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By T. B. Counselman

"C" VERYONE who has to calculate cyanide circuits, -¦-' using either thickeners, filters or both, realizes the headaches involved in solving a set of simultaneous equations. When you calculate a large number of these, based on experimental data, trying to arrive at the best flowsheet, you can spend days at the task. T. B. COUNSELMAN, Member AIME, is Manager, FluoSolids Division, The Dorr CO., Stamford, Conn. AIME New York Meeting, Feb. 1950. TP 2783 B. Discussion (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before March 31, 1950. Manuscript received Aug. 23, 1949. Herewith is presented a short method, equally accurate with the standard simultaneous equation method, and much quicker. Here for instance is the standard simultaneous equation method, for 100 tons per day of $10 ore, with the conditions assumed as below (fig. 1). Conditions Assumed a. 100 tons of ore per day crushed in cyanide solution. b. Discharge from all thickeners with 50 pct moisture. c. $10 value dissolved per ton of ore. d. 50 pct in mill and 50 pct in agitators. e. 400 tons of solution from thickener V precipitated to $0.02. f. Agitation with a dilution of 2 of solution to 1 of solids. g. Let V, W, X, Y and Z represent value in dollars per ton of solution discharged from the resvective thickeners. Equating Out of and Into Each Thickener 1. lOOVplus 400V = 500W plus (0.50 X $10 X 100) 2. 1OOWplus 600W= 500X plus lOOW plus (0.50 X $10 X 100) plus lOOV 3. lOOXplus 500X = 1OOWplus 500Y 4. 1OOY plus 500Y = 1002 plus 1OOX plus (400 X 0.02) 5. 100 Zplus l00Z = l00Y plus 100 tons of water (value $0.00) Simplifying: 1. v = W plus 1.00 2. W = X plus 1.20 3. X = Y plus 0.24 4. Y = 0.2Zvlus 0.064 5. 2Z= Y

Jan 1, 1951

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT ITS MEETING ON APRIL 17, 1936 Recognizing the fact that the problems of the committee named by the Board to prepare the " official ticket" for officers and Directors of the Institute are various and difficult; and desiring to assist this committee by setting forth some of the principles that should guide the committee and some of the qualifications that should be required of candidates, the following instructions are formulated and the Secretary is directed to publish them in MINING AND METALLURGY concurrently with the publication of the names of each newly appointed Nominating Committee and to send a copy to each member of the Committee. NOMINATIONS TO BE MADE Each year the Nominating Committee is to select "official" candidates for eight places, as follows: (1) President and Director (2) Vice-President and Director (3) Vice-President and Director (4) Director (5) Director (6) Director (7) Director (8) Director GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION The Bylaws provide that "the Nominating Committee shall, so far as practicable, distribute representation on the Board geographically." Pursuant to this provision, the United States, Canada and Mexico have been divided into fifteen districts, as shown on the official map.* Districts 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12,13,14, and 15 are assigned one Directorship each; District 2, three Directorships; District 3, eight Directorships; District 4, two Directorships; and Districts 7, 8, and 9, two Directorships between them. It will be the duty of the Nominating Committee to make selections that will give effect to this allocation of Directorships. There is nothing to prevent a Director being named to succeed himself. Attention is called to the: fact that many Institute members now resident in New York formerly lived in the West, South, or North and still have intimate business connections that compel them to visit various parts of the country periodically. Such men are particularly valuable as Directors and their nomination and election tends to minimize the objection that a large number of Directors reside in New York.

