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By John M. Logan, John Handin

Quasi-dynamic triaxial compression tests have been done for the first time at confining pressures to 7 kb. The intermediate strain-rate apparatus employs a gas loading cylinder which allows axial strain rates up to 102/sec on a sample 2 cm in diameter and 4 cm long. Samples can be deformed at confining pressures to 7 kb. Strain gages bonded to the loading piston and to the jacketed specimen allow internal measurements of load and sample strains respectively. Westerly granite has been deformed at confining pressures to 7 kb, room temperature, and axial strain rates of 10-2 to 1/sec. An increase of ultimate strength with confining pressure was found as expected. The ultimate strength was also found to vary directly with increasing strain rate; the rate of rise increases with confining pressure. Brittle deformation has dominated the sample behavior. Solenhofen limestone has been deformed at confining pressures to 3 kb, room temperature, and axial strain rates of 10- to 10/sec. The brittle-ductile transition was found to take place at about 1.5 kb confining pressure at a strain rate of 10/sec.

Jan 1, 1971

By J. A. Fulton

GOLD was discovered in the Sierra Nevada by J. W. Marshall on Jan. 2, 1848. The town: of Grass Valley soon sprang up and contained several stores in 1849; but the population of the town has always reflected the fluctuations in quartz mining. Gold-bearing quartz was found on Gold Hill in September 1850, and in the next two years most of the quartz bearing veins in the vicinity were located. At first, the quartz was crushed in mortars with spring poles; the Huff Co. took out $20,000 in this manner during the winter and spring of 1851. The first mill was put up in January, 1851. In 1866, there .were in Grass Valley 248 stamps, crushing 71,420 tons of ore with an average yield of $30 to $35; in Nevada City, there were 142 stamps, crushing 14,200, tons, with an average value of $25. But in 1918, only two properties in. this region, the Empire and the North Star, were producing. Since then, there has. been a revival of mining in the district and the following properties are being opened up: The Golden Center, Grass Valley Gold. Mines CO , Idaho-Maryland Mines Co., while the Sultana is kept unwatered and work is going on in a half dozen small properties.

Jan 2, 1926

By Kefton H. Teague

Olivine is a mineral containing a mixture of forsterite (Mg2SiO4) and fayalite (Fe2SiO4) in solid solution. The name olivine was first applied by Werner in 1790 (Hunter, 1941) because of the olive-green color of the mineral. Olivine is the principal component of the rock dunite, which itself is a member of the peridotite group of ultrabasic igneous rocks. European uses of the terms olivine and dunite are somewhat different than US usage. In commerce European usage defines dunite as containing 36 to 42% MgO, 36 to 39% SiO2, and loss on ignition of approximately 10%. The term olivine is used to designate a material containing approximately 85% forsterite, with a chemical composition of approximately 45 to 50% MgO, 40 to 43% Si02, 5 to 8% Fe2O3, and ignition loss of 1 to 2%. Uses The principal use of olivine is in various applications involving hot metal. Table I shows the best estimate available as to the amount of olivine consumed by various industries worldwide. In excess of 90% of world uses involve hot metal, with approximately 75% as a slag conditioner in the blast furnace production of pig iron. Approximately 15% of total olivine usage is as a special foundry sand in mold making for the brass, aluminum, magnesium, and manganese steel foundries (Schaller, 1957, 1958; Snyder, 1957; Anon., 1977). Olivine was first used as an industrial mineral in the early 1930s for a refractory material (Anon., 1970; Hunter, 1941). As a refractory raw material, olivine was first introduced in the United States as hand-cobbed, selected, shaped blocks of crude olivine. This use met with limited success. More recently, finely ground olivine blended with MgO and pressed into bricks, which are then fired, has found use in glass tank furnaces and open-hearth furnaces. Ramming or gunning mixes for basic furnace linings also utilize olivine. Olivine has been used in ladle linings with varied success. In Europe, substantial tonnages of olivine are utilized in refractory brick for night storage heaters (Anon., 1970). A limited amount of olivine has been used in the past as a fertilizer (magnesium source) and has been fused with rock phosphate to produce a magnesium phosphate as a plant food. The relatively high magnesia (MgO) content of olivine also attracted attention to it as a potential source of both magnesium compounds and as a source of metallic magnesium (Bengston, 1956; Hunter, 1941). The use of olivine as an additive in the blast furnace is relatively new, having been developed during the last decade. J.W. Currier (Private communication, 1978) describes the behavior of olivine in the blast furnace as follows: Olivine (Mg, Fe2, Si04) represents a unique lime-free source of magnesia and silica as a blast furnace charge component. Only recently has the magnesia-rich mineral been recognized as beneficial cleaner for blast furnace experiencing the problems associated with excessive alkali inputs and/or low coke stabilities. For some time it has been known that alkalis tend to recycle and accumulate in blast furnaces. In the high temperature region of volatilization the elemental alkalis formed attack the integrity of the graphite structure. This alkali attachment is enhanced when poor coke is used. Higher in the furnace stack volatile alkali cyanides condense and oxidize. This accumulation of alkalis tends to agglomerate the burden materials, producing scabs and scaffolds. These structures not only inhibit the downward movement of burden materials and the upward passage of wind, but also lead to erratic furnace performance

