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By A. S. Odeh

This paper analyzes the effect of limited entry to flow at the wellbore on the steady-state productivity of a well. Wells that have been opened to flow along a fraction of their productive interval are termed wells with limited entry. Previous work treated the cases of a partially penetrating well, a well producing from the central portion of the productive interval and a well in which several intervals equally spaced were open to flow. In this paper the open interval can be located anywhere within the productive interval. Thus, in a sense, it generalizes previous work. The finite cosine transform was used to arrive at a solution for steady-state flow of a slightly compressible fluid. The solution was programmed for a CDC 1604 computer. Numerical vaIues for rd = 660 ft, r, = 1/4 ft, and range of sand thickness of 20 to 200 ft are presented in graphical form. The effect of rd and r, values on the result is shown in a table. The correct calculation of skin and damage ratio in the presence of limited entry to flow is explained and illustrated by examples. Moreover, the paper shows how to calculate the net decrease in productivity due to the combined effect of limited entry and perforations. INTRODUCTION In some wells only a fraction of the productive interval is open to flow. Location of this fraction is usually dictated by formation characteristics and reservoir behavior. For instance, if a gas cap exists, the open interval is located away from the gas-oil contact to prevent any possible gas coning. Wells that intentionally have been opened to flow along a fraction of their productive formation are tened wells with limited entry. Obviously, unintentional completions of this type also exist. Limited entry to flow decreases well productivity. Magnitude of the loss depends on the fraction of the formation open to flow, on the thickness of the sand, on the location of the open interval and on the ratio of rd /r, where r , is well radius and rd is the drainage radius of the well. The use of pressure buildup data on producing wells to calculate the condition of the formation around the wellbore is an accepted practice. van Everdingenl and Hurst2 introduced the concept of she skin factor s considered to be due to a thin layer of different permeability immediately around the wellbore. These authors dealt with the case of a well of complete radial geometry, i.e., a well with open-hole completion that completely penetrates the formation. The presence of a low-permeability skin results in a loss of productivity, as does limited entry. Therefore, if pressure buildup data obtained on a well with limited entry are used to establish the presence or absence of skin (i.e., formation damage), and a correction is not made for this loss of productivity, the calculations would result in an erroneous skin value. They might indicate the presence of formation damage when in reality there is none, or they might indicate a value larger than the true value. This could lead to an incorrect basis for planning remedial measures. Muskat3 studied the problem of partially penetrating wells for the case of incompressible flow. He presented equations and figures which allow estimation of loss in productivity. Brons and Marting,4 using equations based on Nisle's work,5 studied the loss of productivity for three cases. The first was for a partially penetrating well; the second was for a well producing from only the central portion of a productive interval; and the third was for a well in which several intervals equally spaced were open to flow. Their work was for steady-state depletion-type reservoirs wherein the well radius of drainage is established and the fluid is considered to be slightly compressible. Considered in this paper is the problem of wells with limited entry in which the open intervals are located anywhere within the productive sand. The finite cosine transform is used to arrive at a

Jan 1, 1969

By AIME AIME

ANNOUNCEMENT of the annual meeting to be held Feb. 18 to 22 inclusive will be mailed the latter part of the month to all members. Particular attention is called to the fact that application has been made for reduced rail- road fares on the Certificate Plan. When you purchase your railroad ticket be sure to ask for a CERTIFICATE for yourself and members of your family. Last year over 400 members and dependent members of their families attending the meeting secured return railroad tickets at half price by means of this certificate, thereby saving thou- sands of dollars. Those who fail to obtain this certificate when purchasing going tickets will lose money. Unless 250 certificates are validated at headquarters it will be impossible for anyone to secure the reduced rate.

Jan 1, 1929

By AIME AIME

THE Institute of Metals Division of this Institute held a joint meeting with the American Foundry- men's Association on Oct. 5-9, at Syracuse, N. Y. The registration at this meeting was about 150. There were four meetings in all, three of which were in con- junction with the American Foundrymen's Association. This combination works out very nicely and gives the I Division a number of practical foundry papers that it would not get otherwise. The sessions were well attended and the discussion was active. The session on Monday morning was of a general nature and consisted of the following subjects : " Refractory Problems in the Non-ferrous Electric Furnace Casting Shop, " "Temperature Control of Non-ferrous Alloys," "Atomized Coal System of Non-ferrous Melting," "Material Handling in a Brass Foundry." On Tuesday morning, the session was on "Aluminum and Its Alloys." The paper on permanent mold castings created a large amount of discussion, in fact so much that it had to be renewed after the close of the regular program. Aluminum is assuming a more important place every year and adds greatly to the program as a whole. One of the most remarkable meetings that this Division has ever had was held on Tuesday at noon in the form of a Round Table discussion, headed by G. K. Elliott, chairman of the Division, Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Elliott divided the members present, numbering about 80, into groups as they were seated at the tables. Each of these groups suggested a topic for discussion. They were as follows : "Fluxes on Market ;" "Simplification of Alloys;" "Pyrometric Control;" "Effect of Gas- sing Metal and Control;" "Barium Sulfate Added to Electric Furnace to Create Slight Oxidation to Remove Aluminum and Silicon;" and" Nickel in Brass."

