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All the TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS and PREPRINTS published in 1932 are available at Institute headquarters. They are also on file in public,, university and technical libraries and, when so indicated in the list, may be found in the TRANSACTIONS. Copies of the TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS have been mailed to those members of the Institute who are registered in the different classes: A-Metal Mining; B-Milling and Concentration; C-Iron and Steel Division; D-Nonferrous Metallurgy; E-Institute of Metals Division; F-Coal Division;. G-Petroleum .Division; H-Nonmetallic Minerals; I-Mining Geology; K-Mining Administration; L-Geophysical Prospecting. Other members may obtain copies by writing to the Secretary. Copies of PREPRINTS may also be obtained from the Secretary's office. Additional copies are sold at the rate of 1 cent per page; minimum charge, 25 cents. Nonmembers may purchase the papers at the prices mentioned. METAL MINING TECH- NICAL PUBLI- - TITLE AUTHOR MEETING TRANS. CATION VOLUME No. AND PAGE* 484-A.45 Propeller Type Mine Fan at Moose A. S. Richardson New York 102, 86, 93 F.52 Shaft, Butte, Montana (13) Feb., 1932 487-A.46 Progress in the Improvement of Max H. Barber New York, Methods and Equipment at Feb., 1932 Open-pit Iron Mines on the Lake Superior Iron Ranges (9) Pre. Sand Filling through Pipes and Lucien Eaton New York, 102, 33, 41 Boreholes (9) Feb., 1932

Jan 1, 1932

By Leon Banks

THE- Missouri-Kansas Zinc Corpn., operating in the Waco district, 15 miles northwest of Joplin, Mo., owns large tailing piles made during milling operations of the years 1918-28 by the Butte-Kansas, Acme, and Barnsdall mining companies, whose holdings have been purchased and consolidated under, the ownership of the Missouri-Kansas Zinc Corpn. These tailings had been considered too low in value to be worth retreating by the ordinary methods. C. Erb Wuensch, consulting engineer of the Missouri-Kansas Zinc Corpn., noted the difference in the type of tailing from upper-level and lower-level ore. The latter contained hard lime chats. He also found that mill losses had been due to particles of blende on the corners or sides of the chats and to the existence of soft, porous, cellular, lime chats containing varying amounts of blende. He conceived the idea that a quick grind in rolls or ball mills might change the type of the material so that jigging could make a clean tailing for discard and a partly concentrated product sufficient in blende content to justify the expense of fine grinding in ball mills to free the mineral entirely. A laboratory was equipped with the necessary machines and the writers were assigned the problem of developing a method of retreating the tailings.

Jan 1, 1929

THE following employment items are mode available to AIME members on a nonprofit basis by the Engineering Societies Personnel Service, Inc., operating in cooperation with the Four Founder Societies. Local offices of, the Personnel Service are at 8 W. 40th St., New York 18; 100 Farnsworth Ave., Detroit; 57 Post St., San Francisco; 84 E. Randolph St., Chicago 1. Applicants should address all mail to the proper key numbers in care of the New York office and include 6c in stamps for forwarding and returning application. The applicant agrees, if placed in a position by means of the Service, to pay the placement fee listed by the Service. AIME members may secure a weekly bulletin of positions available for $3.50 a quarter, $12 a year. POSITIONS OPEN Mining Engineer with some engineering training, capable of doing mapping, surveying, exploration, geology and transit work. Location, New York State. Y7333. Mineral Dressing Engineer, B.S. Mining or Chemical Engineering, age to 35. Must have knowledge of flotation. Duties will be in applied research and field evaluation of cationic and anionic flotation agents. Salary, $3500 to $7000 depending on experience. Location, Chicago. R-8971. Geological Draftsman, 25 to 30, with some experience in working with a geologist. Salary, $5100 a year. Location, New York, N. Y. Y7153.

Jan 1, 1952

The writing that is effective is woven with a he texture into an agreeable pattern; it is free from knots, loose threads, and stray fluff. The instrument that weaves this literary fabric, whether it produce a homely sock or a lordly tapestry, a simple story or a learned treatise, is a disciplined intelligence, as sure as a steel needle, as precise as a swift loom. The simile breaks down at this point, for the product of the pen is instinct with the human spirit and therefore transcends in beauty anything made by a mere machine. If words are to be woven into eloquent meaning, they must be well knit. Upon the relation of words to each other and of groups of words to other groups, known as phrases, clauses, and sentences, depends the success of writing as a means of transmitting thought from man to man. To be understood beyond question, you should know not only what your words denote' but how to build your sentences; you must not only choose your words aright but construct your sentences properly. A sentence is a combination of words that makes complete sense; it says something about something. A clause is a subordinate sentence or a sentence within a sentence. A phrase is a group of words without a predicate; it makes sense, but not complete sense. For example: I shall wait for a few minutes before I go home. The whole statement is a sentence; "I shall wait" and "before I go home" are clauses; "for a few minutes" is an adverbial phrase. The orderly arranging of words and of combinations of words is called 'syntax'; and from the original Greek form, [s?ta???] (suntaxis), is derived the Greek name for an editor,