Jan 1, 1983

By H. P. Leighly, F. C. Perkins

THERE have been several statements in the literature about the difficulty of producing single crystals of high-purity (99.99pct) by the strain-anneal method. Consequently, investigators tend to employ low-purity aluminum for their single-crystal experiments, or else resort to the Bridgman or other techniques which depend on solidification for the production of single crystals. The following paragraphs describe a solid-state method for the manufacture of single crystals of high-purity aluminum which should provide crystals with greater perfection than those formed by solidification. The starting material for this method of producing single crystals was secured from the Aluminum Corp. of America and has a purity of 99.99 pct, the balance being trace amounts of impurities. Specimens approximately 1 by 4 in. are sheared from sheet having a nominal 0.050 in. thickness. The specimens are given a preliminary anneal at 640°C for approximately 3 hr in order to remove fabrication strains and to produce an average grain size of about 1/4-in. diam. The specimens are then etched in Tucker's etchant (45 pct HC1, 15 pct HNO3, 15 pct HF and 25 pct H2O) to remove the oxide film. Critical strain is applied by wrapping each specimen about a 1 3/4 in. round and subsequently straightening it against a flat surface. The high-purity aluminum sheet is sufficiently soft that this operation can be accomplished by ordinary finger pressure. The specimens are immediately annealed again at 640°C for 3 hr and reetched for examination. Ordinarily, considerable growth of certain of the grains will have occurred, and occasionally a single crystal will be produced on the first attempt. The procedure of alternately straining, annealing and etching is repeated until the majority of a batch of specimens contains usable crystal sizes. Typical examples are illustrated in Fig. 1. The greatest changes in crystal sizes are produced in the initial treatments. As the average crystal sizes get coarser in the later treatments, the sever- ity of the strain must be increased in order to produce grain boundary- migration. This increase in severity is effected by decreasing the diameter of the round used for straining (to 1 1/2 in., for example) and/or wrapping the specimens about the round twice, with opposite faces in contact with the round, before flattening. Usually the strain treatments described are not severe enough to produce nucleation in coarse grain high-purity aluminum. The growth of grains occurs by strain-induced grain-boundary migration. It has been observed that the grain boundaries move most readily during the first hour or so of each annealing treatment and that the rate of movement decreases with extended holding times at temperature. Prolonged annealing treatments are therefore not usually beneficial. Similarly, the rate of growth of each crystal appears to depend upon the orientation of the crystal with relation to those of its neighbors. Frequently island grains are formed after the initial heat treatment as the result of slow grain-boundary migration. These sometime become stationary during later heat treatments. Twin orientation interfaces are frequently developed during annealing. These imperfections can usually be removed by increasing the severity of strain to produce actual nucleation of new grains of more favorable orientation at the imperfection interfaces. The largest single crystals produced in our laboratory by the above method measured 4 by 1 by 0.050 in. Examination of Laue back-reflection patterns from a limited area of the specimens, gave no evidence of polygonization. Probably there is some indication of polygonization in the original grain area provided a more sensitive technique is used for detection. Experiments to produce wider specimens were less successful, possibly because wider sheets increase the complexity of the strains induced by deformation and promote widespread nucleation. Grain boundary migration occurs preferentially in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the specimen. The choice of specimen geometry with respect to the rolling direction of the sheet appears to be immaterial in regard to the production of single crystals.

Jan 1, 1961

E. G. WOODRUFF, Houston, Tex. (communication to the Secretary*). -Mr. Matteson has presented to us an idea worthy of our careful consideration. We have real troubles in the petroleum industry and as the supply of crude is exhausted our problems become more complicated and more numerous. Therefore, we who are engaged in field work are forced to consider all possible means which promise assistance in the location of prospective pools and the economic development of pools already located. In our country we are accustomed to turn to the. Government for relief in all our troubles. Do we want an Oil and Gas Bureau doctoring us? Will such a bureau do us practical good? The principal point Mr. Matteson suggests is that such a bureau should he authorized to receive and file all well logs. In analyzing such function, I am led to the following conclusions: If well logs are simply to be filed they would be useless. If they are to be filed and the files opened to the public, what benefit will be derived and can such action be taken justly? There is no doubt that if the record of all wells drilled in the United States were available the petroleum industry would be saved an immense amount of needless expense. Accumulating conditions would be better understood and prospecting more intelligently directed. Our other consideration is: can the oil companies be required to open well records to the public justly? I think all will agree that if any one should have the advantage of a well record it should be the company that drilled the well. If the oil companies are forced to file such record and open the files to the public, the company drilling the well cannot derive the exclusive benefit from the money expended. Would it be just for a small company to be compelled to reveal its records of a well it had recently completed, to its strong competitor who holds near or even adjacent leases? Would it have been just to the successful companies, in the Gulf Coast country to have been forced to display their hard-earned knowledge of 15 years to the host of younger competitors who have recently flocked to the Gulf Coast attracted by the success of those who have labored so long and learned of the conditions controlling the fields through the hazards of the industry.