Jan 1, 1925

By AIME AIME

SHORTLY after he started his professional career, the subject of this sketch acquired the sobriquet "Moose" Allen. At the time he was engaged in geological exploration it1 the Canadian wilds. The nickname was given .him because of the wide, straight trail that he broke with unusual speed when going through the bush. Like a moose he was strong, energetic, and determined. To a considerable degree, Rolland Craten Allen today displays the same characteristics in larger affairs-business, civic, and professional. It is his habit to study a problem thoroughly, to decide u11on the best course of action, and then to pursue that course with vigor and

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

THIS year the Petroleum Division holds its fall meeting at Houston, Texas, Oct. 2 and 3, with head- quarters at the Lamar Hotel. Technical sessions will be held in the morning and afternoon of both days. A smoker on Friday afternoon will afford an opportunity to get together socially. Saturday evening is left free for private parties to the beach at Galveston, where a wide variety of entertainment is available. On Oct. 4 there will be an excursion to Sugarland oil field, with luncheon at Boling and a visit to Boling sulfur mine and plant in the afternoon. There are nine technical papers on the program for Friday. Saturday morning will be devoted to oil production control and it is planned to make the discussion more

Jan 1, 1931

James Gayley, Braddock, Pa. (communication to the Secretary) : Mr. Potter has made reference to our practice at the Edgar Thomson works in the direction of increasing the life of the lining, and mentions the product of one of our furnaces as having reached a total of 370,000 tons. It may be interesting to know that this furnace has been put out of blast with a record of 452,685 tons, after a run of three years and nine months. A companion-furnace to this will produce, hefore the present year is ended, half a million tons. As Mr. Potter has quite correctly designated this as " the newest problem in furnace-practice," a description of the construction of this furnace lining may be Welcome to members. The bricks used in the lining are 9 and 134 inches long, with the requisite quantity of straight and key-shapes to turn the circle. There bricks are well suited for enclosing the numerous bosh-plates used for cooling. The bosh-plates (the efficient fortress of the lining) extend from the top of the tuyere arch to the mantel, and are inserted in rows, 18 inches to 2 feet apart. These form a perfect defence against encroachment on the bosh-lining, and leave the bosh at the end of the blast of the same thickness as at the beginning. The protection afforded by these bosh plates is the principal cause of the increased duration of the furnace-lining. But it must be noted that the shape and material of the plate are essential elements. The most serviceable plate is that made of bronze or copper. We have tried every form of iron plates without obtaining satisfactory results. These were replaced with bronze plates, built into the lining, which gave excellent results so long as they did not leak; but when this occurred, as it did in time, the water was shut off, and, since the plates could only be removed with difficulty, they were allowed to burn off. This permitted encroachment on the bosh-walls, which thus became enlarged beyond the limit required for economical practice. With the introduction of the removable plate, made tapering on the sides, with plain surfaced top and bottom, these troubles have

Jan 1, 1895

By M. L. Samuels

In a recent paper the authors1 discussed the reactions to tempering of hypereutectoid steels quenched from 1000' C., as revealed by studies on changes in hardness, electrical resistivity, coercive force and metallo-graphic charaeteristics. The data, which related specifically to tempering temperatures of 550°, 650" and 710" C., for varying periods up to 125 hr., permitted the following important conclusions: 1. The rate of softening of the steels at the temperatures examined differed markedly although the steels were of "similar" general chemical composition. 2. The temperature of maximum softening spread over a range from about 650" C, to the eutectoid inversion. 3. The divergence in behavior was ascribed, at least in part, to a profound difference in tendency to graphitization on annealing at sub-eutectoid temperatures. 4. The mode of spheroidization of the cementite, as revealed by metallographic studies, also varied considerably in the different steels. The purpose of the present investigation is to pursue further the study of the difference in behavior of the steels on tempering over a wider range of temperature. To this end the following features have received particular attention: 1. Comparison of temperatures of maximum softening of the various steels when the quenched samples were tempered for 5 hi. and for 75 hr. followed by furnace cooling and by quenching in water. 2. Deterrnirlation of the effect of quenching temperature, prior to tempering, on the rate of softening. Quenching temperatures of 1000" and 850" C. were used in the investigations. 3. Examination of the microstructures obtained with the various heat-treatments employed.

Jan 1, 1938

By Elliot P. Rexford

B. C. Burgess-—Prior to hearing this paper presented at the San Francisco meeting, I travelled by car from Yuma, Ariz., across south-central California and up through the San Joaquin Valley. After hearing the paper I returned by the coast route to San Diego then along the Mexican border to Yuma. The striking feature of these trips, related to this paper, was the dry river and creek beds at a time of year not the dry season. Contrasted with this was the wasteful use of water in irrigation canals and laterals. Poland says "at least 90 pct of the ground water pumped is used for irrigation." That being the case, it would appear that first consideration should be given to conservation of this use. Probably a small part of this is actually reaching the plants. Some measure of this loss between pump and crops would be revealing. Methods that might be employed to reduce this loss are pipe lines and spraying of some crops such as the banana planters are using in Central America. Another idea which might be investigated is to line canals and ditches with some water-repelling mineral like pyro-phyllite. Perhaps a comparatively thin sprayed-on

