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By W. J. Millard

It is well known that the excellent mica from Brazil played a most vital role in World War 11. Increased production from Brazil was necessary and with the assent of the Brazilian Government engineers from the united' States went down to study the problem. One of the means advocated by a former Chief of Metals and Minerals Branch of the Board of Economic Warfare, Mr. Carl Schwegler, was the use of stripping machinery. On a pegmatite dike favorable for stripping, a small number of miners could produce as much mica per day as an underground mine employing many times the same number of men. Type of Deposit Favorable The most favorable type of pegmatite for stripping is that which lies more or less parallel to the surface of the slope of a hill. Pegmatite dikes that cut directly into a hill are not suitable for stripping except where a long outcrop extends along the slope. Then just the outcrop could be stripped to some advantage. The ratio at no time should be greater than 1: 3; i.e., I cu. m. of pegmatite to 3 cu. m. of waste, unless the pegmatite was extremely rich throughout the dike. The Economics of Stripping When a mineral is badly needed to win a war, not too much heed can be paid to costs. The object is to produce rapidly and in quantity. Again, a deposit containing a superior grade of mica may be worked although the pegmatite is more costly to work than another deposit containing a considerably greater amount of poor-grade mica. For example: one deposit may have a little mica that will run 11 per cent good stain and better when trimmed and contain 2 kg, of crude mica per cubic meter of pegmatite, while another may run 0.2 per cent of good stain and better, and have a mica content of 10 kg. per cubic meter. A number of stripping projects were found in the vicinity of Raul Soares, Minas Gerais. These were sampled in the various old workings by cutting out a cubic meter of pegmatite and saving the usable mica. Because of the proximity to the surface of most stripping projects, about 34 per cent only of the mica is good for trimming. The other 66 per cent is too badly weathered to be of use. In Table I are given data collected on five properties near Raul Soares. In Table I, "value per cubic meter of pegmatite" means the value of the qualified mica obtainable. This does not include the half trimmed and splittings. By "value per cubic meter of matter" is meant the value of the qualified mica per cubic meter of material excavated; i.e. both waste and pegmatite. This is the figure that should be used to determine whether the operation will be profitable or not, as the cost of stripping is about $0.14 per cubic meter. With new machinery not subject to breakdowns, the cost per cubic meter should be around $0.10 to $0.15. To this should be

Jan 1, 1948

By C. S. Smith, E. W. Palmer

IN 1934, when Gregg and Daniloffl wrote their excellent monograph on the alloys of iron and copper, the most recent literature on the constitution of the alloys indicated a narrow single-liquid area for 20" above the liquidus with a closed liquid mis-cibility gap above this. Since that time, however, a number of investigators have confirmed the much earlier studies of Mushet2 and Stead3 who, among others in the nineteenth century, had described the true state of affairs. Liquid copper and iron are completely miscible in the absence of carbon, but small amounts of carbon cause liquid segregation. In 1934, one of the writers' mentioned evidence for the absence of liquid separation in carbon-free alloys at temperatures up to 1700°C. Two years later, Mad-docks and Claussen5 unequivocally established the absence of liquid segregation and published a revised diagram, reproduced in fig. 1. They also studied the limits of the two-liquid area in ternary alloys of iron, copper, and carbon as a function of carbon and iron content. In the same year Simpson and Bannister" and Schumacher and Souden7 described in some detail the properties of alloys containing 50 to 75 pct Cu. More recently Hodges et al.16 have developed the copper-rich alloys for use as high-strength conductors. In 1937, Iwase, Okamoto, and Ameniya8 published data on the miscibility gap in ternary alloys of iron, copper, and carbon that supported the conclusions of Maddocks and Claussen, and definitely located the two-liquid area at temperatures of 1450" and 1540°C. They also reported that additions of 1 pct Al, Ni, Pb, Sn, or Zn caused no segregation in 50 pct Cu alloys at 1540°C. The use of copper in amounts approximating 1 pct has found industrial employment to an increasing degree in both wrought and cast steels, for such steels are capable of being precipitation-hardened following normalizing, and have high yield strengths. This is summarized by Gregg and Daniloff,1 Sallitt,9 and Lorig and Adams,10 while Alexander" gives additional information on the heat treatment of copper-steel castings. Lippert12 has described Digby's two-phase steels containing copper and chromium. The work described in the present paper was done in the years 1932 to 1934, at which time much of the information was new. The excellent work subsequently done in other laboratories but more promptly published makes the present paper in part only a confirmation of what is now well known. There has not, however, been published any unified study of

Jan 1, 1951

By C. S. Finney, John Mitchell

The decline of the beehive coking industry was inevitable, but it had filled the needs and economy of its day. A beehive plant required neither large capital investment to construct nor an elaborate and expensive organization to run. The ovens were built near mines from which large quantities of easily-won coking coal of excellent quality could be taken, and handling and preparation costs were thus at a minimum. The beehive process undoubtedly produced fine metallurgical coke, and low yields were considered to be the price that had to be paid for a superior product. Few could have foreseen that the time would come when lack of satisfactory coking coal would force most of the beehive plants in the Connellsville district, for example, to stay idle; and if there were those like Belden who cried out against the enormous waste which was leading to exhaustion of the country's best coking coals, there were many more to whom conservation was almost the negation of what has since become popularly known as the spirit of free enterprise. As for the recovery of such by-products as tar, light oil, and ammonia compounds, throughout much of the beehive era there was little economic incentive to move away from a tried and trusted carbonization method simply to produce materials for which no great market existed anyway. With the twentieth century came changes that were to bring an end to the predominance of beehive coking. Large new steel-producing corporations were formed whose operations were integrated to include not only the making and marketing of iron or steel but also the mining of coal and ore from their own properties, the quarrying of their own limestone and dolomite, and the production of coke at or near their blast furnaces. As the steel industry expanded so did the geographic center of production move westward. By 1893 it had moved from east-central to western Pennsylvania, and by 1923 was located to the north and center of Ohio. This western movement led, of course, to the utilization of the poorer quality coking coals of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. These coals could not be carbonized to produce an acceptable metallurgical coke in the beehive oven, but could be so treated in the by-product oven. By World War I the technological and economic limitations of the beehive oven as a coke producer were being widely recognized. After the war the number of beehive ovens in existence dropped steadily to a low of 10,816 in 1938, in which year the industry produced only some 800,000 tons of coke out of a total US production of 32.5 million tons. The demands of the second World War led to the rehabilitation of many ovens which had not been used for years, and in 1941, for the first time since 1929, beehive ovens produced more than 10 pet of the country's total coke output. Production fell off again after 1945, but the war in Korea made it necessary once more to utilize all available carbonizing capacity so that by 1951 there were 20,458 ovens with an annual coke capacity of 13.9 million tons in existence. Since that time the iron and steel industry has expanded and modernized its by-product coking facilities, and by the end of 1958 only 64 pet of the 8682 beehive ovens still left were capable of being operated. Because beehive ovens are cheap and easy to build and can be closed down and started up with no great damage to brickwork or refractory, it is likely that they will always have a place, albeit a minor one, in the coking industry. The future role of the beehive oven would seem to be precisely that predicted forty years ago by R. S. McBride of the US Geological Survey. Writing with considerable prescience, McBride declared: "A by-product coke-oven plant requires an elaborate organization and a large investment per unit of coke produced per day. Operators of such plants cannot afford to close them down and start them up with every minor change in market conditions. It is not altogether a question whether beehive coke or by-product coke can be produced at a lower price at any particular time. Often by-product coke will be produced and sold at less than cost simply in order to maintain an organization and give some measure of financial return upon the large investment, which would otherwise

