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By E. A. Holbrook

LOCAL yearly taxes levied on bituminous coal lands in Pennsylvania have become a cost of first importance to the coal industry of the State. In Pennsylvania there is no State tax on real estate, but local taxation of real estate furnishes the greater part of the revenue necessary for the small governmental unit, as counties, townships, boroughs, and local school, road, and poor districts. Coal in place in the ground, whether or not title thereto has been severed from ownership of the surface, is assessed as real estate and on its supposed sale or market value. There are eight classes of counties in Pennsylvania, based on population; in populous counties of the first, second and third class, assessments are made by a county board appointed by the county commissioners and are fairly uniform throughout the county. In counties of the fourth to the eighth classes inclusive, property assessments are made by property assessors elected by and for each township within a county. In these counties the board of county commissioners acts as a board of equalization and review to hear appeals. In most counties, therefore, where there is a large unmined reserve of coal, assessments on that coal vary for each township, irrespective of the fact that the coal bed is continuous under many townships.

Jan 1, 1933

Arthur Jarman, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (communication to the Secretary*):—All designs for modern metallurgical and chemical laboratories should provide each student's desk with a hood or cupboard for the removal of fumes, but I doubt the advisability of placing air-baths and similar apparatus close to the hot plate. It seems to me that unless the draft be exceptionally strong the fumes from ordinary wet assay work will corrode the iron-work of the fittings, in which case the baths would have to be removed to a general desk in order to lighten the work of the laboratory attendant. Since the laboratory described by Mr. White has been in use for two years, I should like to ask if any inconvenience has resulted from this corrosion. If not, it is certainly an important improvement to have the air-baths and similar apparatus placed on the student's desk. The hoods described by Mr. White are supplied with a good draft by means of a fan, which gives them a great advantage

Jan 1, 1905

By Edward H. Robie

AT a recent meeting of the AIME Board there was considerable discussion of a suggestion that companies should be more interested in promoting AIME membership among their employes. The advocate of this idea argued that companies benefit greatly if their employes are active AIME members, so even on purely a selfish basis they should use various means to encourage membership. Also he argued that companies in general make no contribution to the support of the AIMS although benefiting from its work, so should not object to making more of a contribution, financial or otherwise, than they do. One Director stated that an investigation had developed the fact that a large majority of members felt it unwise for employers to pay the initiation fees or dues of employes. They felt that AIMS membership should be on a purely personal basis; that the rewards of active membership were sufficient so that it is a good investment for a man in developing his own professional stature, presumably resulting in an increase in salary sooner, or in greater amount, than would otherwise be the case. If an employer paid a member's dues or initiation fee the member would take less interest in the Institute. But this Director felt that an employer should otherwise encourage his employes to join the Institute, attend its meetings, and write papers based on company work for presentation and publication. Another Director reported that his company pays the expenses of AIME members in its employ to meetings; the company also encourages nonmembers to attend AIME meetings but does not pay their expenses unless they present papers of interest to the company. Another Director, representing a supplier, stated that his company's policy was to send some of its staff to all AIME meetings at which papers of interest were to be presented or at which valuable contacts could be made.

Jan 1, 1952

By Ernest R. Dickie

BRIEFLY, the ore body of the Bagdad Copper Corp., Bagdad, Ariz., is a monzonite porphyry carrying copper values fairly evenly distributed from the surface down through the primary zone. Tabular in shape, the ore body extends over several hundred acres. The oxidized zone averages about 60 ft thick and assays about 0.50 per cent copper. Under this is the chalcocite zone, or the zone of secondary enrichment, which averages about 100 ft in thickness and assays about 1.4 per cent copper. Under this zone lies the primary zone which extends in places to a known depth of about 150 ft and averages in grade about 0.60 per cent copper. Several years ago the block-caving method of extracting the ore from the chalcocite zone was installed. Then it was necessary to draw only about 250 to 300 tons per day, the capacity of the old milling plant. Early in 1943 the new 2500-ton concentrator was put into production. Drawing ore from the developed stopes in sufficient tonnage to furnish the mill at capacity proved unsuccessful in more ways than one. First, drawing the ore at an accelerated rate caused a large amount of dilution, there-by lowering the grade, and also caused funneling through to the surface. The surface material was detrimental to milling metallurgy and development of these stopes was costly per ton of ore extracted. The grade of ore decreased. making it impossible to maintain a mill head of over 0.9 per cent copper. The

