Search Documents

By James O. Elton

This paper covers, besides laboratory work, a study of actual operation at the Washoe Smelter over a considerable period of time, together with the results of a visit to the Midvale plant of the United States Smelting & Refining Co., near Salt Lake. For the latter privilege, as well as permission to publish the resulting data herein given, I am indebted to George W. Heintz, General Manager of the Midvale plant, and here take pleasure in expressing my appreciation for the many courtesies extended to me by Mr. Heintz and members of the technical staff at the smelter. Almost all of the world's supply of arsenic is recovered as a byproduct in the smelting of other metals. It is seen 'on the market in various forms, the most common being arsenic trioxide, the " white arsenic " of commerce, which is sold as a heavy white powder, or in white, glassy, translucent masses. The trioxide is used in the manufacture of pigment, glass, and insecticides. About 50 per cent. of the domestic consumption is supplied by imports. Statistics of Arsenic Trioxide in United States.' Production. Consumption. Price Per Pound. Year. Tons. Tons. Cents. 1907..........1.010 5.471 5 1908,.........1,302 6,098 33/4 1909,.........1,007 4,600 2 7/8 1910,.........1,526 5,428 2 1/2 1911,.........3,081 6,539 2 1912,2........ 2,926 Closed at 4 7/8 Arsenic occurs in combitlation with sulphur and the metals in a large number of minerals. It is present in small amounts in many ores. In the roasting and smelting furnaces many of its compounds break down, liberating arsenic trioxide, which is volatilized and carried by the gases into the flue system, where a part is condensed and settles with the flue dust.

Jan 1, 1914

By C. Dinis da Gama

In order to reduce the complexity of mechanisms influencing rock. fragmentation by blasting a simulation approach is proposed, using the capabilities of microcomputer interactive graphics. Situations involving cratering end bench blasting are simulated, and both jointed and intact rocks can be subjected to explosive action, taking into consideration its breakage mechanisms. Size analysis curves relating rock distribution before and after the blasts are determined and compared with field data.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. A. Solomon, H. E. Shafer

As a result of the great demand for metallic aluminum and the scarcity of domestic bauxite, numerous processes have been proposed and developed to extract the oxide of this metal (Al2o3) from clays, shales, and other low-grade raw materials.1-4 An exploratory study was made to extract alumina with sulfuric acid from relatively impure coal-associated draw-slate and to establish an optimum calcination temperature for maximum recovery. Draw-slate is the term used to describe the hard, slaty material directly overlying many coal seams and may range from a few inches to a few feet in thickness. Alumina content of these draw-slates may range from as low as 15% to over 35%. Although the following results are limited in scope, some of the data should prove beneficial for further work. Coal-associated clay, shale, and gob heretofore have been considered nuisance products; any successful alumina extraction process would greatly enhance the worth of these almost limitless resources. This research demonstrated that an optimum calcination temperature for alumina extraction could be established for a coal-associated draw-slate and that this temperature was lower than those suggested in previous work with unspecified clay types. It should be noted that slightly higher acid concentrations and somewhat finer particle sizes were used in this series of tests as compared to previous work. EXPERIMENTAL WORK Essentially, alumina extraction proceeded in four steps: 1) grinding, 2) calcining, 3) acid leaching, and 4) precipitating of aluminum sulfate. An initial series of reference tests to determine the optimum temperature of solubility for alumina was run using relatively pure kaolin. Kaolin forming clays are hydrous aluminum silicates of the approximate composition 2H2O A12O3 2SiO and kaolinite is the mineral that predominates in most kaolins. 5 The kaolin was ground to -30 mesh and subsequently calcined at temperatures ranging from 100°C to 700°C. Each sample was calcined for 1 hr in a muffle furnace and in turn subjected to sulfuric-acid leaching (H2SO4, 9 molar) for a 2-hr period. The filtrates were analyzed for the amount of dissolved alumina recovered.637 Also, each sample of leached or barren residue was

Jan 1, 1968

By John A. Wolfe

The brightest spot in the mineral economy of the Philippines is the rapid development of reserves and production of copper. If economic conditions remain favorable and the political climate is encouraging, production of this metal should increase at a rate of 25% per year for several years, long enough to rank this country as one of the major copper producers of the world. In 1965 the copper content of the Philippine concentrates was approximately 60,000 tons. It should total about 80,000 tons in 1966. A major part of the increase will come from the rich Lepanto mine located in Mountain Province, North Central Luzon. Daily production of ore increased from 1200 to 2000 tons at the end of 1965. The ore, consisting of enargite and luzonite, averages nearly 3% copper and 0.12 oz. of gold per ton. It is an under- ground operation with a cutoff grade of 2%. The ore is associated with extensive silicification under a volcanic cap rock. Further expansion to increase ore production to 2600 tpd is under way.

