Search Documents

By Elmer R. Kaiser

Industry Adopts Research: Seventy-Ave years ago Thomas A. Edison began in a modest way and with limited funds to gather about him men of various talents to form the first industrial research laboratory. His laboratory at Menlo Park, N. J., became famous for many discoveries and inventions, but possibly the most important of all may yet be the industrial research laboratory itself. Today, private industry operates 2500 research laboratories in which 135,000 persons' are directly and indirectly creating new processes and products and improving old ones, as well as developing new information to help keep the fountain of knowledge from running dry. In this change-making function, the scientific personnel comprises 41 pct; the technical personnel 26 pct; and the balance, 33 pct, nontechnical. The term "industrial research" has become so broad as to include almost everything beginning with the search for and discovery of the laws governing the properties of matter and energy to the development and testing of processes, methods, and equipment. These classes of investigation commonly merge so that no sharp boundary can be traced between them. The National Research Council therefore defines industrial research as "the endeavor to learn how to apply scientific facts to the service of mankind."' Currently, expenditures for research by industry are variously estimated at between $450,000,000 to $700,000,000 a year,' or about twice the expenditure for 1940. The President's Scientific Research Board" estimated that the national research and development for 1947 (excluding atomic energy) was as follows: A few companies spend as much as 5 pct of their gross receipts for research, but 1% to 2 pct is considered a good proportion by many." Shortages: Commendable as is the record of growth and accomplishment of science in industry, it is only a beginning. America and the rest of the world have merely sampled the fruits of industrial research; most industries have yet to make research the key to their future. A top research consultant, T. A. Boyd, of General Motors, states ". . . perhaps 90 per cent of all companies still have no research laboratories."Y or example, of more than 17,000 manufacturing concerns whose gross sales exceed $500,000 a year, less than 2500 have research laboratories. A still smaller proportion of the 184,230 manufacturing establishments in 161 industriese have or could afford their own research facilities. Yet, the small and mediurn-sized com,panies with less than 250 employees each, produce one half of the dollar volume of manufactured products.' How are these companies to participate in and share the benefits of research? Boyd gives two reasons for the inadequate number of laboratories in industry: Many people still do not appreciate the importance of research, nor understand its tremendous potentiali-

Jan 1, 1951

By Peretti, E. A.

Since its development about forty years ago by J. V. N. Dorr (Cyanidation and Concentration of Gold and Silver Ores, McGraw Hill Book Co., 1936, 1-5), and others, continuous countercurrent decantation has not only become one of the standard methods for extracting gold and silver from their ores, but has also found wide application in other metallurgical and chemical industries. In 1917 L. B. Eames published an excellent paper (Countercurrent Decantation, Trans AIME, 1917, 57, 143- 158), in which he determined the effects of grade of ore, ratio of solution precipitated to ore treated, variations in the density of the thickener spigot discharge and variations in the value of the barren solution upon the gold assay of the solutions discharged from the thickeners in the system. Eames showed that, other things being equal, the dissolved gold lost in the tailing varies directly as the value of the ore and as the value of the barren solution. The tailing loss de- creases rapidly as the ratio of solution precipitated to ore treated is increased to about three or four to one. Beyond this point the improvement is negligible.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. J. Tietjen, D. Richman

Single-crystal Gap lms been epitaxially grow from the vapor phase at a rate oJ 3 p per nzin without encountering a7Zy low-ang-le grain boundaries or debwading- the electrical properties of the material. This growth rate exceeds any value previol~sly reported for the vapor phase growth of Gap. In pure material, mObilities ns high as 175 sq cm per U-sec at room tenzperature and 1450 sq cm per v-sec at 77°K have been obtained. These values are anLong the highest that have been attai)led for this material. For the first time, Gap possesses a number of important properties which make it well-suited for use in electro-optic modulators. First, the transverse electro-optic effect is operable in this material, which makes it possible to increase the path length of the modulated iron doping of Gap has been achieved; this results i?z resistivities of approximately 10" ohm-cm. The problelrls of residual strain and isolated shorting paths in these crystals have been partially solved. Electro-optic modulation of visible radiation has been demonstrated with this material. It is anticipated that further improvement with regard to the probleins of strain and shorting paths will result in a practical Gap electro-optic modulator. radiation without increasing the applied voltage. In addition, this permits the use of thin crystals so that relatively small voltages are needed to provide the requisite high electric fields. Second, GaP is a cubic crystal and therefore does not introduce critical optical-alignment problems associated with birefrin-gent crystals, such as ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP), and potassium dihydrogen phosphate

