Search Documents

By H. Kurushima, S. Tsunoda

An investigation of the hydrometallurgy of Cu-Zn concentrates by The Dowa Mining Co. of Japan is described and a detailed flowsheet of the Kosaka hydro-metallurgical plant is given. Sufficient operating experience has shown that the Dorrco FluoSolids system has proven successful for recovery of both zinc and copper by roasting in a fluidized bed. At present, 2400 metric tons of concentrates per month are being treated and recoveries of 93 pct Cu and 65 pct Zn are being effected. A SURVEY of the Japanese chemical industry in 1949 revealed, among other things, that sulphur-bearing blast furnace gas from the Kosaka smelter of The Dowa Mining Co. Ltd., Kosaka, Japan, was being exhausted to the atmosphere as waste. In addition, it was costing that company an average of ten million yen ($28,000) annually for damages to the surrounding property caused by the sulphur dioxide in the gas. It was recommended by this survey that the gas be utilized for the production of sulphuric acid by the contact process. Mr. Kurushima visited the United States in May 1950 to investigate the engineering, construction, and operation of a contact acid plant. Any acid produced at Kosaka would necessarily have to be 98 pct H,SO, to prevent corrosion in railroad tank cars transporting it to the point of use. However, the production of 98 pct acid requires constant volume and SO, content of the gas. As the converter gas at Kosaka fluctuates in both volume and quality, it was decided to evaluate the smelting process with relation to other methods of recovery. This evaluation revealed a relatively new type of roaster, the Dorrco FluoSolids reactor, which was reported to be capable of roasting the copper sulphide concentrate in an excess of air with the production of an SO1 gas strong enough for acid production and a water-soluble copper sulphate calcine. The copper sulphate then could be leached from the roasted ore and electrolytic copper recovered from the leach solution in much the same manner as practiced by the Chile Exploration CO. for treating naturally occuring copper sulphate ores. Use of a reactor of this type would eliminate the need for a blast furnace and converter and, in addition, would effect savings in labor and fuel. The Kosaka ore is a microscopically fine mixture of copper, zinc, and lead sulphides. The lead and a small amount of the barite present can be separated by flotation, but any separation of copper and zinc proved extremely difficult. In blast furnace operation at Kosaka, zinc had been slagged off until a stockpile of about 12,000,000 tons containing 5 pct Zn had been accumulated. Mr. Kurushima felt that if any of the zinc in the concentrate was sulphat-ized and leached with the copper, it also could be recovered electrolytically. The Dorr Co., sponsors of fluidization technique in the metallurgical field, suggested that sulphate roasting be tested out on a laboratory scale and that, if successful, a commercial Dorrco FluoSolids system be constructed. They indicated that the results from such laboratory tests could be transposed to a commercial scale without pilot planting the roasting operation. It was therefore decided to send samples of flotation concentrate to the West-port Mill, laboratories of The Dorr Co., for testing. The objective of Mr. Kurushima's visit to the United States thus had changed from investigation of sulphuric acid plants to a fundamental examination of the hydrometallurgy of copper and zinc. Testing Program In February 1951, Mr. Tsunoda went to the United States to witness the application of the FluoSolids system to sulphate roasting at The Dorr

Jan 1, 1956

By G. V. Smith, C. O. Tarr, R. F. Miller

Metallurgists have long recognized that the Fe3C type of carbide is not a stable phase in steel and that, given sufficient time, it will decompose with formation of graphite, at least at temperatures below about 205o°F.l This slow graphitization has never been of much concern to users of hypoeutectoid steels, for in such steels it occurs only during prolonged exposure at elevated temperature. In I935, Kinzel and Moore2 reported complete graphitization of the carbide of a 0. I5 per cent carbon steel that had been in service for about 26,000 hr. at a temperature of about IIOO° to 12oo°F. In discussing this paper, both Mathews and Sauveur reported graphitization of slightly hypereutectoid steels. In an extensive investigation of graphitization of high-purity iron-carbon alloys, Wells1 produced graphite at 7oo°C. (I29o°F.) in an alloy containing as little as 0.13 per cent carbon, and showed that graphite may precipitate either directly from austenite or from decomposition of Fe3C, also that the rate of graphitization tends to increase with increase of temperature, at least up to a certain point, and with the presence of graphite nuclei. Jenkins, Mellor and Jenkinson,3 studying the structural changes in carbon steels ranging from 0.17 to 1.14 per cent carbon during stress-rupture tests at elevated temperature, observed graphite in an aluminum-killed 0.40 per cent carbon steel after fracture in 4340 hr. under a stress of 17,900 lb. per sq. in. at 840°F. and in many of the steels after stress-rupture test at 12oo°F. Unstressed samples of 0.60, 0.86 and I.I4 per cent carbon steels graphitized almost completely in 360 hr. at I200°F., while samples of 0.90 and 1.10 per cent carbon steels were somewhat graphitized, and steels containing 0.24, 0.40 and 0.57 per cent carbon showed no sign of graphite. Their results indicate that graphite precipitates the more readily the higher the carbon content, though this tendency is influenced to some extent by deoxidation practice, and that graphitization is accelerated by plastic deformation. In a recent study of the graphitization of 0.4 and 0.6 per cent carbon steel strip, made by M. A. Hughes,4 it was found that at I2oo°F. graphite appeared after 72 hr. in aluminum-killed but not in silicon-killed steel, and that the rate of graphitization was increased by slow cooling from I6oo°F. and by cold-working prior to annealing. In creep tests of normalized 0.15 per cent carbon steel killed with 2.5 Ib. of aluminum per ton, at the U. S. Steel Corporation laboratory at Kearny, spheroidization and some graphitization were found after 3000 hr. at Iooo°F. under a stress as low as 1500 lb. per sq. inch. .

