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By John Goheen

CONSIDERABLE work has been done in developing a pyrometer to measure the temperature of molten brasses, bronzes, and aluminum in the crucible. On account of the high melting points and the amount of zinc and sulfurous fumes given off from molten brasses, the conditions are somewhat severe for a thermocouple of standard design; but satisfactory results are obtained with a portable pyrometer, 3 ft. (0.9 m.) of connecting lead wire, and a special 5-ft. nickel-nickel chromium thermocouple, composed of rods ¼ in. (6.35 mm.) in diameter. The lower 12 or 24 in., as desired, may be made detachable so that new tips may be connected at little trouble or expense. The portable instrument need not be of the extreme high-resistance type, as the movable parts of the galvanometer of a lower resistance instrument may be better constructed to withstand the continuous handling such an instrument receives. Platinum-platinum rhodium thermocouples, protected with porcelain and graphite tubes, have been used, but the lag in registering the temperature is too great. It has been found that the range of temperature for various brasses is as follows: Red brasses 2200-2250° F. (1205-1234° C.) Yellow brasses 2250-2400° F. (1234-1318° C.) Bronzes 2300-2550° F. (1260-1400° C.)

Jan 11, 1921

By J. C. Wilhoit, J. B. Cheatham

Although an oil well is a long cylindrical hole with an irregular bottom, it appears likely that the nature of the stress concentration at the bottom of the hole can be ascertained from an analysis of the stresses around a short cylindrical cavity with rounded comers and smooth bottom. Such a cavity is studied primarily because it leads more readily to a solution to the problem by the use of stress functions. In this paper the stress distribution around a short cylindrical cavity subjected to bit loading, overburden and drilling-fluid pressures is determined by means of an analytical solution which approximately satisfies the boundary conditions of the problem. From this solution the stresses at the corner of the hole are calculated to be about 35 per cent lower than comparable results obtained by photoelastic and relaxation analyses. This difference is apparently due to the large radius of curvature at the corner of the cavity in the present analysis. Since good agreement is obtained between the results of this analysis and the stresses calculated for a similar loading on a semi-infinite elastic solid, it is concluded that the bit action in the region near the center of the hole is not appreciably affected by the presence of the sides of the hole. INTRODUCTION Much has been written concerning drilling "under down-hole conditions" and pertaining to the stress distribution in the rock at the bottom of an oil well.1-5 For example, it is known that identical rocks can be drilled more rapidly at the surface than under subsurface conditions of pressure and stress.6 Information on the behavior of rocks under loading can be obtained from triaxial test data.7-9 From such tests it is found that rocks exhibit brittle failure when the confining pressure and pore pressure are equal, but the mode of failure may change to ductile as the difference between the confining pressure and the pore pressure is increased. Brittle failure implies that there is very little permanent deformation before fracture, whereas ductile failure indicates that permanent deformation takes place before fracture. Some rocks are ductile at differential pressures of 5,000 psi , but other rocks are brittle even at differential pressures of more than 50,000 psi. Cuttings embedded in mud at the bottom of the hole may act as a plastic mass which the bit teeth must penetrate in order to attack the virgin rock below. 10 During drilling, the mud pressure acts as the confing pressure, and in many cases the difference between the mud pressure and the formation pore pressure IS sufficiently low so that the rock most likely falls in a brittle manner. Very little penetratiori by the bit teeth may be required for brittle failure of the rock. For these brittle materials, the elastic stress distribution is of practical interest in determicing the possible effects of a given loading on failure. The penetration of bit teeth into ductile or plastic rock has been analyzed previously ll,12 and will not be considered further in the present work. During actual drilling, many teeth act at various points ovel an irregular hole bottom. In the present analysis a solution is obtained for an idealized problem of determining the elastic stress distribution caused by only one tooth acting alone at the center of a smooth hole bottom. It obviously is not proposed that any driller should put a special one-tooth bit on bottom, but it is hoped that extensions of the simpler problems can eventually lead to a better understanding of more complex actual drilling phenomena. To obtain a solution by the use of stress functions, a short cylindrical cavity with rounded corners and smooth bottom is studied. The solution to this problem should give an insight into the nature of the stress concentration at the bottom of an oil well which is in reality a long cylindrical hole with an irregularr bottom. After selection of the proper curvilinear co-ordinate system, the stress functions are expressed as series of Legendre polynomials. The coefficient of each term in the series is then determined to satisfy the boundary conditions at a finite number of discrete points on the boundary of the cavity with least square error. Results are compared with bottom-hole stresses obtained by photoelastic and relaxation analyses.

