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By Thomas T., Read

THE decades immediately before and after the end of the nineteenth century (1890-1910) were a period of increased activity in mineral industry education. One reason for ,this, undoubtedly, was the rapid increase in mineral production in the decade 1880-1890; pig iron and copper production tripled; coal, lead, and zinc output more than doubled. Most of the other mineral substances followed the same general trend. Aluminum production began in 1886; petroleum output, which in 1888 was less than it was in 1882, almost doubled in the next three years. Gold alone showed no appreciable change until its discovery at Cripple Creek in 1891, followed by the Klondike in 1896, brought to boiling a public interest in minerals that had been simmering for some years previously. The first cyanide plant in the United States was erected at Bodie in 1893, and the first chlorination plant at Cripple Creek* the next year. Silver- lead smelting had already greatly developed, and the metallurgy of copper was almost transformed. The hearth area and smelting capacity of copper reverberatory furnaces more than quadrupled between 1878 and 1894; matte converters were first erected at Butte in 1884. Copper production of the United States in 1899 was 30 times that of 1872. While it was the increased technology used in mineral production that really made the field attractive for educated young men, undoubtedly they did not realize that, and were impressed mainly by the quantitative increase in output. Another factor was the increased general interest in engineering education; three times as many men took engineering degrees in the United States in 1890 as in 1880; 1893 showed almost a 56 per cent increase over 1890. Industry had come to recognize that technical training was worth while. The mineral industry lagged somewhat at first; the total number of mining degrees

Jan 1, 1941

By Ray W. Carpenter, Ralph Hultgren, Raymond L. Orr

Heats of formation of Au-Zn alloys of compositions Au3Zn and AuZn were rneasured at several temperatures by liquid tin solution calorimetry. The data for Au3Zn show that much smaller heat and entropy effects are associated with the a2- a1 transformation than for the a1 - a transformation. This result is consistent with reported X-ray diffraction studies which indicate that the a1 and (a2 phases have ordered structures which only slightly differ, whereas the a phase is disordered. The heat of formation of AuZn(ß') does not change significantly between 322o and 8000 K, confirming that the ß' alloy remains highly ordered to high temperatures. Not many measurements have been made of the energies of order-disorder transformations in alloy phases. In many cases these energies may be conveniently determined by measuring heats of formation as a function of temperature. Many alloy phases approximately obey Kopp's law of additivity of heat capacities; as a consequence their heats of formation do not change with temperature. In ordered alloys, however, a decrease in degree of order with increasing temperature will contribute an endothermic component to the heat of formation. Thus, for ordered phases where other anomalous contributions to heat capacity in the alloy or its pure components are absent, a measured change in the heat of formation may be attributed to the energy of disordering. A portion of the Au-Zn phase diagram1" is shown in Fig. 1. The composition AuZn(ß') has a well-ordered superlattice structure of the CsCl type at room temperature. The alloy is considered to remain ordered to its melting point,1 although, from X-ray diffraction data and electromotive force measurements of zinc activities, Terpilowski3 concluded that considerable disordering began at -673°K. The Au3Zn composition is a disordered fee solid solution (a) at high temperatures. Between 693o and 543oK, the ailoy orders to form the a1 phase, having a structure based on the L12(AuCu3) type, but with a regular distribution of ordering faults in the c direction, making it tetragonal. Below 543oK, the alloy orders further by means of slight atomic shifts, without diffusion, yielding a complex long-period orthorhom-bic superlattice structure, a2.4-7 Heats of formation of Au3Zn(a2) and AuZn(ß') were measured at 363°K by Biltz et al.8 by aqueous solution calorimetry. Heat capacities of several alloys between 14.9 and 38.4 at. pet Zn in the range from 373" to 723°K were measured by Iwasaki ef al.6 Stoichiometric Au3Zn, however, was not included in the alloys measured, the nearest composition being 26.1 at, pet Zn. Also, the heating rate used for the measurements, 2 deg per min, may not have permitted equilibrium to be reached in the neighborhood of the transformations. Heat contents of solid and liquid AuZn were measured between 488o and 1138°K by Kubaschewski.9 It was decided to determine the ordering energies of Au3Zn and to check on the possible disordering of AuZn by measuring the heats of formation of these alloys at several temperatures. The present paper reports measurements by liquid tin solution calorimetry of the heats of formation of the three phases of Au3Zn at temperatures within their regions of stability, and of AuZn at a low (322°K) and a high (800°K) temperature. EXPERIMENTAL Alloy Preparation and X-Ray Examination. Ten-gram ingots of Au3Zn and AuZn were prepared by melting weighed amounts of gold (99.95 pct Au) and zinc (99.99 pet Zn) together in sealed evacuated Vycor tubes at 1060°K, followed by rapid quenching. The resulting ingots were homogenized at 900°K for 10 days. The Au3Zn alloy lost no weight in preparation, the loss from the AuZn alloy was enough to introduce an uncertainty of only 0.1 at. pet in its composition. Filings for X-ray examination were taken from various parts of each ingot and strain-annealed at 723°K for 20 min in vacuo. The Au3Zn filings were quenched rapidly to retain the disordered phase. Diffraction patterns were determined with an X-ray dif-fractometer using copper Ka radiation.

