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By T. F. Witherbee

The Iron Mountain, situated three-quarters of a mile NE. of the limits of the City of Durango, rises abruptly from a level plain, and trends N. 83' E. Fig. 1 gives a view of the mountain, with the company's iron-works. There are indications that the vein or deposit of iron-ore extends also about two leagues across the Murca ranch, in the same general direction. The Iron Mountain proper is divided into two great lenses by a horse of cantera or eruptive rock, some hundreds of feet in width.

Jan 1, 1902

Seventeen members of the Board were present, and the Secretary of the Institute. During part of the meeting, seven other Members of the Institute were also present as guests. After extended discussion, the Board approved the general principles embodied in the War Minerals bill, and recommended the passage of a bill embodying these principles. The vote stood 14 in favor and two opposed, one member not voting. On motion, duly seconded, it was RESOLVED, that in connection with the appointment of the proposed War Minerals Administrator, the attention off the War Minerals Committee be called to the importance of selecting a man trained in the mining and metallurgical industry, but having no pecuniary interest in these industries. John V. N. Dorr was elected Director to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Robert M. Raymond as Vice-President. Charles W. Goodale was elected First Vice-President. George C. Stone was elected Treasurer. Rossiter W. Raymond was appointed Secretary Emeritus. Bradley Stoughton was elected Secretary. The following committees were elected: Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Committee on Papers and Publications, Committee on Membership, Library Committee, Committee on Nominations, Committee on Safety, Sanitation and Welfare. John V. N. Dorr was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Increase of Membership.

Jan 4, 1918

By F. S. McNicholas

IN the first big blast at Climax, a "loop back" (three-wire system) was used (Fig. 1), with the idea of securing a wiring system that would give to all series the same amount of current. Single-phase, 60-cycle, 13,800-volt FIG. 1.-Loop BACK. A THREE-WIRE SYSTEM WITH BRANCHES VARYING IN LENGTH. power was furnished to the blasting transformers, each of which has a rated capacity of 600 amp. at 480 volts. Two blasting leads were taken from these transformers, giving a blasting current of single phase, 60 cycle, 480 volts, with an instantaneous capacity of more than 600 amp. The blasting switch was on the secondary leads from the transformers, to avoid lag in energizing them.

Jan 1, 1938

AS we contemplate the bestowal of the John Fritz medal year after year on men of wide-world dis-tinction in the various fields of engineering, men who in one way or another have given impulse and direction to the progress of mankind, the question becomes inter-esting as to what manner of man was John Fritz and what were the qualities that singled out his name to be so conspicuously associated with the world's great scientific and industrial achievements. If, as Lowell said, it is the duty of the nation to pro-duce great men, our country surely rose to her oppor-tunity when she guided and guarded the career of John Fritz. Starting life as a blacksmith with no advantages of education, without influential friends or the favor-ing accidents of fortune, he advanced steadily in use-fulness, power and respect of his fellowmen until by common consent he occupied the first place in the domain of the steel industry of this, country. The numerous honorary scientific memberships conferred upon him in this country and abroad attest the esteem in which he is held by his fellow engineers. Twenty years after his retirement from active business at the age of seventy, he lived to enjoy, as few men have been permitted to do, the fame and the friendships which he had so amply earned. His sterner qualities of industry, integrity and sterling character were re-lieved by unfailing human sympathy, humor and spon-taneous good-will toward his fellowmen. To all who

Jan 3, 1928

By F. M. Lewis, Johnson. E. C.

