Search Documents

By C. F. Seaman, R. G. Clay

The mines of The Tennessee Copper Co. are in the Ducktown Basin, in southeastern Tennessee. The ore is a heavy sulphide consisting principally of chalcopyrite, pyrite and pyrrhotite and in places running as high as 95 per cent sulphur and iron. Operating mines are the Burra Burra and Eureka. Development ' of the Boyd ore body was started in 1940. Late in 1939 the decision was made to change from fuse and cap to all electric blasting and at the same time electric cap lamps were installed to replace carbide. These changes were made to improve the safety and working conditions in the mines. Both the Bureau of Mines and explosives manufacturers recommended electric blasting as a safety measure. Until that rime, electric blasting had been used only for shaft sinking and in places where it was absolutely essential for safety. Very few men had had experience in this type of blasting, as the places where it was required were those that also required direct supervision. It was necessary for the mining staff to work out methods, procedure, and equipment to be used. In this they were ably assisted by representatives of the explosives manufacturers. Many mistakes were made and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the original plan and installation, show the major difficulties encountered. the remedies applied, and present the practices now being followed. Comparison of costs of the two methods will also be discussed. About six months were required to make the change and eliminate fuse and cap blasting entirely. The first electric blasting stations were installed in November 1939 and the last fuse was taken underground in May 1940. A very unusual condition forced the use of fuse for a short time in one heading after May, but that will be discussed later. Original Equipment and Installation A power line is generally recommended as a source of current where permanent blasting stations are used. The plan worked out for electric blasting was to tap 220-volt alternating-current lines when they were available and use 250-volt direct current from the trolley wire at all other places. A blasting machine would be available at each shaft for places where there were no regular blasting stations and could be used if a regular station should fail. The equipment decided on was No. 16 duplex reinforced lamp cord for lines to within about 50 ft. of the working place and No. 20 lead wire from that point to the shots. An open double-pole, double-throw switch with slate base was put in the circuit, so connected that the down position would close the line to the shots 2nd the up position would connect it to the Iine from the power contactor. This switch was located in the circuit as close to the blast as was safe (should the shots explode when it was placed in the shooting

Jan 1, 1943

By H. A. Doerner, F. D. DeVaney, J.B. Clemmer

Production of magnesium metal in the United States during the past decade has increased from less than 600,000 lb. in 1928 to more than 4,800,000 lb. in 1938.1 The growing industry has stimulated interest in methods of production and in sources of raw material. All of the present domestic production is from brines. However, the availability of large tonnages of magnesite in the state of Washington, together with the possibility of cheap power, have created interest in the utilization of magnesite for the production of magnesium metal as well as for other purposes. Magnesite, the carbonate of magnesium (MgCO3), usually is associated with limestone (CaC03) and dolomite (MgCO3. CaC03). It occurs in crystalline and microcrystalline (sometimes termed amorphous) forms.2 The more common crystalline mineral is found in various shades of white, gray, yellow and brown, the colors being due to impurities, chiefly iron. Magnesite has a hardness of 3.5 to 4.5 and a specific gravity of 3.0 to 3.1. It forms rhombohedra1 crystals in the hexagonal system, having a vitreous, pearly luster. The quarries and mines of the Northwest Magnesite Co. near Chewelah, Wash., are large producers of magnesite for refractories. The deposits are extensive, some veins being hundreds of feet wide. The boundaries of the veins are indefinite, and the magnesite is interfingered with dolomite. Calcite, talc, serpentine, quartz and shale are disseminated through the deposits. The quality of the ore cannot be determined by appearance or by simple tests; chemical analysis is required. These features make it difficult to determine the boundaries or total quantity of workable ore.3 Only the higher-grade ores are mined, and a considerable proportion of the magnesite content is discarded by hand-sorting and log-washing methods. After calcining, the sorted product meets the specifications for usual refractory material, as it contains approximately 81 per cent MgO, 7 per cent SiO2, 6 per cent CaO and 6 per cent Fe203 + A1203. A sample of the reject material had the following analysis after calcining: 65.4 per cent MgO, 6.3 CaO, 21.1 SiO2 and 6.5 R2O3. The percentage reported as R2O3 includes compounds whose chlorides are acid-soluble but give precipitates in ammoniacal solution that are ignited and weighed. The more common constituents are Fe2O3, A1203 and TiO2. The sorted magnesite product is not the best grade. even for refractory purposes, and leaves much to be desired for a reduction process. The rejected material contains a large proportion of magnesite. It is apparent that an effective concentration method would yield a higher recovery and a better product. In general, the refractory grade is not suitably pure for other uses. Recent developments in the production of