Jan 1, 1961

By J. D. Alexander, W. L. Martin, J. N. Dew

This paper presents data obtained using a flood-pot technique to determine the fuel available and the corresponding theoretical air requirements for in situ combustion of crude oils. Since the technique is relatively quick and easy, it is a practical and convenient tool for evaluating reservoirs as fireflood prospects. It is also a research tool which facilitates systematic study of the variables affecting fuel availability and corresponding air requirements. The understanding of these variables is of prime importance to those concerned with the technical and economic development of in situ combustion as an oil-recovery process. The experimental results show conclusively that the fuel available for in situ combustion is not a constant but, rather, varies with crude-oil characteristics, porous-medium type, oil saturation, air flux and time-temperature relationships. Thus, the fuel availability for specified field applications should be determined using actual reservoir crude and core material and the process conditions expected during in situ combustion in the reservoir. INTRODUCTION In situ combustion is a thermal process for recovering crude oil from reservoirs. The thermal energy released during the combustion of a small amount of the oil in place aids in the displacement of the remaining oil. Numerous articles have been published describing the in situ combustion process giving detailed results of laboratory and field experiments.10 In order to engineer an in situ combustion project, a number of important factors must be considered and determined. These factors include: (1) the amount of fuel consumed per unit of reservoir volume swept by the combustion zone, (2) the composition of the fuel consumed, (3) the amount of air required to consume this fuel, (4) the portion of the reservoir swept by the combustion zone, (5) the appropriate air-injection rates and pressures, (6) the amount of oil that will be recovered, (7) the rate of oil production and (8) the operating costs. Nelson and McNiell1 recently have described a procedure which utilizes laboratory combustion-tube data as a basis for the calculation of some of these design factors. Various authors have attempted to describe the in situ combustion process mathematically, and considerable progress has been made. Analytical solutions to the problem of heat transfer from a moving combustion front have been obtained for linear and radial systems."-' All of the published results involve the assumptions that: (1) fuel concentration is constant throughout the reservoir, or that fuel concentration is inversely proportional to the velocity of the front for a given rate of oxygen consumption; and (2) the fuel reacts instantaneously with injected oxygen, while liberating a constant amount of heat per unit weight of fuel at all temperatures. It seems both desirable and reasonable to test the validity of these assumptions experimentally. This paper presents laboratory data which were obtained by means of a "fire flood-pot" method for determining fuel availability and composition, and the corresponding theoretical air requirements for in situ combustion of crude oils under variable conditions. The mechanics of the method are similar to a conventional tube-run experiment.' The important differences involve the size of the reservoir model used and the method for providing the experimental environment. The new method subjects conventionally-sized core samples or unconsolidated sands to a programmed environmental sequence similar to that experienced by a similar volume of rock during the approach and passage of a combustion front in a long tube or in an oil reservoir undergoing in situ combustion. Restored-state samples can also be used. The small samples and relatively simple techniques involved allow an experiment to be set up, run and calculated in about three 8-hour days. This is a considerable improvement over long-combustion-tube techniques which can require several days to run and several more work days to set up and calculate. All the runs presented were run at 40-psig injection pressure. Pressure was not considered as a variable for these experiments, since we previously had found that it had only a small effect on fuel availability up to 600 psig.APPARATUS AND MATERIALS APPARATUS The fire flood-pot apparatus consists of a consolidated

By J. W. Graham

For many years the author has been cognizant of the difficulty encountered by some in treating with the water influx formulas for unsteady-state fluid flow as pertain to the material balance equation. This has particularly applied in establishing reservoir performance and identifying reservoir pressure, which to the practicing engineer has entailed a trial-and-error procedure, and for others has necessitated resorting to computing devices and reiteration processes. In retrospect this difficulty stems from the fact that reservoir pressure in the material balance formulas, as well as associated with the water influx equations, is an inexplicit term, and the work reported in the past is irrefutable. However, what will be presented in this paper is another approach to the problem, whereby the entire material balance equation will be treated by the Laplace transformation, and reservoir pressure which hereto has been inexplicit, can now be isolated by mathematical procedure to relate that parameter with all the factors contributing to its change. This is the simplification entailed, that treats first with an undersaturated oil reservoir as an integrated effect from the inception of production. The second phase pertains to saturated oil reservoirs that encompass a survey traverse. Although both methods of approach are necessarily different in aspect, the most interesting fact is that the mathematics so deduced are identical. Both the linear and radial water-drive systems are incorporated. for which an illustrated factual example is offered for the latter, treating with a saturated oil reservoir. INTRODUCTIO N What is performed in this work is the simplification of an involved computation by advanced analysis. Although such may be construed as a contradiction when one treats with higher mathematics; nevertheless, when direction is given to such an undertaking the results car. be most revealing. Likewise, it is to be mentioned that the bases for these mathematics have been developed on the expediency of the occasion. This is not to be inferred as a qualification of this work, but rather the demands frequently placed upon the author in his private prac- tice in meeting a time limit. A situation, instead of being fraught with hazards, often has given emphasis to creative thought. What will be entailed in this work is the simplification of the material balance formulas by the Laplace Transformation., Although this reveals entirely new horizons that will be given expression in a forthcoming tract, it suffices in the present instance to limit our attention to this phase of the development that treats both with an undersaturated and saturated oil reservoir. To orient the reader's thoughts as to what is involved in this simplification is the recognition that reservoir pressure, as such, is an inexplicit term in the material balance equation. This is the independent parameter that defines the total history of performance in the author's' unsteady-state water influx formulas, as well as the basis for the physical dependency of fluid behavior within the formation as prescribed in the Schil-thuis' material balance equation. Therefore, to isolate reservoir pressure, which is the most essential factor in any reservoir study, is rather a cumbersome procedure entailing either a trial-and-error calculation for the engineer; or as some prefer, a reiteration process performed on a computing device. However, once such an equation can be transcribed as a Laplace transformation, this inexplicitness so expressed can be alleviated to identify reservoir pressure as an explicit function of all the factors contributing to its change. This is the simplification encompassed, that will treat first with an undersaturated oil reservoir as an integrated effect from the inception of production, and secondly, with a saturated oil reservoir as a survey traverse. Although the two approaches are necessarily different because of the uhvsics involved. it is an interesting commentary that the mathematics are identical, showing the interdependency of the two methods. In order to acquaint the reader with this development, the simplest case will be treated first; namely, an under-saturated oil reservoir subject to a linear water drive. However, what may be construed for this example as an idealistic case is actually a most practical application in certain parts of the world, where the size of the fields are so large that radial water-drive approaches the configuration of a linear drive. Further, to avoid the repetition of much symbolism, frequent references will be made to the work of the author and an associate on Laplace Transformations3,

