Search Documents

By E. W. McAllister

The decision of the California Oil Umpire's' office to accept well potentials established from subsurface-pressure data has brought to the attention of many operators for the first time the application of such data to production problems. This paper reviews the development and application of subsurface-pressure data in kettleman Hills, where these data have been used in production work since 1932. The Kettleman Hills field was discovered in October 1928. The first subsurface-pressure surveys were made early in 1932 and by the middle of 1933 the two major operators in the field were making routine pressure runs in thcir respective wells. Shortly therefter, these companies agreed to exchange pressure data, and later a third company entered into the agreement. This made it possible to analyze the effects upon the reservoir pressure of past production practices, which are discussed in the latter part of the report. It is interesting that many of the applications of subsurface-pressure data discussed herein were anticipated by C. L. Clark and C. B. Kimberlint in a report2 dated March 1933. PRODUCTIVITY Index In the majority of individual well problems involving the use of subsurface- pressure data, it is necessary to use a factor known as the "productivity index," which indicates the ability of a well to produce and represents the number of barrels of oil or oil and water per day that will enter the well bore for each pound per square inch pressure drop made opposite the producing interval of the well. The productivity index may be determined from pressure and production data for one or more rates of flow and a static or shut-in pressure survey or from production and pressure data for two or more rates of flow. Productivity indices may be based upon either net oil or total fluid production. All indices referred to in this report are based upon net oil. The value of the productivity index for Kettlcman Hills wells decreases generally with time and it is not uncommon for the index to vary in value at any specific time fur various rates of flow. The decline of the productivity index may be attributed partly to the loss of reservoir pressure. As the reservoir pressure decreases, gas originally in solution is released from the oil, congesting the flow of fluids through the formation and increasing the viscosity and surface tension of the oil; thus the flow resistance of the fluids through the formation is increased, resulting in a decrease of the productivity index. For convenient reference, the productivity indices for each well are plotted against time and a curve is drawn through the points showing the trend of the average index value. Plotted on Fig. I are index values for five

Jan 1, 1941

By E. W. McAllister

The decision of the California Oil Umpire's' office to accept well potentials established from subsurface-pressure data has brought to the attention of many operators for the first time the application of such data to production problems. This paper reviews the development and application of subsurface-pressure data in kettleman Hills, where these data have been used in production work since 1932. The Kettleman Hills field was discovered in October 1928. The first subsurface-pressure surveys were made early in 1932 and by the middle of 1933 the two major operators in the field were making routine pressure runs in thcir respective wells. Shortly therefter, these companies agreed to exchange pressure data, and later a third company entered into the agreement. This made it possible to analyze the effects upon the reservoir pressure of past production practices, which are discussed in the latter part of the report. It is interesting that many of the applications of subsurface-pressure data discussed herein were anticipated by C. L. Clark and C. B. Kimberlint in a report2 dated March 1933. PRODUCTIVITY Index In the majority of individual well problems involving the use of subsurface- pressure data, it is necessary to use a factor known as the "productivity index," which indicates the ability of a well to produce and represents the number of barrels of oil or oil and water per day that will enter the well bore for each pound per square inch pressure drop made opposite the producing interval of the well. The productivity index may be determined from pressure and production data for one or more rates of flow and a static or shut-in pressure survey or from production and pressure data for two or more rates of flow. Productivity indices may be based upon either net oil or total fluid production. All indices referred to in this report are based upon net oil. The value of the productivity index for Kettlcman Hills wells decreases generally with time and it is not uncommon for the index to vary in value at any specific time fur various rates of flow. The decline of the productivity index may be attributed partly to the loss of reservoir pressure. As the reservoir pressure decreases, gas originally in solution is released from the oil, congesting the flow of fluids through the formation and increasing the viscosity and surface tension of the oil; thus the flow resistance of the fluids through the formation is increased, resulting in a decrease of the productivity index. For convenient reference, the productivity indices for each well are plotted against time and a curve is drawn through the points showing the trend of the average index value. Plotted on Fig. I are index values for five

