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Chairman, MRS. JESSE SCOBEY The Foreign War Relief Committee closed its dispensary fund during the past month with a contribution to the American Fund for French Wounded of $1720.51, balance on hand, principal and interest, as a gift from the New York Section of the Woman's Auxiliary for pressing emergency dispensary work in France. The American Fund for French Wounded was authorized to cable this sun at once, in consideration of the fact that their existing dispensaries, including the one established by the New York Section at Briey, were in excellent condition, while their mobile dispensary fund was confronted by the most urgent need for work among the refugees now returning in pitiable condition and in great numbers to certain distressing centers. The committee sewing at Fund headquarters every week has had seven working days, with an enrollment of twenty: The average attendance was ten; largest attendance for any one day, thirteen; smallest attendance, eight. Interest in this activity is growing steadily and it is the intention of the committee to push the work vigorously for the next few weeks.

Jan 3, 1919

By Albert Hoskinson

PROGRESS on the earth depends to a large extent upon the rapid inter-change of ideas and commodities between the various nations of the world. The smooth flow of commerce, by which these ideas and com-modities move, is accelerated by accurate and complete maps of the various land and water areas of the earth, The production of accurate maps depends upon a complete knowledge of the figure and dimensions of the object to be charted, therefore a knowledge of the shape of the earth is a prime necessity for accurate charting purposes. Gravity observa-tions were first undertaken to aid in determining the shape of the earth so that the geodetic surveys of its land and water areas might be more accurately connected to form an undistorted map. A large part of the earth's surface is water and it is therefore necessary to get gravity values at sea as well as on land before a complete and accurate figure of the earth can be determined. Dr. F. A. Vening Meinesz, of Holland, was the first scientist to perfect a pendulum instrument that would accurately measure gravity at sea. He had previously developed a multiple pendulum apparatus for measur-ing gravity upon swampy and unstable land areas in Holland and it was therefore quite natural that he should adapt the instrument to give accurate results upon a still more unstable support, the surface of the sea. His instrument as perfected gives satisfactory results when mounted in gimbals on any vessel where the roll and pitch are not more than about 5° and where the vibrations from rotating machinery and wave action are not large enough to cause the pendulums to shift on the knife-edges. This degree of stability can be obtained on surface craft only in protected waters or on very calm days. Therefore, Dr. Meinesz mounted his instrument in a. submarine so that he could submerge below the disturbed surface waters and get the desired stability in nearly any kind of weather by simply diving to greater depths. Most of the gravity-at-sea work has been done with a Meinesz instrument and a very large number of the observations have been made by Dr. Meinesz himself. He has occupied nearly 1000 sea stations and probably has traveled as many miles by

Jan 1, 1938

Now producing 35,000 tpd of coal from a deposit whose estimated reserves total 1.1 billion t, the Navajo mine of Utah International Inc. near Farmington, N. M., is the largest open-pit coal operation in the US. The history of this mine began in 1953 when, foreseeing the growing need for electrical power in the southwest, Utah International obtained a prospecting permit from the Navajo tribe. The lease, now covering 31,000 acres of the 12-million acre New Mexico-Utah-Arizona Navajo Indian reservation, was entered in 1957; in the next 3 years, Utah International negotiated with the State of New Mexico for water rights on the San Juan River, and finalized an agreement with the Arizona Public Service Co. to provide coal for the proposed Four Corners power-generating plant near Farmington.

Jan 10, 1974

By H. De Cizancourt

France.—Pechelbronn remains about the only producing field, 41 per cent of the 1937 output of 496,525 bbl. being mined by shaft and 59 per cent produced from pumping wells. At present Gabian has only a very small production. During 1937 there was no private undertaking for petroleum research. Only the Office National des Combustibles Liquides has done any drilling, unsuccessfully, at Pezenas and Frangy-Chilly. Algeria.—No new research has been made and Tliouanet, a small acreage pool that has been declining for several years, gave only 2193 bbl. in 1937. Morocco.—The SociCt6 Chhrifienne des Petroles continues active work. First tests of production made on the Jurassic structures of the Tselfat and Bou Draa must be mentioned for 1937. In connection with these tests, which have yielded 16,495 bbl., 14 new wells have been located

