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By C. H. Bowen

NDUSTRY needs a generally applicable means of defining average grain size and grain size distribution. Students of sediments hade explored this field, employing methods that might also prove useful in engineering problems. Before attempting to solve specific problems it is well to review the derivation of commonly used grade scales and the reasons for their selection. This aspect of the problem seems largely to have been lost, and a review of basic factors may suggest causes for failures in using size analysis data. Three facts are implicit in selection of a grade scale: 1) Most particulate mixtures are continuous distributions of sizes, and any grade scale that may be employed is an arbitrary means of visualizing that distribution. 2) For purely descriptive purposes, any grade scale, regardless of the rationality of the class intervals, will be satisfactory if it is accepted by a sufficient number of workers. 3) For analytical purposes, class intervals must be small enough to define the continuous distribution accurately. Further, where statistical studies are involved, a fixed relationship should exist between classes or grades. An argument in favor of geometrically related size grades lies in the fact that most particulate mixtures contain such a wide range of sizes that use of an arithmetic diameter scale is practically impossible. Udden, who recognized this fact in 1898,' proposed one of the first grade scales based on a regular geometrical interval. Udden used 1 mm as his basic diameter and a ratio of 2 (or 1/2) between classes. In 1922 Wentworth2 re-examined Udden's grade scale, retaining the same class interval and basic diameter, but extending the scale in both directions and renaming the classes. In 1930 (Ref. 3, p. 82) the American Society of Testing Materials proposed what is now known as the U.S. Standard fine sieve series, also based on the 1 mm diam, with a v2 ratio between sieves. This, then, is a one fourth Udden-Wentworth series in the sizes below the 4 mesh sieve. The U.S. Standard coarse sieve departs from the 1 mm base and uses inches; hence it is not a direct continuation of the fine series. The U.S. Standard series would thus seem to possess all the attributes of a good grade scale, which it is. It has a large number of classes (sieves). in fact too many for practical use in its entirety. This v2 subdivision of the Wentworth grades has led to the common use of two v2 sieve series, the half-Wentworth and the engineers' series. Geologists and sedimentologists favor the half Wentworth, or 18, 25, 35, 45 sieves, etc., whereas the engineers, preferring round numbers, utilize the other half of the U.S. Standard grade scale in the 16, 20, 30, 40 sieves, etc. The fixed geometrical ratio between classes is an advantage in statistical analysis, but the unequal classes cause some complications in calculations. This is especially true when moment measures are used. It was to simplify these calculations that Krumbein in 1934 devised the phi scale. Phi is defined as being equal to —log2 of the diameter in millimeters. Selection of logarithms to the base 2 relate the phi scale directly to the Wentworth grade scale in such a manner that the whole or fractional diameter values 2, 1, 1/2, 1/4 mm, etc., become rational whole numbers, —1, 0,1, 2, etc. Since this is an arithmetic rather than geometric series, calculations are facilitated. When the logarithm is multiplied by —1 the phi values below 1 mm become positive, those coarser than 1 mm negative. Because of its relationship to the Wentworth grade scale (and in turn to the U.S. Standard fine sieve series) it is not necessary to use the transformation equation to calculate the phi value for each individual sieve; this can be done graphically as shown in Fig. 1. It should be noted that this graph may be extended in either direction to include the range of sizes most commonly used by the individual worker. Application to Statistical Analysis Any attempt at systematically relating size analysis data to properties involves a statistical study whether it is recognized as such or not. Since this is true it would seem more logical to use measures and devices related to the general body of statistical theory. Several methods are available for studying particulate mixtures. One of the most commonly employed, and also the most often misused, is the histogram or block diagram. If its limitations are recognized and provided for, the histogram is a very useful tool. According to conventional practice, the bars of equal width are plotted and the values noted in terms of diameters, when in point of fact, log diameter is implied by such notation. Further, the histogram is sensitive to choice of grade scale and size of class interval, either of which may color the result. Grade scales whose classes are not related by fixed intervals are particularly difficult. Another basic weakness of the histogram is that it pictures a continuous distribution as a series of discrete grades.

Jan 1, 1957

By Herbert A. Stein, John B. Murdock

AN analysis of perlite expansion furnaces must be based upon one consistent theory which explains how and why perlite does expand when heated. There is more than one such theory, so to establish a basis for the rest of this paper, the authors will outline one theory and the data that support it before going into the construction details of different furnaces. JOHN B. MURDOCK, Associate Member AIME, is President, and HERBERT A. STEIN is Secretary, of the Perlite Corp., Phoenix, Arizona. San Francisco Meeting, February 1949. TP 2736 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received Jan. 3, 1949. Why Perlite Expands: Perlite is known to contain some dissolved or combined fluid, probably water, which is lost when the material is heated to fusion. It is generally agreed that when particles of this volcanic glass are heated to fusion in such a way that vaporization of this water into steam takes place at the same time as the glass becomes soft, the steam puffs up each particle into a mass of glass foam. It is a simple matter to expand perlite under a blow torch for demonstration purposes, but in commercial installations, the problem is made more complicated by the necessity of making efficient use of both raw material and fuel, and producing an expanded aggregate conforming to close specifications for size distribution and density, using many different types of perlite rock. The ability of a given operation to fulfill these requirements depends upon the proper handling of four variables. They are: (1) the nature of the perlite rock used, (2) the heating time taken to get the perlite particle up to its highest temperature, (3) the size of the particle, and (4) the maximum temperature the particle reaches. Types of Perlite Rock: Perlite may be classified in many ways, but the characteristics most easily correlated with its behavior in furnaces are its softening temperature, its effective water content, and its "liveliness." Actually there is a close correlation among these three characteristics so it is possible to describe a perlite using any one of them. Lively perlites always have low softening temperatures and high effective water contents, whereas the deader perlites have higher softening temperatures and lower effective water contents. These softening temperatures run from 1400°F to above 2000°F and the effective water contents run from over 2 pct down to 0.2 pct. Included in the category of lively glasses are the green pitchstone from the Edgar claim in Superior, Ariz., the red pitchstone on the Animas highway south of Lordsburg, N. Mex., and a gray glass from Beatty, Nevada. Examples of intermediate perlites (in order of decreasing liveliness) are the Guzman-Lobb perlite with obsidian

Jan 1, 1951

By Herbert A. Stein, John B. Murdock

AN analysis of perlite expansion furnaces must be based upon one consistent theory which explains how and why perlite does expand when heated. There is more than one such theory, so to establish a basis for the rest of this paper, the authors will outline one theory and the data that support it before going into the construction details of different furnaces. JOHN B. MURDOCK, Associate Member AIME, is President, and HERBERT A. STEIN is Secretary, of the Perlite Corp., Phoenix, Arizona. San Francisco Meeting, February 1949. TP 2736 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received Jan. 3, 1949. Why Perlite Expands: Perlite is known to contain some dissolved or combined fluid, probably water, which is lost when the material is heated to fusion. It is generally agreed that when particles of this volcanic glass are heated to fusion in such a way that vaporization of this water into steam takes place at the same time as the glass becomes soft, the steam puffs up each particle into a mass of glass foam. It is a simple matter to expand perlite under a blow torch for demonstration purposes, but in commercial installations, the problem is made more complicated by the necessity of making efficient use of both raw material and fuel, and producing an expanded aggregate conforming to close specifications for size distribution and density, using many different types of perlite rock. The ability of a given operation to fulfill these requirements depends upon the proper handling of four variables. They are: (1) the nature of the perlite rock used, (2) the heating time taken to get the perlite particle up to its highest temperature, (3) the size of the particle, and (4) the maximum temperature the particle reaches. Types of Perlite Rock: Perlite may be classified in many ways, but the characteristics most easily correlated with its behavior in furnaces are its softening temperature, its effective water content, and its "liveliness." Actually there is a close correlation among these three characteristics so it is possible to describe a perlite using any one of them. Lively perlites always have low softening temperatures and high effective water contents, whereas the deader perlites have higher softening temperatures and lower effective water contents. These softening temperatures run from 1400°F to above 2000°F and the effective water contents run from over 2 pct down to 0.2 pct. Included in the category of lively glasses are the green pitchstone from the Edgar claim in Superior, Ariz., the red pitchstone on the Animas highway south of Lordsburg, N. Mex., and a gray glass from Beatty, Nevada. Examples of intermediate perlites (in order of decreasing liveliness) are the Guzman-Lobb perlite with obsidian

