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By T. R. Ingraham

When aluminum sulfate was decomposed in an evacuated apparatus and the sample cooled, Q alumina was found. The thermodynamics of the decomposition reaction were resolved by measurements of the total pressure of SO3, SO2, and O2 generated over the sample at various temperatures. The results were correlated with other published data to calculate the rmges of thermodynamic stability of the various compounds involved. The thermal decomposition of aluminum sulfate was studied by Wijhler, Pluddeman, and Wöhler1 and by Warner and Ingraham.2 The results of both studies were critically reviewed by Kellogg,3 who observed that "each set of data shows considerable scatter and strong curvature on a plot of log pso3 vs 1/T".3 He agreed with Warner and Ingraham2 that both the discrepancy in the two sets of results and their curvature may arise from the indefinite properties of the particular form of A12O3 which is formed during the decomposition. While studying the thermal stability of other sulfate systems, we had noted the presence of nonequilibrium oxide properties in both the cobalt4 and manganese5 systems, but neither had shown any appreciable curvature on a logPSO, vs 1/T relationship, and the data from both systems agreed reasonably well with prior work. It therefore seemed reasonable to reexamine the technique which had been used in our earlier work on aluminum sulfate.2 The principal difference was that a tightly compacted pellet had been used for the earlier aluminum sulfate work, whereas a loose powder, contained in a platinum boat, was used for our work on other sulfate systems. In addition, a better technique had been developed for dehydrating the samples. From work done on the nickel system,6 we had become aware of the highly protective nature of some sulfate layers on their oxjdes, and hence of the necessity of providing a large surface area of P3e sample when equilibrium was to be attained in a reasonable time. That observation suggested that perhaps a steady state, rather than equilibrium, had been reached in the earlier work on aluminum sulfate. This paper reports a repetition of the experimental work with large, finely divided samples of anhydrous aluminum sulfate. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The apparatus used in the experimental work was described in earlier papers.2,7 The source material was Anachemia reagent-grade Al2(sO4)3 - 18H2O which was first partly dehydrated by heating at 400°C for 48 hr and then completely dehydrated by repeated baking of an aluminum sulfate-oleum slush to dryness at 450°C. ? Alas was prepared by decomposing some of the sulfate in a muffle furnace at 800° C overnight. Approximately equal amounts of the 7) alumina and aluminum sulfate were used in the experiments. The finely divided samples were handled under dry box conditions, and in addition some of the aluminum sulfate was decomposed in the apparatus while it was under vacuum, to ensure its complete dehydration prior to sealing the apparatus. The samples were heated to a series of constant temperatures on both increasing- and decreasing-tem-perature programs. Two to three days were required to obtain steady readings of the total decomposition pressure on an increasing-temperature program, and 5 to 6 days on a decreasing-temperature program. Three samples were examined on both programs. Within experimental error, the results for each sample and each program could not be distinguished.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. W. Pugh, J. D. Nisbet

F. B. Foley—The use of data published by Wever and Jellinghaus in 1931 to fix boundaries of the sigma phase in the Fe-Cr system, in the face of the author's own references to the suggestions of Bradley and Goldschmidt, Aborn and Bain, and Hougardy that the phase is much more extensive, and the very much more accurate work, which weighs heavily in favor of these suggestions, of Cook and Jones, published in 1943 and evidently disregarded by the authors, makes their derived ternary diagram, especially fig. 15 for 400°C, quite inaccurate on the Fe-Cr side and affects the extent of phase boundaries in the most controversial and important part of this ternary system. In commercial Fe-Ni-Cr alloys the occurrence of sigma has been observed time and time again at lower chromium contents than that of the 24 pct Cr, 16 pct Ni, 60 pct Fe alloy which is the lowest permitted by fig. 15 of practically carbonless metal. Newel1 reports sigma in 27 pct Cr-Fe even with some carbon present to be one of the greatest detriments to its extensive application, whereas Pugh and Nisbet set a low limit of 36 pct Cr for sigma in the binary Fe-Cr system. J. J. Heger—The diagrams presented by the authors do not agree with observations made on commercial Fe-Cr and Fe-Cr-Ni alloys, nor do they agree with two recent investigations made on the Fe-Cr and the Fe-Cr-Fe systems. I refer first to the investigation made by Cook and Jones1' on the sigma region of the Fe-Cr system. On the basis of their results which were published in 1943, Cook and Jones established new boundary limits for the sigma and the alpha plus sigma regions. These new limits have been accepted and are incorporated in the Fe-Cr diagram that appears in the 1948 edition of the Metals Handbook. This diagram is shown here as fig. 34. As will be noted, the boundary limits of the alpha plus sigma region in this diagram extend to much lower chromium contents than do those in the diagram presented by the authors in fig. 2. These new limits indicate that sigma phase should form in an Fe-Cr alloy containing 26 pct Cr, and experience with commercial alloys confirms this finding. Indeed, recent studies on a commercial Fe-Cr alloy containing 17 pct Cr have shown sigma phase to be stable in this alloy at 550°C. I recognize that the authors' work did not include studies on the sigma region; however, I believe this is a serious omission because sigma phase may profoundly affect the physical properties of these alloys and should be evaluated in any investigation which attempts to relate physical properties to the equilibrium diagram. The second investigation to which I refer is that made on the Fe-Cr-Ni system by Rees, Burns, and Cook,'' who used pure alloys and employed heating 17 W. P. Rees, B. D. Burns, and A. 3. Cook: Journal Iron and Steel Institute. (July 1949) 162, Part 3. p. 325. times that extend to 200 days. These investigators published their results in July 1949 and from these results constructed isothermal sections at 800" and 650°C. The isothermal section at 650°C is shown here as fig. 35. This diagram indicates sigma phase should form in a pure 18 pct Cr-8 pct Ni alloy. Although sigma phase has not been observed after 10,000 hr at 1200°F in commercial 18-8 alloys containing carbon and nitrogen, it has been observed under the same conditions in 18-8 alloys modified with titanium and columbium, both of which serve to reduce the effect of carbon and nitrogen. This section and the one at 800°C suggest that the constant iron sections which are presented by the authors, should be considerably altered, if they are to represent an accurate picture of the system. A few of the suggested alterations are as follows: In fig. 9, the section at 50 pct Fe, the gamma plus sigma region should be widened, not narrowed at 800" and 650°C. In fig. 10, the section at 60 pct Fe, the gamma plus sigma region should be widened at 800° and 650°C. In fig. 11, the section at 70 pct Fe, an alpha plus sigma, an alpha plus gamma plus sigma, and a gamma plus sigma region should be added. In fig. 12, the section at 80 pct Fe, the alpha plus gamma region should be widened at 800°C. In fig. 13, the section at 90 pct Fe, the alpha plus gamma region should be widened at 650° and 800°C. Undoubtedly, the chief reason for the discrepancies between the authors' data and those of Rees, Burns, and Cook is that the authors did not employ long enough heating times to allow for transformation. In this connection, I wish to warn that transformations in these alloys, particularly transformations at temperatures below 800°C, are extremely sluggish and may require a year or more to approach completion. Therefore, unless extremely long heating times are employed or steps are taken to accelerate these transformations by such means as mechanical working, the results will not yield an accurate picture of the alloy system. Certainly, an accurate picture is needed for the development of better high-temperature materials. E. J. Dulis-The purpose of this work is not clear. If an improvement of the ternary equilibrium diagram of the Fe-Cr-Ni system was wanted, it seems logical that testing techniques superior to those previously used would be a prime requirement. To approach equilibrium in this system, long holding times are needed; a fact established long ago but apparently ignored by the present authors, who used the continuous heating and cooling tests in equilibrium studies. A publication on the same system by Bradley and Goldschmidt6 was criticized by Monypenny in a

