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By J. N. Ong

The oxidation of tantalum is assumed to occur by four simultaneous first-order chain reactions; solution of oxygen in the metal, nucleation and growth of a suboxide phase at the metal surface and two phase boundary processes which give rise to two different modifications of Ta2O5. A rate equation is then formulated which accounts for all principal details of oxidation behavior, unifies and correlatss the results of the principal investigations, and expresses the rate as a function of pressure, temperature, and time. For purposes of practical application, the expressions: may be used below and above 700T respectively to determine the regression rate of tantalum in cm per hr, where T is to be expressed in "K and P in atmospheres pressure of oxygm. The equations will reproduce within a factor of two all reported experimental rates in the temperature range 475" to 1400°C and pressure range 0.000026 to 40.8 atm 0. 1 HE oxidation kinetics of tantalum have been investigated thoroughly in the temperature range 50" to 1400 and pressure range 1.32 x l0-' to 40.8 atm pressure of 0,and as a result, the principal features of the oxidation of tantalum are known and have been described in considerable detail. The exposition of the characteristics of the behavior of tantalum in oxygen has been largely descriptive, with considerable attention being devoted to elucidating the structure, composition, and morphology of the resulting oxide products. The weight change vs time results have usually been reported graphically. With the exception of the linear rate below 700 C and the process of diffusion of interstitial oxygen into the metal,6'9 no effort has been made to characterize the reaction rates in functional form. It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate that when the fundamental principles of chemical kinetics are rigorously followed, the results of the principal investigations will be correlated and unified and the oxidation rale may be expressed as an analytic function of pressure, temperature, and time. In addition to accounting for the temperature and pressure dependency of the oxidation rate, the following minor features will be accounted for as a result of the basic analysis: the initial period of nonline-arity in rate at low temperatures, which decreases with increasing temperature;3'5'7 the rate vs temperature cusps obtained at constant pressure"5 the concentration gradient of oxygen interstitially dissolved in the metal.5'7 The analysis will also be consistent with the overall chemistry of reaction and with all visual, microscopic, and X-ray observations. DEVELOPMENT OF RATE EQUATION As a fundamental basis for the treatment of metal-oxygen reaction kinetics, it will be regarded that the rate of reaction is determined by the concentration and not the activity or chemical potential. It is further assumed that all metal-oxygen reactions are first order complex chain reactions" whose rate is dependent on the concentration of an intermediate species which is a complex function of the oxygen concentration, or oxygen pressure, only. The basic rate equation is therefore: is the weight of oxygen consumed by the reaction, A is that portion of the area of the metal over which the reaction is occurring (cm2), t the time (sec), kf the rate constant for forward reaction, C the intermediate species concentration and f '([Oz]) and f (Po,) are complex functions of oxygen concentration and Oxygen pressure respectively. Reverse reactions may usually be neglected in metal-oxygen systems since a large negative free energy generally accompanies these reactions. Eq. [I] takes different forms when the rate of reaction is controlled by diffusion into or through a phase or at a phase boundary. For diffusion into the metal phase, the rate is given by1' Di is the diffusion coefficient of species diffusing into the metal phase (cm2/sec), and Q is the corre-

