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By Emby Kaye

It is the purpose of this paper to outline briefly some of the considerations that enter into the economics of so-called recycling, the generic designation of the relatively recently developed process by which a condensate† is separated from gas-distillate gas at high pressure and the residual gas returned to the reservoir. This subject necessarily embraces not only a discussion of factors that should be considered in projecting a recycling operation, such as estimating reserves, investment and operating costs, but also a comparison of condensate with other types of petroleum. The place of condensate in its relation to the total supply of crude oil is pointed out as well as certain logical methods of product disposal. The cost of drilling wells and lease maintenance is not pertinent to this discussion because income and revenue are in this paper confined to that retained by the plant or plant operator for supplying processing facilities for the gas. Before the development of recycling a great many gas-distillate gas fields in Louisiana and Texas provided no income to their owners. When gas was sold from these reservoirs it was accompanied by irretrievable losses of condensate in the formation. The understanding of the func- tion of retrograde condensation resulted in the introduction of a new commercial petroleum recovery process for these hitherto unexploited fields and now permits the conditioning of this type of wet gas field for the sale of dry gas therefrom without waste. Some Economic Factors The study of a gas-distillate field for possible exploitation necessarily involves the critical appraisal of a number of elements, chief of which will be discussed here: (I) estimate of distillate in place, (2) estimate of distillate that can be brought to the surface, (3) available market, (4) costs. The considerations affecting the estimating of distillate reserves in place are in the main subject to the same errors as are involved in determining dry gas reserves. Determinable data including acreage, sand thickness, reservoir pressure, reservoir temperature, porosity and connate water provide the basis for calculating the volume of gas in place. Ample allowance must be made for connate water, which may occupy from 20 to 35 per cent of the pore space of the sand. The factor of supercom-pressibility is to a considerable extent nullified by the reservoir temperature. It has been considered well advised to allow this factor to serve as a cushion. With the gas reserves calculated, it remains only to assay the distillate content of the gas. Those familiar with the handling of "wet" gas at high pressure readily appreci-ate the variables in sampling gas from

Jan 1, 1942

By E. H. Rose

The present symposium on flotation machines provides a unique opportunity for group reappraisal of standard or habitual viewpoints. A symposium is by definition a trading post- for observations that might prove complementary when put together, thus leading to useful thoughts that might not have been evident from the original observations individually. The present paper, pertaining to power consumption in flotation, is deliberately an experiment of that kind. Data were solicited from the operating superintendents of several of the major flotation plants on this continent. The information received, covering a total of 14 separate operations in seven plants, has been collated in terms of power intensity; that is, the total power input per cubic foot of cell volume. This departs somewhat from the conventional expression of power per ton of ore treated, though the latter figure is also given for the plants concerned. Because of wartime restrictions, particularly in Canada, identifying names of plants and machines are withheld. Not as a firm conclusion, but as a tender for symposium discussion, the following points are made: 1. That flotation is a power operation in much the same sense as ball milling. 2. That contact time is the complement of power intensity and may be decreased as the latter is increased. 3. That a decrease in flotation power per ton of ore can result from an increase in power intensity. Analogy with Grinding In grinding, it has become axiomatic that the more the power put into a given operation, the greater the work performance. The analogous view is now proposed that the effectiveness of any flotation operation will be related to the mechanical energy usefully applied to that operation. Under this view, each increment of properly directed input energy should give either an increase in unit tonnage or an improvement in the metallurgical separation (concentrate grade or tailing grade), until either the theoretical limit imposed by mineral constitution or surface condition is reached, or until further increments of power become uneconomic under the law of diminishing returns. Thus, as in grinding, there are two forms of output that greater power input or improved utilization of power can produce. As for the law of diminishing returns, lower unit cost of power through improved generating efficiency in the past decade has pushed the limit back. Over and above this, however, there is strong indication in the operationg data herein presented that higher power intensity results in an actual economy of over-all power consumption. Like crushing and grinding, flotation accomplishes a rupture of the forces of molecular attraction, by taking particles from the common environment and placing them in the two separate environments of

Jan 1, 1947

By S. F. Radtke, J. A. Snyder, R. M. Scriver

An automatic, continuous casting arc furnace employing a nonconsum-able electrode and a direct current arc has been constructed and operated successfully for titanium. A comparison of the properties of arc and induction-melted titanium indicates that where high ductility, formability, and toughness are required, arc-melted metal is preferable. BECAUSE of the reactivity of titanium metal with all known refractories and the common atmospheric gases, melting of the metal presents numerous problems. It is necessary to provide an inert atmosphere in the furnace as well as a crucible material that will not react with the molten metal, if a ductile ingot is to be produced. Two special furnaces have been developed that meet the requirements and one, the induction heated graphite furnace, has been described in some detail.' Little information is available for sizable units wherein power is applied to the melt through an arc, and the dearth of technical information on such a furnace prompted this report. It has been demonstrated clearly that arc melting produces titanium metal with superior toughness, ductility, and formability. To produce titanium ingots with these properties, an automatic, continuous casting arc furnace has been developed and is described herein. The history of arc melting may be traced to 1800, when Sir Humphrey Davy2 first experimented with Volta's electric battery and found that light could be produced and an arc formed between two carbon points attached to the cell. The discovery of the arc was followed by the design and construction of an arc furnace by Napier," in 1845, for the reduction of metal oxides. In 1853, Pichou' described a similar furnace, although it was not until the discovery of the dynamo in 1867 that the arc furnace could achieve commercial significance. In 1878, Siemens- esigned the first arc furnace intended for the melting of metals and by 1882 had melted steel and platinum successfully. . This was followed by Moissan's" classical work with the arc furnace in 1892. W. von Bolton,' in 1905, found that the arc furnace was suited admirably for melting refractory metals. In his work with tantalum, no suitable refractories for retaining the molten metal were found to exist. Together with Otto Simpson, he developed an arc furnace with a water-cooled copper crucible in which tantalum could be melted without contamination. This technique proved eminently successful. In his paper on the preparation of ductile titanium, Krolle first described an application of the von Bolton furnace to the melting of this metal. The