Jan 1, 1968

By Alan Morris

THE investigation of the hot-working properties of metals and alloys furnishes a problem which has been attacked in many ways. Tensile, impact and hardness tests on heated specimens have furnished interesting data, but in most cases either the tests are difficult to make or the results hard to translate into terms of practical value. Some investigators have used the drop hammer to advantage. It furnishes a rapid and simple method of comparing the plasticity of metals at elevated temperatures. The indications obtained by its use are of value only in so far as their significance is understood and they can be intelligently used to predict the behavior of a given metal under given hot-working conditions. The work reported here was undertaken not only to add-something to the existing volume of such data but also to contribute to our understanding of the results. Doerinckel and Trockels1 used cylindrical specimens and determined the work required to reduce the specimen to one-half the original height. Ellis2 studied the effect of constitution on the malleability of steel at high temperature. His method and that of Kent3 were similar to the one used in the present work. The tests described by Kent were made on samples of tin, zinc, aluminum, copper, lead, 70:30 and 60:40 brasses, with and without a small quantity of lead. He concluded that the test would "indicate whether a material can be forged at a given temperature without cracking." This interpretation must be used with caution. While it is probably true within limits, one must consider the severity of the forging operation. Again, it will not apply strictly to forms of hot working other than forging. For instance, an alloy running 61.0 per cent. copper, 3.25 per cent. lead, remainder zinc, will crack badly in the test, yet it is extruded commercially. When the possibility of hot-working a new alloy is being considered a study of its drop-hammer test should help

Jan 1, 1931

By R. N. Orava, L. A. Rice

One of the difficulties encountered in the preparation of titanium specimens for transmission electron microscopy is the formation of a surface hydride phase during the thinning operation at ambient temperatures. This necessarily destroys contrast, obscures features of interest, and often leads to misleading results. By cooling the polishing solution to temperatures below 0°C this problem has been overcome in the past.' However, since the cooling procedure is somewhat inconvenient, a technique was developed at this laboratory for thinning titanium at room temperature. The material examined was A-70 grade commercial-purity titanium purchased from the Crucible Steel Co. of America. The mechanical and thermal treatments, described elsewhere,* yielded a recrystallized grain size of 4 to 5 p. A slice, 0.5 mm thick and 1.5 mm wide, was cut from a bulk specimen2 using a diamond cut-off wheel. The sample was then coated with paraffin wax. Two concentric holes, about 0.03 in. in diam, one at each broad face, were scribed through the wax to the surface of the metal. Subsequent polishing for several minutes resulted in a preferentially thinned or "dimpled" region. Thereafter, the wax was removed and the entire specimen polished to the point of breakthrough at the base of the dimple. Polishing was effected chemically in a solution comprised of 30 pct HF and 70 pct HN03 by volume, kept at room temperature (20" to 25OC). The specimens were mounted in a stereo holder and examined at 100 kv in a Philips l00 B Electron Microscope. A micrograph from a foil prepared in this way is shown in Fig. 1. Several points are noteworthy. This electron micrograph shows neither evidence for the formation of a hydride phase due to specimen preparation nor, moreover, any obvious surface contamination in electron-transparent areas of a freshly prepared foil. Localized variations in foil thickness observed in some specimens seem to be a characteristic of this chemical polish but do not seriously detract from foil quality. With care, the lifetime of a good specimen exceeded 2 hr in the beam. On the other hand, the exposure of a sample to air at atmospheric pressure, when still warm from the beam, clearly resulted in the deterioration of a formerly clean area just previously in the field of view. An example in Fig. 2 of a contaminated region reveals features, and "spots", not unlike those observed in much purer material by Yamane and Ueda. Consequently, one can conclude that: 1) titanium can be thinned satisfactorily in a solution at room temperature for transmission electron microscopy; 2) large-scale precipitates, >50A in diam, are absent in commercial-purity, recrystallized, furnace-cooled, A-70 titanium containing about 3800 wt ppm interstitials and the same amount of iron; 3) care must be taken not to attribute surface contaminants to precipitates. The authors are grateful to the Franklin Institute for financial support and permission to publish.

