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By P. F. Gnirk, J. B. Cheatham

The basic objective of this paper is to present a review of the state of knowledge concerning the fundamental mechanics of rock/bit-tooth interaction under downhole conditions. Of particular concern is the contributing significance of the various variables associated with the generation of rock chips by a single penetrating bit-tooth. The variables to be considered are fluid pressures which simulate borehole conditions, the mechanical properties of the rock, the shape and angle of attack of a bit-tooth, and the rate of load application on a bit-tooth. In addition, consideration is given to multiple bit-tooth penetration insofar as the effects of distance from and geometrical shape of adjacent penetration craters are concerned. Both experimental results and idealized theoretical models for single bit-tooth penetration are presented. Finally, the applicability of plasticity theory to drilling phenomena at depth, results of recent drag-bit studies, and several general theories of roller-bit drilling are briefly discussed. FUNDAMENTALS OF ROCK/BIT-TOOTH INTERACTION Drilling efficiency at depth in terms of penetration rate depends largely upon three essentially interdependent factors: 1) the bit, insofar as the mechanical motion, shape, and configuration of the bit-teeth are concerned; 2) the rock, as regards its mechanical behavior, or response to the penetrating action of the bit-teeth, when subjected to a state of stress induced by mud column, interstitial pore, and overburden pressure (and at great depths to high temperature) ; and

Jan 1, 1967

Jan 1, 1882

By Donald Towse

Geothermal energy can substitute for and compete with other fuels, but until now it has been used only in special situations where it costs much less than alternate fuels. Geothermal heat is expected to be developed where it can: (1) compete with alternate fuels, (2) replace scarce fuels, (3) be more environmentally acceptable, or (4) is especially adapted to local needs. Economic problems in development include the often high capital costs of wells and gathering systems and the long lead-times required for electric generating plants. The large investment and long payout times for large industrial uses adversely affect the economics.

Jan 1, 1977

By Charles Morgan

AN increased demand for brown iron ore in the Birmingham district during the past 18 months has caused renewed activity both in prospecting and mining these ores. In recent years the production in Alabama has ranged from 41,559 tons in 1932 to 639,351 tons in 1928. During the last 9 years about 83 per cent of the total brown ore produced in the United States has come from Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). PROSPECTING Two methods of prospecting are used in this district: (1) test pits, (2) churn-drilling. Usually there is certain quite definite information on an area to be prospected; some of the indications are float ore suck as small gravel or small and large boulders known as "dornicks” scattered over the surface, and ore exposed by erosion in gulleys and ravines, which have cut or eroded through the overburden. Often these natural erosions furnish an indication of the thickness of the ore and to some extent of the area of the ore body. Deposits of brown ore are very irregular both in thickness and extent. Deposits are often lens-shaped or long narrow leads, some of which may be parallel and separated from one another by sand, clay or gravel. The bottom-the footwall-is also very irregular. This footwall is usually lime clay-disintegrated limestone, locally called "white horse," which usually is found at a depth of 6 in. to 20 ft. overlying the limestone. At some places sand and gravel is found under the ore instead of clay. No ore is found under the lime clay, although often the ore has sunk or slumped and is found in the upper portion of this clay, as at some of the Sloss workings at Russellville. The origin of these ores has been discussed by Major E. C. Eckel and Dr. E. F. Burchard in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 400, and recently the latter has done further work on ores in the Russellville district, of which reports undoubtedly will be published.

Jan 1, 1937

By M. I. Kabir, R. S. Schechter, L. W. Lake

This paper presents the development and application of a novel scaling technique that, when used with a streamline model, causes a "bundle" of one-dimensional (1-D) problems to reduce to a single 1-D calculation. The 1-D bundle is the streamline representation of a two-dimensional (2-D) problem. The 1-D calculation accounts for chemical-rock interactions and the streamline model for areal sweep. The scaling technique significantly reduces computation time, is readily modified to desktop calculations, and can be applied to both absorbing and reacting species. The work was sponsored by the US Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1986

