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Discussion of the paper of H. M. WARREN, A. S. BIESECEKER and E. J. POWELL, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 110, February, 1916, pp. 181 to 193. R.. V. NORRIS, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-For many years the power requirements of breakers designed in the Anthracite. Region have been based on calculations made from indicator diagrams taken during operation, with various sections of machinery idle; these, while giving reasonably accurate figures, gave no intimation of the peak loads which have been shown so clearly in the paper. The high-speed flywheel for breaker rolls is new and shows a remarkable saving in peak power required, besides eliminating the stalling of the rolls from overload. The figures given are so far in advance of anything previously published that they will undoubtedly be used as a basis for future breaker design. It is to be hoped that the authors will continue this investigation and extend their paper by a description of the motors found best suited for this work. WILLIAM KENT, Montclair, N. J.-I notice on p. 187 reference is made to one of the difficulties being the starting torque, and it is proposed to use roller or ball bearings in order to decrease the high starting torque. I suggest that. before the roller or ball bearings are put in, an investigation be made as to the amount of the starting torque, as shown by wattmeter measurements and as to what the starting torque ought to be, theoretically, according to the energy formula; that is, how much starting torque is required to accelerate the rotating mass in a given number of seconds up to full speed. Having secured this information it may be found the amount to be saved by roller bearings is not very great. If it appears that roller bearings will not greatly decrease the starting torque, the next thing to be done is to have a special design of motor in which there is a field that can be made very strong at the start, by the use of extra poles or other means, and the next thing that may be done is to increase the speed from 10,000 r.p.m. to 25,000, which can be done with wire-wound flywheels, especially if the wires are made of vanadium steel.

Jan 5, 1916

By R. P. Aikman, F. G. Miller, J. M. Podgursky

In response to the growing demand for low-sulfur coking coal for iron-making, the coal industry is continually striving to perfect methods for cleaning coal to acceptable ash and sulfur levels while maintaining maximum product yield. By present standards the industry has adequate processes for cleaning coarse coal, (i.e., +28 mesh) at almost any desired specific gravity. However, in the case of fine coal (i.e., -28 mesh) neither of the two existing processes-froth flotation and hydrocycloning-in its present state of development yields products that are comparable in ash and/or sulfur content to products normally obtained from coarse coal processes. The work outlined in this article is part of a larger study directed toward maximum exploitation of froth flotation for fine coal processing. The concepts and data presented are now serving as a basis for designing fine-coal circuits in which improved efficiency is obtained by optimum use of froth flotation with other fine-coal processing methods.

Jan 7, 1967

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning, themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and visitors who registered at institute headquarters during October A. Adiassewich, St. Petersburg, Russia. Charles W. Merrill, San Francisco, Cal. A. F. Lucas, Washington, D. C. Carl J. Trauerman, Butte, Mont. Allan J. Clark, Lead, S. D. Herbert B. Cox, Boston, Mass. Prof. Loewinson-Lessing, St. Peters- James W. Malcolmson, Kansas City, Mo. burg, Russia. A. E. Sunderhauf, Paramaribo, Dutch F. Maury Gillespie, Abangarez, Costa Rica. Guiana, S. A. M. Gardner Talcott, Irvington-on-Hudson, N. Y. D. W. Brunton, Denver, Colo. A. P. Watt, Newark, N. J. Dwight E. Woodbridge, Duluth, Minn. S. A. Taylor, Pittsburg, Pa. Alexander Fyfe, Boston, Mass. Ralph Wilcox, Miami, Ariz. Robert A. Seip, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. William J. Cox, Denver, Colo. A. J. Eveland, Boston, Mass. E. P. Ross, Duquesne, Pa. M. F. Sayre, Brewster, N. 1. H. Mortimer-Lamb, Montreal, Canada. Albert Sauveur, Cambridge, Mass. F. L. Grammer, Leesburg, Va. Robert H. Leach, Brockton, Mass. R. R. Moore, Mexico City, Mex. Steinar Foslie, Kristiania, Norway. Charles E. van Barneveld, San William A. Wong, Honolulu, Hawaii. Fran¬cisco, Cal.

Jan 11, 1913

By Alan Morris

Impingement attack, as one of the types of corrosion suffered by condenser tubes, has been given a prominent place in corrosion literature of recent years. It has been reproduced and studied in carefully controlled laboratory tests. Much has been learned of its mechanism, and of the effects of variables such as temperature, amount of air, size of bubble and water velocity. Incidentally the technical public has been given comparisons between the behavior of some few metals under various conditions of impingement attack. The tests recorded here were undertaken in an effort to find at least some sort of qualitative answer to questions which arose occasionally as to the relative resistance of various alloys to impingement attack, and which could not be answered by reference to the literature. The final decision to start work on the problem was influenced in large measure by the nature of the water available in this particular place. The mill of the Bridgeport Brass Co. is located on the Pequonnock River at Bridgeport, Conn., within two miles of its mouth. The water is much like many other estuarine sources which are used in condensers, and which cause particularly severe corrosion. It seemed a most suitable water to use in such tests. As the work progressed an important seasonal variation was noted. The purpose of this note is to record this seasonal effect. The results of individual tests are given only incidentally. Impingement Tests Early in 1929 the apparatus was built. The samples were disks of 1-in. dia., cut from sheet metal. They were eleaned with fine emery cloth and set in holders, as shown in Fig. 1. A stream of water pumped directly from the river impinged on the surface of the sample. Compressed air was injected into the water stream through an air duct. Water pressure was maintained at about 35 Ib. per sq. in. and air was controlled by a needle valve. Velocity of