Jan 1, 1944

By C. O. Tarr, G. V. Smith, R. F. Miller

Metallurgists have long recognized that the Fe3C type of carbide is not a stable phase in steel and that, given sufficient time, it will decompose with formation of graphite, at least at temperatures below about 205o°F.l This slow graphitization has never been of much concern to users of hypoeutectoid steels, for in such steels it occurs only during prolonged exposure at elevated temperature. In I935, Kinzel and Moore2 reported complete graphitization of the carbide of a 0. I5 per cent carbon steel that had been in service for about 26,000 hr. at a temperature of about IIOO° to 12oo°F. In discussing this paper, both Mathews and Sauveur reported graphitization of slightly hypereutectoid steels. In an extensive investigation of graphitization of high-purity iron-carbon alloys, Wells1 produced graphite at 7oo°C. (I29o°F.) in an alloy containing as little as 0.13 per cent carbon, and showed that graphite may precipitate either directly from austenite or from decomposition of Fe3C, also that the rate of graphitization tends to increase with increase of temperature, at least up to a certain point, and with the presence of graphite nuclei. Jenkins, Mellor and Jenkinson,3 studying the structural changes in carbon steels ranging from 0.17 to 1.14 per cent carbon during stress-rupture tests at elevated temperature, observed graphite in an aluminum-killed 0.40 per cent carbon steel after fracture in 4340 hr. under a stress of 17,900 lb. per sq. in. at 840°F. and in many of the steels after stress-rupture test at 12oo°F. Unstressed samples of 0.60, 0.86 and I.I4 per cent carbon steels graphitized almost completely in 360 hr. at I200°F., while samples of 0.90 and 1.10 per cent carbon steels were somewhat graphitized, and steels containing 0.24, 0.40 and 0.57 per cent carbon showed no sign of graphite. Their results indicate that graphite precipitates the more readily the higher the carbon content, though this tendency is influenced to some extent by deoxidation practice, and that graphitization is accelerated by plastic deformation. In a recent study of the graphitization of 0.4 and 0.6 per cent carbon steel strip, made by M. A. Hughes,4 it was found that at I2oo°F. graphite appeared after 72 hr. in aluminum-killed but not in silicon-killed steel, and that the rate of graphitization was increased by slow cooling from I6oo°F. and by cold-working prior to annealing. In creep tests of normalized 0.15 per cent carbon steel killed with 2.5 Ib. of aluminum per ton, at the U. S. Steel Corporation laboratory at Kearny, spheroidization and some graphitization were found after 3000 hr. at Iooo°F. under a stress as low as 1500 lb. per sq. inch. .

Jan 1, 1944

By L. W. Legerwood

During the past three decades, the oil industry has expended increasing eflorts seeking improved drilling tools or systems to reduce drilling costs. The total cost of these efforts is unknown, but it certainly amounts 10 tens of millions of dollars. Most of the "new" system that past and present investigators have sought to develop actually are old public information. In seeking to implement new-systern concepts, investigators have tested the following: impact at frequencies ranging from 6 to 300 cycles per second; electrical, mechanical and hydraulic meam of actuating percussors; bit rotary speeds up to 2,000 rpm; electric and hydraulic bottom-hole means of rotating bits; bottom-hole machines with power outputs up to 400 hp; shock waves; explosives; high-velocity pellets; flame; arc; grinding wheels; abrasive jets; erosion by high-velocity gases; chemical attack; electric current; magnetic waves; retractable rock bits; reelable drill pipe; continuous coring with reverse circulation; and automation of drilling rigs. Table I shows how these investigations are grouped for discussion purposes in this paper. In spite of these efforts to discover new and improved systems, rotary drilling main;aim its economic leadership. Undoubtedly, rotary drilling costs will continue to be reduced by rigid application of the best available technology and by development of new rotary technology. In view of the extensive past development programs, however, significant long-range improvement appears to be a research, not a development problem. Research must postulate and prove theories and principles governing variour subsurface rock-failure processes pertinent to both rotary and new systems. Ah, research must produce physical and engineering data relative to these processes. When such information is available, earth boring will graduate from an art to a science. Major improvements in rotary drilling can then be expected, and the systematic evolution of an improved drilling method can be initiated—with a strong probability for success. Development of drilling methods other than rotary drilling has been one approach investigated by the industry as a means for reducing drilling costs. Major cost-reduction efforts, however, have been centered on engineering development work aimed at incremental improvements in rotary drilling. A relatively minor effort has been expended to establish basic physical principles and engineering data pertaining to the earth-boring process which can serve as a foundation for the development of cost-cutting drilling hardware. Current oil-industry economic trends have added impetus to the need for effective programs to reduce drilling costs. However, areas for expanded future efforts should be selected only after careful study of past investigations. It is the purpose of this paper to review past and Dresent industry efforts to develop new drilling tools or systems and to suggest areas where additional science is needed. Past reviews of drilling methods have been limited to a few processes prominent at the time the reviews were made. This paper seeks to present a concise, well organized review of all methods that have received actual development or test work. The preparation of a paper seeking to review all past developments is fraught with many difficulties, not the least of which are errors in or obsolesence of printed matter used as source material and the lack of data on industry developments which have not been published. Since de-

