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By Donald E. Crowell

In the fall of 1969, ASARCO and Newmont Mining Co. began the design of the 700tpd concentrator at their Black Cloud shaft located near Leadville, Colo. The concentractor would treat by flotation a Pb-Zn-Ag ore containing minor gold values. Flowsheet design was based on laboratory test work performed at the Minerals Research Testing Laboratory of ASARCO. Since the concentrator is located at an elevation of 11,000 ft, cold weather was a major factor in design considerations. The original capacity was designed as 700 tpd but for various reasons an ultimate capacity of 1,000 tpd was desired. This necessitated special consideration in the design of several areas, particularly the grinding circuit. The grinding circuit chosen was a single 9 X 12 ball mill operating in closed circuit with one 20-in. cyclone. The ball mill will operate at low speed and as an overflow type originally. The mill can be speeded up and converted to grate type for handling the larger tonnage when required. Thickeners and filters were oversized and space was left for additional flotation cells in order to handle the increased tonnage in these areas. Pumps were sized so that they could handle the increased tonnage by increasing their speed. Construction began in May 1970; the Black Cloud concentrator went on-stream in April 1791.

Jan 1, 1974

By AIME AIME

THIS year's Chairman of the Institute of Metals Division is a relatively rare phenomenon in the metallurgical profession; he is an expert historian of metallurgy, he is a confirmed collector and student of old works on alchemy, chemistry, and metallurgy-vide: the famous Biringuccio and he is a profound student (with a somewhat idealistic slant) of recent trends in world affairs and in what some incurable optimists call civilization; and at the same time he is still possessed of a sense of humor. Incidentally he is also one of the bestknown nonferrous metallurgists in this country and abroad, and for fifteen years has been a willing worker in A.I.M.E and the Institute of Metals Division.

Jan 1, 1943

By Ferdinand H. Regel

Concentrating-machinery has been wonderfully improved during the past few years both in technical efficiency and in economy of power; and, in the writer's opinion, the prosperity which the mining industry has of late enjoyed is due in large part to this improvement. Many properties are yielding handsome profits at the present time which were considered, a few years ago, too low in grade of ore to be profitably operated; and I think that fully half of these once worthless properties owe their successful development to recent improvements in concentrating-machinery. The present paper calls attention to a jig and an ore-classifier of new design, invented by Mr. John Klein, and already used in the lead-region of SE. Missouri, and in the Philipsburg dis-

Jan 1, 1902

By John M. Warde, Eileen P. Burke

ORES of manganese and chrome have a high order of strategic importance, both metals are basic to the metallurgy and usefulness of steel, the fabric on which our economy rests. Looking beyond the current recession and short range picture of oversupply in these ores, this review attempts to answer the following questions regarding the longterm outlook for these key commodities: By 1970, what will be the probable demand here and abroad, what are future supply prospects, and what effect is the USSR likely to have on the world market? (See summary forecast on facing page.)

Jan 8, 1958

By Paul H. Lu

This paper proposes an unconventional, simple, and practical method of measuring mining-induced ground stresses with hydraulic borehole pressure cells. The method is a direct ground stress measuring technique. It does not require the value of deformation modulus for back-calculation of stresses; instead, it directly measures the ground stress in situ. The applicability and practicality of the technique are shown by two case studies. The technique may be applied to monitoring a stress buildup that may lead to mine roof failure or to rock and coal outbursts.

Jan 1, 1984

By James E. Hoffmann, John A. Bonucci, Peter D. Parker

A hydrometallurgical process has been developed for the recovery of high-purity silver from sulfated residues. The process eliminates the high temperature operations ordinarily associated with silver recovery and refining. The crux of the process is a metathetical leach which maintains the sulfate ion concentration at a level which both allows silver nitrate to be freely soluble and simultaneously depresses the solubility of lead nitrate. The subsequent hydrolytic purification of the silver nitrate solution, the recovery of high-purity silver by electrowinning in a diaphragm cell, and the final product purity are discussed.