Jan 1, 1943

By C. M. Marquardt

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

Jan 1, 1951

By H. W. Graham

The young metallurgist of today who thinks casually of the technical literature of the steel industry might conclude that little has been published concerning the Bessemer process. This conclusion is true as relating to the last decade or two, but there is a fairly voluminous Bessemer literature in the period of 1860 to 1910. Since that time, however, an entirely new level of metallurgical knowledge of steelmaking has been reached; and the present paper is simply an effort to look broadly from this new level and to bring the recorded history of the process up to date. It is an effort to appraise the acid Bessemer method of steelmaking in the light of today's technical knowledge thereof. In this paper matters of history will be dealt with only insofar as they contribute to an understanding of today's situation. Attention will be directed to the apparent causes of past developments in seeking to perceive the true direction of trends now in existence and effective as bearing upon future developments. The paper will discuss the economics of the Bessemer process, but only to the extent that will bear upon the metallurgist's understanding of his responsibility. The problem of the quality of Bessemer steel will be reviewed and examples will be given of the technical data upon which the reasoning of the paper is based. Matters of engineering design, mechanical maintenance, operation and metallurgical investigation will be surveyed. Comparisons will be made between the Bessemer and open-hearth processes for the sake of clear and ready understanding. Production First of all it is considered logical and informative to show how much Bessemer steel has been and is being produced, and the relation of that production to the tonllage made by the open-hearth process. Table 1 shows the tonnages made by the two processes in representative years. It is to be noted that these figures are in net tons of 2000, lb., whereas previous to 1940 the Institute figures were compiled in gross tons. id open-hearth production and steel going into castings are included, since separated data are not available for the early years of the period covered. The ratio shown in Table I is merely the Bessemer tonnage for a given year divided by the open-hearth tonnage of the same

Jan 1, 1941

By H. R. Nelson, Martin S. Maier

The diffusion of metals plays an important role in many metallurgical processes,lJ as, for example, the formation of alloys by the annealing of mixed powders, the homogenization of segregated alloys, and the carburization of steel. Other equally important phenomena, such as recrystalli-zation and creep, are based on the movement of like atoms. Although much is known concerning the effects of diffusion in metals, very little is known concerning the details of the physical processes involved. 1,3-5 The data that should give most information concerning the processes involved in diffusion are those on the diffusion of like atoms—self-diffusion. Very little is known concerning the rates of self-diffusion of metals because before the discovery of artificial radioactivity in 1934 there was no means of detecting the movement of the diffusing atoms through the solvent metal except in the elements possessing natural radioactive isotopes—lead, thallium and bismuth. Using the induced radioactivity of the element as an indicator, atoms can now be "tagged" so that the rate of diffusion of the radioactive isotopes of an element (tagged atoms) into the stable isotopes of the same element can be measured. As the radioactive and stable isotopes of an element differ only in nuclear structure, it is quite certain that all isotopes of an element diffuse at the same rate. Two techniques have been used to measure self-diffusion. In one, a thin layer of radioactive metal is deposited on the face of the solvent metal, and the decrease in the surface activity as the radioactive atoms diffuse into the solvent metal is measured. This method has been used to determine the coefficients of self-diffusion of lead6-l0 and bismuth10 using natural radioactive isotopes, and of gold1' and copper12 using artificial radioactive isotopes. In the other technique a thin layer of the radioactive metal is deposited oil one face of the solvent metal, and after diffusion has occurred the specimen is cut in thin sections to obtain the concentration-penetration curve. This method has been used to determine the coefficients of self-diffusion of gold,13 zinc,14-l6 silver," and copper.17 The second method was used for the work described in this paper. Materials The coefficients of self-diffusion were determined in two grades of polycrystalline copper and in single crystals of copper. Commercial OFHC copper was used in the form of disks I in. in diameter by % in. thick. Samples of high-purity copper described by Phillips and Skinnerl9 were supplied through the courtesy of the American Smelting and Refining Co. The high-purity copper rod was used without remelting by cross-rolling to a thickness of 0.075 in., from which disks 7/8 in. in diameter were cut. A good grade of bus-bar copper was used to make the single crystals.

Jan 1, 1942

By P. R. Kalischer

In the production of alloys by powder metallurgical processes it is often necessary or desirable to include one or more cornponents that tend to form very stable oxides. Included in this group of metals are aluminum, manganese, magnesium, silicon, and a few others. In many cases it is not necessary for the sintered compact to have full density and the other physical characteristics of a cast alloy and in that event no undue precautions need be taken. If, however, it is required that the sintered part be entirely homogeneous, and have maximum density and physical properties, some method must be found to reduce the surface films of oxide, which are always present on the metals, and for the metals mentioned above this is always extremely difficult, if not impossible. since the production of high-density alloys is of particular interest to powder metallurgists, some experiments were undertaken to devise methods of reducing the refractory oxides. For this work, alloys of iron, nickel, and aluminum were chosen because aluminum oxide is one of the most stable oxides and because these alloys in the right compositions form excellent permanent magnets. All of the pertinent properties of the magnets could be accurately and delicately measured by density measuremerits and magnetic tests of sufficient scope to give a complete demagnetization curve. From such a curve the maximum coercive force, residual magnetism, and energy products could be obtained and compared with the same properties for a cast material. Any lack of homogeneity, density, or solid diffusion would be immediately apparent as a decrease in the magnetic properties. Nature and Removal of Surface Barriers The early work of the present investigation was based upon published processes.* In the published information it was claimed that by intimately mixing iron, nickel, and iron-aluminum alloy (50 Per cent Fe, So Per cent Al) powders, compressing such a mixture into the desired shape and size, and then sintering (heating to a temperature below the melting point of the component metals) in hydrogen at 1200°C. or higher, a sound, homogeneous article could be made having the desired physical size, shape, and strength, and good magnetic characteristics. However. this early work showed clearly that something in the powder compress was inhibiting diffusion and the process was almost entirely unworkable. In the initial phase of the investigation samples of iron powder, nickel powder, and iron-aluminum alloy powder were pressed into separate bars and sintered in hydrogen. Both the iron and nickel powders sintered