By William Ward

ONE often reads of the rich placer gravels in many of the canoe-traveled rivers of South America. The apparent richness of these gold-bearing gravels impresses the traveler, and in fact he may see batea after batea showing enough colors to figure over a dollar per cubic yard. These workings are called "playas" from the Spanish word playa, meaning shore or beach. Many workings have been reported in tropical rivers, but to my knowledge no dredge has made a success in such deposits. Investigation generally shows that the area of richness is limited and especially that the depth of the rich concentration is hardly ever more than a few inches. The Cauca river in Colombia, South America, is noted for its many rich playas.. This river rises near Popayan in the southern part of Colombia, flows north through a narrow valley between parallel mountain ranges and empties into the Magdalena river near Maganque. The airline distance between source and mouth of this river is only about 500 miles. The rainfall is large and the lower Cauca appears to be about the size of the Missouri river in the United States. From its mouth up to Valdivia, in the State of Antioqua, it is navigable. Above Valdivia is a. narrow gorge, above which the river is again navigable for some distance. The part of the Cauca where the playa panning is most noticeable is from Valdivia down to Where the Nechi river enters the Cauca, a distance along the river of about 100 miles. The current in this part is swift, so that the stern-wheel river steamers make the trip with some difficulty. In the course of my work in this section of Colombia I have had the opportunity to make a study of several of these playa workings and will give in detail the conditions observed.

Jan 7, 1914

By E. D. Peters

The Sudbury ore-deposits possess a peculiar interest for a variety of reasons. In the first place, they are deep within the borders of the Huronian rocks, and are consequently amongst the oldest deposits that we know of, unless, indeed, the ores were deposited at a much later period than the country rock. Again, they carry nickel in unusual proportions, and lastly, they are unique in containing a small amount of platinum, although arsenic is not present. I shall not pretend to go into the geology of this region. The Huronian and Laurentian rocks are familiar to all American geologists, and these present only the usual series of gneiss, graywacke, quartzites, greenstones, clay-slates, etc., characteristic of this gigantic system of rocks, which has excited so much discussion of late years. As in all parts of Canada where it occurs, I believe, the rocks of this system are tilted to such an extraordinary degree that it may be said that the whole country is standing on edge at an angle of something like 70°. The general strike of these rocks is southwest

Jan 1, 1890

By Albert S. Trube

Increasing emphasis is being placed on the necessity for obtaining reasonably accurate estimates of the physical properties of reservoir fluids well in advance of more accurate laboratory data. One such factor is the isothermal coefficient of expansion of an undersaturated hydrocarbon liquid which may be contained in a particular reservoir. This coefficient, or liquid "compressibility", has often been assumed to be relatively insensitive and nearly constant. Although this assumption may be nearly correct in the case of high specific gravity liquids, it cannot apply in the case of medium to low specific gravity liquids. Any treatment of the nature of liquid compressibilities must give consideration to the variable nature of the isothermal expansion coefficient and the fact that it can be both pressure sensitive and temperature sensitive. The isothermal coefficient of expansion, or compressibility, of a substance is defined as -c = 1/V (?V/?p)T......(1) The value of Eq. 1 may be approximated for a finite pressure change by using the well-known relation, c = V1 - V1/Ve (p2-p1), ........(2) in which p1 > p1 and V2 > V2 and V1 + V2/2. The instantaneous compressibility may also be estimated from the slope of a curve on which log V is plotted vs pa. In this instance, it has been shown that c = In V1/V2/p2-p1 ...........(3) Eq. 3 may be used for variable compressibilities by plot-ting V vs p on semi-log paper. In this case, the instan-taneous or point compressibility is c = 2.303 m.......... . (4) in which m is the slope of the curve at a point in log cycles per psi. ISOTHERMAL COMPRESSIBILITY OF UNDERSATURATED LIQUID In the case of gases, the compressibility has been defined by Muskat' and others as Co = 1/p - ?z/z?p ..........(5) This was later generalized through application of the theorem of corresponding states' to co = 1/pr - (?z/z?pr) T8 ........(6) in which c, is defined as the pseudo-reduced compres-sibility and is numerically equal to (c.p,) and the sign is arbitrarily changed for mathematical convenience. Eq. 6 is general and applies to gases and liquids. In the case of liquids, c. = c1,pe, but if Eq. 6 is used, values of z and ?z/?p, must be determined for the liquid in question. The difficulty of obtaining accurate values of ?z/?p,, particularly in the region where T, is approaching 1.00, was pointed out in the previous paper'. This method of approach is unreliable for extension into computations of liquid compressibilities. On the other hand, c, can also be defined as follows: - Cr = 1/Vr (?Vr/?pr) Tr ......(7) and from which, Cr = 1/pr (?pr/?pr) Tr .....(8) In accordance with the theorem of corresponding states, Vr = V/Vr, p, = p/pr and pr = p/pr. Ref. 2 pro-vides an excellent source of reduced density, reduced pressure and reduced temperature data for a wide variety of fluids. For the purpose of this investigation, the set of fluids2 having ze = 0.27 was chosen because it in-cludes most of the heavier hydrocarbons usually found in those complex mixtures loosely defined as "reservoir oils". Data on undersaturated liquids in Ref. 2 were rearranged to conform with Eq. 8. To simplify the computation of cr, the isothermal p, data were plotted vs the log of pr, in which case for any straight line or tangent cr = 1/M pr pr .....(9)

