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By M. R. Geer

Coal washing assumed an important role in the mining industry of the Pacific Northwest long before washing practice became firmly established in the Appalachian field. A Scaife washer was operated in the state of Washington in 1887; and by 1927, the fist year for which complete statistics were compiled, nearly a third of the state's coal production was washed, in comparison with only about 5 pct for the country as a whole. Mechanical preparation was adopted in Alaska in 1922 in a plant constructed by the United States Navy at Chickaloon to provide bunker coal for naval forces operating in northern waters. Many of the coal beds mined in Washington and Alaska contained more impurities than those mined elsewhere, and this circumstance contributed to the early interest in mechanical cleaning. A much more important factor, however, was the inclination of the coal beds. With steeply pitching beds, hand sorting by the miner at the face is impossible; consequently, all material must be loaded and dealt with on the surface, just as is now proving the case with mechanical mining of flat beds. Thus "full-seam" mining afforded the same stimulus to the early development of coal washing in the Northwest that - it is providing under mechanization in the rest of the country today.

Jan 1, 1949

By I. S. Levy, J. L. Brimhall, B. Mastel

Specimens of' Hastelloy X-280, a low-cobalt version of the solid-solution- hardened nickel-base alloy Hastelloy X, were given a series of thermomechanical treatttzents. They were then Lensile-tested at room temperature and 1350°F. The Microstructures of the specimens tested at 1350°F were studied by electron Microscopy. Microscopy showed that dislocation tangling, caused by the cold working, mas still in evidence after aging-for 24 hr to temperatures as high as 1550oF. (Cr, Mo)23 C6, (Fe, Mo)6 C'. as well us an unidentifiable phase precipitale due to the combination of the thermomechanical treatments and subsequent tensile strain. The room -temperature and 1350°F tensile properties show a general increase ill strength and decreccse in ductility with increusing cold-work level. This is due to the dislocation taangling-. PerLurbatiot~s to this general trend occur- due to solid-solution weakening at the higher cold-work levels as a direct result of the preciplitation reactions. THE requirements for corrosion resistance and high-temperature strength place nickel-base alloys among the more promising materials for advanced nuclear reactor applications. However, when these alloys are irradiated at service temperatures, they generally suffer severe embrittlement'" and reduction in rupture life.3 Certain experimental treatments resulted in improvements in the tensile and stress-rupture properties of Hastelloy X-280, a solution-hardened nickel-base alloy.' To provide a basis for understanding these improvements, unirradiated tensile specimens were examined by electron microscopy. The results are reported in this paper. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS Material. Hastelloy X-280, a low-cobalt version of Hastelloy X, is a member of the solution-hardened class of nickel-base alloys. The Hastelloy X-280 was obtained from 4- and 1-in: thick plates in the mill -annealed condition. Table I gives the chemical composition of the material as reported by the National Spectrographic Laboratories. ~x~erimental Treatments. Plates of suitable size, 12 by 3 by 1 in., or by + in., were cut under a water jet from the stock material and examined ultrasonic -ally for homogeneity of grain size and absence of voids. The acceptable plates were solution-treated at 2150°Ffor 1 hr and air-cooled. These plates were then reduced in thickness by cold rolling 0, 10, 15: or 20 pct along the original rolling direction. The plates were machined into buttonhead tensile specimens with a gage diameter of 0.125 in., with a gage length of 1.125 in., and with their tensile axes parallel to the rolling direction. The specimens were examined for quality of finish with a penetrant dye, ultra son ically checked for voids, and finally given a dimensional tolerance check with an optical comparator. The acceptable specimens were aged for 24 hr at either 1000" or 1500 F and air-cooled. These specimens were then held at 540°F in a water loop for approximately 18 days to qualify as controls for similar specimens irradiated under the same conditions of time, temperature, water chemistry, and flow rate. Table U summarizes the treatments. These treatments were investigated to establish whether prior precipitation and stabilization of carbide phases at strain sites within the matrix could reduce the amount of carbides available for precipitation at grain boundaries during service. Tensile-Test Conditions. Specimens were tested to fracture at room temperature or 1350 F in air on an Instron tensile-testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.05 in. per min. The time for the furnace to reach equilibrium at 1350°F was approximately 30 min; soak time prior to testing was 15 min; and test duration was approximately 5 min.

