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By O. B. Buchlen, J. W. Smith

The Coal Research Bureau of the School of Mines at West Virginia University, using an experimental flotation cell designated an airlift-cyclone was able to obtain a clean coal product containing 7.64% ash with 94% yield and 97% coal recovery. This favorable performance was obtained with the experimental flotation cell operating as a simulated three-stage unit on slurry taken from the fine coal circuit of a coal preparation plant. This experimental device, consisting of a sheet metal cyclone-like unit mounted on a U-shaped uplift pipe, uses a combined flotation and cyclone action to beneficiate the minus 14 mesh partially cleaned feed product. In addition to providing comparable analytical results, the airlift-cyclone possesses other attractive features among them being a low capital expenditure, utilization of moderate plant floor space, efficient operation on high density feed slurry, and absence of moving parts. The primary shortcoming of the experimental cell is its limited capacity. The Coal Research Bureau presently has under construction a larger unit which, it is hoped, will provide the capacity and quality to establish the airlift-cyclone as a commercially feasible unit. Froth flotation of fine coal is a practice which has only recently gained wide acceptance in this country. Various explanations can be put forth for this delayed acceptance of a very selective and efficient system of coal preparation. Among these reasons would be the advent of continuous mining machines resulting in the increased production of coal fines, the change in market patterns from domestic and rail consumers who did not want fines to a predominantly utility market which normally consumes fines, and also the imposition of legal restrictions in regard to stream pollution. However, the major detriment is probably the high cost involved both in installation and operation of the flo- tation unit and auxiliary systems. These facts assume greater emphasis when considering that froth flotation installations normally process a low quality feed product. A recent estimate' of installation costs including dryers, filters, and other auxiliary equipment for a flotation system was $5000 to $7000 per ton of capacity while the operating costs, exclusive of auxiliary equipment, were estimated at 10 to 306 per ton of feed. The Coal Research Bureau of the School of Mines at West Virginia University is currently developing a simplified froth flotation cell, designated an airlift-cyclone, which may provide considerable savings in capital and operating costs without sacrificing product quality or recovery. This experimental cell consists of three primary components: 1) a vertically mounted U-shaped pipe; 2) an air injector device; and 3) an integrally mounted cyclone-like unit (Fig. 1). A feed slurry is introduced at the top of one leg of the U-pipe while compressed air is injected near the base of the other leg. The air serves both to aerate the pulp and to cause it to flow upward into the base of the cyclone unit where the floated clean coal is separated from the reject material and unfloated coal which remains in slurry. The Coal Research Bureau's experimental airlift-cyclone is somewhat similar in principle to a flotation device developed by Russian engineers in the late 1950's. In tests upon a two-stage pilot-size device, the Russians obtained very favorable cleaning efficiencies.' However, later experience with production models demonstrated that rated capacities and acceptable product quality could not always be maintained.3 Because of these limitations, Russian engineers subsequently recommended that conventional, mechanical cells be used when cleaning difficult to float slurries. Engineers at the Coal Research Bureau felt that such a device utilizing the combined actions of a cyclone and a froth flotation machine offered numerous attractive features and merited investigation. Accordingly, a small capacity experimental airlift-cyclone was designed and, with the permission of the Christopher Coal Company Div. of Consolidation Coal Co., installed in Christopher's Humphrey preparation plant near Morgantown, West Virginia.