Jan 1, 1968

By JESSE L. MAURY

DEVELOPMENT of new gold mines in Canada since the price of that metal was increased in 1932 and 1933 has been of interest and importance to many of us. The day-by-day story has given an impression of aggressive effort and enough good luck so that the spirit of enterprise has been encouraged. It is the purpose of this article to report the results of a statistical appraisal which give emphatic numerical confirmation to this impression, together with certain side lights on the costs of development and equipment of new mines. The data presented have been taken from all readily available published sources up to the close of 1938 and are representative of that year. A. B. Bower did a large part .of the spadework and Weston Thomas offered many helpful suggestions.

Jan 1, 1939

By A. E. Zawadzki

A progress report is presented on the development of a process for the removal of sulfur dioxide from flue gases. Catalytic oxidation of the sulfur dioxide in flue gases, with the production of recoverable sulfuric acid, has been demonstrated to be technically feasible. Problems associated with the process are discussed. The need for an inexpensive and efficient process for controlling sulfur dioxide emissions from utility plant stacks has been accentuated by the ever-increasing public demand for elimination of all man-made air pollutants. I would like to describe the results of an investigation of the development of such a process; more important, I would like to present a discussion of the problems associated with the process which remain to be solved. The research work on the BCR catalytic gas phase oxidation process has been jointly sponsored by the Association of Edison Illuminating Cos., Edison Electric Inst. and Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., since 1958. However, work on SO2-pollution abatement was initiated by BCR in 1953. Tieman and Clymer,1 working with ozone and simulated flue gases, evaluated a gas phase oxidation process for removing SO2 from flue gases. Their experimental data indicated that the use of ozone to oxidize SO2 in flue gas concentrations, with subsequent recovery of H2SO4, did not appear to be economical due to the large ratio of ozone to sulfuric acid produced (2.6 to 1). The cost of the ozone would be 6 to 10 times the cost of sulfuric acid produced. As a result of the ozone study, work on a catalytic oxidation process was developed. The following reactions are the basis for the catalytic oxidation process Reaction [I] normally occurs in the combustion of sulfur-bearing fuels. At the high temperature found in the combustion chamber, 95% to 99% of the sulfur in the fuel is oxidized to SO2 and 1% to 5% is oxidized to SO3. The concentration of SO2 in the combustion gases depends on the combustion efficiency and the quantity of excess air used. A commonly used rule of thumb is 0.1 percent by volume SO2 in the flue gas for each 1% sulfur in the fuel. Reaction [2] proceeds at a wide range of temperatures. The rate of the reaction is rapid above l,000°F; however, the equilibrium conversion drops rapidly above this temperature. 2 Reaction [3] occurs rapidly to completion at temperatures below 400°F; above this temperature some SO3 exists in equilibrium with H2SO4. Complete dissociation of H2SO4 occurs above 650°F.3 The simplicity of the proposed process provided added incentive to the development and evaluation of the various component unit operations. The advantages of the process were considered to be as follows: 1) no raw materials were required, 2) the unit operations were not radically new; and 3) a salable product, sulfuric acid, would be produced. The successful development of the process was contingent upon the solution of several major problems: 1) The development of a catalyst which would provide high catalytic activity at reasonable conditions of gas flow and temperature without causing an unacceptable increase in pressure drop. 2) The development of a high temperature dust collection system to provide clean flue gases to the catalytic reactor. 3) The complete recovery of the sulfuric acid produced in the process; the effluent gas must contain less than 20 ppm by volume of sulfuric acid. As of this date, the complete solution to these problems has not been achieved. EXPERIMENTAL Catalyst Development: The use of platinum and vanadium catalysts for the production of sulfuric acid by the treatment of dry gases containing 5% to 20% by volume sulfur dioxide has been known for many years. The application of the basic idea of catalytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide in flue gas concentrations was