Jan 1, 1968

By Robert H. Richards

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) THIS is in part a review paper, indicating the various steps that have been taken in developing hindered-settling apparatus, some of the standard data that have been obtained, and some of the conclusions one is led to as to the effect of it in improving concentrating-methods and machinery, and in part it brings in some unpublished work. CAUSES OF LOSS IN ORE-CONCENTRATION. In making a study of the separation of valuable minerals from the waste gangue, particularly by water concentrators, it is necessary to define, first of all, what are the causes of-loss that are likely to interfere with the concentration. Having made this definition; we can then study to see in what way the machines make their losses, and plan remedies for them in an intelligent way. Losses may be stated to occur as included grains, as flat or long grains, as fine free mineral, and as absolute slime. We will take, these up one by one, as follows: Included Grains.-Fig. 1 shows by a set of diagrams how included grains may occur: first, where the heavy mineral grains attached to the quartz are of large size; secondly, where they are of small size ; and thirdly, where very fine particles of heavy mineral are included in the quartz. We have to decide in regard to included grains whether they are rich enough to go direct to, the furnace, or poor enough to throw away, or whether they lie between these two points and require recrushing as the only means of severing the values from the waste. This last case is the only one requiring special treatment at our hands. We will therefore consider that next. * By mutual consent, this paper has been presented also before the Colorado Scientific Society, and the Canadian Mining Institute, Montreal.

Feb 1, 1911

By Russell S. Sage

THE electric motor has steadily replaced the steam and air engine for use in mine hoists, until today a new installation with other than electric drive is a rarity. Much existing steam-driven equipment has been changed over to electric drive. Driving power has grown in capacity since the initial electric unit rated 10 hp installed at Aspen, Colorado, in 1888, to 3000 hp and 4000 hp in the United States, and to 5500 hp in Canada-the largest in the Western Hemisphere. Electric installations now total in the thousands of units, a growth largely made possible by the development of large central electric-power stations and the extension of electric-power service to more mining areas.

Jan 1, 1949

By Paul Weaver

DURING 1932 the amount of geophysical surveying carried out as a part of oil-field development in¬creased, particularly in the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. Here the most intensive geophysical activity was displayed in the discovery of domes and prospects several years ago, after which there was a period of relative inactivity. This year many of the leases required development and geophysical methods were used to obtain pictures of the detailed structures. These were almost exclusively gravity and reflection-seismograph surveys and for the first time this latter method was generally used by oil operators to construct subsurface contours. The total number of geophysical troops in this territory increased from 16 to 40 during the year.

Jan 1, 1933

By Euclid P. Worden

In 1977, an article in World Mining1 reported a total of 2726 rotary blasthole drills in service. This figure included only those machines produced by three of the manufacturers building drills of this type. The total, therefore, is much higher. Rotary drilling in the mining industry is big business to the manufacturers and suppliers involved, and a significant cost item to mine operators. The time has come to take a hard look at rotary drilling technology with an eye to reducing costs by increasing drilling efficiency. The efficiency of any rotary drilling operation is best measured in terms of the rate of penetration achieved by the bit. In blast hole drilling, there are five factors which affect the rate of penetration. They are: (1) bit selection, (2) weight on the bit, (3) rotary speed, (4) hole cleaning, and (5) formation properties. Of these factors, all but one may be controlled by the operator. Looking at any one in detail may reveal possible improvements in the system. One of these factors -- proper hole cleaning - will be discussed in this paper. In order for a bit to perform at its maximum capability, each tooth or insert should strike fresh clean rock as it falls into its drilling position. If the tooth or insert lands on previously drilled cuttings, a major portion of the energy delivered to the bit is absorbed in redrilling this broken material. A major portion of the interest, therefore, should be directed to the proper cleaning of the bottom of the hole. In an in-depth study of the cleaning of large diameter holes, Allen2 reports that horizontal air velocities of 38.10 m/s are necessary to prevent the saltation of drilled cuttings on the bottom of the hole. The exact flow pattern on the bottom of the hole, however, is not generally known. The air leaves the bit through the jet nozzles and the mouths of the cones, but where it goes from there is uncertain. This problem should be investigated by the bit manufacturers because they can best utilize the results of such an investigation to provide a more effective product. Some work has been initiated in this area and competition will probably increase its intensity. Bailing velocity is the best criteria to measure the cleaning of the hole, including the bottom, and is the factor on which efforts toward improvement must be concentrated. The first consideration is "What should the bailing velocity really be?" In drilling deep holes for oil and gas, 15.24 m/s is the generally accepted figure. In blasthole drilling, the figures of 25.40 m/s for average rock to 35.56 m/s for iron ore were first mentioned by Capp3 in 1962. The recommendations are the same to this day. A number of questions could be asked in regard to the apparent disparity between these two sets of figures. Various investigators have derived formulas which support one or another of these criteria. A thesis on the subject was written by Alexander4 who derived a formula based on research which resulted in velocities in the lower end of the ranges quoted previously. He set out to compare this figure to laboratory tests and his tests indicated that the velocities given by the derived formula appeared to be high.1 Perhaps the best reason that the 25.40 to 35.56 m/s range has been used, is that these velocities seem to work. Below the accepted figures, low bit life and slow penetration rates occur. Above these figures, increasing amounts of abrasive wear on the drill pipe and stabilizers seem to appear. There is a fallacy to this entire approach, however. The entire velocity calculation is made using nominal bit and pipe sizes and compressor deliveries with no compensation made for losses in the system. Perhaps an examination of some of the things that are not presently considered could lead to some practical improvements in the operation.

