Search Documents

By Charles Trotter

An instrument has recently been developed for determining the inclination and azimuthal direction of boreholes. This instrument is known as the Tro-Pari Instrument and is the invention of C. Trotter and G. Pajari of Sudbury, Ontario. Description The instrument is characterized by a unit mounted in gimbals and provided with a clockwork mechanism to clamp a compass to indicate azimuthal direction and simultaneously to clamp the unit in its plumb position to indicate inclination (Fig I). By means of a timing ring suitably calibrated in 5-min divisions, the unit may be set to lock after a lapse of time sufficient to allow the placing of the instrument at the desired point in the drill hole where readings are to be taken. The maximum time Lapse obtainable with the instrument designed for use in EX or AX size holes is I hr 30 min which is considered to be ample time to lower to the greatest depths that may be drilled with this size of equipment. Larger sizes could be developed for larger diameter holes such as BX and NX sizes or the larger oil-well sizes and a correspondingly greater time lapse could be provided for. Up to the present time only the EX-AX size has been built. Operation Assuming a borehole is to be surveyed at 1000-ft depth and assuming it will take 30 min to lower the instrument to this depth, the timing ring is rotated through seven divisions which represent a time lapse of 35 min (5-min leeway) and is then returned to its zero position. This operation imparts energy to a spring which drives the clockwork mechanism. Simultaneously the compass needle is freed to swing to its magnetic north-south position and the encased mechanism is freed to hang plumb within a semicircular portion of the frame which is graduated in degrees after the fashion of a protractor. This semicircular protractor portion has a V-shaped notch at each degree division of its inner periphery. The instrument, now in its free position, is inserted in a bronze container made to suit the size of hole to be surveyed (Fig 2). Soft rubber washers are provided within the container to prevent undue shock. The container is connected to the drill rods with three 5-ft lengths of brass or aluminum alloy rods separating it from the steel rods in order to prevent distortion of the magnetic field. The assembly is then lowered to the desired point where readings are to be taken and is allowed to remain at rest until a period of time has elapsed slightly in excess of the time for which the timing ring was set. In the example cited above, when the 35 min has elapsed the compass needle is locked in its north-south position and the protractor locking pin is extruded and locks in the V notch opposite its plumb position. The device may now be removed from the borehole and it will remain in this locked position in spite of jarring or shak-

Jan 1, 1949

By John C. Robison

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

Jan 1, 1985

By W. J. West, T. D. Mueller, J. E. Warren

Two methods are used to obtain the relatiorlship between ratio of gas to oil permeability and gas saturation. One method is to calculate a curve from field measurements of reservoir behavior: the other is to measure the relationship on a core .sample in the laboratory. The curves resulting from these TWO methods arc often comparer1 and seldom found to agree. The most important reason for the nonagreement is often overlooked. This reason is that the performance k9/k0 curve is calculated with the assumption of uniform pressure and saturution throughout the reservoir. To show the differerence between performance type kg/k0 curves and laboratory type kg/k0 curves. two performance type kg/k0 curves for two different production rates were calculaled from the production perforrnance of a hypothetical reservoir for which a laboratory type curve was assumed. Production performance of the hypothetical reservoir bras calcu- lated by use of international Business Machine's 701 Computer. The perfortnance type kg/k0 curves differed from the laboratory curve for the hypothetical reservoir. The performance type crrrve for the lowest production rate most nearly coincided with the laboratory curve. INTRODUCTION Predictions of oil reservoir performance are often made with the aid of complex numerical calculations. An important quantity required in these calculations is the ratio of gas permeability to oil permeability (kg/k0 )at a particular gas saturation. Two methods arc used to obtain a relationship between this ratio and gas saturation. The curves resulting from these two methods are called performance kg/k0 curves and laboratory kg/k0 curves. The performance curve is obtained from field measurements of reservoir behavior. Particular kg/k0 values are calculated from the producing gas-oil ratio, the cumulative reservoir withdrawals, the original oil in place, the average reservoir pressure, and the PVT properties of the reservoir fluids. The particular kg/k0 values are then plotted against the average rcservoir gas saturations for the entire history period. In order to use this derived kg/k0 relationship for performance predictions, a curve through these points is extrapolated to higher gas saturations. The laboratory kg/k0 curve is obtained from measurements made on core samples. Saturation is maintained uniform throughout the core during these measurements. The kg/k0 curves obtained with these two independent methods are often compared and seldom are found to be the same. Various reasons have been offered for the lack of correlation. One is that insufficient core? were obtained to derive a curve representative of the reservoir rock. Another is that laboratory methods have failed to reproduce reservoir conditions. The most important reason for the noncorrelation has been often overlooked because of the difficulty in evaluating its effect. This reason is that the performance or field kg/k0 curve is calculated with the assumption of uniform pressure and saturation throughout the reservoir. In any

