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By Elgin D. Bell

Within the next, year or two, Western Canada should overtake Mexico and France. to become the worlds second largest producer of elemental sulphur, surpassed only by the United States, By 1965, it should produce about 25% of the world's total elemental production and, about 10% of sulphur produced in all forms. In 1952 Alberta had but one small sulphur recovery plant. By 1962, it had fifteen plants with a total designed capacity of almost 6,000 long tons of sulphur per day and actual production of almost one million long tons per year. This decade of dynamic growth was the result of Alberta's rapidly developing natural gas industry. More particularly it was the result of approval in 1960 to export natural gas in large volumes into the United States. Prior approval to export gas from Alberta to eastern Canada and relatively modest volumes to the U. S. had resulted in the construction of several plants but none were of the scale required to serve the U. S. market.

Jan 1, 1963

By Gilman Y. Murray

The problems connected with the development of economically acceptable water supplies in arid regions are discussed. The techniques for capture and retention of runoff from infrequent desert storms are described and the major factors involved are emphasized. The exploration and planning for a typical water development in southwest United States is described, including an analysis of capital and operating costs for the proposed system.

Jan 1, 1963

By Ernst P. Hall

As a scientist and an engineer whose responsibilities include the consideration of air pollution and its control, I am frequently called upon to answer variations of two basic questions, These questions may I be set forth as: (1) How much air pollution does the coal industry cause? (2) How serious is the air pollution problem to the coal industry? At first these questions may seem elementary and almost trite, but serious consideration of them will show that they are technologically involved and I further complicated by the subjective base to which they must be evaluated.

Jan 1, 1963

By J. E. Jennings

The problems of slope stability in open-cast mines are examined. A criterion, the instantaneous stripping ratio, is suggested for use in the design of pit slopes and as an index of control at all stages of the exploitation of the ore body, This criterion may also be related to safety and to the maximizing of profits. Two approaches to safe design of slopes, one from the point of view of soil mechanics and the other from the point of view of rock mechanics, are described and critically compared. The effect on slope stability of the regional tectonic stress field is discussed. Explanation is given of the application of the Terzaghi effective stress concept to problems in both soil and rock environments, including possible effects when borehole deformation techniques are used to measure stresses in rock in situ.

Jan 1, 1963

By Pablo Hadzeriga

There are two places in the world where potash, trade name for potassium chloride, is economically recovered from naturally occuring brines by solar evaporation. One is at the Dead Sea and the other at Wendover, Utah. American Potash and Chemical at Trona, California recovers potash from natural brines, but uses fuel to accomplish evaporation. Under proper meteorological conditions the use of solar evaporation might be desirable from the economical standpoint. Of course, this may not be true when, if by artificial evaporation, a group of very valuable salts are recovered. This is the case of the American Potash operation at Trona. Solar evaporation has its limits. The working temperature is low. We may say, just to cover most areas of the world where solar evaporation may be practical, that it will take place between 18°C and perhaps around 45°C. In most cases the average working temperature expected will be around 25°C.

Jan 1, 1963

By Leon D. Keller

Hydraulic concentration of minerals has been practiced for a good many years. Until recently, however, the practice has been limited to a multiplicity of small pockets and relatively low tonnages and flows. The adaptation of the SiphonSizer to the concentration and classification of magnetite has changed this concept. Some fifty commercial units are currently in operation on magnetite, varying in size from 16 ft diameter circular unit to a 25 ft by 100 ft rectangular unit. Additional units up to 38 ft diameter are under construction. Depending upon the application in the flowsheet, upgrading-varies from 0.75% to 14% Fe in a single stage. To those not familiar with taconite processing, the importance of the struggle to economically remove as much silica as possible may not be fully appreciated. These figures pertaining only to transportation may be thought-provoking. If a 10,000,000 ton per year plant could reduce the silica content of their concentrate by 17, a savings in boat freight alone would amount to 100,000 tons at $2.00 per ton annually.

Jan 1, 1963

By James J. Scott

Three dimensional photoelastic techniques have been developed which provide information on the state of stress at any point in a model investigated. This investigation utilizes these techniques to determine the stress distributions in the pillars and the roof of a room and pillar mine model. Castolite plastic was used for the construction of the model in which a stress pattern was developed by the stress freezing process. Analysis of the stress pattern was accomplished by use of data obtained by observing points in slices from the model with a polariscope and solving data obtained by' the shear-difference method. Slices through the centerline, edge of pillar and centerline of span were investigated. Results of this work provide information on the overall stress distribution on points of stress concentration in compression, shear and tension, show relative magnitude of stress throughout the model and indicate directions of the most important stress values. A generalized roof bolt pattern is developed for room and pillar mines based on the stress distribution. A digital computer was used in the reduction of data and proved to be extremely useful for investigation of this type.

