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By Kang Wan, Lei Tang, Jianchao Li, Jieyu Zhang, Minqi Sheng, Jifang Xu

"The viscous flow phenomenon in slag close to the liquidus temperature was considered. A simple approach that liquidus temperatures of melt could be derived from viscosity data was employed. The potential of this method for estimating the liquidus temperatures of pure water and binary alloy was demonstrated. The liquidus temperatures of the CaO-Alz03 based slags obtained from the second derivative method depends upon the number of viscosity values available at different temperature intervals. The results indicated that plots start deviating from the straight-line behavior at temperature as expect, and the second derivatives show the break points at a certain temperature, which is the liquidus temperature. Comparisons among the present observations as well as the characteristic temperature of the selected slags, which measured by the hemisphere method and DSC, indicated that it is possible to get a reasonable idea of estimate the liquidus temperatures from activation energies for viscous flow.IntroductionThe liquidus temperature of slag, which has a significant effect on the kinetics of chemical reactions and the slag-metal separation, is extremely important for metallurgical operations. Experimental measurements of the liquidus temperatures of slags are difficult, since slags invariable supercool. In addition, behavior of a single constituent in a multi-component slag is different in different circumstances due to its interaction with other constituents. Hence, it is essential to study the liquidus temperature of each particular slag resulting from a special process. Usually, the compositions of the slags aimed to the single liquid region of the phase diagram. However, the phase diagram of many slag systems, which back often to the 1950's, involves considerable uncertainties. Many liquidus temperatures are given as dotted lines in Slag Atlas [1]. Disagreements between the phase diagram and the reality have been found [2]."

Jan 1, 2013

By S Tyrrell, B Jackson, K Matson

Northern Star Resources Limited Jundee Gold Mine in Western Australia operates a comminution circuit that consists of a primary crusher, 3.85 MW semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, 1.8 MW ball mill and pebble recycle crusher. In 2017, a secondary crushing circuit was installed to remove the SAG mill throughput bottleneck and increase production of highly competent underground ore from 1.35 to a minimum of 1.7 Mt/a.This paper discusses the findings from the trial phase, the circuit design, project delivery, site optimisation, and the plant performance.CITATION:Matson, K, Tyrrell, S and Jackson, B, 2018. The application of secondary crushing at the Jundee gold mine, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 485–496 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By R. W. Macqueen

Organic matter commonly associated with Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) lead-zinc deposits may be used to assess the burial/thermal history of host rocks and sulfides. Organic matter may also have been involved in the genesis of H2S required to precipitate sulfide ores. Pine Point, Northwest Territories, Canada, provides an example. Located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, Pine Point is an operating world class deposit which has produced 58 million tons of ore containing 3.0 percent Pb and 6.1 percent Zn from more than 40 Individual orebodies. Well-documented paleokarst features in a Middle Devonian carbonate complex are the main ore hosts. Sphalerite and galena ores are mainly open space fillings, and, from fluid inclusion studies, were deposited from saline fluids at temperatures of up to at least 100°C. Forms of organic matter occurring in the Pine Point barrier-reef complex Include indigenous organic matter, heavy oil and bitumen. Based on numerous geochemical criteria, it is clear that heavy oils and bitumens were derived locally from indigenous organic matter. The geochemical character of the Indigenous organic matter demonstrates that the barrier-reef complex is immature to marginally mature with respect to petroleum generation, and has not been heated above about 60°C maximum. Thus sphalerite with fluid inclusions that yield temperatures up to about 100°C represents former thermal anomalies. Bitumen is of two main forms at Pine Point: widespread soft, tarry material soluble in organic solvents (unaltered bitumen); and hard, brittle, glassy material that is mostly solvent-insoluble, and associated with white sparry dolomite and lead-zinc ores (altered bitumen). There are also partly altered bitumens. Unaltered bitumens have atomic H/C ratios of about 1.4, sulfur contents averaging 7.8 percent, and sulfur isotope ratios 634S) of approximately +4.6 per mil. Altered bitumens have atomic H/C ratios averaging 1.02, sulfur contents averaging 22 percent, and 634S values of about +12.9 per mil. These data and the organic geochemical character of a large suite of bitumen samples analyzed, strongly support the concept that some bitumen has been involved in the thermochemical reduction of sulfate to produce the H2S required to precipitate the ores. Mass-balance calculations indicate that the amount and degree of alteration of bitumen is more than enough to account for the reduced sulfur species deposited as metallic sulfides at Pine Point. MVT deposits, including Pine Point, seem to require the coincidence of available metallic Ions, pre-existing pore space, and a precipitating agent. A close look at organic matter in more MVT settings may outline trends in distribution or alteration which can be used as indicators of past thermal environments and processes of ore deposition.

