Search Documents

By William B. Plank

AGAIN the records show an unprecedented enrollment of students in the mineral technology schools of the United States and Canada. In the current year, 1938-'39, 9619 students were resident in the 53 schools of the United States arid 1014 in the six schools of Canada. These data are from my fifth study of the mineral technology schools of the United States and Canada. the last previous study having been made for the year 1936-'37. The undertaking as previously was made under the auspices of the Mineral Industry Education Division of the A. I. M. E. The data or, the various schools were collected in the same way as for former studies.

Jan 1, 1939

By Charles F. King

THE only investigations on record of the reactions occurring during the Bessemer blow are of charges containing a large percentage of manganese, with the exception of two partial analyses by Snelus and Barker of the. English method, where a low percentage of manganese was used. They do not give the analysis of the spiegel, nor do they report any graphitic carbon after the first stage of the process. Both report only traces of manganese after the first stage until the addition of spiegel. The slags corresponding to the samples of metal were not analyzed.

Jan 1, 1881

By L. C. Raymond

Valuations in the mineral industry differ from those of other enterprises because mines and oil wells have a definitive life so cannot be considered a perpetuity. This requires that in any mineral-property evaluation the recovery of invested capital is necessary during the life of the property. Capital writeoffs for nonextractive industries are assumed to be continuously plowed back to sustain the operation and produce yields on the capital invested. The extractive or mineral industry, however, generally attempts to return to the investor both interest and principal during the life of a property. Normally this is done currently and the dividend includes both items. Where the mineral properly possesses large reserves and the life factor approximates a perpetuity, the return on investment is generally comparable to that of industrial stocks. The valuation of a mineral property, at best, is based on educated estimates and judgment factors. This is particularly true as it relates to estimating selling prices over a long term or assessing the quality of management. Also, it is possible to make various assumptions as to rapidity of working out the deposit, varying time for start-up of operations, varying earning rates, so as to obtain different results with the same basic facts. Thus it is not surprising that two engineers, irrespective of their abilities, may not agree exactly even when given the same facts, but their results should be close enough to be used in establishing a fair value for trading purposes. The valuation is no better than the source of basic data and the soundness of judgment factors. Fundamentally the basic principles of mineral valuation are similar for base metals, sulphur, oil, or any other mineral. Each mineral, however, requires an engineer to have a knowledge of such factors as its occurrence, distribution, mining and processing methods, and marketing problems in order to gather and analyze all the facts and data that have a bearing on the earning potential of the property. PRESENTVALUEOFAMINERALPROPERTY In essence the present value of a mineral property is a sum of money in today's dollars that future earnings from the property are worth. It differs

Jan 1, 1959

By L. C. Raymond

Valuations in the mineral industry differ from those of other enterprises because mines and oil wells have a definite life so cannot be considered a perpetuity. This requires that in any mineral-property evaluation the recovery of invested capital is necessary during the life of the property. Capital writeoffs for nonextractive industries are assumed to be continuously plowed back to sustain the operation and produce yields on the capital invested. The extractive or mineral industry, however, generally attempts to return to the investor both interest and principal during the life of a property. Normally this is done currently and the dividend includes both items. Where the mineral properly possesses large reserves and the life factor approximates a perpetuity, the return on investment is generally comparable to that of industrial stocks. The valuation of a mineral property, at best, is based on educated estimates and judgment factors. This is particularly true as it relates to estimating selling prices over a long term or assessing the quality of management. Also, it is possible to make various assumptions as to rapidity of working out the deposit, varying time for start-up of operations, varying earning rates, so as to obtain different results with the same basic facts. Thus it is not surprising that two engineers, irrespective of their abilities, may not agree exactly even when given the same facts, but their results should be close enough to be used in establishing a fair value for trading purposes. The valuation is no better than the source of basic data and the soundness of judgment factors. Fundamentally the basic principles of mineral valuation are similar for base metals, sulphur, oil, or any other mineral. Each mineral, however, requires an engineer to have a knowledge of such factors as its occurrence, distribution, mining and processing methods, and marketing problems in order to gather and analyze all the facts and data that have a bearing on the earning potential of the property. PRESENT VALUE OF A MINERAL PROPERTY In essence the present value of a mineral property is a sum of money in today's dollars that future earnings from the property are worth. It differs

