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By C. M. Marquardt

Tramp iron and steel moving on a conveyor belt cause small currents to be generated in a coil situated in a strong magnetic field, which are converted to an alternating current and are amplified. The output voltage from the amplifier fires a thyratron with a relay in its anode circuit, which actuates a howler and simultaneously drops a spot of marker material on the belt. THE problem of tramp iron removal from moving ore belts is a long standing one. When heavy ore streams are carried on a belt, magnetic pulleys and strong surface magnets fail to remove tramp buried in the ore stream. Tramp iron buried in the ore stream cannot be pulled from the bed by surface magnets and is carried past the magnetic pulley by the falling ore stream. With the increased use of detachable bits the problem of the detection and removal of tramp has become more necessary and difficult. Several types of tramp detectors have been developed. It would serve no practical purpose here to review exhaustively the literature on the subject. Methods of tramp detection used are: (1) The magnetic method, wherein the small current generated by the magnetized tramp passing a Coil is used. (2) The unbalanced oscillator method wherein the tank circuit of a stable radio- or audio-frequency oscillator is unbalanced causing a change of frequency or a change in plate current due to changes in eddy currents, hysteresis, or dielectric because of the presence of tramp. (3) The bridge methods wherein the impedance of one leg of an alternating current inductive bridge is changed due to the presence of conducting tramp. Each of these methods of tramp detection has its field of usefulness. The second and third methods are excellent for oxide iron ores, coal, sand and gravel, grain, etc. However, these latter methods are not suitable for use on ores that contain rich conducting sulphides, since a large piece of pyrite or galena will cause the same detector response as a piece of tramp iron. At the Caselton, Nevada, plant of the Combined Metals Reduction Co., sulphide ores are treated; therefore, it was necessary that a tramp detector operating on only the magnetic properties of the tramp iron be used. Tramp iron detectors of this type operate on the principle that if a piece of tramp iron moves near a coil in a high intensity, steady magnetic field, the presence of the moving tramp iron causes the magnetic flux lines through the coil to change. This induces a mall current in the Coil. In series with the Coil is generally placed a relay sensitive to currents of 1 to 3 microamp. When the tramp iron passes near the coil the flux linkages change, causing this very sensitive relay to actuate. Since the contacts of such a relay are very small it must actuate a second relay capable of breaking a larger current

Jan 1, 1951

The Institute maintains for the use of members (and especially for the use of out-of-town members) a reading and writing room, where all usual office facilities are available, including telephone, telegraph, receipt, forwarding and care of mail and express packages, etc. A file of current magazines is also maintained in this room, and the Institute's staff will lend its best efforts to serving the members in connection therewith. The Institute also maintains for the use of its members free dressing rooms, library research department, etc. Attention is called to these facilities at the present time in the belief. that they may be especially useful to out-of-town members in connection with the Meeting.

