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By P. Shahinian, J. Weertman

Minimum creep rates of nickel samples were measured in the stress region of 2.5x107 to 2.8xl0 dyne per sq cm and the temperature region of 400° to 1100°C. The creep rate seems to be proportional to (stress) at stresses below 7x10H dyne per sq cm. The activation energy of creep is approximately 65,000 cal per mol. IN a recent theory' of steady-state creep which is based on Mott's dislocation climb mechanism, the following creep equation was derived for creep in polycrystalline metals (if where K is creep rate, Q the activation energy of self-diffusion, S the entropy of activation of self-diffusion, L' the grain size, L the subgrain size, b the length of the Burgers' vector of a dislocation, u the shear modulus, u the stress, a the critical shear stress, M the density of active Frank-Read sources, v the vibrational frequency of a vacancy, and kT has its usual meaning. This equation predicts a creep rate which depends on the stress through a power law at low stresses. At high stresses the creep rate increases much more rapidly with stress. The theory breaks down for stresses great enough that the inequality holds true. It was the purpose of the present in-

Jan 1, 1957

By George Fancher, R. L. Whitting

A typical drilling mud from the Hastings oil field, Brazoria County, Texas, containing only 8 per cent (dry basis) of material of colloidal dimensions, which is largely illite, was concentrated to a density of 10.2 lb. per gal. and used in this study. The effects of water dilution, treatment with complex polyphos-phates, temperature and the time of heating upon the rheological properties of the mud were investigated. It was found that water plays an important part in chemical treatment and that sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate were more efficient than other complex polyphosphates for chemical treatment. Muds treated with either of these chemicals manifested maximum reduction in viscosity and minimum filtration rates at low concentrations. Furthermore, .mud treated to minimum viscosity with either of these two chemicals was virtually unaffected by heat-treatment. Introduction The drilling of deep wells is dependent upon the use of drilling mud, and problems frequently arise concerning the effects on mud of temperature, prolonged heating and aging. The use of chemicals to control the rheological properties of mud is a well-established practice. Salts of weak organic acids such as sodium tannate or gallate were used at first until the complex phosphates of sodium were found to be more efficient. Consequently, it seemed important to investigate the reaction of a mud to chemical treatment with phosphates, temperature, heat-treatment and aging, particularly since previous work in the laboratory at the University of Texas had provided the particle-size distribution and mineral composition of Hastings mud. Properties or Mud Used in Experiments A large sample of the mud from a drilling well in the Hastings field, Brazoria County, Texas, was obtained directly from the circulatory system. Some of the general physical characteristics of the mud and other data are presented in Table I. Table i.—General Properties of Hustings Drilling Mud Alex- Cur-ander keet Well Well Depth when sample was taken, It.. 5720 5700 Weight. lb. per gal............... 9.5 0.8 Viscosity, sec. A.P.I.............. 47 60 Viscosity, Stormer, grams......... 80 Viscosity, centipoises............. 13 Filtration rate, c.c. per 30 min.a. . . 19.6 22.8 Salt content (chlorides), per cent... 0.13 0.12 pH............................. 8.9 8.9 The Alexander mud was used for the experimental work. Comparison with Curkeet mud indicates a considerably greater dilution but otherwise suggests similarity. The mineral composition and particle-size distribution of Curkeet mud (Table 2) are available (Fancher and Oliphant6). It is suggested that Alexander mud would have a similar composition.

Jan 1, 1943

By R. L. Whitting, George Fancher

A typical drilling mud from the Hastings oil field, Brazoria County, Texas, containing only 8 per cent (dry basis) of material of colloidal dimensions, which is largely illite, was concentrated to a density of 10.2 lb. per gal. and used in this study. The effects of water dilution, treatment with complex polyphos-phates, temperature and the time of heating upon the rheological properties of the mud were investigated. It was found that water plays an important part in chemical treatment and that sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate were more efficient than other complex polyphosphates for chemical treatment. Muds treated with either of these chemicals manifested maximum reduction in viscosity and minimum filtration rates at low concentrations. Furthermore, .mud treated to minimum viscosity with either of these two chemicals was virtually unaffected by heat-treatment. Introduction The drilling of deep wells is dependent upon the use of drilling mud, and problems frequently arise concerning the effects on mud of temperature, prolonged heating and aging. The use of chemicals to control the rheological properties of mud is a well-established practice. Salts of weak organic acids such as sodium tannate or gallate were used at first until the complex phosphates of sodium were found to be more efficient. Consequently, it seemed important to investigate the reaction of a mud to chemical treatment with phosphates, temperature, heat-treatment and aging, particularly since previous work in the laboratory at the University of Texas had provided the particle-size distribution and mineral composition of Hastings mud. Properties or Mud Used in Experiments A large sample of the mud from a drilling well in the Hastings field, Brazoria County, Texas, was obtained directly from the circulatory system. Some of the general physical characteristics of the mud and other data are presented in Table I. Table i.—General Properties of Hustings Drilling Mud Alex- Cur-ander keet Well Well Depth when sample was taken, It.. 5720 5700 Weight. lb. per gal............... 9.5 0.8 Viscosity, sec. A.P.I.............. 47 60 Viscosity, Stormer, grams......... 80 Viscosity, centipoises............. 13 Filtration rate, c.c. per 30 min.a. . . 19.6 22.8 Salt content (chlorides), per cent... 0.13 0.12 pH............................. 8.9 8.9 The Alexander mud was used for the experimental work. Comparison with Curkeet mud indicates a considerably greater dilution but otherwise suggests similarity. The mineral composition and particle-size distribution of Curkeet mud (Table 2) are available (Fancher and Oliphant6). It is suggested that Alexander mud would have a similar composition.