Jan 1, 1952

By E. H. Rose

The present symposium on flotation machines provides a unique opportunity for group reappraisal of standard or habitual viewpoints. A symposium is by definition a trading post- for observations that might prove complementary when put together, thus leading to useful thoughts that might not have been evident from the original observations individually. The present paper, pertaining to power consumption in flotation, is deliberately an experiment of that kind. Data were solicited from the operating superintendents of several of the major flotation plants on this continent. The information received, covering a total of 14 separate operations in seven plants, has been collated in terms of power intensity; that is, the total power input per cubic foot of cell volume. This departs somewhat from the conventional expression of power per ton of ore treated, though the latter figure is also given for the plants concerned. Because of wartime restrictions, particularly in Canada, identifying names of plants and machines are withheld. Not as a firm conclusion, but as a tender for symposium discussion, the following points are made: 1. That flotation is a power operation in much the same sense as ball milling. 2. That contact time is the complement of power intensity and may be decreased as the latter is increased. 3. That a decrease in flotation power per ton of ore can result from an increase in power intensity. Analogy with Grinding In grinding, it has become axiomatic that the more the power put into a given operation, the greater the work performance. The analogous view is now proposed that the effectiveness of any flotation operation will be related to the mechanical energy usefully applied to that operation. Under this view, each increment of properly directed input energy should give either an increase in unit tonnage or an improvement in the metallurgical separation (concentrate grade or tailing grade), until either the theoretical limit imposed by mineral constitution or surface condition is reached, or until further increments of power become uneconomic under the law of diminishing returns. Thus, as in grinding, there are two forms of output that greater power input or improved utilization of power can produce. As for the law of diminishing returns, lower unit cost of power through improved generating efficiency in the past decade has pushed the limit back. Over and above this, however, there is strong indication in the operationg data herein presented that higher power intensity results in an actual economy of over-all power consumption. Like crushing and grinding, flotation accomplishes a rupture of the forces of molecular attraction, by taking particles from the common environment and placing them in the two separate environments of

Jan 1, 1947

By William Hume-Rothery

MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I need not say how much I appreciate the honor of being asked to lecture to you, and how much I would thank you for your kind invitation. It is encouraging to feel that the abnormal restrictions of the war have been relaxed sufficiently to allow a free exchange of scientists between our two countries, and I hope that some of you will be persuaded to go to England, and to visit us at Oxford, so that I may repay a little of the kindness I have received from you. As this is one of the first lectures since the end of the war, I have thought it well to describe some of the advances in the theory of alloys which were made in the years between the two World Wars. From the point of view of theoretical science, these years have been of outstanding interest in the history of metallurgy. They have been years in which the development of new and more accurate experimental methods has led to the revelation of many new facts. At the same time, the theoretical developments have enabled some of these facts to be viewed as parts of a general scheme, and we may say that some of the foundations of metallurgical science have been laid. This work was naturally stopped by the Second World War, and it can therefore be reviewed as one definite stage in the development of our Science. To illustrate the new advances, I shall deal mainly with the alloys of copper and silver, since these have revealed many of the general principles. SOLID SOLUTION At the beginning of our period, the first steps in X-ray crystal analysis had been taken, and copper had been found to crystallize in the face-centered cubic structure (Fig I). The determination of this structure naturally was of immense importance in the understanding of our subject, because it meant that we were at last in a position to appreciate the underlying structure out of which the crystal of copper was built. The earlier science of metallography had shown that in many alloys of copper the addition of a second metal in not too large proportions resulted in the formation of a homogeneous alloy which was regarded as a solid solution of the one metal in copper. Fig 2, for example, shows the so-called equilibrium diagram of the copper-zinc alloys, and here you will see that there is a solid solution of zinc in copper extending to something of the order 35 to 40 at. pct zinc.

Jan 1, 1947

By F. M. Perkins, R. H. Jamison

Publications concerning scaling laws for laboratory flow models of oil reservoirs indicate that the relative permeability and capillary pressure relations must be the same functions of saturation in the model and its prototype. In this paper, the relative permeabilities and saturations are redefined in a way which permits one to have diflerent relative permeability and capillary pressure relations in the model and prototype. The development of the new scaling criteria is demonstrated by deriving scaling laws for one simple flow problem. INTRODUCTION The successful application of information gathered through bench-scale model studies to the prediction of multi-phase fluid flow behavior in petroleum reservoirs requires careful consideration of the scaling criteria. The requirements which must be met for a small-scale model to duplicate the behavior of a much larger reservoir prototype have been discussed by Leverett, et al,' Rapoport,2 and Geertsma, et al.3 According to these authors, the relative permeabilities to water, oil and gas and the dimensionless capillary pressures must be the must have the same values in the model and prototype. Furthermore, they point out that the viscosity ratios must have the same values in the model and prototype. In addition to these requirements, other scaling criteria are given which, when considered, usually dictate a much higher permeability in the model than exists in the reservoir. Since the more permeable model sands may have connate-water and residual oil saturations quite different from those in the prototype, the scaling requirements pertaining to the dependence of relative permeabilities and dimension l ess capillary pressures on saturation usually are not met. Also, if the model fluids are selected to give equal viscosity ratios in the model and prototype, one may find greatly different mobility ratios* in the two cases and, therefore, may expect grossly different flow patterns. For this reason, Craig, et al,' correlated the results of their model studies with mo- bility ratio rather than with viscosity ratio. As yet, however, no satisfactory method has been advanced which permits use of anything other than the scaling requirements outlined in the previously mentioned papers. The purpose of this paper is to present a method of developing a set of scaling criteria which permits different relationships between saturation and relative permeability or capillary pressure in the model and prototype. Rather than attempt to report scaling criteria for a variety of practical situations, this paper demonstrates by use of one simple example how the modified scaling criteria are derived.

