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By K. A. Gschneidner, O. D. McMasters, T. J. O’Keefe

X-ray diffraction, differential thermal, ad rnetallo-graphic methods were used to establish the Dy-Pb Phase diagram. Lead additions lower the 1377°C transformation temperature of dysprosium to 1360°C leading to an inverted peritectic reaction. The 327°C melting point of lead is lowered by dysprosium additions to about 326°C yielding a eutectic reaction. A second eutectic reaction occurs at 13.3 at. pct Pb and 1200°C. The dysprosium-richest intermetallic compound DysPb3 melts congruently at 1695°C and crystallizes in the hexagonal Mn5Si3 (D8,) type structure. The peritectic decomposition temperatures for the remaining compounds are Dy5Pb, at 1555C, DyPb2 at 955C, and DyPb3 at 880°C. A fifth compound near the DyPb stoichiometry exists over a 310°C temperature range decomposing at 1130°C by means of an inverted peritectic reaction and melting incongruently at 1440°C. The crystal structures of the compounds are discussed. A systematic study of the rare earth-lead alloy systems is underway in an effort to supply information concerning the alloying behavior of the rare earth metals. The Dy-Pb phase diagram is the fourth system to be investigated in this study. The Yb-Pb,1 Y-Pb,2 and Eu-Pb 3 diagrams have been published recently. Utilization of the rare earth series of metals as a research tool in this manner should yield a better understanding of alloy formation. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Materials. The lead used in this investigation was obtained from Cominco Products, Inc., and was specified to be 99.99 pct pure. The dysprosium was prepared in this Laboratory by the calcium reduction of the fluoride followed by distillation of the dysprosium. The major impurities in the dysprosium in ppm are: A1 (<40), Ca (400), Er (<50), Gd (<200), Ho (<200), Mg (<50), Si (30), Ta (400), Tb (<100), Y (<50), 0 (651, H (15), N (not detected), F (430), C (35). Alloy Preparation. Most of the alloys were prepared by melting weighed amounts of dysprosium and lead in sealed tantalum crucibles. The tantalum crucibles were sealed by are-welding in a He-Ar atmosphere welding chamber. Thus the alloys are in contact with He-Ar at about 1 atm pressure. Homogenization was achieved by holding them in the liquid state for about 1 hr, cooling, inverting the crucibles, remelting, and repeating the process at least twice. Since these alloys were prepared in sealed tantalum crucibles, chemical analysis for final composition was thought to be unnecessary. No detectable reaction of these alloys with the tantalum crucible was observed by metallographic examination. Metallographic evidence was also used to confirm the homogeneity of some of the alloys prepared in this manner. The compositions of a few alloys, which were prepared by nonconsum-able are-melting, were corrected for the small weight losses involved by assuming that the weight loss is due to vaporization of lead. The specimens obtained from the alloy samples were prepared under a dry-argon atmosphere because they were rapidly attacked by air and moisture. Thermal Analysis. Differential thermal analysis methods were used to determine the liquidus curves and reaction horizontals of the system. Both Pt vs Pt + 13 pct Rh and W + 5 pct Re vs W + 26 pct Re thermocouples were used to measure the temperature. An X- Y recorder was used to record the specimen temperature and differential electromotive force between the specimen and molybdenum standard. The arrest temperatures were measured potentiometri-cally. The accuracy limits (* values) associated with the reaction temperatures obtained by this method were estimated on the basis of both the reproducibility of the particular temperature value and the accuracy of the thermocouple at a given temperature. Liquidus temperatures were obtained from cooling arrest data while both heating and cooling arrest data were used to establish the horizontals of the diagram. Heat treatments during the thermal analyses of the alloys between 40 and 70 at. pct Pb were necessary in order to approach equilibrium conditions. The samples were held at temperatures between the various peritectic horizontals for l to 2 hr before the thermal analyses were continued. The entire range of compositions was investigated at the expense of a minimum amount of materials by adding appropriate amounts of lead to master alloys. More than sixty alloys were analyzed by this differential thermal method and for each alloy the results given herein are taken from two or three heating and cooling cycles. X-Ray and Metallographic Methods. Slice specimens for metallography and powder specimens for X-ray diffraction were prepared from rod-shaped samples which had been melted in sealed 0.62 5-cm-diam tantalum crucibles. The specimens were heat-treated in sealed tantalum crucibles which were protected by sealing them in argon-filled quartz ampules. Quenching was accomplished by breaking the ampules in ice water after heat treatment. X-ray powder specimens were sealed in 0.3-mm-diam glass capillaries under a dry-argon atmosphere. Copper, iron, and chromium radiation were used to obtain the powder patterns for these alloys. More than 150 powder patterns were obtained for specimens of various compositions and heat treatments. Included in these were several patterns for specimens which had purposely been oxidized. Patterns from specimens which had been accidentally exposed

