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By James F. McConnell, Charles W. Statler

Pennsylvania's existing large coal-fired units are limited to 2.0, 1.8, or 0.6 lb of sulfur per million Btu fired, depending on site location. Multi-stream coal preparation can be employed on system basis to extract the highest quality fraction of coal for use in units requiring the lowest sulfur. The middling fraction can be directed to units permitted higher sulfur. General Public Utilities Corp. has concluded that it is feasible to advance the state-of-the-art of heavy media coal preparation to produce an intensively cleaned primary product of 1.3 sp gr of less than 0.6 lb of sulfur per million Btu for the new unit and a middling product of 2.0 lb of sulfur per million Btu for existing units.

Jan 1, 1977

By John Garcia

IN some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of construct-ing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it-is felt that a description, of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. As far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bitu-minous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it.

Jan 1, 1937

Flag Day Celebrations Develop Practical Patriotism Among the hundreds of industries which celebrated Flag Day on June 14, were a number of mines, and a report- from the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Co. tells how the programs were carried out at Mammoth and Chrome. In the first place, Flag Day was not observed by knocking off work, but by short exercises, after which work was resumed with re-doubled energy. In this crisis, that method of showing devotion to the flag and country might be termed "practical patriotism." In other words, it could be expressed as "Hats off to the flag and sleeves up for it." Harry Hunt, first-aid man at the Mammoth mine, reports that the flag raising was marked by the spirit of high enthusiasm, which included every man, woman and child belonging to the camp. "The miners in their working clothes, still wearing their carbide lamps on their caps, with faces covered with dirt, just as they came from the mine, and the ladies and children with their bits of bright color, made a picture worthy of the brush of a master painter. The program rendered was that arranged by the National Bureau of Education." First came a bugle call, "To the Colors," given by Assistant Superintendent C. W. Plumb. Then Foreman Carpenter W. R. (Bill) Young, raised the stars and stripes to the peak, and as the banner unfurled to the breeze, all heads were bared, and the salute was given by the workers, whose toil at home is strengthening our army in France. Then the miners joined in the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner," and repeated the "Pledge of Allegiance," and the "American's Creed." Shift-boss W. J. Phinazee then addressed his fellow workers, telling them how the flag stands for their protection and that of their loved ones, and how it should be loved and respected, not only by the native born, but by all who live here under its protection. Those of alien birth, who have come here because of the greater opportunities offered in America, owe a special honor to the stars and stripes, and the point was made that these men from other lands should not love their old home less, but their adopted country more. The majority of those present were foreigners, and their hearty applause showed that they appreciated the point made by their shift-boss, who, because of his position, was able to address them as man to man.

Jan 10, 1918

By H. S. Munroe

The accompanying figures illustrate the dumping-device used at the new dressing works of the St. Joseph Lead Co., at Bonne Terre, Mo. It is a dumping-cradle, of a type much used abroad, in which the car is turned upside down to discharge its load. The main

Jan 1, 1889

By Richard Dunmore

Tests of the MRDE firedamp prediction method have been carried out in a number of longwall districts with different conditions. The method itself and its development have been described previously At many test sites the prediction has been good, i.e. the calculated gas emission levels have agreed with measured values, averaged over a period of many weeks, within a few percent. In other cases, where there have been larger discrepancies between calculation and measurement, investigations have shown that these may be attributed to particular conditions of mining or geology. Recognition of these conditions in advance of mining is clearly desirable to improve the accuracy of the initial prediction. It has been shown that variations in gas emission rates depend largely on coal production in terms of the weekly advance of the coal face. Although there appears to be a random element present, variations in gas emission levels calculated from changing face advances agree well with measurement. The accuracy of prediction therefore depends on how well face advance can be forecast and needs to be updated as the working proceeds in the light of the face performance actually achieved. Continuous monitoring of the mine environment provides the information necessary to compare actual gas emission with predicted levels, and computerised systems make it possible to carry this out in real time. Predictions can thus be adjusted to take account of emission levels measured in previous weeks These adjustments, whether they are made after the first few weeks or subsequently during the district life, would also be used to alert management to particular abnormalities or significant changes in gas emission.

Jan 1, 1982

By M. G. Schuerger, D. W. Park

An improved gage for monitoring fractures in underground openings was successfully developed using the reflection photoelastic technique. The gage may be used to detect crack initiation in mine openings or tunnels so reme¬dial action may be taken to prevent further deterioration. Fringes concentrated around the cracks were spread by using rubber backing. Crack growth as little as 76µm (0.003 in.) up to as much as a 2.54-mm (0.1-in.) width were detect¬ed in this study. Variation of gage materials will provide alternative ranges. The feasibility of the method was tested and calibration was made in a laboratory study. Field study successfully demonstrated the capability of applications in detecting mine roof crack development.