By Donald H. McLaughlin

ZEST in the search for new supplies of metallic ores and petroleum is difficult to maintain with stocks of raw materials accumulating and with over- production rightly or wrongly blamed for most of our industrial troubles. Enthusiasm over new methods of prospecting has consequently diminished and exploration programs in many fields have been drastically cur- tailed. Very naturally the effects have been felt with particular keeness in highly specialized phases of the work, such as geophysical prospecting, for the feverish scramble for new areas in which to drill beneath magnetic or electrical anomalies has abated, and there is even a lull in the firing in the battle over salt domes on the Gulf Coast. It is unquestionably an unhappy time for many of the organizations dependent on this work, but in certain respects the situation may be beneficial in correcting unsound practices that .have grown up through the necessity for haste and for quick decisions. With the restriction of the field to the more competent workers by the harsh rule of survival of the fittest, a general improvement, not only in technique but in business methods, can be expected which may go far in restoring public confidence. Geophysical prospecting in the short period that it has been utilized in North America, has suffered severely both from over-popularity and from excessive abuse. The former evil now

Jan 1, 1931

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period June 10, 1916 to July 10, 1916: Arthur Adams, Miami, Ariz. John M. Lovejoy, New Rochelle, N. Y. J. H. Batcheller, Mattapoisitt, Mass. J. F. Manning, Seoul, Korea. R. S. Bonsib, Low Moor, Va. E. P. Mathewson, Anaconda, Mont. E. L. Booth, New York, N. Y. Edwin W. Mills, Seoul, Korea. C. L. Bryden, Scranton, Pa. Arthur Notman, Bisbee, Ariz. F. Crabtree, Pittsburgh, Pa. L. B. Reifsneider, Daiquiri, Cuba. L. B. Eames, Pueblo, Colo. W. S. Schuyler, Berkeley, Cal. S. J. Gormly, Guayacan, Chile. 0. N. Scott, Toronto, Ont., Canada. Ernest A. Hersam, Berkeley, Cal. Arthur F. Taggart, New Haven, Conn. A. W. Hudson, Douglas, Aria. Warren D. Thompson, Boston, Mass. Chas. W. Johnston, West Norfolk, Va. Thor. Warner, IGngman, Ariz. Rodolphe L. Agassiz has been chosen president of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co., an office which has been vacant for over a year. Percy E. Barbour, Managing Editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal, resigned his commission as 2d Lieutenant in the Main Coast.

Jan 8, 1916

By Arthur Phillips, C. H. Mathewson

During the past year considerable work dealing with the mechanical properties and microstructure following the anneal under uniform condi-tions of certain types of commercial rolled brass has been done in this laboratory. Since these experiments were conducted with the active cooperation of the Bridgeport Brass Co., involving free use of its product, and have thus furnished information which is characteristic of some of its special mixtures, full publication of the numerical relationships and comparative results encountered does not seem justifiable. Some of the more general features of this work are, however, available and it is our present purpose to use the material in question, along with some results of special tests, in discussing the characteristics of recrystallization as related to the degree of hardening by strain and the ordinary annealing variables. We desire to make acknowledgment of the many courtesies extended by Mr. Charles Ferry, Metallurgist of the Bridgeport Brass Co., and the value of his cooperation, which has greatly stimulated the study of brass in this laboratory. A clear and systematic presentation of the principal relations between temperature and time of anneal, the changing physical properties and microstructure and the degree of previous reduction by cold-rolling, was first made, in the case of rolled brass and copper, by the French engineer, C. Grard,' in 1909, although much fragmentary information of this general character had appeared earlier and the main facts involved were undoubtedly known to many brass specialists through their own private research. From this work, it appears that in the cartridge mixture (67 per cent. copper, 33 per cent. zinc) the properties imparted by cold-working within the limits, 13 to 75 per cent, reduction of area by rolling Original Area — Final Area 0.13 to 0.75), are not affected by anneal- Original Area " ing for a 50-min. period at any temperature below 200°C. At or in the