By Perry Olcott

The Texas Gulf Coast had a rather disappointing year in the type of oil fields found. Although 17 fields were found in the area during the year, as against 21 fields in 1938, no field of major proportion was discovered. Of these 17 fields, 11 were oil fields, 4 were gas and distillate fields, and 2 were gas fields. The wildcat activity for the year resulted in about 400 dry holes, although probably 10 per cent of these were edge wells close to proved areas. During the year, 1455 oil and gas wells were completed as compared to 1637 wells in 1938, a decrease of 11 per cent. Production for the Texas Gulf Coast area for the year was 100,253,937 bbl. as against 92,530,467 bbl. produced in 1938, an increase of 8 per cent. The daily average production was 274,668 bbl. for the 365 days in the year, although only 252 producing days were allowed by the Railroad Commission; that is, 69 per cent of the time as compared to 71 days shut in for 80 per cent of the time producing in 1938. The total number of oil and distillate wells producing at the end of 1939 was 9495 as against 8451 at the end of 1938—an increase of 1044 wells, or 12 per cent. Of these wells, 6547 were flowing and 2948 pumping, or 69 per cent flowing. At the end of the previous year, 66 per cent of the wells were flowing. New Fields Angleton, Brazoria County.—The Angleton field was discovered by the completion of Glen McCarthy's No. 1 Carr in October for an initial production of 180 bbl. a day of 50" gravity oil through 11/64-in. choke with 3400 Ib. on tubing. The field is 1½ miles east of the town of Anchor. The discovery undoubtedly can be credited to the reflection seismograph, since several companies worked the area from 1933 onward with this type of exploration. The principal block was taken by the Humble company in 1934. Two deep holes by Humble revealed the presence of structure, although both were dry. The Humble and Sun companies later contributed money and acreage toward the drilling of the discovery well. The production is from a sand in the Frio, about 1700 ft.

Jan 1, 1940

By Perry Olcott

The Texas Gulf Coast had a rather disappointing year in the type of oil fields found. Although 17 fields were found in the area during the year, as against 21 fields in 1938, no field of major proportion was discovered. Of these 17 fields, 11 were oil fields, 4 were gas and distillate fields, and 2 were gas fields. The wildcat activity for the year resulted in about 400 dry holes, although probably 10 per cent of these were edge wells close to proved areas. During the year, 1455 oil and gas wells were completed as compared to 1637 wells in 1938, a decrease of 11 per cent. Production for the Texas Gulf Coast area for the year was 100,253,937 bbl. as against 92,530,467 bbl. produced in 1938, an increase of 8 per cent. The daily average production was 274,668 bbl. for the 365 days in the year, although only 252 producing days were allowed by the Railroad Commission; that is, 69 per cent of the time as compared to 71 days shut in for 80 per cent of the time producing in 1938. The total number of oil and distillate wells producing at the end of 1939 was 9495 as against 8451 at the end of 1938—an increase of 1044 wells, or 12 per cent. Of these wells, 6547 were flowing and 2948 pumping, or 69 per cent flowing. At the end of the previous year, 66 per cent of the wells were flowing. New Fields Angleton, Brazoria County.—The Angleton field was discovered by the completion of Glen McCarthy's No. 1 Carr in October for an initial production of 180 bbl. a day of 50" gravity oil through 11/64-in. choke with 3400 Ib. on tubing. The field is 1½ miles east of the town of Anchor. The discovery undoubtedly can be credited to the reflection seismograph, since several companies worked the area from 1933 onward with this type of exploration. The principal block was taken by the Humble company in 1934. Two deep holes by Humble revealed the presence of structure, although both were dry. The Humble and Sun companies later contributed money and acreage toward the drilling of the discovery well. The production is from a sand in the Frio, about 1700 ft.

Jan 1, 1940

By J. Charles Miller

Natural carbon dioxide has recently been exploited in the United States in consequence of oil and gas developments in the Western States and the growing demand by transcontinental and transoceanic shippers for solid carbon dioxidc. The discovery by drilling of commercial deposits resulted in consideration of its geographic and geologic distribution and occurrence. Its wide distribution in nature is evidenced by its occurrence in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. The question of origin of carbon dioxide involves consideration of theories similar to those concerning natural hydrocarbons, although available evidence favors an inorganic rather than an organic source. Areas favorable to development of commercia1 production appear to be those in proximity to igneous rocks or in the vicinity of decadent volcanic activity, where, it has long been known, the gas is evolved either free or dissolved in the waters of fumaroles, geysers or mud pots. Structure contour maps are presented showing the Wagon Mound anticline in New Mexico and the Farnham anticline, Utah. A well drilled on the latter supplies gas to a 20-ton plant manufacturing solid carbon dioxide at Wellington, Utah, on the Denver and Rio Grande R.R., whence it is shipped to surrounding territory and to the West Coast. Before funds are invested in a plant for the manufacture of liquid or solid carbon dioxide, whether supplied by wells or springs, an effort to ascertain the volume of gas available is advisable. The use of present methods of estimation of gas reserves with modifications to account for the quantity absorbed by any water present in the producing formation is recommended. The Farnham anticline is used as an example and computations are made of the probable volume of gas originally present in the structure. No attempt was made to compute reserves in the Niland area, California, for the reason that in such areas it is believed the volume is indeterminate. Introduction Carbon dioxide, in liquid and solid form, has found a wide variety of uses other than its primary application in carbonating beverages. It is now used in more than 40 different ways, ranging from cooling or freezing to use in gas or liquid form for mechanical purposes, chemical industry, explosive, fire extinction, and tire manufacturing. Undoubtedly the chief supply of carbon dioxide is obtained from industrial plants or artificial sources and until recently natural deposits of the gas have received little consideration. Few will question the utility and perhaps dependability of artificial sources, which possess the advantage over

