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By Muammer Kaya, Sait Kursunoglu

"The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ascorbic (C6H8O6) / oxalic (C2H2O4) acid as a reductant for the simultaneous recovery of zinc and manganese from a spent and mixed zinc-carbon and alkaline battery powder in sulphuric acid leaching. The effects of sulfuric acid concentration, ascorbic/oxalic acid dosages, reaction temperature and leaching time on the zinc and manganese dissolutions were investigated according to 2k full factorial experimental design; then, a simple optimization study was carried out for the best reductant. The optimum reductive acid leaching conditions were determined at 3 hours leaching time, 70°C leaching temperature, 0.5M sulfuric acid concentration, 13 g/L ascorbic acid dosage, 1/20 g/mL solid/liquid ratio and 200 rpm stirring speed. Under these conditions, the dissolution efficiencies were 99.9% for Zn and 99.3% for Mn. When our results were compared with the previous results, our findings were better than previous studies.In addition, the manganese dissolution kinetics was undertaken, and the activation energy was found to be 7.04 kJ/mol. Selective precipitations of Zn and Mn from acid solutions were carried out using NaOH and KOH. Using 3M NaOH as precipitating agent at room temperature and at pH 8; 95.4% of Zn and at pH 10; 93.7% of Mn were precipitated from the leaching solution. Under the same conditions, using 3 M KOH at pH 8; 91.6% of Zn and at pH 10, 96.4% of Mn were precipitated. Based on the experimental results obtained, an appropriate flow sheet was proposed to recover zinc and manganese."

Jan 1, 2012

By Walter Dake

THE mining engineer is being more generally called on to examine and report on properties where the introduction of mechanical loaders is proposed, and as the use of these labor-saving devices presents an entirely different problem from that of hand-loading, an outline of procedure is herewith pre¬sented based on five years of intensive field experience in making such studies. It is impossible to outline an examination which will cover every condition but the most important variables are noted and the re¬port may be amplified or abridged to suit individual mine requirements. There are, of course, exceptional cases in which a single minor variable will determine the final conclusion; the result of mechanical loader application can be, estimated within close limits by considering all variables listed and taking into account the sum of all those found to be applicable to the property under examination. It is necessary that a high degree of accuracy be exercised in the analysis of conditions, and that a relatively narrow margin be figured on all estimates of tonnage outputs and costs. In making an examination for this purpose the data as to company name, business address, name of mine, geographical location, rail or water connections, type of mine (whether shaft, slope, or drift), and the name of seam should, of course, be included, to be followed by the minimum, maximum, and average thickness of seam, a brief description of the charac¬teristics of the coal, the impurities contained, location of regular impurities or partings, together with nota¬tion as to quality, uses, and-markets for the coal. It is also necessary to make cross-sections of the seam so that face preparation may be studied in an effort to eliminate all regularly-occurring impurities at the working place. The possibilities for further cost re¬ductions by the removal and gobbling of partings under¬ground before mechanically ? loading out a face are sufficiently great to warrant careful study and analysis. The classification of the mine from the standpoint of gaseous or non-gaseous operation will determine the general type of electrical equipment needed. A notation regarding the power whether generated at the mine or purchased, together with the amount, voltage, and type of current available is necessary since these matters determine the exact type of elec¬trical equipment to be used. A brief description of the ventilating system, giving type of fan, amount. of air delivered, water gage, and whether force or ex¬haust type, will enable the engineer' to figure venti¬lating requirements per man under mechanical loading practices. The pitch of seam in degrees, the pitch of working faces, and a brief description of rolls or horsebacks should be included, as these affect the efficiency of mechanical loading and, therefore, the economic re¬sults obtainable. -Notations should be made as to the amount of water found in working faces, and whether pumping, sprinkling or rock-dusting methods should be considered. As the character of the floor affects the operation of the machine at the face if a cater¬pillar-tread type, its hardness should be determined, and also whether impurities consisting of floor ma¬terial are likely to be loaded with the coal. The char¬acter of the roof and overlying stratification determine the mining system and width of roof span at work¬ing faces. It therefore directly regulates the amount of tonnage to be loaded by machines without a move from one place to another.

Jan 12, 1927

By T Berryman

The Fimiston reserve is being depleted at the rate of one million ounces per year; most of which is processed by the Fimiston plant, with the remainder being stockpiled. As for most other large open cut mines around the world, Fimiston has an excellent dispatch and tracking system. Reconciliation is used to determine how the various models used in mine planning (such as a reserve, budget and schedule models) are tracking against production. It is also used to gauge the performance of grade control estimation against production; however, analysing the results of this can be complicated and, at times, misleading. The reconciliation process involves adjusting the monthly production data to equal the mill reported tonnes and grade, plus the change in stockpiles. This adjusted number is then compared to the grade control reported tonnes and grade, the scheduled model (monthly planning model) tonnes and grade and against budget (Reserve) tonnes and grade. This paper includes explanations of all assumptions made in the reconciliation process, including the end of month closing stocks balance, the application of adjustment factors to the dispatch data to create a new balanced set of production data and the monthly sign off to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley requirements of the North American owners. The reserve is reconciled by proved and probable classification. This tool is used to assess the robustness of the classification scheme utilised and identify any reconciliation issues as they arise. Within the Fimiston deposit there are still issues that are clouded by the assumptions made concerning the scale of observation, poor data support and the mining of the narrow lode areas of the deposit. The declared ore mined (DOM) number (which is defined in the paper) can be significantly affected by these assumptions, and these need to be clearly stated and understood when looking at the reconciliation data. The DOM tonnes and grade is a good indicator of real mine performance as it adjusts mined tonnes and grade to take into account the milled tonnes and grade each month, and prevents cumulative errors from building up in mine predicted dispatch numbers or end of period stockpiles. This number allows monthly monitoring of the mine to mill performance and allows valid comparisons to be made back to budgets and reserves over a period of time. KCGM uses three month rolling averages to monitor performance against reserve and budget models. This ensures that monthly distortions in the figures due to stockpiling issues or over mining in a particular period do not lead to false conclusions. Reconciliation performance over a longer period (12 - 18 months) is used to adjust reserve models should significant variance be observed. By closely monitoring the reconciliation performance at the Fimiston operation, fine tuning of all aspects of the grade estimation process from reserve through to grade control can be made. This allows the most accurate data to be used when planning from reserve data for the Life of Mine Plan through to grade control data for short-term mill feed.