Jan 10, 1917

By L. S. Panyity

THE State of Ohio is among the pioneers in the production of oil and gas. Numerous anticlinals, such as the Macksburg, Cow Run and Newport, have been thoroughly developed, and the pools found in connection with them are quite in accord with the structural theory. Numerous oil and gas pools found in the Berea sand, however, demand a different explanation. The study of these pools belongs to the sub-surface geologist, as it is possible to understand the factors controlling "off-structure" accumulations only after a careful study of well records. By carefully analyzing the various 'conditions over a large territory, it is possible to understand the otherwise meaningless mass of data that one may have at hand, and put it into tangible shape, from which various conclusions may be drawn. The territory here discussed includes Belmont, Guernsey, Muskingum, Noble, Monroe, Morgan, Washington, Athens and Meigs counties, containing the majority of the prolific oil and gas pools of the Carboniferous system in southeastern Ohio. The general dip of the strata is to the southeast, the entire territory lying on the northwestern flank of the Appalachian geosyncline. The best known oil- and gas-producing horizon in the territory is the Berea sand, which lies near the lower part of the Mississippian, with the Sunburry shales (the coffee-shales of the driller) above, and the Bedford shales below it. The Bedford is underlain by the thick Ohio shales. The Ohio and Bedford contact is considered to be the dividing line between the Carboniferous and Devonian systems. The Berea is one of the most persistent of recognizable oil and gas horizons; its outcrop has always been found in its expected place, and it has always been penetrated whenever the drill went deep enough. It is not expected, however, even of the most uniform formations, that no lithological variations should occur, and the Berea is no exception. Nevertheless, there appears to be a certain regularity in its variation, the main features of which directly affect the accumulation of petroleum.

Jan 8, 1918

By E. G. Leonardon, Irving B. Crosby

ElectRical prospecting by potential methods has been applied to mining problems for some years and determinations of the depth to bed rock have been made, but so far as is known it has not been used previously in the solution of civil engineering problems, such as investigating the foundations of dams. During the past winter and spring the senior author has been engaged as consulting geologist in studying the site of a large dam on the upper Connecticut River and has had the satisfaction of introducing electrical prospecting to foundation problems. The valley across which the dam is to be built is underlaid by a deeply buried preglacial gorge which is filled with glacial deposits. An extensive drilling campaign was in progress, but the work was unusually slow and expensive on account of the number of boulders in the overburden. The necessity of speeding up the work was pressing and it was decided that much of the needed information could be obtained by geophysical methods. After investigating the various methods and conferring with the company engineers and with the consulting engineer, Albert Crane, a contract was made with the Schlumberger Electrical Prospecting Methods, and an observer with apparatus was sent to the dam site the first of April, 1928. The problem was to determine the depth to rock at various points in order to prepare a contour map of the bed-rock surface and outline the buried gorge in the vicinity of the dam site. Over one hundred determinations of depth have been made and the bed-rock topography is now known in considerable detail. In addition, some information has been obtained about the nature of the overburden. The drilling has been continued; in fact, two additional drills have been put to work, and the electrical determinations have been checked at several points. At one of these the depth to rock given by the electrical work was 142 ft. and the drill found rock at 147 ft., an error of less than 4 per cent. The electrical work has also been checked by the geological study, and it has been found that when the electrical determinations are in agreement with the geological expectations they are probably reasonably accurate. When the electrical interpretation of the subsurface topography is incon-

Jan 1, 1929

In an address delivered at Atlantic City, N. T., Dec. 5, 1918, M. L. Requa, General Director, Oil Division of the United States Fuel Administration, said: We face a new era with all its uncertainties. We have arrived at the period of reconstruction and are face to face with the problems concerning which we have so often speculated during the past four years. In all this reconstruction work the United States must bear an important part. We are looked upon to lead the way, to blaze the trail and our actions will have a profound influence upon the rest of the world. If we are to succeed, even in part, we must not be ashamed to practise economy; we must not despise the clay of small things; the little savings; we must have the closest cooperation between Government and industry. Just as truly do we need civic awakening. All that we have ever fought for, the liberty of the world, is comprehended in the ballot; and yet how lightly we have held this great privilege! We need, if we are to reap in full the benefits of the past 18 mo., an awakened civic consciousness; a jealous guarding of government; a resolution that we will, each and all, perform to the full the duties imposed upon us by Democracy; that we will perform more completely the obligations resting upon us as citizens. During the war, industry, through sane cooperation and intelligent effort, has accomplished results possible of attainment in no other way. Government and industry have worked hand in hand and pointed the way o to future activities which, if realized, can but be most highly beneficial to all. If Government and industry are to fulfill their respective duties satisfactorily, it is obvious that there should be complete mutual confidence. Industry must not attempt to "put something over"-and Government must treat with industry upon the high plane that has characterized the public utterances of the President during the war. The individual who cannot conform to these high ideals should have no place in industry, and equally no place in Government. If the dignified and broad princi-

