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By R. Woodward Moore

A GRAPHICAL method of analyzing the data obtained from shallow earth-resistivity depth tests is presented. The method is based upon empirical results and has no theoretical basis. The usual apparent resistivity-electrode spacing curve is used together with a cumulative resistivity-electrode spacing curve plotted on the same sheet. The greatly reduced scale required for plotting the cumulative values of resistivity together with the effect of the summation of the individual resistivity values serves to minimize the effect of purely local surface anomalies and inadvertent errors of measurement. The point of intersection of tangents or straight lines drawn to intersect at zones of maximum curvature in the cumulative curve indicates the depth to the underlying material. Numerous figures are presented in which data from published reports and from recent field studies are analyzed and the results compared with actual depths established by borings or with depth values obtained by the use of theoretical methods of analysis. Smoothly rounded curves of apparent resistivity such as are often obtained in the field, and which have been a serious drawback to attempts to analyze the data empirically heretofore, appear to be susceptible to rather accurate analysis by the method described. The method is best suited to analyses involving shallow two-layer formations. It has been applied successfully, however, in analyzing the data obtained from tests made over shallow three-layer formations. As with most empirical methods, its chief advantage is its simplicity and ease of application.

Jan 1, 1944

By John C. Shyne, Eric R. Morgan

WHEN temper rolled low carbon sheet is stored at room temperature before use, changes take place in its mechanical properties. This phenomenon is known as strain aging. Normally these changes are observed by means of Olsen ductility and Rockwell B hardness tests but' unfortunately such tests are relatively insensitive. Strain aging can be readily observed in the laboratory by means of tensile tests. The tensile test method is even more sensitive if the aging is allowed to take place in specimens which have been prestrained in tension rather than by cold rolling. In fact one of the great benefits of commercial temper rolling is that it introduces a residual stress pattern which tends to mask the effects of strain aging when the sheet is finally used in a pressing operation. Curves B, C, and D of Fig. 1 illustrate the changes that take place during the aging of commercial rimmed steel at room temperature following straining in tension, curve A, Fig. 1. The first important change that can be observed is an increase in the stress required to produce plastic flow. This increase is, in this paper, called the aging index. As aging proceeds and the aging index increases, there is also an observable return of the yield point, an increase in the ultimate tensile strength, and a decrease in elongation to fracture. The results of strain aging in deep drawing steel manifest themselves as stretcher strains (L?ders bands) buckling, 2nd tearing. In deep drawn parts such effects are undesirable and strain aging is a serious problem. The rate of strain aging of a steel depends upon its composition and prior mechanical and thermal history? but for most temper rolled ope

Jan 1, 1958

By Russell G. Wayland

SINCE the installation at Kropfmuehl, Bavaria, of a modern flotation concentrator in 1938, the flake and fine graphite from the Passau area can now be delivered in about any normal specified carbon content of any size range up to a flake averaging about 0.7 mm. The graphite finds a wide German and export market for crucible manufacture, pencil leads, dry cells and other uses.

Jan 2, 1951

By R. D. Brown

This paper profiles Canada’s current economic, tax, and political environment with respect to its mining industry. Problems that must be overcome if the industry is to attain its full growth potential and are highlighted, some suggestions reflecting the opinion of many in the industry are given. Tables provide some detail on the current Canadian mining tax system, province by province, as well as for the Yukon and Northwest Territories, plus some relevant economic trends.

