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[The following discussion, comprising both remarks made at the Chicago meeting and contributions since forwarded to the Secretary, is based upon the following papers, presented at that meeting : "Segregation and its Consequences in Ingots of Steel and Iron," by Alexandre Pourcel, Paris, France. (See p. 105, mans. xxii.) " Microscopic Metallography," by F. Osmond, Paris, France. (See p. 243, Trans. xxii.) " Microstructure of Ingot-Iron in Cast Ingots," by Prof. A. Martens, Berlin, Germany. (See p. 37.) " Microstructure of Steel," by Albert Sauveur, South Chicago, Ill. (See p. -546, Trans. xxii.) "Farther Observations on the Relations Between the Chemical Constitution and Physical Character of Steel," by William R. Webster, Philadelphia, Pa. (See p. 113.) "The Heat-treatment of Steel," by H. M. Howe, Boston. Mass. (See p. 466.) Since all these papers were considered together, no attempt has been made to separate the discussion strictly under the several heads.] William R. Webster, Philadelphia, Pa.: I desire to say that in my first paper (Trans., xxi., 766) the actual ultimates were subtracted from the estimated ultimates, whereas in the paper submitted at this meeting the estimated ultimates are subtracted from the actual, thus giving contrary signs. The latter method corresponds with the direct effect. of low and high finishing-temperatures ; that is, a plus difference indicates low, and a minus difference high, finishing-temperature. I make this explanation to prevent confusion in comparing the two papers. Mr. Sauveur has shown that there is a close relation between the size of the grain and the ultimate strength, and also that the size of the grain depends on the temperature at which the material is finished in rolling, and on the chemical composition of the steel. I have shown that there is a close relation between the chemical

Jan 1, 1894

Gentlemen of the American Institute of Mining Engineers.—As you well know an application is about to be made to Congress, by the American Society of Civil Engineers, for the appointment of a cornmission composed of persons skilled in the production and use of iron, steel, and other structural materials, whose duty it shall be to test the strength, elasticity, and other quatities of such materials ; not simply the substances used as such, but the members of large structures composed of such materials, of the forms and sizes in which they are actually used. As I understand, the papers that will be read here to-night will have for their object to show the necessity for such tests, and therefore the necessity for the commission asked for. As the representative of the Society of Civil Engineers, I have to thank you, gentlemen of the Mining Engineers, for the great zeal with which yon have taken up this subject, and seconded the efforts of the Civil Engineers; or, perhaps I ought rather to say, initiated the efforts to get a suitable commission appointed to obtain most vitally important information which it is admitted on all hands we do not now possess. In drawing up the memorial to Congress, in connection with some of the ablest and best informed of our Society, and in all the discossions on the subject, I have been struck with the emphasis with which the confession is made, that so little is known of the strength of the larger-sized members constantly used in building structures of the magnitude which the present requirements of the country now demand. I presume the remarks made to-night will bring this out very prominently. This is no disgrace, for with the means here-

Jan 1, 1882

By Waynw P. Myers

Electricity, as normally thought of by a layman's definition, is a man- made force that has no color, no odor, is not visible, cannot be heard, yet man can control it and make it perform his work for him. A person dare not cheat on it, for it then will master him. It has laws, rules, and regulations that must be strictly adhered to if it is to perform in the safest, most reliable, and economical manner. In the early days of coal mining the power source was man himself. Later man employed steam and compressed air to reduce his muscle power requirements needed in the extraction of coal. By the turn of the 20th century, electricity had become the most common source of power for the coal industry. Steam and compressed air are still found in use in isolated cases today for specific applications; however, they are rapidly being replaced by electricity. Electrical laws and regulations are quite extensive and somewhat complex for the proper generation and use of electricity. Man-made laws, rules, and regulations for the care and handling of electricity, designed for man's safety, are rigidly enforced by Mine Safety and Health Ad- ministration (MSHA), as well as the various state departments of mines. BACKGROUND Until recent years most underground coal mines used direct current exclusively for all movable and for some stationary equipment. Exceptions were for permanent pumps, tipple, fan, and outside buildings where alternating current was normally employed. However, over 60 years ago there were mines with dual systems. Alternating current was used for cutting machines, drills, and pumps ; direct current for locomotives. There were no other machines as these were hand-loading mines. Later, during early mechanization in the 1920s, alternating current was also applied to loading machines at some mines. Use of dual electric systems then declined until fairly recently when

