Search Documents

By G. K. N. S. Subasinghe

An attempt has been made to explain the behavior of a pinched sluice in terms of the established theories of fluid mechanics and mineral processing. A method has been developed to calculate the underflow discharge by assuming a logarithmic velocity distribution and free gravity fall through the discharge slot. The concentration profile of solids over the depth of flow has been shown to comply with Bagnold's theory of dispersive shear, rather than turbulent sediment transfer. Even although the results can be explained qualitatively by the Bagnold theory, their complete quantitative analysis will not be possible until more work is done. Consequently, an empirical equation has been developed to predict underflow pulp densities. It has been shown that the process of the segregation of the heavier mineral beneath the lighter can be described by a first order law. From the results obtained, a computer model of the pinched sluice has been developed. This predicts the underflow grade, pulp density and flow rate in terms of the feed and operating conditions. The model can also be used to determine the effect of a change in operating conditions, and for the optimization of rougher, cleaner, and scavenger circuits.

Jan 1, 1984

By H. C. Rolseth, J. J. Calaman

6.4-1. Principles of Operation. The jet-piercing process is a patented thermal process which depends upon a characteristic of the rock which is termed spallability. In its simplest terms, spalling is considered as decrepitation resulting from differential expansion of rock crystals due to thermally induced stresses. The number of individual properties influencing the spalling characteristics of rock are so numerous and their interaction so complex that the only truly reliable way to ascertain the spallability of rocks under thermal shock conditions is to expose them to these conditions. However, laboratory and field work have determined the principal thermal, physical, and mechanical properties of rock which affect spallability (10, 18). The approximate relationship between spallability and these characteristics is as follows: [ ] where To is the critical temperature at which, it is believed, a rock becomes elastic or sufficiently plastic to prevent further spalling action. Thermal diffusivity takes into account the amount of heat used in saturating the medium itself during the migration of a heat front. The rate and degree of dimensional changes which influence the spalling tendency of the rock will depend upon the characteristic of the heat gradient in the rock. The greater the spalling tendency, the higher the piercing rate. Those properties most favorable to a high degree of spallability are: 1. Large linear thermal expansion at temperatures below 700°C. 2. High thermal diffusivity at temperatures below 400°C. 3. Equigranular interlocking structure with little or no fine-grained clay or mica alteration products. 4. No significant amounts of soft, low-melting, or elastic mineral or materials which yield after thermal decomposition.

Jan 1, 1968

By John T. Norton, R. E. Hiller

The tremendous increase in the use of metals that have been prcpared by the various cold-working processes during recent years has greatly stimulated the investigation of problems concerned with the fundamental nature of these processes. It has been observed in practice that different methods of bringing about the same dimension changes in a sample result in a rather wide range of properties. Cold working reduces the ductility of a metal, or what is perhaps more nearly correct, its "working capacity," and naturally the manufacturer wishes to produce an article that has as large a working capacity as possible, and to produce it with the smallest number of operations. It has also been known for some time that cold deformation produces a parallel alignment of the crystal grains of a metal, and that the type of this preferred orientation depends to some extent at least upon particular processes employed in the deformation. The present investigation has for its purpose the study of the relations between the various factors of a cold-working process and the preferred orientation of the metjal crystals resulting from this deformation. The work is chiefly confined to a study of cold-drawn seamless tubing. Preparation of Samples The tubing samples used in this investigation were made of steel having a carbon content of 0.10 to 0.20 per cent, and were drawn on a standard type of draw bench. In order to obtain the large reductions, the annealed stock was coated with lead, for purposes of lubrication. The reductions of area stated refer to reduction from the annealed condition without intermediate heat treatment. The cold work was done as nearly as possible at room temperature. The samples of wire and strip used for purposes of comparison were of steel of approximately the same carbon content and were prepared in the manner indicated. X-ray Method of Investigation The condition of preferred orientation in cold-worked samples is best investigated by the X-ray method that employs a small circular beam of * Assoriate Professor of Physics of Metals, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. t Graduate Student, Department of Metallurgy, Massarhusetts Institute of Technology.

