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By Charles L. Kimbell

In broadest overview, UN global industrial production indicators released and shown in table 2 suggest that the extractive sector of the world's mineral industry in aggregate registered a very slight upturn in 1991 relative to its 1990 performance. It also shows a continued rebound in the industry from the recessionary period of the mid-to late-1980's. These same indicators as calculated in late 1991, however, reflected a very minor downturn in extractive mineral industry operations between 1989 and 1990. This latter downturn represented a notable revision from the data reported in the immediate previous edition of this chapter, which suggested a tiny upturn. The apparent slight 1991 upturn in extractive sector industrial output generally was not mirrored in the performance of the processing sectors of the global mineral industry. Although the aggregate index for the chemicals, petroleum, coal, and rubber products manufacturers (see table 3) showed a notable gain in 1991, similar indices for nonmetallic mineral products and for base metals registered declines between 1990 and 1991. Examination of regional performance indices shows that the difficulties experienced in 1990 in maintaining output levels within the countries that formerly constituted the CMEA were reinforced by trends toward reduced gains in output levels, if not actual reductions in output, in several other areas. Generally speaking, the traditional developed market economy countries recorded downswings in overall industrial activity in 1991, particularly after midyear, whereas developing market economy countries logged gains. The developed market economy country downturns, however, were not nearly as significant as were the downturns recorded for the former centrally planned economy states - those that before 1992 were either constituent Republics within the U.S.S.R. or the latter's CMEA partners.

Jan 1, 1993

By Robert F. Brindisi

There are approximately thirty to forty operating mills in the United States which are currently producing uranium yellow cake. This figure includes a significant number of in situ and by-product operations however the conventional acid leach flowsheet depicted in Figure 1 is the most common process used by domes- tic yellow cake producers. Ground ore is leached with sulphuric acid and the solids are separated from the pregnant liquor and washed in a series of counter- current decantation thickeners. After clarification of the pregnant liquor, uranium is recovered from the solvent extraction/stripping circuit by the addition of ammonia with precipitation of ammonium diuranate, or simply yellow cake. The yellow cake precipitate is then thickened in a conventional thickener before re- porting to the dewatering/washing unit operation. De- watered solids subsequently report to thermal drying, and clarified liquor from the dewatering/washing step is recycled to the yellow cake thickener. The yellow cake dewatering/washing unit operation is generally accomplished using either a solid bowl centrifuge or a rotary vacuum drum filter. In most cases the underflow from the yellow cake thickener is pumped to the dewatering/washing unit operation at approximately fifteen to twenty percent solids. For the purpose of this discussion ammonium diuranate, the product of ammonia precipitation from a conventional acid-leach uranium mill flow sheet, as discussed earlier, will be considered. With only slight adjustment this discussion will be equally applicable to sodium diuranate or uranium perioxide precipitates and to either in situ or by-product operations where such precipitates are generated. Some of the domestic uranium mills which have selected solid bowl centrifuges instead of vacuum drum filters for the dewatering/washing unit operations are listed in Figure 2. Why have these uranium mills, as well as others not listed, chosen to use the solid bowl centrifuge for this particular application? It is simply a matter of performance, reliability and economics. In the remainder of this paper the performance, initial cost, installation cost, maintenance and power consumption of both the solid bowl centrifuge and the rotary vacuum drum filter will be com- pared. In order to provide a consistent basis for comparison the appropriate sized (centrifuge or filter) unit for the dewatering/washing of 400 to 500 pounds per hour of yellow cake solids will be considered. Such a flow will usually be generated by a typical 3,000 ton per day (acid-leach) uranium mill.