Jan 1, 1951

By Y. Kondo, S. Yamazaki, Z. Asaki

Thermal deco7nposition of Pyrite particles in a fluidized bed with inert gas stream was studied. Assuming that heat transfer from the surroundings to the fluidized particles controls the overall decomposition rate, rate equations for the batch process and for the continuous process were derived. In the batch experiment, a linear rate equation satisfies the experimental results and the overall heat transfer coefficient calculated from the rate constant agrees fairly well with that obtained by Leva.l1 For the continuous process, two rate equations were derived, one on the assumption of complete mixing of particles and another on the upward piston flow of particles in a fluidized bed. The former holds for a bed containing a higher fraction of decomposed pyrite realized at lower feeding rates. The latter can be applied for a bed at higher feeding rates. Thus, segregation of particles in the fluidized bed was indicated at higher feeding rates. Bed temperatures also correspond to these conditions. ThERMAL decomposition of pyrite may be represented by Eq. [I]. The pressure of diatomic sulfur gas reaches 1 atm at about 690°C. The thermodynamics,' kinetics,2'3 composition, and properties3-5 of decomposed products of such a reaction have been studied. Pyrite is a very common sul-fide mineral and is often accompanied with other sul-fides. It is of basic interest in nonferrous metallurgy to clarify the behavior of pyrite in the pyrometallur-gical processes of sulfide minerals of metals such as copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and so forth. Interest in this reaction increased recently because of possible elimination of arsenic from pyrite in processing highly purified iron oxide pellets. Producing elemental sulfur from pyrite, instead of sulfuric acid, also aroused interest in this reaction. It is indicated that the thermal decomposition of solid particles, such as calcium carbonate, proceeds through three major sequential steps: heat transfer, interfacial chemical reaction, and mass transfer.637 It is known that the decomposed product of pyrite is very porous2, 3 and the diatomic sulfur gas evolved can easily escape through this layer of decomposed product. It depends upon the circumstances, therefore, whether the heat transfer to the interface within particles or the chemical reaction at the interface determines the overall decomposition rate. The enthalpy change in the decomposition of pyrite is about 33 kcal per mole FeS2 which is comparable to that of calcium carbonate. The decomposition of calcium car- bonate becomes more and more dependent on the rate of transport of heat when reaction temperature increases, such as occurs in a fluidized bed.6'7 It is reasonable to presume, therefore, that the thermal decomposition of pyrite, an endothermic process, carried out in a fluidized bed may be analyzed according to the heat transfer controlling model. This work intends, first, to propose a mathematical model that determines the overall rate in a fluidized bed for the decomposition process and, second, to investigate a few characteristics of the fluidized bed based upon the experimental results obtained. KINETICS OF THERMAL DECOMPOSITION IN A FLUIDIZED BED It is intended in this section to obtain rate equations for thermal decomposition of pyrite in a fluidized bed by assuming that the overall rate is determined by heat transfer from the surroundings to the particles. Both batch and continuous processes are considered. 1) Batch Process. To obtain the rate equation in the batch process, the following two additional assumptions are made. First, the temperature of preheated inert gas, tg, blown into the fluidized bed is assumed to be the same as the temperature of the fluidized bed, tf. Thus, no heat exchange occurs between the gas and particles in the bed and only the heat transfer from the reactor wall kept at tw to the particles is to be considered. Second, the decomposition is assumed to start at the outer surface of the particles and to proceed toward the center. At any given time during decomposition, undecomposed pyrite remains in the tori at a temperature: td. The decomposed shell is composed of FeS1+x whose outer surface is at tp Diatomic sulfur gas evolving at the interface is heated to tf during its escape through the decomposed shell. This is illustrated in Fig. 1. With the above-mentioned assumptions of heat transfer, we have:

Jan 1, 1969

By H. C. Chao, W. F. Hosford, L. H. Van Vlack

The negative "plastic Poisson's ratio" suggested in earlier studies of Mus deformation is analyzed, and the results are verified experimentally with NaCl crystals. In the early stages of deformation where the primary {110}(110) slip predominates, compression along. the [001] direction produces contraction along the lateral [011] direction plus a compensating expansion along. the [100] direction. With additional strain, the primary slip is supplemented by secondary {111}(110) slip so that the above contraction diminishes and a more typical deformation appears. THE shape change of bee and fee crystals deformed by compression or tension along [011] has been analyzed in some detail and shown to be responsible for the development of peculiar microstructures in [011] fiber textured polycrystals of these metals.1'3 This paper concerns the unusual shape change accompanying [011] compression of NaCl crystals. It is the direct outgrowth of an earlier investigation of the deformation of manganese sulfide inclusions in steel.3,4 In that investigation, cylindrical specimens of steel containing small oriented crystals of MnS were prepared by powder metallurgy and plastically compressed. The flow of the inclusions was determined relative to that of the steel by sectioning the composite and measuring the length-to-width ratio L/W of the inclusion and diameter-to-height D/H ratio of the steel cylinder on the plane of section. These L/W ratios, normalized by dividing by the initial LO/WO ratio of the inclusion, were compared with the normalized D/H ratio of the steel cylinder. Of particular interest here are the deformation characteristics of an inclusion oriented with [Oil] parallel to the compression axis. When measurements were made on sections parallel to the (100) plane of the inclusion, the L/IV ratios were only slightly in excess of unity, indicating a high apparent hardness of the [011] criented inclusion. However, measurements on a (011) plane of section resulted in L/W ratios which were much larger, Fig. 1. These observations prompted an analysis of the strains resulting from slip in an MnS crystal compressed along [011.]. CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS Manganese sulfide has the NaCl crystal structure, and the predominant slip system is {110}(110). A secondary system, {111}(110), has also been reported.= {110}(110) Slip. When a crystal is subject to a uni-axial compressive stress 011 along [011], four slip systems, (101)[101.], (101)[101.], (110)[i10], and (110) [ 110], will be equally stressed with a shear stress t = 0.2 011 while the other two {110}( 110) systems will be unstressed. The normal strain En along any reference axis n resulting from slip is given by Schmid's law: en = S COS ?in COS in ?i 111 where ?in and +in are the angles between n and the i slip direction and n and the i slip plane normal, respectively, and where ?i is the shear strain on the i slip system, For the four active slip systems above, the cos ?in cos +in terms are all equal when the reference axes are the [011] compressive axis, [011] and [ 100]. Eq. [I.] therefore reduces to en - cos ?n cos +ny [2] where y =S?i for all slip systems. Substituting the appropriate angles, Eon = 0.25? 110 eon - 0.25y110 [3] €100 = -0.50y 110 The interesting feature of Eqs. [3] is that they predict that the strains in the [011] and [011] directions, resulting from {110}(110) slip, are equal and of the same sign. Thus when a crystal is compressed along [011], it will contract along the lateral [oil] direction

Jan 1, 1967

It is doubtful if the far-reaching sociological influence and effects of the last few years will be fully appreciated within the present generation, but there are certain lessons and morals already apparent from which we should profit immediately. One of these has been an insistent, though vague, feeling among engineers and men of technical training and experience, that their worth as political and economic factors is not recognized by society. This feeling has found expression first in a tendency on the part of these men to organize for the purpose of securing recognition, or to demand greater activity in their interest on the part of societies already organized. However it may be accomplished, the demand for some means of binding engineers together for purposes of self-interest and public good is in the air and will not be denied. In other words, the time is' propitious for two things: vastly increasing the membership of engineering societies, and serving that membership according to its desires. There are particular reasons why every mining and metallurgical engineer, in the United States at least, should hold membership in the

