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By Cynthia Belt

"Before energy can be saved in the materials industry, the process must be understood. At the same time, baby boomers are starting to retire. New people are entering the field without experience and training especially in methods to save energy. Various classroom courses, seminars, books, software, and websites are available for the professional to better understand the industry with the ultimate goal to reduce energy use. This paper is a review of what is currently available with some comments on potential needs.IntroductionEnergy use is high within the materials industry. For the United States, the primary metal industry uses 8% of all energy used in manufacturing (Figure 1 )1 or 1, 736 trillion BTUs per year. Sadly, while energy use is high, energy management is not universal within the industry. Counting both internal programs and external such as the utility supplier, equipment manufacturers, federal and state programs, only 66% of primary metals companies participate in an energy management activity1.For the materials field, process heating is the majority of the energy use in a plant2. Understanding and optimizing process heating is a critical need for materials energy professionals. Surprisingly, process heating is not necessarily the work addressed within an energy program. The U.S. 2006 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (see Table 1) found more primary metal companies addressing lighting with 31 % participation versus 15% with process heating work even though energy used in lighting tends to be a minor (in the range ofl-3% ofa typical plant's energy use)."

Jan 1, 2013

By Sherwin F. Kelly, Bela Low

THE WORK OF THE DRILLER and of the oil geologist is seriously handicapped by the impossibility of actually seeing what is going on inside a borehole as it is being drilled. Visual information of the position and condition of the casing, and of the characters and attitudes of strata passed through would be of inestimable benefit. The best substitute for putting a periscope down a hole is the taking of photographs of its interior at points where information is desired. An apparatus for this purpose has been constructed by Dr. Thomas Reinhold, of Heemstede, Holland, and one instrument of his design has been put into practical use by the Geological Survey of The Netherlands in searching for water. To the best of our knowledge, this instrument has not been applied to oilfield problems, although the possibility has been mentioned in the one or two brief notices of the camera which have appeared in the literature.' The purpose of presenting this description of the instrument, with some examples of its work, is to suggest that it might be adapted to serve a variety of useful purposes in American oilfields, and with the hope that discussion will bring out any modifications necessary to make the apparatus more valuable to drillers and geologists.

Jan 1, 1932

By S. Rideout

The United States Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is responsible for regulating active coal mining and reclaiming abandoned coal mines in the United States. In working with the State government agencies that implement these programs, OSM is building a new approach that moves away from traditional "command and control" regulation and towards an approach that focuses on providing long-term environmental and economic sustainability on lands disturbed by coal mining. This initiative called "Reclaim the Future!" looks to enhance opportunities for economic development, wildlife preservation and enhancement, reforestation, and other beneficial and productive uses of lands disturbed by coal mining. The initiative is also focused on ensuring that the landowners and the local public have significant involvement in determining how best to reclaim mine sites and what post-mining land uses are most appropriate for each individual abandoned mine reclamation project or active mine reclamation. Through the use of the best scientific input in an open, participatory process, OSM hopes to further sustainable development principles for coal mining within the framework of existing United States law.

Jan 1, 2007

By K S. Park, J K. Kim, J H. Park, Y Su

The present study investigates the possibility of the direct removal of oxygen from the Ti-30Ni (wt per cent) alloy melt through the thermodynamic equilibrium reactions at 1623 K in the vertical tube furnace. The deoxidation efficiency of Ti-Ni alloy melt by adding different contents of metallic calcium (Ca) as a deoxidant was evaluated with the binary CaF2-MgCl2 flux. The thermodynamic equilibrium experiments showed that the total oxygen content in the alloy decreased from about 650 ppm to 350 ppm when 3.5 wt per cent Ca was added to the Ti-30Ni (wt per cent) alloy. Alternatively, the effect of flux composition in the CaF2-MgCl2 flux on the oxygen content was also investigated at 1623 K. Therefore, the effect of binary flux systems on the deoxidation ability was compared at 1623 K. According to the results, the flux system with 80 per centCaF2– 20 per centMgCl2 exhibited the best deoxidation capability, ie total oxygen content in the alloy reduced from 1450 to 550 ppm.

