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By R. W. Bond

The gas-lift is a comparatively recent development in the Oklahoma and Kansas fields. It was used to some extent in the old Dilworth field several years ago, but the first extensive installations were made in the Tonkawa and Garber fields in Oklahoma early in the year 1926. Compressor Equipment During the early development of the system, the equipment used generally consisted of small tandem compressors of about 250 cu. ft. per min. displacement, driven by automotive-type gas engines, using a short belt drive. These compressors were first installed at the individual wells largely as an experiment. After the experimental installations had proved the method a success, it was considered economically advisable to centralize the compressor equipment in strategically located stations. However, as the information in regard to "gas-lift flowing life" was anything but definite, and the most optimistic estimates in regard to it did not exceed six months, portability of equipment was still the first consideration in the minds of many operators, who continued to install srnall semi-portable com-pressors in their centralized stations. As electric power became available in the fields, the electric motor came rapidly into use as the prime mover for the small compressors. The operating cost of this motor is greater than that of the automotive-type gas engine for the same power output, but the greater continuity of service tends to balance the extra cost. Aside from the semi-portable units, a number of strictly portable compressors were used. These consisted of automotive-type gas engines direct connected to vertical compressors. The unit was assembled on one base and could be mounted on wheels or skids as desired. The chief objection to these, in the writer's opinion, was their small capacity— approximately 150 cu, ft. per min.—which made it necessary to use two, three, and sometimes more units per well, thus making the installation rather costly. However, they have been found valuable for test purposes and emergencies, where installation time is an important factor.

Jan 1, 1928

By L. F. Mondolfo, F. A. Crossley

The mechanism of grain refinement by the addition of small amounts of titanium, molybdenum, zirconium, tungsten, and chromium to aluminum was investigated. The results indicate that the grain refinement is caused by the peritectic reaction which, by transforming the intermetallic compound into crystals of aluminum solid solution, seeds the melt with nuclei above the freezing point of aluminum. THE feasibility of reducing the grain size of aluminum alloy castings by the addition of small amounts of titanium, zirconium, molybdenum, tungsten, columbium, boron, and chromium has been known for a long time, and the use of some of these elements as grain refiners is common practice in the aluminum foundry industry. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the mechanism by which these additions produce the grain refinement. Asato et al., on the basis of extensive work on copper, antimony, and silver alloys, presented a theory of grain refinement based on the occurrence of the peritectic reaction. Briefly, this theory states that during cooling of the melt crystals of the primary phase form, which react peritectically with the liquid upon further cooling. The peritectic reaction transforms at least partially the primary crystals into crystals of the secondary phase, which then act as nuclei for solidification of the remaining melt. As the peritectic reaction takes place the primary crys- tals break in pieces, and each piece acts as a nucleus. Fine dendritic crystals which can easily break are the most effective for grain refinement. Sicha and Boehm," in investigating the refining effect of titanium on an AI-Cu alloy, concluded that TiA1, crystals serve as nuclei to initiate crystallization, but did not offer further information on the mechanism of refinement. Bonsack in the discussion of their paper suggested that refinement was due to clouds of some solid in the melt, probably TiO² which hindered grain growth. Eborall,' after studying the effect of titanium, zirconium, vanadium, tungsten, columbium, chromium, and boron on some alloys, concluded that the peritectic reaction was not an essential feature of grain refinement. Her conclusion was based mainly upon the observation that under her experimental conditions (sand casting) the Al-Cr alloys, which undergo a peritectic reaction, did not show appreciable refinement. Cibula" investigated the mechanism of grain refinement and reported that two types of grain refinement exist: 1—Grain refinement produced by restriction of grain growth by the concentration gradient mechanism proposed by Northcott.' 2— Grain refinement produced by the presence of particles in the melt, upon which the melt crystallizes easily. He further concluded that very marked grain refinement results from a combination of the two mechanisms. Since Tic was found present in aluminum alloys refined by the addition of titanium, it was identified as the nucleating agent. In the case

Jan 1, 1952

James W. Neill, Pasadena, Cal. (communication to the Secretary*):—Professor Hofnlan's paper brings the art up to date. As I was one of the pioneers in this business, I beg to give the following incomplete data regarding my efforts in this line. In the year 1883, while I was in charge of the smelting-operations at Mine La Motte, Mo., there mas at the concentrator an unusually large protluction of a middle product, locally called " iron," which carried considerable values in nickel and cobalt, and which it was desirable, for this reason, to treat by itself. The works could not spare a furnace for the purpose; and to handle this product I improvised a " roast-hearth " from an old " lead-hearth." This was a small cast-iron furnace of the uslial construction, about 2 by 4 ft. in dimensions, with a hollon- cast-iron back, through which the wind circulated before entering the tuyeres. I had a cast-iron grate made to fit this hearth, and placed it tlush with the lip, or apron, and above the tuybres. On this grate, which had round holes about 0.25 in. in diameter, and a total surface of about 20 by 40 in., I roasted the nickeliferous pyrite product; starting the fire with kindling, then adding charcoal, and then gradually feeding the sulphides with a shovel, so as to cover the fire, choke down blow-holes, and get an even bed. Blast at a pressure of 3 or 4 oz. was supplied by a Can-blower. When a cake of roasted material had formed, it was removed with a steel bar, or fork, to the lip of the furnace, and thence into a wheel-barrow. The fine material which had renlained unmelted, but very hot, on top of the cake would promptly ignite when the cake was broken up and removed. The fire would then be covered with fresh material and

