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By Herbert Haas

ChEap power is essential to large-scale mining and metallurgical operations, particularly where fine grinding of large tonnages has to be resorted to, as is the case with an increasing number of mines treating disseminated copper ores, or low-grade gold ores, in the grinding of which considerable power is consumed. A comparison of the cost of generating power with Diesel engines and steam turbines and a brief discussion of the different factors governing the profitable use of either type of prime mover may be timely in view of the importance of a cheap supply of power to the mining industry, and the prominence that has lately been given to Diesel engines in America. As many of our most important mines and largest producers of metals are located in sections where neither cheap coal nor water power is available, and the price of oil fuel is increased by long hauls, the Diesel engine will become a prime mover of increasing importance. This applies particularly to the Southwestern States, where an ample supply of cold water for condensing purposes is unusual and local climatological conditions interfere in securing the high vacua essential to high turbine efficiency. About 12 times as much water will be required for condensing purposes with steam turbines under general conditions as is needed for jacket-cooling of two-stroke cycle Diesel engines; four-stroke cycle Diesel engines require only one-twentieth of the cooling water. Another condition favoring the use of Diesel engines is the high load factor at which most mine power plants operate. The influence of load factor on the cost of generating power is shown in Tables 1. and 2 and in Fig. 1. The higher the cost of fuel and the load factor, the greater will be the proportion of the fuel to the other costs making up the total cost of generating power. Capital charges (interest and redemption), maintenance, operating labor, and lubrication are practically constant amounts regardless of the load-output of the station; the fuel consumption and its cost are practically the only variables with the load. The costs here given are based on conditions as generally found in the Southwestern States, and on Diesel engine operating experience in European countries, where this type of prime mover has reached a high state of perfection, units upward of 4,000 hp. having proved entirely successful in operation.

Jan 1, 1917

By R. L. Boyer, F. Morgan, M. Muskat

In the last several years a type of application of the fundamental permeability-saturation relationships has been developed which offers great promise in the interpretation of general reservoir performance.l-' In these developments no attempt is made to solve the detailed flow dynamics in actual oil and gas-producing systems. That problem still remains unsolved. But the permeability-saturation phenomena are incorporated in the analysis of oil-producing reservoirs in a manner such as to reflect the true role they play in controlling the gross reservoir behavior. In particular, they are introduced in such a manner as to determine the gas-oil ratio of the production at any stage of depletion, and, when combined explicitly with the so-called material-balance principles in differential form, one can obtain a differential equation describing completely the average pressure and gas-oil-ratio history of oil-producing reservoirs. While thus far they have been applied directly only to gas-drive reservoirs, they are susceptible of extension to partial water-drive systems, and qualitatively the same principles are of value in the study Of complete water-drive reservoirs. Moreover, in addition to giving a means for computing the variation of the reservoir pressure and gas-oil ratios vs. the cumulative production, they automatically lead to predictions of the gross ultimate recovery under natural depletion—and when properly extended they provide means for predicting the ultimate recovery under gas or water injection. The data required for such applications are the initial fluid distribution in the producing section, the pressure-volume-temperature data on the gas and liquid phases, and the permeability-saturation relationship for the oil-satuiated zone. The former can be obtained with reasonable accuracy by methods that are well established and available throughout the industry. The permeability-saturation data, however, involve techniques that are not at all standardized. In fact, only

Jan 1, 1947

By M. Muskat, R. L. Boyer, F. Morgan

In the last several years a type of application of the fundamental permeability-saturation relationships has been developed which offers great promise in the interpretation of general reservoir performance.l-' In these developments no attempt is made to solve the detailed flow dynamics in actual oil and gas-producing systems. That problem still remains unsolved. But the permeability-saturation phenomena are incorporated in the analysis of oil-producing reservoirs in a manner such as to reflect the true role they play in controlling the gross reservoir behavior. In particular, they are introduced in such a manner as to determine the gas-oil ratio of the production at any stage of depletion, and, when combined explicitly with the so-called material-balance principles in differential form, one can obtain a differential equation describing completely the average pressure and gas-oil-ratio history of oil-producing reservoirs. While thus far they have been applied directly only to gas-drive reservoirs, they are susceptible of extension to partial water-drive systems, and qualitatively the same principles are of value in the study Of complete water-drive reservoirs. Moreover, in addition to giving a means for computing the variation of the reservoir pressure and gas-oil ratios vs. the cumulative production, they automatically lead to predictions of the gross ultimate recovery under natural depletion—and when properly extended they provide means for predicting the ultimate recovery under gas or water injection. The data required for such applications are the initial fluid distribution in the producing section, the pressure-volume-temperature data on the gas and liquid phases, and the permeability-saturation relationship for the oil-satuiated zone. The former can be obtained with reasonable accuracy by methods that are well established and available throughout the industry. The permeability-saturation data, however, involve techniques that are not at all standardized. In fact, only