Jan 1, 1980

By Zhongliang Tian, Yun Cheng, Yexiang Liu, Ming Jia, Yanqing Lai

"A fundamental electrochemical study of Si ions in Na3AlF6-LiF melts and electrolysis using liquid cathodes was conducted. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) clearly showed the depolarization of silicon deposition on liquid cathode by forming chemical complexes with the liquid solvent metals. Besides, co-deposition of Al and Si is possible when Si ions are insufficient in the molten salt. Based on the electrochemical results, silicon diffusion into liquid cathode is modelled and evolution of Si activity with concentration is deduced by a mathematic approach. Electrochemical study using liquid metals as working electrodes, can be used as an alternative approach for the acquisition of basic data on alloy behavior. Galvanostatic electrolysis showed that liquid cathodes are appropriate to collect the deposited solid silicon and the highest collection efficiency is almost 85%.IntroductionRecent years have witnessed an increasing demand for solar-grade silicon (Si) by the photovoltaic industry [1-4]. The preparation of high-purity metals through electrolysis and electrorefining offer many advantages such as low cost, low-energy consumption, and environment-friendly process, and thus has been widely used worldwide. From the perspective of electrochemistry [5-7], by utilizing the electronegativity difference between the impurities and Si and controlling the relevant process parameters, it is possible in principle to electrodeposit monatomic Si from a Si4+-containing compound melt. Moreover, because the carbon content of the high-purity Si obtained through electrolysis can be effectively controlled and used as a very ideal raw material in the preparation of electronic-grade and solar-grade Si, the preparation of high-purity Si through electrolysis has received widespread attention [8,9]. Monnier et al. [9] used a graphite electrode to obtain high-purity Si (99.9 %-99.99 %) from Si02/Na3AlF6 system through electrolysis; however, because the Si was precipitated in a solid form and showed poor conductivity, the deposition rate was too slow. Olsen et al. [10] obtained high-purity Si films via electrodeposition in K2SiF6/KF-LiF system by selecting electrode materials with high surface quality (such as Ag and graphite). However, in order to ensure the film quality, the deposition current density must be relatively low (10-50 mA/cm2), resulting in a low current efficiency and low deposition rate, which are not conducive to reducing energy consumption and applying to practical use"

Jan 1, 2014

By Sidney Cornell

THE technical- advantages of adding oxygen to air and producer gas, or using it as a reactive agent, producing 400 B.t.u. gas instead of. the present 150 B.t.u., with higher flame temperatures and a reducing flame possible, with a smaller volume of gases passing through a furnace, will result in quicker melting, sharp working, and the production of a higher quality steel. Probably electric-furnace quality steel can be produced in an open-hearth furnace using oxygen. A modern, standard, 100-ton open-hearth furnace, with all equipment, costs from $350,000 to $500,000; there are about 1000 open-hearth furnaces in this country. When considering the use of oxygen in the open-hearth furnace, it is necessary to study: (1) The use of oxygen in the present furnaces, such that modification of existing furnaces and equipment cost the minimum, although the full advantages of oxygen are not thus obtainable. (2) The use of oxygen in a furnace designed for its use, producing quality and quantity steel at the lowest possible cost. This entails the junking of approximately one-half the value in existing equipment-writing off $250,000,000. The basis of such an estimate is the present cost of manufacturing open-hearth steel. Objection may be taken to some of the unit prices here given, but while some companies obtain their ores for much less, the prices quoted are -market price. They are used to show the maximum economy obtained by oxygen at that point.

Jan 11, 1924

By Harold R. Kokal

Lisakovsky is a 3-billion ton oolitic iron ore deposit in north-central Kazakhstan operated by Orken LLP, a subsidiary of Ispat Karmet and the LNM Group. The iron oxide minerals are goethite and limonite. The gangue occurs as discrete quartz grains and an unidentified form of colloidal silica-alumina. The concentrate produced contains about 49.5 percent iron (Fe) and 0.6-0.8 percent phosphorus (P) or 10-20 times the acceptable phosphorus level. The phosphorus is intimately associated with the iron oxide and colloidal gangue, no discrete phosphorus minerals are found, and beneficiation is not possible. Therefore, to reduce the phosphorus, a hydrometallurgical process that includes roasting followed by leaching in dilute sulfuric acid has been developed. Phosphorus extraction is 70-90 percent, with only a minor loss of iron. The process has been tested in the laboratory and in a pilot plant at 50-300 kg/h. Construction of a 900,000 t/y demonstration plant is underway.

Jan 1, 2003

The Carlin Trend is North America's premier gold producing district. It is located in northeastern Nevada's Elko and Eureka Counties along a northwest trending belt about 65 km (40 miles) long and 8 km (5 miles) wide (Thorstad, 1989; Jones, 1989). This trend is the worldwide reference site for epithermal, sedimentary rock-hosted microscopic gold deposits. At least 19 deposits have been discovered to date, varying in size from 933 kg to 1.08 kt (30,000 to 35 million contained oz) of gold (Fig. 1). Newmont Gold Co. and its parent, Newmont Mining Corp., jointly constitute the largest mineral right holders in the district. They own or control more than 1000 km'- (386 sq miles) in and around the Carlin Trend and own all or part of 16 out of the 19 mines and prospects identified to date. Since the initiation of Newmont's exploration activities in the Carlin Trend in 1961, 2.24 kt (72 million oz) of cumulative gold resources have been identified. Cumulative production from all mines since the start-up of Newmont's Carlin mine in 1965 to the end of 1989 was about 202 t (6.5 million oz) (Jones, 1989). The incentive of sustained high gold prices and innovation in processing technology resulted in a significant acceleration of gold output over the last few years. Newmont Gold alone produced more than 43.5 t (1.4 million oz) in 1989. That is equal to 22% of the cumulative 1965 to 1988 output, and an almost 200% increase over its 1986 output.

