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By R. P. King

Flotation plant simulation, a relatively recent methodology in mineral processing, is defined and corresponding uses are discussed. Typical simulation structures are compared. Current problem areas exist although these are not insurmountable. Following a brief state of the art discussion, the N. I. M. simulation program is reviewed. In general, digital plant simulation is expected to be of substantial benefit in the near future.

Jan 1, 1976

By E. E. Malouf

Rapid depletion of the world's mineral deposits combined with the expanding demand for metals places great pressure on our ability to provide technologically and economically feasible processes to recover greater amounts of metals from progressively lower grade sources. Chemical mining is one area in which expanding research and development can provide new processes or refinements to existing ones. These new techniques could result in increased production of metals from materials now considered uneconomic to process by current technology. To mine by chemicals requires the interaction of such disciplines as hydrometallurgy, microbiology, chemistry (both organic and inorganic), fluid flow, mineralogy, geology, and of course, economics. One of the least understood areas but one which may end up being an essential part of any chemical mining process is microbiology, i.e., the role of microorganisms in altering minerals and metals in solution.

Jan 1, 1971

"The Murray Plant of the American Smelting & Refining Company is situated seven miles south of Salt Lake City, and has a fine view of the Salt Lake Valley with its fertile farms and orchards.It is located on the Los Angeles & Salt Lake and Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroads, and has a fine electric car service, cars running every 15 minutes.The beautiful and majestic Wasatch Range lies about five miles to the east and the Oquirrh Range to the west, and from these mountains a large proportion of the ores treated are obtained.The location is very central, ores coming to the plant from all directions. Park City, where a large tonnage of high grade silver-lead ore is obtained, lies to the east and the camp of Alta is just across the mountains from Murray.To the west is the wonderful camp of Bingham, which produces a large tonnage of lead ores, in addition to its immense tonnages of copper ores, which are treated at Garfield.Tintic, to the south, sends in quantites of dry silicious ores, as well as silver-lead ores.Besides the above, ores are shipped to the plant from Stockton, Ophir, Milford and other camps in Utah, as well as from Nevada and Idaho, and also some ores from Cali¬fornia, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Colorado.The American Smelting & Refining Company took possession in 1899 of its Utah properties which consisted of the following plants, all of which have been dismantled:"

Jan 1, 1925

By Joseph Pogue

THE, prices of crude petroleum and its derivatives have shown an upward trend from 1915 to 1920, and a downward trend from 1920 to 1923, see Table 1. Over the former period, oil prices were dominated by the rapidly increasing demands and inflation incident to the war and its aftermath, while over the latter period oil prices were influenced at the outset by deflation and then by the conditions of overproduction that have characterized the past three years. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the broader features of the more recent price movements in the petroleum industry and to relate these features to basic economic conditions in the industry. INDEX NUMBERS OF OIL PRICES The analysis and comparison of price movements may be facilitated by converting actual prices into relative prices, or index numbers, with 1913 taken as a base of 100. In this way, the various price groups are expressed as percentages of the 1913 prices and may thus be readily compared with one another or with the average prices of other commodities similarly expressed. Table 1 gives the index numbers representing the average prices of crude petroleum, gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, lubricating oils, and all commodities. The last named is the index of all commodities as published by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and .is widely accepted .as the official measure of the general price level. The index numbers of oil prices were calculated by the writer from weekly quotations published in trade journals.

Jan 3, 1924

THE 125th meeting of the Institute was held in New York, Feb. 20-23, 1922, inclusive, and was the most successful annual meeting of the Institute ever held; there was a larger registration, there were more sessions of importance, and a greater number of sessions, than in any previous year. The total registration was 1331, comprising 351 New York members, 393 visiting members and 587 guests. At the annual business meeting of the Institute, held on Tuesday, Feb. 21, with President Ludlow presiding, there was a much larger attendance than usual. The report of the tellers was read and the following officers were declared elected: Arthur S. Dwight, Director and President-District 0 J. V. W. Reynders, Director and Vice-president-District 0 A. R. Ledoux, Director and Vice-president-District 0 Charles F. Rand. Director-District 0 George D. Barron, Director-District 0 William H. Bassett, Director-District 1 Thomas B. Stearns, Director-District 8 William Kelly, Director-District 5

