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By A. B. Kinzel

SINCE the exposition of the behavior of certain iron alloys by Sykes1 involving the existence of an austenite loop and the discovery of such a loop in the chrome iron system by Bain,2 there has been much conjecture both on his part and on the part of metallurgists in general as to the exact shape and location of this loop. In previous work commercial steel has been used and the microscope has been employed to locate the critical points so that the position of the loop has been quite approximate. Numerous attempts have been made to measure the critical points of the carbon-free alloys but all of these for one reason or another have failed. A satisfactory method for studying these phenomena is presented here. MATERIAL The first difficulty in this study was to obtain pure chromium-iron alloys. This has been overcome by melting in a vacuum electrolytic Eton and chromium analyzing 99.84 Cr, Fe and C. A pure magnesite crucible was used and the melt allowed to solidify in the crucible. A typical analysis is chromium, 10.10 per cent., carbon, 0.006 per cent., silicon and manganese nil. To overcome the problem presented by segregation, ingots were made into wire 0.04 in, in diameter. This was accomplished by hand-forging the ingots into rods, using an oxyhydrogen flame for heating, in order to avoid carbon. Subsequently the rods were swaged to wire, the heating being carried out in hydrogen. Thus local segregation was eliminated although differences in analysis between portions 50 ft. apart were noted. An electric-resistance method was first tried to determine the critical points, but due to the physical defects in the wire this failed. Bain had previously shown the presence or absence of critical points in a qualitative way by observing the sag in a catenary. The author has devised the following method which gives an accurate determination of the critical points from expansion-temperature curves of suspended wire, a special telescopic dilatometer being used for the purpose.

Jan 1, 1928

By Stanley Herold

As an accompaniment to the interesting papers which discuss the practical aspects of forced drive, or flooding, in our oil fields, and to others which deal with laboratory or field tests on the same subject, a few remarks on the theoretical principles concerned may not be considered inappropriate at the present time. Without claiming to have had the field experience which some of you certainly possess I venture to present some of the results of an analytical investigation upon this method of increasing the recovery of oil from our natural reservoirs. I firmly believe that these results will accord with your experience. I shall confine the present discussion to the consideration of a perfectly ideal situation Let us assume that the productive formation lies perfectly horizontal, that it is of uniform thickness, of perfectly homogeneous texture, and that it contains oil with gas in solution, and no water, throughout a definite, although undefined, lateral extent. We shall furthermore assume that the pressure existing within the reservoir as thus specified, is such that some of the gas is in the free state, spread uniformly throughout, in the form of minute bubbles within the pores of the formation. We now have an ideal reservoir subject to the peculiar action of capillarity as described by the French physicist Jules Jamin. In all directions within the reservoir we see these bubbles of gas, separated by globules of oil which tend to remain in the capillary channels that connect the pores. The action of these bubbles and globules under the application or release of pressure has been fully described by Jamin.1 Most of our oil fields in the Mid-Continent and Eastern districts are subject to this action of capillarity: The fact that the actual reservoir is often far from being ideal in the manner specified above does not preclude the, influence of this phenomenon. The oil, existing under a pressure exerted by the compressed gas, is securely locked in place

Jan 11, 1926

By Neil O. Johnson

In the cyanidation of gold, silver and mixed ores, the solids, suspended in the pulp after fine grinding, primary settling and scries agitation arc subjected to a washing step known, generally, as countercurrent decanta-tion, abbreviated C.C.D The conventional C.C.D. plant consists of a series of separate thickeners—three to five in number—arranged in series on slightly different elevations. Solids settled in the first thickener are pumped at maximum density into the second thickener, where they arc diluted with weak solution overflowing the third. After settling in the second thickener they are pumped to the third, where the process of repulping with still weaker solution is repeated, and so on throughout the system, until they reach the last thickener and are repulped with barren solution or water. Recently there has been developed a new type of thickener, known as the Dorr Washing Tray Thickener, consisting of up to five individual thickeners, which performs in a single unit all the functions of a conven-tional C.C.D plant. Fig. 1 illustrates the essential features. It is a multicompartment tray thickener, in which the trays operate in scries instead of in parallel for countercurrent washing. Feed enters the top compartment via a central, semisubmerged feed well. Strong solution overflows into a peripheral launder. Solids settle to the bottom, are raked to the center and flow into the top of the second compartment, directly below, via an inverted cup and scal. Solids pass downward, compartment by compartment, against a counter flow of wash solution and finally of fresh water. Thus, in accord-:trice with the basic C.C.D. principle, the solids transfer the dissolved metal content to the wash solution and finally are removed by a diaphragm pump from the bottom compartment virtually free of valuable material. Similarly, the wash water, as it flows through the system, becomes increasingly enriched in dissolved metal until it overflows from compartment two and returns to the process.

