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By Merle L. Bowser, Lawrence W. Scott, John N. Murphy

The environmental status of underground mining operations is critical to the health and safety of the miners; particularly in a large mine, the multitude of interacting parameters that can favorably or adversely affect the environmental status makes the manpower requirement of the routine checking of specific areas and conditions a formidable one. While the concept of environmental monitoring for miners has been considered for some time, until recently the availability of sensors to reliably measure the parameters of interest severely limited the utility of such systems. The status of sensors for mine use and the evaluation of enviornmental monitoring systems is reviewed.

Jan 1, 1980

By Merle L. Bowser, Lawrence W. Scott, John N. Murphy

The environmental status of underground mining operations is critical to the health and safety of the miners; particularly in a large mine, the multitude of interacting parameters that can favorably or adversely affect the environmental status makes the manpower requirement of the routine checking of specific areas and conditions a formidable one. While the concept of environmental monitoring for miners has been considered for some time, until recently the availability of sensors to reliably measure the parameters of interest severely limited the utility of such systems. The status of sensors for mine use and the evaluation of environmental monitoring systems is reviewed.

Jan 9, 1979

By C. Schlumberger

SINCE the, beginning of the year 1928 the senior authors and their associates have applied a series of procedures which makes possible the detailed study in situ of the formations traversed by a drill hole before the casing has been landed. They have given the name "electrical coring" to the ensemble of these processes, which now replace in a large measure the mechanical coring performed by the drillers, and permit the gathering of bottom-hole data hitherto unobtainable. Three years have elapsed since the technique and interpretation of these measurements emerged from the experimental stage and entered the field of industrial application on a large scale. The total length of drill holes so far surveyed by the authors and their associates, all over the world, amounts to several millions of feet. Practical and strongly built equipment has been evolved, which permits the examination in a short time of an open hole several thousand feet long. No comprehensive paper has yet been published discussing the essential principles of the processes applied and bringing into evidence their economic interest. This is the object of the present paper.1 Numerous examples of field work performed under varied geological conditions are given, constituting a concrete illustration of the services rendered by the new methods.

Jan 1, 1932

By C. Schlumberger

SINCE the beginning of .the year 1928 the senior authors and their associates have applied a series of procedures which makes possible the detailed study in situ of the formations traversed by a drill hole before the casing has been landed. They have given the name "electrical coring" to the ensemble of these processes, which now replace in a large measure the mechanical coring performed by the drillers, and permit the gathering of bottom-hole data hitherto unobtainable. Three years have elapsed since the technique and interpretation of these measurements emerged from the experimental stage and entered the field of industrial application on a large scale. The total length of drill holes so far surveyed by the authors and their associates, all over the world, amounts to several millions of feet. Practical and strongly built equipment has been evolved, which permits the examination in a short time of an open hole several thousand feet long. No comprehensive paper has yet been published discussing the essential principles of the processes applied and bringing into evidence their economic interest. This is the object of the present paper.1 Numerous examples of field work performed under varied geological conditions are given, constituting a concrete illustration of the services rendered by the new methods. The study in situ of the formations penetrated by a drill hole is based on the measurement of a given physical factor or parameter associated with these formations. Generally. the measurements are made syste-matically along the whole length of the open hole. The physical factors or parameters which are now utilized by us to this end are: (1) the resistivities of the rocks; (2) their porosity; (3) their electrical anisotropy; (4) their temperature; (5) the resistivity of the muds. In order to