Aug 21, 2024

By R. M. GRANTHAM, J. H. SOULE

C. R. Keyes, F. C. Schrader , F. A. Jones ( the first director of the New Mexico School of Mines , whose name was given the deposits ) , and N. H. Darton all described the Jones iron deposits within a decade after their discovery in 1902 . The earliest locations now on record were made in 1927. Interest in iron ores was revived during the second World War . Paul E. Pesonen , of the Bureau of Mines , reported on the deposits in December 1941 and proposed an extensive exploratory program . In March 1942 , the deposit was reported upon by C. H. Johnson , also of the Bureau of Mines , and a definite program of exploration was outlined .

Feb 1, 1947

By M. A. Greenwood

The total value of coal, FOB mine, consumed in the United States was $21 billion in 1985. Roughly $6 billion was spent to transport coal from the mine to the consumer by rail. This indicates the impact railroad transportation has on the competitiveness of U.S. coal as an energy resource. Actually, this is just the tip of the iceberg. When you consider the largest U.S. reserve of coal, the Powder River Basin, which is possibly the lowest cost coal in the U.S., or maybe even the world, the transportation cost is the overriding factor in developing competitive pricing. Rail transportation costs from Powder River can be multiples of 2, 3, or even 4 times the cost of coal FOB mine. About sixty percent of all U.S. coal is shipped by rail. In the case of Powder River Basin coal and many other reserves there are no current alternatives to rail. Are there feasible alternatives to rail transport?

Jan 1, 1986

By AIME AIME

THE Fall Meetings of the Institute of Metals Division and of the Iron and Steel Division were held in Cleveland from Tuesday, Oct. 20, to Thursday, Oct. 22, as a part of the National Metal Congress. The registration at the technical sessions was something over 450 and the attendance at the joint dinner of the two Divisions on Wednesday evening taxed the capacity of the dining room. The president of the British Institute of Metals, W. R. Barclay, consulting metallurgist to the Mond Nickel Co., Ltd.; of London, was in attendance at several of the technical sessions and was one of the after-dinner speakers at the banquet. He commented on the desirability of greater international amity and cooperation in these troubled times and of the role that technical societies, such as the A. I. M. E. and his own British Institute of Metals, can and indeed are playing in bringing this to pass, with their membership and contacts reaching to all parts of the world. He also referred to the new reciprocal membership arrangements in effect between the A.I.M.E. and the British Institute of Metals.

Jan 1, 1936

By Brian Lewis

"IntroductionThe leaching method selected for the dissolving of uranium ore depends in part on the physical characteristics of the ore, as well as the uranium mineralization. There are two main methods of leaching employed in uranium circuits in North America, one being ""Carbonate Leaching"" on sandstone, and pitchblende type ores, and ""Acid Leaching"", on quartzite type ores.This chapter deals with the acid leaching of uranium ores found in the Elliot Lake area, using sulphuric acid, for the leaching reagent, and ""pachucas"" for the contactor.The basic leaching process involves the pregrinding of the ore and the mixing of the ore with hot sulphuric acid, the mixture is air agitated, the air being used to oxidize the ore as well as produce agitation. The chemical reaction is as follows: Uranium Oxide + Sulphuric Acid = Uranyl SulphateThe following equations show the actual dissolution of the ""Hexavalent Uranium"", which show that more than one ion or complex of uranium is possible.Uranium DissolutionsI. UO, + 2H-(UOJ + H,O2. (UO,) + SO, = -UO, SO, (Uranyl Sulphate)3. UO, + SO,-(UO, (SO,),)=4. (UO, (SO,),)= -(UO, (SO,),)'Test work carried out in the laboratory as well as in the plants has determined the most efficient methods of extracting the uranium from the ore. A very important factor that has to be determined during initial test work are the amount of acid consumers in the ore. Within the Elliot Lake orebodies are minerals such as chlorite schist, diabase, and basement material, all very high acid consumers, consuming up to 1000 lbs. of acid per ton of ore. Of these minerals only the chlorite schist contain any uranium at all.The following are the operating parameters that have to be controlled in the plant:I. sulphuric acid concentration2. temperature of the mixture3. agitation4. liquid solid ratio5. reaction time6. particle size of ground ore"

