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By Samuel M. Brock

In recent years society has become increasingly concerned with maintaining and improving the quality of environment. Thus, public interest and concern with pollution problems is now high. This is reflected in recent federal and state efforts to formulate new legislation to prevent pollution and strengthen existing pollution laws. In reviewing literature pertaining to pollution problems, it is possible to distinguish many common elements. The most outstanding of these is the failure of the market to guarantee that private firms responding to price signals generated in the marketplace will make decisions leading to optimal resource use. Cases of market failure in allocating natural resources according to the wants of society frequently are due to the presence of technical externalities, or side-use effects.59 These roughly and generally can be defined as interdependencies among production and consumption units, the impacts of which are exerted other than through the market. They are, in other words, extra-market relationships. The economic unit generating external effects does not take them into account in decision-making. Thus, the tendency is for the unit to produce either more than society desires or not enough. In such cases society often has intervened in the decision-making process. This intervention frequently has taken the form of legislation to regulate production and consumption activities. Thus, a body of institutions, which acts as a constraint in decision-making processes, has materialized. These institutions are often far more influential in their effect upon resource use than are the forces of supply and demand acting in the marketplace. The problem of environmental pollution is essentially the problem of handling residuals which are the byproduct of all production and consumption activities which take place in the economy.2 These residuals are emitted into the air and water and disposed of on the land. They are interrelated, in that efforts to control emissions into the air or water can result in the production of solid wastes, which then present disposal problems. It is convenient to separate residuals by the type of pollution they cause-air, water, and land while remembering that these problems are related and that solutions may require coordinated effort.1 Residuals may be produced in both production processes and consumption. Residuals produced in production by the mineral industry, or firms utilizing its products, range from emission of sulfur dioxide by steam generating plants to radioactive mill tailings produced in the course of mining uranium.. Residuals associated with consumption are generated mainly through transportation of members of the household, space heating, and in the disposal of solid wastes, including refuse and junk autos. Residuals associated with both production and consumption receive attention in ensuing sections of this chapter.

Jan 1, 1976

By Edwin M. Chance

During the last decade many conditions have been encountered that have materially increased the cost of the production of coal. As in most cases it has not been practicable to increase the selling price of such coal sufficiently to insure the necessary margin of profit, the mine management has been forced to avail itself of what might be termed unusual means that costs might be held at as low a figure as possible. The so-called efficiency engineer has been called upon, costly power plants have been built and machinery has been installed to replace manual labor wherever possible. Another aid used recently to secure economies through the more intelligent production of coal, is the chemist. As the coal industry, barring the production of byproduct coke, does not at once give evidence of its need of the services of the chemist, the writer will endeavor to point out a few of the services that this branch of the staff has been able to render. The preparation of coal in the past has been carried on entirely upon an empirical basis, that is, the criterion adopted has been an ocular inspection. Unfortunately, the appearance of a coal and especially of an anthracite, has but little relation to its fuel value, and as long as coal is purchased for the heat that can be obtained from it by its combustion, the quantity of such heat that is purchased must be one of the principal desiderata in selecting or preparing a coal. Were coals purchased for use as bric-a-brac or for exhibition in museums it might be both wise and just to purchase them upon their appearance. After 4 or 5 years of investigation the fact has been established that coals of very inferior appearance, and I now have special reference to anthracite, might and often did possess heating and burning properties superior to those possessed by bright coals which in the past had commanded considerable and uniform premiums in the market. This being the case the question arose as to whether the trade could be convinced of this fact. While at first some difficulty was experienced in establishing the quality of such dull coals, still it was found that the real obstacle to the sale of these materials in the past had been the fact that the coal producers' own sales departments felt convinced of the inferiority of this type of fuel and when complaints were registered they were given ready credence. Upon convincing the sales department of the quality of this type of fuel, but

Jan 1, 1917

Optimism over the continued growth of coal ex- ports received a significant shot in the arm September 18 at Norfolk, Va., when huge, new ship coal-loading facilities of the Norfolk & Western Railway were formally dedicated before a large audience of American and foreign dignitaries. Guest of Honor at the occasion was Christian A. Herter, Special Representative for Trade Negotiations, who, in a speech, stated, "The prospects for the expansion of our coal exports are excellent. The competitive pricing and high quality of our coals, whether for the production of coke for steel mills or for the generation of electric power, have won the respect of consumers everywhere in the world. Last year, the United States coal industry exported over 40 million net tons. . . . There are excellent reasons to believe that by 1970 we shall be exporting at double this rate."