Jan 1, 1965

By J. HUNER

Twenty-four new fields were found in Louisiana during 1945. Of this number 15 were oil fields, eight were gas condensate, and one a dry gas field. None of these fields, with the exception of West Delhi, is as yet of any great consequence. The Weeks Island field in Iberia Parish may eventually develop into a considerable reserve.

Jan 1, 1946

By N. H. Jensen

SINCE the sixties, Utah has been one of the leading metal mining states of the Union. During the last fifteen years its mines have supported the largest smelting center in the world. Its rank as a metal producing state is reflected by its 1924 production which had a value in excess of $65,000,000 making it the leading silver producing state, third in both copper and lead and sixth in gold production. During the past year, metallurgical developments for the recovery of zinc contained in lead ores has made rapid progress so that the future zinc output will be of substantial importance. The largest silver mines of the nation and the world's largest open cut copper mine are within its borders. Settlement of Utah started in 1847, with the advent of the "Mormons," and originally the area of the state was much greater than now. The first metal mining

Jan 1, 1925

C. Q. Payne, New York City: Prof. Blake's inference that magnetic separation may be successfully employed upon smithsonite and iron oxide, after a preliminary roasting, is confirmed by the fact that this separation has been carried on with entire success for over a year at the works of the Wythe Lead and Zinc Mine Co., Austinville, Va. The ore mined on this property is a mixture consisting chiefly of galenite, smithsonite and limonite. The crude material is crushed, screened and washed in log washers for the removal of clay, and then jigged for the separation of the galenite. The zinc-and iron-ores are then roasted in reverberatory furnaces, being turned and moved towards the bridge-end of the hearth by manual labor. The roasted material contains from 20 to 26 per cent. of metallic iron. The slight difference in the specific gravities and the friable condition of the ores after roasting prevent the separation of the oxides by means of jigging. It was therefore the practice, previous to the use of magnetic separation, to charge the roasted material directly into the retorts of the zinc-furnaces. The rapid cutting of the retorts under this practice proved a serious inconvenience and expense. In the spring of 1892, the writer built for the Wythe Lead and Zino Mine Co. a magnetic separator which embodied several novel features and which was designed to treat the roasted zinc- and ironoxides. This separator has proved entirely successful for the purpose for which it was designed. During the first nine months of its operation, 1415 tons of 2240 pounds of roasted material were passed through the separator, producing about 675 tons of heads carrying from 50 to 55 per cent, of metallic iron, which are sold to a neighboring blast-furnace. The tailings, which contain the zinc, carry from 4 to 6 per cent. of metallic iron. For magnetizing the iron-ore previous to separating it from the zinc-ore, no change whatever mas made in the form of the reverberatory furnace previously employed. It was found that, by charging near the bridge-end of the hearth, toward the end of the roast-