Jan 1, 1980

By T. Sekimoto, T. Kokubo, M. Yamamoto, K. Masuda, T. Moro, H. Sakamoto

The choking-free cyclone was developed primarily to remove solid particles suspended in a slurry containing fibrous materials, such as municipal solid waste. This cyclone is characterized by a screw conveyor at the underflow side of the cyclone. The screw conveyor has a hollow rotational shaft for air supply and is driven by a variable speed motor for discharge control. Even if the underflow discharge is highly concentrated, this type of cyclone can be stably operated without nozzle choking. High classification efficiency similar to that of a conventional cyclone can be obtained as a result of air introduction through the hollow rotational shaft. The recovery of organic matter and the removal efficiency of inorganic matter were actually improved by the application of this cyclone to municipal solid waste. After applying this cyclone to the desliming of fine sand, sand product of low water content was recovered.

Jan 1, 1980

By C. A. Heiland

THIS year's review of geophysical activities has a somewhat different complexion than usual. With the ending of the war, the time seems opportune to supplement the customary report on operations and discoveries in oil and mine exploration by a review out-lining the contributions of geophysicists to the. war effort. To give as much space as possible to the latter, presented as Part 2, some of the usual review features have been omitted from the statistical section, given as Part 1 immediately following.

Jan 1, 1946

By R. W. Snyder, H. J. Ramey

This paper presents the results of applying the Buckley-Leverett' displacement theory to petroleum reservoirs consisting of a finite number of layers. The layers are assumed to communicate only in the wellbores, and the reservoir may be represented as a linear system. Most previous investigations of this nature were limited by assumptions and by inconsistent calculation techniques. This study improves on previous work by applying the Buckley-Lev-erett displacement theory to a noncommunicating layered system where permeability, porosity, initial saturation, residual saturation and relative permeability vary from layer to layer in a logical and consistent manner. Gravity and capillary-pressure effects are neglected. A modification of the Higgins-Leighton calculation method was used in this study. Waterflood predictions were made with all properties varying, and then with only permeability varying using several inability ratios. These results were compared with the Stiles and Dykstra-Parsons predictions. It is shown that the latter methods generally give poor values for the breakthrough recovery and pessimistic predictions for the performance after breakthrough. Similar results were obtained for a gas-displacement case. lNTRODUCTION Field experience with immiscible displacement usually shows constant producing conditions until breakthrough of the displacing fluid. Then oil production continues at increasing displacing-to-displaced fluid ratios until the economic limit is reached. Three different ideal mechanisms are known that will produce this behavior: (1) relative permeability effects as described by Buckley-Leverett frontal advance theory,' (2) vertical stratification as considered by Stiles,2 Dykstra and Parsons5 and others and (3) different path lengths involved in areal (two-dimensional) flow between wells as described by Dyes et al.4 Without question, a combination of these factors modified by formation heterogeneity and other known and unknown factors actually does control the behavior of real systems. This paper presents results of an investigation of