Jan 1, 1951

By C. H. Curtis

HE valuable mineral content of the current feed -*- to the Miami concentrator is as follows: copper, 0.7 pct total; molybdenum, 0.01. Flotation of this ore yields a sulphide concentrate containing: chalco- cite, 44 pct; molybdenite, 0.5; pyrite, 50.0; insol, 5.5. A combination of potassium ethyl xanthate and pentasol amyl xanthate as collectors, and pine oil as frother, are used in this flotation. Rejection of pyrite is encouraged by holding the amount of collectors used to the minimum consistent with copper recovery and by operating at high alkalinity (equivalent to 0.35-0.40 lb CaO per ton solution of pH 11.0). The molybdenum recovery in the sulphide concentrates under the above flotation conditions is approximately 50 pct of that originally present in the ore. Taking into account the acid soluble molybdenum, indicated molybdenite recovery is 75 to 80 pct. The attempt to separate the molybdenite into an acceptable molybdenum product begins with the bulk sulphide flotation concentrate just described. This concentrate is composed of chalcocite, whose floatability has been promoted to the fullest extent possible for the sake of its recovery from the ore, together with the pyrite which has been activated along with the copper mineral. The problem is to deaden the copper and iron minerals, and to float the molybdenite. Obviously in the accomplishment of this end, conditioning and preparation of the pulp, prior to flotation, plays an all important role. The first step is thickening to 50 to 60 pct solids, with milk of lime added to the thickener feed to maintain an alkalinity of the pulp equivalent to a pH of 8.5 to 8.8 during its residence in the thickener. The purpose of the thickening is primarily to reduce the volume of pulp for subsequent treatment. However, the relatively prolonged retention of the pulp in the thickener at the desired alkalinity is known to have a favorable depressing effect upon pyrite. There is a limit for this alkalinity above which a depressing effect upon molybdenite occurs. The thickened pulp (alkalinity: 0.015 lb CaO per ton, pH 8.8), discharges into an agitator, retention time approximately 2 hr, to which additional lime is added to raise the alkalinity to 0.35 to 0.40 lb CaO per ton solution, pH 11.6. This additional lime is required for pyrite depression and can be tolerated without loss of molybdenite because of the limited time of contact in the conditioner tank. The pulp leaving the lime conditioner passes through two successive steaming tanks, which are mechanically agitated, and into which live steam is admitted directly into the pulp near the bottom of the tanks. The temperature of the pulp is maintained as near boiling as possible. The steaming time is approximately 4 hr. The pulp leaving the last steamer has an alkalinity of about 0.04 lb Cao per ton solution, pH 8.7. It is believed that oxidation of the copper and iron sulphides occurs during steaming, the resulting sulphates reacting the calcium hydroxide to calcium sulphate and thus reducing the alkalinity. Since the steamer-feed solution is already saturated with calcium sulphate, the calcium sulphate produced during steaming is precipitated. It is believed that this calcium sulphate is precipitated preferentially on copper and iron mineral surfaces thus decreasing their floatability. Aside from the "lime chemistry" during steaming, pine oil is displaced from the pulp and xanthate decomposed, which has a major effect upon the deadening of the copper and iron sulphides. Following steaming, the hot pulp is admitted to another conditioning tank wherein it is aerated, primarily for cooling, but incidentally for additional oxidation of the copper and iron sulphides. The resulting "deadened" pulp is then diluted to 20 pct solids, a specific collector for molybdenite, ordinary stove oil, is added and the separation of the molybdenite by flotation is undertaken at a pH of 8.5 to 8.8 in standard Miami air-flotation ma-chines. B-22 frother is used when necessary. A re-grind of the thickened rougher concentrates is made prior to the first cleaning operation chiefly for rejection of insoluble in subsequent flotation. The cleaner concentrate is then stepped up to 90 pct MoS, in an 8-cell Denver flotation machine No. 18. Sodium silicate is added to the cleaner circuit. Its effect is to flocculate molybdenite and stabilize the froth. In summary, it may be stated: 1. Separation of molybdenite into an acceptable product from sulphide copper concentrates by flotation involves preliminary preparation and conditioning of the pulp, which is of major importance. 2. This preparation and conditioning consists of several successive steps: (A) Thickening to 50 to 60 pct solids at controlled alkalinity to reduce volume of pulp and to contribute to depression of pyrite. (B) Agitation at high-pulp density for limited time with additional lime to provide for depression of pyrite. (C) Steaming at high-pulp density for decomposition of xanthate and xanthate surface films, evolution of pine oil, and oxidation of sulphide minerals other than molybdenite. The latter involves sulphating of lime with probable precipitation of calcium sulphate preferentially on copper and iron minerals. (D) Aeration at high-pulp density for cooling, and for further oxidation of copper and iron sulphide minerals. (E) Dilution of pulp to 20 pct solids and addition of specific collector for molybdenite, common stove oil. It is hardly necessary to point out that this rather drastic procedure for depression of previously activated copper and iron sulphide minerals, without at the same time depressing molybdenite, is possible due to the inherently high floatability and refractory nature of molybdenite. However, molybdenite is susceptible to depression by excessive lime which must therefore be limited to the amount consistent with satisfactory molybdenite recovery. The steaming procedure is being carried on at Miami Copper Co. under license agreement with Janney, Nokes, and Johnson, holders of letters patent on the process.