Jan 1, 2006

By S. F. Ye, L. Xiao, Y. L. Wang, P. W. Han

"Copper anode slime is a precious secondary source for the recovery of silver. However, current recovery process are constrained by either sever pollution or high cost. To cover the drawbacks of current process, this research employed a novel strategy by using the manganese dioxide as the oxidant in acid solution, which avoided the generation of sulfur dioxide while high silver extraction rate was achieved. The effects of manganese dioxide, sulfur acid concentration, stirring speed, temperature and leaching time on silver extraction rate were investigated. The silver recovery reached to 91.68% under the conditions of 1.2 g manganese, 2.0 mol/L H2SO4, 300 rpm, 80 °C and 6 h. INTRODUCTION Copper anode slime is generated from the electrolysis refining of copper and is extremely precious for its containing noble metal such as silver (Chatterjee, 1996; Amer, 2003; Yldrm et al., 2014; Syed, 2016; Wang et al., 2017). Therefore it is of great significance to extract silver from anode slime for the full utilization of resource. Pyrometallurgy is the most mature process for the extraction of silver because of its stability and adaptability (Hait et al., 2009; Zhao et al., 2010; Gao et al., 2017). However, it also suffers the drawbacks of high operating cost, low extraction rate of silver and severe pollution of smoke dust (usually containing lead and arsenic) (Ludvigsson and Larsson, 2003). To cover the drawbacks of pyrometallurgy process, more and more attentions are giving to the semi-hydrometallurgy process which usually includes a pretreatment process of sulphatising roast or low temperature oxidizing roasting (Tishchenko, 1964). After pretreatment, the refractory silver bearing phases (silver selenide, silver sulfide and silver) are converted into readily leached forms which are often extracted by ammonia, sodium sulfite in alkaline solution (Valiuniene et al., 2010; Wojciech, and Kitka, 2017). Despite its relatively high extraction rate and low investment, it still has the disadvantages of releasing harmful gases since the sulfur dioxide are generally generated in the pretreatment process. In addition, the use of ammonia can easily lead to a leaking into the atmosphere once not carefully dealt with (Aylmore and Muir, 2001). As for silver recovery by sulfite leaching, the consumption of sodium sulfite is rather high which often results in a pipe blocked (Yang et al., 2006)."

Jan 1, 2018

By Ernest E. Thurlow

Introduction Today, more than 50% of rail-carried commodities are mineral industry related, with coal being the most important single commodity moved by rail. In 1980, coal accounted for more than 5.7 million of the total 22.6 million carloads moved by rail. Metallic ores were third behind grain, with more than 1.4 million carloads. Crushed stone, gravel, sand, and other non-metallic minerals totaled almost 2.3 million carloads. Chemicals and allied products, including fertilizer and coke, added another 1.7 million cars, with petroleum and petroleum products totaling 300,000 carloads. Coal Several things happened in the 1970s that gave rise to increased consumption of coal-particularly western coal-and to its dominant position among rail-carried commodities. First, the Clean Air Act of 1970 required generating plants to make significant reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions. To comply, utilities could either invest in scrubbers or switch to low-sulfur western coal. Many opted for the latter. By 1972, increasing demands by the utility companies halted what had been a 25-year decline in national coal consumption. Second, the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 put an end to cheap oil and gas, limiting their future as fuels for electric generating purposes and increasing the potential for coal. Third, in 1977, President Carter announced an energy program with coal as its cornerstone, calling for an annual two-thirds increase in national coal production by 1985. He also called for conversion to coal by utilities and large industrial users. Finally, he proposed a 10-year, $10 billion program to encourage domestic coal production and stimulate development of export markets. Coal bounded into world prominence. Foreign demand for steam and metallurgical coal increased tremendously, while US demand for western coal also shot up. This meant greater demands on the transportation sectors that traditionally carried coal to market. Many railroads began programs to serve the coal industry. One example is Burlington Northern's commitment to handle increased western coal tonnages. The company spent more than $1 billion in recent years to develop a system capable of moving more than 91 Mt (100 million st) of coal each year. Other leaders in this renewal were Norfolk and Western, Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific railways. The importance of the rapid growth of coal traffic to the railroads is shown in the accompanying table, which gives percentages of total tonnages hauled and revenues attributed to coal. With coal providing the railroad industry with a substantial share of its revenues, there is keen competition among the rail companies themselves and among railroads and other transportation sectors for coal haulage. But there is also cooperation when more than one railroad is involved in delivering the coal from mine to market or when a combination of transportation modes is more economical. The latter is represented by Conrail's interest in working with the port authorities of New York and New Jersey to establish a new coal port that would serve not only export markets, but also utilities and industries in the northeast. Iron Ore Next to coal, iron ore (taconite) is the most important single mineral commodity handled by railroads. In Minnesota, where most iron ore is produced, rail transportation is primarily by Burlington Northern and the Duluth, Missabe, & Iron Range Railway Co. (DM&IR). The DM&IR, owned by US Steel, serves several producers on the Mesabi Iron Range. Two of the larger producers, Erie Mining Co. and Reserve Mining Co., also own railroads that operate between the mines and the ports of Silver Bay and Taconite Harbor on Lake Superior. Several iron mines and taconite plants in Michigan are served by the Chicago and Northwestern, and the Soo Line. Total 1981 shipments of taconite and iron ore are estimated at 55.9 Mt (55 million It), compared with about 61 Mt (60 million It) in 1979 the most ever shipped in one year. Still, with annual production capacity of the eight Mesabi Range

