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By Benny J. Nelson

AS a part of the fundamental research program of Aluminum Research Laboratories, some data were obtained on the ternary system Mg-Al-Mn. As very little information on the magnesium corner of this diagram has heretofore been published, it seems desirable to make available the values found for the liquidus and solidus surfaces of this system. Procedure The settling procedure was used for the determination of the liquidus compositions. Metallo-graphic examination of quenched samples, and stress-rupture upon incipient melting, were used for the solidus determinations. The settling procedure has been described in a previous paper.' Briefly, this method involved saturating the alloy with manganese at a temperature substantially above that at which the sohbility was to be determined, then cooling the melt to the latter temperature, and holding it at that temperature for a substantial period of time. Samples for analysis .were carefully ladled from the upper portion of the melt at hourly intervals during the holding period. After the ladling of each sample, the melt was stirred to redistribute some of the manganese that had already settled, because it appeared that when the latter particles of manganese again settled, they aided in carrying down more of the manganese and thus hastened the attainment of equilibrium. The melts were prepared and held in a No. 8 Tercod crucible holding approximately 4 lb of metal. The manganese was added either in the form of a prealloyed ingot (Dow M) containing about 1.5 pct Mn or by the use of a flux (Dow 250) containing manganese chloride. In calculating the flux additions, it was assumed that the manganese introduced would be equal to 22 pct of the total weight of the flux. Temperatures were measured with an iron-constantan thermocouple enclosed in a seamless steel tube, the lower end of which was welded shut. This protection tube also served as a stirring rod. The samples ladled from the upper portions of the melts at the various intervals were analyzed for aluminum, manganese, and iron. When making the alloys which were to be used for the determination of the solidus, 2½ in. diam tilt mold ingots were cast, scalped to 2.0 in. in diam, and extruded into ? in. diam wire. The principal impurities in the melts for this investigation were iron and silicon; their total not exceeding 0.03 pct. Portions of the wire, approximately 2 in. in length, were enclosed in stainless steel capsules for protection from the atmosphere. Bundles of these capsules, with a dummy capsule containing an iron-constantan thermocouple, were heated inside a large steel block (acting as a heat reservoir) in a closed circulating-air type electric furnace. At ap- propriate times, the capsules were removed and quenched in water. The wires were examined metallographically to determine the temperature of initial melting. Short times at temperature were used at the beginning for wire specimens of all alloys to obtain quickly the approximate temperatures at which melting could be first observed. When approximate solidus temperatures had thus been determined, equilibrium heating was attempted. This equilibrium heating consisted of an 8 or 16 hr period at a temperature, about 50 °F below the lowest temperature at which melting occurred when short heating cycles were used, followed by further heating for 1 hr periods at consecutive 10" higher temperatures. The theory for the method of stress-rupture at incipient melting has been well covereda and its limitations are recognized. Thus, if the interfacial tensions are such that the first minute quantity of liquid is "bunched up" at the grain boundary junctions instead of spreading out along the grain boundaries,³ temperatures higher than the solidus are required before melting will be manifested by rupture of the specimen. This point will be elaborated later. Specimens of the wires with a reduced section (approximately 1/16 in. diam) were suspended vertically in a tubular furnace. The setup used is shown in Fig. 1. The clamp holding the specimen was made from alumel thermocouple wire and the thermocouple was thus completed across the specimen by attaching a chrome1 wire to its lower end. Temperatures were read from a Speedomax recorder used in conjunction with a calibrated thermocouple. The small weight attached to the specimen and a vibrator attached to the furnace tube, to aid in distributing the molten constituent along the grain boundaries, were used to bring about rupture at a temperature closely approximating the solidus. The specimens were heated at a rate of about 5°C per min. The rupture of the specimens was indicated both by sound and by the action of the recorder. An argon atmosphere containing a small amount of SO² was used for protection of the specimen. The assembly was taken out of the furnace immediately following rupture and the specimen removed. Some of the broken specimens were examined metallographically and will be referred to later. Results and Discussion Fig. 2 shows a set of typical time-composition curves for liquid samples of the Mg-Al-Mn alloys used for the settling tests. The data as presented

