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By William Johnson

IT is now recognized that several important types of reactions in metallic systems proceed by the formation of nuclei and the growth of these nuclei. The process, of freezing is a simple example of this, as Tammann pointed out years ago.1Tammann held that the rate of freezing is determined by a rate of nucleation, expressed as the number of nuclei formed per unit volume of unfrozen liquid per second, and a rate of growth of these nuclei, expressed as the linear rate of radial growth in units of length per second. For isothermal freezing the conception is simple; for ordinary freezing, extending over a range of temperature, it is not as simple, for the values of the two constants must change with change in temperature. There is ample evidence that the postulated mechanism is correct even though a quantitative derivation of the rate of isothermal or of ordinary freezing in terms of the two constants has been lacking. In recent years other reactions have been found to proceed in a similar fashion. It has been well established, particularly by Bain,2-8 that the formation of pearlite from the eutectoid decomposition of the solid solu-tion austenite proceeds in such a way, and Polanyi and Schmid, Tammann and Crone, Parnop and Sachs, and others'-1 have shown that the process of recrystallization proceeds in a similar way. Isothermal reaction rates have been determined for eutectoid decom-position by a number of investigators. Bain's2-8 work on the formation of pearlite from austenite is especially valuable in this respect-the type of isothermal reaction curve obtained, as illustrated in Fig. 13, showed an initial slow rate, accelerating to an intermediate maximum rate which then decelerated to the completion of the reaction; similar curves have been obtained by Wever and his collaborators.' Other eutectoid decompositions show similar behavior: for example, the decomposition of the beta eutectoid in the copper-aluminum system, studied by Smith

Jan 1, 1939

By Theo W. Robinson

The evolution of the modern blast-furnace from the embryonic stages of comparatively few years ago, has been the work of wide praetiee and experiment. That much is still to be desired, the experience of every furnace-manager mill testify. Mr. Walsh's paper on "The Irregularities of the Blast-Furnace Process, and a Practical Way to Avoid Them" (Trans., xv., 419), proposes a new solution of the problem of interior lines, and one that has given rise to not a little speculation and controversy. The investigation described in this paper was undertaken to test experimentally the theory of Mr. Walsh as to maximum reducing capacity. Briefly explained, Mr. Walsh's views (outside of his claim for increased efficiency due to having the bosh wholly within the meltingzone) are, that a furnace of contracted stack and throat, on his lines. may equal in product one of considerably greater cubical capacity. The explanation offered for the theoretical greater capacity per cubic foot of his furnace is, that the increased tension of gases caused by passing through the small area mill promote transpiration, thus facilitating reduction and permitting more rapid driving. This alleged relation will appear from a hypothetical case in which a furnace, A, constructed on Mr. Walsh's lines, has but 1/x of the cubical contents of a furnace, B, of modern type; the two being equal in height. In order that A shall have the same capacity as B, both working normally with the same mixture and burden, and

Jan 1, 1889

By B. M. Larsen, T. E. Brower

INTRODUCTION THIS discussion is based on statistical manipulation and evaluation of operating data from several commercial blast furnaces which include rather wide variations in practice. We are concerned here mainly with the effect of manganese on sulphur elimination under operating conditions in commercial blast furnaces, but this effect can be outlined more clearly by including certain other variables such as silicon in iron and slag basicity, which are all in part interrelated. Real progress in understanding all of the smelting-zone reactions in this process requires more laboratory studies of slagmetal melts similar to those in the blast furnace, with careful control of oxygen pressure. Such experimental work is very difficult, however, and in the meantime, with the present scarcity of more fundamental data, such statistical trends and correlations as can be obtained from commercial furnace operating records may help in choosing laboratory test conditions as well as adding to our knowledge of operating procedures. We do not know just why the furnace data are apparently so irregular that statistical treatment of large numbers is needed to obtain accurate trends. It is .partly caused, no doubt, by the many simultaneous variables present, but there are perhaps also such factors as: (I) the continual swings up and down so characteristic of the process; (2) difficulty of accurate sampling of co-existing phases, as well as (3) the presence of both equilibrium and rate factors as a result of the fast driving of the process, In desulphurization, for example, the flow of thin layers of slag and metal over solid coke surfaces, plus the contact between droplets of iron falling through the slag layer in the hearth, would lead one to expect a close approach to equilibrium, On the other hand, most of the critical part of sulphur removal may occur in a short time and distance below the tuyeres with perhaps an accompanying decrease in oxygen pressure and the concurrent reduction of much of the silicon and manganese, so its degree of approach to equilibrium may be quite variable. PROBABLE CHEMISTRY OF DESULPHURIZATION Since there is little evidence that sulphur atoms in the iron solution are associated to any appreciable extent in molecules such as MnS, the transfer from slag to metal and back again can be written:* [(FeS) -, [FeS],[I] hence the following reactions seem most probable in the slag phase, (FeS) + (CaO) = (CaS) + (FeO), [2] and, (FeS) + (MnO) ;:2 (MnS) + (FeO). [31]

