Search Documents

By Jon J. Connor, Richard J. Ebens

The trace element geochemistry of the cherty clay-rich carbonate residuum cover in much of southern Missouri and adjacent parts of Arkansas was investigated during the earl 1970's as part of a statewide geochemical survey of Missouri.1-8 The study was environmentally oriented and focused on the character of the "natural" geochemical environment of the state. A great deal of effort was made to collect samples that would represent the geochemical variability of the near-surface environment in an unbiased way. In general, this was accomplished by use of randomization procedures in both collection and analysis. Most of the sampling sites were selected randomly to prevent personal bias from entering into sample selection. In the laboratory, samples were analyzed in a randomized sequence to circumvent the effects of any systematic bias that may have entered into the laboratory procedures. Several residuum samples contained 1000 parts per million (ppm) or more of lead, zinc, and barium. All these samples were collected in Washington County in or near the barite district. The frequency distributions shown in [Fig. 1] indicate just how unusual the residuum in Washington County is with regard to these three metals and copper. The shaded parts of the histograms represent the samples from Washington County. The histograms are based on analyses of 141 samples from 38 localities scattered over the subcrop of the Cambrian and Ordovician formations of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Eight localities were selected randomly from over each of four bedrock units-Bonneterre dolomite; Potosi and Erninence dolomites; Roubidoux formation; and the Jefferson City, Powell, and Cotter dolomites. Six localities were selected randomly from over the Gasconade dolomite. The geochemical "background" for these elements in residuum is defined by samples from outside of Washington County (unshaded part of the histogram); lognormal distribution curves have been fitted to the corresponding parts of each histogram. Clearly, these lognormal models (curves) describe well the background distributions of zinc, barium, and copper. The background histogram of lead concentrations is notably skewed to the right compared to the model. Lognormal distribution curves were also fitted to the data on lead, copper, and zinc in the residuum of Washington County. No model was fitted for barium in Washington County because of the distinct bimodality in the data. All samples containing more than 1000 ppm were collected in the barite mining district and obviously reflect the elevated levels of barium in the district. The frequency distributions for Washington County are clearly anomalous with respect to the background data, those for lead, zinc, and barium being exceptionally so. The models for anomalous lead, zinc, and copper seem to fit reasonably well, although the scatters in the lead and zinc anomalies are considerably larger than the scatters in the corresponding background data. The copper anomaly, although probably real, is greatly subdued compared to that of lead and zinc. Also, it has a scatter similar to that of the copper background, rather than being enhanced like the scatters of the lead and zinc anomalies. On the basis of techniques described by Miesch,4 the chemical abundance of copper, lead, and zinc in residuum in

Jan 1, 1980

By Leon Keller, William R. Van Slyke, James Stukel

Two 4-ft wide DSM screens were installed during 1957 in one unit of the two-unit heavy media cy- clone section of the Holman-Cliffs concentrator at Taconite, Minn., following successful laboratory test work on a 1-ft screen. The two screens materially reduced the amount of media sent to the magnetic separator cleaning circuit. Wear life was good and fine size capacity was high. Briefly, the Holman-Cliffs heavy media cyclone plant uses -65 mesh magnetite as media and 10-in. diam., 30º Ni-Hard cyclones as separatory vessels. Feed to the plant averages 130 long tons per hr of -1/8 in. +65 mesh material. The conventional heavy media circuit uses drum or spiral type separatory units and treats +l/8 or 3/16-in. material. The medium is generally -65 mesh ferrosilicon. Ore and media are readily separated by screening at about 6 mesh. At this size, capacity is high and wear and maintenance are not excessive. The heavy media cyclone plant requires an efficient separation between +65 mesh ore and -65 mesh media. To reduce costs, however, the separation was made at a coarser size with the result that the media was un- duly contaminated and it was necessary to clean large tonnages of media and ore in magnetic separators. Due to the high capital cost of these units, their number was kept to a minimum and, consequently, they were overloaded. As a result, the separation between magnetic media and nonmagnetics was not sharp and the magnetite losses were high.