Jan 1, 1894

Jan 1, 1961

By J. C. Trantham, J. W. Marx

From 1955 to 1958 the Phillips Petroleum Co. conducted a series of small scale counterflow combustion field tests in a tar sand about 60-ft deep and 6 to 12-ft thick near Bellamy, Mo. A total of seven different well patterns, including conventional five-spots and seven-spots plus a 15-well line drive pattern and a 10-well radial pattern, were employed. Electric heaters, gas burners and wellbore fuel packs were tested as counterflow ignition devices. Direct drive ignition followed by reversal to counterflow operation was not possible in this case because of formation plugging by the semi-solid tar during the direct drive phase. Sustained counterflow burning was achieved with wellbore fuel packs under conirolled conditions which permitted close correlation of fire front velocity, air velocity, air-oil ratios and yields for a wide variation in process parameters. The tar in place was about 10' APl with a reservoir viscosity greater than 500,000 cp. The composite oil prodlcct was 26' API with a viscosity in the range of 5 to 15 cp. Vertical sweep efficiency in the line drive pattern was essentially 100 per cent, with no evidence of gravity segregation. Original tar in place ranged between 800 and 1,000 bbllacre-ft, specific rock permeability averaged about 800 md before burning and effective air pemeability with residual oil and water in place (at the time of ignition) averaged 250 md. The volume of oil recovered during stabilized line drive counterflow burning represented about 67 per cent of the volume of tar originally in place in the burned out zones. A minimum was found when air-oil ratios were plotted against formation air velocities, and a limiting air velocity existed below which the counterflow fire front reversed and burned back over its own trajectory, using the residual coke left behind. INTRODUCTION Early in 1955 the Phillips Petroleum Co. began preparations to field test counterflow underground combustion as a method for producing oil from high viscosity hydrocarbon deposits, such as bituminous (tar) sands. At that time all published information on the use of underground burning io increase oil recovery was based on the direct drive process, in which the fire front moved through the formatim in the same direction as the injected air stream. Such direct burning is not applicable to many heavy oil sands or to most tar sands because the heat-thinned native hydrocarbon congeals in the cold rock ahead of the fire front forming a gas permeability block which smothers the combustion. Laboratory experiments first demonstrated that this permeability blocking would not occur if the fire front and the air stream moved in opposite directions. In this counterflow (reverse) burning process the heated heavy oil or tar is driven back through the combustion zone. Here thermal cracking produces relatively light hydrocarbon products which pass through the heated rock behind the fire front (largely in the vapor phase) and are incapable of causing a gas permeability block.' Exploratory wring revealed that consolidated bituminous sandstones with a combination of tar saturation, permeability, thickness and depth favorable for experimental field testing existed at several points in western Missouri. By the fall of 1955, a test site for determining technical feasibility of the counterflow process under field conditions had been selected near Bellamy, Vernon County, Mo. — about fifty miles north of Joplin. The pay zone was too thin and too shallow to constitute a commercial prospect, but these same factors permitted controlled experimental operation with a small compressor installation and with a large number of monitor wells. These were needed for adequate observation of the underground phenomena at reasonable cost. RESERVOIR CHARACTERISTICS The reservoir chosen for the experimental field tests was a 124 thick section of tar sand extending from 49 to 61 ft subsurface, with shale and siltstone laminations sealing the top and bottom. This section was part of a larger 30-ft thick tar sand deposit which extended both above and below the test zone. Core analyses showed that the 12-ft sand was effectively subdivided into two approximately equal sections, with the lower zone being consistently more permeable than the upper zone. The most significant laboratory core data are summarized in Table 1. The line drive test which is the principal subject of this report utilized only the lower 6-ft thick zone, with the upper zone regarded as part of the 55-ft overburden. WELL PATTERNS The over-all field test program involved a total of seven different well patterns, including conventional five-spots and seven-spots plus a 15-well line drive pattern and a 10-well radial pattern. In some of the tests the full 12-ft zone was employed; in other cases only the more perme-

Jan 1, 1967

No true conception of the Park City mining district can be obtained without first giving consideration to the part it has played as a consistent producer of mineral wealth. Its position in this regard is almost unique in the annals of a lead silver camp. For over fifty years it has been a continuous producer of lead and silver and for twenty years it has added to the world's supply of zinc. Few camps with its productive history are so little known to the mining fraternity for the reason that its life has never been punctuated by periods of "boom" which serve to attract general attention, neither has it been the field of operation for promoters who temporarily focus attention upon their scene of action. Its history is one of legitimate mining operations. These were at first carried on by a number of smaller companies. A period of consolidation followed and at the present time the entire production of the camp is in the hands of two major companies and one smaller company. These are flanked by a number of prospecting properties, which are at this time actively engaged in the search for ores and later events will doubtless put some of them in the producing class.