Jan 1, 1941

By G. A. Vissac

In the presentation which follows, wash-ability curves, such as are commonly used in making studies preliminary to the cleaning of any coal or to the concentration of any mineral, have been reduced in each instance to a single straight line; thus all the most important characteristics of the coal or mineral are represented in a form more advantageous than that in which such data usually are shown. To obtain consistent results, float-and-sink data must be based on a single definite narrow size range, which may be designated "a coal unit." It will be shown that such units, each embodying a different size range, can be grouped to form what may be termed "a composite coal." A three-dimensional presentation will emerge, which will closely identify the coal, illustrate its characteristics in a new manner and explain many obscure facts. Float-and-sink Tests For the preliminary study of any cleaning or concentration problem, or in the control of any operation, float-and-sink tests must be made. The results of these tests are grouped in tabular form and then illustrated in various systems of curves; but if such a graphic representation is to have the utmost practical value, it must offer at least the following advantages: (I) It must be easier to read than the tabular results, and (2) it must be easy to plot, check and interpolate. The first requirement will be attained by reducing the number of curves to a minimum, and the second by some system of representation that will use only straight lines. Of the many washing curves now in use, only the "recovery curve," often known as the "composite curve"—a somewhat misleading term—will be considered; Any point on the recovery curve will show what percentage of weight of clean coal can be recovered when the mineral is washed at a certain specific gravity. As an example, the tests listed below Fig. I are illustrated in the drawing by a curve obtained by plotting (I) as abscissas the ash content of the coal recovered and (2) as ordinates the corresponding percentage of refuse discarded; but, in general practice, instead of writing down that weight, it is customary to set down its complement, which is the corresponding weight of coal recovered. From this curve can be deduced the information necessary for the solution of most practical problems. New Form of Graphic Presentation The resemblance of the recovery curve ill Fig. 1, or, for that matter, the recovery curve obtained in common practice! to a Power curve is apparent. The general equation of such a curve is Y = axn, where n is negative. Taking logarithms: log y = a + n log x. Using a logarithmic scale, the equation of the recovery curve will be Y = A + bX. On this logarithmic basis! the recovery graph will be a straight line, using the same variables as in Fig. I; namely, the ash con-

Jan 1, 1942

By P. E. Fitzgerald, Dana G. Hefley

An apparatus has been developed which permits selective acidizing of producing formations and determination of the relative permeability of a formation by fluid injection. This apparatus, known as the "Electric Pilot," is an electrical fluid-interface locator, the electrical circuit of which is completed when the elec-tcodes in the well are in contact with a conductive fluid, but is not completed when immersed in a nonconductive fluid. Results are given for a number of typical acidizing applications in which the interface locator was used to control the acid. Description of the method used in making a permeability survey and the data obtained are also included. Introduction Early in the development of the acidizing industry it was recognized that one of the most important problems to be solved in the chemical treatment of any well was the determination of what part of the exposed section in the well should be treated and the selection of the technique that would insure treatment of the desired section. One of the first techniques adopted for assisting in proper placement of the acid, which is still widely used, is the method of confining the acid to the producing section by means of a column of oil, which is known as the Carr1 method of treatment, named for its inventor. In the Carr method it is not possible to selectively acidize a specific horizon in a multiple pay zone, so many improvements and modifications of the basic Carr technique were devised to accomplish this result. In order to overcome the possibility of the acid entering an undesirable section at the bottom of the well, organic gel plugs2 were introduced into the bottom of the well, which served to halt the entrance of the treating solution into these zones.3 These chemical gels later liquefied because of bacterial action and were removed from the well with the produced fluid. In fields where a gas cap existed, as in the Goldsmith field of Ector County, Texas) it was imperative that a treating technique be evolved that would confine the acid to the oil-producing zone below the gas cap. By so doing the oil-productive capacity of the wells could be improved without greatly increasing the gas production and this would lower the gas-oil ratio of the well. ~h, technique employed4 to achieve this effect utilized two pumps, one for pumping the chemicals down the tubing, the other to simultaneously force oil down the annular space to confine the acid to the oil pay, thus preventing the chemicals from entering the upper gas-bearing zones. Experience has indicated that gas wells and certain types of oil wells respond better to ''stage treating.'' This technique utilizes the introduction of a certain volume of acid and then allows the well to ''clean up99 before introduction of the next and usually successively larger stages. Where such methods are employed steps must be taken to keep a disproportionate share of the acid from entering the most permeable and previously treated Zones. A special tool