certain factors that should affect performance but which have received little attention to date. In 1944, Law5 demonstrated that porosity and perme- ability are often found to have normal and logarithmic-normal distributions, respectively. throughout cored intervals in natural formations. This led to the concept of the noncommunicating, multilayered reservoir model for immiscible displacement. This model assumes that the reservoir is composed of a number of layers that communicate only at the wellbores. Each layer is individually homogeneous, but may be different from every other layer. Stiles' presented one of the earliest applications of this model to waterflood performance. In addition, Stiles assumed that the initial saturations and relative permeabilities were the same for each layer, porosity was the same. displacement was piston-like, fluids were incompressible and injection into each layer was proportional to that layer's permeability capacity (permeability-thickness product). The last assumption would be true if the mobility ratio for the displacement were unity.21 Dykstra and Parsons" used the same model as Stiles, but rigorously included mobility ratios other than unity for piston-like displacement. Dykstra and Parsons used their general result to produce charts for log-normal permeability distributions between layers. Similarly, Muskat6 Pub1ished analytical solutions for linear and exponential permeability distributions. In 1959, Roberts' described a scheme for calculating water-drive performance for the noncommunicating, layered reservoir model which considered two-phase flow in the displaced region. Roberts used the same model and assumed that the injection rate into a layer was proportional to that layer's permeability capacity, but that flood front locations could be evaluated from the Dykstra-Parsons results. These assumptions are inconsistent, and a material balance cannot be maintained except for a mobility ratio of unity. At the same time, Kufus and Lynch8 coupled Buckley-Leverett displacement theory with the layered model to provide an improvement of the Dykstra-Parsons method that was consistent. In 1960, Higgins and Leighton9 resented a numerical method for calculating waterflood performance also considering two-phase flow in the displaced region. The result was used to investigate variation in absolute permeability and oil viscosity. An excellent, detailed history of using the noncomrnunicating, layered reservoir model was presented by Nielsen.'" The preceding techniques (and many related ones) were similar in that differences in initial saturations, residual saturations and relative permeabilities from layer to layer were neglected. It is well known that the irreducible water saturation is an important function of absolute permeability. Calhoun11 showed that the irreducible water saturation

By D. R. Knowlton

IF I were a minister, and this were a sermon, and such a passage appeared in the Bible, I would choose for my text: "From whence cometh the oil for our war?" And no preacher was ever more serious than I am. You petroleum engineers recognize that the producing branch of the industry is passing through an era of plenty and inflated potentials into an era of scarcity and unmet allowables. Not too long ago the oil operators of Kansas, California, and Texas were appearing before operators' meetings and regulatory authorities asserting that these States were capable of producing at rates far in excess of what the demand at that time would absorb. Today every oil-producing area in the United States except the Texas Gulf Coast and West Texas is producing close to or in excess of its maximum efficient rate.

