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By Edward W. Parker

If one is to place any credence at all in the reports published in the daily press, the subject of conservation has been a very lively topic of conversation during the past 60 days, and it does not appear that the temperature of the summer months has been in any way moderated by the discussion. It is a subject in which we are all vitally interested and to which, so far as our mineral resources are concerned, both the Institute and the Geological Survey have liberally contributed. The report of the National Conservation Commission, appointed by President Roosevelt, contains a series of papers on the conservation of mineral resources, all of which were prepared by members of the Geological Survey and were compiled largely from information previously collected by that Federal bureau in the performance of its regular duties. It is not the purpose of this paper to reiterate in extenso any of the material already published. The contributions of the Survey offcials to the Corn-

Jan 1, 1910

By A. L. Holley

(Read at the Amenia Meeting, October, 1877.) THE three principal mines from which the celebrated Salisbury iron ores are obtained are called respectively the "Old Hill," "Davis," and "Chatfield" ore beds, and are situated in the town of Salisbury, Litchfield County, Conn., on the eastern slope of the Tocconuc range of hills.* The Old Hill Ore Bed is a tract of land of 100 acres, originally granted by the General Court in October, 1731, to be laid out by Daniel Bissell of Windsor. It was soon after surveyed and located by Ezekiel Ashley and John Pell. The descendants of Ashley are still proprietors in the mine. The supply of ore has been very abundant, and for many years was easily obtained, but latterly the cost of raising has been greatly increased. Up to about 1840 the average yield was estimated to be about 4500 tons per annum. The production has gradually increased until the average yield at pres¬ent is estimated at 15,000 tons annually. The largest production in any one year was about 20,000 tons. The proprietors of this mine were incorporated many years ago under the style of "The Salisbury Ore Bed Proprietors." The Davis Ore Bed, named after an early owner, was originally called Hendricks Ore Bed, and was owned before the organization of the town of Salisbury by Thomas Lamb, one of the first settlers *The data from which the historical portion of these notes has been compiled were collected by the Barnum-Richardson Company, of Lime Rock (Salisbury), Conn.

Jan 1, 1878

By R. J. Robbins, D. L. Anderson

A tunnel boring machine has potential use in al- most any type of mining where the access shaft (or adit) is large enough or can be made large enough for its initial entry and where the orebody is of sufficient size to warrant its use. Some time will inevitably be lost in negotiating curves or making lateral moves and moving from level to level. Nevertheless, if the orebody is sufficiently large, advance scheduling can minimize the lost time encountered in such moves. Ideally, a mine will be planned for the use of these machines, thus eliminating access and transport problems. From the viewpoint of time involved, the rate of advance by boring as compared to conventional means is worthy of review. For instance, the Blanco Tunnel, one section of the Bureau of Reclamation's San Juan-Chama Project in southern Colorado, was bored in competent sedimentary rock with the following performance:

Jan 7, 1967

By William Glenn

Early in the last century, Isaac Tyson, Jr., of Baltimore, was a miner of ores of chromium, iron and copper, and a manufacturer of their products. He was first to erect in America, for the reduction of copper-ore, a German blast-furnace, which was copied largely, and the improved successors of which are now universally used in this country. Dying in 1862, he left his manufacture of alkali bichromates to his eldest son, Jesse, while his work in the departments of mining and smelting descended to his second son, James Wood Tyson, the subject of this notice. The father had mined chrome-ores in Maryland and Pennsylvania and manufactured their products at Baltimore; he had mined and reduced copper-ores in both these States; iron-ores at Tyson Furnace in SW. Vermont, and copper-ores in the northern and central parts of that State. Among his holdings was what later became the Ely mine, now called Copperfield. The son extended this work to central Georgia, and carried the family mining interests to the Pacific coast, where he took up chrome-mines in Oregon and elsewhere, as far south as southern California. On December 3, 1900, in the 73d year of his age, James Wood Tyson passed away, in his native city of Baltimore, charging his third son, James Wood Tysou, Jr., with the labors which, 38 years before, his father had resigned to him. Thus was the work of father and son in mining and metallurgy, continuing without interruption through almost