Jan 1, 1932

By C. A. Hope, H. B. Wishart

THE number and severity of surface imperfections on rolled slabs, assuming the reception of uniformly good quality heats from the open hearths, depend upon a number of conditions associated with heating and rolling of steel in the primary mills. While there are other elements that have an effect on surface quality, rather than make this paper too lengthy the discussion of mill processing variables will be limited to three factors in order to illustrate their effect on slab surface quality: 1—amount of reduction between ingot and slab, 2—slab finishing temperatures, and 3—influence of roll changes. Measurement of the percentage of surface removed by scarfing on the flat surfaces of the slabs was used for evaluating quality in this study. A study of this nature must be made on slabs that are inspected and conditioned under uniform conditions and standards. In order to be certain that steel of the best possible steelmaking quality was received at the rolling mills, a low carbon deep drawing grade of rimmed steel, made for sheet mill application and manufactured under carefully controlled open hearth practices, was selected. Use of this particular steel thereby reduced the steel quality factor as a possible source of variation. The measure of slab surface quality is the amount of surface removed by scarfing during yard conditioning and is expressed as percentage of surface removal. This percentage was estimated by experienced personnel to uniform standards and it should be noted that these percentage figures are representative only for the grade selected and under the rigid inspection standards to which the slabs were subjected. Surface removal is a matter of concern because the imperfections, if undetected, often are the cause of poor surface quality in the finished product and their removal, by conditioning, add to the total plant costs. The data was collected at various times over a period of six months and, with normal weekly fluctuation in the level of quality, it is to be expected that for any period of sampling there will be some variation in the plotted results. The type of defect that is responsible for most slab conditioning at Gary Steel Works is a light angular surface break. This defect is usually interconnected to form large defective areas and occurs mainly on the bottom half of the slab on both sides. This type of defect is illustrated in Fig. 1, showing a bottom portion of a slab; while a close-up of an area of the same slab where the surface breaks were found is given in Fig. 2. The large dark areas are heat patterns, results of hot stacking and cooling. Independent of these light breaks, but sometimes associated with them, are larger and deeper isolated breaks. However, most of the surface removal occurs from conditioning the large areas of small breaks. There are also occasional scabs of varying degrees of severity but these are relatively infrequent. The slabs are generally free of rolled-in scale. Ingot to Slab Reduction vs Quality Some ten years ago at Gary Steel Works, the minimum slab ingot thickness was 30 in. Subsequent operating and other quality features indicated the desirability of using an ingot of reduced thickness with the result that a series of molds that would produce a 22 in. thick ingot with various widths was adopted as standard. A minimum number of the thicker mold sets are still used. From the standpoint of quality difficulties from pipe and segregation, the smaller ingots are an improvement. From a quality surface viewpoint, the slab product from the thin molds requires approximately twice the surface removal as the slab product from the thick molds. This is shown in Fig. 3 where the percentage of surface removal is plotted against slab product rolled from

Jan 1, 1956

By P. G. Hallof

Only recently has the term Induced Polarization found its way into geophysical literature. Schlumberger first mentioned the possible use of the induced polarization effect in one of his early papers. Later, induced polarization was the subject of several university theses, such as Seigel's at the University of Toronto and Bliel's at the Michigan School of Technology. In addition, a group at the New Mexico School of Mining and Technobgy has done work on induced polarization. There is very little to be found in print on the subject of induced polarization. Several papers have been presented at meetings, the 1958 AIME and SEG* conventions, for instance, on laboratory measurements of the effect and theoretical considerations useful in the interpretation of field results. This paper is the first attempt to present actual field results which show the usefulness of induced polarization as a prospecting technique. There are several phenomena that can cause polarization when electrical current is passed through the ground. In a paper presented at the 1958 SEG* meetings Professor T. R. Madden of M. I. T. demonstrated that only two of these gave rise to appreciable effects. The first is a result of the membrane and diffusion effects in a sandstone that contains appre- ciable amounts of clay minerals. The unbonded charges associated with the clay mineral forma material that passes positive and negative ions with different mobilities. When current is passed through such a system for some period of time, polarization results. The second phenomenon, which gives rise to very much larger polarization effects, is the one used in the new prospecting technique. These effects are a result of the blocking action or polarization of metallic or electronic conductors in a medium of ionic solution conduction. This electrochemical polarization, called "the over-voltage effect" by electro-chemists, occurs whenever electrical current is passed through a volume of rock which contains metallic minerals such as base metal sulphides. This polarization at metallic interfaces in ionic solutions depends upon the chemical energies necessary to allow the ions to continue the flow of current by giving up or receiving an electron from the metallic surfaces. The energy stored in this reaction isanalogous to that stored when a condenser is charged. If a d. c. current flowing through such a system is interrupted, the polarization can be detected as a small, decaying current that flows after the applied current is discontinued. The decaying potential measured is a result of the current flow caused by charges returning to their equilibrium positions from the positions they assumed under the applied potential field. Because of the polarization, there is an excess of change at each metallic interface. There is an alternate method of measurement of the induced polarization effect. The electrical

