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By W. G. Woolf, A. Y. Bethune

THE hydrometallurgy of special high-grade zinc as practiced by the Sullivan Mining Co. at its electrolytic zinc plant, Kellogg, Idaho, involves an important filtration step immediately following the leaching process. By means of the filtration the heavy zinc sulphate solution is separated from the residual products which remain after the zinc calcine has been dissolved in the sulphuric acid electrolyte. Because this plant uses the so-called high-acid, high-density process' for the production of First, the strength of the electrolyte (270g H,SO, per liter) results in a saturated zinc sulphate solution, having a specific gravity of 1.510 to 1.540, which must be kept warm during filtration because of its property of "seeding out" small crystals if allowed to drop much below 60°C. Second, the action of the "high" acid on zinc calcine under the temperature conditions of the leach (80" to 102 "C), although favorable to good zinc extraction, causes a considerable quantity of iron to be dissolved (8 to 18. g per liter) along with variable quantities of alumina and silica, depending on the grade and type of original zinc concentrates roasted. These three, iron, alumina, and silica, are almost completely precipitated during the neutralization of the leach (only a few. milligrams per liter of each remain in solution), so that the resulting pulp, instead of being a granular, sand-like product having a particle-size distribution dependent on the fineness of the zinc calcines leached, is in reality a slimy, chemical precipitate whose filtration characteristics constantly change depending on the amounts of iron silica, and other impurities, which are dissolved and reprecipi-tated. Third, the combination of supersaturated solution of high specific gravity plus a dense, semi-gelatinous residue creates a difficult washing problem requiring a positive displacement wash to liberate the zinc sulphate entrapped in the pulp. In a closed-cycle hydrometallurgical operation, such as practiced in this plant, the extent of washing is determined by the volum,e limitations imposed on the intermediate wash waters by the amount of "fresh" (or process) water which may be added. The volume of fresh water used for makeup purposes is limited to the amount which is lost during the closed cycle by evaporation in the leach, sulphate content of the calcines leached, moisture content of the residue, and spillage. The Burt filter as modified and improved by the Sullivan Mining Co. has successfully met and overcome these difficulties under a variety of zinc plant operating conditions since 1928. It might have many interesting applications to metallurgical fields other than that of electrolytic zinc, and its possible usefulness to hydrometallurgists in general warrants its description and discussion. The Burt filter is so named from its inventor who originated it in Mexico for pulp filtration in the cyanide process for gold and silver ores. While retaining the basic principle of Burt's earlier revolving pressure-type filter with internal filtration media, a number of modifications and improvements have been made in Sullivan Mining Co.'s installation. The Burt filter may be classified as a batch-type pressure filter in contradistinction to either the conventional vacuum-type filter, which depends on atmospheric pressure to force solution through a cloth medium, or to the filter-press, which employs whatever pressure is imparted by the pump delivering the liquid being filtered. The Burt consists essentially of a hollow steel cylinder about 40 ft long, 5 ft in diameter, resting horizontally, and capable of rotation about its long axis. It is supported on one end by a hollow trunnion and near the other end by a riding-ring and roller combination. The cylinder is lined with filter units each fastened against the inside of the shell and parallel to the long axis so as to form a hollow cavity into which pulp may be charged. A specific amount of pulp is admitted to the filter and a unique valving arrangement prevents the loss of pulp while air pressure forces the solution through a canvas medium to the discharge port of each filter unit. The residue is left on the surface of the canvas inside the cavity. The remainder of the filter cycle is concerned with washing the residue free of zinc sulphate, discharging it from the Burt, and preparing the filter for the next charge. A more detailed description of Burt filter construction, a typical filter cycle, and its operating characteristics when employed on material encountered in this plant will be given in that order. Description of the Filter: Fig. 1 shows a side elevation view of a filter with riveted shell construction. Since this drawing was made shells have been fabricated by welding, instead of riveting, with complete success. Shells are lagged on the outside to retain heat. Fig. 1 shows a side elevation and plan view of a Burt filter in operating position. The 1/2-in. steel shells are lined with 3/16-in. copper sheet as protection against the corrosive action of the solution (containing about 500 mg Cu per liter) on iron, and the copper is given a thin protective coating of plastic-base paint. Fig. 2 is a view from the discharge end of the filter, with head removed, before filter units are fastened to the periphery. It shows