By Charles R. Stewart, William W. Owens

Reservoir performance predictions based on laboratory core test data assume that fluid flow is laminar for the laboratory test. A study has been made to determine the validity of this assumption for laboratory tests on various types of porosity found in producing limestone formation. Data are presented which show that turbulence and slippage can occur during laboratory tests on hetero-geneous-type porosity limestones, thus causing serious errors in measured single-phase permeabilities and two-phase relative permeability characteristics. In single-phase flow tests it is possible to eliminate turbulence and correct for slippage or to eliminate both factors by controlling test conditions. It is not always possible to control test conditions and thereby eliminate turbulence and slippage in two-phase .flow tests. A correction method is presented which can be used to calculate the true two-phase laminar flow relative permeability characteristic even though furbulence and slippage exist. .INTRODUCTION It is customary to make use of Darcy's law and modifications of this law, together with laboratory data on formation core samples to predict the performance of producing reservoirs. Such predictions are based on an assumption that fluid flow is in the laminar or streamline region for the laboratory test. It was the purpose of this inves- tigation to determine the extent to which turbulent flow may occur in laboratory fluid flow tests on hetero-geneous porosity limestones. Considering that turbulent flow conditions might exist in some laboratory fluid flow tests, additional emphasis was placed on the development of a method to correct for turbulence when laminar flow conditions could not be attained. FLUID FLOW CONCEPTS FOR POROUS MEDIA The Influence of Pore Geometry on Fluid Flow One of the more important factors influencing fluid flow in porous media is the geometry of the pore space which includes such characteristics of the pores as size, shape, distribution, roughness, uniformity, etc. In general, oil- and gas-producing formations can be divided into two broad types on the basis of pore geometry. One has been called sandstone-type porosity media, which is characterized by a small range in pore size, uniformity in shape of the pores, smooth pore surfaces and a regular and uniform distribution of pores. The other type has been called heterogeneous porosity media and is usually limited to the dolomites and limestones. This type is characterized by a wide variation in the size, shape, and distribution of the pores and rough, irregular pore surfaces. It is therefore apparent that conditions are much more favorable for turbulent flow* in heterogeneous-type porosity media than in sandstone-type porosity media. Interrelationship Between Turbulence and Gas Slippage In studying the problem of turbulent flow in laboratory tests on porous media, it is necessary to be aware of the interrelationship between slippage and turbulence for gas flow. As a result of slippage or the Klinken-berg effecta, apparent perrneabilities to gas are greater than the true value because there is no stationary layer of gas in contact with the walls of the flow channels. Gas slippage decreases as the mean free path of the gas molecules decreases. Since the mean free path of any gas decreases with increasing density, increases in static pressure result in lower apparent gas permeabilities. However, a reduction in gas permeability can also be due to turbulence. Therefore, in studying only turbulent flow in porous media, it is necessary to hold gas density, and slippage, constant or to reduce slippage to a negligible value by operating at high static pressures. Presentation of Laminar and Turbulent Flow Data A graphical relationship between permeability and a pseudo-Reynolds number, N,, will be used to show the two types of fluid flow, i.e., laminar and turbulent. The usual graphical method for such a description has been the use of friction factor-Reynolds number charts4. On such a logarithmic diagram, the laminar region appears as a straight line having a slope of 45 degrees. As the friction factor decreases and the Reynolds number increases, the turbulent region is reached and appears as a deviation from the 45-degree slope line. However, in petroleum engineering literature resistance of por-

Jan 1, 1920

By John M. Dealy, Robert D. Pehlke

Values for interaction parameters in nonferrous systems, as calculated from published data, are tabulated and discussed. The influence of temperature on the parameter is derived and compared with the results of the literature study. Wagner's relationship between the interaction parameter and the self interaction coefficients is compared with the tabulated data. A problem which has been of considerable interest in the field of metallurgy is the prediction of the effect of one alloying element present in dilute concentration on the thermodynamic properties of another dilute alloying element. Ultimately, the prediction may be accomplished entirely from statistical mechanical considerations. At the present, however, the problem remains unsolved since liquid solution models which are simple enough for analytical treatment are inadequate for such purposes. Thus, we desire some means of organizing the information on dilute systems which will serve as a guide for further study on interactions in dilute alloys, and also provide a basis for the utilization of thermodynamic data in the engineering design of alloys.

Jan 1, 1963

By Arno C. Fieldner

PROBABLY no large industry in the United States is in greater need of technologic research leading to economic improvement than the coal industry. It has suffered severely from increasing substitution of petroleum and natural gas for coal and its products in the fuel markets. Part of this substitution is due to the greater convenience and suitability of liquid and gaseous fuels for special purposes, and part of it has been due to the extensive research programs conducted or sponsored by the petroleum and allied industries in the past 2 decades. A recent estimate1 places these expenditures at $100,000,000 a year.

Jan 7, 1951

By C. D. King

THIS year the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary as well as the same anniversary of iron and steel in this country as we now know it. The society's span of life comprehends the very beginning and gradual development of the present-day iron and steel industry and its TRANSACTIONS are rich with the trials and achievements of the pioneers in this field. It is difficult to believe that in the first year of the Institute's existence there was produced in this country only 84,000 net tons of ingots, of which only 2000 tons was made by the open-hearth process; that the bessemer process was just barely beginning; that charcoal and anthracite were virtually the only blast-furnace fuels; that Mesabi ores had not been used in blast furnaces, and such pig iron as was then made was produced at a number of small units, each adjacent to its ore and fuel supply. The growth from 84,000 net tons production of steel ingots to 95,500,000 tons in 1945 eloquently tells the story of America's industrial growth.