Jan 1, 1989

By J. P. A. Hortley

In conventional electrolytic copper production, looped copper starter sheets, on which the copper is deposited, are supported by hard-drawn copper bars. These bars have cross-sectional areas of between 1 and 1.4 in2. The suspension bars serve two purposes: firstly to support the cathode, which can weigh up to 150 kg, and secondly to introduce the electric current. IYI examined these two requirements in detail to see whether a better design could be achieved. Considering firstly the current carrying requirement, it wee noted that under normal refinery conditions, each cathode carries between 400 and soak. If one applies the generally accepted rule that 1 in of copper can carry 1000A4 a suspension bar need theoretically contain only 1/2 in2 of copper. This contention is supported by the fact that the 500A current passed through the cathode also appears to pass quite satisfactorily through the two support loops, which have a cross-sectional area of approximately 0.35 in 2. Turning now to the strength requirements, the cross-section of hard-drawn copper bar required to support a 150 kg cathode is relatively small, and easily met by the present designs. It is not, however, the static load applied by the 150 kg cathode immersed in the electrolyte which causes the damage to the hard-drawn copper, or even the increased static load of a 100 kg man standing on one foot in the centre of the bar; the damage is actually caused by the dynamic loads applied to the bare when they are dropped, thrown into containers, lowered too rapidly into the cell, or otherwise mistreated. The important requirement is therefore that the bar does not permanently bend. Its proof stress of limit of proportionality, rather than the amount that it deflects under static loading, should be the strength criterion. With the hard-drawn copper normally used for the manufacture of suspension bars, it has been observed that the copper becomes annealed during use, particularly at the end of the bar where the current is introduced. Thus, after a relatively short time, the cathodes are in effect being supported by annealed copper bars.

Jan 1, 1978

By Wei-Tong Du, Yu Wang, Gang Wen

Carbon dioxide (CO2), a major component of the greenhouse gases, could be comprehensive utilized as a valuable resource to oxidize vanadium during the converter vanadium extraction process. The thermodynamic software, FactSage, was utilized to study the oxidation ability and theoretical cooling ability of using weak oxidant CO2 as coolant in vanadium-containing hot metal. Besides, experimental research on vanadium extraction in CO2 and O2 mixed blowing extracting process had been undertaken. The results indicated that the elements C, Si, V, Mn etc. could be oxidized by weak oxidant CO2, and the content of V2O3 in slag was approached to pure O2 blowing. Furthermore, CO2 had a remarkable cooling ability and the molten bath temperature kept on decreasing as CO2 blowing rate increases. This research has proved that CO2 and O2 mixed blowing in vanadium extraction process are effective.

Jan 1, 2015

By Smith, George Otis

THE matter that I have on my mind this evening is engineering's need of an open forum. Our fathers of three centuries ago were pro-testanta for freedom of speech and thought in matters religious; later, our fathers were revolutionists for freedom of speech in matters political; until today freedom of speech has become so universal throughout the land that even in the sanctuary of our homes, at times, we have to turn off the loud-speaker. Talk is not always a condition of progress, but light is everywhere necessary to growth, whether the growing thing is a blade of grass, a baby chick, or a young idea, and we must regret anything that tends to shut out the light from the operations of business and industry. Of course, I realize there is little that is novel in what I am saying. Indeed, I have found that Dr. James Douglas-a name we love to honor in our Institute-as long ago as 1907, gave an address at the Toronto meeting that any of us would be proud to be author of twenty-one years after. Dr. Douglas at that time spoke on secrecy in the arts and the text then taken by this leader in metallurgical technique and in the constructive management of big business was "the dangerous temptation to adopt secretive methods by very large corporations." In both thought and language Dr. Douglas was direct and vigorous and he needs no internreter. He advocated the wide open door for ideas on two counts: advancement of technical knowledge and education of public opinion. A few sentences will serve not only to prove the vision of James Douglas, but also, I hope, tempt you to hunt up his address in the Institute's TRANSACTIONS, and thus get his whole thought first hand.

