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By Robert B. McCormick

World War II has developed a use for the nonmetal mineral quartz crystal that was unknown in World War I. During the interim period of peace, experimental work in the radio field with the piezoelectric properties of quartz crystal resulted in the almost universal adoption of quartz-crystal radio oscillator plates to control frequency in radio broadcasting, police, commercial and amateur communications equipment. Telephone resonators and filters made from quartz crystal also were developed, which vastly improved the frequency control of long distance telephone circuits. Expansion of the Industry The sudden war demands of the armed services for radio equipment using quartz crystal for frequency control led to an unprecedented expansion of the manufacturing industry. It is estimated that the 1940 peacetime volume amounted to approximately $1,500,000, while today a vast new quartz-crystal industry supplies more than $150,000,000 worth of quartz oscillator plates to the Army and Navy each year. This demand has caused an enormous expansion not only of American manufacturing facilities but also of Brazilian mining output, virtually our only source of raw quartz crystal. Actual figures of imports and consumption cannot be cited, for security reasons, but certain comparisons have been made, which indicate the transformation of quartz crystal from a minor to a major nonmetal. Lundl has shown that the value of quartz-crystal exports from Brazil is now about equal to that of phosphate rock produced domestically in 1941 and actually exceeds the combined value of crude feldspar, gypsum and fluorspar production in the United States in the same year. This great expansion under wartime pressure was not accomplished without some anxious moments, but all the demands of industry have been met and the Government has been able also to accumulate a substantial stock pile of material against future contingencies. Inspection and Grading of Quartz Crystal The swift growth of the quartz-oscillator industry necessitated the simultaneous evolution of methods and criteria for inspecting and grading quartz crystal. It has been found that, generally speaking, it is economically feasible to cut only crystals that are at least 30 per cent by volume free from major defects such as optical and electrical twinning, cracks and fractures. Blue needles, bubbles, "chuva" and other minor imperfections can be tolerated in the usable portion unless present in great excess. The present marketing system in use in both Brazil and the United States, as far as quality is concerned, depends solely on the "usability" of a crystal, which is defined in the Brazilian-American agreement2

Jan 1, 1948

By Sherwin F. Kelly

THE present lull in engineering activities presents an advantageous moment for inquiring into the position now occupied by geophysics in its various fields of application. The recent over-expansion in all lines of work resulted in an uncritical employment of these methods of exploration which was bound to have its harmful reaction. The pendulum has now swung back, producing a decidedly hypercritical attitude toward the new science that had been recently welcomed so joyfully as the panacea for prospecting troubles. The severe retrenchment in exploration has forced upon us a period of waiting and, it is to be hoped, of profitable contemplation. This can well be employed in trying to pass a reasoned judgment on what position geophysics should occupy in the new geological exploration programs that will inevitably ac- company the looked-for industrial recovery.

Jan 1, 1931

J. E. Johnson, Jr., Glen Wilton, Va. (communication to the Secretary*):—Mr. Meissner announces early in his paper that one of its purposes is the discussion of my paper entitled, Notes on the Physical Action of the Blast-Furnace,' with which he disagrees in part; and as the second stage of the discussion of this important subject has centered around his paper, some reply by me may not be amiss. Unfortunately, Mr. Meissner has not indicated a single statement or conclusion in my paper that he wishes to controvert; but as there is evidently a difference of opinion between us I will disregard this fact, and will discuss those conclusions of his that seem to me not to be justified by the facts of general practice, or even by the data which he produces to support them. Let me say, however, that I am a believer in the dry-air

