Search Documents

By James Gayley

(Presented at the Washington meeting, May 3, 1905, and simultaneously sent to the Iron and Steel Institute, for presentation at the meeting of that Society in London, May 11, 1906.) It is to be regretted that the data respecting the use of dry-air blast, which were presented to the Iron and Steel Institute at its meeting in the United States, in October, 1904, should have been restricted to the period from August 25th to September 9th inclusive, and from September 17th to 30th inclusive. In order to present the paper at all it was found necessary to limit the record of operations to the period above stated. It appears from the reported discussion that some of those who took part felt themselves to be at a disadvantage, in considering the economies secured through the use of dry-air blast, by reason of the fact that the data presented covered so short a period. It is the purpose of this communication to present in detail the record of operations of the Isabella Furnaces from November, 1904, to March, 1905, inclusive, as shown by the furnace-records. The month of October, 1904, is not included, as the furnace using dry-air blast was stopped several times for repairs; and while the record was a very good one considering these interruptions, yet it was not a continuous one. The record for Furnace No. 1 using dry-air blast, and the comparison with Furnace No. 3 using natural air for the month of November, 1904, is set forth in Table I. By a reference to my former paper it will be noted that the month of November is the beginning in this country of the winter period, when the atmosphere decreases rapidly in humidity. The month of October being the transition month in the autumn and April in the spring, and furnaces using natu-ral air approach more closely, from November on, to the conditions obtained by the use of dry-air blast. The data given in

Jan 1, 1906

By Albert Brokaw

THE so-called ?paraffin dirt" of the Gulf Coast oil fields has been con¬sidered an indication of the possible presence of oil and gas, and not a few wells have been brought in solely on the basis of such evidence. In a sense, it may be empirically justified as evidence of the presence of oil or gas, though it cannot be said to be infallible. If the writer is correctly informed, its association with oil and gas was pointed out by Lee Hager some years ago, and while it is commonly mentioned by geologists and operators in conversation, no discussion seems to have found its way into print. The present interpretation is based on laboratory study rather than on field investigation, and is put forth with the hope of stimulating discussion which shall lead to more complete understanding. The term "paraffin dirt" has been applied to soils with a peculiar texture, which has been described' as "curdy" or "rubbery." When moist, the material breaks much after the fashion of "green" cheese. It is rubbery under compression, but does not resemble rubber in tenacity or cohesion. When dry, the material ranges from hard clods to a horny mass of high tensile strength. The shrinkage in drying is very great, especially in the hornlike matter. The moist material ranges in color from dark brown in the specimens rich in organic matter to grayish in specimens containing more inorganic matter. All of the specimens studied were readily attacked by molds, which in some cases grew in great profusion on the samples. Samples exhibited a rather characteristic "swampy" or "mucky" odor when wet, and a characteristic odor of humic soils when moist.

Jan 4, 1918

By P. R. Sperry

In an investigation of the decomposition of the solid solution in a cold worked high-purity aluminum alloy containing 7 pct Mg, aged at temperatures from 30o to 82°C, the nucleating sites at the earliest stages of precipitation were observed to be of two types. Nucleation occurred at the high angle grain boundaries both when the alloy was initially cold worked and when solution annealed. Nucleation also occurred at certain unique deformation markings which began to appear in abundance at approximately 30 pct reduction in thickness by cold rolling. These deformation markings were identified as deformation (kink) bands rather than as the usually assumed "slip planes." Zn material that was cold rolled 15 pct, only the grain boundary Fig. 2—A1-7 pct Mg alloy, cold worked 60 pct and heated at 230° C for 5 min. Etched with Perryman's reagent. X500. Reduced approximately 25 pct for reproduction. (a) Bright field illumination, precipitate deeply pitted. (b) Phase contrast, showing slip markings.