Jan 1, 1964

Abbott, Argyle Campbell 1209 Sherwin Ave., Chicago, Ill. Almstrom, Adne A., Student, Met. Engrg., Washington State College Pullman, Wash. Ankudinoff, N., School of Mines, Univ. of Utah Salt Lake Cite, Utah. Apter, Robert F., Student, McGill Univ Montreal, Que., Canada. Bailey, Donald G 798 Kensington Rd., Los Angeles, Cal. Baker, Kenneth B., Met., Aluminum Co. of America Pittsburgh, Pa. Barger, Thomas, Student, Univ. of North Dakota Grand Forks, N. D. Bartholomees, Geo. C Box 304, Bonne Terre, Mo. Bates, Walter, Student, Univ. of Utah, School of Mines Salt Lake Cite, Utah. Bobb, Russell V 16 College Ave., Houghton, Mich. Boswell, John C., Stripping Asst., Fairbanks Exploration Co Fairbanks, Alaska. Brandenburg, E. C., Student, Univ. of Kentucky 112 Church St., Lexington, Ky. Brannen, John, Chemist, Assay Office, Consolidated Min. & Smelt. Co. of Canada, Ltd., Tadanac, B. C., Canada. Brooker, Edgar, Jr., Student, Ferrous Met., Stanford Univ., Stanford University, Cal. Brooking, Leslie E 738 Lakoma, Norman, Okla. Clark, Martin Lester, Student, Missouri School of Mines Rolla, Mo. Collins, Edward D., Jr Box 1597, Ribbing, Minn. Comeau, Faye Bernard, Student, New Mexico State School of Mines Socorro, N. M. Conder, Henry S., Student, Pet. Engrg., College of Min., Univ. of California, Berkeley, Cal. Cotton, John Francis, Metallographist, Stealton Plant, Bethlehem Steel Corp., Steelton. Pa. Dahlgren, Elmer George, Student, Univ. of Wisconsin, Tripp Hall, Madison, Wis. Dale, James L., Student, Colorado School of Mines Golden, Colo. Dashti, Mirza Abdullah Khan, Graduate Student, Columbia School of Mines, Engrg. Chemistry, New York, N. Y. DeHuff, Gilbert L., Jr., Student, Lehigh Univ Bethlehem, Pa. de Romana, Enrique P., Jr. Engr Casilla 22, Arequipa, Peru. Oresbach, Charles Howard, Geol., Gulf Production Co Box 1428, Amarillo, Tex. Evens, Howard G., Student, Michigan College of Min. & Tech Houghton. Mich. Fassler, Glen Emerson Rodman, Inspiration, Ariz. Feight, Charles Donald, Foreman, Clairton By-Product Coke Wks., Carnegie Steel Co., 319 5th St., Wilson, Pa. Floe, Carl F., Student, State College of Washington Pullman, Wash. Fuentes, Vicente, Student, Pet. Engrg., Univ. of Oklahoma, School of Mines, Norman, Okla. Fuhrman, Carl F., Student, New Mexico School of Mines Socorro, N. M. Goergen, Gerald G., Cerro de Pasco Copper Corp Casapalca, Peru. Grove, Hubert A., Training Course, U. S. Aluminum Co New Kensington, Pa. Gastetter, Robert E 1010 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, Ariz. Halbouty, M. T., Student, Texas Agriculturcl & Mech. College, Box 254, Faculty Exchange, College Station, Tex. Halfast, Edgar 710 E. Okmulgee Ave., Muskogee, Okla. Hall, Robert Lee 121 58th St., Niagara Falls, N. Y. Hanson, Rolf H., Student, Colorado School of Mines Golden, Colo. Hillyer. Shaler G., Student, New Mexico School of Mines Socorro, N. M. Hoertel, Frederick W., Met., R. W. Hunt Co., Engrs St. Louis, Mo. Holtz, Henry G., Student, Ohio State Univ Columbus, Ohio. Hon, Richard J Box 721, Miami, Ariz. Huffman, James O'Neil, Student, College of Min., Univ. of California Berkeley, Cal.

Jan 1, 1929

By C. S. Barrett

THE crystal imperfections known as faults in stacking (stacking disorder) are of importance to both fundamental and applied science and are receiving increasing attention. On the theoretical side there have been recent advances in the analysis of diffraction patterns in terms of stacking faults, and on the experimental side it has been found that certain metals develop a faulted structure on cooling through a phase transformation. Beyond this, little is known of what may be called the physical and mechanical metallurgy of faulting, although there has been no lack of discussion and conjecture as to the presence of faults in metals and the effect of faults on mechanical properties and microstructures. In the close-packed metals the nature of faults can be described very simply. Face-centered cubic (FCC) crystals consist of close-packed layers of atoms, (111) planes, stacked above each other in a definite manner. If one layer is designated as the A layer, the next must be a B or a C layer; that is, every atom of the second layer lies not above the atoms of the A layer, but nestles in the hollows between these, using the hollows designated as the B positions, or the equivalent hollows designated as C. If the sequence of layers is ABCABC...., so that layers three spacings apart are directly over each other, the crystal is FCC; if CBACBA ... it is an FCC crystal that is a twin of the former; if ABAB........or BCBC..it is hexagonal close-packed (HCP). A fault is a break in the sequence, such as ABCABABC .. . which has the effect of inserting an HCP lamella into an FCC crystal. Regularly spaced faults spaced two layers apart would convert an FCC crystal entirely to HCP, or an HCP to FCC. A fault in an FCC crystal is also equivalent to creating an FCC twin of minimum thickness; in fact, the entire crystal would be converted to its twin if faults were introduced regularly. (In HCP crystals, however, twinning does not occur on the basal plane and a fault on this plane is not identical with a thin twin). Faults are one of the possible causes for annealing twins,' for the strain markings that are brought out by etching deformed metal,'," for the altered X ray reflecting power of metal at slip bands that is revealed in X ray reflection micrographs,' for the extinction of Kikuchi lines in electron diffraction patterns, and for the hardening of latent slip planes.' Since other explanations of these effects are also available," there has been no direct proof of faults from deformation; yet it has appeared likely that they would occur. Faults resulting from phase transformations in metals, however, have been clearly revealed by diffraction in cobalt" and lithium. It is to be expected that the faulting tendency is greatest

