Search Documents

By S. J. Aresco, A. A. Orning

This paper presents a scheme for determination of precision for the various steps in coal sampling, sample preparation, and analysis. It also gives resulting data on 100 American coals from various coal fields covering all ranks from lignite to low-volatile bituminous. The variances of the various steps of the process are studied as a function of the coal preparation, the top size of coal as sampled, and the ash content. To understand the variables that control the overall precision of coal sampling, sample reduction and analysis, there is need for measurement of the variances due to successive steps of the process. The purpose of the present paper is to study these variances as a function of the coal preparation, the top size of the coal as sampled, and the ash content. The sampling data included are from 100 individual preparation plants from various coal fields in the United States and cover all ranks of coal from lignite to low-volatile bituminous; various types of preparation; deep, strip and auger mines; and, in many instances, mixtures from two or more coal beds or types of mines. The collection of data is continuing, but sufficient work has been done to draw some important conclusions. Since the work was done in conjunction with the Bureau of Mines sampling of coal, the time that could be spent at any one preparation plant was limited. This, in turn, limited the number of samples that could be taken for each coal. For this reason, the results from various plants were pooled in blocks. Two major blocking categories were "raw" and "washed!' The raw coals had no preparation other than crushing and/or screening. The washed coals were prepared further by some combination of wet or dry mechanical cleaning. The categories were further divided ac-

Jan 1, 1965

By L. A. Jr. Norman

ANOTHER chapter in the history of Mother Lode mining is being written by operations in the Old Eureka mine near Sutter Creek, Amador County, California. During a two-year period (1938-1939), 85,517 tons of ore averaging 0.62 oz. gold per ton were mined and milled, as compared to the production of approximately 210,000 tons of 0.315-oz. gold ore during the preceding seven years. This is a repetition of mining history in the Mother Lode, where a period of prosperity has followed a long period of lean production. The location of this new ore in the hitherto unproductive hanging-wall greenstones and its mining and geological developments are most interesting.

Jan 1, 1939

By Colin C. Harris, Nathaniel Arbiter

Current scale-up procedures are discussed critically, including: constant specific energy criterion; determination of mill size and power for a given ore, throughput and mesh of grind; specification of operating speed and loading. A major dynamic and kinetic factor now recognized is that the ratio of media rotational flow to ore axial flow, and the number of mill revolutions that ore is subjected to during residence, both diminish as mill diameter increases. These factors can lead to capacity limitations when mill diameters reach a critical range, especially regarding coarse sizes. Experience at the Bougainville and Pinto Valley operations is contrasted. Corrective measures suggested are to reduce loading and increase speed towards the Davis best operating speed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Raymond S. Weimer

OF the several characteristics of a coal that influence its suitability for use in a given piece of burning equipment, the clinkering and slagging characteristics of the ash of the coal are highly important. They determine the maximum rate at which the coal may be burned on a stoker or in pulverized form without difficulty from damage to metal parts, from erosion of refractory walls, or from stoppage of gas passages by accumulation on the tubes. They also determine the minimum rate at which a slag-tap furnace may be operated without difficulty in removal of the ash in fluid form. NEED FOR A BETTER CRITERION In common with other producers and users of coal, the Northern Illinois Coal Corporation has long used the available methods for the measurement of the clinkering characteristics of coal ash, chemical composition and fusion temperature of the ash, as criteria for the selection of coal that would suit the particular requirements of its customers. These two available criteria have greatly helped in the problem of selection but it is unnecessary to dwell upon the fact that they are not completely adequate for the purpose. The composition of the ash and its clinkering tendency vary widely over the company's mining area. In a certain period, some years ago, an unusual amount of severe clinkering of the ash of coal shipped made extremely acute the need for a better criterion of the clinkering that might be expected. It was also desirable that the criterion result from a reasonably rapid method, so that the clinkering characteristics of the coal would be known before shipment. Complaints on the severe clinkering of the ash came from only a fraction of the output of the mine but the occurrence of the clinkering seemed quite unpredictable. Attempts to relate the chemical composition of the ash and the fusion temperatures to the clinkering were unsuccessful. Coal from the area of the mine in which the fusion temperature of the ash was the lowest gave the least trouble from clinkering. Chemical analysis of the ash from that section giving the most trouble showed high contents of iron and low contents of silica, but frequently these were not greatly different from those of coals that gave little trouble from clinker. Aside from the clinkering difficulty, the coal was quite satisfactory. The ash content was normal and high rates of burning could be obtained, but again and again such severe clinkering would occur that the furnace would be shut down because of the accumulation of clinker. Examination of the clinker from the customers' plants showed that the clinkers that adhered to the grates and fouled the fuel beds were hard, flat, dense, and usually dark in color. Coal that was satisfactory gave clinkers that were softer, bulky rather than flat, of low density, and usually lighter in color.

