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By S. J. Salat, E. E. Burton

The new Inspiration copper smelter, which introduced unique technological innovations to the copper industry, required a plant material handling system to match. The system has been designed to convey such diverse bulk materials as copper concentrates, copper precipitates, lime, limestone, silica, flue dust, and revert materials. The moisture content in the materials varies from bone dry to a maximum of 25%. Since the summer of I974 when the smelter went into operation, the material handling system ha provided satisfactory and dependable services.

Jan 1, 1981

The Free World's largest uranium reserves are in the United States. Almost 97% of the U.S. uranium reserves occur in irregular shaped sandstone formations, widely disseminated in coarse clastic sediments that are mostly of Jurassic or Tertiary age. Without doubt, the most important deposits are located in the sandstone formations of the Ambrosia Lake district of New Mexico, near the sun-scorched town of Grantswhose proud alias, as given by the city fathers, is "The Uranium Capital of the World."

Jan 8, 1974

By R. Walker, R. J. Anslow

Today at Tampa we see the end results of a team effort: A vital link in an intermodal transportation system, the link that enables the unit-train concept to be employed with full effectiveness and the link that improves the economics of water transportation systems. Two new phosphate transfer complexes with a multi- million ton annual capacity are in operation in Tampa, Fla. Revolutionary in concept, these companion installations represent a total investment in the Tampa Bay area of $18.5 million.

Jan 1, 1970

NEW MEMBERS. The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the month of November, 1913: Members. AGNEW, JOHN L., Gent Supt Copper Cliff, Ont., Canada. BAILEY, FRANK C, Mine Mgr 2003 IV. Snito Ave., Spokane, Wash. BATEMAN, ALAN M., Min. Geol.,Care L. C. Graton, Geological Museum, Cambridge,Mass. BERRYHILL, JAMES G.,Atty.-at-law and Mining Investor, Equitable Bldg., Des Moines, Ia. CARTLIDGE, OSCAR, Mgr. State Mine Rescue Station, 452 W. South Grand Ave.. Springfield. Ill.

Jan 12, 1913

By Will B. Jamison

It is a fact that the most serious safety problems encountered in US underground coal mines are related to roof-bolting operations. It is also true that roof bolting is usually the operation which limits coal production from a mine section. There has been a recent focus on activity involving roof bolting research, development, and new ideas as people concerned about mine worker safety and productivity realize that significant progress can be made in these areas, even with equipment presently available.

Jan 7, 1977

The Institute is at present in sound condition professionally and financially. During the past year 546 new members were elected, the total membership now numbering 5,221. The Treasurer's Report shows that the expenses of the Institute are met by its income. Your Directors have thought it wise to issue a referendum to the members asking for a vote upon the suggestion that the annual dues be raised from $10 to $12. This moderate increase is proposed not because the Institute needs it at present but to insure a continuation and increase in its activities and usefulness, and to provide a reserve fund for future emergencies. In well-conducted organizations, such as clubs, it is a wise and safe course to so adjust the clues of members that the total receipts from this source will about equal the annual expenditures, the initiation fees being used for reserve purposes. Our dues alone do not at present meet the expenses. This, I think, is the whole situation, so far as this question is concerned. Expenses might be reduced in some measure, but they cannot be materially reduced without affecting the integrity and usefulness of your Institute. Nothing of consequence in our internal affairs has occurred during the past year except, perhaps, the establishment of the Arizona Section and the prospect now assured of a Nevada Section. During recent months there has been a marked change in the relations of the Institute to its fellow societies and to the Government of the United States. That change is one of cooperation. The Secretary of the Navy has appointed two of your members to the Naval Consulting Board to cooperate with members of 10 other scientific organizations. This Board is now organized, and through its work your Institute is brought in close touch with the activities of the other societies and with the United States Navy. The President of the United States has requested us to recommend to the Government one of our representatives in each State in the Union to act in collaboration with a member in each State from the. American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the American Chemical Society, thus organizing a directorate of engineers for each State, that will conduct, through the members of each of the five societies referred to, living in each State, a campaign of industrial preparedness. No more important step than this, it seems to me,