Jan 10, 1958

By Seymour G. Epstein

Using a modified capillary-reservoir technique, electromigration of dilute solutions of silver in liquid bismuth has been measured with relatively good precision. The effects of experiment duration, temperature. current density, and silver concentration have been investigated. Chemical diffusion coefficients of silver in liquid bismuth were also measured at temperatures ranging from 300°to 600°C. The effective valence of silver in bismuth was calculated as a function of temperature from a comparison of electric mobilities and diffusion coefficients. In an alloy containing 1 wt pct Ag, the electric mobility of silver increased from 1.65 x X sq cm per v-sec at 300°C to 2.38 x 10-4at 600°C; the diffusion coefficient in-creased from 3.0 to 17.5 x 10-5 sq cm per sec over the same temperature range. Calculated values of effective valence decreased from 0.28 at 300°C to 0.10 at 600°c. ALTHOUGH there has been considerable progress in the theoretical treatment of electron-transport properties in liquid metals, the mechanisms of mass-transport phenomena in liquid metals are still not clearly understood. This is especially true for the case of electro migration, alternatively termed elec-trotransport or electrodiffusion, which is mass transport induced by an applied electric field. A thorough knowledge of the mechanisms governing electromigration will considerably aid in understanding the electronic state of an impurity atom in a liquid metal. Electromigration has been long observed and studied in liquid metals and alloys. However, no satisfactory theory to explain the observed effects has been developed. The disparity in the present theoretical treatments, summarized by Verhoeven,1 has been attributed to the difficulty in describing the momentum transfer between electrons and ions and to the lack of precise measurements in liquid metals, especially at elevated temperatures. Prior to the last decade most of the electromigration studies were qualitative, in that only the direction of migration of alloy constituents was determined with any degree of reliability. These results have been summarized by schwarz,2 who was able to measure the electric mobility of several elements in mercury. More recently electromigration in liquid metals has been measured by a variety of techniques, with a varying degree of success. Mangelsdorf3,4 made precise measurements on dilute amalgams at room temperature, using a technique relating changes in composition to changes in alloy resistivity, but was unable to make measurements at elevated temperatures. Using a modification of this technique, Verhoeven and Hucke5 measured electromigration and resistivities in liquid Bi-Sn alloys. However, the resistivity technique is not sensitive to small composition changes and is impractical for very dilute alloys. Verhoeven and Hucke6 also measured electromigration of several solutes in liquid bismuth by adapting the capillary-reservoir method for determining diffusion coefficients in liquids. The reported precision of these measurements was poor, however, primarily due to the large uncertainties in the chemical analyses to determine concentration changes. Belashchenko7 has summarized the recent Russian investigations of electromigration, many of which, however, are of questionable accuracy. The present study was initiated to develop an experimental technique which would be both versatile and sufficiently sensitive to yield precise measurements of electromigration of solutes in dilute metal alloys at elevated temperatures. Using this technique, a comprehensive study of silver in liquid bismuth was made to determine the effects of experimental variables on the apparent electric mobilities. Chemical diffusion coefficients of silver in liquid bismuth were also measured over the same temperature range for comparison with the electromigration data. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE Electromigration Measurements. Electromigration of silver in liquid bismuth was measured by the capillary-reservoir technique, similar to that used by Verhoeven and Hucke,6 but modified to yield more

Jan 1, 1967

By Allan J. Clark, W. J. Sharwood

When the cyanide process came into general use, late in the nineteenth century, chlorination was quickly supplanted, but amalgamation yielded place more slowly, being still the major process at many plants, where it is followed by cyanidation of the tailings. The research work of the Denny brothers in South Africa' was probably the most important contribution of its time to the metallurgy of gold. By grading analyses of mill products, they pointed to the necessity of fine grinding to accomplish maximum extraction by cyanide. The work here described is merely an extension of the Dennys' method. Developing the fine-grinding principle, the steps of "crushing in solution" and of "all-sliming" were logical sequels, though both had been attempted early in the history of the cyanide process. Crushing in solution introduced certain complications in amalgamation; when "all-sliming " was adopted it was observed that the omission of amalgamation did not materially affect the total recovery. Thus the field of the older process has become much restricted, being at present confined to ores which, yielding freely to amalgamation, either are too low in grade to show an economic advantage in "all-sliming," or present chemical or other difficulties making the use of cyanide solution unadvisable during the crushing and preparation of the ore. South African ores are typical of the former class; Homestake ores are of both classes, but even in these instances the amalgamation work is being curtailed and greater burdens thrown on the cyanide plants. It is obvious that the time required for the dissolution of gold depends on the size of its particles. In an effort to determine the critical size, the following laboratory method was evolved. A standard amalgamation test2 had already been established, which involves the agitation of about 100 gm. of ore with 20 gm. of pure mercury, the latter then being separated and its gold contents determined. This method was applied directly to certain mill products with interesting results, a few of which may be noted here. The column "Free Gold" gives the value per ton thus amalgamated, as against the " Total Gold " determined by fire assay.

Jan 1, 1923

From the early part of the thirteenth century bituminous coal was called "sea coal" in England, from the fact that the coal seams in the Fife and Northumberland fields outcropped on the shores of the North Sea and wave action and erosion resulted in lumps of coal being found in large quantities along the shores. These were gathered by women and children and sold for fuel to replace wood. Coal first reached London by sea, and there was a "Secole Lane" in that city in 1228. The term was gradually applied to all coal and for some hundreds of years all coal in England was called "sea coal", and the term is not yet obsolete there. Another reason for the use of a defining word was the fact that from time immemorial, in England and elsewhere, the word coal meant char-coal, or coal made from wood, as this was the common fuel of those times when anything other than natural wood was burned. The biblical references to coal all mean wood-coals or charcoal, and one must be careful in writings prior to at least 1750, when "coal" is used to be sure that it means stone, or mineral coal, rather than wood or charcoal. "Sea-coal" was in common use along the Atlantic seaboard until after about 1780; the first map showing coal in Pennsylvania, Ohip and Kentucky, made as of 1750, used the term "sea-coal here."2 In the interior stone coal was used by the early writers almost entirely, partly to differentiate it from charcoal, but largely because it was found with stones and rocks, and in most places then had the same value. "Fossil" coal was used by Hamilton in 1790. Jefferson called it mineral coal and pit coal in 1781. The term mineral coal was usually used in the governmental references to it as late as 1850, but the present use of bituminous coal began as soon as anthracite came on the market in 1820. Both mineral and stone coal still survive in the laws of several states specifying the weight of a bushel of coal.

