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By John Chipman, Donald W. Murphy

RECENT developments in iron alloys containing nitrogen have indicated that this element may exert a considerable influence on the properties of the metal. This influence is not always in an undesirable direction and the indications are that nitrogen should be regarded as an alloying element, the amount of which should be subject to control, rather than as an inherently deleterious impurity. In controlling this element in liquid iron to the best advantage, it is necessary to have a reliable background of fundamental data pertaining to solubilities, rates of solution and chemical reactions of nitrogen in liquid iron. Obviously, the first step in such an investigation is the determination of the solubility of nitrogen in pure iron, and this has been the object of the experiments described in this paper. The solubility of nitrogen in solid iron has been measured by Zurich,1 Sieverts,2 Martin,3 and Iwasé4 and, the agreement among the first three inspires confidence in their results. No accurate determinations of its solubility in liquid iron have been recorded though several investigators have obtained approximate results. Strauss5 was able to introduce 0.03 to 0.04 per cent nitrogen into steel by the action of either ammonia or nitrogen on the liquid metal. This was accomplished by Eilender and

Jan 1, 1935

By C. W. Vaupell

THE Huitzuco mines lie in north central Guerrero, Mexico; production has been about 90,000 flasks of quicksilver since 1873. Near-surface ores fill extinct mud geysers and the deep deposits are chambered veins, stock-works in brecciated blocks, and replacements in limestone. The epigenetic minerals livingstonite, stibnite and sulphur occur in limestone, gypsum and dolomite through a developed vertical range of 260 meters. The deepest workings expose an increased amount of stibnite, which probably indicates that the lower limit of mercury mineralization is being approached. A resur-gence of heat and water formed geysers over an extended area after the period of mercury mineralization. Mud geysers, which are situated, in the outcrops, contain the secondary mercury minerals, cinnabar and barcenite in the gravel and mud filling the vents. A 150-ton flotation plant is in operation concentrating stope fills that assay 3.0 kg. of mercury per ton. In one open stope, which is more than one hectare in area and 60 m. high, 150,000 tons are available.

Jan 1, 1937

By E. N. Mazza, H. S. Kalish

The effect of sintering types 302, 3028, and 430 stainless steel powder compacts in hydrogen and dissociated ammonia was investigated. It was found that sintering in dissociated ammonia resulted in as much as 0.5 wt pct increase in the nitrogen content of stainless steel even though the dissociation of the gas was complete. Sintering in hydrogen, on the other hand, reduced the nitrogen content of the stainless steel to less than 0.01 wt pct. In the case of the 302-type stainless steel, the low nitrogen content resulted in a material that was largely ferritic, whereas the high nitrogen content rendered the material fully austenitic. Sintering in dissociated ammonia resulted in lower density, generally lower tensile strength, less ductility, and higher hardness than sintering under equivalent conditions in hydrogen. The reduction of oxides on both stainless steel and iron particles was found to be effected by hydrogen partial pressure in the sintering atmosphere. Compacting pressure was found also to effect oxide reduction during sintering. DISSOCIATED ammonia often is used as a substitute'.' for hydrogen in sintering and in annealing, since economic advantages sometimes can be obtained by such a substitution. In addition, anhydrous ammonia contains very little impurity. Thus, dissociated ammonia gas is very dry whereas tank hydrogen often must be freed of oxygen and water vapor prior to use in many applications. The sintering of stainless steel powder compacts as well as bright annealing is well recognized as requiring a hydrogen atmosphere and for the foregoing reasons dissociated ammonia is frequently substituted. It has generally been overlooked, however, that the nitrogen in dissociated ammonia might have an important effect on the sintering process and on the properties of stainless steel compacts. Considered an inert gas in many applications, nitrogen, on the other hand, is very reactive with cer- tain metals. Dissociated ammonia could not be used for hydriding zirconium or titanium. Nitrogen reacts with columbium, tantalum, chromium, uranium, thorium, and many other active metals. Iron and iron-base alloys are, for the most part, inert in nitrogen but there are many borderline cases. It has been reported that stainless steel stabilized with columbium or titanium should not be sintered in dissociated ammonia.3 olybdenum has been reported as reacting with dissociated ammonia to a minor extent.' Although most of the reactions with iron-base alloys are attributed to the action of un-dissociated ammonia and the action of nascent nitrogen, Uhlig4 showed how readily pure molecular nitrogen reacts with and diffuses into 18-8 stainless steel at 1150°C. He also pointed out how readily nitrogen diffuses out of 18-8 stainless steel when heated in pure dry hydrogen, and these thorough investigations on the subject show that commercial stainless steels are nitrogen-bearing, since they are melted in air. The effects of nitrogen in stainless steel, particularly the 18-8 Cr-Ni type, previously have received considerable attention." In 1926, it was pointed out