Jan 3, 1916

By Rush Greenslade

The oil and gas lease is the basic contract of the oil and gas industry; it is the foundation stone upon which the producing industry, particularly, is based. As the industry is precarious and highly speculative, the foundation contract should be of the utmost integrity and certainty. But right there an anomaly exists; the oil and gas lease is the most obscure, most uncertain, doubtful contract in the realm of law today. That is a condition that must be considered when taking oil and gas leases, and when buying, selling, and holding them. It may fairly be asked why should this industry rest upon so insecure a foundation. Why should not the oil industry rest upon the contract that is the basis of all industry, the warranty deed? There are many contributing reasons, but the principal one is business expediency. The Anglo-Saxon idea of ownership of land is that every land owner owns from the center of the earth to the sky—all that is above and all that is below—consequently the oil and gas are owned by the person who owns the surface. That idea is not exactly true with reference to oil and gas, for many states have adopted the doctrine that oil and gas are like wild animals; they are fugacious and migratory and belong to the man that traps them. But, except for that doctrine, we believe that oil and gas are owned by the owner of the surface, wherein we differ from the Latin-American countries where the mineral rights are owned by the government. The United States was settled largely by homesteading. The owners of land were, in the main, farmers, who did not have the means or the faith to drill for oil or gas. The operators or speculators did not want to buy the land on the mere possibility of finding oil; hence a compromise resulted by which the land owner gave the speculator or the operator what he called an oil and gas lease, or a right to go upon his land and drill for oil and gas. What is supposed to be the first oil lease placed on record reads as follows: Agreed this 4th day of July, a.d. 1853, with J. D. Angier of Cherrytree township in the county of Venango Pennsylvania that he shall repair up and keep in order the old oil springs on land in said Cherrytree township, or dig and make new springs, and the expense to be deducted out of the proceeds of the oil, and the balance, if any, to be

Jan 1, 1924

By A. F. Frederickson

Rapid advances in any branch of science often follow the development of new instruments or techniques which permit the scientist a closer look at the material in which he is interested. With the development of the polariz¬ing microscope, modern petrology was born. The resolving power of the microscope, however, was not great enough to enable the geologist to dis¬tinguish or identify the material now known to be minerals which constitute the bulk of the rocks known as "clays" and laterites. The discovery of X-rays and the development of powder X-ray diffrac¬tion techniques provided the extra resolving power necessary to get "a closer look" at the minerals in the clays and laterites. These techniques are largely responsible for the great strides made in the past two decades in the identification of the clay, sesquioxide and hydroxide minerals. To obtain an X-ray diffraction. pattern of a mineral or rock is relatively a simple procedure, but to interpret this pattern in terms of crystal structure or min¬eral identity is quite another matter. It has taken the combined talents of physicists, physical and colloid chemists, mineralogists, and geologists to unravel the identity of some of the minerals in these complex rocks and, as this symposium will indicate, many more problems remain to be solved. To assist in the identification of these minerals, we have the ever-useful microscope, which, is supplemented by the development, only in the last ten years, of differential thermal techniques and the powerful and costly "eye" that enables us to see the shapes and sizes of extremely small particles -the electron microscope. To this array of equipment must be added such gadgets as supercentrifuges, spectrographs, and the apparatus necessary for chemical analytical work. Obviously, not only is it difficult for any one man to master all of the techniques to the point where he can do competent re¬search, but also few institutions are able to provide the high capital outlay for purchase and maintenance of suitable equipment. Here we clearly see that if this equipment is to help us solve our many problems, a close co¬operation of specialists from various institutions and industry is essential. This, however, is less than half the problem. If the geologist is going to learn to intelligently find, and the industrialist to intelligently and eco¬nomically exploit the materials that constitute a large part of the mineral wealth upon which our way of life is based, we must get a better insight into