Jan 6, 1919

By Harry Gard Knox, F. R. Harris

This paper covers some of the problems presented to the oil industry in the drilling of oil wells in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The hazards, delays and relative costs of offshore drilling are reviewed and various forms of drilling platforms discussed. The requirements of the offshore drilling rig are summarized together with the principal items affecting the cost of construction. Sea waves and their size and characteristics as affecting offshore platforms are reviewed. Drilling platforms are classified as fixed, or fixed and floating. Fixed platforms of the conventional cofferdam and pile-supported type are discussed together with their good points and their limitations. The desirability is pointed out of eliminating as much offshore work as possible where operations are subjected to constant and expensive delay and substituting therefor the prefabrication of structures ashore or in sheltered waters. Marked economy will come with the standardization of offshore rigs aid special means of transporting them to the site. Several types of structure which are partly pile-supported and partly buoyancy-supported are discussed and their possibilities of future usefulness commented upon. General Considerations The predominant attribute of offshore drilling equipment is that it must be equal to the job in hand. We therefore give first thought to the matter of adequacy. In view of the probable depth of drilling, the investment involved and the per diem labor costs, it is assumed heavy modern drilling equipment will be employed. In order to usc such equipment efficiently, the working deck must be ample in size and strength and supported so as to be relatively free from motion and from green seas even in heavy storms. These requirements necessitate a high and rigid land-based support for the drilling rig and machinery with plenty of space for supplies, such as pipe, mud, water and fuel, with reserves for days when transportation from shore is impracticable. In offshore rigs the crew will be housed onboard in comfortable quarters, probably air conditioned and equipped with a galley and refrigerated food storage. An important consideration will be the ability to transfer stores and crew to and from the rig in all but the heaviest weather and the platforms must be protected from the impact of supply vessels when alongside. It will be essential to maintain continuous communication with shore by radio or cable, not forgetting the possibility of a helicopter landing space for the transfer of crew and light stores as well as a means of general communication. Whatever structure is constructed must be secure from storms of hurricane force and a safe place for the operating crew to work. If the well comes in, the drilling rig will presumably be removed and a small but rugged pile-supported platform will remain to carry the Christmas tree with safe working space around it. It will be protected from damage on all sides by buffer piles or dolphins. It is assumed that the flowing oil will be piped to storage tanks in the vicinity of the well. An individual tank for each well or a

Jan 1, 1949

By Erwin S. Sperry

The oxidation of metals melted in contact with air takes place with dissimilar results. Tin, lead or zinc are examples of a class, the oxides of which float on the surface of the melted metal. First a film is produced, which covers the surface; then, if agitation from any cause exposes new metal to the action of the air, additional oxidation takes place, and the film is increased in volume. This change goes on until a considerable quantity of oxide (or " dross," as it is technically called) is formed; depending, of course, upon the duration of the exposure of the metal to the atmosphere. When such metals are poured, the dross may be skimmed off; and clean metal will be left underneath. The removal of such oxides is, therefore, merely a mechanical process. In the case of copper, however, the result is quite different. The sub-oxide of copper (Cu2O) is readily soluble in molten copper; and therefore, instead of the formation of a film of oxide, to be finally removed as dross, the surface of the metal remains bright and clear, because the oxide has been dissolved as soon as it was produced. It is customary in the process of copper-refining to leave a small quantity of oxide in the metal, in order to oxidize any traces of bismuth, arsenic or antimony which have not been entirely removed. As a result, these metals exist in the commercial product as oxides, and not as metals, which would form an

Jan 1, 1901

By Bruce A. Kennedy

The long awaited new Mining Engineering Handbook is taking shape under the leadership of A. B. Cummins, Chairman of the Editorial Advisory Board for the SME Mining Engineering Handbook, and Ivan Given, Editor-in-Chief. The last Mining Engineers' Handbook, the Peele edition, published by John Wiley and Sons, was last revised in 1941. This book was and still is a virtual mine of information although a good deal of its content, especially the cost tables, is becoming rather antiquated. The new one-volume work will contain approximately 1600 pages and be divided into 36 sections. A brief summary of the sections follows: The Place and Contribution of Mining, Mining Costs: Mining Geology-Minerals and Mineral Deposits; Minerals Discovery-Prospecting and Exploration Methods and Equipment; Site Exploration and Selection; Minerals-Mining Design; Soil and Rock Mechanics; Design of Excavations; Opening and Development: Underground Mining Systems and Equipment; Roof and Ground Control; Groundwater and Groundwater Control: Open-Pit and Strip-Mining Systems and Equipment: Underwater and Ocean Mining; Fragmentation-Cutting, Drilling, Blasting; Underground Haulage: Hoists and Hoisting Systems; Surface Haulage, Hoisting. Lowering Pumping and Drainage; Ventilation: Mine Surveying; Ore and Coal Processing; Mill Design; Industrial Minerals-Specifications and Markets: Power; Maintenance plant and Equipment; Supply Service; Health and Safety; Reclamation and Surface Restoration: Administration and Management; Operations Optimization (Systems Engineering) : Mint, Costs and Control: Mine Examination. Valuation. Reports; Engineering Terms: and Consulting Engineering.

