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By Fred H. Poettmann

An equation has been derived for use in calculating the sandface pressure of flowing gas wells in which the variation of the compressibility factor of the gas with pressure is taken into consideration. This variation due to compressibility has been put into both graphical and tabular form. Comparison of calculated results with field measured results were made on 20 dry gas wells from a given field and 11 distillate wells from different fields. The agreement between calculated and observed results is good. In addition to their use in the calculation of sandface pressures of flowing wells, the factors can be used in the direct calculation of the static bottom hole pressure of gas wells, the capacity of gas transmission lines, and in the calculation of the theoretical isothermal horsepower necessary to compress a natural gas. Examples demonstrating the use of various equations are given. INTRODUCTION Many of the equations used to calculate the sandface pressures of flowing gas wells from well head data do not take into consideration rigorously the deviation of the natural gas from ideal gas behavior. For low pressure wells this error is not serious. For high pressure wells flowing at high rates this error call be serious. Sandface pressures are used to determine the producing capacity of gas wells as shown in the U. S. Bureau of Mines' Monograph 7.' An equation has been derived for use in calculating the sandface pressure of flowing gas wells in which the variation of compressibility of the gas with pressure is taken into consideration. This variation due to compressibility has been put into both graphical and tabular form. In addition to their use in the calculation of sandface pressures, these "factors" can also be used to give a direct solution in the calculation of the static bottom hole pressure of gas wells, the calculation of the capacity of gas transmission lines, and the calculation of the isothermal horsepower necessary to compress a gas. CALCULATION OF SANDFACE PRESSURE OF FLOWING GAS WELLS The starting point in the derivation of any specific flow equation is an energy balance on the fluid flowing between any two points in the system. This energy balance based on one pound of flowing fluid is expressed by the well known general flow equation: jp~- vdP+ Ah + -— + wt + r. = o . . (i) P, 2 g. where V = specific volume of flowing fluid in cu ft/lb P = pressure in Ib per sq ft ah = difference in height above datum plane in, ft ------ = kinetic energy change of one lb of flowing fluid, v equals velocity in ft/sec and g. = 32.174 Ws = Work done by fluid while in flow (similar to shaft work in driving a turbine) W, = Znergy losses due to the irreversibilities of the flowing fluid This equation contains no limiting assumptions and can be made the basis of any fluid flow relationship by limitations or substitutions. The energy units are usually expressed in term* of foot-pounds of energy per pound of mass. Considering the vertical flow of gas through tubing or annu-lus, the external work W, done by the gas is zero. Let us also assume that the value of the kinetic energy function is small and can be neglected. Equation (1) is reduced to: /P: VdP + Ah+Wt = 0 .......(2) Pi The energy loszes PI can be expressed in terms of the well known Fanning equatinn: 4/Lf: rf = —— ............(3) 2g,D where L = the integrated average velocity in ft/sec of vertical flow in a uniform flow string -~h = L v = the integrated average velocity in ft/sec / = dimensionless correlating function

Jan 1, 1951

By Fred H. Poettmann

An equation has been derived for use in calculating the sandface pressure of flowing gas wells in which the variation of the compressibility factor of the gas with pressure is taken into consideration. This variation due to compressibility has been put into both graphical and tabular form. Comparison of calculated results with field measured results were made on 20 dry gas wells from a given field and 11 distillate wells from different fields. The agreement between calculated and observed results is good. In addition to their use in the calculation of sandface pressures of flowing wells, the factors can be used in the direct calculation of the static bottom hole pressure of gas wells, the capacity of gas transmission lines, and in the calculation of the theoretical isothermal horsepower necessary to compress a natural gas. Examples demonstrating the use of various equations are given. INTRODUCTION Many of the equations used to calculate the sandface pressures of flowing gas wells from well head data do not take into consideration rigorously the deviation of the natural gas from ideal gas behavior. For low pressure wells this error is not serious. For high pressure wells flowing at high rates this error call be serious. Sandface pressures are used to determine the producing capacity of gas wells as shown in the U. S. Bureau of Mines' Monograph 7.' An equation has been derived for use in calculating the sandface pressure of flowing gas wells in which the variation of compressibility of the gas with pressure is taken into consideration. This variation due to compressibility has been put into both graphical and tabular form. In addition to their use in the calculation of sandface pressures, these "factors" can also be used to give a direct solution in the calculation of the static bottom hole pressure of gas wells, the calculation of the capacity of gas transmission lines, and the calculation of the isothermal horsepower necessary to compress a gas. CALCULATION OF SANDFACE PRESSURE OF FLOWING GAS WELLS The starting point in the derivation of any specific flow equation is an energy balance on the fluid flowing between any two points in the system. This energy balance based on one pound of flowing fluid is expressed by the well known general flow equation: jp~- vdP+ Ah + -— + wt + r. = o . . (i) P, 2 g. where V = specific volume of flowing fluid in cu ft/lb P = pressure in Ib per sq ft ah = difference in height above datum plane in, ft ------ = kinetic energy change of one lb of flowing fluid, v equals velocity in ft/sec and g. = 32.174 Ws = Work done by fluid while in flow (similar to shaft work in driving a turbine) W, = Znergy losses due to the irreversibilities of the flowing fluid This equation contains no limiting assumptions and can be made the basis of any fluid flow relationship by limitations or substitutions. The energy units are usually expressed in term* of foot-pounds of energy per pound of mass. Considering the vertical flow of gas through tubing or annu-lus, the external work W, done by the gas is zero. Let us also assume that the value of the kinetic energy function is small and can be neglected. Equation (1) is reduced to: /P: VdP + Ah+Wt = 0 .......(2) Pi The energy loszes PI can be expressed in terms of the well known Fanning equatinn: 4/Lf: rf = —— ............(3) 2g,D where L = the integrated average velocity in ft/sec of vertical flow in a uniform flow string -~h = L v = the integrated average velocity in ft/sec / = dimensionless correlating function

Jan 1, 1951

By A. S. Michaels, M. C. Porter, A. Stancell

Previous laboratory studies have demonstrated that the injection of small quantities of reverse wetting agents during water displacement can increase oil recovery from unconsolidated porous media.9 In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to determine more fully the effects of reverse wetting treatments and to clarify the mechanism by which increased oil recovery is effected. Water-oil displacements were performed in beds of 140-200 mesh silica sand. Hexylamine slugs (injected after 0.25 pore volume of water throughput), when adequate in size and concentration, were effective in promoting additional oil recovery. Their effectiveness increased with the quantity of amine injected. However, slugs of sufficient size and concentration to stimulate oil production at water flow rates of 34 ft/day did not do so at 4 ft/day. Visual studies in a glass grid micromodel have shown that the stimulation of oil production, via ayueous hexylamine, is a result of transient changes in the oil wettability of the pore walls. if the amine slug is of sufficient size and concentration to induce significant changes in the adhesion-tension, large continuous oil masses will be formed. if the superficial water velocity is high enough to result in rapid desorption of the amine, a favorable "wettobility gradient" may be established across the masses; under such conditions, high oil mobility is observed, and increased oil recovery results. INTRODUCTION It is generally agreed that the efficiency of oil displacement by water in porous media is limited in part by capillary forces which cause the retention of isolated masses of oil — resulting in the so-called "irreducible minimum oil saturation". Recent estimates10 indicate that there are about 220 billion bbl of petroleum in United States reservoirs which are not economically recoverable with present techniques (such as water flooding). This amounts to almost five times the known recoverable reserves. It has been recognized for some time that a suitable alteration in the water-oil interfacial tension and/or the contact angle, as measured between the water-oil interface and the solid surface, should result in better displacement efficiency. Surface active agents can be used as interfacial tension depressants to accomplish this objective,1,2,7 but unfortunately, the additional oil recovery is seldom commensurate with the treatment cost. In contrast to interfacial tension depressants, the effect of contact angle alterations on water-oil displacements has received relatively little attention in the literature. It is known that the wettability affects the displacement process.3,4,11 Displacements in water-wet systems generally result in lower residual oil saturations than those in oil-wet systems. The effect of "'transient" wettability alterations concurrent with the displacement process have been investigated by Wagner, Leach and coworkers,4,11 wherein it has been demonstrated that the establishment of water-wet conditions during water flooding of oil-wet, oil-saturated porous media is accompanied by significant increase in oil displacement efficiency. Michaels and Timminss studied the effects of transient contact angle alterations resulting from chromatographic transport of reverse wetting agents through unconsolidated sand. It was demonstrated that chromatographic transport of short-chain (C4 through C8) primary aliphatic amines can improve oil recovery and that the recovery increases with the quantity of amine injected (i.e., with either the amine concentration or the volume of the slug injected). Circumstantial evidence indicated that the increased displacement efficiency resulted primarily from transient changes in wettability of the porous medium. In the Present investigation. additional information has been obtained on the effects of reverse wetting treatments and the mechanism by which increased oil recovery is accomplished. Hexylamine slugs of varying size and concentration were chromato-