Jan 1, 1991

By Kandemir H, Stafford G

The Croydon Gold Mine is located in northwest Queensland and is a joint venture between Central Coast Exploration N.L. and Pancontinental Mining Ltd. The mining operation commenced in 1987 and consists of satellite open pit mines feeding a central Carbon-In-Pulp gold Treatment Plant. The gold mineralisation is hosted by quartz veins within the Croydon Volcanic Group and the Esmeralda Granite, a cogenetic igneous suite of Middle Proterozoic age. The mineralisation comprises gold and silver with associated basemetals. The gold and silver electrum occurs as extremely fine free grains. The gold distribution is heterogenous occuring across the full vein width, or restricted to the footwall or hangingwall. The average mineral resource grade is 3.5 g/t. The deposits are all hard rock and mining is carried out by drill and blast technique. All mining activity is carried out by a mining contractor. Mining is by a selective mining method which entails the drilling, blasting and extraction of the hangingwall waste prior to orebody extraction.

Jan 1, 1989

By P. E. Fitzgerald, J. C. Gindlesperger

1. The Acidizer (Trade Publication of Dowell Inc.): No. 1. Aspects of Acidizing. No. 2. Inhibited Acid. No. 3. The Value of Acidizing. No. 4. The Chemistry of Acidizing. No. 5. Jelly Seal in Acidizing. No. 6. Loosening Stuck Drill Pipe. No. 7. The Geology of Acidizing. 2. J. C. Albright: Acid Is Being Used for Cleaning Intake Wells in Water-flooded Areas. Oil Weekly (Sept. 23, 1935) 24. 3. D. H. Bancroft: Acid Tests Increase Production of Zwolle Wells, Miller County, Arkansas. Oil and Gas Jnl. (Dec. 22, 1932) 42. 4. A. H. Bell: Possible Areas for Acid Treatment in Illinois. Pub. of Illinois- Indiana Petr. Assn. and lllinois Geol. Survey (1934) 49. 5. N. A. Best: Treating Limestone Formations Consists of More than Pouring Hydrochloric Acid in the Well. Oil and Gas Jnl. (April 5, 1934) 54. 6. L. G. E. Bignell: Sealing Off Salt Water from Oil-bearing Formations. Oil and Gas Jnl. (Jan. 30, 1936) 59. 7. L. G. E, Bignell: Acidizing Upper Limestone Formation Facilitated by the Use of Jelly Seal. Oil and Gas Jnl. (March 5, 1936) 30. 8. L. G. E. Bignell: Bailing, Shooting, Tubing and Acidizing Have All Been Tried in Deep Test at Binger, Oklahoma. Oil and Gas Jnl. (May 10, 1934) 38. 9. L. G. E. Bignell: Dowel1 Incorporated Increasing Its Field Service for Acid Treatment of Wells. Oil and Gas Jnl. (June 7, 1934) 62. 10. L. C. Chamberlain, Jr. and P. E. Fitzgerald: Oil Well Acidizing in Michigan. Mich. Acad. Sci. Papers (March 1937). 11. M. E. Chapman: Some of the Theoretical and Practical Aspects of the Acid Treatment of Limestone Wells. Oil and Gas Jnl. (Oct. 12, 1933) 10. 12. C. E. Clason and J. G. Staudt: Limestone Reservoir Rocks of Kansas React Favorably to Acid Treatment. Oil and Gas Jnl. (April 25, 1935) 53. 13. W. F. Cloud: Cleaning and Reconditioning Oil Wells—Reconditioning by Use of Acid (Petroleum Production 1937), 389. University of Oklahoma Press, 1937,' 14. K. A. Covell: Developments in Eastern Production Practice. Acid Treatment of Michigan Wells. Amer. Petr. Inst. Prod. Bull. 213 (1934) 77; Oil and Gas Jnl. (May 31, 1934) 89; Oil Weekly (May 28, 1934) 17. 15. B. A. Cunningham: Acid Treatment of Lime Formations. Amer. Petr. Inst. Paper 901 (1933) 9D, 1-7. 16. 0. I. DeSchon: Pondera Production up 22,000 Barrels. Montana Oil & Min. Jnl. (Jan. 26, 1935) 1.

