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By Oliver Smalley

EXCEPT for the work of Guillet, who conducted a systematic investigation on the zinc-replacing value of nickel in brass, and extended his investigation with a view to developing commercial high zinc content nickel brasses, the author does not know of any systematic research on the subject. The most promising commercial alloys and their physical properties obtained by Guillet are given below: Maximum Elonga- Reduction Copper Zinc Nickel Stress, tion, of Area, Brinell Tons Per Per Cent. Per Cent. Sq. In. 55.0 41.0 5.0 24.4 46.5 94 Sand cast. 22.6 27.0 90 Chill cast. 56.7 39.74 3.35 30.0 43.0 51.7 97 Casting annealed 2 hr. at 750° C. 33.9 33.0 50.7 144 Cold-drawn bar. 55.15 42.3 2.24 29.8 33.0 116 Casting annealed 2 hr. at 750° C. 32.3 29.0 151 Cold-drawn bar. These test results scarcely justify the use of such quantities of so expensive a metal, and could have been obtained from ordinary commercial brass. For purposes of comparison, the physical properties of ordinary brasses, ranging from 70 per cent. to 50.1 per cent. Cu in both the cast and normalized1 conditions are included in Table 1. These incidentally furnish a useful standard of the properties of castings and of rolled, extruded and forged brass when correctly annealed. A close study of some of the well-known special brasses containing nickel reveals a series of alloys which bewilder by their complexity, and one can only hazard a guess at the function and commercial value of each of the many elements used.

Jan 10, 1925

The 140th meeting* of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers was held in New York, Feb. 16 to 19, 1931. It consisted of the annual business session, twenty-six technical sessions at which 149 papers were presented, two round table discussions, two meetings of the Board of Directors, three meetings of Section Delegates, two formal lectures, four group dinners and 11 group luncheons, luncheon daily for members and guests, 20 committee meetings and conferences, the annual reception and dinner dance, an informal dance, a smoker-dinner, two meetings of the Woman's Auxiliary and a special program of entertainment for the ladies. Former members of the Rocky Mountain Club and friends lunched together at the Engineers Club on Tuesday. The proceedings of the Iron and Steel Division included four general technical sessions, an Iron Ore Round Table, the Howe Memorial Lecture, the Division luncheon at the Engineers Club Wednesday noon, a session each of the Executive Committee and the Committee on Nondestructive Testing, a luncheon each of the Committee on the Manufacture of Alloy Steel and the Blast-furnace Conference Group, and a dinner of the Committee on Physical Chemistry of Steelmaking. Dr. F. F. Lucas delivered the Howe Lecture, the title of which was "On the Art of Metallography." The Institute of Metals Division held three general sessions, its annual lecture, which was delivered by Dr. Arne Westgren and entitled "X-ray Determination of Alloy Equilibrium Diagrams," and a Division dinner at the Hotel New Yorker Thursday evening, at which Dr. G. W. Thompson was the principal speaker. The Executive Committee assembled at a luncheon on Thursday. A round table on Coal Land Valuations, a general technical session and a Division luncheon were held by the Coal Division. C. E. Bockus, President of the National Coal Association, made an informal talk at the luncheon which was held at the Engineers Club Monday noon. The Petroleum Division held six general sessions, including its annual production symposium. The annual dinner was held at the Engineers Club Thursday evening. A Gold Supply Symposium was the feature of the proceedings of the Committee on Mining Geology. This Committee also held a general session and a luncheon meeting. Sessions were held by other Technical Committees as follows: Mining Methods, 2; Mine Ventilation, 1 (besides which the Committee on Mine Ventilation Code held a meeting); Ground Movement and Subsidence, 1; Milling Methods, 1; Nonferrous Metallurgy, 1; Engineering Education, 1 (also a Committee luncheon); Non-metallic Minerals, 1, and Geophysical Prospecting, 2.