Jan 1, 1902

By C. K. Leith

ManGanese is one of the minerals which is principally consumed in countries other than origin. Nearly 85 per cent. of the world's production is used by the United States, England, Germany and France, and roughly a third of the total is used by the United States alone. On the other hand, over 85 per cent. of the world production comes from Brazil, Russia, India, the Gold Coast of Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. It follows from this fact that practically all manganese moves across international boundaries in raw or alloy form, and much the larger part of this inovement is for considerable distances and is occan bornc. There is no indication that any one of the principal consuming countries can develop even approximately adequate supplies of its own. Under abnormal war conditions, with high prices and changes in metallurgical methods, only 35 per cent. of the needs of the United States was met from local sources, and under our recent tariff only 11 per cent. There are thousands of manganese deposits scattered about the world, but only a very few which can figure largely in supplying requirements on a modern scale. The known reserves, together with highly probable extensions and explorations now under way, indicate no shortage from a world standpoint for many deeades to come. The production and marketing of manganese is going steadily into fewer and stronger hands. The steel industry uses over 90 per cent. of all the manganese mined and is acquiring control of a considerable part of the production in all of the principal fields—the Germans in Nikopol, the English in India and Gold Coast, the Americans in Georgia, India, Gold Coast and Brazil. Some of the controlling companies arc of international scope. Concentration of commercial control is a notable tendency. A natural consequence is the growing uneasiness of smaller consumers the world over about their ultimate supplies and desire to know more definitely how and where manganese supplies will be controlled in the future. The sources of supply are few cnough to warrant the belief that more or less monopolistic elements of control arc not impossible.

Jan 1, 1927

By E. H. Barton

The necessity, on the Pacific Coast and throughout the semiarid regions in particular, of the conservation of waters for agricultural, industrial and mining purposes has forced itself upon the minds of those directly or indirectly interested in these industries. To meet the requirements of the case, storage must be provided for the flood-waters so abundant during the rainy season in order to insure a constant and unfailing supply during the summer months. Such storage can only be obtained, in the greater number of instances, by the erection of reservoir-walls of great height. The feasibility of employing earth or timber in the construction of such high dams is questionable, especially when (as is often the case) they must be placed in torrential streams. The experience of recent years with masonry dams, throughout this and foreign countries, has demonstrated that such dams, when intelligently and correctly designed and properly constructed, will meet the requirements of larger storage by means of increased height. The failures of masonry dams have been few; only two of any consequence being on record, namely, that of the Puentes dam, in Spain, in 1802, and that of the Habra dam, in Algiers, in 1810.* On the other hand, the failures of wooden and earthern dams are innumerable. The following are some of the most important structures constructed in recent years. The list is taken from Mr. Wegmann's book, just cited: The Furens, Zola, Ternay, Ban and Verdon dams, in France; the Nizar, Lozoya, Villar and the two Hizar dams,

Jan 1, 1900

By Robert S. Shoemaker

At this Symposium on Gold which is sponsored by The Metallurgical Society of AIME and the International Precious Metals Institute many distinguished authors will present the latest developments in the metallurgy of gold and in operating practices at mines and in refineries. It seems appropriate then, as the introduction to this volume to recall some of the history of gold and the metallurgical developments which have been accomplished, especially during the past 100 years and some of the people who have contributed so much to the metallurgy of gold. Of all the elements gold has been the most sought after since the earliest times. Perhaps the quotation from Virgil's Aeneid best describes man's desire for gold but Pliny the Elder also put it very well when he wrote in 79 A.D. that "Gold is the first of man's follies, silver the second". This quest for gold has markedly influenced man's history and through the efforts of the early philosophers and alchemists to turn base metals into gold the foundations for modern chemistry were laid. The pages of history literally teem with references to gold. Gold is the first metal mentioned in the Bible and was the source of Croesus wealth as well as the death of King Midas whose touch turned everything into gold. And of course almost everyone has heard of Jason's Argonauts and the golden fleece. They are the subject of one of the many drawings in Agricola's De Re Metallica published in 1556. The Argonauts were probably prospectors seeking the source of the placers in the region near-the Black Sea. The time was about 1200 B.C. and the placer miners recovered gold by trapping the particles in sheep's fleeces placed in sluices. After drying, the fleeces were shaken to recover the gold. Gold is not hydrophilic, or wetted by water and thus the oils in the wool aided in collecting the particles. Here we have perhaps the earliest reference to surface chemistry and the basis for concentration of gold by flotation.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. S. Hardison