Jan 1, 1939

E. A. H. Tays, San Blas, Sinaloa, Mex. (communication to the Secretary*):—The results obtained by Messrs. Hofman and Hayward in their experiments, proving that a low percentage of copper sulphate with a variable percentage of salt, depending on the ore, gives the best results, confirm practical mill-work which I did in 1895. I have none of my notes, taken at the time, to refer to, so have to rely solely on memory, which precludes the conciseness that is alway desirable. In 1894 I took charge of the plant of the San Rafael Company, near Chinipas, Chihuahua, Mex., which at that time was treating a very refractory ore carrying about $15 in gold and from 20 to 25 oz. of silver per ton, the bullion being about 300 fine in gold. The silver in the ore was in the form of a sulphide. Although carrying an average of 0.75 oz. of gold per ton, free gold could rarely be seen by panning, but upon roasting a sample of the ore the gold became visible at once—a result which was discovered by chance and used to advantage later. In order to utilize the old mill to the best advantage, it was decided to use pan-amalgamation after roasting. The roasting, done in a lime-kiln, was similar to the ordinary " burning " operation. The roasted ore was trammed to the mill-bins and crushed by 10 stamps to pass a 30-mesh screen. The pulp was de-watered and fed to four 1-ton pans. My recollection is that upon starting the mill-work, the charge contained 1.5 lb. of copper sulphate and 5 per cent. of salt per ton. From the start the extraction was unsatisfactory and the loss of quicksilver was very large. Experiments were then carried out on a working scale. First, the quantity of copper sulphate was increased 4 oz. at a time; then it was reduced

Jan 1, 1910

By Donald L. Katz

Charts for predicting the pressure to which natural gases may be expanded without hydrate formation have been prepared for gases of even gravity. Pressure-temperature curves for hydrate formation were established for gases having gravities from 0.6 to 1.0. These curves and the thermal behavior of the gases during free and adiabatic expansion were used to prepare the charts for estimating the permissible expansion of natural gases without hydrate formation. The problem was solved by L. F, Albright, W. T. Boyd, J. J. McKetta, G. Martin, P. Poettman. and A. P. Snyder.-, who are first-year graduate students in the department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Michigan. This paper is essentially a summary of their results. Prediction of Conditions for Hydrate Formation in Natural Gases Each natural gas under a given pressure will form solid hydrates at a corresponding temperature provided sufficient water is present.1-5 The temperature of natural gases below about 5000 lb. per sq. in. decreases when the gases are expanded freely.6,7 This decrease in temperature may cause the expanding gas to enter the region of temperature and pressure at which hydrates will form' The final pressure to which a natural gas may 'be expanded without hydrate formation depends upon the initial temperature and pressure and the gas composition. This paper presents charts that give the final pressures to which gases of gravity 0.6 to 1.0 at given initial temperatures and pressures may be expanded without formation of hydrate. Hydrate-forming Temperatures and Pressures as a Function OF Gas -Gravity Experimental data of pressure versus temperature at which solid hydrate will form, provided sufficient water is present, are available for a series of gases.2,3 A method of predicting the pressure-temperature curve for a given gas composition has been reported.' The solution to this problem requires that these curves relating pressure to temperature be established for gases of given gravities.