Jan 1, 1932

By George Frederick Kunz

The manifold inconveniences resulting from the absence of a uniform standard of mass for determining the weight of precious stones have long been obvious. This lack has been keenly felt in commercial transactions, and those who have devoted time and research to the study of historic diamonds and precious stones have had frequent occasion to deplore the absence of such a standard in the past. In a paper read in Chicago in 1893, before the International Congress of Weights and Measures, held in connection with the World's Columbian Exposition, the writer suggested dividing the carat into 100 parts, and constituting a standard international carat of 200 mg.; that is, 5 diamond carats or 20 pearl grains to a French gram, making 5,000 carats or 20,000 pearl grains to a ki1ogram. He also called attention to the fact that while this would depreciate the present diamoiid carat or pearl grain only about 2.5 per cent., it would abolish the troublesome discrepancies between the various carat-weights now in use, and could be easily explained and understood everywhere.' The subject of the various diamond carats, their incongruity, and the resulting confusion as to the correct weights of historic gems when definite records of them are searched for, has been fully treated by me in an extensive study of this subject in The Book of the Pearl2 To the earnest and unremitting efforts of C. E. Guillaume, Director of the Bureau Internationale des Poids et Mesures at Sévres, is largely due the eventual success of this eminently desirable reform, which he has constantly urged both by articles on the subject and by addresses delivered in Paris before the International Committee for Weights and Measures.3 The general adoption of a uniform standard for dealings in pre-

Jan 1, 1914

By E. R. Gilbert, D. E. Munson

Creep of copper under 75 to 1.50 kg per sq cm stresses at temperatures near the melting point was found to he a complex reaction controlled by three mechanisms acting in parallel. In order of appearance with decreasing temperature, the auerage activation energies, Qc , are 168, 79, and 24 kcal per mole. Stress dependence of the minimum creep rate was found to he an exponential for the two high-Qc processes and a power law for the low-Qc, process. Transition of control occurs from one mechanism to another. The relative transition temperature depends upon the applied stress, and the range oiler which the transition occurs depends upon the difference in the activation energies of the mechanisms. The creep behavior at high temperature is explained by the climb of dislocations through thermally or mechanically formed jogs, CREEP in pure fcc metals at temperatures in excess of one half the absolute melting point is normally controlled by dislocation c1imb.1,2 A climb model which seems applicable, according to an extensive analysis of data,3 was derived by Weert-man.4 This model assumes jog-saturated dislocations and predicts an activation energy, Qc, nearly equal to that for self-diffusion, USd. Although the requirement of jog saturation is restrictive, agreement between theory and experiment seems adequate. Many other theoretical treatments, including an early model by Mott,5 include detailed consideration of jog formation as an initial requirement for climb. These models predict activation energies for creep which differ from those of self-diffusion. Seeger6,7 postulates an observed activation energy related to the stacking-fault energy. Thus, Usd <Qc<5Usd + Uj where Uj is the jog-formation energy. Seeger incorporated qualitatively the influence of the relative numbers of thermal and athermal jogs. Expanding this concept, Shoeck8 explicitly states a function based on formation mode and relative numbers of vacancies: e r ci exp {-uf/k T} exp {-Um/k T} [ 1 ] where Uf and Um are energies of vacancy formation and migration, respectively. The concentration of jogs, Cj, depends upon the manner of jog production. For intersection jogs, Cj is not sensitive E. R. GILBERT, Junior Member AIME, formerly with De- to temperature; for thermal jogs, Cj is proportional to exp {—Uj /k T}. Schoeck regards each mode as a distinct mechanism; therefore, the mechanisms may act together.299 The diversity predicted by theory, surprisingly, has not been substantiated by experimental results. A significant investigation must include the extremes in stacking-fault energy. Extensive creep studies of aluminum10 and nickel,11,12 high stacking-fault energy metals, have been made. Comparable studies on a low stacking-fault energy metal, such as copper, have not. It is the purpose of this paper to report the results of an investigation of the creep of copper under conditions which favor thermal jogs. EXPERIMENTAL Cylindrical compression creep specimens (0.240 in. in diameter by 0.400 in. long) were machined from cold-drawn rods of electrolytic tough-pitch copper containing 0.0007 Mg, 0.002 Fe, 0.001 Ni, 0.0005 Ag, Cd < 0.005, and Pb < 0.005 wt pct impurities. Undetected spectrographically was a nominal 0.04 wt pct 0, which occurs as a Cu2O constituent distributed discontinuously at grain boundaries. Vacuum annealing at 900°C for 15 min produced a stable 0.03-mm average grain diameter. Testing was carried out using apparatus similar to that described by sherby,13 modified by enclosing platens and a push rod in a vacuum cylinder. Normally this arrangement resulted in pressures less than 10 Only a slight surface tarnish, less than 0.0005 in. in thickness, occurred during the test. The applied stress, corrected for atmospheric pressure, was maintained within 2 pct of the desired true stress by the addition of lead shot at fixed strain increments. Creep strain was measured with dial gages as a relative displacement of the upper and lower platens; accuracy of measurement was 0.0001 in. Two creep-test methods were used, the differential or cyclic temperature14 and the isothermal, to obtain creep data at stress levels of 150, 100, and 75 kg per sq cm over the temperature range of 620° to 1032°C. Minimum creep rates were used from both test methods; this was considered proper because comparable temperature tests or cycling to the same temperature gave the same creep rate, within experimental error. The cold vacuum test chamber, with the unstressed specimen in place, was heated to temperature by placing a preheated furnace over the chamber. Temperature equilibrium was attained within 30 min. For the cyclic tests, the stress was removed during the 5 to 10 min necessary to effect the temperature change and re-

