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By L. Magne, M. Maldonado, R. Varela

Real-time optimization of flotation circuits demands for accurate and reliable measurements to support the decision making process. The collection zone gas holdup is an important variable in this context as integrates the effect of machine and chemical factors on the bubble size and velocity distributions. It has been demonstrated that gas holdup not only correlates with bubble surface area flux, which defines the particle collection rate and recovery in the collection zone, but also with water overflow, a variable which has been related to the froth zone recovery. Therefore, on-line gas holdup measurements provide a reliable alternative to judge efforts leading to the optimization of flotation cells and columns. Estimation of gas holdup in flotation from electrical conductivity measurements has been proposed and extensively used in lab and industrial installations. The approach is based on the application of Maxwell's model, which relates the concentration of a dispersed phase in a continuous medium to measurements of the conductivity of the liquid medium and of the mineral pulp with and without air bubbles included. These measurements require a conductivity cell which covers a representative volume of the flotation cell, and creates a homogeneous electric field throughout this volume that ideally is not affected by the conductivity of the medium. The development of such a cell in the limiting space and geometry of a laboratory flotation cell has been problematic, but a multi-electrode arrangement offers a promising alternative. Electrodes were installed in the flotation cell of a Denver unit; the results of preliminary testing are discussed with a focus on its performance in the measurement of two- and three-phase dispersion conductivity.

Jan 1, 2015

By X Li, R Chu, X Deng

The hot-dip galvanising industry is the largest consumer of zinc, with over 40 per cent of the world’s total annual production of zinc used for galvanised steel. The dross generated in the hot-dip galvanising coating process is a valuable co-product, since it contains high quantities of recyclable metal. A new method to recover the metal from the industrial galvanising dross was proposed using supergravity separation. During the hot-dip galvanising process, the presence of zinc dross has a serious impact on the surface quality of the hot-dip galvanised sheet, forming zinc dross defects. To reduce the impact of zinc dross, the zinc dross on the surface of the zinc pool needs to be manually or mechanically removed at regular intervals. However, during the dross removal process, a large amount of metal zinc is inevitably carried out, resulting in low zinc utilisation rate and high zinc loss rate. This article proposes an efficient and low-cost technology for the recycling and utilisation of hotdip galvanised dross, which uses super-gravity technology to recover hot-dip galvanised dross online. The metal in the hot-dip galvanised dross returns to the zinc pot in situ, while a small part of the dross remains in the super-gravity equipment, which can reduce the amount of zinc dross by more than 60 per cent and achieve a reduction in zinc loss from 17 per cent to less than 7 per cent.

Jun 19, 2024

By J. Rogans

This paper discusses the comparative performances of the three activated carbon adsorption circuits at the West Wits operations of Anglogold. These circuits consist of two pump-cell circuits (at Two Plant, formerly Elandsrand and at Three plant) and a conventional counter-current adsorption circuit (at Mponeng plant). The implications of the improved performance of the pump-cell plants are discussed.

Jan 1, 2002

By G E. Craig, W. M. Williams

A simple, easily constructed apparatus suitable for the zone refining of iron and other reactive materials is described. After eight passes at one inch per hour, the iron produced showed a marked drop in hardness to 49 Brinell. In addition, an arbitrarily -defined recrystallization temperature was lowered by about 35°C and the rate of grain growth greatly increased. CERTAIN materials, of which iron is one, are so reactive that they cannot be zone refined in any known container without becoming contaminated. For such substances, the floating zone method ( 1) may be used. In this method, the specimen is supported vertically in an inert atmosphere and the molten zone supports itself by its own sur-face tension. The method was first applied to silicon (2) and has since been used for other reactive metals such as zirconium and titanium. Smith and Rutherford (3) have previously reported on the floating zone refining of iron; the efficiency of the method for reducing the car-bon content was demonstrated on

Jan 1, 1962

By C Woodall, G Jardine

The Henty Gold Mine, located in Western Tasmania uses innovative solutions to effectively manage a mining operation in an environmentally sensitive setting and has been presented with several environmental awards. Fill is required as part of the mining method to provide passive ground support, minimise rock exposure and ensure maximum recovery of the small but high-grade orebody. The use of the whole portion of leach residue in the backfill reduces the surface tailing disposal requirements. Therefore, High Density Paste Fill (HDPF) has been selected as the most appropriate fill method to meet these objectives. Additional benefits include the minimisation of excess water from fill and the subsequent need for the collection and treatment of water and slimes. There are minimal equipment requirements during placement, thereby optimising mine resources for production. This paper covers the development of a suitable paste fill system to meet the specific needs of the Henty Gold Mine and the successful commissioning of this system for the first time in Australia.

