Search Documents

By B. D. Lichter

In a previous paper, Oelsen, Schuermann, and Hey-nertl pointed out the possibility of obtaining complete thermodynamic functions for alloy systems from calorimetric measurements alone. Specifically, if the heat content of a heterogeneous, multicomponent system is known as a function of temperature and composition, then it is possible to derive the heats, entropies, and free energies of formation of liquid phases and of solid intermediate phases of fixed composition. The authors present equations and graphical techniques applicable to eutectic systems and systems with intermediate phases without solid solubility at lower temperatures. eijering has considered possible extension of the treatment to systems with complete solid-state miscibility at lower temperatures; however, experimental difficulties practically restrict the method to systems with very limited miscibility in the solid state. The purpose of this note is to present an alternative derivation of the heats and entropies of formation of liquid phases and of solid intermediate phases from heat-content measurements alone. Fig. 1 shows three types of phase diagram to which the analysis may be applied. If the heat content is determined as a function of composition x, at temperature T, we have quite generally and the heat of mixing of the liquid is obtained directly from heat-content measurements. If the temperature T lies in a two-phase region (solid-liquid) then

Jan 1, 1967

By F. A. Olson, S. L. Pohlman

A unique method of measuring weight loss as a function 3 of time, with a sensitivity of 10-5 grams, while leaching copper minerals with a flowing acid leach solution has been developed. Kinetic results obtained coupled with visual and microprobe analyses show topochemical reaction for the leaching of chrysocolla with sulfuric acid. The kinetics follow a shrinking core model and show ion diffusion through a product layer, chemical reaction at the unreacted core interface and mass transfer through the boundary layer as being important.

Jan 1, 1974

By Jesus P. Manzano

The report of which this paper is a summary was made in 1890 for the Compania Investigadora Mexicana y Americana. Since the region examined covers 900 sq. kilom., chiefly of wooded arid rocky hills, almost without roads, and for the most part uninhabited, While the examination had to be made in two months, of which period more than 15 days were continuously rainy, I need not say that this account is not complete and thorough. I. Geography and Topography. The center of this zone, 19 kilom. SW. of San Luis Potosi, is situated in lat. 21° 24' N., and long. 2° 3' W. of Mexico City. The altitude ranges from 1866 m. (that of San Luis) to . 2816 m. (that of the Realito mountain), in the Sierra de Sail Luis. The topography is hilly—partly wooded, partly bare. The principal more level areas are the Bledos valley on the south, and portions of the haciendas of Tepetates, San Fran cisco and Santiago, on the west. The water-supply is scanty. The two streams that cross the Zone, the Santiago and Bledos rivers, carry water nearly the year through, though much reduced in the dry season. Other streams are torrents of less importance. All the waters of the valley and Sierra of Sail Luis arc absorbed or sink, not passing beyond Soledad de los Ranchos. The Continental di vide is within the Zone, some waters going west to the Pacific, others east to the Gulf of Mexico. II. Geology. Concerning the geology of this district I condense the fol lowing from the memoir, Las Minas de Guanajuato, prepared for the Minister of Fomento by Senor Pedro Lopez Monroy, mining engineer, with which I am entirely in accord. He says, ill substance:

Jan 1, 1902

By A. T. Yu

On March 18, 1964, the 52,000 dwt ore carrier M/S Houn Maru called at the port of Coquimbo, Chile, on its maiden voyage to take iron ore to Japan. This marked the first time a vessel of this size ever arrived at Coquimbo, and the event promises to drastically accelerate henceforth iron ore exports from Coquimbo province. This was made possible by the use of a versatile shiploading system recently installed by Cia. Minera Santa Fe. Coquimbo has no mechanized loading facilities other than six conventional 5-ton cargo cranes. Limited space on shore further complicates the stocking problems. To make the best of what is available, a meticulously organized semi-hand-loading system has been developed through the years.