Jan 1, 1981

By W. P. Haseman

The well method of producing oil and gas is universally used in the development and operation of oil and gas properties. It consists essentially in the spacing of a number of wells on a given tract, and in drilling and operating them in accordance with established practices. The method is based on a fundamental energy principle. This principle governs the state and the change of state of fluids or fluid mixtures confined under pressure within a porous and permeable reservoir in such a way as to direct a flow from the reservoir into and out of a drilled well with a reduction of potential energy. The application of the well method of producing oil has given data which prove that the total yield of oil from a reservoir through wells is, in general, only a small fractional part of the total oil that is contained in the reservoir. It is generally recognized that a spacing of one well to each 160-acre tract of any good oil pool is too wide. However, one well to this 160-acre tract will yield a large quantity of oil and in time will dissipate most, if not all, of the potential energy that was originally stored and retained in the fluids by pressure. Two wells spaced and drilled on this 160-acre tract would yield approximately twice the quantity of oil, while four wells would yield approximately four times the oil. A well spacing is soon reached, with the addition of wells to this 160-acre tract, in which the drainage interference of offset wells will materially affect the yield of oil per well. The increased yield of oil, therefore, is not directly proportional to the added number of wells but the increased costs of development are directly proportional to the added number of wells. It is evident that while an added number of wells to this 160-acre tract yields an increased quantity of oil, there is an economic limit to the number of wells to be added. The yield of oil and the costs of development and operation are of such a nature, and are so related, that

Jan 1, 1930

By James W. Guider

Of all the technology available to the iron blast furnace operator, raw materials preparation [(Fig. 1)] is by far the most important. Superior raw materials have been basic to the success of the Japanese steel industry, and they are just as essential to the American steel industry in winning its competitive battle against foreign government subsidized steel imports. Therefore, the mine operator and the ore beneficiation engineer must strive to produce the highest quality raw materials possible to meet the precise demands of the modem blast furnace and steel plant.

Jan 1, 1982

By Paul Averitt

In spite of recent trends in the United States toward construction of steam generating plants near mine mouths, and toward use of high-voltage direct current for long-distance transmission of electricity, coal in substantial amounts is being transported over relatively long distances to serve specific needs. As coal is a low-cost bulk commodity which is more suitable for use near the point of origin, some of these long hauls are of considerable interest because they show what can be done under the pressure for more and more coal to support industrial and economic growth. Japan has an Insatiable Appetite for Coal Perhaps the longest U.S. coal journey begins in the east Appalachian Basin of southern Pennsylvania, eastern West Virginia, and southwestern Virginia. High-quality coking coal mined in these areas is shipped by rail to Baltimore, Md., and to Hampton Roads, Va., where the coal is reloaded on freighters for shipment primarily to western Europe and Japan. In 1967, shipments of coal to western Europe totaled 19 million tons, and shipments to Japan totaled 12 million tons. Japan also imports coal from Australia, the U.S.S.R., Canada, Poland, the People's Republic of China, and to a lesser ex- tent from several other countries. In an effort to solve long-term needs, Japanese steel interests have contracted for the purchase from the Kaiser Steel Corp. of 51 million long tons of coking coal over the period 1970 to 1985. The coal will come from the Kaiser Steel Corp. mine near Fernie, British Columbia. This arrangement will reduce Japan's future dependence on Appalachian Basin coal.

Jan 10, 1969

By Clifford J. Lewis, James L. Drobnick

Vexed with competition from relatively high grade foreign orebodies, perplexed by marginal, low grade domestic orebodies, and ironically faced with the fact that practically every metal needed in our economy is available domestically in ample quantity in the ground, our mining industry awaits the advancements in beneficiation technology that will bridge the gap between the ground and the market place for our presently unexploited mineral reserves. Among the vast number of research and development projects underway in the metals mining industry, there are a few chemical techniques in metals winning that, with further development or wider application, could have a profound effect on the industry. These techniques include the Imperial Smelting and Refining Process for complex lead-zinc ores, chlorination and fused salt procedures, the liquid ion exchange process, and the field of non-aqueous leaching. IMPERIAL SMELTING PROCESS The Imperial Smelting and Refining Process is of interest because it offers a possible economic route for the processing of complex zinc-lead-copper ores. The process represents the outcome of the combined efforts of metallurgists and engineers of Imperial Smelting Corporation. Ltd., the United Kingdom Subsidiary of the Consolidated Zinc Corporation, Ltd., and is the subject of patents throughout the world. This process is essentially the employment of the blast furnace for the production of zinc. Zinc has always resisted blast furnace technology, primarily because of the difficulty of condensing zinc vapor from dilute gases. The Imperial Smelting Process employs a blast furnace working at ordinary pressures and in a system which is able to con- dense a blast furnace gas of a very low zinc content.

