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By G. St. J. Perrott

One of the important hazards in coal mining is the danger of ignition of explosive mixtures of methane and air or coal dust and air, or both, by the explosives used in blasting the coal. It has long been recognized that certain explosives are more dangerous than others in this respect. ' In America and abroad, government testing stations have been established for officially passing on the suitability of explosives for use in coal mines. In this country the Federal government is given no power to enforce the use of the approved explosives but merely publishes from time to time, through the Bureau of Mines, those explosives which have passed the tests necessary to place them on the list for use in coal mines. In spite of this lack of police power, the increase in the use of permissible .explosives since the promulgation of the fist list in 1909 has been rapid. In 1912, only 8 per cent. of the explosives used in coal mines were permissible; in 1925, this figure had increased to 25 per cent. While the past record of permissible explosives has been most gratifying, it is very desirable that we pave the way for further improvement in explosives and blasting methods by learning more about the mechanism of ignition of gas and coal dust by explosives. To this end a considerable amount of investigative work already has been carried out and a large amount yet remains to be done. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss briefly the effect of the characteristics of explosives and method of loading in the borehole on the liability of a blown-out shot to ignite explosive mixtures of gas or dust. For an account of the methods by which an explosive is tested for permissibility for use in coal mines, the reader is referred to Schedule 17-A of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. Safety Factor in Using Explosives The factors that affect the liability of an explosive to ignite gas or dust are already known in a qualitative way but quantitative data are

Jan 1, 1927

By H. H. Hasler

THE mining and removal of coal from two or more beds, either simultaneously or consecutively, in vertically adjacent areas have always been matters of concern to mine operators from both operating and recovery points of view. However, with the progressive introduction and use of electrical and mechanical facilities, such problems assume even greater proportions. In this paper typical cases occuring in Cambia County, Pa., are given and procedures whereby such problems may be .greatly reduced, if not entirely eliminated, are suggested. Throughout a considerable portion of the Central Pennsylvania bituminous coal region, particularly in Cambria County (Fig. I), the portion of the region to which references in this paper are made, large areas are encountered where two or more beds of coal occur and have been mined extensively since the earliest days of mining in the county. Generally, operations were commenced in one bed of coal on a property, following which, as conditions appeared to warrant, operations were commenced in another bed or beds on the same property, in some instances by the same operator. Operating results by no means have been uniformly successful, as the following review of some typical cases indicates, partly because of lack of experience in earlier cases and in certain later cases to disregard for the experiences of earlier operators. It is suggested that repetitions of such failures may be reduced largely, if not eliminated entirely, by adherence to a few basic principles founded upon past experiences. Geology and Stratigraphy The geology, stratigraphy, and relief of almost all of Cambria County have been studied and reported at length by the U. S. Geological Survey in its Johnstown, Ebensburg and Barnesboro-Patton Folios and other publications, by the Pennsylvania Geological Survey and by various individuals. All exposed rocks occurring within the boundaries of the county are of sedimentary origin, consisting of alternate beds of sandstone, slate, shale, fireclay, coal, limestone, etc., and all have been classified by the U. S. Geological Survey as extending from the upper strata of the Catskill formation, Devonian system, to and including, in a few hilltop areas, the lower strata of the Monongahela formation, Carboniferous system. Included within that range is the Allegheny formation, Pennsylvania series, which embraces all of the commercially important beds of coal that occur in the county, viz., the A, or Brookville, to the E, or Upper Freeport, both inclusive, shown in Fig. 2. The measures are traversed by a series of anticlines and synclines, extending in a northeasterly and southwesterly direction, which form broad, gently sloping basins (flat to 15 pct pitch, exceptionally to 25 pct). However, the topography of the surface is such that long lines of outcrops of all beds of coal overlying bed B, and to a limited extent bed B also, occur over large areas, a factor which contributed to the early and extensive development of mining activities in the county. Earliest mining developments of commercial importance were made in B, C', D, and E beds of coal, and it is in these beds that the principal mining operations are being conducted. To a limited extent, mining operations also have been conducted in local areas in the A, B rider and C beds. Coal beds being mined today range in thickness from approximately 28 to 60 in. Intervals between the respective beds of coal are variable but conform somewhat to the following general averages: A to B, 60 to 100 ft.; B to C, 50 ft.; C to C', 70 ft.; C' to D, 45 ft.; and D to E, 45 ft. The following are typical mining cases obserced over a period of years in various parts of the county.

Jan 1, 1952

By J. R. Kyte, C. C. Mattax

Previous workers have developed differential equations to describe oil displacement by water imbibition, but have not explicitly defined the relationship between recovery behavior for a single reservoir matrix block and its size. In the present work, imbibition theory is extended to show that the time required to recover a given fraction of the oil from a matrix block is proportional to the square of the distance between fractures. Using this relationship, recovery behavior for a large reservoir matrix block is predicted from an imbibition test on a small reservoir core sample. The prediction is then extended to analyze recovery behavior for fractured- matrix, water- drive reservoirs in which imbibition is the dominant oil-producing mechanism. Experimental data are presented to support the basic imbibition theory relating matrix block size, fluid viscosity level and permeability to recovery behavior. INTRODUCTION Imbibition has long been recognized as an important factor in recovering oil from water-wet, fractured-matrix reservoirs subjected to water flood or water drive. l-3 Recently, two approaches have been published which might be used to predict imbibition oil-recovery behavior for reservoir-sized matrix blocks. Graham and Richardson4 used a synthetic model to scale a single element of a fractured-matrix reservoir. lair,' on the other hand, used numerical techniques to solve the differential equations describing imbibition in linear and radial systems. This latter method requires auxiliary experimental data in the form of capillary pressure and relative permeability functions. These two approaches, i.e., synthetic models and numerical techniques, have been used to study a variety of reservoir fluid-flow problems. One pur- pose of this work is to present, with experimental verification, a third method for predicting imbibition oil recovery for large reservoir matrix blocks. This method uses scaled imbibition tests on small reservoir core samples to predict field performance. The imbibition tests are easier to perform than the capillary pressure and relative permeability tests required to apply the numerical method. Furthermore, when suitably preserved reservoir-rock samples are used, the properties of the laboratory system are the same as those of the field. This offers an important advantage over the use of synthetic models because there is usually some question as to how accurately reservoir-rock properties can be duplicated in such models. Based on the recovery behavior for a unit matrix block, an analysis is presented to predict oil recovery for a fractured, water-drive reservoir made up of many such unit blocks. In the analysis, it is assumed that the flow resistance and the volume of the reservoir fracture system are negligible compared with that of the porous matrix. These assumptions are generally consistent with observed characteristics of many fractured-matrix reservoirs, and have been employed in previous studies.2,3,6-8 further assumed that the effect of gravity on flow in the matrix blocks is negligible. On first thought, the latter assumption might appear to seriously limit application of the method. However, in a fractured reservoir, the effect of gravity on flow in a matrix block will be restricted by the height of the block. Furthermore, matrix permeabilities are often very low (10 md or less) in such reservoirs. This means that capillary or imbibition forces will be large, thus tending to minimize the relative importance of gravity. For these reasons, imbibition should be the dominant oil-recovery mechanism in many fractured-matrix, water-drive reservoirs. The predictive method presented in this report is applicable to such reservoirs. SCALING IMBIBITION THEORY The "scaling laws" applicable to the operation.