Jan 1, 1961

By E. P. Abrahamson II

The effect of transition elements which form binary solid solution upon the recrystallization temperature of zirconium has been investigated. All additions raised the recrystallization temperature. A correlation is obtained between the logarithm of the rate of change of recrystallization temperature with atomic percent solute and the free atom ground state electron configuration of the solute element. ThE work of Abrahamson, et al., on dilute binary solid-solution alloys indicated a correlation between the free-atom ground state electron configuration of the solute and either the brittle-ductile transition or recrystallization temperature. These studies were carried out on bcc base materials. The implication is that the outer s and d electrons of the solute are the prime determinant of the absolute rate of change of recrystallization or transition temperature. Furthermore, the limit of linearity has been shown to be a function of solute electron configuration for recrystallization in iron and vanadium. To date no Complete systematic recrystallization study of dilute binary zirconium base alloys has been made. It is the purpose of this study to note whether the change in solvent structure from bcc to hcp will influence the correlation. It was also desired to learn more of the role of the electron configuration of the solvent on recrystallization temperature. PROCEDURE All alloys were made using 99.87 pct Zr with 0.01 Cr, 0.04 Fe, 0.006 Hf, 0.003 Mg, 0.003 Mn, 0.003 N, and 0.080 0 (132 BHN). The solute elements were 99.9 pct pure. According to the published binary phase diagrams6 and metallographic examinations at X750, all alloys used were solid solutions. The alloys were arc melted and remelted six times in the form of cubic 200-g buttons under an argon atmosphere. They were then hot pressed at 950°C to 0.450 in., upset pressed to 0.350 in., and annealed at 800°C for 1 hr. The specimens were then Blanchard ground to 0.250 in., removing 0.050 in. from each side. The grain size of the material at this stage was found to be 8000 100 grains per sq mm. The specimens were then cold rolled to 0.130 in. and cold pressed to 0.125 in., yielding 50 1 pct cold work. All alloys were then chemically analyzed for the principal addition. The interstitial contents remained at the values of the starting material when checked on random alloy specimens. The rolled sheet was cut into 6.75 by 0.25-in. lengths and heat treated in a gradient furnace for 1 hr. The gradient was 250o to 900°C over the 6-in. length, recorded continuously by six thermocouples resting on each specimen. Control was 3oC, accomplished at the hot end. The recrystallization temperature was determined metallographically using polarized light. The criterion chosen was the point on the specimen showing the first recrystallized grain at a constant magnification, X200. Specimens were repeated, and the agreement was found to be 3°C. RESULTS Three different pure zirconium specimens were tested, and the recrystallization temperature was

Jan 1, 1962

By A. J. Lynch

There are two factors which are important in the development of automatic control systems for mineral preparation and concentrating processes. They are the availability of accurate and reliable on-line measuring instruments and an understanding of the effects of important variables on process behaviour. The state of automatic control for the different processes depends on the progress which has been made in these areas and this varies considerably. This is illustrated by discussion of four processes, wet ball milling and hydraulic classification, wet autogenous milling, sulphide flotation and dense medium separation in coal preparation plants. In each case the process characteristics, current control practice and future developments are discussed. Particular problems which have delayed progress are discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

By Daniel Houdouin

Data is frequently collected in mineral processing plants in order to evaluate operating performance or to model process units. Metal concentrations, circulating loads, products flow rates, classifiers efficiencies, flotation units recoveries, grinding mill efficiencies are typical parameters calculated from plant data. The validity of these calculations depends strongly upon the reliability of the data used for that purpose. The objective of this paper is to illustrate that flowrates, efficiencies and rate parameters of mineral processes are more reliable when calculated from balanced data rather than from raw data. Using variance-covariance matrices of balanced data produced by automatic mass balance packages (including flow rates, concentrations, percentage of solids and size analyses), variances of separator efficiencies (flotation or classification) and of mill grinding rates are derived. The variances are compared with those of variables calculated from raw data. The advantage of using balance data is illustrated with real data from flotation, grinding and classification units.