Jan 1, 1938

November 21st, 1871. THE first session of this meeting was held Tuesday evening, in the chamber of the Common Council, the President, Mr. David Thomas, in the chair. Mayor Carroll, of Troy, gave a cordial welcome to the Institute, which was responded to, on behalf of the Institute, by the first Vice-President, Mr. R. W. Raymond. The Council reported the names proposed for membership with recommendation for election. The following named gentlemen were duly elected Anthony, J., - Williamstown, Pa. Babcock, George, - Troy, N. Y. Blake, Theo. A., - San Francisco, Cal. Blossom, T. M., - New York. Boalt, James A., - San Francisco, Cal. Bowman, Amos, - San Francisco, Cal. Chester, Prof. A. H., - Clinton, N. Y. Dewey, C., - Pittsfield, Mass. Dock, Gilliard, - Shamokin, Pa. Emerson, G. D., - New York. Endres, John J., - Pittsburgh, Pa. Firmstone, Frank, - Easton, Pa. Fowle, W. B., - Philadelphia, Pa. Frazier, Prof. B. W., - Bethlehem, Pa. Gardner, George A., - New York. Goodyear, Watson A., - San Francisco, Cal. Griswold, Chester, - Troy, N. Y. Griswold, J. A.,* - Troy, N. Y. Hague, J. D., - San Francisco, Cal. Hahn, O. H., - Eureka, Nev. Harkness, T. C., - Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Harris, Samuel, - Hudson, N. Y. Henry, E. T., - Oxford, N. J. Holley, A. L., - Brooklyn, N. Y. Howe, H. W., - Troy, N. Y. Hunt, Dr. T. Sterry, - Boston, Mass. Jannet, J., - Troy, N. Y. Knapp, John A., - New York. Laughlin, Henry A., - Pittsburgh, Pa. * Since deceased.

Jan 1, 1873

By William E. Souder, Eugene R. Palowitch

INTRODUCTION The longwall method of mining coal underground is now a highly developed and accepted mining technology. However, it was only through a long history of successes and failures that this technology now has the potential for reversing the declining trend in underground mining productivity in the United States. From its early beginnings in the United States during the 1800's, several species of longwalls have evolved. The evolutionary record consists of a series of overlapping birth-death eras, with each era giving way to another unique longwall technology. Typically, an era begins when some new longwall technology appears in response to a new technical opportunity or economic need. This new technology is adopted initially by only a few innovators. Later, other imitators get on the bandwagon and the technology diffuses throughout the user population. But evolving technical demands and socio-economic circumstances eventually cause many of the adopters to discontinue its use. This paper chronicles seven eras in the history of the evolution and utilization of longwall technologies in the United States. Some of the important factors that have influenced this history are discussed. Some distinctions are drawn between the operators who were first to adopt longwalls (innovators), and the imitators who followed. Statistics are presented which show that longwall mining is being adopted at an exponentially increasing rate, substantiating the forecast for a significant number of new longwall installations in' the future. Potential barriers to this increased utilization of long- walls are noted.