Jan 1, 1941

By J. Charles Miller

Natural carbon dioxide has recently been exploited in the United States in consequence of oil and gas developments in the Western States and the growing demand by transcontinental and transoceanic shippers for solid carbon dioxidc. The discovery by drilling of commercial deposits resulted in consideration of its geographic and geologic distribution and occurrence. Its wide distribution in nature is evidenced by its occurrence in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. The question of origin of carbon dioxide involves consideration of theories similar to those concerning natural hydrocarbons, although available evidence favors an inorganic rather than an organic source. Areas favorable to development of commercia1 production appear to be those in proximity to igneous rocks or in the vicinity of decadent volcanic activity, where, it has long been known, the gas is evolved either free or dissolved in the waters of fumaroles, geysers or mud pots. Structure contour maps are presented showing the Wagon Mound anticline in New Mexico and the Farnham anticline, Utah. A well drilled on the latter supplies gas to a 20-ton plant manufacturing solid carbon dioxide at Wellington, Utah, on the Denver and Rio Grande R.R., whence it is shipped to surrounding territory and to the West Coast. Before funds are invested in a plant for the manufacture of liquid or solid carbon dioxide, whether supplied by wells or springs, an effort to ascertain the volume of gas available is advisable. The use of present methods of estimation of gas reserves with modifications to account for the quantity absorbed by any water present in the producing formation is recommended. The Farnham anticline is used as an example and computations are made of the probable volume of gas originally present in the structure. No attempt was made to compute reserves in the Niland area, California, for the reason that in such areas it is believed the volume is indeterminate. Introduction Carbon dioxide, in liquid and solid form, has found a wide variety of uses other than its primary application in carbonating beverages. It is now used in more than 40 different ways, ranging from cooling or freezing to use in gas or liquid form for mechanical purposes, chemical industry, explosive, fire extinction, and tire manufacturing. Undoubtedly the chief supply of carbon dioxide is obtained from industrial plants or artificial sources and until recently natural deposits of the gas have received little consideration. Few will question the utility and perhaps dependability of artificial sources, which possess the advantage over

Jan 1, 1941

By J. M. McKenzie

p-n junctions to detect and measure the energy of single quanta of electromagnetic radiation are described. Useful energy range is from 1 kev to several Meu. Achieved energy resolution varies from 30 pct at 6 keu to 0.12 pct at 2 Mev. Parameters affecting the perfornzance of the present detectors and desired of a new material are discussed. DURING the last 6 years semiconductor detectors have been used extensively to detect and to measure the energy of charged particles. These detectors are made from reverse-biased p-n junctions. Electron-hole pairs are created in the depletion region of the junction, Fig. 1. The carriers are separated by the electric field and give rise to a pulse of current in the external circuit. This current pulse is proportional to the number of carriers and hence to the energy deposited in the depletion region by the ionizing event. More recently the discovery of the lithium drift process, first in silicon' and then in germanium,2 has extended the use of semiconductor detectors to the detection and the energy measurement of single quanta of electromagnetic radiation. These detectors now have a useful measurement range extending from the soft X-ray region, about 6 kev, to the hard y ray region of several Mev. Surface-contoured avalanche diodes can be used to extend this range down to 1 kev. There is however a desire for other materials suited to higher operating temperatures, and particularly for those materials with high y ray stopping power. The most important advantage of the semiconductor detector over gaseous and scintillation detectors is the average energy, E, required to form an electron-hole pair. Fig. 2 shows the quantum efficiency for germanium as a function of photon energy.3 At the band-gap energy, 0.7 ev, an electron-hole pair is generated by the absorption of the photon and the quantum efficiency is unity. The quantum efficiency remains constant at unity between 0.7 and 3 ev. It then increases as additional electron-hole pairs are formed by secondary ionization of the initial photoelectron. The rate of increase is about 1 electron-hole pair per 3 ev (actually 2.9 ev for germanium and 3.6 ev for silicon). This figure is constant irrespective of the particle type (electron, proton, a particle, heavy ion) and energy. In an ionizing event an incident particle of energy E will create N = E/e ion pairs. The statistical fluctuation in this number is proportional to &. The fractional energy resolution is therefore proportional

Jan 1, 1968

By C. E. Tsoutrelis

A new method for determining rock drillability in diamond drilling is discussed; the method takes into consideration both penetration rate and bit wear. The method is based on drilling a rock specimen under controlled laboratory conditions using a model bit. The technique used for determining the experimental variables is extremely simple, quick, and reliable. Drillability is then determined by the mathematics of drilling. In considering the different factors that affect diamond drilling performance, the nature of the rock to be drilled is of outmost importance since it affects significantly the drilling costs and such other variables as bit type and design, drilling thrust, and bit rotary speed. Many attempts have been made to study this effect by correlating actual drilling performances either to certain physical properties of the rock being drilled1-? or to test drilling data obtained under laboratory conditions.7-13 These attempts were aimed at providing a reliable method of predicting by simple means the expected rock behavior in actual drilling, thus giving the engineer a tool to use in estimating drilling performances and costs in different types of rock. The purpose of this paper is to describe such a method by which rock drillability (a term used in the technical literature to describe rock behavior in drilling) could be determined in diamond drilling. It is believed that the proposed simple and reliable method will cover the need of the mining industry for a workable method of measuring the drillability of rocks. It should be emphasized, however, that since drill-ability depends on the physical properties of rock and each drilling process (diamond, percussive, rotary) is affected by different or partly different rock properties,14-l6 the proposed method of determining rock drillability cannot be extended to the other drilling processes. The results presented in this paper form part of an extensive three-year research program carried out by the author in the laboratories of the Greek Institute of Geology and Subsurface Research. During this period the effects of the physical properties of rocks and of such operational variables as drilling thrust and bit rotary speed in diamond drilling were investigated in detail. DRILLABILITY CONCEPT The literature is not devoid of drillability studies. While there are a number of investigators1,3,5-7,9-0,12-13,17 who have attempted to establish by direct methods (i.e., drilling tests under laboratory conditions) or indirect (i.e., through a physical property of rock) an index from which the drilling performance in a given rock may be estimated, very few6-7,9,12, of the proposed methods seem to be of much practical value to the diamond drilling engineer and none to date has been universally accepted. Commenting on the proposed methods for assessing rock drillability, Fish14 remarks that "for a measure of drillability to be accepted it is essential that penetration rate at a given thrust and bit life are elucidated as otherwise the method is of little value." This statement should be examined in more detail by making use of the penetration rate-drilling time diagram obtained in drilling a rock under constant operational conditions. Furthermore, the merits of using this diagram to describe rock drillability will be pointed out. At the same time reference will be made to this diagram when discussing some previously proposed methods. Fig. 1 illustrates such a diagram for three rocks,A, B, and C, which have been diamond drilled under identical conditions. It is assumed here that rocks A and B have the same initial penetration rate, i.e., VOA = Vog, but since rock B is more abrasive than A, rapid bit wear occurs and as a result the fall of its penetration rate with respect to time is more vigorous than in rock A. This is shown graphically by a steeper V = f(t) (0 curve in this rock than in rock A. Rock C has a lower initial penetration rate, due to higher strength properties16 but since it is not very abrasive, only a slight fall of its penetration rate occurs during drilling (in this category are some limestone and marbles with compressive strength above 1000 kg per sq cm). It follows from the foregoing considerations that the characteristic for each rock curve (I) is a function of (i), the penetration rate of the rock Vo recorded at the instant of commencing drilling, which determines the starting point of the curve (1) on the y-axis and (ii), the abrasive rock properties which determine the rate of fall of Vo with respect to time. Thus, curve (I) provides an actual picture of the rock behavior in drilling for given operational conditions, and it can be used with complete satisfaction to assess rock drillability. It can be seen clearly from Fig. I that proposed methods for assessing rock drillability by measuring the