Jan 1, 1985

ATHOUGH the open-hearth charge contributes CO, CO2, and water vapor to the combustion gases and absorbs oxygen from them, in the main the thermal effects in the melting charge and molten bath can be considered independently of those in fuel combustion, the latter being regarded simply as the source of any extra heat required to finish a heat of steel. First of all, it should be remembered that a large percentage of the heat supplied to the bath is furnished by oxidation of the various elements in the charge itself. If this charge consisted of 80 to 100 per cent of hot metal and the oxidation were obtained by blowing in air or oxygen, as is the case in the Bessemer converter, then the net heat absorption would be negative, that is, the bath would contribute part of the heat required to keep the melting chamber hot, in addition to that contained in the finished steel and slag. In actual open-hearth practices, probably the nearest approach to this is in the duplex furnace, charged with Bessemer-blown metal and some hot metal, where very little heat is required to complete the refining and nearly all the heat energy from fuel combustion is used to keep the roof and walls of the melting chamber up to around 2900 to 3000°F. (1600 to 1650°C.) so that the bath will not cool off during the refining. The other extreme is with all-cold charges containing around 80 per cent steel scrap and 20 per cent cast iron or cold pig iron, in which case a very large proportion of the heat in the bath at tap is supplied from the fuel combustion. THERMAL EFFECTS IN MELTTNG In the previous chapter it was pointed out that in a typical heat, the fuel furnishes about four million B.t.u. per ton of steel produced. The heat required for the metallurgical processes is not easily defined in useful manner (as is shown later), but it ranges downward from about one million B.t.u., depending not only on the charge but on the manner of calculation. In any event this requirement appears quite small in comparison with the heat furnished by the fuel and invites

Jan 1, 1944

By J. F. Myers, F. M. Lewis

This second progress report of grinding presents comments regarding ball consumption and data pertaining to the hydroscillator, which is closed circuited with the tricone mill. A study and postulate of how balls function is presented. The paper summarizes cost reduction obtained by the method of "grinding for the tail race" rather than for "mesh tons."

Jan 11, 1950

By Mark C. Malamphy

During colonial times, Brazil was famous for the richness of her alluvial gold deposits. Paul Ferrand has estimated that the gold produced during the period from 1700 to 1820 was the equivalent of some 64 million pounds sterling. Since that time, most of the more prolific alluvial deposits have been exhausted. A few gold mines are still functioning, notably the Morro Velho mine, which is one of the deepest mines in the world. Today, the gold production of Brazil is insignificant when compared with world figures, but there are still many gold-bearing regions and it is probable that in at least some of them profitable returns would result from an exploitation program taking advantage of all the most modern innovations in gold mining and ore treatment on a large scale. In order to demonstrate the value of some of these abandoned prospects and stir up interest in increasing the national gold production, the government has stimulated research. Experimental plants have been and are being established in various places, and tests on large quantities of ores are being carried out on a semicommercial basis. The Geological Survey of the State of Minas Geraes is very active in this line and the Federal Institution is also showing an increased interest in the matter. One of the lesser known gold-bearing regions of Brazil is in the vicinity of Lavras, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Gold was first reported from this region in the early part of the nineteenth century. In 1811, D. João VI sent an experienced prospector from Minas Geraes to investigate the validity of the reports. According to the reports of Baron Eschwege, he succeeded in extracting some 30,000 Oitavos (about 105 kg.) during the first few years, but the production costs exceeded the value of the gold obtained.

Jan 1, 1934

By Eric Jette

IN order to control a chemical process by other than empirical, rule of thumb methods, two types of knowledge concerning the reactions involved must be available: (1) the thermodynamics of the reactions, and (2), by no means less important for efficient operation, the mechanisms and kinetics of the reactions. Information on the thermodynamic side enables the operator to decide upon initial and final conditions, whether heat must be .added or removed from the system, whether the reactions proceed farthest in the desired direction at high pressure or low, etc. Knowledge of the mechanisms involves the determination of the individual steps by which an initial set of reactants, under given conditions, proceed to give the desired final products and kinetic studies upon which the mechanisms are based give the speed at which each of these reactions or steps take place. Thus thermodynamic studies of a 'reaction enable the operator to control the direction and extent to which the reaction can proceed, while kinetic studies enable him to control rates and thus the time' efficiency of the operations. The thermodynamics set the limit to which the reacting system approaches; the kinetics tell how fast the system actually approaches this limit. The two types of information are complementary and not antagonistic even though in discussing the mechanism the introduction of thermodynamics is entirely needless and generally of no assistance, while in thermodynamic studies mechanism need not even be mentioned.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. J. Rogers, L. J. Dwiggins, R. O. Williams

