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By Albert C. Harding

For several years barite (BaSO4) production has topped such better known minerals as feldspar and fluorspar in annual tonnage and is now well established among our foremost nonmetallic industries. Description Of widespread occurrence in the United States, barite is relatively soft (hardness, 2.5 to 3.5), inert, heavy (specific gravity, 4.5), and is also called "barytes" (sometimes pronounced "bear-i-tease"), "heavy spar" and "tiff." It occurs with granular and earthy structure but usually has coarse, orthorhombic crystallization. It is commonly white, and although occurring in various shades of red, yellow, and gray, barite always gives a white streak and can be scratched by the ordinary prospecting pick. Its softness and weight are usually sufficient to establish field identification. Another aid is the "rotten egg" odor of H2S which sometimes emanates from freshly fractured surfaces. Barite can be readily distinguished from two other minerals which have somewhat similar occurrences and characteristics. The relatively rare celestite, strontium sulphate, has a specific gravity slightly less than 4.00 and gives a distinctively crimson color in a flame test. The very rare wither-ite, barium carbonate, has a specific gravity of 4.3 but readily effervesces with dilute hydrochloric acid. Occurrence All known commercially important barite deposits in the United States occur as re- placements or cavity fillings in schists, shales, limestones, dolomites, and quart-zites, or as residual deposits from such formations. In Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Missouri, high-grade barite is recovered as fragments from residual clays covering quartzites and dolomites. In Arkansas, Nevada, and California, barite, usually of lower grade, is mined from replacement deposits. These seven states contributed the entire production reported by the U. S. Bureau of Mines for 1945 as given in Table I. Table i—Crude Berile Sold or used by Producers in 1945 State Short Tons Arkansas................... 260.660 Missouri.................... 225.467 Georgia..................... 110,393 Tennessee................... 32,812 Nevada..................... 28,919 Other States............... 37,811 Total..................... 696,062 ('other states,, included only california and North Carolina. Such a large part of this undistributed production came from California that that state probably outranked both Nevada and Tennessee. For the second consecutive year Arkansas was the leading producing state, particularly worthy of note because there was no commercial production of barite there prior to 1941 and because the entire production of Arkansas has come from one large deposit which is being operated by two companies. Consumption The 1945 consumption as reported by the Bureau of Mines was: 482,442 tons as ground barite 139,288 tons in making lithopone 99,173 tons in producing barium ------- chemicals Total 720,903 tons

Jan 1, 1949

By H. Rush Spedden, A. M. Gaudin

IN the belief that a critical study of its operating problems might be a sound investment, the Cuban American Manganese Corporation initiated an ore-treatment research in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology One of the early objectives of this research naturally became the relationship of the microscopy of the Cuban ores of the Corporation to their flotation treatment The operations in Cuba have already been described by F S Norcross, Jr 7 and the laboratory study of manganese oxide flotation goes back a number of years 4 Broadly speaking, the difficulties encountered in the flotation of manganese ores are that the consumption of reagents is extremely high, the concentrate contains more silica than is desirable and the tailing losses are relatively high An appreciable betterment on any of these scores would achieve a definite betterment in costs, quantity of minable ores, and quality of product The microscope study discussed in this paper was made on samples from the Quinto mine, from the Ponupo mine, and from mill products at various stages of passage of the ore through the mill The writers have had access to Company records and in particular to the petrographic studies made on thin sections of ore by the late Professors R J Colony and Philip Krieger, of Columbia University They acknowledge their debt to both of these men for the help derived from the reports Manganese oxides are black, friable, smudging It is therefore, very difficult to judge operations by inspection The mineralogy of manganese compounds seems to be confused, and the authors believe that many more minerals have been described than actually exist Much of this difficulty is due to the prevalence of the structural conditions that will be discussed further in this paper, namely, the porosity and the friability of the ores, and the extremely intimate association of minute manganifeous mineral crystals with impurities of various sorts By all odds the most important manganese mineral in Cuba is the one that in this paper is called "psilomelane " The name "psilomelane" has been used in so many different ways that the choice of it for this ore may not be approved by all However, it seems to be the best under the circumstances This mineral accounts for about 97 per cent of the manganese in the ores of the Quinto and Ponupo mines and in the mill feed The remaining odd 3 per cent consists mostly of pyrolusite together with minor amounts of other manganese oxide minerals DESCRIPTION OF PSILOMELANE Aggregate Structure In grains or lumps, psilomelane has a characteristic fibrous appearance and seems