Jan 1, 1963

By R. J. Morlock

Prior to 1912, coal research for Republic Steel, Corporation was limited to a periodic box test conducted in a commercial coke oven. Then in 1912, a Koppers movable-wall test oven was -built to research wall pressures for selected blends and to conduct other varied research work. In the 1950's economic pressures caused a reassessment of position resulting in the establishment of a Coal and Coal Chemical research group in 1956. In 1958 this group, along with other groups of research endeavor were incorporated into the new Republic Steel Corporation Research Center at Independence¬ Ohio. Currently this section is divided into four groups. 1) Coal Preparation, 2) Coal-Chemicals, 3) Coal Characterization, and 4) Coal Carbonization. The objective of each group is described, and a brief listing of the work done under the first three groups is indicated. A more detailed description of the studies by the Coal Carbonization group of the coking characteristics of Republic Steel Corporation's coals as blended among themselves or in conjunction with selected purchased coals follows. The wall pressure, contraction, and stability index criteria are specified, and the method of assessing these criteria as a function of blend composition is indicated.

Jan 1, 1963

By Robert Charles Alfred

Evolution is continuing in the field of rock drilling, Campbell Limestone Company is experimenting in the higher air pressure phase of drilling, It has been determined that there is a definite relationship between Air Pressure, Penetration Rate, Bit & Tool Wear and Life, In our drilling we have determined that &e higher air pressure gives a better penetration rate with less bit wear per foot. Drilling with 180 to 200 PSI air pressure, instead of 100 PSI for air and/or churn drills, has decreased our primary costs by approximately one half.

Jan 1, 1963

By W. L. O?Connell

[Patent Issue No. Date Issued To Subject 386,504 July 24, G. Sweanor The separation of quartz from a 1588 metal with a liquid such as CS2 or CHC13 under water by introducing mixture into water layer. Quartz will stay in water layer while metal sinks through organic.]

Jan 1, 1963

By J. C. Agarwal

A significant portion of the, coal mined by U. S. Steel is beneficiated to upgrade the quality of the resultant coke to meet blast-furnace requirements. Primarily because of degradation from modern mechanized mining methods, a considerable quantity of the coal to be beneficiated is in the 1/4-inch by 100-mesh size range. In the cleaning plants, this coal is usually cleaned on concentrating tables and then mechanically dewatered in solid-bowl centrifuges to 9 to 14 percent water. At some plants, to further decrease the amount of water shipped with coal, and to improve the coking characteristics of the coal at its destination, mechanical dewatering is followed by thermal drying. At U. S. Steel's-Alpheus preparation plant at Gary, West Virginia, approximately 50 percent of the total coal produced is in this fine size range, and two fluidized-bed dryers are used for the thermal drying step. The two fluidized-bed dryers are 14 feet in diameter and were designed by the Dorr-Oliver Company. Although the original design called for a rate of drying equivalent to 37 tons, of moisture per hour, presently they are removing twice that amount. This paper describes, the major problems encountered' in operating these dryers at the present, high capacities and how they were overcome.

Jan 1, 1963

By F. Taylor Ostrander

Some countries are infinitely poorer than others in mineral resources-despite the perfect equality of their political leaders ambitions. Compare the mineral poverty of Kenya and Tanganyika with the riches of Katanga Province and Northern Rhodesia. Compare Paraguay with Chile, There never has been any equality in the distribution of nature's wealth. Minerals cannot play any role at all in economic development where they don't exist, and there are bound to be differential rates of economic development where there are basic differences in the wealth of mineral resources available. Africa is my principal area of interest and I know that there is an unfortunate but widespread misconception about Africa's "vast mineral resources, "its "untapped mineral wealth." Why is it untapped? Why is it undeveloped?

Jan 1, 1963

By H. M. Thorne

Industrial shale-oil operations in North America and Europe predated the Drake discovery, but, since then, most have succumbed to competition from petroleum. However, the existence of enormous oil-shale resources in the Green River formation of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming [estimated at over a trillion bbl of shale oil in place] and the advancement of United States oil- shale technology by research and development programs of government and industry during the past 15 years point to a natural partnership of petroleum and oil shale to meet the accelerating energy demands of the future. The utilization of oil shale is not a question of limited petroleum supplies, but one of economics. Two factors are expected to improve the economic outlook for industrial shale oil production -- a rise in petroleum replacement cost and further advances in oil-shale technology.

Jan 1, 1963

By C. L. Coldren

Recently there has been much discussion of the use of pipelines for the long-distance transportation of solids. Many have come to recognize the economies inherent in pipeline transportation. The widespread movement of oil and gas at astonishingly low costs - a gallon of oil moves from Montana to New York for less than that for the delivery of a postcard - has spurred others to sturdy this mode of transportation. Most interested people are aware of the inherent advantages of pipelines - continuity and reliability of operations - low manpower requirements per ton mile - moderate capital costs per ton mile - low maintenance costs per ton mile - low operating costs per ton mile.