Jan 1, 1931

By C. C. Harris

A critical literature review leads to a descriptive model of tumbling mill operation based upon energy partition concepts and the necessary requirements for particle fracture. As grinding proceeds into the ultra-fine region, conditions which are of little significance during normal operations gradually become controlling. These involve increasing resistance to fracture and an increasing tendency to aggregate as particles become smaller, and a growing fraction of the power input being consumed fruitlessly. The result is that fineness asymptotes to a maximum value as comminution proceeds indefinitely; thus where t is time, p and n are experimentally determined parameters, and Ø is a measure of fineness, which is presumed to be proportional to specific surface area, or proportional to the reciprocal of the size modulus (provided that the distribution modulus remains constant with time), or both. Ø, is the asymptotic value of Ø and is a measure of the grind limit. A method for its graphical determination is given. In a previous paper1 the physical and mathematical principles requisite to a study of the role of energy in comminution were reviewed. The micro-process of comminution — or the comminution event — can be investigated in terms of (a) the magnitude of the force-field localized around the individual particles which gives rise to the stresses generated in the particles, which in turn induces their fracture, and (b) the distribution of fragment sizes, should the event prove fruitful. The entire fragmentation operation can be considered to be the totality of its individual events, and in order to obtain a single independent variable of the process it is necessary to transform and sum the local stresses in terms of energy.1 This energy, however, will account for only a fraction of the energy input to the comminution process, the actual magnitude depending upon the kind of mill and several related factors. From the comminution viewpoint the primary function of a mill is that of stressing as many as possible of the individual particles of the charge to failure, with the maximum economy of energy expenditure. This is difficult indeed to achieve, for stressing a particle does not always break it, while the overwhelming portion of the energy input is involved with various internal mill processes which — almost incidentally — determine the magnitude, frequency, and manner in which the forces are applied to the particles. Essentially, these processes depend upon the mill dimensions, loading and speed, and they may be little affected whether fracture occurs or not. These processes must be delineated if a complete description of the role of energy in comminution is to be given; the energy account sheet1 (Fig. 1) in showing how the energy is partitioned for the requirements of the several functions it performs, provides a framework for the development of a model of the comminution process. Actual numerical values for the variables appearing in Fig. 1 will depend upon the mill, materials, and operating conditions. A possible general relationship between the variables will be suggested in this paper. Before proceeding further, a cautionary note must be issued. It was pointed out in an earlier paper' that while energy input is not changed by increasing the power and decreasing the time in the same proportion, and vice versa, the results of the process in terms of particle fineness may be different. Thus, although energy is chosen as the independent variable of a comminution process, it is not absolutely independent, and care must be exercised to ensure that it is used within its range of valid application. Time has the necessary independence, and it will be used in place of energy where it is appropriate. The residence time in a mill is usually of the order of minutes. Under these conditions the particles are subjected to "... a relatively constant fracture producing environment".2 However, under the more rigorous conditions of greatly extended time, which pertain in ultra-fine grinding, indications are that the fracture producing environment no longer remains constant; this is the major subject of this paper. At this extreme limit the mill is probably taxed to its utmost, and at the same time the bulk material properties are becoming closer to ideal, while the physico chemical effects associated with surfaces, edges and corners are multiplying. (The edge length per unit volume is proportional to the square of the specific

Jan 1, 1968

By Shun-ichi Satoh

A NEW method of treating steel by ammonia has recently been intro¬duced into the metallurgical industry, by means of which piston cylinders of internal combustion engines, shafts and other similar steel products can be made more resistant to wear than formerly. In 1929 the writer' published the historical notes and some experiments upon nitrification. He believes that the corrosion of nitrified steel is a matter of importance and worth studying; and as there have been few studies thereof, he has conducted experiments in this respect. L. Guillet,2 in 1927, reported corrosion tests made on nitrified and cemented steels with acid and salt solutions. In 1928, 0. Hengstenberg3 reported the high resistance of nitrified steel to water vapor and air. V. 0. Homerberg4 stated that nitrified steel has high resistance to water, air and salt solution; and G. Hagg5 studied nitrified layers of iron by means of the X-ray. Though F. Hanaman6 in 1913, measured the single potential difference of steel treated with ammonia at above 650° C., no one, it seems, has ever measured the single potential difference of the so-called nitrified steels having extraordinary hardness. The writer measured the single potential differences of nitrified special steels in various solutions with the object of studying the corrosion problem and, if possible, of knowing whether any new physical property would be caused by nitrification.