Jan 1, 1947

AlFred JamEs," London, Eug.:—I thank you, gentlemen, for Sour kind invitation to address you. It is a very great pleasure for me to be here at your annual meeting, and, although I have been a member since 1894, this is the first opportunity I have

Jan 1, 1909

By Frank Firmstone

In April, 1873, No. 2 furnace at the Glendon Iron Works being out of blast, it was decided to alter it from an open to a closed top. The three side flues, through which a part of the gas was formerly taken off, were 15 feet below the top, and as, for various reasons, it was not convenient to cut new flues through the brickwork at the top, as is commonly done with closed-top furnaces, a modification of Coingt's charger was employed. This apparatus, as figured by De Vathaire,* consists of a cup or hopper, like that used with the cup and cone, and a central pipe for taking off the gas, which descends some distance into the furnace, and has a projection around it forming a seat for a ring of a triangular cross-section, which closes the opening between the cup and the central gas-pipe. The charge is put into the cup, and by lowering the ring, is thrown into the furnace, a part going outside of the ring toward the walls, and a part through the inside toward the gas-pipe. In this form the apparatus was not applicable, for: 1st. With a gas-pipe three feet in diameter, in a top eight feet in diameter, the openings left by lowering the ring would not be large enough to let lump coal pass through. 2d. For the charger to shut tight, the ring must bear equally against the projection made for it on the gas-pipe, and against the edge of the cup. This would not be difficult to effect when the apparatus is first put up, but a comparatively small change in the relative position of the parts, such as is almost certain to occur from expansion, would cause the ring to touch the pipe or the cup, whichever happened to be the lower, first, and leave a leak between it (the ring) and the other. In the plan adopted (Figs. 5 and 6, Plate I), the central opening in the ring is closed by the bottom of the gas-pipe, whereby more room is left for the passage of the stock when the charger is open, than if the pipe descended into the furnace; and the pipe, instead of being rigidly supported, rests on the ring, when the charger is closed, and follows it for two or three inches as it opens, until stopped by the counter-balance lever C. When the ring is raised to close the furnace top, it comes in contact first with the bottom edge of the gas-pipe, then both are raised together, until stopped by the ring touching the edge of the cup. In this way a good joint is made at both places.

By Karl W. Mote

CALIFORNIA'S iron and steel industry had its beginning in San Francisco in 1849 when the first iron casting was poured at the old Union Iron Works. Soon after, in 1856 at Grass Valley, enough iron ore was smelted to supply pig iron for the castings of a quartz mill there. From 1880 to 1886, iron ore was produced from the Hotaling mine in Placer County and converted to pig iron in a local blast furnace using charcoal. From 1907 to 1914, the Noble Electric Steel Co. produced pig iron from iron ore mined at the Shasta Iron Co. mine, and followed this for three years in the production of ferro-alloys. Between 1917 and 1941, the State's industry in- creased its capacity for open hearth and electric furnace scrap treatment, but the real impetus was supplied by the need for more steel at the beginning of World War II. The result was the State's first integrated steel plant-the Kaiser Steel Corp. facilities at Fontana.

Jan 7, 1958

By Frank Firmstone

IN April, 1873, No. 2 furnace at the Glendon Iron Works being out of blast, it was decided to alter it from an open to a closed top. The three side flues, through which a part of the gas was formerly taken off, were 15 feet below the top, and as, for various reasons, it was not convenient to cut new flues through the brickwork at the top, as is commonly done with closed-top furnaces, a modification of Coingt's charger was employed. This apparatus, as figured by De Vathaire,* consists of a cup or hopper, like that used with the cup and cone, and a central pipe for taking off the gas, which descends some distance into the furnace, and has a projection around it forming a seat for a ring of a triangular cross-section, which closes the opening between the cup and the central gas-pipe. The charge is put into the cup, and by lowering the ring, is thrown into the furnace, a part going outside of the ring toward the walls, and a part through the inside toward the gas-pipe. In this form the apparatus was not applicable, for: 1st. With a gas-pipe three feet in diameter, in a top eight feet in diameter, the openings left by lowering the ring would not be large enough to let lump coal pass through. 2d. For the charger to shut tight, the ring must bear equally against the projection made for it on the gas-pipe, and against the edge of the cup. This would not be difficult to effect when the apparatus is first put up, but a comparatively small change in the relative position of the parts, such as is almost certain to occur from expansion, would cause the ring to touch the pipe or the cup, whichever happened to be the lower, first, and leave a leak between it (the ring) and the other. In the plan adopted (Fig's. 5 and 6, Plate I), the central opening in the ring is closed by the bottom of the gas-pipe, whereby more room is left for the passage of the stock when the charger is open, than if the pipe descended into the furnace; and the pipe, instead of being rigidly supported, rests on the ring, when the charger is closed, and follows it for two or three inches as it opens, until stopped by the counter-balance lever C. When the ring is raised to close the furnace top, it comes in contact first with the bottom edge of the gas-pipe, then both are raised to¬gether, until stopped by the ring touching the edge of the cup. In this way a good joint is made at both places. * Etudes our lea Haut Fourneaux, page 108.