Jan 1, 1925

By Max Boehmer

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) AFTER 30 years of development and after an output of $350,000,000 in value of gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper, there has not been published a satisfactory explanation of the origin of the immense deposits of the Leadville district. The original examination find survey of Leadville by members of the U. S. Geological Survey was a most magnificent piece of work, but their attempt to explain the origin of the ores was based upon the then-accepted theory of lateral secretion, originated by Sandberger, which theory was afterwards disproved in many cases by further development in numerous districts. This theory contended that the ore in the veins had been leached by surface-waters from the eruptive rocks in the immediate vicinity, and it had its origin in the fact that the neighboring eruptive rocks all contained, to an appreciable degree, the several metals found in the ore-deposits. But the practical miner, reasoning in a simple manner from the condition of things as he found them underground, soon discovered the fallacy of this proposition. He reasoned that, in the case of the Leadville deposits, this theory could not be true, because, if the ores were leached from the overlying eruptive rocks by surface-waters, they would as a matter of necessity be controlled by the action of gravity, and the main bodies would collect in- natural depressions of the underlying limestone, and at all points where such depressions existed. But this was not in accord with the channels of ore as he found there ; and hence the theory of lateral secretion in this district was never accepted. Another objection to it consisted in the fact that large areas within the ore-bearing district contained no ores whatever, although their formation was the same, and the same limestones were covered by the same thick sheet of

Feb 1, 1910

By Alec M. Crowell, C. H. Thigpen

Continuing the increase in production of crude oil and condensate started in 1937, the oil fields of South Arkansas reached a 13-year peak with 26,570,704 bbl. for the year 1942. The stability of the production branch of the industry in the area is demonstrated by Fig. I, which reflects the fact that although the number of producing wells in the state has declined from 3280 in 1931 to 2957 at the end of 1942, total production has continuously increased since the beginning of 1937. This is because all fields discovered since Jan. I, 1937, have observed spacing patterns up to one well to each 160 surface acres, the dual completion of wells where there is more than one producing horizon Eight new pools were brought into production in South Arkansas during 1942 (Fig. 2) They increased the state's crude oil and condensate reserve by 121,000,000 bbl., bringing the total recoverable reserve figure to 450,000,000 bbl. (Table 3) as of Jan. I, 1943. Abandonment of wells in the stripper areas of the state increased by 32 per cent over the preceding year, there having been 142 wells permanently abandoned in 1942. For economic reasons 279 wells were temporarily shut down as of Dec. 31, 1942. A price increase may start these wells to pumping again and also be the incentive toward the commencing of several secondary recovery projects in the fields discovered between 1922 and 1937. There were 149 wells brought into production in 1942 as against 119 for the

Jan 1, 1943

By C. H. Thigpen, Alec M. Crowell

Continuing the increase in production of crude oil and condensate started in 1937, the oil fields of South Arkansas reached a 13-year peak with 26,570,704 bbl. for the year 1942. The stability of the production branch of the industry in the area is demonstrated by Fig. I, which reflects the fact that although the number of producing wells in the state has declined from 3280 in 1931 to 2957 at the end of 1942, total production has continuously increased since the beginning of 1937. This is because all fields discovered since Jan. I, 1937, have observed spacing patterns up to one well to each 160 surface acres, the dual completion of wells where there is more than one producing horizon Eight new pools were brought into production in South Arkansas during 1942 (Fig. 2) They increased the state's crude oil and condensate reserve by 121,000,000 bbl., bringing the total recoverable reserve figure to 450,000,000 bbl. (Table 3) as of Jan. I, 1943. Abandonment of wells in the stripper areas of the state increased by 32 per cent over the preceding year, there having been 142 wells permanently abandoned in 1942. For economic reasons 279 wells were temporarily shut down as of Dec. 31, 1942. A price increase may start these wells to pumping again and also be the incentive toward the commencing of several secondary recovery projects in the fields discovered between 1922 and 1937. There were 149 wells brought into production in 1942 as against 119 for the

