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By R. Floyd Farris

Al thorough knowledge of the behavior of cement slurries under elevated temperatures and pressures is necessary in order to solve properly the many problems presented in deep-well cementing operations. In the earlier days of the petroleum industry the depths of wells were shallow as compared to those of today, and the subsurface temperatures and pressures were not of sufficient magnitude to affect seriously the problem of proper control of cement-slurry properties. Today, however, the search for new reserves has extended drilling to such depths that bottom-hole temperatures of more than 200°F. and bottom-hole pressures of 3000 to 5000 lb. are not uncommon. Moreover, there is every indication that within the next few years wells will be drilled to even greater depths and bottom-hole temperatures and pressures will be correspondingly higher than those with which we are concerned today. It has been realized for some time that the behavior of cement slurries at high temperatures and pressures might be very different from that at atmospheric tempera-ture-pressure conditions, but while the temperature effects have been investigated with a reasonable degree of thoroughness, the pressure effects have received little public attention. While the trend toward deeper drilling may make changes in cementing technique and the choice of cements imperative, it was the purpose of this investigation to consider factors having a bearing on the latter, only secondary consideration being ,given, for the present, to details of tech-nique and equipment for oil-field use. More specfically, the purpose of this work was to consider the effect of temperature and pressure upon the behavior of cement slurries. Although it has long been recognized that cements thicken and set rapidly with increasing temperatures, practical methods for the quantitative determination of these effects are comparatively recent developments. In 1935 Silcox and Rule1 presented such a method, describing apparatus designed to measure the consistency-time relationship of cement slurries at relatively high temperatures. The practical importance of this apparatus in furnishing useful data for the evaluation of cement slurries for cementing operations has been emphasized in various technical publications by such writers as E. L. Davis,~ I. F. Bing-ham,3 and J. E. Weiler.4 A paper describing the numerous tests now used to evaluate cements for oil wells was presented in 1939 by W. W. Robinson.= Robinson describes the Consistometer and the Thickening-Time Tester, showing similarity of data from the two devices, and points out that the purpose of each apparatus is to determine the allowable time that a cement may be pumped at a given temperature. At the present time, however, it is believed that results from the Thickening-Time Tester and the Consistometer have not given a

Jan 1, 1941

By Benjamin F. Tillson

Although portable fire extinguishers are valuable for fires in an incipient stage, some medium that will dissipate a large amount of heat is needed to fight a fire in mine timbers, because of the size to which the fire will probably have grown before it is discovered. Scaling off, or otherwise smothering such a fire with gases that will not support combustion, is often ineffective for the residual heat will cause reignition when the area is opened and fresh air reaches the hot charred timber. The most effective ways of fighting mine fires, therefore, are to drown and cool the hot zone with water, and to "load out" the partly burned material. Either of these methods requires a direct attack of water ; upon the inflamed material; therefore, every mine containing a large ' quantity of timber or other combustible should be as completely equipped with a fire-hydrant system as it is with compressed-air mains. Mine managers may object to the expenditure, especially if they have not suffered from mine fires. The cost of such preventative measures, however, is only a small portion of the possible losses, and the water pipes can be used for other purposes, which will pay the carrying charges. They can supply water to the rock drills, which will encourage more wet drilling with hollow-drill steel, for the trouble and expense of packing water to individual tanks at the drills will be removed. The carbon-tetrachloride hand extinguishers seem to have no place in mining except for fires that start in electrical equipment. They give off noxious gas, which may prove poisonous in confined quarters; and as it is heavier than air it is of no value for smothering fires overhead or in side timbers and would be dissipated by a good ventilating draft. The old soda-acid extinguisher or the more modern "foam" types ' are preferable. The former probably does not rely for its efficacy on the carbon dioxide generated but on the smothering and cooling effect of the water and the trajectory of stream that may be obtained because of the gas pressure developed. The production of a foam having a tough film to smother a fire, even on overhead surfaces, with the added

Jan 1, 1923

By Benjamin F. Tillson

Although portable fire extinguishers are valuable for fires in an incipient stage, some medium that will dissipate a large amount of heat is needed to fight a fire in mine timbers, because of the size to which the fire will probably have grown before it is discovered. Scaling off, or otherwise smothering such a fire with gases that will not support combustion, is often ineffective for the residual heat will cause reignition when the area is opened and fresh air reaches the hot charred timber. The most effective ways of fighting mine fires, therefore, are to drown and cool the hot zone with water, and to "load out" the partly burned material. Either of these methods requires a direct attack of water ; upon the inflamed material; therefore, every mine containing a large ' quantity of timber or other combustible should be as completely equipped with a fire-hydrant system as it is with compressed-air mains. Mine managers may object to the expenditure, especially if they have not suffered from mine fires. The cost of such preventative measures, however, is only a small portion of the possible losses, and the water pipes can be used for other purposes, which will pay the carrying charges. They can supply water to the rock drills, which will encourage more wet drilling with hollow-drill steel, for the trouble and expense of packing water to individual tanks at the drills will be removed. The carbon-tetrachloride hand extinguishers seem to have no place in mining except for fires that start in electrical equipment. They give off noxious gas, which may prove poisonous in confined quarters; and as it is heavier than air it is of no value for smothering fires overhead or in side timbers and would be dissipated by a good ventilating draft. The old soda-acid extinguisher or the more modern "foam" types ' are preferable. The former probably does not rely for its efficacy on the carbon dioxide generated but on the smothering and cooling effect of the water and the trajectory of stream that may be obtained because of the gas pressure developed. The production of a foam having a tough film to smother a fire, even on overhead surfaces, with the added