Jan 1, 1951

By C. H. Curtis

HE valuable mineral content of the current feed -*- to the Miami concentrator is as follows: copper, 0.7 pct total; molybdenum, 0.01. Flotation of this ore yields a sulphide concentrate containing: chalco- cite, 44 pct; molybdenite, 0.5; pyrite, 50.0; insol, 5.5. A combination of potassium ethyl xanthate and pentasol amyl xanthate as collectors, and pine oil as frother, are used in this flotation. Rejection of pyrite is encouraged by holding the amount of collectors used to the minimum consistent with copper recovery and by operating at high alkalinity (equivalent to 0.35-0.40 lb CaO per ton solution of pH 11.0). The molybdenum recovery in the sulphide concentrates under the above flotation conditions is approximately 50 pct of that originally present in the ore. Taking into account the acid soluble molybdenum, indicated molybdenite recovery is 75 to 80 pct. The attempt to separate the molybdenite into an acceptable molybdenum product begins with the bulk sulphide flotation concentrate just described. This concentrate is composed of chalcocite, whose floatability has been promoted to the fullest extent possible for the sake of its recovery from the ore, together with the pyrite which has been activated along with the copper mineral. The problem is to deaden the copper and iron minerals, and to float the molybdenite. Obviously in the accomplishment of this end, conditioning and preparation of the pulp, prior to flotation, plays an all important role. The first step is thickening to 50 to 60 pct solids, with milk of lime added to the thickener feed to maintain an alkalinity of the pulp equivalent to a pH of 8.5 to 8.8 during its residence in the thickener. The purpose of the thickening is primarily to reduce the volume of pulp for subsequent treatment. However, the relatively prolonged retention of the pulp in the thickener at the desired alkalinity is known to have a favorable depressing effect upon pyrite. There is a limit for this alkalinity above which a depressing effect upon molybdenite occurs. The thickened pulp (alkalinity: 0.015 lb CaO per ton, pH 8.8), discharges into an agitator, retention time approximately 2 hr, to which additional lime is added to raise the alkalinity to 0.35 to 0.40 lb CaO per ton solution, pH 11.6. This additional lime is required for pyrite depression and can be tolerated without loss of molybdenite because of the limited time of contact in the conditioner tank. The pulp leaving the lime conditioner passes through two successive steaming tanks, which are mechanically agitated, and into which live steam is admitted directly into the pulp near the bottom of the tanks. The temperature of the pulp is maintained as near boiling as possible. The steaming time is approximately 4 hr. The pulp leaving the last steamer has an alkalinity of about 0.04 lb Cao per ton solution, pH 8.7. It is believed that oxidation of the copper and iron sulphides occurs during steaming, the resulting sulphates reacting the calcium hydroxide to calcium sulphate and thus reducing the alkalinity. Since the steamer-feed solution is already saturated with calcium sulphate, the calcium sulphate produced during steaming is precipitated. It is believed that this calcium sulphate is precipitated preferentially on copper and iron mineral surfaces thus decreasing their floatability. Aside from the "lime chemistry" during steaming, pine oil is displaced from the pulp and xanthate decomposed, which has a major effect upon the deadening of the copper and iron sulphides. Following steaming, the hot pulp is admitted to another conditioning tank wherein it is aerated, primarily for cooling, but incidentally for additional oxidation of the copper and iron sulphides. The resulting "deadened" pulp is then diluted to 20 pct solids, a specific collector for molybdenite, ordinary stove oil, is added and the separation of the molybdenite by flotation is undertaken at a pH of 8.5 to 8.8 in standard Miami air-flotation ma-chines. B-22 frother is used when necessary. A re-grind of the thickened rougher concentrates is made prior to the first cleaning operation chiefly for rejection of insoluble in subsequent flotation. The cleaner concentrate is then stepped up to 90 pct MoS, in an 8-cell Denver flotation machine No. 18. Sodium silicate is added to the cleaner circuit. Its effect is to flocculate molybdenite and stabilize the froth. In summary, it may be stated: 1. Separation of molybdenite into an acceptable product from sulphide copper concentrates by flotation involves preliminary preparation and conditioning of the pulp, which is of major importance. 2. This preparation and conditioning consists of several successive steps: (A) Thickening to 50 to 60 pct solids at controlled alkalinity to reduce volume of pulp and to contribute to depression of pyrite. (B) Agitation at high-pulp density for limited time with additional lime to provide for depression of pyrite. (C) Steaming at high-pulp density for decomposition of xanthate and xanthate surface films, evolution of pine oil, and oxidation of sulphide minerals other than molybdenite. The latter involves sulphating of lime with probable precipitation of calcium sulphate preferentially on copper and iron minerals. (D) Aeration at high-pulp density for cooling, and for further oxidation of copper and iron sulphide minerals. (E) Dilution of pulp to 20 pct solids and addition of specific collector for molybdenite, common stove oil. It is hardly necessary to point out that this rather drastic procedure for depression of previously activated copper and iron sulphide minerals, without at the same time depressing molybdenite, is possible due to the inherently high floatability and refractory nature of molybdenite. However, molybdenite is susceptible to depression by excessive lime which must therefore be limited to the amount consistent with satisfactory molybdenite recovery. The steaming procedure is being carried on at Miami Copper Co. under license agreement with Janney, Nokes, and Johnson, holders of letters patent on the process.

Jan 1, 1951

By W. S. Gillam

A need for new supplies of fresh water exists today and in many specific areas that need is urgent. One solution lies in saline water conversion, a problem complicated by cost factors. The principles involved in saline water conversion, the status of development, and the estimated costs (present and future) of several processes are presented. Among the methods discussed are distillation, electrodialysis, and freezing. In general, the costs presented are based on a standardized procedure for estimating conversion costs, permitting a valid comparison among the various processes. The need for new supplies of fresh water and the potential benefits to be derived from an abundant supply of converted water are recognized by practically everyone concerned with water problems. The water supply problem exists today; it is urgent in many specific areas in this country and also in the world, and it will become more acute in the future. One answer to the growing problem of adequate water supplies is the development of new sources. Very significant quantities of brackish underground and surface waters exist in certain areas and an inexhaustible supply of ocean water is available. Thus in many areas water resources can be extended through saline water conversion. Congress recognized the need for new sources of fresh water in 1952 and passed the Saline Water Act, Public Law 448, amended it in 1955, and in September 1958, enacted Public Law 85-883, calling for the construction of at least five demonstration plants. The program is administered by the Dept. of Interior through the Office of Saline Water, and its primary objective is to reduce the cost of converted water produced, whether it be by development of new processes or improvement of known processes. This is a most difficult problem and one that will require several years of prodigious effort. It is difficult—not because of any intricate or new chemistry, engineering, or physics involved—but because of the difficulty in converting water at low cost. Whatever the sources of the saline water, the salts which are held tenaciously in solution must be removed before the water becomes suitable for industrial or domestic uses. Saline water is a relatively simple system of salts dissolved in water. It has certain chemical and physical properties that determine the various methods by which the salts may be separated from the water. The system, although not complex, in most instances, has had countless years in which to reach equilibrium and is, therefore, comparatively stable. Because of its stability, separation of saline solutions requires relatively large quantities of energy. The unique properties of water depend on the fact that its molecules are chemically active. The chemical and physical properties of water are associated with the type of bonding involved in the water molecule. Chemical changes such as hydrolysis, or rusting of iron, involve the breaking of chemical bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Physical changes, such as evaporation in a boiler, the melting of ice, or the viscous resistance to flow in a pipe, involve breaking of the hydrogen bonds. (The hydrogen nucleus is so small that it can attract two negative atoms.) Thus water molecules not only combine with molecules of other compounds but even with one another; e.g., each molecule may be bounded to four other molecules. Water molecules cling to the ions of dissolved salt to form water-encumbered hydrated ions and they cling to one another to form entangling networks through which hydrated ions can be propelled only by tearing the networks apart. That is one reason why considerable energy still needs to be expended in our simplest procedures for purifying water. If water molecules did not have this habit of clinging so tenaciously to other molecules, and to one another, it would be easy to push salt ions past the water molecule and get a separation. But the water would not then dissolve salt, so the problem would not exist.' Water when heated evaporates very slowly, relative to other liquids having simple molecules. Vaporization involves the separation of molecules from the liquid, and this means overcoming the attraction between molecules which is due to the hydrogen bonding. The heat of vaporization for water is high; consequently, the boiling point of water is also high. Water boils at 100" C; hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at -60" C; oxygen (02) at -183" C; nitrogen (N2) at -196" C; and methane (CH4) at-161°C, even though the latter has about the same molecular weight as water. Because of these peculiar properties of water, it exists as a liquid on earth instead of a gas such as hydrogen sulfide or nitrogen and oxygen.

