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By Roscoe Bell

An economic appraisal of the western phosphate industrial potentials made between 1945 and 1948 revealed possibilities for a considerable expansion in the production of high analysis phosphate fertilizer. The most significant facts are: (1) a rapidly increasing and a much larger potential market which might be reached from the western deposits, (2) the existence of large undeveloped deposits of phosphate rock, (3) potential energy from sulphuric acid, coal, or hydroelectric power in the general vicinity of the deposits. The challenge to the mining and metallurgical engineering profession is in the economical development of phosphate mines and in improving processes for utilization of the western ores and the recovery of byproducts to make the expanded western industry satisfactorily compete with the industry in the East and South in meeting the fertilizer needs of the Midwest and Far West.

Jan 4, 1950

By S. R. Smith, W. M. Voorhis, J. D. Young

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has conducted investigations to identify the major causes of coal pile inventory adjustments. This paper describes past and current attempts to improve inventory survey accuracy and reduce costly inventory adjustments. The unique interaction between accountants and engineers is also reviewed. Data and results of a recent field test wing downward-looking radar developed by Ohio State University are presented. These show great promise in determining coal pile depth and density, thus improving inventory accuracy. This electromagnetic remote sensing technique, if successful, would provide an optimum technical and economic method of surveying all 12 TVA stockpiles without costly borehole drilling or disrupting stockout and reclaim activity. The effect of changing coal quality to meet environmental standards has made accurate coal pile density measurement more important than ever in reducing the costs of electric power generation from coal.

Jan 1, 1984

By Alfred H. Brooks

The developments of the past five years have shown that Alaska, as a field for mining, stands in the first rank among the possessions of the United States. Its annual gold output is now about $8,000,000. It produces silver, copper and coal in commercial quantities and its recently discovered tin and petroleum promise to become important products. Concurrent with the gradual development of this wealth, the mining public has ceased to regard the territory simply as an arctic province where a few placer-miners struggle with adverse conditions to secure a grub-stake or a modest fortune. Of late years there has been a large influx of capital to investigate its mineral resources, but in its area of nearly 600,000 sq. miles there still remain large, unexploited and little-known fields. This work of investigation has been carried on under adverse conditions, and reflects credit on all who have shared in it, whether prospectors, mining engineers, or geologists. It is the purpose of this paper to outline briefly what has been, and is being, accomplished toward furthering the knowledge of Alaska's mineral wealth, and in this connection to present a brief history of the operations of the United States Geological Survey in the territory. A list of the publications of the Geological Survey, which pertain to Alaska, is presented as an appendix, in the hope that it may prove useful to those who are interested in the mining of this northern province. During the Russian occupation of Alaska, from 1783 to 1866, but little attempt was made to delineate its geographic features or to study its geology and mineral resources. The Russian-American Co., which long held control of the territory, was entirely absorbed in the exploitation of its fur trade,

Jan 1, 1905

By Byron Bird

WHILE Mr. Fahrenwald has been working on the fundamentals of ore-dressing, in Idaho, the Northwest Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the University of Washington, has been studying the corresponding fundamentals for the closely-allied subject of coal-washing. In this work many of the principles outlined in Mr. Fahrenwald's paper have been touched on, one important exception being that phase of his studies where conditions were approximated between those existing on a table and those existing in a hindered-settling classifier. During the past three years this work has been given over almost exclusively to a study of coal-tabling to devise better methods of cleaning fine sizes of coal, particularly the coals of the Northwest, which are very difficult to wash. One important result of this study thus far has been the development of a satisfactory hindered-settling coal classifier, now in use in several commercial plants. Recently table stratifica-tion has been the subject for study. This latter phase of the work with coal,. as well as the earlier portion dealing with hindered-settling classification, has in a measure paralleled Mr. Fahrenwald's work with ore. Without going into details about the results of the coal experiments, I shall merely say that, from a quali-tative standpoint, they are, in general, concordant with Mr. Fahrenwald's, but that from a quantitative stand-point the results, particularly those with, table strati-fication, are somewhat different. These differences may disappear as the work progresses-Mr. Fahrenwald is further ahead with his experiments than we are at the Northwest Station-but if not, the disparity would not be surprising, and indeed would be what one might reasonably expect when investigators work on two very dissimilar materials and use different apparatus and methods of study. However, this- mention of our coal-washing experiments is made only in passing. A principle of general application that may be estab-lished from Mr. Fahrenwald's paper is that different types of stratification should be used in successive' gravity-concentration processes to. obtain best results.

