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By John A. Riddle

Some of the pitfalls and problems in selecting and applying corrosion-resistant materials in uranium plants are discussed, together with some suggested solutions. Includes some cost data.

Jan 1, 1982

By I. R. M. Chaston

Radial layout’s guiding principle is the grouping under one roof of the operating processes which require continuous supervision. Separate treatment sections are isolated by outside stockpiles fed with radiating conveyors. Hence the name ‘radial’ layout. Many plants are designed with ‘linear’ layout where successive operating stages are dotted like beads along a string of conveyors. [Figures 1 through 5] show the development of the radial concept in the layout of heavy-media diamond recovery plants over

Jan 1, 1979

By Hamish D. S. Miller

Currently the underground potash mines in Canada extract about 40% of the available ore, leaving the other 60% behind in the form of stabilizing pillars. The presence of water in the overlying formations requires that any disturbance due to mining be such that no water will enter the workings. This paper deals with the factors that influence the stability of the rock surrounding the mine excavations and looks at the effects of these factors when a system of increasing the extraction is considered.

Jan 1, 1983

By E. C. Wade, R. D. Valentine

This paper describes a computer applications engineering system and it's use to apply a thermal dryer fan motor in a coal preparation plant. The computer hardware and software systems are described to indicate the general approach taken and a specific case study is reviewed to show how computer power is brought to projects in the coal industry.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. C. Smock

THE magnetic and polaric properties of magnetite, or magnetic iron ore, are fundamental facts in magnetism. The disturbing effect of this mineral upon the magnetic needle in land surveying must have been very early observed. The difficulties arising from this source are still almost insurmountable in making accurate surveys in districts where this ore occurs to any extent, either as a rock

Jan 1, 1876

By R. W. Marrs

Kimberlite contains a unique assemblage of minerals and exhibits a characteristic pattern of spectral reflectance in the visible and near-infrared wavelength region. This spectral pattern is readily discerned in well exposed kimberlite outcrops, but becomes increasingly difficult to identify when outcrops are partially covered by vegetation or soils derived from nonkimberlitic materials. Detection of poorly exposed kimberlite diatremes is possible using multispectral imaging techniques where spectral bands are chosen to optimize contrast between the kimberlitic soils, nonkimberlitic soils, and vegetation. Careful processing of the multispectral data is essential to separate the spectral signature of kimberlite from the signatures of other components of the scene.

Jan 1, 1986

By R. P. Carreker, R. L. Fullman, J. C. Fisher

CREEP tests are usually constant load tests. As deformation occurs, the cross section of the specimen changes so as to maintain approximately constant volume. Until necking starts, A _ l0 A0 - 1 where A is the cross-sectional area, 1 is the specimen length, and the subscript o indicates initial values. Thus, during a tensile creep test under constant load, the stress increases in proportion to the elongation. A A, 1, where S is the stress and F the load applied to the specimen.

Jan 1, 1954

By J. M. Floyd

The theory, construction and applications of oxygen sensors employing high-temperature electro- chemical cells with solid electrolytes are briefly reviewed. The application of disposable probes to measurement of the oxygen potential in matte and slag baths in tin, copper, and nickel smelting operations is described. Examples discussed include end-point determination in smelting and slag-cleaning operations, pilot-scale investigations of process chemistry to assist in the development of smelting strategies, and measurements in operating smelters to improve the efficiency of operation.

Jan 1, 1984

JUST as I have taught you to refine silver in a small way and to make assays, so now I wish to teach you how to make cupeling hearths in place of these little cupels when you have silver in large quantities. This is done in four ways, as I have seen, but all are alike in the end and differ very little one from the other. There are some who make use of a furnace with a vault built with bricks above the cupeling hearth. There are some others who use in place of this an iron hood like a large cover. There are some others who use only heavy dry sticks of oak or some other thick wood. Others have certain long plates of terra cotta that cover the whole hearth in three or four pieces; the two of these that adjoin have [56] a hole in the middle that leads exactly into the middle of the cupeling hearth, and through this they put in the material and the lead, according to the practice I shall describe.