Jan 4, 1967

By C. A. Rowland, M. D. Flavel

There are seven basic comminution circuits that can be used to prepare beneficiation feed from the product of a primary crusher. This paper gives a comparison of these circuits based on average process and economical data. The paper is principally devoted to a discussion of the test work required to obtain the process data needed to evaluate each circuit. The results of the test work in conjunction with geographic and economic factors can be used to narrow down the choice of possible circuits to one, two, or three before making a detailed engineering study.

Jan 1, 1985

By Karl W. Mote

CALIFORNIA'S iron and steel industry had its beginning in San Francisco in 1849 when the first iron casting was poured at the old Union Iron Works. Soon after, in 1856 at Grass Valley, enough iron ore was smelted to supply pig iron for the castings of a quartz mill there. From 1880 to 1886, iron ore was produced from the Hotaling mine in Placer County and converted to pig iron in a local blast furnace using charcoal. From 1907 to 1914, the Noble Electric Steel Co. produced pig iron from iron ore mined at the Shasta Iron Co. mine, and followed this for three years in the production of ferro-alloys. Between 1917 and 1941, the State's industry in- creased its capacity for open hearth and electric furnace scrap treatment, but the real impetus was supplied by the need for more steel at the beginning of World War II. The result was the State's first integrated steel plant-the Kaiser Steel Corp. facilities at Fontana.

Jan 7, 1958

By K. S. Lane

The problem of stability of slopes in reservoirs is one of real interest in civil engineering. The problem is whether the valley walls will remain stable or whether they are likely to slide as conditions are changed by storage of water in the reservoir. If major slides are indicated, as on the walls of relatively steep canyons, one must estimate whether they will be so located and of sufficient size as to interfere with operation of the reservoir-as by blocking the outlets, or by displacing sufficient water to over-top the dam in a huge wave. Some cases involve problems in soil mechanics for slides in earth or weaker rock; other locations need the assistance of rock mechanics for slides in harder rock. While this is not a new problem, attention has recently been focused on its importance by the hugh landslide into the Vaiont reservoir in 1963, which claimed the lives of over 2000 people and forced abandonment of the dam and powerhouse. VAIONT RESERVOIR SLIDE Fig. 1 shows Vaiont Dam in Italy which is a double curvature arch, 875 ft high, located on a tributary of the Piave River, north and west of Venice. When completed in 1960 it was the highest arch dam in the world. In 1960 a sizable landslide (some 700,000 cu yd) occurred on the left abutment a short distance above the dam. Following this, the reservoir was held down for construction of a by-pass tunnel through the right valley wall to insure connection with the upper end of the reservoir in event of further slides. In October 1963 a giant landslide occurred on the left valley wall, over a width of some 14 miles (see Fig. 2). Over 300 million cu yd slid into the reservoir, displacing the water and forming a hige wave 700 ft above the top of the dam as it hit the opposite, or right, wall of the valley. The wave then passed some 500 ft over top of the dam, followed down the tortuous winding canyon and debouched into the

Jan 1, 1967

By V. R. Garfias

INTRODUCTION FOR a number of years the senior author has been interested in the various geologic and engineering problems involved in the development of the petroliferous districts of northeastern Mexico, having in a previous paper 1 endeavored to present a summarized statement of the information relating to the geology and soil resources of this region. Of the many interesting geologic phenomena, perhaps those which have been the object of more speculation relate to the igneous intrusions which, in places, have a controlling influence on the accumulation of oil in commercial quantities, a relationship which has been tentatively explained by various observers with as many interestingly different views. The authors of the present paper aim to record, in the course of a general discussion of the various viewpoints, some additional data, and present further tentative conclusions with a view to rounding out an up-to-date summary of the subject. The greater part of the area in question lies in the State of Vera Cruz, only a northwest fraction being in the State of San Luis Potosi. Vera Cruz is bounded on the north by the State of Tamaulipas, the northernmost of the Mexican States along the Gulf. The topography of the States of Tamaulipas and Vera Cruz and of Texas and Louisiana to the north, is controlled by the Gulf coastal plain which in northern Vera Cruz has an average width of about 60 miles, the transitional topography between that of the rugged flanks of the Sierra and the lowlands of the coast being made up of a series of terraces and irregular hills and valleys.