Jan 1, 1967

By R. D. Reiswig, D. J. Mack

THE use of pyrophoric alloys in ignition devices dates back more than fifty years to a German patent granted to Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1903.' This patent named a composition essentially the same as that used in most present-day cigarette lighter "flints:" 70 pct mischmetal, 30 pct Fe, referred to here as "Auer alloy." Among the few current exceptions to this composition are those "flints" based on titanium or zirconium. The rare-earth metals of which mischmetal is composed are so similar chemically and physically remarkable similarity in their alloying behaviors would be expected. Comparison of the binary phase diagrams2 of these elements with nonrare-earth metals shows that this is true to a striking degree, so much so, in fact, that it appears that a mixture of these elements may be treated as a single component of alloys without fear of serious error. In considering alloys containing mischmetal, therefore, the mixture of rare-earth elements will be referred to merely as "cerium," the predominant element in mischmetal. In polishing cerium alloys for metallographic examination, it was soon discovered that aqueous polishing media were highly corrosive. Free cerium in the alloys acts similarly to calcium (though not quite so rapidly) in evolving bubbles of hydrogen at the metal-water interface; thus, special metallographic techniques are required. The simplest polishing technique found to be satisfactory consisted of slow hand grinding on dry emery papers through

Jan 1, 1956

By P. R. Swann, R. M. Fisher, W. R. Duff

Observations by transmission electron microscoPy of the microstructures in quenched Fe-A1 alloys provide the basis for revision of the Fe-A1 phase diagram. The diagram is characterized by first-order transitions between the disordered ferromagnetic a! solid solution and the two ordered phases FeAl and Fe3Al. However, second-order transitions showing corre-luted fluctuations in the degree of order near the critical temperature occur between the paramagnetic a! and FeAl and the FeAl and FeAl phases. ELUCIDATION of the true nature of the Fe-A1 equilibrium diagram has proven to be an extremely challenging problem as evidenced by the fact that six quite different versions of the iron-rich portions have been published since 1958.&apos;-6 The most recent diagram shown in Fig. 1 was proposed by Rimlinger6 based on X-ray diffraction analysis and dilatometry. He shows the single-phase fields of the ordered phases of the types FeAl(L20) and Fe3A1(D03) and the disordered bcc Fe-A1 solid solution, a, separated from one another in every case by large two-phase regions. Thus, he implies that in Fe-A1 alloys ordering always occurs via a classical phase transition. In contrast to this view, theoretical studies3&apos;" have concluded that the transitions a — FeAl and FeAl — Fe3A1 should be second- or higher-order in character. A further revision of the Fe-A1 diagram of state is presented in Fig. 2 based on our previous8,9 and current observations by transmission electron microscopy of the microstructures found in quenched specimens. The average quenching rate was 50,000°C per sec and although this was sufficiently rapid to prevent Fe3A1-type ordering below -550°C it was not sufficient to suppress ordering of the type FeAl in the temperature range -650" to 800°C. However, ordering during the quench is easily recognized since the FeAl phase formed during holding at temperature rapidly develops large antiphase domains whereas FeAl formed during quenching has a very fine domain size, -50Å diam. Each symbol in Fig. 2 indicates the result of a micro-structural examination of specimens heat-treated (-1 hr) until equilibrium was established. The results will be discussed in the order of the points, A - Dl marked on both diagrams with reference to the phase fields, critical temperature, and "transition" ranges, respectively. The dark-field micrograph corresponding to point A is shown in Fig. 3 and was obtained using a 111 reflection of the Fe3A1 structure which reveals both a&apos;/4<111> and a&apos;/2<100> antiphase domain boundaries.10 The structure observed in this specimen is typical of single-phase Fe3A1 and shows no evidence for FeAl or any other additional phase. The dark-field micrograph shown in Fig. 4 corresponds to point B on the two diagrams. It was taken with a 100 FeAl reflection which reveals a/2(111) domains and exhibits the typical structure of single-

