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By John W. King, S. Ralph Austin

Spurred by recent forecasts of greatly increased demands for uranium by 1980 and beyond, interest is once again focusing on America's western uranium deposits. One of the principal producers in this area is the Gas Hills district in Wyoming, the site of approximately 12% of the known uranium in the U.S., including past production and current reserves. Located on the south flank of the Wind River Basin, the Gas Hills deposits have been recently studied by the Atomic Energy commission for clues to and guides for discovering similar-occurring ores. The ore deposits are confined to a permeable sandstone unit, up to 350 ft thick, at or near the base of the upper Wind River formation of early Eocene age. The uranium occurs in three principal north- south "ore trends," each of which is about six miles long, one mile wide, and separated from each other by approximately three miles (Fig. 1).

Jan 5, 1966

By Dorsey Lyon

INTRODUCTION THE electric furnace has always been found to be especially adapted to melting, refining, and finishing processes throughout its gradual acceptance by metallurgists, as a practical apparatus for conducting metallurgical operations. In the steel industry, the electric furnace is firmly established in the manufacture of steel of the highest grade, equal to crucible steel. For the production of the cheaper grades of steel in large tonnage, the electric furnace gives a higher-grade product than the open-hearth or converter, but due to the high cost of power prevailing in steel centers, considered from the electric furnace standpoint, it is not economical to produce tonnage steel in the electric furnace. As a refining and finishing agent for open-hearth or Bessemer steel, the electric furnace has had some degree of success in the production of tonnage steel. After a study of the use of the electric furnace in the steel industry, it appears that there may be a possibility of its use to advantage for the melting of cathode copper. In the case of copper the problem is not one of actual refining, because the copper if refined properly y the electrolytic method needs no further refining; it needs simply to be cast into a marketable shape. The name" refining". is applied to the present finishing process, because in the operation oxygen and other impurities are removed, which the electrolytic copper absorbs in being melted in the reverberatory furnace. Considering that processes may be positive, negative, and neutral; the electrolytic method would be positive; reverberatory melting of cathode copper, negative; and electric furnace melting, neutral. The electrolytic method produces about as pure a copper as is possible, if operated properly and the anodes are not too impure. The final reverberatory melting of this cathode copper lowers the grade of the final product, due to the absorption of gases and impurities.

Jan 8, 1914

By Adrian Brown

INTRODUCTION The primary tool which is available to improve the stability of an open pit mine at a given slope angle is control of groundwater pressure. This paper sets out the methods by which water pressure control can be achieved in large mines in different materials. The emphasis of this paper is on large mine slopes because. these slopes exhibit the greatest need for groundwater control, the greatest economic benefit from groundwater control, and the greatest technical challenge in achieving groundwater control. STABILIZATION USING MTER PRESSURE CONTROL Groundwater pressures reduce the stability of slopes in two fundamental ways, as shown schematically in Figure 1. In the example, a horizontal failure surface intersects a vertical joint or weak zone. Water pressure acts: o On the base plane to reduce the normal force on the sliding surface and hence reduce frictional resistance to sliding, and o On the vertical back plane, to create a driving force for the system.

Jan 1, 1983

By C. G. Dunn

THE present note, which was given in the form of a Research in Progress item,' traces the origin of secondary recrystallization grains produced on annealing a cold rolled bicrystal specimen. The investigation began with the realization that a recently acquired conception for the origin of secondary grains produced on annealing cold rolled single-crystal specimens might require modifications for the case of polycrystalline materials. The stated conception2,3 begins with several conditions to be met by primary recrystallization: 1—a primary re-crystallization structure to consist of many small primaries and relatively few large primaries (diam- eters two or three times the average); 2—a primary recrystallization texture to consist of one strong preferred orientation or component and one or more weak components; and 3—a primary recrystalliza-tion structure-texture combination with some of the large primaries belonging to the weak components of the texture. When these conditions occur, some of the large primaries from the weak components of the texture

