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By Paul L. Russell

7.5-1. introduction. The possible engineering uses of nuclear explosives were recognized with the first nuclear detonation. Subsequent experiments have demonstrated the ability of nuclear explosives to move very large volumes of rock and earth efficiently and at costs below conventional earth-moving methods. The ability to package a quantity of energy equivalent to a few million tons of conventional explosive in a container approximately 20 ft long and 36 in. in diameter enables easy emplacement and thus provides the potential for excavation on scales heretofore impossible. Space does not permit detailed discussion of the many experiments with conventional high explosives and with nuclear explosives that were performed in developing the information presented here. A bibliography is included for those wishing detailed information. Material from those sources and from personal experience has been used freely. 7.5-2. Nuclear Explosives. An explosion, in general, results from the very rapid release of a large quantity of energy within a limited space. This is equally true for both conventional and nuclear explosions, although the energy is produced in quite different ways. In the case of a conventional explosive, this energy arises from chemical reactions. In a nuclear explosion, the energy is produced as a result of the formation of different atomic nuclei by the redistribution of the protons and neutrons within the interacting nuclei. Nuclear energy is of a much higher order of magnitude than chemical energy when equal masses are considered, and the release of this energy is a thousand times more rapid than the fastest chemical detonations. Explosions may be produced by fission or fusion reactions. FISSION. When a free (or unattached) neutron enters the nucleus of a fissionable atom, it can cause the nucleus to split into two smaller parts. This fission process is accompanied by the release of a large quantity of energy. The complete fission of 1 lb of uranium can produce as much energy as an explosion of 9,000 tons of TNT.

Jan 1, 1968

By A. E. Gibson

A new feature in coal mining, where the coal is to be conveyed from a high to a lower elevation and the topography of the country is such as to preclude surface haulage.

Jan 1, 1915

By M. H. Caron

D. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.)

Jan 1, 1951

By H. H. Kellogg

0. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.)

Jan 1, 1951

By R. E. Cole, A. M. Gaudin

OLEIC acid, a standard flotation reagent, has generally been preferred to other fatty acids. Because oleic acid differs from saturated fatty acids by the presence of one carbon-to-carbon double bond and because the flotation operation is one in which extremely intimate exposure of the reagent to oxygen is obtained, it appeared possible that the value of oleic acid as a flotation collector was related to the oxidizability of its double bond. To test this hypothesis, the floated mineral, fluor-ite, was leached with a solvent capable of extracting the adsorbed reagent and the extract was analyzed.' Results show that oleic acid is not oxidized during flotation, although some oxidation can be obtained if the flotation operation is repeated many times and if oxygen in place of air is employed as the gas during flotation. Incidentally, it was found that lino-leic acid which has two nonconjugated double bonds is not affected appreciably more than oleic acid. Linolenic acid which has three nonconjugated double bonds is measurably altered even during one flotation step, using air. The fatty acids used, from the Hormel Foundation, were of the highest purity. The quantity of fatty acids employed in each test was sufficient to float the mineral, but less than the theoretical amount required to form a monolayer at the mineral surface. The purpose of this limitation was to eliminate droplets of oil smeared on the adsorbate-covered mineral surface. The mineral was dried in vacuum at about 60 °C. Effective leaching was obtained by use of a solution of 1 pct hydrochloric acid in absolute alcohol. The extract was separated from the solvent by distillation, with final recovery of the extract in carbon tetrachloride. The identity of the extract was tested by a combination of analytical procedures including infrared spectroscopy, saponification number, iodine number, and index of refraction. At the outset, great hopes for accurate quantification of oleic acid oxidation had been entertained in regard to the method of infra-red spectroscopy. Unfortunately, because the double bond in the oleic acid is so sym- metrically located at the center of the molecule that it provides very weak absorption bands, accurate quantitative analyses were not obtained. Nevertheless, infra-red spectrograms suggested the absence of double-bond oxidation during flotation. Iodine number, semi-micro method, provided a critical test of the extent to which fatty acids oxidized during flotation, see Table I. The index of refraction was used in a qualitative rather than quantitative fashion, and its findings corroborated those obtained by the iodine-number method. It is concluded, in the case of fluorite and C-18 fatty acids having one or two nonconjugated double bonds, that there is practically no change of the fatty acid molecule or ion during the flotation operation. It would appear, therefore, that the extraordinary utility of these reagents is related to some property of the compounds other than the oxidizability of their double bonds. Acknowledgment The research reported herewith was sponsored by the Research Division, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, and for this help the authors express their appreciation. Reference 'R. E. Cole: "Double-Bond Reactivity of Oleic Acid During Flotation." Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of M.S. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jan 1, 1954

By M. H. Caron

D. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.) O F. A. Forward, C. S. Samis, and V. Kudryk: Trans. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. (1948) 151 (Bull. 434) 350-355.