By Emby Kaye

It is the purpose of this paper to outline briefly some of the considerations that enter into the economics of so-called recycling, the generic designation of the relatively recently developed process by which a condensate† is separated from gas-distillate gas at high pressure and the residual gas returned to the reservoir. This subject necessarily embraces not only a discussion of factors that should be considered in projecting a recycling operation, such as estimating reserves, investment and operating costs, but also a comparison of condensate with other types of petroleum. The place of condensate in its relation to the total supply of crude oil is pointed out as well as certain logical methods of product disposal. The cost of drilling wells and lease maintenance is not pertinent to this discussion because income and revenue are in this paper confined to that retained by the plant or plant operator for supplying processing facilities for the gas. Before the development of recycling a great many gas-distillate gas fields in Louisiana and Texas provided no income to their owners. When gas was sold from these reservoirs it was accompanied by irretrievable losses of condensate in the formation. The understanding of the func- tion of retrograde condensation resulted in the introduction of a new commercial petroleum recovery process for these hitherto unexploited fields and now permits the conditioning of this type of wet gas field for the sale of dry gas therefrom without waste. Some Economic Factors The study of a gas-distillate field for possible exploitation necessarily involves the critical appraisal of a number of elements, chief of which will be discussed here: (I) estimate of distillate in place, (2) estimate of distillate that can be brought to the surface, (3) available market, (4) costs. The considerations affecting the estimating of distillate reserves in place are in the main subject to the same errors as are involved in determining dry gas reserves. Determinable data including acreage, sand thickness, reservoir pressure, reservoir temperature, porosity and connate water provide the basis for calculating the volume of gas in place. Ample allowance must be made for connate water, which may occupy from 20 to 35 per cent of the pore space of the sand. The factor of supercom-pressibility is to a considerable extent nullified by the reservoir temperature. It has been considered well advised to allow this factor to serve as a cushion. With the gas reserves calculated, it remains only to assay the distillate content of the gas. Those familiar with the handling of "wet" gas at high pressure readily appreci-ate the variables in sampling gas from

Jan 1, 1942

By J. W. Spretnak, G. W. King

THE crystallography and morphology of 0-Al,Fe precipitates in an A1 + 0.5 wt pct Fe alloy have been studied by transmission electron microscopy. The alloy was cast in cylindrical ingots, 15 cm in diameter and 60 cm in length, and cooled slowly. The measured composition was 0.527 wt pct Fe, 0.001 wt pct Mg, and 0.003 wt pct Cu. Spectrographic analysis revealed no additional trace impurities. Thin slices were cut from the ingot and reduced by more than 95 pct by rolling to a thickness of 0.1 mm with no intermediate annealing treatments. These thin sheets were then vacuum-annealed for 1 hr at 612°C and air-cooled in their capsules. Thin foils for examination in the electron microscope were prepared by electropolishing. The precipitate is found in the form of oval platelets on the (110) planes of the matrix. The major axes of the platelets are parallel to the (110) directions of the matrix, and vary in length from 1/2 to 2 p. The thickness is about 1/10 p. Examples of platelets, both in the plane of the foil and normal to the foil, are shown in Figs. l(a) and l(b), respectively. lack' found that ?-A13Fe (more correctly All13Fe4) belongs to the monoclinic system. Using Black's structural data and simultaneous electron-diffraction patterns from the matrix and precipitates, the habit planes and directions were determined to be: (00l)? || (110)Al [100]? || [001]Al The orthogonal crystallographic axes of the precipitates are accurately in the habit plane, while the measured coincidences of the directions are only within 10 deg. The major axis of the platelet is parallel to [010] in the 0. This orientation corresponds to the direction of nearest registry of the lattices.

Jan 1, 1964

By John G. Hall

The pumping operations at the Chief mine have been unique in the respect that for many years the entire flow of water into the mine has been disposed of by pumping into natural underground "caverns" or "sinks." Volumes up to 4000 gpm have been pumped into these caverns with no apparent tendency for the caverns to fill with water, and it has never been proven that any of the water returns to the mine workings. Major pumping operations have been carried on during two periods, the first from 1918 to 1927, and the second from 1942 to the present time. Early Pumping Operations CHIEF MINE The Chief Consolidated Mining Co. was organized in 1909, and for the following nine years ore was developed and mined from the 600 level down to the 1800 level, all above the permanent water table, the 1820 level. The ore occurs as extremely-irregular pipes of replacement ore in limestone, and to date a total of approximately 2 1/2 million tons of ore has been produced. The ore was highly oxidized down to the permanent water level, and some highly-oxidized ore runs occur beneath the permanent water table. In 1916, with extensive mining being done on the 1800 level, 20 ft above the water table, there were indications that a zone of secondary enrichment might exist below the water, and in order to follow the ore runs to greater depth, it was realized that arrangements would have to be Made to pump water to the surface. The original pumping installation was designed to pump 350 gpm in five stages against a 1900-ft head to the surface. By January 1919, the water had been lowered to the 1900 level and an excellent grade of silver-lead ore was being produced from the zone of secondary enrichment. At this point. the flow of water equalled the capacity of the pumps, and pumps of an additional 1000 gpln were installed to supplement the original system. By January 1920, the water had been lowered approximately 100 ft, and the total flow of water was 1000 gpm. The water was being pumped from many different places in the mine where ore was being followed downward, with 27 different pumps operating below the 1800 level, mainly Cameron air-driven sinker pumps. These first sinking pumps were cumbersome and inefficient, and each of the larger pumps weighed approximately three tons and required tremeridous volumes of compressed air. During this period, an exploration drift being extended north and west from the Chief shaft on the 1600 level encountered a large natural cavern some 2000 ft from the shaft. This cavern in places measured 60 ft in diameter. Sometime later the disposing of water into this cavern was suggested, and as an experiment to determine the results of such an operation, an attempt was Made to fill the cavern by pumping in a small volume of water, but the water disappeared as fast as it was discharged into the cavern. It was decided then to try the cavern as a drainage outlet for the entire volume of water being pumped to the surface, and the water apparently did not return to the mine workings. Subsequently water up to 3000 gpm was pumped into this cavern. An attempt was made to determine whether any water was being returned from the cavern to the lower workings, and 100 lb of sodium fluorescein salt was added to the water discharged into the cavern, but no trace of it was found in the drainage water in the mine. Results of another such test will be described later.