Jan 1, 1945

By A. W. Gauger

Coal as mined contains varying quantities of inorganic components (mineral matter) which, on combustion, produce the residue known as ash. It has long been realized that the weight of this residue does not equal the weight of the mineral matter originally in the coal, because of the chemical changes that take place during the ashing process. Moreover, the ordinary ash analysis presents the ash as a mixture of oxides with little or no clue to the identity of the mineral species originally present in the coal. It is only for pyritic sulfur that an attempt is made to determine a mineral component. So far as the authors are aware, there are practically no experimental data in the literature as to the percentages of the different mineral species present in coal. The oft-quoted table of Marson and Cobb1 cannot rightly be considered as data, since the authors merely state that the table "shows the probable forms in which these ash constituents exist in coal." In view of the attempts to calculate analyses and determinations of the calorific equivalent of coal to the mineral-matter-free basis, as well as the importance of the mineral species in clinkering, combustion and coking, it seems strange that so few data are available on this phase of coal technology. For example, numerous empirical corrections for use in the scientific classification of coal have been suggested to compensate for the losses from the mineral matter during ignition of the coal to ash. These include multiplication of the ash percentage by various factors such as l 1/10 and 156, the use of the Parr unit coal formula (1.08 A + 22/40 S, where S = total sulfur) as well as certain modifications of the Parr formula that attempt to correct for the organic sulfur present in the coal. Although many experiments have been made to determine the loss on ignition of the clays associated with the coal measures and correction

Jan 1, 1934

By Neil Johnson

IN the cyanidation of gold, silver and mixed ores, the solids suspended in the pulp after fine grinding, primary settling and series agitation are subjected to a washing step known, generally, as countercurrent decanta-tion, abbreviated C.C.D. The conventional C.C.D. plant consists of a series of separate thickeners-three to five in number-arranged in series on slightly different elevations. Solids settled in the first thickener are pumped at maximum density into the second thickener, where they are diluted with weak solution overflowing the third. After settling in the second thickener they are pumped to the third, where the process of repulping with still weaker solution is repeated, and so on throughout the system, until they reach the last thickener and are repulped with barren solution or water. Recently there has been developed a new type of thickener, known as the Dorr Washing Tray Thickener, consisting of up to five individual thickeners, which performs in a single unit all the functions of a conven-tional C.C.D. plant. Fig. 1 illustrates the essential features. It is a multicompartment tray thickener, in which the trays operate in series instead of in parallel for countercurrent washing. Feed enters the top compartment via a central, semisubmerged feed well. Strong solution overflows into a peripheral launder. Solids settle to the bottom, are raked to the center and flow into the top of the second compartment, directly below, via an inverted cup and seal. Solids pass downward, compartment by compartment, against a counter flow of wash solution and finally of fresh water. Thus, in accord-ance with the basic C.C.D. principle, the solids transfer the dissolved metal content to the wash solution and finally are removed by a dia-phragm pump from the bottom compartment virtually free of valuable material. Similarly, the wash water, as it flows through the system, becomes increasingly enriched in dissolved metal until it overflows from compartment two and returns to the process.

Jan 1, 1939

By G. W. Garside

In order to render my descriptions more intelligible, I have compiled a general map of this section of Alaska, showing accurately the relative positions of the most important districts where valuable deposits of minerals have been discovered (page 819). Upon inspection of this map, it will be observed that the chief metalliferous belt in this mineral field is in close proximity to the mainland shore, the trend of which it follows for more than a hundred miles in a northwest and southeast course, while the mineral croppings on the adjoining islands are much shorter in extent, and more irregular with respect to their strike and continuity. This principal metalliferous zone, which I will call the main-land system of lodes, contains gold, silver and lead, besides traces of copper, zinc and iron, gold being found extensively in a free state and also associated with sulphur, and with many of the sulphides of iron, lead and other substances. On the line of this belt, as shown on the map, there are a number of distinct mineral districts. Beginning at the southerly extremity, they are named as follows: Sumdum, Snettishham, Grindstone Creek, Sheep Creek, Gold Creek, Lemon Creek, Montana Creek and Berners Bay districts, each deriving its name from the hay or creek on which it is situated. Harris mining district, as legally organized under the local customs, rules and regulations adopted by the miners of Juneau, embraces, within its exterior boundaries, Grindstone, Sheep, Gold and Lemon Creeks, and all of Douglas Island. The limits of this immense metalliferous horizon are becoming definitely known through the exposures made by prospectors. The belt, as now recognized, varies in width from one to several miles, the lateral measurement being greatest at Juneau in Harris district, where the famous Treadwell mine, with its slate foot-wall, marks the westerly boundary of the zone, while the eastern side of Silver Bow Basin, with a granite hanging-wall, defines its easterly border.

