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By John Cogan

Field observations were made of rock phenomena in shale, dolomite, and fractured quartzite in the Burgin Mine, Eureka, Utah. Draft closure rates were measured with extensometers and convergence gages. In addition the effects of hydraulic props upon the retardation of closure was also monitored. Drift closure rates were found to be constant and to vary between 0.32 x 10-8 min-1 for dolomite and 23.8 x 10-8 min-1 for soft shale. The installation of props set at constant load served to retard the closure rates. General results show closure to occur at a constant rate for all cases, to be non-uniform around the drift openings, and to be increasingly retarded toward a zero rate by increases in prop load.

Jan 1, 1979

By George S. Rice

The subject of violent bumps in coal mines has been again brought to attention by a recent succession of such occurrences in the coal mines of the Cumberland field of eastern Kentucky and southern Virginia, which have caused fatalities and injuries to underground employees, a report on which is being issued by the United States Bureau of Mines1. The A.I.M.E. has had two valuable papers on bumps in the No. 2 Mine, Springhill, Nova Scotia, each followed by general discussion on bumps and their causes2. This paper gives a brief review of suggested causes and remedial measures given in English, Canadian and United States reports on blimps in coal mines, and then presents suggestions arising from the writer's recent investigation of the bumps in the Cumberland mines, made at the request of the mine operators, to determine the causes and remedies. These bumps, which occur under the simplest natural conditions, provide better opportunity for analysis of causes and effects than afforded under more complex conditions. The simple conditions in this field consist of relatively thin and level coal beds and uniform roof strata free from folding and faulting. Definition of Bumps Bumps in coal mines, as defined in this paper, are sudden violent bursts of coal that usually occur without warning in the extraction of pillars and may or may not be accompanied incidentally by falls of draw slate, upheaval of bottom and smashing of timbers. They are not known to occur where the advancing longwall method of mining, accompanied by

Jan 1, 1936

By George S. Rice

The subject of violent bumps in coal mines has been again brought to attention by a recent succession of such occurrences in the coal mines of the Cumberland field of eastern Kentucky and southern Virginia, which have caused fatalities and injuries to underground employees, a report on which is being issued by the United States Bureau of Mines1. The A.I.M.E. has had two valuable papers on bumps in the No. 2 Mine, Springhill, Nova Scotia, each followed by general discussion on bumps and their causes2. This paper gives a brief review of suggested causes and remedial measures given in English, Canadian and United States reports on blimps in coal mines, and then presents suggestions arising from the writer's recent investigation of the bumps in the Cumberland mines, made at the request of the mine operators, to determine the causes and remedies. These bumps, which occur under the simplest natural conditions, provide better opportunity for analysis of causes and effects than afforded under more complex conditions. The simple conditions in this field consist of relatively thin and level coal beds and uniform roof strata free from folding and faulting. Definition of Bumps Bumps in coal mines, as defined in this paper, are sudden violent bursts of coal that usually occur without warning in the extraction of pillars and may or may not be accompanied incidentally by falls of draw slate, upheaval of bottom and smashing of timbers. They are not known to occur where the advancing longwall method of mining, accompanied by

Jan 1, 1936

By Oliver Bowles

DISCUSSIONS of trade and commerce are generally more comprehensive today than in the past; the problems are approached with a vision unrestricted by national boundaries, and broad enough to comprise the entire world. The extent to which the limited viewpoint that has characterized past ages is yielding to an economy of world-wide scope is exemplified by the Atlantic Charter which blazes a trail in the direction of trade principles that aim to preserve the interest of each individual country in the commonwealth of nations. Its fourth article promulgated the principle that all nations should have access on equal terms to the trade and to the raw materials of the world which may be needed for their economic prosperity. Future developments in reciprocal international trade may have some effect upon the flow of nonmetallic minerals but such effects are not likely to be great because tariffs and trade policies have not affected that flow profoundly in the past. Nevertheless conditions may change and new problems may arise demanding important decisions. Sudden changes are not to be expected, but rather an orderly evolution in which national interests will merit due consideration in establishing broader policies.