Jan 1, 1998

By G. T. Hong

A numerical model for use in design is developed to predict the stresses and axial and bending displacements in a drilled pier in expansive soils. The prediction is based on the horizontal swelling pressures and uplift forces which act on the side of the drilled pier. The exponential suction envelope with the depth within the moisture active zone is estimated based upon the equilibrium suction, moisture diffusion coefficients obtained from laboratory tests, and minimum suction at the ground surface of the site based on field conditions. The volume change of soil is based on suction variations, soil properties, overburden pressures, crack influences, and the relationship between moisture contents and suctions. Considering the movement active and anchor zones on a soil-pile system in expansive soils, horizontal swelling pressures are formulated using the shear strength of an unsaturated soil and the Mohr?s circle and failure envelope. The movement active zone has two sub-zones in which horizontal swelling pressures are attributed to passive earth pressure failure and suction change in the upper and lower sub-zones, respectively. Horizontal swelling pressures which occur in the anchor zone are assumed to be in the at rest condition. The shear stress generated on the vertical surface of a drilled pier is supported by the nonlinear curves of load transfer versus relative displacement. The axial behavior and lateral bending of the pier in expansive soils are simulated using a beam column approach. The computed axial and bending displacements and stresses are used to provide structural design of the pier. Figures of computed results for typical cases are presented.

Jan 1, 2007

By Carlos Gonzalez-Rivera

An alternative cooling curve analysis method focused on the experimental determination of the latent heat of phase changes and phase transformation kinetics is proposed in this work. The method analyses the cooling process of a metallic sample, initially liquid that is contained into a cylindrical metallic mold, both of known weight, thermally isolated at its top and bottom. The method is based on an energy balance associated with the experimental measurement of the temperature change of the sample and the mold during their cooling process. From the numerical processing of the cooling curves, are obtained approximate values of the acting global heat transfer coefficient as a function of temperature in order to describe quantitatively the energy exchange of the metal/mold system with its surroundings. These relationships and other experimental data are used to process the cooling curve of the sample and the mold during solidification, in order to obtain the latent heat of solidification.The method was applied experimentally to zinc and tin of commercial purity, initially liquids and contained into stainless steel molds in order to determine its ability to measure the latent heat of solidification. The obtained results suggests that this method shows a good potential to characterize the solidification of metals.

Oct 30, 2017

Prof. H. O. Hofman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. (communication to the Secretary): When Mr. Stetefeldt quotes me as saying that " silver-assays are uniformly made by scorification," he has evidently not understood that I was referring solely to the practice of silver-lead smelting-works. Everybody knows that silver-mills do not employ the scorification-assay for regular work ; and it is equally certain that in very few, if any, silver-lead smelting-works will the crucible-assay be found in use for determining silver. The second part of the quotation, "as it is adapted to all kinds of ores and gives excellent results unless organic matter is present," although, of course, also intended in a restricted sense, might very well be extended to a general one. Mr. Furman, in his Manual of Practical Assaying,* says, on page 123: "We believe that the Colorado practice is preferable, as most ores will yield higher silver-results by scorification." The fact that the scorification-assay is the accepted one in Colorado is strong presumptive evidence for its accuracy, as exactness would nowhere else be more jealously demanded. Mr. Stetefeldt cites Albert Arents- as a supporter of his preference for the crucible-assay, although I had already done so in favor of scorification. Looking up again the reference, I find that I was justified in quoting him, as, while Mr. Arents advocates the crucibleassay for low-grade gold ores, not on account of the greater accuracy of its results, but because it is quicker and less expensive, he condemns it§ for the assay of silver-ores, and prefers the scorifier for rich goldores, and for coppery ores, and in general for ores containing both silver and gold. As I, like Mr. Stetefeldt, have kept no detailed