Jan 1, 1951

By R. Pakalnis, J. P. Savely, R. D. Call

A simple and inexpensive clay imprint core orienting device has been developed by Dr. R. D. Call. It has a minimum of moving parts, is durable and easily used by drillers, and adds only 15 minutes to a core run. Conventional wire-line drilling and a drill hole inclined 30° to 60° from the horizontal plane are required. The device will not operate in a vertical hole. The orientor is an eccentrically weighted downhole device which can be constructed in a mine shop from an old inner core barrel and lead. Modeling clay is packed in the core lifter case, which is screwed on the downhole end of the orientor. A clay imprint of the bottom of the hole is taken after each coring run. This imprint is matched to the top of the succeeding core run, the drill core is pieced together, and a reference line representing the drill hole is scribed on each core. Fracture attitudes are measured relative to the reference line and the core axis. On recent drilling projects, tests for imprint reproducibility were conducted. The results of these tests show an average variation of f3" in location of the scribed reference line between imprints. Comparisons of surface mapping data with oriented core data are good. It is rare that the entire length of drill core in intensely fractured zones can be oriented because it is impossible to piece the core together. However, if a triple tube set-up is used, a modification in the scribing procedure can result in a good statistical sampling of the fracture population. Attitudes of major structures have been oriented with this technique.

Jan 1, 1983

By G. R. Mansfield

THE third year of Government exploration for potash by the U. S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Bureau of Mines under the authorization of the act approved June 25, 1926 (Public 424-69th Cong.) is drawing to a close. The results thus far obtained are thought to be sufficiently interesting and satisfactory to justify the presentation of a brief pre¬liminary account of the work. REVIEW OF EARLIER EXPLORATION The general geologic similarity of the Permian basin of Texas and New Mexico to the potash field of Germany had long ago suggested the possibility of the presence of potash salts somewhere in that basin, but petroleum exploration was then making little headway there and the necessary data could not be obtained. The discovery by Udden in 1912 of potash in brine from the Spur well in Dickens County, Texas, was the first direct evidence of its presence. In 1915-17 the U. S. Geological Survey drilled a test well with standard tools at Cliffside near Amarillo, but failed to find potash. Nevertheless, an observer has been kept in the field, at first in cooperation with the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology but since 1922 by the Survey alone, to secure data and samples from oil and gas tests. Since the discovery of oil in Reagan County in 1923 exploration by drilling has been rapidly extended to many parts of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The identification of the potash-bearing mineral polyhalite was first announced by the Geological Survey in June, 1921, the material having come from cuttings from the Bryant well in Midland County and the Burns well in Dawson County, Texas. Successive discoveries and announcements of similar purport aroused widespread interest in potash exploration, which culminated in the action by Congress already noted.

Jan 1, 1929

By J. E. Kemp

1. Situation.—From Monterey in the State of Nuevo Leon, the Sierra Madre mountains stretch away to the southeast and present a steep front to the northeast. The Monterey and Mexican Gulf railway. which connects Monterey with Tampico. follows their general line with its road-bed a few miles out from the foothills. At a distance of 100 miles from Monterey it passes through the town of Linares. and from Linares one can see far away to the southeast the peaks of another group of mountains rising from the general plateau and forming a more eastern

Jan 1, 1906

By K. L. Ludeke, A. D. Day

For many reasons, it appears that deep rooted, perennial shrubs offer potential for improved stabilization and provide maintenance free vegetative cover to harsh sites where perennial grasses have not been successful. The major objective was to select various shrub species of arid plants for initial soil stabilization of disturbed mining areas. The very fact that a drought-adapted shrub has a massive root system that can use moisture from a greater volume of mineral waste soil materials suggests that arid environment disturbed soils may be vegetatively stabilized using desirable forage shrubs. A secondary effort is underway to assemble information and plant materials of promising species from many arid regions of the world for reclamation of mined lands. Surprisingly, many of the better plants for arid sites are quite high in protein content. With proper management, breeding, and selection, they may prove to be very desirable livestock feed when mined lands are used in range land areas. Advancements in arid land solid waste stabilization hold favorable promise for many industries that mine and mill in arid regions for effective reclamation of disturbed areas. Particularly exciting is the possibility of establishment of high density maintenance free vegetative cover of climax vegetation that reclaims the disturbed area back to its original land use. Due to high shrub productivity, stabilization potential, nutritional quality, and reclamation success, greater use should be made of shrubs in disturbed land reclamation associated with mining and milling operations in harsh aril environments.

