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By Tell Ertl

The term oil shale is defined. Foreign oil-shale developments are outlined briefly. The richest and most extensive oil-shale deposits in the United States lie in western Colorado. The Bureau of Mines is opening two adjacent areas for underground mining. in western Colorado. From the first area the oil shale is mined selectively as required by the retorting plant. The second area is being developed as a unit of a full scale oil-shale mine to ascertain the most practical methods of mining oil shale and to determine costs. In both of these mining areas, research will be carried on to develop new and improved practices for mining oil shale. Introduction Oil shale is a sedimentary rock containing a solid mineraloid of indefinite composition known as kerogen. On heating oil shale, the kerogen undergoes thermal decomposition and some of the vapor products of the decomposition can be condensed as shale oil. Oil from shale can be a major source of liquid fuels since extensive deposits of oil shale are known to exist throughout the world. The United States considers the establishment of an oil-shale industry only when doubt exists of the adequacy of the domestic supply of crude petroleum. On the other hand, oil shale is not strange to foreign oil men. The industry is an old one in other parts of the world. The French industry has been in existence since 1838, the Scottish since 1859, the Australian since 1860, the Estonian and Swedish The since World War 1, and the Manchurian industry since 1929. The most highly exploited oil-shale deposits are the Carboniferous shales of Scotland. About 20 seams ranging from 4 to I2 ft in thickness are worked. The yield during recent years in scotland has been 18 to 25 gal of shale oil per ton, from 3&"30'000 tons per year' The French and Swedish oil-shale deposits are of lower grade than the Scottish. The Estonian oil-shale deposits are 7 ft thick, and the oil yield averages 50 gal per ton. Over 1,000,-ooo tons are mined each year, half of which is used directly as fuel to substitute for coal and the other half is used for the production of oil. Immense deposits of oil shale that will yield 10 to 15 gal per ton exist in Germany. Because of the impending loss of the Rumanian and Polish oil fields and the bombing of synthetic liquid fuel plants, the Nazis in 1943 started a large-scale oil-shale program in Germany. By V-E Day, it is said, oil-shale production had reached the rate of 2500 tons per day and rapid expansion of the industry was imminent. Australian oil shale, known as torbanite, occurs in beds 2 to 6 ft thick. It is of a very high grade and on retorting yields 80 to 160 gal per ton. The oil-shale industry of Manchuria was the largest in the world during the past decade. The well-known Fushun coal deposit in Manchuria has an overburden of 500 million tons of oil shale about 450 ft thick that will yield 10 to 15 gal of shale oil per ton. The oil shale is

Jan 1, 1949

By C. Land, R. Hultgren

Heat contents of four Cr-Ni alloys were determined in a diphenyl ethev calorimeter. Aside from ferromagnetic effects, Kopp's law of additivity of heat capacities is approximately fol-lowed, in disagreement with earlier results of A. W. Foster. In 1934 Foster1 reported heat-capacity measurements of dilute solutions of chromium in nickel, primarily as a study of the effect of alloying on the ferromagnetic Curie temperature. He found that, apart from the Curie temperature effect, the general level of heat capacities was reduced 10 pct by the addition of 1 pct Cr; 20 pct by the addition of 2 pct Cr. His measurements of pure nickel essentially agreed with accepted values. These results indicate that small amounts of dissolved chromium cause an increase in the Debye temperature of nickel, presupposing a change of frequency of interatomic bonding vibrations which is much larger than should be expected. If Foster's results were verified, therefore, they would have important implications for bonding theory. The only other heat-capacity measurements in this system seem to be those of Taylor and Hinton,' who studied anomalies which they attributed to super-lattice formation at 25 at. pct Cr. At temperatures above the anomaly, Taylor and Hinton found heat capacities at this composition were quite normal, approximately obeying Kopp's law of additivity. EXPERIMENTAL WORK In order to verify or disprove the remarkable results of Foster, the heat contents of four dilute solid solutions of chromiunn in nickel were measured in a diphenyl ether calorimeter. This instrument, described elsewhere,, operates on the principle of the Bunsen ice calorimeter, but uses diphenyl ether as the working substance. Diphenyl ether melts at the convenient temperature of 26.S°C and supplies a more sensitive measure of heat than ice. The hot sample, in an atmosphere of argon, is dropped from a furnace at a measured temperature into a chamber which is surrounded by a mixture of solid and liquid diphenyl ether. The heat from the hot specimen melts some of the solid without chang- ing the temperature of the calorimeter. The amount of solid melted, and therefore the number of calories released by the specimen, is measured from the increase of volume of the mixture, which pushes mercury down a graduated capillary tube. The apparatus has been standardized against the known heat content of pure platinum. Heat loss during the dropping of the specimen was estimated by comparing the heat content of an empty platinum capsule with a solid platinum ball of the same radius and degree of polish of the surface. Repeated tests demonstrate the precision of measurement to be closer than *0.3 pct. Smoothed experimental results are listed in Table I. The tabulated values for pure nickel are taken from kelley, several measurements were made which agreed closely with this tabulation. For chromium, however, no similar agreement was found. The values tabulated were taken from a thorough study of chromium with the diphenyl ether calorimeter which will be published elsewhere.= Suitable plots of the data showed the expected ferromagnetic anomalies in the low-chromium alloys, while the 11 pct alloy shows no ferromagnetic anomaly, but a different, small anomaly below 900°K. This is perhaps the same anomaly found in CrNi, which was once attributed to superlattice formation,' but is probably due to some other cause, such as antifer-