Jan 1, 1952

By John L. Baum

Tests show that 50 times the earth's normal field can exist near stacked drill rods. Protection against the effect of these strong fields can be obtained by means of a removable sleeve of common iron pipe. GEOLOGISTS and engineers working around a diamond drill rig have often had the opportunity to observe the magnetic attraction of drill rods pulled out of the hole for core removal. This is sometimes an amusing pastime, but this same magnetic force inadvertently applied to a compass needle can cause it to lose its polarity entirely or to become reverse polarized when placed in the immediate vicinity of stacked rods. The first recommendation, of course, would be to avoid the rods, but in surveying an operating drillhole this is not always possible; therefore steps must be taken to neutralize the magnetic effect of the drill rods. Early in the summer of 1949 the geological department of the New Jersey Zinc Co. undertook at Franklin, N. J., an extensive program of surveying the course of deep diamond drillholes. The majority of the holes were surveyed while in the process of being drilled, and considerable difficulty was encountered. A pattern for the deviation of drillholes had been established for the district from surveys in holes from which the drill rig had been removed. It was observed that a certain operating deep drillhole being surveyed did not fit this pattern. In the resulting confusion of repeated surveys and cementing a plug for wedging operations, the lower 1800 ft of the hole was lost. Because of this incident studies were initiated to determine the source of the difficulties and to develop safeguards against recurrence of faulty surveys. Using a hand magnet easily shows that the polarity of a compass needle can be reversed if rotation of the needle is hindered through tilting of the compass or clamping of the mechanism. Such experiments are not recommended, especially in the case of the clockwork type of instruments. A magnetized hairspring in a clockwork instrument will cause the compass card to assume a periodic motion which will not stop until the clockwork runs down. Routine check readings of instrument north before and after each survey are not always sufficient to catch instances of reversed polarity of the compass needle. Although the majority of instances probably take place while the instrument is being removed from the hole with needle in fixed position, it is demonstrable that a 'luggish needle, weakened during a previous test, can be reverse polarized

Jan 1, 1955

F. G. CLAPP, New York, N. Y. (written discussion *).-Whatever processes of appraisal have been found most correct and feasible in one field or group of fields will generally prove most adaptable in others. So far as the California fields are concerned, Mr. Requa's paper appears to outline the most up-to-date processes of appraisal. It remains, then, to discuss and adapt these and to make such revisions in methods and processes of calculation as will give us results elsewhere. The trouble about most attempts to place a value on oil lands, whether in this country or elsewhere, has been that many of the so-called "experts" called upon to express an opinion either have not possessed the requisite engineering and geological knowledge to make an accurate appraisal of the lands, or that they were not furnished with sufficient information for the purpose in hand. The Independent. 011. Producers' Agency of California, for whom Mr. Requa's original report was prepared, had many advantages in this respect not generally available to engineers making reports, as all existing information seems to have been at the experts' disposal within the limits of a large number of properties, practically commensurate with the extent of the fields in question. Hence the report could be and was more accurate than any similar report for a single company is likely to be in other fields. Very few companies are so exempt from competition that all the data on neighboring leases of other companies will be freely turned over to them. In many companies, certain available data are concealed from the engineer who makes the reports, particularly if the properties are supposed to be worth less than their apparent value. In the case of other companies, having the best of intentions, the data are insufficient to help the engineer greatly in his appraisal, simply because the oil business has been so, unsystematic in most fields that only the largest and wisest companies have kept accurate figures regarding runs and gravity of oil from individual wells and from different depths. In many wells, which ran wild for clays or weeks in the older fields, there was a waste which is not recordable with exactness. These and many other difficulties confront even the most experienced expert in actual practice outside of the California fields. We may justly say, therefore, that an engineer in other fields of the United States and in the European, South American and Asiatic fields, must not only begin where the Independent Oil Producers' Agency