Jan 1, 1984

(Members are urged 'to, send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or, their fellow-members.) Members and guests who registered at Institute headquarters during the period Sept. 10 to Oct. 10, 1915: George H. Blakemore, Sydney, N. S. W. W. B. A. Dingwall, San Antonio, Tex.. H. Haege, Sydney, N. S. W. R. H. Jeffrey, London, England. C. A. Filteau, New York, N. Y. H. S. Emlaw, Spring Lake, Mich. Myron R. Walker, Cerro de Pasco, Peru. Y. T. Woo,' Tientsin, China. William R. Grunow, Morenci, Ariz. A. L. DeDeken, LouVain, Belgium. E. DeGolyer, Norman, Okla. K. P. Swensen, Tokyo, Japan. William W. Elmer, Tuttletown, Cal. Charles Enzian, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Huntington Adams, Iquique, Chile. C. F. Schnepp, Cobalt, Ont., Canada. W. Ray Cox, for several years Mineral Inspector of the General Land Office at Portland, Ore., has been appointed Professor of Mining and Metallurgy in the School of Mines, Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, Ore.

Jan 11, 1915

By A. H. Jones

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915). THE Belmont mill at Tonopah, Nev., was designed and constructed by the Belmont staff. Ground was broken in August, 1911, and milling operation started July 25, 1912. The metallurgical flow sheet, and the machinery adapted to carrying out operations in accordance with this plan, were decided upon from experience gained in the treatment of Belmont mine ores at the old Belmont mill at Millers, Nev. The detail drawings were made by the-engineering staff of the Tonopah-Belmont Development Co., under the supervision of Otto Wartenweiler, who also .had direct charge of the construction, consulting with the General Superintendent of the company, Frederick Bradshaw, and the writer.

Jan 8, 1915

By Bailey, Lewis Newton

Bailey, Lewis Newton, Master Engineer, Senior Oracle, 4th Regiment, U. S. Engineers, Headquarters Company, died of pneumonia, at Camp Merritt, N. J., on April 30, 1918. Baird, Louis, Lieut., Royal Field Artillery, British Army, died on the battlefield in 1915. Ballamy, John H., Capt., 103d Engineers, killed in action near Fismes, Aug. 9, 1918. Burt, Andrew, died in active service, 1916. Cobeldick, William Morley, Royal Engineers, died from gas poisoning on October 7, 1915. Dougall, Ralph, 4th University Co., Princess Patricia Regiment, killed in action early in the war. Evans, Alfred Winter, Lieut.-Col., New Zealand Rifle Brigade, D. S. 0., D. C. M. killed in action on October 12, 1917. Gorman, Thomas C., Lieut., Canadian Engineers, killed in France, Mar. 18, 1918. Hague, William, 1st Lieut., Engineer Officers' Reserve Corps, died in active service, Jan. 1,, 1918. Hall, William T., Capt., Royal Flying Corps, killed in action, May 19, 1917.