Jan 1, 1963

By Robert Stefanko

The importance of underground stress instrumentation cannot be minimized. It was Lord Kelvin who said that unless you can assign a number to a quantity,, you know very little about it. Most engineers will agree although this kind of statement is resented by our friends in non-technical fields. Mining is undergoing a revolution from art to science. But how can mining methods be optimized if there is no way of measuring the effectiveness of a given mining method? Do we know how effective a' support is unless we can determine its reaction to the mine structure? How do we assess the need for modifications to existing systems and supports, and how do we measure the effectiveness of such changes? Cut and try techniques are too wasteful of time and energy, and rarely provide solutions to a given problem. The purpose of underground stress instrumentation is to provide answers to some of the above questions -- answers that cannot be obtained otherwise This does not mean that laboratory studies are not valuable -on the contrary. Laboratory and underground studies supplement one another. Rock mechanics had its conception with the study of stresses in homogeneous, isotropic, and elastic models subjected to various force systems. These analyses were valuable inasmuch as they pinpointed possible sources of trouble due to stress concentrations. If the results observed underground did not always agree with the experimental analysis, it was not an indictment of the latter. More probably, the discrepancy could be attributed to the lack of similitude between model and prototype. The more nearly one can simulate underground conditions in a model, the more apt one is to produce results which correlate well-with underground observations. It is impossible to completely simulate underground conditions because all of the significant design parameters have not been recognized and evaluated. What better way can one evaluate these parameters than by underground stress instrumentation?

Jan 1, 1963

By W. J. D. Stone

Many of the common valuable minerals have a magnetic susceptibility which is sufficiently high to render them amenable to magnetic separation. In addition,, many minerals which form the unwanted constituents of an ore can be removed by magnetic means. Magnetic separation in general has suffered seriously from, the lack of a high intensity wet separator. It is only recently that such a separator has become available to the industry. Prior to this, high intensity magnetic separation has been limited to the use of the dry techniques. Since the introduction of the Jones Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separator, extensive test work has been conducted to investigate possible applications. From the investigations conducted and the discussions that have taken place in the industry, it is apparent that the important mineral characteristic of magnetic susceptibility is not receiving the attention that it deserves. Applications for high intensity wet separation are being found in areas hitherto not considered.

Jan 1, 1963

By R. S. Shepard

A quick glance at a-portion of the title of this discussion -'Rolling With The Punch" may immediately lead you to assume that I am about to expound on the so-called manly art of self-defense. So that you will not have been misled entirely we will devote our considerations to a far more important art and if I may, I should like to begin by quoting Vincent Van Gogh. According to a literal translation the artist in describing one of his famous paintings said "these peasants are eating their potatoes with those very hands that dug them from the earth' and put them in the dish". Vincent Van Gogh may not have realized at that time, that he could likewise have been describing what is probably one of the oldest of all arts - the art of Material Handling - an art that man with the aid of science has tried to improve since the beginning of time.

Jan 1, 1963

By Edward J. Adams

In recent years, there has been a shortage of individuals trained in the technical skills entering the mining industry. The university and industry, both indicating their concern, have joined efforts in an attempt to do something about this situation. An example of such an effort is the Pennsylvania State University's Student-Trainee Program in Mining Engineering, now in Its third year. The program is a five-year plan in which six months of schooling and six months of on-the-job training are alternated, climaxed by the student trainee earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mining Engineering plus two years of practical experience. The student trainee accepts the work-study plan as a satisfactory method of receiving a thorough education and preparing fog a career in the mining industry. Inasmuch as the work and study-periods are alternated, the trainee has an opportunity' to integrate his practical experience with his academic knowledge. He receives a chance to observe others perform she duties of the profession he is preparing to pursue, and he regards this as an essential part of any such cooperative effort. Even though there are some disadvantages, the trainee feels that the advantages of the program are definitely more decisive.

Jan 1, 1963

By M. P. McArthur

General mining practices at W. R. Grace's Bonny Lake mine are much the same as those used in open pit phosphate mines in Central Florida, except for the difference in the depth of the overburden which introduces many variations, From 1945 to 1961 the mining at Bonny Lake has been from an area in which the overburden averages from 55 to 60 feet and in several locations exceeded 65 feet. The matrix thickness will average 15 to 18 feet for the areas mined. As you can see from the above depths a total hole depth will average from 70 to 75 feet.

Jan 1, 1962

By Charles O. Frush

This paper presents a summary of the current employment practices with respect to recent graduates in Mining Engineering, as observed at the Colorado school of Mines. Because our experience is limited to our own group of students it prob¬ably does not correspond exactly to that experienced at other mining schools, but because the Colorado School of Mines graduates approximately 15 per cent of the men in this field our experience is probably representative. We have chosen to limit the information presented here to that pertaining to the period since July 1, 1960. This corresponds to the experience with the class of 1961 and to the experience of the class of 1962 up to the end of the first semester of the senior year. There were 36 mining engineering degrees given in 1961 In a class numbering 43 senior. We expect to give 30 first degrees in 1962 in a class numbering 44 seniors.

Jan 1, 1962