Jan 10, 1982

By Derrin A. Auerswald, Jacolien P. Wyethe, Nanne M. \/egter

Base and precious metal refineries often produce effluent solution and slurry streams containing between 50 mg/L and several grams per liter of base metals. Metals have historically been precipitated from these streams with lime to produce effluent streams at pH values between 8 and 9. This effluent treatment process generally does not remove alkali and alkali-earth metals or halides efficiently and with more stringent environmental legislation, more sophisticated effluent treatment plants must be considered which could for example incorporate sulphate removal with ultra-filtration, or the SavminTM process, followed by reverse osmosis for the removal of halides. The flowrates of effluents are often high and if base metals can be recovered before neutralization, the revenue generated from this stream can reduce the cost to produce clean water significantly, and in the case where high concentrations are disposed of, result in a profitable operation. As an add-on to an existing the plant the recovered metal is upgraded and recycled to the plant, but the production of a saleable metal can also be considered. Technology selection for metal recovery depends on the composition and flowrate of the effluent, but could incorporate resin-in¬pulp or other ion-exchange technology; precipitation as sulphides, hydroxides or carbonates; or solvent extraction. This paper describes, as a case study, the technology selection process and uses data from Zincor. Zincor is a division of Exxaro Base Metals (Pty) Limited, a subsidiary of Exxaro Resources Limited.

Jan 1, 2011

By C. A. Stickels

The preferred crystallographic orientations developed during recrystallization of polycrystalline electrolytic iron sheet, cold-rolled 90 pct, were ivestigated. Recrystallization at 500° or 565° C for relatively short limes produces a texture which is similar to the rolling texture. A duplex partial fiber texture, significantly different from the rolling texture, is found when the annealing time is increased. Recrystallization at 700°C also produces a sequence of textures with increasing annealing time. In order of their appearance, these textures are: 1) the duplex partial fiber texture found at lower temperatures, 2) a four-component texture "near {322}(296)", 3) a {112)(110) +(111)(110) texture, and 4) a two-component "near {554)(225)" texture. Secondary recrystallization, or discontinuous grain growth, accompanies the development of the latter texture. However, the "near {554} (225)" texture was nol observed when secondary recrystallization occurred under other conditions. All of the ideal orientations found in recrystallization textures can be accounted for by the growth of minor components of the deformation texture. IN recent years there has been increased interest in improving the drawability of metals by controlling the preferred crystallographic orientation of the sheet.1-l3 Since more low-carbon steel is drawn than any other material, considerable attention has been focused on the properties of sheet steel. Efforts to improve drawability through texture control have been hampered by the lack of any published systematic study of the recrystallization textures developed in iron annealed below Acl. The purpose of the present work was to supply some of this missing information, specifically, the recrystallization textures obtained by isothermal anneals of polycrystalline iron, cold-rolled 90 pct. LITERATURE REVIEW—DEFORMATION TEXTURES Barrett14 reviewed and summarized the investigations of rolling textures in iron and low-carbon steel prior to 1952. The texture of heavily deformed iron (rolled 90 pct or more) is described as consisting of two partial fiber textures. The dominant fiber texture (designated here as fiber texture A) has a (110) fiber axis in the rolling direction and includes the orientations (001)[110], {112}( 110), and {111}(110). The secondary texture (designated here as fiber texture B) is described as having a (111) fiber axis in the sheet normal direction, and includes the orientations {111)( 110) and (111)(112). Since the publication of Barrett's book, there have been two detailed studies of the deformation texture in polycrystalline iron. In both instances, the more sensitive diffractometer methods of pole-figure determination were used. Bennewitz15 studied the cold-rolling textures developed in polycrystalline low-carbon steel and a 3 pct Si steel. He determined (110), (2OO), and (222) pole figures for specimens reduced 30, 50, 60, and 90 pct and analyzed his results in terms of partial fiber textures. He distinguished three stages in the development of the final deformation texture. 1) Grains rotate to form two incomplete fiber textures, with (110) fiber axes inclined 30 deg to the sheet normal toward the rolling direction (fiber texture B). After 50 pct reduction, the highest density of poles is near an ideal orientation {554}(225), the two components of which are members of this duplex fiber texture. 2) With increasing amounts of reduction, grains rotate about the former fiber axes toward ideal orientations of the type {112)( 110) (common to fiber textures A and B). 3) Finally, grains rotate about their ( 110) axis in the rolling direction, clockwise and counterclockwise from the orientations {112}(110). This produces the range of orientations from (111)(110) to (001)(110) commonly found in the rolling texture of heavily deformed iron (fiber texture A). No significant difference was found between the deformation textures of low-carbon and silicon steels. A few years earlier, Haessner and weik16 had determined (110) pole figures for carbonyl iron rolled to 30, 60, 80, and 90 pct reduction in thickness. heir data agree quite well with the more complete data of Bennewitz, but a somewhat different description of the evolution of the deformation texture was given. The appearance of (110) poles in the transverse direction is ascribed to a (100)[011] component rather than "near {554}( 225) " components, and the (110) fiber axes of fiber texture B are described as located 35 deg rather than 30 deg from the sheet normal. Both of these studies agree that the secondary texture present in heavily rolled iron, the duplex fiber texture B, has (110) fiber axes and not a single ( 111) fiber axis normal to the sheet, as

Jan 1, 1965

By M. P. Adamson, Bryson D. Trexler, R. V. Ramani, Mark L. Koenig, V. Rajaram, Alan Burton, C. S. Crocker, Kim. Y. C., A. G. Law, William C. Larson