Jan 5, 1918

By Bengt Helmerson

A new tankhouse was started in January 1959 at the Copper Refinery of the Boliden Co., Skelleftehamn, Sweden. In early 1961 a semiautomatic machine for looping and straightening of starting sheets was introduced to substitute previous manual operations. The machine as well as consequent, racking and handling is described. Finally, economic benefits achieved and new constructions for the future are discussed. HISTORY Tankhouse operations at the Boliden Co. 's Smelter in Skelleftehamn started in 1932 on a scale that since then has been gradually increasing. In order to rationalize the operations, a new tankhouse was erected. It went into production in January 1959 and was designed for a yearly production of 35,000 metric tons at a current density of 16 amps per sq ft. Already from the beginning, however, the tankhouse has been run with a current density of 21.5 amps per sq ft, corresponding to a maximum capacity of 50,000 tons a year. During the time of planning of the new tankhouse, due consideration was given to the possibilities of mechanizing the operations. New ideas could be and were actually tested on full or pilot plant scale in the old tankhouse. In that way we developed a system for the cathode handling including washing, weighing, and transportation. A system using forklift trucks in combination with trailers and overhead cranes has been developed for transportation and racking of anodes and also for handling of anode scrap. With respect to the electrolyte, circulation and temperature control are partly automatic. Special attention was paid to the production of starting sheets, which operation normally requires a great number of man hours, and it was made the object of a particular survey as to the best ways of straightening starting sheets, attaching loops to the sheets, and so forth. As a result, a machine was designed during 1957-58 and built in our own shops. After a period of tests, the new equipment was put in operation commercially on the 10th of April, 1961. Since this date the machine has produced about 2 million starting sheets without interruption and has been the only source of looped starting sheets for the tankhouse. GENERAL DESCRIPTION Fig. 1 shows all the major parts of the system. These parts are: slitting machine with feeding table (I), standard roller leveler, type Ungerer (2), tilting roller table (3), conveyors for sheets and suspension bars (4, 7), storage of suspension bars (51, punching and stitching machine (6), two lift-turn-tilt tables (8) for discharging the starting sheets, two rack conveyors (9) for sheet assemblies. Included are a hy-daulic pump station and panels for pneumatic and electric controls. SLITTING AND STRAIGHTENING The machine is fed by hand by a man sitting in front of the slitting-machine table, Fig. 2. This operator inserts one sheet at a time into the slitter. After being trimmed, the sheet is automatically conveyed to the following step of handling, straightening. The slitting machine cuts away about 8 mm of the upper and lower parts of the sheet (in relation to its original position in the stripper section) for two reasons. The first one is to give the machine sheets of uniform dimensions; the second one is a matter of quality. Normally the starting sheets as stripped have a thick edge at the bottom end. This part would collect anode slimes and might also cause short circuits when inserted in the cells without trimming. The straightener used is of German construction

Jan 1, 1967

By C. H. Fulton

Page Introduction........................... 280 Distillation Products from Reduction of Zinc Ore........... 281 Preliminary Investigations..................... 290 Equilibrium of Reaction Zn + CO2 + ZnO + CO in Temperature Range of Condensation........................ 293 Requisites for Successful Condensation................ 299 Discussion............................ 300 Introduction The study of the condensation of zinc from its vapor was undertaken to shed light on certain problems encountered in large-scale electric zine-furnace work. recently conducted. It is a matter of common knowledge that one of the disadvantages of the arc type, electric zinc furnace, is the production of a large amount of blue powder and proportionately little liquid spelter, for, as stated by Stansfield,l "A notable defect in the electric smelting of zinc ores is the difficulty experienced in obtaining the distilled zinc in the liquid state; ...... when zinc ores are smelted electrically, very little liquid metal is commonly obtained, nearly all of the zinc being in the state of powder." This difficulty was not encountered in the electric furnace used12 the main difficulty being the destruction of the fire-brick lining of the large condenser, in certain parts, and the formation of .some oxide and dross coatings on the condensing surfaces. The reason for these difficulties could readily be explained by the infiltration of air whenever the condenser was changed from one retort base to the other, the zinc absorbed in the fire-brick forming oxide and causing rupture by its expending volume. Two facts, however, tended to disprove this theory for the rupture of the fire-brick lining: first, the large distilling retort, lined with fire-brick, which was shifted from charge to charge on alternate bases at temperatures between 1200 and 1300 C., fully exposed to the air, showed no signs of disintegration whatever; second, marked disintegration in the condenser occurred .only in places that were at tempera-

Jan 1, 1919

By Howard H. Fields

Any mining engineer with a desire to operate independently, with some financial backing, and with no fear of heavy responsibility and long hours, should be able to make a comfortable living in Mexico. Barring a few inconveniences such as a lack of satisfactory liability or accident insurance, the difficulty of obtaining repair parts for vehicles, and the length of time required receive returns from shipments, the operation of a small mine is not at all difficult. It is, in fact, a little easier to find a good prospect in Mexico than in the U.S.