Jan 1, 1970

By E. A. Peretti

BEFORE embarking on a detailed investigation of the system indium-antimony-bismuth, experiments were carried out to determine the existence of quasi-binary sections. The bordering binary systems are known1 and show the occurrence of three intermetallic binary species corresponding closely to InSb, InBi and In2Bi. Attention was focused on the low-indium end of the ternary diagram where the possible quasi-binary sections, excluding ternary compound formation, would involve the pairs: InSb-Bi, InBi-Sb and InSb-InBi. The latter pair revealed itself as a true quasi-binary, so it was investigated fully by thermal analysis, x-ray and microscopic examinations. All compositions were made by proper combination of three elements involved. The indium had a guaranteed purity of 99.97 pet; the antimony contained 99.99 pet Sb, and the bismuth had a purity of 99.99 pet. Alloys were made by melting together antimony, bismuth and indium in evacuated, sealed pyrex-glass tubes at a temperature of 600°C with vigorous agitation. The melts, weighing about 80 grams, were allowed to freeze in the sealed tubes and finally were transferred to glass tubes for the taking of cooling and heating curves. A protective atmosphere of helium was used, and the melts were stirred mechanically while cooling at rates of from 0.5 to 3°C per min. Temperatures were measured with a calibrated chromel-alumel thermocouple and were recorded graphically on a Minneapolis-Honeywell extended-range recorder working in conjunction with a Leeds and Northrup type K-2 potentiometer. Conventional polishing techniques gave satisfactory results in preparing specimens for microscopic examination. Etching was carried out with Vilella&apos;s reagent or aqueous mixtures of chromic oxide with either nitric acid or sulfuric acid plus dichromate. Conclusions deduced from the thermal analysis and microscopic examinations were confirmed by X-ray photograms using Co-K alpha radiation. The phase diagram is shown in Fig. 1. The liqui-dus consists of an uninterrupted line running from the freezing point of InSb (525°C) to a eutectic point experimentally indistinguishable from the freezing point of InBi (110°C). X-ray patterns of the InSb show a slight expansion of the lattice with the addition of InBi, and microscopic work indicated the solid solubility of InBi in InSb to be less than 0.5 pet at room temperature. Acknowledgment We wish to thank the Indium Corporation of America for the loan of the indium used in this investigation. References 1 E. A. Peretti and S. C. Carapella, Jr.: Trans. ASM., 1949, vol. 41, P. 947. T. S. Liu and E. A. Peretti: Trans. ASM, 1952, vol. 44, p. 539. Metals Reference Book, vol. 1, 2nd ed., AIME, p. 345.

Jan 1, 1959

AlbioN S. Howe, San Francisco, Cal. (communication to the Secretary*):—In discussing this paper, &apos;I mould suggest that. the dip for iron pipe be liquid asphaltum, instead of coal-tar and pitch. Asphaltum is superior to coal-tar, and the variety