Jan 1, 1956

By H. H. Vogel

THIS paper describes the milling practice and operating results of the recently installed heavy-media separation plant of Barton Mines Corporation, the world's largest producer of garnet. This pioneer application of heavy-media separation (sink-float) processes for the beneficiation of a nonmetallic ore is unique in many respects, the details of which will be apparent from the following presentation. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORE The property is on Gore Mountain, 5 miles west of the village of North Creek, New York, and 11 miles by road. The altitude of the mine is approximately 2800 feet. The valuable mineral, garnet, occurs in a surface deposit, the ore body being about ¾ mile long and varying in width from 50 to 300 ft. The garnet, principally almandite, Fe3A12 (Si04)3, occurs in a metamorphic rock of uncertain origin. The gangue mineral is principally hornblende, which constitutes from 40 to 80 per cent of the rock. The remainder of the gangue is divided between plagioclase feldspars and hypersthene, with smaller amounts of biotite, apatite and pyrite. The garnet content of the ore body varies from 5 to 20 per cent of the mass and averages about 10 to 12 per cent. The garnet occurs as crystals, mostly imperfectly developed, known locally as "pockets." These crystals vary in size from a fraction of an inch to a foot or more in diameter. Occasionally crystals have been found up to 30 and 36 in. in diameter but they average 4 to 6 inches. Nearly every crystal of garnet is surrounded by a rim of coarsely crystalline hornblende. The quarry faces are striking in appearance, showing crimson-red garnet crystals with their coal black rims scattered over a grayish black background. The specific gravity of the garnet is 3.8 to 4.1 while that of the hornblende ordinarily is 3.07 to 3.24. Some specimens of very dense hornblende have been found with a specific gravity as high as 3.40. The garnet crystals are laminated in structure, and readily cleave into flat, tabular pieces with sharp, chisel-like edges. Even when crushed to a very fine size, the garnet retains this flat, sharp, slivery grain shape. This characteristic, together with its hardness and toughness, gives it its value as an abrasive. FORMER OPERATIONS Mining operations have been carried on for 60 years. Until 1023, only the oxidized (soft rock) section of the ore body was mined. The oxidation, which affected the garnet only slightly, made possible the removal of the garnet from the rock by hand after it was blasted down, using small hand picks. In 1923 a mill was erected on the property, and was rebuilt and redesigned in 1928. Before the adoption of heavy-media separation, concentration was effected by

Jan 1, 1943

NAME AND OBJECT. SEC. 1. This Institute is incorporated under the Membership Corporations law of the State of New York ; its corporate name is American Institute of Mining Engineers; and its objects are such as are stated in its Certificate of Incorporation. ARTICLE II. MEMBERS. SEC. 1. The membership of the Institute shall comprise four classes, namely 1. Members ; 2. Honorary Members ; 3. Associates ; 4. Junior Members. All members shall be equally entitled to the privileges of membership, except¬ing that Honorary Members, Junior Members, and Members and Associates whose residences shall be outside of the United States, Mexico, and Canada shall not be entitled to vote. Members and Associates residing within the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada, and not in arrears for dues, shall be entitled to vote in person at the meetings of the Institute, or, as hereinafter provided for, by letter ballot. SEC. 2. The following classes of persons shall be eligible for membership in the Institute, namely : as Members, all professional mining . engineers, geologists, metallurgists, or chemists, and all persons actively engaged in mining and metallurgical engineering, geology, or chemistry ; as Associates, all persons desirous of being connected with the Institute who in the opinion of the Board of Directors are suitable.