Jan 1, 1941

By C. E. Cannon, R. C. Craze

This paper discusses the results of a study of reservoir pressures in the Gulf Coast area of Texas and Louisiana, showing the general relation of the reservoir pressure to its subsea depth, as well as excessive reservoir pressures that have been encountered. The latter are particularly important in mud-control work, and the data show why it is necessary to use muds having a relatively high density in many of the deeper wells drilled in this area. Only a comparatively few of the wells drilled in the Gulf Coast that have encountered excessive pressures are discussed, but as far as is known those omitted fall within the range of pressure observed by the writers. Measurement of Pressures The following methods were used to determine the values of the original pressures: 1. Estimation of original pressure from subsequent pressure behavior of fields. This method is not precise, and was used only in a few of the older fields in which better methods of obtaining original pressures were not available. Only normal pressures were determined by this method. 2. Measurement of shut-in pressures soon after completion of the first producing well. With one exception, all pressures measured by this method were normal, this well having a pressure slightly higher than normal. 3. Measurements of pressure in connection with drill-stem tests. 4. Estimates from the maximum hydrostatic head of mud that failed to prevent flow from the high-pressure formations into the hole. This method is not exact, tending generally to indicate low pressures. Normal Pressures All pressure measurements available are plotted in Fig. 1, with original pressure at the water-oil contact as abscissa and subsea depth as ordinate. All producing fields fall close to the solid line, which passes through the origin and has a slope of 0.465 lb. per sq. in. per ft. By way of compari-

Jan 1, 1938

By P. P. Gregory

Natural petroleum gas occurring in the oil-bearing reservoirs is found to exist either as free gas associated with the oil and/or in solution in the oil. In some virgin fields practically no free gas is encountered under the reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature, although in other fields a considerable section of the "pay" horizon is occupied by free gas. In other words, a given oil field may or may not have a gas cap before the exploitation takes place. However, when the reservoir pressure is reduced to a point below the critical saturation pressure by withdrawals of fluids from the producing formation, the gas dissolved in the oil inevitably begins to come out of solution and becomes free gas. Under the controlled methods of production and drilling, a portion of this gas is produced with the oil to the surface and a portion of it remains within the reservoir to accumulate at higher structural levels toward which it migrates by virtue of its low specific gravity. The rate of growth of a gas cap in a given structure depends primarily upon the rate of decline in the reservoir pressure. If the rate of pressure decline is rapid, the gas cap likewise will grow rapidly. On the other hand, shrinkage in the gas-cap area was noted in some fields in which reservoir pressures wereincreasing. Determination of Gas-oil Contact and Thickness of Gas Cap The gas-oil contact can be conveniently located in the process of drilling a well and by electrical logging. However, very little can be found in the petroleum literature concerning methods of predetermining gas-oil contacts in producing reservoirs. Therefore, the writer feels justified in describing briefly a simple, workable, and inexpensive method of determining gas-oil contacts and outlining the limits of gas-cap areas in a field where such knowledge may be essential for efficient production and development operations. The method involves the determination of the following data: (I) Structural data, such as the depth or elevation of the top' of "pay" horizon; (2) reservoir pressures; (3) tubing and casing pressures at the well head; (4) static oil-pressure gradient; (5) static gas-pressure gradient. These data can be secured with a minimum of expense, inasmuch as the

Jan 1, 1938

By Tracy L. Atherton

The mapping of slant-hole oil fields is complicated by the fact that relationships between wells are subject to variations in three dimensions and are not readily adaptable to representation on a plane surface. Formalized perspectives usually expand into an undecipherable maze of lines and peg models with the necessary supporting dividers serve only to awe the beholder with their perplexity. The usual compromise arrived at is a plotting of the projection of the courses of all of the wells in the field onto a horizontal plane (Fig. I). These complicated plots, when used in conjunction with the individual vertical projections of the wells, heretofore have been the most practical foundation for the study of general field problems. This method has many shortcomings, however, which arc not found in the recently developed straight-hole equivalent projec-tion method. The new method supplies a series of maps similar to the type now in common use in straight-hole fields. It is remarkably simple to use and supplies a ready check on clearances between wells. Perhaps the method can best be understood if the steps that led to its development are described. Common practice of oil-well surveyors is to supply the owner with a tabling of the survey and a plan view plotted against the true meridian. If a vertical projection is plotted, it is usually plotted separately and shows vertical depths against the projection of the stations along a section line joining the top and bottom of the hole on the plan view. A more practical method would be to plot the section line of the plan parallel to the abscissa of the vertical projection (Fig. 2). If this is done, any line parallel to the "base line1' will pass through the points on each projection that represent a single point in the hole. Another very useful graph, which the well surveyor could provide, would be plotting of vertical depths against measured depths. Fig. 3 illustrates the next step facilitated by this form of plotting. The lines designated "well A" represent the proposed course of a hole to be drilled. Superimposed on the drawing, in its proper relative position, is the plan view and a portion of the vertical projection of a present producer, well B." From an inspection of the plan view we arrive at the correct conclusion that the only indicated possibility of collision is at the point of crossing of the wells on the plan view. Referring to the vertical projection, note that the vertical depths of stations on B, in the vicinity of the crossing, are plotted on the same plane of projection as A. The clearance is the indicated distance between the two vertical sections measured along the parallel to the "base line," which passes through the point of intersection of the plan view. Repeat this process for the other wells crossing the proposed course of A on the plan view and you have a preliminary check of clearance for the proposed course. A similar comparison of crossings on the vertical projections of all >

