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Jan 12, 1951

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Jan 1, 1942

By G. Gutierrez, M. C. Fuerstenau, J. D. Miller

The response of pure goethite and two natural iron ores to flotation with potassium octyl hydroxamate is presented. The ores contained 12.5% and 39.7% iron; concentrates containing 69.5% and 61.5% iron, respectively, were obtained with additions of 0.4 lb/ton hydroxamate. Selective flotation of iron oxides from associated gangue minerals has proven difficult in the past with standard collectors, such as sulfonates and fatty acids. As a result, recent work has been directed toward silica flotation with calcium activation after the iron oxide surfaces have been blinded with certain starches.& The results obtained with this technique are encouraging. This method, however, involves depressing a mineral that would normally float under the conditions employed. A preferable method would involve floating the iron oxide because quartz is naturally depressed until activated. Earlier work involved this approach, but in view of the results obtained, collectors that exhibit greater specificity for iron are needed. During an investigation of chrysocolla flotation with potassium octyl hydroxamate, a metal chelate former, it was observed that pyrite floated well with low additions of collector.3 This phenomenon suggests that hydroxamate has a rather strong affinity for iron, and that other iron-bearing minerals should also respond to flotation with octyl hydroxamate. The object of this paper is to determine this response. The experimental work was divided into areas, the first of which involved microflotation experiments with pure goethite with an apparatus described previously.4 Goethite was selected because of the ease

Jan 1, 1968

By R. B. Schluter, M. M. Fine

The Bureau of Mines' Twin Cities Metallurgy Research Center has of late concerned itself with reduction-induration of iron ore. One development provided a flowsheet for the agglomeration of green concentrate pellets in a reducing atmosphere created by a solid reductant external to the agglomerate. The product pellets were well metallized and physically competent. Maximum recommended operating temperature was 2100º F. In these studies, it was observed that unflred iron ore pellets indurated in a bed of anthracite or certain lignite chars frequently acquired exceptional crushing strength. A diagnosis of the phenomenon revealed that sulfur in the fuel was the probable cause. Accordingly, a research program was established to test this premise and to put it to practical use. Gaseous reductants were employed initially because of the ease and accuracy with which they could be metered.

Jan 10, 1969

By Donald B. Hunter

The Ti-Be system up lo 10 wt pct Be with cortlmercialll' pure titanium has been determined using metal-lographic techniques. Beryllium forms the p eutec-toid type of dinqarz with titanium; the eutectoid occurs at 0.5 xt pct Be azd 1500 F, while an eutectic is foritled at 1887°F containing between 5 and 7.5 rt pct Be. The solubility of beryllium in a titanium does not exceed 0.05 zvt pct and the maximum solubility of Beryllim in 0 titanium is 1 wt pet. PREVIOUS work on the Ti-Be phase diagram indicated that additions of beryllium to titanium resulted in a marked lowering of the melting point,''' and it was also observed that the solubility of beryllium in both a and p titanium was retricted.- With the limited data available, McQuillan and McQuillan constructed a partial hypothetical diagram of the Ti-Be system,= assuming that beryllium formed the 0 eutectoid type of system with titanium. Subsequently Bedford published a tentative diagram of the entire Ti-Be system: although he did not investigate alloys containing less than 10 wt pct Be. This diagram included several compounds described by other authorities.'-l3 The following account describes work directed toward determining the form of the titanium-rich portion of the phase diagram up to 10 wt pct Be. MATERIALS AND METHODS Titanium sponge and a master alloy containing 25 wt pct Be were used in the formulation of the alloys; the chemistry of these materials is detailed in Table I. The alloys were prepared as 250-g compacts which were melted into buttons by arc melting under purified argon on a water-cooled copper hearth. Results of analyses for beryllium are shown in Table I but no determination of other elements was made at this stage. The alloys were hot-rolled at 1650°F to produce 0.1-in.-thick sheet. Alloys containing up to 1.5 pct Be were fabricated without trouble; samples containing 2 pct cracked initially upon hot rolling, but thereafter rolled satisfactorily to sheet. The 5, 7.5, and 10 pct were hot short and could not be rolled. Surface contamination was removed from samples by sandblasting and pickling in a 5 pct HF-35 pct HNOs solution. For metal log raphic examination, heat-treated specimens were mounted transverse to the rolling direction, ground on silicon carbide papers of increasing fineness to 600 grit, and electropolished at 20 v using a solution containing 600 ml of methanol, 60 ml of perchloric acid, 360 ml of butyl cellosolve, and 2 ml of Solvent "X". Difficulty was experienced in obtaining good electropolished surfaces with samples containing more than 1 pct Be, the degree of difficulty in-