Jan 1, 1948

By Aaron J. Miles, Eugene A. Stepenson

The pressure distribution in a producing oil or gas reservoir has been obtained mathematically in a limited number of special cases where the boundary of the reservoirs are simple geometric figures with the wells conveniently located within them. Using some of the previous work as a basis, it can be proved that a number of additional problems of pressure distribution can be solved by use of soap film. This method is particularly applicable to a reservoir drained by a number of wells, or to a reservoir of irregular shape, or to both. Since this method obtains the pressure distribution, it also establishes the drainage boundaries of the wells. This paper derives the analogy between the equation representing the pressure distribution in a reservoir and the equation of the deflected membrane. It also describes the apparatus and the method of operation. The experimental method is employed to solve a problem whose mathematical solution is known and the results compared. These are found to be in good agreement. The method is applicable to any homogeneous liquid, compressible or incompressible, or to a gas, flowing in a reservoir of uniform thickness, permeability and porosity. The flow state may be either the steady state or the transient state wherein the density or pressure of the fluid in the reservoir declines at a constant rate. PRESSURE-DISTEIBUTION PBOBLEM Fluids encountered in the oil reservoir are compressible and expand and move toward the drilled hole where the Dressure is lowest. The loss of fluid from the reservoir lowers the pressure in the more distant parts of the reservoir, permitting the fluids in these parts to expand and move toward the well. The area around the well affected by drainage is increasing continuously, and the density, pressure, and velocity of flow

Jan 1, 1938

By L. C. Brown, J. S. Kirkaldy

Measurements have been made of carbon diffuswn in the five ternary austenites Fe-C-Si, Fe-C-Ni, Fe-C-Co, Fe-C-Mn, and Fe-C-Cr in which the carbon (component 1) diffuses through interstitial sites and the ternary addition (component 2) diffuses substitutionally. Values of the diffusion-coefficient ratio, D12/D11 were determined for each system with finite couples using the transient equilibrium method. The effect of temperature and of concentrations of both the carbon and substitutional component upon D12/D was examined and was found to agree with the theoretical predictions. It is concluded that within an experimental uncertainty of 10 to 15 pct, it is possible to calculate the ratio D12/D11 from purely thermody-namic data. Difficulties of measuring the other off-diagonal coefficient, 4,, are discussed. Any quantitative attack on the fundamentals of the hardenability problem in steel must begin with the multicomponent diffusion formalism and with the accumulation of data pertaining thereto. In a recent paper Kirkaldy and purdy 1 employed the formalism derived from irreversible thermodynamics to treat the problem of diffusion in ternary austenites. In the latter solutions, carbon diffuses through interstitial sites and the substitutional component diffuses through the lattice. Examples were given of diffusion in the systems Fe-Mn-C and Fe-Si-C. In the present paper, we present new results on and discuss their agreement with the thermody-namic theory. Since the theory has been slightly modified from the original presentation of Kirkaldy and Purdy, their results on Fe-Si-C and Fe-Mn-C have been recalculated and are presented here for completeness. The flux of the interstitial component with respect to a fixed lattice framework can be written as a linear expansion in the independent concentration gradients, where X1 and X2 are the independent thermody-namic forces in the lattice fixed frame of reference. These forces can be obtained from the general statement for forces in a volume fixed frame2 if the partial molar volume of carbon atoms is set equal to zero and that of the substitutional component 2 is set equal to unity, viz where the are the chemical potentials and the N's are mole fractions. Introducing into [3] and [4] the function If, as suggested by statistical arguments, the off-diagonal interaction L12 is sufficiently small, [6] reduces to i.e., the coefficient ratio becomes purely thermo-dynamic. The activity of components 1 and 2 in a dilute ternary system (standard state at infinite dilution) may be represented by the expansion3