Jan 1, 1964

By Clyde Longyear

DURING the last two years, the diamond core drill has come rapidly to the front as a very valuable auxiliary to the equipment of the exploration and production departments of oil companies. The diamond drill and the rotary oil drill work on the same general principles, the essential difference being that the diamond drill employs an annular steel bit set with black diamonds ("carbons"), instead of the fish-tail or other type of bit employed by the rotary drill. On account of the brittleness of the carbon and the danger of breakage if subjected to sudden blows or stresses, it is not practicable to attach a diamond bit and core-barrel to the end of a rotary drill stem. The operating mechanism of the diamond drill must be subject to much more sensitive control than the rotary drill. The bit must be rotated smoothly, without the jerks that are incident to the operation of the clutches and chain drives on the rotary draw works, and the feed must be con-trolled in a much more delicate manner than the mere action of a brake on a hoist. To accomplish this smooth rotation, diamond drills are usually built as a self-con-tained unit with the crank shaft of the engine geared direct to the drive shaft that turns the drill rods or stem. One or two hydraulic cylinders connected with a high-pressure pump control the feed so definitely that the bit can be raised or lowered at will, while the bit is rotating, by the simple operation of valves. The smaller-sized-drills for very shallow work usually have a screw feed control instead of the hydraulic feed. The principal uses of the diamond drill in oil work are three: 1. Reconnaissance or structure drilling; that is, the drilling of a number of shallow holes to ascertain the subsurface contour. 2. Scout drilling, or the drilling of holes of smaller diameter than is required for production, to obtain information as to the character of the oil sand and the quality of the oil. 3. Drilling producing wells.

Jan 5, 1923

By D. J. Oswald, J. G. Ziegler

It is of common knowledge that loading within a grinding mill, whether ball, rod, pebble, or autogenous, is directly related to the lubrication back pressure developed between the mill journal and bearing shoe during mill operation. The merits of both forced-feed and gravitational-feed bearing lubrication methods are discussed with particular emphasis directed toward their applicability to continuous grinding mill inventory control. Data obtained from wet grinding mill applications in the cement and mining industries is presented to more clearly define the influence of such variables as feed consistency, slurry viscosity, mill retention, bearing oil temperature, grind fineness, and grinding media wear on the measured journal lubrication back pressure during automatic mill feed control. Finally, various grinding mill control schemes for maintaining constant mill loading and consequently optimizing mill operating efficiency are discussed and evaluated as to their advantages and/or disadvantages.

Jan 1, 1974

By K. Barron

The glass insert stressmeter, or photoelastic stressmeter, is an instrument designed to determine stress changes occurring in rocks. It has several potential advantages over other such devices in that it is a biaxial device, it is simple and it is cheap to make. The object of this study was to assess the behaviour of the meter under biaxial loads and to examine some of the problems associated with measurement and interpretation of the fringe pattern. This assessment has been carried out by comparing theoretical and laboratory behaviour of the meter. It has been shown that: a) There are certain optimum measuring points in the meter at which measurements should be made for best accuracy. The position of the points depends on the ratio, n, of the biaxial stresses. b) The meter&apos;s sensitivity can be assumed to be independent of the rock modulus E provided that the rock modulus is < 2.5 x 106 psi and not, as previous workers have assumed, if E < 5 x 106 psi. c) There are several methods of separating the principal stresses; some of these are unsatisfactory. A new method is proposed and discussed. d) The meter sensitivity decreases as the ratio of the biaxial stresses approaches unity; the accuracy thus also decreases. e) The axes of symmetry of the fringe pattern give an excellent indication of applied stress direction. f) Laboratory calibrations are in good agreement with theory. The glass insert or photoelastic stressmeter is an instrument designed to determine stress changes occurring in rocks. It has several potential advantages over other such devices in that it is a biaxial device, it is simple and it is cheap to make. This stressmeter has been described in detail.l,2 Basically it is a hollow glass cylinder that has at one end a light source and filters producing circularly polarized light. The glass cylinder and source are grouted into a borehole in rock and the face of the cylinder is viewed through a quarter wave plate and an analyser. If, after installation, a stress change occurs in the rock, then a distinct colored isochro-matic fringe pattern is seen in the meter. The fringe order at any point in the meter can be determined by counting the fringes and measuring the fractional fringe orders by the Tardy compensation method. The relation between the fringe order at any point and the applied stress change can be determined either by calculation or by calibration. The object of this study was to assess the behavior of this stressmeter under biaxial loading conditions and to examine some of the problems of interpretation of the fringe pattern. THEORY Hiramatsu et a14 have determined the stress distribution in a hollow cylindrical inclusion in an elastic host material when subject to uniaxial stress. Using this solution, the biaxial case of stress p in the x direction and stress q in the y direction (Fig. 1) can be solved by superposition. This has been done in Appendix 1. It is shown that the principal stress difference (s1 -s2) at any point (r,?) in the cylinder is given by:

Jan 1, 1965

Uranium, the object of a quarter billion-dollar search in the US during 1977, is a ubiquitous element rarely found in economic concentrations. It originates in magmas as a large tetravalent ion, the size of which restricts it from the crystal lattices of many rockforming minerals. Instead, according to United States Mineral Resources (US Geological Survey Professional Paper 820) as the magma crystallizes, a portion of the uranium is deposited as an intergranular film on rock forming minerals, enters accessory minerals, or forms its own minerals. The remaining uranium becomes concentrated in magmatic differentiates, where it forms minerals in pegmatites and veins.

Jan 10, 1978

By R. H. Tien

Temperature distribution as well as position of the solidified front is solved by means of "heat balance integral", for the case of freezing a slab with time-dependent surface temperature. Numerical solutions for the cases of linear variation and exponential decay for surface temperature are given. Application also includes solidification of casting. An increased interest in the heat-transfer problem involving a change of phase has been developed in recent years. Practical problems include solidification of a casting, freezing and thawing of soil, ice formation, and others. Despite the importance of the topic, a literature search reveals relatively few solutions which may be extended to practical problems. Due to mathematical complexity, which comes from the nonlinearity of governing differential equations, exact analytical solutions which have been published are limited to a few cases with simple boundary conditions. Although numerical solutions of these problems have become available after highspeed digital computers were introduced, lack of simple and general methods of programming for computation makes this approach impractical. The case of the semi-infinite slab with constant surface temperature was solved in the 19th century. In honor of Neumann, who first found an analytical solution, this kind of problem is generally referred to as the Neumann solution. As has been shown in Fig. 1, the problem to be analyzed is the freezing of a semi-infinite region (x > 0) which is initially liquid at the melting temperature with the surface (x = 0) maintained at time-dependent temperature. This analysis can be applied to the study of many casting processes where most of the heat removal is essentially unidirectional. "Heat balance integral" which has been used by Goodman1 is employed in this analysis. The concept of "heat balance integral" is to define a quantity, d(t), called the thermal layer. Beyond this thermal layer, for all practical purposes, there is no heat transfer, and the region is at the equilibrium temperature. "Heat balance integral" is obtained by integrating the conduction equation with respect to the space variable over this thermal layer d(t). Choosing some plausible temperature distribution, usually a polynomial or a finite trigonometric series in the space variable, this integral equation becomes an ordinary differential equation, with time as the independent variable, which can be solved by classical methods. The thermal layer and "heat balance integral" are equivalent, respectively, to the boundary-layer thickness and the momentum integral in hydrodynamics. A modern account of Prandtl&apos;s concept of the boundary layer and von Karman&apos;s momentum integral may be found in Ref. 2. Although the problem considered here has been limited initially to uniform melting temperature, the present method is equally applicable to the case with arbitrary temperature distribution in the liquid. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The physical situation and coordinate system used in the problem to be analyzed are shown in Fig. 1. Notations used are listed in the table of nomenclature. Let us assume a semi-infinite region extending over positive x, initially at the uniform melting temperature. At the surface x = 0, a time-dependent temperature, which has a numerical value

Jan 1, 1965

[ ] For President-Elect Leo F. Reinartz has been nominated for the Presidency of AIME in 1954. Mr. Reinartz is now vice-president, special operating development, Armco Steel Corp. He was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, and graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology as metallurgical engineer. He joined Armco in 1909 as a chemist and then became open hearth foreman; assistant superintendent, open hearth dept.; superintendent, open hearth dept.; assistant general superintendent; works manager, East works; manager, Middletown div.; and assistant vice-president, successively. Mr. Reinartz has been active in many technical societies and delivered papers before several. He has been the recipient of the Alumni Award from Carnegie and holds life honorary membership in the AIME National Open Hearth Conference. One of the organizers of the National Open Hearth Conference, Mr. Reinartz was Chairman, Executive Committee (1927 to 1946) and is presently Chairman of its Finance Committee. In October 1951 he was an American Conferee at the First World Metallurgical Congress held in Detroit. An AIME member since 1925, Mr. Reinartz has been active on numerous committees of the Institute.