Jan 1, 1937

By P. G. Shewmon, F. R. Winslow

An experimental method is describedfor Ihe determination of the derivative of the surface free energy (y,) with surface orientation using symmetric bicrystals. The method measures the equilibrium root-angle of grain boundary grooves for the same grain boundary on two different surfaces. In contrast to previous methods, the presence of annealing twins is not necessary. Results on silver at 900°C indicate that ??s/?3 is 0.014y, on the (loo), 0.075y, on the (111), and < 0.004?s on the (110). DURING an investigation of the kinetics of grain-boundary grooving on silver&apos; values of the derivative of the surface free energy ?s with respect to orientation were needed. Previous investigations of these so-called torque terms show that, for low-index planes in copper2 and nickel,&apos; a finite derivative exists even near the melting point. These two studies give the only previously published values of the torque on low-index metal surfaces. These investigators measured the equilibrium root angles, both greater than and less than 180 deg, along the lines where a twin boundary intersects a free surface. The technique described here is suitable for materials which do not have annealing twins, and enables the surface for study to be chosen instead of having to work in a direction normal to the twin trace on the surface. The purpose of this paper is to describe this new technique and to report the values found for the (111): (100), and (110) surfaces of silver. To check the technique proposed above, a series of 99.99 pct Ag bicrystals were used. These bicrystals were grown from the melt by a modified Bridge-man technique so that a low-index direction was parallel to the growth direction. Two orthogonal faces were studied on each bicrystal. One of these contained the low index or simple plane normal to

Jan 1, 1963

By G. A. Croes, N. Schwarz

This paper reports the results of a series of model displacement experiments carried out for measuring the efficiency of the water-drive process. This series forms a continuation and extension of that described by Engel-herts and Klinkenberg. Detailed information has been obtained on the influence of the oil/water viscosity ratio. The results are represented in the form of a diagram from which both the oil recovery and the water/oil ratio can be easily read off as a function of the total production (oil plus water) for all values of the viscosity ratio M between I and 500. These resu1ts are viewed in the light of the two existing theories on water flooding, viz. that of Buckley and Leverett and that of Dietz. It is shown that if the Buckley-Leverett theory applies, the relation between the relative permeability ratio and saturation, which plays a major role in this theory, (.an be calculated with a high degree of accuracy from the results of the model experiments. Dietz&apos;s theory is found to be in agreement with the experimental results in a certain range of circumstances. A discussion of the physical background of the Buckley- Leverett and Dietz theories makes it clear why the latter fails to agree with some of the experimental results. INTRODUCTION For an economical exploitation of oil fields both a rational control of natural (primary) recovery processes and a proper application of artificial (secondary) recovery methods are essential. These require detailed information upon the dependence of the relevant flow processes on the variables by which they are governed. Three methods are available for obtaining this information: (1) (statistical) analysis of actual field data; (2) appropriately scaled model experiments; and (3) mathematical analysis of the physical problem. If sufficient data were available, the first method would, in principle, be the most reliable one, although it has the drawback that the basic relationships between the variables involved are to a large extent obscured by the natural inhomogeneities of most reservoirs. The most profitable procedure seems to be: (a) determining the fundamental relations for idealized reservoirs by methods (2) and (3); (b) checking the consistency of the results obtained by these two methods; and (c) establishing the range of applicability of these methods to actual reservoirs by comparison with the data accumulated under (1). In this paper items (a) and (b) are dealt with for the case of homogeneous loose sands initially saturated