Jan 1, 1965

By A. S. McLatchie, R. A. Hemstock, J. W. Young

Much attention has been given in the past few years to methods of increasing the recovery of oil from proven reserves. Numerous laboratories have made investigations to evaluate the possibilities of increased oil recovery by high-pressure injection of dry gas, injection of a propane slug followed by dry gas, solvent flooding. and by the injection at relatively low pressures of gases enriched with ethane and propane. Several years ago, Whorton and Kie-schnick' published the results of laboratory studies on high-pressure gas injection which showed that, in the case of light oils, recoveries could be considerably increased by sweeping the reservoir with dry gas at pressures in excess of 3,000 psig. The increase was attributed by those authors to the vaporization of oil at the invading gas front and viscosity and solubility effects produced at the front by the invading gas. Later, Stone and Crump' presented the results of a series of displacement experiments in which a light under-saturated crude oil was displaced from sand-packed columns with unusually high recoveries when the displacing gas was a rich condensate or a dry gas enriched with ethane or propane. They also conducted similar experiments at higher pressure on heavy undersa tu rated crude oil, although in this case the increase in recovery was not as great as in the case of the light oils. In both cases, viscosity reduction and swelling of the by-passed oil behind the invading gas front were believed to be responsible for the more favorable recovery of the original oil in place. Within the past year, other investigators", ' have presented the results of laboratory studies of miscible slug and solvent flooding recovery processes. This paper describes the laboratory methods developed for evaluating benefits to be obtained by enriched gas drive in specific reservoirs, and presents the results of several displacements of crude oils which possess a wide range of physical properties. The displacements were conducted at reservoir conditions of temperature and pressure. The apparatus used in the following experiments consisted of a sand-packed tube which served as the model reservoir, a cylinder of injection fluid, and a mercury pump. The stainless steel tube, 8 ft long and 0.53 in. I- was packed with a graded quartz sand. The high-pressure pump discharged mercury into the bottom of the injection fluid cylinder at a constant rate as low as 1 cc/hr. The average porosity and permeability of the sand column were 34.6 per cent and 3.25 darcies, respectively. In each case the tube was charged by the displacement of salt water by the reservoir oil under consideration. Recently a project was initiated to evaluate oil recovery by enriched gas drive from three oil reservoirs. Samples from a fourth reservoir (in this case high-viscosity oil) were studied with a view to obtaining recovery information of general applicability to low-grade, high-viscosity crudes. The oils from these four reservoirs exhibited a wide range of physical properties, and the reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature simulated in the laboratory represented several typical field conditions under which enriched gas drive might be employed. One of the reservoirs selected for laboratory displacement experiments produced an intermediate-gravity crude (29.6" API) by solution gas drive and a weak water drive. A low recovery in the range of 10 to 20 per cent was anticipated. Four displacement experiments were made to determine the effect of injection gas composition and initial gas saturation upon recovery of oil from the laboratory model. Two types of reservoir oil were used in these experiments. In the first run, a desaturated crude with a bubble point of 395 psi was charged to the tube. In the three subsequent runs, a simulated original reservoir oil was charged at 2,000 psi and produced by solution gas drive to 300 psi before beginning gas injec-

By H. L. Overton, J. B. Lipson

The concept of sodium single-ion equivalent activity as developed by Gondouin, Tixier and Simard,' was used to determine the filtrate resistivity-activity relationships for 150 laboratory and 49 field drilling muds. With the exception of the native and phosphate high-resistivity muds and the calcium-treated muds, the filtrate resistivity-activity relationships were found to be within 20 per cent of that for pure sodium-chloride solutions. Gondouin, et al,* previously suggested a method of treating the high-resistivity muds in quantitative electrical log analysis. A new treatment is presented which uses the P-alkalinity of the filtrate as a correlating parameter in handling the calcium-treated muds in quantitative electrical log analysis. INTRODUCTION Gondouin, Tixier, and Simard in 1957 introduced new interpretive procedures for analyzing the self-potential curve of electric logging. They re-emphasized the previous work of the Schlumberger brothers, Wyllie and others, and re-defined the activity concept in terms of a number which they termed the effective resistivity. Their procedures are particuarly effective when the connate-water resistivities are less than 0.08 ohm-m or greater than 0.3 ohm-m. For gyp muds where the calcium content is known, a procedure was presented which allows calculation of the connate-water resistivity with improved accuracy. These procedures assume that one of the fluids in the system is a pure sodium-chloride solution, but they are not limited by the assumptions. For the fresh and saline connate waters, for instance, it is assumed that the drilling mud filtrate is a pure sodium-chloride solution. For the gyp mud interpretive procedure, it is assumed that the connate water is a pure sodium-chloride solution. Brown,' on the other hand, has suggested that it would be extremely fortuitous if drilling mud filtrates could all be treated electrochemically as sodium-chloride solutions, and he cites some examples where discrepancies exist. A study has been made of the deviations of sodium single-ion equivalent activities, an of drilling mud filtrates from that of pure sodium-chloride solutions. Drilling fluids in common use on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and laboratory-controlled muds were investigated. Using a cell patterned after Gondouin, et al, (Fig. I), the equivalent activities were measured. It should be remembered here that the activity measured is merely an index which uses numbers that represent the sodium single-ion equivalent activity a,., of the mud filtrate. The membrane potential developed across the cell was determined with a null-type potentiometer. The resistivities of the solutions were measured by the four-electrode method. The resistivity system was calibrated by using saturated KC1 solution as a standard. Chemical properties of the drilling fluids studied were measured with standard API-approved equipment for the particular property in question. For the activity measurements, two shale discs were chosen to serve as cationic membranes. These two discs were both 1 1/4 in. in diameter and, respectively, 1/4 and 1/8 in. in thickness. The membrane potential, Em, was determined using the shale discs as cationic selective membranes separating two standard sodium-chloride solutions of known mean activity. Then by comparing the constant Km in the following equation, with the theoretical value of — 59 mv at 75OF, the perfection of the membrane was determined. The variation of Km for the two membranes used in this experimental work, as well as one of the many unsuitable membranes, is shown in Fig. 2. The measurement of the activity of mud filtrate involves the balancing of its combined individual activities against a standard solution of known mean activity. At the point where there exists zero potential across the membrane cell, the activity effects may be assumed equal for all practical purposes. The mechanics of making a null reading of this sort requires having a large number of different mean activity solutions. A more practical method involves