Jan 1, 1942

By Willard H. Tracy

The method of seismic reflection prospecting has many times been compared to sound ranging, a process that became familiar to many during the World War. According to this very simple theory, the dynamite goes off and sends out a compression wave, which meets a reflecting horizon and returns to the surface, where it is recorded and the elapsed time of its travel in the earth accurately determined. Computations are then made on the general theory that the longer the elapsed time, the greater the depth of the reflecting bed. While this serves to give an idea of the fundamental basis of the process, it suggests a simplicity that does not exist in the life history of the various waves set up by a dynamite explosion in the earth. To begin with, a seismic wave in the earth does not obey the same simple laws of propagation that apply to a sound wave in the air. The property of strength in shear possessed by solids introduces a factor that sets such waves apart from the ordinary air waves. Also, the transmission charactcristics of the earth vary widely from place to place, and a fairly accurate knowledge of the space relationships of these variations is necessary if the final results are to be understood. Besides the waves recorded and used in the reflection computations, there are many

Jan 1, 1940

By Willard H. Tracy

The method of seismic reflection prospecting has many times been compared to sound ranging, a process that became familiar to many during the World War. According to this very simple theory, the dynamite goes off and sends out a compression wave, which meets a reflecting horizon and returns to the surface, where it is recorded and the elapsed time of its travel in the earth accurately determined. Computations are then made on the general theory that the longer the elapsed time, the greater the depth of the reflecting bed. While this serves to give an idea of the fundamental basis of the process, it suggests a simplicity that does not exist in the life history of the various waves set up by a dynamite explosion in the earth. To begin with, a seismic wave in the earth does not obey the same simple laws of propagation that apply to a sound wave in the air. The property of strength in shear possessed by solids introduces a factor that sets such waves apart from the ordinary air waves. Also, the transmission charactcristics of the earth vary widely from place to place, and a fairly accurate knowledge of the space relationships of these variations is necessary if the final results are to be understood. Besides the waves recorded and used in the reflection computations, there are many

Jan 1, 1940

By George L. Heath

This paper is devoted chiefly to the coal-fields of the western part of the province of Chili and the eastern part of the province of Shansi; but the outline of this belt will give some idea of the extension of the coal-fields over northeastern China. This part of China is topographically divided into: (1) the mountainous peninsula of eastern Shantung; (2) the coastal plains, extending W. and SW. from the gulf of Pechili; and (3) the mountains and table-lands N. and W. of the coastal plains. The plains extend N. and W. from the gulf to within from 10 to 25 miles of the Great Wall, while their SW. extension covers western Shantung and reaches W. along the Yellow river almost to the southern boundary of Shansi. A line joining the mapped coal-fields, shown in Fig. 1, almost gives the western boundary of the plains; since these areas lie on the border of the plains—except the Tsê Chou field, which is on the table-land, 20 to 25 miles from that border. The coal-fields which have been mapped and investigated by the author are shown in Fig. 1. The one at and around Tongshan is known as the K'ai-p'ing coal-field; the one W. of Peking has been called the Wang-p'ing coal-basin; the one SW. of Pao-ting and N. of Chêng-ting may be called the Lingshan coal-field; and the one at and around Tsê Chou is known as the Tsê Chou coal-field. I. The K'ai-p'ing Coal-Field. As is shown in Fig. 2, most of this field lies in the coastal plains, and is therefore covered by alluvium and loess, which have buried the older rock-beds, and the more gentle and older topographic outlines, to such an extent that most of the re-

Jan 1, 1902

By George E. Aiken

Modern high speed bucket wheel excavators (BWEs) can dig materials which power shovels can't handle without blasting. Yet these machines are not used in any large, open pit ore mines in the United States. American mining has been slow to use the wheel's special capabilities of high production volume at low cost, due perhaps to a traditional familiarity with shovels and draglines and/or the lack of data of BWE operation, design and cost. Of course, shovels and draglines can not be replaced by BWEs in all cases, but under suitable conditions bucket wheels can out-perform other conventional excavators and simultaneously permit significant operating savings. The latter aspect will become increasingly important to American mining men because as more low to medium grade orebodies are found in regions of thick overburden, better and cheaper ways of uncovering them must be developed. Typical of such areas are the thick alluvial fans of the Southwest and the glacial drift areas in northern regions. Much of this material would handle well with a wheel excavator without blasting, although ripping might be necessary in some cases.