Jan 2, 1919

By Wei-Kao Lu

A general rate equation is derived for gas -solid reactions in metallurgical processes by considering the contributions of chemical reaction at inter-phase boundaries and diffusion through the solid product layer simultaneously. This equation takes care of the whole range continuously from purely diffusion control to purely chemical reaction control. The parabolic law,' McKewan's equationa derived with the assumption of interface area control and the equation derived by Kawasaki et al. with the assumption of purely diffusion control are found as the limiting cases of the corresponding forms of the general rate equation. Many metallurgical processes involving gas-solid reactions have been extensively studied. The common examples of these processes include the reduction of oxides to metallic products, the roasting of sulfides to oxides or chlorides and the oxidation of metals. Gas-solid reactions consist of at least two kinds of steps; one involves the transport of reactant and product to and from the reaction zone and the other is the chemical reaction taking place at the interphase boundaries. In the limiting cases one or the other of the above mentioned steps will be much slower than the other and is then rate controlling. For example, the oxidation of metals is diffusion controlled and obeys the parabolic law.' On the other hand, if the diffusion rate is much larger than the chemical reaction rate then it will be controlled by the chemical reaction rate. This latter case occurs for the reduction of iron oxides studied by McKewan. If the rate of diffusion and of the chemical reaction have the same order of magnitude, a more detailed analysis is necessary. Thus at the beginning of the reaction when the solid and gaseous reactants are in direct contact, the reaction should be chemical reaction rate controlled as no diffusion process is involved. At the other extreme as the reaction zone moves further into the solid, the diffusion distance becomes greater and the diffusion rate continuously decreases. Eventually, therefore, for a sufficiently large sample the rate must become diffusion controlled. As the transition from one controlling step to the other must be continuous, we cannot describe this transition period by either of the two limiting cases. In this paper the author attempts to derive a general rate equation for gas-solid reaction systems. This is effected by considering the rates of diffusion and chemical reaction simultaneously from the state of pure diffusion control to pure chemical reaction control. I) DERIVATION The system under consideration is made of at least three phases, namely the gaseous one, the solid reactant, and the solid product as shown in Fig. 1. The notations are listed at the end of the paper. The mass transfer process involves the diffusion of reactants and products across the solid product layer. It is reasonable to consider that no chemical reaction will take place in the solid product layer with respect to both gaseous reactant and product. For the characteristics of local equilibrium of the system, the diffusion process is really in a quasi-steady-state. It will be proved in the following paragraphs. Then we can invoke the law of conservation of mass valid for all chemical species passing through the layer. The solid reactant sphere has an initial radius, ro, after a fraction of completeness of the reaction, the unreacted core has a radius ri, where r, is in the solid product region. Let Cg be the activity of gaseous reactant in the

Jan 1, 1963

By G. K. Manning, W. E. Few

T has been known for some time that both'inter-granular carbide and intergranular oxide phases cause brittleness in molybdenum. Parke and Ham' indicated that 0.0025 pct 0 present in molybdenum after solidification from the melt was sufficient to induce intergranular brittleness during forging. However, material containing 0.06 pct C could still be forged. However, adding this amount of carbon to insure deoxidation causes the formation of carbides on freezing. These carbides are precipitated at grain boundaries, and Rengstorff and Fischer' have shown they have an unfavorable effect on the room-temperature ductility of molybdenum. Take? in 1928 proposed that the solubility of carbon was a constant value of 0.30 pct from room temperature up to 1800°C. In 1935, Sykes, Van Horn, and Tucker' obtained X-ray data suggesting that the solid solubility of carbon in molybdenum was between 0.07 and 0.09 pct at temperatures from 1500" to 2100°C. The a-solubility line for carbon was included in the Mo-C diagram given in the Metals Handbook as a tentative line based on the data of Sykes, Van Horn, and Tucker. In order to determine the partial phase diagrams for these systems, it was necessary to construct a high-temperature furnace suitable for heat treating molybdenum at temperatures up to 4000°F. A molybdenum resistance furnace was built for this purpose in which samples could be heat treated in a purified atmosphere and quenched from any desired temperature.' Experimental Work Solubility of Carbon: Arc-cast molybdenum supplied by the Climax Molybdenum Co. and 18-gage molybdenum wire samples produced by powder metallurgy at the Fansteel Metallurgical Co. were used in determining the a-solubility line for the MO-C system. The cast molybdenum contained 0.032 pct C initially. Two lots of 18-gage wire were used, one containing 0.011 pct C and the other 0.005 pct C initially. All material contained a carbide phase as received. Fig. 1 illustrates the carbides found in the untreated material. Heat treatment in a purified hydrogen atmosphere was found to reduce the carbon content in the as-cast molybdenum. Purified argonT also decarburized molybdenum samples at temperatures above 3500°F; however, the carbon content remained constant during heat treatment in purified argon at lower tem- peratures. The argon was purified by passing it over titanium at 750 °C and then through a magnesium perchlorate drying tower. The hydrogen was purified by passing it through a commercial hydrogen deoxidizer, followed by a drying tower. Specimens having different initial carbon contents were heat treated in argon at 3500°F for periods ranging from 5 min to 5 hr and were analyzed for carbon. Samples of the same final carbon content had the same microstructures regardless of time at temperature. Furthermore, a gradient between center and surface in the amount of undissolved carbide particles present was never observed. It was concluded that at these low carbon levels, and at the high temperatures involved, diffusion proceeds so rapidly that the specimen is always substantially homogeneous in carbon content, in spite of the gradual loss in carbon. Based on the above findings, the following procedure was used to determine the carbon-solubility limit at 3000°, 3500°, and 4000°F. At each of these temperatures, a number of samples were heat treated, as shown in Table I, and rapidly cooled to room temperature. Since the samples lost carbon in proportion to the length of time heated, a series of samples were obtained of varying carbon contents. By use of a rapid cooling rate, the phases present at the high temperature were retained at room temperature. All samples were examined microscopically. Those found to contain either no excess carbide phase or only a very small amount were then analyzed for carbon. The samples actually analyzed for carbon