Jan 1, 1943

By G. S. Brooks

WITH the gradual depletion of the natural-gas pools of the Kansas district, together with the uncertainty of further cheap fuel developments, some. of the western zinc companies turned to the coal fields, attracted by their permanency and the 'success of the Matthiessen & Hegeler Co. and the Illinois Zinc Co. Being then confronted with the problem of using a relatively high-priced fuel, although the ultimate' supply was very great, the fuel economies of the kilns and furnaces became of far more importance, and the more modern equipments, as a result, embodied distinct gads in this phase of the business. In addition, there have been some pronounced advances in the actual making of gas from these coals. Increased efficiency in gas making has contributed its share to lowering costs and those plants located in the higher priced fuel districts have probably been obliged to study these economies somewhat more closely. Naturally, many beneficial changes have resulted in both practice and apparatus in these sections. On, certain western coals, for instance, the actual saving in fuel consumption has been 50 per cent. By this is meant that, where about 1.75 tons were burned to smelt 1 ton of oxidized ore, 0.7 to 0.9 ton is now required. While comparisons by W. R. Ingalls1 of fuel economies in smelting in this country and Germany before the war may, in general, be correct, they do not appear to-do justice to the more progressive. American practice. It is doubtful whether German plants were substantially bettering these fuel ratios. Data furnished by Bender and Frams do not afford records averaging less than 0.9 ton coal per ton ore on materials from 40 per cent. to 50 per cent. zinc.

Jan 9, 1919

OF the many categories into which scientific knowledge has been arbitrarily divided, the one that has proved most applicable in our attempts to gain an insight into the details of steelmaking processes is physical chemistry. To the young metallurgist who has only recently survived a college course in this subject, the application of its principles to reactions in liquid steel should not be difficult. The many excellent textbooks of physical chemistry1 provide ample material on the principles of this subject for the student of steelmaking processes; yet with- out exception those texts draw the greater part of their illustrative material from room-temperature data. It is the purpose of this chapter to provide a concise review of the principles of physical chemistry that have proved useful in studies of steelmaking and at the same time to present some of the data that are essential to the application of physical chemistry to reactions at high temperatures. Certain parts of physical chemistry require rather formidable mathematics for their complete development but in the main those applications in which we are here interested can be ex- pressed in fairly simple terms. Many of the equations are logarithmic, and we shall use the symbols In X and log X to represent respectively the natural and the common logarithm of X. The two are related by In X = 2.303 log X. Logarithms may be read from a good slide rule with sufficient accuracy for our purposes. In a few spots a knowledge of the calculus will be, helpfu1. MATTER Innumerable forms of matter may be recognized, and these may be converted by chemical processes into others, as ore, coke, and air are converted into iron, slag, and gas. Whenever such a change occurs there is a corresponding change in