Jan 1, 1942

By Hallan N. Marsh

The subject of this paper is apt to bring to mind wells ranging from 6000 to over 8000 ft. in depth. However, it is uncommon to pump wells at depths greater than about 5000 ft. Fig. 1 shows the number of wells being pumped at various depths by one company in Southern California. A few companies have a very few wells pumping at depths greater than this. This paper will deal with wells between 3000 and 5500 ft. in depth. Most California oils at these depths are between 25" and 35" gravity. The subject is so broad that it will be necessary to omit many interesting phases, and to treat others very briefly. Power, power transmission equipment, power efficiency, counterbalancing, sucker rods, pumps and volumetric efficiency will be discussed. Power As a source of power, the 50/20-hp. electric motor is generally preferred. Input is generally between 10 and 25 hp. Due to the uneven-ness of the load, an input of 20 hp. on the low range is generally about all that these motors will carry without overheating, in spite of their overload capacity. In some cases the capacity of the motor limits the speed

Jan 1, 1929

"The Butte, Anaconda & Pacific railway extends from Butte to Anaconda. The electrification comprises 30 miles of main line single track, and includes sidings, yard and smelter tracks. When complete the electrified trackage will total about 90 miles on a single track basis.The traffic conditions are unusually severe as they consist principally of hauling copper ore from the Butte mines to the smelters at Anaconda, as well as hauling all the mine supplies, lumber, etc., in both directions; this traffic amounts to approximately 5,000,000 tons of freight per year. The maximum grade against the load is .3 per cent and the maximum train consists of 50 loaded steel ore cars, weighing 3,400 tons. .The locomotive units, two of which will be used for freight trains, weigh approximately 80 tons each. In addition to the freight business, there will be a certain amount of passenger traffic.The power for operating the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific railway is generated by, the Great Falls Power company, and is transmitted to the sub-stations at 100,000 volts. The synchronous motors are supplied with power at a potential of 2,300 volts, 60 cycles, 3-phase. Voltage regulators are installed in each sub¬station to secure the benefit of synchronous condenser effect of the motors.The passenger and freight locomotives are exactly similar, with the exception of the gearing.The roller pantograph mounted on the top of the cab is operated by air from the engineers position.The adoption of the 2,400-volt apparatus for so important a system, where the conditions of operation are so severe, is interesting of itself, as indicating the trend that future electrifications of importance may follow. A trolley potential of 2,400 volts was only adopted after a thorough investigation of other systems already in operation."

Jan 1, 1913

By H. L. Overton, J. B. Lipson

The concept of sodium single-ion equivalent activity as developed by Gondouin, Tixier and Simard,' was used to determine the filtrate resistivity-activity relationships for 150 laboratory and 49 field drilling muds. With the exception of the native and phosphate high-resistivity muds and the calcium-treated muds, the filtrate resistivity-activity relationships were found to be within 20 per cent of that for pure sodium-chloride solutions. Gondouin, et al,* previously suggested a method of treating the high-resistivity muds in quantitative electrical log analysis. A new treatment is presented which uses the P-alkalinity of the filtrate as a correlating parameter in handling the calcium-treated muds in quantitative electrical log analysis. INTRODUCTION Gondouin, Tixier, and Simard in 1957 introduced new interpretive procedures for analyzing the self-potential curve of electric logging. They re-emphasized the previous work of the Schlumberger brothers, Wyllie and others, and re-defined the activity concept in terms of a number which they termed the effective resistivity. Their procedures are particuarly effective when the connate-water resistivities are less than 0.08 ohm-m or greater than 0.3 ohm-m. For gyp muds where the calcium content is known, a procedure was presented which allows calculation of the connate-water resistivity with improved accuracy. These procedures assume that one of the fluids in the system is a pure sodium-chloride solution, but they are not limited by the assumptions. For the fresh and saline connate waters, for instance, it is assumed that the drilling mud filtrate is a pure sodium-chloride solution. For the gyp mud interpretive procedure, it is assumed that the connate water is a pure sodium-chloride solution. Brown,' on the other hand, has suggested that it would be extremely fortuitous if drilling mud filtrates could all be treated electrochemically as sodium-chloride solutions, and he cites some examples where discrepancies exist. A study has been made of the deviations of sodium single-ion equivalent activities, an of drilling mud filtrates from that of pure sodium-chloride solutions. Drilling fluids in common use on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and laboratory-controlled muds were investigated. Using a cell patterned after Gondouin, et al, (Fig. I), the equivalent activities were measured. It should be remembered here that the activity measured is merely an index which uses numbers that represent the sodium single-ion equivalent activity a,., of the mud filtrate. The membrane potential developed across the cell was determined with a null-type potentiometer. The resistivities of the solutions were measured by the four-electrode method. The resistivity system was calibrated by using saturated KC1 solution as a standard. Chemical properties of the drilling fluids studied were measured with standard API-approved equipment for the particular property in question. For the activity measurements, two shale discs were chosen to serve as cationic membranes. These two discs were both 1 1/4 in. in diameter and, respectively, 1/4 and 1/8 in. in thickness. The membrane potential, Em, was determined using the shale discs as cationic selective membranes separating two standard sodium-chloride solutions of known mean activity. Then by comparing the constant Km in the following equation, with the theoretical value of — 59 mv at 75OF, the perfection of the membrane was determined. The variation of Km for the two membranes used in this experimental work, as well as one of the many unsuitable membranes, is shown in Fig. 2. The measurement of the activity of mud filtrate involves the balancing of its combined individual activities against a standard solution of known mean activity. At the point where there exists zero potential across the membrane cell, the activity effects may be assumed equal for all practical purposes. The mechanics of making a null reading of this sort requires having a large number of different mean activity solutions. A more practical method involves