Jan 1, 1908

By W. C. Leslie

The textures of cold-rolled and of annealed iron are compared with those of an iron-0.8 pct copper alloy in which the amount of precipitation after cold rolling was controlled. Previously published pole figures -for cold-rolled and for annealed iron are confirmed. The effects of precipztatiotz after cold rolling are to retain the cold-rolled texture after annealing, to inhibit the formation of the usual allnealing texture, and to produce elongated recrys-tallized ferrite grains. It is suggested that the inhibition of new textures by precipitation after cold rolling is a general phenomenon. A great deal of attention has been paid to the development of texture during the secondary or tertiary recrystallization of ferritic alloys, but very little work seems to have been done on the control of texture during primary recrystallization. If such control were attained, it might be possible to simplify the processing of oriented materials or to change the characteristics of current cold-rolled and an-nealed products. From previous experience, it seemed likely that texture could be controlled by recrystallizing a supersaturated solid solution. Green, Liebmann, and Yoshidal found that the formation of preferred orientation in aluminum (40 deg rotation about <111> relative to the deformed matrix) was inhibited when iron was retained in supersaturated solid solution in the strained aluminum. The authors attributed this inhibition to iron atoms in solid solution. There is, however, an alternative explanation. Green et al, took a highly supersaturated solution of iron in strained aluminum and heated it to an unspecified temperature for recrystallization. It is probable that precipitation occurred prior to and during recrystallization, and it is proposed that the inhibiting agent is this precipitate, rather than the iron atoms in solid solution. It is important to note that precipitation before cold work is ineffective; the effective precipitate is that formed after cold working and either before or during recrystallization. The location and distribution of the precipitate are critical. Precipitation in such a manner has been found to have profound effects upon kinetics of recrystallization and the microstruc-ture of the recrystallized alloys.2-4 It would be surprising, indeed, if this were accomplished with no change in texture. Because of the relative simplicity of the system, and because of previous experience,4-7 it was decided to determine the effect of precipitation on texture in an alloy of iron and copper. Bush and Lindsay5 found an unspecified change in texture in cold-rolled and annealed low-carbon rimmed steel sheets when the copper content exceeded 0.1 pct. MATERIALS In earlier work, the rate of recrystallization of a low-carbon steel was greatly decreased by 0.80 pct copper, and, after the proper treatment, the recrystallized ferrite grains were greatly elongated.4 Accordingly, it was decided to investigate the effect of precipitation on texture at this level of copper content. The iron and the iron-copper alloy were made from high-quality electrolytic iron and OFHC copper, vacuum-melted in MgO crucibles, cast, hot-rolled to 0.2 in., then machined to 0.150 in. The compositions are given in Table I. The plates were heated to 925°C and brine quenched, twice. This produced a ferrite grain size of ASTM 0 in the iron and ASTM 1 in the Fe-Cu alloy. Disk specimens were cut from the heat-treated plates, repeatedly polished and etched, then used to determine (110) and (200) pole figures by reflection. Despite the complication of large grain size, these pole figures strongly indicated a random texture. PROCEDURES The copper content in solid solution in ferrite before cold rolling and recrystallization, and hence, the amount that could precipitate during the recrys-tallization anneal, was controlled at three levels by heat treatment. The specimens as quenched from 925° C were presumed to have all the copper, 0.80 pct, in solid solution. Other samples of the quenched alloy were aged 5 hr at 700°C to retain about 0.5 pct Cu in solid solution.6 A third set of quenched specimens was reheated to 700°C, then slowly cooled in steps, to reduce the amount of copper in solid solution to a very low level. All specimens were cold-rolled 90 pct, from 0.150 to 0.015 in. thick. The rolling was done in one direction only, i.e., the strip was not reversed between passes, with a jig on the table of the mill to keep the short specimens at 90 deg to the rolls. The rolls were 5 in. in diameter and speed was 35 ft. per min. Machine oil was used as a lubricant. In a supersaturated alloy, the maximum effect of the copper precipitate on microstructure and on recrystallization can be developed by a treatment at 500°C, after cold rolling and before recrystallization.&apos;

Jan 1, 1962

By Kidd, Robert L.

INASMUCH as galena and sphalerite flotation concentrates are being produced that contain over 95 per cent galena or sphalerite, it is not unreasonable to believe that a flotation concentrate assaying at least 80 per cent of native gold can he secured provided the gold is free. As yet, little if any fundamental information has been published concerning the flotation of free gold either alone or in the presence of sulfides. So far, we are unable to make as complete a separation of gold from sulfide minerals by flotation as is possible in, the separation of one sulfide from another by this method. An introductory study of the flotation of several free gold ores has been made in our Utah laboratories. For this study three general types of gold ores were chosen, namely: (1) Quartzite containing 0.26 oz. gold per ton in which no base metals are present; (2) sulfide ore (2.04 oz. Au; 1.31 oz. AO containing pyrite as the only sulfide present and the gold free; and (3) oxidized ore (1.10 oz. Au; 0.70 oz. Ag) from an oxidized zone of the vein from which sulfide ore (No. 2) was taken; little sulfide iron was present.

Jan 1, 1932

By T. Yoshioka, Paul A. Beck

SILICON, germanium, and tin occur with both the white tine-type structure and the diamond cubic structure. In the latter form these elements are semiconductors; in the former they are metallic. The metallic form of germanium and silicon is obtained only under high pressure.&apos; For all three elements the transition from the semiconductor to the metallic state is accompanied by a decrease in the atomic volume of somewhat more than 20 pctily2 Table I. At such a large compression the widening of the s and p bands is sufficient to make the energy gap of 1.1 ev, or less, of the semiconductor disappear, giving rise to the metallic state.*

Jan 1, 1965

By Wallace E. Pratt

TO SERVE their primary function of balancing supply with demand. crude-oil prices must not only return full cost plus a reasonable earning to the efficient producer but they must also offer an additional reward to stimulate exploration sufficiently to maintain adequate reserves. High prices increase the volume and efficiency of exploration; low prig e- -Idle exploration. Over the last decade average prices for crude oil have been much lower than for the proceeding ten years, and lower even than the average over the life of industry. Under these circumstances no one should be surprised to learn that over this same recent period of discovery of new oil fields has also lagged and fallen below its average level for the previous decade. Crude oil prices have been too ion to support the required activity in wildcatting.

