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By Irving Palmer

DURING the past 15 years in this country there have been few additions to the literature of lead smelting. After the consolidation of the principal smelting companies at the beginning of this period it became the policy of the larger company not to permit the publication of details in regard to many of its metallurgical processes. This led to similar action on the part of some of its competitors. The result, of course, was a decided decrease in the number of papers written upon the practical side of the subject. Even upon the theoretical side the contributions have been few. It would seem that the industry as a whole has suffered from this general unwillingness to exchange information. While it is true that a given company is entitled to the reward that may come from its own development of a new process, it is also true that a still greater reward might be the result of a free exchange of ideas with other plants. This principle has been recognized for a long time in other metallurgical industries, notably those engaged in the smelting of iron and the manufacture of steel. It is pleasing to note that the leading lead-smelting company has very recently decided to modify its policy of secrecy, and to permit the publication of papers covering some details of its metallurgical methods. The statement has been made that there has been but little progress in lead smelting during the period just referred to. This impression is due in part to the scarcity of papers written on the subject. There has been, it is true, some discussion of the new sintering processes, but with little reference to detail, and to the effect that blast roasting has had upon the industry as a whole. In spite of the prevailing belief, it may be said that lead smelting, in common with other metallurgical industries, has made steady and substantial progress. It is the purpose of the present paper to discuss briefly some features of the industry as it is now conducted, with special reference to the blast-furnace practice in the larger silver-lead smelting plants of the United States and Mexico.

Jan 7, 1914

By Frank C. Greene

The wildcatting in northern and northwestern Missouri, which started in 1939, was continued in 1940. Two new gas fields were found and one discovered in 1939 was further extended. The total number of completions was 94, of which 5 were oil wells with about 48 bbl. initial production, 30 were gas wells with an initial open-flow capacity of 37,655,000 cu. ft., and 59 were dry holes. The outstanding discovery was the Polo gas field, T. 55 N., R. 28 and 29 W., in Caldwell County. A sand now believed to be a lens in the Bandera shale at a depth of 400 ft. yielded flows of more than 12,000,-000 cu. ft. In all, I0 wells with 31,490,000 cu. ft. of gas, were drilled. The rock pres-sure is 80 lb. At present no arrangements for an outlet have been made. In Platte County, the Prairie Point gas pool in sec. 7, T. 51 N., R. 33 W., and sec. 12, T. 51 N., R. 34 W., and the Lake-side pool in sees. 5 and 6, T. 50 N., R. 33 W., were further developed, and in the latter both oil and gas have been found, but data are not available for publication at this time. Drilling for gas continued in proven areas in Clay County, and for both oil and gas in proven areas in Jackson and Cass Counties. Table 1 summarizes the results of drilling in Missouri in 1940.

Jan 1, 1941

By Frank C. Greene

The wildcatting in northern and northwestern Missouri, which started in 1939, was continued in 1940. Two new gas fields were found and one discovered in 1939 was further extended. The total number of completions was 94, of which 5 were oil wells with about 48 bbl. initial production, 30 were gas wells with an initial open-flow capacity of 37,655,000 cu. ft., and 59 were dry holes. The outstanding discovery was the Polo gas field, T. 55 N., R. 28 and 29 W., in Caldwell County. A sand now believed to be a lens in the Bandera shale at a depth of 400 ft. yielded flows of more than 12,000,-000 cu. ft. In all, I0 wells with 31,490,000 cu. ft. of gas, were drilled. The rock pres-sure is 80 lb. At present no arrangements for an outlet have been made. In Platte County, the Prairie Point gas pool in sec. 7, T. 51 N., R. 33 W., and sec. 12, T. 51 N., R. 34 W., and the Lake-side pool in sees. 5 and 6, T. 50 N., R. 33 W., were further developed, and in the latter both oil and gas have been found, but data are not available for publication at this time. Drilling for gas continued in proven areas in Clay County, and for both oil and gas in proven areas in Jackson and Cass Counties. Table 1 summarizes the results of drilling in Missouri in 1940.

Jan 1, 1941

NORTH AMERICA ALASKA Anchorage.-Ames, M. B. Culver, H. W. Fiedler, H. L. Geehan, R. V. Langneas, O. O. Layfield, R. A. Parent, A. Saarela, L. H. Strandberg, H. Candle.-Robbins, J. S. Chichagof.-Russell, J. C. College.-Fox, E. F. Joesting, H. R. Lyman, R. F. Smith, M. C. -Wilcox, H. G. Douglas.-Cahill, W. E. Fairbanks.-Adams, J. M. CANADA Canadian Army Overseas.¬Ball, H. D. Bridges, O. Butterill, H. J. M. Lane, H. C. Millar, W. A.

