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By A. W. D. Hills

This paper describes the development of a generalized integral-Wofile method for the analysis of heat transfer dwing solidification. The method is extremely flexible, and can be applied to a wide range of situations. This flexibility has been achieved by characterizing the solid metal layer in terms of two parameters, and by developing two simultaneous nonlinear differential equations for these parameters in terms of the heat fluxes crossing the boundaries of the solid layer. The use of these equations is illustrated in a series of examples which involve the solidification of pure metals at zero superheat cooling under different conditions. The simplicity with which the method can be extended to treat more complicated jwoblems is illustrated in a further example which involves natwal convection effects in the liquid metal. ThE rate at which molten metal solidifies in an industrial casting process, and the structure of the cast product, are both controlled by the rate at which heat can be removed from the casting. A knowledge of heat transfer rates is thus essential to the control of the process and to the control of the structure and soundness of the final casting. Heat transfer rates during real solidification processes cannot be predicted by formal mathematical techniques, however, because nonlinear boundary conditions are involved. Approximate methods are normally used, and these have included electrical and hydraulic analogue techniques, finite difference methods, and the integral-profile method. Considerable effort has been devoted to the development of the first two techniques, but the integral-profile method has been used very little so far. This is unfortunate because the method is capable of providing relatively accurate solutions for the heat transfer equation during solidification without involving large amounts of computer time. A further advantage of the method is its flexibility, although this is not apparent from the integral-profile solutions that have been developed to date. These solutions have been derived for the solidification of molten metal at zero super-heat under cooling conditions involving either a constant heat flux from the cooled surface;' a constant heat transfer coefficient at the surface,'-3 or a specified variation in the surface temperature.4,5 A generalized integral-profile method is presented in this paper which can be used to predict unidirectional solidification rates under a very wide range of more realistic cooling conditions. The use of the method is illustrated in a series of problems involving pure metals, or skin forming alloys, solidifying at zero super-heat. However, the principal advantage that this method has over the previous integral-profile methods is the ease with which it can be extended to treat more complicated solidification problems. This is illustrated by considering a problem in which super-heat is liberated from the liquid metal by natural convection during the solidification process. In the final section of the paper the generalized method is compared with previous methods used to predict solidification rates and its extension to more complicated solidification problems is briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 1970

By P. B. Crawford, W. L. Huskey

A study has been made to determine the effects of random vertical fractures existing in a reservoir matrix on the effective matrix properties and producing characteristics of a well. The study indicated that short vertical fractures may distort the isopotentials by 1 percent in the vicinity of the fracture. A correlation was developed which showed the effect of fracture density on the producing capacity of a well. The correlation indicated that fracture shape had little effect on producing capacity, but that total fracture length was closely correlated with the producing capacity. Effective values of reservoir permeability were found to correlate closely with fracture density when measured parallel to the direction of flow. INTRODUCTION In reviewing the petroleum literature, it is found that in most analytical solutions of hydrocarbon reservoir behavior the assumption is made that the rock is uniform throughout although core analysis and well logging surveys indicate that substantially all reservoirs are heterogeneous and some are fractured. Only in recent years have investigators studied the effects of reservoir hetrogeneity. Russell1 discussed the effect of fractures in reservoirs. The literature indicates that fractures greatly affect the exploitation of man reservoirs. This is described by Elkins and Skov2 and Little-field et al. 3 Several types of reservoir heterogeneity have been studied by unsteady-state methods. In 1959, Landrum et al. 4 showed that transient phenomena in hydrocarbon reservoirs could be studied by thermal models. pickering5 studied the flow of heat in stratified linear reservoirs consisting of plates of different metals separated by sheets of rubber which were suddenly exposed to a low-temperature source at one end. Cotman6 studied both laterally and vertically heterogeneous thermal model reservoirs with special reference to cross flow. Another type of reservoir heterogeneity involves the presence of highly permeable, circular lenses around or near the wellbore which was studied by Miesch7 using a thermal and a steady-state model. Many studies have been made of the effects of induced hydraulic fractures on well performance. 8-10 Work regarding vertical fractures that exist initially in the reservoir was reported by Givens, et al.11 Since there appears to be little published work on the importance and influence on reservoir performance of fractures that exist out in the rock matrix, this study was conducted to determine the effects of vertical fractures on pressure distribution, producing capacity and the effective permeability of the reservoir rock. The analogy between the flow of electrical current through a conducting body and the flow of fluid in a porous medium provides a convenient method of studying various aspects of petroleum reservoirs. For electrical radial steady-state flow,12 For steady-state fluid flow, With the above analogy, it is only necessary to establish the ratio of the values of the electrical units in terms of the corresponding flow units to make the analogy quantitative. The ratios are shown below.