Jan 1, 1960

I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the Secretary for the year 1915 showing the principal activities of the Institute: Meetings.-The 110th Meeting, including the Annual Business Meeting, was held in New York City, Feb. 15 to 17, 1915. The full report of this meeting is given in Volume LI of the Transactions. The number of papers presented was 53, and the attendance was 357 members and guests. The 111th Meeting was held in San Francisco, Cal., Sept. 16 to 19, 1915. Sixty-eight technical papers were presented, and the attendance was over 400 members and guests. The full report of this meeting is given in the Bulletin for December, 1915. Local Section.-A new, strong Local Section of the Institute, with head-quarters in Arizona and known as the Arizona Section, was formed during 1915. Affiliated Student Societies.-Three new Affiliated ,Student Societies were recognized in 1915 consisting of the Pick and. Hammer Club of the University of Oklahoma, Mining and Metallurgical Club of the Univer-

Jan 2, 1916

By R. H. Frazier, F. W. Boulger

THE performance of welded structures is closely associated with the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of the steel from which they are made. A low transition temperature is desirable because it indicates that the steel is less likely to fail suddenly at low ambient temperatures. Structures such as bridges, ships, storage tanks, and pipelines are usually made from hot rolled semikilled steel. Changes in rolling practice or chemical composition appear to be the most practical methods for improving the toughness of such materials. This results from the fact that production is likely to be seriously curtailed if improvements were obtained by recourse to heat treatment or complete deoxidation. This paper discusses the effect of variations in carbon and manganese contents on the properties of semikilled steels. The transition temperature, a property to which considerable importance is attached, varies with specimen configuration, testing method, and criterion of performance. Both the Navy tear test' and the keyhole Charpy test were used in the investigation. According to the terms used by Vanderbeck and Gensamer,V he tear test was used to measure a fracture transition and the Charpy test to measure a ductility transition. In either case the specimens absorb considerably less breaking energy in tests below the transition temperature than in tests above the transition temperature. Decreasing the testing temperature of notched-bar specimens seems to be equivalent in its effect to increasing the severity of loading on fabricated structures. Therefore, structures built from steels exhibiting lower transition temperatures in laboratory tests are expected to be less susceptible to sudden brittle fractures in service. Consequently, changes in composition which lowered the transition temperature of the experimental steels were judged desirable. Materials and Methods The steels for this study were made in a laboratory induction furnace and rolled to 3/4 in. plate, using a finishing temperature of 1850°F. Precautions taken to insure reproducible melting and testing practices are discussed in detail elsewhere.' All tests were made on hot rolled steels. The analyses of the experimental steels are given in Table I. The list includes steels with manganese contents ranging from 0.21 to 1.46 pct, at each of five carbon levels. The phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, and nitrogen contents of the steels are reasonably constant. The tensile and notched-bar properties of the experimental steels are presented in Table 11. Both upper and lower yield points are listed, and all values are averages for duplicate specimens. Transition temperatures based on three criteria are given. The keyhole Charpy transition temperatures are the temperatures at which the energy-temperature curves based on averages of four specimens cross the 20 and 12 ft-lb levels. Both definitions of Charpy transition temperatures have been used by other investigators. Charpy tests were made at intervals of 10°F, using a pendulum with an available striking energy of 220 ft-lb and a velocity of 18.1 ft per sec. The specimens were oriented parallel to the rolling direction and notched normal to the surface of the plates. The tear test transition temperatures are based on the usual' criterion of the highest temperature at which at least one of four specimens exhibits brittle behavior. The dimensions of the tear test specimens are shown in Fig. 1. The specimen is loaded eccentrically in tension, with pin and shackle fixtures, through the large holes while submerged in a liquid bath at the proper temperature. A specimen developing a fracture area with less than 50 pct shear or ductile texture is classed as brittle. Tear tests were made at intervals of 10°F.

Jan 1, 1955

By Bernard K. Asdell

Georgia, a state seldom considered to be an important mineral producer, has one surprising feature-it is the nation's largest producer of kaolin. Kaolin is a highly important raw material in the paper, rubber, ceramic whiteware, paint and chemical industries. In 1965, more than 2.7 million tons of kaolin were produced in this state, a 150,000-ton increase over the preceding year, and production continues to climb. Strictly defined, the term "kaolin" applies to a group of hydrous aluminum silicates in which kaolinite is the predominant mineral. Kaolinite is inherently white, non-abrasive, chemically inert, and of a very fine particle size, ranging from sub-micron to 40-microns equivalent spherical diameter. An electron-micrograph of kaolinite is shown in Fig. 1. The particles finer than about 2 microns are thin, elongated plates, hexagonal in outline. The larger particles, coarser than 2 microns, are predominantly vermicular in outline with a foliated structure. Table I shows a typical chemical analysis of commercial, wet-processed kaolin compared to pure kaolinite.