Jan 1, 1941

By J. J. Arps

n approach to the study of the electrical properlies of drilling muds, their cakes and their filtrates was made by treating the drilling fluid as a porous medium. Lluring this study it was found that the weight pararneter was omitted from previous investigations on electrical properties. Patnode in 1949 made a similar approach to ,his investigation. His work showed that there was a variation of resistivity relationships with per cent Puid present in a given suspension. This present study ex-tends Patnode&apos;s investigation to one in terms of the solids fraction of the drilling fluids. Previous investigations were made on low weight muds where the effect of the rolids fraction was obscured. The following equationr were fitted to data taken from 94 field muds and 47 laboratory muds (see Tables I and 2). The parameter, C, is a complex function of the solidr content, or mud weight, of a drilling fluid. It was also found that for all drilling muds examined. A nomograph is presented combining Eqs. I and 2. INTRODUCTION It is generally recognized that the materials present in drilling muds affect the relationship between mud filtrate and mud resistivities. However, most electric log interpretations proceed with the assumption that the mud resistivity and temperature are the only important parameters needed to obtain a filtrate resistivity or a mud cake resistivity. Lamont1 suggests that only average relationships exist between mud cake, mud filtrate and mud resistivities. He indicates that there is limited accuracy when these intercorrelated factors are used since no other measure-able variable is apparent. A previous paper by Patnode indicates that drilling fluids may be considered to be a system of fluids in solid particles which may be correlated electrically in a manner similar to rock solids. 1 he equation for the resistivity factor. F = (per cent fluid) is satisfied for a given clay type in water, but the value of m varies as different materials are used in the water. The resistivity factor is not constant for a given amount of clay. As is suspected it varies as the solids fraction conducts electrical current. Since both weighting material and clay solids are present in commonly used drilling fluids, it is expected that both materials contribute to the variation of the m factor in Eq. 3. An extension of Patnode&apos;s work is presented in this paper to show some of the interrelations which exist between the resistivities of mud cake, mud filtrate and mud. Use of these data enable a more accurate calculation of mud filtrate and mud cake resistivities if only the mud resistivity and weight are measured. EXPERIMENTAL The measurements of mud weight, fluid and solids resistivity, alkalinity, and chloride content of mud samples were made in this research. Mud samples representing drilling fluids from 94 Louisiana and Texas wells (Table 1) and 47 laboratory-constructed systems (Table 2) were used in the experimentation. The measurements of the mud properties were made both in the field and in the laboratory. The tests on the properties of weight, alkalinity and chloride ion were standard tests as described by API specifications. The resistivity measuring devices were constructed in the laboratory for this study. For details on the resistivity equipment see Fig. 1. The fluid cell

By M. Cohen, D. Caplan

The scaling characteristics of three Fe-Cr alloys have been investigated by determining their weight gain vs. time curves at 1600° to 2000° F. The scales formed thereby have been examined using the techniques of X-ray diffraction and spectrographic and metal-lographic analyses in an attempt to explain the discontinuities in the curves and to elucidate the mechanism of scaling. DESPITE the considerable number of investigations that have been carried out on heat resistant alloys, the characteristics of the scales formed at high temperatures are not fully known. The research reported here was undertaken in an attempt to ascertain the mechanism of scaling of the stainless steels. Scaling experiments were carried out first, the weight increase of the specimens being followed continuously with time. It was observed that, as well as showing the expected decrease in oxidation rate with time, the oxidation curves showed breaks corresponding to intermediate periods of accelerated oxidation, after which protectiveness again increased. This phenomenon was observed with austenitic stainless steels (types 302, 309, and 330) and with Fe-Cr alloys (types 410, 430, and 446), but only the latter are treated in this report. An examination of the scales was made using the techniques of X-ray diffraction and spectrographic and metallographic analyses in an attempt to obtain a correlation between the nature of the scales and the oxidation curves. A search through the literature revealed only a very few previous reports of such periods of accelerated oxidation. Dunn&apos; found breaks in the oxidation-time curves of some Cu-Si alloys but saw no rational explanation of the phenomenon. Heindlhofer and Larsen2 attributed a discontinuity in the weight gain-time curve of iron at 1290°F to the formation of blisters, the subsequent cracking of which exposed an unprotected surface and permitted rapid oxidation until a new protective scale had been reestablished. They advanced no explanation, however, for what they termed the peculiar behavior of a 27 pct Fe-Cr alloy at 2000°F which gained weight very rapidly in between two periods of very slow weight gain. Portevin, Pretet, and Jolivet3 in describing breaks in the weight gain-time curves of Fe-A1 alloys suggested that they might be associated with the occurrence of localized and deeply oxidized areas on the specimens. Bandel4 in a general discussion of oxidation curves of heat resistant alloys considered that the discontinuities were due to a local disruption of the protective layer by the growth of iron-rich oxides. Day and Smith" in their report on the scaling of a large number of iron alloys noted but did not explain occasional relatively rapid changes in oxidation rate at higher temperatures. Chevenard and Wache6 found breaks, often two per specimen, in the oxidation curves of an 18-8 type alloy. They suggested that the cause might be a depletion in chromium of the surface layer of metal due to its selective oxidation, the resultant high concentration of iron and nickel in the scale leading to a poorly protective scale. McCullough, Fontana, and Beck&apos; explained the breaks in the oxidation curves of types 304, 430, and 410 alloys as due to mechanical ruptures. Experimental Work Table I lists the chemical compositions of the materials used. Cylindrical specimens 1/4 in. in diam and 11/2 in. long were machined from cold rolled % in. rod. After a fine finish cut with a sharp tool, the specimens were abraded while still mounted on the lathe with Nos. 2, 1, 0, and 00 metallographic grade emery papers. A 3/64 in. hole was drilled at a distance of 1/8 in. from one end to permit suspension in the furnace. Specimen Nos. 1, 2, and 3 were tested with this surface preparation. All others, after being similarly prepared, were electropolished in a perchloric-acetic electrolyte, electrical contact being made by pressing a tapered platinum hook into the drilled hole. The specimens were then washed in hot water, rinsed with distilled water, rinsed with methanol, dried at 120°F, and weighed. Thereafter,