Jan 1, 1942

By Allan J. Clark, W. J. Sharwood

When the cyanide process came into general use, late in the nineteenth century, chlorination was quickly supplanted, but amalgamation yielded place more slowly, being still the major process at many plants, where it is followed by cyanidation of the tailings. The research work of the Denny brothers in South Africa' was probably the most important contribution of its time to the metallurgy of gold. By grading analyses of mill products, they pointed to the necessity of fine grinding to accomplish maximum extraction by cyanide. The work here described is merely an extension of the Dennys' method. Developing the fine-grinding principle, the steps of "crushing in solution" and of "all-sliming" were logical sequels, though both had been attempted early in the history of the cyanide process. Crushing in solution introduced certain complications in amalgamation; when "all-sliming " was adopted it was observed that the omission of amalgamation did not materially affect the total recovery. Thus the field of the older process has become much restricted, being at present confined to ores which, yielding freely to amalgamation, either are too low in grade to show an economic advantage in "all-sliming," or present chemical or other difficulties making the use of cyanide solution unadvisable during the crushing and preparation of the ore. South African ores are typical of the former class; Homestake ores are of both classes, but even in these instances the amalgamation work is being curtailed and greater burdens thrown on the cyanide plants. It is obvious that the time required for the dissolution of gold depends on the size of its particles. In an effort to determine the critical size, the following laboratory method was evolved. A standard amalgamation test2 had already been established, which involves the agitation of about 100 gm. of ore with 20 gm. of pure mercury, the latter then being separated and its gold contents determined. This method was applied directly to certain mill products with interesting results, a few of which may be noted here. The column "Free Gold" gives the value per ton thus amalgamated, as against the " Total Gold " determined by fire assay.

Jan 1, 1923

By N. H. Harrison, J. K. Rodgers, S. Regier

This paper presents comparisons of data obtained from a laboratory reservoir study and from a calculated behavior prediction with the actual production history of a condensate reservoir. A small non-commercial discovery was depleted under closely controlled conditions and the well fluids were sampled at frequent intervals. Data on the reservoir and production variables were accumulated on a fixed schedule. A laboratory reservoir study war made using the initial well fluid samples as charging stock. The production procedures and operating conditions were held constant throughout the study wherever possible and in general paralleled the field work. The well fluid compositions and the cumulative recoveries ar a function of the reservoir pressure were also calculated using conventional flash vaporization procedures and equilibrium constants. Comparisons based on the composition of the well fluid show good agreement, the laboratory study agreeing within experimental accuracy with the field work and the calculated data comparing equally well. The gas-oil ratios are also in good agreement, but with somewhat greater deviations at the higher pressures. In the overall picture, it is believed that a model st,~tiy can predict within experimental accuracy the production history of a condensate reservoir. Better equilibrium constants for the heavier hydrocarbons are needed in order to attain improved composition accuracy by calculation. INTRODUCTION In Aug., 1955, a gas condensate well was completed in San Juan County, Utah, that was initially thought capable of good commercial production. These conclusions were derived principally from core data and electric logs, which indicated good permeability, porosity and gas content. However, after the usual series of potential tests it was found that the reservoir pressure had declined some 22 per cent, and it was obvious that the zone tapped was but a small pocket or trap. It became apparent that, with a controlled depletion of a small reservoir, a unique opportunity was available to compare laboratory and calculated studies with an actual field depletion and to further the present knowledge of condensate reservoirs. FIELD WORK The Coalbed Canyon Well No. 1 was conventionally completed in the Paradox limestone formation to a total depth of 5,912 ft. The producing zone from 5,762 to 5,806 ft was perforated with four jet shots per ft. The wellhead and field equipment were also conventional, the major items consisting of a two-pass indirect fired line heater, a high- and a low-pressure separator with the necessary controls and accessories, gas meters, back-pressure regulators, flare stacks and condensate stock tanks. The initial testing of this well con-sisted of a series of flow potential and pressure build-up tests during which some 30 MMcf of gas was produced. The reservoir pressure declined from an estimated 2,300 to 1,782 psig during this period, from which it was concluded that the reservoir was very small. In order to approach steady-state conditions in the reservoir and so provide optimum conditions for making comparisons, the field depletion was programmed to approach, if possible, constant production conditions. Bi-hourly readings were taken of the tubing pressure, the pressure and temperature of the separators, oil and gas rates, and other pertinent operating data. The gas rate, as indicated by the orifice meter, was held constant by the adjustment of the choke in the line heater. The temperature of the first stage separator was held constant by adjustment of the line heater jacket temperature. Practical considerations of production made the maintenance oi a constant gas rate impossible. The test started with a gas rate of 4 MMcf/D and a separator pressure of 250 psig. This rate was maintained until the choke was fully opened. The gas rate then declined with the falling tubing pressure and production was continued until the rate was about 2