THERE has been comparatively little work on the importance of strain rate and temperature as variables in the formation of deformation textures. For this reason the present work was started, the choice of compression being in part that of convenience and in part because of the absence of quantitative data in this area. These do not turn out to be important variables within the range studied which permits the results to be condensed into this note. Samples 1/4 in. in diam and 1/2 in. long were machined from 99.9 pct pure commercial aluminum and recrystallized to a fine grain size. A set of five samples were deformed between a spring-driven weight and an anvil resulting in roughly 20 pct strain each time. The strain rate varied because of decle-ration and shortening of the sample but would average about 10&apos; per min. Deformation at temperatures over the range of -76" to 150°C were obtained by heating or cooling the samples. Complete lubrication could be obtained by oil since the short time of contact did not permit its escape. The samples were compressed to a total true strain of 1.4 to 1.6. A larger sample was prepared similarly with spiral grooves in the ends to hold paraffin which provided essentially complete lubrication. This sam ple was compressed slowly at room temperature at a rate of about 2 per min to a total strain of 1.0. Cylindrical samples were carefully machined from these discs with a radial direction as an axis. They came from the center half of the samples and were roughly 1/16 in. in diam. The samples were etched down 15 pct to remove any surface effects. Diffraction data were then obtained for six different kinds of planes by the use of the Norton technique as applied to a fiber texture. Direct comparison between the raw data failed to reveal any significant difference between any of the samples and consequently the data from only one sample was completely reduced. The particular sample had been deformed at O°C The background was subtracted from the intensity data which were averaged over the four quadrants and then normalized to random. These data were then used to obtain fiber-axis distribution charts as previously described.2 For this sample the (422) plane was also run to assist in this inversion. The final result, Fig. 1, provided a comparable fit to that previously obtained from fiber data. About 85 pct of the material forms an elliptical texture around the <110> direction. The radius (at half height) is 5.5 deg along the (111) boundary and 8 deg along the (100) boundary. The remaining 15 pct forms a ridge running from this texture to near the <311> direction. The regions around the (100) and (111) planes are devoid of material. The earlier qualitative results of ~arrett~ are in complete agreement with the present results. The possibility has been dis-cused that the material around the <311> results from friction between the sample and compression plates.4 The present results are considered proof that such is not the case because of the uniformity of sample deformation and the requirement of axial symmetry before fiber-axis distribution charts can be accurately obtained. Recently results have been obtained to show that strain rate and temperature are important variables in the extrusion of aluminum.5 Perhaps the most important observation was that the partial recrystal-lization occurred even at room temperature. Strain rate was considered to be a factor only in that it produced a temperature change. There are many differences between the two experiments, the most important possibly being that their material was roughly ten times the purity of the present material. The present experiment, however, may not be as definitive as desired in this respect since it has been shown that compressed aluminum recrystallizes without a texture change6 although supplementary

Jan 1, 1961

By C. E. Shoenfelt

The outstanding development in the Rocky Mountain region for 1937 was the discovery of oil on the Wilson Creek dome in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, in the Morrison formation of Jurassic age. This discovery opens up a vast territory to exploitation and definitely establishes the western slope of Colorado as one of the region&apos;s more important oil areas. In former years, a large number of structures on the western slope were tested dry in Upper Cretaceous rocks but are now believed to hold possibilities in older formations, and a number of such structures are in line for drilling in 1938.

Jan 1, 1938

By Brahm Prakash, R. Schuhmann

Chemical conditions for flotation and nonflotation of cassiterite and fluorite with oleic acid as collector and with alizarin dyes as modifying agents were studied by means of small-scale, vacuum-flotation tests. Artificial cassiterite was prepared for these tests by high-temperature methods, especially by crystallization from borax melts.