Jan 1, 1952

By David B. Reger

The discovery of prolific oil wells in old territory hitherto regarded as doubtful, if not worthless, and the rapid extension of a gas pool opened late in 1938 were the most interesting petroleum features in West Virginia during 1939. Oil activity in general was slow because of crude prices that were still fairly low at the end of the year, although substantially increased above those in January. Fewer oil wells were completed, but the average results were better than in 1938. Fewer gas wells, also, were completed, with greatly lessened average initial production. Many old oil and gas wells were abandoned, so that the total number of active wells has not changed appreciably. The account of operations, as gathered from trade journals and other sources, shows that 561 new wells were drilled, resulting in 101 new oil wells with 2261 bbl. of daily initial production; 366 new gas wells with 602,400,000 cu. ft. of daily open flow; and 94 dry holes. Besides these new wells, 61 old wells were drilled to deeper sands, with 12 bbl. and 13,328,000 cn. ft. of added production. On the new wells the oil average was 22.38 bbl. per well per day; and the gas average was 1,645,900 cu. ft. per well per day; the ratio of dry holes to completions was 16.76 per cent. From an exploratory standpoint one partly discredited oil area was revived by good new production, and another small oil pool may have been opened. Some of the results in gas exploration will require more drilling for true appraisal. It is certain, though, that one very considerable gas field in the sands of Mississippian age has been proved; and there is a probability of six new pools in the Middle Devonian shale. In the Oriskany sand (L. Dev.) the Elk-Poca pool has been extended considerably farther northwest into Jackson County; and farther north in Jackson County two widely separated wells, which may be pool openers, have been successfully completed. On the other hand, several important wildcats in various counties have been dry. Stratigraphically lower, some additional wells have been completed in the Newburg sand (Sil.) and one small producer has been completed in the Clinton sand (Sil.), the importance of which can scarcely be overestimated, because no Clinton production has previously been found in the state, although at least seven wells have been drilled through the sand.

Jan 1, 1940

By J. Wade Watkins, E. S. Mardock

The accurate evaluation of reservoir-performance characteristics in the secondary recovery of petroleum by water flooding requires use of a water tracer that may be injected into water-input wells and detected at oil-production wells to supplement data obtained from core analyses, wellhead tests, and subsurface measurements. Radioactive iodine has been used successfully as a water tracer in field tests to determine: (I) relative rates and patterns of flow of injected water between water-input and oil-production wells and (2) zones of excessive water entry into oil-production wells. Laboratory evaluations of potential water tracers, previous tracer studies, the value of using a radioactive tracer, general field procedures, and the use of surface and subsurface instruments for the detection of the emitted gamma radiation, are summarized. Data from the field tests are presented graphically and discussed in detail. It is concluded that the radioactive-tracer method, using radioactive iodine, may be used successfully to measure either the relative rates and patterns of flow or zones of excessive water entry into wells under conditions of comparatively rapid transit time between wells. INTRODUCTION Extensive use is made of data obtained from core analyses, wellhead tests, fluid characteristics, and subsurface measurements in evaluating the sweep efficiency of water injected into oil sands for the recovery of oil. Theoretical flow rates and patterns may be calculated from those data using radial-flow formulas, if it is assumed that the physical conditions in the productive formation are homogeneous. Unfortunately, homogeneous conditions rarely, if ever, exist in oil-productive formations. The use of a tracer that may be injected into an oil sand and detected quantitatively, or even qualitatively, at offsetting oil-production wells provides basic data that may be used in determining more accurately the subsurface rates and patterns of flow of injected water between wells than is possible by theoretical calculations based on assumed conditions. Consideration of the data obtained by using a water tracer assists in the application of remedial measures to water-input wells, such as plugging of channels, or selective plugging of highly permeable zones, thereby effecting a more uniform flood and a greater ultimate oil recovery. A water tracer should have the following characteristics: (1) low adsorption on solid reservoir material; (2) high solubility in water; (3) low or negligible solubility in crude petroleum; (4) a wide range of solubility of compounds that may be formed by chemical reactions with ions present in reservoir rocks or waters; (5) high detectability in low concentrations by portable apparatus; and (6) general availability at low cost. Additional desirable characteristics are that the tracer should be nonhazardous in nature under normal working conditions and quantitatively detectable in the well bore, as well as at the surface. Review of Previous Tracer Studies The need for a water tracer has been recognized for many years. As far back as 1906, Dole1 described the use of fluorescein in flow-rate studies made in France in 1901. In 1921, Ambrose" discussed in detail the use of organic and inorganic dyes, chlorides, nitrates, and other anions, lithium salts, and the Slichter electrical