In the fall of 1912, the appearance of water in the oil of the Nevada Petroleum Co., Coalinga, Cal., made necessary the installation of a dehydrating plant to reduce the water below the 3 per cent. limit prescribed by the agency. Unlike the mining industry, technical literature of the oil industry is limited and extremely unsatisfactory. Until the recent efforts of the Petroleum and Gas Committee of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, no concerted movement has been instituted to secure publication of papers dealing with the problems of the oil business, and because of the additional fact that dehydrating of oil has not been practiced in California to any extent up to comparatively recent time, it was found necessary to experiment in order to determine the most satisfactory plan for this purpose. It is easy to write regarding successful enterprises, but, while not SO pleasant, it is equally desirable to write of failures so that others may be saved the loss incident to such investments. The water in this oil occurs both free and as an emulsion. Free water easily settles out, but the emulsion requires treatment. So far as can be determined, the emulsion consists of globules of water surrounded and enveloped by a film of oil. Starting with this hypothesis the theory has been evolved that in order to break up this emulsion the water must be heated at least to boiling point, when an explosion takes place destroying the globule. Unfortunately, this condition was not recognized in the installation of the first plant, which was planned on the following lines: A heater was arranged so that all the oil from the wells could be heated before reaching the shipping tanks, these being already fitted with coils for steam heating. Tanks were filled with about 4 ft. of water, live steam was turned into the coils and the water brought nearly to the boiling point, when the heated oil was run in. This for a time was partly successful, but the length of time necessary to apply this heat was too great for practical operating.

Jan 1, 1915

By John Fulton

THE increase in the production of iron has been accompanied by a growing demand for an improved quality, and more especially at the present time, in the manufacture of Bessemer steel, which is rapidly becoming an important branch of industry. This has led the makers of pig iron to a careful investigation of the composition of the materials from which their metal is produced, the inquiry being greatly assisted by a cordial alliance of science and practice. Formerly, chemical science was held in abeyance, or admitted in a hesitating experimental way ; but now it is received as a valuable auxiliary, and its decisions are accepted as final and conclusive. It is called on to assist the iron-maker in determining the quality of his stock, and to detect the presence of injurious elements in his fuel, ores, flux, or iron. The object of this paper is to submit the method now in use at the furnaces of the Kemble Coal and Iron Company in the Broad Top coal and iron region, for removing, by a process of crushing and washing, slate and other impurities from coal, designed, when coked, for furnace fuel. It is not contemplated to claim very advanced progress in this work, believing that it is susceptible of improvement, but to show that some progress has been made in a comparatively new field, and it is hoped in the right direction, since coke is probably destined to become the principal fuel in the metallurgy of iron. The Broad Top coal region occupies an isolated geographical position, standing 25 miles east from the Alleghany field. It is associated with the latter by the structure of its coal, and more closely with the Cumberland field by a similarity in the quality of coal.