Jan 1, 1923

By Günter Petzow, Siegfried Steeb

DURING an investigation of the U-Co-A1, U-Ir-A1, and U-Ni-A1 ternary systems, three previously unknown phases have been identified which correspond to the phases UCoA1, UIrA1, and UNiA1, and which be- long to the C22 (Fe2P) type (P 6 2m). In the following the structure determination of the new ternary phases is reported. The alloys have been prepared in an arc furnace under purified argon from 99.97 wt pct U, 99.83 wt pct Co, 99.99 wt pct Al, 99.95 wt pct Ni, and 99.97 wt pct Ir. The pellets obtained were bright and brittle; chemical analyses agreed with the nominal compositions. To obtain equilibrium, the samples were annealed in evacuated quartz capsules at 950°C for 30 hr and then quenched in water. Guinier photographs were processed and evaluated according to a method already described previously.1,2 The hkl's, measured and calculated sin2 6 values, and in the case of UCoAl only calculated and estimated intensities, are given in Tables I to 111. Lattice parameters refined according to the least-squares method and the respective mean-square variations are presented in Table IV. Lattice parameters, especially the c/a ratio, lead to the assumption that the three phases are crystallizing in the C22-type structure. For the calculation of the intensities given in Table I, the atomic positions recently reported by wyckoff3 have been accepted for the C22 (Fe2P) type. The uranium atoms were assumed to be in phosphorus sites; furthermore the scattering amplitudes of the boron atoms have been averaged in the stoichiometric formula UB2 according to atomic percentages; i.e., for these atoms a statistical distribution on the iron sites was assumed. The two smallest distances between a uranium and

Jan 1, 1967

By R. J. Schaefer, M. E. Glicksman

Direct, in situ observation of metallic alloys during solidification reveals that in some systems crystal multiplication occurs by means of a dendrite remelt-ing process, without the necessity of independent nu-cleation events. The solidification is observed on optically clean surfaces of supercooled molten alloys. In one system (Sn-3 wt pct Bi) , a fine-grained equi-axed structure is produced by the complete disintegration, via remelting, of transient initial dendrites. In contrast, several other metallic systems show little or no evidence of remelting activity. The behavior of these metallic systems is consistent with that expected on the basis of published observations of dendrite remelting in transparent organic alloy systems. It is concluded that dendrite remelting is an important crystal multiplication process in some metallic alloys, but is velatively unimportant in some other alloys. The detachment of dendrite branches from the primary stem by a remelting process has been observed by Jackson, Hunt, Uhlmann, and seward1 during the solidification of some transparent organic alloy systems. The branches released by this remelting process can drift free of the primary stem and serve as seeds for the formation of numerous independent crystals. This proliferation of new crystals does not require repeated independent nucleation events, but only modification of the initial solidification structure. The mechanism of dendrite remelting, as described by Jackson et a1.1 and by Tiller and O''Hara,2 is dependent on the transport of both heat and solute and is, therefore, expected to operate only in alloys, and not in pure substances. It was found in the transparent organic alloy systems that remelting occurred primarily in the constricted regions near the base of dendrite branches, where the branches had grown through the solute-rich liquid layer surrounding the primary dendrite stem. It was suggested that impure solid had formed in these constricted regions at a relatively low temperature and had later become unstable as further solidification of purer material raised the temperature. Jackson et al. proposed that the equiaxed zone of metal alloy castings originates from a similar remelting process, and they demonstrated the operation of this mechanism in "ingots" poured from saturated salt solutions. Although these substances were especially selected to show solidification behavior similar to that of metals,3 the remelting mechanism has, until now, been subject to the objection that its operation has not been directly observed in a metallic system. Considering the fact that thermal properties such as diffusivity may differ by as much as two or three orders of magnitude between metals and organic compounds, this objection was considered to be possibly serious. A method has now been developed by which it is possible to make direct optical observations of metals during solidification. This method has revealed transient solidification processes which would not be detected by metallographic examination of totally solidified specimens. In particular, a grain-refinement process in a metallic alloy has been observed to be a direct consequence of the total disintegration of an initial dendritic structure. The influence of an initial, transient solidification structure on the final solidification structure is demonstrated here for the first time in a metallic system. I) EXPERIMENTAL The technique of using a transparent flux to maintain an optically clean metal surface during solidification has been described by us elsewhere.* The