Jan 1, 1895

By C. Harry Benedict

This paper presents the details of milling practice and costs at the conglomerate mill of the Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co., Lake Linden, Mich., and is one of a series on milling methods being published by the Bureau of Mines. GENERAL DESCRIPTION The mines of the Calumet & Hecla. Consolidated Copper Co. are located in the Keweenaw Peninsula of northern Michigan. The mines of this district lie in a belt not over 4 miles wide and 100 miles long, which contains more or lees commercial ore. The Calumet & Hecla properties are the farthest north, except for the Seneca, of the operating mines. The district borders on Lake Superior, and by means of the Portage and Torch Lake waterways the largest lane vessels, can transport coal and other supplies from the lower Lakes directly to the company docks.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. E. Walstrom

While intensive research continues to promote a more complete understanding of the potential and resistivity measurements that comprise the electric log, it is believed that consideration should also be given to translating these numerous and often widely separated findings into a coordinated and readable body of fundamental facts designed specifically for the petroleum engineer and geologist. Although provision is made through publication for a ready exchange of new theoretical concepts. it is also desirable to provide reviews and appraisals of the more established techniques and methods from the operating standpoint so that an economic and practical application may be realized concurrently with the theoretical progress. With these basic premises as a guide the author reviews the presnt state of electric log interpretation. The paper is directed not so much to the logging or research specialist as to the petroleum engineer and geologist to whom the electric log is only one of the many tools which he employs. Frequently, these persons do not have the time to follow in detail the many specialized contributions that appear and, as a consequence. are not in a position to place these contributions in proper relation to each other, or to the art as a whole. The paper reviews the basic steps in making quantitative determinations from the electric log of the amount of oil or gas present in subsurface formations and also discusses the degree of reliability of these determinations under various conditions. The paper also indicates the trend of future developments in electric logging systems and methods of interpretation. INTRODUCTION The electric log has been used about 20 years as a means for studying the formations penetrated by a well bore. The first half of this period is characterized by the development of suitable logging techniques and equipment. Although progress in this direction is continuing at a satisfactory rate, the last ten years are characterized more by an increasing interest in methods of electric log interpretation. During this period, a large number of fundamental papers have been published, expounding various logging techniques and particular phases of the interpretation problem. Many of these papers represent important contributions, and a few are classic. This paper is an effort to outline as concisely as possible and in simple terms the main course of progress in electric log interpretation. More specifically, it is the purpose of the paper to review the necessary elements and basic steps used in making quantitative determinations of water saturation from the electric log; and to point out the degree of reliability of these determinations under different conditions. It is strongly advised that the operating staffs of the drilling and exploration departments of oil companies cooperate wholeheartedly with both the electric logging service companies and research organizations in the testing and development of new logging systems and interpretation methods. One purpose of the paper is. however, to indicate the degree of caution which must be exercised in placing confidence in new techniques and interpretation methods that have not been thoroughly tested in the field. It is entirely possible to be cooperative in trying new methods and yet reluctant to believe in the results until the methods are firmly established. It is important to define the meaning of quantitative electric log interpretation. In the most general sense, an interpretation of the log has been made when the electrical characteristics of the formations, as portrayed on the log, have been translated into terms describing the formation geometry, rock type, or any other physical characteristics of the formations. The determination that the top of a sand is at a certain depth is an interpretation of the log. Structural determinations made by correlating electric logs from a given area are also interpretations of the logs. The term quantitative interpretation, however, will be used in this paper in the restricted sense to indicate the determination of the water saturation of a formation. This determination defines the fluid content of an oil and gas productive formation only if the porosity is known, and it assumes that the remainder of the pore space contains hydrocarbons. This assumption is believed to be true for most oil and gas productive formations. The quantitative electric log interpretation may he said to be a determination of the fluid content only to the extent which the water saturation, under the conditions given above. defines it. THE BASIC STEPS The fundamental steps in calculating water saturation from the electric log are: 1. Determination of the true resistivity of the formations from the apparent resistivities as recorded on the electric log.