Jan 1, 1931

By Carl E. Swartz

The Joint Session on Continuous Casting, of the Institute of Metals Division and the Iron and Steel Division of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, convened in the Jade Room of the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, on Feb. 23, 1944, at 9:15 o'clock, Carl E. Swartz presiding. C. E. SWartz.—It is gratifying to see so many out at what may seem an early hour for the beginning of A.I.M.E. sessions, but I think this number-—some fifty or sixty of you —is an adequate expression of the interest in these processes all over the United States, and possibly in foreign countries. I would like to ask those who feel that this type of program is of value to you to write or speak to some one of the Institute of Metals Division officers and suggest other topics for symposiums. We have a feeling that some of these current practices are of interest and we believe that under proper sponsorship many of the companies mill be willing to give publicity to processes such as those that will be discussed today. Also, we would like suggestions and criticisms, so that the next ones can be better. The subject of continuous casting is not new, of course. The two papers on the program this morning will adequately cover the history and some of the earlier processes, some of the theory and some of the practice, some of the reasons why these various methods did not work. I was rather interested in discovering, when thumbing through one of the A.I.M.E. publications tile other night, an article on continuous casting. I was not aware that the A.I.M.E. had published any papers on continuous casting, but there may be a number. The one that I happened to find was published in the 1915 volume, on the Mellen rod-casting process, and so we might say this is not the first session in which these subjects have been under discussion. However, there have been many improvements since then in all fields of metallurgical and mechanical engineering; consequently, I think that the papers today will be a little more involved and a little more complete in their technique. The first paper today will be given by one of our gentlemen of the press, who has done one of the outstanding jobs in this country in calling to our attention some of the newer processes that are being considered and being used in the metallurgical indus-

Jan 1, 1945

ROBERT PEELE, New York, N. Y. (written discussion *).-This excellent paper is one of a number of recent detailed descriptions of the, methods and plant in use at prominent mines of the country. The publication of such papers cannot be too highly praised. In the past, the interchange of inside information has often been hampered by the disinclination of some mining companies to permit publication of details of their work. These companies apparently have not realized fully that free discussion is of mutual benefit; that members of mine staffs are aided in. keeping up to date, in improving old methods and devising new ones to meet changes in conditions, and, by a wholesome feeling of rivalry, are stimulated to introduce economies and do better work. In writing this paper, Messrs. Haight and Tillson have packed a large amount of information into a relatively small space, and the numerous illustrations, chiefly reductions of working drawings, are valuable. The authors are also to be commended for their highly detailed Table of Contents, which adds to the usefulness of the, subject matter. The method of mining at Franklin does not fall readily into any of the accepted classifications. It is a combination of shrinkage stoping and mining of the pillars by a modified top-slicing method. Attention may be called to the fact that, in the wider parts of the orebody, the stopes, 17 to 18 ft. (5.2 to 5.5 m.) wide are transverse; in the narrower parts, they are longitudinal, that is, in the direction of the' strike. This varia-tion is made necessary by the shape and character of the deposit, and distinguishes practice at Franklin from that in some of the western mines. The direction of the stops is changed from transverse to longitudinal when the orebody narrows sufficiently to make the length of a transverse stope approximately equal to its width. Some of the longitudinal stopes exceed 120 ft. (36 m.) in length, and when the hanging wall is bad, requiring prompt filling, three operations' proceed simul-taneously in the same stope, viz., ore is broken at one end, while drawing down goes on in the middle, and filling at the other end. Each transverse stope or chamber is begun by a crosscut from foot to hanging wall, which is afterward enlarged to the stone width and to a height of 12 or 15 ft. (3.7 or 4.6 m.). This preliminary work is done only once for each stope, because the stope is carried up far enough to continue stoping