Jan 11, 1967

By Stephen Zorn

INTRODUCTION The process of financing mining projects in developing countries has changed greatly in the past 15 years. New methods of financing, notably the use of syndicated Eurocurrency project loans, have appeared, and direct equity financing by transnational mining corporations has become less significant. These changes are of particular importance to developing countries which have many mineral deposits still awaiting development, or even discovery. If major new mines are to be financed, host governments will need to obtain more sophisticated information than has hitherto been widely available as to the various sources of finance currently available and as to possibilities for innovative approaches to financing, such as the combination of several different kinds of financing in a single package. This paper reviews the major sources of mining finance potentially available to developing countries and highlights those problems in obtaining adequate financing that developing country producers have begun to experience in the last few years and that are likely to persist through the 1980s. Section I surveys the major types of mining finance; section II reviews specific financing problems, including (a) the withdrawal of the transnational corporations from developing countries, (b) inflation and the size of new projects; (c) developing country indebtedness, and (d) competition among projects in different countries. SOURCES OF DEVELOPING COUNTRY MINING CAPITAL1/ There is a wide range of financing mechanisms which are potentially available to developing countries with economically viable mining projects., Moreover, these financing mechanisms have not been fully exploited by developing countries, and more aggressive pursuit of financing by the governments of these countries may well reveal greater possibilities in respect of any particular project than may initially have appeared. However, virtually all the funds available from these sources are available only to projects which meet the standards of viability acceptable to lenders and others in the business community. If a project does not, for example, promise to generate a discounted cash flow rate of return of at least 15 per cent on total funds employed, or if it does not appear likely to generate sufficient cash flow in the early years of production to cover debt service requirements with a comfortable margin in reserve, most of the sources of financing will not be available. Only where a government has its own financial surplus (as in the case, for example, of the industrialization program of the Saudi Arabian government) can it effectively undertake projects which do not satisfy the definition of economic viability that is accepted at any given time by the worldwide financial community. Internal Sources In Developing Countries Internal financing capacity in developing countries is restricted to a relatively small number of countries - typically those large enough to support a well-rounded industrial sector, in which mining is only one of a number of dynamic industries. While there are large mining companies in certain other countries, the ability of such companies to finance new projects (or even, in some cases, to generate the cash necessary to maintain existing levels of production) is highly problematical. Within developing countries, the possible sources of internally-generated mining finance are the following: (1) state-owned enterprises; (2) private capital; (3) the banking system, and in particular those financing agencies that have a special involvement with the mining sector; and (4) direct budgetary appropriations.

Jan 1, 1985

By Cyril Stanley Smith

BETA brass (consisting of approximately equal atomic proportions of copper and zinc) exists as a random solid solution at high temperatures, but at low temperatures [ ] an ordered structure is stable, with the copper and zinc atoms occupying alternate sites on the body-centered-cubic lattice. On cooling, ordering commences at a temperature of 450° to 490°C., depending on the composition. The degree of ordering progressively increases at lower temperatures until it becomes virtually complete at about 100°C. The electrical resistivity of the alloy illustrates the changes clearly (Fig. I). This type of reaction has been a favored subject for study by physicists. An [ ] excellent summary of the theory is to be found in a paper by F. C. Nix and W. Shockley.1 All published data on electrical conductivity, specific heat and other properties agree in indicating that the ordering reaction in beta brass takes place so rapidly that it cannot be prevented or even retarded by quenching. With most ordered alloys, cold-working induces disorder and

Jan 1, 1942

By W Lindlief, Cyril Stanley Smith

Several investigators, mainly concerned with the mechanical properties of the alloys, have studied the so-called aluminum bronzes after various quenching and reheating treatments. Of these works, perhaps the most complete is that of Bouldoires, who studied changes of length, electrical conductivity, thermoelectric force, hardness and micro-structure on tempering quenched alloys containing 5 to 20 per cent of aluminum, although the work of Carpenter and Edwards,² Curry13 Greenwood,4 Braesco,5 Matsuda,67 Grard8 and others has added much to our knowledge of the changes occurring during tempering. The so-called acicular ß decomposes on tempering at temperatures between 350" C. and the eutectoid, giving rise to a Widmanstätten structure of a needles in a matrix of 6 or fine a + 6, associated with an increase in hardness and almost complete loss of ductility. Matsuda studied the eutectoid transformation by means of dilatation and electrical conductivity measurements during cooling at different rates. He found that on cooling at the rate of 10" C. per minute there was a decrease in electrical resistance and in length instead of the usual increase which occurred with slow rates of cooling. On tempering the rapidly cooled samples, the increase commenced at about 400" C. and at 520" C. the resistance and length had reached the equilibrium values. These peculiarities he accounted for as being due to a transitional phase ß' being formed, ß' having an electrical resistance and volume less than either ß or a + 6. Obinata9 published some electrical conductivity curves for copper-aluminum alloys showing a double break at the eutectoid temperature,