Jan 1, 1969

By J. P. Myers, A. H. Flagg, E. S. Mardock, J. L. P. Campbell, J. M. Terry

The development process for the use of radioactive tracers as a means of locating zones of permeability is discussed. The general techniques for the safe handling of radioactive materials is given as developed by the Lane-Wells Co. and Well Surveys, Inc. The prob1em and. successes with tracers in waterflood systetns, oil and gas injection profiles, fracture sand tracing, squeeze (ement tracing. lost circulution, and cement top localion are discussed and illustrated. INTRODUCTION The exact location of the permeable zones lying within the productive horizon has been a major problem faced by the petroleum engineer for decades, and it has been a problem which has seldom been solved with certainty. Reservoir engineers usually have to incorporate a question mark in their estimates of future reservoir performance because of blanks in the core data. Although the use of radioactivity or electrical logs for the estimation of porosity has been of great assistance in furnishing a record for the reservoir engineer, this application of logging data has not completely solved the problem. In short, the industry needs an in-situ well surveying method which can locate and estimate the permeability of the zones existing within a given pay section. The initial development work with radioactive tracers has been towards filling the need for permeability information. Progress to date permits the location of permeable zones with a qualitative estimate of their relative importance with respect to permeability. The calibration of the method is still incomplete. but present development work on tracer preparations, borehole effect correction factors, and instrument limitations give a promise of quantitative "permeability profiles" in the near future. The development work on the radioactive tracer method discussed here began several years ago in the laboratories of Well Surveys, Inc., in Tulsa. At the outset of this work, three approaches to the problem were visualized as follows: 1. A fluid carrying a soluble, chemically inert, gamma ray emitting isotope is pumped down the borehole and out into the permeable zones of the formation. The greater gamma activity of the permeable zones thus permits them to be differentiated from the impermeable zones which contain no active tracer. It was found difficult to obtain a tracer material which was chemically inert. Absorption to some degree was noted in all experiments. Also, it proved impossible to hold the tracer near the horehole where it could be logged. 2. A fluid carrying a soluble, gamma ray emitting isotope is pumped down the borehole into the permeable formations. In contrast with proposal 1, above. the tracer is chemically active with the fluids and materials in the pore spaces of the permeable zones. The permeable zones are thus indicated by their higher radioactivity level. The main difficulty in this proposal was finding a tracer material which would not be absorbed by shale as well as in the permeable porosity. Very little field work was done with this system. 3. Radioactive particles suspended within the injection fluid are pumped down the well. As the fluid enters the permeable formations, the radioactive particles are filtered out on borehole wall. The permeable zones are differentiated from the impermeable by the gamma ray activity deposited on the formation wall.

Jan 1, 1956

By Jean A. Andre

In 1969 "Société des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille-Montagne" produced 221,000 tons zinc ingots and 22,000 tons zinc dust, thus rating highest on the world&apos;s zinc producer list. The Company&apos;s plant at Balen, Belgium, with an output of 135,000 tons electrolytic zinc is the most important one of this group; it is an integrated metallurgical zinc and lead unit with recovery of most by-products. The present paper describes the zinc production facilities. The roasting section includes four fluid bed roasters (total concentrates charged: 740 tpd) and two sulfuric acid having a corresponding capacity. Calcine is leached in a fully automated plant by a two-step continuous process. Leaching residues, mixed with lead furnace slag, are treated in a shaft furnace. The recovered zinc fume is leached separately. In the near future, the leaching residues are to be treated by a wet process, developed in the Company&apos;s own laboratories. Purification of solutions is accomplished in two steps: antimony and zinc dust are added in the first one, only zinc dust in the second one for removal of cadmium. Electrolysis cells are partly of a conventional type. A new type of cell configuration was put onstream in October, 1969, planned output 60,000 tpy. Main features of the new cell rooms are the fully automatic pulling, stripping and replacing of the jumbo-size cathodes (immersed area 2.6 m2). Zinc cathodes are remelted in induction furnaces followed by in-line automatic casting and stacking machines.

Jan 1, 1970

NEARLY one hundred members of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America and friends of Professor Peele met at dinner at the Aldine Club, New York, on the evening of April 26, to take part in the ceremonies attending the presentation of the Society&apos;s annual gold medal. This had been awarded to Professor Peele by the Society in recognition of his laborious and painstaking work as Editor-in-chief of the monu-mental "Mining Engi-neers&apos; Handbook. Carl A. Meissner acted as toastmaster. W. Y. Westervelt, a student and lifelong asso-ciate of Professor Peele, then recounted some of his friend&apos;s early exploits, be-ginning with his mining adventures in the paternal cellar, whereby the neces-sity for adequate ventilation was indelibly impressed on his mind. Graduating from the Columbia School of Mines in 1883, Robert Peele for several years followed the typical mining career, as assayer and superinten-dentatan outlying Colorado mine; mill foreman and assistant superintendent of the Silver King, in Ari-zona; in charge of a mine at Fairplay, Colo.; and superintendent for the Ore-gon Gold Mines Co., at Cornucopia. At intervals during this experience, he spent parts of four years on two mineral investigations m in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Dutch Guiana. He i was called to Columbia as Adjunct Professor of Mining in 1892, and became Professor in 1904. During his sabattical leave in 1903 he travelled around the world, r stopping at some of the most important mining cen-ters, and in 1910 he renewed his acquaintance with South Africa and South America.

Jan 6, 1923

FROM north to south activity is picking up through- out the Labrador Trough-already shown to be one of the world&apos;s great iron ore provinces. Center of current activity and interest lies in the mid-southern part of the trough as drills, equipment, and . . . money start to pour into the area near Mt. Wright and Wabush Lake. First major announcement in the area came early this spring when J&L and CCI outlined an estimated billion-ton deposit for "future" operations. Later impetus came from rumored railway for US Steel&apos;s Quebec Cartier projects in the Mt. Reed area slightly to the south. As this issue went to press US Steel&apos;s request for bids on railway and hydroelectric construction, plus IOCC&apos;s decision to step up the time- table on its program in the Wabush Lake area east of Mt. Wright, triggered a flurry of other announcements involving many of the top U. S. and Canadian iron ore firms. Do not look for most of these place names in the average atlas . . . they aren&apos;t there yet, but they soon will be.