Jan 1, 1962

By K. H. Ribe

Water often enters an oil reservoir during completion or workover operations on a well and forms a partial "water block" to oil production. A mathematical study of radial two-phase flow, neglecting capillary effects, has been employed to study the formation of such a water block and subsequent re-moval by production from the well. The effects of reduced oil permeability about the well on the well productivity were studied. The fluid saturation distributions about the well during formation and removal of the water block have also been computed. Several relative permeability relations and viscosity ratios were employed. If water has invaded the formation, its influence through relative permeability effects alone can cause the following. 1. Oil productivity will be depressed for extended periods after production is resumed and will build up only gradually as the water is removed. 2. Oil injected for treatment of water blocking will delay rather than promote restoration of full well productivity by enlarging the region invaded by water. Thus, unless the specific action of chemicals contained in the oil is needed, oil injection appears undesirable. INTRODUCTION During oilwell workover operations, water may enter the oil-bearing formation from the wellbore. When production is resumed, oil must flow through the region invaded by this water. The presence of this region can cause both well productivity and oil production rate to be low and oil to be produced with high water-oil ratio for some time after production is initiated. This situation is sometimes described as a water block. The introduction of water into the formation may result in other actions which also lead to reduction in well productivity and which are also usually included in the connotation of the broad term, water block. Often considered, for example, are the possibilities of clay swelling by contact with fresh water and the formation of emulsions with the formation oil. If it is suspected that such specific actions have taken place, remedial treatments are undertaken which usually involve the injection of chemicals in oil. Since the introduction of water, even in the absence of specific interactions with the formation or oil, will cause a temporary water block (which might be misinterpreted as evidence of a more severe situation), it is of importance to evaluate the magnitude and duration of this blocking which results purely from the reduction in relative permeability to oil in the vicinity of the wellbore. It is also of interest to evaluate the effect of oil injection on the productivity of a well blocked by water in this manner. Inasmuch as this unfavorable condition may persist for some time, it may lead to premature condemnation of a workover or premature abandonment of a potentially productive pay zone. A quantitative evaluation of the influence of water entry on the oil productivity through changes in relative permeability was made by solving a radial form of the Buckley-Leverett equation. The distribution of water saturation around the wellbore during the entry of water was calculated and was followed by a similar calculation of the saturation distribution during the period of resuming production. At any stage in the removal of the invading water, knowledge of the distribution of its saturation permitted calculating the attendant loss in oil productivity. The influence of the shape of the relative permeability relationships was also evaluated by carrying out the calculations for two hypothetical cases. Further, the effect of the oil-water viscosity ratio was examined by repeating the calculations, for several ratios of unity and greater, with the same relative permeabilities. Fi-nally, results are presented to show how the length of time a well must be swabbed to resume production depends on the length of time it has been subjected to invasion by water. STATEMENT OF THEORY Differential Equations Water is assumed to enter a producing formation which is initially at the connate-water saturation and contains no gas. The water and oil are treated as in-

Sec. 1. This Division shall be known as the Institute of Metals Division of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. Sec. 2. The object of the Division shall be to furnish a medium of cooperation between those interested in the metallurgy, fabrication and uses of the nonferrous metals and their alloys; to represent the A. I. M. E. in so far as nonferrous metallurgy is concerned, within the rights given in A. I. M. E. By-law XI., Sec. 1, and not inconsistent with the Constitution and By-laws of the A. I. M. E.; to hold meetings for social intercourse and the discussion of nonferrous metallurgy; to stimulate the writing, presentation and discussion of papers of high quality on nonferrous metallurgy; to reject or accept such papers for presentation before meetings of the Division. Article II—MembeRs Sec. 1. Any Member, Associate, or Junior Associate of the A. I. M. E. in good standing may become a Member, Associate or Junior Associate of this Division upon registering in writing a desire so to do, but without additional dues. Sec. 2. But no one who has been continuously indebted to the A. I. M. E. or to this Division for more than three months shall be entitled to vote or to receive publications to which, as a member of the Division, he would be entitled. Article III—Funds Sec. 1. The expenditure of the funds reccived by the Division shall be authorized by the Executive Committee of the Division. Article IV—Meetings Sec. 1. The Division shall meet at the same time and place as the annual meeting of the A. I. M. E., and at such other times and places as may be determined by the Executive Committee subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the A. I. M. E. Sec. 2. The annual business meeting for election of officers shall be held within a few days before or after the annual business meeting of the A. I. M. E. Sec. 3. At any meeting of the Division for which notice has been sent to the members of the Division through the regular mail at least one month in advance, a business meeting may be convened by order of the Executive Committee, and any routine business transacted not inconsistent with these By-laws or with the Constitution or By-laws of the A. I. M. E. Sec. 4. For the transaction of business, the presence of a quorum of not less than 25 members of the Division shall be necessary. Article V—Officers and Government Sec. 1. The officers of the Division shall consist of a Chairman, two Vice-chairInen, Secretary and Treasurer. The office of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined in one person, if desired by the Executive Committee. Sec. 2. The government of the affairs of the Division shall rest in an Executive Committee, in so far as is consistent with the By-laws of the Division and the Constitution and By-laws of the A. I. M. E. Institute of Metals Divisiori