Jan 1, 1965

By A. Ojanen, T-L. Huggare, A. Kuivala

An electrolytic zinc plant with a capacity of 90,000 tons/year went on stream in Kokkola, Finland, in late 1969. It is a standard electrolytic zinc process plant; however, it has been subjected to several process improvements and enlargements during its time of operation. A fluidized bed roaster treats 500 tons/day of zinc concentrates which also contain mercury. Since the mercury evaporates completely in the roasting process, a mercury removal unit has been added to prevent, contamination of sulphuric acid produced in the neighbouring acid plant. The same unit also removes selenium from the roaster gases. In a separate unit, about 6 tons a year of metallic 99.999% mercury is recovered. The neutral leaching, originally a batch process, has been converted to a continuous operation, and a residue treatment system comprising hot acid leaching and jarosite precipitation has been added. Purification comprises a "hot arsenic-zinc dust" step and a cadmium removal step with zinc dust, both operated batchwise. Purification residues are used to make about 200 tons/ year of 99.99570 cadmium in a process developed by Outokumpu Oy. The electrolytic precipitation of zinc carried out at medium current density gives zinc of 99. 995% purity.

Jan 1, 1973

By R. W. Smith, M. E. Brookes

The temperature at which th: quenched 0&apos; (ordered bcc) phase transfo.rms to the ( (complex hexagonal) phase on heating has been examined for certain Ag-Zn and Ag-Au-Zn alloys using an electrical resistivity method. The transition temperature decreases by approxinzately 7°C as the zinc content is reduced by 1 at. pct. The critical temperature, Tc, for long-range order has also been measured for a number of Ag-Au-Zn alloys. Extrapolation to zero gold content suggests that Tc decreases by approximately 5°C per 1 at. pct reduction in zinc content. The 0 phase of the Ag-Zn system exists over a narrow range near the composition Ag zn,&apos; Fig. 1, and has a bcc structure which is disordered above 272°C. Slow cooling to temperatures below the range 274"/258"C allows the complex hexagonal phase, r° to form.2 This is the stable structure at room temperature.3 Upon quenching 0 -phase alloys from high temperatures, it is found that the 0 — (&apos; transformation is suppressed; but ordering takes place (i.e., 0 -0&apos;). This ordered structure can also be obtained by the room-temperature aging of cold-worked (0.4 Deformation of the 0&apos; phase gives rise to a fur- ther hexagonal phase ( (of nearly ideal axial ratio) which reverts to b&apos; within a few hours.= In view of this, it has been suggested that the equilibrium struc-

Jan 1, 1969

MINING AND METALLURGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA San Francisco Section The San Francisco Section of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America held a joint meeting with the local section of the American Institute of Mining Engineers at the Engineers&apos; Club, San Francisco, on Tuesday, Apr. 16, 1918. The meeting was preceded by a dinner. Letters from the parent body in NewYork asking for the consideration of the proposed bill before Congress, and an expression of opinion relative to the appointment of a Federal Administrator of Mines justified the joint meeting of the local sections of the two mining societies, in that a more representative opinion of the engineers of California could he obtained. The meeting was called to order at 7:15 P.M. by Mr. Frank H. Probert acting as Chairman. About thirty engineers were present. Mr. Probert read a letter of March 14, from Secretary Huntoon, asking that the meeting be called. He read excerpts from Bulletin 117 of February 28, 1918, of the Mining and Metallurgical Society containing a copy of the proposed bill, so that all present might be advised of its essential contents. He briefly commented on the urgent need of such legislation and invited discussion of the subject. After long and thorough discussion on the part of the members present, Professor Lawson made the following motion: I move that a resolution expressing the sense of the joint meeting of the local sections of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and Mining and Metallurgical Society of America be forwarded to the secretaries of the two societies to the effect that we heartily approve of the purpose and intention of the bill designed to promote and stimulate the production of minerals necessary for the successful prosecution of the war; and that we suggest prices should be fixed for the period of the war and two years thereafter, and that these prices, guaranteed by the Government, should apply at the nearest shipping point to place of production of the minerals. This motion was carried. The meeting then adjourned, and a telegram was sent by Mr. Probert, the Chairman, to Mr. Huntoon, notifying him of the motion that had been carried at the meeting.