Jan 1, 1953

By E. J. Schmitz

This trip, beginning at Springfield, August 12, 1897, and ending at the same place fourteen days later, extended south and southeast through Christian, Ozark and Taney counties,

Jan 1, 1899

By John C. Robison

INTRODUCTION Sensitivity analysis is a means of gauging the impact of individual risks on a financing. Key risks can occur in three time periods: - Feasibility, engineering and construction phase; - Start up phase (usually through completion); - Operating phase (post completion). If a company has agreed to cover these risks prior to completion, then less attention will be paid to the sensitivity of the project in the first two time periods. Since the operating phase of the project generates cash for both operations and debt service and generally does not begin until two to six years after the loan is signed, it is wise to look at scenarios other than the projected "base-case" scenario in order to determine the project's capability to operate successfully under a broad range of probable future events. Lenders are compensated at a fixed spread over their borrowing base and generally are not compensated if the project is successful beyond expectation. They are also subject to the loss of principal plus funding costs if the project performs below expectation. Because of this, lenders establish sensitivities around the parameters of conservative projections developed in the project feasibility studies and the cash flows resulting from these projections. The initial cash flow projections should demonstrate the project's ability to meet cash costs, debt service requirements (principal and interest), and still have sufficient cushion to cover contingencies such as strikes, price fluctuations, force majeur situations, etc. (See Schreiber, Chapter 10). The selection of the level of sensitivity analysis to be performed is the result of both objective criteria, including probabilistic analysis applied to the technical parameters, and, of equal importance, subjective criteria applied by the analysts, especially with regard to the economic and financial parameters impacting the project cash flows. RISK SENSITIVITY Assumptions used in the cash flow projections should be realistic. Risks identified by the lenders should be identified and cash flows prepared to assess whether these project risks are acceptable. Typical project risks include the following (see also Chapter 9): - Sufficient reserves - quantity and quality - Product price - Production level - Operating costs - Availability of energy and supplies - Transportation and infrastructure requirements and costs - Interest rate - Completion risks - Tax level - Political risks - Cost over-run risks - Operator experience - Management - Technological risks - Environmental permits and risks - Foreign exchange risks - Insurance coverage - Equity of sponsors - Inflation rate - Capital expenditure during project life In order to see the effect on the cash flow projections, each risk should be analyzed for its impact on the cash flow generating capacity of the project. Sensitivities can be examined to see if the resultant cash flow projection will meet the lenders minimum credit standards. 1.Reserve Sensitivity In general, lenders will not assume the reserve risk. However, it should also be noted that lenders receive loan proposals in which reserves range anywhere from proven to possible. Sensitivities are not generally run for various reserve levels and reserve estimates are either considered acceptable or not acceptable by the lenders.

Jan 1, 1985

By H. M. Bannerman

IN the past few years the mineral raw materials problem has risen from comparatively obscurity to great national significance. The transition has come so rapidly that the nature of the problem and what it portends have not yet been clearly defined. Consequently there are wide differences of opinion among the experts as to what can, or should be done to insure a continuing, adequate supply. On one hand, it is said that depletion of known domestic deposits and lagging discovery of new ones will bring about an imminent decline in mineral production and that in future U. S. mineral-using industries will have to depend on foreign sources for more and more of the major mineral raw materials. On the other hand, it is argued that domestic mineral resources are virtually inexhaustible if there were only legislation against competition from low-cost foreign producers. Still another school of thought contends that within the past decade the country has entered a period of unprecedented mineral discovery that is rapidly solving the problem of depletion. Only time will tell which of these widely divergent views is nearer the truth, for mineral resources are, after all, the result of research and adaptation, and resources of the future, as of the past, will depend largely on human response to circumstances. Of 18 substances now termed reactive metals, only 8 (boron, thorium, potassium, sodium, lithium, uranium, molybdenum, and tungsten) were considered of commercial significance at the turn of the century. Except for hafnium and rhenium, the other ten were well known to chemists and mineralogists before this, but none had found use commercially, whereas some, like titanium, were looked upon as nuisances in the ores of other metals. Of these ten elements, several were considered of minor commercial significance, and others were of little more than academic interest as recently as 15 years ago. Before World War II only a few of the better informed spoke of uranium or thorium as possible sources of power. Still fewer talked of converting boron into a super- fuel, and the time had not yet arrived when hafnium, rhenium and even zirconium were thought of as critical to U. S. welfare and safety.