Jan 5, 1964

By L. F. Bishop

THE ore bodies of the Butte district1 are found in many different vein systems having many different structural characteristics; some are narrow with self-supporting ore but with weak walls; some are wide with weak or strong ore and weak walls; some of the veins dip steeply and others do not; some have well defined walls, and others, in the "horsetail" area, are mined to sample limits. Consequently, many types of stoping methods are used in mining these ores. The stoping methods used in the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's properties are the square-set and cut-and-fill. The square-set method is the principal stoping method used because, generally speaking, the ore and walls are weak, the ore is high grade, and good extraction is required. These square-set stopes may be classified as conventional, vertical slice, slot, timber rill, and Mitchell slice types. The conventional type square-sets are those of various shapes and sizes, mined by horizontal slicing to the boundaries of the stopes. The rock is slid to the chute and the filling is moved by gravity. The ore and waste may be handled with a scraper when local conditions require it. The vertical-slice square-set system is the type used in narrow veins that are mined in vertical panels. The slot stopes are stopes in wide veins that employ a slot across the vein instead of a con- ventional chute to handle the ore. The timber rill fs a type of square set in which the ore is mined as in inclined cut and fill but the square-set timber is used. The Mitchell slice is the type used for some broken or heavy ore blocks, or for pillar extraction between two converging slot stopes. The cut-and-fill method is used where the ore will stand without much support although the walls may be weak. The principal type of this method is the horizontal cut-and-fill, with mechanical scraping. The inclined cut-and-fill, or rill, stopes are used in some veins too narrow for scraping. The production from the various meth: ods in use for the second six months of 1944 are shown in Table I. [ ] This paper deals mainly with the vertical slice and slot types of square-set stoping, because of their effect on production locally and their potential possibilities here and in other districts, with sufficient reference to conventional square-setting for comparison.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. Douglas, D. N. Collins, J. R. Stevens

E. Douglas (Dept. of Scientific and lndustrial Re-search, Warren Spring Laboratory, Hertfordshire, England) — The authors are to be congratulated on the considerable improvements they have made in tailoring efficiency and selectivity terms which are generally superior to the alternative forms in current use. However, I feel that their efficiency expression is limited to lower-grade feeds; its accuracy reduces as the feed grade increases. For example, its application to such processes as the beneficiation of glass sands, refractories and clays will invoIve considerable inaccuracies. The reason for this lies in the direct use of recovery, which, with high-grade feeds, biases their empirical expression, R(1 - c/h). With a 90% grade feed, the recovery weighting for the slightest degree of beneficiation, over a zero efficiency sampling operation, will be 90+%+ I disagree with their second basic requirement which states that there can be no fundamental basis for any single quantifying expression. A formula giving a comprehensive representation of concentra- tion efficiency can be derived fundamentally accord-to the procedure outlined in the literature. '' This formula, called the Basic Efficiency formula, is

Jan 1, 1963

By Ling Yang, John Henderson

Self-diffusion coefficients of copper in molten copper have been measured by the capillary reservoir method in the temperature range 1140o to 1260°C. The results can be represented by the equation D = [(1.46 * 0.01) x 10-3) exp [(-9710 * 710)/RT] cm2/sec. The energy of activation agrees within the limit of experimental uncertainty with that for viscous flow. The relationship between the diffusivity and coefficient of viscosity is best described by the equation D = kT/4pnr cm2/sec. MEASUREMENT was made of the self-diffusion coefficient of copper in molten copper in the temperature range 1413º to 1533ºK, using the capillary reservoir technique and CU64 as the radioactive tracer.The procedures for filling the capillaries, making the diffusion run and evaluating Dcu from the counting results were the same as described previously.1,2 All experimental operations involving the melt were carried out in a purified argon atmosphere. A graphite crucible, enclosed in a McDanel tube, was used as a container for the melt because of its satisfactory nature as a refractory material and the low solubility of carbon in copper. Graphite was also used for the capillary material. A McDanel thermocouple sheath, to which graphite radiation shields were affixed, was used to hold the capillaries. By moving this sheath through a rubber seal at the top of the McDanel tube, the capillaries could be lowered into or raised out of the melt. A Globar furnace with a constant temperature zone (± 2°C) of 2 in. was used to heat the assembly. The temperature of the furnace was the equilibrium value corresponding to a given setting of the transformer. Temperature was measured with a Pt-10 pct Rh/Pt thermocouple and varied during a run