Jan 3, 1927

INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING CONGRESS, 1915.. Announcement. In connection with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition which will be held in San Francisco in 1915, there will be an International Engineering Congress, in which engineers throughout the world will he invited to participate. The Congress is to be conducted under the auspices of the following five National Engineering Societies: American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Mining Engineers, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. These societies, acting in co-operation, have appointed a permanent Committee of Management, consisting of the Presidents and Secretaries of each of these Societies, and eighteen members resident, in San Francisco. Thus constituted, the personnel of the Committee 'is as follows:

Jan 9, 1913

The following is an incomplete list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters `during the period Aug. 10, 1918 to Sept. 10, 1918. Amil A. Anderson, Hill City, S. D. A. A. Holland. H. G. S: Anderson, Hurley, N. Al. Paul S. King, Wilmington, Del. Louis A. Barton, Capt., Engineers, U. S. A. Herbert G. Officer, Washington, D. C. K. Baumgarten, lst Lieut., U. S. R. A. B. Parsons. Charles W. Boise, Belgian Congo. Robert R. Pollock, San Francisco, Cal. Henry C. Carlisle, The Pas, Manitoba. Frank A. Smith, Edgewood, Md. J. Ross Corbin, Boyertown, Pa. Edward C. Thompson, Kennett, Cal. S. Le Fevre, Forest Glen, N. V. Malcolm M. Thompson, Morsemere, N. J. Harold P. Ford, Cleveland, 0. Lester C. Uren, Berkeley, Cal. William L. Hogg, Waynesboro, Va. Harold W. Aldrich has been appointed assistant general superintendent of the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. at Inspiration, Ariz. Capt. Percy E. Barbour, formerly with the New York State Troopers, has been granted a leave of absence from the Department for the period of the war, by the Governor, and has been appointed Captain in the Engineer Corps, U. S. A. He served on the Mexican border in the New York State National Guard. A. C. Barke, formerly with the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Exploration Co., has accepted a position with the United States Fuel Co. at' Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jan 10, 1918

By D. G. Brubaker

IN the history of geophysical exploration by the electromagnetic method many procedures and types of equipment have been used. Source arrangements for surveying on the ground have included long wires grounded at both ends, large loops laid on the ground, small horizontal loops, and vertical loops of moderate to small sizes. Receivers have ranged from simple direction-finding coils to combinations of coils and a bridge circuit to measure quantities related to both amplitude and phase of the received signal. Primary considerations in choosing a survey method are effectiveness, speed, and economy. In work on the ground in which locating and out- lining conducting bodies is the objective, methods using a vertical coil and a simple direction-finder have been found the most satisfactory. Mason1 and his associates applied such a method by setting up a vertical source loop, fed with low frequency alternating current by an engine-generator set. With a direction-finding receiver they surveyed lines along the ground in the plane of the loop, taking measurements at each station of the azimuth and inclination of the magnetic field direction. Deviations of this direction from the normal direction, that is, from horizontal and perpendicular to the traverse line, indicated a conducting body. Recent advances in design of light-weight generating equipment have encouraged using this and similar methods.

Jan 7, 1957

By W. L. Honnold

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) OWING to a unique labor situation and other unusual circumstances, the mining methods of the Rand are hardly comparable with practice elsewhere. They are' of considerable interest, however, and their impor-tance is increased by the magnitude of the industry with which they are identified, gold of $166,186,000 value, say 40 per cent. of the world's production, having been recovered from 25,701,954 tons of ore milled in 1914. In the sketchy remarks to follow, attention will first be drawn to some influential factors of general bearing, after which certain features at two mines of the writer's group will be referred to. It is hoped that engineers associated with similar or different conditions and practice will contribute to broaden the discussion. Before proceeding, recognition is due the generous assistance of C. E. Knecht and F. A. Unger. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS The principal mines are situated along the northern limit of an irregularly shaped geological basin, and extend in almost unbroken continuity over a distance of about 60 miles. As the boundaries are defined by vertical planes there are both "outcrop" and "deep-level" properties, all differing in size and in technical features. So much has been written in regard to the geology of the Rand that only a few pertinent features need here be recalled. Briefly, the ore deposits are profitably enriched portions of certain conglomerate beds or "reefs," rarely more than three, which are interposed between quartzite, or quartzite and slate, and lie so closely together that where more than one are mined they are dealt with as a work-ing unit, although they may lie stoped separately. Their collective extension is locally referred to as "the Reef."