BY now application of the liquid-solid cyclone to various classification problems in the chemical and metallurgical fields is more or less familiar. A less publicized application receiving wider consideration as time goes on is its use as a classifier in closed-circuit grinding operations. This paper presents the costs involved and the experience gained from operating a unit of this kind. In May 1951 the Tennessee Copper Co. installed in its London mill at Copperhill, Tenn., a liquid- solid cyclone in closed circuit with a 6x12-ft ball mill. The circuit in which this cyclone is used is the regrind or secondary grinding circuit of a copper flotation plant. Originally it consisted of a 7x1-ft conical ball mill in closed circuit with a bowl classifier. Changes made in the primary grinding circuit of the mill necessitated a regrind circuit of greater capacity. The bulk concentrate to be ground was raised from 900 or 1000 tpd to 1200 or 1300 tpd, and to accommodate this increase a 6x12-ft ball mill which had been in the primary grinding circuit was moved into the regrind circuit. When this was done it was found that the classifier was too small to give efficient operation. Space in the plant was at a premium, and since use of the cyclone offered considerable economy the installation shown in Figs. 1-3 was made.

Jan 6, 1954

By B. Kopelman, C. C. Gregg

THE reduction of tungstic oxide to tungsten metal powder by hydrogen is a process by which one might expect the resultant metal powder to he porous. In- deed, sponge iron, prepared by rcduction of the oxide in a reducing gas, is generally accepted as quite porous. with pores large enough to be seen readily under the optical microscope at relatively low magnifications. However, any pores that may exist in tungsten metal powder are not resolved by the optical microscope, and apparently, not even by the electron microscope. Fig r shows commercial tungsten powder magni- fied at I0,000 X by the electron microscope,' both etched and unetched. In an earlier paper by one of the authors,* the existence of ports in tungsten powder was required to explain adequately the particle size changes occurring during the reduction of tungstic oxide. The inability to detect these pores under the electron microscope at 10,000 X implies that these {pores} are of a size of 100 A units or less. (This in itself is by no means proof that pores above 100 A would not exist, since polishing effects on the specimen might smear up holes of such small magnitude). If, then, these pores are less than IOO A. and of the order of molecular size, then the density of the metal powder should be

Jan 1, 1949

Jan 1, 1903

By James Harding

THE usual method of sampling mineral deposits is to drill holes and assay the sludge or core. Though the results thus obtained may not represent the true average value of the deposit, it is on these results that estimates of practically all large orebodies are made. In a large number of cases, the results of exploitation fall far short of the estimated value of the orebody. The standard method of making these estimates is to find the cubic contents of triangular prisms, in the apexes of which the drill holes are placed, .by multiplying the surface area by the average depth of the ore in the three drill holes and then multiplying the cubic contents by the specific gravity of the ore or rock to find the tonnage. The assay value is found by dividing the sum of the products of the depth of ore in each hole and the corresponding assay value by the sum of the depths of the ore in the three holes. As the latter part of this method is subject to many mathematical errors, it should not be depended on.. Some engineers, therefore, use a discount factor, but as this factor is either arbitrarily selected or is obtained by obscure methods, the results are no better than guesswork. The standard method is correct when the drill holes are so laid out that the triangular prisms are equilateral in cross-section. But as ore deposits cannot always be drilled into at regular intervals and because of the human factor, if many holes are drilled, triangular prisms of all degrees of angularity are produced. In such cases, it is necessary to assume that the influence of the different holes is not the same in all directions, which assumption of course is absurd.

Jan 1, 1921

By J. D. Lubahn, R. P. Carreker, J. G. Leschen

THE formation of slip bands in crystalline solids undergoing plastic deformation has recently been treated as a problem of nucleation and growth.1 A simplified theory was developed and shown to be qualitatively consistent with certain experimental observations reported in the literature, such as the frequent failure of slip bands to traverse the entire crystal, the effect of specimen diameter and temperature on the yield stress, and the occurrence of incubation periods in the deformation of suddenly loaded crystals. The theory further predicts the appearance of transients in the rate of strain of a crystal when the applied stress is suddenly changed from one constant value to another. A transient consists of a discontinuous change in the strain rate followed by a gradual approach to a steady-state value. Such transient behavior apparently has not been recognized in previous experimental work. The preliminary experiments reported in the present paper were undertaken to confirm the existence of the predicted transients and thus to determine whether a more detailed treatment of the nucleation theory of slip might be theoretically and experimentally fruitful. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A simple creep apparatus was assembled as shown in Fig 1. Very little insulation was used on the furnace in order to facilitate rapid changes of temperature. Temperature was measured with a thermometer placed in the center of the furnace and was [ ] controlled by adjusting the Variac setting. The specimens were cold-headed in split-cylinder grips. The strain was measured as total elongation by a dial gauge sensitive to 1/10,000-in. movement of the weight pan. Since the specimen gauge lengths were

