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By Walter C. Labys, Fereidoon Shahrokh

This paper presents an application of computer simulation methods to the modeling and forecasting of the United States coal market. The computer methods employed as well as the model constructed are based on economic and econometric theory. The contents of the paper include a description of the coal market, the corresponding computer model, tests of model validation, computer generated scenarios for the period 1980-1985, and comparisons of the scenarios generated with that of other major coal forecasts.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. S. Levine

A series of four displacement experiments has been run in a large alundum core. Flow potential distribution in each liquid phase was measured continuously through oil-wet and water-wet capillary barriers, using a null-point pressure balance, and saturated distribution was determined from electrical resistivity measurements. A method has been devised for calculating the effective (and relative) permeability to each phase at any time and at any point in the flow system for the transient displacement process. Relative permeability points have been calculated and average curves drawn for oil displacing water and water displacing oil. The values of dynamic capillary pressure have also been determined. Data have been substituted into the generalized Buckley-Leverett fractional flow equation and a comparison between actual and theoretical breakthrough recoveries is shown. Displacement experiments have been performed in the laboratory for many years in an effort to determine the effect of a number of parameters on multiphase flow in porous materials. In the literature of petroleum technology, Wyckoff and Botset' were among the first to develop the relative permeability concept and to show experimentally that oil, gas, and water can flow simultaneously through a porous medium in a precise way governed by certain fluid properties, by the relative saturation of each fluid, and by characteristics of the medium itself. Somewhat later, Leverett2 and Hassler, Brunner, and Deahl11 developed some theoretical concepts of capillary behavior in porous materials. The work of Buckley and Leverett3 presented a theoretical analysis of immiscible liquid displacement based on the equation of continuity and the Darcy equation for viscous flow of each fluid. Subsequent investigators attempting to verify the Buckley-Leverett equation have, in general, deliberately neglected the capillary pressure term or have performed experiments in such a manner that it could be neglected. Terwilliger, et al4 in 1951, obtained agreement between theory and experiment for the constant rate displacement of water by gas in a long vertical sand column. Rapoport and Leas5 have investigated the

Jan 1, 1955

By M. N. Nabighian, J. R. Odekirk, D. M. Hausen

Preliminary investigations based on the concept of cross-power indicate that quantitative volume percentages of minerals, including quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, fluorite, and chalcopyrite can be obtained by X-ray diffraction analysis. Pulverized samples are scanned from 4° to 65°, 2e, using a Norelco diffractometer, with the output recorded on a punched tape at 40 intervals per degree, 29. Errors from crystal orientation are minimized by (1) gridded surface packing, (2) sample spinning, and (3) quantitative measurement of all major diffraction peaks. Computer programming enables rapid quantitative evaluation of X-ray diffraction data. Results to date indicate that most minerals analyses can be performed within an accuracy of ±2%. Metallurgical applications include analysis of various flotation concentrates and tailings.

Jan 1, 1973

UNDER the same justification that I spoke to you in the preceding chapter on crystal and some other gems, I can now speak much better and with much greater reason of glass, since it is one of the effects and peculiar fruits of the art of fire. Every product that is found [41v] in the interior of the earth is either stone or metal or one of the semiminerals, and glass, as is seen, resembles them all, although in all respects it is dependent upon art. Therefore it seems to me that before coming to the discussion of the arts themselves, I must treat of this very beautiful composition created by art and number it with the semiminerals. Thus in this chapter I shall speak to you of glass, not as a proper semimineral, nor yet as a metal, but as a fusible material that is almost made mineral by art and by the power and virtue of fire, born from the speculation of good alchemistic savants, through whose efforts it imitates. the metals on one hand and the transparency and splendor of gems. on the other. Certainly it is a very beautiful thing and one that should not be left buried in silence, in consideration first of how great a thing art has been, able to discover, and then because its beauty makes it such a pleasing thing for making drinking. glasses and an infinite number of other ornamental things that satisfy the desires of man. I shall begin, then, by telling you, to the credit of the alchemists, how I believe that this thing was found through their desire to make gems; for when they could not bring them to perfection (as also happened with the metals) they made this beautiful and attractive product, glass. However, Pliny says that it was found by chance in Syria at the mouth of the Belus River by certain merchants who were driven there by the fortunes of the sea and forced to stop and disembark there for a time in order to eat. In cooking the food they saw the rocks of that place converted into a flowing, lustrous material. And as they thought about this, it seemed beautiful to them, and when they went away they carried some stones and plants with them. Thus they gave beginning to glass making. But now leaving this discussion it does not matter how it may have been discovered, whether by merchants or by ingenious alchemists. Art is that which has given it being, through many experiments and by addition

