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By W. H. Blauvelt

THE subject of fuel-briquetting has attracted much attention on the part of engineers and investors for the past 15 or 20 years, and especially in recent years, during which a number of plants have been built, with more or less commercial and technical success. Our technical literature contains numerous descriptions of certain processes, and discussions of the industry in general. For a history of the development of the art in the United States, and for descriptions of many of the processes which have been tried, reference may be made to the files of our Transactions, and, for more recent information, to a paper by C. T. Malcolmson, read before the First Annual Convention of the International Railway Fuel Association in June, 1909. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the briquette-plant of the Solvay Process Co. and the Semet-Solvay Co. at Detroit, Mich., which, after a period of long and costly evolution, is now operating satisfactorily on a commercial basis. I believe that it will be of interest to some of our members to have the details of operation, lower-consumption, labor, etc., as worked out on a practical and commercial scale in a going operation. The briquette industry has had a somewhat checkered career in the United States, and much the larger portion of the failures has been due entirely to commercial causes. It seems axiomatic to say that before undertaking the installation of a plant for manufacturing briquettes it is necessary that the local situation should be carefully examined : First, to determine the kind of briquettes, if any, the local market will consume; that is-to say, whether the available fuel-supply is such that briquettes would be a welcome addition, and whether the most promising field is the industrial or the domestic market. Second, if there is an available supply of raw material, as coal,

Mar 1, 1910

By COREY C. BRAYTON

PACIFIC COAST steel and iron industries can now take care of all the western and export demands except for heavy structural shapes, thick plates, rails, alloy tool steels, and a few other items. In. 1902 all of our steel came from St. Louis and Milwaukee and points still farther east. A small quantity at that time came from foreign countries. Early mining in the West was, broadly speaking, prior to the steel age. 'Wood for structures and iron for castings were almost exclusively used. Forgings were made of rolled iron that came from the East and foreign countries. San Francisco was, from the early days of mining, the manufacturing center for mining and milling machinery of all types and held that position until the .nineties, when eastern competition began to be felt. Even today in the old mining camps of the West, and many abroad, you will find machines and equipment with familiar San Francisco manufacturers' names. ..Iron, either rolled or cast, entered into their manufacture, for steel castings did not come into general use :until the nineties.

Jan 1, 1929

By William R. Jones, Robert M. Hernon

This report on the Central mining district of New Mexico is the partial culmination of an intensive U.S. Geological Survey effort dating back some 30 years. Robert M. Hernon went to Silver City in 1948 to finish a detailed restudy of the district that had been started in the thirties by Samuel G. Lasky. He was joined by William R. Jones in 1951, and Jones took over as project chief when Hernon resigned to do consulting work in 1953; it was under Jones' guidance that most of the work was brought to completion or nearly so ( 17, 22-24, 26-30). Hernon returned to the Survey in 1958 to work in .the southern Appalachians. Early in 1965 Jones urged that Hernon be reassigned to the Silver City project to help complete the Professional Paper report on the ore deposits of the Santa Rita quadrangle as well as to take over preparation of the report on the Central district for the Graton-Sales volume. This reassignment was approved, and Hernon began work on the present report. By late June he had completed most of it in draft form, and on June 28 Jones and Hernon left Denver for a short trip to Silver City to fill in a few gaps and to reacquaint Hernon with activities in the district, which he had not visited for 12 years. Late in the afternoon of June 29, 1965, as Bob and Bill were 85 miles short of their destination, their jeep collided head-on with a truck that was attempting to pass another vehicle in a cloud of dust. They both died instantly. As the most recent surviving member of the Silver City project (1958-1962), I was given the honorable though rather sorrowful task of putting the Hernon-Jones report "in shape" for publication. Fortunately the manuscript was already in good shape, so that the task has consisted of little more than minor reorganization and editing, and of preparation of the illustrations, abstract, and bibliography. The sections on wall-rock alteration had been left for Jones to complete in the light of his recently intensified interest in alteration geochemistry (25), and it is in these sections only that. the report may fall short, for they have been filled in from a 1958 manuscript by Jones on the ore deposits of the Santa Rita quadrangle that he intended to revise considerably. The shortcomings, however, are largely in the interpretation, not in the field data. As a brief but accurate summary of what was known about the geology of the Central mining district in 1965, this report stands as a fitting testimonial to the scientific dedication of two exceptional men.