Jan 1, 1952

By R. Ehrlich, F. E. Crane

A consolidated porous medium is mathematically modeled by networks of irregularly shaped, interconnected pore channels. Mechanisms are described that form residual saturations during immiscible displacement both by entire pore channels being bypassed and by fluids being isolated by the movement of an interface within individual pore channels. This latter mechanism is shown to depend strongly on pore channel irregularity. Together, these mechanisms provide an explanation for the drainage-imbibition-hysteresis effect. The calculation of steady-state relative permeabilities, based on a pore-size distribution obtained from a Berea sandstone, is described. These relative permeability curves agree qualitatively with curves that are generally accepted to be typical for highly consolidated materials. In situations where interfacial effects predominate over viscous and gravitational effects, the following conclusions are reached. 1. Relative permeability at a given saturation is everywhere independent of flow rate. 2. Relative permeability is independent of viscosity ratio everywhere except at very low values of wetting-phase relative permeability. 3. Irreducible wetting-phase saturation following steady-state drainage decreases with increasing ratio of nonwetting- to wetting-phase viscosity. 4. lrreducible wetting-phase saturation following unsteady-state drainage is lower than fir steady-state drainage. 5. Irreducible nonwetting-phase saturation 101lowing imbibition is independent of viscosity ratio, whether or not the imbibition is carried out under steady- or unsteady-state conditions. Experiments qualithtiveIy verify the conclusions regarding unsteady-state residual wetting-phase saturation. Implications of these conclusions are discussed. INTRODUCTION Natural and artificial porous materials are generally composed of matrix substance brought together in a more or less random manner. This leads to the creation of a network of interconnected pore spaces of highly irregular shape. Since the geometry of such a network is impossible to describe, we can never obtain a complete description of its flow behavior. We can, however, abstract those properties of the porous medium pertinent to the type of flow under consideration, and thus obtain an adequate description of that flow. Thus, the Kozeny-Carmen equation, by considering a porous medium as a bundle of noninterconnecting capillary tubes, provides an adequate description of single-phase flow. With the addition of a saturation-dependent tortuosity parameter in two-phase flow to account for flow path elongation, the Kozeny-Carmen equation has been used to predict relative permeabilities for the displacement of a wetting liquid by a gas. 1-5 It has long been recognized that relative permeability depends not only on saturation but also on saturation history as we11.6,7 Naar and Henderson8 described a mathematical model in which differences between drainage and imbibition behavior are explained in terms of a bypassing mechanism by which oil is trapped during imbibition. Fatt9 proposed a model for a porous medium that consisted of regular networks of cylindrical tubes of randomly distributed radii. From this he calculated the drainage relative permeability curves. Moore and slobod,10 Rose and Witherspoon,11 and Rose and Cleary12 each considered flow in a pore doublet (a parallel arrangement of a small and large diameter cylindrical capillary tube). They concluded that, because of the different rates of flow in each tube, trapping would occur in one of the tubes; the extent of which would depend upon viscosity ratio and capillary pressure. They limited

Jan 1, 1970

By A. J. Boynton

THIS paper is not the result of recent research with regard to any particular feature of iron metallurgy, blast-furnace practice or mechanical engineering. It is rather a series of notes with regard to contemporaneous progress in blast-furnace construction and operation, together with some suggestions as to changes and improvements that seem to be desirable. On April 1, 1930, a committee of the Chicago District Blast Furnace and Coke Association presented to that association a rather ambitious study of blast-furnace equipment, together with recommendations for the design of construction of a complete blast-furnace unit for the production of 1000 tons of pig iron per day. This report represented the result of months of study by members of the committee, all of whom were actively engaged in operation or design of blast-furnace plants. It is natural, therefore, that comments on the present state of the art should take this 1000-tons furnace, as recommended by the Association, as a basis for comparison with corresponding features of construction or design. See Table 1. In looking through this report at the present time, the significant difference is in the nature of the gas-washing equipment that today would be specified. In other respects, the installation would remain generally very much as it was outlined in 1930. The change in furnace dimensions would be very slight and of no especial significance, except with respect to changes in stock-line diameter, of which more will be said hereafter. The high-efficiency stove as developed by various designers is thoroughly described within this report, and few changes have taken place since. Blowing equipment shows refinement and reflects the improvement in steam engineering. Hoisting and charging equipment and ladles for the conveyance of iron and slag remain, in general, as they were in 1930. In accordance with a general tendency