Another record year vas experienced by the mining industry as the value of nonfuel minerals production soared to $23.5 billion-up 15% from the previous year. Based on preliminary estimates by the Bureau of Mines, US mine output was the basis for about $225 billion worth of minerals-derived materials. Metal mining accounted for $8.5 billion, or 36%, of the total. Of the 22 metals produced in the US, 11 showed quantity increases, while 16 had value increases. Business Week's survey of 1200 companies (Mar. 17, 1980, pg. 81) revealed that 21 metals and mining companies had sales increases of 30% with earnings up 104%. Higher prices and increased demand for metals were primary factors behind the improved performance. The steel sector reported a 30% decrease in earnings for the year, but the slump was primarily the result of a $383-million loss for US Steel coupled with a 17% decrease in earnings at Inland Steel. Other firms did well in 1979, with earnings up 279% at Interlake and 269% at Kaiser Steel. Major obstacles facing the steel industry included substantial tonnages of dumped and subsidized imports, environmental expenditures, runaway inflation, and price controls. Turning to nonmetallic production, of the 49 commodities reported by the US Bureau of Mines, 29 had higher outputs and 39 had increased values. While production statistics may seem encouraging, government regulations continued to stifle industry efforts to develop needed new capacity. A case in point may be publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's simplified procedure to streamline five permit programs by consolidating them into one. The five included: hazardous waste management, national pollution discharge elimination, dredge and fill, underground injection control, and prevention of significant deterioration. The new procedure, published by EPA in the Federal Register, took 149 pages. AMC's J.A. Overton, Jr., noted that (MCJ, Nov. 1979, p. 39) to visually depict the complexity of the proposed regulations, Sell Oil Co. developed a flow chart mapping a path through one section. The chart required 10 days to map and two weeks for two draftsmen, using computerized drafting techniques, to plot the results. Overton said, "Perhaps the greatest service EPA has performed in preparing its proposal is to demonstrate again that federal regulations have become a complexity compounded by confu¬sion that culminates in a conundrum." While regulatory agencies promulgate new regulations, the lack of a cohesive government minerals policy remained a matter of significant importance to mine management. A non-fuel minerals study to provide input to the Administration for a national minerals policy program was a dismal shock, according to Rep. Jim D. Santini (D-NV). He said the first phase of the program, which was to identify industry problems, failed to come to grips with the hard decisions necessary regarding these problems, their impact, and their interrelationship. Santini said the report failed to acknowledge government's role in the process and absolved the government of any adverse influence on the domestic minerals industry. In response to the phase one report, eight senior mining executives testified before Santini's House Subcommittee on Mines and Mining concerning mineral supply, access to foreign sources, environmental protection, conservation and recycling, national security, and capital formation. By year's end, Rep. Santini promised to prepare a hard-hitting committee report on problems affecting the non-fuel minerals industry to provide a better base for subsequent policy recommendations (MCJ, Jan. 1980, p. 34). On the technological front, interest again centered on mechanization, automation, and scaleup to improve and expand production. Computer use increased for calculation of ore reserves, mine planning, operations research, and mineral processing.

Jan 5, 1980

By R. Floyd Farris

A method is presented for determining minimum waiting-on-cement time, which takes into account the differences that exist between types and brands of cements and such individual well conditions as depth, temperature, and pressure. The basis for the method was determined by laboratory tests. Being a laboratory development, several steps were required to prove its merit. The first step consisted of laboratory tests designed to determine the minimum cement strength required in wells. Basis was found for setting a minimum value of 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength. Next, it was shown by laboratory tests that the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength may be expressed as a function of consistometer stirring time to loo "poises," the approximate relation being "the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength equals the time to I00 'poises' times three." Next, it was shown that the time of maximum temperature development in cement slurries, due to heat of hydration, is also related to consistometer stirring time to loo poises, but only by a factor of approximately two. It was shown also that the shut-in casing pressure will build up after cement is placed and register a maximum pressure at approximately the same time the slurry down the hole attains maximum temperature. From this and the relationships listed above, the general rule was established that minimum waiting-on-cement time (time to 8 Ib. per sq. in.) after casing cement jobs in any well is equal to the time when the shut-in casing pressure reaches a maximum, as measured from the initial mixing of cement, times a factor of 1.5. Cement plugs drilled in the field at the time prescribed by this formula were found to drill "firm to hard," thus confirming the laboratory tests. These tests prove that many of the present regulations for waiting on cement require a longer time than is absolutely necessary. Use of the method herein proposed offers the possibility of a saving of $1200 per well. Introduction The length of time allowed for cement to set after casing is determined either by state-wide rules, field rules, or self-imposed rules written into drilling contracts. In general, the time is dictated by experience and common practice. However, owing to differences in opinion and in experience of the various groups involved, waiting-on-cement time often varies from one area to the next. For example, an operator in an area where no rules exist may drill out of surface pipe at 24 to 36 hr., while another operator in another area may wait 48 hr. or more to comply with state or field rules, although the depth of the well, hole size, type of cement, and other data are identical. An even greater difference in practices will be found by making similar comparisons with respect to oil-string cement jobs. Differences in waiting-on-cement times of 36 to 48 hr. are common. Further complicating the picture is the rather common practice of allowing more waiting time for cement to set at the greater depths than is allowed at the shallow depths. This practice has existed for years in spite of the common knowl-edge1,2,3 that the temperature of the earth at the usual setting depths of surface

