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By William Victor Vietti

A METHOD of determining the average density of the fluid column in a flowing oil well is presented. Actual field data from several wells are used to illustrate the application of the method in the Yates Field, Pecos County, Texas. The depth of the wells in the Yates Field varies from 900 to 1700 ft. depending on surface elevation and the location of the wells on structure. Production rates over 8000 bbl. hourly have been determined and many

Jan 1, 1930

By Joseph Fry, Ralph H. Espach

In the spring of 1943, when it was evident that the Tensleep bandstone in the Elk Basin Field, Wyoming and Montana, held a large reserve of petroleum, Bureau of Mines engineers obtained samples of oil from the bottom of nine wells and analyzed them for such physical characteristics as the volumes. of gas in solution. saturation pressures or bubble points, shrinkage in volume caused by the release of gas from solution, expansion of the oil with decrease in pressure, and other related properties. The composition of the gas in solution in the oil was studied. The pressures and temperatures existing in the reservoir and the productivity characteristics of the oil wells were determined. The data obtained indicate that the oil in the Tensleep Reservoir of the Elk Basin Field has unusually varying physiral characteristics, such as a saturation pressure of 1,250 psia and 490 cu ft of gas in solultion in a barrel of oil at the crest of the structure and a saturation pressure of 530 psia and 134 cu ft of gas in solution in a barrel of oil low on the flanks. The hydrogen sulfide content of the gas in solution in the oil varies from 18 per cent for oil on the crest to 5 per cent for oil low on the flanks of the structure. Of even greater significance is the fact that these and other variable characteristics of the reservoir oil are related to the position of the oil in the structure. Many geologists and petroleum engineers have considered that all the oil in a petroleum reservoir has rather uniform physical characteristics and that equilibrium conditions prevailed in all underground accumulations of oil and gas; that such is not always so is borne out by the results of the study by the writers. INTRODUCTION The Rocky Mountain region is one in which may be found striking examples of the unusual in oil and gas accumulations, as is evident from the following: The high helium content (7.6 per cent) of the gas in the Ouray-Leadville limestone sequence in the Rattlesnake Field, New Mexico, and gases of similar helium content in other fields; 50" to 55' API gravity distillate in solution in carbon dioxide gas and recoverable through retrograde condensation, in the North McCallum Field, Colorado; the occurrence of gas, oil, or both in closely related structures contrary to the usual concepts of gravimetric segregation: the accumulation of gas and/or oil in structures closely related to other structures that apparently are more favorable but do not contain oil or gas accumulations; the high hydrogen sulfide content (as high as 42 per cent) of the gas associated with oil in some fields in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming; and the wide range of fluid chararteristics found in the Elk Basin reservoir. Elk Basin, an interesting old oil field that has been producing oil from the Frontier formation since 1915, is situated in a highly eroded basin resulting from the erosion of the crest of an anticline and some of the underlying softer shales. The field came back into national prominence during 1943 when it became known that it was the largest single reserve of new oil discovered in the United States that year. The Tensleep sandstone was found to contain oil in November. 1942, when a well drilled to a depth of 4,538 ft (44 ft into the Tensleep sandstone) flowed oil at the rate of 2,500 B/D. By the end of 1949, 137 oil-producing wells and five dry holes had been drilled, and approximately 32 million bbl of oil had been produced. Approximately 6,000 acres may be considered productive of oil in the Tensleep Reservoir, and estimates of the oil that will be produced average 200 million bbl. The Tensleep Reservoir has further interest because it ha-greater closure than any oil field in the Rocky Mountain region; the closure of the Elk Basin anticline is variously estimated at 5.000 to 10,000 ft. of which the top 2.00 ft of the structure contained oil. SUBSURFACE OIL SAMPLING Fig. 1 is a structural map of the Elk Basin Tensleep Reservoir, on which the nine wells used in this study and the numbers correvponding to the well designations hereafter referred to are shown. Wells 1. 2, 3, 4, and 8 were tested and sampled during October and November. 1943. and Wells 5, 6. 7, and 9 during June and July, 1944. An electromagnetic type sampler developed by the Bureau of Mines and described by Grandone and Cook' was used in obtaining the subsurface oil samples. As the wells were tubed nearly to bottom, the sampler was run as far as possible in the tubing hut never below the top perforations. The following procedure was used in testing and sampling the wells: A well was shut in for at least three days, after

