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By Frederic P. Dewey

It is common to blame irregular assay results upon volatilization and much has been written upon the subject, but there is no real evidence that, in a properly conducted assay, the loss of either gold or silver by volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result, even when arsenic or antimony may be present. Bulk assays of flue dust from assay muffles have been published, but the data given are totally insufficient to even approximate the volatilization from a single assay; and such figures as we have indicate the volatilization to be extremely small. Diligent search in the literature and wide inquiry among assayers and instructors have failed to produce a single case where the litharge volatilized in making an assay has been collected and assayed for gold and silver. Having attempted to do this, with most indifferent success, I am not surprised that this has not been done. While various textbooks give volatilization as a cause of loss in cupella-tion, it may safely be said that in the rare cases where this volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result it is due to excessive temperature. Percy' says "The loss of silver by volatilization during cupellation is very slight (unless the temperature has been much too high), and may be disregarded." This statement is repeated by the Beringers2 and Smith,3 who includes gold with silver. Mitchell4 says the litharge fume rarely contains over one ten-thousandth of silver. Campredon5 ays that at a proper temperature no silver is lost by volatilization. Primarily, excessive temperature may be due to too high general temperature in the muffle; but it may often be due to temperature localized within the bead by oxidation of the metals and this may be influenced by other causes than the general temperature. I have shown an ex-

Jan 1, 1921

By J. L. SCHUELER

THE writer has reread Mr. Ingalls' interesting article in the July, 1923, issue of MINING AND METAL- LURGY on "The Use of Spelter in Galvanizing." It seems that most writers, in commenting upon coatings of spelter on sheets and wire, dwell upon the thin coatings which these materials carry, and rightly so. However, they seem to forget that until very recently, in the case of wire, the manufacturer did not know how to apply a heavy coating of spelter to the wire, especially if the wire was to be woven into fence or fabricated in some other manner, because heavy coatings of spelter are exceedingly brittle. This is even true in the case of high-grade spelter, but to a lesser degree than with Prime Western. Because of this brittleness, it has been necessary for wire manufacturers to smooth the coating by passing the wire through tightly compressed wiping means of some kind, usually asbestos. This removes all of the excess spelter and allows only a thin coating to remain. The latter, as a rule, is malleable and the wire can be fabricated without material injury to the coating.

Jan 1, 1924

By K. L. Sehgal

Minerals are the basis of modern civilization: their exploitation and effective utilization are a yard- stick for measuring the comparative prosperity of different nations. This is particularly true in India where industrialization is just beginning to pick up speed. Production targets for our Fourth Five Year Plan (1966-71) are far ahead of the figures for, say, 1950 (the year we won independence) and show the extent of the expansion. Many problems remain to be solved, not least of which is the shortage of raw materials. India is no novice at utilizing minerals. Archaeological ruins at Harappa and at other historical places in the country show evidence of the fact that the ancient Indians not only knew the art of winning minerals from the ground over 6000 years ago-they were also well acquainted with metallurgy. Some of the present sites of mineral exploitation are the same as those our ancestors worked for many centuries.

Jan 9, 1965

By E. V. Daveler

The milling plant of the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Co. is located at the town of Thane, Alaska, on Gastineau Channel, 4 mi. south of Juneau and directly across the channel from the Ready Bullion mine of the Treadwell mines on Douglas Island. Previous to the organization of the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Co., in 1912, the milling was done at the stamp mill of the Alaska Perseverance Co. located at the mine in Silver Bow Basin. But the contemplated increase in production made it necessary to locate the mill on Gastineau Channel, as not enough water was available at the mine during the winter months, nor was there room for taking care of the large tonnage of tailings that would ultimately be discarded from the mill. Character of Ore The gold and silver values occur in quartz lenses associated with pyrrhotite, galena, arsenical pyrites, and zinc blende. These lenses occur in large bodies of slate, schist, and metagabbro, which also carry some valuable metallic contents. With the essential low cost of mining, it was necessary to mine large bodies of low-grade material containing the high-grade streaks. Of the minerals, pyrrhotite, the magnetic sulfide of iron, is predominant, and galena is the next sulfide present in quantity. The gold occurs free and coarse and associated with the iron sulfide in its finer state. The silver occurs with the lead or is alloyed with the gold. A chemical analysis of the ore shows Silver............ 0.10 oz. Magnesia......... 0.4 per cent. Silica............. 59.7percent. Sulfur............ 1.2 per cent. Iron.............. 5.2 per cent. Lead............. 0.1 per cent. Alumina.......... 21.4percent. Zinc............. 0.2percent.. Lime............. 5.0 per cent. Experimental Work Investigations at the old Perseverance stamp mill had developed the following points: Roughing concentration following stamping gives a fair recovery.

