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By P. F. Gnirk, J. B. Cheatham

The basic objective of this paper is to present a review of the state of knowledge concerning the fundamental mechanics of rock/bit-tooth interaction under downhole conditions. Of particular concern is the contributing significance of the various variables associated with the generation of rock chips by a single penetrating bit-tooth. The variables to be considered are fluid pressures which simulate borehole conditions, the mechanical properties of the rock, the shape and angle of attack of a bit-tooth, and the rate of load application on a bit-tooth. In addition, consideration is given to multiple bit-tooth penetration insofar as the effects of distance from and geometrical shape of adjacent penetration craters are concerned. Both experimental results and idealized theoretical models for single bit-tooth penetration are presented. Finally, the applicability of plasticity theory to drilling phenomena at depth, results of recent drag-bit studies, and several general theories of roller-bit drilling are briefly discussed. FUNDAMENTALS OF ROCK/BIT-TOOTH INTERACTION Drilling efficiency at depth in terms of penetration rate depends largely upon three essentially interdependent factors: 1) the bit, insofar as the mechanical motion, shape, and configuration of the bit-teeth are concerned; 2) the rock, as regards its mechanical behavior, or response to the penetrating action of the bit-teeth, when subjected to a state of stress induced by mud column, interstitial pore, and overburden pressure (and at great depths to high temperature) ; and

Jan 1, 1967

By M. King Hubbert, David G. Willis

A theoretical examination of the fracturing of rocks by means of pressure applied in boreholes leads to the conclusion that, regardless of whether the fracturing fluid be of the penetrating or non-penetrating type, the fractures produced should be approximately perpendicular to the axis of least stress. The general state of stress underground is that in which the three principal stresses are unequal. For tectonically relaxed areas characterized by normal faulting, the least stress should be horizontal; the fractures produced should be vertical with the injection pressure less than that of the overburden. In areas of active tectonic compression, the least stress should be vertical and equal to the pressure of the overburden; the fractures should be horizontal with injection pressures equal to or greater than the pressure of the overburden. Horizontal fractures cannot be produced by hydraulic pressures less than the total pressure of the overburden. These conclusions are compatible with field experience in fracturing and with the results of laboratory experimentation. INTRODUCTION The hydraulic-fracturing technique of well stimulation is one of the major developments in petroleum engineering of the last decade. The technique was introduced to the petroleum industry in a paper by J. B. Clark,' of the Stanolind Oil and Gas Co. in 1948, and since then its use has progressively expanded so that by the end of 1955 more than 100,000 individual treatments had been performed. The technique itself is mechanically related to three other phenomena concerning which ah extensive literature had previously developed. These are: (1) pressure parting in water injection wells in secondary-recovery operations, (2) lost circulation during drilling, and (3) the breakdown of formations during squeeze-cementing operations, all of which appear to involve the formation of open fractures by pressure applied in a wellbore. The most popular interpretation of this mechanism has been that the pressure had parted the formation along a bedding plane and lifted the overburden, notwithstanding the fact that in the great majority of cases where pressures were known they were significantly less than those due to the total weight of the overburden as determined from its density. Prior to 1948, this prevalent opinion had already been queried by Dickey and Andresen,2 in a study of pressure parting; and by Walker,"' who, in studies of squeeze cementing, pointed out that the pressures required were mostly less than those of the overburden, and inferred that the fractures should be vertical. J. B. Clark,' in his paper introducing hydraulic fracturing, and later Howard and Fast," and Scott, Bearden, and Howard," also of Stanolind, postulated that the entire weight of the overburden need not be lifted in producing horizontal fractures, but that it was only necessary to- lift an "effective overburden," requiring a correspondingly lower pressure. Hubbert,7 in discussing the paper by Scott and associates, pointed out that the normal state of stress underground is one of unequal principal stresses; and in tectonically relaxed areas, characterized by normal faults, the least stress should be horizontal. Therefore, in most cases, fracturing should be possible with pressure less than that of the overburden and, moreover, such fractures should be vertical. Harrison, Kieschnick, and McGuire,8 also on the expectation that the least principal stress should be horizontal, argued strongly in favor of vertical fracturing. Scott, Bearden, and Howard6 observed that, when

