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I. N. KNAPP, Ardmore, Pa. (written discussion*).-The possibility of storing natural gas in the sands f exhausted gas pools might be, in many cases, a, good engineering proposition, but it cannot be considered a practical business proposition tinder the usual competitive leasing and operating conditions that exist in the natural-gas business. Under the usual conditions of diversified land ownership and leasing with all lack of cooperation, various operators drill into the same pool or reservoir and drain out the gas under each other's land. To attempt to use for storage purposes the depleted sands f any one pool having such various competing ownerships would be highly impractical, considered from operating and business standpoints, unless there was cooperation with the interests owning adjacent wells and leases or the purchase f the same. Also, it would be very difficult to find out whether all old or abandoned wells in any pool had been properly, plugged and thus prevent the waste of gas brought from a distance for storage. Another objection to Mr. Panyity's proposition is the probability that no lease made in the past contemplated the use of a gas sand for storage purposes. Very likely, then, the operator would have a lawsuit on his hands for the unlawful use of a lease if he attempted the storage f such gas without first obtaining additional lease rights. In some instances salt water could not be pumped from a gas well in the customary way of pumping oil wells on account of the deposition of salt in the pump valves or in the working barrel or tubing. Very ingenious compressed air jets have been devised and arranged with suitable piping to blow out such salt-water accumulations. In many pools it would be impracticable to drill a water pocket below a gas sand, as suggested, since such deeper drilling would probably. intensify water troubles.

Jan 5, 1919

THE award from the fund established by Mrs. John-son, in memory of her husband, J. E. Johnson, Jr., to be given to some promising engineer, not over 40 years of age, because of meritorious research, inven-tion or contribution to the professional literature of iron and steel along the lines of blast-furnace process, has been given, for, 1928, to P. H: Royster. Mr. Royster was born at Raleigh, N. C., in 1888. and graduated from the University of North Carolina, in 1907, taking his A.M. degree at, the same school in 1908. He then went to Harvard where he continued research work in physics. After engaging for a while in commercial research in the turbine department of the General Elec-tric Co. and with Cutting and Washington he joined the staff of the Bureau of. Mines in 1916 and was assigned to work on the physical chemistry of the blast-furnace process. He worked with A. L. Feild on slag viscosity and they jointly presented-to the Institute the. papers on "Temperature and Viscosity Relations in the Ter-nary System CaO-A12O3-SiO2" (TRANS. LVIII, 658) and "Slag Viscosity Tables for Blast-furnace Work" (TRANS. LVIII, 650). He also presented a paper on "Production of Ferromanganese in the Blast 'Furnace" .(TRANS. LXII, 18), and jointly with T. L. Joseph contributed a paper on "Effect of Coke Combustibility on Stock Descent in Blast Furnaces" (TRANS. LXX, 236), and another on "Pyrometry in Blast-furnace Work" which was included in the special pyrometry volume published in 1920. The titles of these works perhaps sufficiently indicate the part Mr. Royster has played in the notable research work on the blast-furnace process carried on by the Bureau of Mines, and for which the committee recommended him to the Board of Directors to receive the Johnson award.

Jan 2, 1928

By Myron K. Rodgers

In rock- or ore-crushing tests all data, in order to be valuable for study and comparison, should be obtained and tabulated under conditions as uniform as possible. The results of many such tests have no value for comparison, because of incomplete data and the lack of uniform conditiops, screens and scale of sizing, etc. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a form of standard specifications which may be developed by the Milling Committee and approved by the A. I. M. E. for rock-crushing tests. It is not intended to discuss any theories of rock crushing. Reports of rock-crushing tests should include the following details: 1. Description of the machine employed (jaw or gyratory crushers, rolls, stamps,tube mills, Chilean mills, etc.), 2. Method and material (timber, concrete, etc.) of foundation. Much power is dissipated in the vibration of poor foundations. 3. Locality from which the rock or ore was obtaincd, and geological, mineralogical, and physical characters of the material. 4. The power consumption of the machine running with no load and with full load, the unit of power being 1 hp. per 24 hr, 5. The capacity of the machine in tons (of 2000 Ib.) per 24 hr. 6. The duty in tons per horsepower-day. 7. The screen analysis of feed and product by the proposed A. I. M. E. standard screen scale. On the foregoing statement, the following remarlrs are offered. Toughness of Rock Table P shows the relative crushing duty of the same machine on three different characters of rock, all other crushing conditions being the same. This table indicates that the specific resistance of the rock to crushing, may affect the crushing duty of a unit of power as much as 300 per cent. Perhaps this quality may be called toughness. It is not a function of hardness only. For comparison of tests, rocks should be divided into

