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By Juhani Pulkkinen, Pekka Lappalainen

Preplaced cable bolts - fully grouted old hoisting cables or stress relieved steel strands - have been used succesfully to pre- reinforce ore contact zones and pillars in sublevel stoping at Outo- kumpu Oy mines for ten years. The purpose is to make open stoping methods possible even in "poor'' conditions and to decrease waste rock dilution. Since 1971 more than 120 km cable bolting has been done, and plans for this year in five mines amount to 33 km. In order to understand the function of cable bolt, pull-out tests have been done both in the laboratory and in situ. Bond strength between cable and cement is highly dependent on cable structure and cable surface dirtiness. Steel cables with steel core and rough surface structure have highest bond strength ( 6 MP~). A cable bolt is a friction bolt. After losing its peak bond strength - after starting to move - a cable bolt still has a high loading capacity due to the friction caused by the uneven surface of the cable. Cable bolting is done before actual stoping from existing drifts, sublevel drifts, e.g. or from special bolting drifts. In general stress relieved steel strands are used; 2 x 15.2 mm dia per hole. FEM or BEM calculation is utilized in cable bolting design. Bolts 2 are in fan shape, 10 m ... 50 m long and are spaced 1/20 m ... 1/50 m2 at stope walls. Pretensioning of cable is not needed, when bolting is done before rock deformations. Bolting costs vary between 0.3 USD ... 1.0 USD/ore ton. In the beginning only manual cable installing technique bras used. Now bolting can be done as fully mechanized with the developed cable bolting machine; i.e. drilling of the hole, installing and cutting of cables and grouting of hole.

Jan 1, 1983

By William Marsh Baldwin

THE ROLLING OPERATION proper is applied to metals and alloys not only in the production of flat products but also in the production of shapes, rods, wire and even in specialized forms in the production of tubes. The present discussion of rolling copper and copper alloys will be [ ] limited to a consideration of rolling flat products such as strip, sheet, foil, plate, and others. In this case (as in the others listed above), the rolling operation itself is only part of an integrated sequence of operations. In Fig I such a sequence going to make up a brass strip mill is sketched out. It is seen that the rolling opera-

Jan 1, 1948

By A. A. Smith, J. S. Smart

THE elements silver, cadmium, tin, antimony and tellurium either are found as impurities in commercial coppers or are intentionally added to produce coppers for special uses, When present in small quantities, each of these metals exerts a significant effect on the properties of copper, but despite considerable experience and investigation much remains to be learned about their specific behavior. The presence of extraneous elements, particularly oxygen, complicates the study of individual additions of impurities in the range 0 to 0.05 per cent, and the use of high-purity copper has been found extremely helpful in circumventing these difficulties. It has also been found that individual behavior can be satisfactorily determined from measurements of two commercially important properties, conductivity and softening temperature, according to methods that have been described previously.1,2 Data of this type, obtained in the course of a general investigation of the effects of impurities on the properties of both oxygen-bearing and oxygen-free copper are presented herewith. All samples except those containing cadmium were prepared as 3/8-in. continuously cast oxygen-free rod from pure copper and weighed amounts of a similarly synthesized master alloy. Composition was checked by chemical methods, which in every case verified the calculated analyses. Test wires were cold-drawn one B. and S. number per pass on a string-up machine using four 30-min. 600°C. anneals at 0.3125, 0.257, 0.204 and 0.162 in. and a final cold reduction of 75 per cent to 0.081 in. Some oxygen-bearing samples were produced directly from the 3/8-in. oxygen-free rods by diffusion from a surface scale at 850°C. and drawn to size as listed above, but most of the alloys were remelted in pure graphite and cast through air into a I-in. round mold, The slugs were then hot-rolled to 5/16 in., drawn to 0.162 in., annealed as listed above, and drawn to 0.081 inch. Conductivity wires were annealed for I hr. at 100°C. intervals between 300° and 800°F., using a hydrogen atmosphere for oxygen-free samples and purified nitrogen for the oxygen-bearing type, All samples were quenched from the annealing temperature in 10 per cent H2SO4 and conductivity was measured on a Hoopes bridge that had been checked against a Kelvin bridge. The softening temperatures represent the half-hard stage of the annealing curve as determined by a standard procedure.1 EFFECT OF SILVER Numerous excellent studies of the argentiferous coppers are found in the literature, and these have been adequately