Jan 1, 1958

By G. F. Sager, B. J. Nelson

Magnesium alloy forgings offer higher and more uniform mechanical properties than heat treated magnesium alloy castings and are used principally for light weight parts that may be stressed in fatigue or subject to impact loads, or where space limitations do not permit the use of the necessarily bulkier magnesium alloy castings. Compositions and Properties of Magnesium Forging Alloys The nominal compositions and properties of the principal commercial magnesium forging alloys are given in Table 1. The two that are most commonly used are AMC58S and AM65S. The former has the highest strength and is, therefore, employed for heavy duty applications. However, the forging of this alloy and of AMC57S ordinarily requires the use of slow speed hydraulic presses. The forging alloy AM65S combines good, although somewhat lower, mechanical properties with excellent forging characteristics. This alloy can be forged on hammers, upsetters, rolls, and mechanical presses, as well as on hydraulic presses. These characteristics make it particularly useful for many applications. Manganese Segregation in AM65S The alloy AM65S contains 5 pct tin, 3 1/2 pct aluminum, and a small amount of manganese, the manganese being added to insure satisfactory resistance to corrosion. Some manganese segregation was occasionally encountered in this alloy. In many applications, such segregation is of no particular consequence, but when forgings are acid dipped prior to the application of various chemical coatings, the segregated particles of manganese constituent may stand in relief. The resultant surface roughening may impair appearance and is undesirable in forgings employed in the textile industry, where very smooth surfaces are essential to avoid the catching and breaking of fine threads. An effort was therefore made to determine the cause of manganese segregation in this alloy and find a method for its elimination. Radiographic examination of a series of cast ingot sections and extruded samples of the AM65S type having manganese contents ranging from zero to about 0.7 pct revealed no appreciable manganese segregation when the manganese was less than about 0.4 pct. A small amount was observed with a manganese content of 0.46 pct and considerable with manganese contents of 0.6 pct or higher. Attempts to eliminate the manganese segregation by variations in the melting and casting conditions were unsuccessful and it soon became apparent that the trouble was attributable to the fact that the manganese contents that caused segregation were in excess of the amounts that would remain in solution at temperatures encountered in the melting and/or casting operations prior to the complete solidification of the ingots. A knowledge of the amounts of manganese that would be soluble in molten alloys of the AM65S type at various temperatures was obviously desirable. The liquid solubilities of manganese in binary Mg-Mn alloys and in Mg-Al-Mn and Mg-Zn-Mn alloys have been determined by Tiner and others,* but no data on the solubility of manganese in molten magnesium alloys containing tin and aluminum are given in the literature. For this reason, an investigation to determine the solubility of manganese in a magnesium alloy containing 5 pct tin and 3.5 pct aluminum (AM65S type) was undertaken.

Jan 1, 1950

By T. Clinton Taylor

QUALITATIVELY, galena (native lead sulfide) reacts with aqueous solutions of the xanthates,1 and has its surface sufficiently altered so that there is a tendency for air bubbles to attach themselves to the mineral crystals where there was no such effect before the treatment. This property is utilized in froth flotation operations where the mineral sulfide particles are raised into the froth and the gangue whose surface is not altered remains behind. The results of a study of this reaction were reported" recently and certain tentative suggestions about the interaction of galena and the alkali xanthates were offered. In this paper, there is set down the results of a detailed quantitative investigation of the ions involved in this inter-action with a view to finding out more about the condition existing imme-diately at the surface of a crystal like a heavy metal sulfide after treatment with an organic reagent. Past experimental experience showed that finely ground galena shaken with aqueous potassium xanthate abstracts xanthate ion and at the same time sulfate ion, reducing ions of the type (SmOn)= where the ratio of m to n is less than 4:1 (as in sulfate), sometimes hydroxyl ion are thrown into solution.,