Jan 1, 1945

By AIME AIME

MONDAY evening a reception, supper and bridge in honor of the guests of the Woman's Auxiliary was given by the New York Section in the Engineering Woman's Club. After supper, tables were made up for bridge. Some tried jig-saw puzzles, while others merely visited. On Tuesday morning the annual business meeting was called to order by President Bassett. Mrs. Bassett read a note from Mrs. Hoover regretting her inability to be present, and then gave her welcome and message: It gives me much pleasure to welcome you in this annual meeting, and I hope you will be able to come next year, and those who are not able to come this year I hope will be here next year.

Jan 1, 1933

By Marcus Grossmann

THIS paper offers for consideration certain somewhat radical modifications in the iron-carbon diagram, these modifications being the result of the presence of notable amounts of alloying elements. When only small amounts of alloys are present, 'the standard iron-carbon diagram (Fig. 1) can be used with but insignificant changes; when larger amounts of Chromium, Per Cent FIG. 1.-IRON-CARBON DIAGRAM. FIG. 2.-IRON-CHROMIUM DIAGRAM. alloys are present, however, it assumes a distinctly altered appearance. No comment is offered for the present except to call attention to the delta area, A4BM, which represents a region of mixtures of austenite and delta iron, just as area A3SP represents mixtures of austenite and alpha iron.

Jan 12, 1926

By Kenneth R. Hancock

Iron oxides are unique in that they are the only significant colored mineral found in a natural state suitable for use as a pigment after it has been pulverized to pigmentary size. The current world production of iron oxide pig¬ments is estimated by the author to be between 450,000 and 550,000 tons based on 1969 data. The fact that highly colored natural deposits of iron ore are found throughout the world ac¬counts for its use in prehistoric man's artistic cave paintings. These early artists did not realize that they had established man's first paint test fence which now has some 20,000 years of exposure. In addition to abundance, constituting about 7 % of the earth's crust, iron oxides have the advantages of low cost, permanency, and are not toxic. Through the centuries, succeeding civilizations have utilized iron oxides as a major source for decoration and protection when coloring was desired. In the last century the chemical industry has improved on nature by developing a complete range of synthetic iron oxide pigments which surpass the pigments pro¬duced from natural iron ores in uniformity, color quality, and chemical purity. In the United States alone, the combined production of natural and synthetic iron oxides produced sales of over $28,000,000 in 1970 (Stipp, 1970). Nomenclature With the increasing importance of the syn¬thetic iron oxides it is necessary to make a distinction between the natural or mineral pig¬ments and the synthetic pigments. Natural pigments are those products which are derived from selected ores and should not be confused with iron ores mined for steel production. Iron ores that are mined for steel must be capable of being mined and reduced to iron on a com¬mercial basis. These ores are selected on the basis of iron content and processing economics. It is therefore unusual when iron ores for steel production are suitable for use as mineral pig¬ments. Natural pigment ore sources are se¬lected for their special physical-chemical prop¬erties and can command a premium price. Synthetic pigments, and in this instance iron oxides, are those pigments produced from basic chemicals. Through chemical synthesis pig¬mentary sized particles are produced as opposed to comminution, the major procedure common to all natural iron oxide pigments.

Jan 1, 1975

By Robert Mehl

IN examining the progress of metallurgical science, the critic must remember that most of our present knowledge of metals and alloys has been accumulated through the needs of industry and commerce rather than through the desire and efforts of a large body of scientists interested primarily in developing a science of metals. The progress of metallurgy, scientifically speaking, has been irregular, and little given to the exhaus-tive exploitation of important scientific fields. The experienced engineer now recognizes the need for the development of the basic science upon which his engineering rests. In addition to the increase in knowledge which results from the normal requirements of industry, a development of the basic science of the behavior of metals and alloys is as desirable in metallurgy as in any other branch of science and engineering. The continued growth of the science of metals-as of every other science-requires studious attention to the principles that underlie the behavior of matter, with the result that knowledge in the several fields of interest should continue to increase. Among the various subjects recognized as important in physical metallurgy few have a wider significance than that of diffusion in solid metals. The phenomena of diffusion are intimately related to many basic problems of the metallic state, but in addition to this, the process of diffu-sion is of first importance practically. The formation of alloys by the annealing of mixed powders, first practiced by Faraday and Stodart81 in 1820 and in more recent years investigated by Masing187,189 and others, has led to the development of special alloys like Carboloy, Vascoloy-Ramet, Genelite, Elcon68, and has recently been applied to the production of noble-metal alloys for electrical contacts"'.