Jan 1, 1943

By Ward C. Smith

The industry of producing and processing boron compounds is called the borax industry because the chief product is borax, the decahydrate of disodium tetraborate. For the same reason, it is common to speak of borax mining. Reference to borate mining also is common, and while appropriate where it emphasizes the diversity of borate minerals that are mined in various countries, it is rather unsatisfactory where used in a general sense, because it seems to exclude the important production of borax from brine at Searles Lake, California, and of boric acid from steam vents in Tuscany, Italy. The terms "boron industry" and "boron mining" might seem more comprehensive, but are little used, and this is fortunate because they would be misleading-the element boron is manufactured only in small amounts for special uses, and it is not found free in nature. In most occurrences, boron is combined with oxygen and is in a borate or borosilicate material. The history of the modem borax industry starts with the introduction into Europe of borax from Tibet in the 13th century, about the time of Marco Polo, if not actually by him. The discovery that borax has unique value as a flux in metal soldering and ceramic glazing must have been made at some unknown time much earlier. As a rule, any mineral that has been used so long that its early history is lost must occur in deposits that are easily recognized and worked, and this is undoubtedly true of borax in Tibet. According to meager accounts,9 the borax occurs there in arid mountain basins as surficial crusts that coat the ground about thermal springs and seeps of mineralized water, and as coarser crystals in the bottom muds of shallow pools and lakes. Much the same essential features of surface exposures and minerals easy to recognize and recover characterize most of the deposits later found and worked elsewhere. The borax industry at the present time is faced with rising demands for its products, and consequently is increasing its productive capacity and appraising its borate resources.18 The areas that contain the known borate deposits are most likely to yield additional production, hence their distribution in the world is of interest, and is summarized later in this chapter. Mineralogy The mineral raw materials used by the borax industry include various borates mined in several countries, borax extracted from brines at Searles Lake in California, and boric acid extracted from the steam of vents in Tuscany in Italy. The hydrated borates[$] of chief commercial importance are listed in Table 1, which also shows their chemical composition. The properties of only the four most important borates are summarized here, but detailed descriptions of the borates and the minerals commonly found with them can be found in mineralogy textbooks.41 Ulexite generally forms clusters of silky fibers rather than large individual crystals. A

Jan 1, 1960

By G. Derge, M. Bourgon, G. M. Pound

A STUDY of electrical conductance in molten Cu-Fe sulfide mattes' has shown that pure molten Cu,S behaves like a semi-conductor in that it is an electronic conductor and its specific conductance, of the order of 100 ohm-' cm-', increases with increase in temperature. On the other hand, pure molten FeS, another electronic conductor, behaves like a metallic conductor in that its specific conductance, about 1500 ohm-' cm-', decreases with increase in temperature. Molten solutions of Cu,S and FeS follow a roughly additive rule of mixtures with respect to both specific conductance and temperature coefficient. The behavior of molten Cu,S may be understood, by analogy to the situation in solids, in terms of semiconductor theory.' It is thought that, although the melt consists of cuprous and sulfide ions, the bond between these atoms has a certain degree of cova-lency. According to the simplest concept the electrons in the partially covalent bonds are thermally promoted to a conduction band. In another concept, small amounts of impurities (undetermined) provide donor or acceptor levels in the forbidden zone between the valence and conduction bands and thus facilitate semi-conduction in the usual way. However, the metallic behavior of molten FeS is difficult to explain, because one might expect from similar reasoning that it too should act like a semi-conductor. It was suggested that the apparent metallic behavior of molten FeS might be explained by a large negative temperature coefficient of density. Thus if molar conductance instead of specific conductance were plotted versus temperature, the slope might prove to be positive, indicating semi-conduction instead of apparent metallic conduction. Accordingly, density measurements were made in order to answer this question in regard to molten FeS and also to provide data for conversion of specific conductance to molar conductance for molten Cu,S and a molten 50-50 wt pct Cu-Fe sulfide matte. Experimental Diagrams of the apparatus are given in Figs. 1 and 2. A 3 x 8-cm dense alundum crucible containing the prefused specimen is positioned in the uniform temperature zone of an induction furnace tube and melted under a helium atmosphere. Then the cell assembly, consisting of two 3-mm spectro-graphite rods, one of which is in a 1-cm ID open