Jan 1, 1933

Jan 1, 1880

By Pradeep K. Rohatgi, Clyde M. Adams

Dendritic aggregate of ice formed on freezing of aqueous soluitions has been studied. Chlorides of sodium, potassiutn, lithiunz , and hydroget1 were used as solutes. The spacing between ice platelets or den-drites was experimenlally found proportzonal to the square root of freezing time when the freezing rate was constant from beginrting to end of solidification; the constant freezing rates were obtained during freezing of small droplets of aqueous soliitions surrounded by relatively large heat sinks. The transverse growth velocity of the ice platelets is proportional to the square root of the freezing rate. During unidirectional freezing from a constant temperuture chill, the solution at each location is subjected to a spectrum of freezirtg rates. The freezing rate is ini- FREEZING of solutions has been a subject of investigation in many disciplines. Aqueous solutions offer the advantage of transparenty; their study is of special significance due to the increasing interest in freezing processes for desalination. In addition dendritic solidification of aqueous solutions is in many ways analogous to freezing of metallic solutions. Aqueous solutions of most ionic salts freeze with tially low, passes through a maximum, and then decreases until solidificatimz is complete. The den-drite spacing increases linearly with the distance from the chill surface; it is inversely profiortional to the square root of the maximum freezing rate. The dendrite spacings in the two systems (the constanl freezing rate and the varying freezing rate) are equal, when the maximum freezing rate of the varying freezing rate system equals the average freezing vale of the constant freezing rate system. Mass transport in interdendritic liquid duriug solidificatiotz is analyzed; the experimental observations indicate that maximum concentration difference (AC) and supercooling (AT) in the interdendritic liquid are indepexdent of freezing rate. the separation of practically pure ice crystals from the liquid phase; with very few exceptions there is no solid solubility of ionic salts in ice. As an ice crystal grows there is rejection of solute from the moving interface into the liquid. Since the rejected solute moves primarily by diffusion, concentration gradients are established in the liquid. The highest solute concentrations are found in liquid immediately adjacent to liquid-solid interfaces and lowest concentrations farthest from the interface. Two-phase equilibrium obtains only at the solid-liquid interface; at other locations the liquid becomes supercooled because temperature gradients are negligible compared to concentration gradients. This is an immediate consequence of the fact that thermal diffusivities are considerably higher than mass diffusivities.

Jan 1, 1968

By Charles S. Barrett, F. W. Steadman

DEFORMATION bands of surprising regularity are found in large-grained polycrystalline copper after cold-rolling (Fig. I). Individual bands frequently are large enough to permit a determination of their orientation by means of etch pits and an optical goniometer. Measurements have been made on 21 areas in seven different grains, and these, combined with X-ray studies of nine single crystals that had been cold-rolled after mounting in a polycrystal-line block, have contributed to a better understanding of the preferred orientations in rolled copper just as similar studies have for rolled iron' and brass.2.3 Particular attention was given to determining orientations that are stable during rolling and to the manner of fragmentation and rotation of unstable grains. The possible role of twinning was also carefully investigated. The texture of polycrystalline copper after cold-rolling is well established by the pole figures that have been plotted by Schmid and Staffelbach,4 Iweronowa and Schdanow,5 and Brick and Williamson,3 all of which are in substantial agreement. There has been some divergence in the list of individual "ideal" orientations that have been used to describe the texture by these observers and others,6 although the orientation (110) [112]-that is, (110) parallel to the rolling plane and [112] parallel to the rolling direction-is generally recognized as the most prominent orientation and (I12) [111] one of the lesser orientations. Other orientations have been given by some observers as (236) [533], (100) [001], and (I 10) [001]. The texture of copper has also been described as (135) [533].6.1 The sum of these orientations provides a reasonable approximation to the complete pole figure, but it does not follow that these specific orientations are necessarily of fundamental significance, for the choice of indices is arbitrary, within limits. Furthermore, a detailed investigation of the ideal orientations in cold-rolled iron discloses continuous ranges of equally favored positions rather than definite positions of high stability,1 and similarly Brick's observations in a single crystal of a brass2 suggest that all orientations in the range between (110) [113] and (110) [117] are about equally stable. MATERIALS AND METHODS The material used was vacuum-cast electrolytic copper kindly supplied by L. L. Wyman, of the General Electric Co.* Slices 1/2 in. thick and 2 1/2 in. square, cut from the ingot, were rolled with 50 per cent reduction per pass to final thicknesses between 0.02 and 0.04 in., and etched to develop cube-face etch pits suitable for goniometric work.8 The etch was light on some strips and deep in others.