Jan 1, 1951

By E. C. Hopkinson, A. H. Youmans, R. A. Bergan, H. I. Oshry

A new log has been developed for quantitative formation evaluation which is based on a measurement of the length of time slow neutrons survive before they are captured in the rocks and fluids. The logging instrument employs a cyclically pulsed neutron generator and a gated scintillation counter which is synchronized with the source. The source emits short, intense bursts of 14 mev neutrons once every 1,000 microsec and is quiescent between bursts. During the period the source is quiescent, the detector is electronically actuated for two independent preselected intervals. A comparison of the counting rates during these two intervals gives a measure of the rate of decay of the slow neutrons and of the associated gamma radiation. The average neutron lifetime in most earth formations is in the range from 50 to 500 microsec. It can be measured during a continuous logging operation at conventional logging speeds. The design of the logging instrument is described and the results of tests are compared with theoretical predictiom. Formulas are developed which give the relationship between log response and formation properties. It is shown that the method is particularly sensitive to formation fluid salinity, and that salt water saturation can be measured accurately in either cased or open hole. The measurement can be made independent of borehole size, fluid type, casing and tool position in the hole by properly selecting the intervals during which the measurements are made. The results of tests with a prototype logging tool are given. INTRODUCTION A new nuclear logging system has been developed which employs the Accelatron,* an accelerator-type neutron source, and accurately measures formation brine saturation in an entirely new way. It has produced a type of formation log with better sensitivity, greater sampling depth and simpler quantitative interpretation than any other nuclear log thus far suggested. The new Neutron Lifetime Log* employs a pulsed electromechanical neutron source and a synchronously gated radiation detector. A prototype instrument has been field tested during recent months to demonstrate the operability of the apparatus and the feasibility of the method. Tests in wells and simulated boreholes have confirmed theoretical predictions and have shown that formation param ters can be measured independent of casing and other borehole parameters. Preliminary results of field tests have indicated that the log may have important and widespread applications. BASIC PRINCIPLE OF NEUTRON LIFETIME LOG The Neutron Lifetime Log is based on the fact that neutrons emitted by a source in a well are rapidly but not instantly captured by the material around the source. Their capture is a matter of statistical probability; the greater the number of capturing nuclei and the greater the "capture cross section", the greater is the probability that a neutron will be captured quickly. The average life of a thermal neutron in vacuum is about 13 minutes, but in common earth materials, the average neutron life ranges between extremes of about 5 rnicrosec for rock salt and perhaps 900 microsec for quartzite. The Neutron Lifetime Log responds to variations in this average neutron life. The theoretical basis for a log of this general type has been well understood by nuclear logging experts in many laboratories both in America and in Russia, and develop mental work along these lines has been in progress for many years. The Russian literature has reported both theoretical and experimental work1,2 but in this country there have been no published reports of progress toward a practical logging instrument. The logging instrument is designed to measure radiation produced by slow neutrons during selected intervals when no neutrons are being emitted by the source. The source is arranged to emit neutrons in bursts or pulses. During the quiescent interval between the pulses, it is possible to observe the exponential "decay" of the neutrons and the neutron-induced radiation as the individual neutrons progressively disappear due to capture by atoms in the formation or the borehole. When a short pulse of 14 mev neutrons is emitted by a source in a borehole, the individual neutrons are slowed to thermal energy within a few microsec. Thus, a cloud of "slow" neutrons is formed around the source within 10 to 50 microsec after the pulse. This cloud is most dense within a few inches of the source, and is progressively less dense out to a radius of about 3 ft, where radiation from the source is practically undetectable.

Jan 1, 1965

By Joseph Fry, Ralph H. Espach

In the spring of 1943, when it was evident that the Tensleep bandstone in the Elk Basin Field, Wyoming and Montana, held a large reserve of petroleum, Bureau of Mines engineers obtained samples of oil from the bottom of nine wells and analyzed them for such physical characteristics as the volumes. of gas in solution. saturation pressures or bubble points, shrinkage in volume caused by the release of gas from solution, expansion of the oil with decrease in pressure, and other related properties. The composition of the gas in solution in the oil was studied. The pressures and temperatures existing in the reservoir and the productivity characteristics of the oil wells were determined. The data obtained indicate that the oil in the Tensleep Reservoir of the Elk Basin Field has unusually varying physiral characteristics, such as a saturation pressure of 1,250 psia and 490 cu ft of gas in solultion in a barrel of oil at the crest of the structure and a saturation pressure of 530 psia and 134 cu ft of gas in solution in a barrel of oil low on the flanks. The hydrogen sulfide content of the gas in solution in the oil varies from 18 per cent for oil on the crest to 5 per cent for oil low on the flanks of the structure. Of even greater significance is the fact that these and other variable characteristics of the reservoir oil are related to the position of the oil in the structure. Many geologists and petroleum engineers have considered that all the oil in a petroleum reservoir has rather uniform physical characteristics and that equilibrium conditions prevailed in all underground accumulations of oil and gas; that such is not always so is borne out by the results of the study by the writers. INTRODUCTION The Rocky Mountain region is one in which may be found striking examples of the unusual in oil and gas accumulations, as is evident from the following: The high helium content (7.6 per cent) of the gas in the Ouray-Leadville limestone sequence in the Rattlesnake Field, New Mexico, and gases of similar helium content in other fields; 50" to 55' API gravity distillate in solution in carbon dioxide gas and recoverable through retrograde condensation, in the North McCallum Field, Colorado; the occurrence of gas, oil, or both in closely related structures contrary to the usual concepts of gravimetric segregation: the accumulation of gas and/or oil in structures closely related to other structures that apparently are more favorable but do not contain oil or gas accumulations; the high hydrogen sulfide content (as high as 42 per cent) of the gas associated with oil in some fields in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming; and the wide range of fluid chararteristics found in the Elk Basin reservoir. Elk Basin, an interesting old oil field that has been producing oil from the Frontier formation since 1915, is situated in a highly eroded basin resulting from the erosion of the crest of an anticline and some of the underlying softer shales. The field came back into national prominence during 1943 when it became known that it was the largest single reserve of new oil discovered in the United States that year. The Tensleep sandstone was found to contain oil in November. 1942, when a well drilled to a depth of 4,538 ft (44 ft into the Tensleep sandstone) flowed oil at the rate of 2,500 B/D. By the end of 1949, 137 oil-producing wells and five dry holes had been drilled, and approximately 32 million bbl of oil had been produced. Approximately 6,000 acres may be considered productive of oil in the Tensleep Reservoir, and estimates of the oil that will be produced average 200 million bbl. The Tensleep Reservoir has further interest because it ha-greater closure than any oil field in the Rocky Mountain region; the closure of the Elk Basin anticline is variously estimated at 5.000 to 10,000 ft. of which the top 2.00 ft of the structure contained oil. SUBSURFACE OIL SAMPLING Fig. 1 is a structural map of the Elk Basin Tensleep Reservoir, on which the nine wells used in this study and the numbers correvponding to the well designations hereafter referred to are shown. Wells 1. 2, 3, 4, and 8 were tested and sampled during October and November. 1943. and Wells 5, 6. 7, and 9 during June and July, 1944. An electromagnetic type sampler developed by the Bureau of Mines and described by Grandone and Cook' was used in obtaining the subsurface oil samples. As the wells were tubed nearly to bottom, the sampler was run as far as possible in the tubing hut never below the top perforations. The following procedure was used in testing and sampling the wells: A well was shut in for at least three days, after