Jan 1, 2013

By Chee Theng

"Mining professionals are a resilient lot. Sure, copper prices are dismal, permitting processes seem interminable and the top mining companies are shedding jobs like a Shetland sheepdog sheds hair. All the more reason to hone technical skills, reconnect with old contacts and get one’s finger on the pulse of the industry.More than 400 did just that in the balmy sunshine and among the saguaro cactus of the Tucson venue of the SME Arizona Conference.Giving the keynote speech was Patrick Merrin, vice president at Hudbay Minerals (see box), while the luncheon speaker was University Distinguished Professor Mary Poulton, director of the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources at The University of Arizona.“Attendance was great, especially given the copper price,” said Ta Li, vice president of business development at Tetra Tech and 2001 SME President. “The luncheon speaker was one of the better ones in recent years. Her talk contained a lot of fresh ideas, and practical versus theoretical concepts.”Talk about values, not economicsPraise was unanimous for Poulton, who gave a thought-provoking talk on “The New Face of Mining: The Culture Change for Compatible Mining.” Corporate social responsibility has been embraced by the metals mining industry, and it’s being done right, she said. “So why do we have more conflict? Why are there more protests? Why does permitting take longer and longer?” Poulton made a case for an approach based on compatible, rather than sustainable, mining to present a new face of mining that can be compatible with communities, cultures and the environment, and still be profitable. When the mining industry starts to talk about compatibility between what it is doing and what “me,” as the consumer, wants, what “we,” as citizens of a community, want, and what’s good for the “world,” we’re going to see the next culture change happen, she concluded."

Jan 1, 2015

By V. T. McLemore

The Wind Mountain (WM) nepheline syenite deposit is part of the alkalic complex in the Cornudas Mountains, which ranges in age from 34.6 ± 1.5 Ma to 36.8 ± 0.6 Ma. The WM deposit consists of a complex, zoned pluton that ranges from syenite porphyry to nepheline syenite porphyry. The WM deposit has potential use for ceramics and dark-colored beverage containers and consists of nepheline, k-feldspar, albite, and varying amounts of other minerals. Analcime also is present locally but must be avoided because it is unsuitable for ceramic and glass. Chemically the deposit consists of 56-63 % SiO2 17-21 % Al2O3 and 4.0-5 % Fe2O3. Although initially iron is high, when the crushed rock is passed through a specialized magnetic separator, the iron content drops to below commercial maximum standards of less than 0.5% Fe2O3. The WM deposit is currently under exploration and testing to determine marketability.

Jan 1, 1994

By Kavetsy A

In surface mining operations, the ease with which a muckpile may be dug is a dominant factor in mining efficiency. Within broad limits this is largely independent of the fragment size dis- tribution, since the equipment used to move the broken rock is generally larger than in underground mines. In such cases, muck- pile shape and voids ratio within a muckpile heavily influence mine productivity. In a particular operation, the muckpile shape after blasting should be tailored to the digging equipment being used. A front- end loader is best suited to a low, flat-lying, loose muckpile, because of its fairly good mobility and small break-out force with its bucket. In contrast, a rope shovel lacks mobility, generates a much larger break-out force with its bucket, and fills its bucket in a vertical filling motion. Therefore, it is ideally suited to well fragmented, steep faces. In situations where a dragline is used, the requirement for a suitable muckpile depends on the operat- ing scheme of the dragline. For a conventional highwall key method the preferred work- ing level of the dragline is the same as the highwall, so that the dragline may sit over its key. In this situation, the ideal muck- pile shape involves relatively little displacement of the fragmented rock, with a minimal "power trough" at the back of the blast. In throw blasting, on the other hand, it is desirable to cast as much of the spoil as possible across the pit. It is then necessary to optimize the blast design by maximizing the throw percentage under any necessary constraints (e.g. damage, vibration, flyrock, explosive cost).