Jan 1, 1942

By E. Miller, R. Geffken, K. L. Komarek

The thermodynamzc properties oJ liquid Cd-Sb alloys were investigated using the cell arrangement measurments were obtained every 2°C at a heating and cooling rate of 12°C per hr and at equilibrium every 2O0C frorn 500°C down through the stable liquidus. The S-shaped asCd US composition curve was used in the cotnposition regzon near Cd,Sb, to calculate a tempeerture-dependent inleraction coefficient from quasichemical theory. Rapid changes in a scd were observed at a transition temperature varying from 400" to 465°C depending on con/kosition. It could not be determined if the changes in aScd were discontinuous, but tlze composition dependeke of the magnitude of the change is indicative of a second-order phase transformation in the liquid. The values of the experimental changes in ASCd are in agreement with calculations from the slope of the transition temperature, using the concept that a second-ovdev phase transition occurs in liquid Cd-Sb alloys. II is suggested that the transformalion is associated with the formation of Cd4Sb3 molecules in the liquid. ThE structure of liquid alloys is the subject of many investigations. X-ray, resistivity, and thermody-namic data have been interpreted as indicating varying degrees of short-range order in the liquid in alloy systems forming inter metallic compounds. In general, the melting process is not a transition from an ordered to a completely disordered state, but some degree of order is retained in the liquid. Maximum ordering in the liquid state occurs close to the melting temperature of the compound and the arrangement of atoms becomes more random at higher temperatures. Of special interest in this respect is the Cd-Sb system. It is one of the few metallic systems which form both stable and metastable compounds when liquid alloys are cooled at normal rates. The stable system exhibits an intermetallic compound, CdSb, melting at 459"c.l A second compound, CdrSbs, has also been reported,' melting close to this temperature. The metastable system has one compound, CdsSbz, melting at 420"c.I Resistivity measurements on liquid Cd-Sb alloys close to the liquidus temperatures have been interpreted in terms of a complex ordering behavior which changes rapidly with increasing temperature.3 The resistivity-composition curve is characterized by two maxima corresponding in composition to CdSb and CdsSbz. The resistivity-temperature plots show sharp breaks for alloys in the composition range of 45 to 70 at. pct Cd on cooling through a transition temperature close to the stable liquidus. Fisher and phillips4 investigated the influence of temperature and composition on the viscosity of liquid CdSb alloys. The viscosity of some alloys increases sharply on supercooling below the stable liquidus. A maximum in the viscosity-composition curve occurs at the composition CdSb. The thermodynamic properties of liquid Cd-Sb alloys have been investigated by Seltz and ~e~itt' and Elliott and chipmane by the electromotive-force method and their results are in good agreement. However, these investigations were carried out at temperatures well above the liquidus temperatures of the alloys, and the temperature coefficients of the electromotive force, dE/dT, were obtained from experimental points for each alloy at a few temperatures considerably above the liquidus temperature. Scheil and ~aach' investigated the thermodynamic properties of this system by the dew point method in the temperature range from about 100°C above the stable liquidus down into the supercooled liquid region. They reported several anomalies, i.e., the activity of a melt on heating differed from that on cooling, and the activity increased sharply in the limited temperature interval immediately above the liquidus temperature of the stable alloy, followed by a sudden decrease below the liquidus. Values obtained on heating and cooling were not in agreement. A reinvesti-gation of a few alloys by Scheil and Kalkuhl' by the electromotive-force method failed to confirm these observations. The authors concluded that the anomalies were due to inhomogeneities in the starting alloys and they discarded their previous results. The present investigation was undertaken in order to obtain thermodynamic data close to the liquidus temperature and in the supercooled region where the anomalies were originally reported, employing the electro motive-force method. This method is quite precise and will most easily permit observations of small changes in activity and partial molar entropy with temperature. Measurements were taken every few degrees so that the dE/dT values could be calculated over the entire temperature range and small changes in the thermodynamic properties close to the liquidus temperature could be observed. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Specimens were prepared from 99.999+ pct Cd and Sb (Cominco). Surface oxide was removed by scraping and then melting the metals under vacuum and filtering through Pyrex wool. Appropriate amounts of the metals were weighed on an analytical balance to k0.1 mg, sealed in double Pyrex capsules under vacuum,