By O. Katz, A. Spilners, M. Simnad

THE oxidation of titanium has been studied in recent years by a number of investigators.'-W ne of the most important aspects of the reaction of titanium with oxygen, which has been observed by several of the investigators, is the extremely high solubility of oxygen in the metal. A detailed study of the Ti-0 systeml% as shown that the solubility limit of oxygen in a-titanium is approximately 14.5 wt pct 0 from 800" to 1700°C. The unusual oxidation behavior of titanium may be ascribed to this phenomenon, since part of the oxygen uptake enters into solid solution in the metal and only a part is available for scale formation. A more complete study of the kinetics of oxidation of titanium would require information on the influence of oxygen in solution in the metal upon the oxidation rate. Such information would also be of interest in regard to the theory of oxidation of metals. The authors have measured the oxidation rates of oxygen-saturated and oxygen-free titanium between 800" and 1200°C and have found appreciable differences in their rates of oxygen uptake and in the activation energies. The experimental set-up was similar to that described in a previous paper.u The course of oxida-dation was followed continously by attaching the specimen to a sensitive spring balance and observing the extension of the spring with time of oxidation. High purity electrolytic oxygen was used and precautions were taken to purify the gases employed. The specimens were prepared from iodide titanium and were ground on metallographic polishing papers to a fineness of 4/0. The furnace was first evacuated and filled with argon; the specimen was lowered into the furnace, which was then evacuated and filled with oxygen, after the specimen had reached the oxidation temperature in argon. The samples were presaturated with oxygen by means of the following procedure: Each specimen was first heated in oxygen at 1200°C until its increase in weight indicated 13.8 pct by weight uptake of oxygen. The furnace was then immediately evacuated and filled with purified argon five times. The specimen was heated in the argon atmosphere for a period of 72 hr at 1200°C in order to saturate the metal with oxygen by complete absorption of the scale. The temperature was lowered to the oxidation temperature, the furnace was evacuated and filled with oxygen, and the oxidation rate was followed by noting the extension of the spring balance. No oxide film was visible on these specimens at the start of the oxidation experiments. Titanium samples in the oxygen-free as-received condition were also oxidized and their oxidation rates measured. The results are shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which indicate that the initial rates of uptake of oxygen by both the oxygen-saturated and oxygen-free specimens are parabolic at these temperatures. The rate of uptake of oxygen is, however, appreciably lower

Jan 1, 1956

By John P. Dolan, Charles A. Einarsen, GiIman A. Hill

his paper discusses how the following formation characteristics can be determined mathematically from drill-stem test pressure charts: true formation pressures, effective permeability of the entire section tested, well productivities, wellbore damage, and possible detection of barriers (faults, pinchouts, etc.). This paper also presents a practical method for im-mediate determination of eflective permeability and well-bore damage from successful double shut-in pressure tests. A list of recommendations for improving the reliability of drill-stem rest pressures is also presented. INTRODUCTION A drill-stem test is a temporary completion designed to sample the formation fluid and to establish the possibility of commercial production. Early pressure recording devices were used merely to verify proper operation of the testing tool. Until recently the accuracy of the pressure gauges has been insufficient for any reliable quantitative use of the recorded pressures. In view of the need for more reliable formation evaluation and as a result of the recent interest in exploration work employing the concept of hydrodynamic en-trapment,1,2,3,4 better pressure recording gauges are now in use. These devices can record pressure within 1 per cent above 1,000 psig and can detect differential pressures as low as 1/2 psig. In addition to formation pressure, several other reservoir characteristics can be determined from DST charts; namely, well productivity, formation permeability, wellbore damage, and the possible existence of bar- riers (faults, pinchouts, changes in permeability, etc.). This paper presents a practical method to interpret DST pressure charts for formation pressures and many other reservoir properties, a method that has been developed in analyzing approximately 4,000 DST charts during the last five years. The techniques used are a composite of published articles on drill-stem testing5,6, together with well-known pressure build-up analysis methods. THEORY It has been shown7,8 that the following equation may be used for analysis of pressure build-up curves: Po - Pw = 162.6 qu/kh log ( to + ?/?) .....(1) When this equation is applied to the curves obtained in drill-stem testing, the assumptions and boundary con-ditions are more nearly realized than in conventional flow and build-up tests on producing wells. Zak and Griffen9 have recently discussed in detail the use of this equation in analyzing DST charts. One of the problems with DST curves is the lack of reservoir data for precise analysis. Therefore, it is necessary to develop empirical rules and field methods for analyzing DST charts in quantity. For this reason, the empirical methods presented in this paper have been developed, and their derivation is found in Appendices A and B. METHOD USED FOR ACCURATE READING OF DRILL-STEM TEST CHARTS In order to apply the pressure build-up theory to DST charts, it is necessary to obtain a digitized expression for the pressure and time data recorded by the pressure gauge. These data may be either provided by the service company or interpolated by projecting a

Jan 1, 1958

By AIME AIME

INSTITUTE members attending the Annual Meeting in New York who want to see one of the mining engineers' newest aids, photoelastic stress analysis, are due for an interesting afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 15, when open house: will be held at the Columbia University mining laboratory. Information as to the direction and distribution off stresses in mine structures, which has been developed by Professor Bucky, associate professor at the Columbia School of Mines, and David Sinclair, research assistant, is useful in the design of pillars and in the placing of openings relative to working places such as gangways and haulage levels.: This work has been sponsored during the last ten years by the Engineering Foundation.. It is fully reported in T. P. No. 1140.