Jan 1, 1932

By J. S. Fulton

THOSE who live in steel-mill towns are so accustomed to the sight of flames spouting from the mouth of a Bessemer vessel that they seldom pause to think of the amazing process behind it. Actually cold air is being blown through a hot liquid and, instead of cooling it, raises the temperature of the liquid. When coffee is too hot to drink, we know that blowing on it will cool it, so it was no wonder that when Henry Bessemer (or William Kelly, as your patriotism chooses) first proposed this cycle of steel production, he was considered mad. When Bessemer and Kelly started their investigations around 1852, there was not much practical knowledge of metallurgy and, in consequence, there was wide variation in the product made by their process. It was appreciated that the silicon, carbon and iron were all potential fuels, but not until Mushet discovered the beneficial effects of having manganese in the pig iron did the process really become commercial. Bessemer's patent of 1855 covered a crucibleful of liquid iron into which a refractory tuyere was lowered and the blow started. Since that time virtually every conceivable form of vessel, bottom arrangement, tuyere size and location have been suggested or tried. There have been stationary vessels with fixed bottoms, that were side, top or bottom blown; tilting vessels with two sets of side tuyeres at different elevations; vessels like a three-compartment septic tank; vessels of a cylindrical form supported on the long axis with tuyeres along the side submerged by a partial rotation of the vessel (this type continues in copper refineries) ; portable vessels to make the blow in a ladle over a mold in a foundry; a combination of a cupola and converter in one shell, and various other arrangements. But in all these experiments, compressed air for the blast was presupposed and there was little discussion of the quantity or quality of the air delivered to the tuyeres. At one time or another various practices that now are forgotten have been tried or suggested: for instance, the use of inert gas at the end of the blow; the addition of fuel to the blast; the use of hot-blast stoves; the drying of the air to a minimum moisture in the blast. Except in the last-named method little attention was paid to the quality or quantity of the air blown. PHASES Of the many papers published on various phases of the Bessemer process, nearly 170 according to one bibliography, over go per cent were concerned with the metallurgical phase and less than 10 per cent discussed various sections of the pneumatic phase. Since the two phases are coincidental, apparently nine times as much thought has been given to the result as has been given to one of the causes of the Bessemer process. Is it not possible that if more attention had been paid to the pneumatics so many papers would not have had to be written on the troubles in the metallurgical phase? A study of published papers and conversation

Jan 1, 1941

By W. L. Phillips

The plastic properties of lithium fluoride and magnesium oxide under compression were investigated in the temperature range 25° to 1000°C. At the higher test temperatures, the critical resolved shear stress and the rate of work-hardening of both materials decreased. At the same time, the number of stress lines decreased and the individual stress lines became wider. The density of dislocations decreased for a given strain the higher the test temperature for lithium fluoride. The decrease in the critical resolved shear stress as a function of temperature could be fitted by the equation 7 = Toe-KT. THE influence of temperature on the stress-strain curves of a variety of metal single crystals has been studied for a wide range of temperature.1"5 In general, it has been found that both the critical resolved shear stress and the rate of work-hardening decrease rapidly with increasing temperature and fall to a value of essentially zero well before the melting point is reached. AS the test temperature is increased, the density of slip lines has been found to decrease, while the width of the individual lines increases. Recently, Gallagher,' Graf et al.,7 and Pate1 and Alexander8 have found that single crystals of germanium and silicon, which have a covalent bond, can be plastically deformed at elevated temperatures. In compressing germanium it has been found that the strain-hardening coefficient decreased very rapidly as the temperature was increased. The coefficient did not tend to zero, however, as the melting point was approached. The plastic properties of ionic crystals at elevated temperatures have not been extensively investigated. In the only work previously reported Tamman and salge9 and Theile10 have shown that the yield point of sodium chloride single crystals tested in tension and compression decreased slowly with increasing temperature, falling to zero at the melting point. As the temperature was increased, they found a substantial increase in the amount of plastic deformation that could be sustained before fracture; and at temperatures above 400°C in tension tests there was an obvious necking which produced local extensions of up to 3000 pct. The purpose of the present work is to extend the knowledge of high-temperature deformation to the ionic crystals, lithium fluoride and magnesium oxide. The following were investigated: 1) The gross shape of the stress-strain curve at several temperatures. 2) The change in the critical resolved shear stress as a function of temperature. 3) The appearance of slip bands and the density of dislocations as a function of strain and temperature. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES The lithium fluoride and magnesium oxide used in this investigation were purchased from the Harshaw