By J. Holms Pollok

The determination of specific gravity dates from such antiquity, and the various published methods of determining it are so numerous, that one may well be skeptical as to the value of a new means of obtaining so well-known a quantity. I make no claim to any great novelty for the little device here described, the principles, though not the convenient details, of which are more or less embodied in the publications of Mr.

Jan 1, 1900

By Kiyoshi Azuma, Hiroshi Kametani

The variation of the dissolution behavior of a ferric oxide with calcining temperature has been investigated. Samples were prepared by thermal decomposition of ferric hydroxide, nitrate, oxalate, and sulfate at low temperature, followed by the calcination in the temperature range between 600" and 1200°C. The samples of eight series and a fine crystalline sample of hematite were dissolved in 1 N hydrochloric acid at 55.2°C and the results are represented on double-log graphs for convenience. It is confirmed that all dissolution courses follouj either the accelerated process or the parabolic process except in the special case of the crystalline hematite which dissolced in accordance with the uniform dissolution of a particle. Examinations of the physical properties of the oxide powders revealed that the surface area measured by the permeability method is strikingly relevant to the dissolution behavior of the oxide. In the previous paper,' detailed data were presented on the effect of the kind of acid, the solution temperature, and the concentration of acid on the dissolution of two ferric oxides. It was also shown that these sam ples dissolved in strikingly different ways. The present investigation was carried out on the dissolution of various calcined samples prepared from various ferri salts by various methods to ascertain the course of dissolution. Pryor and Evans2 pointed out a change of the dissolution rate at around 700°C for a series of calcined ferric oxides prepared from the hydroxide. Several papers374 reported also the dissolution of ferric oxide samples. It seems, however, that a systematic account of the relationship between the dissolution behavior and physical properties of the oxide has not yet been given. This paper presents the variation of the dissolution of the oxide in relation to the calcining temperature and the change of physical properties of the calcines. EXPERIMENTAL Raw materials were prepared by precalcination of ferric hydroxide, thermal decomposition of ferric nitrate, oxalate, and sulfate, and aerial oxidation of ferric chloride vapor, at as low a temperature as possible. The products were crushed, ground, if necessary, and sieved with a 100-mesh Tylor screen prior to calcination, after which the specimens were dissolved in acid solution. The following is a detailed description of the preparation of the samples. Sample H. About 500 g of ferric chloride (guaranteed reagent) were dissolved in 5 liters of deionized water and filtered. Ferric hydroxide was precipitated by addition of the minimum amount of ammonium hydroxide solution, and the precipitate was washed continuously till chloride ion was not detected by silver nitrate solution, and then filtered. The filter cake was dried at 120°C for a week and ground, and the -100 mesh portion was used. Sample S. Ferric sulfate (guaranteed reagent) was pyrolytically decomposed in a crucible at 700°C for 24 hr and the product was sieved. In this case the following calcination was carried out at temperatures over 700°C. Sample B. Commercial ferric oxide (guaranteed reagent). About 15 kg of ferric nitrate were decomposed in a furnace maintained at 800°C for 2 hr. The actual temperature of the decomposition was not measured. The product was crushed and sieved, and the -100 mesh portion was used. Sample N. About 50 g of ferric nitrate (guaranteed reagent) were decomposed in a beaker in a sand bath until a red-brown dense solid was produced. This product was crushed and sieved, and subjected to complete decomposition at 500°C. The precalcined product was again sieved and used. Sample N2.5. Since the decomposition temperature was not controlled for sample AT, a different sample was prepared in a temperature-controlled furnace. The subscript represents the decomposition at 250°C. The product was treated in the same manner as sample N. Sample Nc. Under atmospheric pressure it is prac-tically inevitable that ferric nitrate hydrate melts to form a brown liquid at about 50°C before pyrolysis. For this reason, the salt was first slowly heated under reduced pressure (about 10-3 mm Hg measured in a trap refrigerated by dry ice-alcohol) to achieve dehydration without melting. About 5 hr were required for the dehydration and the partial decomposition. Then the temperature was elevated to 500° C in air for complete decomposition. The relatively porous product was sieved and used. Sample Ov. About 200 g of ferric oxalate hydrate (extra pure) were dehydrated under reduced pressure (as described above) followed by thermal decomposition at 500°C for 6 hr in air. The decomposition of this salt was accompanied by liberation of carbon monoxide, by which the ferric salt was initially reduced to a black powder. The powder changed in turn into brown ferric oxide as the gas liberation decreased and reoxidation predominated. The product consisted of sparkling fine particles passing through a 100-mesh screen. However it was ground and sieved as for the other samples. Sample D. Commercial fine powder for magnetic tape purposes. The preparation was as follows.5 Ferric chloride vapor and preheated excess air were mixed and passed into a reaction tube where oxidation took place at 450°C. The fine powder formed was collected in a cottrell chamber. The product was vacuum-degassed at 450°C for 1 hr and sieved.

