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By Felix Edgar Wormser

JUST as the ancients used the products of their crude mining endeavors to fashion tools with which to make digging easier, so today mining enterprises are dependent upon the very metals they mine for the efficient conduct of mining and metallurgical operations. In fact, the outlet afforded by the production of minerals in the United States is no mean market for the nonferrous metals. I believe that mine managers frequently lose sight of the opportunity they have to select from competitive products those which will help the market for their own metal output. For example, some years ago a large lead mine used storage-battery locomotives for its haulage, common practice, of course, throughout the United States. These particular locomotives, however, were powered not with the ordinary lead storage battery but by a competitive battery product made from an imported metal. After studying this situation, the manager saw how he could help himself by purchasing a product made from his own mineral output, and in his next order turned tip the use of the lead storage battery.

Jan 1, 1935

By W. P. Sykes

RECENT investigations of the molybdenum-carbon alloys have been reported by Becker and Ebert1,? Westgren and Phragmén2, T. Takei3, and H. Tutiya4. Takei3 studied the Mo-C system by employing metal-lographic and X-ray methods, and the other publications described the determination of the crystal structure of the molybdenum carbides. In exploring this system by a technique previously applied to the tungsten-carbon series5, the results of Takei were confirmed with two definite exceptions; i.e., first the composition of the eutectic, and second the nature of the carbon-rich intermediate phase. Consequently, a more thorough examination of the molybdenum-carbon constitution was initiated in an effort to correlate the data supplied by the microstructures, diffraction patterns and chemical analyses.

Jan 1, 1935

By A. Metzer

When paraffinic gases (ethane, propane, butane) are used as the gas phase in flotation systems, the initial rate of flotation and recovery are generally increased as compared with air. The mechanism of the effect of paraffinic gases in flotation was studied and it was shown that they co-adsorb with the collector ions on the mineral-aqueous solution interface. The effect of this co-adsorption was interpreted in terms of apparent increase of the effective chain length of the collector by the co-adsorbed gas. Adsorption densities, contact angles and flotation behaviour were studied on the following systems: a) Quartz - dodecyl ammonium chloride - ethane and propane b) Calcite - sodium oleate - propane and butane. The positive effect of the co-adsorbed gases is a maximum at low collector concentrations or where critical conditions for flotation with air prevail.

Jan 1, 1974

The paper describes the progress made in the last decade with the introduction of comprehensive monitoring of the mine atmosphere into U.K. collieries. Brief descriptions are given of the various portable and fixed point instruments which have been developed for this purpose and the methods available for transmission of information to the surface are also discussed. The paper also outlines some of the research work being carried out both in the laboratory and underground on the development of alternative methods of fire detection. Some of the results from this work are illustrated and discussed.

Jan 1, 1981

By J. P. Wiser

THIS paper discusses testing and quality control of milled asbestos fibre. It has been composed with the intention of: (I) Summarizing past, present and probable future methods of testing and classifying the various grades of commercial asbestos produced by the Quebec asbestos industry. (2) Acquainting those unfamiliar with the methods used for evaluating, testing and controlling the grading and the quality of Quebec chrysotile asbestos fibres with some of the physical and chemical procedures currently used for that purpose. (3) Discussing some of the complications facing the producers, such as variations in the orebody and special requirements of asbestos manufacturers. ( 4) Detailing some of the present quality control methods. SUMMARY OF PAST, PRESENT AND PROBABLE FUTURE TESTING METHODS Past During the first years of production of commercial asbestos in the Province of Quebec, fibre testing and quality control were based principally on dry screen analysis and visual inspection. These methods were gradually expanded during the period from 18, 90 to 1932. In 1932, standardization

Jan 1, 1962

By Leonard Sugin

As we approach the end-of the 20th century we are made more aware of the tremendous role that energy plays both directly and indirectly in our varied way of life. The industralized nations of the world have already established industries and economies which are greatly dependent upon the availability of energy. The underdeveloped and developing nations of the world are slowly and surely moving to the same utlimate requirements. The world wide need for distribution of energy sources is continuing to grow. At the present time there is a great imbalance between the sources of energy and the consuming economies In order to bring about greater equality between supply and demand major efforts and large capital expenditures are constantly being made. Industralized areas are seeking their own independent sources of energy whereas those areas of the world which contain great reserves of energy are limiting its export as well as developing its own industralized capacity. Nevertheless, energy bearing materials are still transported great distances in order to satiate the appetites of power hungry economies.