By N. Mungan

Laboratory imbibition and displacement experiments were performed using crude oil and cores drilled with water and preserved under anaerobic conditions. The purpose of these tests was to determine reservoir rock wettability and to find out if more oil could be recovered by use of NaOH solution than by conventional waterflooding. The preserved cores were found to be oil-wet. Contrary to work in the literature, these cores changed to water-wet upon contact with air. After exposure to air for a week, the cores yielded more oil by waterflooding than when preserved under exclusion of air. At reservoir temperature of 160F, flooding the preserved cores with 0.5N NaOH solution recovered more oil than an ordinary wa-terflood, and additional oil when following a waterflood. When the caustic solution was used from the beginning, all the extra oil was obtained before breakthrough; when the caustic followed a conventional waterflood, the extra oil was produced in the form of an oil bank ahead of the injected caustic. The increase in oil recovery resulted from wettability reversal. Also, use of caustic reduced the volume of injection required to flood out the cores. At room temperature, however, the caustic solution did not reverse the wettability and gave no additional oil recovery. Cores which had become water-wet by air exposure or caustic flooding were restored to their original oil-wet state when saturated with crude oil and allowed to equcilibrate at reservoir temperature for two weeks. Therefore, in the absence of preserved cores, it may be possible to restore weathered cores to their original wettability for use in laboratory floods. INTRODUCTION Waterflooding has been in use since 1865, and is by far the simplest of secondary recovery methods. Unfortunately, most waterfloods are inefficient in recovering oil, often leaving half or more of the original oil in place un-recovered. The low oil recovery generally results from low sweep efficiency and low displacement efficiency. Consequently, to increase oil recovery by waterflooding, sweep and displacement efficiencies should be improved. Sweep efficiency is primarily affected by reservoir heterogeneities and mobility ratio, while displacement efficiency is affected by the capillary forces between fluids and rock surfaces. For petroleum reservoirs, the capillary forces are expressed in terms of interfacial tension and wettability. If oil recovery is to be improved significantly in water- flooding, the capillary forces holding the oil in the raervoir porous matrix must be reduced or eliminated. One way to reduce capillary forces is to inject commercial surfactants ahead of the injection water into the reservoir. Laboratory tests of this method have shown no promise of an economical process yet, and no increase in oil recovery was obtained in the field trials which have been reported. Work is continuing in many companies to find surface-active agents which, in workable concentrations, can yield substantial added oil recovery. Another way to change capillary forces operating in petroleum reservoirs is by changing the pH of the injected water. Wagner et al.' showed that change in the pH sometimes activates the surface-active materials natural to some crudes and brings about gross wettability change. Since pH alteration can be obtained with cheap chemicals, such as hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide, the process shows promise of being economical in a field application. Pan American Oil Corp. reported oil recovery by use of caustic solution from a flooded-out reservoir.' Their test, conducted at a small additional cost, yielded results which were so sufficiently favorable and encouraging that the wettability reversal flood was expanded to portions of the field not previously flooded.13 It is important to bear in mind that changes in the pH of the water not only can reverse wettability but also can lower the interfacial tension between water and crude oil. Reisberg and Doscher4 have studied the pH dependency of the interfacial tension of Venture crude using sodium hydroxide solutions of various concentrations. Their data show that the interfacial tension was lowered from 23.0 to 0.02 dynes/cm by increasing the NaOH concentration from 0.005 to 0.5 per cent by weight. Thus, the use of NaOH may lead to additional oil recovery due to both wettability reversal and lowering of interfacial tension. Whether alteration of pH results in wettability reversal from oil-wet to water-wet and increases oil recovery depends on wetting properties of the reservoir rock and the crude. This necessitates delicate laboratory experiments, with suitable core and fluid samples from a field. Although many investigators have studied wettability reversal floods in the laboratory,1,2,5,6 these studies have been carried out with synthetic porous media, refined laboratory fluids and surface-active chemicals to simulate the process. The study presented in this paper is the first time that wettability reversal by pH alteration has been accomolished in laboratory core floods using carefully preserved natural cores, live crude and with experiments performed at reservoir pressure and temperature.

Jan 1, 1967

By S. F. Urban, G. Derge

AT the time this investigation was initiated variations were observed in the quality of different heats of basic electric-furnace steels, although they had been made under purportedly similar conditions. This indicated that these variations were related to normally unobserved variations in the character of the bath, especially during the "refining" period. Although the slags used for this operation are commonly referred to as "reducing" slags, and are regarded as having a "deoxidizing" action on the bath, no reliable measurements of this action were available. It was decided, therefore, to study the behavior of oxygen in the metal for a large enough number of heats to learn its normal variations and to relate these variations to regularly observed conditions [f] operation. The most important general conclusion reached was that the time a heat is held under a reducing slag should be reduced to a minimum, which was about an hour and a half under the conditions studied. Beyond this time no observable beneficial effects are obtained from the reducing slags, insofar as oxygen and sulphur content of the bath are concerned. It is likely that added time may increase hydrogen content as well as heat costs. The oxygen content of the bath is never reduced below the amount in equilibrium with the carbon. Concurrently with this work, J. S. Marsh1 presented data that supplement and support many of the results of this paper. PROCEDURE The work was done in two different electric-furnace shops of the same plant. The selection of heats was made primarily with regard to the convenience of heat schedules. Companion slag and metal samples were taken just prior to slag-off and throughout the refining period for an initial set of 17 heats, and before slag-off and near tap for an additional 13 heats. Slag sampling presented no particular problem; a spoonful of slag was poured onto a metal plate and when sufficiently cool was sealed in an airtight container. Sampling the metal for oxygen presented a more complex problem. Because of the lack of previous experience in sampling electric-furnace baths, a number of methods were compared. Chilled Wedge Samples2 An unkilled metal sample is removed from tie furnace in a well-slagged carbometer spoon and poured immediately into a heavy copper mold designed to provide rapid freezing. Three different types of molds were used to determine the optimum for electric-furnace heats. The Big Wedge Mold (a) was a 4 by 4 by 4-in. split copper mold, yielding a wedge-shaped casting 1 in. wide, 1 ½ in. long, and ¼ in. maximum thickness, and was finally adopted as the most satisfactory design. The Long Wedge Mold (b) was a 2 by 2 by 5 ¼ -in. split copper mold, yielding a wedge-shaped casting 1 in. wide, 2 ¾ in. long, and ¼ in. maximum thickness. The Small Wedge Mold (c) was 2 by 2 by 4-in. split copper mold, yielding a wedge-shaped casting 1 in. wide, 1 ½ in. long, and ¼ in. maximum thickness.