Jan 1, 1981

By R. G. Bowman

DISCUSSIONS of processes for the manufacture of white lead generally open with the statement that white lead is the oldest chemical pigment known to man. This fact is of more than historical interest; in the light of the present extensive use of white lead, ii indicates that the .compound possesses characteristics that make it unique among white pigments, and superior to all ;in its particular field. A greater variety of processes have been proposed for manufacturing white lead than for any other one chemical compound. Only a few of these processes have come into commercial use, however, and a large part of the present production here and abroad is made by the process used in ancient times. The outstanding disadvantages of the old process are that it is slow and laborious, affords no control of the product, and yields at best an impure material lacking in uniformity. Improved processes, sometimes classed all together as "quick processes," have had as their main object the shortening of the time required. Most of them accomplish this and some have yielded a superior product as well, but only two or three are now in use commercially. For centuries the manufacture and mixing of paints has been treated as an art, and the practice has been much influenced by tradition and precedent. There is a reluctance to abandon old materials for this purpose, and as few new uses for white lead have been developed, the adoption of the quick processes has been slow. The electrolytic production of white lead is not-new, a large number of processes and forms of apparatus have been proposed and patented within the past 25 years, all directed toward the, production of white lead, wholly or in part, by electrolysis. One or two of these processes were tried commercially but proved unsuccessful.

Jan 9, 1925

By E. C. Truesdale

A FEW years ago H. M. Cyr, working in the Research Laboratories of The New Jersey Zinc Co., produced a few pounds of zinc1 of such purity that no other elements were detected in it by spectrographic analysis, using the facilities then available. This zinc contained less than one ten-thousandth of one per cent of metallic impurities.2 During the decade that followed upon the laboratory production of this "spectro-graphically pure" zinc, commercial developments brought about the production of large tonnages of zinc of purity exceeding 99.99 per cent, and today zinc of 99.999 per cent purity is produced and marketed as "chemically pure" zinc. Typical analyses of present supplies of high-purity zinc are given in Table 1. TABLE 1.-Typical Analyses Percentage by Weight Sum of Zinc Pb, Fe, Pb Fe Cd Al Cd Special High Grades 0.007b 0.005b 0.0056 none 0.0106 C.P. (chemically pure) <0.0002 0.0005° 0.000052 S.P. (spectrographically pure).. <0.0002d <0.00005d a A.S.T.M. Standard Specification for Special High Grade Slab Zinc (A.S.T.M. Designation: B 6-37). b Maximum. c Fe chemically determined. Pb and Cd are spectrographically determined. d Differences between composition of C.P. and S.P. zinc are discussed later in this paper. The availability of commercial tonnages of special high-grade zinc has been the basis for the development of the zinc-base die-casting alloy industry which, in the year 1936, consumed one-eighth of the zinc used in the United States for all purposes. This and the C.P. and S.P. grades have given impetus to scientific investigations into the properties of pure