Jan 10, 1957

By Jose F. Agapito

This paper describes part of a geotechnical program which was instrumental in obtaining information for the design of large oil shale pillars. The work was carried out during 1971 and 1972 in the experimental mine of the Colony Development Operation. Colony is an oil shale venture formed between Atlantic Richfield Company, Operator; The Oil Shale Corporation, Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, and Sohio Petroleum Company to conduct research and development in mining and retorting of oil shale. The property is located in the southern edge of the Piceance Creek Basin in northwestern Colorado, approximately 250 miles west of Denver. Mining was conducted by the room-and-pillar method in a 60-ft high portion of the Green River formation at a depth of 600 to 850 ft. Pillar dimensions are approximately 60 ft by 60 ft. The mine site is in the eastern face of the canyon containing the Middle Fork of Parachute Creek. The distance from the mine to the side of the mountain varies from 500 to 1200 ft, and its height above the stream floor is approximately 700 ft.

Jan 5, 1974

By E. F. Bailey, W. J. Harris

THE temperature of the ferrite to austenite re-action is established frequently by continuous heating experiments. However, equilibrium studies of this reaction have demonstrated that austenite may form at temperatures considerably below those at which the reaction is first observed during continuous heating. Because of this discrepancy, tempering is sometimes performed above the true critical temperature and in these cases austenite forms during tempering. The lowest temperature at which austenite forms and the kinetics of the reaction have been studied by Bain,' Bleakney and Gros-venor,2 and Dube and Cunningham. This austenite can affect the properties either as austenite per se, if it is retained at room temperature, or as a decomposition product if it transforms. The effect of austenite formation during tempering on low temperature impact properties of an 8 1/2 pct nickel steel was reported by Brophy and Miller4 in work published after the present investigation was initiated. They concluded that the improvement in low-temperature notch toughness which followed tempering at certain temperatures could be attributed to the austenite formed during tempering. Kramer et al.5 found anomalous hardness increases and embrittlement after tempering of a low-carbon manganese-nickel steel. They concluded that austenite formed during tempering, and that the decomposition products were responsible for the increase in hardness and the embrittlement. Quan-titative correlations of the microconstituents and mechanical properties were not made by these investigators. The present study was undertaken in order to establish the kinetics of formation of austenite at various temperatures, the characteristics of the decomposition of this austenite, and the relationship between mechanical properties and the phases present. Experimental Procedure A low-carbon manganese-nickel steel was selected because of the sluggishness of its austenite decom-position reactions. The composition of this steel in percent was: C, 0.10; Mn, 3.52; Ni, 2.34; Mo, 0.52; Cr, 0.17; Si, 0.19; V, 0.15; P, 0.019; and S, 0.020. Samples were prepared by forging sections from a large ingot to 3/4 in. bars. Formation and decomposition of austenite were investigated by dilatometric techniques which were checked by X-ray measurements. Dilatometer specimens were hollow cylinders 1 in. long, 1/2 in. diam, with a 1/8 in. central hole. All specimens were aus-tenitized for 1 hr at 1650°F and quenched in water prior to insertion in the dilatometer. Oxidation was prevented by using an inert atmosphere of purified nitrogen. Dilation was measured with a dial gauge which could be read by interpolation to 0.00005 in. Temperature was maintained within ± 3°F by a Brown Electronik Controller. Chromel-alumel thermocouple leads were welded to opposite ends of the specimen with the specimen serving as the hot junction. As a check on temperature uniformity comparison was made of the specimen temperature as measured with the chromel-alumel leads and the temperature of the center of the specimen as measured with a calibrated platinum—platinum-rhodium thermocouple embedded in asbestos in the central hole of the specimen. During heating a 5°F temperature difference was noted below 1000°F, but none above, while in cooling, a 5°F difference was observed from 1300" to 735°F, but none below. Heating rates of 35°F per min and cooling rates of 60°F per min were employed for all dilatometric studies. For transformation studies below room temperature, the dilatometer was allowed to cool to 150°F and then was quenched into liquid nitrogen.