Jan 1, 1988

By J. M. Glass, C. D. Sholtess

We at Hughes Tool Co. are extremely proud of the quality of the hardware and techniques introduced through our efforts in tunnel-machine development and of the ready acceptance of them by manufacturers and contractors throughout the world. All of us who attended the conference and who are represented in the book, we believe, anticipate an increasing need for improved methods of underground excavation. The development of such methods will permit the further exploitation of our underground resources plus providing underground space for transportation and habitation at a rate compatible with demand. We hope that our comments, derived from the application of Hughes Tool Co.'s rotary boring experience, may provide a better understanding of the boring method as a possible avenue through which the desired improvement in underground excavation may be attained. We hope you may also become aware of some of the problems Hughes, as a pioneer developer of raise, shaft, and tunnel-boring equipment, must face prior to further major undertakings in this very interesting field. Our task is to acquaint you with the present status of the Hughes Tool Co. development program as it relates specifically to tunnel-boring machines. We feel this task can best be accomplished by a brief review of the general sequence of events leading to and constituting an equipment development program and more specifically the manner in which these events have occurred to either influence or further our boring-machine development program. The development of a machine to accomplish a certain function or series of functions is usually a very long and tedious process to which any number of individuals must contribute, perhaps over a period of centuries. Of particular irony is the fact that often those who contribute most generously do not necessarily reap the greatest immediate benefit. A marketable ma- chine will, however, result from a sequence of events such as these: 1) A problem or need is defined. 2) An idea is born to eliminate the problem.

Jan 1, 1970

By D. Turnbull, R. E. Cech

THE supercooling behavior of pure liquid metal droplets has been described.' The solidification behavior of small droplets of Cu-Ni alloys as a function of composition is described herein. The Cu-Ni system is of interest for such an investigation because the components are miscible in all proportions in both the liquid and solid state and the phase diagram of the system, Fig. 1, is a type often encountered in metal systems. It was noted by Van Riemsdyk2 and others that the nature of the "blick" of gold droplets during assaying is not perceptibly affected by the content of the platinum group metals that are soluble in both liquid and solid gold. With the exception of these very qualitative observations there appear to have been no prior investigations of the supercooling of alloy droplets. A series of nine alloys varying in composition by 10 pct (nominal weight) steps was made using certified OFHC copper, 99.996 pct purity, obtained from the American Brass Co., and electrolytic nickel pellets, 99.92 pct purity, obtained from the International Nickel Co. The alloys were melted and cast in vacuo in a high frequency induction furnace. Segregation was minimized by chill casting into 1-in. diam steel molds. Each alloy rod was homogenized at a temperature 50°C lower than the solidus for 100 hr in dry hydrogen. Samples for solidification experiments and chemical analysis were machined from the same portion of each rod and at a depth of in. from the rod surface. A Car-boloy tool was used in taking turnings to minimize contamination of sample by the cutting tool. As a check, a number of samples for microscopic observation were chipped from the ingot with a fragment of pyrex glass. The resultant data in all cases agreed, within experimental error, with the data obtained from machined turnings. A number of small particles, 30 to 50 micron diam, of a Cu-Ni alloy were placed in a quartz vial 1/32 in. diam x % in. long. This was inserted into a platinum ribbon heater and mounted in a high temperature microscope stage. The general procedure followed in inserting samples into the stage and measuring the temperature of melting and solidification was the same as described in an earlier paper.' A chromel-alumel thermocouple was used to study alloys of 88.93 pct Cu, 80.62 pct Cu, and 72.27 pct Cu. A platinum-10 pct rhodium thermocouple was used for the remainder of the alloys. Procedure The assembled high temperature microscope stage was first evacuated and the sample given a 2 min in situ treatment at 900 °C in dry hydrogen to remove surface oxides which might otherwise catalyze crystal nucleation. After this treatment the atmosphere was changed to purified helium and melting and solidification were observed microscopically. It was not possible to determine the solidus with certainty. However, the liquidus temperature was measured very accurately since the surface of the particle changed in appearance from coarse and uneven to smooth, mirror-like within a few degrees. The visually determined liquidus temperature was checked by finding the highest temperature to which the particle could be heated such that it did not supercool upon lowering the temperature. This temperature which checked within experimental error with that found by observing surface change was assumed to be characteristic of the thermody-namic liquidus. In order to minimize the effect of selective evaporation of copper from the alloy, samples were changed frequently and the droplets were heated no more than 50 °C in excess of the liquidus temperature T,. When the latter conditions were fulfilled, T, values were reproducible. After melting, the temperature was decreased slowly until the particles solidified. The sudden release of heat of fusion on solidification caused the