Jan 1, 1944

By J. L. Wilson, D. L. Emmons

The Tucker Hill perlite deposit is located in the northwestern portion of the Devils Garden lava field in Lake County, south-central Oregon. The perlite occurs in the chill margin of a late Miocene composite rhyolite lava dome that exhibits distinct cooling zonation. The chill margin is composed of an outer glass envelope, which contains commercial-grade granular and vesicular perlite, and an inner glass envelope, which contains onionskin perlite of local commercial quality. Glassy rhyolite and rhyolite compose the lava dome core. The entire dome complex encompasses at least 5 km2 (2 sq miles). Expansion tests in commercial-scale furnaces indicate that the perlites are suitable for a wide range of applications and compare favorably with commercial perlite ores. The large tonnage deposit appears competitive for markets in the midwestern and upper northeastern states, and the Pacific Northwest of the US.

Jan 1, 1986

By W. C. Lilliendahl, H. W. Highriter

The method developed and used in this laboratory for the production of metallic uranium of such purity that it is ductile and can be cold-worked to fine wire or thin sheet by rolling has already been described1. It consists, briefly, in the electrolysis of potassium uranous fluoride (KUF5) in a molten bath composed of equal parts of sodium and calcium chlorides. The bath is contained in a graphite crucible, electrically heated to about 775° C., the crucible serving as the anode for electrolysis. The uranium deposits in finely divided form mixed with salts upon a molybdenum cathode suspended axially in the crucible. Upon completion of the electrolysis the cathode is removed and cooled, the deposit broken and leached to remove salts. The metal powder is washed with water and dilute acetic acid and dried in vacuo to reduce oxidation. Suitable amounts are then prcssed into pellets and heated in vacuo by high-frequency induction, using a thoria crucible. The uranium melts and flows away from the pellet, leaving a shell, which is largely oxide. In general, this method produced a satisfactory metal, although at times tile uranium was not ductile. The investigations recorded here were made to find the cause of this embrittlement. It was known that the metal generally contained carbon, derived from disintegration of the graphitc crucible in which electrolysis is conducted, in amounts dependent upon the thoroughness of washing the metal powder. Accordingly, analyses of several samples, both ductile and brittle, were made by combustion and absorption of CO² in Ascarite, using air instead of oxygen to reduce the temperaturc and rate of oxidation. Several of these metals were made with special precautions to reduce carbon content. The results show no relationship between ductility and carbon content in the range investigated (Table 1). Microscopic examination of ductile and brittle metals disclosed the presence in the latter of an intergranular constituent, harder than the matrix and less easily oxidizable, which was absent from the ductile material. Rough estimates of the volume of the hard constituent