Jan 1, 1961

By Katherine Mather

This paper is an attempt to put together petrographic, physical, and chemical data about the large and varied group of rocks generally called limestones. Results of the properties of these rocks on their performance as concrete aggregates are discussed. CRUSHED stone classified as limestone comprises about 70 pct of the crushed concrete aggregate and roadstone produced in this country, and the product has amounted in the recent past to about 97 million tons per year, valued at more than $123,-000,000.' Therefore an evaluation of the properties of rocks classified in these statistics as limestones and an ability to predict their behavior as aggregate in portland cement concrete are matters of considerable economic consequence to producers and consumers of aggregate. This paper is an attempt to put together petrographic, physical, and chemical data about the large and varied group of rocks generally called limestones. It also points out certain results of the properties of these rocks on their performance as concrete aggregates. The problems encountered in efforts to explain the behavior of limestones, dolomites, and related rocks as concrete aggregate lie on the frontiers between the ignorance of the geologists and the ignorance of the engineers. The mineral composition and textures of the rocks have not been adequately explored and described, and the effects of mineral composition and texture on the performance of aggregates have been worked out in only a few cases. There are instances of unsatisfactory performance and some generalizations of those experiences. There are many more examples of satisfactory performance than of unsatisfactory, but there is practically no published information as to why a particular aggregate was satisfactory in a specific use. There are all too few investigations of undeteriorated concrete; more is known about the pathology of concrete than about its normal structure and aspect. As part of the investigation of aggregates, the classification of rocks is not an end in itself, but is a step toward recognition of properties expected to influence the behavior of aggregates in their intended use. Rock of any type may perform well or poorly as concrete aggregate, depending on the physical condition of the rock, its physical and chemical properties as compared to those of the matrix in which it is placed, and the circumstances under which the concrete is exposed. Some classification and descrip- tion of the limestones is necessary to distinguish subgroups whose members will probably behave in similar ways and to evaluate the group as a whole. The group name, limestone, includes and tends to conceal the identity of rocks that have a very great range in chemical and mineralogical composition, structure and texture, conditions of deposition, subsequent history, and suitability for use as concrete aggregate. All the rocks classified as limestones include one or both of the most abundant rock-form-ing carbonate minerals, calcite and dolomite, as major constituents. Carbonate rocks is a more descriptive and more accurate group name than limestone, which has generally been used to include dol-omitic or magnesian limestones and dolomites as well as calcitic limestones. Classification and Description of the Carbonate Rocks The question of names to be applied to the carbonate rocks may appear academic, but it is of practical importance as long as there are specifications for aggregate that result in acceptance or rejection of rocks by name and as long as failure to make distinctions among the carbonate rocks leads to misunderstandings of their properties and of what may be expected of them in performance. Materials included in production statistics as limestone and tested for concrete aggregate as limestone range in fact from calcareous shale and calcareous or dolomitic sandstone and argillaceous limestone and dolomite to calcitic limestone and pure dolomite and to rocks close to calcitic and dolomitic marble. To take a simple example: consider two manufactured coarse aggregates, both dense and unweathered, one composed principally of crystalline calcite and the other of crystalline dolomite, but both known as limestone. If each is used as coarse aggregate in a standardized concrete mixture with the same fine aggregate used in both cases, made into concrete specimens, and tested in accelerated freezing-and-thaw-ing, the test results will probably be quite different, because of the differences in internal bond and thermal properties between the two aggregates. As long as both aggregates are called limestone, the test results cannot be explained, or used except in a very limited way; if the aggregates are distinguished as limestone and dolomite and the consequent differences in texture and thermal properties are recognized, the results are reasonable. Classification of the carbonate rocks used as aggregate should be based on structure and on composi-

Jan 1, 1954

By Louis Moyd

The Concrete Research Division, U.S. Corps of Engineers, has developed a simple procedure for determining the coefficients of linear thermal expansion of rocks by means of resistance wire (SR-4) strain gauges. Gauges are cemented to the surfaces of specimens, which are then brought alternately to temperatures of 35OF and 1350F. Results are accurate to the seventh decimal place. IN the course of investigations of the thermal properties of various rocks proposed for use as aggregates in concrete structures, a relatively rapid method of determining coefficients of linear thermal expansion was required. A method which proved to be satisfactory for this purpose was developed in the petrographic laboratory of the Concrete Research Division, U.S. Corps of Engineers, at Clinton, Miss. The method is based on the fact that strain effects in a specimen can be determined by measuring variations in the resistance of an electrical conductor firmly cemented to the surface of the specimen. Equipment for the determination of strain, electrically, has been developed by the Baldwin-South-wark Division of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. This equipment includes small strain gauges made of coils of resistance wire bonded between thin sheets of paper (SR-4 gauges), and a portable "Strain Indicator" which records variations in the length of the gauges in microinches per inch. Gauges of this type are now in general use for determinations of various mechanically-induced strains, but their use for the determination of coefficients of thermal expansion appears to be a new application. The advantages of the method are that the test specimens may be relatively small and require only a minor amount of preparation, that a large number of tests can be run at the same time, and that the installation and operation of the equipment is relatively simple. The method and equipment described are now in regular use for determining the coefficients of linear thermal expansion of rock samples submitted to this laboratory. Rocks which have been tested include granites, syenites, gabbros, and other igneous rocks, limestones and dolomitic limestones, sandstones, and quartzites. Specimen Preparation: To standardize the conditions of the tests, the rock specimens are sliced by diamond saw into slabs about 11/2x11/4 in. In the case of bedded or foliated rocks, three oriented slabs are cut from the same specimen, and represent, respectively, a direction in a plane of the bedding or foliation of the rock; a direction along the bedding or foliation and at a right angle to the first; and a direction across the planes of bedding or foliation. One of the large surfaces of each slab is lapped for a few minutes with No. 100 abrasive powder to remove saw scars and irregularities. The slabs are soaked in petroleum ether and then dried in an oven to remove all traces of oil picked up in the sawing

Jan 1, 1951

By Louis Moyd

The Concrete Research Division, U.S. Corps of Engineers, has developed a simple procedure for determining the coefficients of linear thermal expansion of rocks by means of resistance wire (SR-4) strain gauges. Gauges are cemented to the surfaces of specimens, which are then brought alternately to temperatures of 35OF and 1350F. Results are accurate to the seventh decimal place. IN the course of investigations of the thermal properties of various rocks proposed for use as aggregates in concrete structures, a relatively rapid method of determining coefficients of linear thermal expansion was required. A method which proved to be satisfactory for this purpose was developed in the petrographic laboratory of the Concrete Research Division, U.S. Corps of Engineers, at Clinton, Miss. The method is based on the fact that strain effects in a specimen can be determined by measuring variations in the resistance of an electrical conductor firmly cemented to the surface of the specimen. Equipment for the determination of strain, electrically, has been developed by the Baldwin-South-wark Division of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. This equipment includes small strain gauges made of coils of resistance wire bonded between thin sheets of paper (SR-4 gauges), and a portable "Strain Indicator" which records variations in the length of the gauges in microinches per inch. Gauges of this type are now in general use for determinations of various mechanically-induced strains, but their use for the determination of coefficients of thermal expansion appears to be a new application. The advantages of the method are that the test specimens may be relatively small and require only a minor amount of preparation, that a large number of tests can be run at the same time, and that the installation and operation of the equipment is relatively simple. The method and equipment described are now in regular use for determining the coefficients of linear thermal expansion of rock samples submitted to this laboratory. Rocks which have been tested include granites, syenites, gabbros, and other igneous rocks, limestones and dolomitic limestones, sandstones, and quartzites. Specimen Preparation: To standardize the conditions of the tests, the rock specimens are sliced by diamond saw into slabs about 11/2x11/4 in. In the case of bedded or foliated rocks, three oriented slabs are cut from the same specimen, and represent, respectively, a direction in a plane of the bedding or foliation of the rock; a direction along the bedding or foliation and at a right angle to the first; and a direction across the planes of bedding or foliation. One of the large surfaces of each slab is lapped for a few minutes with No. 100 abrasive powder to remove saw scars and irregularities. The slabs are soaked in petroleum ether and then dried in an oven to remove all traces of oil picked up in the sawing