Jan 1, 1948

By R. E. Hook, H. J. Garrett, A. M. Adair

X-ray diffraction and metallographic techniques were employed to examine the impurity phases occurring in as-swaged and recrystallized chromium produced fvom high-purity iodide chromium crystals. Chromium oxides are found to form in a consistent manner associated with the temperature of recrystallization. Microscopically observable second phase particles of Cr203 are observed to form intergranulurly beginning at 1300T. Beginning at 1500°C. Cr30, is formed intergvanulurly, atzd at 1600°C and above Cr30, is also formed in association with migrating grain boundaries. Geometrical traces formed by particles of this high temperature oxide uithin the grains rez)eal the histmy of grain boundary motion. X-ray evidence is presented which suggests the existence of a high temperature form of Cr203. Other impurity phases in addition to the oxides of chromium are also present. THE partitioning Of impurity elements between grain boundary aid lattice sires, either as solutes in solution or as second phases, may exercise an important influence on the mechanical behavior of metals and alloy systems. This partitioning of impurities could have a direct bearing on the iecrys-

Jan 1, 1963

By Thomas M. Drown

I DESIRE to communicate to the Institute the results of a few analyses which bear on the condition of carbon in gray and white iron. These analyses were made in the course of an investigation, now in progress, of the chemical composition of "chilling" irons. It will be remembered that Bell says he found no material difference in the amount and condition of carbon in gray and white pig iron made at the Clarence furnace, in England, and he therefore refers the difference in color and appearance in these two varieties of iron to the size of the particles of graphite. I quote from his "Chemical Phenomena of Iron Smelting:" "The inference I would draw from the information afforded by these analyses is, that the condition of iron in respect to its so-called 'richness' is, within certain limits, entirely independent of its chemical constitution.. .. In the fluid state, I conceive the carbon, so taken up, confers upon the iron the property of fusion much below the temperature at which the pure metal melts, and the carbon itself may be regarded as dissolved in the iron. If, during the process of manufacture, the pig metal has been formed at a low temperature, consolidation, I imagine, takes place under such circumstances that the crystals are so minute, and the carbon which is separated assumes the uncombined or graphitic form in particles so minute as to be invisible, and, in consequence, the iron is white. If, on the other hand, the furnace is working at a very high temperature, the intensely heated iron crystallizes with large facets, upon which the extruded carbon assumes the condition of distinct plates or flakes. Should the temperature be less intense, these crystals are of smaller dimensions, and the separated carbon is less conspicuous, and, as the temperature of the furnace declines, the crystals decrease in size, as do the flakes of carbon, until both disappear in white iron.. .. Returning, then, to temperature as the cause of differences in quality of pig iron, the 'chilling' of gray metal, and its conversion into white, may be regarded as the effect of preventing, by rapid cooling, the formation