Jan 1, 1951

By M. E. Wadsworth, K. C. Bowles, H. E. Flanders, R. M. Nadkarni, C. E. Jelden

The kinetics of precipitation of copper on iron of various purity were carried out under controlled conditions. The rate of reduction has been correlated with such parameters as copper and hydrogen ion concentration, geometric factors, flow rate, and temperature. The character of the precipitated copper as a function of flow conditions and rate of PreciPitation has been observed under a variety of conditions. ThE precipitation of copper in solution by cementation on a more electropositive metal has been known for many years. Basile valentine' who wrote Currus Triumphalis Antimonii about 1500, refers to this method for extraction of copper. Paracelsus the Great2 who was born about 1493 cites the use of iron to prepare Venus (copper) by the "rustics of Hungary" in the "Book Concerning the Tincture of the Philosophers". Agricola3 in his work on minerals (1546) tells of a peculiar water which is drawn from a shaft near Schmölnitz in Hungary, that erodes iron and turns it into copper. In 1670, a concession is recorded4 as having been granted for the recovery of copper from the mine waters at Rio Tinto in Spain, presumably by precipitation with iron. Much has been published in recent literature on the recovery of copper by cementation, the majority of the articles being on plant practice.5-24 The rest include articles on investigation of the variables involved25-28 and a review of hydrometallurgical copper extraction methods." This literature has established: a) The three principal reactions in the cementation of copper are Cu + Fe — Fe+4 +Cu [ 11 One pound of copper is precipitated by 0.88 lb of iron stoichiometrically. In actual practice about 1.5 to 2.5 lb of iron are consumed. 2Fe+3 + Fe — 3Fe+2 [21 Fe +2H'-Fe+2 + H2 [3] Reactions [2] and [3] are responsible for the consumption of excess iron. Wartman and Roberson'28 have established that Reactions [ I] and [2] are concurrent and much faster than Reaction [3]. b) Acidity control is important in the control of hydrolysis and the excessive consumption of iron. he commercial workable range is approximately from pH = 1.8 to 3." c) Iron consumption is closely related to the amount of ferric iron in solution. Jacobi" reports that, by leaving the pregnant mine waters in contact wi th lump pyrrhotite (Fe7S8) for 3 hr, all the iron was reduced to the bivalent condition and scrap iron consumption was cut to 1.25 lb scrap per pound of copper precipitated. He also reported that SO2 has been used successfully to reduce ferric iron to the ferrous state. d) The ideal precipitant is one that offers a large exposed area and is relatively free of rust. e) High velocities and agitation show a beneficial effect upon the rate of precipitation, as it tends to displace the layer of barren solution adjacent to the iron and also dislodges hydrogen bubbles and precipitated copper to expose new surfaces. Little work, however, has been published on the reaction kinetics of copper precipitation on iron. Cent-nerszwer and Heller20 investigated the precipitation of metallic cations in solutions on zinc plates. They found the cementation reaction to be a first-order reaction. The rate constant was independent of stirring for high stirring rates and they concluded that the rate is governed by a diffusional process at low stirring speeds and by a "chemical" process at higher stirring speeds where the rate reaches a constant value. This conclusion has been challenged by King and Burger30 who could not find any region where the rate was independent of the stirring speed, although the rate constant they had obtained for high stirring speed was greater than the maximum value of the rate constant reported by Centnerszwer and Heller (by a factor of six). King and Burger, therefore, concluded that the rate of displacement of copper was controlled only by diffusion. Cementation of various cations on zinc has been summarized by Engfelder.31 APPARATUS A three-necked distillation flask of 2 000-mm capacity was used as a reaction vessel. A pipet of 10-mm capacity was introduced through one of- the side necks, the sample of sheet iron, mounted in a rigid sample holder, through the other, the stirrer being in the middle as shown in Fig. 1. The whole assembly was immersed in a constant-temperature bath. The stirrer was always placed at the same depth in the solution. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Reagent-grade cupric sulfate (J. T. Baker Chemical Co., N.J.) was used to make up a stock solution containing 10 g of copper per liter which was then diluted to various concentrations as required. Experimental data were obtained by measuring the amount of copper and iron ions in solution at successive time intervals. The initial volume of the solution was always 2000 ml, 10-ml aliquots being removed each time for chemical analysis. Because the total volume change of the solution was less than 10 pct, no correction was used for solution volume change. Nitrogen was bubbled through the solution before and

Jan 1, 1968

By Daniel R. Hull

In 1926 Gendersl reviewed the existing theories of this subject and stated his views in support of the gas-pressure theory. Again, in 1937, the subject was thoroughly reviewed by N. B. Vaughan3 and by Phillips and Brick,2 so that no résumé is called for here. The purpose of this paper is to describe certain observations made in the course of mill work, and to point out that they mostly tend to confirm the gas theory of Genders. Vapor Segregation There is, however, one type of inverse segregation that can be accounted for by considering the volatility of one of the constituents of an alloy. The most familiar case is ordinary brass, which is subject to a zinc enrichment of a few tenths of a per cent at the surface of a chill casting. This has been noted in 70-30 brass by Genders, and a typical example of it is given in Table 1, which represents a cylindrical billet 7 in. in diameter by 55 in. long. After lathe-turning 1/32 in. from the surface, the remaining distance to the center was sampled at six equally spaced intervals. the lead, which is essentially the same throughout, will be mentioned later. Consider a brass-mill mold, either round or rectangular in cross section, standing several feet high. It may require a minute or two for pouring. Before it is full, the metal in the lower end has partly solidified and contracted somewhat away from the mold. The initial shell of solidification follows not far behind the top of the column, even if the central portion is liquid for a long way down. There is, then, a space between metal and mold that is filled with zinc vapor. The vapor has no exit, because the liquid at the top of the rising column is not only in contact with the mold but keeps UP a fresh supply of zinc vapor, which has, perhaps, already begun to condense in the lower portion. The cycle is short. Within a minute or two after the mold is full the bar has cooled enough to condense all the zinc. Some of it may condense on the mold; it might be expected that most of it would condense there, but the mold at that time is well coated with a velvety carbon residue from the oil dressing, overlain by fluffy zinc oxide that commenced covering the inside of the mold as soon as pouring began. The clean skin of the freshly cast brass offers a preferred surface for condensation. Reabsorption is quick and inevitable. A simple experiment indicates that a surprisingly large quantity of zinc vapor is trapped in the space between mold and