Jan 1, 1931

By R. E. Collins, Paul B. Crawford

Potentiometric model studies have been made of ertically fractured reservoirs. All fractures originated at he well and extended into the reservoir for various distances. Studies were made to determine the areal sweep efficiencies for line-drive patterns. The areal sweep efficiency for the unfractured system studied war 70.6 per cent. It was found that if the vertical fracture war paralIel with the direction of flood, the areal sweep efficiency may be considerably reduced, approaching zero in some instances. If the fracture was at right angles to the direction of flood, the areal sweep efficiency may be greater than that for the unfractured system. The sweep efficiency depends on the length and orientation of the fracture and direction of the flood. It is concluded that considerable effort should be made to determine the nature and direction of fractures before initiating a flooding program. Such information is required if the maximum sweep efficiency is to be obtained and channeling is to be reduced to a minimum. INTRODUCTION The recent development and application of fracturing techniques to petroleum reservoirs has served to focus considerable attention on the effect such fractures may have on secondary oil recoveries. The opinion has been expressed that fracturing may not alter appreciably the water flooding possibilities. Others have thought that channeling may occur and that the creation of fractures may serve to substantially reduce the possibilities of conducting a successful water flood in the reservoir The purpose of this study was to obtain quantitative estimates of the effect of vertical fractures on the areal sweep efficiencies of line-drive flooding patterns. In presenting this work on vertical fractures, it is not to be inferred that the present fracturing techniques result in producing a vertical fracture. The types of fracture which are created are not known with certainty in every case. Some are believed to be horizontal, others inclined along bedding planes, and some data indicate vertical fracturing. Each fracture will probably exert a different influence on the sweep efficiency of the secondary recovery program; consequently each fractured well should perhaps be considered as a separate problem, requiring a careful analysis. Preliminary work on the effect of fractures on producing capacity of a well indicated that for practical purposes many fractures may be treated as having a nearly infinite permeability This assumption appears to be valid in some instances where the permeability of the fracture is only 10 or 100 times greater than the permeability of the matrix. It is known to depend on the type, orientation and length of the fracture. In realization that fractures of only 0.01 in. width have calculated permeabilities near 5,000 darcys, it is believed that many fractures may be considered as of near infinite permeability without incurring serious error. Primarily for this reason this study was made with fracture analogs of very great permeability compared to the matrix. FRACTURED SYSTEM ANALOG The pattern sweep efficiencies reported here were obtained with the aid of a potentiometric model. The application of this type model for solving reservoir problems has been described in the literature.1,2,3 The electrolyte reservoir was 20 in. wide by 30 in. long by approximately % in. deep. The liquid depth was constant, which corresponded to a constant permeability-feet product from the injection to the production well. The electrolyte reservoir was built to correspond to a unit in the line-drive pattern shown in Fig. 1. This figure shows part of an infinite array of wells having alternate rows of fractured and unfractured wells. The area within the dashed rectangle shows the area generally studied in the model. In using the model to represent a fractured system, a thin strip of copper was soldered to the well or wells and the length and orientation of the strip was made to conform to the vertical fracture under consideration.

Jan 1, 1955

AN UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR INSTITUTE MEMBERS to increase or complete their sets of the Transactions. In order to encourage the custom of members increasing each year the number of Volumes of the Transactions in their private libraries until the sets are complete, the Board of Directors has authorized the sale of Transactions previous to the year 1913 at the following greatly reduced rates. This offer is made effective for sales made only during the year 1914, and applies only to members in good standing, and to libraries. The reduced price automatically ceases to apply to any volume when the total number of such volume left in stock is reduced to fifty (50).