Jan 1, 1940

By John H. Bell

R. B. T. KILIANI, New York, N. Y.-I wish to present some figures based upon actual observation extending over a few months time which seem to prove the author's conclusions. It is a comparison of two machines operating on the same ore, in the same plant, one taking the undersize of ½ -in. screen and the other taking the undersize of 8-mesh. Each of the machines was first operated as a pebble mill, with flint pebbles, in open circuit, then with metal pebbles in open circuit and, finally with metal pebbles in closed circuit. For the first case, the percentage of oversize on 48-mesh, Tyler screen, in the discharge, varied, in the mill taking ½ -in- feed, from 37.2 to 19.9 per cent. The second mill, taking the 8-mesh feed, had a variation in oversize on 48-mesh, from 36.8 per cent: to 0.5 per cent.; so it is seen there is considerable variation in these figures. I have computed the tons per kilowatt-day reduced through 48-mesh for each machine under each one of these conditions, giving 6 sets of figures. The first of these I called 1.0 and determined the ratio of the others to this.. In the snipe way, I figured the relative mechanical efficiency according to Kick's law, using' the figures given by Mr. Taggart in his paper, for ordinal numbers of the Tyler screens. I have also figured the efficiency in mesh-tons per horsepower according to Gates' method by plotting the screen analyses of feed and product and multiplying the area by a constant dependent on the scale used. The commercial efficiency of tons per kilowatt-day reduced through 48-mesh checks very closely with the efficiency by Rittinger's law, within 1 per cent. except in one case. By Kick's law, the efficiency checks fairly closely, within about 5 per cent., with the commercial efficiency of the mill grinding feed, but when we start to grind a finer, 8-mesh material, and especially grinding very fine; with a

Jan 4, 1917

By J. Th. Erb

The total crude oil production of these islands, which in 1928 amounted to nearly 5,000,000 metric tons—about 36,500,000 bb1.—has again increased in 1929. The figures for 1929 are as follows: Metric ToNs† North Sumatra........................................ 369,930 South Sumatra........................................ 1,236,510 Java and Ceram....................................... 678,787 Dutch Borneo (including Tarakan)....................... 2,793,326 Sarawak.............................................. 759,700 Total............................................... 5,838.253 †1 metric tor1 = 7.36 bbl. on the average. This production, as far as the Dutch Islands are concerned, is owned partly by the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij, the producing subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Concern, and partly by the Kolon-isle Petroleum Maatschappij (Standard Oil Co. of N. J.), while that of the British Protectorate Sarawak belongs to the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co., Ltd., of London. The increase in 1929 is due partly to more intensive drilling; the rotary system, which enables drilling to be done more quickly and to greater depths than was possible with the percussion system, has come into more general use. Further, considerable extensions have been made to some of the existing fields and several new pools have been discovered, which contributed in no small degree to the increase in production. Of particular interest is the fact that the ('Niam" (Nederlandsche Indische Aardolie Maatschappij), in which the Dutch Government has a large share and which company in 1928 was producing from only two fields in South Sumatra, has discovered a pool in North Sumatra and, moreover, has struck oil on the island of Poeloe Boenjoe near Tarakan (Eastern Borneo). The deepest well still drilling is in one of the fields of the "Niam" and has reached a depth of 2269 meters (7445 feet). Notwithstanding the tropical c1imate and the dense jungle in which most of the fields are situated, the most modern scientific methods are applied in exploration, in drilling, producing and refining.

Jan 1, 1930

State of Indiana, Department of Conservation, Division of Geology, Indianapolis, Ind. W. N Logan, State Geologist A list of the publications will be sent upon request. A series of yearly reports have been issued, with a few early exceptions, since 1869, up to and including the 41st (1916) Five of these are issued free, 18 are out of print, and the rest may be obtained at a quoted price. Beginning in 1917, the administrative reports of the State Geologist have been published in the Indiana Year Book. In 1919, the Department of Geology and Natural Resources became the Division of Geology in the Department of Conservation and separates of later reports in the Year Book are available, as follows. 3rd Report (1921), Gold in Indiana, 4th (1922), The New Albany shale, peat deposits of Indiana; 5th (1923), Petroleum conserva¬tion, 6th (1924), Conservation of natural gas; 7th (1925), Coal losses of Indiana, 10th (1928), Geological conditions in the Siosi oil field, 11th (1929), The mineral fuel resources of Indiana, 12th (1930), Oil and gas developments in 1930. (Titles of lesser interest are omitted ) The following Special Reports have been printed as publications of the Department of Conservation: Special Report 6, Kaolin of Indiana (1919), free; 21, Handbook of Indiana geology (1922), $5 to nonresidents and $3 to residents, 42, Geologic conditions in the oil fields of southwestern Indiana (1924), 75 cents to non-residents and 50 cents to residents; 55, Geology of the deep wells of Indiana (1926), $1; 75, Geology of the Silurian rocks of northern Indiana (1928), $1, cloth bound, 8125, 78, Indiana oolitic limestone map of Monroe-Owens counties (1928), $1, 79, Indiana oohtic limestone map of Lawrence County (1928), $1; 90, The geologic history of the vertebrates of Indiana (1929), $1, cloth bound, $125, 91, The ceramic materials of Indiana (1929), free, 98, The Borden (Knobstone) rocks of southern Indiana (1931), $1 25, cloth bound, $150, 101, Insoluble residue studies of Mississippian limestones in Indiana (1931), 25 cents