Jan 1, 1970

By D. C. Porterfield

ProUuction of crude oil in Venezuela increased from 186,134,000 bbl. in 1940 to 2~8,131,ooo bbl. in 1941, or 22.6 per cent, to establish a new all-time high for the country. While the average production for the year was 625,000 bbl. per day, production during the month of December 1941 averaged 751,000 bbl. per day, and during the last week of the year, 766,000 bbl. per day. Production from the Lake Maracaibo basin averaged 454,000 bbl. per day during the year, or 72 per cent of the total for the country, compared with 73 per cent of the total produced in 1940. Drilling during the year was approximately on the same scale as in 1940, with 438 wells completed in 1941 as compared with 429 the year before. Exploratory completions decreased from 18 in 1940 to 6 in 1941. Of the drilling operations in 1941, 56 per cent was concentrated in the Lake Maracaibo basin and 44 per cent in eastern Venezuela, success being 98 per cent in the Lake basin and 83 per cent in the east. Successful completions for the country as a whole amounted to 92 per cent of the total wells drilled. Exploratory drilling in 1941 resulted in the discovery of three new fields, all in eastern Venezuela; viz., Guara, about II km. to the northeast of the Oficina field but on a separate structure; Santa Rosa, which is east of El Roble field on a structure forming a part of the major Santa -Ana- San Joaquin-El Roble uplift; and Santa Barbara, which is southwest of the Jusepin field on an extension of the main Jusepin anticline. At the close of the year three wildcats were drilling, all of which showed prospects of obtaining production; that is, Mercedes No, 2 in central Guarico, Las Ollas No. I on the Anzoategui-Guarico border near the town of Zaraza, and Quiamare No. I in Anzoategui northeast of the town of San Mateo. In spite of heavy withdrawals and the resultant natural decline in the potentials of older producing areas, new drilling during the year increased the potential production of the country from an estimated 780,000 bbl. per day at the end of 1940 to an estimated 810,000 bbl. per day at the end of 1941, or approximately 4 per cent. Since domestic consumption of petroleum products is insignificant compared with total production, exports of crude and products during the year increased in line with production. Crude exports totaled 196,800,000 bbl., compared with 158,400,-000 bbl. in 1940, and exports of products were 26,100,000 bbl., compared with 21,900,000 bbl. the year before. Exports of crude from Venezuela to the United States amounted to 36,500,000 bbl. In addition, about 2,200,000 bbl. was imported in bond into the United States for transfer to Canada. Total refining capacity of the country in 1941 was approximately 125,000 bbl. per day, including a crude-conversion plant with a capacity of 32,000 bbl. per day, capable of making fuel oil only. Three plants with a capacity of 121,000 bbl. Per

Jan 1, 1945

By L. O. Howard

WHAT was perhaps the first attempt at basic converting in the Southwest was made by the late Charles F. Shelby at Cananea early in 1907, when he removed the acid lining from one of the 8 by 12-ft. barrel-type converters then in use at the reduction works of the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co. and substituted a lining of one course of magnesite brick. In this shell, he blew 21 taps (about 180 tons) of matte to white metal before the brick gave out along the tuyère line. In every case, the white metal so made was transferred and blown to copper in other converters. The cost of the lining was $700 and Mr. Shelby gave up the experiment as impracticable. No further serious effort to bessemerize copper mattes in a vessel having a more or less permanent lining of basic brick was made by any of the large copper smelters in the Southwest until some months after Messrs. Peirce and Smith had brought the question permanently before the public, and had proved it to be a metallurgical and financial success by their work at Baltimore and Garfield. Early in 1911, the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co. had in operation at its reduction works at Cananea, Mex., several 8 by 12-ft. barrel-type converters lined with magnesite brick which had previously been operating with acid linings. In the 18 months following, these converters produced 50,000 tons of copper. In June, 1912, this company installed the first of its new equipment of six stands of electrically operated 12-ft. Great Falls type converters, and shortly afterward discontinued the use of the smaller shells. In September, 1911, the Consolidated Kansas City Smelting & Refining Co. had installed at its El Paso plant two 10 by 26-ft. Peirce-Smith converters. Later, in March, 1913, one standard Great Falls type converter was added. .About the time the Peirce-Smith converters were going in at El Paso, the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co. was experimenting with basic linings in 7-ft. by 10-ft. 6-in. barrel converters at its plant in Douglas, Ariz. These efforts were sufficiently successful to enable the plant to handle the total output of copper in these small shells until the standard. Great Falls converters were substituted in June, 1914.

Jan 9, 1916

By S. P. Holt

The chief use of scrapers at this mine has been on lead ore of milling grade, clean and dry, in stulled stopes, 50-100 ft. long, 5-12 ft. high, and pitching 20-30°. Scrapers have also been used to fill these stopes with waste. The first scraper used (Fig. 1) is modified from a Cleveland-Cliffs design, being only 30 in. wide. It is light, weighing but 95 lb., handles well, and-digs itself in; but it spills part of its load on a long haul. It could be improved by lengthening the side plates, but because of the double bent angle irons, it is difficult to make at mine shops and has been discarded. Fig. 2 shows where the light angle irons have failed, spoiling

Jan 1, 1923

By S. P. Holt

The chief use of scrapers at this mine has been on lead ore of milling grade, clean and dry, in stulled stopes, 50-100 ft. long, 5-12 ft. high, and pitching 20-30°. Scrapers have also been used to fill these stopes with waste. The first scraper used (Fig. 1) is modified from a Cleveland-Cliffs design, being only 30 in. wide. It is light, weighing but 95 lb., handles well, and-digs itself in; but it spills part of its load on a long haul. It could be improved by lengthening the side plates, but because of the double bent angle irons, it is difficult to make at mine shops and has been discarded. Fig. 2 shows where the light angle irons have failed, spoiling