Jan 1, 1936

By Milton E. Wadsworth, John N. Ong, W. Martin Fassell

The temperature and oxygen concentration dependence on the reaction of sphalerite in oxygen at pressures from 6 to 640 mm Hg have been investigated in the temperature range 700° to 870°C. Sphalerite has been found to oxidize linearly over this entire temperature and pressure range. At higher rates, considerable self-heating was observed. The dependence of the oxidation rate on the oxygen concentration may be expressed by: Rate = k' where k' is the specific rate constant and 0 = K1[O2]/(1 + KI[O2]), where K1 is the equilibrium rate constant for the adsorption of oxygen on sphalerite. Values of the activation energy and the enthalpy of adsorption were found to be 60.3 and —59.6 kcal per mol, respectively. Data have been presented that indicate conditions under which either a sulphatizing or an oxidizing roast may be obtained. ROASTING processes have been employed in the metallurgy of a great number of basic metals in use today. Until recently, however, little attempt has been made to deduce the fundamental mechanism by which oxidation takes place. Structural changes upon oxidation have been investigated1 = and thorough work has been performed with regard to the reaction products and the thermodynamics of the oxidation reactions. The objective of this investigation was to determine the rate of oxidation of sphalerite and to apply the absolute reaction rate theory in the theoretilcal interpretation of the experimental results." "O Description of Apparatus The apparatus contains the following features: 1—a furnace with gas system, 2—an autographic weighing system, and 3—a temperature control system. Furnace With Gas System—The furnace was mounted by a yoke on each end and was free to travel up and down on steel guide rods, permitting the introduction and removal of samples from the apparatus with minimum difficulty. The furnace was heated by three sections of Kanthal wire wound externally on a zirconia tube and insulated with Fiber-frax. Pure gases or mixtures of gases were introduced into the lower end of the furnace through two flowmeters, a mixing chamber, and a gas-tight sparger, Fig. 1. The gaseous products of the reaction and the unused gases were prevented from escaping to the atmosphere by maintaining a small negative pressure on the system. This procedure permitted air from the outside to enter through the small an-nulus around the quartz suspension fiber and prevented the escape of the internal gases. Autographic Weighing System—The autographic weighing system consisted of an adapted gold balance, a photoelectric circuit, and a weight recorder, Fig. 2. The sample was suspended from one end of the balance beam by means of a platinum chain outside the furnace and a long thin quartz fiber on the inside of the furnace. On the other end of the balance beam, the necessary weights were added to counterbalance the sample. In addition, a calibrated chain was added to the balance which was linked directly to the weight recording unit. Control was effected by means of a photoelectric circuit." A parallel beam of light from a strong source was directed onto a small front-surfaced aluminum mirror mounted in the middle of the balance beam and then to a front-surfaced mirror mounted on the ceiling of the room. The beam was then reflected onto a front-surfaced right prism at a distance of 9 ft from the balance