Jan 1, 1943

By Hans Allenius, R. T. Hukki

This paper describes in quantitative terms the effect of sharpness of classification on the performance of the closed grinding circuit. The analysis is based on a large number of laboratory experiments designed to simulate the two most common industrial closed grinding systems. The experimental results show quantitatively the degree of improvement achievable by more efficient classification. In an earlier paper1 the senior author has presented a trend showing qualitative analysis of mill and classifier performance in tile closed grinding circuit. According to this analysis, the master key to a major improvement appeared to be effective removal of finished fine material from the classifier sands, or in other words, improved sharpness of classification, leading simultaneously to a substantial reduction of the circulating load. One purpose of this paper is to present the results of a quantitative investigation of the closed grinding circuit. Another is to set forth the essential pertinent variables revealed by the quantitative experiments carried out by the junior author. In the two most common systems of closed-circuit grinding, (1) feed to the circuit is introduced into the grinding unit, normally the ball mill, operating in closed circuit with the classifier; or (2) feed to the grinding circuit is introduced into the primary grinding unit, normally the rod mill, discharging into the classifier in closed circuit with the secondary grinding unit, normally the ball mill. In the following discussion, these two systems are analyzed separately in the indicated order. BALL MILL - CLASSIFIER CIRCUIT The Test Apparatus and Procedure: The test appara- tus included: (1) a F 195 mm x 220 mm laboratory ball mill rotated at a speed 77% of the theoretical critical speed, and a 7-kg batch of F 20 mm-F 50 mm steel balls; (2) a conventional 65-mesh test sieve and a Ro-Tap sieve shaker serving as a classifier; and (3) a Permaran instrument manufactured by Outo-kumpu Co. for surface area determinations by the permeability method. As no continuous closed-circuit experiments could be brought about on a laboratory scale, the process was broken down into alternating grinding and sizing steps in such a way that the new feed plus the returning sands always formed a batch of 1000 gm. For each selected grinding period and for each selected sharpness of classification the basic steps were repeated six times. Steady-state conditions were then reached. Crystalline vein quartz was used as a test material. Feed to the process consisted of -10-mesh fraction of this quartz crushed in rolls. This fraction included 15% of-65-mesh material. Experimental Results: The general flowsheet is shown in Fig. 1. Table I gives the essential data obtained representing steady-state conditions under the indicated set of variables. The table is based on 110 grinding experiments, 440 screen analyses and an equal number of specific surface area determinations. Fig. 2 shows the relationship between the cumulative net energy consumption and the cumulative number of mill rotations as evaluated by separate experiments. Note that this relationship is not linear but is instead represented by a slight curve. The data given in Table I are presented in graphical form as follows: Fig. 3 shows the produced -65-mesh material in grams per minute vs. time of grinding in minutes; the sharpnesses of classification at 65 mesh were 100%, 75% and 50%. It is clearly indicated that the highest-capacity figures call for relatively short grinding times and for the sharpest possible classification. Fig. 4 presents the specific surface area on the final -65-mesh product in square centimeters per gm vs. time of grinding in minutes. In conventional mineral dressing processes, a final product characterized

Jan 1, 1969

By AIME AIME

Acid Open-Hearth Manipulation.. By ANDREW MCWILLIAM and WILLIAM H. HATFIELD, ii, 279. Discussion by J. J. MORGAN, iii, 647; E. H. SANITER, iii, 648; MCWILLIAM and HATFIELD, 111, 648. ADDICKS, LAWRENCE. The Effect of Impurities on the Electrical Conductivity of Copper, iii, 559. Address of Welcome to the U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. By RICHARD RATHBUN, .iv, 923. ALLDERDICE, TAYLOR. Discussion of MR. ROE'S paper, The Mann¬ facture and Characteristics of Wrought Iron, v, 1091. American Mining Engineer. Discussion by ARTHUR JARMAN, iii, 641. An Automatic Stock-Line Recorder for Iron Blast-Furnaces. By J. E. JOHNSON, JR., iii, 509. Anthracite-Washeries. By GEORGE W. HARRIS, vi, 1263.

Jan 1, 1907

By A. C. Fieldner

DURING 1939, 286 by-product coke ovens were completed and put into operation. These included 140 Witputte ovens for the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corp., at Gary, Ind.; 61 Koppers-Becker ovens for the Ford Motor Co., at River Rouge, Mich.; 65 Semet-Sotvay ovens for the Great Lakes Steel Corp., Zug Island, River Rouge, Mich.; and 20 Curran-Knowtes ovens for the Midwest-Radiant Corp. plant at Mitlstadt, Ill. The Millstadt plant is unique in carbonizing a washed coat containing 3.50 per cent sulphur. The gas contains approximately 2500 grains sulphur per 100 cu. ft.; this is successfully removed with sodium carbonate solution by the Seaboard liquid purification process. The coke is intended primarily for use as a smokeless domestic fuel in the city of St. Louis.