Jan 1, 1942

By C. Gutiérrez

Flotation and adsorption studies of ilmenite with technical oleic acid, pure oleic acid, and mixtures of each of them with n-hexadecane have been conducted. From them it is concluded that the depression of ilmenite caused by a too long conditioning time is due to adsorption of the collector onto the fines produced by attrition in the conditioning cell, and that fuel oil is necessary for economic flotation of non-deslimed ilmenite ore. This beneficial effect of fuel oil is attributed to van der Waals forces, of the hydro-carbon chains.

Jan 1, 1978

By K. H. Ribe

Water often enters an oil reservoir during completion or workover operations on a well and forms a partial "water block" to oil production. A mathematical study of radial two-phase flow, neglecting capillary effects, has been employed to study the formation of such a water block and subsequent re-moval by production from the well. The effects of reduced oil permeability about the well on the well productivity were studied. The fluid saturation distributions about the well during formation and removal of the water block have also been computed. Several relative permeability relations and viscosity ratios were employed. If water has invaded the formation, its influence through relative permeability effects alone can cause the following. 1. Oil productivity will be depressed for extended periods after production is resumed and will build up only gradually as the water is removed. 2. Oil injected for treatment of water blocking will delay rather than promote restoration of full well productivity by enlarging the region invaded by water. Thus, unless the specific action of chemicals contained in the oil is needed, oil injection appears undesirable. INTRODUCTION During oilwell workover operations, water may enter the oil-bearing formation from the wellbore. When production is resumed, oil must flow through the region invaded by this water. The presence of this region can cause both well productivity and oil production rate to be low and oil to be produced with high water-oil ratio for some time after production is initiated. This situation is sometimes described as a water block. The introduction of water into the formation may result in other actions which also lead to reduction in well productivity and which are also usually included in the connotation of the broad term, water block. Often considered, for example, are the possibilities of clay swelling by contact with fresh water and the formation of emulsions with the formation oil. If it is suspected that such specific actions have taken place, remedial treatments are undertaken which usually involve the injection of chemicals in oil. Since the introduction of water, even in the absence of specific interactions with the formation or oil, will cause a temporary water block (which might be misinterpreted as evidence of a more severe situation), it is of importance to evaluate the magnitude and duration of this blocking which results purely from the reduction in relative permeability to oil in the vicinity of the wellbore. It is also of interest to evaluate the effect of oil injection on the productivity of a well blocked by water in this manner. Inasmuch as this unfavorable condition may persist for some time, it may lead to premature condemnation of a workover or premature abandonment of a potentially productive pay zone. A quantitative evaluation of the influence of water entry on the oil productivity through changes in relative permeability was made by solving a radial form of the Buckley-Leverett equation. The distribution of water saturation around the wellbore during the entry of water was calculated and was followed by a similar calculation of the saturation distribution during the period of resuming production. At any stage in the removal of the invading water, knowledge of the distribution of its saturation permitted calculating the attendant loss in oil productivity. The influence of the shape of the relative permeability relationships was also evaluated by carrying out the calculations for two hypothetical cases. Further, the effect of the oil-water viscosity ratio was examined by repeating the calculations, for several ratios of unity and greater, with the same relative permeabilities. Fi-nally, results are presented to show how the length of time a well must be swabbed to resume production depends on the length of time it has been subjected to invasion by water. STATEMENT OF THEORY Differential Equations Water is assumed to enter a producing formation which is initially at the connate-water saturation and contains no gas. The water and oil are treated as in-

