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By James Chapman

THE observations here presented are those, not of an expert accountant, but of one who, while he has seen considerable service in the accounting departments of large companies, has spent more time in engineering and operating. This paper is intended to cover, in a measure, mine accounting for small mines, as distinguished from the elaborate systems, requiring many persons ;n the accounting department. I shall attempt to outline a system embracing the essentials of accounting, and simple enough in form to permit one or two persons to carry it on from month to month, in sufficient detail to be able to tell quickly the grade of ore, the prices received for metals, costs per ton for mining and milling, costs per foot for development, upward or downward tendencies in costs, ore settled or in transit, cash on hand, stocks of supplies on hand, efficiency of' labor, etc. As in all accounting, there are two main divisions: that of revenue received for what is sold, and that of disbursements made for what is bought, so in mine accounting we have to consider chiefly the income derived from sales of ore or concentrates, and the expenses incurred in producing the said ore or concentrates in a marketable condition.

Jan 3, 1916

By W. G. SWART

THE best estimate on reserves of iron ore in the Lake Superior district is that made, in 1920, by Mr. R. C. Allen, amounting to 2,947,225,000 tons of assured and probable ore. This includes direct- shipping or so-called merchantable ores, and those capable of beneficiation by demonstrated processes. De- ducting from this the 287,000,000 tons shipped since 1920, leaves a present reserve of approximately 2,500,- 000,000 tons, or; about 50 years' supply. The assured ore in this estimate is given as 1,560,500,000 tons, which checks Mr. Lake's estimate of 1,528,948,000 tons, or about 30 years' supply. This is not a long time in the life of the steel industry, and it can be readily appreciated that the matter is important enough to war- rant the attention it is beginning to receive. The first question that engages our attention is, What is merchantable ore? In 1902 the average of all Mesabi shipments was 56.07 per cent iron and 4.35 per cent silica. Twenty-five years later it had dropped to 51.99 per cent iron, with silica up to 7.92 per cent. It has remained around these figures for' ten or twelve years and, except for a probable rise in silica, can stay there for an indefinite period. Most of these figures I am giving cover the Mesabi Range. Including the other ranges does not change the figures greatly, and the Mesabi Range commands the situation, since it produces about 65 per cent of the total annual tonnage and, according to Mr. Allen, contains 81 per cent of the assured reserves, 50 per cent of the probable reserves, and 66 per cent of both the assured and the probable reserves.

Jan 1, 1926

By A. C. Backeberg

There is no South African code for the design of reinforced concrete headframes, and all those erected have been designed on a uniform basis which, up to the present, has tended to be conservative. With certain exceptions designs have generally conformed with British Standard Code of Practice C.P. 114. In the design of reinforced concrete headframes the following loads are taken into account:

Jan 11, 1961

By J. W. Eckerd, P. S. Lewis, N. H. Coates

USBM designed, constructed, and operated an 18-in.-diam fluidized-bed combustor for highly caking coals to evaluate the method for possible application to power generation. In initial tests, combustion was carried on successfully, with carbon losses as low as 0.8%+ Coal ash was not satisfactory as a bed material, but mullite proved to be acceptable. Overall heat-transfer coeffients from the bed (-20 t 50 mesh mullite) to a water-cooled tube were about 75 Btuper hr-sq ft. Fluidized-bed combustion is being investigated by the U. S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) as a potentially cheaper method of firing power plant boilers. Lower combustion temperatures in fluidized beds—only 1400" to 1800°F-—should reduce fireside deposition and corrosion and nitrogen oxides production. Fluidized-bed combustion also offers possible advantages in the use of additives to control SO, emissions and amenability to processing of high-ash, high-moisture coals without special preparation. This paper describes development of a fluidized-bed combustor and the results of preliminary tests. Equipment and Procedure Fig. 1 shows the 8-ft-high combustor. A cone-shaped plate perforated by I/8-in.-diam holes supports the fuel bed and admits the fluidizing air; water passing through the 3/4-in. pipe extracts heat from the combustion bed. Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of the system. Coal is fed pneumatically to the base of the fuel bed. Combustion products are passed through two centrifugal separators to remove most of the entrained solids, then to a water