Jan 1, 1947

By M. Lastra, A. Cruz, J. Menacho

The technical feasibility of treating exotic copper ore with an acid cure using concentrated H2S04 is studied. Applications in a conventional percolation leaching circuit for unaltered ore and in a conventional agitation leaching circuit for altered ore are examined. The main effects of an acid cure are to inhibit silica dissolution and to increase the sedimentation rate of agitated pulps. An increase in the rate and degree of copper extraction is also observed. Based on these results and the minimal additional investment required, acid curing appears to provide an excellent approach for treating exotic copper ores.

Jan 1, 1980

By Jacques Friedel

Jan 1, 1964

By Gary E. McIntosh

This paper will discuss a US Bureau of Mines project designed to assess and predict the impacts which surface coal mining will have on the regional shallow groundwater system in the Powder River Basin. The primary objective will be met through the accomplishment of the following: (1) The design and establishment of a regional network for monitoring shallow groundwater systems in the basin; (2) monitoring the direction and rate of flow, water quality, and aquifer characteristics of the shallow groundwater systems; and (3) development of a regional groundwater simulation model, with appurtenant subroutines to determine local effects.

Jan 4, 1979

"The method of conveying ore from the ore-pocket at the shaft collar to the railroad ore bins, whence it is transported to the reduction works, is by cars with electric haulage.The cut shows the car coupled to the electric locomotive at the moment of dumping into the railroad ore bins.The locomotives used are of several makes, usually having two 12 ½ h-p. motors of a rated draw-bar pull of about 1,200 lbs., using 500 volts D. C. Track gauge is 30 inches, and speed is six miles per hour.The car holds two skip loads-10 tons—and has sides opening outwards the full length of the car, for rapid side-dumping. One man operates car and motor, and loads and unloads the car. The trolley pole runs in both directions without reversing.Loading is clone by operating a valve connected to a compressed air lift, which raises and lowers a gate in the ore-pocket chute, the ore running by gravity into the ore car spotted under the gate of the chute. Dogs hold the sides of the car in place at the bottom, the tops of the sides being hinged, and a hand lever releases the dogs, permitting the sides by the pressure of the ore against them to open at the bottom.With little manual effort one man does the work which was formerly done, when hoisting ore with cars and cage, by 10 men under laborious conditions."

Jan 1, 1913

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Apr. 10 to May 10, 1914: Members ADAMS, HENRY H., JR., Merchant, Henry H. Adams & Co., and Colonial Iron Co., 149 Broadway, New York, N.Y. ADAMS, LELAND D., Mine Mgr., Supt., East Canada Smelting Co.,Weedon, Quebec, Canada. AGUILERA, EUGENIO, Chief Engr. Mining & Foresting Dept. of Santiago, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. ALFORD, NEWELL GILDER; Min. Engr., Asst. Chief Engr., St. Bernard Mining Co,. Earlington, KY.

Jan 6, 1914

By George Comstock

Results are given of scleroscope and Brinell tests on specimens of cast 10-per cent. aluminum bronze, quenched and reheated at various low temperatures. The scleroscope was not found as reliable as the Brinell machine for measuring the hardness, for the size of the piece tested seemed to affect the scleroscope results. The maximum hardness was obtained by quenching and reheating to between 315° and 370° C. Softening was produced by reheating above 370° or 400° C. A series of polished and etched microsections showed a more reddish color in those that had been reheated above 400° C., and a change in microstructure above 500° C. IT HAS been known for many years that the alloy containing 90 per cent. copper and 10 per cent. aluminum can be hardened, like steel, by quenching from a suitable temperature, and that the hardened alloy can be softened again by annealing or drawing the temper. It does not seem to be generally appreciated, however, that the effect of the first slight reheating after quenching is actually increased hardness, the softening effect not taking place until a certain temperature of "drawing" has been exceeded. This paper gives the results of a few experiments on various specimens of cast 10-per cent. aluminum bronze, quenched for maximum hardness, and subsequently annealed at different temperatures. The hardness measurements were made with both a scleroscope and a standard Swedish Brinell machine; some peculiarities of the scleroscope test on this material are described. The author is not aware of many previous investigations of the hardness of this alloy when quenched and drawn, but two important papers on the subject should be mentioned. The earliest was by Portevin and Arnou,1 in which it was stated that tempering quenched 10-per cent. aluminum bronze at 400° C. increased the hardness as compared with the quenched untempered alloy and that reheating above that temperature was necessary to obtain any softening effect.