Jan 1, 1962

Carlisle: An old friend and good friend, Alan Bateman, is the Silliman Professor of Geology Emeritus at Yale and editor of the Journal of Economic Geology. Now, Alan, let's start off by telling us something about how you became interested in copper. Bateman: Well, after I left Yale in 1913, I was appointed one of the field members of the Secondary Enrichment Investigation. We spent three years in the field studying all the copper deposits of North America, trying to find out how secondary copper enrichment took place. As part of this investigation, I went up to Kennecott, Alaska, in 1916. After the trip I was asked by the president of the company to become consulting geologist to them. I accepted his offer, and to this day I'm still consulting geologist to the Kennecott Copper Corp. Up at Kennecott, there were both Henry Krumb and my good friend Henry DeWitt Smith, who was general superintendent. He and I had been together at Yale, and I had ushered at his wedding. Interestingly enough, Henry took his bride to Alaska and I took mine there two months later. My assistant was Don McLaughlin, and I think that was his first experience in a mining camp. We published a paper on Kennecott together and cemented a friendship lasting to this day.

Jan 11, 1964

By Martin G. Castro, Renato G. Bautista, Morton Smutz

During the last 25 years, multistage mixer-settlers have been used extensively for liquid ion exchange work. The mixer-settler has the advantage of being a compact device in which a large number of stages can be assembled in a relatively small area. They are particularly advantageous for the separation of rare earths. Most of the adjacent rare earths have separation factors which are near one, which means that a large number of stages are needed to produce a good separation. When two elements (m, n) are extracted simultaneously, the separation factor (ßm, n) is defined as: [ ] where Ym, Yn are the molarities of the respective elements in the organic phase and Xm, Xn, are their molarities in the aqueous phase at equilibrium. The industrial consumption of rare earth oxides rose to over 6800 tons in 1968, an increase of 33% over 1967.1 The increased production and demand for rare earth and lanthanum chlorides for petroleum cracking catalysts was one of the principal factors in this increased consumption of rare earths. In 1968 approximately 59% of the rare earth oxides produced were used for gasoline cracking catalysts in the form of rare earth and lanthanum chlorides. There was also an increase in the sales of lanthanum oxides for use in optical lenses and in fiber optics. The future looks good for the rare earth industry. The rare earths can be expected to be used in many new products which are being developed. Until the late 1950's tributyl phosphate (TBP) was the principal solvent used in rare earth liquid ion exchange. In 1957 Peppard3 reported the use of di (2-ethyl-hexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as a solvent for separating the rare earths. Rare earth separation factors of up to 2.5 were obtained in nitrate and chloride systems while the maximum separation factor using the

Jan 1, 1972

By B. M. Larsen, J. W. Campbell

Several articles have recently been published discussing the conditions necessary for accurate measurements of temperatures in the open-hearth steel furnace. In the course of a study of refractories service conditions in steel furnaces, the present writers have taken temperatures in several open-hearth shops in the Pittsburgh district. The conclusions, as to conditions necessary for accurate measurements of temperature, are somewhat at variance with those of other investigators. The subject is closely connected both with the close control of steel-making and the prevention of overheating of the silica refractories used in roofs and walls. It is becoming more and more important to obtain furnace temperatures of fairly definitely known accuracy. At present, the most useful instrument for such measurements is the disappearing-filament type of optical pyrometer. This method of measurement has formed the basis of most other discussions on the subject and was also used by the writers. Previous Investigations In 1916, Burgess' made perhaps the first systematic series of measurements in steel furnaces. The emissivity figures of 0.40 for liquid steel and of 0.53 to 0.65 for liquid slags had been determined by the Bureau of Standards and were used by Burgess in this work. These correction factors are still being used and are regarded as fairly accurate, so that the tapping and teeming temperatures on metal streams given by Burgess should be very nearly correct. Most of his temperatures of furnace roofs and slag surfaces were taken while flames were present in the furnaces and include a few roof temperatures above 1700' C. (3100' F.).