Jan 4, 1918

By W. A. Bates, R. J. Miller

Although cresylic acids have been standard frothers in flotation for many years, there has been little discussion of their nature in the metallurgical literature. Aside from references in the patent literature, the paper by Landolt, Hill, and Lowyl in 1930, which resented a study of the frothing and collecting properties of some of the constituents of crude cresylic acids, represents the only contribution of this type. The close froth control required in the delicate selective separations of present-day flotation operations have required the flotation metallurgist to choose his frothers with care, and have caused him to require of the manufacturer a closely controlled, uniform product. A background of knowledge of the chemical composition and physical and chemical properties of the frothers, by which their action may be correlated, should aid in selecting frothers for particular flotation requirements. Further, the recent almost complete replacement in flotation of coal-tar cresylic acids by those derived from petroleum makes it especially desirable to review the flotation behavior of the acids from the old and the new sources. In view of these facts the Milling Methods Committee of the A.I.M.E. suggested to the Oronite Chemical Co. of San Francisco the preparation of a paper on the subject, and this paper has accordingly been prepared as a contribution by the California Research Corporation, the research affiliate of the Oronite Chemical Co. The discussion is from the following aspects: (I) constitution and properties; (2) sources; (3) comparison of coal-tar and petroleum cresylic acids; (4) characteristics as frothers, with particular reference to the effect of the substitution of petroleum acids for coal-tar acids. Constitution and Properties Cresylic acids are commonly regarded as mixtures of orthocresol, metacresol and paracresol. This was, indeed, the former meaning of the term, but in recent years it has been loosely applied to any mixture of alkyl phenols boiling above 190°C.; that is, excluding only phenol itself. This means that cresylic acids, as they are known today, may consist of mixtures, not only of the three isomeric cresols, but of six xylenols and of a variety of higher boiling homologues. Generically the constituents of cresylic acids are alkyl phenols, and they are often so designated in the literature to avoid the more indefinite term, "cresylic acids." They form an homologous series starting with phenol, which has the familiar benzene ring, with an hydroxyl group in place of one of the hydrogen atoms. The series of alkyl phenols is formed by the substitution of alkyl side chains, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc., for hydrogen atoms of the benzene ring of phenol. Some

Jan 1, 1947

By J. F. Myers, S. E. Sharp

THE safety data presented in this paper are based upon replies to a Questionnaire sent out to representative mining companies. The authors feel that it is a fair cross section of the milling industry, in that the 17 companies, of the United States and Canada, reporting on 22 mills, are scattered from the Hudson Bay to the Mexican border and from coast to coast. These data concern the accident records of the. various plants from 1939 to 1944, inclusive and the six years are divided into two periods. The first period (1939, 1940 and 1941) represents something of a normal operating condition. The second period (1942, 1943 and 1944) represents the period of time that was most affected by war con¬ditions. During the second period there was a high labor turnover, inexperienced workers were numerous, women replaced men in many kinds of work, a labor shortage existed more or less throughout the industry, and supervision was pushed for peak production. All of the companies reporting compiled their accident experiences for these six years in accordance with the standards set up by the American Standards Association (Engineering Societies Building, New York, N. Y.), consequently the tabulated data presented herein are comparable. The authors of this paper feel that the industry as a whole is greatly indebted to the personnel of the companies that furnished these data, which make this study possible for presentation. This survey covers a total exposure of 74,528,880 man-hours, with 105,471 man-days of lost time from 870 accidents. SAFETY RECORDS In Table I, the safety record is shown of the various mills reporting. The severity rate is usually conceded to be the most vital statistical figure in safety parlance, therefore the participating companies are listed in order of their severity rate for the combined six-year period, under size of organization. The table also shows the frequency rate as well as the frequency-severity ratio (F/S). As noted in Table 1, most of the companies suffered an increase in both severity and frequency rates during the second period; only six of the 22 enjoyed an improvement. From correspondence with the various plants, it seems that a few had very little labor shortage or turnover, and these were not greatly affected. A few plants, anticipating the situation, strengthened their training facilities and actually were able to show a better experience during the second period. This gives great credence to the value of organized training in any safety program. The frequency-severity ratio (F/S) shown in the last column of Table I offers