By Robert Phelps

A STUDY of solid solutions has long been a source of interest because of the conditions -controlling their formation. X-ray investigations so far have been conducted with the idea that there were two types of solid solutions. In the first type, an atom of the solute was supposed to replace an atom of the solvent in the crystal lattice. In the second type, an atom of the solute was supposed to lie in one of the interstices between the atoms of the solvent. These pictures both require that the sizes of the atoms must play an important part in the process of solution. It is the purpose of the present investigation to study the mechanism of solid solution, using pure silver as the. solvent, and pure aluminum as the solute. X-ray measurements show that these elements have the same "shape" of atomic domains (they both crystallize as face-centered cubes) and that their atomic diameters differ by less than one per cent.1 The results of the present investigation point toward a chemical rather than a physical picture of the nature of solid solution, and make the older' pictures merely special cases of a more general picture. The new theory has the advantage, too, that it offers a rational explanation of certain phenomena which hitherto have been only interesting detached facts. The aluminum-silver system which was, chosen for this study has been studied by various methods by several workers. By means of thermal analysis Gautier2 and Petrenko3 have determined the phase diagram. Hansen4 studied the aluminum-rich alloys by means of thermal and microscopic analyses. , He showed that at high temperatures silver dissolved in aluminum to the extent of 47 per cent by weight at 5600 C. But this solubility decreased to 1 per cent at 200° C. Westgren and Bradley5made an extensive X-ray study of these alloys. They used the change in the lattice parameter of silver as a criterion of the solution

Jan 1, 1932

By N. E. Garner

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the cutting of a single diamond on limestone and shale under simulated down-hole conditions. A high-pressure chamber was modified by adding a rock-rotating device so that planing tests could be run. Weight on the diamond, diamond geometry and differential pressure across the face of the rock were varied. It was found that (I) high differential pressure reduced the volume of rock cut by the diamond at a given bit weight by strengthening the rock and changing the mode of failure; (2) a finely powdered rock left in the bottom of the grooves reduced the volume cut by as much as 50 percent; and (3) orientation of a single diamond about the axis of a drill point had considerable influence on diamond cutting efficiency. INTRODUCTION Diamond bits consist of many diamonds held in a matrix provided with water courses for fluid passage to clean, cool and lubricate the diamonds as they drill formation. Each diamond contributes its share to the overall effectiveness of a bit, but a lack of understanding of the performance of a single diamond has hampered efforts to engineer improvements in diamond bits. The need for those improvements prompted this study. This paper describes the findings of a laboratory investigation of the outting action of a single diamond where the differential pressure between the wdlbore and formation, diamond geometry and vertical force on the diamond were independently varied. The tests were conducted in a pressure chamber that provided relative horizontal motion (planing) between a rock and diamond under simulated down-hole pressure conditions. EQUIPMENT HIGH-PRESSURE CHAMBER WITH ROTATING DEVICE The high-pressure chamber used in previous rock mechanics studies' was modified for this study by addition of a rock-rotating device. The modified chamber (Fig. 1) differs from the old chamber in that the rock can be rotated to provide relative horizontal movement between the rock and the penetrator which may be a small element of a diamond or a drag bit. In this study the penetrator was a single diamond. The rock sample holder inside the chamber is mounted on a thrust bearing and is connected to the external drive mechanism by a stem that passes through two seal elements. The seal elements are needed to allow formation pressure to enter the bottom of the rock sample through a small hole in the stem. The Kapseal seal elements (Tefion boots backed by O-rings) provide low friction (hand free) even at differentials of 5,000 psi. The drive mechanism is a variable-speed transmission with a speed range from 0 to 30 rpm and an output torque of 2,800 in.-lb. A right-angle-drive gear box couples the drive to the stem. The new design has two independent pressure systems (formation and borehole) to simulate down-hole rock stress environment. Formation pressure enters from the bottom of the rock through a 6-in. diameter area, and borehole pressure acts over the remaining surface. A 14-in. layer of zero fluid loss oil-base mud poured over the top of the rock and an O-ring seal on bottom allow a differential between the borehole and formation pressures. Bayol 50 was used as the hydraulic fluid in the chamber. The differentials reported here were obtained by elevating the borehole pressure while keeping the formation pressure at zero.