Jan 11, 1963

By H. F. Yancey, O. L. Furse

Although usually coal is screened with punched plate screens having round-hole perforations, there has been an increasing use of wire-cloth screens with square apertures, especially at pneumatic coal-cleaning plants and at other plants that use vibrating screens. It is therefore desirable to establish a relationship between round-hole and square-hole screens for use not only in experimental investigations of coal-preparation problems, but also for use in commercial operations. This need is apparent whenever it is necessary to substitute wire cloth for punched plate and still retain the familiar trade-size product. Although similar work probably has been done by industrial organizations concerned with the screen sizing of coal, the only recorded study of the subject other than the one described herein of which the authors are aware is that of Roesler,1 who screen-sized two samples of limestone and two of zinc concentrates crushed to pass 1/2 in. with a set of square and round-hole screens and found the ratio to be 1:1.23. Procedure In the course of a study of various methods for determining the friability of coal,2 it was necessary to screen-size the products of a series of friability tests of three different coals with both round-hole and square-hole screens. The coals used were from the Roslyn No. 3 and the Bayne mines in Washington and the Rolapp mine in Utah. Twenty 25-lb. samples of each of these three coals at 3 to 2 1/2 in. round-hole size were dropped from a height of 10 ft. to a concrete floor, and then screened with

Jan 1, 1934

Mounting pressures to increase efficiency and yield, conserve energy, or minimize pollution have all taken their toll on the minerals industry. As management and technical personnel take a harder look at their operations for ways to shave cents off operating costs or to squeeze a bit more productivity out of existing equipment, instrumentation often comes up as the most effective answer. When Amax Lead installed an automatic grind control system in its Buick mill, ore throughput increased by 3 to 5%. Mill operators calculate that the initial investment is returned to them several times annually.

Jan 2, 1978

By P. Somasundaran, H. S. Hanna

The separation of minerals such as apatite and scheelite by flotation from other salt-type minerals such as calcite is extremely complex owing to the close similarity between their physicochemical properties. In this paper, properties relevant to flotation such as crystal structure, solubility, surface charge and adsorption behavior of important salt-type minerals are examined along with the role of inorganic modifying agents such as silicates and polyphosphates and organic modifying agents such as starch and tannin. Flotation characteristics of these minerals are then reviewed and selected separation problems involving salt-type minerals are discussed.

Jan 1, 1976

By J. Parke Channing

We are accustomed to think that we are efficient in the United States, particularly with respect to such things as mining and manufacturing. The conduct of the war has demanded in England and in France a complete readjustment of manufacturing methods and plans, and today England, is probably as efficient a country as there is in the world, not even excepting Germany. This is all the more remarkable because it has been notorious for years that England has been inefficient in her manufacturing and the country has been flooded with things "Made in Germany.'' Today England is almost a socialistic community and the State is doing almost everything. England is now in such a position that practically everyone in the country is engaged in industry necessary for the conduct of the war, and this has been accomplished by increasing the efficiency both of her tools and of her man power. In the United States we certainly have been efficient so far as machines and perhaps so far as methods have been concerned, but we have not been efficient in the utilization of our man power. Before the war, our labor was undoubtedly far more efficient than that of England, but it certainly was not so highly efficient as it should have been, and the problem that confronts us today, and will all the more confront us after the war, is to make our man power efficient. England has had a taste of what you may call State Socialism, and her laboring men are not going to be content to return to the old order of things. There is one feature of the labor problem in England which has permitted her to reach this condition of state socialism with comparative rapidity; this is that practically all of her laborers are English; she has little or no foreign population. While an Englishman may be a strong union man and ready to fight his employer tooth and nail, at heart he is still a British subject, and when his country was in danger he rose to the occasion. In the United States we have such an admixture of unassimilated foreigners that the problem is more difficult, and as yet we have not been brought to that point of stress which has arrived in England. But if

