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By R. B. Snow

This paper describes a technique of polishing and etching specimens of open-hearth furnace slags or hearth aggregates for identification of the crystalline constituents —lime (CaO), tricalcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2), dicalcium silicate (2CaO.-SiO2), rnonticellite (CaO.MgO.SiO2), or forsterile (2MgO.SiO2), with especial em-phasis on the mineral merwinite (3CaO.-MgO.2SiO2). With proper standardization, this identification does not require the use of the petrographic microscope. The composition of basic open-hearth slags and furnace bottoms falls, almost without exception, within systems containing CaO, MgO, 'IFeO,,, MnO and SiOz, in which the number of basic molecules so greatly exceeds the orthosilicate ratio (two molecules of base to one of silica) that free basic oxides, and combinations between them such as alumi-nates or ferrites, are present in cooled specimens. Orthosilicates of (CaO + NgO) are the most common in such specimens, since in nearly all cases, except premelt slags, the molecular ratio of (CaO + MgO) to SiO, is more than 2 to I. When sufficient lime is available it combines with the silica to form dicalcium silicate (2Ca0.Si02), which contains little, if any, IvfgO, FeO or MnO in solid solution whereas the latter oxides combine to form the oxide solid solution known as periclase. If the lime present is insufficient to form dicalcium silicate (2Ca0.Si02) it combines with Mgo to form either merwillite or moIlticellite (SiOz); these minerals take little if any FeO or MnO into solid solution and the remaining MgO, FeO and hInO combine as periclase. This generalization seems to be valid for basic slags and furnace bottoms, since minerals such as Ca0.MnOSi02 and CaO.FeO.SiOz are found only in slags in which the lime-silica ratio is less than 2 and are not observed in 'pecimens from furnace bottoms. The identification of crystalline constituents in such materials, especially of fine crystals in the groundmass, is difficult under the petrographic microscope. They are often masked by their neighbors because of their small size in relation to the thickness of the thin section and because of the presence of Opaque Or colored constituents. The indices of refraction and the optical sign of the mineral are sometimes difficult to determine because of the small size or because Of twinning or of inclusions within the crystal. Moreover, the positive identification of merwinite (3Ca0.Mg0.2Si02) from its optical properties is usually difficult in the presence of dicalcium silicate (zCaO.SiO2). CaO, MgO, jCa0.Si02 and 2Ca0.SiOz in open-hearth 'lags have been identified for a number of years in the U.S. Steel Corporation Laboratory by the usual

Jan 1, 1948

By Sherwin F. Kelly

Twenty five years of exploration has shown that the "geophysical dollar" is worth $1780 in the Orange Free State, $1488 on the Witwatersrand, $85 in Sweden, $28,000 in the Transvaal and $3500 or more in the U.S.

Jan 6, 1951

By R. W. Balluffi, B. H. Alexander

RELATIVE diffusion rates of copper and zinc in a brass have been measured in a vapor-solid type of couple with which the amounts of copper and zinc diffusing past inert Kirkendall markers can be obtained by means of a few simple experimental measurements. If inert markers are placed on the surface of copper which is then exposed to zinc vapor from a brass chips, the particles become buried due to outward diffusion of the copper, as shown in Fig. 1. A schematic diagram of such a couple after diffusion is shown in Fig. 2. Consideration of the diffusion flow of copper and zinc shows that the entire hatched area, including the cross-hatched area, is proportional to the amount of zinc diffused inward past the markers and that the smaller cross-hatched area is proportional to the amount of copper diffused outward past the markers. These areas are completely determined by the expansion of the couple, the depth of the buried particles below the surface, and the chemical composition at the specimen surface. As Darken1 has shown, the ratio of diffusivities of copper and zinc is then given by the ratio of these two areas. Polycrystalline copper and two copper single-crystals made by the Bridgman method were prepared in the form of 1.5 cm diam disks approximately 0.5 cm thick with faces plane and parallel. Tungsten particles approximately 0.001 cm in diam were bonded to the surface of each disk by heating 5 hr at 1060°C in vacuo. Each specimen was next