Jan 1, 1986

By J. Burns Read, Charles H. Fulton

A previous article1 by the authors contained a general description of the new roasting furnace herein described but it did not go into detail as to the metallurgical behavior or the results obtained. Believing that such information would be of great value, they have elaborated on the subject and have given many unpublished details. The furnace described applies the principle of roasting finely divided zinc-sulfide ores, now produced in large quantity by the flotation process, in gaseous suspension; that is, the ore particles are carried, in suspension, in a current of air and gaseous products of the roast. The relatively great fineness of flotation concentrate presents difficulties and problems of roasting in furnaces of the ordinary type; the fine ore is forwarded through the furnace in the form of a shallow bed and its very fineness leads to dense impervious bedding which prevents oxygen from reaching the interior of the bed, thus unduly lengthening the time of roasting and preventing the elimination of the last of the sulfur. The fineness of the concentrate, normally, should lead to a rapid and complete roast, for the speed of roasting is a function of the surface exposed to oxygen, which surface is greatest, per unit of weight, in very fine material. The difficulty in bed roasting is to get the oxygen to the particle. If the fine ore, during the roasting, could be freely suspended in oxidizing gases, full advantage could be taken of the great surface conferred by its fineness. This fundamental idea, of course, is not new, for the Stedtefelt furnace, familiar to the older metallurgists, is an example of it; but the manner in which this is accomplished may be new. The numerous efforts to roast in gaseous suspension show that the idea is attractive; in fact, an analysis would indicate that it is the most reason-

Jan 1, 1925

By R. E. Caffrey, S. K. Tung

This paper reports some of tile results obtained from the vapor-phase reaction of a volatile metal halide with a hydrogen and carbon dioxide mixture in an epitaxial-deposition chamber. Tile oxides deposited were silicon di oxide, aluminum oxide, mix-12tves of silicon di oxide and aluminum oxide, and titanium oxide. Tile deposited silicon di oxide was transparent and amorphous and had a density and index of refraction similar to that of thermally grown silica. The vote of etching was determined. The thickness uniformily of the oxide was found to he related to the aerodynamics of the system employed for deposition. A clear silicon di oxide layer was found to be dependent upon the quality of the surface prior- to aside deposition. The process parameters affecting the vale 0f deposition were studied. The deposited aluminum oxide was transparent, holy-cl-ysttrlliile, and possessed remarkable resistance to hydrofluoric acids. By measurements it has been shown that the deposited aluminum oxide is both insulating and continuous. ThE cleanness of an epitaxial silicon surface both immediately after growth and during device processing is thought to be one of the major factors contributing to the electrical properties of a final device. The advantage of protecting an epitaxial silicon wafer surface with an oxide grown immediately following epitaxial deposition is obvious. The successive growth of silicon and silicon diox- ide in epitaxial apparatus was studied by Steinmaier and loem.' They formed silicon dioxide films on a silicon substrate by adding water vapor to the silicon tetrachloride-hydrogen mixture in an epitaxial system. They also showed that, when a gaseous mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen is injected, water is formed only at elevated temperatures. Thus the reaction of water vapor and silicon tetra-: chloride will be limited to a relatively small reaction zone near the substrate. This paper reports some results of oxide films obtained from a vapor-phase reaction of a volatile metal halide with a hydrogen and carbon dioxide mixture in an epitaxial-deposition chamber. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS The system employed for the oxide deposition is a modification of a vertical system used to produce high-resistivity silicon layers by the hydrogen reduction of silicon tetrachloride.' The modification shown schematically in Fig. 1 consisted of an additional carbon dioxide gas stream which entered the reaction chamber with a hydrogen stream saturated with metal halide vapor and a diluting hydrogen stream. Silicon dioxide layers made from a mixture of silicon tetrachloride, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide gases will be discussed first. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS 1) Factors Affecting the Rate of Oxidation. An epitaxial silicon layer was deposited by the hydrogen reduction of silicon tetrachloride on an n-type,