Jan 3, 1922

By L. S. Panyity

THE Cleveland (O.) gas pool described by Frank R. Van Horn,1 is the northern extremity of the great "Clinton" sand gas development in LAKE ERIE General Trend of "Clinton" Sand Pools in Ohio Richland Township, Vinton County FIG. 1. Ohio. Numerous gas pools have been developed in this formation, which are now more or less connected, link by link, forming an almost' continuous gas pool, starting at Cleveland, and running thence southward through Cuyahoga, Medina, Wayne, Ashland, Richland, Knox, Licking,

Jan 6, 1917

By S. C. Termes, R. L. Wilfong

As part of an effort to provide basic data on the fundamental scientific and engineering principles of minerals beneficiation, the Bureau of Mines is conducting research on the flocculation of mineral fines. This paper presents results of studies using cross-linked starches containing carboxyl, diethanolamine, iminodiacetic acid, and xanthate groups to flocculate hematite, goethite, chromite, manganite, pyrolusite, cuprite, and cassiterite fines. The carboxyl and xanthate derivatives flocculated all minerals except cassiterite; the latter was flocculated by only the diethanolamine derivative. The imlnodiacetic acid derivative flocculated hematite, goethite, chromite, cuprite, and pyrolusite fines. Zeta potential measurements were made to help define the reaction mechanism responsible for flocculation. These measurements indicate that electrostatic attraction probably is not involved, except possibly in the case of the diethanolamine derivative. The separation of hematite from quartz by selective flocculation with chelating crosslinked starches under two pH conditions and with two dispersing agents is described. Best recoveries and grades were found when either the carboxyl or xanthate derivatives was added at the natural pH of the pulp in the absence of a dispersing agent.

Jan 1, 1984

THE International First-Aid and Mine-Rescue con-test, under the auspices of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, was held at Butte, Mont., on Aug. 20, 21 and 22. As usual, the first-aid elimination contests were held the first day, the finals the second, and the mine-rescue contest the third. While the number of teams entered was not as great as at some previous contests held nearer the coal-mining districts of the East, the atten-dance was much larger than usual, due to the great interest in first aid, rescue work, and accident preven-tion that has been created by the effective support and constructive policy of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. toward them. The winner of the first-aid contest was the Great Falls Zinc Mill team of the Anaconda company, of which Fred Erickson is captain. Second place went to the Baton Rouge team of the Standard Oil Co. of Louisi-ana, and third to the Great Falls Furnace Refinery team of the Anaconda company.

Jan 9, 1928

By J. R. Low, M. Gensamer

During the course of an investigation into the drawability of automobile-body sheet steel, it became apparent that certain advantages would be possessed by a deep-drawing steel with a very low yield strength, but almost normal tensile strength, provided a reduction in yield strength could be accomplished without sacrifice of ductility and fine grain size. It would also be desirable to have this steel free from strainaging; that is, free from the tendency for the yield point to return after it had been eliminated by straining. It was known that wet hydrogen treatment acted to eliminate aging, but as carried out by other investigators, at relatively high temperatures, this treatment resulted in grain coarsening. It has been established by some of the experiments reported in this paper that all of these objectives can be accomplished by treatment in wet hydrogen at a low temperature, in the neighborhood of 720°C. The time of treatment is relatively short (about 3 hr. to completion with 20-gauge sheet) if the water content of the hydrogen atmosphere is made fairly high, say almost 30 per cent by volume. At this temperature, the grain size remains fine in the time required. After this treatment sheet reduced the usual amount by cold-rolling has a grain size of about A.S.T.M. No. 7. The yield point is completely eliminated, and the yield strength is reduced to a very low value, in the neighborhood of 15,000 lb. per sq. in. The stress-strain curve departs gradually from the straight-line elastic part after the fashion of nonferrous deep-drawing alloys. This elimination of the yield point is accompanied by a very low indentation hardness; for example, 32 Rockwell B or even lower. There is no aging as measured by increase in the yield strength upon aging at room temperature or for 3 hr. at 200°C., after stretching about 10 per cent in tension. Tensile strength is only slightly less than the box-annealed sheet, seldom dropping much below 40,000 lb. per sq. in. Elongation is practically unchanged, or increased slightly. The term yield point, as here used, refers to the phenomenon of heterogeneous deformation occurring at a substantially constant load, observed principally in annealed low-carbon steels. If such a steel is loaded in tension, the load increases steadily with elastic strain, suddenly falls, fluctuates slightly about some constant value for a time and then begins to rise again as deformation proceeds. The maximum initial load before the sudden drop is generally called the "upper yield point"; the value of the load where deformation proceeds at a