Jan 1, 1950

By C. H. Li, J. A. Sarteli, W. Bonfield

The stress to cause a permanent micros train of 2 x 10-6 in. per in. (defined as the microscopic yield stress) in beryllium is found to be very sensitive to surface condition. The initiation of plastic flow in as-machined specimens, which contain a high density of twins and large residual compressive stresses to a depth of about 0.010 in. from the surface, occurs by the nucleation of slip from high stress fields around twin tips in the surface layers. Removal of the damaged surface layers by chemical polishing results in an appreciable increase in the microscopic yield stress, which is attributed to the remoual of stress raising twins rather than to the release of residual stresses. IT is well known that the macroscopic mechanical properties of beryllium are very sensitive to the nature of its surface finish. Matthews and coworkers1 have shown that the tensile strength of rolled beryllium sheet can be considerably enhanced by chemical polishing, presumably due to the removal of the high concentration of notches, twins, and large residual compressive stresses normally found in the surface layers of ground specimens. There was no similar effect of surface condition on the macroscopic yield stress (the stress to produce 0.2 pct strain), a point to which we shall return. To date there have been no extensive studies on the effect of surface condition on the microstrain region of beryllium. Recent measurements2 of the stress to cause a permanent microstrain of the order of 10-6 in. per in. on machined hot pressed QMV beryllium, gave values ranging from about 600 to 3500 psi. Reasons for the considerable scatter in the results were not discussed. In this paper, we wish to show that the microstrain region of polycrystalline beryllium is, in fact, very sensitive to surface condition. The stress to cause a permanent strain of 2 x 10-6 in. per in. which for convenience we will refer to as the microscopic yield stress, can be increased by almost a factor of 2 by minimizing the amount of surface damage. The variation of microscopic yield stress is attributed to the presence of twins in the surface layers, rather than to residual compressive stresses. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The starting material for this investigation was commercial purity hot pressed QMV beryllium, with an average grain size of about 20 . The effects of surface treatment were assessed by comparing the microstructure with residual stress measurements and microstrain properties. Specimens were prepared for metallographic examination by wet grinding with 240, 400, and 600 papers, followed by polishing with a suspension of fine alumina in warm 20 pct oxalic acid. After this treatment, the surface could be examined, either in the unetched condition with polarized light, or after etching in 2 pct hydrofluoric or boiling 20 pct oxalic acid with normal light. Thin films of beryllium suitable for electron transmission study were prepared from bulk specimens by chemical polishing with hydrofluoric and phosphoric acids, and were examined in an RCA-EMU-3 electron microscope. Residual stress measurements were made by a procedure similar to that of Treuting and Read.3 Specimens 4.0 in. by 0.625 in. by 0.080 in. were prepared by three different machining procedures, namely: turning, grinding, and sawing, in order to introduce different levels of residual stresses. An electrical resistance strain gage was attached to one side of the specimen, and that surface was then protected by an acid-resistant enamel, while the opposite surface was removed by etching approximately one thousandth of an inch at a time. The change in specimen curvature in the longitudinal direction was noted and the residual stress was calculated by the following formula:

Jan 1, 1963

By J. M. Oblak, W. A. Owczarski

A cellular appearing recrystallization product formed by annealing a cold-worked nickel-base super-alloy at 1800°F has been studied by electron nzicroscopy. Prior to deformation, an equilibrium micro-structure of fcc matrix y and cuboidal ,,', Ni (Al, Ti), precipitates of CuzAu structure had been established by an age at 1825°F. The strain-free recrystallization cells consist of very large rodular y' particles in a y matrix. They precipitate is oriented and coherent both before and after recrystallization. The results showed that y' coarsening accompanies recrystallization at 1800°F. However, it does so as a secondary effect and does not necessarily take place at lower temperatures. The structural similarity of this reaction to cellular precipitation in other systems indicates that lattice strain may also play a significant role during some cellular precipitation reactions. THERE have been numerous microstructural investigations of recrystallization in single-phase materials but two-phase systems have received much less attention. The second phase can either remain inert or be altered along with the matrix during recrystallization. If the second phase is an oxidelm3 or a relatively inert pre~ipitate,~, recrystallization is retarded when the interparticle spacing is less than 1 p. Prior to the onset of recrystallization, these materials show a well-polygonized substructure with the subgrain size limited by the interparticle spacing. Since recrystallization by the motion of preexisting grain boundaries6 is not observed, retardation has been related to particle pinning of the subboundaries. This pinning prevents coalescence' or growth8 of subgrains to a critical size (formation of a high-angle boundary) necessary to initiate recrystallization. In a material such as a nickel-base superalloy both y matrix and y' precipitate are altered by the recrystallization reaction. Haessner et al.' studied the recrystallization of a cold-rolled Ni-Cr-A1 alloy by electron microscopy. The material was initially cold-rolled in the supersaturated condition. upon annealing at 750°C, immediate precipitation of 7'occurred. Presence of this 7' greatly retarded the onset of recrystallization which eventually took place by the development of randomly oriented, strain-free grains. The original •/ was dissolved at the recrystallization interface and reprecipitated as oriented, coherent par-tiles in the new grain. Recrystallization caused a refinement of .)' particle size. Recently ~hillips'' investigated recrystallization of Ni-12.7 at. pct Al. Reduction by cold rolling presumably elongated the p' precipitate into lamellae that remained coherent with the matrix. After recrystallization at 600" to 750°C, there was no unusual change in y' particle size al- though there was a tendency toward clustering along the prior rolling direction at 750°C. Above 750°C, the recrystallized grains were generally free of precipitate. Studies in the somewhat analogous Cu-3.23 wt pct CO" and Cu-2 wt pct'2 systems demonstrated that the coherent cobalt-rich fcc precipitate in these alloys obstructed softening, initiation, and completion of recrystallization. The precipitates were deformed into lam~llae during rolling and those of diameter less than 250A remained coherent. Recrystallization took place by the growth of new grains into the recovered or poly-gonized material. In the first study," both matrix and precipitate reoriented in the same manner upon passage of the recrystallization interface. There was no change in particle size or morphology. Tanner and ~ervi,~ on the other hand, observed that motion of the recrystallization fronts was strongly hindered by the pinning action of coherent precipitates in the deformed material. Particles in contact with a pinned boundary coarsened and coalesced leaving a denuded zone in the unrecrystallized region. When the number of pinning points was sufficiently reduced by coalescence, the boundary swept past these particles and through the denuded zone. The authors1' considered this as a variation of discontinuous precipitation with both chemical driving force and deformation strain energy contributing to recrystallization. Preliminary observations by the present authors had revealed that recrystallization in Udimet 700, a nickel-base superalloy, occurred in an entirely different manner. Optical metallography showed that the recrystallized product formed as cellular colonies containing coarse y' particles elongated in the direction of cell growth. In this investigation the structural features of this reaction were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE As-received I$-in. rounds of Udimet 700* were (wtpct) 18.4 15.2 4.95 4.42 3.43 0.06 0.031 0.14 Bal. solution-annealed for 4 hr at 2150" and then fast air-cooled. An initial y-~' structure was established by a 4-hr age at 1825°F followed by a fast air,cool. Essentially the equilibrium volume fraction of ?' at 1825°F is precipitated within 4 hr. Microstructural examination showed no measurable increase in the amount of precipitate after longer aging times. Deformation consisted of swaging to 52 pct RA with 6 pct reduction per pass at room temperature. To reduce the precipitation potential to a negligible amount, recrystallization anneals were conducted at 1800"~ (982"~). Microstructures were investigated by optical and transmission electron microscopy. To prepare foils for electron microscopy, the material was first sliced into 30-mil slabs parallel to the swaging direction. Discs were dimpled and electrolytically cut from

