Search Documents

By O. C. Wheeler

The production of oil in Colombia during 1933 was at the lowest level since the completion of the loop of the Andian pipe line in 1927. The commercial production amounted to 13,157,641 bbl., all of which was produced from the Infantas and La Cira structures of the Tropical Oil Company. One of the most important developments was the discovery of what may be commercial production on the Colombian Petroleum (Gulf) Company's Tarra anticline on the Barco Concession in eastern Colombia near the Venezuelan border. This promises to become the second commercially productive area developed in Colombia and, perhaps, one of major importance. Applications made in 1931 for concessions under the new Colombian petroleum law were ratified covering the Putana application of the Tropical Oil Co. and others of local Colombian and French interests west of the Carare River. On none of these concessions has any development work yet been initiated. South American Gulf Oil Company The following information covering the activities of the South American Gulf Oil Co. was furnished by E. S. Bleecker, chief geologist of the company. Magdalena Valley.—No development work was undertaken during the year either on the Valenzuela property acquired from the Colombian Syndicate or on the lands obtained from the Leonard Oil Development Co. near the Sogamoso River. The Valenzuela property was relinquished and a portion of the material was removed therefrom to the Leonard property near by. Colombian Petroleum Co.—The Colombian Petroleum Co., controlled by the Gulf interests, pursued an active development campaign on the Chaux-Folsom or so-called Barco Concession in the Department of North Santander. The drilling of the first well was begun early in the year on the north Petrolea dome of the Tarra anticline and at 490 ft. a heavy flow of oil, gas and salt water was encountered. On blowing in unexpectedly, the well caught fire, and after being extinguished was controlled only by pumping large quantities of cement into the formation and plugging the well. The drilling of the second test, No. 1-A, approximately one kilo-

Jan 1, 1934

By Chairman Hill H. H.

The Round Table Discussion on Petroleum Engineering Research was planned for two purposes. First, to review the work that has been done by petroleum engineers during the past few years on problems that have confronted the industry and, second, to suggest new studies that should be made either on the problems that have been the subject of research during the past or on problems that have arisen only recently. It was believed that by holding an informal discussion of the problems in which the petroleum engineer is vitally interested it would be possible to bring out new ideas as to the relative importance of the different problems that should be studied and to suggest new methods for attacking some of the problems that have resisted the energies of research workers throughout the industry. It was also believed that by arranging for an exchange of experiences between the different engineers it would be possible to prevent a large amount of duplication of effort in conducting research work. Those engaged in petroleum engineering research realize that there is a broad field for study and by coordinating the work it will be possible to obtain the maximum amount of information in the shortest possible time. In planning the program on Petroleum Engineering Research, nine subjects were selected for discussion and each was assigned to a man who is doing work on that subject. These men were asked to lead the discussion on the problem assigned to each one. An effort was made to choose problems of a practical nature and upon which considerable work is being conducted at the present time. Some of the men who were asked to lead the discussion were unable to attend the meeting but most of them submitted a written discussion- of the subject assigned, with the result that there was a discussion of eight of the nine problems. Professor Uren, who was asked to lead the discussion on the subject of Recent Developments in Methods for Reducing Gas-oil Ratios, was unable to attend the meeting and advised that he did not have any new ideas to contribute.

Jan 1, 1928

Undoubtedly other members have given their lives in the Service of the United States and the Allies during the past four years, but the following biographical notices are all that have reached us as yet. Lewis Newton Bailey Lewis Newton Bailey died of pneumonia at Camp Merritt, N. J., Apr. 30, 1918, at the age of 34 years. He was Master Engineer, Senior Grade, in the Fourth Regiment, U. S. Engineers, and although he was offered a commission as First Lieutenant shortly after enlisting, he preferred not to accept it until he had reached France. By those who knew him well, this lack of eagerness for promotion will be recognized as consistent with his whole character. Mr. Bailey was born at San Diego, Cal., May 28,1884, and graduated from the University of California, College of Mines, in 1906. He joined the American Institute of Mining Engineers in 1916. During 1904 he was employed at the cyanide plant of the Buckeye mines, Forest Hills, Cal. In the autumn of 1909 he went to the Coeur d'Alene District, Idaho, and was first employed on construction work of the Bunker Hill & Sullivan Mining & Concentrating Co'., with a short intermission at the Hercules mill, after which. he was sampler and assayer for the Bunker Hill & Sullivan Co. until May, 1910, when he was obliged to return to California to attend to family interests. Returning to the Coeur d'Alene district in November, 1911, he was given charge of remodelling and operating the mill of the Coeur d'Alene Development Co., treating the output of the Ontario mine; this work he performed with credit and complete success. In December, 1914, he returned to the Bunker Hill & Sullivan Co., as assistant metallurgist and mill superintendent, his work consisting mainly in the testing and improvement of concentrator practice, which he continued with great credit until August, 1915, when family considerations required that he again return to the home of his parents at San Diego. Mr. Bailey was characterized by energy, both physical and mental, by devotion to his friends, associates and employer. He was particularly successful in his relations with the men under him and, in fact, was thoroughly well likcd by everybody with whom he came in contact.