Jan 1, 1923

By R. D. Fisher, A. G. Metcalfe, F. A. Crossley

AN investigation of the application of magnetic stirring to the consumable arc melting of aluminum and nickel demonstrated that grain refinement could be obtained when there was sufficient stirring force. Also, it was found that grain refinement could be obtained in aluminum by alternately reversing the polarity of the current through the magnetic stirring coil. The effect of the latter was to periodically reverse the direction of rotation of the molten metal.' Because of their promise, these findings were applied to conventionally cast aluminum. Shortly after this work was begun, Kondic2 reported experiments in which aluminum cast with 40° C (72° F) of superheat exhibited a grain size of 10 to 20 grains per cm2. When interrupted rotation was applied during solidification by mechanical means, a grain size of 800 to 1000 grains per cm2 was obtained. Magnetic Stirring Applied to Conventional Casting— The applicability of magnetic stirring to producing grain refinement in conventionally cast metal was evaluated in the following way. Three pounds of aluminum were cast into a clay-bonded graphite mold. The mold was surrounded by a magnetic stirring coil of 1000 turns. A direct current of 200 amp was passed through the casting by means of a graphite electrode which was immersed from the top. A current of 5 amp was passed through the stirring coil. The aluminum (1100 or 25) was superheated to 1600° F (871° C) and fluxed by passing chlorine gas through the melt for 2 min prior to casting. Two additional castings were made for comparison: 1) a conventional casting of metal superheated to 1600° F and 2) a similar casting through which 200-amp current was passed during solidification, but without current in the magnetic coil. Macrosections of these three ingots are shown in Fig. 1. Very remarkable grain refinement resulted in the magnetically stirred casting. It may be noted that the casting through which 200-amp current was passed has a coarser structure than the conventional casting. It would appear that this is due to the additional heat input generated by the current to the former casting. Mechanical Rotation Applied to Conventional Casting—A casting temperature of 1600° F was used throughout. Some 1 1/2 -lb castings rotated at 150 rpm were predominantly columnar with small areas of coarse, equiaxed grains close to the lower mold wall. Following these, a series of 3-lb castings was made. Macrosections of these ingots are shown in Fig. 2. The imposed rotational speed was 250 rpm. Turbulence or acceleration in the solidifying liquid was the significant factor. Fine grain size resulted in the material solidified during the period of acceleration of the liquid to the imposed rotational speed. When uniform rotational motion was achieved, the grain structure reverted to columnar. The final casting shown in the lower right-

Jan 1, 1962

By E. Motica

Ores containing uranium and vanadium minerals have been mined from the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation from many localities in the Colorado Plateau region since about 1900. The most productive deposits are in a relatively small area in Southwestern Colorado referred to as the Uravan mineral belt. The mineral belt is a narrow elongate area in which uranium-vanadium deposits in the Salt Wash have a closer spacing, larger size, and higher grade than those in adjoining areas. Pre- 1948 ore production from the mineral belt was 655,000 tons averaging 1.91 per cent V2O5 and 0.28 per cent U3O8. Production during the 1948 to 1964 period was 7,900,000 tons of ore averaging 1.46 per cent V2O5 and 0.27 per cent U3O8. The ore deposits occur principally in the uppermost sandstone unit of the Salt Wash. This unit consists of sandstone lenses formed by a system of aggrading braided streams flowing in an easterly direction generally normal to the mineral belt. These lenses, referred to as channels, are as much as one mile in width and average about 50 feet in thickness and can be traced for several miles along their courses. Areas favorable for one deposits are recognized principally by the following criteria: ( 1) a host sandstone thickness of over 30 feet, (2) the presence of carbonaceous material in the host sandstone, and ( 3) gray mudstones and clays associated with the ore-bearing sandstone. The ore minerals are believed to have been precipitated from laterally migrating solutions; there is no apparent genetic relationship between ore deposits and tectonic structural features. Exploratory and development drilling from the surface is conducted in three phases: first, wide-spaced drilling to find and outline favorable channels; second, moderate-spaced drilling in favorable ground to locate ore deposits; and third, close-spaced drilling to block-out ore. Long-hole drilling from underground stations is used to find and delineate extensions of ore bodies being mined. Due to intense production since 1948 from shallow deposits, best potential for new deposits exists in areas where the ore-bearing unit is 600 to 800 feet deep.

Jan 1, 1968

By E. H. Crabtree, T. C. King

THE ferrosilicon grinding unit at the Central Mill of the Eagle-Picher Mining & Smelting Co. near Picher, Okla., was completed in March 1947. The object of the plant was to grind pigs of ferrosilicon, having a size of approximately 1 ½ by 4 by 12 in. and an analysis of 85 pct Fe and 15 pct Si, to approximately 100 mesh by crushing and wet grinding in a ball-mill classifier circuit. The minus-loo mesh ferrosilicon had formerly been purchased, and was used as medium in the heavy media process for treatment of lead-zinc ores. From the standpoint of dollars and cents, the cost of minus-100 mesh ferrosilicon was roughly $40.00 per ton more than pigs of the corresponding alloy delivered to the mill. Estimated wet grinding costs were considerably below this figure. The possible saving in cost of make-up medium for the cone plant was particularly attractive since, at that time, the plant losses averaged over four tons of minus-100 mesh ferrosilicon per day. Aside from the probable saving on the grinding charge, the need for such a unit was twofold. First, periodic fluctuations in the differential between the top and bottom densities of the cone were thought to be detrimental to metallurgy. There was little doubt that an intermediate differential existed at which the heavy media separation was most efficient, representing a compromise between concentrate grade and tailing loss. Furthermore, if a finer, but considerably cleaner, medium could be obtained, there was the possibility that the differential could be decreased without increasing the viscosity, or conversely, the viscosity of the medium decreased without increasing the differential. Preliminary to experimental work aimed at pegging the cone differential and circulating medium viscosity at whatever values were found to be most efficient, it was essential to have control over both the non-magnetic content of the medium and the particle size of the contained ferrosilicon. The latter was possible by means of a grinding unit at the mill. Second, whereas the ferrosilicon alloys are made by a number of manufacturers, only two, to our knowledge, grind it in any quantity for use in heavy media plants. For all practical purposes, the Central Mill was limited to one source of supply, a particularly vulnerable position. In case the supply was cut off, it was thought that pigs of the 85 pct Fe, 15 pct Si alloy could be obtained elsewhere, providing means of grinding them was available. There was no published information available covering wet grinding of ferrosilicon. Dry grinding in batch mills and in continuous mills with air classification was being practiced, but the cost of grinding was excessive and the dust condition objectionable. It appeared that primary and secondary crushing was no particular problem, providing heavy duty equipment was used;