Jan 1, 1955

Jan 1, 1933

By Robert V. Whitman

INTRODUCTION Ideally, this paper should start by citing examples of slope failures in open pit mines during earthquakes. I do not know of any such examples, although - since my search of the literature has not been exhaustive - such examples may well exist. However, there certainly are many examples of devastating earthquake-induced landslides, and there is no reason why such landslides cannot occur at large open pits. Moreover, many of the actual earthquake-induced landslides have seriously affected mining operations in one way or another. Hence, this paper will treat earthquake-induced landslide phenomena in general, in the hope and expectation that the reader can apply this general knowledge to the specific problems associated with open pit mining. Ultimately, of course, the aim is to predict the likelihood of the occurrence of earthquake-induced landslides, and to delineate steps which can be taken to minimize the possibility of their occurrence. These aims can be achieved only imperfectly at the present time, for our knowledge concerning earthquake-induced landslides is still in an embryonic stage. Nonetheless, much useful knowledge does exist. In order to understand and apply this knowledge, it is necessary to: 1. Review the nature and extent of actual earthquake-induced landslides; 2. Have a grasp of the basic terminology and concepts of seismology; 3. Study the fundamentals of probability-based seismic risk analysis; 4. Appreciate the way in which earth materials behave during earthquake loadings; and 5. Have a general knowledge of the methods currently available for analyzing the dynamic response of slopes. Much of this paper is devoted to this necessary background. Information of practical use in connection with various classes of slope stability problems is assembled in the final sections. LANDSLIDES DURING PAST EARTHQUAKES Almost every earthquake in mountainous country, strong enough to be reported in the literature, has caused at least some landslides and rockfalls. Unless these slides or falls damage

Jan 1, 1971

William H. BLAUVELT, Anaconda, Mont.: Mr. Stetefeldt's comparison of the producer-plants at Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, is of special interest at this time, when the attention of all western metallurgists is so forcibly drawn to the necessity of reducing expenses and losses. The fact that wood was used at Park City before gas was introduced, for firing the Stetefeldt furnace and dryer, offered an excellent opportunity for showing the economies resulting from the adoption of gas in place of wood, as well as a comparison between the two gas-plants. Some time ago Mr. Stetefeldt contributed an article to one of the technical journals, in which the economy obtained by the substitution of gas for wood at this plant was shown quite in detail. I regret not being able to quote from his article at length, but, remember that the total saving effected would pay for the producer-plant in about one month. This is a striking instance of the advantages to be secured by the adoption of the best methods of using fuel in our metallurgical works. In comparing the figures from the Park City and Aspen plants, the difference of over 20 per cent. in the fuel used in the Stetefeldt furnaces, seems remarkable, even considering the larger amount of sulphur in the Aspen ore, and the greater rapidity with which it was roasted. It would be interesting to have Mr. Stetefeldt's, opinion as to the cause of so great a difference. The inferior economy of the revolving dryers at Park City might be overcome by lengthening them, or so arranging a second one above

