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By L. W. Fagg

The purpose of this paper is to present in a convenient form data and examples necessary in making dynamometer card analyses; also to outline a procedure of well weighing. Many articles and papers have been written delving into the mathematical considerations relative to the shape and characteristics of dynamometer cards. However. it is recognized that there are too many unknown factors involved in such calculations to assure a workable degree of accuracy. For this reason the accepted procedure is to take dynamometer cards on wells in question rather than try to calculate the load curve. The polished rod dynamometer is now recognized as a necessary tool for measuring loads, torque, and horsepower. It is also used to determine pump action and trouble-shoot for any seemingly abnormal pumping condition. The apparently infinite variety of a = maximum load (height x scale constant) b = minimum load. Range of load is difference between maximum and minimum load speed—taken with stop watch stroke —measured at polished rod c = beginning of down stroke in direction of arrow. (End of up stroke) d = beginning of up stroke. (End of down stroke). Polished Rod Horsepower = (Area of card) x Scale const. x Stroke x Length x spm (Length of card) 33000x 12 1.35 1.35------x5300x 24 x 12 2.53 --------------------------= 2.06 23000x12 Appraximate Peak Torque: Upstroke = (2390) (12) (1) = 28,700 in. Ib Downstroke = (1 860) (12) (.866) = 19,300 in. Ib Counterbalance should be increased to make up stroke and down stroke peak torque equal. FIG. 1 dynamometer cards that can be obtained is one reason for the general lack of usage of the dynamometer as a control instrument rather than a means for making routine measurements of leads and horsepower. When it is considered that the dynamometer card is a record of the resultant of all forces acting on the polished rod at any particular instant during the pumping stroke. the problem is then one of breaking down this resultant into its various components. As a means of a quick review we shall consider the examples shown in Figs. 1 to 9: and Tables I and II and then proceed to the interpretation of variously shaped cards caused by some abnormal operating condition. In Table 11, when we were considering the factors involved in calculating the peak polished rod load, it can be seen that the factors involved greatly oversimplify the problem. Certain assumptions are made which may or may not he even close to the actual field conditions, such as the specific gravity of the fluid generally considered as one; that the crank has constant angular velocity; that the down-hole friction is zero; and that the fluid lift is from the pump. In the following examples we shall see what a variation in fluid weight and friction can do to the general shape and magnitude of the dynamometer card. (Figs. 10 to 22.) MAKING THE WELL STUDY It is obvious that it would be impractical to consider in detail all of these factors each time a well study is made, inasmuch as each well study job could conceivably be extended into a research project rather than serve the practical requirements of finding the answer to a specific problem. For this reason it is important that some objective be established previous to the time the well study is made. Load at TU = 3070 Ib Crank angle when polished rod is at position TU = ? ? = 30° Maximum counterbalance effect at polished rod = 2760 Ib Torque at TU = (Load at TU — Max. counterbalance effect-lbs) sin 0 x Length of Stroke 2 = (3070-2760) .5 x 24 = 1860 in. 15 2 Torque at TD = (Load at TD — Max. counterbalance effect-lbs) sin ? x Length of Stroke 2 = (530 - 2760) sin 330' x 24 = 13,400 in. Ib 2 Note: sin 0 from c to d on UPSTROKE will be positive value. sin 0 from c to d on DOWNSTROKE will be negative value Torque at c and d is zero because 0 is zero. FIG. 2 —APPROXIMATE METHOD FOR CALCUlATlNG TORQUE

Jan 1, 1950

By R. L. Dalton, L. A. Rapoport, C. W. Carpenter

Procedures have been developed to study the performance characteristics of unconfined pilot water floods using scaled laboratory models. The effects of operating conditions on pilot performance for variozrs well patterns have been investigated. The limitations of the laboratory model studies are outlined. Relationships between the oil recoveries of pilots and large-scale floods have been established. The applications of model studies to the prediction of large-scale waterflood performance and pilot flood design are discussed. INTRODUCTION Pilot water floods are undertaken to evaluate operational procedures and to gain advance information about the performance of an extensive water flood. In general, however, the performance of a pilot flood is not directly indicative of what can be expected from a large-scale pattern water flood. This difference stems from the fact that the over-all flow configurations are not the same for the two systems. A water flood normally consists of an array of identical well patterns. In such an array, the perimeters of the well patterns are axes of symmetry and act as impermeable boundaries. Thus, an extensive, pattern water flood can be visualized as a repetition of "confined" floods. In contrast, a pilot water flood involving only one or a few well patterns is "unconfined". Here the well patterns are not balanced by other flood units; hence, the perimeter of the pilot area does not act as an effective boundary. Accordingly, only a portion of the fluids injected (and also of those originally contained within the pilot area) is captured by the producers of the pilot. The rest escapes into the surrounding reservoir. This usually causes the amounts of oil and water produced in the pilot to be different from those recovered by a producer in an extensive water flood. Moreover, the recovery observed in the pilot can be expected to be greatly influenced by operating conditions, i.e., by the bottom-hole pressures at the injection and producing wells. The above considerations show that full utilization of pilot test results and reliable prediction of large- scale water floods require a knowledge of the relationship between the recovery performance of confined and unconfined well patterns. To date, only limited basic information is available on the behavior of pilot water floods. Craig, et al,' have investigated the effects of initial gas saturation, oil-to-water mobility ratio, and well damage on the oil recovered from a single, "normal" five-spot pilot pattern (Fig. 1). Rosenbaum and Matthews2 studied the effect of initial gas saturation and mobility ratio on the ratio of production rate to injection rate for various groupings of five-spot patterns. Paulse113 investigated the effect of mobility ratio and distance from the pilot to the edge of the reservoir on the areal sweep in a single "inverted" five-spot (Fig. 1). However, none of these studies considered the effect of operating conditions on pilot flood behavior. Moreover, hardly any of the work to date dealt explicitly with the oil-recovery performance of the pilot floods. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of interrelation between pilot flood behavior and operating conditions, to illustrate this interrelation by means of experimental data and to compare the recovery performances of dif-