Jan 1, 1905

The papers discussed in the following pages were presented during two sessions of the Geophysics Education Committee of the Mineral Industry Education Division on Feb. 17 and 18, 1941. At the first meeting, to consider the "Influence of Geophysics upon Geology Curricula," this Committee was joined by the Geophysics and Mining Geology Committees of the A.I.M.E., the Society of Economic Geologists, representatives of the American Geophysical Union, and delegates from the Committees on College Curricula and on Applications of Geology of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Quentin D. Singewald and Sherwin F. Kelly presided. At the ensuing session, especially emphasizing the integration of geology, physics and chemistry for the solution of earth problems, the joint participants with the Geophysics Education Committee were the Geophysics Committee, and representatives of the American Geophysical Union and of the Committee on College Curricula of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Richard M. Field and W. R. Chedsey presided. In the following summary of the discussion at the two meetings, written discussion submitted subsequently is not differentiated from that offered orally at the session. A provisional report of the Geophysics Education Committee was presented at the second session, and some of the following discussion refers to it. This report has not been printed (it is anticipated that a more comprehensive, final one will be rendered at the 1942 annual meeting). A few mimeographed copies of this provisional report were made. Dr. W. P. Haynes presented some notes prepared by Dr. F. H. Lahee, Chairman of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists&apos; Committee on College Curricula. This Com- mittee&apos;s inquiries reveal the general opinion that a four-year academic preparation is inadequate, five or six being advisable. The fundamentals, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and English composition, should be stressed in the first three years, with specialization in the last two or three years. Some companies provide an apprenticeship period, and themselves give additional training. During academic years more attention needs to be given to engineering training, to field mapping, and in geology to stratigraphy and sedimentation. The amount of mere memory work should be cut, and men trained to observe and reason. Dr. Lahee emphasized the need of more adequate preparation in English composition, because of the inability of many graduates to compose acceptable reports. Sherwin F. Kelly pointed out that much time in university training, which ought to be devoted to technical subjects, was taken .up with English courses. He emphasized that it is the part of the universities to demand of the high schools that the students they send to the university be properly trained to speak and write English. Prof. W. T. Thom protested against the crowding of high-school material into already overcrowded college curricula. C. E. Dobbin, chairman of the Committee on Applications of Geology of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, described briefly the work of his committee in publicizing geology, and said that it found a widespread popular interest in the subject but a lack of appreciation of its importance. He recommended that attempts to coordinate the works of geologists and geophysicists be expanded somewhat toward the further developing and encouraging of a "species of geopolitician" capable of assisting the progress of geology and geophysics by more vigorous advertising of

Jan 1, 1946

By James Boyd

REACTIVE metals are not only those sufficiently radioactive to be used as fuels, such as uranium and thorium, but all metals that will find application in power reactors. It is required of such metals that they be relatively inert or chemically unreactive, dimensionally stable at high temperatures and pressures, and either very absorbent of radioactivity or transparent to it. To gain the right perspective concerning these metals it is necessary at this point to explode some erroneous concepts propounded so often they have become accepted as fact. The first of these is that the great industrial nations, especially the U. S., have reached their pre-eminent position chiefly because they possess abundant mineral resources. Some U. S. mineral economists, echoed by the politicians, have taken this position so often that many of their theories and policies are based on the presence of developed mineral resources as a sine qua non to the country&apos;s greatness. Actually the reverse is true- under a social and political system granting free rein to the initiative and creativeness of its people, many hidden mineral resources that otherwise would have lain fallow have been developed into productive enterprises to the benefit of the national industrial economy. Again, once the proper incentive was furnished, other countries have also been able to establish valuable mineral enterprises in recent years; resources long dormant for lack of a proper economic environment suddenly have become valuable and productive. It is possible to name immediately several nations where such domestic economic developments have had favorable repercussions within the last decade. The absence of productive mines in any country is no indication that workable deposits do not exist within its territory.

Jan 11, 1957

There is no simple answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?" The expressions of life are so multiple that life has different meanings for different spheres of thought, such as art, science, or philosophy; and it conveys a different significance to different persons, according to their individual development and interests. Life is complex from a philosophical point of view. The meaning of life is superficially positive and unmistakable only when approached from a mechanistic view- point; namely, that of biology or biochemistry, since these deal with the physicochemical basis of life processes. However, such a purely mechanistic or biochemical approach to the significance of life and the interpretation of man&apos;s behavior on the basis of purely physical laws is certain to run into trouble. Similarly, a concentration of effort upon materialistic advances in world progress is extremely dangerous. The possible consequences of splitting the atom, development of guided missiles, and possible bacterial warfare are timely examples. Man becomes more self-reliant as he extends his scientific and technologic discoveries and learns how to shape natural conditions to his own desires. When man will be able to travel to other planets in atomically propelled space ships and destroy whole worlds by pushing a button, a possibility which now seems to be within the realm of the predictable future, he will need the strong-