Jan 1, 1984

By Koehler S. Stout

At today's mineral prices, unproductive or low productive work in any underground mine must be kept at a minimum to insure a profit. Improper level and raise spacing can be one of the contributing factors to high production costs, and little can be done to reduce these costs after the spacing interval has been chosen. The objective in selecting level spacing is to find the most desirable interval which produces ore at the least cost per ton while still operating within the highest margins of safety and efficiency to the workmen. In addition, maximum possible recovery of ore under the conditions must be attained.

Jan 11, 1962

By Enid C. Plante

INTRODUCTION To extend our knowledge of the flotation behavior of sulphide minerals, the response of the following minerals to ethyl xanthate as collector was studied by captive bubble and cylinder flotation tests: antimonite (Sb2S3), arsenopyrite (FeAsS), covellite (CuS), marcasite (FeS2), orpiment (As2S3), pyrrhotite (FeS) and tetrahedrite (4CU2S, Sb2S3). Lollingite (FeAs2) was also examined to determine if its behavior could be correlated with that of pyrite or marcasite (FeS2). EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Mineral for Flotation and Contact Tests Mineral was prepared in the manner already described' and its behavior both freshly ground and "oxidized" was studied. Tests in which the mineral was allowed to oxidize for various periods showed that a uniform response to xanthate was reached in two days or less. Oxidation Products The soluble oxidation products from most of the above minerals were measured and their effect on the flotation of the mineral studied. The mineral samples were wet ground to minus-52 mesh and deslimed, and 20 g of this material placed in 200 ml of distilled water of a measured pH value, and C02 free air bubbled through each suspension at a constant rate (about 1 bubble/sec) for 5 days. It has been shown1 that the size of the mineral is unimportant in the rate of formation of oxidation products and that probably the supply of oxygen to the mineral is the rate-determining step. At the end of 5 days the pH value of the supernatant liquid was measured again, the mineral filtered off and the soluble products determined. Methods for estimation of sulphur acids, ferrous and ferric iron and copper have already been described.1 No satisfactory method was found for antimony. Arsenic was estimated as the arsenate.2 FLOTATION OF "UNOXIDIZED" MINERALS WITH ETHYL XANTHATE AS COLLECTOR Fig I to 3, 4, 6, show the effect of alkali and cyanide as depressants for the minerals with 25 mg potassium ethyl xanthate per liter as collector at 35°C. Wark and Cox3 have shown that with ethyl xanthate as collector, galena, pyrite and chalcopyrite show a greater tolerance to cyanide and hydroxyl ions at room temperature than at 35°C. Covellite (Fig I), marcasite (Fig 2) and pyrrhotite (Fig 3) behave similarly. The independence of the curves for pyrrhotite at 35°C with respect to cyanide

Jan 1, 1947

By G. T. Lineberry

Power requirements for a piece of mobile mining equipment are largely dependent on the set of conditions in which they must operate. These conditions are isolated and key parameters are identified. The effect of operating conditions on power determination is investigated. A simulation technique is developed to predict ranges of power demands for off-highway haul units as an archetype, permitting the analysis of changeable operating conditions. This program uses given data, conditions, and probabilities and ranges to solve for individual components of power, which can then be summed. By adopting such a technique, a systematic and rational determination of power is made possible. The usefulness of this basic approach in the determination of power requirements for other mobile mining equipment is emphasized.

Jan 1, 1983

By S. W. MILLE

GEORGE F. COMSTOCK,* Niagara Falls, N. Y. (written discussion?).¬I have recently had the pleasure of reading Mr. Miller's interesting paper, and would like to call attention to a reference to this subject which apparently has escaped his notice. It is an abstract of a German research on the subject of nitrogen in steel, and appeared in the Iron Age of Feb. 17, 1916, page 432. Photomicrographs of needles such as Mr. Miller found in his welds are given, and their identity is discussed. The conclusion reached is that the needles are slip lines due to the brittleness of the ferrite crystals caused by their absorption of nitrogen. The deformation necessary to develop the slips is supposed to be accomplished either in cutting or polishing the microsections or by cooling strains after welding. It seems very reasonable to expect that nitrogen would he absorbed by steel in either electric or oxy-acetylene welding, and the reference I have mentioned gives instances of many unusual structures resulting from the presence of considerable nitrogen with carbon in steel. But the nitrogen is .rapidly given off from steel by ordinary annealing in air, hydrogen or vacuum, and this would explain the disappearance of Mr. Miller's needles after annealing. I think the conclusion that the needles are cementite might well be revised in view of this German work on nitrogen.

