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By M. H. Caron

D. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.)

Jan 1, 1951

By S. D. Dahlgren

ORDERED G.P. zones having the cesium chloride structure were found to exist in the bcc iron-rich grains of an Fe-Au-Cu alloy that had been supersaturated with approximately equal atomic percentages of gold and copper, and aged at 400° and 350°C. Streaks and superlattice spots in electron diffraction patterns revealed the presence of the ordered zones in the aged material. The ordered Ll2 structure is commonly found for precipitates in fcc metals (e.g., Ni3A1 in nickelL7') but it is uncommon to find precipitates in bcc metals having the cesium chloride structure. The formation of the G.P. zones caused age hardening of the grains. Samples containing 3.8 at. pct each of gold and copper (with the remainder being iron) were annealed at 95@ or 1125°C in quartz capsules and were quenched by breaking the capsules under water. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed two solid solutions in the quenched samples. One solid solution was bcc and the other was fcc. The microstructure consisted of iron-rich grains of 0.3 mm diam surrounded by a yellow gold-copper-rich grain boundary network. The Au-Cu phase diagram %hows continuous solid solubility of gold and copper with ordered phases forming below 410°C. None of the ordered Au-Cu phases have the cesium chloride structure. Both Fe-Au and Fe-Cu phase diagrams3 show extended miscibility gaps and only terminal solid-solution phases. Consequently, it is reasonably certain the iron-rich grains consisted of an a-phase terminal solid solution, and the grain boundary network consisted of a gold-copper-rich terminal solid solution. Lattice parameters of the quenched solid solutions were consistent with the suggestion that the quenched phases were terminal solutions. The lattice parameter of the bcc phase (2.879A) obtained upon quenching from 950°C was higher than that (2.866A) for pure iron. The fcc phase in this sample had a lower lattice parameter than that for a 50 at. pct Au and 50 at. pci Cu solid solution, i.e., 3.866 compared to 3.877A. The lattice parameter for the 50 pct Au and 50 pct Cu solid solution was interpolated from data for Cu-Au solid solutions.4 More gold and copper were soluble in iron at 1125°C than at 950°C as indicated by a 0.012A increase in the bcc lattice parameter for a sample quenched from 1125°C. After the alloy had been quenched from 950° and 1125°C, the bcc lattice parameters were 2.879 and 2.891A1 respectively G.P. zones having the cesium chloride structure-which formed during low-temperature aging—were detected by electron diffraction and observed with electron transmission microscopy. In Fig. 1, the asymmetrical streaks parallel to ( 100) directions indicate that platelike G.P. zones had formed parallel to (100) planes of the matrix. The direction of streak asymmetry shows that the bcc unit cell of the G.P. zones was larger than the bcc cell of the matrix. The ordered cesium chloride structure is indicated by low-intensity superlattice spots at 010 positions which are nonallowed for bcc structures. The superlattice spots are streaked; therefore they are from the G.P. zones and are not caused by rel-rod effects of a thin matrix phase. The appearance and size of the zones observed in electron transmission microscopy and the appearance of the asymmetrical streaks in the electron diffraction patterns for the Fe-Au-Cu alloy were the same as those observed for a similarly treated Fe-Au alloy.' Ordered G.P. zones were detected also for an Fe-Au-Cu sample aged only at 400°C. The production of the ordered cesium chloride structure zones by low-temperature aging of super-

Jan 1, 1968

By J. Kevin Cotchen

The results of "submerged arc" electric furnace processing of a variety of materials is discussed with respect to the process and products, including the characteristics of the products (e.g. TCLP or Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure). The materials melted include slags and wastes containing various metal oxides including copper, tin, lead, zinc, chrome, nickel and other associated elements. The findings of these tests are compared to those reported in the literature for other operations treating similar "wastes".