Jan 1, 1943

NEARLY one hundred members of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America and friends of Professor Peele met at dinner at the Aldine Club, New York, on the evening of April 26, to take part in the ceremonies attending the presentation of the Society's annual gold medal. This had been awarded to Professor Peele by the Society in recognition of his laborious and painstaking work as Editor-in-chief of the monu-mental "Mining Engi-neers' Handbook. Carl A. Meissner acted as toastmaster. W. Y. Westervelt, a student and lifelong asso-ciate of Professor Peele, then recounted some of his friend's early exploits, be-ginning with his mining adventures in the paternal cellar, whereby the neces-sity for adequate ventilation was indelibly impressed on his mind. Graduating from the Columbia School of Mines in 1883, Robert Peele for several years followed the typical mining career, as assayer and superinten-dentatan outlying Colorado mine; mill foreman and assistant superintendent of the Silver King, in Ari-zona; in charge of a mine at Fairplay, Colo.; and superintendent for the Ore-gon Gold Mines Co., at Cornucopia. At intervals during this experience, he spent parts of four years on two mineral investigations m in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Dutch Guiana. He i was called to Columbia as Adjunct Professor of Mining in 1892, and became Professor in 1904. During his sabattical leave in 1903 he travelled around the world, r stopping at some of the most important mining cen-ters, and in 1910 he renewed his acquaintance with South Africa and South America.

Jan 6, 1923

By R. E. Heithecker

Almost every oil well drilled into limestone formations in Kansas is treated with hydrochloric (muriatic) acid upon completion: to increase potential capacity of well and thereby increase its "daily allowable" production; to shorten time required to produce recoverable oil; and to increase quantity of oil recovered ultimately from reservoir. Acid treating marked a forward step in the producing fields of Kansas; in fact, many old limestone fields that almost had reached their economic producing limit were "rejuvenated" with acid and their capacities to produce increased several times. It also caused a marked increase in the ultimate oil recovery of some old and nearly depleted fields of Kansas. The effect of the acid was due to the cleaning-out action by the acid at the face of the limestone, the enlargement of the small drainage channels, and the apparent penetration of the acid to previously undrained porous and saturated strata. Studies of the effects of acid were made in the Fairport field, three groups of wells in the El Dorado field and the Shutts field. Estimation of increased recoveries resulting from acid in these fields and groups of wells ranged from 1000 to 2400 bbI. per acre. Limestone structures that had been tested by drilling and found noncommercial were later completed as commerical oil-producing formations through the use of acid. The Kansas City formation, Valley Center field of Kansas, is an example. Increased oil production and revenue from the old fields justified the reconditioning of equipment, which in most cases had become in poor mechanical condition. The first treatment with hydrochloric acid of an oil well in Kansas was in October 1932, and by the end of 1937 almost 6000 wells had been treated. Many wells were treated more than once and the total number of treatments exceeded 8000 by the end of 1937. Approximately 12 3/4 million gallons of acid was required for these treatments. The report includes 15 illustrations and 16 tables.

Jan 1, 1939

By R. E. Heithecker

Almost every oil well drilled into limestone formations in Kansas is treated with hydrochloric (muriatic) acid upon completion: to increase potential capacity of well and thereby increase its "daily allowable" production; to shorten time required to produce recoverable oil; and to increase quantity of oil recovered ultimately from reservoir. Acid treating marked a forward step in the producing fields of Kansas; in fact, many old limestone fields that almost had reached their economic producing limit were "rejuvenated" with acid and their capacities to produce increased several times. It also caused a marked increase in the ultimate oil recovery of some old and nearly depleted fields of Kansas. The effect of the acid was due to the cleaning-out action by the acid at the face of the limestone, the enlargement of the small drainage channels, and the apparent penetration of the acid to previously undrained porous and saturated strata. Studies of the effects of acid were made in the Fairport field, three groups of wells in the El Dorado field and the Shutts field. Estimation of increased recoveries resulting from acid in these fields and groups of wells ranged from 1000 to 2400 bbI. per acre. Limestone structures that had been tested by drilling and found noncommercial were later completed as commerical oil-producing formations through the use of acid. The Kansas City formation, Valley Center field of Kansas, is an example. Increased oil production and revenue from the old fields justified the reconditioning of equipment, which in most cases had become in poor mechanical condition. The first treatment with hydrochloric acid of an oil well in Kansas was in October 1932, and by the end of 1937 almost 6000 wells had been treated. Many wells were treated more than once and the total number of treatments exceeded 8000 by the end of 1937. Approximately 12 3/4 million gallons of acid was required for these treatments. The report includes 15 illustrations and 16 tables.