Jan 1, 1951

By C. O. Lee, R. H. Feierabend, Z. W. Bartlett

DESPITE the fact that American brimstone production has increased 2 times since the prewar period 1935-1939, the demand for sulphur exceeds the supply. To alleviate this situation efforts are being made to increase the production of sulphur and bring the shortage to an end. The most important developments are being undertaken on the Gulf Coast. One new brimstone mine has been put into operation and three others are being developed. These projects are expected to account for a large part of the additional sulphur production now anticipated for the free world.'.' Except for a small amount of byproduct sulphur from sour natural gas and refinery gases, American brimstone is produced by the same process devised by Frasch 60 years ago, consisting essentially of the injection of superheated water at about 325°F into sulphur-bearing formations through wells which are drilled from the surface by standard oilfield methods. Sulphur deposits vary in depth from a few hundred feet to 2500 ft from the surface; in a typical deposit the sulphur occurs as crystalline aggregates in porous limestone and gypsum in concentrations varying from 5 to 40 pct, the thickness of the formation ranging from a few feet to several hundred.3 The deposits are usually surrounded by formations impermeable to the flow of hot water, the top and sides being enclosed by impermeable sediments and the bottom by dense impermeable anhydrite. As the hot water leaves the well bore, it percolates through the formation and transmits its heat to the rock and sulphur. When the sulphur reaches 240°F it melts, separates from the rock, and flows through the hot channels downward to the bottom of the well. Here it is freed from incoming water and from formation water, which saturates the porous rock, by gravity separation, liquid sulphur being 1.8 times as heavy as water. It then is pumped to the surface in a relatively pure state, 99.5 pct or better. Chief contaminants are organic impurities, such as petroleum residues, which are soluble in sulphur and tend to discolor it.' Sixteen deposits of commercial magnitude have been discovered in the Gulf Coast area. Five of these deposits have been depleted and abandoned with production totalling more than 26,886,000 tons. Eight properties are operating and have produced 65,875,-000 tons to Jan. 1, 1952, for a total Frasch-type production of 92,761,000 tons. Three new deposits are under development. Aforementioned deposits are listed in Table I. Each of these deposits has been found in the cap-rock overlying shallow intrusive salt plugs or domes and buried in several hundred to as much as 2500 ft of sediments. All salt domes do .not contain sulphur; only 16 sulphur deposits have been found in a total of 231 salt domes which are known to exist in the Gulf Coastal states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Ten of the salt domes lie in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Additional offshore domes may be found, but their value as a sulphur potential is questionable owing to the great hazard and high cost that can be visualized at these exposed locations where depths of water reach 50 ft. Marsh operations of Freeport Sulphur Co. are in the southeast section of Louisiana. In general, the country is low, flat, relatively uninhabited marshland broken by many shallow lakes and bayous which extend for irregular distances inland. Geologically, the coastal area is of sedimentary origin, having been built up gradually under the sea by deposition of material carried down by large streams to their deltas. Offshore bars were formed enclosing

Jan 1, 1953

By C. O. Lee, Z. W. Bartlett, R. H. Feierabend

DESPITE the fact that American brimstone production has increased 2 times since the prewar period 1935-1939, the demand for sulphur exceeds the supply. To alleviate this situation efforts are being made to increase the production of sulphur and bring the shortage to an end. The most important developments are being undertaken on the Gulf Coast. One new brimstone mine has been put into operation and three others are being developed. These projects are expected to account for a large part of the additional sulphur production now anticipated for the free world.'.' Except for a small amount of byproduct sulphur from sour natural gas and refinery gases, American brimstone is produced by the same process devised by Frasch 60 years ago, consisting essentially of the injection of superheated water at about 325°F into sulphur-bearing formations through wells which are drilled from the surface by standard oilfield methods. Sulphur deposits vary in depth from a few hundred feet to 2500 ft from the surface; in a typical deposit the sulphur occurs as crystalline aggregates in porous limestone and gypsum in concentrations varying from 5 to 40 pct, the thickness of the formation ranging from a few feet to several hundred.3 The deposits are usually surrounded by formations impermeable to the flow of hot water, the top and sides being enclosed by impermeable sediments and the bottom by dense impermeable anhydrite. As the hot water leaves the well bore, it percolates through the formation and transmits its heat to the rock and sulphur. When the sulphur reaches 240°F it melts, separates from the rock, and flows through the hot channels downward to the bottom of the well. Here it is freed from incoming water and from formation water, which saturates the porous rock, by gravity separation, liquid sulphur being 1.8 times as heavy as water. It then is pumped to the surface in a relatively pure state, 99.5 pct or better. Chief contaminants are organic impurities, such as petroleum residues, which are soluble in sulphur and tend to discolor it.' Sixteen deposits of commercial magnitude have been discovered in the Gulf Coast area. Five of these deposits have been depleted and abandoned with production totalling more than 26,886,000 tons. Eight properties are operating and have produced 65,875,-000 tons to Jan. 1, 1952, for a total Frasch-type production of 92,761,000 tons. Three new deposits are under development. Aforementioned deposits are listed in Table I. Each of these deposits has been found in the cap-rock overlying shallow intrusive salt plugs or domes and buried in several hundred to as much as 2500 ft of sediments. All salt domes do .not contain sulphur; only 16 sulphur deposits have been found in a total of 231 salt domes which are known to exist in the Gulf Coastal states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Ten of the salt domes lie in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Additional offshore domes may be found, but their value as a sulphur potential is questionable owing to the great hazard and high cost that can be visualized at these exposed locations where depths of water reach 50 ft. Marsh operations of Freeport Sulphur Co. are in the southeast section of Louisiana. In general, the country is low, flat, relatively uninhabited marshland broken by many shallow lakes and bayous which extend for irregular distances inland. Geologically, the coastal area is of sedimentary origin, having been built up gradually under the sea by deposition of material carried down by large streams to their deltas. Offshore bars were formed enclosing

Jan 1, 1953

By F. D. Hoyt, H. L. Hartman

The development of new processes and methods by The Pennsylvania State University to improve slate quarrying technology has centered in recent years on cutting and sawing stone in the quarry to eliminate a second cutting process in the mill. Two machines exhibit promise for this work: 1) a circular saw mounting diamonds or hard inserts to produce smaller sizes of stone and 2) a chain saw with insert cutting teeth to produce stone in the larger dimensions. Prototype machines have been constructed and tested in several Pennsylvania slate quarries, and one commercial installation has been operated for several months with a circular diamond saw. Other kinds of dimension stones may be cut by these saws. Research at Penn State has begun to study the fundamental cutting action of rotary tools or saws in slate and other dimension stones. A laboratory drill press is being instrumented to permit thrust-torque-rotational speed us penetration rate studies of single tooth cutting surfaces on stone. Machinability studies of slate conducted with tungsten-carbide inserts have been performed. The dimension stone industry generally accepts the rather basic premise that the larger the block removed from the quarry, the more practical and economical the operation. Thus, the concept of cutting to size any dimension stone while it remains in place in the parent bed would receive little consideration from the majority of members of the industry. However, the slate industry, which is usually considered a separate member of the dimension stone family, is pioneering in the development of an in-place sawing method. Before any final decision can be reached concerning a proposed new system, it is essential to take a long, hard look at the present method of operation in order to determine if the new system is indeed an improvement or even desirable. In the following section is a brief description of present quarry practice in the slate quarries of eastern Pennsylvania. PRESENT METHOD OF QUARRYING SLATE In the numerous slate quarries of Lehigh and Northampton Counties of Pennsylvania, the grain and cleavage of the slate are most often at right angles to each other; if a third surface is broken at right angles to these two natural planes of weakness, blocks of more or less rectangular shape can be separated.' In conventional quarrying a large calyx core drill prepares holes of 36-in. diam in which wire-saw standards are positioned. By wire sawing between strategically located core-drill holes, large sinks or benches of virgin slate are opened up. The sides freed by wire sawing will vary from quarry to quarry but generally are rectangular in shape with dimensions averaging 20 ft in length and about 15 ft in depth. Some quarries are fortunate in having a joint or natural parting to work to, which of course diminishes the amount of core drilling and wire sawing required. Once the various benches have been developed either through wire sawing alone or through a combination of wire sawing and natural jointing planes, the block removal proceeds in the following manner. A plug hole is drilled in the block with a compressed-air hammer and a feathering chisel is inserted in the hole to cause a fracture of the rock either with or against the grain as indicated by the positioning of the so-called feathers. This operation is referred to as sculping. After a block has been freed with and against the grain by means of wedging from the cross fracture with long bars or levers, the block is further freed along the cleavage plane by shimming it up with small wooden pieces in an operation known as styling. A large steel loading chain is wrapped around a block thus freed and the chain is attached to the wheel of an overhead cable. The block is then hoisted vertically to the cableway and moved along this cableway laterally to the lip or edge of the quarry. From here it is unloaded onto a rail car or truck for transportation to the processing mill. Except for occasional blasting to free stubborn blocks,