Jan 1, 1951

By W. T. Olsen, R. Ulcer

WHEN a liquid alloy freezes, the solid first formed usually differs widely in chemical composition from that last formed, so that there is segregation in the alloy as cast. For example in the copper-nickel system (fig. 1) the first solid formed from a liquid containing 55 atomic pct Cu may contain as little as 38 pct Cu, while the last must contain well over 55 pct. Three factors may act to decrease segregation from the maximum possible. 1. Diffusion in the cooling solid tends to make the phase homogeneous, decreasing segregation. This may be important at slow rates of cooling. 2. Segregation is impossible without diffusion in the liquid. At extremely rapid rates of cooling there may not be enough time to allow maximum segregation. 3. Supercooling delays nucleation to temperatures well below the liquidus thereby decreasing segregation. Hence the first nucleus in the copper-nickel system may contain well over 38 pct Cu. At sufficient supercooling the first nucleus may form below the solidus, in which case there is no reason to expect any segregation whatever. From these considerations, we could predict that at sufficiently low rates of cooling the alloy would be unsegregated because of factor 1 and at sufficiently high rates of cooling there should also be no segregation because of factors 2 and 3. Considerable segregation should occur only at intermediate rates of cooling. We have demonstrated experimentally that segregation can be completely suppressed by rapid rates of cooling. For the alloys studied, however, these rates are too great to be attained in any commercial practice. An alloy of 55 atomic pct Cu, 45 atomic pct Ni was frozen by cooling at varying rates. The degree of segregation in the solid was determined by X-ray diffraction photographs. Slow rates were obtained by slowly cooling the furnace containing the liquid alloy; fast rates by pouring or ejecting droplets of the alloy into water or iced sodium hydroxide solutions. The cooling rate of the droplets can be cal-culated from their dimensions by assuming reason- able values of thermal conductivity.' The experi-ments were repeated with an alloy of 16.5 pct Cu and 83.5 pct Au. A single experiment also showed a 50 atomic pct Bi-Sb alloy had no segregation at the most rapid quench. The position of back-reflection X-ray diffraction lines is a highly sensitive function of the lattice constant, which in turn depends on the chemical composition of the phase. A phase of varying composition will give broad diffraction lines. By measuring the edges of these lines and making suitable corrections for intrinsic line width, it is possible to determine the range of lattice constants represented. These can be converted to chemical compositions from a lattice constant vs. composition curve. Results are shown in table I. In the copper-nickel system the greatest segregation is found at the slowest cooling rates, where the lowest percentage of copper theoretically possible is found. In the copper-gold system, on the other hand, the degree of segregation is decidedly less at the slowest rates of cooling, being greatest at 11,100°C per sec. At no rate is the theoretically lowest percentage of copper (12 pct) found. At the rates of cooling found in sand and die castings the degree of segregation is large and depends little on the rate of cooling. Acknowledgment Most of the material in this paper is abstracted from a thesis presented by William T. Olsen, Jr. in 1948 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the University of California.

Jan 1, 1951

By M. F. McCarty, R. S. Olson

New organic flocculants of high-molecular weight are replacing lime, glue, and starch in liquid-solid separation. Of these synthetic materials, poly-acrylamides are outstanding. Polyacrylamides form a class of compounds varying widely in composition and activity. Separan 2610, one of the first of these flocculants' released to the mining industry in 1954, is described' as a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylamide with or without a copolymer material and with some replacement of amide by carboxylic groups. MECHANISM OF FLOCCULATION In practice, flocculation makes solids settle faster and filter better. But two opposing factors control it. The random motion that causes particles to collide favors Van der Waals' forces, which hold the particles together. The effect of zeta potential opposes this contact, and particles are mutually repelled. Flocculation can be achieved by reducing the magnitude of the zeta potential; this is the mechanism of flocculation by lime addition. The way in which polyacrylamides accomplish flocculation is not fully understood, but the action is undoubtedly comp1ex and probably varies considerably depending on the system. To begin with, the active groups of these compounds have an extremely high affinity for solid surfaces, probably by hydrogen bonding." Initially some active groups of the molecule attach themselves to the solids with a large portion of the molecule extending into the solution. Two particles can become tied together by long flocculant molecules in the following ways—by bonding between the active groups of two flocculant molecules on different particles, or by an extended molecule from one particle attaching itself directly to the surface of the other particles." These flocculant bridges prevent the particles from moving apart through random motion, but when such motion moves them together other active groups on the flocculant bridge bond to the solids, holding them in the closer position. This process is repeated until the particles are close together. Although bridging is probably a major flocculation mechanism, it is not the only phenomenon involved. Relatively neutral acrylamide flocculants reduce the magnitude of the zeta potential by increasing the viscosity of solution in the immediate vicinity of the solid surface which contains the mobile counter ions of the double layer. In other words, it moves the shear surface which bounds the zeta potential out into the solution containing counter ions which tend to neutralize the zeta potential. This effect is probably more pronounced during the initial adsorption period, before the flocculant molecules are pulled close to the solid. In some cases the slight charge of the polyacry-lamide molecule tends to neutralize a zeta potential. However, this is not a primary flocculation mechanism, as evidenced by the fact that the polyacrylamides will flocculate solids with either positive or negative zeta potential. Adsorption of polyacrylamide flocculants by a solid is substantially an irreversible reaction. Since the flocculant molecule is attached to the particle surface by many active groups of high bonding strength, desorption would require the simultaneous breaking of many bonds—an unlikely occurrence. UNIQUE PROPERTIES The irreversible adsorption of certain polyacrylamides, the flocculant's high affinity for solid surfaces and its rapid adsorption make it effective, but these unique properties require special techniques to achieve maximum flocculation. If flocculants of this type are added to a pulp as a relatively concentrated solution, the solids in the