Jan 1, 1923

By Takahide Wakamatsu, Yoshiaki Numata, Charn Hoon Park

INTRODUCTION A technique is needed to apply the flotation method successfully to apply the flotation method successfully to low grade and complex ore bearing hard-to-float oxide minerals. Thus it is necessary to find a new selective, powerful collector or to develop a new flotation process. Some attempts to use two or more kinds of collectors combined in flotation have been made but the principle of the reaction between the collectors used and the surface of mineral as well as the effect of combined collectors on flotation has not yet been fully understood. As part of the study on the improvement of selective collection in flotation, we have been investigating the flotation of minerals using two kinds of organic reagents, one of which is a conventional collector. We found xanthates were able to adsorb even onto the surface of oxide mineral, with the help of another organic reagent, e.g. a chelate compound (1). Furthermore, a notable effect of combined reagents such as the xanthate-amino acid combination (2) was found on the reagent adsorption phenomena and the collection phenomena, depending on the combination of reagents. The present study was carried out to clarify the effects of adding two kinds of collectors to the collection of mineral in flotation in the following two cases: (1) joint use of xanthate and di-alkyl dithiophosphate for galena collection and (2) joint use of a cationic collector with xanthate for scheelite collection.

Jan 1, 1980

By Paul Torrey

THE Northwestern Pennsylvania Oil Producers Association and the United States Geological Survey have cooperated in conducting a pre-liminary study of the character of the flood waters, the relationship of changes in concentration of the salts dissolved in these waters to ultimate flood-oil production, and the original association of oil and water in the Bradford field. Bradford has long been recognized as a dry-sand field. As a matter of fact, there had been little information available on the oil-field waters of northern Pennsylvania until this investigation was undertaken. THE BRADFORD SAND Practically all of the oil produced in the Bradford field comes from one horizon, generally known as the Third, or Bradford, sand. Originally, it was believed that the Bradford sand was equivalent to the Third sand of Venango County, Pennsylvania and the name "Third" unfortunately still persists, although shortly after the discovery of the Bradford pool Carll1 determined that there was a stratigraphic interval of approximately ;000 ft. between the two horizons. The Bradford sand, although varying considerably in thickness and lithology within local areas, is persistent throughout the field. It is of marine origin and, upon both paleontologi-cal and stratigraphic evidence, is regarded as a basal member of the Chemung formation.

Jan 1, 1927

By G. Hileman

During the year 1934 there were no new or extraordinary developments in the proven fields. With few exceptions all companies operating in these fields continued intensive exploitation programs on their old properties in an attempt to maintain the normal production of former years. In one or two instances these exploitation activities have had such marked success that the total production for 1934 slightly surpassed that of 1933. The most striking increase in production is that shown by the Kilometer 27 pool of the Comodoro Rivadavia field. However, this increase cannot be attributed to intensive drilling, since it is the result of a more uniform daily withdrawal distributed among all the productive wells. The Province of Salta also showed another increase, so that, judging from the statistics of the past three years and in view of proposed exploration projects, the future may reveal some interesting developments in this province. One of the most interesting occurrences in Salta is the discovery, though not yet considered commercial, made at Macueta, near the boundary line between the Argentine and Bolivia. This exploration well was drilled by the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey and is the northernmost exploratory well in the republic. The oil from this well is of the same type and commercial value as that produced in the San Pedro and Lomitas fields. The producing horizon is also the same as that in the other Salta fields; that is, the Paleozoic Permo-Carboniferous.