Jan 1, 1965

By H. Biloni, H. R. Bertorello

GruZLESKI and winegard1 have recently reported on the origin and development of the cellular substructure in Sn-Cd eutectic unidirectionally grown with different amounts of constitutional supercooling (CS). This communication deals with the results obtained in a parallel study on the instability of a plane interface in Al-Cu eutectic unidirectionally grown. Similarities as well as differences with the results of these authors1 will be presented. A1-Cu eutectic alloy ingots of 99.999 pct purity were grown unidirectionally under different G/R ratios where G = thermal gradient in the liquid, R = solidification rate. The ingots were cut in slices perpendicular to the solidification axes and the substructure studied on parallel sections following the sense of growth. It was generally found that the last part of the ingot to solidify presented a well developed colony substructure as a result of impurity build up and constitutional supercooling. The results obtained were: 1) When the structure was observed with low niagnification (of the order of 150 to 300 times) the first instabilities were observed at the grain boundaries and node-like structures formed at the junctions of the growth-induced boundaries, as reported by Gruz-leski and Winegard.1 Inside the grains the first signs of instability appear later and correspond to the type shown in Fig. 1; this is a two dimensional cell substructure. ' 2) Figs. 2 and 3 correspond to the evolution from a two dimensional substructure to a cellular type. In the A1-Cu eutectic the boundaries of the two dimensional cell are always perpendicular to the laniellaes instead of parallel as in the Sn-Cd eutectic. 1

Jan 1, 1970

By George Scott

MANY requests for information as to the possibility of washing coals to some predetermined percentage of ash or sulfur have suggested that the producers aim to satisfy some degree of purity set by the user of the fuel, rather than to attain the greatest economic benefit to all concerned. This paper is written to show that the highest economic purity of washed coal can be determined from washability studies of the raw coal, costs of mining and washing coal, and data on the effect of ash and sulfur on the value of the coal for the particular use for which it is intended.

Jan 1, 1929

By E. S. Bumps, M. Baeyert, W. F. Craig

SOME time ago during a study of impact properties of tempered martensite,1 it was postulated that the consistently good ductility of tempered martensite might be caused by its relatively small and peculiarly shaped ferrite grains. The fer-rite grains of tempered martensite have approximately the same size and shape as the martensite "needles." Thus they form an interlocking mass of needle-shaped grains quite different from equiaxed or lamellar ferrite grain structures. When the common mechanical test methods are applied to steel, variations are often observed in the ductility of specimens that have closely similar hardness and tensile strength values. The ductility so measured appears to be structure dependent. When steel from the same heat has been heat treated to produce different structures with the same hardness, the elongation and reduction of area values from the tensile test and the transition temperature determined by the notched-bar impact test vary according to whether pearlite, tempered martensite, or other structural constituents were produced by the heat treatment. It has been widely recognized that tempered martensite gives a consistently good performance, when tempered to the same hardness as many other structures with which it has been compared. In recent years the isothermal transformation of austenite to specific structural products and the quantitative evaluation of the character of these products with respect to their nature and response to deformation has received considerable attention. The objective of the present study was to pursue somewhat further the dependence of ductility upon structure; specifically, it was desired to ascertain whether ferrite grain structure, including both shape and size of the grains, can account for the consistently good performance of tempered martensite in the notched-bar impact test. It was thought that a simple experiment would indicate whether the ferrite grain structure plays any part in the good ductility exhibited by tempered martensite in contrast to other steel structures with different types of ferrite grains. By determining the impact transition temperature, it was proposed to compare spheroidites having similar carbide particle size and spacing but obtained in such a manner that their ferrite grain structures would be very different. Spheroidite obtained by tempering martensite, with its small, needle-shaped grains, was to be compared with spheroidite from pearlite. If the latter is produced by sub-critical annealing, the ferrite grains correspond to the pearlite colonies. Thus, if the pearlite was not too coarse, the ferrite grains of spheroidite from pearlite are equiaxed in contrast to the needle-shaped grains of spheroidite from martensite. It was thought that the ferrite grain structure of spheroidite from martensite might depend to some extent upon the grain size of the prior austenite. The austenite grain boundaries limit the maximum attainable size of the martensite needles and thus of the ferrite grains in the derived spheroidite. In order to evaluate any possible influence of prior austehite grain size, spheroidites were to be prepared from martensites that had been formed from fine-grain austenite and also from coarsened austenite. As the carbide particle size and distribution were to be essentially alike in the various spheroidites, the difference would be in the ferrite grain size and shape. Thus any marked difference in transition temperature could be attributable to the character of the ferrite grain structure. There are certain considerations in assuming that these spheroidites would be equivalent in all respects except ferrite grain structure, and an attempt was made to take them into account. One of the considerations was the choice of the carbon content of the steel. An approximately eutectoid steel was selected for two reasons. First, the pearlitic structure would contain no proeutectoid ferrite which might complicate the picture by producing a non-uniform ferrite grain structure in the resulting spheroidite. Then, too, the high-carbon content would inhibit ferrite grain growth during the sub-critical treatment. Another factor to be taken into account was the choice of an alloying element to assure a martensitic structure throughout on quenching the impact specimens. Nickel was chosen, because it is a common alloying element and resides in the ferrite both upon its formation from austenite and throughout tempering. The formation of alloy carbides, or even a large solubility of the alloying element in cementite, would have complicated the interpretation by changing the composition of the ferrite .during spheroid-ization. The possibility of temper brittleness was minimized insofar as possible by using a tempering temperature as high as consistent with the 1 pct of nickel in the steel, namely, 1150°F. While it certainly is not claimed that no difference other than ferrite grain structure could exist between the spheroidites, nevertheless, reasonable precaution has been exercised within the limits of steel metallurgy. It is believed that any large difference in transition temperatures would reflect the difference in ferrite grain structure and that relatively good ductility in the spheroidites from mar-