Jan 12, 1913

MINNEAPOLIS-HONEYWELL Regulator Co., and Trans-Weigh Co., have come up with a conveyor belt that thinks. The belt weighs material and then figures out the tons-per-hour that it carries. And you can't fool it by adding or subtracting material along the way. It makes allowances for any additional material as well as for any loss. The belt rides along a set of rollers. The force exerted on the rollers is transferred to a gage. The weight of the belt is subtracted electrically. Final measurements are fed into an electronic recorder which indicates the flow at the moment and the total amount which has been carried by the belt.

Jan 1, 1952

By P. Sanchez-Mejorada

GEOLOGISTS who are acquainted with the mines of northeastern Mexico realize that the most important lead-silver replacement deposits of the province are confined to a single formation. But since the formation is several hundred meters thick, the author has determined the relative position of the lead mantos in the belief that this information will prove useful in the search for new mines. This article describes the stratigraphic location of lead-silver replacement deposits known in several mines situated in a region comprising part of the states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. The area studied extends for 200 km* (125 miles) from east to west and 70 km (45 miles) north to south.

Jan 1, 1958

By Robert J. Linney

IN the latter part of the year 1943, it was decided to experiment with diamond-drill blast holes in the Old Bed magnetite mine at the Mineville mines of the Republic Steel Corporation, in sections of the ore body where vertical dimensions were large and where development for sublevel bench stopes had already been done. Other possibilities of application for this drilling method were in the reclamation of old floors and pillars in the pitching folds of the Lower Old Bed ore body and in the reclamation of large vertical pillars in the " 21 " Bonanza-Joker ore body. The cross sections and views of the two ore bodies will show the conditions to which the diamond-drill method has been applied. The Lower Old Bed magnetite ore body is lenticular and dips approximately 30° toward the southwest and strikes generally southeast and northwest. An intensely folded structure, which pitches generally on an axis approximately at right angles to the strike, is continuous from the uppermost old workings down to the present bottom of the mine, and probably continues with depth. On successively lower levels this folded structure becomes greater in vertical dimensions and the two folds are closer together in a horizontal dimension. As shown in Fig. 1, this folded structure gives to parts of the ore body considerable vertical dimensions, which provide areas that were developed for sublevel bench stoping above a slushing drift, as shown in Fig. 2. It was in one of these previously developed sublevel bench stopes, No. 26 on the 1185-ft. level, that the diamond-drill blast-hole method was applied for mining the upper sublevel. The lower sublevel was underhand-bench-drilled to the finger raises of the scram drift below. The roof of this stoping area began to break and spall on the lower sublevel, causing the roof to become inclined. Along the hanging wall of the stope this reached an elevation about half way between the two sublevels. A smooth schistose seam in the hanging wall causes the ore to break away freely. Therefore, if bench mining had been carried on in the upper sublevel, a dangerous condition of poorly supported benches would have resulted. When the drillers were slashing across the sublevel to footwall and hanging wall to make a bench, spalling roof of the opening below would probably have carried away part of the bench, and would have left a dangerous place in which to continue underhand benching. A 6 by 8-ft. raise had been driven between the lower stope and the upper sublevel about 200 ft. from a manway. It was decided to use this raise for a starting cut and to arrange holes as shown in Fig. 3, so that a slot would be opened across the ore body between the footwall and hanging wall. This slot would then be used for the purpose of breaking into the ore; by blasting vertical rings of holes drilled at right angles to the axis of the pitching folds as nearly as possible. Layouts of this slot drilling and the rings adjacent are