Jan 1, 1947

By David W. James

DURING a recent investigation of the transition from a planar to a nonplanar solid/liquid interface for the systems H20-NH4F and 0-AIR,' an apparatus was developed which enabled the morphology of the ice-water interface to be examined during the transition. The slightly curved interface was viewed at a glancing angle with a Bausch and Lomb X30 stereomicro-scope. The interface was obliquely illuminated by a polarized light source. It was thus possible to differentiate between small projections or depressions at the interface, both by a shadowing effect and by the way in which they distorted the colored interference fringes across a particular crystal surface. Many attempts were made to photograph the various stages of interface breakdown. Unfortunately, the limited depth of focus of the microscope rendered the system unsuitable for photographic recording. Visual examination, however, was facilitated by continuous adjustment of the microscope focus control. The following observations of the interface transition were recorded for dilute solutions of ammonium fluoride in water. They are compared with iller's postulated morphologies shown in Fig. 1. i) The initial departure from planarity was characterized by the appearance of a large number of small depressions or "pores" in the interface. ii) The pores were arranged in wavy rows all lying roughly in the same direction within a particular grain. iii) The pores did not appear to form near to grain boundaries. iv) The pores appeared in certain grains before others. v) The transition from the pore structure to the elongated cell structure, Fig. l(d), was difficult to follow. It occurred quite rapidly and no truly irregular cell structure, Fig. l(c), was noticed. vi) The elongated cells gradually became more uniform in size and shape, with straight cell boundaries. They remained elongated, however, and no regular hexagonal cells were observed, cf. Fig. l(e). Several conclusions may be drawn from these observations. Firstly, the appearance of a poxed or, more accurately, a pore structure can be used as a criterion for the onset of constitutional supercooling. Care should, of course, be taken to distinguish between the true pore structure and artifacts caused by splashed-back liquid, particles of oxide, or inefficient decantation of liquid retained between cell boundaries, as described by Spittle et al? Secondly, and contrary to the suggestions of Tiller el l., it seems that interfacial perturbations are characterized not by curved projections but by small depressions or pores. A recent independent investigation by Biloni, Bolling, and cole5 reported in this issue indicates that the depressions might be explained in terms of dislocations intersecting the solid/liquid interface. It is possible that the dislocation concentration is reduced in the vicinity of grain boundaries. This would then explain the grain boundary depleted areas noted in (iii) above. This work was partially supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Contract No. AF 49-(638)-1029.

Jan 1, 1967

By R. E. Holmes, T. W. Leland

The solution to the unsteady-state mass- and heat-transfer equations describing the adsorption of a dilute component from a gas stream flowing through a packed bed is readily applicable to the design of hydrocarbon recovery units. The solution to these equations depends on the assumption of a linear equilibrium equation to relate concentrations on the surface to concentrations in the gas. This assumption is shown to be justifiable for components which are very dilute in the gas stream. This approach permits the prediction of the effects of bed shape and size, cycle time, and gas mass velocity on the recovery of each component. It also allows the time and gas flow rate needed for regeneration to be determined. The equations involve a constant for each component and another constant characterized by the type of adsorbent. These constants must be evaluated from operating data. Values of these constants determined for silica gel are presented. This paper points out the type of experitrrental data needed for a thorough design of hydrocarbon adsorption units. INTRODUCTION The growing importance of adsorption processes to recover hydrocarbons from natural-gas streams has created an urgent need for better methods to design and predict the performance of these processes. Since the original use of solid adsorbents in natural-gas processing was for dehydration, most of the current design methods for hydrocarbon recovery re extensions of those developed earlier for dehydration. These methods are based on an adsorptivity or bed loading factor defined as the amount of a particular component adsorbed per unit weight or per unit volume of the packed bed. The recovery of a given component is then expressed as an empirical function of its adsorptivity on a given adsorbent. In spite of the simplicity and initial utility of these methods, they are not completely satisfactory in that they do not predict the effect of the dimensions of the bed in relation to flow rate and cycle time, and do not predict the distribution of various components along the length of the bed. It is possible, however, to make a considerable improvement in the design of these processes by applying the basic equations of mass and heat transfer applicable to gases containing small concentrations of adsorbing components flowing through granular beds. These equations have been developed and solved by Anzelius,' Furnas,% nd Hougen and Marshall." where G = mass velocity of the inert constituents (assumed to be methane), lb/hr-sq ft, y = weight of an adsorbing component in the gas per unit weight of inert, lb of a given constituent per lb of methane, x = bed length, ft, p, = packed bed density, lb/cu ft, P, = gas density, Ib/cu ft, f = void fraction in the bed, t = time, hours, and w = weight of a given component adsorbed per unit weight of adsorbate free solid, Ib/lb pure adsorbent. The term on the left side of Eq. 1 represents the flow rate per unit bed volume of a component entering less the flow rate per unit bed volume of that component leaving the differential bed length. The terms on the right side represent, respectively, the accumulation rates per unit bed volume on the solid and in the gas phase within the differential bed section. The last term is negligible for this application since pgfv is quite small in comparison with p, and G. The partial differential is determined by the mass-transfer rate between gas and solid in the differential section.