Jan 1, 1935

By R. G. Bowman

Discussions of processes for the manufacture of white lead generally open with the statement that white lead is the oldest chemical pigment known to man. This fact is of more than historical interest; in the light of the present extensive use of white lead, it indicates that the compound possesses characteristics that make it unique among white pigments, and superior to all in its particular field. A greater variety of processes have been proposed for manufacturing white lend than for any other one chemical compound. Only a few of these processes have come into commercial use, however, and a large part of the present production here and abroad is made by the process used in ancient times. The outstanding disadvantages of the old process are that it is slow and laborious, affords no control of the product, and yields at best an impure material lacking in uniformity. Improved processes, sometimes classed all together as "quick processes," have had as their main object the shortening of the time required. Most of them accomplish this and some have yielded a superior product as well, but only two or three are now in use commercially. For centuries the manufacture and mixing of paints have been treated as an art, and the practice has been much influenced by tradition and precedent. There is a reluctance to abandon old materials for this purpose, and as few new uses for white lead have been developed, the adoption of the quick processes has been slow. The electrolytic production of white lead is not new, a large number of processes and forms of apparatus have been proposed and patented within the past 25 years, all directed toward the production of white lead, wholly or in part, by electrolysis. One or two of these processes were tried commercially but proved unsuccessful. Process The Sperry process, used by the Anaconda Lead Products Co., is the invention of Elmer A. Sperry, and was worked out to a commercial basis at the East Chicago plant. It resembles, in a general way, earlier methods, but embodies the features that make it possible to operate

Jan 1, 1926

By H. Ries

In the marketing of mineral products, it is always highly desirable for both the producer and the consumer to be able to discuss things in a common language, and this can only be done if there are standard methods for expressing the properties of the raw materials. Having developed such a form of expression, the next step would be the making of specifications, which may serve as a basis for selecting raw materials. Considering the large number of non-metallic minerals that are used, there are not a few for which there are no standard laboratory tests to be used in determining their properties, or even standard specifications on which grades or market price may be based. Indeed in many cases the consumer simply requests the producer to submit samples, and rejects or accepts them without any explanation. Could the producer know in advance just what the consumer needed, time and money might often be saved. It appears to the writer that it is of the highest importance to devise standard laboratory tests wherever possible, as this enables the consumer to state definitely what he needs, and is of great assistance to the producer. It should also work to reduce misunderstandings and disputes. In the case of sands, we find that they show a wide variation in their character, ranging from those that are so coarse as to be of gravelly nature to those that are so fine that they might be classed as silt; and from very clayey ones to those that are practically free from clay. For this wide range of sands, we have a corresponding variety of uses, which are based mainly on the physical properties of the sand, although these are not always very definitely stated. The chemical composition need rarely be considered, if the sand is of siliceous nature. To determine and express these properties there should be standard tests, which are to be followed in all cases where the material is tested in the laboratory. The use of sands for foundry work (making molds or cores) is old, and it has been recognized for some time that the important properties to be