Jan 1, 1894

Earth Sciences: The standard of living of the world's people depends upon human initiative, investigation, and know-how in exploiting the earth's resources. The Earth Sciences-geology, mineralogy, geophysics and geochemistry, meteorology, geography-are basic sciences dealing with those problems concerning the origin, constitution, and utilization of the earth's materials. The development of these fields in one department provides the greatest opportunity for direct contact and stimulus for scientists and teachers working in related fields. In the Earth Sciences, geology and mineralogy are obviously closely related. As rocks are the materials of which the earth is made, so in turn minerals are the constituents of the rocks. Conversely, a study of earth structures and the interplay of physical and chemical forces in the earth is necessary in order to understand the origin and source of minerals. Building on the basic core of knowledge of earth processes, earth structures, and earth history, the geologist will continue to push out the frontiers of stratigraphy, structural geology, pale-biology and petrology with growing insight into principles that control surface and subsurface rock conditions. As the field of geology has advanced, several lines of specialization have developed. The economic geologist

Jan 1, 1950

Jan 1, 1889

Jan 1, 1942

H. RIES, Ithaca, N. Y.-The part of Mr. Fiske's paper that interests me especially is that portion dealing with the raw materials, and the tests that were applied to the raw materials in order to determine their value in advance, if possible, because that, I believe, is a step in the right direction. For a number of years I have done my best to persuade different consumers of clay to develop standard methods for testing raw materials. We have in this country a large variety of clays which can be used for a great many different purposes, but in many cases the consumers either have no standard methods for determining the value of those clays in. advance, or if they have they do not publish them; consequently it often puts the clay miner at a disadvantage. If, for example, manufacturers of different types of refractory materials would state publicly just what physical tests their raw materials have to meet, it would, I believe, help them to find more easily the materials that they are looking for, and the clay producer would also be benefited. It would also encourage him to have his clays tested in advance, so that samples could be accompanied by certificates of physical tests that would be of convenience to the manufacturer. At the present time, in this country there are certain types of clay which seem to be rather scarce. There apparently are not many deposits of clay that are exactly suited for the manufacture of zinc refractories. So, too, there are not many deposits of clay that are suited for the manufacture of glass-pots, or the blocks for glass tank furnaces, or clays that can be used for graphite crucibles. Now, in many cases, no standard series of tests has been developed. I am also gratified to see that Mr. Fiske considers the tensile strength. tests of value. Some years ago the American Ceramic Society appointed a committee to draw up a series of recommendations covering standard tests. These recommendations were especially for the use of State geologists and the U., .S. Geological, Survey. Among the tests that were considered was the tensile-strength test, which Mr. Fiske has mentioned in his paper. Unfortunately, a majority of the committee turned it down, and the test was therefore not officially approved, but two of us, who formed the minority, believed in it. Since then the other members of the Committee have come to see that that is an important test to make and Mr. Fiske has emphasized it in his paper.

Jan 1, 1918

By W. J. Feuerstein

STRUCTURAL imperfections in crystals, in recent years, have received the attention of metallurgists concerned with single-crystal properties. Certain etching solutions cause local variations in the rate of etching at dislocations.' Dislocations are expected to be preferred segregation sites for impurities' and Dash" has shown that precipitation of copper occurs preferentially at edge-type dislocations in silicon. Diffusion rates along dislocations are probably higher than rates through more perfect crystalline regions.' These and other phenomena which may be influenced by dislocations may be studied by revealing dislocations as etch pits. This study was undertaken to develop an etch solution for silicon crystals to reveal low-angle grain boundaries associated with dislocation arrays and also etch pits with good contour definition. Additional etches have been reported by Dash," Vogel and Lovell.T rystals were sectioned on crystal lographic planes at various angles from the growth direction for microscopic examination of the etch pits. Experimental Crystals of 75-100 g mass and 3 cm diam were oriented and cut on crystallographic planes. Crystals were grown by Czochralski technique from a quartz crucible. Lapped wafers were chemically polished in a modified CP-4 etch for 1 min (bromine was deleted from the etch solution). The polished wafer was then etched* at room temperature for 5 min. The use of larger amounts of H2O and/or CH2COOH slows the reaction. The Cu(NO3),.3H2O was added to increase the reaction rate and give more definition to the etch pits developed. Some pertinent features concerning the attack of this etch on silicon can be summarized as follows:

Jan 1, 1959

By J. Gurland

The effect of four different second-phase additions on the strength of composite alloys with a common matrix was investigated. The four compositions each consisted of 85 pct by volume of silver with additions of 15 pct of either tungsten, molybdenum, tungsten carbide, or nickel. These particular additives were chosen because of their low mutual solid solubilities with silver at room temperature, the alloys consisting essentially of a dispersion strengthened silver matrix in which the second phase is distributed randomly. Test specimens were prepared by a powder metallurgy procedure consisting of ball milling the mixed powders, compacting, and sintering at 920°C for 1 hr in hydrogen. The constituent powders were of CP quality and of particle size between 2 and 10 ?. The compacts were subsequently hot pressed at 1000 psi and 1400° in an Inconel die, coined at room temperature at 60,000 psi and finally annealed and outgassed in vacuum at 800°F. The microstructures of the alloys are shown in Fig. 1, and the microscopically observed porosity grade was A-2 or better as evaluated by ASTM Recommended Practice B 276-54. The properties of the sintered compacts are listed in Table I, and the load-deformation curves in bending are shown in Fig. 2. The samples, of rectangular cross section, were loaded at the center of 58 in. span, and the reported stress was calculated on the basis of linearly elastic behavior in order to allow the comparison of specimens of slightly different dimensions. It is apparent that the tungsten, molybdenum, and tungsten carbide alloys exhibit very similar deformation curves. The moduli of elasticity were determined from the slopes of the stress-deflection curves at small loads. The measured values agree quite well with those calculated by the strength of materials approximation proposed by Paul1 for the elastic constants of mixtures, the calculated values being 15.0, 15.0, 17.4, and 13.4 million psi, respectively, for the tungsten, molybdenum, tungsten carbide, and nickel combinations with silver. The strength of the Ag-Ni composition is appreciably lower than that of the other three alloys. The discrepancy between the two groups is accounted for by the following characteristics of deformation and failure which were observed microscopically during the tests: A) The deformation of the W, Mo, and WC alloys did not involve the second phase particles to any appreciable extent. Slip and fracture took place in the silver-rich matrix alone, although the fracture path generally skirted the particles by favoring the phase boundaries. The deformation proceeded according to the following sequence: 1) formation of small, discontinuous microcracks in areas of the matrix adjacent to a particle, 2) general slip in the matrix and extension of cracks, 3) failure of specimens by propagation of cracks through matrix. The near coincidence of the 3 load-deflection curves suggests that the nature of the second phase particles does not decisively influence the plastic behavior of composite alloys of this composition as long as the particles do not undergo any considerable deformation themselves. B) A markedly different behavior was exhibited by the Ag-Ni composition where the relatively low flow strength is associated with the low yield strength of the nickel grains. Slip in the nickel grains was first observed at a stress of approximately 10,000 psi, although failure, at a later stage, took place by the propagation of cracks through the matrix. The ductility of this aggregate, in which both components deform plastically, is appreciably greater than that of the elastic-plastic composites. In summary: 1) The measured values of the moduli of elasticity of the composite alloys under discussion are in good agreement with the "strength of materials" approximation proposed by Paul.' 2) The overall plastic behavior of these particle-strengthened alloys is unaffected by the nature of the second phase particles, if the latter remain elastic. This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research. The experimental results are presented