By C. E. Sims

The carbon-oxygen reaction without doubt is the basic reaction in steelmaking. It is important on several counts: In the first place, carbon is the element that distinguishes steel from iron. It is the principal element controlling properties, and its control is of prime concern. Although the principal objective of the carbon-oxygen reaction is to oxidize excess carbon, the accompanying boil should not be underrated. The mechanical agitation, stirring, and mixing resulting from the boil are so useful in the distribution of heat and in promoting uniformity of composition in the bath that, were it not a natural accompaniment of the carbon-oxygen reaction, it is probable that something would have to be invented to replace it. The open-hearth operation, for example, with the bath heated from above by radiation, would be impracticable without the carbon boil. The electric-arc furnace is somewhat less dependent on it, but every melter knows how much easier it is to gain temperature with minimum damage to refractories during the boil than with a dead bath The motor action of the induced current of the induction furnace makes the carbon boil unnecessary but even there a severe oxidation has been found useful in giving greater freedom from porosity in certain steels. The quantitative aspects of the carbon-oxygen reaction have been given considerable attention by a large number of investigators, and the principles of physical chemistry have played an important part in these studies. Physical chemistry is the science of the mechanics and mathematics of chemical reactions. It is possible to study the mechanisms of reactions in a qualitative manner writhout reference to mathematics and thus obtain valuable concepts as to the manner in which the wheels go around. When it is desired to express quantitative relations in these reactions, however, resort to mathematics is not only convenient but necessary. Mathematics may also be regarded as the shorthand language of physical chemistry. A basic relation whose description requires numerous words may be expressed very simply by a mathematical formula or equation. A good example of this is the equilibrium constant for a chemical reaction. Expressed verbally, it is: When a chemical reaction has reached a condition of equilibrium, the Product of the concentration of the reacting substances on one side of the equation, divided by the product of the concentration of the reacting substances on the other side, gives a quotient that is a constant at constant temperature For the carbon-oxygen reaction C + O ^ CO this is expressed simply as % C X % O -%co where K (from the German Konstant) is the equilibrium constant for the reaction. Although mathematics is such a necessary and useful tool, it is also a potential pitfall. Mathematics in itself is an abstract science, which is not inhibited by consideration of mechanisms or materials.

Jan 1, 1948

By C. E. Sims

The carbon-oxygen reaction without doubt is the basic reaction in steelmaking. It is important on several counts: In the first place, carbon is the element that distinguishes steel from iron. It is the principal element controlling properties, and its control is of prime concern. Although the principal objective of the carbon-oxygen reaction is to oxidize excess carbon, the accompanying boil should not be underrated. The mechanical agitation, stirring, and mixing resulting from the boil are so useful in the distribution of heat and in promoting uniformity of composition in the bath that, were it not a natural accompaniment of the carbon-oxygen reaction, it is probable that something would have to be invented to replace it. The open-hearth operation, for example, with the bath heated from above by radiation, would be impracticable without the carbon boil. The electric-arc furnace is somewhat less dependent on it, but every melter knows how much easier it is to gain temperature with minimum damage to refractories during the boil than with a dead bath The motor action of the induced current of the induction furnace makes the carbon boil unnecessary but even there a severe oxidation has been found useful in giving greater freedom from porosity in certain steels. The quantitative aspects of the carbon-oxygen reaction have been given considerable attention by a large number of investigators, and the principles of physical chemistry have played an important part in these studies. Physical chemistry is the science of the mechanics and mathematics of chemical reactions. It is possible to study the mechanisms of reactions in a qualitative manner writhout reference to mathematics and thus obtain valuable concepts as to the manner in which the wheels go around. When it is desired to express quantitative relations in these reactions, however, resort to mathematics is not only convenient but necessary. Mathematics may also be regarded as the shorthand language of physical chemistry. A basic relation whose description requires numerous words may be expressed very simply by a mathematical formula or equation. A good example of this is the equilibrium constant for a chemical reaction. Expressed verbally, it is: When a chemical reaction has reached a condition of equilibrium, the Product of the concentration of the reacting substances on one side of the equation, divided by the product of the concentration of the reacting substances on the other side, gives a quotient that is a constant at constant temperature For the carbon-oxygen reaction C + O ^ CO this is expressed simply as % C X % O -%co where K (from the German Konstant) is the equilibrium constant for the reaction. Although mathematics is such a necessary and useful tool, it is also a potential pitfall. Mathematics in itself is an abstract science, which is not inhibited by consideration of mechanisms or materials.

Jan 1, 1948

By Henry Rawdon

THE METHOD of demonstrating the structure existing in a metal or alloy at high temperatures, by etching a polished sample after it has been heated to the desired temperature, is quite familiar to metallographists. The usual procedure1,2 is to heat the specimen, previously polished for microscopic examination, to the desired temperature, in a neutral atmosphere (hydrogen or nitrogen), then admit the etching gas. (chlorine, hydrochloric acid or similar gas) for. a few seconds, and finally, after flushing out the etching gas with the neutral one, cool the specimen in the neutral atmosphere. The pattern produced by etching at a definite temperature is usually taken as a record of the microstructure prevailing at that temperature. It has frequently been pointed out that changes in composition of the surface metal occur during the preliminary heating in the neutral atmosphere, so that the appearance produced' by the etching at high temperature may not exactly represent the condition of the interior of the specimen. To overcome this uncertainty, the heating has sometimes been done in vacuo,3 the etching gas being ad-mitted when the desired temperature was reached, then pumped out and the specimen cooled in vacuo.

Jan 2, 1920