Jan 1, 1943

By George Bell

THE mine and milling plant of Demonstration Gold Mines, Ltd., is near the city limits of Baguio, Mt. Province, P. I. The mine road connects with the main highway to Manila. The nearest railway point is near sea level, approximately 40 miles distant. The Baguio district is very mountainous and has one of the heaviest rainfalls in the world. It is therefore difficult to maintain roads or to impound tailings and mine dumps. All supplies are trucked into the district direct from Manila or the nearest railway point, which means uncertain deliveries and high freight rates. Installation of equipment is difficult and costly. The average elevation at the mine is 4000 ft. and the climatic condi-tions.are ideal except for a three months rainy season. The company generates its own power for mining and milling opera-tions with three 400-hp. Ruston Diesel engines direct connected to 250-kw. General Electric alternating current generators. Labor conditions have been excellent, although at present social security laws are causing some unrest. Labor receives a higher average wage rate in this district than other labor in the Islands. The com-pany also furnishes free living quarters, hospitalization and work-men's compensation. Taxation has been reasonable up to the present time, but some of the new mining legislation may make it difficult to operate and pay dividends. The future depends largely upon the continuation of $35 gold and the political outcome in the Islands.

Jan 1, 1939

ARTHUR BRICE deSAULLES In the death of, Major A. B. deSaulles at South Bethlehem, Pa., on Dec. 24, 1917, the Institute lost a valued and esteemed member, one of the last few of those who, in May, 1871, at Wilkes-Barre, attended the first meeting of the Institute, in response to a call that had been issued by R. P. Rothwell, Eckley B. Coxe, and Martin Coryell. Major deSaulles was born Jan. 8, 1840, at New Orleans, and was the son of Louis and Armide Longer deSaulles, each of French descent. As a boy he was privately tutored in the South, and then schooled in New England to enter the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was graduated with honors in the class of '59. Following his graduation he studied in France and Germany for two years, returning to New Orleans in 1861 to enter the Confederate Army, in which he served with distinction- as an engineer throughout the Civil War, rising to the rank of Major and the command of his Corps. After the close of the war he pursued his studies abroad for another year, returning to New York in April, 1866, when be became engineer for the New York & Schuylkill Coal Company, and remained at its plant near Wilkes-Barre until October, 1871, when it was sold to the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company.. He then returned to New York where for several years he was engaged in the practice of his profession. In 1869, he married Catharine M. Heckscher, daughter of Charles Heckscher of New York City. Mrs. deSaulles survives him. In 1876, Major deSaulles became superintendent of the Dunbar Furnace Company in Fayette County, Pa., with which company he remained until 1883. As a feature of the Pittsburgh meeting in May, 1879, Major and Mrs. deSaulles entertained the members of the Insti-

Jan 4, 1918

By F. V. Lenel

INTRODUCTION Two years ago in Chicago a seminar was held on the theory of sintering of pure metal powders As an introduction to this seminar Dr Rhines1 gave an excellent survey of the literature on this subject His method of presentation was to summarize the experimental observations on sintering and from them to develop a composite theory of sintering in which he combined all the important contributions to the theory into one organic whole In contrast to the mechanism of sintering of pure metal powders, which, of course, always takes place in the solid phase, sintering in the presence of a liquid phase, cannot be treated as one unified mechanism, such as the sintering mechanism of pure metals The reason is that there are really several mechanisms depending upon the type of alloy system which is sintered and the field of its constitutional diagram in which the sintering takes place Two mechanisms have been investigated and will be reviewed in this paper In the first mechanism the liquid is present during the entire time while the compacts are at the sintering temperature In other words they are sintered between the liquidus and the solidus of the alloy System and are heterogeneous during the entire sintering cycle The second mechanism applies to alloys in which the liquid phase is formed during the sintering process, but disappears before the sintering process is completed through diffusion and formation of a solid solution These alloys are therefore homogeneous at the end of the sintering cycle This second mechanism is more complicated because of the two stages of sintering, the liquid and the solid, as they may be called It is therefore not surprising that the few detailed investigations of sintering in the presence of a liquid phase have been concerned with heterogeneous sintered alloys, namely the tungsten-nickel-copper alloys, which is the so-called "heavy alloy," and the cemented carbides The mechanism of sintering of these systems is characterized by the fact that theoretical or near theoretical density is attained during sintering, while simultaneously a distinct grain growth takes place through solution of the smallest grains of the solid phase in the liquid phase and reprecipitation on the larger grains In the first part of the survey this sintering mechanism which is called for short the heavy alloy mechanism is treated in detail In the second part of the survey experimental observations for the sintering of homogeneous sintered alloys where the liquid phase disappears before the completion of sintering are discussed Much less systematic work has been done on these alloys to which the commercially important porous bronzes and the iron-nickel-aluminum permanent magnet alloys belong Emphasis will be laid throughout this survey upon the microstructural and density changes during sintering because the sintering mechanism can usually be described directly by these changes Other