Jan 10, 1963

By Seymour Fiekowsky, Alvin Kaufman

Taxes are compulsory charges levied by a government for its support. They are usually paid to support the general services provided by government rather than special services (such as safety inspection). The latter are normally supported by user charges often called license fees. Taxes are used by national governments not only to raise money but also as a part of fiscal policy. As such, taxes are used to stimulate or deflate the economy, as an incentive to save or invest, as a means of allocating national resources, and as a means of redistributing income. In our discussion, we will deal only with those facets of the subject that relate specifically to the mineral industry. In doing so we will deal with taxes levied on all industry in a generalized way and only insofar as it affects our industry, but at some length on those portions of the tax system related directly to the mineral industry. It is not our intent to provide a "cookbook" for computing taxes, but rather to present some of the policy issues that bedevil those who must develop our tax policies. MINERAL TAXES The mineral industry is subject to the full range of taxes levied by governments. These include taxes on income, property, and sales, as well as excise and severance taxes. The latter are somewhat similar to a royalty in , that such taxes are levied either ad valorem or per unit of output. Severance taxes most commonly are charged to oil and gas output, although coal, salt, sulfur, and iron ore production also have been taxed in this manner. The major governmental advantage of the severance tax is the administrative ease of collection. On the other hand, it poses an addition to cost independent of profitability. As a consequence, the severance tax can cause premature abandonment if mineral product prices do not rise sufficiently to cover it. Such a rise may not occur if differential tax rates are levied by the various states. Property taxes normally are levied on all property owners, including mineral owners. The major difficulties in this kind of tax, in so far as mining is concerned, are erratic valuation coupled to the inherent problems involved in assessing a property where the extent and richness is chiefly unknown. The impact of these taxes, including state income taxes, is reduced somewhat, as they are usually deductible from gross income as a business expense with a consequent lowering of national income taxes. The net cost of severance, property, sales, and state or local

Jan 1, 1976

By H. M. Chance

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) ADEQUATE treatment of the difficulties surrounding the valuation of mineral lands requires that agreement be first reached defining value as understood for the purpose of appraisal. To define value as the price of a product is not sufficient, and does not assist us in using the factors that cause variations in values and in relative values. The real value of any product depends primarily upon its relation to the necessities, comforts and pleasures of mankind. As the necessities, comforts and pleasures of the civilized races differ-from those of more primitive man, the value of products varies with the degree of civilization and the environment of the consumer. Coal has no value to the savages of warm climates, and arrow-head flint none to the residents of New York. It has long been recognized that what has. been termed ?intrinsic value " must be limited to materials that are essential to existence-air, water, food. But " intrinsic value " cannot be measured in monetary terms. The intrinsic value of a bushel of wheat is due to the fact that it will support the life of an individual for a certain definite time, but this fact does not enable us to measure or to express that value in monetary terms. It has often been proposed to adopt as a measure of the value of any product the quantity of labor necessary to produce it, but this method is of limited application, and will not apply to what may be termed " intrinsic values." For many reasons it might be well, while assenting to the fact that any material may be intrinsically valuable, to abandon the use of the term "intrinsic value." One of these reasons is the tendency to confuse the idea of " intrinsic value with a value that is conferred by economic conditions, that is purely artificial and that may be permanent or evanescent. Intrinsic value must from its nature be permanent and unchangeable.

Jan 7, 1913

By Fred E. Beasley

Metallurgists have, in the last ten years, overcome many difficulties of high zinc in lead blast-furnace slags. This problem was brought to the front at the close of the war, by the price obtained for lead and the high cost of labor, fuel, and flux. The Port Pirie plant of the Broken Hill Associated Smelters, Australia, early in 1919 had increased the zinc oxide in its blast-furnace slags from 13.5 to 20 per cent., at the same time reducing the iron oxide in the slag from 33.5 to 25.6 per cent. These results were obtained by the addition of 10 to 12 per cent. granulated slag to the roaster charge, improved conditions of the crushing, mixing, and roasting of the constituents of the sinter. By experiments and improvements, the practice at this plant has developed a normal slag that carries 22 per cent. zinc oxide, and at times runs as high as 33 per cent. zinc oxide, with only slight furnace trouble. The granulated slag is used not only as a diluent to the sulfur in the roaster charge, but on account of its value as a slag-forming material and the physical properties it imparts to the finished sinter. The ore is mixed with flux and given a double roast. All the first roasting is by sintering with the Dwight & Lloyd machines. The final roasting is performed partly by Dwight & Lloyd machines and partly by H. & H. pots. The charge to the blast furnace consists chiefly of the final sinter, slag shells, siliceous and non-bearing sulfur lead ores. High blast and ore columns are the practice. The greatest care is taken to obtain in the final sinter as low a sulfur content as possible. Attracted by the success of the Port Pirie plant, The Consolidated Mining & Smelting Co. of Canada, at Trail, B. C., in 1920 treated its crushed primary sinter with about 15 per cent. granulated slag. The Trail smelter at this time was short of ore and a large part of the charge to the roasters consisted of the zinc-plant residue having the following analysis: 12 to 16 per cent. lead, 12 to 16 per cent. zinc, and 25 to 30 per cent. iron. The lead in the final sinter was low and the physical condition was so bad that all the sinter had to be screened before it could be charged to the blast furnace. Also it disintegrated on being trammed and dumped