Jan 5, 1950

By E. D. Gardner, E. M. Sipprelle

The Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act (58 Stat., 190; 30 U.S.C. Sup., Secs. 321-325) was approved by Congress April 5, 1944; it directed the Bureau of Mines to build demonstration plants to produce synthetic liquid fuels from coal, oil shale, and agricultural products. The most important oil-shale deposits in the United States are in the Green River formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. The oil shale of western Colorado generally is more amenable to exploitation, more persistent, and apparently richer than elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. It occurs at the top of a high plateau surrounded by bold, nearly vertical escarpments 500 to 600 ft in height. The top 400 to 500 ft of these escarpments comprises an oil-shale measure that averages 15 gal of shale oil per ton; the bottom 70 90 100 ft of the measure, called the Mahogany Ledge, averages over 30 gal per ton. The full measure in a 1000-square-mile area is estimated to contain 300 billion barrels of shale oil;&apos; the Mahogany Ledge is estimated to contain 100 billion barrels of oil. These estimates are based on numerous surfac,e samples and on core-drill holes drilled by the Government and by private enterprise. The oil-shale beds are undisturbed and lie nearly horizontal. The name "oil shale" is unfortunate, as the rock is a tough, strong marlstone. Organic matter named "kerogen" is a constituent of the rock. The oil-shale demonstration mine is on Naval Oil-Shale Reserve No. 1; it is about 5 1/2miles by mountain road from the plant site, which, in turn, is 2 miles from U.S. Highway 6 and 10 miles west from Rifle, Colo. The highway parallels the Colorado River, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, and a 66,000-volt public-utility power line. Early in the program it was realized that an oil-shale enterprise would have to be on a large scale to be commercial, and that unusually low mining costs would be necessary. The physical characteristics of the Mahogany Ledge and an overlying roof stone are unusually favorable both for large-scale operation and low mining costs. Quarry practices largely will be followed underground to mine the Mahogany Ledge. The aim has been toward complete mechanization of all mining operations. A mining unit would comprise a square mile containing 100,000,000 tons of oil shale with allowance for mining losses. An investment of $1,000,000 would be $0.01 a ton; such an expenditure, therefore, could be made to save, say, $0.015 per ton daily operating cost. A goal of a mining cost of $0.50 per ton was set up in 1945. Open-cut mining costs then were about $0.25 per ton of material handled; it was hoped that a cost double this amount could be obtained in mining the Mahogany Ledge. Costs of labor and supplies have increased since 1945 and so has the selling price of petroleum products. To those unacquainted with the character of the Green River deposits, the name "shale" suggested high mining costs. Others assumed that coalmining costs of $2 to $5 per ton would apply. To many, the expected mining costs appeared the principal handicap to the establishment of an oil-shale industry. The purpose of the Bureau of Mines is to demonstrate methods and to establish costs for mining the oil shale on a large scale. It is hoped this work will lead to the establishment of a large-scale, commercial oil-shale enterprise.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. Leja, J. H. Schulman

FROTH flotation is usually effected by the addition of a collector agent and a frothing agent to an aqueous suspension of suitably comminuted mineral ores. The action of collectors is to adsorb onto the surfaces of minerals to be separated, sensitizing them to bubble adherence. The action of frothers has, in the past, been accepted as that of froth formation only, brought about by a lowering of the air/water interfacial tension. Substances capable of producing froth are classed1a,b according to their relative capacities for production of froth-volume and froth stability in the simple frother-water system. The purpose of this paper is to show that the surface active agents acting as frothers become effective only when there is a suitable degree of molecular interaction taking place between collector molecules and frother molecules at the air/water and solid/ water interfaces. Further, the discussion will demonstrate that the actual mechanism of adherence of an air bubble to a suitably collector-coated particle is due to the molecular interaction collector-frother. This leads to the formation of a continuous interfacial film of associated molecules, anchored to the mineral by polar groups of the collector, and enveloping the whole bubble. The tenacity of adhesion mineral-to-bubble results from the strength and the visco-elasticity of this mixed film.

Jan 2, 1954

By E. O. Wagner, V. F. Parry

This paper summarizes investigations during 1949 on three pilot plants for drying low-rank fine coal by entrainment in hot gases. Detailed operating results on processing seven coals having moisture ranging from 24 to 62 pct, formulas and data for calculating performance of large units, and general conclusions on the problem of drying fine coal are presented.