Jan 1, 1960

By Henry P. Chandler

Tripoli is the general name for a number of fine-grained, lightweight, friable, minutely porous, forms of decomposed siliceous rock, probably derived from siliceous limestones or calcareous cherts. Tripoli is often confused, both in the trade and technical literature, with tripolite, a diatomaceous earth (diatomite), found in Tripoli, North Africa. A material found near Seneca, Mo., resembling tripolite was incorrectly termed "tripoli." This name has persisted and now has a definite physical and trade meaning. However, tripoli contains no diatoms, is of an entirely different origin, and has chemical and physical properties different from those of tripolite. There are two distinct types of tripoli in the United States; that from the Missouri-Oklahoma field and that from the Southern Illinois field. Commercially the term "tripoli" is applied to the material from the Missouri-Oklahoma field, while the material from the Southern Illinois area is often referred to as "amorphous" or "soft" silica. Material similar to the Missouri-Oklahoma tripoli, but finer grained, occurs in northwestern Arkansas. In its Minerals Yearbook the Federal Bureau of Mines groups statistically under "natural silica abrasives," tripoli from these producing areas and rottenstone from Pennsylvania. The justification for this grouping is the similarity of use. Composition and Physical Properties Commercial tripoli contains 97 to 99 pet SiO2. The remainder is mostly alumina, iron, lime, soda, and potash, some of which may impart desirable physical properties to the material. Variations in the chemical composition of tripoli are not as important as its physical characteristics. The color of tripoli varies from white to cream, brown, rose, and red, the variations from white being the result of iron deposited from percolating surface waters. The commercial varieties of tripoli mined in the Missouri-Oklahoma area are designated as cream and rose. Other physical properties of the tripoli from this area are: Free quartz, less than 0.5 pct; oil absorption, 50.71 to 53.14 pct; water absorption of the crude tripoli, about 38 pct, and of prepared material, about 52 pct; fracture, uneven to conchoidal; specific gravity, 2.15 to 2.62; weight per cubic foot crude, 35 lb, ground, 55 lb; fusion point, 3,225° to 3,300°F; and refractive index, 1.54. Tripoli occupies about 1 cu yd to the short ton in place and about 1.5 cu yd when broken. Packed for shipment, the powdered material occupies about 33 cu ft to the ton. Its value and usefulness depend primarily on a low content of crystalline silica, size of the natural particles, absorption, and color. Some beds in the Missouri-Oklahoma area are of sufficiently compact material that large, fairly strong blocks may be removed. These find a market as filter blocks and have been used for building material. In the Southern Illinois field the color of the material is the important physical property; pure white is preferred. The rottenstone mined in Pennsylvania is of higher density and lower in silica content than the various types of tripoli. Its composition approximates 60 pct silica, 18 pct alumina, 9 pct iron oxide, 8 pct alkalies, with small amounts of lime and magnesia. The material apparently is a ferruginous and siliceous shale, having properties rendering it suitable as an abrasive or as a filter for paint, rubber, and plastics.

Jan 1, 1960

By A. M. Gaudin, D. W. Fuerstenau

IN concentration of certain ores by soap flotation, prevention of quartz flotation is desired; the contrary is true in treatment of some oxide iron ores. Experimental study of the flotation of quartz goes back at least a quarter of a century.' Clean quartz does not float with fatty acids or soaps but does float when activated by one of many metallic salts. Control of pH is important. Broadly speaking the problem of quartz flotation has been approached from the empirical side, as was the related topic of flocculation or dispersion of quartz suspensions? Empirical studies indicated the existence of critical relationships between the additions of collector and activator. These additions were not stoichiometric for the formation of soaps of the activator cation. For example, Gaudin and Rizo-Patrona found optimum quartz flotation at pH 10.6 using barium activation and oleate collection when the molar ratio of oleate to barium was 1 to 1 instead of 2 to 1, as would be called for formation of Ba(OL),. Cooke and Digre" ' found that if calcium is the activator, a minimum quantity of that agent is required for effective flotation when the pH is 11.5. In other words, if the concentration of Na' exceeds 10 -2.5 mols per liter or if the concentration of H exceeds 10-11 mols per liter, the concentration of Ca++ in solution required for quartz activation is increased. This suggests that H+ is much more effective than Na+ on 10-2.5 quartz, perhaps in the ratio ofp or 108. Schuh- mann and Prakash6 studied anew the activation of quartz by barium, calcium, aluminum, and ferric iron. Salts of these metals are activators provided they are in stoichiometric excess over the collector used with them. Alkaline-earth salts are effective only in alkaline circuits. Important as they are in giving data on the effect of various agents on quartz, all these studies fail to give information on the detailed structure of the quartz-solution interface. A beginning in this direction was made by Gaudin and Chang,? who measured the adsorption of radioactively marked barium and laurate ions at quartz surfaces, and by Gaudin. Spedden, and Laxen,8 ho measured the adsorption of radioactively marked sodium at quartz surfaces. Work has also been done by Bell0 n measurement of the adsorption of sodium ion and chloride ion at quartz-solution interfaces. In all these experimental measurements of adsorption, the solid was centrifuged or filtered from the bulk of the liquor with which it had been associated; and the composition of the solid surface was ascertained by analysis, after allowance was made for the ionic composition of the liquor included with the centrifuged solids on the assumption that it is identical to the bulk liquid. Adsorption measurements give only the total amount of collector adsorbed at the quartz-solution interface; they give no indication of the distribution of these adsorbed ions at the interfacial layer. It is the ionic structure of the solid-solution interface and its importance to flotation that is the subject of this paper. The structure of this interfacial layer can be investigated by means of electrokinetic methods so that by combining electrokinetic studies with adsorption measurements, a more complete picture of the quartz surface may be obtained. The following studies were made to ascertain how electrolytes used in the soap flotation