Jan 1, 1957

By Ernest Lilley

WHILE American scientific literature contains much information upon geologic conditions controlling the production of oil in Rumania, copper in Chile, and other fuel and metallic resources in many foreign countries, it is singularly lacking in data about the nonmetallics outside of the United States. Thus, though the United States is the outstanding market for European high-quality refined kaolin, and for the chinaware, porcelain, and other products of the European ceramics industries, Amer-ican literature contains only the briefest references to the deposits from which the raw kaolin utilized is obtained. To the writer, to whom has come in the past year .the opportunity of visiting a number of these deposits personally, they have proved of extreme interest both com-mercially and geologically. It is the latter phase that is discussed in this paper. The older and now largely crystalline rock areas of France, Germany, ;end other parts of western Europe contain numerous pegmatite dikes of which the upper portions have been subjected to surface weathering and kaolinization in much the same way as those of the eastern portion of the United States. Like the latter, the European pegmatite kaolins have long been known for their freedom from iron and other impurities offensive to the china and porcelain manufacturer. Unfortunately, they are also, like the American deposits, individually of small size and noted for their high costs of production. Deposits of sedimentary clay similar in many respects to the high-quality sedimentary kaolins of Georgia and South Carolina are known and worked, notably in southern Germany and in the Newton Abbott district of Devon and Dorset. in England. In general, their relationship to the parent rock from which they were derived is more evident than in the United States and the individual deposits are of smaller areal extent and less regular in outline.

Jan 1, 1932

By Evan Just

Throughout history mining operations have, been relatively technical in character and somewhat esoteric. In ancient times mines were places where prisoners of war or criminals were sent, to drag out short lives of hard labor, under conditions ranging from hazardous to lethal. Underground mines were damp and poorly lighted, and workers were often cramped in narrow spaces and tiresome positions. Hard rock was mined by building fires against faces and quenching with water. Combustion products from these fires and from such dim torches as were provided, plus the dampness, made the underground atmospheres quite injurious to health. During the Middle Ages, mining became less penitential and more technical. Because of the desire of sovereigns to foster production from mines, miners enjoyed special privileges as free men. Crude pumping, hoisting, and ventilation systems were introduced (Fig. 9.1). However, mining remained a relatively hardworking, hazardous occupation, separated from the lives and comprehensions of most people. With the Industrial Revolution, steam-powered pumps enabled penetration to greater depths, and the use of power-driven machinery gradually revolutionized productivity. Skill became more important than back-breaking labor. This revolution continues into the present. Mining today uses some of the largest and most complicated machinery in existence and little rock is moved by direct labor. Power drills, explosives, and boring machines penetrate and break hard rock. The modern mine, surface or underground, presents an impressive panoply of drilling, breaking, loading, and transporting equipment, facilities for power transmission, pumping, and ventilation, and expensive, complicated crushing and treatment machinery. Modern technology, machinery, and skilled workmen produce an efficiency that knows no parallel in the raw material field. Mineral substances are extracted and converted into useful forms at costs which are dwarfed by those of providing forest or agricultural products in terms of comparable weights, even though conversion of these last categories is typically much simpler. Capital investment per worker, i.e., mechanization, is greater than in nearly all other industries. Despite these features, and more than average financial risk, the mineral industries perform at modest profit. The popular concept that mines and oil fields are sources of boundless rewards is a myth, sustained by the occasional unusual episode. Before one can start actual production of minerals, he must first acquire a suitable deposit. The process of acquisition will require anything from a rather simple search to a difficult, lengthy, expensive exploration effort. After locating the desired deposit, title must be obtained by denouncement, concession, leasing, or purchase. If the deposit is solid, it can be mined in pits or underground workings. If fluid or easily fusible, it can be produced through wells. If dissolved in lake or seawater, it can be

Jan 1, 1976

By C. E. Wood, E. P. Barrett, T. L. Joseph

The invention of the Bessemer converter process in 1856 added great impetus to the manufacture of steel and is one of the outstanding contributions to process metallurgy. Although the process of refining pig iron by passing air through the molten metal bears the name of Henry Bessemer, it should be mentioned in passing that William Kelley of Eddysville, Ky., worked on the process as early as 1847. Kelley was granted a patent on the process in 1857, inasmuch as he was able to prove priority in discovery.' After considerable litigation in 1865 the respective interests of Kelley and Bessemer were combined. On Sept. 10, 1856, Robert Mushet of England obtained his first patent on the application of manganese to cast steel. Mushet anticipated trouble in purifying iron by passing currents of air through it: His patent specified that steel made in this way often contained flaws and was red short or cold short. Mushet understood the refining of pig iron into steel well enough to realize the difficulties likely to be cncountered from oxidation of the iron. Mushet was not only an inventor; he was also an investigator. He understood the principle of selective oxidation which takes place in the converter process, and he realized therefore that the remedy for over-oxidation was attainable if a suitable metal could be found at a reasonable cost and in sufficient quantities. His first experiments were made in small crucibles holding a few ounces of metal. Later his work was conducted on a larger scale and with complete success. Manganese had been used in making steel a quarter of a century before the converter