Jan 1, 1918

HenRy Clay FRick, a pioneer in modern coke and steel industry and, in more recent years, one of the outstanding financiers of America, died on Dec. 2, 1919, at his home on Fifth Avenue, New York. Although he had been ill since election day, when he had an attack of indigestion which developed into ptomaine poisoning, his death was a surprise to all. He is survived by his widow, Adelaide Howard Childs Frick; a son, Childs Frick, one unmarried daughter, Helen C. Frick, and four grandchildren. A quiet funeral service was conducted at the Frick home on Wednesday afternoon by the Rev. Dr. Leighton Parks, pastor of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. This was attended by members and very intimate friends of the family, Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Officers of the Links Club, and Directors of the United States Steel Corpn. Henry Clay Frick was born Dec. 19, 1849, in West Overland, Westmoreland Co., Pa. His father, John W. Frick, was a farmer of Swiss ancestG, and his mother, Elizabeth Overholt Frick, a member of an old Mennonite family. Until he was sixteen, he spent his time at school, on his father's farm, and in his grandfather's distillery, where he kept books. He attended Otterbein University, in Ohio, for a year. Frick, learning that coke was an essential of the already rapidly developing steel business, early invested every cent he could get in coking-coal lands. With the help of an associate of his grandfather, he formed the corporation of Frick & Co., coke dealers, and acquired fifty-one ovens in the Connellsville region and 300 acres of soft-coal lands. During the panic of '73, with the help of Judge Thomas Mellon, a Pittsburgh 'banker, he bought out his partners and while coke was selling at 90 cents a ton enlarged his purchases of suitable lands. Later, the price of coke increased until it was selling at $5 a ton. Before he was 30 years old, Frick was rated a millionaire. Association with CaRnegie In 1878, he sold an interest in the business Do E. M. Ferguson of New York, and later a share to Mr. Ferguson's brother. Four years later the business was reorganized into the H. C. Frick Coke Co. with vast coal lands, great banks of ovens, and a capitalization of $2,000,000. Then began his association with Andrew Carnegie. He exchanged a part of his coke interest for shares in Carnegie Brothers of Pittsburgh,

Jan 1, 1920

By S. G. Valentine

BLAST-FURNACE blowing engines are broadly of two main types: either steam- or gas-driven reciprocating engines, or turbine-driven rotary engines. Some results of experience with a furnace blown by an engine of the latter type may be of sufficient general interest to relate. The first engine of this type was installed at Oxford Furnace, New Jersey, before the writer's connection with this plant, in March, 1910. This furnace uses chiefly New Jersey magnetites and had been in blast seven months on its old engines when the turbo blower was started. It was 80 ft. high by 17 ft. 6 in. bosh and 11 ft. hearth diameter. It is of interest to see from the records what happened when the turbo engine was put to work. But of course, as the old blowing equipment was rather antiquated, consisting of two I. P. Morris engines with air cylinders 72 by 72 in., in good running order, however, it is evident that the comparison between their work and that of the turbo blower cannot be interpreted as being between machines that were respectively of equal excellence as representatives of their types. Still the results were gratifying and -interesting. The records show that, with the old engines blowing 13,630 cu. ft: of air per minute, measured by piston displacement, the furnace was working up about 480 tons of stock per 24 hr. and producing an average of 132 tons per day and a maximum of 166 tons. The rotary blowing engine installed was a General Electric Co. machine, the driving end being a Curtis steam turbine and the air end a six-stage rotary compressor, all running at about 1,500 to 1,600 rev. per minute, and having a capacity of 25,000 cu. ft. of air per minute up to 25 lb. pressure, and equipped with an automatic constant-volume variable-speed governor. After running this blower, for a period equal to that covered above by the old engines, at an average rate of 15,000 cu. ft. of air per minute, the furnace worked up an average of about 592 tons of material and produced an average of 170 tons per day. Thus, on an apparent increase of 10 per cent. in the air volume there was an increase of about 23.5 per cent. in the materials worked up and of about 28.8 per cent. in the product. For the first calendar month's operation of the turbo blower, on an average of 15,040 cu. ft of air per minute, there is