Jan 1, 1969

By J. Leja, J. H. Schulman

FROTH flotation is usually effected by the addition of a collector agent and a frothing agent to an aqueous suspension of suitably comminuted mineral ores. The action of collectors is to adsorb onto the surfaces of minerals to be separated, sensitizing them to bubble adherence. The action of frothers has, in the past, been accepted as that of froth formation only, brought about by a lowering of the air/water interfacial tension. Substances capable of producing froth are classed1a,b according to their relative capacities for production of froth-volume and froth stability in the simple frother-water system. The purpose of this paper is to show that the surface active agents acting as frothers become effective only when there is a suitable degree of molecular interaction taking place between collector molecules and frother molecules at the air/water and solid/ water interfaces. Further, the discussion will demonstrate that the actual mechanism of adherence of an air bubble to a suitably collector-coated particle is due to the molecular interaction collector-frother. This leads to the formation of a continuous interfacial film of associated molecules, anchored to the mineral by polar groups of the collector, and enveloping the whole bubble. The tenacity of adhesion mineral-to-bubble results from the strength and the visco-elasticity of this mixed film. Some 20 years ago Christman2 postulated mutual dependence of collector and frother in effecting flotation. This view was, however, strongly opposed by Wark,3 who pointed out that an addition of frother had no effect on the value of contact angle once this was established in the solution of collector. More recent work by Taggart and Hassialis' indicated that the presence of frother, namely, cresol, leads to the immediate establishment of a contact angle on sphalerite, partially coated with xanthate, whereas an air bubble fails to make contact in potassium ethyl xanthate solution alone, even after 60 min induction time. Wrobel5 raws attention to the selectivity of frothers in flotation. Many instances of antagonistic effects of certain mixtures of frothers (or collectors and frothers) on flotation froth have been known to flotation operators and have been reported in literature. Taggart6 and Cooke7 give several examples of incompatibility of certain ratios of frothers and collectors, e.g., oleate and long-chain sulphates, pine oil and soaps. Monolayer Penetration. Properties of insoluble films produced by molecules of surface active agents orientated at the air/liquid interface are conveniently studied by the Langmuir trough technique, described fully by Adam.' Using the trough technique Schulman and Hughes" and Schulman et al.10a. b, c, d,e established the existence of molecular interactions occur- ring between certain types of surface active agents. Their experiments revealed the phenomenon of penetration of an insoluble monolayer (e.g., a film of a long-chain alcohol) by a soluble agent (e.g., sodium alkyl sulphate) injected into the substrate (water or salt solution). The degree of molecular interaction taking place on penetration is determined by changes in the surface pressure of the resulting film, changes of its surface potential and its mechanical properties (viscosity and rigidity). When the interaction takes place between both polar groups and both hydrophobic groups of the two participating amphipathic molecules a molecular complex is formed. Complexes formed on penetration of the monolayer at interfaces are not necessarily true chemical compounds: they are labile in solution, the activity and reactivity of individual components are greatly different from those of the molecularly associated complex, and on crystallization they usually separate out into components. However, when formed in the orientated state at interfaces they are found to be very stable, although some mixed films spread as monolayers of stoichiometric complexes can show further penetration by subsequent additions of the soluble component injected into the substrate.'" The degree of association between two or more types of surface active agents is very sensitive even to small changes in electric (dipole) moment of the polar groups of the amphipathic molecules as influenced by magnitude and position of neighboring ions or dipoles, their size, concentration, and stereochemistry. In addition, the molecular association is greatly influenced by concentration and type of inorganic salts in the substrate, by its pH, and by temperature. The nonpolar groups of interacting molecules greatly affect the stability of molecular complexes. Progressive shortening of the aliphatic chain of one of the reacting molecules weakens (at an increasing rate) its tendency to form stable complexes. Similarly, introduction of a double bond of cis-form into one of the reacting chains, which changes the straight hydrocarbon chain into a kinked one, or introduction of a branched chain, reduces the stability of the associated complex. Monolayer Adsorption. Using the trough technique and injecting metal ions into the substrate (water or salt solution) underlying insoluble films of fatty acids, alkyl amines, and sulphates, Wolsten-holme and Schulman11a,b,e. ' and Thomas and Schulman" have established conditions, namely, pH, concentration. and steric factors, under which molecular interactions take place between the polar groups of the surface active agents and the metal ions. These interactions are marked by great changes in the solubility and mechanical properties of the monolayer of the agent; no surface pressure increases are observed as in monolayer penetration experiments. The results of these adsorption studies, correlated with flotation experiments, indicated that in the case of fatty acids and alkyl sulphates their adsorption onto minerals of base-metals takes place by a similar