Jan 1, 1956

By O. E. Michaelis

The metal used at the Befors Works in gun-munufacture is unforged open-hearth steel, cast without blow-holes. It has from time to time been asserted that it is impossible to pro

Jan 1, 1888

By G. E. Archie

Data given in this paper indicate that certain relations exist between different characteristics of sandstone. These relations are not rigid, for all sandstones are more or less heterogeneous. Not every increment of a given horizon follows exactly the relationship; however, studying a reservoir as a whole from a large number of samples, definite trends are found to exist. Apparently nature's processes of sedimentation and diagenesis are such as to give some degree of uniformity. Average relationships are valuable because electrical measurements in a borehole comprise a considerable volume of rock near the hole. Also, it is desirable that a given producing reservoir be studied as a unit. In a permeable reservoir whose pores are filled with a saline solution, it was found that the total porosity and the type of sandstone influence the relationship between its electrical resistivity and the RO and the resistivity of the brine R,. The relation can be expressed by the following empirical equation, Ro = R10O— [i] where 0 is the porosity expressed as a fraction and the numerical value of the exponent lies between 1.8 to 2.0 for consolidated sandstones, and is about 1.3 for clean, unconsolidated packs. This equation indicates that an appropriate electrical log can be used to estimate the porosity of a saline water-bearing reservoir when Rw and the type of rock are known. The fraction R0rw, is called the "formation resistivity factor." It reflects the effect of the nonconducting rock structure on the resistivity of the salt water that fills the tortuous paths through which the electricity must pass. The formation resistivity factor F is found to be related to permeability k. In this case the type of rock plays an important role, as shown by the relation F = ak-b [2] where the values of a and b must be determined experimentally for each horizon. Therefore Eq. I rather than Eq. 2 is used when it is desired to determine the value of F, because small changes in rock structure particularly in the pore size are not critical. Another useful relation, R = R0S- [3] where R = resistivity of rock when partially saturated with brine and partly with oil or gas, S = fraction of the pore space filled with brine, and n equals approximately 2 for both unconsolidated and consolidated sandstone, shows that the connate water of an oil or gas reservoir can be estimated in situ from a resistivity log. Equation 3 shows that in order to estimate the water content of a reservoir a knowledge of R and Ro is essential. The first value can be obtained from the electrical log when all factors influencing the resistivity curve can be properly taken into account. The latter may be obtained when a log is available on the same horizon where it is entirely water-bearing and has

Jan 1, 1946

By J. B. Macelwane

Geophysics differs from geology and physics in in many respects. In the first place, geophysics is a complex science embracing the fields of seismology, geomagnetism, geoelectricity, geodesy, meteorology, vol-canology, physical oceanography, physical hydrology, tectonophysics and exploration geophysics. Geology is also a complex science and so extensive in its various fields that no one can master them all, and no part of geology deals in any sense with several of these fields of geophysics. In the second place, geophysics makes use of methods and instruments that are derived primarily from the science of physics. Geology, on the other hand, has methods of its own and it draws its borrowed techniques and its instrumental equipment not only from physics but also and perhaps primarily from chemistry and biology. The difference, therefore, between the geophysicist and the geologist lies partly in the phenomena that are observed, partly in the methods and instruments with which each carries on his exploration; but partly also, and perhaps principally, in the habitual attitude of mind and in the background of specialized training with which each approaches the problems presented by this planet of ours. The geologist as such, therefore, is no geophysicist. On the other hand, the physicist is not a geophysicist either. Isolation of each problem in a closed laboratow system under complete control is fundamental to the methods of the physicist. The geophysicist must apply physical instruments and physicomathematical reasoning to the study of physical quantities in their undisturbed natural environment. What, then, is a geophysicist? In the sense that he is a trained expert in all of the geophysical sciences, I do not believe that such a person ever existed. It would be beyond the possibilities of a single lifetime. I think there is confusion in our ideas and in our use of terms. We are not all thinking of the same thing when we say geophysics or geophysicist; yet we seem to talk as though we were. It is as absurd to say that the whole of geophysics belongs to geology because the field of a particular type of geophysicist—the exploration geophysicist —calls for some knowledge of geology as it would be to say that the whole of biology belongs to geology because a particular type of biologist—the paleontologist— needs some knowledge of geology. Development of a Geophysicist Since it is impossible to become an expert in all the fields of geophysics, and since students entering college seldom know the field they will choose as a career, what would we suggest as the best general preparation for work in geophysics, whether as a meteorologist, an oceanographer, a seismologist, a geodesist, a geomagneticist, a volcanologist, a tectonophysicist, a hydro1 ogist, or an exploration geophysicistp we may distinguish five phases in the development of a geophysicist: (I) his mathematical and scientific studies in high school; (2) the general mathematical and scientific