Jan 1, 1948

By Harry A. Wahl

Precent fracture design procedures are bared on the total fracture area created. A method to distinguish beI,,.ecn total area and [he propped or effective fracture area has not been available. This paper presents a solution to this problem, applicable to horizontal fractures. The difierences between effective fracture area and torn] area are demonstrared in example calculations. This work is hayed on experimentally determined transport efficiencier of solids in sand-liquid slurries. Newtonian and non-Ne~vtoninn systems are considered. INTRODUCTION Fifteen years after commercial introduction, hydraulic fracturing remains the most successful stimulation technique in the oil field. This success is primarily due to ability of induced fractures to penetrate and alter permeabilities deep within formations. Many fields producing today could not have been developed without the hydraulic fracturing process. Because of wide usage, fracture-treatment design has received a great deal of engineering and research effort. This work, resulting in improved equipment and materials, has increased the benefits from fracture treatments as well as the applicability of the process. A major contribution was the development of fluid-loss additives. Necessarily, the number of parameters to be considered in treatment design has steadily increased, resulting in more complicated design techniques. Almost all present design procedures are based on the precepts set forth by Howard and Fast. Relating the fluid volume lost into the formation, the volume required in extending the fracture, and the total slurry volume injected, they developed an expression for the total fracture area created in terms of pertinent treatment parameters. Fluid loss during treatment was expressed as a function of time for three flow mechanisms. Although modifications of fluid loss equations have been made, the total fracture area concept has remained unaltered. A vast amount of field data indicate that induced fractures must be propped and held open to be effective. A notable exception is the Mesa Verde formation in the San Juan basin. However, analysis of these treatments shows that improved well productivities are obtained when propping agents are incorporated in the treating fluid. Although propped fracture area has been recognized as an important design parameter, a method to distinguish between total area and effective fracture area has not been available. The necessary information on slurry-sand transport in fractures has been lacking. Interest in the propped region of induced fractures is not restricted to areal extent alone. The distribution of sand within fractures is important from the standpoint of fracture flow capacities. Flow capacity affects the increase in well productivity after stimulation. The work of Huitt and Darin4 hows that partial monolayers of sand have large flow capacities compared to thick* dense sand packs. It has been postulated that gelled fluids have the ability to transport sand within the fractures at the deired low concentrations. An early contribution in the area of sand placement in fractures was made by Kern et al.' They studied sand movement in a transparent vertical fracture model. It was observed that the sand tended to settle out in the bottom of the model before moving very far. When the fluid velocity exceeded a certain critical value, all of the sand injected began moving through the crack even though it settled to the bottom. This critical velocity was determined under several flow conditions. Some work on sand movement in horizontal fractures has been reported in Russian publications. Sand movement was studied by Izyumova and Shan'gin' using a transparent "pie-shaped" flow model to simulate a horizontal radial flow system. However, the data were limited, especially in a quantitative sense. Dorozhkin, Zheltov and Zheltow studied the behavior of sand-liquid slurries in a horizontal linear flow model. The quantitative data were restricted primarily to the thickness of sand deposits formed at the bottom of the fracture. An earlier paper provided basic data on the flow of sand in horizontal fractures. This study was designed to yield specific quantitative information on rate of advance of sand particles and pressure behavior under various flow conditions. A comprehensive photographic study was undertaken in a 10-ft windowed flow cell to provide the necessary qualitative and quantitative data. Since the number of potential variables far exceeded the capacity of the initial study, emphasis was placed on the effects of sand concentration, oil viscosity and oil flow rate. A detailed description of these experiments and the results are described in Ref. 9. However. the implications of this work on the fracture design calculations were not discussed. An analysis of these data as well as new data is provided in the following sections. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS The primary objective of the experimental investigation was to provide information on the rate of advance of the solids in sand-liquid sturries. A 10%-ft long transparent