Jan 1, 1952

By Norwood B. Melcher

This report describes preliminary experiments by the Federal Bureau of Mines on the practicability of adding raw pellets of taconite concentrate to blast furnace feeds. The usual industrial practice is to harden the pellets by heating before they are charged to the furnace. The Bureau research demonstrated that raw pellets could be successfully smelted in an experimental furnace with no significant change in coke consumption and only a moderate increase in dust losses. The dust loss was 43 pounds per ton of metal for an all-pellet charge, compared with 7 pounds per ton for an all-sinter charge. Raw taconite pellets undergo only slight degradation during charging to the furnace if 1 percent bentonite is used as a binder. INTRODUCTION Fines and concentrates must be consolidated or agglomerated into larger masses before they can be smelted in a commercial blast furnace. Such agglomeration is usually done by sintering, pelletizing, nodulizing, or briquetting. Sintering has been the more common practice, but with the advent of taconite concentrates pelletizing is increasing in importance.

Jan 1, 1960

INAP was formed in 1998 by a number of major mining companies, with a view to sharing acid rock drainage knowledge and experience, and to coordinate global research on the management of sulfidic mine wastes. INAP is now moving to further strengthen its global role by networking with regional organisations that are active in the area of ARD, including MEND 3/NEDEM 3 in Canada, the ADTI in the USA and ACMER in Australia. The INAP-Regional Organisation partnership will be formally launched at the 6th ICARD.

Jan 1, 2003

By Irving B. Cadoff, Ernest Levine

The crack formation and propagation in the single -phase Cu-4 pct Ag alloys were studied. The alloys were loaded in mercury to various stress levels, the mercury was removed, and the specimen examined for cracks. Cracks were found to develop below the fracture stress; the frequency of such cracks increased with increasing stress level. Some cracks were nmpropagative. Fracture in mercury was found to occur by the link-up of cracks formed at various stress levels rather than by the growth and propagation of a single crack. If the mercury environment is removed prior to a critical amount of crack formation, then continued loading results in ductile fracture. The appearance of the cracks at selected grain boundaries is related to the relative orientation of the boundaries, as are the propaga-tive characteristics of the crack. The mercury interaction appears to be one of lowering the strength of the metal-metal bonds in the high-stress area of the grain boundary. GRIFFITH'S microcrack theory1 proposed a critical crack size above which a crack in an elastic material grows with decreasing energy at a stress of From his theory it was proposed that the presence of a liquid tends to lower the surface energy of the microcrack faces2 leading to a decrease in the critical crack size necessary for spontaneous fracture propagation. stroh3 proposed that the stress concentration at a grain boundary due to pile-up may initiate a microcrack at the grain boundary. petch4 and Stroh5 evaluated the stress distribution at the head of a pile-up in a polycrystal-line material and deduced that the critical crack size and hence of is dependent on the grain size. Experimental verification of this dependence was found by petch6 for hydrogen embrittlement of steel. Studies in stress-corrosion cracking7 have provided a picture of fracture which shows that initial separations occur in a scattered, independent fashion in regions of high tensile stress. A minimum or threshold stress is necessary to produce a sufficient stress concentration to initiate frac- ture. These separations join up to form a crack. The extension of fracture is largely discontinuous and consists of a joining up of cracks. In recent worka evidence of this scattered crack network was found in a Cu-Ag alloy embrittled by mercury. For the Cu alloy-Hg couple, the crack path has also been found to be dependent on the orientation of adjacent grains, and with the addition of zinc to mercury a reduction in embrittlement along with a change in fracture morphology was found.9 In this present study, a mercury-dewetting method was used to observe crack initiation and fracture morphology when a Cu-4 pct Ag alloy is deformed in mercury and Hg-Zn solutions. PROCEDURE Specimens of Cu-4 pct Ag were prepared as in previous crack-path studies.' The specimens were heated at 770°C for 24 hr and water-quenched Tension tests using a table-model Instron were carried out in mercury and in various concentrations of Hg-Zn. Loading was in steps up to the fracture stress, with the load being removed and the specimen examined for surface cracks at each step. The specimens were dewetted after each load to permit examination of the surface structure and rewetted prior to continued loading. The specimens were wetted by electro polish ing in phosphoric acid, rinsing in alcohol, and then immersing in a pool of mercury. Dewetting was accomplished by flame heating the specimen for 30 sec in a vacuum. Some surface contamination was found, but not enough to obscure crack configurations and grain boundaries. RESULTS Fracture Characteristics in Mercury. Fig. 1 is a stress-strain curve showing the progressive step-wise loading of the specimen. As may be seen from the graph, the first position stopped at a is at a stress 5000 psi below the expected fracture stress of 25,000 psi. Examination of the specimen after removal of mercury showed only one crack. The appearance of this crack at a stress far below the fracture stress of this alloy in mercury did not affect the stress-strain curve in any manner. The specimen was then recoated with mercury and deformation was continued (curve b, Fig. 1) raising the stress by 4000 psi, and the same procedure re~eated. The initial crack was located and appeared as in Fig. 2 (crack lb). In this figure the crack is