Jan 1, 1962

By Paul J. Fopiano

SOME relationships between the flow characteristics of iron single crystals of 99.9 pct purity and the behavior of imperfections have been investigated. X-ray rocking-curve measurements and etch-pit counts were made as a function of plastic strain, and compared to the stress-strain curve obtained on a modified Polyani tensile machine. Crystals grown from rolled strips of vacuum-melted iron by the strain-anneal method1 had a high preference for a (110) longitudinal direction and a (211) face normal. The tensile specimens were prepared from 2 by i by 0.040 in. single crystals having a gage area of 3 by \ in. Rocking-curve measurements were carried out with a highly perfect germanium monochromating crystal in which the dazz spacing was matched to that of the dZl1 in the ir0n.l Well-collimated CuKal radiation was used throughout. These procedures practically eliminated errors due to geometrical and wavelength resolution. Inasmuch as the rocking-curve half breadth may vary markedly from point to point in the specimen being irradiated, the crystals were strained in place by mounting a hydraulic loading device on the double-crystal spectrometer. The rocking curves were taken after each increment of strain in the unloaded condition, since no observable difference was found in the rocking-curves between the loaded and unloaded states. The rocking-curve half breadths of the as-grown specimens were in the range 90 to 120 sec of arc when the beam irradiated an area of about -£ by -& in. on the specimen. DeMarco and weiss3 have shown that, for a well-colli- mated X-ray beam, irradiating about 10"! sq in. of the very same material, half breadths within 10 pct of the Darwin natural half breadth were observed. Since the rocking-curve specimens were stressed by the load-unload technique, the strain achieved at any given stress depended on the time of holding because of low-temperature creep. Fig. 1 shows the rocking-curve half breadth (also area/peak height) as a function of plastic strain for a relatively short holding time (2 to 5 min) at each stress level. For strains less than 0.1 pct the rocking-curve breadth is essentially constant; it is only for larger strains that there occurs a significant increase in this breadth. Where the holding times at each stress level were longer (by well over an order of magnitude) there occurs a significant increase in the rocking-curve breadth only after plastic strains of the order of 0.6 pct had been introduced into the specimen. This observation is related to the time dependence of creep phenomena and emphasizes the difficulty in comparing data obtained by two such different straining methods. Etch-pit results were obtained using a 2 pct nital etch on specimens strained in the range of 0 to 1 pct. Prior to etching, all specimens were annealed for 3 hr at 150°C, the carbon content being sufficient to decorate the dislocations for strains of at least 1 p~t.~ The data points were all taken from parts of the same single crystal which had been strained with short holding times at stress in increments of strain of the order of tenths of 1 pct. The (211) plane is particularly difficult to etch-pit in vacuum-melted iron and therefore it is felt that these values are as much as an order of magnitude low. Fig. 2 shows the etch-pit density as a function of plastic strain. The smooth curve passing through the data points is not meant to infer a quantitative correlation with the rocking-curve data. What is of interest, however, is the change in etch-pit density in the region of 0.2 pct plastic strain. The first three increments in strain (points 2,3, and 4) did not produce a measurable change in the etch-pit density while subsequent increments did produce a measurable change. While the absolute values of these results do not appear to be cor-

