T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Jan., 1915
NICKEL, COPPER AND MERCURY AS AFFECTED BY THE WAR The world’s production of nickel during recent years has been steadily increasing, as shown by the following figures: 1910.. . . . . . . . 1911. 1912 . . . . . . . . . 1913.. . . . . . . .
........
Tons 20,100 24,500 28,500 30.000
T o n s increase
....
4400 4000 1500
During the recent six or seven years there has been a remarkable expansion in the industrial uses of metallic nickel. Two-thirds of the world’s supply is produced in Canada; the remaining third comes from New Caledonia and is controlled by France [Engineering (London), 98 (1g14), 6141. A government order was issued in Canada, a t the end of October, prohibiting the export of nickel to enemy countries. This contraband of war prohibition will act as an incentive to the opening out of new deposits and re-opening of old ones, several of which are situated in the United States, Greece, and other countries, all well known. Norway possesses k e n s i v e deposits of nickel ore, much of it containing as high as 2 per cent of the metal. In former years nickel-mining was of some importance there, but competition with the richer ores of Canada and of some mines now shut down in the United States, could not be maintained, and most of the mines ceased operation. It is now stated that the mines have been reopened. The Norwegian nickel ore-mining industry was revived on a small scale some years ago, with an annual output of 70 to IOO tons, nearly all of which is used within the kingdom. In the r n i t e d States a very limited recovery of nickel is made as a by-product in the electrolytic refining of copper. The U. S. depends practically entirely on the nickel-ore mines of Sudbury, Ontario, for their supplies of the metal. The production of the Sudbury mines during 1913 reached 750,000 tons of ore, most of which was smelted to matte containing about 24,000 tons of nickel. I n 1912 the production of these mines amounted t o 737,320 tons of ore, wThile the matte produced 22,421 tons of nickel. The recent Canadian output and the British imports from the United States are given below: Canadian o u t p u t G r e a t Britain from U S. (nickel oxide) Value cwt Value ...... 19,455 $481,625 ...... 17.294 430,675 S10,660,855 15,117 371,550 14,013,000 23,679 584,870 15,524,000 17,965 450.600
Tons
1909.. . . . . . . . . . . . 1910.. . . . . . . . . . . . 1911 . . . . . . . . 15,222 1912 . . . . . . . . 20,018 1913 . . . . . . . . 2 2 , l i i
A portion of the matte made by the Canadian Copper Company is used for the direct production of monel metal, a n alloy of nickel and copper, without the intermediate refining of either metal. The world’s produrtion and consumption of copper have been seriously interfered with by the war, and prices are very unreliable, as no one can foresee the probable demand during the immediate future, nor the length of the war. The world’s production of copper during recent years has been as follows in tons [Engiizeeritig (London),98 (1914), 5861: COPPER PRODCCT‘IOP; O F THE W 0 ~ ~ ~ - 1 9 1 0 - 1 9 1 3 1912 , . . . . . . 1,018,600 1910.. . . . . . . . 89 1,000 1911.. . . . . . . . 893,800 1913. , . , , , , 1,005,900 COPPER PRODUCTION OF THE United S t a t e s . . . . . . . . . . . 589,100 Mexico, . , . . , . . , . . , . . , . , 90,000 J a p a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77,200 Australia.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,800 Germany 8r Austria.. , , . . 52,100
WORLDIX 1913--Toss Great B r i t a i n . , Russia.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Spain.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other l a n d s . . . . . . . . .
.....
COPPER CONSCMPTIONI N TONS 1910 191 1 1912 England ..................... 148,187 159,736 148,877 France ...................... 92,838 106,408 106,753 Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,237 31,830 38,818 234.985 253,429 G e r m a n y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208,826 51,574 41,101 A u s t r i a . . , .. , , . , , , , , . , . , , 37,150 32,487 40,949 34,378 I t a l y ........................ United S t a t e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334.565 316,791 365,922
..
.