Jan 11, 1950

By H. I. Althulee

The mines operated by the Compañía de Real del Monte y Pachuca, Pachuca, Mexico, are in two districts, the Pachuca, and Real del Monte. The principal area of mineralization is within a rectangle roughly 10 miles from east to west and 6 miles from north to south. It contains a number of veins from 2 to 20 ft. wide, which are exploited by this mining company. The scattered position of the producing mines led to the construction of two mills between 1906 and 1908; the Loreto mill, in Pachuca, averaged 2600 tons daily, and the Guerrero mill, in Real del Monte, milled 1270 tons daily. On Feb. 1, 1929, the management decided to enlarge the Loreto mill to take the combined tonnage of both mills at that time. This economic measure required the centralization of ore delivery, which would also afford a material saving in the cost of ore transport. The centralization would give the company the following advantages over the former system of operation: 1. Beneficiation at a single mill, closer to source of materials and supplies than the abandoned Guerrero mill. The refinery is also in the Loreto patio. 2. Ore delivery to surface at one point (San Juan Pachuca shaft) instead of at four. 3. Elimination of aerial tramways. To show what would be required to effect this centralization, it is necessary to describe the means by which the ore was delivered to the two mills, prior to centralization. The heart of the Real del Monte district is roughly four miles from that of the Pachuca section. The producing mines in these two districts were: Pachuca district: Real del Monte district: Santa Ana mine La Rica group Camelia group Purisima group Santa Margarita mine

Jan 1, 1934

By C. E. Nelson, T. E. Leontis

THE properties and casting characteristics of sand-cast Mg-Al-Zn alloys, used commercially in this country and abroad, have been discussed in a number of articles during the past few years.'-" In addition, broad surveys of many compositions in the magnesium corner of the Mg-Al-Zn diagram between 0 and 12 pct A1 and 0 and 6 pct Zn have been presented by Busk and Marande7 and by Fox." The purpose of this paper is to furnish a comprehensive survey of the changes in tensile properties, micro-structure, and dimensional stability of two magnesium alloys, AZ92A and AZ63A,+ as a function of aging time and temperature after solution heat treatment. Rates of precipitation in Mg-Al-Zn alloys are slow enough so that a substantially homogeneous, supersaturated solid solution can be maintained even when these alloys are air-cooled from the heat-treating temperature. Consequently, even though it has been demonstrated9 10 that significantly higher strengths can be developed in some alloys in the aged condition by quenching rather than air cooling from the heat-treating temperature, general practice is to air-cool magnesium alloys. All the work discussed in this paper is based, therefore, on aging studies performed on material air-cooled from the heat-treating temperature. This investigation was intended to be a study of commercially practical aging cycles; the tensile properties were determined, therefore, up to aging times of 25-hr duration. The alloys, used in this investigation were prepared in the laboratory by remelting commercial ingots of the appropriate composition according to the procedures described in a previous paper" as the "crucible method." All melts were given the standard superheating treatment in order to insure the maintenance of a uniform grain size of 0.003 to 0.004 in. Standard test bars, 61/2 in. long with a 2½ in. long reduced section having a diameter of Y2 in., were cast from these melts in green-sand molds using a four-bar pattern. The alloys were heat treated according to the following schedules: AZ92A alloy: 500" to 780°F in 2 hr + 780°F (24 hr) AZ63Aalloy: 500" to740°Fin2 hr + 740°F (16hr) In commercial practice," AZ92A alloy is heat treated at 770°F for 18 hr and AZ63A alloy is heat treated at 730°F for 10 hr. The slightly higher temperatures and longer periods of heat treatment were used in order to obtain as homogeneous a solid solution as possible and thus to minimize inconsistencies in the