Jan 1, 1874

By Charles Janin

ONE of the most interesting features of the world's platinum situation has been the steady increase of Russian production, which had dropped to 11,000 oz. in 1920, but increased to 92,000 oz. in 1926, and to probably over 100,000 oz. for 1927. It is ex-pected that Russian production of platinum will, be-fore long, closely equal its pre-war production, or approximately 200,000 oz. annually. The world production before the war was around 250,000 oz.; that for 1925 has been estimated at 160,000 oz., and for 1926 probably 170,000 oz. The consump-tion of platinum has, however, decreased. The esti-mate of the International Selling Agency was a de-mand of 130,000 oz. new platinum against a normal pre-war demand of over 200,000 oz. The high price of platinum during the war gave an added impetus to the search for substitutes for the metal, and sev-eral were developed that are now used extensively in place of platinum. The demand for platinum for high-class jewelry, however, was not greatly affected by the high prices, but "white" gold did replace platinum in the cheaper jewelry. Colombia is the most important producer of plati-num, next to Russia, and the production has increased from around 10,000 oz. pre-war production to 55,000 oz. or more in 1927. In 1924 important discoveries of platinum were made in South Africa. Prior to these discoveries practically all platinum was recovered from alluvial deposits, and the South African opera-tions are first to work an ore profitably for the pri-mary recovery of platinum. A number of companies were formed to develop these deposits, but only a few made any real progress. Total production for 1926 was about 5000 oz. The United States production is unimportant; that in Canada has increased to around 9000 oz., principally as a by-product in nickel-copper ores.

Jan 5, 1928

By J. A. Retty

HOLLINGER CONSOLIDATED GOLD MINES LTD., through two subsidiary companies, has the exclusive right to prospect in two contiguous areas in central Labrador. This paper presents the results of the mineral exploration that has been conducted in these areas to date. One of the subsidiaries of Hollinger. the Labrador Mining and Exploration Co. Ltd., under an agreement with the Newfoundland Commission of Government, holds an area of approximately 20,000 sq.mi., which comprises the western portion of Newfoundland-Labrador and includes the upper basins of the Hamilton and Naskaupi Rivers. (The main area of the deposits so far discovered may be located on a map at about 67° west longitude and 55° north latitude.) The other subsidiary of Hollinger, Hollinger North Shore Exploration Co. Ltd., has licensed from the Province of Quebec an area of approximately 3900 sq.mi. lying directly north of the Newfoundland-controlled area at the headwaters of the George, Whale, and Swampy Bay Rivers. The M. A. Hanna Co., large iron-ore operators of the Lake Superior region, are participating in the project. With the exception of the years 1940 and 1941, field work has been conducted in the Newfoundland area since 1936, and in the Quebec area since 1939. Hollinger assumed the management in 1942. The field base is at Hollinger Lake, some 300 miles north of the tidewater base at Seven Islands, Quebec, which, in turn, is just west of the mouth of the Moisie River, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Air transportation is used exclusively to service the operation.

Jan 1, 1945

By Milton H. Fies

EARLY in 1945 the laboratories of the Southern Research Institute will begin active research investigations on behalf of industrial clients. This achievement has come after four years of planning by a group of Alabama businessmen, and is in partialanswer to an urgent need in the South. Those who conceived the Institute have long realized that a marked relationship exists between scientific research and the economic well-being of the several regions of the country. Clearly, technological research, generally absent in the South, is the medium through which are created new finished goods industries, and the increase of technological research is perhaps the most important long-range project in the South.