Jan 9, 1950

By H. H. Kaveler, Z. Z. Hunter

Variation of the horizontal permeability (parallel to the bedding plane) in the vertical section of reservoir rocks has long been observed as a characteristic of a normally heterogeneous system which reservoir rock represent. The use of a recently developed water injection profile device offered opportunity to measure with a high degree of reliability the rate of inflow of water into Burbank sandstone in wells previously cored. Water injection profiles were not correlative with core permeability profiles in such wells. Apparently the vertical permeability substantially influences the flow between strata in a formation in a manner as to void the usual conclusions that have been drawn from consideration of the horizontal permeability measurements alone. The results obtained in comparing water injection profiles with horizontal permeability profiles suggest that many of the usual production operations based upon "selective" behavior or treatment of rock exposed in well bores need to he re-valuated and re-examined. INTRODUCTION Petroleum reservoir rock are heterogeneous systems. Heterogeneity exists in respect to lithologic character insofar as such rock are composed of distinguishable solid phases. Heterogeneity also exists in respect to certain properties, such as porosity and permeability, that vary due to variation of the physi-cal structure of the rock. Except in exceptional cases, both the horizontal permeability (measured parallel to the bedding planes) and the vertical permeability (measured perpendirularly to the bedding planes) exhibit significant variation in any common source of supply. The variation in horizontal permeability. as reflected by con. analyses. has drawn the greatest attention of petroleum technologists probably out of the general notion that the mass movement of fluids in a reservoir is predimonantly in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, in the usual case, the rock permeability measured in the horizontal direction is greater than that in the vertical. The variation of horizontal permeability of reservoir rock has been the basis for developing a number of operating practices and procedures intended to improve the petroleum production operation. Many such procedures are referred to as "selective" in the sense that the practice is intended to control the flow to a more. or less. permeable interval within the common source of Supply. It is often said that such practices are "tailored" to the permeability profile. The practices referred to involve, among others, the following: selective perforation of casing; selective shooting, acidizing and plugging: plugging back to intervals of low permeability; and, regulation of flow to prevent coning of water or gas, or irregular encroachment of water or gas. Certain expressed notions involving a concept of "by-passing," or "trappingl" that are held to be particularly harmful in causing the avoidable loss of recoverable petroleum have grown from observed variations in the horizontal permeability. Oftentimes estimates of the reserve of a common source of supply are tempered by conclusions relating variation in horizontal permeability to recover-ability of the oil-in-place. Certain conclusions attributed to the significance of the variation of the horizontal Permeabilitv often extend to the design and operation of pressure-maintenance projects involving both water flooding and gas-injection. Many advocate increasing the number of injection wells, advocate maintaining uniform and equidistant input-output well patterns, or advocate so-called "dispersed" gas-drive techniques rather than gas-cap injection because the permeability profile of cored wells is supposed to indicate that "by-passing" or "trapping" would otherwise exist. It is important, therefore, to have an opportunity to test whether the variation in the horizontal permeability found through core analyses of a typical reservoir rock is sufficient to establish the paths of fluid flow in a reservoir. It is particularly important to have an opportunity to determine whether flow at the sand face of a well conforms to the permeability profile as established by core analyses. In that manner, the merit of certain 50-called "selective" operating procedures and other notions may be evaluated. The purpose of this paper is to compare horizontal permeability profiles of wells in the Bartlesville (Bur-bank) sandstone with water injection profiles, for the purpose of showing that there is no correlation between the horizontal permeability of a core and the water intake characteristics of a typical sandstone. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BARTLESVILLE (BURBANK) SANDSTONE The Bartlesville sandstones of Northeastern Oklahoma are off-shore bar deposits.&apos; Although other reservoirs had different processes associated with their deposition or with the formation of their porous, permeable structure, the l!artlesville sandstones on which these field Fields were made are, in every respect. typical petroleum reservoir rock. The permeability of the Bartlesville sandstones shows a typical variation in both the horizontal and vertical direction. Furthermore, the permeability profile logs of wells in any pool are not correlative, even as between wells as close as 660 ft and 330 ft apart.&apos;. The same condition exists in such sand-tones as the Jones Sand at Shuler&apos; and is the ordinary and usual characteristic of reservoir rock. THE FIELD DATA The data reported herein are those obtained from coring of nine wells on the center of ten-acre locations for the purpose of providing water-injection wells in the Bartlesville (Burbank)