Jan 1, 1951

By Robert N. McIndoo, M. G. Woodle

10.5-1. Introduction. In the not-too-distant past, maintenance and the facilities for maintenance were considered a necessary evil to be given only secondary consideration in the development and planning of a surface mine operation. With the increasing sophistication of mining equipment and machinery, this concept has been replaced; and today's mine managers recognize that planning for adequate maintenance facilities is as important to a successful operation as a sound mining plan. This chapter will present the basic maintenance facilities and the fundamental considerations necessary to meet the varied requirements of surface mining. 10.5-2. Determination of Shop Facilities. The size, shape, and extent of maintenance facilities are contingent on the general mining plan, the location relative to outside facilities, and to the available capital. The type of construction employed is dependent on climatic conditions and preference. HAULAGE SYSTEMS. The type of haulage equipment used will dictate the kind of shops needed. Truck haulage requires entirely different facilities than rail haulage. Some mines will employ both systems, and can include hoists, skips, or conveyor belts in combination with locomotives or trucks. The requirements of each type will be discussed. MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION. The pre-planning decision as to centralized maintenance vs. area maintenance, or a combination of both, will greatly affect the maintenance facilities required. A single pit with relatively short travel from shops to pit will probably have a centralized maintenance system. Where more than one mine is involved, or where there are diversified sections or functions in a mine (mine equipment, mill, conveyor, or

Jan 1, 1968

By F. S. Young, K. E. Gray

Drilling tests with a 11/4-in. diameter roller bit were performed on Berea and Bandera sandstones and Leuders limestone using water and two conventional drilling muds as circulating fluids to evaluate the influence of dynamic filtration on penetration rate. The muds possessed widely differing API fluid-loss properties. Mud filtrate was constrained to flow beneath the bit; no filtrate flowed radially through the borehole wall. Rock pore pressure at three different locations ahead of the bit, cumulative filtrate volume, borehole pressure and bit location were monitored during drilling. The rock samples, cored in three orientations with respect to bedding planes, possessed a wide range of liquid permeabilities. and were drilled at borehole-to-formation pressure differentials of 0, 250, 500 and 1,000 psig. The effect on penetration rate of API fluid loss, borehole pressure and rock permeability was studied. Rock permeability damage and pore pressure gradients beneath the bit were evaluated. The importance of borehole-to-formation pressure differential was illustrated for each drilling fluid and rock permeability combination. Penetration rates decreased with increased borehole pressure and reduced fluid loss. The observed penetration rate reduction due to changing fluid Ioss was attributed to decreased filtrate flow and improved mud cake plastering hy the low fluid-loss mud. The reduction in filtrate flow could not be related to spurt-loss phenomena. Rock permeability influences penetration rate through particle invasion ahead of the hit, which damage leads to high pressure gradients. Penetration rate variance with sample orientation was evident for water-drZled samples but less obvious for mud-drilled rocks. Permeability damage beneath the bit ranged from 1 to 3 cm. Maximum damage occurred in the first 0.1 cm. Pressure gradients varied with API fluid 10.s.s and could be correlated with penetration rate. The pressure gradient was found to influence penetration rare in rocks of all permeabilities tested. INTRODUCTION Early microbit and small-scale drilling experiments proved to be invaluable contributions to understanding the mechanics of drilling at depth. For example, the effect of borehole-to-pore pressure differential on drilling rate was demonstrated conclusively by Murray and Cunningham', Eckel' and others .' However, the effects of various drilling fluid properties on drilling rate, particularly filtration, have not been studied extensively on a laboratory basis. Microbit correlations of penetration rate with different viscosity and API fluid-loss muds led EckelV o conclude that viscosity and density. more than API fluid loss, were the most important fluid properties in controlling drill bit penetration rates. Ferguson and Klotz6 studied filtration beneath the bit and stated that the maximum amount of filtrate which could conceivably flow beneath a drilling bit could be described by a potential function associated with flow from a moving disc source. and be characterized by a depth-of-filtrate invasion. Invasion depth is a function of penetration rate, formation porosity and permeability, flooding efficiency, pressure difference between borehole and formation and borehole radius, assuming that no filtrate flows through the borehole walls. Electric analog and experimental measurements were obtained, assuming no plugging of the formation pores. Theoretically, filtrate invasion was predicted to extend from 1- to 15-hole radii beneath the cutting surface; experimental results indicated that the extent of invasion was only Y2 in. Comparing these data with results of core-plugging experiments by Norwak and Krueger' led Ferguson and Klotz to state that the drilling operation apparently contributes to higher filtration rates than are observed in nondrilling core filtration tests in which the core face is jetted and scraped. Glenn and Slusser: in describing a linear filtering system in which a rotating bit continuously scraped mud cake from the surface but did not penetrate Alundum cores, stated that mud-solids invasion and permeability damage of the cores were most severe in the first 2 to 3 cm. The filtrate flow rate through the core was found to stabilize after sufficient time had elapsed for the formation of an internal mud cake whose effective permeability was estimated to be 50 to 300 times as high as that of bulk filter cake. Krueger and Vogel reported core permeability damage depths up to 12 in. during a 5-day exposure period in which filter cake buildup was prevented. Havenaar pointed out that the discrepancy between reported and calculated values of filtrate volume obtained in the experiments of Ferguson and Klotz was due, among other things, to failure of the reported API fluid loss to truly represent filtration beneath the bit. Williams," Pro-koplz and others"" have shown that dynamic filtration tests (where a flow of fluid parallel to the filter surface continually erodes the deposited filter cake until a dynamic equilibrium between wall-shearing forces and normally directed compaction forces is attained) yield higher filtration rates than do static tests. Cunningham and Goinss reported results of drilling tests in impermeable shales. They found that by reducing