Jan 1, 1935

By C. H. Li, J. A. Sarteli, W. Bonfield

The stress to cause a permanent micros train of 2 x 10-6 in. per in. (defined as the microscopic yield stress) in beryllium is found to be very sensitive to surface condition. The initiation of plastic flow in as-machined specimens, which contain a high density of twins and large residual compressive stresses to a depth of about 0.010 in. from the surface, occurs by the nucleation of slip from high stress fields around twin tips in the surface layers. Removal of the damaged surface layers by chemical polishing results in an appreciable increase in the microscopic yield stress, which is attributed to the remoual of stress raising twins rather than to the release of residual stresses. IT is well known that the macroscopic mechanical properties of beryllium are very sensitive to the nature of its surface finish. Matthews and coworkers1 have shown that the tensile strength of rolled beryllium sheet can be considerably enhanced by chemical polishing, presumably due to the removal of the high concentration of notches, twins, and large residual compressive stresses normally found in the surface layers of ground specimens. There was no similar effect of surface condition on the macroscopic yield stress (the stress to produce 0.2 pct strain), a point to which we shall return. To date there have been no extensive studies on the effect of surface condition on the microstrain region of beryllium. Recent measurements2 of the stress to cause a permanent microstrain of the order of 10-6 in. per in. on machined hot pressed QMV beryllium, gave values ranging from about 600 to 3500 psi. Reasons for the considerable scatter in the results were not discussed. In this paper, we wish to show that the microstrain region of polycrystalline beryllium is, in fact, very sensitive to surface condition. The stress to cause a permanent strain of 2 x 10-6 in. per in. which for convenience we will refer to as the microscopic yield stress, can be increased by almost a factor of 2 by minimizing the amount of surface damage. The variation of microscopic yield stress is attributed to the presence of twins in the surface layers, rather than to residual compressive stresses. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The starting material for this investigation was commercial purity hot pressed QMV beryllium, with an average grain size of about 20 . The effects of surface treatment were assessed by comparing the microstructure with residual stress measurements and microstrain properties. Specimens were prepared for metallographic examination by wet grinding with 240, 400, and 600 papers, followed by polishing with a suspension of fine alumina in warm 20 pct oxalic acid. After this treatment, the surface could be examined, either in the unetched condition with polarized light, or after etching in 2 pct hydrofluoric or boiling 20 pct oxalic acid with normal light. Thin films of beryllium suitable for electron transmission study were prepared from bulk specimens by chemical polishing with hydrofluoric and phosphoric acids, and were examined in an RCA-EMU-3 electron microscope. Residual stress measurements were made by a procedure similar to that of Treuting and Read.3 Specimens 4.0 in. by 0.625 in. by 0.080 in. were prepared by three different machining procedures, namely: turning, grinding, and sawing, in order to introduce different levels of residual stresses. An electrical resistance strain gage was attached to one side of the specimen, and that surface was then protected by an acid-resistant enamel, while the opposite surface was removed by etching approximately one thousandth of an inch at a time. The change in specimen curvature in the longitudinal direction was noted and the residual stress was calculated by the following formula:

Jan 1, 1963

By Alfred Weiss

The Daniel C. Jackling Award, established in 1953, is presented for significant contributions to technical programs in mining, geology, and geophysics. This year's recipient, Alfred Weiss, was cited "For his pioneering achievements in applying systems analysis, operations research, and computer methods in exploration, mining, and environmental control; and in disseminating the new technology to the worldwide mining community; and for his lecture, “New Concepts and Tools in Decision-Making.”

Jan 1, 1979

By R. H. Foley

It is difficult to consider any seam as unsuitable for longwall mining operation for something like 95% of British coal is produced by this system. The following is a brief report on how they do it-their techniques and equipment. Depth of working in British mines varies from about 150 ft to more than 3000 ft, with the average being about 1300 ft. Average seam thickness is approximately 40 in., but working seams vary from 16 in. to as much as 14 ft.

Jan 8, 1965

By R. V. Ramani, Y. J. Wang, R. Mishra

Abstract-The validity of the concept of mine resistance in ventilation systems is examined. Mine resistance is the proportionality constant relating the head generated by a fan and the quantity flowing through it when the fan is connected to a mine circuit. It is the total effect of all branches in the mine ventilation circuit. Its importance lies in the fact that for new mine projections, and in the extensions of existing mines, ventilation calculations are usually based upon adjustments of the mine

Jan 11, 1978

By Yap Chu-Phay

IN the previous paper, the writer showed how, on the basis of thermodynamic reasoning, it seems probable that when true equilibrium conditions obtain, carbon exists as Fe3C in the liquid state and as elementary carbon in the solid state (7 Fe), in which case the solidus would be a straight line from 0.18 to 1.70 per cent. carbon (Fig. 1). In the same paper he concluded that the solidus obtained by Honda 'and his co-workers1 probably does not represent the same conditions, insuring a complete equilibrium. Except for a downward temperature displacement, the solidus obtained by Gutowsky,2 using the Heycock and Neville method, practically coincides with Honda's solidus as shown in Fig. 1. The writer at first thought that perhaps in some way Gutowsky's thermocouple was improperly calibrated for high-temperature measurements, as his liquidus was also much lower than those obtained by Carpenter and Keeling3 and by Ruer and Goerens.4 However, the eutectic temperature obtained by Gutowsky agrees with the generally accepted value of 1130° C., so that the validity of the inference regarding improper temperature calibrations is to be strongly doubted. In Fig. 1, Gutowsky's solidus is shown both in the original and in the corrected form. In the latter, a correction of 29.2° C. is made for all temperatures above 1416° C. in accordance with-