Jan 1, 1875

By V. F. Marsters

THE main producing oilfields in Peru are located in the department of Piura and province of Thumbes, adjoining Ecuador on the south and west. In the department of Puno, a small field known as the Pirin or Hauncané Area was exploited some years ago by Fred Brown and associates and considerable production obtained. As. shown by the statistical table of production, this area reached its maximum production about 1909; since 1915, operations have been suspended. During the past year, however, the Peruvian Corpn. has acquired some interests in this section. It is reported to have made a few shallow tests with the hope of obtaining sufficient production to supply fuel for its railway lines, which operate between Mollendo on the coast and Puno and Cuzco in the interior. Only partial success has accompanied these efforts; nevertheless, exploitation is being continued. The petroleum of this region contains a paraffin base with small amounts of asphalt. While the gasoline content is small, the kerosene content runs as high as 30 per cent., with the fuel element varying from 50 to 72 per cent. While it is known that the structural conditions of the Huancané area are somewhat complicated, it is believed that exploitation based on a careful interpretation of the geology of the region will eventually yield commercial production of at least modest proportions. In the main fields in Piura and Tumbes, drilling operations were somewhat more active during the first half of the year, than in 1922. The latter half of the year witnessed curtailment, owing to the abnormal situation in the petroleum industry at that time. For the same reason, no attempt was made to obtain the maximum production from existing .wells. Production was pinched down and exportation of crude was correspondingly reduced during the latter half of 1923. Nevertheless, the total production of the Peruvian fields is considerably in excess of that for 1922, as is also the production of the Negritos area alone.

Jan 3, 1924

By R. Dawson Hall

THE stresses in the e simplest structures are often those we find most difficult to analyze. The most complex condition in mine stresses is found in simple tunnels where the roof, the sides, and the floor are a monolith. The functions of the parts are like the parts themselves not distinct and specialized, and the problems to be solved are like those in a metal structure with riveted joints or a redundancy of bars. This difficulty explains perhaps why the condition has not been treated. But just because it cannot be discussed in its entirety is no reason why it should be treated as an action of parts with specialized functions as a roof 'beans with supports and a foundation. The problem cannot be ignored on the ground that it is not of sufficient importance to warrant careful consideration, because conditions of complete monolithism, of which the tunnel is the type, are found materially unchanged) in room-and-pillar and in longwall work. This unity between roof, sides, and floor, which to the coal miner is a difficult conception, really deserves a scientific appellation, and perhaps holoid (from holos, whole, and eidos, form) will serve the purpose as well as any other. In a simple tunnel the roof, the sides, and the floor form integral parts of one and the same structure; and the distortion of one cannot be conceived without a consequent strain in the others. Thus when the roof of the tunnel droops by reason of its weight, the upper parts of the sides are drawn in because they are integrally-connected with the roof and must approach each other whenever, by the sagging of the roof, the distance between any two points in it is diminished. (See Fig. 1.)

Jan 9, 1915

THE Joint Committee appointed to consider a Code of Ethics for Engineers recommends, after delib-erate consideration, that each participating Insti-tute or Society adopt the short simple Code of Ethics following this report. The Committee further recommends that the following method of interpreting and administering the Code be adopted by each participating Institute or Society after any necessary provisions have been, made in the Constitution and By-laws of the Organization. The President of each Society or Institute shall appoint a Standing Committee on Professional. Conduct, to administer the Code of Ethics. The duties of such a Committee shall be to interpret the Code and to render opinions on any cases of ques-tionable conduct on the part of members that may be submitted to the Committee. These interpretations shall be reported to the Executive Board of the Institute or Society who may approve these interpretations, or take such other action as may seem just and necessary. The reports of the Committee on Professional Conduct, when approved by the Executive Board, shall be printed in abstract and in anonymous form in the Institute's or Society's monthly journal for the instruction and guidance of fellow members. This Committee on Professional Conduct shall be appointed in each Institute or Society by the President holding office at the time of the adoption of this Code and shall consist of five member one appointed for five years, one for four years, a third for three years, a fourth for two years and a fifth member for one year only. Thereafter, the President then holding office shall appoint one member annually to serve for five years, and shall also fill any vacancies that may occur for the unexpired term of the member who has withdrawn. These appointments shall he made from among the older members of the Institute or. Society, so that advantage may be taken of their mature experi-ence and judgment. The Committee after appointment shall elect its own chairman and secretary. The Committee shall have power to secure evidence or other information in any particular case not only from the organization's own members, but if it should seem desirable, from men in other professions. The Committee may also appoint sub-committees to consider certain cases when deemed necessary.