By W. B. HILLHOUSE

AN excerpt from the Alabama State Mining Law, pertaining to, transporting men' into and out of the mines, reads as follows: "A trip of empty cars may be operated for the purpose of taking employees into and out of the mine, where the distance to and from their work exceeds one mile." The State Mining Department of Alabama includes in its inspection the transportation of men into and out of the mines, also studying and noting improvements, or progress made, that would tend to create a greater assurance of safety in this practice. Everyone is familiar with the original safety methods employed in man-trip transportation, such as passing a rope around the trip of cars, or through the cars, fastened in the conventional manner, and with the usual "clog," commonly called a drag, on the rear end. Also there is a more advanced method of transporting men, such as the double-rope system, which is feasible on slopes used exclusively for this purpose, and is very satisfactory. However, for the past eighteen months; the Republic Steel Corp. and the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. have adopted a practice that shows

Jan 1, 1935

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.o.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,568,848 tons worth $19,756,738.

Jan 6, 1950

By R. V. Higgins

This paper presents a computer method to obtain the shape factors and equal cell volumes of the channels for any well spacing pattern from a potentiometric model. By using this program the authors have processed the data for the seven-spot, direct line-drive and the staggered line-drive patterns. The data for the five-spot pattern had been previously processed by a noncomputer method and are included for completeness. The shape factors and volumes for the channels are presented in tables for those who want to use them to process data using their own permeability relationships and viscosities of their reservoir oils. The authors have used the data and sets of representative permeability curves to process sample calculationr of waterflood performances. The comparison of the calculated results shows that the influence of well spacing is small. The permeabilities of the reservoir rock to oil and water had a greater influence on oil recovery for a given pore-volume throughput of water than the well spacing pattern. The more water-wet the reservoir rock, the better the possibility of permeabilities which are conducive to good recovery. The viscosity of the reservoir oil also influences the recovery more than the well spacing pattern. The reduction in the percentage recovery of oil with increase in viscosity of the reservoir oils is small when oil viscosities are in the range of 0.1 to 3. Above this range the reductions in recoveries are extensive. Sample comparisons of the time required for different patterns to recover the oil are presented. Results of an example calculation are given to show the effect of the permeability profile on recovery. INTRODUCTION The effect of well spacing pattern on the recovery of oil when flooding with either gas or water has been studied by many investigators. Muskat et al.1 presented an analysis using conductivity, sweep efficiency and unit mobility to the time of breakthrough. Dyes et al.2 used experimental techniques (X-ray shadowgraphs) and different mobility ratios. They presented quantitatively the relationship between mobility and sweep efficiency at and after breakthrough. Hauber3 presented a method to predict waterflood performance for arbitrary well spacing patterns and mobility ratios. Craig et al.,4 using techniques similar to Dyes et al. to determine sweep efficiency for a five-spot pattern, added the use of relative permeability curves at breakthrough and thereafter. Douglas et al.5 sed rela- tive permeabilities and continuously changing saturations throughout the entire five-spot flood pattern. In obtaining their solutions they used finite-difierence equations. Hig-gins and Leighton6,7 also used relative permeabilities and continuously changing saturations throughout the pattern before and after breakthrough. They employed techniques that process a flood-pattern calculation on the computer in about one minute. The methods of Douglas et al. and Higgins and Leighton both checked closely the laboratory results for a wide range of mobility ratios. This paper presents some sample performances calculated by the Higgins and Leighton method that show the effect on recovery of different permeabilities and viscosities using the seven-spot, the line-drive and the staggered line-drive, as well as the fivespot