Jan 1, 1975

By Lester C. Uren

Tars paper reviews the industrial trends and changes in educational concepts that have led to the development of the modern petroleum engineering curriculum. A trend toward emphasis on engineering fundamentals is noted. While most universities are committed to the traditional four-year engineering program, it is agreed that more than four years is necessary for academic preparation of the petroleum engineer in all phases of his profession. The author proposes a coordinated program of undergraduate and graduate training that will permit of adherence to the general pattern of the present four-year engineering course, with provision for extension of the program into specialized graduate courses of professional character. In the latter, emphasis may vary with the interests and objectives of the individual student. A specific undergraduate curriculum is proposed in which upward of 80 per cent of the available time is devoted to engineering fundamentals. A broad survey of the professional field is afforded in courses grouped in the third and fourth undergraduate years, but detailed treatment of the professional aspects of petroleum engineering is reserved for the graduate program. INTRODUCTION Of necessity, engineering curricula must ever be changing to reflect the new techniques, the changing concepts that are presented as the engineering industries develop and unfold. Particularly is this true of the younger engineering curricula representing comparatively new and rapidly changing industries such as the petroleum industry. Institutions that planned their petroleum engineering curricula a decade or two ago now find that the petroleum industry has become vastly more technical in its requirements. En¬tirely new methods and techniques have come into vogue and must be given place in the curriculum, and some of these are of a character that demands changing emphasis in the fundamental preparatory subjects. College and university faculties cannot complacently assume that curricula in this field that were considered appropriate 10 or 20 years ago still reflect the needs of the industry that they are designed to serve. If they do, their graduates will be poorly equipped to meet the requirements imposed upon them by a rapidly changing industry. Perhaps it is not too much to expect academic authorities to anticipate the trends of industry and equip their graduates with what they will need to attain leadership 10 or 20 years after graduation. Whether or not this desirable objective is possible, there is no excuse for allowing curricula to fall behind the current needs of industry. DURATION OF CURRICULUM The majority of our engineering schools and colleges still adhere to the four-year curricula and there appears to be a definite sentiment among many engineers engaged in industry that work should be so planned that the engineering student may secure the essential academic preparation for his profession in a terminal four-year program. Yet, in recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that four years of

Jan 1, 1941

By M. E. Rossi, J. A. Bassan, J. B. Novillo

Sampling and geological models are the basis of recoverable resources models. They are pillars of mineral resources and reserves estimation, and what geostatistical methods for grade estimation should rely upon. The resource model is best estimated if geostatistical methods make good use of sound geologic models. Data collection from the original drill holes, including field procedures and the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of those samples are pillar one of a resource model. The second pillar of the model is the good use of the logged geological information, resulting robust geological interpretations, and the corresponding three-dimensional models of those interpretations. These models are partly subjective and mostly conditioned by the quality of logging and the geologist’s experience. They are also conditioned by the quality of the three-dimensional models built, regardless of the modeling method employed, traditional or implicit. Grade estimation is more commonly done by applying some geostatistical method and using the two basic sources of information, data and geologic model. Multiple stages are involved in this process, and in all of them there are uncertainties and risks that have to be dealt with. Knowledge, understanding, interpretation, and management of the model’s fundamentals are critical, given that they directly affect its accuracy and predictive quality. The mitigation of related risks allows for the creation of opportunities, generating value and reducing the project’s uncertainty. This paper discusses some of the key variables, uncertainties, and risks involved in the resource modeling process, illustrating with specific examples; discusses possible risk mitigation alternatives, and proposes best practices to avoid or mitigate those uncertainties. Emphasis is placed on taking advantage of technological advances without ignoring fundamentals. INTRODUCTION In the area of mineral resource estimation, one alarming trend that these authors have observed in the past 20 years or so is that the care and diligence in checking the work as it progresses has generally diminished. This is, perhaps, an unintended consequence of the availability of new technologies and tools that attempt simplify and speed up the work involved. This has led to a more casual attitude towards checks and balances that have to be in place at any given stage of the process before proceeding to subsequent stages, as best practices dictate. To some extent, some of these aspects are covered in international standards for resource estimates reporting (JORC, 2012; CIM, 2010). But these are broad, and do not specifically recommend best practices to a level of detail that would have an impact on certain aspects of the process. There are numerous references in the geology and mining journals and conferences that discuss the consequences of poor recoverable resource models (Baker and Giacomo, 1998; Vaughan, 1997).