Jan 1, 1966

By AIME AIME

Change of Meeting from Birmingham to Chattanooga. In consequence of the disturbed conditions attending a long¬continued labor strike in Alabama, the meeting of the Institute was changed from Birmingham, Ala., to Chattanooga, Tenn., where it will. begin on Thursday evening, Oct. 1, 1908. Information. of this change bad been sent to the newspapers through the Associated Press, and by circular to all members, when news was received of the sudden and unexpected termination of the strike referred to. It was, unfortunately, too late to change once more the arrangements for the meeting. But it is hoped that the cordial invitation of the citizens of ,Birmingham may be renewed and accepted at a future time, not too remote. Office Facilities for Visiting Members. A separate room in the suite occupied by the American Institute of Mining Engineers on the ninth floor of the United Engineering Society Building, has been equipped with furniture and telephone extension for the temporary use of members of the Institute or of sister societies, or visitors suitably accredited. Members of the Institute visiting New York for a short time, who need office facilities during their stay, or members residing in the city. who need temporary office accommodation, can arrange to have set apart for their exclusive use a room, equipped with office furniture, telephone, etc.,. in the suite of the Institute. It is not the intention to give possession of the room to any individual for an indefinite time, but to offer to members of the Institute an opportunity to acquire a well-located, well-equipped business headquarters to carry on transactions which

Jan 9, 1908

By Robert F. Calman

OUTLINE FIVE EXAMPLES OF GOLD-LINKED FINANCINGS 1. Financing the Lupin Mine • Sale of Cdn $40.0 million of 12% preferred shares and Cdn $40.0 million of Gold Purchase Warrants @ $595 per ounce. 2. Financing the Copper Range acquisition • Borrowing 100,000 ounces from a Canadian chartered bank @ US$307 for five years. 3. Financing the Round Mountain expansion • Borrowing up to US $80.0 million in dollars, convertible into gold, repayable over five years from a group of North American banks. 4. Financing the Tenneco Precious Metals Division acquisition •Sale of SFr 110.0 million of ten year 3-718% bonds with warrants to buy 132,000 ounces of gold at US $560. 5. On Forward Sales, Puts and Calls • Gold, Silver, Canadian Dollars, Swiss Francs THE FINANCIAL RULES AT ECHO BAY 1. Never bet the company 2. Equity is the primary form of capital for a gold mining company 3. On debt 4. The Yardsticks for Corporate Decisions 5. Financial Community Relationships 6. Dividend Policy No Text Available Tables Follow

Jan 1, 1990

By R. H. Winn

A method for the selection of the most suitable corrosion inhibitor for a particular system is given. The method involves the evaluation of surface passivity by means of copper ion displacement after the metal surface has been subjected to the corrosive atmosphere. The application of the method to the selection of suitable inhibitors for use in producing wells is described. Correlation with recognized laboratory tests has beet1 found to be good within the limitations of the test. The use of the test to evaluate inhibitor persistencc is described. INTRODUCTION Corrosion as it is associated with the industry shows wide variations in its qualitative as well as its quantitative aspects. This complicates the work of the corrosion engineer. In the past few years the efforts of the corrosion engineer have been further taxed by the large numbers of products being marketed as corrosion inhibitors by various manufacturers. These products are submitted to him together with a limited amount of data to support their use as inhibitors. The data are usually authentic and reliable yet all too often when these products are applied to an actual corrosive system the results are disappointing due to the ineffectiveness of the inhibitor and the corrosive system. The corrosion engineer must select a comparatively limited number of inhibitors for field trial from the large number available. The selection is usually made on the basis of a standardized laboratory test such as that adopted by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers or by field experience in an area; however, testing of this type is discouraging on large numbers of compounds, particularly in view of the specificity of environment. It has been an object of this work to devise a method which will allow the corrosion engineer to select the best inhibitor for a specific environment under field conditions. The test would of necessity be rapid and inexpensive. It would preferably eliminate the need for expensive and delicate instruments. STATEMENT OF THEORY The test as developed makes use of the fact that metal ions will be displaced from solution by metals having a more positive electrode potential. Thus, if an active iron surface is exposed to a solution of a copper salt, free copper will plate spontaneously on the iron surface as it is displaced from the salt solution by iron ions. If the iron surface is passified, as by coating with an insulating-type organic corrosion inhibitor, it is no longer capable of displacing the copper ions due to its own limited ionization. The result will be a change in the amount of copper plated upon exposure to a neutral copper salt solution. In practice it has been found possible to measure the magnitude of the alteration of the cell potential by determining the copper deposited on a standard iron surface under controlled conditions. This means that, as the film builds up, the resulting shift in the electrode potential tends to cause the iron surface to act more like a noble metal, resulting in a reduction in the cell potential to a point that copper will no longer plate spontaneously. Obviously, the salts of other metals such as silver, gold or platinum might be used for this operation; however, copper was selected because of the color difference of the plate, the comparatively low cost of copper salts and the ease of evaluation of the plated copper. Furthermore, its high cell potential provides a substantial driving energy. The determination of the copper is readily done colorimetrically by dissolving it in 5 per cent ammonium hydroxide solution containing 2 per cent potassium per-sulfate. The blue color of the copper ammonic complex ion so developed may be compared with standards prepared by dissolving known quantities of copper powder in the same reagent. In routine screening it is seldom desirable to determine the amount of copper plated. It is usually more important to determine the concentration of inhibitor required to prevent the plating of copper.