Jan 8, 1917

By C. R. Swarts

The use of compressed air or gas in oil wells for raising crude oil to the surface has, within the last year, become a dominant factor In production engineering. Previous application of this principle was largely confined to oil wells that had been pumping for a considerable length of time. In the Seminole area, the gas-air lift has been applied to wells imniediately after natural flow has ceased and in some cases while the wells were still flowing. This early application of the gas-air lift has been watchcd with intense interest by the petroleum industry, both with respect to methods of application and mechanical installations and to the effects on immediate and ultimate production. Methods of Application The Seminole pool at its inception contained sufficient gas associated with the oil to cause natural flow. As no frce gas was found in the main productive horizon, the Wilcox sand, all the gas present was dissolved in the oil, hence the natural flowing life was short, rarely lasting over 45 days. When natural flow ceased, high fluid levels were common, and as depth and crookedness of holes were obstacles to efficient pumping, the gas-air lift was used almost exclusively in raising the oil to the surface. Because of the high gravity of the oil, 41" A. P. I., and its high gasoline content, and also because of the desire to obtain production before offset wells became productive, quantity of production was the aim of the operators and a method of flow was used whereby this aim could be fulfilled. One of the outstanding features of this method consisted in flowing the wells through the annular space between the tubing and rasing. By this means a greater quantity of fluid could be handled than by flowing through the tubing of the size in ordinary use. Wells that would produce only a few hundred barrels on the pump were by this rnethod made to produce as high as 7000 bbl. on the lift. A few days or wreks of production at that rate meant a large recovery of oil. Casing of 636 in. diameter was commonly used as a production string with a 5 3/16-in. liner set on top of the oil sand. Upset tubing for irtro-

Jan 1, 1928

By Frank T. Wheby

The cost of tunneling is highly sensitive to the rock characteristics through which the tunnel is to be driven. These characteristics affect in a major way the rates at which tunnels and shafts can be driven and the degree to which the openings must be supported to maintain them in a permanent stable condition. Tunnel and shaft design and cost criteria have been computerized, permitting estimates of tunnel-shaft systems to be made directly from inputs of rock mechanics characteristics and other data. Curves of quantities of steel, rock bolts, and other rock support items as related to tunnel size and rock quality designation are presented. An illustrative example of the use of the program in calculating the cost of a hypothetical tunnel system is included.

Jan 1, 1971

By F. B. Plummer

PERHAPS the greatest progress made in the technical methods of oil production during the last year has been in handling gas from the new fields that yield light distillate fractions. At least sixteen recycling plants have been perfected and installed in South Texas fields alone during 1939 having a daily capacity of more than one billion -2 cubic feet of gas and capable of producing more than a million gallons of distillate daily. The process consists of running the gas under pres- sure through especially designed plants, separating out the condensate, then compressing the gas to 3000 lb. or more, depending on the subsurface pressure in the formation, and injecting gas back into the reservoir to be produced again later, along with more of the liquid hydrocarbons, and again recycled. Hence production in these distillate fields in sense has changed from that of producing a constantly diminishing and much-wasted product to a more or less continuous manufacturing process, in which practically all the gas is conserved-a real triumph in engineering practice.

Jan 1, 1940

1910, hundreds of thousands of dollars of work and equipment in a 1500-foot shaft, crosscuts and pumping had found only copper-lean pyrite in two cross- cuts, and nothing in a third. Going aimlessly along the third crosscut one day, after looking at the barren face I happened to notice a dark spot in the white limestone, near the floor on one side. I picked, and found it was a little triangle of rich chalcopyrite. Next day I took Bill Gohring, then mine superintendent, in to see it. He said nothing else had succeeded so we might as well try that. The new drift broke into a full face of high grade copper ore in the first round, and continued in rich ore for 2200 feel broken only by a couple of short stretches of lean pyrite. The earlier crosscuts had happened to cut these lean areas. Q: Was there any single thing that called your attention to that little dark spot in the side of the Briggs crosscut, rather than to any other discolored spot? Joralemon: Nothing very definite. Maybe luck, maybe that indefinable subconscious thinking that

Jan 9, 1964

By M. A. Mahtab, J. D. Dixon

The results of a parametric study of the influence of natural features (stress field, rock strength, and strength and orientation of fractures) as well as the influence of induced features (undercut span, boundary slot, and other boundary-weakening measures) on the cavability of an undercut block of ore in mining by the block- caving method are presented. The two-dimensional finite-element analysis technique was used for this study. A coarse "mesh," along with linear homogeneous assumptions for rock properties, was used to model the problem of initiation of caving in a block of ore. Interpretation of the test results suggests that weakening the "abutments" of the block as well as certain orientations of natural fractures exercise significant influence on cavability. These findings hold promise for immediate application to known situations in block-caving mines.