Jan 1, 1893

By James A. Barr

PUMICE and pumice are varieties of volcanic ejecta formed from lavas of the more silicic types. Chemical analyses of pumice, pumicite and perlite, from which synthetic pumice is now produced, will generally fall within the limits 65 to 75 pct silica, 9 to 20 pct alumina, less than 8 pct combined alkalies (sodium and potassium oxides), less than 3 pct calcium and magnesium oxide, less than 3 pct iron oxide, with smaller amounts of manganese, titanium, phosphorus and other oxides. Perlite is characterized chemically by having, in addition to the percentages of oxides given above, as high as 6 pct combined water. PROPERTIES Pumice is a natural silicic foam glass produced by volcanic eruptions. The molten glass foam, upon rapid cooling, trapped the steam and volcanic gases that caused it to remain extremely porous and vesicular in structure. Pumice is found in the form of large lumps several cubic feet in volume and also in grains only a few millimeters in diameter. Chemically, pumicite is of the same range of composition as pumice. The distinction between pumice and pumicite is one of particle size; the coarser materials are pumice; the fine particles, an appreciable percentage of which is in the range of 100 to 325-mesh or finer, are pumicite. If the erupting volcano ejects a silicic lava containing much gas and water vapor, the sudden release of pressure tends to free the gas. The viscosity of the lava, its rate of cooling and the amount of gas evolved, all have part in determining the degree of expansion of the glassy particles and the fineness of the vesicle. If the lava is of the correct viscosity and there is not too much gas, a pumice may be formed. Large amounts of gas may cause complete disruption into pumicite.30 In 1916, Barbour gave the name "pumicite" to the volcanic ash of Nebraska and since then the name has been widely used in industrial circles for the finer-grained commercial varieties. The glass of pumice and pumicite is transparent and colorless. It

Jan 1, 1949

By J. E. Lawver, R. R. Beebe, J. L. Wright

This paper describes a separation coefficient Ks useful as a "measure of goodness" to be used in factorial and response surface methodology. The use and limitations of the separation coefficient is discussed, and a computer program for calculating the coefficient is presented (in Fortran). The application of the coefficient is illustrated in terms of electro-dynamic separation of Mesabi semitaconites. Present Mesabi wash ores and gravity concentrates with an iron to silica ratio of only 5 or 6 to 1 are no longer readily salable, for the steel industry now demands concentrates with an iron to silica ratio of at least 10 to 1 and a structure comparable to pellets. THE ELECTRODYNAMIC-FLOTATION PROCESS Wash ores and gravity concentrates consist largely of hematite, goethite, and quartz. Several methods of beneficiation are being tested at the University of Minnesota Mines Experiment Station with a view to improving the salability of these materials. A process that looks particularly promising from an economic view is the combination electrodynamic-flotation process shown in Fig. 1. This process is designed to upgrade gravity concentrates to a 5% silica content and to provide fines — from the flotation circuit —to permit agglomeration. Although electrodynamic concentration of specularite is an established and well-understood process, the electrodynamic concentration of Mesabi goethite-hematite gravity concentrates presents interesting and enigmatic problems. The gravity concentrates are by no means assemblages of clean, free mineral particles. Instead, the concentrates to be retreated consist of a great variety of middlings. More or less complete liberation would require grinding to minus 325 mesh, at which size only flotation could be expected to function, and even then grades and especially recoveries would not be satisfactory. A close examination of the gravity concentrates shows that grinding to 100% minus 48 mesh will produce a product which is approximately 70 weight % plus 325 mesh (see Fig. 1). The remaining 30 weight % can be deslimed and floated by conventional methods, but the resulting iron concentrate is