Jan 1, 1970

By W. C. Browning

The influence of the hydroxyl factor is more damaging to formations penetrated and causes greater consumption of drilling mud additives than previously realized. This hydroxyl effect on clays is essentially independent of the cations present in the drilling fluid and thus differs from the base exchange reactions that have preoccupied mud chemistry with sodium and calcium bentonite concepts for nearly two decades. The new organic polyelectrolyte-con-ditioned muds haw made it possible to use materials other than sodium hydroxide to maintain the alkalinity of such muds. The properties of silicates, as indicated by their dissociation characteristics and buffering action, are such that they can control he pH and alkalinity of drilling muds at the desired level and, at the same time, minimize undesirable hydroxyl effects associated with sodium hydroxide. This use of silicate compounds is different and distinct from prior applications of silicates as deflocculants or shale preservers. Laboratory and field data presented in this report show that silicate compositions can be utilized to adjust the alkalinity of drilling muds and, at the same time, minimize hydmxyl-promoted clay cleavage. INTRODUCTION Studies for improving the efficiency of rotary drilling techniques must consider the chemistry of drilling fluids and of the formations being penetrated. The chemical aspects of drilling must be studied in conjunction with and in relation to the mechanical factors if, for example, penetration rates are to be optimized. Drilling fluid technology has been largely influenced by chemical reactions of the montmorillonite (bentonite) clay minerals. Most of the literature of mud chemistry concerns the properties of bentonite. Clays of the kaolin or illite type, which are nonswelling, are not generally regarded as sources of drilling mud problems. If these nonswelling shale clays are considered, they are commonly regarded as inert solids. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the relation of surface and colloid chemistry to massive shale bodies has received only scant attention from drilling technologists. Clay studies reported in the drilling mud literature have dealt, for the most part, with the properties of clays in a finely divided state, and often in very dilute suspensions. Yet frequently during drilling, shale problems not related to the rheology of clay suspensions develop in massive non-bentonitic shale sections of zero or near zero permeability. This paper is concerned with surface chemical reactions that can influence the behavior of these non-bentonite clay masses in such a manner as to adversely affect drilling operations. Browning and Perricone1,2 have pointed out that some of the most troublesome shales to drill, such as the Atoka, contain no montmorillonites. They also pointed out that mud problems can frequently be mitigated by reduction of clay cleavage achieved by using drilling fluids with a minimum of available hydroxyl ions. If pronounced clay cleavage occurs during drilling, the borehole may soften, increasing the possibility of sloughing. In addition, the resulting increased incorporation of high-surface-area clay solids into the mud system can reduce penetration rates and necessitate greater chemical treatment. This increase of shale, of colloidal or near-colloidal dimensions, into the drilling mud is due to clay aggregate cleavage and not to base exchange or swelling reactions, such as occur with bentonites. Searle and Grimshaw3 point out the difference between cleavage or slaking reactions of nonswelling clays (such as illite and kaolinite) and the swelling of bentonite. They further state that the speed of slaking is increased in alkaline water. Eitel1 cites Salmang and Becker, who recognized that clay surface reactions impart plasticity and workability to clay masses. Their results clearly show that all liquids which contain hydroxyl groups in their molecules favor the workability of clays. The ancient technique of aging clays in the moist condition to increase their "workability" is evidence that these clay cleavage phenomena are of considerable importance. The same hydration cleavage that occurs during the aging of nonswelling clays for ceramic use also acts to break up cuttings and soften the borehole during drilling operations. The mechanism of cleavage of the crystalline aggregates of illitic, kaolinitic and other nonswelling clays; and the chemical means of controlling this cleavage are therefore of considerable significance to the drilling mud chemistry. Inasmuch as there is little reference in the drilling mud literature to the cleavage reactions of nonswelling clays, the structure of these clays and certain properties that relate to the mechanism of clay cleavage will be reviewed briefly. STRUCTURE OF NONSWELLING CLAYS Clays such as kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite are compmed of alternate layers of (1) silicon-oxygen tetra-

Jan 1, 1965

By J. R. Kyte, R. L. Dalton, V. O. Naumann, R. L. Ridings, R. W. Greene

This paper presents a one-dimensional numerical method for calculating dissolved-gas-drive behavior for a single well or a linear reservoir. Pressure and saturation distributions can be calculated, including the effects of capillary and gravity forces. The analysis has been programmed for solution on the IBM 7090 digital computer. A comparison of experimental and calculated behavior for two linear models demonstrates that the method is suitable for calculating dissolved-gas-drive behavior under reservoir conditions of flow. Dissolved-gas-drive tests were run, at different production rates and with oils of different viscosities, on short (6.ft) and long (173ft) flow models. For tests approximating reservoir pressure gradients and flow rates, there was excellent agreement between experimental and calculated results. A series of calculations of well behavior for thin, horizontal, homogeneous, dissolved-gas-drive reservoirs shows that ultimate recovery is independent of production rate or well spacing in such cases. These calculations also show that Muskat's method and similar material-balance analyses are not applicable under some conditions particularly for high pressure drawdowns. INTRODUCTION The problem of calculating dissolved-gas-drive reservoir performance has received a great deal of attention throughout the oil-producing indusfry for many years. Really significant advances, however, have been made only in recent years. The rapid evolution of high-speed computing equipment and techniques has opened up new approaches to the problem and led to realistic, quantitative analyses free of many of the assumptions and limitations of earlier methods. The one-dimensional numerical method described in this paper includes the effects of both gravity and capillary forces. A number of test calculations, based on different rates, spacings, and rock and fluid properties, have shown that the method is adequate for systems that can be reasonably represented by a one-dimensional model (linear or radial) and in which fluid segregation perpendicular to the direction of flow is not important. Along with the development of mathematical methods, an experimental program was conducted and the data were used to test the validity of the theoretical basis of the mathematical method. Linear models were used and all experiments were run using 1,000-psig bubble-point oils. The use of long, high-pressure models enabled us to more closely approach reservoir gradients and flow rates. MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS The differential equations describing dissolved-gas-drive behavior in one dimension dare summarized here. They include Darcy's law for flow of oil and gas (Eqs. 1 and 2) and the equations for conservation of mass for oil and gas (Eqs. 3 and 4). The oil and gas pressures are related by capillary pressure (Eq. 51.