Jan 3, 1922

THE opening session was held on Tuesday evening, October 23d. Mr. J. F. Lewis, on behalf of the local committee of arrangements, made a short address of greeting to the members assembled, and then introduced Gov. A. H. Holley, of Lakeville, Conn. Gov. Holley addressed the Institute as follows : Gentlemen, we give you cordial welcome to a mining, manufacturing, and agricultural country, of which we are not a little proud. We welcome you as an association, and as individuals. We invite you to an inspection of our resources, and to our methods of improving them. We appreciate the results of your efforts in past years, and we anticipate good from your advice and counsel in the future. You are in the vicinity of some of the oldest mining and manufacturing operations in iron in our country. It will be our pleasure to conduct you to a mine which was worked for more than a half century before our country achieved national independence, and to point out to you the spot where the products of this mine were wrought into cannon and shot during the progress of our Revolution. We can show you also a far larger area of mining country than was supposed to exist in this vicinity at that early day. There are, within a radius of thirty miles from this spot, ten mines at least that have been extensively worked, and there are as many more that have been occasionally worked, with a fair degree of success. All the mines that are wrought to any extent produce excellent qualities of iron, while many of them in various combinations produce as good material for the manufacture of steel, car wheels, axles, and many other purposes, as can be found in any country. The old Salisbury iron retains its reputation for tensile strength unsurpassed, when made entirely from the ore of the old mine. The progress that has been made in the development of these mines since the days of the pickaxe, when the product was transported in pounds upon horseback, to those of the steam-engine, which now moves hundreds of tons per day, presents, indeed, a

Jan 1, 1878

The opening session was held on Tuesday evening, October 23d. Mr. J. F. Lewis, on behalf of the local committee of arrange ments, made a short address of greeting to the members assembled, and then introduced Gov. A. H. Holley, of Lakeville, Conn. Gov. Holley addressed the Institute as follows: Gentlemen, we give you cordial welcome to a mining, manufac turing, and agricultural country, of which we are not a little proud. We welcome you as an association, and as individuals. We invite you to an inspection of our resources, and to our methods of im proving them. We appreciate the results of your efforts in past years, and we anticipate good from your advice and counsel in the future. You are in the vicinity of some of the oldest mining and manufacturing operations in iron in our country. It will be our pleasure to conduct you to a mine which was worked for more than a half century before our country achieved national inde pendence, and to point out to you the spot where the products of this mine were wrought into cannon and shot during the progress of our Revolution. We can show you also a far larger area of mining country than was supposed to exist in this vicinity at that early day. There are, within a radius of thirty miles from this spot, ten mines at least that have been extensively worked, and there are as many more that have been occasionally worked, with a fair degree of success. All the mines that are wrought to any extent produce excellent qualities of iron, while many of them in various combinations produce as good material for the manufacture of steel, car wheels, axles, and many other purposes, as can be found in ally country. The old Salisbury iron retains its reputation for tensile strength unsurpassed, when made entirely from the ore of the old mine. The progress that has been made in the development of these mines since the days of the pickaxe, when the product was trans ported in pounds upon horseback, to those of the steam-engine, which now moves hundreds of tons per day, presents, indeed, a