Jan 1, 1927

By L. A. Updegraff

Before discussing the application of capacitance for the measurement of moisture content in a moving stream of coal it might be well to first give a brief description of the process and then show how it can be applied to the coal industry. A capacitor may be described as a device having two conductors separated by an insulator, the conductors hereafter being designated as a test cell or test plates and the insulator as the dielectric. Capacitance, therefore, is a measure of the ability of a capacitor to store an electrical charge. Two basic factors that affect capacitance are the dimensions of the capacitor and the dielectric constant of the insulator. Capacitor dimensions which affect its capacity are the area A of the conductive surface, and the distance d between plates. Capacitance is inversely proportional to the distance between plates and directly proportional to area A, so if capacitance is indicated as C and the dielectric constant as K the equation for capacitance would be C = AK/d. The dielectric constant can be described as the ratio of the actual capacitance of any given material to that of a vacuum, which is unity. In industrial applications the area of the plates remains constant as also does the distance between them, leaving the dielectric constant as the only variable to affect the capacitance measurement. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an r-f excited capacitance bridge in which a test cell is part of the circuit. This bridge consists of four capacitors in two pairs connected across an a-c voltage source. In one side of the circuit the two capacitors are fixed but in the other side they are variable, one being the rebalance capacitor operated by the servo motor and the other the test plates between which the dielectric passes. Capacity of the plates is a function of the dielectric constant of the material between them and is measured at radio frequency. Within the recording instrument is an r-f oscillator and a 60 c ps modulator. The radio frequency signal is generated by the oscillator, modulated by a 60 cps wave, and sent to the bridge. Therefore the signal entering the capacitive bridge is a radio frequency carrier with a 60 cycle envelope, If the bridge is in balance as the signal enters there would be no voltage drop and so no output by the detector. As long as the dielectric constant remains the same the bridge will stay in balance. However, any change in the dielectric constant, which in this case would be a change in moisture content, would affect the bridge. Higher moisture increases the capacity of the test cell which causes less voltage to develop across it causing imbalance of the bridge. This in turn causes a radio frequency signal to appear at the detector. Output from the detector is a 60 cycle ripple which is in proportion to the imbalance of the circuit. A 60 cycle amplifier boosts the detector signal to enough power to drive the servo motor which positions the recording pen and also rotates the variable capacitor, to which it is mechanically connected, to bring the bridge back in balance. An increase in moisture causes the servo motor to rotate in one direction, but a decrease causes imbalance in the opposite direction, and thus rotates the motor in that direction. This brings the bridge back in balance and stops the motor. The bridge shown in Figure 1 has been modified so as to provide a wide range of adjustments. Coarse and fine span adjustments located in the recording instrument are set to govern the amount of pen movement for a given change in capacitance. A measuring head unit contains coarse and fine zero adjustments for

Jan 1, 1961

By James M. Link

Slurry transport of industrial minerals has proven to be practical, economical, and efficient. Industrial minerals currently being pumped for long distances include cement, clay, phosphate, sand, and various waste product from industrial mineral processing operations. This paper will touch upon the basic theory of hydraulic transport of solids and then consider the economic and engineering considerations upon which construction and operation of such a line would be based. Where possible, actual cost data will be presented.