Jan 1, 1952

By F. M. Stewart

A paper by Hurst and van Ever-dingen in 1949 led to the practical solution of many nonsteady-state flow problems.' Subsequently, applications of this material have been discussed by several authors. The purpose of this note is to outline a simplified direct procedure for water-influx pressure predictions for pressures above the bubble point. The prcposed procedure is unique in that after the "time-conversion factor" and the "influx constant" are obtained, predictions are made without trial and error. The elimination of trial and error is made possible by expressing certain PVT characteristics as explicit functions of pressure. The procedure is applicable to fields producing at pressures above the bubble point and under radial water drive from an infinite aquifer. In the usual applications it is required to predict (1) withdrawals given future pressure history or (2) reservoir pressure, given future withdrawals or production. The theory, assumptions and conditions under which the nonsteady-state solutions hold are covered in the references and are not repeated. The simplified direct procedure outlined here has been developed from published solutions for the so-called "pressure case". A similar direct procedure for the same special conditions has been developed for the "rate case"; however, in this instance the procedure is lengthy and offers no advantage over the trial-and-error solution. Consequently, this paper covers only the procedure based on the pressure case. DISCUSSION Under the pressure case prediction of withdrawals from a water-drive field, given the future pressure history, involves the use of a nonsteady-state water-influx term together with the material balance equation. The solution of a particular problem requires the following steps: (1) division of past pressure and production data into equal time intervals; (2) computation of cumulative water influx vs pressure drop for each time interval of past history using the material balance equation; (3) determination of the best values for the "time-conversion factor" and the "influx constant" by equating the nonsteady-state influx term with the influx computed in Step 2 (this requires a trial-and-error procedure); (4) prediction of influx for a given pressure drop using the influx term and the computed factors from Step 3; and (5) calculation of fluids produced using the predicted influx in the material balance equation. A forecast of the water-oil ratio or water production rate is required to complete the calculation. It is assumed that a reliable estimate of original oil in place is available, as well as the production and pressure history, and data on reservoir fluid characteristics. If the original oil in place is unknown, it may be computed simultaneously with the tinie-conversion influx factors2,3. However, the oil in place so computed may be considerably in error3; consequently, it is usually preferable to use oil in place estimated from pore-volume data unless there is considerable doubt as to its accuracy. The Material Balance Equation Above the Bubble Point Above the bubble point the simpli-

By V. F. Hollister

The South American porphyry copper province includes most of the Andean orogen, excepting the tin province of Bolivia. Porphyry coppers have not been commonly found within the tin belt, though copper-tin deposits in San Rafael, Peru and copper-tungsten deposits in Llamuco, Chile, are known. James" shows the depth to the Moho to appreciably thicken where the tin belt exists, but disclaims any genetic significance from this coincidence. Table I gives some of the most important porphyry copper deposits explored to date, but does not include Antaminas, Peru, nor a number of other large skarn deposits associated with intrusions. V. D. Perry* points out that porphyry copper mineralization does occur to some extent in the intrusion associated with many of these skarn deposits. Also not included are the suspected possible porphyry type occurrences, such as, for example, quartz-sericitically altered lower levels of the Casapalca mine, Peru. Many deposits not well enough documented to list in a summary paper are also excluded. Should anyone care to tabulate all other large copper de- posits in South America, they could demonstrate that a tremendous potential awaits the proper political and economic climate in the future.

Jan 8, 1973

By John W. Moore

The discovery of porphyries in petroleum by Treibs (17-19) is one of the most significant achievements relating to the origin of petroleum. The presence of these remnants of chlorophyll and hematin in petroleum has immediate practical interest in several aspects of the petroleum industry. Because of their interfacial activities and film-forming tendencies, the metal-porphyrin complexes may be expected to affect the wettability of petroleum-reservoir rock surfaces and influence the flow of fluids in these reservoirs. Also, studies of the relationship of trace elements and porphyrins in petroleum may be expected to yield valuable information on source beds and petroleum migration. Finally, the extreme stability of several metal-porphyrin complexes complicates removal of these metals from some petroleum stocks where they exert deleterious effects on processing and utilization. Metal-porphyrin complexes are commonly associated with the asphaltic residues of crude oils in which they occur (8, 9, 15). However, investigations in this and another laboratory (15) show that small amounts of these complexes often remain in partly refined petroleum products, such as thermally cracked distillates and deasphalted stocks.