Jan 1, 1953

By C. W. Spencer, J. Singer

A PARTIAL phase diagram for the As-Te system is given in Hansen.' The only compound reported is As2Te3, melting at 362°C. Stoichiometric quantities of reagent-grade elements were reacted in evacuated quartz and directionally cooled. The resulting ingot consisted of very thin threadlike crystals from which only very small single-crystal fragments were isolated. A powder diffraction diagram disclosed nonisomorphism with the analogous V-VI compounds insofar as these have been reported; Sb2S3, As2S3, Bi,S,, and Bi2Te3 data in the ASTM index of powder patterns, together with the single-crystal data on Sb2Se3,2 were used for the com- parison with the observed spacings. Single-crystal data confirmed the uniqueness of the As2Te3 structure. Single-crystal Weissenberg diagrams have so far yielded the following data: As2Te3 is monoclinic, space group C-m (OkO data still lacking), a = 14.4A, b = 4.05A, C = 9.92A, ß = 97". The cell volume is about 5802. The set of isomorphous ortho-rhombic cells of Sb2Se3, Sb2S3, and Bi2S, are apparently related to As,Te, in having one lattice constant close to 4.0 and with cell volumes as large as 540A8. Assuming Z = 4 for As2Te3 also, the density is calculated as 6.1 which agrees well with a roughly determined value of 6.0. A complete structure analysis is under way.

Jan 1, 1956

By Lamar Weaver

THE introduction of the tungsten-carbide bit and the single-use bit to the mining industry has had far-reaching effects on the advancement of drilling techniques. Six years of testing these new bits has disclosed new factors not previously considered. The mining industry, which is ordinarily slow to change, has accepted the new methods of drilling as a possible relief for the reduced manpower available to the mines. In 1950 an extensive program of testing was begun at the Calloway mine of the Tennessee Copper Co. to gather data on rock-drill bits and drill steel: When these tests are concluded the information should be sufficient to establish a drilling program. The scope of this article is a progress repor the years 1950 and 1951. The deposits of the Ducktown, Tenn. mining district are massive sulphide replacement lenses in folded and metamorphosed Cambrian schists and graywackes. The primary ore consists of pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite with minor amounts of zinc blende, bornite, specularite, magnetite, quartz, chlorite, and iron-magnesium-lime silicates. The deposits are high-temperature hydrothermal replacements. The drilling conditions vary from a hard highly siliceous rock to the softer material of the ore body, thereby giving a range of hardnesses to be considered. Single-Use Bits Test work was done first on two single-use bits to determine life expectancy, costs, rate rate of penetration, gage wear, and ease of use. At the same time a test was conducted for comparison using the conventional detachable steel bits to obtain the same for

Jan 1, 1952

By Henry B. Kaeding

This paper presents the results of experiments in the treatnient of the gold-bearing ores of the Pis Pis district, near the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, C. A. Up to the present time, the methods in use in this section of the country for the extraction of the values from the ores have been of the crudest, and the waste has been criminal in its enormity. The transportation of heavy machinery being difficult and costly, recourse has been had to flimsy and inadequate installations, involving great wastes in operation. In some places $15 ore is considered the lowest workable grade. One mine that came under my observation had a 7-ft. vein of $23 ore when examined for purchase; it has been running for years and is now deeply in debt. The future metallurgy of these ores must depend upon chemical, mechanical, and economical considerations—the last being, of course, a resultant of the two former, discussed in the light of prevailing or realizable commercial and industrial conditions. I. Chemical. The ores consist principally of quartz, carrying galena, pyrite, marcasite, and chalcopyrite, and occasionally magnetite, hematite, pyromorphite, and sphalerite, in which minerals the gold lies. The quartz veins occur between malls of andesite, " porphyry," or dioritic rocks, occasionally limestone and dacite. Often the dacite itself is heavily ribbed and filled with auriferous quartz, and is mined as ore. Owing to the excessive rainfall of the country, the ores above water-level have been oxidized and leached of their sulphides, and have become in that operation highly acid and free from

Jan 1, 1912

By Ralph Arnold

IN OPENING the symposium under the auspices of the Petroleum and Gas Committee of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, I wish to call to your attention the following, among other subjects, which it is hoped may receive proper attention: 1. The recording of as accurate an appraisal of the oil possibilities of the various countries as is possible, with information as to the immediate availability of their supply. 2. The development of further support for the move-ment to bring about active cooperation among Ameri-can oil companies in their foreign exploration and development work. 3. The furtherance of the efforts of the industry in securing governmental assistance in foreign oil develop-ment: (a) along the lines of a modification of our domestic oil policy, so that we can go to foreign coun-tries and consistently ask fair treatment as to royalties and bonuses; (b) by a closer cooperation between the State and Commerce Departments and the oil industry. 4. The calling of attention to the unjustifiably drastic action of the price-fixing group of the oil industry during the last year or so, with the hope that it will use gentler methods in the future. None of these subjects are new, and some of them have been discussed before various organizations for years. Our justification for again bringing them forward is the hope that by everlastingly harping on them the industry, the Government, and the people who shape the destinies of this country may some time, some how, realize their importance and take effective constructive action.

