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By Robert E. Delavault, Harry V. Warren

Circumstances determine whether it is better to make analyses in the field or in a permanent laboratory. The rubeanic acid test described in this article has been designed primarily for field use: it is simple and virtually foolproof, and it requires a minimum of field kit.* It is sensitive, easily detecting 4 ppm of readily extractable copper in a soil. This is by no means a quantitative test, but it is accurate enough to provide a valuable indicator of copper anomalous areas for both prospectors and field geologists. The easiest method for detecting metal deposits that do not produce visible float or stains is to make a simple chemical test for the metal in overlying soil, or in the silt of a stream that may have picked up metal farther upstream.

Jan 11, 1958

By Donald R. Rathburn, Jung K. Mok

An historical review and a survey of current practice in the application of fine dry grinding in the iron ore industry are given. Both closed and open-circuit applications are reviewed, and the advantages, disadvantages, and process considerations for these two systems are discussed. The ground ore temperature rise, and the cool-ing of ground ore and mill ventilation are also discussed, along with the agglomerating characteristics of dry ground ore. Screening during the production of high-grade lump ore for blast-furnace burden, particularly from recently developed ore deposits in Australia, South America, and Africa, has resulted in large tonnages of fine iron ore. Certain owners have decided to stockpile these fines until some later date. Others have either sold these fines "as is" for agglomeration at the steel plant or have established their own pelletizing plants to produce a premium quality agglomerate. In almost all cases some grinding is required prior to pelletizing. Most of these ores occur in the weathered state which may result in difficulty in the thickening and/or filtering stages when ground in a wet system. The resulting filter cake would probably require partial drying to provide a product suitable for the subsequent balling operation; however the partial drying and subsequent material-handling steps often produce random agglomeration. Normally, these agglomerates will cause problems in the green ball formation process. Thus dry grinding has developed as a solution to this problem. Most of the dry iron ore grinding installations utilizing the standard-type rod or ball mill are grinding high-grade natural ores that do not require beneficiation. Although power consumed per ton of final product is 120% or greater in dry grinding as compared with wet grinding, the additional power required for dewatering and handling a wet ground product can easily exceed the initial power savings. Dry grinding of raw feed and clinker has been practiced in the cement industry for many decades but its major application to the iron ore industry has taken place only within the past ten years. The successful application of dry grinding to iron ore has required the solution of several unique design and operating problems. The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in fine dry grinding of iron ore for pelletizing and to discuss the various designs and operating parameters involved.

Jan 1, 1971

By P. T. Gallagher, W. A. Oates

THE partial excess entropy of interstitial solutes in metals, SXS , has usually been interpreted as being principally vibrational ever since the initial statistical treatment of hydrogen in metals by Fowler and Smith-ells. The vibrational entropy is considered being due to the optical modes of the light interstitial atom. Little attention has been given to the magnitudes of the values of SXS'. Leiser and Witte2 and Ebisuzaki and O'Keeffe3 have noted that for hydrogen in metals Si is approximately constant for different metals. On the other hand if it is assumed that the interstitial solute is an isotopic defect then, as shown by McLellan, SXS should vary from metal to metal as follows: where S is the standard entropy of the solvent and Mi, M, are the masses of the interstitial and solvent atoms. respectively. Fair agreement with this equation was found for oxygen in silver and nitrogen in iron4 and for carbon in iron.= Ln a subsequent analysis of metal- hdrogen systems McLellan' found a variation of $' from metal to metal but not in a manner expected from the isotopic impurity equation. However, a possible correlation between the energy of solution, Ei, and sf was noted. Similar correlations have been noted for certain dilute substitutional solid Solutions 7, 8 and recently Kubaschewski 9 has demonstrated a correlation between integral heats and ex-