By Charles C. Fatino, Joel S. Hirschhorn

Loose compacts of strained and annealed stainless-steel powders were sintered at various temperatures and times to determine the effect of residual strains on the sintering behavior. The atomized powders were prepared by annealing, ball milling, and rean-nealing. The residual strains and domain size were determined by a Fourier analysis of X-ray diffvaction dala. The specimens were prepared by siwzultaneously sintering cylinders of both strained and unstrained powder. The evaluation of the sintered compacts included density measurements, metallographic examinations, and analyses of X- ray diffraction data. The results of these studies reveal a definite increase in sintered density and sintering rate for the strained powders. THE pressure compacting of metal powders causes deformation of the particles, mechanical interlocking, and increased contact area. After the deformation, severe residual strains remain in these particles. The subsequent contributions of these strains to the sintering process have been considered to be negligible, since the recovery and recrystallization temperatures usually occur prior to the temperature required for the sintering process. Sintering is con-sidered to be the process by which the powders are transformed into solid compacts at temperatures below their melting points. The sintering operation for stainless steel usually takes place in the range of 2050" to 2400°F (0.84 to 0.95 T,, where T, is the absolute melting point or liquidus temperature) while the temperature required for recovery is approximately 1800°F (0.75 T,). However, it has been shown for several metal powders that densification becomes significant in the range of 0.35 to 0.45 T,.' It is the purpose of this study to determine what effect residual strains have upon the sintering behavior of stainless-steel compacts. Loose compacts were selected for study in order to isolate the strain contributions and eliminate the variables inherent in sintering of pressure-formed compacts. Additional variables were minimized by using only one mesh size, one composition, one particle shape, and also by simultaneously sintering both types of powder. Very little work has been carried out previous to the present study to delineate the effect of strains on sintering behavior. Lenel et 01.2 observed that residual stresses in copper compacts caused shrinkage at comparatively low temperatures. Delisle3 loose-sintered ball-milled electrolytic iron and observed that bonding among particles began at a lower temperature as compared to the behavior of annealed powder. Increased densification of ball-milled oxide powders has also been noted.4'5 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Powder Preparation. The powder used for this study was a commercial-type 316L stainless steel made by the atomization process. A typical chemical analysis is: C- 0.025 pct Mo- 2.2 pct Cr-18.6 pct Ni-12.5 pct Fe—Balance The atomizing process is essentially the rapid freezing of liquid droplets. This nonequilibrium cooling causes coring to occur and two distinct phases are present within the solid particle, the austenitic phase and the ferritic phase. Due to the presence of this ferritic phase, the particles tended to fracture as well as become cold-worked during the subsequent ball-milling operation. (It was also found that this type of cooling produced a broadened and shifted

Jan 1, 1968

By Frank H. Macpherson

FEW people realize the tremendously important part that Saline and Pulaski Counties in central Arkansas have played in the winning of the war. The present favorable war situation might have been very different if we had not had the bauxite produced during the past two years from these two small areas, a total of about 15 square miles. As a general statement, it can be said that the Arkansas bauxite deposits are, individually, relatively small, irregular in thickness, somewhat scattered and, therefore, compared with coal or iron-ore or open-pit copper deposits, relatively ill adapted to a rapid and drastic expansion in output. A few years ago it would have seemed an impossibility for these two counties to produce over six million long dry tons of bauxite in one year. However, with the cooperation of the operators, that is what happened in 1943, when the state of Arkansas achieved the seemingly impossible with a production of 6,020,684 1 long tons (dried equivalent) of bauxite ore during the calendar year, compared with an average annual production of 323,725 2 tons in the period 1931 to 1941. It became apparent early in the year 1941 that the United States soon might be drawn into the war, and, therefore, that an immediate study of the domestic metal situation was necessary. Aluminum is by far the most important metal used in the manufacture of aircraft and many other implements of war and it was evident that there would have to be a tremendous increase in the domestic production of bauxite, which is practically the only present source of this metal. As more than 95 per cent of the known bauxite reserves of the United States was in Arkansas, careful preliminary studies were made in that state by representatives of the United States Bureau of Mines, the United States Geological Survey and the War Production Board in the summer of 1941. Reserves in other states also Were studied. The result of these studies was a recommendation by the War Production Board that mining in the bauxite-producing areas of Arkansas be geared for maximum production, in order to supply sufficient ore for this country's war requirements and, if necessary, to supply the war needs of Canada as well. The annual goal of eight million long tons (dry Weight) set for Arkansas by the War Production Board Was exceeded in 1943, when in August the output reached a rate equivalent to more than 8,300,000 long tons, dry basis. Because of the comparatively small tonnage of bauxite reserves, Congress appropriated funds for an extensive drilling program to be carried out by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Geological Survey. Drilling began in May 1942 but owing to delay in delivery of drills, and trucks upon which the drills were mounted, the program did not get into peak operation until early in 1943. By the end of July 1944, the Bureau of Mines records indicated an addition to the Arkansas reserves of 10,000,000 long tons (wet basis) in place

Jan 1, 1945

By S. Senderoff, D. E. Couch

A PROCESS for the electrolytic preparation of molybdenum from molten salts has been described previously. This previous work centered on electrowinning and electroplating characteristics of the process. In this paper the properties of the process as a refining medium are discussed. In producing metals from ores, it frequently has proven most economical to obtain a comparatively impure metal by smelting, and to purify the product by electro refining. Direct electrowinning from molten salts is rather difficult when a porous diaphragm is required in the process, as in the case of molybdenum, since satisfactory refractory materials for such a diaphragm in molten salts have not yet been developed. In electrorefining, however, a soluble anode is used. By suitable control of anode and cathode current densities, the lower-valent molybdenum compound used in the electrolyte is not oxidized, and a diaphragm is not needed, thus avoiding difficulties which are encountered with other electrowinning processes. Electrorefining may result from two different processes in the cell: Dissolution of the molybdenum and the less noble impurities with a separation of the more noble impurities as an anode sludge; the electrodeposition of molybdenum and the more noble metals at the cathode, leaving the less noble metals in the electrolyte. The amount of separation which occurs in each process is determined by the potential of the operating electrode and the relative concentration of the various species at (or in) that electrode. Since molybdenum has a comparatively noble position in the EMF series in molten alkali halides,2 most refining would be expected to occur at the cathode. In this work only the cathodic process was studied. The objective was to determine to what extent various metallic ions, if they dissolve from the anode or are otherwise introduced, were concentrated in the electrolyte. The necessary conditions for the separation of each and the limiting concentration which may be tolerated in the electrolyte for effective refining were studied. The deposits were chipped from the cathode and analyzed spectrochemically for metallic impurities. Besides determining the major contaminant, a general qualitative analysis was obtained to be sure that other metallic ions were kept at a very low level during each series of runs and to be sure that the baths were not being contaminated accidentally. Samples of the bath, for analysis, were taken at the temperature of operation so there was no chance of selective crystallization during cooling. In this way the ratio of molybdenum in the bath to the other metal could be determined readily. These data permitted a check on the anode efficiency and any volatilization that took place during the electrolysis. Experimental Apparatus—The apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 was used to determine the effect of the various foreign ions upon electrodeposited molybdenum. The entry chamber A allowed the cathodes to be removed without cooling the bath and without allowing oxygen or moisture to enter." The cathodes were made Prom 0.25-in. tungsten rods and were rotated during the electrolysis. The balloon in the lower arm B was inflated with helium after the cathode was drawn up into the upper section for removal. A new cathode was then placed into the entrance chamber A after which the chamber was flushed