By M. T. Simnad, R. F. Mehl, L. Yang

Techniques for studying marker movement in K-Rb interdiffusion have been worked out. The results indicate that Rb diffuses faster than K and that the ring mechanism of diffusion cannot be the dominant one operating in this case or probably in cases involving other alkali metals, despite their low ion core repulsive energies. SEVERAL theoretical attempts have been made in the past decade to elucidate the mechanism of diffusion in body-centered-cubic metals. No general agreement, however, has been reached by different authors. Zener,1 and later LeClaire,2 on the basis of a correlation between the entropy of activation for self-diffusion and the temperature dependence of the elastic constants, predicted that a ring mechanism should operate in the diffusion of body-cen-tered-cubic metals. Paneth3 calculated the activation energies of various ring, vacancy, and interstitial mechanisms for the self-diffusion in alkali metals and concluded that the most likely one was based on the linear motion of "crowdions," which is in fact a different form of interstitial diffusion. Fumi,1 however, showed that the experimental values of the activation energies for self-diffusion in the alkali metals could be better accounted for if the diffusion process in these metals was assumed to follow a vacancy mechanism. The same conclusion was reached by Kojima5 for the self-diffusion in lithium. Experimental evidences published during the past few years seem to exclude the ring mechanism as the predominating one in the diffusion of body-centered-cubic metals. For instance, maker movement has been observed in ß-brass, first in this laboratory" and later by Resnick and Baluffi.5 Shewmon and Bechtoldh also found marker movement in the body-centered-cubic system Ti-Mo and showed that the argument which led Zener and LeClair to favor a ring mechanism was not incompatible with a vacancy mechanism. In spite of this, it seemed to the authors that further experimental tests should be made by studying the Kirkendall effect in body-centered-cubic systems that characteristically have small ion core repulsion, such as the alkali-metal systems. Since the ion core repulsion term constitutes the main part of the activation energy needed for the rotation of a ring, such a test should be the most critical of all. The system K-Rb was chosen for experimental study because these metals form a continuous series of solid solutions. Experimental Investigation Owing to the extremely active nature of these two metals, a brass dry box (18 x 11 x 10 in.) was built for making the diffusion couple. It had a big lucite window on top, two side ports through which neo-prene-rubber gloves were inserted, and another side port covered with an optically flat-glass window for microscopic examination of the sample. Inside the box there were a circulating fan driven with a rotating horse-shoe magnet located outside the box, a heater used to generate potassium vapor for getter-ing the box, and a cold trap for keeping the inside of the box cool. Chemically pure grade K and Rb were triple distilled before they were transferred in vacuum into cylindrical steel molds kept in pyrex-glass ampules, Fig. 1. The latter together with the tools needed for making the diffusion couple were put into the dry box. After the box was flushed with purified argon and gettered with potassium vapor, generated from a heated steel crucible inside the box, the glass ampules were broken and the mound on the top of the alkali-metal ingot was cut off with a razor blade to yield a flat surface. To make the diffusion couple, one K ingot and one Rb ingot were pushed out of the molds together with their steel supports by screwing a metal plunger into the bottom of each mold. They were then laid on a brass cradle inside the assembling carriage (shown separately in Fig. 2) with the flat faces opposite to each