Jan 1, 1970

By Ernest Stütz

The problem of increasing blast-furnace efficiency through diminution of flue-dust production while operating with burdens consisting largely of fine ores has of recent years attracted the attention of metallurgists, whether directly or indirectly interested in the economies of iron smelting, and the various methods evolved from theory or practice have been submitted to wide discussion. After the very thorough and, at that time, exhaustive view of the whole subject, which was afforded to the industry by the meeting of this Institute in February, 1912, the subject was again taken up at the meeting of the Verein deutscher Eisenh?ttenleute at D?sseldorf in December, 1912. While American and German conditions are not entirely identical, it may be of interest to give here the words of the gentleman summing up the discussion at the Diisseldorf meeting: " The chief advantage offered by the use of briquettes lies in the fact that disturbances in the furnace, caused mostly by the presence of fine ores in the burden, are avoided, and that blast pressure can be considerably reduced. The resulting economies cannot be overrated, as, with lower blast consumption per ton of product, the installation will be able to take care of increased production. In consequence of lower pressure and speed of blast, heat is more efficiently utilized, flue gas temperature is lowered, and coke particles are less liable to be carried along with the flue dust, of which considerably less is produced. Finally, by increased regularity of operation and higher temperature in the lower parts of the furnace, the quality of the product is improved. The question of briquetting iron ores has grown to be one of the most important in the iron industry, and it is not any more a question of what is the cost of briquetting a ton of ore, but what, in using ore briquettes, is the cost of production of a ton of iron." Dr. A. Weiskopf, of Hannover, admirably condenses in these words

Jan 1, 1914

By G. E. Archie

Data given in this paper indicate that certain relations exist between different characteristics of sandstone. These relations are not rigid, for all sandstones are more or less heterogeneous. Not every increment of a given horizon follows exactly the relationship; however, studying a reservoir as a whole from a large number of samples, definite trends are found to exist. Apparently nature's processes of sedimentation and diagenesis are such as to give some degree of uniformity. Average relationships are valuable because electrical measurements in a borehole comprise a considerable volume of rock near the hole. Also, it is desirable that a given producing reservoir be studied as a unit. In a permeable reservoir whose pores are filled with a saline solution, it was found that the total porosity and the type of sandstone influence the relationship between its electrical resistivity and the RO and the resistivity of the brine R,. The relation can be expressed by the following empirical equation, Ro = R10O— [i] where 0 is the porosity expressed as a fraction and the numerical value of the exponent lies between 1.8 to 2.0 for consolidated sandstones, and is about 1.3 for clean, unconsolidated packs. This equation indicates that an appropriate electrical log can be used to estimate the porosity of a saline water-bearing reservoir when Rw and the type of rock are known. The fraction R0rw, is called the "formation resistivity factor." It reflects the effect of the nonconducting rock structure on the resistivity of the salt water that fills the tortuous paths through which the electricity must pass. The formation resistivity factor F is found to be related to permeability k. In this case the type of rock plays an important role, as shown by the relation F = ak-b [2] where the values of a and b must be determined experimentally for each horizon. Therefore Eq. I rather than Eq. 2 is used when it is desired to determine the value of F, because small changes in rock structure particularly in the pore size are not critical. Another useful relation, R = R0S- [3] where R = resistivity of rock when partially saturated with brine and partly with oil or gas, S = fraction of the pore space filled with brine, and n equals approximately 2 for both unconsolidated and consolidated sandstone, shows that the connate water of an oil or gas reservoir can be estimated in situ from a resistivity log. Equation 3 shows that in order to estimate the water content of a reservoir a knowledge of R and Ro is essential. The first value can be obtained from the electrical log when all factors influencing the resistivity curve can be properly taken into account. The latter may be obtained when a log is available on the same horizon where it is entirely water-bearing and has