Jan 1, 1953

By J. J. McKetta, O. L. Culberson

A preliminary investigation was made to determine the time required to attain equilibrium within the equilibrium cell for this system. Experimental and smoothed data are presented for the solubility of ethane in water for temperatures of 100°, 160°, 220°, 280" and 340 °F at pressures to 10.000 psia. The minimum solubility phenomenon disappears at 10,000 psia within this temperature range. INTRODUCTION .is a continuation of the investigation of the behavior of hydrocarbon-water systems, the experimental data on the solubility of ethane in water have been extended to 10,000 psia. The experimental apparatus, technique, materials, and analytical methods are essentially the same as previously reported.&apos; TIME-CONCENTRATION STUDY Prior to the initial determinations of solubility in the ethane-water system. it was desired to establish the time

Jan 1, 1950

By J. W. Galpin, V. L. Minear, F. C. Sturges, B. H. Mott, R. H. Allen, W. W. Weigel, Wm. D. Owsley, R. E. Moeller

By definition the word "grout" means a thin mortar, or a kind of plaster or ce¬ment, and "grouting" means to fill up or finish with grout. The words "cement," "plaster" and "mortar" mean a substance that is used in a soft state which subsequently hardens. Thus, grouting is the filling of void space with a substance that hardens. Construction cements are the most common substances used, either by themselves or in mixtures, but the term grouting is applied quite correctly when other substances such as plastics and certain chemicals are used. Also, the use of the term grouting to cover the filling of voids with materials that do not actually become hard, such as the-flotation tailings used in grouting in the southeast Missouri lead district, should be considered correct, as some stiffening does take place and, anyway, it is a better descriptive term than any substitute. Engineers are interested in grouting because some of the materials with which they must work contain voids, and certain conditions can be improved if these voids can be filled with something solid and permanent. Grouting is done to accomplish several purposes: I. To stop the passage of fluids and gases, 2. To cement materials together to make them stronger, and 3. To prevent consolidation of materials by filling void space with something solid as a replacement for the air and water that could be forced out under load. The construction industry uses grouting extensively for all three purposes. Grouting is used to stop water percolation under and around dams. It is used to control water flow in tunnel driving and in shaft sinking. It is used to improve foundation conditions under civil engineering structures by permanently filling void space and thereby reducing settlement, or by cementing broken rock together and increasing its supporting strength. The oil and gas industry does a lot of grouting, primarily to stop the passage of gases and fluids. The search for oil at increasingly greater depths has meant greater investment per well, and the oil industry has spent large sums on development of improved drilling methods. This

Jan 1, 1948

By J. W. Galpin, V. L. Minear, W. D. Owsley, F. C. Sturges, B. H. Mott, R. H. Allen, W. W. Weigel, R. E. Moeller