Jan 1, 1956

By C. G. Dunn, F. W. Daniels

IN recent publications1-5 the existence and behavior of subgrain boundaries in high-purity metals has been clearly brought to light. Lacombe and Beaujardl by means of special etching methods disclosed in polycrystalline sheets of aluminum the existence of substructures differing in orientation by small amounts (about 1/4"). Boundaries of these structures at relatively high temperatures had the remarkable property&apos; of moving about while the ordinary boundaries remained stationary. Cahn2 also observed substructures in bent and annealed single crystals of aluminum, zinc, magnesium, and rock salt. The position of subboundaries could be explained in terms of a dislocation mechanism of polygonization in which dislocations move into lines at right angles to the bent glide planes thereby relieving elastic stresses in these planes. Guinier and Tennevin8,6 disclosed the further interesting feature that polygonized structures coarsened significantly upon prolonged annealing. Somewhat similar subgrain phenomena have been observed in silicon iron of commercial purity. Although some evidence for the development of macro-mosaic structures in silicon iron already has been reported by one of the authors6,7 under the phenom-enological term "crystal recovery," much better evidence recently has been obtained due to improved etching techniques. In addition, phenomena regarding structural changes have been uncovered. The present investigation is divided into three parts: (1) The phenomenon of Laue spot sharpening on annealing cold-rolled crystals, (2) the phenomena of polygonization and subgrain coarsening The material used in the present investigation was high-grade commercial silicon iron sheet of nominal composition, 3.3 pct Si, 0.004 C, 0.011 P, 0.010 S, 0.04 Mn, 0.01 Al, 0.04 Cu, 0.01 Sn. Large single crystals of this material Were prepared for cold-rolling or bending as scheduled. Cold-rolling of 12 pct was carried out on a laboratory 8-in, diam rolling mill. The bending deformations were performed by pressing the crystals between a solid Fig. 2—lllustrative foue patterns to show Laue spot sharpening. a (Left)—Specimen as cold rolled, b (right)—After 48 hr at 1400°C. round bar and a mating half cylinder, both heavily greased. Individual specimens were cut from the deformed crystals, and the cut edges were deeply etched prior to annealing. Laue photographs were made using 40-kv tungsten radiation. The technique used to disclose the various subboundaries was an electropolish and electroetch in a bath of chrome-acetic acid.&apos; The anodic polishing done at 22 v was immediately followed by etching at a reduced voltage, which was dependent upon the nature of the subboundaries. Phenomenon of Laue Spot Sharpening on Annealing Cold-Rolled Crystals Fig. 1 gives the initial and final orientations of the specimens cold-rolled 12 pct. Each specimen was annealed at a temperature and for a time which caused significant structural changes as evidenced by alterations in Laue patterns. Representative Laue patterns and micrographs showing the essential changes are given in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The essential points to be derived from these illustrations follow: 1. Annealing at 950°C clearly develops a substructure with the orientation of the cold-rolled specimen. 2. The subboundaries formed obviously separate regions of nearly the same orientation. Some of the subboundaries appear as a sequence of dots similar to those observed in aluminum by Lacombe and Beaujard,&apos; but whether this is due to extremely small differences in orientation is not known at present. 3. The substructure coarsens upon prolonged annealing. 4. Prolonged annealing also causes a decrease in orientation spread according to Laue spot sharpening&apos;

Jan 1, 1952

The Golden Cross mine is situated in a sensitive environmental setting on the North Island of New Zealand, about 150 kilometres south-east of Auckland and about 8 kilometres NW of Waihi. The mine is situated in dipping topography, with volcanic ashes making up soils, fault zones running through the area, and rainfall of about 3m per year on average. Water management is the most demanding environmental challenge on site, and a comprehensive programme has been put in place to address tailings deposition, long term tailings storage, and water treatment during and after operations.

Jan 1, 1995

By Natasa Mitevska

In the world, as well as in Republic of Serbia, conventional ore reserves are almost exhausted, so the problem of their shortage is more and more expressed. On the other side, there are many locations with significant reserves of polymetallic ores which present huge potential but cannot be classically processed. Each of these classes of materials has particular mineralogical characteristics which affect their processing. Because of that it is necessary to develop particular technology for each unconventional ore in order to extract valuable elements. The aim of investigation was to define technology for complex processing of the Blagojev Kamen sulfide concentrate by pyrometallurgical procedure in order to valorize valuable non-ferrous and precious metals present, and profit with absolute respect of environmental protection laws. The complex composition of the Blagojev Kamen sulfide concentrate with high content of non-ferrous (15.59% Pb, 9.05% Zn, 2.37% Cu) and precious (697 g/t Au and 744 g/t Ag) metals was the main factor for technological procedure and collector selection. Laboratory investigations are done in four series according to technological scheme: oxidizing roasting, charge preparation (flux addition and agglomeration), smelting under reducing conditions, lead bullion refining, Dore metal refining to final products. It is concluded that precious metals are concentrated in lead bullion (up to 97.95% of gold and 93.37% of silver), which has similar composition to lead bullion produced in lead metallurgy. In this case, simplified technology is used for lead bullion processing because of low content of arsenic, bismuth, etc.