Jan 1, 1971

By A. E. Dwight, A. F. Berndt

ThE published U-Ru equilibrium diagram indicates the existence of six intermetallic compounds in this system.' The structure of only two of the compounds, u2Ru2,3 and URU3,4 have been identified. This communication reports on the crystal structure and density of Uau3, which is formed by a peritectoid transformation at 1025° ± 5°C: U3Ru4 + U3Ru5 = U2Ru3. An alloy with the stoichiometric formula U2Ru3 was prepared by arc melting electrolytic uranium and ruthenium of 99.9 pct purity on a water-cooled copper hearth under an argon atmosphere. After homo-genization at 1000°C for 3 days, a metallographic examination revealed that the peritectoid transformation was complete and less than 5 pct of a second phase was present. A powdered sample, obtained by crushing the brittle compound, was annealed for 1 hr at 1000°C and air-cooled. Debye-Scherrer patterns were obtained with filtered CrKa, FeKa, CoKa, or CuKa radiation. The X-ray patterns of U2Ru3 weFe indexed as an fcc structure with a. = 12.895 0.00lA. The unit-cell constant and its standard deviation were calculated by a computer program described by Mueller, Heaton, and Miller.5 The density, measured by an immersion method, was 14.45 g cm-3. A calculated density of 14.48 g cm-3 was obtained on the assumption that twenty-four formula units (120 atoms) comprise a unit cell. The space group is either oh7 Fd3m, or the less symmetric, T4h, Fd3, since reflections indexed as hk0 with h + k + 4n are absent. All values of h2 + k2 + 12 permitted by both space groups are listed in Table I together with dc, do, and I. values. The calculated d spacings were obtained by the computer program of Mueller, Meyer, and simonsen.6 The observed d spacings above 0.77A were obtained from X-ray" patterns prepared with CuKa radiation, above 0.90A with CoKa radiaaion, above 0.98A with FeKa radiation, and above 1.16A with CrKa radiation. An attempt was made to identify the crystal structure of U2Ru3 by comparison with published data on other A2B3 compounds. A recent compilation7 of intermetallic compounds lists thirty-two structure types with the A2B3 stoichiometry. Only two of the structure types are fcc and they are Sb2O3(r), senarmontite, with 16 Sb2O3 per unit cell, and In2Te3 for which several structures have been proposed.8 However, the two cases cited do not have twenty-four formula units in the unit cell. We therefore, cannot identify UPRU3 with any of the other known A2B3 compounds. Ternary alloys were made in which 5 at. pct Os, Rh, or A1 were substituted for 5 pct of the Ru in U2Ru3. The osmium substitution increased the unit cell constant to 12.899 * .001A, which is to be expected since the atomic volume of osmium is slightly larger than

Jan 1, 1969

It has been established that molybdenum sesquisulphide, not molybdenite, is in equilibrium with molybdenum metal and sulphur vapor in the vicinity of 1100°C. The S2 pressure for this system has been obtained using the Knudsen orifice method and the standard free energy for the dissociation of S2. THIS work was undertaken to help in determining the thermodynamic properties of the molybdenum sulphide which is in equilibrium with metallic molybdenum and sulphur vapor in the temperature range 1025" to 1150°C. From the results of MontoroL and of Parravano and Malquori' molybdenite would be expected to be in equilibrium with molybdenum metal, while the results of Guichard indicate that a lower sulphide must be in equilibrium with the metal. Thus it was concluded that the problem warranted reconsideration, especially in view of the suspiciously low temperature independent term for the standard free-energy function for the reaction MoS² Mo + S,. The reaction was calculated and duly noted as being low by Richardson and Jeffes,' using the data of Parravano and Malquori.' Experimental Method The general method used in this investigation is that of the Knudsen orifice method for the determination of equilibrium pressure. The apparatus and technique are similar to those described for the determination of the vapor pressure of silver.% owever, a closed-end McDanel tube instead of fused silica was used to maintain the vacuum, a molybdenum effusion cell with a replaceable lid was employed instead of a silica cell, and a titanium getter maintained at run temperature was used to assure that no oxidation of the molybdenum or molybdenum sulphide was taking place. All runs were made at a residual pressure less than 10-5 mm Hg. The data are given in Table I. Runs 1 through 13 were obtained using molybdenite, analyzed 98.5 pct, from the Molybdenum Corp. of America. The remaining runs were done with a sample from the Climax Molybdenum Corp. which was their grade No. 3 and analyzed 59.87 pct Mo. The weight loss of the cell during heating up and cooling down was subtracted from the total weight loss of the cell during the run. Also, when the tem- perature was changed, the Knudsen cell was placed in the vacuum chamber and heated at temperature for several hours in order to allow the sulphide and the metal to adjust their compositions to the equilibrium values, to desorb or adsorb gases into or from the molybdenum cell itself, and to desorb any water from the molybdenum sulphide or molybdenum powder inside the cell. Water may have been adsorbed inside the cell because, after each run, the top of the cell was removed and the material in the cell was stirred to insure that a layer of molybdenum metal would not build up and obstruct the passage of sulphur vapor into the gas phase. It was established that the molybdenum cell alone decreased in weight an inappreciable amount when heated at the highest run temperature for long periods of time. There are two questions to be answered before the data in Table I can be used to calculate thermodynamic functions: 1—Which molybdenum sulphide is in equilibrium with molybdenum metal and sulphur vapor? 2—What sulphur species are present in the vapor phase? It can be assumed safely that no molybdenum is vaporized, since its vapor pressure is almost negligible at these temperatures. It will be shown subsequently that no sulphide of molybdenum is volatile. Question 1 was answered in the following way: The especially purified molybdenite, obtained from the suppliers mentioned previously, was charged

