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Jan 1, 1896

By E. S. Rowland, J. Welchner, R. H Marshall

This paper presents results on an extension into the realm of high-carbon steels of some work recently published1 on the effects of time at temperature, quenching temperature and prior structure on the hardenability of one 0.20 and four 0.40 per cent carbon alloy steels. It was shown at that time that unless the conditions of time, temperature and prior structure are substantially the same in performing the hardenability test as in conducting hardening of parts in production, the correlation of hardenability information with the hardness and properties of production parts is often not of satisfactory accuracy. The general effects of these variables on the austenitic grain size, distribution of excess carbides and critical cooling rate have been known for many years and one or more have been investigated by Shepherd,2,3 Davenport and Bain,4 Digges,5,6 Digges and Jordan,' Post and associates8 and Roberts and Mehl,9 to mention only a few. There has been no systematic investigation, however, into the quantitative variations produced on the hardenability of commercial high-carbon steels by changes in these factors of time, temperature and prior structure. Procedure A plain carbon hypereutectoid steel, S.A.E. 52100 and Graph-Mo, a molybdenum-bearing high-carbon steel containing some graphite, were chosen for this investigation. The chemical analyses of these electric-furnace steels are given in Table I. The procedure used was exactly that reported previously,' hence the details will not be repeated here. Normalized (165o°F.) and spheroidized prior structures were utilized on all steels with hot-rolled and quenched (I600°F. oil) prior conditions added for the plain carbon steel. The end-quench test developed by Jominy10 was sclected for use in this investigation and, with the noted exceptions, the American Society for Testing Materials standard procedure was followed. The effect of time at temperature was examined at intervals of o, 10 and 40 min. and 4 hr., and a few 16-hr. tests were run. Salt-bath heating of the specimens was employed to control and minimize the

Jan 1, 1944

By R. H. Marshall, J. Welchner, E. S. Rowland

This paper presents results on an extension into the realm of high-carbon steels of some work recently published1 on the effects of time at temperature, quenching temperature and prior structure on the hardenability of one 0.20 and four 0.40 per cent carbon alloy steels. It was shown at that time that unless the conditions of time, temperature and prior structure are substantially the same in performing the hardenability test as in conducting hardening of parts in production, the correlation of hardenability information with the hardness and properties of production parts is often not of satisfactory accuracy. The general effects of these variables on the austenitic grain size, distribution of excess carbides and critical cooling rate have been known for many years and one or more have been investigated by Shepherd,2,3 Davenport and Bain,4 Digges,5,6 Digges and Jordan,' Post and associates8 and Roberts and Mehl,9 to mention only a few. There has been no systematic investigation, however, into the quantitative variations produced on the hardenability of commercial high-carbon steels by changes in these factors of time, temperature and prior structure. Procedure A plain carbon hypereutectoid steel, S.A.E. 52100 and Graph-Mo, a molybdenum-bearing high-carbon steel containing some graphite, were chosen for this investigation. The chemical analyses of these electric-furnace steels are given in Table I. The procedure used was exactly that reported previously,' hence the details will not be repeated here. Normalized (165o°F.) and spheroidized prior structures were utilized on all steels with hot-rolled and quenched (I600°F. oil) prior conditions added for the plain carbon steel. The end-quench test developed by Jominy10 was sclected for use in this investigation and, with the noted exceptions, the American Society for Testing Materials standard procedure was followed. The effect of time at temperature was examined at intervals of o, 10 and 40 min. and 4 hr., and a few 16-hr. tests were run. Salt-bath heating of the specimens was employed to control and minimize the