Jan 1, 1968

By Daniel R. Shawe

Large tabular beryllium deposits in waterlaid rhyolitic tuff at Spor Mountain, Utah, contain the world's largest known resources of beryllium (as bertrandite). The district also has produced fluorspar and uranium. The largest beryllium deposit is about 2.5 miles long, and known deposits contain many million tons of material with at least 0.5 per cent BeO. The beryllium-bearing tuff (Pliocene?) underlies topaz-bearing rhyolite ( Pliocene?) that contains unusually high amounts of beryllium, fluorine, and uranium, and overlies other volcanic rocks (Pliocene? or Micocene?) and marine carbonate and elastic rocks ( Paleozoic). The deposits occur in hydrothermally altered tuff only where it contains abundant carbonate pebbles eroded from the Paleozoic rocks and where the tuff was deposited as thick layers in now-buried paleovalleys. Basin and Range faults, thrust fa ults, and possibly strike-slip faults formed in this part of the Basin and Range province during the late Tertiary, and volcanic rocks were extruded. Beryllium mineralization probably occurred during this episode. Undoubtedly the beryllium deposits are related genetically to the topaz-bearing rhyolite, but the details of their genesis are not certain and probably are complex. Beryllium deposits are close to major faults, and locally the beryllium is concentrated at faults, indicating fault control of mineralization. Some elements in the deposits, such as lithium, however, are evenly distributed in certain Luff beds and perhaps were introduced prior to faulting. Still other elements, such as manganese and lead, were concentrated in the beryllium deposits and subsequently were leached along late fractures, indicating a period of metal redistribution following mineralization.

Jan 1, 1968

From the historical account of the coal industry set forth in the preceding pages the reader will have learned that coal is extremely widely spread throughout the United States, and in most places it has been easily found, that it has been remarkably easy to develop, and, where the deposits were available to streams on which it could be transported to markets, it was opened almost as soon as the country was settled. Such were the mines along the James, Susquehanna, Monongahela, Ohio, Kentucky, Cumberland and Big Muddy Rivers. In other localities where such easy means of transport were not convenient, the early production was confined to local use, or to places to which it could be hauled by wagons, but everywhere small mines were established almost as soon as the country was settled, and these increased both in number and size as the available markets grew. These early mines were nearly always opened by local people, and the industry was so far-flung that its growth attracted little or no attention excepting when a labor disturbance or a breakdown in transportation occurred. Had it been concentrated in a few places as most metal industries were, or as the petroleum industry was for many years after it started, it is probable that much better records of its progress would have been kept. When the canal era began, in the eighteen twenties, coal was at first not considered as a valuable source of freight revenue, and much surprise was expressed that the receipts of the Schuylkill Canal were very largely from coal after the first few years, as was the case of the Union Canal though not to such an extent. Even the early railroads to the coal fields did not realize the extent to which the products of mines would figure in their revenues, and it was many years before railroads were built practically solely for prospective coal traffic; indeed this did not happen until some years after the Civil War. Map 12 shows the extent of the canal system in the United States in its relation to the coal fields at the time of its maximum development. It will be seen that only the coal areas in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and to a very small extent in Indiana were able to ship by canal at all, and that only a very small portion of such fields could do so. Looking backward, it is hard to understand the great hopes entertained of canals by their pro-

Jan 1, 1942

By John V. Beall

They came from Paris, Washington and Rabat; two directors, two chief geologists and the president of our own local subsidiary company. Such a meeting was not unprecedented, but it seeemed to us that our president was overzealous in arranging for inspections of each exploration site. One was a problem. Jacques, our president, had concocted the idea that we should lead this learned, mature (not exactly aged) group into the desert to see newly found anomaly. It was in virgin country and had been marked by dropping a flour sack on it from the air.