Jan 1, 1932

By E. B. Branson

Introduction to Geology, by E. B. Branson, W. A. Tarr, and W. D. Keller, revised-by Carl C. Branson. McGraw-Hill, 1952. $5.50.-Dealing with physical and historical geology, the book has been revised from an earlier edition. An attempt has been made to eliminate unnecessary detail in discussing processes and history. Revisions bring technical and statistical data up-to-date, and follow suggestions by teachers who used earlier editions. The book carries an eye witness account of the severe earthquake in Assam, India, in 1950 and the story of Paricutin and other major examples of volcanism. Charts summarize chemical weathering, and the results of metamorphisms. The book also contains many new illustrations, including aerial photographs. A History of Phelps Dodge 1834-1950, by Robert Glass Cleland. Alfred A. Knopf, 1952. $4.00.-The book traces the growth of Phelps Dodge from the day Anson Greene Phelps opened a small saddle shop in Hartford, Conn., to the present day. As the country grew, so did Phelps Dodge. The company took part in large affairs from its very beginning. It bought and sold, exported and imported, built factories and railroads, and widened its scope of operations economically and geographically. Entrance of Phelps Dodge into copper mining and the gradual giving up of other interests in favor of the new venture is traced.

Jan 1, 1952

By E. A. Devuyst, M. A. Mosoiu, V. A. Ettel

Nickelic hydroxide is an important metallurgical reagent used for precipitating cobalt from nickel sulfate solutions. Existing methods of preparation of nickelic hydroxide involve electrolytic oxidation of Ni(OH)2 or the use of strong oxidizing agents such as chlorine, ozone and persulfate. Although the oxidizing properties of the SO2 + O2 system have been known for some time, e.g., detection of SO2 and oxidation on iron in acidic solution, the application of this system for the preparation of nickelic hydroxide as a process was not considered in the past. The present paper describes a new method for chemical preparation of nickelic hydroxide which has been developed in INCO laboratories. The technique consists of reacting nickelous hydroxide suspensions with a slurry of calcium sulfite in the presence of air or oxygen. The main advantage of the process is the cost of reagents and an absence of soluble by-products (e.g., C1-). The chemistry of this process is unusual since the redox potential obtained during the reaction exceeds that of the oxygen electrode. Therefore, the effect of CaS03 is not just a catalytic acceleration of the reaction NI(OH)~ + 02. The so3= must be involved in the stoichiometry of the overall reaction producing in the initla1 phase some strongly oxidizing intermediate species.

Jan 1, 1981

By Grafton M. Thrasher

Discussion of the paper of GRAFTON M. THRASHER, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 106, October, 1915, pp. 2129 to 2138. RICHARD MOLDENKE, Watchung, N. J.-Mr. Thrasher is to be commended for developing a very interesting comparison between high- and low-carbon and silicon malleable cast irons for an equal degree of chill. His deductions are unquestionably correct, though the application to daily practice is open to serious criticism, from the standpoint of the man who receives the castings, as will be shown later on. Running over some of the points which affect the tests in question: Mr. Thrasher admits that the temperature of pouring has a serious influence on the degree of chill shown in the test plugs he made. This is a well-known fact, and I would like to add that another serious trouble comes from oxidized iron when the heats have been unduly prolonged. Such metal always shows more chilling action for a given silicon and carbon content than normally melted iron. Indeed, the test piece quoted giving the extreme of the chill line (1.07 per cent. Si and 2.47 per cent. total carbon) was such a poor heat, a ferro-silicon addition never "doctoring" up the metal sufficiently to show normal good strength. In spite of these irregularities, which would simply change the curve slightly, I take it that Mr. Thrasher's results can be accepted as reliable enough to establish the relationship of silicon and total carbon as shown. When, however, the claim is made that silicon and carbon can be substituted for each other in mixture-making (a claim which may be perfectly correct metallurgically), a very important factor is forgotten, causing the purchaser of the castings much annoyance. This is the contraction (erroneously called shrinkage) of the castings. They will no longer be true to pattern. The lower the total carbon is allowed to drop, the greater the contraction, and increasing the silicon correspondingly will not correct this trouble. No wonder that recently, in revising the Standard Specifications for Malleable Castings it was necessary to increase the variation of castings from requirements considerably over what was formerly found sufficient. The habit of running up the proportion of silicon and escaping danger from grayness of the metal by copious steel additions was evidently too tempting to manufacturers, as their molding losses were thus kept down and a very soft malleable iron resulted. The customer, however, got serious variations in his work, which was not the case when the total carbon was kept between 3.25 and 2.75, and the silicon held as low as possible without undue cracking of the hard castings.