Jan 1, 1958

By C. A. Heberlein

The present war in Europe seems to have stimulated the demand for quicksilver. In July last, the price ranged around $35 per flask of 75 Ib., while to-day it seems to fluctuate between $47.50 and $50. The use of quicksilver in the form of fulminate, containing 70 per cent., and as corrosive sublimate, containing 73.8 per cent., must be extensive and a further market advance may be expected. With such an advance, some revival in quicksilver mining may be looked for, particularly in California, where many abandoned properties exist. What can be done with low-grade quicksilver ores under favorable conditions, particularly with low mining cost, may be seen from the following description of the Oceanic mine, near San Luis Obispo, Cal. Its operations date back to 1876, when rich sand ores were discovered. In three years 7,400 flasks of quicksilver were produced, but since then the deposit has been worked only sporadically . Until two years ago various attempts had been made by the Oceanic Quicksilver Co. to mine the more refractory "mud rock," which was encountered lying beyond the " sand rock." Mud and sand rock in varying quantities were treated together, with poor results, but operations were successful with sand rock of fair percentage. About two years ago, when all the sand rock had been exhausted, Murray Innes purchased the Oceanic mine. He found large quantities of low-grade mud rock, varying from 6 to 8 Ib. of quicksilver per ton, which at the prevailing low price of quicksilver demanded very cheap mining costs, in conjunction with high but cheap metallurgical extraction. At that time the extraction of quicksilver from mud rock ranged between 40 and 50 per cent., as far as I am able to learn. Mining The low cost of mining was the principal consideration, since, with mercury at 50c. per pound, the total gross value of the ore did not exceed

Jan 1, 1915

By Dwight L. Sawyer

IF it had not been for the testimony of former Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes, before the Senatorial investigating committee the public would have heard little about the Federal Government's suit against California for the ownership of the tidelands. The Ickes-Pauley dispute brought to public attention that the California tideland oil deposits are the last remaining large Federal oil reserves. Ickes contends that these tideland oil deposits belong to the nation for the benefit of all the people of all the states and not solely to the State of California. Ickes also accused California oil man Ed Pauley of offering to give $330; 000 to the Democratic party fund if Ickes would drop the Federal Government's suit against the State of California for the ownership of said tidelands. The tidelands may be considered as the land bordering the coast line between mean high tide and outward under the ocean for a distance of a marine league, or about three statute miles. This strip of land along the coast of southern California contains large oil deposits which have a present and future prospective value of several billion dollars.

Jan 1, 1947

By A. T. Beckwith

The Lehigh Navigation Coal Company Inc. operates steep-pitch, relatively deep mines in the Panther Creek Valley, at the eastern end of the southern anthracite coal field. Commercially minable coal beds are the Mammoth,† Primrose, Orchard, and Buck Mountain;‡ their respective thicknesses average 50, 15, 10 and 12 ft. Sand slates immediately overlie and underlie these beds, though in some locations sandstone or conglomerate beds occur. Underground operations extend to a depth of 1200 ft. below the surface, and comprise a bulk of virgin work on the lower levels, and a small amount of remining on the upper levels. With increase in depth, ventilation has become a more important factor. Development In early days slopes or drifts were driven in the outcropping coal on the hillsides. Subsequent development was by water-level tunnels, with portals above high water in Panther Creek. These tunnels have been maintained because they intercept and drain much water that enters the mined-out portion of the bed and otherwise would follow down to the deep workings+ Below these tunnels, the coal was customarily developed by slopes. Muleways, which are zigzag chutes easy to travel, were also driven to connect lower openings with the water levels. When it became necessary to go still deeper, the slopes were abandoned, and vertical multicompartment shafts were sunk from the surface. Levels have been at vertical intervals of from 175 to 250 ft. Recent practice has been toward the latter spacing, splitting the total lift, however, by starting to mine from chutes extending halfway up to the level above. Chutes customarily are spaced at 50, 60 or 70-ft. centers along the gangways. At some mines, additional shafts have been sunk from the surface to the level containing the main pumping station, and these carry the discharge lines from the pumps. As the mines are ventilated by the exhausting system, both the hoisting and so-called water shafts serve as intakes. The main fan is always on the surface, and is connected with the return airways from the various levels by an air hole or a vertical shaft. For economy, when the present deepest levels were developed, and return-air shafts or air holes were not extended to the new level, but connections were made from the new level to that above by two or more holes. It is doubtful that this method will be continued, as complications in the system, increased resistance to flow, and other difficulties undoubtedly will counterbalance any economies this provision may afford. During the early years of mining, when operations were at no great depth, all development headings were driven in the coal bed. As mining progressed downward, increased ground pressures slowed develop