Jan 1, 1964

By John W. Padan, Thomas E. Howard

Most of what has been written during the past few years on marine mineral resources has emphasized the vast potential of the ocean, and its floor, as a source of the vital mineral raw materials upon which our modern technological society depends. Computations have been made to demonstrate that the sea contains sufficient minerals to support any reasonable world population indefinitely. The importance of these resources from the standpoint of strengthening the national mineral resource base has been pointed out. And though the information upon which these conclusions are based is sketchy, essentially qualitative, and often conflicting, there can be no doubt that the mineral potential of the sea is tremendous and that there are compelling reasons for working toward its exploitation. Unfortunately, there has been little emphasis on the problems that must be overcome, from the perspective of the economics of mineral production. Some of these problems have been noted, and some authors have appraised them realistically. However, many proposed solutions have been more romantic than practical, from the standpoint of both technology and economics. As a result the general impression has been given, particularly to those uninitiated in the realities of mineral production, that the mineral wealth of the sea is there for the taking-requiring only a good modicum of courage and technologic innovation to place it within easy grasp. But developing the capability necessary for substantial, profitable production of sea bottom minerals will be far from easy. It will be accomplished much more quickly if the problems are faced squarely, defined properly, and attacked in an orderly, logical sequence. While this approach may lack glamour, it offers the highest probability for success.

Jan 6, 1966

Percolation infers the passage of a liquid through, the interstices of any material or materials permitting it. Leaching is the process of extracting soluble matter by percolation. Lixiviation is analogous to leaching. Percolation and leaching may occur simultaneously. A filter may be used either to strain suspended or finely divided matter from a liquid, when it is known as a clarifier, or to separate a liquid from a solid. Clarification usually infers the addition d: some settling or flocculating agent which permits the decantation of the clear supernatant liquor. The simple separation of solid from liquid, such as occurs when a thickened flotation concentrate is filtered, is usually termed dewatering. The word filtration is used more to cover the complex process of separating, as far as possible, solid from liquid by vacuum or pressure, removing the residual solution by wash, and at the same time leaching any recrystallized, absorbed, or undissolved matter, by percolation with the solvent. The final product of metallurgical treatment should be reported as a recovery when the yield is refined metal. When the metallurgical operations are incomplete and a concentrated but not refined-product is obtained, the metal content should be reported as an extraction.

Jan 1, 1919

By C. R. Johnson, R. A. Greenkorn, G. W. Widner

This paper describes a short, simple well-testing procedure evolved from unsteady-state concepts to appraise wellbore damage in water-input wells. Input rates are changed at specific intervals over a 30-minute period and the wellhead pressure recorded at the end of each interval. From these data, the pressure drop due to the "skin" can be computed. This pressure drop in terms of psi/B/D of input rate is referred to as the "skin factor". Two of these variable-rate tests are required to determine change of wellbore damage and to evaluate well-treatment techniques. There are several advantages to the variable-rate procedure. The necessary data can be obtained with wellhead gauges and meters. There is little interference with normal operations. The short testing period eliminates many interpretative difficulties that come from interference from adjacent wells. The shut-in period required for standard tests before the plot of pressure vs log of time attains a straight line is often 12 hours or more. Such a time period is incronvenient, especially when a well must be tested repeatedly to evaluate change in wellbore characteristics. This variable-rate procedure has been successfully npplied to water-input wells in three fields. For some of the wells, skin factors were calculated from both the standard and the variable-rate tests. These results show good agreement. THEORY OF THE VARIABLE-RATE PROCEDURE In many waterflood input wells, the pressure in the wellbore differs from the pressure in the reservoir immediately adjacent to the well because of the restriction of flow through the skin of the well. If the true pressure of the reservoir at the well, p,, is that pressure which would exist in the well if no skin were present, and p,' is the actual pressure as measured in the well, this difference, is the skin effect. Fig. 1 shows the change in skin effect with change in flow rate. As the flow is reduced, the skin effect is reduced by an amount equal to the change in wellbore pressure minus the change in reservoir pressure. The equation of pressure change without skin using the point-source solution of the diffusivity equation is (after van Everdingen')