Jan 1, 2019

By Pritii Tam Wai Yin, Tony Leong, Neetu Bansal, James Vaughan, Amiel Boullemant

Mercury is a toxic element that is associated with many industrial activities including the Bayer process. Mercury is known to enter the Bayer process with the bauxite feed material and has the potential to accumulate as the process solution is recycled. This paper explores the speciation of mercury in Bayer process streams. The process parameters considered are the oxidising-reducing potential, basicity and temperature. The results of a refinery circuit survey are presented and compared with the thermodynamic predictions. Electrochemical measurements on relevant synthetic systems are also included.

Jan 1, 2014

By R. A. Deju

The Basalt Waste Isolation Project of the U.S. Department of Energy is a part of the National Was re Terminal Storage Program. Its mission is to assess the feasibility of siting a nuclear waste repository in the basalt formations which underlie the Hanford Site of the U.S. Department of Energy. The progress in all program areas is summarized in this paper. Activities conducted to date have led to the identification of possible repository candidate sites within the Hanford Site.

Jan 1, 1981

By John I. Yellott

SINCE the days of Newcomen and Watt, when men first sought to turn the energy of fuels to useful purposes, coal-generated steam has supplied most of the power needed for both stationary and mobile applications. The low efficiency and large water requirements of the nineteenth century steam-power plant caused many engineers to turn their thoughts toward more direct means of converting heat into power. As far back as 1791, John Barber secured an English patent on a combination' which he might well have called a "gas turbine." He proposed to generate procducer gas from coal or charcoal, to burn it under pressure in air obtained from a reciprocating compressor, and to drive a turbine wheel with the resultant hot combustion products. With the optimism characteristic of the inventor, he hoped that the turbine would not only operate his compressor but also perform useful work. There is no record that Barber ever built his machine, but if he had done so he would have learned that useful power can result from such a combination only when both turbine and compressor are highly efficient and when the temperature of the gas entering the turbine is not far below 1000°F. Hot-air prime movers continued to attract attention, and both Stirling in England and Ericsson in America2 built reciprocating engines that operated with some success upon coal-heated air. The internal-combustion engine, burning liquid fuels, supplanted the hot-air type, and, for the first time, challenged the supremacy of both the steam cycle and its familiar fuel, coal. LIQUID FUELS COMPETE WITH COAL As the increasing use of the automobile multiplied the demand for gasoline, the supply of residual fuel increased rapidly, and heavy oil declined in price to the point where it became competitive with coal. First in the marine field and later in stationary plants in areas adjacent to refineries, oil began to be widely used. Oil's greater convenience and higher heating value per pound of weight or per cubic foot of bunker space have caused it to take over much of the marine field. The introduction of the highly efficient diesel engine, capable of burning a fuel that is cheaper than gasoline, again threatened the position of coal, for the operating costs of the diesel became directly competitive with those of coal- burning equipment. In isolated power plants and smaller marine installations, the diesel provided the medium by which oil again successfully invaded fields formerly dominated by coal. The diesel engine, provided with an

Jan 1, 1946

This paper puts the view that, for one gold deposit in Victoria at least, the Australasian Code for the Reporting of Identified Mineral Resources is severely deficient. The author questions whether or not the Code constrains the proper dissemination of information relevant to resource valuation. The author offers a view about the estimation of inferred resources, and provides data believed pertinent to the proper valuation of Ballarat Goldfields Ltd Ballarat East Project.

Jan 1, 1990

By Frederic A. Verheyde

The CPT pile design method of the ‘Laboratoire des Ponts et Chaussées’ (LPC) uses the cone resistance (qc) for the design of axially loaded piles. It was originally proposed in 1982 and was revised in 1993 and 2012. It has been widely used in France for several decades and is included in the current French pile design code. The objective of this paper is to summarise the two first versions (1982 and 1993) of the method and to detail the most recent one as described in the current French pile design code (AFNOR 2012).