Jan 1, 1941

By Tracy L. Atherton

The mapping of slant-hole oil fields is complicated by the fact that relationships between wells are subject to variations in three dimensions and are not readily adaptable to representation on a plane surface. Formalized perspectives usually expand into an undecipherable maze of lines and peg models with the necessary supporting dividers serve only to awe the beholder with their perplexity. The usual compromise arrived at is a plotting of the projection of the courses of all of the wells in the field onto a horizontal plane (Fig. I). These complicated plots, when used in conjunction with the individual vertical projections of the wells, heretofore have been the most practical foundation for the study of general field problems. This method has many shortcomings, however, which arc not found in the recently developed straight-hole equivalent projec-tion method. The new method supplies a series of maps similar to the type now in common use in straight-hole fields. It is remarkably simple to use and supplies a ready check on clearances between wells. Perhaps the method can best be understood if the steps that led to its development are described. Common practice of oil-well surveyors is to supply the owner with a tabling of the survey and a plan view plotted against the true meridian. If a vertical projection is plotted, it is usually plotted separately and shows vertical depths against the projection of the stations along a section line joining the top and bottom of the hole on the plan view. A more practical method would be to plot the section line of the plan parallel to the abscissa of the vertical projection (Fig. 2). If this is done, any line parallel to the "base line1' will pass through the points on each projection that represent a single point in the hole. Another very useful graph, which the well surveyor could provide, would be plotting of vertical depths against measured depths. Fig. 3 illustrates the next step facilitated by this form of plotting. The lines designated "well A" represent the proposed course of a hole to be drilled. Superimposed on the drawing, in its proper relative position, is the plan view and a portion of the vertical projection of a present producer, well B." From an inspection of the plan view we arrive at the correct conclusion that the only indicated possibility of collision is at the point of crossing of the wells on the plan view. Referring to the vertical projection, note that the vertical depths of stations on B, in the vicinity of the crossing, are plotted on the same plane of projection as A. The clearance is the indicated distance between the two vertical sections measured along the parallel to the "base line," which passes through the point of intersection of the plan view. Repeat this process for the other wells crossing the proposed course of A on the plan view and you have a preliminary check of clearance for the proposed course. A similar comparison of crossings on the vertical projections of all >

Jan 1, 1941

By Read Winterburn

This discussion covers only one method of pressure drilling—that developed in the Kettleman Hills field. Thus it is probable that many departures from the procedure herein described would be advisable, and perhaps necessary, in using this method of drilling wells in other localities. Purpose of Pressure Drilling By the early part of 1936, formation pressures in the heavily produced north end of the Kettleman North Dome field had declined to range from 1000 to 1500 lb. per sq. in. This low pressure, combined with the depth of the wells (8000 to 9000 ft.) permitted water to be filtered out of the mud into the producing sands during drilling operations. The loss of water was indicated by loss of fluid from the suction tank while drilling, accompanied by an increase in mud weight. It was found that when water was added to the mud stream at such a rate as to keep the fluid level in the suction tank constant, the mud weight would not vary. This indicates that water only was forced into the sands. The rate of this loss at various wells ranged from 2 to 5 bbl. per hour. At some places complete loss of circulation occurred, and drilling mud to the extent of 200 to 1000 bbl. had to be pumped into the sands before returns were regained. It was believed that these conditions had already begun to harmfully affect production, and that such effect would become more pronounced as formation pressures continued to decline. Pressure drilling with oil was introduced because it eliminated the danger of loading the formations with mud and water. The method also afforded a convenient means of testing as drilling progressed, lessening the amount of formation testing, which had become necessary because of encroaching edge water.

Jan 1, 1938

By C. V. Millikan

Production engineering has continued its rapid progress during the past year. Many engineering efficiencies long practiced in other industries are being rapidly accepted by the oil industry, and every branch of development and production work is undergoing study that is reducing the time and hazard in the drilling of wells even for greater depths, is securing better service from equipment, and is obtaining greater ultimate recovery from the reservoirs. Deviation of Drill Holes Deviation of drill holes probably has attracted greater and wider study than any other subject. Until about one year ago it had been given little attention. Some California operators knew the common magnitude of deviation, but Mid-Continent operators hesitated to believe that holes could be drilled so crooked. The great emphasis and publicity given to the seriousness of the problem resulted in the design of many instruments to record the deviation by chart or photograph. Instruments which would give the direction as well as deviation were not generally favored because of the grave fears of the legal complications which might result if the bottom of a producing well should prove to be on a neighboring lease. With all the instruments available for determining deviation, the use of etching on a glass bottle by hydrofluoric acid is still the most common method employed. The beneficial result of this earnest effort to drill straighter holes is proved by a comparison of deviation of wells completed recently with those completed over a year ago. The time of this change is arbitrarily taken as Jan. 1, 1929, as at that time the operators were aware of the deviation which usually occurred, and most of them were making some effort to reduce it. Table I shows averages of wells completed by several companies. Data on a few wells outside the greater Seminole area are