Jan 1, 1952

By D. K. Crampton, H. l. Burghoff, J. T. Stacy

THE effect of cold-working upon electrical conductivity of copper and of copper alloys appears not to be generally known in detail Although several papers on the subject have been presented, showing variable effects according to alloy composition, it is often assumed that the 2 to 3 per cent lowering of the conductivity of ordinary tough-pitch copper by severe cold-working is typical for copper alloys Because of this situation it was decided to carry out the present work upon several types of copper, copper-zinc alloys over the commercial range of brasses, other binary alloys, and numerous age-hardening alloys in the quenched, and quenched and aged conditions The large number of alloys investigated made it impossible to study every one in the detail it may have merited Inasmuch as several interesting points that could not be satisfactorily explained came to light, further work is contemplated by the authors It is usually considered that the normal effect of cold-work on ductile metals and unordered alloys is to decrease conductivity slightly In alloys that are in the ordered state, as annealed or otherwise heat-treated, cold-working tends to disorder the structure, resulting in very marked lowering of conductivity The random state of atomic arrangement produces lower conductivity than the ordered state for the same composition 1 PREVIOUS WORK previous work in the authors' laboratory has shown the electrical conductivity of several copper alloys to be decreased by greater amounts than might have been expected, in view of the general knowledge on the subject, when cold-worked Guillet and Ballay2 investigated the influence of cold-work upon the resistivity of several metals and alloys, including copper and some copper alloys The increase of resistivity due to severe working was less than 4 per cent for all pure metals tested, while the increases for the alloys were generally higher In the copper-zinc alloys, they found that the increase of resistance due to drawing increased with zinc content, and reported a 21 7 per cent increase of resistance for an alloy containing 67 9 per cent Cu as severely worked Masima and Sachs3 studied the change in electrical resistance of three brass crystals when stretched in the tensile test, obtaining increases in resistance of the order of 3 per cent for 30 to 40 per cent reduction of area of the specimens The resistance decreased again when the cold-worked crystals were subsequently annealed Bardenheuer and Schmidt4 found that the conductivity of copper was decreased by 3 to 4 per cent when reduced 50 per cent by working The conductivity of 72-28

Jan 1, 1941

By B. E. Cornish

Most technical and statistical data published on pyrophyllite relating to production figures, uses, markets and sales, have in the past traditionally linked the mineral with talc and soapstone. This is due to several common superficial physical properties resulting in substitute uses and applications. However, these minerals are not similar in chemical composition and do not generally occur in a similar geological environment. Pyrophyllite now stands on its own in the marketplace-particularly in ceramic applications-due to the combination of excellent heat shock and creep resistance properties of the mineral. The increase in pyrophyllite use in the field of ceramics indicates the continuing realization of these marked unique properties. Several new fields of ceramic applications, previously the preserve of high-alumina materials, have been developed on the intrinsic properties of pyrophyllite. Pyrophyllite is an aluminum silicate with the molecular formula of AI2O34SiO2H2O. It would be more appropriate to group pyrophyllite with such materials as kyanite, diaspore, andalusite, and certain high-alumina clays in relation to its general applications (Stuckey, 1928). These materials all have good beat shock resistance properties at high temperatures and are widely used for the manufacture of refractories. For those reasons they are interchangeable in some applications. Pyrophyllite also has many uses in nonceramic applications, the most important to date being as a substitute for talc in fillers. The major pyrophyllite mining operations are located in the US, Japan, Korea, Canada, and Australia, where the mineral is widely used as a raw material for general ceramic, mineral filler, and dilutant applications. Commercial Applications Pyrophyllite was first used in the last century for lining stoves and fireplaces, and also in the carving and polishing of ornamental objects. The rise in industrial demand for new products and applications resulted in the introduction of pyrophyllite as an alternative, mainly for talc and soapstone. Industrial filler applications followed for paint, paper, cosmetics, rubber, pesticides, crayons and pencils, and bleaching soap. The first use of pyrophyllite in ceramic applications was prior to World War II, in the manufacture of ceramic cladding tiles in the US. This was followed by the production of kiln furniture refractories and whiteware when pyrophyllite was offered by suppliers in North Carolina as an alternative to some local clays. The largest tonnages of pyrophyllite used today are in refractory linings in steel ladles in Japan, as seen in Table 1. The consumption of pyrophyllite in Japan is second only to clay and chamotte among refractory raw materials used. Recently this technology has been adopted in Australia. Japanese and Australian practice has resulted in appreciable technical and economic benefits, particularly when pyrophyllite is used in combination with zircon. The potential growth for this application is substantial if US and European steelmakers follow. Investigation and research into the properties of pyrophyllite determined the following main advantages of pyrophyllite-based ceramics: high corrosion resistance for molten iron, steel, and slags; good heat shock resistance; good indices of deformation under load and hot creep resistance (refractories); and increase in mechanical strength of whiteware products promoted by a better distribution of mullite in finished products (also obtained at lower firing temperatures than normally required in production of triaxial ceramics). White cement