Jan 1, 1916

By Warden A. Moller

The Fushun coal-field, now being opened up by the South Manchurian Railway Co., is connected with the main line by a branch, 30 miles long, from Sui Chia Tun, 10 miles south of hlukden, the oapital of Manchuria. The coal-field, which lies on the southern bank of the Hun river, 25 miles east of Xiukden, consists of a long narrow valley, running east and west between hills composed of granitic and volcanic rocks. At the foot of the northern hills, the Hun river flows westward towards the Liao river, which drains the greater part of South Manchuria. At the foot of the southern hills, resting immediately upon volcanic rocks, and overlain by 30 ft. of alluvium, is a thick layer of Tertiary shales, carrying near the base two coal-seams. In many places the lower of these two seams is in immediate contact with volcanic lavas and basalts, the flows of which were evidently both prior and subsequent to the formation of the coal-seams. This contact has practically destroyed the lower seam for commercial purposes. The value of the field lies in the upper seam, which, for a length of nearly 8 miles, varies from 100 to 130 ft. thick. Of this seam, 85 per cent. is good coal. The seam dips to the north conformably with the shales, at angles of from 25 to 30°, and appears to have an uninterrupted dip for about 1.5 miles before being possibly cut oft' by the northern hills. The coal-bearing shales extend east and west for a length of about SO miles, but towards the east the continuity of the seams is broken by intrusive rocks. The coal is of the sub-bituminous variety, low in ash, bright in appearance, and breaks with a conchoidal fracture. It has the usual qualities of Tertiary coal—quick steam-raising and poor stacking qualities. Pieces of resin, varging in size from

Jan 1, 1911

Shoveling ore cost so much at Tyrone during the year 1917 that it was deemed advisable to conduct tests to see where the fault lay. These tests were in the nature of time studies and extended over a period of very nearly a year. No data were available on this work to supply a starting point, so it was necessary to begin in a very elementary way, to find out the capacity of the average Mexican laborer. To' obtain a basis for comparison, it was necessary to determine the capacity of various types and sizes of shovels, so as to know whether the 21-1b. (9.5-kg.) load was the best load underground as well as on surface. A list of essential factors influencing shoveling was also made out during the course of a short series of preliminary time studies, and the motions involved in shoveling were analyzed and subdivided for convenience in studying. The necessary forms and record sheets were also decided upon at this time. A second short series of tests was then conducted on the surface, so as to be able to estimate the negative effects of underground work on the shovelers, and to minimize, as far as possible, the need for studying obviously poor types and sizes of shovels under the difficult conditions to be encountered in the mine. The test work underground consumed by far the greater proportion of the time and was divided into three series: Shoveling directly into a chute; shoveling into a wheelbarrow and tramming to a chute; and shoveling into a car and tramming to a chute. In each series the following points were determined for various lengths of time worked: Number of shovelfuls handled per minute, effect of distance thrown on shoveling speed, amount of rest required, amount of time consumed in tramming and dumping, proportion of working day occupied in shoveling, total tonnage handled during various working periods, effect of distance on tonnage handled during the day.