By Ionel I. Gardescu

In connection with some of the experiments carried out by the writer on the behavior of gas and oil in a sand reservoir,' an interesting phenomenon was observed which may throw some new light on the problem of recovery of oil from a natural reservoir. The experiments are intended to show the effect of the surface area of the occluded gas masses, originally present in a reservoir, on the further evolution of gas from the oil and its consequent effect upon the rate of production of oil. The apparatus used in the experimental work is shown in Fig. 1. It consists primarily of a sand reservoir R and a displacement chamber D, which is used to induce small variations in volume. The reservoir and displacement chamber form a unit, and a lowering of the plunger D is equivalent to increasing the volume occupied by the oil and gas in the reservoir. The reservoir was first filled with dead oil and maintained under pressure until it was ascertained that most of the free gas had gone into solution. The volume of free gas present in the reservoir was computed from the coefficient of compressibility of the fluids by means of the displacement chamber D, reading to 0.005 c.c. and a special gage J reading to 0.02 lb. per sq. in. The oil was saturated with gas under pressure in reservoir S by circulating the oil for a long period of time through the gear pump B. Subsequently, the saturated oil was circulated through the sand reservoir following the circuit S6, B, S6, R4, the sand reservoir R, R1, R², F4, F1, back to reservoir S. In the following experiments the sand reservoir R was filled with gas-saturated oil at a pressure of 415Ib. per sq. in. with no free gas present. This was ascertained by closing off all the outlet valves and determining the coefficient of compressibility of the system by means of the displacement chamber D. Much difficulty was encountered in eliminating all of the free gas masses from the oil reservoir. The dead oil originally present in the

Jan 1, 1932

By David R. Poirier

Activity data of carbon as a function of both temperature and composition throughout the stable austenite range is correlated by mearts of an equation derived from a quasi-chemical model. The carbon activity data of austmite for temperatures between 800° and 1200°C are utilized in conjunction with the activity of carbon calculated for the y solidus using the activity of carbon in liquid iron and published austenite-liquid equilibria. The results agree very well with Chip-man's correlation; however, a small difference in the activity of carbon in the high-temperature range of the austenite field is evident. Excellent agreement is found for the heat of solution of graphite in infinitely dilute austenite; from this study the value is 10,550 cal as compared with Chipman's value of 10,680 cal. AS part of a program to study microsegregation in dendritic solidification of ternary Fe-C-Cr alloys, it was desirable to be able to describe the equilibria between austenite and liquid iron in Fe-C-Cr alloys. In this regard, it was necessary to correlate existing data on the activity of carbon in Fe-C austenite as a function of both temperature and composition. At that time, Chipman's analysis1 of the thermodynamics of binary Fe-C austenite was not available. It will be shown that this study and Chipman's study agree rather well throughout the stable austenite range of temperature and composition; however, some small differences appear at temperatures greater than the eutectic temperature. Benz and Elliott 2 presented isoactivity lines for austenite superimposed on their revised Fe-C phase diagram. Using an expression from Darken and Gury 3 representing Smith's4 activity data between 800" and 1000°C, they found that the activities extrapolated above 1000°C to the solidus did not agree with the activities determined from the corresponding liquidus compositions. It is the purpose of the following argument to reconcile carbon activity data of austenite with the activity in liquid Fe-C alloys as determined by Rist and Chipman. 5 In addition, a simple analytical expression is sought for computational convenience. ACTIVITY DATA OF CARBON IN ZRON Fig. 1 shows the activity of carbon in Fe-C austenite as determined by Smith, 4 Schenck and Kaiser, 6 Scheil et a1.,7 and Bungardt et al.' The lines are merely drawn to separate the data into the respective isotherms. These data are inadequate to determine the activity of carbon at temperatures greater than 1200°C. The activity coefficient in Fe-C liquid alloys was assumed by Rist and chipmans to obey the following

Jan 1, 1969

By R. G. Davies

WeERTMANI has shown that the high temperature steady state creep rate, i, in lead and indium-base alloys obeys an equation of the form where AH is the activation energy, o the applied stress, n the stress exponent, and R and T have their usual meanings. He observed a variation in n from 4.5 for pure metals to 3 for concentrated alloys, which he interpreted as due to Change in creep mechanism from the climb of dislocations in pure metals to a micro-creep mechanism in the alloys. The Cottrell-Jaswon microcreep mechanism of the moving dislocation taking its impurity atmosphere with it was considered to be the most likely process, although short-range order and the segregation of solute atoms to a stacking fault will also give a stress exponent of 3. Steady state creep has been investigated in a Au - 27 at. pct Cu alloy at temperatures above 1/2 TIM where TIM the absolute melting temperature. As the oxidation resistance of this alloy is excellent all tests were carried out in air with a furnace built to give a temperature variation of less than 1°C along the 60 mm gage length. A lever-arm arrangement applied the stress with a load being adjusted between each creep test to maintain a constant stress. As each test produced less than 0.5 pct creep strain, the variation in stress during the test was negligible. The creep strain was measured by a transducer at the end of one of the alloy-steel grips, with the out of balance potential being finally recorded on a variable speed chart recorder. A typical creep curve is shown in Fig. 1. The results, Fig. 2, confirm that n is nearer to 3 than to 4.5; the creep mechanism could be any of those given above. The activation energy, AH, which is independent of stress, is consistent with a diffusion controlled process; the activation energies for the self-diffusion of gold and for the diffusion of gold into Copper are both -45 kcal per ml., There is now considerable evidence, that, when the steady state creep is dependent upon diffusion, irrespective of the actual creep mechanism, the activation energy is independent of the stress. The author would like to acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, and the Argentine Atomic Energy Commission.

