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By J. D. McClung

INTRODUCTION The ever increasing demand for coal sues that meet exacting specifications has made necessary the installation of thousands of dollars worth of crushing equipment by the coal industry. At one time the operator at- tempted to recover as much lump as possible but today he is confronted with the necessity of crushing to facilitate the mechanical cleaning process and to meet the demand for a variety of uniform sizes. As a matter of fact, about 65 percent of the coal mined in the United States today goes through preparation plants where it is crushed and cleaned. One becomes more aware of the importance of the art of comminution when it is realized that practically all of the operations in mining are involved in comminution in one way or another. Whether the coal is mined conventionally or by continuous miners it is separated from the solid by a breaking, ripping or milling action which essentially amounts to a comminution operation. Even degradation resulting from material handling from the mine working face to the preparation plant might in a broad sense be so classified, Then of course crushing is usually necessary in the plant before the coal is ready to be marketed. THEORY Despite the various comminution operations there is a lack of satisfac- tory information concerning the fundamentals of crushing and their relation to the variable factors associated with the operation. There are certain laws and theories on mechanical reduction, such as those of Rittinger, Kick and Bond that are helpful and useful. The difficulty in developing exact mathematical relationships for specific crusher applications is due to the many variable physical characteristics found in coal. Hardness, as measured by the Hardgrove grindability index, is one parameter that has been used for years to determine the resistance of coal to comminution. While the coal properties as measured by grindability are complex, recent work has shown that a high correlation exists between the grindability of some coals and their petrographic analysis. Early research on the hardness of petrographic entities from an Illinois coal2 demonstrated that durain was the hardest constituent followed by clarain, vitrain and very soft fusain. Other research demonstrated that, for different size fractions of the same coal, a wide variation in hardness commonly exists. For example, the fines in about half of 39 coals studied were softer than their corresponding coarse sues while most of the remaining coals were uniformly hard in all sizes. A few coals contained fines which were harder than their coarser constituents. These variations in hardness give insight into the heterogeneous nature of coal.

Jan 1, 1968

By D. W. Akins

The case history of a combination gas and water flood instituted early in the life of a field is described. It was recognized from the beginning that recovery would be low, under normal production methods, from the several separate, thin beds of porous limestone which had such poor native permeability that the wells would not produce without acidizing. It is thought that the combination flood gives excellent recovery efficiencies for this type of reservoir. The chief function of the gas flood now is to maintain bottom hole pressure in that part of the reservoir which will not be affected by the water injection program until later. Present estimates are that ultimate recovery will be approximately double the recovery expected under the original solution gas drive mechanism. Wide (80-acre) spacing has enhanced the economics of the over-all field program by the elimination of more than $5,000,000 worth of unnecessary wells. INTRODUCTION The Haynesville Pettit Field was discovered in November, 1941, with the completion of T. L. James Co.'s Callie Akin No. 1, located in the W 1/2 of the NE 1/4 Section 27-23N-8W, Claiborne Parish, La., at an approximate depth of 5,300 ft. The center of the field is about two miles north and a mile west of the town of Haynesville, La. A total of 189 producing wells have been drilled on 14,500 acres. An additional nine dry holes were drilled. The Louisiana-Arkansas state line divides the field so that 34 wells are in Arkansas and 155 are in Louisiana. Governmental sections are divided equally to contain eight production units making 80-acre spacing where the sections are regular. Along the state line in Louisiana there is an irregular tier of sections, each of which contains approximately 456 acres. When divided equally into eight production units the spacing is 57 acres per well for these three and a fraction productive sections. All Haynesville Pettit wells are identified by their section number followed by their position in the section as determined by numbering the production units counterclockwise beginning in the upper right corner of the section. All of the producing wells in the field except two are unit-ized and operated by the Haynesville Operators Committee. These two wells are located in the extreme northern part of the field in Arkansas. Efforts to bring them into the Unit are being continued. The Pettit operators organized the Haynesville Operators Committee and the field became a unit operation May 1: 1944. GEOLOGY The Pettit is Lower Cretaceous in age and is defined as the uppermost porosity in the Sligo formation. The unitized area known as the Haynesville Pettit Field is composed of two separate zones of porosity approximately 40 ft apart and without connection between the two, except in wells. These zones are known as the Upper Pettit and the Lower Pettit. The Upper Pettit is separated into two sections throughout most of its area by a relatively thin but quite impervious shale streak. These are called the "A" and "B" sections of the Upper Pettit. All of these lenticular zones are composed of coquina limestone and a small percentage of normal oolites. The large

Jan 1, 1951

By E. B. Snyder, H. M. Kraner

This paper shows that volume stability, low porosity and decreased pyroplasticity are desirable for blast-furnace linings, partitularly for the hearth. It shows further that a hot load test is a valuable means of testing the fusion or softening behavior of a refractory at operating temperatures. The effect of carbon monoxide on commercia1 blast-furnace refractories in their as-received condition and after refiring is reported, showing that many commercial blast-furnace refractories disintegrate badly but that refiring decreases the effect and certain special refractories are now available which are almost free of the tendency. Factors Affecting Choice of ._ Refractories If one were to depend entirely upon experience or trial in the selection of clay refractories, the solution of a problem would be a slow process. Furnace campaigns are so long and attended by so many variables that it is difficult to draw fine distinctions within a reasonable period of time in regard to the quality of refractories used. It could be said, of course, that if service results do not yield the proper information for intelligent choice, there is no difference in the quality of brick being considered, but this is not necessarily true. Conventional ceramic tests are designed to give the ceramic engineer information as to the refractoriness and firing tempera- . ture, which he in turn internrets in terms of volume stability, ability to withstand load at high temperature (pyroplasticity), permeability, chemical stability and re-. sistance to the action of slag. In most refractory applications . several of these factors are involved. In a particular instance, one requirement may be predominant, while in others some other factors may be of primary importance. In this country, clay refractories are generally made from mixtures of plastic and flint fire clays. The process of firing a clay refractory is one of slowly melting the constituents, and during this operation its porosity is gradually reduced. The process is arrested, of course, in its incipient Stages and the Progress is determined by measuring slight changes in porosity, volume, bulk gravity, etc., that have taken place. Often the temperatures to which clay refractories are exposed in service are higher than those employed in their firing. However, if the manufacturer were to fire them at such high temperatures the brick would distort. Therefore it would be difficult for the manufacturer to fire all of his clay refractories to temperatures at which they are to be used, although in many cases it would be desirable from the user's point of view if he would do so. The porosity of clay refractories decreases by firing, to a minimum limit, after which a further increase in the temperature causes expansion in certain clay constituents and bloating in others. Both may occur in the same refractory containing two such clays.