Jan 1, 1968

By H. R. Wuthrich

The Metallgesellschaft AG decided in late 1965 to build an Electrolytic Zinc Plant at Datteln (W. Germany). Lurgi-Chemie was entrusted with the engineering and erection of the entire plant. Ground was broken in February 1967 and the operation was started on August 1st, 1968. The new Electrolytic Zinc Plant was designed to produce a minimum of 100,000 metric tons of special high grade zinc and 200,000 metric tons of sulphuric acid. Concentrates from Meggen (W. Germany) and mainly Timmins (Canada) are roasted in two turbulent layer roasters. The sulfur dioxide containing gases are converted in a "Bayer double catalysis unit" to sulfuric acid. The calcine is leached batch wise, the leach residue separated from the pregnant solution by counter-current thickeners and drum filters. For maintaining the sulfate balance a modified jarosite leach is being used. After a two step purification the neutral solution is mixed with spent electrolyte and cooled in unpacked atmospheric cooling towers. Three electrical circuits are supplying the power to the tankhouse, each rated at 30,000 amperes. With a maximum current density of 750 amperes per square meter and a stripping cycle of 24 hours, an average current efficiency of 90 percent is obtained. Cathodes are melted in one induction furnace and cast into shapes, or alloyed with aluminum and copper for die-cast metal.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. L. Dumanoir, Maurice Martin

The induction-electrical log is a combination of a SP curve, a short normal curve, and an induction log; all three logs being recorded simultaneously in a single run. The spacing of the short normal is 16 in. The induction log is designated as 5FF40, which means that the sonde involves five coils and a focusing system, and that the distance between the main coils is 40 in. Examples of induction-electrical logs are shown in Figs. 13 and 15. The right-hand track contains the induction conductivity curve. The scale of this curve is linear with the units of conductivity, i.e., mhos/m or millimhos/m (mmhos/m), increasing from right to left. The same curve can be read in the reverse direction as a resistivity log, with a hyperbolic scale. In the middle track, the solid curve represents the short normal. (An amplified short normal is also shown in Fig. 15). The dotted curve is the resistivity curve of the induction log, i.e., the reciprocal of the conductivity curve, recorded with the same linear scale as the short normal. The SP is in the left-hand track. In this combination, the SP curve and the 16-in. normal are the essential correlation curves, as in the conventional electrical log. The induction log provides a more accurate and detailed record of formation boundaries than the conventional log, especially in hard rock territories. Furthermore, the induction-electrical log makes possible the determination of fluid content, particularly in thin beds—at least qualitatively and very often quantitatively. In such thin beds, because of the adverse effect of the adjacent formations, the responses of the conventional devices are generally doubtful and/or incom-plete. Another advantage of the new combination is that the induction log is little affected by the presence of thin hard streaks interbedded within the permeable sections, whereas such occurrences are the cause of serious distortions of the long normal and lateral curves. The evaluation of saturation from any resistivity log implies the knowledge of the true resistivity R, of the bed and of the resistivity R.. of the flushed zone, or at least of the ratio Rxo/Rc. With the induction-electrical log run in fresh mud, the 16-in. nor-mal has a smaller radius of investigation than the induction log, so that the former reads closer to R.. and the latter closer to Rt. Thus, it has been observed that the ratio of the 16-in. normal to the induction log readings can be used as a basis for the interpretation in terms of saturation, with the help of appropriate charts. The purpose of the present paper is essentially to explain this procedure and to provide the corresponding charts. On the other hand, when a formation is deeply invaded, the response of any log (in particular the induction log) depends upon the radial distribution of formation resistivities behind the wall of the hole, which itself is a function of the arrangement of the fluids saturating the formation pore spaces. This paper, accordingly, will begin with a schematic description of the distribution of fluids and resistivities in the invaded zone. Next, some essential characteristics of the induction log will be reviewed. Finally, the determination of the interpretation charts and their application will be explained. The discussion will be confined to the case of fresh muds, i.e., muds whose resistivity is at least five times as great as that of the formation waters. With the present equipment the induction log is not well adapted for logging in salty mud. The Laterolog and guard electrode log are at their best under conditions of low resistivity mud. Accordingly, when these tools were introduced a few years ago, the use of salty mud was recommended. Now, with the introduction of induction logging, spe-