Jan 1, 1935

By P. R. Sperry

Aluminum alloy 3S was examined to determine the relationship between the applicable phase diagram and the microstructures produced under conditions tending toward non-equilibrium as well as equilibrium. The only phases present in the alloy were aluminum, (Mn,Fe)A16, aAI(Mn,Fe)Si, and silicon. It was found that the alloy behaved essentially as though it belonged to the Al-Mn-Si system. The effects of various solidification rates and of various homogenization treatments were studied. Particular attention was given to a nonuniform precipitate distribution which reflected the solute distribution in the cast aluminum solid solution. Some possible explanations for the solute distribution based on characteristics of the Al-Mn-Si or AI-Mn systems were discussed. ALUMINUM alloy 3s (aluminum plus 1.25 pct Mn) is one of the oldest and the most widely used of the wrought aluminum alloys. In spite of this fact, there are some aspects of the metallography of 3s which have not been revealed or which have not been brought to the attention of the metallurgist working with the alloy. The purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate in general how some of the fundamentals of equilibrium phase diagrams may be applied to the study of an alloy and to show specifically the origin of certain metal-lographic features of aluminum alloy 3s. It is hoped that this information can serve as a basis for solving specific problems relating microstructure to such things as mechanical properties, recrystallization, grain growth, and surface finish. Literature Survey Considering that alloy 3s contains only one alloying addition, manganese, it seems reasonable that it would have characteristics pertaining to the A1-Mn system. However, those characteristics might well be altered by the impurities in the commercial alloy, especially iron and silicon. Therefore, not only the simple binary but also more complex systems had to be reviewed. One characteristic of the A1-Mn system worthy of mention is its sluggishness, which leads to conflicting solubility data1,'2 and makes it relatively easy to supersaturate the solid solution and shift the eutectic composition during rapid solidification.3'4 Another characteristic is the strong influence which small amounts of impurities, especially iron, exert in lowering the solid solubility of manganese. Undissolved manganese is ordinarily present in an intermetallic phase, MnAl,, having an orthorhombic crystal structure. A metastable precipitating phase designated as "G" has been reported but small amounts of iron and silicon suppress this phase entirely." Raynor has established that MnA1, can dissolve a considerable amount of iron by a substitution of iron for manganese atoms up to 50 atomic pct.'" Consequently, in the Al-Mn-Fe liquidus diagram, the eutectic valley separating the primary aluminum and (Mn,Fe)Al, fields is fairly close to a constant Mn + Fe content." This is an important consideration in regulating the composition of 3s and also other aluminum alloys with high manganese additions."

Jan 1, 1956

By W. C. Lilliendahl, H. W. Highriter

The method developed and used in this laboratory for the production of metallic uranium of such purity that it is ductile and can be cold-worked to fine wire or thin sheet by rolling has already been described1. It consists, briefly, in the electrolysis of potassium uranous fluoride (KUF5) in a molten bath composed of equal parts of sodium and calcium chlorides. The bath is contained in a graphite crucible, electrically heated to about 775° C., the crucible serving as the anode for electrolysis. The uranium deposits in finely divided form mixed with salts upon a molybdenum cathode suspended axially in the crucible. Upon completion of the electrolysis the cathode is removed and cooled, the deposit broken and leached to remove salts. The metal powder is washed with water and dilute acetic acid and dried in vacuo to reduce oxidation. Suitable amounts are then prcssed into pellets and heated in vacuo by high-frequency induction, using a thoria crucible. The uranium melts and flows away from the pellet, leaving a shell, which is largely oxide. In general, this method produced a satisfactory metal, although at times tile uranium was not ductile. The investigations recorded here were made to find the cause of this embrittlement. It was known that the metal generally contained carbon, derived from disintegration of the graphitc crucible in which electrolysis is conducted, in amounts dependent upon the thoroughness of washing the metal powder. Accordingly, analyses of several samples, both ductile and brittle, were made by combustion and absorption of CO² in Ascarite, using air instead of oxygen to reduce the temperaturc and rate of oxidation. Several of these metals were made with special precautions to reduce carbon content. The results show no relationship between ductility and carbon content in the range investigated (Table 1). Microscopic examination of ductile and brittle metals disclosed the presence in the latter of an intergranular constituent, harder than the matrix and less easily oxidizable, which was absent from the ductile material. Rough estimates of the volume of the hard constituent