Jan 6, 1958

By Oliver S. North

Reserves of perlite rock in the western section of the United States are immense. A geological report prepared for the Union Pacific RR showed proved tonnage of over 400 million tons in southern Nevada alone. Yet the perlite industry is not large, and most of the mines are relatively small. There are indications that perlite processing, thus far largely in the hands of relatively small com¬panies, is becoming concentrated in a few large companies. For economic reasons the bulk of perlite sold in crude form has come from three or four pro¬ducers, although many individual operators have sold small quantities to limited lists of purchasers. Perlite is one of ultra-lightweight aggregates. Owing to its outstanding qualities as an aggregate, variety of uses, and ultimate economy of use, it has enjoyed considerable popularity in this country in recent years. Marked foreign interest also has been evinced in this material.

Jan 2, 1955

By Robert Glass Cleland

DURING the closing month of 1929, Walter Douglas found his health impaired by the strain of many difficult years of alternating prosperity and depression, and in April 1930 resigned the presidency of Phelps Dodge. Douglas was succeeded by Louis S. Cates. The choice broke a tradition that had been held inviolate for almost a hundred years. For the first time in its long history, the direction of the company&apos;s policies and operations was entrusted to a stranger without previous Phelps Dodge background, training, experience, or tradition. But the choice was wisely made. For a time at least, the path of Phelps Dodge was to run through rough and dubious ground, and no man in the United States was better qualified to blaze that trail than Louis Cates. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cates had served a rough and financially un- profitable apprenticeship at one of the century-old mining camps of Chihuahua, Mexico. Following his return to the United States and a brief interlude as assistant to the president of the National Steel and Wire Company, he had resumed his mining career, first as timekeeper, then as

Jan 1, 1952

By Frances Jane Cromwell, D. J. McAdam, G. W. Geil

In a series of papers, the authors and their associates have shown that the technical cohesion limit is affected by the same four factors that affect the flow stress, namely, the stress system, plastic deformation, temperature, and the strain rate.16-28 Moreover, each of these factors affects the technical cohesion limit in the same way that it affects the flow stress,t The influence of any one of these factors may be represented by a curve of cohesion limits, although only one point on the curve may represent actual fracture. As the term ilfracture stress&apos; has come into use with the same significance as &apos;ctechnical cohesion limit," the authors are here using the shorter term with the understanding that it does not always refer to actual fracture. This paper presents the results of an investigation of the flow of notched and unnotched specimens betqrcen yield and fracture, A study has thus been made of the flow and fracture of metals as affected by the stress system, and of the ductility of metals as affected by the stress system throughout plastic deformation. Since two of the principal stresses were equal (S2 = S3), the stress systems can be represented in terms of the radial stress ratio, the ratio of the transverse radial stress s3 to the longitudinal stress S1.* The results of the experiments are represented by a series of their flow-stress curves for each Of the metals investigated, and these diagrams have been used for the development Of Other diagrams Of various types. Ludwik was the first to suggest that fracture occurs when the flow stress becomes equal to a technical cohesion limit. Although Ludwik was incorrect in his view that the technical cohesion limit depends only on the amount of plastic deformation and not On the stress system, he was &apos;Orrect in his view that the flow-stress curve for any stress system terminates at a point representing a technical cohesion limit. The authors have seen some recent references to assertions by other investigators that a point representing the fracture stress need not be on the flow-stress curve. The Ludwik principle, however, "auld Seem to be axiomatic, provided that the flow Stress and fracture stress are properly defined and that the fracture stress is properly determined. Disregard Of this principle has led to some untenable theories Of criteria for fracture. When a metal is very ductile, the conventional method of determining the ductility and fracture stress by dividing the breaking load by the sectional area after fracture, generally gives values that are much too high. With some metals and in some conditions, the fracture stress thus determined may be two or more times the

Jan 1, 1949

The Sub-committee on Safety of the Industrial Organization Com-mittee of the Institute has been asked to cooperate with the National Safety Council, and has made certain recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Institute regarding ways and means of bringing about this cooperation. The National Safety Council has been in existence seven years. Its inception was at a meeting of the American Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers held in Milwaukee in 1912. The first annual congress was held in New York City in October, 1913, at which time the Council was definitely organized. Its membership now consists of nearly four thousand members, representing industrial plants, railroads, public utility companies, insurance companies, state labor commissions, Chambers of Commerce, manufacturers&apos; organizations, etc. These members are in all states of the Union and in eleven foreign countries, and through them the National Safety Council reaches more than six million workers.