flood pattern. No previous paper has presented these data using different permeability curves and continuously changing saturations throughout the flood patterns. The paper also presents (1) the results and analyses of the flood-pattern prediction, (2) the computer techniques for determining the shape factors and volumes from the potentiometric models for the foregoing flood patterns, and (3) the shape factors and volumes of the channels of the flood pattern in the event reservoir engineers may like to process waterflood calculations using their own permeability curves and reservoir oils. DESCRIPTION OF METHOD VOLUMES AND SHAPE FACTORS The use of channels taken from a potentiometric model (see Fig. 1) to aid in calculating the performances of water floods of nonlinear patterns has been thoroughly explained in the literature.0,7 Therefore, very little theory, discussion, or proof regarding this phase will be repeated in this paper. The computer method presented in this paper to calculate the volumes and the shape factors of the channels of potentiometric models employs the trapezoidal rule for the volumes and the Pythagorean theorem (the hypotenuse equals the square root of the sum of the squares of the two sides of a right triangle) for the shape factors. In calculating the volume of a channel, the area of each cell in the channel is determined and then multiplied by the thickness to obtain the volume. In determining the areas of the cells, trapezoids are constructed whose vertical sides are spaced Ax apart, as shown in Fig. 2. The length of the sides is the difference between an ordinate cut off by the top and bottom of the cell — usually equipo-tentials. The coordinates of the points along an equipo-tential or streamline are obtained by Lagrange's8 equation of interpolation for which the constants are coordinate points at the intersections. Three intersections for con-

Jan 1, 1965

By J. Ruzicka

IN creep testing, material is subjected to a constant load, preferably at a constant temperature, and its rate of deformation is measured. The method of loading can be of various types but in this paper only creep testing under tensile load will be considered. The ordinary tensile test is essentially a comparison test in conditions that frequently bear little or no relation to those under which the test material is to be used in service. The purpose of creep tests is to measure the strength of the test material at slow rates of deformation that more nearly approach the rates realized in service. One purpose of this paper is to illustrate that the creep test, in addi-tion to its value as a service test, is superior to the ordinary tensile test as a sensitive tool for the comparison of certain metals in investigative testing. The other purpose is to describe equipment having distinctive features of design that make it especially suitable for such tests. Representative data obtained with this equipment on a group of rolled zinc-base materials are given. These data are compared with those from practical comparison tests of the creep type on weatherstrip fabri-cated from the same group of materials. The comparison illustrates the value of the fast creep test and of the equipment.

Jan 1, 1937

By Joel Watkins

THE terms kaolin, china clay, ball clay, and paper clay are more or less loosely and interchangeably applied to a large class of white-burning clays. These clays are made up chiefly of hydrous amorphous (colloidal) aluminum silicates with variable amounts of free silica and other impurities in small quantities. Occasionally also the term kaolinite is wrongly applied to a white-burning clay, for kaolinite, is a mineral of definite chemical composition and definite crystalline form which occurs but sparingly in nature. It is not the purpose of this paper, however, to define or classify clays, or to enter into a discussion of the chemistry of clays. It is rather a general description of the occurrence and methods of mining of a kindred group of clays, and a discussion of their future economic aspect. In the Southern Appalachian States, the mining of white-burning clays has in recent years become an important industry. Although these clays are of several distinct types, which occur in as many localities under different geologic conditions, they are for the most part. primarily of the same origin. They are essentially the same in elementary constituents, and are largely consumed in the same industrial arts. From the standpoint of a mining engineer, therefore, and for convenience in comparison and correlation, it should be interesting to discuss them under one heading.