Jan 1, 1955

By William P. Blake

In another paper I have described in general the close association of zinc-blende and iron pyrites in the ore-deposits of southwest Wis consin. These two minerals generally occur together at the same horizon, a sheet of one being overlain by a sheet of the other; and also the pyrites is disseminated through the blende to such a degree that the latter is rendered comparatively worthless for the produc tion of spelter. Ordinarily the pyrites, which is mostly the trimetric marcasite variety, occurs in about equal quantity with the blende and is separated by hand-culliug and chipping; but there are large de posits where the ores are so closely mixed that they can neither be separated by culling nor by any mechanical method. The specific gravity of the two minerals is so nearly the same that attempts often made to effect even a partial separation by jigging have proved un. successful. The smelters of zinc-ores in the Mississippi valley will not take ores which carry more than 7 per cent. of iron; and it is therefore necessary to cull the massive ('jack" with great care and at consid erable expense, in order to bring it up to the market-standard of purity. The results of trials to effect a separation of blende and pyrites in other regions have been equally unsatisfactory. The literature of this branch of metallurgy abounds in examples. In Wisconsin efforts have been made in the past to " burn " the mixed ores in heaps, in order to soften or destroy the pyrites, and facilitate its separation from the massive blende. The same method has also been resorted to when galenite is mixed through the substance of the blende, for the purpose of disintegrating the ore, so that it could be separated by jigging. The custom was to pile the ore and the fuel together. As might have been expected, the results were far from satisfactory. As is usual in heap-roast ing, some portions of the ore were overheated and decomposed; zinc was lost by volatilization; the galenite in some portions was

Jan 1, 1894

By Ernest Gayford

This is a nontechnical paper on flotation, subdivided under three general headings: (I) Definition of flotation; (2) what flotation is now doing in Utah; and (3) what is the future of flotation? Definition T. A. Rickard defines flotation' as "the act or state of floating," from the French flottaison, water-line and flotter, to float. The dictionary defines flotation as "the science of floating bodies." The flotation process is a method of concentrating ores by frothing. Weinig and Palmer,2 define flotation as follows: What is the flotation process? Briefly, it consists in the agitation of finely divided ore in water containing bubbles of air or gas, a small amount of oil and, usually, other reagents, soluble and insoluble; under these conditions the small particles of native metals, sulfides, arsenides, antimonides, selenides and tellurides show a tendency to attach themselves to the films of the bubbles, and are thus carried to the surface of the water. The oxidized gangue minerals, such as quartz, feldspar, limestone, hematite, etc., show much less affinity for the bubbles, are easily wetted by the water, and either remain in suspension in the water, or sink to the bottom of the vessel. If the bubbles are sufficiently stable they can be removed, carrying their load of sulfide-mineral particles with them. Thus there can be effected a separation of the two classes of minerals from each other, assuming that the grinding has been sufficient to unlock all of the particles of different composition. The separation does not depend upon differences in specific gravity of the various minerals; in fact, the sulfides are usually heavier than the oxides, and some of the heaviest sulfide minerals are the easiest to float. A particle of mineral may be so large, however, that its weight will counteract its affinity for the film of the bubble. In most cases the ore must be fine enough to pass a screen having at least 48 meshes to the linear inch. Taggart3 defines flotation as follows: Flotation is a method of wet concentration of ores in which separation of mineral from gangue is effected by causing the mineral to float at or above the surface of a body of liquid pulp while the gangue becomes or remains submerged. The method

Jan 1, 1928

The Sub-committee on Coal Mining, since its appointment, has been collecting data about subsidences in coal mines in this country, and thinks that almost all of the available data about occurrences of this sort in bituminous mines has been collected. Similar data is being compiled for the anthracite regions, which it is hoped will be ready for the 1927 meeting. As most of the bituminous seams are nearly level, the records obtained give the problem in its simplest form, without complications due to the pitch of the seam. Copies of the questionnaire, Appendix A, were mailed to all of the coal operators' associations, to most of the large operating companies and to many engineers, with the request that any data on the subject be returned to the committee, or that advice of any subsidences known be given: the replies to most of the questionnaires were general, although some specific cases were given. Many of the companies were unable to reply to all questions, as they lacked the necessary data, but in nearly every case where accuratc data was available, it was cheerfully furnished, and any additional information requested was secured. All specific cases of subsidence were followed up by correspondence, and in several cases by personal inspection. Figs. 1 to 31 were made from the information furnished. Table 1 gives measurements of elevations taken in one case at intervals from October, 1913, to May, 1918. With one exception, where the evidence cannot be released on account of a lawsuit, it is believed that the cases submitted with this report include practically all that have happened in bituminous coal mining in this country of which actual measurements were secured. Some of these have been published by Young and Stoek,l and some have been secured from other publications. In collecting these data, the subcommittee had the Engineering Societies Library extend its bibliography to date; this list is given in Appendix B. To assist in the study of the problem, all of the subsidence literature in English was examined for cases in which spccific measurements were given, and the essential data for each case are shown in Appendix C.