Jan 1, 1959

By Paul Tyler

THE ferroalloying elements are connecting links between the steel industry and the nonferrous metal industries. Although ferroalloys are distinctly nonferrous themselves, they serve the steel industry either in the manufacturing process or in modifying the product-in some cases so that it may compete in the markets with nonferrous metals. Of the 92 elements generally accepted by chemists as constituting the primary building blocks of matter, all but the very rarest have been investigated with a view to employing them in steel manufacture. The surprising thing is that so few have been found commercially acceptable. Despite the relatively small number of elements involved, the employ-ment of alloys in steelmaking is one of the most complicated and probably one of the least well understood of modern industrial enterprises. A great deal has been written regarding the action of individual elements and a profuse and somewhat acrimonious literature covers pretty much the whole field of ferroalloy ore supplies. In the middle ground between the miner and the steelmaker developments are less carefully watched by most observers, and except for an occasional description of the technique of some conversion process or the tariff hearings in Congress, very little is said about them. The purpose of the present paper is to describe in relatively nontechnical terms this highly complex industry and to study its relations to our national progress.

Jan 1, 1933

By H. J. O’Donnell, B. C. Parks

IN 1930 the late Dr. Reinhardt Thiessen set up a method of microscopic analysis and type classification of coal that has since been followed as standard practice in the coal-petrography laboratory of the Bureau of Mines. Thiessen's terminology which designated the constituent parts of coal in terms of botanical origin was introduced in 1920.l The technique, however, of preparing a completely representative series of thin sections from a column sample of coal for use in making quantitative determinations of coal components with a microscope was developed about 10 years later by Thiessen and coworkers G. C. Sprunk and H. J. O'Donnell.2 Complete thin-section analyses subsequently have been made of 126 column samples of various ranks and types of American coals. The data and information were assembled from these thin-section studies and published in a large number of reports dealing chiefly with investigations of the coking and hydrogenation properties of certain American coals. In the years following adoption of Thiessen's method, a considerable amount of work was done in collecting column samples of many coals, making routine thin-section analyses of these, interpreting the results, and finding practical application for the information in other fields of coal research. The many reports and papers covering the work in coal petrography, however, offer very little discussion that can be considered as critical appraisal of the technique. Criticism outside the Bureau most often has voiced questioning opinions concerning the accuracy of the method used of measuring coal components microscopically and classifying the coal into arbitrary types on the basis of the quantitative determinations. The principal purpose of this paper is to discuss in some detail and present data showing the results of certain investigative work done in the petrography laboratory on the accuracy of the Bureau's method of microscopic measurement of components in coal thin sections. Data from microscopic analyses on file made by G. C. Sprunk and H. J. O'Donnell were freely used in the investigation, and a table of columnar analyses from an unpublished manuscript by Sprunk is included in this paper for reference. In the course of the experimental work a method was developed for measuring instrumentally with a planimeter the components shown in micrographs of selected thin sections. Measuring coal components with a planimeter furnished useful information for studying the accuracy of microscopically measuring the same components in thin sections. PETROGRAPHIC COMPONENTS AND TYPE CLASSIFICATION OF COAL Thiessen considered coal to be composed of two visibly different major components present in various types of coal in greatly varying proportions. He named

