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By J. Geertsma

The relationship between porosity and the speed of propagation of acoustic waves in fluid-saturated porous rocks as measured by the Sonic log and by ultrasonic tecbniques is analyzed. Biot's continuum theory 1 is used to explain the difference in acoustic wave propagation between a dry and a liquid-saturated porous material. The porosity is a variable in this theory. However, the acoustic wave propagation in the dry rock depends too on porosity, and this dependence is not predicted by the theory. Frequently in dry sandstones, a nearly linear relationship between reciprocal acoustic wave velocity and porosity is observed in the low-porosity range. The physics behind this behavior is outlined. An empirical relationship of the form, 1/v = A + F, applies accordingly for many porous dry rocks, provided the porosity is the only variable. The presence of a liquid in the pores changes the value of B, and this change is found to be in agreement with the Biot theory. The time-average relation introduced some years ago2 results in an equation of the same type — 1/V = F/Vf + (1 - F)/Vr — but is not based on a sound physical picture. Still, this relation sometimes predicts approximately correct A and B values. Carbonate rocks with their complicated pore structures sometimes show a different relationship between wave velocity and porosity, unfavorable for log interpretation. Examples are presented. The simultaneous presence of calcite, dolomite and anhydrite, with their different grain densities and matrix compressibilities, complicates acoustic-log interpretation in carbonate rocks still further. Other complicating effects of acoustic-log interpretation are discussed. They are related to the influence of shale streaks and natural fractures on the average wave velocity observed by the logging tool and to the effect of adsorption phenomena on wave propagation in unstressed rocks particularly in sandstones. INTRODUCTION The velocity of propagation of sound waves in porous sediments as a function of depth is a quantity frequently measured. Velocity loggers of various d-sign may be used, for which velocity is defined as the. distance between a wave generator and a wave detector (one-receiver system) or the distance between two wave detectors (two-receiver system), divided by the shortest time required for a vibrational pulse to cross this distance. Velocity loggers ale used to assist in seismic prospecting, to differentiate between the various types of sedimentary rock layers, and also to determine rock porosity and pore fluid content. This paper is especially concerned with the relation between velocity and porosity and the effect of the pore fluid. Most velocity-log interpretation in terms of porosity is based on a formula advocated by Wyllie, et al,2 suggested earlier by Hughes and Jones,3 and known as the "time-average relation". This formula app1ies for a model consisting of a layered system of parallel alternating slices of a solid and a liquid, crossed by the wave path perpendicular to the interfacrbs. This must be an unsuitable model for the derivation of wave propagation properties of liquid-saturated porous media. It suggests that only rock matrix and fluid properties influence the wave velocity. The surprising fact, nevertheless, is that applications of this formula to clean sandstones under specific conditions (sufficient effective stress) results in porosity predictions which are close to reality. Other authors, such as Gassmann,4 White and Sengbush,5 Brandt,6 and Hicks and Berry,7 make use of more realistic models to arrive at a wave velocity formula for porous sediments. Their models consist of various liquid-saturated packings of frictionless spherical grains and are, therefore, also highly idealized. A number of experimental results obtained in the laboratory can be better explained with these model theories than by the time-average relation. A study of a general character, not depending a priori on a special model of the porous structure, was still lacking.

By M. G. Corson

Until recently, the characteristics of cast copper have seldom been studied and such study as has been made has been inadequate. The prevailing idea seems to be that since pure copper is infrequently used in the cast stlate, there is no reason for trying to establish precise data regarding the properties of the metal in that condition. On the other hand, wrought copper either in the shape of sheets or wire rarely fails in service, except as a result of the action of reducing gases at the annealing temperatures, so there is little incentive to study the properties of the cast shapes —cakes, bars, ingots and billets—for the sake of tracing the causes of failures of the wrought metal to the cast stock. However, about a decade ago, wirebars of American origin often cracked badly while being hot-rolled in mills in Germany. This Icd to four investigations: by E. Seidl and E. Schieboldll by P. Siebe12 by 0. Bauer and G. Sachs,3 and by G. Welter.4 These authors came to the conclusion that failures in hot-rolling were due essentially to the presence of a wide zone of columnar crystals between t'he thin layer of fine crystal5 near the surfaces of the bars and the large but more nearly equiaxed grains of the central core. This macrostructural defect was explained in turn by the probable upward deviation in the temperature of the metal while it was being poured into the molds of the castling machine. More recently, cast shapes of copper were investigated by X. 1'. Allenh and by C. Blazey. Allen examined vertically cast wirebars and hori-zontally cast wedge cakes of electrolytic tough-pitch copper, but only for the distribution of densities; i.e., porosity. Blazey was interested mainly in the mechanism of the variations in electrical conductivity due to cold-work and anneal, but gave introductively an account of the composi-tion and average densities of the tough-pitch horizontally cast Wirebars used. As far as the present writer can tell, no investigation mas under-taken for the sake of presenting a picture of the distribution of mechanical characteristics in the wirebars of copper, or otherwise.

Jan 1, 1938

By M. G. Corson

Until recently, the characteristics of cast copper have seldom been studied and such study as has been made has been inadequate. The prevailing idea seems to be that since pure copper is infrequently used in the cast stlate, there is no reason for trying to establish precise data regarding the properties of the metal in that condition. On the other hand, wrought copper either in the shape of sheets or wire rarely fails in service, except as a result of the action of reducing gases at the annealing temperatures, so there is little incentive to study the properties of the cast shapes —cakes, bars, ingots and billets—for the sake of tracing the causes of failures of the wrought metal to the cast stock. However, about a decade ago, wirebars of American origin often cracked badly while being hot-rolled in mills in Germany. This Icd to four investigations: by E. Seidl and E. Schieboldll by P. Siebe12 by 0. Bauer and G. Sachs,3 and by G. Welter.4 These authors came to the conclusion that failures in hot-rolling were due essentially to the presence of a wide zone of columnar crystals between t'he thin layer of fine crystal5 near the surfaces of the bars and the large but more nearly equiaxed grains of the central core. This macrostructural defect was explained in turn by the probable upward deviation in the temperature of the metal while it was being poured into the molds of the castling machine. More recently, cast shapes of copper were investigated by X. 1'. Allenh and by C. Blazey. Allen examined vertically cast wirebars and hori-zontally cast wedge cakes of electrolytic tough-pitch copper, but only for the distribution of densities; i.e., porosity. Blazey was interested mainly in the mechanism of the variations in electrical conductivity due to cold-work and anneal, but gave introductively an account of the composi-tion and average densities of the tough-pitch horizontally cast Wirebars used. As far as the present writer can tell, no investigation mas under-taken for the sake of presenting a picture of the distribution of mechanical characteristics in the wirebars of copper, or otherwise.