Jan 1, 1964

By Anthony W. Garson

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen: It is a pleasure to be here this morning as a representative of Dean Witter Reynolds; one of the foremost international investment firms in North America. My colleague, Hugh Wilmer (who will be speaking to you a little later), and I are involved as research analysts in the research and writing of published reports containing recommendations on the buying or selling of North American and South African gold and silver mining shares. Our talk this morning will focus on the gold mining operating costs of North American and South African gold producers. However, I am not going to bore you with reams of statistics on the operating costs of large numbers of gold mining operations; how meaningful would this data be to you? Instead, I will discuss what the investor should look for, and how he should use this knowledge in making his investment decision.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. Subbotin

During developing the Ingulska mine at the Mi-churinske uranium deposit in the central part of Ukraine the radioactive rock dumps have been piled. A height of dumps reaches to 15-25m. They occupy a large territory and can be a source of covering with radioactive dust the area around the Ingulska mine. Uranium content exceeds 0,01% in all dump rocks samples while in the dust fraction samples it ranges from 0,01 to 0,06%. Uranium content in road dust at the dump?s foot reaches 0,137%. A new (for Ukraine) method of f-radiography of tree and bush leaves sampled at the territory about 100km2 has been used. It is based on fission of 235U nucleuses due to heat neutron influence in a nuclear reactor and on following study of the Lausan films with tracks drawn by the fractures of these nucleuses. Uranium content of the dif-fusion-disseminated dust type is (0.9-22.2)?10-6% while in the individual particles it can be considered much more because of burned holes in Lavsan above them. The dust content with uranium in Kirovograd reaches to 20-50 part/cm2 while near the dumps it ranges from 100 part/cm2 to 300 part/cm2 in the radius of 1,5-2km from the Ingulska mine.

Jan 1, 2005

By Dan A. Brown, Rich A. Lamb, Paul J. Axtell

"Over the last 10 years, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has had a very active program of replacing many major bridges, large structures spanning the Mississippi River. The deep foundations for these new structures include both drilled shafts and large diameter open-ended driven steel pipe piles. Most of these projects included load tests, both axial and lateral.The geology of this area of Minnesota includes some interesting foundation challenges, including highly organic and compressible very soft silts and clays to very dense sand and gravel overlying sedimentary bedrock. In some cases scour requires embedment into rock, and the bedrock formations may range from very soft sandstone to very hard dolostone. Artesian groundwater conditions can sometimes complicate drilled shaft construction, but the rock is otherwise very favorable for drilled shafts. Experience with the open-ended driven steel pipe piles (typically 42 and 48 in, 1.07 and 1.2 m diameter) suggest that these piles most often penetrate even dense granular materials to achieve bearing on rock. Experiences with drilled shafts socketed into the soft sandstones demonstrate that these rocks provide very favorable conditions for drilled shafts, so long as suitable construction practices are followed. Here we present several recent case histories regarding the foundation design and construction of major bridge projects in the vicinity of Minneapolis, Minn., including the Wakota Bridge, the I-35W replacement, the Lafayette Bridge, the Hastings Bridge and the St. Croix Bridge. Some lessons learned from construction and load testing of both types of foundations are described along with implications for design in similar soil and rock conditions."