Jan 1, 1983

By William L. Payne, Edward E. Ives

A unique feature of Potash Co. of America's A new potash property near Saskatoon, Sask., is the use of semi-dome-shaped buildings for product storage. Four domed structures, timber-framed and corrugated-sheet covered, are being built; each designed to handle 20,000 cu yd. The relatively small capacity units, PCA believes, give flexibility not only in storing different grades and sizes of product, but also in permitting greater ease in shipping products as market demands change. The domed buildings are 150-ft diam, comprised of a 16-ft-high concrete wall base, topped with a metal sheet-covered octagonal timber frame. The dome of each unit is designed to fit very closely the angle of repose of the contained material, which results in the maximum usable volume. The entire roof is flood coated with a bitumin to provide a complete weather seal.

Jan 9, 1959

By H. R. Deeth

NEPHELINE syenite is a sodium, potassium, aluminum silicate rock occurring in many countries. Large deposits have been investigated in Russia, India, and Norway and in the U. S., where it is known to occur in Arkansas, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. There are extensive areas containing nepheline syenite in south-central Ontario, a region surveyed in 1905 by Adams and Barlow. By 1925 considerable interest had developed in searching for aluminous raw materials that could be used by the glass industry. This finally focused attention on the nepheline syenite described by Adams and Barlow in 1910.1

Jan 11, 1957

By Alexander L. Holley

(WITH FIGURES ON PLATE I.) A CHARACTERSSTIC, and, to Americans, an amusing discussion of the three-high rail-mill, arose out of the reading of Mr. Lauth's paper on three-high plate-mills, at the Glasgow meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute. From the report of the meeting in the English papers, it appears that Mr. Menelaus, the celebrated rail-maker of Dowlais, could not wait for the discussion of Lauth's plate-mill, but launched at once into the British objections to the three-high rail-mill, which is quite another matter. The American mill, which is very different in principle and ar-

Jan 1, 1873

By Louis D. Huntoon

The Porcupine gold area, located on the Hudson Bay slope of northern Ontario, has produced over $100,000,000 in gold and has paid more than $28,000,000 in dividends, since the first real production in 1912. The character of the ore has been studied by the geologists of the Bureau of Mines of Ontario, the geological staffs of the operating mines, and engineers commissioned to examine properties there. What information the Government has is free to everybody; the geological staffs of the several properties also give to the visiting engineer what information regarding ore deposition they possess, and the author wishes to express his indebtedness to the geologists of the Ontario Bureau of Mines and the staffs of the operating mines for their free discussion of geological questions. This paper is based on the examination of several properties, various petrographic reports, not only on specimens from Porcupine but from elsewhere in northern Ontario, and interviews with Government and mine staff geologists. The petrographic work has been done by Prof. R. J. Colony, of Columbia University. Geological History The geological history of the district may be summarized as follows: The outpouring of great floods of lava accompanied by beds of tuff, flow following flow; the contacts of different flows can be seen in various parts of the camp. This period mas followed by an uplift and the production of the Temiskaming sediments by erosion. Later, dynamic action turned the sediments and underlying lavas on edge; this was followed by the intrusion of igneous rocks—in the Porcupine area the quartz porphyry, which is of such great importance in connection with the gold deposits. Doctor Burrows says: "The intrusions of quartz porphyry have in some way influenced the deposition or location of the gold but it is not likely the porphyry has been the source of the gold-bearing solutions." This statement of Doctor Burrows I indorse. The formation of non-gold bearing quartz veins followed the intrusion of the porphyry. These veins occur along or near the contact of