Jan 1, 1925

By James L. Poole

INTRODUCTION Companies in the mining industry are subjected at times to currency exchange rate risks and interest rate risks. The former occurs any time a firm deals in more than one currency. The latter occurs anytime a firm is financing itself with borrowings that have a floating interest rate (although a fixed rate can be a problem at times). FOREIGN EXCHANGE RISKS There are two general reasons why exchange rate risks (FX risk) can occur: First, a firm may be building a mine or plant in another country where financing for the plan is denominated in funds other than the country hosting the plant. For example, if a Canadian firm is building a smelter in another country which is being financed with Canadian dollars, the C$100 million for labor, which must be paid in the local currency, has subjected the firm to a C$100 million FX exposure risk. If after the cost estimates were made the local currency appreciates 30% against the Canadian dollar, the cost of labor has increased to C$130 million. (Of course, the local currency could also devalue during this period making the labor cost component less than estimated.) The other reason exchange rate risk arises is due to the fact that the costs of production in one country producing minerals may be incurred in one currency while the production is sold in another currency, such as coal being exported from Canada to Japan under contracts denominated in Yen. In this example, the Canadian firm is exporting coal to Japan and being paid in yen in 30 days at a contract price of 100 Y per ton. Furthermore, assume that the mining firm anticipates a depreciation of the yen against the Canadian dollar of 5% in the next 30 days. Therefore, the mining firm stands to lose 5% of the value of its shipment in a month's time not including carrying costs. In both cases, the mining company risks an adverse change in the exchange rate, that is, the currency the company holds may decrease in value relative to the other currency. There are a number of ways to mitigate the exposure to foreign exchange which can be utilized by the mining company. Optimally, a company should try to match all their inflows and all their outflows in the same currency. For example, if a Canadian firm has mining costs and debt service costs both denominated in Canadian dollars then 100% of their receipts would need to be in Canadian dollars. If a Canadian firm has 70% of its cash outflows in Canadian dollars and 30% of its cash outflow in American dollars in the form of a loan amortization then their receipts would need to be 70% in Canadian dollars and 30% in U.S. dollars. This general principle of matching cash receipts and cash costs in the same currency works fine in a perfect world but what of the real world when these cannot be matched? In actual practice, however, the financial markets have developed a number of ways in which foreign exchange risks can he managed or reduced. FORWARD MARKETS One method is to use the forward markets which are made on a world-wide basis by the commerical banks for foreign exchange. If a firm wanted to lock in the current exchange rate for the receipt of a foreign currency at some point in the future, they could do so by contracting on the forward market with a bank selling that foreign currency at the current rate at the future date. For example, assume that a Canadian firm is exporting coal to Japan which would pay yen in 90 days. If a firm wanted to lock in today's exchange rate they could contract with a bank to sell on the forward market yen in 90 days. When the yen was received the contract would be executed by selling the yen to the bank and receiving the previously agreed upon number of Canadian dollars. Generally speaking, the forward market can be used to sell forward about 12 months. The costs of selling (or buying) forward

Jan 1, 1985

By R. G. Hall

An article on the subject of electrolytic zinc no longer needs to be preceded by an apology. The production of zinc by electrolysis is past the laboratory stage and has become an economic factor of considerable importance in the total production of zinc in the United States. The various methods of procedure to be followed fa the greatest economy of manufacture are fairly well known, consequently a detailed description of any method is no longer necessary or desirable. In this paper I shall endeavor to lay down some of the governing conditions in this industry, the relation of methods to ore deposits, freight rates, and sources of power supply. Power Points Assuming for a moment that, for the present at least, the electrolytic production of zinc will be confined to Those localities having developed water power, a glance at these powers so developed in the United States, with their relation to known zinc orebodies of economic size, will not be without interest. Northwest In the Northwest we have water powers, developed and undeveloped, . in Washington and Montana. These must, of course, bear a close relation to the rapidly growing zinc production of the Coeur d'Alenes and of the Butte districts. In general, the power of the territory in question is relatively low-priced, at least as compared with the cost of developing power from coal, and the near neighborhood of large bodies of more or less complex zinc ores makes these water powers of more than usual interest. The same remarks may be applied equally to the developed water powers of the Canadian side of the line in the Northwest, where we have again commercially available complex ore deposits such as are being exploited today at and near Trail. California One of the large complex ore deposits of the far West is to be found in Shasta County in the immediate neighborhood of the territory of the