Jan 1, 1946

By Barnabus Bryan

THE normal statistics of supply and demand of petroleum and its products have little more than local influence on the market movements of oil securities. The two major reasons for this condition might be called the technique of production and the technique of refining. The speed of improvement in each and the complete lack of control of their, inter-relation have resulted in overproduction of both crude oil and gasoline in the face of immense in-crease in demand. The trouble with oil securities has been that of the mushroom radio companies, where too frequent changes have killed the possibility of profits. It is a case of too much efficiency. During the past ten years there has been continual talk of wasting reserves of crude oil. This has been based on "present methods of production." Yet the methods of ten years ago in the oil industry are as antiquated today as the kerosene lamp.. The fear of famine has transformed the industry. The refiner, through the cracking process, has doubled the gaso-line output from a barrel of crude oil, thus doubling reserves and changing a current undersupply into oversupply. When the automobile driver desires he can again double reserves and transform want into abundance by demanding an automobile which will deliver twice as many miles per gallon of gasoline. Entirely apart from refining and in complete dis-regard for its needs, the oil producer has forged ahead at a pace too rapid for his own good. The science of geology has developed with experience and' lavish expenditure into a constant danger to profits in the production of oil. Two and one-half per ;cent of the producing wells in the United States are yielding one-half of the oil, while their flush production is used as an excuse to force down the price of crude oil until 200,000 wells must be abandoned or produce at a loss. The fabulous yield of the new high-pres-sure fields enables the fortunate owners to make a profit regardless of the price of oil. Such a condi-tion is unhealthy from the standpoint of oil itself and as a national policy. It is manifestly absurd to suppose that such a condition can endure for a gen-eration. There will come a day when the sequence of discovery will be temporarily broken, and at that time the consumer will be forced to pay heavy interest on the foolhardy policy of today.

Jan 6, 1927

By R. J. Miller, W. A. Bates

ALTHOUGH cresylic acids have been standard frothers in flotation for many years, there has been little discussion of their nature in the metallurgical literature. Aside from references in the patent literature, the paper by Landolt, Hill, and Lowy1 in 1930, which presented a study of the frothing and collecting properties of some of the constituents of crude cresylic acids, represents the only contribution of this type. The close froth control required in the delicate selective separations of present-day flotation operations have required the flotation metallurgist to choose his frothers with care, and have caused him to require of the manufacturer a closely controlled, uniform product. A background of knowledge of the chemical composition and physical and chemical properties of the frothers, by which their action may be correlated, should aid in selecting frothers for particular flotation requirements. Further, the recent almost complete replacement in flotation of coal-tar cresylic acids by those derived from petroleum makes it especially desirable to review the flotation behavior of the acids from the old and the new sources. In view of these facts the Milling Methods Committee of the A.I.M.E. suggested to the Oronite Chemical Co. of San Francisco the preparation of a paper on the subject, and this paper has accordingly been prepared as a contribution by the California Research Corporation, the research affiliate of the Oronite Chemical Co. The discussion is from the following aspects: (I) constitution and properties; (2) sources; (3) comparison of coal-tar and petroleum cresylic acids ; (4) characteristics as frothers, with particular reference to the effect of the substitution of petroleum acids for coal-tar acids. CONSTITUTION AND PROPERTIES Cresylic acids are commonly regarded as mixtures of orthocresol, metacresol and paracresol. This was, indeed, the former meaning of the term, but in recent years it has been loosely applied to any mixture of alkyl phenols boiling above 190°C.; that is, excluding only phenol itself. This means that cresylic acids, as they are known today, may consist of mixtures, not only of the three isomeric cresols, but of six xylenols and of a variety of higher boiling homologues. Generically the constituents of cresylic acids are alkyl phenols, and they are often so designated in the literature to avoid the more indefinite term, "cresylic acids." They form an homologous series starting with phenol, which has the familiar benzene ring, with an hydroxyl group in place of one of the hydrogen atoms. The series of alkyl phenols is formed by the substitution of alkyl side chains, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc., for hydrogen