Jan 1, 1942

By A. T. Beckwith

The Lehigh Navigation Coal Company Inc. operates steep-pitch, relatively deep mines in the Panther Creek Valley, at the eastern end of the southern anthracite coal field. Commercially minable coal beds are the Mammoth,† Primrose, Orchard, and Buck Mountain;‡ their respective thicknesses average 50, 15, 10 and 12 ft. Sand slates immediately overlie and underlie these beds, though in some locations sandstone or conglomerate beds occur. Underground operations extend to a depth of 1200 ft. below the surface, and comprise a bulk of virgin work on the lower levels, and a small amount of remining on the upper levels. With increase in depth, ventilation has become a more important factor. Development In early days slopes or drifts were driven in the outcropping coal on the hillsides. Subsequent development was by water-level tunnels, with portals above high water in Panther Creek. These tunnels have been maintained because they intercept and drain much water that enters the mined-out portion of the bed and otherwise would follow down to the deep workings+ Below these tunnels, the coal was customarily developed by slopes. Muleways, which are zigzag chutes easy to travel, were also driven to connect lower openings with the water levels. When it became necessary to go still deeper, the slopes were abandoned, and vertical multicompartment shafts were sunk from the surface. Levels have been at vertical intervals of from 175 to 250 ft. Recent practice has been toward the latter spacing, splitting the total lift, however, by starting to mine from chutes extending halfway up to the level above. Chutes customarily are spaced at 50, 60 or 70-ft. centers along the gangways. At some mines, additional shafts have been sunk from the surface to the level containing the main pumping station, and these carry the discharge lines from the pumps. As the mines are ventilated by the exhausting system, both the hoisting and so-called water shafts serve as intakes. The main fan is always on the surface, and is connected with the return airways from the various levels by an air hole or a vertical shaft. For economy, when the present deepest levels were developed, and return-air shafts or air holes were not extended to the new level, but connections were made from the new level to that above by two or more holes. It is doubtful that this method will be continued, as complications in the system, increased resistance to flow, and other difficulties undoubtedly will counterbalance any economies this provision may afford. During the early years of mining, when operations were at no great depth, all development headings were driven in the coal bed. As mining progressed downward, increased ground pressures slowed develop

Jan 1, 1942

By D. O. Ehrenburg

DURING the earlier period of electrical prospecting, the search for orebodies was by far the most important application of this method of geophysical prospecting. In the past few years, however, increasing attention has been paid to the possibilities of this method in the investigation of subsurface structures. Not only have fault zones been located, but attempts have been made to determine the depth to certain strata and thus contouring on some bed which proves to be a good "electrical marker." Many workers have published the results of field tests showing how their particular interpretations have agreed with the actual field conditions, but very few have stated their method of interpretation. Weaver, Hummel and Stefanesco and Schlumberger1 have given a more theoretical discussion of the resistivity methods. Hummel and Stefanesco and Schlumberger have published mathematical solutions for the flow of electricity in a medium involving four layers. In this paper the authors present a solution for the flow of electricity in a medium of any number of horizontal strata. By means of this solution, curves showing the relationship between the apparent resistivity and the electrode spacing can be computed for ideal cases.