Jan 1, 1946

By G. E. Archie

Data given in this paper indicate that certain relations exist between different characteristics of sandstone. These relations are not rigid, for all sandstones are more or less heterogeneous. Not every increment of a given horizon follows exactly the relationship; however, studying a reservoir as a whole from a large number of samples, definite trends are found to exist. Apparently nature's processes of sedimentation and diagenesis are such as to give some degree of uniformity. Average relationships are valuable because electrical measurements in a borehole comprise a considerable volume of rock near the hole. Also, it is desirable that a given producing reservoir be studied as a unit. In a permeable reservoir whose pores are filled with a saline solution, it was found that the total porosity and the type of sandstone influence the relationship between its electrical resistivity and the RO and the resistivity of the brine R,. The relation can be expressed by the following empirical equation, Ro = R10O— [i] where 0 is the porosity expressed as a fraction and the numerical value of the exponent lies between 1.8 to 2.0 for consolidated sandstones, and is about 1.3 for clean, unconsolidated packs. This equation indicates that an appropriate electrical log can be used to estimate the porosity of a saline water-bearing reservoir when Rw and the type of rock are known. The fraction R0rw, is called the "formation resistivity factor." It reflects the effect of the nonconducting rock structure on the resistivity of the salt water that fills the tortuous paths through which the electricity must pass. The formation resistivity factor F is found to be related to permeability k. In this case the type of rock plays an important role, as shown by the relation F = ak-b [2] where the values of a and b must be determined experimentally for each horizon. Therefore Eq. I rather than Eq. 2 is used when it is desired to determine the value of F, because small changes in rock structure particularly in the pore size are not critical. Another useful relation, R = R0S- [3] where R = resistivity of rock when partially saturated with brine and partly with oil or gas, S = fraction of the pore space filled with brine, and n equals approximately 2 for both unconsolidated and consolidated sandstone, shows that the connate water of an oil or gas reservoir can be estimated in situ from a resistivity log. Equation 3 shows that in order to estimate the water content of a reservoir a knowledge of R and Ro is essential. The first value can be obtained from the electrical log when all factors influencing the resistivity curve can be properly taken into account. The latter may be obtained when a log is available on the same horizon where it is entirely water-bearing and has

Jan 1, 1946

By P. Barnes

The complete and uccurate filtration of water (if the word accurste map be thus Used) for the feeding of boilers, and for many similar industrial purposes, although somewhat practiced both at home and abroad, has heal by no means common. Even if the exact line cannot be defined at which filtration begins to be called for, ad will be found profitable, it is certain that in a large number of cases it may be employed with real advantage in the economy of fuel, and also in the greater durability of the boiler or other form of apparatus in

Jan 1, 1882

Jan 1, 1918

By Charles B. Dudley

It is evident that, as the size and weight of cars have increased, the demands on the cast-iron car-wheel have become more and more severe. Fortunately, the factor of safety in the cast-iron wheel, as originally made, was so large that it was only when freight-cars approached the capacity of from 80,000 to 100,000 lb. that the question of wheels began to give some anxiety. A moment's thought will show that, as freight- and passenger-cars have increased in weight and size, a much greater duty is required of the same eight wheels than was formerly the case. In other words, although the cars have increased in capacity from 15 tons to 50 tons each, the number of wheels under a car has not been generally increased. It is true, some cars have been equipped with 12 wheels, but this construction is not the rule. Hence the duty which the wheel must perform has become much more severe, and although it was clearly able to stand some increase, there must evidently be a limit somewhere which cannot be exceeded. Meanwhile, it is the part of wisdom to make better wheels if possible, and accordingly, no little study is now being devoted to the requirements for cast-iron car-wheels; and modifications are being made, both by increasing the weight of the wheel and by improving the quality of the metal of which it is made. The desire to improve the quality of the wheel has led to the preparation of specifications for its manufacture; and within the last 15 years a more rigid scrutiny of the wheel is char-

Jan 1, 1905

By Neil H. Cole

Cost and price inflation and financial gearing through loans are characteristic of modern resources projects. Conventional discounted cash flow and 1P.R analyses, in real terms, and without financing, have inadequacies which can yield misleading results. The degree of improvement in value for project equity owners is limited to the value of the additional tax benefit accorded through the financing instrument used. Debt financing may be low in price and value, but its priority means that the equity owners assume a higher risk, thereby increasing the cost, or price, of their capital. The cost of equity capital, or investment hurdle rate, is related to the Capital Asset Pricing Model. Distortions do occur, with inflation, due to depreciation effects, which can cause the adoption of misleading project rate of return or hurdle rate criteria. For investment decisions, the greatest accuracy possible in forecasting is essential, especially for inflation rates,