By definition the word "grout" means a thin mortar, or a kind of plaster or cement, and "grouting" means to fill up or finish with grout. The words "cement," "plaster" and "mortar" mean a substance that is used in a soft state which subsequently hardens. Thus, grouting is the filling of void space with a substance that hardens. Construction cements are the most common substances used, either by themselves or in mixtures, but the term grouting is applied quite correctly when other substances such as plastics and certain chemicals are used. Also, the use of the term grouting to cover the filling of voids with materials that do not actually become hard, such as the flotation tailings used in grouting in the southeast Missouri lead district, should be considered correct, as some stiffening does take place and, anyway, it is a better descriptive term than any substitute. Engineers are interested in grouting because some of the materials with which they must work contain voids, and certain conditions can be improved if these voids can be filled with something solid and permanent. Grouting is done to accomplish several purposes: I. To stop the passage of fluids and gases, 2. To cement materials together to make them stronger, and 3. To prevent consolidation of materials by filling void space with something solid as a replacement for the air and water that could be forced out under load. The construction industry uses grouting extensively for all three purposes. Grouting is used to stop water percolation under and around dams. It is used to control water flow in tunnel driving and in shaft sinking. It is used to improve foundation conditions under civil engineering structures by permanently filling void space and thereby reducing settlement, or by cementing broken rock together and increasing its supporting strength. The oil and gas industry does a lot of grouting, primarily to stop the passage of gases and fluids. The search for oil at increasingly greater depths has meant greater investment per well, and the oil industry has spent large sums on development of improved drilling methods. This

Jan 1, 1949

By Thomas T., Read

ALTHOUGH the first colonists in the area that is now the A United States, whether Spanish, French or English in nationality, were usually keenly interested in the possibilities of mineral wealth, it is a curious and interesting fact that none of them happened upon the mineral deposits that eventually were to make this the greatest mineral-producing country; up to 1800 it would probably have been rated as rather poor in minerals. Spanish explorers traversed the southeastern United States with- , out finding the Appalachian gold deposits that aroused so much interest in the early nineteenth century; Coronado sought in vain for the seven golden cities of Cibola; and the important gold \ deposits of California were not discovered until the political sovereignty of the region had passed from Mexico, which had held it for three centuries. The French also held Canada for nearly two centuries (and the British for another century) without finding the mineral deposits in Ontario and Quebec that now are so important. Though they knew of the copper of the Keweenaw peninsula, the lead ores. of Wisconsin and Missouri, and the coal of Illinois in the seventeenth century, these deposits were all too remote for exploitation. In the area held by Great Britain, iron smelting was planned at Jamestown as early as 1619 and was actually begun at Lynn, Mass., in 1643. The industry grew slowly, at first, but had reached considerable importance before the Revolution. Commercial bituminous coal mining began about 1750 in Virginia but anthracite mining in Pennsylvania was not started until 1800. As a result there was naturally little interest in the technical aspects of mineral prodnction here before 1800 by any except the few people who were actually engaged in it. Students of natural science were much interested in minerals, however. The activities of those who rank as geologists are so thoroughly covered in

Jan 1, 1941

By A. A. Bauer

The ?-to-? transformation has been studied in zirconium alloys containing 22 to 70 wt pct U. In this range of compositions the ? phase can be retained by quenching. Transformation to ? occurs by a nucleation-and-growth process. The diffusion of atoms to preferred lattice sites to yield a partially ordered structure apparently controls the rate of reaction. Alpha uranium and a zirconium precipitate from the supersaturated E phase initially formed in alloys outside the equilibrium E phase composition limits. ZIRCONIUM-Uranium alloys have long been of interest for reactor-fuel applications because of the low thermal-neutron cross section of zirconium. Considerable information is available on the various properties and behavior of these alloys1 although there had been a number of areas where information was incomplete. As part of a program to provide more detailed knowledge in these areas, the presently reported investigation was undertaken. The constitutional diagram of the zirconium-uranium system is shown in Fig. 1.&apos; The system is distinguished by a region of complete solid solubility between the body-centered cubic ß-zirconium and ? uranium phases and the existence of an intermediate phase in the vicinity of 50 wt pct U. This intermediate phase, designated as E, is reported3 to have a primitive hexagonal structure with a = 5.03 and c = 3.08A. The structure is partially ordered with zirconium atoms at the 0, 0, 0 position and zirconium and uranium atoms located randomly at the 1/3, 2/3, 1/2, and 2/3, 1/3, 1/2 positions. While the E phase may be nominally designated as of UZr2 stoichio-metry, the random distribution of uranium and zirconium atoms permit a considerable range in composition. Of interest in the research performed were alloys in the range from 20 wt pct (10 at. pct) to 70 wt pct (47 at. pct) U. In this range of compositions the body-centered-cubic ? phase can be retained either completely or partially on quenching. The nature and kinetics of transformation of the ? phase were the subject of study. Proceeding concurrently with the presently reported work was an investigation by Kearns4 which has since been reported. Kearns studied alloys containing 50 to 60 wt pct U prepared from sponge zirconium. While the work reported here is for alloys prepared from crystal-bar zirconium and the techniques of study are to some extent dissimilar to those employed by Kearns, general agreement so far as results and interpretation can be reported. Experimental Techniques—Alloys were prepared and the transformation of the ? phase studied during interrupted-quench and quench-and-temper isothermal heat treatments by means of hardness measurements and X-ray diffraction and metallographic techniques. The isothermal transformation of the ? phase on quenching and tempering was investigated further employing dynamic-modulus measurements. Electrical resistivity and limited Hall coefficient measurements were also obtained as part of the study. Alloy Preparation and Heat Treatment— Alloys containing 15, 20, 22, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, and 70 wt pct U were prepared from as-reduced uranium and crystal-bar zirconium. The alloys were double arc melted by consumable-electrode are-melting techniques. The final ingots were forged and rolled at temperatures between 790" and 840oC to 1/4-in. rod and 1/8-in. sheet. Chemical analyses of the fabricated alloys were