Jan 1, 1956

Discussion of the paper of S. E. Bretherton, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 80, August, 1913, pp. 1481 to 1487. S. E., BRETHERTON, San Francisco, Cal.:-Since preparing my paper, our chemist, F. L. Wilson, has been experimenting with Leadville, Colo., oxidized zinc ore and Leadville zinc sulphides containing lead, operating upon 40-1b. lots at a time. His results on Leadville sulphides are as follows: The raw ore contained a trace of gold, 5.04 oz. of silver, 19.1 per cent of zinc, and 7.24 per cent of lead. After roasting the ore contained a trace of gold, 5.72 oz. of silver, 0.75 per cent of copper, 21.7 per cent of zinc, and 8.29 per cent of lead. The loss in weight by leaching was 38.8 per cent. The extraction was 42.8 per cent of the copper, 80.6 per cent of the zinc, 7.1 per cent of the lead, 0.64 per cent of the silver, and no gold. The little .silver that is extracted would be thrown down with the copper when precipitating it from the zinc and both thrown hack into the residue to be smelted. There would be no trouble in smelting the residue with nearly all the sulphur eliminated and containing less than 7 per cent. of zinc. On zinc carbonates containing silicates the results are not satisfactory. H. O. HOFMAN, Boston, Mass. (communication to the Secretary*) :¬The paper by Mr. Bretherton upon the application of ammonia and carbonic acid to the recovery of zinc as oxide from roasted sulphide ore is of interest to me, as the first installation of the Schnabel process for the extraction of zinc from a mixture of zinc oxide, lead oxide (with some cupric oxide), and pellets of enriched lead, produced in steaming liquated zinc-silver-lead crust of the Parkes process, was made at Lautenthal, Harz mountains, where I was chemist. In that capacity I carried out numerous experiments on the Schnabel process, was active in the erecting of the plant, and later had charge of it. After the Lautenthal plant had been in operation for some time a similar one was built at Hoboken-les-Anvers, but both have been abandoned, as the wet process could not compete with the distillation of the liquated zinc-silver-lead crust, now used universally in the Parkes process.

Jan 11, 1913

By MARCELS CHLUMBER

BY the term making an "electrical log" the authors designate an operation conceived for the purpose of determining electrically the characters of formations traversed in drilling, the determination being carried out by means of measuring the electrical resistivities of the rocks along the uncased portions of drill-holes. As in the case of an ordinary core record, this process connotes a geological studs of the strata, and for that reason it is given a similar designation. The paper is divided into three parts, of which the first deals with the resistivities of rocks in general, since it is through this electrical parameter that they are to be characterized. The second deals with the technique, and the third with the description of practical applications of the electrical logs.

Jan 1, 1929

By Galen H., Clevenger

THE first and most important thing that affects the majority of lead producers in the Rocky Mountains and the western mining regions is that zinc in an ever-increasing degree is inseparably associated with the lead. The Sullivan mine in British Columbia is not only a great lead mine, but also a great zinc producer. This mine could not reach its full measure of productiveness, nor was its great value established, until a reasonably good physical method was developed for separating the lead from the zinc prior to the recovery of each metal by an appropriate process. The western metallurgists and also metallurgists in other parts of the world have long faced the lead-zinc problem. This for many years stimulated a great deal of experimental work looking toward the development of a physical or chemical method of separating lead and zinc in concentrated form from complex ores. Space will not permit of going into this work in detail, but it is sufficient to say that with but few exceptions the western lead smelter continued smelting charges many times too high in zinc for the most efficient operation of lead furnaces. The zinc was not only lost, as the zinc content of many a western slag dump bears mute testimony, but the cost of lead smelting was increased by reason of the presence of the zinc. The owner of the ore under these circumstances could be paid nothing for the zinc and, indeed, he was penalized for it

Jan 1, 1926

By E. P. Sadowski, R. J. Raudebaugh

A study of micro structural characteristics of a 30 pct Cr, 42 pct Ni, 26 pct Fe alloy has been correlated with its behavior in creep and rupture tests at 1400°, 1600°, and 1800°F. Nitrogen pickup observed at 1600" and 1800°F was associated withfissur-ing of specimens prior to fracture. IN studying the high-temperature characteristics of a nominally 30 pct Cr, 42 pct Ni, 26 pct Fe alloy certain anomalies were observed, namely: The alloy had greater stress rupture and creep strength at 1800" than at 1600° F for time periods beyond 550 hr. As placed in test, this alloy was nonmagnetic. After test, some specimens were found to be fairly magnetic. The gain observed in magnetic response was not solely a function of time and temperature of testing. This is a report of the observations and a recounting of the results of studies made in an attempt to explain the behavior of the material under investigation. MATERIAL AND PROCEDURE All test material was taken from a production size heat of an experimental alloy melted and processed using commercial practice and having the following percentage composition: C Fe Cr Ni Ti 0.05 25.83 30.13 41.59 0.41 Al Mn Si S Cu 0.42 0.75 0.45 0.011 0.34 The material was tested in two conditions, namely mill-annealed and grain-coarsened. Mill annealing, which consisted of heating to about 1900° F in a continuous furnace for about 30 min and air cooling, gave a grain size of ASTM 8 and finer. To produce the grain-coarsened condition, mill-annealed material was soaked for 2 hr at 2050°F in a laboratory furnace and air cooled. This resulted in an ASTM grain size of 4 to 5. Rupture tests were carried out at 1400, 1600, and 1800° F in accordance with ASTM procedures. In tests where only rupture life and elongation at fracture were determined, specimens of 0.252 in. diam and 1 in. gage length were used. In tests where creep curves were obtained, specimens were of 0.375 in. diam and 4 in. gage length. Several of the tests under relatively low stress were discontinued short of rupture. Three low-stress tests are still in progress at this writing. Structural changes which occurred during testing were determined from examination of the tested specimens by light microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Diffraction pattern recordings were made with a diffractometer using copper radiation on samples heavily etched in a picric-hydrochloric