Jan 1, 1968

By P. Marier, T. R. lngraham

The kinetics of the sulfation of MnO,, MnzO3, and Mn3O4 in SO,, SO3, and O, mixtures was examined and the descending order of sulfation rates at temperatures near 400°C was found to be Mn,O3 > MnO, > Mn3O4. The respective activation energies for the thermal decomposition of MnO, and Mn,O, are 39 and 47 kcal. At 900°C, the thernzal decomposition of MnSO, to MnzO3 is slower than that to Mn3O4. The respective activation energies are 62 and 51 kcal, respectitely. MANGANESE is used to improve the hot workability of steel in the proportions of approximately 13.5 Ib of ferromanganese per ton of steel produced. This requirement accounts for about 95 pct of its large industrial market in North America. The remaining 5 pct is used in the battery and chemical industries. In most North American ores, the percentage of manganese and the manganese-to-iron ratio are not suitable for the direct production of ferromanganese. Hence, most of the North American requirements for manganese are satisfied by importing ore. Typically, many of the studies done on native low-grade manganese resources have been directed toward the production of ore substittes" and the recovery of manganese from open-hearth slags.3 Of the wide variety of processes which have been proposed, the most popular involve compounds in the Mn-S-O system. The thermodynamic properties of manganese and its compounds were reviewed by ah' in 1960 and, more recently, lngrahams discussed the thermodynamics of some of the reactions involved in the Mn-S-O system at normal roasting temperatures. The conditions for producing manganese sulfide during the reduction roasting of manganese sulfate are discussed by Fuller and Edlund.9 A novel scheme was proposed recently by zimmerley7 for utilizing waste sulfur dioxide from stack gases to recover the manganese from ocean-mined manganese nodules. Very little of the work published on manganese compounds has been related to reaction rates. Singleton et 1.' studied the rates of reaction on the MnO-C and Mn7C3-3MnO systems and observed linear and parabolic kinetics respectively in the systems. Tatievskaya et a1.' studied the low-temperature reduction of Mn&, MnO,, and Mn& in HZ and CO, and reported activation energies in the range 1628 kcal. In this paper, the rates of some of the decomposition and formation reactions involving MnSO4, MnOz, MnzO3, and Mn3O4 will be examined after the conditions for the thermodynamic stability of the individual compounds have been designated. CONDITIONS FOR STABILITY OF MnSO4, MnOz, MnZO3, AND Mn3O4 The areas of stability for h'hSO4, MnOz, MnzO3, and h3O4 were established from the data of Mah4 and Ingrahams and are shown in the predominance area diagram,10 logpq- logpsq, in Fig. 1. The diagram is drawn for two temperatures, 700°K, solid lines, and 1100°K, dotted lines. The sketch for the lower temperature includes the conditions likely to prevail in the Zimmerley patent7 when manganese nodules react with sulfur dioxide and that for the higher temperature indicates the conditions for recovering MnzO3 or Mn3O4 from MnSO4 during a roasting reaction. From the fact that the boundary between the areas of stability of MnOz and hSO4 at 700°K is parallel to the abscissa, it is evident that MnOz and SO2 should react together to produce MnSO4, irrespective of the oxygen pressure in the system. If the source of sulfur for sulfation were from waste flue gases, it is likely that the oxygen content of the gas stream would be more than sufficient to oxidize any MnsO4 to MnzO3, 107 atm of O2 required, or even to convert any Mnz03 to MnOz, 0.02 atm OZ required, prior to sulfation. At 1100°K, the diagram indicates that MnSO4 may be converted directly to either MnzO3 of Mn3O4, depending upon the prevailing partial pressure of oxygen. When the gas stream contains more than 1 pct Oz, logpq = -2, only MnzO3 would be recovered from an experiment done under equilibrium conditions. At oxygen partial pressures of less than 1 pct, one would expect to bring about a reversible exchange between MnSO4 and Mn3O4 by appropriate adjustment of the partial pressure of SOZ. These various reactions will be described in the subsequent kinetic experiments.