Jan 1, 1992

By Kenneth H. Johnston

For the past several years, Bureau of Mines petroleum engineers have arranged tours of selected waterflooding projects for the spring meetings of the Kansas-Oklahoma Waterflood Association. These tours are conducted to demonstrate unique operating methods and new field equipment and to provide additional opportunities for exchanging information. Each of these tours has been supplemented by a published report describing in detail the projects visited. This report has been prepared for distribution during the 1960 spring tour of four waterflooding projects in Greenwood County, Kans. (fig. 1). Three of the projects produce oil from the Bartlesville sand, and one produces from the Cattleman sand. The Bartlesville-sand floods have been in operation from 4 to 12 years and have produced about 3,910,000 barrels of waterflood oil from the injection of approximately 64,715,000 barrels of water, a cumulative water-injected to oil-produced ratio of 17 to 1. The Cattleman- sand flood, which has been operating for 3-1/2 years, has produced about 842,000 barrels of waterflood oil from the injection of approximately 9,305,000 barrels of water, a cumulative water-injected to oil-produced ratio of 11 to 1.

Jan 1, 1960

Jan 1, 1949

By L. F. Willmott

The Bureau of Nines at Morgantown, W. Va., has been investigating, on a pilot plant scale, various methods of gasifying bituminous coal with oxygen and superheated steam to produce synthesis gas, as part of the broader program of finding new uses for coal. Differences in the pressure gasification methods used have depended on differences in the manner in which the pulverized coal is fed to the gasifier. One of the methods of feeding the coal that was investigated was the continuous, integrated coal-water slurry system. Goal and water were first mixed to produce a slurry; then the slurry was pumped through a heated coil. to evaporate the water fraction; the resulting steam was superheated, and some of it was separated so as to adjust the ratio of the residual steam to the coal fraction and make the resulting mixture suitable for partial combustion with oxygen in a pressure gasifier. Both before and during this reported3 developmental work it was necessary to make an extensive literature search into the technology of aqueous slurries in order to establish design criteria for the pilot plant and to correlate results of various phases of the work with that of other investigators, The pilot work coincided with the commercial development of a long-distance pipe- line for the transportation of coal as a coal-water slurry, and this fact tended to broaden the scope of the pilot plant work and the extent of the literature search. This bibliography is the compilation of the material that was collected.

Jan 1, 1963

By A. Haxhiaj, E. Haxhiaj

"The paper has as a studying object the issue of effective management of gasses’ heating and dusts in reductive melting process in lead (Pb) metallurgy. It also analyses the issue related to the usage and recycling of dusts and gasses in all pyro-metallurgical processes of technical lead production. The paper contains the analysis of technological process of separation of humidity, gasses, and dusts of valuable remainders in “Trepça” plant. Paper has the results of theoreticalexperimental studying, analytical and graphical of gasses thermal balance depending on height and composition of load, and the coke quantity on load for reductive melt in “Water-Jacket” furnaces. With thermal balance, having into consideration all parameters of heat in entry and exit depending on aforementioned factors we aimed to optimize the parameters of the process, keeping the attention to the minimization of energy consumption, and the overall influence on environment.1. IntroductionThe upper part of the furnace which is the study point of this paper lies from the reactions zone of Water-Jacket furnace and it also includes the furnace neck. In this zone has been elaborated the zonal material balance referenced third in the row. The separation of humidity, dusts, gases and lead with gases depends on many parameters like temperature, load composition, and height of load inserted in the furnace, and also the height of preheating zone in Water-jacket furnace. Lead oxidizes in reaction zone of the furnace and exhales with gases like dusts and small particles after which falls in worthy storage of Trepça plant and has negative effects in environment, and economic stability of reductive melting process of Water-jacket furnace. Thermal balance of gases in this zone depends on many factors; height and load composition, coke quantity in a load. The calculation has been done as the standard methodology of thermal calculation is done; moreover, by using a computer for mathematical models which enables very accurate results. We must emphasize that acquired and used heat in reaction zone and melted materials is calculated in others studies, so their influence in preheating zone is assumed."

Jan 1, 2010

By G. Granger, D. Malhotra

The paper briefly reviews the criteria employed in the selection of chemical reagents for testing and discusses the steps involved in laboratory and plant evaluation of these reagents. An example of successful implementation of reagent change in the plant is illustrated.

Jan 1, 1986

This is a philosophical paper. it discusses some of the concepts underlying the estimation of geological reserves and the determination of cut-off grades. It explores how they interrelate and how they merge eventually with mine design and mining reserves. The main intent is clarification, particularly in certain areas where misconceptions are common.