Jan 1, 1985

By Joel J. Lloyd

The storage and retrieval of geological information is represented by a "Babel" of systems. If the energy and expense that is being expended is to be fully exploited by the earth science community, a common language and common practise is required. Interfacing, applicable in the crossover of scientific disciplines and of polyglot data collections, is neither practical nor economic in the handling of English language information. Whether a single input/output center or a locus of interlocking subcenters is established, is irrelevant. The capture of fugitive information and recapture of lost data is paramount. Existing national committees and international commissions are cognizant of the problem and are engaged with it. The time required to reach agreement may merely complicate the problem. It may prove necessary for a group of individuals to face up to the situation and take the indicated action -- facing the criticism that will probably fall on their heads. The cost of rectifying immediate mistakes may be far less than the delayed execution of a long studied plan. System designs are considered in terms of input elements and output products, various mechanical operating modes are presented, and the economics of organization and maintenance are discussed.

Jan 1, 1969

By L. J. Erck, T. E. Ban

A discussion of laboratory procedures used to determine pellet quality and to simulate handling and firing conditions. Strength- temperature relationships in pelletizing; effect of chemical additives on agglomeration; and crushing, abrasion, and impact resistance of the pelletized products are discussed with respect to five different iron ore concentrates.

Jan 8, 1953

By N. D. Policow, J. S. Orphanos

Dewatering fine clean coal fractions, -595µm (-28 mesh), represents one of the most difficult and costly separations in typical plant circuits. Since 1969, the screen bowl centrifuge has offered an economical alternative to filtration/thermal dyer combinations. The performance of screen bowl centrifuges has been continuously modified and improved to dewater not only coarser coals, but also today's variety of ultrafine material. Test comparisons with alternative methods show the screen bowl centrifuge to be most cost effective and efficient when all factors are considered.

Jan 1, 1984

By Donald W. Scott

GENERALLY speaking, there is nothing very difficult about taking good micrographs of photogenic thin sections or grains with a petrographic micro-scopecamera setup. However, sometimes it is desired to show some detail that cannot be illustrated satisfactorily by the usual micrographs taken with parallel polarized light, with crossed nicols, or even with two micrographs. A simple procedure giving good results has been used at Battelle Memorial Institute for subjects falling into this classification, and it is believed to be of interest, especially to research people who must sell a point to executives through the medium of well-illustrated reports. The following problem illustrates a typical application: It is desired to photograph a thin section of an iron ore to illustrate the character and association of the iron oxides and the individual quartz crystals. A magnification of 75 dia. is acceptable. A micrograph of the field in question (Fig. I[a]) was taken with parallel polarized light. Due precaution was taken to provide critical illumination, correct exposure, a sharp focus, a good darkroom technique, and other essential conditions. It illustrates correctly the iron oxides, but it fails to show the individual quartz crystals. A micrograph of the identical field (Fig. I[b]) was taken under the same precise conditions, but with crossed nicols. It gives a better idea of the character of the individual quartz crystals but is likely to be misinterpreted unless accompanied by a lengthy descriptive note. This micrograph suggests that the centrally located, large black area is composed entirely of iron oxides. That this is an incorrect interpretation is evident by reexamining the micrograph of Fig. I[a]. The correct interpretation is that the dark area contains quartz crystals oriented with their optical directions parallel to, or nearly parallel to, the vibration directions of the polarizer and analyzer of the microscope. Thus, the executive, or anyone who had not done the work personally, would get no more than a fair interpretation, even if two micrographs were included; and in the interests of both brevity and clarity, one micrograph usually is more desirable. Exactly how many quartz crystals occur in this region cannot be told from the two micrographs, and a printing of the two negatives in register would likewise not show the detail desired. Thus, it is evident that some subjects cannot be satisfactorily illustrated by the usual procedures. In photographing Fig. is the light was subdued and, during the entire exposure of 75 sec., the analyzer nicol was rotated uniformly in its mounting from a crossed position to 45° uncrossed position to introduce the desired amount of contrast in the various individual quartz crystals. The true reproduction of the character and association of the iron oxides, and the additional structure and detail in the quartz areas, is apparent. It might be