Jan 1, 1939

By Eckley B. Coxe

The subject of this paper will be treated as briefly as possible under the following heads : I. The latest designs of some of the machinery used at these collieries in the preparation of coal. 11. The means employed for elevating, conveying and transporting the coal and slate in and about the breaker. 111. The means employed for raising the coal from the mines to the top of the breaker. IV. The iron breaker as a structure. V. The preparation of the coal as effected in the iron breaker. A key to the plates and the letters and numbers designating different parts, will be found at the end of the paper. I. Preparing Coal. Anthracite coal as it comes from the mines is not marketable. The "run of mine" cannot, as in the case of bituminous coal, be sold. Anthracite, being very compact and practically free from volatile combustible matter, burns only at the surface, and it is, therefore, deemed important to have the lumps as nearly of a uniform size as possible, so that between them a large amount of surface will remain exposed to the action of the air without checking the draught too much, or allowing enough air to pass to cool the coal below the ignition-point, In other words, if the pieces of coal of the size of a chestnut and smaller are mixed with lumps of the size of an egg they fill the air-passages and prevent a free draught. It has long been recognized, therefore, that one of the most important points in preparation is to have a uniform sizing, and also to make as large a number of different sizes as can be produced without too

Jan 1, 1891

By C. R. Breck

THERE has been a running discussion over the past several years with respect to the life and adequacy of our natural gas reserves. Some of the experts agree on one phase of the subject at least-that eventually it will be necessary to augment deliveries of natural gas in the northern markets by the development of a more or less comparable synthetic gas made from coal. The purpose of this paper is to point out: 1. It may be later than a good many people think-the demand for addi¬tional domestic and commercial pipeline gas in at least one section of the North will probably be felt rather keenly before an adequate synthetic pipe¬line-gas project, developed on economic lines, could be completed, even if initiated in the near future. 2. The evidence is considerable that such a project would be technically sound and economically self-supporting, although the margin of profit at first might be so small and the magnitude of an economic enterprise so great -that financing would be impossible without Government aid in some form or other. The part of the country referred to is the heavily populated section in the northeast of the United States. To simplify an examination of the situa¬tion, let us take the potential marketing areas within range to the north and east of the three pipelines: 1. Tennessee Gas Transmission Co. as it enters Erie County, New York state. 2. Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation just before the tap that sup¬plies the general Philadelphia area. 3. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation as it enters the state of New Jersey. The sources of gas for these three pipelines are in Texas and Louisiana. The ultimate maximum combined capacity of the three lines at the points stated is approximately 1,200,000,000 cu ft per 24 hr at the maximum load factor probable of attainment in normal operation. The areas supplied by the three lines north and east of the points stated, or assumed as eventual markets, are: 1. Central New York state, from Buffalo to Albany (both inclusive).

Jan 1, 1953

By Albert D. Brokaw

THE accompanying chart was devised to provide a rapid and simple method of correcting for temperature and compressibility (deviation from Boyle&apos;s law) of gas under relatively high pressures and temperatures, such as are encountered in many deep reservoirs. The chart was prepared by interpolating for the desired values in the experimental data of Burke and Keyes1 and Kvalnes and Gaddy2 on the compressibility of methane, after adjusting their results from 0°C. to 60°F. and combining the correction factors for compressibility and temperature into a single multiplier, which, applied to the product of pressure and reservoir volume, gives at once the volume at one atmosphere (14.7 lb. per sq. in. abs.) and 60°F. The relationship 0f this multiplier to the compressibility factor Z, as used in most discussions, is simply: [Multiplier = 460° + 60°ZT –] where Z is the compressibility factor and T the absolute temperature (Rankine). Fahrenheit temperatures are shown on the vertical axis and pressures in pounds per square inch absolute on the horizontal axis. Correction factors or multipliers at intervals of 0.05 from 0.55 to 1.40 have been plotted on the chart and are calculated t0 give volume of gas at one atmosphere pressure (14.7 lb.) and 60°F. The operation is as follows: The reservoir volume, times the number of atmospheres pressure, times the multiplier, gives the volume of gas measured at one atmosphere (14.7 lb. per sq. in.) and 60°F. For example, a reservoir is estimated to have a volume of 10,000,000 cu. ft., bottom-hole pressure is 2940 lb. per sq. in. and temperature is 184°F To make the correction for methane, follow the 184° line horizontally to the 2940-lb. pressure line. The intersection lies between the 0.85 and 0.90 correction lines, and by interpolation we may estimate the multiplier at 0.863. The computation is simply: [ ] Using the chart for methane prepared by Prof. G. G. Brown3 and his associates, the multiplier is found to be 0.867. Details 0f computation are as follows: Correction factor to apply to PV to correct for deviation from Boyle&apos;s law and adjust to measurement basis of 60°F.: [ ]