Jan 1, 1918

By H. L. Luo

SYSTEMATIC investigations of the Fe-Ga system have been reported only very recently."' The maximum solid solubility of gallium in a-Fe is nearly 50 at. pet at 900°C. However, from Ref. 1, it was not evident that the a-Fe solid solution could be retained successfully beyond 17.38 at. pet Ga by solid-state quenching. The present investigation reports the retention of a-Fe solid solution at 50 at. pet Ga by quenching from the liquid. An ordered phase of CsC1-type B2) structure was observed between 34 - 50 at. pet Ga. Since it was considered very probable that the CsCl structure would occur at high temperatures, alloy filings were also quenched by the conventional quenching technique. In addition to the CsCl phase, a second ordered phase of BiF3-type (DO3) structure was found in the range 25 - 30 at. pet Ga. Alloys were prepared from elements of 99.99 pet purity or better, induction-melted in alumina crucibles under hydrogen. After reweighing, the alloy ingots were cast into wires under argon. From the weight losses and the reproducibility of the lattice parameters, compositions were estimated to be within ± 0.3 at. pet. The techniques of quenching from the liquid state were reported before.3-5 Prior to quenching, a small section of cast alloy wire (30 - 50 mg) was melted in an alumina insert under an argon flow. The quenched specimens were in the form of flakes, typically 1 sq mm in area. For solid-state quenching, alloy filings passing 200 mesh were sealed under a reduced helium atmosphere in a thin-bottom silica tube. After heating for -30 min at the desired temperature in a vertical furnace, the sealed tube was rapidly dropped into ice water so that the thin bottom of the tube broke on impact. The quenched alloy filings were always ferromagnetic and could be collected by a magnet. X-ray diffraction patterns were taken with iron-filtered cobalt radiation in a 114.6-mm-diam Debye-Scherrer camera. High-angle lines were always resolved and spacings were computed relative to ? (CoKa1) = 1.78890Å. Lattice parameters were obtained from extrapolation against the Nelson-Riley function. The variation of lattice parameter with composition is shown in Fig. 1, together with the data of Dasarathy and Hume-Rothery.1 Uncertainties in the present measurements are within the dimensions of the symbols or indicated by error bars. X-ray diffraction lines indicative of CsC1-type ordering could be clearly identified for alloys of 34 - 50 at. pet Ga quenched from the liquid and alloys of 35 - 41 at. pet Ga quenched from -975°C. Within experimental error, no difference in

Jan 1, 1968

Frank Firmstone, Easton, Pa. (communication to the Secretary*) : It may not be amiss to point out that the top-pressure in iron blast-furnaces is largely affected by variations in the temperature of the gas. I find in my note-books, cases in which the pressure was from 9.25 to 9.5 in. of water when the material in the furnace was low (after dinner-hour), which fell to from 8 to 8.5 in., when the furnace was again full, and the gas consequently cooled. The chief cause for this effect is, that, at the higher temperature, there is a decrease in the weight of the gas in the descending-leg of the siphon formed by the down-comer and the chimneys. It does not seem probable that there is any direct relation between top-pressure and quantity of flue-dirt. Top-pressure, at any given moment, measures the " head " necessary to discharge the gas then passing, against the resistances of pipes, valves, etc., in the gas-conduits between the top of the furnace and the mouths of the chimneys, and can be increased at will by closing, more or less, the valves, or dampers, at the stoves and the boilers. The question of relation between top-pressure and flue-dirt can be settled very easily by direct experiment, working alternately with gas-valves open, and partly closed, and noting the top-pressures and the respective quantities of fluedirt collected. The quantities of fine ore blown away, as shown by Mr. Grammer's tables, are astonishing to one who has had no actual experience with Mesabi ore and hard driving. Flue-dirt, in the sense in which he uses the term, was unknown at anthracite furnaces so long as the working was normal; when it did occur, it was always an incident of scaffolding and bad work, and was no doubt caused by an increase in the velocity

Jan 1, 1904

By Charles H. Thurman

The data given herein were first included in a paper read before San Francisco Section, A.I.M.E., in October 1940, and are applicable to conditions existing until the gold-dredging industry was temporarily suspended by Order L-208 of the War Production Board in the fall of 1942. There is no doubt that gold dredging will be resumed at some future time, and on a scale equivalent to that of the recent past, but the cost data given herein will be affected to some extent by conditions existing at that time, and by labor rates and prices for materials then prevailing. Dragline vs. Bucket-line Dragline dredges should not be considered for mining large areas of low-grade placer gravel. In such deposits a dragline operator with a 5-cu. yd. dragline would be doing well to maintain an operating cost of 6¢ per cu. yd., while a bucket-line dredge with buckets no smaller than 7 cu. ft. each could be operated for less than 4¢ per cu. yd. By operating costs, I mean only field charges such as direct operating and overhead, which includes pay roll, power or fuel, repairs and maintenance, insurance, land clearing and general expenses, but not including such items as prospecting, depletion, depreciation of equipment, State Franchise Tax, or Federal Income Tax. It is not to be inferred that a dragline dredge cannot make a profit in small low-grade deposits, where the extent of a given property is too small to justify the use of the more costly bucket-line dredge. Consider small deposits of 106 gravel. It is obvious that a deposit of 5,000,000 cu. yd. of such gravel could not be mined profitably with a new 7-cu. ft, bucket-line dredge, costing upward of $250,000, and in operation costs at 4¢ per cu. yd., paying for land or royalties out of earnings; nor could a new combination 5-cu. yd. dragline and washing plant, worth upward of $125,000 and working at 6¢ Per cu. yd., make a profit. These comparisons are made because the hourly capacity of both types of dredges is nearly the same. The bucket-line dredge averages 93 per cent operating time in 24 hr., as against about 80 per cent or less for the dragline dredge. These Percentages of operating time are important factors in making a comparison of this kind- The bucket-line dredge has greater efficiency in cleaning soft bedrock, usually characteristic of dredging deposits, and a 7-cu. ft. bucket-line dredge can be efficient to a total digging depth of 80 ft- (65 ft. below water, 15 ft. above). A 5-cu. Yd. dragline dredge is limited to about 30 ft. of efficient digging depth, 5 ft. of which could be above water. In small areas of gravel not over 30 ft. deep, a 5-cu. yd. dragline dredge could make a profit where a bucket-line dredge could not do so. As an example: compare the dredging of 3,000,000 cu. yd. of 10 gravel 28 ft. deep with bucket line, costin 4¢ Per cu. yd., and with a 5-cu. yd. dragline dredge operating at 6¢ Per cu. yd. Because of small yardage, new equipment is not warranted, therefore we can assume that the dredges of both types are used equip-ment, fully depreciated. Dismantling, mov-