Jan 1, 1951

By V. L. Elliott, C. L. Meyette

The conditioning of semifinished steel products such as billets, blooms, and slabs to remove surface defects before further processing to finished products is a necessary accompaniment to steel mill rolling operations. A knowledge of the kinds of defects which occur and of the conditions in melting, teeming, and rolling that may lead to their occurrence is favorable to the production of quality products. Surface defects may be classed as either of mechanical origin such as those that occur in the heating and rolling operations and include breaks, tears, guide marks, mechanical laps and the like, or they may have been in the ingot before heating and rolling. Examples of the latter are ingot cracks, blow-holes, scabs, and inclusions which lead to the numerous known types of seams and surface flaws. Most of the common types of surface defects and methods for their identification by visual examination or by the aid of macro-etch tests are well known. The conditions which caused their formation are also appreciably understood and this knowledge has been instrumental in the establishment of methods for metallurgical control. There are, however, defects of doubtful origin. In any endeavor to trace the causes for their occurrence, the question of first concern is: I. Whether they were formed in the rolling procedure. 2. Whether they existed in the ingot prior to rolling. In the case of semifinished products which are rerolled to finished products there is also the question of whether they were formed in the primary or in the secondary rolling. In metallurgical laboratories where numerous or routine examinations of the quality of rolled products are made over the course of time, there will doubtless be many puzzling cases of defect origin. Microscopic examination of the defects may, however, reveal a characterizing condition that can be used to classify them broadly with respect to their origin. Such a condition has been observed and, after detailed investigation, is described here with the thought that it may offer a usable and relatively simple solution to a bothersome problem. Basis For Classifying In this discussion the term "mechanical type defects" will be used to designate those that have occurred as a result of the rolling operations such as in rolling from the ingot to billets, blooms, or slabs or in rerolling to finished products. The term "steel type defects" will be used to designate those that were present in the ingot prior to primary rolling or that were in the semifinished product prior to secondary rolling to finished product. The basis for distinguishing between the two types of defects lies in the relative degree of subscale formation surrounding them. Subscale is defined1 as a zone of

Jan 1, 1949

By W. H. Bassett

Beads of metal frequently appear at the ends of cast-copper wire bars and on the sides of wedge cakes near the top. These are richer in cuprous-oxide than the rest of the casting. A micrographical study of these exudations has been made. It is suggested that the material is forced through the surface while the copper is solidifying. If not eliminated in process of manufacture, it shows on the finished polished sheet copper in patches differing in color from the main body of the sheet. FIGURES 1 to 4 show the copper exudations, at different magnifications, as they appear on the ends of cast wire bars, and on the sides, usually near the top, of wedge cakes. Sometimes the exudations are in fine "drops;" at other times, large masses of the material are found. Microscopic examination of the copper exudation indicates that it is high in oxide and of eutectic proportions. Because of the difficulty of securing a suitable sample, the protuberances have not been analyzed chemically; but the spectroscope shows no indication that there are any more metallic impurities present than in the balance of the copper. The lowest copper plus silver content of the coppers studied for this? paper was 99.914 per cent.; the highest, 99.966 per cent.; so the oxygen content of the whole casting would be well under 0.07 per cent.