Jan 1, 1941

ALBERT SAUVEUR, Chairman. A. A. STEVENSON, Vice-Chairman. HERBERT M. BOYLSTON, Secretary, Abbot Bldg., Cambridge, Mass. John Birkinbine, William Kelly, J. S. Unger, William H. Blauvelt, Charles Kirchhoff, Felix A. Vogel, James Gayley, Richard Moldenke, Leonard Waldo, Henry D. Hibbard, Joseph W. Richards, William R. Walker, Henry M. Howe, C. F. W. Rys, William R. Webster, Robert W. Hunt, E. Gybbon Spilsbury, Frederick W. Wood. J. E. Johnson, Jr., The innovation of a special meeting under the auspices of the Iron and Steel Committee was well justified, if we accept as a criterion the number of papers presented at the meeting held on Oct. 16 and 17 in New York and the attendance at that meeting. Twenty-four papers were read, and most of these were widely discussed orally, while doubtless the written discussions will be even larger in extent. Discussions will be received up to Dec. 1, 1913. The attendance at the meeting of 106 members and 75 guests is an evidence of the wide anti growing interest in the Institute of men interested chiefly in iron and steel. It is especially interesting to note this large attendance at a meeting where very little of a social nature was introduced into the program. An informal dinner for the men at the Engineers&apos; Club closed the meeting. At this dinner were present about 70 members and guests. One of the Vice-Chairmen and the Secretary of the new Committee on Petroleum and Gas told of the important plans in prospect of that Committee. Brief impromptu speeches by a considerable number of the members and guests were enjoyed. Professor Marburg reiterated his previous assertion that he believed that the Institute and the American Society for Testing Materials, as well as some of the other technical societies, were all fighting for one good cause; that there was room in the field for all of these societies with their various points of view; and that they should march shoulder to shoulder. The success of this dinner was due largely to the efforts of Mr. Johnson who had the affair in charge.

Jan 11, 1913

By H. J. Maguire

(Presented by invitation at a meeting of the Spokane Local Section, Feb. 17, 1912.) THOSE familiar with mill-practice understand the work required of an average bucket-elevator, but I wish to call special attention to the wear on the buckets. I have been studying in what manner the life and service of the bucket might be improved, and I feel that an adjustable lip, attachable to each bucket without the aid of rivets, will be of material advantage. For illustration, consider the feed-elevator of a typical mill in the Cur d&apos;Alène district. The ore is carried by water in a launder from the feed-rolls and dumped in the "boot" of the elevator, directly in front of the ascending bucket. Middlings from the return-rolls are similarly handled. Under this condition the bucket not only carries the ore, but also picks it up, and this latter requirement determines the life and service of the bucket. It might be said that it would be better practice to convey the feed to the elevator and dump it directly into the bucket, but at one mill at which this plan was tried the results were disappointing and the rubber belt was badly worn. The wear of the bucket is confined to the lip and the corners which have to pick up the material. When the lip on a corner of a 7- by 12-in. malleable cast-iron bucket is worn down about 3 in., the bucket is of no further value as a carrier and has to be replaced. The worn bucket, containing about three¬quarters by weight of the metal of the original bucket, has a scrap value of about 10 per cent. of that of a new bucket. To the cost of the bucket, however, should be added the time-cost of replacing the old bucket by a new one. This time-cost is considerable when the loss per hour, to cease operating the mill, is about $200. It is out of the question to put lips on a bucket unless the latter was originally fitted with this device. For if it is attempted to fit lips upon buckets not originally provided with

Sep 1, 1912

By Elmer A. Jones

Development work in mines of St. Joseph Lead Co., Southeast Missouri, using trackless loading equipment shows definite advantages: Speed of cleaning, ability to work on steep grades and sharp crosscuts, good later tracking conditions, and possibility of wasting rock in old abandoned stopes.