Jan 1, 1945

By Robert J. Linney

In the latter part of the year 1943, it was decided to experiment with diamond-drill blast holes in the Old Bed magnetite mine at the Mineville mines of the Republic Steel Corporation, in sections of the ore body where vertical dimensions were large and where development for sublevel bench stopes had already been done. Other possibilities of application for this drilling method were in the reclamation of old floors and pillars in the pitching folds of the Lower Old Bed ore body and in the reclamation of large vertical pillars in the "21" Bonanza-Joker ore body. The cross sections and views of the two ore bodies will show the conditions to which the diamond-drill method has been applied. The Lower Old Bed magnetite ore body is lenticular and dips approximately 30° toward the southwest and strikes generally southeast and northwest. An intensely folded structure, which pitches generally on an axis approximately at right angles to the strike, is continuous from the uppermost old workings down to the present bottom of the mine, and probably continues with depth. On successively lower levels this folded structure becomes greater in vertical dimensions and the two folds are closer together in a horizontal dimension. As shown in Fig. I, this folded structure gives to parts of the ore body considerable vertical dimensions, which provide areas that were developed for sublevel bench stoping above a slushing drift, as shown in Fig. 2. It was in one of these previously devel-oped sublevel bench stopes, No. 26 on the 1185-ft. level, that the diamond-drill blast-hole method was applied for mining the upper sublevel. The lower sublevel was underhand-bench-drilled to the finger raises of the scram drift below. The roof of this stoping area began to break and spall on the lower sublevel, causing the roof to become inclined. Along the hanging wall of the stope this reached an elevation about half way between the two sublevels. A smooth schistose seam in the hanging wall causes the ore to break away freely. Therefore, if bench mining had been carried on in the upper sublevel, a dangerous condition of poorly supported benches would have resulted. When the drillers were slashing across the sublevel te footwall and hanging wall to make a bench, spdlling roof of the opening below would probably have carried away part of the bench, and would have left a dangerous place in which to continue underhand benching. A 6 by 8-ft. raise had been driven between the lower stope and the upper sublevel about 200 ft. from a manway. It was decided to use this raise for a starting cut and to arrange holes as shown in Fig 3, so that a slot would be opened across the ore body between the footwall and hanging wall. This slot would then be used for the purpose of breaking into the ore, by blasting vertical rings of holes drilled at right angles to the axis of the pitching folds as nearly as possible. Layouts of this slot drilling and the rings adjacent are

Jan 1, 1946

By Brison Robertson, W. P. Fishel

The carbide-forming tendencies of the various steel-alloying elements, or their affinities for carbon, is a subject that has received considerable attention, but little more than a probable arrangement of the elements as to their carbide-forming tendencies has been proposed. The physical properties of alloy steels depend upon the relative proportions of the elements present and their combinations. one important phase of this subject is the distribution of carbon between the various elements present. The distribution of car. bon between iron and other elements evidently sill depend upon: (I) the affinity of each for carbon; (2) the relative atomic masses of the elements present; and (3) the possible formation of compounds between the alloying and iron and between the elements themselves, In ternary steels the case is simplified, especially in systems in which the element and iron form no compounds, In such systems iron and the alloying element are competing for the carbon present. In this work the distribution of carbon between titanium and iron has been studied by measuring the relative amounts of iron carbide and titanium carbide present ill a series of annealed steels in which the ratio of titanium to carbon extended from 0.527 to 4.61. Ten Fe-Ti-C alloys, weighing about 250 grams each, were prepared by melting under a Vacuum, in an Induction furnace, Armco iron, carbon-free ferrotitanium (25 per cent Ti), and pure carbon. Vacuum melting prevented the formation of titanium oxides and nitrides, which would the the problem. The melts were made in graphite crucibles lined with sintered magnesium oxide. The ingots were the in the furnace under a vacuum and "'ere then completely annealed at 950°C. The determination of the amount of titanium carbide present was based upon the established insolubility of titanium carbide in boiling dilute (1:4) sulphuric acid, and the complete solubility Of free titanium and titanium-iron compounds in this acid. High-carbon ferrotitanium, which had been treated to remove free Ti and Fe. was found to be completely insoluble in the acid; and the carbon-free ferrotitanium used in making the alloys was found to be completely soluble. Others have reported the insolubility of titanium carbide in sulphuric and hydrochloric acids. Turnings from the ingots were digested with boiling sulphuric acid (1:4) until all action had ceased. The carbide residue was filtered off and analyzed for titanium, and in some cases for carbon. This represerifs the titanium that was united with carbon The filtrate from the carbide residue contains the portion Of the titanium that was in solid solution in the ferrite. Titanium