Jan 1, 1944

By A. G. Roach

This paper deals with a plant built under joint agreement between the Canadian and United States Governments to supply the strategic mineral, corundum, at a time when African production was dwindling and war demands still increasing. The operation began in September 1944, retreating the tailings from a former mill by gravity methods, and is still in production (Sept. 1946). In 1942, when it became apparent that South African production would be insufficient to meet mounting wartime requirements of corundum, a survey was made of Canadian sources of the mineral, at the request of the Foreign Economic Administration of the U. S. Government. The investigation' indicated that the quickest and cheapest supply would be obtained by reworking the tailings deposit at Craig-mont, Ontario. Sampling of the dump by Canadian Government engineers revealed that 125,000 tons of tailings, averaging 2.96 pct corundum, was available for retreat-ment. Ore-dressing tests on representative samples of the deposit were conducted by the writer in the laboratories of the Industrial Minerals Section of the Department of Mines and Resources at Ottawa; and gravity concentration on tables was indicated as the most suitable method of treatment. Decision to proceed with the project was deferred until May 9, construction was begun on May 18, and tune-up operation of the plant begun on Sept. IS, 1944. Corundum—Its Properties and Uses Corundum is an oxide of aluminum having the formula Al2O3. Its outstanding characteristic is its great hardness; 9 in the Mohs scale. In this respect it is second only to the diamond. It usually occurs in barrel-shaped crystals in nepheline syenites and other feldspathic rocks deficient in silica. It has a specific gravity of 3.95 to 4.1 and is insoluble and infusible. In color it ranges from white, through red and green, to black. Ruby and sapphire are gem varieties of corundum. Corundum is supplied to industry as closely graded grain.= The coarser roducts (10 to 24-mesh) are used largely for snagging wheels in the steel-castings industry, while the finer grades (from 70-mesh down to flours) find a wide application in the polishing of lenses and for other uses in the optical trade. All sizes of corundum grain are in close competition with synthetic abrasives such as carborundum and alundum. In some fields of application the artificial product is superior to the natural grain but not in' all. The shape of the particle and its behavior under conditions of actual use determine its sphere of employment. The United States is the largest 'Onsumer of corundum, annual consumption in peacetime approaching 3000 tons; during the war this figure was roughly doubled. During the years 1902 to 1913, the bulk

Jan 1, 1948

By H. M. Kraner, E. B. Snyder

This paper shows that volume stability, low porosity and decreased pyroplasticity are desirable for blast-furnace linings, partitularly for the hearth. It shows further that a hot load test is a valuable means of testing the fusion or softening behavior of a refractory at operating temperatures. The effect of carbon monoxide on commercia1 blast-furnace refractories in their as-received condition and after refiring is reported, showing that many commercial blast-furnace refractories disintegrate badly but that refiring decreases the effect and certain special refractories are now available which are almost free of the tendency. Factors Affecting Choice of ._ Refractories If one were to depend entirely upon experience or trial in the selection of clay refractories, the solution of a problem would be a slow process. Furnace campaigns are so long and attended by so many variables that it is difficult to draw fine distinctions within a reasonable period of time in regard to the quality of refractories used. It could be said, of course, that if service results do not yield the proper information for intelligent choice, there is no difference in the quality of brick being considered, but this is not necessarily true. Conventional ceramic tests are designed to give the ceramic engineer information as to the refractoriness and firing tempera- . ture, which he in turn internrets in terms of volume stability, ability to withstand load at high temperature (pyroplasticity), permeability, chemical stability and re-. sistance to the action of slag. In most refractory applications . several of these factors are involved. In a particular instance, one requirement may be predominant, while in others some other factors may be of primary importance. In this country, clay refractories are generally made from mixtures of plastic and flint fire clays. The process of firing a clay refractory is one of slowly melting the constituents, and during this operation its porosity is gradually reduced. The process is arrested, of course, in its incipient Stages and the Progress is determined by measuring slight changes in porosity, volume, bulk gravity, etc., that have taken place. Often the temperatures to which clay refractories are exposed in service are higher than those employed in their firing. However, if the manufacturer were to fire them at such high temperatures the brick would distort. Therefore it would be difficult for the manufacturer to fire all of his clay refractories to temperatures at which they are to be used, although in many cases it would be desirable from the user's point of view if he would do so. The porosity of clay refractories decreases by firing, to a minimum limit, after which a further increase in the temperature causes expansion in certain clay constituents and bloating in others. Both may occur in the same refractory containing two such clays.