By R. A. Morse, C. R. Stewart, F. F. Craig

This paper preFents the results of a series of model flow test on a number of large limestone cores, having different pore configurations. For limestone cores having substantially sandstone type porosity, the production characteristics for solution and external gas drives are similar. For cores whose pore spaces were microscopically heterogeneous (i.e., consisted of combinations of solution cavities, matrix. and fissures), the production characteristics lor solution and external gas drives vary widely. The degree of divergence between gas-oil relative permeability relationships calculated from solution or external gas drive tests is an indication of heterogeneity of rock pore structure. The results of water floods on cores depleted by solution gas drive for each of these two general types of limestone porosity are also shown. Generalizations are made on the water flood recovery that could be expected from each of these two types of limestone porosity. The similarity between solution drive field performance and model solution drive performance on cores from the same formation is shown for several cases. This indicate? the feasibility of predetermining limestone field performance from such large core tests. Photomicrographs of plastic-impregnated rock thin sections of the samples tested are presented as an aid in understanding the flow test performances. INTRODUCTION During the past 15 years. reservoir engineers and research workers have developed methods of testing rock and fluid samples and applying the results, through calculation, to allow reasonably satisfactory predictions of oil recoveries and performances to be expected in sandstone oil recervoirs. It has been determined that representative fluid flow data can be obtained on rock samples as small as three-fourths in. in diameter by one in. long in most sandstones. However, little has been accomplished toward the laboratory determination of fluid flow characteristics in limestones. There has been a great deal of speculation as to the influence of variations in pore size, shape, and degree of interconnection upon oil recovery processes, and a great deal of thought has been given to the interpretation of limestone field perfomance. It has been generally recognized that predictions of reservoir performance based on oil displacement tests on small limestone core samples the size of those used for sandstone tests can often be misleading because of the improbability of obtaining a representative sample in such a small core. Obviously, if there are present in the rock, pore openings of the magnitude of 1/16 in., or fractures or solution channels up to one in. or more in length, it will be impossible to cut any sample less than one in. in any dimension which would represent the flow geometry of the gross rock system. In some formations, the individual openings in the rock are of such size that it would be impossible to obtain a good sample of the flow system even in the total core available from conventional-sized well cores. However, by increasing to the maximum the size of the sample used, it should be possible to obtain representative flow data from the majority of limestone reservoir materials which can be used for prediction of future primary production performance or response to be expected from secondary recovery measures. The only alternatives to obtaining good laboratory test data to serve these purposes are extrapolation of primary performance data obtained by partial depletion of a field, or obtaining information from pilot tests. It has been shown previously, and will be demonstrated further by the work reported in this paper, that extrapolation of solution gas drive performance for an estimate of gas injection response can be very misleading in reservoirs of heterogeneous type porosity. Although it cannot be expected that laboratory information can ever eliminate the necessity of small-scale pilot operations, it is expected, as is now the situation with sandstone reservoirs, that laboratory tests should provide reliable information for screening of

Jan 1, 1953

By P. J. Root, J. E. Warren

An idealized model has been developed for the purpose of studying the characteristic behavior of a permeable medium which contains regions which contribute significantly to the pore volume of the system but contribute negligibly to the flow capacity; e.g., a naturally fractured or vugular reservoir. Unsteady-state flow in this model reservoir has been investigated analytically. The pressure build-up performance has been examined in some detail; and, a technique for analyzing the build-up data to evaluate the desired parameters has been suggested. The use of this approach in the interpretation of field data has been discussed. As a result of this study, the following general conclusions can be drawn: 1. Two parameters are sufficient to characterize the deviation of the behavior of a medium with "double porositym from that of a homogeneously porous medium. 2. These parameters can be evaluated by the proper analysis of pressure build-up data obtained from adequately designed tests. 3. Since the build-up curve associated with this type of porous system is similar to that obtained from a stratified reservoir, an unambiguous interpretation is not possible without additional information. 4. Differencing methods which utilize pressure data from the final stages of a build-up test should be used with extreme caution. INTRODUCTION In order to plan a sound exploitation program or a successful secondary-recovery project, sufficient reliable information concerning the nature of the reservoir-fluid system must be available. Since it is evident that an adequate description of the reservoir rock is necessary if this condition is to be fulfilled, the present investigation was undertaken for the purpose of improving the fluid-flow characterization, based on normally available data, of a particular porous medium. DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEM For many years it was widely assumed that, for the purpose of making engineering studies, two param- eters were sufficient to describe the single-phase flow properties of a producing formation, i.e., the absolute permeability and the effective porosity. It later became evident that the concept of directional permeability was of more than academic interest; consequently, the degree of permeability anisotropy and the orientation of the principal axes of permeability were accepted as basic parameters governing reservoir performance. 1,2 More recently, 3-6 it was recognized that at least one additional parameter was required to depict the behavior of a porous system containing regions which contributed significantly to the pore volume but contributed negligibly to the flow capacity. Microscopically, these regions could be "dead-end" or "storage" pores or, macroscopi-cally, they could be discrete volumes of low-permeability matrix rock combined with natural fissures in a reservoir. It is obvious that some provision for the inclusion of all the indicated parameters, as well as their spatial variations, must be made if a truly useful, conceptual model of a reservoir is to be developed. A dichotomy of the internal voids of reservoir rocks has been suggested.7,8 These two classes of porosity can be described as follows: a. Primary porosity is intergranular and controlled by deposition and lithification. It is highly interconnected and usually can be correlated with permeability since it is largely dependent on the geometry, size distribution and spatial distribution of the grains. The void systems of sands, sandstones and oolitic limestones are typical of this type. b. Secondary porosity is foramenular and is controlled by fracturing, jointing and/or solution in circulating water although it may be modified by infilling as a result of precipitation. It is not highly interconnected and usually cannot be correlated with permeability. Solution channels or vugular voids developed during weathering or burial in sedimentary basins are indigenous to carbonate rocks such as limestones or dolomites. Joints or fissures which occur in massive, extensive formations composed of shale, siltstone, schist, limestone or dolomite are generally vertical, and they are ascribed to tensional failure during mechanical deformation (the permeability associated with this type of void system is often anisotropic). Shrinkage cracks are the result

By R. Lagneborg, R. Gullberg

An X-ray method for determinig volume fractions of phases in textured materials has been developed. The method involves measurements of the integrated intensities of reflections of each phase for one single orientation of the sample. The method was checked by evaluating the phase contents in samples from two stainless Cr-Ni steels containing austenite and ferrite in known amounts. In the present case measurements of about five reflections from each phase were required. The agreement between calculated and known volume fractions was found to be very close. AN X-ray diffraction method is often employed for determining the amounts of two or more phases in a material. The details of the method have been described at several instances.'" In short, the method is based upon the fact that the integrated intensity of a reflection is directly proportional to the volume fraction of the phase considered. In principle, the method only requires the measurement of the intensity of one reflection for each phase. The most severe shortcoming with this method is that it disregards influences from preferred orientation in the material. In a diffractometer, where this type of analysis is most conveniently carried out, the geometry is such that the diffracting planes for a specific Bragg peak are all parallel to the surface of the specimen. This implies that it must be required that the occurrence of the diffracting planes parallel to the specimen surface must be as frequent as for any arbitrarily oriented physical plane of the sample. This requirement will generally only be fulfilled for a material free of texture. Since all materials in reality always exhibit a preferred orientation to some extent. the deficiency of the method is quite serious. In cold-deformed material the texture is appreciable, but also annealed material will in many cases display a considerable texture. The problem of quantitative phase analysis in textured material is one of obtaining the integrated intensity averaged over all orientations of the specimen with respect to the X-ray beam. Lopata and ~ula~ have shown that this can be accomplished by integration of intensities over the whole pole figure, or by random rotation of the specimen in the X-ray beam, or by a combination of both. Hence, in this method the average integrated intensity for a specific reflection is obtained by directly determining the intensity for a sufficient number of physical orientations of the sample. However, since an excess of diffracting planes in a certain surface plane necessarily must be accompanied by a deficiency of another type of diffracting plane, it appears to be possible to obtain the correct average intensity for a specific diffracting plane by performing an appropriate averaging of intensities belonging to a large number of diffraction planes of different hkl when all intensities have been produced from one single orientation of the specimen surface. In the present work such a method has been attempted and tested experimentally for two stainless Cr-Ni steels containing austenite and ferrite. 1) THEORY The expression for the integrated intensity of a Bragg reflection diffracted from a phase in a polycrys-talline sample in a diffractometer is: where C is a constant only dependent on the incident X-ray power and the diffractometer geometry, v the volume of the unit cell, F the structure factor, m multiplicity of the diffracting plane, L Lorentz factor, P polarization factor, e-2 temperature factor, p average linear absorption coefficient of the irradiated vO1umej and V volume fraction of the phase 'Onsidered. Hence, the factor R in the abbreviated form of Eq. [I] can be calculated and depends only on 0 and the diffracting plane {hkl}. For an alloy containing two phases, a and y, we can write