Jan 1, 1938

By A. Gatti, R. L. Fullman

A very fine dispersion of aluminum oxide is produced by internal oxidation of solid-solution alloy of 0.14 pet A1 in Ag. The particle size of the aluminum oxide is approximntely 50 to 100A in radius. The yield strength of the alloy is increased markedly by internal oxidation. A further increase in strength is produced by cold working the internally oxidized alloy. Recrystallization is retarded by the finely dispessed aluminum oxide particles, so that the strength increase resulting from cold work is retained on annealing at temperatures 14 to about 700°C. MANY workers'-3 in the past have studied various aspects of the internal oxidation of aluminum-silver alloys. This paper is an extension of these studies with emphasis placed on the effect of time and temperature of annealing on the strength of these alloys after oxidation and subsequent cold working. Two general conditions are necessary to internally oxidize an alloy. First, oxygen must diffuse through the base material more rapidly than does the addition; otherwise oxidation will take place as a surface layer. Secondly, the affinity of oxygen for the addition must be greater than for the base material. After internal oxidation of certain alloys takes place, a marked increase in hardness accompanied by higher yield stress and improved creep properties is noted, presumably as a result of the highly dispersed oxide within the base material. Meijering and Druyvesteyn1 also noted that the internally oxidized portion of a partly oxidized alloy failed to recrys-tallize under annealing conditions that led to coinplete recrystallization of the unoxidized part. EXPERIMENTAL-METHODS AND PROCEDURES Few alloys can be made to contain a second phase that is extremely stable at high temperatures. Silver plus aluminum in solid solution was chosen for these internal oxidation studies because of the high rate of oxygen diffusion through silver and the very stable nature of aluminum oxide. Two alloys were vacuum cast. The nominal compositions were: Alloy A—1 pct Al, balance Ag; Alloy B—0.1 pct Al, balance Ag. Chemical analysis, which does not distinguish between aluminum and aluminum oxide, showed the conlposition to be: Alloy A—1.6 pct Al, and Alloy B—0.14 pct Al. The ingots were machined for surface cleaning, swaged and drawn to 0.020-in. diam wire. A sample 20 ft long of the 0.020-in. dianl wire of each composition was annealed 24 hr at 800°C in pure dry hydrogen. Each wire was then cut into two equal pieces. Photomicrographs of the 0.14 pct A1 alloy are shown in Fig. 1, the annealed 0.020-in. wire at the left and the oxidized wire to the right. The oxidation treatment for the first set of data was 1000 hr at 800°C in air. After this treatment the 1 pct A1 proved to be brittle. It is assumed that high alunlinum oxide concentration at the grain boundaries was responsible. The 0.14 pct Al wire remained ductile and all further data were derived using this alloy. One-half of this wire, about 5 ft, plus 5 ft of as-homogenized wire, was then drawn cold to 0.005 in. diam. All tensile tests were conducted with an Instron Engineering Corp. tensile-testing machine, Model TT-B. Unless otherwise indicated, the tests were made at room temperature with a strain rate of 0.1 per min. All metallographic samples were etched with an aqueous solution of 2 pct each of CrO3 and H2SO4 . EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION PARTICLE SIZE DETERMINATION A study was made of the particle size of the aluminum oxide produced in the samples of Ag + 0.14 pct Al, oxidized 1000 hr at 800°C. A cross section of the as-oxidized wire was mounted in bakelite, polished, and etched with an aqueous solution of 2 pct each of CrO3 and H2SO4. The specimen was then thoroughly cleaned by stripping successive coatings made by applying 10 pct nitrocellulose in amyl acetate. The final replica of the cross section was made by applying 2 pct nitrocellulose in amyl acetate. The replica was stripped, transferred to a copper screen, shadow cast with chromium at 10 deg and photographs taken using a Phillips Metallix electron microscope at an accelerating potential of 100 kv. A photograph of an etched sample of the as-oxidized material is shown in Fig. 2. We believe the pits in the photograph are places were A12O3 inclusions were sitting in the matrix. By inspection, it appears that the volume fraction ob-

Jan 1, 1960

By I. R. Kramer

Studies of the effect of size of the specimen on the change of slopes of Stages I and 11 by surface removal showed that the change of Stage I was independent of size with respect to the polishing rate; however, the change in the slope of Stage 11 with polishing rate increased directly in proportion to the surface area. The removal of the surface during the test affected the plastic deformation characteristics of gold, aluminum, and zinc single crystals and polycrystalline aluminum. The apparent activation energy of aluminum was found to be decreased markedly by removing the surface during the deformation process. In previous papers1-3 it was shown that the surface played an important role in the plastic deformation of metals. By removing the surface layers of a crystal of aluminum by electrolytic polishing during tensile deformation, it was found that the slopes of Stages I, II, and III were decreased and the extents of Stages I and II were increased when the rate of metal removal was increased. By removing a sufficient amount of the surface layer after a specimen had been deformed into the Stage I region, upon reloading, the flow stress was the same as the original critical resolved shear stress and the extent of Stage I was the same as if the specimen had not been deformed previously. The slope of Stage I was decreased 50 pct and that of Stage 11 decreased 25 pct when the rate of metal removal was 50 X 10"5 ipm. These data show that in Stage I the work hardening is controlled almost entirely by the surface conditions, while in Stages 11 and III both surface conditions and internal obstacles to dislocation motion are important. It appears that during the egress of dislocations from the crystal, a fraction of them becomes stuck or trapped in the surface regions and a layer of a high dislocation concentration is formed. This layer would not only impede the motion of dislocations, but would provide a barrier against which dislocations may pile up. In this case, there will be a stress, opposite to that of the applied stress, imposed on the dislocation source and dislocations moving in the region beyond this layer. It has been found convenient to refer to this layer as a "debris" layer. The "debris" layer may be similar to the dislocation tangle observed by thin-film electron microscope techniques.4 Reported in this paper are the results of studies on the effects of removing the surface during plastic deformation on aluminum crystals of various sizes. The effects of the surface on the yield point behavior of gold and high-purity aluminum crystals as well as the creep behavior were also determined. The effects of surface removal on polycrystalline aluminum (1100-0 and 7075-T6) are also reported. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE For those portions of the investigation involving creep and tensile specimens, single crystals, having a 3-in. gage length and a nominal 1/8-in. sq cross section, were prepared by a modified Bridgman technique using a multiple-cavity graphite mold. The single crystals were prepared from materials which had initial purities of 99.997, 99.999, 99.999, and 99.999 pct for Al, Cu, Zn, and Au, respectively. The aluminum specimens for the size effect studies were prepared through the use of a three-tier mold in which crystals having a cross section of 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 in. were grown from a common seed. The mold design was arranged so that one 1/2-in. crystal, two 1/4-in. crystals, and four 1/8-in, crystals of the same orientation could be cast. With this technique, it was possible to obtain only one set of crystals with the same orientation. Because of this limitation, it was not possible to determine both the changes of extent and slope of the various stages since a large number of crystals of the same orientation would have been required. Instead, only the change of slope as a function of the rate of metal removal was studied by abruptly altering the current density of the electrolytic polishing bath at various strains within the regions of Stages I and 11. The experimental techniques used for the tensile studies were essentially the same as those used previously.1,3 The specimens were deformed in a 200-lb Instron tensile machine, usually at a rate of 10-5 sec-5. A methyl alcohol-nitric acid solution was used as the polishing bath for aluminum. The temperature was maintained constant within ±0.l°C by means of a water bath. The tensile machine was