Jan 1, 1911

By J. B. Warriner

Stripping is the name given to the process of removing clay, rock, or other cover from deposits of coal or ore. In this paper it is intended to cover the methods used in carrying on this operation in the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania. In doing this, attention will be chiefly devoted to those methods wherein practice in different sections of the region differs, or is susceptible to change or improvement, though it is intended to give as complete data as possible concerning all stages of the operation. The data from which this paper has been prepared have been collected and submitted by a committee† representing the larger users of stripping methods, of which committee the writer has acted as chairman. Data and assistance have also been obtained from various mining men, engineers, contractors and manufacturers of stripping equipment, to all of whom our appreciation is due. Early History and Statistics The earliest mining operation on a commercial scale in the anthracite region was a stripping operation. This was the famous Quarry mine at Summit Hill, where this method was used only because no other method of mining a deposit of the nature found there seemed feasible to the early operators. A description of this stripping from a report published in 1821 is as follows: "The coal mine at present worked by the company lies on the top of a mountain, and appears to extend over some hundred acres of land covered by about 12 ft,. of loose black dirt resembling moist gunpowder, which can be removed by cattle with scrapers, and thrown into the valley below so as never to impede the work. The thickness of the coal is not known, but a shaft has been sunk in it 35 ft. without penetrating through. More than an acre of mine has been uncovered and presents a huge rock of coal, which is easily quarried without blasting."

Jan 1, 1918

By John Garcia

COAL MINING, as well as all the other major in-dustries of Russia, is controlled by the Soviet Gov-ernment by means of organizations in each dis-trict, known as "Trusts," such as the "Kisel Coal Trust" in the Urals, the "Donugol Trust" in the Ukraine, etc., and each Trust functions as a unit, reporting direct to the chief of the department of the government at Moscow. The responsible head of each Trust is usually a mem-ber of the Communist party and, filtered through his organization, one generally finds a fair proportion of Communists in "key" or important positions, such as purchasing agents and local managers or superinten-dents, but in the majority of places requiring technical or professional knowledge, or trained brains and ex-perience, little or no attention is paid to a man's political opinion provided, of course, he "behaves himself." These different Trusts were authorized or ordered by the Central Committee at Moscow to investigate the methods of mining and type of mines developed in all other coal producing, countries of the world, and after a period of several years of intensive investigation and study reported back to headquarters that the modern American mines were the most efficient, recommending that the program for the rehabilitation of the Russian coal mining industry should follow the lines of American practice. The Trusts were then authorized to negotiate with American engineering firms for technical service for mine designs, and invited Americans to send commis-sions to Russia to prepare and submit to the Technical Council one or more projects for a complete modern American-type operation adapted to the local conditions. A "project" is a preliminary set of designs on the entire mine, top and bottom, with specifications. cost estimates, production costs, schedule of operation, budget of expen-diture, etc., and is quite an elaborate and sizable under-taking-I might say, it took six of us working tooth and nail for over three months to finish our first project.

Jan 3, 1928

By R. R. Estill

THE rank of the Ruhr coal ranges from a high volatile bituminous coal to an anthracite, depending to some extent on the original depth of the seam. The average Ruhr coal corresponds to a soft bituminous American coal of a coking quality. The average thicknesses of individual coal seams being mined are also comparable (59 in. against 65 in. in the United States). However, consideration of seam conditions and mining conditions other than those just mentioned emphasizes differences rather than similarities with United States soft coal. In general, the Ruhr seams now being mined are much more folded and inclined than American seams. Dips of 20" and 30" are common in seams now being worked, and 30 pct of the coal reserves in the district are in seams dipping more than 35". Only on the tops and bottoms of folds do we find rather flat coal seams. In addition to the folding there is extensive displacement by cross faulting plus a certain amount of strike faulting of an overthrust nature, which results locally in doubling or omission of seams. Because of the long history of mining in the Ruhr, nearly all coal lying near the surface has long since been mined out, and we find that the average depth of mining is at present about 2300 ft below the surface. Deep mining, folding, and faulting result in seam conditions requiring a great deal more roof support than one finds in American soft coal mines. In fact only in the anthracite district and the Rocky Mountain and Pacific coal fields do we find somewhat similar conditions. It is easy to say, therefore, that the problem of mechanization of coal cutting and loading in the German mines is quite different from that which we have so effectively met in America with our mobile cutters and loaders, duck bill loaders, and a room and pillar system of mining our drift and slope mines.