Jan 1, 1961

By D. G. Swarthout, J. W. Savage, R. W. Guard

The Nb-N constitution diagvam has been examined from 1100° to 1450°C at 1 atm N2 pressure. On the basis of- our work plus that of Brauer and coworkers the stable nitvide Phases are: a) a solid solutlion, basic niobium (bcc) with nitrogen contained interstitially; NbN,, x = <0.40; b) ß NhNx,x = 0.39 to 0.45; hexagonal (W2C type) (NbzN); a =3.058A,c = 4.961 + 0.001A c) y NbNx x = 0.75 to 0.80; tetragonal (distorted NaCl type) (Nb4N3); a = 4.386A,c = 4.332 + 0.001A; d) 6 NbN,, x = 0.88 to 0.91; cubic (NaCl type); a = 4.3885 + 0.0007A; e) E NbNx x = 0.92 to 1.00; hexagonal (Tip type); a = 2.958A, c = 11.272 * 0.0015A. In addition, a metastuble transition phase 6&apos; has been observed and occurs only during the transition 6 — E. 6&apos; NbN has these distinguishing parameters: NbNx,x = 0.96; hexagonal (anti-NiAs type); a = 2.94A, c = 5 .46A. The high-temperature phase fields in the system are governed by two reactions: a) 6 + Y + E, a entectoid reaction occurring at 1270" ± 20° C; b) o + N2 = E, a 2 012 1 reaction occurring at 1370" ± 20° C. As part of a study of the electronic low-temperature. properties of transition metal nitrides, a number of specimens of niobium nitride were prepared. Preliminary observations on these specimens showed several points of disagreement with data already in the literature. It was, therefore, decided to determine the constitution diagram for the Nb-N system between 1100" and 1450°C. The objective of this research was to define the temperature and composition regions of stability of the various phases and to explain the differences among previously proposed diagrams. Review of Previous Literature. The research on the Nb-N system to 1964 has been summarized by storms.&apos; Although he does not present a phase diagram, his review covers the research on the system thoroughly. One of the earliest works on NbN is that of Ascher-mann and coworkers2 who studied the superconductivity of the cubic 6 NbN. Subsequent work by Horn and ziegler,3 Cook, Zemansky, and Boorse,1 Rögener:5 Schroder6 and sellmaier7 has qualitatively confirmed the first results on superconductivity, although their methods of preparation differed considerably. The constitution diagrams proposed for the system by Brauer and Esselborn8 and Elliott9 are shown in Fig. l(a)and (b). The diagram in l(a) has been modified by more recent results in Brauer&apos;s laboratory (private communication). Although 6&apos; is shown on this diagram, Brauer has indicated that he now believes 6&apos; to be a metastable phase in the temperature range shown. The diagram of Elliott, Fig. l(b), is based primarily on the results of Elliott and Komjathy10 on ni-trided niobium strip or rod specimens examined by X-ray diffraction and metallography. It will be noted that these proposed diagrams are in conflict with respect to the temperature and composition ranges of

Jan 1, 1968

By George B. Clark, John W. Brown, Hemendra N. Kalia, Ronald R. Rollins

A new theory for three dimensional collapse of conical liners shows why the two dimensional theory may offer a good approximation. Shaped charge design parameters and rock target properties were investigated to determine their effects on penetration and breakage. Penetration in dolomite is somewhat similar to that in steel, but copper does not have markedly better penetration capabilities than brass. Several metals, liner thicknesses, cone angles and standoff ranges for each were investigated. Effective standoff is greater for aluminum than more dense metals. Optimum geometry appears to approximate that for metal targets. Resistance to penetrations was greatest for a red granite and dense siliceous rocks, and least for dolomite and porous sandstone. Hardness and compressive strength appear to be two important conventional proper- ties. The first order law does not apply to the rocks tested. Dolomite may be drilled with shaped charges, the holes sprung and round blasted successfully.

Jan 1, 1971

By John C. Nigro

The Bureau of Mines is investigating the use of pulverized coal as a fuel for iron ore pelletizing to determine its effectiveness as a substitute for natural gas and oil. Experimental data illustrates the application of both a gun-type suspension burner and a cyclonic-type slagging burner to a grate-kiln pelletizing unit. In addition, experimentation with a cyclonic fired external combustion chamber for possible adaptation to a shaft or straight grate pelletizing furnace is discussed. The tests were conducted in the Bureau of Mines Twin Cities Metallurgy Research Center&apos;s pilot plant with high rank bituminous coals from Kentucky and Colorado and low rank subbituminous coals and lignites from Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Although combustion was excellent with the suspension burner, the low ash fusibility temperature coals and lignites caused some kiln ringing and accretion buildup in the grate kiln transfer section which were not encountered when firing with the high ash fusibility temperature Kentucky coal. Pellet contamination by coal ash was not deemed substantial. Problems with the cyclonic burner and external refractory combustion chamber centered around (a) maintaining complete combustion of the coal within the burner, (b) molten slag attack on the lower refractory chamber resulting in erosion of the lining and increased slag viscosities, and (c) freeze-up of the slag tap hole.