Jan 1, 1950

By O. J. C. Runnalls, L. M. Pidgeon

Some observations on the kinetics of the iodide process are reported. The deposition rate is geometry-sensitive in a system containing a finely divided titanium charge. Further, results indicate that the iodine diffusion rate influences the velocity of the process. The nonvolatile iodide, Til,, forms in the hot filament zone, thus removing iodine from the cycle. TITANIUM metal of 99.9 pct purity may be prepared using a refining technique originated by Van Arkel and de Boer.&apos; The purity of this metal, commonly called iodide titanium, exceeds that produced by any known process. In a recent application, the method was employed by Gonser et al.² to prepare titanium rods up to 2 to 3 cm in diam. In the Van Arkel-de Boer system, the relative influence of the fundamental mechanisms: l—production of titanium iodides, 2—gaseous countercurrent diffusion, and 3—decomposition, on the deposition rate have not been clearly established. Blocher and Campbell" have indicated that the controlling step in the process under practical conditions of operation may be the reaction rate of iodine with the crude metal. Fast&apos; reported that crude titanium metal reacted with iodine rapidly, even at room temperature, in his apparatus. Little has been reported on the effect of gaseous diffusion or decomposition on the deposition rate. It is these aspects of the process about which this investigation is centered. An attempt has been made to separate these latter effects from those due to the formation of the iodides at the crude metal surface by a division of the experimental program. Reaction of Iodine with Titanium Apparatus: In the investigation of gas-metal reactions of this type, the chemical reactivity of the halogen and halide vapors dictates the use of all-glass apparatus. In such a system standard techniques for measuring reaction rates are difficult to employ. Here, a simple apparatus was devised (Fig. 1) so that some indication of the reactivity of titanium powder with iodine vapor could be obtained. A stream of iodine gas was evolved from a bulb of controlled temperature and passed over a sample of titanium powder heated in a horizontal tube furnace. The product of the reaction, TiI4, volatilized and was condensed outside the furnace in a series of four glass bulbs, each cooled to room temperature in turn. Preliminary experiments indicated that distillation was retarded in a sealed evacuated system due to a pressure build-up in the condensing end of the apparatus. Hence, the system was pumped continuously using a mechanical pump and two oil diffusion pumps in series, through a liquid air trap. The iodine bulb was made large and a capillary restriction was inserted between the titanium bulb and the condensers so that the iodine pressure over the metal would approach the equilibrium pressure over solid iodine crystals. The effect of this restriction on the evaporation rate of TiI4, was determined separately. The iodine bulb was heated in an oil bath controlled to ±2°C. The titanium bulb temperature was automatically controlled to ±5°C. Procedure: About 200 mg of —30 mesh titanium powder, weighed to 0.1 mg, was placed in the reaction bulb after part B had been joined to part A. The powder was tapped into a long (5 cm) shallow mass along the bottom of the tube. Two chromel-alumel thermocouples were inserted into the magnesium radiator which was clamped to the reaction