By Thomas M. Drown

I DESIRE to communicate to the Institute the results of a few analyses which bear on the condition of carbon in gray and white iron. These analyses were made in the course of an investigation, now in progress, of the chemical composition of "chilling" irons. It will be remembered that Bell says he found no material difference in the amount and condition of carbon in gray and white pig iron made at the Clarence furnace, in England, and he therefore refers the difference in color and appearance in these two varieties of iron to the size of the particles of graphite. I quote from his "Chemical Phenomena of Iron Smelting:" "The inference I would draw from the information afforded by these analyses is, that the condition of iron in respect to its so-called `richness' is, within certain limits, entirely independent of its chemical constitution... . In the fluid state, I conceive the carbon, so taken up, confers upon the iron the property of fusion much below the temperature at which the pure metal melts, and the carbon itself may be regarded as dissolved in the iron. If, during the process of manufacture, the pig metal has been formed at a low temperature, consolidation, I imagine, takes place under such circumstances that the crystals are so minute, and the carbon which is separated assumes the uncombined or graphitic form in particles so minute as to be invisible, and, in consequence, the iron is white. If, on the other hand, the furnace is working at a very high temperature, the intensely heated iron crystallizes with large facets, upon which the extruded carbon assumes the condition of distinct plates or flakes. Should the temperature be less intense, these crystals are of smaller dimensions, and the separated carbon is less conspicuous, and, as the temperature of the furnace declines, the crystals decrease in size, as do the flakes of carbon, until both disappear in white iron. . . . Returning, then, to temperature as the cause of differences in quality of pig iron, the `chilling' of gray metal, and its conversion into white, may be regarded as the effect of preventing, by rapid cooling, the formation

Jan 1, 1875

By S. Usui, I. Matsuoka, H. Sasaki, J. Shimoiizaka

Depression of galena by sulfite or chromate ion in xanthate flotation was investigated by means of adsorption measurements, electron diffraction and flotation tests. Flotation of galena was depressed by sulfite ion only when galena had been oxidized; no depression took place with unoxidized clean galena. A similar behavior was found when chromate ion was used as a depressant, with the exception that the chromate ion depressed unoxidized clean galena around neutral pH. Depression was attained with galena on which xanthate still remained in appreciable amounts, indicating that the depression is not due to a decrease in xanthate adsorption. The galena surface produced sparingly soluble films under conditions in which depression of galena took place. These films were identified by electron diffraction as lead sulfite and lead chromate on oxidized galena and as chromic oxide on unoxidized clean galena. These observations in conjunction with contact angle measurements, indicate that the depressing action of sulfite or chromate ion arises primarily from film deposition resulting from the reaction between depressants and the galena surface. The thickness of the film was analyzed by means of electrochemical polarization.

Jan 1, 1976

By Charles W. Allen

The Athens mine is in the city of Negaunee, Mich. It is one of the larger producers of soft hematite ore on the Marquette iron range. The property is held under lease by the Athens Iron Mining Co., and is operated by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., which is a partner with Pickands, Mather & Co. in the Athens company. The mine was opened in 1913, and shipments of ore commenced in 1918, the total reaching 3,063,711 tons up to Jan. 1, 1932. Diamond-drilling from surface, together with a knowledge of geological conditions in neighboring properties, gave a comprehensive picture of the location, size and shape of the orebody before shaft-sinking started. Striking east and west, the orebody entered the east boundary of the property at a depth of about 1500 ft. below surface. A pitch of 15" to the west carried it down to about 2500 ft. on the west boundary, about double the depth of that of any soft-ore property heretofore worked on the Marquette Range. The width of ore averaged close to 500 ft., and the thickness 300 feet. The depth of the deposit and its size, together with an overburden of quicksand, which in places reached a thickness of 150 ft., presented unusual mining problems. The use of a caving system made surface drainage into the orebody inevitable, because the north boundary of the deposit was a vertical diorite dike 200 ft. wide, and the south boundary a northward-dipping impervious slate. S. R. Elliott, manager of the mining department of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., who was superintendent of the mine at that time, conceived the idea of starting at the bottom of the orebody and working upward, reversing the usual mining procedure. This innovation divided the Athens orebody into a series of steps, or blocks, the first of which was adjacent to the western boundary, and therefore in the lowest portion of the deposit. Top-slicing was to start under the capping in this first block by raising from the bottom level, and development and mining were to progress upward in successive blocks to the east. A complete description of the Athens system of mining was