Jan 12, 1950

By Herbert Dlaska

The BBU - rotary hearth treats lead concentrates and battery scrap by the roast-reaction process. It corresponds in principle to the long-known Newnam hearth, however its hearth-basin is not straight but curved to a closed ring. In operation this annular hearth is filled with liquid lead and rotates around a central blast-box. The charge, heated to a glowing-red, floats on top of the lead bath, into which air is blown from the blast-box through a horizontal slot-type tuyere. Ore pellets and brown coal are continuously charged onto the reacting mass from two storage bins. Lead is set free by the roasting reactions and trickles through the charge into the lead bath from where it is tapped from time to time. The reacting mass is continuously stirred by a mechanical agitator and backed, by a mechanical shovel, against the water-jacketed wall of the blast-box. The gangue of the charge forms lumps of scorified character, the so-called hearth slag or grey slag, which are discharged from the hearth. The waste gases are collected in a hood and conducted to a baghouse from where the fumes and dust are automatically transported to the pelletizing installation and are recycled with new material. The daily output of lead bullion depends mainly on the lead content of the charge. With lead concentrates containing 74% lead, about 24 tons of lead bullion per day are produced on the hearth at a direct lead recovery of about 89 per cent. Approximately 10 per cent of the lead content of the new material passes into the hearth slag from where it can be recovered in a blast furnace or in a rotary furnace. For small lead smelters the BBU-process represents the most economical way of melting high-grade lead concentrates. The process requires a relatively small capital investment, consumes little fuel, utilizes cheap fuel and is very flexible. Further, of great importance, is the fact that battery scrap can be treated by the BBU-process with very good results.

Jan 1, 1970

By Clark Millison

The core recorder, a mechanical instr-ent for determining the exact depth at which core is recovered, drilled up or lost, is described. Examples of charts from the recorder are explained and interpreted. The uses of the core recorder are discussed. INTRODUCTION In the experience of geologists and engineers during coring operations on drilling wells, many will recall the times when a full core was not recovered and particularly when the requirement was urgent that they know exactly what part of the core was lost. To make this determination, the core recorder was designed. Its uses are many, and only the most obvious will be presented here. Although this discussion will be limited to drilling wells for petroleum, the core recorder can be used in any type of coring operation. The principle of the core recorder is the proportional reduction of the motion of core entering or dropping out of the core barrel to a stylus moving in such a manner as to record the reduced motion on a chart. The time element is registered on the same chart by the revolution of a clock which turns the chart drum. Thus the exact amount of core entering or dropping out of the core barrel is charted and the time of such entry or exit from the core barrel is precisely correlated to the depth at which the core is recovered or lost. Lack of movement of the stylus which is revealed by the continued revolution of the chart drum indicates that no core is entering the barrel. The principles are accomplished by an instrument placed inside of the core barrel. A cylinder which contains the clock and mechanical apparatus has a diameter smaller than that of the core barrel. Near the top of the cylinder is an eighteen hour clock which turns the drum that contains the chart. Near the bottom of the instrument is a serrated wheel which by friction against the inside of the core barrel is turned as core enters or drops out of the barrel.

Jan 1, 1949

By Clark Millison

The core recorder, a mechanical instr-ent for determining the exact depth at which core is recovered, drilled up or lost, is described. Examples of charts from the recorder are explained and interpreted. The uses of the core recorder are discussed. INTRODUCTION In the experience of geologists and engineers during coring operations on drilling wells, many will recall the times when a full core was not recovered and particularly when the requirement was urgent that they know exactly what part of the core was lost. To make this determination, the core recorder was designed. Its uses are many, and only the most obvious will be presented here. Although this discussion will be limited to drilling wells for petroleum, the core recorder can be used in any type of coring operation. The principle of the core recorder is the proportional reduction of the motion of core entering or dropping out of the core barrel to a stylus moving in such a manner as to record the reduced motion on a chart. The time element is registered on the same chart by the revolution of a clock which turns the chart drum. Thus the exact amount of core entering or dropping out of the core barrel is charted and the time of such entry or exit from the core barrel is precisely correlated to the depth at which the core is recovered or lost. Lack of movement of the stylus which is revealed by the continued revolution of the chart drum indicates that no core is entering the barrel. The principles are accomplished by an instrument placed inside of the core barrel. A cylinder which contains the clock and mechanical apparatus has a diameter smaller than that of the core barrel. Near the top of the cylinder is an eighteen hour clock which turns the drum that contains the chart. Near the bottom of the instrument is a serrated wheel which by friction against the inside of the core barrel is turned as core enters or drops out of the barrel.