Jan 1, 1935

By Herbert W. Huse

Nitrogen, and its compounds, unique among the materials described in this volume, is absolutely essential to the existence of the human race. Almost all minerals are important and the absence of any one of them would be sorely felt; but nitrogen is an integral part of the cycle of life itself. Man cannot live without nitrogen which, as an inert gas, composes the major part of the air he breathes; as compounds, nourishes the vegetation which he eats; and, as protein, forms a part of his very flesh and blood. Nature originally provided man with a vast reserve of usable nitrogen compounds in the form of fertile soil. She constantly replenishes the supply by "fixing" nitrogen in the air at the estimated rate of 400,000,000 tons per year (an insignificant 6 lb per acre) during electrical storms. She has also placed certain microorganisms in the soil which are able to "fix" nitrogen and convert it into forms which plants can use. Legumes like cow peas, soy beans, clover, and alfalfa have extraordinary roots which serve as stimulating hosts to these bacteria which, in turn, nourish the plant. By plowing in all or part of such crops, their above-average nitrogen content can be returned to the soil for other more useful crops. The mechanism for this recycle is supplied by "denitrifying" bacteria which attack the dead plant tissue and liberate nitrogen and ammonia. However, since one crop of grain, sugar beets, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., takes out a major portion of the nitrogen which a plowed-in legume crop can supply, this method of fertilization is obviously inadequate. Drastic intervention by man has become necessary to support the ever-growing population of the world.9,15,20 Old civilizations with a high population density, such as the Chinese, were able to exist for centuries by carefully tilling the soil, rotating crops, and returning to the soil all the nitrogen in vegetable wastes plus human and animal excreta. But the lack of a means for augmenting their supply of nitrogen placed a ceiling on further development and kept the mass of the population in a chronic state of undernourishment, frequently punctuated by famine. Nitrogen plays another important role in the life of mankind. In the form of explosives, nitrogen helps to wrest from the earth many materials needed for our material well-being. Also, in the form of explosives and propellants, nitrogen increased the destructiveness of wars to a point only exceeded by the fantastic power of atomic energy. Man's first really effective efforts to improve his position with respect to nitrogen began in the 18th Century with the mining of sodium nitrate. By the late 1880's this had become a big industry serving a large part of the world. In the late 1890's nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, was being recovered from coke-oven operations. In 1900 nitrogen, in the form of nitric oxide, was being obtained from the air by an electric-arc process. About 1904 another "fixation" process based on the reaction of nitrogen with calcium carbide to form cyanamide was commercialized. By 1913 the Haber-Bosch process of "fixing" atmospheric nitrogen by reacting it with hydrogen to produce synthetic ammonia was successfully applied on a large scale, first in Germany and then throughout the industrial areas of the world.9 All the above methods of obtaining nitrogen compounds are still in use and, between them, they assure mankind of adequate supplies for all time. While this fortunate situation is not unique amongst industrial raw materials, all too few of man's needs are so well in hand.

Jan 1, 1960

The new saw mill at Cache Bay of the Geo. Gordon & Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of International Nickel Co., of Canada, is equipped with the first fully electric saw carriage drives in Ontario. It has a capacity of 120,000 ft of lumber in an 8-hr shift. About half of the mill's production is high grade white pine lumber which is shipped to the general market. The other half, red pine is used in the mining operations of International Nickel in the Sudbury district, 55 miles west of Cache Bay. [ ] Inco with a potential need of 77 million board ft a year, gets only part of its supply from the new mill. The milling firm became an Inco subsidiary Jan. 1, 1948.