Jan 1, 1951

By H. M. Myers, J. E. Funk

The two-phase flow of a drilling fluid in a diamond drill bit is investigated by deriving and solving the steady-state continuity and momentum equations. Parameters in this analysis are rotational speed of the bit, local rate of addition of drill solids, non-Newtonian nature of the drilling fluid and drilling rate. The describing equations relate the flow and pressure drop to the design characteristics of the bit. The equations are integrated numerically yielding the flow-rate pressure drop characteristics for the bit, flow distribution in the bit and velocity and static pressure as a function of position in each flow channel of the bit. Results are presented for a particular bit design. This paper shows that under normal drilling conditions certain parameters may be neglected in the hydraulic calculations for a diamond drill bit. Therefore, shortened forms of the equations presented can be used to fit the proper diamond bit to the drilling fluid hydraulic system. INTRODUCTION Like the conventional bit, the diamond drill bit is a key component in the circulating system of a well. The conventional rock bit is fitted to the circulating system by selecting the flow nozzles which provide the system with the proper flow-rate pressure drop relationship. Fluid behavior across the face of the diamond bit must be better understood so the bit can also be fitted to the circulating system. Data from field-operated diamond bits are presently available and do yield some information regarding the flow-rate pressure drop relationship. However, the number of factors affecting this relationship is quite large. Drilling parameters and conditions such as bit penetration rate, bit weight and rotational speed are important. Moreover, flow channels in the bit are part of the cutting head, and introducing drilled solids into the flow channels reduces the flow area, causes additional drag and influences the pressure drop. Many tests would have to be performed if field tests were required to study all parameters which might influence fluid behavior in the bit. A logical approach to this problem is to investigate analytically the fluid behavior in the bit, including parameters that are present under normal drilling operations. This approach, which seems to offer the best method for future studies, is presented in this paper. Following is the general procedure. 1. Equations describing the most general flow channel are written and include the addition of drilling solids (which is related to penetration rate), rotation of the bit, design parameters of the bit and non-Newtonian properties of the fluid. 2. A typical bit is designed and the bit parameters are substituted into the equations. 3. Parameters are assumed (penetration rate, rotational speed of the bit, mud weight, etc.). 4. The describing equations are numerically integrated to obtain the pressure drop across the face of the bit as a function of flow rate. 5. The pressure-drop contribution of each component (friction, acceleration, etc.) is obtained from the numerical solution, and those factors which largely influence the total pressure drop are identified. Classifying the drilling fluid is important in establishing the friction factor relationship since the frictional pressure losses are the main contributors to the total pressure drop. High-density drilling fluid is commonly assumed to be a Bingham plastic. 1-3 Govier4 presented a method for selecting a friction factor in the laminar flow region from the rheology properties of the mud and a modified Reynolds number. Metzner5 presented a criterion for selecting the friction factor in the turbulent flow region. The bit design used in conjunction with the solution of the equations has divergent flow channels. Stall, which is the backflow of fluid in the channels due to eddies that occur on the outer perimeter of the flow stream, can occur in these divergent channels (or diffusers). When stall does occur the static

By Thomas A. Read

THE internal friction of single crystals of metals is affected markedly by a variety of factors, which, according to the literature, are without influence on the internal friction of polycrystalline metals at strain amplitudes less than 10-5. For example, the internal friction of a suitably oriented zinc single crystal is multiplied by a factor of l00 when the vibration amplitude is slightly increased, and the internal friction of a copper crystal is markedly increased by the application of a stress of 30 lb. per sq. in. for one minute. In this paper it will be shown that these, together with the other phenomena associated with the damping of mechanical vibrations in metal single crystals, can be satisfactorily explained, at least qualitatively, in terms of an atomic mechanism that has been proposed for quite another purpose-that of accounting for slip in metals. The extraordinary agreement between the observed behavior of the metal single crystals and the behavior that could be predicted on the basis of this atomic mechanism leads to the belief that the latter is probably essentially correct. If this is so, it follows that valuable information about the slip process in metals may be gained from measurements of internal friction on single crystals. In this paper the results of the only study to date on the damping of mechanical vibrations in single crystals of metals will be presented. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The internal friction of a material is a measure of the rate at which the energy of mechanical vibrations is converted into heat. The measure of internal friction used in the present paper is the decrement A, which is defined as the fraction of the energy of vibration lost per half cycle. The measurements described here were .made for longitudinal oscillations at a frequency of 33.5 kc. for the copper crystals, and at a frequency of 39 kc. for the zinc crystals. The method used is that of the composite piezoelectric oscillator. The single-crystal specimens are in the form of circular cylinders ¼ in. in diameter and 1 ½ to 2 ½ in. long. The crystal rods are waxed in a V-block and sawed to the proper length with a fine jeweler's saw. The ends of the specimen are ground flat, and one end is cemented with a very thin film of beeswax and rosin to the end of an x-cut quartz rod which is ¼ in. in diameter and 3 in. long. The length of the specimen rod is determined by the condition that its natural frequency for longitudinal vibration be the same as that of the quartz rod, within 0.5 per cent. The lengths of the specimens are thus different for different orientations of the cylinder axis with respect to the crystallographic axes. When the specimen and quartz rods are thus matched in frequency the adhesive is at a node of stress, and it has been shown experimentally that under these circumstances

Jan 1, 1941

By R. J. P. Lyon

It is usually assumed1,2 that ore deposition is relatively slow, taking place over tens of thousands of years. Yet many syntheses and phase changes can be completed in the laboratory in a matter of hours, under essentially the same pressure and temperature conditions to be expected in nature. Much has been written about geothermometry, and Ingerson's recent summary2 can hardly be surpassed. Rather than review the whole field, this article will deal specifically with diffusion rates in solid solutions* of the sulfide minerals.