Jan 1, 1939

By M. L. Requa

EVERY forward step in civilization brings with it an increase in population and increasing demand for raw materials. Modern civilization, because of its industrial development, depends more and more for its well-being on ample supplies of raw materials; the higher the type of that civilization, the greater its dependence. No fact is more obvious than that the raw materials should be put to use with greatest prudence and efficiency. National life is not a matter of a decade or a century. Conservation is no longer a matter for political discussion; it is a vital element in the future welfare of all nations. Unfortunately, to the minds of many, conservation means the locking up of natural resources, their arbitrary withdrawal, bringing about, in short, a condition of industrial stagnation. This has occurred in past centuries through misdirected governmental effort. Two eminent engineers have variously defined conservation as follows:

Jan 1, 1925

By G. L. Smit

The Buffelsfontein Gold Mining Company is situated in the Klerksdorp district of the Province of the Transvaal in the Republic of South Africa, approximately 100 miles west of Johannesburg. Gold production commenced in January 1957 and Uranium treatment of residue slimes as a by-product started in July 1957. The mining property is 5435 mining claims in extent, the equivalent of 7988 acres or 12.5 sq miles. The mine was initially exploited by the Pioneer Twin Shaft System, consisting of a 26-ft diam down-cast shaft and a 22 ft-diam up-cast shaft, sunk in the north-west area of the mine to cater for the hoisting and ventilation requirements for a milling rate of 150,000 tons per month. To exploit the Eastern zone of the property and assist in increasing production to 200,000 tons milled per month, it was decided to sink a further Twin Shaft System consisting of a 28-ft diam downcast shaft and a ventilation up-cast shaft -22-ft in diam, both monolithic concrete lined — 200 ft apart and 5300 ft deep. This paper deals with the sinking and commissioning of these Eastern Twin Shafts. This was achieved by one sinking crew within a period of 20 months. A) PLANNING 1) Siting: The Eastern Shaft System was sited in the north-east area of the property, 12,000 ft east on strike from the Pioneer System. (Fig. 1). Initially the system was sunk to the 5300 ft elevation to conform with the original Pioneer Shaft System. On completion a sub-vertical main shaft will be sunk to the 8000 ft elevation in the immediate vicinity, and subsequently the surface ventilation shaft will be deepened to this elevation by raising from level to level and sliping to full size. The exact positions of the shafts were chosen after: a) underground development had located certain known water bearing zones, and b) geophysical and topographical surveys had been carried out. The shafts passed through the following geological succession: Surface to 4430 ft - Dolomites of the Transvaal System 4430 to 4470 ft - Quartzites and conglomerates of the Black Reef Series of the Transvaal System. 4470 to 4470 ft - Diabasic Lava of the Venters-dorp System (Ventersdorp Contact Reef at base). 4470 to 5250 ft - Quartzites of the Elsburg Series of the Upper Witwaters-rand System. The shafts were sited to ensure that the least possible water would be encountered during sinking, and this contributed to the rapid rate of sinking. 2) Duties: a) The 22-ft diam ventilation shaft was designed to up-cast 1,400,000 cfm of air (0.060 density) against a resistance of 22 in. water gauge. b) The main shaft was designed to handle 160,000 tons hoisted per month as well as the men, material and down-cast ventilation to serve this tonnage. The 284 diam main shaft is equipped with streamlined buntons spaced at 15 ft centers set in pockets which were left during sinking. There are six compartments, four of which are sewed by two dual purpose hoists, hoisting either, twedeck man cages or 13-ton bottom discharge skips. The other two compartments are served by a single purpose winder hoisting double deck cages accommodating 60 men per deck. (Fig. 2). 3) Timing: Permanent equipment was ordered well in advance to insure continuity in the operation. Development underground reached the shaft positions before the start of sinking operations. From this development, boreholes were drilled into shaft positions to drain off water in the vicinity of the shafts. To ensure complete co-ordination of effort, all relevant data, as well as the allocation of responsibility, were made known to all persons and departments concerned. 4) Models: The extensive use of scale models during the preliminary planning stages proved most useful in deciding on design such as buntons, bunton pockets and guide cleats, and complex layouts concerning loading, spillage and pumping arrangements. (Fig. 3). These models also proved invaluable in determining the walling routine. Normal working conditions could

