Search Documents

By Otto Wartenweiler

After the phenomenal development of the new mine, the United Eastern Mining Co., with Mr. Frank A. Keith as President, decided to install a reduction plant. The character of the ore, closely resembling the product of other mines in the district, did not offer any particular metallurgical problems, since these neighboring mines had been operating milling plants very successfully for several years. Thus, with the general metallurgical treatment fairly well-defined, the matter of next importance was to design and construct a plant as economically as possible, that would give the best results obtainable. The ore consists of a mixture of calcite and quartz in about equal quantities, with some decomposed andesite, while the average value of mill feed was calculated to be $20 or more in gold, no silver being present. The tonnage to be treated at the start was fixed at 200 tons, but, in view of the favorable condition of the mine, it was considered advisable to arrange facilities for increasing the capacity to 400 tons. While it is best in some cases to adopt a distinct independent unit system where future enlargement is contemplated, in this instance the plans worked out differently. Summarized, the treatment adopted consists of coarse crushing, coarse grinding, fine grinding and cyanidation. For coarse crushing the selection of the No. 6 size gyratory crusher was governed not so much by its capacity as by the size of the feed openings to receive the run-of-mine material, which was too coarse for a No. 5 crusher. TO accomplish the coarse grinding to best advantage, a careful comparison was made between the modern steel ball-mill—the last word in crushing and grinding—and one of its older, and, at that time better-established, competitors, the rolls. The following conclusion was reached: While it is possible that for the sized plant under consideration the cost of operating rolls might be a little cheaper, it is preferable to use ball-mills because a simpler arrangement is possible, and because the handling of ball-mills is preferred by the operator. A marked departure was introduced for fine grinding. Instead of the long type of tube-mill, using pebbles, a mill of similar design was selected, but of much shorter length, using small cast-steel balls as grinding medium. For cyanidation, the Dorr continuous countercurrent process was

Jan 1, 1918

By H. V. Winchell

It seems to me that uniformity of mining law in North America must of necessity start with uniformity in each country. I understand that the Provinces of Canada have the right to make their own individual laws and conditions, to prescribe the terms under which the prospector or the applicant for mineral titles may secure the same. That is not true of the states in the United States. In this country, the Federal Mining Law was made applicable to the public domain, which, at the time of the adoption of this Act in 1872, was chiefly west of the Missouri River; it is impossible to locate a mining claim in most of our eastern states. It is true, however, that there are certain holdover rights, mostly obsolete, arising from the fact that at the time of the formation of the Confederation of States, the land that belonged to each state became the property of the Federal Government. I am not quite correc-t in that, it was sometime after the adoption of our Constitution, I think it was 1778, but those rights were largely, by agreement, surrendered to the Federal Government; but it is a fact that the great acquisitions of territory in the West, with the single exception of Texas, were of domain that came into the possession of the Federal Government and our Federal Mining Law applies to that territory. No state has the right to (by legislative enactment) enlarge upon the rights given by the Federal Mining Law, governing the acquisition of mining claims in its territory, within its boundaries. Each state, however, may, and some of them do, limit somewhat the rights given to the prospector. For instance, the Federal Mining Law provides that a claim may be taken, staked upon the public domain, of 600 ft. in width and 1500 ft. in length. Some of the states, like South Dakota and Colorado, have at times said "that is an excessive amount of land for a single mining claim; we will therefore limit it to 300 ft. or 200 ft. in width." There is, therefore, not any direct and immediate need for uniformity of mining laws in the United States, such as there might possibly be if it were considered at all desirable upon the whole in Canada. The initiation of mining rights under the Federal Mining Act is the act of discovery of valuable mineral in place, referring now to the lode mining claims, but the same is true of the placer claim. It is true that the emphasis has never been laid upon the word valuable and that