Jan 1, 1931

By Kendall E. Born

Production of crude oil in Tennessee during 1937 was slightly over 37,000 bbl., an 85 per cent increase over the preceding year and the highest since 1928. Closer cooperation between the operators and the State Division of Geology has resulted in more accurate data than have been possible for the past few years. Such cooperation is most desirable, especially in this state, which has no law requiring the filling of drilling permits, logs, and production figures. The increased production for the year has resulted from discoveries of four small pools in the shallow district of Clay and near-by counties. The most promising of these began production late in 1937 and consequently has had little effect on the 1937 total. These discoveries, along with renewed activities in some of the older areas, have increased the production for Clay and adjoining counties from less than 5000 bbl. during 1936 to over 21,000 bbl. in 1937. The Mississippi lime production in Scott and Morgan Counties declined from 16,335 bbl. in 1936 to 14,644 bbl. during 1937. While the decline curve on this production has been gradual, some of the wells are over 20 years old, and it becomes necessary to look for other favorable structures in this general region if increased production is to be obtained or past production maintained. The only natural gas marketed off the lease in Tennessee during 1937 was in Morgan County, where a small amount was furnished for the town of Sunbright and its immediate vicinity. The gas occurs with the oil in the Boone Camp field and small amounts were put on the line from the near-by Coon Hollow and Seabolt pools. Development There were 59 wells spudded in during 1937, of which 18 were drilling or only temporarily shut down on Dec. 31, 1937. Of the 41 completions, 17 produced oil, 5 were gas wells of undetermined quantity, and 19 were dry or near-dry holes. The flush production on the new wells totaled about 1300 bbl. per day. The more important wildcats are listed in

Jan 1, 1938

By Julien F. Phillips, Donald E. Garrett

The production of soda ash from natural sources is one of the United States' oldest industries. The London Company, which financed the settlement of Jamestown, in the fall of 1608 exported in its first cargo from Virginia " . . . trials of pitch, tar, glass, frankincense, and soap-ashes."1 This last product, a crude mixture of sodium and potassium carbonates obtained by the burning of wood in iron pots, was the commercial soda ash of its day, used in the infant soap, glass, and bleaching industries. Besides having a good cash value, its production helped to clear the land, and it was a compact, easily shipped commodity. The extra high potassium content of these American "pot-ashes" gave them an added market as a fertilizer, a field that they dominated until the opening of the Strassfurt deposits in 1860. This form of natural soda ash disappeared forever from commercial importance with the introduction of the Le Blanc process (1791), and later the Solvay process for manufacturing soda ash. The Solvay process was rapidly accepted in the United States, and has accounted for most of the country's soda ash production since 1884. It was not until the western part of the country began to be developed that natural soda ash was again produced. A number of lakes, playas, and springs west of the Rocky Mountains were found to be rich in this mineral, and climatic conditions were ideal for its easy recovery by solar evaporation. The production of natural soda ash from these deposits has become a steadily growing industry in the United States. Production A summary of the production and value of natural sodium carbonates in the United States is presented in Table 1. Prior to 1927 the principal output came from several different companies at Owens Lake, California. Then production at Searles Lake, California, began to [ ] increase until it became the most important source. In 1948 the sale of crude trona from Green River, Wyoming, commenced and since that time production from these latter two areas has been about equal. Table 2 lists the four

Jan 1, 1960

By F. A. Crossley

The additions: o, Sn, Zr, Cb, Mo, and V were studied for their effects on the a/a + Ti3A1 boundary of Ti-A1 base ternary alloys. These additions were chosen because of their importance to commercial titanium alloy practice—oxygen as the major impurity (in terms of influence on mechanical properties) and the others as major alloying additions. The composition and temperature ranges of investigation varied according to the system as shown in Table I. The principal means of investigation was light-microscopy. The basis of the ternary studies was the recently determined titanium-rich end of the Ti-A1 system.' MATERIALS, METHODS, AND PROCEDURES Ingots were prepared in 15 g size for all alloys except those of the Ti-Al-Mo and Ti-A1-V systems which were prepared in 20 g size. These alloys were prepared from high-purity, electrolytically refined titanium obtained from the Bureau of Mines, Boulder City Metallurgical Laboratory, Boulder City, Col., and Chicago Development Corp., Riverdale, Md., for the 15 g and 20 g ingots, respectively. The alloying additions were obtained from commercial sources, and were at least of 99.9 pct purity, except the V-15 wt pct A1 master alloy for vanadium additions. This alloy was of 98.2 pct purity; the major impurities were 0.37 wt pct Fe and 0.38 wt pct Si. The ingots were prepared by multiple melting in a nonconsum-able-electrode arc furnace. The ingots were covered with Markal coating "CR-T22" (Markal Co., Chicago) to protect them from scaling. Markal coating is applied as a slurry of solids in a volatile carrier liquid. The coated article is air dried. Upon heating to the hot working temperature the coating fuses to form a glassy, protective film. The ingots were heated to 1000°C and rolled to 0.16 in. thickness, reheating after each pass. The glassy film was removed by sand blasting. Ten mils were removed from all surfaces by grinding and/or pickling (3 pct HF, 30 pct HN03, balance water). Grinding was always followed by pickling to remove traces of the grindmg medium. Hydrogen removal was accomplished by vacuum annealing at 1000°C for 2 hr to a final pressure of about 0.02 µ Hg. This was followed by annealing in evacuated Vycor bulbs (800°C, 2 hr, ice brine quenched (IBQ)) in order to maximize ductility. The materials were then lightly pickled and cold rolled to 0.12 in. thickness or cracking, whichever occurred first. After rolling, 1/2 by 1/4 in. specimens were cut for the equilibration anneals given in Table 11 and carried out as previously described.1 Final polishing of the specimens for metallographic examination was done by electrolytic means. Specimens were first examined without etching under bright field and polarized light illumination, for this is the only means of detecting the "two-phase" phenomenon.1,2 The term "two-phase syndrome" refers to Ti-A1 al-loys which appear on the bases of their chemical, phys-ical, and mechanical properties, to be two-phase, but are actually single phase and inhomogeneous in composition. Since processing and heat treatment of the alloys of the first group were completed before the two-phase syndrome was discovered, a number of the specimens were found to exhibit this phenomenon—80 pct of those of the Ti-Al-Zr system, 5 pct of those of the Ti-Al-Sn system, 30 pct of those of the Ti-Al-Zr system. The affected specimens were homogenized by heating above the ß transus temperature and quenching. The heat treatment and working schedules to accomplish this are given in Table 111. After rolling, specimens were pickled (3 pctHF, 30 pct HNO3 in water) to remove 1 to 2 mils from the