Jan 1, 1940

By Granville S. Borden

MANY complaints have been filed by mine prospectors, explorers and producers about inequities in mining taxation. They have insisted upon improvement, and in the past 35 years there has been some progress. Many of the best taxation provisions made to date are those contained in the Revenue Act of 1951. Mining economics presents special problems, a fact even recognized by many textbooks. Certain provisions have been made to take care of mining taxation rights, but these have been made by Congressional act and do not represent basic, constitutional, guarantees. Despite special provision, in the form of depletion allowances, there remain injustices. The industry faces the problem of gaining adequate income tax allowances for exploration and development expenditures, operating losses, and bonus and subsidy payments. Problems in mine taxation arose soon after the adoption of the 16th Amendment. This amendment gave Congress the power to impose income taxes. Supreme Court decisions against a number of mining companies held that Congress, under its power to tax income, could tax net operating revenue before depletion allowance was deducted. The court also ruled that the right to deduct depletion is a matter of Congressional permission. There is no statute provision permitting mining stockholders to recover their investment out of dividends while the mine is being operated. The Supreme Court did not recognize that part of mining proceeds are actually amortization of the cost of mineral rights. Both these omissions stem from failure to recognize that by its very nature mining consumes its mineral rights and therefore that a part of gross proceeds are not income but recovery of capital. Suppose a Congress unfriendly to mining interests repeals the provisions that allow deductions for depletion. Under such a situation assume that a corporation buys a mineral deposit for $300,000. They mine the deposit and earn an operating profit of $500,000. At the current rates they would pay a Federal Income tax of in excess of $250,000. This venture results in a loss of $50,000 as shown in the table below. For the example given the absence of depletion provisions in income tax law would turn ore into waste rock, because the word "ore" connotes commercially mineable rock. [ ] In retrospect the conclusion is clear: If the Supreme Court had recognized that a part of mining proceeds represent in reality sales proceeds of mineral rights, then profits derived from such sales would have been taxed at the favorable long-term capital rates, instead of being taxed at the high normal, surtax and excess profits rates. It is a question whether percentage depletion allowances offset this tax situation. History The history of depletion allowances has been one of general improvement. The original act did not include depletion, but an allowance at the rate of 5 pct of gross proceeds was provided in 1913. The Acts of 1916 and 1917 allowed depletion upon cost of property, and in 1918 the law was further changed to permit depletion upon cost, or market value as of date of discovery. In 1932 metal, coal and sulphur properties were permitted to elect depletion in percentages of gross income, limited to 50 pct of net income, in lieu of cost depletion. Shortly thereafter the rule was changed and percentage depletion is now allowable in any case where it is higher than cost depletion. Since 1942 percentage depletion allowances have been extended to cover many nonmetals, and in 1951 the rate for coal mines was increased from 5 to 10 pct of gross income. It is interesting to note that these allowances have been retained, and even

Jan 1, 1952

By D. S. Sanders, E. W. Witcomb

FLOTATION tests, from which the flowsheet for the concentrator was determined, were made in a pilot mill at Chuquicamata and later comparative testing of full size flotation cells was done at the Andes Copper Mining Co. concentrator in Potrerillos. The principal sulphide copper mineral is chalcocite with varying amounts of covellite, enargite, and chalcopyrite. The oxidized portion is principally antlerite, a green basic copper sulphate. The gangue minerals include quartz, sericite, pyrite, feldspars and kaolin. Chuquicamata pit ores have proved to be hard grinding. The results of the flotation and metallurgical work prove that good extraction and concentrate grade can be obtained under a rather wide range of conditions. Metallurgy In general the metallurgy of the ore requires a fairly close control of the grind to the primary rougher flotation and of the regrind of the primary rougher concentrate before cleaning. Regrinding is necessary to reduce the insoluble content of the final concentrate since a large part of the middling combinations are between the copper and silica minerals. The alkalinity of the pulps can vary between wide limits and control of the percent solids gives the desired grind. Alkalinity Control Arroyo Salado water is supplied to the concentrator head tanks. It contains about 5000 ppm of salts but test work shows no deleterious effect. Actually this water permits a decrease of as much as 1 lb of lime per ton of ore as compared to San Pedro water, which is used for leaching oxide ore. About one quarter of the water flow through the concentrator will be new water from the reservoir. The remainder will be reclaimed from the thickeners. For primary grinding and rougher flotation, new and reclaimed water are combined in the head tanks. To avoid erratic results, only new water is used in the regrind system. Milk of lime is added to the rod mill feed chute to obtain the maximum benefit of mixing with the ore. This protects the equipment from corrosion due to entrained acids and soluble copper salts. Lime consumption is 3 to 5 lb per ton of ore. Grinding and Flotation The six bin gates over each belt feeder are opened in controlled combination and sequence to keep a live bed of ore in the bin to prevent arching and to obtain mixing. The milk of lime added ahead of the rod mill is regulated to suit rougher flotation requirements. The primary promoter reagent, Aerofloat 238, is added to the 10-mesh discharge of the rod mill as it is laundered to the ball mill scoop box. The classifier overflow is regulated to produce a grind of about 12 to 15 pct +65 mesh and 60 pct -200 mesh. A secondary promoter Z-4 (aml zanthate) and the pine oil frother are added in the overflow launder where a pH of 10 to 11 is maintained. Comparatively heavy beds of froth on the