Jan 1, 1960

By Walter H. Bucher

THIS symposium is designed to lay the basis for a general discussion of the place of geophysics in the training of geologists. As there is danger that in the ensuing debate individual interests may be given emphasis out of proportion to their place, we shall do well to view the whole field of geological inquiry in order to see the problem in true perspective. THE NATURE OF GEOLOGICAL INQUIRY "Basic" and "Complex" Sciences It is convenient to divide all science into two major divisions, the basic and the complex sciences. The basic sciences separate out from reality such entities as "substances" and "movements," describe their behavior in terms of arbitrary units of measurement and derive from them by progressive abstractions concepts and patterns of behavior that exist between them, so-called general "laws" and "properties" of nature. The complex sciences, on the other hand, deal, with little or no abstraction, with those objects of reality that are accessible to man in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere and the biosphere.† Their work comprises two types of inquiry. One is concerned with abstractions to the extent of dealing with types rather than individuals-that is, with such things as plants, animals, protoplasm; clouds, streams, glaciers; volcanoes and mountain ranges. It comprises the search for general properties and patterns of behavior or "laws" that characterize the objects and their reactions to each other. These properties and laws apply always, everywhere. They are independent of the stream of time. We may call the results of this sort of inquiry timeless knowledge. The other type of inquiry is concerned with the objects themselves-that is, with this animal and that plant; this river system and that mountain chain; this glacier and that valley. Like all concrete objects in nature, they are subject to change with the passage of time, especially when it is measured in years, centuries, eons. The characteristics by which we recognize them -indeed, their very existence are dependent on their position at this point in the stream of time. This we may call time-bound knowledge. The so-called descriptive sciences are all bound to the past of which the objects of their study are the product and through which alone their present properties can be understood. They are historical sciences. This obvious fact is easily overlooked, which leads to serious misunderstanding, as we shall see later. Dynamic Geology With this broad picture in mind, let us now examine the nature of geological inquiry, defining, for the purposes of this discussion, geology as the science of rocks. Air is not a rock; water is. Meteorology and climatology are, correspondingly, gen-

Jan 1, 1941

By C. H. Li, R. D. Carnahan, R. J. Stokes, T. L. Johnston

When silver chloride deforms by pencil glide at temperatures of 26ºand 72°C, grain size has no effect upon the proportional limit and the material necks down to a knife edge under tension. At -196ºC, deformation takes place on fewer slip systems to produce straight slip traces, the flow stress becomes sensitive to grain size and fracture occurs by cleavage from an intergranular source without any reduction in area. THERE are significant differences between the appearance of the slip bands formed in silver chloride and in the alkali halides at room temperature. The bands in sodium chloride, e.g., are fine and geometrically straight, whereas in silver chloride they are coarse and wavy.' Such differences in the slip behavior prompted us to inquire what the effects of grain boundaries might be on the mechanical properties of these solids. As an introduction to a general study of ionic poly-crystal behavior, we have investigated the effect of grain size on the stress-strain relationships in silver chloride at different temperatures. We have chosen silver chloride chiefly because polycrystals can be easily prepared free from cracks and macroscopic voids by conventional techniques. Moreover, as we shall see, the slip behavior can be readily modified by changing the temperature. It will be shown that the effect of grain size on the yield stress of silver chloride is strikingly dependent upon the temperature of deformation and that this temperature effect comes about through a change in the number of slip systems which operate at the onset of plastic flow. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Polycrystalline tensile specimens were made by recrystallizing cold-rolled AgCl sheet. Thirty-gram quantities of AR grade silver chloride powder were melted in a low heat capacity furnace, cast into cylindrical forms 3/4 in. in dim and approximately 1 in. in length and then extruded with a 16:l reduction ratio into rods 3/16 in. in dim. Extrusion temperatures were varied from room temperature to 350°C. In order to impart various degrees of cold'work to the extruded rod. All extrusions were then cross rolled to sheet 0.040 in. in thickness at room temperature and machined to form tensile specimens having a gage length of 0.750 in. with a width of either 0.250 or 0.145 in.* Annealing was carried out in an air oven at 200°C for periods up to 20 hr. specimens having average grain diameters ranging from 0.024 to 0.40 mm were prepared by varying the extrusion temperature and annealing time in the conventional manner. To obtain specimens with grain sizes larger than 0.40mm, lightly deformed thin prisims of silver chloride single crystals (supplied by Harshaw Chemical Co.) were recrystallized. Grain size determinations were made by an intercept method and revealed that the grains were equi-axed. Laue back-reflection X-ray patterns showed little tendency to form a preferred orientation texture. Specimens which were to be used for the slip band studies were polished by immersion in fresh boiling concentrated NH,OH for 60 sec. They were then etch polished for 10 sec on each side by hand lapping on a stationary velveteen lap wetted with a dilute Hypo solution (5 g of Kodak Acid Fixer in 100 cc H20). Finally the specimens were rinsed in warm water and alcohol, blown dry and carefully mounted in the tensile machine for testing. Tensile tests were performed at three temperatures, namely, 26º, -72º, and -196°C. A screw-driven hard tensile machine was used at a constant strain rate of 0.006 in. per in. per min. Loads were determined with a light- proof ring fitted with A-18 strain gages and extensions were measured with a 0.0001 in. dial gage. Constant level baths of alcohol with dry ice and liquid nitrogen were used to maintain the two lower test temperatures. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Reproducibility—In view of the light sensitivity and reactive nature of silver chloride, it was necessary to determine whether reproducibility depended upon either exposure to light or to the condition of the surface. However, during the course of the work it became clear that variation of laboratory lighting