Jan 1, 1920

By Thomas H. Clagett

ThE Pocahontas coal field comprises the area in Tazewell County, Va. and Mcrcer and McDowell counties, W. Va., in which Nos. 3 and 4, Pocahontas seams of bituminous coal are mined. It is a mountainous region with ridges rising 300 to 1000 ft. (91 to 305 111.) above the very narrow valleys and, except for some poorly kept farms along the tops of the ridges and the area occupied by the mining and coking plants and villages, is wooded throughout. First shipments were made from Pocahontas in 1883. There are now about 100 mines, 95 per cent. of which are drift mines. At the end of 1920, approximately 298,000,000 gross tons of coal had been produced and 35,000 acres of coal mined. No. 3 seam is from 4 to 10 ft. (1.2 to 3 m.) thick, but the change is gradual and the thickness fairly uniform in any particular locality. It has a streak of bone, about 2 in. (5 cm.) thick, to which the coal adheres on both sides. In parts of the field this bone is replaced by hard slate, usually from 2 to 4 in. thick. The seam has a slate or fireclay bottom and a draw-slate top. No. 4 seam is from 65 to 80 ft. (19.8 to 24 m.) above No. 3 seam, and of minable section only in the western part of the field. It is from 3 to 8 ft. thick and has two streaks of bone, cach from 1 to 2 in. thick. It has a fireclay or slate bottom and is overlaid by from 4 to 24 in. of a laminated coal and slate, locally termed "black rash," which is separated from the coal seam by about 3 in. of slate. This "black rash" averages about 2.5 per cent. ash, but contains some clean coal. The coal in both seams is quite soft. Cleavage sufficieiltly well defined to exert an influence on the mining is rare. Overlying strata arc slates, shales, and sandstones, the sandstones predominating, extending from 30 to 1000 ft. above No. 3 seam. The strata directly above the draw slate of No. 3 seam, or "black rash" of No. 4 seam, and up to the first sandstone are usually slates or shales, about 10 ft. thick over the.

Jan 1, 1923

By Thomas H. Clagett

ThE Pocahontas coal field comprises the area in Tazewell County, Va. and Mcrcer and McDowell counties, W. Va., in which Nos. 3 and 4, Pocahontas seams of bituminous coal are mined. It is a mountainous region with ridges rising 300 to 1000 ft. (91 to 305 111.) above the very narrow valleys and, except for some poorly kept farms along the tops of the ridges and the area occupied by the mining and coking plants and villages, is wooded throughout. First shipments were made from Pocahontas in 1883. There are now about 100 mines, 95 per cent. of which are drift mines. At the end of 1920, approximately 298,000,000 gross tons of coal had been produced and 35,000 acres of coal mined. No. 3 seam is from 4 to 10 ft. (1.2 to 3 m.) thick, but the change is gradual and the thickness fairly uniform in any particular locality. It has a streak of bone, about 2 in. (5 cm.) thick, to which the coal adheres on both sides. In parts of the field this bone is replaced by hard slate, usually from 2 to 4 in. thick. The seam has a slate or fireclay bottom and a draw-slate top. No. 4 seam is from 65 to 80 ft. (19.8 to 24 m.) above No. 3 seam, and of minable section only in the western part of the field. It is from 3 to 8 ft. thick and has two streaks of bone, cach from 1 to 2 in. thick. It has a fireclay or slate bottom and is overlaid by from 4 to 24 in. of a laminated coal and slate, locally termed "black rash," which is separated from the coal seam by about 3 in. of slate. This "black rash" averages about 2.5 per cent. ash, but contains some clean coal. The coal in both seams is quite soft. Cleavage sufficieiltly well defined to exert an influence on the mining is rare. Overlying strata arc slates, shales, and sandstones, the sandstones predominating, extending from 30 to 1000 ft. above No. 3 seam. The strata directly above the draw slate of No. 3 seam, or "black rash" of No. 4 seam, and up to the first sandstone are usually slates or shales, about 10 ft. thick over the.