Jan 1, 1977

Olof Venstrom (communication to the Secretary*):—In order to do justice to a property, once the largest producer of copper in the world, which is now being reopened, with a fair promise of again becoming important, I beg to add a few words in connection with Mr. Souder's remarks on the El Cobre copper-mines. The El Cobre copper-mines were worked by the old English

Jan 1, 1905

E1 Teniente made blockcaving look easy. Ore rolling out the Teniente 5 level has the appearance of nicely screened riprap ready for road dressing. Actually it has been mostly size-reduced by nature abetted along the way by the occasional nudge of a double jack wielded by a buitrero (grizzly-man). It is the famous upside-down mine at Sewell, where the ore flow is down and the people flow is up. Sewell (rhymes with jewel) is the impossible cluster of dwellings clinging to a high Andean spur where 13,000 inhabitants find that staircases must substitute for sidewalks. There is no mining man who is not familiar with the picture of Sewell-by day a pyramid of barracks huddled on the high ground out of harm's way and by night a surprising Christmas tree against the mountain top. Until April 1967, Kennecott's Braden Copper Co. rocked along producing a not inconsequential amount of copper, 180,000 tpy (all tonnages cited here are short tons), attributable to its not unspectacular mountaineering and engineering achievements. These latter included expertness in building avalanche-control fencing; operation of a 35,000-tpd concentrator on the Sewell mountain spur; a spectacular aerial tramway to move 1600 tpd of concentrates to the smelter at Caletones, and occasionally to provision Sewell when snow blocks the road; a cliff hanger of a railroad 43 miles down to the rich bottom land at Rancagua; and last but not least, a 40-mile tailing launder that sweeps across deep valleys on trestles that rival those of the Romans.

Jan 11, 1969

By A. Boltax

Precipitation processes occurring during both furnace cooling and aging of copper-iron albys were studied by means of electrical and magnetic measurements. On furnace cooling, two distinct stages in the precipitation process were detected; one occurring above and the other below 850° C. The kinetics of precipitation from quenched alloys were studied between 200° and 700°C. The reaction appears to be consistent with the concept of tmcleation of precipitate particles at dislocation loops formed by the clustering of quenched-in vacancies. A study Of in copper-iron alloys is particularly interesting because the combination of magnetic and electrical properties in these allovs provides a quantitative means of following the course of the precipitation reaction. (The details of precip-

Jan 1, 1961

By K. Stout, L. Friel

Some rock mechanics theorists believe that if a hydraulically placed backfill can be introduced in a stoped out area, which will minimize wall closure by taking high stresses across the fill with minimum compaction, then heavy ground and rock burst phenomena will be minimized. The paper will discuss a large scale laboratory project when fill strength was increased over four times by the head vibrated method and up to well over 20 times by the double placed, cemented, vibrated head method when compared to conventionally placed fills. The only preconditioning of the 60% solids by weight slurry was the addition of cement in some tests.

Jan 1, 1983

By C.H. Lorig, M.C. Udy

Through the years much interest has been centered in attempting to develop a direct method of iron-ore reduction, to replace or supplement the present indirect blast-furnace process. It would not be difficult to produce a list of more than 500 patents dealing with the direct production of iron and steel, but the few of this type of process that have proved successful do not produce in competition with the blast furnace; they produce special products. A survey of the literature reveals that the equilibrium conditions for the reduction reactions (iron oxides with carbon monoxide and with hydrogen) have been fairly well established but that data on the rate of reaction are discordant, although the genera1 effects of the variables are known. This dissertation deals with the rate of reduction of a magnetite concentrate with hydrogen. The following variables have been studied: bed depth, gas velocity, particle size and temperature. The behavior of a single particle was also studied. Literature Two general factors should be considered in a study of reduction of iron oxide: (I) equilibrium relations, and (2) rate of reaction. The first factor, equilibrium, has received the attention of many investigators and the equilibria Fe304-FeO-H2-H2O, Fe3O4-FeO-CO-CO2, FeO-Fe-H2-H2O, FeO-Fe-CO-CO2 are fairly well established. Of the second factor, the rate of reaction, much less is known. Data are comparatively scarce and there is very little concordance. The discordance probably results from the large number of variables influencing the reactions. However, the general effect of the variables is known. Among these variables are temperature, gas velocity, particle size, porosity, gas composition (distance from equilibrium), presence of impurities, greater or less prevalence of side reactions, and even design of the apparatus itself. Wetherill and Furnasl published an excellent paper in 1934. They point out that any one or more of five processes (the chemical reaction, diffusion of the reactant through the gas film, diffusion of the reactant through the solid phase, diffusion of the reaction product through the solid phase, or diffusion of the reaction product through the gas film) may be the slow process, and thus the rate-controlling process. It is regretted that the work of these authors was limited to experiments at One temperature, and that the range of gas compositions was limited. Langmuir2 has shown that heterogeneous reactions take place at phase boundaries.