Jan 1, 1946

By R. D. Reiswig, J. M. Dickinson

The 0s-Ir equilibrium diagram was determined. The diagram is of the simple peritectic type, with a peritectic temperature of about 2660°C. The solid miscibility gap is narrower than previously reported, the nearly vertical solvus lines occurring at about 42 and 63 wt pct 0s. Widmanstaetten figures resembling martensite in some of the two-phase alloys account for a previously suspected transformation. In view of the long history of use of such alloys, it is surprising that the 0s-Ir equilibrium diagram has not yet been completely determined. The boundaries of the miscibility gap in this system have been estimated to be between 24 and 39 wt pct 0s and 79 and 100 wt pct OS. It has been predicted3 that alloys of ruthenium, osmium, and rhenium with the fcc platinum metals should solidify peritectically in their two-phase regions. The metallographic examination of natural osmiridium alloys has been said4 to indicate, by the presence of a martensitic structure, the existence of a transformation or a phase separation. On the basis of superconducting transition temperature measurements, a 70 at. pct 0s alloy was found5 to be two-phase prior to annealing. EXPERIMENTAL The elemental components used in this work were obtained from several suppliers as sponge. The purities, stated by each supplier to be in excess of 99.8 pct, were confirmed in each case by a semiquantitative spectrographic analysis. The pure components were premelted in an inert-gas tungsten arc furnace with the evolution of some fume, crushed, and pickled for use as alloy melting stock. Upon arc melting to the final compositions, no fume evolution was observed. Because weight losses of the order of 15 mg or less were observed in preparing alloy buttons weighing 15 g, "synthetic analyses" were used in determining the compositions of the alloys. Alloys used in this investigation contained 15, 20, 33, 40, 42, 43, 45, 50, 55, 60, 63, 64, 66, 70, 79, and 80 wt pct 0s. Heat treatments of the alloy buttons and pieces thereof were performed in a previously described6 tungsten tube furnace under pressures of 105 torr or less. It was found that homogenization treatments on the specimens were essential to remove the severe coring which was present, a 3-hr treatment above 2300°C removing all the metallographi-cally visible evidence of coring. Following the various heat treatments, the specimens were "vacuum-quenched" by melting a tungsten fuse wire and allowing them to drop onto a water-cooled copper plate. In a few instances, specimens were quenched into molten tin for comparison, but no difference was apparent. Vacuum-quenched specimens cooled from 2400°C to below a red heat in less than 60 sec. Typical equilibration times varied from 3 hr above 2300°C to 88 hr near 1100°C. The utilization of successively longer equilibration times and the approach to equilibrium from both directions indicated that the times used were sufficient to give a close approach to true equilibrium. Heat-treatment temperatures were measured with a calibrated Leeds and Northrup optical pyrometer through a 0.120-in. lateral sight hole in the tungsten heater tube. It was known that the assumption of black-body conditions inside the 1-in.-diam by 10-in.-long tube was unwarranted. The empirical results of work with thermocouples and melting

Jan 1, 1964

By J. Geertsma

In order to obtain a better insight into the pressure-volume relationship of reservoir rocks a theory of pore and rock bulk volume variations is presented. The theory is independent of the shape of the pores but is restricted to isotropic porous media built up of continuous homogeneous matrix material. The main conclusion obtained from this theory is that only three elastic constants and three viscous constants are required for describing pore and rock bulk volume variations if the porosity is explicitly introduced into the treatment. In addition, reasonable approximations are introduced for various types of reservoir rock, e.g., sandstones, limestones, and shales, which lead to further simplifications of the basic formulas. In consequence there is then a further reduction in the number of deformation constants which have to be determined experimentally. It is shown how measurements of these remaining deformation constants can be performed most conveniently. Finally the application of the theory to reservoir studies is discussed and the translation of experimental results obtained in the laboratory into reservoir behavior is considered. INTRODUCTION The decline of fluid pressure in connection with the withdrawal of fluid from an underground reservoir gives rise to a change in volume of both reservoir fluids and reservoir rock. The volume variation of the reservoir rock results in a decrease of both the pore volume and the total volume of the fluid-filled formation. Whereas the variation in volume of the reservoir fluids with pressure is usually known from PVT analysis, that in the volume of the porous medium is rarely measured, as it is considered of minor importance in reservoir engineering. Nevertheless, certain experimental results' suggest that in a number of cases the neglection of the variation in pore volume may introduce errors into material balance calculations of reservoirs producing above the bubble point. Only a few experimental results on the compressibility of porous rocks have been published. The compressibility of pure quartz and of calcite can be found in a paper by Adams and Williamson'. Botset and Reed' carried out some experiments on the compressibility of loose sands, while Carpenter and Spencer' measured the compressibility of a number of consolidated sandstones, which data were supplemented by Hughes and Cooke5. Hall' finally reported a number of experiments designed to study the influence of the porosity on the compressibility of oil-bearing formations, from which it appeared that, particularly in the low porosity range, the compressibility of the pore volume is important enough to be taken into account. Difficulties, however, arise in applying these experimental results to field cases. This is partly due to the fragmentary nature of the published data. Yet even if more complete data were available, the need for a theoretical background would be strongly felt. Such a background can be partially found in studies carried out by Biot,6,7 who published a theory of elastic deformations of porous materials and their influence on fluid displacement within the pores, by Lubinski8, who studied the stress distribution in an elastic porous medium neglecting pore compressibility, and by Gass-mann" who mathematically analysed the elasticity of packings of spheres. The contributions of Biot intro-duce a number of deformation constants which are impractical for reservoir rocks from an aspect of experi-mental determination. The theory developed by dass-mann is correct but difficult to read. It appeared, how-