Jan 1, 1966

By H. R. Shidel

THIS paper summarizes the results obtained from the preliminary cementing of wells in an effort to cut off the bottom water. The object of this work was two-fold: (1) To prevent the oil sand from becoming flooded. (2) To plug off bottom water, thereby preserving the individual well and reclaiming production. Valuable suggestions and help have been given by the following named: Messrs. Kyle and La Velle, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines; Magnolia Petroleum Co.; Freed Oil and Gas Co. The cementing work was carried out under the personal supervision of L. J. Snyder. In an unpublished paper on the "Water Problem in the Augusta Field," S. K. Clark reaches the following conclusions: (1) That the great amount of water present is bottom water, occurring in the Varner sand, the main producing or the 2500-ft. horizon. (2) That the only striking connection between structure and water is in the area of the marked fault on the Ralston, E. C. Varner, and F. Varner leases in sections 8, 9, 16 and 17. (3) That the oil occurs in porous streaks, generally separated by fine-grained, well cemented sand, which is barren. Possibly two, or three such pay streaks may be found. That under a pay, fine-grained sand occurs, which is presumably barren at the time of drilling, but soon reveals water. The writer takes partial exception to the last point, because well defined shale, slate, lime, or hard sand breaks have been encountered in a great many cases, separating the pay streaks under which water is often found. This is not an invariable occurrence, as cases have been noted when the oil has been followed immediately by water in the same stratum. In an effort to overcome the water menace, the following methods of plugging were tried: (1) Plugging with wood, lead, and limit plugs. (2) Plugging with sand pumpings.

Jan 10, 1918

By C. R. Kuzell, G. H. Wigton

Knowledge of the thermal capacity of gases is of great importance in making metallurgical calculations. The metallurgist is frequeqtly called upon to investigate and determine furnace efficiencies in which the heat carried into or out of the furnace by gases is a large item in the heat balance. Not only do such problems present themselves in the determination of furnace efficiency, but also in the study of the application of heat in accessory apparatus, such as stoves, regenerators, waste-heat boilers, driers, etc. The thermal effect of the use of excess air in the combustion of fuel, the theoretical temperatures of combustion, the quantity of heat in hot blast at various temperatures, the effect of hot blast on furnace temperatures, are a few more examples of frequently occurring calorific problems involving gases. So many are the applications of the data on the heat capacity of gases that the subject merits careful study. The heat in a gas maybe due to its heat of combustion, if it is a combustible gas, and to its temperature. The latter is called its sensible heat and is the heat absorbed or evolved by a gas as its temperature is raised or lowered. The heat of combustion of gases is well established and is commonly known. The values can be found in almost any modern treatise on metallurgy. The sensible heat of gases has not been so well established because it is in most cases a function of the temperature, and the values of specific heats of gases over a wide range of temperatures have only recently been determined. It is the purpose of this paper to deal with the sensible heat of gases. - The calculation of sensible-heat capacities1 from specific-heat equations is a comparatively long and tedious operation. This is especially

Jan 1, 1915

By Frank Clowes

This lamp has been devised to burn oil from a flat wick in the usual way for lighting-purposes ; and also to burn a hydrogen-flame of standard size instead of the oil-flame, when delicate and accurate gas-testing is to be carried out. The change from the oil-flame to the hydrogen-flame, and vice versa, can be made with great rapidity, and without opening the lamp or running any risk in the presence of gas. The oil-flame serves for illumination; and when the wick is drawn down by the " pricker," so as to abolish the light, the pale blue reduced oil-flame serves to detect fire-damp or "gas," in any propor

Jan 1, 1894

By Fred P. Peters

T. D. Yensen.*—As my information is of a negative nature, I think it belongs under this paper. We are particularly interested in magnetic materials and we would like very much on occasions to make use of powder metallurgy. We have tried repeatedly to use powder metallurgy in preparing our nickel alloys but always. with negative results; that is, we cannot get as good magnetic properties by powder metallurgy as we can by starting with a molten material. We have tried by all possible means to make materials' like 50 per cent iron-nickel alloys by powder metallurgy. The compacts can be regularly lorged and rolled but no matter what we do in the way of annealing, the magnetic properties come out very much poorer than if we start with molten material. F. V. Lenel. †—I want to mention one characteristic of articles made from metal powders which distinguishes them from die castings; that is, their wear resistance. Die castings usually are made from zinc or aluminum alloys and a few copper-zinc alloys; all of them are comparatively soft and not very wear resistant. I know of a number of cases where powder metallurgy rather than the die-casting method was used for producing a certain part because higher wear resistance was needed than could be attained in die castings. A, J. LanghammeR.*—The subject of powder metallurgy is somewhat difficult to discuss, and portray, in the time that his been allotted. Most of you would rightly be bored if we went into details. However, I will cite one incident that possibly will help illustrate some of the potentials. Last summer I was in Washington and met Navy officials for the purpose of studying the possibility of making a certain part by powder metallurgy. The part is highly intricate and I happened to remark that the material cost would be high; that is, the cost on one raw material. Promptly a high-ranking Navy officer said: "Mr. Langhammer, if you must pay x dollars a pound for the raw material, but achieve the desired results, the cost of the finished part would still be low."