Jan 7, 1919

By S. S. Cole, D. L. Armant

The smelting of titaniferous ores for the past hundred years has not been successful because of thickening of the slags in the furnaces. The interest in the utilization of these iron bearing materials has been due to the extensive deposits which have been found in various parts of the world.1 The literature contains references2 to the use of titaniferous ores in blast furnaces. None of these attempts has met with success due to the lack of sufficient information as to the cause of failures and to economic considerations. Evaluation of the published information, as to the probable cause of failure in various attempts, has indicated that the presence of lower valence titanium oxide and formation of titanium carbide contributed to the failure. It was apparent that severe reducing conditions which are present in a blast furnace had been one of the factors for such failures. The previous smelting operations had as a primary objective the recovery of iron from these ores. Under these conditions the highest recovery of iron could only occur with severe reducing conditions. Application of Melting Point Data The application of the melting point data, from the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-TiO2 reported in another paper,3 to the smelting of titaniferous ores required an extrapolation of these melting points due to the presence of other impurities from the ores. Likewise, a study of the effect of varying FeO and reduced titanium content of the slag was necessary before the data could be fully applied. The melting point data under oxidizing conditions had clearly indicated that a fluid slag with a melting point in the temperature range of 1370°C could be obtained. The smelting of a titaniferous ore had as a primary objective the production of a high titanium slag which was fluid and substantially free of iron and low in trivalent titanium. Since production of a high titanium slag was of primary importance, rather than the recovery of iron from these ores, the smelting concept could be altered to a marked degree. The ferrous oxide could be maintained at higher levels than is the normal practice in iron ores slags without being detrimental to the slags, although a loss in iron recovery resulted. During the reduction of the molten mixtures of ferrous iron and titanium, carbon acts as the reductant for changing the valence of the titanium and iron. The reaction can go further than in the case of the reduction which occurs in iron-titanium solutions. The formation of metallic iron removes iron from the system, so that the titanium oxide can be reduced to trivalent and divalent titanium oxides and also form titanium carbide which removes the titanium from the slags as a soluble constituent. The problem, therefore, resolves itself into maintaining the proper amount of ferrous iron in the slag thereby avoiding the formation of appreciable amounts of trivalent titanium and no divalent titanium oxide or titanium carbide. The latter two have been found in the viscous

Jan 1, 1950

By Kurt Kennedy

A method is described by which three elements can be condensed simirltaneously on a common substrate in such a way that the composition varies with position on the substrate. Almost all possible combinations of three solid elements can be formed in a single evaporation. The three elements are heated by magnetically deflected electron beams. The alloys and cornpounds formed by this method generally correspond to those trade by other methods; however, many exceptions exist. Simple symmetric crystallographic phases tend to form in preference to more complex phases. The Nb-Sn. Cr-Fe-Nt, and other systems of alloys made by this method will be discussed. Phases that form very slowly, such as the o phase in Cr-Fe alloys, may be formed rapidly by this method when certain substrate temperatures are used. STUDYING all the mixtures and compounds of two or more elements by the preparation of individual samples forces the investigator to make sampling sufficiently close together so that the properties of the intermediate compositions can be inferred. A completely unknown system will require a dis c our aging ly large number of preparations in order to fully know all its properties. For the purpose of expediting this type of investigation, methods have been devised to prepare samples that have a continuous variation in composition over some predefined area. The code-position of two elements onto suitable substrates has been used to produce alloys or compounds that have variable compositions depending on their positions on the substrates Composition gradients have been formed by depositing a wedge-shaped layer of one element and then depositing a second wedge-shaped layer on top of it such that the total film thickness is kept constant. Concentration equilibrium perpendicular to the surface is then established by annealing.4 This paper describes a method for the simultaneous condensation of three volatile components on a substrate such that there is a regular variation of composition with position on the substrate. The arrangement of the evaporation sources and the substrate is shown schematically in Fig. 1. Materials to be evaporated are placed in three water-cooled crucibles located at the corners of a 10-in. equilateral triangle. Electron beams from cathodes located below the crucibles are bent 180 deg by magnetic fields and focused on the material to be evaporated. The cathodes are connected in parallel to a constant-current 12-kv power supply. The distribution of emission current from each cathode is controlled by filament temperature. When materials that sublime are to be evaporated, the electron beam is deflected by an auxiliary ac magnetic field so that the beam moves over the surface of the evaporating material rather than digging a hole in one spot. The substrate is a 10-in. triangle of 2-mil stainless steel or molybdenum which is stretched against a slightly curved heat sink by a frame as shown in Fig. 2. This frame and heat sink are located so that each corner is directly above an evaporation source. The heat sink has three radiant heaters at each corner that can be separately controlled permitting the