Jan 1, 1927

By S. Usui, I. Iwasaki

The effect of pH on the adsorption of dodecylamine at the mercury-aqueous solution interface was investigated by differential capacity and electrocapillary measurements. With dodecylammonium acetate, the differential capacity curves showed two desorption peaks in the cathodic branch with their relative intensities varying with the solution pH. With dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, only one cathodic de-sorption peak was observed in the same pH range. Through thermodynamic analysis of the electrocapillary curves, the adsorption density of undissociated amine was evaluated separately from that of aminium ion. The adsorption densities of the un-dissociated amine and of the total amine increased with increasing pH. The ratio at the interface of undissociated amine to aminium ion was several orders of magnitude greater than the ratio in the solution and increased with increasing pH. The potential at the closest distance of approach of counter ions to the mercury surface was compared with values of zeta potential on quartz previously reported. The most important variable in the flotation separation of minerals is probably the pH of the pulp, and a number of theories have been proposed to explain its effect on the condition of the mineral surfaces, on the dissociation of collectors and of inorganic and organic species (accidentally present or intentionally added) in the pulp, and on the mineral-collector interaction. In the development of a theoretical background for oxide flotation systems, an experimental approach based on electrokinetic measurements has been of much value, although the effect of pH becomes confounded since it governs both the electrochemical conditions of the oxide surface and the dissociation of the collector. For investigation of the adsorption behavior of long-chain collectors on oxide minerals, however, electrokinetic potential measurements are the most widely used technique. Hydrogen and hydroxyl ions are found to be the potential determining species, thereby governing the interfacial electrical conditions. The electrostatic interaction between the charged mineral surfaces and ionized collectors is regarded as the driving force for the adsorption of the collectors. An association of alkylamine collectors adsorbed on quartz surfaces has been postulated from streaming potential measurements, and a term "hemi-micelles" has been proposed.' The possibilities of coad-sorption of undissociated amine along with aminium ion has been inferred from contact angle measurements? and from adsorption studies.~ Electrochemical titration as applied to silver sulfide provides a more quantitative approach to the analysis of the electrical double layer at an ionic solid-solution interfaceqG and the electrochemical evidence for the adsorption of amine at pH 4.7 indicates a specific affinity of dodecylammonium ion towards silver sulfide surfaces, whereas at pH 9.2 the adsorbed species might be free arnine." A combination of differential capacity and electrocapillary measurements on a dropping mercury electrode was reported to be a sensitive method of provid- ing reliable information on the adsorption behavior of dodecylammonium acetate (DAA) at a natural (near neutral) pH.? It was also shown that there were striking similarities in the properties of the double layer and in the adsorption behavior of the amine on mercury and on such ionic solids as quartz, silver sulfide, and silver iodide. The effect of pH on the differential capacity curves at a mercury-sodium fluoride solution interface has been investigated by Austin and Parsonss who reported that between pH 7 and pH 11 there was very little effect. In the present paper, the adsorption behavior of DAA was investigated as a function of pH through differential capacity and electrocapillary measurements and the information gathered was correlated with that available in literature on quartz and silver sulfide. Experimental The apparatus and the method used for determining the differential capacity and the electrocapillary curves were identical to those described previously.' The ionic strength of the supporting electrolyte was fixed at 0.1 M with potassium fluoride, and the pH of the solution with potassium hydroxide. Only the neutral to alkaline range was covered in order to avoid the dissolution of the glass vessel with hydrofluoric acid. Results In Fig. 1 the differential capacity has been plotted against the applied potential at a DAA concentration of 10-' M at three different pH values. The curves are characterized by one capacity peak in the anodic branch, by two capacity peaks in the cathodic branch, and by a marked depression in capacity between the peaks. The depression indicates an adsorption of the arnine in this potential range. One of the cathodic peaks appears at pH 7.3 near -1.4 v and decreases with increasing pH. The other appears at pH 8.9 near —1.2 v and increases with increasing pH. At pH 9.6 only the latter peak is observed. Beyond the cathodic peaks, all the curves tend to converge with the curve in the absence of DAA, implying that two different species are being desorbed in this potential region. The anodic peak near 0.0 v increases markedly with increasing pH. The well-defined anodic peaks at pH 8.9 and 9.6 were accompanied by an appreciable increase in the current flow (in excess of O.luA), and, therefore, is a "pseudo-capacity"'" due to a