Jan 1, 1946

By T. A. Rickard

In a former paper* the writer has described the essential features of the general geology of the Cripple Creek region. In the present account it is intended to examine into the occurrence of the ores, the value of which has made this district the most important among existing American gold-fields. The production of Cripple Creek from its discovery, in 1891, to the close of 1901, has reached a valuation of fully $125,000,000. During the past year (1901) the output amounted to $17,285,470. In 1900 it was $18,174,681. The first discoveries, which led to the development of the district, were made in the spring of 1891, but it was not until 1893 that vigorous work was commenced. A great impetus was then given to the exploration for gold on account, of the sudden drop in the market-price of silver, caused by the closing of the Indian mints in the summer of that year. This induced an energetic population from the older silvermining camps of Colorado to go to the new gold-field, which was then beginning to attract attention. Prospecting, at first, was hindered by the comparative absence of outcrops, due to the fact that the surface of the hills is covered with a considerable thickness of shattered rock, resulting from the action of frost at a high altitude; but so much indiscriminate digging was done that a number of rich veins were uncovered, and this stimulated the search for others. The advanced condition of the mining industry of Colorado offered unusual facilities for exploration and reduction; progress was therefore rapid, with the result that the district soon achieved great prominence.

Jan 1, 1903

By H. J. Wasson

DEVELOPMENTS in Venezuela during the past few months have been obscured by the hap-penings in Seminole and, more recently, those in southwest Texas. The question has been asked whether or not the opening of these vast new, prolific areas in the United States may not have depressed prices to a point so low as to give the developments in the Caribbean countries a serious setback. Nothing of the kind, however, has taken place, and on the contrary, there has been demonstrated the fact that Venezuela can profitably produce great quantities of oil under existing market conditions, and at the same time finance the foundation for further large expan-sion in the future. The three big factors which contribute to place Venezuela in a unique position and tend to insure the steady expansion of its oil industry are, in the order of their importance: I. Reasonable oil laws backed by a sound govern-ment, which comprehends the all-important fact that the country's prosperity depends on the prosperity of its industries, in a word, perceiving that the goose which lays the golden egg merits considerate treatment. II. The low cost of placing Venezuela oil on our At-lantic seaboard; not over $0.60 per barrel. III. The uniformly high average production per well and the large area of some of the individual pools. Under these conditions Venezuelan producers may be expected to continue steady and profitable ex-pansion even in the face of further market slumps. Their position is analogous to that of the low-cost copper producers, and unless artificial barriers, such as tariffs, come into play, Venezuela will steadily grow in importance. Within less than five years it should be second only to the United States among the oil-producing countries of the world.