Jan 1, 1947

By E. C. Harder

BAUXITE is known mainly as the ore from which aluminum is smelted but it has large use also in the manufacture of artificial abrasives and as a basis for certain chemical industries. A small amount is used for refractories and for other purposes. COMPOSITION Dana and others give the mineral formula of bauxite as A1203.2H20 and the composition as A12037 73.9 pct; H2O, 26.1 pct. It has been definitely shown, however, that bauxite does not exist as a specific mineral but rather as a rock. The term is now used synonymously with aluminum ore and it embraces gibbsite (hydrargillite or alpha trihydrate), A1203.3H20 (A12037 65.4 pct; H2O, 34.6 pct); boehmite (alpha mono¬hydrate), A1203.H20(Al203) 85 pct; H2O, 15 pct); diaspore (beta monohydrate), A1203.H2O(A12037 85 pct; H2O, 15 pct), and mixtures in various proportions of any two of them. Bauxite of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic in Europe is predominantly a mixture of gibbsite and boehmite, subordinately a mixture of boehmite and diaspore, or gibbsite and diaspore. The bauxite of North and South America, tropical Africa, Asia, and Australasia consists largely of gibbsite. Corundum (A1203) is not included under bauxite, although gradations from bauxite to emery or corundum exist. All bauxite, irrespective of the aluminum minerals composing it, contains certain impurities, including silica, in the form of clay minerals (kaolinite, halloysite, and others) or quartz, iron oxide (as hematite or goethite), titania (as leucoxene or rutile), iron sulphide (as pyrite or marcasite), iron carbonate (siderite), and calcium carbonate (as calcite); the last three mentioned in minor amount and of local occurrence only. Bauxite belongs to a group of partly consolidated materials called laterites, formed by surface weathering. This group includes also impure siliceous and ferruginous bauxite and siliceous and

Jan 1, 1949

By H. W. Gillett

BATTELLE Memorial Institute is an endowed in stitution for scientific research in metallurgy, fuels, and allied fields, established by the will of Gordon Battelle, 2nd, as a memorial to his father, Colonel John Gordon Battelle. Before I tell you more of what Battelle Memorial Institute is, I want to go back a bit and tell you why it is. Colonel Battelle began his services in the iron and steel industry in Wheeling in 1866 and in 1883 came to Ohio, where he successively engaged in the iron and steel industry in Cincinnati, Piqua and Columbus. The family had been prominent in Ohio affairs since 1788, when Gordon Battelle's great-great-grandfather came from New England to settle in Marietta. He was one of the pioneers and a member of the famous "Ohio Company."