Jan 1, 1941

By H. K. Najarian

This paper describes recent development work on the Wheaton-Najarian Vacuum Condenser for Zinc at Josephtown Zinc Smelter, wherein, to dissipate the heat of condensation, the "airlift" action of gases bubbling through the molten zinc in the condenser is utilized to circulate the zinc through an outside "cooling well" and cooling it continuously. AN earlier paper1 gave an account of initial development of the Wheaton-Najarian Vacuum Zinc Condenser at the Josephtown Zinc Smelter of the author's company. This paper is a progress report of further development work over the years directed toward improving the efficiency and increasing the capacity of the condenser. In this type of zinc condenser, zinc vapor with accompanying noncondensable gases from electro-thermic zinc smelting furnaces is passed upwardly through a mass of molten zinc confined in a refractory-lined U-tube. The zinc vapor condenses in the molten zinc and the noncondensable gases are drawn out of the condenser by suction applied over the surface of the molten zinc. The heat of condensation of zinc, amounting roughly to 1000 Btu per lb of zinc condensed, is absorbed by the molten zinc and, in turn, is dissipated continuously to keep the temperature of molten zinc in a range to permit effective condensation. At the time of publication of our first paper, we had at Josephtown Smelter five units of 69-in.-bore metal furnaces and one larger metal furnace having 96-in. bore. Each 69-in. metal furnace had a condenser with 22-ft overall length. The 96-in.-bore furnace had a condenser with overall length of 31 ft. Condensers were of circular cross section, with corrugated steel outer shell and carborundum lining. Diameter of these condensers was 32 in. inside the refractory lining. Molten metal in the con- denser was kept cool by spraying cold water on the outside of the condenser shell. Under good operating conditions, 22-ft condensers produced some 12 tons of metal per day; and the 31-ft condenser, about 22 tons. When the furnaces produced zinc vapor at higher rates, invariably the condenser temperature would rise to levels where excessive blue powder would form and accumulation of accretions in the condenser would be accelerated. We found that, with the system of cooling in use, we had to provide heat-exchange surface of some 150 sq ft to condense 1000 lb of metal per hr with reasonable efficiency. The wall of the condensers was made up of 5/8-in.-thick corrugated-steel shell having next to it several layers of mica and inner refractory lining of special carborundum shapes to fit the corrugation in the steel shell, and having a minimum thickness of about 2 in. Relatively low rate of heat transfer through the thick condenser wall and slow internal circulation of the molten zinc limited the rate of heat exchange between hot metal within the condenser and the cold water flowing over the outer steel shell. The thickness of the condenser wall was about minimum that we considered suitable for continuous operation. As we learned to operate the electrothermic furnaces with higher power input, producing zinc vapor at higher rates, it became apparent that we needed condensers having larger heat-exchange surfaces. Our 96-in.-bore furnace had 6 single-phase power circuits with transformers rated at 500 kva each and normally good for power input of 3000 kw.

Jan 1, 1959

By Daniel R. Hull

In 1926 Gendersl reviewed the existing theories of this subject and stated his views in support of the gas-pressure theory. Again, in 1937, the subject was thoroughly reviewed by N. B. Vaughan3 and by Phillips and Brick,2 so that no résumé is called for here. The purpose of this paper is to describe certain observations made in the course of mill work, and to point out that they mostly tend to confirm the gas theory of Genders. Vapor Segregation There is, however, one type of inverse segregation that can be accounted for by considering the volatility of one of the constituents of an alloy. The most familiar case is ordinary brass, which is subject to a zinc enrichment of a few tenths of a per cent at the surface of a chill casting. This has been noted in 70-30 brass by Genders, and a typical example of it is given in Table 1, which represents a cylindrical billet 7 in. in diameter by 55 in. long. After lathe-turning 1/32 in. from the surface, the remaining distance to the center was sampled at six equally spaced intervals. the lead, which is essentially the same throughout, will be mentioned later. Consider a brass-mill mold, either round or rectangular in cross section, standing several feet high. It may require a minute or two for pouring. Before it is full, the metal in the lower end has partly solidified and contracted somewhat away from the mold. The initial shell of solidification follows not far behind the top of the column, even if the central portion is liquid for a long way down. There is, then, a space between metal and mold that is filled with zinc vapor. The vapor has no exit, because the liquid at the top of the rising column is not only in contact with the mold but keeps UP a fresh supply of zinc vapor, which has, perhaps, already begun to condense in the lower portion. The cycle is short. Within a minute or two after the mold is full the bar has cooled enough to condense all the zinc. Some of it may condense on the mold; it might be expected that most of it would condense there, but the mold at that time is well coated with a velvety carbon residue from the oil dressing, overlain by fluffy zinc oxide that commenced covering the inside of the mold as soon as pouring began. The clean skin of the freshly cast brass offers a preferred surface for condensation. Reabsorption is quick and inevitable. A simple experiment indicates that a surprisingly large quantity of zinc vapor is trapped in the space between mold and

Jan 1, 1941

By J. L. Bruce, G. W. Nicolson

ThE country rock of the Mavrovouni mine of the Cyprus Mines Corp. is hydro-thern~ally altered, disintegrated pillow lava, with very little tensile strength ("short" ground). In places, especially when wet, it is heavy ground, though not extremely heavy except where movement has been caused by underlying or nearby stoping operations. Damage by caving from roof or sides of galleries is not sudden but progressively faster when the size of the cave increases as a result of the fall of small pieces. CeMent and Concrete Linings During early operations, galleries in the country rock were supported by customary mine-timbering methods. Available timber, howcver, was of poor quality and of relatively high price, and replacements were frequent and expensive. Furthermore, the massive sulphide ore bodies required large volumes of fresh air for ventilation and cooling, and it was therefore desirable to provide smooth-lined galleries with low resistance for the introduction of air to the ore bodies. It was also desirable to eliminate hazards of fire in shafts and underground workings insofar as this would be practical. Cement and concrete were relatively cheap, and plans for using these in support of shafts, underground galleries, raises, and chutes, were developed steadily. Circular shafts with diameters ranging from 10 to 15 ft were adopted for all permanent shafts and airways. In places these were lined with concrete poured behind sectional pressed-steel forms especially constructed for this purpose. In other places, they were lined with precast-concrete blocks. It was found that such precast concrete of good quality could be produced on mass production scale and delivered at the mine from most favorable point of manufacture, at a cost of about 25 cents per cubic foot of concrete. This refers to prewar costs. As the use of concrete blocks in circular lined galleries was developed, it was found that there were very great advantages in the reduction of air resistance as compared with customary timber supports. After best methods had been developed, it was found that breakage and replacements were extraordinarily low, averaging only about 11\2 pct per year during a period of about 15 years. Furthermore, it has been possible to reclaim for re-use a very large percentage of the concrete blocks from abandoned galleries. During the history of the operations precast-concrete blocks have been used for lining shafts, raises, ore chutes, galleries, and shaft stations, ranging from 3 to 16 ft id. The thickness of lining has varied from 5 to 10 in.; with 12 in. thickness in a few cases. Junctions of two galleries at angles ranging from about 30 to 60° are usually made of poured concrete behind sectional forms, or of a combination of poured concretc and precast blocks. In nearly all cases it has been found advisable to make the point of the wedge at the junction, of