Jan 1, 1969

By O. D. Sherby, J. E. Dorn

For elevated temperature-constant load creep tests of a solid solution alloys, the creep strain is a function of a temperature-compensated time parameter 0 = je H/RT dt. The activation energy H is equal to o constant of about 36,000 cal per mol. The substructures resulting from a given creep stress condition are functions of the creep strain independent of temperature. Each new creep stress gives a new unique set of grain substructures; this is one of the factors responsible for the failure of the mechanical equation of state for creep. IN this report an attempt is made to correlate the creep properties of dilute a: solid solutions in aluminum with the subgrain structures that are developed during creep. The possibilities of such correlations have already been suggested by Wood et al. and others1-" who demonstrated that the subgrain structures are functions of the creep stress, creep strain, rate of creep, and temperature. Investigations by Sherby and Dorn' have shown that the creep strain, E, at constant load for dilute a solid solutions of aluminum is given by the functional relationship: e = f(8,u,) [1] where: 0 equals te-AH/RT = temperature-compensated time; t, time; AH, activation energy, - 35,800 cal per mol; R, gas constant; T, absolute temperature, above 400°K; and u,, initial creep stress. Consequently, it was anticipated that the subgrain structure that develops during a constant load creep test should also correlate with any two of the three significant variables C, 8, and Another possible correlation between the subgrain structure and the creep variables is obtained by differentiating Eq. 1 with respect to time, whence the creep rate, 2, becomes: = (2L) (2) =f (, u,) e-AHRT [2] or: e = F (c e H/RT, 0) [3] For the minimum creep rate, ;,, 8 is solely a function of U, as revealed by Eq. 1. Consequently, at the minimum creep rate Eq. 3 reduces to: = F (eAH/RT) [41 Correlations between U, and i, eAH/RT were found valid for solid solution alloys of aluminum where AH was a constant of about 35,800 cal per mol. The parameter ;, eH/RT is identical to the Zener-Hollo-mon parameter8," used by them in evaluating the tensile properties of copper and other metals. Eq. 4 suggests that the subgrain structure developed during secondary creep might be correlatable with either of the two variables 2, e H/RT or u,. Some of the solid solution aluminum alloys which were discussed in an earlier report' were also used in the present investigation. Sheets of these alloys were homogenized, cold rolled from 0.100 to 0.070 in. in thickness and then recrystallized to about the same grain size. Their chemical composition and grain size are recorded in Table I. Creep specimens were selected with their tensile axes in the rolling direction. The details for creep testing have been described10 and will not be repeated here. All creep tests were performed under constant load conditions. Experimental Results and Discussion Metallographic Structure of Creep Specimens: In order to obtain a preliminary concept of creep on the metallographic structure of high purity aluminum, the various ruptured specimens previously used to obtain the creep data for pure aluminum were polished and etched electrolytically in a dilute solution of fluoroboric acid. Oblique illumination was used to reveal the substructures which, for convenience, are shown in correlation with the vs. ;, eH/RT curve in Fig. 1. It is necessary to emphasize that the data for the curve refer to the various secondary stages of creep whereas the micrographs refer to the fractured creep specimens. Nevertheless a regular and systematic correlation is observed between E, eAH/RT (or the creep stress) and the micro-structure at fracture. For In (e, eAH/RT) = 42.3, which refers to creep at a high creep rate and a low creep temperature, the fractured aluminum specimen, as shown by the micrograph in the upper right-hand corner of Fig. 1, exhibited extensive deforma-

Jan 1, 1954

By T. K. Perkins, W. W. Krech

Jan 1, 1969

By W. F. Guenther

The usual hand-operated drilling outfit consists of a 4-in. post-hole auger with 3/4,-in. pipe for drill stem, in 4-ft lengths, with a turning handle fitted to a top pipe T. The auxiliary tools are: a chisel-bit drill made from 3/4 or 7/8-in. tool steel welded to a 4-ft length of 3/4-in, pipe, so that the regular pipe string can be used; also a churn or "mule foot" made from 3-in. pipe, slotted on one side, belled to a 4-in. tempered cutting edge on the bottom, all welded to a 3/4-in. coupling by a yoke. Other tools required are pipe wrenches and cleanout tools made from old auto springs (Fig I). A 4 1/2 or 5-in. collar welded to a plate is often used to protect the mouth of the drill hole. In general the auger is used in the typical clay overburden and brown phosphate matrix, which is relatively soft. The churn or "mule foot1' is used in hard pan, lump phosphate or cherty ground. The drill is used for breaking flint, often found loose in the overburden. The drill with the chisel bit is used for trimming sides of the hole, sounding for lime bottom and breaking through hard lumps. Holes have been drilled to a depth of 80 ft, but the limit of efficient operation is about 50 ft. In deep holes it is necessary to unscrew the string in 20-ft lengths, to