Jan 1, 2013

By E Asakpo, S Chaffer, A Heath

Newmont has had continuous production at their Ahafo operations, Ghana, since 2006. In 2013, Ahafo initiated an efficiency programme to improve mill performance and reduce energy consumption. Following this assessment, a Turbo Pulp Lifter (TPLTM) was installed in the Ahafo SAG mill in April 2015 to replace the existing radial pulp lifters. Plant operational data showed delivery of a power saving of 10 per cent, an improvement in throughput of 3.3 per cent, with no loss of grind size. Pulp lifter life was also doubled from 11 to 22 months.However, during subsequent relines when the grates were removed it was found that one in four of the outer pulp lifters were wearing at a faster rate than the remainder. This was investigated by Discrete Element Method (DEM) modelling, which predicted some overtopping and internal recycle within the pulp lifter. Significantly, the model predicted that the recycled material would pass back down every fourth outer pulp lifter, matching the field observations. Subsequently, the DEM investigation was continued and became an R&D project to improve the TPL design. The results are summarised here, leading to the development of the next generation Spiral TPLTM.CITATION:Heath, A, Chaffer, S and Asakpo, E, 2018. The development of optimised pulp lifter design for the Ahafo SAG mill using discrete element method modelling, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 585–594 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By R. E. Steiner, A. F. Weinberg, R. J. Van Thyne

Uranium solubility in molten bismuth was determined in the temperature range 350" to 600°C, varying from 0.09 wt pct to near 2 wl pct, respectively. Zirconium and magnesium, simulated fission products, and sodium were found to increase or decrease uranium solubility in bismuth in the temperature range 370° to 420°C, depending upon the addition or temperature. Data were obtained by both chemical analysis of samples obtained by filtration from saturated melts and by measurement of the variation of electrical resistance with temperature. IN a study for the United States Atomic Energy Commission, a Liquid Metal Fuel Reactor Experiment (LMFRE) was proposed in which a solution of uranium dissolved in molten bismuth served as both the fuel solution and the primary coolant. It was proven necessary to add other elements to this solution for certain desirable properties: 1) zirconium acts to prevent reaction of the fuel solution with the graphite core (which would result in the formation of uranium carbide) and also to inhibit mass transfer of iron and chromium from the walls of the reactor tubing to cold spots resulting in blockage; and 2) magnesium acts as a deoxidant and prevents loss of uranium. In addition to these intentional additives, other elements entering the solution are: 1) fission products which are a by-productof reactor operation, 2) sodium (the secondary coolant) through possible small leaks in the heat exchange system, and 3) iron and chromium from the container walls. Each of these elements may affect the solubility of uranium in the fuel solution. Since the concept of this reactor is based upon a liquid solution, the relatively low solubility of uranium in bismuth will dictate the minimum temperature at which the reactor heat exchanger can be operated. The solubility of uranium in liquid bismuth and the effect of some additives on this solubility have pre- viously been investigated1-' (more recent results6" became avaliable after initiation of this investigation). However, some discrepancies between the various results have been noted, and also the cumulative effect of the several additions or impurities was not known. This investigation was commenced to obtain definitive results. MATERIALS Analyses of the materials used are presented in Table I. Although ostensibly of extreme purity (99.999 wt pct), the bismuth was found to contain a significant amount of impurities, probably oxides. Except for determination of the binary system, Bi-U, prior to use all bismuth was hydrogen-refined and

Jan 1, 1962

By S. B. Flagg

Advancement in the art of burning fuels for steam generation has been so marked and so rapid in the last 10 or 15 years that one may well hesitate to classify as unsuitable for stationary steam boiler firing any material having a fuel value. This statement should not be interpreted to mean that any existing boiler plant can successfully utilize any fuel with which it might be supplied. It does mean, however, that almost without exception it is possible to design and construct stationary boiler plants so that they can be operated with whatever coal is the economic supply therefor. In considering the subject of the use classification of coals, it must be recognized, first, that the suitability or unsuitability of a coal for certain uses or conditions may be largely a matter of opinion and, second, that as advancement in the art of burning fuels continues, fuels that may have been considered unsuitable may later be regarded as entirely suitable. This is well illustrated in the creation of a market for slack bituminous coal and for the finer sizes of anthracite that resulted from the development of mechanical stokers adapted thereto. Coke breeze is another fuel of which large tonnages were formerly wasted, that has now been found suitable for use in properly designed furnaces. Again, results that would have been thought quite impossible a generation ago are being obtained in steam boiler plants today with lignites of high moisture content and with coals of excessive ash content. It must, however, be admitted that oftentimes an existing boiler plant can be successfully operated with only a limited number of the coals that are available as possible supplies. We may briefly consider some of the more important factors that may affect the suitability of coals for such a plant. Insufficient or barely sufficient draft to meet peak steam demands is often a limiting factor, and the permissible frequency of fire-cleaning periods is another. In some cases, the action of the molten coal ash on refractory furnace linings prohibits or makes inadvisable the use of certain coals. Again, clinker conditions in the fuel bed or slag conditions on the boiler-heating surface may be much worse with some coals than with