Jan 1, 1949

By Arthur Fleischer

The Kalunite process+ for the production of metal-grade alumina from alumina-con-taining ores is applicable, considered from a general point of view, to any aluminous raw material that can be converted to potassium alum or equivalent normal alum. This result of modern technology has been the subject of a continuous study and development since 1929, on a laboratory and test-plant scale, with initial emphasis on the utilization of alunite as the raw material. The research and developmental program was carried out by the Kalunite Company and its successor, Kalunite, Inc., an affiliate of the Olin Corporation of East Alton, Illinois. The process is now approaching the time for a major test in its history with the completion of construction of a plant having a capacity of IOO tons of alumina per day in Salt Lake City for the conversion of Marysvale, Utah, alunite ores to alumina and potassium sulphate. The Salt Lake Alumina Plant is a Defense Plant Corporation project. Production of Aluminum: The known existence of alunite deposits, especially in the Marysvale district, furnished the motive for the original inquiry into the utilization of this raw material for aluminum production. The deposits in this region were actively explored during World War I and utilized for the production of potassium sulphate, an essential fertilizer, of which a shortage of monumental proportions then existed. Up to the twentieth century—for alunite is a mineral with an ancient history—it was used in Europe and in China as a source of potassium alum. It never had been used successfully in this country as a source of oxide for reduction to metal. Although the known reserves of this ore, which undoubtedly will be greatly expanded with a commercial outlet for this ore, are recognized to be sufficient for only a part of the present-day needs of aluminum, it has a definite place in the aluminum industry. Academically it points the way for future raw materials. The aluminum industry has undergone a remarkable growth in the past few years as a result of defense and war requirements. Its expansion in many ways has been beyond belief and prediction, both in volume and location. This wartime status of the industry has accelerated the consumption of bauxite to such an extent that a re-evaluation of the raw material reserves for the future peacetime industry and for eventual wartime reserves is seemingly of concern. The generally accepted picture of bauxite ore reserves in the United States, especially in raw material suitable for treatment by the Bayer process, focuses attention on other possible sources of raw material of metal-grade oxide. The perspective for the development of a suitable process may have changed in the interim since the original work by Kalunite, but the ultimate goal is the same.

Jan 1, 1944

By L. W. Holm

Laboratory flooding experiments on linear flow systerns indicated that high oil displacement, approaching that obtained from completely miscible solvents, can be attained by injecting a small slug of carbon dioxide into a reservoir and driving it with plain or carbonated water. Data are presented in this paper which show the results of laboratory work designed to evaluate this oil recovery process, particularly at reservoir temperatures above 100°F and in the pressure range of 600 to 2,600 psi. Under these conditions CO2 exists as a dense single-phase fluid. It was found that a bank, rich in light hydrocarbons, was formed at the leading edge of the CO? slug during floods on long cores. Formation of this bank is probably due to a selective extraction by the C02 and, it is believed, partially accounts for the attractively high oil recoveries. In crddition to the efficient displacernerlt of oil from the pores of the rock by this process, the favorable rnobility ratio related to a C0 2-water flood also contributes to high oil recovery. A further advantage of this process is noted on limestone and dolomite rock, in that the CO1 reacts with the porous medium increasing its permeability. Flooding experiments were conducted on sandstone and vugular dolomite models. The results of this experimental work show the effect on oil recovery of type of porous medium, pore geometry, flooding length, and flooding pressure. The porosity of the cores and rilodels varied from 16 to 21 per cent and their pern~eabilities ranged from 100 to 200 md. A reconstituted West Texas reservoir oil, a West Texas stock tank oil, an East Texas stock tank oil and Soltrol were used to represent reservoir oils in this study. Oil recoveries ranging from 60 to 80 per cent of the original oil in place in these cores were obtained by CO2,-carbonated water floods at pressures between 900 and 1,800 psi, compared with conventional solution gas drive and water-flood recoveries of 30 to 45 per cent on the same cores. Oil recoveries greater than 80 per cent resulted frorn f1oods at pressures above about 1.800 psi. There high recoveries were noted from both the sandstone and the irregular Porosity carbonate cores. In all floods, additional oil was recovered by a solutiorr gas drive resulting from blowdown following the flood. Oil recoveries of 6 to 15 per cent of the original oil in place were obtained during this blowdown period. This additional recovery was found to be a function of oil remaining after the flood, decreasing with decreasing oil saturation. It was also noted that highest oil recoveries by blowdown were obtained when carborlated water rather than plain water followed the CO, slug. INTRODUCTION Miscible phase or solvent flooding processes, which are designed to increase oil recovery -from petroleum reservoirs, involve the injection of small quantities of a petroleum solvent into the reservoir, followed by an inexpensive scavenging fluid which is miscible with the solvent. Essentially complete displacement of oil from the pores of reservoir rock has been obtained by this technique. CO,, although not completely miscible with most reservoir oils at moderate pressures, is highly soluble in these oils at pressures above about 700 psi; there is appreciable swelling and reduction in the viscosity of oil when CO, is dissolved in it. Therefore, CO, could be expected to perform similarly to other oil solvents as a displacing agent. CO, is also highly soluble in water at elevated pressures, so water should be a satisfactory material to drive a slug of CO, through an oil-bearing reservoir. A favorable mobility ratio would be obtained through the reduction in viscosity of the oil and the use of water as a final displacing agent. A number of investigations of the use of CO, to improve oil recovery have been reported in the literature.2,3,4,5,6 These studies, however, have been conducted on uniform porosity sandstone at relatively low temperatures and pressures. The behavior of CO1 as a flooding agent at temperatures above its critical temperature could not be predicted adequately from these studies, particularly for the case of non-homogeneous rock. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the oil recovery efficiency of a process involving the injection of a CO2 slug followed by carbonated water, at reservoir temperatures above 100°F and in the pressure range of 600 to 2,600 psi, and to compare this process with conventional water flooding. The investigations were primarily designed to provide information on the efficiency of the process in irregular porosity carbonate rock. The effects of flooding path length, the presence of free gas, the type of oil to be recovered, and the amount of solvent required were also determined. The essential results of static phase behavior studies and experimen-