Jan 1, 1957

By Homer J. Ballinger

The Krueger property was examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in September 1943. The records of 23 old drill holes indicated an appreciable body of ore without delimiting the deposit. It appeared that additional drilling might increase this reserve sufficiently to justify mining. Accordingly, the Bureau of Mines drilled 5 churn-drill holes and 19 diamond-drill holes on the Krueger tract. The last of these holes concluding the Bureau?s project was completed in April 1947.

Jan 1, 1948

By Jirí Faltus

The paper deals with studying the impact of structural properties and anodizing of surface on the corrosion properties of extruded rods from commercial aluminium alloys: AA6082, AA6262, AA6012, AA2007 and new lead-free aluminium alloys AA6023, AA2015 and AA2111B. Samples were exposed to the corrosive atmosphere NSS, AASS in the chamber by EN ISO 9227. Surface of samples were either in the original state or anodizing by selected mode. The depth of corrosion attack and the form of corrosion attack are evaluated depending on the type of alloy, the metallurgical condition and surface treatment of the samples.

Jan 1, 2015

By Richard P. Rothwell

THOUGH coal has been mined in this country for more than a century, no systematic effort was ever successfully made to ascertain the total amount produced. The production of the Cumberland Basin, Md., and the shipments from the anthracite fields of Pennsylvania, have been placed upon record, thanks to the intelligence sand foresight of Mr. C. Slack in the former case, and to the late Mr. B. Bannan in the latter. For some of the years between 1822 and 1842, the production of the Richmond Basin was reported by Mr. R. C. Taylor, but since that date till the author undertook this work it was impossible to obtain any statement of the production of this field. A few of the newer fields, such as that of Mt. Diablo, Cal., have been fully reported, and a few of the newer States have also had this service performed by some intelligent private individuals.; but no statistics of coal production have ever been collected either by the State or General Government, if we except the returns for the years 1869-70 of the census report. During the year 1875, by great exertions, I succeeded in obtaining, and July 3d, 1875, gave in the Engineering and Mining Journal what, "though not an accurate statement of our coal production," was " by far the most full and reliable that had ever been published." Though that report showed the production of bituminous coal to be 23,630,094 gross tons, or about six million tons more than had ever before been reported, it was in reality two and a half million tons below the actual output. The more full returns I obtained for 1875 gave many figures for 1874

Jan 1, 1877

Instability in rockpasses at deep levels often initiates as a result of stress induced fracturing of the rock on the walls of the pass. This may then progress to a stage at which the geological structure of the rock mass becomes dominant and permits large joint-defined blocks and slabs to become unstable. In this paper, a technique is described in which jointing parameters and their variabilities?orientations, spacings and lengths?are taken into account in estimating the extent of failure that may develop around a typical unsupported deep level gold mine rockpass. The results of this prediction are compared with the results obtained from a review of pass performance in the gold mining industry.

Jan 1, 2005

By A. Scheltema Beduin, H. Oterdoom, A. Haaks, C. Kempe, A. Liedtke

"For the Kazchrome DC Ferrochrome plant, SMS-group specifically designed an electrode column that would minimize downtime. Special features include the possibility for on load electrode jointing, on load slipping, and back-slipping. Electrode consumption is strongly related to furnace load and impedance, and is very low at high loads, which makes the graphite electrode an alternative to consider even in AC applications. The electrode could also be applied in other DC applications, as for example TiO2 slag, the novel Conroast process, or (twin) DC FeNi furnaces, and could possibly be installed during bigger shut downs. This paper will describe some of the design considerations and operational performance data on this novel column in the FeCr industry that could also be of interest for the FeNi or PGM industry if these would continue to develop towards DC technology.INTRODUCTION Every DC furnace has a cathode and an anode. The anode applied is commonly known as the Concast design, though the original design was by ABB who handed it over to Concast, subsidiary of the SMS-group. Some well-known DC furnaces outside the steel industry where the Concast bottom has been installed are listed in Table 1 as well as a few other key design features.Sidewall cooling and some other data have been left out for reasons of space, and being a lesser relevant design feature to this paper. HES stands for Hollow Electrode System, in which feed is charged through an electrode. Table 1 is built up chronologically according to first start-up date. Below comments are given to briefly explain some of the columns in Table 1: •,“Arm” in the “Cathode” column means that the design of the cathode holding and regulating mechanism consists of an electrode arm as depicted in Figure 1. •,Charging is relevant as some operations started with HES charging, whereas recently most new operations have started without HES but only charging chutes, of which at least some are close to the electrode and possibly others installed closer to the sidewall. •,“Dome” in the “Roof” column means that the design of the roof involves a center piece that can be exchanged if worn. •,The optimal roof design still seems to be a topic of debate, where no design is without problems."