Jan 2, 1915

By L. G. Jones, A. S. Odeh

A theoretical developtment is presented which provides a straightforward method of handling the drawdown analysis for both oil and gas wells flowing at variable rates. In the past our inability to analyze variable-rate drawdowns has been a major obstacle in using them for formation evaluation. This method should permit wider use of these tests in the future. INTRODUCTION Pressure build-up analyses are widely used to obtain reservoir data such as the effective flow capacity of the formation. On the other hand. although pressure drawdowns have been run for a long time, they have not been used extensively to evaluate reservoirs because they are difficult to analyze. One of the difficulties in analyzing pressure drawdowns has been that the theory developed until now has required the test to be run at a constant rate. For both oil and gas wells this is a difficult requirement to satisfy. especially during the early period of a well's life when drawdown tests are usually run. In spite of this limitation, drawdown tests are often run with build-ups as a check. In this paper a theory, which handles the drawdown analysis for variable rates, is presented for both oil and gas wells. Thus, one of the biggest deterrents to running drawdowns is removed, and they should become a much more useful engineering tool in the future. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS 011, RESERVOIRS The general equation used for describing the unsteady-state radial flow of slightly compressible fluids in homogeneous porous media can be written in cylindrical coordinates as where r is the radial distance in cm, t is the time in seconds, p is the pressure at r and t in atmospheres, + is the fractional porosity, p is the viscosity in cp, c is the compressibility in vol/vol/atm, and k is the permeability in darcies. There are a number of solutions of Eq. 1 for various boundary conditions. One of these is the so-called "point-source" solution, which approximates the case of an infinite oil reservoir with a well located at r = 0 and produced at a constant rate. The point-source solution of Eq. 1 is

Jan 1, 1966

By S. W. Zanolli

The history of labor relations in the coal industry of the United States is a study of its collective bargaining. This study of collective bargaining is largely the history of the United Mine Workers of America and its contractual relations with the various coal mining employers who have produced this country's coal over the years under a free enterprise system. There have been other unions in the picture from time to time and some coal miners have mined coal without representation by any union. Even today some 25% of the nation's coal is produced outside of the collective bargaining relationship with the UMWA. However, more than 100,000 coal mine wage employees - well over 75% of the total in the industry - are covered by labor agreements negotiated for them by the UMWA. Practically all of these work in bituminous mines.

Jan 12, 1972

By W. J. Sharwood

(San Francisco Meeting, September. 1915) THE assay or estimation of the total gold content of an ore presents little difficulty, when circumstances permit of securing a thoroughly representative sample. The general practice has been fairly standardized, and such errors as occur in the results obtained are for the most part attributable to the methods of sampling rather than to those of assaying, while duplicate assays made by skilled workers usually agree closely. When it is a question of estimating the "free" or amalgamable gold of an ore, as opposed to the total gold, there is but little uniformity in the methods employed by different workers, and often equally little in the results obtained when duplicate determinations are attempted, no satisfactory standard method having been generally adopted. The methods in use are of two general types-"panning" and "amalgamation."

Jan 8, 1915

By M. J. Langley

The American Zinc Company’s mining operations in East Tennessee are located in Knox and Jefferson Counties. Mineralization occurs, intermittently, through a strike length of more than 30 miles, from near the eastern edge of Knoxville northeastward to a few miles beyond Jefferson City. The presence of zinc in these Counties has been known for well over 100 years. In 1910 it was brought to the attention of American Zinc Company that zinc sulphide deposits in the Mascot area might be attractive. Following an examination and some surface prospect drilling, the American Zinc Company of Tennessee was organized and acquired the Mascot properties in 1911. Operations began in 1913 on the basis of 1,000 tons per day mill capacity. With the successful operation of the Mascot mines, the Company undertook explorations in the area from Jefferson City southwest through Friends Station to Mascot. The efforts resulted in development of substantial tonnages of zinc ore and enabled the Company to expand the Mascot and New Market milling operations to their present capacity of 11,100 tons per day. Folded and faulted Paleozoic sedimentary rocks under- lie the mining district. The principal zinc mineralization occurs in a group of strata known as the Knox