Jan 2, 1926

By A. U. Seybolt, J. L. Walter

The effects of the addition of 0.5 pct ThO2 (by volume) on the grain structure and texture of heavily rolled tungsten sheet were studied. Powder metallurgy ingots were rolled to sheet, 0.001 in. thick, and samples were annealed at temperatures from 1200" to 2500°C. The heating rate to the anneal temperature was varied from 3°C per min to 6500°C per min. The orientations of the largest grains were determined by X-ray diffraction. The disposition and loss of the ThO2 particles were determined by electron transmission microscopy and the activation energy for remozlal of the thorium was measured by mass spec-troscopy. Heating rates below about 800 C per min produced large, highly elongated grains. Higher heating rates produced much smaller, less elongated grains. The grain structure and texture of the slowly heated samples were identical to the structures and textures of heavily rolled tungsten foil conventionally doped with aluminum, silicon, and potassium but the recrystallization temperature was about 200°C lower. There was stringer-like dispersion of larger ThO2, particles superimposed on a uniform dispersion of fine particles. The particles increased in size and decreased in number with time at temperature. The loss of particles was accompanied by formation of grain boundary voids and surface pits. The activation energy for removal of the ThO2 was about 40 kcal per mole. THE addition of small amounts of aluminum, silicon, and potassium to tungsten has a profound effect on the grain structure of heavily rolled sheet1 or drawn wire."4 Thus, "doped" tungsten sheet, rolled to 0.001 in. and recrystallized, develops a structure consisting of large, highly elongated grains of a specific preferred orientation.' It has been shown that the elongated grain structure was caused by a dispersion of particles, identified as mullite (Al6si2O13),1,4 in strings parallel to the rolling direction in sheet or to the wire axis. Identical results were obtained for iron which was doped with glass and rolled to 99 pct reduction of thickness and recrystallized.5 Again, the glass particles were disposed in strings parallel to the rolling direction. The strings retarded boundary migration in the lateral direction but grain growth was able to proceed relatively unhindered along the direction parallel to the strings.1,5 In both the doped tungsten and the glass-doped iron, the particles were highly plastic during the high-temperature deformation. Since mullite melts at about 1800°C and the glass employed melts at about 810ºC, the particles were probably molten during the recrystallization anneals (above 1800°C for the doped tungsten and 850°C for the glass-doped iron). There are indications in the literature that particles not plastic at hot-working temperatures (up to about 1550°C for tungsten) may also impart elongated grain structures by primary recrystallization of worked alloys. Examples are dispersions of tantalum carbide in chromium,6 and ThO2 in nickel where elongation ratios of recrystallization grains of up to 20:l were obtained.7 Strings of ThO2 particles in W-ThO2 wire have been seen by Rieck.8 In view of the available evidence, it was of interest to extend the previous studies of doped tungsten and glass-doped iron to include W-ThO2 sheet materials. Of specific interest was the grain structure, preferred orientation, recrystallization temperature, and disposition of the thoria particles. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A) Material Preparation. About 380 g of blue tungsten oxide (approximate composition WO3) was wet with a sufficient amount of aqueous solution of Th(N03)4 to provide 0.5 vol pct ThO2. The wet mixture was stirred to distribute the doping material uniformly throughout the powder. Stirring was continued while the mixture was heated until it was completely dry. The dried, doped mixture was then reduced to tungsten powder by heating at 850°C for 2 hr in a stream of dry hydrogen. The doped tungsten powder was hydropressed in a rubber sack at pressures of 50,000 psi to produce an ingot approximately 2 cm diam by about 5 cm long. Next, the pressed cylinder was heated in hydrogen for 2 hr at 1350°C to render it strong enough for machining. The cylinder was machined to a square cross section of 1.6 by 1.6 cm with rounded corners. Finally, the bar was heated for 2 hr at 2150°C in hydrogen to provide a sufficiently dense mate rial to withstand the hot-rolling operation. Prior to rolling, the ingot was reduced in thickness by about 20 pct by forging at 1550°C. This served to increase the density of the material and to widen it slightly for better rolling characteristics. The forged ingot was then rolled at 1550°C to a reduction of 45 pct of thickness, following which the rolling temperature was reduced to 1300°C and the slab rolled, with several reheats, to 0.050 in. Further reduction was accomplished at 800°C in tungsten sheet packs to a total reduction of about 99.85 pct. B) Annealing Treatment and Observation of Structure. Small samples of the rolled foil were annealed in one of two ways. Some of the samples were suspended in a covered tungsten can and annealed at temperatures from 1200" to 2200°C for various times in vacuum of l0-7 to 10-6 mm Hg. The can was heated by induction and temperatures were determined by optical pyrometry

Jan 1, 1970

By A. S. Michaels, R. S. Timmins

A study of the effect upon oil recovery from an un-consolidated porous medium of chromatographic transport of selected reverse-wetting additives during water displacement is described. Flow tests were performed on hydrocarbon oil-saturated sand columns (containing connate water) into which small volumes of short-chain aliphatic amine solutions were introduced during water flooding. Concurrently, meusurements of oil-silica contact angles, oil-water interfacial tensions and oil-water distribution coefficients were measured us a function of additive concentration. Certain treatments were found to cause a slight reduction in oil recovery, while others produced a significant increase (up to 50 per cent of the normtzl irreducible rninimum oil saturation). Recovery eficiency was correlated most satisfactorily with the maximum degree of reverse wetting produced during additive transport; conditions which resulted in only mild oil wettability of the sand reduced recovery, while those favoring strong oil wetting increased recovery. A mechanism of reverse-wetting additive action during chromatographic transport is developed which ascribes the results to transient changes in oil-solid contact angle during flow, with consequent release of oil trapped by capillary forces. Implications of these observations with regard to improved waterflood efficiencies are discussed. INTRODUCTION The need for finding improved methods of oil production is amply illustrated by the large volume of oil considered economically unrecoverable by existing production practice. Water flooding has long been an excellent method of secondary recovery. However, even in those areas of a formation which are well swept by a water flood, 20 per cent or more of the oil remains trapped within the formation and is not recovered. This trapping of oil within the pores of the rock structure results primarily from interfacial forces. If these interfacial forces were altered, it is possible that the trapped oil could be released and recovered. The addition of surface-active agents to a water flood to alter the interfacial properties of the oil-water-solid system has received considerable attention as a method of increasing oil recovery. Studies of surfactant treatment have yielded varied and, in some cases, apparently conflicting results. Increased oil recovery using surface-active agents has been reported by a number of investigators. Others have found that use of surfactants in a water flood either has no effect upon oil recovery or decreases it. Since surface-active agents tend to alter the formation wettability and oil-water interfacial tension simultaneously, several investigators have tried to determine the role these two factors play in oil recovery. Data have been presented which indicate that the most desirable condition for the solid surface is strongly water-wet. Other results indicate that, although breakthrough recovery may be less, the greatest ultimate recovery is obtained when neutral wettability prevails.", " The desirability of low interfacial tension seems to depend upon the wettability of the formation. Reports of higher recoveries, when the interfacial tension is high in a water-wet system and low in an oil-wet system, are at odds with reports of increased recovery in water-wet systems when surfactants which decrease the interfacial tension are added to the water flood. A review of previous work studying the effects of using surface-active agents in a water flood shows that these agents produce widely different effects and that opinions as to the role of the various interfacial properties are diverse. The consensus, however, is that the interfacial properties are quite important in the displacement of oil from a porous medium by water. Even in those investigations where appreciable increases in oil recovery resulted from treatment with a surface-active agent, economic considerations generally made practical application of the treatment unattractive because surfactants tend to be adsorbed within the formation. This adsorption would necessitate using large quantities of surfactant if all of the flood water were treated to contain a given surfactant concentration, even if this concentration were quite low. Preston and Calhoun suggested that the principles of chromatography could be applied to the use of surface-active agents as a means of increasing oil recovery. A small volume of surface-active material is injec-