Jan 5, 1918

By Oliver C. Ralston, James E. Norman

Separation of minerals by froth flotation is rightly called an art. It can truthfully be said that no two ores separate in the same way. The difference in results obtained when natural and synthetic mixtures of minerals are separated is so great that such tests frequently have been worthless in attempting to select conditions in which a natural mixture will separate. With a few rare exceptions, the natural mixture is much more difficult to treat than a synthetic mixture, and a much poorer separation is obtained. Perhaps several experimenters have wondered why 10 or 20 per cent of a mineral being floated from an ore does not float and is different from the 90 or 80 per cent that is recovered. In experimental tests on pure sphalerite, observers' have noted that varying amounts of sphalerite may be froth-floated with pine oil alone, the amount recovered in the froth depending apparently upon the source of the sulphide. The only explanation of results such as these, barring insufficiency of frother or time of flotation, is that the surface of the mineral floated is different from that of the mineral depressed. This difference often has been found to be caused by natural contamination of mineral surfaces, apparently brought about by weathering and exposure to natural solutions. There is virtually no rock that is absolutely unweathered. One of the writers had an exceedingly instructive experience in 1931 while working with United Verde copper-zinc iron sulphide ore in Arizona. Nonselective flotation of chalcopyrite and sphalerite away from some of the pyrite was all that could be accomplished. All known depressants produced only slight effect. Sodium cyanide showed some effect, but so much had to be used that only a small amount of chalcopyrite could be

Jan 1, 1939

By Oliver C. Ralston, James E. Norman

Separation of minerals by froth flotation is rightly called an art. It can truthfully be said that no two ores separate in the same way. The difference in results obtained when natural and synthetic mixtures of minerals are separated is so great that such tests frequently have been worthless in attempting to select conditions in which a natural mixture will separate. With a few rare exceptions, the natural mixture is much more difficult to treat than a synthetic mixture, and a much poorer separation is obtained. Perhaps several experimenters have wondered why 10 or 20 per cent of a mineral being floated from an ore does not float and is different from the 90 or 80 per cent that is recovered. In experimental tests on pure sphalerite, observers' have noted that varying amounts of sphalerite may be froth-floated with pine oil alone, the amount recovered in the froth depending apparently upon the source of the sulphide. The only explanation of results such as these, barring insufficiency of frother or time of flotation, is that the surface of the mineral floated is different from that of the mineral depressed. This difference often has been found to be caused by natural contamination of mineral surfaces, apparently brought about by weathering and exposure to natural solutions. There is virtually no rock that is absolutely unweathered. One of the writers had an exceedingly instructive experience in 1931 while working with United Verde copper-zinc iron sulphide ore in Arizona. Nonselective flotation of chalcopyrite and sphalerite away from some of the pyrite was all that could be accomplished. All known depressants produced only slight effect. Sodium cyanide showed some effect, but so much had to be used that only a small amount of chalcopyrite could be

Jan 1, 1939

By Haydn H. Murray

The term clay is somewhat ambiguous unless specifically defined because it is used both as a rock term and as a particle size term. Actually most persons using the term clay realize that it has a double meaning and in most instances define it. As a rock term, clay is difficult to define because of the wide variety of materials that compose it so that the definition has to be general. Clay is a natural, earthy, fine-grained material composed largely of a limited group of crystalline minerals known as the clay minerals. Many definitions state that a clay has the property of plasticity when wet, but some clays are not plastic, i.e., halloysite and flint clay; however, most clay materials are plastic when wet. As a particle size term, clay is used for the category that includes the smallest particles. The maximum size particles in the clay size grade are defined differently on some grade scales. Soil investigators and mineralogists generally use 2 microns as the maximum size. The Wentworth scale' defines clay as material finer than approximately 4 microns. Grim' has found it convenient to use the term clay material for any fine-grained, natural, earthy, argillaceous material and in this way can include clays, shales, or argillites, and some soils if they are argillaceous. Even though no standard definition of the term clay is accepted by geologists, agronomists, engineers, and others, still the term is generally understood by all who use it. Clay is an abundant natural raw material and has an amazing variety of uses and properties which will be discussed in this chapter. In order to understand better the relationships between the clays and their uses, a brief discussion of the structure, chemical composition, and identification of the clay minerals is given. Mineralogical Composition of Clays Clays are composed of certain groups of hydrous aluminum, magnesium, and iron silicates that may contain calcium, potassium, and other ions, which are called the clay minerals, and other minerals of variable composition, which are nonclay minerals. Both clay minerals and nonclay minerals influence the properties of a clay material. In order to understand the relationship between clay minerals and the properties of a clay material, a short summary of the structure and composition of clay minerals is necessary. Any scheme of classification tends to impose a certain rigidity and as new and additional data become available it is necessary to revise classifications. Brindley3 has discussed the classification and structural mineralogy of clays in very lucid fashion and chose a classification based on structural features and chemical composition. Grim2 proposed a tentative classification which is based on the structural attributes of the various clay minerals. This classification is relatively simple and workable, and is shown as follows: I. Amorphous Allophane group II. Crystalline A. Two-layer types (sheet structures composed of units of one layer of silica tetrahedrons and one layer of alumina octahedrons). 1. Equidimensional Kaolin group kaolinite, dickite, nacrite 2. Elongate Halloysite group