Jan 1, 1958

By H. K. Najarian

This paper describes recent development work on the Wheaton-Najarian Vacuum Condenser for Zinc at Josephtown Zinc Smelter, wherein, to dissipate the heat of condensation, the "airlift" action of gases bubbling through the molten zinc in the condenser is utilized to circulate the zinc through an outside "cooling well" and cooling it continuously. AN earlier paper1 gave an account of initial development of the Wheaton-Najarian Vacuum Zinc Condenser at the Josephtown Zinc Smelter of the author's company. This paper is a progress report of further development work over the years directed toward improving the efficiency and increasing the capacity of the condenser. In this type of zinc condenser, zinc vapor with accompanying noncondensable gases from electro-thermic zinc smelting furnaces is passed upwardly through a mass of molten zinc confined in a refractory-lined U-tube. The zinc vapor condenses in the molten zinc and the noncondensable gases are drawn out of the condenser by suction applied over the surface of the molten zinc. The heat of condensation of zinc, amounting roughly to 1000 Btu per lb of zinc condensed, is absorbed by the molten zinc and, in turn, is dissipated continuously to keep the temperature of molten zinc in a range to permit effective condensation. At the time of publication of our first paper, we had at Josephtown Smelter five units of 69-in.-bore metal furnaces and one larger metal furnace having 96-in. bore. Each 69-in. metal furnace had a condenser with 22-ft overall length. The 96-in.-bore furnace had a condenser with overall length of 31 ft. Condensers were of circular cross section, with corrugated steel outer shell and carborundum lining. Diameter of these condensers was 32 in. inside the refractory lining. Molten metal in the con- denser was kept cool by spraying cold water on the outside of the condenser shell. Under good operating conditions, 22-ft condensers produced some 12 tons of metal per day; and the 31-ft condenser, about 22 tons. When the furnaces produced zinc vapor at higher rates, invariably the condenser temperature would rise to levels where excessive blue powder would form and accumulation of accretions in the condenser would be accelerated. We found that, with the system of cooling in use, we had to provide heat-exchange surface of some 150 sq ft to condense 1000 lb of metal per hr with reasonable efficiency. The wall of the condensers was made up of 5/8-in.-thick corrugated-steel shell having next to it several layers of mica and inner refractory lining of special carborundum shapes to fit the corrugation in the steel shell, and having a minimum thickness of about 2 in. Relatively low rate of heat transfer through the thick condenser wall and slow internal circulation of the molten zinc limited the rate of heat exchange between hot metal within the condenser and the cold water flowing over the outer steel shell. The thickness of the condenser wall was about minimum that we considered suitable for continuous operation. As we learned to operate the electrothermic furnaces with higher power input, producing zinc vapor at higher rates, it became apparent that we needed condensers having larger heat-exchange surfaces. Our 96-in.-bore furnace had 6 single-phase power circuits with transformers rated at 500 kva each and normally good for power input of 3000 kw.

Jan 1, 1959

By Robert Mermelstein, Robert W. Kilpper

In a long term toxicology study SPF, F-344 rats were exposed 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for up to 24-months to a special test toner at 0, 1 (low), 4 (medium), and 16 (high) mg/m3, or Ti02 at 5 mg/m3, or Si02 at 1 mg/m3 by the inhalation route. The test toner was composed of about 90% random, high molecular weight acrylic copolymer and 10% high purity, medium color, furnace type, carbon black. It was enriched in fine particles such that the respirable aerosol concentrations (ACGIH) were to 0, 0.35, 1.4 and 5.6 mg/m3. There were no effects of exposure on survival, causes of death, body weight, food consumption or clinical chemistry and hematology parameters. There was no evidence for systemic or upper respiratory system toxicity as all of the changes were restricted to the lungs and associated lymph nodes. The lung tumor frequencies in the control (air and Ti02) and toner exposed groups were comparable. There were no changes at the low exposure level, which is the most relevant in regard to potential human exposures. The lung changes at the high exposure level consisted of decreased alveolar clearance, increased toner retention, increased lung weight, chronic inflammation, decreased pulmonary function and a moderate degree of focal fibrosis in all animals. The changes in the middle exposure level were smaller in magnitude than at the high level, and a very slight degree of fibrosis was found in 20% of the animals. In a follow-up investigation, female F-344 rats were exposed to one of three toner concentrations; control, low (10 mg/m3) or high (40 mg/m3) for 13 weeks followed by five, 13 week observation intervals. At the low exposure level, slight clearance retardation and modest inflammatory changes were observed at the end of exposure. They returned to normal values within six months post-exposure. In contrast, at the high exposure level, increased lung weight, decreased alveolar clearance and a disproportionate increase in toner retention, as well as an inflammatory response, were noted, which persisted throughout the post-exposure interval. While no significant histopathological changes were noted at the end of exposure, a very slight degree of fibrosis was observed in all of the animals in the high exposure group, after 65 weeks of observation. All of the above alterations are ascribable to "lung overloading", a generic response to excessive amounts of any dust retained in the lungs for a prolonged time interval. Published accounts in the toxicology literature document that long-term inhalation of large quantities of even innocuous particles such as Ti02, carbon black, petroleum coke, toner, and other polymeric and insoluble materials has resulted in a spectrum of generically similar pulmonary changes. Scaling of the rat-data, using 1 mg dust/g of lung as a threshold for "lung overloading", normal ventilatory parameters and 300-500 day human retention halftimes project "lung overloading" upon long-term exposure to insoluble respirable dust above 0.2-0.33 mg/m3. Other types of information are consistent with an exposure limit in the range of 0.4-1.0 mg/m3 for respirable dust. The absence of definitive toxicology data in support of the current OSHA respirable nuisance dust limit, coupled with the lack of sound epidemiology data, indicate the need to reexamine the validity of the current nuisance dust health standard.