Jan 1, 1941

By George E. Cole

While many parts of Canada's pre-Cambrian shield are well served by railway, it is frequently necessary for prospecting purposes to proceed farther into areas inaccessible by rail. To such areas in summer the canoe was at one time the accepted means of travel for the prospector while the dog team was much used in winter. Although summer travel was much improved by the development of the outboard motor, the lack of facilities for cheap transportation has been a serious hindrance to the employment of capital in opening up the distant fields. The pre-Cambrian surface of Manitoba, like that of Ontario, is hummocky, with rounded hills and ridges of rock alternating with basinlike depressions and valleys occupied by lakes and rivers Or by many low-lying portions covered with muskeg' Routes to the mines have not usually been direct or easy and seasonal vagaries have presented problems in themselves. In summer, water transportation may be the cheapest method for the longer distances but it is not every water route that will satisfy the conditions of loading freight on to a boat or scow and of conveying it without interruption to its destination. By its location, a mine may require a large program of boat transportation in summer Over part of its route, to be followed by winter freighting for the remainder. In order to carry on development and produc- tion over a long period, it may be necessary to haul large quantities of supplies during the winter. This seasonal problem, particularly for the out-of-the-way properties, is SO important and demanding as to make it a major operation in the life of the mine. The -use of the tractor during winter months for heavy machinery and bulk supplies, and the use of the airplane throughout the year for the transportation of personnel and for emergency requirements, have greatly improved transportation to places that are inaccessible by rail. Canada has pioneered in both these methods. Development oF Transportation Twenty-two years have seen a marked change in transportation methods in Canada's mining country. Horse-drawn sleighs have given way to the tractor and that to some extent has been supplanted by the airplane. One of the earliest ventures involving transportation of considerable magnitude was that of the Mandy mine, on Schist at in northern Manitoba. According to accounts of early mining activities in Manitoba, the Mandy mine, beginning December 1916, had 3300 tons of ore hauled 40 miles by sleigh to Saskatchewan River and in summer this was conveyed by barge to The Pas, 130 miles, and then by railroad to Trail, British Columbia, 1200 miles. The mine shipped 6000 tons of ore in 1918 and 15,000 tons in 1919. In winter of the latter year, as many as 300 teams of horses were used on the 40-mile stretch to

Jan 1, 1943

By George E. Cole

While many parts of Canada's pre-Cambrian shield are well served by railway, it is frequently necessary for prospecting purposes to proceed farther into areas inaccessible by rail. To such areas in summer the canoe was at one time the accepted means of travel for the prospector while the dog team was much used in winter. Although summer travel was much improved by the development of the outboard motor, the lack of facilities for cheap transportation has been a serious hindrance to the employment of capital in opening up the distant fields. The pre-Cambrian surface of Manitoba, like that of Ontario, is hummocky, with rounded hills and ridges of rock alternating with basinlike depressions and valleys occupied by lakes and rivers Or by many low-lying portions covered with muskeg' Routes to the mines have not usually been direct or easy and seasonal vagaries have presented problems in themselves. In summer, water transportation may be the cheapest method for the longer distances but it is not every water route that will satisfy the conditions of loading freight on to a boat or scow and of conveying it without interruption to its destination. By its location, a mine may require a large program of boat transportation in summer Over part of its route, to be followed by winter freighting for the remainder. In order to carry on development and produc- tion over a long period, it may be necessary to haul large quantities of supplies during the winter. This seasonal problem, particularly for the out-of-the-way properties, is SO important and demanding as to make it a major operation in the life of the mine. The -use of the tractor during winter months for heavy machinery and bulk supplies, and the use of the airplane throughout the year for the transportation of personnel and for emergency requirements, have greatly improved transportation to places that are inaccessible by rail. Canada has pioneered in both these methods. Development oF Transportation Twenty-two years have seen a marked change in transportation methods in Canada's mining country. Horse-drawn sleighs have given way to the tractor and that to some extent has been supplanted by the airplane. One of the earliest ventures involving transportation of considerable magnitude was that of the Mandy mine, on Schist at in northern Manitoba. According to accounts of early mining activities in Manitoba, the Mandy mine, beginning December 1916, had 3300 tons of ore hauled 40 miles by sleigh to Saskatchewan River and in summer this was conveyed by barge to The Pas, 130 miles, and then by railroad to Trail, British Columbia, 1200 miles. The mine shipped 6000 tons of ore in 1918 and 15,000 tons in 1919. In winter of the latter year, as many as 300 teams of horses were used on the 40-mile stretch to