Jan 2, 1914

By O. Chanute

all of' level atid grade curve excepting Nos. 897, 898, 899, and 900, because of the impossibility of grouping them in the same nlonner, no two Iraving the chemical composition and physical prnprtiw as tho only v:iriubles. Phosphorus ~tnits have been taken to show the relatia h:wdnes. Of these 16 groups, 10 decidedly indicate slower wear firr tile harder rail. Of the remaining 6 groups, three (groups 2, 9, and 15) come well within the limits of error (.25 pound per yard) inherent in the palculation of the data as pointed out by Dr. Dndley; they catrnot, therefore, be considered tls exceptions. Group 2 and 15 arc but little outside of the limita of error. Rail 923 of group 9 is obviously abnornlal. This is probahly due to its being overheated, which the chemical analysis shows might easily be the case, and which the physical tc~ts and its low specific gravity tend to c-nfirm. We inry say, then, thnt 13 of these 16 groups fairly indicate, if they do not definitely point out, th:kt, under the same condition% tbe harder rail gives the slower wear. Of course, these comparisons are too few to enable us to arrive at positive ~?o-nclusions; but indications thus obtained are, I believe, fir more vsluitblc and tresttvc~rthy than those fhzt averages rvottld give us, mnde up from any ~lumhr of rails under intloy difi~rcal, conditions. Finally, it, seems to me, that the conclusions arrived at earlier in my remarks, together with, and confirmed by the last, show strong evidence that, under the same conditions, the harder rail will givc the slower wear. 0. C~~anute, New York CITY: We are very much shlipl, 1 ant sure, to Mr. Sandberg for his paper upn " Rail Ryaifications and Rail Inspertion in Europe." We have in thp United States bithhrto Been inspecting mils sonlewl~at haphazard, and we ore glad to gtbt tfie results of Mr. Sandberg's long experience. We recognize that he was an)ong the first, if not the very firwt, to iipply mare rittional and scientific rules to the designing of irou rails., niora recently, to adapt tlitve rules to the clesigtting of steel I':I~]R, to conform to the oapaljilities and rqniretnento of this new n1:ttcrial. Although we have generally adopted, in this country, sectinns for hteel rails which marly of our railway men think even bottar than those of Mr. Snlldlmrg, he is neverthelees the Ieat3er in foot.iito11~ we have followed ever since it has been est~blished

Jan 1, 1881

By J. Chipman, N. J. Grant, H. L. Bishop, H. N. Lander

Data of several studies on the equilibrium between molten iron and open hearth-type slags have been combined to determine some of the chemical reactions involved in steel-making. Effects of slag composition and temperature on the iron oxide activity, distribution of sulfur between slag and metal, and the carbon content of the metal are discussed. Also, an overall reaction for the equilibrium between sulfur and oxygen is presented. DURING the past 15 years, a number of significant equilibrium studies have been carried out between liquid iron and simple basic and acid slags in an effort to throw light on the chemical reactions involved in steelmaking. This paper is a summary of the experimental reports on investigations which have been conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and of related work in other laboratories. The investigations summarized in this paper include the works of Fetters and Chipman1 and Taylor and Chipman,' which dealt with simple slags that are similar to those found in the open hearth. The sulfur determinations of the slag-metal tests of Fetters and Chipman as reported by Grant and Chip-man" are included. Also, the investigations by Win-kler and Chipman' and Grant and ChipmanQ f more complex slag systems are included in this summary. The experimental procedure is described in detail in each of these papers and will not be discussed. Since the previous reports have been somewhat independent, it is desirable to review and combine the data of the various investigations to determine, as accurately as possible, the reactions in the slag-metal systems of the open hearth. It is the object of this report to present the combined data in such a way as to enhance their utility and applicability. Oxidizing Power of Slags of the System (CaO+MgO)-Si0,-FeO in Equilibrium with Carbon-Free lron The slags selected to determine the iron oxide activity in equilibrium with pure liquid iron were those containing less than 2 pct each of P,O,, MnO, or A1,0, on a weight percentage basis. The method used to calculate activities of iron oxide in liquid slags was that developed by Taylor and Chipman.' The solubility of oxygen in molten carbon-free iron under pure iron oxide slags can be expressed by the following eauation —6320 log (pctO)-------------— + 2.734 [1] where T is the absolute temperature. The oxygen solubility values as determined from Eq. 1 were used throughout this study to calculate the iron oxide activity. The iron oxide activities of slags of various iron oxide contents are plotted in Fig. 1 as a function of the basicity, which is defined as the ratio (pct CaO + pct MgO)/pct SiO,, and are based on molecular percentage values of the components. The percent (FeO), is the total iron content in the slag calculated to FeO. Fig. 1 shows that as the basicity increases at constant mol pct (FeO),, the iron oxide activity increases rapidly and reaches a plateau which extends on the basicity scale from about 1.3 to 2.3; the iron oxide activity then decreases rapidly until a basicity of about 3.0 is reached, where it tends to level off. The solid portions of the curves represent the experimental data of Fetters and Chipman and Win-kler and Chipman. Their experimental heats were made in magnesia crucibles, and hence the slags were saturated with magnesia. The broken lines on the left represent the experimental data of Taylor and Chipman, who used a rotating crucible. In general, these slags contained less than 3 pct MgO. The absence of data for slags containing less than about 40 mol pct (FeO), and basicity ratios greater than about 2.5 made it necessary to calculate curves using ionic concepts of slags. The broken lines on the right, which disregard the solubility limits of di and tricalcium silicate and lime, were obtained by following the treatment of Flood and Grjotheim,"