Jan 1, 1967

By H. C. Vacher, C. J. Newton

EXTENSIVE investigations in the field of residual strain measurement by X-ray diffraction have been made by Bollenrath, Hauk, and Osswald,1 by Smith and Wood,2'3 by Greenough; by Rosenthal and Norton." and many others. Since X-ray strain measuremeits apply only to those crystals of the test body which are of the proper condition and orientation to diffract and since the residual strains revealed may be accompanied by either body or tex-tural stresses, there has been considerable disagreement among investigators with respect to the validity of conclusions in this field. Although the experi-mentors have employed a variety of loading schemes, surface preparations, and X-ray wave lengths, the observations almost invariably have been made only on the outer surfaces of the specimens. The present note is not to be construed as an exposition of a new method of stress analysis by X-ray strain measurements on sections but as a presentation of some results which point to interesting possibilities for further experiments with sections. The two test rods used in this study were of ingot iron annealed at 910°C. The initial length of the gage section was 2 in. and the diameter was 0.415 in. Cross-sections were cut from the ends of the annealed rods to provide strain-free material. The tensile rod was axially loaded the desired amount in a commercial testing machine. A 1 in. portion of the gage length was cut from the other rod and was subjected to compression in the same machine. Details of this plastic straining of each rod are given in the upper half of Table I. A half-cylinder piece about 1/4 in. long was obtained by making a short longitudinal plane cut containing the axis of the rod near the center of the gage length. From adjacent material a disk about 1/8 in. thick was cut to provide the cross-section specimen. Later another section was cut from this same region with an angle of 30" between the normal to its surface and the axis of the test rod. A cross-section and a longitudinal section were cut from the compression rod in a similar manner. All of these as well as the strain-free cross-sections were mounted in Bakelite and used as specimens for the following X-ray strain measurements. During the course of the study, it became apparent that the condition of the surface of a specimen was a highly critical factor. One of the annealed strain-free specimens as a control was subjected to about 24 hr of polishing with fine alumina, interrupted about every 2 hr for etching with 1 pct nital. Its lattice parameter was determined at intervals from measurements on back-reflection X-ray diffraction patterns, which were calibrated with diffraction from tungsten powder. The parameter gradually approached the value found in the literature for strain-free iron and remained there, within the limits of the experimental error. This determined a long polishing and etching procedure which was adopted for all the specimens and which gave X-ray results from the surfaces believed to be representative of each specimen as a whole. A large number of back-reflection patterns were made with cobalt and chromium radiation, all at normal incidence. Except for some preliminary stationary exposures made to monitor the removal of cold work from the surfaces, each exposure was made with the specimen slowly translating and the film slowly rotating. In appropriate cases a thin layer of a standard metal powder, tungsten with cobalt radiation and silver with chromium, was dusted over a film of vaseline on the surface of the specimen to serve to calibrate the X-ray patterns. After the preliminary work, four films were made,

Jan 1, 1956

By L. H. Robinson

Triaxial compression tests on Indiana limestone indicate that chemical additives in the pore fluids can increase or decrease the strength in plastic failure but not in brittle failure. Tests using a series of the sodium salts of dicarboxylic acids show that odd-number carbon-atom chains decrease the yield strength as much as 3.0 x 10 3 psi, and even-number carbon-atom chains increase the yield strength as much as 9.0 x 102 psi. ,The most effective chemical (sodium citrate) decreased the yield strength of Indiana limestone from 16.0 x 103 to 12.0 x 103 psi. The chemical additives investigated have no influence on microbit drilling rate when drilling with zero differential pressure. However, when drilling at a 2.0 x 103-psi pressure differeniial and using an odd-number carbon chain compound as the circulating fluid, the roller bit drilling rates were slower than with water whereas the drag bit drilling rates were faster. One even-number carbon chain compound added to the circulating fluid produces the opposite effect: the roller bit drilling rate is slightly faster than with water and the drag bit slower than with water. INTRODUCTION A Russian book by Rehbinderl published in 1944 generated much interest in the possibility of aiding and accelerating the destruction of solids by the action of a liquid in which the solids are deformed. This book describes a process in which microcracks are generated during elastic deformation. To describe this process, the rock is divided into three zones: (1) the zone in which the destruction takes place, (2) the predestruc-tion zone (an affected area immediately below the destroyed zone) and (3) the undisturbed specimen. Consider a load applied normally to a surface of an infinite slab of rock. Immediately below the point of application of the load, the rock is destroyed by compression or shear forces. Below this area of destruction, because of a great number of discontinuities ranging from defects to weak points in crystals of discontinuities in crystal latices, very small cracks are created in or between the crystals (often referred to as microcracks). Upon removing the load, the broken rock in the destroyed zone could be removed. In the lower predestruction zone, however, the microcracks in and between the crystals could disappear by the process of rehealing, i.e., the molecular attraction from one side of the crack to the other side being sufficient to completely eliminate the crack. Thus, a large number of these microcracks possibly exist only for a relatively short period of time. The concept of small cracks being generated within the crystals of a rock is not unreasonable. If the rock matrix is deformed below the yield point, some of the defects present within the crystalline structure could start small cracks through the interior of the grains. Upon removal of the load, these microcracks reheal (or the newly generated surfaces come back together) so that all evidence of cracks completely disappears. Under various types of loading, and in various types of fluids, the rehealing of these cracks would be time dependent. If a liquid adhered to the surface of a rock, it could penetrate into the microcracks and thus delay or prevent the rehealing process. This suggests that the prevention of healing of the microcracks may be dependent upon the wetting characteristics of the solid. Thus, rocks which are water-wet should be more easily destroyed in water than in nonpolar hydrocarbon liquid. Adsorption of a liquid could also reduce the free surface energy which could explain the decrease in strengths of materials under nonrepetitive-type loading. Rehbinder's work prompted Boozer, Hiller and Serdengecti 2 to examine the effects of pore fluids on the deformation of rocks subjected to triaxial compression over a range of confining pressures, temperatures and strain rates. Fluids which strongly adsorbed on the rock grain surfaces decreased the strength of sandstone and limestone, which deformed plastically. For certain strain