Jan 1, 1952

By F. A. Forward, V. N. Mackiw

The paper relates to the laboratory and pilot plant studies that have been carried out by Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd., Metallurgical Research Div., in developing the ammonia pressure leach process for extracting copper, nickel, cobalt, and sulphur from high grade nickel concentrate produced from Lynn Lake ores, and describes in some detail the chemistry of the process. IT is well known'.' 2 that copper, nickel, cobalt, zinc, ferrous iron, and a number of other metals combine with ammonia in aqueous solution to form complex ions of the form [Me(NH,)x]"+. The stability and solubility of these ions depend on the concentration of the metal ion in solution, on the amount of NH, present, and on the amount and type of anions present, e.g., OH-, C0;-, NO,, C1-, SO;-. If ammonia is partially or completely removed from such solutions, for example by boiling, the soluble ammines tend to decompose and the metals precipitate as basic salts. These properties of metal ammines have found practical application in the commercial recovery of copper, nickel, and cobalt from a variety of ores. In an operation formerly conducted at Kennecott"" the mill tailing containing 0.80 pct Cu as copper carbonate was leached by percolation with an ammonia-ammonium carbonate solution to dissolve the copper as the ammine. At Calumet and Hecla0-" With a mill tailing containing about 0.4 pct Cu as metallic copper, it has been found necessary to aerate the ammonia-ammonium carbonate leach solutions between stages to oxidize the solubilized copper. At Nicarol"-" where nickel and cobalt occur as oxides and silicates which are not soluble in ammonia, the ore is heated to decompose silicates and to selectively reduce the nickel and cobalt to metal, leaving the iron as Fe,O,, and is then leached with ammonia-ammonium carbonate solution accompanied by aeration to dissolve nickel and cobalt as ammines. In each of these leaching operations, the anion present is CO, and the metals can be precipitated from the leach solution as oxide (copper) or hydroxide and carbonate (nickel and cobalt) by boil- ing off NH, and C02 both of which are recycled to treat a subsequent ore charge. The products-—oxide, hydroxide, or carbonate—can be treated by conventional smelting, calcining, or electrolytic methods to convert them to refined metals. Thus the procedures mentioned utilize the properties of the ammines to extract copper, nickel, and cobalt from nonsulphide ores and separate them from the leach solutions. These processes have the advantage that they can be carried out in closed vessels at atmospheric pressure, that the leaching solutions are specific for the desired metals, that the metals can be recovered as relatively pure compounds by the boiling operation, and that the NH, and CO, can be recycled. Also, as the leach solutions after boiling and filtration are substantially free of metals, NH,, and CO,, they can be discarded, thus facilitating the control of the water balance in the leaching circuit. When, as is the case with Sherritt Gordon concentrates, sulphides are treated with ammonia solution in the presence of oxygen, the leach solution contains SO,--, and an entirely different set of conditions is encountered. The ammine sulphates (of nickel, for example) are more soluble than the carbonates and can be only partially decomposed by boiling. The SO, and NH, in the solutions can not be recovered by boiling. Thus, despite the more favorable leaching conditions resulting from high solubility of the ammine sulphates, the recovery of metals, NH,, and SO, from the solutions must be effected by other means. Sherritt Gordon Nickel Concentrate Treatment The Ni-Cu-Co flotation concentrate produced at Lynn Lake'" contains 12 to 16 pct Ni, 1 to 2 pct Cu, 0.2 to 0.5 pct Co, 33 to 40 pct Fe, 28 to 34 pct S, 8 to 20 pct insoluble, and less than 0.02 oz per ton precious metals. The nickel is present chiefly as pentlandite, the copper as chalcopyrite, and the iron as pyrrhotite and pyrite. Most of the cobalt is thought to be present in pentlandite, although it is known that a small amount occurs as Co-Ni-pyrite.

Jan 1, 1956

By D. T. MacRoberts

Tins paper embodies the results of theoretical studies concerning gas reservoirs, especially the effect of drilling programs of various intensities upon pressure depletion and ultimate recoveries. The primary objective has been to determine the net quantity of recoverable gas that could be obtained as a result of each additional well, in comparison with the gas that might be secured from a single well ideally placed with respect to both acreage and geological structure. No method is yet known whereby the relative merits of intensive and sparse drilling can be compared experimentally; a reservoir must either be drilled closely or developed with wide spacing, but both programs cannot be conducted simultane-ously. Hence, the analytical method seems to be the only approach to the problem. While the present state of our theoretical knowledge does not offer a precise solution to the problem of gas flow in sand bodies, it takes such appropriate cognizance of the limitations of the methods used as to restrict any answer obtained to the realm of engineering accuracy. In solving the problem for the average gas field, it was found that practically the same answers resulted as to pressure distribution, regardless of the size of the drainage radius, even though the latter was assumed to vary from a few feet as a minimum to that of the entire reservoir as a maximum. Such limits represent extreme possibilities; therefore, the practical conditions that are associated with normal development programs, in which wells are placed in the center of tracts varying in size from 40 to 640 acres, will of necessity result in less extreme variations than those indicated in the tables accompanying this paper. Stated more concisely, the amount of gas unrecovered at abandonment (of the particular field used for illustrative purposes) will lie somewhere between 4.6 and 6 per cent of the total original content, no matter how intensively the field is drilled.