Jan 1, 1944

By R. K. Waring, E. C. Truesdale

The Research Division of The New Jersey Zinc Company (of Pa.) has conducted, over a period of years, numerous tests of the reducibility of various zinc ores and the reactivity of various kinds of coal, using a number of different experimental methods. Most of these tests have involved the reduction of mixtures of ore and coal. In such cases the following simultaneous reactions are believed to be mainly responsible for the production of zinc, as was shown by Bodenstein1 some years ago: ZnO+ CO = Zn + CO2 [1] C + CO2 = 2 CO [2] Each of these reactions is dependent upon the other for the supply of CO and CO2 , respectively, and the over-all rate of formation of zinc vapor will be determined by the slower of these two reactions. An analogous pair of reactions sometimes of importance is: ZnO + H2 = Zn + H2 O [31 C + H2O = CO + Ha [4] While it is possible to obtain an indication of the relative reducibility of various ores, or of a fine versus a coarse ore, by testing them with a given coal, and while coal reactivities may be measured in a corresponding manner, a more direct determination of relative reaction rates is possible by carrying out the desired reactions, such as I and 2, separately and under reproducible conditions. It is one purpose of this paper to present some of the results that have been obtained by the latter method. C. G. Maier2 discusses the relative rates of reactions I and 2 and concludes that while at relatively low temperatures reaction I is faster than reaction 2, this difference becomes less with increasing temperatures, although at smelting temperatures reaction I is still the faster. He also says (p. 48), "At temperatures . . . between IIOO° and I3oo°C., . . . the zinc oxide reduction reaction is intrinsically more rapid than its physical limitations; that is, it is limited by gas diffusion rates." In the course of numerous reactivity tests involving the separate use of reactions and I and 2, we have obtained data that show by direct experiment, we believe for the first time, the correctness of Maier's statements concerning these reactions. We also include data on the relative rate of reaction 3, involving reduction by hydrogen. Finally, some interesting results obtained by carrying out the reduction of a zinc ore-coal briquet in streaming atmospheres of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrogen, respectively, are presented. *

Jan 1, 1943

By R. G. Patterson

The usual procedure in determining the magnetic susceptibilities of rocks and formations has been to take samples in the field and measure their volume susceptibilities in the laboratory, using one of numerous methods available. In none of these methods is the measuring instrument suited for field use. Usually the sample is pulverized; sometimes it is machined to a desired sue and shape, and in one method1 a cast of the sample is made and the susceptibility of the rock compared with that of a material of known susceptibility of the same size and shape, made from the cast of the original sample. Some writers assert that the difference in susceptibility of a rock sample in powdered and solid forms is negligible, and while doubtless this is true in many cases there are others in which the difference becomes appreciable. Further, the susceptibility of a small specimen may differ from that of the rock from which it is taken, owing to the stresses produced by the hammering or other forces used to obtain the sample and shape it for testing. Wilson2 found that an individual specimen of granite had about the same susceptibility in the solid as in the powdered form, but that pieces from different parts of the rock varied as much as 750 per cent because of unequal distribution of magnetite. The most accurate value of susceptibility would, obviously, be obtained from averag- ing a number of tests on the undisturbed rock instead of from one or two samples. No such procedures have been published, to the writer's knowledge. It is the purpose of this paper to describe a method by which susceptibilities of rocks may be determined in place by means of a portable instrument. Method The principle involved in this new method is that there is a change in inductance of a coil due to the presence in its magnetic field of a paramagnetic or dia-magnetic medium. In this case, however, the windings of the coil do not enclose any part of the rock under test. Instead, the coil is circular, being small in cross section as compared to its radius, and consists of several hundred turns of fine wire. It is placed flat on the rock of which the susceptibility is to be measured. Thus only part of the magnetic field from the coil penetrates the rock under test. The relation between the change in field strength or inductance of the coil and the susceptibility of the medium will be developed later. To measure the change in the inductance of the coil due to the presence of a magnetic material an alternating-current inductance bridge was chosen. Description of Apparatus Of many alternating-current bridge methods applicable,3 the one shown in Fig. 1 (Owen's bridge') was adopted for its simplicity and sensitivity. In Fig. I, the test coil is indicated by PlL1. It is connected to the bridge by about