Jan 1, 1952

By F. L. Kadey

The petrographic microscope is a well known tool in nonmetallic materials research. Its utility in the study of perlite is, therefore, not surprising. Valuable information has been derived on samples smaller than those needed by most other methods of analysis. Relatively little has been written about the petrographic analysis of perlite for two chief reasons: perlite is a material of relatively new commercial interest; and the independent prospector or expander, responsible for most studies, attacks the problem from an immediately practical viewpoint. Hence, petrographic studies of perlite have been limited to academic aspects. Rapid development of commercial interest in perlite has changed the situation. Mining and expanding companies now have effective research tools; and such instruments as the petrographic microscope have added materially to practical knowledge about this mineral. Petrographic techniques employed in the search for suitable deposits screen worthless samples rapidly and inexpensively compared with large-scale expanding tests. Hence, only samples of potential quality are selected for further testing. Field appearance of perlite reveals little about its true identity and practically nothing about its commercial significance. Consequently, any method that can be used to separate the "wheat from the chaff" is valuable. In addition to the conventional thin-section and immersion methods used in evaluation of crude perlite, petrographic microscope techniques have contributed to the study of expanded perlite. When apparently similar materials behave as differently in use as perlites, the internal structure of the individual particles becomes a subject of great interest. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the petrographic techniques used to characterize this material. WHAT IS PERLITE AND WHERE IS IT FOUND? Perlite was at first described as a glassy rhyolite possessing a pearl-like luster and exhibiting numerous concentric cracks resembling an onion skin appearance.' Fig. 1 is an illustration of perlite in this classical sense. Recently, its definition has taken on a commercial connotation: an acid volcanic containing 2 to 5% of combined water that, when heated rapidly to the softening point of the glass, coincident with the volatilization of the combined water, expands or "pops". Fig. 2, although hardly fitting the classical description given by Johannsen, is an excellent perlite in the commercial sense. It may occur as a breccia in rhyolite, (Fig. 3) and sometimes it is associated with obsidian nodules, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The term perlite includes the expanded product also. In the United States, perlitic rocks are restricted to the western part of the country. 2 Elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, European occurrences follow a belt beginning in Iceland and extending in a southeasterly direction through Scotland, County Antrim in Northern Ireland, and through the Massif Central of France, Germany, and Hungary; thence, into Italy and Sardinia, and through some of the Aegean Islands. A general oriental belt extends from Japan through Australia and New Zealand. Rhyolitic areas elsewhere in the world undoubtedly contain perlite.

Jan 1, 1963

By James R. I. Henagan, William O. Crego

The Mamou Field, located in Evangeline Parish, La., is an elongated anticlinal structure on the downthrown side of a major east-west fault with oil and gas production from the upper part of the Wilcox formation. Two main producing horizons occur at an approximate depth of 11,500 ft and have been designated the Morein sand and the Deshotels sand. The upper sand (Morein) had an original bottom-hole pressure of 6,788 psig, which is some 1,500 psi above the normal pressure for that depth. Oil production with high gas/oil ratios and fluid analyses giving high shrinkage factors prompted a study of the reservoir in its early stages. The results indicated a closed reservoir producing under solution gas drive with low expected ultimate oil recovery. The early study of the Wilcox formation and its contained hydrocarbons resulted in the presentation of the data to the Department of Conservation of the State of Louisiana. with suggestions for field rules and a request for permission to inject extraneous water into the Morein sand. The water injection plans eventually led to complete unitization of working and royalty interests, to the construction of a gasoline plant, and to a central tank battery installation for the field. Deshotels sand wells were reworked to the Morein sand, and the water injection system was installed and ready for continuous operation in the early part of 1949. The injection of water was started in time to arrest the bottom-hole pressure decline at or near the bubble-point pressure. This injection was calculated to increase the ultimate recovery and to conserve natural resources. Pressure maintenance, the extraction of LPG products, and the sale of residue gas (early 1950) represent an attempt to produce an oil field with utmost efficiency. INTRODUCTION The two principal Wilcox oil horizons in the Mamou Field are the Morein sand and the Deshotels sand, occurring at 11,500 ft and 11,700 ft subsea, respectively. Minor oil production has been encountered in Morein stringer sands. (Fig. 1.) This paper deals only with the Morein sand, which is blanket over the Mamou Field. It is, however, segmented by the northwest-southeast "E" fault as shown in Fig. 2. The west segment is the area involved in the water injection pressure maintenance program. To date the east segment has operated largely under the influence of a strong water drive. The paper presents (1) a brief history of field development, (2) a resumé of reservoir conditions which led to the decision to inject extraneous salt water into the principal producing horizon, and (3) a summary of reservoir analysis and performance. FIELD DEVELOPMENT The Mamou Field is located in Evangeline Parish, La. The discovery well (J. B. Morein No. 1, now Unit No. 5) was completed in December, 1945, after penetrating 200 ft into the Wilcox formation. Initial production from the Morein