Jan 8, 1915

By H. E. Nold

THIS paper is an effort to explain in a simple manner the fundamental principles involved in examining a clay deposit for both quantity and quality and in operating a clay mine, either open-pit or underground, SO that the best quality of finished material can be made from the raw material available. The writer is aware that what is recommended in this paper is everyday practice in many refractories plants and in some other heavy-clay products plants, but observations made while visiting practically every clay mine in Ohio have convinced him that the practices herein discussed are not as widely used as their importance warrants. It is true that the problem of mining for quality is more acute in refractories plants than in most heavy-clay products plants, yet some of the latter are finding it profitable to pay more than ordinary attention to the selection and blending of their raw materials. It is hoped that this short paper may prove helpful to some who are now finding it difficult to produce a uniform product of as high quality as their clay deposit seems to warrant. The coordination of the work of the clay mine or pit with the manufacturing plant, to the end that the best product possible be made from the raw material available, presupposes a rather intimate knowledge of the clay deposit. The knowledge must include not only information of the amount of clay available but also rather detailed information about both vertical and horizontal variations in quality of the clay. This information should cover three things: quality, quantity, and location. Sampling Undeveloped Deposits In the case of an undeveloped deposit with a shallow overburden, pitting may be the cheapest way of testing. For thick deposits or deposits with rather heavy overburden, the diamond drill, using a double core barrel, offers the best means of testing. When using the diamond drill in clay testing, it is doubtful whether it pays to take less than 2-in. cores; it is difficult to get complete cores with smaller drills, and the quantity of material obtained with smaller cores is not sufficient for the necessary tests.

Jan 1, 1929

but, returning to South Africa, for the next two years he was assistant general manager of the Simmer Deep Gold Mining Co., at Johannesburg. In June, 1911, he returned to New Zealand as general manager and consulting engineer for the Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand, at Reefton, which position he held at the time of his admission to the 1nstitute in 1914. Early in September, 1915, he left New Zealand for active service in France. Corporal Sheppard B. Gordy Sheppard B. Gordy, born in Ansonia, Conn., in 1889, graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1910 and with the degree of E. M. in 1912. He entered the employ of the Braden Copper Co. immediately on his graduation and remained with this company four years, working up through the various grades to assistant foreman and foreman to one of the individual mines. The last year he was in its employ, he acted as general mine foreman. He was for a short time with the Chile Exploration Co. and then went with the Andes Exploration Co. (Anaconda) and remained with the latter, doing mine exploration and development work, until he sailed for home in June, 1918, to give a more personal and active service to his country in her need. He declined a tender of induction into an officers' training camp, at the urgent request of Professor McClelland supplemented by Mr. Potter, because they demonstrated to his satisfaction that he could give more valuable service to his country in helping out with the aircraft production. Being within the draft age, in order to carry out this plan, it was necessary for him to be called by his Local Board and sent to camp. This call came Aug. 26. Two weeks before that time he had gone to Dayton, Ohio, to begin the study of aircraft production, and was sent by the Dayton Board to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, where he died of pneumonia on Oct. 9. Lieutenant Thomas Clarence Gorman Thomas C. Gorman, a lieutenant in the Second Tunnelling Company of the Canadian Engineers, was killed in France on Mar. 18, 1918. He was resting in his sleeping hut and was in the act of writing a letter when a bursting shell killed him.

Jan 1, 1920

but, returning to South Africa, for the next two years he was assistant general manager of the Simmer Deep Gold Mining Co., at Johannesburg. In June, 1911, he returned to New Zealand as general manager and consulting engineer for the Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand, at Reefton, which position he held at the time of his admission to the Institute in 1914. Early in September, 1915, he left New Zealand for active service in France. Corporal Sheppard B. Gordy Sheppard B. Gordy, born in Ansonia, Conn., in 1889, graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1910 and with the degree of E. M. in 1912. He entered the employ of the Braden Copper Co. immediately on his graduation and remained with this company four years, working up through the various grades to assistant foreman and foreman to one of the individual mines. The last year he was in its employ, he acted as general mine foreman. He was for a short time with the Chile Exploration Co. and then went with the Andes Exploration Co. (Anaconda) and remained with the latter, doing mine exploration and development work, until he sailed for home in June, 1918, to give a more personal and active service to his country in her need. He declined a tender of induction into an officers' training camp, at the urgent request of Professor McClelland supplemented by Mr. Potter, because they demonstrated to his satisfaction that he could give more valuable service to his country in helping out with the aircraft production. Being within the draft age, in order to carry out this plan, it was necessary for him to be called by his Local Board and sent to camp. This call came Aug. 26. Two weeks before that time he had gone to Dayton, Ohio, to begin the study of aircraft production, and was sent by the Dayton Board to Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, where he died of pneumonia on Oct. 9. Lieutenant Thomas Clarence Gorman Thomas C. Gorman, a lieutenant in the Second Tunnelling Company of the Canadian Engineers, was killed in France on Mar. 18, 1918. He was resting in his sleeping hut and was in the act of writing a letter when a bursting shell killed him.