Jan 1, 1960

By Russell A. Carter

Seven years of rising silver prices have effectively revived an historic Idaho mining district and given it a new lease on life. Initial production earlier last year from the DeLamar open-pit silver mine in southwestern Idaho ushered in a new era of mineral production in a region that has weathered boom-and-bust cycles reaching back the better part of a century.

Jan 1, 1978

By W. F. Guenther

The usual hand-operated drilling outfit consists of a 4-in. post-hole auger with 3/4,-in. pipe for drill stem, in 4-ft lengths, with a turning handle fitted to a top pipe T. The auxiliary tools are: a chisel-bit drill made from 3/4 or 7/8-in. tool steel welded to a 4-ft length of 3/4-in, pipe, so that the regular pipe string can be used; also a churn or "mule foot" made from 3-in. pipe, slotted on one side, belled to a 4-in. tempered cutting edge on the bottom, all welded to a 3/4-in. coupling by a yoke. Other tools required are pipe wrenches and cleanout tools made from old auto springs (Fig I). A 4 1/2 or 5-in. collar welded to a plate is often used to protect the mouth of the drill hole. In general the auger is used in the typical clay overburden and brown phosphate matrix, which is relatively soft. The churn or "mule foot1' is used in hard pan, lump phosphate or cherty ground. The drill is used for breaking flint, often found loose in the overburden. The drill with the chisel bit is used for trimming sides of the hole, sounding for lime bottom and breaking through hard lumps. Holes have been drilled to a depth of 80 ft, but the limit of efficient operation is about 50 ft. In deep holes it is necessary to unscrew the string in 20-ft lengths, to

Jan 1, 1948

By W. F. Guenther

The usual hand-operated drilling outfit consists of a 4-in. post-hole auger with 3/4,-in. pipe for drill stem, in 4-ft lengths, with a turning handle fitted to a top pipe T. The auxiliary tools are: a chisel-bit drill made from 3/4 or 7/8-in. tool steel welded to a 4-ft length of 3/4-in, pipe, so that the regular pipe string can be used; also a churn or "mule foot" made from 3-in. pipe, slotted on one side, belled to a 4-in. tempered cutting edge on the bottom, all welded to a 3/4-in. coupling by a yoke. Other tools required are pipe wrenches and cleanout tools made from old auto springs (Fig I). A 4 1/2 or 5-in. collar welded to a plate is often used to protect the mouth of the drill hole. In general the auger is used in the typical clay overburden and brown phosphate matrix, which is relatively soft. The churn or "mule foot1' is used in hard pan, lump phosphate or cherty ground. The drill is used for breaking flint, often found loose in the overburden. The drill with the chisel bit is used for trimming sides of the hole, sounding for lime bottom and breaking through hard lumps. Holes have been drilled to a depth of 80 ft, but the limit of efficient operation is about 50 ft. In deep holes it is necessary to unscrew the string in 20-ft lengths, to

Jan 1, 1948

By Charles J. Speake, Dennis R. Haley, Thomas E. Finch

As there exists a strong trend to computer assisted mine design, this twofold presentation will emphasize an examination of the parameters wed to create a mine design computer program. The program results are a first-order engineering design and evaluation of methods wed to handle the parting or inner burden found in thick-seam western surface coal mines. The alternative selections are draglines, backhoes, scrapers, front-end loaders, shovels, and bucket wheel excavators used in direct stow or haul-back techniques. The computer program wed in the design selection will be explained and typical input and output information shown.