Jan 1, 1920

By J. A. Herrick Nashua

IN this country steel made in a Siemens furnace or Bessemer converter, is generally tapped into a ladle or shoe, and then drawn through an aperture in its base into the various moulds. In order to regulate the flow of the molten mass a refractory valve is arranged at the aperture. A plumbago nozzle is fixed firmly in this aperture, and a stopper of like material is fitted to it, making a socket valve. In order to raise and depress this stopper at will, a rod is fastened-to it, extending through, the metal and over the brim of the ladle, where it is bent back in a half circle and secured in a slide. This slide plays vertically in a frame, permanently fastened to the outside of the ladle, and is moved by a lever having as a fulcrum a pin fixed in this frame, one end, of the lever being temporarily fixed to the slide, and the other end being moved by hand. Reference being had to the drawing (see Plate 1, Fig. 1), E is the nozzle, D is the stopper, A is the rod, protected as hereinafter described, C is the cast-iron framework, B is the wrought-iron slide, B' is the offset into which the rod, A, enters, and is secured in the usual manner by a key, a. Section J, K, shows the manner of hanging the lever. J is a pin attached to the slide by which the end of the lever raises the slide, B. J is the fulcrum fastened to the frame, C. K (Fig. 1) is a hand-nut fastening the slide, B, to the frame, C, at will. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of ladle, showing the outside working of the parts above described. It is the common practice to protect the rod, A, by a coating of clay and fire-sand, kneaded to the right consistency and applied to the rod, and then thoroughly dried. Just before casting, the plumbago stopper, D, is heated at its extremity to redness separate from the ladle and, at the moment of pouring, is placed in the ladle and slide, and adjusted as well as practicable. Some very serious defects ensue, causing much trouble and vexation as well as actual loss. The fire-clay coating in drying becomes cracked and seamy, and at its best is more or less loose on the rod. The hot metal sometimes cuts

Jan 1, 1879

By R. F. Shurtz

This note calls attention to a contradiction in current eatistical theory and to corresponding difficulties in practice. These are significant concern in evaluating almost all ore deposits. The theoretical contradiction is that the commonly used spherical model for the semivariogram is not consistent with the usual definition of a "regionalized variable" as a mathematical function, the direct study of which "is excluded because its spatial variability is usually extremely erratic, with all kinds of discontinuities. . ." (Journel and Huijbregts, 1978). Specifically, this means a grade function that is too "rough" for interpolation to be useful. The practical difficulty is that the spherical semivariogram interprets the data upon which it is based in a manner that is, more often than not, demonstrably inconsistent with reality. This is attributable to the widely disregarded interaction between the sample pattern and the grade function. Each sample pattern "blurs" the grade function in its own particular way. It is as though the grade structure of the deposit were seen through a lens of poor resolution or reflected in a warped mirror, such as those found in amusement parks. The fitted spherical model embeds this sometimes dangerously blurred and distorted image in the Krige regression. A full analysis of these inconsistencies is to be presented later but, in the meantime, it seems urgent to communicate their effects so that those engaged in estimating ore reserves may be on guard. The spherical semivariogram has a sill and can be replaced by the corresponding covariogram. The equation of the spherical covariogram in normalized form, that is, variance and range both equal to one, is represented as: [ ]

Jan 1, 1984

By E. S. Bardwell

DURING the period extending from May, 1922, to September, 1923, the copper-refining furnaces of the Great Falls Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Great Falls, Mont., were operated exclusively with pulverized coal as fuel. The installation was made first as an experiment. It proved successful from the start and was abandoned solely because fuel oil from the Sunburst field became available at a price sufficiently low to make its use desirable from an economic standpoint. The equipment required for pulverized coal has, however, been kept intact and is available for immediate use should the oil supply fail. Inasmuch as pulverized coal had been used on two large reverberatory smelting furnaces and was, at the time we were considering its application to the copper-refining furnaces, being used on the Wedge furnaces roasting zinc concentrate for the electrolytic zinc plant, we were equipped with a coal-pulverizing plant of ample capacity to supply pulverized coal for the furnace refinery. The only problem was to devise suitable means for transporting pulverized coal from the pulverizer plant, located in the smelter building, to the refinery about 1000 ft. distant and about 150 ft. above the level of the pulverizer plant. When studying this installation, it should be borne in mind that the layout represents an adaptation suited to the existing conditions at this particular plant. The installation was entirely satisfactory and uniformly dependable but might be modified to advantage from an operating point of view if an entirely new installation were being planned.

