hicles depend upon which of the several alternative technical and financial approaches we are talking about, and-for that matter-the purpose of the vehicle. However, the scope of the problem is still broader than I have indicated thus far. The basic justification for these hearings is the hope that development of electric vehicles will help alleviate the air pollution problem. This is a reasonable hope, but there is no basis for the stronger veiew which has received a good deal of publicity, to wit that the electric car is the "final solution" to the air pollution problem. In the first place, electric cars will use electricity, which will probably have to be produced by electric utilities either by burning coal or oil or by fissioning uranium. (Natural gas is probably too scarce to supply the added demand, at least, in the densely populated Eastern Seaboard.) The first two of these will result in at least some sulfur dioxide pollution plus a modicum of fly ash, regardless of how many filters and precipitators are used in stacks. If nuclear power plants take up to extra demand, there is still a problem of radioactive contamination, and a reactor accident hazard to worry about. In the second place, series wound DC electric motors themselves produce a certain amount of a new and highly toxic pollutant, ozone. While most vehicles will probably ultimately utilize AC induction on synchronous motors, the DC motors will probably continue to be used in some applications. In short, whatever we do will involve some residual pollution, and it is futile to think in terms of eliminating it completely (much as I would like to do so). The real issue is what combination of approaches to the urban transportation problem would produce the minimum overall hazard and discomfort from air pollution and noise while maximizing other social and private measures of utility such as cost, comfort, convenience and so on. While I cannot give a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the various urban transportation options. I share with many others the view that our present system is an unbalanced one and that the 'optimums' mix, whatever it is, will involve greater emphasis than heretofore on alternatives to the 'straight' internal combustion engine, including rapid transit-even moving sidewalks, perhaps and certainly an electric propulsion option for automobiles, taxis, trucks and busses operating in an urban environment. FOOTE MINERAL Co., Exton, Pa., April 4, 1967. Senator JENNINGS RANDOLPH, Air and Water Pollution Subcommittee, Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR RANDOLPH: We were keenly interested in the March 17, 1967 report of proceedings and hearings held on S. 451 and S. 453 Senate Bills to promote the development of electric vehicles and other alternatives to the internal combustion engine. We share the concern Congress and Government has in its quest to reduce or eliminate air and water contaminants. Since we have supported research for five years to apply the well known characteristics of lithium metal to the development of a practical, high-power battery, we consider that certain information available to us is pertinent to the members of your interested committees. In the Honorable Stewart Udall's testimony before the committee on Commerce dated March 17, 1967, statements were made which we believe require clarification. I make particular reference to the statement. "If lithium batteries are used, a completely new type industry will have to be developed to obtain the lithium from brines or sea water or we shall have to find lithium deposits other than the pegmatite deposits that are now mined. We have the technology to extract the lithium from sea water but not yet economically." The inference derived from the quoted statement leads those engaged in the development of the lithium battery and in the development of lithium resources to believe that there is an inadequate supply of lithium raw materials to accommodate the future demands for batteries to propel vehicles. While it is true that there is but one operating mine producing spodumene concentrates from pegmatites in the United States, the reserves of this Foote Mineral Company operation at Kings Mountain, North Carolina, contain 500,000,000 lbs. of lithium as metal equivalent. Since the completion of our contract with the Atomic Energy Commission for the supply of lithium hydroxide as a source material for the production of lithium six, there has been no commercial need to continue our exploration and core drilling efforts to prove up additional tonnages. We point out, however, that we and others would be more than justified in investing additional capital to prove up many other known sources of spodumene ore and to build suitable facilities for the beneficiation of this ore. And there is considerable evidence to support our belief that there are indeed vast reserves of lithium ore in North Carolina pegmatites. The U.S. Geological Survey, for example, in their publication Circular 309, give indicated reserves in North Carolina