Jan 1, 1957

By L. W. Holm

Laboratory flooding experiments on linear flow systerns indicated that high oil displacement, approaching that obtained from completely miscible solvents, can be attained by injecting a small slug of carbon dioxide into a reservoir and driving it with plain or carbonated water. Data are presented in this paper which show the results of laboratory work designed to evaluate this oil recovery process, particularly at reservoir temperatures above 100°F and in the pressure range of 600 to 2,600 psi. Under these conditions CO2 exists as a dense single-phase fluid. It was found that a bank, rich in light hydrocarbons, was formed at the leading edge of the CO? slug during floods on long cores. Formation of this bank is probably due to a selective extraction by the C02 and, it is believed, partially accounts for the attractively high oil recoveries. In crddition to the efficient displacernerlt of oil from the pores of the rock by this process, the favorable rnobility ratio related to a C0 2-water flood also contributes to high oil recovery. A further advantage of this process is noted on limestone and dolomite rock, in that the CO1 reacts with the porous medium increasing its permeability. Flooding experiments were conducted on sandstone and vugular dolomite models. The results of this experimental work show the effect on oil recovery of type of porous medium, pore geometry, flooding length, and flooding pressure. The porosity of the cores and rilodels varied from 16 to 21 per cent and their pern~eabilities ranged from 100 to 200 md. A reconstituted West Texas reservoir oil, a West Texas stock tank oil, an East Texas stock tank oil and Soltrol were used to represent reservoir oils in this study. Oil recoveries ranging from 60 to 80 per cent of the original oil in place in these cores were obtained by CO2,-carbonated water floods at pressures between 900 and 1,800 psi, compared with conventional solution gas drive and water-flood recoveries of 30 to 45 per cent on the same cores. Oil recoveries greater than 80 per cent resulted frorn f1oods at pressures above about 1.800 psi. There high recoveries were noted from both the sandstone and the irregular Porosity carbonate cores. In all floods, additional oil was recovered by a solutiorr gas drive resulting from blowdown following the flood. Oil recoveries of 6 to 15 per cent of the original oil in place were obtained during this blowdown period. This additional recovery was found to be a function of oil remaining after the flood, decreasing with decreasing oil saturation. It was also noted that highest oil recoveries by blowdown were obtained when carborlated water rather than plain water followed the CO, slug. INTRODUCTION Miscible phase or solvent flooding processes, which are designed to increase oil recovery -from petroleum reservoirs, involve the injection of small quantities of a petroleum solvent into the reservoir, followed by an inexpensive scavenging fluid which is miscible with the solvent. Essentially complete displacement of oil from the pores of reservoir rock has been obtained by this technique. CO,, although not completely miscible with most reservoir oils at moderate pressures, is highly soluble in these oils at pressures above about 700 psi; there is appreciable swelling and reduction in the viscosity of oil when CO, is dissolved in it. Therefore, CO, could be expected to perform similarly to other oil solvents as a displacing agent. CO, is also highly soluble in water at elevated pressures, so water should be a satisfactory material to drive a slug of CO, through an oil-bearing reservoir. A favorable mobility ratio would be obtained through the reduction in viscosity of the oil and the use of water as a final displacing agent. A number of investigations of the use of CO, to improve oil recovery have been reported in the literature.2,3,4,5,6 These studies, however, have been conducted on uniform porosity sandstone at relatively low temperatures and pressures. The behavior of CO1 as a flooding agent at temperatures above its critical temperature could not be predicted adequately from these studies, particularly for the case of non-homogeneous rock. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the oil recovery efficiency of a process involving the injection of a CO2 slug followed by carbonated water, at reservoir temperatures above 100°F and in the pressure range of 600 to 2,600 psi, and to compare this process with conventional water flooding. The investigations were primarily designed to provide information on the efficiency of the process in irregular porosity carbonate rock. The effects of flooding path length, the presence of free gas, the type of oil to be recovered, and the amount of solvent required were also determined. The essential results of static phase behavior studies and experimen-