Jan 1, 1943

By E. Gybbon Spilsbury

(Pittsburg meeting, March, 1910.) THE recovery of gold and silver from their ores by means of the cyanide process has been so successful in the last few years that any radical improvement would seem impossible; yet the appliance to which I wish to call attention in this paper is really a radical departure from the methods now in general use. The most modern and approved of these, known as the all-sliming method, depends for its success on the grinding of the. ore so fine that practically 90 per cent. of it will pass through a 200-mesh screen. The slimes thus produced are then agitated and aerated in tanks of various types. The main object of this treatment is to insure such a thorough admixture of the pulp and solution that every particle of the ore is surrounded by a volume of solution sufficient to insure the dissolving of the whole of the gold- and silver-content. In addition, in order to expedite the action of the cyanide, and to oxidize such elements as would, if left in their active state, become cyanicides, air is blown in under pressure. In the Pachuca tank, this air is the active and sole means of agitation. The chief objections to all the methods off agitation used heretofore are the expense of operating and maintaining the mechanical devices for keeping the pulp in suspension, and the length of time required to obtain a fairly complete extraction. of the values. These objections are inherent to any method of agitation effecting a circulation of the pulp and the solution together, by giving the whole mass a circular movement, as in the low-tank system, or a vertical circulation, as in the Pachuca-tank system. In both methods, the particles of ore are kept traveling in the same direction as the solution, and with very little difference of speed; so that, while the whole mass is in

May 1, 1910

By E. L. Claridge, K. S. Lee

Areal sweep efficiency of oil displacement by enhanced-viscosity water exhibiting pseudoplastic behavior was measured in a Hele-Shaw model representing one-quarter of a five-spot pattern. The pseudoplasticity of polymer solutions and the velocity distribution in the five-spot pattern produced a condition under which the mobility ratio between the displacing and the displaced fluid could not be assigned a single value. Instead, the movement of the displacement front is governed by local mobility ratios which are also time dependent. The areal sweep at breakthrough with polymer solutions was poorer than the sweep obtained with Newtonian fluids of comparable viscosity. However, the areal sweep at 1 PV throughput was greatly improved as compared to flood water without polymer. It was also demonstrated that, even after the oil-cut had declined to a low value during a regular waterflood, switching to polymer flood efficiently swept out the oil remaining in the model. INTRODUCTION The behavior of fluid displacements in isotropic porous media for various patterns of injection and production wells has been extensively investigated.1-7 These investigations all concerned Newtonian fluids, i.e., the viscosity of each fluid was constant regardless of flow rate. The generally unfavorable influence on areal sweep efficiency of higher mobility of the displacing fluid as compared to the mobility of the displaced fluid has been established for both miscible and immiscible fluids. The principle was also established that a close correspondence exists between miscible and immiscible flood front behavior,2, 3 although oil recovery in a waterflood at unfavorable mobility ratio may be less than that observed in a miscible displacement at the same mobility ratio. This is true even when oil recovery is expressed on the basis of movable oil. The reason is that oil saturation only slowly achieves its final value behind the water-flood front in accordance with the Buckley-Leverett8 simultaneous flow relations. It is convenient to use miscible displacements for laboratory simulation of waterflood frontal advance since the interfacial tension forces which are negligible in proportion to viscous forces on a reservoir scale9 are thus made nonoperative in the laboratory model. For miscible displacements, the Hele-Shaw type of model adequately represents a porous medium so long as the appropriate scaling rules5-10 are observed in its design and operation. During simulation of waterflood front behavior in the laboratory by using miscible displacements, the behavior of connate water may ordinarily be disregarded since it is usually indistinguishable from flood water in this process. However, when the flood water is deliberately thickened to improve the mobility ratio between water and oil. the effect on the sweep efficiency due to generation of a connate water bank during the process must be considered. In a uniform porous medium, such a bank is generated11 and efficiently displaced by injection of thickened water.l2 The oil originally in-place at the start of the waterflood is then displaced by connate water followed by thickened water. If the flood water must be thickened to obtain a favorable mobility ratio, the mobility of the oil phase is appreciably less than that of the connate water. Hence, the oil phase is inefficiently displaced by the connate water bank, and a considerable proportion of the oil comes in contact with and is displaced by the thickened waterflood front' A recent study 12 of five-spot displacements using miscible Newtonian fluids in which connate water banks of various sizes were simulated shows that, for connate water banks as large as 40 percent of 1 PV, major improvements in sweep efficiency resulted from use of a thickened

Jan 1, 1969

By WALTER M. DAKE

GENERALY speaking, the bituminous coal mines of the country are being operated at a loss. To purchasers of the necessary commodity, a statement of this character may have the sound of a far fetched propagandist cry; but to the coal producer who lives in the hope of an up-turn in the almost stationary market price of his product, while inking in red his monthly operating balances, it carries the ringing sound of truth.