Jan 1, 1920

By C. C. Harris

A critical literature review leads to a descriptive model of tumbling mill operation based upon energy partition concepts and the necessary requirements for particle fracture. As grinding proceeds into the ultra-fine region, conditions which are of little significance during normal operations gradually become controlling. These involve increasing resistance to fracture and an increasing tendency to aggregate as particles become smaller, and a growing fraction of the power input being consumed fruitlessly. The result is that fineness asymptotes to a maximum value as comminution proceeds indefinitely; thus where t is time, p and n are experimentally determined parameters, and Ø is a measure of fineness, which is presumed to be proportional to specific surface area, or proportional to the reciprocal of the size modulus (provided that the distribution modulus remains constant with time), or both. Ø, is the asymptotic value of Ø and is a measure of the grind limit. A method for its graphical determination is given. In a previous paper1 the physical and mathematical principles requisite to a study of the role of energy in comminution were reviewed. The micro-process of comminution — or the comminution event — can be investigated in terms of (a) the magnitude of the force-field localized around the individual particles which gives rise to the stresses generated in the particles, which in turn induces their fracture, and (b) the distribution of fragment sizes, should the event prove fruitful. The entire fragmentation operation can be considered to be the totality of its individual events, and in order to obtain a single independent variable of the process it is necessary to transform and sum the local stresses in terms of energy.1 This energy, however, will account for only a fraction of the energy input to the comminution process, the actual magnitude depending upon the kind of mill and several related factors. From the comminution viewpoint the primary function of a mill is that of stressing as many as possible of the individual particles of the charge to failure, with the maximum economy of energy expenditure. This is difficult indeed to achieve, for stressing a particle does not always break it, while the overwhelming portion of the energy input is involved with various internal mill processes which — almost incidentally — determine the magnitude, frequency, and manner in which the forces are applied to the particles. Essentially, these processes depend upon the mill dimensions, loading and speed, and they may be little affected whether fracture occurs or not. These processes must be delineated if a complete description of the role of energy in comminution is to be given; the energy account sheet1 (Fig. 1) in showing how the energy is partitioned for the requirements of the several functions it performs, provides a framework for the development of a model of the comminution process. Actual numerical values for the variables appearing in Fig. 1 will depend upon the mill, materials, and operating conditions. A possible general relationship between the variables will be suggested in this paper. Before proceeding further, a cautionary note must be issued. It was pointed out in an earlier paper' that while energy input is not changed by increasing the power and decreasing the time in the same proportion, and vice versa, the results of the process in terms of particle fineness may be different. Thus, although energy is chosen as the independent variable of a comminution process, it is not absolutely independent, and care must be exercised to ensure that it is used within its range of valid application. Time has the necessary independence, and it will be used in place of energy where it is appropriate. The residence time in a mill is usually of the order of minutes. Under these conditions the particles are subjected to "... a relatively constant fracture producing environment".2 However, under the more rigorous conditions of greatly extended time, which pertain in ultra-fine grinding, indications are that the fracture producing environment no longer remains constant; this is the major subject of this paper. At this extreme limit the mill is probably taxed to its utmost, and at the same time the bulk material properties are becoming closer to ideal, while the physico chemical effects associated with surfaces, edges and corners are multiplying. (The edge length per unit volume is proportional to the square of the specific

Jan 1, 1968

By E. E. Wahlstrom

The Harold D. Roberts tunnel, in Summit and Park Counties, Colorado, is a concrete-lined pressure tunnel finished to a circular cross section of 10.25 ft diam. The tunnel is 23.3 miles long and is designed to transport water for domestic use by the City and County of Denver from reservoir storage at Dillon to a tributary of the South Platte River at Grant. The tunnel passes beneath the Continental Divide at the crest of the Front Range and intersects rocks of diverse types and origins and geologic structures of extreme complexity. Geologic investigations preceded and were continued during construction and contributed materially to the safe and economical advance of the tunnel headings. Geological data obtained and evaluated during construction include plans and sections on a scale of 1 in. to 50 ft, rock temperatures at 2000-ft intervals, records of progress related to geology, records of ground-water conditions, summaries of the use of steel and timber supports, and summaries of grouting operations. Adverse conditions required use of steel and timber supports for 71.74% of the total length of the tunnel. Most supported sections reached a condition of equilibrium within a few hours to a few months after being excavated, and the concrete lining serves chiefly to provide an additional safety factor and to provide necessary hydraulic characteristics to the tunnel. Efforts to attain a maximum rate of advance of the tunnel headings necessitated use of more steel and timber supports than would have been required in a less accelerated tunneling operation. This report summarizes geologic investigations prior to and during construction of the Harold D. Roberts tunnel in Summit and Park Counties, Colorado (Fig. 1) and analyzes the tunneling operation as it is related to the various kinds of geologic conditions encountered in the tunnel. The tunnel is concrete lined to a circular cross section of 10.25 ft and is designed to transport 788 sec ft from reservoir storage at Dillon 23.3 miles along a dog-leg course passing under the Continental Divide to outlet and control works at Grant, Colo. The primary purpose of the tunnel is to augment the domestic water supply of the City and County of Denver, but plans include provisions for power generation at the outlet portal at a future date. Location of the tunnel was made after extensive preliminary geologic and engineering investigations by the Board of Water Commissioners of the City and County of Denver, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. In 1946 the Board of Water Commissioners started tunnel driving on a limited scale from the east (outlet) portal and by 1955 had completed 9986 ft of tunnel. An urgent need for additional sources of water supply required acceleration of the tunneling operation, and, in 1955, Tipton and Kalmbach Inc. of Denver were assigned the responsibility of reviewing the project and preparing plans and specifications for the tunnel and appurtenant features. Additional geologic studies were made, and the geology of several possible alternate tunnel lines were compared before determining that the tunnel should be driven along the course previously adopted by the Board of Water Commissioners. On July 12, 1956, a contract for construction was awarded to Blue River Constructors Inc., a combine