Jan 2, 1919

By Guy Jordan

HIGH-IRON cements have a number of advantages over cements carrying little or no iron. The presence of iron in, Portland cement aids in the manufacture of the cement and also imparts certain advantageous physical properties to the finished product. In manufacture, the presence of iron lowers the fuel consumption, increases the ease of proper burning, and lessens the destructive action of the charge on the kiln refractories. In the finished cement the presence of iron reduces the expansion and contraction, adds strength, adds increased resistance to freezing and thawing, and increases the resistance of the cement to sea or sulphate waters. During the past few years the construction of numerous dams through-out the Southeast by the Tennessee Valley Authority has stimulated the production of high-iron cements. At present a great number of specifica-tions call for an iron cement, and the industry is supplying this demand with a Portland cement carrying approximately 5 per cent iron oxide. Several manufacturers are now making practically all of their cement of this type and a number of others manufacture it as a special cement over short periods to meet demands from the Tennessee Valley Authority and other buyers. The recent increase in the use of iron in Portland cement has created a market for iron products that previously was nonexistent. The chief sources of supply for the cement manufacturers at present are iron sand, iron sinter and slag, and ocher. The Copperhill mining district, Ten-nessee, supplies both iron sinter and slag for use in cement. The Carters-ville district supplies iron sand, ocher, and some iron resulting from the magnetic separation of iron from barite. The advantages of these products vary according to the chemical properties of the raw materials and the methods of handling used by the different manufacturers. Where the iron is to be handled by conveying belts and in hopper cars, the iron

Jan 1, 1939

By Courtenay DeKalb

The accompanying illustrations, Figs. 1 to 6, from plans drawn by Mr. T. L. Knapp, a student in the Missouri School of Mines, show a type of furnace designed by the writer, which possesses some peculiarities intended to meet the necessities of laboratory-instruction in that institution. The object aimed at was the construction of a simple, inexpensive furnace, suitable for the distillation of zinc from its ores, and using only a single retort. This limitation imposed the chief difficulty, owing to the necessity of obtaining a high degree of heat concentra ted upon the retort. This is accomplished by the peculiar curve of the arch, which consists of arcs of seven distinct ellipses, one focus of each of which lies within the area occupied by the retort. Thus the reflected heat would necessarily be thrown mainly where most needed, namely, on the retort. Conservation of heat is provided for by a return-flue through the hollow arch, and by a sand bottom under the fire-brick hearth. Four openings lead back from the laboratory, or heating-chamber in this instance, to the arch-flue; and three openings lead from the arch-flue to a large horizontal flue, from which a down-take conducts the gases to the stack. The fire box, it dl be observed, is deep, thus producing much CO during the combustion of the coal. The further combustion of this CO may be accomplished by the admission of air through the hollow fire-bridge, thus producing a higher flametemperature surrounding the retort. Provision is also made for removing the retort and the portion of the wall supporting it and the condenser, leaving a high arch, into which a door-frame may be inserted; the space above being temporarily bricked in. By this alteration, which may be quickly and easily made, the furnace may be converted into a reverberatory, suitable for treating small charges such as

Jan 1, 1898

By John Primrose

TUBE stills having demonstrated their usefulness for refining operations, the later developments in their design have been in the direction of improved thermal efficiency: The earlier designs operated with low furnace temperatures and large volumes of furnace gas because the fuel was burned with much excess air. It was quite possible to provide sufficient heating surface to lower the temperature of the flue gas to within 150° of the temperature of the inlet oil, or when inlet-oil temperatures were high to have the flue gas escape at 300° or 350° F. by using the heat remaining in the flue gas from the still to preheat the air supplied for combustion. But even so, the thermal efficiency was low because of the large quantity of air used for combustion. The large quantity of excess air was required to burn the fuel in the furnace at a temperature low enough to prevent overheating the furnace walls and overheating of the oil. Supplying heat to the tubes of the heating surface at a rate beyond the capabilities of the oil to absorb, except with a considerable difference between the temperature of the inside of the tube and oil passing through, would result in overheating the tubes and the oil in contact with them. For these reasons it was very necessary in the older types of tube stills to burn the fuel with large quantities of excess air, resulting in low thermal efficiency despite the low flue-gas temperature. Neglecting loss by radiation, the thermal efficiency could be improved only by burning the fuel with less excess air, but it was necessary to accomplish this without upsetting the furnace temperature conditions existing when large quantities of excess air were used. There are several methods of bringing this about, such as controlling the furnace temperature by returning a proportion of the flue gas to the furnace, or by exposing direct to the fire a heat-absorbing surface so located and proportioned that sufficient heat will be absorbed by radiation to prevent excessive furnace temperatures.