Jan 1, 1962

By L. W. Emery

Undergrorlnd combustion operations were initiated in a 60-acre Bartlesville sand "shoe-string" reservoir in Allen Connty, Kans., in 1956. Tests in separate patterns were conducted using various co~nbinations of air and recycle gas to propagate combustion fronts from the injection toward the producing wells. These patterns were made up of 6 injection and 20 prodrrcing wells Gas and liquid prorluctiorz from each pattern was measured on an individual-well basis, and comparisons were made between the three patterns to ascertain the relative effects of injected gas composition on production behavior. Breakthrough of the combustion front at a well was characterized by an increase in water production from the well followed by an increase in bottomhole temperatrrre to approximately 250" F. After burning fronts had broken through at five producing wells, operations were terminated in 1960. From the total project approximately 79,000 bbl of oil were produced during thermal operations at a cumulative produced GOR of 23 Mcf/bbl. No appreciable change in the character of the produced crude was observed. Combustion in the reservoir was maintained with injected gas compositions ranging fronz 6 per cent oxygen in recycle gas to 100 per cent air. lnjectiotz of large quantities of recycle gas resulted in higher producing GOR's from offset wells than were measured from a pattern into ~vhich straight air ~vas injected. The air required to move the combustion front through I acre-ft of reservoir was computed to be 20 MMscf. This valrre was found to be relatively independent of the quantities of recycle gas injected. The recovery efficiency from the swept area was esti~izated to be about 59 per cent. Areas swept were similar in shape to tlzose obtained with a laboratory potentiometric model. Samples of sund taken from behind the burning front by coring indicated almost total oil removal from the sand. Petrographic analysis of the core samples indicated that the sand had been heated to peuk temperature of rlbout 1,200" F. No rignificant difference in peak temperature was forrnd in two areas where compositions of injected gas were quite different. Compression costs for thermal recovery were estimated to be $1,20/bhl of produced oil. INTRODUCTION The use of the "forward combustion" process as an oil recovery method has received a great deal of attention. This method involves ignition of the formation in an injection well, followed by propagation of a combustion front through the reservoir. Combustion is maintained by the injection of an oxygen-containing gas to react with reservoir hydrocarbons. As the flame front progresses through the reservoir, oil and formation water are vaporized, driven forward in the gaseous phase and recondensed in the cooler part of the formation. In turn, the condensed fluids push oil into the producing wellbores. Completed field tests of the process were first reported by Kuhn and Koch,' and by Grant and Szasz.' Results from other tests have since been reported by Walter,3 by Moss, White and McNeil,' and by Gates and Ramey." ach of these tests essentially utilized a single injection well surrounded by four or more producing wells. Sinclair Research, Inc., elected to do field experimental work using a number of test patterns in a single field in order that comparisons between various operating schemes could be made. The site selected and purchased in 1955 for this experimental work was a 60-acre Bartlesville sand reservoir located in Allen County, Kans. Combustion operations were initiated in mid-1956. Between that time and termination of the project in mid-1960, combustion fronts were propagated from injection wells to producers in three separate well patterns, using different mixtures of air and recycle gas. The test was terminated before sweep of the three patterns was complete so that information about the effect of combustion on the swept areas could be obtained by coring. Results from the test in the form of injection and producing well performance have been carefully recorded, and these form the general basis for this paper. DESCRIPTION OF RESERVOIR The reservoir in which the combustion tests were conducted is a Bartlesville sand "shoe-string", typical of a number of small reservoirs in Southeastern Kansas. Average reservoir characteristics are shown in Table 1. Fig. 1 is an isopachous map of the producing sand showing the reservoir to be approximately 400-ft wide and 2,500-ft long. Maximum net productive sand thickness is 21 ft. Fig. 2 shows a typical core analysis obtained by coring with water-base mud. The reservoir has no appreciable dip and is closed on the sides by degradation of sand into shale. The main body of sand is heavily laminated with shale stringers, which are not continuous between wells. The main reservoir is overlain by 30 to 40 ft of laminated low-permeability sand and shale streaks. No information is available on the original properties of