Jan 1, 1923

By J. J. Jakosky

The strategic importance of the metallic minerals in our industrial economy, and the declining rates of discovery have focused attention on means of exploration for new mineral deposits. A consideration of exploration techniques leads to an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of geo- physics as a tool for mining exploration. One means of evaluation will be to compare the use of geophysics in petroleum exploration with its possible uses in mining.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. E. STOKES

SOME extension of flying service to the mining industry occurred in 1938, particularly in Canada, where freighting activity radiated from Edmonton into the new northern mining districts. Again the airplane demonstrated its usefulness in getting new equipment rapidly into the field and in decreasing shutdown time while waiting for repairs. An 18-ton Caterpillar tractor with shovel attachment was disassembled, brought in by plane, and placed in operation at Berens River, Ont., within seven days after its de- livery at Winnipeg. At Central Patricia a mill breakdown required the replacement of a full mill head and trunnion with ball bearings, weighing 2700 lb. The Canadian Airways Junkers, termed the "flying boxcar," was called in from Yellowknife, 1300 mi. away, and the new installation was completed three days later.

Jan 1, 1939

By Howard N. Eavenson

DURING the past year, as in the preceding ones, prices continued to fall, production to decrease, and more mines were closed. Much attention is being given by the industry to suggested plans for betterment of its position, and if the scheme recently brought out for consolidation of sales agencies into district agencies is loyally carried out, it cannot but help to improve conditions. The progress in the anthracite industry is shown in the report of its chairman, E. H. Suender; changes in coal preparation are outlined in the report of J. B. Morrow, chairman of Committee on Coal Preparation, while increased mechanization of the western mines is described by Eugene McAuliffe, chairman of the Committee on Machine and Strip Mining. In spite of the depression, interest in the Coal Division has been increasing, its meetings have been well attended, and its committees are active and have been doing excellent work.

Jan 1, 1932

By AIME AIME

WHEN Vice-chairman Calvert Townley calls the next meeting of the Executive Board of the American Engineering Council of the Federated American Engineering Societies to order in Washington on Sept. 30, it will be the first meeting in that city for almost a year. It is probable that the Board will decide at this meeting whether future board meetings will be held regularly at the headquarters in Washington or whether the plan of meeting at various engineering centers throughout the country, as has been done during the past year, will be followed. The most important business coming before this .meeting will be the election of a president to succeed Herbert Hoover, who resigned after he became Secre¬tary of Commerce. Nominations to fill this vacancy were ordered 'at the last meeting of the Executive Board, to be reported at the September meeting. Special attention will be given the plans for the engineering assembly, extension of employment service, question of licensing and registration of engineers. The engineering assembly, committee has been appointed, with A. P. Davis as chairman, the other members being Philip N. Moore, L. P. Alford, John C. Hoyt and F. A. Vaughn. This committee will work out detailed plans for an assembly to be held in con¬junction with the annual meeting of the American Engineering Council in, January. Tentative plans provide for a three-day session; one day to be given to special meetings of the executive boards of member organizations and committees of the American Engineering Council; one day to the sessions of the American Engineering Council; and at least one day to discussion of some, special topic.

Jan 1, 1921

By T. E. SCHTVARZ

THE publication of the report by Mr. F. L. Ransome was welcomed by many engineers who had mined in the heart of the Sail Juan country, braved its long and snowy winters, climbed its lofty peaks, run the gauntlet of its snow-slides, and studied its problems of geology, while making dividends for their English or American clients. This report helps one to understand why the bonanzas occurred, and why the inevitable borrasca presents itself where least expected. The Red Mountain district of Ouray county, a very productive section from 1884 to 1893, occupies considerable space in the report mentioned.. The character of the ore-occurrence, being distinctive and presenting many features not existing elsewhere, has been deserving of special study. It is to be regretted that Mr. Ransome was .unable to observe the conditions underground, as all the principal properties, many of which I opened and developed, were closed at the time of his investigation: It has been my privilege to have contributed a few brief papers recording my observations in developing these properties ; and it is the object of the present paper to present certain sections of the Yankee Girl mine, which throw additional light on the geology of the section and make the available data more complete. The main Yankee Girl chimney or " stock" was the most productive for the first 500 ft. in depth of any chimney in the district.