By N. J. Themelis, P. Spira

The efficiency of the reverberatory furnace operation in producing. slags of 1020 copper content depends on the mixing and flow conditions in the bath. Radioactize-tmcer tests have indicated the jkaction of bath volume engaged inflow and the mixing conditions in the bath. The factors controlling the flow pattern of slag have been classified as laminar transfer flow, natrsral convection, and flou, due to the rapid addition or removal of slag.. Similarity criteria for model studies have been developed. The pyrometallurgical processing of copper begins with the smelting of either flotation concentrates, or direct-smelting ores which have been partially roasted to calcines. These materials are generally smelted in a reverberatory furnace, Fig. 1, and separate into two liquid phases, a sulfide matte and an iron silicate slag. he matte is tapped and subsequently reduced to metallic copper in a converter, while the reverberatory slag is usually discarded without any further treatment. Molten slag from the converting operation is returned intermittently to the reverberatory in order to recover its high copper content (1 to 3 pct Cu). The reverberatory furnace is about 115 ft long by 30 ft wide. In general, the solid charge is fed at intervals through openings along the sides of the roof and forms sloping banks from which the molten materials trickle down into the bath; the charge banks extend over a length of about 70 ft from the firing wall. The depth of the slag and matte layers varies from smelter to smelter; in the Noranda furnaces, the slag depth is 24 to 30 in., while the depth of matte at the taphole is about 20 in. Apart from smelting, the functions of the reverberatory are to recover most of the copper content in the converter slag by physical and chemical interaction with the furnace bath, and to provide adequate time for optimum separation between matte and slag. The efficiency of these operations depends on the mixing and flow conditions in the bath and is reflected on the copper losses in the slag. In the present study, the reverberatory furnace is considered as an open-channel chemical reactor and the driving forces for material transport through the bath are examined by means of flow and mathematical models. FLOW CONDITIONS IN THE REVERBERATORY FURNACE To facilitate the study of mixing conditions in continuous-flow reactors, two idealized patterns of flow have been accepted by workers in this field.' The term "backmix" flow is used to describe complete and instantaneous mixing in the reactor (perfect mixing); all particles have the same chance of leaving the system, independently of their time of entrance, and the fluid is uniform in composition throughout the vessel. On the other hand, "plug" flow, or "piston" flow, assumes that a fluid element moves through the reactor without overtaking or mixing with fluid entering at an earlier or later time. In addition to the two idealized patterns of flow, "deadwater" flow accounts for that portion of the fluid which is moving so slowly that it may be assumed to be stagnant. According to the definition by evensppiel,' the cut-off point between active and stagnant fluid may be taken as material which stays in the vessel for a period twice the mean residence time. The flow patterns in real vessels may be approximated by a combination of the above flows. Thus, the vessel is assumed to consist of interconnected flow regions with various modes of flow existing between them. The flow pattern may be determined directly from the flow paths of fluid through the essel. -However, the difficulty of obtaining and interpreting such information has led to the alternate approach of determining the residence time distribution of fluid elements by means of stimulus-response studies. The stimulus is provided by introducing a tracer in the inlet stream and the response by the record of the change in tracer concentration in the exit stream from the reactor. Such tests have been conducted in glass tank furnaces using either chemical7"9 or radioactive tracers1'-'' and, in one case, experiments have been reported for a metallurgical furnace.'"