Jan 1, 1948

By W. F. Guenther

The usual hand-operated drilling outfit consists of a 4-in. post-hole auger with 3/4,-in. pipe for drill stem, in 4-ft lengths, with a turning handle fitted to a top pipe T. The auxiliary tools are: a chisel-bit drill made from 3/4 or 7/8-in. tool steel welded to a 4-ft length of 3/4-in, pipe, so that the regular pipe string can be used; also a churn or "mule foot" made from 3-in. pipe, slotted on one side, belled to a 4-in. tempered cutting edge on the bottom, all welded to a 3/4-in. coupling by a yoke. Other tools required are pipe wrenches and cleanout tools made from old auto springs (Fig I). A 4 1/2 or 5-in. collar welded to a plate is often used to protect the mouth of the drill hole. In general the auger is used in the typical clay overburden and brown phosphate matrix, which is relatively soft. The churn or "mule foot1' is used in hard pan, lump phosphate or cherty ground. The drill is used for breaking flint, often found loose in the overburden. The drill with the chisel bit is used for trimming sides of the hole, sounding for lime bottom and breaking through hard lumps. Holes have been drilled to a depth of 80 ft, but the limit of efficient operation is about 50 ft. In deep holes it is necessary to unscrew the string in 20-ft lengths, to

Jan 1, 1948

R.. B. T. KILIANI, New York, N. Y.-I do not care to discuss Mr. Taggart's paper in the light of theory, as that has been very well done by Prof. Bell,1 but I should like to criticize some of his conclusions, in the light of actual operating practice at plants all over the country. 1. Mr. Taggart's first conclusion is that in crushing average ore, the character of the gangue has little effect on the efficiency of the mill. This, I believe, is not in accordance with the usual practice, since in crushing a hard ore the capacity will be much reduced below what it would be with a softer ore, while the power consumed will be practically independent of the character of the ore, being proportional only, to the load of ore and balls in the mill. 2. Mr. Taggart's second criticism is that the Hardinge mill is not suitable for grinding soft, tough material. In answer to this I might mention that the mill is being used for grinding tough, dnctile material, such as metallic aluminum, and also for grinding licorice root. 3. He says that the ball-mill works more efficiently on material of intermediate size, say 1/2 to 3/4 in., than on either coarser or finer feed.. This is true as to coarser feed. For the most efficient work, I believe that a ball-mill should be fed with material not coarser than 1 1/2 in.; it' will handle material up to 3 and even 4 in., but the reduction from 3 or 4 in. to 1 1/2 in. can be done much more cheaply and efficiently by rolls or disk crushers than in the ball-mill. 4. As to Mr. Taggart's fourth conclusion, that a greater ratio of reduction can be expected with feed of an intermediate size than with a coarse feed, I have not enough information to express an opinion. 5. His next conclusion is that steel balls are much more efficient crushing media than pebbles. Steel balls are undoubtedly more efficient for crushing coarse feed. On fine material they are also more efficient as to tons per horsepower crushed to 10-mesh, but on fine material I think it will be found that flint pebbles are cheaper than cast-iron balls, per ton of ore, although there will be a saving in power per ton by using cast iron instead of flint. The increased cost of crushing with cast iron will be due to the higher cost of iron at the present time. 6. Mr. Taggart's sixth conclusion coincides with present practice, that steel balls will grind as fine or finer than pebbles when working on the same feed.