Jan 1, 1944

By W. H. Ode, W. A. Selvig

By plotting fixed carbon against British thermal units of coals free from mineral matter, and ranging in rank from anthracite to lignite, it is found that the coals of higher rank, from anthracite to the higher rank of the high-volatile bituminous coals, inclusive, can be separated into groups according to their degree of metamorphism by reference to their fixed carbon. Such charts show also that the coals lower in rank can be best separated into groups with respect to B.t.u., especially when plotted on the moist basis, that is, coal containing its natural bed moisture. A tentative scheme for coal classification was presented at the October, 1932, meeting of the Technical Committee on Scientific Classification, of the American Standards Association Sectional Committee on Coal Classification. This scheme was sponsored by Subcommittee IV on Tentative Classification of Coals, under the chairmanship of W. T. Thom, Jr. It proposed the grouping of coals according to rank by reference to fixed carbon and B.t.u., on the basis of coal containing its natural bed moisture but free from mineral matter. This scheme proposed classifying coals into four broad classes: (1) anthracitic, (2) bituminous, (3) subbituminous, (4) lignitic. The anthracitic class was divided into three groups designated as meta-anthracite, normal anthracite, and semianthracite. The bituminous class also was divided into three groups, low volatile, medium volatile, and high volatile. The high-volatile group was further subdivided into four subgroups according to moisture content, as fo1lows: (1) less than 5 per cent, (2) 5 to 10 per cent, (3) 10 to 15 per cent, and (4) 15 per cent and more. The subbituminous class was divided into two groups, group 1 including subbituminous coals having calorific values of 10,500 B.t.u. or more, and group 2 including those with less than 10,500 B.t.u. The lignitic class of coal was divided into two groups both below 8,000 B.t.u., the one group consisting of consolidated and the other of unconsolidated

Jan 1, 1934

By C. Richard Tinsley

INTRODUCTION Documentary complications arise from the risk apportionment in project financing which generally means that once the project is up and running and has satisfied the lender's completion test, the loan agreement specifically limits the lender's recourse to the project and its assets. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the special considerations which apply to industrial minerals projects and explore the reasons why so few project financings are negotiated in this industry. SIZE Small projects do not warrant the relatively high costs of negotiating and documenting project financing. The extent of the documentation is directly proportionate to either (a) the degree of risk apportionment, or (b) the amount of control given to lawyers to negotiate the documents. Although one would like to believe that project-finance documentation could be off-the-shelf, it is almost always necessary to tailor the documents to the mine development itself and the individual desires of the borrower. Accordingly, the documentation costs and initial expenses are seldom less than $40,000, and for complex projects can reach $400,000. In addition, banks often charge an up-front fee to partly compensate them for their staff time and partly to increase their yield on what is deemed to be a "riskier" loan asset. Another factor is the generally lower debt:equity ratio when bankers are uncertain of the accuracy of the cash flow projections. The ratio of the amount of cash flow left over after debt service to debt service itself is a key tool for project finance (debt service coverage). Bankers will require a higher coverage ratio for industrial minerals projects because of the relatively higher uncertainties in the following categories: Prices Markets Geology/Quality Transportation Environmental This, in turn, means that lower debt:equity ratios are the norm for new industrial minerals projects. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE It is hardly worthwhile to generalise about a field as diverse as industrial minerals, but there are four other structural reasons why project financing has not been widely applied. 1. The most obvious example is the predominance of small-sized operations, largely a function of transportation economics. Geological conditions also contribute to their dispersion. 2. Often, the product is only a small part of a company's business in contrast to many petroleum, metals, or coal companies whose sole business is the production of the raw material. The construction industry is a good example here for cement, gypsum, crushed stone, sand and gravel, and the drilling-mud services business for barite and bentonite. A company is unlikely to jeopardise its main business through the failure of a project financing on one of its key inputs. The corrollary is that the mined input is often regarded as a cost centre and not run on the sort of economic basis suitable for project financing. 3. There may be a reluctance to reveal key aspects of an industrial minerals venture to an outsider for purely competitive reasons. Unlike the other minerals industries which readily share technical information at plant visits and