Jan 6, 1922

By N. Brown, M. Herman

IT has been pointed out by Cottrell' and Fisher that long-range order would produce superdis-locations, consisting of two partial dislocations separated by an out-of-phase region. The mutual repulsion of the partial dislocations is balanced by the surface tension of the out-of-phase domain boundary joining the dislocations (Fig. 1). The calculation of the equilibrium spacing of the dislocations has yet to be made. The argument uses the Bragg and Williams theory of long-range order." The metal under consideration is the A-B, body-centered type, such as ß brass. The slip system is taken to be [Ill], (110). Since nearest-neighbor interactions are considered, only the atoms position in the two (110) planes adjoining the slip plane have to be labeled. Corner sites are called a and a' in the top and bottom (110) planes, respectively. Similarly ß and ß are the body-centered sites. Thus, a and ß and 0 and a sites are nearest neighbors. Assume that the bottom plane moves and the top plane is fixed during slip; the atoms in a and ß sites exchange sites but atoms in a and ß sites remain fixed. Fraction of A atoms in a sites, for example, is given by fa and fa. for the un-slipped and slipped condition, respectively. Similarly number of A atoms in the a sites is given by n, and n'a for the unslipped and slipped condition, respectively. As the dislocation moves into the ordered region the change in number of A-A bonds is given by

Jan 1, 1957

By P. Gordon, A. S. Iyer

IN a paper on the mechanical behavior of heat-treated steel, N. H. Polakowski' put forward arguments to the effect that the stored energy resulting from the deformation of metals should be reduced during the inital stages of subsequent deformation carried out under conditions which produce work softening. At the time (1957) the only energy measurements available as indirect evidence on this point were the results of M. M. Degtyarev,2 some of which Polakowski reproduced in his Fig. 6, and which are again reproduced here in Fig. 1. The solid lines in the upper part of Fig. 1 are Degtyarev's, the dashed Lines Polakowski's prediction of the true trend of the stored energy in copper samples pre-strained in tension and then given various amounts of subsequent compression. The accuracy of this prediction has been borne out by some experiments carried out on American Smelting and Refining Co. copper (99.999' percent Cu) by the present authors. Bars of this copper about 0.4 in. in diam and 12 in. long were prepared by vacuum melting and casting, followed by cold forging and swaging in several stages of about 40 pct reduction in area with intermediate recrystallization anneals. After the final anneal one bar was deformed in tension to 30 pct elongation; the gage length was then cut into several samples which were given axial compressions of various amounts. The hardness of

Jan 1, 1960

By Arthur L. Hawthorne

10.1-1. Relative Position of Maintenance as Compared to the Overall Mining Costs. The basic issue regarding the importance of maintenance in the modern mining industry must be faced squarely by the top manage- ment of each company before any real progress can be made in organizing a maintenance program for optimum effectiveness. Just a few decades ago the maintenance at coal mines consisted primarily of a blacksmith for sharpening picks and shoeing mules; as a result, probably less than 5%of the total mining cost went to maintenance and some 80% was operating expenses (operating labor). With each succeeding advance in equipment design towards larger, more complex, and more productive units, the pendu- lum swings the other way. As an example, haulage trucks have progressed through various stages in the past 20 years from 15-ton units to a 240-ton truck now in the "shakedown" or experimental stage. The following com- parison between 15-ton, 50-ton, and 100-ton haulage trucks clearly illus- trates this changing cost pattern in terms of percent of overall costs for running each size unit. [Maintenance 24% 44 % 51 % Operating labor 59 % 33 % 16% Operating supplies (fuel oil) 4 %. 4% 3% Labor burden and vac. pay 6 % 4% 3% Depreciation Total] From the preceding figures it is interesting to note that, as a rule, operat- ing costs go down as the equipment gets larger and the maintenance costs increase with the larger units. This same trend in cost variation applies to nearly all mechanical equipment used in surface mining from the large