Jan 1, 1947

By C. B. E. Douglas

The following analysis was stimulated by a previous article on evaluation of the water problem at Eureka, Nev., which describes a method using formulas especially devised to calculate flow potential of extensive aquifers characterized by relatively even porosity and permeability throughout. The present discussion submits that the method was unsuitable for solving the kind of problem occurring at Eureka, where the amount of water available, rather than the flow potential, may have been the vital factor. IN an interesting article on evaluation of the water problem at Eureka, Nev.,1 W. T. Stuart describes how a difficult water problem, or one phase of it, may be evaluated by means of a small scale test. Test data are plotted by a method rendering, under certain conditions, a straight-line graph that can be projected to show how much the water table will be lowered by pumping at any specified rate for a given time. A formula is then used to determine the size of opening, or extent of workings, necessary to provide sufficient inflow to enable pumping to be maintained at that rate. At first glance this might seem the answer to a miner's prayer, but a word of caution is in order. It may not be the whole answer. Moreover, results obtained by the method described are reliable only for conditions approximating those assumed. Even where conditions do not meet this requirement, however, it may be possible to draw helpful inferences from the results, perhaps enough to facilitate another approach to evaluation of a problem. The two formulas Mr. Stuart used, the Theis formula and the one developed from it by Cooper and Jacob, were given field checks a number of years ago in valley alluvials by the Water Supply Div. of the U. S. Geological Survey and found to be reliable when the aquifer is very large in horizontal extent and sufficiently isotropic for the test well and observation wells to be in material of the same average permeability as the saturated part of the aquifer as a whole." Extensive valley alluvials, sands, and gravels can be evaluated in this way, and there are even cases in which the method could apply to porous limestones, such as flat beds of very large areal extent that have been submerged below the water table after extensive weathering. These are sometimes prolific sources of water for towns and industries. It is necessary for them to have been above the water table for some geologically long period of time in a fairly humid climate before submergence because the necessary high porosity and permeability, and large reservoir capacity, are the result of weathering, that is, of solution by the carbonic acid (H,CO3) in rainwater formed by the absorption of CO, from the air by raindrops, and this dissolving action must cease when all the H2CO3 has been consumed by re- action with the carbonate to form the more soluble bicarbonate. Consequently this weathering process is largely restricted to a zone that does not extend much below the water level, and submergence is necessary after the weathering to provide large reservoir capacity and good hydraulic continuity. On the other hand, water courses tend to form along faults and fractures in limestone, and to become enlarged by solution, well below water level when, as often happens, fresh meteoric water is circulated rapidly through them to considerable depth by hydrostatic pressure, as through an inverted syphon. Although the reservoir capacity of such water courses is relatively small they may extend far enough to tap more prolific sources. Cavities, and sometimes caves of considerable size, are found in limestones where the acid formed by the oxidation of sulphides has attacked them. This action can take place as deep below water level as surface water is carried by syphonic or artesian circulation, because the oxygen it carries in solution will not be consumed until it reacts with some reducing agent, such as a sulphide. Moreover, the formation of acid and solution of limestone in this way is not confined to the immediate vicinity of the sulphide. Oxidation of pyrite, for example, results in formation of acid in several successive stages, each taking place as more oxygen becomes available, as by the accession of fresh water into the circulation at some place beyond the sulphides. When the acid thus formed attacks the limestone, CO, is liberated and the ultimate effect of the complete oxidation of one unit of pyrite will be the removal of six times its volume of limestone as the sulphate and bicarbonate, both of which are relatively soluble. The reaction may be continued or renewed along a water course far from the site of the sulphides, where the small electric potential produced by contact with the limestone helped to start the reaction. Mr. Stuart refers2 0 caves in the old mining area in the block of Eldorado limestone southwest of the Ruby Hill fault at Eureka, Nev., and to the cavities encountered in drillholes in the downthrown block on the other side of the fault. Although he interprets these cavities as evidence that this formation was sufficiently isotropic (evenly porous and permeable) to give reliable results by the method he describes, they may, in fact, be entirely local conditions. There is reason to think they were probably formed