Jan 1, 1933

By E. S. Bumps

A series of macrographs are presented for the purpose of graphically recording the strain phenomenon that accompanies the energy transition in the Charpy impact testing of a mild steel that is susceptible to strain aging. STRAIN patterns in mild steel Charpy impact specimens were obtained in order to determine whether, on the first appearance of plastic strain during deformation, the initial fracture cracks appear in the region of plastic strain or in the elasti-cally deformed regions between. Although this attempt to locate the initiation of cleavage was not successful, the observed strain patterns illustrating various stress conditions in partially deformed Charpy specimens are presented along with a discussion of the possible dependence of transition energy on the yield phenomenon. Earlier work on the development of strain patterns in mild steel have been reported by Fry1 and later by Jevon.2 Harris, Rinebolt, and Raring3 observed characteristic strain markings on the surface of Charpy V-notch impact specimens fractured above and below the transition temperature which they presented schematically. It is intended that the strain figures presented here will add to the literature a graphic correlation of strain with transition energy in impact specimens. Samples of % in. round hot rolled, 0.20 pct C steel were machined to standard 0.394 in. sq, V-notch Charpy impact specimens. Preliminary testing involved determination of transition temperature, Fig. 1, using a Sontagg impact tester. These data were subsequently used to select temperatures above, within, and below the transition range at which specimens were partially deformed. Partial deformation was obtained by either varying the energy or the testing temperature, see Table I. Macroscopic strain figures shown in Figs. 2 to 19 were produced by several metallographic repolish-ing and etching steps. The macroetchant used was as follows:4 120 g HCl, concentrated; 100 ml water; and 90 g cupric chloride. Strain figures were obtained on the outer surface and on sections through the central portion of the impact specimens in order to determine an approximation of the volumetric strain pattern. In the tensile strain figures reported by Jevon, it was found that strain etching would not work immediately following strain unless the material was heated to 200°C. The impact strain patterns presented here were obtained without this heating, but the specimens were not etched until ten months after straining. This confirms a discussion of Jevon's paper, in which it was pointed out that strain figures can also be developed after aging for long periods of time at room temperature. Hardness of the strained and unstrained portions, revealed by the etched pattern, was explored using R, impressions converted to R, hardness values. Discussion of Results In the impact test, as in the tensile test, some parts of the specimen yield and deform plastically, while other regions are deformed only elastically. The plastic deformation bears a relation to the imposed stress pattern. In the strain figures presented here, the plastically deformed regions are the dark etching ones. The strain figures are always symmetrical because the stress state in the Charpy-type specimen under impact loading is symmetrical. The difficulties encountered to produce initial cracks are intimated in Figs. 2 and 4. At a temperature of —75ºF, the stress was not sufficient to pro-

Jan 1, 1953

By Julian Szekely

Through the simultaneous statement of Maxwell's equations. the turbulent Navier-Stokes equations and the differential thermal energy balance equation, a mathematical representation has been developed for heat transfer and fluid flow in electric arc furnaces. In broad outline the theoretical predictions appear to be consistent with experimental measurements. A discussion is presented of the general arc furnace control and optimization problem, together with the potential for the incorporation of the mathematical model given in the paper, into future control and optimization schemes. ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE STEELMAKING accounts for about 24% of the total steel produced in the U.S., consuming about 550kw-hr/ton of steel which amounts to about 1.4x1010 kw-hr annually. The percentage of steel produced by the electric arc furnace route has doubled since 1960 and is expected to increase further in the foreseeable future, particularly with the more extensive use of direct reduction technology. Table I shows, in terms of percentages, the principal items that contribute to the cost of running an electric arc furnace. It is seen that in addition to the fixed costs (labor, depreciation, taxes etc.) electrode costs and power consumption are the dominant inputs, and it follows that process changes that would ultimately reduce any of these cost components would have a significant impact on the efficiency of the operation. There are three main areas where progress in arc furnace design and operation must be directed in the next decade (Committee on Technology, 1981). 1. Increased furnace productivity 2. Reduction in processing cost 3. Improvement in the thermal efficiency of the furnace An estimate of the current operating efficiency of the electric arc furnaces may be obtained by comparing the theoretical minimum energy consumption per ton of steel with those achieved in operational practice. Theoretically 330-360 kw-hrs of electricity are required to melt one ton of cold scrap. For superheating, 8-12 kWh per 100°F are required. The actual energy requirements are given in Table II. It is seen that furnaces currently operate at 70-80% efficiency, with the major heat loss from the furnace resulting from the waste gases (Committee on Technology, 1981). While it is apparent that operational experience has produced a technology that is reasonably energy efficient this has been achieved in the almost complete absence of any detailed knowledge concerning the fundamental heat transfer mechanisms occuring in the furnace. The purpose of the present paper is to present a case for the usefulness of mathematical models in increasing the thermal efficiency of furnaces by investigating these heat transfer mechanisms and then combining this knowledge with existing electrode regulator mechanisms to produce truly efficient power cycles for melting and refining. In particular, existing mathematical models describing convection, radiation, and electro-magnetism in the furnace should be employed, and the development of optimization models which balance the cost of electrodes and energy against the thermal efficience of the furnace should be undertaken. Recent work in this laboratory (Szekely, McKelliget, 1981, 1982, 1983; Szekely, McKelliget, Choudhary, 1983) has made a useful start towards solving the problem of heat transfer within the electric arc furnace but the work still needs to be directly related to existing furnace power cycles and tested against plant scale measurements.