Jan 1, 1955

Edgar Archibald Collins was born at Truro, Cornwall, Nov. 16; 1877. He was the fifth (and youngest) son of J. H. Collins, a well known Cornish geologist and engineer, who died in 1916. Edgar Collins spent part of his childhood at Rio Tinto, in Spain, and after returning to England was educated at Alleyne's School at Dulwich, near London. His technical training was acquired by practical experience in Cornwall, supplemented by private study and by his father's teaching. This method of training for the work of a mining engineer was preferred by his father to that of the technical schools then available, and judging by its result, was not unsuccessful. It is,-however, noteworthy that all members of the Collins family who were products of this system later sent, or planned to send, their own sons to technical schools. Edgar Collins came to Gilpin County, Colorado, in 1894, and returned there in 1898, after several intermediate years spent in Cornwall. In Colorado he worked, under his brother Arthur, in the California and other mines of the Gilpin County district, and thereby gained a practical skill and experience as a working miner, and a habit of minute observation of vein phenomena, which proved of the greatest value in later years. In 1899 he went to the Smuggler-Union it Telluride, as general assistant to his brother Arthur, and stood the brunt of 3 years of struggle with the Western Federation, gaining a reputation, for quiet courage and sound work under the most difficult conditions. After Arthur Collins' assassination in the Smuggler-Union office, in November, 1902, Edgar left Telluride, and shortly thereafter entered the employment of a syndicate headed by Arthur Winslow, of Boston, to search for and develop new mines. While so engaged he spent several unsuccessful months near Parral, in Mexico, and later visited and sampled the- newly discovered district of Grandpa, afterward known as Goldfield, in Nevada. This led to the acquisition by the Winslow syndicate of the Combination mine, at first under lease and option; and Edgar Collins was placed in charge. The Combination was really the starting point of Goldfield. It was a profitable mine before the discoveries at the Jumbo were made; and while the Combination, being a "Company-account" mine, controlled by a few responsible men, never attracted the publicity that centered around the sensationally profitable leases on the Jumbo and Mohawk, which publicity was used to further the feverish stock-dealings that characterized the new district. The Combination was really the pioneer mine, made the first shipments of rich ore, constructed the first water-line, and built the first mill (designed by F. L. Bosqui, an old friend and associate); and while it pursued a quiet and unobtrusive. career up to the time of its sale to and incorporation with the Goldfield Consolidated, was probably, in ;proportion to the amount of money risked, the most profitable bonanza in the recent history of gold mining.

Jan 11, 1918

By L. A. Panek

During the past three years, USBM has developed an apparatus and technique for direct measurement of existing pressure and change of pressure in mine rock. This relatively simple and inexpensive monitor is reliable for months after being installed. It is used to determine shift of ground pressure created by different sequences of mining, to ascertain the cause of rock failures, and to evaluate the need for artificial support. The technique has been employed to measure pressures in limestone, greywacke, concrete, diabase, and soft iron ore. When rock is subjected to a load it is deformed. Ordinarily this is observed in a mine as the displacement of one point with respect to another—the deflection of the roof, which may be observed as a convergence between roof and floor; or the extrusion of material from the rib, which may be observed as a decrease of the distance between the rib and the post of a timber set. The effect of excessive pressure may be a rockburst if the rock is strong, or it may be squeezing ground if the rock is soft. Some desirable effects of high stress (high in relation to strength) are the caving of roof in a longwall mining operation, the caving of ore in block caving, and the decrease in mechanical energy required to break down the mineral seam in a retreating pillar-robbing operation. In any case, whether the observable effect of rock load is desirable or undesirable, it is a displacement, and depends on the following four factors: 1) The structure—the size and shape of openings, pillars, and linings, the geologic bedding and jointing. 2) The mechanical properties of the rock—prin-cipally the strength, modulus of elasticity, and flow characteristics. 3) The load or applied stress—primary sources are the weight of superincumbent rock, which increases with depth, and unrelieved tectonic stresses; secondary sources are redistributed pressures caused by other nearby openings, especially large mined out zones (rock pressure depends partly on the rock structure created by mining). 4) Duration of load, related to the length of time the opening is exposed. CONTROL OF ROCK DISPLACEMENT Rock displacement can be controlled by control of these four factors. Consider now the means of exercising such control over these factors. Control of the structural features is obviously possible to a great extent, as such control is exercised largely by choosing the method of mining and the methods of natural and artificial support. Rock properties vary, even within a particular mine, but they are controllable only in the limited sense that control may be exercised by choosing the beds or zones to be mined so that rocks with undesirable properties will not occupy critical positions within the rock structure created by mining. Rock pressure is the most complex of the four factors through which ground control can be achieved because it is invisible, difficult to measure, and poorly understood. Rock pressure is controllable only to the extent that control is exercised on the rock structure created by mining. Considering openings within a particular mine, time of exposure varies, and is readily controllable because it is easily measured and easily understood — the longer an opening stands, the greater the likelihood of failure or excessive convergence. Control is exercised by choice of an appropriate sequence of driving openings of different classes, such as haul-ageways and rooms, which are required to remain well supported for different lengths of time under different conditions. Again, control is exercised through the method of mining. All controllable factors can be controlled by proper design of the mining method. The orientation and relative positions of the mine workings and the sequence of their excavation are likely to be much more important to ground control than is the design of artificial support. This implies that the major decisions in regard to ground control are made, knowingly or not, at the time the mining method is chosen. WHY MEASURE ROCK PRESSURE In addition to restrictions on the several factors, control implies the measurement of these factors in some sense, whether only qualitatively by visual observation, or by actual quantitative determination with a measuring instrument. Rock pressure is the most difficult of these factors to measure, largely because of the interaction between the measuring device and the rock. Nevertheless, the quantitative