Jan 1, 1969

By B. M. Larsen, T. E. Brower

IN two previous papersl,2 dealing with the carbon-oxygen reaction, and the simultaneous content of each, in liquid steel in the furnace, we have made use of the quantity 0[O], defined as the excess oxygen beyond what would be in equilibrium with carbon then present if the pressure of carbon monoxide were I atm,; that is, if [C] X [O] is taken as 0.00222, 0[O] = [O] - 0,00222/[C] where [O] is the percentage of oxygen by weight as measured by the method described earlier.' This quantity 0[O] proves to be substantially independent of carbon content over the range 0.08 to 1.2 per cent, as well as of the basicity of the slag, and is nearly always within the limits 0.015 to 0.025 per cent when the bath is boiling normally and is in what we have termed a steady state. Apparently it must be at least about 0.014 per cent before boiling occurs; but this threshold value seems to depend upon the ease of bubble formation at the metal-hearth interface, hence upon the condition of the surface of the hearth. In any case, 0[O], on the average, changes considerably following any disturbance of the bath, as by addition of ore. The present paper deals with the average changes in ?[O] level following addition of Spiegel or crop ends, or after procedures to promote stirring, or by tapping of the steel from the furnace. The observations were made on a large number of commercial heats, and consequently are subject to the influence of various disturbing factors; the results have the compensating merit of showing the consistency obtainable under the limitations imposed by practical operation. VARIABILITY OF EXCESS OXYGEN IN NORMAL OPEN-HEARTH OPERATION The preceding general statements refer to the average value of ?[O] particularly in heats that are boiling actively; on individual heats, which are less active, there may be a variable time lag between the disturbance and its effect, which complicates the interpretation of what is going on. For instance, if in the normal refining process boiling is sluggish, the slag usually is gaining oxygen from the gas phase above it, or from added ore, faster than it is losing oxygen to the metal; yet when the bath starts to boil vigorously, the opposite condition may prevail for some time. The consequence of this lag is a variation of ?[O], the interpretation of which in a single heat may not be immediately obvious, This condition is illustrated in Figs. I and 2. In Fig, I, ?[O] at the beginning of the test period was near the lower limit of its usual range (dashed lines) in the steady state as a consequence of the lime boil, which had ended about as indicated. The bath is now cold, carbon drop is slow, and the first small ore feed causes only a small rise in 0[O]; as the temperature rises and as lime dissolves in the slag, and the bath becomes more active, the

Jan 1, 1946

By C. E. Van Orstrand

An intrusive body is a mass of igneous rock that has migrated upward, presumably from great depths. Great variations in form, composition and depth of burial occur. It is not proposed in this paper to go into all of the details of the problem. Instead, it mill be assumed here that the intrusive has the form and characteristics represented in Fig. I. According to W. 11. Emmons minerals are not deposited in appreciable quantities below the "dead line." Important amounts of ores of virtually all metals may be found around summit cupolas, but only gold, copper and zinc (in limited quantities) are usually associated with trough cupolas. Most students of ore deposits agree that temperature changes are largely instrumental in precipitating many ores in the "hood" and that the difference in temperature between the intrusive and that of the country rock may be the chief factor in determining the mineralogy of a deposit. A problem then of some interest is to correlate the principal physical features of the intrusive with the phenomena of heat conduction as evidenced by the cooling curves and the isothermal surfaces. Mathematical Theory In order to show the possible application of heat conduction to the interpretation of the processes of metalliferous deposition associated with intrusives, it will be as- sumed that the intrusive is a large par-allelopiped of dimensions, 2l, 2m, 2n. The equation that represents the flow of heat from the parallelopiped into country rock (v = o, 1 = o), which has the same thermal properties as the intrusive, is2,3 l-x v I FT 2 [2 2 — l-x m — y — m — y n — z In this equation, the origin, x = o, y = o, z = o, is at the center of the parallelopiped. v = temperature at point x, y, z, time 1. v, = initial temperature throughout the intrusive, 1 = o. k = coefficient of thermal diffusivity. a, ß, y are variables of integration. Put n = m in Eq. I, and we have v I [2/5 [2I-x 2 — l-x m — y 2 2 2 kt 2 20xt e-a2da ebrdß