Jan 1, 1956

[ ]

Jan 1, 1928

By Augustus Locke

MY conclusions apply to the engineer in California ore hunting; and, because the product has been overwhelmingly gold, that means gold-ore hunting. But, I wish to think of ore hunting, not as employment for engineers, but as engineering. I wish, moreover, to think of it as productive of ore in significant quantity. The small mine, even if good, means little. Only new districts, or large extensions of old districts can engage our attention here. The conclusions are summarized as follows: (1) The bright color of California mining history comes from the suddenness and intensity of its outburst of gold. Had the mining been averaged from the start, it would soon have become dimmed among greater industries. For fifty years, California has proceeded as an agricultural, timber and oil, but not a mining region. 1

Jan 1, 1931

By Kenneth Cottingham

THE area described herein is situated on what is known as the Arches Fork anticline in Roane and Calhoun Counties, W. Va. When the area was first mapped, it was felt that well records would give a more intimate idea of conditions, both structural and lithologic, than could be expected from surface horizons. The surface formations are chiefly members of the Monongahela series, though northward the hilltop outcrops are those of the Dunkard. Neither series offers a key horizon sufficiently definite to be satisfactory, although the structure as determined from well records was later checked against two of the more persistent surface sandstones. In mapping the subsurface structure, the top of the Big Lime (Greenbrier) was employed as the key horizon. The average depth to the top of the Big Lime varies from 1600 to 2000 ft. (487 to 609 m.), while the average thickness as indicated by well records is 113 ft. (34 m.). The oil-producing formation is the Big Injun, lying just below the Big Lime. In two instances, well records show the Lime and Injun separated by a few feet of "break." The Big Injun is recorded as having a variable thickness. Seven logs report it as missing and one gives it the maximum thickness of 105 ft. (32 m.), while the entire average for thickness is 19 ft. (6 m.).

Jan 1, 1922

By James A. Barr

When phosphate mining operations first commenced in Tennessee the loss of both high- and low-grade material was large, because of the crude hand methods employed. Practically all rock smaller than 2 in. was thrown back into the pits and covered with the overburden of subsequent openings. With the advent of mechanical washers and other mining machinery, together with the abolishing of the contract system, the waste has been steadily diminished, until at present only the finest sand is being rejected; and even this is not lost, for in the majority of cases the water, slime, and sand from the washers are run into large settling ponds where practically all of the phosphate-bearing material is caught and stored for future use, or until it is profitable to ship lower grades. The latest equipment used to recover the fine and lower-grade phosphate sand includes Dorr thickeners, settling tanks, Dorr classifiers and settling ponds served by locomotive cranes with clam-shell buckets, making it possible to save material averaging as fine as 200 mesh. TO attempt saving finer material would necessitate a different type of drier, which might be patterned after the multiple-deck roasters. The present tailing runs from 15 to 25 per ccnt. of available phosphate, which, howrever, as mentioned before, does not represent a total loss to possible future operations. The demand of the consumer is the greatest factor in regulating the recovery at present. In the mining of blue rock, which does not require washing treatment, the main waste material is the capping of low-grade kidney formation, generally used for backfilling of the rooms. By reason of the introduction of improved methods in the early stages and the re-mining of territory skimmed over at the start, at the present time the net result of all operations is a comparatively small loss. One of the largest temporary losses in the industry occurs in the Florida pebble district where the recovery of phosphate runs about 25 per cent. The loss is classed as temporary because most of the tailing has been collected in ponds and piles, where it may be reclaimed in the future should developments or improved processes warrant. In cleaning the Florida pebble phosphate, aside from the elutriatisn

Jan 1, 1916

By M. H. Pilkuhn, H. Rupprecht

p layers on n-type substrates of GaAs were prepared by difhsion of zinc into these substrates. Experimental details about the diffusion technique will be presented. It will be shown that inhomogeneity in the substrate doping level and crystal shucture defects cause nonplanarity in the junction plane. These nonplanarities give rise to high threshold current densities. From incremental sheet-conductivity measurements the zinc profile is derived. Data about surface concentration and gradient of the zinc concentration at the junction are presented. Finally, some results of laser diodes, which were made of wafers with extremely planar diffusion fronts, are discussed. ThE investigations reported here are part of a program concerned with the materials aspect in the fabrication of GaAs laser diodes. This includes studies of the influence of crystal defects introduced both during the growth of the crystal and as a consequence of subsequent diffusion. Compared with the progress made in the investigation of structure defects, for instance by X-ray microscopy in materials like silicon, no similar results are known so far for the case of GaAs. The further progress in laser diodes will depend very much upon our knowledge of these structure defects and subsequently upon our ability to avoid them. Laser diodes of GaAs had been made mostly by diffusing an acceptor impurity, normally zinc, into an n-type substrate. This procedure was found more convenient than the inverse one for various technical reasons. We will follow this line and restrict ourselves to zinc diffusion only in this paper. DIFFUSION TECHNIQUES AND EXPERIMENTAL DETAIL In order to set a refgrence for our experiments, we used a standard procedure for the diffusion runs. The diffusions were carried out in a sealed quartz tube for 2-1/2 hr at 850°C. One milligram zinc arsenide (ZnAsz) per cu cm of the tube volume served as zinc source. Under these conditions the junction depth was between 25 and 30 p. It is assumed, according to the investigations of the zinc arsenide system by V. Lyons and V. ilvestri,' that ZnAs2 dissociates completely at 850°C into ZnsAsz and Asg. Since there is a condensed phase of ZnsAs2 in the tube at 850°C, the partial pressure of zinc is controlled by the pressure of the arsenic formed by the dissociation of ZnAs2. Due to the fact that the zinc partial pressure resulting from the dissociation of ZnsAsz is only a weak function of the partial pressure of arsenic, the amount of the initial ZnAs2 is not very critical. Experimentally, we found that the junction depth, as well as the surface concentration, was practically the same, if the ingots of ZnAs2 varied between 0.2 and 5.0 mg per cu cm. The wafers were oriented with the main faces in (100). Surface damage due to cutting and lapping was removed by a chemical-etch treatment in a rotating beaker (etch solution: HzSOr, H202, and HzO in a ratio 3:l:l). The GaAs substrate material was n type and doped with tellurium, selenium, silicon, or germanium. It was grown by means of horizontal or Czochralski techniques. After the diffusion process, junction depth and planarity were checked either by grooving with a

