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By R. B. Schluter, M. M. Fine

A process for winning copper from pelletized chalcocite concentrate without matte smelting and converting is under development at the Twin Cities Metallurgy Research Center of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The new procedure includes a two-stage fluid-bed treatment in which the pelletized concentrate with 33% Cu and 7% S is first desulfurized to about 0.5% S in an oxidizing atmosphere, and then metallized by reduction with hydrogen. The reduced product is melted with flux to separate metallic copper from the gangue. The metal must be refined to remove residual sulfur and iron. The pelletizing of the fine concentrate into mini-pellets prior to fluid-bed treatment is an important feature of the process, because it permits shorter reaction time, decreases dusting, and facilitates subsequent processing.

Jan 1, 1972

By J. B. Nau

A short time ago some interesting experiments concerning a new steel-making process in the open-hearth furnace were made by the writer at the Croton magnetic mine, N. Y.

Jan 1, 1892

By R. E. Head

Under existing economic conditions, the treatment of gold ores occupies an outstanding position in metallurgical activity. The increased price of gold has automatically brought about a reclassification of old dumps and low-grade orebodies, and many that formerly were considered valueless are now being vigorously investigated and worked. This situation has developed problems that have taxed the ingenuity and ability of metallurgists to the utmost. Some gold ores give a high extraction of gold by standardized methods of treatment; other ores of apparently similar character yield but a relatively small percentage of their gold when treated by the same processes. Surface Contamination The experience gained by microscopic study of numerous gold ores and tailings has shown that there are pronounced differences in the physical characteristics of the minerals composing them, more especially of the gold. Repeated studies of tailings from flotation and cyanidation of gold ores has established the fact that surface contaminations on gold particles are often directly responsible for high gold losses; comparison of gold particles isolated from flotation concentrates and the resulting tailings have showed that the clean gold has been recovered and the tarnished or contaminated gold invariably lost in the tailing. Obviously, it is not possible to make such a comparison of gold ores treated by cyanidation, as the clean gold has been taken into solution; but when the gold found in cyanide tailing has a tarnished or coated surface, one may infer, with a reasonable degree of certainty, that the clean gold has been extracted. This premise is supported by experimental evidence obtained by isolating particles of tarnished gold and exposing them to cyanide solution in small parting cups. In one such experiment, tarnished gold particles picked from a cyanide tailing showed but slight evidence 01 dissolving at the end of 27 days. In this test, a cyanide solution of 1.6 11). per ton was used and the leach solution was decanted arid renewed every

Jan 1, 1939

By R. E. Head

Under existing economic conditions, the treatment of gold ores occupies an outstanding position in metallurgical activity. The increased price of gold has automatically brought about a reclassification of old dumps and low-grade orebodies, and many that formerly were considered valueless are now being vigorously investigated and worked. This situation has developed problems that have taxed the ingenuity and ability of metallurgists to the utmost. Some gold ores give a high extraction of gold by standardized methods of treatment; other ores of apparently similar character yield but a relatively small percentage of their gold when treated by the same processes. Surface Contamination The experience gained by microscopic study of numerous gold ores and tailings has shown that there are pronounced differences in the physical characteristics of the minerals composing them, more especially of the gold. Repeated studies of tailings from flotation and cyanidation of gold ores has established the fact that surface contaminations on gold particles are often directly responsible for high gold losses; comparison of gold particles isolated from flotation concentrates and the resulting tailings have showed that the clean gold has been recovered and the tarnished or contaminated gold invariably lost in the tailing. Obviously, it is not possible to make such a comparison of gold ores treated by cyanidation, as the clean gold has been taken into solution; but when the gold found in cyanide tailing has a tarnished or coated surface, one may infer, with a reasonable degree of certainty, that the clean gold has been extracted. This premise is supported by experimental evidence obtained by isolating particles of tarnished gold and exposing them to cyanide solution in small parting cups. In one such experiment, tarnished gold particles picked from a cyanide tailing showed but slight evidence 01 dissolving at the end of 27 days. In this test, a cyanide solution of 1.6 11). per ton was used and the leach solution was decanted arid renewed every