Jan 1, 1920

By MARIUS R. CIMPBELL, Edward W. Parker

DESCRIPTION. ACCORDING to the estimates prepared by the U. S. Geological Survey, the area underlain by workable coal-beds in the United States is 496,776 sq. miles. Of this total area, 480 sq. miles contain the entire anthracite coal-fields of Pennsylvania. The bituminous coal-fields are estimated to be contained in areas aggregating 250,051 sq. miles. The grade of coal between bituminous and lignite, and which is designated by the Geological Survey as " sub-bituminous," is estimated to be contained within areas aggregating 97,636 sq. miles, while the areas containing lignite aggregate 148,609 sq. miles. The coal-fields are divided, for the sake of convenience in classification, into six main provinces, as follows: 1. The Eastern. Province, containing the anthracite coal-fields of Pennsylvania and the bituminous coal-fields of the Appalachian region-namely, those of western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and small outlying areas in North Carolina. 2. The Interior .Province, containing the bituminous coal-producing regions of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, western Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. 3. The Gulf Province, containing the lignite-areas of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. 4. The Northern or Great Plains Province, containing the lignite and sub-bituminous areas of North and South Dakota, eastern Montana, and northeastern Wyoming. 5. The Rocky Mountain Province, containing the bituminous and sub-bituminous areas of western Montana and western Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. 6. The Pacific Coast Province, containing-the areas of Washington, Oregon, and California.

Apr 1, 1909

By Jan D. Miller

Under the name given to this column, I almost feel obliged to write about some aspect of grinding, but I have decided instead to comment on the future of chemical processing. In recent years, I have seen a tremendous interest in extractive metallurgy develop among undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Utah. For example, of the 12 graduating seniors this year, over half seem to prefer extractive metallurgy to physical metallurgy. In particular, they seem to be most interested in hydrometallurgy, or chemical processing, obtaining industrial exposure to the phenomena they study via part-time employment at the Kennecott Research Center and the USBM Metallurgical Center in Salt Lake City. The stimulus has been generated by society itself. Many students are dedicated to the proposition that new technology can circumvent the destruction of our environment, a concept which provides considerable motivation. At the governmental level, the recent concern for the quality of our environment has created action in the area of chemical processing both through imposition of stringent air and water quality standards, and through increased funding for technological research in this area. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) gave impetus to this movement when it pointed up the need for development and support of such disciplines as extractive metallurgy, particularly chemical processing, in a recent report on Mineral Science and Technology. The recommendations in the NAS report have prompted governmental action on many fronts, including the Bureau of Mines, and have also given rise to direct legislation in the form of two bills -H. R. 3492 and S. 635- presently before Congress to a mineral engineering education. The report recommends that chemical processing technology (more generally extractive metallurgy) be developed by both new engineering techniques and unconventional chemical techniques such as application of the chemistry of nonaqueous liquids to mineral systems.

Jan 1, 1971

THE decades immediately before and after the end of the nineteenth century (1890-1910) were a period of increased activity in mineral industry education. One reason for this, undoubtedly, was the rapid increase in mineral production in the decade 1880-1890; pig iron and copper production tripled; coal, lead, and zinc output more than doubled. Most of the other mineral substances followed the same general trend. Aluminum production began in 1886; petroleum output, which in 1888 was less than it was in 1882, almost doubled in the next three years. Gold alone showed no appreciable change until its discovery at Cripple Creek in 1891, followed by the Klondike in 1896, brought to boiling a public interest in minerals that had been simmering for some years previously. The first cyanide plant in the United States was erected at Bodie in 1892, and the first chlorination plant at Cripple Creek* the next year. Silver- lead smelting had already greatly developed, and the metallurgy of copper was almost transformed. The hearth area and smelting capacity of copper reverberatory furnaces more than quadrupled between 1878 and 1894; matte converters were first erected at Butte in 1884. Copper production of the United States in 1899 was 20 times that of 1872. While it was the increased technology used in mineral production that really made the field attractive for educated young men, undoubtedly they did not realize that, and were impressed mainly by the quantitative increase in output. Another factor was the increased general interest in engineering education; three times as many men took engineering degrees in the United States in 1890 as in 1880; 1892 showed almost a 56 per cent increase over 1890. Industry had come to recognize that technical training was worth while. The mineral industry lagged somewhat at first; the total number of mining degrees