Jan 1, 1931

By Keith E. Robinson, Brian Stimpson

INTRODUCTION In inclined sedimentary strata slope failure may occur by sliding along bedding and along a discontinuity or weak zone, as illustrated in Fig. 1. This mode of failure may be called 'bi-linear', as the failure surface is comprised of two linear or approximately linear segments. This type of failure has been suggested for the famous Frank Slide, Alberta, Canada (Cruder and Krahn, 1973) in which an estimated 90 M 5 tons (8.97 x 10 MN) of rock separated from Turtle Mountain and buried the town of Frank. Also, with the increasing depth of open pits and the construction of highways through inclined sedimentary strata this mode of failure is of major concern to the rock slope stability engineer. A computer program for calculating factors of safety for this slope failure mode is provided and includes the ability to vary shear strengths of potential slide surfaces, ground water elevations and wedge geometry. LIMITING EQUILIBRIUM MODEL The simple limiting equilibrium model used in the analysis is shown in Fig. 2. It is assumed that jointing is orthogonal to bed- ding and that the interface between the upper and lower wedges there- fore corresponds to a joint plane or planes. No shear strength is attributed to the interface so that the resultant force, P, from the upper wedge acts normally across the interface. The normal loads

Jan 1, 1983

By T. R. Ingraham

The thermal decomposition of cupric sulfate and of cupric oxysulfate has been examined by deter-mining the equilibrium gas pressure generated over each pure compound. The equilibrium data have been used to calculate the thermodynamic properties of both compounds, and the results have been combined with previously published data to establish a predominance-volume diagram for the Cu-S-O system over the normal range of roasting temperature and gas composition used in the treatment of copper minerals. Copper oxysulfate recrystal-lizes at 1100°K with an apparently irreversible en-dothermic heat requirement of 2.9 * 0.3 kcal per mole. WHEN mixed sulfide minerals containing copper are roasted, either of two procedures may be followed, depending on the nature of the other metals. In the first procedure, the roasting is controlled to produce a maximum amount of water-soluble copper sulfate which may be removed selectively from the water-insoluble compounds of the other metals. In the second, control is directed toward the production of water-soluble sulfates of the other metals and an insoluble salt of copper. Effective control of either of these processes would be enhanced by knowledge of the thermal stability of cupric sulfate and of cupric oxysulfate. In this paper, established data for the thermal stability of cuprous and cupric sulfide and of cuprous and cupric oxide will be combined with new data for the therma1 stability of cupric sulfate and cupric oxysulfate, to designate the volumes of stability of the significant compounds in the Cu-S-O system in the temperature range 750° to 950°K. EXPERIMENTAL Materials, Apparatus, and Procedure. The copper source material used in all experiments was Fisher Certified Reagent Grade "anhydrous" cupric sulfate, for which the following analysis was supplied by the manufacturer: chloride, 0.002 pct; alkalies and earths, 0.2 pct; insoluble, 0.002 pct; iron, 0.020 pct. Cupric oxysulfate was prepared from the normal sulfate by two procedures. In the first, equimolar quantities of cupric oxide (prepared by decomposition of the sulfate) and cupric sulfate were ground together and heated under vacuum in a sealed silica vessel at 800°C. This procedure was subject to failure because of explosion of the silica vessels due to the pressure of the final traces of water released from the sulfate on the initiation of its decomposition. The second procedure involved roasting the cupric sulfate, with frequent rabbling, in a muffle furnace at 725°C for a period of 48 hr. This produced an excellent product, which was confirmed as copper oxysulfate by X-ray and chemical analyses. The experimental technique used was that of measuring the total pressure exerted by the sulfur trioxide, sulfur dioxide, and oxygen produced by the following reactions: 2 CuS04 = cuo • CuSO4 + SO3 [1] cuo . CuSO4 = 2 cuo + SO3 [2] SO3= SO2 + 1/2 O2 [3] The apparatus used in the experiments has been described previously.1-3 Its main feature of a U-tube mercury manometer in which the mercury is protected from corrosion by enclosure in a flexible Pyrex bellows. Before beginning a run, the interior of the apparatus, including the bellows-manometer and all connecting tubing, was thoroughly washed with hydrochloric acid and distilled water to remove any