Jan 1, 1946

By R. J. Miller, W. A. Bates

Although cresylic acids have been standard frothers in flotation for many years, there has been little discussion of their nature in the metallurgical literature. Aside from references in the patent literature, the paper by Landolt, Hill, and Lowyl in 1930, which resented a study of the frothing and collecting properties of some of the constituents of crude cresylic acids, represents the only contribution of this type. The close froth control required in the delicate selective separations of present-day flotation operations have required the flotation metallurgist to choose his frothers with care, and have caused him to require of the manufacturer a closely controlled, uniform product. A background of knowledge of the chemical composition and physical and chemical properties of the frothers, by which their action may be correlated, should aid in selecting frothers for particular flotation requirements. Further, the recent almost complete replacement in flotation of coal-tar cresylic acids by those derived from petroleum makes it especially desirable to review the flotation behavior of the acids from the old and the new sources. In view of these facts the Milling Methods Committee of the A.I.M.E. suggested to the Oronite Chemical Co. of San Francisco the preparation of a paper on the subject, and this paper has accordingly been prepared as a contribution by the California Research Corporation, the research affiliate of the Oronite Chemical Co. The discussion is from the following aspects: (I) constitution and properties; (2) sources; (3) comparison of coal-tar and petroleum cresylic acids; (4) characteristics as frothers, with particular reference to the effect of the substitution of petroleum acids for coal-tar acids. Constitution and Properties Cresylic acids are commonly regarded as mixtures of orthocresol, metacresol and paracresol. This was, indeed, the former meaning of the term, but in recent years it has been loosely applied to any mixture of alkyl phenols boiling above 190°C.; that is, excluding only phenol itself. This means that cresylic acids, as they are known today, may consist of mixtures, not only of the three isomeric cresols, but of six xylenols and of a variety of higher boiling homologues. Generically the constituents of cresylic acids are alkyl phenols, and they are often so designated in the literature to avoid the more indefinite term, "cresylic acids." They form an homologous series starting with phenol, which has the familiar benzene ring, with an hydroxyl group in place of one of the hydrogen atoms. The series of alkyl phenols is formed by the substitution of alkyl side chains, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc., for hydrogen atoms of the benzene ring of phenol. Some

Jan 1, 1947

By C. S. Lyons and. A. L. Johnson

A few years ago a leading American builder of centrifuges said, "No one uses a centrifuge if the job can be done any other way." This statement was essentially true at that time, not because the basic functional and economic principles involved did not frequently favor centrifugal methods, but rather because so many of the highly specialized features of the mechanical and functional peculiarities of continuous centrifuges had not been fully developed. The idea of using centrifuges in mineral dressing is definitely not new. There are literally hundreds of patents on centrifugal machines and processes for the mining industry. Many of them cover principles that are basic to the functioning of most centrifuges in operation today. In spite of this, until 1935, there were practically no successful applications of continuous centrifuges in the United States in the mineral industry, nor for that matter were there more than a mere handful of such machines in operation in North America in any industry. This was true despite the obvious desirability of machines that could furnish the advantages of high centrifugal settling forces in a continuous operation. The reasons for this are simple, even if not obvious: I. Finely divided solids, when thrown out of fluid suspension under high cen- trifugal forces, frequently exhibit physic a properties (particularly rheological or flow properties) that are markedly different from those they possess when settled out by gravity alone, and machines that are not designed in careful detail to cope with these peculiarities 'seldom function satisfactorily. 2. Most continuous centrifuges embody a solids-conveying element in the form of a very special screw conveyor. The rotation of this member under conditions of operation culls for drive designs that were not satisfactorily provided until the introduction of the Bird gear unit about 1934. These matters will be touched on later. Continuous centrifuges are now operating successfully in the mineral industry. Some units have singly handled more than 500,000 tons of solids during the past ten years. Generally their operation has been characterized by large unit capacities, complete elimination of labor, minimum supervision, moderate maintenance and power costs. Typical Centrifuge Applications Most materials classified by centrifuges are of subsieve particle size. Practically speaking, this means her than 100-mesh. A unit of measure other than screens is needed in order to consider these products properly. Such a unit is the micron, which is equal to one one-millionth of a meter; roughly1/25,000 of an inch. The opening in a standard 200-mesh screen is about 75 microns while a 325-mesh opening is roughly 43 microns.