Jan 1, 1968

By B. Haimson, C. Fairhurst

One of the main functions of rock mechanics research has been to find ways of determining in-situ stresses. Many methods have been suggested, the most significant ones calling for measurements inside bore- holes. These methods usually employ some instrumentation for the purpose of measuring hole deformation. Several years ago, a new method was suggested by Scheidegger,l based on previous work by Hubbert and Willis.2 It was the method of "hydraulic fracturing," which had been introduced by the oil industry in 1948 for the purpose of oil-well production stimulation. Basically, hydraulic fracturing consists of sealing off a section of a borehole, pumping in a fluid, and pressurizing it until fracture occurs. If pumping is continued vigorously, the fracture is opened up and extended. In an oil field, such an artificial fracture increases the overall permeability of the formation and usually enhances production. During the entire operation, the variation of pressure with time is ordinarily recorded. Hubbert,2 Scheidegger,1 Kehle,3 and others have shown that the recorded pressures can be theoretically related to the magnitudes of the principal in-situ stresses; the orientation of the fracture can often be used to determine the direction of the principal stresses. The advantage of hydraulic fracturing over the present in-situ stress determination methods is simplicity: no sophisticated instrumentation is required inside the borehole; hence, the stresses can be measured at any depth. Moreover, if the formation is impermeable to the fracturing fluid, no elastic constants of the rock are required in calculating the stresses, a

Jan 1, 1970

By E. Seidl

THE basic material for testing aluminum, copper and zinc is a cast metal, principally in the form of wire bars (Figs. 1 to 3) and plates for the produc- tion of sheets or strips, (Figs. 4 to 7). Experience has proved that the chemical and crystallographic proper-ties of such cast metal exercise a certain influence when it is being worked, which is usually done while the metal is hot. In a chemical sense the slight impurities, which even the purest industrial metal contains, have a disturbing effect. They settle either along the outside limits of granulation, as in the case of aluminum and copper, or else in the interior of the crystal, as in the case of zinc; but frequently are also found accumulating at certain points (formation of the blowholes and skin) (Fig. 7). The crystallographic character of the metals is either that of uniformly fine granulation, or else there occurs a certain distinct casting texture marked by sharply defined cooling conditions and consisting of crys-tals of a pronounced stalk-like or blade form. Since we generally distinguish between a crystal texture and a crystal structure, the term crystal texture is used here for the arrangement of the crystals relative to each other and their microscopic composition; crystallic structure is used to mean the radioscopically ascertain-able structure of the crystal. The influence of the impurities and of the crystalline character on the working of the metals has been fre-quently pointed out in practice as well as in science.

Jan 11, 1927

By George Holderer

THE Enos Coal Mining Co. owns an area underlaid by coal, of approximately 5000 acres. This property is situated 9 miles from Oakland City, in the southern part of Indiana. The mine has been in operation 5 years, during which time some 350 acres have been stripped, and stripping is now proceeding at the rate of about 100 acres per year. TOPOGRAPHY These coal lands consist of gently-rolling agricultural fields which in times past were farmed for wheat. There is no timber and but very little brush to contend with. The overburden varies from 10 to 60 ft. in depth. A thin bed of slate overlies the coal, followed by limestone, which varies from 3 to 15 ft.; this, in turn, is followed by sandstone, slate, shale and clay. There is a very wide variation in the thickness of all of these beds. The coal has an average thickness of 5 ft., and is a good grade of high-volatile bituminous. MINING OPERATIONS Briefly, the sequence of operations is: drilling holes with churn drills; blasting with L. 0. X.; stripping overburden to, uncover coal and, finally taking up the coal, which is sent to a tipple for cleaning and sizing. In order to show what is being accomplished by the use of L. 0. X., results will be shown from May to November, 1926, inclusive, and compared to the same period in 1925. No work was done in No. 1 pit during May, 1925, hence all figures are unduly low for this month.

Jan 2, 1927

By D. A. Hinckfuss

The large and compact but simple Bougainville Copper Limited flotation circuit has been in operation for 3-1/2 years. Discussion of problem areas encountered since start-up and remedies that have been implemented or proposed, form the main basis of this paper. Full current operational data is also provided.