Jan 1, 1934

By L. D. Ricketts

Discussion of the paper of L. D. RICKETTS, presented at the San Francisco meeting, September, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 100, April, 1915, pp. 711 to 737. FREDERICK LAIST, Anaconda, Mont.-I am going to tell you of some of the results we have been getting in Anaconda during the past two or three months in a large plant which was finished in May. We commenced work in Anaconda a year and a half ago on the construction of a leaching plant which was to have a capacity of 2,000 tons per day. The plant was to treat tailings from the concentrator, containing about 12 1b. of copper to the ton. During the past year we changed our plans and decided to use the flotation process on the tailings from the concentrator, which contained no oxidized copper, and apply the leaching process only to tailings which had accumulated in a large dump below the works. This dump contains about 15,000,000 tons of tailings, and since some of the copper in it is oxidized, we felt that the application of the flotation process would result in the loss of too much of the oxidized copper, particularly as time went on. In starting up we had a number of difficulties to overcome, as is usually the case. They were not of a serious character. The results obtained, so far, have been decidedly encouraging. During July the plant treated a total of 50,000 tons of tailings, or an average of 1,610 tons per clay. The extraction was about 83 per cent., which, on material of the grade treated, meant a. tailing assaying under 0.1 per cent. copper. The acid consumption was about 65 lb. per ton, and the fuel percentage in. roasting was about 4 ¼ . We expect to cut the fuel percentage in the next month or two to about 3 per cent., the high percentage during July being clue to starting up and shutting clown furnaces. We find that iron builds up in the solution to a marked degree. This is not a serious platter with us, because we have cheap sulphuric acid and can reject solution whenever it gets too foul. The extraction of silver has been remarkably good in the large plant. It has averaged better than 75 per cent. It seems that so long as we maintain salt in the solution to a percentage of 10 per cent., the extraction is good. We allowed the salt to fall off in order to find how low a percentage we could use. At about 7 per cent. the silver extraction fell to 65 per cent. This was to be expected, because silver chloride is soluble in strong brine, but not in weak brine.

Jan 12, 1915

By Stanly A. Easton, H. M. Childs

Methods evolved at Kellogg have had primarily in view the safety of workmen and complete recovery of the ore; it is believed that these results have been secured at a minimum cost. The ore in the Bunker Hill mine is of good grade, relatively speaking; much of it is quite rich and no mining method would be successful which did not recover all of the ore. It would be possible to work certain of the orebodies by shrinkage methods, or some form of top-slicing, at probably lower costs than by the methods now applied, but the shapes of the orebodies are so irregular that satisfactory extraction of the ore in all its ramifications would be extremely difficult. In past years, much high-grade ore has been lost in blasting, due to the unskilful use of powder in a galena ore, which, by reason of its brittle-ness and great weight, tends to scatter widely. Any method by which large masses of ore and waste are broken together will result in an imperfect recovery of the ore, and whenever large masses are broken, ore and waste will unavoidably fall down together; ore and waste thus become entangled and, although a pile of broken material may seem to have been well picked over, quantities of ore will inevitably be lost. This fact has been shown by persons reworking the filling in stopes that were mined by methods defective in the foregoing particulars. Safety of the men is secured by avoiding large openings, and by working mainly under timber, and at small faces at close range and easily inspected. In former years the principal source of serious accidents was "falls of ground;" it is now over seven years since a serious accident has occurred from this cause. The most prolific source of accidents during recent years has been "timber and tools," workmen being struck by timbers passed into the stope from the level above; this danger has been greatly reduced by compressed-air warning whistles and the fencing in of dangerous areas. The lead-silver ore of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan and affiliated mines is found in bodies of almost every shape, although vertical or nearly