Jan 1, 1962

By H. B. Heller, T. J. LaChapelle

Phosphorus nitride has been used as a diffusant for introducing phosphorus into silicon under various conditions. It has a temperature -dependent rate of decomposition beginning in the 500°C range, increasing very rapidly above 1000 C, producing gas -eous phosphorus and nitrogen. Best control was obtained with a two-temperature arrangement, with silicon at the proper higher diffusion temperature. It is an easier compound to use than the usual P2O5 because it is nonhygroscopic and yields temperature-controlled surface concentrations together with excellent final surfaces. Surface doping nearly as high as that produced by phosphorus pentoxide has been observed for sources at 850" to 900°C. Reproducible high sheet resistances were obtained by using slow flow rates (1 linear in. per min) and staggered-baffle gas mixing with the nitride at 550°C. Both inert gas (argon, nitrogen) and oxidizing ambients have been examined. Oxygen reacts to produce anhydrous P2O5, consuming the source at a rapid rate. Nitrogen, except for short diffusion times, suppressed the dissociation reaction and sometimes produced inferior surfaces. Argon appears to be a more useful ambient. PHOSPHORUS is a common impurity atom which may be introduced into a semiconductor lattice to create a p-n junction or an nn contact region. Various investigators1-4 have described techniques which can be used with either elemental phosphorus or certain of its compounds. This paper discusses a newly available compound of phosphorus, phos- some processes silicon wafers are precoated with a phosphate glass which acts as the doping source. Although a nonoxidizing form like elemental phosphorus or a phosphine can be used, most diffusion methods usually involve the use of phosphorus pentoxide. Because of the rapid volatility of this compound, a two-step process is often used, combining a gaseous deposition to introduce a predetermined quantity of phosphorus into the silicon with a later redistribution to obtain the desired distribution and surface concentration. Such a process usually involves predepositing phosphorus at surface concentrations greater than 1020 cm-'. At such doping levels the phosphorus-diffusion coefficient appears to be strongly concentration-dependent.596 Distribution profiles5'9 for these high concentrations of phosphorus do not follow Fick's laws, having extended subsurface regions which appear electrically to be nearly uniformly doped with ionized impurity atoms. Radioactive-tracer experiments also show near-surface anomalies in the distribution profile. Additionally, it has been shown1' that the introduction of very high surface concentrations of impurity atoms into silicon (a step necessitated by the subsequent lowering of concentration during the redistribution) creates dislocations, even in material having no dislocations originally. For device fabrication the use of oxide masking introduces certain difficulties and limitations.7'8 The standard practice of using phosphorus pentoxide as an impurity source adds other problems to these because of the speed and ease with which this compound reacts with moisture present in any gas in contact with it. In fact, P2O5 is one of the fastest and most effective drying agents for gases. Because it is such an excellent desiccant, completely anhydrous phosphorus pentoxide is difficult to obtain and is even more difficult to keep dry. Adequately dry gloved boxes must be used for storage and transfer of the chemical. The presence of even traces of moisture will cause formation of phosphoric acids which, during the high-temperature diffusion, results in polyphosphoric acids of variable composition. Such reaction by-products end up as gradually accumulating viscous fluids in the cooler parts of the diffusion furnace. The calculation of the final solute distribution for

Jan 1, 1964

By I. Fatt, D. N. Saraf

A method is described for measuring two- and three-phase relative permeabilities in sandstones or sand packs using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique to determine fluid saturations. Two- and three-phase relative permeabilities have been determined on Boise sandstone using the NMR technique of saturation measurement. Three-phase relative permeability to water was found to depend only on the water saturation, whereas three-phase permeability to oil depended on both the water and oil saturations. Relative permeability to gas in three-phase flow was found to depend only on the total liquid saturation. INTRODUCTION Three-phase relative permeabilities are extremely useful in calculating field performance for reservoirs being produced by simultaneous water and gas drives. Three-phase relative permeability data are also needed for analyzing solution gas-drive reservoirs which are partially depleted and are being produced by water drive. Some thermal recovery processes involve three-phase flow which require three-phase relative permeability data for predicting reservoir behavior. Unfortunately, three-phase relative permeability measurements have rarely been made. Also, because of the scarcity of three-phase data, it has not been possible to date to relate other measured rock characteristics to the relative permeabilities with a great certainty. Leverett and Lewis,l Reid2 and Snell3 have reported three-phase relative permeability data on unconsolidated sands. Leverett and Lewis used ring electrodes spaced along the length of the sand sample to measure the resistivity of the sample which was assumed to be monotonically related to brine saturation. Gas saturation was determined from pressure-volume measurements. Oil saturation was obtained by material balance on the cell containing the sand sample. This method is involved and time consuming. Another difficulty arises from the fact that the resistivity of the sand is a function not only of saturation of brine but also of the distribution and saturation history of the brine in the pore spaces. Reid2 used a gamma ray absorption technique for measuring liquid saturation. This method has the disadvantage that total liquid saturation rather than oil or brine saturation is all that can be measured and still another method is required to determine the saturations of individual components. snel13 used a neutron bombardment method which also required a separate determination of the individual component saturations. Caudle et al.4 measured three-phase relative permeability on consolidated sandstones using vacuum distillation for determining fluid saturations. Distillation after each reading makes this technique very lengthy and time consuming. Corey et a1. 5 and Naar and Wygal 6 measured three-phase relative permeability on sandstones by the capillary-pressure method. Semipermeable diaphragm assemblies were used at each end of the core specimen to keep the water phase in the core. Gravimetric methods were used to determine fluid saturations. Sarem7 recently reported an unsteady-state method for measuring three-phase relative permeability on sandstones. This method is an extension of Welge's method8 for measuring two-phase relative permeability. Although Sarem's method is simple and comparatively fast, the assumptions involved may oversimplify the problem. Sarem's assumption, that in all rocks relative permeability to each fluid will depend only on the saturation of that fluid, seems to be rather unrealistic. Neglecting capillary effects at the end of the core is also a weak assumption. Donaldson and dean9 measured three-phase relative permeability using a method similar to Sarem's.