Jan 1, 1958

By H. W. Page

Petroleum requirements since V-J day have been appreciably higher than predicted. Foreign operations now exceed maximum wartime levels by about 14 per cent. Domestic operations since V-J day have averaged 92 Per cent of the wartime peak. In spite of maximum foreign refinery runs, large exports of all products, except residual fuel oil, are necessary to meet foreign demand. During the next few years it is expected that foreign operations will continue at capacity, including new installations, but that, because of increases in foreign demand, exports will continue at about their present level. Domestic operations will increase during this period and crude production probably will exceed maximum efficient rates. Even after 10 years some exports probably will be required, but eventually these will be supplanted by increased output of foreign refineries, except for small tributary exports. The increase in domestic requirements will exceed the decline in exports. Unless findings of crude oil exceed present expectations, the increasing demand will be met by increased imports and synthetic methods-—such as the Hydrocarbon Synthesis Process for conversion of natural gas and coal to gasoline and distillates. Catalytic cracking installations will increase as crude availability decreases. This will help to meet the increasing demand for gasoline but will intensify the domestic shortage of residual fuel oil. Eventually larger imports will be required to satisfy the demand for this product. Introduction Under the pressure of the wartime period, there was time only occasionaly to look ahead in anticipation of what the postwar era held for the petroleum industry. Perhaps the general expectation was that a rather pronounced decline in the level of industry petroleum operations would take place shortly after the end of the war, with the impact felt mainly on the economy of the United States- It is of interest now, nine months after V-J day, to take inventory of the near-term situation and see what significant forces are at work. With this as a starting point, it should be possible to engage in something more satisfactory than pure speculation concerning trends in the immediate future and 10 to 20 years ahead. Present and Near-term Situation During the nine-month period following V-J day, foreign crude oil production and rebery operations have actually increased the These activities were at maximum capacity on V-J day but the continuation of drilling programs, the completion of new and rehabilitated refineries and of transportation facilities during the Past nine months have increased the foreign capacity. This added capacity has been fully utilized. Foreign crude oil production in May 1946 is about 14 per cent higher than during July 1945 and refining operations some 12 per cent higher' During the same period there has been a falling off in similar activities within the

Jan 1, 1947

By H. W. Page

Petroleum requirements since V-J day have been appreciably higher than predicted. Foreign operations now exceed maximum wartime levels by about 14 per cent. Domestic operations since V-J day have averaged 92 Per cent of the wartime peak. In spite of maximum foreign refinery runs, large exports of all products, except residual fuel oil, are necessary to meet foreign demand. During the next few years it is expected that foreign operations will continue at capacity, including new installations, but that, because of increases in foreign demand, exports will continue at about their present level. Domestic operations will increase during this period and crude production probably will exceed maximum efficient rates. Even after 10 years some exports probably will be required, but eventually these will be supplanted by increased output of foreign refineries, except for small tributary exports. The increase in domestic requirements will exceed the decline in exports. Unless findings of crude oil exceed present expectations, the increasing demand will be met by increased imports and synthetic methods-—such as the Hydrocarbon Synthesis Process for conversion of natural gas and coal to gasoline and distillates. Catalytic cracking installations will increase as crude availability decreases. This will help to meet the increasing demand for gasoline but will intensify the domestic shortage of residual fuel oil. Eventually larger imports will be required to satisfy the demand for this product. Introduction Under the pressure of the wartime period, there was time only occasionaly to look ahead in anticipation of what the postwar era held for the petroleum industry. Perhaps the general expectation was that a rather pronounced decline in the level of industry petroleum operations would take place shortly after the end of the war, with the impact felt mainly on the economy of the United States- It is of interest now, nine months after V-J day, to take inventory of the near-term situation and see what significant forces are at work. With this as a starting point, it should be possible to engage in something more satisfactory than pure speculation concerning trends in the immediate future and 10 to 20 years ahead. Present and Near-term Situation During the nine-month period following V-J day, foreign crude oil production and rebery operations have actually increased the These activities were at maximum capacity on V-J day but the continuation of drilling programs, the completion of new and rehabilitated refineries and of transportation facilities during the Past nine months have increased the foreign capacity. This added capacity has been fully utilized. Foreign crude oil production in May 1946 is about 14 per cent higher than during July 1945 and refining operations some 12 per cent higher' During the same period there has been a falling off in similar activities within the

Jan 1, 1947

By P. H. Griffin

The manufacture of iron in the Province of Quebec forms one of the most interesting subjects in the development of this great industry in America. It began soon after the first steps taken in the New England colonies, where iron was first practically made in America. In both cases the ores smelted were bog-ores. In Qaebec the first work was done in and about, the town of Three Rivers, and many interesting facts in connection with the development of this industry may be found in the paper read at the Halifax meeting, September, 1885, by Mr. James Herbert Bartlett, of Montreal,* which traces the industry from its inception, about 1730, down to 1883, at which time the St. Maurice forge is declared to be the oldest active furnace on the American continent. A few years later the Canada Iron Furnace Company, Ltd., became interested in the enterprise, the extent of which has been greatly enlarged beyond all former limits. In fact, the manufacture of this particular class of iron has never been attempted on the scale now practiced by this company. This work has been carried on for the purpose of supplying a grade of iron hitherto procurable only at heavy cost for Canadian consumption from the United States, and for English consumption from Sweden. The manufacture of iron in the Province of Quebec was based entirely on bog-ores during the period referred to; and as the supply of iron made elsewhere from cheaper ores became more abundant, the local manufacture, handicapped by want of shipping facilities, lack of capital, and other natural causes, was gradually discontinued. It was always admitted that for certain purposes the iron made in the Province possessed special value; but the demand for articles requiring such special virtue was limited, and cheaper grades were gradually substituted for general uses. Some years ago we were led to test, in our car-wheel shops at