By J. B. Hess, C. S. Barrett

TO reach equilibrium between different phases in cobalt-rich alloys requires prohibitively long annealing cobalt-richalloystimes when temperatures are below about 700°C. The fact that a transformation from face-centered cubic to close-packed hexagonal readily tered takes place at temperatures below this in the cobalt-rich solid solutions is not an indication that thermally activated processes occur at an appreciable rate, for the transformation is well established as martensitic in nature. Wide divergence between heating and cooling experiments and high sensitivity to prior heat treatment make it difficult to judge temperatures of equilibrium between the phases.&apos; One object of the present work was to see if the information object of on the relative stability of phases could be gained by substituting plastic deformation for thermal agitation. Procedures were worked out that led to the determination of a diffusionless type of phase diagram, which represents the temperature of of phase equal stability for phases of the same composition, and the technique was applied to the Co-Ni system. Another object of the work was to see whether or not deformation would generate frequent stacking faults when these were thin lamellae of quentstackingfaultsa phase having higher free energy than the parent phase. The alloys were prepared in 80 to 100 g melts from cobalt (with metallic impurities estimated spectrochemically as follows: Ni, 0.05 pct; Fe, 0.001 pct.; Mg, Si, Cu, Cr, Al, < 0.001 pct) and Mond Car-bony1 nickel (with Fe, 0.05 pct; Si, 0.003 pct; C, 0.61 pct.; Cu, 0.001 pct; Co, Cr not detected, < 0.01 pct). The metals were melted in pure Al2O3 crucibles. An atmosphere of argon, that had been purified by passing over hot magnesium chips, was used for the alloys that, by analysis of the portions of the ingots actually used, were found to contain 15.3, 25.7, and 35.0 pct Ni, and vacuum melting (after degassing) was used for those containing 29.4 and 31.5 pct Ni. After induction melting the alloys were allowed to solidify in the crucible, and slices % in. thick x ½ in. in diam were annealed 12 hr at 1350°C for homogenization. These same specimens were used throughout the series of experiments, with annealing treatments of 4 hr at 900°C in purified hydrogen followed by furnace cooling, alternating with the deformation and X-ray tests discussed below. Results Spontaneous transformation was observed on cooling to room temperature in all alloys containing 29.4 pct Ni or less and by cooling the 31.5 pct alloy to — 195°C but was not observed in the 35 pct alloys after cooling to —195°C. These results are in satisfactory agreement with the cooling experiments of Masimoto.4 From these data it is clear that the temperature of beginning transformation M,,, drops to 20°C with the addition of about 30 pct Ni. The test for spontaneous transformation was metallographic. Specimens were thermally polished by annealing 10 hr in hydrogen at 1350°C, then furnace cooled; if trans- formation had occurred there were relief effects visible on the thermally polished surfaces. These markings were narrow straight lines, usually resolvable at high magnification as clusters of fine lines that resembled slip lines. It was concluded that they resulted from displacements on (111) planes, for the number of directions in individual grains often reached but never exceeded four, and lines could always be found parallel to the thermally etched (111) boundaries of annealing twins. The markings were thus consistent with the idea that the transformation occurs by (111) plane displacements (Shockley partial dislocations moving on (111) planes). This was further confirmed by X-ray tests for stacking disorders. Using an oscillating crystal technique previously employed to detect strain-induced faulting in Cu-Si alloys," streaks indicative of the stacking faults were looked for and found on X-ray films of the spontaneously transformed 25.7 pct Ni alloys, as expected by analogy with Edwards and Lipson&apos;s results on pure cobalt." The streaks were much intensified after rolling at room temperature. Transformation induced by plastic strain was investigated as a function of alloy composition and temperature of deformation. A series of tests was made to determine suitable straining and X-raying techniques. Filing was found inferior to abrasion in converting cubic samples to hexagonal, and abrasion was less effective than peening in producing smooth unspotty Debye rings in the X-ray patterns. Because the diffraction lines were broad, Geiger-counter spectrometer records of filings were less sensitive in revealing small amounts of transformed material than X-ray patterns recorded on films in a small diameter camera. After these exploratory tests the following methods were adopted. Specimens that had been annealed at least 4 hr at 900°C and furnace cooled were mounted in a block of aluminum, brought to temperature, and peened thoroughly with a mullite pestle preheated to the same temperature. The specimens were then quenched to room temperature. In peening, a circular area of % in. diam was given 500 blows. A few control tests showed that an additional 1000 blows did not detectably change the proportions of the phases present. The amount of transformation was judged by X-ray reflection patterns from the peened surface, using the innermost four lines of the cubic and the hexagonal patterns with filtered CoKa radiation,

Jan 1, 1953

By Joseph E. Pogue

THAT the domestic consumption of gasoline displays a marked seasonal variation, with a low in the winter and a high in the summer, is well known. It is logical to expect that the nature of the variation has itself been undergoing a change as a result of improvement in roads, general employment of closed cars; and growth of mass haulage; but so far as I am aware the change in seasonal variation has never been investigated and measured. It is the purpose of this paper to present the method and results of such an investigation undertaken as a contribution to the technique of planning operating schedules now so prominent in connection with the functioning of the industry under a Federal quota system. For the method employed I am in-debted to the suggestions and help of Frederick R. Macaulay&apos;, who kindly looked over the work sheets; and credit is due Barnabas Bryan, Jr., for assisting in the computations and the graphic work. Ideas for the approach to the problem were also derived from an article by Aryness Joy, and Woodulief Thomas of the Division of Research and Statistics of the Federal Reserve Board*-.