By James H. Boettcher, W. Durand Eppler

INTRODUCTION In the second quarter of 1979, Rapid Mining Co., Inc. ("Rapid") inquired whether Crocker National Bank ("CNB") would provide $4 million in term loan financing to help ("Dry Creek") acquire the outstanding shares of the Dry Creek Coal Company ("Dry Creek") in West Virginia. Prior to approaching CNB, Rapid had sought financing with the assistance of a financial advisor from a number of commercial banks without success. A summary of the initial terms requested by Rapid is shown in Table 1 compared with the actual terms on which the transaction closed. It is not difficult to note that the two sets of terms differ significantly. This is often the case when financing requests based on the expectations and vision of a mine developer are juxtaposed with more pragmatic requirements of a commercial bank. The "art" and fund of structuring financing plans for mining ventures (highly leveraged acquisitions or grass roots) comes in working with mine developers to arrive at a final financial structure that meets their objectives and constraints as well as those of the bank or other financial institutions providing much of the financing. Beginning with the terms requested by Rapid and ending with the terms that closed the transaction, this article briefly describes the process we went through with Rapid Mining. The Seller and Buyer The Dry Creek Coal Company was established in 1961, after its owner acquired the coal leases from Republic Steel. Republic has mined the primary coal seam from 1948-1961. Dry Creek was owned as a subchapter S corporation (i.e., for federal income tax purposes, income is taxed at the shareholder level) and had been run on a low key basis. Since the company had virtually no debt and limited cash needs, the owner produced primarily when rail cars were available and income was required. Output was therefore erratic as is shown in the top of Table II, but the result was a profitable little company with an attractive free cash position. Because the owner wished to retire and enjoy his wealth in a more readily spendable form, he had put the mine, with stated recoverable reserves of approximately 13 million tons, up for sale. In contrast, Rapid Coal's investors consisted of a number of investors of disparate financial situations. They had agreed upon a primary objective of income maximization and planned an annual production rate of 120,000 TPA which they and the current owner believed realizable. The Formulation of a Financing Structure Figure 1 presents a simplified overview of the sequence of steps taken in the financing process which lasted approximately three months from start to finish. Since banks see many requests for funding and considerble time is required to follow up on each, an important step was determining, after a brief review of the materials provided to us, whether the basic "eonomic entity" was viable. In this case, the size and quality of the reserves, the inherent operating cost characteristics, the sales arrangements, the management/labor situation and Rapid's principles all appeared to be sound enough to warrant investing the time necessary to do a thorough analysis of the project. Once this decision was made, the evaluation and analytic process shown in Figure 2 was initiated. The first and most fundamental concern of any banker is whether the loan will be paid back as scheduled from the cash flow generated by the project. The amount of debt relative to the owner's equity is of course crucial in such a determination. Before the debt/equity issue was addressed, however, a number of more qualitative factors had to be studied and if

Jan 1, 1985

By G. R. Smithson, John E. Hanway

This paper, the first of two papers covering the development of a metallurgical process for the treatment of a complex ore, describes the bench-scale experimental Program undertaken as a basis for initial process design. The results of using various potentially applicable process steps are detailed and the basis for selecting certain of these steps for Pilot-plant development is outlined. A process consisting of the steps of sulfate roasting, leaching, copper recovery, solution purification, zinc electrolysis, and brine leaching for lead recovery was recommended for further study. THIS paper describes the bench-scale development of a sulfate roasting process designed to recover copper, lead, and zinc from a complex ore. The extrapolation of the bench-scale results to pilot-plant design and the results of pilot-plant operation will be described by Lund, et al.' in a subsequent paper. Several years ago, the research divisions of the St. Joseph Lead Co. became responsible for the development of a metallurgical procedure to treat a complex sulfide ore containing copper, zinc, and lead sulfides. The primary objective was to devise a procedure which would permit economic recovery of the nonferrous values. As could logically be expected, the study of conventional flotation procedures was undertaken; in addition, however, because the physical nature of the mineral association in the complex ore indicated that physical methods of ore beneficiation might not prove to be entirely satisfactory, a program also was established to investigate alternative methods of direct metallurgical treatment for recovery of the metal values. Exploratory test work by the St. Joseph Lead staff led to the conclusion that a sulfate roasting technique represented the most attractive approach for a direct metallurgical process. Sulfate roasting would provide for the selective conversion of the nonferrous values to forms soluble in conventiona1.1 leaching agents and would permit their efficient separation from the insoluble iron and other gangue materials. It should allow efficient utilization of the thermal energy available from oxidation of the sulfide raw material, and might provide an opportunity for recovering byproducts such as iron and sulfur. The decision to evaluate a selective sulfation procedure as a basic processing step also was influenced by the excellent results obtained by the St. Joseph Lead Co. in using this procedure for the recovery of cadmium from zinc sulfide concentrates. The choice of selective sulfation as a major processing step served as a basis for an extended experimental investigation of the process with bench- and pilot-scale equipment to prove its feasibility. St Joseph Lead Co., aware that Battelle Memorial 1nstitute had participated in the development of several fluidized-bed sulfate roasting procedures, asked Battelle to undertake the bench-scale development of a suitable sulfation process. This paper describes the procedure used and the results obtained at Battelle in the treatment of the complex sulfide ore. EXPERIMENTAL WORK Nature of the Raw Material. The sulfide ore deposits of interest are essentially a massive sulfide, with the indivudual ore minerals being extremely fine grained and intimately intergrown with each other and with the associated gangue. The zinc in the ore is present mainly as sphalerite (ZnS), the lead as galena (PbS), and the iron either as pyrite (Fes2) or as pyrrhotite (FeS). Table I shows the chemical analysis of various individual samples of the ore. These analyses illustrate the variability of the ore body and impose a rather severe requirement on any type of metallurgical process—that of being able to tolerate probable wide variations in the assay of the head ore. The tentative flowsheet designed to serve as a guide for the initial experimental investigation of

Jan 1, 1962

By W. A. White

UNDERCLAY squeeze is the plastic flowing of underclay below coal pillars into mined-out entries and rooms. Squeezes may be caused either by wet mine conditions where the moisture is taken up by the clay—making it more plastic—or by the presence of certain clay minerals, such as mont-morillonite, which are plastic when there is enough natural moisture. Under either condition, sufficient stress will cause the underclay to flow. Squeezes may fill an entry or room within several hours, or it may be several months before movement stops. Squeeze areas commonly cover hundreds or thousands of square yards. The Coal Div. of the Illinois State Geological Survey has collected samples of underclays from various mines and from cores drilled by coal companies in the state. From these samples natural moisture content, particle size and particle size distribution, and clay mineralogy are determined. Data from samples collected from the underclay below Herrin (No. 6) coal in the Lumaghi Coal Co. mine near Collinsville, Ill., are used in this report to clarify points in the discussion. Data from samples taken from other mines lead to the same conclusions. A generalized geological section for the area is given in Table I. The underclay below coal No. 6 ranges from a few inches to 3 or 4 ft thick. The upper 6 to 18 in. are noncalcareous; the lower part becomes more calcareous with depth. Limestone nodules become larger with depth, almost grading into the limestone below. In areas where the clay is nearly absent the limestone may thicken to take its place; thus they may complement each other in thickness. There are two types of squeeze areas in a mine. In one type up to 3 or 4 ft of underclay lie in what appears to be a depression in the limestone underneath. This is suggested by a rim surrounding the squeeze area where the underclay is thin and the limestone lies within a few inches of the coal. In the second type the underclay of the squeeze area is surrounded by underclay of similar thicknesses which does not squeeze. Test Methods: Natural moisture content, particle size and particle size distribution, and clay mineralogy were determined by the following methods: Natural moisture is the moisture content a clay contains in its natural environment, expressed in percentage of the weight of ovendried clay (110°C or 230°F). To obtain the natural moisture content, given in Table 11, the clay samples were sealed in containers as soon as the samples were taken in the mines. Particle size and particle size distribution were determined by the pipette method,' and the data were plotted as cumulative curves, Fig. 1, on semi-logarithmic paper. Particle size was plotted on the logarithmic scale and percentage on the arithmetic scale. The quartiles (diameters that correspond to frequencies of 25 and 75 pct) and medians (diameters that correspond to the frequency of 50 pct) of the samples were determined from these curves. The clay minerals were identified from the data obtained by differential thermal' and X-ray powder" techniques. The differential thermal analyses were made on the whole samples, whereas the X-ray analyses were made on fractions of less than 2p. Data and Discussion Moisture Content: After the sealed jars had stood for 24 hr, those that contained squeeze samples had perspired, so that droplets of water had accumulated on the insides of the jars. Table II shows the moisture in the clay after it had perspired for 24 hr. (This perspiring was not noted in samples from nonsqueeze areas.) After perspiration one of the squeeze samples still had a higher moisture content than the samples that did not squeeze. Clay Mineralogy: The thermal analysis, Figs. 2 and 3, indicates that the clay minerals are chiefly micaceous in type; the low-temperature endothermal