By T. R. Ingraham

The thermal decomposition of Nickel (II) sulfate was examined by determining the total pressure of SO3, SO2, and O2 developed over a sample when it was heated in an evacuated system fitted with a Pyrex-bellows mercury manometer. The equilibrium pressures were combined with previously published data on the oxide and sulfide systems to establish a predominance volume diagranz for the Ni-S-O system over the normal range of roasting temperature and gas composition used in the treatment of nickel minerals. The protective coating of NiSO4 which forms on the oxide during roasting, and which causes the sulfation reaction to almost cease, may be disengaged readily by temperature cycling. When nickel sulfide is roasted in air, either nickel sulfate or nickel oxide may be formed by altering the experimental conditions. Because of the differing stabilities of various metal sulfates and oxides, possibilities exist for separating some of the constituents of mineral mixtures by the technique of selective sulfation and oxidation roasting. The experimental information required to make reasonable predictions of the possibilities of this technique is incomplete and, in some cases, in conflict. As part of a general program of providing some of the required information, a study EXPERIMENTAL Materials, Apparatus, and Procedure. Fisher certified reagent-grade nickel sulfate hexahydrate was used in the source material for both nickel sulfate and nickel oxide. The manufacturer's analysis indicated: 0.001 pct Fe, 0.005 pct Cu, 0.003 pct Co, 0.001 pct C1, other 0.15 pct. The material was dehydrated, before use, by heating at 420°C for 5 hr. The oxide was prepared by roasting the sulfate in an open tray in a muffle furnace for 10 hr at950°C. Preliminary experiments which were made by thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis established that only one crystal form of nickel oxide and one of nickel sulfate were involved in the equilibrium shown in Eq. [I]. The apparatus used in the experiments was described previously.1,3 The main feature is a corrosion-resistant, flexible Pyrex bellows which is used to protect the mercury in a u-tube manometer. Before a run was begun, the apparatus was washed thoroughly with hot hydrochloric acid and water and dried by heating under vacuum. The mixed sulfate -oxide sample was contained in a platinum bat rest-

Jan 1, 1967

By Gregoire Gutzeit

The development reported in this paper was begun by the author a number of years ago, while he was a lecturer on complex chemistry and metallurgy at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and in charge of that institution's research laboratory. Completion of the development and reduction to practice did not occur until last year at the Westport mill, laboratories and testing plant of the Dorr Company, where this method is now in general use for identifying and localizing the mineral constituents of both metallic and nonmetallic ores. It has proved to be a practical tool of the metallurgical staff at the Westport mill, devising unusual milling flowsheets for complex and refractory ore bodies. In a number of instances the findings have been successfully used as fundamental factors in the design and specification of complete metallurgical plants. Seven examples of the use of this method in solving practical milling problems are included in this paper. General Outline The microscopic study of an ore, at first only of scientific interest, has proved extremely useful both in practical geology and in ore dressing. The binocular magnifying lenses for rough observation of the products of an ore-dressing plant have been in use for a long time; but only within the last few years has a systematic microscopical examination of ore samples become a normal tool of any research laboratory dealing with ore-dressing problems. Such an investigation avoids considerable loss of time as well as empirical trials and useless experimentation. It will generally indicate the correct grinding and often will suggest the proper method of treatment. . The petrographic determination of transparent minerals in thin sections, or even in grains, has been perfected, and very accurate methods have been devised to meet any requirement, such as Feodorof's rotating stage on the petrographic microscope. Almost all transparent minerals can be positively identified by their optical properties; i.e., isotropism, anisotropism, color, pleochroism, refractory index, cleavage, crystal form, birefringence, and others. The identification of opaque minerals is a much more difficult problem and can be done only by using polished specimens. Unfortunately, most of the valuable metallic ores, and even some of the nonmetallic ones, are not transparent; therefore it has been necessary to develop a special technique for the determination of these minerals. Some optical properties—for instance, isotropism, anisotropism, color, cleavage, reflecting power-—are often adequate in roughly classifying the mineral. Only "reflecting power" is a measurable value, provided special photometric equipment (ocular photometer or Orcel's photoelectric cell) is available. The other optical properties mentioned are more or less relative,