Jan 1, 1948

By A. L. Johnson, S. C. Lyons

A FEW years ago a leading American builder of centrifuges said, "No one uses a centrifuge if the job can be done any other way." This statement was essentially true at that time, not because the basic functional and economic principles involved did not frequently favor centrifugal methods, but rather because so many of the highly specialized features of the mechanical and functional peculiarities of continuous centrifuges had not been fully developed. The idea of using centrifuges in mineral dressing is definitely not new. There are literally hundreds of patents on centrifugal machines and processes for the mining industry. Many of them cover principles that are basic to the functioning of most centrifuges in operation today. In spite of this, until 1935, there were practically no successful applications of continuous centrifuges in the United States in the mineral industry, nor for that matter were there more than a mere handful of such machines in operation in North America in any industry. This was true despite the obvious desirability of machines that could furnish the advantages of high centrifugal settling forces in a continuous operation. The reasons for this are simple, even if not obvious: I. Finely divided solids, when thrown out of fluid suspension under high centrifugal forces, frequently exhibit physical properties (particularly rheological or flow properties) that are markedly different from those they possess when settled out by gravity alone, and machines that are not designed in careful detail to cope with these peculiarities seldom function satisfactorily. 2. Most continuous centrifuges embody a solids-conveying element in the form of a very special screw conveyor. The rotation of this member under conditions of operation calls for drive designs that were not satisfactorily provided until the introduction of the Bird gear unit about 1934. These matters will be touched on later. Continuous centrifuges are now operating successfully in the mineral industry. Some units have singly handled more than 500,000 tons of solids during the past ten years. Generally their operation has been characterized by large unit capacities, complete elimination of labor, minimum supervision, moderate maintenance and power costs. TYPICAL CENTRIFUGE APPLICATIONS Most materials classified by centrifuges are of subsieve particle size. Practically speaking, this means finer than l00-mesh. A unit of measure other than screens is needed in order to consider these products properly. Such a unit is the micron, which is equal to one one-millionth of a meter; roughly 1/25,000 of an inch. The opening in a standard 200-mesh screen is about 75 microns while a 325-mesh opening is roughly 43 microns.

Jan 1, 1947

By J. E. Norton

Production statistics show that during the period of emergence from the depression the coal industry was becoming increasingly cognizant of the economic and competitive necessity for mechanizing. About 1935 many of its leaders were becoming aware also of the alarming scarcity of men properly trained to cope with the new problems of mechanization. In order to get a factual statement of this problem, a special AIME Coal Division Committee was requested to survey the condition. Its investigation disclosed that graduates of mining schools going into coal mining numbered 16 in 1937 and 15 in 1938. With this as a background, Pittsburgh Coal Co. foresaw that a comprehensive program was necessary if it was to enlist the services of trained technical men, who were an indispensable part of a mechanization program. The purpose of this paper is to review the program set up, to comment on the successes and failures and to outline the future course of action. Summer Work An inescapable conclusion from the mechanization statistics was that the opportunities in coal mining were good. Not only was there a void in technical skill to fill from past years, but the accelerating rate of mechanization indicated an increasing demand for technically trained men for the future. The remedy lay primarily in presenting facts con cerning the coal industry to the undergraduate engineers before they made their professional occupational choice. Based on this idea, one of the key points in the program was summer vacation work for the undergraduate, which, through the inducement of summer earnings, brought men into the mines to take a look at the prospects. This was more successful than statistics indicate because the war scrambled badly the orderly working of the program, but it could not obscure the value of a summer work program. A decided advantage was that it gave the company a preview of the graduate. An observation on this part of the program is that it is extremely hard to gauge lower classmen, and we found it wise to give them the benefit of the doubt, as the last two years in college bring about surprisingly rapid development in some men. We could readily single out the men at the opposite ends of the scale of competence. Comprehensive Training Program Having adopted summer work as a means of interesting undergraduates, the Location Weeks Introduction............................... I Underground mining operations............... 27 Coal preparation............................ 24 Inspection—safety, mech., prep............... 31 Mine engineering and survey................. 16 Industrial relations.......................... 12 Operating staff—costs, time study............. 8 Miscellaneous............................... I Total.................................... 120 problem of attracting graduates was met by establishing a training program that covered approximately 120 weeks and