Jan 1, 1919

Apparatus and a method for determining the volumetric behavior of hydrocarbons at pressures up to 10,000 psia and at temperatures between 0° and 460°F are described. The equipment is suitable for measuring the total volume of the system and the volume of a liquid phase as functions of state within these ranges of temperature and pressure. Introduction During the past two decades there has been a marked increase in the ranges of temperature and pressure encountered in underground hydrocarbon reservoirs of commercial interest. In addition, greater interest in the intensive characteristics of the fluids found in these reservoirs has developed. Apparatus Several types of apparatus have been developed in the authors' laboratory for volumetric measurements of hydrocarbon systems. The earliest equipment described1 was characterized by constant volume, and the weight of material present was varied systematically in order to attain the different pressures desired in the study. Later another apparatus2 was built in which the effective volume of the cylindrical cell, which confined a hydrocarbon sample of constant weight was varied by injection or withdrawal of mercury. The effective total volume of the equilibrium cell was measured by ascertaining the position of the mercury surface but no measurement could be made which gave knowledge of the volumes of individual phases existing within the hydrocarbon system. A third apparatus3 was designed for use at higher pressures and temperatures than the earlier equipment would tolerate. This apparatus was of the variable volume type but was built in the general form of a U-tube, the mercury level being measured at the surface which was not exposed to the hydrocarbon system. This arrangement avoided the need of subjecting measuring equipment to the extremes of temperature at which studies were made, but it gave no provision for measurement of the volumes of individual phases. Although this last apparatus was satisfactory as to accuracy and convenience for many purposes, need was felt for measurements of the volume of the liquid phase of the hydrocarbon system. For this reason a fourth equilibrium apparatus was designed and constructed, and it is the purpose of the present paper to describe it. The equilibrium cell has a working range of temperature from 0° to 460°F at pressures up to 10,000 psi. Provision for measurement of both total volume and liquid-phase volume makes it particularly suitable for the equilibrium study of heterogeneous systems consisting either of simple mixtures or of complex field samples of hydrocarbons. The general arrangement of the ap-

Jan 1, 1948

Apparatus and a method for determining the volumetric behavior of hydrocarbons at pressures up to 10,000 psia and at temperatures between 0° and 460°F are described. The equipment is suitable for measuring the total volume of the system and the volume of a liquid phase as functions of state within these ranges of temperature and pressure. Introduction During the past two decades there has been a marked increase in the ranges of temperature and pressure encountered in underground hydrocarbon reservoirs of commercial interest. In addition, greater interest in the intensive characteristics of the fluids found in these reservoirs has developed. Apparatus Several types of apparatus have been developed in the authors' laboratory for volumetric measurements of hydrocarbon systems. The earliest equipment described1 was characterized by constant volume, and the weight of material present was varied systematically in order to attain the different pressures desired in the study. Later another apparatus2 was built in which the effective volume of the cylindrical cell, which confined a hydrocarbon sample of constant weight was varied by injection or withdrawal of mercury. The effective total volume of the equilibrium cell was measured by ascertaining the position of the mercury surface but no measurement could be made which gave knowledge of the volumes of individual phases existing within the hydrocarbon system. A third apparatus3 was designed for use at higher pressures and temperatures than the earlier equipment would tolerate. This apparatus was of the variable volume type but was built in the general form of a U-tube, the mercury level being measured at the surface which was not exposed to the hydrocarbon system. This arrangement avoided the need of subjecting measuring equipment to the extremes of temperature at which studies were made, but it gave no provision for measurement of the volumes of individual phases. Although this last apparatus was satisfactory as to accuracy and convenience for many purposes, need was felt for measurements of the volume of the liquid phase of the hydrocarbon system. For this reason a fourth equilibrium apparatus was designed and constructed, and it is the purpose of the present paper to describe it. The equilibrium cell has a working range of temperature from 0° to 460°F at pressures up to 10,000 psi. Provision for measurement of both total volume and liquid-phase volume makes it particularly suitable for the equilibrium study of heterogeneous systems consisting either of simple mixtures or of complex field samples of hydrocarbons. The general arrangement of the ap-

Jan 1, 1948

By T. S. Lovering

Geochemical prospecting extends the age-old method of searching out lodes with a gold pan and rationalizes the prospector's hunch that certain plants are associated with ore. It uses sensitive but cheap and rapid analytical methods to find the diagnostic chemical variations related to hidden mineral deposits. Exploration geologists can gain tremendous assistance from this new tool, although its optimum use is not simple. To bring out the geochemical pattern that reveals the presence of a hidden ore deposit with a minimum number of samples requires a combination of shrewdness, chemical knowledge, and exploration geology. The use of sensitive analytical methods for prospecting had its start in the 1930's in northern Europe, where Scandinavian and Russian geologists had some success in these early efforts. Very little geochemical prospecting was carried on in the United States at this time, and no sustained interest was manifest until the close of World War II, when geochemical investigations were started by the Mineral Deposits Branch of the U. S. Geological Survey. The purpose of these investigations was to apply geochemical principles and techniques to surface exploration for mineral deposits. Both the research on analytical methods and the routine trace analyses for field investigations were at first conducted by a single group, but it later became apparent that the trace analyses could be done by men of less experience than that required for successful research on methods. For the past several years there have been two groups of chemists, and although their functions overlap, three of the chemists are chiefly concerned with research, while four to six other men make the trace analyses for field projects.