Jan 1, 1950

By Rossiter TV. RAYMOND, Charles H. Snow, THEODORE DWIGHT

SECRETARY&apos;S NOTE.-The complete list of all officers of the Institute will be found on p. iv. of this number of the Bulletin. The following explanation may recall to old members, and convey to new ones, the relations of the two governing bodies, as determined by the, Certificate of Incorporation of the Institute, and the Constitution and By-Laws adopted in accordance therewith. The body legally responsible for the business management is the Board of nine Directors (three elected annually to serve three years), which elects its own officers. This body, for reasons of practical convenience, is composed of well-known members, residing in New York City, and able to attend, without serious inconvenience or expense, the necessary meetings of the Board. The officers of this Board are legally the officers of the Institute. But, apart from business manage-ment, the Board exercises no control over the election of members, or the professional and technical work of the Institute, except that its vote is required to elect honorary members, upon the recommendation of the Council. The Council is a. body, constituted in all respects (except that it has no Treasurer) like the Council existing before the incorporation of the Institute, in January, 1905, and charged with all duties and powers, except those which the Board of Directors must legally perform. It elects members, appoints the times and places of professional meetings, and controls the publication and distribution of papers and volumes, etc. Its members (President, Vice-Presidents and Councilors) are elected by the members of the Institute, voting in person or by proxy, and after publication of the nominations received ; and it is intended to repre¬sent, as far as practicable, both the professional and the geographical distribution of the membership. Consequently, whatever professional honor attaches to official position belongs to membership in the Council, rather than in the legal Board of Directors. This remark implies no disparagement of the members of the latter body, every one of whom has served, or is now serving, as a member of the Council. But it is only fair to explain that their election and continued re-election as Directors is simply a matter of legal convenience.

Mar 1, 1906

By THEODORE DWIGHT

Members of the Institute have already received a special pamphlet descriptive of the United Engineering Society building, and wilt doubtless be interested in the progress that has been made up to date-February 24th-in erecting this home for the engineering profession. The old buildings on lots Nos. 25 to 33 W. 39th St., New York, were,&apos; removed many months ago, but final contracts for the new, building were not let until the summer of 1905. The size of the building is 115 ft. on 39th Street, and 88 ft. in, depth; the height from, the sidewalk to the top of the parapet is 220 feet. The cubic contents of the building from the. bottom of the basement floor, to the top of the roof, including the pent houses, is 2,290,000 cubic feet. The number of light&apos;s, in the building will be between 4,000 and 4,500. The air supply for Auditorium and Lecture. Halls will amount to nearly 10.0,000 cu. ft, per minute, and the exhaust. to 90,000 cu. ft. per minute. In excavating for cellar and foundations, the average depth where good rock was. found was 37 ft.-it varied, however,: from 27 to 65 ft., due to an old water-course having run through the center of the lot; this condition, and the presence of soft rock, which rapidly disintegrated when exposed to air and water, made the foundation-work very difficult. As two of the column-footings of the building have to sustain a weight of 3,000,000 11) each, the most substantial foundations are necessary; 13,000 cu. yd. of earth were excavated for the foundation and basement; and 1,600 cu. yd. of concrete were necessary, to build up the footings. In the completed building there will be about 3,500,000 bricks. Owing to the number of auditoriums, and their location, and the placing of the library on the top floor; where allowance will have to be made for the enormous weight of 300,000 books, the structural steel work has been unusually complicated in this building. For instance, over the auditorium there are two 60-ton plate-girders, made up