Jan 1, 1962

By W. H. Emmons

MOST mineral deposits change as they are followed downward on their dips. Some of these changes are due to primary arrangement; different ores were precipitated at different depths when the deposits were formed. Other changes are due to weathering or secondary enrichment. The chief changes resulting from weathering, in the main, are understood and standard changes are recognized. The processes are relatively simple. They take place at ordinary temperatures and pressures and can be duplicated in the laboratories. Moreover, there are thousands of deposits available for study, because the processes take place near the surface where the development of mines is begun. The changes due to primary arrangement of the deposits of the metals are not so well understood. Deposition has taken place at higher temperatures and our knowledge of the chemistry of the processes leaves much to be desired. Very few experimental data are available. The deposits, moreover, offer fewer examples because many mines are not, developed to depths where the changes can be studied and a change to unprofitable material usually results in stopping work. Most, students of ore deposits now accept, as confirmed, the hypothesis that nearly all lodes and related deposits were formed by solutions originating in intrusive igneous masses. Outward from these masses, the deposits at many places are grouped in zones and the arrangement noted from the intrusions outward are commonly the reverse of the changes noted from the surface downward in a single lode. A study of the changes in groups of deposits, from the parent intrusion outward, will throw light on the changes to be expected in a single lode downward. Because the changes in series of deposits from the intrusive outward may all be observed near the surface, where more data are available, it is possible to increase the number of examples many fold and to apply the statistical method of study with greater confidence of avoiding error.

Jan 3, 1924

By John D. Gill

THIS paper assumes the incontrovertible nature of the statement that the validity of competition in the nonnatural resource industries is established firmly on the rate and extent of the economic development of the United States. It then demonstrates the nonexistence of any condition within the petroleum industry that would invalidate the principle of competition as applied to it. It points to the benefits that competition has effected in the oil industry and the reasons why the practice of the competitive principle should continue to keep the industry virile and progressive in meeting the requirements of future generations for the kind of products natural to it. Finally, it pleads for a clearer view of the affairs of the oil industry by seeing them against a background of the whole economy. INTRODUCTION Even a few years ago there would have been only an academic reason for presenting before this Institute a paper on the validity of competition in the oil industry or any other natural resource industry; today there is no more practical subject for this body to consider. In social importance it transcends attempted solutions of perplexing technical problems; and even the numerous legal and economic problems that grow out of administration of state regulatory measures appear to be of secondary importance because they would cease to exist if competition were abolished. The aspiration of certain elements of the Federal Government to acquire control of the oil industry has long been suspected The vital need for petroleum in the national defense ... confirms my belief in the urgent need of Federal legislation to safeguard our petroleum supply through prevention of waste and by establishment and maintenance of sound economic conditions in the oil industry... . But also it may be dismissed with this mere mention of it because it predicates government control and the abandonment or broad reduction of competition on a war emergency. Clearly, the fight for a nation's life may justify a government's control over men and resources that would be abhorrent and economically enervating under conditions of national security. More pertinent to the present matter, because it appears expressive neither of a personal ambition nor of an emergency condition but rather of the long-range view of a certain school of conservationists, is the pronouncement of no less an authority than the Attorney General of the United States, who has been repeatedly quoted by the press as saying that the American Petroleum Industry constituted a case "where the principle of conservation of an exhaustible and irreplaceable resource should replace the principle of competitive exploitation." The significance of this statement in the light of the commonly accepted meanings of the " principle of conservation" and of the "principle of competitive ex-