Jan 1, 1944

By A. G. Roach

This paper deals with a plant built under joint agreement between the Canadian and United States Governments to supply the strategic mineral, corundum, at a time when African production was dwindling and war demands still increasing. The operation began in September 1944, retreating the tailings from a former mill by gravity methods, and is still in production (Sept. 1946). In 1942, when it became apparent that South African production would be insufficient to meet mounting wartime requirements of corundum, a survey was made of Canadian sources of the mineral, at the request of the Foreign Economic Administration of the U. S. Government. The investigation' indicated that the quickest and cheapest supply would be obtained by reworking the tailings deposit at Craig-mont, Ontario. Sampling of the dump by Canadian Government engineers revealed that 125,000 tons of tailings, averaging 2.96 pct corundum, was available for retreat-ment. Ore-dressing tests on representative samples of the deposit were conducted by the writer in the laboratories of the Industrial Minerals Section of the Department of Mines and Resources at Ottawa; and gravity concentration on tables was indicated as the most suitable method of treatment. Decision to proceed with the project was deferred until May 9, construction was begun on May 18, and tune-up operation of the plant begun on Sept. IS, 1944. Corundum—Its Properties and Uses Corundum is an oxide of aluminum having the formula Al2O3. Its outstanding characteristic is its great hardness; 9 in the Mohs scale. In this respect it is second only to the diamond. It usually occurs in barrel-shaped crystals in nepheline syenites and other feldspathic rocks deficient in silica. It has a specific gravity of 3.95 to 4.1 and is insoluble and infusible. In color it ranges from white, through red and green, to black. Ruby and sapphire are gem varieties of corundum. Corundum is supplied to industry as closely graded grain.= The coarser roducts (10 to 24-mesh) are used largely for snagging wheels in the steel-castings industry, while the finer grades (from 70-mesh down to flours) find a wide application in the polishing of lenses and for other uses in the optical trade. All sizes of corundum grain are in close competition with synthetic abrasives such as carborundum and alundum. In some fields of application the artificial product is superior to the natural grain but not in' all. The shape of the particle and its behavior under conditions of actual use determine its sphere of employment. The United States is the largest 'Onsumer of corundum, annual consumption in peacetime approaching 3000 tons; during the war this figure was roughly doubled. During the years 1902 to 1913, the bulk

Jan 1, 1948

By D. W. Akins

The case history of a combination gas and water flood instituted early in the life of a field is described. It was recognized from the beginning that recovery would be low, under normal production methods, from the several separate, thin beds of porous limestone which had such poor native permeability that the wells would not produce without acidizing. It is thought that the combination flood gives excellent recovery efficiencies for this type of reservoir. The chief function of the gas flood now is to maintain bottom hole pressure in that part of the reservoir which will not be affected by the water injection program until later. Present estimates are that ultimate recovery will be approximately double the recovery expected under the original solution gas drive mechanism. Wide (80-acre) spacing has enhanced the economics of the over-all field program by the elimination of more than $5,000,000 worth of unnecessary wells. INTRODUCTION The Haynesville Pettit Field was discovered in November, 1941, with the completion of T. L. James Co.'s Callie Akin No. 1, located in the W 1/2 of the NE 1/4 Section 27-23N-8W, Claiborne Parish, La., at an approximate depth of 5,300 ft. The center of the field is about two miles north and a mile west of the town of Haynesville, La. A total of 189 producing wells have been drilled on 14,500 acres. An additional nine dry holes were drilled. The Louisiana-Arkansas state line divides the field so that 34 wells are in Arkansas and 155 are in Louisiana. Governmental sections are divided equally to contain eight production units making 80-acre spacing where the sections are regular. Along the state line in Louisiana there is an irregular tier of sections, each of which contains approximately 456 acres. When divided equally into eight production units the spacing is 57 acres per well for these three and a fraction productive sections. All Haynesville Pettit wells are identified by their section number followed by their position in the section as determined by numbering the production units counterclockwise beginning in the upper right corner of the section. All of the producing wells in the field except two are unit-ized and operated by the Haynesville Operators Committee. These two wells are located in the extreme northern part of the field in Arkansas. Efforts to bring them into the Unit are being continued. The Pettit operators organized the Haynesville Operators Committee and the field became a unit operation May 1: 1944. GEOLOGY The Pettit is Lower Cretaceous in age and is defined as the uppermost porosity in the Sligo formation. The unitized area known as the Haynesville Pettit Field is composed of two separate zones of porosity approximately 40 ft apart and without connection between the two, except in wells. These zones are known as the Upper Pettit and the Lower Pettit. The Upper Pettit is separated into two sections throughout most of its area by a relatively thin but quite impervious shale streak. These are called the "A" and "B" sections of the Upper Pettit. All of these lenticular zones are composed of coquina limestone and a small percentage of normal oolites. The large

Jan 1, 1951

By Frank H. Reed, P. W. Henline, Harold W. Jackman

A SUMMARY of the consumption of coal in 1945 shows that the coke industry accounted for 17 pct of the total coal used. No substitute for coke and the blast furnace in the reduction of iron ore has gained sufficient prominence so far to be given serious consideration. However, while the same slot-type ovens are being built and used now as were in use a few years ago, the problem of obtaining suitable coking coals, both high- and low-volatile, has forced many operators to revamp coal-blending facilities. Until the beginning of World War II, high-temperature coke plants were able to secure the required high-volatile and low-volatile coals from two or three seams and from three or four mines. Thus, many of our coke oven plants were able to operate with storage bins for two coals only. The variance in raw materials was not great, and uniformity of blend was a relatively simple problem. Since the beginning of World War II, many and important changes have taken place. Demand for all coals increased greatly. Production, though kept as near maximum capacity as possible, could not meet the demands for coal generally, and particularly for the various kinds of coal which have proved to be satisfactory for specialized uses; coals were allocated as nearly as possible in the order of greatest need; storage piling was reduced to the minimum necessary to keep plants in operation; uniformity of quality could not be maintained, and with this last, uniformity of composition of blends for coking could not be maintained. Whereas before the war producers of metallurgical coke could fill their needs from three or four mines, by the end of the war it was not unusual to find shipments to a single coke oven plant coming from as many as 30 different mines, in a single month. Since many of the mines producing both high- and low-volatile coal for high-grade metallurgical coke are rapidly nearing depletion, the problem of seeking new sources and of blending a number of coals in each plant for the production of high-temperature coke is facing practically every producer in the United States at the present time, and is one which will probably continue for many years to come. Midwestern by-product coke ovens in the Chicago and St. Louis areas use annually from 12 to 15 million tons of bituminous coals which are transported 500 to 700 miles from the Appalachian coal fields of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Kentucky. Approximately two-thirds of this coal is high-volatile bituminous. The critical transportation problem confronting the nation in 1943, and the growing scarcity of the best Appalachian coking coals, prompted the Illinois Geological Survey to propose a research program in which would be studied the coking properties of blends of low-sulphur, high-volatile Illinois coal with the high- and low-volatile coals from the eastern fields. Such blends containing Illinois coal, if substituted for the all-eastern blends normally coked,