Jan 1, 1981

By W. N. Lacey, R. H. Olds, B. H. Sage

The volumetric behavior of five mixtures of black oil and natural gas and of two mixtures of condensate and natural gas from a field in the San Joaquin Valley was experimentally established. This work was carried out at roo°, I9o° and 250°F in the pressure interval between 400 and 5000 psi. The viscosity of the liquid phase of four mixtures of black oil and natural gas was experimentally measured in the above-indicated temperature and pressure intervals. The effect of methane upon the precipitation of bitumen from the black oil was studied at 230°F. Introduction The solution of a number of the economical and technological problems which arise in connection with petroleum production is dependent upon the availability of the necessary quantitative information covering the materials involved. This requires data concerning physical properties of naturally occurring hydrocarbon mixtures at the pressures and temperatures characteristic of underground petroleum reservoirs. The experimental determination of the desired data for each situation encountered is relatively time-consuming. However, it is considered to yield results sufficiently more reliable than those obtained from correlations to justify the effort. For these reasons there was undertaken a laboratory investigation of the viscosity of the liquid phase and the volu- metric and phase behavior of mixtures of oil and gas samples obtained from wells in a field located in the San Joaquin Valley. Terminology The nomenclature of petroleum engineering is not at present entirely standardized. Many commonly used technical terms are not everywhere given the same meanings. For the purposes of this paper the following definitions will be adopted: Black oil refers to the dark-colored, hydrocarbon liquid obtained when the producing horizon of the well lies partly in the condensed hydrocarbon phase of the reservoir. Condensate is the term applied to the relatively volatile, pale yellow or amber-colored hydrocarbon liquid that is often obtained from the surface separator system when the producing horizon of the well lies in the gas cap of the reservoir. The gas obtained from the surface separator system is called natural gas regardless of whether the well is producing black oil or condensate. As might be expected from the multi-component character of naturally occurring hydrocarbon materials, the compositions of black oil, condensate and natural gas are subject to considerable variation depending upon the temperatures and pressures prevailing in the surface separator system as well as upon the overall composition of the material produced from the reservoir. In order to obtain samples capable of reproducing the total hydrocarbon material produced by the well, all oil and gas mixtures used in this investigation were com-

Jan 1, 1949

By W. R. Hibbard

IN ref. 1, on the basis of tension and torsion experiments with single crystals of a brass, the values given in Table I were obtained for elastic coefficients. It was pointed out by Zener that the values for the 71.2 pct Cu were not satisfactory, since they resulted in a negative value for the bulk modulus, namely —4.17X1012 sq cm per dyne. In reevaluating the data of this investigation, it was determined that the reason for this negative bulk modulus lay in the extrapolation of the reciprocal Young's modulus to the zero value of the orientation function shown in Fig. 5 of ref. 1. This extrapolation was reevaluated by the method of least squares (50 pct probability) and a new value of the coefficient S,, was determined as 18.9220.42X 10M sq cm per dyne in lieu of the value originally reported of 18.82x10 sq cm per dyne. This new value of S, leads to a new value of S, of — 9.43 X101" sq cm per dyne. The values of the other coefficients are unchanged. results. This value compares with the value of 12.3X10 sq cm per dyne reported by Schmid and Boas? The new results are summarized in Table 11. These results follow similar qualitative trends, previously published,' relative to the effect of zinc content. However, the derived values of C11, C,, C,, and K are so sensitive to the uncertainty in the first decimal place of the S, values that they are probably not useful. This uncertainty must also apply to the previous results of Masima and Sachs," who obtained S, values from a similar extrapolation drawn wholly above their data points. Acknowledgments Advice and assistance on the statistical methods were obtained from R. W. Guard. The calculations were carried out by Miss E. Saacke.

Jan 1, 1958

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE NEW YORK SECTION - The annual meeting of the New York Section was held at the Machinery Club, May 7. While the dinner, at which fifty attended, was in progress, the names of the nominees for next year's officers were posted. The result of the election was as follows: Chairman, E. P. Mathewson; vice-chairmen, William Y. Westervelt, R. M. Atwater, Jr.; treasurer, Wilber Judson; executive committeemen, Lucius W. Mayer, Edwin S. Berry. The subject for the evening was "Organization and Campaign in France of the 27th Engineers." Colonel O. B. Perry described the many difficulties surmounted, for it was necessary to work with untrained men ALLEN H. ROGERS WALTER S. DICKSON CHAIRMAN OF NEW YORK SECTION SECRETARY OF NEW YORK SECTION and shortage in supplies. He described the unusually fine character and physique of his officers, which made it possible to make the untrained men most efficient. He described in some detail the work of building bridges over the Meuse River and the bringing up of supplies to the first army base, in particular at the Argonne-Meuse sector; General Pershing gave a personal commendation of the work undertaken by this regiment. The Colonel described the methods of operating the transportation of ammunition and supplies to the "army dumps," by which at the time of signing the armistice there had been brought up 600,000 tons of equipment for use in the projected campaigns. An interesting item was that 3,600,000 sand bags had been provided, in case the Germans should be able to turn the line of the American troops. Captain Edwin S. Berry described the methods of sending materials to the front lines and gave figures to indicate the huge quantities required, adding that the order of preference was troops, ammunition, food, and engineers' supplies. The speakers then answered several questions given by the members present. WALTER S. DICKSON, Secretary.