Jan 1, 1967

By T. G. Digges, C. L. Vold, M. R. Achter

A study was made of the effect of the growth conditions on the perfection of single crystals of niobium (columbium). Dislocation densities, determined by means of double-crystal diffractometer measurements , were not greatly affected by the method of crystal preparation but could be reduced by annealing treatments. However, the size, sharpness, and tilt angles of the substructures, observed with X-ray reflection macrograph, were sensitive to variations in growth procedures as well as to subsequent thermal treatments. Although the dislocation density was the same in both types, there were more low-angle bound-aries in crystals grown by zone melting than in those prepared by strain anneal. Mechanisms to account for these observations are discussed in terms of dislocation movements. A planned study of the structure-sensitive properties of refractory metals required the use of single crystals of a high degree of structural perfection and, for ease of handling, of large cross section. It appeared that the strain-anneal technique could satisfy both of these requirements. First, crystals grown in the solid state have been reported to be more perfect than those obtained from the melt.' Second, the diameters of rods which may be produced by zone melting should have a theoretical limit determined by specific gravity, thermal conductivity, and surface tension, while the diameter of strain-annealed rods is limited only by practical considerations. Previously it was shown that niobium (columbium) single crystals of 1 in. diam2 may be grown by strain anneal, compared to the 0.5 in. maximum diameter achieved by zone melting, as reported for molybdenum by Belk.3 The current research was undertaken to investigate and optimize the effect of various process variables on the perfection of 1/4 and 1/2-in.-diam niobium single crystals grown by strain annealing and to compare their perfection to those grown by zone melting. Characterization of these crystals was more conveniently accomplished by means of X-ray than by metallo-graphic techniques. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Specimen Preparation. Zone-melted crystals of 1/4 in. diam were produced by the standard electron-beam zone-melting technique. The swaged and cleaned rods were outgassed, in the solid state at a temperature near its melting point, at a rate of 12 in. per hr, and single crystals were grown by making two molten passes at 2 in. per hr. By maintaining a zone length of 4 to % in., very uniform single crystals several inches long were obtained. For the strain-annealed crystals, an induction heater was used, in preference to other types of heating, to take advantage of the good penetration of large sections. A five-turn coil, 1 in. long, operating at 10 kc and powered by a motor generator, was contained in a vacuum chamber. The rod, suspended from the upper end, was raised through the coil for both recrystallization and crystal growth. In preliminary work single crystals of the same material were also grown with single and multiturn coils powered by a 450-kc generator. A vacuum of 2 X 10-6 Torr was maintained at temperatures up to 2400°C. Starting with electron-beam-melted ingots of 21/2 in. diam, the analysis for which is given in Table I, the material was cold-swaged to the desired cross section of 1/4 and 1/2 in. diam and then recrystallized. The rods were then strained in a tensile machine and converted to single crystals by passing through the induction coil. As with zone melting, control of orientation is possible by the use of special procedures. Other investigators, see for example Williamson and smallman,4 have reported that orientation control may be achieved by a bending technique. In the present work the strained rod is partially lowered through the coil to start the growth of the crystal. Then it is removed and bent at a point in the poly crystalline portion. Finally, it is returned to the chamber and growth is continued "around the corner". This procedure has certain limitations. If the bending operation exceeds the critical strain, recrystallization may take place. Also, the amount of bending which can be imparted to the rod is limited by coil geometry, and up to now has been 10 deg. However, by repeating the bending and growing operations it should be possible to attain any desired orientation. In preparation for X-ray examination, single crystals were sectioned and planed by means of the spark-erosion technique. To obtain the maximum reflected intensity, the (110) plane was exposed for examination. They were then etched 3 to 5 min in a mixture of con-

Jan 1, 1967

By Francis Foley

Small cracks in a plane normal to the axis of steels are found to be prevalent around the water hole of drill steels that have been in service for an unknown period of time. Cracks are not found on the exterior surface of the steels nor to any noteworthy extent even in the water holes of new drill steels. Undulations and serrations are found in the surface of the water hole in new steels; it is in the bottom of such defects that cracks appear to develop in used steels. The occurrence of the more serious of these cracks at the point in the steel to which it has been heated for forging or hardening is thought to account to a great extent for failures in that region. DURING the past, year, we have investigated the cause of 88 per cent, of the failures by breakage near the bit end of some 1-in. hollow, hexagon, drill steel used in a metal mine. This breakage in the region of the bit end of the steel was peculiarly interesting because we have been led to believe that breakage is most prevalent at the shank end of drill steels near the place where the steel is gripped in the chuck of the machine. Records from the mine showed, also, that the breakage was much more frequent in the short lengths of large gage than in the longer steels; this is shown graphically in Fig. 1. Because the shorter lengths of steels are usually those that have been made from broken pieces of long steels or from steels that have worn down in service, rarely being made from new stock, those who are wont to suspect steel of tiring and crystallizing in its old age through fatigue are quite apt to see in this instance an argument in favor of their idea. As usual, a careful examination of these steels reveals defects of a character hardly to be overlooked in favor of such a cause. The steel in question was rolled with a sand core and was of the usual drill steel composition: Carbon 0.85 per cent., manganese 0.60 per cent., silicon 0.25 per cent., phosphorus 0.02 per cent., and sulfur 0.02 per cent., with the exception that in some specimens there was vanadium, not exceeding 0.20 per cent.