Mar 1, 1905

By C. G. McLachlan

This paper outlines a series of tests carried out during the first six months of 1927, in the laboratory and mill of the Moctezuma Copper Co. The object of the tests was to determine whether the soluble salts present in the mill circuit water were having a detrimental cffect on the recovery made by flotation. To accomplish this object a series of water analyses were made, followed by flotation experiments in which definite quantities of the salts found were added as addition agents. Before proceeding to describe the results obtained in the course of the investigation, reference will be made to five articles that have appeared during the last two years in which the action of such salts is discussed. Two of these are by A. T. Tye1, 2 and describe flotation practice at Cananea and the way in which water high in ferrous and ferric salts is conditioned for differential flotation. Two, one by A. C. Munro and H. A. Pearse3 and the other by H. A. Pearse,4 outline Britannia milling methods, and the advantages that have been derived from ore washing; while in the fifth, A. W. Hahn5 summarizes the results of laboratory experiments in which ferrous, ferric and aluminum sulfates have been added in varying amounts. The mill of the Moctezuma Copper Co. has a daily capacity of 3000 tons, and is situated about 75 miles south of Douglas, Arizona, on the Rio de Nacozari, in the Mexican state of Sonora. The ore treated is mined from the company's mine at Pilares, about 5 miles southeast of the Concentrator. This ore contains about 2.5 per cent. copper— present almost entirely as chalcopyrite—and 10 per cent. iron, of which

Jan 1, 1928

By W. D. France, H. l. Burghoff

FABRICATORS of copper and copper alloys have contended with the problems of reconversion during the past year in endeavoring to return to the full-scale production that is demanded of them. The problems have not been easy, for the industry, like so many others, has had to deal with strikes of long duration, and material shortages, particularly in the raw materials, copper, zinc, lead, and tin. Despite all these obstacles, it was possible to gear production to new peacetime records during the latter part of the year. This was made possible not only by the use of multiple shifts of personnel, but also by the improved production equipment, the development of which had been stimulated by wartime necessity. The work of installing new and better equipment is still continuing, and virtually every company is engaged in improving or planning to improve its processes.

Jan 1, 1947

By Eugene Holman

UINQUESTIONABLY the petroleum industry not only can supply the world's present oil requirements but even can meet a considerable increase in demand if it should come. The United States produced last year 1 1/3 billion barrels of crude oil, or more than 60 per cent of the world's total. It could have provided more, if needed, because we has a large shut-in crude producing capacity. Our refining capacity of 4,500,000 0 barrels per day is more than 2 per cent above our average refinery run for 1940. Adequate crude supplies and manufacturing facilities also exist outside of the United States. Large crude reserves exist in South America, in Iran and Iraq, in Russia and Romania, in Sumatra and adjacent islands. The refineries of the Dutch West Indies, of Iran, and of the Netherland East Indies are well located in relation to crude reserves and world trade lanes. Furthermore, flexibility in the manufacturing facilities permits adjustment of yields to meet a considerable range in variations between demands for products. Only with regard to 100-octane aviation gasoline is there any apparent refinery problem. Even here so far as this country is concerned, additional refining facilities can be installed well within the time that would be required to turn out the airplane engines which will use this super fuel.