Jan 6, 1919

By G. F. Loughlin

Nearly 55 years have elapsed since the U. S. Geological Survey was organized. During this period the mineral industries have grown from infancy or early childhood to well developed maturity, and some mining industries appear to be declining. Decline in mining is even more conspicuous in certain districts, or even states, than in any mining industry as a whole, and discoveries or developments of important new districts have been very few in recent years. Our reserves of most metals and nonmetals are adequate for many years of normal production, subject to changes in rate of exploitation that may be caused by foreign competition and by changes in technology and market conditions; but the declining production of many districts and the scarcity of important new discoveries to compensate for them is cause for some apprehension. It is likely that future production will depend to a considerable extent on deep exploration and on the thorough examination of places in and adjoining existing districts where significant outcrops are lacking and only apparently insignificant geologic features offer encouraging clues—more so than on the discovery of entirely new districts. Even the possible discovery of new districts, which have escaped the intensive search by the nontechnical prospector, must be dependent on geologic information. There is therefore no need for argument as to the value of geology to the mining industry; and the need of continuing to advance the science. The U. S. Geological Survey's past contributions to mining geology, as expressed in its official reports and other publications, are recognized by Ransome in his historical review of mining geology in the Lindgren volume.' These contributions have helped to form the basis of modern mining geology, which has grown rapidly in the last 25 years. This growth has witnessed the organization and maintenance of geologic staffs by mining companies in several districts, and their detailed work, together with the fact that nearly all of the larger mining districts have

Jan 1, 1935

By Charles Bohdanowicz

Production of crude in 1937 decreased (Tables 1 and 5) by about 2 per cent, while gas production for that period increased by about 6 per cent after a slight decrease in 1936 (0.4 per cent).' As in preceding years, drilling operations were confined principally to extensions of old oil fields in the Jaslo district (fields 1 and 7) and to some extent to such extensions in the Stanislawbw district (field 27). Deepening of old wells to horizons reached more recently by new wells gave on the average better results per well than those attained by new wells (Table 3). Reserves of proved lands have increased some by new oil fields discovered, Targowiska (field 8) and Czarna (field 19) both of which, however, have only small production. The Daszawa gas field (field 25) has not been extended, but two new gas fields were located instead— Opary, distant 25 km. (151/2 miles) northwest of Daszawa, Balicze at 12 km. (7 1/4 miles) southeast of Daszawa, and Kalusz (TESP Company exploiting potassium salts) in the vicinity of the town of that name (field 33). Drilling upon the gas area near Tarnbw and Debica, while gas-bearing sandstone had been found at depths of from 300 to 512 meters (984 to 1680 ft.) (Zdziary No. 2) and at 220 m. (722 ft.) [pressure 11 atmospheres, flow 24 cu. m. per min. (847 cu. ft.)] (Przyborbw No. l), has not as yet ascertained horizons qualified for permanent exploitation. The exploring well near Kos6w remained for the last seven months at the depth of 1420 m. because of the collapse of rotary drilling pipe. Below the 300-m. level no gas sands have been encountered at this well. Gas Reserves In connection with the broad plan of developing industrially the sector of Poland lying between the Vistula and the San Rivers, and extending farther north as far as the city of Radom, there arose the necessity of a more accurate calculation of gas reserves for the fields of