Jan 1, 1946

By T. I. Harkins, J. Brian Eby

This paper outlines the geophysical investigation of the area covering the D arrow salt dome, Louisiana. Surveys with the refraction seismograph and torsion balance failed to disclose the dome, but reflection dip shooting was successful and was confirmed by later drilling. Introduction The D arrow salt dome and oil field lies in western Ascension Parish, Louisiana, on the outside of a sharp bend and on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The dome occurs about 30 miles south of Baton Rouge and 80 miles northwest of New Orleans. Its geology, shape and structure have been ably described in detail by Carroll E. Cook' and, except for the general features, will not be repeated here. The purpose of this paper is to record some of the interesting and pertinent geophysical data contributing to the discovery of the dome and eventually the oil field. The salt dome is circular in outliie and comes to within about 4625 it. of the surface. At this depth the diameter of the salt plug is approximately 4800 it. The dome has only a thin cap rock of less than 75 ft. Some oil has been found and is being produced in Miocene sands above the cap rock, but most of the field's production comes from a narrow ring of wells around the east and south flanks of the dome. Producing horizons on the flank are found at 5670 to 5840 ft. in the Miocene and 6890 to 6985 ft., 7028 to 7060 ft. and 8260 to 8270 ft. in the Oligocene. The deepest well that has been drilled is the Humble Oil and Refining Company's Community B-5, on the south flank of the structure, which reached a depth of 10,013 feet. The size and shape of the field and the area of production are indicated on Fig. I. The lie showing the area of production encloses all wells now producing and all abandoned producers, both on the top and flank of the dome. This line of production is shown on all subsequent geophysical maps as a direct means of comparing the early geophysics to later drilling development. Darrow dome occurs on the low, flat flood plain of the Mississippi River; it is protected from flood overflow by high artificial levees. The rich loamy soil supports a high degree of cultivation, principally sugar cane. Drainage is secured by many small canals and the water table of the area is at or near the surface. These particular conditions of topography, drainage and top soil greatly influenced the early geophysical picture, and the influence was always unfavorable.

Jan 1, 1946

By F. McIntosh Galbraith

This paper describes the use of the magnetometer, under geological direction, in exploration of the Sudbury nickel district. The writer's experience at Falconbridge has led him to the belief that only through detailed work, and by careful correlation of both geological and geophysical results, can geophysical prospecting methods be applied successfully to mining exploration problems. It is hoped that the basic technique described in the paper will be found to have general application. Introduction Within the past 20 years, geophysical methods of prospecting have become solidly established in the field of petroleum exploration. They have not, however, been similarly adopted by the mining industry, although mining is a far older craft and should be the more advanced in its technique. While, therefore, it is almost a routine matter to have geophysical surveys performed in a new area being tested for oil, a new metal-mining district is usually teeming with prospectors and promoters long before the technical man appears on the scene. Even then, only the more primitive engineering methods are customary in the early stages of exploration. Three factors are chiefly responsible for this situation, The first is the difference between oil pools and ore deposits in their geological modes of occurrence. While most of the known metallic ore bodies have been found outcropping at the surface, petroleum deposits are characteristically buried. This does not mean that all ore deposits outcrop, but neither does it mean that we should rely on "wildcatting" to discover blind ore bodies. The second factor is the relative scale of metallic lodes and accumulations of petroleum. In areal extent, a metal-bearing vein deposit is typically a much smaller geological feature than an oil pool. Presenting a narrower target, it requires closer shooting to score a direct hit. And finally, there is the need, in mining work, for close correlation of the known local geology with geophysical observations. This becomes of increasing importance as the size of the objective diminishes. A geophysical disturbance on a large enough scale will be detected under almost any circumstances and by almost any technique; without benefit of geology, however, the significance of a local anomaly may easily be misread. Campaign at Sudbury In the Sudbury nickel district of Canada, new deposits of nickel and copper have been discovered recently by magnetic methods, under geological supervision. A campaign of exploration, designed to encompass the district eventually, was set in motion in the spring of 1935. After six years, a new and important Ore body has been discovered and its continuity established to 1000 ft. in depth; several areas have been eliminated; and a number of possibilities remain to be tested. This has been accomplished with the expenditure of less than $$I50,000-—including the cost of all diamond drilling. The responsibility for carrying out this campaign was entrusted by the company to its Geological Department, and the under