Jan 1, 1923

By Louis D. Huntoon

The Porcupine gold area, located on the Hudson Bay slope of northern Ontario, has produced over $100,000,000 in gold and has paid more than $28,000,000 in dividends, since the first real production in 1912. The character of the ore has been studied by the geologists of the Bureau of Mines of Ontario, the geological staffs of the operating mines, and engineers commissioned to examine properties there. What information the Government has is free to everybody; the geological staffs of the several properties also give to the visiting engineer what information regarding ore deposition they possess, and the author wishes to express his indebtedness to the geologists of the Ontario Bureau of Mines and the staffs of the operating mines for their free discussion of geological questions. This paper is based on the examination of several properties, various petrographic reports, not only on specimens from Porcupine but from elsewhere in northern Ontario, and interviews with Government and mine staff geologists. The petrographic work has been done by Prof. R. J. Colony, of Columbia University. Geological History The geological history of the district may be summarized as follows: The outpouring of great floods of lava accompanied by beds of tuff, flow following flow; the contacts of different flows can be seen in various parts of the camp. This period mas followed by an uplift and the production of the Temiskaming sediments by erosion. Later, dynamic action turned the sediments and underlying lavas on edge; this was followed by the intrusion of igneous rocks—in the Porcupine area the quartz porphyry, which is of such great importance in connection with the gold deposits. Doctor Burrows says: "The intrusions of quartz porphyry have in some way influenced the deposition or location of the gold but it is not likely the porphyry has been the source of the gold-bearing solutions." This statement of Doctor Burrows I indorse. The formation of non-gold bearing quartz veins followed the intrusion of the porphyry. These veins occur along or near the contact of

Jan 1, 1923

By P. K. Koh, H. A. Lewis, H. F. Graff

New data on the distribution of silicon between slag and carbon-saturated iron at 1600Oand 1700OC are presented which, in combination with previously published data, permit the determination of silica activities over a broad range of compositions in the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 system. The distribution of silicon between graphite-saturated Fe-Si-C alloys and blast furnace-type slags in equilibrium with CO has been described in previous publications.1"3 In this past work the silica-silicon relation was established at temperatures of 1425" to 1'700°C for slags containing up to 20 pct A12O3. This paper presents the results of additional studies at 1600" and 1700° C which extend the silicon distribution data at these temperatures for CaO-A12O3-SiO, slags over a range from zero pct Al2O3 to saturation with Al2O3, or CaO.2Al2O3. The upper limit of SiO2 is set by the occurrence of Sic as a stable phase when the metal contains 23.0 or 23.7 pct Si at 1600" or 1700°C, respectively. The activity of silica over the expanded range is determined directly from the distribution data.3 Recently4-7 other investigators have studied the activities of SiO, and CaO, principally in the binary system, using different methods and obtaining somewhat different results. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY The experimental apparatus and procedure have been fully described in previous publications.1, 3 Six new series of experimental heats have been made, four at 1600° and two at 1700°C. Master slags of several fixed CaO/Al203 ratios were pre-melted in graphite crucibles, and these were used with additions of silica to prepare the initial slag for each experiment. Slag and metal were stirred at 100 rpm and CO was passed through the furnace at 150 cc per min. The initial sample was taken 1 hr after addition of slag at 1600°C or 1/2 hr after addition at 1700°C. The run was normally continued for 8 hr at 1600°C or 7 hr at 1700°C, and the final sample was taken at the end of this period. Changes in Si and SiO2 content indicate the direction of approach to equilibrium, and in a series of runs where the approach is from both sides this permits approximate location of the equilibrium line. Fig. 1 shows the results of such a series of 15 runs at 1600°C for slags of CaO/Al,O3 = 1.50 by weight. Figs. 2 and 3 record other series at 1600°C and Fig. 5 a series at 1700°C with fixed CaO/Al0 ratios. The results of the experiments at 162003°C have been reported in part in a preliminary note.3 In the experiments recorded in Figs. 4 and 6, the slags were saturated with A12O3 (or with CaO.2A12O3 within its field of stability) by suspending a pure alumina tube in the melt during the course of the run. The final slag analyses were used to establish the liquidus boundaries8 in the stability fields of CaO.2Al2O3 and of Al20,. ACTIVITY OF SILICA The free-energy change in the reaction has been calculated by Fulton and chipman2 from recent and trustworthy data including heats of formation, entropies, and heat capacities. The more recent determination by Olette of the high-temperature enthalpy of liquid silicon is in satisfactory agreement with the values used and therefore requires no revision of the result which is expressed in the equation: SiO2 (crist) + 2C (graph) = Si + 2CO(g.) [1] &F° = + 161,500 - 87.4T The standard state for silica is taken as pure cristobalite and that of Si as the pure liquid metal. Since the melts were made under 1 atm of CO and were graphite-saturated, the equilibrium constant for Eq. [I] reduces to K1 = asi /asio2. The value of this constant is 1.77 at 1600°C and 16.2 at 1700°C. Through K1, the activity of silica in the slag is directly related to the activity of silicon in the equilibrium metal.