Jan 1, 1933

By Jose M. Sobral

The approximate production of petroleum in the various fields and for the country as a whole is shown in the following table, the figures for the later months of the year being estimated. Among the developments of the year may be mentioned the finding by the Standard Oil Co. of a small production, about 6290 bbl., at Aguas Blancas in the Province of Salta near the Bolivian border, and of about 88,000 bbl. at Lomitas, near Tartagal in the same province. The Government (Yaciementos Petroliferos Fiscales) in the last four months of the year also obtained about 6290 bbl, from Quebrada Galarce. .The oil found in Salta is of good grade and while the quantity is small great hopes of larger production are entertained. Approximate Total Argentine Production for 1928 Barrels Barrels Comodoro Rivadavia............................... 8,165,615 Plaza Huincul..................................... 783,514 8,949,129 Distribution of Production Government, Comodoro Rivadavia................... 5,165,159 Government, Plaza Huincul......................... 306,166 5,471,325 Private, Comodoro Rivadavia....................... 3,000,456" Private, Plaza Huincul............................. 477,348b 3,477,804 a The companies represented are Astra, 649,474 bbl.; Oriente, 42,237; Ferrocar-rilera, 1,337,380; Comp. Indust. y Comm., 609,092, Solano, 64,158; Diadema, 298,114. b Standard Oil Co. and a few smaller companies, Exploratory drilling has also been conducted around the Comodoro Rivadavia field. The Government is drilling at Vuela del Senguer south of Colonia Sarmiento and about 200 km. west of the main field hut the prospect of success is not as yet large. The country around Castillo, where the Royal Dutch Co. has property, is regarded more favorably. perhaps the most interesting event of the year was the discovery of a productive horizon at Comodoro Rivadavia about 200 m. below that previously exploited. This new horizon was found by the Ferrocarrilera Co. at 769 m. in its well No. 81, the previous yield for this

Jan 1, 1929

By Peter G. Groer

Several methods1-3 are being used to determine the WL and individual Rn-daughter concentrations in uranium mine atmospheres. The best of these methods is the one given in Ref. 3. According to this method, the WL and the Rn-daughter concentrations are determined from the total a-counts observed during three consecutive time intervals. Its only disadvantage lies in the fact that rather involved calculations are necessary to convert the observed counts into WL or pCi/l (picocuries per liter). There are, however, counting intervals that give simple weighting coefficients for the observed counts. This fact makes it possible to convert from a-counts to WL or pCi/l with the aid of a graph. After some trial runs on a computer the following equations emerged as the basis for the most practical procedure: [ ] NA, N.., and & stand for the number of RaA, RaB, and RaC atoms per liter of air. C(t1,t2) denotes the counts observed from time t. to time t2 (in minutes) after the end of the 5-min sampling period. E is the detector efficiency and V is the flow rate in liters per minute. With an accuracy loss of less than -5% one finds from [Eq. 1] by adding the corresponding terms: If the WL would have been calculated according to [Eq. 2] instead of using the graph, the result would have been 0.31. Since the values used for C's under [Eq. 3] represent the exact number of counts from a Rn-daughter mixture in equilibrium with 100/3 pCi of Rn the exact WL of this mixture can be calculated easily. The exact value is: [ ] This shows that the method is quite accurate for the 0.3 WL domain. The precision of the method excluding errors made in reading the graph can be estimated with the help of the following formula: [ ]