Jan 1, 1961

By A. N. Chirico

This paper reviews the three major distillation processes: multiple effect (LTV) evaporation, multi-stage flash distillation and vapor-compression forced circulation evaporation. Scale preventative measures are discussed for all saline water applications. Operational data is presented on the Freeport, Texas, demonstration plant, which is the first government facility to produce one million gallons per day of fresh water for a municipality. There has been much publicity concerning the water crisis that confronts many peoples today. There is little doubt that the arid regions - which include the Middle East, parts of Africa and the Caribbean — have suffered to no slight extent for the lack of this most precious commodity. But what about our own country? Government experts have extrapolated demands and flatly predict that by 1980 we will be faced with a shortage of 80 billion gal per day. The validity of this prediction has been disputed by others; however, it appears certain that there will always be a natural abundance in some areas, a shortage of supply in other areas. Distributing our total natural water resource equitably would be impossible. Transmission of water by means of aqueducts can be an expensive undertaking. The controversial Feather River Project in Calif. is an example. The estimated cost for this venture is a staggering three billion dollars. As our population continues to increase and our standard of living rises, agricultural and industrial requirements will be proportionate. What can be done to avoid a crisis? We can conserve and use our water for industrial and irrigation purposes more judiciously: we can attempt to eliminate pollution of our natural resources from sewage and industrial wastes; we can develop, while there is time, saline water conversion processes for the massive production of low cost fresh water. The scope of this paper will be limited to only the distillation type processes that are commercially feasible. The first step in making potable water is to find a source of raw material. An inexhaustible supply is provided by oceans in coastal regions, but the supply of water is more critical in the inland communities of our country. The source of raw material in these. regions is brackish well water and this must be utilized. There is a significant process difference when handling brackish water compared to seawater and this brings out an important fact: No single conversion method can be universally applied to solve all the water problems. Composition of the raw water and degree of distillate purity are factors which must be considered before a particular process is selected. Local conditions at the plant site, fuel costs, labor costs, disposal facilities, etc. are other equally important factors which must be evaluated. WATER CONVERSION PROCESSES Conversion processes commercially feasible today are: 1) multiple effect evaporation, 2) multiple flash distillation, 3) vapor compression distillation and 4) electrodialysis. The first three are distillation processes which take potable water out of the raw water, while the fourth is a membrane process which takes out the salt. In addition to the above there are a good number of other promising methods for production of potable water, many of them in the basic research stage. Freezing is another promising process with commercial potential. This process hinges upon the formation of ice crystals which are free of salt occulsions. Separation and washing of the crystals are problems that must be solved before this process can be considered commercially feasible. Freezing processes have several advantages mostly attributable to the low temperature of operation. This low temperature reduces the scaling and corrosion problems encountered in higher temperature operations. Several different freezing processes are being considered and will be tested in the pilot plant at Wrightsville Beach. One process is a flash freeze process, a second uses a secondary refrigerant such as butane for freezing, and a third process employs a secondary refrigerant particularly controlled to produce large ice crystals. Of the above processes, only the distillation processes are reliable when water of high purity is re-

Jan 1, 1963

By R. R. French

Investigations were conducted by the lndiana Geological Survey for some dry methods of bene-ficiating low-grade gypsum ore. Seventy-two batch and continuous flow tests were performed with a roller mill, rod mill, pebble mill, electronic color sorter, electrostatic separator, and an air separator. Approximately 650 size analyses and 550 chemical analyses were performed during the investigation. Batch samples were tested by the Survey, and most of the continuous flow tests were handled by com-mercial laboratories. INTRODUCTION Although many companies producing gypsum have been interested in dry beneficiation, very little information has been published in the past. One of the most comprehensive investigations was reported by the Canadian Department of Mines.5 Other reports of interest have been published by the Canadian Department of Mines,' the South Australian Department of Mines,2 and the U.S. Bureau of Mines.3 Some beneficiating practices, such as hand picking, selective mining, crushing and screening, milling, and air classifying, were already in use in the Canadian industry prior to MacPherson's investigations.5 MacPherson examined the effect of tabling, air separation, screening, flotation, electrostatic separation, calcining, washing, and various types of milling, in his efforts to eliminate dolomite, limestone, and small amounts of silica and clay from the gypsum ore. RAW MATERIAL Gypsum and anhydrite occur within the lower part of the St. Louis Limestone (Mississippian) in southwestern Indiana. Gypsum in single beds 10 or more ft thick occur at Shoals, Martin County; near Freedom, Owen County; near Bloomfield, Greene County; and in the Devonian strata of LaPorte County. Only the Shoals deposit has been exploited commercially. The western edge of the Shoals deposit is contaminated by a continuous bed of shale, about 1 1/2 to 2 ft thick, near the top of the evaporite and by thin continuous strata or irregular masses of carbonate rock. The low-grade material used in these investigations was obtained from the waste pile of the National Gypsum Co.'s plant at Shoals. The waste ore averaged about 67.4% gypsum and was contaminated by various amounts of shale, dolomite, and limestone. All the material had been previously crushed and screened to minus 1 1/4 to plus 3/8 in. X-ray analyses of powdered, sedimentated, gly-colated, and heat-treated samples of the shale showed that it was composed of slightly structurally disordered illite, Fe-rich chlorite, and very finegrained disseminated silt. The clays and silt were partly cemented with carbonate material. Light-gray argillaceous limestone and gray or brown porous dolomite made up most of the carbonate rock contamination. Crushing Characteristics: The rate unweathered gypsum, carbonate rock, and shale reduce in size was determined by crushing handpicked samples in a rod mill and screening at minus 100 mesh (.0059 in.). Fig. 1 graphically represents the data. These data indicate that carbonate rock should be relatively easy to separate from gypsum, but that shale should be difficult to separate from gypsum by differential crushing. Controlled Samples: Eight rod mill tests of hand-picked samples of mixed gypsum and shale and mixed gypsum and carbonate rock were made. Sample weight and crushing weight were standardized, but the scalping screen size was varied from 3 to 10 mesh (.265 to .0787 in.) in order to obtain the optimum purity and recovery. The data obtained from the tests (see Table I) illustrate that the relatively hard carbonate rock allows appreciable beneficiation (13.6 to 18%), but the low strength gypsum and shale allows only minimal separation (3.1 to 7.5%).* Semi control led Samples: During the investigation considerable slaking of the shale was noted when the ore was subjected to alternate wetting and drying. As demonstrated in laboratory tests, as much as 76% shale can be removed by two cycles of wetting and drying in a 48-hour period with subsequent screening at .265 in. Five ore samples, stockpiled and weathered, were screened, rod-mill crushed and rescreened at .157 or .187 in. with excellent results (Table 11).