Jan 1, 1963

By Arthur B. Yates

DIAMOND drilling has advanced and expanded during the past few years. Along with this increase there has been a marked trend to rely more and more upon drilling for the outlining of ore for reserve purposes. This is especially true underground, where men have not been available for opening up ore by crosscuts, drifts and raises. During the recent heavy call upon known ore reserves, more drilling has been done for exploration and it has become expedient to drill longer lateral holes from underground and deeper holes both from surface and from exploration headings in the mines. Furthermore, these deeper holes have to be drilled closely enough to warrant calculation of "probable" if not "proven" ore, from the results obtained therefrom. Interpretation of diamond-drill results has become more precise and reliable with the growing knowledge and understanding of the geologic structures that control the geometry of ore distribution, and this has broadened the field of usefulness of the drill. All of this has created a necessity and a demand for more accurate control of the hole as to direction, a more precise and reliable method of surveying for position, and a need for better and more complete core recovery, as well as larger cores, to provide an adequate sample. At depth the control becomes more difficult and, at the same time, more important. CONTROL A close study of drilling in various parts of the world for a period of more than 20 years has brought to light one definite rule, practically invariable; namely, that diamond-drill holes tend to deviate into a position normal to any structure existing in the rocks, such as bedding, schistosity, gneissosity, or even parting or jointing-even if the hole is started at almost any angle other than parallel with the structure. It also appears that the better developed the structure is, the more quickly will the hole get into a position perpendicular to it. It has often been said that there is a tendency for holes to "drift" in the direction of rotation. This is obviously untrue, for in a vertical hole the measure of deviation would depend upon the azimuth chosen as zero, and there is an infinite number of choices. It has been proved, however, that in homogeneous rocks there is a tendency for the hole to corkscrew, and that the direction of the spiral is the same as the direction of rotation. This may account for the belief that holes drift in that direction. Some tests have been made using right-hand and left-hand rods, and these show that no matter what the direction of rotation the hole will swing into a position perpendicular to the structure. Methods of Control The foregoing empirical rule may be used as an indirect method of control. If the prevailing structure is known, it may be advantageous to start the hole as nearly normal to it as possible, for the nearer the direction of the hole is to this ideal, the straighter it will remain. This, of course, is not always practical and in some cases is impossible. Usually such a

Jan 1, 1946

By C. W. Arnold, H. L. Stone, D. L. Luffel

The purpose of this research is to determine (I) the efficiency of small banks of enriched gar driven by methane in displacing oil from a porous medium and (2) the effects of variation in bank size and composition of that efficiency. Most of the experiments were conducted in a sand-packed tube 20-ft long and 1/2-in. in diameter. The hydrocarbon system generally used was methane, butane and decane at 2,500 psia and 160°F. The results of these experiments indicate that, in the regions contacted by the gas, a small bank of an oil-miscible gas driven by methane can displace all of the oil in a piston-like manner. If the enriched gas is of such composition as to remain immiscible with the oil, displacement of oil is less efficient than for the miscible case, and the gas bank travels through the sand with a velocity less than that of the driving gas. These data along with theories discussed imply that smaller banks and less total gas are required when the enriched gas and oil are miscible. INTRODUCTION Widespread application of enriched-gas drive to the recovery of oil rests upon a key factor — the use of limited quantities, or "banks", of enriched gas. At the present time, the value of liquefied petroleum gas or other enriching agents discourages their use in a continuous injection technique, or even in a large bank, except in a few isolated reservoirs. If small banks of enriched gas driven by methane were as effective in displacing oil as is continuous injection, the enriched-gas drive process might be applied to a larger number of reservoirs. Previous research on the mechanics of the enriched-gas drive process reported by Stone and Crurnpl and by Kehn, Pyndus and Gaskell has utilized continuous injection of enriched gas. This work has shown that two types of displacements occur. With gases containing sufficient intermediates. the oil is displaced misciblv and complete recovery is obtained from the regions swept. When gases are used which contain insufficient intermediate hydrocarbon for miscible displacement, oil is displaced immiscibly. In the latter type, selective solution of the intermediate hydrocarbons causes a swelling and reduction in viscosity of the oil and leads to an increased recovery over that obtained by dry-gas (methane) drive. The size of the enriched-gas bank necessary for efficient displacement of oil is determined by those factors which cause deterioration of the bank. A differentiation may be made between those factors which operate on a microscopic scale and those which act on a macroscopic scale. On the smaller scale, the enriched gas mixes in the direction of flow by diffusion and convection with the fluids immediately preceding and following it. On the larger scale, the gas may by-pass the oil by flowing through permeable streaks, by overriding the oil because of density difference, or by fingering because of unfavorable viscosity ratios. In such cases, the enriching material tends to mix with the oil both laterally and in the direction of flow. The increase in effective area available for diffusion and dispersion of the enriching components leads to a faster degradation of the bank and a need for a larger bank than is necessary for those cases in which no by-passing occurs. The effects of such macroscopic factors in the deterioration of enriched-gas banks have been reported in a separate paper by Blackwell, Terry and Rayne. The present study was confined to the factors which operate on the smaller scale, in particular to the behavior of banks of enriched gas in sands uniformly swept by the gas. Experiments were designed to answer the following questions. 1. Can small banks of enriched gas driven by methane be used to secure oil recoveries comparable to those obtained by continuous injection of enriched gas? 2. What is the optimum bank size (the minimum bank size necessary to obtain a recovery comparable to that obtained by continuous injection of the same enriched gas)? 3. How many total pore volumes of gas must be injected to obtain the maximum recovery when the optimum bank size is used? 4. What is the effect of varying the number of enriching components in a gas bank? This report describes the experimental investigations and discusses the results in terms of their significance to reservoir behavior.