Jan 1, 1967

By S. Shapiro, G. Krauss

RECENT investigations1 3 of the products of marten-sitic transformation in Fe-Ni and Fe-Ni-C alloys have made use of light microscopy to describe mar-tensitic fine structure. The application of conventional metallographic techniques to this problem was possible because of the similarity of distributions of parallel striations developed by etching polished surfaces to distributions of transformation twins which are positively identified in thin films by transmission electron microscopy. The surface striations frequently are not well-defined, and could also be due to, for example, rows of etch pits which are not resolved by the light microscope. This note describes the etching effects revealed by examination of surface replicas of mar-tensite in the electron microscope. The application of a replica technique both extends the observations of fine structure made with the light microscope and allows the results of conventional metallography to be used with more confidence. Samples of an Fe-33 wt pct Ni alloy were used for this study because of the detailed knowledge of the fine structure of martensite which has been developed&apos;-4 for alloys of about this composition. Samples transformed to martensite at -120°C, and transformed samples heated to 340°C to effect a small amount of reversal of martensite to austenite, were examined. Surfaces were first prepared for replication by elec-tropolishing in a chromium oxide-acetic acid electrolyte at a current density of 0.1 amp per sq cm and a temperature of 15°C or a perchloric acid-acetic acid electrolyte at a current density of approximately 2 amps per sq cm and a temperature of 15°C. The polished surfaces were then etched for 4 to 7 sec by immersion in a solution of equal parts HC1, HNO,, and H20. Application of the etchant for this period of time produced discrete attack of certain features without loss of resolution due to overlapping of areas most susceptible to etching. The etched surfaces were replicated by 1) preshadowing with Pt-Pd alloy at an angle of 20 to 30 deg, 2) depositing a thin carbon film, and 3) stripping the film and shadowing material by immersion in a 5 pct nital solution. Two types of etching effects were observed by examination of the surface replicas in the electron microscope: l) continuous striations centered at the bottom of long grooves or the tops of pyramidal elevations on the sample surface, and 2) high densities of fine etch pits. Examples of both types of features are shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The striations are in each case continuous and have the same characteristic configurations as do transformation twins in martensite. Fig. 1 shows that the density of grooves decreases toward the edge of a martensite plate and Fig. 2 shows a region where the striations are of varying length. Similar examples of transformation twin arrangements determined by transmission electron microscopy of thinned foils of martensite have been shown in the literature,&apos;~ and, based on these similarities, the striations and their associated grooves or mounds are considered to be evidence for the presence of transformation twins. The transf~rmation twins in martensite are on the order of l00 A thick, much too fine for resolution by the light microscope. It appears that orientation-dependent etching of the matrix martensite about the twins results in grooves or surface elevations which

Jan 1, 1967

By E. O. Fromm, R. I. Jaffee, R. M. Evans

IN connection with a research on gallium alloys, a method for the thermal analysis of very low melting alloys was developed, which appeared to be worthy of more than passing interest. As used, the method was suitable for work in the temperature range, — 72° to 250°C. However, with suitable adjustment, the method could be adapted for use over broader temperature ranges. The Rosenhain temperature gradient furnace,&apos; adapted for low-temperature use, was the basis for the method. The gradient was set up in a stainless steel tube. The specimens were lowered through it at a constant rate while time-temperature or inverse rate data were taken. It was essential to maintain careful control of the top and bottom temperatures of the gradient. Also essential was good heat transfer from the walls to the specimen. This was accomplished by a liquid heat-transfer medium.

Jan 1, 1953

By Roy Moore

THE Tom Reed Extension and Big Jim mines of United Eastern Mining Co. are situated in the Oatman district, Mohave County, Ariz., about 28 miles southwest of Kingman, the nearest railway point. Articles descriptive of the mine surface plant, mill construction, and plant operations have been written by Otto Wartenweiler1, the designing engineer; Wheeler 0. North,2 when he was assistant general manager for the company, and Earle M. Bagley, mill superintendent.3 The last article covers average costs for the full time the mill was operated. The geology of the mines is described by F. L. Ransome4 of the United States Geological Survey. Production was started in January,. 1917, and the known orebodies were exhausted in May, 1925, showing a life of seven years and five months. On account of the comparatively short life and the fact that stoping operations were confined to two orebodies, little experimenting was done with mining methods. The two orebodies were in what is generally called the Tom Reed-United Eastern vein, which occupies a fault fissure having a normal displacement of several hundred feet. Seven or eight very productive ore shoots were mined along this vein in a distance of 1 ½ miles, the two worked by the United Eastern being 1 mile apart. The maximum dimensions of the Tom Reed Extension ore shoot were height, 750. ft.; length, 950 ft.; thickness, 48 ft. The vein structure varied from a solid quartz-calcite filling to a series of parallel stringers separated by andesite. From this body, 511,976 tons of ore were mined. (Fig. 1.)