Jan 1, 1956

Boiler-Room Economy "Establishing and Maintaining Boiler-room Economy" is the title of a paper presented before the Ohio Society of Mechanical Electrical and Steam Engineers by Geo. H. Gibson, of which the following is an excerpt: Boiler-room economy depends less upon equipment than upon operation, i.e., it depends largely upon the condition in which the apparatus is maintained and how it is used. A given boiler may operate this week with an efficiency of 78 per cent., and next week with an efficiency of 65 per cent., while using the same fuel and developing the same rating. If there are variations ii; character of fuel and in load and other factors, the falling-off may be even greater, possibly to less than 60 per cent. The steam produced may cost twice as much per 1,000 lb. at one time as at another. Most steam plant managers know from their own experience that these statements are not exaggerated. It does not take much of a plant to run up a coal bill of $5,000 per year, many "spend $10,000 for coal, and fuel bills of $50,000, $100,000, or $200,000 per annum are not uncommon. As it call be shown in the majority of these plants that 10 per cent. of this amount may be saved, and in large numbers of them 25 per cent., while in some the expenditure can be cut in half, there is no disputing that we have here a subject worthy of attention. In the production of steam the greatest variable is the human factor. Before we can pass judgment, however, we must first have standards. This implies accurate quantitative knowledge of fuel consumption and steam production. We must measure the output and know how much the steam costs per thousand pounds, and how many pounds of steam are obtained from a pound of coal. We can then begin to analyze the problem, and find where and how methods and conditions can be improved, and how much. Many favor buying coal on a B. t. u. basis. This is advisable where the amount purchased warrants the considerable expense involved in systematically gathering samples that: are. truly representative and in having analyses made, of every carload. Coal analyses, combined with. an honest endeavor on the part of the miner to ship good coal, should insure the receipt of the heat units paid for. , It often happens, however, that the coal which is cheapest on a B.t.u. basis is not the cheapest or most suitable for producing steam, because of peculiarities of the plant in which it is to be burned, or conversely, the fuel which furnishes cheap B.t.u. may require special methods or equipment for its economic utilization.

Jan 2, 1916

By L. P. Davidson

THE new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, Ill., in 1929 and .operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through Shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to storage tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment and recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in. the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching period, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutions can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid-either as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine-because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60° Be. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1942

By K. A. Jackson

An analysis of the conditiom fm the dendrite-eutec-tic transition is presented which takes into account a temperature gradient. The composition and temperature in the liquid ahead of a eutectic interface growing at a particular velocity are used to determine whether dendrites can grow faster than the eutectic interface in the liquid which exists ahead of it. If the dendrites grow faster, then a mixed structure with dendrites growing ahead of the eutectic interface is expected. If the dendrites do not grow faster, then only eutectic will be present. The analysis is presented for Sn-Pb system, for which sufficient experimental data to make the analysis are available. The transition from eutectic to dendrites-plus-eutectic derived by this analysis is in good agreement with the recent experimental observations of Mollard and Flemings on Sn-Pb alloys. In alloys which grow with a lamellar eutectic structure, the lamellar structure can be grown over some range of compositions close to the eutectic composition. When the composition is too far from the eutectic composition, dendrites of one or another of the primary phases grow ahead of the eutectic interface, producing a microstructure consisting of "primary phase" interspersed with a lamellar eutectic. Hunt and Jackson' have recently predicted the range of compositions over which the eutectic phase should grow in Sn-Pb alloys, and the composition-growth rate dependence of the transition from eutectic to dendrites-plus-eutectic. This prediction was based on work on organic eutectics. The model on which the prediction was based assumed that there was no temperature gradient in the system, a condition approximately satisfied in the study of organic eutectics2-5 but not in the growth of metallic alloys. Mollard and Flemings6,7 have recently reported experimental results for Sn-Pb alloys in which they have located the transition from eutectic to eutectic-plus-dendritic growth. The experiments were performed using large temperature gradients (65 to 515 deg per cm), so that the assumption of zero gradient on which the predictions of Hunt and Jackson' were based does not apply. It is not surprising therefore that the predictions' were not born out by the experiments.7 In the present work, a modification of the model used by Hunt and Jackson is presented which takes into account the temperature gradient. The modified form of the theory predicts the transition from eutectic to eutectic-plus-dendritic growth in terms of the composition, growth rate, and temperature gradient. Good agreement with the experimental data of Mollard and Flemings7 is obtained. THE HUNT-JACKSON MODEL The model used by Hunt and Jackson' to predict the transition from eutectic to eutectic-plus-dendritic growth was based on the assumption that dendrites grow ahead of a eutectic interface only if they grow faster than the eutectic interface. Analytic expressions for the growth rate of dendrites and the eutectic in Sn-Pb alloys were obtained by fitting experimental data with equations whose form was indicated by theory.

