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By R. V. Lundquist

Leaching manganese-bearing materials with NaOH to remove caustic-soluble silica has been demonstrated as a method for upgrading manganese. Those materials containing opaline varieties of silica respond most readily. Spent leach liquors are regenerated by treatment with lime to precipitate calcium silicate and to reactivate the NaOH for leaching. ALL of our larger domestic deposits of manganese are very low grade, but estimated tonnages in these deposits are large enough to constitute a potential strategic reserve of manganese for emergency periods, provided these ores can be upgraded sufficiently to meet industrial specifications. Many types of processes have been suggested for upgrading these ores, several have been studied in pilot plants, and a few have attained limited commercial production for special purposes. The hydrometallurgical process to be described below proposes a leaching operation for removing caustic-soluble silica and other gangue minerals and consequently upgrading a manganese ore or flotation concentrate to a commercially acceptable moduct. It is known that some forms of silica and some silicate minerals are soluble in NaOH solutions under suitable conditions. This new process proposes to use NaOH for removing the soluble materials from manganese ores or concentrates and, as a result, upgrade the manganese content. Since spent leach liquors are not efficient leaching agents the liquor must be treated with lime to precipitate calcium silicate and reactivate the NaOH. Experimental Procedure Manganese-ore samples ground to —35 mesh were leached in iron containers into which the ore sample and appropriate NaOH solutions were placed. Flotation concentrates were already ground to —200 mesh. The slurries were then placed on a hot plate or into a pressure digester and stirred continuously during the period of digestion. Where the- digestion was performed at atmospheric pressures, water lost by evaporation was replaced at regular intervals to maintain approximately a constant volume of slurry. In the pressure digester, volume changes were not controlled. After digestion, the slurry was allowed to cool enough for easy handling, but it was filtered hot, 50" to 70°C, on a Buechner filter. Filtration under these conditions was satisfactory. The resulting filter cake was washed and dried. In most instances, a single leach would not produce maximum extraction of silica from the ore sample; consequently, the dried tailing was treated again in the same manner with a fresh solution of NaOH to obtain an additional extraction of silica. This procedure was repeated a number of times to get the maximum extraction of silica. Usually three or at most four stages of leaching were adequate for this purpose. This leaching procedure was used for obtaining the data reported in this paper on the effects of NaOH concentration, pulp dilution, temperature, and time of digestion on the efficiency of extraction of silica from the ore sample. The experimental procedure does not match industrial methods. consequently tests for counter-current leaching were set up. Data from these tests are not yet complete, but in a qualitative way they indicate that thickeners between stages of leaching will be satisfactory and that the quantity of silica in a leach liquor moving forward to a new solid has only a minor effect on the quantity of silica extracted from the new solid. A pilot plant is now being designed for operation in the near future to test and evaluate the merits of this process.

Jan 1, 1954

By Michael Tenenbaum, C. C. Brown

IN recent years, the importance of slag control in basic open-hearth operations has been universally recognized. To effect such control during the working period of the heat, methods have been developed to measure or estimate slag oxidation and slag basicity. While satisfactory rapid chemical methods have been developed to determine slag oxidation, no completely adequate method of evaluating basicity has yet been provided. The most generally accepted control methods of measuring slag basicity are based on visual estimates. While considerable benefit may be derived from such estimates, the need for some measurable indication of slag basicity has become increasingly apparent. In a recent paper, Philbrook and Jolly[$] suggested a promising technique for making the basicity determination. Their method consists of measuring the pH of a mixture of powdered open-hearth slag and distilled water. It was found that a relation could be established between the slag basicity and the alkalinity of the water mixture as measured by the hydrogen-ion concentration. The general procedure followed in making the measurements and the considerations involved in constructing the original curves are given in the paper of Philbrook and jolly and need not be repeated. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss some of the factors considered in applying the pH measurements to actual slag control and to present some of the results of its application. FACTORS INVOLVED IN MEASURING pH OF WATER-SLAG MIXTURES To facilitate the application of the pH control system, it was desirable that no alteration be made in the routine methods of sampling and crushing the furnace slag. Some of the factors considered before establishing a curve to relate slag basicity with the pH reading are reviewed individually in the following paragraphs. EFFECT OF COOLING RATE Under actual operating conditions there can be considerable variation in the tem¬perature of the piece of slag crushed for the pH determination. To determine whether variations in crushing temperature or in cooling rate would affect the pH reading, a series of four samples was prepared from each of two separate slags. These samples represented conditions far more extreme than would actually be encountered. To obtain these samples, a thick pancake of slag was poured. One piece of this pancake was crushed immediately after it had solidified. Another piece was water-quenched and then crushed. A third piece was allowed to air-cool to room temperature before crushing. The fourth sample was prepared from a chilled slag. This sample was poured onto a heavy inclined steel plate at the