Jan 1, 1951

By Sherwin F. Kelly

Airborne techniques enter hard rock exploration field. . . the gap between pure geophysics and engineering seen as closing rapidly.

Jan 2, 1951

By Richard Dunmore

Tests of the MRDE firedamp prediction method have been carried out in a number of longwall districts with different conditions. The method itself and its development have been described previously At many test sites the prediction has been good, i.e. the calculated gas emission levels have agreed with measured values, averaged over a period of many weeks, within a few percent. In other cases, where there have been larger discrepancies between calculation and measurement, investigations have shown that these may be attributed to particular conditions of mining or geology. Recognition of these conditions in advance of mining is clearly desirable to improve the accuracy of the initial prediction. It has been shown that variations in gas emission rates depend largely on coal production in terms of the weekly advance of the coal face. Although there appears to be a random element present, variations in gas emission levels calculated from changing face advances agree well with measurement. The accuracy of prediction therefore depends on how well face advance can be forecast and needs to be updated as the working proceeds in the light of the face performance actually achieved. Continuous monitoring of the mine environment provides the information necessary to compare actual gas emission with predicted levels, and computerised systems make it possible to carry this out in real time. Predictions can thus be adjusted to take account of emission levels measured in previous weeks These adjustments, whether they are made after the first few weeks or subsequently during the district life, would also be used to alert management to particular abnormalities or significant changes in gas emission.

Jan 1, 1982

By H. M. Warrren

IN the past, steam engines were used in practically all cases for driving the machinery, in and about an anthracite breaker, and hence little or no accurate data were available as to the power requirements for starting and operating the individual machines, which make up the complete equipment. It was impossible to segregate the power necessary to drive each individual machine, first, because the equipment was driven in groups, and second, because it was impracticable to obtain graphic, integrated, or instantaneous records of the horsepower used. As a result of these conditions, it was found, when individual electric motors were applied to the various machines, that more accurate and complete data were needed in order to provide motors of the proper power and design for the particular services to be rendered. In order to obtain the desired information, the writers made and collected a number of tests, from time to time, on the individual motor drives in- electrically operated breakers, and as these tests have been of great value, it occurred to them that a paper giving the results might be of service to other engineers interested in similar installations. Table I shows the .results of these tests. All the motors tested were of the three-phase, 60-cycle, 440-volt, induction, squirrel-cage type, except a few, which, on account of size and starting conditions, were of the wound-rotor type. The instruments used in making these tests were: An integrating watt-hour meter, a graphic ammeter, and a graphic voltmeter. These instruments were connected in each motor circuit, and a record of a day's run of 9 hours was obtained from each machine. From these tests, the running light load, the average all-clay load, and the instantaneous peak readings in amperes, volts, and kilowatt input, were obtained. By means of the characteristic curves obtained from these motors at the factory, the power factor, the efficiency, and the horsepower output were calculated for each particular test. Starting tests were made by the brake-arm method, in which the torque in pounds was measured directly on a spring balance.