Towards the end of September, a noteworthy feature of the copper market was the action of the British Government in acquiring all the stocks of copper carried in Dutch warehouses, as this metal almost always is destined for Germany. Three cargoes of copper afloat for Holland were also taken by the British government. The copper exported from America, practically all to Europe, during the nine months of the year and the corresponding months in the preceding four years has been as follows (in tons) : 1910 January . . . . . . . . . . . .26,699 F e b r u a r y . . . . . . . . . . . 25,238 M a r c h . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,963 A p r i l . , . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,062 M a y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,832 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,430 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,875 August. , . , , . , , , , , , , 27.876 September . . . . . . . . . . 31,733
1911 29,357 18,992 23,200 27,466 26,655 30,074 34.955 27,893 25,745
T o t a l . , , , , . . , , . , 1,005,900
The consumption of copper in several countries is given in the following table:
1912 30,967 35,418 27,074 23,341 32,984 26,547 25,445 29.526 25,572
1913 24,659 26,767 42,428 33,024 38,251 27,808 29,096 34,722 34,314
1914 35,566 34,384 46,504 34,787 31,948 35,182 34,145 19,676 16,838
The total American exports for October have been estimated a t about 16,200 tons, equal to 36,288,000 lbs. The total value of the American copper exports may be taken at $146,000,000, of which $128,000,000 represents metal in pigs, ingots, and bars, while nearly all the remainder was exported in plates, sheets, rods, and wire. All these exports come to European countries, with the exception of about $7,098,000 worth, which were sent mainly to Canada. Trade in articles manufactured of copper and brass is comparatively small. The value of European exports of articles manufactured from copper and brass is many times that of the exports of similar goods from the United States. British exports and imports of copper occur as ore, unwrought bars, blocks, slabs, cakes, and ingots, and copper goods manufactured; the exports and imports of copper ore during recent years have been : COPPER ORE EXPORTS IMPORTS Tons Value Tons Value 1 9 0 9 . . . . . . . 2,333 5220,415 89,153 $4,548,600 1910. ., . , , , 221 15,930 98,179 4,843,700 1911 . . . . . . . . . . ., , . 86,596 4,278,700 1912 . . . . . . . 169 4,150 98,226 4,754,300 1913.. . . . . . . . 94,265 5,025,300
....
COPPER, REGULUS A N D PRECIPITATE IMPORTS
Tons Value 65,292 $10,960,785 68,974 11,327,250 64,873 10,037,160 51.565 10,039.430 39,110 7,247,030
.
Exports of copper ore‘ mined in Britain are on a very limited scale and are practically ceasing as shown by the table. The imports come in small quantities from Germany, Belgium, France and Scandinavia, and in larger quantities from South America. Figures a t hand show decreased imports from Chile and increased imports from the Transvaal and Australia. The above table gives also Britain’s imports of copper, regulus and precipitate. They are mainly from Belgium, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, South America, Cape of Good Hope and Australia. The exports are very limited, being last year only 1870 tons, value $19,000. Great Britain’s total copper exports and imports are shown below for the 1909-1913 period. EXPORTS
41,000 34,300 23,600 56,800
1913 140,300 103,600 40,200 259,300 37,200 31,200 351,000
Tons \-due 1909.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,440 $13,726,500 1910 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,210 16,700,000 16,870,000 1911. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,300 14.506.000 1912.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43,040 1913.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53,200 20,902,000
IMPORTS Tons Value 288,430 $57,846.000 237,950 46,479,000 263,740 46,7J6,500 251,650 55,146,000 257.620 56,560,000
Trading interests in quicksilver are attracting attention on account of the very extensive use of mercury in the preparation of fulminate for explosives, the present and probable future consumption of which must have an important bearing on the
8
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGILVEERING CHEMIS.TRY
72
market for the metal, the withdrawal of available supplies, and the future demand. Quicksilver is put t o many practical uses, such as gold-mining, b u t probably t h e most important is for percussion caps for igniting powder. The world’s production is increasing; the average for the last decade has been 3728 tons. The output during recent years [Engineering (London), 98 (1914), 5701 has been as follows, in tons: 1905 3336
1909 3233
1907 3307
1911 3419
1913 4171
The world’s supply is obtained from only six countries, the main source being Spain; the Almaden mines of that country produce nearly a third of t h e entire quantity. Recent outputs have been as follows, in tons:
........................ ............... ....................... ....................
Spain United States.. Italy.. Austria..