Jan 1, 1970

By J. W. Pamplin

SOME 40 miles east of Tampa is the center of the Florida pebble phosphate deposits. These are of Pliocene age and consist of several members of the Bone Valley formation.1 Physically the phosphate-bearing formation, locally called the "matrix," varies in thickness from nothing to about 25 ft., usually averages 10 ft., and consists mainly of clay, quartz and phosphate pebble, the latter particles varying in size from colloidal to one inch diameter. The pebbles range in color from dark gray, through white, to cream, and in hardness from that which must be broken with a hammer to that which can be scratched with the fingernail. They assay from 66 to 80 per cent bone phosphate of lime (called "B.P.L." in the trade) or tricalcium phosphate (Ca3P20s) and are secondary apatites. They form from 15 to 50 per cent by weight of the matrix, Over the matrix lies a varying thickness (5 to 40 ft.) of overburden composed of quartz and clay. Briefly, mining consists of two operations2 in open pits about 200 ft. wide by ½ mile or more in length. In the first step overburden is removed by large electric draglines at the rate of about 700 cu. yd. per hour. This is followed closely by hydraulic mining of the matrix at the rate of about 300 cu. yd. per hour. This matrix yardage is moved from an improvised sump in the floor of the pit to an ore-dressing plant, some-times a mile distant, by one, two or three "pit-cars" (pumping units) working on a 12-in. pipe line called the "rock line" to distinguish it from the high-pressure water line feeding the hydraulic giants, which is known as the "hydraulic line." This 700 yd. of overburden and 300 yd. of matrix-1000 yd. in all-amounts to about 1500 tons of material moved each hour. The over-burden is dumped into the mined-out pit alongside the pit being mined. The matrix moves to the ore-dressing plant at the rate of about 7 ½ long tons in 4000 gal. of water per minute-a ratio of approximately one to two by weight, or one to six by volume. This constitutes the "mill heads," but in the pebble district it is called the "matrix."

Jan 1, 1938

Jan 1, 1955

By Van Dyne Howbert, Fred E. Gray

The Presidio mine of The American Metal Co. of Texas is situated 45 miles south of Marfa, Texas, a town on the Southern Pacific R. R., and lies approximately 20 miles north of the Mexican border. Communication with the railroad is maintained over a state highway. All supplies for mine and mill are hauled in by truck from Marfa and precipitates and concentrates are freighted to the railroad by the same means and shipped to Selby and El Paso, respectively. The mill is at the town of Shafter, 1 mile from the mine and at approximately 350 ft. lower elevation. The ore is conveyed to it by an aerial tramway which requires practically no power on account of the difference in elevation. The mill is a countercurrent decantation cyanide and gravity concentrating plant of 200 tons daily capacity. Coarse and fine crushing are done at the mill. Two neal-by shallow wells in the bed of Cibolo Creek furnish an abundance of water. Power is generated for the mill and town by a Diesel engine plant. Ore Treated The ore is oxidized and siliceous. The greater part contains approximately 16 oz. of silver per ton, but mixed with this are many particles of ore of much higher grade, assaying in many instances 100 oz. or more. In the 16-oz. material there is an almost constant amount of silver which is difficult to recover by cyanidation. The high-grade material contains a much greater proportion of silver which is easily amenable to cyanide treatment. Thus, as the grade of ore becomes higher, the percentage of recovery of silver increases rapidly, under equal milling conditions. The silver minerals contained in the ore are principally argentite and cerargyrite, the former predominating The lead minerals, all of which are argentiferous, are chiefly cerussite and galena, with occasionally a little anglesite. The gold is free; most of the ore contains merely a trace