Jan 1, 1971

By A. B. Kinzel

Precise knowledge regarding the effect of heat treatment on the properties of steel has made possible the detailed specifications and instructions covering optimum heat-treating temperatures and practices that are in current use. A distinct contrast is presented by the metallurgical treatment of steel adjacent to a fusion weld, as such steel is subjected to each temperature from room temperature to fusion temperature, and cooled at a rate that is not generally controllable but is predetermined by the nature of the assembly to be welded, the kind of welding used, and the surrounding conditions. This is true regardless of the type of fusion welding: oxyacetylene, electric arc, thermit or flash resistance. Therefore it seemed desirable to investigate the effect of this metallurgical treatment on the characteristics of carbon steels commonly used for welding, by a detailed study of metal subjected to each temperature range; i.e., each heat-affected zone. Oxyacetylene welding was chosen for the investigation because of the experimental facility of accurately segregating and studying each temperature zone. The nature of the zones produced by other types of welding is the same. The difference is primarily a matter of dimensions of each of the temperature zones involved. The advantages and disadvantages of the extent of the zone are of prime moment, and are discussed after the presentation of the detailed zone study. No mention is made of the fused metal proper, as this has been the subject of much published research and the nature of the solidified metal is fairly .ell known. General Method The scheme of procedure in the work herein reported involved the testing of the metal of each temperature zone adjacent to the weld in so

Jan 1, 1935

By A. B. Kinzel

Precise knowledge regarding the effect of heat treatment on the properties of steel has made possible the detailed specifications and instructions covering optimum heat-treating temperatures and practices that are in current use. A distinct contrast is presented by the metallurgical treatment of steel adjacent to a fusion weld, as such steel is subjected to each temperature from room temperature to fusion temperature, and cooled at a rate that is not generally controllable but is predetermined by the nature of the assembly to be welded, the kind of welding used, and the surrounding conditions. This is true regardless of the type of fusion welding: oxyacetylene, electric arc, thermit or flash resistance. Therefore it seemed desirable to investigate the effect of this metallurgical treatment on the characteristics of carbon steels commonly used for welding, by a detailed study of metal subjected to each temperature range; i.e., each heat-affected zone. Oxyacetylene welding was chosen for the investigation because of the experimental facility of accurately segregating and studying each temperature zone. The nature of the zones produced by other types of welding is the same. The difference is primarily a matter of dimensions of each of the temperature zones involved. The advantages and disadvantages of the extent of the zone are of prime moment, and are discussed after the presentation of the detailed zone study. No mention is made of the fused metal proper, as this has been the subject of much published research and the nature of the solidified metal is fairly .ell known. General Method The scheme of procedure in the work herein reported involved the testing of the metal of each temperature zone adjacent to the weld in so

Jan 1, 1935

By L. R. Ingersoll, James Fisher, Harry Vivian

The copper mines of the Keweenaw Peninsula in northern Michigan have long been of interest in connection with deep earth-temperature measurements. The extraordinary low geothermal gradient of l° F. in 223.7 ft. announced by Agassiz1 as a result of measurements dating from 1886, although later2 stated as in error, served to focus attention on this region as one offering, because of the great depth of the mines, unusual opportunity along this line. Lane,3 Van Orstrand4 and others have made valuable contributions to this study. Fresh opportunities afforded by the constant deepening of the mines, improvements in the accuracy and reliability of temperature-measuring instruments together with increasing knowledge of the heat conductivities and specific heats of the rocks, led the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in cooperation with some of the mining companies to renew work on this problem. It is planned eventually to complete a survey which will make use of the favorable opportunities for deep rock-temperature measurements presented in these mines. This survey should include the determination of a depth-temperature gradient in both conglomerate and arnygdaloid mines, and also the variations in temperature at the same depth in different geological formations. The first problem has a direct bearing on the question of providing equipment for necessary ventilation with increased depth. The second may show that a relation exists between the natural rock temperature and the mineral content of the formation. The measurements in all cases are to be guided by heat conduction considerations, to the end that they may represent as closely as possible