Jan 1, 1934

By L. W. Holm, G. G. Bernard

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effect of foam on gas flow in porous media. Previous studies have indicated that foam may be applicable as a restrictive agent in influencing underground gas flow. Foam was found to be exceedingly effective in reducing the permeability of porous media to gas. Consolidated and unconsolidated sands with specific permeabilities of 100 to 146,000 md had, in the presence of foam, gas permeabilities that were less than 1 per cent of the specific permeability; in many cases the gas permeability was practically zero. Foam reduced the gas permeability of loose sand to a much greater degree than that of a tight sand. For example, the permeability of a 125,000-md sand was reduced to 3 md while the permeability of a 4,000-md sand was reduced to 7 md. This effect should cause, to some degree, selective plugging of high permeability channels in various oil displacement processes. The presence of oil in a porous medium decreased the effectiveness of foam in reducing gas permeability; apparently oil acts as a foam depressant. However, it was found that certain foaming agents were very effective in reducing permeability even. in the presence of oil. Also, continuous injection of other foaming agents increased their effectiveness, when oil was present. The effect of foam on permeability of porous media to gas was studied as a function of foaming agent concentration and injection rate, absolute permeability, total pressure, pressure gadient, length of porous system, brine concentration and time. INTRODUCTION The use of surface active agents in flood water to increase the recovery of oil has been studied in the laboratory and in the field for decades, with rather limited success. In recent years a new approach to the problem was proposed. Instead of using an aqueous solution of surfactant as an oil recovery agent, Bond and Holbrook2 proposed that the oil recovery agent be a mixture of surfactant solution and gas. In their method, a water-soluble surface active agent with foam-producing characteristics is injected into an underground formation as an aqueous slug. This slug is followed by gas to produce a foam within the rock. Foams are defined as "agglomerations of gas bubbles separated from each other by thin liquid films&apos;! A foam is fundamentally an unstable system. The foam process for oil recovery has since been studied by other investigators. Fried 1 has shown that foam can displace from porous structures oil that normally is unrecoverable by conventional water or gas drives. This superior oil displacing action is believed to be the result of several factors: (1) foam introduces into the reservoir many resilient interfaces of various sizes and curvatures, which increase the probability that a proper combination of forces for oil displacement will be created; (2) foam has appreciable viscosity which improves mobility ratio and contact efficiency; (3) foam accentuates the trapped gas effect because high gas saturations are possible without producing high gas/oil ratios. Deming4 studied the effect of various foam properties on the displacement of liquid. He found that (1) high foaming ability favors high displacement efficiency; (2) high foam stability is not necessary for high displacement efficiency; (3) displacement efficiency decreases with increase in plasticity of foam and (4) displacement efficiency is unaffected by surface tension of foaming agent solution. One of the important aspects of this oil recovery process is the effect of foam on gas permeability. The simultaneous flow of gas and liquid in porous media has been studied by numerous investigators and a large amount of literature exists on the subject. In this previous work, gas and liquid have generally been considered as essentially independent phases, whose flow characteristics are related through the saturation parameter. Foam, however, is a material with properties that are considerably different from those of its components; for example, the viscosity of a foam is greater than either of its components. Gas flow in a porous medium in the presence of foam should be considerably different

Jan 1, 1965

By Juan Sodi, John F. Elliott

The standard free energy of ReS2 has been measured in the range of 1050° to 1250°K using H2/H2S mixtures and a slight variation of the method described by Hager and Elliott.1 The result is: The experimental method and apparatus were modified slightly for this study. Measurements on Cu2S were made to verify the application of the method to the work on ReS2. THE EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS Briefly, the experimental method consisted of exposing a chip of copper or rhenium at a known temperature for 8 hr to a slowly flowing gas stream at the same temperature in which Ph2S and PH2 were known. The chip was withdrawn quickly from the hot furnace, and subsequently it was inspected for the presence of a sulfided surface. In the experiments described here, there was no ambiguity in any case as to the presence or the absence of the sulfide. At a given temperature, gas compositions for sulfidization were explored systematically until two compositions were found whose values of ?G°, Eqs. [I] and [2], were within approximately 100 cal of each other, one of which was sulfi-dizing and the other was not. These are termed the "straddle" compositions and it is assumed that the equilibrium composition lies between them. The chief modification to the apparatus, which is shown schematically in Fig. 1 of Ref. 1, was to support the metal specimen on a small alumina boat which could be moved along the reaction tube, 6 mm ID, by platinum wires. An appropriate seal at each end of the reaction tube permitted the sample to be moved from the cold end of the tube into the hot zone in 2 to 3 sec, and the sample could be withdrawn equally rapidly. Thus, it was possible essentially to quench the specimen from the reaction temperature with the reaction gas or helium flowing and without danger of breaking the reaction tube. The usual practice at the end of the experiment was to switch the gas system to the helium tank, flood the reaction chamber with helium, and pull the sample out of the hot zone. The purpose of the modification was to permit study of the sulfidization of copper without the complication of the back-reaction between the gas and the specimen as the latter cooled during slow withdrawal of it from the hot zone; this was a problem in the earlier work.&apos; A further improvement located the tip of the temperature-indieating thermocouple and the specimen precisely at the hottest part of the furnace. A carefully calibrated thermocouple, with its tip at the position of the specimen and with other conditions duplicating those of an actual experiment, showed that in the temperature range of 900° to 1122°C the temperature of the specimen differed from that of the tip of the indicating thermocouple by less than 0.5°C. The two positions were 0.5 cm apart. The reaction gas was prepared from ultrahigh-purity hydrogen (<l ppm O2, <0.5 ppm H2O) and CP grade hydrogen sulfide (99.5 pct H2S). High-purity helium (99.995 pct He) was used. All of these gases were purchased from the Matheson Co. All flow meters were recalibrated by the soap-bubble method with hydrogen, H2S, helium, and several gas compositions used during the study. These calibrations gave a linear relationship with a slope of 1.0 for the plot of log flow rate vs log pressure drop across the flow meter, in accordance with the Hagen-Poiseuille equation. The analysis of the gas was determined in the same manner as was reported previously. Good checks were obtained between the composition of the gas established by the flow-meter settings and by chemical analysis of the gas taken after the mixing bulb and ahead of the furnace. The pressures of H2S, H2, S2, and HS in the equilibrium gas at temperature were calculated from the following data :3 The pressures of the species S and S8 were negligible for the conditions of the experiments.3 There was no sign of vaporization of ReS2 either by weight loss or deposits in the reaction tube. Thus it is not possible to account for the apparent volatility of the compound reported by Juza and Biltz.2 The inlet gas composition and the calculated equilibrium ratio of PH2 S/PH2 for the "straddle" points of each experiment are shown in Table I. The specimens of metal for the experiment were small clippings of annealed copper (99.9+ pct) sheet 0.005 in. thick that was obtained from Baker and Adamson and of "high-purity" rhenium (99.9+ pct) sheet 0.005 in. thick that was purchased from Chase Brass and Copper Co. A specimen was removed from the apparatus; inspected for the presence of the sulfide, and then stored in a sealed vial. A fresh clipping was used in each measurement. The condition of the surface of each specimen after the experiment is noted in Table I.