Jan 1, 1951

By Allan E. Martin, Harold M. Feder, Irving Johnson

The cadmium-uranium system was studied by thermal, metallographic, X-7-ay and sampling techniques; special emphasis was placed on the establishment of the liquidus lines, The single inter metallic phase, identified as the compound UCd11 melts peritectically at 473°C to form a-umnium and melt containing 2.5 wt pct uranium. The cadmium-rich eutectic (0.07 wt pct uranium) freezes at 320.6°C. Solid solubilities in uraizium and cadmium appear to be negligible. Between 473°C and 600°C the liquidus line is retograde. NO publication relating to the cadmium-uranium phase diagram was found in the literature. The establishment of this diagram was of considerable interest to us because of a possible application of the system to the pyrometallurgical reprocessing of nuclear fuels. Analysis of liquid samples, metallographic examination, thermal analysis, and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to establish the phase diagram from about 300° to 670°C. Particular emphasis was placed on the establishment of the liquidus lines. The same system was concurrently studied in this laboratory by the galvanic cell method.' Both studies benefited from a continual interchange of information. MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Stick cadmium (99.95 pct Cd, American Smelting and Refining Co.) contained 140 ppm lead as the major impurity. Reactor grade uranium (99.9 pct U, National Lead Co.) was most often used in the form of 20-meshspheres. This form was particularly suitable because it does not oxidize as readily as finer powder. The liquidus lines were determined by chemical analysis of filtered samples of the saturated melts. The liquid sampling technique is described elsewhere2 alumina crucibles (Morganite Triangle RR), tantalum stirring rods, tantalum thermocouple protecthecadmiumtion tubes, Vycor or Pyrex sampling tubes, and grades 60 or 80 porous graphite filters were used. Uranium dissolves in liquid cadmium rather slowly. In order to achieve saturation of the melts it was necessary to modify the procedure of Ref. 2 by the use of more vigorous stirring and longer holding periods (at least 3 hr) at each sampling temperature. The samples were analyzed for uranium by spectro-photometry (dibenzoyl methane method) or by polar- ography. The analyses are estimated to be accurate to 2 pct. Thermal analysis was performed on alloys contained in Morganite alumina crucibles in helium atmospheres. Standard techniques were employed; heating and cooling rates were about 1°C per min. For the determination of the peritectic temperature, Cd-10 pct U charges were first held for at least 50 hr at temperatures in the range 435° to 460°C to form substantial amounts of the intermediate phase. For the determination of the effect of cadmium on the a-p transformation temperature of uranium, charges of Cd-25 pct U (-140+100 mesh uranium spheres) were first held near the transformation temperature, with stirring, to promote solution of cadmium in the solid uranium. The holding times and temperatures for these treatments were 18 hr at 680°C for the cooling run and 28 hr at 630°C for the heating run. Alloy specimens for X-ray diffraction and metallographic examination of the intermediate phase were prepared in sealed, helium-filled Vycor or Pyrex tubes. Ingots from solubility runs and thermal analysis experiments also were examined metallographically. Crystals of the intermediate phase were recovered from certain cadmium-rich alloys by selective dissolution of the matrix in 20 pct ammonium nitrate solution at room temperature. Temperatures were measured with calibrated Pt/Pt-10 pct Rh thermocouples to an estimated accuracy of 0.3°C. However, the depression of the freezing point of cadmium at the eutectic is estimated to be accurate to 0.05°C because a special calibration of the thermocouple was made in place in the equipment with pure cadmium just prior to the measurement. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS The results of this study were used to construct the cadmium-uranium phase diagram shown in Fig. 1. This diagram is relatively simple; it is characterized by a single intermediate phase, 6 (UCd11), which decomposes peritectically, and which forms a eutectic system with cadmium. The solid solubilities in the terminal phases appear to be negligible. An unusual feature of the diagram is the retrograde slope of the liquidus line above the peritectic temperature. The Liquidus Lines. The liquidus lines above and below the peritectic temperature are based on three separate solubility experiments. The data are shown in Fig. 1 and are given in Table I. It is apparent from the figure that the solubility data obtained by the approach to saturation from higher temperatures fall on substantially the same lines as those obtained

Jan 1, 1962

By M. R. Tek, K. H. Coats, D. L. Katz

In natural gas storage operations, seasonal pressure fluctuations in the gas reservoir cause the water from the surrounding aquifer to flow into and out of the gas sand. The theory of unsteady-state liquid flow through porous media developed by Van Everdingen and Hurst' has been applied to predict the water movement into and out of the gar bubble for .several .postulated pressure cycles. Those cycles with as many pound-days above the original aquifer pressure as pound-days below, may cause the gas reservoir to slowly grow or shrink rather than hold to a constant volume. Applications to an actual field case study give the predicted gas reservoir monthly pressures and volumes as compared with the observed monthly pressures and volumes. INTRODUCTION A large number of natural gas storage reservoirs are bounded by or adjacent to large water-saturated formations called aquifers. The presence of these aquifers is usually evidenced by the production of water from wells delineating the gas-hearing sands. Some gas storage reservoirs in use today have been purposely developed on aquifers. Cyclic pressure variations in a gas storage reservoir cause water influx and efflux from the surrounding aquifer. This, in turn, results in a varying gas reservoir volume. The prediction of the effect of this aquifer fluid movement on the size and size variation of the gas reservoir can provide information valuable in the study of several reservoir engineering problems. The economics of gas storage operations are directly influenced by the influx of aquifer fluid into the reservoir since a shrinking storage reservoir requires increasing pressures for the storage of the same quantity of gas. Material balance and reserve or recovery calculations also obviously require knowledge of reservoir volume. Various other reservoir engineering calculations such as interpretation of well interference data, evaluation of physical characteristics of porous media, water coning, gas injection and pressure maintenance studies are typical problems where variations of volume due to edge or bottom-water encroachment becomes important. The solution of equations describing influx and efflux of water in the gas sand, application to gas storage reservoir behavior and interpretation of results are the main objectives of this paper. While this work was directed toward gas storage reservoirs, it applies equally well to repressuring of partially depleted oil reservoirs with an active water drive. MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS As just mentioned, the cyclic pressure variations in an aquifer-surrounded gas storage reservoir cause water movement and varying gas reservoir volume. Prediction of this volume variation from the reservoir pressure cycles or the injection-production schedule requires adoption of a flow model, certain assumptions concerning reservoir and fluid properties, and formulation and solution of the governing differential equation. The flow model used in this study is a gas bubble located on a very large aquifer (Fig. la). Gas bubble radius and aquifer sand thickness are denoted by rr and h, respectively. Fig. lb shows the horizontal, radial two-dimensional porous reservoir attended by the unsteady, compressible motion of the aquifer liquid. Volume variation of the gas bubble is determined from aquifer water flow across the cylindrical boundary, r = r0