Jan 1, 1928

By R. D. Pehlke, P. D. Goodell, R. W. Dunlap

The rate of dissolution of steel bars in molten pig iron has been measured experimentally in the temperature range 2300° to 2650° F. The rate of solution is shown to be a .function of bath composition, temperature, and stirring. A kinetic model based on carbon diffusion in the liquid phase has been derived to fit the experimental results. THE rate of scrap melting has long been an important variable in steelmaking operations. With the advent of the oxygen steelmaking process and the accompanying shorter heat times, the rate of scrap melting has now become one of the rate-limiting factors in steel production. As observed in commercial practice, the solution rate is influenced by the compositions of liquid and solid, the temperature, agitation, and time. However, no definitive work has been done on the Fe-C system, and there is very little information in the literature regarding the relative effects of these variables in steelmaking systems. A number of questions have been raised in regard to scrap utilization in basic oxygen steelmaking operations. Consideration has been given to the optimum size and shape of scrap, and to the use of preheated scrap as a means for decreasing the pig-iron requirement in oxygen blowing. The determination of an optimum scrap practice for a specific installation depends to a large extent upon the economics of the scrap market and also upon the behavior of scrap in the vessel. The present research was undertaken as a preliminary study in evaluating the behavior of steel in a pig-iron bath under various conditions of temperature, composition, and agitation, as might be encountered in oxygen converter operations or in any steelmaking operation where scrap behavior is an important process variable. Related studies have been carried out on non-ferrous systems. The solution rate of solid aluminum in a molten A1-Si alloy has been studied.&apos; Furthermore, the increasing use of liquid metals has created considerable interest in studies related to dissolution of a solid in a liquid, or mass transfer taking place between a solid interface and a liquid metallic phase.2-10 In an effort to clarify the relative importance of factors influencing the dissolution of scrap in Fe-C alloys, this paper presents the results of a study of the rate of dissolution of a low-carbon steel cylinder in a molten Fe-C bath at various bath compositions, temperatures, and conditions of agitation. An attempt has been made to determine the mechanism of solution, and a model has been derived to fit the experimental results. The rate of heat transfer between the molten pig-iron bath and the solid-steel cylinder has also been studied. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A molten bath of pig iron (nominal composition 4.2 pct C, 0.5 pct Mn, 0.8 pct Si)* was held in a 200- *In view of the fact that the composition of the pig-iron bath was slowly changing with time because of steel dissolution and reaction with the surrounding atmosphere, intermittent samples of the liquid bath were taken throughout each experiment, Table 1. lb induction melting unit. The internal diameter of the furnace was 8-1/2 in. and the bath depth approximately 14 in. Cold-finished 1020 steel cylinders of 1/2-, 3/4-, 1-, 1-1/2-, and 2-in. diameters were cut into 1 -ft lengths for use as test specimens. One end of each bar was machined to fit a hand-driven, mechanical stirring device which rested on top of the furnace. This fixture permitted 7 to 8 in. of the bar to be immersed in the melt. The steel cylinders were cleaned to free the surface of grease and oxide. The rods, at ambient temperature, were immersed into the molten pig-iron bath. The melt temperatures studied in this investigation were 2300°, 2500°, and 2650°F. Different agitation conditions were achieved by operating with a) the power to the furnace, giving induction stirring; b) induction stirring plus mechanical stirring, using hand rotation with a chain and sprocket assembly at approximately 200 rpm; c) mechanical stirring alone with the power off; and d) the power off and no mechanical stirring resulting in minimum agitation, i.e., only that caused by natural convection currents in the bath. The samples were immersed in the melt for prescribed times ranging from 30 sec up to 6 min. Immersion times were measured with a stopwatch and temperature control of the melt was achieved by power adjustment following temperature measurement with an optical pyrometer. The measurements with the calibrated pyrometer were checked out to within less than 10°F with simultaneous thermocouple measurements. Following immersion, the bars were water-quenched and the diameters were measured with a micrometer at several positions on the reduced area, and by volumetric displacement. The dissolution rates calculated from the

Jan 1, 1965

By A. F. Crawley

The densities of some liquid Pb-Sb alloys up to 11 wt pct Sb and Pb-Sb-& alloys up to 10 pct Sb/10 pct Sh have been determined by a pycnometric technique over a temperature range of about 130°C above their melting points. The data given are accurate within 0.05 pct. Density is shown to vary linearly with temperature , and equations relating these quantities have been formulated. Molar volumes calculated from the density data indicate that volumetric deviations from ideal mixing are undetectable within the limits of experimental error. A continuing research program into some fundamental physical properties of liquid metals is being pursued at the Mines Branch, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Ottawa, Canada. This work has received support from the Canadian Zinc and Lead Research Committee in cooperation with the International Lead and Zinc Research Organization. This paper, which reports some density data for Pb-Sb and Pb-Sb-Sn alloys, follows previous work from this laboratory on lead, tin, and Pb-Sn alloys.&apos; Of previous data from others, Greenaway2 and Sato and Munakata3 have reported results on Pb-Sb alloys. No previous work has been published on the ternary Pb-Sb-Sn alloys, reported here. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Densities were measured by a pycnometric technique which has been described in detail and appraised for accuracy in earlier Mines Branch reports.475 Fig. 1 shows the densitometer with the pycnometer in position for a run. The pycnometer is also shown in some detail. The pycnometer of dense, high-purity graphite, about 14 cu cm in volume, was carefully machined to a uniform, smooth finish. The height was measured by a depth micrometer and the diameter by fitting precision gage blocks between steel balls.&apos; In each case several readings were taken, and the final results were considered accurate within 0.01 pct. The resulting volumetric uncertainty together with small inaccuracies in the coefficients of linear expansion of graphite lead to a maximum systematic uncertainty in the method of ±0.03 pct. As shown in Fig. 1, the pycnometer lid is a threaded cap. Thus, the charge, a cylinder of the alloy, can easily be inserted and the solidified metal can readily be removed after a run. The dimensions of the cylindrical charge are chosen to ensure that, once molten, the metal will not only fill the pycnometer completely but will discharge an excess into the excess-metal float chamber. AS the temperature is increased above the melting point, the volume of metal in the excess chamber increases until the system has equilibrated at the desired temperature. At this point, the excess chamber is moved to one side by twisting the shaft F, leaving a fixed volume of liquid metal in the pycnometer. This volume of fluid is readily calculated using measured coefficients of linear expansion of the graphite which expands anisotropically. The associated weight of fluid is determined as the weight of the solidified metal removed after the furnace has cooled down. Alloys were prepared from 99.997 pct Pb, 99.999 pct Sn, and 99.999 pct Sb, being melted by an electric furnace in a graphite crucible and poured into graphite molds. Several density specimens of the same nominal size were machined from each ingot, and, by comparing specimen weights, relative differences in specimen composition resulting from segregation in the ingots could be detected. In this way, segregation was found to have occurred in Pb-Sb alloys at compositions beyond the eutectic (11.2 pct Sb) and this