Jan 1, 1959

By H. T. Green, R. M. Brick

True stress-strain data on alloys of pure iron with up to 2.4 pct Al were obtained in the temperature range +100° to —185°C. Alumi-num was found to reduce yield and flow stresses of iron at low temperatures but to have little or no effect on ductility. The effects of temperature and composition on strain hardening are discussed. SEVERAL independent studies of the behavior of high purity iron binary alloys at low temperatures are now in progress in attempts to evaluate systematically the variables affecting the low temperature brittleness of ferritic steels. This paper reports the results of one such investigation in which the tensile properties of aluminum and aluminum plus silicon ferrites were measured from 100" to —192°C. True stress-natural strain data have been obtained in order to evaluate as many as possible of the parameters which describe the behavior of the materials involved. In comparable studies at the National Physical Laboratory in England, iron and iron alloys of high purity have been produced' and tested at subat-mospheric temperatures.' True stress-natural strain curves were obtained there also. The purest iron contained 0.0025 pct C and 0.001 pct O and N. Even this, as normalized at 950°C following hot rolling, showed little ductility at -196°C. The grain size was ASTM No. 3, and the room-temperature yield strength was 17,800 psi (which seems too high for pure iron). Some of the NPL irons contained considerably more oxygen and demonstrated intergran-ular fracture at —196°C. The authors2 carefully differentiated between intergranular fractures associated with excessive oxygen content and transcrys-talline cleavage with little ductility encountered at —196°C in the purer material. The cleavage stress was half again as great as that associated with inter-granular fracture. Test Material, Preparation, and Procedures Of a number of Fe-A1 alloys produced, eight were considered to be sufficiently pure for testing. Partial chemical analyses (Table I), low observed yield points, and high ductilities indicate these alloys to be comparatively pure for vacuum-melted irons of sizable ingots, 5 Ib or more. To produce the binary Fe-A1 alloys, electrolytic iron was melted in air, cast into slabs, and rolled to strips 0.010 in. thick. These strips, joined into a continuous ribbon and wound into 2 1/2 in. diameter spools, were subjected for four weeks to a moving atmosphere of purified dry hydrogen in a stainless-steel tube at 1050" to 1150°C. Charges of these spools were melted in beryllia crucibles under good vacuums (1 micron), and aluminum (99.97 pct Al) was added to the melts. Compositions of these alloys are recorded in Table I. The ingots were hot forged and then cold rolled at least 65 pct to 3/8 in. rods which were vacuum annealed to the desired grain size, approximately ASTM No. 4, prior to machining into tensile test bars. All tensile specimens had gage sections 1 in. long, with a fillet of 1.5 in. radius to the shoulder. Gage diameters were 0.250 in, except for a few rods where additional cold work required use of a 0.200 in. gage section. After machining, 0.002 in. was removed from the gage diameter using 240, 400, and 600-grit metallo-graphic papers. The final polish with 600 grit left the fine scratches running in the longitudinal direction. By this means, surface metal strained during machining was removed. A few specimens heat treated after machining were similarly reduced 0.004 in. to remove any material affected chemically by the atmosphere during heat treatments, as is discussed in a later section. Tensile tests of the eight alloys at constant temperatures from +100° to —185°C were performed in apparatus which has been described." The essentials include a double-walled insulated metal vessel which contained the liquid heat-transfer medium surrounding the test specimen. A constant temperature was maintained by means of a pyrometer which regulated the pressure of dry air driving liquid air through a copper coil. Temperature variation was less than ±2°C during a specific test. For axial straining, two lengths of case-hardened chain, terminating in simple shackles, loaded the specimen through threaded grips. The lower grip bar passed through a hole in the bottom of the test vessel to which it was joined by a thin-walled

Jan 1, 1955

By James T. Kemp

AN historical society of particular interest to mining engineers all over the world was born in Cornwall in 1935. A hundred-year-old winding engine then finished its long labors at the Levant mine on the cliffs near Lands End, England. The engine was to be dismantled and scrapped. A few men living near-by, appreciating that this event was one of the final acts in closing a long century of extraordinary mining and engineering evolution. armed a committee to prevent the destruction of the old mine hoist and succeeded in purchasing the engine. They restored the engine house and in time arranged with the Manor of Trewellard, owners of the land, for a 99-year ground lease on a peppercorn rental.