Jan 1, 1893

By M. L. Lissberger

entirely suitable for certain uses and even possess advantages over present solders at high temperatures, but they are certainly not suitable for all uses. However, it is conceivable that their use in many places will effect a material conservation of tin. It will probably be wiser to use cadmium in solders where good results have been obtained than in brass where this element will be a source of possible trouble. F. F. Colcord,* New York, N. Y.-—The cadmium-lead solder has a higher conductivity than the lead-tin alloy, which ought to make it advantageous in the manufacture of electrical machinery. In the case of solder for tin-can work, one of the high officials of the American Can Co. said that he fully intended to .give it a good trial, and I do not believe they are going to reach hasty conclusions and run the risk of poisoning the public. Solder, Its Use and Abuse Milton L. LissbeRgeR,† New York, N. Y.—Solder is a mechanical mixture of tin and lead, a fact which is susceptible of very simple demonstration. A bar of solder of a grade even as low as 30 per cent. tin and 70 per cent. lead, passed through a buffing machine, will show a surface practically identical with that of a bar of second-quality or reclaimed tin. The buffings, on chemical analysis, will prove to be almost pure lead. According to the best practice, solder is made in the following manner. Virgin pig lead is first melted, and when it is thoroughly liquefied, virgin pig tin is added, together with a small amount of flux; the latter is for the purpose of bringing to the surface the so-called "liver," consisting of impurities that may have remained in either the lead or the tin as a result of incomplete refining. The combined material, when completely liquid, is thoroughly stirred for some hours, and is then cast into small pigs. Just before casting, and continuously during this operation, the molten metal yields dross, consisting largely of the oxides of lead and tin; this should be carefully skimmed off. After the pigs have cooled, they are taken to a smaller kettle, re-melted, and cast into the desired shape for use; or if wires, ribbons, etc., are to be made, the solder is cast into slugs suitable for extrusion and rolling. During this second operation, the skimming of dross should be even more carefully done than at first. Hand mixing has proved to be the only reliable method for the production of the best quality of solder, irrespective of its percentages of lead and tin. The best quality of solder is not necessarily that which contains the highest percentage of tin, but rather is that composition which performs best on the required piece of work. In order to produce

Jan 1, 1919

By R. D. Lee

A simplification of the method of Hurst and McCarty for conducting potentiometric model studies by the single probe method is presented along with experimentally determined invasion patterns for certain idealized flow problems. The analytical solution for one class of these problems is given. Finally, a general description is given of a newly developed instrument which permits direct mapping of flow lines and determination of transit times in potentiometric-model studies. Introduction The object of this paper is to present: I. A simplification of the method of Hurst and McCarty for conducting poten-tiometric-model studies of oil and gas reservoirs by the single probe method. 2. Results of a series of studies of certain idealized flow problems and the general conclusions to be drawn therefrom. 3. A description of a new instrument, the Chronocartograph, which greatly reduces the labor and time required for conducting potentiometric-model studies. Certain general conclusions may be drawn as results of the investigation of the idealized flow problems. They are: I. Injection and extraction areas should be separated by as great a distance as conditions permit since, in general, the recovery prior to first breakthrough tends to vary as the square of this distance. 2. Little advantage is to be gained by use of more than eight injection wells or groups of injection wells for the case of circular productive limits. 3. Elongated shapes of productive limits are best exploited by injection on the extended major axis only, with a line of extraction wells lying on the major axis. 4. The use of peripheral injection wells for elongated shapes is permissible, if necessary, but requires extension of the line of extraction wells. The exploitation of an oil or gas field is effected either by the expansion of the gas and oil, or by their displacement by another fluid. Both methods may be used simultaneously. When the displacement of the oil or gas is the controlling factor there arises the problem of mapping the progress of the boundary between the fluid in place and the displacing fluid. This problem is of particular interest in the operation of a cycling project in a gas-condensate field, where the wet gas is produced from one or more wells, commonly called "extraction wells.'' This wet gas is taken into a processing plant where the condensate is removed. The remaining "dry" gas is injected back into the field through one or more wells, called "injection wells," both to conserve the gas for future use and also to maintain the pressure in the field. In an operation of this type it is essential to anticipate the manner in which the dry gas will spread through the field, because the ultimate recovery of the wet gas depends