Jan 1, 1953

By E. C. Tveter, L. A. Roe

The authors present a general outline of the theory and development of heavy-liquid application to mineral processing. Patent literature and processes are reviewed with special emphasis on liquid recovery systems which have been employed or proposed. Advantages and disadvantages of the process are discussed together with the recent developments which have revived interest in this old concentration method. The most important single factor in this resurgence of interest is concluded to be the narrowing gulf between chemical engineering and mineral dressing which has opened the field for new concepts of mineral plant design. A partial summary of patents on heavy liquid separations is included. In spite of the fact that heavy-liquid separation with organic liquids has been used in the laboratory for over 50 years, this process has never graduated to large scale commercial use for any extended period. However, a variation of this process, the sink-float or heavy-media separation process has found wide acceptance and is used to separate minerals from diamonds to gravel. Materials used to increase the specific gravity of the pulps used as heavy media include sand, clay, barite, magnetite, galena, hematite, atomized lead and ferrosilicon. Because of the greater ease of recovery, the magnetic materials, magnetite and ferrosilicon, are the preferred media today. In the U. S. alone, heavy-media iron ore plants with a capacity of over 10 million tons of concentrate per year are in existence. Heavy-media separation involving use of solid, inorganic particles suspended in water rapidly found a wide range of commercial use with the introduction of magnetic media. The minerals engineer is experienced in working with suspensions and quickly learned to develop and control such media at a cost compatible to the type of separation desired. The natural superiority of a heavy liquid with uniform chemical and physical properties has never been questioned since its first use in laboratory mineral separatory procedures. It offers the only method for gravity separation of fine particles of relatively close specific gravity. The most important early attempt to make heavy liquid separations commercial were made by the DuPont Co. which began experimental work on Virginia limonite in 1904. The appended "Partial Summary of Patents" compiled by W.L. O&apos;Connell of The Dow Chemical Co. demonstrates the quantity and sequence of this work. Both inorganic and organic parting liquids were investigated and numerous patents were issued on the use and recovery of these liquids. The work culminated in the heavy liquid plant of the Weston Coal Co. at Shenandoah, Pa. Chemical engineering design of this plant was the responsibility of Francis I. and Hubert I. DuPont. Heavy-liquid separation of coal almost achieved commercial status at this plant which actually processed over 20,000 tons of coal. The liquids used were tetrabromethane, pentachloroethane and trichlo-roethylene, with liquid losses ranging from 8.9 to 12.4 oz per ton of cleaned coal. The reasons for failure of this plant are not clear but probably involved toxicity problems as well as other problems in chemical engineering. Excellent economics were reported. A more recent pilot plant was built in 1954-55 by Norris Goodwin for the Inerto Co. to treat hectorite clay. This plant employed carbon tetrachloride in jigs with liquid recovery by evaporation. Although good separation was achieved, incomplete removal of the CCl, from the clay prevented commercial operation. The only present operations known to the authors employing heavy liquids for gravity separations are limited to the use of calcium chloride in certain coal washers and bromochloromethane in a small batch operation (one ton solids per day) for the separation of beryllium metal particles from slag materials. This is not strictly a minerals beneficiation problem but it has demonstrated the feasibility of such separations. PROBLEMS Critics of early attempts to commercialize heavy-liquid separation of minerals summarize the draw-

Jan 1, 1963

By H. B. Pulsifer

THE unprecedented high price of zinc ore prevailing through the early months of 1915 caused great activity in the Joplin district of Missouri. The Media mill is conspicuous as one of the first of the new "big mills" of the district. The mill was built over a mine previously worked but abandoned in 1912 because of the leanness of the ore and the large quantity of water encountered. The ore prices prevailing-$100 a ton in June, 1915, as against $50 in 1912-favored the new undertaking. The mill was designed for good recovery so that it might operate in times of depression. In design and equipment, the mill is exclusively local in conception and construction. Former Exploitation The tract of land is a part of the large Guinn holdings; 70 acres are comprised in this particular lot, which is situated just a mile north of the center of Webb City on the Alba line of the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway. The ore lies 242 ft. below the&apos; surface at the top of the knoll which is surrounded by the well-known properties: Black Cat, Ground Floor, Florence, Hurry-Up, Electrical and Mercantile. Since the abandonment, in 1913, of the Yellow Dog. a bit farther to the north, the Black Cat, Ground Floor and Florence workings had been flooded. However, as there was no cut through from this side into the area it was proposed to exploit, it was thought that moderate pumping facilities would take care of the water.