Jan 1, 1977

By K. S. Krishnam, A. G. Guy

VOLUME 6 of the Transactions of the Baikov Institute of Metallurgy, Moscow, is devoted to the subject of "the experimental and theoretical study of the physical characteristics of dilute solid solutions,11 and summarizes work that has been done largely in the years 1958-9. In view of the attention that Soviet investigators have given to this subject, it seemed useful to carry out an independent experimental investigation in an effort to judge the scientific basis and practical significance of this field of study. The present note is a preliminary report of this investigation. The first property studied by the Soviet group was X-ray spectra of solid-solution alloys.&apos; An anomaly observed at low concentrations (--0.05 at. pct) of the alloying element led to the theory that each impurity atom in a transition-metal base alloy is the center of a "block" of affected atoms with a radius of about 10"7 cm. This theory was further developed in a later paper.2 By this time similar anomalies had been found in diffusion coefficients3 and in thermal expansion.4 The entire development up to 1959 was reviewed in a comprehensive paper, and further theoretical ideas were also published at this time. Finally, the volume mentioned above was published in 19607 giving new experimental data on anomalies in optical properties and Hall constant, and a new theoretical treatment also appeared.&apos; Although western scientists have done both theoretical work, summarized recently by Friedel,9 and considerable experimental work on dilute solid solutions, there is little support for the marked anomalies reported in the Soviet papers. Of the physical properties studied by the Soviet investigators, thermal expansion was chosen for the present investigation because of the relative ease of obtaining the necessary precision of measurement. A Leitz dilatometer was used for this purpose, and a special technique involving interchanging of the two specimens being compared permitted a precision of 0.05 x X in average thermal expansion over the range 27° to 600°C. The specimens were heated and cooled in vacuum or in a protective atmosphere at a rate of 50 °C per hr. Ferrovac E iron was used as the comparison specimen and in every case had a coefficient of expansion higher than (or equal to) that of the alloy. Since unintentional impurities are an important factor in studies of dilute alloys, special attention was given to the purity of the iron and the alloys used. The alloys were the same of those used by Abrahamson10 and by Michalak," and their preparation is described in these references. Chemical analyses of the Ferrovac E iron and of typical Fe-W and Fe-Mo alloys are given in Table I. The purity of the iron and alloys is undoubtedly higher than in the

Jan 1, 1962

By John Hays, Hammond

IT is both a pleasure and an honor to be a guest of the Institute and I thank you, Mr. President and fellow-members, for giving. me the opportunity of meeting you this evening. My esteemed friend, President Smith, has requested me to do a bit of "reminiscing" as to the earlier years of my career as a mining engineer, which has now covered a period of fifty years. Let me reassure you by promising that my narrative will not include all the experiences I have had over that long period. You will, I trust, pardon what might seem egotistical but I do not see how a personal narrative could well be otherwise.

Jan 1, 1928

By G. J. Wilson

Review of difficulties experienced in drilling directional wells in the offshore Grand Isle Block 43 field showed most failures of drill pipe, drill collars and casing to have been associated with excessive dog-legs. Alleviation of difficulties was approached by synthesizing theoretical and practical concepts in a planned dog-leg control program. Preventive measures necessary to control dog-leg severity and corrective measures used to reduce unacceptable doglegs are discussed. When other measures fail, deliberative measures as outlined can be employed after the probable cumulative fatigue damage to be sustained by the drill pipe has been determined. Results of a program successful in virtually eliminating problems stemming from excessive dog-legs indicate that control of dog-leg severity in directional wells is feasible and will cause no decrease in the over-all drilling rate. INTRODUCTION Prompted by an increasing frequency of drill pipe, drill collar and casing failures, a study of 50 directional wells representing 592,000 ft of hole, including 444,000 ft of deviated hole, drilled in the offshore Grand Isle Block 43 field was conducted in early 1965. A number of drill pipe washouts and six keyseating problems were recorded and a detailed review was made of 16 failures which had required fishing effort in 10 of the 50 directional wells drilled prior to June, 1965. These problem wells are exemplified by Wells G and F for which pertinent data are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Data pertaining to all of the 16 failures are summarized in Table 1. Inspection of these data shows most of the problems to have been associated with dog-legs in excess of theoretical limits suggested by Lubinski&apos; and excessive dog-legging is indicated to have been concomitant with whipstocking in several of the problem wells. Results of the investigation agreed with those reported by Schenck2 who had concluded that problems could be expected when dog-leg severity exceeded limits proposed by Lubinski. Since Schenck had demonstrated the desirability and feasibility of drilling directional wells without excessive dog-legging, a dog-leg control program was established in June, 1965 for wells drilled in the Grand Isle Block 43 field. This paper reviews the methods by which theoretical and practical concepts were synthesized to develop a program of preventive, corrective and deliberative measures which virtually eliminated problems stemming from excessive dog-legs in directional wells. Dog-legs of a magnitude causing no damage are referred to as permissible +1CONTINENTAL OIL CO. HARVEY, LA.