Jan 1, 1934

By A. D. Mutch

IT has long been known that there are wide variations in the thermo-electric potential of pyrite. In the last few years a study of this variation and other properties of pyrite was carried out at the University of Toronto by F. G. Smith on specimens of pyrite from many localities.1-3 As a result of these studies the pyrite geothermometer was developed by Professor Smith. The calibration of the pyrite geothermometer is based on the assumption that "crystals of any one electronically conducting mineral species deposited at a high temperature have a more positive thermo-electric potential than crystals deposited at a low temperature, and the thermo-electric potential varies continuously between any given limits of the temperature of deposition." The cause of the variation was postulated to be crystal discontinuities, such as lineage boundaries. As yet this postulated relationship has not been established as fact. On theoretical grounds it is indicated that the thermo-electric potential of pyrite or any other partial conductor is dependent upon a number of factors as well as the temperature of formation. For this and other reasons there is ground for doubt as to the validity of the relationship postulated above. To date a large number of readings have been made with the pyrite geothermometer which have been recorded in terms of the calibration of the instrument in degrees centigrade. So far most of the pyrite tested by this technique has been in association with gold ore. The values for the temperature of formation obtained in these tests appear to be reasonable and, in relation to geological problems, to vary in the right sense. Determinations on some specimens not in association with gold ore have given readings that appear to be much too high, taking into account the probable maximum temperature of the host rock. To sum up, although many determinations made with the. pyrite geothermometer appear to give reasonable values for the temperature of formation of the pyrite, there are at the same time other readings which seem anomalous. On the basis of an examination of available results of work with the pyrite geothermometer, two problems must be considered: 1-the validity of the calibration of the pyrite geothermometer; and 2-the nature of the distribution of the thermo-electric potentials of pyrite in relation to the specific problems that have been examined. In this paper the academic problem relating to the validity of the calibration of the pyrite geothermometer will not be discussed. Instead, the variations of thermo-electric potential of pyrite in association with gold veins will be discussed with regard to specific examinations. The first of these two examinations deals with the distribution of thermo-electric potentials of pyrite in association with a gold vein and was carried out in the McIntyre Porcupine Mine, Schumacher, Ont., in the summer of 1949 as part of a study with this technique. The second problem deals with variations of thermo-electric potential of pyrite in gold ore specimens from all over the world. The specimens used in this study were part of the private collection of Frank Ebbutt, geologist for Howe Sound Exploration Co. Results of Detailed and Reconnaissance Studies In discussion of the results of determinations made in these two studies the values of thermo-electric potential in millivolts will be used. It will be noted that in some of the diagrams the determinations are recorded in terms of pyrite geothermometer temperatures. Fig. 1 is a calibration chart relating, pyrite geothermometer temperatures and thermo-electric potentials. A full discussion of the technique is given in the original paper by F. G. Smith.' Briefly, the determinations are made by placing two stainless steel probes, one hot and the other cold, against the surface of the pyrite crystal being tested. The thermo-electric potential that is developed is read with a null-point potentiometer that is calibrated in what

Jan 1, 1952

By JOHN A. FULTON

THE Comstock Lode is in Storey County, Nevada, and extends in a north and south direction through the towns of Virginia City and Gold Hill, with a total length of 4.27 miles. Its mines have produced silver and gold to a known value exceeding $400,- 000,000 since 1859, when the work first began. More than $126.000,000 was paid in dividends by the mining companies, although much more than this was probably realized from the ore, because many milling companies were independent companies owned by the directors and superintendents of the mines. The milling companies' contracts called for an extraction of only 65 per cent and, as much of the ore was worth $100 a ton and up- ward, they must have recovered substantial amounts for their own accounts over and above this guarantee. Gold was discovered in the spring of 1850 by a party of Normons bound for California. The discovery was made at the mouth of Gold canyon near Dayton, on the Carson River, about 10 miles south of Virginia City.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. J. Watson, A. H. Juch

About half a million sucker-rod pumps are installed in oil wells in the U. S. alone. In Venezuela, too, the system is widely used; some 5,000, or 90 percent, of Cia. Shell de Venezuela's wells produce a total of 400,000 BOPD by this method. Most of the crude pumped is viscous, gassy and contains relatively small amounts of free water. API gravities vary from 90 to 16O; dead oil viscosities vary from 10 to 10,000 cp at the pump; and GOR's range from 100 to 2,000 cu ft/bbl. Pumps are set at depths ranging from a few hundred to 6,000 ft; the average setting depth is about 2,500 ft. From the literature, it appears that although recent years have seen significant progress toward understanding the rod pumping system as a whole, relatively little attention has been paid to those key items, the sucker-rod pump and the subsurface gas separator or gas anchor. Perhaps because of proration in the U. S., pump manufacturers have seemingly concerned themselves more with the durability of their product, achieved mainly through robust design and metallurgical know-how, than with its working efficiency. In 1963, CSV commenced a major rehabilitation and expansion of its heavy oil fields along the Bolivar Coast. The advent of the more efficient gravel-packed completion and of large-scale thermal recovery (mainly steam soak) operations resulted in well potentials *Now with B. I. P. M., The Hague, The Netherlands. greater than pump capacities. Hence, an urgent need arose to improve over-all pump efficiencies and to attack those special problems related to the production of both the extremely viscous and the hot, steam-laden crudes that formed an increasing proportion of the total stream. There followed a detailed investigation and testing program, carried out in close cooperation with a major pump manufacturer. This culminated in the introduction to the oil industry of a new line of sucker-rod pumps. Early Investigations and Experiments Field Tests Extensive field tests were carried out in three primary Bolivar Coast wells with an in-situ dead oil viscosity ranging from 400 to 6,000 cp. In these installations provision was made to (1) monitor bottom-hole pressures below, in and above the pump by means of pressure transducers, and record casing- and tubing-head pressures continuously; (2) measure accurately the annulus gas, as well as measure the tubing gas and liquid production from the well; (3) take special PVT samples of the well fluid; (4) measure power consumption of the prime mover; and (5) measure the rod loads at the polished rod. A typical test installation is illustrated in Fig. 1. It was established from the pressure transducers that with viscous oils, there is considerable flow resistance across the pump and gas anchor assembly. Pressure surges were observed over each pump cycle,