Jan 1, 2006

By T J. Sullivan, H Pinkster, G Swarbrick

From 2002 to 2006, longwall mining was undertaken directly beneath the Cataract Tunnel, which is a 100-year-old, heritage-listed tunnel in Hawkesbury Sandstone responsible for delivering 20 per cent of Sydney’s annual water supply. At one location, undermining resulted in movement of at least 350 mm along a known fault that transects the tunnel. During this movement, the continued operation of the tunnel was ensured through a careful system of planning, monitoring and management.Of key importance to the success of the operation was the use of advanced numerical modelling to guide operations at all levels, including feasibility assessment, pre-mine mitigation works, monitoring design, operation performance and post-mining condition. This allowed many aspects of the potential impacts to be explored, including joint movements, rock mass deformations and changes in permeability. A key challenge was to successfully model near-field influences on adverse geological structure due to very far-field effects. This paper explains the model’s conceptual development, calibration, performance and limitations.Modelling provided the confidence to manage the impacts of large mining-induced movement on key infrastructure and ultimately predicted fault movement accurately. The fault movement remains one of the highest ever recorded due to mine subsidence.CITATION:Swarbrick, G, Sullivan, T J and Pinkster, H, 2014. Longwall mining beneath critical infrastructure – prediction versus performance of the Cataract Tunnel, New South Wales, Australia, in Proceedings AusRock 2014: Third Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference , pp 157–166 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 5, 2014

MOUNT STEWART is situated half a mile south of Leadville railway station, which is distant 240 miles by rail from Sydney via Mudgee. It forms a low ridge from which rock waste and alluvium slope gradually to the black-soil flats of the Coolaburragundy River. The Mt. Stewart mine comprises:(a) The Mt. Stewart workings in M.L. 44, parish Talbragar, Co. Bligh.(b) The Grosvenor workings in M.Ls. 44 and 45, parish Talbragar, Co. Bligh.(c) The Extended workings in M.L. 44, parish Talbragar, Co. Bligh.The workings contain 1375 ft.. of vertical shafts, 1105 ft. of underlay shafts, 800 ft. of rises and winzes, 8520 ft. of drives and crosscuts, and 18,000 ft. of stapes.The mine was first opened in 1888 as a silver-lead mine, and a waterjacketed furnace was erected during 18B2. The furnace was installed with two internally-fired tubular boilers of 35 h.p. and 25 h.p. respectively, and two Baker&apos;s rotary pressure blowers. The results of the smelting campaign indicate that, during 14 months, a total of 15,000 tons of ore were treated, yielding silver and lead. In addition to this, a quantity of matte was sold containing about 8000 oz. of silver. As a result of the treatment...

Jan 1, 1925

By Xin Li, Hai-Xing Fang, Bing Xie, Hong-Yi Li

Chromium-containing vanadium slag (V-Cr slag) was obtained by an industrial smelting process of Hongge Ore, which is valuable vanadium-titanium magnetite to extract V and Cr in China. Sodium roasting thermodynamics of V-Cr slag in presence of oxygen were calculated to evaluate the reactivity of chemical compounds. Results showed that the oxidation of FeV2O4 was intensified in presence of Na2CO3 while the oxidation tendency of FeCr2O4 was far lower than that of FeV2O4. It was probably that reactions of impurities including Al2O3, SiO2 and Fe2O3 with Na2CO3 happened and the products can promote the oxidation of vanadium or chromium compounds in lower valence. Based on thermodynamic analysis, a two-step selective extraction process of vanadium and chromium was proposed. Extraction rate of vanadium was 88.6% while 7.0% for chromium in the first extraction step; extraction rate of 90.7% and 95.4% for vanadium and chromium, respectively, were obtained in the second step.

Jan 1, 2014

"With up to 2,300 m (7,545 ft) of rock on top of it, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which is scheduled to go into regular operation in December 2016 in the Swiss Alps, is not only the world’s longest, but also the deepest railway tunnel ever built. Accordingly, the temperatures in the tunnel are very high, with the surrounding rock expected to reach 45° C (113° F) once the tunnel is fully operational. Since unrestricted rail operations are only permitted in temperatures of 40° C (104° F) or less, the heat has to be controlled with suitable equipment. Large fans developed and built especially for this application by TLT-Turbo GmbH provide fresh air for regular operations as well as during maintenance and repair work. Separate fans ensure that the emergency exits are properly ventilated in case of fire. In addition to coming up with a technical solution that could handle the special challenges of this project, the engineers and planners had to develop detailed preliminary plans as well as a sophisticated logistics and installation concept.The Gotthard Base Tunnel consists of two 57-km (35-mile) long tubes, one in each direction. Including all connecting and access tunnels, the entire underground system measures 152 km (95 miles). At Faido and Sedrun, at approximately 16 and 36 km (9 and 23 miles) respectively, two multifunction stations were built that cut each of the two tubes into three sections of roughly equal length. Here, trains can make emergency stops and change tracks, if necessary. This is also where eight large axial fans made by TLT were installed that exchange the air, i.e. they extract a certain amount of heated air and inject the same amount of cool fresh air a few hundred meters further down the train tracks. In addition to the four exhaust and four supply fans, 24 so-called jet fans were installed along with associated components like silencers, shut-off dampers, drives and lubrication systems from TLT.In addition to exchanging the air, these fans are used to enable maintenance and repair operations in the tunnel. Current plans call for blocking each tunnel tube for one night per week in order to perform preventive maintenance work, thus enhancing the tunnel’s overall functionality and availability. During these hours, many people will be in the tunnel who require fresh air. “One of the major criteria for winning this bid was the fans’ ability to quickly switch between a wide-range of modes. TLT fans are among the best in the world in this regard,” said Andreas Kuhn, TLT’s project manager for the Gotthard Base Tunnel, about the selection of his company’s fans for this project."