Jan 1, 1946

By G. W. Thompson

G. W. THOMPSON,* Brooklyn, N. Y.-This subject has two aspects, neither of-which can be ignored: these are the economic aspect and the technical aspect. Under ordinary conditions, economic law will take care of the conservation of tin. Under present conditions it seems desirable that economic law should still be permitted to operate as far as is practicable. It is true that this law operates rather slowly, and that under war conditions it cannot be depended upon to give our Government the supply it immediately needs. There should, therefore, be a designation of the essential industries by the Government, and tin should be supplied for those needs, letting the non-essential industries take what is left. At the same time, information ought to be forthcoming as to how tin can be conserved; with tin selling at 80 c. per pound, more or less, it is to the interest of every consumer to get the best information he can as to how he can save tin. Economic law would properly punish those who do not study their own interests in this way. I deprecate, therefore, any centralized socialistic effort toward avoiding penalties through failure to observe and obey economic law. In saying this, however, I am not unmindful that it is desirable for our Government to take such control of the tin situation as may be necessary to the prosecution of the war, practically regardless of the effect of such action upon individual industry, which should studiously seek to adjust itself to the new condition. The Government should promulgate such technical information as it can collect, showing how tin can be conserved, and should urge upon every consumer the exercise of his common sense in self-protection. There is very little danger of any one attempting to hoard or corner tin, in the present state of the market. Most consumers will be glad to live from hand to mouth, covering their sales by purchases, or vice versa. As to the technical aspects: Tin and tin alloys are used to give certain practical and also certain artistic results. The practical factors are those involved in proper adhesion, continuity of surface, protection, the right degree of hardness, proper working qualities, etc. The artistic results are those that appeal purely to the eye or to our cultivated sense of what is desirable. There is no doubt that a great deal of tin could be saved if there were not a demand for certain pleasing effects. How can this saving be brought about? The users of tin hearing alloys are not the only ones involved in this question. The manufacturers of solder and babbitt have for a long time sought to give certain appearances to their fabricated bars and ingots in order to make them more salable. The user of a solder is very apt to judge of its working qualities by the appearance of the bar; the same thing is true with regard to babbitts. Under ordinary conditions, manufacturers are justified in trying to

Jan 12, 1918

By G. E. Archie

Data given in this paper indicate that certain relations exist between different characteristics of sandstone. These relations are not rigid, for all sandstones are more or less heterogeneous. Not every increment of a given horizon follows exactly the relationship; however, studying a reservoir as a whole from a large number of samples, definite trends are found to exist. Apparently nature's processes of sedimentation and diagenesis are such as to give some degree of uniformity. Average relationships are valuable because electrical measurements in a borehole comprise a considerable volume of rock near the hole. Also, it is desirable that a given producing reservoir be studied as a unit. In a permeable reservoir whose pores are filled with a saline solution, it was found that the total porosity and the type of sandstone influence the relationship between its electrical resistivity and the RO and the resistivity of the brine R,. The relation can be expressed by the following empirical equation, Ro = R10O— [i] where 0 is the porosity expressed as a fraction and the numerical value of the exponent lies between 1.8 to 2.0 for consolidated sandstones, and is about 1.3 for clean, unconsolidated packs. This equation indicates that an appropriate electrical log can be used to estimate the porosity of a saline water-bearing reservoir when Rw and the type of rock are known. The fraction R0rw, is called the "formation resistivity factor." It reflects the effect of the nonconducting rock structure on the resistivity of the salt water that fills the tortuous paths through which the electricity must pass. The formation resistivity factor F is found to be related to permeability k. In this case the type of rock plays an important role, as shown by the relation F = ak-b [2] where the values of a and b must be determined experimentally for each horizon. Therefore Eq. I rather than Eq. 2 is used when it is desired to determine the value of F, because small changes in rock structure particularly in the pore size are not critical. Another useful relation, R = R0S- [3] where R = resistivity of rock when partially saturated with brine and partly with oil or gas, S = fraction of the pore space filled with brine, and n equals approximately 2 for both unconsolidated and consolidated sandstone, shows that the connate water of an oil or gas reservoir can be estimated in situ from a resistivity log. Equation 3 shows that in order to estimate the water content of a reservoir a knowledge of R and Ro is essential. The first value can be obtained from the electrical log when all factors influencing the resistivity curve can be properly taken into account. The latter may be obtained when a log is available on the same horizon where it is entirely water-bearing and has