Jan 1, 1916

By V. Leroy, A. G. Guy

Serious disagreements are often found between experimentally determined intrinsic diffusion coefficients and those calculated employing the usual form of the vacancy theory. In the new theory it is proposed that the total intrinsic flux, Ji, of component i, is the sum of a part, f, due to the usual random exclzanges of component i with the vacancies, and a second part, Ji, due to exchanges with the uacancies composing the net vacancy flux. The present treatment, while less powerful than that of Manning, has the advantage of easy uisualization and of facilitating the application of the vacancy-flux effect to complex systems. IT is becoming increasingly evident that there are serious deficiencies in the version of the vacancy theory of diffusion that has been widely used for the past 20 years. One type of evidence is the frequent lack of agreement between intrinsic diffusion coefficients and tracer diffusion coefficients, even taking account of the thermodynamic factor. A second kind of evidence is the observation of a Kirkendall shift larger than theoretically possible, that is, larger than can be accounted for without assigning a negative value to one of the two intrinsic diffusion coefficient.'- The thermodynamic factor could conceivably make both coefficients negative, but not just one. It is clear that a cause of these anomalies, apart from any inadequacy of the usual vacancy theory, might lie in an oversimplified treatment of the data. Adequate experimental techniques, including the use of moderate pressure during the diffusion anneal, are now available to insure that porosity, lateral expansion, and so forth, can be kept negligibly small in most cases. The effect of differences in atomic volume can be of major importance, and it is essential that one of the available methods4 be used to account for this factor. In the present treatment this is accomplished by the consistent use of moles per cubic centimeter as the unit of concentration. Of the various possible inadequacies of the vacancy theory, attention will be given here only to effects of the net vacancy flux. annin' has previously considered this question, beginning with an analysis of atomic jumping of tracer atoms. When he added the effect of a concentration gradient, new terms arose that could be associated with the flow of vacancies. The present treatment uses quite a different approach. The usual vacancy flux, J,, is introduced explicitly, and a simple analysis predicts major changes in the intrinsic diffusion coefficients from this cause. The usual assumptions are made that only a vacancy mechanism is operative, that the formation of voids can be neglected, and that changes in the partial molal volumes, vl and v2, are negligible. The significant diffusion coefficients for the present topic are Dl and D,, the intrinsic coefficients, which enter in the equations, where the flux Ji, moles per sq cm per sec, is that crossing the Kirkendall interface. The concentration, ci, is in units of moles per cu cm, and the concentration gradient, aci/ax, is evaluated at the Kirkendall interface. It will be recalled' that the calculation of Dl and D2 involves the measurement of areas on the diffusion curve with respect to the positions of the Kirkendall and Matano interfaces. In the case of the anomalies mentioned earlier, the Kirkendall shift is too large to be accounted for by the diiferetzce in fluxes (J2 -J1), given by Eqs. [I] and [2]. The logical inference is that the flux of the solvent atoms, J1, is actually in the same direction as the flux of the solute atoms, Jz. In terms of Eq. [I] this requires that Dl have a negative value. However, it would be somewhat misleading to state that the solvent atoms are diffusing up their own concentration gradient. The explanation that will be advanced here pictures competing processes producing the net flux of solvent atoms: 1) diffusion of the solvent atoms down their own gradient by random exchanges with vacancies; and 2) diffusion of solvent atoms in the opposite direction by exchanges with the net vacancy flux. ACTION OF THE NET VACANCY FLUX Theories of vacancy diffusion can be formulated with varying degrees of refinement, and the present theory has purposely been kept as simple as appeared adequate to explain the phenomenon in question. In particular the following aspects have been neglected: 1) the gradient of vacancy concentration in comparison to the gradient of the atomic species; 2) departure of vacancy concentration from the local equilibrium value; 3) variation of the jump frequency, LO, with the specific surroundings of the atom-vacancy pair being considered; 4) correlation effects. These and other refinements can be considered once the essential mechanism has been established. The essential idea of the present analysis is to calculate the total intrinsic flux, Ji, of component i as the sum, JlJ?±j{ [3] where J; is attributable to the usual random atomic jumping, and J{ is a contribution arising from the net vacancy flux, J,. The latter quantity, of course,

Jan 1, 1967

[PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR * R. R. McNAUGHTON, '63, Trail, B. C., Canada PAST-PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR * JOSEPH L. GILLSON, '62, Wilmington, Delaware PRESIDENT-ELECT AND DIRECTOR * LLOYD E. ELKINS, '64, Tulsa, Oklahoma VICE-PRESIDENTS AND DIRECTORS * JOHN S. BELL, '62, Houston, Texas * A. B. CUMMINS, '62, Bound Brook, New Jersey * WAYNE E. GLENN, '62, Houston, Texas * C. C. LONG, '62, Monaca, Pennsylvania * J. S. SMART, JR., '63, New York, New York * J. W. WOOMER, '62, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]