Jan 1, 1930

By I. W. Alcorn

The cost of drilling in the past few years of proration and ever decreasing allowables has received increasing thought and study. It seems to parallel the strides made with respect to pumping problems in 1932 and 1933. Low profit margins stimulate the search for economies. Any discussion of slim-hole drilling involves a multitude of abstract values, and the problem can be attacked only by a study of records and rational thinking. In a measure, traditional methods must be studied with a questioning attitude. The words "slim hole" may be somewhat misleading, as the term is entirely relative. For that reason I wish to define it as used in this discussion. On the Gulf Coast, I would define a normal hole as one in which 10 3/4-in. surface casing has been set and below which a 9 7/8-in. hole is dug. With this as a datum, holes of larger diameter below surface would be called "large holes," with 121/4 in. as the "extra large" class and holes of smaller diameter classed in the slim-hole range, 6 1/4 in. representing about the minimum size. The optimum size has not been definitely determined, but the preference is for a program that would call for setting 8 5/8 -in. surface casing and digging a 7 3/4 - in. hole. Different sections of the country might very properly deviate from this practice because of differences in depth, formations, regulations, or other factors. This paper will be confined to a discussion of the drilling of exploratory wells, as the drilling of this class of wells is quite a different problem from that of drilling a proven field, although many of the same considerations apply in both cases, as will be apparent. Although for many years shallow slim-hole and core-test holes of small diameter had been dug, it was not, I believe, until the fall of 1937 that serious consideration was given to its application in drilling wells 7000 ft., 8000 ft. and 9000 ft. deep on the Gulf Coast. This does not mean that nearly all such wells drilled on the Gulf Coast now are of the slim-hole variety, but only that efforts have been aimed in that direction with very encouraging results and there has been a very definite trend to reduce the size of holes, a trend that probably will continue. As to exploration policy, there appear to be two distinct and opposite views. The one usually followed in the past was more or less designed to "shoot the works" on one well. Generally on the Gulf Coast, the depth at which production might be obtained is limited by the drilling equipment and economics. With this thought in mind, wildcat wells are often planned with the idea of carrying the depth to 10,000 It., or even 15,000 ft. All of the possible hazards are anticipated and the general drilling and casing programs are so predicated. Such wells contemplate the drilling of large-diameter holes; the setting of at least one protective string of casing and an extensive coring policy, all of which finally adds up to an expensive well. AS opposed to this general policy is the slim hole. This, on the Gulf Coast, recognizes that new discoveries represent gam-

Jan 1, 1941

By I. W. Alcorn

The cost of drilling in the past few years of proration and ever decreasing allowables has received increasing thought and study. It seems to parallel the strides made with respect to pumping problems in 1932 and 1933. Low profit margins stimulate the search for economies. Any discussion of slim-hole drilling involves a multitude of abstract values, and the problem can be attacked only by a study of records and rational thinking. In a measure, traditional methods must be studied with a questioning attitude. The words "slim hole" may be somewhat misleading, as the term is entirely relative. For that reason I wish to define it as used in this discussion. On the Gulf Coast, I would define a normal hole as one in which 10 3/4-in. surface casing has been set and below which a 9 7/8-in. hole is dug. With this as a datum, holes of larger diameter below surface would be called "large holes," with 121/4 in. as the "extra large" class and holes of smaller diameter classed in the slim-hole range, 6 1/4 in. representing about the minimum size. The optimum size has not been definitely determined, but the preference is for a program that would call for setting 8 5/8 -in. surface casing and digging a 7 3/4 - in. hole. Different sections of the country might very properly deviate from this practice because of differences in depth, formations, regulations, or other factors. This paper will be confined to a discussion of the drilling of exploratory wells, as the drilling of this class of wells is quite a different problem from that of drilling a proven field, although many of the same considerations apply in both cases, as will be apparent. Although for many years shallow slim-hole and core-test holes of small diameter had been dug, it was not, I believe, until the fall of 1937 that serious consideration was given to its application in drilling wells 7000 ft., 8000 ft. and 9000 ft. deep on the Gulf Coast. This does not mean that nearly all such wells drilled on the Gulf Coast now are of the slim-hole variety, but only that efforts have been aimed in that direction with very encouraging results and there has been a very definite trend to reduce the size of holes, a trend that probably will continue. As to exploration policy, there appear to be two distinct and opposite views. The one usually followed in the past was more or less designed to "shoot the works" on one well. Generally on the Gulf Coast, the depth at which production might be obtained is limited by the drilling equipment and economics. With this thought in mind, wildcat wells are often planned with the idea of carrying the depth to 10,000 It., or even 15,000 ft. All of the possible hazards are anticipated and the general drilling and casing programs are so predicated. Such wells contemplate the drilling of large-diameter holes; the setting of at least one protective string of casing and an extensive coring policy, all of which finally adds up to an expensive well. AS opposed to this general policy is the slim hole. This, on the Gulf Coast, recognizes that new discoveries represent gam-