Jan 7, 1918

By Tormod Forland

FROM equilibrium measurements on the system NaF-Na 3A l Fo-A 1 2 O 3-Na CO 3-CO 2 with high contents of NaF, Forland, Storegraven, and Urnesl concluded that complexes are formed containing two oxygen, three aluminum, and a less defined number of fluorine per complex. The same number of oxygen atoms per complex was also found by cryoscopic measurements for mixtures high in NaALF 6. In a recent paper by Stokes: some other complex ions, Al2O2F42- and AlOF2-, have been suggested. Here an additional argument in favor of the complex ALO2F. suggested by Forland, Storegraven, and Urnes will be given. When fused Na3AlF6 containing some A12O3, is cooled slowly, the solid phase will consist of the two components as separate phases. The melting point and the heat of fusion of Al2O3 are so high that this component will form the stable solid phase even though in the liquid state the complex may have a high stability. If, however, the fused mixture is quenched, the decomposition of the oxygen-containing complex and the formation of solid Al2O3 does not proceed fast enough, and a solid solution of A12O3 in Na3AlF6 is obtained. Zintel and Morawietz3 obtained cryolite containing 10 pct AL2O3 in this way. The density and the lattice parameters of the A12O3 containing cryolite were also measured, and from this it was concluded that the Al2O3 enters the cryolite lattice as Al3AlO0 groups replacing Na3AlF6 groups. However, the experimental data could as well be explained by assuming that one Na+ ion and two of its neighboring F- ions are replaced by one Al3+ ion and two O2- ions. This may be pictured schematically as: F F F F F F F Al F Na F Al F ,-Na+ + Al8+ F Al 0 A1 0 A1 F F F F —2 F- + 2O2- F F F solid cryolite cryolite-alumina solid solution This means that the complex in the solid solution, derived from X-ray and density measurements, is the same as that which Forland, Storegraven, and Urnes derived from equilibrium measurements in the liquid state. References IT. Forland, H. Storegraven, and S. Urnes: Ztsch. fur anorgan-ische und allgemeine Chemie, 1955, vol. 279, p. 205. 2J. J. Stokes: AIME Trans. To be pubhshed. s E. Zintel and W. Morawietz: Ztsch. pubhshed.fur anorganische und allgemeine Chemie, 1939, vol. 240, p. 145.

Jan 1, 1958

By C. W. Volek, J. E. Chappelear

The injection of a hot liquid into initially cool porous media, saturated with the same liquid and surrounded by two impermeable but heat conducting media (cap and base rock), has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. The temperature dependence of the viscosity was included in the theoretical model, but it was assumed that the specilic heats and densities of the various materials were independent of the temperature. Solutions to the theoretical model were approximated by numerical methods. Both theoretical and experimental results indicate that center-line temperatures are significantly higher than boundary temperatures. Comparison of experimental and theoretical results with a cold/hot viscosity ratio 01 19:1 were in reasonable agreement. Theoretical calculations show that the effect of the temperature dependence of viscosity was very significant at ratios of 100:l to 1000:1, which are typical of those that occur when injecting hot water to flood heavy oil reservoirs. INTRODUCTION We consider the problem of prediction of fluid flow and temperature distribution in an initially cold-fluid-filled reservoir on the injection of the same hot liquid by the use of mathematical and physical models. The results reported are for a two-dimensional rectangular section of the reservoir, as shown in Fig. 1. The injection and withdrawal faces are assumed to be equipotentials for fluid flow. The ultimate purpose of such models would be to predict hot-water injection performance. However, we note that in the work presented here, one of the most significant aspects of the problem — the instabilities resulting from two-phase, water and oil flow — is not included. We will not give a historical review, but refer instead to the paper of Spillette and Nielsen,1 which contains a rather complete bibliography and critical discussion. The physical problem is exactly the same as Spillette and Nielsen, except for certain simplifications in our assumptions. The mathematical details are somewhat different, and we will present the details of our method here. The mass flow equation, which is elliptic in character, is handled by successive overrelaxation. The heat flow equation, which is parabolic in character, is handled by a straightforward explicit approximation. Some difficulty arose in the over-all heat balance due to small errors in the solution of the mass flow equation, and we feel that a different formulation of the heat flow equation would be desirable for future work. In addition to the mathematical solutions for the temperature distributions in a porous medium due to the injection of hot liquids, experimental data are presented to check the validity of these solutions. A schematic diagram of the model is shown in Fig. 2. Certain qualitative physical conclusions were obtained from our numerical and experimental results. These are: 1. Assuming high (infinite) conductivity normal to the bedding plane in the reservoir is a poor approximation, and may lead to overestimates of the total heat losses (to cap and base rock) of as much as 50 percent. 2. More heat is retained in the reservoir (per unit of heat injected) for higher viscosity changes. 3. Any particular temperature isotherm moves more rapidly along the center line for higher viscosity changes. Consequently, the approximation of temperature independent viscosity is not suitable for obtaining quantitatively correct results. MATHEMATICAL MODEL Our mathematical model is that of a reservoir of thickness 2h. The problem is idealized from that of a linear hot-water drive, and we imagine that the input face is sufficiently far away from the injection wells that the stream lines enter it normally. Similarly the production wells are far enough from the outflow face that the flow lines leave it normally. The reservoir and surrounding cap and base rock