Jan 1, 1985

By Victor J. Miller

The Northeast Tripp Slide is one of the larger slope failures that can be attributed to open pit mining. It is a 11.7 million cubic meter (15.3 x l0 6 yd3) wedge failure created by two thick gouge-filled fault zones whose intersection plunges into the Tripp pit at 13°. One unique aspect of this failure is that the slide is now stable despite having moved an estimated 8.5m (28 ft.) towards the pit and having reached a maximum overall velocity of 2lmmlday (0.07 ft/day). The slide started to fail in 1968, accelerated until mining in the slide's toe area was halted in April 1970, then began to decelerate. With the cessation of mining in the toe area, rubblized rock sloughed into the pit bottom which added weight to the failures toe constraints and began the stabilization process. Measurements from a network of survey stations revealed a correlation between the slide's velocity and heavy precipitation. Runoff water accumulating in the tension cracks is believed responsible for this correlation. Moreover, the survey net measurements showed that during the failure's last stage the vertical component of the slide's movement greatly increased. It is proposed that this settling was caused by plastic-like flowage of the clay gouge underlying the failure The fault zone's effective shear strength was estimated by a back- analysis on the wedge's geometry and by performing direct shear tests. The tests, performed on cores taken from samples that were collected on the failure, yielded a residual shear strength of: cohesion 0.61 kg/cm2 (8.7 lb/in2), and a friction angle of 9.6°. This residual shear strength was near1y equal to the back-calculated strength indicating that the controlling fault's effective strength was essentially the same as the residual shear strength of the gouge filling

Jan 1, 1983

By J. E. Gould, H. J. Hand

MANY independent studies are being made on slag-metal relationships in the open-hearth furnace, and these studies cannot help but result in an ultimate improvement in the quality of open-hearth steel of both the open and killed types In maintaining quality control at the National Tube Company's plant, emphasis has been placed on an evaluation of the iron oxide content of the steel in as quantitative a manner as possible, in order that the most desirable level of oxidation might be obtained for a given type of steel, and to secure a more precise basis for final deoxidation In the past, various methods were used for estimating FeO content of the metal at tap to ensure uniform and thorough deoxidation of killed steel, avoiding over-deoxidation to minimize the amount of inclusions present and to make as sound a steel as possible For the open-type steels, such control involves obtaining the necessary level of oxidation for the most suitable action of the steel in the molds to provide good surface quality and cross section for the specific grade involved While rapid analytical methods are available for determination of FeO in the liquid metal, such methods are still not sufficiently rapid for routine control on the open-hearth floor, nor do such analyses provide information as to what causes high or long FeO values The method of sampling can still be considered a problem in view of the variability encountered in taking simultaneous duplicate tests With the accurate rapid methods now available for determining carbon in the metal, estimating slag basicity and obtaining temperatures of liquid metal, it was believed possible to determine the influence of the various furnace reactions in establishing the state of oxidation at a given time Simultaneous slag and metal tests were used in this analysis, aided by statistical methods, to determine the factors that affect the metal FeO, and also to make a quantitative evaluation of these factors Data obtained are from actual furnace operations, the metal test being of the spoon, Herty type, and taken in duplicate. Metal temperatures were taken with the open-tube bath pyrometer developed by the Research Laboratory of the United States Steel Corporation This method of taking open-hearth metal temperature was invented by Collins and Oseland,1 and was developed into its present form by L 0 Sordahl,2 of the Research Laboratory The instrument and its mode of operation have been fully described by Sordahl and Sosman in three publications 3,4,5 Slag components were obtained by chemical analysis Data were taken from four 165-net-ton furnaces during the working period of the heat Recognizing that additions of ore affect the

Jan 1, 1942

By John H. Harden

In the valuable paper of Mr. Dunbar D. Scott and its varied discussion, on the evolution of mine-surveying instruments, the tripod-head has not received the attention it merits. During the last 50 years this very necessary adjunct to the surveyor's instrument has been much improved. The legs are of better construction; and the devices for laterally moving the instrument over the station-point and for quick leveling, without the use of the screws, have given to the instrument fitted with the modern tripod-head the same facilities possessed by the oldfashioned ball-and-socket, with more perfect accuracy, not attainable in the latter, while saving from 30 to 50 per cent. of the time required for setting the instrument over a station. For the purpose of extending the discussion to this import-