Jan 1, 1961

By D. W. Frommer

Processing nonmagnetic taconites by selective flocculation-desliming and flotation requires large volumes of water. If impounded without treatment, these off-process waters require excessively large areas for containment. To discharge the waste water into natural waterways would contribute to stream pollution and likely would not be permitted. In U.S. Bureau of Mines experiments conducted in the Twin Cities Metallurgy Research Center's 900-lb per hr pilot plant, approximately 85% of water requirements for the flotation-based treatment of a Michigan nonmagnetic taconite were met by reclaimed water. Water reclamation of the off-process streams from flotation was accomplished by controlled additions of lime, sodium carbonate, and a synthetic flocculant to reduce turbidities to 51000 ppm equivalent SiO*, while maintaining a Ca(II) content of =16 ppm in the finished effluent. Flotation concentrates of good quality were obtained using the reclaimed water. The cost of chemicals used in water reclamation was approximately equal to the savings in flotation reagents attributed to recycling of the water. Water quality is perhaps as important to flotation as are the reagents used. The character of water is extremely variable, depending on whether the source is a well, lake, or stream, upon the season and temperature, upon prior use, and upon the character of the watershed. All of these factors influence the water hardness and the quantity of other dissolved inorganic salts, turbidity, dissolved and suspended organic matter, dissolved gases, and pH. Frequently, the differences in water quality can measurably influence flotation selectivity, often to the point of spelling success or failure. Water hardness is particularly troublesome in flotation systems employing fatty acids, but other unrecognized constituents may also contribute to peculiarities in flotation behavior. Furthermore, a given water source may be entirely satisfactory in one flotation system, but entirely inappropriate in another. In recent years, society has given more attention than formerly to water use, even in areas where water is plentiful. However, both the demands of a growing population, with increased per capita needs, and also those of industry must be met. As a result, riparian rights must be negotiated with the appropriate government agency or agencies so that consumption of water is often allocated or otherwise controlled. Furthermore, the disposal of off-process industrial and domestic water is coming under the increasing scrutiny of these same governmental units. In these respects, the mineral industry is no exception, so that conservation, water reclamation, and reuse may be expected to assume increasing importance. In 1932, it was stated that, "water reclamation is generally more expensive than the economy in water and reagents resulting from its use. It is employed only if it is urgent to save water."' The economic aspects of this statement may still be true, but the unrestricted use of water is becoming less and less an option of the user. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an investigation conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM), in which water reclamation and treatment were undertaken to develop procedures for, and to assess the effects of, water reuse on the flotation treatment of nonmagnetic taconites. This investigation is a logical extension of previous work described by the author and associates at the Twin Cities Metallurgy Research Center employing selective flocculation-desliming and anionic flotation of silica from low-grade, nonmagnetic iron ores2,8 The requirements for the selective flocculation-de-sliming and the anionic flotation of silica processes determined the direction of the investigation. Previous studies had indicated that pH levels of about 11.0 and 11.8 were required for selective flocculation and flota-tlon, respectively. The calcium content of the water was believed to be of importance in both of these operations, and since Minneapolis tap water with a Ca(I1) content of about 16 ppm had been successfully used, an attempt was made to reclaim the process water at an equal level of dissolved calcium. Additionally, the objective was to nullify or effectively limit the effects of dispersants and fatty acid residuals from prior stages of processing. Last but not least, the system of water treatment had to have the capability of reducing turbidities to workable levels. With about half of the effluent being derived from the selective flocculation-desliming step and carrying about 25,000 ppm of highly dispersed, suspended fines, this last objective appeared formidable at the outset. Procedures for water reclamation were derived, in part, from well-known mineral dressing practices, from past observations and investigations, and from concepts contained in various pertinent publications on water treatment."c These procedures involved: 1) flocculation with lime and poly electrolyte-type flocculants, 2) lime-soda-ash softening, 3) chemical precipitation, and 4) mineral surface adsorption. Control was exercised at various stages of water reclamation by frequent measurements of Ca(11), pH, and turbidity.

Jan 1, 1971

By James P. Roe

I. INTRODUCTION. THOSE who deem the subject of this paper an old and super¬seded one may recall with advantage the words of the great proverb-maker, bidding us to seek the new in the ashes of the old. The manufacture of wrought-iron began with the small hearth built upon an eminence, and relying on the wind for blast. Next came, either the hearth about 12 in. in diameter by 2 ft. in height, blown by a man operating two goat-skins for bellows, or, a hearth of greatly varying diameter and about 10 ft. high, depending for its blast upon natural draft. The former appeared in India, the latter in Burmah; and both were in operation until quite recently, though their origin is lost in prehistoric times. The Catalan forge was the evolutionary descendant of the foregoing, and the parent of the Blase-ofen, which in turn led to the high bloomary or " Stückofen," the father of the blast-furnace, as a producer of cast-iron. The production of cast-iron checked the growth of the direct processes; and led to the introduction of various hearths, such as the Walloon, for low-silicon irons; and the South Wales process, combining the run-out fire with the finery, for higher-silicon irons. Some of these are still in operation in localities possessing the necessary raw materials; and their product is used for purposes requiring wrought-iron of exceptional quality, the supply of which is still smaller than the demand. We have to look back but a century and a quarter to see the introduction of the puddling process by Henry Cort; a process which, reinforced by the iron-oxide bottoms and fettling of Hall, was not less revolutionary in character, and more revo-