Jan 1, 1970

By Ralph M. Hunter

UNTIL recent years, maintenance of surface coal handling facilities was a relatively simple task. Equipment consisted principally of conveyors, screens and crushers of comparatively simple construction. Electrical equipment consisted of motors and starters, with little, if any, interlocking. In most cases failure of any component affected only the grades of coal loaded so that even a prolonged break-down did not affect mine operation materially. However, with the introduction of modern cleaning plants, the picture has changed. The equipment is much more complex and therefore more difficult to maintain. In many cases failure of any component of the plant prevents loading of coal. Even if provision is made to by-pass, the quality of coal loaded is lowered, affecting markets. In the case of plants designed to permit full seam mining, marketable coal cannot be loaded without operation of the cleaning plant. Under these conditions it is apparent that considerable thought and effort toward better maintenance are justified. In order to assure continuous, efficient and economical operation, maintenance should receive consideration, not only after the plant is in operation, but while it is being designed. It is hardly necessary to say that the designer should strive for sturdiness and wearing qualities. It is sometimes not realized, however, that even the best parts will sooner or later require replacement or repair. The designer should, therefore, give consideration to accessibility. Anyone who has had to do with cleaning plant maintenance is familiar with installations where several hours are required to get at a part that can be repaired or replaced in a few minutes, once it is accessible. As in most cases, experience is the best guide. The men who operate and maintain this equipment know the problems encountered. Whenever available, the opinions of these men should be sought and heeded. As an example, we might consider the refuse elevator on a Chance Cone. Our company is now operating three of these cones, the first of which was installed in 1941, and the latest in 2946. Exact records are not available, but well over 50 pct of delays charged to the Chance Cones have been caused by the refuse elevator. This elevator receives refuse from the cone and carries it to a point above the water level of the cone, discharging onto a dewatering and desanding screen. Since the elevator operates under water and necessarily has close clearances in the lower boot, it tends to jam on large pieces of refuse or tramp iron. The chain, buckets and boot are also subjected to the action of water, sand and refuse, which accelerate normal wear. In case of jamming or chain-breakage it is necessary to drain the elevator and the cone so that even a minor fault in the elevator causes a considerable loss of time for the cone. In our new plant, which will contain two Chance Cones, the refuse elevator has been eliminated. This was accomplished by raising the cone so that the refuse gates could discharge directly onto the dewater-

Jan 1, 1948

By Irving Cadoff, Jack Medoff

THE linear thermal expansions of oriented single crystals of zinc were measured in the range from 20" to 416°C using a Leitz HTV optical lever differential dilatometer. The single crystals, supplied by Dr. J. J. Gilman, General Electric Research Laboratory, Schenectady, N.Y., were prepared from 99.999 pct-purity zinc, and were in the form of rods approximately 2 in. long by 0.15 in. in diameter having the following orientations: x = 1.5, 12, 20, 30, 37.5, 49, 60, 73, and 82 deg where x is the angle between the specimen axis and the (0001) plane of the crystal. From the family of expansion vs temperature curves, the instantaneous expansion coefficients were calculated at 100°C intervals, and Fig. 1 shows a plot of these derived coefficients for each orientation. Coefficients were obtained from the raw data using the chord-slope method. The curves in Fig. 1 indicate a positive temperature coefficient for low x, a negative temperature coefficient for high X, and an expansion coefficient invariant with temperature, amounting to about 43 x 106, for a crystal orientation of approximately 52 deg. From the available data, it is possible to arrive at the values for the axial thermal-expansion coef- ficients a, and a, by extrapolating the curve of the expansion coefficient vs orientation to zero and 90 deg orientations. More precise values for a, and a, are obtained if the instantaneous coefficients are plotted against the square of the cosine of the orientation angle, as shown in Fig. 2. The extrapolated terminal points of the best straight line through the data points of such a plot define the axial coefficients at that temperature. The theoretical justification for the linearity of this curve comes from inspection of a rearranged form of the general anisotropic equation for expansion: ax=a, + (a, -a,)cosZx [1I in which a, is the expansion coefficient in the "c" or [0001] direction and a, the expansion coefficient in the "a" or [ll50] direction. From Fig. 2, the axial coefficients at 100°C, for example, were found to be a, = 13.9 x 10&apos;6 and a, = 62.4 x 10"6 per "C. In the same way, the coefficients were determined for 20", 200°, 300°, and 400°C. This data is summarized in Fig. 3. It is of interest to observe the common intersection of the curves in Fig. 3, which seems to bear out the earlier observation, from Fig. 1, of a