Jan 1, 1959

By H. E. Searle, Robert J. McKay, O. B. J. Fraser

The practical study of corrosion requires consideration of its economic aspects. It must be based on sound scientific principles, but it should be borne in mind that probably the most important object of a corrosion test is to determine what metal in corrosion-resisting construction will produce the greatest operating profit. Thus the corrosion test must be directly connected with money values or it is not a practical corrosion test. This, perhaps unusual, connection between corrosion and economics is partially due to the fact that corrosion deals only with the time factor or duration of equipment, and it is almost the only test which deals with this feature. In these statements a departure is made from the academic definition of the word corrosion and it is done deliberately. The use of the term corrosion is unusual. It is as though we spoke of a tensile test as a "breaking" test. We are not interested primarily in the break but in the strength of the metal. There is no English word which expresses our main interest in corrosion-testing, but let us have clearly in mind that we make corrosion tests to prevent corrosion. Our real interest is in this corrosion-prevention, not in the corrosion. Previous to 1922, it was common comment that "it is impossible to determine the course of corrosion by laboratory testing.'' This statement was true at that time in that the technique of laboratory testing for corrosion resistance was so vague that tests in the laboratory gave untrue results almost as often as true ones. This was so, even in the simple case of determining which one of two metals better resists a given solution. While this is no longer true the number of misleading "corrosion tests" still being ground out by laboratories is too large in the light of our present knowledge. There are two important features of corrosion testing whose neglect is a large contributing factor to misleading results: (1) The economic relations of the corrosion tests to other tests; (2) testing technique. Regarding economic relations J. F. Thompson l has said: "The use of any particular metal is rarely based upon the sole property of resistance to corrosion. In fact, I should like to venture the assertion

Jan 1, 1929

By Robert J. McKay, O. B. J. Fraser, H. E. Searle

The practical study of corrosion requires consideration of its economic aspects. It must be based on sound scientific principles, but it should be borne in mind that probably the most important object of a corrosion test is to determine what metal in corrosion-resisting construction will produce the greatest operating profit. Thus the corrosion test must be directly connected with money values or it is not a practical corrosion test. This, perhaps unusual, connection between corrosion and economics is partially due to the fact that corrosion deals only with the time factor or duration of equipment, and it is almost the only test which deals with this feature. In these statements a departure is made from the academic definition of the word corrosion and it is done deliberately. The use of the term corrosion is unusual. It is as though we spoke of a tensile test as a "breaking" test. We are not interested primarily in the break but in the strength of the metal. There is no English word which expresses our main interest in corrosion-testing, but let us have clearly in mind that we make corrosion tests to prevent corrosion. Our real interest is in this corrosion-prevention, not in the corrosion. Previous to 1922, it was common comment that "it is impossible to determine the course of corrosion by laboratory testing.'' This statement was true at that time in that the technique of laboratory testing for corrosion resistance was so vague that tests in the laboratory gave untrue results almost as often as true ones. This was so, even in the simple case of determining which one of two metals better resists a given solution. While this is no longer true the number of misleading "corrosion tests" still being ground out by laboratories is too large in the light of our present knowledge. There are two important features of corrosion testing whose neglect is a large contributing factor to misleading results: (1) The economic relations of the corrosion tests to other tests; (2) testing technique. Regarding economic relations J. F. Thompson l has said: "The use of any particular metal is rarely based upon the sole property of resistance to corrosion. In fact, I should like to venture the assertion

Jan 1, 1929

By J. R. Mihalisin

Phase changes in as-cast alloys in the Ni2 CoCr-Ni, Ti-NSAl system containing 0.1 wt pct C were studied after heat treatment at 1650°F. It was found that a vegion of CrCo-type s was developed in this system after I1000 hr. The tendency for s formation was dePendent upon the aluminum and litanium content, the s -forming tendency generally becoming more pro-nounced as the latter two elements are increased. s lended to form in interdendritic regioues and was associated with solutioning- of- carbide phases. Electron- vacancy computations for prediction of s formation on these alloys mere in sufficient agreement with what was observed experimentally to indicate that the method should be of value in assessing a-forming potential in cast alloys. However, the correlation of electrotz- vacancy numbers may not be as favorable in cast as cormpared to wrought alloys. THE increasing use of high-temperature alloys for longer times at higher temperatures has resulted in a real need for obtaining information on the phase changes taking place in these alloys since these changes often have a direct effect on properties. This paper reports on a study of the phase changes in Ni-Cr-Co-Al-Ti alloys after prolonged heating at 1650°F. The alloys were selected from the pseudo-ternary system Ni2CoCr-Ni3Ti-Ni3Al and this system was chosen because it is the basis of many of the newer cast commercial superalloys. The attempt here was not to define accurately the boundaries of s formation in the NizCoCr-Ni3Ti-Ni3Al system but to delineate the phase transformations taking place upon heating alloys covering a wide range of chemistries in this system. An addition of carbon was made to all alloys to further simulate commercial alloys. It was hoped that the information generated in this manner would be of more direct use to superalloy designers than an equilibrium diagram approach since commercial alloys generally have outlived their usefulness when equilibrium is attained. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloys were vacuum-melted from carbonyl-nickel pellet, vacuum-grade chromium, electrolytic cobalt, high-purity aluminum and titanium, and spec-trographic-grade carbon.