Jan 1, 1879

By R. A. Cummings, N. N. Moebs, M. M. Singh

Disintegration of the immediate shale roof in coal mines interferes with ventilation, production, and safety. The effect is seasonal and correlates with high levels of moisture in the intake ventilation air. Disintegration, though not completely understood, is caused by shale dilation and weakening upon exposure to atmospheric moisture. Fluctuating moisture conditions are particularly deleterious, but may be at least partially controlled by tempering the air before it is brought to the working places. Disintegration of shale roof is progressive loosening of chunks or slabs or roof shale, which fall to the floor. Bolts are left dangling or are connected to the roof by a column of loose rock. Posts are rendered ineffective. Passage of ventilation air and personnel is restricted by piles of fallen material on the floor. Shale disintegration as it occurs in mine roofs does not appear to have much in common with slaking, such as is measured in slake-durability tests, which results in the failure of certain shales when exposed in embankments or foundations. A two-year program was conducted on behalf of the US Bureau of Mines, incorporating field and laboratory analysis of deterioration. During this study, a. survey was conducted of underground mining operations in the Illinois Basin and Appalachia. In all, 47 mines in six different coal seams were identified as possibly having roof deterioration problems pertinent to the study. Of these, the No. 1 Mine of the Valley Camp Coal Co. near Triadelphia, WV was selected for detailed study. This mine uses conditioning entries, workings where raw intake air is routed before reaching the key haulageways. Deterioration is to be confined to the conditioning chambers. The approach adopted to study the deterioration problem was to measure atmospheric moisture in the mine, determine shale behavior in the laboratory under various moisture conditions, and measure mine roof behavior that could be correlated with atmospheric moisture observations. The following tasks were performed: • Atmospheric baseline data were collected, consisting of airflow measurements, continuous monitoring of the mine and surface atmospheric conditions using a sling psychrometer. • Roof deterioration was documented through measurement of roof convergence (sag), mapping of roof conditions, collection of fallen and rashed material and measurement of roof height increase and photographic logging. An infrared scanner was also tried, but not found useful. • The behavior of shale under various moisture conditions was determined in the lab through tests of shale expansion, natural moisture content, moisture uptake capacity at various humidities, and static (immersion) slaking.

Jan 1, 1984

Consolidated Gold Fields Limited published annually an excellent reference, GOLD 1978, GOLD 1979, giving the Supply and Demand for Gold, Recent Developments and Prospects, Soviet Gold Production, etc. This outstanding reference is authored by Christopher Glynn, Investment Department, London, Great Britain. The 1978 Report marked the tenth anniversary of Gold Field's review of world gold market developments; and from it and the 1979 report, the following information was derived. The recovery of gold is widespread in the Soviet Union. Originally, gold was mined principally in the Urals, but in the last few years several major deposits have been discovered in the southwestern areas of the Soviet Union. One of the most dramatic discoveries has been the Muruntau deposit in Western Uzbekestan. This deposit, discovered in 1958, is reported to be the largest and among the lowest cost producers in the Soviet Union. It is located in Armenia, approximately 750 km (465 miles) northeast of the Iran-Afghanistan border, lying in the center of the Kyzylkurn (Red Sands) desert at the foot of Muruntau Mountain. Free gold occurs in both fine and coarse size in quartz veins up to 20 m (66 ft) thick associated with a small percentage of sulfides, mainly arsenopyrite. The ore zone constitutes a large gold-enriched stock work of about 4 sq krn (1.5 sq miles). The development of Muruntau was a major undertaking with open -pit development and construction of the mill and refinery complex started early in 1967, and the first gold bar poured in mid-1969. At the end of the first construction stage in 1970, the mill building was an imposing structure about 38 m (125 ft) high and 330 (1,080 ft) in length housing, probably, 11 parallel milling circuits. The first construction stage also included six 50 m (165 ft) diameter thickeners and 30 Pachuca tanks. The original mill complex was tripled in size after large additional gold reserves were discovered at a depth of 600 m (1,970 ft); and the deposit is now being exploited by both open- pit and underground workings. Ore is ground in semi-autogenous mills with the free gold being recovered into a high-grade concentrate on shaking tables. Table tailings are purnped to duplex spiral classifiers in closed circuit with the grinding mills. Classifier overflow is then thickened before being transferred to the Pachuca building where cyanidation takes place. An ion exchange resin is then added in a countercurrent