Jan 1, 1961

By Patricia J. Rand, Kailish Narayan

Atlantic Richfield Co. began operating a commercial uranium solution mining project in April 1975, in Live Oak County, Tex., 10 miles southwest of the town of George West. The operation is designed to produce 250,00 lb of U308 per year and is jointly owned by Atlantic Richfield Co., Dalco, and U.S. Steel. The proprietary process employed in this operation consists of injecting an alkaline leaching solution into the ore-bearing formation through a pattern of injection wells. The uranium-bearing solution is then removed through producing wells using submersible pumps in central production wells. The produced solution is pumped through a pipeline to the plant area where the uranium is extracted. The barren solution is refurbished and returned to the pattern area for reinjection. The injection field and plant site are located in the drainage of Spring Creek, a small intermittent stream tributary to the Nueces River. Land use in the area is primarily agricultural cattle ranching and farming---but several producing gas fields are present in the areas as well. A nine month enviromental baseline study was conducted on the property beginning in Feb. 1975. Plants and animals of the Clay West area were identified and representative terrestrial and aquatic communities were analyzed. Physical and chemical parameters of the soils were described and analyzed. The surface and underground waters were analyzed chemically; radionuclides, heavy metals, nutrients, and pesticide concentrations were measured in the creek sediments; bacteriological measurements were made in creek water and sediments; radionuclide and chemical levels in plants and animals, both terrestial and aquatic, were measured. These studies, though not required by existing, state or federal laws, were considered necessary to assess the existing conditions before operations began on site. The in-place leaching technique for uranium mining eliminates the enviromental disturbances associated with open pit or underground mining. No grinding and crushing of ore is needed, nor are large tonnages of waste tailings produced. Surface subsidence is not expected since less than 5 lb of uranium is present per ton of rock and even complete removal of such small amounts should not cause subsidence. Solution mining has fewer environmental problems than conventional mining. Members of the Texas Water Quality Board recognized the differences which exist and have recently formulated new environmental control procedures which apply specifically to solution mining. Some of the solution mining activities which are of particular concern are discussed in the following pages. Process Description The produced uranium-bearing solution is pumped through a pipeline from the pattern area to the plant area. The first pattern area consists of a nest of 125 fluid injection, production, and monitor wells [(Fig. 1)]. Injection wells have 4-in. casings and are spaced 50 ft apart on a square grid. Production wells have a 6-in. casing and are located in the center of each square. A block flow sheet of the plant is given in [Fig. 2]. The produced solution goes through parallel trains, each consisting of a carbon column and an ion exchange column in series. The carbon column removes any sand present in the produced solution and the ion exchange column extracts the uranium. The depleted solution is treated with chemicals and returned to the field for reinjection. The uranium retained in the ion exchange column is removed periodically with a sodium chloride solution. Uranium-bearing solution from the ion exchange column is passed through a charcoal column for removal of impurities and then to a precipitation tank where the uranium is precipitated as yellowcake slurry. The yellowcake slurry is clarified, filtered and dried to produce a granular yellowcake product. Environmental Considerations Sources of waste solutions to storage reservoirs, the backwash reservoir and atmospheric discharges are shown in the block flow sheet [(Fig. 2)]. These waste solutions pose a relatively small problem and are adequately controlled by conventional means. There is one area, however,