Nov 1, 2022

By James L. Patton

Automation of mining increases the productivity of labor, thereby reducing the unit cost of labor. Such cost constitutes the largest portion of the direct or variable costs of producing coal. Therefore, any increase in productivity directly reduces variable cost. The large investment in mechanical equipment carries with it the burden of increased fixed charges. As the proportion of fixed cost to the total cost increases, the effects on the cost of production changes are amplified. Therefore, equipment must be fully utilized at all times. Averaged fixed costs rise with any decline in production. Such a situation forces coal companies to seek every means of main¬taining full production. Figure I will reflect the story on the relationship of production to cost.

Jan 1, 1962

By E. Y. Carlson

"IN A SHORT PAPER it is impossible to do much more than to list the industrial minerals found in Saskatchewan and to give a brief description of the activity associated with each. I will not attempt to discuss the geology. It is sufficient to say that the settled part of the Province is covered by glacial drift which varies in thickness from a few feet to several hundreds of feet, and that this has hindered the search over much of the Province.CLAYA notable exception to this is the Cypress Hills area in the southwest corner which did not suffer any glacial action and where we find some of the large exposures of Cretaceous clays. In this area, the majority of the deposits are of stone-ware clays which are •an excellent raw material for such products as face brick and sewer pipe. Although the clay cannot be transported over any great distance it is used extensively in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the production of these products."

Jan 1, 1959

By F. R. Archibald, C. F. Jackson

THE prospect of winning aluminum from clay was recorded almost a century ago at a time when the metal was no more than a curiosity.? As the industry developed, and it has probably developed faster than that of any other metal, the expanding need for raw materials was adequately met by the ample supplies of bauxite ore. As with the other metals older in industry, however, lower grade ores have gradually entered the raw-material field through improvements in ore dressing, insufficienoy of high-grade ore supplies, favorable geographic location, or national necessity for domestic supply. So with aluminum, or alumina, which has been established as the requisite intermediate, the time may have come when a satisfactory process, with favorable location and suitable raw materials, can hold a sound place both in metallurgy and economics. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the Ancor process and its proposed application in treatment of clay in a plant now under construction at Harleyville, South Carolina, by the Defense Plant Corporation. DEVELOPMENT OF THE ANCOR PROCESS The Ancor process has developed through successive stages of laboratory investigation, pilot-plant demonstration using nepheline syenite and pilot-plant demonstration using kaolin-type day from South Carolina, and is now in preparation for unit trial on an operating plant basis using the latter material. The laboratory studies were carried out over a number of years in the laboratory of the American Nepheline Corporation in Rochester, N. Y., and for the same company in the ore-dressing laboratory of Beattie Gold Mines, Que. Ltd. at Duparquet, Quebec. Both companies are associated with Ventures Ltd., Toronto, and its associated American companies. The work was originally undertaken with a view to recovery of alumina and alkalies from nepheline syenite as an adjunct to the American Nepheline Company's established business in the glass and ceramic trades, but as a process developed the possibility of application to clay and other aluminous raw materials become apparent and the laboratory studies were broadened to include these as well. Under the more pressing impetus of wartime needs and possibilities, pilot-plant operations were undertaken at the Canadian Bureau of Mines Ore Dressing Laboratories in Ottawa, and for purposes of demonstration under joint sponsorship of the Canadian Bureau of Mines, The American Nepheline Corporation, and The Aluminum Company of Canada Ltd.

Jan 1, 1944

By Howard M. Wells

Portfolio theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (Modigliani and Pogue, 1974) provides an investment decision rationale which takes account of the benefits of diversification in reducing effective risk, but this theory does not consider the financial capability of the firm to survive large losses if they should occur. The LL-curve theory (Wells, 1976) takes the latter consideration into account, but it does not provide for the effects of diversification. This paper pro- poses a general theory to account for both diversification and the financial capacity of the firm to underwrite the investment risks.