Jan 1, 1946

By J. B. Macelwane

Geophysics differs from geology and physics in in many respects. In the first place, geophysics is a complex science embracing the fields of seismology, geomagnetism, geoelectricity, geodesy, meteorology, vol-canology, physical oceanography, physical hydrology, tectonophysics and exploration geophysics. Geology is also a complex science and so extensive in its various fields that no one can master them all, and no part of geology deals in any sense with several of these fields of geophysics. In the second place, geophysics makes use of methods and instruments that are derived primarily from the science of physics. Geology, on the other hand, has methods of its own and it draws its borrowed techniques and its instrumental equipment not only from physics but also and perhaps primarily from chemistry and biology. The difference, therefore, between the geophysicist and the geologist lies partly in the phenomena that are observed, partly in the methods and instruments with which each carries on his exploration; but partly also, and perhaps principally, in the habitual attitude of mind and in the background of specialized training with which each approaches the problems presented by this planet of ours. The geologist as such, therefore, is no geophysicist. On the other hand, the physicist is not a geophysicist either. Isolation of each problem in a closed laboratow system under complete control is fundamental to the methods of the physicist. The geophysicist must apply physical instruments and physicomathematical reasoning to the study of physical quantities in their undisturbed natural environment. What, then, is a geophysicist? In the sense that he is a trained expert in all of the geophysical sciences, I do not believe that such a person ever existed. It would be beyond the possibilities of a single lifetime. I think there is confusion in our ideas and in our use of terms. We are not all thinking of the same thing when we say geophysics or geophysicist; yet we seem to talk as though we were. It is as absurd to say that the whole of geophysics belongs to geology because the field of a particular type of geophysicist—the exploration geophysicist —calls for some knowledge of geology as it would be to say that the whole of biology belongs to geology because a particular type of biologist—the paleontologist— needs some knowledge of geology. Development of a Geophysicist Since it is impossible to become an expert in all the fields of geophysics, and since students entering college seldom know the field they will choose as a career, what would we suggest as the best general preparation for work in geophysics, whether as a meteorologist, an oceanographer, a seismologist, a geodesist, a geomagneticist, a volcanologist, a tectonophysicist, a hydro1 ogist, or an exploration geophysicistp we may distinguish five phases in the development of a geophysicist: (I) his mathematical and scientific studies in high school; (2) the general mathematical and scientific

Jan 1, 1946

By E. L. Claridge, K. S. Lee

Areal sweep efficiency of oil displacement by enhanced-viscosity water exhibiting pseudoplastic behavior was measured in a Hele-Shaw model representing one-quarter of a five-spot pattern. The pseudoplasticity of polymer solutions and the velocity distribution in the five-spot pattern produced a condition under which the mobility ratio between the displacing and the displaced fluid could not be assigned a single value. Instead, the movement of the displacement front is governed by local mobility ratios which are also time dependent. The areal sweep at breakthrough with polymer solutions was poorer than the sweep obtained with Newtonian fluids of comparable viscosity. However, the areal sweep at 1 PV throughput was greatly improved as compared to flood water without polymer. It was also demonstrated that, even after the oil-cut had declined to a low value during a regular waterflood, switching to polymer flood efficiently swept out the oil remaining in the model. INTRODUCTION The behavior of fluid displacements in isotropic porous media for various patterns of injection and production wells has been extensively investigated.1-7 These investigations all concerned Newtonian fluids, i.e., the viscosity of each fluid was constant regardless of flow rate. The generally unfavorable influence on areal sweep efficiency of higher mobility of the displacing fluid as compared to the mobility of the displaced fluid has been established for both miscible and immiscible fluids. The principle was also established that a close correspondence exists between miscible and immiscible flood front behavior,2, 3 although oil recovery in a waterflood at unfavorable mobility ratio may be less than that observed in a miscible displacement at the same mobility ratio. This is true even when oil recovery is expressed on the basis of movable oil. The reason is that oil saturation only slowly achieves its final value behind the water-flood front in accordance with the Buckley-Leverett8 simultaneous flow relations. It is convenient to use miscible displacements for laboratory simulation of waterflood frontal advance since the interfacial tension forces which are negligible in proportion to viscous forces on a reservoir scale9 are thus made nonoperative in the laboratory model. For miscible displacements, the Hele-Shaw type of model adequately represents a porous medium so long as the appropriate scaling rules5-10 are observed in its design and operation. During simulation of waterflood front behavior in the laboratory by using miscible displacements, the behavior of connate water may ordinarily be disregarded since it is usually indistinguishable from flood water in this process. However, when the flood water is deliberately thickened to improve the mobility ratio between water and oil. the effect on the sweep efficiency due to generation of a connate water bank during the process must be considered. In a uniform porous medium, such a bank is generated11 and efficiently displaced by injection of thickened water.l2 The oil originally in-place at the start of the waterflood is then displaced by connate water followed by thickened water. If the flood water must be thickened to obtain a favorable mobility ratio, the mobility of the oil phase is appreciably less than that of the connate water. Hence, the oil phase is inefficiently displaced by the connate water bank, and a considerable proportion of the oil comes in contact with and is displaced by the thickened waterflood front' A recent study 12 of five-spot displacements using miscible Newtonian fluids in which connate water banks of various sizes were simulated shows that, for connate water banks as large as 40 percent of 1 PV, major improvements in sweep efficiency resulted from use of a thickened