Jan 1, 1948

By R. D. Lee

A simplification of the method of Hurst and McCarty for conducting potentiometric model studies by the single probe method is presented along with experimentally determined invasion patterns for certain idealized flow problems. The analytical solution for one class of these problems is given. Finally, a general description is given of a newly developed instrument which permits direct mapping of flow lines and determination of transit times in potentiometric-model studies. Introduction The object of this paper is to present: I. A simplification of the method of Hurst and McCarty for conducting poten-tiometric-model studies of oil and gas reservoirs by the single probe method. 2. Results of a series of studies of certain idealized flow problems and the general conclusions to be drawn therefrom. 3. A description of a new instrument, the Chronocartograph, which greatly reduces the labor and time required for conducting potentiometric-model studies. Certain general conclusions may be drawn as results of the investigation of the idealized flow problems. They are: I. Injection and extraction areas should be separated by as great a distance as conditions permit since, in general, the recovery prior to first breakthrough tends to vary as the square of this distance. 2. Little advantage is to be gained by use of more than eight injection wells or groups of injection wells for the case of circular productive limits. 3. Elongated shapes of productive limits are best exploited by injection on the extended major axis only, with a line of extraction wells lying on the major axis. 4. The use of peripheral injection wells for elongated shapes is permissible, if necessary, but requires extension of the line of extraction wells. The exploitation of an oil or gas field is effected either by the expansion of the gas and oil, or by their displacement by another fluid. Both methods may be used simultaneously. When the displacement of the oil or gas is the controlling factor there arises the problem of mapping the progress of the boundary between the fluid in place and the displacing fluid. This problem is of particular interest in the operation of a cycling project in a gas-condensate field, where the wet gas is produced from one or more wells, commonly called "extraction wells.'' This wet gas is taken into a processing plant where the condensate is removed. The remaining "dry" gas is injected back into the field through one or more wells, called "injection wells," both to conserve the gas for future use and also to maintain the pressure in the field. In an operation of this type it is essential to anticipate the manner in which the dry gas will spread through the field, because the ultimate recovery of the wet gas depends

Jan 1, 1948

By Anal J. Mehta, Theodore D. Tiemann

Growing demand for steel and increasing dependence upon foreign ore makes the need for developing the technology for treatment of low-grade iron ores greater than ever before• Representative of these added interests were the studies carried on at the University of Wisconsin• These studies included among others: anionic and cationic flotation, magnetic separation, roasting followed by magnetic separation, electrostatic separation, a hydrogen reduction process,6,7 and caustic digestion• The idea of removing silica by caustic extraction is not new•-1; The principle of concentrating siliceous iron ores by this method is based on the fact that silica is soluble in sodium hydroxide solution while iron oxides are essentially insoluble• For this process to be economically feasible, it is believed that some method of recovering silica from solution as a marketable by-product, with recycling of spent liquor is necessary. Precipitation of silica with carbon dioxide will allow subsequent causticizing of the spent liquor with lime• Caustic thus produced can be recycled for digestion• A flowsheet of the envisioned process is given in [Fig• 1] The purpose of this paper is to describe results obtained from the investigation of carbon dioxide precipitation of silica from sodium silicate solutions, which could be later applied to the caustic extraction process to treat low grade siliceous iron ores, particularly taconites.15 Theoretical Considerations The soluble silicates of sodium include sodium orthosilicate (2Na2O•SiO2), sodium metasilicate (Na20•SiO2), sodium disilicate (Na1O•2SiO2), and more highly siliceous products approaching Na2O•4SiO2• These materials have been described in detail by Vail•16 Stones has reported that the extraction of silica is not significantly affected by the amount of silica in solution until the Si02/Na20 ratio exceeds that of orthosilicate (Ratio = 1/2)• However, as the Si02/Na2O ratio exceeds that of metasilicate (Ratio = 1), silica extraction is significantly impaired• The present experimental work was confined to orthosilicate and metasilicate solutions, as to be successful the envisioned commercial process for the extraction of silica from siliceous iron ores would operate in this region. The mechanism of extraction of silica from aqueous sodium silicate solutions is complex in nature. For the carbon dioxide process-18 of core and mold making in which silica is also precipitated from sodium silicate solutions by gassing with carbon dioxide, the reaction of aqueous silicates with gaseous carbon dioxide has been represented by the equations: [ ] However, these equations are very much oversimplified• It has been shown that the reaction between aqueous sodium silicates and carbon dioxide gas is ionic in nature 18 Considering this fact and the mechanism for digestion of silica in aqueous sodium hydroxide, the overall conversion of aqueous sodium silicates to solid silica may be represented in ionic form by the following equations: [ ] Silicon in the silicate ion is shown here with a coordination number of 6• This may be in doubt, but it is known that ion (SiF°)-2 exists; it seems logical that the Si (OH) e 2 ion should be equally capable of existence•