Jan 1, 1969

By W. B. Wise, H. D. Attra, W. M. Black

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a comparatively new approach for solving a problem that has plagued oil producers for many years—how to make the most money with available field production capacity. In a very basic operation such as a top-allowable one-well field, a computer and staff of engineers are not required to determine that the best operation is to produce that well at its maximum for as long a time as it will produce. However, as the problem becomes more complex and the number of wells and number of reservoirs increase, it probably will be a wise choice to devote some engineering thought and calculation time to determine the best way to operate that field on both an ultimate and day-to-day basis. Continued developments in the field broadly referred to as "operations research" have led to a number of useful engineering analyses for optimizing field operational problems. One of these techniques, termed linear programing, is parlicularly interesting because of its potential applications to the study of complex oilfield operating problems. Linear programing is concerned with the problem of planning a complex set of interde~endenl activities in the best possible (optimal) fashion. A field application of linear programing is being used to maximize daily income from a multi-reservoir producing operation. The initial results of this study indicate that the linear programing technique (I) can be applied effectively to field problems, (2) can be used to detect unsuspected avenues for improving operations and (3) can effect a significantly improved means of controlling field operations through the use of the highspeed computer. INTRODUCTION The usual approach for studying complex field operational problems has been to look in detail at several basic plans suggested by judgement and experience and, then, to choose the best plan from those investigated. This approach is entirely satisfactory provided: (1) that judgment and experience alone will reliably pick the best or near the best program as one of the plans to be investigated; and (2), and most important, that the factors which control field production will not change. This paper deals with the large group of field operations which are at least one-step removed from a satisfactory solution using the conventional method of analysis. Problems such as pipeline- and gathering-system design, transportation studies, large field development projects and multi-reservoir producing operations fall in this latter category. To find the best program for handling these problems when the best program is not obvious, a complete optimization study is required, and high-speed computers are required to continually update the program once it is selected. Operations of this type have an extremely large number of possible solutions. However, only one will result in maximum economic return and, more important, this one program must be re-evaluated and adjusted constantly to accomodate such changing field factors as the number of producing days, the price of crude, the discovery of new reserves, declining reservoir pressure with subsequent decline in production and a host of other factors which characterize specific operations. One of the most widely used, direct methods of optimization is a numerical procedure termed "linear programing", which is designed to investigate systematically each of the possible solutions involved in a given problem, determining rapidly and uniquely the optimum answer. As implied by the name, linear programing requires that all field variables be either defined or expressed in a series of interdependent linear equalities or inequalities. These relationships are solved simultaneously, using a form of matrix solutions to determine the optimum values for each producing variable that will maximize net profits. The solution techniques used in a recent field case study is termed the "simplex method" and is discussed in full detail in Ref. 1.

By Michael Epstein, Daniel E. Rosner

Fume nucleation sufficiently close to vaporizing suvfaces can augment net vaporization rates into cooler environments. Environmental conditions favoring large vaporization rate enhancements are briefly discussed and a previous theoretical treatment of this nucleation phenomenon is generalized to account for the self-regulating effect of condensalion-heat release within the boundary layer. Despite kinetic limitations on homogeneous nucleation, and latent heat release, non-diffusive condensate removal processes appear to make possible large enhancements in steady-state vaporization rates, provided surface temperatures are well below the boiling point. When condensed phases vaporize (or dissolve) into cooler media, the diffusion-limited mass loss rate can be strongly influenced by the process of nucleation/con-densation (or precipitation) within the thermal boundary layer. This condensation process (which typically leads to mists or fumes in the case of evaporation into cooler gases) has the effect of steepening the vapor pressure profiles near the evaporating surface, since the condensation zone acts as a vapor sink. However. the resulting enhancement in the diffusion-limited evaporation rate can be estimated (as first done by Turkdogan1 for the case of molten iron/nickel alloys evaporating into helium) only if one has independent knowledge of the critical supersaturation, sCrit(T), required to homogeneously nucleate the vapor.* In a recent reformulation and generalization of the theoretical model of Ref. 1 it has been shown that, when log sCrit is approximately linear in reciprocal temperature, rather simple expressions can be derived4 for the ratio of the actual rate of vaporization j" to either the minimum (no condensation) rate j"min, or the maximum (equilibrium condensation) rate j"max In the present communication we wish to briefly report on further developments and implications of the formulation of Ref. 4, with emphasis on i) environmental conditions favoring large enhancements in vaporization rate, and ii) the self-regulatory influence of condensation heat release (neglected in Refs. 1 to 4) on predicted vaporization rates. Additionally, we take this opportunity to correct several misprints appear- ing in Ref. 4, and comment on Elenbaas&apos;s recent criticism5 of Ref. 1. MAXIMUM POSSIBLE VAPORIZATION RATE IN PRESENCE OF CONDENSATION A nonequilibrium theory is of interest because of the very large difference between the minimum (no condensation) and maximum (equilibrium condensation) vaporization rate. The magnitude of this maximum possible enhancement can be shown quite clearly by combining a result of Refs. 3 and 4 with the fact that for most liquids there is a simple relationship between the molar heat of evaporation, A, and its boiling point, i.e., A/(RTBp) = C, where the constant C, often called the Trouton ratio, takes on values not very different from 11.* More generally, for any substance (including The Trouton ratio (which for water is 13, for methane, 10, and so forth) will be recognized as the ratio of the molar entropy change upon vaporization (at TBP or Ttransf) to the unlversal gas constant R. Its near constancy reflects the fact that the change in atomic order upon vaporization depends only weakly on the kinds of molecules involved. those that sublime under ordinary conditions) we can define a characteristic transformation temperature. Ttransf, by a relation of the form Ttransf =A/(CR), and then examine the maximum possible evaporation rates as a function of how far removed from Ttransf are the surface temperature, Tw, and ambient temperature, T. Subject to the assumptions: 1) equilibrium vapor pressure, pv,eq, everywhere small compared to prevailing total pressure, p, and 2) negligible effect of condensation heat on temperature profile, the maximum enhancement ratio was found (Eq. [17], Ref. 4) to be: where, for most vapors, Nu/NuD (the ratio of heat transfer coefficient to mass transfer coefficient for the same configuration) is a number near unity.* Ex- *An alternative derivation of the Nu = NuD special case of this equation. revealing its validity for arbitrary velocity/temperature profiles in a laminar boundary layer, is given in Ref. 3. amining this result for a "Trouton substance", one obtains the results shown in Fig. 1, constructed for C = 11. Since we are concerned with vaporization enhancements (j&apos;max/J"min > 1) at surface temperatures below Ttransf, this area of interest is shown unshaded. One notes that at a fixed ambient temperature (hence, T/TtranSf) there is a unique surface temperature, 2T , at which j"max/j"min attains its peak value; moreover, the peak enhancement ratio, see dashed locus. Fig. 1, is: (NuA/NuD)(C/4)(Ttransf/T,). Hence, if Nu = NuD, when the ambient temperature is less than 1/4 of TtranSf the peak enhancement exceeds the Trouton