Jan 1, 1928

By Y. Moriya, Y. Sadayoshi, Y. Nonogaki, Y. Takeda

"Preparation and growth processes of CaF2 on Si(111) and of . InxGa1-x,As islands on CaF2 by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are described. It was found that first of all the Si(111) surface treatment process to obtain the 7x7 reconstructed structure was necessary to ensure the cleanness of the surface and to grow a flat and high quality CaF2 on it. Growth of InxGa11-x,As islands on CaF2 was tried by droplet heteroepitaxy using the same MBE reactor. In,GaxGa1-xAs islands were successfully grown epitaxially, and the size and density of the islands dependent on the In composition were investigated.IntroductionThough semiconductor/semiconductor heterostructures are widely used for many device applications, small band off-sets of the conduction bands and the valence bands restrict the utilization of the intra-subband transitions to far-infrared regions. With InAs as the quantum well and fluorides as the barrier layers, we can design three-electronic-level systems in the infrared region, which is the low loss transmission window of the silica optical fibers. To realize those structures, we have grown InxGa1-xAs islands on CaF2 thin films that were epitaxially formed on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. By the droplet heteroepitaxy that we invented, the InxGa1-xAs islands with height of -10 nm have been obtained successfully. Optimum processing to obtain atomically smooth surfaces of Si and CaF2 and high quality InxGa1-xAs islands is reported.ExperimentsMBEMachineCaF2 was grown on Si(111) and InxGa1-xAs islands were grown on CaF2 successively by MBE. The MBE machine consisted of a growth (or reactor) chamber and a loading chamber. The reactor chamber was equipped with Ga, In, As and Er metal source cells and CaF2 and BaF2 source cells. Cell materials were P-BN for Ga, In and As metals, and were graphite for CaF 2, BaF 2 and Er to avoid reaction with BN cells. The electron gun and screen were attached to the reactor to observe the RHEED pattern during the substrate surface treatment and the growth of CaF2 and InxGa1-xAs islands. The substrate manipulator was designed to heat up the Si substrate up to 1,200°C for the surface cleaning. The QMS was also equipped to analyze the residual gas species in the reactor chamber. The base pressure of the reactor chamber was 2-5x10-11 Torr, being pumped by ion pump and the liquid nitrogen shroud"

Jan 1, 2000

By Javier Martinez Rubio

In this paper we will discuss the benefits of a very innovative way of introducing MgO in the blast furnace operation through the sinter, using mini lumps of dunite. By changing the traditional way of using an MgO bearing material in fines form (particle smaller than 5 mm), most of the MgO inserted material behaves as inert during the sintering process, with the effect of having the following parameters (among others) improved: productivity at the sintering bed, permeability inside the blast furnace, energy consumption, stability of the operation.

Aug 16, 2017

By AIME AIME

THE iron and steel activities of this meeting opened on Monday morning with the steel melting session," with G. B. Waterhouse in the chair and A. L. Feild as vice-chairman. N. A. Zeigler's paper, on "Gases Extracted From Iron Carbon Alloys by Vacuum Melbing," created considerable interest and the discussion in general was most favorable. H. W. Gillett and Louis Jordan of the Bureau questioned the method of analysis for oxygen and C. H. Herty, Jr., and J. M. Gaines, Jr., I , expressed their surprise at the large amount of oxygen with the high ,carbon alloys. Whether the gases found existed as gas in blowholes or as oxide inclusions was also a moot point. A paper by C. D. King, on "Basic Open-Hearth Yields," was an extremely interesting and valuable contribution. It was discussed by C. E.Kinney and A. L. Feild and numerous questions were asked throughout the presentation. Mr. King then presented a critical analysis of the losses together with novel methods of calculating them. A paper by C. H. Herty, Jr., and J. M. Gaines, Jr., on "Unreduced Oxides in Pig Iron and Their Elimination in the Basic Open-Hearth Furnace," followed. The question of silicates and oxides in pig iron created much discussion, notably by Henry Hanson and W. J. MacKenzie, who gave figures on chipping cost as a function of blast-furnace practice.