Jan 1, 1962

By John W. Cahn

Tile avevage value of the mean curvature of surfaces in a specimen can be precisely delermined by sitrlple measurements performed on random sections or on 1 vojectiotzs of these surfaces. For surjaces enclosing particles, the quanlity is sllown to be velated to the probable tlurrrhev ot particles intevcepted by a random platne and, under certain conditions, to the perimeter of their Projected image and to the increuse in surjace area when the particles grow. Many of the velalionsl~ips are valid for any shape or size of the particles. THE recent growth of the field of stereology or quantitative microscopy is largely the result of the discovery of a limited number of rigorously defined geometrical parameters that can be precisely measured on random sections or projections of a structure without assumption about particle shape.' Such parameters have been the volume fraction and surface area and line length in a unit volume. The present paper introduces the average of the mean curvature of surfaces in a volume, and shows that it can be rigorously measured by counting methods alone. AVERAGE CURVATURE ON A PLANE Consider a curve y = v (x) on the xy plane. The curvature Kp in the plane at any point is given by Kp = (dZy/dx2)/[1 + (dy/dx)2]3/2. The average curvature along the curve may be defined as Kp = (1/L) fKpdl |1] where dl = [(dx)' + {dy)2]1/2 is the length of an element of the curve and .(dl = L is the total length of the curve. The integral on the right-hand side of Eq. [l] will be called the total curvature, It is dimensionless and readily evaluated by substituting d = arctan (dy/dx) to give ah which is the change in direction of the tangents to the ends of the curve, Fig. 1. Hence, Kp = (1/L)(?h) [2] It can also be seen that Eq. [2] is applicable in the limit of sharp corners. Even though the curvature is infinite at a corner, f Kpdl remains integrable and equal to the change of angle. The signs of the quantities Kp and dl are arbitrary and, if the areas adjoining the curve are equivalent, there seems to be no compelling reason to fix the signs. For a closed curve, however, it becomes worthwhile to use the signs to distinguish among different types of areas or phases enclosed. For such a closed curve AO = t2r and As a convention, we shall take the direction of the integration along the curve in such a way that the area or phase under consideration (henceforth called a) is kept to the left side of the curve, Fig. 1. Then Kp is positive where the curve is concave and negative where the curve is convex. For a closed curve Ad - +2n if the curve encloses a, and Ad = —2n if the curve is surrounded by a. PLANAR SECTIONS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF ISOLATED a PARTICLES Consider next a planar section of a microstructure containing particles of a in a matrix. We place no restriction on shape of connectedness of these particles, and begin by considering the curvature of only the boundary between a particles and matrix' Clumps of contiguous a particles are then treated as a single a particle. The two-dimensional section will show in a unit area na simple closed curves enclosing a particles and nh closed curves of holes, in-

Jan 1, 1968

By Y. L. Su, R. Stefanko, Y. J. Wang

This chapter describes a new approach to the solution of stress distribution around underground openings utilizing the finite element method and employing stochastically simulated rock properties. It is well-known from extensive laboratory tests that the properties of rocks, e.g., Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio, are not single-valued but form some distribution. If the scatter of test data is attributed to the variability of the rock itself rather than due to an inadequacy in test procedure, then stress solutions have to consider these variations. Utilizing this basic philosophy, the present study was initiated. A long circular opening subjected to plane strain in a hydrostatic stress field was chosen as a specific example to illustrate this approach. The technique adopted in solving stress distributions was based on the finite element method. This method is essentially a generalization of standard structural analysis procedures in which the continuum is idealized as an assemblage of "elements," interconnected at a finite number of nodal points. It is capable therefore of handling different material properties for individual elements in the model, if desired. In this study, each individual element was assumed to be isotropic, homogeneous, and elastic. However, values for Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio were randomly varied from element to element according to an assumed frequency distribution.

Jan 1, 1970

By Volker Ruth

DURING an experimental investigation of the Kirken dall effect in the Ag-Au system, cracks along grain boundaries in connection with a shift of adjoining crys tallites are observed on the gold-rich side of the couple. Also on the gold-rich side the formation of a zone of small protrusions is found.' The growth law of the width of this zone indicates that the protrusion formation is a secondary effect of diffusion. The protrusions are not found within a distance of approximately 60 from a grain boundary. Unaffected regions along grain boundaries were also observed by Doherty and Davis during precipitation of vacancies in aluminum2 and by Wyon and Lacombe during precipitation of iron in aluminum.3 Thus we may suppose that we have an effect analogous to precipitation in which the crystal tends to maintain its equilibrium vacancy concentration by transporting excess atoms to the surface. At an early stage (i.e., before sintering has influenced the shape of the protrusions) the protrusions have similar shapes (three sided pyramids and roof shapes) and similar orientations within a single grain but vary from one grain to another. Further experiments were carried out on cylindrical Au-Ag single crystal couples. During the weld-