Jan 1, 1945

By T. W. Doe, J. Noorishad

The problem of fluid flow from a well into a horizontal fracture has been studied using a nonlinear coupled hydromechanical finite element model. Such an approach is required due to the strong nonlinearity and anisotropy of deformation and fluid flow moduli introduced by the presence of the fracture. The resulting nonuniform total stress field invalidates the application of the conventional fluid flow techniques to the problem. Stable convergent solution from the above analysis are verified by a coupled steady state algorithm.

Jan 1, 1982

By F. E. Bachman

There is such a great variety of opinion concerning the best method of determining phosphorus in pig iron and steel, that a list of determinations, on a uniform sample of pig iron, together with a short description of the methods used by different chemists, and a few experiments on the accuracy of some of the methods used, [nay be of interest to members of the Institute. All the results given in List A are from the same lot of drillings, thoroughly mixed, except Nos. 8 and 9, and 28 to 32 inclusive, which are from the same pig, but were taken at a later period.

Jan 1, 1882

By William Reynolds

THIS paper deals with the results of a study of the application and development of mining machines for cutting out and removing dirt bands in bituminous coal beds. FACE PREPARATION When one or more dirt bands1 occur in a seam of coal, the problem of elimination of impurities becomes manifest. The degree of complete-ness to which these impurities are removed at the face has an important bearing upon labor costs, haulage costs and outside cleaning costs, and often the ash content of the product is markedly affected. Yet, because the present-day miner is paid for the number of tons he loads he often lacks interest in the quality of the coal. To insure a clean product, a system of penalties for dirty coal is enforced, but control of extraneous impurity content in the loaded coal is often inadequate and ineffectual when coal and banded impurity are shot as one. It seems only logical that to reduce the amount of impurities by proper face preparation before the men are permitted to load the coal is the most efficient method of preparation.

Jan 1, 1936

By Y. P. Chugh, R. A. Missavage

Moisture has been known to influence strata failures in coal mines for a long the. A concise review of what is known about effects of moisture on strata control with emphasis on the Illinois basin coal mines is presented in this paper. Some approaches to mitigate the effects of moisture-leaving coal in the roof, guniting, shotcreting, application of sealants-are then briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Öner Yücel, M. Zeki Dogan, A. Metin Ger

Technical and financial feasibility studies conducted at the Middle East Technical University, in Ankara, Turkey, have revealed that a 400 km long prospective slurry pipeline between Hasançelebi and Iskenderun could efficiently and economically transport iron concentrates, with a size of 55%-325 mesh and of amounts varying between 0.25 and 8.0 million tonslyear. Particularly for annual throughputs above 500,000 tons, favorable results have been obtained regarding the processing of the ore, the applicability, the transport cost, and the foreign ex- change currency savings.