Jan 5, 1916

By Frank C. Kelton

It is perhaps not widely realized that extraction and saturation processes carried out on oil well core samples alter the properties of these samples to varying degrees. On the other hand it is felt by some that quick-freezing of core samples increases their permeability and porosity significantly. Accordingly, laboratory tests were carried out on 49 pairs of horizontally adjacent samples in order to differentiate between the effect of quick-freezing per se on permeability and porosity of the samples, as distinguished from the effect of the identical saturation treatment on permeability and porosity of the companion samples. Also, additional field data were obtained on comparison of frozen vs unfrozen companion samples. LABORATORY INVESTIGATION OF FREEZING us SATURATION EFFECTS Procedure The samples used in these tests were two-cm cubes cut in horizontally adjacent pairs from cores from eight Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent wells, which cores had not previously been frozen. These samples were extracted with carbon tetrachloride, dried, and air permeabilities run in the conventional manner. They were then evacuated and saturated with brine of 25,000 ppm sodium chloride content, and porosities determined by gain in weight. The samples were partially desaturated by evaporation down to an average brine saturation of 68 per cent. One sample from each pair was quick-frozen by covering with dry ice after wrapping in a single layer of paper, and allowed to remain frozen for about two hours; the companion sample from each pair was not frozen. After thawing the frozen sample, all samples were immersed in tap water overnight in order to leach out most of the brine. Air permeabilities were re-run, and the samples were again saturated with brine to determine a second porosity value. For purposes of averaging of data, the samples were grouped according to four permeability ranges, from 0 to 10, 10 to 100, 100 to 1,000, and 1,000 to 3,840 md. Average permeability and porosity changes for the frozen vs the unfrozen adjacent samples are shown in Table 1. Discussion As may be seen from Table 1, the averages of the per cent permeability increases for the quick-frozen samples ranged from 3.8 to 12.9 per cent among the four permeability groups. The average changes among the four groups of unfrozen companion samples ranged from a decrease of 0.2 per cent to an increase of 9.3 per cent. There was no particular correlation of these changes with magnitude of permeability; however, the increase for each group of frozen samples paralleled the increase for the corresponding unfrozen samples. The differences between the two sets of values are believed to be a valid indication of the effect of the quick-freezing in itself, since the treatment of the two samples in each pair was identical except for freezing. The permeability changes which are strictly the result of the quick-freezing are shown in the sixth column of Table 1. These range from a decrease of 0.9 per cent to an increase of 4.0 per cent; the overall weighted average is 1.2 per cent, as compared to an average increase of 6.8 per cent caused by the saturation treatment of the samples not frozen. The average porosity changes are in general smaller than the changes in permeability, and range from a decrease of 2.3 per cent to an increase of 3.3 per cent. The overall weighted average change ascribed to the quick-freezing is 1.0 per cent of porosity. Many factors can contribute to the changes in permeability and porosity observed when subjecting cores to the simple processes used in these tests. Such are: hydration and swelling of clay, adsorption of ions, changes in surface structure and wettability, expansion and compression effects due to ice formation, shrinking and cracking, leaching of salts and colloids, displacement of particles resulting in either blocking or enlarging of pore openings. Whatever particular mechanisms are involved. however, it is apparent not only from this study but also from other investigations in the literature' not directly concerned with quick-freezing, that the effects produced by commonly used extraction, saturation and drying techniques may be of considerable magnitude The results of this study indicate that for the particular samples and techniques used, such effects are of the order of five to six times the effect of quick-freezing. insofar as changes in permeability are concerned. It may be argued that these samples might not include extremely shaly material where the effect of freezing upon permeability may be much greater. However, had such material been available for these tests, it would undoubtedly have been very susceptible also to alteration by the extraction and saturation treatment used. To investigate this point further, the individual sample data were re-grouped according to the magnitude of the average per cent permeability increases for the pairs of samples, irrespective of permeability. The results

Jan 1, 1953

By A. G. Guy

Zinc vapor from a reservoir of liquid zinc maintained at lower temperatures was diffused into sets of copper-zinc alloys at 759° and 870° C and into sets of silver-zinc alloys at 650° and 700° C. Each set of ,four copper-zinc alloys consisted of pure copper and 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30 brass. Similarly the set of silver-base alloys consisted of specimens containing 0, 7, 15, and 20 pct Zn. Natural markers at the initial surfaces of the specimens ware "trapped" under a thin electroplate and their depth of burying was measured after diffusion. The ratio of diffusivities of the two components determined from these data and the chemical diffusion coefficient calculated by the Matano method agreed with previously reported results. The line of markers was irregular and was often discontinuous when a grain boundary was crossed. TECHNIQUES involving the vapor phase have been widely employed in studying diffusion phenomena in metals. Many investigators have evaporated the more volatile component from an alloy, but it is generally believed that the porosity created under these conditions interferes with adequate interpretation of the experimental results. The extensive work of Gertsriken6 has been criticized on this score. Accary1 found that the diffusion coefficient for de-zincification of brass is larger by a factor of five than that for zincification, although he attributed the difference to a higher vacancy concentration under conditions of dezincification. Balluffi and siegle2 thoroughly investigated the technique of adding a more volatile component to a less volatile base metal as a means for studying diffusion. They verified that no porosity forms in a brass under these conditions and that the diffusivities of the two components can be determined from observations of the motion of markers originally placed on the surface of the specimen. The mathematical analysis that they developed for treating the experimental data was modified in a later note, but essentially it involved using the graphical Boltzmann-Matano method that is customarily applied to solid-solid diffusion couples. The experimental method used in the present research was similar to that employed by Balluffi and Siegle except for two modifications. Balluffi and Siegle used alloy chips as the source of metal vapor. This procedure has the disadvantage that the concentration of solute at the surface of the specimen changes during the diffusion experiment as the alloy content of the chips is gradually decreased. This disadvantage was overcome by employing liquid zinc as the source of zinc vapor in a manner similar to that described by Herasymenko.9 There was then no limitation on the amount of solute usefully available, and several relatively large specimens could be diffused in a given experiment. The second modification was the use of natural markers on the surface of the specimen rather than larger, artificial markers, such as the alumina powder employed by Balluffi and Siegle. It was expected that the fine, natural markers would permit more precise measurement of the buried interface as in the case of ordinary sandwich specimens.10 EXPERIMENTAL The experiments were designed so that zinc from the vapor phase would maintain a constant zinc content at the surface of pure copper (or silver) and