Jan 1, 1964

By John M. Bostwick

Bitumen is a general term for a group of materials composed of mixtures of hydrocarbons that are fusible and soluble in carbon disulfide. Included in the group are petroleum, asphalts, asphaltites, and mineral waxes. Asphalt is a dark-colored, cementitious solid or semisolid, which generally softens on heating and resumes a more viscous or solid state when cooled (personal communication). It is found in native form in fissures and pore spaces in rocks and as lakes. It is also obtained from the residues produced in petroleum refining. Asphaltites are black, naturally occurring solid bitumens. They are generally shiny and break with a conchoidal fracture. Common asphaltites are gilsonite (uintahite), grahamite, and glance pitch. Mineral waxes are solid or semisolid, relatively nonvolatile bitumens of various colors, having an unctuous feel and waxy luster. Of the native waxes, ozokerite is the best known. Montan wax is also classed as a natural wax, although it never occurs in the pure state and must be extracted from lignite or cannel coal (Ladoo, 1920). Mineral waxes may also be obtained by pyroprocessing of petroleum, lignite, and peat. Pyrobitumens are dark-colored, solid hydro- carbons that are infusible and relatively insoluble in carbon disulfide. They are so-called because they will yield liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons only when heated. Asphaltic pyrobitumens are defined as "substantially free of oxygenated bodies" and include wurtzilite (elaterite), albertite, and impsonite (Thrush, 1968). Nonasphaltic pyrobitumens contain oxygenated bodies; examples are coal and peat. The nonasphaltic type will not be discussed further. Petroleum Asphalts Asphalts refined from crude petroleum have almost completely replaced the native types. Refineries can produce asphalts in every desirable grade more economically and in greater quantity than the native types and with a variety of properties that meet the requirements of the various manufacturers using them. For all practical purposes, it is estimated that more than 95% of the asphalts consumed in the United States are refined from crude petroleum (private communication).

Jan 1, 1975

By Owen Rice

CHANGES in coke hardness affect the working of the blast furnace, for soft coke is an obstacle to proper furnace operation. Soft coke is due to a low hydrogen-oxygen ratio in the coal charged; increasing this ratio increases the hardness of the coke. The best means of determining the hardness of coke is the combined tumbler and ball-mill. Soft coke is a great hindrance to proper blast-furnace operation and changes in coke hardness affect the working of the furnace. The best method of determining the hardness of coke is by using a combination tumbler-ball-mill. Soft coke is due to a low hydrogen-oxygen ratio in the coal charged. An increase of this ratio improves the hardness of the resulting coke. WHAT IS GOOD COKE? It is not always appreciated that the correct answer may be such a reliable forecast to the physical condition of the blast furnace, and incidentally its entire operation, that among the ordinary variations in other raw materials and also in operating conditions, it assumes a position of primary significance. Inasmuch as coke forms two-thirds of the total bulk of material charged, this assertion will not seem exaggerated, and in the subsequent discussion its applicability will be presented. Coke is the ideal blast-furnace fuel because it is strong and hard enough to resist the crushing and grinding effects of the furnace burden, and its porosity allows the ready passage of gas upward through the charge, and rapid combustion before the tuyeres. Coke deprived of its strength and with a cell structure physically frail and chemically susceptible to solution by carbon dioxide, has its chief asset eliminated. When the melting zones are approached the fluid cinder trickling toward the hearth will envelope the small pieces of coke and form a sticky mass that will retard the free passage of gas. Blast pressure will then rise, driving