Jan 1, 1974

By A. F. Banks

INTRODUCTION Selective flocculation-flotation as a method of desliming potash flotation feed has been practiced in the Cominco Ltd. potash plant since November. 1974 when it was installed to replace a less efficient mechanical desliming process. The plant was designed for a consistent feed containing 4.5% insolubles. In practice the quantity and quality of the insoluble material is quite variable. This variability led to serious problems in the deslime circuit and consequently had an adverse effect on sylvite flotation performance. A costly mechanical solution to the problem was being seriously considered when it was drawn to our attention that a selective flocculation-flotation process had been developed. The process was tried first in the laboratory on the Cominco Ltd. ore, then on a pilot basis on 25% of the mill feed and finally full scale. The time from being informed of the process to full scale operation was 18 months. It has since been incorporated into a tailings regrind circuit. The original mine design called for the mining of an 11 foot height up to the top of the three clay seams. These had to be taken as they were a zone of structural weakness. It also assumed that the beds would be uniform with only a few disturbances. Very soon after the initial start up it was found that permanent openings had to take in the layers right up to the upper clay seams and because of the mining process that this material would have to be milled when encountered. The number of disturbed areas in the mine is greater than the design anticipated. In operation the insoluble content of the mill feed varies from 4.5% to 8% plus with the peaks being very short- term to relatively long, from hours to day. In terms of quality, the insolubles in the mining horizon are relatively soft and easily liberated, whereas those above are hard and liberate slowly.

Jan 1, 1979

By A. S. Koster, G. D. Rieck

X-ray experiments were carried out to show the occurrence of cylindrical texture in drawn tungsten wire. Only a small amount of (110) (110) cylindrical texture could he found in wires of intermediate thickness, i.e., of about 1.5 mm diameter. DRAWN wires of tungsten and other bcc metals like iron and molybdenum show a well-established (110) fiber texture. Now it might be conceivable that in drawing radial stresses remove the randomness of the crystallites around the [110} axis, thus giving a fiber texture of higher symmetry. In the resulting so-called cylindrical textures a specified plane normal coincides with the radius of the wire. Several authors discuss the occurrence of cylindrical textures in bcc metals. ~ieck' found no cylindrical texture in drawn tungsten wires of 165 n diameter. Leber~ states that in tungsten wires of 3 mm diameter a cylindrical {100)(110) texture is developed, which is gradually converted to a normal fiber texture by subsequent drawing. He also reported a definite cylindrical texture at the surface of iron wires. Peck and Thomas3 observed a nonuniform mode of deformation of the grains in transverse sections of heavily drawn tungsten and iron wires. According to Bhandary and cullity4 a swaged iron wire has neither a perfect (110) fiber texture nor a perfect {100}(110) cylindrical texture. It is clear that the concept of cylindrical texture in bcc metals still lacks a firm experimental basis. Leber's eviden~e,~ which seems to be the strongest, rests upon qualitative interpretation of photographs. The appearance of the 110 and 200 lines on the photograph of 3-mm wire, however, can be very well attributed5 to a normal ( 110) fiber texture superimposed on random background; our Fig. 1, giving a Debye-Scherrer diagram of etched tungsten wire of 180 p, is free of cylindrical texture according to all authors, but is quite similar to Leber's diagram. It was therefore decided to use a different method of X-ray texture determination on tungsten wires of diameters where cylindrical textures may be expected.

Jan 1, 1965

By Valentin R. Garfias, C. O. Isakson

The production of oil in Mexico during 1929 was approximately 45,000,000 bbl., or 5,000,000 bbl. less than in 1928. The production of the fields near Tampico showed a decline of over 10,000,000 bbl. for both the light and heavy crudes, which was partly offset by an increase of over 5,000,000 bbl. in the production of the fields in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. During 1929 the retrenchment policy followed by practically all the companies was continued and no material improvement should be expected until the unsatisfactory conditions that brought about this situation are remedied. A new administration has just assumed control in Mexico; it should remain in power for 6 years, and the progress of the oil industry during that time will depend primarily on the policy pursued by the new government with respect to oil development. Development During 1929, there were drilled 214 wells as compared with 371 in 1928 and 583 in 1927. The percentage of producers in 1929 was 47.2 as against 34 per cent. in 1928. The new wells did not show water as quickly as in 1928, particularly in the Cacalilao field, where the greatest number of producers was brought in, their average initial daily production being 380 bbl. The flush daily production per well in the Southern fields was 1730 bbl., while the wells in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec came in with an average of 770 bbl. Development is summarized in Table 1. In the Southern fields 63 wells were drilled in 1929, of which 23 were producers, the best being drilled in Paso Real. This development tends to show that the southern extension of Dos Bocas-Alamo fault from Alamo to San Isidro terminates at San Isidro. The two wildcat wells completed in 1929, one in Magiscatzin and the other in Xicotencatl, were failures, and at the end of the year there were eight wildcat wells drilling and material was being hauled for two more.