Jan 7, 1924

By John T. Norton, R. E. Hiller

The tremendous increase in the use of metals that have been prcpared by the various cold-working processes during recent years has greatly stimulated the investigation of problems concerned with the fundamental nature of these processes. It has been observed in practice that different methods of bringing about the same dimension changes in a sample result in a rather wide range of properties. Cold working reduces the ductility of a metal, or what is perhaps more nearly correct, its "working capacity," and naturally the manufacturer wishes to produce an article that has as large a working capacity as possible, and to produce it with the smallest number of operations. It has also been known for some time that cold deformation produces a parallel alignment of the crystal grains of a metal, and that the type of this preferred orientation depends to some extent at least upon particular processes employed in the deformation. The present investigation has for its purpose the study of the relations between the various factors of a cold-working process and the preferred orientation of the metjal crystals resulting from this deformation. The work is chiefly confined to a study of cold-drawn seamless tubing. Preparation of Samples The tubing samples used in this investigation were made of steel having a carbon content of 0.10 to 0.20 per cent, and were drawn on a standard type of draw bench. In order to obtain the large reductions, the annealed stock was coated with lead, for purposes of lubrication. The reductions of area stated refer to reduction from the annealed condition without intermediate heat treatment. The cold work was done as nearly as possible at room temperature. The samples of wire and strip used for purposes of comparison were of steel of approximately the same carbon content and were prepared in the manner indicated. X-ray Method of Investigation The condition of preferred orientation in cold-worked samples is best investigated by the X-ray method that employs a small circular beam of * Assoriate Professor of Physics of Metals, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. t Graduate Student, Department of Metallurgy, Massarhusetts Institute of Technology.

Jan 1, 1932

By Erkki Laurila

INVESTIGATION of the methods of analyses for magnetite and ilmenite in the Otanmäki iron-titanium ore and respective mill products has resulted in certain improvements in the methods conventionally employed. The outcome of the investigations is summarized as follows: 1-Development of a diamond-drill core analyser for the determination of magnetic susceptibility of drill cores containing magnetic minerals. 2-Development of a magnetite-ilmenite analyser for pulverized products. 3-Development of a potentiometric method of chemical analysis for the determination of iron, vanadium, and titanium in succeeding steps from one test sample. 4-Proposal for a continuous and automatic magnetite assay method.

Jan 9, 1951

By D. A. Summers, C. J. Haas, G. B. Clark, J. W. Brown

While significant advances have been made in excavation of rock, largely in improvements in drilling, blasting, loading, and haulage, conventional operations have been improved until little feasible increase in efficiency or rate of advance appears possible. Tunnel-boring machines have been developed which will excavate at rapid rates in soft to medium- hard rock. Hypervelocity impact is being intensively investigated as a possible means of cutting and breaking rock, as well as lasers, electric current, explosive drilling, high frequency vibration, etc. The current development and use of high-velocity small-diameter water jets, metallic jets, and projectiles of various materials involve ultra-high-pressure phenomena of fundamental interest. Rock disintegration by water jets has been investigated in the USSR for over a decade. Large-diameter jets of low velocity are used to mine coal, and high-velocity capillary jets will cut and break rocks under laboratory conditions. Velocity ranges for breaking and cutting are dependent upon rock and jet properties, and pulsed jets break some rocks more easily than continuous jets. Spectacular laboratory results have been reported for breakage of unconfined blocks of some types of rocks. Compressors, pressure multipliers, gas explosion chambers, and water cannons have been used to generate jets. Jet properties, such as continuity, unit pressure, total pressure, and stability have been measured. Results agree with theory, although the latter has been established only for relatively low-velocity flow. Diameter, speed of traversing, and frequency of pulsed jets affect rock response. Investigations in Britain have only recently begun consideration of harder rocks and higher velocities, although water jet cores have been found to be more continuous at lower velocities than previously believed. Lower limits of jet velocity for rock cutting were established for the rocks investigated.

Jan 1, 1970

By A. Werenfels

No PETROLEUM, in commercial quantities, is found in France except the small production of the Pechelbronn field (Fig. 1) in Alsace, which produced 75,000 tons in 1923; therefore the test of the petroleum prospects of the Limagne is most interesting. Under the superintendence of M. Termier, chief engineer of the French mines, a well near Crouelle (Fig. 2) was drilled in 1921 to a depth of 856.3 m. (2808 ft.); at different depths favorable showings were encountered. The well, however, was abandoned because of drilling difficulties. A second one is now being drilled near the same place.

Jan 1, 1925