By W. G. Scott

Since devising the incline top-slicing method in use at the Coronado mine,l I have had numerous inquiries as to how the same system could be adapted to larger orebodies. Based upon our experience here, I have outlined below some suggestions for its application to orebodies of larger size. Modifications and extensions, of course, would have to be made to take care of different dimensions and irregularities. In order that one may have a better understanding of the scheme, a brief description of the Coronado method will be given first. CORONADO METHOD The portion of the Coronado vein that is worked by the slicing system ranges from 20 to 40 ft. (6 to 12 m.) in width. Preparatory work in this orebody consists of driving sub-levels every 55 ft. (1 6.77 m.) vertically, or in multiples of 11 ft. (3.36 m.) (which is the height of a slice). These levels are usually driven along the hanging wall until the end of the orebody is reached. Crosscuts, at right angles to the strike, 50 ft. (15.24 m.) apart, are then run from wall to wall, or until the lean ore is reached. They are run in the middle of the block, which is 50 ft. in length and the width of the vein. The crosscut on the hanging-wall side is extended in the wall a short distance for a manway and timberway raise. This raise is carried up in the wall to the sub-level above, leaving a pillar about 5 ft. in thickness between it and the vein. Connections are made every 11

Jan 1, 1918

By F. L. Ransome

The dike here described is exposed in the workings of the Wedge and Bachelor mines, on the southern side of Red Canon, north of the town of Ouray, Colorado. Its course is north 80° east, or nearly east and west, and it hades to the north about 10°. It rarely outcrops, and was nowhere seen at the surface near the mines. A specimen collected by Dr. A. C. Spencer about two miles to the westward, near the mouth of Red Creek, indicates, however, a probable exposure of the dike near this point. The Wedge and Bachelor mines lie in a nearly horizontal series of fine-grained, light-grey sandstones, alternating with beds of very fine-grained shale of the same color. The shale as encountered underground is unusually compact and massive, but weathers readily on exposure, and splits much after the manner of ordinary shale. When fresh it closely resembles some finely arenaceous limestones, but it does not effervesce with acids, and is eseentially a fine, indurated, siliceous silt. Near the surface, and near the top of the sedimentary series as

Jan 1, 1901

By Frederic Lahee

THE purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the similarity of the oil-producing structures in the Mexia1 fault zone, and to show how the apparently very irregular well logs in these fields may be used for the practical interpretation of subsurface conditions. The Mexia oil field, in Limestone County, Tex. (Fig. 1) is closely associated with a fault that trends about 30° east of north and has a displacement of between 200 and 400 ft., with downthrow on the west. Minor slips accompany this major fault, some being roughly parallel to the main break while others are transverse to it. These faults belong to the so-called Mexia fault zone, a belt of fracturing that has been traced in its characteristic features southward to near Kosse, 15 miles south of Groesbeck, in southern Limestone County, and northward at least as far as the Trinity river at the eastern border of Navarro County, and possibly as far north as Hunt and Hopkins counties.2 The Balcones fault zone, from 30 to 40 miles west of the Mexia fault zone, differs from the latter in that its principal displacement is a down-throw on the east. In this respect, it is exactly the opposite of the Mexia displacement. Between these two zones of major faulting lies a great down-dropped block, or graben, which is broken by numerous minor faults.

Jan 2, 1925

By C. Elbaum

If a thin layer of liquid gallium is spread on a surface of solid aluminum, the gallium penetrates high-angle grain boundaries at a very rapid rate and separation along these boundaries follows. An experiment was carried out to investigate this phenomenon. A well-annealed specimen of aluminum 99.994 pct pure, consisting of several large grains was used, Fig. 1. The dimensions of the sample were 25 mm wide by 2.5 mm thick and all the grain boundaries extended through the entire thickness of the plate. This sample was prepared by strain-annealing and, as can be seen in Fig. 1, contained one long, straight boundary. An examination of the crystal orientations showed this boundary to be a coherent twin boundary. The angular misorientations between the grains forming the other boundaries were all in excess of 20 deg. A thin layer of liquid gallium was spread on one side of the specimen at about 30°C (the melting point of gallium is 29.7"C). After the application of the liquid the temperature was lowered to about 27°C. The gallium remained liquid at this temperature and it can be seen from the A1-Ga phase diagram1 that the liquid was probably saturated with aluminum.