Jan 1, 1951

By James R. I. Henagan, William O. Crego

The Mamou Field, located in Evangeline Parish, La., is an elongated anticlinal structure on the downthrown side of a major east-west fault with oil and gas production from the upper part of the Wilcox formation. Two main producing horizons occur at an approximate depth of 11,500 ft and have been designated the Morein sand and the Deshotels sand. The upper sand (Morein) had an original bottom-hole pressure of 6,788 psig, which is some 1,500 psi above the normal pressure for that depth. Oil production with high gas/oil ratios and fluid analyses giving high shrinkage factors prompted a study of the reservoir in its early stages. The results indicated a closed reservoir producing under solution gas drive with low expected ultimate oil recovery. The early study of the Wilcox formation and its contained hydrocarbons resulted in the presentation of the data to the Department of Conservation of the State of Louisiana. with suggestions for field rules and a request for permission to inject extraneous water into the Morein sand. The water injection plans eventually led to complete unitization of working and royalty interests, to the construction of a gasoline plant, and to a central tank battery installation for the field. Deshotels sand wells were reworked to the Morein sand, and the water injection system was installed and ready for continuous operation in the early part of 1949. The injection of water was started in time to arrest the bottom-hole pressure decline at or near the bubble-point pressure. This injection was calculated to increase the ultimate recovery and to conserve natural resources. Pressure maintenance, the extraction of LPG products, and the sale of residue gas (early 1950) represent an attempt to produce an oil field with utmost efficiency. INTRODUCTION The two principal Wilcox oil horizons in the Mamou Field are the Morein sand and the Deshotels sand, occurring at 11,500 ft and 11,700 ft subsea, respectively. Minor oil production has been encountered in Morein stringer sands. (Fig. 1.) This paper deals only with the Morein sand, which is blanket over the Mamou Field. It is, however, segmented by the northwest-southeast "E" fault as shown in Fig. 2. The west segment is the area involved in the water injection pressure maintenance program. To date the east segment has operated largely under the influence of a strong water drive. The paper presents (1) a brief history of field development, (2) a resumé of reservoir conditions which led to the decision to inject extraneous salt water into the principal producing horizon, and (3) a summary of reservoir analysis and performance. FIELD DEVELOPMENT The Mamou Field is located in Evangeline Parish, La. The discovery well (J. B. Morein No. 1, now Unit No. 5) was completed in December, 1945, after penetrating 200 ft into the Wilcox formation. Initial production from the Morein

Jan 1, 1951

By Louise Barton Freeman, Coleman D. Hunter

The total production of oil in Kentucky during the year 1943 reached 7,010,776 bbl., which is more than at any time since 1930. Of this total, 5,287,659 bbl. was produced from the counties west of the Cincinnati arch, 692,359 bbl. from the 18 new pools opened during the year, and 3,260,765 from the Smith Mills pool, which was discovered in August of 1942. This is an important increase in western Kentucky in spite of the low price of crude, and demonstrates effectively the desire of the industry to cooperate in meeting the increased demands made by the war. Western Kentucky Two deep tests were drilled in the Kentucky portion of the Mississippi Embayment this year. Both were drilled to test the St. Peter. One well, drilled in Marshall County by the Adams Oil and Gas Co., did not encounter any St. Peter sandstone but drilled 650 ft. of formation below the position of the St. Peter and above the true Knox dolomite. The other well, in Ballard County, was reported to have tested the St. Peter and to have been temporarily abandoned at 3069 ft. At this depth the well probably was stopped in about the same formation as the Marshall County well. No accurate information is available on the Ballard County well. Several new producing areas were added to the list of fields in the western Kentucky coal basin, in Daviess, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union and Webster Counties. The Smith Mills pool was enlarged and production was found in the McClosky (Ste. Genevieve) in addition to the Cypress sandstone from which much of the earlier production had been obtained. There was some interest during the year in testing the Devonian and Silurian formations in the area south and east of the western Kentucky coal basin. In the fall of 1943, a 15 to 20-bbl. well was drilled in Allen County and two more wells are now being drilled. The production was obtained from within a few feet of the base of the Chattanooga black shale, probably in the upper Silurian. One well in Simpson County was drilled completely through the Silurian section before it was abandoned. Several wells were drilled in Logan, Todd and Christian Counties to test the Devonian where it is thinned by removal of the upper formations before deposition of the Chattanooga shale. None of these wells was successful but several other locations are now being tested. The Silurian thins in like manner on the eastern flank of the coal basin as the crest of the Cincinnati arch is approached, and it is along this thinning edge that such fields as the LeGrande, Logsdon Valley, Magnolia, Bowling Green and the Barren County pools were developed. A number of wells were drilled around these old pools in an effort to extend them, some of which were successful. The wells listed this year in Larue, Hardin, Barren, Hart and Warren Counties were drilled in the search for other such fields.