Jan 1, 1941

By W. H. Schacht

IN THE Lake Superior District, the air indoors must be heated continuously during eight months of the year and occasionally during the remaining months. Incident with mining in this district, therefore, there is need for heating many of the buildings connected with these operations. In addition to the mine buildings, that is, shops, engine, houses, offices, change houses, etc., such public buildings as schools, library, and theater, when close to the mines, are often supplied from the mine heating mains. At the Copper Range Company's mines, Champion, Trimountain and Baltic, the heating surface thus supplied from the mine mains is over 50,000 sq. ft. (4645 sq. m.) which requires a steam consumption, at times, of 18,000 lb. (8165 kg.) per hour, or the equivalent of a rate of over 50 tons of coal per day (were live steam used). This figure is based on a consumption of 1/3 lb. per square foot of heating surface during the coldest weather, and provided the system is not wasting steam by blowing it to the atmosphere or into the return line on account of leaky traps, which so often is the case. Under the latter conditions, steam consumptions of three to four times the above rate are not uncommon. This shows that the cost of heating is of enough importance to be given serious consideration, especially at this time of rising prices of fuel. The power and heating value of exhaust steam are appreciated by most engineers, and its application for such purposes is general. At our stamp mills, the exhaust from the stamps is used to operate low-pressure turbines, thus reducing the former water rate per horsepower developed by more than 50 per cent.

Jan 8, 1920

By Lawrence Addicks

F. N. FLYNN, Clifton, Ariz.-As a number-of my associates in Arizona know, for a great many years, I have felt that leaching was one of the coming problems. We are about to start experiments at Clifton, along the idea of leaching wet flotation concentrates direct, without roasting-differing in this respect from Mr. Addicks' suggestion. We are prompted in starting these investigations by the difficulty in. transporting and handling flotation concentrates, and consideration for drying and roasting dust losses. I have had the idea for 5 or 6 years past, that those very fine concentrates could best be treated by leaching at the concentrating plant, thus eliminating our transportation difficulties to the smelter, and dust losses at the smelter. Given flotation concentrate, if it must be dried and roasted, it would, in our case, undoubtedly be cheaper to smelt the calcine, but if it can be leached raw and wet and the drying difficulties- and dust loss eliminated, it would be very advantageous to leach it at the mill. I realize that it will be a difficult problem, and one which may take several years to develop, but if developed, it would pay for many years' expense of investigation, and we have been encouraged by our general manager to investigate its merits.

Jan 12, 1916

By Thomas J. O’Neil

From the time of its emergence as an independent state until the late 1950's, the Republic of Ireland suffered from chronic unemployment, the lowest living standard in Northern Europe, and-most serious of all-an aggravated emigration problem which drained off most of its talented young people. In 1958, however, there was a drastic legislative reaction to these problems, and this in turn ignited the current mining boom in Ireland. Paving the Way to Prosperity In order to reverse the tide of emigration, the Irish government now realized, challenging domestic employment opportunities had to be increased and living standards had to be raised. It was also apparent that future industrial and economic growth in Ireland had to be based on producing goods for export. The home market could not sustain large-scale expansion, and consequently Ireland's chronic balance-of-payments deficit could best be minimized by producing export goods. These considerations, together with the limited amount of accumulated wealth in Ireland, combined to set the objectives of the country's First Program for Economic Expansion in 1958. The general objectives of this program were (1) to stimulate all segments of the economy, (2) to develop foreign trade and (3) to attract foreign capital.