Jan 1, 1991

By R. Floyd Farris

A method is presented for determining minimum waiting-on-cement time, which takes into account the differences that exist between types and brands of cements and such individual well conditions as depth, temperature, and pressure. The basis for the method was determined by laboratory tests. Being a laboratory development, several steps were required to prove its merit. The first step consisted of laboratory tests designed to determine the minimum cement strength required in wells. Basis was found for setting a minimum value of 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength. Next, it was shown by laboratory tests that the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength may be expressed as a function of consistometer stirring time to loo "poises," the approximate relation being "the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength equals the time to I00 'poises' times three." Next, it was shown that the time of maximum temperature development in cement slurries, due to heat of hydration, is also related to consistometer stirring time to loo poises, but only by a factor of approximately two. It was shown also that the shut-in casing pressure will build up after cement is placed and register a maximum pressure at approximately the same time the slurry down the hole attains maximum temperature. From this and the relationships listed above, the general rule was established that minimum waiting-on-cement time (time to 8 Ib. per sq. in.) after casing cement jobs in any well is equal to the time when the shut-in casing pressure reaches a maximum, as measured from the initial mixing of cement, times a factor of 1.5. Cement plugs drilled in the field at the time prescribed by this formula were found to drill "firm to hard," thus confirming the laboratory tests. These tests prove that many of the present regulations for waiting on cement require a longer time than is absolutely necessary. Use of the method herein proposed offers the possibility of a saving of $1200 per well. Introduction The length of time allowed for cement to set after casing is determined either by state-wide rules, field rules, or self-imposed rules written into drilling contracts. In general, the time is dictated by experience and common practice. However, owing to differences in opinion and in experience of the various groups involved, waiting-on-cement time often varies from one area to the next. For example, an operator in an area where no rules exist may drill out of surface pipe at 24 to 36 hr., while another operator in another area may wait 48 hr. or more to comply with state or field rules, although the depth of the well, hole size, type of cement, and other data are identical. An even greater difference in practices will be found by making similar comparisons with respect to oil-string cement jobs. Differences in waiting-on-cement times of 36 to 48 hr. are common. Further complicating the picture is the rather common practice of allowing more waiting time for cement to set at the greater depths than is allowed at the shallow depths. This practice has existed for years in spite of the common knowl-edge1,2,3 that the temperature of the earth at the usual setting depths of surface

Jan 1, 1946

By David Hopkins, Steve Klein, Bradford Townsend, Ed Sum, Derek Penrice

INTRODUCTION The Transbay-Caltrain Downtown Extension (DTX) Project involves the construction of an approximately 1.5-mile rail line that will extend Caltrain commuter service and the future California High Speed Rail system into downtown San Francisco. The underground rail extension will be constructed by mined tunnel and cut-and-cover methods. Tunneling challenges include difficult ground conditions, low rock cover, the presence of historic buildings along the alignment, and the large tunnel span, ranging from approximately 50 to 65 feet. Three mined tunnel construction methods were evaluated: the Stacked Drift Method, the New Austrian Tunneling Method/Sequential Excavation Method (NATM/SEM), and Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM). This paper describes the challenges presented within the mined tunnel section, and summarizes the evaluation of tunneling methods that led to the selection of NATM/SEM. PROJECT OVERVIEW The existing Transbay Terminal opened in downtown San Francisco in 1939. This facility is antiquated, and does not meet current building seismic safety standards or the transportation needs of the Bay Area. For these reasons, San Francisco voters approved Proposition H in 1999, which proposed to construct a new or rebuilt regional transit center at the site of the existing terminal and extend Caltrain commuter rail ser-vice to the new transit center. The new transit center is the hub of the Transbay Transit Center (TTC) Program, which will greatly enhance regional transit service by providing connectivity for six Bay Area transit providers at one facility. The program will be the largest inter-modal centerwest of New York City. The TTC Program is comprised of two major projects, the Transit

Jan 1, 2007

By Andrzej Frycz

The development of the theory of reliability creates more and more possibilities of its application in different domains of technics. The methods evolved to date, both theoretical analysis of the engineering systems and investigations techniques in practice can be put in use a d translated from one science to another one [1,3,7J . It needs to consider the specific of the different sciences. But it is necessary to take account of the specific characteristic of each line of science. The reliability investigations needs, justified in technical and economical viewpoint appear too in mine ventilation technics and systems. The mine ventilation system is a complex of workings and ventilation plants, which serve to supply the networks with a sufficient quantity of fresh air from the atmosphere and then carry off the vitiated air. The condition necessary for a ventilation system to perform definite task is the correctness of all its elements, that is a capability to preserve in a expected range of tolerance, the values of basic parameters. The element of a system which ceases to work correctly is called failed. The basic parameter of all elements of a ventilation system is the characteristic curve, pressure loss - air quantity relation ?p = f(Q) (1) This curve concerning the workings and ventilation stoppings is given by the formula: ?p = R Q2 (2) thus the resistance R (of the workings or stoppings) may be taken as a characteristic parameter. The course of this characteristic f(Q) will be given in a complex form in concern with fans, ejectors, air curtains. The failure of a ventilation plant or working is therefore an event, relying on a change of its characteristic, thus for a definite time the losses of the plant's or working's capability set in for the fulfilment of its function in the ventilation system. The failures are divided in viewpoint of their nature on sudden and progressive. We are in concern with the sudden failures which are characterised by a violent change of the ventilation element parameter for example a fall of roof, or silt up of the working, opening or failure of the ventilation stopping, the stand-off of the fan or ejector etc. We distinguish two kinds of failures on the viewpoint of their action on the air flow: the "opening" failure and "closure" failure. The prevalence of factors, which causes the failures is in connection with the intersection in the mine of roads of haulage, roads of underground transport of materials and lining elements, roads of people motion with airways, as also depends on the rock pressure reaction on the workings lining and plants placed there. Other factors will yet be decisive upon supply decay of fans, ejectors and curtains. The appearance of failure of the ventilation element is therefore of random nature and determines the change of the element, when it is passing from operating state to unoperate. Qualifying the ventilation system element to one of these states is easy, when the characteristic change is clear and occurs suddenly, that was assumed. The investigations conducted by Patrushev and Karnaukh [91 in concern with the ventilation stoppings resistance change in the case of their opening, had shown the possibility of resistance value change in the range of several hundreds higher.