Jan 1, 1902

By Molly Gleiser, John Chipman

The standard free energy of formation of WC was obtained from determination of the equilibrium WC + CO2 = W + 2CO between 1215° and 1266°K. Its uallie is -8340 * 300 cal Per mole over the above range of temperature. AS a part of a program devoted to measuring the stabilities of the carbides, a study was made of the free energy of formation of tungsten carbide, WC. The homogeneity range of this compound is very small,' and it is generally accepted and is dealt with here as a stoichiometric compound. The heat of formation, ?H°f, of WC has been accurately measured by Huff, Squitieri, and snyder.2 The only attempt, however, to measure the free energy of formation of this compound was made by Schenck, Kurzen, and wesselkock3 who brought tungsten carbides into equilibrium with H2 and CH4. Unfortunately their results are not sufficiently accurate nor consistent enough to permit the calculation of free energies. METHOD Heating mixtures of tungsten and carbon powders in hydrogen for 4 days at 1050°C led to formation of some WC without any trace of W2C. It was deduced, therefore, that at least below this temperature W2C will not be formed during experiments with mixtures of tungsten and WC. This was subsequently shown to be correct. The method chosen was the measurement of the equilibrium of the reaction

Jan 1, 1962

By Thomas M. Drown

AT the meeting of the Institute in New York,, in February, 1880,* I described a process of determining sulphur in metallic sulphides, with especial reference to the determination of pyrites in coal. The process, as then described, is as follows : A solution of sodium hydrate, of 1.25 specific gravity, is saturated with bromine. If an excess of bromine is used it must be neutralized by the addition of a :little more sodium hydrate. The pulverized mineral or coal is moistened with 25 c.c. of this solution and heated, then hydrochloric acid is added cautiously to just acid reaction. This operation is repeated with another 25 c.c. of the alkaline solution, and again rendered acid. The mixture should be kept hot. The contents of the beaker or dish are then * Transactions, American Institute of Mining Engineers, vol. viii, p. 569.

Jan 1, 1881

By T. W. Atkins

ATHOUGH the magnesium industry in this country is about thirty years old, not until American industry began to amaze the rest of the world and confound our enemies with the extent and variety of our war production did the industry begin to come into its own. At the outset of the war, only three companies were producing and fabricating magnesium in this country. Today, about sixty companies are producing, casting, forging, extruding, rolling, and stamping this lightweight champion of metals. Experience in alloying, processing. and fabricating the metal gained during the war years is now being translated into hundreds of civilian peacetime applications. In no sense should magnesium be considered as a substitute for other metals. It has come into popular favor because If many unique properties in addition to is being the lightest known structural metal. These attributes are toughness, igidity, corrosion-resistance, and the ease with which it can be machined and worked. Magnesium is the third most abundant element in nature. Sea water, magnesite,

Jan 1, 1946

By E. H. Cho

INTRODUCTION Activated charcoal has been used for several centuries in many capacities including the recovery, isolation and purification of various materials (1). The first use of charcoal in a gold metallurgical system was in the extraction of gold after chlorination (2, 3,4). The gold was dissolved in a chlorine system and subsequently filtered through charcoal. The application of charcoal with cyanide extraction was patented by Johnston (5) in 1894 and adopted commercially in Australia in 1897. The process consisted of dissolving the gold and silver in a potassium cyanide solution and passing it through a series of charcoal filters. The charcoal was subsequently smelted to recover the gold and silver. The interest in the use of charcoal diminished in the first part of the twentieth century as the practice of the use of zinc as a precipitating agent increased. However, in 1916, the Yuanmi Mine in Australia replaced their zinc precipitation plant with a charcoal adsorption plant. In 1926, Scott and Gross (7) of the U. S. Bureau of Mines con- ducted extensive research on the adsorption of gold and silver from cyanide leach solutions. Among their findings was the result that the most important factor in improving the adsorptive power of charcoal was heat treatment with oxidation by air or steam. The work of Zadra (8) in 1952 stimulated renewed interest in the use of activated charcoal in gold and silver recovery with the development of a method of recovery of the gold and silver from the charcoal other than its destruction by burning. The process involved simultaneous desorption

Jan 1, 1983

By Frank G. Breyer

C ONDITIONS have not been favorable for new developments in any line. It has been a period, how- ever in which recent developments have been subjected to the severest tests. Those which have been able to hold their own in the severe competition of 1932 must be considered fully proved commercial processes. The continuous vertical-muffle retort plant at Palmer- ton is reported to have been in operation at practically full capacity throughout the year. The high quality of metal produced and the low operating costs are factors which have kept this plant running when many of the older furnaces were shut down. The plant at Meadow- brook, W. Va., is also reported to have been in steady operation throughout the year. Average retort life is said to be better than two years with about three-quarters of the original retorts still in operation after 2 ½ years.