Jan 1, 1980

By J. B. Warriner

S. A. TAYLOR, Pittsburgh, Pa.-What was the distance of haul? J. B. WARRINER.-There is practically no limit to the haul. The length is determined entirely by the feasible location for a dump. -I have known of hauls up to 2 miles in length. R. V. NORRIS, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-This paper was originally presented to the Anthracite Section as the result of the appointment of Mr. Warriner as the Chairman of the committee to study this matter and present this paper. As he has stated, he obtained data very freely from all the stripping operations in the region, and it is a type of paper of which we should have more in the Transactions. Two or three things in it strike me as particularly valuable. The two tables, 1 and 2, showing the coal remaining, have been the result of a great amount of study, as it is not an easy matter to obtain data as to the amount of coal left in mining. As an example, one of the, anthracite mines was mined and robbed out in 1850, so the maps show. That mine is today producing 250,000 tons of coal, over 50 per cent. from the bed which on the maps is marked as exhausted. What actually happened is that the seam was on a light pitch inconvenient to mine. There was ample thickness of coal and the chambers were driven at a convenient pitch through this 30,-ft. bed, leaving top and bottom, taking out about 10 ft. The pillars were removed and the working caved and marked as gone. That is the type of area that is now being stripped, which explains the reason for the enormous amount of coal left in, and the fact that Mr. Warriner has worked out the actual results from a large number of strippings is of great interest to the operators in any region handling thick coal which has been mined over in the past, generation. The modern mining, of course, is different. We do not have all the coal we want in big veins, and we do not mine it that way. Another interesting feature of the paper to me was the study of losses. It is not uncommon to assume that after you have stripped off the overburden all the coal goes to market. Mr. Warriner has shown that there is a loss ranging up to 10 or 15 per cent. that does not go, so 'that estimates made on stripping, figuring on all the coal, are subject to this very material correction.

Jan 4, 1917

By F. C. Schrader, Alfred H. Brooks

Last fall (1899) we had the good fortune to be able to spend a few weeks in the new placer gold-mining region of Alaska, which is known as the Nome region. Cape Nome, after which the region has been named, and which forms the southeastern corner of the Nome Mining District, is an unimportant promontory on the southern coast of the Seward Peninsula (see map, Fig. 1). The name Seward has recently been given to the great peninsula which forms the northwestern extremity of Alaska. To the north of it is the Arctic ocean, to the south Bering sea, while its wesbernmost extremity, Cape Prince of Wales, is separated from the Asiatic coast by the Bering straits. The coast line of the peninsula is of a cuspate character, consisting of a succession of sandy, crescent-shaped beaches and rocky headlands. The interior has been but little explored; but we know that it is comparatively rugged, the higher mountain peaks rising probably from 4000 to 5000 feet in elevation. The mountains have an easterly and westerly trend, and the water-shed between the two oceans probably nearly bisects the peninsula. At Golofnin bay, the southeastern part of the Seward peninsula, some spruce is found, but to the west the region is entirely timberless, except for a sparse growth of stunted

Jan 1, 1901

By Robert Sisselman

If we are lucky," says Hollis M. Dole, Assistant Secretary of the Interior, "coal, uranium and hydropower will provide us with maybe a third of the energy we require in 1985. The other two- thirds will have to be made available in liquid and gaseous form." Luck, however, may have run out, for if the facts and figures relating to supply and demand of natural gas over the next 20 years prove accurate, the United States may fall short in its attempts to bring the energy crisis under control. By the year 1990 the world will need to consume a minimum 150 quadrillion Btu of energy with gas requirements running as high as 42-43 trillion cu ft. By 1990, the U.S. alone will require 45-46 trillion cu ft. To meet anticipated demand, this country will have to overcome a deficiency of about 20 trillion cu ft since, by all pragmatic estimates, it will produce only 15-20 trillion cu ft of gas. The importation of natural gas into the U.S. will help but will not solve the problem. Adequate gas supplies will have to be supplied domestically. The Arctic, with its predicted huge reserves of gas, combined with imports of liquid natural gas (LNG) may provide as much as 15% of the 45-46 trillion figure, however, such reserves will not come into play as quickly as originally thought. The Alaskan gas fields, for instance, will provide a substantial supplement to domestic gas needs, but only after 1976.