Jan 2, 1916

Falconbridge Nickel, the one-time subsidiary that grew up to swallow its own parent, Ventures Limited, in 1962, is not about to be left behind by rising nickel consumption. At a cost of several hundred million dollars, this Canadian firm has undertaken a series of new projects that will not only ensure its present share of the market, but also lead it into new areas of the nickel business. Although Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. was not formed until 1928, it actually had its start in 1917- 18 with the discovery of a large, good grade nickel- copper deposit in Falconbridge, near Sudbury, Ontario. However, due to several factors, financing could not be obtained and the orebody lay fallow. It was not until 1928, when the Thayer Lindsley interests bought the property from the original owner, that it was developed.

Jan 10, 1968

By Ripu Daman Lama

The size of coal pillars in mines until recently has been determined by experience without being based upon scientific investigations. As a consequence, the size of pillars had invariably been larger than could be accounted for because of the number of unknown factors involved which influence the strength, dictating the use of large safety factors. With the mining going deeper, the size of the pillars greatly increases and sometimes a considerable portion of the mineral property are blocked in the mine pillars required to support the superincumbent strata. With the advances in the field of Rock Mechanics, attention of mine planning engineers has been focused upon the design of mine pillars for safe and efficient working as well as decrease losses of coal. The problem involves the study of three factors: (1) Presence of stresses in the area and their distribution on pillars in the course of extraction. (2) The influence of external factors on the strength of coal. (3) The inherent mechanical properties of coal. These aspects have been studied by a large number of investigators, the first by in-situ stress measurements and photoelastic studies and the second and third aspect by studies conducted in the laboratory on small size specimens (Bunting, 1911; Evens & Pomeroy, 1961; Gaddy, 1956; Greenland et al, 1941; Steart 1954). The size of the specimens tested in the laboratory has been limited to a few inches and the results obtained have been extrapolated by large factors, sometimes several hundred times the largest specimen tested. In these tests much consideration has not been given to

Jan 1, 1971

By Lendall P. Warriner, Blandford C. Burgess

Jasper County lies just north of the geographical center of Georgia, bounded on the west and north by the Ocmulgee River. The county seat, Monticello, is approximately 65 miles east-southeast of Atlanta and 40 miles north of Macon. It is served by the Macon-Athens branch of the Central of Georgia Railway Co. and by five paved highways converging from adjoining county seats. Farming and lumbering are the principal local occupations. About half the county is covered with pine and mixed hardwoods; a large part of the forested land is owned by the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture in its Piedmont Land Utilization Project. The topography is one of gently rolling field and forest with occasional hills rising 100 ft or more above the creek beds. Though annual rainfall is in the neighborhood of 60 in., most of it falls in torrential downpours of short duration which tend rapidly to erode the red soil and convert the country roads to greasy tracks of red mud. History The pegmatites of Jasper County produced a small amount of mica in World War I. In World War 11, our Government's search for this strategic mineral brought to Georgia B. C. Burgess, then Southern Manager of Colonial Mica Corp., subdivision of Metals Reserve Corp., who noted on State Highway 83 the presence of pegmatitic material used as road metal. In 1944, after severing his Government connection and returning to private practice, Mr. Burgess investigated the source of the pegmatitic material noted on his previous visit and discovered that graphic granite pegmatite had been mined for the road metal. He secured mineral leases from the Soil Conservation Service and from private owners and began preliminary development work. By 1946 he had uncovered enough pegmatite to warrant an enterprise to undertake economic development of the feldspar. In March 1947, he conveyed his leases and interest to Appalachian Minerals Co., remaining with it as Vice President and General Manager. This company has carried on additional development, removing overburden by bulldozer and drilling the pegmatites uncovered. A modern and efficient feldspar grinding plant to produce 20 mesh feldspar for the glass industry was completed and placed in operation May 1, 1948. Geology GENERAL GEOLOGY OF ROCK TYPES OTHER THAN PEGMATITE Jasper County lies within the Appalachian Crystalline Complex and approximately 40 miles north of the "Fall Line," where the Upper Cretace-