Jan 1, 1967

Jan 1, 1932

By D. Havlena, A. S. Odeh

The material balance equation used by reservoir engineers is arranged algebraically, resulting in an equation of a straight line. The straight line method of analysis imposes an additional necessary condition that a successful solution of the material balance equatiott should meet. In addition, this algebraic arrangement attaches a dynamic ineuning to the otherwise static material balance equation. The straight line method requires the plotting of one variable group vs mother variable group. The sequence of the plotted points as well as the general shape of the resulting plot is of utmost importance. Therefore, one cannot progrm the method entirely on a digital computer ar is usually done in the routine solution of the material balance equation. If this method is applied, then plotting and anaIysis are asential. Only the appropriate equations and the method of analysis and interpremtion with comments and discussion are presented in this paper. Illustrative field examples for the various cases treated are deferred to a subsequent writing. INTRODUCTION One of the fundamental principles utilized in engineering work is the law of conservation of matter. The application of this principle to hydrocarbon reservoirs for the purpose of quantitative deductions and prediction is termed "the material balance method of reservoir analysis". While the construction of the material balance equation (MBE) and the computations that go with its application are not difficult tasks, the criteria that a successful solution of the MBE should fulfill have always been a problem facing the reservoir engineer. True and complete criteria should embody necessary and dcient conditions. The criteria which the reservoir engineer uses possess a few necessary but no sufficient conditions. Because of this, the answers obtained from the MBB are always open to question. However, the degree of their acceptability should increase with the increase in the number of the necessary conditions that they should satisfy. Generally, the necessary conditions commonly used are (1) an unspecified consistency of the results and (2) the agreement between the MBE results and those determined volumetrically. This second criterion is usually overemphasized. Actually, the volumetrically determined results are based on geological and petrophysical data of unknown accuracy. In addition, the oil-in-place obtained by the MBE is that oil which contributes to the pressure-production history,' while the volumetrically calculated oil-in-place refers to the total oil, part of which may not contribute to said history. Because of this difference, the disagreement between the two answers might be of paramount importance, and the concordance between them should not be overemphasized as the measure of correctness of either one. In this paper, a third necessary condition of mathematical as well as physical significance is discussed. It is not subject to any geological or petrophysical interpretation, and as such, it is probably the most important necessary condition. It consists essentially of rearranging the MBE to result in an equation of a straight line. This straight line method of the MBE solution has invalidated a few long time accepted concepts. For instance, it has always been advocated that if a water drive exists, but one neglects to take it into account in the MBE, the calculated oil-in-place should increase with time. The straight line method shows that in some cases, depending on the size of the neglected aquifer, the calculated oil-in-place might decrease with time. The straight line method requires the plotting of a variable group vs another variable group, with the variable group selection depending on the mechanism of production under which the reservoir is producing. The most important aspect of this method of solution is that it attaches a significance to the sequence of the plotted points, the direction in which they plot, and to the shape of the resulting plot. Thus, a dynamic meaning has been introduced into the picture in arriving at the final answer. Since the emphasis of this method is placed on the interpretation of the sequence of the points and the shape of the plot, one cannot completely automate the whole sequence to obtain "the best value" as normally done in the routine application of the MBE. If one uses the straight line method, then plotting and analysis are musts. The straight line method was first recognized by van Everdingen, et al,2 but for some reason it was never fully exploited. The advantages and the elegance of this method can be more appreciated after a few cases are carefully treated and worked out by it. SOLUTION OF THE MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATION SATURATED RESERVOIRS The MBE for saturated reservoirs written in AIME symbols is

By John S. Bell, J. M. Shepherd

pressure difference of 280 psi measured initially on opposite sides of the major fault in the Hawkins Field led to pressure determinations in the Woodbine sand throughout the East Texas basin. Considering the large area, there is unusually good correlation between pressure losses and points of major withdrawals, these losses indicating that the basin pressure has been materially reduced by withdrawals, primarily from the East Texas Field and secondarily from the old fault-line fields of Limestone and Navarro counties, with the pressure loss varying inversely with the log of the distance from these two main areas of basin withdrawals to the measurement points. Apparently faults located throughout the basin serve as local blocks to continuous pressure gradients. INTRODUCTION The pressure anomalies found in the Hawkins Field, Wood County, Texas,' shortly after discovery have led to an area-wide investigation of the pressure distribution within the Woodbine sand of the East Texas basin. These pressures were obtained by drill-stem tests made for that sole purpose while drilling wildcat wells to deeper horizons. The Woodbine sand of Gulf Cretaceous Age is or has been productive of oil and gas in 42 different fields, with the 28 oil fields currently active having produced 118,000,000 bbl of oil during 1949. With one exception, producing energy for all Woodbine reservoirs has been from water drive provided predominantly by expansion of the tremendous volume of water contained in the Woodbine sand. This producing mechanism was recognized at an early date and was described mathematically by