Jan 1, 1967

Jan 1, 1936

Jan 1, 1970

By J. B. Austin

IT is now well established, chiefly through the work of Davenport and Bain,1 that the influence of temperature upon the rate of transformation of austenite to ferrite at constant temperature is represented by a curve of the type shown in Fig. 5 of Tech. Pub. 589; and the reasons for this general shape have been discussed by them in a qualitative way. Thus, the upper part, or nose, of the curve is the resultant of two factors of which the rate of change with temperature is not the same, and by analogy with other like cases it is almost certain that these factors are: (1) the chemical potential, or driving force, of the transformation, which is zero at the equilibrium temperature and increases rapidly as the temperature falls below this point; and (2) a factor analogous to viscosity, or resistance of the crystal lattice to a change in structure, which also increases as the temperature is lowered. Just below the equilibrium temperature this virtual "viscosity" of the metal is relatively low-that is, the metal offers little resistance to a change in lattice-but the driving force is also small, and the net result is that the reaction proceeds slowly. As the temperature is lowered the magnitude of both factors increases; but at first the driving force increases more rapidly than the resistance and the reaction is observed to proceed more rapidly. At lower temperatures, however, the resistance begins to increase faster than the driving force, and eventually, at the nose of the curve, overbalances it, causing the reaction to proceed more and more slowly thereafter. This concept is somewhat, though not completely, analogous to that employed in certain electrical cases where the precise factors are known and are separately measurable. The current I (in amperes or coulombs per second) flowing through a given wire is proportional to the impressed potential, or driving force E, and is inversely proportional to the resistance R of the wire; that is, I = E/R. Stated in a slightly different way,

Jan 1, 1935

By J. O. Lewis, H. R. Pierce

Since the sudden revival of the air or gas-lift and its extensive use in the oil fields, many questions have arisen as to principles and as to their application under the conditions actually encountered in the field. Much has been written regarding both theory and practice, especially on the air-lift as applied to lifting water. Many statements have been made as to the use and benefits of the gas-lift, some of which are reasonable but many of which are unreasonable, many specialty makers claiming to have devices which operate in almost miraculous ways and even to generate energy nature never possessed. These claims are often based upon incomplete or inaccurate data. A review of the literature discloses many valuable articles, but it also discloses the need for setting out more clearly the different practical ends sought, and for working out specific engineering principles upon which to formulate the design and operation of gas-lifts to meet the desired ends within the limitations of field conditions. A check on some of the published information has revealed basic errors in the sources of data upon which conclusions have been predicated and has led the writers to doubt the value of a large part of the compiled data. The writers have concluded, therefore, that it will be opportune to direct discussion to the sources of error in the data now being collected, to recommend for consideration by the engineers some methods of collecting and correlating data, and to point out some of the factors relating to the application of the air-lift principle to oil production as dictated by the different economic ends sought, and the limitations of working conditions that may be met. Until these several considerations are clearly understood by the engineers, and the unreliable data have been sifted out and dependable data substituted, there seems little chance of evolving satisfactory engineering control for the air-lift. In the following pages no distinction will be made between gas-lift and air-lift, as they are generically the same.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. M. Donkers, R. de Groot