Jan 1, 1926

By M. R. J. Wyllie, Michael A. Torcaso

With the continued deep drilling of today, increasing numbers of high pressure and high temperature gas-condensate reservoirs are being discovered. Correspondingly, the ranges of properties of gas-condensate reservoir fluids are also being increased. The literature1*&apos;." contains several excellent reviews of the property ranges in presently known condensate reservoirs. When one examines these property ranges, it becomes apparent that the need for reliable data is great if the engineer is to evaluate properly or appraise a gas-condensate reservoir. It is the purpose of this paper to present phase-behavior data that will point out some of the important variables that influence recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs produced by pressure depletion. All these variables may be resolved into two major categories: the hydroc:arbon composition of the reservoir fluid and the physical properties of the reservoir. But the variables which we will consider are those which are usually determined from well tests shortly after discovery and are, consequently, readily available to the engineer. They are as follows: (1) the producing separator gas-stock-tank liquid ratio, (2) stock-tank liquid gravity, and (3) reservoir temperature. Laboratory depletion studies have been performed on several reservoir fluids to illustrate the effect of changes in the cronsidered variables upon ultimate recoveries. The deviation factors, Z, of a series of reservoir fluids were determined experimentally to illustrate their order of magnitude and their effect upon the calculation of in-place reserves existing at high pressurcs and temperatures. The procedures followed in conjunction with the performance of these studies and their associated calculations are illustrated in Fig. 1. For the purpose of this paper, the depletion recoveries are expressed only in terms of pcr cent of initial stock-tank liquid, with the abandonment pressure assumed to be 500 psig. VARIATION OF RECOVERY WITH INITIAL PRODUCING SEPARATOR GAS-STOCK-TANK LIQUID RATIO The producing separator gas-stock-tank liquid ratio has long been one of the principal criteria in assumptions and generalized correlations&apos; used for the estimation of ultimate recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs. Fig. 2 presents a plot of the cumulative recovery of stock-tank liquid at abandonment as a function of the initial producing separator gas-stock-tank liquid ratio. The graphical illustration represents the results of 44 laboratory depletion studies performed on actual gas-condensate fluids. These data are presented not only to illustrate the general trend of ultimate recovery increase with initial producing ratio increase but to emphasize the considerable variation in possible recovery at any given producing ratio. Table 1 presents the properties of two actual reservoir fluids chosen to illustrate the approximate extremities of producing ratios for gas-condensate systems. The fluids designated as A and B exhibited initial producing ratios of 3,400 and 114,000 scf/bbl, respectively. Fig. 3 presents a graphical comparison of the cumulative stock-tank liquid recoveries, calculated from the well-stream compositions and produced volumes for each fluid during depletion. It is to be noted that Fluid A exhibited a recovery of only 16.5 per cent when produced to an assumed abandonment pressure of 500 psig while the corresponding recovery for Fluid B was calculated to be 62.2 per cent. This difference in recovery, which exemplifies the general trend of recovery increase with initial producing ratio increase, is readily explained by consid-

By Parke A. Dickey, R. Fettke

Drilling activity during 1944 increased considerably in the oil fields and slightly in the shallow gas fields of western Pennsylvania. The number of deep tests (middle Devonian or deeper) completed during 1944 was the same as in 1943 and did not result in discoveries of additional reserves of natural gas or oil. Thus far no commercial oil production has been obtained from sands below the Upper Devonian in Pennsylvania. As a result of the lack of new discoveries, oil production in nearly all of the producing areas in the entire Pennsylvania grade region declined 10 to 11 per cent. Stocks of Pennsylvania Oil The Peilnsylvania grade crude-oil stocks in storage on January 1943 were 2,479,000 bbl. In January 1944 crude stocks totaled 1,846,000 bbl., and during 1944 the stocks of Pennsylvania grade crude declined to a year-ending balance of 1,617,000 bbl. Nearly all of this oil is "unavailable for use," representing pipe-line fill, tank bottoms and limited working inventories at the refineries. The storage of Pennsylvania oil has declined to a point where little or no available crude oil is currently in storage. Prices The posted price of Pennsylvania oil remained constant during 1944; however, on Rug. I, 1944, the wartime Government subsidy was instituted at a rate of 75¢ per barrel. The average price in the Bradford area, including the subsidy, was $3.31 per barrel. New Technical Developments The Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil Association started a rather ambitious program of research in production fundamentals and technology during 1944. Several well-qualified engineers have been employed and a laboratory is to be equipped at Bradford. The group will investigate, in cooperation with the American Petroleum Institute, the possibilities of bacteria as agents in oil recovery, and undertake other studies of both a fundamental and an applied nature. In cooperation with the Pennsylvania State College, the Research Group worked out a method of measuring water-intake rates in different strata. The method involves injecting salt water down a string of tubing and fresh water down the annulus, determining the location of the interface electrically, and measuring the input rates above and below the interface. The United States Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with oil companies of the Venango district, developed a simple gas-lift tubing string, which is operating successfully in some 20 wells. This device uses the air-gas mixture produced with the oil to lift it by the usual gas-lift principles. The Northern Ordnance Co. is experimenting with a chamber lift device that expels the oil in an unbroken column. These devices hold considerable promise