Jan 1, 1927

By Donald H. McLaughlin

THE primary function of the mining engineer is to find mineral deposits and fuels in the accessible rocks of the earth and to recover them for the vast needs of our complicated civilization. On him has been placed the responsibility for the exploitation of the nation's and world's mineral resources. The degree to which the minerals of the earth have been utilized serves to an extent as a measure of man's material advancement, as well as an index of the relative strength of nations. The natural endowment of lands, varies greatly, but the intellectual energy of a people is revealed by the way in which they take advantage of their heritage of minerals or reach out to less developed regions by exporting their engineering skill as well as capital to secure the raw materials they need.

Jan 2, 1953

By A. Taylor

NICKEL-RICH alloys hardened with small additions of titanium and aluminum and centered around that region of face-centered-cubic primary solid solution, 7, where the atomic ratio of nickel chromium is about 3 to 1, form an important series of high temperature materials because of their resistance to oxidation, high temperature strength, and excellent creep characteristics at elevated temperatures.' With suitable heat treatment it is possible to precipitate a phase based on the ordered face-centered-cubic y' phase, Ni,,Al, from the randomly ordered nickel-rich y face-centered-cubic primary solid solution. By adjusting the ratio of aluminum to titanium the precipitation of needles of the hexagonal intermetallic compound n-NiaTi may be effected. In the present investigation, the main interest was focused on the interrelationships among the y, y, and 7 phases. By using alloying elements of high purity and a suitable melting technique the presence of carbides and nitrides could be completely obviated, although it is realized that their presence is probably essential in alloys of commercial importance. As a preliminary to the study of the Ni-Cr-Ti-A1 system, it was necessary to establish the constitutional diagrams of the three contiguous systems, Ni-Cr-Al, Ni-Ti-Al, and Ni-Cr-Ti, which together form the nickel-rich corner of the Ni-Cr-Ti-A1 quaternary tetrahedron. Accounts of this work on the ternary systems have already been published by the author. A preliminary disclosure of the author's investigations on the ternary and quaternary systems has been made by Hignett2 and has since stimulated work in the same field by Nordheim and Grant." Before the detailed account of the quaternary system, a brief description will be given of the three contiguous ternary diagrams on which it is ultimately founded. Ni-Cr-Ti System The 750° and 1000°C temperature isothermals of the Ni-Cr-Ti system as determined by Taylor and Floyd' are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The single phase fields of greatest interest are occupied by the extensive face-centered-cubic y primary solid solution of chromium and titanium in nickel, and the close-packed-hexagonal Daltonide, n-Ni3Ti, from which tie-lines radiate across the very wide y+n two-phase field. The chromium-rich primary solid solution is represented by a. As may be seen from the diagrams, the extent of the y phase field increases quite appreciably as the temperature is raised from 750" to 1000°C. Isoparametric lines for the y phase are shown in Fig. 1. They are interesting in that they are almost parallel to the y/r+n boundary. Thus the determination of the tie-line directions is entirely dependent on the exact stoichiometry of composition of the 7 phase. Ni-Ti-Al System The 750°C isothermal section of the nickel-rich portion of the system Ni-Ti-A1 as determined by Taylor and Floyd is shown in Fig. 3.' The regions of greatest interest are the extensive y primary solid solution of titanium and aluminum in nickel, the y' Berthollide phase field based on the ordered face-centered-cubic structure of Ni3Al, and the hexagonal Daltonide phase, n-Ni3Ti. As may be seen from Figs. 3 and 4 the area occupied by the y phase is substantially the same at 750°C as at 1000°C, but the area of the 7 phase is considerably greater at the higher temperature. The tie-lines radiate from n-Ni3Ti across the y+v and y' + v two-phase fields and are evenly distributed