Jan 1, 1960

By W. H. Hough, P. B. Leavenworth

Development in the upper Texas Gulf Coast during 1944 resulted in the discovery of 19 new fields as compared with 11 during 1943. These discoveries include 10 oil fields, one dry gas field, and eight gas-condensate fields. Drilling During the year 590 wells were drilled as compared with 418 drilled during 1943. Of these operations, 485 wells were drilled in proven fields, with the following results: 281 oil wells, 22 condensate wells, one dry gas well and 141 dry holes. The remaining 105 wells were wildcats, of which 19 were producers. The geological distribution of these discoveries was as follows: In 1944, production amounted to 178,-522,630 bbl., which was an increase of some 31,670,384 bbl. over the 1943 figure of 136,852,246 bbl. These figures include both condensate and oil production, as separate figures are not available. Wildcatting in the area was more successful during 1944 than in 1943 as the following comparison of number of wells drilled illustrates: Discoveries during 1944 Smith Point, Chambers County.—Standard Oil Company of Texas completed its No. I State, sec. 109, on Feb. 15, 1944, in a Frio sand at 8135 to 8146 ft. The well flowed 250 bbl. of 42º gravity oil through an 1/8-in, choke. Gas-oil ratio was 800 to I; tubing pressure, 1100 bbl. Four other oil wells and one gas well were completed during the year. This discovery does not appear to be of major importance. The producing area lies on the upthrown side of a large fault. North Winnie, Chambers County.—Sun Oil Co. completed No. I P. E. Dougherty on Apr. 27, 1944, from the Frio, through perforations at 8757 to 8759 ft. The initial production was 154 bbl. of 38.3º gravity oil through an 1/8-in. choke. Gas-oil ratio Was 2526 to 1; tubillg Pressure, 2280 1b.; casing Pressure, 1225 lb.; total depth, 9519 ft. Three other wells were drilled during the Year. This discovery is on the downthrown side of the major Winnie Stowell fault, and increases in magnitude the already large producing area along this fault. Mayes Field, Chambers County.—Humble Oil and Refining Company's No. I Mary Etta Mayes was completed on Dec. 24, 1944, in a Frio sand, at 8166 to 8169 ft. through 1/4-in. for 768 bbl. of 40.3º gravity

Jan 1, 1945

By Alexander B. Morris

In a recent paper on the intermittent injection of gas in gas-lift operations as opposed to continuous injection, Morgan Walker presented a comparative table showing the effect on oil and gas production from the same wells under the two methods of operation.' This table carried a column showing the formational gas-oil ratios under each method, computed by deducting the volume of input gas from the volume of trap gas. During the entire spring and summer of 1928, the present writer had been engaged on some extensive test car tests of rich gas in Glenpool, seeking, primarily, for an explanation of the apparent loss of gasoline during the summer season between the field meters and the plant master meter. Tests at several of the field meters where the richest gas was obtained regularly failed to check with other tests on the same gas made farther along the line, and the difference was not made up by the quantity of drip gasoline collected between the points. In the course of these tests, the final outcome of which is immaterial to the present purpose, an attempt was made to construct a curve representing the relationship between gasoline content of the gas in gallons per thousand cubic feet and the shrinkage in the volume of gas treated as a result of removing the condensible fractions. Such a curve was made, expressed in units of gallons per thousand cubic feet on the abcissa and the ratio vapor volume to liquid volume on the ordinate. This curve is a rectangular hyperbola and shows that 3 gal. of gasoline taken from 1000 cu. ft. of raw gas as a vapor occupied much less space, per gallon, than did 1 gal. of gasoline taken from 1000 cu. ft. of another sample of gas. This is, in general, corroborated by converting to the same units the residue settlement curves prepared by the Tidal Oil Co. and by the Natural Gasoline Manufacturers Assn., though the three curves, when plotted together, occupy entirely different positions on the paper, as shown in Fig. 1. The bearing of all this on Mr. Walker's discussion of gas-lift is this: if the formational gas is to be computed by deducting the input gas from the trap gas, some correction must be made for the vapor volume