By E. V. Potter

For a nurnber of years, it has been known that manganese made by electro-deposition under certain conditions is ductile while under other conditions it is very brittle. The ductile metal is gamma manganese normally stable only between 1100 and 1138°C1; the brittle metal is alpha manganese, stable up to 727OC. The ductile metal is not stable, but gradually changes to the brittle form; the time required to complete the transfornlation is about 20 days at room temperature. Other observations have indicated that the transformation is completed in 10 to 15 min. at about 125°C, while at — 10°C, no appreciable change occurs in 9 months. The properties of gainma and alpha Illanganese in the pure state are ordinarilj difficult to determine because the gamma structure cannot be retained by normal quenching procedures and alpha manganese is so brittle, it is difficult to obtain specimens free from flaws. In a recent investigation2 some properties of gamma and alpha manganese were determined by studying the ductile electrolytic metal and determining the changes in its properties as it transformed to the brittle alpha form. These investigations provided an excellent opportunity for following the progress of the transition and studying its mechanism. The results of a series of such investigations are reported in this paper. Procedure Various properties of manganese were determined starting with the metal in the original ductile gamma form and following the subsequent changes in its properties as the metal transformed to the brittle alpha form. These observations were made at various temperatures, the data providing information regartling the mechanism of the transformation as well as the effect of temperature 011 the transition rate. Structure and resistivity values gave the most significant results, so this paper is concerned primarily with them. The structure was studied microscopically as well as by X ray diffraction. The resistivity was determined on strips of the metal by measuring the potential drop across a given length of the specimen. Current was passed through the specimen by wires soldered to its ends, and the potential connections were made by wires looped around the specimen near its center. The current was determined by the potential drop across a standard resistor connected in series with the specimen, the potential drop being measured on a potentiometer. In the temperature range from room temperature to 100°C an ordinary drying oven was used to heat the specimen. This was entirely satisfactory except at 100°C, where the time required to heat the specimen was long compared to the transition time, making the initial section of the resistivity curve unsatisfactory. To overcome this limitation, at 100°C and higher a thermostatically controlled oil bath was used to heat the specimens. The block on which the specimen was mountetl was plunged into the hot oil at the start of each test. The heating time was thereby reduced from 5 min. to about 6 sec, and dependable resistivity values could be obtained through 160°C. At this point the whole transition, including the warm-up time for the specimen, required only about 20 sec and it was not considered worth while trying to extend the temperature range further. Aside from the heating problem, the problem of making a sufficient number of accurate resistivity determinations became more and more difficult as the temperature was raised. Using the manually operated potentiometer, 100°C was about as far as it was possible to go. At this temperature and above, a self-balancing photoelectric recording potentiometer was used. Its response was quite rapid, and it proved to be entirely satisfactory all the way through 160°C, where the tests were stopped because of the specimen heating problem rather than any limitation of the potentiometer recorder. The metal used in these tests was prepared at the Salt Lake City laboratory of the Bureau of Mines. The method of preparation is discussed in a paper by Schlain and Prater.3 The sheets were about 2 3/8 by 5 3/16 in. and varied from 10 to 16 mils in thickness. They could be cut readily into pieces suitable for the various tests. X ray and microstructure determinations were made on pieces about 1/8 to 1/4 in. wide and about 1 in. long, while resistivity measurements were made on strips as long as possible and about 55 in. wide. The thickness of each sheet was not uniform over all its surface. This had no bearing on the X ray and microstructure determinations, but sections as nearly uniform and free from flaws as possible were chosen for the resistivity determinations. The gamma manganese was electro-deposited at 30°C, the time of deposition ranging from 5 to 12 hr for each sheet. Whenever possible, the tests were started directly after the metal was stripped from the cathode; otherwise the sheet was placed immediately

Jan 1, 1950

Cobriza can only be described as the Machu Picchu of the mining business. This relatively new mine of the Cerro de Pasco Corp. in Peru, subsidiary of The Cerro Corp., was put on stream in December 1967. The best way to get there is to go in the company's HelioCourier with pilot Paco Perez. The plane is mostly engine and the pilot is without nerves. The trip starts at an elevation of 12,000 ft at La Oroya and ends at the Cobriza air strip near the top of the Continental Divide at 14,200 ft. Perez says this is the highest air strip in the world. The flight is made at an altibude below many of the peaks and it is easy to pick out the Inca Trail which follows the ridge line of the top of the Andes. Inca ruins are also visible from the aircraft. The drainage pattern, with a surprising number of lakes and rivers, can be seen and so, too, can a great deal of structural geology and numerous agricultural settlements dotting the altiplano. Cobriza is in the monta[n]a on the east side of the Andes, which is characterized by tropical climate and vegetation, an abrupt change from the frosty mountain atmosphere. The mountainsides are precipitous and the bottoms of the steep valleys are channels for roaring rivers. Such is the setting of Cobriza, above the swift cataracts of the Mantaro, benched out precariously at about 8700 ft elevation. The mountains rise in majestic splendor and the sun comes up late and sets at 3: 30 on winter afternoons. One of the lowest of the Cerro de Pasco camps, it is the most remote.