Oct 1, 1955

By Clyde Longyear

DURING the last two years, the diamond core drill has come rapidly to the front as a very valuable auxiliary to the equipment of the exploration and production departments of oil companies. The diamond drill and the rotary oil drill work on the same general principles, the essential difference being that the diamond drill employs an annular steel bit set with black diamonds ("carbons"), instead of the fish-tail or other type of bit employed by the rotary drill. On account of the brittleness of the carbon and the danger of breakage if subjected to sudden blows or stresses, it is not practicable to attach a diamond bit and core-barrel to the end of a rotary drill stem. The operating mechanism of the diamond drill must be subject to much more sensitive control than the rotary drill. The bit must be rotated smoothly, without the jerks that are incident to the operation of the clutches and chain drives on the rotary draw works, and the feed must be con-trolled in a much more delicate manner than the mere action of a brake on a hoist. To accomplish this smooth rotation, diamond drills are usually built as a self-con-tained unit with the crank shaft of the engine geared direct to the drive shaft that turns the drill rods or stem. One or two hydraulic cylinders connected with a high-pressure pump control the feed so definitely that the bit can be raised or lowered at will, while the bit is rotating, by the simple operation of valves. The smaller-sized-drills for very shallow work usually have a screw feed control instead of the hydraulic feed. The principal uses of the diamond drill in oil work are three: 1. Reconnaissance or structure drilling; that is, the drilling of a number of shallow holes to ascertain the subsurface contour. 2. Scout drilling, or the drilling of holes of smaller diameter than is required for production, to obtain information as to the character of the oil sand and the quality of the oil. 3. Drilling producing wells.

Jan 5, 1923

By John C. Branner

Within a couple of years I have received many inquiries in regard to the manganese-mines of Brazil. These inquiries were doubtless directed to mc because I had lived and traveled in Brazil for more than eight years, and was therefore supposed to be pretty well acquainted with its geology and mineral resources. Somewhat to my chagrin, I not only knew nothing of manganese-mines in that country, but I had never before heard of the mineral having been found here in quantity, and I did not even know in what State the mines were located. The present summer found me in Brazil again, trying to finish up some of my early geological investigations along the northeast coast, and I have used the occasion to find out something about the manganese-deposits. Very little is known of these mines, even in Brazil. While at Pernambuco I was told that they were in the distant interior of the State of Bahia. In August I reached Bahia, and there I found out, concerning the mines and their geology, enough to be worth telling for the benefit of those interested in the mining or using of this mineral. Thus far, all the manganese-ore shipped from this State has come from two mines, the principal one of which is known as the Pedras Pretas mine. This was the first mine opened, is the best developed, and was the original discovery; the second one is on an adjoining tract, and the general geology and natural conditions are about the same in both. The Pedras Pretas mine is on the Nazareth-Amargosa railway, twenty-six kilometers west of the town of Nazareth, which is on tide-water, at the head of navigation, and is reached from the city of Bahia by a small side-wheel steamer that runs across the bay of Bahia and up the Rio Jaguaripe

Jan 1, 1900

By Harold Cook

THE purpose of this paper is to state briefly the inspection requirements of the Bureau of Ordnance, the specifications governing the inspection, and the physical and chemical properties of the steel used in the construction of ordnance for our Navy. It would be of interest to evoke discussion on points in these specifications which do not tend to insure the production of the very best material for the purpose intended. In other words, what requirements of our specifications are useless and also in what manner are our specifications deficient? It might be well at the, start to answer the first criticism of this paper which will probably be made, and that is that the title does not agree with the subject matter. Considering metallographic work as covering only the macroscopic and microscopic examination of metals, this paper will have gone beyond the subject; but it is believed that a broader definition of metallography is that it is the study of the relation of the internal structure of metals and alloys to their composition and to their physical and- other properties. The internal structure of steel is dependent on its physical and its chemical properties. These physical properties are dependent on the chemical composition and the mechanical and thermal treatment of the steel. So it seems that this subtitle would not be entirely necessary and that the title "Metallography of Steel for Ordnance Purposes" would cover a study, not only of what we can learn of macroscopic and microscopic examination, but broadly of the whole subject of the specifications, the fulfillment of the requirements of which produce the structural conditions revealed by macroscopic and microscopic examination. .

Jan 2, 1916