Jan 11, 1959

By William J. Potter, Roger N. Pyle

Introduction The primary ingredient for survival of mining companies during a recessionary period is to be innovative and resourceful in the structuring and financing of operations. Over the past decade, many mining companies have had to retrench and restructure their operations and to redeploy their assets just to survive. During the same period, traditional sources of financing for mining companies -- commercial banks, subsidized export credit loans and long term straight debt financing in the public markets -- became less available and more expensive. Meanwhile, new markets and new financing instruments provided new alternatives for mining companies. Those companies which exploited these alternatives greatly enhanced their capacity for survival and even for profitability. This article considers the strategies adopted by some companies to adapt to changes in this recessionary environment; the inadequacy of traditional sources of financing; certain of the new financing instruments, structures and markets which have become available; and how several mining companies have utilized these new instruments, structures and financial markets to improve their competitive positions. THE IMPACT OF RECESSION ON MINING COMPANIES AND TRADITIONAL FINANCING SOURCES In its 1983 year-end article "The New Economic Order" Mining Journal characterized many of the large private sector mining companies with operations in the industrialized countries as being "gripped between the jaws of high working costs and stagnating metal commodity prices." The article went on to characterize the Canadian mining industry in particular as being "in the difficult position of having to seek to sell the bulk of its output in a world market characterized by over-capacity, where production costs were determined by internal political and economic factors while prices were set by external competitive forces of supply and demand." Miners of a wide range of commodities in the industrialized countries have come to realize that their domestic mineral resources are in many cases no longer competitive with global sources of supply. To compete and survive they would have to rely on their technical and financial expertise in mineral exploration and development and in mining and processing. Strategies For Survival Global competition has compelled management in the extractive industries to improve their worldwide cost position. This is the only means whereby a mining company can differentiate its product and attain a substantial competitive advantage. During the past decade, for example, ASARCO Inc. and Inco Ltd. chopped their payrolls, postponed expansion plans and otherwise retrenched. ASARCO reduced its capital expenditures and cash requirements for operations in 1984 to a level almost equal to its internally generated cash. The company's finances were also strengthened by increasing total lines of credit from outside sources, by selling common stock, and by reducing annual pension funding through a change in actuarial assumptions. Other companies returned to their traditional organizational structure where they had a demonstrated competitive strength. Consolidated Gold Fields, for instance, resumed its operation as a mining finance house. Its capital investment programs are now devoted solely to resource development. In mid-1984, at a time of firming zinc prices, Union Miniere S.A. used the opportunity to integrate its smelting capacity and to direct investment to certain subsidiaries at the expense of less viable operations. Smaller corporations realized that it was not enough just to be the low-cost producer. For example, Drummond Coal Company in Alabama, which dominates its regional market due to its low-costs, has also developed a world-wide trading capability and has placed incremental tonnage from its own mines as well as brokered coal produced by others, thereby minimizing capital risk. In Canada, Campbell Resources has exploited difficult times by acquiring assets cheaply. In the process it improved its capacity to withstand cyclical economic swings by diversifying from solely a copper and gold producer to a company based upon asbestos, coal, copper, gold and natural gas.

Jan 1, 1985

By Denton R. Wieland, Harvey T. Kennedy

The frequency of bubble formation is measured for oils from the East Texas field and the Slaughter field in cores from these fields. East Texas oil was also tested in a Slaughter core. The data checked previous results in that a definite supersatrtration may exist without the formation of bubb1es in periods of observation totaling 158 hours. Measured frequencies varied from zero at supersaturations below 14 psi to 3.1 bubbles/sec/ cu ft of rock at 40 psi supersaturation INTRODUCTION The formation of bubbles is essential in a solution gas-drive reservoir in the displacement of oil. In formations where the basic pore structure consists of fine pores or fractures connected to larger pores or crevices, bubble formation in the fine pores may be the most effective means by which the oil may be displaced, even if secondary methods are applied. The most efficient oil displacement would occur where at least one bubble would form in every pore. As the pressure decreased, the bubbles would expand, due to the gas diffusing into the bubbles, and displace the oil toward the lower pressure area around the wellbore. Kennedy and Olson' have shown that the total number of bubbles formed in a reservoir is primarily dependent upon the rate of pressure drop, the rate of diffusion of gas through oil, and surface area of the rock. The surface tension of the liquid and other characteristics of the rock may also exert an important effect, which would give a different frequency to different rocks and oils and various combinations of different rocks and oils. The purpose of this paper is to present frequency measurements on two rocks and two oils. A hydrocarbon liquid is at equilibrium with gas when it contains the maximum volume of gas in solution that it can have at the prevailing temperature and pressure. If the temperature is maintained constant and the pressure is reduced below the equilibrium pressure, the liquid is supersaturated to the extent of the difference in the two pressures until the gas comes out of solution as a free phase. As shown by previous work, and confirmed in the present investigation, the number of bubbles formed per second increases with an increase in supersaturation. Kennedy and Olson showed that a tenfold increase in the rate of pressure decline resulted in a tenfold increase in the number of bubbles formed per cubic foot of reservoir rock, e.g., for decline rates of 0.1, 1, and 10 psi/day, the number of bubbles formed per cubic foot would be 40, 400, and 4,000, respectively. For another hypothetical system, Stewart, Hunt, and Berry' estimated that for pressure declines of 0.1, 1, and 10 psi/day, the number of bubbles formed would be approximately 10, 100, and 1,000 cu ft of reservoir rock. Their value of bubbles formed is lower than given by Kennedy and Olson; however, the order of magnitude agreed satisfactorily. The rate of diffusion will also affect the number of bubbles formed. If the diffusion coefficient is high, the gas in solution in the oil surrounding a single bubble will tend to diffuse into the bubble rather than forming other bubbles. On the other hand, the formation of more bubbles will tend to occur if the diffusion coefficient is very low. In his thesis dated Aug., 1953, Wood" reports on the frequency of bubble formation in a system consisting of oil and rock from the Rangely field. In the present work, the apparatus of Wood was redesigned to allow greater precision, especially at low supersaturations, where bubble growth is slower, and detection is more difficult.

Jan 1, 1958