Jan 1, 1938

During the war period of quicksilver activity there were a number of departures from what may be termed the classical quicksilver metallurgy. Attempts were made to beneficiate low-grade ores by gravity concentration and flotation; mechanical furnaces began to replace the Scott furnace and the vertical coarse-ore furnaces, and condensers of sewer tile and redwood tanks were used in place of the older brick and stone condensing chambers. Other developments that have occurred during the current period of quicksilver activity are mainly in the nature of improvement and further refinement of those started during the war period. Each period of quicksilver activity has been accompanied by the proposal of various new processes, including wet methods for the treatment of quicksilver ores and innovations in furnaces, retorts and condenser equipment. As far as the author knows, nothing of economic significance in the way of "new processes" has been developed. There is in fact no real need for any essentially new process for the treatment of quicksilver ores; the direct furnace treatment is simple and inexpensive. Moreover, with rare exceptions, the quicksilver industry has no complex or refractory ore problems corresponding to those which are receiving more and more attention from metallurgists in other branches of the nonferrous field. Untler these conditions improvements in quicksilver metallurgy must be looked for through the adaptation of current developments in engineering and metallurgy generally to the particular needs of quicksilver practice rather than through the invention of new processes. Preliminary Treatment of Quicksilver Ores At Sulphur Bank, in the treatment of old dump material left by the early operators, wet screening is being used as a preliminary step in concentration ahead of flotation. Power shovels and trucks are used to deliver some 400 tons of ore per day to the lower terminal of a hoist, which in turn discharges the material at the top of the screening plant. Wet screening is carried on in two stages. Depending on the character of the material, 1-in. or 2-in. punched screens are used on the first trommel.

Jan 1, 1930

By H. P. Greenwald, H. C. Howarth

The rapidly increasing use in coal mines of portable auxiliary fans, which are generally 'blowers" employed in connection with canvas tubing, raises questions concerning the hazards of such equipment, especially where the practices are opposed to established methods of ventilating face workings. Half a dozen or more coal-mine explosions and some fires have been attributed to the use of auxiliary fans; moreover, competent mining engineers have found many dangerous installations and methods of use-for example, intermittent running of the fans in gassy mines with consequent accumulations of firedamp at the faces. These facts have led the U. S. Bureau of Mines to issue this recommendation: "In the interest of safety, the Bureau of Mines, Department of Commerce, recommends that auxiliary fans or blowers should not be used in coal mines as a substitute for methods of regular and continuous coursing of the air to every face in the mine." The comparatively recent introduction of new types of mining machines, mechanical loaders, face conveyors, and slabbing machines has encouraged the trial of new systems of face mining, all of which have for their object the rapid advance of the faces. Although the latter has certain economic advantages, in gassy mines the rate at which gas is given off is generally found to increase in proportion to the speed of advance into new territory, which in turn increases the difficulties of efficient ventilation of the face workings. Some of the systems of advance mining being tried in connection with new mechanizing methods practically compel the use of blower fans and tubing, as single narrow places arc now driven 300 ft. or more without crosscuts. In some instances a series of parallel headings are driven without crosscuts pre-

Jan 1, 1928

By H. P. Greenwald

THE rapidly increasing use in coal mines of portable auxiliary fans, which are generally "blowers" employed in connection with canvas tubing, raises questions concerning the hazards of such equipment, especially where the practices are opposed to established methods of ventilating face workings. Half a dozen or more coal-mine explosions and some fires have been attributed to the use of auxiliary fans; moreover, competent mining engineers have found many dangerous installations and methods of use-for example, intermittent running of the fans in gassy mines with consequent accumulations of firedamp at the faces. These facts have led the U. S. Bureau of Mines to issue this recommendation: "In the interest of safety, the Bureau of Mines, Department of Commerce, recommends that auxiliary fans or blowers should not be used in coal mines as a substitute for methods of regular and continuous coursing of the air to every face in the mine." The comparatively recent introduction of new types of mining machines, mechanical loaders, face conveyors, and slabbing machines has encouraged the trial of new systems of face mining, all of which have for their object the rapid advance of the faces. Although the latter has certain economic advantages, in gassy mines the rate at which gas is given off is generally found to increase in proportion to the speed of advance into new territory, which in turn increases the difficulties of efficient ventilation of the face workings. Some of the systems of advance mining being tried in connection with new mechanizing methods practically compel the use of blower fans and tubing, as single narrow places are now driven, 300 ft. or more without crosscuts. In some instances a series of parallel headings are driven without crosscuts pre-