Jan 1, 1941

By Henry R. Joesting

DURING the past year and a half, the Territorial Department of Mines in Alaska has conducted a modest experimental program for the purpose of determining the extent to which magnetic and resistivity methods can be used in interior Alaska in connection with prospecting, mining and geological studies. Since little information is available concerning previous work,1,2 and since conditions differ considerably from those in most other regions, it was considered advisable to make a general study of the possibilities and limitations of the two methods, rather than a detailed study of any single problem. PROBLEMS One of the most serious handicaps to prospecting and geological study in interior Alaska, especially in the mature regions, is a cover of unconsolidated deposits ranging in thickness from a few feet to several hundred feet. These deposits, some of which are permanently frozen, consist of silt with varying proportions of vegetation and windblown material in the valleys and of residual deposits on the hills.3,4 The problems treated here are caused by the existence of this overburden: I. Location of buried placers. 2. Determination of depth and areal distribution of permanently frozen and of thawed unconsolidated deposits. 3. Location of water-bearing beds under unconsolidated deposits. INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS Magnetic and direct-current resistivity methods were used because they are relatively simple, rapid and inexpensive and because generally they are well suited to the study of the problems indicated. The instruments used were a vertical Schmidt-type magnetometer and a direct-current resistivity instrument similar to those used by the Geophysical Branch of the U. S. Geological Survey.5 For placer surveys with the magnetometer, a sensitivity of about 25 gammas per scale division was found suitable. For resistivity studies of frozen and thawed overburden and of underground water, the Lee partitioning method6 was found to be most generally suitable. In the Lee method a central potential electrode is placed midway between the two potential electrodes of the Wenner four-electrode configuration.7 Nonpolarizable electrodes were made from unglazed porcelain pots about 10 cm. high and 5 cm. in diameter. In order to retard evaporation of the electrolyte the sides of the pots were glazed, inside and out, with clear Duco lacquer. For resistivity work in cold weather, a nonfreezing electrolyte consisting of equal parts of ethylene glycol and a saturated water solution of copper sulphate proved satisfactory. Stainless steel rods of 3/4-in. diameter made excellent current electrodes because their bright finish enabled good ground contacts to be made.

Jan 1, 1941

By T. S. Lundy, J. I. Federer

A graphical method has been developed and tested for separating the effects of grain boundary and lattice diffusion in polycrystalline materials. The method is based on the assumptions that for unidirectional diffusion from a plane source of radioactive material, the penetration of activity far into the specimen from the source is due solely to grain-boundary effects, and 2) pure grain-boundary penetration is described by a linear plot of log activity vs the perpendicular distance x from the source. The former is based on the fact that at any temperature the grain-boundary diffusion coefficient is always very large relative to the lattice diffusion coefficient; and the latter is based on the derivation of Fisher.1 Using these criteria along with appropriate penetration data (in this case, data for the diffusion of Cb95 in pressed and sintered UO2) one first plots the data as log activity vs x2 and as log activity vs x, as shown by curves 1 and 2, respectively, in Fig. 1. A tangent line to curve 2 for large x (curve 3) is then transferred to the x2 plot as curve 4. The subtraction of curve 4 from curve 1 yields curve 5 which represents only lattice diffusion and may therefore be related to the diffusion coefficient by using the appropriate solution to Fick's second law. It should be noted that the method has inherent inaccuracies for small and large values of x2 and only the subtraction at intermediate values can be used. For the illustrated specimen the calculated diffusion coefficient is 3.4 X 10-11 sq cm per sec at1445°C while data using a single crystal of UO2 at the same temperature yielded a value of 2.9 x 10-11 sq cm per sec.2 The same method of subtracting grain-boundary diffusion effects to obtain lattice diffusion coefficients has been successfully used to determine self-diffusion coefficients of Th230 in polycrystalline thoria.