Jan 1, 1945

PUBLIC hearings began before the Committee for Reciprocity Information on May 24, 1950, for the purpose of unearthing data and opinion that will be helpful in the forthcoming reciprocal tariff and other trade-barrier negotiations at Torquay, England, on September 28th of this year. The conference this fall will constitute the "third round" of tariff negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade concluded at Geneva in 1947. The United States plans to negotiate with 17 other countries on possible tariff modifications on various articles all the way from baby carriages and bottle caps to lead and zinc-bearing ores. On May 31, June 1 and June 2, spokesmen appeared before the Committee for Reciprocity Information on behalf of the domestic lead and zinc mining industries. Producers of these metals protested the inclusion of paragraphs 391 (lead-bearing ores, dust and mattes), 392 (lead bullion, lead in pigs and bars, and scrap lead), 393 (zinc-bearing ores of all kinds), and 394 (zinc in blocks, pigs or slabs, and zinc dust) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended in the list of articles to be considered for possible tariff concessions at Torquay. It was pointed out that although operating costs have more than doubled since 1939 tariffs on these metals were actually higher in that year than at present. This, coupled with the detrimental effects of the recent series of devaluations, has sounded the death knell for a substantial number of domestic lead and zinc mines-a most undesirable development in the face of the ominous international situation, according to these spokesmen. It was urged that higher rather than lower tariff rates are needed on these metals. The opinion was expressed that it was inconsistent to foster a high living standard in our western areas and then, once it is attained, to undermine that condition by minimizing the protection that was partly responsible for it. The main theme of some arguments implied that although every effort should be made to close the "dollar gap" abroad, serious consideration must be given the methods employed lest our national security position be jeopardized in the process. The House Committee on Foreign Affairs completed hearings on H. J. Res. 236, to provide for United States membership and participation in the International Trade Organization. Hearings began on April 19th and ran for over five weeks. Many witnesses from industry and government presented voluminous testimony, which will not be available for public distribution for several weeks. However, it is no secret that the most controversial provisions of the Draft Charter of the ITO are: (1) Article 17 (Chapter IV on Commercial Policy) which would obligate members to negotiate for the reduction of tariffs and the elimination of trade preferences; (2) Article 20 which would prohibit the use of quantitative restrictions for protective purposes; (3) Article 16 which promulgates rules to implement the principle of non-discrimination in international trade; and (4) provisions permitting the use of protective measures for promoting economic development, particularly in backward areas, even though such provisions are inconsistent with those of the three articles cited above. United States membership in the International Trade Organization is essential to the successful operation of that body in view of this country's position as the economic giant in the present international trade pattern. Many countries are reluctant to take any action toward the ratification of the charter until it is known what course America will pursue. However desirable or undesirable the ideal of free multilateral trade may be it is unlikely that this Government's participation in the ITO will materialize soon. Advices in Washington indicate that H. J. Res. 236 will not be enacted during the present session of Congress. The legislative pattern designed to secure Congressional approval of the ITO is similar to that of the St. Lawrence Seaway project. The Seaway project was pending in treaty form for several years before the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate and when the Administration decided to incorporate this project into bill form it was found that, while it passed the House promptly, the Senate decided to pigeonhole it because of the obvious intent to circumvent the constitutional prerogative of the Senate to advise and consent to the ratification of treaties. The ITO bill may be slated for a similar fate. It is deemed essential by western Senators and Congressmen that the present session of Congress enact some form of mining legislation before its adjournment, now set for July 31st. These legislators from prominent ore-producing states do not desire to return to their home areas in the fall emptyhanded. Aside from that, it is entirely superfluous to reiterate the necessity for maintaining a healthy domestic mining industry as a bulwark against a sharp rise in the temperature of the "cold war". Now that S. 2105 has failed a new bill is taking shape in the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. It is similar in language to H. R. 8221 (to encourage the conservation and development of the mineral resources of the United States) reported by the House Public Lands Committee on May 3, 1950, but so far has failed to receive approval of the House Committee on Rules. There are some qualified observers in high circles in Washington as well as in the mining industry who favor a tax incentive program to stimulate investment in mining enterprises, as opposed to a conservation and exploration program. The Bureau of Mines and the Treasury Department have undertaken a joint study to determine the need for modification of the tax laws as they apply to mining. The study is scheduled for completion before the end of the year, and appears to be supplementary to the investigation initiated by the National Minerals Advisory Council which culminated in the submittal of recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior in December 1949. The "cold war" is largely responsible for the increased demand for metals. Stock-pile purchases and heavy industrial demand due to military needs distort markets and disrupt normal price trends. Such activity has an unhealthy influence on metal production, luring some producers into a state of dependency on the continuation of this condition. When stock-pile objectives are met sometime in the future purchases must then come to a halt unless international "fireworks" are touched off. It can only be hoped that technological improvements and further mechanization of mines coupled with the stimulus of a rising population will offset the anticipated drop in industrial demand and cessation of stockpile purchases when the international crisis abates.