The various objectives of dredging at sea require different methods and radically different equipment for their optimum fulfillment. In the majority of cases, sea dredging is done by means of dredging equipment connected to a pontoon or ship floating at the surface. As the supporting hull is subject to the influence of waves, swells, currents and wind, the connecting point of the dredging equipment to the hull will generally move relative to the sea bottom with 6° of freedom. The more important hull motions are surge, heave, pitch and roll. Depending on the actual sea and weather conditions and the size of the hull, some of these motions can be so large that dredging equipment of rigid construction (normal or inland dredges) cannot be used. In those cases where mechanical disintegration of the bottom is necessary and where accurate dredging is required, the designer must find a solution for this problem. For cases where the bottom consists of soils that can be handled by plain suction, highly sophisticated dredging equipment such as the trailing suction hopper dredge permit dredging under all but the most severe sea state conditions. This type of dredge picks up the soil from the sea bottom while slowly underway. The drag suction head is fitted on a suction pipe of such flexibility that the supporting ship can carry out all six movements in relation to the draghead (heave, pitch, roll, sway, yaw and surge), while the draghead remains in firm contact with the bottom. The suction pipe is fitted with flexible hoses, a universal hinge, a horizontal hinge, axial turning gland and sliding turning gland with horizontal axis and is suspended flexibly from the ship incorporating swell compensating buffer gear, keeping the wires taut and the draghead bottom contact pressure fairly constant while the dredge moves up and down. Due to the fact that the draghead has a low bottom contact pressure and has little tendency to sink into the bottom, this compensation is not difficult to realize.

Jan 4, 1974

By E. P. Miesch, P. B. Crawford

A study was made of the effect of permeable and impermeable lenses in a reservoir on the production capacity of a well. Both steady-state and unsteady-state data were obtained. An electrical resistivity model was used to obtain the steady-state data and thermal models. were constructed to obtain the unsteady-state data. The productivity of a well is affected very greatly only when the lenses are close to the well. The effect of circular lenses on the productivity ratio can be correlated with the distance from the center of the lens to the center of the well divided by the radius of the lens. When this dimensionless distance is equal to six or greater, the effect of the lenses on production capacity will be negligible. The pseudo steady-state productivity of a heterogeneous reservoir can be predicted using steady-state data. INTRODUCTION Many analytical solutions of reservoir behavior assume that reservoir rock is uniform and homogeneous. Although this assumption is used, all of the data from core analyses and well logging indicate that the reservoirs are heterogeneous. Very little work has been done on the performance of heterogeneous reservoirs. The work of Landrum,l et al. showed that transient phenomena in oil reservoirs could be studied with thermal models. Pickering and Cotman2 used thermal models to study flow in stratified reservoirs and investigated the effect of inhomo-geneities in oil reservoirs on transient flow performance. Loucks3 made a mathematical study of the pressure build-up in a system composed of two concentric regions of different permeability. Root, Silberberg and Pirson4 studied the effect of the growth of the flooded region on water influx predictions using a thermal model consisting of three concentric cylindrical regions of different thermal properties which simulated the aquifer, the flooded region and the unflooded portion of the original hydrocarbon region. Tomme, et a1.5 made a mathematical study of vertical fractures. The object of this investigation was to study the effect of highly permeable and impermeable lenses in the vicinity of the wellbore on the pressure depletion history of the well. Steady-state data were obtained for both conductive and nonconductive lenses that completely penetrated the formation. The lenses were symmetrically located at various distances from the wellbore. The unsteady-state data were obtained on seven thermal models. EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURE STEADY-STATE DATA The steady-state data were obtained from an electrical resistivity model 30 in. in diameter and approximately 11/2 in. deep. The outside of the model was lined with a 30-in. diameter copper strip, which served as the outer boundary of the reservoir. The bottom was covered with a sheet of plexiglass so that it would be nonconductive. The model was filled with a slightly saline solution. The well size was varied from an 0.064-in. diameter copper wire to a 10-in. diameter copper cylinder. Readings were taken with an impedance bridge using AC current to prevent polarization at the contacts. Copper and wax lenses were used to represent infinitely conductive and nonconductive lenses, respectively. The resistance was first measured for each well diameter with no lenses in the reservoir. Then the conductive and nonconductive lenses were spaced symmetrically at various distances from the well and the resistance read from each lens location. The diameters of the conductive lenses were 3, 1.022 and 0.624 in., and those of the nonconductive lenses were 3, 2.25 and 1.563 in. The ratio of each resistance reading to the resistance reading with no lenses in the reservoir