Jan 1, 1948

By Robert Glass Cleland

THE MEMBERS of the Phelps-Dodge, Phelps-James co- partnership differed widely from one another in certain aspects of temperament and personality; but in one thing Anson Phelps, William Dodge, and Daniel James were fundamentally alike. They were all bred in the English Puritan tradition. Their creed, moreover, was the stern, militant, uncompromising creed of John Calvin and John Knox. The present generation, harshly intolerant of such a creed, has little understanding of the authority it exercised on the thinking and conduct of its adherents or of the contributions that those same adherents made to human welfare and social progress. The men who accepted its authority "were characterized by a blend of strong individualism and an equally strong sense of social duty, and they submitted their own souls to the same searching scrutiny that they applied to their business ledgers." To all three of the immediate founders of Phelps Dodge, their religion was the most real and important thing in life. It was with them day and night, in joy and sorrow, in loss and prosperity, in their most trivial personal affairs, in business transactions of the greatest moment. It was with

Jan 1, 1952

By Neil Donnell, O&apos

MODERN mine maps are largely a product of evolution. The first mine maps used in the west were old composite maps with all the levels plotted on the same sheet. The composite was widely used and occasionally is seen even now. This type of underground map had serious limitations. One was the development of an indecipherable complex of workings around steep shafts. The other limitation was that of size; often when a working passed the limit of the sheet no map was made of it. These old maps have been superseded by the single level maps, laid out in squares or rectangles which can be expanded indefinitely in all directions. This produces a system capable of unlimited expansion in three dimensions, with all the detail of every working clearly marked and legible. A good set of mine maps should be laid out in blocks, all blocks of equal size. Each block should be limited by plane coordinates without overlap on bounding map quadrangles. At all times the direction of North should be indicated as an aid in remembering bearings of underground workings. It is desirable that all maps of whatever scale be plotted on sheets of uniform size. In fact, it is possible to make nearly all underground maps, surface maps and sections on sheets of the same size.

Jan 9, 1950

By E. Swartzman, G. C. Behnke

THE free-swelling index, a numerical value for the free-swelling properties of coal, is being used to an increasing extent in specifying coal for burning in various types of equipment. The empirical standard ASTM method for determining this index uses, as a source of heat, a gas burner which requires frequent calibration because gas pressures are not constant, relatively small changes in gas pressure resulting in rather wide variations in the temperature attained in a crucible and thus in the resultant size of the coke button. Furthermore, the quartz crucibles specified for the test are not standard equipment, and relatively small variations in dimension and wall thickness from those specified often result in rather wide variations in the resultant size of the button. A method of analysis to be satisfactory not only for a scientific laboratory but also for use in industrial control laboratories under varying conditions should employ equipment which is rugged, easily calibrated, and readily replaceable by standard materials. Gas is not universally available as is electricity, and it is generally easier to calibrate and control a simple electric furnace or heater than a gas burner, the voltage not usually fluctuating to the degree that gas pressure does. Quartz crucibles are fragile, and the size specified in the test is not normally used for any other purpose in the laboratory. Although more expensive, the 15-cc platinum crucible, available in all laboratories where volatile matter in coal is determined by the standard ASTM method, is sturdy and standard and easily replaced. Because of these considerations, a modification of the standard method has been developed which employs a standard laboratory 350-w cone heater and standard 15-cc platinum crucibles. The results of numerous tests conducted with such apparatus show conclusively that the free-swelling index values as judged by the buttons produced with this equipment are exactly the same as those obtained by the standard gas burner method. Thus it is suggested that this electric cone heater method employing standard 15-cc platinum crucibles be considered as an alternative to the ASTM method, Designation: D720-46. The free-swelling index of coal is determined by means of the ASTM method, D720-46. This method, which is an adaptation of the crucible swelling test for coal of the British Standards Institution, consists of heating 1 g of coal in a special covered quartz crucible in a regulated gas flame for a period of not less than 2.5 min in which time the temperature of the inner surface of the bottom of the crucible reaches a temperature of 82025°C. The residual coke button is then compared in size and shape with a series of standard profiles shown in Fig. 1 and designated by number from 1 to 9 in increasing order of size. As the method is empirical, it requires rigid standardization of the apparatus and repeated calibration of the gas burner. The dimensions of the low form quartz crucible recommended must be rigidly adhered to as small variations in diameter or wall thickness result in variations in the rate of heat transmission and thus in the resultant size and shape of the coke button. The gas burner must be calibrated almost every time a new set of determina-