Jan 1, 1990

By Eugene Guccione

For at least a decade, the energy crisis was accurately predicted by a small number of industry people who were ignored until last year, when they suddenly found themselves accused for their "lack of planning" and "greed." With the worsening shortage of natural gas and oil, the current scramble is for alternate energy sources-which means: a big rush into coal and uranium mining. (Some big plans are also on the drawing boards regarding geothermal steam, oil shale, tar sands, and even solar energy. But developing such new industries from scratch would be difficult enough even in a healthy economic climate-which is not exactly what the country currently enjoys.)

Jan 8, 1974

By A. C. Richardson

The mine of the Porter Coal Co. is located at the town of Porter in the northwestern part of Jefferson, County, Ala., about 20 miles west of Birmingham. The operations in this mine are confined to the middle and bottom benches of the Mary Lee bed. The coal from the Porter mine is handpicked and washed before being placed on the market. The handpicked lump coal and the washed egg and nut, coal are sold chiefly as domestic and steam-raising fuel. The coal finer than 1 inch is washed in 2-compartment jigs and utilized in the manufacture of metallurgical coke. The coal company has found that, when coal ranging in size from 1 to 0 inch is washed in jigs, a considerable amount of high-ash material finer than 3/16 inch remains in the washed coal. This paper gives the results of an investigation which was conducted for the purpose of determining the washing characteristics of the through 316-inch raw coal and the extent to which the ash might be reduced by means of coal-washing tables. This investigation has been made in connection with an. extensive study of the coal-washing problems now being conducted by the United States Bureau of Mines and the University of Alabama, with the cooperation of the coal-mining companies of the State.

Jan 1, 1933

By E. D. Gardner

This paper discusses small-scale lade gold mining and milling. It is abstracted from a bulletin being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines entitled "Equipping, Developing, and Operating Small Gold Mines." Gold is widely distributed in the mountainous regions of the United States; relatively few deposits, however, can be profitably worked on a large scale. Because of the high intrinsic value of gold, ores containing this metal may be very rich; hence it is possible to mine profitably smaller bodies of gold ore than of the more common metals.

Jan 1, 1934

By John Chipman, Wayne L. Worrell

Using recent thermodynamic data for the carbides and oxides of tantalum, columbium, and vanadium, the stable solid phases aboue 1300°K and at 1 atm CO(g) pressure in each M-C-O system have been determined. Pourbaix-Ellingham diagrams have been constructed and are used to estimate the minimum temperatures necessary to obtain these metals by carbothermic reduction under reduced pressures. TANTALUM, columbium, and vanadium react with carbon to form the M,C and MC carbide phases. The M,C carbides have narrow homogeneity ranges, but the MC phases possess considerable ranges of homogeneity.' The free energies of formation of the MC carbides were recently measured, and those of MC and M2Ccarbides have been estimated., (The notations MC and MC denote, respectively, the carbide compositions at the carbon-rich and at the metal-rich boundaries of the homogeneous MC phase.) In this paper, these carbide data are combined with thermodynamic data for the oxides to predict the stable phases in the Ta-C-O, Cb-C-O, and V-C-O systems at specified temperatures and oxygen pressures. M-C-O PHASE DIAGRAMS The solid phases in equilibrium above 1300°K for each M-C-0 system are shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Above 1300°K, the vapor would consist entirely of carbon monoxide; and these phase diagrams were obtained by specifying the vapor pressure of CO(g) to be 1 atm. The temperature at which any two solid phases become unstable is specified along the two-phase equilibrium lines in each diagram. To simplify the diagrams, all solid phases in the Ta-C-O and Cb-C-O systems are represented as stoichiometric compounds. However, the homogeneity ranges of VO and VC are indicated, because they form a complete series of solid solutions.3 It also should be noted that the homogeneity range of

Jan 1, 1964

By Persifor Frazer

During the Centennial year some of our leading geologists in the United States and Canada conceived the happy thought of calling an International Congress of Geologists for the purpose of agreeing upon such important though subsidiary matters as the colors by means of which the different geological formations should be expressed ; the terms that should be applied respectively to these formations; and also upon the far more important problem of the limits and values of these different formations. The first session of this Congress was held in Paris in 1878, the second session in Bologna in 1881, and the third session in Berlin in 1884. The third session found the preliminary difficulties so far cleared away that some definite and tangible results could be attained. After a great deal of free discussion had taken place at Paris and Bologna, during which every one's views were listened to with attention; and a great deal more painstaking scientific work had been accomplished by the International Committees, having before them the objects of unifying the nomenclature of the science, and of preparing a scheme of colors between the second and third sessions of the Congress; and after the provisional results had been subjected to a searching criticism by the Congress in Berlin; it was decided to make an attempt to embody these provisional results in some work which should include as many as possible of the difficulties to