Jan 1, 1984

By M. S. Burton, G. V. Smith, A. Rosen

The kinetics of re crystallization and the effect of recovery on recrystallization of pure iron were investigated within the temperature range of 517" to 632 OC. Grain growth and activation energies were also studied. Two stages can be distinguished during recrystallization; the first is gvowth-controlled and the second is nucleation-controlled. The extent to which the first stage succeeds before the second stage begins depends on both temperature of recrystallization and temperature of recovery. The softening of cold-worked metals and alloys due to transformation of the deformed crystals to strain-free equiaxed grains during annealing is well-known, and early inestiators established that recrystallization kinetics is strongly influenced by minute quantities of impurities. Generally, it is believed that impurities decrease the rate of recrystallization and the rate of grain growth. To understand the basic phenomena of recrystallization, investigations should be on pure materials. Most of the research on high-purity materials has been on metals having the fee Bcc materials, and especially high-purity iron, have been studied only in recent years. It is known that recovery may influence recrystalliation;" however, no general description of the influence, applicable to all materials, has been presented. This paper presents results of a study of the recrystallization kinetics of high-purity iron, after 60 pct cold deformation by drawing, with particular reference to the influence of recovery on the rates of recrystallization and grain growth. From observations of these rates, conclusions are drawn concerning nucleation. MATERIAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Preparation of Material. High-purity iron, prepared by zone refining of vacuum-melted electroiytic iron at Battelle Memorial Institute under sponsorship of the American Iron and Steel Institute, was used in this study. Table I gives the reported chemical analysis of the material, taken at a point near the last molten zone and thereby rep- resenting the maximum impurity level for the entire bar. Prismatic specimens, approximately 10 x 10 X 50 mm, were sawed from the 50-mm-diam bar, perpendicular to the zone-refining direction, and turned to cylindrical shape. These specimens were sealed in quartz capsules under vacuum, approximately 10"e mm Hg, austenitized at 930° C for 15 min, slowly cooled, removed from the capsules, and cold-worked in air by swaging to approximately 20-pct reduction of area. The encapsulating, austenitizing, and swaging operations were repeated two additional times, after which the samples were encapsulated, austenitized, and cold-drawn to 60-pct reduction of area. A further vacuum anneal at 630°C for 120 min and cold drawing to 60-pct reduction of area produced wire 2.8 mm in diameter. The drawn wire was electropolished to remove deformed material on the surface, after which it was sawed into 4-mm-long specimens for the recrystallization study. Microscopical examination before the final cold reduction revealed equiaxed grain structure with very fine grains in a thin layer near the surfaces of the specimen and nearly uniform ASTM 3-4 grain size in the center. Recrystallization Heat Treatment. a) Direct Recrystallization of Cold-Worked The 60 pct cold drawn iron specimens were recrystallized at five temperatures, 517, 556, 590°, 612, and 632C, in a lead bath covered with graphite (the temperature was controlled to 1°C). Specimens were treated for twelve different times at each temperature, and all were water-quenched after heat &eatment. b) Recrystallization Following Preliminary Recovery Heat Treatment. After cold working, specimens were sealed into quartz capsules under vacuum, 105 mm Hg, and recovery-annealed at 362", 400", and 440°C for 20 hr prior to recrystallization. No evidence of recrystallization was found

Jan 1, 1964

The following rules, upon approval by the Board of Directors, shall serve as guides in the practical applications of the Bylaws for the operation of the Institute and have the full power and effect of Bylaws, however, these rules may be changed, modified, re¬pealed or amended when deemed necessary by the Board of Directors Any change or alteration of these Rules shall be published in the Journals of the Institute within three months after such alteration is adopted ARTICLE I-ORGANIZATIONS OF THE INSTITUTE Section 1-Societies Rule 1-Governing Body Each Society shall form its own governing body composed of an Executive Committee, or similarly designated executive body, duly elected officers, and a Nominating Committee for the nomination of Institute officers as provided by the Bylaws of AIME and of each Society approved by the Board In all correspondence and printed matter the Society Boards of Directors shall be specifically identified For ex¬ample, the Mining Board of Directors or the Board of Directors of the Society of Mining Engineers Using simply the "Board of Directors" could cause confusion