Jan 1, 1967

By W. M. Myers

Certain minerals possess inherent color and other properties that make them suitable for the pigmentation of paints, mortar, plaster, concrete, face brick, and other materials. Their production is one of the most ancient of mineral industries and their use by primitive man is well known. These natural pigments have some economic factors in their favor, particularly wide geographic distribution, low cost of production, ease of preparation, chemical stability, and permanence in use so that they continue to form the basis of a small but useful industry. When used in paints such pigments act as a filler and supply body and opacity in addition to color. Natural mineral pigments are prepared for the market by the comparatively simple operations of washing, grinding, blending, and calcining. Any one, or all of these processes may be applied to a single pigment. The development of synthetic pigments and the use of byproduct materials have introduced competition with the products of nature and are having a growing influence on the economic position of the mined minerals. Development of the Industry The industry developed to commercial stature in Pennsylvania largely because of the presence of beds of ocher extending from Easton in a southwesterly direction toward Reading, and a variety of small iron mines in the region. The mining of paint ores in the Lehigh Valley was active as early as 1850 and shortly after the Civil War the establishment of mills expanded production and led to the development of new products and eventually the manufacture of synthetic pigments. Pennsylvania continues to maintain it.s leadership as a producer of mineral colors. Production is recorded also in New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, and Georgia. Iron as a Pigment Iron in various compounds is the most important pigment in nature. The iron pigments are characterized by stability, light fastness, good covering power, high index of refraction, and economy in production. Ferrous compounds display a typical green coloration. This has not been employed as a commercial pigment to any great extent except incidentally in such greenstones as have been used in construction, or crushed and sized for application as a granule to roofing. Ferric oxides are characteristically red and form an important group of industrial pignents. Hydrated ferric oxides exhibit various shades of yellow and are present in such familiar pigments as ocher and sienna. The addition of small amounts of manganese oxide or carbon as organic matter to the yellows produces the brown umbers. Magnetite is one of the few black minerals that grinds to a black powder. The mineral pigments vary from earth colors of low intensity and great dilution of iron content to almost pure iron compounds with high tinting strength and correspondingly greater value. There has been some relationship between the mining of iron ores and the production of mineral pigments; although the production of colors is not carried on appreciably as a byproduct of iron mining. A number of mineral pigment producers, particularly in the eastern states, have operated mines which in the past were small producers of hematite, bog ore, or carbonate ore. The knowledge of the location of the deposit and its possibilities as a producer of pigment are due to its past history as a producer of metallic ore. Many iron compounds may be changed in color by calcination, the end product being Fe2O3, a stable red oxide. The yellow hydrated oxides may be changed to red. The gray carbonate, found in Carbon County, Pa., calcines to a fine red product. Ferrous sulphate (copperas) often available in tonnage as a byproduct of the steel industry, breaks down under heat or chemical action leaving a residual red oxide. Pigments produced by calcination or dissassociation of compounds possess the advantage of fine particle size and ease of grinding. Mineral Pigments MINERAL BLACKS Many black minerals grind to a light colored powder. This characteristic is familiar to the mineralogist as the white streak produced by a black

Jan 1, 1950

By E. Martinez

The effect of ultrasonic energy transmitted through a liquid on chrysotile asbestos was investigated. Ultrasonic energy was effective in fiberization of chrysotile crudes as well as standard grades of milled asbestos fibers. Treated samples of several grades of milled fibers had increased wet bulk volumes and decreased settling and filtration rates compared to untreated fibers. Ultrasonics may be a method for fiberization of chrysotile without decreasing length or use of chemical additives that alter surface properties. Cavitation of the liquid on the surface of fiber bundles is believed to be the cause of the fiberization. It was found that ultrasonic energy greatly increased the rate of precipitation of latex on asbestos. When chrysotile asbestos fibers require additional opening or fiberization, the usual method employed is some type of high speed impact or grinding to open the fibers and produce a larger surface area. These methods always cause some degradation in length due to breaking of fibers. In addition, the efficiency of mechanical methods decreases as the diameter of fiber bundles decreases. Chemical methods have been proposed and it is claimed that fiberization down to individual fibers of 200-300 A diam is possible with some wetting agents. However, large amounts of reagent are required, approximately EDWARD MARTINEZ is with Central Research Laboratories, American Smelting and Refining Co., South Plain-field, N.J. TP 63H226. Manuscript, Aug. 12, 1963. Discussion of this paper, submitted in duplicate prior to Mar. 15, 1964, will appear in SME Transactions, September 1964, and AIME Transactions, 1964, vol. 229. 50 pct of the weight of fiber treated, and some of the wetting agent remains on the surface of the chrysotile and cannot be removed by any solvent which does not destroy the asbestos.' This investigation was directed at determining whether ultrasonic energy transmitted through a liquid would be effective in fiberizing chrysotile asbestos. Samples of asbestos crudes and commercially milled fibers were treated; settling and filtration rates of treated and untreated milled fibers were obtained. EQUIPMENT A Westinghouse Corp. ultrasonic cleaning system WEHH was used in this investigation. See Table I for a breakdown of this ultrasonic unit. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Fiberization of Chrysotile Crudes: Samples of chrysotile crudes were pulled apart with tweezers so that coarse bundles of fiber approximately 1/16 in. in diam were obtained. The bundles were put into a bottle with 200 ml of methanol and the mixture placed into the ultrasonic tank for 30 min at a power output of 1200 w. The test was repeated using water instead of methanol. During the irradiation it was noted that the surfaces of the bundles were being fiberized. The liquid eventually became cloudy with dispersed solids. Fig. 1 is an electron micrograph of the fibers, some reduced to unit dimensions, and a fine material released by the ultrasonic energy. The platy particles in Fig. 1 were identified by electron diffraction and differential thermal analysis as brucite, Mg(OH)2, which must have been intergrown in the chrysotile crudes. Electron micrographs of bulk specimens of chrysotile have shown a fine material filling the interstices between tubular fibers.2,3 Electron diffraction patterns of the fine material collected after ultrasonic treatment indicate that it is amorphous. After decanting the solution, bundles of chrysotile remained somewhat decreased in diameter. Continuing the ultrasonic irradiation of the remaining material resulted in additional fiberization. The opening of the fibers occurred in both methanol and water. Cavitation of the liquid by the ultrasonic energy is undoubtedly responsible for the fiberization. When sound waves are transmitted through a liquid at a