By AIME

One of the operations of the J. L. Shiely Co. is quarrying in a hard granite gneiss with intrusions of gabbro or trap. During the winter of 1948-1949 the quarry ramp was lowered about 30 ft and during the 1949 season practically all drilling was done from the quarry floor, developing a face from 72 to 83 ft for the entire quarry area. The performance and cost table shows our record for 1948 and 1949.

Jan 1, 1950

By G. St. J. Perrott

A study of certain fundamental characteristics of liquid-oxygen explosives has been made. A discussion is given of the factors affecting the life of the cartridge and the relation between explosive strength and oxygen content. The explosive properties of L.O.X. cartridges packed with a variety of lampblacks, gas blacks, and other materials have been experimentally determined by means of the ballistic pendulum, Bichel gage, and measurement of the rate of detonation. DURING the past year, the Bureau of Mines has carried on an investigation of liquid-oxygen explosives (L.O.X.) to supplement the work described in previous publications.' The present paper gives results of the first part of this work, which was a laboratory investigation of the properties of typical combustibles used in L.O.X., and the relation of these properties to the absorption and retention of oxygen by the explosives and their explosive characteristics. No attempt will be made to describe the development of liquid-oxygen explosives, because this phase of the subject has been well covered. The L.O.X. cartridge consists of a paper wrapper filled with an absorbent combustible material that is saturated with liquid oxygen by soaking it therein. After saturation, the cartridge is removed from the liquid and fired with fuse and cap, or electric detonator, in a manner

Jan 12, 1924

By D. Harrington

During the past few years, there has been a trend toward the use of rock-dusting, rather than relying on humidifying, or the use of water, to limit or prevent explosions in the coal mines of the United States. This is partly because British coal mines have adopted rock-dusting and, at least in a sense, have condemned the use of water. Moreover, during the past few years, particularly in the latter part of 1922 and in 1923 and 1924, several explosions with heavy loss of life occurred in coal mines of the United States that were known to have more or less extended sprinkling, or humidifying, systems. The sentiment created by these disasters quickly caused a distrust of explosion-prevention methods requiring use of water and simultaneously caused more or less of a stampede into rock-dusting. Much of the wholesale condemnation of watering methods was without adequate knowledge, or at least without adequate consideration, of local conditions in each case, and rock-dusting was adopted largely without sufficient knowledge of how to rock dust safely or correctly. However, mines that had been using watering methods and had suffered these recent serious disasters (notably Dolomite, Dawson, and Castle Gate) instead of abandoning the use of water when operations were resumed after the disaster, greatly extended their watering systems. At the same time they took other precautions as to electricity, ventilation, blasting, etc., and supplemented the watering system with rock-dusting where the latter was likely to be the more effective. The trend toward rock-dusting during the past year or two (succeeding the recent mine disasters) is very similar to the rapid movement toward watering, or humidifying, methods, about 1910 to 1912, after a series of disastrous mine explosions. The Phelps-Dodge Corpn., which operates a large property at Daw-son, N. M., after an explosion in its No. 1 mine in February, 1923, decided that it is dangerous to have all its "explosion-prevention eggs in one basket" and so adopted what may now be termed the Western coalmine explosion-prevention system, in which both rock-dusting and watering are used, supplemented by other up-to-date mining methods and practices; such as exclusive use of modern electric safety lamps, with magnetically locked flame safety lamps for testing purposes; use of

Jan 1, 1925

By M. H. Merriss

In the last few years, there have been developed at the plant of the Nichols Copper Co., Laurel Hill, 'Borough of Queens, New York City, improvements in electrolytic copper refining by the series system that have materially increased the flexibility and economy of that system. The purpose of this paper is to discuss, as of interest to refiners and to those who have copper to refine, as well as to the engineering profession in general, the changes' that have taken place resulting in wider application and increased efficiency of the series system. Copper is electrolytically refined in two ways, which are spoken of as the "multiple system" and the "series system." In both systems, the electrolytic tanks are in series electrically. In the multiple system the electrodes in a single tank are in multiple or in parallel, thus: There are two important adaptations of the series process, one represented by the series electrolytic tank room at the Baltimore Copper, Smelting & Rolling Co., Baltimore, Md., and the other by that of the Nichols Copper Co.'s plant. At Baltimore, the anode is rolled to perfect