Jan 1, 1970

By John E. Murphy, Ernest L. Ohle

Hematite-magnetite ore bodies at Iron Mountain, Missouri, have produced nearly 9 million tons of iron ore concentrates since 1844. The ore minerals occur principally as open-space filling in fractured and brecciated andesite porphyry with very minor replacement of the wall rocks. The enclosing rocks are Precambrian in age and consist of a series of dacite, rhyolite, and andesite flows aggregating about 2000 feet in thickness. All of the ore is in andesite and the mineralization is Precambrian in age. The shape of the ore bodies, the breccia character of the ore, and the gangue mineralogy are believed to be unique. One of the two main ore bodies is crudely dome-shaped with a tendency for development of concentric mineralized shells; the other is an elongated lense in plan but hook-shaped in cross section. Both have strong linear elements striking northeast, east-west, or northwest. Various modes of origin for the structures and for the tension breccias have been suggested, but none is completely satisfactory. Hematite is the main ore mineral; magnetite is subordinate. Important gangue minerals are andradite, quartz, calcite, actinolite, apatite, epidote, and chlorite. Although some evidence favors injection of an iron-rich melt, other evidence suggests ore formation by a high temperature, water-rich solution.

Jan 1, 1968

By Subhas G. Malghan

Feldspathic deposits occur widely throughout the United States, but North Carolina, California, Connecticut, and South Carolina accounted for over 80% of the total domestic feldspar output for the year 1973.1 Pegmatites and granites constitute the major feldspar reserves of the United States, 2 and in addition, feldspar is produced as a byproduct by firms whose major products are spodumene and mica. 3 Feldspar flotation is practiced in the United States, Mexico, Finland, Norway, West Germany, Japan, and the USSR. According to the US Bureau of Mines estimates, the production of feldspar in the United States and rest of the world were 704,000 and 2,514,000 t, respectively. Feldspar is principally used as a flux in making glass, pottery, porcelain, enamel, tile, and other ceramic products. In recent years, the domestic feldspar industry is faced with a number of problems. As a result of increased cost of energy and the introduction in 1972 of new legislative programs relating to air, water, and noise pollution, land-use restrictions, and mined-land rehabilitation, the production costs have increased. Apart from the increased cost of operation, an operational problem exists with the feldspar producers in North Carolina, especially those in the Spruce Pine area. This problem is concerned with the use of hydrofluoric acid in the feldspar flotation. Feldspar producers in Spruce Pine, NC, have been discharging process waste water into the North Toe River. The mill waste water contains active fluoride ions. Fluoride in excessive concentrations is undesirable in waters used for drinking. It is stated that water containing 0.9-1.0 ppm fluoride will seldom cause mottled enamel on children's teeth; and for adults, concentrations less than 3-4 are not likely to cause endemic cumulative fluorosis and skeletal effect. Although the literature on this subject is rather confusing and inconclusive, the inference that concentrations over 4 ppm may affect bone structure is clear. According to the recent Federal Register,4 maximum fluoride level of 1.4 ppm at 79°-98°F is considered to be adequate and safe for the protection of health of the consumers. The EPA and state environmental agencies have accelerated their drive to reduce water pollution on a faster schedule. By 1977, the EPA specifications for maximum contaminant level of fluoride ions in the discharge waters of feldspar milling operatins is expected to be reduced to 2.0 ppm. The other problems of using hydrofluoric acid are the following: toxicity, hazards of handling and storage, and high cost as compared to other inorganic acids (almost 16 times the cost of sulfuric acid). In order to reduce fluoride levels in mill discharge waters, mining companies have taken the following steps: I) Recirculating a part of their mill water. Even though recirculation of mill water seems to be a novel method of reducing fluoride contamination of the discharge water, there are certain operational and handling problems. 