Jan 1, 1946

By C. E. Van Orstrand

An intrusive body is a mass of igneous rock that has migrated upward, presumably from great depths. Great variations in form, composition and depth of burial occur. It is not proposed in this paper to go into all of the details of the problem. Instead, it mill be assumed here that the intrusive has the form and characteristics represented in Fig. I. According to W. 11. Emmons minerals are not deposited in appreciable quantities below the "dead line." Important amounts of ores of virtually all metals may be found around summit cupolas, but only gold, copper and zinc (in limited quantities) are usually associated with trough cupolas. Most students of ore deposits agree that temperature changes are largely instrumental in precipitating many ores in the "hood" and that the difference in temperature between the intrusive and that of the country rock may be the chief factor in determining the mineralogy of a deposit. A problem then of some interest is to correlate the principal physical features of the intrusive with the phenomena of heat conduction as evidenced by the cooling curves and the isothermal surfaces. Mathematical Theory In order to show the possible application of heat conduction to the interpretation of the processes of metalliferous deposition associated with intrusives, it will be as- sumed that the intrusive is a large par-allelopiped of dimensions, 2l, 2m, 2n. The equation that represents the flow of heat from the parallelopiped into country rock (v = o, 1 = o), which has the same thermal properties as the intrusive, is2,3 l-x v I FT 2 [2 2 — l-x m — y — m — y n — z In this equation, the origin, x = o, y = o, z = o, is at the center of the parallelopiped. v = temperature at point x, y, z, time 1. v, = initial temperature throughout the intrusive, 1 = o. k = coefficient of thermal diffusivity. a, ß, y are variables of integration. Put n = m in Eq. I, and we have v I [2/5 [2I-x 2 — l-x m — y 2 2 2 kt 2 20xt e-a2da ebrdß

Jan 1, 1946

By Donald J. Knight

HEAT Treatment at 1500' F of a mild steel containing 0.1 pct C, in an atmosphere which is oxidizing to both carbon and iron, results in the progressive oxidation of the metal surface with little or no change in the carbon content of the underlying metal. Further heat treatment of the scaled metal in either a neutral atmosphere or in a vacuum may or may not result in the decarburization of the metal depending upon the physical nature of the scale. It is apparent that if a continuous layer of oxide is present on the steel surface, the reaction OScale + Cmetal Cogas cannot progress since the SO formed gas would be unable to leave the oxide/metal interface. Thus, in order for the reaction to progress, the oxide must be cracked or porous. Vacuum heat treatment at 1500" F of samples with a thick continuous oxide scale showed no decarburization of the steel. However, when cracks were introduced mechanically into the scale prior to the vacuum heat treatment notable decarburization of the metal resulted and a structure as shown by Fig. 1 obtained, i.e., reduction of the crack walls to ferrite. With reference to the diagram of Fig. 2, it would appear that a mechanism of the following type takes place. Carbon atoms arriving at an oxide/metal/void interface, such as 'A', Fig. 2(a), can combine with oxygen atoms from the scale and leave the reaction site as Cogas thereby reducing the oxide to metal. On a greatly magnified scale, Fig. 2(b),this will appear as a ferrite projection along the crack wall. Carbon atoms entering this projection can react with oxygen atoms at point 'C', which is a new interface, and so on leading to a progressive growth of the ferrite along the crack wall and to the surface, Figs. 2 (c) and 1. It would appear that the only means by which thickening of the ferrite film can take place is by a diffusion of oxygen through the ferrite film to react with carbon at the newly formed ferrite/ void interface. Since the diffusion rate of carbon is reportedly much greater than that of oxygen, and since there is a low probability factor of oxygen and carbon atoms arriving simultaneously at the same site on the ferritehoid interface, there will be a tendency for more rapid lengthening than thickening of the ferrite layer, as is observed.

Jan 1, 1962

By John F. McElhiney, Hosseim Kazemi

This chapter is a review of fluid flow and mass trans- port in fractured rocks. The topics include: single-phase and multiple-phase flow theory, formation productivity or injectivity improvement by artificial fracturing, and mass transport associated with fracture acidizing. Possible extension and application of such ideas to in situ mining in fractured rocks are presented.