Jan 1, 1969

By T. F. Witherbee

ON the 22d of November, „1879, white iron unexpectedly appeared while working the Cedar Point Furnace, Port Henry, N Y., on the following burden, calculated to turn out mill and foundry iron: Anthracite coal, - 3000 pounds. Connellsville coke, - 1500 pounds. Total, - 4500 pounds. Old Bed ore, - 3750 pounds. New Bed fine ore, - 2000 pounds. New Bed chunk ore, - 1000 pounds. Kearnev hematite ore, - 750 pounds. Total, - 7500 pounds. Magnesian limestone, - 1865 pounds. Common limestone, - 885 pounds. Total, - 2500 pounds. The production per week since making mill iron-from September 1st, 1879, to date, seven weeks-was 412 gross tons. Ore was not immediately taken off, as nothing serious was looked for. The iron for the next week graded from No. 4 to white, and in. six days the make was 274 1/2 tons. At 10 P.M., Friday, the 28th, a slip of-..4 feet occurred, and on Saturday, at 5 A.M., another of 3 feet on the south side and. 7- feet on the north side took place. At this time it was found that the south side had been hanging for over a week--a fact which had not been reported. Throwing off the wind, to produce slips. and reduce pressure, had been tried with no effect. The stock, as seen through the tuyeres, seemed to consist almost entirely of coal, with just enough infusible cinder to cement it into a mass through which the blast could not be forced. At 3.50 A.M., Sunday, the 30th, the first cinder seen in seventeen hours came into tuyeres Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 6, At 9.30 A.M. No. 3 was taken out to see if the stock

Jan 1, 1881

By R. D. Reiswig

An increasing amount of high-temperature metall~?~gical research is carried out in resistively heated tube furnaces in which a bare specimen is suspended by a fine wire at the midpoint of the tube. It is shown that the assumption of near-blackbody conditions on the surface of the sample may give rise to errors in optical pyrometry of 50°C or more. A number of papers published in the metallurgical literature in recent years have described the use of high-temperature tube furnaces for heat treatments, melting-point determinations, and other work. Typically, the tube is of a refractory metal with open ends, is heated by the passage of an electric current, and has concentric cylindrical radiation shields outside it. In at least one of these,&apos; the specimen is contained within a crucible having a small hole in its lid through which optical-pyrometer measurements are made under essentially blackbody conditions. In another design,* the specimen is inside a muffle which is concentric with the heater tube and which contains a number of washerlike longitudinal radi- ation shields to reduce axial temperature gradients and to give conditions near the specimen closer to those of a black cavity. Yet another design3 employs a wire specimen coaxial with the heater tube. Blackbody conditions are simulated by passing current from a separate supply through the wire until it "disappears" against the background (the inside of the heater tube) as seen through a radial spy hole in the tube. Good agreement with known melting points is achieved when an optical pyrometer is used under such disappearance conditions as the melting point is approached. That this latter method works so well is due, evidently, to considerations such as those mentioned by Dike4 and others.5-8 A more common method than the above, however, has been the suspension of an uncovered specimen by a fine wire in a resistively heated tube with open ends. A radial spy hole about midway between the ends of the tube permits optical-pyrometer observations on the specimen, the inside of the tube, or both. So observed, the specimen typically appears to differ but little in brightness temperature from the inside of the tube. According to De vos9 the radiation from such a spy hole in an empty tube of reasonable 1ength:diameter ratio (e.g., 10 or greater) should be essentially blackbody radiation. For these reasons, apparently, descriptions of work carried out in such furnaces usually include a statement to the effect that conditions surrounding

Jan 1, 1964