Jan 11, 1969

By John R. Spencer

A capillary tube variable volume cell is described, which has operated satisfactorily over a range of 100°F and 3,500 psi to 550°F and 1,500 psi. The cell contents are entirely visible over the length of the capillary with the exception of a space at the top amounting to three per cent of the total volume. Observations on the critical behavior of simple systems have been greatly facilitated by the apparatus, it being possible to establish the critical conditions for a particular mixture in the course of a day's run. INTRODUCTION Many types of apparatus have been designed for obtaining data on the phase relationships of hydrocarbon systems. Such apparatus can in general be subdivided into two classifications; (l), indirect measurement of phase volume, and (2), direct visual observation of phase volume, each of which has outstanding advantages and disadvantages. Indirect measurement of phase volume requires the use of rather elaborate apparatus including internal probes in which are located the device for determining the locus of the interface between phases. Such equipment is by its very nature costly, and is complex from the standpoint of operating technique. Probing techniques can be used, however, over wide ranges of temperature and pressure with a high degree of reproducibility. Apparatus for visual observation of phase behavior obviously has the advantage of enabling the experimenter to see exactly what takes place, but because the material to be tested is contained in a cell constructed of both metal and glass, is limited severely as to the temperature range of operation. Furthermore. the maximum pressure usually is limited by the choice of material used for sealing the glass to the metal, and by the strength of the glass itself. In the interest of increased efficiency of observation, as much of the cell as possible should be visible to the eye. Glass capillary tubes have been used successfully but have always given difficulty at the metal-to-glass seal. An apparatus has been devised to overcome the problems of sealing and resistance to temperature effects that have heretofore been the limiting factor with glass apparatus in the observation of phase volumes at elevated temperature and pressure. APPARATUS The objective which dictated the general arrangement of the apparatus (Figs. 1 and 2) was simplicity of operation. The air bath, A, was constructed of an iron framework to which was attached approximately one inch of glass wool bats which were covered on the outside with "Masonite." A roughly octagonal center piece was installed to provide forced circulation of the air by the fan, B, past the heaters, D, cell, F, and thermoregulator, C, respectively. The entire top of the box is removable to facilitate charging of the cell and to permit easy maintenance. Two windows are provided before and behind the cell to allow the operator to observe the contents against the background fluorescent light, E. The heaters,

Jan 1, 1951

By John R. Spencer

A capillary tube variable volume cell is described, which has operated satisfactorily over a range of 100°F and 3,500 psi to 550°F and 1,500 psi. The cell contents are entirely visible over the length of the capillary with the exception of a space at the top amounting to three per cent of the total volume. Observations on the critical behavior of simple systems have been greatly facilitated by the apparatus, it being possible to establish the critical conditions for a particular mixture in the course of a day's run. INTRODUCTION Many types of apparatus have been designed for obtaining data on the phase relationships of hydrocarbon systems. Such apparatus can in general be subdivided into two classifications; (l), indirect measurement of phase volume, and (2), direct visual observation of phase volume, each of which has outstanding advantages and disadvantages. Indirect measurement of phase volume requires the use of rather elaborate apparatus including internal probes in which are located the device for determining the locus of the interface between phases. Such equipment is by its very nature costly, and is complex from the standpoint of operating technique. Probing techniques can be used, however, over wide ranges of temperature and pressure with a high degree of reproducibility. Apparatus for visual observation of phase behavior obviously has the advantage of enabling the experimenter to see exactly what takes place, but because the material to be tested is contained in a cell constructed of both metal and glass, is limited severely as to the temperature range of operation. Furthermore. the maximum pressure usually is limited by the choice of material used for sealing the glass to the metal, and by the strength of the glass itself. In the interest of increased efficiency of observation, as much of the cell as possible should be visible to the eye. Glass capillary tubes have been used successfully but have always given difficulty at the metal-to-glass seal. An apparatus has been devised to overcome the problems of sealing and resistance to temperature effects that have heretofore been the limiting factor with glass apparatus in the observation of phase volumes at elevated temperature and pressure. APPARATUS The objective which dictated the general arrangement of the apparatus (Figs. 1 and 2) was simplicity of operation. The air bath, A, was constructed of an iron framework to which was attached approximately one inch of glass wool bats which were covered on the outside with "Masonite." A roughly octagonal center piece was installed to provide forced circulation of the air by the fan, B, past the heaters, D, cell, F, and thermoregulator, C, respectively. The entire top of the box is removable to facilitate charging of the cell and to permit easy maintenance. Two windows are provided before and behind the cell to allow the operator to observe the contents against the background fluorescent light, E. The heaters,