By George W. Maynard

IN the biographical notice of Thomas F. Witherbee, published in Bulletin No. 32, August, 1909 (p. xxv), it is said that ". he is believed to have been the first manager in America to use the chemical laboratory for the purpose of controlling the regular running of the blast-furnace." Since the year is not given, I cannot decide as. to Mr. Witherbee&apos;s priority; but the statement leads me to contribute a bit of history, showing an early departure from the "rule-of-thumb " blast-furnace work to the employment of a chemist. In the autumn of 1868 the department of mining and metallurgy was established at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In connection with the assay-department a laboratory was equipped for making general commercial analyses. In January, 1869, Alexander L. Holley, the manager and builder of the Bessemer plant at the Rensselaer Works of John A. Griswold & Co., the first plant erected in the United¬States under the Bessemer patents, began to send me samples of ore, pig-iron, and steel for analysis. Early in 1869 I was regularly retained as chemist for the Rensselaer Works; and while the laboratory was not located at the works, for all practical purposes it was the works-laboratory. The increase in work soon made it necessary for me to secure an assistant. I applied to Prof. Charles F. Chandler, who recommended Dr. August Wendel, who had been an assistant of Rammelsberg and had lately landed in New York. Dr. Wendel remained with me until 1873, when I left Troy. My leaving made necessary the erection of a laboratory at the Rensselaer Works, which, was done under my supervision, and Dr. Wendel was employed as chemist. During the period from 1868 to 1873 my work as consulting mining engineer frequently called me to the Lake Champlain

Nov 1, 1909

By M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

THE performance of coal-washing equipment, that is, the effectiveness with which coal and impurity are separated, is a subject of undisputed interest to all concerned with the preparation of coal. Through the years much has been written in both American and European literature on the performance of coal-washing equipment and its interpretation, but until recently no effort has been made to consolidate this wealth of information into a single, comprehensive treatment of the subject. A splendid effort in this direction was made at the First International Conference on Coal Preparation held in Paris in June 1950 in which representatives from virtually every coal-producing country participated. Although the scope of the conference covered the entire field of coal preparation, many of the sixty-odd papers and a great deal of the discussion dealt with the subject of evaluating washery performance. Prominence was given this subject by the Centre d&apos;Etudes et Re-cherches, des Charbonnages de France, which sponsored the conference. This research organization, generally referred to as Cerchar, was formed in 1948 following the nationalization of the French coal industry. Since that date it has conducted an intensive study of coal preparation. Perhaps because of a fresh viewpoint, Cerchar realized immediately that complete information on the performance of French washeries and a thorough understanding of the mechanism of gravity separation were the fundamental prerequisites in a program to improve preparation practice. For this reason Cerchar concentrated on obtaining performance data and on a comprehensive study of methods of evaluating such information. Some idea of the magnitude of this work will be appreciated from the fact that 175 performance tests were made in 44 plants. The work performed by Cerchar emphasized a condition that is recognized by many of those concerned with coal preparation, namely that the lack of uniformity in presenting data on washery performance, the diversity of methods used in evaluating such information, and the frequent confusion of the terms related to performance have been prime factors militating against the progress from art to science. Thus, Cerchar feels that standardization of the methods employed for evaluating washery performance, not only in France but in the entire world, is essential to progress, and the prime objective of the Paris conference was to seek international standardization of the evaluation methods advocated by Cerchar. At the conclusion of the conference the question of standardization was referred to the International Standards Organization. A careful study of the dozen papers on the subject of evaluating washery performance presented at the conference reveals that none of the methods is new; most of them date back over a decade. Nevertheless, the intensive scrutiny of these methods brought about by the conference unquestionably has resulted in a valuable exchange of ideas and a clarification of thought that could scarcely be achieved in any other way. The object of the present report is to make available to the American coal industry the ideas developed at the conference which seem most important from an American viewpoint and to provide a critical analysis of some of the evaluation methods advocated by Cerchar. The various methods of evaluating washery performance are illustrated partly with data that have been published in American literature, and some new data have been obtained as the result of experimental work undertaken since the conference to provide information on certain controversial points. An English translation of the proceedings of the conference, including the discussion as well as the papers, will be available,&apos; and previous to the conference Coal Age2 published a very brief description of some of the principal evaluation methods used by Cerchar. Americans will appreciate as well as do the French the desirability of standardizing both the termi-