Jan 1, 1978

By definition the word "grout" means a thin mortar, or a kind of plaster or cement, and "grouting" means to fill up or finish with grout. The words "cement," "plaster" and "mortar" mean a substance that is used in a soft state which subsequently hardens. Thus, grouting is the filling of void space with a substance that hardens. Construction cements are the most common substances used, either by themselves or in mixtures, but the term grouting is applied quite correctly when other substances such as plastics and certain chemicals are used. Also, the use of the term grouting to cover the filling of voids with materials that do not actually become hard, such as the flotation tailings used in grouting in the southeast Missouri lead district, should be considered correct, as some stiffening does take place and, anyway, it is a better descriptive term than any substitute. Engineers are interested in grouting because some of the materials with which they must work contain voids, and certain conditions can be improved if these voids can be filled with something solid and permanent. Grouting is done to accomplish several purposes: I. To stop the passage of fluids and gases, 2. To cement materials together to make them stronger, and 3. To prevent consolidation of materials by filling void space with something solid as a replacement for the air and water that could be forced out under load. The construction industry uses grouting extensively for all three purposes. Grouting is used to stop water percolation under and around dams. It is used to control water flow in tunnel driving and in shaft sinking. It is used to improve foundation conditions under civil engineering structures by permanently filling void space and thereby reducing settlement, or by cementing broken rock together and increasing its supporting strength. The oil and gas industry does a lot of grouting, primarily to stop the passage of gases and fluids. The search for oil at increasingly greater depths has meant greater investment per well, and the oil industry has spent large sums on development of improved drilling methods. This

Jan 1, 1949

By O. P. Arora, M. Metzger, G. R. Ramagopal

Single-phase aluminum containing 0.0001 to 0.06 pct Cu was studied in strong acid, mainly through observations of hydrogen evolution. The strong influence of copper was exerted almost entirely through the imposition after a certain delay time of an auto-catalytic localized-corrosiott reaction. Additions of cupric ion to the acid produced lower accelerations. The significance of the quantity and distribution of copper was discussed, and the implications for intergranular corrosion and neutral chloride pitting were indicated. AN investigation of intergranular corrosion in single-phase high purity aluminum exposed to hydrochloric acid indicated the copper content of the metal to have an influence on corrosion at lower levels than previously suspected.&apos; The work reported here was a closer examination of the action of copper but dealt with general corrosion to gain the advantage of having a continuous measure of corrosion through the volume of hydrogen evolved, the reduction of hydrogen ion to hydrogen gas being the principal or only cathode reaction in strong hydrochloric acid. Previous work on the hydrochloric acid corrosion of aluminum was sometimes insufficiently structure-conscious and the need for care in evaluating it arises from the low solubility of the iron impurity,&apos; and of some alloying elements, and the known or possible presence in many of the compositions studied of second phases leading to greatly increased corrosion rates.3 These increases are attributed to the presence of low hydrogen-overvoltage cathodes provided by the second phase.3&apos;4 For the present single-phase work, a few studies which used high-purity base material and small copper additions5-&apos; provide the essential information most unambiguously. The corrosion rate was shown to be increased markedly by the introduction into the acid of small quantities of the ions of copper (and of certain other metals) which cement on the aluminum and provide cathodes of low overvoltage.5 When there was sufficient copper in the aluminum, the same result was produced during the course of corrosion leading to a rate which increased with time as the reaction was stimulated by one of its products (autocatalytic reaction). In 2N (7pct) HC1, an accelerating rate was observed at 0.1 pct Cu but not at 0.01 pct.5,7 The present work dealt with corrosion rate and morphology and their correlation with the quantity and distribution of copper catalyst for copper contents from 0.0001 to 0.06 pct. PROCEDURE A lot of high-purity aluminum containing 0.0021 pct Cu, 0.001 pct Fe and 0.003 pct Si (Alloy A) was alloyed with copper to yield aluminum containing 0.014 pct Cu (B) and 0.06 pct Cu (C). Later it was found necessary to include the lower copper Alloy K which contained 0.0001 pct Cu, 0.0004 pct Fe and 0.0004 pct Si. The upper limit for any other element can be confidently estimated as 0.0005 pct. No element other than copper appears to be present in quantities sufficient to have an effect on general corrosion as great as the observed effect of the copper in A, B, and C. The only other heavy metal detected by spectrographic examination was silver (< 0.0001 pct). The acid was made up from a selected lot of 37 1/2 pct CP hydrochloric acid containing 0.1 ppm heavy metals (mainly Pb), 0.05 ppm Fe, and < 0.008 ppm As and from water distilled from 1 megohm-cm demineralized water and believed to have contained negligible quantities of heavy metals influencing corrosion. Acid strength was adjusted to within 0.05 pct HCl of the stated value by using precision specific gravity measurements. Test blanks 10 by 41 mm were sheared from 1.65-mm cold-rolled sheet. Edges were finished by filing. The blanks were annealed in air at 645°C for 24 hr in alundum boats and rapidly water quenched. The anneal is thought to have produced a substantially homogeneous solid solution—for iron, copper, or silicon, for example, the annealing temperature was 200°C or more above the solvus-and the quench is considered to have preserved the high-temperature structure except for the condensation of lattice vacancies into dislocation loops.&apos; The 0.06 pct Cu alloy did not appear unstable in respect to slow precipitation reactions at room temperature since two pairs of tests failed to show significant differences between specimens heat treated 3 1/2 years earlier and specimens heat treated 1 or 2 days before.