Jan 1, 1974

By Paul M. Tyler, Herbert R. Mosley

Strategically situated in almost the heart of the leading fertilizer-consuming area of the United States, Tennessee long has ranked second only to Florida as a phosphate-producing state. Since 1932 its share of the national output of phosphate rock has increased steadily, and in 1937 its production mounted to an all-time record. More significant even than the increase in tonnage are the forward strides in technology. The Tennessee Valley Authority's research program has led to quasicommer-cia1 operations using hydroelectric power to manufacture concentrated phosphatic fertilizer that is used to further the farmer education program designed to streamline the fertilizer business and halt the appalling waste of farm land by soil erosion. Even more stimulating to chemically minded imaginations is the production of elemental phosphorus by a private company that not only has succeeded in extracting it from the phosphate rock in electric furnaces but actually has contrived to capture it and to transport it safely in tank cars. New values have been created for low-grade phosphate deposits, and the economic life of reserves has been lengthened while the waste of former years goes back into the mills for recovery of its values by modernized methods. Tennessee's phosphate-mining industry dates from the discovery of blue rock in Lewis County in December 1893. Its known reserves are of the order of 101,500,000 tons, which compares with the production of 825,099 tons in 1937; that is, 21 per cent of the phosphate-rock output of the whole nation. The total output reported from 1894 until July 1. 1938, was approximately 19,000,000 tons. Offcial estimates of reserves are overly conservative and evidence submitted before a joint Congressional committee in November 1938 places "probable" reserves at more than 6,000,000,000 tons.

Jan 1, 1942

By Herbert R. Mosley, Paul M. Tyler

Strategically situated in almost the heart of the leading fertilizer-consuming area of the United States, Tennessee long has ranked second only to Florida as a phosphate-producing state. Since 1932 its share of the national output of phosphate rock has increased steadily, and in 1937 its production mounted to an all-time record. More significant even than the increase in tonnage are the forward strides in technology. The Tennessee Valley Authority's research program has led to quasicommer-cia1 operations using hydroelectric power to manufacture concentrated phosphatic fertilizer that is used to further the farmer education program designed to streamline the fertilizer business and halt the appalling waste of farm land by soil erosion. Even more stimulating to chemically minded imaginations is the production of elemental phosphorus by a private company that not only has succeeded in extracting it from the phosphate rock in electric furnaces but actually has contrived to capture it and to transport it safely in tank cars. New values have been created for low-grade phosphate deposits, and the economic life of reserves has been lengthened while the waste of former years goes back into the mills for recovery of its values by modernized methods. Tennessee's phosphate-mining industry dates from the discovery of blue rock in Lewis County in December 1893. Its known reserves are of the order of 101,500,000 tons, which compares with the production of 825,099 tons in 1937; that is, 21 per cent of the phosphate-rock output of the whole nation. The total output reported from 1894 until July 1. 1938, was approximately 19,000,000 tons. Offcial estimates of reserves are overly conservative and evidence submitted before a joint Congressional committee in November 1938 places "probable" reserves at more than 6,000,000,000 tons.

Jan 1, 1942

By J. E. Johnson

The description of the machine which coilstitutes the subject of this paper is best iutroduced by a statement of the conditions which led to its construction, which may be briefly given as follows : The ore handled at the plant to be here described* is of the variety sornetimes called by those familiar with the brown ores of the South, " Mountain," as distinguished from the " Lime-

Jan 1, 1899

By Martin Mayers

FIVE-SIXTHS of all the coal that is mined in the United States is burned, without previous treatment other than screening, for the produc-tion of heat and power, so that its value is fixed by its suitability for this purpose. Nevertheless, the characteristics of individual coals that determine their fitness for use in particular pieces of combustion equip-ment are not yet well known. This condition is due not only to the small extent of our knowledge concerning coal itself, but also to our compara-tive ignorance of the nature of the combustion process. The following paper is an analysis of the combustion process as it occurs in industrial furnaces, based largely on the results of laboratory research on combus-tion rates. From this analysis it is possible to determine the characteris-tics of the fuel that limit the capacity of a given piece of combustion equipment. Limitations imposed by other factors than the attainable speed of combustion will not be considered, since they are subject to a different type of analysis involving the balancing of maintenance costs against fixed charges. In order to observe the relations among the various factors that affect the speed of combustion, representative particles of fuel will be followed through two types of furnaces. A pulverized-coal furnace will be con-sidered first, because the independence of the individual particles facili-tates the analysis of the effect of furnace conditions. The second example will be a grate-fired furnace in which ignition of the fuel takes place on the underfeed principle. This includes both underfeed and chain grate stokers,(8)? but does not include hand-fired furnaces and some overfeed stokers. The furnace will be considered to be large enough, the tempera-ture high enough, and enough air provided, to burn the fuel completely, without, for the moment, specifying these quantities more completely.