Jan 1, 1969

By R. E. Collins

The existence of fluid migration across fixed boundaries in oil and gas reservoirs has been known for many years. Several techniques have been developed in the past for estimating The rate of migration across fixed boundaries as an aid in planninng field development and in the valuation of oilfied properties. The principal de/errc7nt to the use of these techniques lies in the rather extensive reservoir and field data required for ca1cula1ion.s of fluid migration. For this reason, a new, simplified procedure has been developed which makes possible the calculation of fluid migration with a minimum of field and resrvoir data. This new technique is based on certain. solutions of the differential equations describing flour in the reservoir which assume, for the portion of the reservoir of interest, that the formation can be approximated by a homogeneous rock of uniforrn thickness, that only a Single mobile fluid phase exists, and {hut fluid production at the well is solely a result of expun.rioti of rile resersoir fluds. The results of the, present work are compiled in a set of curves. These curves can he used to calculate both rule and cummulative fluid migration when the abovc assumptions ore ju.r/ifiril. The only data required for such calcu1ations are the production hisrories of all wells in the field, the permeability and porosity of the reservoir., the, compressibility and viscosity of the fluid. and the shape of the reservoir, INTRODUCTION The migration of fluids across fixed boundaries in oil and gas reservoirs has long been recognized as an engineering and economic problem, but no methods for estimating the extent of migration during the development stage of a reservoir have been published. The investigation reported here has been directed toward providing a simple technique for estimating the extent of such migration and has therefore been restricted to the simple case of a homogeneous reservoir of uniform thickncss containing compressible liquids. It is assumed that only a single mobile fluid phase exists and that fluid production at the wells is solely by expansion of the reservoir fluids. Obviously, few, if any. reservoirs conform to these assumptions during their entire productive life. On the other hand, most reservoirs approximate fluid expansion reservoirs during their initial stages of primary production. Consequently, the present work should be applicable during the field development of most reservoirs, regardless of whether or not they ultimately are gas cap, dissolved-gas, or water-drive reservoirs. The mathematical analysis of this problem has been outlined in the Appendix, while the results of the investigation are presented in the following discussion. DISCUSSION OF CALCULATION PROCEDURE SLNGLE Well, Ini-iimite Reservoir The procedure for calculating fluid migrations is based on solutions of the partial differentia1 equations describing the flow of a homogeneous compressible liquid in a homogeneous reservoir of uniform thickness. This differential equation has the form of the well-known diffusion equation. The equation, as applicable to our problem, is where p is fluid density, is porosity, EL is viscosity, c is compressibility,* and k is permeability; .r, y and t are the space coordinates and time. Derivation of this equation is given in the Appendix. The analytical solution of this equation for a single well of negligible radius producing at a constant rate. q, from a reservoir of infinite areal extent for a time, 1. can he readily obtained. From this solution the rate of flow and also the cumulative flow across a straight line segment of length, 1, at a perpendicular distance. 6. from the well can be computed. One end of the line must be on the perpendicular joining the well to the