Jan 1, 1952

By Richard H. Jahns

GRANITIC pegmatite deposits are the chief source of commercial feldspar, sheet mica, beryllium, tantalum-columbium, and lithium minerals, and certain types of kaolin. They also have yielded significant quantities of cassiterite, gems, scrap mica, molybdenite, tungsten minerals, uranium-thorium and rare-earth minerals, and zircon, either directly or as the sources of placer deposits. The output from pegmatite mines in the United States is small as compared to other mineral products in terms of bulk or value, and much of it comprises minor metals and nonmetals. Nevertheless, pegmatite minerals play a vital part in domestic industrial economy, particularly in the ceramic and electrical industries. Numerous special purpose uses also are important, even though they require small quantities of raw materials. Never was United States dependence upon pegmatite mining more clearly emphasized than during World War 11, when greatly expanded demands and uncertainties of foreign sources of supply caused much concern. Such commodities as beryl, tantalite, and sheet muscovite remained high on the critical list for months at a time, and for some minerals there was a real struggle to achieve and maintain a favorable ratio of supply to demand. Satisfactory stock piles of certain sizes and qualities of sheet mica, for example, were not built up until late in 1944, when wartime requirements already had begun to level off or even to decrease. Production of all the strategic pegmatite minerals from domestic deposits during World War I1 constituted only 10 pct or less of the total domestic consumption of these minerals, but the importance of this contribution should not be minimized. Domestic production often represented the difference between increase and further reduction of existing stocks of commodities already in seriously short supply, and in the early stages of the war it was the only assured source if imports were cut off. During the recent war period, the U. S. Geological Survey carried on a program of pegmatite studies in the New England and Southeastern States, in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, in the Rocky Mountain region of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, and in various parts of Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California as shown in Fig. 1. Several papers and reports already have appeared as an outgrowth of this work,&apos;-= and others are in preparation. This paper outlines some results of data obtained by the writer during the period 1942 to 1946, when he was engaged in studies of pegmatites in the Southeastern, Southwestern, and Rocky Mountain States. Beryllium Minerals Beryl is the present commercial source of beryllium metal and beryllium compounds, which are used in ceramics, in the preparation of X-ray tubes and fluorescent lamps and screens, in special processes of paint and textile manufacture, and in the optical systems of some electrical instruments. The metal also is used in nuclear physics, chiefly as a source of neutrons. Beryllium is alloyed with aluminum for certain light-metal uses and is a constituent of some nickel and iron alloys. Currently the chief demand, however, is for copper-base alloys, which are exceptionally resistant to fatigue and wear, are responsive to hardening treatments after

Jan 1, 1952

By R. S. McFarland

OKLAHOMA, in 1924, recorded the largest single increase of any state; the total oil production for the year being 176,206,397 bbl. (Oil & Gas Jnl.), which gives an increase over 1923 of about 9 per cent. Oklahoma ranked second in total amount, California being first, and produced almost 25 per cent. of the total production of the United States. This gain in production is accounted for entirely by the rapid development, deeper drilling, and efficient management of productive areas known at the beginning of the year, for, due to the small number of wells drilled, few new pools were discovered and developed up to any important stage during the year. Three major pools, Burbank, Tonkawa and Cromwell, furnished 37 per cent. of the total production. Burbank led by a wide margin, having the largest production of any single pool; there was a steady increase in production until September. The close. development of the pools in Okfuskee, Seminole, and Hughes Counties, together with the new deep-sand production at Tonkawa and increased drilling operations in Osage County, accounted for the big increase shown during the year. In January, 1924, the shutdown movement and curtailment of production in Hewitt and Tonkawa, which had been effective during the year of 1923, were stopped. The shutdown movement and curtailment of operations in 1923 does not give a fair comparison with 1924, as undoubtedly a great deal more oil would have been produced in 1923 had it not been for these measures. The sensational developments during the year, which were certainly beyond the prediction of the oil industry, were the Cromwell field, which started the year with 10,478 bbl. for January and increased rapidly to 1,267,032 bbl. for. December, and the discovery of the Wilcox productions below 4000 ft. in the Tonkawa field in May, which by the end of the year had produced 11,650,000 bbl. In this connection, it can be safely said that 1924 was a banner year for the Wilcox sand series; it has been estimated that between 40,000,000 and 50,000,000 bbl. of the production for the year came from this sand. Although numerous Wilcox pools were opened throughout the state, the big Wilcox production came from. the Tonkawa and Stroud pools. Oklahoma&apos;s deepest well, the Kingwood Oil Co. No. 1 Barnett in the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Sec. 7 T. 7 N. R. 10 E., Hughes County, was abandoned in January, at 5281 ft. with numerous good shows recorded, which have stimulated-further drilling in the locality.