Jan 1, 1961

By Willis Carrier

PARTICULAR interest in the ventilation of deep mines, especially those in South Africa, has been created by a very complete system of cooling of the world's deepest mine, the Turf shaft of the Robinson Deep ill Johan-nesburg. The writer visited this mine in January, 1936, and again in 1937. During these visits and subsequently, a considerable part of the theory involved in rock cooling in tunnels was developed and this has been checked by practical observations of the rates of rock cooling made within mines. The purpose of this paper is to set forth the method of attack of the mine problem. The cooling or air conditioning of mines by the use of mechanical refrigeration was not wholly new 1-5 when the Robinson Deep installation was made. The first mine to be cooled was the Morro Velho mine, in Brazil. The first installation in this mine was put into operation in December 1920, the refrigerant being ammonia.5 The surface cooling gave considerable benefit but it proved inadequate as greater depths were reached, therefore in 1929 two centrifugal refrigerating machines were installed at the 6000-ft. level. These were used in conjunction with the surface cooling system to furnish additional cooling at the lower levels. This later installation used Carrene as a refrigerant. This nonflammable refrigerant, having a boiling point of 104° at sea level, insured reasonable safety, since all parts of the machine operated At subatmospheric pressure. Very favorable reports have been received on the effectiveness of this installation, but no recent data are available. An interesting feature of that plant is that the condenser water is cooled by spraying it into the exhaust air from the mine at the base of the ventilation upcast, which permits the water to be cooled within a few degrees of the wet-bulb temperature of the air entering the upcast, and the only water that has to be supplied for condensing purposes is that lost by evaporation, or about 0.5 per cent of the volume circulating through the condenser. This plan affords an ideal means for the removal of the heat load from the refrigerating system, and of course also from the mine itself. In many mines, however, especially those in South Africa, there is no

Jan 1, 1938

By T. A. Wright

The sampling of waste materials containing copper, lead and tin has taken on a new significance within recent years, and is of increasing importance, on account of the entry of some of the copper refineries into this field and the tendency towards consolidations among the smelters. In the past, such material was sold on the basis either of a rough or grab sample or of casual inspection of the lot. The two principal sources of this waste are the processes of fabrication and the scrapping of automobile, electrical, plumbing, railroad and other equipment. In both cases much material can be sorted, salvaged and sold by classification and grade to be melted "as is" or with the addition of new or virgin metal. The increasing care in classifying exercised in the large manufacturing plants tends to increase the proportion of this usable scrap; on the contrary, the increasing use of more complex and special non-ferrous alloys tends to make sorting and grading more difficult in turnings, borings, clippings, etc., and consequently is making sampling of more moment. In tin, lead, aluminum, and zinc furnace by-products such as ashes, drosses, skimmings, etc., the trade practice of evaluation has not varied much. For instance, tin drosses, battery lead, and aluminum skimmings are ordinarily sold on what is called "metallic button" or "metallic recovery" or ('metallic yield." Copper and lead waste, however, is being sold more and more on actual copper and lead contents based on sample and chemical analyses. This paper will be devoted chiefly to the sampling of materials suitable only for refining and recovery of one or more of the metals present. The methods described are often based on the fact that but one metal, such as copper, is to be paid for. The loss of volatile constituents in melting does not appreciably affect the final copper result, as the "after-melting" assay can be readily calculated to the "before-melting" basis, but if smelter efficiency continues to increase, so that in time zinc, for instance, may be recovered on a paying basis, the method of sampling dirty brass, for example, will have to be changed also. As a matter of fact, we may expect that improved refining processes will make possible the partial recovery of lead and tin which are now lost.

Jan 1, 1928

CONTENTS DAVIS, CARL R., WILLEY, J. L., and EWING, S. E. T.-Recent Developments in the Fine Grinding and Treatment of Witwatersrand Ores. Discussed by Charles E. Locke, H. W. Hardinge, H. N. Spicer, G. M. Brown, Justice F. Grugan, R. C. Canby 1 WEINIG, A. J., and BOWEN, MAX W.-Determination of Dissolved Oxygen in Cyanide Solutions. Discussed by A. L. Blomfield, M. F. Dycus, A. W. Bull.... 4 LEPSOE, ROBERT.-Precipitation Efficiency of Zinc Dust in Cyanide Process. Discussed by G. M. Brown, Charles E. Locke 5 Recent Developments in the Fine Grinding and Treatment of Witwatersrand Ores Discussion of the paper of CARL R. DAVIS, J. L. WILLEY, S. E. T. EWING, presented at the New York Meeting, February, 1925, and issued as Paper No. 1386-B, with MINING AND METALLURGY, December, 1924. CHARLES E. LOCKE, Cambridge, Mass.-In this country, we have come to think that we should use smaller size of feed in our ball-mills. I will admit that a ball-mill is not comparable to a tube-mill, as conditions may not be the same, but there we have an unusual demonstration of the advantage of a coarser feed. Further investigation along this line is going to lead to some valuable results. The authors have overcome the difficulty of this coarse feed by taking out what I would call the difficult lumps, It is not clear from the paper whether many of these difficult lumps' may not be 'reduced portions of their grinding media. H. W. HARDINGE, New York, N. Y.-The idea is not exactly new because in 1911 they used the miner to reduce the finer material. We proceeded three or four years using many tons, about 15 tons. or nearly the same proportion of ore to grinding medium. Another thing to be taken into account is the hardness of the ore being ground. In South Africa, the transportation costs must be, taken into account. They are also making progress in the method of using tube-mills and ball-mills instead of stamps. Experiments are to be conducted with 10-ft. diameter mills there, with the object of increasing the mass action and agitation which, as has been demonstrated under different circumstances, increases the overall efficiency.