Jan 1, 1969

HAVING previously told you about lodestone, azure, emery, and manganese, things that perhaps belong more properly to the stones than to the metals, the desire has come to me to describe rock crystal as well and, with this, some of the better-known gems, although they are things that are not classified with metals, as far as I know, or even with the serniminerals. In truth, they are neither one nor the other, but they are stones and have the nature of stones. But let them be what they may, in order to avoid straying from the subject we have begun, we shall say that they have mineral properties in their species, as for instance, in respect to their colors. It would seem an error to me if, while I am giving you information on so many other useful things, I did not give you this as well, if for no other reason than because it is a fine accomplishment for a gentleman to have some knowledge concerning gems. Thus since I have proposed to do this, beginning to speak of crystal, I tell you that it is a lustrous, transparent, and limpid stone, composed by Nature with a predominance of wateriness. Thus, contrary to the order of natural things, it has been believed by many that Nature has generated it of pure water by means of a powerful and continuous coldness that always exists in those mountains and places where it is found, for the waters and snows can never melt there because of the great cold. They have tried to prove this opinion of theirs by saying that crystal still retains the nature of frozen water, and that this is. shown not only in its appearance but also in the fact that, like ice, it floats without sinking to the bottom when it is put in water. They also say that it is customary to put it under the tongues of the thirsty on account of the, coldness and moistness which it gives, and that it quenches the dryness of their thirst. But even if all these things were true, as they are not, they do not upon consideration bring us to the conclusion that it is water, because the diamond and the beryl would do the same. Therefore it does not seem to me credible [391 that it is as they claim, for it is a stone generated as such by Nature. And then, if this were true in those places where it rains often and many snows are formed, and these should freeze and never melt but

Jan 1, 1942

By Henry N. Doyle

Basic procedures in the mining industry have changed only slightly over the centuries since metals and fossil fuels became an essential part of man's economic and cultural life. Mining techniques of the 20th century bear a close resemblance to those of the ancients: exploration, ore breakage and removal, hoisting, and processing. The great advances, however, have been in equipment and machinery of greater size and speed which allow greater efficiency in each of these operations, with a corresponding reduction in manpower requirements. Yesteryear production was measured in pounds per man-day; today a giant and complex, but highly efficient, continuous mining machine can remove as much as eight tons of material a minute from the coal face. If our energy and metal demands of the future are to be met, and at this time it can be assumed that coal will continue to supply a significant part of the energy demand, other dramatic and spectacular technologic advances must be accomplished. Along with mechanization, however, public policy will require the industry to place greater emphasis on health and safety protection, as has been well demonstrated by recent actions of Congress. Together, fossil fuels and metals formed the basis for the industrial revolution-coal to develop power and metals to transform power into useful energy. Strangely enough, however, the mining industry the world over has lagged behind the continuous social changes brought on by the industrial revolution, such as preventive health and industrial hygiene services, and other programs directed to the well-being of the worker. In some countries this resistance, to change may have led in part to the nationalization of the coal industry. Whether this disinclination to social change in the industry of the United States reflects managerial attitudes, inept labor leadership, government neglect, or economic relationship would be the subject of an interesting study. Doubtless the mores of miners and their resistance to change, as well as their geographic isolation from other industrial groups, may have had a strong influence on these factors. In every major coal mining country the accident rate in the coal industry is substantially higher than other industrial groups, and the cost of pneumoconiosis compensation in some countries is greater than the combined costs for all other occupational diseases from all other industries. The high social cost of occupational accidents and diseases may have been a factor in the closing of the industry in at least two countries. Despite diminishing manpower needs, the industry is faced with critical manpower shortages. Miners once reared their sons to be miners; now it appears that the opposite is true. This factor alone, however, does not explain an acute labor shortage in the industry. Traditionally, the industry drew much of

Jan 1, 1976

By L. R. Blair

Many hydrated silicates have been synthesized and sold for commercial use. However, this paper discusses only hydrated calcium silicates and, to a lesser extent, hydrated magnesium silicates. Synthetic calcium silicates were first formed by man when he found that mixtures of silica or silicates and lime in water set up to form cements. The material which was responsible for the cementing properties was calcium silicate hydrate, although this fact was not recognized until early in this century. In the early 19001s, synthetic calcium silicates, reinforced with fibers and formed simply by reacting calcium hydroxide and silica in water with fiber at atmospheric or under low pressure autoclave conditions, found increased use in thermal insulations and in building products. These insulations were found to have a low thermal conductivity and would withstand temperatures up to 650°C. This, combined with their very low densities (from 8 to 50 Ib per cu ft) and fairly high strength, also made them suitable for use as building products. Following the disastrous Morro Castle fire of the 1930Js, calcium silicate board products were used as partitioning material in all shipboard construction in the U.S. As autoclaving techniques were improved and developed, it was: learned that under hydrothermal conditions new and useful calcium silicates which could be used under more extreme temperatures (up to 980' C) could be prepared. These had high surface areas and other unique properties which suited them for use as fillers, pesticide carriers, low temperature insulating materials, and adsorbents for the removal of fatty acids from various solutions. Hydrated magnesium silicates have not been studied as extensively as the calcium compounds. Their first important use was in the filtration of dry cleaning solutions for the removal of fatty acids. With the introduction of detergents, it was found that these products lost their advantage because of their high affinity for the detergent chemicals. However, in recent years these chemicals are finding increasing use as decolorizing agents for fats and anti-caking agents for resins. Some materials with very high surface are finding new use as adsorbents. CALCIUM SILICATE HYDRATE COMPOUNDS AND THElR CONDITIONS OF FORMATION Within the past ten years much has been done in the field of calcium silicate hydrate chemistry. As a result of this work it has been found that at least 25 different forms of calcium silicate hydrate can either be formed synthetically or found as naturally occurring materials. The stability and composition relationships among these 25 compounds present a very complicated picture, and many of these very closely resemble other forms and are difficult to dis-