Jan 9, 1925

Jan 1, 1915

By Ralph Monaghan, Arthur Youmans

General principles of scintillation counter-type instruments for radioactivity logging are discussed and the various possible causes for instability are examined. It is shown how instrumentation problems are solved. Means are discussed for minimizing drift and instability due to "fatigue" of the photomultiplier tube and neutron activation of the crystals. INTRODUCTION Neutron and gamma-ray logs made with logging instruments employing scintillation counters are now routinely available from most of the logging service companies. The superior characteristics of scintillation counters by comparison with older types of detectors promises to bring about important improvements in quantitative interpretation of radioactivity logs. Moreover, new types of logs can be made with scintillation counters which are not possible with other detectors. But in spite of the obvious superiority of these counters with respect to efficiency, speed, and versatility, they suffer from a number of inherent difficulties and weak- nesses. Unless these inherent diffi-culties are fully recognized and satisfactorily overcome by sound engineering of the associated instrumentation, scintillation counter logs are particularly likely to exhibit drift and instability of sensitivity. This defect in logs when they are intended for quantitative interpretation is intolerable and more than outweighs any advantages over the older type of instrumentation when the latter is operating correctly. SCINTILLATION COUNTER OPERATION In general all radioactivity logging instruments consist of a detector sensitive to gamma radiation or to neutron radiation coming from the strata. This radioactivity is either due to naturally decaying radioactive elements in the rock, radioactivity induced in the rock by a neutron source in the instrument, or scattering by the rock of neutrons or gamma rays coming from a source in the instrument. In the scintillation counter the gamma radiation or neutron radiation reacts with the scintillation phosphor to produce light pulses. These light pulses are then converted to amplified electrical pulses by the multiplier phototube. Basically the problem of making a good scintillation counter logging instrument is to make the radiation sensitivity of the system as nearly constant as possible. The size of each scintillation counter pulse is dependent on the energy of the individual quantum of radiation being detected. In normal radiation logging, gamma rays of all energies, up to some maximum value, reach the detector. If a suitable scintillator is used, such as a sodium iodide crystal, each gamma ray produces a number of photons proportional to the energy absorbed by the crystal from the impinging radiation. The light flashes are detected by means of a photo-multiplier tube which contains not only a photo-sensitive cathode from which photoelectrons are collected, but also an amplifier, called an electron multiplier, built inside the photomultiplier tube; the electron multiplier usually has about 10 stages, having an over-all gain of perhaps 500,000. In an ordinary gamma-ray log one wishes to detect all gamma rays down to the lowest possible energy; therefore, one wishes only to reject the "noise" pulses which are invariably present due to thermal emission of electrons from the photo-cathode of the photomultiplier. In other radioactivity logs it may be desired to measure the radiation within a particular energy band, or above

Jan 1, 1958

By Fred N. Kissell, Maurice Deul

When coal is broken during mining, some of the methane trapped in the coal is released. Some recent investigations by the U.S. Bureau of Mines have shown that this methane released by breakage is only a small proportion of the total methane emission into the working section.

Jan 1, 1975

ZAY JEFFRIES,* Cleveland, Ohio (written discussion?).-The microscope has, indeed, proved a mighty tool in the study of the structures of substances. It is limited in its resolving power to the wave length of the light used for illumination. A little in resolving power can be gained by using ultraviolet rays, which can only be detected by the photographic plate. Even the highest powered microscope only permits the study of aggregates of millions of atoms. The x-ray spectrometer, on the other hand, makes it possible to study the positions of the atoms in a crystal. The positions of the atoms in over fifty crystals have now been ascertained. But in amorphous substances the x-ray spectrometer is only able to tell us that the atoms seem to have no regular arrangement; the actual arrangement and method of grouping is still a mystery. In most perfectly formed crystals and in so-called "grains" in metals, the x-ray spectrometer teaches us that colloids seem to play no role inasmuch as the atoms are arranged in regular layers rather than in random clusters. In the boundary region between crystalline grains of like as well as unlike substances and in amorphous substances like glass, it seems probable that the random clusters, or colloids, play an important role. There still remains the application of wave lengths connecting the ultraviolet and x-rays both by direct reflection or diffraction and by the ultramicroscope. In the study of substances like glass, for example, it may be possible to identify the clusters or molecules by one wave length and to study the positions of the atoms in a cluster by using a smaller wave length. Any light that can be thrown on this important unknown subject and its relation to the properties of substances is therefore very welcome, and Mr. Alexander's paper is so written as to stimulate thought and experimentation in this direction. JEROME ALEXANDER (author's reply to discussion ?).-Col. Bancroft states' that in the case of alloys, the mass is always crystalline. While this generally may be so in the case of alloys, as ordinarily met with, before the alloy reaches this state or condition, its constituent particles must be in a still more finely dispersed state. In alloys, the speed' of transition between the finely dispersed state where the phases are amorphous, and the crystalline state where the phases are of known composi-