Jan 1, 1939

By Frederic Dewey

IT IS common to blame irregular assay results upon volatilization and much has been written upon the subject, but there is no. real evidence that, in a properly conducted assay, the loss of either gold or silver by volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result, even when, arsenic or antimony may be present. Bulk assays of flue dust from assay muffles have been published, but the data given are totally insufficient to even approximate the volatilization from a single assay; and such figures as we have indicate the volatilization to be extremely small. Diligent search in the literature and wide inquiry among assayers and instructors have failed to produce a single case where the litharge volatilized in making an assay has been collected and assayed for gold and silver. Having attempted to do this, with most indifferent success, I am not surprised that this has not been done. While various textbooks give volatilization as a cause of loss in cupellation, it may safely be said that in the rare cases where this volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result it is due to excessive temperature. Percy1 says "The loss of silver by volatilization during cupellation is very slight (unless the temperature has been much too high), and may be disregarded." This statement is repeated by the Beringers2 and Smith,3 who includes gold with silver. Mitchell4 says the litharge fume rarely contains over one ten-thousandth of silver. Campredon5 says that at a proper temperature no silver is lost by volatilization.

Jan 2, 1920

By K. C. Ten Brink, Allen D. Garrison

A rrevious paper1 reviewed some of the properties of clays and shales and presented some data on the nature of the gelling phenomenon. It included a brief discussion of origin of clays and shales, their composition, structure, retention of water, ionization, base exchange, and the nature of the gelling of water suspensions. Other publications of the Institute2-8 have discussed the properties of clays and their relations to drilling-fluid behavior and control. It is the purpose of this article to present some new data obtained and arranged in a different manner and making possible a better understanding of the chemical reactions involved in the control of drilling-fluid characteristics during the normal drilling operations. Experimental Procedure The difficulties involved in the measurements of the flow characteristics of plastic fluids are too familiar to recite. The possible applications of some of the well-known instruments to this problem have been adequately discussed by Hobson9 and he has given an excellent bibliography. Although there are many viscosimeters of varied design, none of them appear to fulfill the most obvious demands of accuracy in the measurement of clay or shale suspensions. Since the fluid characteristics are dependent on the rate of flow of the fluid, and the viscosity usually falls off very rapidly as the rate is increased, it is clear that the first requirement is that the instrument shall be capable of a wide variety of speeds. The viscosity of the fluid at any fixed and constant rate of flow is also a function of time, so that the second demand is that the instrument shall be capable of a constant and continuous motion for a prolonged period of time.

Jan 1, 1940

By F. Peter

I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. TECHNICAL progress takes place in two directions: the improvement of methods, affecting the quality of the product; and increase in the economy of operations, affecting its cost. In the iron-industry, practice is pretty well settled, and. revolutionary changes of method are, for the present, not to be expected. Hence, in this industry, the principal endeavor is to reduce costs by the use of labor-saving inventions, such as the machines brought into use during the last decade. But it is not alone necessary to reduce the labor-cost; complete economy requires also a saving in raw material. Under this head we may rank the coal employed as metallurgical fuel; and it follows that progress includes the economic use of fuel, so managed as not to injure quality of product. In the present paper it will be shown how, by suitable utilization of the heat from the furnace, a large portion of it may be made available for other purposes. Such utilization of waste-gases is important in all industries which employ furnaces (especially heating- and smelting-furnaces); and in the first rank of these stand the iron-, glass-, and porcelain-manufactures. The following pages are devoted chiefly to the waste-gases of smelting-works, and especially to those reverberatory-furnace gases which are not combustible.'

Jan 12, 1913

By K. C. Ten Brink, Allen D. Garrison

A rrevious paper1 reviewed some of the properties of clays and shales and presented some data on the nature of the gelling phenomenon. It included a brief discussion of origin of clays and shales, their composition, structure, retention of water, ionization, base exchange, and the nature of the gelling of water suspensions. Other publications of the Institute2-8 have discussed the properties of clays and their relations to drilling-fluid behavior and control. It is the purpose of this article to present some new data obtained and arranged in a different manner and making possible a better understanding of the chemical reactions involved in the control of drilling-fluid characteristics during the normal drilling operations. Experimental Procedure The difficulties involved in the measurements of the flow characteristics of plastic fluids are too familiar to recite. The possible applications of some of the well-known instruments to this problem have been adequately discussed by Hobson9 and he has given an excellent bibliography. Although there are many viscosimeters of varied design, none of them appear to fulfill the most obvious demands of accuracy in the measurement of clay or shale suspensions. Since the fluid characteristics are dependent on the rate of flow of the fluid, and the viscosity usually falls off very rapidly as the rate is increased, it is clear that the first requirement is that the instrument shall be capable of a wide variety of speeds. The viscosity of the fluid at any fixed and constant rate of flow is also a function of time, so that the second demand is that the instrument shall be capable of a constant and continuous motion for a prolonged period of time.