Jan 5, 1917

By E. S. Burnett, R. V. Higgins, H. C. Miller

Information obtained from subsurface pressure and ,temperature measurements in oil wells now is recognized as invaluable to geologists, engineers, and operators of oil properties. Available only during the past few years, data resulting from subsurface-pressure surveys in oil wells already have found widespread application in the estimation of reserves and in the planning of comprehensive oil-field development programs. Subsurface pressure and temperature data, together with measurements of fluid volumes produced by individual wells and specific gravities of the fluids, also are included in the fundamental information essential in studying the movement of oil, gas and water through reservoir sands to wells. Heretofore, laboratory findings were relied upon almost entirely for information pertaining to the mechanics of flow of fluids through porous media, because there was no way to check laboratory results with actual performance in underground formations until subsurface pressure and temperature instruments were developed. Laboratory and field experiments now lend themselves to closer correlation—a fact that will accelerate the interpretation of many phenomena that occur when oil and gas flow through reservoir rocks, thousands of feet below the surface of the earth. This paper summarizes the results obtained thus far in a Bureau of Mines study of certain data pertaining to subsurface pressures and production of wells producing oil and gas (and water). For wells that have been studied, flowing naturally under volumetric or hydraulic control, a simple relation has been found between the mass rate of fluid (oil, gas and water) production and the corresponding drop in pressure in the reservoir sand. The equated relation embodies a productivity factor or "index" expressed in terms of mass rate of fluid production per pound drop in pressure through the sands. The equation as developed is an expression of the ability of a well to produce, which permits comparison on a uniform basis of the productivities of different wells. The study shows also that over the range of observed data a productivity factor

Jan 1, 1937

By H. W. Miller, V. H. Wilhelm

During 1932 the oil industry persistently endeavored to maintain a rate of production that would permit a profitable price structure. Much effort was concentrated on curtailment of both production and drilling. The tendency in curtailment was to shut in reserves where closely held and not subjected to drainage, and to allow town-lot fields such as Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs, Playa Del Rey and Huntington Beach a greater percentage of allotment. Marginal wells were given special consideration; only a small percentage of curtailment wag required, making their operations profitable. Naturally the decline in production of town-lot fields, under slight curtailment, is very rapid, hence production that is restricted in fields controlled by major interests at the present time will profit considerably in the future, as California reserves do not appear adequate to sustain heavy withdrawals over a long period of time. California production during 1932 was much greater than additions to reserves during the year. The state produced 10,701,238 bbl. of crude oil less in 1932 than in 1931, while total stocks (all petroleum commodities) decreased 1,589,524 bbl. Had all operators kept strictly within their allotted &apos;production, the total crude production decline would have been approximately 20,000,000 bbl. and total stock decrease 3,000,000 barrels. Estimated proven oil reserves for California were 3,965,000,000 bbl. on Jan. 1, 1932, as compared with 3,784,120,000 bbl. as of Jan. 1, 1933, a decrease of 180,880,000 barrels. Approximately 85 per cent of the 178,127,794 bbl. of oil produced during 1932 was withdrawn from old reserves in settled fields and the remaining 15 per cent from new sources such as Kettleman Hills North Dome, Belridge, San Miguelito and Dominguez deep zone. The oil reserves of Kettleman Hills North Dome are estimated to be approximately 50 per cent of the total oil reserves, of California and they may be drawn upon at a much greater rate than the remainder of the state&apos;s oil fields.

Jan 1, 1933

Jan 1, 1969

JESSE L. JONES, ? Pittsburgh, Pa. (written discussion?).-From a commercial standpoint, the most important characteristic of the electric furnace is the ease with which it lends itself to intensive production. The melting of non-ferrous metals, as usually clone in crucible, open-flame, reverberatory, and similar furnaces, has certain disadvantages which are absent in the electric furnace, viz.:

Jan 4, 1919

By William Hutton Blauvelt

An official of one of the prominent iron companies of the South recently made the following statement during a discussion of the present conditions of the Southern iron business: " The trouble with us in the South has been that we have been satisfied to buy iron and coal lands, build blast-furnaces, and make pig-iron. We stopped at pig-iron, and as a result we are all poor. The South needs diversified industries, and needs to work up its raw products into articles the Southern market can use. If we had realized this sooner, some of us might now be rich." The South is awakening to this view, and in the Birmingham district alone one basic steel-mill is already in operation, and in a year&apos;s time another and much larger one will be turning out rails and shapes, with rod- and wire-mills in prospect. It is to chronicle another metallurgical step forward in the same district that I have prepared the following description of the new by-product retort coke-oven plant recently put in opera-

Jan 1, 1899