Jan 1, 1965

By C. L. Thornburg

FLANKING the Valley of Mexico on the northeast is a mountain range known as the Sierra de Pachuca. This northwesterly-trending range is about 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, its summit attaining an elevation of more than 10,000 feet above sea level, or 2000 feet above the valley floor. Pachuca, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, lies nestled at the southwest base of the range, 60 miles northeast of Mexico City. Three miles to the east, just over the summit and on the northeasterly slope, is the mountain town of Real del Monte with a population of about 20,000. These are the two principal towns in a 40-sq mile area whose yield has brought the district to its high rank among the world's silver producers. Total production probably exceeds 1.25 billion ounces of silver and 4.5 million ounces of gold. Exploitation by the Spanish was under way by 1530. As the mines were deepened operations became handicapped by the inadequate method of handling water with horse whims and bull skins. To offset this disadvantage a two-mile drainage tunnel was started in 1749 and completed ten years later. John Taylor of London acquired the mines from the third Count of Regla in 1824 and formed the Compania de Real del Monte y Pachuca. Two years later Cornish pumps were brought from England. A Mexican company purchased the British interest in 1848 and within a few years resumed an old project of driving a second, lower three-mile drainage tunnel, completing it in 1857. After American interests acquired control of the property in 1906 operations expanded to an unprecedented scale, despite periods of political strife, unstable prices, labor problems, and a growing burden of taxation. An idea of the scale of operations may be gained from records of the last two decades prior to 1947, the last year for which production information is at hand, during which time production ranged from 1.4 million to 1.1 million tons per year, and the combined development and exploration, exclusive of diamond drilling, amounted to about 18 miles annually. Pachuca differs from Zacatecas and some other Mexican silver vein districts that flourished and declined in earlier centuries in that a substantial part of its total production was made after 1900. While the district's accelerated activity in this century was largely due to the successful application of the cyanide process to the treatment of the ores, improved pumping methods, and new mechanical equipment, it was at the same time stimulated by the opening up of important new orebodies as a result of active and extensive exploration of the vein system. Some of these orebodies were found on veins which terminate upward far below the surface, and though these particular veins do not crop out, they show relationship with a type of alteration which may be their surface expression. The district has been studied by many able geologists, and a large store of information has been accumulated, much of which is recorded in published as well as private papers. Wall Rocks Extrusive Rocks: The Sierra de Pachuca is a thick accumulation of Tertiary eruptive rocks consisting mainly of flows, breccias, and tuffs. Numerous recognizable volcanic vents within the range itself manifest that the range was built up by material ejected from these vents. The maximum thickness of the volcanic pile is not known, but from deep exploration and from relationship with Mesozoic sediments to the north and east it is inferred that the average thickness in the main part of the district may be at least 6000 ft. The extrusive rocks comprise four general types, which in ascending order of age are: andesite, rhyolite, dacite, and basalt. The veins are confined largely to the andesite, the dominant rock of the region. Characteristically this rock is augite andesite, but it includes comparatively acidic as well as basic layers, the acidic strata being

Jan 1, 1952

By E. S. Fisher

GRAIN coarsening implies a discontinuous type of grain growth during which a few grains in a fine grained recrystallized matrix grow to large grain sizes at the expense of the matrix. Studies of this phenomenon in various metals1,2 indicate that grain coarsening may result when continuous grain growth in a fine grained matrix is inhibited by either a dispersion of very fine inclusions or by a strong texture. In the former case a period of annealing time exists prior to grain coarsening during which grain growth inhibition is gradually de- creased by dissolution or coalescence of the dispersed inclusions. This mechanism can be made to occur in uranium during anneals at high a phase temperatures. ' A study of some of the factors influencing the kinetics of grain coarsening and the coarse grain sizes in a uranium has led to a method for preparing a uranium single crystals. Previously such single crystals containing considerable substructure were prepared at this laboratory by a phase change method, similar to that described by Cahn.3 Attempts to prepare more perfect single crystals by strain-anneal techniques were unsuccessful. Cahn3- as reported his attempts to apply such techniques to uranium. He proposed that the failure of strain-anneal techniques is basically due to the many twins which