Jan 1, 1933

By E. W. Newman

During 1943 and 1944, there was an urgent need for certain grades of optical calcite (Iceland spar) for instruments for ' military uses. To find a supply of this material, prospecting was carried out in Montana, California and Colorado. Although some production was obtained by the work in California, the best results were from prospecting the large calcite veins of south central Montana. The bulk of the optical calcite mind during World War II has come from that area. The Bureau of Mines took an active part in the search for optical calcite in Montana. It examined most of the known calcite veins in the 70-mile distance between Wilsall, on the Shields River: and Absarokee, on the Still water River, and conducted exploration on several of the deposits. The Geological Survey also took an active part by mapping many of the veins. Actual mining of the calcite was performed at first by Calcite Operators, Inc., and later by the Metals Reserve Co., through an agent. A sorting plant was established at Clyde Park, where custom material could be sold. These activities stimulated mining by private operators. To be suitable for military uses, the calcite mined had to meet rigid specificstions as to both size and quality. Individual crystals had to be clear and transparent and if in the form of rhombs had to measure at least 7/8 in. on each edge. Some color and a few inclusions in the calcite were allowable, but material with incipient or developed cleavages, or showing twinning other than parallel to the base, was unacceptable. History of Deposits The existence of large veins of calcite in south central Montana has long been known, and for many years the farmers of this region have used the common vein calcite for producing grit for chicken feed. According to reports, the fist optical calcite produced from Montana came from the Cartwright deposit near Grey-cliff,' but until recently the mining of optical calcite in Montana has been limited to spasmodic searching for small crystals suitable for making nicol prisms for saccharimeters and microscopes, or for mineral specimens. The possible need of substantial amounts of optical calcite for military uses began to appear late in 1942 and early in 1943, therefore the Polaroid company began searching for a source of supply in Montana and California. Work on the Wade property near Clyde Park was started on a small scale in the fall of 1942, by .4. H. Hansen, of Clyde Park. During the winter and spring of 1943, a modest quantity of optical calcite was mined and shipped to the Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. Most of this was produced from the "Hansen vug," which was found close to the surface. Early in the summer of 1943, mining on the Wade property was undertaken by Calcite Operators, Inc., a company organized for mining optical calcite from the

Jan 1, 1948

By E. W. Newman

During 1943 and 1944, there was an urgent need for certain grades of optical calcite (Iceland spar) for instruments for ' military uses. To find a supply of this material, prospecting was carried out in Montana, California and Colorado. Although some production was obtained by the work in California, the best results were from prospecting the large calcite veins of south central Montana. The bulk of the optical calcite mind during World War II has come from that area. The Bureau of Mines took an active part in the search for optical calcite in Montana. It examined most of the known calcite veins in the 70-mile distance between Wilsall, on the Shields River: and Absarokee, on the Still water River, and conducted exploration on several of the deposits. The Geological Survey also took an active part by mapping many of the veins. Actual mining of the calcite was performed at first by Calcite Operators, Inc., and later by the Metals Reserve Co., through an agent. A sorting plant was established at Clyde Park, where custom material could be sold. These activities stimulated mining by private operators. To be suitable for military uses, the calcite mined had to meet rigid specificstions as to both size and quality. Individual crystals had to be clear and transparent and if in the form of rhombs had to measure at least 7/8 in. on each edge. Some color and a few inclusions in the calcite were allowable, but material with incipient or developed cleavages, or showing twinning other than parallel to the base, was unacceptable. History of Deposits The existence of large veins of calcite in south central Montana has long been known, and for many years the farmers of this region have used the common vein calcite for producing grit for chicken feed. According to reports, the fist optical calcite produced from Montana came from the Cartwright deposit near Grey-cliff,' but until recently the mining of optical calcite in Montana has been limited to spasmodic searching for small crystals suitable for making nicol prisms for saccharimeters and microscopes, or for mineral specimens. The possible need of substantial amounts of optical calcite for military uses began to appear late in 1942 and early in 1943, therefore the Polaroid company began searching for a source of supply in Montana and California. Work on the Wade property near Clyde Park was started on a small scale in the fall of 1942, by .4. H. Hansen, of Clyde Park. During the winter and spring of 1943, a modest quantity of optical calcite was mined and shipped to the Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. Most of this was produced from the "Hansen vug," which was found close to the surface. Early in the summer of 1943, mining on the Wade property was undertaken by Calcite Operators, Inc., a company organized for mining optical calcite from the