Jan 1, 1930

By Ben B. Cox

During the past year considerable progress was made in the exploitation of Iraq's resources, although no new fields were discovered. The principal development was the completion of the much heralded pipe line from Kirkuk to the Mediterranean, by the Iraq Petroleum Co., Ltd., and the beginning of crude exports to Europe on the second of August. Official ceremonies for the opening of the lines took place in January, 1935. The line in itself is sufficient achievement under the existing natural handicaps to deserve a moment's attention. It is 1151 miles long, composed of two independent lines made up mostly of 12-in. with some 10-in. and 8-in. pipe, and extends from Kirkuk westward 156 miles to beyond the Euphrates River as a double line. From that point, near the village of Haditha inside the Iraq border, it bifurcates, one leg going as a single line to Haifa through the British Mandated Territories of Trans-Jordania and Palestine, and the other to Tripoli through the French Mandates of Syria and the Leban(on)ese Republics. The total length of the Tripoli line is 532 miles, of the Haifa line 619 miles. The line leaves Kirkuk at an elevation of 1013 ft., drops to 350 ft. at the Tigris, to 200 ft. at Wadi Tharthar west of the Tigris and again to 300 ft. at the Euphrates, rises to more than 3150 ft. at mile 451 on the central Arabian steppe along the south line and to more than 2500 ft. at mile 466 along the north line. On crossing the rift valley of the Jordan River south of Galilee, it drops abruptly below 850 ft. below sea level, requiring the use of extra heavy 8-in. pipe and a relief station to reduce the pressure. A picked group of American welders, under H. S. Austin, of the Ajax Pipe Line Co., laid the line. It is coated, wrapped, and buried 30 in. beneath the surface in solid rock along much of the route. It crosses four large rivers and wide stretches of alkaline soils. Twelve pumping stations are employed, three of which are double east of the bifurcation. Each single station houses three 500-hp. crude-burning deisel engines flexible-coupled to reciproratirig pumps. Each pumping unit is capable of handling a minimum of 21,000 bbl. of oil, giving the entire system a

Jan 1, 1935

By C. M. Kleeman

All mines have a finite life and the time comes when the ore is depleted, or it has become uneconomical, or for some other reason which may be peculiar to that particular mine, it must be shut down. The operation at that point of time still has some assets such as mining and milling equipment, workshops, and in the case of a gold mine, an unknown quantity of gold which has been trapped in the treatment plant. Recovering this gold can be done at small cost and can be extremely profitable. Recovery of these hidden assets requires a good knowledge of the treatment plant, i. e. , as say values of heads, tails, and of the products produced; and if mercury for amalgamation was used, where? A careful study of available plant records can be extremely valuable in forming a working plan for adequate recovery. In the following paragraphs the various unit operations and equipment where gold can collect are described and suggestions made for its recovery. Subsequently, a case history will be given for dismantling a gold plant which had a complex flowsheet and which had been in operation for many years. Looking for trapped gold in a crushing section would invariably not be worthwhile since crushing is normally a dry process and there would be few areas where free gold could collect. In the milling section, however, many areas can literally become small gold mines in themselves. Material in the bottoms of grinding mill scoop boxes can be high-grade, and even the scale on the sides of the boxes should be scraped off and collected. Mill liners should be removed and all scale, rust, and residue collected. Residue in the bottoms of rake or spiral classifiers, if they have been used, should be removed as should the scale and rust on the sides of pump sumps, launders, etc. The following procedures should be used to extract gold from these collected materials. All steel (ball scats) should be removed, screened out, and reserved. Fine material should be placed in an amalgam barrel, water added and ground with the amalgamation tailings being sampled and assayed. If high-grade, tails should be reserved; if not, discarded. The coarse material that was screened out should be placed in a heap, regularly sprayed with water and allowed to rust. After several months this material should be screened again and the fines amalgamated.