Jan 1, 1935

By O. R. Wagner, R. O. Leach, H. W. Wood, C. F. Harpke

PAN AMERICAN PETROLEUM CORP.TULSA, OKLA. CASPER, WYO A field test has been made in which additional oil recovery was obtained from a previously-waterflooded "oil-wet" sandstone reservoir. This recovery improvement was accomplished by adjusting the reservoir wettability through chemical treatment of the flood water. The test was made in the Muddy sand of the West Harrisburg Unit, Neb. The chemical used, sodium hydroxide, was injected as a slug of dilute caustic solution through a water-injection well. The natural wettability of the reservoir and the chemical requirements for reversing wettability were determined in the laboratory from contact-angle studies using field water and oil samples. Laboratory flood tests with a synthetic system had shown that reversing the wettability of an oil-wet consolidated core would lead to improved oil recovery. The field performance indicates that the mechanism by which increased oil retovery is obtained in the field is the same as that observed in the lahoratory. Laboratory studies indicate that higher ultimate recoveries and decreascd water-injection requirements result when the adjusting agent is added early in the life of the flood. However, a previously waterflooded area was intentiorzally chosen for the field test so that unambiguous conclusions could be made about the effects of chemical injection on wettability and the extent of oil-recovery improvernent afforded by wettability reversal. Forces existing at the fluid-solid and fluid-fluid interfaces in a porous medium have an important effect on oil recovery during a water flood. Modifying these interfacial forces in the reservoir to improve oil recovery has been the object of much research. Several papers' ' have discussed the use of surfactants to lower the water-oil interfacial tension. This paper describes work concerned with improving oil recovery by modifying the forces at the fluid-solid interfaces— that is, by changing the preferential wettability. An earlier paper: presented evidence to show that some reservoir systems could be changed from preferentially oil-wet to preferentially water-wet by the action of simple chemicals added to the water to increase waterflood oil recovery. The process was attractive for further study because it used only inexpensive chemicals and because it called for a gross "wettability reversal" rather than for a precise adjustment. The present paper is an extension of the earlier work. Laboratory flow tests were made using treated water and oil in a consolidated core to determine the amount of additional oil recovery and the producing performance which might be expected from reversing the wettability of an oil-wet reservoir during a flood. A contact-anglc study using water and oil from the Muddy "J" sand of the Harrisburg field, Banner County, Neb., indicated the reservoir to be preferentially oil-wet and susceptible to wettability reversal through chemical injection. Based on these studies, a field trial of wettability-reversal water flooding was initiated. in the Harrisburg field. The primary purpose of the trial was to determine if wettability-reversal flooding would improve oil recovery in an actual field situation. The field trial was also an important test of the laboratory tecnique used to determine the effect on oil recovery of certain wettability manipulation, as well as a test of the contract-angle method of determining reservoir wetra-bility. The paper is presented in two parts. The first part covers the laboratory experiments leading up to the field trial, and the second part covers the field trial. PART I—LABORATORY STUDY The laboratory experiments consisted of displacement tests using an idealized fluid system and of a contact-angle study with crude and water from the Muddy "J" sand of the West Harrisburg Unit, Banner County, Neb. The displacement tests were designed to determine the effects of a particular wettability manipulation, oil-wet to water-wet, on oil displacement in a water flood. The contact-angle measurements were made to determine the natural wettability of the reservoir and to determine if beneficial wetting changes could be brought about by a chemical addition to the flood water. PROCEDURE DISPLACEMENT TESTS The displacement tests were perfornled in a consolidated sandstone core using a refined oil and water. The wetting properties of this system could

By W. G. Fischer

Basic laboratory tests on trona and the surrounding shales initiated the Rock Mechanics program. The stress-strain curve, modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio, the uniaxial rock strength, Mohr's envelope, the biaxial stresses at failure, and creep were investigated. A series of underground problems were then approached using this information and various field measuring devices, most of which were developed by the Bureau of Mines. Initially, stress concentrations near mine openings were evaluated using the stress relief technique. This required an accurate determination of the pre-mining stress field. Later, stress concentrations associated with the cave line were studied. After about 30 stress reliefs over an appropriate time interval the effects of one type of mining could be compared against another. The microseismic technique was used to investi- gate a possible application of warning devices near the cave line. A study of mine reorientation was made. Problems related to the shape and size of pillars and barriers were studied. The effectiveness of roof bolting patterns was examined. Control of roof stresses was attempted. A new system of mining in heavy ground has been developed using the information secured in the Rock Mechanics program. Without this system, mining in more than one instance would have been next to impossible. Indeed, from this one discovery alone, the Rock Mechanics program has paid off in improved safety as well as in dollars. The Westvaco trona* mine is located near the town of Green River in the southwestern corner of Wyoming. It is owned and operated by FMC Corp. on land leased from the US Government, the State of Wyoming, and the Union Pacific Railroad. A conventional room and pillar system is being used, (Fig. 1) with complete removal of the pillars during final mining. Return air bleeders surround