Jan 1, 1942

By Abbas Ali Daneshy

A study of the mechanics of hydraulic fracturing shows the fracture initiation pressure to be a function of the in-situ principal stresses, the formation and fluid properties, and how the wellbore has been completed. The orientation of the hydraulic fracture is perpendicular to the least in-situ principal stress. The geometry of the induced fracture depends on the treatment fluid properties, the injection rate and volume, fluid leak-off and formation properties.

Jan 1, 1974

By D. L. Wood

INTERNAL oxidation of alloys has been investigated by Rhinesl,2 and by Meijering and Druy-vesteyn. Rhines showed that dilute Cu-A1 alloys can be internally oxidized without forming an external scale by annealing in an oxygen partial pressure equal to the decomposition pressure of Cu2O. The oxygen is supplied at the outside surface at a rate sufficient to maintain saturation of the surface with respect to oxygen. Oxygen diffuses inward and, at the interface between the subscale and the alloy, oxygen meets the solute and reacts to precipitate its

Jan 1, 1957

By E. L. Fisk

First discovered and claimed in 1929, the Cordero cinnabar deposit lies 11 road miles southwest of McDermitt, Nev., near the Nevada-Oregon boundary. The name "Cordero" means "little lamb" in the Basque language and is symbolic of the fact that the first ore specimen was found during the lambing season. The Bradley Mining Co. held the property for several years during the early thirties, but it was not until 1939 that Cordero Mining Co., a subsidiary of Sun Oil Co., entered the picture. The company, then known as Horse Heaven Mines, Inc. conducted preliminary work in 1940 which proved enough near-surface ore to warrant the construction of a mill during the following year. By 1943, Cordero was being rapidly depleted when deeper churn drilling intersected the large underground orebody that is still being mined today.

Jan 11, 1961

By J. L. Jernegan

In a former paper laid before the Institute, entitled Lead and Silver Smelting in Chicago, I endeavored to give a description of the manner in which argentiferous lead ores from the far West were treated in that city, and also described the method employed in the desilverization of the silver-lead produced from the ores. It will perhaps be remembered, that very siliceous ores, principally from the Emma mine, Utah, containing over 40 per cent. of silicic acid, were then being treated at the works of the Chicago Silver Smelting and Refining Company in the reverberatory furnace, with the use of metallic iron, in the form of borings, as a precipitating medium for the lead ; and that the extraction of the silver from the resulting bullion was effected by the Balbach process. The Swansea Works, also the works at Brighton, just outside of this city, and those of S. P. Lunt, were at that time treating ore of a similar character by the same method. The inadequacy of the process for the ores then under treatment was, in a manner, pointed out by me in the paper above referred to. Since the time of its writing, many and important improvements have been made in the metallurgical treatment of western ores in Chicago. Most ores are now roasted previous to reduction, and the latter operation is conducted in the shaftfurnace instead of the reverberatory. Such is the fact at least at the Swansea Works, the largest in the city, and here it was where the first steps were taken in this direction. In selecting these works as the subject of this paper, I am in hopes that the description given of the varions metallurgical operations, as they are there now conducted, will serve to give an idea of the improvements introduced

By John J. McKetta, Donald L. Katz

Recent experimental data on the methane-n-butane-water system have been combined with data in literature to present: (I) the water-vapor content of natural gases, (2) the solubility of water in hydrocarbon liquids, and (3) the solubility of natural gases in water. Since water is present in petroleum reservoirs, experimental data regarding the behavior of water in hydrocarbon-water systems is of increasing engineering importance. A survey of literature (Table I) shows that data of these types are fragmen-tary at temperatures above the hydrate region. Experimental data taken from the authors' recent investigation of the meth-ape-n-butane-water system are presented.17

Jan 1, 1947

By John J. McKetta, Donald L. Katz

Recent experimental data on the methane-n-butane-water system have been combined with data in literature to present: (I) the water-vapor content of natural gases, (2) the solubility of water in hydrocarbon liquids, and (3) the solubility of natural gases in water. Since water is present in petroleum reservoirs, experimental data regarding the behavior of water in hydrocarbon-water systems is of increasing engineering importance. A survey of literature (Table I) shows that data of these types are fragmen-tary at temperatures above the hydrate region. Experimental data taken from the authors' recent investigation of the meth-ape-n-butane-water system are presented.17

Jan 1, 1947

By U. W. Lisner, V. J. Hucka

Coal, which was discovered in Utah in 1849, covers about 18% of the total area. Production in 1981 was more than 13 Mt (14 million st). However, some Utah coal mines are quite gassy. If longwall face technology is applied, then release of a large volume of methane may be expected during the mining process. Investigations on methane content have been made by use of an isothermic bubble desorbometer. A desorbable methane content of 0.5 to 16 m3/t (20 to 632 cu ft per st) of coal has been determined.