By C. W. Washburne

The waters of many oil fields have been regarded as buried sea water which has been retained in the sediments since the time of their deposition. The preservation of connate water through geological time has seemed improbable to only a few geologists, but there is room for doubt that buried sea water could remain in the strata during their periods of deformation and during the many subsequent epochs of the circulation of meteoric ground-water. Some have even suggested that the calcium chloride water in the deep mines of the Lake Superior region is ancient sea water buried in the Algonkian lavas, but it is hard to understand how such water could be derived from the highly sodic and sulphatic water of the sea. It would seem more plausible to connect the calcium chloride with the highly calcic magmas of the greenstones in which it is found. Chemical analyses of waters associated with oil differ widely from the composition of sea water, requiring extensive alteration of the latter, if the former is truly its derivative. The first notable difference is the general absence of sulphates from oil-field waters, but this has been explained satisfactorily through reduction by hydrocarbons and organic matter. Oil reduces sulphates with the production of hydrogen sulphide (or sulphur), water, and carbonates (or carbon dioxide). The second striking difference is in the high ratio of chlorine to sodium. An examination of the analyses of chloride waters from oil fields shows that they contain a large relative excess of chlorine over that in sea .water. -Moreover, there is difficulty in finding chemical reactions that are probable in nature, by which sea water could be converted into anything like the chloride waters of oil fields. In the latter a large part of the chlorine occurs as calcium and magnesium chloride. This condition might be produced by the removal of sodium carbonate, which, however, cannot be precipitated in the presence of much calcium or magnesium.

Jan 1, 1915

By Eric Sinkinson

MANY of the magnesite ores of the western part of the United States contain such large amounts of silica and hydrous silicate minerals that the value of the ores is either low or nominal. Expensive and carefully controlled mining methods are necessary to prevent excessive dilution of the higher grade ores by introduction in mining' of small pieces of the hanging walls or footwalls of the deposit. This difficulty is further complicated by the various states of decomposition of the country rock of the deposits in which many of the ores occur. The problem the authors attempted to solve arose from a request to float an impure magnesite containing varying proportions of siliceous gangue with calcium carbonate. The ore is normally. enclosed in serpen-tine masses, somewhat decomposed, and in mining it wall rock is inci-dentally added, so that variable amounts of siliceous material occur in the samples. The silica, alumina, and iron oxide are so closely associated with the magnesium carbonate in the magnesite that ordinary mechanical separation at coarse mesh sizes is of no avail. It is well known that calcium carbonate can be floated by suitable reagents, therefore it seemed reasonable to suppose that magnesium carbonate minerals would behave in a similar manner, but experimental trial proved that this supposition was unfounded. Therefore the first step in the problem was to find out what differences of behavior there were between magnesium and calcium carbonates under flotation conditions, or when suspended in water. In water at 18° C. magnesium carbonate is slightly more soluble than calcium carbonate; in fact, MgCO3 is soluble to the extent of 0.0106 grams in 100 c.c. of water at 18° C. and CaCO3 to the extent of 0.0013 grams. However, magnesium carbonate in water gradually changes to the basic carbonates of a composition (3MgCO3.Mg(OH)23H20) or (4MgCO3.Mg(OH)25H20), depending upon conditions, and calcium carbonate to calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, The relative solubilities of these hydroxides in water are the reverse of the solubilities of magnesium and calcium carbonates.. The range in published figures for solubility

Jan 1, 1936

By Ellis Clark

The mining town of Pribram is situated in Central Bohemia, on the western slope of the Heiliger Berg. 30 miles southwest from Prague. Birkenberg, the village ill which most of the shafts and ore-dressing establishments are situated, is built on a mountain of the same name. It is about a mile from Pribram, is 1700 feet above the sea, and is surrounded by graywacke rocks of Silurian origin, which arc intersectd by greenstone dikes, and in the southerly, southeasterly, arid southwesterly direction are bounded by granite. The graywacke formations consist on one side of graywacke sandstone and quartzite, and on the other of graywacke slate. These last are separated from the first in the immediate vicinity of the mines by a graywacke seam converted into clay. For many years this so-called clay seam (lettenkluft) was considered as a boundary of the ore deposits in both zones of graywacke. The graywacke formation L divided according to its harduess, structure, texture, and color, into fine, coarse, compact, slaty, whitish-gray, reddish-gray, and black graywacke. The miner divides the formation into four divisions. The first or lowest division, which is in contact with the granite, consists of a fine-grained dirty gray slate; the -second is a very fine to a very coarse schist, white to reddish-gray in color, and rich in quartz, but containing little mica; the third consists of a slate with a confused cleavage, which has a dirty gray, dark gray, and very often black color and is often graphitic in its composition; the fourth consists of a fine to coarse-grained graywacke schist, of a grayish-white or reddish-gray color, and rich in quartz. The cleavage in all four divisions strikes from northeast to southwest, and the dip is sometimes northwesterly, sometimes southerly, and often vertical. All four zones are cut through by a great number of diorite arid greenstone dikes and chimneys. The thickness of these dikes, which are of

Jan 1, 1881

By Zden[e]k P. Bažant

Due to their heterogeneity, most rocks fracture with a zone of distributed cracking ahead of the fracture front. This makes linear elastic fracture mechanics inapplicable. The present study describes a mathematical model in which the progressive microcracking is taken into account by strain-softening stress-strain relation. In a simpler version of the model, the triaxial strain-softening stress- strain relation is obtained by direct adjustment of the elements of the compliance matrix. This formulation is rigorous only if the principal stress directions do not rotate during fracture formation within the fracture process zone. As a more sophisticated and generally applicable model, the so-called microplane model which is an analogue of the slip theory of plasticity is outlined. Comparison with fracture data for various rocks are given.