Jan 1, 1970

By J. A. Roberson, Robert A. Rapp

From the observation of platinum wire marker movement in the oxidation of columbium at high lemperatures and low oxygen pressures, predonzinant cation diffusion in CbO, has been demonstrated. The Cu,0 molecule was used as an oxidizing species to study the nature of the porous scale and the location of the reduction site in the oxidation of colum-bium. The Cb205 scale contains microporosity and forms by alternate ionic diffusional growth and fracture. The oxidation of columbium at high temperatures and very low po, results in a relatively compact and protective Cb205 layer. THE observation of marker movements during oxidation is one means for the identification of the mobile ionic species in an oxide lattice. Previous marker experiments in the oxidation of columbium have all resulted in the markers being found on the outside surface of the Cbz05 scale. The Cr203 powder markers of Klopp et a1.,' the gold film marker of Kofstad and ~jijllesdal,' and the platinum wire marker of Cathcart et a1 .3 were found at the oxide/gas interface for oxidation temperatures ranging from 450" to 120O0C. However, in all experiments relatively high oxygen pressures were used. As discussed by Mrowec, even the interpretation of marker experiments in simple scales containing only one compound is not without ambiguities. In brief, it can be said that a marker may be found almost anywhere in the scale layer if the metal oxidizes by cation diffusion through the scale; the position of the marker depends upon morphological happenings in the scale. When considering marker movement in a polyphase scale one must proceed with extreme caution. For example, in the past (and present) work markers have never been found at the columbium-scale interface, and one might infer that the oxygen ion is mobile in CbO and CbO,. However, only trace quantities of CbO and CbOz have been present on any of the specimens, so no firm statement is justified on this basis. Despite previous experimental work, considerable doubt still exists concerning the role of the oxides CbO and CbOz in the oxidation of columbium. The identification of the mobile ionic species in CbO and CbOz from the observation of platinum wire markers was one goal of the present investigation . The linear kinetics of columbium oxidation at high temperatures (T - 1000°C) suggests that the Cbz05 scales which form on columbium are porous. From mercury absorption measurements on a Cbz05 scale formed at 500"C, Aylmore et al.' reported a minimum volume fraction of connected voids equal to 0.15. While these scales often appear to be quite porous when viewed in metallographic cross section, they are so brittle that metallographic preparation is likely to exaggerate any porosity originally present. In this investigation, porosity developed during the oxidation of pure columbium and present at the high temperature was detected by oxidizing specimens in sealed evacuated capsules containing large compacts of mixed copper and CuzO powders. wooda has demonstrated that the CuzO, or (CuzO),, molecule is volatile and that oxygen is transferred by the CuzO molecule from a Cu/CuzO mixture to materials having a greater affinity for oxygen. For each molecule of CuzO that is reduced at a sink for oxygen, two atoms of copper are deposited. Quantitatively, essentially all of the oxidation carried out by a Cu-Cu20 compact results from a displacement reaction involving the CuzO molecule. When a metal which oxidizes to form a porous scale is exposed to the CuzO vapor, the CUZO molecules are reduced in the pores leaving a deposit of metallic copper to mark the site of the reduction. This technique has the rather unique advantage that any copper-coated pores found in the scale are unambiguously related to the reduction site in the growth of the scale under consideration. Pores or cracks which form in a msition*- external to the reduction site or which occur as a result of cooling or handling of the specimen will not exhibit the copper deposit. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Marker experiments were made on columbium metal, and on pellets of CbO which had been pressed and sintered. Platinum wire markers (0.001 and

Jan 1, 1968

By R. A. Haney, S. J. Gigliotti

Over the past ten years, analysis of the acceptability of face ventilation systems has been based on numerical criteria rather than solely a study of air flow and methane patterns in the face area. This type of analysis has become possible primarily because of the instrumentation and mathematical models developed by the Ventilation Division, Pittsburgh Health Technology Center, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). To properly use these mathematical models, large amounts of methane and airflow data must be collected in the face area during mining activities. To supplement underground testing of face ventilation systems, a full scale model of a face area was built. This model includes a full scale model continuous miner, a face ventilation system, a gas release system, and a remote methane detection system. The remote methane detection system consists of an array of twelve methane sensors located throughout the face area. Data from the sensors are transmitted to strip chart recorders. Methane, air quantity, and other data collected during a test are entered into a computer for analysis. This paper presents the data entry system, the models used for data analysis, the test results, and the application of these results to a face ventilation system.

Jan 1, 1983

By E. S. Machlin, S. Weing

GRAIN boundary stress relaxation has been the subject of several investigations in recent years, but as yet the phenomenon is not well understood. One of the major difficulties has been the lack of a sufficient amount of data with which to evaluate any proposed mechanism. Little information is available on the effect of small amounts of substitutional solutes on grain boundary stress relaxation. It is with this important phase of the problem that this investigation is concerned. The influence of substitutional solutes on grain boundary stress relaxation has been recently investigated in copper by Pearson: and in aluminum by Dorn et al.' Pearson studied the effect of zinc, gallium, germanium, and arsenic on the relaxation peak of OFHC copper.* The pure OFHC copper decreased the peak intensity and a second peak appeared at a higher temperature. This latter peak was termed the alloy grain boundary peak. At the lowest binary concentration studied, approximately 1 atomic pct, the primary peak was almost completely obliterated. Pearson found that the activation energy calculated from the alloy grain boundary peak for all solutes, irrespective of the concentration, was 44,000 cal per mol. Pearson concluded that the increase in activation energy from 33 to 44 kcal per mol is not continuous but abruptly changes from the lower to the higher value. As no attempt was made to investigate the intermediate range of concentration and hence calculate the possible variation of the activation energy for the initial grain boundary peak, this conclusion is hardly valid. In contrast to these results, Dorn et al. studied the effect of zinc, silver, copper, germanium, and magnesium on the grain boundary stress relaxation of aluminum. No change in the energy of activation was observed for binary alloys of the flrst four solutes, but a linear increase was found for increasing concentration of magnesium. Saturation was not found up to the maximum of 1.6 atomic pct. The energies of activation were obtained by plotting the horizontal displacement of the dynamic modulus curve vs temperature for two vibrational frequencies. As the modulus is proportional to the square of the frequency, this requires the measurement of the torsional frequency over a range of temperature. However, the technique does not lead to an unambiguous interpretation of the grain boundary