Masjid-i-Su1aiman.—There have been no new developments in the Masjid-i-Sulaiman field during the year. Drilling, deepcning and acidizing operations for maintenance of production havc continued normally. Reservoir conditions have been unchanged, the rate of fall of dome prcssure remaining very low—at about 0.4 lb. per sq. in. per million tons net production. Drilling on the Lali structure northwest of Masjid-i-Sulaiman has continued but oil has not been encountered in commercial quantities. Haft Kel.—The progressive drilling program extending the production capacity of the Haft Kel field was completed carly in the year and the field is now on a routine maintenance basis. Drilling has continued on the white-oil springs structurc northwest of Haft Kel. Naft-i-Shah.—No developments of interest have occurred in Naft-i-Shah field. Offtake is for local markets only. A further large produeer was completed during the year. Gach Saran.—By the end of 1939, work on plant and pipe lines to put, the field on a production basis was approaching completion. Two substantial producers were also drilled in the initial production area. Pazanun and Agha Jari.—No further drilling was carried out on the Pazanun structure during the year, gas only having been obtained to depths exceeding 8000 ft. On the adjacent Agha Jari structure, however, a second satisfactory oil producer was completed.

Jan 1, 1940

Masjid-i-Su1aiman.—There have been no new developments in the Masjid-i-Sulaiman field during the year. Drilling, deepcning and acidizing operations for maintenance of production havc continued normally. Reservoir conditions have been unchanged, the rate of fall of dome prcssure remaining very low—at about 0.4 lb. per sq. in. per million tons net production. Drilling on the Lali structure northwest of Masjid-i-Sulaiman has continued but oil has not been encountered in commercial quantities. Haft Kel.—The progressive drilling program extending the production capacity of the Haft Kel field was completed carly in the year and the field is now on a routine maintenance basis. Drilling has continued on the white-oil springs structurc northwest of Haft Kel. Naft-i-Shah.—No developments of interest have occurred in Naft-i-Shah field. Offtake is for local markets only. A further large produeer was completed during the year. Gach Saran.—By the end of 1939, work on plant and pipe lines to put, the field on a production basis was approaching completion. Two substantial producers were also drilled in the initial production area. Pazanun and Agha Jari.—No further drilling was carried out on the Pazanun structure during the year, gas only having been obtained to depths exceeding 8000 ft. On the adjacent Agha Jari structure, however, a second satisfactory oil producer was completed.

Jan 1, 1940

By H. J. Seaman

The cost of keeping platinum ware in repair becomes such an important item in laboratories where much fusion-work is done, that a method of saving in this direction may not prove unacceptable to at least some of the members of the Institute. Some two years since I had the misfortune to puncture an almost new Bishop crucible. As an experiment I endeavored to patch it, and with such success that it is still in constant use. This may be accomplished in the following manner : The crucible and patch, which should be of stout foil, are rubbed bright with silica, or rotten-stone; a light platinum wire, welded to a corner of the patch, and the whole treated for several hours with hot concentrated hydrochloric acid; after which they are thoroughly washed with distilled water and dried. The head of an ordinary iron rivet, 4 inches by $ inches, is rounded off by hammering to somewhat the shape of the crucible. This is sunk 2 inches in a block of hard wood, and firmly wedged in place. This serves for an anvil. The hammer is an ordinary cast-iron toy, 11/2 inches long, and # inches in face, mounted on a 4 inch iron rod, 10 inches long. A gas-blowpipe is fixed in a horizontal position, and the strongest heat obtainable with it directed upon the rivet head; this soon at-

Jan 1, 1885

The regular meeting of the Trustees of United Engineering Society was called to order at 4 P. M. Thursday, Feb. 27, 1919, in the Board Room of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineering Societies' Building, New York. Minutes of a joint meeting of the Finance Committee of United Engineering Society with finance committees of Founder Societies on Feb. 14, were presented. The President called attention to actions relating to the recataloging of the Library and the support of Engineering Societies Employment Bureau of Engineering Council. The activity of the Employment Bureau was approved and support by the Societies informally assured. In response to a communication from the Fifth Avenue Association, the Secretary was instructed to write favoring the continuance of the daylight saving law. As to recataloging of Engineering Societies Library, it was announced that the Mining, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineers had voted appropriations, as requested, and the action of the Civil Engineers was awaited. A list of applications for offices in Engineering Societies' Building, revised to Feb. 27, was read, showing requests for a total of 29 rooms. The President stated that a decision must be reached soon as to what reply shall he made to these applications. Charles F. Scott, one of the original trustees, who was present, remarked upon the growth of United Engineering Society and his satisfaction at its success. ALFRED D. FLINN, Secretary.