Jan 1, 1984

By T. F. Archbold, P. G. McCormick

Silica fiber 11arkevs and hardness irzdentatiozs have been used to study the thermal diffusion of racancies in zinc placed in temperature gradients of 460o and 706oK per Cm All markers mored toward the higher temperatures, and the data show that the heat of trarlsport Q is greater than the eizthalpy of z,acancj3 forrjalion E by an amount equal to 3.5 kcal per mole. These results ore not in agreement with those obtained in either of the two previous studies with zinc. The problem is discussed in terms of experimental differences and racancy source and sink efficiencies. THE general interest in thermal-diffusion phenomena over the past several years has prompted a number of marker movement studies using pure metals. In order to understand better the relationships between thermal and mass flow, a general goal of the experiments has been to obtain values for the net enthalpies carried by the diffusing atoms. For self-diffusion by means of the vacancy mechanism, the determination of relative marker positions before and after an anneal in a temperature gradient permits a calculation of a value for (Q - Ef). Q is the transferred enthalpy, and Ef is the enthalpy of vacancy formation in the metal being investigated. The initial experimental study of thermal diffusion in pure metals was accomplished by Shewmon who found essentially no movement of surface-hardness indentation markers in single and bicrystals of zinc held for 20 days in a temperature gradient of 310°C per

Jan 1, 1967

By R. G. Agarwal, Ramey Jr. H. J., Al-Hussainy R.

Although it has long been realized that gas recovery from a water-drive gas reservoir may be poor because of high residual saturations under water drive, it appears that only limited infomlation on the subject has been available until recently. This study was performed to show the qiiantitative potential importance of water influx. Results indicate that gas recovery may be very low in some cases: perhaps as low as 45 per cent of the initial gas in place. Gas recovery under water drive appear to depend in an important was on: (I) the prodirction rate and manner of production; (2) the residual gas saturation; (3) aquifer propertie.); and (4) the volumetric displacement effciency of water invading the gas reservoir. The manner of estimating water-drive gas reservoir recovery can vary considerably. Examples are: the steady-state tnethorl. the Hurst modified steady-state method, and various unsteady-state methods such ac. those of van Ever-dingen-Hurst, Hurst, and Carter-Tracy. The Carter-Tracy water influx expression was used in this study. In certain cases, it appears that gas recovery can be increased significantly by controlling the production rate and manner of production. For this reason, the potential importance of water influx in particular gas reservoirs should he investigated early to permit adequtrtr planning lo optirtize the pay reserves. INTRODUCTION In recent years, the economic importance of natural gas production has become increasingly apparent. This has been evidenced by more intensive exploration efforts aimed at gas production, and exploitation of both deep, as well as low-permeability gas reservoirs. Technical developments such as deep-penetration fracturing have made development of such formations economically feasible. Unfortunately, water influx has forced abandonment of a number of gas reservoirs at extraordinarily high pressures. Although reservoir engineering methods for estimating water influx have long been available, it appears that application of these methods to the water-drive gas reservoir has been sporadic.'a Available methods for estimating water influx which can be applied to the water-drive gas reservoir problem include the steady-state method,1 the Hurst modified steady-state method and various unsteady-state methods such as those of van Everdingen-Hurst. Hurst, and Carter-Tracy. Interesting applications of these solu- tions to gas reservoir and the aquifer gas-storage problems have appeared recently.3,12,14 The experimental study of residual gas saturations under water drive by Geffen et al. in 1952 indicated that residual gas saturations could be extremely high. A value of 35 per cent of pore volume is often used in field practice when specific information is not available. The study of Geffen et al. showed that residual gas saturation might be much higher in some cases. Naar and Henderson concluded that the residual non-wetting phase saturation under imbibition should be about half of the initial non-wetting phase saturation. The Naar and Henderson result that residual gas saturation under water influx should be about half the original gas saturation is recommended as an estimate if laboratory measurements are not available. Thus, it is clear that a considerable portion of the initial gas in place might be trapped in a water-drive gas reservoir as residual gas at high pressure. A full water-drive would result in loss of residual gas trapped at initial reser.voir pressure. Consideration of transient aquifer behavior leads to the conclusion that high-rate production of water-drive gas reservoirs could result in improved gas recovery by reduction of the abandonment pressure. However, there appears to be little quantitative information on this possibility. One of the few advantages of water-drive gas production appears to be improved deliverability through water-drive support of the reservoir pressure. There may also be an advantage in higher condensate recovery caused by pressure maintenance for gas-condensate water-drive reservoirs. In view of the preceding, this study was made to assess the potential importance of water-drive in gas reservoir engineering. The Carter-Tracy approximate water-influx expression was used because this equation offers some advantages in hand-calculation which do not appear to have been generally recognized.' However, calculations were performed in the main with a high-speed digital computer to permit evaluation of the effect of water-drive under a large variety of conditions. CALCULATION METHOD Water-drive gas reservoir performance can be estimated in a manner completely analogous to oil reservoir calculations: a materials balance is written for the reservoir, and a water influx equation is written for the aquifer. Siniltaneous solution provides the cun~ulative water influx and the reservoir pressure. When reservoir performance data (gas produced and reservoir pressures) are available, it is usually possible to match performance data to determine the initial gas in place and the water influx parameters —