Jan 1, 1943

By A. F. Witt, A. M. Gaudin, A. K. Biswas

Finite contact angles in the rutile-water-organic liquid system are traceable to contamination or are due to addition of a surface-active agent. Finite contact angles are invariably accompanied by hysteresis.1-7 Besides surfactant concentration and pH, the nature of the organic liquid is found to be a factor influencing the magnitude of contact angle hysteresis. In a recent paper the authors have reviewed principles and applications of measurement methods for contact angles and their hysteresis.22 In this paper, these methods are applied to a system consisting of rutile, an organic liquid (benzene, decane, or dode-cane) and water. Surfactant (dodecylamine hydro-chloride) was used at various concentrations and various pH values. MATERIALS A synthetic rutile crystal supplied by the Linde Co. was used. It is a cylinder 1/2 in. diam, with faces cut perpendicular to the c-axis. The crystal is stated to be alumina-free and to be 99.9% pure. Rutile is a high surface energy solid, its calculated average field strength being 2.7 x 105 e.s.u.,9 its dielectric constant10 is 114. The zero point of charge of rutile was measured11 and found to be at pH 6.0. The atomic distances and bond angles of the tetragonal crystal of rutile have been precisely determined.l2 The organic liquids were specially purified. Reagent grade benzene was repeatedly shaken with concentrated sulfuric acid to remove thiophene, then neutralized with sodium hydroxide solution, rinsed with distilled water, dried overnight over anhydrous calcium chloride and filtered. The refractive index of this chemically purified benzene was 1.4977 (at 25°C) - very close to that of pure benzene (n25 1.4979).13 Both n-decane and n-dodecane were washed with aqueous sodium hydroxide, concentrated sulfuric acid (repeatedly, until the acid layer was colorless) and again with alkali, to free the organic hydrocarbon from fatty acids and unsaturated hydrocarbons. The organic phases were subsequently washed with distilled water and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The filtered hydrocarbons were then distilled under vacuum (9-10 mm pressure). Decane, thus purified, showed traces of unsaturated and of carboxylic compounds. On gas chromatographic analysis the purified n-dodecane showed the presence of two impurities. However, the relative retention times of these components did not change substantially when measured on a polar or a nonpolar column. This indicates that the compounds were probably in the same polarity class, i.e. the components were nonpolar like dodecane. Conductivity water has always been one of the liquids. Conductivity of the water used was 10-6 ohm-' cm". Dodecyl ammonium chloride was prepared from pure amine (supplied by Armour and Co., Chicago), by Li in the MIT Mineral Engineering Laboratory.14 The critical micelle concentration at 25°C is known, 0.0138 mol per liter15 or 3.06 gpl. All our experiments have been done at concentrations lower than the critical micelle concentration. The glass vessels, glass drop holder and the rutile crystal were all cleaned with hot chromic acid followed by distilled water, concentrated hydrochloric acid, and again distilled water, and conductivity water. During the experiments, a nitrogen atmosphere was maintained. For this purpose, commercially purified nitrogen was further purified by passing it over hot copper wire at 450°C, then through columns of acidic chromous chloride solution, concentrated alkali solution and distilled water. APPARATUS AND METHODS Hysteresis was produced by the "captive drop" or constant volume drop method as well as by the "expanding-contracting drop" or variable volume drop method. The image of the drop while it is expanding, contracting or moving is projected on a screen and photographed. The developed film is projected through an enlarger and the contact angles measured with a protractor.

Jan 1, 1964

By S. M. Moos, R. E. Dugger

In reviewing available vacuum filtration equipment in this paper, several types of filters have been included which are probably not familiar to operators in the mining industry. However, it was felt that these units might be of interest in the event that an application should arise for the filtration of a product in the future that does not exist today. In addition, exposure of our industry to equipment used in other industries might have a tendency to be thought provoking and perhaps lead to the development of equipment and/or applications in our industry which do not necessarily exist at this time. Most innovations in filtration equipment have been confined to the improvement or design change of components and accessories, particularly reflecting the availability of materials of construction that have been developed. Recent developments in the application of horizontal belt filters have been innovative. The application of this unit as a substitute for or an adjunct to thickeners in a CCD circuit can certainly be innovative and perhaps provide a basis for reduction in capital and operating costs in this area. For example, mill tails are generally pumped at the highest possible density that will adequately flow. Tailings ponds and dams with their attendant design requirements are based upon this estimated water volume. Availability of a much dryer, non-flowing filter cake opens up several new options for disposal. Considerable cost savings could result in the design and planning of disposal areas for containing dryer material. No attempt has been made in this paper to provide a manual for the operation of all of the many types of equipment that are available. Rather, the paper tries to present an overview. Fundamentals of Vacuum Filtration Filtration may be defined as the separation of solids from a liquid effected by passing the liquids through a porous medium. If the filtrate is induced to flow through the medium by hydrostatic head, we refer to it as gravity filtration. If we utilize super-atmospheric pressure upstream of the medium we call it pressure filtration and if sub-atmospheric pressure is applied downstream of the medium we call it vacuum filtration. Centrifugal filtration occurs when a centrifugal force is applied across the medium. Centrifuges will not be discussed in this paper. The process goal of filtration may be the production of dry solids where the cake is the valuable product, clarified liquid

Jan 1, 1980

By Ralph V. Higgins

This paper concerns the magnitude of the amount of supersaturation that occurs in an underground reservoir during the flow of oil and gas to wells and to the amount of undersaturation that occurs during repres-suring of an oil reservoir where some effective permeability to gas exists. The study is based on earlier laboratory findings of other investigators on the rate of diffusion of gas in oil as a function of the depth of oil. Utilizing these relationships and the principles of reservoir mechanics, a quantitative estimate of undersaturation and super-saturation was calculated. The results showed that the diffusion of the gas is rapid enough that for all practical purposes no supersaturation exists during the flow of oil to wells or undersaturation during repressuring in reservoir sands having some effective permeability to gas. The reason diffusion of the gas virtually keeps the oil saturated is the long time required in radial flow for oil to reach the well and the slow rate at which pressure in reservoirs is increased during repressuring. INTRODUCTION Knowledge of the phase relationships during flow of gas and oil in an underground reservoir is essential to operating the reservoir in the most efficient manner. In material-balance calculations and in fluid-flow studies, the oil is assumed to contain all the gas that it will dissolve at given temperature and pressure. Pressure-volume-temperature relationships are normally obtained in the laboratory using "bottom-hole" or combined samples of the reservoir fluids. In such laboratory determinations equilibrium is obtained between the oil and gas in the pressure cells by mechanical agitation. During the flow of oil and gas in reservoirs, however, no comparable agitation occurs to mix thoroughly these fluids to aid in effecting equilibrium between the two phases. During repressuring of a partly depleted underground reservoir, the gas is usually injected into the reservoir faster than the oil can absorb it; consequently, the oil is undersaturated. On the other hand, as the oil flows through the reservoir to the wells during producing operations the pressure decreases faster than the gas in solution can diffuse through the oil to the gas phase. The oil therefore is supersaturated with gas. Where the oil is undersaturated, gas diffuses away from the gas-oil interface, and where it is supersaturated the gas diffuses toward the interface. In either case the gas moves from a higher to a lower saturation. This report contains the results of a study of the factors influencing the degree of nonequilibrium of the phase relations of oil and gas in porous mediums during the flow of oil through reservoirs to wells and also during the injection of gas into partially depleted sands. Data from an underground reservoir are presented and the degree of supersaturation during the flow of the oil through the reservoir to the well is approximated. Also data from another reservoir are used and the degree of undersaturation during the repressuring operation is calculated. In addition, the flow rates of oil in laboratory experiments and in underground reservoirs are compared, as data from the laboratory are often used to interpret events in the reservoir, and the rates of flow influence appreciably the degree of nonequilibrium. Much of the contents of this report was prepared in 1943; but, because of other activities during and since the war, the manuscript was left untouched until 1952, when it was decided to include an estimate of the amount of undersaturation during repressuring as well as supersaturation during flow.