Jan 1, 1946

By H. Bloom, H. E. Hawkes

STREAMS and rivers are the principal channels into which the weathering products of rocks and their contained ores are funneled. The inorganic load of a stream system is a crude sample of all the earth materials in the drainage basin of the stream, and the heavy mineral assemblage of sediments is one of the oldest and most successful guides to certain kinds of bedrock ore in unexplored terrain. Early application of this method was made possible by the ease of separation and identification of heavy minerals in the field with the simplest equipment. Water analysis for traces of base metals became a practical possibility about eight years ago with the development of rapid chemical tests that could be carried out at the field site.' , Since that time the water method has been widely used in mineral reconnaissance, and a substantial number of discoveries have been reported. Here again, the techniques developed for this work were relatively simple and could be performed easily at the field site. Sediment analysis by chemical methods, as distinguished from mineralogical, has received less at- tention. Some experimental work was done by Lovering and others," but to the authors' knowledge, chemical analysis of sediment samples has not been used in routine exploration programs until very recently. In spite of the obvious promise of this method, it was not pursued vigorously because of the lack of a simple and portable chemical test that could be used conveniently at the field site or in a field camp. Procedures that had been developed for trace analysis of soils all called for a rigorous chemical attack with hot acids—tests more conveniently applied in processing large volumes of routine soil samples at an established field headquarters. Recently an extremely rapid and simple test was developed by Bloom.4,5 The extractant used in this procedure is a cold solution of ammonium citrate. Elements measured are the heavy metals, principally zinc, lead, and copper. This method differs from the established procedures for soil analysis in that it measures only a small fraction, about 5 pct, of the total metal content of the sample. It has been found, however, that the significant pattern of metals in the sediments of streams below a base-metal deposit can be brought out as well and sometimes better by this simple cold-extraction procedure than by the more tedious methods requiring hot acids. To understand fully the significance of the relation between the readily extractable and the total

Jan 1, 1957

By Maxwell Gensamer, Vsevolod N. Krivobok

It is generally recognized that "low temperatures" have a definite effect on the properties of metals and alloys. Furthermore, it is also generally understood that the effect is decidedly adverse. The possibility that the same low-temperature treatment might be employed for the purpose of improving certain properties of the alloys has received less attention until recently, and the experimental and theoretical knowledge consequently is meager. The effect of low temperatures may be studied in two ways: by studying such properties as tensile strength, hardpess, impact resistance, etc., at low temperature, and by studying the properties of alloys at room temperature after these alloys have been subjected to a low-temperature treatment. Even in the latter case, certain properties will differ materially from the same properties obtained on identical material but without cold treatment. In other words, subjecting alloys to cold treatment results in an irreversible change in mechanical properties. Changes of this character are usually indications of the appearance of a new phase or phases, and would be likely to occur in alloys which, either by virtue of their composition or by heat treatment, are retained at room temperature in a metastable condition. Consequently, studies of the effect of low temperatures logically should be conducted from the physicochemical point of view, since the results of such studies not only would furnish metallurgists with interesting theoretical data but would clearly indicate the classes of alloys that would hold promise of improvement, and, possibly, of new applications. As the present investmigation deals with chromium and chromium-nickel alloys of iron of the stainless variety, it has been thought desirable to present the data concerning low-temperature properties of these alloys, available from the most recent and most comprehensive work of H. S. Russell.l A summary of these data is given in Table 1. The data are confined to a limited number of alloys of the type dealt with in the present

Jan 1, 1931

By N. A. MacLeod

Ball wear in wet grinding mills has been the subject of considerable discussion in the last few years. Its importance to millmen is obvious in view of the fact that ball wear may cost from 2 to 4 per ton of ore for the more fortunate operators and many times this cost when a refractory ore must be reduced to a fine state of comminution. Consequently, any factual information that may be obtained on the nature of ball wear may be applied to introduce changes leading to lower ball consumption and therefore also to lower costs. In 1940, while employed with the Britannia Mining and Smelting Co., Britannia Beach, B.C., I had occasion to investigate factors that might affect ball consumption. We performed a number of tests, which will be briefly described. These tests originated as a result of changing from a 3½-in. ball to a 2-in. ball of different type of manufacture and were motivated by the desire to obtain the best possible type of 2-in. ball. Our testing was helped by the fact that the company operated a one-ton electric furnace, so that it was quite easy to make steel changes. It should be emphasized at the beginning that these tests produced results that in their general application to milling should be interpreted qualitatively rather than quantitatively. As will be evident in the description of the method used in testing, the balls were subjected to an intermittent batch grinding treatment, which may have produced results in rate of steel wear that may not have an accurate correlation with steel consumption in full scale mill operation. However, with this bed and rather arbitrary method of testing, results were obtained that may be of some interest and may stimulate further work on this subject. Unfortunately, owing to pressure of war work, our tests, which we had intended to repeat on a continuous grinding operation, had to be discontinued. Method of Testing Tests Were made in a Small cylindrical mill, rotating at 72 r.P.m. Internal dimensions of the mill were 10½-in. dia. by 9 in. The cylindrical inner surface was lined with rubber and the two ends were formed by steel plates. A charge of 2000 grams dry feed and 2000 C.C. of water was added evev 2 hr., the mill being drained of pulp before the addition of each charge, by tilting and sluicing with water. The mill was run On afternoon and night shift for daily periods of about 15 hr. total grinding time, and each test lasted from 60 to 150 hr. This batch method of testing involved a higher average pulp temperature in the mill, which undoubtedly affected comparative results in Some of the tests. Hardness oF Ball vs. Wear In these tests, special "eutectoid" steel balls were used, some of which were chill-Cut and quenched, some sand-cast and quenched, and some sand-cast and annealed to a dead soft condition. The results obtained, using as mill feed an ore containing considerable free quartz and