Mar 1, 1906

By V.F. Marsters

Seepages of oil in Ecuador have been known for many years. The locality first to receive attention, and still worked in a modest way, lies on the north shore of the Santa Elena peninsula, between La Puntilla and Salinas. Operations mere first conducted largely by local cdpital. Later, foreign companies acquired large blocks of land, where they have done considerable drilling. For details concerning present drilling activities in Ecuador, we are indebted to Leon Price, an Ame~ican resident engineer of Ecuador. The information solicited came to the author through the office of the American Consulatell with permission to use it. The coastal plain bordering the Province of Tumbes, Peru, continues to the northeast, but narrow on passing the Zarumilla River. From this point northward it widens toward Santa Rosa. In fact, the pampas, as shown on the official Wolf map, correspond fairly well to the areal extent of tbe coastal plain as far as Guayaquil. This is shown in a general way on the accompanying map. The author understands that the Guayaquil enlbayment is bordered on all sides by the coastal plain, as recognized at Tumbes and farther southwest, and that it can be followed without a break as far north as Palmar. This view is supported by the mapped area regarded by Mr. Price as favorable or possible oil territory. Moreover the islands in the Gulf of Guayaquil are the same geologically as the coastal edge, being composed of Tertiary sediments. The author understands also that Tertiary formations occur north of Palmar. According to a report by Mr. Cardon, of Guayaquil, Tertiary sediments are exposed in the region of San Francisco and extend to and beyond Pta. Calera. There is also reason to believe that at least the lower part of the valley of the Santiago River is occupied by Tertiary sediments, ~~hich probably border the const line and extend into the River Mini l)nsin, and into Colombia. On the south coast there are many seepages, most of them near the inner edge of the coastal plain, between Zarumilla and Santa Rosa and also between Santa Rosa and Machala. I11 the latter region are

Jan 1, 1923

By V. F. Marsters

Seepages of oil in Ecuador have been known for many years. The locality first to receive attention, and still worked in a modest way, lies on the north shore of the Santa Elena peninsula, between La Puntilla and Salinas. Operations mere first conducted largely by local cdpital. Later, foreign companies acquired large blocks of land, where they have done considerable drilling. For details concerning present drilling activities in Ecuador, we are indebted to Leon Price, an Ame~ican resident engineer of Ecuador. The information solicited came to the author through the office of the American Consulatell with permission to use it. The coastal plain bordering the Province of Tumbes, Peru, continues to the northeast, but narrow on passing the Zarumilla River. From this point northward it widens toward Santa Rosa. In fact, the pampas, as shown on the official Wolf map, correspond fairly well to the areal extent of tbe coastal plain as far as Guayaquil. This is shown in a general way on the accompanying map. The author understands that the Guayaquil enlbayment is bordered on all sides by the coastal plain, as recognized at Tumbes and farther southwest, and that it can be followed without a break as far north as Palmar. This view is supported by the mapped area regarded by Mr. Price as favorable or possible oil territory. Moreover the islands in the Gulf of Guayaquil are the same geologically as the coastal edge, being composed of Tertiary sediments. The author understands also that Tertiary formations occur north of Palmar. According to a report by Mr. Cardon, of Guayaquil, Tertiary sediments are exposed in the region of San Francisco and extend to and beyond Pta. Calera. There is also reason to believe that at least the lower part of the valley of the Santiago River is occupied by Tertiary sediments, ~~hich probably border the const line and extend into the River Mini l)nsin, and into Colombia. On the south coast there are many seepages, most of them near the inner edge of the coastal plain, between Zarumilla and Santa Rosa and also between Santa Rosa and Machala. I11 the latter region are