Jan 1, 1963

By Chester N. Truax

Still another shadow was cast over coal's largest market-the electric utilities-when President Johnson signed into law the Federal Clean Air Act of 1967. Air pollution-sulfur reduction-was thus brought into sharper focus as one of the central problems of the coal industry. Industry executives testified in both Houses of Congress to enable the lawmakers to develop a workable and economic law. The new legislation calls for the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to establish air control regions. After the regions are outlined the Department will publish air quality criteria on pollutants. Anticipating this legislation, the coal and utility industries have for the last several years been involved in extensive research programs to develop solutions to the air pollution problem. Even though the coal industry has been under strong attack for its part in adding contaminants to the atmosphere, it is by no means the major contributor.

Jan 2, 1968

By J. B. Bassett, E. S. Rowland

INTRODUCTION THE experimental work reported herein was inspired by the publication of a paper by Grange and Stewart,1 in which it was suggested that at low chromium contents the effect of this element on the [M,] point was greater than at higher chromium contents. It was argued that, if a small increase of chromium in solution in austenite caused a sharp lowering of the [M,] point, it might lead to an explanation of occasional unsolved stress cracking of SAE 52100 during heat treatment. Commercial hardening is carried out at temperatures of incomplete solution, leaving carbides available to enrich the austenite during any inadvertent increase in temperature. Such enrichment of the austenite in chromium content would lower the [ M,] point nearer room temperature where cracking is more likely to occur. Accordingly, it was decided to investigate the effect of chromium, in quantities between o and 2 pct, on the[ M,] point of commercial steels. Fig I summarizes the data available on chromium steels. For purposes of comparison, the [M, ] temperature values were corrected by means of the Grange and Stewart formula§ to (I) Hypoeutectoid compositions: 0.50 pct carbon and 0.80 pct manganese (2) Hypereutectoid compositions: 1.00 pct carbon and 0.35 pct manganese. Only the steels having compositions reasonably close to these corrected values were included, because large adjustments inevitably introduce increased errors such as are experienced in using the formula. The straight lines of Fig I were drawn by the authors. These data obviously do not settle the question of the effect of chromium on the [M,] point, particularly at low chromium contents. While it is fairly well established that chromium causes the [M,] to be lowered when present in quantities of I pct or more, Grange and Stewart1 have suggested that in small amounts (less than I. pct) it is more effective in lowering the[ M,] point, while Klier and Troiano2 have suggested that in small amounts it is less effective in lowering the []M,] point. Payson and Savage3 concur with Klier and Troiano and further suggest that the effect is not linear at these concentrations. Rose and Fischer4 report that small amounts of chromium actually raise the-[M,] point of a 0.20 carbon steel. MATERIAL Two series of 35 lb induction heats were melted for this work, the analyses of which are given in Table I. One series was aimed at 0.50 pct carbon and 0.80 pct manganese with chromium additions in 0.25 pct increments from o to 1.5 pct with a single heat at 2.0 pct Cr. This series was considered necessary because the commercial heat treatment of SAE 52100 does not generally introduce more than about 0.60 pct carbon in solution in the austenite. The high

Jan 1, 1948

By W. H. Lewis, J. C. Yingling, M. H. Leon

This paper describes the present state-of-the-art and status of longwall lighting in the U.S.A. Specific subtopics discussed are as follows: review of MSHA lighting regulations and requirements for longwalls; overview of available lighting hardware; installation procedures and costs; analysis of installations to date, including operator and management acceptance, complaints, benefits, and maintenance considerations.

Jan 1, 1981

By E. P., Mathewson

THE most important improvements in copper metallurgy today are the advances in the art of leaching and electrical precipitation of copper from solution; the development of flotation processes; improvements in crushing and pulverizing machinery; the enlarged units of both reverberatory and .blast furnaces, together with the application of pulverized coal to both styles .of furnaces; the enlargement of' units for converting copper and the improving of the mechanical design of converter shells and equipment; the electrical precipitation of flue dust and fume from escaping gases.