Jan 1, 1966

By M. G. Driessen

For a number of years the cyclone, familiar to Americans as a dust collector, has been used as a thickener of suspensions at one of the coal-preparation plants of the Netherland State Mines in Limburg. The plant treats nut-size coal at 120 tons an hour in a heavy-medium washer. The diluted medium from the rinsing screens is thickened in cyclones. More recently the cyclone has been adapted to act as a coal cleaner. The principle of the cyclone thickener is the same as that of the cyclones used in industry for catching dust or fine particles suspended in the air or in gases. Generally the latter are more efficient in this respect—the smallest particles that can be caught with reasonable efficiency are considerably smaller than with the cyclone thickeners. The reason is obvious; the ratio of specific gravities between the dust particles in a gas and the gas itself is about 800 times larger than the ratio between, for instance, the specific gravities of shale particles and water. The ratio of the velocities of fall of shale particles (? = 2.5)† in air and in water is as follows: In the range of Stokes: ?air = 93?water In the range of Allen: Wair = 49Wwater In the range of Newton-Rittinger: ?air = 36.6?water The same ratios apply for the velocities in the centrifugal field, from which it follows that it is especially difficult to catch the very fine suspension particles in a liquid. The efficiency of a cyclone thickener depends mainly on the circumferential velocity of the liquid at its innermost radius, because here the centrifugal forces are the highest. However, these velocities cannot easily be calculated, as the flow is three-dimensional, and thus the axial components cannot be neglected .(p. 252, condition 3). We believe that at first a spiral tangential motion along the cyclone wall is created, which causes the inner vortex ascending from the apex of the cyclone (Fig I). At the same time the inner vortex is strengthened by the individual vortices in horizontal planes, and thus a part of the total flow can find another and perhaps quicker way to the outlet. In any case, the exact motion, not only of the fluid but especially of the suspended particles, is so difficult that we have to refer to the experiments to find the exact behavior of this kind of apparatus. Method of Judging PerforMance of Coal Washer Geologists, rather than mechanical en-gineers, would be able to describe the separating or stratifying effect in nature, but even a bather on the shore lying on the soft sand near the sea wonders why all the small sand grains have approximately the same size. A child playing on the border of the river could easily

Jan 1, 1949

Page Bronze Bearing Metals. By G. H. Clamer............... 162 Pennsylvania Railroad Anti-friction and Bell Metals. By F. M. Waring .. 166 The Tin-plate Industry. By D. M. BUck. Discussed by G. H. ClameR, J. W. RICHARDS............................ 168 The Aluminum Bronze Industry. By W. M. Corse............ 171 Bronzes, Bearing Metals, and Solders. By G. K. BURgess and R. W. Woodward. Discussed by G. H. Clamer, R. T. Roberts......... 175 Babbitts and Solder. By G. W. Thompson................ 184 The Cadmium Supply of the United States. By C. E. Siebenthal. Discussed by M. L. Lissberger, C. W. Hill, F. F. ColcoRd.......... 185 Solder, Its Use and Abuse. By M. L. LissbergeR............ 192 Bronze Bearing Metals G. H. ClameR,* Philadelphia, Pa.—Unfortunately, prior to the war no serious attention was given to the conservation of tin, notwithstanding that this country is practically dependent upon outside sources for its entire tin supply. Tin is of vital importance in many industries, but it is surprising how many and how excellent are its substitutes when we become acquainted with them. Tin has always been a relatively high-priced metal, and it is part of the human attitude to associate high prices with high standards; it is not until the price of a commodity becomes well-nigh prohibitive that we hunt for substitutes, because the idea of substitution seems always to involve an assumption that the substitute must necessarily be inferior. The history of the development of bearing bronzes is a striking example of this policy. In the early days, copper-tin alloys were almost universally used, the idea then being prevalent, which is still held by many, that a bearing to resist wear must be hard, and the harder the better. The favorite bronze bearing contained 90 per cent. copper and 10 per cent. tin; frequently, in service which was considered severe, even higher proportions of tin were used. Such hard alloys have great resistance to compression, but as a rule they had a very wide factor of safety in this

Jan 1, 1919

By A. W. Fahrenwald

The function of the c1assifier in modern fine-grinding practice is to remove a finished product from the grinding-mill discharge, leaving material that needs further comminution. The classifier, therefore, makes two products: (1) "finished" product, which overflows the rim of the classifier tank, sometimes referred to as "slimes" or as "classifier overflow," and (2) "unfinished" product, which settles to the sloping bottom of the classifier tank and is removed by dragging or raking. This product is generally referred to as "sands" or "oversize." One of the outstanding features of the closed-circuit classifier is its ability automatically to return the unfinished product of the ball-mill discharge to the feed end or scoop box of the ball mill. This is a distinct advantage because it avoids dilution of the ball-mill feed, and, furthermore, the particu1ar method of removing the settled sand, by raking it up the inclined bottom of the classifier, gives a classifier discharge containing a minimum of water. This leads to maximum classifier efficiency, in this type of classifier, because the maximum volume of water is displaced upward by the settling sands. The closed-circuit classifier is required to deliver a finished pulp of closely specified density requirements, therefore added hydraulic water generally is not permitted. Relation of Classifier Efficiency to Grinding Efficiency The energy of crushing, and therefore the cost, according to Rittinger's Law,l is proportional to the new surface exposed in crushing. Since the new surface produced in crushing is nearly proportional to the reciprocals of the diameters crushed to, it is obvious that the cost of crushing in the finer sizes is tremendously greater than in the coarser sizes for equal ratios of reduction. High circulating load of finished sand in the circuit of the classifier and grinding mill is therefore obviously expensive practice. It is the classifier's function to reduce this to a miniMum.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. C. Humbert, J. F. Elliott