Jan 1, 1947

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

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

Jan 1, 1976

By B. B. Sandiford

It has been known for many years that the efficiency of a water flood can be improved by lowering the water-oil mobility ratio in the system. Such a change leads to better sweep efficiency and also to more efficient oil displacement in the swept zone. Data from our laboratory water-flood tests of both small cores and long sand packs are presented which show that water mobility can be reduced and oil recovery increased by the addition of certain polymer solutions to flood water. The reduction in mobility, in many cases, is greater than would be expected from conventional viscosity measurements. These solutions, however, do not cause significant reductions in oil mobility. The over-all effect of these mobility changes is increased waterflood oil recovery. Encouraged by results of our laboratory work, we expanded our study to include pilot field tests of floods with such solutions. One such test, made in the West Cat Canyon field, Santa Barbara County, Calif., is described in detail in this paper. Three other field tests are also discussed. INTRODUCTION Oil production from most reservoirs following primary depletion and/or water flooding is often less than 50 per cent of the original oil in place. Heavy oil reservoirs seldom yield over 15 per cent of their original oil. With new reservoirs becoming harder to find, the improvement of oil recovery efficiency is one of our very important problems. We describe here some of our attempts to increase the efficiency of oil displacement by adding a water-soluble polymer, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, to flood water. This technique will be termed "polymer solution flooding". The concept of using high-viscosity water to increase the efficiency of water flooding is not new. In 1944 Detling (Shell Development Co.) obtained a patent covering the use of several additives for viscous water flooding.' His objective was to improve water-oil mobility ratios by increasing the viscosity of the flood water. Other patents2-27 have been granted covering specific water-SO~LIble polymers or specific conditions of viscous water flooding. Barnes'" described his laboratory model study of the injection of a viscous water slug into a reservoir which had been partially invaded by bottom water. He concluded that, for this type of reservoir, "the cost of viscous water should not exceed a few cents per barrel for viscous water slug injection to be economically feasible" Our studies have led us to a somewhat different conclusion in a number of cases where hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions have been injected into reservoir models or actual reservoirs. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed in this paper. Our studies have shown that polymer solutions may lead to an increase in oil recovery over that from an ordinary water flood by (1) improving sweep efficiency, (2) improving microscopic displacement efficiency, or (3) a combination of these mechanisms. In the work of Barnes, only the benefit of improved sweep efficiency was considered. Also, our work has shown that there are marked differences in the effectiveness of different water-soluble polymers as flood water additives. Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide is better than many other water-soluble polymers we have tested because, even in very low concentrations, it can lead to increased oil recovery. This is an important advantage when either a dilute polymer solution is injected continuously or a relatively concentrated slug is injected followed by water. In the latter case! portions of the slug become diluted and function in the formation as very dilute solutions. As dilution takes place the effective slug size will increase which, in turn, will reduce the cost per barrel of the effective flooding medium. The reason that partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions are more efficient at low concentrations than certain other polymer solutions of equivalent viscosity (when measured in conventional viscometers) is not fully understood. We do know that the shapes and sizes of macro-molecules dissolved or suspended in liquids influence the flow properties of their solutions or suspensions. Solutions of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide cause greater reductions in water mobility than would be expected from conventional viscosity measurements. LABORATORY STUDIES Laboratory water floods were run in linear and radial systems with different water-soluble polymers and under varying conditions of flow. including reservoir conditions of temperature, pressure and fluid composition. Some of these runs are considered in this section. OIL DISPLACEMENT IN LINEAR MODELS In this group of runs the sweep efficiency approached 100 per cent because the linear sand packs used were as nearly uniform as possible. Results reflect primarily the micro-scopic displacement efficiencies. The laboratory models were unconsolidat-ed sand packs the lengths of which varied from about 4 in, to 40 ft. Further information on the flow models used is listed in Table 1. Using conventional procedures, water floods were run on sand packs containing either refined or crude oil at restored state. Frequently, a repeat run, similar to the first, was made as a check. Then a third run was made on the restored-state model using either polymer solution or a combination of polymer solution (slug) and water. Details of these runs are also reported in Table 1. In Figs. 1 and 2 results of two different groups of runs are shown in which the oil used was a 62-cp refined oil and the flooding medium