Jan 1, 1929

By W. T. Roberts, N. G. Turner

A study of the fatigue properties of several grades of commercially pure titanium has established that the strain-aging process is of minor importance in the development of a fatigue limit and a relatively high fatigue strength ratio. Metallographic observations and damping measurements at room temperature indicate that striations are able to spread from grain to grain only at stress levels above the fatigue limit. This suggests that the fatigue limit represents the stress above which large-scale dislocation unlocking takes place. Fatigue tests on annealed material at - 60" and - 196" c showed that under conditions when a thermally activated diffusion process would be suppressed the fatigue limit is not eliminated. Prestraining at room temperature did not have a detrimental effect on fatigue strength at room temperature but a decrease was recorded at — 60°C. This is further evidence that initial dislocation locking is a important strengthening mechanism. TITANIUM and titanium alloys have S-N curves with a definite fatigue limit, and a high ratio of fatigue limit to UTS can be attained. Other materials which show similar fatigue characteristics are mild steel and some Al-Mg alloys. The fatigue limit of these materials has been associated with their strain-aging capacity. It is well-known that commercial-purity titanium contains interstitial impurities which can give rise to a sharp yield point, and a small strain-aging effect following static strain has been demonstrated.7 This type of aging reaction is differentiated from the dynamic aging process when aging occurs during plastic deformation, and which is generally observed at elevated temperatures. In a titanium at room temperature, dislocation locking is associated with the interaction of interstitial oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon atoms with dislocations. Ehr-lich has shown that the distortion produced by introduction of these atoms into the hcp lattice has no shear stress component and hence there is no interaction between the stress field and the screw component of a dislocation. Thus the dislocations as a whole are only weakly locked. It is clear that strain-aging effects in hcp a titanium will be much less pronounced than those observed in bcc iron and steel. In recent years, the attribution of the fatigue limit solely to strain aging has been questioned. It has been pointed out that a definite fatigue limit is observed at temperatures as low as -196°C in some titanium alloys,' and strain aging is not expected to be effective at this temperature. The role of initial locking of dislocations in determining fatigue behavior has been examined in low-carbon steel by Oates and Wilson. They showed that under conditions in which the aging potential is low the factors which control the buildup of local stresses and hence affect dislocation unlocking, e.g., grain size, are important. There are indications that other metals can have a definite fatigue limit with no established strain-aging capacity, an example being magnesium12 which has the same crystal structure as a titanium. The spread of plasticity from grain to grain in hexagonal metals may be more difficult than in cubic metals because of the limited number of slip systems in the former, and this may account in part for their fatigue behavior. The present work was undertaken to elucidate the relative importance of crystal structure, strain aging, and initial dislocation locking in determining the properties of commercially pure titanium when subjected to cyclic stressing. 1) EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Three grades of commercial-purity titanium were used and a material of lower interstitial content was prepared by melting high-purity Japanese sponge titanium (referred to as H.P. Ti). The compositions and typical mechanical properties of the materials are shown in Table I. Fatigue tests were made in push-pull (zero mean stress) using an Amsler Vibraphore machine at a frequency of about 160 cps. Two types of fatigue specimen were used—one with a waisted gage length for determination of S-N curves and the other with a parallel gage length for metallographic studies and damping measurements. After careful machining and mechanical polishing, all specimens were electropolished prior to fatigue testing. The electrolyte consisted of 10 parts methyl alcohol, 6 parts 2-butoxyethanol, and 1 part perchloric acid (SG 1.54) and it was maintained at a temperature of -10" to -20°C during polishing. Tests at room temperature were normally carried out with the specimen immersed in a silicone oil bath which could be heated for elevated-temperature tests.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. E. Sandor, P. F. Schmidt

A general review of the present knowledge of the semiconductor/oxide interface is given, with emphasis on silicon and germanium. The electrical properties of clean surfaces and the changes that occur upon oxidation are described. A brief disczcssion of the methods and mechanisms of oxidation of silicon is given, and the interaction between the semiconductor substrate and the oxide phase is considered. Physical properties of the oxide film, charge storage effects due to the dielectric, and some device applications of oxide films on semiconductors are discussed. THIS paper will be heavily preoccupied with the elemental semiconductors germanium and silicon. Undoubtedly some injustice is done thereby to other semiconductor-oxide systems, but it is not readily possible to cover all aspects of so vast a field in the present review. In considering the semiconductor/oxide interface, we may start out by discussing briefly an idealized clean semiconductor surface, and may then follow the changes brought about by oxidation, as the oxide is allowed to grow progressively thicker. The references given are not a complete list, but are to be taken as guides to the literature. Tamml suggested in 1933, based upon the study of a one-dimensional asymmetrical potential model, that localized surface states may appear at the surface of a crystalline lattice; it was pointed out by Fowler that these states should occur in pairs. shockley3 examined the origin of such surface states on the basis of a more general one-dimensional model and found that surface states may appear in the forbidden region between the highest filled and the lowest vacant band. This happens when the two bands overlap, as, for instance, the "s" and ('p" bands of the diamond structure. In a three-dimensional model these levels would produce a surface band which is half-filled for diamond, and the number of surface states should be approximately equal to the number of surface atoms. This picture of the surface has been refined by more recent theoretical work, like Handler's4 and Koutecky and Tomasek's~ without introducing essential modifications. When these concepts were applied to semiconduc-

Jan 1, 1965

By Barbara L. Lakin, Sherman K. Okun

According to a recent market survey, the quality and ability of key personnel, plus past performance on the job, rank high as criteria used by mining companies when selecting a project engineering contractor.