of 200,000,000 tons of ore containing 1,500,000,000 pounds of lithium metal equivalent. World reserves, as reported in "Industrial Metals and Rocks", 1960 edition, can be expanded without any presently known limits. We note that the Honorable Stewart Udall commented in the hearings on the need to obtain lithium from brines if indeed a lithium battery will assist in the air pollution problem. For one year now we have commercially produced lithium carbonate from brines relatively rich in lithium chloride at Silver Peak. Nevada. It is our opinion that the carbonate so produced will ultimately become one of, if not the most economic source of raw material for the production of all other lithium compounds including lithium metal. So far we have refrained from making public announcements about the magnitude of the reserves at Silver Peak. Nevada, principally because insufficient geological surveys, exploration and assaying have been performed. However, in the light of comments made at the hearings on the availability of lithium in relation to the possible magnitude of the demand should a lithium battery be commercialized, we feel it important to disclose the preliminary estimates of the reserves at Silver Peak, Nevada. The area we are developing is essentially a 69 square mile dry lake containing a heterogeneous mass of clay-like material containing important lithium values to a depth of 1500 feet. Based on assays of samples taken from various points in the dry lake bed, we estimate reserves in terms of lithium metal to be from 5 to 10 billion pounds. We recognize that it will require several more years of skillful geological effort to validate these estimates, yet at the same time we consider it highly unlikely that these estimates will prove untrustworthy in order of magnitude. Not only based on research but also on short term commercial experience, we now conclude that virtually any reasonable production rate for lithium can be achieved providing the demand is known two years in advance of the requirement. As the Honorable Stewart Udall points out in his testimony, it is unlikely that all transportation vehicles will be propelled by portable electricity for many years to come. We concur. Nor do we believe that any particular battery will totally monopolize the market. If we can assume 8,000,000 of our cars will be propelled electrically by 1985 and should these 8,000,000 cars be dependent upon a lithium battery, we can give an order of magnitude balance between requirements and ore reserves, limiting the balance to the reserve at Kings Mountain, North Carolina and those at Silver Peak, Nevada. We recognize that it is too early in the development of the lithium battery to state the precise number of pounds of lithium required to propel a vehicle, yet there is sufficient data to bracket the requirement between 7 and 15 pounds of lithium metal per car. Thus, the lithium metal requirement would amount to 60,000,000 to 120,000,000 pounds per year. As pointed out previously, the total indicated reserves in North Carolina are 1.5 billion pounds expressed as lithium metal and our present estimates indicate that there are about 5 to 10 billion pounds expressed as lithium metal at Silver Peak, Nevada. This quantity would be adequate to power 8,000,000 cars per year for many decades. The Foote Mineral Company does not believe that it has sufficient corporate muscle to produce a commercial lithium battery alone. However, we possess the conviction that we can and are materially contributing to the ultimate resolution of the problem as an important miner of lithium ores and as a manufacturer of lithium metal. It is well known that many large companies, in addition to the lithium industry, are investing substantial sums to develop an economic lithium battery. Consequently we see no reason why industry will hesitate to develop other lithium sources, many of which are already located, to support demand as it becomes known. Based on our 37 years experience as miners and processors of lithium ores. we question the wisdom of planting the seed of apprehension that there just isn't enough lithium economically available to substantially assist in the elimination of air pollution caused by the internal combustion engine. The facts are that industry has not previously found the incentive to commercialize many known sources of lithium, many of which are in the continental United States. Most of these sources should provide considerably better economics than producing lithium from sea water. Many industrial concerns are prudently directing their efforts to the development of the lithium battery, an item most compatible with governmental pollution objectives, with the conviction that the reserves are adequate to support the demand for lithium as it occurs. We stand ready to assist you and your associates in the area of lithium matters at any time. DEAR SENATOR MAGNUSON: This is to advise you of a new concept of dealing with air pollution (as well as congestion and noise) caused by oil- or gasolineburning trucks in our large