Jan 1, 1941

By Lyndon L. Foley

The proper spacing of oil wells is a problem of vital importance to the oil industry. Conservation demands a maximum recovery, while economic considerations attach primary importance to profitable extraction of oil. Formulas have been evolved,1-4 which attempt to solve the spacing problem mathematically, using reservoir characteristics as factors. Comparisons have been made of fields producing from supposedly similar sands, which have been drilled to varying densitiesl5,6 and also of different leases in the same field. 5-8 Intermediate wells have been drilled in old, depleted fields to test the efficiency of drainage by the original operation.9-11 Intermediate wells have been drilled also to obtain cores of the depleted sand for analysis, from which to learn the degree of efficiency of extraction. The problem is being attacked by many students, and along several different lines. Unfortunately, the fields now depleted were produced generally without restriction, and conclusions drawn from them may not apply to fields operated under restricted production. Reservoir conditions in a restricted field, especially reservoir pressures and pressure gradients within the reservoir, are quite different from those in a field produced to capacity. Many people have held the idea that the closer the spacing, the greater the recovery. This general statement is not always true, as other factors than well spacing enter into the recovery problem. Cutler,5 who has been quoted frequently by advocates of close spacing, limited his conclusions to gas-drive fields, and to the particular fields and spac-ings that he investigated. Hill and Sutton7 analyzed four tracts in the Powell field; the tract most closely drilled had the third largest recovery per acre-foot, and the tract with the widest spacing had the second largest recovery per acre-foot. A search of the references to well spacing in the publications of the U. S. Bureau of Mines5,13-19 discloses repeated condemnations of the wastefulness of the practice of town-lot drilling.

Jan 1, 1938

By C. V. Millikan

Temperature measurement in wells is an old practice and geothermal gradients have been of interest to geologists for many years.le2 Their application to the operation of oil wells is a more recent practice. It has long been recognized that temperature anomalies occur in drilling and producing wells but thermometers that could obtain a satisfactory record of the anomalies were not available. The normal geothermal gradient is con-sidered as being about one degree Fahren-heit for each 60 ft. of depth.4 This "nor-mal " gradient varies in different areas, but whatever it may be in an area there is little variation from the surface to as deep as the : drill penetrates. The normal gradient is appreciably changed by gas expanding ; from the reservoir into the borehole or by the movement of fluid through a borehole : while drilling, producing, or circulating. It is the resulting anomalies and abnormal gradients from which conditions in wells can be interpreted. Some of the applications of such interpretations are locating the position of oil or gas sands, permeable strata in a reservoir zone, gas-oil contact, source of water, casing leaks, and the top of cement behind casing. Thermometers A thermometer for use in wells must be sensitive and have a low thermal lag. The sensitivity should permit recording 0.2OF. or less for differential temperatures although the actual temperature need not be more accurate than 1°F. The thermal lag should be as low as rugged construction will permit in order to allow surveys to be made in a minimum of time. Of the several kinds of thermometers, these requirements are most easily obtained with the vapor-pressure, expansion, and electric-resistance types. Thermometers for use in wells may be self-contained—that is, the complete instrument is lowered into the well and a record made of the temperature—or the thermal element only may be lowered into the well and the temperature recorded at the surface. The vapor-pressure and expansion types are more adaptable for a self-contained instrument while the electric-resistance thermometer is more suitable for surface recording of temperatures. The self-contained instrument can be run against high pressure on a single wire line with only one operator required. The instrument and its hoisting equipment is easily portable and can be mounted on a small car. The disadvantages are a somewhat greater thermal lag and the necessity of completing a run before any temperature or temperature anomaly is known. A surface-recording thermometer has the advantage of being somewhat more sensitive and of having a lower thermal lag. The Operator can see what anomalies are encountered and can immediately change the running conditions of the instrument or the well conditions in order to obtain the most