Jan 1, 1957

By O. F. Thornton, D. L. Marshall

Results of the determination of the inter stitial water content of several core samples from oil reservoirs are presented. Data obtained by the capillary pressure method, which has recently been developed, are compared with water saturations measured in cores cut with oil-base mud and with values calculated from the electrical resistivity of the formation. The agreement between the capillary pressure and other methods, combined with the fact that similar agreement has been obtained by others, indicates that the capillary method properly applied yields results sufficiently accurate for most engineering purposes. In some cases, it may be possible to extend the utility of data obtained with the capillary pressure method by correlation of interstitial water saturation with more easily measured physical properties of the media. Introduction Several methods are in use for determining or for estimating the interstitial water saturation at given points within oil and gas reservoirs. The direct measurement of the water content of cores obtained with nonaqueous fluid in the hole is believed to be an accurate method under most conditions. The water saturation may be calculated by use of the resistivity curves of the electric log,' although this method is not applicable under conditions that exist in some reservoirs. Recently, a method has been developed and described3.' wherein the interstitial water saturation of cores is measured at a capillary pressure such that conditions existing in the reservoir are simulated. The purpose of this paper is to present data obtained by use of this latter method, and to compare the results obtained with determinations made by other means. Method The theory underlying the capillary pressure method applied to petroleum reservoirs has been discussed adequately in the literature by Garrison,2 Leverett,5 and Others.3,6,7 Briefly, and simply, capillary pressure is defined as the difference in pressure between two contacting fluid phases, such as oil and water. For the simplified sand, water and oil system illustrated in Fig I, the pressure difference can be stated as follows:6 where Pc is the capillary pressure in pounds per square inch, ? is the interfacial tension between oil and water in pounds per inch, r1 and r2 are the radii of curvature of the interface between oil and water in inches. Capillary pressure varies in a given reservoir with depth because of the greater density of the water phase as compared with oil or gas. The following equation expresses the difference in pressure between two points: p1- p2 - h?p/144 [2] where p1 — p2 is the capillary pressure difference in pounds per square inch, h is

Jan 1, 1947

By D. L. Marshall, O. F. Thornton

Results of the determination of the inter stitial water content of several core samples from oil reservoirs are presented. Data obtained by the capillary pressure method, which has recently been developed, are compared with water saturations measured in cores cut with oil-base mud and with values calculated from the electrical resistivity of the formation. The agreement between the capillary pressure and other methods, combined with the fact that similar agreement has been obtained by others, indicates that the capillary method properly applied yields results sufficiently accurate for most engineering purposes. In some cases, it may be possible to extend the utility of data obtained with the capillary pressure method by correlation of interstitial water saturation with more easily measured physical properties of the media. Introduction Several methods are in use for determining or for estimating the interstitial water saturation at given points within oil and gas reservoirs. The direct measurement of the water content of cores obtained with nonaqueous fluid in the hole is believed to be an accurate method under most conditions. The water saturation may be calculated by use of the resistivity curves of the electric log,' although this method is not applicable under conditions that exist in some reservoirs. Recently, a method has been developed and described3.' wherein the interstitial water saturation of cores is measured at a capillary pressure such that conditions existing in the reservoir are simulated. The purpose of this paper is to present data obtained by use of this latter method, and to compare the results obtained with determinations made by other means. Method The theory underlying the capillary pressure method applied to petroleum reservoirs has been discussed adequately in the literature by Garrison,2 Leverett,5 and Others.3,6,7 Briefly, and simply, capillary pressure is defined as the difference in pressure between two contacting fluid phases, such as oil and water. For the simplified sand, water and oil system illustrated in Fig I, the pressure difference can be stated as follows:6 where Pc is the capillary pressure in pounds per square inch, ? is the interfacial tension between oil and water in pounds per inch, r1 and r2 are the radii of curvature of the interface between oil and water in inches. Capillary pressure varies in a given reservoir with depth because of the greater density of the water phase as compared with oil or gas. The following equation expresses the difference in pressure between two points: p1- p2 - h?p/144 [2] where p1 — p2 is the capillary pressure difference in pounds per square inch, h is