Jan 1, 1940

By G. L. Oldright, Henry de Rycker, S. F. Ravitz

The upper limit of richness of concentrates that can be smelted by means of the blast furnace without added diluents is fixed by the operation of sintering. A sinter feed with normal gangue constituents, containing more than about 50 per cent of lead, tends to fuse; as a result, air does not come sufficiently into contact with the sulphides at roasting temperatures, and sulphur elimination is poor. Since most lead concentrates now contain 55 to 80 per cent lead, it is necessary to add diluents to lower the grade of such sinter feed to about 50 per cent or less. This not only entails the expense of providing barren diluents when adequate diluents containing precious metals are not available but also appreciably lowers the capacity of the blast furnace to produce lead and increases slag losses. Attempts to desulphurize rich lead concentrates by methods other than sintering have not proved successful. Flash roasting, for example, converts much of the lead sulphide to lead sulphate rather than to oxide. However, this suggested the possibility that deliberate flash roasting of the concentrates to sulphate, followed by sinter roasting of the resulting product, might prove promising, particularly inasmuch as the elimination of sulphur from lead sulphate requires heat alone and not contact with atmospheric oxygen. The sintering of lead sulphate products has additional interest because important amounts of such products are now treated by lead smelters. Considerable quantities of lead sulphate are present in rich lead flue dusts and other by-products; lead-chamber sulphuric acid plants and other

Jan 1, 1944

By Walter Harvey Weed

The Republic of Mexico is traversed by many mountain ranges, and presents a great diversity of climates, soils and geographical features, yet its grander geographic provinces are few and peculiarly well defined. The Gulf plain, the Cen tral plateau, the Sierra Madre, and the lowland or Tierra Cali ente of the western coast are the main features of the geogra phy of the Republic, and in the northern half these provinces are particularly well defined. The Sierra Madre separates the Republic into eastern and western parts, and from the City of Mexico north to the Texas line presents an almost impassable barrier to east and west travel. On the north, the first wagon road pass from east to west is at El Paso del Norte, the site of the Texan city of El Paso. Southward for many hundreds of miles the Sierra Madre, traversed by well-worn trails, over which all travel from the west coast to the interior must pass, is a stupendous barrier to social and commercial intercourse. The Sierra Madre is commonly described as a range or con geries of mountain ranges. In fact, it is, in Chihuahua at least, a great plateau, fringed by mountains on the east, trenched by deep canons in its center, and bordered by a wild and rugged complex of mountains carved out of the plateau on the west. Professional duties took me across this region from Parral westward to the Gulf of California via Guadalupe y Calvo. As it includes some of the great ore-deposits of Mexico, and its geological features have never, so far as I am aware, been described, I have prepared a diagrammatic section made from my observations on a horseback trip across the Sierra, and added such notes as seem to be of general interest.

Jan 1, 1902

By G. Caetani, E. Burt

Jan 1, 1907

By J. L. Jernegan

IN a former paper laid before the Institute, entitled Lead and Silver Smelting in Chicago, I endeavored to give a description of the manner in which argentiferous lead ores from the far West were treated in that city, and also described the method employed in the desilverization of the silver-lead produced from the ores. It will perhaps be remembered, that very siliceous ores, principally from the Emma mine, Utah, containing over 40 per cent. of silicic acid, were then being treated at the works of the Chicago Silver Smelting and Refining Company in the reverberatory furnace, with the use of metallic iron, in the form of borings, as a precipitating medium for the lead ; and that the extraction of the silver from the resulting bullion was effected by the Balbach process. The Swansea Works, also the works at Brighton, just outside of this city, and those of S. P. Lunt, were at that time treating ore of a similar character by the same method. The inadequacy of the process for the ores then under treatment was, in a manner, pointed out by me in the paper above referred to. Since the time of its writing, many and important improvements have been made in the metallurgical treatment of Western ores in Chicago. Most ores are now roasted previous to reduction, and the latter operation is conducted in the shaft-furnace instead of the reverberatory. Such is the fact at least at the Swansea Works, the largest in the city, and here it was where the first steps were taken in this direction. In selecting these works as the subject of this paper, I am in hopes that the description given of the various metallurgical operations, as they are there now conducted, will serve to give an idea of the improvements introduced