Jan 3, 1924

By Charles Wraith

THE property of the Roan Antelope Copper Mines, Ltd., is situated at Luanshya, north-central part of Northern Rhodesia, and is connected with the main line of the Rhodesia Railways, Ltd., by a 24-mile branch line from N'dola. Most of the material and supplies that are not available in Africa are shipped into the country via Beira, on the East Coast of Africa, a distance of 1473 miles from Luanshya and the nearest ocean port. The output of copper is shipped by rail to Beira and thence by boat to the market. Passenger travel is mostly via Cape Town, a distance of 2162 miles from Luanshya. Excellent passenger trains operate on regular schedules between Cape Town and Northern Rhodesia. Luanshya is 13° south of the equator at an elevation of 4000 ft. above sea level, and has a mild healthful climate. During the rainy season, from October to March, the rainfall averages 53 in. The area is pro-fusely covered with vegetation. An ample supply of water for industrial and domestic purposes is available throughout the year. The more important supplies for smelting purposes, such as wood, coal, limestone, silica, quartzite, and clay for "dolly" mud, are con-veniently available. Excellent grades of coal, coke and firebrick are obtained from the Wankie Colliery Co., Ltd., Southern Rhodesia. The Wankie colliery has just completed the erection of equipment for the manufacture of silica brick. An ample supply of quartzite of good grade is available for this purpose. Silica brick is also obtained from the Belgian Congo and from India. Limestone is quarried from a large deposit a few miles from Bwana Mkubwa, which is 30 miles by rail from the smelter. An abundant supply of clay for "dolly" mud and for lining launders is available within a short distance of the smelter.

Jan 1, 1933

By W. N. Poundstone, G. R. Spindler

A comprehensive report on extensive experimentation in degasification of the Pittsburgh Coal seam is presented. Detailed accounts of the procedures and results are given for permeability tests, vertical bore hole tests, measurement of gas flow from sealed drainage areas, horizontal rib hole tests, and water infusion tests. The removal of methane gas from coal seams in advance of mining is not a new idea with mining men—much attention has been given to the possibility for many years. In other parts of the world, a principal concern has been in the recovery and utilization of the gas and a number of successful projects have been developed in Europe and elsewhere. In this country, the principal motivation has been related to the safety aspect with some possible side benefits concerning costs and efficiency in mining as secondary objectives. To date, experimental work in this country has been largely or entirely exploratory to determine bed characteristics with respect to the liberation of combustible gases to investigate or establish the possibility of degasification in advance of mining and as an aid in projecting mine ventilation systems to provide for safe, effective and economical handling of combustible gases liberated during mining. With these objectives in mind, the School of Mines and Engineering Experiment Station at West Virginia University, in cooperation with the Christopher Coal Co. of Osage, W. Va., initiated some experimental work in May 1952 and the project has been more or less continuous since that time. The work has been centered entirely in mines of the cooperating company in Monongalia County, W. Va., and Greene County, Pa. LOCATION AND GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA The principal mining in the area involved is in the Pittsburgh coal seam which lies at the bottom of the Monongahela series of the Pennsylvanian. The Pittsburgh coal in the area is generally uniform in its structure and physical characteristics. The bed thickness averages about 7 to 8 ft and the coal has a characteristic blocky structure as the result of pronounced face cleats and definite, but somewhat less pronounced, butt cleavage. It is a medium volatile coal, averaging about 37 pct, and is marketed principally as a steam fuel and for metallurgical purposes. The Pittsburgh coal outcrops along the Monongahela River and dips gradually, but not uniformly, slightly north of west (about N75°W). The westward extensions of the bed, from the areas contiguous to the Monongahela River which have been heavily mined, constitute the principal reserves and are all well below drainage with the depth of cover increasing with the distance from the river. In general, with deeper cover, it may be expected that methane liberation will be more of a problem in future mining as compared to areas mined previously; therein lies the interest in possible de-gasification in advance of mining. Fig. 1 shows the Pittsburgh coal area in the vicinity of Morgantown in Monongalia County, W. Va., and Greene County, Pa., in which the experimental work discussed is located. Fig. 2 shows the contours on the Pittsburgh coal in the test area. It will be noted that the first two bore holes for the experiments were at the edge of a bench or terrace with considerable change in the gradient in the immediate vicinity of the test holes and that the same general condition applies to later test areas. Mining is intensively mechanized in the area and in the mines involved in the experimental work with corresponding rapid advance of working faces a typical characteristic. In the areas now mined the total methane liberation ranges from moderate to relatively heavy, but the actual face liberation is extremely variable and may range from practically

Jan 1, 1961

By Charles W. Dickson

CONTENTS. [ ] I.THE RELATION OF NICKEL TO PYRRHOTITE. Introduction. The Sudbury district is to-day one of the two great sources of nickel in the world. The peculiar geological relations of