Jan 10, 1972

By M. H. Gaskell, D. C. Lindley

Small, steeply inclined reservoirs without natural water drives often are found associated with salt domes or other highly faulted structures. Frequently, only one well may be economically justified in these reservoirs, from which oil is produced by an expanding gas-cap drive or by a dissolved-gas drive. Although a large fraction of the oil upstructure from the well may be recovered during primary depletion, only a small fraction of the downdip oil can be produced because of gravity effects. This downdip oil has been defined as cellar oil991 in contradistinction to "attic oil" which is the oil above the structurally highest well in reservoirs where a natural water drive is present. In this study, two methods of producing cellar oil by water flooding a one-well reservoir were investigated by means of a laboratory model. This model was scaled to represent a prototype reservoir having an area of 30 acres, a permeability of 500 md, and a thickness and dip of 30 ft and 30°, respectively. One method considered, the simultaneous injection of water and production of oil from a single well, would require that the lower portion of the productive interval of a well be completed for water injection and the upper portion for oil production. The other method considered, intermittent injection, would involve alternate injection of water into and production of oil from a single well. Injection of water into the formation would repressure the reservoir, causing gas to go back into solution. Since some of the injected water would flow updip from the well, water injection usually would be followed by a waiting period during which the water could drain from above the wellbore. Production of oil by gravity drainage and gas-cap drive could be initiated when water drainage became sufficiently complete. The amount of water produced along with the oil would naturally depend on how soon after water injection ceased that production was started. This process could be repeated in cycles until oil could no longer be produced economically. Of these two methods, the intermittent injection technique would be simpler to put into operation since it does not require a dual completion. Also, it is probably more generally applicable than the simultaneous injection-production method. It is to be expected that in some reservoirs the rock and fluid properties would be such that practical oil-production rates could not be achieved by the simultaneous technique. However, in reservoirs where the simultaneous method will result in practical rates of oil production, it does have the advantage of permitting immediate, continuous oil production; whereas in the intermittent method, oil production is interrupted by periods of water injection and drainage. It was the objective of this study to determine whether these two methods of cellar oil production are practical for the representative prototype investigated and to evaluate their relative merits. DESIGN OF LABORATORY MODEL SCALING REQUIREMENTS The prototype reservoir and fluids were selected to have the dimensions and physical properties shown in Table 1. The laboratory model was then designed in accordance with well known scaling criteria, as discussed by Croes, et al,2 except for one modification. According to Croes, et al, one requirement of scaling a laboratory model to a reservoir prototype is that both the relative permeabilities and dimensionless capillary pressure be the same functions of water saturation for the model and the prototype. Since unconsolidated sand packs are used in the laboratory model to represent the consolidated porous media of the prototype, it is virtually impossible to satisfy this requirement. Much of the difficulty stems from the fact that unconsolidated sands usually exhibit lower residual oil and connate-water saturations than do reservoir rocks. To satisfy the scaling requirement as nearly as possible, Perkins and Collins' have suggested that the relative permeabilities be re-defined as

By R. Bakish

A. B. MICHAEL and F. J. Huegel1 recently re- ported on dislocation configurations in are-cast columbium. This communication discusses observations made in our laboratory on etch structures believed to be associated with dislocations

Jan 1, 1959

By C. A. Wert, K. C. Hsieh

Mineral particles in coal have enormous variation in size. Some are large enough to be seen by eye, others can be seen with the optical microscope and still others are so small that they can be resolved only by electron microscopy. We paid particular attention to particles of clays and sulfides less than 1 pm in size. This paper describes typical minerals and reports on the application of the techniques of electron microscopy to coal.

Jan 1, 1984

Jan 1, 1946

By Charles C. Rodd

Prior to 1938, proration procedure in Kansas required the physical testing of wells in order to set up a basis for allocating production. Subsequently the use of liquid-level data and bottom-hole pressure data was authorized on certain types of wells as a basis for calculating well capacities, thereby permitting wells to be tested at low rates and with small volumes of production. This paper gives some attention to the equipment used for obtaining liquid-level data but in general it is devoted to the theoretical and physical factors involved in well testing by drawdown methods. These tests are divided into two classifications: (I) liquid-level data used directly to calculate capacities, and (2) liquid-level data and liquid-level measuring equipment used in connection with other data to determine bottom-hole pressure. Equations and calculations for both types are shown. Well capacities calculated from fill-up data have not been used generally but offer a simple means of testing some wells. Theoretical factors and calculations for such tests are shown. In the state of Kansas, proration laws required that the "ability of a well to produce" be given consideration in state allocation orders and for many years this was the only factor used in prorating the allowed oil. The "ability of a well to produce", was the quantity of oil that could be obtained from a well in a prescribed period, usually 24 hr. Early in the history of State-regulated proration, Kansas operators realized that, unless some restriction were placed upon equip- ment, the competition between producers to obtain large well "potentials" might result in a race to install the largest pumping equipment. Consequently, restrictions were placed upon the size of tubing and length of pump stroke that could be used in pumping wells during potential tests. Later, restrictions were placed also upon the size of tubing and chokes that could be used in flowing walls. Despite the restriction setup, better pumping equipment was designed and installed, pumps were improved, and various devices were invoked to obtain high rates of production for short periods of time. By 1937 pumping cycles of forty to forty-five 54-in. strokes per minute were not uncommon, and numerous wells had produced at the rate of 3500 bbl. per day for short periods. Such production was far beyond any rate that could be long sustained. Equipment necessary to take "potentials" was several times larger than that needed for normal producing purposes, and repairs and replacements required by the high pumping speeds were excessive. Also, many operators suspected that the high rates of production main tained during '"potential" tests were conducivc to early water encroachment. By 1938 large-scale physical testing of wells in Kansas ended, the use of the bottom-hole pressure gauge had become common, engineers and operators were becoming familiar with the term ''productivity index," and bottom-hole pressure was being used as a factor in allocation in many areas. There were many drawbacks, however, to large-scale use of