Jan 1, 1951

By W. M. Baldwin, C. R. Johns

Cobalt is reported1,2 to scale in accordance with the Pilling and Bed-worth3 parabolic law: where w = weight increase per unit surface area K = constant l = time The reported values of the parabolic oxidation constant, K, in the temperature range 600 to 1100°C follow an Arrhenius type of equation as inspection of Fig 1 shows. According to Valensi's theory5 on the scaling of metals where multiple-layered scales (for example, MeX, MeX2, and others) are possible, this fact could be construed as indicating that a single oxide only is formed on cobalt in this temperature range. Since the single straight line extends above 920°C where only CoO is stable in air (see Fig 2) it might be inferred that this is the only oxide formed on scaling. Arkharov and Voroshilova10 have studied the scales formed when cobalt is heated in air in the temperature range 385 to 800°C and report that CoO is indeed found in the scale but that CoO4 is also found as an overlay and in increasing amounts in the lower temperature ranges. No quantitative data regarding the relative proportions of the two oxides were reported. Again in the light of Valensi's theory this would indicate that the straight line in Fig 1 would be expected to undergo an inflection at some point in the temperature range 385 to 800°C. Chauvenet2 has studied the oxidation rates of CoO to Co3O4 and has found this reaction to proceed parabolically with time but reports parabolic scaling rates which are considerably (about ten times) larger than the scaling rates of cobalt metal itself. This is difficult to explain in terms of Valensi's theory although a full discussion of the possible discrepancy cannot be made in view of the lack of sufficient data. These points made an investigation of the scaling behavior of cobalt in air an attractive study. Discussion of Results Relatively large (approximately 95 sq cm of surface area) samples of 0.020 in. thick electrolytic cobalt strip,* sanded with 2/0 paper, were heated in air in a cyclone type furnace. The samples were weighed before and after the scaling treatment. The weight increases so observed obeyed the Pilling and Bedworth parabolic law at all temperatures studied. The parabolic scaling constants when plotted on a logarithmic scale as a function of absolute temperature are reproduced

Jan 1, 1950

By Robert C. Bolger, John H. Weitz

REFRACTORY clay, one of Pennsylvania's important nonmetallic mineral resources, occurs at several horizons in beds of Pennsylvanian age. The Mercer fireclay, of Pottsville age (Table 1), is the most important of these clays. A study of this fireclay has been conducted by the Pennsylvania Geologic Survey discontinuously over a period of seven years. The work has included field mapping of a rather large area, as well as petrographic, differen¬tial thermal, and X-ray studies of the fireclay. A comprehensive report on the project is now in preparation.

Jan 1, 1952

By F. Clerf

BLAST-FURNACE practice in France is determined more or less by the character of the ores used. Some French ores are siliceous and others are calcareous, therefore by proper burdening a self-fluxing mix can be used. This is not always clone, as, for instance, at the Caen furnaces of the Société Métallurgique de Normandie, where the Soumont ore of Normandy is used, which is a carbonate. This ore is crushed and calcined at the mines, yielding a product that is porous and well sized for blast-furnace consumption. The lines of the Caen furnaces are given in Fig. 1. Originally these furnaces had 16 tuyeres; six are plucked and these tuyeres are set in the lower part of the bosh. Operating data on these furnaces are given in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1937

By T. M. Daulton, Chester F. Lee

The Atlin Mining District is in the northwest corner of the Province of British Columbia. Ruby Creek, where the operation to be described is situated, is 17 miles east of the town of Atlin and about 18 miles south of the south line of Yukon Territory (Fig. 1). Gold was discovered in the district in January, 1898, and the production to date from placer mines has been $4,518,000, according to the reports of the Minister of Mines for the province. Geology The essential points in the regional geology are given in the following paragraphs. Long erosion produced a plane-like surface slightly above sea level with a few peaks and ridges.' A gradual uplift followed and erosion increased, the streams cut deeper, the cuts so made being afterward increased by glaciation. The ice straightened and planed the slopes of the main valleys and widened and lowered their floors, in some cases flooring the valleys with silt, sand, gravel, and clay. As the glaciers rapidly retreated, lakes were formed. As to the origin of the gold, J. C. Gwillim says? "The Surprise granite has been carried northward toward Gladys Lake and Teslin, and the granite of the great plateau on the Taku trail was found in blocks on the opposite range across Hurricane River 10 miles north of its original position. Otherwise there is little evidence of far removed material, the boulders of the lake shore and creek beds being of local appearance. This appears to strengthen the opinion that the placer gold had its origin within the drainage basins where it is now found." In the gold-bearing creeks of the Atlin district there are two "runs"

Jan 1, 1917