Jan 1, 1963

By M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

THE performance of coal-washing equipment, that is, the effectiveness with which coal and impurity are separated, is a subject of undisputed interest to all concerned with the preparation of coal. Through the years much has been written in both American and European literature on the performance of coal-washing equipment and its interpretation, but until recently no effort has been made to consolidate this wealth of information into a single, comprehensive treatment of the subject. A splendid effort in this direction was made at the First International Conference on Coal Preparation held in Paris in June 1950 in which representatives from virtually every coal-producing country participated. Although the scope of the conference covered the entire field of coal preparation, many of the sixty-odd papers and a great deal of the discussion dealt with the subject of evaluating washery performance. Prominence was given this subject by the Centre d'Etudes et Re-cherches, des Charbonnages de France, which sponsored the conference. This research organization, generally referred to as Cerchar, was formed in 1948 following the nationalization of the French coal industry. Since that date it has conducted an intensive study of coal preparation. Perhaps because of a fresh viewpoint, Cerchar realized immediately that complete information on the performance of French washeries and a thorough understanding of the mechanism of gravity separation were the fundamental prerequisites in a program to improve preparation practice. For this reason Cerchar concentrated on obtaining performance data and on a comprehensive study of methods of evaluating such information. Some idea of the magnitude of this work will be appreciated from the fact that 175 performance tests were made in 44 plants. The work performed by Cerchar emphasized a condition that is recognized by many of those concerned with coal preparation, namely that the lack of uniformity in presenting data on washery performance, the diversity of methods used in evaluating such information, and the frequent confusion of the terms related to performance have been prime factors militating against the progress from art to science. Thus, Cerchar feels that standardization of the methods employed for evaluating washery performance, not only in France but in the entire world, is essential to progress, and the prime objective of the Paris conference was to seek international standardization of the evaluation methods advocated by Cerchar. At the conclusion of the conference the question of standardization was referred to the International Standards Organization. A careful study of the dozen papers on the subject of evaluating washery performance presented at the conference reveals that none of the methods is new; most of them date back over a decade. Nevertheless, the intensive scrutiny of these methods brought about by the conference unquestionably has resulted in a valuable exchange of ideas and a clarification of thought that could scarcely be achieved in any other way. The object of the present report is to make available to the American coal industry the ideas developed at the conference which seem most important from an American viewpoint and to provide a critical analysis of some of the evaluation methods advocated by Cerchar. The various methods of evaluating washery performance are illustrated partly with data that have been published in American literature, and some new data have been obtained as the result of experimental work undertaken since the conference to provide information on certain controversial points. An English translation of the proceedings of the conference, including the discussion as well as the papers, will be available,' and previous to the conference Coal Age2 published a very brief description of some of the principal evaluation methods used by Cerchar. Americans will appreciate as well as do the French the desirability of standardizing both the termi-

Jan 1, 1952

By Reuben B. Ellestad, Fremont F. Clarke

Lithium chemical plant extraction methods are discussed with reference to 1) base exchange with alkali sulphates; 2) processing based on roasting with lime; 3) miscellaneous methods; and 4) application of the Lithium Corp. process to extraction of lithium from run-of-mine, low grade spodumene ore, or concentrates. IN the early days of the lithium industry most of the production was from lepidolite, zinnwaldite, and amblygonite. Nearly all the early extraction processes described in the literature involve heating the finely ground mineral with sulphuric or hydrochloric acid. On subsequent water leaching most of the bases present in the mineral (especially aluminum) are dissolved as sulphates. As a result, the leach solution required extensive chemical purification before the lithium could be precipitated as carbonate. Following the remarkable growth of the lithium industry to its present size, zinnwaldite and amblygonite ores must be considered of minor importance only. Attention is now focused on spodumene, abundant enough in North America to be a major source of supply, and there are important supplies of lepidolite and petalite in Africa. The extraction processes described below all apply to spodumene, although several will also operate on other lithium minerals, such as petalite. Base Exchange with Alkali Sulphates: A distinct advance was made with the disclosures of Wadman and von Girsewalt. In these methods the finely ground silicate ore (spodumene or lepidolite) is intimately mixed with an excess of alkali sulphate (usually K2SO4) in at least a 1 to 1 proportion, and the mixture was heated to a relatively high temperature. Base exchange results, with the formation of lithium sulphate. A water leach dissolves the lithium sulphate, together with the excess potassium sulphate. Successful operation of this type of process requires very thorough grinding and mixing, as well as careful temperature control. The use of K2SO4 is objectionable from cost considerations since purification of lithium carbonate requires the use of potassium carbonate, if the K2SO4 is to be recovered and recycled. The lower solubility of K2SO4 as compared with Na2S04 is also objectionable, since it limits the concentration of the Li2SO4 solution to be precipitated by K2SO4. Early laboratory-scale investigation of this process by Lithium Corp. was not encouraging. Other related base exchange processes are those of Lindblad, Wallden, and Sivander3 and Sivander, Gard, Villestad, and Wallen4. The former covers the reaction of lithium silicate minerals with a sodium sulphate solution, at 100" to 300°C (under pressure), while the latter involves the extraction of silicate minerals with molten sodium sulphate. Both these processes would seem to be difficult and expensive to operate.

Jan 1, 1956

By R. A. Kinzie

THE major operating costs in a cement plant are labor, power, and fuel. The opportunities and methods of savings in labor and power parallel other industries. Because our industry's use of fuel is large and its method of use is unique, the devices adapted for saving fuel are of interest. In normal practice the raw material in the form of a dry powder or a mud is fed to a rotating inclined cylinder where it is dried, calcined, and clinkered. In a Lepol kiln the raw material is rolled up into little balls with water in the nodulizer, fed to a traveling grate on which it is dried and partially calcined and tben to a short kiln where the process is finished. The more usual methods of saving heat have been the use of long kilns with chains in wet process plants and the use of waste heat boilers in dry plants (fig. 1). At the Santa Cruz plant we have used a Lepol system kiln and achieved a fuel 'economy of 4.7 gal per bbl of clinker or about 704,-000 Btu per bbl. This can be compared with our old kilns using the same fuel and raw material which consume 7.8 gal per bbl or 1,130,000 Btu per bbl. These are gross Btu and not the net figures usually used in reports of foreign companies. Our average consumption for 1948 was 708,000 Btu per bbl of Lepol clinker, based on cement sold, and oil purchased. The overall fuel consumption for 1948 was 6.61 gal per bbl. The Lepol system consists of a nodulizer, a grate, and a kiln. There is the usual accessory equipment which is similar to that used in other cement plants. The following description covers the equipment in operation at our plant. The nodulizer is a cylinder 8 ft 10 in. in diam by 18 ft long set on a slope of 1/2 in. per ft, and rotated at about 10 rpm. It is driven by a 50 hp wound rotor motor drawing about 9 kw. The inside of the shell is cleaned by a continuously operating scraper which draws 0.1 kw. The dry raw material is fed to the nodulizer where, being sprayed with water, it rolls into small spheres about 90 pct being between 1/2 and 1 in. in diam and containing about 15 pct water. The nodules fall on the traveling grate where the hot gas from the kiln is pulled down through the

Jan 1, 1951

By R. A. Kinzie

THE major operating costs in a cement plant are labor, power, and fuel. The opportunities and methods of savings in labor and power parallel other industries. Because our industry's use of fuel is large and its method of use is unique, the devices adapted for saving fuel are of interest. In normal practice the raw material in the form of a dry powder or a mud is fed to a rotating inclined cylinder where it is dried, calcined, and clinkered. In a Lepol kiln the raw material is rolled up into little balls with water in the nodulizer, fed to a traveling grate on which it is dried and partially calcined and tben to a short kiln where the process is finished. The more usual methods of saving heat have been the use of long kilns with chains in wet process plants and the use of waste heat boilers in dry plants (fig. 1). At the Santa Cruz plant we have used a Lepol system kiln and achieved a fuel 'economy of 4.7 gal per bbl of clinker or about 704,-000 Btu per bbl. This can be compared with our old kilns using the same fuel and raw material which consume 7.8 gal per bbl or 1,130,000 Btu per bbl. These are gross Btu and not the net figures usually used in reports of foreign companies. Our average consumption for 1948 was 708,000 Btu per bbl of Lepol clinker, based on cement sold, and oil purchased. The overall fuel consumption for 1948 was 6.61 gal per bbl. The Lepol system consists of a nodulizer, a grate, and a kiln. There is the usual accessory equipment which is similar to that used in other cement plants. The following description covers the equipment in operation at our plant. The nodulizer is a cylinder 8 ft 10 in. in diam by 18 ft long set on a slope of 1/2 in. per ft, and rotated at about 10 rpm. It is driven by a 50 hp wound rotor motor drawing about 9 kw. The inside of the shell is cleaned by a continuously operating scraper which draws 0.1 kw. The dry raw material is fed to the nodulizer where, being sprayed with water, it rolls into small spheres about 90 pct being between 1/2 and 1 in. in diam and containing about 15 pct water. The nodules fall on the traveling grate where the hot gas from the kiln is pulled down through the

Jan 1, 1951