Jan 1, 1968

By R. W. Raymond

This name is applied to the present mining law, as enacted in 1872 and since, to indicate its leading characteristic—in which it differs from all previous mining laws of this or any other country. The earlier act, passed in 1866, was practically the first attempt of Congress to deal with the question of mining titles upon the public domain. It was framed after nearly twenty years of acquiescence on the part of the Government in the self-constituted tribunals, officials, rules, and customs of the mining districts. In its recognition of these, and in several other particulars, the act of 1866 was open to serious criticisms. It is the purpose of this paper, not to trace the history of legislation on this subject, or show in detail what were the faults of the earlier law, but rather, by a discussion of certain aspects of the present law, to point out how great a revoluition it has effected in the rights of mining locators, and to indicate some of the difficulties attending its application. In the attempt to correct the vagueness of the act of 1866 an entirely new elernent was introduced into the law, bringing with it a new set of difficulties. Under the act of 1866 and the miners' customs which it followed, the lode was the thing claimed and subsequently acquired by patent. And the claim to a given number of feet on the longitudinal course of the lode was rooted in 'a discovery of any part of the lode in any part of the claim. ("Extensions" could in many districts—perhaps universally—be located and claimed on the strength of the discovery in the principal claim to which they referred; but this is a point not essential to the present discussion.) It was not necessary to find the outcrop or the upper edge of a lode in order to lay a valid location upon it. An explorer, sinking a shaft and intersecting a lode not already discovered and claimed by another, could claim by that discovery the number of feet along that lode which the local laws might permit (not exceeding the maximum set by the United States statute) whether his sur-

Jan 1, 1884

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

Bruce C. Netschert—It is unfortunate that the authors of this paper consider it necessary to begin with an expression of concern over possible false interpretations of the word "economics." In their preoccupation with the definition of economics, they have adopted a definition of mineral economics which is, to say the least, unduly narrow. Just as the broad field of economics is not confined to a study of the profitability of business concerns, but includes the problems of production, distribution, and consumption as they pertain to society as a whole; so an inclusive definition of mineral economics should not be confined to the determination of the profitability of mineral-producing and processing enterprises, but should include the significance of the unique characteristics of mineral resources as raw materials for the use of society. Such features as the exhaustibility and localized, haphazard occurrence of deposits, the existence of a secondary (scrap) supply, and the increasing cost of operation during the life of a mining enterprise are obviously factors which concern those businesses which are producing mineral raw materials, since they partially determine the profitability of such enterprises. They are also of concern to society as a whole, however, as characteristics of one of the basic elements of the economic system. In the last analysis, the contribution which mineral economics can make as a means of determining and guiding social policy with respect to the production and utilization of mineral resources is perhaps more important than its use as a basis for determining the cost accounting procedure of individual firms. The list of "economic factors peculiar to the industrial minerals" which the authors present is in reality an application of such a broad definition of mineral economics. An inconsistency appears, however, in the inclusion of items 8 and 9 in the list. As this writer sees it, the point in question is: What influences do the characteristics of industrial minerals have on the characteristics and operating procedures of industrial mineral enterprises which are not present in the metallic mineral field? In answering this question with items 8 and 9, Messrs. Ladoo and Stokes do not recognize that there are two distinct types of differences between the two fields of enterprise. There are, on the one hand, important basic economic distinctions due to inherent economic characteristics of industrial minerals which do not pertain to metallic minerals. On the other hand are those characteristics of the industrial mineral enterprises peculiar to them alone, but which are superficial and temporary, in that they may be changed or eliminated at the discretion of the managers of those enterprises. The lack of adequate research and development in industrial mineral production, processing, and marketing (item 8) is not due to an inherent characteristic of industrial minerals. It is true that one may perhaps describe the field of industrial mineral enterprise in terms of such a deficiency, just as one could, until recently, point to a similar lack of research and development in the coal industry; but unless it can be shown that the deficiency has been wholly or partially due to the very nature of industrial minerals themselves it is not an "economic factor peculiar to the industrial minerals" but a temporary characteristic peculiar to the industry. In the writer's opinion, the authors have not demonstrated that the former relationship exists. Similarly, item 9, the "influence of technologic developments," is also not inherently peculiar to industrial minerals. Nowhere in the discussion of this item do the authors mention anything that is not equally applicable to the field of metallic minerals. This is not meant to imply that the specific technologic developments which the authors list are of equal significance in both fields. It does mean that such a statement as, "technological advances together with new consuming areas to provide markets make deposits commercially valuable which once were of no interest" cannot be considered as an argument that technological developments have significance in the field of industrial minerals alone. In considering the problem of stockpiling, the authors note that the stockpiling of nonstrategic materials might be desirable if future wartime needs could exceed domestic production capacity, but dismiss this as hardly adequate to justify such stockpiling. The problem, however, can be stated in broader economic terms, i.e., the real costs (as distinguished from the money costs) of prewar versus wartime production. In other words, it might well be that the labor and capital required to produce a given amount of a certain mineral raw material could be used more efficiently in another industry. In such a case it is obviously advantageous to stockpile the material in prewar times rather than forego the benefits of additional production in another line of endeavor during wartime under conditions which demand the optimum use of all resources, including manpower and capital. To the writer's knowl-

Jan 1, 1951

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

Bruce C. Netschert—It is unfortunate that the authors of this paper consider it necessary to begin with an expression of concern over possible false interpretations of the word "economics." In their preoccupation with the definition of economics, they have adopted a definition of mineral economics which is, to say the least, unduly narrow. Just as the broad field of economics is not confined to a study of the profitability of business concerns, but includes the problems of production, distribution, and consumption as they pertain to society as a whole; so an inclusive definition of mineral economics should not be confined to the determination of the profitability of mineral-producing and processing enterprises, but should include the significance of the unique characteristics of mineral resources as raw materials for the use of society. Such features as the exhaustibility and localized, haphazard occurrence of deposits, the existence of a secondary (scrap) supply, and the increasing cost of operation during the life of a mining enterprise are obviously factors which concern those businesses which are producing mineral raw materials, since they partially determine the profitability of such enterprises. They are also of concern to society as a whole, however, as characteristics of one of the basic elements of the economic system. In the last analysis, the contribution which mineral economics can make as a means of determining and guiding social policy with respect to the production and utilization of mineral resources is perhaps more important than its use as a basis for determining the cost accounting procedure of individual firms. The list of "economic factors peculiar to the industrial minerals" which the authors present is in reality an application of such a broad definition of mineral economics. An inconsistency appears, however, in the inclusion of items 8 and 9 in the list. As this writer sees it, the point in question is: What influences do the characteristics of industrial minerals have on the characteristics and operating procedures of industrial mineral enterprises which are not present in the metallic mineral field? In answering this question with items 8 and 9, Messrs. Ladoo and Stokes do not recognize that there are two distinct types of differences between the two fields of enterprise. There are, on the one hand, important basic economic distinctions due to inherent economic characteristics of industrial minerals which do not pertain to metallic minerals. On the other hand are those characteristics of the industrial mineral enterprises peculiar to them alone, but which are superficial and temporary, in that they may be changed or eliminated at the discretion of the managers of those enterprises. The lack of adequate research and development in industrial mineral production, processing, and marketing (item 8) is not due to an inherent characteristic of industrial minerals. It is true that one may perhaps describe the field of industrial mineral enterprise in terms of such a deficiency, just as one could, until recently, point to a similar lack of research and development in the coal industry; but unless it can be shown that the deficiency has been wholly or partially due to the very nature of industrial minerals themselves it is not an "economic factor peculiar to the industrial minerals" but a temporary characteristic peculiar to the industry. In the writer's opinion, the authors have not demonstrated that the former relationship exists. Similarly, item 9, the "influence of technologic developments," is also not inherently peculiar to industrial minerals. Nowhere in the discussion of this item do the authors mention anything that is not equally applicable to the field of metallic minerals. This is not meant to imply that the specific technologic developments which the authors list are of equal significance in both fields. It does mean that such a statement as, "technological advances together with new consuming areas to provide markets make deposits commercially valuable which once were of no interest" cannot be considered as an argument that technological developments have significance in the field of industrial minerals alone. In considering the problem of stockpiling, the authors note that the stockpiling of nonstrategic materials might be desirable if future wartime needs could exceed domestic production capacity, but dismiss this as hardly adequate to justify such stockpiling. The problem, however, can be stated in broader economic terms, i.e., the real costs (as distinguished from the money costs) of prewar versus wartime production. In other words, it might well be that the labor and capital required to produce a given amount of a certain mineral raw material could be used more efficiently in another industry. In such a case it is obviously advantageous to stockpile the material in prewar times rather than forego the benefits of additional production in another line of endeavor during wartime under conditions which demand the optimum use of all resources, including manpower and capital. To the writer's knowl-