Jan 1, 1887

By Daniel R. Babich, Jeffrey R. Vipperman, Eric R. Bauer

Prolonged exposure to loud noise can cause permanent damage to the auditory nerve and/or its sensory components. Despite regulations and efforts by government and industry to reduce noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), it is still a problem in the U.S. coal mining industry. The Mine Safety and Health Administration noise standard (30 CFR3 62), which was enacted in September 2000, is aimed at reducing NIHL in the mining industry. To address NIHL in various aspects of coal mining and provide the necessary information to effectively implement control technologies, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted a cross-sectional survey of noise sources and worker noise exposures. Noise surveys consisting of full-shift worker noise exposure (dose) determination, time-motion studies (task observations), and equipment and/or area noise profiling were completed in 8 underground coal mines, 10 surface coal mines, and 8 coal preparation plants. The studies revealed that more than 40% of all workers monitored were subject to noise exposures above 90 dBA TWA8. A summary of these studies is presented, their application to administrative and engineering controls is discussed, and exposure reduction methods are reviewed.

Jan 12, 2006

By A. F. Frederickson

Rapid advances in any branch of science often follow the development of new instruments or techniques which permit the scientist a closer look at the material in which he is interested. With the development of the polariz¬ing microscope, modern petrology was born. The resolving power of the microscope, however, was not great enough to enable the geologist to dis¬tinguish or identify the material now known to be minerals which constitute the bulk of the rocks known as "clays" and laterites. The discovery of X-rays and the development of powder X-ray diffrac¬tion techniques provided the extra resolving power necessary to get "a closer look" at the minerals in the clays and laterites. These techniques are largely responsible for the great strides made in the past two decades in the identification of the clay, sesquioxide and hydroxide minerals. To obtain an X-ray diffraction. pattern of a mineral or rock is relatively a simple procedure, but to interpret this pattern in terms of crystal structure or min¬eral identity is quite another matter. It has taken the combined talents of physicists, physical and colloid chemists, mineralogists, and geologists to unravel the identity of some of the minerals in these complex rocks and, as this symposium will indicate, many more problems remain to be solved. To assist in the identification of these minerals, we have the ever-useful microscope, which, is supplemented by the development, only in the last ten years, of differential thermal techniques and the powerful and costly "eye" that enables us to see the shapes and sizes of extremely small particles -the electron microscope. To this array of equipment must be added such gadgets as supercentrifuges, spectrographs, and the apparatus necessary for chemical analytical work. Obviously, not only is it difficult for any one man to master all of the techniques to the point where he can do competent re¬search, but also few institutions are able to provide the high capital outlay for purchase and maintenance of suitable equipment. Here we clearly see that if this equipment is to help us solve our many problems, a close co¬operation of specialists from various institutions and industry is essential. This, however, is less than half the problem. If the geologist is going to learn to intelligently find, and the industrialist to intelligently and eco¬nomically exploit the materials that constitute a large part of the mineral wealth upon which our way of life is based, we must get a better insight into

Jan 1, 1952

By O. G. Olvera, L. S. Quiroz-Castillo, P. J. Valenzuela-Guerrero, D. G. Dixon

The effect of sulfuric acid concentration on the extractions of arsenic and copper in the catalyzed batch leaching of an enargite concentrate was studied. The acid concentrations studied were 60, 45, 30 and 15 g/L. The experimental series yields maximum copper extractions of 96 to 98% in an interval of 81 - 185 h leaching time for 60 - 15 g/L initial sulfuric acid concentration; all the copper extractions plateaued after these values; the rates and plateaus of copper extraction are increased with higher acid concentrations. Arsenic extractions reached maximum values of 89% in 57 hours, 57% in 49 hours, 33% in 25 hours, and 25% in 112 hours respectively; these maximum values were followed by a steep decrease in arsenic concentration, which indicates a precipitation event occurs in the process. According to the literature and process conditions, the arsenic precipitates obtained are iron arsenates similar to scorodite. The stability of the residues was tested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) from EPA; the residues for the four concentration levels passed the TCLP test, reporting arsenic leaching values below 1 mg/L.