By H. A. Wriedt

A method of calculating activities in binary systems having miscibility gaps is described. The method, which applies only to the phase in which the gap occurs, is exact when the function defined by the equation varies linearly with composition. Analytical and numerical solutions (as a function of the conjugate phase compositions) are presented for two coefficients A and B from which the thermodynamic activities can be calculated. Deviations from Henry's law, calculable by the method presented, are shown graphically for the particula~ case of the component i at the edge of the miscibility gap more remote .from pure component i. For symmetrical gaps, the deviation from Henry's law at this gap edge becomes smaller as the gap becomes wider, The interrelation of gap location, the direction of departures from Henry's law and the occurrence of maxima and minzma in these departures is discussed in some detail. Values for a and for activity calculated from phase diagrams show fair to excellent agreement with corresponding experimental values in the Al-Zn and CaO-SiO2 systems. WHEN structurally similar phases, B and 6, lie at the sides of a two-phase region in a constitution diagram, it can be assumed that, stably or metast-ably, they will become completely miscible at a higher temperature. The B and 6 phases are particular composition ranges of a single B6 phase region with a miscibility gap. Below, as above, the critical solution temperature, the free energy of formation of the 06 phase is a continuous function of composition through the range of the miscibility gap. It is the purpose of this paper to use this continuous free-energy function in order to develop a simple method for computing the thermodynamic activities in the B6 solution of a binary system. To make these calculations it is assumed that the function ai, familiar from Gibbs-Duhem integrations and defined by the equation

Jan 1, 1962

By Eugene F. Broome, Hugh A. Walls

Self-diffusion coefficients were measured using the modified shear cell technique over a temperature range from 31" to 401°C. These data agree within experimental error with those of Petit and Nachtrieb, which were determined from 30°to 99°C. LIQUID self-diffusion behavior in gallium has been studied previously by Petit and Nachtrieb&apos; using their shear cell technique.&apos; Data were obtained in that investigation over temperatures ranging from 30.6 to 98.7"C, and these comprise the only published data for liquid gallium. In the work reported here, diffusion data were obtained from 30.8 to 400-9.Cusing a shear cell technique different from that of Petit and Nachtrieb. This modified shear cell method and the mathematical analysis for diffusion in a finite capillary geometry have been previously described.3 PROCEDURES AND ANALYSIS The segments of the modified shear cell were fabricated from types 304 and 316 stainless steel. No corrosion problems with gallium were encountered until attempts were made to obtain data at 500°C. The diffusion capillary diameter was 1.59 mm and capillary lengths for the four sets of cell segments used are given in Table I. Gallium with a purity of 99.999 wt pct was obtained from Var-Lac-Oid Chemical Co. The gallium-72 isotope used to measure the self-diffusion coefficients was produced from this inert gallium by irradiation in The University of Texas Reactor Facility, and was checked for radiochemical purity. Following a period of isothermal diffusion controlled to within 0.0l°C, the contents of each capillary section were emptied into a counting planchet, weighed to assure that gallium had not been lost during handling, and the radioactivity determined by windowless gas-flow proportional counting. Great care was taken to obtain a reproducible counting geometry for the samples. Diffusion coefficients were obtained from the solu-tion3 to the diffusion equation for the modified shear cell problem, viz.: in which B2= C2(t)Li + L2)- CSL1-COL2 P* (C0-Cs)(L1+ L2) and L, and L2 are the capillary segment lengths. The step-function initial concentration distribution was expressed as C(x,O) = C, for -L1 = x < 0 and C(x,O) = Co for 0 < x 5 L?. Also, C2(0 = ^- fcix,t)dx Computation of the diffusion coefficients was done numerically as described in our earlier paper.3 Because of the short half-life of gallium-72 (14.1 hr) and the relatively long counting times taken to give a precise value of the diffusion coefficient, it was necessary to account for the radioactive decay both during the actual count and between counts for different samples (before and after diffusion). Thus, the average count rate Cz(t) for a second sample counted from times t3 to t4 can be made consistent with the average rate Co determined for a first sample counted from times t1 to t2 by the relationship: N(e-»i-e-M») , , C2(f) " &-«,)(*-«.-«-»«) [21 in which N is the total number of counts taken and is the decay constant. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The self-diffusion coefficients determined in this investigation are listed in Table 11. Values of the parameters used to calculate the coefficients are given in the table, as are values of the random counting error &apos; for the concentration ratio pz and the corresponding expected random variation AD in the diffusion coefficient. The quantity is calculable from: &apos;Cg — C2(t)} , „ ,2 .-„¦, M co-csl(ACs)J W in which AC is the error in the individual count rate. The mean values of the diffusion coefficients within each temperature group are also given in Table 11. Such temperature groupings of data are reasonable because of the small variations between the temperature~.~

Jan 1, 1970

By Nicholas J. Grant, H. C. Chang

Microscopic observations during creep tests were made on AI-20 pet Zn, 80 pet Ni-20 pet Cr, and 25 and 3S aluminum specimens. All these materials failed in an inter-crystalline manner under certain stress and temperature conditions. Particular atten-tion was given to the initiation and propagation of intercrystalline cracks in coarsegrained AI-20 pct Zn specimens. The geometry of the grains and grain boundaries in these specimens was known before the tests. On the basis of the observations and a knowledge of the interaction between grains and grain boundaries, a mechanism of intercrystalline fracture and propagation of the fracture has been proposed. METAL, and alloy fracture occurs essentially in two ways: transcrystalline and intemrystalline. In the past most of the work done in this field was centered on the determination of stress criteria for fracture. The specimens used for these studies were tested under varying conditions of stress state, temperature, and strain rate. Unfortunately, very little attention was given to the initiation and propagation of the fracture, whereas the nature of fracture was examined closely only after failure. Several extensive reviews of these studies have been published by Orowan, Smith, Barrett, and Petch.1, 4 It is well known that a material which exhibits a ductile and transcrystalline fracture can be made to exhibit a brittle and intercrystalline fracture by modifying its composition and by heat treatment. This modification may or may not result in microscopically observable precipitation in the grain boundaries." In the creep of any one alloy the transition of transcrystalline to intercrystalline fracture is a function of stress, strain rate, and temperature." The tendency for intercrystalline fracture to occur increases as the strain rate decreases and the testing temperature increases. Extensive work on high purity aluminum (99.995 pet) under creep conditions showed the importance of the interaction between grains and grain boundaries, and the different responses of grain and grain boundaries to the variables: stress, strain rate, and temperature.7, 8 It was also shown that grain boundary deformation necessarily has to be accommodated in the grains by various deformation means as. for example, fold formation. The type of fracture resulting from the creep of high purity aluminum was invariably found to be transcrystalline. On the other hand, 2S and 3s aluminum were, under certain conditions, found to fracture in an intercrystalline manner." One reason given for this was that the grains could accommodate to a lesser extent the deformation of the grain boundaries.19 It was decided to examine this line of reasoning in greater detail and to investigate the particular interactions between grains and grain boundaries that result in the incidence and progression of inter-ct,ystalline fracture. It is also the purpose of this paper to show where and how intercrystalline cracks start and how they propagate to result in fracture. Several alloys—Al-20 pct Zn, 80 pet Ni-20 pet Cr, 2S and 3s aluminum-— were used for this study, but attention was paid mainly to the behavior of an A1-20 pet Zn alloy, since its general creep behavior has been established." From the results of this study a mechanism of intercrystalline fracture is proposed. Experimental Procedure The experimental procedure was similar to that used in previous work and has been detailed elsewhere.&apos; Two parallel flat surfaces were milled from an originally round specimen, giving a gage portion which was 1x0.09X0.17 in. Some round specimens, 1/4 in. round by 1 in., were also tested. The A1-20 pet Zn specimens. which were annealed at 1030°F for 24 hr, showed two to four grains across the width of the test bar, and most of the grains occupied the whole thickness of the specimenu. Before some of the specimens were subjected to creep, the grain arrangement was mapped out in a development drawing, Fig. 1. The initiation and