Jan 1, 1930

By C. M. Young

BITUMINOUS coal piled in heaps or bins frequently undergoes a process of spontaneous heating as the result of the absorption of oxygen. It seems probable that the first absorption of oxygen by coal which has not previously been exposed to the air may occur as a condensation or a combination of oxygen in some form which does not result in the production of carbon dioxide, but slow combustion soon begins. The absorption of oxygen is accompanied by an increase of temperature, and this by in increased rapidity of absorption; hence the dangerous condition proceeds from bad to worse, until the kindling point is reached, unless the process is interrupted. A dangerous rise of temperature can be prevented by excluding oxygen, by increasing the bulk of coal in proportion to its surface exposed, or by circulating enough air to dissipate the heat produced. The storage of coal, in practice, varies from almost complete exclusion of oxygen, by storing under water, to such freedom of access as exists when the coal is stored in open piles. Oxygen available for absorption by coal is supplied by the air in the interstices between lumps and by additional air which may enter the pile through circulation. The size, of the coal largely affects both of these supplies; for if the fragments a re small the spaces between them constitute a small percentage of the total volume, and little oxygen will be available unless the circulation of air brings in a fresh supply, while with large fragments the percentage is relatively large; circulation also is much easier through a pile of coarse lumps. In the case f lump coal, although a large amount of air may be present, the exposed surface is comparatively small and there is little opportunity for the absorption of oxygen to so rapid as to cause dangerous heating. Attempts have been made to prevent heating by allowing a sufficient circulation of air to carry off the heat generated; obviously this method cannot be applied to fine sizes nor mixed sizes.

Jan 2, 1918

By W. Edeburn, H. R. Fife

An extended study of dustproofing Freeport-seam coal has emphasized several fundamental features in the successful treating of bituminous coals. The extent of the exposed surface area and its absorption propcrties for the dust-retaining film were found to be the most critical factors affecting the efficiency of fly-dust prevention. From recently published screen data and specific surface-area measurements on United Kingdom coals, an approximation of the surface exposed by mine-run coal and by 1-in. slack was made. The total surface area exposed by an average tori of this mine-run coal was estimated at 3768 sq. yd., while a ton of 1-in. slack represents a total surface area of 8779 sq. yd. with no additions for porosity. It is important in coal treating to consider that in mine-run coal the fraction above 1/4 in. in size represents 79.5 per cent of the total weight, but only 4 per cent of the total surface, while the fraction below 150 mesh contains 47 per cent of the total surface and only 1.2 per cent of the total weight. Also, one should appreciate that, in a 1-in. slack, the domestic stoker fraction (1 in. to 8 mesh) contains 76.3 per cent of the weight and 8.2 per cent of the surface, while the fraction below 150 mesh represents 3.3 per cent by weight and 54.8 per cent by surface area. Wax extraction data on 1-in. to 0 slack from mine-run treated Freeport-searn coal showed that the coating was distributed uniformly as a function of exposed surface; hence, nonuniformly on a weight basis. This distribution of the coating on mine-run coal therefore limits the extent of treating that is desirable on bituminous coal at this point in the preparation. The treatment of Freeport mine-run coal before it reached the tipple gave a 70 to 80 per cent reduction of fly-dust in the tipple, a satisfactory treated commercial slack coal, and an indicated change in the trend of tipple degradation. The premium-treated domestic sizes required a supplemental treatment for complete dustproofness. The actual cost of the pretipple and supplemental treatments was very low per ton of coal treated, while the net or true cost was sufficiently

Jan 1, 1938

By W. Edeburn, H. R. Fife

An extended study of dustproofing Freeport-seam coal has emphasized several fundamental features in the successful treating of bituminous coals. The extent of the exposed surface area and its absorption propcrties for the dust-retaining film were found to be the most critical factors affecting the efficiency of fly-dust prevention. From recently published screen data and specific surface-area measurements on United Kingdom coals, an approximation of the surface exposed by mine-run coal and by 1-in. slack was made. The total surface area exposed by an average tori of this mine-run coal was estimated at 3768 sq. yd., while a ton of 1-in. slack represents a total surface area of 8779 sq. yd. with no additions for porosity. It is important in coal treating to consider that in mine-run coal the fraction above 1/4 in. in size represents 79.5 per cent of the total weight, but only 4 per cent of the total surface, while the fraction below 150 mesh contains 47 per cent of the total surface and only 1.2 per cent of the total weight. Also, one should appreciate that, in a 1-in. slack, the domestic stoker fraction (1 in. to 8 mesh) contains 76.3 per cent of the weight and 8.2 per cent of the surface, while the fraction below 150 mesh represents 3.3 per cent by weight and 54.8 per cent by surface area. Wax extraction data on 1-in. to 0 slack from mine-run treated Freeport-searn coal showed that the coating was distributed uniformly as a function of exposed surface; hence, nonuniformly on a weight basis. This distribution of the coating on mine-run coal therefore limits the extent of treating that is desirable on bituminous coal at this point in the preparation. The treatment of Freeport mine-run coal before it reached the tipple gave a 70 to 80 per cent reduction of fly-dust in the tipple, a satisfactory treated commercial slack coal, and an indicated change in the trend of tipple degradation. The premium-treated domestic sizes required a supplemental treatment for complete dustproofness. The actual cost of the pretipple and supplemental treatments was very low per ton of coal treated, while the net or true cost was sufficiently