Jan 1, 1945

By J. Szekely, G. P. Martins

A formulation is given and a general analytical solution is presented for the problem of spherical phase growth in multicomponent systems. The results are valid for describing the rate of bubble growth in the absence of translational motion and, therefore, should be relevant to heterogeneous nucleation processes. Typical worked examples are given, which include bubble growth due to the simultaneous diffusion of hydrogen and nitrogen in molten steel, and the growth of CO bubbles in steel, due to the reaction: C + 0 = CO. The calculations predict that the presence of additional components would enhance the growth rate and also increase the absolute rate at which the individual components are transferred into the bubble. These findings should be relevant to degassing processes. THE problem of spherical bubble growth in the absence of translational motion is appropriate to the description of the heterogeneous nucleation and subsequent growth of gas bubbles while attached to a solid surface. Such problems are of considerable practical relevance to various vacuum degassing and steelmaking processes where bubble nucleation and subsequent growth play an important part in the overall reaction mechanism. A definitive formulation of spherical phase growth has been given in the now classical paper by Scriven1 and the analogous problem for solid phase growth has been discussed by Horvay,2 furthermore a thorough review of the relevant literature has also become available.3 All this previous work was concerned with one component or binary systems. The purpose of this paper is to show that the technique developed by Scriven may be generalized to alow the consideration of multicomponent systems. The results of this generalization would be particularly relevant, as gas bubble nucleation in the metallurgical systems previously mentioned frequently involves the simultaneous diffusion of several components. In the following a general formulation is given and typical worked examples are presented. FORMULATION Consider the growth of a spherical gas bubble due to diffusion in a quiescent liquid of infinite extent, as sketched in Fig. 1. The formulation of such problems requires the statement of the following conservation equations relating to the liquid phase: Equation of continuity Equation of motion Conservation of the diffusing species—Diffusion Equation. The following assumptions are made: a) The fluid is incompressible, quiescent, and of infinite extent b) The bubble is stationary, i.e., it undergoes no translational motion c) Spherical symmetry is observed throughout d) The mass diffusivity is constant e) Chemical equilibrium exists at the surface of the bubble, and any reactions occurring there are fast compared to the diffusion process f) Inertia and surface tension effects are neglected. Equations derived on the basis of these assumptions by previous investigators were found to provide a reasonable representation of bubble growth while attached to a surface in organic and aqueous systems4,5 For gas bubble growth in molten metal systems assumptions a) to d) chould hold reasonably well. The exclusion of chemical kinetics as a possible rate limiting step may not be universally valid, but should hold for many systems operating at high temperatures. The effect of hydrodynamic inertia may be neglected for moderate growth rates; finally, the assumption neglecting the effect of interfacial tension on the bubble growth was made for the sake of mathematical convenience; its inclusion would have required the use of quite cumbersome numerical techniques. While surface tension effects could be appreciable on the initial values of the overall growth rate, especially at low absolute pressures and in case of small bubbles, they are not thought to modify the relative effects present in multicomponent systems, the study of which is the objective of this paper. Within the framework of the above assumptions