Jan 1, 1985

By V. V. Strishkov, Zane E. Murphy, George Markon

Soviet industrial expansion depends on coal as a source of power and raw materials for the USSR's metallurgical and chemical industries. Knowledge of the Soviet Union's coal resources and production outlook is essential for a critical evaluation of the Soviet industrial potential. Although there is considerable literature on the Soviet coal industry, no single source provides an authoritative study of how the coal industry functions and how well it per- formed its job. Soviet reports are singularly lacking in the precise data in terms that are comprehensible to a westerner. It is essential, therefore, to clarify the terms in Soviet parlance. These terms are not comparable to those in common use in the West and are the cause of most inaccurate results. Official Soviet data on labor productivity refer to a limited group of "production workers" while in the West all wage earners are counted. Statistics are based on unprepared or run-of-mine coal, whereas it is customary elsewhere to measure productivity in terms of marketable coal. Thus, many western publications, while diligently and accurately reporting published Soviet data, overstate the case, presenting an exaggerated picture of Soviet progress in coal production and technology. (In terms of Western criteria, there is a three-fold exaggeration of labor productivity.)

Jan 5, 1973

By J. P. Heller, H. B. Bradley, A. S. Odeh

It is an accepted procedure to represent oil field displacement problems in which the pressure is relatively constant by a potentiometric model. Variations in reservoir permeability thickness product are represented in the model by proportional variations in electrolyte depth. It is shown that significant errors are present wherever these variations are of such magnitude that the consequent differences in the electrolyte depth in the model or any regions therein are appreciable in comparison with their respective horizontal dimensions. To demonstrate the order of magnitude of this error, a hypothetical linear oil field in which permeability varies linearly with distance was treated both analytic.ally and by potentiometric model. The results obtained from the model are compared with the exact solution for various configurations of linear geometry. Deviations in flow times up to 11 per cent were observed. It is confirmed that these discrepancies can be reduced by increasing the areal scale and/or decreasing the vertical scale of the model. It is the purpose of this work to assist in the design of potentiometric models by indicating the relationship between this error and the chosen scale factors. INTRODUCTION The fundamental geometrical criterion which determines whether the pressure distribution in an oil or gas reservoir may be simulated in a conventional potentiometric model is the requirement that all reservoir parameters be constant along any vertical line between its upper and lower boundaries. This situation never obtains exactly; nevertheless, it is usually assumed that there is no permeability stratification within the section of interest, that all wells completely penetrate the sand, that there are no gravitational effects, and that variations in thickness of the sand are small compared to the horizontal extent of the field. In these ways the reservoir problem is reduced to two dimensions in which there is no variation of pressure in the vertical direction within the limits of the sand. Variations in sand thickness and/or horizontal pesmeability may be taken into account as described by Muskat, by considering the fluid conductivity of the reservoir in its horizontal plane to be proportional to the product of permeability and sand thickness. If the variations in sand thickness are small compared to the horizontal dimensions of the reservoir, then it is a good approximation to consider the reservoir problem to be essentially two dimensional. The same approximation, however, is made in the simulation of the assumed two-dimensional reservoir by the electrolytic model. The model, if it is to take into account variations of permeability-thickness product, must of necessity be made in three dimensions, that is, with variable depth. Most potentiometric model studies and theoretical treatments reported in the literature to date2,3,4,5,6,7,8 are those in which either an average permeability was used or a constant permeability was assumed. This is understandable since detailed permeability data are not usually available for the majority of reservoirs. Many investigators have recognized that the failure to incorporate permeability variations within a reservoir in model studies leads to serious error in predictions made