Jan 1, 1941

By C. V. Millikan

Temperature measurement in wells is an old practice and geothermal gradients have been of interest to geologists for many years.le2 Their application to the operation of oil wells is a more recent practice. It has long been recognized that temperature anomalies occur in drilling and producing wells but thermometers that could obtain a satisfactory record of the anomalies were not available. The normal geothermal gradient is con-sidered as being about one degree Fahren-heit for each 60 ft. of depth.4 This "nor-mal " gradient varies in different areas, but whatever it may be in an area there is little variation from the surface to as deep as the : drill penetrates. The normal gradient is appreciably changed by gas expanding ; from the reservoir into the borehole or by the movement of fluid through a borehole : while drilling, producing, or circulating. It is the resulting anomalies and abnormal gradients from which conditions in wells can be interpreted. Some of the applications of such interpretations are locating the position of oil or gas sands, permeable strata in a reservoir zone, gas-oil contact, source of water, casing leaks, and the top of cement behind casing. Thermometers A thermometer for use in wells must be sensitive and have a low thermal lag. The sensitivity should permit recording 0.2OF. or less for differential temperatures although the actual temperature need not be more accurate than 1°F. The thermal lag should be as low as rugged construction will permit in order to allow surveys to be made in a minimum of time. Of the several kinds of thermometers, these requirements are most easily obtained with the vapor-pressure, expansion, and electric-resistance types. Thermometers for use in wells may be self-contained—that is, the complete instrument is lowered into the well and a record made of the temperature—or the thermal element only may be lowered into the well and the temperature recorded at the surface. The vapor-pressure and expansion types are more adaptable for a self-contained instrument while the electric-resistance thermometer is more suitable for surface recording of temperatures. The self-contained instrument can be run against high pressure on a single wire line with only one operator required. The instrument and its hoisting equipment is easily portable and can be mounted on a small car. The disadvantages are a somewhat greater thermal lag and the necessity of completing a run before any temperature or temperature anomaly is known. A surface-recording thermometer has the advantage of being somewhat more sensitive and of having a lower thermal lag. The Operator can see what anomalies are encountered and can immediately change the running conditions of the instrument or the well conditions in order to obtain the most

Jan 1, 1941

By F. Cadena

Hiwassee Darn, now under construction by the Tennessee Valley Authority on the Hiwassee River, a tributary of the Tennessee River, will require aggregate for approximately 800,000 cu. yd. of concrete. Near the damsite deposits of natural sand or gravel are not available and graywacke, a rock that is found in abundance, suggested itself as a likely source of manufactured aggregate. Graywacke is a metamorphosed sandstone composed principally of a mixture of quartz (65 per cent), mica (25 per cent), and feldspar (10 per cent). Other minerals are present in negligible amounts. The rock varies in different parts of the quarry from very fine to a coarse grain containing particles of about ¼ in. maximum size, although the bulk of the deposit is medium grain. Extensive tests showed that graywacke would be suitable as a source of both coarse and fine aggregates. The aggregate plant available for use at Hiwassee Dam consisted of the coarse-aggregate and sand plant used on the Norris project. The coarse-aggregate plant had also been used at Chickamauga Dam. Although most of this plant equipment is now in use at Hiwassee, the present flowsheet is not only different from that at Norris and Chickamauga but is also unique as compared to the flowsheet of the average crushed-stone aggregate plant. It is hoped that this paper will show the importance of proper arrangement of equipment if the optimum in flexibility and capacity is to be attained. Flowsheet Rock is ioaded by 3-yd. electric shovels into 12-yd. dump trucks, which carry the rock to the primary crusher, a 42-in. Superior McCully gyratory unit set at 4¾ in. (Fig. 1). The primary crusher discharges directly onto a 42-in. inclined belt conveyor, which carries the product to a surge storage pile with a maximum live storage capacity of approximately 3000 tons. A concrete tunnel under this storage pile houses the feed end of a 36-in. belt conveyor (conveyor B) fed by a 36 by 66-in.