Jan 1, 1964

By J. B. Wagstaff, R. A. Buchanan, J. F. Elliott

High speed photography through blast-furnace tuyeres showed coke particles moving rapidly. Model studies showed a raceway was formed and gave quantitative results which were correlated with actual blast furnaces. Another study showed the similarity between hanging and the flooding of a packed column. This was explored by models. THE combustion zone before the tuyere in an iron blast furnace is a vital region because here are generated: 1—most of the gases on which the furnace depends to carry out its basic operation of reducing iron ore to the metallic state, and 2—the major fraction of the heat required in the nearby regions of the furnace for the various reduction reactions, the fusion of the slag, and the melting of the iron. Since the greater part of the coke is consumed in this region, the descent of the burden must be greatly affected by the characteristics of the tuyere zone. This region then would seem to be a profitable field for study. Fortunately, a view into this important zone is available to the operator through the tuyere peep sight. Here he sees relatively dark pieces of coke "dancing" in the blast. What he sees is of considerable help in interpreting the behavior of the furnace at a given time but the very rapidly moving particles and the intense radiation obscures what is happening very deep in the zone. This investigation was initiated in the hope that a better understanding of the combustion region could be obtained by using a high speed camera with a maximum speed of 3000 frames per sec. It seemed the best practical method of "slowing down" this characteristically violent action within the highly luminous field. Model studies and tuyere probing also have been used to aid in explaining the observed phenomena. Above the combustion zone, but below the fusion zone, there is probably a region in which the coke is comparatively stationary. Here are zones in which the gases must flow up through the granular bed counter to descending liquid slag and metal. There is no easy way to observe this zone in a blast furnace, but model studies have been of some help in explaining the nature of the zone and the laws governing the flow of the fluids involved. The whole problem is difficult and involved and any approach to a complete solution may require long investigation. This preliminary report has been written, therefore, because it is believed that appreciable progress has already been made that would be of interest to others. Tuyere Studies, Chemistry and Kinetics It is well known from the early work of Kinney and coworkers1,2 that combustion of carbon before the tuyeres appears to occur in two zones: Zone A: C + O, = CO2; AH77°F. = — 14,108 Btu per lb of carbon [I] Zone B: CO2 + C = 2CO; H77°F = + 6,183 Btu per lb of carbon [2] Zone A (Fig. 1) is close to the tip of the tuyere and zone B is somewhat farther back; there being a transition region in which both reactions occur. It is interesting to estimate the rate at which coke is burned before a tuyere with a wind rate of 90,000 cfm in a modern furnace having 18 tuyeres. Approximately 0.55 lb of carbon is consumed by eq 1 per tuyere per sec. A like amount disappears by eq 2 for a total consumption of 1.11 Ib per sec per tuyere. Assuming the coke is 85 pct C and has a bulk density of 30 lb per cu ft, this figure can be converted to a total of 1.30 lb of coke with a bulk volume of 0.043 cu ft disappearing per sec per tuyere. At the temperatures prevailing in the combustion zone (according to Kozlovich,³ he maximum is about 3400°F), the rate at which carbon is con-