Jan 1, 1957

By M. R. Stauffer, Z. Hajnal

Seismic velocity determinations over Precambrian outcrops near Flin Flon, Manitoba, indicate that several different rock types have sufficient velocity contrast to make reflection mapping possible. Stratigraphic and fault contacts between metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks have been mapped at some depth. A mu1ti-fold reflection survey attempted to trace the depth extension of an ore-bearing (Pb-Zn) rhyolite horizon within the metavolcanic rocks. A synthetic seismogram has been produced from a 10,000-ft sonic log and provides means of comparing seismic records with the local geology. From this the optimum frequency spectrum and the maximum resolution of the seismic signals were estimated.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. W. Waterfill

MANY existing ore deposits of valuable metals have been worked out in their upper surface levels and the continued productivity of these mines is dependent on their extension to greater depths in the earth. The maximum depths at present reached are about 6000 to 8000 ft. below the surface, with no evidence of an impoverished ore vein. These mines are widely distributed; some of the best known are in South Africa, Brazil, India and in the western sections of the United States. Among the factors which increase the difficulty of working these mines at increasing depths are hoisting, rock pressure and temperature. The manner and effectiveness with which these problems are met will, no doubt, determine in a large measure the ultimate depths to which any mine can be profitably worked. The most critical of these three factors at present is the increase in temperature with depth. The high temperature and humidity in many of these mines at present is severely detrimental to the health of the workers and greatly hampers their efficiency. Some have almost reached a condition in which the human system cannot survive. The problems involved in the cooling and ventilation of mines have all been ably analyzed and presented in previous articles. For this reason, only a resume of conditions affecting the cooling and conditioning of deep and hot mines will be given in this paper before attention is directed to possible methods of improving atmospheric conditions in the working levels.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. W. Shoenberger, J. D. Clendenin, W. L. McMorris, N. Schapiro, B. R. Kuchta, A. A. Terchick, R. J. Gray, J. G. Price

INTRODUCTION * The United States is fortunate in having enormous reserves of metallurgical-grade coals. Although these coals are better in quality and more accessible than most coals found throughout the rest of the world, the best grades of these coals are being depleted. Consequently, more efficient exploration tools and techniques, such as advanced methods of core drilling and logging, correlation by palynology,** stratigraphy, paleontology and petrography are being used to help assess the extent and quality of the remaining coal reserves. Exploration and assessment of new and existing coal properties become of utmost importance in determining (1) the economic justification for mining the coal, (2) the optimum design of the preparation plant and (3) the most effective use of the coal. Fortunately, the cost of mining coal has remained stable because of better mine planning, more efficient operations and increased mechanization of mining operations. However, increased mechanization raises the amount of impurities in the coal mined, and this requires more and better coal beneficiation to meet the more stringent quality requirements set by the market. Besides, mechanical miners also produce relatively fine coal and, to ensure maximum liberation of impurities, much of the coal presently being used must be crushed to a finer size prior to preparation. The bulk of all coals presently used in this country is mechanically cleaned, much of it at a lower specific gravity than in the past. This necessitates the use of new and improved processes and equipment for coal washing and recovery, such as heavy-medium cyclones and vessels, and froth flotation cells. However, because wet-cleaning processes are pre- dominant in the United States and fine coal retains large amounts of moisture, the increased production of cleaned fine coal accentuates the need for new or improved methods and equipment for dewatering and drying this coal. The larger amounts of coal being beneficiated and the use of new and improved beneficiation processes will aid in controlling and ultimately eliminating sources of pollution. Modem coal markets demand coals that meet rigid specifications. Most coals are purchased under contracts that specify moisture, ash, and sulfur contents, or heating value, depending upon the end use. There has also been a growing trend toward specifying other properties, including particle size and coking capability. These specifications may include not only the * Editor's note: Because of the numerous and varied contributions of the associate authors of this chapter, the text does not differentiate between sections prepared by each individual as has been done in other chapters. ** Palynology is the study of plant microfossils, especially spores, pollen, and other types of fossils not usually studied by paleontologists.

Jan 1, 1968

By Milton E. Jennings

On May 11, 1977, the SAMARCO 508-mm (20-in.), 396-km pipeline was placed in service. This system represents the latest thinking in slurry pipeline design and is one of the main contributors to the viability of the SAMARCO project. This paper presents the background, description, and latest information on the system's operation. Special attention is given to the handling limitations of the slurry and to the unique hardware requirements.

Jan 1, 1982