Jan 1, 1960

By J. D. Hanawalt, W. H. Gross

Magnesium has long been known as the lightest of our engineering metals. This metal, silvery white in color, has a specific gravity of only 1.74. Aluminum, the next lightest structural metal, is 1 ½ times heavier; zinc is 4 times heavier; iron and steel are 4 ½ times heavier; and copper and nickel are 5 times heavier. Magnesium does not occur in the free state but is very abundant in nature, constituting 2.5 pct of the earth's crust in the form of various ores. It is the third most abundant structural metal, being exceeded only by iron and aluminum. Magnesium is unique, however, in that in the form of magnesium chloride it also exists in the oceans. Sea water is the source most widely used for production in the United States but magnesium is also commercially produced from magnesite, dolomite, and other ores as well as from certain inland brines. The vast quantity of magnesium existing in the waters of the oceans can be visualized when it is realized that the removal of one hundred million tons per year (the approximate annual steel production in the United States) for a million years would reduce the magnesium content of sea water only from 0.13 to 0.12 pct, providing no more magnesium had washed into the sea in the meantime. Not only is magnesium potentially very abundant but it is in addition a very versatile metal and can be shaped and worked by practically all methods known to the art of metal working. It can be cast by sand, die, and the various permanent-mold methods;

Jan 1, 1953

By N. S. Bornstein, M. A. DeCrescente

ThE nickel and cobalt base superalloys employed in gas turbine engines under some conditions' oxidize at an accelerated rate when exposed at elevated temperatures to atmospheres containing minor quantities of sea salt. It is generally agreed by investigators in the field that the major steps comprising this phenomena of accelerated oxidation, also called hot corrosion or more commonly, sulfidation, are a) a slag composed primarily of Na2S04 is formed on turbine components, b) the protective oxide scale is rendered ineffectual, c) the slag reacts with. the substrate to form metal sulfides, and d) the substrate is rapidly oxidized. Sodium sulfate, a minor constituent of sea salt, is formed within the gas turbine engine from the reactions between NaC1, the major constituent of sea salt, and the oxides of sulfur.' Depending upon concentration, engine compression ratio, and temperature, the Na2S04 will be present in the gaseous or condensed state. It has been determined that in order for sulfi-dation to occur the Na2S04 must be present in the condensed state.' Although a number of sulfidation mechanisms have been postulated, there is no consistent explanation of oxide scale breakdown and subsequent catastrophic oxidation. Some investigators believe that after oxide scale breakdown, the Na2SO4 reacts with the substrate to form lower-valent sulfur compounds. The accelerated rate of oxidation is due to oxidation of a nickel-sulfide phase." Other investigators believe that sulfur from the fused salt reacts with chromium in the alloy to form chromium-rich sulfides; thereby depleting the alloy of an element which imparts oxidation resistance.3,4 This publication will demonstrate that the accelerated rate of oxidation associated with sul-fidation is due to interactions between Na20, a con-stituent of NazSO.,, ancl the substrate. The aim of this study was to separate and determine the effect of compounds of sulfur and sodium on the oxidation kinetics of various nickel-base superalloys, in order to elucidate the sulfidation mechanism. The work reported herein is sponsored in part by the Naval Ship and Development Center-Investigation of EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The nickel base alloys B-1900, U-700, and Waspaloy were chosen for this study. The nominal compositions are presented in Table I. The specimens, approximately 1 in. by 1 in. by 0.060 in. received in the "as cast" condition were polished with 600 grit emery, washed, and rinsed with acetone immediately prior to oxidation experiments. Sulfida-tion attack was duplicated in the laboratory by apply-ing a saturated aqueous solution of Na2S04 onto the al loy substrate and subsequently exposing the specimens in oxygen at elevated temperature. The method of Na2S04 application is described elsewhere in detail.6 In another set of experiments the affected substrate microstructure associated with sulfidation was reproduced free of the normal oxide scale, by reacting and diffusing elemental sulfur into the alloy. The experimental procedure is also described elsewhere in detail. All oxidation studies were performed using an Ainsworth thermobalance type RV-AU-1, which is readable to 0.01 mg and is reproducible to ±0.03 mg. The specimens, introduced into a heated furnace, were exposed in the temperature range 800" to 1000°C

Jan 1, 1970

By Francis Flynn

MANY excellent papers, descriptive of the milling and smelting of every kind of commercial ores, the refining of virgin metals, the casting into various shapes demanded by the trade, the rolling into shapes best suited to the factory machinery and the making of composition alloys to suit every requirement have been issued by the many technical societies dealing with non-ferrous metals. It is a wonderful collection of papers, of which the mining and metallurgical engineers may well be proud, but strange as it may seem, metallurgists in general appear to take the stand that when they have delivered suitable alloys to the foundry and rolled products to the factory their duty to write papers has ceased, at least in so far as the A. I. M. E. is concerned. Still we read in the daily papers that the mining companies are absorbing metal-manufacturing industries. The purpose of this paper is to describe the reclaiming of non-ferrous scrap metals at manufacturing plants, taking as an example the automobile industry.