Jan 1, 1957

By S. D. Dahlgren

ORDERED G.P. zones having the cesium chloride structure were found to exist in the bcc iron-rich grains of an Fe-Au-Cu alloy that had been supersaturated with approximately equal atomic percentages of gold and copper, and aged at 400° and 350°C. Streaks and superlattice spots in electron diffraction patterns revealed the presence of the ordered zones in the aged material. The ordered Ll2 structure is commonly found for precipitates in fcc metals (e.g., Ni3A1 in nickelL7') but it is uncommon to find precipitates in bcc metals having the cesium chloride structure. The formation of the G.P. zones caused age hardening of the grains. Samples containing 3.8 at. pct each of gold and copper (with the remainder being iron) were annealed at 95@ or 1125°C in quartz capsules and were quenched by breaking the capsules under water. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed two solid solutions in the quenched samples. One solid solution was bcc and the other was fcc. The microstructure consisted of iron-rich grains of 0.3 mm diam surrounded by a yellow gold-copper-rich grain boundary network. The Au-Cu phase diagram %hows continuous solid solubility of gold and copper with ordered phases forming below 410°C. None of the ordered Au-Cu phases have the cesium chloride structure. Both Fe-Au and Fe-Cu phase diagrams3 show extended miscibility gaps and only terminal solid-solution phases. Consequently, it is reasonably certain the iron-rich grains consisted of an a-phase terminal solid solution, and the grain boundary network consisted of a gold-copper-rich terminal solid solution. Lattice parameters of the quenched solid solutions were consistent with the suggestion that the quenched phases were terminal solutions. The lattice parameter of the bcc phase (2.879A) obtained upon quenching from 950°C was higher than that (2.866A) for pure iron. The fcc phase in this sample had a lower lattice parameter than that for a 50 at. pct Au and 50 at. pci Cu solid solution, i.e., 3.866 compared to 3.877A. The lattice parameter for the 50 pct Au and 50 pct Cu solid solution was interpolated from data for Cu-Au solid solutions.4 More gold and copper were soluble in iron at 1125°C than at 950°C as indicated by a 0.012A increase in the bcc lattice parameter for a sample quenched from 1125°C. After the alloy had been quenched from 950° and 1125°C, the bcc lattice parameters were 2.879 and 2.891A1 respectively G.P. zones having the cesium chloride structure-which formed during low-temperature aging—were detected by electron diffraction and observed with electron transmission microscopy. In Fig. 1, the asymmetrical streaks parallel to ( 100) directions indicate that platelike G.P. zones had formed parallel to (100) planes of the matrix. The direction of streak asymmetry shows that the bcc unit cell of the G.P. zones was larger than the bcc cell of the matrix. The ordered cesium chloride structure is indicated by low-intensity superlattice spots at 010 positions which are nonallowed for bcc structures. The superlattice spots are streaked; therefore they are from the G.P. zones and are not caused by rel-rod effects of a thin matrix phase. The appearance and size of the zones observed in electron transmission microscopy and the appearance of the asymmetrical streaks in the electron diffraction patterns for the Fe-Au-Cu alloy were the same as those observed for a similarly treated Fe-Au alloy.' Ordered G.P. zones were detected also for an Fe-Au-Cu sample aged only at 400°C. The production of the ordered cesium chloride structure zones by low-temperature aging of super-

Jan 1, 1968

By C. R. King

Most of the acid volcanic glasses such as obsidian, perlite, pitchstone, pumice, and pumicite (volcanic ash) are susceptible to some expansion if suddenly subjected to a suitably high temperature in a properly designed furnace, and subsequently suddenly cooled. Expansion results from the action of chemically combined or dissolved water expanding as a vapor within the softened heated rock particles. This expansion forms countless minute bubbles within the pasty mass of the natural glass particles. If the particles are cooled before these bubbles can escape, the resulting products are cellular, more or less spherulitized glass froths or hollow glass spheres of many types. Chemically, they are essentially aluminum silicates containing about 70 to 75 pct silica, 10 to 16 pct alumina, and 2 to 7 pct sodium plus potassium oxides. They are relatively resistant to attack by acids or alkalies, are resistant to heat up to over 1000°F, and are completely inert to insect or fungus attack. These products are of great potential value in many branches of industry as insulation materials, aggregates, fillers, abrasives, and additives. By proper selection of the perlite rock type and control of processing conditions, expanded perlite of a bulk density varying from about 2 to 20 Ib per cu ft can be • made. The physical properties of the particles comprising a product of a given bulk density also may be varied within wide limits of porosity, water absorption, and crushing strength. In general, crushing strength of expanded perlite increases in direct relation to increase in bulk density, but insulating value varies in inverse ratio to bulk density. The selection of a particular grade of expanded perlite for a given use as an aggregate is therefore always a compromise between insulating value, lightness, and friability. If porosity and water absorption are factors affecting the use of the material, factors other than bulk density are important. Some types of perlite rock tend to decrepitate excessively during expansion, resulting in a highly porous or even hygroscopic product of high friability relative to the bulk density of material produced. In general, treatment of any good perlite rock below the temperature necessary for maximum expansion, or insufficient time in the hot zone of the furnace for effective heat penetration to the core of the rock particles will result in some decrepitation and high porosity in the expanded product. On the other hand, exposure of the material to the temperature required for optimum expansion for a period of time slightly longer than that necessary for proper heat absorption will result in a slightly heavier product of extremely low porosity, i. e., a glazed surface. It is beyond the scope of this paper to describe in detail the rock types and processing methods used to produce the many types of expanded perlite in present use, or that may be produced to fill the present and future needs of industry. A few phases of the economics involved in processing and selling products made from this abundant and cheap mineral raw material, plentifully distributed in large and relatively accessible deposits in most western states and in other areas within economic shipping distance of large centers of consumption, will be treated with particular reference to the Los Angeles area. Relation of Balk Density to Use and Cost of Production Perlite differs from most other lightweight aggregates and fillers in that the raw material (perlite rock) may be quarried much as rock arid sand is mined, and then shipped into consuming areas as crude rock in open gondola cars at correspondingly low freight rates and handling costs. At processing plants in or near large consuming areas the rock is converted into relatively fragile, very bulky products which in most cases are used within a short haul of the processing plant or enter into a manufactured product made at the site of the perlite processing plant.

