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How to Separate of Tantalum from Columbium
Table of ContentsMaterialsExperimental Procedure and ResultsSmall-Scale TestsInitial CoextractionSeparation of Tantalum from ColumbiumProcedure for High-Columbium MaterialsProcedure for High-Tantalum MaterialsAssay Procedure for Equal Amounts of Tantalum and ColumbiumSeparation of Tantalum from Columbium in Special CasesReuse of SolutionsRecycling Feed SolutionsReconditioning Methyl Isobutyl KetoneRate of Transfer TestsLarge-Scale TestsApparatusProcedure and Results for Mixer-Settler ColumnStepwise Tests, Mixer-Settler Column with Gravity Feed SystemStepwise Tests, Mixer-Settler Column With
How to Operate a Blast Furnace
Table of ContentsExperimental FacilitiesExperimental OperationsDiscussion of Results The experimental blast furnace has attracted increasing interest during the past decade as a practical means for investigating a broad range of blast-furnace smelting problems. Under experimental-furnace conditions, information can be obtained with less expenditure of time and raw materials and, therefore, at lower cost than comparable information could be obtained under industrial
Phosphorus Pentoxide Content Determination Method
Table of ContentsMaterials and EquipmentDescription of MethodDetermination of Best Fitting CurvesAccuracyPossible Improvement The precipitate method described herein is advantageous because of its rapidity and relative simplicity. This method eliminates the standardization of reagents, second filtration, washing of precipitate, and dissolving of ammonium phosphomolybdate precipitate, all of which are required in the titration step of the usual alkalimetric method. The precipitate
Nuclear Reactor Simulation
Table of ContentsDescription of the LoopInduction-Heated Simulated Nuclear Reactor (ISR)Helium-Recycle CompressorDust FilterHelium-Purification SystemPerformance of ISR System During 1,000-Hour TestInduction-Heated Simulated Nuclear ReactorHelium-Recycle CompressorHeat ExchangerDust FilterHelium-Purification System Construction of a 250-p.s.i.g. helium-recycle system to operate with gas temperatures as high as 2,500° F. appears feasible. More development work is required, however, on heat exchangers and compressors. Many problems inherent in large
Determination of Lithium In Lithium Minerals
Table of ContentsApparatusPreparation of 2 M Citrate Buffer Stock SolutionStandardizationPhotometric Analytical ProcedureInterferencesAccuracy and Precision A simplified, routine method for determining lithium in lithium-bearing rock is presented. The sample is decomposed by repeated treatments with nitric, hydrofluoric, and perchloric acids. Since this procedure does not appreciably dissolve beryl, interference by beryllium (the principal interfering cation) is minimized for most samples. The
Asbestos Mining Methods and Costs
Table of ContentsMethods of Prospecting and ExplorationMethod of Estimation of Tonnage ValueDevelopment And Mining (General)Old Regal WorkingsNew Regal WorkingsNavajo WorkingsDevelopment DetailsStope MiningUnderground TransportationAuxiliary OperationsPercent Extraction and Production RatesVentilationMine DrainageSupervision and Labor DistributionWage Contract RatesSafety PracticesThe Chrysotile MinesHistorical Data on Methods and CostsMilling and GradingCost for Year of 1957 This is one of a series of reports prepared by the Federal
How to Make Boron by Electrolysis
Table of ContentsTheoretical ConsiderationsExperimental Procedures and ResultsCell DesignAnode MaterialsCathode MaterialsOperation of the Electrolytic CellTemperatureCathode Surface and Length of ElectrolysisComposition of Fused-Salt BathsElectrolyte AlkalinityInert-Atmosphere CellAnalytical ResultsConclusions Because an economic method for preparing pure boron has not been developed, a program was started by the Bureau of Mines to evaluate existing techniques or to develop new methods for preparing the pure element.