Jan 5, 1919

By George Haworth

ELECTRICAL illumination of shafts, stations, and haulageways has been successfully practiced for many years, but its use in drifts and stopes where mining operations are carried on has- been limited. The large underground drifts of the Tri-State field present a lighting problem that is not satisfactorily solved by the use of the carbide lamp. It has, for some time, been the policy of the Anna Beaver mine to provide ample lighting throughout the underground haulage drifts and working faces. This has, in the

Jan 6, 1928

Benjamin B. Thayer was elected as representative of the Institute on the John Fritz Medal Board of Award vice Albert Sauveur, whose term expires. Robert M. Raymond was confirmed as member of the, Engineering Foundation Board for two years in accordance with the By-Laws of the United Engineering Society. The following preambles and resolutions were passed: WHEREAS, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States is taking a vote, through the Chambers of Commerce, Boards of Trade and other constituent members of the National Chamber situated throughout the country, on the question whether or not the primary natural resources, comprising timber, the ores and deposits of useful metals, and' the deposits of minerals, which are a source of heat, light and power, should he exempt through remedial Congressional legislation from the restrictive limitations of the Anti-Trust Acts, and WHEREAS, a Committee of the National Chamber, the Chairman of which is a Past President of the American Institute of - Mining Engineers, has recommended favorable action upon this question, and

Jan 2, 1917

By R. G. Coyle

This paper describes a model of operating policies in an underground metal mine. The purpose of the model is partly that the problem of controlling a mining operation in the face of shocks from its economic environment is interesting in its own right, and also as an input to a larger research project on policy-making in mining companies. The model includes, mining, development and milling sectors together with cash flow and finances. In particular, it shows how the policies used to control the various sectors in the face of environmental shocks from metal prices and changing state of the system are connected by feedback loops. The use of feedback theory differentiates the model from 'ordinary' simulation and assists in the design of 'robust' policies which always achieve effective control. This model is the first stage of a major project and approximations have been made, simply to get the model going. The purpose of this paper is to show the kind of output this type of model produces, to lay our explicitly what is in the model and above all, to invite contributions from mining people on what the model should show and what should be put into it. We claim no virtues for this model. It is just a research tool so that later models will be more worthwhile and useable in practice.

Jan 1, 1977

POSITIONS VACANT (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons.) Wanted for a mill on the Ivory Coast of Africa an experienced amalgamator and millman. Salary, $160 to $200 per month. No. 18. ENGINEERS AVAILABLE (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons.) Chemist-metallurgist of broad technical training, university graduate, with experience in chemical and metallurgical research work, desires position, preferably in the East. Has successful past that stands investigation. No. 73. Member, mining and metallurgical engineer; thorough technical training, Ph.D., Columbia University, aged 39, married, with-an-extensive experience in smelting, mining, and economic geological work in U. S., Mexico, and South America, desires position as assistant to the Manager or Superintendent, or as a director of experimental and research work, with a reliable mining or metallurgical company. The West, Mexico, or South America preferred. No. 98.

Jan 6, 1914

Jan 1, 1940

Jan 1, 1940

H. M. BOYLSTON E. B. YOUNG SECRETARY-TREASURER OF SECRETARY-TREASURER OF BOSTON SECTION MONTANA SECTION R. M. KEENEY F. G. MOSES SECRETARY-TREASURER OF SECRETARY-TREASURER OF COLORADO SECTION UTAH SECTION

Jan 7, 1919

By S. C. Hollister

An evaluation of the function of the engineer, so that means whereby education can best serve his needs can be adopted.

Jan 2, 1950

By Fred W. Shultz

The process engineer is familiar with the in any methods employed in the past for analyzing various materials. These include panning. eyeballing, and wet chemistry. Of those mentioned only wet chemistry has been and will continue to be a standard measure for the elemental content in a given material. However, wet chemistry, by the very nature of the method, can be excessively time-consuming and thus reducing obviously the number of samples that may be processed in a given period. The analysis by X-ray, in most cases, requires nothing more than assurance that the sample is in a suitable state for presentation to the X-ray spectrometer.

Jan 1, 1964

Jan 1, 1922