Jan 1, 1947

By J. Szekely, R. G. Carr

A method is presented which allows the extension of the Ergun equation for the description of gas flow through packed beds in a nonisothermal regime. The pressure profile in the packed bed is calculated by the establishment of a differential energy balance and the iterative integration of the integral equation thus obtained. The predicted values of the pressure distribution were found to be in excellent agreement with those measured experimentally, under carefully controlled conditions. MANY metallurgical processes are carried out in systems in which a gas stream and particular solids are contacted in a packed bed arrangement under strongly nonisothermal conditions. Ore sintering, the firing of pellets, the operation of regenerators, blast furnace technology may be quoted as examples. Although many aspects of these systems have been extensively studied, an important variable, the pressure distribution and the relationship between pressure head and flow rate, received only little attention to date. The purpose of the paper is to present a brief survey of relevant previous work, followed by a more rigorously formulated model, together with experimental results that afford ready comparison of theoretical prediction with measurement. PREVIOUS WORK A great deal of information is available in the chemical engineering literature on flow phenomena in porous media.' The experimental results pertaining to gas flow were generally interpreted in terms of models based on the analogy with the flow through a pipe of an incompressible, isothermal fluid. Of the numerous, semiempirical correlations that have been proposed to relate pressure drop to the volumetric flow rate, the Ergun equation2 is generally regarded as the most satisfactory: The strong nonisothermality of the metallurgical systems previously mentioned would render the direct applicability of Eq. [I] rather doubtful as both density and viscosity are temperature-dependent. Ergun has used Eq. [I] for estimating the pressure drop in the stack region in the blast furnace by neglecting the viscous term and evaluating the gas density at the integral mean temperature.3 His calculations showed a rather variable agreement with measurements and it was uncertain whether the discrepancy found was attributable to the model or to the inaccuracies often inherent in measurements on an industrial scale. Other work on nonisothermal systems includes studies of the pressure distribution in sinter beds, notably by Voice et a1.4 and Mitchell.5 Mitchell developed a method involving the subdivision of the bed into several zones and assigning average property values (temperature, gas density, and so forth) to each zone. The pressure drop was then calculated for each zone by using an expression analogous to Eq. [I]. This method was an improvement over that described by Voice et al., but even here prediction and measurement differed by as much as 30 pct in certain cases. It would appear that no really satisfactory methods are available for the prediction of pressure drop in packed beds with a strongly nonisothermal regime. The method involving subdivision of the bed into small enough sections, that may be regarded as isothermal, would show promise; however its validity has to be tested by both a rigorous formulation and comparison with experimental data obtained under controlled conditions. In the following a formulation is presented together with experimental data allowing ready practical evaluation of the theory. FORMULATION The mechanical energy balance over an infinitesimal section of a packed bed may be written as follows:

Jan 1, 1969

By J. Brian Eby, T. I. Harkins

This paper outlines the geophysical investigation of the area covering the D arrow salt dome, Louisiana. Surveys with the refraction seismograph and torsion balance failed to disclose the dome, but reflection dip shooting was successful and was confirmed by later drilling. Introduction The D arrow salt dome and oil field lies in western Ascension Parish, Louisiana, on the outside of a sharp bend and on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The dome occurs about 30 miles south of Baton Rouge and 80 miles northwest of New Orleans. Its geology, shape and structure have been ably described in detail by Carroll E. Cook' and, except for the general features, will not be repeated here. The purpose of this paper is to record some of the interesting and pertinent geophysical data contributing to the discovery of the dome and eventually the oil field. The salt dome is circular in outliie and comes to within about 4625 it. of the surface. At this depth the diameter of the salt plug is approximately 4800 it. The dome has only a thin cap rock of less than 75 ft. Some oil has been found and is being produced in Miocene sands above the cap rock, but most of the field's production comes from a narrow ring of wells around the east and south flanks of the dome. Producing horizons on the flank are found at 5670 to 5840 ft. in the Miocene and 6890 to 6985 ft., 7028 to 7060 ft. and 8260 to 8270 ft. in the Oligocene. The deepest well that has been drilled is the Humble Oil and Refining Company's Community B-5, on the south flank of the structure, which reached a depth of 10,013 feet. The size and shape of the field and the area of production are indicated on Fig. I. The lie showing the area of production encloses all wells now producing and all abandoned producers, both on the top and flank of the dome. This line of production is shown on all subsequent geophysical maps as a direct means of comparing the early geophysics to later drilling development. Darrow dome occurs on the low, flat flood plain of the Mississippi River; it is protected from flood overflow by high artificial levees. The rich loamy soil supports a high degree of cultivation, principally sugar cane. Drainage is secured by many small canals and the water table of the area is at or near the surface. These particular conditions of topography, drainage and top soil greatly influenced the early geophysical picture, and the influence was always unfavorable.