Jan 9, 1977

By E. Eichen, G. S. Ansell. L. R. Sefton

A Technique for the Preparation of Thin Films of Two-Phase Alloys Suitable for Use in Transmission Electron Microscopy In order to obtain foil sufficiently thin to permit transmission electron microscopy of two-phase alloys, particularly alloys in which the second phase is present as a very finely dispersed second phase, a technique has been developed to permit the thinning of these materials without either the large degree of pitting present in the electrochemical or chemical thinning process or the slicing of the second phase particles accompanying the mi-crotoming process. The metal or alloy to be thinned is first ground to initial sheet thickness of approximately 0.002 in. by hand grinding on 4/0 emery paper. This starting sheet of material is then reduced in cross section by an air-abrasion technique using an S. S. White dental abrasive unit. This unit consists of a supply of compressed CO, which provides a stream of high velocity gas impinging on the metal surface. Incorporated in the machine is a hopper-type of device in which fine abrasive particles of alumina are introduced into this high velocity gas stream. The abrasive particles are irregular in shape, approximately 30 across. If any particles are introduced into the sample during thinning, they should be readily observable. Impingement of this gas abrasive mixture on the metal surface causes rapid removal of the metal in a rather uniform manner. The rates of metal removal may be adjusted by both regulating the gas pressure and amount of abrasive material introduced into the gas stream. By moving the gas stream abrasive mixture slowly about the specimen or sheet surface, a large area of the sheet may be uniformly reduced to a thickness which is then suitable for use in transmission electron microscopy. Attendant with this metal removal is a result in cold working of the metal surface due to the impingement of the abrasive particles. The resultant foils, therefore, if made from materials which are desirable to view in the annealed condition, have to be subsequently heat treated. If the alloy from which these foils have been made has been initially heavily worked or deformed during manufacture, then no subsequent heat treatment is, necessary as in the case of the SAP-type alloys. Following this initial abrasive thinning technique, the material is then given a final electropolish which is just sufficient to remove any oxide which has formed on the metal surface during the abrasion technique. Care has to be exercised in this technique to make sure that none of the attendant problems associated with the chemical or electrochemical removal process are encountered. An electrolyte solution which has been found suitable for aluminum-aluminum oxide SAP materials is one containing 78 ml of perchloric acid, 120 ml of distilled water, 700 ml of ethanol, and 100 ml of butylcellosolve. The current density used is 1 amp per sq cm and a polishing time of 3 sec on each side of the foil is used. Extreme care must be used in choosing the current density and time to ensure that just the oxide film on the specimen is removed. Times or current density which are greater than this will lead to perforation of the film due to the removal of the A1,0, particles or a complete loss of the film due to complete solution of the matrix. Once the oxide film is removed the specimens must be kept in alcohol until placed in the microscope to prevent any further oxidation. Fig. 1 shows -an electron micrograph at X28,000 of a thin foil of an aluminum-aluminum oxide SAP-type alloy prepared using this technique. The alloy consists of a matrix of commercial purity aluminum containing a very finely dispersed second phase of aluminum oxide flakes. In the electron micrograph, the dark patches are the aluminum oxide particles. The lighter portions of the micrograph are the aluminum matrix. Within the aluminum matrix, the dislocation structure of the alloy is clearly visible. This structure consists of intersecting twin boundaries and single dislocations. No abrasive particles were observed in the samples. In addition, thin films of commercial purity aluminum were prepared using this method and observed in the electron microscope. Here also, there was no evidence of abrasive particles introduced in the samples. The technique presented provides a satisfactory method for the production of thin films of aluminum-aluminum oxide SAP-type alloys for use in transmission electron microscopy where none of the usual thinning techniques appears to be satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1962

By C. H. Lieb

ONE astounding fact in the production of petroleum is the comparatively recent realization by producers that flowing production is the cheapest crude produced. About 1910 or even later, operators actually endeavored to get a producing well to pumping as quickly as possible after completion. A well was not really considered to be completed until it was operating on the pump. Remarkable progress has been made since then. It was not until about 1920 that producers began to take a serious interest in pressures and to think a little about proper methods of handling oil wells. Pressure gauges were installed, and records of pressures maintained, which was quite an innovation. Desultory experiments were made with tubing of different sizes, as well as experiments with placing the bottom of the tubing string at different levels in the well. Probably the first important departure from customary procedure was about 1926, during the Seminole development, when gas lift