Jan 1, 1962

By Benjamin L. Miller

THE essential differences expressed by the different speakers participating in this symposium concern merely the relative emphasis placed on the subjects that are commonly included under the term "geophysics" and the branches of science that form the basis for investigations in this field. In order to appreciate the present situation it may be profitable to briefly refer to a few historical matters. One can find almost countless descriptions of geological phenomena long antedating the introduction of the title of "geology," which has been credited to Richard de Bury in the fourteenth century. Interpretations, when they were offered, were generally pure speculation. Only toward the close of the eighteenth century do we find theories developed as the result of observations and tested by additional observations. It is difficult to select and give proper credit to the individual who was particularly responsible for turning geology into a distinctly observational science. William Smith, who has been called the "Father of English Geology," certainly represents the period when observation was the only method used. As he traveled through the British Isles, "sometimes 10,000 miles in a year," he was continually making notes of his observations. Geikie says: "His plain, solid, matter of fact intellect never branched into theory or speculation, but occupied itself wholly in the observation of facts." William Smith, with others of his time, definitely laid firmly the foundations on which modern geology has been built. Field and laboratory observations can no longer be said to constitute the sole basis for geologic contributions but we have not laid aside the methods of Smith and his followers. It is folly to underestimate the fundamental value of the observational part of geology in the present. The objection to purely observational geology is that it is mainly qualitative and not quantitative, general and not specific. No one can deny this charge and probably there are few who do not welcome every method or process whereby we can put aside generalities for definite established values. Physics is the science that has particularly come to the aid of the geologist in this respect. CONTRIBUTIONS OF PHYSICS It is not the intent of the writer to enumerate or to evaluate all of the contributions to geologic advance in the field of physics. A few only are used for the purpose of illustration. When Clarence King, Director of the United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, invited Ferdinand Zirkel to study 2500 thin sections of rocks collected from the western United States, the use of the microscope came into general use. Zirkel's report was published in 1876. He was not the first to use transmitted light for microscopic rock determination, some work having been done by Henry Clifton Sorby and others some years earlier, but he was the first to put into general use this method. We may well claim that this

Jan 1, 1941

By Walter Miller

Hundred-octane aviation gasoiine, toluene for T.N.T. production, high-quality lubricating oils for the needs of aviation and the armed forces, and synthetic chemicals for rubber manufacture again commanded the top priorities of the petroleum refining industry in 1944, the third year of America's active participation in the war. The objective continued to be to produce more and more of these materials—to keep up with increasingly greater requirements. By the end of the year all of the new installations projected before 1944, with the exception of possibly two or three that will tail over into January or February of 1945, had been completed and put into operation. And with the completion and putting into operation of these various units and the consequent lessening of construction responsibilities and problems, the industry was put into position to concentrate on the new operations and devote much more of its time and effort looking toward maximum output, both as to quantity and quality from the new facilities. Aviation Gasoline Making high-octane aviation gasoline continued to be the prime requisite of refining activities during 1944 as it was in the two previous war years, with the sights at the end of the year set to still higher figures than those which had been previously projected. About July I the daily output had been raised to 400,000 bbl., with some few large plant installations still to be completed and put into operation. Indications were that by December production would be up to all requirements, with good inventories. However, although by the end of the year the industry was turning out something over 500,000 bbl. a day, the estimated requirements of the armed services had been raised by a considerable figure, owing to the greatly increased aerial activities both in the European and Far Eastern combat areas. By the end of the year, therefore, the picture had changed, with the prospect for a much longer continuation of the European war, so that even with the completion and putting into operation in the United States by January 1945 of the last two or three 100-octane units authorized prior to 1944, it was evident it would be necessary to make still greater efforts to increase output of existing facilities to keep safely ahead of the game. Efforts of the industry and the Petroleum Administration for War as well as the Technical Advisory Committee and other research and development groups are concentrated therefore on methods and means of further augmenting the produc. tion of all existing refinery facilities engaged in making 100-octane aviation gasoline and components entering into it. The goal will be reached.