Jan 1, 1925

Christopher R. Corning was one of the ablest mining engineers and geologists in America and one whose name was well known also in Mexico, Cuba, South America and many European countries. He was educated at Zurich, Switzerland, and at the Bergakademie, Freiberg, where he was graduated in 1883 with the degrees of Markscheider and Bergingenieur. He continued his studies at Heidelberg until 1886, chiefly in chemistry, under Bunsen, and mineralogy and petrography under Rosenbusch. Although he received a Ph.D. in chemistry, he never used the title. During holidays of 1883-86, he traveled, seeing mines and studying geology in Spain, France, England, Italy, Germany, and Austria. In 1886, he returned to America and in 1887 he was in the Lake Superior iron ore country on the staff of John F. Stevens, then building the Duluth South Shore and Atlantic Railway. In 1889, Mr. Corning was at the Bunker Hill & Sullivan mines at Wardner, Idaho, with John Hays Hammond, and there met E. E. Olcott. Although Mr. Corning was not long connected with the Bunker Hill & Sullivan mines, he left the imprint of his ability and splendid personality upon the men and the property. That his friendship was cherished was manifested by the cordiality, hospitality and frequency of letters of good counsel and cheer. In 1897, Mr. Corning, with E. E. Olcott and Prof. Robert Peele of Columbia University, formed the firm of Olcott, Corning & Peele, consulting mining engineers. Pressure of university duties compelled Professor Peele to withdraw in 1904, and later Mr. Olcott was forced to retire by reason of other important business interests, but the friendship and high mutual regard of the three men continued undiminished. About 1902, Mr. Corning and Professor Peele translated into English Riemer's book on "Shaft Sinking under Difficult Conditions." Mr. Corning's knowledge of structural geology, mineralogy and ore deposits was extensive and accurate. He was a close and intelligent observer. When he became interested in a problem, no amount of trouble was too great in endeavoring to reach a satisfactory solution. He had professional experience in the West, notably in the Coeur d'Alenes, Mexico and South America, and several times was called on to attempt to straighten up mismanaged properties. In 1912, at the request of a large number of members, Mr. Corning headed the "Committee of FiveJ' that investigated the affairs of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and brought about beneficial changes in the organization and its policies. He was one of the organizers

Jan 1, 1924

By P. H. Dudley

I HAVE taken the liberty of calling the researches herein mentioned industrial, to distinguish them from those strictly scientific, where every known appliance is used to insure accuracy in determining principles. The industrial researches are made to ascertain wherein we have failed to embody, in practice, the principles which have been fully demonstrated by the more purely scientific investigations. So far the researches have been mostly confined to the conditions of combustion as used in locomotive furnaces, although we have examined, to some extent, furnaces under marine and stationary boilers. The products of complete combustion are gases, and, knowing what we should have, it is at once shown by analyzing the products whether the desired reactions are taking place. In spite of imperfect furnaces, lack of system in the arrangement of grate-bars and exhaust nozzles, the results are not altogether vitiated, because the analyses are not closer than one-tenth of one per cent., as under the present conditions it is hardly possible to collect gas exactly under the same conditions at different times. All of our industrial operations have developed in the past few years so rapidly, nearly all of them paying, that, until within the past three years, comparatively little attention has been given to their economy outside of the profession. Great corporations have not asked and considered the question in earnest, can we utilize our heat so as to produce the same effect at less cost? The applications of heat are so extensive, entering into every branch of industry, the principal power used to carry on metallurgical processes, to conduct transportation, that its economical generation becomes of universal importance; in fact, its economical generation and application is the leading industrial question of the day. It is stated by those who have given the subject much attention, that in our best steam-engines not over 10 per cent of the theoretical value of the fuel is utilized, and upon locomotives it is far less, probably not exceeding under the most favorable circumstances 5 or 6 per cent. In recent experiments made with the dynagraph, in drawing trains upon the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway from Cleveland to Erie, 95i miles, we found the force required to draw a stock train of 709 tons to be 2,498,396,320 foot-pounds, exclusive of the force to move the locomotive itself. We