Jan 1, 1970

By A. C. Watts

FOR several years, a mine in Colorado experienced considerable trouble from small fires caused by the blasting of coal. Although a well-known make of permissible powder was used, it was first thought that the powder ignited gas that might be present and that this, in turn, set fire to line brattices or to the coal. Experiments were, therefore, conducted with another make of powder, but the results convinced the superintendent of the mine, Robt. Williams, Jr., that the fires were not caused by the powder but by the high-voltage electric current used for detonating the shots. The mine "makes" gas very freely, giving off from three-fourths to a million cubic feet of methane per 24 hours. The coal is a good grade bituminous of a very free burning quality. Electric shot-firing from the outside after all men and animals were outside had been practiced for a number of years. The shooting circuit was connected with the main power circuit at the mouth of each entry. Shooting circuit switches were mounted in boxes, which were kept locked with the handle of the switch, in open position, showing through the bottom of the box. The door of the box could not be shut and locked when the shooting switch was closed. At the entrance to each room, or working place, a small switch, called the miner's switch, was placed on the shooting line. It was the duty of the miner, when entering his place at the beginning of the shift, to see that this switch was open and that it was kept open until he left the place at the end of the shift to go out of the mine. Grounded return was used for main power lines. The current was 500 volts, direct current, with 100 to 300 amp. The nearest working face was 9600 ft. from the shot-firers' switch outside the mine and the most remote working face was 2 ½ miles. The various working faces were scattered over a wide area between these two points.

Jan 9, 1925

By S. T. Sorrell

To obtain a negative determination for prime farmlands in its approved lignite surface mine permit application, Phillips Coal Co. conducted a soils mapping effort and a historic land use survey. In addressing the justification for topsoil substitute materials, the company relied on results of a geochemical evaluation to demonstrate improved drainage, trafficability, and fertility. It also relied on results of field test plots. Post-mining land use was determined through the use of overlay maps considering existing land use, vegetation, and historic prime farmland. The reclamation plan incorporated these elements plus indicator species, existing vegetation, and wildlife needs.

Jan 1, 1985

By William L. Lennemann

Chemistry of uranium with respect to its hydrometallurgical recovery from carnotite ores was investigated and well defined during the radium boom period between 1900 and 1920. Since that time, methods used to extract uranium from its ores have remained basically either acid leaching or sodium carbonate leaching. Until about 1950, the only practical methods known for achieving a better than 75 pct U2O3 concentrate from the leach liquors involved fundamental chemical techniques for either purifying a solution prior to the uranium precipitation, or refining a crude uranium concentrate that was produced by neutralizing a pregnant mill liquor.

Jun 1, 1956

By Thomas A. Earl

Much of the strip mining in the Appalachian coalfields was done prior to backfilling and regrading requirements, resulting in many devastated areas which also have serious acid mine drainage problems. Economic incentive or justification for reclaiming these thousands of acres of land does not exist unless some value can be attached to the open cuts and weathered overburden piles. In Pennsylvania many of these old strip mine cuts are being successfully used for sanitary landfills and sludge disposal sites, and multiple benefits are realized. Given proper regulatory control, this technique could be beneficially applied to many other areas in the east.

Jan 1, 1977

By Nathaniel Arbiter, Edward L. Vickers

Complete automation of concentrator operations through computer control has been under increasing consideration by American engineers for several years. Although justification for full-scale automation of a mill must ultimately be economic- added profits exceeding instrumentation and development costs-the technical feasibility of automation will be determined by the availability of requisite, detailed knowledge of the various unit operations in the plant. This poses problems. BASIC PROBLEMS WHICH MUST BE CONSIDERED A hypothetical porphyry copper mill will be used here to illustrate these problems. Its flowsheet will involve: mining, crushing, storage, grinding and classification, flotation, product de-watering, and disposal.

Jan 8, 1962

By B. S. Taylor, J. D. Fraser, W. L. Chen

Steam coal quality is less stringent than metallurgical coal quality. Steam coal is prepared either by cleaning a full-size range of raw coal or cleaning coarse coal only, leaving the fine coal raw. The latter scheme is more cost competitive. It is particularly applicable to US eastern soft coal where low ash coal is concentrated in fine sizes. For raw coal size separation the Rotating Probability Screen, developed by the British Coal Board, may be used for easy change of raw coal separating size, and to avoid screen deck plugging when handling wet and clayey raw coals.

Jan 1, 1985

By Wayne L. Dowdey

With proud humility and keen anticipation, I accepted the office of President of the Institute one year ago, and it is with a great deal of pride in you-our membership that I make this report. You are the reason for a productive and prosperous year for AIME. Superior, good or satisfactory results were experienced in 1978 from almost everything we did as a leading engineering technical society. I recognize and pay tribute to the WAAIME organization. Their work is vital to our efforts, and their programs have proven effective. WAAIME can depend upon our continuing support.