Jan 1, 1921

By A. B. Kinzel

Since the exposition of the behavior of certain iron alloys by Sykesl involving the existence of an austenite loop and the discovery of such a loop in the chrome-iron system by Bain,2 there has been much conjecture both on his part and on the part of metallurgists in general as to the exact shape and location of this loop. In previous work commercial steel has been used and the microscope has been employed to locate the critical points so that the position of the loop has been quite approximate. Numerous attempts have been made to measure the critical points of the carbon-free alloys but all of these for one reason or another have failed. A satisfactory method for studying these phenomena is presented here. MateRial The first difficulty in this study was to obtain pure chromium-iron alloys. This has been overcome by melting in a vacuum electrolytic iron and chromium analyzing 99.84 Cr, Fe and C. A pure magnesite crucible was used and the melt allowed to solidify in the crucible. A typical analysis is chromium, 10.10 per cent., carbon, 0.006 per cent., silicon and manganese nil. To overcome the problem presented by segregation, ingots were made into wire 0.04 in. in diameter. This was accomplished by hand-forging the ingots into rods, using an oxyhydrogen flame for heating, in order to avoid carbon. Subsequently the rods were swaged to wire, the heating being carried out in hydrogen. Thus local segregation was eliminated although differences in analysis between portions 50 ft. apart were noted. An electric-resistance method was first tried to determine the critical points, but due to the physical defects in the wire this failed. Bain had previously shown the presence or absence of critical points in a qualitative way by observing the sag in a catenary. The author has devised the following method which gives an accurate determination of the critical points from expansion-temperature curves of suspended wire, a special telescopic dilatometer being used for the purpose.

By G. S. Brooks, L. G. Duncan

During the past few years, the Mineral Point Zinc Co. has had under consideration the improvement of various types of gas-filtering apparatus used in the removal of dust from crushing and milling plants, in the manufacture of oxide, and on blast-furnace fume and sintering furnaces. The original equipment of the various plants of the company was, of course, along lines of the standard stationary bag house. These houses required large surfaces, hand shaking, and varied only in the manner of the collection of solids and in the distribution of the gas. , Early in 1908, the first trial of a mechanical bag house was made at Nassau Plant at Depue, Ill. The duty of this installation was on dust-laden gas from a fine-crushing mill. The Printz and Rau bag machine was finally adopted and put into operation. This ingenious machine embodied what were then to us two novel features in bag-house practice: 1. An intermittent crinkling and snapping of the filtering fabric to free the meshes of solids. 2. A reversal of gas flow for a short period by a temporary connection with the suction trunk. This equipment worked fairly well except in cold weather, when we ran into condensation troubles. Had we at that time understood more fully some of the limitations of fabric filtering work, these might well have been remedied. We were impressed by this experience, however, with the efficiency of sudden tension on the fabric under suction. After a study had been made of some of the western blast-furnace houses using the reversal-of-flow feature, experiments were started early in 3 914 with a view to developing an automatic equipment along the best lines of our past experience. The objects sought were: 1. Keeping labor out of the houses for hygienic reasons. 2. Reduction of labor costs. 3. Reduction in size of bag houses. 4. Accessibility. 5. Ability to handle relatively hot gases where required.

Jan 1, 1918

By Marcel Daly

(A contribution to the study of the conditions of equilibrium of the "free surface" of a water body inclosed in a porous medium.) IN a recent paper, on Geologic Structure in the Cushing Oil and Gas Field, Oklahoma,1 Carl H. Beal has pointed out some interesting peculiarities in the distribution of the hydrocarbons and the disposition of the "planes of separation" between the oil and the water (water surfaces). Mr. Beal's principal statements on this matter may be summarized as follows: I. In every important dome in the Cushing field, which has not been complicated by folding along its sides, the oil area in each, of the three oil and gas sands studied (Layton, Wheeler and Bartlesville) apparently extends farther down on the long axis. of the dome than it does on the steeper sides. The result is that water is encountered at a lesser depth below datum plane (sea level) on the steep sides of the dome than along the ends where the beds are more gently tilted. II. In the Layton and Wheeler sands (to which the detailed study of water surfaces has been almost entirely confined), the water surface is not level, but dips at a gentle angle (maximum dip 100 ft. to the mile) away from the center of the structure. This inclination existed prior to development, and it has been rendered greater by the rapid extraction .of oil and gas. To these statements, the following observations are added. The dominant structural feature in the Cushing field is a broad north and south anticlinal fold, along whose, axis the domes are distributed (Fig. 1, p. 1104), and the more important oil areas in each sand lie on the west side of the field. In many cases, gas has been forced to the east side of the structure, sometimes as far as the water line. From the distribution of the oil and gas bodies, Mr. Beal concludes that the hydrocarbons in this region probably migrated from the west or the northwest.