Jan 1, 1951

By G. H. Anderson

H. R. HANLEY*—I have been asked to discuss briefly the development of rotating cathodes for the electrolytic deposition of cadmium. The earliest recorded use of rotating cathodes was by Hoepfner at Frufurt, Germany about sixty years ago. He elec-trolized zinc chloride solution using diaphragms to separate electrodes. In the early experimental work of the Bully Hill Copper Mining and Smelting Co., Shasta County, Calif., rotating aluminum cathodes 4 ft in diam were used in the electrolysis of an acid zinc sulphate solution. Finished cathodes weighing up to 400 lb were produced. Because of mechanical difficulties, this type of cathode was abandoned for zinc, but was later used for cadmium because of the relative smoothness of deposit in comparison with stationary plates with comparable current densities. Cadmium sponge which forms on the cathode at moderate current densities (without special treatment) is entirely eliminated by a slow rotation. The rate of rotation of the cathode has an effect on the mechanical nature of the deposit. A high rate of rotation concentrates the adhering electrolyte on the shaft; a moderate rate appears to concentrate on the cathode a short distance out from the shaft tending to corrode the deposit in the form of a ring. At a very slow rotation (2 to 3 rpm) the adhering electrolyte gravitates nearly vertically, thus avoiding the cutting ring referred to above. The true explanation for the smoother deposits obtained on rotating cathodes may not be given definitely as the numerous factors involved are not thoroughly understood. Smooth deposits are obtained when the orderly growth of the metal crystals in the cathode lattice are disorganized. Thus the crystals form and grow for a very short interval when they are arrested and a new crystal forms. The continued growth of the original crystals provides large crystals and a rough deposit. Also if the acidity of the electrolyte is low, hydrogen gas bubbles adhere to the deposit. As the cathode is rotated the gas surface is brought into the atmosphere where they burst; thus the deposit is made on a surface relatively gas-free. An aluminum hub distance piece was riveted to each aluminum disk 4 ft in diam, slipped on a 4 1/2 in. steel shaft and pressed tight to prevent acid electrolyte seeping through to the shaft. The 9-cathode assembly was supported on insulated bearings. Electrical contact to the shaft was made through what was equivalent to a copper pulley. Sufficiently high conductivity brushes were placed on the face of the pulley to lead the current to the cathode bus bar. The assembly was driven by a link belt contacting a sprocket insulated from the shaft. The lead anodes were semicircular and supported on porcelain insulators placed on the bottom of the cell. Two anodes were provided for each cathode to permit an 8-in. space between them without increasing the ohmic resistance. This ample spacing permitted easy stripping of deposit with the assembly in place. Cathode cadmium was melted under 650 W cylinder oil. After casting, the primary slabs were remelted under molten caustic soda and cast into pencils 1 1/32 in. in diam. Rotating cathodes for deposition of cadmium are used at Risdon, Tasmania, and at Magdeburg, Germany. W. G. WOOLF*—This paper is very-interesting to me because in our work at the Electrolytic Zinc Plant of the Sullivan Mining Co. we had an exactly similar problem—that is, a method of producing cadmium from our purification residue, the recovery of the contained copper as a copper precipitate which could be sent to a copper smelter and the production of merchantable cadmium. It is interesting to me, not knowing of the work of the Risdon people, how closely we approximate them in their main metallurgy, diverging at several interesting steps which I would like to discuss for just a moment. For example, at Risdon they oxidize their purification residue. In our practice we take the current residue as it is produced in the purification department of the zinc plant and process it in the cadmium plant. The only oxidation that it obtains is the oxidation in the presses, the dumping of the presses and the collection and transportation of the residue to the cadmium plant. We find that the leaching of that residue does not necessarily require the oxidation step that the Risdon people evidently find necessary. The discussion of oxidation comes in again in the matter of the treatment of the precipitated cadmium sponge with zinc dust which again at Risdon is oxidized but which we do not attempt to oxidize except as it oxidizes itself in the storage. There is a partial oxidation which cannot be avoided, as Mr. David-sou pointed out, but we make no attempt to attain a complete oxidation and we dissolve the cadmium sponge in the sul-