Jan 6, 1979

WASHINGTON, D. C. HERBERT C. HOOVER, Chairman H: FOSTER BAIN, Vice-chairman DAVID WHITE, Vice-chairman HARVEY S. MUDD, Secretary-Treasurer, Room 2114, Dept. of Interior Bldg. J. F. CALLBREATH HENNEN JENNINGS E. W. PARKER T. T. READ An inspiring meeting of the Washington, D. C., Section was held at the Cafeteria of the Interior Building on Friday evening, Dec. 6, 1918. One-hundred and thirty-five members and guests attended, and Vice-chairman H. Foster Bain presided. The Committee on Nominations reported: for Chairman, Herbert Hoover; for Vice-chairmen, Frederick G. Cottrell, and F. L. Ransome;

Jan 1, 1919

By A. S. Yue

Small-angle tilt boundaries have been observed in a lamellar eutectic structure. These boundaries are morphologically similar to a theoretical till boundary originally proposed by Burgers. The production of a small-angle tilt boundary in the lamellar eutectic structure is attributed to the formation of an indentation on a planar solid-liquid interface during growth. Constitutional supercooling due to the accumulation of impurity atoms ahead of the interface is primarily responsible for the generation of an indentation. The distance between two faults of like sign, designated as lamellar fault distance, is calculated by the Burgers equation for small-angle boundaries. It was found that the lamellar fault distance decreases exponentially and the tilt angle increases exponentially with freezing rate. SMALL-ANGLE tilt boundaries have been observed in many crystals in the as-grown states by etching techniques. However, a detailed substantial proof for revealing the presence of dislocations in the form of etch-pits was recently accomplished by Vogel. These boundaries are described as an array of dislocations of like sign. The angle of tilt associated with a boundary is treated theoretically by Burgers3 and is given by 0 = b/D for small tilt-angle where b is the Burgers vector of the dislocations and D is their average spacing. During the course of experimentation on the solidi fication of the lamellar Mg-32 wt pct Al eutectic a microstructure which was strikingly similar to a dislocation tilt boundary was observed. An example of the type of microstructure is given in Fig. 1, which shows a combination of transverse and top sections of the lamellar eutectic structure. The lamellae of the top section on one side of the apparent tilt angle are not parallel with those on the other side. Consequently, some lamellae must be terminated somewhere. Fig. 1 shows that the termination of lamellae is analogous to a dislocation tilt boundary in a crystal lattice originally proposed by Burgers. This work represents a closer look at such structures. The factors governing the production of the small-angle tilt boundary are discussed in terms of the freezing condition and impurity distribution in the melt. The effect of freezing rate on the distance between two faults, designated as lamellar fault distance, and the tilt angle is also described. In addition, the lamellar fault distance is determined by means of the Burgers equation for small-angle tilt boundary. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The slightly impure Mg-32 wt pct Al eutectic rods, 5/8 in. in diam and 12 in. long, were made from 99.99 wt pct Al and 99.98 wt pct Mg and were cast in a high-purity graphite mold. Some of these rods were purified by zone-refining the eutectic using direct-radiation helical-coil furnaces5 A molten zone about 2 in. long was passed through the cast rods at a speed of 5.3 x 104 cm per sec for ten passes of the molten zone. Before the freezing experiment was begun, 2-1/2 in. of the material from the head and tail ends of the zone-refined eutectic were removed from the rod to eliminate any impurity. The freezing experiments were carried out under controlled conditions,8 using a protective atmosphere of purified argon. At the end of each run, observation of the tilt boundary was made throughout the entire length of the rod with a light microscope on the top, longitudinal, and transverse sections (three mutually perpendicular sections) of the lamellar eutectic solid. The experimental data used for the determination of interlamellar spacing and tilt angle were taken from the middle portion of

Jan 1, 1964