The solubility of nitrogen in liquid pure Fe, Cr, and Ni, in liquid Fe-Ni, Fe-Cr, and Ni-Cr alloys and Fe-Cr-Ni alloys, has been measured by the Sieverts' type apparatus between 1500° and 1800°C. Tabulations and graphs of the solubility data and activity coefficients are shown. Heats of solution are reported. Interaction coefficients of the several elements in Fe. Cr, and Ni ave also reported. THE solubility of a gas in a liquid metal is usually measured by either the quenching technique or the so-called Sieverts' method. In the quenching method, 1-3 the melt is equilibrated at the desired temperature and pressure with the gas phase having a known fugacity of the gas being studied. The melt is sampled and the sample is quenched and analyzed chemically for its gas content. In Sieverts' method the melt is contained in a closed chamber. The apparent volume of this chamber, i.e. the "hot volume," is usually determined by introducing a known quantity of an inert gas having very closely the same physical characteristics as does the experimental gas. Alternatively, the experimental gas is used with an inert specimen having the same general physical characteristics as does the experimental melt. Subsequently, the experimental melt is equilibrated with the experimental gas by introducing a known quantity of the gas into the calibrated chamber. The solubility of the gas is obtained from P-V-T relationships. The quenching method suffers from' the limitation that some gas may be gained (as in the case of Cr-Fe alloys) or lost (as in the case of Fe-Ni alloys) during solidification and cooling of the sample. With Sieverts' method sampling and analysis are unnecessary. However, errors can result from the difficulty of determining accurately the "hot volume,"

Jan 1, 1961

By J. E. Berry

AII evaluation is made of the acoustic velocity log for measurement of formation porosity. Plots of field-observer1 velocities vs core-measured porosities of sandstones and limestotnes with inter intergranular porosity show that the velocity log gives a useful measure of porotity, in agreement with published data. A new method of plotting electrical and velocity log data makes it easier to recognize hydrocarbon-water coritnct~ from log darn and to make serni-quantitative estinlates of hydrocarbon saturation. Two examples of this interpretation technique are given. This paper also discusses the various factors that affect acoustic velocity and shows how corrections can be made for some of these factors. INTRODUCTION Although the continuous velocity log was developed primarily as an aid to seismic interpretation, it is finding widespread use for measurement of porosity. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this use of the log. Results are presented for the velocity-porosity relationship in many sandstones and one limestone. Practical applications of porosity values derived from the velocity log to improve interpretation of electrical surveys are presented. Various parameters which affect velocity in porous media are considered. Porosity, composition, cementa-tion, pressure difference (overburden pressure minus fluid pressure), fluid saturation, and wellability are discussed. Some of the ideas are opinions based on general considerations of well logging problems while others are supported by published data and our own observations. Major conclusions from these studies arc given in the body of the paper and detailed discussions of some of the various factors affecting porosity are given in the Appendix. POROSITY Sandstones The primary factor affecting the velocity of sound in porous media is porosity. Wyllie, et al,1 have reported a time average equation for the relationship between velocity and porosity.* This has found considerable acceptance in the industry. Other relationships between velocity and porosity have been proposed, none of which are entirely satisfactory. It is doubtful that any one relationship will completely describe all situations. We have tried an empirical relationship based on correlating log velocities with core-measured porosities. Measured porosities were averaged over a depth interval equal to the spacing used in recording the velocity logs. The depth range for the information used was from 2,000 to 12,000 ft. Velocity measurements were normalized for the effects of depth and overburden pressure. A detailed discussion of the basis for this normalization is given in the Appendix. The change is usually insignificant and when working with individual formations it can be neglected. All velocity measurements were normalized to a depth of 10,000 ft. The velocity-porosity data for sandstones in Fig. 1 came from 20 wells scattered throughout the Mid-Continent and Gulf Coast areas. The scatter of the data points is attributed to three causes: 1. There is no theoretical basis for expecting an exact velocity vs porosity relationship and it is not possible to correct precisely for the effects of such factors as impurities, grain shape, manner of cementation, etc. Some of these factors are discussed in the Appendix. 2. Porosities measured by core analysis are not necessarily representative of what the velocity log "sees". 3. Inaccuracies appear in the velocity log reading. This is particularly true of velocities from one-receiver logging tools.*" A linear-time curve (time-average equation) is plotted in Fig. 1 along with the best straight line through the points. Velocities used for the linear-time curves were 19,500 ft/sec for the matrix velocity (zero porosity) and 5,500 ft/sec for fluid velocity. For clean sandstones with velocities greater than 10,000 ft/sec, there is little difference between the velocity-porosity and the time-porosity curves. Both curves are well within the scatter of data points. The data points in Fig. 1 were restricted primarily to clean sandstones, using the SP and/or gamma-ray logs as clues to the lithology. Where a lithologic de-