Jan 6, 1925

By D. Harker, E. Epremian

The constitution of the nickel-tungsten system has been studied by a number of investigators, the most recent of which are Ellinger and Sykes.1 On the basis of metallography, electrical resistivity and hardness measurements and some X ray diffraction work, they constructed a consitution diagram (Fig 1). Ellinger and Sykes report a0 for the alpha face-centered cubic phase (nickel saturated with tungsten) as 3.66?.‡ The gamma phase (tungsten saturated with nickel) is given as body-centered cubic, but no value of a. is recorded. At 43 pct tungsten by weight (approximately 20 at. pct) a beta phase is reported, but structure and lattice parameter are not known. Primarily on the basis of metallographic evidence, they conclude that beta is a new phase and rule out the possibility of formation of a superlattice since they- observe a new phase in the microstructure. Grube and Schlecht2 report an ordering reaction in a system similar to the Ni-W (Ni-Mo) and Harker3 has shown that NirMo forms a superlattice upon the pre-existing face-centered cubic lattice of the alpha phase. Elliniger arid Sykes observed a change in the diffraction pattern of a 4.3 pct W alloy upon aging and attributed it to the formation of a new phase. Thus, there appears to be some question as to the character of the beta phase reported by Ellinger and Sykes. The purpose of the present work is to determine precisely the structure and nature of the beta phase in the Ni-w system of X ray diffraction methods. Experimental Procedure One inch diameter ingots of 43.66 pct, 40.15 pct and 34.06 pct .tungsten by weight (19.8, 17.6 and 14.1 at. pct respectively) were melted and cast under vacuum from electrolytic nickel and pure wire filament grade tungsten. The ingots were soaked for 16 hr at 1300°C in a hydrogen atmosphere furnace, then swaged at this temperature and finally drawn to 0.020 in. diam wire. Some of the bar stock was retained in 1/2 in. diam rod for hardness and metallographic studies. Wire samples for diffraction work were sealed in evacuated quartz tubes and subjected to the various solution and aging heat treatments in a hydrogen furnace. X ray photograms were taken in a Debeye-Slierrer camera using copper K radiation filtered by nickel foil. Results X RAY DIFFRACTION The lattice parameters of the alpha and gamma phases at saturation were determined by an X ray photogram of the 19.8 at. pct W alloy after solution heat treatment at a temperature well within the alpha-gamma range above the peritectoid temperature (17 hr at 1150°C—oil quenched). The alpha phase was found to be face-centeted cubic with a. of 3.594 ± 0.001?, while the gamma phase was determined as body-centered cubic with a. of 3.158 ± 0.001?. Exactly the same phases and parameters were ohtained with the 17.6 at. pct W alloy for the same solution heat treatment. Thorough analysis was made of an X ray photogram of a 19.8 at. pct alloy sample in the quenched and aged condition (solution treated 1T hr at

Jan 1, 1950

By Shiou-Chuan Sun

THE fact that coals of different ranks and even of the same rank differ greatly in their amenability to froth flotation is well known. In recognition of the need for an explanation of this phenomenon, two hypotheses have been suggested. Wilkins1 reported that the floatability of coals increased with an increase of the carbon content or rank. This postulate is handicapped by the fact that bituminous coals that possess moderate carbon contents are actually more floatable than anthracite coals that have high carbon contents, as shown in columns 6 and 9 of Table I. Taggart and his associates' implied that the difference of floatability between bituminous and anthracite coal was caused by the variation of carbon-hydrogen ratio. This is not applicable to the relative floatability of other coals and carbons. For example, column 11 of Table I shows that the carbon-hydrogen ratios of low-floating lignitic coal and non-floating animal charcoal are not only smaller than the moderate-floating anthracite coal, but are also similar to the high-floating bituminous coal. Furthermore, according to this hypothesis, high temperature coke-A (464), Ceylon graphite (1238), and lamp-black (357), all possessing extremely high carbon-hydrogen ratios, should be less floatable than other substances having much lower carbon- hydrogen ratios such as high volatile-B bituminous coal (11.9 to 22), anthracite coal (35.7 to 60.5), lignitic coal (15.6 to 33.6), and charcoal (13 to 26.2). However the former group is actually more floatable than the latter group.