Smelting Taconite in Blast Furnace
Table of ContentsRaw Materials UsedBlowing-in FurnaceSmelting Operation Using Plus 10-Mesh OreSmelting Operations Using Plus 4-Mesh OreDiscussion of ResultsSmelting with Basic SlagHeat Balance for Taconite Ore SmeltingProduction Costs Crude Minnesota taconite was charged in the Bureau of Mines experimental blast furnace so that smelting characteristics of such highly siliceous raw materials could be studied and smelting costs compared with those of
How Susceptible are Organic Compounds to Tritium Exchange Labeling
Table of ContentsMechanism of Tritium ExchangeApparatus and ReagentsProcedureLabeling Organic Samples with TritiumPurification and TrappingDecontamination of EquipmentRadioassay of SamplesResults This report describes the preparation of tritium-labeled organic compounds to be used by the Federal Bureau of Mines in studying the role of certain gasoline constituents in gum-forming mechanisms. The gasoline constituents that have been investigated boil within a range of approximately
Spectrophotometry Determination of Copper in Tungsten Metal Powder
Table of ContentsReagents and ApparatusProcedure A spectrophotometry method for the determination of small amounts of copper in tungsten metal powder using the principle of solvent extraction has been developed. The metallic sample is dissolved in hydrogen peroxide, tartaric acid added, the pH adjusted, and the excess peroxide destroyed by boiling. Copper is reduced to the cuprous state, and the reagent
Variables Affecting the Probability of Ignition by Explosives
Table of ContentsThe DataExperimental Procedure of Individual ShotsStatistical Designs as Part of the ProcedureThe Up-and-Down TechniqueRandomizationInterpretations of the AnalysisFirst Analysis Leading to Tentative ConclusionsSecond Analysis Leading to Final Conclusions The principal official test performed by the Bureau of Mines to determine the permissibility of coal-mine explosives, commonly referred to as the gallery test, has been in use at the Bruceton
How to Recover Thermal Energy from Molten Salts
Table of ContentsSpecific Experimental ObjectivesExperimental EquipmentExperimental ProcedureExperimental Results and DiscussionHeat TransferSteam Turbine OperationChemical Reactions and Chemical Composition of Effluent GasesCorrosion Rates of Materials of ConstructionSalt EntrainmentPipe Plugging One objective of Project Gnome is to study the feasibility of a phase of the Plowshare program recovering thermal energy from an underground nuclear explosion. The test will be conducted in an underground
Uranium Mining
Table of ContentsLabor and Living ConditionsDescription of DepositsExplorationMesa No. 2 MineContract-Mining OperationsMesa No. 2-½ -MineMesa No. 1-¾ Mine This report is one of a series published by the Federal Bureau of Mines to describe methods and costs of mining uranium on the Colorado Plateau. The Navajo Uranium Division of Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, Inc., mines uranium from several deposits of carnotite-type
Bacterial Copper Leaching
Table of ContentsSampling, Culturing, and Isolating BacteriaIdentifying Bacteria Among several suggested new processes for treating marginal ores in the United States, none is more intriguing than the possibility of extracting metals from low-grade materials by the action of microorganisms. One phase of a Federal Bureau of Mines investigation toward developing such a procedure was to isolate and identify specific chemosynthetic
Dry Filter Cake using Radiant Heat – Reduce Moisture
Table of ContentsTheoretical ConsiderationsTest ApparatusTest ProcedureSynthetic SlurriesThickener Underflow ProductFroth Flotation ConcentrateEconomic Considerations This report stems from a study by the Bureau of Mines of the possibility of reducing coal filter-cake moisture by applying radiant heat directly to the filter cake while under vacuum during the drying phase of the filter cycle. One disk of a 4-foot-diameter vacuum filter was equipped
Titanium Gadolinium Phase Diagram
The results of this investigation indicate that the titanium-gadolinium phase diagram is composed of a single eutectic reaction and a peritectoid reaction at the alpha-beta transformation. The eutectic isotherm has been established at 1,240 ± 10° C. and extends from approximately 1 pct. gadolinium to beyond 99 pct. gadolinium at this temperature. The solid solubility of gadolinium in beta-titanium appears