Jan 1, 1945

By J. W. Marx, R. H. Langenheim

The authors are to he complimented for a timely presentation of useful information concerning application of heat to oil reservoirs to increase the rate and ultimate recovery of oil. The solution for heated area resulting from constant rate injection of a hot fluid, presented by the authors, and the fluid-flow analogy, solved by Carter,' are particularly interesting in that 110 restriction is placed on the direction of development of the heated area. It is not necessary that the heated area grow radially. Thus the solution could provide useful information for heat injection in any type of well pattern with any specified swept area data. However, it was assumed in the development that the heated region would remain at a constant clevatcd temperature. Vertical heat losses were computed on this basis. Physically. the assumption that the heated region will remain at a constant temperature (independent of distance from the injection point) appears to require that the heat injection medium be stcam, or other condensible gases near the boding point at injection pressure. If a hot liquid below the boiling point or a hot gas considerably above saturation temperature were used, the temperature of the heated region would decrease with distance from the injection well. Lauwerier2 has discussed this problem for a linear system. (See also Jenkins and Aronolsky; and McNiel and Nelson.') Thus, the authors' solution applies more nearly to steam injection than to hot water injection or hot, non-condensable gas injection. Assuming steam as the injection medium, it appears that steam would pass through the constant-temperature heated region and condense upon contact with the unheated sand. The tempcrature in the condensing region would probably be governed by the release of heat of vaporization required for phase equilibrium at the existing pressure distribution. Temperatures in the region would also be influenced by vaporization of hydrocarbon. Thus, it is doubtful that an expression for radial temperature distribution based on heat conduction only (such as the authors' Eq. 9) would have practical significance. As pointed out by Marx and Langenheim, the growth of the heated area under constant rate steam drive will eventually be limited economically by vertical heat loss. The possibility of continuing to move heat economically by cold water injection or by increasing the steam injection rate appears to be a very important consideration. (Movement of liquids away from the injection well should increase injectivity.) Fortunately, the solution presented by the authors may be generalized to thc case of a variable heat injection rate. The general solution is:

By Sylvan Z. Beer

The factors that determine the yield and crystal size in the two-temperature synthesis of A lp were examined. Low yields and small crystals were associated with low temperatures and pressure. Attempts to grow large crystals in the critical and supercritical region of phosphorus were unsuccessful. Crystal size increases markedly at elevated temperatures. Crystals grown at temperatures as high as 1450° C fluo-resced, under uv excitation, at energies close to the estimated band gap of about 2.4 ev, while crystals grown at lower temperatures tended to fluoresce in the red region of the spectrum. Those grown in the supercritical region showed no ALP fluorescence. Heating the high-temperature-grown ALP under vacuum greatly increased its fluorescence efficiency and moved the emission peak to higher energies. I HE III-V compounds, with few exceptions, have been prepared by the two-temperature method. In its classic form this technique is applicable to closed systems where at least one of the components, in this case the column V element, is a liquid or a solid with a high vapor pressure. One advantage of this method over flow systems is in its simplicity. In addition, because it is a closed system, it can, under the circumstances to be described later, be run at higher pressures of the volatile species than in flow systems. In instances where the III-V compound is soluble in the parent III metal to about 1 mol pct or higher, solution growth can be made to take place by slow cooling. This, for instance, is one way in which single-crystal GaP1 and Inp2 have been grown. Initial attempts to synthesize and grow A1P by this technique were not too successful; the yield was low and the crystals obtained were exceedingly small. The conditions required for improving the yield and growth by this technique were, therefore, sought. Two obvious conditions which could be controlling were examined. These were the temperature of the aluminum and the pressure of the phosphorus. The range of temperatures studied extended from about the melting point of aluminum, 660° to about 1450°C. The latter is dictated by the vapor pressure of aluminum which reaches about 1 Torr at that temperature and the limitations of the materials of construction as described in the next section. The pressure range of interest covers from below 1 atm to above the critical pressure of phosphorus, 82.2 atm. EXPERIMENTAL The Temperature of Aluminum as a Variable. A series of experiments were run in the conventional two-temperature manner. All refractories and quartz were dried by heating at 800° to 900° for a minimum of 24 hr, and usually much longer, before use. The aluminum

Jan 1, 1969

By Herbert D. Drechsler

The objective of this paper is to identify the components of income above that necessary to keep a mine in production and relate those components to the profits of a mining firm. This is a discussion of "Economic Rent". Economic rent is the payment to the factors of production -- capital, labour, entreprenuer and the owner of the mineral deposit -- above the minimum necessary to keep all of these factors cooperating in the production of minerals from a particular deposit. THE SOURCE OF ECONOMIC RENT IN THE MINING INDUSTRY In the mining business each mine has a unique cost of production unrelated to any other mine. The cost of production is developed from many factors such as the technical characteristics of the deposit: depth of deposit, depth of overburden, areal extent, and type of deposit. Furthermore, there are locational factors which also alter cost of production. For example, identical mineral deposits located in Zambia or in the southwest U.S.A. would have different capital and operating costs. These differences occur because of different qualities of labour, ease of acquisition of operating supplies or investment capital and other similar factors. To explain the source of rent, we shall use ideas developed by Alfred Marshall and Kenneth Boulding. Suppose a meteorite with special qualities exploded over earth and sent showers of small meteorites to the ground in various places. At some point in time, people learned of the special qualities of these meteorites and a demand arose and one mine was started. Suppose further that the cost of production to produce these meteorites was different for each deposit. Probably the lowest unit cost mine would commence production because if a higher unit cost mine started-up, eventually someone would discover a deposit that had a lower unit cost of production. The lower unit cost mine would take over the market and the high unit cost mine would cease production. The cost curve for the first mine would look like the following Figure 1. [ ] The output for the first mine is on the horizontal axis with the cost per ton on the vertical axis. The curve labelled AC I is the average total cost of production over the range of possible production that could occur at the property. The total costs are composed of variable costs, which are dependent on output and fixed costs, which are dependent on time. For example, the cost of operating supplies would be a variable cost and normal profit would be a fixed cost.1 The opportunity cost of the investment would also be part of the fixed costs. In our example, all factors of production, are receiving the minimum necessary payment that will keep the mine operating. The average total cost curve is U-shaped because at zero output, the meteorite mine has no variable costs, only fixed costs which, on a unit basis, obviously are very high. To produce a small output of meteorites, the mining firm adds