Succession of Minerals and Temperatures of Formation in Ore Deposits of Magmatic Affiliations BY WALDEMAR LINDGREN (Tech Pub 713 10,000 words ) The paper presents data accepted by many geochemists and geologists regarding the succession of minerals and the temperatures of formation in ore deposits affiliated with igneous rocks It also presents the individual views of the author on the composition of the solutions that were active and on the mode of deposition He does not regard these views as speculations or hypotheses but as forming a well motivated and con¬sistent theory It is not certain, however, that all investigators will subscribe to them The mining engineer may not always be interested in the field of stability and tempera¬ture of origin in the mineralogy of ore deposits, but he certainly is interested in the succession of minerals because this has a definite bearing on the understanding of the ores and on the best processes of extraction The author, therefore, summarizes in plain language the principal features of succession as shown in metallic ores

Jan 1, 1937

By Robert B. Fulton

The objective of this chapter is to discuss the interrelationship between industrial minerals and chemical manufacturing. It is intended to supplement rather than duplicate the commodity chapters. Particular emphasis is given to the pertinent chemical element and to market factors. Condensing this broad subject into a few pages of this handbook permits treating only the most important elements derived from industrial minerals. Hydrocarbons, which quantitatively dominate as raw materials for the chemical industry, are omitted, as are the metallic elements and the minerals covered in other "use" chapters such as phosphorous, potassium and nitrogen for fertilizers, and titanium dioxide for pigments. The remaining six elements of major importance are: boron, bromine, chlorine, fluorine, sodium, and sulfur. These elements are treated individually under separate headings. Table I (Jones, 1973) affords an overview of the main industrial minerals, the chemical products derived from them, and end uses of the products. Salt brines have particular importance as raw material sources for the chemical industry. Table 2 (Anon., 1967) is a chart of the chemical compounds derived from four types of brines: (1) Owens Lake-type brines, which are sources of boron and sodium compounds; (2) Midland-type brines, from which bromine, iodine, and chlorides of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium are derived; (3) Searles Lake-type brines, yielding boron, bromine, lithium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium compounds; and (4) Silver Peak-type brines, produced mainly for lithium. Market Attributes Some of the important market traits common to industrial minerals used by the chemical industry are listed below. 1. They are international commodities, such as fluorspar and sulfur, which largely move to foreign consumers. 2. Grade, and freedom from deleterious elements are important factors affecting their usability in chemical processes. An example is salt (NaCl) used in electrolysis where ultrapure evaporated salt is required to meet rigid specifications. 3. Purified products take on the characteristics of specialty items and command a distinctly higher price than the basic commodity from which they are derived. 4. In practically all cases, chemical users require some sort of cleaning or beneficiation of the naturally-occurring mineral to bring it to specification, and individual specifications may vary from user to user for essentially the same use. 5. In some instances it is necessary to strike a balance between what the vendor can supply and what the buyer requires, with the result that specifications have to be eased to afford the needed materials in marginal cases. 6. Because they tend to be bulk commodities, low cost for handling and transportation are important and such costs may limit the area from which a chemical user can draw his supply. For example, fluorspar from China and Thailand normally goes to Japan, while South African fluorspar can go either to Japan or to the US. 7. Shipments are usually in bulk and frequently in multiple-car, full-trainload or full-shipload lots to reduce transport costs, which in turn may require large terminal investment facilities.