Jan 1, 1983

By Edward W. Parker

This plant was built in 1907 at the Bankhead mines to manufacture briquettes by the Zwoyer process under license from the Zwoyer Fuel Co., of New York, N. Y. The building was constructed to contain two units, each of a capacity of 10 tons per hr.; one unit was installed at the time the building was constructed, and the second unit is now being built. The coal used is an anthracite, which is more friable than that of Pennsylvania, and, as a consequence, a larger percentage of dust or waste is produced, which was formerly thrown upon the slack-pile as waste, but is now passed to the ? dust-bin " in the breaker, from which it is conveyed to the briquette-plant.

Jan 5, 1908

By Arthur P. Sanda

Thank you Clark, for that extraordinary introduction, but Paul Harvey would be disappointed if I didn't tell you ... the rest of the story. It's true that I began my career at the Boston Traveler newspaper, one of the last of the breed that started as an office boy and eventually advanced to staff reporter. However, what the biography doesn't tell you is that after that stellar rise to prominence in the Boston financial community, the afternoon Traveler was merged into the morning Boston Herald, and I was out of a job. Between the Traveler - which I closed - and the Brockton Enterprise - where I helped bring about the first labor strike in the newspaper's 100 year history - for a short period I worked double shifts at a bomb factory where we made beanbag mines for use in Vietnam. That is until the plant blew up one morning between my shifts - my last shift, as you can guess. Incidentally, my job was quality control. Before accepting my first public relations job with Boston Gas Company - and handling the media during that companies longest strike in history - I worked part time as a police officer in the small Massachusetts town of Halifax, during which time I wrecked the town's only patrol car - twice. Having contributed all I could to Boston Gas Company, I moved on to the parent company - Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates - where I was instrumental in closing down the last remaining coke plant in the Northeast in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia - and got my first exposure to the coal industry - a visit to Eastern's last two coal mines in western Pennsylvania, Culver and Delmont - which were closed a month later. With the coal boom at its apex in the late '70s, the bosses thought it would be safe - and safer for the other subsidiary companies - for me to be given the opportunity to establish a formal public relations department at Eastern Associated Coal Corp. In my 10 years with Eastern Associated, I was able to help take the company from 17 operating mines down to 6, from 8 longwall sections down to 5, and eventually have the entire company sold to Peabody, While at the same time, bringing an end to the coal boom. It was at this point that journalism again beckoned, which coincided with COAL magazine purchasing Coal Age from McGraw Hill Publishing. In my l l years with the magazine, we've taken it from Coal Mining and Processing, to Coal Mining, to just COAL, and back to Coal Age - which is the best thing we ever did - and we've had the company sold ... twice.

Jan 1, 1999

By Robert J. Anderson

DURing the past 5 years no subject has aroused more interest or received more attention among mill operators than flotation. One reason for this is, undoubtedly, the remarkable success of the process in Australia where that country has risen to the position of furnishing one-fifth of the world's supply of zinc. The plant of the Butte & Superior Copper Co., designed by James M. Hyde in 1912, was the first important large flotation plant in this country; other installations have been made since then with considerable frequency, particularly so in the last 2 years. Without going into complete detail, it may be safely said that although flotation is a highly successful commercial process, it is more or less on an empirical basis. Upon scanning the literature, it is found that the flotation investigations have, in the main, dealt with a solution of the problems which accrue to practise; until recently no attempt was made to remove the difficulties in the way of the formulation of a consistent and harmonious theory. Of late this phase of the work has been receiving considerable attention, particularly by the United States Bureau of Mines at its Salt Lake City station, by the Mellon Institute at Pittsburgh, by the General Engineering Co. at Salt Lake City, by many of the mining schools, and private individuals almost ad infinitum. There is, at present, an enormous amount of laboratory work being carried on in flotation research, and probably the time is not far away when a generally acceptable explanation of flotation phenomena can be set forth. However, at this time, it seems as though the current technology is befogged with a superabundance of contradictory evidence; this confusion can only be dispelled as time proceeds and the knowledge of the subject becomes more complete. Many phenomena are supposed to contribute to the flotation of minerals, whether in whole or in part is a mooted question. I shall only sketch roughly the present tendency of ideas and make no reference to the first early and crude notions which have little value other than histori-

Jan 1, 1917