Jan 1, 1976

By AIME

DURING the Revolutionary War an iron mining industry was born in the Adirondack region of New York State. New York State ores provided the iron from which were forged the links of the chain that, strung across the Hudson River, successfully kept British vessels from ascending. The industry flourished for a while and then became dormant. For the successful prosecution of World War II, the magnetite mines were revived and given considerable aid in the form of government financial support. The complete story appeared in a special issue Of MINING AND METALLURGY published in November 1943. Now, almost four years later, it is interesting to see that these "war babies" were not really such but are well-established enterprises with a bright future. A ten-day trip through the Adirondack region and to St. Lawrence County dispelled all thoughts that mining in northern New York State is a transitory industry. In addition to substan-

Jan 1, 1947

By L. Weyher, H. L. Lovell

This discussion is restricted to a very specific application of the cyclone - its use as a hydro-cyclone in the cleaning of fine coal. It is hoped that the development of the present data will assist in the further elucidation of existing qualitative models, and also in an enhanced application of the hydrocyclone and provide a base for further research. Discussed are the mechanisms of gravity separation in hydro-cyclones, test procedures, experimental observations, and industrial applications from these studies. Within the general area of unit operations, a considerable effort has been expended in theoretical and empirical research associated with cyclone operations. The motivation involves the industrial requirement for devices and techniques to manipulate small particles at low operating costs, a situation required in coal preparation. There are good reasons why the cyclone helps to satisfy this demand, because it combines operational simplicity (no moving parts) with versatility and high throughput capacity per unit area. The cyclone is one of the most widely applied tools in the process technologies. There are areas for potential cyclone application which have been only meagerly explored or not considered at all. This discussion is restricted to a very specific application of the cyclone - its use as a hydrocyclone in the cleaning of fine coal. It represents an initial presentation of a more comprehensive report. Coal preparation can appropriately claim the hydrocyclone since most of its predominant industrial uses have originated in this area and have spread into other applications, including the broad field of ore dressing, the petroleum industry, chemical processing, nuclear engineering and food technology. There is one operational principle common in all cyclones: A fluid is tangentially introduced into a cylindrical or conical container under pressure. A predominantly irrotational flow field1 is established within the cyclone (Fig. 1). The uniqueness of this flow is indicated by the variation in tangential velocity across the cyclone radius, which reaches a maximum a short distance from the center and decays toward the cyclone wall. In contrast, the tangential velocity in a centrifuge increases uniformly toward the wall. Usually two products are discharged from the cyclone. They differ in that one discharge consists predominantly of that portion of the feed fluid which moves along the wall axially away from the feed inlet, while the other consists predominantly of fluid spiralling along the central regions of the cyclone, in an axial direction opposite to that of the wall current. Fig. 2 indicates these discharge points schematically. The latter product may be termed the vortex-product, since it is discharged with the central vortex-current. In the case of conical cyclones, the former product may be referred to as the apex-product. Although the names "over- and underflow" are widely used, many cyclones are operated from extreme angular positions thus the proposed terms are less ambiguous. The cyclone feed fluid can be laden with solid particles or nonmiscible fluid drops. Such a feed component is discharged from the cyclone, after some residence time, into the one or the other product. Yet, the orifice through which a particle will leave the cyclone is dependent upon a number of factors. These factors, in a statistical sense, determine the path of the particle within the cyclone. Thus, different separation phenomena are possible and different process results attainable by the controllable variation of the particle path. It is then, to attain a fuller understanding of this particle path, to which this study is ultimately directed. It is anticipated that the detailed study of the data being developed will allow further elucidation of existing qualitative models. However, the development of a quantitative description of cyclone operation in terms of a mechanism is not currently feasible. The flow conditions in a cyclone are not fully understood even for a pure fluid, without the added complexity of the inclusion of multiple size-density particles. It is hoped that the development of the present data will also assist in an enhanced application of the hydro-cyclone and provide a base for further research. Some practical applications drawn from the data are suggested. Cyclone operations have been classified according

Jan 1, 1967

By Alan Stanley

R. T. Hukki (Finland Institute of Technology, Helsinki, Finland)—In the analysis of mill products containing minerals of appreciable difference in specific gravity the well-known principle of the method described by Stanley is applied in a number of ways for a variety of problems. The use of Le Chatelier bottle as explained in the paper may be a dependable and sufficiently accurate way, although no information is given as to the reproducibility of the specific gravity determinations. In the case of MacIntyre ore the method is applied for three separate products produced apparently without reagents and relatively free of fine slimes. Should it be applied for flotation products carrying a substantial amount of slimes, difficulties should be anticipated in the process of eliminating air inclusions from the sample. The difficulties mentioned above may be overcome by the use of a volumeter, an instrument designed for specific gravity determinations of finely divided solids in dry state. This instrument, see Fig. 4, is manufactured by F. Süffert-Bürner A. G. in Basel, Switzerland. Its operation is based on the law of Boyle and Mariotte. With the use of the volumeter, the specific gravities of test samples having a total volume of about 30 cm are easily reproducible within ±2 units in the second decimal of the specific gravity figure, and even better than that with utmost care. This accuracy is sufficient for ordinary operational control. How closely the specific gravity determinations follow the respective chemical assays depends primarily on the nature of the sample itself. In this respect no specific gravity instrument can give better results than those justified by the consistency of mineral distribution in samples analyzed.