Jan 1, 1949

By B. F. Oliver, F. Garofalo

Gas-metal heterogeneous reactions and zone-lrelting were sinultarneously employed to produce several high-purity irons with low interstitial contents in a levitating- zone melter. Successive zone-tneltitzg pusses were made in carious sequences of atmospheves which included prepuvified tank hy-drogeta, water vapor hydrogen, palladiuril-purified hydrogen, and vacuunm of 2 x 10-6 Torr. Different irons ranging in purity from 99.89 to 99.996 pct with residual curbon contents of 17, 8 to 10, and 3 to 5 ppm have been Drepared. No measuvable gradient in the residual carbon content was observed along the entire zone-melted length (6-10 in.) in I-ilz.-diameter bars. The absence of a carbon-concentration gradient in the solid indicates an apparent distvihution coefficient of 1, an unusual condition. Internal friction, solid-state extraction, and hot-hardness results indicate that the level of mobile carbon in a iron depends on the gas-metal heterogeneous reactions employed. Purification under an oxidizing atmosphere resulted in the immobilization of nearly all of the carbon present at leuels of 10 ppm or less. Continuation of purification in a reducing atmosphere veturued the carbon to a state of mobility which was aguin reversed by further purification in all oxidizing atmosphere. The immobilization of curbon at "vesidual levels " is believed to be associated with a strong interaction between carbon and oxygen atoms. frons with low carbon and nitrogen contetzts which did not exhibit a hot-hardness peak were produced after zone ynelting in vacuum. CARBON, nitrogen, and oxygen have strong and well-known effects on many properties of iron. These effects persist even at concentrations of 5 to 20 ppm. The intent of the present investigation was to establish procedures for the preparation of high-purity iron with concentrations of these elements in the range of 5 to 20 ppm and lower. The results reported here deal with the procedures employed to prepare high-purity iron, and with observations on the behavior of certain elements at "residual levels": particularly carbon. The details of the (levitating) zone melter in which the final purification steps are performed and the necessary control of the pertinent solidification variables have been described previously.1,2 MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES Commercial electrolytic iron was induction vacuum-melted and cast into 30-lb ingots. Melt additions and ingot analyses for carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen are noted in Table I. All ingots were melted in stabilized zirconia crucibles conditioned with one iron wash heat. Middle sections of the ingots were forged to 1-1/4-in. rounds, machined to 1-in.-diameter bars, then cut to 36-in. lengths. The zone-melting operations were performed on six iron bars (A to F) at a freezing velocity of 2 in. per hr with the freezing interface rotating2 at 200, 300, or 400 rpm. Liquid zones were passed through the bars in various sequences of atmospheres, Table 11, including prepurified tank H2, palladium-purified Hz, wet H2, and system vacuum of 2 x 1018 Torr. Wet-Hz atmospheres were obtained by bubbling palladium-purified Hz through water exhibiting a resistance of 3 megohms. This water was heated with a platinum-immersion heater and was degassed prior to use. Zone melting in a wet-HZ atmosphere resulted in oxidation of the elements which are oxi-dizable with respect to iron. Fine oxide particles were observed on the surface of the liquid zone, and were encased in the bar surface with the passage of the molten zone. Between each zone pass, the surface of the bar was removed by filing and deep etching; this was continued until the oxide formation ceased. The filings were magnetically separated and the residues analyzed by optical spectroscopy. These were especially high in silicon and manganese. Samples were removed from the iron bars, with few exceptions, following each zone-melting operation. A 0.08-in.-thick disc was cut with an Al2O3 cut-off wheel at a point 1/2 in. above the beginning of freezing. Material from each disc was used for hot-hardness measurements, resistivity-ratio measurements, and carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen analyses. Analyses for most other elements were