Jan 1, 1936

By J. P. Heller, H. B. Bradley, A. S. Odeh

It is an accepted procedure to represent oil field displacement problems in which the pressure is relatively constant by a potentiometric model. Variations in reservoir permeability thickness product are represented in the model by proportional variations in electrolyte depth. It is shown that significant errors are present wherever these variations are of such magnitude that the consequent differences in the electrolyte depth in the model or any regions therein are appreciable in comparison with their respective horizontal dimensions. To demonstrate the order of magnitude of this error, a hypothetical linear oil field in which permeability varies linearly with distance was treated both analytic.ally and by potentiometric model. The results obtained from the model are compared with the exact solution for various configurations of linear geometry. Deviations in flow times up to 11 per cent were observed. It is confirmed that these discrepancies can be reduced by increasing the areal scale and/or decreasing the vertical scale of the model. It is the purpose of this work to assist in the design of potentiometric models by indicating the relationship between this error and the chosen scale factors. INTRODUCTION The fundamental geometrical criterion which determines whether the pressure distribution in an oil or gas reservoir may be simulated in a conventional potentiometric model is the requirement that all reservoir parameters be constant along any vertical line between its upper and lower boundaries. This situation never obtains exactly; nevertheless, it is usually assumed that there is no permeability stratification within the section of interest, that all wells completely penetrate the sand, that there are no gravitational effects, and that variations in thickness of the sand are small compared to the horizontal extent of the field. In these ways the reservoir problem is reduced to two dimensions in which there is no variation of pressure in the vertical direction within the limits of the sand. Variations in sand thickness and/or horizontal pesmeability may be taken into account as described by Muskat, by considering the fluid conductivity of the reservoir in its horizontal plane to be proportional to the product of permeability and sand thickness. If the variations in sand thickness are small compared to the horizontal dimensions of the reservoir, then it is a good approximation to consider the reservoir problem to be essentially two dimensional. The same approximation, however, is made in the simulation of the assumed two-dimensional reservoir by the electrolytic model. The model, if it is to take into account variations of permeability-thickness product, must of necessity be made in three dimensions, that is, with variable depth. Most potentiometric model studies and theoretical treatments reported in the literature to date2,3,4,5,6,7,8 are those in which either an average permeability was used or a constant permeability was assumed. This is understandable since detailed permeability data are not usually available for the majority of reservoirs. Many investigators have recognized that the failure to incorporate permeability variations within a reservoir in model studies leads to serious error in predictions made

Jan 1, 1957

By Samuel M. Cassidy

The exact date of man's first use of coal is lost in antiquity. The discovery that certain black rock would burn was undoubtedly accidental and probably occurred independently and many times in the world over thousands of years. It is quite likely that these independent discoveries were made when primitive man chanced to build camp fires on exposed ledges of a black rock, then was amazed when it caught fire. The Chinese recorded the use of coal 1100 yearn before the Christian Era and from the Bible we learn that King Solomon was familiar with coal in what is now Syria. In Wales, there is evidence that the Bronze Age people used coal for funeral pyres, and it is known that the Romans used this fuel. There are other ancient references. So the knowledge that coal would burn, and even some uses of that knowledge, go back thousands of years. However, practical and consistent use of coal seems to date to England in the Middle Ages. COAL IN AMERICA In the Americas, there is evidence here and there of occasional use by the Indians. However, the first recorded discovery of coal, in what is now the US, was by French explorers, who reported an outcrop exposure on the Illinois River in 1679. Following this, other discoveries were made by French and British explorers, but the first recorded actual usage was in Virginia in 1702, where a French settler was granted permission to use coal for his forge. Earliest recorded commercial mining was in 1750, from the James River coaEeld near Richmond, VA, a deposit now abandoned. Besides local consumption from this field, shipments were made to Philadelphia, New Pork, and Boston. During the Revolution this coal was of impor- tance in the manufacture of shot and shell; so important, in fact, that the British sent an expedition in 1781 to destroy the iron works and

Jan 1, 1981

By A. Simkovich, C. W. McCoy

THE relationship among chromium, carbon, and temperature during the oxidation period of stainless steel melting was developed by Hilty et a1 1-3 whose studies were confined to plain chromium stainless steels. The simplified version of their relation is given by the equation:

Jan 1, 1962

By AIME AIME

THE American copper mining industry is threatened with disintegration and destruction. This threat is not one which may only materialize in the distant future. The destruction has already commenced. At present, many domestic mines have already closed down. .Others are operating on a greatly curtailed basis. Those operating are doing so only at tremendous loss-because the selling price of copper is below the cost of production and rapidly diminishing financial resources and credit clearly forecast the early suspension of operations in most of the industry. Unemployment in the mining districts is increasing by leaps and bounds. While this condition is due in some measure to the present unsatisfactory state of business in general, the copper industry, unlike other lines of business, sees no possibility of recovery without definite aid. The fundamental, underlying cause of present conditions in the American copper mining industry is the unprecedented rise in foreign production, and the basic change which has taken place in the world copper industry in the last three years. The American industry had begun to feel this change early in 1929 long before the general collapse of business in the fall of that year. While the distress in the industry is undoubtedly aggravated by the present economic depression, it nevertheless would have arrived and. have been present at this time, regardless of general business conditions.

Jan 1, 1932

By W. M. Weigel

The rapid advance, during recent years, in the manufacture of articles that have been in common use for generations and the development of new materials entering into appliances and devices unheard of fifty years ago have created a demand for some of the more common non-metallic minerals. To supply this demand there has quietly developed a branch of the mining industry of which little is known by most mining engineers —the mineral-filler industry. In this paper, and generally in the trade, the term mineral filler is applied to a mineral used in its natural state after mechanical preparation only (such as grinding, milling and washing), without undergoing any chemical change and without exerting any chemical action on the substance with which it is incorporated. The consumption of mineral fillers is confined chiefly to large manufacturing centers in the Eastern and Northern Statcs. Where available, materials originating near the place of consumption are used, as most fillers bring a comparatively low price and, frequently, the freight may equal the cost of the finished filler at the mine. The Southern States have abundant deposits of non-metallic minerals suitable for fillers, which supply the manufacturing industries in adjacent states. Many of these deposits are equal to, or superior, in quality to those mined in the North, but they can not compete with them because of the freight rates. The mineral-filler industry has felt the present depression, but it has suffered less than most mining industries, for as a rule the mills are simple, the overhead expenses are low, and the labor is entirely local and can revert to farm work when the plant closes down. Many other deposits in the southern district will undoubtedly be developed when business revives and freight rates are adjusted. Most of the non-metallic mines are small and the tonnage handled is low in comparison with the tonnage involved in modern large-scale mining of coal, iron, copper, etc. On the other hand, at nearly all non-metallic

Jan 1, 1923

By W. M. Weigel

The rapid advance, during recent years, in the manufacture of articles that have been in common use for generations and the development of new materials entering into appliances and devices unheard of fifty years ago have created a demand for some of the more common non-metallic minerals. To supply this demand there has quietly developed a branch of the mining industry of which little is known by most mining engineers —the mineral-filler industry. In this paper, and generally in the trade, the term mineral filler is applied to a mineral used in its natural state after mechanical preparation only (such as grinding, milling and washing), without undergoing any chemical change and without exerting any chemical action on the substance with which it is incorporated. The consumption of mineral fillers is confined chiefly to large manufacturing centers in the Eastern and Northern Statcs. Where available, materials originating near the place of consumption are used, as most fillers bring a comparatively low price and, frequently, the freight may equal the cost of the finished filler at the mine. The Southern States have abundant deposits of non-metallic minerals suitable for fillers, which supply the manufacturing industries in adjacent states. Many of these deposits are equal to, or superior, in quality to those mined in the North, but they can not compete with them because of the freight rates. The mineral-filler industry has felt the present depression, but it has suffered less than most mining industries, for as a rule the mills are simple, the overhead expenses are low, and the labor is entirely local and can revert to farm work when the plant closes down. Many other deposits in the southern district will undoubtedly be developed when business revives and freight rates are adjusted. Most of the non-metallic mines are small and the tonnage handled is low in comparison with the tonnage involved in modern large-scale mining of coal, iron, copper, etc. On the other hand, at nearly all non-metallic