Jan 1, 1918

Jan 1, 1968

THE FRENCH occupation of the Ruhr valley and other districts on the eastern side of the Rhine continued during March to be the pre-dominating feature in European affairs. There were sporadic troubles and disorders, but on the whole the Germans were passive while the French were consider-ate. However, it became more and more evident that France is not in this way going to succeed in collecting the reparations, to which of course she is entitled. It appears to be a case of Germany being unwilling to pay what is claimed from her and France being unable to make her do it. However, as the month drew on it became reason-ably clear that both the French and the Germans were becoming more and more disposed to get out of an impossible and dangerous situation. It was suggested that the basic principles upon which Germany now is ready to resume reparations payment are as follows: (I) appointment of a commission to establish Germany's ability to pay and to fix limits to the reparations; (2) a series of international loans; (3) the amount to be paid cannot exceed approximately 30,000,000,000 gold marks. From Russia came numerous reports reflecting economic and political changes there. One of these told of a Cossack insurrection in the southeast of European Russia. Another reported that the expatri-ated Russians recognized the solidity of the Bolshevik government and would contest it no longer, and would reunite with other Russians if they would recognize the rights of private property and validity of former debts. This is the same position that is taken by most of the foreign governments, and especially Great Britain and the United States, with respect to recognition of the present government of Russia. Secretary Hoover announced that it is no longer necessary to give famine relief to the Russians, their present need being for credit, not food. Lenine was reported seriously ill and probably incapacitated for further activity. Administration of the government, in succession to him, by a triumvirate was suggested.

Jan 4, 1923

Jan 1, 1967

By O. George Specht, Carl A. Zapffe

IN recent print, some remarkably contradictory statements have appeared regarding the importance to be attached to sponge iron,1-6 a metallurgical commodity whose history goes back at least to the time of Diodorus Siculus in the fourth century B.C. This disagreement, however, expresses the lack of a satisfactory method for producing sponge iron rather than defection in the commodity. The blast furnace is admitted to have certain inherent disadvantages, such as a general unsuitability for magnetite and the heating and blowing of vast quantities of undesirable nitrogen, so that a workable sponge-iron process remains attractive. In this respect, low-temperature gaseous reduction shows especial promise; but confusion persists regarding the factors involved. The present paper, therefore, has three principal divisions: (I) an exhaustive examination of all previous work on low-temperature gaseous reduction, (2) experimentation on the reduction of a magnetite with hydrogen, and (3) development of certain thermodynamic relationships in reduction, with a summarized depiction of the factors in the general process. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Gaseous media used in the reduction processes under discussion can be classified in three types: (I) H2, (2) CO, and (3) other gases. In the second, the CO is often admixed with H2. The third principally comprises hydrogeniferous gases, such as natural gas and producer gas, and in addition includes chlorine. Because hydrogen therefore features in all three, a study of hydrogen reduction based on investigations using pure hydrogen alone may be incomplete. The present paper reviews the three groups of investigations in the listed order, paying particular attention to hydrogen reduction. For the benefit of future workers, an exhaustive bibliography has been prepared and similarly classified. GROUP I: REDUCTION WITH HYDROGEN Equilibria Although the present problem is specifically one of kinetics, a first consideration is the equilibrium of the system, since the reactions to be studied comprise that equilibrium, and their direction and end points are defined by it. The historic development of these researches is interesting and informative.

Jan 1, 1946

By O. George Specht, Carl A. Zapffe

In recent print, some remarkably contradictory statements have appeared regarding the importance to be attached to sponge Iron,1-6 a metallurgical commodity whose history goes back at least to the time of Diodorus Siculus in the fourth century B.C. This disagreement, however, expresses the lack of a satisfactory method for producing sponge iron rather than defection in the commodity. The blast furnace is admitted to have certain inherent disadvantages, such as a general unsuitability for magnetite and the heating and blowing of vast quantities of undesirable nitrogen, so that a workable sponge-iron process remains attractive. In this respect, low-temperature gaseous reduction shows especial promise; but confusion persists regarding the factors involved. The present paper, therefore, has three principal divisions: (I) an exhaustive examination of all previous work on low-temperature gaseous reduction, (2) experi- mentation on the reduction of a magnetite with hydrogen, and (3) development of certain thermodynamic relationships in reduction, with a summarized depiction of the factors in the general process. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Gaseous media used in the reduction processes under discussion can be classified in three types: (I) H2, (2) CO, and (3) other gases. In the second, the CO is often admixed with H2. The third principally comprises hydrogeniferous gases, such as natural gas and producer gas, and in addition includes chlorine. Because hydrogen therefore features in all three, a study of hydrogen reduction based on investigations using pure hydrogen alone may be incomplete. The present paper reviews the three groups of investigations in the listed order, paying particular attention to hydrogen reduction. For the benefit of future workers, an exhaustive bibliography has been prepared and similarly classified. Group I: Reduction with Hydrogen Equilibria Although the present problem is specifically one of kinetics, a first consideration is the equilibrium of the system, since the reactions to be studied comprise that equilibrium, and their direction and end points are defined by it. The historic development of these researches is interesting and informative.