Jan 1, 1946

By John D. Price

COAL blending, in the preparation of coal before coke making, is so commonly practiced as to be almost universal. But the reasons underlying this practice, the benefits resulting from it, and the materials used in blending vary widely. This paper will outline the various phases of the subject and present information which may be correlated with work that has been done elsewhere. It will deal entirely with work done on the high-volatile coking coals of the western part of the United States, special emphasis being given to the coals of Colorado and Utah.

Jan 7, 1953

By M. Cohen, C. Wagner, J. E. Reynolds

If the total volume of a diffusion couple changes during the diffusion, the measurement of distance becomes ambiguous. Use of distance parameters as suggested by Hartley and Crank is discussed. For small concentration differences, the standard form of Fick's second law is retained with conventional length units and the in- terdiffusion coefficient D. It is shown how D can be calculated from experiments involving large concentration differences and analyzed in terms of distance parameters. 'The merits of incremental diffusion couples involving small concentration differences are emphasized. THE conventional form of Fick's second law for one-dimensional diffusion of component B in a binary solution of A and B is where c, is the concentration of component B; x, the distance; t, the time; and D, the interdiffusion coefficient which may depend on ca. Hartley and Crank' have pointed out that Eq. 1 applies only if the total volume of the diffusion couple does not change during the diffusion process; otherwise, the definition of x becomes ambiguous. No change in total volume takes place if the specific volume of the solution is a linear function of the weight fraction Wb, or if the molar volume is a linear function of the mol fraction N. In some alloys, however, these relationships do not hold, and then it is necessary to introduce a modified measure of distance, 4 in order to retain the general form of Eq. 1. The application of Hartley and Crank's suggestions to diffusion in alloys has been discussed by Wagner.' Relation Between Measure of Distance and Units of Concentration The definition of [ depends on the choice of units for the concentration c,, as follows: 1—If the concentration ca is measured as the weight fraction W, (or weight percent), [ = 5, has to be defined so that equal increments of contain equal increments of mass m of the solution, e.g., dm = pSdx = Sdw [2] where p is the local density of the solution, and S is the cross-sectional area in sq cm which is taken to be constant in this problem of one-dimensional diffusion." * da Silva and Mehla have demonstrated the constancy of the cross-sectional area in the usual type of diffusion couple. However, experiments involving diffusion into thin wires4, 5 may exhibit changes in cross-sectional area, and therefore are excluded from the present treatment. Thus and the unit of is gram per sq cm instead of cm. 2—If the concentration c, is the mol fraction N, must be defined so that equal increments of contain equal numbers of mols of solution, e.g., dn= (S/V)dx= Sd [41 where V is the local molar volume of the solution. Thus dt, = dx/V [51 and the unit of is mols per sq cm. 3—If, as may be advisable in the case of interstitial solutions, the concentration C is measured in terms of the molar ratio of components B and A (c,, = Y, = nH/nA, where n and nl are numbers of mols of B and A), = Y has to be defined so that equal increments of contain equal numbers of mols of A, e.g., dnA= (NAS/V)dx = Sdf [6]

Jan 1, 1954

By AIME AIME

THE following compilation of State bureaus and officials that deal with mineral resources is compiled in part from a new "Check List of State Agencies and Officials Concerned with the Management of Natural Re- sources," compiled for the National Resources Committee, Washington, D. C., by Clifford J. Hynning. Alabama-Geological Survey of Alabama, University. Walter B. Jones, State Geologist. Chief Mine Inspector: W. B. Hill- house, 614 Lincoln Life Bldg., Birmingham.