Jan 1, 1950

By J. Handin

Triaxial compression tests with independently applied external confining pressures and internal pore pressures show that the ultimate compressive strengths of representative oil well cements are nearly linear functions of effective pressure — the difference between external and internal pressures on the jacketed cylindrical specimens (to 15,000 psi). The strengths are little affected by the test temperature to 350F (not to be confused with the curing temperature). At an effective pressure of 15,000 psi, strengths are in the rage of 30,000 to 50,000 psi, comparable to those of sedimentary rocks under similar conditions. The cements become very ductile even under low effective pressures; permanent shortenings of 30 per cent or more are attainable without rupture. INTRODUCTION Since the pioneering work of Richart, Brandtzaeg and Brown1 on the failure of cement under combined compressive stresses, it has been recognized that ultimate compressive strength is greatly enhanced by the application of confining pressure. More recently, Mc Henry2 showed that the strength of concrete was a linear function of the effective pressure (the difference between the external confining pressure on a jacketed specimen and the internal fluid pore pressure), at least for a range of 0 to 1,500 psi. The effect of temperature had not been investigated, and no previous systematic triaxial compression testing of naterials used for oilwell cementing seems to have been done. The present work was suggested by the late J. hi. Bugbee3 who stated that "consideration of the common application of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing to the initial completion or recompletion of wells, and the large pressure drawdowns in some producing wells, particularly those in abnormally high-pressure gas-condensate reservoirs, raises the question of what is a suitable cement strength for various completions. The intuitive belief exists that cement strength need be no greater than formation strength. Tests should, however, be conducted at downhole conditions." The ultimate compressive strengths of rocks penetrated by the borehole must rise several fold with increasing depth.4 This marked enhancement of strength is due to the influence of the effective pressure, the total weight per unit area of the overburden less the hydrostatic pore pressure. (The effect of temperature due to the geothermal gradients is relatively small for depths to 30,000 ft.) .A significant comparison of the strengths of rocks and cements at downhole conditions requires knowledge of the confined compressive strengths of cements as well. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The theory and technique of triaxial compression testing are fully discussed in earlier reports.4-6 Briefly, cylindrical specimens 1-in. long and 0.5-in. in diameter are jacketed in thin copper tubes of negligible strength, placed in the test chamber and subjected to an external confining pressure of kerosene and loaded axially by the piston at a strain rate of 1 per cent per minute. Pore pressures of water (or kerosene) are applied independently through the hollow piston and are maintained constant during the shortening of the specimen, Tests at sensibly 0 pore pressure are arranged so that any free water in the cement can escape to the atmosphere. (If egress of water were denied, pore pressure would rapidly attain the value of the external confining pressure because of reduction of pore space.) The test chamber can be heated for high-temperature experiments. Unless otherwise noted, the cement samples were air dried for about a week. Recorded during a test are pore and confining pressures, shortening and axial differential force (total force less the product of the confining pressure and the area of the piston). True stress-strain curves are constructed by dividing the measured differential force by the actual cross-sectional area of the specimen at a given

Jan 1, 1966

By A. Weiss, W. A. Coster

The search for ore is characterized by a great variety of uncertainties, each of which can be resolved by obtaining information at a cost. Three exploration stages may be distinguished in which information can be obtained, based on inherently different cost structure: 1) the reconnaissance or scanning stage, 2) the examination or screening stage and 3) the project stage. This exploration sequence would roughly coincide with replies to questions as to: where, how, why and how much. As complete information in each stage is too costly to acquire, we must assess the probability that adequate information will be furnished by a limited amount of effort and attempt to maximize the expected value of ore to be found for a given exploration expenditure. Several problems are discussed relative to the mathematical formulation and possible computer procedures for determining the optimum allocation of a total exploration effort. Based on the available literature possible solutions to this problem are indicated. When scanning through published literature on mineral exploration, it seems at first that there is little room for substantial and systematic improvements in the efficiency with which the problem of discovery of new ore deposits is presently being handled by large organizations active in exploration. It appears equally difficult to offer something relevantly new which could generate a break-through in exploration thinking and cause a marked improvement in the ratio of successful undertakings to the total exploration projects started. On the other hand, a number of experts in recent years have urged that the problems in prospecting be analyzed in a more skillful and sophisticated manner than in the past. Their thesis is based mainly on the premise that the cost of finding mineral deposits will increase with increasing technical difficulties. In present large-scale exploration ventures, especially in those regions where outcrops and immediately visible geologic evidence are scarce, older methods of prospecting are increasingly being replaced by more indirect and systematic geophysical and geochemical methods with more emphasis on correct statistical design of exploration patterns. It is perhaps the oil industry which has made the greatest strides in developing statistically, well justified patterns in its search for oil; possibly because oil seepages, as indicators of the presence of oil, left off at an earlier point in time than did outcrops as indicators of base metals. Among the pioneers in the field of statistics and operations research, as applied to mineral exploration, the excellent works of Allais, Slichter, Koop-man, Mickey, de Guhnin, Krumbein, Griffith, Sichel, Krige, de Wijs, and Matheron may be mentioned. It should, however, be pointed out that three subjects of basic importance to the allocation of exploration efforts have so far received only scant attention in published literature, even by the aforementioned authors. In the first place, a more precise definition of the object of the search, i.e., a minimum-size orebody, seems to be outstanding. Secondly, a decision model is not a widely-discussed subject. Thirdly, no concentrated attempt so far seems to have been made to establish probabilities of the occurrence of economic deposits on a regional scale and to arrive at a slightly more accurate knowledge of the probability laws governing the deposition of ore. It is not the purpose of this paper to create new order in the complexity of uncertainties in which our decision processes in exploration necessarily have to be conducted. Rather, we intend to highlight some of the outstanding, hitherto unmapped territory, where diligent compilation and a utilization of present and historic data may statistically improve our chances of success. We hope that the contribution of this paper will lie in bringing allocation problems into better focus and in increasing the mineral industry's realization of the magnitude of the factors involved. THE MINIMUM-SIZE OREBODY The concept of target specifications for what constitute a minimum-size orebody in exploration is a rather variable one and depends to some extent on