Dec 1, 2016

By C. H. Bucknam

Acid neutralization titrations were applied to the characterization of soil and overburden for the control and prediction of acid rock drainage in the coal fields of the eastern United States in the 1970?s (1). These became known as the Sobek methods as a result of the early United States Environmental Protection Agency publication and the methods have been modified (2) to be adapted to many applications in the metal mining sector (3,4,5,6,), and, as a result, there are a large number of acid neutralization potential methods being used that are referred to as Modified Sobek methods. Standardization of neutralization potential methods for metal bearing ores and related materials based on carbonate carbon, rather than titration, commenced in the 1990?s through the American Society of Methods and Materials (ASTM) Committee E01 on Analytical Chemistry for Metal Ores and Related Materials Subcommittee E01.02 on Ores, Concentrates and Related Metallurgical Materials (7). A subcommittee section, E01.02.05 on Environmental Methods, was organized to coordinate the method and material standardization efforts of ASTM and the Acid Drainage Technology Initiative Metal Mining Sector (ADTI-MMS) Prediction Committee (8), which took on the project of standardization of the acid neutralization potential acidity titration method (ANPA) to supplement the carbonate carbon method in E1915 (9) for application to samples which have metal carbonates (10), in particular, which result in overestimation of the neutralization potential using the carbonate carbon methods (11).

Jan 1, 2010

By Kehsin Kuo

DIE steel with 1.47 pct C, 0.42 pct Mn, and 8.22 pct W contains Fe,C and WC in the annealed state and WC embedded in a martensitic matrix in the hardened state (quenched from 800°C). The presence of a large amount of undissolved angular WC carbide particles makes this steel extremely wear-resistant. However, the WC carbide begins to dissolve in the austenite when the heating temperature is raised above 1000°C, but this solution process is still not complete at 1250°C although partial melting has already taken place at the austenite grain boundaries. At 1325 C, this steel contains austenite and liquid metal but no WC carbide, Fig. 1. On quenching into brine, the liquid metal solidifies into a constituent which etches differently from the austenite-martensite matrix. This constituent appears lighter than the matrix at the 1250°C stage when etched with 2 pct nital but darker in Fig. 1 when etched with Murakami&apos;s reagent. Such a constituent has also been found in burnt tungsten high speed steels. This constituent has been isolated from the matrix by anodic dissolution in a 5 pct HC1 electrolyte and was found by the X-ray powder method to be iso-morphous with &manganese, Table I. The agreement in line intensity between these two phases indicates that there is no ordering in this new phase. The calculated cube edge of this phase is 6.395A, somewhat larger than that of ß-manganese (6.30A). Besides this phase, the anodic residue also contains free carbon from the matrix and amorphous WO,, although the X-ray powder pattern of the residue shows the presence of only this phase. This makes it impossible to determine directly the composition of this phase from the residue. Attempts to prepare an alloy containing only this phase have hitherto been fruitless. The following experiments serve to show that this phase can only be obtained by drastic quenching from the liquid state and that its tungsten and carbon contents must be lower than those in the Fe,W,C carbide. On air cooling from 1325oC, the liquid metal solidifies into a eutectic consisting of austenite and the Fe3W3C carbide. The nature of this dark-etching Fe3W3C has also been ascertained by X-rays. This eutectic becomes coarser on furnace cooling. The solidification of a specimen cooled for 5 min from 1325" to 1200°C and water quenched is still not complete and the fine eutectic is formed during the quenching. Since this new phase can be replaced by a eutectic of austenite and the Fe,W,C carbide, its composition must lie somewhere between the latter two phases. The special features of this phase are: 1—it can only form directly from the liquid state by drastic quenching and 2—it is a ternary phase of iron, tungsten, and carbon. The ß-manganese structure of this phase is also interesting. In the Periodic Table, iron and tungsten lie on opposite sides of manganese; a certain combination of these two elements, in the presence of carbon, may have average properties similar to those of manganese. It has already been established that the x phase, a ternary one of iron, chromium, and molybdenum, has the a-manganese structure."&apos; A similar phase has also been found in the ternary system Fe-Cr-W and in the following binary systems: Re-Cb, Re-Ta, Re-Mo, and Re-W.6 References 1 G. D. Preston: Philosovhical Magazine 11928) 5. 7th Series, p. 1207. - K. W. Andres: Nature (1949) 164, p. 1015. 35. G. McMullin, S. F. Reiter, and D. G. Eberling: Trans. ASM 11954) 46, p. 799. &apos; J. S. Kasuer: Acta Metallurgica (19541 2, p. 456. • H. J. Goldschmidt: Trans. ASM (19541 46, p. 807. P. Greenfield and P. A. Beck: Private communication.