Jan 1, 1971

By D. J. Salley, M. Burke, G. L. Simard

A PREVIOUS paper1 described experiments on the interaction of dithiophosphate with galena and suggested that the process had characteristics of both chemisorption and surface chemical reaction. In order to add to this knowledge, a study has been made of the competition of a second ion with the dithiophosphate for a galena surface. Use again was made of radiotracer methods. Since radiophosphate was readily available, it was chosen as the competing ion. It is a feature of the tracer method that, in spite of similarity in the chemical behavior of the ions, the measurement of one ion in the presence of another can be made as simply as if only one ion species were present. In order to study the competition effectively, it naturally was necessary to examine the interaction of phosphate with galena alone as well as in the presence of dithiophosphate; consequently, this report consists of two parts. The first is devoted to a study of the rates, the isotherms, the desorption, and the exchange in the phosphate-galena system in the same manner as was done for the dithio-phosphate-galena system. The second portion is concerned with the studies on the competition. Flotation experiments on the three-component sys- tem are also outlined and the relationships involved are discussed briefly. The experimental method was that of the previous paper. The preparation of the galena, the radioactive and the nonradioactive dithiophosphate, and the procedures for radioactive counting, for sorp-tion, and for flotation measurements were identical to those previously employed. The radiophosphate* was used in the form of disodium phosphate solution. In the competition experiments the effect of the phosphate ion in depressing dithiophosphate uptake was followed by holding the initial concentration of nonradioactive phosphate constant while varying the initial concentration of the radioactive dithiophosphate. Counterfashion, the depression of phosphate by dithiophosphate was obtained by keeping the initial nonradioactive dithiophosphate ion concentration constant and altering the initial concentration of the radioactive phosphate ion. All solutions were buffered at a pH of 7.8 a0.1 by 20x10-' mol per cc of sodium carbonate. Measurements with radiocarbonate indicated that little or no carbonate could be sorbed in the presence of

Jan 1, 1952

By J. D. Forrester

SINCE the introduction of the first percussion rock drill in about 1850, drilling equipment has undergone a progressive evolution so that a wide range of special classes of machines now are marketed by several manufacturers. Essentially all of the drilling machines presently employed for blasthole drilling are of the hammer-drill type. They are classified as hand-held hammers (jackhammers, sinkers, etc.), drifters (light or heavy), and stopers and are of many sizes; varying in weight and rotative and blowing power. Most makes of drill machines fundamentally are the same in principle of operation as they are designed to strike a blow on the end of a drill rod in the manner of early-day hand drilling. However, beyond this common characteristic, the similarity among different makes ceases. In choosing between similar machines of one make or another, it is important to remember that rock drill manufacturers have not attempted to standardize drill parts, the result being that a mine operator must approach, because of replacement parts, standardization by limiting the makes of machines used. The present-day selection of any particular drilling machine is dependent fundamentally on its inherent ability to make a hole, or series of holes, as speedily and as cheaply as is possible. Two categories of controlling elements become apparent in any analysis devoted to making the choice of a drill, namely: 1-Conditions under which the equipment is to be used, such as mining method practiced, type of labor available, character of rock material. 2-Physical characteristics or features of the given drilling machine. Regardless of the controls of class 1, above, the elements of this category are fixed by several factors. All of them are interrelated and, though some often are more important in one case than in another, an unfavorable variation of any-others being essentially equal-is sufficient to discredit the optimum applicability of the particular drill machine. The relative factors in the selection of a machine are as follows: First cost-This is not generally an important item on a comparative basis as the marketing of drill machines is highly competitive and most makes are priced closely.

Jan 1, 1952

By I. N. Knapp

Introduction.—The spccial object of these notes is to describe the mixing, testing, and use of mud-ladened water for rotary drilling in such a way as to make them helpful to the driller, the operator, or the engineer in solving his own special drilling problems. The structures, apparatus and tools used are indicated in a general way. No attempt is made to describe the art of rotary drilling; only such descriptions as are necessary to make plain the use of mud are given. The information is the result of actual experience in drilling in Coastal Plain formations. The materials encountered in the wells drilled were unconsolidated sands, gravels, and clays, in which thin layers of sandstones, shell conglomerates, and shales began to appear at about 1,200 ft, in depth, although one well was drilled to 3,018 ft. without encountering any cemented or indurated materials. Unusual Conditions.—-The general surface of the ground where the drilling was done being hardly a foot above mean tide, and the daily tidal variation being about 15 in., it was found necessary to plank over the sod surface with 3-in. plank to work from. A 30 by 30 ft. planked area was sufficient to carry the derrick with equipment and 2,500 ft. of 4-in. drill pipe stacked in it. The derrick was set up 3 ft. on cribbed blocking arranged to spread the load over the planking. The engine, bailers, and pipe yard were also carried on 3-in. planking. Drilling 0utfit.—This consisted of a derrick, 20 by 20 ft. and 84 ft. high, two 35-h.p., "oil country" boilers, one double 8 1/4 by 10 in. reversible engine, two 10 by 6 by 12 in. duplex mud pumps, one 15-in. rotary, "hoisting works" with chain drive, hoisting block with line, crown block with pulleys, rotary jetting swivels, hose, complement of tools, pipes and connections, and a mud mixer, with engine. Hydraulic Rotary Drilling Method.—This method of drilling is an adaptation of Fauvelle'sl invention made in France in 1833 for drilling