Jan 1, 1913

By V. L. Elliott, C. L. Meyette

The conditioning of semifinished steel products such as billets, blooms, and slabs to remove surface defects before further processing to finished products is a necessary accompaniment to steel mill rolling operations. A knowledge of the kinds of defects which occur and of the conditions in melting, teeming, and rolling that may lead to their occurrence is favorable to the production of quality products. Surface defects may be classed as either of mechanical origin such as those that occur in the heating and rolling operations and include breaks, tears, guide marks, mechanical laps and the like, or they may have been in the ingot before heating and rolling. Examples of the latter are ingot cracks, blow-holes, scabs, and inclusions which lead to the numerous known types of seams and surface flaws. Most of the common types of surface defects and methods for their identification by visual examination or by the aid of macro-etch tests are well known. The conditions which caused their formation are also appreciably understood and this knowledge has been instrumental in the establishment of methods for metallurgical control. There are, however, defects of doubtful origin. In any endeavor to trace the causes for their occurrence, the question of first concern is: I. Whether they were formed in the rolling procedure. 2. Whether they existed in the ingot prior to rolling. In the case of semifinished products which are rerolled to finished products there is also the question of whether they were formed in the primary or in the secondary rolling. In metallurgical laboratories where numerous or routine examinations of the quality of rolled products are made over the course of time, there will doubtless be many puzzling cases of defect origin. Microscopic examination of the defects may, however, reveal a characterizing condition that can be used to classify them broadly with respect to their origin. Such a condition has been observed and, after detailed investigation, is described here with the thought that it may offer a usable and relatively simple solution to a bothersome problem. Basis For Classifying In this discussion the term "mechanical type defects" will be used to designate those that have occurred as a result of the rolling operations such as in rolling from the ingot to billets, blooms, or slabs or in rerolling to finished products. The term "steel type defects" will be used to designate those that were present in the ingot prior to primary rolling or that were in the semifinished product prior to secondary rolling to finished product. The basis for distinguishing between the two types of defects lies in the relative degree of subscale formation surrounding them. Subscale is defined1 as a zone of

Jan 1, 1949

By C. C. Templeton, J. C. Rodgers

A key step in feed water treatment for generating wet steam for thermal oil recovery is the removal of calcium and magnesiunt hardness by cation-exchange series softening. Knowing the solubility of any scale forming salts in brines at elevated temperatures is necessary for fixing the level to which the feed water must be softened. Such calcium sulfate solubility data, previously not available above 392F, were determined by the authors in a flow equilibrium apparatus mud will be reported elsewhere. These data were used to develop a method for predicting the solubility of anhydrite in hot water or steam droplets for saturated steam pressures as high as 2,000 psig (637F). (The calcium sulfate solubility product is represented by a combination of two factors, one reflecting the effects of ionic strength and the other accounting for the effects of complex ion formation in either calcium-magnesium-rich or sulfate-rich brines.) The method is applied to a calcium-magnesium-rich brine If moderately high salinity from a pilot hot-water flood, I nd to several sulfate-rich, low-salinity feed waters and l lowdown (cooled steam droplets) samples from steam s ak operations. The predicted calcium hardness levels corresponding to the calcium sulfate solubilities agreed reasonably well with the results of laboratory solubility determinations run on the field samples. Further testing of the method is needed for brines of other composition classes. Existing field cation exchange softeners in the cases tested are performing adequately since all the samples were found to be undersaturated with respect to calcium sulfate at their operating temperatures. Introduction Prevention of scaling caused by precipitation of calcium sulfate (anhydrite) is of considerable concern in connection with thermal recovery processes using wet steam or hot water. To avoid anhydrite precipitation in a heated system, an engineer must keep the product of the calcium and sulfate concentrations in the water or steam droplets below the value of the solubility product of anhydrite for the temperature and brine composition in question. Usually it is most practical to keep the concentration product lower than the solubility product by keeping calcium low in the presence of high sulfate, or by keeping sulfate low in the presence of high calcium. This can be done by a choice of combinations of natural waters and water treatment processes (such as series cation exchange softening to remove calcium). Until recently, few anhydrite solubility data, particularly for solutions containing other salts, were available for temperatures above 392F (211 psig steam); Marshall, Slusher and Jones' studied the CaS0,-NaCI-H,O system up to 392F and surveyed the work of previous investigators. To model natural brines, one needs to study the solubility of anhydrite in aqueous solutions of sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and their mixtures. Since steam pressures as high as 2,000 psig (637F) may be involved in thermal oil recovery projects, a solubility study was conducted between 482 and 617F.' Discussed in this paper is the application of these data to the prediction of anhydrite precipitation in some practical steam soak and hot-water injection projects. Any simple method for predicting the solubility of an inorganic compound over a wide range of temperatures and solution compositions must be based on some assumptions, and therefore must yield approximate results. On the one hand, natural brines contain too many ionic species for all to be included in a simple scheme; on the other hand, there is no adequate theoretical basis for the exact prediction of solubility in even simple solutions of mixed electrolytes. However, it is possible at a given temperature to base a reasonable prediction scheme on two phenomena:'-' the increase in solubility with increasing total concentrations of all ions (as measured by the ionic strength; see the Appendix), and an increase due to formation of cornplexes between calcium ions and sulfate ions and between sulfate and magnesium ions. Stiff and Davis' developed such a scheme for predicting the solubility of gypsum (CaSO, ¦ 2H,O) in brines at temperatures u~ to 212F. However, for the higher temperaturei of present interest, the stable solid phase is anhydrite (CaSO,). This study involves a two-part method for predicting anhydrite solubility products. First, one predicts a value K, for a given ionic strength I and a given temperature T corresponding to mo./msr, = 1 from data of the CaS0,-NaCI-H,O system. Second, one determines a group of factors F .= F(Ca) • F(Mg) • F(SO,), where the individual factors account for increases in the solubility product due to complex formation by high concentrations, respectively, of calcium, magnesium and sulfate. Combining the two parts, one obtains the solubility product in molalities as

Jan 1, 1969