Jan 1, 1957

By W. A. Straw

IN the manufacture of telephone apparatus a number of nonferrous sheet metals are blanked and formed to produce a wide variety of parts, which are generally small in size because of space and weight requirements. Many are given sharp bends in forming, so that they may be assembled into compact units. This study covered sheet metal of the alloys of brass, phosphor bronze and nickel silver that are most extensively used by our company. In general, the sheets range from 0.005 to 0.100 in. in thickness and from 1/4 hard to extra spring temper in hardness. As many parts function as flat springs, and others require the maximum stiffness for structural reasons, a large percentage of the metal is used in the hard and spring tempers. So, because of the necessity for the minimum radius of bend consistent with the maximum in hardness, there has been a need for information as to the forming characteristics of these sheet metals in the various alloys, tempers and thicknesses. The literature yields relatively little regarding such forming characteristics, so that designers of apparatus and tools have been largely dependent upon past experience or tool tryouts for guidance. In presenting tabular data intended as a basis for selecting the temper of the metal and radius of the bend, we recognize the influence of many other factors which are not covered in this study. For example, the angle of the bend and conditions of the metal, such as grain size and presence of impurities, as well as conditions of the fabricating process, such as rate of forming and adjustment of the tools, may all affect the result. In addition, a bumping operation subsequent to forming, which is frequently used to set the bend, increases the strain on the metal. We wish to emphasize the fact that this is not considered a scientific investigation of the formability of materials or an attempt to correlate forming, characteristics with various other properties of the metals, except in so far as such properties are controlled by commercial limits on composition and temper.

Jan 1, 1931

By G. A. Stamboltzis, N. Arbiter, C. C. Harris

Fracture under low-velocity free-fall and double impact and under slow compression have been investigated. The pattern of breakage and the size distribution of resulting fragments of sand-cement and glass spheres have been determined. Photoelasticity methods were used to simulate the stress distributions in free-fall impact in order to explain the observed patterns of breakage. Oblique fracture planes, occurring only in free-fall impact, develop along lines which coincide with the trajectories of maximum compression as determined by mathematical analysis. Breakage efficiencies for different modes of fracture were compared for both types of spheres. For the same specimen and loading system, static loading and low-velocity dynamic loading induce geometrically similar stress fields resulting in reasonably similar fracture patterns and shapes of fragments. This work had its origin in a desire to understand three fundamental processes involved in autogenous comminution: namely; free-fall impact, double impact, and slow compression. To simplify the investigation, it is preferable to reduce the entire multi-stage fracture process to its most elementary form; that is, to study products resulting from a single-stage operation, such as the breakage of a specimen under single fracture conditions. The goal of this research is to study the energy utilization in the single fracture of brittle specimens and to relate the pattern of breakage and the resultant fragment size distribution with the nature of the material, the specimen size, the manner of load application, and the rate of loading. Published works on single fracture have mainly been concerned with tests on large (> 1-in.) irregular mineral pieces, especially coal and coke. These were mainly friability tests employing a single blow on closely sized pieces. More recently, small mineral specimens in the sieve range and glass spheres have been investigated.5-7 Kick8 has reported free-fall and double impact tests with large large cast-iron, cement, and clay spheres. The establishment of a minimum breaking height independent of size in the free-fall impact tests, and the direct proportionality between the minimum work required for fracture and the volume of the specimen in double impact tests were used by Kick as an experimental proof of his classical law of "Proportional Resistances." In the present work, spherical shapes were chosen because of their simple body geometry and consequent impact and stress field symmetry. Because the study involves several physical principles in connection with brittle-fracture, it may be of interest in fields where the strength of materials is of importance. APPARATUS The equipment for the free-fall impact testing is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. This consisted of a massive (17 x 17 x 3-in.) hard steel plate onto which specimens were dropped and a specimen release mechanism which could be set at any desired height up to 10 ft above the plate so that the impact velocity could be varied up to about 25 ft per sec. Double impact breakage is characterized by two points of loading situated at opposite poles. For this mode of breakage the apparatus was modified (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) so that a falling mass provided an impact of predetermined magnitude on a specimen resting on the plate. A spring-loaded device operated immediately after fracture to arrest the falling mass and to record its residual kinetic energy. Precautions were taken to avoid secondary breakage. Slow compression tests were performed on a conventional hydraulic testing machine, the specimen being held between two hardened parallel bearing blocks. In the case of glass spheres, carbide bits were used. Photoelasticity studies were performed on two-dimensional models held in a loading frame equipped with a force gauge (Fig. 6). The models were viewed in a polariscope and isochromatic fringe patterns were recorded photographically. SPECIMENS Sand-Cement Spheres: A series of sand-cement spheres were prepared by molding in spherical glass flasks.