Jan 4, 1919

By Thomas M. Plouf

Flotation, as we know it today, is a physiochemical method of concentrating finely ground ores. The process involves chemical treatment of an ore pulp to create conditions favorable for the attachment of certain mineral particles to air bubbles which are carried to the surface of the ore pulp for removal. Frother reagents, combined with air and the agitation mechanism, produce the effective bubbles in a flotation cell. A method of analysis is presented to evaluate the effect of frother reductions and additions on a bank of flotation cells, and to economically determine if and to what extent frother reductions and additions are justified. Comparative evaluations of different frother systems, as well as the amount of frother used in a given flotation machine, cannot be made on the frother cost alone. An indepth study must be made to evaluate any given frother as applied to a particular ore body. The recovery of a given mineral is as dependent on the amount of frother as on the type of frother used. An actual case study follows in which the amount of frother required by two different flotation machines was used to make a decision as to which unit performed more efficiently based on costs. This same method may be used to evaluate new frothers as well as to determine if a larger frother addition is advisable.

Jan 11, 1975

During the year Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1916, 962 applications for member-ship in the Institute were received, as compared to 558 during the corresponding period in 1915. The lines along which the Committee has, worked during the year, group themselves under seven principal heads. Large Companies.-Early in the year a letter was addressed to each member of the Institute who is the executive head of an organization, pointing out to him the advantages that would accrue to that organization through having as many of its subordinate members as were qualified participating in the activities of the Institute. This was followed by a second letter to those who made no reply to the first. The response to these letters was very gratifying, 12 new members having been secured at a single plant, and smaller numbers at others. This was effectively supplemented by our President, who wrote the executive heads of some of the largest mining and smelting companies, pointing out to them the advantage to be derived from sending some of the junior members of their staff to attend the Arizona Meeting. One organization sent 24 of its younger men, many of whom were not members of the Institute, but who, subsequently sent in applications for membership. It is to be hoped that the precedent thus set' will be acted 'on in -fuller measure in succeeding years.

Jan 2, 1917

By Arthur Redfield

THE year 1923 was marked by slight progress in exploring and developing the petroleum resources assumed to exist in Central America. Actual drilling for oil took place only in Costa Rica and Panama. The Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corpn., through its subsidiary the Costa Rica Oil Corpn., drilled in southeastern Costa Rica.. Its, Panaman subsidiary is reported to have abandoned drilling in Bocas del Toro. The Texas Co. drilled in Chiriqui, and the Panama Gulf Co. in Garachiné, Province of Darién. No oil was obtained in any of these wells;' shows of gas were met in Costa Rica. Concession hunting continued during the year. A number of concessions, several of which appear to be purely speculative, were submitted for ratification. Some confusion has been caused by overlapping concessions and claims to oil lands, caused partly by the imperfection of existing maps. A conflict between the Sinclair, and Gulf companies in Panama has been compromised. The Amory concession in central Costa Rica, held by the British Controlled Oilfields, Ltd., was voided by decision of the arbitrator, Chief -Justice Taft. Geologic exploration took-place in Guatemala and in Panama. The chief contribution of the year to Central American geology was a description by Katherine Van Winkle Palmer of Lower Miocene foraminifera and mollusks from southeastern Costa Rica. A new petroleum law was promulgated in Panama.