Jan 1, 1946

By R. W. Gurry

WHEN a steel in the austenitic state, with all its carbon in solution, is maintained, at constant temperature, in contact with a gas that removes the carbon from the surface, yet without otherwise altering the composition of the steel, the change in weight of the specimen, after any period of exposure, is a direct measure of the amount of carbon it has then lost. The purpose of the present paper is to show how, by application of established mathematical reasoning based on the fundamental diffusion law and on certain postulates, this loss of weight yields a complete picture of the distribution of carbon throughout a specimen of regular shape after any period of exposure, with all the accuracy required in any practical occurrence of decarburization. Precisely the same is true for the gain in weight during the reverse process of carburization, or for the gradual gain or loss of any element, so long as the steel comprises only a single phase at temperature, provided always that the experimental conditions conform to the postulates. The change in carbon content from surface to center of the specimen is always continuous, when everything is in solution, even though under the microscope the decarburized zone (or carburized rim) may appear to be sharply defined. The experimental procedure is described and some typical results are presented, which are then interpreted by application of the diffusion law. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Initially an endeavor was made to follow the gain of weight during the process of carburization in a hydrogen-toluene atmosphere, but it was soon found that the specimen became coated with graphite, which could not be removed without some loss of metal; therefore it was decided to continue carburization until the steel was saturated throughout, to remove all graphite from the surface of the specimen, and then to follow the loss of weight during decarburization in a moist hydrogen atmosphere at the same temperature as that used for carburizing. The carburizing procedure has been described in an earlier paper;1 it suffices to state here that the carburization lasted about 140 hr. at 760°C. (1760°F.) and 44 hr. at 1110°C. (2030°F.), these periods being long enough-on the basis of the calculations presented later-to ensure that the specimen was about 99.9 per cent saturated at each temperature. The specimen was a cylinder about 3.8 cm. long and 0.475 cm. in diameter; the materials were carbonyl iron, a commercial low-metalloid iron, and a steel with 3.6 per cent nickel and the usual proportion of other elements. The fully carburized specimen, after cooling at the top of the furnace tube, was placed in a lathe and sandpapered to remove all graphite; then the diameter was measured with a micrometer caliper, and the initial weighing (corresponding to complete saturation) was made. By means of a

Jan 1, 1942

By I. J. Lin, A. Mitzmager

This paper describes a series of experiments conducted to determine how the physicochemical properties of the suspending fluid affect the size reduction of quartz in a ball mill. Particular attention was directed toward the differences in rate of grinding and particle size distributions when either polar or non-polar fluids were the suspending liquids. Grinding was performed with water, carbon tetrachloride and methylcyclohexane as the liquids, and also in nitrogen for comparative purposes. From the results ob- tained, the authors have concluded that the presence of water greatly enhances efficiency in the grinding of quartz. Comminution is generally regarded as a purely physical process in which fragmentation of a solid is obtained by the application of suitable forces. In 1944, however, Rehbinder et al.1 pioneered the idea that the interfacial forces between the solid and the media plays an important role in comminution. Since then, a number of researches have shown conclusively that comminution is affected by surface chemical phenomena,2-5 and Gaudin went as far as to compare comminution to a chemical reaction.6 The effect of the viscosity and the density of the fluid media in grinding was also investigated, but

Jan 1, 1969

By Cecil H. Desch

The progress of metallurgical practice and the demands made by the engineering industry on our foundries and mills have made the crystalline structure of metals a subject of far more than academic interest. Metals and alloys are made up of crystals. Even if we accept the view, so ably maintained by some metallurgists, that the crystals are separated from one another by an amorphous layer, it remains true that all but a very minute fraction of any metallic mass is crystalline. The conditions which affect the growth of crystals are therefore of importance in metallurgy. It is not only castings whose properties depend on the arrangement of their crystals, for the more we learn of the behavior of forged, rolled and drawn metals, the more certain it becomes that it is profoundly influenced by the size and arrangement of the crystals in the original ingot, determining a structure which may persist in a modified form through a long series of mechanical operations and annealings. This is mainly due to the concentration of much of the impurities in the last portions of the liquid to freeze, so that the boundaries between single crystals or groups of crystals are marked out by a zone of segregated material, differing in properties from the mass, and offering a barrier to diffusion and equalization of composition throughout the whole. The importance of this fact has been fully recognized by steel manufacturers, who have to deal with ingots which are sometimes very large, and are cast at a high temperature, containing impurities which have a marked effect on the properties even when present in very small quantity. For this reason the Iron and Steel Institute has set up a committee to examine the whole question of the heterogeneity of steel ingots,(1)† and a report has been issued, containing an account of the structure of 16 ingots, ranging in weight from 15 cwt. to 172 tons, each of which was sectioned and examined by chemical analysis and by etching. A valuable body of data concerning segregation has thus been collected. The work of the committee is being prosecuted with great activity, and at the same time researches are in progress to determine the physical

Jan 1, 1927