Jan 1, 2017

By A. T. English

X-ray dif action techniques were used to investigate ordering and domain coalescence for the B2 (CsC1) superlattice in this alloy. Essentially complete disorder is obtainable by drastic quenching. isothertmal ordering occurs very rapidly at temperatures between 565° and 680°C, only a few seconds being required for development of substantial long-range order. A very fine antiphase dormain structure, found in samples annealed for short times, undergoes coalescence with further annealing. Domain "size" is found proportional to (t)1/2 . This Yate law can be derived by adapting the formalism of Hillert's analysis 01- metallurgical grain growth. For this Purpose the material is descvibed in terms of a "Swiss-cheese " structure, consisting of two multiply connected, mutually intertwined domain volumes. The observed activation enevgy for coalescence, 70 kcal per g-atom, agrees with an estit~lated value ,for volume diffusion in disordered rrzaterial. It is suggesled that the experimental value vejlects the substantially disordered environment of mobile vacancies located in the moving antiphase domain boundary. The alloy Fe-Co-2V is bcc below about 900'C and orders into a B2 (CsC1) superlattice below about 730c It has important applications in magnetic components, including many requiring extensive cold rolling.* example, Marcinkowski and Brown6 observed a re1atively small as-quenched domain size of about 250Å in B2 Fe3A1. Since there appear to be no published data on domain coalescence in B2 alloys, this process was studied in detail. MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES A commercial high-purity alloy, nominally 49 Fe-49Co-2V, was obtained from the Arnold Engineering Co. in the form of cold-rolled sheet 0.004 in. thick. Samples were annealed for 1 hr at 800°C in dry H2 to produce disorder and quenched into iced brine. They were then annealed in a nitrate-nitrite salt bath for various times at temperatures between 525° and 625°C. Estimates of the LRO parameter S and the APD size D were made using established X-ray diffraction techniques. Superlattice peaks are best observed using CoKa radiation, for which the value of (fFe-fCo) is maximized. Peak-to-background intensity ratio was improved by filtering CoKß from the incident beam to eliminate sample fluorescence, and by using a pulse-height analyzer. The LRO parameter S was computed from the ratio of integrated intensities I 100/I 200- Owing presumably to systematic errors associated with the presence of crystallographic texture and X-ray extinction, only rough agreement was obtained between experimental and theoretical (absolute) intensity ratios. For this reason certain experimental refinements (e.g., use of balanced filters) were considered superfluous and were omitted. Emphasis was placed on maximizing intensity in order to reduce the time taken to accurately determine the contour of the very small (loo), peak. This was done by point counting 105 counts at appropriate intervals. Background intensity averaged about 1200 cps.

Jan 1, 1967

By M. G. Silva-Valenzuela, A. T. Machado, F. M. S. Carvalho, J. R. Matos, A. A. S. Araujo

Electric arc furnace steel dust is a by-product of the steelmaking process and contains high amounts of iron and zinc and significant amounts of lead, chromium, and cadmium and others chemical compounds in minor proportion. However, the material recycling is very complex, mainly due to their mineralogical composition. In this study the characterization and application of this material is presented. Ceramics were produced with clay and variable amounts of steel dust. Th bulk material was fired between 800 and 1000 °C. The influence to insertion of this material on the ceramic composition on the mechanical strength, linear shrinkage, water absorption, apparent density and bending strength of the ceramic samples was investigated. A blend of clay with 5% dus presents potential for use in structural ceramics production.

Mar 1, 2017