Jan 1, 1948

By David J. Mack, T. V. Philip

The effects on the Cu-A1 eutectoid transformation of the addition of a third element from the second long period and from Group IIB of the periodic table, were studied by isothermal transfomation techniques. The valency of the third element shows the most pronounced effect on the eutectoid decomposition. With some exceptions, the atomic size factor of the third element shows some consistent effects on pearlite nucleation and growth. The atomic concentration or the electronegative valency of the third element shows wo consistent effect on the eutectoid decomposition. Addition of the third element helps spheroidization of pearlite. SINCE the pioneering work of Davenport and Bainl on the eutectoid decomposition in steel by the isothermal transformation technique, an enormous amount of data has been accumulated on the eutectoid transformation characteristics of commercial steels. While the eutectoid reaction in steel is of tremendous industrial importance, it appears to be quite unique among the eutectoid reactions. Though the metal-lographic structures developed in the Fe-C and Cu-A1 eutectoids are similar, it is now evident that the two eutectoid reactions are quite dissimilar. The eutectoid decomposition in the Cu-A1 system is more complicated partly due to the appearance of transitional phases in addition to the equilibrium phases. * The first isothermal studies of aluminum bronzes were made by Smith and Lindlief2 and later by Mack,3 Klier, and Grymko,4 and recently Hayne 5,6 A few other systems, structurally analogous to the above, have been studied by the same technique.7-10 Kasberg and Mack1' studied the effects of iron on the transformation of commercial aluminum bronze. The effects of manganese and nickel on this aluminum bronze and those of iron, manganese, and nickel on the binary Cu-A1 eutectoid have been recently studied.12 The object of the present investigation was to study, by isothermal transformation techniques, the effects (with respect to the fundamental factors of alloy formation) of the addition of a third element on the transformation of a Cu-Al eutectoid alloy, 11.8 pct Al. The third elements chosen for the purpose were silver, cadmium, indium, tin, and antimony from the second long period, and beryllium, zinc, and cadmium from group 11B of the periodic table. They were added in nominal amounts of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 pct by weight to a eutectoid Cu-A1 alloy. These third elements were expected to show the effects of electron valency, atomic size factor, and electronegative valency effects on the binary eutectoid transformation. PFLEPARATION OF ALLOYS AND PROCEDURE All alloys were made as 400-g heats by induction melting in a graphite crucible with a graphite lid. The molten alloy with a layer of graphite powder on top was stirred at regular intervals by a graphite rod. When the melt was judged to have acquired sufficient superheat, a pinch of common salt was sprinkled on top and any crust scraped off to one side. It was then chill cast into a 5/8 in. rod. The alloys with silver were prepared by remelt-ing the high-purity Cu-A1 eutectoid alloy used by Mack3 with high-purity silver (99.99 pct pure from Hardy and Harmon, Inc.). In the preparation of all the other alloys, polished electrolytic copper shot (from Belmont Smelting and Refining Co.) and high-purity aluminum (99.99 pct pure from Aluminum Co. of America) were used.

Jan 1, 1962

Since production curtailment for other than engineering reasons is gradually disappearing, and more and more wells are now producing at capacity and showing declining production rates, it was considered timely to present a brief review of the development of decline-curve analysis during the past three or four decades. Several of the commoner types of decline curves were discussed in detail and the mathematical relationships between production rate, time, cumulative production and decline percentage for each case were studied. The well-known loss-ratio method was found to be an extremely valuable tool for statistical analysis and extrapolation of various types of curves. A tentative classification of decline curves, based on their loss ratios, was suggested. Some new graphical methods were introduced to facilitate estimation of the future life and the future production of producing properties where curves are plotted on semilogarithmic paper. To facilitate graphical extrapolation of hyperbolic-type decline curves, a series of decline charts was proposed, which will make straight-line extrapolation of both rate-time and rate-cumulative curves possible. Introduction During the period of severe production curtailment, which is now behind us, production-decline curves lost most of their usefulness and popularity in prorated areas because the production rates of all wells, except those in the stripper class, were constant or almost constant. While production-decline curves were thus losing in importance for estimating reserves, an increasing reservoir consciousness and a better understanding of reservoir performance developed among petroleum engineers. This fact, together with intelligent interpretation and use of electric logs, core-analysis data, bottom-hole pressure behavior and physical characteristics of reservoir fluids, eliminated a considerable part of the guesswork in previous volumetric methods and put reserve estimates, based on this method, on a sound scientific basis' At the same time, a number of ingenious substitutes were developed for the regular production-decline curve, which made it possible to obtain an independent check on volumetric estimates in appraisal work, even though the production rates were constant. with the now steadily increasing demand for oil to supply the huge requirements of this global war, proration for reasons of than prevention of underground waste is gradually disappearing. More and more wells are, or will be, producing at capacity or at their optimum rates, as determined by sound engineering practice. With this trend, the character of producing wells seems to regain, more or less, its "individuality," and the old and familiar decline curve appears to have had a comeback as a valuable tool in the hands of the petroleum engineer. It may be timely, therefore, to retrace the development of decline-curve analysis in the past by presenting a brief chronological review of bulletins and papers published during the past three or four decades, which have