1909 1000 71 7 700 609
191 1 1055 742 815 685
1913 1490
1701. 7 , NO. I
a t such pressures as t o prevent blowing out and t o ensure a highly deoxidizing flame. The spraying jet can be of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, air, steam, etc., and is fed at such a pressure as t o produce a sufficiently high velocity *for successful coating. The various pressures must be carefully kept constant by accurate gauges and reducing-valves. The feeding of the wire is accomplished by a small pneumatic motor, driven by the spraying medium either in series or parallel with the main jet. For small work, hand operation is sufficient, b u t probably, when large work is undertaken, i t will prove convenient t o have mechanical traverse and control. T h e surface t o be coated must be thoroughly clean and of a n open nature t o give a key for the deposit. Sand-blasting with sharp sand has been found best. Such surfaces as fabrics, C
6S8
888 855
Ten years ago the United States’ output of quicksilver was t h e largest in t h e world, exceeding 1000 toils for several successive years, but since then it has been declining; the main American supply is obtained in California, mostly from one mine. Great Britain’s trade in quicksilver is peculiar, in so far as none is produced in the country; it is purchased and distributed, and, in effect, controls the world’s markets in the metal. The following schedule shows the imports, exports, and British consumption, in flasks, during recent years: 1908 ................... 1909 ................... 1910. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 1.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1912 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1913 ...................
Imports
Exports
Consumption
43,605 43,163 44,595 46,547 47,262 45,348
22,348 22,051 24,748 31,438 32,240 26,815
21,257 21,112 19,847 15,109 15,022 18,533
T h e flasks contain 75 lbs. each. The consumption fluctuates within very wide limits, as shown by these figures. At the commencement of next year the effect of the war will be ascertainable o n both the supply and British consumption. I n Austria the quicksilver deposits occur in Idria, Western Carniola, and in Italy a t Monte Amiata, Tuscany. T h e Mexican and Russian outputs are very limited in scale; four years ago t h e Russian output was onLy 4 tons. The price of quicksilver has risen enormously since the war commenced; the Austrian supply, controlled by the Government, is definitely c u t off from the world’s markets, and the Italian supply is uncertain. The Spanish supply is controlled mainly in London, and very little may be available for export. American supplies can scarcely be obtainable for export t o Europe, as .its consumption appears t o have overtaken its production. In fact, England has been exporting quicksilver t o the United States in small quantities for some years-during 1913, 154,500 lbs., t o the value of
S E C T l O ~ L ‘ O ~ A W l N GOF THE SPRAYING MACHINE OR ‘PISWL :I
$74,800.
Quicksilver imported by England was worth $36.27 per flask last year compared with $41.86 during 1911. The war has had a marked effect on English quicksilver imports, as shown b y the following figures: ImDorts for: August.
.......{ k
September.
... (0&k lb
1912
k ‘01132J9 32,818 437
1913 67,196 896 61,851 824
1914 1792 24 18,240 243
METAL. SPRAYING An interesting device which is just emerging from the experimental stage, is one described in Engineering (London), 98 (1g14), 382, by R. K. Morcom, for covering objects with a metallic coat by spraying them with molten metal. The essential parts of the machine, or “pistol,” as it is called, are a combined melting and spraying jet and a feed mechanism. T h e metal rod or wire is fed t o the melting-flame formed by coal-gas, water-gas, acetylene, hydrogen, etc., burning in air or oxygen according t o the metal used. The gases are supplied
DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION O F M E L T I N G 8 SPRAYING J E T S IN ACTION.
wood, unglazed earthenware, and asbestos require only freedom from grease. The process in detail is t h e following: The melting-jet is focused at A, Fig. 5 , on the tip of the wire. The spraying-jet, cold from expansion, strongly draws forward the products of combustion in the center of its cone, and by its draught drags off minute particles of metal, either in the plastic or molten state. The central cone, therefore, consists of metal particles, some cooled t o solidity, some molten, and some, perhaps, gaseous, surrounded by a protective reducing atmosphere. This cone is hurled forward with great velocity on to the object to be coated, B C, by the outer jet. There is a definite, most economical quantity of gas which should be used in the pistol, this quantity being about 1.5 cu. f t . of hydrogen per minute, and 0.5 cu. ft. of oxygen, or about 0.8 cu. ft. of coal-gas t o 0.65 cu. ft. of oxygen for the present standard designs. As at present constructed, the standard pistol uses for spray-