Jan 1, 1950

By W. Rostoker, H. Nichols

It has been demonstrated in previous work1'2 that wetting of aluminum alloys by liquid mercury can cause fracture to occur with substantial suppression of prior plastic flow. This has been interpreted as the action of a critical liquid species in reducing the cohesive strength of a stressed solid at sites of potential crack nucleation. In this way the critical transverse stress for fracture nucleation is reached at much lower stresses than is normally the case. The stresses for both fracture nucleation and fracture propagation are depressed by the same mechanism. In so doing the plastic-energy component of fracture energy is reduced to a level which is of the same order of magnitude as the surface, interfacial, or cleavage energy. Recent work2 has illustrated the influence of dispersed precipitates, cold work, and combinations of these on brittle fracture associated with plastic strains of the microyield order of magnitude. This has been rationalized in terms of the contribution of internal microstress fields to the stress magnifications at points of obstruction of active slip bands in a stressed metal. The presently reported studies on an Al-4-1/2 pct Mg alloy amplify this subject by introducing thermal-mechanical conditions which can produce strain aging. As amply demonstrated by Phillips, Swain, and borall, the tensile behavior of aluminum alloys containing magnesium reveals a yield-point elongation and successive discontinuous elongations over the whole plastic-strain range. This gives a stepped or serrated character to the stress-strain diagram. The yield-point elongation is not temperature-dependent. On the other hand, the discontinuous extensions in the plastic-strain range are gradually suppressed by lower temperatures of testing. At -78"C, only the yield-point elongation persists. The yield-point elongation itself can be suppressed by rapid quenching to room temperature from an annealing temperature of 500°C. The argument presented by Phillips et 1. and Cottre114 is that the yield-point elongation derives from surmounting at a critical stress the restraint to slip by grain boundaries which have been reinforced by appreciable magnesium-atom segregation. The serrated character of the plastic-strain range is the result of rapid strain aging during the test. This is made possible by the inevitable proximity of magnesium atoms to any dislocation line. In the Al-4-1/2 pct Mg alloy there is one magnesium atom for every twenty-two aluminum atoms and, with a coordination number of 12, a magnesium atom is on the average only about two atomic distances from any given lattice site. Rapid strain aging is therefore a reasonable expectation. A study of mercury embrittlement of the Al-4-1/2 pct Mg alloy (commercial designation 5083) provides an opportunity to relate the interplay of grain size, grain boundary restraint to slip and strain aging in the brittle-fracture process. One lot of commercial sheet material of 0.125-in. thickness was used for all of the tests. The specimen shape and test procedures used were the same as those described in a previous publication.2 A range of grain sizes between 0.0057 and 0.0125 mm was produced by various combinations of plastic prestrain and annealing. The coarsest grain was somewhat elongated in shape. In this case the measurement was taken in the direction transverse to the axis of tension as more meaningful to a brittle-fracture process. In the annealed condition, specimens wetted with mercury failed with zero permanent elongation at stresses slightly below the normal yield point, i.e., stresses at 0.05 to 0.2 pct strain. Since this occurs before yield-point elongation can begin, fracture derives from slip contained within individual grains and restrained from propagating across grain boundaries. No significant difference in wetted fracture stress was observed between specimens which had been water-quenched or furnace-cooled from the annealing temperatures. This signifies that the degree of magnesium segregation at grain boundaries

Jan 1, 1964

By J. L. Carne

ORE control is a matter of planning and supervision based on a foreknowledge of the content and distribution of ore. The Inspiration orebody is predominately a copper-sulphide blanket, overlain by an oxidized zone of copper silicates, copper carbonates, and barren capping. Most of the ore is treated by leaching, and the optimum requirement of this method is the goal toward which the mining schedule is aimed. Both open-pit operations and underground mining are used. The problems of ore control at Inspiration are: I—maintenance of metallurgical balance, 2—conservation of oxide ore, and 3—mining out of the orebody at an average grade which parallels that of the reserve figure. Prior to the fall of 1926 all of the Inspiration division ores were treated by flotation, but the mixed ores of the Live Oak—Keystone section carried too large a proportion of copper in the form of chrysocolla for satisfactory flotation. For this type of mixed ore the leaching process now in use had been worked out, and the plant was put into operation in the fall of 1926. The process is known as the ferric sulphate leach, and the leaching solvents contain both ferric sulphate and free sulphuric acid. Sulphide copper in the form of chalcocite is leached by the ferric sulphate, and the oxidized copper minerals are dissolved by the sulphuric acid. From the beginning of operations to the present time the plant has treated some 67 thousand tons of ore having an average copper content of 1.142 pct, of which 0.605 pct has been in the form of oxidized copper minerals. The plant is currently being operated at the rate of 11,500 tons per day, 7 days per week. However, this tonnage is produced in 6 days of mine operation. The average current grade is approximately 1 pct copper, of which about 50 pct is present as oxidized or acid-soluble copper. Close control of metallurgical procedures is a vital factor in operation of the plant and is in turn dependent upon careful regulation of feed. An excess of sulphide copper requires the presence of more ferric sulphate in the leaching solvents. On the other hand, an excess of ferric sulphate in the presence of a low sulphide feed seriously reduces the efficiency of electrolytic precipitation in tank house operations. This condition must be avoided at all costs. An additional factor must be considered. It is known that the sulphide content is predominant in the ore which remains in the reserve. To maintain the necessary sulphide-oxide proportion, so that the entire reserve will mine out at both a grade and a sulphide-oxide ratio that will be permissible throughout the remaining life of the property, it is obvious that the oxide reserve must be currently preserved to as great an extent as possible. Fortunately much of the oxide reserve is found in the open-pit operation. This happy circumstance adds flexibility to the procedure and makes it possible to maintain the close regulation necessary to insure best overall results, both mining and metallurgical. The two ore streams from the pit and underground operations join at the coarse-crushing plant, and proper control must be exercised before the ore reaches this point. The open pit is currently providing about 55 pct of the ore and underground operations the balance of production. Both operations are under a single superintendent so that the closely interrelated problems may be more readily controlled. The least flexible of the two producing units is the underground mine, where the mining method is block caving. Although a block of ground may be undercut and developed, characteristics of the material determine its caving action. The ore in the chutes must be drawn. The area currently mined from underground is in a zone predominately sulphide and is generally

Jan 1, 1953

By Norman F. Schulz, Emert W. Lindroos, Strathmore R. B. Cooke

DURING the course of an investigation of the effects of various starch products on hematite and quartz in regard to their separation by flotation, it was found that whereas most starches flocculated suspensions of hematite in water, they did not flocculate similar suspensions of quartz. However, a derivative of whole corn starch containing approximately one tenth aminoethyl group (-—CH,CH2NH2) per glucose unit proved to be an exception. This aminoethyl starch was a very good flocculant for both hematite and quartz, and also possessed the property of depressing both minerals in cationic flotation tests. In view of the widespread use of starch as a flocculating agent of solids in tailing water, pulps, and for coal slimes, ore and various other purposes in sulphide and nonsulphide flotation, attention is called to the effective surface activity of aminoethyl starch in flocculating suspensions of the two minerals investigated. Test Materials The starch products employed included Globe Pearl starch No. 144 and fresh aminoethyl starch, both supplied by the Corn Products Refining Co. Dr. A. L. Elder" has kindly furnished a description The minerals used in the various tests are listed in Table I. Their specific surfaces were determined by the air permeability method, which gave results reproducible to within plus or minus 3 pct. Surface areas obtained by krypton adsorption were greater than the air permeability values by a factor of 2.0 for quartz and 62.4 for hematite. Starch Adsorption on Mineral Surfaces Starch adsorption data were obtained by agitating for 1 hr measured volumes of neutral starch solutions of known concentrations with weighed quantities of finely divided mineral of measured specific surface. The mineral then was separated from the pulp liquor by centrifugation and the residual starch content determined by chemical analysis. The analytical procedure consisted of oxidizing the starch with an excess of dichromate in acid medium at elevated temperature and titrating the excess dichromate by the ferrous ammonium sulphate—potassium permanganate method. Analytical results were reproducible to within less than 1 pct. Adsorption data obtained in unbuffered solutions near the neutral point are plotted in Fig. 1. The adsorption on either mineral was far greater for the aminoethyl starch than for the Pearl starch. Flocculation The degree of flocculation was determined for a given pulp by measuring the time required for the supernatant liquid to reach a certain degree of clarity. This was accomplished by passing a standard light beam through the pulp, contained in a glass settling tube, and measuring the time required after agitation ceased for the intensity of the transmitted beam to reach a predetermined value. Starch reagent was added to each pulp in small uniform increments, and the settling time was determined after each such addition. Increase in pulp liquor volume due to the added starch reagent was ignored in these tests. Pulps were maintained at or near neutrality. of the preparation of the aminoethyl starch: "Three hundred and sixty grams of powdered unmodified corn starch was slurried in 3 liters of water and stirred during gelatinization. Eighty-six grams of ethylenimine was added slowly during reflux which was continued for 4 hr. The yellow solution set to a gel upon cooling. This was broken up and neutralized with HC1. The thick paste was dried on hot rolls. Adsorbed polyethylenimine and salts were removed from the yellowish products by washing first with acidified aqueous '60 per cent' alcohol. The white product contained nitrogen corresponding to about one aminoethoxy group per ten glucose residues." Only laboratory samples of this starch derivative have been prepared. The starch reagents for use in flocculation, flotation, and adsorption tests were made up by dispersing the appropriate quantities of air-dry starch in cold water, adding boiling water, and heating for 30 min at 120°C under pressure. When used ip adsorption tests, the starch solutions first were cleared of insoluble matter by centrifugation.