Jan 10, 1927

By Arthur B. Cummins

Mineral fillers are employed in United States industries to the extent of more than seven million tons annually, valued in excess of a hundred million dollars. This substantial usage involves a wide variety of mineral materials. To this may be added products manufactured from minerals, such as carbon black, portland cement, lime or chemically precipitated calcium carbonates, which would add substantially to the total. The purposes for which fillers are used differ considerably. Minerals used as fillers are mostly silicates, silicas, and carbonates as referred to hereinafter. The term "mineral filler" has various meanings in mineral technology and in the arts. Fillers are comparatively inert and their action is mainly physical. Materials that are employed primarily for chemical reactivity, or for pigment or abrasive functions ordinarily would not be considered to be fillers when used for these purposes. Nearly all filler usages are based on advantages which are gained by desired modification of composition properties or by improvements in processing. A simple definition for a filler is an inert material that is included in a composition for some useful purpose. This definition may be amplified or made more specific for each of the filler usages, the major ones of which are: paints, paper, plastics, rubber, bituminous compositions, pesticides and fertilizers. There are in addition a whole host of minor usages. Powdered minerals when employed as components in paints, varnishes and lacquers are considered as extender pigments or low refractive index pigments. In paper, the term loading material as well as filler is used; in pesticides, the terms diluents and carriers connote different functions. For bituminous compositions, rubber and plastics, the usage of the simple word "filler" is more usual, but the designation loading material is sometimes used. Minerals Used as Fillers Most of the industrial minerals, and many rock powders are employed to some extent for different filler uses. These usages vary from year to year depending on availabilities, costs, technologic trends and advancements. For the major applications, however, and for the more particular requirements at any given period, there are general trends which favor a more or less restricted group of filler products for each of the major consumer fields. This selection of materials is determined by the characteristics of the individual filler products, their effectiveness in fulfilling the primary function or functions for which they may be employed, and the cost after incorporation in the finished product. The mineral-bearing materials of major importance as fillers are: limestones, clays of several types, talc, pyrophyllite, mica, barite, diatomite, crystalline silicas, asbestos, slate and other rock dusts. Others of secondary importance include: gypsum, vermiculite, phosphate rock, perlite, and pulverized wastes, such as slag and fly ash. A considerable number of other minerals are used to lesser extent. Among these minor mineral materials are: feldspar, pumicite, wollastonite,18 tripoli, nepheline syenite,6 coal, altered volcanic rock and others.2 Indeed, most mineral materials, when reduced to fine particle size may have some potential usage as fillers, depending on their properties, availability and price. On the other hand, the more exacting filler requirements

Jan 1, 1960

By Zay Jeffries

AMONG the various metals with low specific gravity, two, aluminum and magnesium, are used in the nearly pure state or as bases for light-weight alloys. Although the production of magnesium is only about one-twenty-fifth that of aluminum, a higher percentage of its output is used in the transportation industry than that of any other metal. The per-centage varies from year to year but, on the average, more than three-fourths of the magnesium production has been used for this purpose. In the United States, about 40 per cent of the aluminum production is used for transportation purposes. It seems obvious that equipment demanding repeated movement with need for rapid acceleration and deceleration should be as light in weight as the economics of engineering materials will permit. There are, however, differences of opinion with reference to both the economics and the engineering aspects of this subject. Tables 1 to 7 inclusive relate to the principal light-metal materials currently used in the transportation industry. These, with the accom-panying titles and footnotes, are in the main self-explanatory. Although the variations in mechanical properties can be easily seen from the tables, it should be kept in mind that the values given are for ordinary tempera-tures and that the changes in properties with temperature are not the same for the different alloys. Also, the corrosion properties cannot be deduced accurately either from the compositions or from the physical properties. Again, certain of these alloys are used because they possess desirable combinations of properties not listed in tine tables, including heat conductivity, coefficient of expansion, machinability, ease of casting or working, light reflectivity, anodic coating characteristics, etc. These, together with variations in prices, must be given careful analysis to effec-tively utilize the light alloys. Some of the alloys listed in the tables are new and some are old, but all are standard. Even the older alloys are available in new shapes and larger sizes than heretofore, and all are used in the transportation industry in structures of new design. Certain of the applications of specific alloys will be touched upon in the following brief history of the use of the light metals in transportation.