Jan 1, 1974

By R. W. Bartlett

DISILICIDE coatings, MeSi2, on refractory metals are usually grown by a solid-state diffusion reaction similar to the parabolic oxidation of metals. Two or more silicide compounds occur in each of the binary silicon-refractory metal systems. When an adequate source of silicon is available during the coating process, the lower silicide compounds are usually not formed.1 However, during service application of the coated refractory metal, continued heating causes further diffusion and growth of the lower silicides. A study of the growth kinetics of the lower silicides in the molybdenum and tungsten binary systems with silicon was previously reported.2 The present study is concerned with the growth kinetics of Ta5Si3 and Cb5Si3, formed as conjugate layers between TaSi2/Ta and CbSi2/Cb diffusion couples, respectively. Diffusion couples consisting of disilicide-coated tantalum and columbium sheet coupons were subjected to diffusion heat treatments, cross-sectioned, and scanned by an electron-microprobe analyzer to determine the relative X-ray intensity profiles. These profiles correspond closely to concentration profiles for the constituents, and were used to identify phases and locate phase boundaries. The analysis of a single specimen after a diffusion-anneal provides only one value for the Me5Si3 phase thickness, corresponding to the time and temperature of the diffusion treatment. Consequently, each isothermal curve showing the rate of accumulation or depletion of silicide phases required several samples with identical diffusion temperatures but different diffusion times. The disilicide coatings were prepared by pyrolizing commercially pure silane in a hydrogen carrier gas. The hydrogen was purified by passage through a palladium membrane. Commercially pure tantalum and columbium sheet metal coupons, 0.005 by $ by 2 in., were used. All of the coated specimens for each system were prepared together in a single group in order to minimize coating variations among individual specimens. During pyrolysis, the brightness temperature was maintained at 1200°C. With suitable flow rates at this temperature, only the disilicides of tantalum and columbium were formed in detectable amounts. Coated specimens were subjected to diffusion an-neals in a tube furnace with automatic proportional control within ±10°C. A H2-Ar mixture, deoxidized and dried over anhydrous magnesium perchlorate, was used to prevent oxidation during the diffusion anneal. Diffusion couples were cross-sectioned, polished and examined with an A.R.L. electron-microprobe X-ray analyzer. Both metal constituents in each specimen were simultaneously scanned using a 1-p beam spot size and either 1- or 2-µ steps. Analyses were performed using the Ka radiation of columbium and silicon, and the La, radiation of tantalum. For all specimens, an acceleration voltage of 30 kv was used, and integration was made against the specimen current. LiF and A DP monochrometers were used to isolate characteristic radiations. Three or more traverses were made on each specimen. The intensity scales were adjusted using the constituent metals and standard samples of the silicide compounds which had been verified by X-ray diffraction. The relative intensity profiles were used directly, in conjunction with the standard samples, to identify compounds and phase boundaries. The stoichiometries differ considerably between the silicide compounds in both systems, and the homogeneity range for these silicide compounds is narrow. These characteristics result in marked differences in relative intensities of the fluorescing elements—differences which permit ready identification of phases and phase boundaries. Projections of both electron back-scattered images and characteristic