Jan 1, 1938

By H. Landsberg

THE curriculum presented here is an outgrowth of discussions by the Committee on Geophysics Courses of the A.I.M.E. in previous years. It had to be a compromise between the desires voiced by employers of geophysicists, professional geophysicists and the possibilities at an average college. There one has to face the questions of the available teaching staff, the inertia of administrators and teachers set in their ways, and the red tape involved in modernizing antiquated curricula. It is, of course, not ideal to have colleges and universities lag 10 years behind the times. Rather, instead of being prodded by industry, -they should be ahead of industrial needs. There should also be a certain amount of leeway for the student in any college curriculum. All these points had to be considered in drawing up a curriculum, which, instead of being narrowly termed "geology" or "geophysics" was rather called "earth science." It gives the student a chance to specialize in one of the various branches represented by teachers on the faculty of The Pennsylvania State College, giving as options Geology (with subdivisions of Mineralogy and Paleontology), Geophysics, Geography, and Meteorology. Table IA. represents the option of geophysics in the curriculum that envisages that a student may want to make his career in any of the fields encompassed by the American Geophysical Union or in geoexploration. This is, of course, only the start of an education that in most cases will have to be followed by graduate work for complete professional training. The outlined curriculum is definitely of an engineering type and is identical for all of the four options mentioned for the first two years. Specialization will start in the junior year but even thereafter the branches are kept as closely allied as feasible in order to permit a student to change from one to the other (e.g., because of a different aspect in the employment situation) with a minimum of additional work. Table IB shows the geophysics option according to subject matter, indicating the considerable amount of work in the fundamentals of mathematics, physics and chemistry with a liberal number of geology courses, and some engineering. The courses in the field of geophysics are limited-just two lecture courses as a general introduction and one field course, to permit the student a visualization of the correlation between mathematically analyzed physical data and the geological realities. Thesis work is considered essential to teach the student, while he is still in college, some things S. F. Kelly has mentioned as desirable: (I) following of instructions for somewhat independent work; (2) organizing of material, and (3) producing a readable report. This, together with the personal contact with the advising faculty member, will help in forming a student's personality. The seminar course attempts to get the student into the habit of reading current literature, so that he can keep abreast of the times.

Jan 1, 1941

By J. E. Warren, J. H. Hartsock

Because of the extensive utilization of hydraulic fracturing for the stimulation of low-productivity wells, the two related problems of fracture design and evaluation have become economically significant and, as a consequence, helve motivated this investigation. The producing characteristics of horizontally fractured wells were studied to determine the fracture configuration that should be employed as the basis for the design of the treatment and to develop a method that can be used to establish the degree to which the design objectives have been achieved. The equations which describe the steady-state flow of a single-phase fluid into, and through. a finite-capacity fracture were solved numerically for an idealized reservoir-fracture model. The numerical results were used to obtain an apparent skin effect for each combination of the parameters considered. Based on the computed results, subject to the limitcitions implied by the assumptions that were made, the following general conclusions were drawn. 1. For a radius of drainage at least four times us large as the radius of the fracture, an apparent skin effect that is independent of the radius of drainage can be calculated. 2. The productivity of the hydraulically fractured system, relative to that of the unfructured well, can be determined from the apparent skin effect and can be used to establish design objectives. 3. In the evaluation of a fracture job, it is not Possible to determine both the radius of the fracture and its flow capacity uniquely from the apparent skin effect; an independent determination of one of the quantities is necessary. lNTRODUCTION Although hydraulic fracturing has been employed as a method for stimulating the productivity of literally hundreds of thousands of wells during the past 10 years, it is only in the last few years that improvements in fracture design1-6 and fracturing technique' have combined to increase the probability of obtaining a successful treatment to such an extent that the mechanics of the method may be considered to be standardized. From an economic point of view, however, two related questions must be satisfactorily answered before hydraulic fracturing can be used in the most profitable manner. The two questions are the following. I. For a particular well in a given formation, what are the optimum design specifications for the fracture treatment? 2. Have the design objectives been achieved by the fracture treatment? The significance of these questions has been recoguized, and some attempts to obtain answers have been made. Howard, et al,8 endeavored to determine the optimum treatment, based on maximizing profits, for any given formation; unfortunately, this work was based on a crude method for approximating the productivity of a well. Carter and Tracy9 utilized the same approximation to study the effect of fracturing on the behavior of a well producing by virtue of a solution-gas drive. Electrolytic models were used by van Poollen10 to investigate the variation in productivity due to fracturing; however, only a limited number of results were presented. Later, from the same model results, van Poollen, et al,11 attempted to justify an approximate expression for determining the productivity of a fractured well. It is quite apparent that there is a definite lack of the practical information necessary for specifying the optimum fracture configuration to be considered for design purposes. The only detailed attempt to develop a procedure for evaluating the result of a given fracture treatment appears to be that of van Dam and Horner.12 These authors described a technique for analyzing pressure build-down data, obtained immediately after fracturing, to determine the final fracture volume, the final fracture porosity, the fracture area, the fracture thickness and the in situ fluid loss of the fracturing fluid. While this approach should be useful whenever acceptable pressure measurements are available, it does not yield a value for the flow capacity of the fracture. Since the problems of fracture design and evaluation are inversely related, it should be sufficient to study the effect of the fracture configuration on the performance of a well. The primary objective of this investigation is to evolve a technique for computing the desired solutions. The secondary objective is to analyze these computed results in order to prescribe a method for evaluating fracture treatments. Because this study is exploratory in nature, its scope