Jan 1, 1876

By W. H. Emmons

This paper is the third of a series treating of the relations of ores of the metals to igneous rocks. The first' outlined the general problem; the second2 proposed a classification of lode ores, and showed how the distribution of the deposits is in a certain measure controlled by the contour of the roof of the parent batholith. A number of mining districts were discussed, the examples being selected chiefly from group 2 of the classification. The proposed classification of lode deposits, briefly stated, is as follows: 1. Cryptobatholithic: near hidden batholiths which have not yet been exhumed by erosion. 2. Acrobatholithic: in and near cupolas or domes of batholiths—the high points of larger underlying masses. 3. Epibatholithic: on batholiths, near their rims, but below eroded cupolas, or below the highest points of the roofs. 4. Embatholithic: among closely-spaced outcrops which probably are parts of a single bathohth. The outcrops of invaded rocks predominate. 5. Endobatholithic. in and near roof pendants of large batholiths. The invading rocks predominate. 6. Hypobatholithic: in deeply-eroded batholiths, where even roof pendants have been eroded. Deposits of certain metals on the roofs of the batholiths are much more numerous in some positions than deposits of other metals, and the horizontal zonal arrangements of lodes of different metals are shown characteristically only in certain groups. In a large measure, also, the character of the fracturing and metallization is determined by the position on the roof of the batholith. The disseminated copper ores in porphyry constitute a clearly-defined type. All the deposits of these ores, as far as known, are in group 2. They appear to have been formed only in and around small upward projections of the parent granitic masses, and not low on the walls of the

Jan 1, 1927

By Theodore B. Comstock

The existing topographical features of the United States present many points of interest to the student of dynamical geology, but there is, perhaps, no subject which offers a more promising field for investigation than the relations between the geological structure and the mineralogical characteristics of the principal mining districts. There are seven prominent culminating points in the relief of North America, each one of which can be used as a type of the physical features of all the others. Again, if we divide these seven elevated districts into two sets, we shall discover a still more striking parallelism between the individual members of each group. But the most remarkable revelation is the fact that each one of these points is more or less closely the centre of an area of economically important mineral resources. It is interesting to note in this connection that six of these mineral tracts lie mainly within the borders of the United States, three of them being almost wholly in our territory. For

Jan 1, 1883

SPEAKING generally, it may be said that leaching is the simplest method of recovering copper from its ores. Likewise it is perhaps the oldest method of treatment used by copper metallurgists of the modern era. Reliable records indicate that as early as 1752 cupriferous pyrite was leached in the famous Rio Tinto region in Spain. Though the manipulation was quite different from that in use today at Chuquicamata, New Cornelia, Inspiration, and Andes, it resembled that employed by Phelps Dodge at Bisbee, as described in Chapter XIV. Leaching consists of subjecting ore to the action of a liquid solvent or menstruum (usually an aqueous solution) which dissolves the major part of the soluble copper minerals. The resulting pregnant solution is drained off or otherwise separated from the residual ore; and the copper in the solution is then recovered by some appropriate means of precipitation. When sulphuric acid is the lixiviant, as is usual, the simplest procedure is to pass the copper-bearing solution through large troughs containing scrap iron. The iron displaces the copper in the solution, precipitating it as a slime coating the iron and varying in color -from bright copper to a dull black. This may be washed off at intervals, collected as a sludge, dried, and melted with a little fluxing material to produce reasonably pure copper. Usually, of course, the mud is sent to a smelter where most often its destination is the converter or reverberatory furnace. Modern practice uses precipitation on iron only as a complemental process to electrolytic precipitation or deposition, wherein the pregnant copper-bearing solution, acting as the electrolyte in a cell having insoluble anodes and copper cathodes, is depleted of the copper it contains. Cathode copper, 99.5 per cent pure, is produced ready for the market as refined copper, or for a simple process of melting, fire-refining, and casting in

Jan 1, 1933

By J. D. H. Strickland, K. J. Jackson

IN previous papers' ' details were given of the constructlon and use of an apparatus to study the rate of chlorine consumption and the rate of sul- fate and sulfur production when dilute aqueous chlorine solutions were allowed to react with pyrite and galena in acid solutions at or near room temperature. The reaction with pyrite was very rapid, and hence entirely transport-controlled in its kinetics, and produced only ferric and sulfate ions. The behavior of galena was much more complex and was studied in some detail. Sulfur monochloride could be detected as a reaction product and both