Jan 7, 1950

By Robert Laurich

Chuquicamata pit was opened in 1915 with steam shovels and steam locomotives brought down from the Panama Canal excavation project. With expansions in the early years, more steam locomo¬tives were brought into the mine. IMPROVED LOCOMOTIVES During the period 1927 to 1937, electric locomo¬tives were purchased and main line and bench tracks were electrified. Third rail was installed up to the working areas. At first, the locomotives were equipped with batteries for service at the shovels, but charge life was too short and they were con¬verted to use the third rail and a reel with 3000 ft of trailing cable for service in the loading area.

Jan 11, 1959

By E. D. Hummer

During the planning of the fine coal cleaning addition at the Gary, W. Va., Coal Preparation Plant of United States Steel Corp. careful consideration was directed toward the problem of minus 48 mesh refuse disposal. The plant flow sheet included wet screening the raw coal at ¼ in., pumping the minus ¼ in. raw coal to bowl desiltors for desliming, and then cleaning the deslimed raw coal on tables. The material to be removed from the circuit as minus 48 mesh refuse consisted of the minus 100 mesh desiltor overflow thickened in two 120 ft diam thickeners and minus 1 mm screened from the table refuse. Later a flotation plant was added to recover coal from the desiltor overflow, and a classifier replaced the screens to make a sharper size separation of the table refuse at 48 mesh. Today the minus 48 mesh refuse at Gary consists of thickened flotation tailing and thickened spiral classifier overflow. The transportation of large quantities of fine, wet refuse filter cake mixed with jig and table refuse over existing conveying equipment would have been neither dependable nor economical. Filtration was therefore impractical, and disposal of the fine materials was a problem. The decision was to pump the material to storage ponds.

Jan 3, 1965

By G. M. Ikeda, J. G. Sibakin

An investigation was carried out to determine the variables affecting the coiling temperature of strip in the 56-in. hot strip mill. After statistical treatment, equations have been derived to determine the temperature drop between mill and coiler for both full spray (top and bottom) and top spray only practices. The individual influences of each variable in the temperature drop were derived for both practices. Limitations of the present practices were shown and adjustments in cooling for increased rolling speeds were suggested. A method of estimating the required number of sprays, their spacing, pressure, etc., to achieve a desired temperature drop is developed. MAXIMUM finishing temperature of a hot strip mill is mainly determined by the rolling speed, gage, and the temperature of the bar entering the mill. This finishing temperature may be limited by the maximum admissible coiling temperature in cases when either the cooling facilities on the runout table are not adequate or, more generally, when the cooling capacity of the runout table and the production capacity of the continuous mill are out of balance. Some time ago, the balance between these two factors was not considered detrimental to production. Recently, a new drafting schedule was introduced which increased the production rate, the entry temperature, and hence the finishing temperature. Thus, the restriction of the maximum specified coiling temperature became an important factor for many of the thicker gages. An investigation of the factors determining the coiling temperature may be, therefore, of considerable importance. A brief description of the available equipment will be a useful illustration of the techniques and methods used for this investigation. The 56 in. continuous hot strip mill is composed of six 4-high stands each containing two 221/2-in. diam work rolls and two 45-in. diam back-up rolls. Either of the last two stands can be used as the finishing stand. Which stand is used is dependent on the total percentage of reduction to be taken over the whole train, i.e., on the entry thickness and the final gage. The characteristics of these last two stands are given in Table I. Table I. Operational Characteristics of Nos. 5 and 6 Stands No. .5 NO. 6 Maximum voltage GOO 600 Power, hp 30(10 W00 I normal, kilonmp 4.35 3.73 Rpm of motor and rolls ISO 15 0 ITS to 300 Spettl ot strip, fpm 333 6 to 376T.2 103) to 2062 The speed of the finishing stand varies with the amount of reduction, strip width, and the exit gage. Finishing speeds in general use for varying gages are shown in Table 11. These speeds may change with an increase or decrease in the entry temperature of the strip. Even though the maximum speed of No. 6 stand is shown as 2062 fpm, this has so far never been attained,