Jan 1, 1944

By Louise Barton Freeman, Coleman D. Hunter

The total production of oil in Kentucky during the year 1943 reached 7,010,776 bbl., which is more than at any time since 1930. Of this total, 5,287,659 bbl. was produced from the counties west of the Cincinnati arch, 692,359 bbl. from the 18 new pools opened during the year, and 3,260,765 from the Smith Mills pool, which was discovered in August of 1942. This is an important increase in western Kentucky in spite of the low price of crude, and demonstrates effectively the desire of the industry to cooperate in meeting the increased demands made by the war. Western Kentucky Two deep tests were drilled in the Kentucky portion of the Mississippi Embayment this year. Both were drilled to test the St. Peter. One well, drilled in Marshall County by the Adams Oil and Gas Co., did not encounter any St. Peter sandstone but drilled 650 ft. of formation below the position of the St. Peter and above the true Knox dolomite. The other well, in Ballard County, was reported to have tested the St. Peter and to have been temporarily abandoned at 3069 ft. At this depth the well probably was stopped in about the same formation as the Marshall County well. No accurate information is available on the Ballard County well. Several new producing areas were added to the list of fields in the western Kentucky coal basin, in Daviess, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union and Webster Counties. The Smith Mills pool was enlarged and production was found in the McClosky (Ste. Genevieve) in addition to the Cypress sandstone from which much of the earlier production had been obtained. There was some interest during the year in testing the Devonian and Silurian formations in the area south and east of the western Kentucky coal basin. In the fall of 1943, a 15 to 20-bbl. well was drilled in Allen County and two more wells are now being drilled. The production was obtained from within a few feet of the base of the Chattanooga black shale, probably in the upper Silurian. One well in Simpson County was drilled completely through the Silurian section before it was abandoned. Several wells were drilled in Logan, Todd and Christian Counties to test the Devonian where it is thinned by removal of the upper formations before deposition of the Chattanooga shale. None of these wells was successful but several other locations are now being tested. The Silurian thins in like manner on the eastern flank of the coal basin as the crest of the Cincinnati arch is approached, and it is along this thinning edge that such fields as the LeGrande, Logsdon Valley, Magnolia, Bowling Green and the Barren County pools were developed. A number of wells were drilled around these old pools in an effort to extend them, some of which were successful. The wells listed this year in Larue, Hardin, Barren, Hart and Warren Counties were drilled in the search for other such fields.

Jan 1, 1944

By Stanley J. LeFond, Neal Davis

Drilling an oil well or most other types of drilling or coring is no longer a simple and uncomplicated operation. Drilling today at depths which exceed 9144 m (30,000 ft) is hazardous and requires personnel with long and varied experience in drilling. It also requires extensive experience and knowledge in the use of materials which are added to the drilling fluid or "mud," more often than not materials utilizing an industrial mineral. The drilling fluid can vary from a simple mixture of water and "mud" to a very sophisticated, scientifically compounded drilling fluid. Industrial Minerals Used in Drilling Fluids Industrial minerals which are commonly used in oilwell drilling and completion are listed in Table 1. The most important minerals, determined by sales, are bentonite and barite. The other minerals listed are either used to achieve a specific purpose or are used regularly but in limited quantities. The main suppliers of drilling fluids internationally are Magcobar Div., Dresser Industries, Inc.; Baroid Div., National Lead Co.; IMC Drilling Mud Co., (a subsidiary of international Minerals and Chemicals Corp. and Halliburton Co.); and Milchem, a division of Baker Industries. Most of the industrial minerals are found in North America, with barite mines and processing plants located in Nevada, Arkansas, Missouri, and Arizona, and bentonite mines near Graybull, WY. Other mines, such as those in Nova Scotia, are capable of shipping to South America and to the European and Middle East countries. Most of the materials processed by any of the suppliers must conform to specifications set by the American Petroleum Institute (API) or the Oil Companies Material Organization (OCMA). These specifications provide for uniform physical and chemical properties of the materials to be sold on the open market. Function of Drilling Fluids In the early days of rotary drilling, the primary function of drilling fluids was to bring the cuttings from the bottom of the hole to the surface. Today it is recognized the drilling fluid has at least ten important functions: 1) To remove the cuttings from the bottom of the hole and carry them to the surface. 2) To cool and lubricate the drill string and drill bit. 3) To build an impermeable cake on the wall of the hole. 4) To control subsurface pressures. 5) To hold cuttings and weight material in suspension when circulation is interrupted. 6) To release sand and cuttings at the surface. 7) To support part of the weight of drill pipe and casing. 8) To reduce to a minimum any adverse effects upon the formation adjacent to the hole. 9) To insure maximum information about the formation penetrated. 10) To transmit hydraulic horsepower to the bit. In order to accomplish some or all of these functions while penetrating formations of various characteristics, several types of drilling fluids systems have been designed. Types of Drilling Muds There are two basic drilling fluid systems-water-base muds and oil-base muds. There is a wide variety of groups within these two main

Jan 1, 1983

By Harry H. Power

INDUSTRY has the right to expect the petroleum engineering schools to supply more than the minimum technical qualifications necessary to obtain or discharge the responsibilities of a particular job. The basic training, social and economic orientation, should go far beyond these minimum requirements. Petroleum engineering students should also be well grounded in the history of the oil business so that they may understand the industry's progress since the advent of the Drake well. Furthermore, according to P. H. Bohart, the schools "have a definite duty to help the students form a workable philosophy of life, which includes an appreciation of the service of science to mankind, and a belief in the obligation of the individual who enters a profession to exalt himself by continuing his studies and growth so that he may never cease making contributions to the advancement of science and industry."