Jan 1, 1942

By F. Cadena

Hiwassee Darn, now under construction by the Tennessee Valley Authority on the Hiwassee River, a tributary of the Tennessee River, will require aggregate for approximately 800,000 cu. yd. of concrete. Near the damsite deposits of natural sand or gravel are not available and graywacke, a rock that is found in abundance, suggested itself as a likely source of manufactured aggregate. Graywacke is a metamorphosed sandstone composed principally of a mixture of quartz (65 per cent), mica (25 per cent), and feldspar (10 per cent). Other minerals are present in negligible amounts. The rock varies in different parts of the quarry from very fine to a coarse grain containing particles of about ¼ in. maximum size, although the bulk of the deposit is medium grain. Extensive tests showed that graywacke would be suitable as a source of both coarse and fine aggregates. The aggregate plant available for use at Hiwassee Dam consisted of the coarse-aggregate and sand plant used on the Norris project. The coarse-aggregate plant had also been used at Chickamauga Dam. Although most of this plant equipment is now in use at Hiwassee, the present flowsheet is not only different from that at Norris and Chickamauga but is also unique as compared to the flowsheet of the average crushed-stone aggregate plant. It is hoped that this paper will show the importance of proper arrangement of equipment if the optimum in flexibility and capacity is to be attained. Flowsheet Rock is ioaded by 3-yd. electric shovels into 12-yd. dump trucks, which carry the rock to the primary crusher, a 42-in. Superior McCully gyratory unit set at 4¾ in. (Fig. 1). The primary crusher discharges directly onto a 42-in. inclined belt conveyor, which carries the product to a surge storage pile with a maximum live storage capacity of approximately 3000 tons. A concrete tunnel under this storage pile houses the feed end of a 36-in. belt conveyor (conveyor B) fed by a 36 by 66-in.

Jan 1, 1942

By T. F. Baily

During the period of the war, in both this country and Canada, a number of attempts were made to make pig iron from steel scrap in the electric furnace, and a considerable tonnage of white pig iron was produced, the silicon and manganese additions being made with ferroalloys; but it is believed that the experiments conducted. at Canton, Ohio, in

Jan 1, 1930

By C. E. Lesher

Low-temPeRatUre carbonization needs no introduction to the literature on coal. This paper will attempt no review of that literature; it tells the story of the commercial development of one of the processes for carbonizing coal at so-called low temperatures, dealing with the technology and economics of the process rather than with the design of equipment. The process used is that covered by the patents of C. B. Wisner, with improvements and changes made by the Pittsburgh Coal Carbonization Co. The important and novel feature of the process is the phenomenon of making the product in ball form (Fig. 1). Melting coal dust into smokeless solid fuel in an apparatus as simple as a revolving cylinder of ordinary mild steel has been proved to be practical. Furthermore, it has been found that the process has a wide application, for by applying a knowledge of why and how this balling action is accomplished, the apparatus can be designed and adapted to treat any coal that has a certain minimum agglutinating property. The operating plant is 20 miles west of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the Champion preparation plant of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. The coal used is cleaned minus ?-in. or finer sizes. The products are low-tem-perature coke, tar and tar products. Present capacity is 7000 tons per month of low-temperature coke and 140,000 gal. of tar. There is no surplus gas for sale, and none of the light oils are stripped from the gas. The coke is marketed in two sizes, 1 to 2 in. and 1 to 6 in., through retail coal dealers for domestic consumption in hand-fired furnaces, and for fireplace fuel. The smaller size is bagged by dealers. Crude tar and many distillates and road tars are sold. Acknowledgments During the 10 years in which the work that is summarized in this paper has been under way, many have contributed time and effort, faithful service and fruitful thinking. Whatever success has attended

Jan 1, 1940

By C. E. Lesher

Low-temPeRatUre carbonization needs no introduction to the literature on coal. This paper will attempt no review of that literature; it tells the story of the commercial development of one of the processes for carbonizing coal at so-called low temperatures, dealing with the technology and economics of the process rather than with the design of equipment. The process used is that covered by the patents of C. B. Wisner, with improvements and changes made by the Pittsburgh Coal Carbonization Co. The important and novel feature of the process is the phenomenon of making the product in ball form (Fig. 1). Melting coal dust into smokeless solid fuel in an apparatus as simple as a revolving cylinder of ordinary mild steel has been proved to be practical. Furthermore, it has been found that the process has a wide application, for by applying a knowledge of why and how this balling action is accomplished, the apparatus can be designed and adapted to treat any coal that has a certain minimum agglutinating property. The operating plant is 20 miles west of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the Champion preparation plant of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. The coal used is cleaned minus ?-in. or finer sizes. The products are low-tem-perature coke, tar and tar products. Present capacity is 7000 tons per month of low-temperature coke and 140,000 gal. of tar. There is no surplus gas for sale, and none of the light oils are stripped from the gas. The coke is marketed in two sizes, 1 to 2 in. and 1 to 6 in., through retail coal dealers for domestic consumption in hand-fired furnaces, and for fireplace fuel. The smaller size is bagged by dealers. Crude tar and many distillates and road tars are sold. Acknowledgments During the 10 years in which the work that is summarized in this paper has been under way, many have contributed time and effort, faithful service and fruitful thinking. Whatever success has attended