Jan 1, 1957

By H. T. Clark, S. Feigenbaum

The importance of measuring the temperature of molten steel in the open-hearth furnace has been recognized for many years. Poor temperature control may be costly to steelmaking operations and lead to a lowered quality of the steel. Low or excessive temperatures may shorten the life of the furnace, ladles and molds. Rates of reactions in the furnace and efficiencies of deoxidizers are known to change materially with a change in the temperature of the metal and slag. Ladle skulls and mold and stool stickers cause steel to be scrapped instead of being converted into useful products. Finally, the structure, segregation and surface condition of ingots are affected by the teeming temperature. Mill investigations of the effect of bath temperature upon steelmaking operations have been largely qualitative in character, based upon observations by practical melting men. The physical chemist has used the empirical information available and has reached reasonable and useful conclusions with respect to the various melting processes. The introduction of a reliable direct-reading pyrometer will permit accurate quantitative evaluation of the effects of temperature and should furnish a more rational basis for study of the thermochemistry of steelmaking. The problem is not merely one of making a small numbcr of temperature measurements in the open-hearth furnace. This has been done by several methods to a * Assistant Manager, Research and Development, Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Issued as T.P. 2031 in MEtals Technology, June 1946; also in Open Hearth Proc., 1946. † Open-hearth Metallurgist, Jones and 1aughlin Steel Corporation, Aliquippa. Pennsylvania. degree of precision that was apparently satisfactory. Considerable effort by a number of investigators has been directed rather to the development of an open-hearth bath pyrometer that would be both accurate and practical for routine measurements. To be practical, the pyrometer should be inexpensive to operate; that is, the installation, operating and maintenance costs should be exceeded by the tangible benefits to the open-hearth operator. Temperatures from 2800' to 3100°F. are. encountered in the open-hearth furnace. The surface of the molten metal is covered by several inches of slag, which prevents direct observation of the metal surface for optical or radiation measurements. Both slag and metal are highly reactive at these temperatures and will attack to a greater or lesser extent any material immersed in them. Adequate protectioil of thermocouples, which of necessity must be brought to the temperature of the bath, has generally resulted in a large, heavy assembly made up of brittle materials, unsuited for handling on the open-hearth floor. The life of the equipment was short and maintenance was an important consideration. Earlier Work Any of a number of Physical Properties of liquid steel could conceivably be used a a basis for temperature measurement. Efforts to the present time, however, have been confined largely to measuring either the thermal electromotive force generated between two dissimilar materials immersed in the steel or the intensity of radiation from the surface of the steel. These