Jan 1, 1955

By G. B. Gould

Every mathematical statement of a measure of anything (as distinguished from a count') is followed by a qualification—always implied if not explicity stated—-that the statement is only an estimate, which may vary from absolute accuracy within certain limits, according to the accuracy of the measuring instrument. This basic fact, so obvious to engineers, is not so well understood by many that make use of laboratory coal tests. The tolerances that must be allowed in measurements of coal quality are very important in both their commercial and engineering applications—and the significance of these tolerances depends upon the use made of the laboratory coal test. Only in recent years has there been any intensive study of this question of tolerances as applied to measurements of coal quality. There is very little in our published literature on the subject, and what has been published is not readily comprehended by those who sell coal, or buy coal and use it, unless they happen to have made a study of the subject themselves. There is great need for more widespread understanding of what lias been discovered and how it applies to the use of laboratory coal tests. What follows is an attempt to condense into a few pages the results of the major investigations so far reported, and to explain their meaning in simple nontechnical language, with the addition of some recent illustrative experiments. Determining Deviations in Quality It is necessary at the outset to distinguish between: (I) the accuracy with which one test indicates the quality on one lot of coal; and (2) the accuracy with which a test of one lot of coal represents the average quality of a commercial product, of which the buyer will presumably receive a series of shipments—perhaps many thousands of tons. It is necessary to make this distinction because coal is a variable material—a heterogeneous mixture of a variety of components—the quality of which will vary from one lot to another. Therefore an absolutely accurate determination of the quality (if that were possible) of one lot of a coal is an

Jan 1, 1938

By Herbert W. Huse

Nitrogen, and its compounds, unique among the materials described in this volume, is absolutely essential to the existence of the human race. Almost all minerals are important and the absence of any one of them would be sorely felt; but nitrogen is an integral part of the cycle of life itself. Man cannot live without nitrogen which, as an inert gas, composes the major part of the air he breathes; as compounds, nourishes the vegetation which he eats; and, as protein, forms a part of his very flesh and blood. Nature originally provided man with a vast reserve of usable nitrogen compounds in the form of fertile soil. She constantly replenishes the supply by "fixing" nitrogen in the air at the estimated rate of 400,000,000 tons per year (an insignificant 6 lb per acre) during electrical storms. She has also placed certain microorganisms in the soil which are able to "fix" nitrogen and convert it into forms which plants can use. Legumes like cow peas, soy beans, clover, and alfalfa have extraordinary roots which serve as stimulating hosts to these bacteria which, in turn, nourish the plant. By plowing in all or part of such crops, their above-average nitrogen content can be returned to the soil for other more useful crops. The mechanism for this recycle is supplied by "denitrifying" bacteria which attack the dead plant tissue and liberate nitrogen and ammonia. However, since one crop of grain, sugar beets, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., takes out a major portion of the nitrogen which a plowed-in legume crop can supply, this method of fertilization is obviously inadequate. Drastic intervention by man has become necessary to support the ever-growing population of the world.9,15,20 Old civilizations with a high population density, such as the Chinese, were able to exist for centuries by carefully tilling the soil, rotating crops, and returning to the soil all the nitrogen in vegetable wastes plus human and animal excreta. But the lack of a means for augmenting their supply of nitrogen placed a ceiling on further development and kept the mass of the population in a chronic state of undernourishment, frequently punctuated by famine. Nitrogen plays another important role in the life of mankind. In the form of explosives, nitrogen helps to wrest from the earth many materials needed for our material well-being. Also, in the form of explosives and propellants, nitrogen increased the destructiveness of wars to a point only exceeded by the fantastic power of atomic energy. Man's first really effective efforts to improve his position with respect to nitrogen began in the 18th Century with the mining of sodium nitrate. By the late 1880's this had become a big industry serving a large part of the world. In the late 1890's nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, was being recovered from coke-oven operations. In 1900 nitrogen, in the form of nitric oxide, was being obtained from the air by an electric-arc process. About 1904 another "fixation" process based on the reaction of nitrogen with calcium carbide to form cyanamide was commercialized. By 1913 the Haber-Bosch process of "fixing" atmospheric nitrogen by reacting it with hydrogen to produce synthetic ammonia was successfully applied on a large scale, first in Germany and then throughout the industrial areas of the world.9 All the above methods of obtaining nitrogen compounds are still in use and, between them, they assure mankind of adequate supplies for all time. While this fortunate situation is not unique amongst industrial raw materials, all too few of man's needs are so well in hand.