Jan 1, 1934

By John M. Tinsley, Calvin D. Saunders, H. K. van Poollen

In the past few years much con-sideration has been given to the evaluation of the effect of hydraulic fracturing on the productivity of wells. Generally, these studies included the evaluation of fracturing materials, fracture extension and formation damage due to the use of various fracturing fluids. Only little consideration has been given to the characteristics, and in particular the flow capacity, of the fracture itself and its effect on well productivity. This paper presents the results of laboratory investigations pointed toward fie evaluation of the efficiency of various fracrures with special emphasis on the flow capacity of these fractures. Data presented in this paper are the results of both an electrical model study and physical testing. Under consideration are (I) effect of overflush, (2) premature production of well after treatment, (3) "tailing-in" with coarse sand near the end of the treatment, (4) effect of propping agent size and concentration, (5) reduction in effective frac-ture permeability caused by formation caused by formation fines, silt and clays, and (6) effect of various fluids on formation strength and competency. The results of this investigation indicate that the flow capacity of a fracture is affected by any or all of the various parameters mentioned above. The authors believe that a better understanding arid utilization of these factors should result in more efficient formation fracturing. INTRODUCTION Hydraulic fracturing has become almost a standard practice of many companies for stimulating production from old and new wells. Although most companies utilize this service, techniques of application vary widely between companies and areas. Probably too often when a well in an area responds favorably to a particular technique all future wells in the same area are treated in a similar manner. Possibly a modification of the technique would result in a further production increase. Variables, of which many are extremely difficult to evaluate from field results, hamper the selection of procedure changes. Attempts are being made by a number of organizations to analyze statistically treating techniques from production data. This is a very worthy and necessary approach but very possibly laboratory investigations may aid in evaluating some of the variables which tend to affect the results of a fracturing treatment. Some of the factors cannot be studied from practical field experience and only laboratory tests can show the possibilities which might exist. One of the factors which appears to be of major concern today is the flow capacity of the created fracture and how it can be changed. Papers on this general subject have been primarily concerned with the size of propping agent and the extent of fracture. Papers have also been written on the possible permeability damage to formations by fracturing fluids. In addition, it might be possible that another type of flow restriction is prevalent. This would be a restriction of flow through a sand-packed frac- ture caused by foreign materials integrating within the propping agent. This paper presents preliminary data obtained in an attempt to evaluate the effect of some factors affecting flow through sand-packed fractures. No attempt is being made to offer a fracturing technique adaptable to all areas and conditions, but to furnish data tending to show the possible effects which might be caused by variations in procedures and materials. PROPPING AGENT PERMEABLLITIES A hydraulically induced fracture containing sand as a propping agent may theoretically be classified as a packed-sand system. The flow of fluids through such packed systems has been the subject of much research. Although there have been numerous methods proposed for the evaluation of such systems, most writers agree on the general properties affecting their flow capacity or permeability. These properties include porosity, particle size, sphericity and the roughness of the particle. In some methods of evaluation . the particle size and sphericity terms are combined to produce an equation which is a function of the surface area of the particles. In this study the permeability of various fracturing sands was both measured and calculated. The apparatus for the permeability measurements consisted of a 52-in. Lucite tube with a 2.5-in. ID. A screen and drain plug were fitted in the bottom of this tube to retain and hold the sand in place while allowing fluid flow. Two pressure taps consisting of thin, highly perforated

By I. N. Zavarine

THE present paper is a continuation of the work on the relationship between the magnetic and the phase transformations in carbon steels during quenching. An account was given by the author in a previous paper It of an investigation of this relationship during a continuous quench. The experimental difficulties then encountered prevented a conclusive proof of the existence or absence of such a relationship. The conclusions of the previous paper were derived indirectly. The present paper deals with the same problem, but the method of attack is modified. The technique developed by Davenport and Bain2 in their well-known study of austenite transformation at subcritical temperature was adopted in the present investigation. They have shown that the austenite to martensite transformation can be caused to proceed at a relatively slow rate by quenching steels into a hot metal bath. Slowing down of the rate of transformation, together with an observation by Lewis3 that a eutectoid steel can be preserved in the nonmagnetic state by such quench-ing, pointed out a possibility of a study of both transformations under more favorable conditions than previously described. The preliminary steps were connected with the technique of the hot bath quench. To study this phase of the present work a modification of the apparatus previously describe1 was used. The modification con-sisted in the use of a hot quenching bath instead of brine, and in fixing the secondary and the primary coils of the apparatus in a stationary position in and around the bath. Tubular specimens, as in the previous investiga-tion, were heated in a suitable furnace to a temperature in the austenitic.