Jan 1, 1941

By Charles Baskerville

Shales containing "kerogen," or bituminous matter, which on destructive distillation yield oily and tarry matters resembling petroleum are here designated as oil-shales. They differ from oil-bearing shales from which petroleum may be obtained by so-called mechanical means. The educts obtained by the destructive distillation resemble some or all the varieties of petroleum, depending on the character of the shale and the mode of treatment. Some shale oils have a paraffin base, some an asphaltic base, or a combination; some run high in sulfur compounds. The methods of refining and cracking, therefore, are essentially the same as are used in refining petroleums. In 1860, in this country, over fifty companies were successfully distilling various natural bituminous materials for the production of " coal oil," used for illuminating purposes. The discovery of petroleum and the failure of these companies to save and utilize the valuable byproduct, ammonia, brought about their inevitable doom. Prior to that time, more or less successful efforts were made to produce from the shales of Scotland oils for illuminating and heating purposes. Competition of native petroleum from the United States early eliminated some of these companies and with the entrance of oil from the Russian and other fields into the world's markets, the Scottish oil-shale industry underwent serious and trying experiences until, in 1916, only four (Scottish) were paying concerns. These survived only through energy and the application of skill in saving valuable byproducts. A few companies have successfully operated in France and New Zealand. The Canadian Government showed active interest in the New Brunswick shales, which exist in quantity and are more valuable than the Scottish shales. The retarded development of that valuable asset of the Province of New Brunswick was most unfortunate, especially when the product was so much needed in the prosecution of the war. The economic success of a shale-oil industry depends on the following factors:

Jan 1, 1921

By Elmer W. Pehrson

OPINION seems widely divergent as to where we stand with respect to future mineral supply. From some quarters we hear that the United States is about to become a "have-not" nation and about to experience the evil consequences such a situation would entail. Others claim that we are still a treasure house of stored-up mineral wealth, the surface of which barely has been scratched. The data to be presented here support the conclusion that neither of these viewpoints is correct and that we are far from exhaustion of those mineral resources that are basic to our industrial economy. However, exhaustion is well advanced in a number of important subsidiary minerals so that we can no longer drift along with the easy-going philosophy that the earth will provide. The time has come when we must recognize the true situation and do something about it.

Jan 1, 1945

CONTENTS CATES, LOUIS S.-Factors Affecting Bank Slopes in Steam-shovel Operations. Discussed by Fred Hellman, Louis S. Cates, W. D. B. Motter, Jr., George S. Rice 1 CRANE, W. R.-Mine Subsidence in the Red Iron Ore Mines of the Birmingham District, Alabama. Discussed by George S. Rice, W. R. Crane, Louis S. Cates : 3 Factors Affecting Bank Slopes in Steam-shovel Operations Discussion of the paper of Louis S. CATES, presented at the New York Meeting, February, 1925, and issued, as Paper No. 1360-M, with MINING AND METAL-LURGY, August, 1924. FRED HELLMAN, New York.-My experience with shovel mining has been restricted almost entirely to Chuquicamata as far as operation is concerned. We had there an unusual condition in that the rock is cohesive because of the salts in it, so that you can probably work higher banks than is possible in most places. Recently they have reduced the height of the banks and have found that lower bank affords better working condition than the higher bank. It took two years of experimentation to determine the best height of bank for that particular mine. Each mine should be considered by itself and, to state off hand the best height of bank. for any given mine is impossible. We worked the high banks in Chile without much trouble. We adopted high banks in the beginning in order to obtain the minimum expense in railway approaches at that time. The first plan was for 50 ft.; then to get production started with the smallest possible expenditure of money, the approach to the deposit was changed and the first bank had an ultimate height of about 180 ft. We worked that bank; quite success-fully, but I do not think that it could be done anywhere else.

Jan 7, 1925

By Robert S. Archer, Zay Jeffries

It is about fifteen years since the development in Germany, largely by Alfred Wilm, of the aluminum alloy called duralumin. In this alloy, combining as it does the tensile strength of mild steel with the lightness and corrosion resistance of aluminum, a distinctly new material was presented to the engineering world. Despite the evident usefulness of this material, however, its commercial development has been slow, due in part to the difficulties involved in its fabrication. In view of the potentially great utility of strong aluminum alloys, it seemed desirable to find means of producing such alloys with better fabricating properties, and work was undertaken with this object in the laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America several years ago. This work has resulted in the production of two new types of aluminum alloy of the "strong alloy" class, having distinctly improved fabricating qualities. The knowledge gained has also made it possible to produce alloys of the duralumin type with greater strength and hardness than previously obtained. There have thus been made available some new engineering materials which it is the object of this paper to describe. These alloys, induding duralumin, are fundamentally wrought alloys. Castings of the same compositions heat treated in the same manner give inferior physical properties, particularly as to ductility. The statements made subsequently concerning properties and heat treatment apply to material that has received sufficient working to thoroughly break down the cast structure. The material referred to has, in general, undergone a reduction in section of at least 80 per cent, by mechanical working. It may be mentioned in passing that other compositions have been found that are suitable for the production of the maximum physical properties in heat-treated castings.