Extract Aluminum from Aluminum Silicon Alloys
Table of ContentsAluminum Extraction ProcessApplication of Extraction Process, Procedure and ResultsCrude Alloy FeedInduction-Heated UnitElectrical-Resistance-Heated UnitGas-Fired UnitStudy of Process ConditionsPressureLeaching The following conclusions are drawn from the results of these investigations: The reflux leaching method is an effective means for extracting aluminum from crude Al-Si alloy. Aluminum obtained by this method will contain from 1 to 6 percent silicon, 0.04 to
How to Make Zirconium Diboride Directly from Zircon
Table of ContentsExperimental ProceduresEquipmentMaterialsMethod of PreparationExperimental ResultsDiscussion of Results Zirconium diboride of a quality comparable to that produced commercially from zirconium dioxide may be synthesized directly from zircon. The quantities of residual carbon and silica are not excessively high, but it is believed that some refinements in procedure may lower these percentages. The grain size of the final product has
Zirconium Gadolinium Equilibrium Diagram
The investigation of the zirconium-gadolinium equilibrium diagram revealed a eutectic system with limited terminal solubilities and one peritectoid reaction. The eutectic point occurs at about 82 percent gadolinium. The eutectic isotherm, at 1,220° C., extends from about 12 to 99+ percent gadolinium. The peritectoid isotherm, at 890° C., involving the alpha-beta transformation of zirconium, extends over essentially the entire composition
Sulfide Oxide Lead Zinc Transitional Ore Treatment Processing Method
Table of ContentsBeneficiation ResearchFroth FlotationDeslimed pulpUndeslimed PulpFlotation Plus Gravity SeparationHeavy-Media Separation and TablingFlotation of Oxidized Zinc The mineral dressing research here reported is part of a continuing program by the Bureau of Mines to develop new or improved concentration processes for oxidized or partly oxidized lead and zinc ores. A sample of low-grade sulfide-oxide, lead-zinc ore from Jasper County., Mo.,
Casting Titanium Zirconium and Hafnium
Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsExperimental Procedures and ResultsCasting Method Furnace OperationFurnace DesignSafety ConsiderationAlloying MethodsMold MaterialsMachined GraphiteRammed Mold MaterialCentrifugal CastingPhysical Properties of Cast MaterialProcess Variables The work covered in this report is a continuation of an earlier feasibility study by the Federal Bureau of Mines and points out improvements in the skull-melting method for casting reactive metals such as titanium, zirconium, and hafnium.
Volatilization of Tin Chlorides
Table of ContentsBanco ConcentrateColquiri ConcentrateTasne OreBolivian Tin-Tungsten OreCerro de Potosi OreExperimental ProceduresProcedure 1Procedure 2Experimental ResultsProcedure 1Banco Tin ConcentrateColquiri Tin ConcentrateTasne Mine-Run OreBolivian Tin-Tungsten Mine-Run OreCerro de Potosi Mine-Run OreProcedure 2Banco Tin ConcentrateColquiri Tin ConcentrateTasne Mine-Run OreBolivian Tin-Tungsten Mine-Run OreCerro de Potosi Mine-Run Ore More than 95 percent of the total tin in Bolivian mine-run ores can be volatilized and recovered
Crushing Chestnut to Produce Buckwheat
Table of ContentsHistory of Anthracite Crushing PracticesDescription of EquipmentPennsylvania Reversible ImpactorPennsylvania Kue-Ken Jaw CrusherPennsylvania Rolling Ring GranulatorPennsylvania Kue-Ken GyraconeTelsmith Style S Gyrasphere The crushing of chestnut-size (1-5/8 by 13/16 inch) Pennsylvania anthracite in four commercial crushers (impact, jaw crusher, hammer mill, and gyratory types) was studied by the Bureau of Mines to determine which could produce the largest proportions of
Radioisotopes Applications
Table of ContentsLicensing RequirementsHazards and PrecautionsAvailability of RadioisotopesThe Laboratory FacilityInstruments and MethodsNature and Scope of ResearchTypical Applications of RadioisotopesPlanned Research with Radioisotopes Many factors contributed to the decision to build a radiochemical laboratory at the Salt Lake City Metallurgy Research Center to investigate the application of radioactive isotopes and chemical compounds in extractive metallurgy. These reasons included the notable success