Jan 1, 1960

By M. L. Rudee, R. A. Huggins

Samples of iron containing nitrogen or carbon have been given treatments similar to those used in cold-work peak (CWP) measurements and examined by transmission electron microscopy. It was observed that the unusual and nonreproducible behavior of the carbon CWP can be explained by a strong tendency for carbon to form grain boundary precipitates at temperatures below those used for CWP measurements. These precipitates dissolved at the temperatures used in the CWP measurements. There was no evidence for nitrogen precipitation at grain boundaries. There was no indication of precipitation along dislocations in either carburized or nitrided samples given treatments similar to those of CWP measurements. Although it is possible that subelectron-microscopic clustering had occurred, this observation supports the theories of the CWP that are based on continuous atmospheres rather than on individual precipitates. In an earlier paper,' the present authors developed a new distribution function to predict the occupation of sites for interstitial impurity atoms around a dislocation. When this distribution was applied to the case of carbon and nitrogen in iron, it predicted that, if the temperature dependence of the concentration of solute atoms in the matrix was controlled by the presence of equilibrium carbide or nitride precipitates, the tendency for nitrogen to segregate to dislocations would be greater than that for carbon even though their binding energies to dislocations are identical. The cold-work internal-friction peak (CWP) is considered by most authors to be produced by the interaction of interstitial impurities with dislocations. Many investigators have studied the CWP in iron containing carbon and nitrogen and have observed a significant difference between its behavior in the two cases. In this paper a series of experiments will be reported that were initiated to determine whether the application of the new distribution function would explain the observed differences between the carbon and nitrogen CWP. Although it was found that the distribution function, pev se, did not explain the differences, the differences became clear, and some insight into the mechanism of the CWP was realized. Before reporting the present experiments, the literature pertaining to the differences between the carbon and nitrogen CWP in iron and the various mechanisms proposed for the CWP will be reviewed. LITERATURE REVIEW Snoek2 first observed the CWP in iron specimens containing nitrogen, but also reported a weak and unreliable peak in carburized samples. Later, Ke3 established that the CWP height was proportional to the degree of deformation. The presence of nitrogen alone would produce a peak of the same size as found in a sample containing both nitrogen and carbon, and KG concluded that the CWP was caused by nitrogen. In a discussion of G's paper it was reported that Dijkstra had investigated the CWP in samples that contained only carbon. He found it to be much smaller than the nitrogen peak and "unstable". KG et al.4 charged specimens of iron with both carbon and nitrogen. They observed that the carbon CWP was much smaller than that observed in nitrided samples, but that aging at 300°C caused the carbon peak to increase. A similar treatment produced no change in a nitrogen peak. Annealing at higher temperatures caused the height of the CWP in both the nitrogen and carbon samples to decrease. This behavior was also observed by Kamber et al. 5 who found that the activation energy for the annealing of the CWP was identical with the activation energy for the self-diffusion of iron. They concluded that the annihilation of dislocations by climb caused the reduction in the CWP height. Kamber et al. studied the "unstable" carbon peak in detail. They measured both the Snoek and CWP during various aging treatments. In carburized samples, aging at 100°C caused the Snoek peak to disappear, although the CWP peak remained small. However, a subsequent treatment for 5 hr at 240°C caused the CWP to reach a maximum. They proposed that an additional location for the carbon, other than whatever site produced the CWP, is present. In nitrided samples the CWP was completely developed as soon as a measurement was made; additional sites are not present. No explanation of either the additional site or the difference in the behavior of carbon and nitrogen was offered. petarra5 performed a systematic study of the effect of composition on the CWP. Using three kinds of "pure" iron, he showed that there was a residual CWP when the carbon and nitrogen concentrations had been reduced to less than that detectable by Snoek-peak measurements. He observed the same general annealing behavior and composition dependence as previous investigators, with the following exceptions. On first measuring the carbon CWP, it was found to be identical with the residual peak, and essentially independent of the carbon content. If the CWP was measured a second time in the same sample, it increased in size, but was still only about one-fourth the size of a CWP in a sample of the same iron nitrided to the same composition. On the other hand, a series of annealing experiments showed that the nitrogen CWP was not al-

Jan 1, 1967

By R. G. Ward, John Henderson. R. G. Hudson, G. Derge

Densities of melts of the iron oxide-silica system in contact with solid iron have been measured by the maximum hubble pressure method in the composition range O to 37 wt pct SiOz and the temperature range 1255 to 1410C. The constitution of the melts is discussed and it is postulated that the structure changes from a dislribution of iron ions in an oxygen ion network at pure "FeO" to a distribution. of iron ions in a network of silicate tetrahedra at the orthosilicate composition. JOHN HENDERSON, Junior Member AIME, was formerly with the Metals Research Loborotory, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, Pa., on leave from Broken Hill Proprietary Co., Ltd., Research Division, Shortland, Australia. R. G. HUDSON, formerly with Metals Research Laboratory, is now with the John Jay Hopkins Loborotory for Pure and Applied Science, General Atomic Division, General Dynamics Corp., LaJolla, Calif. R. G. WARD, was formerly with the Department of Metal lurgical Engineering, Carnegie lnstitute of Technology, while on leave from the Department of Metallurgy, University of Sheffield, England. G. DERGE, Member AIME, is Jones and Laughlin Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, Carnegie lnstitute of Technology. Manuscript submitted January 19, 1961. ISD The system iron oxide-silica is an important one metallurgically because it forms the basis of several complex slag systems in use for industrial smelting and refining processes. In recent years considerable work has been done on liquids of this system but there are still many points of difference among workers using different experimental techniques and theoretical approaches. Phase equilibria/"3 activity,4-6 electrical conductivity,' current efficiency,' transference number,8 viscosity,9 surface tension,'' and density" measurements have all contributed to an understanding of the problem. Measurement of density is one procedure which is directly indicative of liquid structure since any deviation from ideality must be a result of structural interactions. Liquids of the iron oxide-silica system are of special interest because this is one of the few metal oxide-silica systems on which measurements can be carried out conveniently over the entire composition range from pure oxide to silica saturation. This includes the range of high basicity which has received relatively little attention in other systems. Although one investigation of density in this system has previously been undertaken," the results seem of sufficient importance to warrant the independent redeter-mination reported here.