Jan 1, 1918

By Edgar L. Newhouse

The lead smeltery at East Helena, Mont., controlled by the American Smelting & Refining Co. since 1899, has been in continuous operation for the past 25 years. Most of the old smelting and roasting practices have been superseded by newer and more modern methods, but on account of the difficulties involved in changing the original construction, some of the methods in use of handling materials are not the most modern. This plant, however, is particularly interesting as being one of the few essentially lead smelteries in the United States. At Federal, Ill., Collins-ville, Herculaneum, and possibly other places, similar work is being done, but it is doubtful whether any of them produces as much lead as the East Helena plant, whose monthly production averages 6,500 tons. The situation, 5 miles east of Helena, is convenient to both the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads, while the electric power is obtained from Canyon Ferry, 12 miles east on the Missouri river. Local quarries supply the requisite amount of lime rock, which the contracts require to be crushed to 5 in. Of the 450 men on the monthly pay roll, a census showed 200 Austrians, 110 Americans, and 30 Italians, the balance being made up of miscellaneous nationalities. The ore supply is mainly derived from the Coeur d'Alene mines in Idaho, and consists of crude ore, coarse and fine concentrates, middlings, and slimes. About one-half of the total output of the Coeur d'Alene camp is sent to East Helena. An average analysis of these ores gives approximately 40 per cent. lead and 11 per cent. sulphur. Local shipments, varying from month to month, are mostly highly siliceous gold and silver ores carrying little lead. Small shippers, leasers of old mines, and prospectors are very numerous throughout Montana, and it is the policy of the company to encourage these men by every possible means, including the free sampling and analysis of their ores and aid in the development of their mines and prospects, whenever their results show promise.

Jan 1, 1915

By S. W. Parr, A. R. Powell

FOUR general methods have been used in the study of the decomposition of coal. The first has been directed toward the processes of coal formation, the second has been by means of microscopic studies, the third from the data of destructive distillation, and the fourth has made use of various solvents. Applying these methods to the sulfur of coal, it has been found that the organic sulfur of plant and animal life enters into the formation of coal and remains in organic combination in the final product. The inorganic sulfur is almost entirely combined as iron pyrites and marcasite. The infiltration of hydrogen-sulfide waters is doubtless a large factor in these combinations. Sulfates are found in very small quantities except where free oxygen has entered the coal strata. The mechanical mixing of detritus with the early coal material is another source of sulfur. In this case the sulfur is distributed in microscopic particles throughout the mass. In destructive distillation, a part of the sulfur comes off as hydrogen sulfide and various thiophen compounds, but this furnishes little information as to the nature of the sulfur compounds in the coal itself. The use of solvents has given valuable data concerning the sulfur compounds in coal. Fremyl and later E. Guignet2 noted the action of alkaline solutions on coal after treatment with nitric acid and Anderson and Roberts3 showed the presence of large quantities of organic sulfur in the extract so obtained. In a study of the phenol extract of coal, Parr and Hadley4 found organic sulfur in the soluble organic material. These investigations proved the presence of organic sulfur in coal in addition to the inorganic forms, such as iron pyrites and sulfates. T. M. Drown6 attempted the analysis of the pyritic and sulfate sulfur as distinct from the organic forms by means of sodium hypobromite; no definite proof of