Jan 1, 1923

By Herbert F. Miller

For a long time I have believed that the gas- and brick-costs of open-hearth furnaces using prodncer-gas could be greatly decreased by a change in the design of the port, which would materially reduce the first-cost of the furnace, the rebuilding-cost, and the repair-cost. The defects of the present type of such furnaces, which has clone duty for so many years, may be studied in Fig. 1, in which A A are the two air-uptakes, B is the gas-uptake, and C the end of the gas-port. In the present type of furnace, C is practically 011 the edge of the bath and therefore combustion begins to take place at that point, but has no effect until the gas passes from 5 to 10 ft. into the hearth. As the furnace grows older, C moves back by reason of the burning or falling down of the arch. The furnace reaches its highest efficiency when C has moved a certain distance, but is still near enough to the bath for the overhead layer of air to hold the gas down on the bath, and far enough back to permit combustion to take place at some distance from the bath. This latter fact means that the temperature is sufficient to melt steel at the edge of the port. From this time on, the furnace decreases in efficiency. What is the reason ? As C moves further hack, the gas is released from the gas-port at a point where there is little or no overhead layer of air. The result is that the gas floats along the roof, with the air mostly underneath it. Why the air does not stay over the gas is readily seen in Fig. 1. The lines of draft naturally run parallel to the length of the furnace. The air-uptakes being on the sides and the gas-port in the middle, most of the air will naturally be drawn along the sides of the furnace and the layer of air will be thinnest over the gas, where it is most needed.

Jan 1, 1914

By E. S. Bardwell, Roy H. Miller

During the period extending from May, 1922, to September, 1923, the copper-refining furnaces of the Great Falls Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Great Falls, Mont., were operated exclusively with pulverized coal as fuel. The installation was made first as an experiment. It proved successful from the start and was abandoned solely because fuel oil from the Sunburst field became available at a price sufficiently low to be more desirable from an economic standpoint. The equipment required for pulverized coal has, however, been kept intact and is available for immediate use should the oil supply fail. Inasmuch as pulverized coal had been used on two large reverbera-tory smelting furnaces and was, at the time we were considering its application-to the copper-refining furnaces, being used on the Wedge furnaces roasting zinc concentrate for the electrolytic zinc plant, we were equipped with a coal-pulverizing plant of ample capacity to supply pulverized coal for the furnace refinery. The only problem was to devise suitable means for transporting pulverized coal from the pulverizer plant, located in the smelter building, to the refinery about 3000 ft. distant and about 150 ft. above the level of the pulverizer plant. When studying this installation, it should be borne in mind that the layout represents an adaptation suited to the existing conditions at this particular plant. The installation was entirely satisfactory and uniformly dependable but might be modified to advantage from an operating point of view if an entirely new installation were being planned. Fuel Supply The use of the local coals, high in ash and sulfur, was abandoned some time before coal-dust firing was attempted. Local coals from the Great Falls field carrying an average of 4 per cent. sulfur and 22 per cent, ash were used with fair success in the small furnaces in use prior to 1916. In the 250-ton furnaces, however, the time lost in grating and removing clinker from the fireboxes, as well as the difficulties incident to the high-sulfur content of the fuel, became serious and recourse was had to the

Jan 1, 1927

By A. Beeby Thompson

ALTHOUGH the exclusion of foreigners and private owners from participation in the development of the Russian oil fields prevents first-hand information being obtained, both official and private news indicate a growing appreciation of the value of the country&apos;s oil resources. Notwithstanding the suppression of that initiative and energy which only ambition can adequately stimulate, the industry is progressing and exports of products are assuming an importance that cannot be disregarded as an economic factor in the world&apos;s oil business. The following notes and observations must be regarded mainly as the views of one who has closely followed the fortunes of Russian oil, when considering the changes that have taken place in geological knowledge and oil-field technique, which have so profoundly modified oil-fields methods. Russia is fortunate in having retained the services of a few scientists and technologists whose devotion to science has superseded their personal inclination, and to these few men must be attributed the slow, but nevertheless striking, progress that has been made. The productive oil fields of Russia are centered around the Caspian Sea which, with its connected river system, constitutes such an ideal means of internal distribution for products. From the group of oil fields of which the city of Baku forms a center, oil is pumped to Black town, a suburb of Baku, where all the refineries are situated. The next important group of oil fields is located in the Terek district near Grosny, where refineries are erected and the products are piped or carried by tank cars to Petrovsk for the internal Russian market, or sent to the Black Sea by rail. A third oil field is spread over the province of Uralsk, north of the Caspian Sea, the main port of outlet being Gourief, at the mouth of the River Ural. In Trans-Caspia there are two oil-field centers, one near. Krasnovodsk on Chelekan Island, and one in Central Asia at Ferghana. The product of the former fields is transported to Baku for treatment, while the output of the Turkestan field is refined and consumed locally, mainly by the railway.