Jan 1, 1981

By Thomas T. Read

Readjustment of the industrial world to a peace basis after more than 4 years of war will involve many fundamental and far-reaching changes that cannot as yet be clearly foreseen or definitely provided for. Such problems may be subdivided, in the vocabulary of war, into those involving material and those centering about personnel. Of the two, the latter group is the more difficult and obscure, as the factors involved are less clearly understood and the methods to be followed are not yet tested and standardized. When it is said that the market is weak, stocks large, and demand light, every business man understands clearly what is meant and what course he should adopt to adjust himself, so far as possible, to such conditions. But when it is said that the rapid spread of Bolshevism in Europe is a danger to industrial organization in this country, it is difficult to have any assured sense that all that the statement may mean is clearly understood or that the means to be followed to meet such a situation are definitely known. Since Bolshevism is primarily a mental phenomenon and since the rupture it brings about in industrial organization should be prevented, if possible, it is my purpose to restrict this discussion of the activities of the Committee on Industrial Organization to some of its mental aspects, as the chairmen of the sub-committees, from their special knowledge of their own fields, can best set forth recent progress in the lines with which they are especially concerned. The first requisites of success in industrial organization, as in the biological organism of which it is the social counterpart, are unity of purpose and coordinated activity. Typical good and bad examples of this' are the relative parts that the United States and Russia have played in the great war. These two factors are primarily mental, and it is not difficult to view the mental aspects of all problems of industrial organization as the most important ones. Unless we can attain unity of purpose and coordinated activity in industry, the provision of comfortable homes at reasonable rent, the assurance of steady work at good wages, the elimination of industrial accidents, and provision against want in old age or in case of disability will have brought us no nearer to our real goal.

Jan 1, 1919

By Irving Fatt, Robert J. S. Brown

INTRODUCTION The wettability of reservoir rocks is recognized as one of the major factors that determines their multiphase flow properties. Multiphase flow properties in turn govern reservoir performance. For this reason, the reservoir engineer is vitally interested in the wettability of reservoir rock. The production research scientist is interested in wettability because the solution of the problem of improving waterflood recovery by use of surface-active additives may hinge on a detailed understanding of the wettability of reservoir rock. Early workers believed that all reservoir rocks were preferentially water wet. Continued study soon uncovered certain rocks which had flow properties that indicated that they were preferentially oil wet. Recent studies show that there is a spectrum of wettability. Some reservoir rocks have multiphase flow properties which indicate that they have an intermediate wettability. The differences in recovery observed among different reservoirs may, in part be the result of small differences in wettability. Differences in wettability amcng reservoir rocks may be the result of differences in the fraction of the total surface area that is preferentially oil wet and preferentially water wet. Nuclear magnetic relaxation measurements may provide a method for determining the fraction of preferentially oil wet and preferentially water wet area in porous media. Measurements to be reported here were made on water-saturated unconsolidated sand packs which were mixtures of preferentially oil wet and preferentially water wet sands. The resulting data show definitely that the fraction of each wettability in these sand packs can be determined by this nondestructive method of measurement. THEORY OF NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RELAXATION The details of the theory of nuclear magnetic relaxation have been presented previously1. In this paper, only a very brief review of the theory will be given to show its application to the measurement of fractional wettability. Nuclear magnetic relaxation is a process of adjustment undergone by certain atomic nuclei when their magnetic environment is changed. They adjust, or relax, to be in equilibrium with a new magnetic field. The reason that some atomic nuclei are affected by a magnetic field is that they themselves behave in some respects like tiny magnets. In particular the proton, the nucleus of the hydrogen atom, behaves as a magnet. The proton spins, somewhat as the earth spins on its axis. The spinning charge produces a magnetic field just as current traveling in a loop of wire produces a magnetic field. No net charge is required, however; for instance, the neutron has spin and magnetic moment. When the spinning proton is subjected to an externally applied magnetic field, its axis tends to line up with the magnetic field, somewhat as a compass needle tends to line up, but the spinning proton cannot do this as easily as the needle can. The proton also has mass, and its spinning mass makes the proton behave somewhat like a gyroscope. As is well known, a force which tends to change the axial direction of a gyroscope merely causes the gyroscope to precess: lhat is, the axis begins to trace out a conical surface. The gyroscope cannot actually assume the position suggested