Jan 1, 1925

By Robert B. Fulton, Gill Montgomery

Fluorspar is the commercial name for fluorite, a mineral that is calcium fluoride, CaF2. The name, derived from the Latin word fluere (to flow), refers to its low melting point and its early use in metallurgy as a flux. It is the principal industrial source of the element fluorine. Cryolite, sodium aluminum fluoride, Na3AlF6, is a rare mineral which has been found in commercial quantities only in Greenland. The natural material has been supplanted by synthetic cryolite for its principal industrial use in the manufacture of aluminum. History Fluorspar was used by the early Greeks and Romans for ornamental purposes as vases, drinking cups, and table tops. Various peoples, including the Chinese and the American Indians, carved ornaments and figurines from large crystals. Its usefulness as a flux was known to Agricola in sixteenth century Europe. Fluorspar mining began in England about 1775 and at various places in the United States between 1820 and 1840. Production grew substantially following the development of basic open-hearth steelmaking, wherein it is used as a flux. Use was stimulated by growth of the steel, aluminum, chemical, and ceramic industries, particularly during World Wars I and II. Fluorocarbons entered the picture in 1931. The use of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF) as a catalyst in the manufacture of alkylate for high octane fuel began in 1942. Differential flotation for separating fluorspar from galena, sphalerite, and common gangue minerals in the 1930s, and the application of heavy-media concentrating methods to the treatment of low-grade ores in the 1940s were outstanding technological advances that facilitated increased production. Recently, pelletizing and briquetting of flotation concentrates for use in steel furnaces and the development of flotation schemes for beneficiating ores containing abundant dolomite and barite have been major improvements in the industry. Uses of Fluorspar Fluorspar is used to make hydrogen fluoride, also called hydrofluoric acid, an intermediate for fluorocarbons, aluminum fluoride, and synthetic cryolite. It is used as a flux in the steel and ceramic industries, in iron foundry and ferroalloy practice, and has many minor specialized uses. Hydrogen fluoride (HF) is produced by reacting acid grade (97% CaF2) fluorspar with sulfuric acid in a heated kiln or retort to produce HF gas and calcium sulfate. After purification by scrubbing, condensing, and distillation, the HF is marketed as anhydrous HF, a colorless fuming liquid, or it may be absorbed in water to form the aqueous acid, usually 70% HF. Synthetic cryolite, organic and inorganic fluoride chemicals, and elemental fluorine are made from hydrofluoric acid. The acid itself is important in catalysis in the manufacture of alkylate, which is an ingredient in high-octane fuel for aircraft and automobiles, in steel pickling, enamel stripping, glass etching and polishing, and in various electroplating operations. The manufacture of one ton of virgin aluminum requires about 50 to 60 lb of fluorine content in synthetic cryolite and alumnium fluoride. This quantity, through improved technology and recovery practices, is being lowered significantly.

Jan 1, 1983

By F. L. Bosqui

NO metallurgical process developed in the last half century has been more widely advertised to both technologists and lay- men, or has done more to promote efficiency and economy in the extraction of the valuable portions of ores than has the flotation process. Practically everybody has heard of this strange procedure whereby the heavy portions of an ore are made to float while the light parts sink. Some- times it is called froth flotation, the mineral-bearing froth being from the first a distinguishing characteristic. Many times it is called oil flotation, because a thin film of oil was commonly applied to the particles to be floated to make them adhere to the bubbles that rise through the pulp to form the surface froth. Oil, though commonly used, is not, however, necessary for this purpose, which is one of the facts that has been learned as the process has been developed.

Jan 1, 1940