Jan 1, 1948

By F. R. Wadleigh

It is generally realized and very often admitted by both producers and consumers of coal that there is great need for a revision of existing commercial classifications, and this will involve, of course, determination of a standard classification and a constant revision of marketing practices as they are affected by coal classification. I recently sent out some 200 letters to producers and consumers with a request for their views on the subject of commercial classification. Nearly all of the replies from both sides were that there was needed some change in the present method. There were three or four dissenting voices but the great majority of opinion was in favor of the formulation of some standard commercial classification. The classifications in commercial use today can best be described as a hodgepodge. They are made upon different bases, have different names and have different ways. There are, for instance, about 11 single bases of classifications as used commercially and some 17 or 18 combination bases. Then there were the Tidewater Pool Exchanges. The classification which they put in force is still used in the tidewater markets and has several different bases of its own. It will be considerable of an undertaking to bring about a change in marketing methods as affected by coal classification but it is well worth doing and I think the committee which has been appointed under the auspices of the American Society for Testing Materials realizes the importance of the subject and is on the way to at least bring about some provision for adjusting matters. By way of starting, each member of the Committee on Commercial Classification has been assigned to a general market district and each member is now engaged in collecting the commercial market practice data for submission at the next meeting of the Committee. About a year ago I made up a list of the commercial classifications in the different markets and the total was 171. The 11 single bases I found used in commercial practice were:

Jan 1, 1930

By O. G. Kiel, G. W. Swift

The concept of "a continuous succession of steady-states", which has been applied successfully by Aromfsky and Jenkins to obtain a solution for the nonlinear partial differential equation describing the transient Darcy flow of gas through porous media, is demonstrated to be equally valid for transient non-Darcy flow. A mathematical model, which numerically solves the partial differential equation, is used to check the validity of the succession of steady-states solution. Comparison of sand-face pressure histories compelted by the two methods shows excellent agreement. The utility of the succession of steady-states solution in predicting performance of gas wells rests in the fact that no special computation equipment is required. The development of the succession of steady-states solution leads also to a practical method for determining and analyzing field test data. A method for taking gas-well test data under constant-rate conditions is presented. Experimental data obtained in the field by employing the constant-rate method are presented and analyzed in accordance with the succession of steady-states solution. Analysis of data in this fashion is demonstrated to give direct "in situ" information for reservoir permeability, porosity and turbulence or non-Darcy coefficient. INTRODUCTION The economics of gas production are dependent upon the transient behavior of flow within the reservoir. For production from a finite reservoir, the transient flow behavior can be subdivided into two parts. At first, the transient caused by the movement of the pressure "wave" into the reservoir is of importance. Later in the production history, the pressure-wave movement ceases and the second transient stage of material depletion becomes controlling. For reservoirs of relatively high permeability, it can be shown that the pressure wave moves into the reservoir and stabilizes quite rapidly. In the case of relatively impermeable reservoirs, quite the opposite is true. Although it is theoretically possible to compute the production capability of a well from the properties of the reservoir as determined by static tests and core analyses, more reliable information is obtained by conducting flow tests on the well and thereby obtaining some measure of "in situ" formation properties. For gas wells, there are two basic types of tests in existence: the flow-after-flow method,' and the isochronal method.' Both of these techniques are tailored to obtain data that can be analyzed in accordance with the empirical performance equation: In addition, the isochronal method makes provision for the sluggish nature of pressure-wave movement in "tight" formations by requiring pressure build-up between flows and by stipulating that data obtained on successive flows be analyzed at equal elapsed flow times. It can be demonstrated that either test is valid for reservoirs of high permeability. Further, since it has been pointed out that the pressure wave stabilizes rapidly for reservoirs of this type, tests of relatively short duration will give stabilized information on the performance of a well. Further decline of sand-face pressure and/or production rate may be determined by employing material-balance techniques. Cullender' points out that for relatively impermeable reservoirs the flow-after-flow method gives invalid results. (See Appendix C.) If the isochronal method of testing is used, there are two alternatives: (1) the tests must be conducted for a sufficient length of time to obtain stabilized information (which may require months to accomplish); or (2) some method for extrapolating the results of short-term isochronal tests must be employed. The first alternative is impracticable because of manpower, conservation and economic considerations. Recourse to the second alternative requires some assurance regarding the reliability of the extrapolation technique. Poettmann and SchilsonJ present an empirical method for predicting stabilized performance. The present investigation was originally initiated to determine the reliability of this technique. To do this, a mathematical model was developed to simulate the Darcy and non-Darcy flow of gas through porous media. The model consisted of a finite-difference approximation of the nonlinear partial differential equation which was solved on an IBM 7090 computer. Long-term production histories were simulated by the model and compared against predictions obtained from the Poettmann-Schilson method. As the work progressed, it became apparent that a straightforward predictive equation could be developed by utilizing the concept of a succession of steady-states. As a result, the emphasis of the work was redirected to exploit the advantages of the new method.