Jan 1, 1967

By M. Cross

INTRODUCTION The results of the Japanese dissective investigations have [l-4] transformed our understanding of how the blast furnace operates. These studies revealed an internal structure of the furnace burden with five main zones, as illustrated in Figure 1. In the granular zone the charged material retains its structure whereas in the cohesive zone the iron ore particles are at advanced stages of reduction and form a semi-molten mass with a relatively high flow resistance. In the active coke zone molten iron and slag flow through a matrix of loosely packed coke. The raceway is a relatively small void space generated by displacement of coke due to the hot blast momentum, whilst the hearth is packed with coke, slag and molten iron. [ ] It is now well appreciated that furnace control is largely achieved and maintained by using the burden charge distribution to determine the gas glow distribution within the furnace and, hence, the shape and extent of the cohesive zone. In fact, Wakayama et a1 [5] of Nippon Steel Corporation state that optimum furnace operation is synonomous with the formation of a desirable cohesive zone shape, which in turn is almost solely determined by the burden charge distribution and its mechanical properties [6]. Much of the development work on operating furnaces since the dissective investigations has been oriented towards the identification of external furnace measures which reliably predict the shape of the cohesive zone. Currently the most popular measures are top gas temperature, velocity and CO/CO, ratio profiles [5]. More recently pressure distributions as evaluated from a series of wall measurements down the height of the furnace are also being utilised [7] to identify the position and shape of the cohesive zone. A great deal of emphasis has been placed upon achieving a consistent quality in the burden charge materials, establishing a suitable set of operating conditions and only making changes when forced to, ie., the operation for some reason moves outside a desired operating range or the production requirements change. Operational control schemes based upon this philosophy (eg., Kawasaki's GO-STOP system [8]) have been remarkably successful at achieving both high production rates and relatively low fuel costs. Mathematical models have long been used as tools to assist in the analysis of the blast furnace process. Although, the models have been useful in post-operative analysis and for identifying trends, etc., they have not proved reliable for detailed design criteria or as the basis for effective control schemes. Such mathematical models have moved from simple statistical correlation, through overall and stagewise heat-and-mass balance calcu-

Jan 1, 1984

By Frederic Benard

PRIOR to 1936, the Ontario Refining Co. received all incoming blister copper from The International Nickel Company's smelter in the usual form of 460-lb. cakes, or slabs. These were received in open cars in lots of 250 pieces. At the refinery the cakes were unloaded onto narrow-gauge cars, for convenient handling and pickup by charging cranes. In March 1936, an investigation was started on the feasibility of transferring converter copper in the molten state from the smelter to the refinery anode furnaces, a distance of 1 ¼ miles. Although common in steel practice, the transportation of blister copper in this form had not previously been attempted and a preliminary study of the various factors involved was therefore necessary. For this purpose, a series of experiments was made in which molten copper, removed at different stages during the furnace cycle, was held in a small portable holding furnace. This vessel was essentially a refractory-lined steel cylinder provided with ports for filling and emptying, heated by an oil burner. Dimensions of the steel shell were 3 ft. 10 in. diameter by 7 ft. 3 in. long, and thickness of refractories depended on the design and combination used for the particular experiment. The vessel was filled with approximately 2 ½ tons of copper at a predetermined temperature, the lining having been preheated to a definite point by means of an oil burner. All openings were well luted and temperature readings were made every 15 min. by means of an immersion-type thermocouple. In this manner the rate of heat loss resulting with different refractory design could be developed. The ratio of exterior surface to weight of metal was taken into consideration in comparing the experimental results with what might be expected for a full-sized unit, and observations were also made on type and degree of slag accretion. It was not possible to get as much information on this latter point as desirable, but all evidence showed that the problem would be control of slag build-up rather than attack on refractories. From the information derived, and in consultation with the engineering staff of the supplying company, an order was placed for the first

Jan 1, 1938

By W. H. Bassett

THE ease and value of the application of spectrum analysis to industrial chemistry appears to be appreciated in few of the large works laboratories of this country. For 8 years, this analysis has been of great value to the authors in both analytical and metallurgical work. To the analyst the complete qualitative analysis of an unknown alloy, revealed by a spectrogram, is a sure basis for the planning of the most direct and rapid method of attack. As the determination of each element proceeds, the purity of precipitates may be checked as often as desired. The spectrograph proves invaluable in the recognition of impurities, the separation of which would entail a lengthy and difficult procedure, or when the weight of an unknown is less than is necessary to complete the desired determinations. A few hundredths of a gram will usually suffice for spectrographic analysis. In the separation of the rarer elements, the spectrograph will show, with precision, the point where each step has been successful. In zinc of certain classes, indium, gallium, and germanium have been isolated in this way; the presence of antimony in lake coppers has been proved; and bismuth has been detected in zinc and in alloys where the presence of a few thousandths of a per cent. would be harmful. An antimony precipitate in a delicate determination may contain a considerable proportion of tin or arsenic, both of which will be revealed. The spectrograph is consequently important to the metallurgist as well as to the analyst.