Jan 1, 1970

No phase of the steel industry is more typical of its remark- able progress than is the evolution and development of the modern American blast furnace. The founding of the Institute in 1871 also marked the beginning of a new era in the pig-iron industry. The rapidly expanding westward development of the country, with its seemingly unlimited markets, gave rise to unprecedented demands for blast-furnace products. The manner in which the iron industry responded provides a fascinating chapter in the history of industrial development. Prior to this period, the iron industry of the United States, largely concentrated in the East, was based upon the consumption of local iron ores and local fuels, the latter predominately charcoal and anthracite. Small, isolated furnaces were located near scattered ore and fuel sources, and the completely integrated ironworks and steelworks were yet to be developed. In about 1860 exploitation of the newly discovered rich ore deposits in Michigan and the successful adaptation of blast furnaces to coke produced from coal of the great Pittsburgh seam in western Pennsylvania proved to be major factors in firmly establishing the general westward shift of the industry. But these were largely economic in character, and it was not until about 1870 that the aggressive, individualistic nature of the ironmaster asserted itself in no uncertain manner. No longer limited by relatively inadequate equipment and inferior raw materials, and spurred as well as encouraged by those who supplied capital for these new enterprises, furnacemen began to establish unheard of records in iron production. It is not surprising that Pittsburgh was the center of this new activity. Its tenor is best indicated by the following account :l

Jan 1, 1948

By A. W. Schlechten, R. F. Doelling

Parkes' process crusts were vacuum distilled using a shortened Pidgeon retort. Zinc was effectively removed below 800°C and recovered as a zinc sheet easily stripped from the furnace liner. Lead dasdistillationazinc required about 950°C and the resulting lead condensate tillationtended to stick to the thin metal liner. Final purity of residue is limited only by nonvolatile metals such as copper. THE successful commercial application of vacuum distillation for the removal of zinc from lead, as described by W. T. Isbell,' raises the question of whether or not a similar method can be used for other metal separations. Preliminary laboratory experiments on the vacuum distillation of Parkes' crusts by one of the authors' gave such encouraging results that it was decided to make a series of tests with large scale equipment to determine the results that might be expected in plant operation. The pilot-plant test results are reported in this paper. The great advantages of vacuum dezincing are its simplicity, the relatively low temperature of operation, and the fact that the zinc is recovered in the metallic state ready for use again in the desilveriza-tion of lead bullion. These same advantages and others would be realized from the vacuum distillation of the zinc-lead-silver crusts made in the Parkes' process. Zinc readily will distill over at temperatures of 800" to 900 °C as contrasted with the 1200°C or more used in the Faber du Faur furnace. Furthermore, the recovery of zinc as metal is practically perfect since there is no loss by oxidation or fuming. If the vacuum distillation is continued and hastened by raising the temperature to around 1000°C, the lead will distill over at an appreciable rate and deposit in a warmer zone of the condenser. This lead will contain a small amount of silver, but it can be returned to the desilverizing kettles and there is not the chance of loss that there is in disposing of the rich litharge from cupelling. The lower temperatures required will mean a saving of fuel and less wear on the equipment. One further point is that the vacuum distillation could be run on a small scale practically continuously, so as to avoid the accumulation of large amounts of silver-rich material and the need of assembling a large crew for special cupellation runs. It should be pointed out here that the final purity of the silver residue will depend on the copper or iron content of the crusts, as these and other metals with low vapor pressure will not be eliminated. The idea of treating the silver-zinc-lead crusts from the desilverization of lead bullion by vacuum distillation is not a new one, but such experiments have not been reported, as far as can be determined. In 1912, T. Turner presented a paper3 before the Institute of Metals on the vacuum distillation of brass, and a member of the audience suggested that he try his method on Parkes' crusts. In 1935, W. J. Kroll, noted for his discovery of debismuthiz-ing lead by calcium additions, published a paper' on vacuum distillation of metals and pointed out possible applications in the lead industry. Principles of Separation The successful separation of two or more metals by distillation depends upon an appreciable difference in the effective vapor pressures of the metals in the alloy to be treated. The vapor pressures of the common metals have been determined with considerable accuracy; for example, at 800°C the vapor pressures of the individual metals which are of particular interest in this paper are about .as follows: Zn, 241 mm; Pb, 0.0553 mm; and Ag, 0.0000276 mm. Unfortunately,, data are not available on the activities of the components in the ternary system Zn-Pb-Ag, but it can be estimated that on the basis of the vapor pressures of the individual metals a good separation can be made by distillation. The preliminary laboratory tests previously mentioned' supported this assumption. The pilot-plant size vacuum distilling furnace is shown in Fig. 1. It consisted of an abbreviated Pidgeon retort, 5 ft long with an ID of 8 in., heated by six silicon carbide elements placed symmetrically

Jan 1, 1952