Jan 11, 1918

By Eugene F. Broome, Hugh A. Walls

Self-diffusion coefficients were measured using the modified shear cell technique over a temperature range from 31" to 401°C. These data agree within experimental error with those of Petit and Nachtrieb, which were determined from 30°to 99°C. LIQUID self-diffusion behavior in gallium has been studied previously by Petit and Nachtrieb&apos; using their shear cell technique.&apos; Data were obtained in that investigation over temperatures ranging from 30.6 to 98.7"C, and these comprise the only published data for liquid gallium. In the work reported here, diffusion data were obtained from 30.8 to 400-9.Cusing a shear cell technique different from that of Petit and Nachtrieb. This modified shear cell method and the mathematical analysis for diffusion in a finite capillary geometry have been previously described.3 PROCEDURES AND ANALYSIS The segments of the modified shear cell were fabricated from types 304 and 316 stainless steel. No corrosion problems with gallium were encountered until attempts were made to obtain data at 500°C. The diffusion capillary diameter was 1.59 mm and capillary lengths for the four sets of cell segments used are given in Table I. Gallium with a purity of 99.999 wt pct was obtained from Var-Lac-Oid Chemical Co. The gallium-72 isotope used to measure the self-diffusion coefficients was produced from this inert gallium by irradiation in The University of Texas Reactor Facility, and was checked for radiochemical purity. Following a period of isothermal diffusion controlled to within 0.0l°C, the contents of each capillary section were emptied into a counting planchet, weighed to assure that gallium had not been lost during handling, and the radioactivity determined by windowless gas-flow proportional counting. Great care was taken to obtain a reproducible counting geometry for the samples. Diffusion coefficients were obtained from the solu-tion3 to the diffusion equation for the modified shear cell problem, viz.: in which B2= C2(t)Li + L2)- CSL1-COL2 P* (C0-Cs)(L1+ L2) and L, and L2 are the capillary segment lengths. The step-function initial concentration distribution was expressed as C(x,O) = C, for -L1 = x < 0 and C(x,O) = Co for 0 < x 5 L?. Also, C2(0 = ^- fcix,t)dx Computation of the diffusion coefficients was done numerically as described in our earlier paper.3 Because of the short half-life of gallium-72 (14.1 hr) and the relatively long counting times taken to give a precise value of the diffusion coefficient, it was necessary to account for the radioactive decay both during the actual count and between counts for different samples (before and after diffusion). Thus, the average count rate Cz(t) for a second sample counted from times t3 to t4 can be made consistent with the average rate Co determined for a first sample counted from times t1 to t2 by the relationship: N(e-»i-e-M») , , C2(f) " &-«,)(*-«.-«-»«) [21 in which N is the total number of counts taken and is the decay constant. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The self-diffusion coefficients determined in this investigation are listed in Table 11. Values of the parameters used to calculate the coefficients are given in the table, as are values of the random counting error &apos; for the concentration ratio pz and the corresponding expected random variation AD in the diffusion coefficient. The quantity is calculable from: &apos;Cg — C2(t)} , „ ,2 .-„¦, M co-csl(ACs)J W in which AC is the error in the individual count rate. The mean values of the diffusion coefficients within each temperature group are also given in Table 11. Such temperature groupings of data are reasonable because of the small variations between the temperature~.~

Jan 1, 1970

THE illustration below shows the design of the face of the clock to be erected as a memorial to the American engineers who gave their lives overseas in the World War. It will be placed in the tower of the library at Louvain, which has been rebuilt through contributions from America. Large clocks seldom have figures on their faces, and each hour on this one will be marked by a gold star, the four faces containing 48 stars, one for each State of the Union. Contributions toward the memorial have been received from every one of the States, and from Alaska and Hawaii as well, but additional subscriptions are invited by the Com-mittee which is arranging for the memorial.

Jan 3, 1928

Carlisle: Jim Knapp, has been the good friend of hundreds-maybe thousands-of mining men in these western states in the last 40 or 50 years. Jim is going to talk about many of the mining camps of Nevada, where he has done plenty in the mining field during the last 50 years. Jim, for a starter, how did you happen to go to Nevada? Knapp: In the summer of 1902, two years after the discovery at Tonopah, the professor of mining at Stanford sent out myself and another student by the name of Joe Miller to make a report on the camp. We left San Francisco at 8 p.m., got to Reno the next morning, then took the train to Sodaville, arriving about 4:30 in the afternoon. The first man I met when I arrived at the Tonopah station was Tasker Oddie, a gentleman who later became the Govenor of the State and then a United States Senator. Before we got away from the stage station I also met S. H. Brady, the first mining engineer to put out his shingle in Tonopah. He afterwards became general manager of the West End Mining Co.