Jan 1, 1928

By W. R. Seyfried

The problem of extracting alumina from clay and low-grade bauxites has been the subject of considerable interest for some time. The basic reason, of course, lies in the fact that known reserves of high-grade bauxite are not inexhaustible and that the present commercial process cannot successfully cope with low-grade bauxites or clay. Ultimately it may be necessary to use these poorer raw materials for all commercial operations. An unprecedented demand for aluminum during the war emergency and the constantly threatened shortage of imported bauxite caused the United States Government to take an active role in this problem. Through the National Academy of Sciences, the War Production Board and the Defense Plant Corporation, it investigated processes and finally selected four to be used in the construction and operation of four experimental plants. Each plant was to be designed in such a way as to facilitate its incorporation into a larger commercial plant should the need arise. The Chemical Construction Corporation process, or "Chemico" ammonium sulphate process as it is better known, was one of the four selected. The extensive literature and patents on record before the war generally follow one of two process-types depending upon the extracting reagent used. One group uses an acid reagent, the other an alkali. The Chemico process uses an acid reagent. For those interested in other processes described in literature, there is a short bibliography at the end of this paper. The basic steps of all acid extraction processes are: (I) to make the aluminum silicates acid soluble, (2) to separate the released alumina from impurities and insoluble gangue, and (3) to recover the reagent for re-use. The Process as Planned In April 1941, a group of chemists and engineers of the Chemical Construction Corp. became interested in the problem of extracting alumina from clays and low-grade bauxites and, under the leadership of Mr. Blakeslee Barnes, Vice President and General Manager of the company, first drafted a process in July of that year—five months prior to Pearl Harbor. The work continued in our research laboratories and with a small pilot plant. By June 1943, the work had progressed to a point where it was possible to apply for a patent on the process which was U.S. patent 2,405,426, granted August 6, 1946. Immediately prior to the development of the Salem plant, the process was envisaged to be as follows: I. The first step was to make the aluminum silicates acid soluble. It was planned: (a) Clay or lour-grade bauxite would be roasted at 700 to 800°C (1292° to 1472°F). (b) The roasted ore would then be leached with hot aqueous ammonium bi-sulphate to form a slurry. In this way the

Jan 1, 1949

By Gail F. Moulton

In spite of an increase of 7 cents per barrel in the posted price of oil for the Panhandle field effective June 16, 1943, there was less drilling during 1943 than ir, any of the several previous years. The drilling statistics are compiled as Table 2 and show the material increase in the percentage of the total number of field wells completed as dry holes. This increase suggests that the productive area of the field is largely drilled up on the well-spacing pattern now followed and that new discoveries will be required to permit any important new activity in the area. The fact that only four wildcats were drilled in the area during the year indicates that some new prospecting technique or some ncw point of view is required to stimulate exploration. No new producing areas were discovered during 1943 and no additions to oil reserves were made through extensions or discovery 'of new pays. Accordingly, the proven reserves in the area declined by the amount of the production, or nearly 31 million barrels. These results of drilling are similar to those obtained during 1942, whcn no new oil areas were discovered as a result of wild-catting, a total of five wildcat wells in 1942 resulting in four failures and one gas-fieid discovery of undetermined merit. sion. The number of oil-producing wells reported by the Commission increased during the year by 163 to a total of 5576 as of December.

Jan 1, 1944

By Gail F. Moulton

In spite of an increase of 7 cents per barrel in the posted price of oil for the Panhandle field effective June 16, 1943, there was less drilling during 1943 than ir, any of the several previous years. The drilling statistics are compiled as Table 2 and show the material increase in the percentage of the total number of field wells completed as dry holes. This increase suggests that the productive area of the field is largely drilled up on the well-spacing pattern now followed and that new discoveries will be required to permit any important new activity in the area. The fact that only four wildcats were drilled in the area during the year indicates that some new prospecting technique or some ncw point of view is required to stimulate exploration. No new producing areas were discovered during 1943 and no additions to oil reserves were made through extensions or discovery 'of new pays. Accordingly, the proven reserves in the area declined by the amount of the production, or nearly 31 million barrels. These results of drilling are similar to those obtained during 1942, whcn no new oil areas were discovered as a result of wild-catting, a total of five wildcat wells in 1942 resulting in four failures and one gas-fieid discovery of undetermined merit. sion. The number of oil-producing wells reported by the Commission increased during the year by 163 to a total of 5576 as of December.