Jan 1, 1947

By W. L. Dennen, V. H. Wilson

This paper is a description of the opera-tion and results of a Humphreys Spiral Silt Cleaning Plant at the Powderly Colliery 01 The Hudson Coal Co. during the first nine months of operation and follows a preliminary description given at the .Institute cite Institute in May, 1947, in a paper titled "Preparation of Anthracite Silt for Boiler Fuel in a Humphreys Spiral Test Plant" by H. H. Otto, V. H. Wilson and W. L. Dennen. This plant is considered a full size op-erating test plant and, like all new plants, numerous minor changes in the methods of operation have been made from time to time to secure the results desired. Views of the silt preparation plant and of the screening house are given in Fig I and 2. This plant consists of 48 spirals in 8 batteries of 6 spirals each, 36 of which were to be operated as primary spirals and the remaining 12 as secondary spirals. A brief description of the plant and its operation follows. The only material cleaned at the plant during 1947 was that carried in the underflow from the Thickener which han-dles the Breaker waste water. This under-flow, amounting to approximately 2000 gpm of water and containing 12.6 pct of solids, is pumped to vibrating screens where the plus 3/16-in. material is removed. (Fig 3). This oversize material drops into a pocket from which it is trucked to the run-of-mine tipple for re-preparation.

Jan 1, 1949

By F. W. Jessen, James N. Howell

The accumulation of paraffin deposits in tubular goods has been recognized as a major production problem since the inception of the petroleum industry. This problem is not limited to any particular geographical area nor is it limited to a specific type of crude oil.' Generally speaking, "paraffin" deposition pertains to the deposition of any predominately organic material in flow lines, and possibly even at the sand face, which would hamper the production of oil. In some fields, a continuous effort is required to remove deposits of paraffin and in order to accomplish this, many unique methods have been devised. The best solution to this problem, however, is to prevent the formation of such deposits. One method which has been tried in a number of fields is the use of plastic pipe. The purpose of this investigation is to compare the relative effectiveness of several plastic materials to aid in the reduction or prevention of paraffin accumulations in surface flow lines. COMPOSITlON OF PARAFFIN DEPOSITS By definition, paraffin deposits are those materials which are insoluble in crude oil at the prevailing producing conditions of temperature and pressure. Such deposits1 s usually consist of small particles of petroleum wax intermixed with resins, asphaltic material, and crude oil. They may also contain a variety of foreign materials such as sand, silt, water, various metal oxides, sulfates and carbonates of iron. barium, and calcium. The petroleum waxes deposited in flow strings usually consist of both a "hard" and a "soft" wax fraction. These waxes are largely aliphatic hydrocarbons with smaller amounts of aromatic and naphthenic compounds. Nathan' has classified the hard and soft wax fractions. The aliphatic hydrocarbons present are those of high molecular weight with high melting points. Reistle3 pointed out that these high molecular weight compounds first separate from the oil due to a sharp decrease in solubility as the melting point increases. The identification of the resins and asphaltic materials rests, at present, on an arbitrary solubility procedure. Under certain conditions, materials which are insoluble in pentane (ASTM D-893) are defined as resins and asphalts. Subgrouping of these materials is made on decreasing solubility in benzene and carbon disul-fide. Shock' found some correlation be-tween the solvent response and the pentane insoluble content of paraftins: higher pentane insoluble fractions are less soluble in any of the commonly used commercial solvents. PARAFFIN CONTROL METHODS The methods used in oil fields to prevent and remove paraffin accumulations can be grouped into four general classes: (1) operative methods, (2) physical methods, (3) chemical methods, and (4) combination of any of these. Operative methods attempt to prevent the formation of paraffin deposits while the other methods are concerned primarily with the removal of these deposits. Plastic coated pipe has been used for a number of years to prevent cor- rosion in wells, and in manv instances paraffin deposits have -been greatly reduced. Field observations have indicated that plastic coated pipe not only reduced paraffin accumulation but in some cases eliminated deposition completely; however, data are needed to demonstrate the relative effectiveness of plastic materials. Deposition Apparatus The pipe used to determine the effect of velocity on rates of deposition was %- and 2-in. nominal diameter, and 5 ft in length. Steel, butyrate, rigid PVC, kralastic resin-type plastic pipes, epoxy coated pipe, PVC lined glass fiber pipe, and aluminum pipe were tested. Steel pipe was used as a control. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the apparatus showing the relative position of the separate units making up the equipment. In order to facilitate the installation and removal of the test pipes in the apparatus, O-ring seals capable of sustaining pressures of 50 psi were provided at each end. Test pipes were submerged in a cold water bath maintained at or below room temperature by circulating water through copper cooling coils packed in ice. A hot water bath equipped with immersion-type heaters, stirrers, and a thermoregulator was used to maintain the temperature of the oil prior to introduction into the piping manifold. The capacity of the oil reservoir was 30 gal. A 33-gal/min centrifugal pump, capable of producing turbulent flow velocities in the test pipes, was used to circulate the oil through the system when using %-in. pipe; and a 70-galjmin centrifugal pump was used in later tests using 2-in. pipe. A by-pass arrangement made it pos-