Jan 1, 1943

By Charles C. Rodd

Prior to 1938, proration procedure in Kansas required the physical testing of wells in order to set up a basis for allocating production. Subsequently the use of liquid-level data and bottom-hole pressure data was authorized on certain types of wells as a basis for calculating well capacities, thereby permitting wells to be tested at low rates and with small volumes of production. This paper gives some attention to the equipment used for obtaining liquid-level data but in general it is devoted to the theoretical and physical factors involved in well testing by drawdown methods. These tests are divided into two classifications: (I) liquid-level data used directly to calculate capacities, and (2) liquid-level data and liquid-level measuring equipment used in connection with other data to determine bottom-hole pressure. Equations and calculations for both types are shown. Well capacities calculated from fill-up data have not been used generally but offer a simple means of testing some wells. Theoretical factors and calculations for such tests are shown. In the state of Kansas, proration laws required that the "ability of a well to produce" be given consideration in state allocation orders and for many years this was the only factor used in prorating the allowed oil. The "ability of a well to produce", was the quantity of oil that could be obtained from a well in a prescribed period, usually 24 hr. Early in the history of State-regulated proration, Kansas operators realized that, unless some restriction were placed upon equip- ment, the competition between producers to obtain large well "potentials" might result in a race to install the largest pumping equipment. Consequently, restrictions were placed upon the size of tubing and length of pump stroke that could be used in pumping wells during potential tests. Later, restrictions were placed also upon the size of tubing and chokes that could be used in flowing walls. Despite the restriction setup, better pumping equipment was designed and installed, pumps were improved, and various devices were invoked to obtain high rates of production for short periods of time. By 1937 pumping cycles of forty to forty-five 54-in. strokes per minute were not uncommon, and numerous wells had produced at the rate of 3500 bbl. per day for short periods. Such production was far beyond any rate that could be long sustained. Equipment necessary to take "potentials" was several times larger than that needed for normal producing purposes, and repairs and replacements required by the high pumping speeds were excessive. Also, many operators suspected that the high rates of production main tained during '"potential" tests were conducivc to early water encroachment. By 1938 large-scale physical testing of wells in Kansas ended, the use of the bottom-hole pressure gauge had become common, engineers and operators were becoming familiar with the term ''productivity index," and bottom-hole pressure was being used as a factor in allocation in many areas. There were many drawbacks, however, to large-scale use of

Jan 1, 1943

By John Edgar, Eugene P. Pfleider

Breakage of rock in mining operations as a part of the overall comminution process is examined. Examples of blasting practice are examined, and the energy expended is related to the comminution work accomplished. Costs for the comminution effected are examined, and an attempt is made to evaluate overall mining practice to determine the range of incremental costs for breaking the ore to a finer size in the mining step.