Jan 1, 1952

By D. N. Dietz

A method for determining average reservoir pressure is presented, which is simpler to apply than that devised by Matthews. Brons and Hazebroek. For bounded reservoirs, identical results are obtained if stabilized-flow conditions prevail. The present method yields inferior results in the transient state. The method can, with a slight modification, also be used for water-drive reservoirs. INTRODUCTION In the method proposed by Matthews, Brons and Haze-broek' for determining average reservoir pressure in a multi-well reservoir, the cumulative production (the production time of each well) enters twice: once when the buildup is plotted against In (t + t)/At to arrive at p*, and a second time when the correction, p*-p is determined with one of the several formulas for differently shaped drainage areas. Once a steady state has been attained, however, the previous production history should be immaterial. The same pressure distribution could have been arrived at after different cumulative productions of the individual wells. In principle, therefore, it should be possible to determine average pressures without referring to cumulative productions. In the following paragraphs an expression is presented for the difference between the pressure in a producing well and the average pressure of its drainage area. Then the build-up time needed to overcome this difference is indicated. CASE OF A CIRCULAR DRAINAGE AREA AND A CENTRAL WELL PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION BEFORE SHUT-IN The general differential equation of radial flow (see Muskat, Eq. 10.2) may be written In the steady state, the rate of production of the well is equal to the rate of expansion of the fluid contained in the the drainage area; thus

Jan 1, 1966

By Jim V. Rouse

There have been many changes in environmental control techniques since the early days of uranium mining and milling, when liquid mill effluents and often mill tailings were discharged directly into nearby streams. With today's stringent environmental controls, the uranium miner must be as aware of regulatory requirements as he is of techniques in mining, milling, and in-situ recovery. The time delays involved in bringing a uranium project on line dictate that the proposed facility be designed with a view not only of present regulations, but also of those which may be in effect when the facility is completed. While such predictions are difficult, it's almost certain that regulatory agencies will exercise even more environmental control over future uranium mining and milling operations, using the past errors of the 1950's as justification for increasingly stringent controls.

Jan 10, 1978

By J. W. Rutter, K. T. Aust

In previous studies of grain boundary migration in zone-refined lead, the authors used bicrystal specimens consisting of a striated crystal which was grown from the melt, and an adjacent striation-free crystal, introduced by artificial nucleation and growth.1 While this method permits the study of the motion of individual grain boundaries, it does not provide control of the relative orientations of the grains. The present note will describe a technique for controlling the orientations of the two crystals in this type of specimen. The technique consists essentially of placing a striated crystal and a striation-free crystal of controlled orientations end-to-end in a graphite trough, then melting a short zone at the junction of the two crystals and allowing it to freeze to form the desired grain boundary. The apparatus used to carry out this process is illustrated in Fig. 1. It consists of a trough milled from high-purity graphite,with grooves in the underside for the placement of thermocouples. The graphite piece fans out on one end at the level of the bottom of the trough; the sides of the trough are completed in this region by the attachment of a mating plate with a slot cut at any desired angle to permit reorientation of the crystal placed at this end of the assembly. The joint between the crystals is made at or near the point where the slotted plate joins the rest of the trough. The thermocouple slots are deepened in this region so that the thermocouples are separated from the melt by only 1/32 in. of graphite. An induction heater, with suitable temperature control, is used to obtain the molten zone. The two single crystals used are first chemically polished in a solution consisting of eight parts glacial acetic acid and two parts 30 pct hydrogen peroxide. They are then placed in the trough with the ends to be joined at the position of the thermocouples. Next, cooling is applied to the two crystals by means of air