Jan 1, 1928

Meeting, Aug. 20, 1913, B te, Montana, at 12.45 p.m.-On, the written request of 27 members of oft Institute residing in Montana, the Montana Local Section was established, and the following Committee was appointed by the President of the Institute to complete the organization : E. P. Mathewson, Chair pan; Frank M. Smith, Vice-Chairman; D. C. Bard, Secre-tary, Montana State School of Mines, Butte, Mont., Oscar Rohn, James L. Bruce. The President reported the appointment of a Committee on Mining Law, the names of whose officers and members are given on page xxxv of this Bulletin, and these appointments were approved. It was voted: That the Committee on dining Law be requested to establish a Sub-Committee on Censorship, a majority of whom shall be lawyers; and, further, that no paper on mining law be recommended for publication to the Committee on Papers and Publications, unless it is previously approved by the Sub-Committee on Censorship of the Committee on Mining Law. The President reported progress in the matter of co-operation between the Institute and the United States Bureau of Mines, through Committees of the Institute. The President reviewed the history of plans for a union or affiliation with the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America, and the following minute was then adopted : " The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Mining Engineers has carefully considered for several months the question of union or affiliation with the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America ; and, while at an earlier time and under other circumstances, such. a union might have been accomplished, yet under present circumstances the Directors of the Institute deem such union inexpedient. "While thanking the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America for its consideration of the matter, we believe that further discussion of the subject will serve no useful end, and we conclude it best that the Society and the Institute continue their useful functions and friendly relations side by side, as heretofore."

Jan 10, 1913

By W. N. Logan, P. Simpson

There was less activity in the petroleum industry in Indiana in 1933 than in previous years, owing largely to adverse market conditions. The only development of any consequence was for oil in Perry and Vander-burgh counties in southwestern Indiana, a few gas wells being brought in in Jay County in northeastern Indiana. Indications are that there will be more activity in southwestern Indiana in 1934. Little change may be expected in northeastern Indiana. One hundred and sixty wells were drilled in Indiana in 1933, of which 57 were dry, 44 produced oil, 38 produced gas and 21 either were not completed or information on them was lacking. There were 153 wells abandoned and plugged in 1933, as compared to 205 in 1932. Southwestern Indiana This area centers about Gibson County and is the principal source of oil and gas production in the state. Production is from the Lower Pennsylvanian and Upper Mississippian formations. Oil production for 1932 was approximately 847,000 bbl. and for 1933 was 804,000 bbl. Gas production for 1933 was 942,000,000 cubic feet. The Siosi field, in southwestern Vigo County and northwestern Sullivan County, discovered six years ago, produced approximately 244,000 bbl. in 1932 and 223,000 bbl. in 1933. Production is from Devonian and Silurian formations. The oil is high gravity, but contains considerable sulfur. The Shelburn and other small pools in central Sullivan County produced approximately 68,000 bbl. in 1932 and 2,000 bbl. less in 1933. Production is from one or more of five horizons in the Pottsville and is obtained at 600 to 800 ft. This area also produces approximately 19,000,000 cu. ft. of gas a year, supplying the city of Sullivan. The field is over 20 years old. The Gibson-Pike County area, made up of many small pools, including several in southern Knox and southwestern Daviess counties, produced approximately 486,000 bbl. in 1932 and 450,000 bbl. in 1933. This production is from the Mansfield sandstone of Pennsylvanian and/or

