, these coals were found to form a marked and distinct type, with distinctive characteristics that cannot be mistaken. Because splint coals produce a hot cheerful flame, possess a clean blocklike nature, and have a high volatile content, they have lately become much valued for domestic, gas-producer and steaming purposes, and have attracted considerable attention. Mattkohle For many years we have heard from the Germans about Mattkohle and Streifenkohle, in contradistinction to Glanzkohle, but have not realized that they were of a different type from the coals with which we were most familiar. This type of coal was first brought to general notice by Muck, in 1881, who gave a good description of it.' Because this coal is often intercalated with thin sheets of brightly shining cod, Schondorff, who was more familiar with the Saar coals, called it Streifernkohle. This term was later used by Muck also. Still later Potoné² used this term exclusively for the whole group in contradistinction to a class called Glanzkohle, and considered these coals to be composed alternately of Humuskohle and Faulkohle or Mattkohle (Pig. 20). Not knowing the nature of the German coals and not realizing that the term Streifenkohle was applied to a distinct class of coal, the terms of its components as used by Potonié and others were translated to "bright Coal" and "dull coal" and applied to the components of our

Jan 1, 1930

By Bradley Stoughton

As a part of the systematic study of the alloys of iron under the auspices of the Engineering Foundation, and preliminary to the commencement of comprehensive work on this larger subject, the authors have undertaken an investigation of the available literature dealing: with the alloys of iron and silicon. The purpose is to collect all the data in English and foreign languages and present them in two mono-graphs, one of a more scientific and the second of a more industrially useful nature. Of course, a great deal of information upon the constitution of the iron-silicon alloys was found specificially upon the changes of phase in the equilibrium diagram and the different phases present, such as solid solution, chemical compounds (iron silicides), etc. While no extended research was contemplated in the particular study undertaken, nevertheless the data collected proved to be so contradictory in many respects that a simple study of some of the outstanding problems involved in the constitution and equilibrium diagram was undertaken Because research was not a primary object of the work, and also because of the extreme industrial importance of the silicon alloys between 0.80 and 14 per cent. silicon, and finally because of the unsatisfactory state of knowledge existing as to these alloys, the experimental investigation was limited entirely to alloys with less than 10 per cent. silicon.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. L. Estabrook, H. H. Hill

This report summarizes the information that was obtained by the Committee on Unit Operation in Eastern United States and in the foreign countries. Letters and questionnaires were sent to all of the Eastern members of the Petroleum Division of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and to those who are living outside of the United States, asking them to advise the Committee of any unit operations that are in effect in the various countries of the world and to furnish the names of men to whom inquiries should be directed for detailed information on the different projects. The response to the Committee's request is worthy of note. Practically all of the members who had knowledge of foreign operations replied to the questionnaire and not only furnished information that was of value to the Committee, but they evidenced a real interest in the subject of unit operations and assured the Committee of their willingness to assist in every way possible in order to make the study a success. The Committee wishes, at this time, to express its appreciation of the excellent cooperation that was received from the members of the A. I. M. E. to whom questionnaires were sent. Unfortunately, the limited time that has been given to this survey did not permit the collection of detailed data on the different unit operations that are now in effect. It required several weeks to get back replies from the members located in some of the foreign countries and as a result the men who were asked to furnish information on the various projects have not had sufficient time to submit the detailed data that were requested. The Committee has been assured, however, that information relating to a number of unit operations will be furnished in the near future. Part of the delay has been due to the fact that the purpose of the study was not understood and because the terms "unit" and "near-unit" operations were not clearly defined. In the foreign countries, practically all of the operations in noncompetitive fields are on concessions or leases that have been granted to a single company and for that reason

Jan 1, 1930

By Roy D. McLellan

Electrolytic production of cadmium at the Great Falls plant started in the first part of the year 1925. Prior to that time, an experimental unit had been in operation for a few months during the year 1922. At present the plant is the largest producer of cadmium, not only in the United States but in the world. Electrolytic cadmium is characterized by its very low content of impurities. The main impurities, which are lead, copper, zinc and iron, do not aggregate more than 0.05 per cent., leaving a cadmium content better than 99.95 per cent. The consumption of cadmium has increased rapidly since the war, with the growing use in the plating industry. Cadmium plating has come into prominence because of its connection with the automobile and radio industries. As a protective coating, a deposit of cadmium is superior to zinc. Cadmium is also used extensively in alloys. Important among these is the alloy with copper used in telephone and trolley wire. In proportion of 0.5 to 1.2 per cent., cadmium adds materially to the strength and wearing qualities. Practically all commercial zinc concentrates contain a small amount of cadmium. In the electrolytic zinc process, the cadmium that is dissolved in the regular leaching operation is removed from solution with metallic zinc, generally added in the form of zinc dust. This precipitate also contains the copper taken into solution and the excess of zinc dust, which is required in order to insure a complete removal of all impurities. The precipitate is treated by a separate process to recover the copper, cadmium and excess zinc. In order to make the metals more soluble and to render insoluble such impurities as iron, arsenic and antimony, the precipitate is roasted. The roasting is carried out in gas-fired McDougall furnaces, with a roasting temperature of about 700' C. The roasted residue is leached with dilute sulfuric acid, spent electrolyte from the zinc electrolyzing, containing 10 to 12 per cent. free H2S04. The leaching is done in cylindrical tanks of 30 tons capacity, agitated

Jan 1, 1930

By A. M. Gow

THE trend in ball milling has been toward mills of larger diameter, but without fundamental laws as a guide. The speeds at which mills are run have been a matter of cut-and-try. This paper deals with both diameter and speed and proposes to show the laws which apply to some laboratory ball mills, ranging in diameter from 18 to 42 in., run at various speeds. The correlation of power, speed, and grinding rate of the respective mills will be shown by curves of markedly significant similarity. Before presenting the results some consideration will be given to the mechanics of ball milling.

Jan 1, 1930