cities. More than a concept, because the hardware actually exists and is about to be installed for ore carrying in Michigan, I have reference to a system-the Dashaveyor-which has on its operating company's Board a distinguished Washington figure, Admiral Arthur W. Radford,, USN, Ret., former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prof. George Schneck of Penn State, who has made studies of a successful pilot installation at the White Pine Copper Mine of the Copper Range Company in Michigan, suggests that the Dashaveyor could be adapted to carrying supplies into large city buildings and carrying out their waste. This would be possible because electrically self-propelled modules of the system can travel horizontally like a train, up and down inclines, vertically like an elevator even turn upside down to discharge cargo. Dr. James Boyd, another man who has served our Government well as former Director of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and is now President of the Copper Range Company, says the Dashaveyor is the only system known to mining which can do what trains, lifts and conveyor belts can do without transferring the cargo from one mode to another. The Dashaveyor has also been suggested for carrying mail and parcel post between postal offices and between cities as an adjunct to rapid transit systems. It is being viewed by the Los Angeles Airport Commission for possible freight handling at airports and for bringing passengers and baggage from peripheral parking areas into the core area airline terminals. The advantage of the Dashaveyor from an air pollution standpoint, of course, is that it is operated with electricity. The Copper Range Co. and Mr. Boyd are so impressed with its possibilities in mining applications that the company has acquired a minority (25 per cent) interest in it. Your March hearings into the possible development of the electric car may not be the place for introduction of witnesses like Admiral Radford and Stanley A. Dashew, President of The Dashaveyor Company, Venice, Calif., but Mr. Brodie felt you might wish to have some of the enclosed material placed in the record of the hearings. We are also asking the company to send you reproductions of the many articles which have appeared about the Dashaveyor in the mining and metals press. We represent The Dashaveyor Company in public relations. With every best wish, I am, JOSEPH J. ALVIN. DASHAVEYOR FACT SHEET 1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Dashaveyor System consists essentially of individually powered modules (ore cars) of up to 2500 cubic feet capacity coupled together, in flights of 10 to 50 modules, running on special shaped tracks inside a rectangular tube at predetermined speeds up to 40 miles per hour. These flights are automatically controlled for loading and unloading in transit. (The number of flights used in a system depends on the tonnage and length of the system.) Special design features, incorporated in both the track and module, permit travel in horizontal, vertical, inclined, upright or inverted positions; in addition, the door located on the top of each module can be automatically opened, closed and locked by means of a cam arrangement. The entire Dashaveyor System is programmed, controlled and monitored from a central control station. In this manner a continuous check is maintained on the relative positions of flights as well as their operating condition. Cargo. The Dashaveyor can transport a broad range of ores or supplies as well as carry personnel. The size of ore handled depends on loading speeds required. Generally, minus 8'' material can be handled by smaller modules, and larger size ore by larger modules. Material ranging from hot spent shale (-325 mesh at 750F) to phosphates in slurry form can be hauled. II. MECHANICAL DESCRIPTION The Dashaveyor System is comprised of three major components as follows: 1. Tube and Trackway Structure 2. Motor-Propelled Module 3. Automatic Controls A description of the components follows: A. Tube and trackway structure The tube functions as a structural suppport for the trackway and as an enclosing cover for the module flights. There are a number of designs available depending on specific requirements. The tube can be constructed from steel, concrete or fiberglass, depending on the application. Tube sections, however, are generally 20 feet long, and weigh approximately 2500 lbs. per section including rail, trolley and structure. Typically, the cross-section of the tube is about 3' square with structural ribs around its periphery. It supports the loads imposed by the tracks, the conductors and the loaded modules while serving as a flight gallery. The complete tube system can be arranged within a closed loop of any length or in a single track shuttle arrangement. In the latter arrangement, passing switches permit flights approaching on the single trackway to jog and pass, then resume position on single trackway. 