Jan 1, 1985

By Willis R. Battles, William F. Cerini, P. H. Jones

A test for determining the plugging characteristics of an oil-well injection water has been developed. It consists in measuring changes of the filter rate of a water at constant pressure with cumulative throughput when passing the water through a medium grade sintered glass disk. Application of the test method was made to the water used in the Union Oil Company's experimental water flood of the Chapman zone in the Richfield field, Orange County, Callfornia. This water developed increasing plugging tendencies upon aging, even though the finished water from the plant filter exhibited few such characteristics. The plugging material was found to consist of calcium carbonate, ferric hydroxide, and organic substances that were presumed to be bacterial. Various method of stabilizing this water to prevent the formation of plugging material were attempted. Lowering the pH to approximately 6.4 by injecting carbon dioxide provided a moderately satisfactory means for stabilization but a better method of stabilizing this water was found to be first aging and then filtering. Introduction An experimental water-flood project was started on the Chapman zone of the Richfield field in March 1944 and has been described in a previous paper.' It consists of a single injection well drilled between old producing wells. A water-treating plant using primary alum flocculation, sedimentation and chlorination followed by secondary flocculation, sedimentation and fltration is employed to process the water before in@ion. In all of the water-treating operations, the system is open to the air, and no attempt is made to prevent the loss of carbon dioxide or absorption of oxygen by the water. The clear water is stored in a covered concrete basin and pumped through a Transite line to the suction of a high-pressure pump at the injection well' The high-pressure tubing in the well to the injection zone is cement lined. The untreated injection water is a mixture produced with the oil from the Chapman and Kraemer zones and is supplied from the disposal system. Because the injection well was relatively deep (injection zone about 3400 ft.) and would be expensive to replace, it was believed imperative to supply a nonplug-ging injection water and to develop laboratory procedures for evaluating the treated injection water with respect to its formation plugging properties. This report describes the development and application of the test procedure based on the assumption that the plugging properties could be determined by measuring the progressive decrease in flow rate of the water through a porous medium. If the quality of the injection water was good enough so that the plugging action on the porous medium was of small magnitude, it was reasoned that the tendency to impair flow in the formation would not be serious.

Jan 1, 1946

By -1ng. B. Stampa

Introduction The author investigates the technology available for mine flow reversibility by reversing the operation of the main fans. Air bypassing, reversed sense of impeller rotation, and blade angle overturning are indentified as the most important means of achieving the flow reversibility. The axial flow fan is studied in some detail and the important variables of fan capacity, pressure, and efficiency are compared. Although some references to rotor velocity vectors are made (Fig. 1) the subject is not presented in detail in order to stay within the paper's intent. Background Where applicable, the requirements of mine air reversibility are an important part of the overall mining operation and should be given proper attention during mine ventilation design. The need for preventing mine fires in intake shafts is the reason that, for a long time, it has been a requirement in the Eastern European countries to have the feature of flow reversibility built into all main mine ventilators. In West German coal mines, this requirement does not apply since higher priority is given to safety precautions. Some metal and mineral mines in the United States are required to have ventilation currents readily reversible in order to fight underground fires as stipulated by the Title 30, Mineral Resources, and by the mining laws of some states. From an equipment performance standpoint, assuming the validity of other flow technical data, the question of the ventilator flow reversibility is of ten related to the actual scenario of the begining of an emergency. Most of the time, the system operates within half of the design capacity only and assuming that the equivalent mine orifice is stable only a quarter of the design pressure must be produced by the fan in any event. For such an operating point, the effective gradient and energy losses can be disregarded since fire emergencies usually last for only a short period of time. Equipment Comparison Fig. 2 depicts a ventilation arrangement wherein the flow can be reversed through changing the functional position of the dampers (slideplate or blade type). Both axial or radial fans can be applied in this case. For the mine exhaust operation, slide plates (guillotines) I and I11 are opened while plates I1 and IV are closed. The flow thus encounters two reroutings, which due to the reverse ventilation flow cannot be equipped with proper sheet metal deflectors, and therefore large pressure losses result during the air reroute operation. When the intake operation is considered, the dampers I and I11 are closed and the pair I1 and IV is opened. For this arrangement, almost the same flow conditions exist as for the foregoing exhaust mode; however, one additional corner must be applied. Even if a highly efficient ventilator is used in one of the previously described systems, the additional pressure losses resulting from air rerouting plus those encountered between the planes "0" and "00" significantly affect the overall energy requirements. Illustrated in Table 1 are the relative component losses of even flows for evaluation of various detour arrangements. From the aerodynamics standpoint, when these components are being designed, serious consideration must be given to the individual levels of the pressure loss coefficient, 5. Should there be an increase in the sum of the loss coefficients due to the particular component selection such that, for example, the net change is 1.2; the resulting pressure to be produced by the fan can be calculated from:

Jan 1, 1981

By P. S. Roller

P. S. ROLLER,* College Park, Md.-The author introduces the idea of a grind limit, or lower size limit of the particles formed directly by grinding, and this is stipulated to be 0.70 micron. I wonder where all the particles come from that lie between the resolving power of the microscope and 0.7 micron, which are seen under a microscope in examining a sample of grind? There is also introduced the idea of excess fines; this is all right in itself but the author's quantitative definition seems to be virtually impossible to justify, and, moreover, is obscure. Just why E, the excess fines, should be defined as the distance between an F line and a [?] line is hard to follow, and just where the distance should be measured does not appear to be stated, as it should be since the F and [?] lines intersect and the distance between will depend upon where that distance is measured. The basis of the presentation is the relation of log weight against log size that was "discovered" by Schuhmann. While this relation is implied to fit, the only evidence that I can see is a slightly irregular line in Fig. I between 2 per cent and 18 per cent by weight and then a precipitous drop at 18 per cent away from any sort of straight line. Some of the conclusions are rather startling. It is stated that E, the excess fines, remains constant for all the comminution products of any particular material, except that it may decrease for some coarse crusher products. No reason is given for this assertion. One would, on the contrary, expect that excess fines, if such a concept is permissible, would generally vary with different conditions instead of being constant. Again, "as much net energy is required to reduce a ton of quartz to particles of the grind-limit diameter (namely, of course, 0.7 micron) by grinding as is required to melt the quartz," This would require many data to prove, but no proof is given; any considera¬tion would reveal the impossibility of such a result. Still further, ore samples "ground to widely different sizes, and with different circulating loads and different size distributions or product, show the same production of new surface area per revolution of the mill, when this grind limit is used." This statement is confuted by ordinary experience, which teaches that grinding efficiency varies generally with the condition of material. For example, the cushioning effect of fines is widely accepted, while the inefficiency of a ball mill when the feed is too coarse is also well known. R. SCHUHMANN, JR.,* Cambridge, Mass.¬Contrary to Mr. Bond's stand, there is a great deal of miscellaneous experimental evidence that comminution does not stop at around 0.7 micron, nor does it cease consuming energy at that point. Comminution is in fact recognized as an important method of producing colloids.5 Mechanical comminution methods were used by von Weimarn6 to produce colloidal dispersions of a variety of solids, including the minerals chalcocite, galena, hematite, stibnite. Utzino7 gives average particle sizes ranging from 0.02 to 0.09 micron for colloids produced by mechanical comminution of several crystalline solids. Andreasen and Berg8 have ground

Jan 1, 1941

By M. F. McCarty, R. S. Olson

New organic flocculants of high-molecular weight are replacing lime, glue, and starch in liquid-solid separation. Of these synthetic materials, poly-acrylamides are outstanding. Polyacrylamides form a class of compounds varying widely in composition and activity. Separan 2610, one of the first of these flocculants' released to the mining industry in 1954, is described' as a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylamide with or without a copolymer material and with some replacement of amide by carboxylic groups. MECHANISM OF FLOCCULATION In practice, flocculation makes solids settle faster and filter better. But two opposing factors control it. The random motion that causes particles to collide favors Van der Waals' forces, which hold the particles together. The effect of zeta potential opposes this contact, and particles are mutually repelled. Flocculation can be achieved by reducing the magnitude of the zeta potential; this is the mechanism of flocculation by lime addition. The way in which polyacrylamides accomplish flocculation is not fully understood, but the action is undoubtedly comp1ex and probably varies considerably depending on the system. To begin with, the active groups of these compounds have an extremely high affinity for solid surfaces, probably by hydrogen bonding." Initially some active groups of the molecule attach themselves to the solids with a large portion of the molecule extending into the solution. Two particles can become tied together by long flocculant molecules in the following ways—by bonding between the active groups of two flocculant molecules on different particles, or by an extended molecule from one particle attaching itself directly to the surface of the other particles." These flocculant bridges prevent the particles from moving apart through random motion, but when such motion moves them together other active groups on the flocculant bridge bond to the solids, holding them in the closer position. This process is repeated until the particles are close together. Although bridging is probably a major flocculation mechanism, it is not the only phenomenon involved. Relatively neutral acrylamide flocculants reduce the magnitude of the zeta potential by increasing the viscosity of solution in the immediate vicinity of the solid surface which contains the mobile counter ions of the double layer. In other words, it moves the shear surface which bounds the zeta potential out into the solution containing counter ions which tend to neutralize the zeta potential. This effect is probably more pronounced during the initial adsorption period, before the flocculant molecules are pulled close to the solid. In some cases the slight charge of the polyacry-lamide molecule tends to neutralize a zeta potential. However, this is not a primary flocculation mechanism, as evidenced by the fact that the polyacrylamides will flocculate solids with either positive or negative zeta potential. Adsorption of polyacrylamide flocculants by a solid is substantially an irreversible reaction. Since the flocculant molecule is attached to the particle surface by many active groups of high bonding strength, desorption would require the simultaneous breaking of many bonds—an unlikely occurrence. UNIQUE PROPERTIES The irreversible adsorption of certain polyacrylamides, the flocculant's high affinity for solid surfaces and its rapid adsorption make it effective, but these unique properties require special techniques to achieve maximum flocculation. If flocculants of this type are added to a pulp as a relatively concentrated solution, the solids in the