Jan 1, 1945

By Jonathan S. Jackson, Bruce P. Ream

Leach water management is one of the few areas in dump leaching subject to operator control. As such, it is of considerable importance. Theoretical considerations indicate that high leach solution application rates are inefficient in washing solubilized copper from dumps. The high rates cause unnecessary dilution of copper values, raising unit recovery costs. Use of excessive amounts of leach solution also cools dumps, resulting in reduced leaching rates. This paper reviews leach solution application methods and details the results of field tests run to determine the benefits and feasibility of low versus high application rate techniques of applying water to dump surfaces.

Jan 1, 1980

By D. L. Rainey, E. R. Goter, W. R. Hudspeth

THE area in which spodumene-bearing pegmatites occur extends from Gaffney, S. C., in a northerly direction to Lincolnton, N. C., a distance of about 16 miles. The zone averages 2 miles in width. Interest in this area was first aroused by the discovery of small amounts of cassiterite in the peg-matites and in greissen which occurs on the walls of some of the pegmatites. Attempts were made from 1880 into the 1920&apos;s to mine and concentrate cas-siterite, but there were no successful operations. In 1935 L. M. Williams became interested in the area and began prospecting by trenching and sinking several small shafts. He gradually gained control of a considerable acreage south of the city of Kings Mountain, N. C. Mr. Williams states that he produced some ore from a shaft which he shipped to the Maywood Chemical Co. in the late 1930&apos;s. In 1937 G. H. Chambers of the Foote Mineral Co. visited the area and examined several properties, but the lithium market was too small to support the necessary concentrating plant. Early in World War II the Solvay Process Co., encouraged by various federal agencies, acquired the Williams properties and leases and started a drilling program to develop reserves for spodumene mining. A study of this area was also made under T. L. Kesler by the U. S. Department of the Interior Geological Survey. Starting in 1942 a concentrating plant, water supply dams, and shops and other buildings were constructed. The Superior Stone Co., a neighboring crushed stone operator, was awarded a contract to mine and crush the pegmatite ore. Late in 1943 the plant started operations, which were continued until February 1946. A drop in demand for lithium chemicals forced it to close and remain closed for several years. In 1948 the Foote Mineral Co. became interested in assuring itself a source of lithium ore on the North American continent, to be used in the production of lithium ore chemicals, and inspected properties in Canada, South Dakota, and North Carolina. The North Carolina deposits were the most promising. In the fall of 1950 the company leased the Solvay interests with option to buy and acquired additional properties. Renovation of the mill and preparation of the quarry for mining was begun in earnest in January 1951. A new crushing plant was built and construction started in July 1951. The flotation process used was developed in the North Carolina State Minerals Research Laboratory located at Asheville, N. C. Foote is now in the process of expanding its production. The crushing plant is being revamped and much of the old milling equipment purchased from Solvay will be replaced by new. Mining equipment of suitable capacity has been received and is in use. The frontispiece is a general view of the mill. The orebodies consist of pegmatite dikes composed of fine-grained albite and quartz, with varying amounts of mica and spodumene. The latter may amount to as much as 50 pct of the rock, but the overall average is about 15 to 20 pct. Tin, columbite-tantalite, beryl, and other valuable minerals are present in varying small amounts. These dikes, which intruded into the Roan Gneiss underlying most of the Piedmont area, strike approximately N 30 E and dip about 85" to the west. The gneiss has the same strike but dips about 70" west. The dikes lie in a belt extending from Lin-colnton, N. C., to Gaffney, S. C., and passing through