Jan 1, 1938

By D. T. Jones

In view of the importance of the application of scientific principles to the production of oil from the reservoir, the Production Staff of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. (late Anglo-Persian Oil Co.) has been engaged for some years on an intensive program of research on the physical properties of crude oil. Problems involving the retention of crude oil in capillaries and fine fissures demanded for their solution a knowledge of the surface tension and specific gravity of the crude under reservoir conditions, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe briefly the methods adopted for the determination of these properties, and to present the more important results. A detailed article was published in volume 1 of the World Congress Proceedings (1933). Surface-tension observations on crude oil regassed at high pressures with natural gases have been made in the past by Beecher and Park-hurstl and Swartz2, but up to the time of the investigations in Iran no one seems to have carried out experiments with gas-saturated crude direct from the reservoir and kept at its original pressure. Results obtained in this manner are obviously of greater practical value for solving problems connected with the reservoir. Method of Measurement No apparatus for the measurements, under the pressure conditions involved, was available, and a suitable instrument had to be designed and constructed in the Fields workshops. Careful consideration of the matter led to the adoption of a method for measuring the surface tension which did not involve a knowledge of the specific gravity of the oils under the working conditions: the main reason for this being that up to that time no accurate determination of the specific gravity had been made under these conditions. The method adopted involves the measurement of the actual tension in an oil film, and is effected by means of

Jan 1, 1936

By D. T. Jones

In view of the importance of the application of scientific principles to the production of oil from the reservoir, the Production Staff of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. (late Anglo-Persian Oil Co.) has been engaged for some years on an intensive program of research on the physical properties of crude oil. Problems involving the retention of crude oil in capillaries and fine fissures demanded for their solution a knowledge of the surface tension and specific gravity of the crude under reservoir conditions, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe briefly the methods adopted for the determination of these properties, and to present the more important results. A detailed article was published in volume 1 of the World Congress Proceedings (1933). Surface-tension observations on crude oil regassed at high pressures with natural gases have been made in the past by Beecher and Park-hurstl and Swartz2, but up to the time of the investigations in Iran no one seems to have carried out experiments with gas-saturated crude direct from the reservoir and kept at its original pressure. Results obtained in this manner are obviously of greater practical value for solving problems connected with the reservoir. Method of Measurement No apparatus for the measurements, under the pressure conditions involved, was available, and a suitable instrument had to be designed and constructed in the Fields workshops. Careful consideration of the matter led to the adoption of a method for measuring the surface tension which did not involve a knowledge of the specific gravity of the oils under the working conditions: the main reason for this being that up to that time no accurate determination of the specific gravity had been made under these conditions. The method adopted involves the measurement of the actual tension in an oil film, and is effected by means of

Jan 1, 1936

By Marcie A. Greenberg, John C. Patton, R. Tim Thompson

The Fence Lake Project is located in the Salt Lake coal field, an extension of the San Juan Basin. Geologic formations exposed in the Project area range in age from late Cretaceous to Quaternary. Coal is encountered in the Moreno Hill Formation (upper Cretaceous). Salt River Project (SRP) followed the basic textbook approach for the exploration, regional appraisal, detailed reconnaissance, detailed surface detailed and three dimensional sampling (physical exploration). SRP is exploring this property as a potential fuel source for the Coronado Generating Station. Therefore, for the physical exploration stage, the quality sampling program was designed from a utility company viewpoint to determine possible impacts to the Station. Exploration drilling was completed in spring, 1982; September, 1982, and summer, 1984. Engineering, environmental, and land acquisition studies - in the Summer, 1984 Program to more closely evaluate the potential Fence Lake Project coal supply option for the Coronado Generating Station. Studies, including drilling, are ongoing at this time.