Jan 1, 1940

By Charles Hart

The art of electric smelting came with the turn of the present century and owes its existence to the introduction of alternating current, which found its first wide use in the establishment of the great power plants at Niagara Falls, N. Y. Prior to that time current was largely direct. The furnaces were electrolytic in nature and found their first metallurgical use in the production of aluminum, and this process still prevails. The normal production of pig iron up to that time was carried on in blast furnaces in which charcoal, coke and anthracite were used as the fuel. This new electric process called for sufficient carbonaceous material to reduce the oxides and impregnate the pig iron with sufficient carbon, but the remainder of the energy was to be supplied by electric power. The chemical reactions are essentially the same in electric smelting as obtains in the older blast furnace. All of these data are so well known in both methods as to need no discussion at this time, for they can be found in scientific : publications and books written during the first two decades of this century. Types of Furnaces The 40 years devoted to the practice of electric smelting may be divided into two . periods of 20 years each. The first was devoted to experimentation with furnace types and with many publications on theories and processes. The second half of this term was devoted to perfecting the types of furnaces and their active commercial operation. The arc furnace may be found in three types: (1) the direct-heating arc furnace with the positive electrode included in the bottom and the other electrode suspended above; (2) the independent arc furnace with its electrodes entirely above the charge, which of necessity depends upon heat reflected from the roof; (3) the direct-heating series arc furnace equipped with two or more electrodes suspended from the roof. Of these three types, only the last is used in electric smelting of iron ore at the present time. The elimination of the other types automatically removed many of the early designs, to the end that there are now only two general types in operation: (I) the " Electrometalls" or high-shaft furnace of Sweden, and (2) the low-shaft or pit-type furnace as offered by Tysland-Hole and Siemens-Halske. The "Electrometalls" furnace takes its name from the corporation formed by the engineers that had undertaken its perfection. After trying several designs they brought forward the furnace shown in Fig. I, which by the way is the highest development of this type of furnace as of today.l Note the trend in the lines, which have kept pace with modern blast-furnace design. The high-shaft furnace lends itself to skip filling and is fitted with tuyeres immediately under the crucible roof, whereby the gases are recycled and the roof preserved. The failure of the Electrometalls furnace in Norway, because of its inability to meet

Jan 1, 1941

By Charles Hart

The art of electric smelting came with the turn of the present century and owes its existence to the introduction of alternating current, which found its first wide use in the establishment of the great power plants at Niagara Falls, N. Y. Prior to that time current was largely direct. The furnaces were electrolytic in nature and found their first metallurgical use in the production of aluminum, and this process still prevails. The normal production of pig iron up to that time was carried on in blast furnaces in which charcoal, coke and anthracite were used as the fuel. This new electric process called for sufficient carbonaceous material to reduce the oxides and impregnate the pig iron with sufficient carbon, but the remainder of the energy was to be supplied by electric power. The chemical reactions are essentially the same in electric smelting as obtains in the older blast furnace. All of these data are so well known in both methods as to need no discussion at this time, for they can be found in scientific : publications and books written during the first two decades of this century. Types of Furnaces The 40 years devoted to the practice of electric smelting may be divided into two . periods of 20 years each. The first was devoted to experimentation with furnace types and with many publications on theories and processes. The second half of this term was devoted to perfecting the types of furnaces and their active commercial operation. The arc furnace may be found in three types: (1) the direct-heating arc furnace with the positive electrode included in the bottom and the other electrode suspended above; (2) the independent arc furnace with its electrodes entirely above the charge, which of necessity depends upon heat reflected from the roof; (3) the direct-heating series arc furnace equipped with two or more electrodes suspended from the roof. Of these three types, only the last is used in electric smelting of iron ore at the present time. The elimination of the other types automatically removed many of the early designs, to the end that there are now only two general types in operation: (I) the " Electrometalls" or high-shaft furnace of Sweden, and (2) the low-shaft or pit-type furnace as offered by Tysland-Hole and Siemens-Halske. The "Electrometalls" furnace takes its name from the corporation formed by the engineers that had undertaken its perfection. After trying several designs they brought forward the furnace shown in Fig. I, which by the way is the highest development of this type of furnace as of today.l Note the trend in the lines, which have kept pace with modern blast-furnace design. The high-shaft furnace lends itself to skip filling and is fitted with tuyeres immediately under the crucible roof, whereby the gases are recycled and the roof preserved. The failure of the Electrometalls furnace in Norway, because of its inability to meet

Jan 1, 1941