Jan 1, 1960

By Elmer A. Holbrook

You moderns think of your field of work as "Minerals Beneficiation"; to me it always will be "Ore Dressing." While I would like to talk with you on the future of ore dressing rather than the past, I cannot do this because I started to work in the field some 56 years ago, and my future is behind me. It is trite to remind you that then, in 1900, one out of every 30 high school graduates went on to higher education. Today, the figure is one in every three. So that, while you have a lot more men to compete with, the field of opportunity has expanded even more.

Apr 1, 1956

By Kenneth Robertson

THERE is probably less known of this subject than of any other connected with the metallurgy of iron. In all the books that treat of this matter, there ore given analyses of slags, their chemical formulae, the loss of iron, etc. ; but few, if any, give the character of the iron mode at the time; none give analyses and physical characteristics of the ores and limestones used, and they present merely isolated examples from various furnaces, and consequently one is more frequently puzzled than enlightened after reading them. During two years I have had occasion to analyze the slags and many of the pig-irons from two furnaces, and for this article I hove made analyses of all the different grades of pig mode by them. A

Jan 1, 1873

By N. S. Greensfelder

THE firing of explosive charges by electricity dates back to 1745 when a Doctor Watson is said to have used an electric spark for igniting gunpowder. His method failed in practical application because, to ignite blasting powder, heat must be applied for a period longer than the duration of an electrostatic spark; Wheatstone found that this does not exceed 14000 sec. The usual result, therefore, of an electrical discharge in gunpowder is to scatter the grains, without igniting them. Benjamin Franklin partly overcame this difficulty by confining the powder and crushing grains that lay in the line of discharge. In 1822, after the primary cell had been discovered by Volta, Robert Hare, professor of chemistry at the University of Philadelphia, noticed the heating of a short piece of wire placed in the circuit of a voltaic battery. Later work by Oersted, Faraday, Wheatstone, and Henley resulted in the development of the magneto blasting machines. Fulminates of gold and silver are thought to have been discovered by Cornelius Drebbel, about 1600. Pepys, in his diary for November 11, 1663, recounts a conversation with Doctor Allen, who told him about aurium fulminans "of which a grain ... . put in a silver spoon and fired, will give a blow like a musquett and strike a hole through the silver spoon downward, without the least force upward.1," This fallacious belief that explosives act downwards only, is still held by many who should know better. Fulminate of mercury was discovered by Howard in 1799. J. Shaw of Philadelphia is said to have invented a fulminate-of-mercury cap in 1814; his idea was later adopted by gunmakers in England and France. The principal advantages of

Jan 9, 1922

By E. P. Pfleider, C. A. Dufresne

The problem of mooing open-pit ores over large vertical distances is increasing in importance because of the immense deposits being mined. Gravity fall of ore through transfer raises to central haulage points underground has advantages for certain open-pit operations, and this method is being seriously considered for the Carol Project now underway in Canada.