Jan 1, 1915

By Gary P. Thomason

INTRODUCTION One may have heard about how various projects were financed or certain companies were successful in obtaining a bank loan, but there are many more projects and companies who fail to get the money they need. At least a portion of these failures, and a large percentage of the frustrations connected with even the successful financings, are a result of not understanding the process of obtaining money. Recent years have seen a proliferation of debt financing sources available to finance minerals operations (see the next Chapter 11), but these represent only a minor portion of the minerals financing market. The fundamental source of borrowed money to many minerals related companies remains the banks. Therefore, understanding the "Loan Approval Process" can easily mean the difference between getting the money or not. LOAN APPROVAL PROCESS The initial stages of the loan approval process should begin long before the bankers, and the organizations they represent, enter upon the scene. The loan approval can be broken down into six stages: 1) Generation 2) Preparation 3) Presentation 4) Evaluation 5) Approval 6) Documentation As you can see in Figure 1, the bank is only directly involved in the second half of the process. The perils in obtaining financing for the smaller minerals venture are primarily in the first three stages, not the last three. The minerals venture making application for a loan can, in almost every case, improve its chances of success by carefully planning and preparing itself and the information that will be required of it in the loan approval process. Generation This first step in the process is deciding on the need for a loan. (Earlier papers in this Book and in Chapter 11 provide some guidance.) It is surprising how many ventures confuse the need for money with the need for a loan. Suffice to say that the equity investor risks both the timing of the yield on his capital and, ultimately, his capital. The lender, on the other hand, advances temporary funds which he expects to be repaid on a specific schedule with a fixed

Jan 1, 1985

By B. M. Loring, W. H. Baer, G. M. Carlton

It is a well known fact that age-hardening alloys remain in a supersaturated, or partially supersaturated, condition only for limited periods of time at temperatures below the solvus. In order to develop optimum properties by subjecting the quenched alloy to precipitation or age-hardening treatment at a specified temperature, it is necessary that the cooling rate be sufficiently high to maintain the required degree of supersaturation of the solid solution. In practical applications the size and shape of the specimens obviously have considerable influence on the rate of cooling and there is need for more information on the effects of various rates of cooling. Cooling rates of quenched aluminum alloys generally have been established by the type of quenching medium, the temperature of the medium and the dimensions of the specimen. Except for the work of Roth3 little quantitative information is available on the measurement of cooling rates of aluminum alloys and the significance of the influence of various cooling rates upon the mechanical properties. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the use of the Jominy test for aluminum alloys (Table I). The material for this investigation consisted of extruded rods 1 1/4 to 136 in. in diam. The chemical compositions were as follows: The modified L-type Jominy specimen with dimensions shown in Fig I was selected as the most convenient means for obtaining a wide range of cooling rates. The standard Jominy specimen was not satisfactory because its cooling rate was not sufficiently high. The four flat surfaces machined at right angles along the length of the L-type specimen to a depth of 0.015 in. facilitated the hardness measurements. The specimens were machined from the extruded stock with no intermediate forging. New specimens were used for each aging experiment. The specimens were given solution treatments of 2 hr duration at recommended temperatures in a Hoskins furnace (Table 2). The temperature of the furnace was maintained constant to 3°C. No protective atmosphere was necessary because the thin film of oxide that formed on the surface of the specimens had no effect on the hardness measurements. AT

Jan 1, 1949

By Glenn A. Marsh, George Bernard

It is often assumed that aerated oil field brines which are to be injected underground contain dissolved oxygen in amounts which will cause appreciable corrosion. Through the use of a new portable dissolved oxygen meter, accurate determinations were made at three brine conditioning plants. At two older plants, dissolved oxygen concentration in the final treated brine was found to he almost zero In spite of aeration during the conditioning process. At a new plant, dissolved oxygen was initially present but disappeared soon after the brine was "inoculated" with oxygen-free brine from one of the other plants. Corrosion tests at the two older plants have substantiated predictions that the brines would lint be corrosive. These results show that mechanical deaeration may not always be required in brine treating plants. INTRODUCTION The present work was undertaken to add to our knowledge of aeration and deaeration of oil field brines in brine conditioning plants. It is commonly assumed that brines which are exposed to the air soon become more or less saturated with dissolved oxygen. Since oxygen-containing brines are known to be corrosive, precautions are often taken to keep air out of brine through the use of closed systems or mechanical deaeration. The study of oxygen in brine has been seriously hampered in the past because of the lack of a suitable analytical tool. The standard Winkler method for the determination of dis-solved oxygen is satisfactory for use in fresh water, but not in many oil field brines. Corrections have to be made for a number of reducing substances such as ferrous iron and hydrogen sulfide which are commonly present in natural brines. Very often the correction factors are much greater in magnitude than the amounts of oxygen which are to be determined, and consequently erroneous results are obtained. Also. erratic Winkler data are obtained when appreciable concentrations of calcium and magnesium salts are present. The first step in carrying out a systematic study involved designing a portable dissolved oxygen apparatus which would operate in natural brines. Subsequently, this apparatus was used in three brine conditioning plants. Dissolved oxygen data obtained here, and certain corrosion rate data, illustrate the interesting behavior of oxygen in these oil field brines. APPARATUS A portable dissolved oxygen meter described in detail elsewhere,' was developed specifically for use with oil field brines. It is a polarographic apparatus employing a small rotating platinum electrode (cathode) and calomel reference electrode (anode). A potential of 0.7 volts is applied across the electrodes while they are immersed in the brine to be tested. 4References given at end of paper.