Jan 1, 1962

By G. M. Ritcey, A. W. Ashbrook, E. G. Joe

Solvent-in-pulp extraction of uranium from acid leach slurries of flotation concentrates is described. Solvent extraction was carried out in a 10 in. diam pulsed-plate column. The extractant was a 0.1 M tertiary amine (General Mills Alamine 336) in a kerosene diluent containing isodecanol as an emulsion suppressor and third phase inhibitor. In pilot plant operation at the Beaverlodge mill of Eldorado Mining and Refining, Ltd., slurry feeds containing up to 35% solids were processed at a throughput rate of 13.5 tpd of dry feed. Uranium extraction obtained was as high as 98%. Amine losses to the raffinate were approximately 0.07 lb amine per ton of original dry feed. The Beaverlodge Mill of Eldorado Mining and Refining employs a carbonate leach for the extraction of uranium from the ore.',' Prior to carbonate leaching sulphides are removed by flotation to reduce reagent consumption. This flotation concentrate containing some uranium is then leached with sulfuric acid, filtered, and the uranium precipitated with magnesium hydroxide. The precipitate is then returned to the carbonate leach circuit. Although the tonnage of flotation concentrate treated by acid leaching is low, reagent costs are relatively high. Also maintenance costs on the acid leach filtration circuit were beginning to show significant increases. The choice of solvent extraction-in-pulp as an alternative to the present circuit was influenced by the following factors: 1) elimination of acid pulp filtration, 2) increase in overall recovery because of soluble loss elimination, 3) reduction of reagent cost (mill sodium carbonate solutions are used as strip), and 4) production of higher purity precipitate at the mill site. Because a solvent-in-pulp process would be difficult to test on a bench-scale, the Eldorado experience in the use of pulse columns,3-5 mixer-settlers,6 and solvent-in-pulp operations in particular7 was applied directly to the initial pilot plant carried out during the summer of 1965 and followed by the second pilot plant in 1966. The latter work, which is presented in this paper, determined the following factors for anticipated scale-up to plant production: 1) overall uranium recovery by this process, 2) tonnage throughput expected, and 3) solvent losses anticipated for the full-scale plant. The equipment used consisted of a 10 in. diam extraction pulse column and three mixer-settlers for scrubbing, stripping, and acid equilibration. All equipment was designed by Eldorado and much of the pilot plant was built at the mill site. PROCESS CHEMISTRY Feed to the acid leach plant consists of a sulphide flotation1,2 concentrate containing mainly pyrite, uranium and graphite, with a particle size of 90%

Jan 1, 1968

By L. H. Duschak

Electrolytic zinc produced from sulfate solution and with pure lead anodes is always contaminated with a small and varying percentage of lead. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the characteristics of several lead alloys and their influence on the products of electrolysis and power consumption. The study of alloyed anodes has been a matter of interest for some years. Tainton, Taylor and Ehrlinger prepared a highly interesting paper' on this subject a year ago, in which the effects of silver-lead and some ternary alloys of lead-silver-tin were described, and the presentation of any paper on insoluble anodes will owe much to the inspirational results achieved by Dr. Colin G. Fink and Li Chi Pan in their work on insoluble anodes for the electrolysis of brine,2 and to other published papers by Dr. Fink and his coworkers embracing the development of the copper-silicon-manganese anode for the production of electrolytic copper and the general subject of anode development. The present paper describes a study of various combinations of 10 metals. The general plan of the work provides for the fabrication of the alloyed anode, its adequate conditioning by preparatory electrolytic operation, the production of cathode zinc and its analysis, the determination of the anode polarization, and other features. A list of the anodes tested, showing composition and polarization at various current densities together with the lead assay of the cathode zinc, is shown in Table 1. Determination of Anode Polarization In the determination of anode polarization under operating conditions it is essential that the anode area used be restricted to the side facing the cathode, in order that these measurements may be referred to a definite current per unit of area. It becomes necessary, therefore, to insulate the inactive face of the anode, to prevent the leakage of lines of force

Jan 1, 1930

By H. C. Miller

THE gas-lift method of flowing oil from wells is the outstanding feature of petroleum technology today. Its forerunner, the air lift, was used successfully first, in the Baku fields of Russia, in 1899, and later in the Gulf Coast fields of Texas and Louisiana and the Kern River field of California. It is still used to a limited extent in certain oil fields. The use of compressed natural gas for lifting oil from wells has supplanted the air-lift method in a measure in those fields where a sufficient quantity of gas accompanies the oil to make the gas lift possible, or where natural gas is plentiful and inexpensive. We find therefore in California, that, natural gas is used at practically every well where a gaseous medium is employed to flow the oil. The use of natural gas has many advantages over that of air. It is possible to recover and save the gasoline from the gas that accompanied the oil to the surface. This gasoline would be wasted if air were used as the lifting medium. Also, certain proportions of air and gas form an explosive mixture that cannot be handled safely by compressors. Another advantage that gas has over air is that gas under pressure is more soluble in oil. Gas in solution in oil reduces the viscosity of the oil that is being produced and causes it to flow more readily through the. tubing and flow lines. The gas lift has made it possible to recover many thousands of barrels of oil from deep wells in California that could not have been produced otherwise. It would not have been economical, had it been mechanically possible to produce such wells as the world's deepest producing oil well (Miley Athen's No. 6, Rosecranz field, California) by any other method of pumping known today. At this well, production is obtained from between 7305 and 7591 ft. and 11 months after completion of the well, production was being maintained on the gas lift it approximately 2000 bbl. a month. The crookedness of the hole, or its diameter and depth will not prevent the successful application of gas-lift pumping when other conditions are favorable.