Jan 1, 1953

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Emert W. Lindroos, Norman F. Schulz

DURING the course of an investigation of the effects of various starch products on hematite and quartz in regard to their separation by flotation, it was found that whereas most starches flocculated suspensions of hematite in water, they did not flocculate similar suspensions of quartz. However, a derivative of whole corn starch containing approximately one tenth aminoethyl group (-—CH,CH2NH2) per glucose unit proved to be an exception. This aminoethyl starch was a very good flocculant for both hematite and quartz, and also possessed the property of depressing both minerals in cationic flotation tests. In view of the widespread use of starch as a flocculating agent of solids in tailing water, pulps, and for coal slimes, ore and various other purposes in sulphide and nonsulphide flotation, attention is called to the effective surface activity of aminoethyl starch in flocculating suspensions of the two minerals investigated. Test Materials The starch products employed included Globe Pearl starch No. 144 and fresh aminoethyl starch, both supplied by the Corn Products Refining Co. Dr. A. L. Elder" has kindly furnished a description The minerals used in the various tests are listed in Table I. Their specific surfaces were determined by the air permeability method, which gave results reproducible to within plus or minus 3 pct. Surface areas obtained by krypton adsorption were greater than the air permeability values by a factor of 2.0 for quartz and 62.4 for hematite. Starch Adsorption on Mineral Surfaces Starch adsorption data were obtained by agitating for 1 hr measured volumes of neutral starch solutions of known concentrations with weighed quantities of finely divided mineral of measured specific surface. The mineral then was separated from the pulp liquor by centrifugation and the residual starch content determined by chemical analysis. The analytical procedure consisted of oxidizing the starch with an excess of dichromate in acid medium at elevated temperature and titrating the excess dichromate by the ferrous ammonium sulphate—potassium permanganate method. Analytical results were reproducible to within less than 1 pct. Adsorption data obtained in unbuffered solutions near the neutral point are plotted in Fig. 1. The adsorption on either mineral was far greater for the aminoethyl starch than for the Pearl starch. Flocculation The degree of flocculation was determined for a given pulp by measuring the time required for the supernatant liquid to reach a certain degree of clarity. This was accomplished by passing a standard light beam through the pulp, contained in a glass settling tube, and measuring the time required after agitation ceased for the intensity of the transmitted beam to reach a predetermined value. Starch reagent was added to each pulp in small uniform increments, and the settling time was determined after each such addition. Increase in pulp liquor volume due to the added starch reagent was ignored in these tests. Pulps were maintained at or near neutrality. of the preparation of the aminoethyl starch: "Three hundred and sixty grams of powdered unmodified corn starch was slurried in 3 liters of water and stirred during gelatinization. Eighty-six grams of ethylenimine was added slowly during reflux which was continued for 4 hr. The yellow solution set to a gel upon cooling. This was broken up and neutralized with HC1. The thick paste was dried on hot rolls. Adsorbed polyethylenimine and salts were removed from the yellowish products by washing first with acidified aqueous '60 per cent' alcohol. The white product contained nitrogen corresponding to about one aminoethoxy group per ten glucose residues." Only laboratory samples of this starch derivative have been prepared. The starch reagents for use in flocculation, flotation, and adsorption tests were made up by dispersing the appropriate quantities of air-dry starch in cold water, adding boiling water, and heating for 30 min at 120°C under pressure. When used ip adsorption tests, the starch solutions first were cleared of insoluble matter by centrifugation.

Jan 1, 1953

By Paul B. Crawford, Bobby L. Landrum

Electrical model studies have been made of the effect of drainhole drilling on production capacity. Drain holes are those lateral holes which are sometimes drilled to assist in increasing the oil drainage into the main wellbore. The studies indicate that if the drainhole length i.r near 0.2 of the drainage radius, the increase in production capacity may be approximately 1.8, 2.08, trnd 2.33 for the case of one, two and four drain holes, respectively. If multiple drain holes are drilled, shorter holes are required to achieve a specific increase in production capacity than if one or two holes are drilled. To achieve increases in production capacities by factors near three it is shown that the drainhole lengths divided by the drainage radii must be approximately 0.64, 0.48, cnd 0.37 for the case of one, two and four drain holes, respectively. IN T RO DUCTION Kecent developments in drilling techniques have permitted the drilling of lateral or horizontal holes to increase the rate of production. The number of these drain holes may vary from 1 to 10, and they have been drilled laterally as much as 100 ft. Drainhole drilling at substantial depths is of recent origin but has been used in the Spraberry field of West Texas, the La Pas field in Western Venezuela, and certain fields in California. The diameter of the drain holes has been approximately 6 in. In drilling drain holes it is desired to know how much increase in production capacity may be expected, what additional benefit may be gained by drilling more than one drain hole, and what increase in production capacity may be brought about by lengthening the existing drain holes. In realization of the importance of lateral drilling, electrical model studies were made to provide quantitative estimates on the effect of drain holes on production capacity. ANALYSIS An electrical model was used in studying this problem. A wooden circular reservoir approximately 30 in. in diameter and 2 in. deep was filled with a dilute salt solution to a depth of 1 in. A copper band formed the periphery of the tank, and a copper wire was inserted in the center of the tank to represent the well. The drainage radius divided by the well radius was equal to 500. A diagram of this type model is shown in the inset of Fig. 1. An electrical potential was applied to the wire well and copper band at the periphery to determine the flow of current. Following this measurement copper wires of various length were soldered to the vertical wire well in such a manner as to simulate lateral wells drilled into the reservoir. Multiple lateral holes of various lengths were studied by varying the number and length of copper wires soldered to the vertical wire well. All multiple lateral wells were located symmetrically about the vertical well. The effect on production capacity by drilling an infinite number of lateral holes was studied by replacing the lateral hole with a copper disk. For each condition the flow of current was measured and compared with the flow of the vertical well only. The model which is thus described provides the steady state increases in production capacity which may be expected in some cases. The data conform to those which would be observed for a uniform homogeneous reservoir. The data may have primary application to those reservoirs producing above the bubble point. It is realized that few lateral holes are drilled in reservoirs of this type, but the data may be of some value in guiding future work or aiding to explain observed phenomena.

Jan 1, 1956