Jul 1, 1905

By James E. York

THE honor so fairly earned and so incompletely and tardily paid to Henry Cort, the inventor of the puddling-furnace and the, rolling-mill, has been fully set forth by Mr. Charles H. Morgan,1 and needs no further emphasis here. In view of the importance of the rolling-mill in the treatment of iron and steel, the paucity of information concerning it is surprising. With the exception of a hook, written about 35 years ago, by Peter Bitter von Tunner, an Honorary Member of this Institute, and of desultory articles on simple sections, which have appeared in technical journals, I know of no pub¬lication attempting to treat this subject, although volumes have been written on the scientific theory and technical manipulations involved in other branches of the iron- and steel-industry. This strange anomaly may be due to the fact that roll-turning cannot be called a scientific business. It does not ordinarily come within the range of an educated engineer; yet it cannot be performed by an ordinary mechanic. It demands some of the qualifications of an engineer, in designing, and those of a mechanic, in execution. The men who have followed this trade have controlled the training of their successors. In many cases the technical knowledge required bas been handed down from father to son, and there has been a motive of private interest to prevent its public dissemination. Moreover, the statement of the various principles involved in the process would require, besides manual experience, a degree of scientific knowledge which roll-turners do not usually possess; and, finally, any book on the subject, in order to possess real, practical value, would have to be so fully illustrated as to make it very costly to publish. Regarding my own experience, I may say that I served a six-

May 1, 1906

Alexander N. Winchell, Butte, Mont. (communication to the Secretary): Mr. Spurr calls attention to the fact that an ore-deposit may be due to a succession of concentrations at different geological epochs. He cites an example of such a condition on Napoleon creek, a branch of Forty-Mile creek, Alaska. It will perhaps be of interest to call attention to another example of the same general character, not so remotely situated. The example referred to is located on Pole creek, a tributary of Cherry creek, in the extreme northeastern part of Madison county, Montana. An excellent geological map of this region is to be found in the Three Forks folio (No. 24) of the United States Geological Survey. According to this map, Pole creek, in its upper course, occupies the contact between the " Flathead " formation, which Peale correlates with the Middle and Lower Cambrian, and an area of gneisses and schists supposed

Jan 1, 1903

By E. W. McAllister

The decision of the California Oil Umpire's' office to accept well potentials established from subsurface-pressure data has brought to the attention of many operators for the first time the application of such data to production problems. This paper reviews the development and application of subsurface-pressure data in kettleman Hills, where these data have been used in production work since 1932. The Kettleman Hills field was discovered in October 1928. The first subsurface-pressure surveys were made early in 1932 and by the middle of 1933 the two major operators in the field were making routine pressure runs in thcir respective wells. Shortly therefter, these companies agreed to exchange pressure data, and later a third company entered into the agreement. This made it possible to analyze the effects upon the reservoir pressure of past production practices, which are discussed in the latter part of the report. It is interesting that many of the applications of subsurface-pressure data discussed herein were anticipated by C. L. Clark and C. B. Kimberlint in a report2 dated March 1933. PRODUCTIVITY Index In the majority of individual well problems involving the use of subsurface- pressure data, it is necessary to use a factor known as the "productivity index," which indicates the ability of a well to produce and represents the number of barrels of oil or oil and water per day that will enter the well bore for each pound per square inch pressure drop made opposite the producing interval of the well. The productivity index may be determined from pressure and production data for one or more rates of flow and a static or shut-in pressure survey or from production and pressure data for two or more rates of flow. Productivity indices may be based upon either net oil or total fluid production. All indices referred to in this report are based upon net oil. The value of the productivity index for Kettlcman Hills wells decreases generally with time and it is not uncommon for the index to vary in value at any specific time fur various rates of flow. The decline of the productivity index may be attributed partly to the loss of reservoir pressure. As the reservoir pressure decreases, gas originally in solution is released from the oil, congesting the flow of fluids through the formation and increasing the viscosity and surface tension of the oil; thus the flow resistance of the fluids through the formation is increased, resulting in a decrease of the productivity index. For convenient reference, the productivity indices for each well are plotted against time and a curve is drawn through the points showing the trend of the average index value. Plotted on Fig. I are index values for five

Jan 1, 1941

By E. N. Skinner, Arthur Philliops

During the course of an experimental program concerned with the hydrogen embrittlement of copper containing oxygen in concentrations within the solubility limits it became necessary to make a critical appraisal of the literature dealing with the solubility relationships of oxygen and solid copper. The latest determinations, and perhaps the only data obtained on "spectroscopically" pure copper, are those of Rhines and Mathewson' who reported that the solid solubility increases from 0.007 per cent oxygen at 600°C. to about 0.01; per cent at 1500ºC. Hanson, Marryat and Ford2 had previously placed the solubility limit at less than 0.009 per cent oxygen at 1000ºC. and Allen and Street3 had suggested, on the basis of an unpublished research by T. Hemitt, not over 0.005 per cent oxygen at 500°C. In the introductory stages of the investigation indirect evidence accumulated to suggest that the solubility limits were significantly lower than those previously reported. For this reason it was deemed essential to clarify this point before proceeding with a program intended to establish a quantitative relationship between hydrogen embrittlement and oxygen concentrations positively known to be within the solid solution range. Furthermore, the increasing production and the highly selective applications of the commercial "oxygen-free" coppers inevitably direct attention to the practical necessity for exact knowledge regarding the effects of mini-tie concentrations of the elements ordinarily found in the high-purity coppers now available. Of these elements oxygen occupies a unique position, not only by virtue of its specific effects on copper but more particularly in view of its important reactive tendencies toward the other impurities with which it is associated. Rhines and Mathewson considered several methods for measuring the solubility of oxygen and finally adopted the simple plan of saturating the specimens, obtained from redeposited cathode copper, by heating at the desired temperature in air. After the removal of surface oxide by mechanical and chemical means, the oxygen content was determined in the underlying metal. In general, this process of saturation, with a few modifications, was followed by the present writers. Although the procedure is direct and has obvious advantages, its effectiveness, unfortunately, is reduced by an excessive scaling of the copper, particularly at the higher temperatures. After saturation treatments above 900°C. the writers found that the specimens, necessarily rather thin in the original condition, consisted largely of scale and yielded too little metal for a satisfactory analytical sample. Furthermore, great difficulty was experienced in effecting complete removal of the scale. Needless to say, it is necessary to exercise extraordinary care in the preparation of the surface of the analytical sample in order to eliminate submicro-scopic fragments of cuprous oxide which ordinarily are lodged in the crevasses and

Jan 1, 1941