Jan 1, 1981

By Robert Uhley, Tsvi Meidav, L. Scharon

Before National Lead built an industrial plant on its Fredricktown property, some 100 miles south of St. Louis, a 750x500-ft area on the proposed site was investigated by electrical resistivity, seismic refraction, and churn drilling. Data were accumulated to prepare an isopach map of the overburden and to determine soundness of the dolomite bedrock and the depth to bedrock at fixed points. The site was on a gently sloping hillside. Elevations above sea level ranged from 760 ft in the northwest corner to 820 ft along the eastern edge, giving a total relief of 60 ft. There were no major drainage features, but in the northern part of the plant site there was an indicated depression area which later was interpreted as reflecting subsurface conditions in the bedrock. No rock was exposed in the entire plant site area; the surface was characterized by soil and overburden. GEOLOGY Prevailing geology in the area of investigation was relatively simple—Bonneterre dolomite overlain by residuum. The red overburden was that derived from the weathered Bonneterre. Some chert was present, interpreted in the general area as a weathering of both the Bonneterre dolomite and younger sedimentary rocks such as the Potosi dolomite. During the period of actual measurements the residuum varied from moist near surface on the western edge of the proposed site to dry near surface on the eastern edge, and for this reason overburden resistivities ranged from low on the west to high on the east. Seismic velocities were low, since the material was not well packed. The bedrock encountered was dolomite, specifically the Bonneterre of Upper Cambrian age which, according to McQueen,' consists of an upper dark gray member and a lower light gray member. These have been further divided into four zones, in ascending sequence a dark gray, sandy argillaceous dolomite; a dark brown or black, fine-grained dolomite: a light gray, finely crystalline, compact dolomite; and, at the top, a dark brown, finely crystalline, compact dolomite. In the area of investigation the upper two zones were encountered in the drilling tests as constituting the bedrock. The dolomite varies widely in porosity, which is low in the dense, fine-grained layers. In this area, therefore, both electrical resistivities and seismic velocities were high. Fracture zones in the Bonneterre are nearly Geology, and may extend to some depth, causing considerable deep weathering. It was realized that over deep fracturing the apparent resistivities

Jan 1, 1960

By AIME AIME

THE 1944 Chairman of the Institute of Metals Division might be classed as metallurgically ambidextrous ; he is teacher of theory and practice of both nonferrous and ferrous metallurgy, and he is consultant on brass and on highspred steel. Arthur Phillips was born in Troy N.Y. and attended the New Haven Connecticut high school. Upon graduation he entered Yale, receiving a degree in metallurgy in 1913. At that time Professor Mathewson was starting his plan of '"co-operation with the metal industries in metallographic work at the Hammond Laboratory of the Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, and Arthur Phillip, became the first co-operative graduate student, working in the laboratory of the Bridgeport Brass Co., and receiving his Masters of Science degree in 1915. A little later, when the department of metallurgy at Yale was expanded. Me. Phillips was appointed assistant professor. In 1928 he was made associate professor, and in 1934 he was promoted to full professor.

Jan 1, 1944

By Ray W. Arms

The combination wet and dry coal-cleaning process is not an attempt at a compromise between the wets and the drys nor is its merit confined entirely to the limitation of moisture in the smaller sizes. It is more correctly, and more broadly, an application of the sized-coal cleaning principle adapting itself in an ideal fashion to present day multiple-size preparation practice. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to call attention to the broader significance of the term "combination wet and dry process" and to mention some of the factors that govern its application. In the narrow sense, when considered apart from the sized-coal cleaning principle, the combination process finds its justification chiefly in the ability to limit the moisture in cleaned coal. Larger sizes of coal offer less superficial area compared with their bulk for the attraction of moisture films. They drain more readily in bins or railroad cars, having more interstitial space for the free flow of water. Therefore, they neither attract nor hold objectionable moisture percentages. In fact, there is so keen a demand for certain washed sizes containing some moisture that hygroscopic salts such as calcium chloride are applied to attract and retain it. When coal deliveries are made on a guaranteed moisture percentage the coarser sizes may be washed and mixed back with the fines without adding greatly to the original moisture but the fines must be dry cleaned or dried to control moisture. Thus in all respects moisture in the coarser sizes is less objectionable than in the fines. The implication of this statement, that moisture is always more or less objectionable, is true. It is safe to say that if dry-cleaning apparatus could be perfected to a point at which its technical results, cost and other aspects would be equal to wet washing, water would no longer be used. As it is, we find that good technical results are more difficult to obtain by dry cleaning than by water. Obviously the use of air tables for coarse coal is not ideal, for it involves the attempt to stratify material in a thin bed on a table surface when the load is only one particle deep. Furthermore, the various air cleaning tables on large sizes require a large volume of air for separation, more power to operate, more dust-collecting apparatus and involve more coal breakage.