Jan 1, 1945

PRESIDENTS DAVID THOMAS 1871 Born November 3, 1794, Cadoxtan, Glamorganshire, South Wales. Died in 1882. Attended schools in Wales. Came to America in 1839. A.I.M.E.: Member, 1871; Honorary Member. Iron manufacturer; inventor. Built first anthracite fired hot-blast furnace in America. Known as the "Father of the Lehigh Valley." President, Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad; Director, Lehigh Valley Railroad; Founder, Thomas Iron Co. and St. Luke's Hospital at Bethlehem, Pa.; Trustee, Lafayette College.4 ROSSITER WORTHINGTON RAYMOND 1872-1874 Born April 27, 1840, Cincinnati, Ohio. Died in 1918. Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, 1857; Lafayette College, Ph.D., 1868; Lehigh University, LL.D., 1906; University of Pittsburgh, Hon. LL.D., 1915., Gold Medal, Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (London). A.I.M.E.: Founder, Member of 1871; Vice President, 1871, 1876-1877; Secretary, 1884-1911; Secretary Emeritus, 1911-1918; Honorary Member. Consul¬ing mining engineer; practicing lawyer, sailor, soldier, writer, orator, editor, theologian, teacher, novelist, chess player. Recognized as the "Grand Old Man of the Institute." ALEXANDER LYMAN HOLI,EY 1875 Born July 20, 1832, Lakeville, Conn. Died in 1882. Brown University, 1853; Hon. LL.D., 1878. A.I.M.E.: Member, 1871; Vice President, 1874; Manager, 1877-1879. Bessemer Medal (Iron and Steel Institute, London), posthumously. Brought bessemer process to United States. A statue was erected in Washington Square in his memory and presented to the City of New York in 1889. The inscription notes: "foremost among those whose genius and energy established in America and improved throughout the world the manufacture of bessemer steel." ABRAM STEVENS HEWITT 1876 Born July 31, 1822, Haverstraw, N. Y. Died in 1903. Columbia University, 1842; Hon. LL.D., 1887. A.I.M.E.: Member, 1871; Manager, 1872-1875. Bessemer Medalist and Honorary Member, Iron and Steel Institute (London). Gold Medal, Chamber of Commerce of New York City. Philanthropist, lawyer, statesman, publicist, pioneer in the iron and steel industry. Mayor of New York City in 1887. Business partner of Peter Cooper, Executive Manager of Board of Trustees, Cooper Union, New York City.

Jan 1, 1947

By D. L. Everhart

The search for new deposits raises two important questions: Where did the metallic ions that formed the orebodies come from? What processes and geologic factors were involved in ore replacement? A review of the wide geological variety of recent uranium discoveries tells how these questions are being answered. SOONER or later intelligent exploration for uranium leads to these questions: Where did the metallic ions that formed the orebodies come from? What processes and geologic factors were involved in ore replacement? These matters, of course, make a big difference in how best to look for orebodies. Before these questions are discussed it might be well to point out other factors bearing on the subject. The whole business of uranium exploration is only a little over ten years old, participation by the public is only about six years old, and real interest and activity by more than a few large mining companies has arisen only in the past two or three years. Throughout this short period, uranium exploration has been affected by the unique influences of necessary security measures and by division of the overall job into individual projects by a large number of specialists in diverse fields. This has meant that a normal interchange of information on the nature of uranium deposits has really only just begun. Compared to the vast amount of published studies on iron, copper, lead, zinc, and gold deposits over the past 50 to 75 years, current knowledge of uranium deposits is in its infancy and much of the pertinent information is still scattered about in a number of unpublished sources. The volume of reports on all phases of uranium exploration is now beginning to mount at a remarkable rate, and geologists with widely varying specialized backgrounds in uranium geology are engaging in spirited debates over the origin of uranium and the relative importance of geologic controls of various deposits. One of the most interesting features of known uranium deposits of the world is the wide variation, see Table I, in character and geologic environment. It should be noted that many types became prominent during 1953. The davidite-bearing veins of Radium Hill, South Australia, are almost unique, although the same mineral occurs in a different kind of deposit in Mozambique. Recent studies indicate that brannerite disseminated in the granite near Cracker's Well, South Australia, may soon constitute uranium ore. Basalt has been added to the list of favorable host rocks in the Northern Territory of Australia. Basalt is also the host of the pitchblende veins of the Martin Lake deposit, Beaverlodge district, Saskatchewan. The truly remarkable rich and extensive Steen deposit near Moab, Utah, is of the uraninite-vanadium oxide type. Secondary hydrous uranium arsenates and phosphates constitute the uranium minerals in the disseminated deposits of the Wind River Basin, Wyo., a new district discovered in the summer of 1953. Uranium minerals in shales adjacent to fractures were newly reported in New Mexico and several other parts of the world during the year. The well-known important uraninite dissemination in the Rand conglomerates of South Africa has a counterpart, as discovered in the summer of 1953, in the Mississagi quartzite and conglomerate of the Blind River district, Ontario. Gunnar deposit of the Lake Athabaska district, Saskatchewan, consists of uraninite in both granite and sedimentary gneiss beneath a granite cap, and large new orebody of the Eldorado Co. in the same general area follows a preferred stratigraphic horizon in schists. Uranium is, generally speaking, a very soluble and ubiquitous element. It occurs in at least two valency states and for this reason is not easily tied down in natural solutions. As Gruner' has pointed out, it is probable that uranium starts in the hexava-lent state in nearly all solutions instrumental in its transfer. It is believed that under oxidizing conditions the uranium moves in solution as the uranyl ion, UO. In solutions ranging in pH from 1 to 5, the uranyl ion is most commonly in association with