Jan 1, 1977

By Oliver Bowles

When a new type of equipment revolutionizes methods of quarrying one kind of stone, producers of other kinds focus their attention on its potentialities in their particular fields. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the accomplishments of the wire saw in slate, to show its more limited attainments in other kinds of stone, and to point out the possibilities of much wider application. A wire saw consists of a 3/16-in. or ji-in. three-strand wire cable that runs as a belt and cuts the rock by abrasion. (Fig. 1. The teeth of the saw are sand grains carried in the grooves between the strands. Accomplishments in Slate† Initial experiments with wire saws by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in the Colonial Slate Quarry, Wind Gap, Pa., in 1926, attained success so immediate and pronounced that within two years in virtually every quarry in the neighborhood of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl and Bangor, the most productive slate area in the United States, wire saws were substituted for channeling machines. An 80-ft. cut in slate is shown in Fig. 2. The technique of operation has been described in several reports (references at the end of the paper). The present purpose is to summarize the accomplishments in a large, typical slate quarry after nine. years of experience. Parsons Bros. Slate Co., at Pen Argyl, Pa., substituted two wire saws for six channeling machines in 1927. The following comparisons are made between the present method with wire saws and the former channel-ing-machine method. Rate of Sawing.—The average rate of cutting with a wire saw in the early days of its operation, as determined by the Bureau of Mines', wits 14 to 17 sq. ft. per hour. Parsons Bros. Slate Co. estimates the present rate of cutting at about 25 sq. ft. an hour, whereas the channeling-rnarhirle

Jan 1, 1938

By Oliver Bowles

When a new type of equipment revolutionizes methods of quarrying one kind of stone, producers of other kinds focus their attention on its potentialities in their particular fields. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the accomplishments of the wire saw in slate, to show its more limited attainments in other kinds of stone, and to point out the possibilities of much wider application. A wire saw consists of a 3/16-in. or ji-in. three-strand wire cable that runs as a belt and cuts the rock by abrasion. (Fig. 1. The teeth of the saw are sand grains carried in the grooves between the strands. Accomplishments in Slate† Initial experiments with wire saws by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in the Colonial Slate Quarry, Wind Gap, Pa., in 1926, attained success so immediate and pronounced that within two years in virtually every quarry in the neighborhood of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl and Bangor, the most productive slate area in the United States, wire saws were substituted for channeling machines. An 80-ft. cut in slate is shown in Fig. 2. The technique of operation has been described in several reports (references at the end of the paper). The present purpose is to summarize the accomplishments in a large, typical slate quarry after nine. years of experience. Parsons Bros. Slate Co., at Pen Argyl, Pa., substituted two wire saws for six channeling machines in 1927. The following comparisons are made between the present method with wire saws and the former channel-ing-machine method. Rate of Sawing.—The average rate of cutting with a wire saw in the early days of its operation, as determined by the Bureau of Mines', wits 14 to 17 sq. ft. per hour. Parsons Bros. Slate Co. estimates the present rate of cutting at about 25 sq. ft. an hour, whereas the channeling-rnarhirle

Jan 1, 1938

By Thomas W. Dawson

The H. C. Frick Coke Co. has used belt conveyers for handling coal for the last eighteen years but, until recently, only for small tonnages and over short distances. The first installations were outside the mines for distributing coal to various parts of plants. A belt conveyer was put in service at Colonial No. 4 Mine in November, 1906, to carry coal from the main hoisting shaft to a storage bin serving two blocks of beehive ovens on the other side of the valley; it was in constant service until the Colonial No. 4 ovens were abandoned less than a year ago. This conveyor was in an overhead gallery that spanned our sidings and yard tracks and the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was a crude installation, from the viewpoint of present conveyor engineering practice. It had no mechanical feeding device, the coal simply ran through a gate in the side of a bin on to the belt; but one belt on this conveyor lasted eleven years. This conveyor is about 300 ft. long center to center of pulleys. It operated at a speed of 250 ft. 'per min-and carried about 400 tons per day. On this basis, the belt life of eleven years means that not over a million and a quarter tons was carried by the belt. whi1e: this is not a large tonnage, the cost per ton was much less than by any previous method in use for supplying coal to ovens located at a distance from the main shaft. The next belt conveyor was installed at Bridgeport Mine in 1907. It carried about the same daily tonnage as the first, delivering from the hoisting shaft to a coke-oven bin. Very few data were kept on this conveyor. It also operated until the coke ovens at the plant were put out of blast and the coal taken to the Clairton byproduct plant by river. In 1916, work was started to equip the Bridgeport, Palmer, Gates, and Ronco mines to load their entire output on the river for transportation to the Clairton byproduct plant, which was then being built. These mines were all operating at that time and had a large area of coal available for river shipment. The Monongahela Railroad was located between the hoisting shaft and the river at each of these plants and, therefore, had to be crossed at each location to deliver coal to the river. After careful study, it was decided to transport this coal from the hoisting shaft to the river at each of these plants by belt conveyors.