Jan 1, 1939

By F. Brons, V. E. Marting

In the past, other authors.1, 2 have studied the influence of a skin effect on the productivity of a well. This skin effect, expressed by the skin factor S, is considered to be caused by a thin layer of impaired permeability immediately around the wellbore and extending vertically over the whole productive interval penetrated by the well. The skin factor S is defined as follows. Based on this, the impairment in productivity caused by a skin can be expressed by the fractional loss in productivity I, which is the loss in productivity divided by the total unimpaired productivity. For compressible flow in a stabilized well which drains a circular area of radius re, 1 is given by The present paper deals with a different kind of productivity impairment. Consider a well in which part of the productive formation is blocked off completely, either by incomplete penetration or by exclusion of parts of the productive zone by blank casing. In Fig. 1 (A, B and C), three examples are shown. Fig. 1(A) shows the situation where a well only partially penetrates the formation. This often is done to combat the actual or imagined danger of bottom-water coning. Fig. 1(B) shows a well producing from only the central portion of a productive interval. This type of completion is sometimes used where both water and gas coning are a problem. Although the case of a well producing through perforated casing cannot be treated in a manner similar to the previous two cases (where radial flow in the horizontal plane is assumed), Fig. 1(C) shows several intervals open to production and qualitatively describes this case (as will be discussed later). To study the loss in productivity in all these cases, two parameters are introduced which fully determine the impairment. The first is the penetration ratio "b," i.e., the total interval open to fluid entry divided by the total thickness of the productive zone. The second is the ratio hlrw. In this ratio, rw is the wellbore radius. The definition of h is more cumbersome. In Fig. 1(A), h is the thickness of the total productive interval. The streamline configuration for this case of partial penetration is basic to the other two cases considered (Views B and C of Fig. 1). It will be obvious from Fig. i (A) that the flow lines in the uppermost portion of the formation will be essentially horizontal, while those in the lower portion will curve upward toward the well. In Fig. 1(B), with only the middle portion of the zone open to production, the streamline configuration. of the upper half will be an exact mirror image of that in the lower half of the zone. Hence, for the case illustrated in Fig. 1(B), h is defined as one-half the total sand thickness. It follows, then, that in Fig. 1(C) h is one-half the distance between corresponding points in adjacent intervals. (In gun-perforated casing, h would be one-half the distance between perforations.) In a paper by Nisle4 and a paper given by the present authors5, the mathematical theory was developed for the cases under consideration. In the present publication, the emphasis is put on the results of these studies; consequently, the equations derived in Refs. 4 and 5 will be omitted, for the most part. The pressure drop p in a well producing from only a portion of the total formation thickness can, in analogy with Eq. 1, be expressed by Numerical solution of Eq. 5 by use of the IBM 650 leads to the following important conclusions. First, during a short period after starting production (usually on the order of a few minutes), the function p(b) is given by

By Frank Ittner

In this section it is proposed to discuss operating methods considered good practice under the various field conditions commonly encountered. Efficient field direction and types of equipment needed to meet transportation problems are considered only to the extent that the desire to produce the best possible records must sometimes give way to the factor of cost. As in all engineering projects, alternative possible methods of operation must be considered in the light of relative costs as well as of the quality of results obtained, Cost may be in the background of much that is done in the field operations, but only the effect on record quality will be considered here. Record quality at a particular shot point may vary with the various factors of spread character (relative positions of geophones and shot point), shot-hole depth, formations opposite position of shot, size of charge, the effect of repeat shots, surface geology and culture in the immediate vicinity of the geophones, recorder instrument characteristics, particularly filter.

Jan 1, 1940

By Frank Ittner

In this section it is proposed to discuss operating methods considered good practice under the various field conditions commonly encountered. Efficient field direction and types of equipment needed to meet transportation problems are considered only to the extent that the desire to produce the best possible records must sometimes give way to the factor of cost. As in all engineering projects, alternative possible methods of operation must be considered in the light of relative costs as well as of the quality of results obtained, Cost may be in the background of much that is done in the field operations, but only the effect on record quality will be considered here. Record quality at a particular shot point may vary with the various factors of spread character (relative positions of geophones and shot point), shot-hole depth, formations opposite position of shot, size of charge, the effect of repeat shots, surface geology and culture in the immediate vicinity of the geophones, recorder instrument characteristics, particularly filter.

Jan 1, 1940