Jan 1, 1959

By R. Hoffmann

The Waelz process produces oxides of volatilizable metals from ores, metalliferous products and residues. The process was originally used for recovering zinc and lead, where tailings and residues containing those metals had accumulated at mines or smelters, but it is applicable for obtaining tin, arsenic or other volatilizable metals. It is useful when other methods of obtaining the metals from the ores or residues are too difficult or expensive or show too low a recovery. The Waelz process was developed in 1923 for the treatment of large calamine dumps in Upper Silesia, which showed zinc contents of 8 to 10 per cent. and lead contents up to 3 per cent. The rapid development of the process, from the first trials up to the plants now working or in course of erection, is shown in Fig. 1. The first industrial Waelz plant was started in 1925. Within two years the capacity of the working plants reached 700 tons material per day of 24 hr. During the year 1928 the daily capacity of the plants now at work or in course of erection will rise

Jan 1, 1928

By W. O. Borcherdt

THE 650-ton underground mill of The Empire Zinc Company of Colorado (a subsidiary of The New Jersey Zinc Co.) serves the Eagle mine at Gilman in the Battle Mountain mining district of Colorado. The topography is rough, the mine and mill being under Battle Mountain and the alit entrance in the north wall of the canyon of the Eagle River, which is here a steel) gorge. The town of Gilman stands on a shoulder of the mountain at altitude 8975 ft., above sea level, along the Pike's Peak ocean to ocean highway and contains the company office and the usual facilities of a modern mining town. The railway contact is at Belden, altitude 8370 ft., at the bottom of the gorge directly below Gilman, where the westbound track of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad is cut along the north bank and the eastbound track along the south bank of the river. A general description of the mine, mill and service facilities, with an account of the geology, character of the ore and methods of mining and milling having previously been published in a series of articles1, this paper will discuss with as little repetition as practicable the reasons for building the mill underground rather than as a conventional structure, the methods of construction employed and the experiences gained in what is apparently the pioneer plant of this type and extent.

Jan 1, 1937

By George Boulter

Draglines 8.2-1 Introduction. The nature and characteristics of rock and rock derivatives forming the crust of the earth vary so greatly from place to place that it is impossible to use the same numerical factors to show the, productive ability of excavating equipment on different jobs or projects. Factors for each project must be developed individually and applied as the conditions and requirements dictate. TYPES' OF DRAGLINES. Types of draglines are differentiated by the propelling method used and are generally divided into four classes, as follows: 1. Wagon mounted 3. Crawler mounted 2. Truck mounted 4. Walking Figure 8.2-1 shows a truck-mounted dragline. This type is considered to be the most mobile unit. In order to increase stability over the side, outriggers are installed as part of the truck chassis. This feature is not shown in .this figure. Figure 8.2-2 shows a crawler-mounted dragline. The long, wide crawlers are used to increase the stability and reduce the bearing pressure of this unit. These features allow for use of these units on surfaces too soft for the wagon- or truck-mounted types. Figure 8.2-3 shows a walking-type dragline. The large diameter tub and the well-supported boom through the gantry gives high stability for rugged works over a long life. BASIC PARTS OF A DRAGLINE. The basic parts of a dragline are illustrated in Fig. 8.2-4. A deck layout is shown in Fig. 8.2-5 with the main components named. OPERATION OF A DRAGLINE. Following is a description of the steps and controls present in a typical cycle of operation of a large dragline having independent hoist and drag motors. Starting the cycle with positioning the bucket on the ground under the point of the boom, the next step is

Jan 1, 1968

By L. L. Wyman

SINCE the observations of Heyn,1 relative to the embrittlement of copper after having been heated in hydrogen, this subject has received considerable attention from later investigators. The published works of Archbutt2 and of Bengough and Hill3 give the reasons for this embrittlement-the formation of steam by the reaction between cuprous oxide and hydrogen. From Ruder,4 Pilling,5 Moore and Beckinsdale,6 Bassett and Bradley,7 and from Smith8 can be obtained quantitative data concerning the action of hydrogen and other reducing gases on copper samples having various oxygen contents. This problem has been discussed from a practical standpoint by Fuller9 who calls attention to some of the instances of this embrittlement encountered in the manufacturing field. The examples he cites may be considered typical cases of copper embrittlement which were incident to the process of manufacture. In many cases, such difficulties are overcome by changes in the manufacturing process.

Jan 1, 1931