Jan 3, 1965

By Henry Fernald

THE accounting system or bookkeeping methods of any company are principally the concern of that company and of those who are in control of its affairs. Its published financial report is, however, primarily intended for those who are not already fully informed regarding its operations and finances. Whatever may be the advantages of standardization of accounting and bookkeeping methods, it must be admitted that a company has a certain right to handle its accounts and keep its books and records in whatever manner may seem to it best adapted to its affairs, even though such methods may differ materially from those generally adopted by others. In its financial reports it should not, however, either ask or expect that the statements it makes or the terms which it uses will be given in its case a meaning and interpretation different from that which they are ordinarily considered to have in similar reports and statements of other companies. The particular form and arrangement of such reports is a matter concerning which there may be much difference of opinion. It is of little importance whether current assets come first or last in the Balance Sheet, but it is important that there should not be included under this designation any items which are not properly current assets within the generally accepted meaning of that term. The extent to which stockholders or others interested are to be made acquainted with the full details of a company&apos;s business is a question which the proper authorities must in each case decide. It should, however, be recognized that there are certain facts regarding a mining com-pany which must be set forth in a financial statement if it is fully to cover the conditions and affairs of the company. For example, a financial, statement which does not include or is not accompanied by a statement, of the ore reserves of the company does not fully set forth its financial condition. This is true whether the absence of such a statement of ore reserves is because it is not desired to make public the figures or whether it is because the ore reserves themselves are not definitely known, or accurately measured.

Jan 1, 1928

By Frank Harwood Riddle

Products made from the ores of the sillimanite group, and synthetic substitutes for them, have unique properties, and service tests prove that they are playing, and will continue to play, a major part in improvements in metallurgical processes. Also, they are examples of how comparatively useless, rare, or "museum" minerals have been made available in commercial quantities. Until research developed uses for them, the minerals had been observed only in small, scattered masses, or crystals. Improvements in ceramic processes and compositions have come about very gradually. In the last 10 or 15 years, several outstanding developments have been made. Of greatest interest to the mining and metallurgical engineers are those affecting the composition, necessitating the mining of new minerals, and improvements in ceramic products used in metallurgical processes. Sillimanite and Mullite Sillimanite (Al2O3.SiO2), then known as Fibrolite, according to Dana,&apos; was first reported in 1792. In 1796, cyanite (Al2O3.SiO2) was first described.2 In 1873, Behrens published results of his microscopic study8 of porcelain. He showed that it contained what appeared to be crystals, which dissolved less readily than quartz and glass in hydrofluoric acid. Hussak4 described the presence of needlelike crystals as occurring in some instances in small amounts in certain porcelains. In 1908, Plenske and Zoellner both studied porcelain structure.5 Plenske observed that "sillimanite" might be present in masses of exceedingly minute grains which apparently were amorphous. Zoellner advanced the theory that the needlelike crystals were formed by a molecular change in the clay,

Jan 1, 1932

By C. J. Bauer

WHEN the pipe lines from the Middle East to the Mediterranean are completed, the Middle East supplies will relieve the strain on Western Hemisphere petroleum resources, part of which are now shipped for Eastern Hemisphere use. A sketch of the world petroleum situation as it appears today and in the immediate future will help in understanding the future place of Middle East oil supplies. Anticipated 1951 world demand is slightly under four billion barrels. To meet this requirement, crude output and refinery runs throughout the world (including Russia) must be increased about two million barrels per day above the average of 1947. This increment, together with pipe lines, tankers, and other facilities, will require in excess of ten billion dollars of new capital in the next four years. We are, therefore, looking forward to the greatest expansion program in the history of the industry.