By M. R. Tek, F. F. Craig, J. O. Wilkes, C. S. Goddin

The waterflood performance of a water-wet, stratified system with crossflow is computed by a finite difference procedure. The effects of five dimensionless parameters on tile oil displacement efficiency, water saturation con-tour.7 and crossflow rates are evaluated in the absence of gravity forces. Crossflow due to viscous and capillary forces is shown to exert a significant effect on oil recovery in a field-scale model of a two-layered. water-wet sandstone reservoir. The crossflow is at a maximum in the vicinity of the front advancing in the more permeable layer. Under favorable mobility ratio conditions, the comparted oil recovery with crossflow always is interrnerliate between that predicted for a uniform reservoir and that for a layered reservoir with no crossflow. INTRODUCTION The important erects of reservoir heterogeneity on waterflood performance are commanding increased attention in the technical literature. Much of this attention is centered on two categories of layered reservoirs: those in which layers are non-communicating and those in which crossflow of fluids occurs between the layers. In the first category, the reservoir is assumed to consist of discrete layers, each uniform within itself and differing from the others only in such properties as thickness, porosity and absolute permeability. The performance within each layer is calculated by one-dimensional flow theory, and the performance of the total reservoir is obtained by summing individual layer performances. Capillary and gravity effects usually are not considered. Representative publications dealing with thi5 type of reservoir are those of Stiles,' Dykstra and Parsons,' Hiatt,3 Warren and Cosgrove' and Higgins and Leighton." Prediction of performance for reservoirs in the second category is considerably more difficult since viscous, capillary and gravitational forces all play important roles in causing crossflow between layers. A number of authors have investigated the simpler problem of two-dimensional displacement flow in a stratified system with a mobility ratio of unity and negligible capillary and gravity effects.'; Others have considered two-dimensional, non-steady-state flow of a single, slightly compressible fluid in a stratified reservoir. A limited number of laboratory oil displacement tests in layered models with crossflow have been reported. Miscible floods (with resultant zero capillary forces) in layered five-spot models were conducted by Dyes and Braun," who studied the effect of mobility ratio with zero gravity forces, and by Craig et al. 12 who studied the effect of gravity forces at constant mobility ratio. Waterfloods in layered five-spot models (with cross-tlow due to capillary, viscous and gravity forces) were conducted by Gaucher and Lindley,"' who showed the effect of gravity forces in causing underrunning of the injected water and by Carpenter, Bail and Bobek, 14 who demonstrated the reliability of Rapoport's" dimension-less parameters for scaling layered systems. Waterfloods in rectangular layered models were conducted by Richardson and Perkins."' who investigated the effect of velocity at constant mobility ratio and with zero gravity forces, and by Hutchinson," who studied the effects of varying mobility, layer permeability and layer thickness ratios. The differential equations which rigorously describe waterflooding in a heterogenous porous medium are non-linear and do not facilitate analytical solution. By using finite difference approximations it is possible to obtain a solution to any desired degree of accuracy. Such a solution, using an alternating direction implicit procedure (ADJP), is described by Douglas, Peaceman and Rachford.18 In the present study, a computer program using ADJP explores systematically the effects of important parameters on waterflood performance of a two-dimensional, two-layered, field-scale model of a water-wet sandstone system. Particular attention is given to evaluation of the water saturation contours and crossflow rates at the interface between layers to gain improved understanding of the crossflow mechanism. PROCEDURE BASIC: FLOW EQUATIONS The basic flow equations for two-dimensional, two-phase, immiscible, incon~pressible flow in a porous medium are:

Jan 1, 1967

By P. Datta, L. L. Handy

For a wetting phase displacing a nonwetting phase from a porous medium the distribution of the residual fluid may depend on displacement conditions. Although this subject has been debated in the literature, only a few experiments have been cited to support the various conclusions. Experimental results presented in this paper show that fluid distributions are dependent on imbibition pmcedures. Results agree qualitatively with predictions from the pore doublet model. If the rate of water imbibition is restricted, the nonwetting phase is trapped preferentially in .the larger pores as expected. But if the rate of water imbibition is unrestricted, trapping occurs somewhat more in the smaller pores. These conclusions were deduced primarily from relative permeability measurements. INTRODUCTION Relative permeabilities are known to depend on the saturation history of the porous medium. For either continuously increasing or continuously decreasing wetting phase saturations, however, they have normally been assumed to be single-valued functions of saturation. Severat investigators have compared relative permeabilities measured by different methods and have reported acceptable agreement.1-5 Studies of simple models of the displacement process suggest that the distribution of residual fluids can be influenced by the displacement method. If this is so, relative permeabilities also should depend on the method of displacement. These predictions have not been supported by experimental data. The object of this paper is to investigate experimentally some of the predictions of these model studies. The particular question of importance is whether steady-state and unsteady-state methods should be expected to give the same values of relative permeability. Much of the reported data showing agreement between steady-state and unsteady-state methods have been obtained on un consolidated sand. Johnson, Bossler and Naumann, however, compared steady-state and unsteady-state results for Weiler sandstone and found no significant differences.5 Levine made a detailed study of pressure and saturation distributions for a laboratory waterflood in a consolidated system but made no attempt to calculate performance from steady-state relative permeability data Bail and Marsden in a somewhat similar set of experiments did attempt a comparison of observations with predictions but the results were inconclusive.7 Excluding gravity, two forces affect the distribution of wetting and nonwetting phases during an unsteady-state, immiscible displacement: viscous and capillary forces. If relative permeabilities are indeed the same when measured by steady- or unsteady-state methods, the fluid distributions at the same fluid saturations must be similar for both methods. Furthermore, the implication is that the relation between capillary and viscous forces is the same for both methods insofar as the effect on microscopic fluid distributions is concerned. Unsteady-state displacements are normally run at high rates to maximize the ratio of the viscous to capillary forces. The objective is to reduce the effect of capillary forces on macroscopic fluid distributions. For floods in which the phase which wets the porous medium displaces the nonwetting phase, capillary forces compete with viscous forces in determining fluid distributions.8 The residual nonwetting phase is discontinuous. Competitive aspects of viscous and capillary forces and the resulting effect on water-oil distribution in porous media have been illustrated in an elementary way using a pore doublet model. This model and predictions from it have been discussed at considerable length by Rose and Witherspoon, Rose and Cleary and by Moore and Slobod.9-13 Rose and Witherspoon show that so long as water invades the model at a rate equal to or greater than the free imbibition rate, the water will move through the larger capillary of a doublet first and trap oil in the smaller capillary. On the other hand, if a negative pressure is applied to the water

Jan 1, 1967