Jan 1, 1965

By S. Pearson, L. Rotherham

Measurements have been made of the variation of internal friction with temperature for OFHC copper, and for a series of binary solid solutions of high purity copper with zinc, gallium, germanium, arsenic, and silicon, to investigate the effect of alloying elements in substitutional solid solution on grain boundary viscosity. The apparatus used was of the torsional pendulum type developed by KeI1 modified so that the specimen and vibrating system could be maintained in a high vacuum. The activation energy for grain boundary relaxation in copper is 33,000 cal per mol. This is considerably less than the activation energy for self-diffusion, in disagreement with Ke's theory2 that the two activation energies should be the same. All the alloying elements increase the activation energy for grain boundary relaxation to approximately 44,000 cal per mol, increasing the grain boundary viscosity at a given temperature. The results are discussed in terms of theories of grain boundary slip put forward by MottQ and by Ke.+ Experiments have also been made to investigate the effect of small amounts of oxygen on the variation of internal friction with temperature for copper. EXPERIMENTS described in this paper were designed to investigate the effect of alloying elements in substitutional solid solution on grain boundary viscosity, using the internal friction method developed by Kel for measuring grain boundary viscosity. It was considered desirable to make the system under investigation as simple as possible by making experiments on a comprehensive series of binary alloys of copper with the elements immediately following it in the periodic table, i.e., zinc, gallium, germanium, and arsenic. These elements are within the range of favorable size factor for solution in copper, and the systems have been extensively investigated by Hume-Rothery and his co-workers." Later, in order to study the effect of the relative size of the solvent and solute atoms, experiments were made on a series of Cu-Si alloys, since the apparent atomic diameter of silicon when in solution in copper—the diameter necessary to assign to the solute atoms to account for the lattice constant of the solid solutiona—is almost the same as that of the solvent atoms. Preliminary experiments were made to measure the variation of internal friction with temperature for pure copper. Ke made some experiments on copper," but found that the curves obtained were not reproducible in consecutive experiments. The copper was maintained in an argon atmosphere during the experiments but, although he took precautions to exclude oxygen, Ke came to the conclusion that the precautions were not entirely satisfactory, and that the lack of reproducibility must be due to absorption of oxygen by the copper. Experiments have therefore been made to investigate the effect of small amounts of oxygen on the variation of internal friction with temperature for copper. Previous Work Ke made extensive experiments on high purity aluminum and was able to show that the grain boundaries behave viscously at high temperatures. He found that the relative rate of movement of the grains could be expressed as Where v is the velocity of slip, A is the constant, u is the shear stress, H is the activation energy, R is the gas constant, and T is the absolute temperature. By assuming that the boundary layer was one atom thick, he obtained a value for the viscosity which, when extrapolated to the melting point, gave good agreement with the viscosity of the liquid metal at the melting point. Ke also made experiments on other high purity and commercial purity metals:, and on some alloys." " He came to the conclusion2 that the activation energy for grain boundary slip was the same as for self or volume diffusion and for steady state creep in single crystals. Rotherham, Smith, and Greenough" have shown recently that the activation energy for grain boundary slip is not the same as for self-diffusion in tin,

Jan 1, 1957

By Harold L. Bare, Frank R. Barnako

Coal mining historically has been a. hazardous occupation but, in recent years, tremendous progress has been made in reducing accidental coal mine deaths and injuries. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the basic principles of accident prevention as they are related to coal mining. Accident prevention fundamentals are no different for coal mining than for any other type of work. The fundamentals apply to all industries. Construction workers may be struck by falling tools and materials, and miners may be struck by falling slate and coal. Sailors may be trapped by shipboard fires, and miners may be trapped by mine fires. Railroad brakemen may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers, and miners may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers. Many other examples could be cited, but the point is that accidents that happen in coal mines are basically similar to accidents that happen in other industries. Thus, the basic principles for preventing accidents apply in coal mining as they do in any other type of work. COAL MINE ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE The US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is the main source for accident experience data in coal mines. Coal mine operators are required, by law, to forward to MSHA monthly the number of fatal and disabling injuries, man-hours worked, and tons of coal mined. This information is compiled and published quarterly, with annual summaries, by MSHA. Trends in the number of fatalities and fatal injury rates are shown in Fig. 1. Major coal mine disasters, with number of miners killed, and dates of coal mine safety legislation are shown in Table 1. The fatal and disabling injury frequency rates for the coal industry are shown in Fig. 2.

Jan 1, 1981

By Harold L. Bare, Frank R. Barnako

Coal mining historically has been a hazardous occupation but, in recent years, tremendous progress has been made in reducing accidental coal mine deaths and injuries. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the basic principles of accident prevention as they are related to coal mining. Accident prevention fundamentals are no different for coal mining than for any other type of work. The fundamentals apply to all industries. Construction workers may be struck by falling tools and materials, and miners may be struck by falling slate and coal. Sailors may be trapped by shipboard fires, and miners may be trapped by mine fires. Railroad brakemen may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers, and miners may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers. Many other examples could be cited, but the point is that accidents that happen in coal mines are basically similar to accidents that happen in other industries. Thus, the basic principles for preventing accidents apply in coal mining as they do in any other type of work. COAL MINE ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE The US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is the main source for accident experience data in coal mines. Coal mine operators are required, by law, to forward to MSHA monthly the number of fatal and disabling injuries, man-hours worked, and tons of coal mined. This information is compiled and published quarterly, with annual summaries, by MSHA. Trends in the number of fatalities and fatal injury rates are shown in Fig. 1. Major coal mine disasters, with number of miners killed, and dates of coal mine safety legislation are shown in Table 1. The fatal and disabling injury frequency rates for the coal industry are shown in Fig. 2.

Jan 1, 1981

By L. W. Kempf

ALUMINUM alloys, in common with most other metallic alloys, exhibit slight density changes with variations in temper achieved by heat-treatment, which usually are the result of the variation with tem-perature of the solid solubility of the various alloy constituents in the solvent metal. Changes in density are, of course, most marked in conditions that exhibit the maximum variation in solid solubility of the constituents. In aluminum alloys these conditions usually prevail when alloys are quenched from just below the melting point and are subsequently reheated to some lower temperature. Since commercial heat-treatments may be of this type, the density changes, although small (of the order of 0.3 per cent which may be compared with the density change of about 1.5 per cent involved in the transformation, at ordinary temperatures, of gamma to alpha iron during the hardening of steel), may in some specific applications necessitate quantitative con-sideration. This phenomenon has been investigated extensively in the laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America over a period of years. A number of investigators1-5 have observed and measured the density changes accompanying the heat-treatment of aluminum alloys. In general, these changes have not been directly translated to dimensional changes and their significance has been overlooked to some extent by the practical user of aluminum alloys. It is the purpose of this paper to consider some practical aspects of these density and dimensional changes. These density changes were given some consideration in 1917 in connection with the use of aluminum-alloy pistons for aircraft engines. Investigations by Lea and Shakespear were reported in some confidential reports of the British Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Light Alloys

Jan 1, 1936

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.o.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,568,848 tons worth $19,756,738.