Jan 1, 1936

By Eugene A. Thiers, William V. Morris

INTRODUCTION Direct reduction processes reduce the various commercial forms of iron oxide (pellets, concentrate, fines, etc.) to metallic iron at temperatures lower than that of molten iron. Thus, this technology includes practically, all iron reduction processes other than blast furnaces and electric pig iron furnaces (whose output in terms of world production is negligible). The product of these processes which is known as direct reduced iron (DRI), or sponge iron, is primarily used as a source of metallic iron in steel-making operations. Interest in DRI, which has been significant since the early 1960s, increased significantly in recent years with the rapid growth of DRI installed capacity throughout the world. The importance of the subject for the Circum-Pacific region stems directly from the influence that DRI has on iron ore consumption and on future steel development for this region. Although there is widespread agreement that electric furnaces will continue to increase their share of global steel output, and especially so in the countries of the Pacific Steel community, some doubts exist about future scrap supplies being adequate to support growth at past rates. The authors believe that such doubts are soundly based. As this paper points out, the total supply of all metallics used in electric furnaces may not be adequate to support the extrapolated rapid growth in electric furnace steel production. This paper seeks to provide perspective on the global and Circum-Pacific prospects for DRI in light of recent energy price developments and the current recession. In this regard, the demand for DRI within the context of recent evolutionary patterns in steel-making, the outlook of DRI supply in terms of prevailing production costs, and the prospects of new technology are discussed. THE DEMAND FOR DRI Although several reports published in the last 10 years predict high rates of growth in DRI, the subject remains a controversial one. Significant growth has indeed occurred, but not to the extent anticipated in the studies summarized in Table 1. The substantial difference between previous expectations and present reality can be ascribed primarily to: (1) lower growth in steel production than formerly anticipated; (2) numerous cancellations of DRI facilities that were previously announced; and (3) a fundamental and probably irreversible change in the economics of DRI production. Note that DRI capacity at the end of 1980 was about 16 million tonnes, a significantly lower figure than any of the projections above. In addition, DRI production was only about half of capacity, reflecting the abnormally low rates of capacity utilization in this industry. [ ] Before examining the current outlook in steel, it is pertinent to note that the market for DRI is usually different in the industrialized countries of the West from that in developing countries. In the former, the available infrastructure and industry's diversification extends DRI's potential markets to numerous steelmaking, foundry, and other industrial applications, although competition from scrap and other forms of metallic iron is constant. Scrap is generally available in these countries and, therefore, DRI competes with it in electric furnace steelmaking, basic oxygen steelmaking (as a coolant), cupola foundry operations, or as an additive in the metallic charge for open hearth and blast furnaces. On the other hand, DRI in developing countries is often allocated exclusively to domestic electric furnace steelmaking or, when capacity exceeds domestic captive requirements, to export. Notwithstanding quality considerations, DRI is being and is likely to continue to be used predominantly as a source of metallics in iron and steel-making. Other uses of DRI, such as in copper cementation represent a marginal market in terms of overall tonnage and can be ignored at this point. Therefore, DRI demand is-determined by the overall availability of metallic scrap in its various forms--a function of steel production and its probable evolution. The Global Steel Outlook Given the present recession, an objective appraisal of the long-term outlook for steel is particularly difficult. On the one hand, historical trends and, especially, the inertial forces associated with such a basic industry as steel must be recognized; such trends suggest that the current stagnation with

Jan 1, 1982

By H. D. Peterson, G. E. Butts, J. F. Spisak

In 1978, Anschutz Mining Corp. began efforts to develop the Madison Cobalt Project in southeast Missouri. Preliminary metallurgical studies indicated that intermediate grade cobalt products, suitable for shipment to existing refineries, could be recovered from the sulfide mineralization of the ore body. However, tolling and freight charges were significant, as the refineries were located outside the US. These refineries would not satisfy the goal of strategically insulated production of superalloy-grade cobalt. The acquisition of proven, readily available refinery technologies was then evaluated. However, licensing costs were substantial and the "proven" technologies were not directly applicable to the unique chemistry of Madison materials. Faced with these challenges, Anschutz, in conjunction with the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute, embarked on an effort to develop a sulfate-based separation and refining process. CSMRI performed bench-scale and continuous pilot experiments on solutions generated through other pilot campaigns conducted by Lurgi, Hazen Research, and Sherritt Gordon. The results indicated that cobalt could be selectively extracted from sulfate media using a new generation of organophosphates. The solvent extraction system produced a solution suitable for electrolysis of high-purity cobalt. Preliminary cost studies indicated the novel process was competitive with other refinery systems. Plans to develop the detailed engineering-design information required to commercialize the process were abandoned when the price of cobalt collapsed to less than $17.64/kg ($8.00 per lb).

Jan 1, 1985

DEVELOPMENT of a chemical process for the extraction of pure metals from mill concentrates or metal scrap has progressed beyond the pilot plant stage and may prove an important adjunct to present smelting and refining methods if initial commercial operations prove economically successful. Developed by the Chemical Construction Corp., the new process involves the treatment of oxide and sulphide ore concentrates by chemical methods, instead of the usual smelting and refining techniques. Several of the many applications are now scheduled for commercial use. Refiners using the new process will prepare ore concentrates by standard flotation methods, introduce the concentrate as a slurry into an autoclave along with water and an acid or ammonia. From the resulting leach solution, recovery of individual metals is made by use of suitable reducing agents. By varying conditions during treatment, different metals in the ore are produced separately as pure powders, which may be pressed into forms ready to market, or in the case of copper, extruded as rods or pipe. The reagents are generally recovered. By manipulating the variables during reduction, selective separation of nickel, and/or cobalt, and/or copper can be made simultaneously. The separation is a continuous operation. Low metal prices are not immediately in view because of the tremendous demand at this time. However, reduced metallurgical treatment costs will allow economical mining of orebodies with lower metal content, permitting increased production to meet demand. Although the practical horizon for use of the new process appears to be limitless, one factor may enter into its employment. Just how low grade a concentrate can be economically used is unknown. In addition, for present practical considerations, only metal below zinc in the electromotive series may be processed. Each commercial application requires specific technique adaptation and pilot-plant data for engineering design. A nickel-cobalt-copper process has been researched and piloted in collaboration with Sherritt Gordon Mines, Ltd., for the firm's Lynn Lake properties. In addition, processes were tailored for cobalt concentrates of Howe Sound Mining Co., and National Lead Co., in view of the urgent need for this specific metal. Major General William N. Porter, president of Chemical Construction, says of the new process, "piloting experience has shown that production cost, from ore concentrates to pure metals should be considerably below current costs." Other savings may be realized by cutting transportation and personnel costs, and by reducing the time lag between mining and pure metal from months to a matter of hours. First commercial use of the process will start sometime this summer. Chemico is slated to finish building a $2.5 million cobalt refinery for Howe Sound Mining near Salt Lake City. The plant is expected to raise world cobalt production by 40 pct. The plant will process 35 tons of 20 pct cobalt concentrates from Howe Sound's Blackbird mine near Cobalt, Idaho, daily. Yearly production is expected to reach 2000 tons of pure metal, about one half of U. S. consumption in 1950. Steps in the Howe Sound application of the process are: 1. Acid oxidation leach. 2. Filtration (residues thrown away are insoluble compounds-gangue, iron, arsenic). 3. Cementation (for Cu removal because Cu content is too low for recovery). 4. Reduction from ammoniacal solution. 5. Separation of Co and Ni as mixed metals (95 pct Co and 5 pct Ni). 6. Recovery of ammonium sulphate. Under construction at the Fredericktown, Mo., mine of National Lead is a $5 million refinery sched- [ ]