Jan 1, 1931

By Eckley B. Coxe

The plummet lamp, to which I called the attention of the Institute, at the Bethlehem meeting, in August, 1871, with the improvement of the compensating ring, suggested by Mr. Heller, having come into general use for mine surveying in this country, and my attention having been called to the fact that it could not be employed in mines in which there was danger of meeting with fire-damp, I have so modified it that it can be used in all cases with safety. Mining engineers, who are in active practice in those districts where fire-damp is met with in the mines (and I am sorry to say it is becoming much more common in the anthracite regions), know how dangerous their work is when they are called upon to survey such mines, particularly when they are obliged to run lines in those parts of a mine which have been unworked, since by opening of doors, brattice, etc., to get the sights, they are liable to disarrange the currents of air, and cause any fire-damp that may have accumulated in the old workings to find its way into the levels, etc., where the party is at work. It is, therefore, very dangerous to leave an open light (such as the original form of plummet lamp) in an old breast or gangway, even when the safety lamp has shown that no fire-damp is present, for the opening of the doors, etc., may drive the fire-damp to the light, and thus endanger the lives of the engineers. The improved form of plummet lamp, now shown to you, can be used either with or without the safety apparatus. Upon the top of the plumb-bob portion of the old lamp a screw is cut, upon which a ring A is screwed. (See Plate 11.) On the external cylindrical part of this ring two small conical holes are drilled, 180' apart. The compensating ring, by which the plumb-bob part of the lamp is suspended, passes over the ring A, and is fastened to it by two small screws having conical points, which fit into the conical holes in the ring A. The safety apparatus resembles, to a certain extent, that of the Mueseler lamp. It consists of a ring B and plate C, which are united by four rods. The plate C has a cylindrical hole in the middle, and four apertures distributed radially around it. In the central cylindrical hole is fitted a conical brass chimney, which projects below the plate C, and is fastened to the latter, being kept ver-

By J. F. Wolff

EXPLORATION of Lake Superior iron ores is done principally by drilling. The soft iron ores are churn drilled and the harder ores are diamond drilled. In exploratory work in the harder formations, where the diamond drill is used, the sample comprises both core and cuttings. The care given in handling and preserving the core depends on the im-portance that may be attached to certain characteris-tic strata in different formations. The following instructions for the care of core samples are issued by the Oglebay Norton Co. for diamond drill work done for them on the Gogebic Range of Michigan: The driller shall be careful upon removing the core from the core-barrel to keep the core in exact order. Not only should the pieces of core be kept in exact relation to each other, but care should be used not to turn them end for end. Core should be placed in the core-box from left to right in each row. Each drill should be furnished with small, hinged cover core-boxes, and each drill should be well supplied with empty boxes. Core remaining at the drill when the drillers are not working should be locked up. The practice of picking sample pieces of core and carrying them away from the drill to be examined in better light, or shown to someone else, is unnecessary and prohibited. The reason for this is that these pieces are seldom returned to the core-boxes and valuable information or "markers" may be lost. If the inspector suspects that a critical point is reached in the drilling and he cannot determine at the drill, he should remove the entire core-box and see that the drill is immediately furnished with an empty core-box. It is customary to split the core longitudinally so that one-half may be ground to a pulp for analysis and the other half may be kept for future inspection. The core should be filed in permanent core-boxes, properly labelled, if the core is to be kept in exact order as taken from the core-barrel. Otherwise, it is often filed in tin boxes inn the way that sludge samples are filed. To obtain the average analysis, the core and cutting samples obtained in the same run are analyzed separately and the analyses are combined in the proper ratio.