2) Conducting research on the treatment of fluorides in mill waste water. The technology of treatment of fluoride ions has received considerable interest in the recent years. A recent research report5 estimates that the cost of fluoride ion removal to meet the present specifications in the feldspar industry is approximately $0.25/t of ore processed, and about $0.50/t of feldspar produced. At the request of the feldspar producing industries in North Carolina, the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Minerals Research Laboratory has taken up a research program directed towards overcoming the fluoride ion pollution problem. After a close study of the operational, technical, and economic aspects of feldspar flotation, it was decided to attempt to replace the conventional hydrofluoric acid process. Conventional Feldspar Flotatin Using Hydrofluoric Acid Since the inception of the feldspar flotation process using hydrofluoric acid by O'Meara2,6 the process has achieved a great commercial success. In the conventional flotation separation of feldspar-quartz, hydrofluoric acid is used to suppress quartz and activate feldspar, and a long chain amine salt (acetate or chloride) is used as a collector. The bulk of amine collectors used in current feldspar operations are applied as the water-soluble acetates of the free-base amines. These products are pastes or waxy solids which are available in a range of acetic acid neutralization levels generally 50 to 100% neutralized. In spite of the problems mentioned in connection with the use of hydrofluoric acid, this process is extremely stable with respect to changes in the process variables. With the exception of a few operations, alaskite and pegmatite are the major sources of feldspar.7 In the flotation treatment of a pegmatite that contains iron-bearing minerals (heavy minerals), mica, feldspar, and silica, a logical order of removal presents itself considering the following:8 1) Mica is readily floated by an amine collector in a pulp pH 3.5. Some iron-bearing minerals will usually respond to amine collector in acid circuit with the mica concentrate. 2) Since iron minerals tend to occur invariably in the feldspar concentrate, it is desirable to remove most of these prior to feldspar flotation. A fatty acid or a petroleum sulfonate collector used in this flotation step in acid circuit will float iron-bearing minerals. 3) Using hydrofluoric acid to maintain pH of 2.5, an amine collector employed in a final step will float feldspar away from silica, usually leaving the latter in the tailing as a high-grade silica concentrate. The problems connected with the flotation separation of feldspar-quartz arise due to the similarities in their chemical structure. Therefore, any reagent system that is likely to succeed in feldspar-quartz separation should have adsorption affinity towards one of the minerals and depression effect towards the other mineral.

Jan 1, 1979

By C. H. Loux

THIS paper deals primarily, with the advantages realized from the adoption of methods more suitable than those previously used. The improvements noted include: (1) modification of practice in shrinkage stoping, (2) use of sublevel caving over grizzlies, (3) improved haulage and loading, (4) use of contract wages wherever possible. The Washington mine is on Jonestown Hill, one mile south of Oxford, in northwestern New Jersey. It is producing 16,000 tons of concentrates a month, which are being shipped to the Alan Wood Steel Company's furnaces at Swedeland, Pennsylvania.

Jan 1, 1933

By Douglas Baker

Zinc concentrates assaying approximately 54% zinc and 30% sulfur are roasted in a suspension type roaster to yield a zinc oxide calcine assaying about 65% zinc and 0.40% sulfur. This calcine is the feed material to the sulfuric acid leaching section of an Electrolytic Zinc Plant. The SO2 gases resulting from the elimination of sulfur from the concentrates are passed through a waste heat boiler for the generation of high pressure steam, cleaned by a baghouse, and delivered to the humidifying tower of a sulfuric acid plant system. The gases are then treated in a mist precipitator for final fume removal and then converted to sulfur trioxide in a three pass contact system using vanadium pentoxide catalyst for the manufacture of sulfuric acid. Waste heat steam is used to power the steam turbine which drives the acid plant blower.