Jan 1, 1954

By Alexander Field

THE rate of elimination of carbon largely controls the time required to make a heat of steel by the basic open-hearth process and to an important degree determines the cost of refining. Practical experience has led to the generally accepted belief that the use of slags relatively high in iron oxide, such as are required to bring about rapid refining, leads to a certain sacrifice of quality in the product. As a consequence, a compromise must be made between the exceedingly slow rate of carbon drop which would correspond to the ideal case and the rapid rate which would best satisfy the condition of minimum cost. An increase in rate of refining necessarily implies an increase in the concentration of iron oxide dissolved in the metal. However, even for the infinitely slow rate that corresponds to slag-metal equilibrium, the metal would contain a certain definite concentration of dissolved iron oxide. It is a matter of great practical importance, therefore, to determine the quantitative relation between the minimum or equilibrium concentration of iron oxide in the metal and the higher concentrations which must actually obtain in practice. The present paper is devoted to the development of certain equations, derived from the established laws of physical chemistry, which will enable this relation between rate of refining and the degree of oxidation of the metal bath to be computed from operating data. No attempt is made to exhaust the possibilities of this general method of treatment. In considering rate of refining, attention is mainly confined to rate of carbon elimination. However, the equations are of a more general nature and their application may readily be extended. The results of the preliminary calculations given herein indicate that increased rate of refining may have a decided effect in increasing the concentration of iron oxide dissolved in the metal. The uncertainty. which attaches to the calculated value for this relationship arises in part from probable errors in experimental data on which the calculations are based, and in part from the lack of complete or favorably disposed information on basic open-hearth practice.

Jan 1, 1928

By B. S. Butler

A. D. Mutch (Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd., Ona-ping, Ontario)—This contribution is prompted by the fact that the writer has recently published an article&apos;!&apos; which has in part the same general conclusions as B. S. Butler&apos;s, namely, the form of the standard mineral paragenesis in hypogene deposits and the parallel transition from early high temperature acid to late low temperature alkaline or neutral solutions. Since the writer also recognizes that he is not fully qualified to discuss the formation of ore deposits as a chemical problem, this discussion will be limited to summarizing other observations and will suggest how Butler&apos;s Table II might be made more effective. The form of Butler&apos;s table is not unlike that widely used by European geologists&apos;" in which the various minerals are related to the types of ore fluids—peg-matitic, pneumatolic and hydrothermal. Thus the decrease in temperature and change in pH of the ore-bearing fluids as recognized by Butler may also be paralleled by perhaps even greater changes in composition, density, and character. W. H. Newhouse&apos;s article:" on the sequence of hypo-gene ore mineral deposition is still one of the most complete analyses of the problem. In it he makes four major observations: 1) The order of O, S, As, Sb is the same as their increasing atomic weights and the same as their melting points. 2) The order of the metallic elements is the same as the Schuermann series. 3) The general mineralogical order is paralleled by decreasing heats of formation. 4) The order is generally in decreasing hardness, higher metal content, and higher specific gravity. The order of 0, S, As, and Bi is also the same as their relative abundance. Another point worth mentioning about this series is that As, Sb, Bi, when abundant, often substitute for sulfur in the early pyrite-like minerals, whereas later in the sequence these elements appear to act more like metals. This behavior may be a further indication of the acid character of the early fluids. C. J. Sullivan"&apos; has attempted to show that the sequence of the metallic elements is related to the order of their melting points and has discussed the interrelationship of the different types of bonding of sulfo-phile and oxiphile elements in minerals. Items 3 and 4 might best be summarized by saying that bonding of the minerals in the series appears to be from ionic to covalent to metallic, the early minerals being light in weight, hard, and near-transparent; the intermediate minerals of intermediate weight, semi-transparent, and semi-conducting; and the end minerals heavy, soft, and malleable, opaque and good conductors. A rapid fall in temperature has been assumed to be the cause of ore deposition in many deposits. Perhaps this in turn is the effect of a rapid release of energy in the form of pressure release and change of volume, the first minerals to form being those with the highest heats of formation which absorb the released energy the most rapidly. Butler&apos;s Table II could probably be streamlined and made more effective if the listed compounds were assembled as mineralogical groups as in Dana. Thus the sulfides, arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides, and sulfa salts could be arranged in AX,, AX, A2X2, etc. groups. Since these are continuous substitution series, in which the fields of stability and the heats of formation of the various individual minerals can be fairly regarded as similar, this should be accomplished with no loss of clarity. The occurrence of the individual minerals and the precise sequence of the mineral deposition in any one deposit is probably more dependent on the concentration and relative abundance of the component elements. The assembling of geological data in tabular form such as Butler&apos;s Table II will continue to be a very effective method of studying geological phenomena. The importance of this particular problem has been pointed out by C. F. Park,% who concludes that understanding of mechanisms of the standard paragenesis and interrelated problems of mineral zoning in space and time is one of the major keys to classification of ore deposits.

Jan 1, 1959