Jan 1, 1962

By Fred C. Bond

Many grindability tests have been made in the Allis-Chalmers laboratory since the tabulated results were last published.' The lists of standard ball-mill and standard rod-mill grindability tests are brought up to date in this paper, and considerable new material is added. This includes a tabulation of open-circuit grinding tests, with impact and compression-crushing tests. The standard ball-mill grindability tests (Table I) were made in a standard laboratory ball mill, 12 by 12 in. inside, running at 70 rpm, with a charge of 285 iron balls ranging from 1½ to 3/4 in. in diameter and weighing 20,125 grams. Seven hundred cubic centimeters of minus 6-mesh stage-crushed dry feed was used, and the circulating load was maintained constant at 250 pct by adjusting the number of mill revolutions for each grinding period. Tests were made at all mesh sizes from 28 to 200, and the grindability is the number of net grams of screen undersize produced per revolution. The table includes 479 tests. It has been calculated that the ball mill does 52.3 joules of useful work on the ore per revolution2 with 93 joules input to the mill. The standard rod-mill grindability tests (Table 2) were made in a laboratory tilting rod mill, 12 in. in diameter by 24 in. long inside, with a wave-type lining, running at 46 rpm. The grinding charge consisted of six I1/4-in. diameter and two 13/4-in. diameter steel rods, all 21 in. long and weighing 33,380 grams. The mill was rotated level for eight revolutions, then tilted up 5' for one revolution, down 5° for one revolution, and returned to level for eight revolutions. It was discharged by tilting downward at 45° for 30 revolutions. Feed consisted of 1250 cc of minus in. stone and the circulating load was maintained constant at 100 pct by adjusting the number of mill revolutions for each grinding period. Tests were made at all mesh sizes from 3 to 65, and the rod-mill grindability is the number of net grams of screen undersize produced per revolution. The table includes 105 tests. The impact and compression-crushing tests (Table 3) are given in a table that is an extension of a previous publication8 in which the method of testing was described in detail. Two equal hammers weighing about 30 lb each were arranged to strike simultaneous blows on opposite sides of the test specimen. Broken pieces of rock passing a 3-in. square and retained on a 2-in. square were set up with the smallest dimension between the hammers, and this distance was measured. The height of the hammers was increased slightly before each blow until the specimen broke, and the foot-pounds per inch of thickness was calculated. Ten pieces

Jan 1, 1949

By Jun-Yan Chen

Ground control problems in sublevel caving become evident as the rock pressure increases with depth. Recently, a finite element analysis of the stability problem of the sublevel caving method was completed by the author. This paper summarizes the results of stress analysis in sublevel extraction drifts under different field stress conditions by using linear elastic and nonlinear elastic-plastic finite element modeling techniques. A critical stress concentration will occur in the uppermost sublevel drifts beneath the caved area or blasted ore area. During the blasting and drawing cycle, a tensile and shear failure condition could develop in the center extraction drift when it would be mined last. Under a high horizontal stress field condition, almost all tensile stress in the back of the extraction drifts will be eliminated and only slight yield can be seen in the floor of the extraction drifts. Compared to the cases under the stress field where vertical stress is the dominant factor, the total yielding zone will be greatly reduced because of an in- creasing horizontal stress field with depth. However, it is predicted that the center of each ore column side will experience excessive shear stress that probably will result in ore failure. The two major conclusions drawn from this study to improve the overall stability of sublevel caving are: (1) the drift width must be carefully controlled and an appropriate stoping sequence selected; and (2) the sublevel caving method can be used in deep min

Jan 1, 1983

By Charles B. Henderson

DESPITE the loss, by enemy conquest, of a high percentage of our normal sources of supply for tin, the position of this important metal is easier today than that of rubber and a long list of other strategic materials, many of which are produced in this country. Actually, there is no shortage of tin for essential war purposes, owing to a strict control of its use, to increasing considerably the amount of secondary tin available, and to the foresight of the Government in authorizing the Reconstruction Finance Corp., as early as June, 1940, to acquire and produce certain critical and strategic materials of which tin was one of the most important. The construction of the Longhorn Smelter on the Gulf Coast in Texas is an important part of this program.

Jan 1, 1943

By AIME AIME

UNQUESTIONABLY the Coal Division has never had a meeting in which so many outstanding technical papers were presented of immediate practical application to problems of personnel, mining, safety, preparation, combustion, and carbonization. Should there have been those present with the lingering idea that all that was needed for success in the coal industry was a strong back and a weak mind they must have had a rude awakening.