Jan 1, 1921

By P. G. Beckett

THE problem of handling the large quantities of water encountered in the Old Dominion mine presents many features of interest. In the present paper are discussed the probable sources of water, the pumping equipment, the increased flow into the mine in the early part of 1915, culminating in the flooding of the 18th and 16th levels in March of that year, and the difficulties that were met with during the high-water period. I. PRELIMINARY The Old Dominion mine, situated 1 mile north of the town of Globe, Ariz., has long been one of the prominent copper producers of the State, and until the opening up of the copper schist deposits in the neighboring mines of Miami, was responsible for the greater part of the copper output from the Globe district. As the gradual exhaustion of its orebodies near the surface led to the downward development of the mine, more water was encountered in the western portions directly underlying the dacite formation until the drainage problem became a serious factor in the operation of the mine and in the economical extraction of the ore. A heavy inrush of water on the 10th level of the mine in 1906, preceded by still earlier water difficulties, rendered imperative the immediate installation of a pumping equipment capable of handling large flows of water. While the Old Dominion has been recognized as a wet mine since its early clays and one in which the complete control of the water situation was of paramount importance in the development of the lower levels, it is chiefly in the last nine years, since the installation of the increased pumping equipment, that the mine has developed and handled large quantities of water.

Jan 4, 1916

By William Firmstone

On the 19th December, 1833, a patent was granted to F. W. Geisenheimer, for smelting iron ore with anthracite. In his claim he says: " Sixthly, though I cannot, and do not, claim an exclusive right of the use of heated air, for any kind of fuel, nevertheless I believe to have a right to claim the use of heated air, applied upon, and in connection with, the said principle and manner discovered by me, to smelt iron ore in blast-furnaces with anthracite coal, by applying a blast of air in such quantity, velocity, and density, or under such pressure, as the compactness, or density, and the continuity of the anthracite requires, as above amply and fully described and illustrated." Dr. Geisenheimer made experiments in smelting iron ore with anthracite at the Valley Furnace, near Pottsville, but he failed to carry out to good practical results the principles enunciated in his patent. In the .Joozcrnal of the Franklin Institute for February, 1838, a communication was published that was made by Mr. George Crane, of the Yniscedwyn Iron Works, South Wales, to the British Association, in September, 1837. On the smelting of iron with anthracite coal, Mr. Crane states therein, that he began the use of anthracite with hot-blast on the 7th February, 1837, in a cupola blastfurnace, 41 feet high, and 10 feet across the boshes ; product, 34 to 36 tons a week. Mr. Crane goes on to say, "It may not be uninteresting to be informed in what matter the idea first occurred to me of applying a heated blast to anthracite coal. One evening, after I had placed a piece of it upon my parlor fire (which had before been made up with bituminous coal), arid had allowed it to arrive at a red heat, upon applying as fierce a blast to this piece of coal as I could raise from a pair of bellows, I noticed a black spot or mark

By R. L. Bleifuss

Most pellets swell only slightly during reduction, but some swell so enormusly that their increase in size is termed catastrophic. Since catastrophic swelling produces irregularities in blast furnace operation, an understanding of the phenomenon is of practical as well as theoretical interest. Observations have shown that catastrophic swelling is characterized by the growth of a network of fine iron filaments. Evidence is presented to show that the growth of these filaments is promoted by the presence of calcium in the magnetite lattice of the original ore. During reduction, the limited mutual solubility of CaO and FeO produces an unstable condition that inhibits the uniform nucleation of metallic iron. Other elements in the magnetite lattice whose oxides are continuously soluble in FeO in the critical temperature range have no effect. Magmatic segregation or pyrometasomatic replacements are the most likely deposits to contain calciferous magnetite. Over the past few years there has been an increasing concern throughout the iron and steel industry over the tendency of pellets to swell during reduction. Although the tendency for swelling is only one of several attributes that determine the behavior of pellets in the blast furnace, swelling-reduction tests are now part of the normal evaluation procedure of many pellet consumers. During a swelling-reduction test, pellets display either the moderate increase in size known as normal swelling, or the enormous expansion known as catastrophic swelling. This paper is concerned with the origin and control of catastrophic swelling and how it is enhanced or inhibited by the presence of minor elements. Swelling Behavior The swelling behavior of pellets during reduction is indicated in Fig. 1. The lower curve represents normal swelling and the upper curve catastrophic swelling.' During the initial stages of reduction, that is, up to about 20-25% reduction, the two curves are considered to be equivalent. Beyond this point normal pellets undergo a gradual decrease in size with increased reduction. By contrast, pellets which exhibit catastrophic swelling show a second dramatic expansion between 25 and 70% reduction. The initial normal swelling develops as the hematite of the pellet is successively reduced to magnetite, and then to wustite. Work by Edstrom' and others has shown that the reduction of hematite to magnetite is accompanied by a 25% volume increase, whereas the magnetite to wustite stage shows a volume decrease. The volume increase overlaps the wustite field because magnetite is formed simultaneously with the wustite during topochemical reduction of the pellet. The catastrophic expansion is clearly related to the wustite, to