Jan 1, 1960

By A. G. Roach

This paper deals with a plant built under joint agreement between the Canadian and United States Governments to supply the strategic mineral, corundum, at a time when African production was dwindling and war demands still increasing. The operation began in September 1944, retreating the tailings from a former mill by gravity methods, and is still in production (Sept. 1946). In 1942, when it became apparent that South African production would be insufficient to meet mounting wartime requirements of corundum, a survey was made of Canadian sources of the mineral, at the request of the Foreign Economic Administration of the U. S. Government. The investigation' indicated that the quickest and cheapest supply would be obtained by reworking the tailings deposit at Craig-mont, Ontario. Sampling of the dump by Canadian Government engineers revealed that 125,000 tons of tailings, averaging 2.96 pct corundum, was available for retreat-ment. Ore-dressing tests on representative samples of the deposit were conducted by the writer in the laboratories of the Industrial Minerals Section of the Department of Mines and Resources at Ottawa; and gravity concentration on tables was indicated as the most suitable method of treatment. Decision to proceed with the project was deferred until May 9, construction was begun on May 18, and tune-up operation of the plant begun on Sept. IS, 1944. Corundum—Its Properties and Uses Corundum is an oxide of aluminum having the formula Al2O3. Its outstanding characteristic is its great hardness; 9 in the Mohs scale. In this respect it is second only to the diamond. It usually occurs in barrel-shaped crystals in nepheline syenites and other feldspathic rocks deficient in silica. It has a specific gravity of 3.95 to 4.1 and is insoluble and infusible. In color it ranges from white, through red and green, to black. Ruby and sapphire are gem varieties of corundum. Corundum is supplied to industry as closely graded grain.= The coarser roducts (10 to 24-mesh) are used largely for snagging wheels in the steel-castings industry, while the finer grades (from 70-mesh down to flours) find a wide application in the polishing of lenses and for other uses in the optical trade. All sizes of corundum grain are in close competition with synthetic abrasives such as carborundum and alundum. In some fields of application the artificial product is superior to the natural grain but not in' all. The shape of the particle and its behavior under conditions of actual use determine its sphere of employment. The United States is the largest 'Onsumer of corundum, annual consumption in peacetime approaching 3000 tons; during the war this figure was roughly doubled. During the years 1902 to 1913, the bulk

Jan 1, 1948

By J. Marin, H. A. B. Wiseman

This paper presents results of an experimental study dealing with the plastic stress-strain relations of aluminum alloy 14s-T6 subjected to combined biaxial tension and compression stresses. Plastic stress-strain relations for both constant and various types of variable stress ratios were determined and a comparison made with the simple flow theory of plasticity. THIS investigation was undertaken for two main purposes: 1—to obtain plastic stress-strain relations for Alcoa 14s-T6 when subjected to various combinations of biaxial stresses, and 2—to determine the validity of the flow theory in predicting plastic stress-strain relations for combined stresses. The biaxial stresses used were tension combined with compression. These stresses were produced by subjecting a thin-walled tube to axial tension and torsion. Various types of combined stress conditions were investigated. To provide control test data and information on the influence of biaxial stresses on the strength, the usual constant stress ratio type tests were made. These tests showed that the biaxial yield strength agrees approximately with the distortion energy theory. However, the Prager semi-empirical theory agrees best with the test results. For these constant stress ratio tests the plastic stress-strain relations were found to agree approximately with the flow theory. (For constant stress ratio the flow and deformation type theories are identical.) In view of the fact that the constant stress ratio tests cannot distinguish between the flow and deformation theories, a number of variable and special biaxial stress tests were made. These tests showed that the flow theory is inadequate, since large differences exist between the experimental and theoretical results. Special tests were also conducted to check the validity of the isotropic yielding assumption. This assumption is made in the linear-type flow theory. In these tests specimens were loaded in tension to predetermined values beyond the proportional limit stress. The tension load was removed from the specimen and the specimen was subsequently loaded in torsion to fracture. Other tests were applied with the order of torque and tension loading reversed. The nominal stress-strain curves for these two tests approximately coincide indicating that the assumption of isotropic yielding is valid. In addition, these tests verified the requirement by the slip theory of plasticity that prestraining below 140 pct of the proportioned limit stress in either torsion or tension did not influence the subsequent plastic stress-strain relations in tension or torsion. Another type of test was conducted to check the assumption that the axes of principal stress and strain coincide during plastic flow and variable stress conditions. These tests were conducted by applying combinations of axial tension, internal pressure, and torsional loads such that the axes of maximum principal stress could be rotated through 90" during the loading path. The results of those tests showed that the angle between the axes of principal stress and strain varied greatly and that the assumption of coincidence between axes of principal stress and strain is not valid. Introduction In various metal processes including forming of sheets, rolling of bars, and extrusion of rods, metals are subjected to stresses beyond the yield strength of the material. Often these stresses are not simple stresses acting in one direction, but are combined stresses acting in more than one direction. Structural and machine members are often subjected to combined stresses. To adequately determine the factors of safety for these members, it is necessary to know the plastic stress-strain relations of the material used for various combined stress conditions. Various theories have been proposed for predicting the plastic stress-strain relations for combined stress in terms of the simple tension plastic stress-strain relation for the material. To determine which theory might be adequate, test results must be obtained for various combined stress conditions, in order to compare the actual with the assumed theoretical behavior. Although there is considerable test data available for combined stress conditions in which the principal stress ratios are constant, relatively little test information is available for vari-

Jan 1, 1954

By J. W. Leonard, J. C. Anderson, C. T. Holland

PREPARATION CONTROL IN UNDERGROUND MINING Selective Mining According to district Depending upon the particular geographic location or seam characteristics modem raw coal preparation practices can be used to obtain improved product quality and uniformity. Nevertheless, certain coal markets may require only marginal quality while others may require very high quality and these objectives may be sought by commencing the preparation of coal underground at the "working face." Underground preparation involves choosing those portions of the bed which can be cleaned to satisfy predetermined market requirements involving (1 ) maintenance of uniformity in chemical quality, (2) elimination of removable impurities, (3) control of sizes and size ratios and (4) control of moisture. The methods employed to attain these objectives vary widely with the (1) seam under development, (2) mining equipment available and (3) changing trends in the consuming markets. When a mining property is opened and development progresses from one section to another the (1) petrography of the coal in the bed does not re- main uniform, (2) character of roof and floor are subject to change and (3) character and prevalence of mineral impurities are subject to considerable variation. The quality of coal shipped to market from any mine depends upon intelligent foresight, planning, execution and supervision. Mining becomes a highly technical art. The quality of coal as determined by chemical and petrographic analysis is without question one of the most important considerations in the development and life of any coal-mining property. Variations in such proper- ties as volatile matter, ash, sulfur, Btu content and petrography are of considerable interest and to a limited extent so are such properties as phosphorous content, free swelling index, plasticity, hardness, pressure formation during coking and ash composition. The maximum and minimum specifications of these characteristics as established by competitive market conditions place definite limits on the marketability of a coal. The prospecting and evaluation of any area containing one or more salable coal beds by means of channel samples taken from outcrop openings and/or from diamond-drill cores can yield valuable data on coal characteristics. By correlating the data developed from distinct petrographic sections of channel and/or drill core samples, the quality of the bed according to stratification will be evident. There are few coal beds that do not show wide variations of such characteristics as ash and sulfur