Flaubert, as we know, laid stress on the selection of the right word, le mot juste, the precise epithet, the word that belongs to the thing. A sentence, or even a paragraph, may be spoiled. by the use of a word that is not proper, that does not fit or is foreign to the meaning intended. An Australian mining expert is reported to have said: You have a property of considerable value, and what I saw warrants s good development of very rich cubicular galena, with gossan intermixed. 'Cubicular' means 'belonging to a small bedroom', a 'cubicle' being a sleeping compartment. He meant 'cubic', of course. This is a malapropism, and reminds me of the lady from Chicago that, on her return from Europe, said how much she had enjoyed the rural parts of France, because, among other things, it was "so delightful to hear the French pheasants singing the mayonnaise to the tune of the Los Angelus". It is impossible to amalgamate coal-tar thoroughly with the pulp in the agitating-tank. In metallurgy, 'amalgamate' refers to the combination of mercury with one or both of the precious metals, forming an amalgam, which is an alloy of mercury with another metal. It differs from other alloys, such as brass or bronze, in being made without the aid of heat, inasmuch as mercury is molten at the ordinary temperature. The word comes to us from the Greek through Old French and means 'something soft'. It is a mistake to use technical terms, having a specific meaning, for purposes that are foreign to that meaning. The writer of the quotation is not discussing any combination of metals; he is dealing with the physical process of mixing and is using 'amal-

Jan 1, 1931

By A. STEPHENSON

EXPERIMENTAL work conducted at the Petroleum Engineering Laboratory of the University of California by L. C. Uren, J. Domercq, Jr., and J. Mejia has shown that small diameter wells offer tremendous resistance to the flow of fluids in their immediate vicinity. This resistance is due in part to the constriction of the area through which the fluids must pass as they approach the wall of the well, but is also accentuated by the increased volume which results from gas expansion. The latter in turn is a function of the deduction in pressure, the fundamental cause of fluid movement. If the diameter of the bore is enlarged several diameters, the capacity of the well, or the volume of fluid passing per unit drop in pressure per unit of time, is greatly increased without necessitating such high fluid velocities. The fundamental features which should be taken into consideration in the design of casing joints were stressed by J. B. Graham and E. E. Smith. These involved such points as correct thread design, high efficiency, and small diameter, together with the insurance that leakage will absolutely be prevented. The practical features of such design were ably discussed by engineers from leading steel manufacturers.

Jan 1, 1935