Jan 1, 1971

By E. H. Bronson

PROPERTY of Malartic Gold Fields Ltd. is situa-ated in the great clay belt in the northern part of the Province of Quebec. This belt represents the floor of the glacial lake Barlow-Ojibway. The clay blanket has a gently rolling, almost flat surface, with here and there projecting knobs and ridges that outline the large irregularities of the surface on which the clay was deposited. At irregular intervals glacial eskers dominate the landscape. The ore-bearing country rock is covered by strata of clay, sand, and silt to a depth varying to 40 ft. There are serious structural problems when it is necessary to place loads of unequal intensities on this surface to support buildings and machinery for a modern mining plant. Earlier mining companies and their engineers paid little attention to the science of soil mechanics, partly because they believed it unnecessary and partly because they knew little of the subject. The results are evident in some of the tottering structures in older camps. Careful analysis of soil problems is well worth-while, since cost of foundations may vary from 20 to 50 pct of the final cost of a structure. Low operating and maintenance costs can be achieved only in this way. If it is definitely established that a plant will be in operation for only a few months, this limited time factor will probably influence the design of the foundation, and rightly so. If sensitive and complickted equipment is to be mounted on these foundations and the plant is to operate for several years, there should be a thorough study of foundations and a very careful design. A familiar problem is presented by the difficulty of operating a permanent plant originally designed for a few months' work. The engineer must beware of these hazards and disassociate himself from them if he cannot prevail on the promoter to spend the proper amount for a thorough foundation study. Laws of certain provinces and states hold the engineer equally responsible with the contractor for any 'damage that may be caused to building through inadequate study-ignordnce of the facts is no excuse in the eyes of the law. Types of Soil: The engineer should be familiar with such terms as silt, clay, peat, and varved clay, as well as perpafrost, especially if he is to work in the far northern reaches of the country. He should also be familiar with soil attributes such as porosity, texture, consistency, permeability, compressibility, consolidation, and shearing resistance. The design of any foundation requires an accurate knowledge of the physical properties and location of the soils involved. Older textbooks on the subject outline various empirical methods to determine the carrying power of soil. Tables are given in reference books. The modern ehgineer should be wary of these modes of thinking. He should analyze his problem carefully, calculate to what depth of soil the loads may be transmitted, and then check the bearing value of all soils to that or greater depths. If the strata are water-carrying, he must determine the possibility of this water being accidentally re-

Jan 1, 1958

By R. F. Rolsten

VAN Arkel 1 prepared ductile tantalum by the thermal decompoiition of tantalum pentachloride on a resistively heated wire (2000° C) in an evacuated bulb maintained at 100°C. Burgers and Basart2'3 observed the formation of a mixture of tantalum carbide and free metal when a carbon deposition base was used. campbel14 suggested the thermal decomposition of the iodide if a lower decomposition tem- perature was desired. To date, the details for preparing high-purity iodide tantalum have not been disclosed. EXPERIMENTAL The tantalum to be purified was symmetrically placed around the clear quartz deposition surface centrally located within a 64 mm cylindrical Vycor bulb. The deposition vessel usually employed5 was modified6 by incorporating a reentrant fin,mer in place of the customary metal filament in the head

Jan 1, 1960

Organization Place Date 1917 Mine Inspectors Institute of U. S. A Indianapolis, Ind. July 9-11 American Society of Sanitary Engineers Grand Rapids, Mich. Aug. 1-3 National Association of Stationary Engineers... Evansville, Ind. Sept. 10-15 National Exposition of Safety and Sanitation.. New York City Sept. 10-15 American Iron, Steel & Electrical Engineers.... Philadelphia, Pa. Sept. 10-14 American Institute of Metals Boston, Mass. Sept. 24-29 American Foundrymen's Association Boston, Mass. Sept. 24-29 Chemical Industries, Third National Exhibition. New York City Sept. 24-29 American Electro-Chemical Society Pittsburgh, Pa. Oct. 3-6