Jan 1, 1929

By Willard R. Jillson

Within the last ten years Kentucky has become celebrated for its low-sulfur bituminous coals. Prior to this time, many investigators had discnvered the abundance of this coal but the fact was unknown to the general public until the last extension of Kentucky's mountain railroads' was completed. The coals of. Kentucky are, broadly, separated into two geographic units—the eastern and the western coal fields. On a basis of their sulfur content these coal fields fall into three units, which are indicated on the accompanying map, by numbers, 1, 2, and 3. The area marked 1, the very southeastern part of the state, shows the lowest sulfur, all coals being averaged. In this field the maximum is 1.04 per cent. and the minimum as low as 0.68 per cent.—both averages and not individual analyses, which would of course show much greater variation. Included in this group are the following counties: Lawrence, 0.87 per cent.; Martin, 0.75 per cent.; Johnson, 0.73 per cent.; Magoffin, 0.87 per cent.; Floyd, 0.88 per cent.; Pike, 0.68 per cent.; Knott, 1.04 per cent.; Perry, 0.77 per cent.; Letcher, 0.80 per cent.; Leslie, 0.70 per cent.; Harlan, 0.79 per cent.; Knox, 0.86 per cent.; and Bell, 0.92 per cent. The total average sulfur content for these thirteen counties is 0.82 per cent. Bordering the restricted low-sulfur field of eastern Kentucky is the No. 2 belt (slightly darker), 'which is commonly known as the western border of the eastern coal field. Here the maximum sulfur is 2.91 per cent. and the minimum 1.05 per cent. Again these are averages and not individual analyses. The counties in this group are: Greenup, 2.60 per • cent.; Boyd, 1.67 per cent.; Carter, 1.07 per cent.; Morgan, 1.40 per cent.; Wolfe, 1.83 per cent.; Lee, 2.93 per cent.; Breathitt, 1.85 per cent.; Owsley, 1.09 per cent.; Jackson, 1.06 per cent.; Rockcastle, 2.30 per cent.; Clay, 1.09 per cent.; Laurel, 1.08 per cent.; Pulaski, 2.24 per cent.; Whitley, 1.05 per cent.; McCreary, 1.50 per cent.; and Wayne. The sulfur percentage average for this area including fifteen important counties is 1.65 per cent. In the western Kentucky field, the great increase in the percentage of sulfur is at once apparent. Ohio County with 3.78 per cent. is the highest and Hancock with 2.87 per cent. is the lowest. The percentages by counties is as follows: Hancock, 2.87 per cent.; Henderson, 3.22 per cent.; McLean, 3.27 per cent.; Muhlenberg, 3.31 per cent.; Hopkins,

Jan 1, 1920

By Arthur F. Daily

13.5-1. Placer Deposits-Definitions. Placers are defined for this chapter as unconsolidated deposits of detrital material containing valuable mineral, and placer mining is defined as surface exploitation of placer deposits. Unconsolidated marine deposits containing industrial minerals, such as the very large pebble phosphate beds in Florida, pelletal phosphate beds in the Sechura Desert in northwestern Peru, oyster shell beds occurring at many places, and nodules resting in the sea floor, are not classed herein as placer deposits, though methods commonly used for mining placers may be employed for their exploitation. The natural processes that may form placers range from chemical weathering to stream, marine, and wind action, and combinations thereof, resulting in some degree of concentration of valuable mineral. One or more cycles of erosion and deposition may have occured. In relation to mining, placers include unconsolidated barren or near-barren overburden and underlying weathered bedrock. Placers of any origin subsequently may become drowned by the sea and then partly or entirely covered by marine deposits; or they may become covered with alluvium, eolian deposits, or lava. The mining of placer deposits for valuable mineral content usually is followed immediately by primary concentration using wet (rarely dry) gravity methods, succeeded by secondary concentration employing both gravity and other methods. 13.5-2. Classification of Placers. A fundamental classification of placers according to genetic types follows; some degree of concentration occurs during formation of all except saprolite and some moraines. 1. Saprolite and residual placers, consisting of mineralized rock decomposed in situ principally by chemical weathering; respectively either without change in volume, or slumped because of dissolution of some constitutent.

Jan 1, 1968

By Alistair Frame

INTRODUCTION In April 1988 discussions were about to start with BP on the possibility of buying their- mineral interests, and it took a long time to arrange a deal. I will talk about RTZ without BP Minerals, look at the new RTZ with BP Minerals, discuss the outlook for metal prices, and review the problems in South Africa and develop the case against sanctions on that country. RTZAT THE END OF 1988 Late in 1987, after completing a worldwide review of our strategic thrust, we decided: 1. That the business focus would be to remain a major diversified natural resource group with interests in related industries. 2. To divest non-core and low growth businesses. 3. To develop a logical acquisition plan. 4. To emphasise organic growth and, most importantly, to enhance shareholders' wealth by capital increase and a progressive dividend policy. Subsequently, we concluded that we should sell our oil and gas business and dispose of several assets for which we saw little growth potential. The disposal programme raised some U.S.$ 1,600 million, representing a significant capital gain on our various investments. All transactions were carried out by our small Head Office staff in London, without the help of merchant banks and lawyers, and we were able to safeguard the employment of our staff in all these operations. The most interesting disposal was of our oil and gas interests. Before the 1987 strategic review, we had ambitions to develop our oil and gas interests and to become the leader in the second division of European oil companies. Our interests, which were purely in exploration and production of oil and gas, consisted of the 100% owned RTZ Oil and Gas company, and 29% of LASMO, a publicly quoted U.K. oil and gas company with extensive worldwide interests. LASMO, in turn, owned 25% of Enterprise Oil, one of the more successful of the North Sea oil exploration and production companies. Prior to the end of 1987, our intention was to acquire control of both LASMO and Enterprise. However, when we evaluated the net asset value of these two companies based on our oil price assumptions, which were pessimistic for the next five years or so, we concluded that they were both trading in the market at significant premiums. This, taken with the additional premium required for acquisition and the high cost of exploration, led us to conclude that, since funds could undoubtedly be used to better effect, we should sell our interests. Turning to the other major achievements in 1988, we commissioned, and built up to design levels in a very short period of time, the Morro do Ouro gold mine in Brazil. This mine reached its design output of 100,000 ounces of gold per year within three months of start-up, which was on time and under budget. We are now considering a possible expansion of this property. In South America, Utah International, Mitsubishi and RTZ arranged non-recourse finance, with post completion guarantees, for the giant Escondida Project in Northern Chile. Financing came from a group of banks in Japan, Germany and Finland -- the countries to which most of the concentrates will be sold -- and from the LEC. The average output of the mine for the