Jan 1, 1953

By W. N. Hiatt

The mathematical theory of the flow of two-phase, incompressible fluid through porous media is clarified, and the development of a general fluid displacement equation for two-phase, incompressible vertical flow through porous media is outlined. The relationship between the three components of the equation — the "fluid drive effect", the "gravity effect", and the "capillary effect'' — is discussed, as well as implications of the analysis in connection with the study of certain types of petroleum reservoirs. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to clarify and summarize the mathematical basis of the theory of two-phase incompressible fluid flow through porous media, particularly as it pertains to vertical flow, and to present a qualitative* exposition of the controlling factors involved in circumstances where this type of flow may exist. Although the generally accepted theory of heterogeneous fluid flow through porous media was developed a number of years ago by Muskat,1 and Buckley and Leverett2, 3 using the basic premise of Darcy, (and since then expounded upon by many others) there is a need for an over-all summary and clarification of this theory, especially regarding certain types of applications in connection with so-called "gravity-drainage-type reservoirs". The source and derivation is outlined for what is referred to here as the "General Fluid Displacement Equation for Incompressible Vertical Two-Phase Flow through Porous Media''. This equation would apply under the condition where the pressure drop along the path of flow is negligible in comparison with the pressure level on the system, or where compressibility and solubility effects are negligible. These conditions exist ordinarily in gravity-drainage-type reservoirs. Specifically, it will be shown that this general equation may be developed directly from the basic equations, which, according to present theory, govern the general case of viscous heterogeneous flow through porous media. This general equation has appeared in the literature previously, but in most cases its development from basic theory is not indicated clearly, or the equation is presented in terms of groups of constants and variables involving reduced or dimensionless quantities. This presentation is expedient in cases of experimental or computer applications; but it may make it difficult for the practicing petroleum engineer to identify all the factors involved or to understand the relationships between them. Therefore, in the following development, only ordinary mathematical parlance will be used, and no terms involving groups of other equations or reduced or dimensionless quantities will be used. DERIVATION The following equations for two-phase oil and gas flow result from analogy with Muskat's general equations,** if solubility and compressibility effects are neglected, and if all volumes are considered in terms of reservoir conditions, and the water phase, if present, is considered to be immobile (or effectively a part of the porous medium.) In this case, the sum of the oil and gas saturations may be taken as unity, and the saturation of each phase is in terms of the total hydrocarbon saturation. Note that in Eqs. 1 and 2, and in the derivation following, z is taken as positive in the vertically downward direction,

Jan 1, 1969

By AIME AIME

EARLE EDWARD SCHUMACHER, the new Chairman of the Institute of Metal, Division. is well known to the metallurgical profession. His election a, Chairman is the culmination of fifteen years' service to the Institute, beginning in 1930 when he was elected Member. Since that time he has served as member of the I.M.D. Data Sheet Committee. 1935-40; Papers and Publication Committee. 1936; Executive Committee. 1937-1910: Papers and Programs Committee, 1937-1938. (Vice-Chairman, 1939-40, Chairman. 1941-12): Annual Award Committee. 194142. (Vice-Chairman, 19431: Vice-Chairman, LM.D., 1943-44; Chairman Publication Committee, 1943-44; member Powder Metallurgy Committee), 1944. Pew other men have contributed so Much time anti effort in so many way- to the interests of the metals branch o4 the A.I.M.E.

Jan 1, 1945

By A. H. Cottrel

SINCE metallurgy exists to provide strong, tough, engineering materials it must inevitably be perpetually concerned with the problem of brittle-ness. The steel-making industry was created because chemically unrefined iron is brittle. The steel-working and alloy-steel industries exist partly because hardness and ductility are mutually exclusive qualities in structurally unrefined steel. Yet, in spite of these immense industries, the brittle failure of steel ships hulls, bridges, pressure vessels, and pipelines, is still a contemporary problem. In fact, brittleness is a normal property of most solids, including metals and alloys, at low temperatures. Only face-centred cubic metals are commonly ductile at the lowest temperatures, and even here exceptions are known.'," Expensive are-melting processes. under inert gases or vacuum, have been developed to overcome brittleness in titanium, zirconium, columbium. and molybdenum. Polycrystal-line zinc, magnesium, and uranium have little ductility at room temperature. Beryllium, chromium, and tungsten have even less; similarly for antimony, bismuth, germanium, silicon, intermetallic compounds, and metallic carbides, nitrides, silicides, and borides. Oxides and other ceramics would be ideal creep-resistant materials but for their extreme brittleness when cold, and great efforts have been made to overcome this problem by mixing ceramics with metals. In fact, the traditional use of the name metallurgy for what is really the science of engineering materials is a recognition that most non-metallic solids have so far been precluded, by their extreme brittleness, from use as major structural materials in mechanical engineering. Most of what we know about brittleness in metals has come from studies of structural steel, and it is this material that shall mainly be considered. The things we have learned from it have a wider application, at least to other body-centred cubic transition metals, although the extent to which similar ideas can be applied to hexagonal metals and other materials is not yet clear. Fracture and Plastic Deformation The theoretical breaking strength of an ideal solid, about E/10 where E is Young's modulus, has been approached reasonably closely in experiments on fibres. But large specimens break at much lower stresses. For example, brittle cracks in large structural steel assemblies have been observed to spread catastrophically at speeds of 6000 ft per sec under stresses of about 10,000 psi, i.e. about E/3000. There are two sources of weakness; stress concentrations, and chemical agents in grain boundaries or on crack faces that lower the surface energy y of the material. Although we shall deal mainly only with the first of these, much of the discussion is also applicable to the second when different values of y are used. Griffith's well-known formula p = [ 2Ey/p(1 - v2)c]1/2 [1] gives the smallest tensile stress p able to propagate an atomically sharp surface crack of length c or interior crack of length 2c through a thick plate (compared with c) of elastically isotropic material of

Jan 1, 1959

By H. M. Chance

HAVING an opportunity of exhibiting specimens of .coal from two beds in this field to the members of the Institute, I desire only to

Jan 1, 1885