Jan 1, 1962

By A. F. Colombo, R. T. Sorensen, D. W. Frommer

An analytical method has been developed and used in batch and continuous tests to provide initial insights into the effect of soluble calcium ion in anionic flotation of silica from iron ores. A deficiency or excess of calcium ion in pulps subjected to this type of flotation produces an impairment in flotation efficiency. Data developed in the investigation are from a single ore, but show that total calcium requirement is met from water, ore and reagent sources. In batch studies, starch additions were shown to exert no influence on the calcium level, but fatty acid and sodium hydroxide had subtractive effects. The investigation was next extended to continuous flotation testing where the general observations from batch testing were confirmed. Factorially designed experiments were performed showing that the relationship of calcium additions to flotation response was not a simple one, but tended to shift to higher additions with increased fatty acid. Nevertheless, the range of soluble calcium levels measured remained fairly constant in areas of good flotation response. It is concluded that techniques developed should be useful in removing empiricism from flotation operations in this and other systems requiring activation for success. Further development should aid in process control both through methods outlined and through investigations aimed at studying the effects of other soluble reagents. Of the major mineral commodities, iron ore was one of the last to succumb to flotation processing. Commenting on this fact, one of the speakers 1 at the convention celebrating the 50th Anniversary of flotation in the U.S.A., said ". . . in 1951 froth flotation as a means of beneficiating nonferrous minerals was a might giant and could be characterized by &apos;you name it, we float&apos; - but not iron ore". This tardiness in applying flotation to iron ores was the result of a number of factors, including economics and ready availability of direct shipping ores. Even now, when the need for beneficiation can no longer be denied, proposals for flotation of iron ores are apt to be viewed with some misgivings. This disquiet results from knowledge that wide variability, which would necessitate corresponding adjustments in reagents, often exist within even a single ore deposit. Coupled with ore variability is the fact that, at present, there is no way of quickly and precisely anticipating the direction and magnitude of reagent changes required for uninterrupted production of acceptable concentrates. Despite the long delay, iron ore flotation is now practiced commercially, although the chief applications2-4 are to specular hematites having relatively coarse liberation and low slime content. In addition, the application of flotation in upgrading magnetic concentrates seems assured. However, these flotation methods do not appear applicable to substantial tonnages of fine grained, earthy, and frequently more complex semitaconites and nonmagnetic taconites. The U.S. Bureau of Mines, in devoting its attention to the semitaconite and nonmagnetic taconite class of materials, has demonstrated that anionic flotation of calcium-activated silica can be utilized with an expected high frequency of success.&apos; Even so, it has been recognized that the flotation method is a complex one, and that the reagent suite must be carefully tailored to the feed. These conditions would be expected to offer difficulties in treating ores with the wide range of variability previously discussed. Accordingly, research was initiated to develop methods to remove much of the empiricism from the flotation operation by measuring the reagent variables within the pulp for a correlation with flotation response. A simple illustration of the technique sought would be in the well established use of pH meters to provide feedback control to reagent feeders and thereby limit acidity or alkalinity to a range producing optimum results. The first efforts in this area have been concerned with measurements of soluble calcium ion. Bureau experience in both laboratory and pilot plant over the past five years has proved that the amount of calcium

Jan 1, 1965

By R. M. Briney

A RETURN to nonwar conditions characterized the year 1946. The acquisition and forced use, under Government auspices, of low-grade and uneconomic ores, both foreign and domestic, ceased in 1945, but there was some carry-over into the early months of 1946. The world shipping situation delayed the procurement of some foreign ores, but conditions were improving by the end of the year. No actual shortage of any important alloy was experienced, hence the industry was able to make prompt shipment of orders placed. Price levels of ferroalloys, which had remained virtually constant through the war years, were forced upward, with increases on specific products as conditions necessitated. Standard ferroman-ganese and low-carbon ferrochrome were notable exceptions in that their price did not change. No new ferroalloy smelting plants were constructed. The Defense Plant Corp.. sold the works at Ashtabula, Ohio, to the Electro Metallurgical Co. A new type of ferroalloy furnace was described at the Birmingham meeting of the Electrochemical Society. Known as the "Elkem Rotary Furnace" it is distinguished by a rotating shell. The whole furnace, including shell, refrac-

Jan 1, 1947

By N. S. Wagner

The production of lightweight aggregates in Oregon is a new industry, and, like all new enterprises, it is suffering from growing pains characterized by numerous, small operations some of which flourish for a short time and then cease altogether. Normally all industrial mineral products are produced in a highly competitive atmosphere. At the present time this condition does not exist to a very marked degree in the state because as yet producers have not saturated the constantly expanding market. This paper has been prepared with the intention of outlining very briefly the current status of the various products now being used as lightweight aggregates in Oregon. The present picture will surely change, perhaps quite radically within even a short space of time.

Jan 1, 1949