Jan 1, 1964

By R. Ehrlich, F. E. Crane

A consolidated porous medium is mathematically modeled by networks of irregularly shaped, interconnected pore channels. Mechanisms are described that form residual saturations during immiscible displacement both by entire pore channels being bypassed and by fluids being isolated by the movement of an interface within individual pore channels. This latter mechanism is shown to depend strongly on pore channel irregularity. Together, these mechanisms provide an explanation for the drainage-imbibition-hysteresis effect. The calculation of steady-state relative permeabilities, based on a pore-size distribution obtained from a Berea sandstone, is described. These relative permeability curves agree qualitatively with curves that are generally accepted to be typical for highly consolidated materials. In situations where interfacial effects predominate over viscous and gravitational effects, the following conclusions are reached. 1. Relative permeability at a given saturation is everywhere independent of flow rate. 2. Relative permeability is independent of viscosity ratio everywhere except at very low values of wetting-phase relative permeability. 3. Irreducible wetting-phase saturation following steady-state drainage decreases with increasing ratio of nonwetting- to wetting-phase viscosity. 4. lrreducible wetting-phase saturation following unsteady-state drainage is lower than fir steady-state drainage. 5. Irreducible nonwetting-phase saturation 101lowing imbibition is independent of viscosity ratio, whether or not the imbibition is carried out under steady- or unsteady-state conditions. Experiments qualithtiveIy verify the conclusions regarding unsteady-state residual wetting-phase saturation. Implications of these conclusions are discussed. INTRODUCTION Natural and artificial porous materials are generally composed of matrix substance brought together in a more or less random manner. This leads to the creation of a network of interconnected pore spaces of highly irregular shape. Since the geometry of such a network is impossible to describe, we can never obtain a complete description of its flow behavior. We can, however, abstract those properties of the porous medium pertinent to the type of flow under consideration, and thus obtain an adequate description of that flow. Thus, the Kozeny-Carmen equation, by considering a porous medium as a bundle of noninterconnecting capillary tubes, provides an adequate description of single-phase flow. With the addition of a saturation-dependent tortuosity parameter in two-phase flow to account for flow path elongation, the Kozeny-Carmen equation has been used to predict relative permeabilities for the displacement of a wetting liquid by a gas. 1-5 It has long been recognized that relative permeability depends not only on saturation but also on saturation history as we11.6,7 Naar and Henderson8 described a mathematical model in which differences between drainage and imbibition behavior are explained in terms of a bypassing mechanism by which oil is trapped during imbibition. Fatt9 proposed a model for a porous medium that consisted of regular networks of cylindrical tubes of randomly distributed radii. From this he calculated the drainage relative permeability curves. Moore and slobod,10 Rose and Witherspoon,11 and Rose and Cleary12 each considered flow in a pore doublet (a parallel arrangement of a small and large diameter cylindrical capillary tube). They concluded that, because of the different rates of flow in each tube, trapping would occur in one of the tubes; the extent of which would depend upon viscosity ratio and capillary pressure. They limited

Jan 1, 1970

By C. E. Abbott

THE Birmingham district, Alabama, is distinctive in the proximity to one another of its deposits of iron ore, coal and flux. These three basic requisites for the making of iron and steel are found within a radius of 10 miles. Both dolomite and limestone are produced, the former for blast-furnace flux and the latter for basic open-hearth operations. The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Co., a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation, operates a limestone mine at Muscoda, near Bessemer, 12 miles southwest of Birmingham, served by its own railroad transportation system. The mine has a capacity of 130 tons per hour. Average analyses of a recent month's production are as follows: Fe2O3 Si02 A12O3 CAC03 MGCO Lump, per cent 0.51 0.22 98.63 0.14 Crushed and washed, percent 0.70 0.26 98.36 0.18 Lump stone, 2 1/2 to 7 1/2 in., is used in open-hearth operations at Fairfield Steel Works. Fine crushed and washed stone, 1 ¼ to 0.063 in., is calcined at the, lime-burning plant and used for lime charges at the Ensley open hearths.

Jan 1, 1936