Jan 1, 1955

By E. Miller, N. Chou, K. Komarek

The solid solubilities of the compounds PbS, PbSe, and PbTe have been determined by equilibrating single crystals with two phase alloys. The solubilities were determined by measuring the Hall coefficient of the equilibrated samples. The observed maximum deviations from stoichiometry on the lead rich and the chalcogen-rich side of the phase fields were: at. pct excess Pb at pct excess S at 850°C; PbSe--4 x 10'" at. pct excess Pb at at. pct excess at 800°C; and PbTe-2.8 x 10 4 at. pct excess Pb at 780°C, 10"1 at. pct excess Te at 720°C. The previously developed theory of retrograde solubility has been expanded to include intrinsic disorder in the compounds, and the experimental results are in agreement with the theory. THE solid solubility limits of intermetallic semiconducting compounds are of considerable interest, since many of these compounds have potential use as thermoelements in thermoelectric devices, as infrared detectors, or in semiconductor devices. The solidus curves of a significant number of these compounds have been reported to be retrograde with the maximum solid solubility occurring between the eu-tectic and the maximum melting temperatures. In a previous paper,' equations were derived which permit calculation of the maximum solid solubility of an AB compound exhibiting retrograde solubility. Derivation of these equations was based on the assumption that the compound is a nondegenerate semiconductor at the temperature under consideration, that the defects were unassociated, and that the vibrational contribution to the entropy of the compound could be evaluated by the Einstein approximation. It was shown that at the temperature of the maximum solid solubility The entropy term ASS is composed of the entropy of formation of the solid stoichiometric compound (AS$)*, and the entropy due to deviations from stoichiometric composition which is the sum of a con-figurational term (aS*), a vibrational term (AS,), and an electronic term (AS,). In the previous paper the positional entropy was evaluated considering the con- N. CHOU, Member AIME, formerly Graduate Student, New York University, N. Y., is with IBM, Yorktown Heights, N. Y. K. L. KOMAREK, Member AIME, formerly with New York University, is Professor, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. E. MI LLER, Member AIME, formerly with New York University, is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, California State College at Long Beach, Calif. The paper is based on a thesis submitted by N. CHOU to the Graduate Division, School of Engineering and Science, New York University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science. tributions from defects arising from deviations from stoichiometric composition. The derivation is generalized in the appendix to include intrinsic disorder. The electronic entropy term is also recalculated in the appendix. Of the various semiconducting compounds, the solidus curves of Pbs,' and ~b~e,~ have been most extensively studied. The solidus of PbSe has also been determined, but the temperature of maximum solubility has not been accurately established.5129 The present investigation was undertaken to compare the experimental solid solubility data for these systems with the values predicted theoretically. Since the temperature and composition of the maximum solubility of PbSe has not been accurately determined, experimental emphasis was placed on determining the solidus curves for PbSe in the region of maximum solubility, although experiments were also performed on PbS and PbTe at several temperatures. X-ray diffraction studies were also made on carefully prepared powder samples of PbSe to determine the variation of lattice parameter with composition. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The procedure of Brebrick and Allgaier was employed for determining the solidus data. Monocrystal-

Jan 1, 1970