Jan 1, 1952

By J. S. Levine, M. Prats

A homogeneous and uniform cylindrical reservoir containing oil and gas is fractured vertically on completion and is produced at a constant bottom-hole pressure. The fracture has an infinite flow capacity, is of limited lateral extent and is bounded above and below by the impermeable strata defining the vertical extent of the reservoir. Results show that such a fractured reservoir can be represented by a reservoir of circular symmetry having very nearly the same production history. The well radius of this circular reservoir is about 1/4 the fracture length and is essentially the same as that obtained previously for a single fluid of constant compressibility. At the same value of cumulative oil production, gas-oil ratios of fractured reservoirs producing at constant terzinal pressure are larger than those of reservoirs having no fractures. This leads to more inefficient use of the reservoir energy in fractured wells and results in lower reservoir pressures for the same cumulative oil production. The reduction in operating life due to fracturing a reservoir is not as great as that for a slightly compressible fluid. This diflerence can be accounted for by the lower reservoir pressure in the fractured reservoir and its adverse effect on the average mobility and compressibility of the oil. As anticipated, the reduction in operating life increases czs the reservoir permeability decreases. The type of results presented in this report can be used to determine the economic attractiveness of fracture treatments per se, to setect the initial spacing to be used in developing a field, and to compare the relative merits of fracturing available wells and infill drilling. INTRODUCTION The effect of vertical fractures on a reservoir producing either an incompressible or a compressible liquid has already been discussed in the 1iterature.l,2 Those results indicate that the production history of such a reservoir is essentially the same as that of a circular reservoir having an effective well radius of approximately one-fourth the fracture length. The present work reports on the effect of a vertical fracture on a reservoir producing two compressible fluids —oil and gas—by solution gas drive. Because of the empirical nature of the PVT and relative permeability data used to obtain the performance of such reservoirs, results can only be obtained numerically and with the aid of high-speed computers. Since reservoirs lose their radial symmetry when fractured vertically, pressure and saturation can no longer be given only in terms of distance from the well. Two coordinates (such as x and y) must now be used to describe the pressure and saturation within the reservoir, and, since we are dealing with compressible fluids, time is also a variable. Thus the solution of a vertically fractured reservoir requires finding two unknowns (pressure and saturation) in two space variables (say x and y) and in time (t). Since no means are readily and generally available for solving such problems at the present time, we have used the results of previous work1,2 to approximate the effect of a vertical fracture on a reservoir producing both oil and gas by depletion. The purpose of the present wmk, then, is to investigate the possibility of using available numerical techniques (limited at the moment to one space variable) to study the two-space-variable flow behavior resulting from a vertical fracture. Results obtained in the course of this investigation are also reported and discussed. Input and output data of the numerical methods used are given in practical units: BOPD, feet, psi, cp, and md. Results are discussed fist in terms of specific reservoir and crude properties and geometries. Later, dimensionless parameters are introduced in order to extend results to different values of some of the reservoir and fracture properties. IDEALIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE FRACTURED SYSTEM It is assumed that a horizontal oil-producing layer of constant thickness and of uniform porosity and permeability is bounded above and below by impermeable strata. The reservoir has an impermeable, circular, cylindrical outer boundary of radius r,. The fracture system is represented by a single, plane, vertical fracture of limited radial extent, bounded by the impermeable matrix above and below' the producing layer (reservoir). It is assumed that there is no pressure drop in the fracture due to fluid flow. 1 indicates the general three-dimensional geometry of the fractured reservoir. Gravity effects and the effects of differential depletion resulting from variations in hydrostatic head (pressure) will be neglected. Thus, the flow behavior in the fractured reservoir is described by the