Jan 1, 1948

By Roy J. Helfinstine, Gilbert H. Cady

One of the most urgent needs in the field of coal combustion is the ability to predict the performance of a coal from knowledge gained from small-scale tests. Numerous types of analyses and tests are conducted on coal, including the proximate and ultimate analyses, heating value, varieties of sulphur, ash analysis, ash fusion temperatures, free swelling index, petrographic analysis, and Gieseler. plasticity. The Illinois Geological Survey has made an intensive study of the value of these tests for judging the performance characteristics of the coal as actually utilized. To date, three reports1,2,3 have been issued, and another is being prepared. The present paper briefly summarizes some of the results found in the studies. Equipment The equipment used for the tests is described in some detail in the above mentioned publications. Briefly, it consisted of a domestic stoker, cast-iron boiler, and water-cooled heat exchanger, which were operated as a forced circulation hot-water system. The entire unit was mounted on scales. Instruments for recording the per- formance of the coal included a hot-water meter to indicate the quantity of water flowing through the boiler; a two-pen, mercury-actuated thermometer to record the temperatures of the water entering and leaving the boiler; a chemical-type meter to record the percentage of CO2 in the stack gases; a pressure gauge to record the static pressure in the stoker-air duct; and a multipoint potentiometer to record the temperatures in the stack and room, and the opacity of the stack gases. A 16 mm motion picture camera was available for taking pictures of either the fuel bed or the scale dial. Procedure The tests described in this report can be conveniently divided into three phases. For the first phase, a load of 5 or 6 tons of unwashed coal (usually screenings) was obtained from each of fourteen Illinois mines. These coals were all crushed and screened to a size of 35 in. (square hole) by 8 mesh. Combustion tests were made on a part of this raw, screened coal. Another portion was passed over a concentrating table to reduce the ash to what was considered to be commercially reasonable, and combustion tests were made on this upgraded coal. The ash content of the remaining coal was reduced to a still lower figure by passing it over the washing table with greater reject, or by standard float-sink procedure. This cleaned fraction was then tested in the stoker-boiler unit. Thus three coals with varying ash content were tested from each mine. For the second phase reported here, coals were obtained from four Arkansas mines and tested as received and after passing over the concentrating table with a normal reject. One Illinois coal was tested in the "washed" condition only. The third phase included tests on commercially prepared stoker coals

Jan 1, 1950

TWENTY-FOUR of the 28 local sections and the two divisions of the Institute were represented at the meeting. Three sections failed to appoint delegates and two of those appointed failed to attend the delegates' meeting proper. Four sessions were held, two on Monday and two shorter adjourned ses-sions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Even at the end many things remained to be said and, in view of the amount of time the delegates lost from technical ses-sions the feeling was general that next year it would be advisable to hold their meeting the day before or day after the general meeting. Every part of the country was represented from Boston to Los Angeles and Seattle to Washington. All phases of Institute work and policy were taken up in the most informal way and the delegates will carry back to the sections, as they brought to headquarters, many ideas that will prove useful and stimulating. The time was divided between reports by the delegates on section activities and reports by officers of the In-stitute and of the various joint activities on the work at headquarters : A. D. Flinn told of the work of Engi-neering Foundation; W. V. Brown discussed the Em-ployment Service; J. A. Sohon explained what the Library is doing; T. T. Read told how the sections could help MINING AND METALLURGY ; H. Foster Bain discussed Institute affairs in general and asked and answered questions. An interesting new feature of the meeting was the appearance by request of Directors Turner and Smith of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and U. S. Geological Survey to answer inquiries as to the needs and work of their Bureaus. So much attention had been paid this year by the western sections to the diminished funds made available at Washington for research on mining problems that many questions came up. The accom-panying figures epitomize the answers.