Jan 1, 1964

By J. McLaren Forbes

Geologists and engineers in charge of diamond drilling often have no practical experience in the work, yet they must direct the drillers. In discussing some of the problems that arise, the author of this paper has tried to remember the things he did not know about diamond drilling when he first came in contact with that work. The basic reason for most diamond-drill holes is to obtain information. The more thorough the understanding of the geological and engineering problems involved, the greater will be the benefit derived from a drilling program. One of the best methods to ensure some thinking before drilling is to record on the permanent drill log, before the hole is collared, the reasons for the work and the information desired from that particular hole. When the hole is finished, the information obtained should be recorded. Driller The choice of a diamond driller is very important. If no experienced driller is available, a competent miner who has a sense of responsibility and better than average mechanical ingenuity can do the work. The best answer to most practical drilling problems, from the standpoint of the person in charge of the drilling program, is the service of experienced diamond drillers or drilling firms. Equipment Drilling equipment should be adequate to put down the longest hole desired and handle the toughest ground encountered. The type of bit used depends upon the ground drilled. Experimenting with various bits and careful study of footage records are the best means of determining which to use. Under ordinary circumstances it is best to drill using an EX barrel when possible. The length of rod and core barrels that can be used depends on the size of the drill station. Also, the length of core barrel depends on the way the ground cores. In good ground as much core will be recovered with a 10-ft. barrel as with a shorter one, and with considerable saving of drilling time. A water pump is needed if the hole is so deep that the water pressure is not strong enough to wash out the cuttings, or if it is drilled at an angle that prevents full force of the water pressure. Instructions For an Inexperienced Driller 1. Never run a bit too long a time. When a bit seems to be "good for one more run," discard it. 2. Always let the rods down on bottom easily. Protect the bit from sudden shock. 3. Start the drilling slowly and easily. Do not put pressure on the bit too fast. Diamonds can break. 4. Be sure the water pressure is strong enough to clear the bit, but do not use more water than is needed, as it may wash away the core. Usually, if no core is recovered the hole is a total loss. 5. When dry-blocking, do not run without water longer than necessary as the bit may burn. 6. Be sure the rods are well caulked and tightly screwed together. If not well caulked they will lose water, and if not

Jan 1, 1946

By Ralph M. Hunter

Until recent years, maintenance of surface coal handling facilities was a relatively simple task. Equipment consisted principally of conveyors, screens and crushers of comparatively simple construction. Electrical equipment consisted of motors and starters, with little, if any, interlocking. In most cases failure of any component affected only the grades of coal loaded so that even a prolonged breakdown did not affect mine operation materially. However, with the introduction of modern cleaning plants, the picture has changed. The equipment is much more complex and therefore more difficult to maintain. In many cases failure of any component of the plant prevents loading of coal. Even if provision is made to bypass, the quality of coal loaded is lowered, affecting markets. In the case of plants designed to permit full seam mining, marketable coal cannot be loaded without operation of the cleaning plant. Under these conditions it is apparent that considerable thought and effort toward better maintenance are justified. In order to assure continuous, efficient and economical operation, maintenance should receive consideration, not only after the plant is in operation, but while it is being designed. It is hardly necessary to say that the designer should strive for sturdi-ness and wearing qualities. It is sometimes not realized, however, that even the best parts will sooner or later require replacement or repair. The designer should, there- fore, give consideration to accessibility. Anyone who has had to do with cleaning plant maintenance is familiar with installations where several hours are required to get at a part that can be repaired or replaced in a few minutes, once it is accessible. As in most cases, experience is the best guide. The men who operate and maintain this equipment know the problems encountered. Whenever available, the opinions of these men should be sought and heeded. As an example, we might consider the refuse elevator on a Chance Cone. Our company is now operating three of these cones, the first of which was installed in 1941, and the latest in 1946. Exact records are not available, but well over 50 pct of delays charged to the Chance Cones have been caused by the refuse elevator. This elevator receives refuse from the cone and carries it to a point above the water level of the cone, discharging onto a dewatering and desanding screen. Since the elevator operates under water and necessarily has close clearances in the lower boot, it tends to jam on large pieces of refuse or tramp iron. The chain, buckets and boot are also subjected to the action of water, sand and refuse, which accelerate normal wear. In case of jamming or chain-breakage it is necessary to drain the elevator and the cone so that even a minor fault in the elevator causes a considerable loss of time for the cone. In our new plant, which will contain two Chance Cones, the refuse elevator has been eliminated. This was accomplished by raising the cone so that the refuse gates could discharge directly onto the dewater-