Jan 1, 1970

By A. English, M. J. Greaves

This paper is a discussion of pelletizing systems developed over the last 15 to 20 years for the agglomeration of fine iron ore concentrates. Five different pelletizing systems are now in commercial use in the U.S., and for the purposes of comparison, estimated operating costs and capital costs for the construction of four of them are included. Capacities of existing commercial plants are examined, together with the anticipated capabilities of plants presently being built or projected. In just 21 years, the art of pelletizing iron ore concentrates has reached maturity with mastery of the separation of finely divided concentrates from low-grade iron ores and their agglomeration into pellets containing about 65% iron. This accomplishment has firmly established an improved feed for the blast furnace, with resulting benefits in faster reduction of burdens and greater economy of operation. The present production capacity of pelletizing facilities in the U.S. is about 20 million tons annually, and it is expected to double by 1970. The rapid expansion of pelletizing in the U. S. has been closely observed in European countries, notably in Sweden and Germany, where pioneer agglomerating techniques were developed early in this century. PELLETIZING PLANTS AND PROCESSES Twelve commercial pelletizing plants are presently in operation in the U. S. and Canada. An equal number are in various stages of engineering and construction, and many others are being considered. The pelletizing systems currently employed include shaft furnaces, horizontal grates using three different airflow arrangements, and grate kilns. The capacity of pelletizing operations in North America is shown in Table I. All of these plants are integrated with the mine, the ore-crushing facilities and the concentrating plant and are equipped with storage and loading-out facilities for the product. Normally, a pelletizing plant is composed of a shuttle conveyor above the receiving bins; balling equipment; a heat-hardening system including the necessary auxiliaries such as furnaces, burners and controls, ducts, fans, meters and instrumentation; fines recovery equipment; and product handling equipment. Also included are the necessary auxiliaries and utilities such as boilers or power plant; oil unloading and storage facilities; coal unloading storage, grinding and distribution facilities; and bentonite or other additive storage and distribution equipment. Shaft Furnaces: Vertical shaft furnaces used in this country are limited to the treatment of natural magnetite concentrates containing minor quantities of residual fluxing elements. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the shaft furnace with balling, feeding and pellet-handling equipment. An elevation of a shaft furnace is shown in Fig. 2. A commercial shaft furnace unit is about 45 ft in height with a 6 x 14-ft rectangular cross section and has a nominal production rate of approximately 50 gross tons of pellets per hour. The upper portion of the furnace shaft is constructed of fire brick as protection from the high process temperatures involved. The lower portion of the shaft is lined with abrasion-resistant brick to withstand erosion from the fired pellets. Rectangular-shaped, refractory-lined and insulated combustion chambers are situated on each side of the shaft furnace. Oil or gas is burned to produce high temperature gases which are forced into the furnace through ports located near the top of the combustion chambers. The shaft furnaces operate at a pressure of approximately 6 psi. Pellets are fed into the top of the furnace by a pantographic feeder designed to produce the desired pellet stockline. The furnace is kept filled at all times and pellets are fed and discharged from the furnace at the same rate. In early development, 10 to 12 lb of solid fuel was incorporated in the pellets. However, the main source of process heat is now derived from the combustion chamber gases. In some instances no solid fuel is used. The pellet movement in the shaft furnace is counter-current to the flow of gases. Ambient air is introduced through louvers at the lower end of the furnace, at about 6 psi, cooling the fired pellets and supplementing the heat of the high temperature gases from the combustion chamber ports. The zone of maximum temperature, located above the ports of the combus-

Jan 1, 1963

By C. A. Hartnagel

In 1939 the production of crude oil in New York totaled 5,105,000 bbl. This marks the third consecutive year production of crude oil has exceeded 5,000,000 bbl. and only once has this total been surpassed—in the year 1882, three years after the discovery of oil in Allegany County, when the annual production was more than 6,000,000 barrels. The most gratifying feature of the industry was the increased demand for lubricants, which resulted in advanced prices for crude. From a price at the beginning of the year of $1.68 per barrel, six advances totaling 82c brought the year's closing to $2.50 per barrel. A further increase in price on Jan. 1, 1940, to $2.75 per barrel places the local industry in a strong position for the year's operations. Most of the oil production of the state is now obtained by water-flooding, and the industry is practically stabilized. No new pools have been discovered in over 25 years, and border drilling indicates little prospect of extending the boundaries of the fields beyond their present limits. Deep drilling to the Oriskany sandstone in and close to the present oil fields hay failed to find oil in substantial amounts. Altogether, the oil pools of New York have produced during the 60 years that they have been exploited approximately 125,000,000 bbl. of oil. Following the flush production of 1882, the annual production gradually dccrcased and the year 1912 marked an all-time low of only 782,000 bbl. In 1919, as a result of flooding operations, a definite upward trend in oil production was recorded. During that year also the production of oil by water-flooding methods as approved by Legislative action. In the 21-yr. period beginning with 1919, oil production in the state ha.: totaled 60,338,000 bbl. Thus it will be seen that by the aid of flooding methods nearly as much oil has been produced in the last 21 yr. as in the preceding 40 yr., although the Iatter period included the flush production in 1882. As there is little hope of extending the area of the present producing oil fields of the state, producers and refiners are concerned regarding the future life of the fields. It is encouraging to observe that earlier esti- Published by permission of Director of New York State Museum, Albany, N. P. Summarized at meeting; manuscript received at the office of the Institute March 20. 1940.