Jan 1, 1947

By H. T. Clark, S. Feigenbaum

The importance of measuring the temperature of molten steel in the open-hearth furnace has been recognized for many years. Poor temperature control may be costly to steelmaking operations and lead to a lowered quality of the steel. Low or excessive temperatures may shorten the life of the furnace, ladles and molds. Rates of reactions in the furnace and efficiencies of deoxidizers are known to change materially with a change in the temperature of the metal and slag. Ladle skulls and mold and stool stickers cause steel to be scrapped instead of being converted into useful products. Finally, the structure, segregation and surface condition of ingots are affected by the teeming temperature. Mill investigations of the effect of bath temperature upon steelmaking operations have been largely qualitative in character, based upon observations by practical melting men. The physical chemist has used the empirical information available and has reached reasonable and useful conclusions with respect to the various melting processes. The introduction of a reliable direct-reading pyrometer will permit accurate quantitative evaluation of the effects of temperature and should furnish a more rational basis for study of the thermochemistry of steelmaking. The problem is not merely one of making a small numbcr of temperature measurements in the open-hearth furnace. This has been done by several methods to a * Assistant Manager, Research and Development, Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Issued as T.P. 2031 in MEtals Technology, June 1946; also in Open Hearth Proc., 1946. † Open-hearth Metallurgist, Jones and 1aughlin Steel Corporation, Aliquippa. Pennsylvania. degree of precision that was apparently satisfactory. Considerable effort by a number of investigators has been directed rather to the development of an open-hearth bath pyrometer that would be both accurate and practical for routine measurements. To be practical, the pyrometer should be inexpensive to operate; that is, the installation, operating and maintenance costs should be exceeded by the tangible benefits to the open-hearth operator. Temperatures from 2800' to 3100°F. are. encountered in the open-hearth furnace. The surface of the molten metal is covered by several inches of slag, which prevents direct observation of the metal surface for optical or radiation measurements. Both slag and metal are highly reactive at these temperatures and will attack to a greater or lesser extent any material immersed in them. Adequate protectioil of thermocouples, which of necessity must be brought to the temperature of the bath, has generally resulted in a large, heavy assembly made up of brittle materials, unsuited for handling on the open-hearth floor. The life of the equipment was short and maintenance was an important consideration. Earlier Work Any of a number of Physical Properties of liquid steel could conceivably be used a a basis for temperature measurement. Efforts to the present time, however, have been confined largely to measuring either the thermal electromotive force generated between two dissimilar materials immersed in the steel or the intensity of radiation from the surface of the steel. These

Jan 1, 1947

By C. M. Shigley

Tan record of the largest magnesium plant in the country utilizing sea water as a primary raw material stands as another victory in the struggle for large-scale production of pure chemical elements from the oceans. Bromine was the first element to be economically and commercially recovered when, in 1933, a six million pound per year unit was built on the Atlantic Coast near Wilmington, North Carolina, by the Ethyl-Dow Chemical Co.1 The bromine was reacted with ethylene to produce ethylene dibromide, a necessary associate of tetraethyl lead in ethyl antiknock fluid. Within eight years that plant was doubled and redoubled, and another large unit was put into operation at Freeport, Texas, taking bromine from the Gulf of Mexico. In 1940, in fortunate anticipation of the impending demand for magnesium and the limitations of the production from natural brines, the Dow Chemical Co. turned again to the sea, and designed and erected a plant at Freeport to produce 18,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year from sea water.2 In March 1941, two months after the new plant had been put into successful operation, construction of an 18,000,000-lb. Government-financed addition was started. Late in 1941, as a part of the $400,000,000 defense program intended to produce 600,000,000 t0 700,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year, Dow was asked to build and operate for the Government a 72,000000-lb. plant near its original plant at Freeport. Within a few days after the Japanese made their attack at Pearl Harbor, preparation of a site was started at Velasco, Texas, for the construction of the Texas plant of the Dow Magnesium Corporation-the largest known magnesium plant utilizing sea water as its raw material. Less than six months after the first piling was driven, urgently needed magnesium was in steady production. Five months later, the plant had exceeded its rated capacity. It remained above rated production until the general magnesium curtailment was applied to Government-owned plants in September 1944. Credit for the construction and operation record of the Dow magnesium plant must be divided among the efforts of a very determined group of men, an extremely favorable location, and a simple process. It is with the two latter aspects of the plant that this article will deal. The site for the new enterprise was chosen near Velasco, Texas, on property bordering the Brazos River at a point approximately 6 miles inland from the original magnesium plant and y miles inland from the Freeport Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. This location was far enough away from the operating units to reduce both interference from construction and the vulnerability of closely bunched manufacturing operations to the then feared air attack. Yet the distance inland was not too great for the economical construction of a barge canal from the harbor to serve both the transportation of raw