By C. W. Lawr

The ores mined by the Santa Gertrudis Co. at Pachuca, Mexico, arc mainly silver-bearing; they also yield some gold and carry a little copper. Strong cyanide solutions are used to dissolve the silver and gold, and the mechanical loss of cyanide at the tailings filter has been considerable. Prior to the year 1923, the pulp, after agitation, was given a 35 to 37-min. wash with barren solution in a Butters-type leaf filter; the discharged slime cake was repulped and pumped into eight Merrill self-sluicing slime presses in which the slime was given a further wash with barren solution for 25 to 35 min., followed by a 10-min. water wash. At that time the barren solution titrated around 0.350 per cent. free KCN and 0.500 per cent. total KCN. (Aero brand cyanide is used.) It can readily be seen that a 10-min. water wash would leave considerable cyanide in the filter cake, which of course was a total loss. This averaged 0.522 kg. (1.15 Ib.) KCN per ton of solution. As the daily discharge to the dam was 1600 tons' of slime of a 2:1 ratio of liquid to solid, the value of this mechanical loss of cyanide was an important item and it's recovery held alluring possibilities. Principle of Cyanide-recovery Process As it had acquired the patent rights to theLayng (H. R.) and Halvor-sen (A. L.) processes, also those of Mills (L. D.) and Crowe (T. B.) after considerable experimental work in its own laboratory and at Tonopah, Nev., The Merrill Company of San Francisco early in 1923 notified the Mexican Corporation and compania de Santa Gertrudis of its process for the recovery of cyanide from weak wash solutions, or for the transference of cyanide from a foul mill solution to a clean alkaline solution. This method is known as the Mills-Crowe process, the principle of which is as follows: The solution from which the cyanidc is to be removed is made acid by bringing it into contact with sulfur dioxide (SO2). The acidified solution is the; transferred to a closed tank in which air and solution are brought into intimate contact. The air leaving the tank charged with HCN is then passed to another tank in which it is mixed with an alkaline solution,

Jan 1, 1930

By G. L. Hassler, E. Bruner

An apparatus and method is described whereby the relation between saturation and capillary pressure under decreasing saturation can be quickly determined for small core samples. The initially saturated core is cen-trifuged at increasing rates and the average saturation is measured at each rate with the aid of a stroboscope device. A theory and calculation procedure is given whereby the accelerations and saturation values can be converted into a true curve of capillary pressure versus saturation. The present work differs from previously described use of the centrifuge to obtain capillary-pressure curves of core samples3 in that the core is centrifuged alone, so that the whole range of saturations required by the properties of the sample and the radially varying centrifugal force occurs within the sample. The calculation procedure nevertheless secures correct results from simply obtained values of the average saturation. The apparatus described was developed in connection with studies of capillary pressure and wetting of oil-field rocks, and the paper provides the apparatus background for a previous publication' dealing more fully with the uses and implications of the data in petroleum engineering. The method is applicable, however, to general combinations of immiscible fluids and porous or comminuted solids, and may be useful in other fields. Introduction The importance of capillary phenomena in determining the behavior of liquids in porous media has long been recognized. The concept of capillary Pressure was early formulated, and in recent Years discussions of the application of the laws of capillarity to oil field problems have appeared.l-3 One reason why progress in the application of capillary phenomena to the solution of problems of reservoir mechanics has not been more rapid has been the lack of a, satisfactory technique for measuring the capillary pressures in reservoir rocks. It is the principal purpose of this paper to describe a method by which the relation between capillary pressure and saturation can be determined for small consolidated core samples which have been extracted and resaturated, Capillary Diaphragm Perhaps the most direct way to measure the capillary pressure in a rock is to make piezometric contact with the wetting liquid through a diaphragm of porous material with high displacement pressure saturated with the liquid in question.3-6 The liquid in the diaphragm assumes the pressure of the liquid in the core, which can then be measured with a manometer, while the atmospheric air is prevented by capillarity from entering the diaphragm and affecting the pressure measurements as long as the displacement pressure of the diaphragm is not exceeded. With an apparatus of the type illustrated schematically in Fig. I, the relation between capillary pressure and saturation can be measured for a small core sample by starting with the core saturated 100 per cent, applyillg successively greater suctions

Jan 1, 1945

By O. Bergmann, R. E. Lueders, R. R. Ellefson, H. M. Brennecke, D. S. Davies

A new hydrometallurgical process has been developed to recover copper from sulfide ores. Copper is leached in a staged reactor system utilizing nitric and sulfuric acids at 105OC. Iron is removed from the pregnant liquor as a jarosite, and cathode copper is electrowon directly from the purified pregnant liquor. The spent electrolyte is recycled. Nitrogen oxides evolved from the leach are reconverted to nitric acid and are also recycled. Sulfur is rejected as So, jarosite, and gypsum. The process is highly versatile and can recover precious metals, molybdenum, and zinc when these elements are present. Continuous, integrated, semi-pilot plant operations using chalcopyrite ores demonstrated 99% copper leaching and production of cathode grade copper. Economic evaluation shows that the process is competitive with pyrometallurgical and other hydrometallurgical processes.

Jan 1, 1982