Jan 3, 1924

By Carl Henrich

A.. S. DWIGHT, New York, N. Y.-Mr. Henrich's paper is rather inconclusive as to the role that alumina really plays in slags. He gives a number of interesting instances of high alumina, with conclusions that he draws from the analyses, in the light of what he knows of the accompanying conditions, but the information given is hardly sufficient to permit intelligent criticism of these conclusions, for it is well known that the slag composition is not the only factor that can produce some of the furnace results favorable or disastrous, as the case may be, which he records. As a matter of fact, most metallurgists who have wrestled with this problem in connection with the smelting of lead and copper ores, usually arrived at some sort of a working hypothesis which met the local conditions fairly well, and then, being busy men, were inclined 'to leave the theoretical question very much as Mr: Henrich leaves it when he says: "A question with which I purpose dealing at some future time." It is unfortunate that in the Golden Age of the smelting industry in the West, when we were all dealing with large tonnages of complex ores, often containing large percentages of alumina in combination with other. refractory elements, the smelting companies were not generally equipped for research as they are today, and much experience that might have been,

Jan 4, 1917

By David C. Yang

INTRODUCTION Over the world, and especially in the United States, there is increasing dependence upon progressively lower grade ore deposits. These lower grade ores are frequently difficult or impossible to process due to complex mineral assemblages being very finely disseminated. Thus, many of the conventional mineral concentration methods are not applicable to these ores. For the last few decades, research in the more exotic mineral processing techniques has been conducted, both in universities and in governmental and industrial laboratories. Since its inception, the Institute of Mineral Research of Michigan Technological University (MTU) has devoted much of its attention to the problems of processing refractory, low grade ores. Recently a new flotation system was developed which shows promise of being applicable to a broad range of ore types. This process has been the subject of two allowed patent applications. This paper describes the details of such a flotation system which is potentially useful for treating ultrafine minerals. Some highlights of the testing program on a variety of iron ores and a group of lithium-bearing ores will be presented. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Both iron and lithium ore flotation treatments followed the same general procedures, with minor differences in pH and in reagent dosages. The method is rather simple, efficient and economical from the standpoint of recovery and the cost of reagents consumed.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. D. Peterson, G. E. Butts, J. F. Spisak

In 1978, Anschutz Mining Corp. began efforts to develop the Madison Cobalt Project in southeast Missouri. Preliminary metallurgical studies indicated that intermediate grade cobalt products, suitable for shipment to existing refineries, could be recovered from the sulfide mineralization of the ore body. However, tolling and freight charges were significant, as the refineries were located outside the US. These refineries would not satisfy the goal of strategically insulated production of superalloy-grade cobalt. The acquisition of proven, readily available refinery technologies was then evaluated. However, licensing costs were substantial and the "proven" technologies were not directly applicable to the unique chemistry of Madison materials. Faced with these challenges, Anschutz, in conjunction with the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute, embarked on an effort to develop a sulfate-based separation and refining process. CSMRI performed bench-scale and continuous pilot experiments on solutions generated through other pilot campaigns conducted by Lurgi, Hazen Research, and Sherritt Gordon. The results indicated that cobalt could be selectively extracted from sulfate media using a new generation of organophosphates. The solvent extraction system produced a solution suitable for electrolysis of high-purity cobalt. Preliminary cost studies indicated the novel process was competitive with other refinery systems. Plans to develop the detailed engineering-design information required to commercialize the process were abandoned when the price of cobalt collapsed to less than $17.64/kg ($8.00 per lb).

Jan 1, 1985

By V. N. Antaki

ELEMENTAL phosphorus (referred to as P,) is a true mineral product that has developed, in the relatively brief span of a century, from a laboratory curiosity to a heavy chemical. Annual production now exceeds 300,000 short tons. Continued rise in production has been predicted, consistent with new applications for P, derivatives and the expected population increase. In itself elemental P, is valuable chiefly as an 'intermediate chemical. The principal end uses at present are in inorganic phosphates, both simple and complex, of sodium and potassium, used in water treatment and detergent compounds, leavening agents, food supplements, and dentifrices. Organic P, compounds are important as plasticizers, oil additives, flotation agents, and more recently as gasoline additives (TCP being the outstanding example). The increasing use of high-analysis water-soluble and liquid solution fertilizers, as well as the direct application of phosphoric acid to the soil, will probably be the most significant factors in P, production growth rate. Coke oven plants now using sulfuric acid to fix byproduct ammonia values will gradually switch to phosphoric acid in order to market a fertilizer with completely available values. Recently sponsored experiments show that phosphoric acid can be directly admixed with cattle and poultry feed to produce rapid growth. Both P, compounds and modifiers for oil well drilling mud show increasingly promising significance.

Jan 3, 1957