Jan 1, 1951

By E. Douglas Sethness

The uranium industry is booming. In Texas alone, there are about 22 different companies with active exploration programs. Twelve solution mines have been permitted; three surface mines have been authorized; and two mills are currently in operation. However, the industry also has a problem, and that is the disposal of radioactive wastes. Over the past several years, stories concerning nuclear wastes have appeared frequently in the news. One of the most frequently cited cases occurred in Grand Junction, Colorado. In 1966, after ten years of investigations, the U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) discovered that tailings from a uranium mill were being used as fill material and aggregate for local construction purposes. It was estimated that between 150,000 and 200,000 tons of material had been removed and used under streets, driveways, swimming pools, and sewer lines. In addition, tailings had been used under concrete slabs and around foundations of occupiable structures. Further studies prompted the Surgeon General to warn that the risk of leukemia and lung cancer could be doubled at the measured radiation levels. More recently, the L. B. Foster Company discovered that its building site in Washington, West Virginia, was radioactive. While digging a foundation, the ground erupted and a ball of fire 30 feet high shot out. Evidently, the dirt was laced with radioactive thorium and zirconium, a potentially explosive mixture contained in a Nigerian sand which had been used by the previous site owners in the manufacture of nuclear fuel rods. Just this month we have read about legal suits to stop exploration for a nuclear waste disposal site in Randall County, Texas. The U. S. Department of Energy is trying to locate a deep underground nuclear waste depository for final burial of over 76 million gallons of high-level wastes. The problem is acute, the wastes are accumulating at a rate of about 300,000 gallons per year. Nor do these numbers include the spent fuel elements from nuclear power plants that are in temporary storage facilities. Fortunately, public awareness of these and other related issues is high. Unfortunately, the differences in the waste products from the nuclear fuel cycle are not always apparent to the general public. There are two distinct types of radioactive wastes: "high-level", which consist of spent fuel or wastes from the reprocessing of spent fuel; and "low-level", which, in general, are by-product wastes. There are numerous non-technical definitions that can be applied to help the layman differentiate between high-level and low-level wastes. For this latter purpose, it is best to think of them in terms of what we can see and feel. In general, high-level wastes are physically hot and can cause acute radiation sickness in a short period of time. Low-level wastes are not hot, but may cause chronic health effects after long exposure. The wastes which we are concerned with in the uranium mining and milling industry are low-level wastes. As recently as ten years ago, there were very few controls or regulations governing tailings disposal methods. At the same time, mine reclamation was not enforced through either state or Federal laws and the long-term viability of abandoned tailings ponds was not assured. The regulatory climate has changed significantly in the last decade, however. The low-level radioactive wastes generated by uranium mining and milling are generally contained in a tailings pond. Approximately 85-97% of the total radioactivity contained in uranium ore is present in the mill waste that goes to such tailings ponds. The isotope Radium-226 is probably the most potentially harmful radioactive parameter in the ponds. Radium emits gamma radiation and is also an alpha particle emitter. Because gamma radiation is very penetrating, it presents a potential health problem when a source is located external to the body. Gamma radiation will go through the body, causing damage to each cell encountered on the way. Although alpha particles have very little penetration capability, they can cause extensive cell damage. For this reason, alpha particles are a problem after inhalation or ingestion. Radium creates a health hazard by both of these mechanisms. Radium decays to radon gas which can be inhaled and serve as an alpha particle emitter. Additionally, radium is very soluble and readily enters the natural hydrologic cycle if allowed to leach from a tailings pond. With a half-life of 1620 years, radium has plenty of time to be taken into the food chain and end up in our bodies, emitting alpha particles. Because the potential health problems are better understood today than ten years ago, and because the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed increasingly stringent government regulations, the uranium mining industry applies a high level of technology to the disposal of nuclear wastes. In most cases, low-level radioactive wastes are disposed of at or near the site where they are produced. There are six commercial burial grounds for low-level wastes, but it would not be economical to ship all mine or milling wastes to these sites. The on-site disposal methods most often used are ponding

Jan 1, 1979

By E. P: Mathewson

Discussion of the paper of E. P: Mathewson, presented at the Butte Meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 78, June, 1913, pp. 1033 to 1037. PROF. JOSEPH W. RICHARDS, South Bethlehem, Pa. :-Speaking to the question of the development of the basic lining, and speaking from a somewhat considerable study of the history of the process, ,I think Mr. Mathewson's conclusion (in the last paragraph. of his paper) is perfectly justified and is very fairly stated. Messrs. Smith and Pierce worked at developing their process for many years ; copper men had been trying their level best to get away from the silica lining of the converters and had uniformly failed. On one page of Mr. Mathewson's paper we read that at the old works of the Anaconda Company, at Anaconda, the experiments " were abandoned on the score of cost and lack of advantages." On the next page, after describing the work of Messrs. Smith and Pierce, we have the statement that the Anaconda Company lined a shell with mangnesite brick and the ?results were excellent." I think Mr. Mathewson's statement that to Smith and Pierce belongs the credit of developing a long-discredited idea, is correct. C. D,. DEMOND, Anaconda, Mont. :-It seems to me that the matter of the lining is important; my impression is that they used tar in their basic lining and that did not seem to be at all successful at Anaconda, but silicate of soda was very successful. MR. RICHARDS :-I did not know that they- had abandoned the use of tar. MR. DEMOND :-I said I thought that was the practice. At Anaconda that was not at all satisfactory in the basic linings. Silicate of soda was very satisfactory and is so.

Jan 11, 1913

By R. O. Day, R. S. Dean

In constructing a theory of the flow and hardening of metals, v necessarily make use of such phenomena as seem to be universal1 observed in metals. It is, therefore, a matter of concern to the con structors of such mnemonic systems if one or two of the group classific as metals show anomalous behavior. Such egregious phenomena observed in pure or nearly pure iron in the reaction of its mechanic properties to low-temperature annealing after cold work and to increase temperature of testing. In short it has been generally observcd tha iron, as an outstanding exception among metals, increases its hardnes and strength by low-temperature annealing after cold work,' and alt by increase of testing temperature to the range of 150" to 300" C. The investigation here recorded was made then with the object ( ascertaining if similar phenomena were observed in high-purity iro and, if not, to the presence of which impurities these phenomena coul be traced. Experimental Procedure Three kinds of iron were taken for a study of hardening by rehcatin after cold work: 1. Vacuum-melted electrolytic iron; melted in an Arsem furnace in a magnesia crucible. That this iron was of high purity is indicated b a magnetic permeability above 20,000. 2. Electrolytic iron melted in air in a small laboratory furnace. 3. Armco iron, commercial material. These materials in the form of forged bars, annealed at 980" C. in vacuum, were reduced 30 per cent. in thickness by cold rolling and the reheated to temperatures varying from 100' to 500' C. The Rockwe hardness number was measured after each treatment. The results and shown in Fig. 1, curves 1, 2 and 3.

Jan 1, 1929