By David White

THE search for potash salts in the great "Red Beds? region of the Southwest, conducted for several years by the U. S. Geological Survey, the work being carried on for a part of the time in coöperation with the Bureau of Economic Geology and Technology of the University of Texas, has resulted in the discovery, within shafting depth, of potash salts, apparently of workable thickness and commercial quality, and prob-ably of great extent. Definite information is lacking as to the exact thickness of the potash beds, the size and boundaries of the areas underlain by workable strata, and the locations of the deposits richest and most favorably situated for exploitation. Briefly to review the salient features, of the general situation: We have in the great Red Beds region of the southwestern United States, embracing portions of central Kansas, western Oklahoma, eastern New Mexico, and northern and western Texas, .a series of sandstones. shales, anhydrite beds, clays and limestones, which; through an interval of 1000 ft., more or less, carry beds of salt, estimated by Darton1 to contain over 30,000 billions of tons of rock salt. It is the greatest known salt field of the world. At some points the intercalated beds of rock salt, one of which is reported by the driller to exceed 300 ft. in thickness, aggregate, accord-ing to the drillers' records, over 1000 ft. The sedi-mentary strata are similar in composition to those carrying the potash deposits of western Europe, and they were laid down at the same time and under condi-tions which, in many respects at least, were similar The stratigraphy and character of the beds are des-cribed by Darton2 and a, part of the area and the reported aggregate thicknesses of salt are shown, with some revision after Darton, in the accompanying map Fig. 1. The assumption that in the great areas of shallow evaporation basins spread over -the vast base-level region of saline deposition in the Southwest during Permo-Triassic time, potash salts were in some places, and at different stages, thrown down in crystalline deposits associated with the beds of rock salt, anhydrite, and gypsum, is, geologically speaking, more than reason-able. They are to be expected, and the conviction that they are probably present has long been held both in the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology and Tech-nology, under Dr. J. A. Udden, and in the- U. S. Geological Survey. Accordingly, for many years, efforts to determine whether potash deposits are present in this region have been made, though under very great difficulties, such as insufficient funds for boring, hack of drilling on private initiative in the more promising regions, hack of interest at first on the part of the drillers and companies, and, hater, inadequacy both of the methods of boring and of the sampling, to reveal in definite terms the thickness-of any saline stratum of given composition.

Jan 4, 1922

By C. Stansfield Hitchen

The paper describes the application of the logarithmic wedge sector method of quantitative spectrography to the estimation of commonly occurring minor impurities in crude and refined tin. Both arc and spark methods of emission were employed and with the former a new device was used to overcome difficulties arising from the low melting point of the metal. The impurities investigated included antimony, arsenic, bismuth, copper, iron, lead, and zinc, their concentrations lying, in general, between 0.01 and 0.50 per cent. The results obtained show that the method may be usefully employed for the estimation of bismuth, copper, iron, lead, and zinc, in amounts ranging from 0.50 per cent to well below 0.01 per cent. Arsenic and antimony, however, could not be estimated in amounts less than 0.03 and 0.07 per cent respectively. Out of a total of 116 estimations by arc and spark emission, in 96 the errors were less than 5 per cent of the total quantity of the element present, whereas in the remaining twenty, the errors lay between 5 and 25 per cent. Spectro-analytical data for the several impurities studied are given in the form of tables, and curves correlating line-intensity with concentration have also been included. DISCUSSION (R. G. Waltenberg presiding) D. M. Smith, London, England (written discussion).—I am interested in Dr Hitchen's account of his investigations on the application of spectrographic methods to the assay of tin and congratulate him on his valuable contribution to the literature on the subject of quantitative spectrum analysis. Some of the results obtained in the course of investigations carried out for the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Assn., although obtained under somewhat different experimental conditions, may be of interest in connection with this paper. Arc and spark spectra of standard samples of tin containing various known amounts of antimony, bismuth, cadmium, copper, lead, silver and arsenic have been investi-

Jan 1, 1933