Jan 1, 1934

By J. King Hoyt

IN both Sweden and England rapid progress is being made in metallurgical development, and the steel industry in both countries is distinctly on the mend. There has been some industrial trouble in Sweden in the iron mines and the wood pulp mills, but at the same time all the steel works have a sufficient stock of pig iron and ore to continue their operations for many months to come. Consequently the strike, unless long protracted, will not affect the output of steel in Sweden. Several of the steel manufacturers in Sweden, most notably Forsbacka and Sandviken, have been very suc-cessful recently in securing large orders, particularly from the continent, for ball-bearing steel, both hollow and solid. Whereas some years ago they ran into-se-rious competition with the German mills, the quality of the steel from these Swedish mills is such that they are now firmly established, and are selling some of the lead-ing manufacturers of bearings on the Continent, as well as automobile manufacturers. The secret of their success seems to lie in a better selection of ores, in more careful control of blast-fur-nace operations and better equipment. Rule of thumb in steel making is taboo, and strict reliance is placed on the laboratory. They are constantly experimenting, and metallurgists and chemists are sent to different countries for study and investigation. In their native ores they have, of course, a unique advantage in pos-sessing iron ores extraordinarily free from phosphorus. At Forsbacka, they are not content with the ordinary chemical analysis of the ingot; but also test the physical properties, as well as make metallographic investiga-tions for slag inclusions, segregations and oxides. In both England and Sweden they watch the nitrogen con-tent of the steel very carefully, a feature which does not appear in the ordinary analysis. In testing carbon, they do not use the color test, but employ an electric .induction device.

Jan 7, 1928

IN international affairs, the great event of June was the meeting of representative bankers at Paris -for consideration of the arrangement of a large loan to Germany. The conference dissolved in futility. Following this abortive conference, the delegates to the parley at the Hague assembled there on June 15. America is not represented at the Hague, any more than at Genoa. The British view the conference seriously and have Leslie Urquhart, the highest authority on Russia, attending in an official capacity. The Irish had their election and voted by strong majority in favor of the treaty with Great Britain, which was happy, but the general situation in Ireland is miserable. In China there were spectacular military and political events. Economically, Japan was in trouble. Conditions are becoming better in India, although no yet settled. Egypt has troubles still. Australia has a better chance for welfare, following the overthrow of its labor govern-ment early in April last. In Europe it is hard to discern any improvement except in Great Britain. Business in Great Britain has been slowly widening. The future of Great Britain, which is chiefly an in-dustrial country, depends on finding employment for its, 1,750,000 idle men. Personalities figured largely in June. Lenin's health was represented as having failed so that the govern-ment of Russia has had to be-turned over to a trium-virate. All of this has been denied. It is clear that some. mighty events are transpiring there. The assassination of Doctor Rathenau in Germany is probably also an occurrence of portent. The murder of Field Marshal Wilson, in London, tended to in-crease anger in England against the Irish. In the United. States the attention of Congress was concentrated on the soldier bonus, the tariff bill and the subsidy for shipping. All of these projects are economically bad and are of the same nature, viz., the allotment of a bounty to some classes of people, without consideration to the general national interest and welfare.