Jan 1, 1925

By C. J. McHargue, J. C. Ogle

Lightly deformed columbiun single crystals which contained only parallel hoins or purullel and intersecting trains were annealed at 1000' and 1600"C. No re-crystallizntion occurred in specimens hawing only parallel twins. Only noncoherent twin boundaries nzipated at 1000°C but both coherent and noncoherent ones moved al 1600°C. Recrystallization occurred within a few minutes at twin intersections at 1000°C. The orientation 01 the recrystallized grains differed front that of both the matrix and deformation twins, but could he derired by (110) and/or(112) rotations. ALTHOUGH twinning in metals has been extensively studied, there have been no definitive studies of the annealing behavior of crystals containing deformation twins. Some effects observed after annealing deformation twins have been summarized by Cahn1 and Hall2. Any or all of these phenomena are observed: 1) The twins may contract so that the sharp edges of the lens become blunted, and eventually the twin may disappear entirely. 2) The twins may balloon out at an edge, giving rise to a large grain having the same orientation as the twin. 3) The specimen may recrystallize; i.e., new grains are nucleated and grow at the expense of the twins and the crystal immediately adjoining the twin. Such grains have orientations which are not present before. Contraction has been observed in iron,3 titanium,3, 4 beryllium,5 zinc,8, 7 Fe-A1 alloy,' and uranium.9 Long anneals at high temperatures are required to have any appreciable effect in these metals and only thin twins are absorbed. Lens-shaped twins are absorbed from the edges: the thin, almost parallel-sided twins are usually punctured in several places and each piece contracts independently. Absorption is very gradual and no sudden cooperative jumps have been observed. The expansion of a twin into a larger grain of identical orientation is unusual, but such growth has been observed in iron,"'" zinc,6 and uranium." Crystals which have been deformed simultaneously by slip and twinning recrystallize first in the area adjacent to the twin. New grains appear faster where the twins intersect: but isolated twins, especially if thick, can also give rise to new grains. This type of recrystallization occurs in zinc.6, 7, 12, 13 and beryllium.14 Reed-Hill noted, in a single crystal of magnesium, the nucleation of a recrystallized grain at a twin intersection which had the same orientation as the second-order twin and which grew into the highly strained matrix.15 Short-time annealing has been reported to cause no change in the deformation twins in vanadium,16 columbium, 17, 18 tantalum,19 tungsten,'' and zinc.7 The purpose of this investigation was to note the effects of annealing on the coherent and noncoherent boundaries of deformation twins in columbium and to locate the nucleating sites for recrystallization. The orientation relationships, which the new recrystallized grains have with the parent crystal and the deformation twins, were also determined. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Single crystals of columbium were obtained by cutting large grains from electron-beam-melted buttons which contained 10 to 50 ppm C, 10 to 100 ppm O,, 1 to 10 ppm H2, and 10 to 15 ppm N2. The crystals were hand-ground and chemically polished until all grain boundaries were removed. The specimens were mounted in an epoxy resin and a face of each crystal was mechanically polished on a Syntron polisher using Linde A and then Linde B polishing compounds. After all faces were mechanically polished, the crystal was electrolytically polished to remove all distortion due to cutting and grinding. Laue photographs were taken of all faces of the crystals to determine the quality and orientation of each crystal. The crystals were compressed about 10 pct at -196 C in a specially constructed compression cage with an Instron tensile machine. Each crystal was separated from the top and bottom anvils by teflon films which acted as a lubricant. With the specimen crystal in position, the entire cage was cooled to -196°C by being submerged in a Dewar containing liquid nitrogen. The crystals were compressed at a rate of 0.02 in. per min and the load was recorded on a strip-chart recorder. After deformation the crystals were mechanically polished on 600-grit paper and Pellon cloth with Linde A and Linde B polishing compounds. The crystal faces were chemically polished and then etched. The twin planes were identified metallographically from an analysis of the twin traces on two surfaces. Annealing was carried out by placing each crystal in a columbium bucket made from the same electron-beam-melted material as the crystal itself and suspending the bucket by a tantalum wire in a quartz tube. After a vacuum of 10-7 Torr was attained, a furnace at 1000" or 1600 C was raised into position and the crystals held for various lengths of time. The crystals were repolished and etched after annealing to remove any surface contamination. Approximately 0.010 in. was removed during this process. The resulting surface was examined metallographically for microstructural changes due to annealing. A microbeam Laue camera mounted on a Hilger Micro-focus X-ray unit was used to determine the Orientstions of the recrystallized grains. This X-ray micro-beam camera had a 0.002-in.-diam collimator and incorporated the ideas of both and and chisWik21 and Cahn.22