Jan 1, 1970

By Attilio Ligasacchi

The production of magnetite in copper smelting has been the subject of wide investigation in the past.1-9 It is accepted that most of the magnetite is produced in the converters and returned to the re-verberatory furnace with the converter slag. Part of this magnetite is circulated back to the converters in the matte. As a result, if proper fluxing practice is not followed, and temperatures in the converting process are not strictly controlled, an undesirable circulating load of magnetite may occur. This might ultimately lead to saturation in the reverberatory bath with consequent settling of the magnetite at the furnace bottom. This paper contains the cumulative results of a series of investigations on the formation and control of magnetite presently being conducted by the metallurgical department of the Chino Mines Division of Kennecott Copper Corp. THE METHOD USED FOR THE DETERMINATION OF MAGNETITE AND OTHER MAGNETIC MATERIALS Conventional wet chemical magnetite analyses are neither reproducible nor theoretically sound. These analyses are sensitive to time, temperature, and heating rate-all factors which tend to decrease their accuracy and reproducibility. To overcome the unreliability of the above method, H. W. Mossman1 developed an inductance bridge magnetite "meter" which completely replaces the wet chemical analysis with the advantage of quicker and reproducible results. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the meter in use in the Chino metallurgical laboratory. When a pulverized specimen with magnetic properties is placed in coil A of the inductance bridge circuit, the permeability of the core is increased, causing a voltage drop across the coil. The unbalance is amplified to operate the balancing motor which adjusts the movable iron core in coils C and D to bring the bridge back to balance. An indicator arm connected to the movable iron core indicates directly the percent, or weight, of the magnetic material in the specimen. Coil B acts as a reference coil and a zero adjustment. The meter is standardized with a set of various amounts of -100 mesh pure magnetite crystals (99.8 pet Fe3O4) thoroughly mixed in a test tube with -100 mesh quartz sand. These mixtures are combined with inert transoptic powder and heated to 140° to 160°C (melting point of the powder) and subsequently cooled to room temperature, solidifying the whole mixture, in this manner eliminating any possible preferential orientation of the magnetite grains. In order to determine the effect of the particle size" of the magnetite and other magnetic materials on the meter determinations, five size fractions were obtained by wet screening of the 99.8 pet pure magnetite and several reverberatory matte and slag samples. The following size fractions were investigated: -80 + 100; -100 + 150; -150 + 180; -200 + 250; -250 + 300 and -100 mesh. The deviation of the meter readings for the various sizes of each sample never exceeded ±0.3 pet. This deviation is considered well within the accuracy needed for common smelter operation procedures. Further investigation proved also that grinding slag and matte samples in our laboratory disc grinder normally produced a powder constituted of 95 pet -200 + 300 mesh. For practical purposes a - 100 mesh size was used as standard for our studies. It was also found that for rapid determinations tamping of the sample in the test tube was sufficient and gave comparable results with those samples solidified with transoptic powder. For the purpose of this study we define the magnetite content in copper smelter slags and matte as the equilibrium amount of crystalline Fe3O4 existent in the specimen at a given reference temperature, excluding any secondary magnetite precipitated in the specimen during nonequilibrium conditions. MAGNETITE DETERMINATION IN SLAGS Since it is impossible to ascertain the status of equilibrium of a conventional slag sample, due to

Jan 1, 1965

By I. R. Kramer

The stress associated with the high-dislocation layer at the surface of deformed aluminum crystals was measured by progressively polishing the specimen and determining the change in the initial flow stress when the specimen was reloaded. This surface stress increased linearly with strain in the Stage II and Stage III region. The depth to which the high-dislocation layer extends was found to be 0.0025 in. The influence of the surface layer on Stage I is discussed and it is shown that Stage I ends when, on the secondary slip system, the difference between the applied stress and the opposing stress due to the surface layer is equal to the critical resolved shear stress. In previous papers&apos;-3 it was shown that the surface exerts a pronounced effect on the plastic-flow characteristics of metals. For fcc metals it was possible to increase the extent and decrease the slope of Stages I and II and decrease the work-hardening coefficient of Stage II by removing the surface of the specimen continuously during the deformation process.2,3 More recently,L it was shown that the activation energy for plastic deformation and the activated volume were also influenced by the surface. These changes were related to the existence of a high concentration of dislocations in the region near the surface of the deformed specimen and it was concluded&apos; that the effective stress, T, acting on a dislocation was T = Ta-Ti-Ts [1] where 7, is the applied shear stress, Tj is the internal stress, and TS is the stress associated with the surface region containing the high concentration of dislocations. From Eq. [I] it is seen that the effective stress, 7, acting on a dislocation is a function of 7,. Therefore 7, becomes important in any description of the work-hardened state. In this paper the value of 7, as a function of strain and its variation with depth are reported for aluminum single crystals. In particular, it will be shown that the end of Stage I occurs when the net stress, 7, on the secondary slip system is equal to the critical resolved shear stress. To measure Ts, single crystals of aluminum were deformed in tension to various strains, whereupon the load was removed and a known amount of metal was removed by electrolytic polishing. The differ- ence between the final flow stress before the specimen was unloaded and the initial flow stress upon reloading is designated as ?Tp and is the decrease in the stress due to the removal of the surface layer in whole or in part. The value for Tp is taken equal to -Ts. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE The details of the tensile apparatus, method of electrolytic polishing, and crystal preparation were the same as those used previously,1"3 The single crystals were 1/8 by 1/8 in. in cross section with a 3-in. gage length. The initial purity of the aluminum was 99.997 pet. The specimens were held in vacuo at temperatures 50°C below their melting points for 16 hr and furnace-cooled. Just prior to the application of the tensile stress the specimens were electrolytically polished to remove 0.004 in. from the thickness. This latter operation was conducted after the specimen was placed in the tensile apparatus. The tensile tests were conducted at a strain rate, i, of 10"5 sec-&apos; and a temperature of 3°C. The aluminum crystals used for the determination of 7, are designated A1-3-12 and A1-116. The orientation of the various crystals used throughout the investigation is shown in Fig. 1. The ?Tp values for specimens A1-3-12 as a function of Ax were determined mainly at four strain levels, i.e., ? = 0.0217, 0.0381, 0.0593, and 0.075, where Ax is one half of the total reduction of the thickness after polishing and ? is the re-

Jan 1, 1965

By Ernest F. Burchard

The Pao deposits of iron ore are in the State of Bolivar, Venezuela, near Upata, about 30 miles south of the Orinoco River and 90 miles east of Ciudad Bolivar. They were discovered 4 or 5 years ago and have not yet been developed to the stage of mining. In March-April, 1929, the writer devoted a week to the examination of these deposits. The maps, drill records and chemical analyses presented herewith were derived from original sources, and the field photographs were made by the writer. The petrographic and metallographic data are from notes by C. S. Ross and M. N. Short, of the U. S. Geological Survey, who have kindly collaborated in these special phases of the study. The Iron Obebodies Topography and Accessibility The deposits are in a region of low mountains representing northern outliers of the Guayanan Highlands. These mountains reach altitudes of 1800 to more than 2000 ft. above sea level, as determined by aneroid barometer. The iron ore is found on mountain crests that reach altitudes of 1915 to 1930 ft., and may be followed down precipitous slopes for 200 • to 300 ft. or more. The greatest vertical range in outcrop is nearly 400 ft., and drilling has indicated that the ore extends to this depth below the surface in one place, at least. The superior hardness of the iron ore accounts for the preservation of the local mountain crests with the intermediate valleys eroded in softer granitic rock. The deposits of iron ore are reached by a private road for automobiles branching northeast from the Ciudad Bolivar-Upata road, a distance of about 12 miles. This road was used in 1928-29 by trucks for transportation of food and camp supplies, gasoline, drilling equipment, etc., but was not suitable for the transportation of iron ore. Between Ciudad Bolivar and the iron-ore area the western two-thirds of the automobile road passes through nearly level, open country known as the savanna, largely used for grazing cattle. About 96 km. (60 miles) east of Ciudad Bolivar at