Jan 1, 1969

By A. M. Skov, L. F. Elkins

Inclusion of anisotropic permeability in mathematical analysis of pressure transients observed during development of the huge Spraberry field indicates a major fracture trend which is in good agreement with that observed by fluid-injection tests spread over a 12- by 17-mile area. Delineation of this trend is important in selecting a pattern of injection for the pending large-scale water flooding in this field. Determination of reservoir parameters yielding best agreement between calculated pressures and observed reservoir pressures in newly completed wells was made using an IBM 650 computer. INTRODUCTION The Spraberry field covering 400,000 acres is a tight sand of less than 1-md permeability cut by an extensive system of vertical fractures. Primary recovery dominated by capillary retention of oil in the fractured sand matrix blocks is less than 10 per cent of oil in place. Strong forces of capillary imbibition of water into the sand, coupled with water flow under dynamic pressure gradient, indicate considerable increase in oil recovery can be achieved through water flooding. Best results will occur if the pattern of water injection is selected to force the water flow across the grain of the major fracture system. Existence of an oriented vertical fracture system in the Spraberry, observed first in cores, was highlighted more recently by the 144-fold contrast in permeability along and at right angles to the major fracture trend required to match relative water breakthrough times in Humble Oil & Refining Co.&apos;s waterflood test there. Spraberry operators since have conducted two gas-injection tracer tests for further areal confirmation of the fracture trend. Re-analysis of early reservoir pressure transients for evidence of anisotropic permeability has permitted many more local determinations of major fracture trend without resort to further field tests. This paper is limited to updating analysis of reservoir pressure transients to include anisotropic permeability as a test for orientation of the major fracture trend in the Spraberry. The reader is referred to Refs. 1 and 2 for information about general Spraberry reservoir performance and to Refs. 3 and 4 for information about significance of fracture orientation in selection of the injection-well pattern for water flooding the Spraberry. RESERVOIR PRESSURE DATA—DRIVER AREA During early development of the Spraberry Driver area, Sohio Petroleum Co. made the extra effort to measure the initial pressure in each of the 71 wells in a 5-mile-long area immediately after completion. Progressively greater reductions in pressure ranging up to 400 psi were observed throughout the six-month development period. Detailed data are presented in Ref. 1. Since the reservoir oil was undersaturated some 300 psi initially, early reservoir performance involving 55 new well pressures is subject to analysis as flow of a single compressible fluid in a porous media. Assumption of uniform permeability in all directions yielded good agreement between calculated pressures and observed pressures of these wells in the earlier study,&apos; but subsequent, additional, mathematical development to include anisotropic permeability in the transient pressure considerations and present availability of electronic computers to perform the much more extensive arithmetical calculations now yield even better agreement. The previous analysis, assuming uniform permeability, consisted essentially of calculating pressure reduction expanding circularly around each producing well and summing these effects at the time and location of each newly completed well for comparison with the measured pressure reduction. Permeability, effective fluid and rock compressibility, and permeability X thickness were varied until the best match with measured pressures was obtained. The present analysis, assuming anisotropic

By W. W. Gorr, R. Smith, E. H. Wyche

THE combination of high strength and corrosion resistance of cold-worked 18 Cr, 8 Ni steel has been advantageously utilized for some time, particularly in aircraft and rail car structures. There are, however, certain limitations on the use of such materials because the high strengths can be obtained only by cold-working, limiting the available products to sheets, strip, wire and tubes. The authors sought to overcome these limitations by resorting to precipitation-hardening, which has been used so successfully in nonferrous metallurgy but only to a limited extent in iron-base alloys. Accomplishment of this objective not only overcame the limitations, but also effected certain improvements in mechanical and other properties. This paper is an account of the development by Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation of a precipitation-hardening 18-8 stainless steel (called Stainless W? and tentatively identified as type 322). A description is given of its composition and metallurgical characteristics, heat-treatment, physical and mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW STEEL For a considerable length of time the authors were unable to determine the mechanism of the precipitation-hardening process that had been noted by Ffield 18,19 in 18-8 Ti or 18-8 Cb after cold-working and reheating to moderately elevated temperatures. All known variables were exhaustively studied, but with little success. However, results began to indicate that chemical composition was the most important variable, particularly the ratio of austenite-forming to ferrite-forming elements. The investigators &apos;then focused their attention upon the composition, and, in particular, upon the element titanium and its mode of alloying in the presence of other elements. A heat was obtained that could not be brought to the softness level of annealed 18-8. The response to cold-straining and aging* was very marked by previous standards, and, more important, cold-straining was found to be entirely unnecessary to produce the precipitation-hardening effect. The chemical composition of this heat was: C, 0.06 per cent; Mn, 0.54; P, 0.016; S, 0.016; Si, o.58; Ni, 7.28; Cr, 17.6o; Ti, 0.90; Al, 0.17. For some time the development work, particularly on composition, was carried

Jan 1, 1946

By Thomas C. Baker

The Fresnillo unit of the Mexican Corporation, S. A., is situated at the old historic mining town of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico, 33 miles north of the city of Zacatecas and 750 miles south of El Paso, Tex. It is connected with the Mexican Central Railroad by a broad-gage spur 5.5 miles long, belonging to the company. Fresnillo is surrounded by a broad semi-arid valley on the Mexican plateau at an elevation of 7300 ft. The monotony of the valley is broken by a number of low hills. Near the town of Fresnillo is the " Cerro de Proano," an elliptic-shaped hill of gentle slope, rising out of the plain to a height of 325 ft.; the base has a major axis of 4500ft. and a minor axis of 3000 ft. In this hill is the silver-bearing mineralized zone, which comprises past and present mining operations. (In this paper money values are expressed throughout in American currency and the dry short ton of 2000 lb. is used.) The discovery of ore at Fresnillo is credited to the Spaniards, soon after the conquest of Mexico. There are, however, no authentic records to show the amount of work done by them. In 1832, the State of Zacatecas took possession of the property and operated it. Evidently the rich ore above the horizon of the plain had been fairly well exhausted, as an old record states that thirty shafts were used for unwatering, requiring 300 men and 1500 animals. The cost of pumping alone amounted to $150,000 a year. In spite of the fact that cheap convict labor was used, mining costs were reported as $20 and treatment charges as $20 per ton. In 1835, the state was obliged to seek foreign capital, and a company formed in London secured a controlling interest in the property. This new organization sank two shafts, one 11 by 19 ft. and the other 10 by 15 ft., to unwater the mines and extract ore. Large Cornish pumps were purchased in England and hauled overland from Vera Cruz; engines also were installed to operate the arrastres (grinding mills) in the patio process of ore treatment. Substantial buildings were erected and operations were conducted on a large scale, for that period. The patio, the largest in Mexico, was 1150 ft. square. The costs for 1850 were:

Jan 1, 1925