Jan 1, 1945

By Graham Bright

The rapid increase in reliability, the low cost of operation, the ready application of safety devices, and the growing availability of central-station power have made the question of installing a hoist of the electric type no longer debatable. Where adequate electric power is available, there are few cases where it would be advisable to install a steam or air hoist. The type of electrical equipment depends largely on the nature of the power supply, its capacity, and the form of the power contract under which power is purchased. In a large majority of cases, the available electric power is alternating current, three phase, 60 cycles. There is, however, considerable 25-cycle power in use; and in a few instances constant voltage direct current is the only power available for a small or an occasional medium-size hoist. Where a new hoist is to be installed, the designer of the mechanical parts can readily take care of the maximum stresses likely to be imposed by the motor. Where the hoist is already installed and operated by steam or air and it is desired to substitute an electric motor for the engine, a careful check should be made to determine the advisability of using the old mechanical parts. In most cases it is better to install a complete new hoist than to attempt to use old mechanical parts. A steam engine has a definite maximum torque, which the hoist has been designed to withstand, while a motor may be able to deliver momentary torques beyond the strength of the mechanical parts of the hoist. The selection of the proper type of electrical equipment can only be made after complete information is obtained and certain calculations made to determine the capacities required. There are several methods used in making hoist calculations, but no matter what method is utilized a fair degree of familiarity with hoists and hoisting conditions is necessary before an intelligent analysis and proper selection can be made. Forms Used in Hoisting Calculations Some of the hoist calculation methods are long and complicated. Where such calculations are seldom made, it is better to use the

Jan 1, 1922

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Jan 1, 1938

By T. M. Geffen, H. N. Hall

One-third to one-half of the original oil is left in most reservoirs even after thorough gas driving or waterflooding. In contrast, essentially all of the oil contacted con be recovered by flooding with a solvent (a fluid miscible with the reservoir oil). It is not economical to fill a reservoir with solvent since the value of the solvent would very likely exceed that of the oil. A practical method would be to inject a small bank of solvent to displace the oil. This solvent bank in turn could be driven through the rock by a less valuable scavenging fluid, such as natural gas which is also miscible with the solvent. Such a method of oil recovery was studied in the laboratory using long (up to 95 ft) core systems. It was found that, as the solvent moves through the reservoir, the front end of the solvent bank becomes mixed with the oil and forms a relatively short mixing zone between undiluted crude oil and pure solvent. An engineering correlation was obtained which can be used to predict the length of this zone. Displacement of the solvent by natural gas can be achieved with complete miscibility (above the critical pressure of the gas-solvent system at reservoir temperature) or with partial miscibility at lower pressures. Under conditions of complete miscibility, it was found that the length of the gas-solvent mixing zone could be predicted from the correlation developed for the solvent-oil mixing zone. With partial miscibility, two phases exist and the solvent is displaced by a modified gas drive in which vaporization and condensation occur. Equations are developed to predict the performance of this type of displacement. Two plans are suggested for application of miscible fluid displacement. one for miscible displacement of the solvent and the other applying to lower pressures where partial miscibility occurs during solvent displacement. Calculations based on the laboratory tests indicated that a bank of solvent with a volume of less than 10 per cent of the hydrocarbon volume under consideration will generally be adequate to obtain high oil recovery from the portion of the reservoir contacted in miscible fluid displacement. INTRODUCTION The conventional methods by which oil is displaced from reservoir rock—solution gas drive, conventional gas drive, and waterflooding—are all processes in which the oil is expelled from the rock by direct displacement with a fluid immiscible with the oil. Because of the immiscible type displacement, complete recovery of the reservoir oil is not achieved. In economically successful flooding operations, as much as 50 per cent of the original oil may be abandoned in the reservoir as unrecoverable. The use of a solvent (miscible with oil, such as LPG) as an injection fluid does not have the undesirable displacement features common to the use of gas or water (immiscible with oil). It can be readily appreciated, however, that it would not be economically feasible to displace the oil and entirely replace it with a solvent. A process was therefore devised for use in field operations in which only a small volume of solvent would be required to obtain essentially complete oil recovery in the portion of the reservoir contacted. In this process, the solvent acts as a buffer between the reservoir oil and injected gas, allowing the natural gas to displace indirectly the oil with much greater efficiency than if the gas displaced the oil directly. DESCRIPTION OF OIL RECOVERY PROCESS The solvent oil recovery process will be described in

Jan 1, 1958

By Reynold Q. Shotts

The small domestic underfeed stoker as now designed is unusually sensitive to the coking and plastic properties of coals, and when the attempt is made to burn the high rank coking and caking coals of the Appalachian fields, serious trouble may occur. Part of the trouble may be caused by the ash content and clinkering characteristics of the particular coal in use, but more often it is the result of an excessive ac-in of coke in the form of ''trees,, or masses in the fuel bed. Often the zone of burning becomes so restricted that the fire goes out, and in extreme cases the fire may be lifted completely out of the fuel bed and away from the air ports. Even if the fire is preserved, excessive coking may cause response to subsequent heat demand to be slow and irregular. Coke trees seem to grow most readily during periods of hold-fire operation, so that in order to preserve the fire in mild weather it is often necessary to set the timer for such a long operating period each hour that much unneeded and unwanted heat is developed, causing discomfort. During demand periods the fire may pick up so slowly that the intense burning which develops just before stoker cut-off causes a serious overshooting of the thermostat. Stoker coal performance tests which have been made in a number of labora- tories1,2,3,4,5 are one method of approach to the problem Of selecting stoker coals- As yet these tests have not been standardized and they are expensive and time-consuming. The value of the results probably increases with the length of the test. Sherman and co-workers at Battelle Memorial Institute believe that even a one-week test is not too reliable a trial2 and it is quite likely that Others will agree. A great advantage of such tests is that characteristics of coals, other than the tendency to form coke masses, may be evaluated from them. The selection of stoker coals would be greatly facilitated if there existed some simp1e measure Of the tendency Of a a to form coke in a fuel bed. Although possessing all Of the disadvantages Of any small-scale laboratory test, the test for the free-swelling index of coal has been found useful for evaluating the probable effects Of swelling properties upon combustion.7 Ostborg, Limbacherand Sherman, have shown that the test can Predict, roughly, the tendency Of coke to accumulate in the fuel bed Of a domestic stoker. They also gave instances of its value in predicting combustion behavior in some large installations. The use of the test for free-swelling index has become well established and has been adopted as a standard by the American Society for Testing Materials.8 When domestic stoker coal investigations began at the State Mine Experiment Station in the summer of 1944, it was decided