Jan 7, 1922

By David P. Hale, Guy W. Jordan

HIGH-IRON cements have a number of advantages over cements carrying little or no iron. The presence of iron in Portland cement aids in the manufacture of the cement and also imparts certain advantageous physical properties to the finished product. In manufacture, the presence of iron lowers the fuel consumption, increases the ease of proper burning, and lessens the destructive action of the charge on the kiln refractories. In the finished cement the presence of iron reduces the expansion and contraction, adds strength, adds increased resistance to freezing and thawing, and increases the resistance of the cement to sea or sulphate waters. During the past few years the construction of numerous dams throughout the Southeast by the Tennessee Valley Authority has stimulated the production of high-iron cements. At present a great number of specifications call for an iron cement, and the industry is supplying this demand with a Portland cement carrying approximately 5 per cent iron oxide. Several manufacturers are now making practically all of their cement of this type and a number of others manufacture it as a special cement over short periods to meet demands from the Tennessee Valley Authority and other buyers. The recent increase in the use of iron in Portland cement has created a market for iron products that previously was nonexistent. The chief sources of supply for the cement manufacturers at present are iron sand, iron sinter and slag, and ocher. The Copperhill mining district, Tennessee, supplies both iron sinter and slag for use in cement. The Cartersville district supplies iron sand, ocher, and some iron resulting from the magnetic separation of iron from barite. The advantages of these products vary according to the chemical properties of the raw materials and the methods of handling used by the different manufacturers. Where the iron is to be handled by conveying belts and in hopper cars, the iron

Jan 1, 1939

By F. E. Crane, H. A. Kendall, G. H. F. Gardner

Two effects of a difference in density may be observed in miscible displacement. As the difference is increased from zero there is first a change in mode from multiple fingers to a single finger. A further increase results in a more rapid growth of the single finger. Miscible displacement with multiple fingers has been discussed by Blackwell, et al, whereas miscible displacement with a single finger has been discussed by Craig, et al. In the present paper experiments are described which bridge the gap between these extreme cases. INTRODUCTION Craig, et al,1 investigated the effect of gravity on frontal displacements for circumstances in which the gravity forces were significant. Blackwell, et a1,2 dealt with the other extreme in which gravity forces were negligible. The considerable difference between their results is illustrated in Fig. 1 where the breakthrough recoveries are plotted against the mobility ratio. The experiments described in the present paper were conducted to examine how the transition from the one extreme case to the other occurs when the gravity forces are gradually reduced. The transition is well illustrated by the production history after breakthrough. Fig. 2 shows how the number of pore volumes which must be injected at a constant rate to displace 98 per cent of the original fluid depends on the gravity force. For each mobility ratio there is a transition range, and a very significant change in the number of pore volumes occurs when this range is traversed. This range of the gravity force is physically linked with the formation of viscous fingers. A single finger is predominant for larger gravity forces; a multiplicity of fingers is formed for smaller gravity forces. Improved recovery and the occurrence of multiple fingers is concomitant with a large increase in the amount by which the fluids are mixed within the porous medium. The transition range depends on all the dimension-less groups which characterize the problem; but this dependence has not been exhaustively studied as yet and only fragmentary results are discussed in this paper.

By A. B. Kinzel

SINCE the exposition of the behavior of certain iron alloys by Sykes1 involving the existence of an austenite loop and the discovery of such a loop in the chrome iron system by Bain,2 there has been much conjecture both on his part and on the part of metallurgists in general as to the exact shape and location of this loop. In previous work commercial steel has been used and the microscope has been employed to locate the critical points so that the position of the loop has been quite approximate. Numerous attempts have been made to measure the critical points of the carbon-free alloys but all of these for one reason or another have failed. A satisfactory method for studying these phenomena is presented here. MATERIAL The first difficulty in this study was to obtain pure chromium-iron alloys. This has been overcome by melting in a vacuum electrolytic Eton and chromium analyzing 99.84 Cr, Fe and C. A pure magnesite crucible was used and the melt allowed to solidify in the crucible. A typical analysis is chromium, 10.10 per cent., carbon, 0.006 per cent., silicon and manganese nil. To overcome the problem presented by segregation, ingots were made into wire 0.04 in, in diameter. This was accomplished by hand-forging the ingots into rods, using an oxyhydrogen flame for heating, in order to avoid carbon. Subsequently the rods were swaged to wire, the heating being carried out in hydrogen. Thus local segregation was eliminated although differences in analysis between portions 50 ft. apart were noted. An electric-resistance method was first tried to determine the critical points, but due to the physical defects in the wire this failed. Bain had previously shown the presence or absence of critical points in a qualitative way by observing the sag in a catenary. The author has devised the following method which gives an accurate determination of the critical points from expansion-temperature curves of suspended wire, a special telescopic dilatometer being used for the purpose.