Jan 1, 1925

THE annual winter meeting of the A.I.M.E., which is to open in New York on Feb. 14, will be charac-terized by a number of novel features. The most important is that the technical sessions will be dis-tributed over four days instead of three as heretofore. This makes it possible to reduce the number of conflicts between sessions and also will enable each member to attend a larger number. At the same time the ses-sions are so arranged by groups that those interested only in one or more that are related can, if necessary, cover all in that group in three days as heretofore. The general excursion to which the fourth day has, for some years, been devoted has been regretfully given up, mainly because of the uncertainties of the weather in New York in February. In its place a series of group excursions are being offered at various times during the meeting, arranged, so far as possible, so as not to con-flict with any technical session likely to be of interest to those taking part in a particular excursion. Among the places to be shown the visitors are: the construction work on the Eighth Avenue subway, a real mining job; the Vehicular Tunnel, the world's greatest ventilating project; the manufacture of 42-in. conveying belts; one of the largest and most modern steam plants; a coal terminal; manufacture of mining equipment; a cable-making plant; an oil terminal and refinery. Other en-tertainment features include a smoker Monday evening with a real chance to get together and talk; an informal dance and entertainment given by the Woman's Auxiliary on Tuesday evening; the dinner-dance at the Waldorf Wednesday evening, with no long speeches; a general session Thursday evening when the Petroleum Division will present a series of important reviews of the year. An extensive program has been arranged for enter-taining the ladies, and members are urged to bring their wives. There will be dinners, teas, theater parties, shopping and sight-seeing excursions as well as the dances. The usual general luncheons for members, guests and ladies will be served each day at headquar-ters, and various committees and groups will hold lunch-eons, dinners, and round table conferences as indicated in the schedule on the page opposite. The Mining and Metallurgical Society of America and the American Society of Steel Treaters are participat-ing in this meeting and their members will be welcome as guests at any session or function. A joint conference of the Mining and Metallurgical Society and the A.I.M.E. has been arranged for Tuesday afternoon, under the chairmanship of Clinton H. Crane, at which the whole matter of the mineral reserves of this country is to be up for discussion.

Jan 2, 1927

By J. L. Jernegan

In this paper I propose to give a short and, I must confess, a rather incomplete description, as regards many details, of the process used in Chicago, Ill., for smelting the argentiferous ores of the far West, and shall confine myself in this description, principally, to the process used at the Chicago Silver Smelting and Refining Company's Works, known as the Balbach process, as all the other smelting works in that city follow the same method, with the exception of one, which has the Cordurié process for the desilverization of argentiferous lead. In all, there are five silver smelting and refining works in and near the city of Chicago. The Chicago Silver Smelting and Refining Company's Works are situated at the little station of South Lynne, about seven miles south from Chicago. The plant at these works consists of one horizontal steam-engine, principally used for running the ore pulverizer, four reverberatory smelting-furnaces, connected by horizontal flues with a common chimney 85 feet high, three lead-softening furnaces, one so-called zinc or mixing furnace, one separating furnace or liquation hearth, one lead-refining furnace, three zinc distillation retorts, one English cupellation furnace, supplied with blast by a No. 3 Sturtevant blower, which is run by a small steam-engine having a vertical tubular boiler, and an assay office, in which there are two windfurnaces of the ordinary construction, and also a small muffle furnace. The assay office is supplied with all the necessary apparatus and reagents for fire assaying. There are also a superintendent's office, various store-rooms for coke and charcoal, and for the preparation of fire-clay, etc. Recently a small slag hearth (Krummofen) with one tuyere, has been put up for the purpose of working over such slags as assay too high in silver and lead to be thrown away, of which there are large amounts. The principal ore worked while I was in the employ of the company was that of the well known Emma mine in Utah, and also small quantities of Colorado ore. The character of the Emma ore is well known to most members of the Institute. In consists principally of ferruginous mixtures of carbonate and oxide of lead, oxide

By Charles H. Snow

The engineer has often to penetrate difficult or unknown regions. Mineral, irrigation, boundary and railway problems frequently necessitate journeys through, or long residence in, localities whence sustenance cannot be drawn. The selection and conveyance of provisions, outfit and implements thus become a matter of the first importance. Scientific skill, even of the highest order, is powerless unless supported by the proper appliances and foods. The advance of civilization favors the engineer, in that it is constantly enlarging his facilities and thus reducing his difficulties. Notwithstanding this fact, many are yet brought face to face with the problems considered in this paper. Distinction must be made between parties which are to be in constant or even occasional touch with a base of supplies, and those which will be for a long time dependent on their original outfit. Again, the requirements of a party on the march are different from those of a fixed camp. The district, season, cliinate, size and personnel of party also influence the character of the outfit. A party that is to be detached from its base of supplies for some time requires a greater variety of food than if it is to be gone for a short time. Much less in proportion need be taken where the journey is not long, so that privation is confined to a limited period. The ability to establish a fixed camp permits a larger outfit than would be possible if the camp mere to be moved from day to day. Transportation, climatic and other conditions are thus so varied that lists prepared for one work could hardly be applied to any other without some modification. Lists that have proved successful in some instances may, however, serve as bases to be added to, or otherwise altered, for the case in hand. The mistake usually made is in providing too large an outfit. Every emergency cannot be provided for; so that it is well to take, not what may be needed, but what cannot be spared.

Jan 1, 1900