Jan 1, 1926

By Herbert H. Kellogg

RECENTLY the long-chain primary amines have been used extensively for the flotation of silicate minerals. The use of amines to float sulphide minerals has been investigated by several authors1-5,18 but most of this work has been done with the short-chain (less than six carbon atoms) primary amine compounds or the more expensive secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines. Perhaps the fact that the long-chain amines are good collectors for the common gangue minerals has led investigators to omit them from consideration as collectors for the selective flotation of metallic sulphides. The work reported in this paper was designed to investigate the use of a typical long-chain amine salt, lauryl amine hydrochloride, as a collector for the flotation of galena-sphalerite ores. The results show that lauryl amine hydrochloride (LAmHCI), when used in small amounts, is a good collector for the selective flotation of sphalerite and galena from the common gangue minerals. The differential flotation of sphalerite from galena was not accomplished but the amine flotation of sphalerite after the standard xanthate flotation of galena is possible. The experimental work reported herein is not complete enough to be able to say whether amine flotation of lead-zinc ores would prove superior to xanthate flotation, or whether the method is even applicable to a more complex ore than the one used for this work. However, the apparent reagent costs for the flotation operations described in this paper seem to be less than for xanthate flotation. This fact alone should be sufficient to encourage the millman to investigate the use of these amine reagents, especially as these reagents are available on a commercial scale at a reasonable price. This paper has as its secondary purposes to illustrate how contact-angle measurements have aided in this investigation, and to bring forward some evidence concerning the mechanism of the collecting action of primary amines. CONTACT-ANGLE TESTS The contact-angle measurements were made by the method described by del Giudice6 and used in recent work by Taggart and his collaborators.7-9 The mineral specimens for the contact-angle tests were carefully chosen, to avoid cracks and inclusions of other minerals. All specimens were mounted in "transoptic" plastic mounts and the surfaces were cleaned by polishing with levigated alumina on a cloth-covered glass polishing wheel. Distilled water was used on the lap during the polishing and at all subsequent steps in the contact-angle tests. The mounted mineral specimens were handled with glass forceps and special care was exercised to prevent exposure of the dean surface to air or any other source of contamination.

Jan 1, 1945

By V. C. Perini

The North Central Texas district as herein defined includes the counties of Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Coryell, Eastland, Erath, Fisher, Hamilton, Haskell, Hood, Jones, Lampasas, Mills, Nolan, Palo Pinto, Parker, San Saba, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Summer-ville, Taylor, Throckmorton and Wise. These counties as listed are the counties of District 7B, State Railroad Commission. In the new designation of districts for the Transactions, the North Central Texas district includes most, but not all, of the counties of the previously classified West Central Texas district. This district covers the south central crest and the west flank of the Bend flexure north of the Llano uplift. The west flank of the Bend flexure is on the east boundary of the Permian Basin of West Texas. The greater part of the oil and gas produced in this district has been from Pennsylvanian strata. Some oil and gas has been produced from the lower Permian (by the latest, selection of the Pennsyl-vanian-Permian boundary) and minor amounts from the Mississippian and Ordovician sediments. Increasingly important quantities of oil and gas are to be expected from the older sediments by deeper development in proven fields and by new discoveries. Most of the oil and gas in the district has accumulated in localized, well-defined structural traps in limestone and sandstone reservoirs and in traps due to stratigraphic changes in sedimentation, mainly porosity traps in limestone and sandstone lenses, both usually associated with some structural feature. These features are found by surface and subsurface geological structural mapping, by core drilling and by geophysical surveying. Geochemical methods are also the basis for some wildcatting. The demand for sweet crude oil from this district is firm for local and national consumption, but the market price for the oil remains practically the same as in 1941. The price is not adequate to meet the requirements of the average independent operator with the continued advance in production, tievelopment and wildcatting costs. Stripper wells are being plugged daily and should be jealously saved for the future local and national reserves, especially in view of the fact that new discoveries of commercially important oil and gas reserves are not keeping pace with consumption. An expected economic disruption attendant upon the national war effort has arisen and continues in the future outlook for this district. The lack and delay of securing replacement parts for almost all oil-field equipment has handicapped and delayed operations and has decreased efficiency in wildcatting, development and production. Sufficient experienced drilling, scientific and office personnel is lacking because of inductions in the armed forces and migration to war industries during the period before manpower conservation became effective. The office personnel of the average oil and gas producer continues to be swamped by the increasing demands for reports by state and federal bureaus. An average of IQ days