Jan 1, 1962

By R. Q. Shotts

This paper is a review of recoverable reserves of bituminous coal in the Southern Appalachian area, according to the latest published estimates. A few comparisons are made, some apparent trends are discussed, and some comments are made regarding the limitations of present estimates. The definition of Southern Appalachian area used in this report is somewhat arbitrary. It includes all the bituminous coal deposits of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. All of West Virginia has been excluded. The East Kentucky and Virginia counties included were selected in connection with a literature study the writer made in 1959 of possible coal supply areas for the Tennessee Valley Authority. The selected counties were considered to be the only ones from which TVA might expect to obtain coal. The availability of coal from some of these counties is doubtful, but no other East Kentucky counties were considered more than remote possibilities. With these limitations, the Appalachian area covered is that from which producers of electric power and steel and commercial coal users, located in the Southeastern U. S., may expect to obtain their supplies of coal. Of course, it is recognized that coal from the eastern interior fields is also available to many of these same organizations. RANK AND QUALITY OF THE COALS Practically all the coals in the Southern Appalachian region are of high volatile A bituminous rank. An occasional sample indicates a slightly lower rank, but such samples may be oxidized or otherwise not representative. Some thin beds in Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain in Alabama and Georgia, are low volatile bituminous coals, but they have not been mined extensively in modern times. There is a possibility that some of the deeper beds along the southeastern edge of the Warrior field of Alabama are near the Low-medium volatile bituminous dividing line. The Sewanee bed and some other minor ones of the Southern Tennessee field, some of the lower beds in Virginia, many beds in Sand and Lookout Mountains in Georgia and Alabama, one or more beds in the Coosa field, possibly some lower beds in the Cahaba field, and most of the beds along the southeastern edge of the Warrior field and the southern end of the Sequatchie anticline of Alabama, are of medium volatile bituminous rank. The quality of the Southern Appalachian coals is highly variable. Some of them, particularly such prevailingly thin ones as the Black Creek bed of Alabama and the Straight Creek bed of Kentucky, are unusually low in mineral matter— probably the lowest in the U. S. With the exception of certain beds and local areas, Alabama and East Kentucky coals probably have as low average ash and sulfur content as can be found in any sizeable coal area in the country. The sulfur content of Southern Appalachian coals is also variable, but few beds are consistently high in sulfur. In Alabama, sulfur generally increases from southeast to northwest across the Warrior field, but this trend is not quite as clear in the other states. A few beds in Northern Tennessee are prevailingly high in sulfur. All Southern Appalachian coals are potential coking coals if they can be prepared to meet chemical requirements. Only a comparatively small part of the medium volatile A bituminous coal, but most of the medium volatile bituminous coal mined is actually used for coking purposes. An estimate of reserves of coking coal under the requirements of present practice, could be compiled comparatively easily, but this probably has never been done. The reserve of coal that can be coked as an ingredient of a suitable blend is probably many times the size of the reserves of coal that will yield suitable blast furnace and foundary coke without blending. WHAT CONSTITUTES ECONOMICALLY RECOVERABLE COAL RESERVES? When one first realizes the vast extent of the coal-bearing rocks in the Southern Appalachian area, (see Fig. 1) the thought is likely to occur that the supply of coal is inexhaustible. This is particularly true on realizing that in some of the basins of thicker coal-

Jan 1, 1962

By R. S. Hooper

In attempting to describe recent mining developments at the Bunker Hill mine, it may be well to recall first the old days of hand mining when holes were laboriously drilled by hand to a maximum depth of three feet, and were shot one or two at a time, in order that the miner could take advantage of every slip, crack or bedding plane, and so save as much drilling as possible. Broken muck, of course, was loaded by hand shoveling into wheelbarrows or small cars, and heading advances or stope tonnages were governed by the number of men that could find room to work in any given place. The first big improvement over these old methods was the introduction of the reciprocating type of air-powered rock drill. This innovation, crude as it was, enabled the miners to set up a machine and drill a complete round of holes in one shift; but broken muck was still loaded by hand, and the size and rate of advance in headings were limited by time required to remove the broken rock. The next improvement of consequence was the appearance of the hammer-type rock drill, which greatly increased drilling speed over the reciprocating type, and made possible the completion of a full cycle in one shift, by the use of crossbars in headings, and permitted drilling and mucking to be carried on at the same time. Rock drills continued to improve as time passed, and finally the smaller and more efficient mucking machines appeared on the scene, and it became possible to muck out a round of broken rock and have a clean setup for one or more drill columns and machines. A complete cycle of mucking, drilling, and blasting was completed in one shift with an average advance of five feet. These conditions prevailed for several years, but as the mine grew deeper, the distances to transport the workers grew longer, and this fact together with the shortening of the working day, soon presented the problem of attempting to complete a cycle of operations in a shift of only six hours at the working faces. Anticipating this condition, the operating heads at the Bunker Hill had started an intensive study of more and better mechanization, and over a period of comparatively few years have adopted and placed in service methods and machines that make it possible for a three-man crew to consistently advance headings seven by nine feet in cross section, at the rate of eight feet, and more, per shift, doing all the mucking, switching, drilling and loading. These improvements consist of the following major items: I. The development of a light, flexible, easily transported jumbo equipped with pneumatic columns (Fig I), that has decreased the "setting up" and "tearing down" time an average of 11/2 hr per shift, Or 25 PCt of the available working time. These jumbos were developed at the Bunker Hill mine by members of the staff and consist of two pneumatic columns attached to a suitable carriage. They fold

Jan 1, 1949

By E. C. Houston, R. A. Laurence, F. A. W. Davis, L. L. McMurray, H. S. Rankin

This paper is coodensed from several reports by members of the staff of the Minerals Testing Laboratory of the Tennessee Valley Authority, on a series of experimental tests in the beneficiation of barite of the Valley area. These experiments were conducted upon a large number of samples taken from several mines in three different districts. The area contains numerous producing deposits, nearly all of which are hampered by the high iron and silica content of the ores. Because of the small difference in specific gravity between the iron oxide and the barite, a gravity separation is generally poor. The removal of the iron thus offers a special problem. Some of the operators have turned to magnetic separation to meet the shipping requirements for less than one per cent iron. The present experiments were conducted to determine the application of decrepitation or flotation in simplifying the concentration of the barite by removing the iron oxide and silica in one operation. Practically all the barite marketed in the area has been as "off-color" crude. The bleaching studies were made to determine the bleach-ability of the ores to alleviate this inferior grading, placing them on the market as bleached barite. Geology Barite has been produced at many places in the Tennessee Valley area, and prospects and minor deposits are known at many other places, but practically all the production of barite in the Valley has been from the Sweetwater district of East Tennessee. Other leading areas of former production are the Tazewell-Russell counties areas of southwest Virginia, the Del Rio-Stackhouse district of East Tennessee and western North Carolina, and the Fall Branch district of upper East Tennessee. The areas described in this paper are those from which samples used in the concentration tests were obtained.

Jan 1, 1942