Jan 1, 1965

Jan 1, 1961

By E. L. Anderson, J. R. Long, R. S. Dean, F. S. Wartman

Titanium has been estimated to comprise about 0.65 per cent of the earth's crust and ranks fourth in abundance among the metallic elements suitable for engineering uses. In spite of this, applications of titanium for structural purposes have not as yet been developed. Its commercial exploitation has been largely confined to the chemical industries and the production of paints and pigments; no doubt because of the difficulties that lie in the way of preparing the pure ductile metal. Published reports, however, indicate that ductile titanium can be prepared and possesses some unique properties. This, together with the occurrence in this country of several important titaniferous deposits, has led the Bureau of Mines to investigate processes for the production of metallic titanium, methods required for its fabrication, and the properties that may be produced in this interesting metal. Methods of Preparing Metallic Titanium Many early investigators claimed to have isolated metallic titanium; but in the light of present knowledge, it seems that they really had produced various mixtures of carbides and nitrides that have a metallic appearance but are brittle, hard, and unworkable. The first metallic titanium pure enough to be malleable when cold was produced by Hunter1 in the early part of the twentieth century. Kroll,~ van Arkel,~ and Fast,4 subsequently confirmed the facts that pure titanium is a. ductile metal and that small amounts of impurities were responsible for previous reports of brittleness. When heated, titanium reacts chemically with various gases, such as hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen; if the volume of gas thus absorbed is too great, the metal becomes brittle and unworkable. The principal difficulty in making ductile titanium is prevention of such contamination, and the success of a given process may be judged by the completeness with which it solves this difficulty in a practical manner. Of the gases mentioned, hydrogen is the least objectionable, since its absorption by the metal is completely reversible and, although dimensional changes occur and absorption of hydrogen embrittles the metal, the gas may be removed readily by heating in a high vacuum for a short time. On the other hand, the absorption of oxygen or nitrogen results in the formation of permanent solid solutions of the oxide and nitride, which cannot be decomposed by the strongest reducing agentsz with sufticient completeness to restore the inherent ductility of the metal. Because of

Jan 1, 1946

By Albert Sauveur

Floris Osmond, Honorary Member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, born in Paris, March 10, 1849, died at Saint-Leu near that city, June 18, 1912. Taken suddenly ill with congestion of the brain while on his way from Paris to his home, he reached it in time to write on the typewriter his last wishes, one of which was that no biographical notice of his life should be published. Holding Osmond's memory sacred, as those who have known him will, is it our duty to conform with his desire ? Shall no mention be made in our Transactions of the beautiful life and great achievements of one of our most honored members? Is it not, on the contrary, incumbent upon us to disregard Osmond's instruction in this matter and to place on record our admiration for the nobility of his life, for his talents and for the importance of his work, that younger men may be inspired by it with a desire to be guided by worthy motives in the path of unselfish pursuits ? I cannot feel that in following this course I am disloyal to Osmond's memory and I am strengthened in this belief by the opinion of men of high honor whom I have consulted before undertaking the writing of this obituary notice. One of them, Professor Henry M. Howe, justifies my decision better than I could do it myself when he writes : " Let us look frankly at the matter. Here we have a most extraordinary life, a life of rare beauty and power of inspiration to the rest of mankind. In my opinion we should not deprive mankind of the stimulating influence of the example of M. Osmond simply because he shrank from publicity. Our young men see every day how greed and vulgar push succeed, and with what material rewards they are crowned. They see too rarely the more valuable crown which comes to self devotion. A permanent and public recognition of the beautiful qualities of Osmond's life cannot fail to appeal to the imagination of young men and to help to deflect them toward leading a noble rather than a sordid life. Therefore I feel that the Revue de Métallurgie and other bodies owe it to the public to give prominence to his career by means of biographical notices."

Jan 1, 1914

By J. R. Long, E. L. Anderson, R. S. Dean, F. S. Wartman

Titanium has been estimated to comprise about 0.65 per cent of the earth's crust and ranks fourth in abundance among the metallic elements suitable for engineering uses. In spite of this, applications of titanium for structural purposes have not as yet been developed. Its commercial exploitation has been largely confined to the chemical industries and the production of paints and pigments; no doubt because of the difficulties that lie in the way of preparing the pure ductile metal. Published reports, however, indicate that ductile titanium can be prepared and possesses some unique properties. This, together with the occurrence in this country of several important titaniferous deposits, has led the Bureau of Mines to investigate processes for the production of metallic titanium, methods required for its fabrication, and the properties that may be produced in this interesting metal. Methods of Preparing Metallic Titanium Many early investigators claimed to have isolated metallic titanium; but in the light of present knowledge, it seems that they really had produced various mixtures of carbides and nitrides that have a metallic appearance but are brittle, hard, and unworkable. The first metallic titanium pure enough to be malleable when cold was produced by Hunter1 in the early part of the twentieth century. Kroll,~ van Arkel,~ and Fast,4 subsequently confirmed the facts that pure titanium is a. ductile metal and that small amounts of impurities were responsible for previous reports of brittleness. When heated, titanium reacts chemically with various gases, such as hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen; if the volume of gas thus absorbed is too great, the metal becomes brittle and unworkable. The principal difficulty in making ductile titanium is prevention of such contamination, and the success of a given process may be judged by the completeness with which it solves this difficulty in a practical manner. Of the gases mentioned, hydrogen is the least objectionable, since its absorption by the metal is completely reversible and, although dimensional changes occur and absorption of hydrogen embrittles the metal, the gas may be removed readily by heating in a high vacuum for a short time. On the other hand, the absorption of oxygen or nitrogen results in the formation of permanent solid solutions of the oxide and nitride, which cannot be decomposed by the strongest reducing agentsz with sufticient completeness to restore the inherent ductility of the metal. Because of