Jan 1, 1954

By Frederic Benard

THE treatment of Balbach-Thum slimes at Copper Cliff by the Ontario Refining. Co. is of interest because it differs considerably from methods usually employed for the recovery of fine gold from parting-plant slimes. Owing to the comparatively high percentages of pal-ladium and platinum, wet methods are used to remove the greater proportion f these metals before electrolytic refining in the Wohlwill cells. THE PLANT The platinum-metals department, Wohlwill room, and gold-melting room extend along the north side f the silver refinery and are separated from the parting plant by a glass partition (Figs. 1 and 2). The platinum-metals department resembles a laboratory built on a large scale, with the various pieces of equipment laid out on terraces to facilitate handling. Because of the corrosive nature of the solutions, chemical stoneware is used throughout. Elevation of acids is accom-plished by means of Mariotte bottles. On the top level are three steam-jacketed stoneware kettles of 50-gal. capacity, also a packed tower. One kettle is used for digesting the slimes while the remaining kettles are used for precipitating the gold. The dissolver is equipped with a treated concrete hood, which is connected to the flue system. Gases are drawn off through the packed tower by means of a 6-in. stoneware exhaust fan. A 15 per cent solution of sodium carbonate is continually circulated through the tower. On the intermediate level are two suction filters, one for removing silver chloride and the other for the gold sand. The filter medium consists of an asbestos pad covered with a filter paper on which is a layer of twill.

Jan 1, 1938

By M. J. Salkind

In order for fiber composite materials to find extensive use in structures, it is necessary to develop techniques for joining these materials. Riveting and adhesive bonding are two possible techniques which have been investigated although the former is less desirable because the low shear strength of most matrices makes this type of joint subject to bearing failure. Welding is an effective means of joining, especially for high-temperature applications where ad-hesives are weak; however, there are significant limitations placed on welding composite materials. The commonly used fusion welding techniques will find less use for joining composites because the two phases are often unable to stand exposure to such a stringent environment. In the case of eutectic composites, fusion welding will completely destroy the controlled microstructure. Solid-state techniques such as diffusion bonding offer potential success with certain design requirements placed on such joints. Since the primary mechanism of load transfer from matrix to fiber is shear parallel to the fibers, little load can be transferred across a butt-welded interface perpendicular to the aligned fibers. Successful joint designs must have a component parallel to the fibers to allow a shear area for load transfer. Configurations such as lap and scarf welds are likely to be successful. This note describes some results of experiments with diffusion-bonded joints in A13Ni whisker-reinforced aluminum. The composite material, prepared by unidirectional solidification of the A1-A13Ni eutectic, is described elsewhere.'-' It consists of aligned micron size whiskers in a matrix of aluminum. Since it has been shown that the microstructure of

Jan 1, 1969

By Stanley F. French

ELECTRICAL power and distribution for the sulphide ore plant is an addition and extension of the existing power system which has served the oxide reduction plant since its inception in 1914. The power plant is located at Tocopilla on the west coast of Chile, some 90 miles from Chuquicamata. A brief description of this plant and the existing transmission system is necessary to an understanding of the problems involved in the provision for the sulphide plant load. Originally the Tocopilla power plant consisted of four Escher Wyss turbines driving Siemens Schuckert generators, each rated 10,000 kw. At various times, units of 10,000 and 20,000 kw were added, all of which operated at 215 psi and 600°F at throttle. In order to improve the economy of the station, a Topping unit was installed in 1938 together with a high-pressure steam generator of 360,000 lb per hr capacity. This unit is rated at 11,000 kw and was designed for 750 psi, 880°F. The exhaust from this turbine passes to the low pressure station header for operation of part of the low pressure turbines. Total kw generated by the high pressure boiler, topping turbine and associated low pressure turbines totals 33,000 kw and the total station capacity is 113,000 kw. This installation proved one of the most successful of its kind, operating almost continuously. The original plant was of German design and consequently European characteristics were incorporated into the system, the frequency being 50 cycles and voltages of 500, 5000 and 100,000 were used for low, generator, and transmission voltages,

Jan 1, 1952