Jan 1, 1927

By Brison Robertson, W. P. Fishel

THE carbide-forming tendencies of the various steel-alloying elements, or their affinities for carbon, is a subject that has received considerable attention, but little more than a probable arrangement of the elements as to their carbide-forming tendencies has been proposed. The physical properties of alloy steels depend upon the relative proportions of the elements present and their combinations. One important phase of this subject is the distribution of carbon between the various elements present. The distribution of carbon between iron and other elements evidently will depend upon: (I) the affinity of each for carbon; (2) the relative atomic masses of the elements present; and (3) the possible formation of compounds between the alloying elements and iron and between the elements themselves. In ternary steels the case is simplified, especially in systems in which the element and iron form no compounds. In such systems iron and the alloying element are competing for the carbon present. In this work the distribution of carbon between titanium and iron has been studied by measuring the relative amounts of iron carbide and titanium carbide present in a series of annealed steels in which the ratio of titanium to carbon extended from 0.527 to 4.61. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Ten Fe-Ti-C alloys, weighing about 250 grams each, were prepared by melting under a vacuum, in an induction furnace, Armco iron, carbon-free ferrotitanium (25 per cent Ti), and pure carbon. Vacuum melting prevented the formation of titanium oxides and nitrides, which would complicate the problem. The melts were made in graphite crucibles lined with sintered magnesium oxide. The ingots were cooled in the furnace under a vacuum and were then completely annealed at 950°C. The determination of the amount of titanium carbide present was based upon the established insolubility of titanium carbide in boiling dilute (I :4) sulphuric acid, and the complete solubility of free titanium and titanium-iron compounds in this acid. High-carbon ferrotitanium, which had been treated to remove free Ti and Fe, was found to be completely insoluble in the acid; and the carbon-free ferrotitanium used in making the alloys was found to be completely soluble. Others 1,2 have reported the insolubility of titanium carbide in sulphuric and hydrochloric acids. Turnings from the ingots were digested with boiling sulphuric acid (1:4) until all action had ceased. The carbide residue was filtered off and analyzed for titanium, and in some cases for carbon. This represents the titanium that was united with carbon. The filtrate from the carbide residue contains the portion of the titanium that wasin solid solution in the ferrite. Titanium

Jan 1, 1944

By C. G. Dunn

IDENTIFICATION Of the kinds of orientation relationships that may exist among crystals is an important problem in the metallurgical field. As an aid to its solution standard orientations of several orders of twins would be very useful for rapid analyses to discover high-order as well as low-order twin relationships. Although data have been published that give orientations for three generations of twins, these data are not readily useful in the form presented; i.e., in a stereographic projection with one pole per orientation.1 However, accurate data based on calculations of the positions of all {100} planes for such groups would be very useful when presented in tabular form. Therefore, calculations have been made for a group of four orders of twins and the data are listed in Table 3. Illustrative applications are considered briefly, with the idea of pointing out what may be done with large groups of orientations. METHOD OF COMPUTING ORIENTATION OF A TWIN It is common practice to describe the orientation of a crystal in terms of the positions on a stereographic net of the poles of certain planes of the crystal. A single position on a net may be given it terms of two angle variables, two sets of which appear in the following equations: [Polar NetWalff Net x=rsinOocos4pyx=rcos0. y=rsinB,sin4,ny-rsin0.cos¢,, z=rcos0,,z=rsin0.sin4,,] The three numbers x, y and z determine a length r as well as a direction [(0, 0)] in an X, Y, Z coordinate system. In the present case, r will be set equal to (h2 + k2 +12)1/3, where h, k and 1 are the usual Miller indices for a crystallographic plane, a restriction that facilitates determination of the positions of poles of new planes from those of old or known ones,2 as will become evident later. Furthermore, since twinned lattices have certain planes in common, it is an easy matter to determine the orientation of a twin of a crystal if the orientation of the crystal itself is known. We start therefore with a crystal of known orientation (positions of three {100} poles given) and determine where the cube poles occur in first, second, third and fourth-order twins. Methods for identifying twinned lattices and for making the calculations to find the orientation of a twin have been published.3 4 Reference 4 will be illustrated in the calculation of the orientation of a twin, even though this method differs from the one used by the writer in obtaining the following data on four orders of twins. Consider a crystal S and its twin A1, A1 being one of the four {112} or {III}

Jan 1, 1945