Jan 1, 1980

By R. F. Krueger, L. C. Vogel

A design is presented for an electrical analog computer which can solve non-steady state heat transfer problems in an extensive radial forrnation containing a moving cylindrical source. The computer is used to simulate a .simplified thermal oil recovery process in which heat transfer from a moving, constant temperature source takes place radially by conduction only. Temperature distribution curves are .shown for several different assumed modes of travel for the heat source. The data are used to estimate the residual fuel requirements necessary to maintain a self-propagating isotherma1 front for the particular system being studied. Although the computer is designed to represent an unique system. conversion factors can he adjusted to show the effects of changing the assumed values of system constants, such as thermal conductivity of the formation and temperature of the source isotherm. Examples are given to illustrate the relative influence the assumed values of these variab1es will have upon the quantity of fuel required to maintain the source. The maximum effect of heat transfer by the flowing air stream is estimated mathematically, and full requirements for this system are shown to he markedly reduced. Inasmuch as the examples discussrd refer to a simplified process, the results are not directly applicable to a practical field operation. It is believed, however, that the data il1ustr-ate some general trends which are important in thermal recovery processes. Data from laboratory and field experimentation can he used to modify the computer to take into account the influence of heat transfer by various mechanisms, for example, by injected air and by fluids ahead of the hot zone. With .such refinements it would be possible to estimate more accurately the limiting values for the rate of travel of the high temperature front and for the required air- injection rates. Use of this computer should aid in evaluating the economic feasibility of oil recovery by various thermal processes. It is hoped this paper will stimulate further work by others to help accomplish this objective. As the costs of exploration for and development of new oil fields rise. increasing the recovery of oil from established fields becomes more and more important. In fields containing low gravity crude oil, ultimate recoveries by primary means are sometimes less than 10 per cent and often total only 10 to 20 per cent of the oil in place. Conventional secondary recovery methods are not always effective in increasing this total. Methods which have been proposed for increasing the recovery of viscous oils include thermal processes for increasing the mobility of the oil. One method is to provide a moving heat source generated within the formation to heat the oil and a flowing gaseous medium (for example, air) to sweep the oil to the producing wells. The possibility of such a process has intrigued engineers for many years.'. '." but little or no information has been available in the literature relative to the technical or economic feasibility of this method. Recently, however, interest has been revived by publication of laboratory and field test results indicating the feasibility of maintaining

Jan 1, 1956

By J. H. Kim

Since the Hardy Cross numerical algorithm was applied to the solution of mine ventilation networks, there have been numerous developments in ventilation network analysis procedures. The Newton-Raphson method, the linear theory method, and the second-order approximation method are three of the additional approaches that have been applied. The efficiency of a ventilation network analysis procedure depends not only on the method of solving the system of equations derived from ventilation networks, but also on the method of deriving the equations through selection of the meshes. This paper investigates the impacts of three mesh selection methods on the efficiencies of four ventilation network procedures. The minimum-resistance spanning tree method is the most popular procedure for selecting meshes. The shortest-path method was suggested by Epp and Fowler (1970) for improvement of the Newton-Raphson method. The minimum-resistance-path method is suggested here as the third method of selecting meshes. The effects of these three methods on the Hardy Cross method, the Newton-Raphson method, the linear theory method, and the second-order approximation method are analyzed in this paper. These network analysis methods have been summarized in the paper by Kim and Mutmansky (1991).

Jan 1, 1992

THE subcommittee on Coal Mining, since its appointment, has been engaged in collecting data about subsidences in coal mines in this country, and it now feels that almost all of the available data about occurrences of this sort in bituminous mines has been collected. As most of the bituminous seams are nearly level, the records obtained give the problem in its simplest form, without complications due to the pitch of the seam. Similar data is being compiled for the anthracite regions and it is hoped that this will be ready for the 1927 meeting. Copies of the questionnaire, Appendix A, were mailed to all of the coal operators' associations, to most of the large operating companies and to many engineers, with the request that any data on the subject be returned to the committee, or that advice of any subsidences known be given. The replies to most of the questionnaires were general only, although some specific cases were given. Many of the companies were unable to reply to all questions, as they lacked the necessary data, but in nearly every case where accurate data was available, it was cheerfully furnished, and any additional information requested was secured. All specific cases of subsidence were followed up by correspondence, and in several cases by personal inspection. Figs. 1 to 31 were made from the information furnished. Table 1 gives measurements of elevations taken in one case at intervals from October, 1913, to May, 1918. With one exception, where the evidence cannot yet be released on account of a lawsuit, it is believed that the cases submitted with this report include practically all that have happened in bituminous coal mining in this country of which actual measurements were secured. Some of these have already been published in the excellent report by Young and Stoek,1 and some instances have been secured from other publications. In collecting these data, the subcommittee had the Engineering Societies Library extend the bibliography given in the bulletin mentioned above to date. This list is given in Appendix B.

Jan 2, 1926

By H. W. Wainwright

One phase of the research and development work on synthetic liquid fuels conducted by the Bureau of Mines at Morgantown, W. Va. in cooperation with West Virginia University deals with the purification of synthesis gas.2/ Most of the experimental studies on gas purification have been directed toward the removal of organic sulfur from gas, either catalytically or by adsorption with activated carbon. An important part of the purification program has been the development of suitable analytical methods for determining organic sulfur compounds. As the total sulfur content, organic and inorganic, of purified synthesis gas should not exceed 0.1 grain per 100 cubic feet, the need for accurate analytical methods is apparent. It is also apparent that such methods must be rapid if one wishes to evaluate various processes for removing sulfur from gas. The organic sulfur found in most gas produced from coal is usually present as carbon disulfide, carbon oxysulfide, methyl and ethyl mercaptans, and thiophene, with the exception of thiophene, the remaining organic sulfur compounds respond similarly to catalytic treatment and can be removed effectively. Not only does thiophene resist most catalytic treatment, but it poisons some catalysts, rendering them ineffective in removing the other forms of organic sulfur.

Jan 1, 1950