Jan 1, 1928

By M. Van Siclen

THE outstanding fact in connection with dust disease in the United States at present is the growing recognition of its seriousness by state officials and by the more progressive operators of mining, metallurgical and allied industrial plants. The same may perhaps be said of labor in some of its better organized centers, but the average independent non-union workman continues, .as of yore, to suffer the toll of disability and even of death from dust inhalation without realization of the source of his ill-being. Progress in the betterment of the handling of sufferers from dust disease and of the conditions creating dust hazards in mining and allied industries is pursuing a course similar to that of the now widespread campaign against accidents, in which the risk is more obvious, more severe, and was naturally recognized sooner. The coming on of dust disease is generally relatively slow and its immediate effects not infre-quently masked by or attributed to other diseases. Marked exceptions to this general rule have occurred in districts where the dust is particularly pernicious, such as the Rand and Joplin; yet such exceptions, unhappy in themselves, opened the eyes of medical men, and of those in other localities charged with the responsibility for the welfare of industry, to the much more widespread if less spectacular hazard existing from the inhalation of dust in all rock-excavating operations and all industrial operations creating inorganic dust, whether it be crushing and grinding, sand-blast-ing, granite-cutting, or what not. Advancement to date in the United States in prevention and treat-ment has been slow, yet the record shows that quantitative methods for determining the degree of hazard and means for decreasing it were being developed as far back as 25 years ago; and that more rapid progress may be looked for from now on. In 1908, in this country; F. L Hoffman?(1) discussed the mortality from consumption in dusty trades, especially brass foundries; and in 1913 E. R. Hayhurst(2) described the effects of inhalation

Jan 1, 1933

By Harry W. Brown

This paper presents results of static capillary pressure measprements made both by the restored-state and by the mercury-injection methods, and of dynamic capillary pressure measurements made by the Hassler technique. The results indicate a variation from sample to sample of the factor used to convert capillary pressure obtained by mercury injection to those applicable to a water-gas system. Static capillary pressures measured by the restored-state method were found to be in close agreement with dynamic capillary pressures, indicating that data obtained from static measurements may be utilized with confidenre in the solution of dynamic problems of fluid flow. Experimental data are presented on the use of "J-curves" for the correlation of capillary pressure-saturation relations for a number of cores from a particular geologic formation. It is shown that the correlation was improved in some cases by reqtricting it to rertain lithologic classifications. INTRODUCTION The Meaning and Importance of Capillary Pressure The coexistence of two or more immiscible fluids within the voids of a porous medium, such as reservoir rock, gives rise to capillary forces. Because of the interfacial tension existing at the boundary between two immiscible fluids in a pore space, the interface is curved, and there is a pressure difference across the interface. This pressure difference is termed the capillary pressure. The magnitude of the capillary pressure between two immiscible fluids which together fill a porous medium depends upon several factors: the textural properties of the medium, the wettability of the medium, the interfacial tension between the fluids, the respective saturations of the fluids, and the manner in which these saturations are attained. For a given pair of immiscible fluids in a particular sample of reservoir rock, the capillary pressure is a unique function of the fluid saturation, provided that the saturation of the fluid which wets the rock has previously been decreased unidirectionally from an initially complete saturation. Similarly, for a given pair of fluids at a particular saturation which has been achieved by a