Jan 1, 1965

By R. E., Head

THE use of lime in flotation has become so general in recent years that its functions are familiar to plant operators. The conditions and phenomena described in this paper are of interest because they are directly associated with the use of lime as a reagent and the resulting formation of lime scale worth nearly $1 per pound for its gold content. It is not known to what extent lime scale is common in flotation plants where lime is used, but as several occurrences have been re- ported, its existence is not limited to one particular plant. In November, 1927, the author's attention was drawn to a lime scale that formed on the sides of Callow flotation cells in the Walker Mining Co. mill at Spring Gar- den, Cal. The scale was described as an accumulation of hard material that built up on the sides of both the rougher and cleaner cells and in some instances attained a thickness of 2 in. The lime scale builds up in the cleaner cell at the rate of about 1/10 in. per month, or slightly more than ?12 in. during six months' operation. The rate of growth in the rougher cells is slower, and about 3/s in. of scale forms in six months. Analyses' of typical lime scale samples are as follows:

Jan 1, 1928

By D. J. Carney, R. L. Stephenson

M. O. Holowaty (Inland Steel Co., Chicago)—Messrs. Stephenson and Carney should be commended on the presentation of this very interesting paper. They have introduced new ideas on sampling of sinter and have thereby made a valuable contribution to the qualitative evaluation of sinter. The paper undoubtedly presents a novel approach to the problem of sinter sampling and this is to be regarded as its main value. Sampling of sinter from the pallets prior to the discharge is by no means new. This sampling procedure was used in the past by Philbrook; Hamilton and Ameen and others. The sampling basket used by the authors of this paper, however, permits one actually to obtain a good sample of the sintering mixture. The basket which can also be described as a removable pallet goes then through the entire process of sintering and thus offers a sample which is positively representative of the batch in question. The authors' method of evaluating physical properties of sinter seems to be not altogether clear, however. It is felt that the following points should be clarified: I—In the section describing the shatter test the authors state that a 5-lb sample was used in the actual tests. There is no mention of the initial size of sinter particles used and the method of obtaining this 5-lb sample from the sinter cake weighing about 100 to 120 lb. It is also surprising that the sample was dropped from a height of 3 ft instead of the conventionally used 6 ft. Unfortunately there is no mention of the number of drops to which the sample was subjected. 2—The tumbler test used by Messrs. Stephenson and Carney in testing the samples of iron ore sinter was performed in a standard ASTM coke tumbling drum. The drum measures 3 ft in diam and is equipped with two 3-in. lifter bars. The distance of fall in this testing drum is identical with the distance used in the previously described shatter test. The number of drops in the tumbling drum is approximately double the number of revolutions. The basic difference then between the drop-shatter test used by Stephenson and Carney and the tumbling test seems to be the number of drops to which the sample is subjected and the abrasive action to which the sinter particles are exposed in the rotating drum. In any case, the choice between the shatter test and the tumbler test seems to be only a matter of taste and convenience. 3—The authors of the paper state that "in order to insure getting results that were representative . . . the entire sample obtained by means of the sampling basket was used as the starting material for the tumbler test. If the sample broke in pieces, all the pieces were used regardless of their size." The initial size of the material is known to be a very important factor, influencing seriously the final size of the particles. This should be particularly important in case of hard sinters. It seems also very troublesome and inconvenient to charge 12-in. cubes of sinter weighing about 100 lb into the testing drum. This could be eliminated by taking a standard fraction of somewhat smaller particles.