1 The special tracks are located centrally on the sides of the tube along with the trolley collectors. Where required in steep inclines or vertical runs, the track is provided with a gear rack to engage the "spinion" for the module to ascend or descend under controlled speed conditions. Linear synchronizer sections are provided in the track preceding the gear rack so that the spinion teeth will mesh into the rack without binding. B. Motor propelled module Module size. Size depends on cargo carried, but ranges upward from 76 inches long, 36 inches wide and 30 inches high. Capacity ranges from 16 cubic feet to 50 cubic feet per module. Module weight.-Module weight varies, depending on cargo carried, but average module, including weight of drive, would weigh about 1500 lbs. and have a capacity of 2500 lbs. in the vertical mode of operation. Bucket Capacity.-From 16 to 50 cubic feet Construction. The bucket construction varies with the type of cargo carried. Material used ranges from high strength steel (T-1, %" thick), to aluminum and fiberglass. Configuration.-Rectangular in shape, may incorporate a sealed cargo door or remain open depending on application. Basic design provides for flexibility in configuration of bucket. Door operation.-Hinged top mounted door which is opened and closed by cam at loading or unloading points. Door latches provide positive closure around the top of the bucket. 1 "Spinion" is a coined Dashaveyor word describing a specially shaped pinion, something between a pinion and a sprocket. Power unit or drive Power.-Dual, electrical, enclosed blower-cooled motors designed by the Dashaveyor Company. Horsepower.-Ranges from 10 nominal, 43.03 maximum to 30 nominal, 130 maximum. Gear boxes.-Bearings, seals, high strength helical gears designed for 70,000 hours continuous heavy-duty operation. Support wheels.-Constructed of heat-treated alloy steel, these drive wheels normally propel the module along the track and support the full weight of the module and its load. The drive wheels are keyed to the main shaft extensions from the gear boxes. Contra-wheels are mounted on a lower shaft extension from the gear box and where required, apply additional pressure to the drive wheels for better traction on inclined tracks. Two supplementary support wheels are mounted on the ends of the drive shafts and support the load when the unit is in rack drive. These wheels are mounted in A-F bearings and can revolve independently of the speed of the drive shaft. These wheels also act as emergency load carrying wheels. Two pairs of thrust wheels are mounted on the sides of the module to prevent binding and wandering on the rail and to support the load when the module passes thru a spiral turnover section for discharging cargo. The drive and support wheels are 11" to 16" in diameter and 2" wide; they are made of steel with replaceable rims mounted on cushioning rings. Low speed "spinion" drive engages a gear rack under the trackway for positive drive with high torque on steep and vertical climb grades. Automatic fail-safe brake system-Hydraulic-pneumatic operation. Power collector assembly-The power distribution trolley. Mounted with flexibility for trolley variance. C. Automatic controls Power distribution.—The Dashaveyor uses 440 Volt, 60 Cycle alternating current in the trolley conductors for driving at speeds of 40 miles-per-hour in traction and 4 miles-per-hour in "spinion" drive. Where speed control is necessary, isolation joints block off trolley sections fed by variable frequency generators whose output is automatically adjusted to bring motor speeds to assigned values. Automatic controls.-Control sensing is accomplished by means of proximity detectors on the track, and signals are relayed to a main control console. A programed computer type controller is the heart of the main control system and sets the schedule for the flights throughout the complete system. The control system can deliver digital or printed operating data such as tons of ore transported from various load points to various discharge points. III. COSTS A. Operating and maintenance Operating and maintenance costs depend on variable factors such as terrain, cargo, etc. However, a representative study covering a 27,000-foot system carrying minus 8" ore from the top of an existing shaft to the mill area and up the side of a 120-foot silo, depositing the ore selectively in one of three silos, showed a cost of four-and-one-tenth cents ($0.041) for the haul, or about 8 mills per ton-mile. Power costs were calculated at 8 mills per KWH. Operating and maintenance labor was one-and-seventh-tenth cents ($0.017) for the haul, or three-and-fourtenth mills ($0.0034) per ton mile. B. Capital costs Capital costs depend on length of haul, terrain, type of cargo, etc. However, the study referred to above indicated a capital cost of $2,600,000.00 for the Dashaveyor system versus $4,100,000.00 for a competitive system consisting of railroad from shaft to mill site and reclaim from mill to top of silo. This estimate did not include the additional capital investment required for the more expensive railroad roadbed that would be required for large ore cars. |