Jan 1, 1950

By H. R. Steacy, A. H. Lang

Growth of general interest in uranium during the last ten years has been unparalleled in mining history, outranking the popular gold rushes and mining booms of bygone years. This is not surprising, considering the spectacular advances in nuclear research and the fact that a small amount of uranium can provide great quantities of energy for peaceful purposes. There are, however, a number of misconceptions and exaggerations regarding uranium. Many novices have highly exaggerated ideas of the ease of finding workable deposits, as opposed to mere occurrences, and reports of insignificant discoveries are sometimes given much publicity. Beginning about ten years ago mining for uranium has assumed a major place in Canadian and U. S. mineral industries. Uranium is now high on the list of metals produced in Canada. The gross value of uranium production in Canada in 1958, when additional plants now under construction are operating, will probably exceed 180 million dollars.

Jun 1, 1956

By Robin P. Gardner

A radioisotope tracer method combined with a suitable back-calculation method is proposed and evaluated for the determination of model simulation parameters in open-circuit continuous ball mills. The method essentially consists of using impulse and/or step injections of short-lived radioisotopes of the naturally occurring trace elements manganese and sodium. It is evaluated here on the basis of the minimum standard deviations of the product weight-size distributions. These minimum standard deviations are taken as those predicted by a Poisson distribution of the number of particles present in size fractions of the samples taken for analysis. Previously developed tanks-in-series lumped parameter models are used in the evaluation. The results indicate that the method is very promising.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. C. Rastogi, F. F. Aplan

The goal of this study is to evaluate the coal flotation process and the interaction of the chemical (reagent) and hydrodynamic (machine, operational) variables as they affect yield, flotation of various sized particles, and sulfur and ash rejection. Coal flotation is found to follow a first order process with the coal floating much faster than either pyrite or ash. This circumstance may be used to achieve gangue rejection during flotation. When floated with MZBC, cresol, or pine oil frothers, coal floats in the size sequence: 108 pm ( - 65 mesh), 589 x 808 pm (88 x 65 mesh), and 1.17 mm x: 589 pm (14 x 18 mesh). However with a substantial amount of fuel oil collector, all particles tend to float roughly in proportion to their content in the feed. An increasing aeration rate was found to be the most important variable in increasing the coal flotation rate. This increase in flotation rate, unfortunately, is also accompanied by an increase in the flotation rate of the pyrite. The rejection of pyrite during coal flotation is best accomplished at low aeration rates, low frother concentrations, and low impeller speeds.

Jan 1, 1986

By R. J. C. Tait

INTRODUCTION Process Control at the Ecstall Concentrator begins in the open pit at the Kidd Creek Mine. While this paper, naturally, emphasizes the instrumental and technical features of the Process Control system within the concentrator itself, it would not be complete without some mention of the selective mining methods and grade control practices at the mine, and of certain features of plant design, which are simple, but highly effective, elements of the Process Control system. The success of the entire Process Control system, from pit to concentrate load-out, owes much to the high degree of cooperation and mutual understanding among all the operating departments at Ecstall Mining Limited and to the willingness of management to accept, from the start, an overall control philosophy based upon the inter-dependence of mining and metallurgical operations. INFLUENCES OF MINERALOGY AND METALLURGY ON MINE PLANNING AND PLANT DESIGN Mineralogically, the Kidd Creek ores are fine grained and mostly very complex. Because of complex mineral associations and extensive inter-locking, very fine grinding and regrinding of middling fractions are necessary and selective flotation requires a very delicate touch. Four separate concentrates are made for shipment to copper, lead and zinc smelters. The Process Control system is tailored to the metallurgical objectives of maximum recoveries of copper, lead, zinc and silver into concentrates of optimum quality, for maximum economic returns. For example, zinc and lead in copper con-

Jan 1, 1970