Jan 1, 1954

By W. Lawrence Austin

It has been suggested to me that some data, bearing on the treatment of silver ores in Southern Arizona, would be in accord with the objects of the present meeting. I have, therefore, made a few notes, gathered from practical experience at some of the best known works of that district. Presuming the general arrangement of a silver mill to be familiar to members, the subject having been repeatedly brought to the notice of the Institute, it is my aim in the following description of the modus operandi at the different mills to which I would invite your attention, to give simply such salient points of the apparatus as have a direct bearing upon results, together with the cost of materials, labor, etc. I have gone somewhat deeply into detail in my descriptions of machinery, thinking that possibly some of our members engaged in this branch of the profession might find something of interest among them. In an industry such as silver milling, where the various works are scattered over a vast extent of territory, and the conditions under which results are obtained are subject to the greatest variations, it is essential to go into rather minute details in describing plants, processes, etc., in order to afford a clear idea of the operations. Not only should results be given, but also the means by which such are attained. The milleralogical and chemical constituents of the ore, and its physical properties, throw a flood of light upon the success or failure of a process Figures representing totals I have subdivided as much as possible, so that the cost per ton for labor, castings, chemicals, etc., are apparent. Unless all these Factors are known, no accurate comparison can be drawn, since in this branch of metallurgy, more perhaps than in others, the weakness of any one link in the chain of operations demoralizes the remainder. That it costs $10 to mill in one

Jan 1, 1883

By G. W. Brownell, H. T. F. Lundberg, R. W. Pringle, K. I. Roulston

The rapid improvement of the airborne scintillometer and the perfection of its efficiency for counting low energy gamma radiation has made it possible to work out a technique to map in great detail the radiation pattern at the earth's surface. On such maps low radiation over certain areas appears to indicate the existence of oil accumulations, forming a pattern similar to that obtained by the geo-chemists. RADIOACTIVE analyses of samples from the surface of oil fields were carried out more than 10 years ago in Alberta by the alpha particle ioniza-tion chamber technique,' but large enough tracts could not be covered in these investigations to make possible any evaluation of the method as a means of oil exploration. Considerable interest has recently been revived, however, as a result of certain striking advances which have been made in the instrumentation available -for the measurement of radioactivity. It is the object of this paper to indicate the nature of these improvements in radiation technology and then to describe the attempts that have been made to interpret the radioactive patterns obtained in the course of airborne recordings with the new instruments. Since the survey can be carried out from the air and records can be accumulated over vast areas in a short time, the result may easily lend itself to statistical treatment. Areas have been surveyed in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and Montana. Producing fields in Alberta and West Texas have been flown over several times in different directions, Fig. 1. The operations were then extended into unknown territory and drill holes were put down on the anomalies which looked promising. The results from these drillings were encouraging and have given hopes for the development of an entirely new method of oil exploration. Any large scale method for the survey of radioactive anomalies must be based on the measurement of gamma rays, as beta and alpha rays have much too short a range to be of any significance. Thus the essential improvement which has made the present stage of this work attainable is the development of new highly sensitive detectors for gamma radiation. In the past the only detectors of any consequence that were available were the ionization chamber and the geiger counter, but both of these suffer from the defect that only a small proportion of the gamma rays passing through the counter are detected, possibly 0.1 to 0.2 pct. The recent development of the scintillation counter2,3 has completely transformed the situation and has had a considerable impact on many branches of nuclear technology. The detection of alpha particles in zinc sulphide screens by visual observation of the individual scintillations which these particles produce dates back to the early spinthariscope of Rutherford and Crookes, but the combined use of an appropriate scintillating phosphor and photomultiplier tube had to await the technical development of the latter many years later. With this development came the modern era of the scintillation counter and a knowledge of phosphors which have a large light output under the bombarding action of gamma radiation. Some of these phosphors are relatively dense and are capable of stopping a large proportion of the incident gamma radiation. As the sensitive region is the whole volume of the crystal, a very high detection efficiency, 50 pct or more, can be obtained for medium energy gamma rays. Scintillation counters for geological purposes were first developed in 19494-6 in an attempt to utilize this remarkable improvement in efficiency, which has the attractive consequence that only a small portion of the normal background of the counter is due to cosmic radiation. In 1949 tests were made in northern Saskatchewan by Lundberg Explorations Ltd. with portable scintillation counters which gave excellent results in the search for uranium and served to indicate unknown uranium deposits in areas previously closely surveyed with geiger counters. Portable scintillometers (registered in Canada) are now commercially available and in regular use,' and the adaptation of the instrument to radioactivity oil well logging has also been very successful.8 Initial attempts to measure radioactivity from aircraft with scintillation counters were made during this period in the same area and yielded most encouraging results. It would be appropriate to consider some specific requirements for airborne investigations. The essential problem to be met in the detection of any radioactive source is the necessity of obtaining a signal greater than the statistical fluctuations of the background counting rate for the instrument. It is possible to show that Nt>2k2 is the condition for detectability of a signal where N = average background counting rate for the detection. t = time constant of the counting rate meter, used to determine the average number of counts arriving in a certain predetermined time interval. N' = average source counting rate at the detector. k = N/N', and N>>N'. Sample values are given in Table I. Assume that the aircraft carrying the equipment is travelling at 120 mph, in which case it will cover 176 ft in 1 sec. Assume also, as a first approximation, that a point source target is in range when the air-