Jan 1, 1954

By R. H. Winn

In this paper a heterogeneous carbonate reservoir is considered as a succession of layers of formations of radically different porosities, permeabilities, water saturations, and rock matrix types; i.e., the heterogeneity is vertical rather than radial to the wellbore. Presumably each layer is more or less homogeneous. To determine the "net oil in place" in this reservoir it is desirable to know the porosity and water saturation of each layer. In addition, the section must be subdivided into that which will produce oil, that which will produce water, and that which will produce little or nothing. In numerous wells drilled in these reservoirs radioactivity surveys, guard electrode surveys, and caliper surveys have been made. These logs have been compared with core analysis data, when available, and the analysis of the surveys compared with production data. This study, still in progress, is intended to provide improved analytical techniques if such are possible. This paper is a progress report on the work. DETERMINATION OF POROSITY The neutron-gamma log has long been recognized as a measure of hydrogen concentration.1,2,3 In reservoirs that are free of clay, shale, or other hydrogen containing matrices, it has been accepted as a measure of porosity.4,5 Empirical methods to relate relative neu-tron-gamma intensity to porosity are often employed." To provide a more precise determination of porosity from the neutron-gamma log each instrument is calibrated immediately prior to each survey by a method which refers all tools to a hydrogenous cylinder. To insure stability a calibration check is made after each survey. These calibration records are printed as an integral part of the log that is recorded in standard counts per second. A detailed description of the calibration procedure is available in the literature.' The procedure employed insures that each Survey is numerically reproducible within the limits of statistical variation. To relate the standard neutron counts per second to porosity and hole size, records were made in test wells constructed of blocks of limestone. The porosities of the blocks were accurately measured and the blocks completely saturated with fresh water. Fig. 1 presents some of the results obtained in these test wells.' The lines shown in Fig. 1 were obtained by deriving an empirical equation relating the 11 points shown so that the relationship may be projected to larger and smaller hole sizes. A detailed description of the tool is available in the literature.' Field tests indicate that the tool is adjacent to the wall of the hole most of the time when the surveys are made in uncased holes drilled with saline muds. In this circumstance porosity may be calculated from Fig. 1 if the hole size is known. When fresh muds that form thick mud cakes are employed, the centralizing effect of the mud cake must be considered and the porosity determination is less reliable. In cased holes the combined effect of variations in hole diameter and the unknown eccentricity of the casing in the hole may make porosity determinations extremely unreliable. In any event, an accurate knowledge of hole size is essen-

Jan 1, 1958

By M. J. Stewart, F. Weinberg

PREVIOUS investigations into convective flow in molten metals have examined systems in which the length-to-height ratio of the enclosure is large, usually using long graphite boats.''2 In normal castings this ratio is generally small and it is not possible to extrapolate the results of previous work to casting configurations. The present investigation was undertaken to examine liquid flow in systems of low length to height ratio. The apparatus used for the experiments is shown in Fig. 1. The molten zone of tin is contained in an aluminum mold of inside dimensions 6.4 by 6.4 by 0.31 cm. A heating block containing a resistance coil is attached to one end of the mold and a cooling block is attached to the other end. These are used to produce a wide range of temperature differences across the mold. The mold is contained in a stainless steel tank which is heated from the outside by resistance heaters to give the required operating temperature during the experiment. Temperature measurements in the molten tin are made with an iron-constantan thermocouple PT equal to 5 atm. The phase diagram derived by us was the same as that found by Krivsky and Schuhmann, except for a similar discrepancy in one boundary line representing the gas composition in equilibrium with SO a. The vapor pressures of the pure components can be neglected at 1700°K, 1 atm and 2500°K, 5 atm. There-fore, in these cases PT is essentially the total pres-sure in the system. This is valid for all the diagrams presented by Krivsky and Schuhmann except for the one at 2500°K and 0.01 atm, where the vapor pressure of silicon is comparable to PT.6 This work was supported in part by the American Iron and Steel Institute. 'C. E. Wicks and F. E. Block: Thermodynamic Properties of 65 Elements, U S. Bur Mines, Bull. No. 605, 1963. R. P. Elliott: Constitution of Binary Alloys, 1st supplementary, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1965. 3W. A. Krivsky and R. Schuhmann, Jr.: Trans. TMS-AIME, 1961, vol. 221, pp. 898-904. 4M. F. Ancey-Moret, M. Olette, and F. D. Richardson: Mem. Sci. Rev. Met., 1964, vol. 61, pp. 169-76. 5J . F. Elliott and M. Gleiser: Thermochemistry for Steelmaking, vol. 1. Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass. 1960. 6 J.Drowart, G. De Maria, and M. G. Ingraham: J. Chem. Phys., 1958, vol. 29, p. 1015. probe of 0.4 mm diam inserted into the open top of the mold. Radioactive sn113, in the form of a small sphere, was gently lowered into the molten tin at point A in Fig. 1 THERMOCOUPLE> WATER ARGON END HEATER QUENCH ARGON Fig. 1—Apparatus for detecting liquid flow. Point A indicates position the tracer was introduced.