Jan 1, 1949

By E. F. Raffo

THE design of the Chuquicamata concentrator offered an unusual combination of problems, all of which had, in one way or another, a definite effect upon the final arrangement of all the equipment and necessary facilities. First of all, a remotely located project of this magnitude required careful selection of equipment with an adequate supply of replacement parts and in some cases necessitated stand-by spare equipment ready for immediate use. Fortunately, in the course of determining the proper flowsheet, in itself a prime factor in the concentrator design, it was possible to conduct numerous grinding and flotation tests at the Anaconda and Andes concentrators. As a result of these tests made under actual operating conditions, most of the major equipment best suited for treating the Chuquicamata ore efficiently was decided upon while preliminary design layouts were still being made. The design has been based primarily on the treatment of sulphide ore crushed to about 3/4 or 1 in. However, until the new sulphide crushing plant is completed it will be necessary to handle ore crushed to 3/8 in. in the existing oxide crushing plants and to some extent a mixed ore which has had its oxide copper content removed by leaching. This mixed ore, known as leached residue, will contain a certain amount of sulphuric acid from the leaching process which necessarily requires special protective measures. Several factors influenced the final location of the Concentrator. The only established fact known during preliminary design layout was the elevation of the dumping floor over the fine ore bin. This was predetermined by the desired level railroad grade across part of the existing tailing and leached residue dumps from the oxide plant to the bin. Next it was necessary that a site be chosen that would not require an excessively long haul from either the present oxide plant or the mine and in addition provide a fairly constant natural ground slope sufficiently wide to accommodate the length of the ultimate concentrator. The site as finally chosen to meet the foregoing restrictions provided a natural ground slope of 6 to 7 pct. This was excellent, especially in a region subject to earthquakes, as it assured that foundations of heavy equipment and footings for building and crane columns would rest on cut or undisturbed ground. However, this shallow slope, although having some definite advantages in the overall consideration of plant layout, resulted in the need for extensive studies in the general arrangement of equipment. Wasteful and excessive vertical drops had to be eliminated in the

Jan 1, 1952

By C. S. Lyons and. A. L. Johnson

A few years ago a leading American builder of centrifuges said, "No one uses a centrifuge if the job can be done any other way." This statement was essentially true at that time, not because the basic functional and economic principles involved did not frequently favor centrifugal methods, but rather because so many of the highly specialized features of the mechanical and functional peculiarities of continuous centrifuges had not been fully developed. The idea of using centrifuges in mineral dressing is definitely not new. There are literally hundreds of patents on centrifugal machines and processes for the mining industry. Many of them cover principles that are basic to the functioning of most centrifuges in operation today. In spite of this, until 1935, there were practically no successful applications of continuous centrifuges in the United States in the mineral industry, nor for that matter were there more than a mere handful of such machines in operation in North America in any industry. This was true despite the obvious desirability of machines that could furnish the advantages of high centrifugal settling forces in a continuous operation. The reasons for this are simple, even if not obvious: I. Finely divided solids, when thrown out of fluid suspension under high cen- trifugal forces, frequently exhibit physic a properties (particularly rheological or flow properties) that are markedly different from those they possess when settled out by gravity alone, and machines that are not designed in careful detail to cope with these peculiarities 'seldom function satisfactorily. 2. Most continuous centrifuges embody a solids-conveying element in the form of a very special screw conveyor. The rotation of this member under conditions of operation culls for drive designs that were not satisfactorily provided until the introduction of the Bird gear unit about 1934. These matters will be touched on later. Continuous centrifuges are now operating successfully in the mineral industry. Some units have singly handled more than 500,000 tons of solids during the past ten years. Generally their operation has been characterized by large unit capacities, complete elimination of labor, minimum supervision, moderate maintenance and power costs. Typical Centrifuge Applications Most materials classified by centrifuges are of subsieve particle size. Practically speaking, this means her than 100-mesh. A unit of measure other than screens is needed in order to consider these products properly. Such a unit is the micron, which is equal to one one-millionth of a meter; roughly1/25,000 of an inch. The opening in a standard 200-mesh screen is about 75 microns while a 325-mesh opening is roughly 43 microns.

Jan 1, 1948