Jan 1, 1958

By Fred D. DeVaney and

The coercimeter, as its name implies, is an instrument for measuring the coercive forcet of magnetic substances. It was developed by Davis and Hartenheim in the Special Studies Section, Metallurgical Division. A detailed description of this apparatus may be found elsewhere.2 The coercive force determinations of magnetic materials are interesting because of the relationship established by Gottschalk,4 who showed a linear relationship between the magnetization coercive force and the specific surface of comminuted particles. The value of this relationship in determining grinding efficiency has been shown by Dean.3 The determination of the surface contained in the subsieve sizes has always been a difficult problem for investigators. They made approximate measurements of the surface of coarse materials by sizing on screens, but for the determination of the surface of the sub-sieve sizes it was necessary to make detailed grain counts or elutriation tests, or to study dissolution rates. The technical literature contains many references to other methods for determining these surfaces, either by some special apparatus or by mathematical calculations based on distribution lines. Many of the methods are long and tedious, and the results of some, at least, are questionable. he turbidimeter gives quick results on ground cement. By using magnetite as the material to be ground, a simple determination of its coercive force by the coercimeter, requiring 10 minutes or less, can be transposed directly and accurately into units of relative surface. This subject has been pursued further by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Rolla, Mo., and the following is a description of the results.

Jan 1, 1939

By Fred D. DeVaney and

The coercimeter, as its name implies, is an instrument for measuring the coercive forcet of magnetic substances. It was developed by Davis and Hartenheim in the Special Studies Section, Metallurgical Division. A detailed description of this apparatus may be found elsewhere.2 The coercive force determinations of magnetic materials are interesting because of the relationship established by Gottschalk,4 who showed a linear relationship between the magnetization coercive force and the specific surface of comminuted particles. The value of this relationship in determining grinding efficiency has been shown by Dean.3 The determination of the surface contained in the subsieve sizes has always been a difficult problem for investigators. They made approximate measurements of the surface of coarse materials by sizing on screens, but for the determination of the surface of the sub-sieve sizes it was necessary to make detailed grain counts or elutriation tests, or to study dissolution rates. The technical literature contains many references to other methods for determining these surfaces, either by some special apparatus or by mathematical calculations based on distribution lines. Many of the methods are long and tedious, and the results of some, at least, are questionable. he turbidimeter gives quick results on ground cement. By using magnetite as the material to be ground, a simple determination of its coercive force by the coercimeter, requiring 10 minutes or less, can be transposed directly and accurately into units of relative surface. This subject has been pursued further by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Rolla, Mo., and the following is a description of the results.

Jan 1, 1939

By GEORGE W. HARHIS

IN the earlier period of anthracite-ruining, much coal was wasted, both underground and in the culm-banks on the surface. Such waste is common in the development of new mining districts, in which, as a rule, only the richest material can be profitably treated. In the anthracite-region, special causes operated to increase this evil. The mines were generally operated under 20-year leases, and royalties were paid upon such coal only as was actually marketed. The lessees consequently cared for immediate profit only. They were- not bound to win all the coal they exposed, or to leave it in such condition that their successors could win it. Nor was it their interest or duty to educate consumers in the use of their product. The market called for coal of large sizes ; and such coal they furnished, throwing away the rest. Any pains taken by them to bring about a more rational use of coal by their consumers would have borne fruit, after their leases had expired, to the benefit of somebody else. A full statement of the situation wits given in 1893, in the report of the State Commission, appointed in 1889 to investigate the subject.` That body included the names of Heber S. Thompson, William Griffith and the late Eckley B. Coxe.2 Its report gives special attention to the utilization of the old culm-banks.

Nov 1, 1905