Jan 1, 1930

By K. A. Johnson, F. H. Ellinger, C. C. Land

The Pu-In phase diagram has been determined by thevmal, filtvation, micrographic, and X-ray diffraction methods. This alloy system is characterized by 1) limited solubility of indium (-2 at. pet) in 6 and e plutonium, 2) one eutectic, and 3) fizte intermediate phases. Of the latter, PuIn and PuIn3 melt con-gruently, and Pu31n, Pu31n5, and the high-temperatuve 7 solid solution are formed peritectically. The n phase decomposes eutectoidally into Pu3In and PuIn at 865°C. Although the 6 phase can readily be retained to room temperature, it is not thermo-dynamically stable below 300°C. The Pu-In system has been investigated at Los Alamos as part of a study of the alloys of plutonium with the group 111-B elements. Constitutional studies of the Pu-A1 and Pu-Ga systems have been reported earlier.'9' To date, published information on the constitution of Pu-In alloys covers only the identification of the intermediate phases Pu3In and PuIn3.3,4 EXPERIMENTAL The alloys were prepared from five different lots of plutonium and three different lots of indium. The principal impurities in the plutonium differed from lot to lot within the following limits (in ppm): iron, 30 to 80; nickel, 30 to 60; aluminum, 15 to 30; silicon, 20 to 145: thorium, 50 to 300; carbon, 75 to 335; and oxygen, 20 to 135. Spectroanalysis of the indium showed that two of the lots were 99.9 wt pct pure, and the third was 99.98 wt pct pure. The alloys, in the form of about 5-g buttons, were prepared by arc melting in conventional equipment. The components for each alloy were weighed to the nearest 0.1 mg. In most instances the weight losses during melting were negligible; therefore confirmatory chemical analyses were usually not made. A few results are given in Table I. Density measurements of the arc-cast buttons were made by the liquid displacement of bromoben-zene. Heat treating was done in muffle furnaces controlled to +2°C. The alloy buttons were wrapped in tantalum foil before being enclosed in evacuated clear silica capsules. As a precaution against breakage, each capsule was in turn placed in a silica tube closed with a refractory wool plug prior to being charged into the furnace. For a moderately fast quench of the alloys, the outer protection tubes containing the capsules were plunged into cold water. Differential thermal analyses (DTA) in racuo were performed at heating and cooling rates of about 1.5°C per min. Tantalum crucibles having inverted thermocouple wells were used for most of the analyses. It was found micrographically, however, that the liquid alloys containing more than about 35 at. pct In reacted with the tantalum, resulting in contamination of the surface of the alloy. A search for a more satisfactory crucible material was not successful: tungsten and yttria behaved comparably to tantalum; thoria, vitrified magnesia, and vitrified alumina severely contaminated the alloys. So as to minimize the contamination by the crucible mater-

Jan 1, 1965

By K. F. Jakob

Sustainable development is a principle for the way we should act in the present. It ensures also options for the future to achieve a balance between social, economic and ecology development. The efficiency of raw material utilisation is being enhanced through technological developments, starting from extraction through all the following stages of the value creation chain. The use of domestically produced resources helps to assure the technological know-how. Additional indicators being collected and published by individual companies are questionable in countries with a tightly regulated legal framework such as in Germany, but make sense in developing and threshold countries. Sustainability in terms of efficient use of raw materials will manifest itself at the next stages of the value creation chain. Examples for efficiency improvement can be found in the steel, the power generation and agriculture industries. The approval procedures for German mining operations entail an internationally extremely strict assessment of the potential impact on the environment. All the mining activities include remediation and recultivation where the practise in Germany has become model character by international levels.

Jan 1, 2005

By H. F. Yancey

Various criteria for evaluating the performance of coal washeries are discussed critically, with particular reference to ideas developed at the First International Conference on Coal Preparation held in Paris in June 1950. Criteria that relate only to the sharpness with which a cleaning unit separates coal from impurity are compared with those that reflect loss of coal or quality of products.

Jan 6, 1951