Jan 7, 1917

By C. D. Thompson, D. C. Violetta, C. A. Czako

The mechanics of the continuous sintering process are briefly reviewed and the application of this process for the beneficiation of principal minerals used in making cement is shown. Pilot plant tests using pyrobeneficiation techniques were conducted with mixtures of limestone and shale in various ratios. Results are illustrated and show the percentage removal of carbon, carbonates, sulfur, alkalies, and volatiles as a function of the limestone-shale ratio. Tests with varying quantities of solid fwls, added to mixtures containing limestone and shale in a 4 to 1 ratio, were made to attain optimum elimination of the volatile constituents. Experimental results show that 90 pct of these constituents were removed during the calcination sintem'ng process. The advantages of using the beneficiated material for making cement are discussed with regard to prepam'ng, handling, and clinkering operations. A sintering process for treating raw materials or kiln waste products which contain high amounts of alkaline materials is described. Tests were performed with a high alkaline waste dust mixed in a 1 to 1 ratio with raw cement meal. The data from these tests and others using different halides for aiding alkali removal are evaluated by the alkali content of the cement clinker. Test results showed that the Dwight-Lloyd process could be applied with facility in beneficiating raw materials for cement making. Substantial quantities of deleterious volutile constituents were removed by calcining and sintering techniques. The continuous sintering process has been applied for a number of years as a means of beneficiating minerals for subsequent conversion to merchantable products. The process was developed and first used for nonferrous metallurgical applicatfons. However, it has risen to prominence for ferrous metallurgical applications where last year in the U.S. and Canada nearly 40 million tons of iron ore were treated by grate firing processes. Through the years of process development many investigators have realized the versatility of the sintering process and have directed experiments toward the use of it for applications with nonmetallic minerals. These have included calcining limestone, carbonizing coal, expanding shale, and burning cement raw meal. Today commercial sintering plants produce cement clinker from mixtures of limestone and shale, lightweight aggregate from shale or clay, and calcined products from phosphate shale. The mechanics of the downdraft sintering process have been presented by many authors. In general practice the materials to be agglomated are mixed as moistened fines with a solid fuel and this mixture is spread uniformly on the grates of the sintering machine. The charge is then momentarily directed under an ignition furnace. After ignition a continuous downdraft of air promotes combustion of the fuel and through heat transfer particles become partially fused into a coherent mass. This is cooled from continued draft induced after combustion. Many investigators have shown that distinct zones are formed during the process of sintering iron ores. At the midway point of the sintering process these are prominent and are, respectively, from the top of the bed to the bottom, comprised of a cooling zone of sintered material, a combustion zone of sinter formation, a calcination zone, a drying zone, and a zone of unreacted materials. Completion of sintering occurs near the discharge end of the machine where the firing zone approaches either the grates or grate dressing material called hearth layer. Here the peak draft temperature usually can be noted in the windboxes. The zonal pattern has been illustrated with the use of graphs which show thermal gradients as they progress through the bed of materials during sintering. Fig. 1 shows, in simplified form, thermal gradients existing when clinkering cement on a sintering machine. The thermal gradients illustrated are for periods of initiation, midway and completion of the clinkering process. The occurrence of these zones has importance for the beneficiation of cement raw materials. A research program was performed at the Dwight-

Jan 1, 1961

By T. A. Rickard

Do not write until you have something to say. Think first; then write. In order to be understood, you must know what you wish to say. Clear writing is the consequence of clear thinking. Therefore consider your subject well before you begin to write; ruminate on it; marshal the salient facts in your mind; saturate yourself with the ideas you wish to express and with cognate ideas; then express yourself deliberately. If you are bubbling over with your subject the words will come, but you might as well expect to sail without a breeze as hope to give life to words without the living thought. Here I may advert to the fact that among the uneducated it is a common expectation to acquire the knack of writing without taking the trouble to study the art of literature. I overheard a woman in a suburban train remark to her neighbor: "I'd like to be able to write well without stopping to think about it". She was one of many that would like to do a thing well without the trouble of thinking; but it cannot be done in respect of anything to which thought is essential. The possession of a good voice does not justify a person in expecting to sing successfully to a large audience; before singing in public one has to master the technique of singing; one has to learn first how to breathe properly, how to enunciate, and many other things. The successful singer is an artist, not a megaphone. Most of us would regard a man or a woman without any training in the art of singing as a fool or an impostor if he or she were to give a public concert, yet we do not recognize the equal foolishness and imposture of persons that write books before they have studied the technique of writing. That is why so many books are unreadable, and why many books by clever men are difficult to read. They start to write books before