Jan 1, 1973

By Harry Bapty

LONGHOLE drilling with a heavy type percussion Leyner drill, jointed steel rods, and a tungsten carbide insert bit was investigated while drilling and working a quartz barite brecciated rock. Procedure and practice were developed and its suitability for tackling pillar and sill recovery proven and extended to regular stoping at Torbrit. Torbrit, as the name implies, is a contraction of the Toric property and the Britannia Mining & Smelting Co. Ltd., the former owners. This silver property, with minor amounts of lead, zinc, and rarer sulphides of little or no economic value, was discovered in 1916 from an outcrop in the Kitsault River, 18 miles north of Alice Arm Post Office, in the Portland Canal Mining District, B. C.

Jan 11, 1954

By Louis V. Bender

AfteR investigating the work of coal-dust fired reverberatories of the Canadian Copper Co., at Copper Cliff, Ontario, the management of the Washoe Reduction Works decided to experiment with and ascertain the advantages of using coal dust as a fuel in their reverberatories. Consequently, during the month of June, 1914, reverberatory furnace No. 8 was changed in order to use powdered coal as a fuel. The results obtained by this method of firing are gratifying and show a decided saving in cost of smelting as compared to grate firing with lump coal. The furnace, as remodeled, is 124 ft. long by 21 ft. wide, and varies in height from 8 ft. 6 in. at the back end to 5 ft. 7 in. at the skimming end. The general construction of the furnace is similar to that of the other furnaces at this plant. There are no side doors to this furnace, as it was thought that with the present arrangement for feeding no "fettling" or "claying" would be required. The interior of the furnace can be inspected through the burner port holes, after shutting off the burners and giving a few seconds' time for the gases inside the furnace to clear away. The charging is done on either side of the furnace from longitudinal hoppers, extending a distance of 74 ft. from the back end of the furnace. Leading from the hoppers into the furnace are 6-in. pipes, spaced 191/4 in. apart, through which the charge is intermittently dropped. The charge is kept well above the slag line at all times; in this way the side walls are protected and no fettling is needed on this portion of the furnace. The remainder of the furnace requires fettling. After operating for three months, we found that the bricks were eaten into along each side wall from the skimming door back to the point where the charge had been dropped. The depth of this cutting away was 8 in. close to the front end and gradually tapered to zero at a distance of 50 ft., and was greatest on the side of the furnace having the larger flue connection. Hoppers will be put in for the entire length of furnace, from which fettling material will be dropped, to prevent this cutting. After the run of three months, the roof was in excellent condition. At the back of the furnace the bricks were not cut into at all; at 30 ft.

Jan 1, 1915

By Ian Wark

IN defending the chemical theory of flotation, Taggart, del Giudice and Ziehl have criticized1 the views of those who prefer to attribute the effects of certain flotation agents to adsorption. Perhaps with some justifica-tion, they describe the latter term as the "haven of refuge of writers lost in a morass of shaky experiment and muddy thinking." We prefer to regard it, however, as a haven of refuge for writers who seek a conven-tional term to describe the formation of films of flotation reagents on solid surfaces, because in many cases it is not yet possible to specify the forces that hold them there. Originally, as Taggart and his associates state, adsorption connoted a. concentration difference and nothing more. In recent years, workers in the field of surface chemistry have tacitly added other meanings, and they now speak of orientated adsorption of unimolecular films on a solid sub-strate, of chemi-adsorption, and of exchange adsorption. Thus the term adsorption may connote-simply the Gibbs layer of excess concentration at the surface of a solution, or a unimolecular film at the surface of a solid. Perhaps this has led to the misunderstanding of Taggart, del Giudice and Ziehl concerning the relationship between surface tension and adsorption at solid surfaces. The change in "surface tension" accompanying adsorp-tion at a liquid surface can be used as a measure of the adsorption, and the Gibbs equation as quoted by these authors correlates these two con-ceptions. But, to correlate two conceptions does not necessarily imply an attempt to explain either, although sometimes. such an "explanation" is carelessly inferred. Use of "surface energy per unit area" instead of the numerically equal but more difficult and less definite conception of "surface tension per unit length" would lessen many of the present diffi-culties. (Compare with Adam.2) At interfaces involving a solid phase, neither "surface tension" nor "interfacial tension" can have any meaning, but the conception "interfacial energy per unit area" can be understood by anyone who is familiar with the concept of free energy. While it is true that surface energy cannot be directly measured at a solid surface,

Jan 1, 1936