Jan 1, 1960

By George W. Maynard Maynard

IN this paper I desire to embody the results of some personal observations of the working of the Siemens direct process as I witnessed it for a part of three days at the works of the Siemens-Anderson Company, in Pittsburgh. This preliminary investigation was to have been followed up by one extending over a considerable period of time, and would have embraced analytical and physical tests. Circumstances over which I had no control, resulting in the temporary suspension of work, have postponed the presentation of a complete paper. If the opportunity is afforded me, I purpose doing this at a future meeting of the Institute. To those interested in the development of the process, reference is made to the papers of Dr. Siemens in the Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute for the years 1873 and 1877, and to the paper of our late lamented brother, Holley, in the 8th volume of the Transactions of our own Institute. Dr. Siemens, in the introduction to his paper "On the Manufacture of Iron and Steel by Direct Process," read before the Iron and Steel Institute in September, 1877, says: " In mixing comparatively rich iron ore in powder with about 25 per cent. of its weight of pounded coal, and in exposing this mixture for some hours to the heat of a common stove or of a smith's fire, metallic iron is formed, which, on being heated to the welding-point on the same smith's hearth, may be forged into a horseshoe of excellent quality. The admixture with the ore of some fluxing materials, such as lime or clay, will, in most cases, be of advantage to rid the iron of adherent slag." This is the keynote of the Siemens direct process. Dr. Siemens says further: "If we regard the production of wrought iron from an abstract point of view, we perceive that we have to accomplish two things, viz., the deoxidation of the ore, and the fusion of the earthy matter .mixed with it; and if we calculate the amount of carbon necessary to accomplish this end, we shall find that in using, say, hematite ore, consisting of peroxide of iron with from 10 to 15 per cent. of silica, we shall require barely 40 per cent. of carbonaceous matter per ton of iron contained in the' ore to effect its reduction, and also the fusion of the slag."

Jan 1, 1882

By A. T. Corey, J. H. Henderson, M. R. J. Wyllie, C. H. Rathjens

The results of three-phase relative permeability tests on nine water-wet consolidated Berea sandstone samples are presented as composite ternary diagranls showing isoperms of oil, water and gas. Capillary pressure control was exercised over the flow of gas and oil in the presence of water. The water saturations ranged from 17 to 71 per cent pore volume. A method of calculating both the oil and water permeabilities of a three-phase system from the easily measured gas relative permeability is presented. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND RESULTS A renewed interest has been shown in three-phase relative permeability as a result of recent developments involving underground combustion processes, steam injection, and other multiphase displacement processes. The experiments and results described here involved simultaneous flow of oil and gas in consolidated Berea sand with brine present as the wetting phase. Gas and oil relative permeabilities were measured on nine cores with CaC12 brine present as the wetting phase in saturations ranging from 17 to 71 per cent. The average residual liquid saturation of the cores was approximately 20 per cent. In order to make certain that brine was the wetting phase, the test cores were saturated with brine before contact with hydrocarbons. As an added precaution to avoid having oil displace brine from the wetting position as a result of changing wettability, each core was only used twice, i.e., first with a fixed percentage of brine and then for a gas-oil permeability determination with no brine present. The results, therefore, are presented as composite ternary diagrams representing the flow tests on nine individual cores having very similar properties. All tests were made using a modification of the capillary pressure techniquc described elsewhere. The effective oil permeability was measured before gas was introduced using a very small pressure gradient (a few centimeters of oil). This determination was made without selectively wet barriers in contact with the core. The cores were then placed between capillary barriers and gas-oil relative permeability curves obtained. The capillary barriers had been made water repellent with a silicone treatment. In determining gas-oil-water relative permeability in this fashion, control was exercised over the capillary pressure existing between the gas and oil. No control was exercised over the pressure difference existing between the oil and water. Athough an equal pressure gradient was applied to the gas and the oil phases, this pressure gradient does not exist in the water phase. Since the pressure gradient across the core was always much less than the displacement pressure of the fully saturated core, the pressure gradient can have caused only a very slight distortion of the oil-water interfaces. This slight distortion of the oil-water interfaces had a negligible effect on the validity of the oil permeabilities measured. The oil permeability, measured in the presence of water but with no gas present, was in every case equal. within experimental error, to the gas permeability of the gas-oil system when the oil saturation was the same as that of the water. Gas and oil relative permeabilities were plotted as a function of total liquid saturation. It was found that the gas relative permeability curves obtained on cores with brine present were identical with those obtained on the same cores with no brine present. The denominator for calculating oil relative permeabilities was the permeability found by extrapolation to infinite mean pressure (A la Klinken-berg). Fig. 1 illustrates gas-oil relative permeability results obtained on a typical core. The solid permeability curves represent the experimental data. The dashed oil relative permeability curve was calculated using the relationship;

Jan 1, 1957