Jan 1, 1980

By L. Michael Kaas

The mineral industries are striving to expand their use of the computer's ability to process exploration, geologic, and mining data. Digital plotting programs and devices are continuing to gain wider use for lowering the cost and the time required to produce many types of maps and cross-sections commonly used by mining companies. Mineral engineers and geologists will soon be using a new tool, computer graphics, to greatly facilitate the use of computers to solve a large number of industry problems. By means of cathode-ray-tube (CRT) displays, an engineer can search large files of geologic data; display elevation contours, geologic structures, and ore grades; construct geologic and mining cross-sections; and compute tonnages for mining plans or ore reserve estimates. Examples of both digital plotting and cathode-ray-tube problem solving approaches are discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 1969

By Harold S. Davis

SURROUNDING the nuclear core of an atomic energy plant there are usually one or more thick walls of concrete, as required to protect instruments and personnel from the harmful effects of nuclear radiations. Sometimes these massive walls are of ordinary concrete weighing about 150 pcf. To reduce wall thicknesses, concrete weighing 200 to 350 pcf may be used. Such high densities are obtained by using natural aggregate processed from heavy ore, or by using steel slugs or iron shot in concrete. Mix data for a number of high-density concretes are summarized in Table I.1 High density at low cost is of prime importance in shields designed to absorb gamma rays. On the other hand, biological shields located near the reactor core must attenuate neutrons as well as gamma rays. In general, a biological shield should contain: 1) heavy elements to slow down high energy neutrons and to absorb gamma rays, 2) either light elements or hydrogenous materials to moderate neutrons of intermediate energy, and 3) materials to absorb neutrons once they have been slowed down to thermal energies. Some shield materials, iron and water for example, are effective in one or more of the above ways. On the other hand, some otherwise excellent shield materials have certain undesirable radiation properties that limit the ways or number of places they can be used. For example, when iron absorbs neutrons it emits secondary gamma rays of high energy. On the other hand, boron absorbs neutrons avidly without producing high energy gamma rays. In spite of its high cost, boron is sometimes used in concrete to minimize production of secondary gamma rays. In some shielding applications it is necessary to avoid materials that become radioactive when subjected to neutron bombardment, continuing to give off high energy gamma rays for long periods after being removed from a neutron field.

Jan 5, 1957

By J. F. Fidiam, T. F. Ford, A. G. Loomis

It is only within the past 10 years that serious attempt appears to have been made to improve rotary drilling fluids by the application of the principles of colloid chemistry, although the use of chemicals to control the rheological properties of clay slips has long been known in the ceramic industry. The main difficulty apparently lay in the lack of a complete analysis of all of the functions of a drilling fluid in the drilling of the well, together with the lack of adequate consideration of how colloid science could be applied to secure these ends, and particularly how apparent antithetical properties of the fluid could be compromised. Thus one analvsisl of the many requirements of a drilling fluid proved conclusively that the viscosity should be low, in order that cuttings and entrained gas might be eliminated effi-ciently in the settling ditch, while the loss in carrying capacity accompanying low viscosity could be regained by increasing either the density of the mud or the upward velocity of the mud stream in the annular space of the well, and the danger of sticking of the drill stem due to rapid settling in case of enforced suspension of drilling operations could be eliminated by enhancing the thixotropic properties of the fluid. The desired properties of the drilling fluid having thus been established, it was a natural step to treat the fluid with vis-cosity-reducing chemicals, such as salts of weak organic acidsl for example, sodium tannate or gallate—and to adjust the pH to the alkaline side to such a degree of thixo-tropy as would give low viscosity and low yield point under the conditions of flow prevailing in the settling ditch, but rapid gelation and high yield point when quiescent in the annular space during shutdowns. In fact, flow in the settling ditch should be just short of turbulent while flow in the well, together with the flow of mud past the cuttings, is practically always turbulent. The use of chemicals other than those mentioned, such as Calgon (sodium hexametaphosphate) and certain other phosphates together with sodium tannate, has now become standard practice and it is the consensus that this method of treatment has proved to be an important step in the development of the art of drilling oil wells. It is safe to assume that the application of colloid chemical principles can also help in solving other outstanding problems of drilling fluids, such as the development of cheaper and more efficient viscosity reducers ; the development of chemicals that do not lose their effectiveness in a short time during drilling operations; the finding of chemicals to preserve the plastering properties of muds when concentrated brines are encountered or in drilling through salt beds; improvement in the plastering properties of poor muds by further defloc-culation, and, conversely, the prevention of excessive deflocculation of certain marine shales sometimes encountered; the preparation of muds suitable for the successful drilling of heaving shale formations; the finding 0f chemicals to treat the mud to prevent or to diminish lost circulation; the development 0f muds that will not impair 6

Jan 1, 1941