Jan 1, 1963

By W. A. Tiller, S. O’Hara

Grain refinement in stirred melts has previously been shown to arise from dendrite segmentation. The present work discusses experiments capable of distinguishing between remelting and mechanical effects which result from fluid motion. Nucleation of still un-dercooled Sn-1 pct Pb melts with a single-crystal seed shows that the grain size of the resulting ingots decreases as the undercooling at nucleation increases up to about 1Z0C, then increases again for larger undercoolings. Pure melts exhibit little refinement as a result of nucleation at any undercooling up to 12°C. The presence of fluid motion gives rise to grain multiplication in pure melts, but the magnitude of this effect is partly obscured by solid-state pain growth. The results indicate that two grain-multiplication pvocesses can operate, one which involves dendrite remelt ing, and another associated with fluid motion. Small ingot experiments indicated that an equiaxed transition can be caused by fluid motion. THE presence of forced convection during recales-cence of undercooled Sn-1.3 pct Pb melts has been shown to give rise to extensive grain refinement during solidification of small ingots of this alloy.''2 In Ref. 2, this refining was shown to result entirely from dendrite fragmentation and not from any nucleation mechanism. The purpose of the present work is to establish what processes lead to dendrite segmentation. Experiments were therefore carried out to determine the resulting structure of both pure tin and Sn-1 pct Pb melts, nucleated at various undercoolings by single-crystal seeds in the absence of forced or natural convection. By comparing the information obtained from these experiments with the results of Refs. 1 and 2, the effects of fluid motion on the ingot structure, and the details of the segmentation mechanisms, should become clear. The results of these experiments should also be helpful in understanding the solidification structures of larger ingots since natural convection, which is known to play an important role in determining ingot structure13 differs only in degree from the fluid-motion effects studied here. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 was constructed to permit controlled nucleation of stirred or unstirred supercooled melts using a seed oriented in the tin dendrite growth direction. Because the melts, in all cases, were capable of larger supercoolings than the one used in each experiment, the structure observed always resulted from a single nucleation event at the surface. The sequential procedure was as follows: Tin was melted under purified hydrogen and the oxide removed at a temperature of 450°C . Electromagnetic stirring was then used to clear the surface completely and during this time the guide tube was lowered underneath the melt surface. A pointed Czochralski-like crystal was then propagated from a specially prepared tin dendrite seed4 inside the guide tube while the temperature of the bulk melt was held just above the melting point, ensuring a perfectly clean seed which was epitaxial with the original dendrite. The dendrite and epitaxial seed, still in the guide tube, were withdrawn from the melt which, in turn, was undercooled to 2C° below the temperature at which the nucleation experiment was to be performed. The melt was held there for several minutes, both in stirred and in still-melt experiments. The temperature was next raised to the required value and the melt nucleated by the carrot seed inside the guide tube, the heater power being shut off just after nucleation. In experiments where quenching after nucleation was required, a high-density graphite crucible was used, but otherwise the procedure was as described above. The temperature gradient in the melt before nucleation was kept below 1C° per cm by carrying the experiment out just below the center of the heater shown in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. M. W. Mackenzie, M. H. Buckenam

Flotation experiments using stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and ricinoleic acids and naturally occuring products rich in these acids as collectors for calcite are described. The results confirm the validity of the rule of Hukki and Vartiainen relating the collecting power and unsaturation of the C18 acids. Reasons for this relationship are discussed and a close relationship between mineral depression and critical micelle concentration is reported. It has long been recognized that the unsaturated fatty acids are in general superior flotation collectors to their saturated homologues. Whereas earlier workers concentrated on saturated and monoethe-noid acids, recent investigations have centered on oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and the substituted mono-ethenoid acid: ricinoleic. From studies of the collecting properties of palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids on ilmenite, rutile, hematite, and magnetite, Hukki and Vartiai-nenl concluded that the collecting power of fatty acids increased with unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain. Sun, Snow, and Purcel12 investigated the collecting properties of unsaturated fatty acids as collectors for phosphate ores and concluded that the collecting power increased with increasing unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain up to two double bonds and that further unsaturation decreased the collecting power. More recently Sun3 studied the collecting power of the C18 fatty acids stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic on 37 minerals. The results of these experiments with a few exceptions showed that the collecting power of the acids increased in the order stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic. The relative collecting powers of linoleic and linolenic acids were in many cases altered by the cleanliness of the mineral surface prior to flotation. Sun concluded that linolenic acid may become oxidized by atmospheric oxygen during flotation, a reaction which would reduce its effectiveness as a collector. This deduction is supported by Gaudin and Cole4 who concluded that oleic and linoleic acids do not undergo appreciable oxidation of the double bonds during flotation but that the linolenic acid double bonds are measurably affected. The most complete investigation on the influence of hydrocarbon chain unsaturation on the collecting properties of fatty acids is that of Kivalo and Lehm~svaara.~ These workers using linolenic acid of a higher purity than Hukki and Vartiainen showed that this acid was superior to oleic and linoleic acids as a collector for magnetite. They also found that ricinoleic acid was a more effective collector for this mineral than the other acids investigated, an observation particularly apparent at high collector concentrations. Seeking to explain the superiority of the unsaturated acids these authors considered the effects of critical micelle concentration, surface activity, hydrolysis, and cross sectional area of the hydrocarbon chain in relation to unsaturation. Using what, according to the results of Caviere are erroneous surface tensions of the soap solutions of these acids, they concluded that the surface activity decreases and the critical micelle concentration increases with increasing unsaturation. In view of the data of Cavier, whose results show that surface activity of these soaps increases with unsaturation, the deductions of Kivalo and Lehmusvaara are open to criticism. The degree of hydrolysis of the soap solutions as measured by Kivalo and Lehmusvaara decreases as the unsaturation of the fatty acid increases, a result which helps to explain the superiority of unsaturated acids as collectors. In view of the superiority of unsaturated acids as collectors for many minerals, attention has been directed towards the utilization of fatty acid raw materials such as tall oils and linseed oils which contain considerable quantities of these acids. This paper describes test work to determine the effect of unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain on the collecting properties of fatty acids on calcite, and includes comparable test work using natural products rich in unsaturated acids. TEST WORK Reagents: The pure fatty acids used were oleic, linoleic, and linolenic. Of these, oleic was supplied by British Drug Houses Ltd. and the others were produced by the Hormel Inst. When not in use these