Jan 1, 1949

By V. Steve Reed, Ed L. Reed

The in situ leach mining process generates a waste stream that is high in sulfates, total dissolved solids, and radium 226. During the mining phase, the volume of the waste stream is relatively low and consists primarily of the bleed stream. During the restoration phase, larger volumes of waste water are generated. These waste streams require environrnentally sound disposal. The low net evaporation rate in the Coastal Bend area precludes pond evaporation as a feasible disposal alternative. Reverse osmosis is a practical method of reducing the volume of the waste water handled, but the concentrated waste stream from the reverse osmosis unit must be disposed properly. Deep well injection into highly saline reservoirs is considered a sound method of disposing of the liquid waste generated by in situ mining in the Gulf Coast uranium district. Thirteen injection wells have been permitted to serve the disposal needs of the leach mining industry in Texas. Of these 13, 11 have actually been drilled. Seven applications are pending. The injection zones for the permitted wells range from depths of 3050 to 6200 feet. Pressure limitations imposed on these wells range from 500 psi to 1350 psi. The following criteria are used to determine the desirability of a disposal well site: 1. A minimal number of nearby, improperly plugged borings which penetrate the disposal zone; 2. Minimal crustal disturbance; 3. Sufficient salinity of the water contained in the disposal zone; 4. Protection of oil and gas producing zones; and 5. Sand of sufficient permeability and areal extent to handle the desired volume without fracturing the reservoir. 1. Improperly plugged borings: During the early part of the century, oil wells, gas wells and test holes were drilled using cable tool equipment, often with a minimum amount of surface casing. Production casing, when it was set, was often partly removed when the holes were abandoned. Thus, wells drilled prior to 1940 frequently have less than 100 feet of surface casing and either no production casing or the upper part of the production casing removed. Additionally, these holes are often plugged only with mud. The close proximity of these holes to an injection well location are a concern in that they can provide an avenue for injection-depth fluids to migrate up the bore hole and jeopardize shallower fresh water reservoirs. Usually, where there are more than 6 or 8 poorly plugged borings in a 2 1/2 mile radius of the well site, it is preferable to examine deeper zones for disposal well potential. The deeper zones are especially attractive where the borings are not in a cluster, which renders monitoring more difficult. Often, even the deeper disposal zones are penetrated by a few improperly plugged borings. When this condition arises, the potential for leakage through the borings can be addressed in the following ways. a. Demonstration that the static head in the boring is higher than the anticipated increase in bottom hole pressure generated at the boring by the disposal well. A 100 psi differential between these two pressures is recommended. The calculated increased pressure at a boring caused by injection should be refined using annual bottom hole pressure measurements in the disposal well. Figure 1 illustrates an injection pressure map which can be overlain on the oil well map to determine the anticipated increase in pressure expected at each oil, gas or abandoned hole. b. Shallow ground water monitoring. A shallow monitor well is drilled next to the boring and both pressure and quality measurements are made periodically in the shallow well. c. Disposal zone monitoring. Recently there has been a tendency for regulators to require disposal depth monitor wells instead of shallow well monitoring. We consider disposal depth monitoring to be a less effective method of monitoring because it provides only indirect evidence of potential problems. Assumptions have to be made for the unplugged borings, such as mud weight, that are not addressed by the disposal zone monitoring program. There is little improvement with this system to that discussed in "a" above. A shallow zone monitoring program, however, yields direct evidence of a developing problem with an unplugged boring. Leakage by the boring will be detected quickly by an abnormal increase in pressure in the shallow well. Quality monitoring will detect upward migration of poor quality fluids. The pressure data provide an early warning of impending leakage; the quality monitoring will detect actual fluid migration.

Jan 1, 1980

By Russell S. Sage

THE electric motor has steadily replaced the steam and air engine for use in mine hoists, until today a new installation with other than electric drive is a rarity. Much existing steam-driven equipment has been changed over to electric drive. Driving power has grown in capacity since the initial electric unit rated 10 hp installed at Aspen, Colorado, in 1888, to 3000 hp and 4000 hp in the United States, and to 5500 hp in Canada-the largest in the Western Hemisphere. Electric installations now total in the thousands of units, a growth largely made possible by the development of large central electric-power stations and the extension of electric-power service to more mining areas.