Jan 1, 1943

By M. C. Udy, C. H. Lorig

Through the years much interest has been centered in attempting to develop a direct method of iron-ore reduction, to replace or supplement the present indirect blast-furnace process. It would not be difficult to produce a list of more than 500 patents dealing with the direct production of iron and steel, but the few of this type of process that have proved successful do not produce in competition with the blast furnace; they produce special products. A survey of the literature reveals that the equilibrium conditions for the reduction reactions (iron oxides with carbon monoxide and with hydrogen) have been fairly well established but that data on the rate of reaction are discordant, although the genera1 effects of the variables are known. This dissertation deals with the rate of reduction of a magnetite concentrate with hydrogen. The following variables have been studied: bed depth, gas velocity, particle size and temperature. The behavior of a single particle was also studied. Literature Two general factors should be considered in a study of reduction of iron oxide: (I) equilibrium relations, and (2) rate of reaction. The first factor, equilibrium, has received the attention of many investigators and the equilibria Fe304-FeO-H2-H2O, Fe3O4-FeO-CO-CO2, FeO-Fe-H2-H2O, FeO-Fe-CO-CO2 are fairly well established. Of the second factor, the rate of reaction, much less is known. Data are comparatively scarce and there is very little concordance. The discordance probably results from the large number of variables influencing the reactions. However, the general effect of the variables is known. Among these variables are temperature, gas velocity, particle size, porosity, gas composition (distance from equilibrium), presence of impurities, greater or less prevalence of side reactions, and even design of the apparatus itself. Wetherill and Furnasl published an excellent paper in 1934. They point out that any one or more of five processes (the chemical reaction, diffusion of the reactant through the gas film, diffusion of the reactant through the solid phase, diffusion of the reaction product through the solid phase, or diffusion of the reaction product through the gas film) may be the slow process, and thus the rate-controlling process. It is regretted that the work of these authors was limited to experiments at One temperature, and that the range of gas compositions was limited. Langmuir2 has shown that heterogeneous reactions take place at phase boundaries.

Jan 1, 1943

By E. F. Kingsbury

ONE of the well-known and important uses of the noble or precious metals has been for electrical contacts. In fact, the elements of this group, comprising gold, silver and. the six platinum metals, have been called "noble" because of their ability to resist heat and corrosion, properties which. were early found to be of importance in good contacts. Of these, platinum and its iridium alloys, palladium, and silver, have been extensively used. In recent years the electrical industry has been responsible for about one-eighth of the total consumption of the platinum metals in the United States. Information is not available as to what part of this one-eighth has been used for contacts but it is certainly an important one. SUBSTITUTES FOR PLATINUM During the past 20 years a considerable number of contact alloys have been proposed in the patent literature largely with the aim of more or less replacing platinum by gold or silver, and some of these alloys are finding increasingly widespread application as the reliability of their performance becomes established. From even the partial data at hand it appears that this substitution by the less precious metals has replaced at least one-half of the amount of platinum that the entire electrical industry would otherwise be consuming at the present time. While the subject is of considerable interest to the metallurgist it is even more so to the electrical engineer and it is surprising that the literature records no systematic and' comprehensive investigation along these lines. Practically all the scattered work on noble metal contacts has centered around platinum as a standard and has had two more or less distinct aims. One of these has been the replacement of platinum by cheaper materials, and the other, the development of materials of superior electrical performance. The merit, of a contact metal has been assumed to be dependent on its infusibility, and since the more precious metals have the higher melting points there has naturally been an association of the two qualities in the sense that the more precious were

Jan 1, 1928