Jan 1, 2014

By B. Z. Wu

The flotation of low-grade zinc oxide ore which from Guizhou has been researched by sulfuration- amine method. The experimental result indicated that when pH of pulp was 11, good flotation index can be achieved by using sodium silicate as dispersant, mixed amine as collector, and the do-sage of sulfur sodium was 6kg/t, and the recovery of zinc can be heightened by using copper sulfate as activator and Hydroxamicacid as collector. When the zinc feed grade was 4.84%, the zinc concentrates with grade of 39.23 % and recoveries of 75.17 % were obtained by adopting this technics.

Jan 1, 2014

By A. Galvan

High rate compressible media filter (CMF) tests produced exceptional total suspended solids (TSS) removal at hydraulic loading rates ranging from 97.8 to 122.2 m/h. The compressible media is manufactured from a robust resin fiber that can withstand low pH and temperatures up to 149 °C. The media porosity can be varied by applying compression onto the media. At 40% compression, the CMF can remove particles greater than 4 μ. Three synthetic test-samples were generated by Hazen Research Inc., (Golden, Colorado) to simulate the copper Pregnant Leach Solution (PLS), Raffinate and Electrolyte solutions used for the testwork conducted at their facility. The preliminary results showed that the CMF was very effective in removing TSS without the use of chemical conditioning from the above test-solutions with efficiencies of 98%, 97%, and 96%, respectively. Given the remarkably high hydraulic loading rates, the industrial equipment footprint would be minimized appreciably over conventional clarification and alternative filtration systems.

By R. T. DeHoff

Saltykov's meihod for the determination of the size distribution of spherical particles from measurements made on random plane sections is extended to particle shapes which are not equiaxed. The analysis permits the deterrrzination of the size distribution of aggregates of ellipsoidol particles provided all particles have tlze same shape. V ARIOUS solutions to the problem of the determination of the size distribution of spherical particles from measurements made on random plane sections have appeared in the literature since the original solution was first published by Scheill in 1934. Solutions have been offered utilizing measurements of the diameter1y2 or area3'4 of circular sections that result when a test plane is passed through an aggregate of spherical particles, and the length of intercept5y6 that results when a test line is passed through the aggregate. To the best of the knowledge of the author, no method has been proposed which permits the determination of the size distribution of particles that are not equiaxed. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method which permits the determination of the size distribution for a specific class of particle shapes which cover awide range of axial ratios; namely, ellipsoids of revolution. In the interests of simplicity, it is necessary to limit consideration to aggregates of particles which are all similar in shape; that is, the ellipses which, by rotation about one of their axes, generate the particles, all have the same axial ratio. The size distribution, which is to be determined by the analysis, is arbitrary. It is also assumed that the section, or sections, upon which the measurements are made represent the average of all possible sections through the structure. This ideal condition can be approached as nearly as may be desired by observing a sufficient area of sections taken at random positions in a randomly oriented aggregate, and in random positions and orientations in an aggregate that has one or more axes of orientation. SIZE DISTRIBUTION FOR PROLATE ELLIPSOIDS Consider an aggregate of cigar shaped, geometrically similar particles (prolate ellipsoids), dispersed in an opaque matrix. Let the size of each particle be specified by the length of its minor axis, By Fig. 1, and the shape, q, be defined by the ratio of its minor to its major axis, B/A. Let the index, j, refer to dimensions of ellipsoids in a particular size class, and the index, i, to dimensions of an ellipse resulting from the intersection of a test plane and a particle. The size of such a section is specified by the length of its minor axis, b. Let the particles be arbitrarily divided into k size classes, and let the increment of size between each class be A, where A = &,$, B,,,being the minor axis of the ellipsoids in the largest size class. Since all sections are represented on the test plane, the minor axis of the largest of the sections observed, results from the intersection of the test plane with an ellipsoid in the largest size class at its center, and is therefore equal to Bmax Thus the increment, A = The final result will consist of the k numbers which represent the number of particles in each size class per unit volume of aggregate:

Jan 1, 1962