By A. J. Shaler, J. Prieto Isaza, John Wulff

TANTALUM metal has a number of unique properties which give it widespread application in modern technology and in research. In electronic apparatus involving high temperatures in vacuo some of the refractory metals become brittle. Tantalum retains its ductility at elevated temperatures, and this property, together with its low vapor pressure and its ability to absorb gases, make it important in this field. Its chemical inertness in the presence of acids, halogens, and other corrosive media, makes it useful in chemical apparatus and in neuro and orthopedic surgical applications. As an addition to tungsten carbide in steel-cutting grades of cemented-carbide tools, the carbides of tantalum and of its sister element columbium have found considerable use. The present-day method1 of manufacturing tantalum is to sinter a powder compact of the metal in vacuo. Because tantalum- columbium alloys are difficult to work and since tantalum ores almost always contain columbium, the two metals must be separated chemically, the products of the separation being generally in the form of potassium tantalum fluoride and potassium columbium oxyfluoride. These salts are used in fused-salt electrolytic baths from which coarse metallic powder is deposited as a sponge at the cathode. Finer powder can be made from the coarse product or from tantalum scrap by first submitting it to an embrittling heat treatment in hydrogen and then crushing it. The fine hydrogen- containing powder may subsequently be degassed in vacuo at a high temperature. Prompted by the success of others2,3 in the magnesium reduction of titanium and zirconium halides, one of the authors under- took4 an investigation of the thermo- chemistry of the reaction between solid magnesium and gaseous tantalum penta-chloride, a subject which had not previously been studied. He found that the heat of formation of tantalum pentachloride is approximately 364,250 cal per mol at temperatures lower than the melting point of magnesium. A value of 83 units was found for the standard entropy at these temperatures. With these values, it was shown that magnesium and tantalum pentachloride are capable of reacting exothermically at temperatures less than the melting point of magnesium, and that no great violence is to be expected when these substances are heated together. The exothermic nature of the reaction indicated that the process should be efficient and should not require much externally applied energy. Tantalum pentachloride is not commonlv made commercially, and any process using it therefore involves the subsidiary problem of producing and handling this substance. A series of experiments was carried out in which dried chlorine saturated with carbon tetrachloride was passed over heated tantalum, either in the metallic state or combined