Jan 1, 1968

By Arthur S. Dwight

We author of this historical chapter will perhaps be criticized for limiting his subject to the history of the blast furnace in lead smelting, and especially to the part it played in the great custom ore-smelting business which for three decades or more was the means of opening up vast mineral treasures and practically dominated the mining industry in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, in Mexico and in Canada. The men of that era shared the romance and the thrills of mining, and bore their part as pioneers in the building of the great West. The present writer was too young to participate in the first of the three decades mentioned, but immediately thereafter came under the apprenticeship of some of the men who had worked out the early metallurgical problems of the industry, became personally acquainted with most of the others of that group, heard the tales of early experiences, successes and failures, the gossip of the frontier and mining camps, from all of which there remain embedded in his mind clear impressions of the outstanding personalities of that time. That is the background against which the fifty years of intimate contact with the mining and smelting business and his own experiences as metallurgist stand out in his memory, and it is hoped that the gentle reader may understand and approve his desire to rescue from comparative oblivion the fundamentally valuable results accomplished by these fathers of the industry. It will be the purpose of this chapter first to narrate the general history of the growth of the industry; second, to pay tribute to some of the pioneer metallurgists, and third, to discuss some of the salient points of the metallurgical practice at different periods, to illustrate the technical progress of the art. The series of eight Annual Reports of Rossiter W. Raymondl,† U. S. Commissioner of Mining Statistics from 1869 to 1876, contain most of the available information about the early smelting operations in the Rocky Mountain region, and much is in the early volumes of the Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. The monograph by S. F. Emmons2 though not published until 1886, contained an elaborate description of the smelting works operating in 1879. Otto H. Hahn3 wrote a valuable paper in 1883, on smelting prac-

Jan 1, 1937

By A. G. Weber, H. J. Welge

A published calculation method for predicting incompressible, multidimensional fluid displacement has been adapted to the problems of water and gas coning in oil wells. Since depth and radial distance from the wellbore are the two key dimensions affecting the shape of a gas or water cone, coning calculations are well suited to the use of two-dimensional methods. The alternating direction implicit procedure (ADIP) was used for relaxation calculations of two-phase potentials in a two-dimensional grid. From the potentials and the capillary pressure relationship, saturation and pressure distributions were calculated which trace cone growth with time. Predictions have been made for well producing histories both before and after core breakthrough. To check validity of the method, two-dimensional calculations have matched the coning behavior and produced water-oil ratio history of a laboratory sand-packed model. They have also matched the coning behavior of several producing wells, for which the calculations were compared with produced water or gas cuts and logs showing water or gas cone movements. INTRODUCTION The application of two-phase, two-dimensional calculations using ADIP to various reservoir flow problems has been described in the literature.1-3 When adapted for computer solution, this method has proved to be a powerful tool for simulating well and reservoir behavior. This paper discusses the method as applied to well coning calculations. Single-well and coning calculations comprise an especially difficult class of two-dimensional problems which require special techniques for computer calculation and determination of reservoir characteristics. Refs. 4 through 8 describe previous approaches to the coning problem. Several examples of water and gas coning calculations, including studies on both laboratory models and producing wells, are presented here. The two-dimensional method accounts realistically for the most critical parameters affecting coning behavior, including production rate, formation stratification, horizontal and vertical permeabilities, depth of well penetration, gravity and capillary forces. The method considers the different densities and viscosities of the two phases and the relative permeability and capillary pressure characteristics of the rock and fluids. In addition to tracing cone growth in the vicinity of the wellbore, the method calculates the overall movement of the fluid interface throughout the well's drainage volume. Incompressible fluid flow is assumed to occur between the producing interval and the well's limit of drainage. Calculations can be made for the producing history both before and after cone breakthrough. A typical two-dimensional grid or array of blocks used to solve a coning problem contains about 400 blocks. The well's cylindrical drainage volume can be represented by about 20 radial subdivisions and the formation thickness by 20 vertical subdivisions. The grid spacing is normally smaller near the withdrawal interval to define the cone shape accurately. For this work we used an IBM 7074 digital computer having a core memory of 10,000 ten-digit words. A typical study, covering 5 to 10 years of well producing history, required from three to six hours of computing time. MATHEMATICAL SIMULATION OF CONING BEHAVIOR BASIC METHOD In coning calculations, the reservoir volume drained by the producing well is represented by a two-dimensional system of blocks as shown in Fig. 1 for water coning studies. The horizontal dimensions of the blocks increase with radial distance from the well axis in geometric progression, i.e., the block size is small near the wellbore and large near the well's drainage radius (re). Vertically, the blocks are bounded by horizontal planes located at different depths through the