Jan 1, 1957

THE Institute assembled in the Court-House, on Tuesday evening, May 22d, and was called to order by Vice-President E. B. Coxe. After announcement by the Local Committee of the programme for excursions, the Secretary read the following annual report of the Council The Council, in presenting to the Institute its annual report, has to record a most eventful year in the history of the Institute. Three meetings, as usual, have been held, two in Philadelphia and one in New York. At the Philadelphia meetings in June and October, there were present many distinguished foreign engineers, some of whom contributed communications to the Institute, and took part in its discussions. Sixty-seven papers have, in all, been presented to the Institute, which will be published in the fifth volume of Transactions. There has been an accession to the membership of 1 honorary member, 11 foreign members, and 162 members and associates; -8 have resigned, 6 have died, and 30 have been dropped from the roll, after due notification, for non-payment of dues. The membership now comprises 5 honorary members, 60 foreign members, and 644 members and associates, in all 699. As worthy of especial mention in the work of the year are the Discussions on Technical Education in connection with the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the report of the-International Committee appointed by the Institute to consider the nomenclature of iron and steel. The Discussions on Technical Education have been published in a separate volume, and comprise a valuable and suggestive collection of the views of practical engineers and educators. The report of the International Committee, composed of Messrs. Akerman, of Sweden; Bell, of England; Tunner, of Austria; Gruner, of France; Wedding, of Prussia; and Holley and Egleston, of the United States, has received the careful attention of engineers and metallurgists of all countries, and has met . with very general acceptance. Of the work of the Centennial Committee in Philadelphia the members are generally familiar, from personal experience, and from the detailed report of the committee at the last meeting of the Institute. But the record of the service rendered by this committee would he incomplete without mention of the numerous letters of thanks and formal expressions of obligations received by the Institute from individuals, societies, and governments abroad. The wise and generous spirit in which the work of the committee was planned, and the laborious and self-sacrificing manner in which it was carried out, call for emphatic expressions of thanks from the Institute. The gifts of Centennial exhibits to the Institute, largely as testimonials for services rendered, has necessitated the appointment of a Museum Committee for

Jan 1, 1878

By F. J. Longworth

FoR a number of years an intensive study has been made to improve the blast-furnace practice at Copperhill not only as to cost% but to provide a good grade of gas for the acid plants. This study took us back to the fundamentals of successful pyrite smelting; namely, a blast furnace working on a clean sulfide ore, free from fines, and the use of quartz high in silica as a flux. In 1919, the quality of the flux was improved and its effect on the metallurgy was very marked. To improve the practice further, it was necessary to work out some method of treatment for the sulfide fines and the siliceous and refractory ores, other than in the blast furnace. A series of milling tests indicated that these products could be successfully treated by differential flotation, and in 1922 plans were made and a flotation plant built. It was estimated that the flotation plant would deliver to the smelter 40 to 50 tons of concentrates per day; the problem was what to do with these concentrates. It was out of the question to attempt to smelt them in a blast furnace because of the dust losses and because our practice demands a charge free from fines for satisfactory operation. There is no custom smelter in the vicinity to which concentrates may be sold, pending the time when the tonnage will be sufficient to warrant roasters and a reverbatory furnace. Sintering and nodulizing were investigated but neither method fitted into our scheme of metallurgy. A close study of the converter practice was then made to see if some method could not be evolved to smelt this tonnage of concentrates in a converter without preliminary treatment. At that time, the converter installation consisted of two 12-ft. Great Falls converters, which were handling 12 to 14 per cent. matte. The heat balance of the converters working with 12 to 14 per cent. matte was more than sufficient to smelt the contemplated tonnage of concentrates but the mechanical difficulties of feeding fines into the Great Falls converter made the use of this type of converter impractical. While there was no opportunity to experiment with the Pierce-Smith converter, equipped with a Garr gun, theoretically it seemed practical

Jan 1, 1925