Jan 1, 1985

By Olin G. Bell

At the beginning of the year 1935 the older fields in Southwest Texas, and particularly those discovered during 1934, had been practically delimited and only normal development continued. As a result, operations in this area were somewhat slowed down. Shortly after the first of the year, however, activity in the area was greatly accelerated, due largely to the fact that the Loma Novio field, discovered during the last few days of 1934, indicated the presence of a new productive trend east of and parallel to the Government Wells field and also indicated the presence of a new productive horizon, the Loma Novio sand, approximately 100 ft. lower than the Government Wells sand zone. Other discoveries during the year greatly augmented the activity in the district. During the year there were 651 oil wells, 53 gas wells and 275 dry holes drilled in this area during the year. Most of the operations were in the Government Wells, Cole, Loma Novio, Seven Sisters and Lopez fields. New Fields Four new fields were discovered during 1935 as follows: Seven Sisters and Piedra de Lumbre in Duval County; Loma Alto in McMullen County; and Lopez in Webb County. Seven Sisters Field.—The Seven Sisters field, opened in May, was the direct result of a systematic search for new productive areas northeast of the Loma Novio field. The first producer, Harvey & Henderson NO. 1 Chernosky, survey 226, was completed in the Labbe (Chernosky) sand at 2220 ft. However, the second producer, Santa Clara Oil Co. No. 1 Welder in survey 385, drilled about one mile south of the discovery well, failed to find production in the Labbé sand and was carried on down and completed in the Government Wells sand at 2473 ft. with an initial production of 20 bbl. of oil per hour. These two discoveries, in the Labbé and Government Wells sand, started an active leasing and drilling campaign in this part of Duval County and drilling operations continued especially active throughout the remainder of the year.

Jan 1, 1936

By Olin G. Bell

At the beginning of the year 1935 the older fields in Southwest Texas, and particularly those discovered during 1934, had been practically delimited and only normal development continued. As a result, operations in this area were somewhat slowed down. Shortly after the first of the year, however, activity in the area was greatly accelerated, due largely to the fact that the Loma Novio field, discovered during the last few days of 1934, indicated the presence of a new productive trend east of and parallel to the Government Wells field and also indicated the presence of a new productive horizon, the Loma Novio sand, approximately 100 ft. lower than the Government Wells sand zone. Other discoveries during the year greatly augmented the activity in the district. During the year there were 651 oil wells, 53 gas wells and 275 dry holes drilled in this area during the year. Most of the operations were in the Government Wells, Cole, Loma Novio, Seven Sisters and Lopez fields. New Fields Four new fields were discovered during 1935 as follows: Seven Sisters and Piedra de Lumbre in Duval County; Loma Alto in McMullen County; and Lopez in Webb County. Seven Sisters Field.—The Seven Sisters field, opened in May, was the direct result of a systematic search for new productive areas northeast of the Loma Novio field. The first producer, Harvey & Henderson NO. 1 Chernosky, survey 226, was completed in the Labbe (Chernosky) sand at 2220 ft. However, the second producer, Santa Clara Oil Co. No. 1 Welder in survey 385, drilled about one mile south of the discovery well, failed to find production in the Labbé sand and was carried on down and completed in the Government Wells sand at 2473 ft. with an initial production of 20 bbl. of oil per hour. These two discoveries, in the Labbé and Government Wells sand, started an active leasing and drilling campaign in this part of Duval County and drilling operations continued especially active throughout the remainder of the year.