Jan 1, 1965

By T. A. Wright

The sampling of waste materials containing copper, lead and tin has taken on a new significance within recent years, and is of increasing importance, on account of the entry of some of the copper refineries into this field and the tendency towards consolidations among the smelters. In the past, such material was sold on the basis either of a rough or grat) sample or of casual inspection of the lot. The two principal sources of this waste are the processes of fabrication and the scrapping of automobile, electrical, plumbing, railroad and other equipment. In both cases rnuch material can bc sorted, salvaged and sold by classification and grade to be melted "as is" or with the addition of new or virgin metal. The increasing care in classifying exercised in the large manufacturing plants tends to incrcase the proportion of this usable scrap; on the contrary, the increasing use of more complex and special non-ferrous alloys tends to makc sorting and grading more difficnlt in turnings, borings, clippings, etc., and conseqllcntly is making sampling of more moment. In tin, lead, alumiinum, and zinc furnace by-products such as ashes, drosses, skimmings, etc., the trade practice of evaluation has not varied much. For instance, tin drosscs, battery lcad, and aluminunl skimmings are ordinarily sold on what is called "metallic button" or "metallic recovery" or "metallic yield." Coppcr and Icad wastcl, howcvcr, is being sold more and more on actual copper and lead contents bascd on sarrlple and chemical analysts. This paper will be dcvotctl chiefly to the sampling of niaterials suitablc only for refining and recovery of one or more of the metals present. The methods described are often bascd on thc fact that but one, metal, such as copper, is to be paid for. The loss of volatile constituents in melting does not appreciably affect thc final copper result, as the "after-melting" assay can be readily calculated to the "bcfore-nltltingl' basis, but if smelter efficiency continues to increase, so that in tiltie zinc, for instance, may be rccovrred on a paying basis, thc method of sampling dirty brass, for example, will have to bc changed also. As a matter of fact, we may cxpect that improved refining proresses will make possible the partial reeovrry of lcad and tin which are now lost

By B. H. Kear

Clustering of slip bands in different systems has been observed in both ordered and disordered Cu3Au crystals compressed in the <110> orientation. Certain features of the slip band patterns are explained in terms of reactions between dislocations with Burgers vectors at 120 deg; in a few rare cases, the slip band evidence suggests that the Products of such reactions form diffuse tilt boundaries between the differently slipped regions of the crystal, similar to the known behavior of ionic crystals, but not nearly so well defined. WHEN crystals with orientations favorable for multiple slip undergo plastic deformation, slip may occur in different systems in localized regions, so that clusters of slip bands are developed. This phenomenon has been observed in fee1-4 metals and also in ionic crystals having the sodium chloride structure.5-8 In the ionic crystals, the boundaries formed between the differently slipped regions of the crystal assume characteristic orientations and are associated with macroscopic tilts that are plainly visible on the sides of the crystal. Recently, this interesting feature was explained in terms of the formation of diffuse low-angle boundaries as a result of interactions between families of glide dislocations in the different systems meeting in the boundaries.9 This paper describes an attempt to obtain similar evidence for boundary formation in an fee crystal. The alloy Cu3Au was chosen for the present study simply because this material is currently being used in a general study of differences in deformation behavior of the ordered and disordered phases of this alloy, which will be described elsewhere. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The two specially oriented compression specimens used in the present study were prepared from a melt-grown single crystal by careful cutting, grinding and polishing. The finished specimens were about 6 mm by 2 mm in cross section by 6 mm tall, with their ends parallel to (101) and sides parallel to (111) and (121); the broad faces of the specimens were made parallel to (711). Both specimens were annealed in an evacuated quartz tube at 850oC for several hours, slowly cooled to 500°c, and then quenched into water in order to obtain the disordered state for the alloy. One of the specimens was partially ordered (with S- 0.8) by reannealing at 350oC for 100 hr. After these annealing treatments, both of the specimens were electropolished. 10 Finally, the specimens were compressed in the [loll orientation and their stress-strain curves were recorded. The deformation was carried out in increments of a few percent strain. At each stage in the deformation the specimens were unloaded, removed from the compression jig, and examined optically for slip bands. Before reloading, the specimens were repolished, so that the observed slip band patterns were characteristic of a particular stage in the deformation. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Fig. 1 show!; the stress-strain curves for the ordered and disordered specimens and also indicates the stages 1, 2, and 3 where the deformation was interrupted for examination of slip bands. The curves show marked differences in flow stress and in work hardening rate in the two specimens, as observed by previous workers.11,12 Also, it was found, in agreemement with the observations of Taoka and Sakata,&apos;3 that the plastically deformed disordered alloy showed the characteristic coarse slip bands of alloys, whereas the ordered alloy exhibited a fine slip band structure similar to that of pure metals. Slip Band Observations. In what follows, the description of the slip band patterns, with accom-

Jan 1, 1962

By C. E. Nelson

The purpose of this discussion is to outline briefly the practices commonly followed in this country for the melting and refining of magnesium and its alloys. The processes used for the various forms of primary magnesium, as far as there are differences in the physical shape or behavior, will be discussed. The refining of general fine scrap or secondary magnesium was presented in an earlier paper.1 Inasmuch as the use of fluxes is an essential part of all the melting and refining processes, the principal aim of this paper will be to deal with these in sufficient detail to point out their unique characteristics, in order to make their use more effective. Types oF Melting Practice All melting and refining processes for magnesium and its alloys require the use of fluxes. These fluxes have a magnesium chloride base and other halide salts or oxides are added to give a density or behavior exactly suited to the particular melting practice. The successful handling of magnesium depends upon the proper use of the correct fluxes. There are four general methods of melting, summarized in the following paragraphs and treated in more detail in the section on Melting and Refining. Open-pot Method The open-pot method makes use of No. 230 flux.2 The flux provides protection during melting and a molten pool of flux into which the solid magnesium melts. It is stirred through the molten metal bath and agglomerates oxide or similar foreign bodies; then on quiet standing separates away, leaving the refined metal ball floating in an encircling layer of molten flux. It forms only a thin fluid film over the surface of the molten metal, which may be &apos; parted for hand-ladling processes and tends to cover the metal again after the ladle is removed. A very light dusting of the pot surface with fresh flux immediately after the ladle is removed is usually desirable. The open-pot method is used generally in the following processes: (I) alloying and secondary smelting in the production of ingot, (2) in sand foundries for premelting and to a smaller extent for the production of small castings requiring hand ladling, (3) in permanent-mold founding for premelting and also direct ladling to castings, (4) for continuous methods of preparing metal in the production of billets or ingots from which wrought products are fabricated, (5) in general scrap recovery. Crucible Process The crucible process makes use of No. 310 flux, which has the property of being thinly fluid at the start, to provide protection and refining qualities, and then drying out or thickening after a time, leaving a protecting crust on the pot surface until the time of casting. At that time it can be readily skimmed off or held back, thus allowing the contents of the crucible to be poured out directly into castings without fear of flux contamination. This flux is not