Jan 1, 1947

By O. George Specht, Carl A. Zapffe

In recent print, some remarkably contradictory statements have appeared regarding the importance to be attached to sponge Iron,1-6 a metallurgical commodity whose history goes back at least to the time of Diodorus Siculus in the fourth century B.C. This disagreement, however, expresses the lack of a satisfactory method for producing sponge iron rather than defection in the commodity. The blast furnace is admitted to have certain inherent disadvantages, such as a general unsuitability for magnetite and the heating and blowing of vast quantities of undesirable nitrogen, so that a workable sponge-iron process remains attractive. In this respect, low-temperature gaseous reduction shows especial promise; but confusion persists regarding the factors involved. The present paper, therefore, has three principal divisions: (I) an exhaustive examination of all previous work on low-temperature gaseous reduction, (2) experi- mentation on the reduction of a magnetite with hydrogen, and (3) development of certain thermodynamic relationships in reduction, with a summarized depiction of the factors in the general process. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Gaseous media used in the reduction processes under discussion can be classified in three types: (I) H2, (2) CO, and (3) other gases. In the second, the CO is often admixed with H2. The third principally comprises hydrogeniferous gases, such as natural gas and producer gas, and in addition includes chlorine. Because hydrogen therefore features in all three, a study of hydrogen reduction based on investigations using pure hydrogen alone may be incomplete. The present paper reviews the three groups of investigations in the listed order, paying particular attention to hydrogen reduction. For the benefit of future workers, an exhaustive bibliography has been prepared and similarly classified. Group I: Reduction with Hydrogen Equilibria Although the present problem is specifically one of kinetics, a first consideration is the equilibrium of the system, since the reactions to be studied comprise that equilibrium, and their direction and end points are defined by it. The historic development of these researches is interesting and informative.

Jan 1, 1947

[A Aalseth, Earl P. (M 51) Geol, Amerada Petr. Corp., Box 1498, Billings, Mont. Abadie, Henry G. (M 43) Asst to Supvr of Oper, Long Beach Oil Dev. Co., 255 S. Santa Clara, Long Beach 7, Calif. Abbe, T. Waldo (A 56) Ass't Dist Oper Supt, Sun Oil Co., Beaumont, Tex. Abbott, J. L. (M 56) Partner, Pritchard & Abbott, 501, Century Bldg, Fort Worth, Tex. Abbott, Richard H. (J 51) Owner, Abbott & Howard, 422 W. Hermosa, San Antonio, Tex. Abbott, Seth J., Jr. (M 51) Tekoil Corp., .2;A6 Mercantile Nat'l. Bank. Dallas, Tex. Abbott,. William G. (M 50) Div Mgr, Rice Eng. & Op. Inc., Box 1142, Hobbs, N. M. Abderhalden, R. R. (J,59) Box 100, Carmi, Ill. Abel, Malcolm D., Gen Mgr, Bakke Oil Co., Midland, Tex. Abel, Raymond L. (M 28) Prof of Chem Engr, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh 13, Pa. Abel, Wayne K. (M 57) 1513 Patton Drive, Odessa, Tex.]

Jan 1, 1961

By A. U. Seybolt

The pressure-temperature relations required to maintain the existence of Si3N4 in silicon-iron of 0.44-11.7 pet Si have been partially explored. The critical data obtained have allowed the calculation of some thermodynamic quantities, and have shown evidence of an order-disorder two-phase field extending at 800°C from about l pet to 5.5 pet Si. THE presence of silicon nitride in electrical sheet, nominally about 3 1/4 pet silicon, balance iron, has been described by several authors'" but there has been some discrepancy among them regarding the identity of the nitride. Also, little has been reported on the quantitative thermodynamic prop- erties. In the work to be reported here, the nitride has been found to be more stable than described by Corney and Turkdogan." Several silicon nitrides have been described in the past, including SiN, Si3N4 and Si2N4 (see, for example, Abegg6 and Pascal7). However, the literature on nitrides other than Si,N, is all very old. No recent investigators using the more powerful tools available today have reported the presence of any nitride other than S3,N4. W. B. Hicke and L. R. Brantley8 in 1930 determined the dissociation pressure of Si3N4 which they made by reacting nitrogen

Jan 1, 1959