Jan 1, 1952

By Joseph Jensen

No outstanding example of an important producing unit operation exists in California today where the competitive drilling drainage feature is or was entirely eliminated We need not feel, however, that the thought of unit operation had its birth in 1924, when Henry L. Doherty named and sponsored it so strongly before the American Petroleum Institute and our own organization. No man or company in California ever drilled a wildcat well without exerting every possible effort to get all of the structure, so as to control drilling and avoid competition. Overproduction did not begin in 1923, so there has always been the wish to avoid it. In this state the practice of selling acreage around a wildcat has not been followed, except possibly in rare instances. The operator drilling the wildcat knew he must pay the bill alone, so he endeavored to get the benefit of his effort by tying up all of the land around his well and by so planning his different lease obligations as to avoid as much offsetting as possible. If he failed to get all of the land, it was because someone&apos;s price was too high, some other oil man also had the same idea and already held some lands, a competitor took leases away from him while his work was still incomplete, or (as was so often the case) the hidden structure when developed did not prove to be where the wildcatter thought it would be. The last named condition often led to a forced drilling campaign by the last leases secured and thus to serious drilling drainage problems. Ownership of the Land The land situation differs a great deal in various parts of the state. In the San Joaquin Valley, all the land is surveyed into sections and townships. Railroad land grants embraced a part of the land. In the areas that were developed at an early date, as at Kern River, Coalinga, McKittrick and the Sunset-Midway field, such land as the railroad company&apos;s diligent land department had been unable to sell for a song as grazing land still remained in its ownership. Operation and ownership

Jan 1, 1930

By John H. Bassarear

By 1968, Cyprus Pima was milling 34.5 kt /d (38,000 tpd) of copper ore using a conventional flowsheet consisting of three stages of crushing, rod milk and ball, mills. A 13.6 kt /d (15,000 tpd) expansion was put onstream late in 1971 using primary crushing, semiautogenous milk, and ball mills. Identical ore is treated in both concentrators. This paper shows the weight and life of each liner for each crusher and each mill over a four year period from 1974-1977. Media consumption is shown for the same period and a comparison is made between the two reduction methods.

Jan 1, 1983

By Jesse E. Wyrick

Gases and vapors are being safely stored in caverns constructed in salt formations. The storage of gas is cost competitive with other methods of gas storage and offers many advantages. Storage can be designed for high gas recovery rates and many operating caverns allow gas recovery rates in excess of 300 million cubic feet per day. Fenix & Scisson has constructed or consulted on many of these storage projects and presents some case histories beginning with the conversion of a bedded salt cavern to gas storage in 1961. Discussion includes basic considerations for storage construction, confirmation, and operation.

Jan 1, 1985

By S. L. Tainter

This paper describes the nature of engineering and geologic services for the production stage and a review of pit design factors peculiar to the development period. The Mission pit has passed into the mining phase where development is of secondary importance; however: until the pit reaches its final size, development will be a continuing function occurring simultaneously with mining operations. The deposit occurs in an extensive zone of altered sedimentary rocks which have been fractured by three fault systems, flexed or folded, and intruded by monzonite porphyry. The deposit is a low-grade copper sulfide "porphyry" type orebody within a broad zone of pervasive hydrothermal alteration in sedimentary rocks.

Jan 12, 1965

By Robert Lewis

Some recent experiments in the use of compressed air for rock drills at higher than usual pressures, up to 150 lb. per sq. in., emphasize the importance of maintaining the compressed-air system in the best condition if the greatest possible over-all efficiency is to be secured. No claim of high over-all efficiency can be made for the compressed-air system of braking that is used on railroad trains, yet the air brake works effectively. Compressed air is not used efficiently in the rock drill, but no other type of machine drilling is yet a serious competitor of the air-driven rock drill.

Jan 1, 1930