Jan 1, 1940

By C. A. Hartnagel

In 1939 the production of crude oil in New York totaled 5,105,000 bbl. This marks the third consecutive year production of crude oil has exceeded 5,000,000 bbl. and only once has this total been surpassed—in the year 1882, three years after the discovery of oil in Allegany County, when the annual production was more than 6,000,000 barrels. The most gratifying feature of the industry was the increased demand for lubricants, which resulted in advanced prices for crude. From a price at the beginning of the year of $1.68 per barrel, six advances totaling 82c brought the year's closing to $2.50 per barrel. A further increase in price on Jan. 1, 1940, to $2.75 per barrel places the local industry in a strong position for the year's operations. Most of the oil production of the state is now obtained by water-flooding, and the industry is practically stabilized. No new pools have been discovered in over 25 years, and border drilling indicates little prospect of extending the boundaries of the fields beyond their present limits. Deep drilling to the Oriskany sandstone in and close to the present oil fields hay failed to find oil in substantial amounts. Altogether, the oil pools of New York have produced during the 60 years that they have been exploited approximately 125,000,000 bbl. of oil. Following the flush production of 1882, the annual production gradually dccrcased and the year 1912 marked an all-time low of only 782,000 bbl. In 1919, as a result of flooding operations, a definite upward trend in oil production was recorded. During that year also the production of oil by water-flooding methods as approved by Legislative action. In the 21-yr. period beginning with 1919, oil production in the state ha.: totaled 60,338,000 bbl. Thus it will be seen that by the aid of flooding methods nearly as much oil has been produced in the last 21 yr. as in the preceding 40 yr., although the Iatter period included the flush production in 1882. As there is little hope of extending the area of the present producing oil fields of the state, producers and refiners are concerned regarding the future life of the fields. It is encouraging to observe that earlier esti- Published by permission of Director of New York State Museum, Albany, N. P. Summarized at meeting; manuscript received at the office of the Institute March 20. 1940.

Jan 1, 1940

By Joseph Jensen

California's outstanding contribution to unit operation is the plan of development now established for the North dome of the Kettleman Hills. Beginning April 1, 1931, the Kettleman North Dome Assn. will control the unified operation and development of 10,800 acres of proven and semiproven oil land, and at the same time the Standard Oil CO. of California will operate as another unit its fee land of 9460 acres of similar character. The holdings of the two companies are in a checkerboard mile-square pattern. In addition to this, 410 acres of land may yet be included in the Kettleman North Dome Assn. unit and 530 acres of land are definitely out of both units. The owners of some of this land have expressed their intention of cooperating in a reasonable way with these two units. Cooperative agreements are now in force as to most of this field. Under the definitions of a unit pool and a near-unit pool,' the operation at Kettleman Hills will be a near-unit operation, but because of the size of the structure and its proven highly productive character, the arrangement. concluded on Jan. 31, 1931, in the approval of the Kettleman North Dome Assn. Agreement by Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur and by California State Oil and Gas Supervisor R. D. Bush is of outstanding importance to the entire oil industry. No other major unit operation plans are under way in California at the present time. There has been some little discussion of a plan in the North Belridge field and a feeling that the discovery of oil in the Lost Hills field and also in the South Belridge field would necessitate consideration of unit plans. So few data are available for these areas, as to the land that should be included in such unit plans, that little constructive action is now possible. The beginning of drilling on the Middle dome of the Kettleman Hills also makes it an area deserving consideration for unit operation. All four of the above-named areas lie on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kings and Kern counties, to the south of the

Jan 1, 1931