Jan 6, 1950

By P. S. Rudman

The allotropic volume changes of the ,metallic elements are reviezoed with the conclusion that in general atomic volume is conserved to better than 1 pct in such transformations. A table of the atomic volumes of the metallic elements is given and its use in considering the size factor in alloys is discussed. The importance of the concept of atomic-size factor, due to Hume-Rothery and coworkers,' is firmly established. Most attempts at quantitative formulations of this concept have employed the atomic radius (half some interatomic distance) as the measure of size and innumerable tables of such radii exist. This is probably, however, an unfortunate choice of parameter. Firstly, discussion in terms of interatomic distances requires a knowledge of the crystal structure. While this is known, except for a few cases, for the elemental structures, there are still many undetermined alloy structures. Secondly, except for the simpler structures, face-centered cubic (Al),* body-centered cubic (A2),* and hexagonal-close-packed (A3).* with ideal axial ratio, there is no unique in- teratomic distance, an m y decision must be made as to which distance, or which average of the distances, should be used. However, the most important point is that for metals the dominant bonding parameter can generally be expected to be atomic volume and not interatomic distance. This is perhaps most explicitly stated in the Wigner-Seitz cellular method.' In this approximation, cellular polyhedra of atomic volume v are replaced by spheres of radius Y,: 4/3 ?rs3 = v. That is, there is no reference to the interatomic distances. If atomic volume is in fact the dominant parameter, then in allotropic transformations we might expect to find atomic volume approximately conserved. For example, in the A1 ? A2 transformation we would thus have

Jan 1, 1965

By Stanley W. Sundeen

2.3-1. Introduction. The subject-"Preliminary Evaluation of Coal, Metallic and Industrial Mineral Deposits for Surface Mining'-seems at first glance to be definitive and not likely to be misinterpreted. Nevertheless, there are widely divergent opinions as to what is meant by "preliminary" and even as to what is meant by "evaluation." Some definition and qualification is necessary in order to provide a readily recognized basis for discussion. Evaluation evokes the idea of organizing extant data and judging its significance especially in the economic sense. It also may evoke the concept of the physical processes of acquiring the data that will characterize the deposit such as the geologic mapping, drilling, etc. Castle (5) considers that evaluation may embrace psychological aspects wherein human traits as, for example, over optimism might cause the evaluator to overlook obvious project weaknesses. In this chapter, evaluation is discussed primarily from the viewpoint of economically appraising a project from data available at a given point in time. The qualifying adjective "preliminary" is not easily defineable. In fact, some kind of evaluation proceeds, if not continuously, intermittently over the full span of exploration and early stages of development of a deposit. Bailly (1) comments: "Sometimes, before starting exploration in new areas or countries for a given commodity, we establish models to define what minimum combinations of re- coverable grade and tonnage are needed to give the minimum acceptable rate of return established by corporate policy. Then, before starting physical exploration in any target area we try and guesstimate optimistically what best 'geometry-grade-tonnage' can be expected. If these are acceptable in light of above minimum combinations, exploration is started as soon as funds are appropriated for the target area.''