Jan 1, 1948

By Walter Knox, J. D. Doherty

In 1939, at the request of The Koppers Coal Co., the Koppers Company Research Department established a Stoker Coal Research Laboratory for the purpose of investigating the performance characteristics of stoker coals in typical domestic stoker installations. Fig. I is a photograph of part of the laboratory. The material in this paper deals with the performance of one coal in a single installation. Presented are details of this installation, mechanical characteristics of the stoker, and the results of a series of burning tests in which adjustments were systematically varied. Summary OF Results Mechanical Features I. A large percentage of the total power consumed by a domestic stoker is used to operate the gear case and motor (Fig. 3)- 2&apos; The power consumption per ton goes down with an increase in rate of coal feed (Fig. 4). 3. The automatic air control in this stoker showed advantages Over manual control (Fig. 5). 4. The air velocities through the retort tuyeres were uniform around the retort, but varied between the rows of tuyere rings (Fig. 6). 5. The crushing of coal with this stoker increased the minus 1/8-in. from 11.6 per cent to 19.2 per cent. There was a notice- able segregation of coal as it came from the retort and distribution was not uniform (Fig. 7). 6. Measurement of air entering over the fire showed that with some not uncommon adjustments this air may be a high percentage of the total air supply (Fig. 8 and Table I). Operating Performance ,. The, removal of clinker was shown to give a period of poor performance characterized by a high fuel-bed resistance and a high percentage of carbon monoxide in the flue gases (Fig. 10). 2. The fuel-bed resistance was found to decrease as the fuel bed built up in a normal response to heat demand after a prolonged hold-fire (Fig. II). 3. with intermittent operation the burning rate was almost always less than the feeding rate, The wide variations were found to be greatly dependent upon the length of the On period and the length of the intervals between On periods (Fig. 12). 4. The maintenance of a low furnace draft led to less fly ash, better clinker formation, and higher efficiencies (Fig. 13). 5. The maintenance of a minimum of excess air also resulted in less fly ash, better clinker formation, and higher efficiencies (Fig. 14). Guiding Principles In planning the investigations, the following principles were adopted: Selection of Heating Equipment.—Use only standard models of stokers and furnaces representative of those widely used.

Jan 1, 1942

By Walter Knox, J. D. Doherty

In 1939, at the request of The Koppers Coal Co., the Koppers Company Research Department established a Stoker Coal Research Laboratory for the purpose of investigating the performance characteristics of stoker coals in typical domestic stoker installations. Fig. I is a photograph of part of the laboratory. The material in this paper deals with the performance of one coal in a single installation. Presented are details of this installation, mechanical characteristics of the stoker, and the results of a series of burning tests in which adjustments were systematically varied. Summary OF Results Mechanical Features I. A large percentage of the total power consumed by a domestic stoker is used to operate the gear case and motor (Fig. 3)- 2&apos; The power consumption per ton goes down with an increase in rate of coal feed (Fig. 4). 3. The automatic air control in this stoker showed advantages Over manual control (Fig. 5). 4. The air velocities through the retort tuyeres were uniform around the retort, but varied between the rows of tuyere rings (Fig. 6). 5. The crushing of coal with this stoker increased the minus 1/8-in. from 11.6 per cent to 19.2 per cent. There was a notice- able segregation of coal as it came from the retort and distribution was not uniform (Fig. 7). 6. Measurement of air entering over the fire showed that with some not uncommon adjustments this air may be a high percentage of the total air supply (Fig. 8 and Table I). Operating Performance ,. The, removal of clinker was shown to give a period of poor performance characterized by a high fuel-bed resistance and a high percentage of carbon monoxide in the flue gases (Fig. 10). 2. The fuel-bed resistance was found to decrease as the fuel bed built up in a normal response to heat demand after a prolonged hold-fire (Fig. II). 3. with intermittent operation the burning rate was almost always less than the feeding rate, The wide variations were found to be greatly dependent upon the length of the On period and the length of the intervals between On periods (Fig. 12). 4. The maintenance of a low furnace draft led to less fly ash, better clinker formation, and higher efficiencies (Fig. 13). 5. The maintenance of a minimum of excess air also resulted in less fly ash, better clinker formation, and higher efficiencies (Fig. 14). Guiding Principles In planning the investigations, the following principles were adopted: Selection of Heating Equipment.—Use only standard models of stokers and furnaces representative of those widely used.

Jan 1, 1942