Jan 1, 1944

By H. H. Evinger, M. Muskat

A methoD of calculating productivity factors for oil, gas, and water systems in the steady state is presented as an illustration of the quantitative application of the fundamental data on the flow properties of heterogeneous fluid systems. While the numerical results of the calculations cannot be applied directly to field conditions, because they are based on permea-bility data for unconsolidated sands and involve specific assumptions regarding the nature of the reservoir fluids, the methods of analysis and interpretation should havc significance in considering certain specific field situations when the necessary field and laboratory data become available. Moreover, it is felt that even under the idealized conditions to which the numerical calculations refer they should serve to give at least the orders of magnitude of the effects of gas-oil ratio and connate water on observed productivity factors. Within the indicated limitations, the computations imply that the foregoing factors can explain only a part of the apparent discrepancy between the homogeneous fluid productivity factors and those obtained recently in field measurements on the West Coast. IntroductioN Sufficient laboratory research has been carried out in the last several years on the fundamental features of the flow of heterogeneous fluids through porous media to call for consideration of what can be done with this type of information. It has, of course, already led to a, much clearer general understanding of the mechanics of oil production. However, examples of the quantitative application of the results of such laboratory studies are few in the literature. part of the explanation for this fact lies undoubtedly in the lack of sufficient laboratory data relating to practical fluids and sand systems such as would occur ill actual oil reservoirs. However, unless it can be shown that if such data were obtained quantitative applications could be made, serious doubt may be cast upon the desirability of carrying on further extensive experimental research work on fluid flow. The purpose of this paper is to present one approach to the problem of quantitative application of laboratory data to practical field problems. Because the published results on the basic experiments with three-phase fluid systems in porous media are limited entirely to uncon-solidated sands, the numerical applications made here will not pertain directly to any actual field situation. However, they should serve to illustrate what could be done with fundamental laboratory data if they were extended to cover the field of consolidated sands. From this point of view, it is hoped it will serve to encourage further laboratory research on this problem. The particular application to be treated here relates to the calculation of the productivity factors for oil-gas-water systems in the steady state. This specific problem seems especially appropriate for discussion in view of the recent publication by Johnston1 of the results of produc-

Jan 1, 1942

By V. C. Perini

The North Central Texas district as herein defined includes the counties of Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Coryell, Eastland, Erath, Fisher, Hamilton, Haskell, Hood, Jones, Lampasas, Mills, Nolan, Palo Pinto, Parker, San Saba, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Summer-ville, Taylor, Throckmorton and Wise. These counties as listed are the counties of District 7B, State Railroad Commission. In the new designation of districts for the Transactions, the North Central Texas district includes most, but not all, of the counties of the previously classified West Central Texas district. This district covers the south central crest and the west flank of the Bend flexure north of the Llano uplift. The west flank of the Bend flexure is on the east boundary of the Permian Basin of West Texas. The greater part of the oil and gas produced in this district has been from Pennsylvanian strata. Some oil and gas has been produced from the lower Permian (by the latest, selection of the Pennsyl-vanian-Permian boundary) and minor amounts from the Mississippian and Ordovician sediments. Increasingly important quantities of oil and gas are to be expected from the older sediments by deeper development in proven fields and by new discoveries. Most of the oil and gas in the district has accumulated in localized, well-defined structural traps in limestone and sandstone reservoirs and in traps due to stratigraphic changes in sedimentation, mainly porosity traps in limestone and sandstone lenses, both usually associated with some structural feature. These features are found by surface and subsurface geological structural mapping, by core drilling and by geophysical surveying. Geochemical methods are also the basis for some wildcatting. The demand for sweet crude oil from this district is firm for local and national consumption, but the market price for the oil remains practically the same as in 1941. The price is not adequate to meet the requirements of the average independent operator with the continued advance in production, tievelopment and wildcatting costs. Stripper wells are being plugged daily and should be jealously saved for the future local and national reserves, especially in view of the fact that new discoveries of commercially important oil and gas reserves are not keeping pace with consumption. An expected economic disruption attendant upon the national war effort has arisen and continues in the future outlook for this district. The lack and delay of securing replacement parts for almost all oil-field equipment has handicapped and delayed operations and has decreased efficiency in wildcatting, development and production. Sufficient experienced drilling, scientific and office personnel is lacking because of inductions in the armed forces and migration to war industries during the period before manpower conservation became effective. The office personnel of the average oil and gas producer continues to be swamped by the increasing demands for reports by state and federal bureaus. An average of IQ days