Jan 3, 1925

By I. W. Alcorn

The cost of drilling in the past few years of proration and ever decreasing allowables has received increasing thought and study. It seems to parallel the strides made with respect to pumping problems in 1932 and 1933. Low profit margins stimulate the search for economies. Any discussion of slim-hole drilling involves a multitude of abstract values, and the problem can be attacked only by a study of records and rational thinking. In a measure, traditional methods must be studied with a questioning attitude. The words "slim hole" may be somewhat misleading, as the term is entirely relative. For that reason I wish to define it as used in this discussion. On the Gulf Coast, I would define a normal hole as one in which 10 3/4-in. surface casing has been set and below which a 9 7/8-in. hole is dug. With this as a datum, holes of larger diameter below surface would be called "large holes," with 121/4 in. as the "extra large" class and holes of smaller diameter classed in the slim-hole range, 6 1/4 in. representing about the minimum size. The optimum size has not been definitely determined, but the preference is for a program that would call for setting 8 5/8 -in. surface casing and digging a 7 3/4 - in. hole. Different sections of the country might very properly deviate from this practice because of differences in depth, formations, regulations, or other factors. This paper will be confined to a discussion of the drilling of exploratory wells, as the drilling of this class of wells is quite a different problem from that of drilling a proven field, although many of the same considerations apply in both cases, as will be apparent. Although for many years shallow slim-hole and core-test holes of small diameter had been dug, it was not, I believe, until the fall of 1937 that serious consideration was given to its application in drilling wells 7000 ft., 8000 ft. and 9000 ft. deep on the Gulf Coast. This does not mean that nearly all such wells drilled on the Gulf Coast now are of the slim-hole variety, but only that efforts have been aimed in that direction with very encouraging results and there has been a very definite trend to reduce the size of holes, a trend that probably will continue. As to exploration policy, there appear to be two distinct and opposite views. The one usually followed in the past was more or less designed to "shoot the works" on one well. Generally on the Gulf Coast, the depth at which production might be obtained is limited by the drilling equipment and economics. With this thought in mind, wildcat wells are often planned with the idea of carrying the depth to 10,000 It., or even 15,000 ft. All of the possible hazards are anticipated and the general drilling and casing programs are so predicated. Such wells contemplate the drilling of large-diameter holes; the setting of at least one protective string of casing and an extensive coring policy, all of which finally adds up to an expensive well. AS opposed to this general policy is the slim hole. This, on the Gulf Coast, recognizes that new discoveries represent gam-

Jan 1, 1941

By I. W. Alcorn

The cost of drilling in the past few years of proration and ever decreasing allowables has received increasing thought and study. It seems to parallel the strides made with respect to pumping problems in 1932 and 1933. Low profit margins stimulate the search for economies. Any discussion of slim-hole drilling involves a multitude of abstract values, and the problem can be attacked only by a study of records and rational thinking. In a measure, traditional methods must be studied with a questioning attitude. The words "slim hole" may be somewhat misleading, as the term is entirely relative. For that reason I wish to define it as used in this discussion. On the Gulf Coast, I would define a normal hole as one in which 10 3/4-in. surface casing has been set and below which a 9 7/8-in. hole is dug. With this as a datum, holes of larger diameter below surface would be called "large holes," with 121/4 in. as the "extra large" class and holes of smaller diameter classed in the slim-hole range, 6 1/4 in. representing about the minimum size. The optimum size has not been definitely determined, but the preference is for a program that would call for setting 8 5/8 -in. surface casing and digging a 7 3/4 - in. hole. Different sections of the country might very properly deviate from this practice because of differences in depth, formations, regulations, or other factors. This paper will be confined to a discussion of the drilling of exploratory wells, as the drilling of this class of wells is quite a different problem from that of drilling a proven field, although many of the same considerations apply in both cases, as will be apparent. Although for many years shallow slim-hole and core-test holes of small diameter had been dug, it was not, I believe, until the fall of 1937 that serious consideration was given to its application in drilling wells 7000 ft., 8000 ft. and 9000 ft. deep on the Gulf Coast. This does not mean that nearly all such wells drilled on the Gulf Coast now are of the slim-hole variety, but only that efforts have been aimed in that direction with very encouraging results and there has been a very definite trend to reduce the size of holes, a trend that probably will continue. As to exploration policy, there appear to be two distinct and opposite views. The one usually followed in the past was more or less designed to "shoot the works" on one well. Generally on the Gulf Coast, the depth at which production might be obtained is limited by the drilling equipment and economics. With this thought in mind, wildcat wells are often planned with the idea of carrying the depth to 10,000 It., or even 15,000 ft. All of the possible hazards are anticipated and the general drilling and casing programs are so predicated. Such wells contemplate the drilling of large-diameter holes; the setting of at least one protective string of casing and an extensive coring policy, all of which finally adds up to an expensive well. AS opposed to this general policy is the slim hole. This, on the Gulf Coast, recognizes that new discoveries represent gam-