Jan 1, 1958

By A. Heim, M. Gondouin

Invasion experiments were run on Berea sandstone cores to get laboratory measurements of resistivity and saturation profiles characteristic of water and oil sands invaded by mud filtrate. Injection rates were as low as 1.13 cm/D, and the cores were 30 to 36 in. long, cut parallel to the bedding planes. In the water-sand case, the resistivity profiles revealed the existence of an extensive transition zone between flushed and uncontaminated zones. In the linear geometry of the experiment, the width of the transition zone increased as the square root of the injected fluid volume. For the oil-sand case the core was prepared by displacing the formation water with kerosene to minimum water saturation. During the subsequent invasion experiment. oil saturation was measured directly by means of an oil-soluble radioactive tracer, and resistivity profiles along the core were taken at the same time. These data were interpreted in terms of an oil-water front, followed by a formation water bank, a zone of mixed waters, and finally, invaded mud filtrate near the borehole. Micro-fingering and capillarity seemed to affect considerably the resistivity profiles observed in the invaded oil-sand experiment. Beyond the regular conductive annulus or "low zone", it was found that a resistive "anti-annulus" could also be formed. As a result of these experiments, some simplified invasion profiles have been accepted and are being used in Grand Slam* interpretations. INTRODUCTION The importance of the mud filtrate-invaded zone in interpreting electrical logs has long been recognized.',* In trying to account for its effect, only very simple models of the resistivity profiles in the radial direction from the borehole have been used. In fact, most log interpretation charts have been based on resistivity models consisiting of two media of uniform resistivity (R, and R,) abruptly separated at the diameter of invasion. Such a clean separation of the media of different resistivities seems unrealistic, since flushing may not be perfect and may vary with radial distance into the formation.3** The nature of the transition zone, when it is within the radius of investigation of the surveying devices, may affect the log readings. Campbell and Martin' verified that a conductive annulus containing a high percentage of formation water may be formed when mud filtrate invades an oil-bearing sand. Interpretations which are to include the effect of such an annulus require the addition to the model of a conductive zone located at the outer rim of the invaded zone.' Using the Buckley-Leverett relations,6 aturation profiles may be derived, from which resistivity profiles can be calculated. Results of such computations by K. S. Kunz and J. H. Moran were given in a paper by Dumanoir. Tixier and Martin,7 and led to the construction of log interpretation charts which were based on a representation with three media of resistivities R, R0 and R1. Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a resistivity profile which includes an annulus. Campbell and Martin realized that, during the invasion of an oil sand, both capillarity and mixing would contribute to rounding of the profile shown in Fig. 1. Capillarity tends to draw some of the formation water from the annulus into the uncontaminated (Rt) zone, whereas mixing of the mud filtrate with formation water of the

Jan 1, 1965

By Wayne S. Cavender

During the past year, geochemical prospecting appears to have come of age as an exploration method, and its acceptance by the mining industry is widespread. There is a growing recognition that applied geochemistry is a scientific tool and must be performed and interpreted by scientific personnel who are trained in its utilization. At present, most personnel training is done by geochemical departments in government organizations and industry groups. Most schools in the United States and Canada do not offer geochemical training, particularly at graduate levels, due to faculty limitations, lack of budgetary support and the erroneous impression that applied geochemistry is not sufficiently academic. As a result, some companies have found it expedient to send selected personnel to European schools for advanced training. A critical personnel shortage now exists will probably continue into the near future. Indications are that the rate of development of new geochemical techniques has levelled off, and the probability of new breakthroughs is not high. Present research is essentially limited to efforts by government agencies and a few private companies. Progress has been the most rapid in the development of analytical techniques, but the need remains for investigation into sampling technology and the development of more quantitative methods for the interpretation of geochemical results. Geochemists need a better understanding of the numerous physical and chemical factors which affect and control primary and secondary dispersion phenomena in all geologic environments. Detailed studies must be made of the relationship between geologic, geochemical and geophysical factors. With better interpretive techniques, the return on the geochemical exploration dollar will increase.

Jan 2, 1968

By P. H. Fahlström

The Ebliden Company, originally entering the field of mining with the workings of the gold-copper-arsenic deposit at Ebliden, commenced zinc benificiation at Kristineberg in 1940 and lead mining at Laisvall in 1943. During the three last decades a number of mines has been developed for production, Today the Mining Division of BOLIDEN produces ore from 22 mines, operates 7 ore dressing plants and produces: [ ] Over two thirds of the lead contents are treated in the lead smelter of the company at Ri6nnskarsverken. The other part of it is sold abroad. The zinc content of the lead concentrates is recovered from the lead smelter at Ri6nnskarsverken. The zinc concentrates are shipped abroad to European smelters in Norway and Germany. Today BOLIDEN has its plants in the northern and the middle parts of Sweden. Figure 1. Straight lead ore, lead-zinc ores, lead-zinc-copper bearing ores and complex lead-zinc-copper and pyrite ores are treated in local and central plants with a capacity of 8.600 tpd. BOLIDEN also operates the low grade copper ore at Aitik at 7.000 tpd.

Jan 1, 1970