Jan 1, 1876

By P. H. Dudley

I have taken the liberty of calling the researches herein mentioned industrial, to distinguish them from those strictly scientific, where every known appliance is used to insure accuracy in determining principles. The industrial researches are made to ascertain wherein we have failed to embody, in practice, the principles which have been fully demonstrated by the more purely scientific investigations. So far the researches have been mostly confined to the conditions of combustion as used in locomotive furnaces, although we have examined, to some extent, furnaces under marine and stationary boilers. The products of complete combustion are gases, and, knowing what we should have, it is at once shown by analyzing the products whether the desired reactions are taking place. In spite of imperfect furnaces, lack of system in the arrangement of grate-bars and exhaust nozzles, the results are not altogether vitiated, because the analyses are not closer than one-tenth of one per cent., as under the present conditions it is hardly possible to collect gas exactly under the same conditions at different times. All of 'our industrial operations have developed in the past few years so rapidly, nearly all of them paying, that,, until within the past three years, comparatively little attention has been given to their economy outside of the profession. Great corporations have not asked and considered the question in earnest, can we utilize our heat so as to produce the same effect at less cost? The applications of heat are so extensive, entering into every branch of industry, the principal power used to carry on metallurgical processes, to conduct transportation, that its econonlical generation becomes of universal importance; in fact, its economical generation and application is the leading industrial question of the day. It is stated by those who have given the subject much attention, that in our best steam-engines not over 10 per cent of the theoretical value of the fuel is utilized, and upon locomotives it is far less, probably not exceeding under the most favorable circumstances 5 or 6 per cent. In recent experiments made with the dynagraph, in drawing trains upon the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway from Cleveland to Erie, 941/2 miles, we found the force required to draw a stock train of 709 tons to be 2,498,396,320 footpounds, exclusive of the force to move the locomotive itself. We

By L. E. Wilsey, W. G. Bearden

This paper presents results of analysis of the effect of fracturing on initial flow rates and on ultimate recoveries from low capacity oil formations. This analysis shows that even in formations of permeability as low as 0.1 md, large fracture treatments can yield oil recoveries and production rates approaching those of high permeability formations. Field production information is shown which supports the analytical work. INTRODUCTION Often hydrocarbon bearing formations are discovered which, while they are known to contain large quantities of oil, will not produce at commercially attractive rates without special well stimulation. Attempts to solve this problem led to the development of such techniques as underreaming, shooting, acidizing, and recently hydraulic fracturing. These methods of stimulation have been highly successful in many fields. All of these treatments, however, affect only the pay section near the well bore and therefore owe their success to circumventing and overcoming local permeability reduction about the well bore. It has been the belief that in treating wells to stimulate production in which there is no permeability reduction near the well, the maximum possible production rate increase would be of the order of two or fourfold. Hence, it has been concluded that fracture treatment of uniformly low capacity (permeability times thickness) formations could meet with but limited success. It is the purpose of this paper to show that the use of fracture treatments much larger than usually used can yield commercially attractive producing rates and high recoveries even in formations of permeability less than 0.1 of a md. PROCEDURE In order to illustrate the effects of fracturing, an analytical study of some hypothetical systems was made in which one factor at a time was varied to show what is important in recovering oil from fractured wells. It was assumed that a horizontal fracture of relatively high fluid-carrying capacity extended from a well bore. The presence of such a fracture will cause a marked influence on the flow pattern and pressure distribution in the formations, with the net effect being to reduce tremendously the resistance to flow into the well bore. A diagram of the resulting flow pattern and pressure distribution is illustrated in Fig. 1. Immediately after production commences, the principal flow of fluid is vertically from the formation flanking the fracture, into the fracture, and then into the well. After sufficient oil and gas have been produced to lower the pressure in the formation adjacent the fracture, oil and gas will begin to flow in a radial manner into the fracture from the formations beyond the end of the fracture. In calculating the performance under such conditions. the material balance or conservation of matter equation and equations of flow were solved simultaneously by a stepwise method of calculation. Flow rates were found by determining the pressure distribution, as illustrated

Jan 1, 1955