Jan 1, 1931

By R. V. Sara

Determination of the Hf-C phase diagram was conducted primarily by metallographic and X-ray diffraction studies on appropriate alloys. The only intermediate phase observed in this binary system was HfC. This phase was found to be homogeneous between 34.0 and 48.0 at. pct C at 2200°c and between 36.0 and 49.3 at. pct C at 3150°C. The lattice-parameter variation was also determined for HfCI-, compositions prepared at 2200° and 3150°C. The most most refractory composition, with a melting point of 3830°c, was established at 47.5 at. pct C from melting-point data. Solidus temperatures of 2240&apos; and 3150°C occur on the high-kafnium and high-carbon sides of the monocarbide, respectively. The invariant point between HfC and carbon is located at 66.0 at. pct C, whereas the 2240°C solidus corresponds to the peritectic temperature at which hafnium is formed from HfC and hafnium-rick liquid. Hafnium has a melting temperature of 2208°C and is capable of taking carbon into solution to the extent of 10.5 at. pct at this temperature. ALTHOUGH the Hf-C phase diagram has not been previously evaluated experimentally in its entirety, the belief has been that the general configuration would resemble the chemically similar Group rV carbide systems, Ti-C and Zr-c.&apos; These binaries are characterized by a single carbide phase with a simple NaC1-type structure which is maintained over wide compositional ranges. This family of carbides has high thermal stability that increases substantially as the atomic number of the metal component increases. This trend characterizes HfC as one of the highest melting materials. According to Agte and Alterthum,2 the melting point for this monocarbide is 3890°C, a value that has been quoted quite extensively for the past several decades. Recently, in repeating the work of Agte and Alter-thum, Adams and Beall3 determined the melting point of HfC to be 3895°C. A significant departure from the commonly accepted version of the Hf-C system was reported by Avarbe and his coworkers,4 who proposed that there is an extreme stabilization of a hafnium in a narrow field to 2820°C, above which it melts peritectically to form HfC and liquid. Their study was also concerned with the melting temperature of various HfCI-, compositions, but the peak melting point was taken from the work of Agte and Alterthum. Avarbe and his associates were not concerned with the high-carbon region of the system. However, three widely varying temperatures have been reported for the HfC-C solidus by other investigators. Cotter and Kohn5 observed approximately 2800°C; Portnoy et al.&apos; reported 3260°C; and, more recently, Krikorian7 indicated 2915°C. Equally as uncertain is the solidus between hafnium and HfC. As noted above, Avarbe et al. report a peritectic temperature of 2820°C, Krikorian7 measured 2150°C, and Benesovsky and Rudy&apos; estimated 2000°C on their diagram. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The starting materials for this study consisted of reactor-grade hafnium hydride obtained from Fair-mount Chemical Co., Newark, N.J., hafnium carbide supplied by Wah Chang Corp., Albany, Ore., and Union Carbide spectroscopic-grade graphite, SP-1. The graphite analysis indicated impurities at levels of only 0.5 ppm or less. According to the suppliers, the hydride and carbide contained the typical impurities listed in Table I. The samples required for these studies were prepared by dry blending either graphite and hafnium hydride or hafnium hydride and hafnium carbide powders for approximately 5 min in a "Spex Mixer Mill". The latter combination was used only for preparing several samples in the HfC1-, melting-point studies. Small pellets, varying between 3/16

Jan 1, 1965

By C. E. Lesher

Low-TEMPERATURE carbonization needs no introduction to the literature on coal. This paper will attempt no review of that literature; it tells the story of the commercial development of one of the processes for carbonizing coal at so-called low temperatures, dealing with the technology and economics of the process rather than with the design of equipment. The process used is that covered by the patents of C. B. Wisner, with improvements and changes made by the Pittsburgh Coal Carbonization Co. The important and novel feature of the process is the phenomenon of making the product in ball form (Fig. 1). Melting coal dust into smokeless solid fuel in an apparatus as simple as a revolving cylinder of ordinary mild steel has been proved to be practical. Furthermore, it has been found that the process has a wide application, for by applying a knowledge of why and how this balling action is accomplished, the apparatus can be designed and adapted to treat any coal that has a certain minimum agglutinating property. The operating plant is 20 miles west of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the Champion preparation plant of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. The coal used is cleaned minus 3/8 -in- or finer sizes. The products are low-tem-perature coke, tar and tar products. Present capacity is 7000 tons per month of low-temperature coke and 140,000 gal, of tar. There is no surplus gas for sale, and none of the light oils are stripped from the gas. The coke is marketed in two sizes, 1 to 2 in. and 1 to 6 in., through retail coal dealers for domestic con-sumption in hand-fired furnaces, and for fireplace fuel. The smaller size is bagged by dealers. Crude tar and many distillates and road tars are sold.

Jan 1, 1940

By T. W. Guy

IN approaching the problems of sampling coal, a brief statement of certain facts that are more or less taken for granted may be helpful: 1. The coal-mine operator needs reliable data as to the physical and chemical characteristics of his coal in order to plan and control intelligently its mining, preparation, and marketing. The consumer needs such data in order to select the equipment and the coal best suited to meet his requirements, to check the quality of fuel delivered, and the efficiency of its use. Various government control agencies require such data as a basis for classifications and establishment of limits, for use in carrying out the requirements of federal, state or municipal laws. 91. All such data must be obtained by analyses, measurements, or tests made on samples, which are taken to represent the coal tested. It is now becoming generally recognized that, in accordance with statistical laws, test results from samples are not expected to represent the exact qualities of the lot or lots from which they are taken, except within statistical, or "expected limits. Such limits are definitely specified by some present standards of the American Society for Testing Materials and the British Standards Institution. 3. Samples that give ash within satisfactory limits are usually assumed to be sufficiently accurate for other analyses, except under special condi¬tions such as meeting close specifications for coals showing wide variability in sulphur, fusibility of ash, or other quality. 4. In modern coal sampling the increment is recognized as the basis for taking samples. For a given accuracy the number and weight of increments specified are increased with: (a) the expected ash, and (b) the top size designation of the lot to be sampled. 5. It is extremely important that every sampler recognize that: the specified number and weight of increments are minimums, and that the precautions to be used in order to take them properly are also minimums; that in the reduction of the gross sample the sizes specified for the coal after each stage of the crushing are maximum; that the quantities specified to be taken after each crushing stage are minimum; that any short cuts or failures to meet the requirements specified will reduce the statistical accuracy of the results, although it is possible that one or two checks on a few results may seem to show otherwise.