Jan 6, 1961

By O. R. Wagner, R. O. Leach

Immiscible displacement tests were performed in a consolidated sandstone core over the interfacial tension range from less thdn 0.01 to 5 dynes/cm to better define how interfacial tension (IFTJ reduction can lead to increased oil recovery. Data obtained were displacement efficiency at breakthbrough vs IFT for both drainage and imbibition conditions. These tests simulate water flooding under oil-wet and water-wet conditions, respectively. Results of the study have shown that displacement efficiency under both oil-wet and water-wet conditions can be markedly improved by a sufficient reduction in IFT. In the particular porous media used and for the low pressure gradients employed, the IFT must be reduced to a value less than about 0.07 dynes/cm to achieve increased recovery at the time of breakthrough of the injected phase. Below 0.07 dynes /cm, further small reductions in IFT result in large increases in displacement efficiency. Observed increases in recovery were obtained at pressure gradients which are well below those which can exist in the interwell area of a reservoir under water flood. The effect of pressure gradient on recovery is discussed. INTRODUCTION A residual oil saturation remains in rock which has been water flooded because, under usual reservoir conditions, the driving force which can be generated is inadequate to expel oil trapped by capillary forces. Since these capillary forces can be reduced by reducing the IFT a frequently studied method of increasing oil recovery has been the use of surfactants to reduce the water-oil interfacial tension. Mungan l observed improved recovery in both water-wet and oil-wet systems at 1.1 dyne /cm IFT, finding that the amount of improvement was greater in oil-wet systems. Moore and Blum,2 working with visual flow cell micro-models, con- cluded that recovery cannot be improved in water-wet systems by injecting surfactant solutions. They calculated that, for a pressure gadient of 1 psi/ft in their model, the IFT must be reduced to 0.03 dynes/cm to release oil trapped under water-wet conditions. Berkeley et al.3 indicated that, at representative field flooding rates, the IFT must be reduced to 0.001 dyne/cm to improve recovery, Thus, there is a wide variation of opinion about the IFT levels needed to improve recovery under field conditions. These previous investigators all have used as their experimental method the addition of surfactants to the injected water. The use of surfactant solutions to reduce IFT creates two experimental problems: (1) the loss of surfactant through adsorption on reservoir rock can obscure the true IFT value which exists at the displacement front, and (2) at very low values of IFT emulsifica-tion of oil and water commonly occurs. It is difficult, therefore, to determine whether the increased recovery is caused by IFT reduction as such, or is instead caused by emulsification. Also the properties of the available surfactants limit the IFT range which can be studied. In the present study the purpose is to better define how interfacial tension reduction can lead to increased oil recovery. A matter of great interest is the amount of recovery improvement potentially achievable in this way. The study was made using very low pressure gradients which was well within the range achievable by water flooding in the interwell region of petroleum reservoirs. A unique experimental approach was chosen to avoid adsorption and emulsification problems, and to allow convenient control of IFT. The fluid phases used were the equilibrium vapor and liquid phases of the methane-n-pentane system. The interfacial tension level was varied by changing the equilibrium pressure of the methane-pentane system over the range from 1,200 psia to near the critical pressure (2,420 psia). All tests were performed at a controlled temperature of 100F. The IFT-vs-pressure relationship for the methane-pentane system was based on the data of Stegemeier and Hough,6 and on new data obtained in this study. With this experimental approach it has been possible to study displacement at lower values of IFT than have been previously investigated.

Jan 1, 1967