Jan 1, 1944

By S. Floreen, H. W. Hayden

The effects of additions of iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, and platinum on the mechanical properties of Fe-C alloys were determined. Each alloying element significantly improved the toughness. The results support the general correlation that substitutional alloying elements that stabilize austenite are beneficial to toughness, but the reason for this improvement is not obvious at this time. The effects of substitutional alloying elements on the toughness of steel has long been a subject of both practical and theoretical interest. Despite the obvious importance of this subject, there has been little progress toward understanding the mechanisms by which alloying elements influence the fracture behavior. In some cases the deleterious effects of alloying elements have been shown to be due to mechanisms such as embrit-tlement of prior austenite grain boundaries or inhibition of cross slip in the ferrite lattice. In other cases, however, the reasons for the change in properties are not clear. This is particularly true for elements, such as nickel, that improve the resistance to brittle fracture. Several investigators'-3 have pointed out that there is a correlation between an alloying element's phase diagram with iron and its effect on toughness. Those substitutional alloying elements that stabilize austenite generally are beneficial to toughness, while ferrite-stabilizing elements generally are detrimental to toughness. The word "generally" should be emphasized, because exceptions to this rule can be found. Nevertheless, this correlation does offer a starting point at which to try to understand the effects of alloying elements on toughness. Thus far only two austenite-stabilizing elements, manganese and nickel, have been considered. In order to test the validity of this correlation several other austenite-stabilizing elements were evaluated. The noble metals, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, and platinum, have binary phase diagrams with iron similar to the Fe-Ni and Fe-Mn diagrams. That is, each element expands the austenite field, and also higher concentrations of each element produce martensitic transformations at low temperatures. Presumably then, each of these elements should improve the toughness of steel. The present study was conducted to determine if this were so. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloys were made as l-lb air-induction melts using electrolytic iron and commercially pure noble metals. Each heat was initially deoxidized by a carbon boil, and further carbon was added to attempt to produce a 0.05 wt pct C content in each alloy. Before pouring, a final refining addition of 0.2 wt pct A1 and 0.1 wt pct Ti was made to each heat. The alloys were cast in a copper mold to produce ingots approximately 1 in. in diam and 5 in. long. The chemical compositions of the alloys tested are given in Table I. The residual nitrogen, aluminum, and titanium contents were all relatively constant at 0.003, 0.03, and 0.02 pct, respectively. The carbon

Jan 1, 1968

By M. Muskat, H. H. Evinger

A methoD of calculating productivity factors for oil, gas, and water systems in the steady state is presented as an illustration of the quantitative application of the fundamental data on the flow properties of heterogeneous fluid systems. While the numerical results of the calculations cannot be applied directly to field conditions, because they are based on permea-bility data for unconsolidated sands and involve specific assumptions regarding the nature of the reservoir fluids, the methods of analysis and interpretation should havc significance in considering certain specific field situations when the necessary field and laboratory data become available. Moreover, it is felt that even under the idealized conditions to which the numerical calculations refer they should serve to give at least the orders of magnitude of the effects of gas-oil ratio and connate water on observed productivity factors. Within the indicated limitations, the computations imply that the foregoing factors can explain only a part of the apparent discrepancy between the homogeneous fluid productivity factors and those obtained recently in field measurements on the West Coast. IntroductioN Sufficient laboratory research has been carried out in the last several years on the fundamental features of the flow of heterogeneous fluids through porous media to call for consideration of what can be done with this type of information. It has, of course, already led to a, much clearer general understanding of the mechanics of oil production. However, examples of the quantitative application of the results of such laboratory studies are few in the literature. part of the explanation for this fact lies undoubtedly in the lack of sufficient laboratory data relating to practical fluids and sand systems such as would occur ill actual oil reservoirs. However, unless it can be shown that if such data were obtained quantitative applications could be made, serious doubt may be cast upon the desirability of carrying on further extensive experimental research work on fluid flow. The purpose of this paper is to present one approach to the problem of quantitative application of laboratory data to practical field problems. Because the published results on the basic experiments with three-phase fluid systems in porous media are limited entirely to uncon-solidated sands, the numerical applications made here will not pertain directly to any actual field situation. However, they should serve to illustrate what could be done with fundamental laboratory data if they were extended to cover the field of consolidated sands. From this point of view, it is hoped it will serve to encourage further laboratory research on this problem. The particular application to be treated here relates to the calculation of the productivity factors for oil-gas-water systems in the steady state. This specific problem seems especially appropriate for discussion in view of the recent publication by Johnston1 of the results of produc-