Jan 1, 1944

By Albert S. Trube

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the definition of compressibility and to present a uniform basis upon which instantaneous compressibilities of liquids and gases can be compared. The equations gaverning the instantaneous compressibilities of imperfect gases are derived and the concept of pseudo-reduced compressibility is introduced. Part of the data presented by Brown, Katz et a1 on compressibility factors for natural gases has been rearranged. A graph of pseudo-reduced compressibility vs pseudo-reduced pressure for various pseudo-reduced temperatures is presented. The need for additional work in relating the compressibilities of liquids and gases is discussed. This information should be of value to reservoir engineers in making non-steady state performance calculations in gas reservoirs. It should be of further use irz pointing the direction for additional research in the nature of liquid and gas compressibilities. INTRODUCTION With the increasing use of steady and non-steady state well and reservoir data, there is a corresponding increase in the importance of the various factors entering into such calculations. Increasing emphasis is being placed on the necessity for obtaining reasonably accurate estimates of the physical properties of the reservoir fluids well in advance of the more accurate laboratory data. One such factor is the isothermal coefficient of expansion of the media which are transmitting and attenuating the non-steady state pressure waves. The average isothermal coefficient of expansion, or "compressibility" is a complex function controlled by the physical properties of the formation and the fluids contained therein. The isothermal expansion coefficients for reservoir gases are usually quite variable, in many cases being highly-pressure sensitive. The coefficients for reservoir liquids tend to be pressure sensitive, but not nearly so much as reservoir gases. The coefficients for solids, usually expressed in terms of a "modulus of elasticity" are relatively insensitive to pressure variations within their elastic limits. For this reason, and also because many previous applications have been limited to rel- atively small pressure ranges, there has been a tendency to ignore the variable nature of isothermal expansion coefficients and treat them as constants. Also, the term "compressibility" by which these coefficients are generally designated is commonly confused with a similar term, z, used to define the deviation of an imperfect natural gas from the perfect gas laws. A clear distinction should be made at the outset between the term "compressibility", which is an isothermal coefficient of expansion of a substance, and the term "compressibility factor", z, which refers to the deviation of a gas from the perfect gas laws. Although the scope of this paper is limited to the compressibility of single phase natural gases, it is definitely related to the problem of accurately estimating the compressibilities of single phase hydrocarbon reservoir liquids, which will form the basis of a future presentation. BASIC PRINCIPLES The coefficient of isothermal compressibility of a substance, c, is usually determined from pressure-volume or pressure-length -measurements depending upon whether the substance is single phase gas, liquid, or solid. A convenient method for making such estimates for a finite change in pressure and volume at constant temperature is to use the well known equation V1-V2/V1 (p2 - p1) .....(1) Eq. 1 is negative because the volume of a confined substance decreases as the pressure is increased. In this case V1 > V2 and p2 > p1. This equation is useful in approximating the compressibilities of single phase gases and liquids undergoing small pressure changes. It is evident, however, that this equation is almost identical with the determination of Young&apos;s modulus of elasticity for solids. If the assumption is made that change in length is directly proportional to change in volume, as would very nearly be the case for a steel rod in tension within its elastic limit, then E5=-L1 (p2 - p1)/L1 - L2 .......(2) in which E. is the isothermal expansion coefficient, or Young&apos;s modulus of elasticity, for a solid. And further, for this special case L1 (p2 - p1)/L1 - L2 .......(3)

Jan 1, 1958

By John B. Knaebel

The annual Jackling Award Lecture, sponsored by the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME, is intended to honor and commemorate one of the greatest mine-makers of all time, an innovator whose vision and determination made ore out of waste rock. He ushered in a new philosophy of mining which revolutionized some segments of the industry and notably affected our economy generally. To have been asked to given the Jackling Lecture this year is an honor that I scarcely deserve, but which I have accepted in humble gratitude. Although it is true that "many a mine has made the man," it is also true that while ore bodies are found, mines are made. That statement has been hammered into my skull many times by a man whose own career exemplifies its truth, a man who has been first and last a steadfast friend, who for a while was my boss and mentor, and who as one of this country&apos;s great mining geologists has laid his hand to the making of many a mine. I will doubly cherish the memory of the honor bestowed upon me because the presentation of the Jackling Award was made by this man. After the Lord made Dick Hunt he threw away the mold. Metals and other mineral products are essential ingredients of the social economy of the modern world. No well informed and thoughtful person can doubt that they will be indispensable to mankind as long as the fabric of civilization as we know it today can be held together. They are mined from ore bodies, which, unlike some other kinds of bodies, are physically inorganic and wholly incapable of reproducing themselves. Since in time they become mined out, an endless procession of new producers must be made by someone if the fundamental needs, to say nothing of the not so fundamental whims of an affluent society, are to be gratified. In saying that these mines must be made, I mean exactly that. It is my purpose to comment upon some of the problems we must cope with in making them. I shall try to avoid dwelling needlessly upon aspects of new mine development with which most people in this business are thoroughly familiar, and will attempt to discuss in a useful way some of the newer and more significant features of the economic climate in which these endeavors must be conducted. To begin with, an Almighty force put the ore into the ground, and selected the places in which to put it. Mankind was not consulted. Beyond that stage, however, mankind must find the ore deposits and contrive to extract their contents and put them into useful service. In doing this, he must use tools and techniques devised by man to overcome obstacles created in part by nature, but also in part by man himself. And most importantly of all, in making the tools and applying the techniques, he must use people. In the whole process the most pliable ingredient at hand-and also the most unpredictable-is people. Mines play out, and men die. As time goes on, we will have new mines, and they must be made by new men. The Environmental Dilemma It is perhaps timely to touch first upon the newest and in many ways the most potent consideration affecting the feasibility of developing new mines-the problems related to protection of the environment and to the

Jan 1, 1973