Jan 3, 1928

By Louis E. Toth, Alan W. Searcy

A modification of Le Claire's microscopic model for self-diffusion is developed in a form suitable for prediction of activation energies for diffusion in disordered substitutional solutions as well as in pure metals Bonding is considered as a localized interaction, and the energy of bonding between atoms of different types is taken as the arithmetic mean of the energies in the pure elements. The activation energies for vacancy formation and migration in substitutional alloys are shown to depend on the empirical constants developed for self-diffusion when the equations are adjusted for the mole fractions of the two elements. The differences in activation energies between alloys and pure metals are calculated and compared with the experimental differences. MaNY different correlations have been proposed for use in predicting activation energies for self-diffusion or diffusion in dilute alloys. Usually theories for self-diffusion cannot be applied to alloys nor can theories for dilute alloys be satisfactorily adapted to self-diffusion. We present here a correlation scheme which can approximate activation energies for diffusion, vacancy formation, and atom migration in substitutional-alloy systems of any concentration. The activation energy for self-diffusion QD has been correlated to the melting temperature Tm,1, 2 the sublimation energy L,,l the heat of fusion Lf,3 crystal structure, and valence.4 Working with mechanical parameters Le claire5 proposed that the activation energy for vacancy migration Qm could be related to appropriate shear moduli. He also proposed that the activation energy for vacancy formation 62, is proportional to Ls. THEORY We consider that Le Claire's expression for 4, is satisfactory. But an alternate expression for Qm in terms of the bulk modulus is just as satisfactory from a theoretical point of view for the prediction of the energy of vacancy migration in pure metals and can more easily be used for alloys. In order for Qm to be a minimum, not only the moving atom but also adjacent and nearby atoms must undergo distortions. These distortions are neither isotropic as is implied by a correlation with the bulk modulus nor unidirectional as implied by a correlation with a shear modulus, but are complex and multidirectional. A complete analysis in terms of the bulk modulus and all the shear moduli is not yet available. In a first approximation in which only one parameter is used, there is no obvious theoretical reason to prefer the shear modulus over the bulk modulus. The bulk modulus is a much more convenient parameter for use in predicting Qm. Shear moduli are known for less than half of the metallic elements while bulk moduli are usually available. Furthermore, because of the directional dependence of shear moduli, their estimation for alloys appears inherently more difficult than is the estimation of bulk moduli. We assume that the bulk modulus Bs reflects an average value of the shear moduli such that the strain energy at the point of maximum distortion of the lattice during vacancy migration can be expressed as

Jan 1, 1964

By AIME AIME

TWENTY-TWO sections and all four of the divisions sent delegates to the annual meeting. They became so interested in the wide ranging dis6ussion of old and yet ever-new problems of Institute affairs that three instead of two sessions scheduled were necessary. Monday morning the meeting assembled with President Bassett presiding in the absence of President-elect Tally, who had been called to Baltimore by the serious illness of a brother. Thursday morning Vice-president Turner presided until Mr. Tally appeared after which the latter guided the sessions. Since reports from all of the active sections save one had been mimeographed and sent in advance to the delegates, detailed reports from each were dispensed with. The discussions dealt largely with membership problems, both local and national, with financing, speakers and programs, visits from national officers, and the conduct of the annual meeting. Many interesting and constructive suggestions were made and will be reported back to the sections by the delegates.

Jan 1, 1931

Michigan College of Mining and Technology, Houghton, Mich W. O Hotchkiss, President. Copies of the Engineering Research Bulletins of the College of Mining and Metallurgy are sent free upon request to those who ask to be placed on the mailing list. From the complete list

Jan 1, 1933

By H. Furman Byars

INTRODUCTION of bottom dump hauling units into the Ray, Ariz., stripping operation of the Isbell Construction Co., was motivated by several reasons, with what appears to be debatable results. The accepted theory of truck design for use in open-pit holds that end dump vehicles are the most adaptable for the work. But, because operations of the bottom dump, under certain construction and haulage conditions, proved economically feasible, the unit was put to work in the Ray copper pit. The decision to try bottom dump was reached after considerable observation of the unit in action on construction of earth filled dams, levees, airport construction and several other similar tasks. Basic tire design also motivated the choice. All things being equal, a vehicle running on low pressure single tires will outperform another operating on dual high pressure tires, providing load carrying capacities are the same. The investment required to equip a vehicle with four single tires to handle the same load as one with dual tires mounted on two axles and single front axles is about 60 pct greater. Thus, in order to reach the break even point on tire costs, single tires must operate 60 pct longer. Comparison is made with a truck outfitted with 10 16:00x25 tires. Two other factors were considered in selecting bottom dump trucks. It was felt the bottom dump principle would work well in dumping ore into a hopper where gate design fits this particular method. Also, with the absence of hydraulic dumping, ore pollution with oil is reduced. The mechanical simplicity of the unit also lent weight to its choice. Ordinary reasoning indicated maintenance costs would be low compared with other units carrying similar loads. The bottom dumping principle is not new. It dates back to the days when horses were used to haul the same kind of rig. The unit employed at Ray holds 25 cu yd struck measure, or approximately 42 short tons. Dumping is accomplished by releasing an air cylinder opening a dog holding the doors. Doors are closed by a cable system operating off a wheel wind deriving power by friction with the trailer tire. The unit is mounted on four 27.00x33 and two 14.00x24 tires on the front axle. The power unit is a 300 hp Cummins engine. Hydraulic power boosts the steering. A straight mechanical drive and friction clutch with 10 speeds is used. Conditions Not Ideal Top performance of the truck can be expected only under the conditions for which it was designed, in particular grades under 5 pct, handling fine material, and dumping where one thin layer can be placed on top of another. The machine will handle 42 tons per haul, operating at high speed, with only seconds used for dumping. On a 2 or 3 pct grade over a one mile haul,

Jan 1, 1952