Jan 1, 1949

By P. D. White, J. T. Moss, J. S. McNiel

Results of experimental work on the in situ combustion process were first published in this country in 1953&apos; when Kuhn and Koch described results of a three-well test in Jefferson County, Okla. Shortly there-after Grant and Szasz2 described field studies in Nowata County, Okla., in which several modifications of the basic combustion process were investigated by injection of various oxidizing gas mixtures other than air. In the past five years speculation concerning this method of oil recovery has continued, with a number of interesting papers on various aspects of in situ combustion appearing in the literature3,4,5,6,7. However, only one of these&apos; provided actual engineering information on pattern-type field experiments. The primary objectives of the Oklahoma three-well test were to check operation of specially designed electrical ignition equipment and evaluate problems associated with initiation of combustion in a natural oil sand reservoir. Immediately following successful completion of this test in the Pontotoc sand, plans were activated for a second field experiment to be conducted in the same sand a short distance away. The objective of this second field test1 as to establish a relationship between field observations and information derived from laboratory experimentation and computations. Secondary objectives of the test were to develop operating tech- niques and define operating problems, and to obtain information that would assist in the economic and engineering appraisals of the process. Careful planning was required since this test was designed with the hope of providing basic information on the characteristics and operation of a combustion drive. It was necessary to include test facilities which would not only permit precise control and measurement of the process variables but would also provide sufficient flexibility of control to insure that variables in the combustion process could be studied during the course of the test under a wide range of conditions. In order to accomplish these objectives elaborate instrumentation and several control wells were included in the design of the test installation. This type installation was felt to be well suited for an experimental study, but was in no respect intended as a counterpart of a commercial-scale operation. PRELIMINARY LABORATORY WORK An important objective of the field experiment, as stated previously, has been to obtain reliable data on operating variables which might be compared with similar data obtained in laboratory combustion tests. The value of successful correlations between quantities that can be measured in the laboratory and those obtained in a full-scale commercial venture has been well established for other industrial processes. The difficulty of following a process underground should make such correlations even more essential here. Also. approaching the field test phase of development of in situ combustion, it was considered desirable to precede design of test equipment with laboratory combustion studies under a variety of conditions to establish likely ranges of variables. These included temperature, air injection rate, frontal advance rate and produced gas composition.

By A. S. Richardson

PROGRESS in health and safety in the mining field has been greatly affected by war conditions. Some of the instruments commonly used in ventilation and dust prevention work have been practically unobtainable. Much equipment, such as fans, has been purchasable only when it was possible to make positive statements to the effect that it was absolutely necessary for the production of definite quantities of materials essential to the war. Even then, long delays were usually experienced in obtaining such equipment from the manufacturers. These circumstances have, of course, not been conducive to the development of new and better methods, though attention has been directed by governmental agencies towards the recognition of existing hazards to which little attention had previously been paid.