Jan 1, 1941

By L. W. Kemph, K. R. VanHorn

During the recent development of aluminum alloys for free-cutting screw-machine rod, it became desirable to know something of the solubility of lead and bismuth in liquid aluminum and in some aluminum alloys. The literature is not particularly helpful in supplying this information. These portions, therefore, of the constitutional relationships of aluminum-bismuth and aluminum-lead alloys were investigated by thermal analysis and by chemical analysis of samples taken from aluminum-rich melts in equilibrium with precipitated lead or bismuth. The solubility of lead and bismuth in some liquid aluminum-copper alloys was also investigated. Some consideration was also given to the solubility of these elements in solid aluminum. Among the earliest investigators of the aluminum-lead and alunlinum-bismuth systems was Wright,&apos; who reported that melts of aluminum and lead formed two layers indicating limited liquid solubility. Under his conditions, the aluminum-rich layer was reported to contain 1.91 per cent Pb and the lead-rich layer, 0.07 per cent Al. Subsequently, Pecheau2 found that in aluminum-rich alloy melts with more than 10 per cent Pb three layers were distinguishable. He reported that the middle layer contained from 3 to 10 per cent Pb. He also found that the melting point of aluminum appeared to be lowered slightly by the addition of lead. Gwyer3 investigated these alloys and found evidence of a slight lowering of the freezing point of aluminum by the addition of either lead or bismuth. He found no evidence of solid solubility in either case and made no attempt to determine the liquidus curves. Hansen and Blumen-tha14 reported that the addition of lead distinctly lowered the solidification point of aluminum. They also found that bismuth lowered the melting point of aluminum. Guillet5 reported almost complete mutual immiscibility for the aluminum-bismuth alloys in the liquid state. Bohner6 examined the effect of various concentrations of lead and bismuth on the electrical conductivity of aluminum. He found decreases in conductivity on annealing at 500&apos; C. as compared with the conductivity of the same alloys on annealing at 300&apos; C.

Jan 1, 1939

By L. W. Kemph, K. R. VanHorn

During the recent development of aluminum alloys for free-cutting screw-machine rod, it became desirable to know something of the solubility of lead and bismuth in liquid aluminum and in some aluminum alloys. The literature is not particularly helpful in supplying this information. These portions, therefore, of the constitutional relationships of aluminum-bismuth and aluminum-lead alloys were investigated by thermal analysis and by chemical analysis of samples taken from aluminum-rich melts in equilibrium with precipitated lead or bismuth. The solubility of lead and bismuth in some liquid aluminum-copper alloys was also investigated. Some consideration was also given to the solubility of these elements in solid aluminum. Among the earliest investigators of the aluminum-lead and alunlinum-bismuth systems was Wright,&apos; who reported that melts of aluminum and lead formed two layers indicating limited liquid solubility. Under his conditions, the aluminum-rich layer was reported to contain 1.91 per cent Pb and the lead-rich layer, 0.07 per cent Al. Subsequently, Pecheau2 found that in aluminum-rich alloy melts with more than 10 per cent Pb three layers were distinguishable. He reported that the middle layer contained from 3 to 10 per cent Pb. He also found that the melting point of aluminum appeared to be lowered slightly by the addition of lead. Gwyer3 investigated these alloys and found evidence of a slight lowering of the freezing point of aluminum by the addition of either lead or bismuth. He found no evidence of solid solubility in either case and made no attempt to determine the liquidus curves. Hansen and Blumen-tha14 reported that the addition of lead distinctly lowered the solidification point of aluminum. They also found that bismuth lowered the melting point of aluminum. Guillet5 reported almost complete mutual immiscibility for the aluminum-bismuth alloys in the liquid state. Bohner6 examined the effect of various concentrations of lead and bismuth on the electrical conductivity of aluminum. He found decreases in conductivity on annealing at 500&apos; C. as compared with the conductivity of the same alloys on annealing at 300&apos; C.

Jan 1, 1939

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

This paper summarizes the economic problems of the industrial mineral industries which are essentially different from those of the metals and the fuels. Failure to understand and evaluate such factors as markets, place value, and substitutions of one mineral for another may be disastrous. The engineer should be as responsible for profitable operation as he is for technical efficiency. The Raw Materials Survey of Portland, Oregon, is described.

Jan 2, 1950