Jan 1, 1929

By Michael J. Nicol

The teaching of courses in geology, mining and extractive metallurgy in Australian universities is undergoing significant change largely as a result of the initiative taken by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA). This has resulted in a major program aimed at developing national under- and postgraduate courses in selected areas with the aim of making these available to a consortium of participating universities. Murdoch University, together with the A J Parker CRC for Hydrometallurgy has been commissioned to develop the course in hydrometallurgy. Progress in the development of this course will be discussed in terms of overall philosophy, content and mode of delivery. Aspects of the extension to a Web-based course will also be summarized. Murdoch University has also established a hydrometallurgical pilot plant on the campus and the results of the first continuous operation for several months using under- and postgraduate students as operators will be discussed from the point of view of practical training and providing an interface with the local industry.

Jan 1, 2002

By William Gleason

During the 116th National Western Mining Conference and Exhibition in Denver, CO, the host city was often referred to as world?s mining capital, so it was fitting that the conference looked at the mining industry through a global lens. In the current world economy, the mining industry must keep a sharp focus on such things as commodity prices and global supply and demand as well as local issues that can have a dramatic impact on a mine?s social license to operate. In short, companies should mine locally but think globally. During the three-day conference at the Colorado Convention Center, a range of global and local issues that effect the industry were discussed. A record 1,144 people attended the conference.

By R. E. Allen

ONE of the most unusual oil field engineering accomplishments of the past two years is the development and rapid advance in the directed drilling of wells. Directed drilling as referred to herein is the controlled steering of the drill stem in the required direction to a given location in the oil sand. The deliberate drifting of holes is an act so far removed from what has been considered good drilling practice that all of the old questions of correlation, drillability and production difficulties are revived. Only a few years ago, during the boom days of Seminole and Santa Fe Springs, the crooked-hole problem, as it was then called, occupied a primary position among the topics of the day in the fields of California and the Mid-Continent. The net result of all the discussion and study at that time was the conclusion that oil wells should be drilled with as little deviation from

Jan 1, 1933

The Industrial Minerals Milling Section of the Mineral Processing Division has been engaged for the past three years in a study of the separation of minerals, by means of electronic sorting equipment, on the basis of their colour. Considerable knowledge of the subject has been built up. Because the object of this study is application as a means of beneficiation, a number of examples of the separations achieved are presented. Introduction T 0 the mineral collector, the colour of a mineral may be pleasing, even fascinating; to the mineralogist, student or professional, it may also be practical. It serves, to some extent, as a distinguishing feature in many minerals, and helps to fix with reasonable accuracy the identity of a few. It may now become a useful tool of the mineral dresser. The idea of using a difference in colour as a means of separation of one mineral from another is not new. Hand sorting dates back to ancient time. However, the means by which this can be done mechanically was developed only during the past decade. As far as the Mineral Processing Division is concerned, interest dates from March, 1960, when the following item was observed in the

Jan 1, 1965

By Ademar B. Lugão, Sandra R. Scagliusi, Elizabeth C. L. Cardoso

When butyl rubbers are subjected to high energy radiation, they form easy free radicals that initiate various chemical reactions. These reactions alter the molecular distribution of irradiated rubbers by crosslinking or scission affect their physical and mechanical properties. This work aims to the analysis of effect induced by γ-exposure on the crosslinking density in butyl rubbers by swelling measurements accomplished before and after irradiation at 25, 50, 100 and 200 kGy, with further evaluation of crosslinking density accomplished by Flory-Rehner equation; this is a proper procedure for the qualification of radiation resistance. It can be noticed that changes in material structure was due to build-up of new three-dimensional network in studied rubbers. Changes in crosslinking density of butyl rubber compounds emphasize that degradation mechanism is strongly influenced by gamma-radiation doses higher than 50 kGy, since chain scission process predominates over crosslinking reaction.

Mar 1, 2017

By S. S. Lu

In sodium oleate and salicylhydroxamic acid systems, sequence of floatability of three sulfate minerals is: barite>celestite>gypsum, in lauryl amine system is: gypsum>celestite>barite. XPS and infrared spectrum analysis are used to find that it is chemical reaction between sodium oleate and three minerals, physical adsorption on the surface of minerals for lauryl amine, and it is chelating reaction between salicylhydroxamic acid and three minerals possibly. Theoretical calculation on chemical bonds in crystal structures of three minerals is carried out, finding that breaking degree of Mn+?O2- in crystal structures of three sulfate minerals is closed related with floatability.

Jan 1, 2014