Jan 1, 1923

By Samuel M. Cassidy

The exact date of man's first use of coal is lost in antiquity. The discovery that certain black rock would burn was undoubtedly accidental and probably occurred independently and many times in the world over thousands of years. It is quite likely that these independent discoveries were made when primitive man chanced to build camp fires on exposed ledges of a black rock, then was amazed when it caught fire. The Chinese recorded the use of coal 1100 years before the Christian Era and from the Bible we learn that King Solomon was familiar with coal in what is now Syria. In Wales, there is evidence that the Bronze Age people used coal for funeral pyres, and it is known that the Romans used this fuel. There are other ancient references. So the knowledge that coal would burn, and even some uses of that knowledge, go back thousands of years. However, practical and consistent use of coal seems to date to England in the Middle Ages. COAL IN AMERICA In the Americas, there is evidence here and there of occasional use by the Indians. However, the first recorded discovery of coal, in what is now the US, was by French explorers, who reported an outcrop exposure on the Illinois River in 1679. Following this, other discoveries were made by French and British explorers, but the first recorded actual usage was in Virginia in 1702, where a French settler was granted permission to use coal for his forge. Earliest recorded commercial mining was in 1750, from the James River coalfield near Richmond, VA, a deposit now abandoned. Besides local consumption from this field, shipments were made to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. During the Revolution this coal was of importance in the manufacture of shot and shell; so important, in fact, that the British sent an expedition in 1781 to destroy the iron works and

Jan 1, 1981

By AIME AIME

THE CHAIRMAN of the fast growing Petroleum Division is not only a graduate of the University of California, but a third generation native son. After a few years spent in hard-rock geology, his professional efforts were transferred to the sedimentaries and to petroleum investigations, as a consulting geologist. For ten years these investigations covered the Rocky Mountain, Oklahoma, Texas, and eastern districts. After the war he returned to Casper, Wyo., as chief geologist for the Consolidated Royalty Oil and Western Exploration Companies. This employment afforded him the opportunity to study particularly the economic relationship between the lessor-lessee interests in development and production, a somewhat unusual type of petroleum specialization.

Jan 1, 1939

By L. Hartsell Cash

INTRODUCTION Created in 1944 to help rebuild those economies, principally in Europe, which were seriously damaged or destroyed during the Second World War, the World Bank--or to use its correct name, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development-began its operational phase by making a loan to the Government of France to accomplish two tasks: (i) to import coal for space heating purposes; and (ii) to buy new machinery and equipment to help rehabilitate its coal mines. Once the thrust of reconstruction in postwar Europe was largely accomplished, the World Bank Group (for today the World Bank has three separate lending windows) turned to mobilizing funds to improve living standards in developing countries, which remains its primary goal today. Over this period of time, the World Bank Group has continued to assist the world mining industry in various ways and, since 1955 the World Bank Group has financed mining or mineral processing projects with loans/credits totalling $1.5 billion. The World Bank Group consists of two institutions--the World Bank itself and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which was founded as a separate institution in 1956 and three separate lending windows--the World Bank, the International Development Association (IDA), and IFC. The World Bank loans are provided at commercially-related interest rates but have grace periods usually of up to 3 to 5 years and repayment periods ranging from around 15 to 20 years. Since the World Bank raises its operating funds on the international capital markets in varying currencies and in varying interest rates, it relends a basket of currencies at floating interest rates which are fixed every six months to reflect the Bank's own borrowing cost. At the present time, the interest rate is just below 10% per year and in addition, a one-time front-end fee of 1/4 of 1% is charged. Also, a commitment fee of 3/4% per year is charged on the undisbursed amount of the loan itself. For loans to industrial and mining projects, it is normal to charge an additional guarantee fee of 1 to 1.5% in addition to the annual interest rate. This guarantee fee is payable to the government of the country in which the project is carried out since, by its charter, the World Bank is required to have the guarantee of the host government for each loan made in a specific country. By far the greatest source of lending funds within the World Bank Group is that of the World Bank itself and for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1984, the World Bank approved loans totalling $12 billion. The second lending window within the World Bank Group is IDA which performs the same functions as the Bank itself and has the same staff. Nevertheless, its loans (called credits) are made on much softer terms and are made to the poorest nations only. IDA funds are subscribed by the wealthier countries, usually as grants, and these are relent as credits to those countries with the lowest per capita income. IDA credits are made for 50 year periods, including 10 years of grace, to the government itself. The credits are interest free, but there is a service charge of 3/4% per year on the amount withdrawn and outstanding to defray the administrative costs of IDA. Credits approved during fiscal 1984 totalled $3.5 billion. The third lending window is IFC. While IFC is a separate corporation and operates quite separately from the World Bank and has its own staff and regulations, it works very closely with the World Bank on its overall approach to the mining sector and to a particular country. IFC's mission is essentially to supply venture capital and to stimulate development of the local private sector in capital markets as well as to promote the international flow of private capital to developing countries. Unlike the World Bank and IDA, the IFC does not lend directly to governments

Jan 1, 1985