Jan 1, 1942

By A. Muan

Liquidus data are presented for mixtures in the ternary system FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2 in equilibrium with a gas phase with O2 pressures ranging from 10-10.9 to 1 atm. Data obtained are combined with previously published data to construct lines of equal 02 pressures and lines of equal CO2/H2 mixing ratios along the liquidus surface. Courses of crystallization of selected mixtures under conditions of constant total composition, constant O2 pressures, and constant CO2/H2 mixing ratios are discussed. PHASE equilibrium studies of silicate systems where iron is one component are complicated by the fact that iron readily occurs in three different states of oxidation: Fe3+, Fe2+, and Fe0. Success or failure in work with iron silicate systems is to a large extent dependent on control of the oxidation state of iron and all investigations therefore must be carried out under carefully controlled atmospheric conditions. Silicate systems containing only strongly electropositive metals (like Na+, Ca2+, Mg", etc.) can, for simplicity, be treated as condensed systems, that is, the gas phase can be neglected and the phase relationships discussed in terms of the phase rule written in the well known simplified form P + F = C + 1. In the case of iron silicate systems, however, the composition of the condensed phases varies with the gas composition, and a complete picture of phase relationships can be obtained only by varying the gas composition over a wide range. In order to understand the phase relationships in the more complicated multicomponent silicate systems with iron oxide as one of the constituents, a knowledge of the ternary system FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2 is essential, since it constitutes a bounding portion of all such systems. It was with this in mind that the present study was undertaken. Previous Work A considerable amount of work has been done on various aspects of the chemistry and metallurgy of systems containing silica and iron oxides. The two bounding binary systems FeO-Fe2O3 and FeO-SiO2" The first attempt to obtain information on phase relationships of iron oxide-SiO, mixtures at different 0, pressures was made by Greig.' Darken" determined the melting points of iron oxide on solid silica under various atmospheric conditions. Darken did not determine experimentally the composition of the melts at liquidus temperatures but discussed very ably the principles involved in applying the phase rule to the system. In a recent study Schuhmann, Powell, and Michal8 determined experimentally the liquidus surface of a portion of the ternary system and combined the new information with data in the literature to construct a phase diagram. Their method was briefly as follows: Homogeneous mixtures with various contents of SiO2, FeO, and Fe2O3 were made up by melting together stock mixtures in various proportions. Samples of the homogeneous mixtures, the compositions of which were determined by chemical analysis, were then heated in platinum crucibles in an inert atmosphere until equilibrium among the condensed phases was achieved. The samples were quenched to room temperature and the phases present determined by microscopic examination. Assuming that no change in composition takes place during the equilibration run in inert atmosphere, the liquidus surface can be determined, but no information is obtained regarding the partial pressures of 0, of the gas phase in equilibrium with the condensed phases. The author's method, to be described in the next section, permitted the location of points at the liquidus surface as well as a calculation of the corresponding partial pressures of O2. Experimental Method General Procedure: The standard quenching technique was adapted for a study under controlled variable atmospheric conditions. Premelted mixtures of silica and iron oxides in platinum envelopes were held at constant temperature under chosen atmospheric conditions until equilibrium was reached among solid, liquid, and gas phases. The sample was then quenched to room temperature, the phases present identified, and, for the most significant runs, the composition was determined by chemical analysis. The corresponding partial pressure of 0, was calculated from known equilibrium constants of the gas reactions occuring in the furnace atmosphere. Materials: Starting materials were oxides of commercially highest available purity; cp silicic acid was dehydrated by heating to 1350°C for 6 hr and cp Fe2O3 was dried at 400° C for the same length of time. Samples of 10 g were made up by mixing

Jan 1, 1956

INCREASING realization that pouring and ingot-mold practices involve many factors of fundamental importance to ingot quality and general steel-mill operations has caused these phases of steelmaking to become major concerns of operators and metallurgists engaged in control of quality and costs. Methods of pouring steel from the ladle into the ingot molds have some direct effects on ingot quality. The mold itself governs solidification and dimensions of the ingot and in so doing exerts some very tangible influences not only on ingot quality but also on product yields and general steel-mill processing. In addition, practices are employed' in the handling of molds during daily open-hearth operations that are important to quality and production costs. Therefore, pouring and mold practices must be considered highly specialized and important steps in steel-mill operations. MOLD DESIGN Mold design is difficult to discuss in a precise manner because it varies greatly throughout the industry, both in theoretical concepts and practical application, and few well developed data are available. Most ingot molds are designed to meet conditions peculiar to a given plant wherein quality standards are dictated by end-use requirements, which may differ considerably, even for the same grade of steel. The mold designer must also consider the equipment available to process ingots and the product obtained from them. Such equipment, used for stripping, heating, blooming and finishing operations, is seldom, if ever, exactly the same in any two steel plants. Thus, pronounced contrasts in mold designs can be expected to continue, even among plants making strictly comparable types of product, particularly because some producers are just beginning to realize the benefits possible from specialized designs. Certain fundamentals are used in mold design but even these

Jan 1, 1951

By K. Huessener

This paper attempts a survey of the principles involved in the combustion of blast-furnace gas in boilers and stoves. I do not expect to be able to give much information which is actually new, since the laws and methods of calculation pertaining to this problem are contained in a number of handbooks; but, so far as I am aware, they have nowhere been treated exclusively with reference to this one problem of gas economy. The road which I follow is less that of strictly scientific research than that of the practical engineer, faced by operation problems which require a quick solution by easily accessible means without a prolonged search in scientific handbooks. For this purpose I give a number of tables and diagrams, as well as the results of many years1 practical working experience as combustion engineer, which I trust will prove useful to my readers. HlSTORICAL Considering the tremendous efforts made during the last 15 years to increase the efficiency of all kinds of power plants, it is highly surprising that until a comparatively very recent period, progress in the economical combustion of blast-furnace gas has been so slow, The explanation generally put forth, that fuel has been so cheap that it was hardly worth while to bother about this economy, will not hold good, for the greatest trouble was taken to improve the combustion of coal and to reduce the consumption of steam, The most plausible explanation appears to be the general impression, held as an accepted fact, that gas, especially hot, uncleaned, blast-furnace gas, was not a good boiler fuel. Many managers of high repute had tried unsuccessfully to improve the conditions of its use, and the dictum went forth that efficiencies of over 60 per cent., particularly with high loads, were impossible. This was the situation not only in the United States, with very cheap fuel, but also in Europe, where fuel prices are twice and three times as high.

Jan 1, 1916