Jan 1, 1931

By Louis, Jordan

THIS paper presents in an abbreviated form the chief points of interest in an investigation of the tarnish-resistant qualities of silver alloys, an investigation which has been carried out as a joint research by the Bureau of Mines and the Bureau of Standards and will later be reported in detail in an official publication from these bureaus. In 1923 a Commission of Gold and Silver Inquiry was created by a Resolution of the U. S. Senate to study the causes of the depressed condition of the gold and silver industry. In cooperation with this commission the Bureau of Mines made a preliminary survey to determine in what ways, if any, it might be possible to increase the uses of silver. One of the possibilities indicated by this survey was the development of silver alloys which should be non-tarnishing, or at least less-tarnishing, than the usual sterling silver (copper-silver). The preparation of a rather wide variety of silver alloys and the determination of their behavior under accelerated tarnish tests in the laboratory was therefore undertaken by the Bureau of Mines and Bureau of Standards as a joint investigation.

Jan 1, 1927

By R. E. Collins, Paul B. Crawford

Potentiometric model studies have been made of ertically fractured reservoirs. All fractures originated at he well and extended into the reservoir for various distances. Studies were made to determine the areal sweep efficiencies for line-drive patterns. The areal sweep efficiency for the unfractured system studied war 70.6 per cent. It was found that if the vertical fracture war paralIel with the direction of flood, the areal sweep efficiency may be considerably reduced, approaching zero in some instances. If the fracture was at right angles to the direction of flood, the areal sweep efficiency may be greater than that for the unfractured system. The sweep efficiency depends on the length and orientation of the fracture and direction of the flood. It is concluded that considerable effort should be made to determine the nature and direction of fractures before initiating a flooding program. Such information is required if the maximum sweep efficiency is to be obtained and channeling is to be reduced to a minimum. INTRODUCTION The recent development and application of fracturing techniques to petroleum reservoirs has served to focus considerable attention on the effect such fractures may have on secondary oil recoveries. The opinion has been expressed that fracturing may not alter appreciably the water flooding possibilities. Others have thought that channeling may occur and that the creation of fractures may serve to substantially reduce the possibilities of conducting a successful water flood in the reservoir The purpose of this study was to obtain quantitative estimates of the effect of vertical fractures on the areal sweep efficiencies of line-drive flooding patterns. In presenting this work on vertical fractures, it is not to be inferred that the present fracturing techniques result in producing a vertical fracture. The types of fracture which are created are not known with certainty in every case. Some are believed to be horizontal, others inclined along bedding planes, and some data indicate vertical fracturing. Each fracture will probably exert a different influence on the sweep efficiency of the secondary recovery program; consequently each fractured well should perhaps be considered as a separate problem, requiring a careful analysis. Preliminary work on the effect of fractures on producing capacity of a well indicated that for practical purposes many fractures may be treated as having a nearly infinite permeability This assumption appears to be valid in some instances where the permeability of the fracture is only 10 or 100 times greater than the permeability of the matrix. It is known to depend on the type, orientation and length of the fracture. In realization that fractures of only 0.01 in. width have calculated permeabilities near 5,000 darcys, it is believed that many fractures may be considered as of near infinite permeability without incurring serious error. Primarily for this reason this study was made with fracture analogs of very great permeability compared to the matrix. FRACTURED SYSTEM ANALOG The pattern sweep efficiencies reported here were obtained with the aid of a potentiometric model. The application of this type model for solving reservoir problems has been described in the literature.1,2,3 The electrolyte reservoir was 20 in. wide by 30 in. long by approximately % in. deep. The liquid depth was constant, which corresponded to a constant permeability-feet product from the injection to the production well. The electrolyte reservoir was built to correspond to a unit in the line-drive pattern shown in Fig. 1. This figure shows part of an infinite array of wells having alternate rows of fractured and unfractured wells. The area within the dashed rectangle shows the area generally studied in the model. In using the model to represent a fractured system, a thin strip of copper was soldered to the well or wells and the length and orientation of the strip was made to conform to the vertical fracture under consideration.

Jan 1, 1955