Jan 1, 1964

By Persifor Frazer

MR. Theodore D. Rand has made some interesting observations on the serpentines of Chester and Delaware counties, Penna., in which he suggests that the outcrops of this rock are detached from each other, and that while a comparatively narrow belt, running nearly east and west, mill include them all, the strike of each outcrop differs considerably from the direction of this narrow belt; and that it results that these isolated exposures exist on the map, as it were, in echelon, the easternmost end of each lying northwest of the western extremity of its neighbor. As he elsewhere remarks, this is important, if established, and the writer spent a day or two recently on the ground in the study of this phenomenon. One thing would seem to follow from such a state of facts, viz., that this serpentine at least must have been of secondary origin, for it is difficult to conceive of a rock which occurs intercalated in numerous horizons of a different formation, and agreeing with the latter in bedding, unless the former were an altered product of the latter. It is true that one might account for it by the supposition of an original unconformable deposit, which had been broken by a number of faults and distorted by throws to the northwest; but this hypothesis would do violence to the observed facts relating to the measures along with which the serpentine occurs, and in which no such distortion has been observed. * Thus for determining, by evaporative test, the calorific power of a coal, the ultimate constitution of which is known, it is requisite, that, besides the quantity of coal consumed and the weight of the water evaporated, the temperature and chemical composition of the escaping gases, or gaseous residue, shall be quantitatively determined, the same as solid residues of ash and unconsumed fuel. In observance of such requirements, the Heizversuchstation of Munich has been in operation since 1879. This consists of a permanent boiler plant, constructed on the principle of the calorimeter, with special provision for avoiding errors from loss of heat—snch, namely, as arise from radiation and conduction, and from the varying proportions of water in steam.—Muck. Steinkohlen-Cliemie, 1881, 146. See Proc. Min. and Geol. Sect., Acad of Nat. Sci., 1850 and 1881, pp. 9 and 28.

Jan 1, 1884

By George E. Cole

While many parts of Canada's pre-Cambrian shield are well served by railway, it is frequently necessary for prospecting purposes to proceed farther into areas inaccessible by rail. To such areas in summer the canoe was at one time the accepted means of travel for the prospector while the dog team was much used in winter. Although summer travel was much improved by the development of the outboard motor, the lack of facilities for cheap transportation has been a serious hindrance to the employment of capital in opening up the distant fields. The pre-Cambrian surface of Manitoba, like that of Ontario, is hummocky, with rounded hills and ridges of rock alternating with basinlike depressions and valleys occupied by lakes and rivers Or by many low-lying portions covered with muskeg' Routes to the mines have not usually been direct or easy and seasonal vagaries have presented problems in themselves. In summer, water transportation may be the cheapest method for the longer distances but it is not every water route that will satisfy the conditions of loading freight on to a boat or scow and of conveying it without interruption to its destination. By its location, a mine may require a large program of boat transportation in summer Over part of its route, to be followed by winter freighting for the remainder. In order to carry on development and produc- tion over a long period, it may be necessary to haul large quantities of supplies during the winter. This seasonal problem, particularly for the out-of-the-way properties, is SO important and demanding as to make it a major operation in the life of the mine. The -use of the tractor during winter months for heavy machinery and bulk supplies, and the use of the airplane throughout the year for the transportation of personnel and for emergency requirements, have greatly improved transportation to places that are inaccessible by rail. Canada has pioneered in both these methods. Development oF Transportation Twenty-two years have seen a marked change in transportation methods in Canada's mining country. Horse-drawn sleighs have given way to the tractor and that to some extent has been supplanted by the airplane. One of the earliest ventures involving transportation of considerable magnitude was that of the Mandy mine, on Schist at in northern Manitoba. According to accounts of early mining activities in Manitoba, the Mandy mine, beginning December 1916, had 3300 tons of ore hauled 40 miles by sleigh to Saskatchewan River and in summer this was conveyed by barge to The Pas, 130 miles, and then by railroad to Trail, British Columbia, 1200 miles. The mine shipped 6000 tons of ore in 1918 and 15,000 tons in 1919. In winter of the latter year, as many as 300 teams of horses were used on the 40-mile stretch to

Jan 1, 1943