Jan 1, 1949

By G. M. Schwartz, G. A. Thiel

Dimension stone was first quarried in Minnesota in 1820 and a very active industry has grown up over the years. The main basis of the present industry is a wide variety of igneous rocks sold under the general trade name of "granite." Also of considerable importance is the Ordovician dolomite sold under the locality names, Man kato, Kasota and Winona. THE first record of the quarrying of dimension stone in Minnesota dates back to 1820 when limestone was quarried locally for part of old Fort Snel-ling. Limestone quarries were operated at Stillwater, Mankato, and Winona as early as 1854. Granite was quarried first at St. Cloud in 1868, and within a few years thousands of tons were shipped to widespread points. Rough dimension stone for large buildings furnished the first important market, but beginning in 1886 paving blocks were in demand. The largest shipment was in 1888, when 1925 cars were shipped from the St. Cloud area. Quartzite was quarried first at New Ulm in 1859 and somewhat later at Pipe-stone and elsewhere in southwestern Minnesota. The productive dolomite quarries at Kasota were opened first in 1868 and have continued as large producers of a variety of stone to the present time. At present, the industry is controlled by relatively few operators, and for that reason detailed figures on dimension stone are not released for publication. A general idea may be obtained from the data in the Minerals Yearbook for 1948. The figures for total stone produced in Minnesota are 1,804,000 tons valued at $5,090,652. Probably the largest item in the latter figure is received from dimension stone. A better idea of the situation in relation to the country as a whole may be gained by using the data for 1930 when more companies were operating in Minnesota, and complete figures were published. In that year Minnesota produced granite valued at $2,668,119 and ranked third among the states in value. Minnesota's production of granite was almost exclusively for dimension stone. In the same year Minnesota produced 300,000 tons of limestone (dolomite) valued at $840,860, and this likewise was mainly dimension stone. In finished limestone Minnesota ranked second among the states in 1930. Sandstone and minor amounts of quartzite are the only other dimension stones that have been produced in Minnesota, but the quarries are now inactive. The commercial stones of Minnesota have been described in two reports by Bowlesl and by Thiel and Dutton. The early history of quarrying in Minnesota and extensive notes on the various rocks are given by N. H. Winchell.8 Small limestone and dolomite quarries were numerous throughout the area of Paleozoic rocks in southeastern Minnesota. Early production was largely dimension stone. With the increased use of Portland cement, most of these ceased production, and today only those at Kasota and Winona remain in operation. In recent years many quarries have reopened and new ones started, but these are devoted to the production of crushed rock and agricultural lime. As the application of modern quarrying and finishing methods increased, small companies in the granite business have dropped out, and the remaining companies have modernized their plants, purchased old quarries, and opened up new ones, thus furnishing a wide variety of granites suitable for most of the customary uses. It is the purpose of this review to present notes on the geology and operations of each of the quarries now operating within the state. Granites and Related Igneous Rocks The term granite as used in this report includes granites, gneisses, diorites, gabbros, and other igneous rocks. The granites of greatest economic importance are found in three widely separated regions, see Fig. 1. 1—Central Minnesota in the region of the city of St. Cloud, 2—the upper Minnesota River valley region, 3—the northeastern portion of the state, commonly referred to as the Arrowhead region. The St. Cloud Region: The rocks of the St. Cloud region are mainly granites and related rock types such as monzonites and quartz diorites. The stones may be grouped into three major types, namely, pink granite, red granite and gray granite. Most of the pink granite occurs in the area to the southwest of St. Cloud. The rock is best described as stone with large pink crystals set in a finer grained black and white background. The minerals of the matrix occur in remarkably uniform sizes, and the pink crystals are sufficiently uniform in their dis-

Jan 1, 1953

By H. J. Ramey

As fluids move through a wellbore, there is transfer of heat between fluids and the earth due to the diflerence between fluid and geothermal temperatures. This type of heat transmission is involved in drilling and in all producing operations. In certain cases, quantitative knowledge of wellbore heat transmission is very important. This paper presents an approximate solution to the wellbore heat-transmission problem involved in injection of hot or cold fluids. The solution permits estimation of the temperature of fluids, tubing and casing as a function of depth and time. The result is expressed in simple algebraic form suitable for slide-rule calculation. The solution assumes that heat transfer in the wellbore is steady-state, while heat transfer to the earth will be unsteady radial conduction. Allowance is made for heat resistances in the wellbore. The method used may be applied to derivation of other heat problems such as flow through multiple strings in a wellbore. Comparisons of computed and field results are presented to establish the usefulness of the solution. INTRODUCTION During the past few years, considerable interest has been generated in hot-fluid-injection oil-recovery methods. These methods depend upon application of heat to a reservoir by means of a heat-transfer medium heated at the surface. Clearly, heat losses between the surface and the injection interval could be extremely important to this process. Not quite so obvious is the fact that every injection and production operation is accompanied by transmission of heal between wellbore fluids and the earth. Previously, the interpretation of temperature logs',' has been the main purpose of wellbore heat studies. The only papers dealing specifically with long-time injection operations are those of Moss and White3 and Lesem, et al.' The purpose of the present study is to investigate wellbore heat transmission to provide engineering methods useful in both production and injection operations, and basic techniques useful in all wellbore heat-transmission problems. The approach is similar to that of Moss and White:' DEVELOPMENT The transient heat-transmission problem under consideration is as follows. Let us consider the injection of a fluid down the tubing in a well which is cased to the top of the injection interval. Assuming fluid is injected at known rates and surface temperatures, determine the temperature of the injected fluid as a function of depth anti time. Consideration of the heat transferred from the injected fluid to the formation leads to the following equations. For liquid, Eqs. 1, 1A and 2 are developed in the Appendix. These equations were developed under the assumption that physical and thermal properties of the earth and wellbore fluids do not vary with temperature, that heat will transfer radially in the earth and that heat transmission in the wellbore is rapid compared to heat flow in the formation and. thus, can be represented by steady-state solutions. Special cases of this development have been presented by Nowakl and Moss and White.3 Both references are recommended for excellent background material. Nowak' presents very useful information concerning the effect of a shut-in period on subsequent temperatures. Since one purpose of this paper is to present methods which may be used to derive approximate solutions for heat-transmission problems associated to those specifically considered here, a brief discussion of associated heat problems is also presented in the Appendix. Analysis of the derivation presented in the Appendix will indicate that many terms can be re-defined to modify the solution for application to other problems. Before Eqs. 1, 1A and 2 can be used, it is necessary to consider the significance of the over-all heat-transfer coefficient U and the time function f(t). Thorough discussions of the concept of the over-all heat-transfer coefficient may be found in many references on heat transmission. See McAdams5 or Jakob," for example. Briefly, the over-all coefficient U considers the net- resistance to heat flow offered by fluid inside the tubing, the tubing wall, fluids or solids in the annulus, and the casing wall. The effect of radiant heat transfer from the tubing to the casing and resistance to heat flow caused by scale or wax on the tubing or casing may also be included in the over-all coefficient. According to McAdams, on page 136 of Ref. 5>