Jan 1, 1936

By K. M. Weigert

The position of the three-phase field between the alpha and the beta phases was established. The exact location differs from previous assumptions. The extremely high strength and hardness values were found near the phase boundaries of the ternary compositions. IN 1929, UenoL investigated vertical sections of the Ag-Cu-Zn diagram at constant silver and zinc values. From the evaluation of cooling curves and microscopic studies, he concluded that there was no evidence of a three-phase field in the solid state between the a and ,8 fields. The failure to find evidence for this field was due to the fact that it exists only in a very narrow range of compositions and requires special methods of heat treatment to establish phase equilibrium. In a later publication on the same subject Keinert2 rearranged Ueno's diagrams to conform with the basic phase rules. The existence of a three-phase field was postulated in the solid state between the a phases and the homogeneous ,9 phase between the Cu-Zn and the Ag-Zn binary border systems. The approximate location was based on a few microscopic observations of the structure and it was pointed out that the exact position could be determined only by a larger number of experiments. In the twenty years following these investigations alloys of Ag-Cu-Zn have become of general interest due to various technical applications, principally for brazing. In the course of an overall investigation of the physical properties of ternary Ag-Cu-Zn alloys the author found extremely high values of hardness and strength in alloys of compositions between the a and the yS fields. The exact location of the intermediate phase fields was established by the evaluation of more than a hundred cooling curves and microscopic mountings. Experimental Procedures Preparation of Test Samples: At the beginning of the investigation samples were chillcast into Vi in. diameter iron molds to determine hardness, strength, and the mechanism of primary crystallization. These

Jan 1, 1955

By N. H. Emmons

The work of a consulting engineer or manager, when controlling mining-operations, requires that he have all the information concerning the mine in as concise a form as possible, and as the ore-reserves and their depletion and enlargement are the vital points to be studied, it is well to have the records kept up to date and in some convenient form. The present paper describes a method adopted by me, which shows in a very clear manner the ore-reserves in a mine. The case illustrated is that of a vein near enough to the vertical for the vertical elevation of the mine to be the main working-map. A flat ore-body would be represented on a similar plat, but instead of the horizontal thickness of the vein being shown in the circles, the vertical thickness would be inserted. Fig. 1 represents an ideal longitudinal elevation of a mine, plotted in the ordinary way, using 100-ft. blocks and section-lines. In a mine where the block-numbers are posted by the engineer underground, the system of keeping the ore-tonnages extracted from the different blocks is easily maintained, and the actual tonnages of ore extracted can be kept so that the surveyor can have a check on his estim'ate from time to time. The ore-reserve sheet, Fig. 2, should be the same size as the map it is to accompany. Each square is used for the description of the ore-reserve in the block it corresponds to on the elevation. Where the section-lines cross the levels a circle is drawn, in which are written the midths of ore at that point, these widths being used in the calculations of each block cornering in the circle. It has been found convenient to show the figures in black in the lower half of the circle when the actual widths of ore are known, and when it is necessary to make up the figures of probable ore, as at the time of making

Jan 1, 1913

By Ralph Wilcox

THE diamond drilling of certain characters of unstable rock forma-tion, as, for example, the copper-bearing schists of the Miami district in Arizona, is rendered most difficult by what is known as " caving" of the sides of the drill holes. As this caving is very greatly increased by the action of flowing water, it occurred to me, after experiencing a great deal of difficulty with caving in diamond-drill holes which I was drilling for the Miami Copper Co., that if I could substitute air for water, much of the caving-with resultant difficulties, such as decreased speed of sinking and increased consumption. of diamonds-would be overcome. After some experimenting, I found that it was perfectly practicable to substitute air for the water; forcing the air down the hollow rotating rods in the same manner as is done with water, the air passing out around the bit, which is thus cooled, and ascending on the outside of the rods to the collar of the hole, carrying the borings in just as satisfactory a manner as had been done by the water, but without the accompanying destruction or caving of the sides of the drill holes such as had been so generally experienced with the water. When water was encountered in the drilling this water was forced up to the collar just as it would have been had water been used in the .drilling, but with the correspondingly decreased flow there was relatively less washing or caving of the sides of the drill holes. The only change necessary in the arrangement of the drill is that a cross instead of a tee is used at the collar of the hole. A tightly woven jute bag is attached to one arm of the cross, for collecting and filtering the sample; and when drilling in dry ground a jet of water is attached to the opposite arm of the cross, to collect the dust and wash down the sample into the bag. The rods rotate through a stuffing box attached to the upper opening of the cross. The distention of the jute bag by the issuing air indicates the operating conditions as sufficiently as did the flow of water when using water in the drill hole.

Jan 10, 1913