By Nathaniel Arbiter

THE separation of minerals by flotation can be regarded as a rate process, with the extraction of any one mineral determined by its flotation rate, and the grade of concentrate by the relative rates for all the minerals. So regarded, the significant variables for the process are those that control the rates. These variables are of two types, the first describing the ore and its physical and chemical treatment prior to flotation and the second characterizing the separation process in the cells. This paper will examine the variation in rates for a group of separations, will show that a simple rate law appears to govern, and will consider the relation of the control variables to the rates. The use of rate constants for evaluation of performance and efficiency will be discussed. Flotation involves the selective levitation of mineral and its transfer from cell to launder. The flotation rate is the rate of this transfer. It may be defined by the slope of a recovery-time curve for any cell in a bank, or at any time in batch operation. The objective in flotation rate study is an equation expressing the rate in terms of some measurable property of the pulp. This can be either the concentration of floatable mineral in weight per unit volume1,2 or a relative concentration, which will be a function of the recovery." A rate equation for an actual flotation pulp will contain at least two constants, both to be determined from the data. One of these, the initial concentration or proportion of floatable mineral, is not necessarily equal to the feed assay because of nonfloatable oversize or locked particles." The other, a rate constant, is a measure of proportionality between the rate and the pulp property on which the rate depends. The value of the rate constant will be determined by the values of all variables which control the process and will be changed by significant changes in any of them. It is, therefore, a direct measure of performance. Where recovery or grade change continuously with flotation time, the rate constant will be independent of time and will characterize the entire course of the separation. Development of Rate Equations Rate equations can be developed either by analysis of the mechanism of the process or by direct fitting of equations to recovery-time data. Sutherland's attempt by the first method' suggests that the effect of particle size variation on the rate complicates the derivation of a simple equation applicable to an ore pulp. A further problem with an ore is the concentrate grade requirement, which usually involves a variable rate of froth removal. Thus the final rate for any cell may depend on the froth character and froth height, as well as on the pulp composition. This does not imply that each cell cannot reach a steady state2 in which the rate will depend ultimately on pulp composition. The second method is the fitting of rate equations consistent with the necessary boundary conditions* to experimental recovery-time curves. On the assumption that under constant operating conditions the flotation rate is proportional to the actual or relative concentration of floatable mineral in the pulp, a generalized rate equation may be expressed as follows: Rate = Kcn [I] where K is the rate constant, c is some measure of the quantity of floatable mineral in the pulp at time t, and n is a positive number. In previous rate studies, the value of n has been taken as 1, either by direct assumption," or as a result of the hypothesis that bubble-particle collision is rate determining.' A first order equation results, which after integration in terms of cumulative recovery R, leads to Loge A/A-R = Kt [2] The quantity A is the maximum possible recovery with prolonged time under the conditions used. No conclusive proof for the validity of this equation in flotation has been advanced. The evidence cited in its support consists entirely in the demonstration that it appears to apply to a limited number of recovery-time curves."' It will be shown subsequently that this procedure is not sufficient to establish the order of a flotation rate equation. The possibility that the equation may be of higher order therefore requires examination. If, in particular, the exponent in eq 1 is assumed to be 2, then after integration there results R = A2Kt/1 + AKt [3] with K again a rate constant and A the maximum proportion of recoverable mineral. Eq 3 may be