Jan 1, 1947

By Arthur F. Taggart, T. C. Fitt, A. W. Thomas

IT was noticed early by operators that high recoveries and flocculation of the sulphide minerals were closely correlated in agitation-froth flotation. Later, this readily visible flocculation was found almost invariably to be due to the binding together of the oiled sulphides by minute air bubbles, and is now known to be characteristic of pulps in which at least one of the mineral species is coated with an insoluble collecting oil. In 1930 it was reported1 that in differential flotation a correlation exists between Brownian movement of particles in the pulp and their nonfloatability, and that Brownian movement and dispersion are likewise correlated, whence it would appear to follow that dispersion of a mineral particle in a flotation pulp denotes a particle condition unfavorable to flotation. In 1934 it was postulated2 that Brownian movement, dispersion and nonfloatability all flow from the condition of the surface of the dispersed particles. It was also postulated at that time that the surfaces of dispersed particles are ionized, the ionized compound being a product of reaction between a component of the particle and a. component of the pulp, of a mass solubility of the general order of a fraction of a milligram to 15 to 20 mg. per liter. It was then further asserted, and has since been confirmed by Bankoff,3 that sulphides so conditioned with soluble collectors as to be floatable flocculate without the intervention of air bubbles as binding media. The present paper comprises an inquiry into the nature of the bound and counter ions in zinc sulphide dispersed by sodium arsenate. A part of its findings was mentioned in the 1934 paper above cited.2 The tests show that: I. When powdered granular zinc sulphide is immersed in aqueous solutions of sodium arsenate, arsenate ion is abstracted from solution and anchored to the solid surface, while sulphate and lower sulphoxy ions are concurrently displaced therefrom in substantially stoichiometric quantities. 2. The ion counterbalancing the anchored arsenate ion is zinc. 3. Dispersion and Brownian movement of zinc sulphide are concurrently maxima at an arsenate-ion concentration lying between 0.01 and 0.001-molar sodium arsenate. 4. Any condition or reaction that tends to remove the zinc arsenate coating from the zinc sulphide particles decreases dispersion and Brownian movement concurrently. EXPERIMENTAL Three samples of zinc sulphide were used. Lot I was C.P. zinc sulphide, washed well beyond absence of chloride, as shown by test with silver ion. Lot 2 was prepared by precipita-

Jan 1, 1943

By H. L. Gilbert, C. Travis Anderson, W. J. Kroll

IN a previous paper,1 the use of a split graphite tube resistor as a heater element for high-temperature furnaces has been described. The principal advantages of this type of construction are: I. The quadruple resistance or voltage compared with the top-bottom clamp resistor furnace. 2. Free expansion of the resistor. 3. The ease of protection from oxidation by air. 4. The firmness by which it may be held in the compact split clamp. This construction appeared to be well adapted for the fusion of high melting metals which require fusion in a vacuum. Zirconium metal had previously been melted at the Albany Laboratory of the Bureau of Mines in a vacuum arc furnace on a water-cooled plate, using a movable tungsten top electrode.2 When larger furnace capacities were desired, this type of construction proved to have its limitations as the largest tungsten rods available were about 7/8in. in diameter. The supply of direct current of high amperage for producing the . desired arc characteristics was also not available. Considerable difficulty was also found in compensating the atmospheric pressure on the flexible tubing of the movable electrode, at the same time keeping its movement sufficiently free to enable the striking of an arc on any part of the metal briquet. Among the various materials used for the electrodes in conducting experiments in the vacuum arc furnace was graphite. It was found that zirconium fused in a graphite cup with a carbon arc was contaminated to only 0.2 pct carbon. It was therefore decided to melt zirconium directly in graphite crucibles. A high-frequency furnace was first used in the attempt to melt the zirconium in graphite crucibles. The high-frequency heating coil was placed outside a silica tube which was evacuated by means of an oil diffusion pump backed up by a mechanical pump. The graphite crucible was thoroughly degassed at 1900°C before use. Considerable difficulty was experienced in operating at such temperatures in vacuo because, as shown by Zintl,3 carbon vapor formed and reacted with silica according to the reaction: Si02 + C = SiO + CO. The silicon monoxide which is volatile at these high temperatures reacted with the zirconium, thereby contaminating it with silicon and oxygen. The presence of carbon monoxide was detected by means of a gas discharge tube placed in the vacuum system as indicated by the pale blue glow of the tube as soon as carbon vapor started to react with the hot silica. The reaction between the carbon vapor and hot silica was avoided by the use of split cylindrical molybdenum shields which were inserted between the graphite crucible

Jan 1, 1948