Jan 3, 1925

By E. W. Parker

Anthracite, as sent to market, comes under three general terms of description: characteristics, source and size. Anthracite is generally classified as white ash, red ash, or Lykens Valley. The white ash coals are sometimes further described as "hard" or "free-burning." Lehigh white ash would come under the former description and Shamokin white ash under the latter. As a rule, it may be said that the nearer the origin of the coal to the western extremity of the anthracite region, the softer and more free-burning it is. Indeed, for many years the coal from Trevorton, at the western tip of the Middle Western field, was classified as "semianthracite" in the shipment reports. Lykens Valley coal is always a red ash coal, with a higher volatile content than the general run of anthracite, and consequently free-burning. The name does not exclusively indicate the neighborhood in which the coal is dug, but rather refers to the beds from which it is obtained. These beds lie, not above the Pottsville conglomerate, as is the rule, but encased in it. The extreme eastern limit of the Lykens Valley beds would seem to be about Tremont, in Schuylkill County, and the Natalie mine, near Mount Carmel. There are, of course, traces of these beds farther to the east, but they do not seem to be workable. There are as many as six of the Lykens Valley measures found in the conglomerate at some points, but to a large extent they are unworkable. Whether this coal is obtained in the Lykens Valley proper, where the beds were first identified, or from the Shamokin Valley, it is always Lykens Valley coal, and it has long been considered a premium coal, especially desirable for domestic use, particularly when a quick, hot kitchen fire is desired. Coals are, of course, frequently marketed under special names—Jeddo, Scranton, Kingston, Old Company Lehigh, Famous Reading, Lacka-wanna, etc.—which, of course, have the trade significance which their producers and vendors have built up. General Description of the Various Coals, with Name of Seam and Producing District This is partly covered in the paragraphs above. Lykens Valley coal is produced from one or another of the six Lykens Valley beds lying within

Jan 1, 1930

By Martin A. Mayers

Five-sixths of all the coal that is mined in the United States is burned, without previous treatment other than screening, for the production of heat and power, so that its value is fixed by its suitability for this purpose. Nevertheless, the characteristics of individual coals that determine their fitness for use in particular pieces of combustion equipment are not yet well known. This condition is due not only to the small extent of our knowledge concerning coal itself, but also to our comparative ignorance of the nature of the combustion process. The following paper is an analysis of the combustion process as it occurs in industrial furnaces, based largely on the results of laboratory research on combustion rates. From this analysis it is possible to determine the characteristics of the fuel that limit the capacity of a given piece of combustion equipment. Limitations imposed by other factors than the attainable speed of combustion will not be considered, since they are subject to a different type of analysis involving the balancing of maintenance costs against fixed charges. In order to observe the relations among the various factors that affect the speed of combustion, representative particles of fuel will be followed through two types of furnaces. A pulverized-coal furnace will be considered first, because the independence of the individual particles facilitates the analysis of the effect of furnace conditions. The second example will be a grate-fired furnace in which ignition of the fuel takes place on the underfeed principle. This includes both underfeed and chain grate stokers, (8)† but does not include hand-fired furnaces and some overfeed stokers. The furnace will be considered to be large enough, the temperature high enough, and enough air provided, to burn the fuel completely, without, for the moment, specifying these quantities more completely. Furnaces Burning Pulverized Coal In a pulverized-coal furnace, the fuel particle is carried, in a stream of air, into the furnace, where it is subjected to radiation from the flame and from the hot walls of the furnace. The increase of particle tempera-

Jan 1, 1936