Jan 1, 1942

By D. F. Hewett

[In an increasing degree in recent years, especially since the war, men in many parts of the world are turning their attention to the problems of the future, attempting to appraise the basis and extent of man's progress and interpret the problem that he faces in the near future. The war made clear to ma persons the degree to which modern industry depends upon t continuous flow of enormous quantities of raw materials, a especially of the minerals. In many circles throughout t world, the question of adequate supplies of the mine especially the fuels and metals, for near as well as more remo needs is receiving serious consideration. As a result, persons representing the state as well as industry are looking to geologists and engineers for all the data that throw light on the distribution, extent and availability of the minerals that must serve coming generations.] Obviously, in a brief research I have been able to consider only a few sources of the metals in Europe, perhaps fifty out of a total of many hundreds. In order that the conclusions may have value, however, I have chosen districts which have been important sources during some epoch of the last three hundred years or more.

Jan 1, 1932

By H. S. Munroe

To those familiar with ore-dressing practice, it is hardly necessary to dwell upon the importance of the jig. Within its proper sphere no substitute has been found that does the work as well or as cheaply. Its capacity is large, it requires but little attention, and the losses are small. In one form or another, it is the principal machine used in the concentration of low-grade ores, and for the separation of one metallic mineral from another; and it is almost the only machine used for the purification of coal. The present paper is a study of the action of the jig in the light of results obtained in the Lake Superior copper mills, ad at the St. Joseph Lead Co.'s dressing-works, in Missouri; and a description of experiments undertaken with the view of reproducing and isolating the conditions of jigging, in order to develop the laws which underlie the process. There are two recognized systems of jigging, the English and the Continental or German. The English system is a development of the hand-jigging formerly employed in Cornwall and other metalliferous districts of England, and introduced by English miners to this country. In this method the crushed ore, coarse and fine together, is first jigged oh a

Jan 1, 1889

By T. H. Dunn, P. L. Menaul

This paper discusses the results of an investigation made to develop a method of combatting corrosion of subsurface oil-well equipment caused by brines containing hydrogen sulphide. Carbon monoxide, aldehydes, and certain cyanide compounds were found by laboratory tests to effectively inhibit corrosion of steel by sulphide brines. Experiments were made for one year in eight wells in West Texas fields using formaldehyde as an inhibitor. It was found that the inhibitor treatment successfully prevented the severe corrosion previously experienced in these wells, and effected important net savings in operating costs. Introduction Corrosion of oil-field equipment has long been a problem in areas producing sour crudes. These areas include the major fields of Arkansas, Western Kansas, West Texas and New Mexico. Corrosion in these fields is caused primarily by the chemical action of hydrogen sulphide in the presence of water and by electric currents entering the wells through flow lines. Hydrogen sulphide is noncorrosive to iron or steel in the absence of water but under the usual conditions prevailing in oil wells where more or less water is present, hydrogen sulphide is very corrosive. This type of corrosion occurs over the pH range below 9, which includes all natural oil-field brines. If air is present in addition to hydrogen sulphide and water, corrosion proceeds at an extremely rapid rate. It was reported several years ago that a string of oil-well tubing was literally dissolved within 50 days where an air lift was used on a well producing considerable water and hydrogen sulphide. Air is generally absent in wells producing sour crude. After hydrogen sulphide corrosion starts, it proceeds with increasing severity and its correction becomes progressively more difficult. This characteristic of sulphide corrosion has been attributed to the formation of galvanic couples between the iron and steel equipment on one hand and the products of corrosion on the other.' Severe corrosion of subsurface oil-well equipment leads to a multitude of troubles. In addition to destruction of costly equipment, producing sands often are damaged by flooding with water leaking through corroded casing; bad mechanical conditions may develop in a well due to obstructions caused by corroded equipment lost in the hole, or partly collapsed casing; pumping operations are interfered with, and severe emulsification problems may result from the homogenizing action of corroded balls and seats.% A typical case of severe corrosion caused by hydrogen sulphide was reported in Howard County, Texas, where it was necessary to pull tubing once a week to repair leaks after the tubing had been in use for only one year. On one well in this area a string of tubing was pulled 11 times in 8 months; 11 joints of tubing being replaced because of leaks. In Ector

Jan 1, 1946