Jan 1, 1957

By J. E. Andersen, J. Halpern, C. S. Samis

In the presence of oxygen, galena is oxidized in an aqueous medium containing sodium hydroxide, in accordance with the following reaction: PbS + 2O2 + 3OH ? HPbO2 + SO4 = + H2O A novel method was devised for following this reaction which takes place in an autoclave under oxygen pressure, by measuring the concentration of HPbO2- in the solution with a cathode ray polarograph employing stationary platinum electrodes. Using this procedure a study was made of the kinetics of the reaction, in which the effect of a number of variables, including temperature, oxygen pressure, NaOH concentration, and agitation, on the rate, were determined. The results of this study are described and discussed, in terms of possible mechanisms for the reaction. IT is known that sulphide minerals can be oxidized in aqueous media in the presence of oxygen under pressure. Reactions of this type can be classified in two categories depending upon whether the products of oxidation are insoluble or soluble in the aqueous medium. An example of the first type of reaction is the oxidation of pyrite in alkaline solutions, giving rise to an insoluble iron oxide. The kinetics of this reaction have been investigated and its mechanism established.&apos; It has been applied in the oxidation of iron sulphides present in refractory gold ores to improve the subsequent recovery of gold by cyanida-tion.&apos; The second type of reaction finds application where it is desired to recover the metal by leaching during oxidation. In this case a medium is selected in which the oxidized mineral is soluble. For example, nickel, copper, and cobalt sulphide ores can be treated by oxidation in the presence of a solution of ammonia dissolving the nickel, copper, and cobalt as the metal ammine sulphate salts.:&apos; A similar treatment has also been reported to apply to zinc sulphide ores.&apos; It is known that lead sulphate is soluble in solutions of sodium hydroxide or ammonium acetate. It should therefore be possible to dissolve the lead from galena ores by aqueous oxidation with oxygen under pressure using either of these solutions. The applicability of the ammonium acetate treatment has been investigated and confirmed in a recent study.&apos; The present paper describes the results of a similar study in which the kinetics of the oxidation of galena in sodium hydroxide solutions have been investigated. The object of this investigation was pri- marily to obtain information of a fundamental nature relating to the kinetics and mechanism of this reaction. The use of pulps of comminuted ore in a study of this type is undesirable because of the difficulty in controlling and measuring the surface area. The measurements were therefore made using galena crystals of measured surface area and in this way absolute reaction rates were obtained. The reaction was found to proceed as follows: PbS + 2O2 + 3OH ? HPbO2 + SO4 + H2O [I] The products are sodium plumbite and sodium sulphate salts which dissolve in the aqueous solution. The reaction studies were carried out in an autoclave in which a desired pressure of oxygen was maintained. The reaction was followed by measuring the concentration of lead in the solution with a cathode ray polarograph. The results obtained in this investigation are presented and discussed in the present paper. Experimental Materials: The crystals of galena were obtained from Violamac Mines, Sandon, B. C. The following impurities were indicated by spectrographic analysis carried out by the Provincial Assay Office, Victoria, B. C.: Sn, 0.02 to 0.2 pct; Sb, 0.07 to 0.7; Zn, 0.01 to 0.1; Si, Fe, Mg, As, less than 0.05 pct; Ag, 126 oz per ton, the latter determined by standard fire-assaying procedure. After cutting a specimen measuring approximately 5x7x12 mm, the crystal surfaces were ground parallel to the 100 axes using No. 2 emery, washed with water, and the dimensions were measured with a micrometer. Oxygen gas was of commercial grade and supplied in cylinders by Canadian Liquid Air. Solutions were made up with chemicals of chemically pure grade and distilled water. Equipment: Autoclave: The autoclave used in these studies was constructed of stainless steel and

Jan 1, 1954