Jan 1, 1970

By H. B. Menardi

THE history, geology, ore deposits and current mining operations of the Huitzuco district have been described by C. W. Vaupell1 and the current mill operations by David Segura.2 This paper completes the story of Huitzuco with a description of the reduction of the flotation concentrates. The predominant ore mineral in the Huitzuco deposit is livingstonite, a rare, mercury-antimony sulphide (HgS.2Sb2S3). Other associated minerals include cinnabar, stibnite and elemental sulphur. The gangue is largely limestone and gypsum. Former operators mined a selected grade of ore, from which the mercury was recovered by an expensive, inefficient operation. A consid-erable tonnage of rejects and fills, carrying mercury and antimony, was left in the mine. In order to recover both mercury and antimony from these fills and also from newly developed ore, a combination method has been developed, by means of which the livingstonite is concentrated by flotation and the flotation concentrates subsequently reduced to metallic mercury and antimony. An essential part of the flotation treatment, as developed by Segura, is the use of copper sulphate as an activating agent. A typical analysis of concentrates now being produced at the property is as follows: Hg, 7.73 per cent; Sb, 26.40; Fe, 1.20; S, 29.68; CaO, 11.50; MgO, 7.25; Si02, 1.63; A1203, 0.65.

Jan 1, 1939

By Frances Hurd

WHEN 60:40 brass is heated to 825° C., given a drastic quench to obtain the beta solid solution, and reheated, various changes take place in the structure. Reheating at 200' C. causes a fine, granular, sorbitic structure to appear which has been considered alpha solid solution. These particles coalesce at higher temperatures of reheating, and at 470° C., the alpha forms twins. A further study of these transformations was considered worth investigating.

Jan 1, 1927

L. D. GODSHALL, Everett, Washington: This very interesting paper cannot fail to command the attention of every one who has ever had experience in the amalgamation of gold-ores. I wish to call attention to three very important facts brought out very prominently by the paper, namely: 1. The extent of accumulation of amalgam on copper plates in the form of scale, not removable in the ordinary manner; 2. The change in the relative quantity of the two metals in the amalgam as we. recede from the battery-discharge; 3. The difference in fineness of the bullion obtained from the above-mentioned scale as compared with the bullion from the daily clean-ups. From Mr. Bayliss's figures we find that during the life of the plate in question 14,942 tons of ore were crushed, yielding amalgam of the value of $5.03 per ton, or a total value of $75,158.26. The amalgam accumulating on the plate during this time as scale, we find to have had a value of $8340.54, or $0.558 per ton of ore treated, representing 11.09 per cent. of the total amount of amalgam saved in the ordinary clean-up; or, taking the amalgam saved by daily clean-up plus the amalgam-scale as representing the total saved on this plate, or 100 per cent., we find that the daily clean-up saved 90.01 per cent., while the scale represented 9.99 per cent. The above figures do not include some additional amalgam still adhering to the plate after scale had been removed. We are told that this was not an exceptional case at the Drum Lummon, but that other plates have even yielded a third more than the one in question. The interesting query now comes up, whether this experience at the Drum Lummon is exceptional or universal at all mills; and another question arises, as to how long such an accumulation might continue,

Jan 1, 1897

By E. A. Gulbransen, W. S. Wysong

The behavior of molybdenum and its surface oxides in oxidizing and reducing gas atmospheres and in high vacua at elevated temperatures is a question of scientific and technical importance. The use of molybdenum as a metal or as an important component in alloys in oxidizing atmospheres at elevated temperatures has been limited because of the unprotec-tive nature of its oxide film and the volatility of this oxide at moderate temperatures. This communication will present results of a vacuum microbalance studyl, 2 of the following problems: (I) the oxidation kinetics in the temperature range of 250°to 450°C; (2) the reduction with pure hydrogen of thin oxide films formed on molybdenum; (3) the volatility of the thin oxide films; and (4) the vacuum oxidation of molybdenum at high temperatures. Molybdenum is an interesting metal to study for the following reasons: (I) although the oxide-to-metal-volume ratio is greater than one, the metal is not considered protective; (2) the metal oxidizes readily at temperatures of 2 50°C and higher; (3) the oxides of the metal are reduced at temperatures as low as 500°C by pure hydrogen; (4) the oxide Moo3 melts at 795°C; and (5) the oxides of molybdenum are volatile at moderate temperatures. The following variables are studied in the oxidation kinetics: time, temperature, pressure, surface preparation, surface area, concentration of inert gas in the lattice, cycling procedures in temperature, vacuum effect and high temperature vacuum oxidation. The general interpretation of many of these factors has been previously discussed. Literature The oxidation of molybdenum has not been studied critically. Although many studies have probably been made on the kinetics of the oxidation process, none has been reported in the literature available to us. The crystal structures found in the oxidation of molybdenum have been studied by Hickman and Gulbransen." Their results showed that Moo2 is the oxide which is stable in contact with the metallic substrate throughout the temperature range 300 to 700°C. As the film thickens in the low temperature range, MoO3 becomes predominant on the surface. Above 400°C, Moos is no longer observed, MoO2 being the only oxide found. Hagg and Magneli6 have shown from an X ray study that the a-phase, orthor-hombic Moo3 is stable up to 1050°C. Two other phases, ß and ß with compositions close to MoO2.90 are also obtained. The formula for the 0 phase is not given but that of the ß phase is defined as Mo9O26 The 0' phase is found to be built upon a monoclinic unit cell. A ?-phase is isolated from a preparation MoO2.75 heated for 17 hrs at 670°C. This phase is

Jan 1, 1949