Jan 1, 1968

By John E. Willson, Ben L. Seegmiller

A portable electronic instrument was designed and constructed to detect unknown stress magnitudes in rocks. The principle used to detect stress is based on the propagation velocity method. This method allows the stress in a rock subjected to a load of unknown magnitude to be determined, provided that the wave velocity-stress relationship for similar rock is known. This is accomplished by measuring the travel time of longitudinal mechanical waves passing between two points a set distance apart in a rock. The velocity of the wave is calculated and the stress determined from the wave velocity-stress relationship. If the sending and receiving transducer spacing is constant, a time vs. stress relationship rather than the velocity-stress relationship may be used. The method is nondestructive and tests can be made without drilling or otherwise disturbing the rocks. The first studies undertaken in the United States to determine stress in rocks using propagation velocity techniques were reported by Obert1,2 in 1939 and 1940. The Soviet Union first reported using propagation methods to study rock pressures in 1951.8 Success of the method led to the development of a pulse-type ultrasonic seismoscope4 in 1953. Using this instrument, Ivanov and Betaneli5,6 in 1963 succeeded in devising and testing under field conditions a method of investigating coal pillar stresses. In 1967 Osipova7 reported results of similar studies in the Nakhichevan salt mines. In France, Tincelin8 has used the propagation velocity method to study the stress distribution in iron ore pillars. Uhlmann9 has investigated stresses in salt and potash pillars in Germany, using velocity techniques. Determination of uniaxial stress by propagation velocity methods is limited to rocks which have readily detectable wave velocity-stress variations. The present stress detection instrument is restricted in application to rocks which have a velocity change under stress of at least 300 fps. Examples of rocks which meet this requirement are sandstones, coal, and possibly some limestones. Testing of this instrument was limited to a laboratory study and the results may or may not be indicative of what would be found in a field test. A program of field experiments to study the feasibility of using this instrument to determine mine pillar and tunnel stresses is in progress. Instrument Design The instrument has two main components: A probe and a control-display unit. The probe is a hand-held device to which two identical rodlike transducers are rigidly mounted. Coaxial cable connects the probe to the control-display unit which is mounted in an enclosed carrying case measuring 7 % x 9 x 13 in. The instrument is designed so it may be carried and operated by one man. Weight of the probe and enclosed control-display unit is approximately 20.1b. The probe consists of two transducers identical in construction. One transducer is used to convert electronic pulses to mechanical waves and transmit these waves into a rock. The other detects the transmitted waves in the rock and converts them back into electronic signals. The basic element in both transducers is a piezoelectric crystal. The crystal is a disk made of lead titanate zirconate and has a natural resonant frequency of 400 kHz ±1% in the thickness mode. A schematic of one of the two identical transducing elements is shown in [Fig. 1.] A spacing of 6 in. between sending and receiving transducers has been found to be most satisfactory. The control-display unit consists of a pulse generator and a 1-in. oscilloscope. Various electronic devices are used for the power supply, amplification, and calibration. The amplitude of the square wave from the pulse generator can be continuously varied between 0 and +20 vdc. Pulse width can be set at 1, 2, 3, or 4 µsec. The repetition rate of the pulse can have the following values: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 750, and 1000 Hz. The oscilloscope delay system allows the travel time of the longitudinal wave passing through a rock to be measured to an accuracy ±0.1 µsec in the range from 0 to 995 µsec. Fig. 2 is a schematic of the various electronic sections in the control-display unit. Laboratory Testing The first step in using the instrument is to develop a velocity-stress or a time-stress curve for the par-

Jan 1, 1972

By M. M. Mebta, G. W. Dean, W. H. Somerton

With the advent of underground heating operations, interest has developed in the alteration of rock properties by high-temperature treatment. In the present work a number of sandstones were heated to temperatures in the range of 400°C to 800°C under both atmospheric and simulated reservoir pressures. Pertneabilities increased by at least 50 per cent and sonic velocities and breaking strerlgths decreased by an equivalent amount. Differential thermal expansion and other reactions of constituent min-era1 grains are the causes of these alterations. INTRODUCTION In the underground combustion of petroleum reservoirs, temperatures of the order of 600C are reported to have been reached in the combustion zone.' At this temperature rocks are subject to extensive thermal alteration. Temperatures of this magnitude and higher may also occur in subsurface formations when subjected to bottom-hole heating, thermal drilling operations, and underground nuclear explosions. Temperatures of this magnitude might also be generated by conventional rock drilling methods at points of bit-tooth contact. In earlier work, the permanent deformation of rocks resulting from heating was reported. Major structural damage of rocks occurs due to differential thermal expansion of mineral constituents. A number of mineral alterations including crystal inversions, loss of water of crystallization and dissociation, may also contribute to changes in physical structure and properties of rock. In the present work, samples of three typical sandstones were heated to several temperatures up to a maximum of 800C and then allowed to cool to room temperature. Heating was done under both atmospheric pressure and simulated reservoir pressure conditions. Physical properties of the samples were measured before and after heating and comparisons made. Measured properties included permeability, sonic velocity, breaking strength and fracture index. Changes in physical properties were compared to changes in mineralogical characteristics as determined by thin-section. X-ray diffraction and chemical tests. EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURE Two outcrop sandstones (Bandera and Berea) and one sub-surface sandstone (St. Peter) were selected for the tests. These samples have a wide ranee in composition and physical properties as shown in Table 1. The first series of tests was made on 2-in. diameter by 5-in. long test specimens. Test specimens used in all later work were 3/4-in. diameter by 1 1/8-in. long, this being the specimen size required for heating at simulated reservoir pressures. After careful washing, the cores were oven dried at 100 ± 5C for a minimum of 24 hours before the tests were run. Test specimens were heated in an electric furnace at a constant rate of temperature increase of 3C per minute. When maximum temperature of the run was reached, the sample was allowed to soak for one hour. The furnace was then cooled to room temperature at the same rate of 3C per minute. The entire heating operation was designed for reproducibility without subjecting the test specimens to excessive thermal shock. For samples heated under simulated reservoir pressures, a pressure cell designed by Dean was used (Fig. 1).3 The core sample was inserted into a thin-walled (0.006 to 0.01-in.) copper cup which was then mounted in a high-pressure cell. Provisions were made for the application of internal pore pressure as well as confining pressure. Tests showed that the thin-walled copper cup closed tightly around the core and satisfactorily transmitted confining pressure to the core. The core was heated by placing the entire cell into the electric furnace. The heating program was the same as that used in the atmospheric pressure runs: tempera-ture rise of 3C per minute to maximum temperature of the test, soaking at maximum temperature for one hour, and cooling at a rate of approximately 3C per minute. The cell was designed to withstand 5,000 psi at 1,000C. However, since it was considered likely that repeated heating and cooling would in time weaken the steel, 2,000 psi at 850C was set as a working limit. In the present series of tests, the pore pressure was held constant at 750 psi and the confining pressure at 1.500 psi. The pressure source was a high-pressure nitrogen tank. The two pressures were controlled manually but are accurate well within ± 50 psi.