Jan 1, 1952

By H. C. Gatos, A. D. Kurtz

WITH the growing interest in the mechanism of self-diffusion of metals, the study of accurate and convenient methods for determining self-diffu-sion coefficients appears highly desirable. It was with this objective in mind that the present investigation was undertaken. Gatos and Azzam1 employed an autoradiographic technique for measuring self-diffusion coefficients of gold. This method involved sectioning of the specimen through the diffusion zone and recording the radioactivity directly on a photographic film. Because of the very short range of the emitted ß rays in gold, the activity recorded on the film was essentially the true surface activity. With proper choice of the sectioning angle, sufficient resolution could be obtained and the entire concentration-distance curve recorded in one measurement. For the boundary conditions of the experiment, where an infinitesimally thin layer of radioactive material diffuses in positive and negative directions into the end faces of a rod of infinite length, the solution of the diffusion equation is C/Cn = 1/v4pDt exp (-x2/4Dt) where C is the concentration of diffusing element (photographic density in this case), C,, is the constant (depending upon amount of radioactive material), x is the diffusion distance, D is the diffusion coefficient, and t is the time. Thus, by plotting the logarithm of the concentration vs the square of the diffusion distance, a straight line results and the slope contains the diffusion coefficient. In this manner, the self-diffusion coefficient of gold can be obtained as a function of temperature. In the present investigation the results reported by Gatos and Azzam1 have been verified, and the autoradiographic technique has been further developed and applied for the determination of the self-diffusion coefficient of gold at a number of temperatures. Furthermore, the energy of activation for the self-diffusion of gold has been conveniently determined. . Experimental Techniques Preparation of Specimens: The inert gold of high purity was received in the form of a rod from which cylinders were cut and machined to a diameter of 0.500 in. The specimens were annealed to a suitably large grain size and the faces were surface ground prior to the deposition of the radioactive layer. The radioactive isotope Au198 was chosen. It was produced in the Brookhaven pile by means of the reaction Au197 + n ? Au108. It decays by ß emission (0.96 mev) to Hg108 with the subsequent emission of a y ray (0.41 mev). 70Au 108 ? 80Hg 108 + -1e°. The half life of the Au108 is 2.7 days so that a strict time schedule had to be maintained in order to secure sufficient activity until the end of the experiments. For this reason, initial activities as high as 10,000 millicuries per gram were used. The gold arrived in the form of foil and was evaporated onto one face of each gold specimen cylinder to a thickness of about 100A. A sandwich-type specimen was formed by welding two such cylinders together. Evaporation of Gold: The gold was evaporated under vacuum from heated tantalum strips which were bent in such a way as to limit the solid angle through which the gold was allowed to vaporize, thus insuring a more efficient utilization of the gold. The specimens rested on flat brass rings which had an inner diameter of 0.475 in. The entire specimen-holding assembly could be manipulated from outside the vacuum system by means of a magnet which attracted a slug of soft iron attached to the assembly. By evaporating inert gold on glass slides under conditions identical to those employed for the radioactive gold, it was found that the thickness of the films was about 100A. Welding: The welding was performed by hot pressing in a stainless steel cylinder. The inside of the cylinder was threaded and fitted for two plugs. The specimens to be welded were placed in the middle of the cylinder and two pressing disks, one at each end, were inserted to avoid shearing stresses as the plugs were tightened. Mica disks were placed between the pressing disks and the specimens to prevent them from welding. The plugs were then tightened with a hand wrench and the entire unit was placed in an argon stream for about an hour to remove the oxygen. The unit was then inserted in the center of an argon atmosphere furnace maintained at about 700°C and left there for about an hour. Because of the difference in the temperature coefficient of expansion of the two metals, as the temperature rose. the pressure on the specimen-rollple increased and a weld resulted Welding was generally satisfactory under the conditions described.

Jan 1, 1955

[†ADAIR, ARTHUR C., Corp 4th Co., 1st. Training Bat., 154th Depot Brigade. ADAMS, HENRY, Major Chemical Warfare Service. ARLUCK, A. A Headquarters, 1St Corps of Artillery. ASKIN, THOMAS B. H Ensign.] [ ]

Jan 1, 1925

By Paul Giesecke

SINCE most modem metallurgical plants are operated continuously and on a large scale, successful operation at maximum efficiency demands that an accurate knowledge of the performance at each stage of the process be available at all times. Quantitative analyses provide the most practical process guides, and it is essential to have analytical procedures that combine accuracy and speed. In continuous plant operations, large losses may occur if the time interval between the development of trouble at any stage and its recognition and correction is great. Many metallurgical plants are using rapid colorimetric and spectrochemical methods of analyses for control purposes. So-called "color coppers" may be cited as an example of the colorimetric methods, in contrast with the routine use of the ultraviolet spectrograph for the analysis of steels.42 By means of this more refined spectrochemical procedure, a complete quantitative analysis of the molten metal is obtained every few minutes. During the past two years the Physics Division and the Ore Dressing Laboratory of the American Cyanamid Company's Stamford Research Laboratories have collaborated in a study of the use of spectrochemical methods for the analysis of various metallurgical products. New methods have been developed, which have proved of practical value in plant operation. The following pages give a general review of the principles of spectrochemical methods and also the details of several specific analyses. PRINCIPLES OF SPECTROCHEMICAL ANALYSIS In general, it can be said that a visible light spectrochemical analysis can be performed for any ion or molecule that is naturally colored, or that can be made to react with another to produce a colored salt or complex. Whereas transmission measurements in the ultraviolet and infrared portions of the spectrum are most useful for the analysis of organic molecules, visible light measurements are of particular value for metal salts. Such elements as copper, manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, molybdenum, vanadium, chromium, phosphorus, mercury, zinc, lead, and a great many others, can now be determined with a high degree of sensitivity, accuracy and dispatch. From the simplest of qualitative determinations, color analyses have been improved to such an extent that, at the present time, through the use of recording spectrophotometers, hundreds of accurate quantitative analyses can be performed by a single analyst during an 8-hr. day after the standardization curves have been established for the ions to be determined.

Jan 1, 1944

Jan 1, 1914