By G. M. Schwartz, G. A. Thiel

Dimension stone was first quarried in Minnesota in 1820 and a very active industry has grown up over the years. The main basis of the present industry is a wide variety of igneous rocks sold under the general trade name of "granite." Also of considerable importance is the Ordovician dolomite sold under the locality names, Man kato, Kasota and Winona. THE first record of the quarrying of dimension stone in Minnesota dates back to 1820 when limestone was quarried locally for part of old Fort Snel-ling. Limestone quarries were operated at Stillwater, Mankato, and Winona as early as 1854. Granite was quarried first at St. Cloud in 1868, and within a few years thousands of tons were shipped to widespread points. Rough dimension stone for large buildings furnished the first important market, but beginning in 1886 paving blocks were in demand. The largest shipment was in 1888, when 1925 cars were shipped from the St. Cloud area. Quartzite was quarried first at New Ulm in 1859 and somewhat later at Pipe-stone and elsewhere in southwestern Minnesota. The productive dolomite quarries at Kasota were opened first in 1868 and have continued as large producers of a variety of stone to the present time. At present, the industry is controlled by relatively few operators, and for that reason detailed figures on dimension stone are not released for publication. A general idea may be obtained from the data in the Minerals Yearbook for 1948. The figures for total stone produced in Minnesota are 1,804,000 tons valued at $5,090,652. Probably the largest item in the latter figure is received from dimension stone. A better idea of the situation in relation to the country as a whole may be gained by using the data for 1930 when more companies were operating in Minnesota, and complete figures were published. In that year Minnesota produced granite valued at $2,668,119 and ranked third among the states in value. Minnesota's production of granite was almost exclusively for dimension stone. In the same year Minnesota produced 300,000 tons of limestone (dolomite) valued at $840,860, and this likewise was mainly dimension stone. In finished limestone Minnesota ranked second among the states in 1930. Sandstone and minor amounts of quartzite are the only other dimension stones that have been produced in Minnesota, but the quarries are now inactive. The commercial stones of Minnesota have been described in two reports by Bowlesl and by Thiel and Dutton. The early history of quarrying in Minnesota and extensive notes on the various rocks are given by N. H. Winchell.8 Small limestone and dolomite quarries were numerous throughout the area of Paleozoic rocks in southeastern Minnesota. Early production was largely dimension stone. With the increased use of Portland cement, most of these ceased production, and today only those at Kasota and Winona remain in operation. In recent years many quarries have reopened and new ones started, but these are devoted to the production of crushed rock and agricultural lime. As the application of modern quarrying and finishing methods increased, small companies in the granite business have dropped out, and the remaining companies have modernized their plants, purchased old quarries, and opened up new ones, thus furnishing a wide variety of granites suitable for most of the customary uses. It is the purpose of this review to present notes on the geology and operations of each of the quarries now operating within the state. Granites and Related Igneous Rocks The term granite as used in this report includes granites, gneisses, diorites, gabbros, and other igneous rocks. The granites of greatest economic importance are found in three widely separated regions, see Fig. 1. 1—Central Minnesota in the region of the city of St. Cloud, 2—the upper Minnesota River valley region, 3—the northeastern portion of the state, commonly referred to as the Arrowhead region. The St. Cloud Region: The rocks of the St. Cloud region are mainly granites and related rock types such as monzonites and quartz diorites. The stones may be grouped into three major types, namely, pink granite, red granite and gray granite. Most of the pink granite occurs in the area to the southwest of St. Cloud. The rock is best described as stone with large pink crystals set in a finer grained black and white background. The minerals of the matrix occur in remarkably uniform sizes, and the pink crystals are sufficiently uniform in their dis-

Jan 1, 1953

By R. Maddin, C. H. Mathewson, W. R. Hibbard

According to conventional crystal mechanics, a face-centered cubic single crystal slips on the system {111} <110> which receives the highest shear stress in terms of the stated orientation of the stress axis of the crystal.l However, in brass, the slip process is never as simple as this conventional analysis indicates. There is always a second cooperating plane which contains the same slip direction as the primary plane.2&apos;3 There is still another cooperating slip system commonly called the conjugate system3 previously observed to function with considerable lag only after the rotation due to the action of the first plane had produced a symmetrical condition of equal shear stress on the two systems. In the 1943 Campbell Lecture,4 a slip mechanism was outlined in which the {111) planes moved step-wise in two adjacent <112> directions integrating into the <110> slip direction. "... the slipping process would be visualized as a succession of steps 30" to the right and left of the resultant, microscopically observed, slip direction; a first step setting up the twinned configuration in the single spacing involved and an ensuing slip returning the atoms to the untwinned configuration while completing a fully integrated <110> movement."4 This process is shown diagrammatically in Fig 1 which shows two close packed layers of atoms at a slip site. A movement of the full circles through the "valleys" into the adjacent sites would produce a twin configuration with respect to the open circles. The term, "twin fault," seems most appropriate to define this faulted condition of the lattice. Annealing twins in face-centered cubic metals may arise from preformed nucleii which could be described as twin faults produced by the first movement of this two stage slip process. However, it is clear that this kind of slip does not take place so as to embrace a measurable number of adjacent planes because careful X ray examination has not conclusively shown the existence of ponderable twin lamellae (as in the case of Neumann bands in the body-centered ferrite). In view of the imponderable character of these hypothetical twin faults, the search for evidence of their existence seems restricted to indirect methods. The most obvious experimental technique serving this purpose is the determination by micrographic and X ray methods of the alignment of the composition planes of annealing twins with the former slip planes in axially strained and recrystallized single crystals. In previous attempts of this sort not all of the annealing twins could be traced to slip planes known to be operative in the conventional sense and hence evidence appeared negative or inconclusive. With the discovery of additional slip systems2&apos;3 operating in conjunction with&apos; the major system of highest resolved shear stress in axially strained brass it became apparent that the simple technique outlined above might be re-employed with more gratifying results. If, on annealing single crystals of alpha brass previously strained in tension, twins are found with their composition planes parallel to all three operative slip planes and with no participation of the fourth plane there is good evidence in favor of the existence of twin faults and of the two stage slip process. Experimental Procedure and Resuits Single crystals of alpha brass of the 70-30 composition were grown by solidification from the molten state.

Jan 1, 1950