Jan 1, 1966

By A. J. Heckler, J. A. Peterson

A capsule technique was successfully employed to investigate the effect of nickel on the activity of nitrogen in Fe-Ni-N austenite in the temperature range 600" to 1200°C. This technique consisted of equilibrating nitrogen among various Fe-Ni alloys within a sealed silica capsule. Nitrogen transfer among the specimens occurred by N, gas at 900°, lOOO? and 1200?C. Nitrogen gas pressures within the capsules were estimated to be as high as 22 atm. The activity coefficient of nitrogen, fN , in Fe-Ni-N austenite is adequately described by the linear interaction equation: log . wt pct Ni where the standard state is chosen such that fN = I as wt pct Napproaches zero in binary Fe-N. This relationship was determined over the temperature range 873" to 1473°K and for nickel contents of 0 to 35 wt pct. ALTHOUGH chemical thermodynamics of liquid iron alloys have been extensively studied, experimental data for the solid state are needed. These thermody-namic data will provide a basis for understanding phase transformations, precipitation reactions, metal-gas equilibria, and so forth. The interaction of sub-stitutional alloying elements with the interstitial elements is of particular interest. In this investigation the thermodynamic behavior of Fe-Ni-N austenite has been studied. The solubility of nitrogen gas in iron austenite is known to obey Sieverts&apos; law up to about 65 atm.1-6 In addition, the solubility of nitrogen in Fe-Ni austenite has been investigated5"8 using the classical method of equilibrating Fe-Ni alloys with nitrogen gas at 1 atm. A capsule technique similar to that used to study the activity of carbon in alloyed austeniteg&apos;&apos;&apos; was employed in the present work to determine the effect of nickel on the activity of nitrogen in Fe-Ni austenite over the temperature range 600" to 1200°C. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A series of Fe-Ni alloys up to 35 wt pct Ni was vacuum melted and cast into 1 by 3 by 6 in. ingots. Chemical analyses at the top and bottom of each ingot demonstrated that the ingots were homogeneous with respect to nickel content. The nickel contents are given in Table I. Additional chemical analyses showed that wt pct Si < 0.05, s < 0.01, C < 0.01, Al < 0.006, 0 < 0.004, Mn < 0.002, and P < 0.002. A 2 in. section of each ingot was cold rolled to 0.015 in. The material was then decarburized to a carbon content of less than 0.004 wt pct. A portion of the material of each nickel content was nitrided to various levels in a H2-NH3 gas atmosphere to provide a source of nitrogen during subsequent equilibration. The experimental technique consisted of equilibrating the series of Fe-Ni-N alloys in a partially evacuated sealed silica capsule at the temperature of interest. Both Vycor and quartz capsules were used. In general, the final equilibrium nitrogen content for each Fe-Ni alloy was approached from both higher and lower nitrogen levels. The criterion for establishing that equilibrium was attained was that the final nitrogen content for each Fe-Ni alloy was the same irrespective of the initial level. A schematic drawing of the sample configuration in a capsule is shown in Fig. 1. The samples were arranged so that there was a minimum of physical contact. The samples were also dusted with a fine, high purity alumina powder to help prevent sticking. Several different types of furnaces were used in this study. In each case, a thermocouple was placed immediately adjacent to the capsule during equilibration and the temperature was controlled to within *4?C of that reported. At each equilibration temperature, the following times were found to be more than sufficient to attain equilibrium: 600°C-250 hr, 900°C-150 hr, 1000°C-150 hr, and 1200°C-50 hr. After equilibration the capsules were quenched in water and the nitrogen contents of the specimens determined by a Strohlein analyzer. Analyses of samples after equilibration at 1000" and 1200°C showed no silicon pickup from the silica capsules. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Transfer Mechanism. The mechanism by which nitrogen was transferred among specimens in an initially hydrogen flushed and partially evacuated capsule equilibrated at 1000°C was investigated. After equilibration the gas in the capsule was collected over water and an estimate of the pressure at temperature

Jan 1, 1970