Jan 1, 1961

By T. K. Perkins, O. C. Johnston

Because of the influence of dispersion on miscible-displacement processes, diffusion and dispersion phenomena in parous rocks are of current interest in the oil industry. This paper reviews and summarizes a great deal of pertinent information from the literature. Porous media (both unconsolidated packs and consolidated rocks) can be visualized as a network of flow chambers, having random size and flow conductivity, connected together by openings of smaller size. In such a porous medium, the apparent diffusion coefficient D is less than the molecular diffusion coefficient Do, as measured in the absence of a porous medium. For packs of unconsolidated granular material the ratio D/D, is about 0.6 to 0.7. For all porous rocks, both cemented and unconsolidated, the ratio of diffusion coefficients can also be represented as D/Do = 1/FF where F is the for- mation electrical resistivity' factor and 4 is the porosity. If fluids are flowing through the porous medium, dispersion may be greater than that due to diffusion alone. At moderate flow rates the porous medium will create a slightly asymmetrical mix zone (trailing edge stretched out), with the longitudinal dispersion coefficient approximately proportional to the first power of average fluid velocity (if composition is nearly equalized in pore spaces by diffusion). If the velocity in interstices is large enough, there will be insufficient time for diffusion to equalize concentration within pore spaces. In this region, longitudinal dispersion increases more rapidly than fluid velocity. At low velocities in interstices, transverse dispersion is characterized by a region in which transverse diffusion dominates. If the fluid velocity gets high enough, there will be a transition into a region where there is stream splitting with mass transfer but with insufficient residence time to completely damp-out concentration variations within pore spaces. There are several variables that must be con- trolled to get consistent longitudinal and transverse dispersion results, viz., (1) edge effect in packed tubes, (2) particle size distribution, (3) particle shape, (4) packing or permeability heterogeneities, (5) viscosity ratios, (6) gravity forces, (7) amount of turbulence, and (8) effect of an immobile phase. INTRODUCTION Diffusion and dispersion in porous rocks are of current interest to the oil industry. This interest arises because of the influence of dispersion on miscible-displacement processes. In a recovery process utilizing a zone of miscible fluid, there is the possibility of losing miscibility by dissipating the miscible fluid or by channeling or "fingering" through the miscible zone. Diffusion and dispersion are two of the mechanisms that may lead to mixing and dissipation of the slug. On the other hand, dispersion may tend to damp-out viscous fingers which may be channeling through the miscible slug. 58 Hence, dispersion may be detrimental or beneficial (if it prevents fingering through the miscible zone). Therefore, it is doubly important that we understand these processes. In this paper we review, summarize and interpret a great deal of information from the literature. In particular, we will briefly discuss molecular diffusion in miscible fluids. Then we will discuss what differences to expect for diffusion in a porous rock. If there is movement of the fluid through the rock, then there may be an additional mixing or "dispersion". Furthermore, the dispersion longitudinally (in the direction of gross fluid movement) and transverse to the direction of fluid movement will not be equal. We will discuss both types of dispersion as well as several variables which can affect dispersion (viscosity differences, density differences, turbulence, heterogeneity of media, etc.). This group of variables has sometimes led to difficulty when comparing literature data. DIFFUSION OF MISCIBLE FLUIDS If two miscible fluids are in contact, with an initially sharp interface, they will slowly diffuse into one another. As time passes, the sharp interface between the two fluids will become a diffuse

By Oscar Harder

IT is now just a quarter of a century since Fred W. Taylor§(23) pub-lished his classical paper On the Art of Cutting Metals, describing -his researches in which he, in cooperation with Maunsel White, had developed what is essentially the modern method of heat-treating high-speed steels. Regarding this research, Dr. Sauveur, (22) in his address on Steel Wizards, Past and Present, at the annual banquet of the American Society for Steel Treating in Philadelphia in 1920 said, "The discovery of high-speed steel, or if you prefer, of the treatment imparting high-speed properties to certain steels by Taylor and Maunsel White I am inclined to consider as our one epoch-making contribution to the metallurgy of steel." It was at about that same time (1900) that Taylor exhibited high-speed steels, heat-treated by the improved process, at the World's Exposition in Paris and attracted much attention by showing that the steels would operate at such feeds and speeds that the tips of the tools were visibly red hot. This observation must have started metallurgists to wondering regarding the relative hardness of the various steels at red-heat temperatures. Considerable work has indeed been done in an effort to measure the hardness of high-speed steels and. related materials in the red-heat range, using various methods. . The results, however, have been only partly satisfactory, owing to experimental difficulties. The present investigation had as its immediate inception an address by J. V. Emmons, of the Cleveland Twist Drill Co., to the Columbus Chapter of the American Society for Steel Treating in 1931, in which he deplored the fact that comparatively little was known with regard to the hardness of high-speed steels at elevated temperatures, in spite

Jan 1, 1933

By E. W. Engle

Fox several years the Fansteel Products Co. has been engaged in the production and development of various of the rarer metals. It is at present engaged in the commercial production of tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum in a very high state of purity. The information contained in this paper is partly a general compilation from various sources and partly information obtained as a result of recent years of work in the laboratory of this company. Tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum form a group peculiar to themselves among the commercially available metals. Their very high melting points (tantalum 2770° C., tungsten 3350° C., and molybdenum 2550° C.) set them apart so far as the metallurgical processes for their production are concerned. Further, when properly prepared and treated they will stand a somewhat unusual degree of cold work, that is work below the temperature at which marked crystal growth takes place. Such cold-worked metal may show a high tensile strength; tantalum to 130,000 lb. per sq. in., tungsten to 490,000 lb., and molybdenum to 260,000 lb., in the form of fine wire. In physical appearance, these metals are not unlike some steels; they may be better described by saying that polished tantalum some¬what resembles lead; polished tungsten, iron; and polished molybdenum, nickel. The polished surfaces of all three remain untarnished in ordinary air. Air containing corrosion-producing impurities will, in general, show molybdenum the least resistant to corrosion and tantalum the most resistant. Molybdenum has, however, a high degree of resistance to corrosion by hydrochloric acid, a property that should render it of commercial interest. On the other hand, it is markedly attacked by some of the weaker organic acids.

Jan 3, 1925

By J. A. Brierley, Roshan B. Bhappu, D. H. Reynolds, P. H. Johnson

Although the economic importance of recovering copper by leaching of mine work dumps from open-pit operations has been realized for some time, serious attempts to understand and to improve such operations through scientifi research has been made only in recent years. This progress report covers the results of chemical, physical, and biological studies pertaining to the dump-leaching process and discusses salient features and parameters that may be helpful in improving such operations. The dump leaching of low-grade copper ores, as an integral part of the open-pit mining operations in the Southwest, has been practiced for the last 50 years and is increasing in importance as one of the major sources of copper. The recent acceleration in dump leaching can be attributed to: (1) the greater tonnages of low-grade ores mined and dumped at newer mines as well as resulting from increased stripping ratios at the older mines, (2) the relatively small investment required for dump leaching facilities per pound of copper recovered contrasted with expansion of milling facilities to recover equal amounts of the metal by raising tonnage throughout, (3) low labor requirements needed for leaching, and (4) the simple and continuous nature of the process needing little close supervision of trained operators. In the past, the mining companies have not worried about efficiency in dump leaching but have been satisfied with whatever metal recoveries could be made without much effort. However, because of the huge amounts of metal accumulating in the low-grade waste dumps, compared to the relatively small amount recovered annually, an operator today cannot leave dump leaching to chance. What appears to be a simple, empirical process is actually a very complex one involving a large number of critical factors that encompass Several Scientific disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and hydrology. It is imperative that

Jan 1, 1970