Jan 1, 1935

By J. W. Snavely

THE high tension belt conveyor is introducing a new and tremendously expanded era of low cost bulk material handling. High tension belt conveyors are generally those installations involving very long centers, high lifts, or drops, in which the belts are stressed up to their maximum tension values, and further, where the belt construction provides tension capacity far beyond what is possible with conventional belt constructions. With these high tension installations, the magnitude of the forces involved demands careful refinement of accepted design practice in order to achieve optimum balance of all factors. No attempt will be made to evaluate the relative merits of belt conveyor haulage with other means of transportation. For present purposes, it is assumed this has already been done in favor of belt conveyor. Neither will any attempt be made to evaluate the various conveyor belt constructions now available or to balance the advantages of various types of mechanical equipment. It is also assumed that the basic haulage information on which the conveyor design is based is accurate and complete. A sustained maximum, uniform load on the belt at all times must be achieved through proper feed control and the use of adequate surge storage to level the peaks and valleys of any varying demand for the material being handled. General Belt Capacity Considerations The belt conveyor capacity tables published by various belting and conveyor equipment manufacturers vary to a considerable degree, and the ratings given are quite conservative. Of necessity, these published ratings are based on the handling of average materials under average conditions. In applying a high tension belt, all possible capacity from the belt must be obtained in order to hold its width to a minimum and thereby limit the initial cost. Two factors are involved, loading to maximum cross section area and traveling at a maximum practical speed. Belt Loading: Proper treatment of the loading of the belt will result in maximum cross section to the load, and published capacity ratings can be exceeded, sometimes by appreciable margins. On the 10-mile conveyor haul used in the construction of Shasta Dam, California, although the rated capacity of the belt line was 1100 tons per hr, at times the system handled peak loads of 1400 tons per hr, almost 25 pct better than the rated capacity. One of the large coal companies has been able to exceed rated capacity by as much as 50 pct. Loading conditions which must be controlled are: 1. Large lumps must be scalped off and rejected or the load must be primary crushed before being placed on the belt. 2. The material weight per cubic foot must be accurate, must be known for all the materials being handled, and must be known for the complete range of conditions of the individual material being handled. Long centers and high lifts magnify small differences into serious proportions. 3. Uniform feeding to the belt is most important. Various types of feeders are available, which can be used to place a constant predetermined volume of material on the belt, or, where an appreciable range of material weight exists, through electrical control actuated by current demand, to place a predetermined uniform tonnage on the belt. One long slope belt in a coal mine in Pennsylvania is being fed at three separate stations with the controls so arranged that whenever the maximum load is going onto the belt from the first station, the other two stations automatically cut out. Whenever the load from the first station drops back, the other two stations again automatically cut in. 4. Careful design of the chutes and skirts is necessary to get the load centered on the belt with a minimum of free margin along each edge. Some free margin at the edge of the belt is necessary to prevent spillage, but if the load can be kept accurately centered, this free margin area can be reduced, and more material can be carried on the belt. What can be accomplished in this respect will vary widely, depending on the nature of the material being hauled. The chute and skirt design must also protect the belt. 5. The design of chutes and skirts should also get the load traveling in the same direction and close to belt speed, so that the load comes to rest on the belt as quickly as possible. The design of the chutes and skirts is worthy of careful study, and after a system is put into operation it should be experimented with to get the best results. Belt Speed: High belt speeds should be used in high tension work. Obviously, high belt speeds enable haulage on a narrower belt, reducing initial cost. The major portion of belt wear takes place at the loading point and around the terminal pulleys. The

Jan 1, 1952

By D. L. McElroy, J. L. Schroder

Although the earliest use of rubber-tired haulage was in Illinois in 1936, the first unit of this type of equipment used in West Virginia was shipped into the state in 1938. All units placed in West Virginia mines have been of the shuttle-car type. The Katherine Coal Mining Co., at Lumberport, W. Va., was the second company in the United States to install shuttle cars and the Gay Coal and Coke Co., at Mt. Gay, W. Va., was the first company in the country to install the thin-bed type of shuttle car. On Oct. 8, 1940, nine companies in the state were using 41 shuttle cars, of which 10 cars at three mines were of the thin-bed type. All shuttle cars of the low type were in the southern fields and all of the high type were in northern West Virginia. At that time several units were in the process of delivery. The data in this paper were collected in the field by Mr. Schroder in connection with graduate work on mechanical loading of coal in West Virginia by mobile loaders. In the course of his field work he visited five mines in the state that were using shuttle cars. All of these mines were in high-volatile coal beds of strong structure. The more pertinent data obtained at the mines visited are given in Table I. The maximum distance of shuttle-car haul is the distance between the transfer station and the farthermost place. Tonnage per loading unit per foot of bed thickness is to some degree a measure of relative efficiency, especially if the different operations are working the same bed or have somewhat similar conditions. The thin-bed operation is well up in the higher bracket of the afore-mentioned column, which is as

Jan 1, 1942