Jan 1, 1945

By H. Y. Hunsicker

A graphic method has been devised for three-di-mensional analysis of hot deformation and for correlating the amount and directionality of the deformation with resulting directional properties. Deformation is evaluated in terms of dimensional change ratios referred to three orthogonal axes. Since all combinations of the three ratios can be represented in a triangular coordinate field with logarithmic scales, a two-dimensional chart of extent of deformation and degree of asymetry is possible. The entire gamut of shape changes from upsetting through flat-rolling to rod-rolling is accommodated. The resulting coordinate system is a base upon which can be represented the properties of the wrought products measured in the directions of the axes employed fir evaluating the deformation. When property data are available for many types and amounts of deformation, a three-dimensional figure can be constructed, and the projection of this figure is referred to as a &apos;&apos;3d&apos;&apos; chart. Experience in using such charts to plan fabricating operations for a variety of thick-section forged and rolled products of heat-treated aluminum alloys has verified its practical value for optimizing directionality relationships. MechANICAL anisotropy of thick section products of heat-treatable aluminum alloys is recognized by producers and users of these products, and the extent of the directional differences is apparent in property tabulations included in handbooks, standards, and specifications.&apos; Attention has also been directed to the existence of important directional differences in the resistance of these products to stress-corrosion cracking. Metallurgical structure factors responsible for these directional differences include, among other possibilities, shape and alignment of grains, voids and nonmetallic inclusions (when present), volume fraction and spatial distribution of secondary phase particles and solid-state precipitates, crystal-lographic textures, and Bauschinger effect. The contributions of the individual factors vary with alloy composition, heat-treated temper, type of working process (forging, rolling, extrusion), and the amount and directional nature of the deformation. In general, the cast ingot used as the starting material for producing these wrought products exhibits only a modest degree of directionality. A monotonic and continuous transition from this nearly isotropic state with progressive hot deformation would appear probable, assuming that the working temperature is sufficiently high to cause continuous dynamic recovery. Several years ago a project was undertaken to evaluate the effects of hot deformation and metallurgical structures on the directionality of thick wrought aluminum alloy products, and the method to be described was developed as an analytical tool in this investigation. DIRECTION NOMENCLATURE The nomenclature system adopted by industry for the three mutually perpendicular directions employed in testing aluminum alloy products includes four terms: "longitudinal", "transverse", "long transverse", and "short transverse". These terms are conventionally related to the external geometry of the product but also by implication to the deformation and resulting metallurgical structure. Occasions arise in which through use of unusual fabricating methods, intentional or otherwise, the structure does not have the usual relationship to external geometry or may be very complex because of inhomogeneity of deformation throughout the piece. The longitudinal direction is generally parallel to the primary rolling direction or to the direction of extrusion. In the case of forging, it is parallel to the direction of maximum extension (not maximum "working" or "flow", as frequently stated). The term transverse is applied to any direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in a product having symmetry about the longitudinal axis, and generally, although not always, the deformation to produce these forms is nearly symmetrical in the transverse plane. This term then may be applied to a round, square, hexagon, or other polygonal, symmetrical shape produced by extrusion or rolling or by forging, if produced by a simple, symmetrical drawing procedure. The type of microstructure generally associated

Jan 1, 1970

By F. W. Bradley

GOLD is a large subject. One could talk about its geological or mineralogical occurrences, prospect- i11.g for it, mining of .it, its metallurgy or its marketing; but I have decided to limit my discussion to gold as a business-that is, to its production and marketing. In the production of gold, it is necessary to consider the many possible sources, the quantities available, the capital and operating costs and the chances of price-breaking competition. So in the following remarks I shall endeavour to point out that though gold is found in every formation constituting the earth&apos;s crust, though it is possible to-find it free in great concentrated placer deposits on the surface, though there are still large unprospected areas of both the surface and the crust, though it may be possible to produce it by the cheapest labor on earth, and by processes not as yet developed, it still has an unlimited market at a definite price. There is no reasonable fear of disturbance by the finding of bountiful deposits, or by cheapening the cost of production due to devaluation, or by the development of any easy processes for direct, or for by product, production.

Jan 1, 1932

By E. H. Burdick

THE difficulties inherent in table concentration operations as applied to gold, silver, lead and zinc ores, are accentuated in the scheelite mill, which has a flowsheet that is similar in general principles. The narrow "spread" in the specific gravity between scheelite and the usual gangue in which it occurs often makes its clean separation extremely difficult and in some cases impracticable. The problem is further complicated by the extreme friability of the mineral and its inordinate tendency to "slime," particularly where fine grinding is necessary and wet grinding methods are employed. The physical aspect of the occurrence of scheelite in the ores, the kind and character of the rock in which the mineral is present, its hardness, friability and the specific gravity of its constituents, as well as like characteristics of the associated minerals-pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, and others, all have a bearing on the successful milling of crude ores and the production of a concentrate that is marketable with minimum price penalty or none at all. Most tungsten deposits are considered low grade when the limiting factor of low percentage recovery by gravity methods is borne in mind. The great majority of deposits developed or in process of development carry from 0.4 to 1.0 per cent tungstic oxide. Ore carrying I per cent is considered good grade; 0.7 to 0.8 per cent, fair, and below that figure, low grade. Steady mill feed averaging upward of 1.0 per cent W03 is exceptional. Inasmuch as buying specifications demand a 60 per cent W03 content, the mineral content of the ores as mined must be concentrated to at least that degree. A few companies have constructed chemical plants for the treatment of their complex concentrates and low-grade flotation product, but the smaller operator must rely on table concentration, borrowing the tools and to a large extent the methods of his predecessors in the gold, silver, lead and zinc mills. Whether these are the best tools and methods that can be devised is an open question. Except in rare instances, table concentration, however carefully conducted, does not yield a satisfactory final recovery of the mineral content in headings as indicated by chemical determinations of tungstic oxide content. A saving of 60 to 65 per cent is considered fair, and an average 80 per cent recovery, exceptional. Each scheelite ore body is a separate problem. Details of handling that give best results in one case may not be successfully operative at a property on the same contact zone and but a short distance removed. Supplementary treatment of tailings by flotation may be successful in producing a low-grade concentrate of around 15 per cent WO3, which is adapted to further treatment chemically at a given property and entirely unsuccessful at another. This problem constitutes another of the unanswered questions. The following paragraphs relate solely to the beneficiation of scheelite ores by table concentration and supplementary methods.

Jan 1, 1942