Jan 1, 1946

By G. J. Skoronski

The training school program for operation of a Grate-Kiln System is a comprehensive, detailed presentation of equipment design and maintenance combined with operating philosophy and procedures. An outline is presented relating the sequence of required instruction. The program is initially concerned with acquainting personnel with terminology unique to pelletizing and the Grate-Kiln System. Depending on the scope of each individual contract, a discussion describing process equipment and the process flowsheet is conducted. The process flowsheet discussion describes preliminary unit operations. Grate-Kiln System unit operations, process gas flow and gas flow control philosophy, and system pressure relationship.

Jan 1, 1977

By William Ian Wark, Alwyn Birchmore Cox

DIFFERENT parts of the world in which mineral separation by flotation is practiced experience vastly different natural temperatures, and in some districts there is a big difference between summer and winter temperatures. It will be shown in this paper that the temperature is of considerable importance where it is desired to separate pyrite or arsenopyrite from other minerals. It is probable that some of the differences obtained in the flotation of these minerals at plants working under otherwise similar conditions are due to temperature variations. The influence of temperature on the flotation of galena, chalcopyrite and sphalerite by xanthates is less marked than its influence on pyrite flotation. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The methods used have been described previously.1-4 In each test the clean mineral specimen was immersed in a solution prepared by adding the reagents in the following order: (1) sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid as necessary to buffer the solution and to give approximately the pH value desired, (2) sodium cyanide, (3) copper sulphate, (4) ethyl xanthate, followed by (5) a final adjustment of pH value. After ½ hr. the mineral was tested for a xanthate film by bringing a bubble of air into apparent contact with the submerged polished surface. If true contact (spreading) was not obtained within ½ min. and after cleaning the surface by wiping with a small linen pad, it was concluded that the adsorption of a xanthate film had been prevented. Following the method already described (ref. 2), curves have been constructed such that for a solution ' composition corresponding to any point below the curve, contact between mineral and air is possible, whereas for a solution composition corresponding to any point above the curve, contact is impossible.

Jan 1, 1938

By Stuart E. Buckley

The application of hydrocarbon equilibrium data to various problems encountered in refining and in natural gasoline recovery is an old and well established practice. Both generalized data and data on specific hydrocarbon systems have been made available by a number of investigators. More recently such data have been applied to the relations governing the separation of oil and gas both in the reservoir and at the surface. Most of the applications to production problems, however, have been based upon examinations of surface samples of oil and gas. This paper describes a technique that has been used satisfactorily in a number of cases to calculate directly from the hydrocarbon analysis of and auxiliary laboratory data on a subsurface sample of the reservoir fluid the behavior of the oil and gas during the various stages of separation at the surface incident to production. Types of Information Calculated The system of calculations is not designed to supplant field data, but rather to correlate with them laboratory data obtained under controlled conditions in order to obtain a more complete and exact picture than usually is possible through the use of field data alone. The chief advantage of the calculations is the possibility of their use at a minimum of both time and expense to determine completely the effect of any possible operating technique upon each of the following: (1) The gas-oil ratio resulting from liberation of the dissolved gas; (2) the composition and gasoline content of the liberated gas; (3) the composition and gravity of the residual oil; (4) the amount and composition of the gas liberated upon flashing the oil from the separator to the stock tank; (5) the shrinkage of the oil in passing from the reservoir to the stock tank. This information is frequently essential to the correct determination of the advisability of installing a natural gasoline plant, to design such a plant to take care of seasonal production, and to determine the optimum separator pressures to carry in various parts of a field.

Jan 1, 1938