Jan 1, 1967

By L. R. Raymond, J. L. Hudson

This paper proposes a comparatively short-term (8 to 10 hours) well test for detecting and characterizing well-bore damage and for measuring mean formation permeability. The proposed test is made by injecting fluid at constant pressure, recording injection rate as a function of injection time. After one to four hours of injection, the well is shut in and fall-off of bottom-hole pressure is obtained as a function of shut-in time. Formation permeability is estimated by an iterative technique. First, a value of formation permeability is assumed. Then, a plot of the recorded injection rate as a function of dimensionless time is made, using the assumed pertneability value. From the slope of the injection-rate curve. a new value of formation permeability is calculated. If the new value agrees with the original assumed value, the assumption was the correct formation permeability. If the values do not agree, the process is repeated using the new permeability value in the calculation. Convergence is rapid, and a reliable permeability value results. Pressure fall-off data are used to check the result. Graphs of pressure and injection rate us functions of time given in the paper show that changes in permeability of the formation in the neighborhood of the wellbore are disclosed by this technique. Thus, the short-term test can he used to detect formation damage. Also, a rough measure of the radial extent of damage can be inferred, which is helpful in designing stimulation treatments. The mathematical model used for this work was a single-zone, horizontal reservoir with a damaged zone in which permeability decreased continuously as radial distance to the wellbore decreased. This model is more realistic than the usual two-zone, discontinuous permeability model used in published works; calculations indicate the realistic model is valid. Vertical variations in horizontal permeability were studied with this model, and results indicate that the permeability measured by the short-term test is the mean horizontal permeability for the vertical interval tested. The proposed short-term test thus should be useful in detecting and characterizing formation damage and in measuring formation permeability needed in calculating reservoir transmissibility. INTRODUCTION To plan the most efficient production or injection schedule for a well and to design or evaluate the optimal stimu- lation treatment, it is necessary to know the properties of the reservoir adjacent to the well, particularly the reservoir transmissibility and characteristics of a damaged zone, if one exists. Several techniques for determining reservoir transmissi-bility from well tests have been presented in the literature. 1,2,3,4 All these techniques rely on conducting constant-rate well tests that often are difficult to execute. A constant-pressure well test is generally easier to carry Out. and this paper contains the first available method for the analysis of constant-pressure well tests. Determination of wellbore damage from transient well tests has been the subject of several papers."" From these studies it is apparent that information necessary for determination of the characteristics of a damaged zone is available shortly after the transient well test is initiated. Consequently, it may not be necessary to carry out an extensive well test (for example, a pressure build-up test) if the primary purpose of the test is to detect the existence of wellbore damage. All previous studies of well testing to determine wellbore damage have been based on the two-zone perrneability model. In this model the damaged zone has a permeability k,, extending to a radius r,,, and the formation permeability k obtains from r, to the drainage radius r,.. Consequently, there is a discontinuity in permeability at r = r,,. This discontinuity can be eliminated by assuming a continuous variation in permeability through the damaged zone. The effect of this assumption on transient well tests is discussed in following sections of this paper. In addition, all formations have within them vertical permeability variations associated with lithology changes throughout the zone of interest. This paper also considers the effect of these variations on transient well tests. ANALYSIS OF CONSTANT-PRESSURE WELL TESTS The mathematical analysis associated with the injection of fluid at constant wellbore pressure into a single-zone, horizontal reservoir completely filled with a fluid of small and constant compressibility and constant viscosity is given in Appendix A. In this analysis it is assumed that the well is located at the center of an undamaged, circular drainage area. From this analysis, the formation permeability can be obtained as follows. 1, Estimate a value for the formation permeability k. 2. Prepare a plot of injection rate q vs

Jan 1, 1967