Jan 1, 1952

By J. J. Arps

This paper reviews the methods currently in use for estimating primary oil reserves and discusses the principles on which these methods are based. Particular emphasis is placed on how these methods change with the type of information available during the life cycle of an oil property. This paper contains various novel estimating methods and shortcuts heretofore unpublished. INTRODUCTION Estimating oil reserves is one of the most important phases of the work of a petroleum engineer since the solutions to the problems he deals with usually depend on a comparison of the estimated cost in terms of dollars, with the anticipated result in terms of barrels of oil. His recommendations to management regarding the best course of action are therefore normally based on the most favorable balance between these two. Specific engineering problems which require such a knowledge of recoverable oil reserves and a projection of future rates are: [a.] the exploitation and development of an oil reservoir; [b.] the construction of gasoline plants, pipelines and refineries; [c.] the division of ownership in unitized projects; [d.] the price to be paid in case of a sale or purchase of an oil property, and the magnitude of the loan which it will support; [e.] the proper depreciation rate for the investment in oil properties; and [f.] evaluation of the results of an exploration program. This discussion will be confined to the various methods and tools which are currently in use for estimating oil reserves to be obtained during the primary phase of an oil-producing reservoir and for a projection of the future production rates. Reserves which may be obtained by secondary recovery methods or fluid injection programs and gas and gas condensate reserves will not be discussed in this paper. Unfortunately, reliable oil reserve figures are most urgently needed during the early stages when only a minimum amount of information is available. Management's interest in the oil recovery from a property—aside from its use for accounting purposes—usually declines when the property approaches its economic limit, just at the time when the reliability of the estimates is at its best. To illustrate this general idea a chart is presented (Fig. 1) showing the three periods in the life of an imaginary oil property. Time is shown on the horizontal axis, while the cumulative production and estimated ultimate recovery are plotted vertically. No particular units are used and this schematical chart is not to scale. During the first period, before any wells are drilled on a property, any estimates will of necessity be of a very general nature, based on experience from similar pools or wells in the same area, and usually expressed in barrels per acre. This will

Jan 1, 1957

By J. D. Forrester

SINCE the introduction of the first percussion rock drill in about 1850, drilling equipment has undergone a progressive evolution so that a wide range of special classes of machines now are marketed by several manufacturers. Essentially all of the drilling machines presently employed for blasthole drilling are of the hammer-drill type. They are classified as hand-held hammers (jackhammers, sinkers, etc.), drifters (light or heavy), and stopers and are of many sizes; varying in weight and rotative and blowing power. Most makes of drill machines fundamentally are the same in principle of operation as they are designed to strike a blow on the end of a drill rod in the manner of early-day hand drilling. However, beyond this common characteristic, the similarity among different makes ceases. In choosing between similar machines of one make or another, it is important to remember that rock drill manufacturers have not attempted to standardize drill parts, the result being that a mine operator must approach, because of replacement parts, standardization by limiting the makes of machines used. The present-day selection of any particular drilling machine is dependent fundamentally on its inherent ability to make a hole, or series of holes, as speedily and as cheaply as is possible. Two categories of controlling elements become apparent in any analysis devoted to making the choice of a drill, namely: 1-Conditions under which the equipment is to be used, such as mining method practiced, type of labor available, character of rock material. 2-Physical characteristics or features of the given drilling machine. Regardless of the controls of class 1, above, the elements of this category are fixed by several factors. All of them are interrelated and, though some often are more important in one case than in another, an unfavorable variation of any-others being essentially equal-is sufficient to discredit the optimum applicability of the particular drill machine. The relative factors in the selection of a machine are as follows: First cost-This is not generally an important item on a comparative basis as the marketing of drill machines is highly competitive and most makes are priced closely.

Jan 1, 1952