Jan 9, 1922

By Henry Siegmann

HISTORY OF PRODUCTION AND USE In 1899 the consumption of fluorspar in the United States was reported as 16,000 tons. The invention of the open-hearth method of steel manufacture, plus the beginnings of a fluorine chemical industry, pushed consumption of fluorspar to 250,000 tons by 1918. In contrast to these consumption statistics of the past, the most recent statistics available (1972) indicate a total fluorspar usage in the United States of 1.352 million st (Table 15.4D.1). Fluorspar remains the world's cheapest source of fluorine, and its unique properties make the mineral the most desirable fluxing agent for steel refining. The linking of fluorine with carbon in the late 1930s resulted in the production of fluorocarbon, and constant growth in production over the years has formed the backbone of a strong fluorine chemical industry. For example, in 1972 it is estimated that total fluorocarbon production amounted to 2.113 million tons, and that, in this process, over 1.351 million tons of acid-grade fluorspar was consumed. The producers of primary aluminum long have been concerned about the fast dwindling reserves of natural cryolite. They found the solution to their problem by utilizing fluorspar for the manufacture of synthetic cryolite and aluminum fluoride. Nuclear weapons, as well as the growing number of peaceful uses for atomic reactors, constitute a market for uranium hexafluoride. This chemical and chlorine pentafluoride, used as an oxidizer with rocket fuels, are products that are as much a novelty as fluorocarbons were 25 years ago. Judging from past success in the field of fluorine chemistry research, it is safe to assume that the market for these chemicals will grow in the future. Three major industries account for the bulk of the fluorspar consumption: steel refining, fluorine chemical, and primary aluminum production. These industries have had a pattern of fabulous growth in the past, and their future plans point to a continuation of this pattern. It seems logical that the fluorspar usage also should continue its upward trend. Considering the growth of the fluorspar industry since 1899, and the obvious dependence on imports of fluorspar as a raw material, one of the most puzzling aspects of the past has been the apparent lack of coordination between fluorspar production and fluorspar consumption. A few authoritative voices have spoken out concerning the need to expand fluorspar production in order to meet consumption of the future. During World War II, the U.S. Government took positive steps in this direction by authorizing purchases at attractive prices for its "stockpile program." As a consequence, new fluorspar producing facilities were built, not only in

Jan 1, 1976

By P. A. Toynbee, D. G. Wilson

The combustion performance of sub-bituminous slack coal is greatly improved by the removal of the smaller size fractions. Screening processes are not well suited to the size separation, at 1/8 in. or 1/16 in., with coals which are normally wet, and the use of an alternative size-separation device has been investigated. It is felt that this classifier might be applied equally well to other minerals in cases such as this, where precise size limits are not essential. Coal is dropped as a curtain onto a curved metal plate, shaped rather like a ski-jump. The smaller particles, slowed up in their free fall to the plate and also by contact with the metal, leave the plate with a lower horizontal velocity; they can be separated from the larger particles by virtue of their shorter trajectory. The principle of the classifier is obvious from the diagram (see Fig. 1) which shows also the positions, relative to the curved plate, of the point of coal feed and of the dividing plate which separates the streams of coal particles. The horizontal distance between the curved plate and the dividing plate is varied in the tests. It is designated in the general case, by X. Tests were carried out using slack coal with a free moisture content higher than that expected in any commercial operation. The results given in Table I. show the percentage recovery of upgraded product, and the cumulative screen analysis of both the upgraded and reject material, for three different positions of the dividing plate. The results show, for example, that the original coal can be upgraded, with a recovery of 80%, to reduce the minus 1/8 in. frac-

Jan 1, 1965

By R. E. Somers

Discussion of the paper of R. E. SOMERS, presented at the San Francisco meeting, September, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 101, May, 1915, pp. 957 to 996. A. C. LAWSON, Berkeley, Cal.-One point to which Mr. Graton (in summarizing the paper for us) called attention is that the author had not explained why some copper was fixed in the zone of oxidation. I recollect very well puzzling over that question at Ely, Nev., some years ago. Mr. Sales, in his paper on Butte,1 suggests the explanation. It is clue according to him to the paucity of pyrite in the primary ore. Where there is abundant pyrite sufficient sulphuric acid is formed by oxidation to take all the copper into solution and carry it to lower levels; but where the pyrite is scant so that insufficient sulphuric acid is formed, some of the copper is carbonated and so fixed in the gossan. The hypothesis, or some modification of it, as for example the combination of the sulphuric acid with lime, would appear to explain satisfactorily the fixation of the copper in the gossan as carbonate. I have, however, had no occasion in recent years to study the phenomenon. L. C. GRATON, Cambridge, Mass.-As I remember, the rocks in which the chrysocolla occurs in the Burro Mountains are both silicified and kaolinized. It seems probable that in surroundings deficient in carbon dioxide, complete oxidation of chalcocite may yield chrysocolla up to a maximum of half the copper in the chalcocite; while in rocks, like garnet contact zones and certain easily decomposable porphyries, surface decomposition appears often to yield silica in the necessary form to convert the copper of primary sulphides into chrysocolla immediately and directly upon oxidation.

Jan 12, 1915