Jan 1, 1990

By George M. Humphrey

It is indeed a pleasure for me to have this opportunity to discuss with you a subject which I find infinitely interesting and intriguing - namely, world-wide iron ore supply and demand. We will be examining the following: (i) current iron ore production and requirements; (ii) the major ore producing countries; (iii) the seaborne iron ore trade; (iv) ore grades or types; and (v) future requirements. For those who may not be familiar with the iron ore mining industry, it may be useful to know at the outset that our industry has been plagued with overcapacity for the past seven years. The optimism which prompted substantial expansion of productive capacity in the early to mid-1970's has unfortunately proved to have been unfounded. I shall begin by describing where we are today as well as a little about how we got there. In the latter regard, it's not so much that historical knowledge will solve any of the industry's problems or provide clairvoyance with regard to the future. Rather it's a feeling on my part that some knowledge of the past will provide a useful perspective capable of enhancing our analysis of future trends. At the time of writing, the most recent year for which we have definitive world-wide iron ore production and consumption statistics is 1980. In that year the world consumed approximately 859 million metric tons of iron ore to produce approximately 510 million metric tons of primary iron consisting of 502 million tons of pig iron and 8 million tons of sponge iron. Crude steel production for the same period attained a level of 719 million metric tons. Because it is possible in today's world to produce steel without consuming iron ore simply by melting scrap, the key statistic insofar as iron ore demand is concerned is primary iron production. In 1980 the ratio of iron ore consumption to primary iron production was 1.68:1.00. The comparable ratio over the past seven years has varied from 1.63 to 1.87 and averaged 1.72:1.00. All the same, as a practical matter crude steel production and iron ore consumption tend to parallel one another closely, and for the time being a good rule of thumb is that to produce an average ton of crude steel requires 1.20 tons of iron ore. Let's turn our attention now to the regions where the 859 million tons of iron ore necessary to support 1980 world-wide iron and steel production were produced. Not surprisingly, most of the ore was produced in the same region where it was smelted. In round numbers 65% of the world's iron ore production is currently consumed in the same general region as it is produced, while 35% enters the seaborne trade and is transported in ocean vessels to a more remote consuming area. Approximately 85% of the world's seaborne iron ore trade is directed to the Western European and Japanese markets, both of which are almost entirely dependent on off-shore sources for their mammoth iron ore requirements. The following tabulation lists, in order, the twelve leading iron ore producing countries in 1980 as well as their percentages of total and free-world production; in addition their export potentials are presented. As a group these countries accounted in that year for 89% of world-wide production which stood at 871 million tons. Leading World Iron Ore Producing Countries [ ] One will first note that world iron ore production is dominated by the top four producers - namely, the U.S.S.R., Brazil, Australia and the U.S.A. - which together accounted for nearly 60% of total 1980 production. Of these four major producers the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. produce almost exclusively for consumption in their own regions, whereas Australia and Brazil produce primarily for the seaborne export trade. In fact Australia and Brazil accounted for about 50% of all seaborne iron ore trade in 1980! It is also interesting to note that Australia, Brazil, the U.S.A. and Canada accounted for nearly 60% of free world iron ore production in 1980. Once again the importance of Australia and Brazil shows itself, with their share alone of free world production reaching 35%. As has already been noted, a significant 35% of the world's iron ore production in the year 1980 was

Jan 1, 1982

By C. W. Bildt

During many years of service in the iron and steel industry I have frequently found, as have also many other engineers, that the common devices used for feeding coal into gas-producers are not what they ought to be in order to secure the best economy. The hopper-and-cone so generally used is familiar to all, and a brief study of its action will surely satisfy everybody that this device has several serious faults. In the first place, the charging is intermittent, and depends entirely upon an attendant. When the hopper is frequently emptied, it may work fairly well, but even then it suddeinly discharges into the hot producers a large body of coal, which is often violently converted into gas that rushes into the furnace, and, as the damper for the combustion-air cannot be regulated every time the producer is charged, there will be an excess of gas, which goes up the chimney unburned. Between the chargings the quantity of gas generated decreases, and there will often be an excess of air in the furnace,

Jan 1, 1899