Jan 1, 1983

By W. A. Bates, R. J. Miller

Although cresylic acids have been standard frothers in flotation for many years, there has been little discussion of their nature in the metallurgical literature. Aside from references in the patent literature, the paper by Landolt, Hill, and Lowyl in 1930, which resented a study of the frothing and collecting properties of some of the constituents of crude cresylic acids, represents the only contribution of this type. The close froth control required in the delicate selective separations of present-day flotation operations have required the flotation metallurgist to choose his frothers with care, and have caused him to require of the manufacturer a closely controlled, uniform product. A background of knowledge of the chemical composition and physical and chemical properties of the frothers, by which their action may be correlated, should aid in selecting frothers for particular flotation requirements. Further, the recent almost complete replacement in flotation of coal-tar cresylic acids by those derived from petroleum makes it especially desirable to review the flotation behavior of the acids from the old and the new sources. In view of these facts the Milling Methods Committee of the A.I.M.E. suggested to the Oronite Chemical Co. of San Francisco the preparation of a paper on the subject, and this paper has accordingly been prepared as a contribution by the California Research Corporation, the research affiliate of the Oronite Chemical Co. The discussion is from the following aspects: (I) constitution and properties; (2) sources; (3) comparison of coal-tar and petroleum cresylic acids; (4) characteristics as frothers, with particular reference to the effect of the substitution of petroleum acids for coal-tar acids. Constitution and Properties Cresylic acids are commonly regarded as mixtures of orthocresol, metacresol and paracresol. This was, indeed, the former meaning of the term, but in recent years it has been loosely applied to any mixture of alkyl phenols boiling above 190°C.; that is, excluding only phenol itself. This means that cresylic acids, as they are known today, may consist of mixtures, not only of the three isomeric cresols, but of six xylenols and of a variety of higher boiling homologues. Generically the constituents of cresylic acids are alkyl phenols, and they are often so designated in the literature to avoid the more indefinite term, "cresylic acids." They form an homologous series starting with phenol, which has the familiar benzene ring, with an hydroxyl group in place of one of the hydrogen atoms. The series of alkyl phenols is formed by the substitution of alkyl side chains, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc., for hydrogen atoms of the benzene ring of phenol. Some

Jan 1, 1947

By R. J. Miller, W. A. Bates

Although cresylic acids have been standard frothers in flotation for many years, there has been little discussion of their nature in the metallurgical literature. Aside from references in the patent literature, the paper by Landolt, Hill, and Lowyl in 1930, which resented a study of the frothing and collecting properties of some of the constituents of crude cresylic acids, represents the only contribution of this type. The close froth control required in the delicate selective separations of present-day flotation operations have required the flotation metallurgist to choose his frothers with care, and have caused him to require of the manufacturer a closely controlled, uniform product. A background of knowledge of the chemical composition and physical and chemical properties of the frothers, by which their action may be correlated, should aid in selecting frothers for particular flotation requirements. Further, the recent almost complete replacement in flotation of coal-tar cresylic acids by those derived from petroleum makes it especially desirable to review the flotation behavior of the acids from the old and the new sources. In view of these facts the Milling Methods Committee of the A.I.M.E. suggested to the Oronite Chemical Co. of San Francisco the preparation of a paper on the subject, and this paper has accordingly been prepared as a contribution by the California Research Corporation, the research affiliate of the Oronite Chemical Co. The discussion is from the following aspects: (I) constitution and properties; (2) sources; (3) comparison of coal-tar and petroleum cresylic acids; (4) characteristics as frothers, with particular reference to the effect of the substitution of petroleum acids for coal-tar acids. Constitution and Properties Cresylic acids are commonly regarded as mixtures of orthocresol, metacresol and paracresol. This was, indeed, the former meaning of the term, but in recent years it has been loosely applied to any mixture of alkyl phenols boiling above 190°C.; that is, excluding only phenol itself. This means that cresylic acids, as they are known today, may consist of mixtures, not only of the three isomeric cresols, but of six xylenols and of a variety of higher boiling homologues. Generically the constituents of cresylic acids are alkyl phenols, and they are often so designated in the literature to avoid the more indefinite term, "cresylic acids." They form an homologous series starting with phenol, which has the familiar benzene ring, with an hydroxyl group in place of one of the hydrogen atoms. The series of alkyl phenols is formed by the substitution of alkyl side chains, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc., for hydrogen atoms of the benzene ring of phenol. Some

Jan 1, 1947