Jan 1, 1943

By R. M. Leibrock, J. E. Huzarevich, R. G. Hiltz

The various factors considered in recommending the initiation of a gas injection project in the southern portion of the Cedar Lake Field are discussed. Performance history under gas injection operations is reviewed and these data are analyzed, utilizing both the material balance method and the fractional flow and frontal advance expressions. Results of the analysis of the performance data indicate that the injected gas has contacted and affected at least 60 per cent of the reservoir and a substantial increase in ultimate recovery can reasonably be expected. By holding the reservoir pressure appreciably above the bubble point, the well productive capacities have been maintained substantially above the level predicted for primary operations. The analysis of the Cedar Lake project suggests that in certain limestone reservoirs, at least, the probable success of gas injection cannot be predicted simply from ohservation of permeability distribution throughout the pay section, as indicated by core analysis data, on either one or a number of wells. Further, the performance of this particular project fails to indicate any basis for classifying carbonate reservoirs in general as being inherently unsuited to a dispersed type gas injection program, thus indicating that each reservoir should be considered on its own merits, regardless of the composition of the reservoir rock. INTRODUCTION Early in the life of the Cedar Lake Field, an extensive data gathering program was initiated to provide an accurate record of reservoir performance characteristics. From the study of these data it was apparent that there was a critical need for supplementing the natural reservoir energy in order to maintain well productivities and obtain the maximum ultimate oil recovery. Accordingly, detailed engineering studies were made of the various methods of secondary recovery which might be applicable. As a result of these investigations, the decision was made to initiate a gas injection program of sufficient intensity to maintain reservoir pressure at approximately 600 psia, or some 274 lb above the bubble point pressure of 326 psia. A full scale dispersed type gas injection program has been in operation on leases of the Stanolind Oil and Gas Co. in the southern portion of the field for nearly five years, and sufficient performance data are now available to evaluate the benefits which have been derived from this project. It is the primary purpose of this paper to analyze the performance data for the Cedar Lake gas injection project and to point out the significance of the ohserved behavior with respect to certain hypotheses which have been advanced in recent years concerning the probable success of gas injection projects in limestone reservoirs. This paper properly should be regarded more on the order of a progress report, inasmuch as some revision in interpretation will undoubtedly be required from time to time as additional performance data are obtained, although the satisfactory performance of the project to date leaves little doubt as to the ultimate success of gas injection in the Cedar Lake Field. As a result of the success of the project to date, a unit was formed in the southern part of the field, effective March 1, 1951, for the purpose of continuation of the gas injection program. Participants in this unit are the Mid-Continent Petroleum Co. and Stanolind Oil and Gas Co. GEOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY The Cedar Lake Field is located in the northern portion of the Midland Basin area as shown in Fig. 1. The southwest portion of the field lies within a playa, or dry salt lake, which covers an area of approximately eight square miles. As might be expected, it was this lake which furnished the inspiration for the name of the field. Except for its value as a salt water disposal pit, this lake has succeeded only in magnifying the difficulties in developing this portion of the field. Typical of this section of West Texas, the area in general is relatively flat and has a semi-arid climate. The localized structure which favored the accumulation of oil is an anticline with approximately 100 ft of closure. The major axis of the structure extends in a general southeast-northwest direction. Originally this structure was defined by seismograph data, which have been subsequently confirmed by development. In general, the geologic column is typical of that found throughout the basin. From the surface to depth of approximately 1,800 ft, surface sands and undifferentiated red beds. probably Triassic. are encountered. Below this point to the producing horizon, all formations are of the Permian age.

Jan 1, 1951

By J. E. Huzarevich, R. M. Leibrock, R. G. Hiltz

The various factors considered in recommending the initiation of a gas injection project in the southern portion of the Cedar Lake Field are discussed. Performance history under gas injection operations is reviewed and these data are analyzed, utilizing both the material balance method and the fractional flow and frontal advance expressions. Results of the analysis of the performance data indicate that the injected gas has contacted and affected at least 60 per cent of the reservoir and a substantial increase in ultimate recovery can reasonably be expected. By holding the reservoir pressure appreciably above the bubble point, the well productive capacities have been maintained substantially above the level predicted for primary operations. The analysis of the Cedar Lake project suggests that in certain limestone reservoirs, at least, the probable success of gas injection cannot be predicted simply from ohservation of permeability distribution throughout the pay section, as indicated by core analysis data, on either one or a number of wells. Further, the performance of this particular project fails to indicate any basis for classifying carbonate reservoirs in general as being inherently unsuited to a dispersed type gas injection program, thus indicating that each reservoir should be considered on its own merits, regardless of the composition of the reservoir rock. INTRODUCTION Early in the life of the Cedar Lake Field, an extensive data gathering program was initiated to provide an accurate record of reservoir performance characteristics. From the study of these data it was apparent that there was a critical need for supplementing the natural reservoir energy in order to maintain well productivities and obtain the maximum ultimate oil recovery. Accordingly, detailed engineering studies were made of the various methods of secondary recovery which might be applicable. As a result of these investigations, the decision was made to initiate a gas injection program of sufficient intensity to maintain reservoir pressure at approximately 600 psia, or some 274 lb above the bubble point pressure of 326 psia. A full scale dispersed type gas injection program has been in operation on leases of the Stanolind Oil and Gas Co. in the southern portion of the field for nearly five years, and sufficient performance data are now available to evaluate the benefits which have been derived from this project. It is the primary purpose of this paper to analyze the performance data for the Cedar Lake gas injection project and to point out the significance of the ohserved behavior with respect to certain hypotheses which have been advanced in recent years concerning the probable success of gas injection projects in limestone reservoirs. This paper properly should be regarded more on the order of a progress report, inasmuch as some revision in interpretation will undoubtedly be required from time to time as additional performance data are obtained, although the satisfactory performance of the project to date leaves little doubt as to the ultimate success of gas injection in the Cedar Lake Field. As a result of the success of the project to date, a unit was formed in the southern part of the field, effective March 1, 1951, for the purpose of continuation of the gas injection program. Participants in this unit are the Mid-Continent Petroleum Co. and Stanolind Oil and Gas Co. GEOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY The Cedar Lake Field is located in the northern portion of the Midland Basin area as shown in Fig. 1. The southwest portion of the field lies within a playa, or dry salt lake, which covers an area of approximately eight square miles. As might be expected, it was this lake which furnished the inspiration for the name of the field. Except for its value as a salt water disposal pit, this lake has succeeded only in magnifying the difficulties in developing this portion of the field. Typical of this section of West Texas, the area in general is relatively flat and has a semi-arid climate. The localized structure which favored the accumulation of oil is an anticline with approximately 100 ft of closure. The major axis of the structure extends in a general southeast-northwest direction. Originally this structure was defined by seismograph data, which have been subsequently confirmed by development. In general, the geologic column is typical of that found throughout the basin. From the surface to depth of approximately 1,800 ft, surface sands and undifferentiated red beds. probably Triassic. are encountered. Below this point to the producing horizon, all formations are of the Permian age.

Jan 1, 1951