Jan 1, 1945

By K. J. Anusavice, R. T. DeHoff, A. G. Guy, T. B. Lindemer

As one oi the approacizes to understanding multicorn-ponent dimsion, an expevinzental sturly is being jnade of tracer diffusion in the copper corner of the CLI-Ni-Zn syste?n, out to 30 at. pct each of nickel and zinc, and in the 150°C range oJ temperature just below tlze solidts te?rlperature. The reslts obtained using the Znm isotope are reported heve, while studies with nickel and copper isotopes are planned for a future paper. The fifteen alloys investigated were melted in sealed wear lubes, sroaged, homogenized, and then analyzed, using the conventional isotope-plating plus lathe- sectiorzing teclzniqlte. The data obtaiued show that the difJusion coeflcient of the zinc isotope increases titlz increase in zinc content, and decreases t'itlz incease in nickel content. The correlation xith solidus temperature is particularly strong. Diffirsiui-ties ranged fro u sq cm per sec nt tlze Iiigh-zinc, low-nickel compositions. The activation energy /or tracer diffusion ravied j.or 31.000 to 54,000 calper mole. It is now generally recognized that diffusion data and theories are needed for multicomponent systems, where extensive practical developments and even some theoretical studies have already been made. For example, much recent work on precipitation from solid solution has been concerned with ternary solid solutions such as A-M-Z' while Zener relaxation has been studied on Au-Ag-Zn alloys,' although adequate diffusion data are available for neither of these systems. Actually, the only ternary systems for which systematic diffusion studies have been begun, in addi- tion to the one reported here, are CO-i-cr3 and Cu-A-Au. Since the theory of multicomponent diffusion is still in the stage of active development5 it is important to distinguish the various kinds of diffusion data that can be determined. An oversimplified approach, widely used prior to 1950, was to determine the influence of a third element, such as nickel, on the diffusion behavior of a binary alloy, such as CU-Z. Later it was recognized7 that four diffusion coefficients can be used to describe ordinary interdiffusion in a ternary system, while as many as six coefficients may be required to include the Kirkendall effect. It is likely that the number of independent coefficients will be shown to be less than four and six, respectively, through the application of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes.5 The simplest type of diffusion in a multicomponent system is tracer diffusion, since each component is characterized by its own tracer-diffusion coefficient in an alloy of a given composition. Thus, in a ternary alloy there are three tracer-diffusion coefficients, each a function of composition and temperature. The present research program is a study of tracer diffusion in the copper corner of the Cu-Ni-Zn system out to 30 at. pct each of Ni and Zn in a 150°C range of temperature just below the solidus temperature. The

Jan 1, 1967

By H. H. Kaveler

A summary of the reservoir engineering and related geologic data on the Schuler field, Union County, Arkansas, is presented here in a manner intended to interest both technical and nontechnical readers. The Cotton Valley formation and the Reynolds oolite are oil-productive formations in the Schuler field, but the Jones sand pool, at a depth of 7500 ft., developed with 146 wells on zo-acre spacing, is the reservoir of principal interest. The Jones sand sandstone reservoir is an anticlinal trap typically gas-drive or depletion type in performance. The core analyses from 88 per cent of the wells drilled, together with drilling time and electric-log data, yield an accurate estimate of the "productive" sand thickness and its areal distribution over the pool. Accurate production statistics, monthly reservoir-pressure surveys, and bottom-hole sample analyses when correlated by the "material-balance equation" show unusually good agreement with that principle. Estimates of oil initially in place made by the material-balance method and the sand-volume method are in good agreement at 116 to rzo million barrels. The reservoir-pressure history of the pool reflects the reaction of a reservoir to production, proration and secondary-recovery practices. The cost of the extensive program of reservoir study in the Jones sand pool has been estimated, in order to emphasize the value derived from such an investment through better understanding of a reservoir's reaction to production practices. Unit operation of 140 of the 146 Jones sand wells made possible an effective unitized gas-injection pressure-maintenance program. Res-ervoir-pressure decline was arrested, natural flow was maintained, and pumping and lease equipment were conserved. An increased ultimate recovery of zo million barrels beyond the estimated 34 million barrels primary recovery is indicated at present. Extension of the Jones sand unit to include the undeveloped Cotton Valley formation will permit additional recovery of otherwise uneconomic reserves of oil through wells no longer required in the Jones sand operations. Introduction The Schuler field comprises approximately 4000 acres in and about sec. 18, T. 18 S., R. 17 W. in west central Union County, Arkansas. Three reservoirs are procluctive of oil and gas: the Cotton Valley formation, the Jones sand, and the Reynolds oolite section of the Smackover limestone. The Jones sand pool is the most important reservoir from an engineering viewpoint. It possesses the traditional and somewhat classic characteristics usually associated with an anticlinal trap. Development and operations have followed the dictates of advanced engineering practices. The pool has attracted attention because of the unusually detailed reservoir data obtained, its interesting production history, and the success of the unitized gas-injection pres-sure-maintenance operation now being carried out. The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of the engineering data relating to the field, with particular reference to the more interesting general applications of

Jan 1, 1944