Jan 1, 1954

By Carl W. Volz

NORWAY'S metallurgical development, which has extended over many centuries, is intimately associated with that country's unique topography and climatic conditions. It is a rugged mountainous country, with a most irregular shore line, bordered by thousands of islands forming a natural protection for shipping. There are an endless number of lakes, and innumerable rivers and waterfalls, many fed by glaciers and melting snow. Rainfall is abundant. Though half of the country is north of the Arctic Circle, it is warmed by the Gulf Stream, so that the average temperature is about 45°, or 20° higher than other parts of the world in the same latitude. A sub-

Jan 1, 1935

Mr. Address Member is hereby proposed by the undersigned, as a Associate Junior Member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. Signatures of three Members or Associates. Place of birth Year of birth Education, when, where and how acquired, with degrees, if any. A technical education is not requisite for membership. Dates Please give record of experience on following page with dates; for example, in the form used by "Who's Who In America" and similar publications.

Jan 11, 1917

The negative charges on diaphragms of quartz, tungstic oxides, stannic acid, acid dyestuffs, soaps, and glass have for a number of years been explained on the basis of chemical equilibria—a hydrogen ion or light metal ion passes into solution leaving the solid complex ion negatively charged. While there are a number of observations which indicate a proportionality between the ( potential and the streaming potential it should be recognized that all the experimental evidence thus far presented shows that if hydrogen ion concentration is kept at a constant value, electrokinetic phenomena are influenced by salts. The multivalent ions exert the greatest effect on the reduction of osmotic flow. In the interpretation of all electrokinetic data the assumption is made that the potential of the solid remains constant. That this is not true is evidenced by the values of [ potential for quartz in contact with conductivity water as reported by the several investigators and by the authors of this paper. It is apparent that the nonreproducibility of surfaces will always prevent the obtaining of exactly comparable data. At best the experimental technique described depends on a theory which is capable only of showing a trend—another quartz surface should exhibit similar but not identical potential curves. It seems entirely reasonable to assume that the negatively charged laurate ions should have little or no attraction for a negatively charged quartz surface. The weight of previous experience in selection of flotation activators points unerringly to the usefulness of the multivalent metallic ions. The primary reason why the divalent barium ion is not available to two negative charges on the quartz surface might easily be that of distance between such adjacent negative charges. Otherwise activation could not occur, and the quartz could not assume the remaining unit positive charge of the barium ion. For this case no electrical double layer theory seems necessary. Clearly this is, at the negatively charged quartz surface, a case of partial chemisorption of the cationically divalent barium ion followed by the anionic neutralization of the remaining cationic charge by the freely moving laurate ion. It is hoped that the authors will continue with this interesting technique and that their results will continue to indicate trendwise what is known about the