Jan 1, 1944

By Ole Singstad

THE legislatures of New York and New Jersey, determined in 1919 that a vehicular tunnel should be built under the Hudson River. On July 1, 1919, an engineering staff was organized with the late Clifford M. Holland as chief engineer, and this staff was given a number of problems to solve, such as location, size, type of tunnel, method of construction, method of ventilation and cost. After a period of preliminary investigations and studies it was decided to build the tunnel at Canal St., New York, connecting 12th St., Jersey City. This is the center of the heaviest traffic across the Hudson River. It was also decided to build two tunnels-one for west-bound traffic and one for east-bound traffic-the tunnels to be of cast iron, built up of segments and bolted together, each tunnel to have a roadway 20 ft. wide and a clear heat room of 13 ft., 6 in. This is to provide for two lines of vehicles in each direction. The tunnels have an exterior diameter of 29 ft., 6 in. The interior lining is of concrete, the sidewalls tiled with a vitreous white tile and the roadways paved with granite block. The entrances and exits at both ends are separated by two blocks so as to reduce traffic congestion.

Jan 8, 1926

By Edward L. Clark

The year 1954 witnessed great activity in the field of geology as applied to mining. The search for in nearly all districts is becoming more and more intensified as established reserves are being depleted. Much geologic work has been directed to finding extensions of known orebodies, but prospecting in new areas has constituted a large part of the program of many operators. The acute need for additional reserves has brought into the search all the tools known to the geologic profession. This is reflected directly by frequent references to geophysical and geochemical methods in the regional reviews that follow. The lone prospector of the early days of metal mining has been eliminated almost completely by modern scientific methods involving surface and subsurface geology, exploratory drilling, geophysics, and geochemistry. Nearly all new exploration is based on long-range programs coupled with studies of regional geology to determine the structural environment of areas of mineralization. The success of this approach has encouraged new operators in the field of exploration to adopt similar policies. Only in the search for uranium ores is the individual prospector still active, but the familiar picture of the burro heavily loaded with grubstake, gold pan, and pick and shovel has been replaced by the Geiger counter and the scintillometer carried by hand, by truck, or by airplane.

Jan 3, 1955

By D. A. Dahlstrom

In the paper, a comparison was made between flowsheets using the screen bowl centrifuge and disc filters, respectively, as the primary dewatering device. The authors very effectively show that by raising feed temperature, mechanical dewatering is enhanced through reduced viscosity of the water. When a final coal moisture of 10% is required, the net effect of heating the feed is a reduction in thermal requirements because of the lower evaporated load on the dryer. The flowsheet comparison on this, however, was not completely correct. Disc filters do not generally utilize enhanced mechanical dewatering through increased temperature. Horizontal belt filters, through the optimal use of steam heating of the filter cake, have shown significant cost reductions over disc filters where steam is not used. In addition, the authors forgot to mention that there is a certain fraction of the feed that is so fine that it cannot be recovered by the centrifuge economically. That is the function of the filtration device shown in [Fig. 4]. In subbituminous pipeline coals, this fraction represents more than 10% of the feed. Even after flocculation and belt pressing, the moisture content in the fine fraction is 30%-40. Recent tests on a subbituminous pipeline coal slurry, compared an Eimco-Extractor horizontal belt filter with the screen bowl centrifuge flowsheet shown in [Fig. 4]. Mechanical dewatering was enhanced through the use of a steam dry zone after the initial dewatering zone. Vacuum pump horsepower was reduced by more than 50% through the use of condensers, and heat recovery was utilized to minimize thermal costs. Thermal drying to 10% moisture by weight was required in both flowsheets. The 0.5 wt% fines in the filtrate were flocculated and recycled to the filter, thus eliminating the belt press and solids mixers. When the three major operating costs (which normally account for 50%-75% of the coal operating costs) of steam, electricity, and flocculants at current prices were calculated, the flowsheets utilizing the Eimco-Extractor had cost savings vs the centrifuge flowsheet of 89c/t (81c per st) of surface dry coal. This advantage increases with increasing thermal and electricity prices. I congratulate the authors for the strides made with the screen bowl centrifuge. However, filtration flowsheets continue to be improved and their simplicity and low thermal and electrical requirements should not be so quickly dismissed.

Jan 1, 1984