Jan 1, 1951

By W. T. Thom

RegaRding the elements necessarily involved .in working out a scientific scheme of classification, Stansfield and Sutherland, (94)† quoting Grout, (34) make the following statement: All bases (for a scientific classification) should be capable of quantitative determination, or be exactly related to some property capable of such a test, so that, if no natural groups are found, arbitrary lines may be drawn to limit the classes. The best basis for classification should involve inherent and fundamental qualities of the materials considered. Allied to this is the requirement that advantage should be taken of any natural grouping. As a further help in selection, the bases or tests should be easily applied, widely known, and have a wide range of values in the material classified. In order that we may apply the philosophy thus expressed, it is necessary for us to have clearly in mind both the reasons why coals differ and the specific purposes to be served by the classification to be devised. Coals differ because, as modern science has shown, coal beds are actually neither more nor less than buried and altered peat deposits, formed in remote geologic time. And as is generally known, such peat beds consisted of masses of partly macerated and decayed trees, shrubs, plants, mosses and/or algae, deposited under swamp or semiswamp conditions. It is therefore to be expected that coals will vary: 1. Because of differences in the parent vegetation, due either to evolutionary plant changes, as from the fernlike types of the Paleozoic to the coniferous and hardwood types of the late Mesozoic and Tertiary; or due to the differences in floral assemblages (growing at the same time) induced by differences in local environmental conditions. For example, moss, sedge, woody and other peats are today accumulating simultaneously in different bogs in North America. 2. Because of differences in the stage to which bacterial decay proceeded in the peat bed. Peats laid down in stagnant waters suffer

Jan 1, 1932

By Harry W. Brown

This paper presents results of static capillary pressure measprements made both by the restored-state and by the mercury-injection methods, and of dynamic capillary pressure measurements made by the Hassler technique. The results indicate a variation from sample to sample of the factor used to convert capillary pressure obtained by mercury injection to those applicable to a water-gas system. Static capillary pressures measured by the restored-state method were found to be in close agreement with dynamic capillary pressures, indicating that data obtained from static measurements may be utilized with confidenre in the solution of dynamic problems of fluid flow. Experimental data are presented on the use of "J-curves" for the correlation of capillary pressure-saturation relations for a number of cores from a particular geologic formation. It is shown that the correlation was improved in some cases by reqtricting it to rertain lithologic classifications. INTRODUCTION The Meaning and Importance of Capillary Pressure The coexistence of two or more immiscible fluids within the voids of a porous medium, such as reservoir rock, gives rise to capillary forces. Because of the interfacial tension existing at the boundary between two immiscible fluids in a pore space, the interface is curved, and there is a pressure difference across the interface. This pressure difference is termed the capillary pressure. The magnitude of the capillary pressure between two immiscible fluids which together fill a porous medium depends upon several factors: the textural properties of the medium, the wettability of the medium, the interfacial tension between the fluids, the respective saturations of the fluids, and the manner in which these saturations are attained. For a given pair of immiscible fluids in a particular sample of reservoir rock, the capillary pressure is a unique function of the fluid saturation, provided that the saturation of the fluid which wets the rock has previously been decreased unidirectionally from an initially complete saturation. Similarly, for a given pair of fluids at a particular saturation which has been achieved by a

Jan 1, 1951

By Bernard York, John J. Reed

W. 0. Philbrook (Carnegie Institute of Technology, Phila.)—Mr. DeVaney's paper is a valuable addition to the growing technology of the magnetic roasting of lean iron ores. His furnace is ingeniously designed to permit close control of the process and to achieve high thermal efficiency by counter-current heat exchange and the withdrawal of both solid and gaseous products at relatively low temperatures. The principle of using a lean reducing gas to avoid over-reduction of the ore even at high operating temperatures (for rapid reaction rate) is thoroughly sound. The gas analyses and flow rates reported, however, are internally incon- sistent and render suspect any details of a heat balance based upon them. While it is entirely proper to consider the entrant gas as a reagent and to account only for the heat evolved by consuming a portion of the gas, many operators are accustomed to a heat balance using the total calorific value of the reagent supplied; and comparison of heat balances made with different bases of calculation can be quite misleading. Since Mr. DeVaney's paper is likely to be cited frequently in future discussions of magnetic roasting processes, it seems worth while to point out the internal discrepancies and to give alternate values of heat requirements for different bases of calculation.

Jan 1, 1954