Jan 1, 1957

By George Watkin Evans

During the past ten or twelve years, the average reader of newspaper and magazine articles has been led to believe that enormous deposits of high-grade coal exist in the northland and that these can be mined for practically nothing. But much of the reputed glitter and attractiveness of Alaskan coals disappears when viewed at close range. Many areas of coal-bearing rocks are widely distributed geographically from Cape Lisburne, on Bering Sea, to Admiralty Island, south of Juneau. Bituminous coal is found at Cape Lisburne, on the Bering Sea, at Five Finger Rapids on the upper Yukon, and at Herendeen Bay and Chignik Bay; lignite is found on the Kobuck River, along the Yukon River from points near the mouth to Tonakat, near Rampart, at Dawson, on the east shore of Cook Inlet, and in the Tanana Valley, 50 mi. south of Nenana. The Susitna and Matanuska Valleys contain coal ranging from lignite to anthracite, and in the Bering Lake district, there are coals ranging from semi-bituminous to anthracite. No effort will be made to describe all of these fields, but the writer will confine himself to the four principal fields, namely, the Nenana field! in the interior of Alaska, tributary to the Fairbanks district; the Matanuska field, in the Matanuska Valley; the Kachemak Bay field on the east shore of Cook Inlet; and the Bering River field, east of the mouth of Copper River. Nenana Coal Field The Nenana field occupies an area east of the Nenana River 70 mi. (112 km.) southwest of Fairbanks and approximately 50 mi, from the town of Nenana, which is located at the junction of the Alaskan Railway and the Tanana River. It is on the northern flank of the Alaskan Range and occurs within the foothills of that district. The elevations range from 1000 to 4000 ft. (304 to 1219 m.). Future developments may prove the field to extend from a considerable distance west of the Nenana River to the headwaters of the Tanana River. The coal measures are of Tertiary age and are probably Eocene. They are not badly deformed by folding, but portions of the field show

Jan 1, 1922

By P. H. Royster

SOMETHING of a mystery has attached itself to the production of ferromanganese in the blast furnace. This alloy has been produced on the Continent almost continuously since 1876 and in very considerable tonnages, but little definite information concerning the practice is to he found in technical literature, and almost nothing in the way of a theory of the manganese furnace. In this country prior to 1904, bit one company had attempted its production in a serious way, and none of the operating data or other information from this company has been, or is, available to the public. In the last 5 years, as a result of the restriction of imports, a number of furnaces have been blown in on this alloy, with the result that in 1918 as many, as 18 furnaces were in blast. The majority of the men in charge of these furnaces had had little previous experience in such operations. Realizing the advantages both to the country and to the industry from a pooling of operating data and experiences, the Bureau of Mines, in the summer of 1918, undertook the collection of data from ferromanganese furnaces. Although the results of this investigation have already been reported to the companies cooperating, they may he of permanent metallurgical interest, so this paper attempts to give, briefly, the more important points brought out in the investigations. OPERATING DATA IN FERROMANGANESE PRACTICE Operating data were collected by the Bureau from 11 ferromanganese furnaces, which will be referred to throughout this paper as furnaces A, B, C, F, G, I, J, K, L, M, and P. The dimensions, of seven of the furnaces are given in Table 1. The companies from whom this infor-

Jan 2, 1919