Jan 2, 1922

By E. J. Haug, K. L. Clifford, K. L. Purdy

St. Joe Minerals Corp.'s Southeast Missouri Mining and Milling Division produces lead, zinc and copper sulfide concentrates at three of its operations. The Viburnum and Fletcher mills have been described in previous papers. The new Bushy Creek mill, dedicated in May of 1973, is an updated version of the Fletcher mill incorporating 8.5 m3 (300 cu ft) lead and zinc

Jan 2, 1979

By F. Keller, E. H. Dix, L. A. Willey

The consideration of alloying elements for aluminum has led to a series of investigations of the equilibrium relations between aluminum and those alloying elements. Therefore, the aluminum end of the aluminum-antimony diagram has been studied. The general form of the aluminum-antimony equilibrium diagram has been worked out by Campbell and Mathewsi and by Tammann.2 Canlpbell and mathews described principally the beginning of solidification. They found the curve of beginning of solidification rising gradually from the melting point of pure alunlinum to a maximum at about 67 per cent. aluminum. After a slight lowering of the curve at a little greater antimony concentration the curve again rises to a maximum at 18.4 per cent. aluminum, which corresponds to the compound AISb. The curve then drops to the melting point of pure antimony. Tamrriarln explained the maximum occurring at about 67 per cent. aluminum as the result of the slow formation of the single compound AISb. The space lattice of the compound AISb, according to Owen and Preaton,³ is face-centered cubic, the antimony atoms being intermeshed with an identical aluminum lattice. Very little, if any, work has been done on aluminum alloys containing small amounts of antimony. The Present Investigation It has been the purpose of this investigation to determine the solid solubility of antimony in aluminum and also to investigate the eutectic temperature and concentration. The experimental work has been carried out in a manner similar to that described in a previous paper4 from this laboratory.

Jan 1, 1931

By R. E. Old

Through the use of pressure and production records, formation properties and bottom-hole sample data, the performance of an oil reservoir may be studied analytically to define and evaluate the natural forces acting on and within the reservoir. Use is made of material-halance methods and the equations for natural water encroachment. to estimate reserves. Methods for calculation of pressures are given. A study of the Jones sand, Schuler field, Arkansas, has been made and is given here to illustrate the value of the methods discussed. Introduction With the decreasing rate of discovery of new oil reserves, attention is necessarily focused on the efficient development, evaluation, and production of existing reserves. From the nation's viewpoint, the necessity of conserving resources is obvious. From the operator's viewpoint, the problem is to lengthen the period of profitable operation, in an attempt to increase the return on his investment. To do this the operator must take advantage of the natural forces acting on and within the reservoir. Natural water encroachment, the nemesis of profitable operation in the past, can be and is being harnessed to produce a greater oil recovery during the stage of flowing production. Proper evaluation of water encroachment rates and a fuller under- standing of reservoir behavior dictate the appropriate production procedures. Complacency in hit and miss production is obsolete. Oil production must and will approach the efficiency of other businesses, such as manufacturing. A manufacturer will not place an article on the market until he has fully investigated the processes involved, additional investment in equipment, costs of production, and expected profits. These may be modified by actual experience at a later date, but at least he begins with an idea of expected return. It is just as logical that an oil operator should investigate these same factors during the development and the early period of production of an oil reserve. The complexity of the problems existing in oil reservoirs should not be underestimated. Conversely, they should not be regarded as insoluble. Many completely defy solution, but there are others that can be solved completely or attacked intelligently to yield approximate results. The petroleum engineer has many tools, both figuratively and literally, at his disposal. Physical data such as core analyses, electrical logs, bottom-hole sample analyses, and bottom-hole pressures are accumulated extensively. Advances in the analytics of fluid flow have kept pace with the advances in measurement of physical data. It is the purpose of this paper to show how some of these records may be analyzed to define certain phases of reservoir behavior.

Jan 1, 1943