Jan 1, 1920

DESIRABLE as it is to summarize what has been set forth in preceding chapters, the task can only be approached with great hesitation. What follows represents the personal views of the author at the moment of writing, reserving the privilege to change them on more mature reflection or in the light of further evidence. With that reservation they may be stated somewhat as follows. Education for the mineral industries falls into two categories; general education and technical vocational, using the word vocational not in its usual sense but to signify preparation for specific activities, in which sense a law school is a vocational school. Even at the beginning, as indicated in the first chapter, mineral industry education was partly general and partly technical and that relationship still persists, because technical education requires a firm basis of general education. Our general American system is to provide free public general education through the twelfth grade, or completion of high-school work, though there are already many technical vocational high schools, and even in a community where nearly all the young people are preparing for entrance to college there will be some who wish to qualify for employment at the end of the high-school course, or even on completing junior high. Our educational system, therefore, has not only to provide education for those who intend to proceed beyond the twelfth grade but also for those who, for a variety of reasons, may wish or be forced to cease full-time education at any level between the first and twelfth grades. This study has been chiefly concerned with the problem of what kind and how much technical education to provide for those who have completed the twelfth grade and who wish to make their living in the mineral industries. The obvious fact that the mineral industries employ all sorts of trained persons,

Jan 1, 1941

By W. E. Keck

THERE is a considerable tonnage of iron ore in the Menominee Range Michigan that is unsalable only because it has too large a content of sulphur. Beneficiation of such ore is economically desirable, as a rela-tively large quantity of finished concentrate would be obtained (deleteri-ous sulphur mineral content being generally less than 5 per cent) and because large blocks of such ore have been developed incidentally during search for low-sulphur ore. Research on the flotation beneficiation of these high-sulphur ores consisted of: (1) a study of the flotative properties of the principal min-erals in a nearly puree state, (2) flotation of synthetic mixtures of these pure minerals and (3) application of this experimental information to samples of the ores. Gypsum in iron ores is extremely deleterious; but when sufficiently free from impurities it is a valuable commodity. In 1934, the United States produced 1,500,000 tons of calcined and uncalcined gypsum valued at $13,700,000'. Of this quantity and value, Michigan produced approxi-mately 19 per cent4. Thus this investigation may also prove to be of interest in connection with the gypsum industry if minerals separation, such as flotation, becomes necessary in the future processing of gypsum. Data on the flotative properties of gypsum would also be of interest to the science of flotation because such information has been extremely limited. The technical literature reveals one reference to the flotation of gypsum, in which was discussed the use of the mineral, with several others, to determine the relation between the floatability of minerals and the pH of the flotation solution2. This investigation necessarily was not comprehensive in regard to gypsum, but it did show that the mineral could be floated with oleic acid under varying pH conditions.

Jan 1, 1937

By S. R. Zimmerley, John Gross

The method of measurement of surface on quartz particles was given in a previous paper.' With such a method the relation of surface produced in crushing quartz can be compared to the work in crushing without recourse to sieve sizing or microscopic measurement. In crushing, the work input must be known with a fair degree of accuracy. With crushers, rolls, ball mills, and similar apparatus the measurement of the work in crushing is subject to possible errors, due to friction in the transmission as well as in the machine itself. Moreover, relatively large quantities of material must be crushed to get an average figure. In the selection of a method of crushing, simplicity in design and operation was desired and this was most readily obtained by the use of a free-falling body. A description of the apparatus embodying this principle is given herewith. The Crushing Device The apparatus used is shown in Fig. 1 and in cross-section in Fig. 2. The material to be crushed is placed in the crushing chamber C in the steel mortar M. The mortar is 3 in. dia. by 3 in. high. Two mortars are used, one having a crushing chamber 1 in. dia. by 36 in. deep, with a capacity of 4 g. of quartz, the other having a crushing chamber 1 1/2-in. dia. by % in. deep, with a capacity of 12 g. of quartz. The position of the mortar is adjusted by means of three centering screws A. The steel plunger P, which fits neatly into the chamber, is placed on top of the material to be crushed. Plungers of different lengths were tried and as they were found to give practically identical results the length adopted was equal to the depth of -the chamber. The mortar rests on a solid steel base B but is separated therefrom

Jan 1, 1930