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By B. F. Zwick

The entire production of oil in Ecuador so far has come from the Santa Elens Peninsula, Province of Guayas. Both the shallow fields of the northern and the deeper fields of the southern part of the peninsula have been in constant exploitation, though the former are of doubtful economic value. In Table I herewith, which commences with the total amounts produced by the various companies up to 1940, annual company totals are given for the succeeding years. The figures for 1944 have been partly estimated. Table 2 gives figures on casinghead gasoline. Shell Company of Ecuador (formerly known as Anglo-Saxon) has continued active exploration in the Oriente region east of the Andes, and during 1944 the Company's first wildcat well was spudded in. International Ecuadorean Petroleum Co. (formerly International Petroleum Co., Limited) has pursued an active exploration campaign since the latter part of 1939, and a drilling string was placed in operation about a year later. A second string of tools was added during 1943 and a third a few months ago. Ten wildcats, all dry, have been completed in this period, two wells are drilling at the present time and other locations are on the program. Seven of the wells thus far drilled are in the area between Guayaquil and the Santa Elena Peninsula, one up the Daule River beyond Balzar, one on Puna Island in the Guayas Estuary and one in the northern province of Esmeraldas. Both the present drilling wells are in the Guayaquil-Santa Elena zone. The situation in regard to concessions has changed during the past four years because I.E.P.C. has made its selections from the extensive Daule-Guayas Study Concession, as a result of which large tracts were returned to the Government; because of the expropriation of the holdings of the "Ecuapetrol," a German concern whose acreage has passed into other hands; the Peruvian-Ecuadorean boundary settlement, which has reduced Shell's holdings somewhat; and the transfer of most of the holdings of the Cia. Minero-Petrolera del Pacifico to I.E.P,C. The greater part

Jan 1, 1945

By Lyall J. Lichty

THE property of New Calumet Mines, Limited, is on Calumet island, in the Ottawa river, about sixty-six miles northwest of Ottawa. Lead and zinc orebodies were discovered here in 1893. A gravity concentration plant was built in 1912 but was not a success metallurgically, and the plant was later destroyed by fire. A programme of diamond drilling on the property, started in 1937 and continuing to 1942, indicated ore reserves amounting to 1,300,000 tons averaging 2.75 per cent lead, 8.82 per cent zinc, and 0.041 oz. gold and 6.24 oz. silver per ton( l ). These orebodies have been developed underground by cross-cutting and drifting from a three-compartment vertical shaft, sunk to a depth of 745 feet. 'The ore is a contact metamorphic deposit occurring in rocks of the Grenville series, on or near the contact between biotite gneiss and an overlying calcareous amphibolite(2,3). It consists chiefly of iron-bearing sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite, pyrite, and minor amounts of chalcopyriteand argentite. The gangue minerals closely associated with the ore are calcite, quartz, and various lime-silicate minerals.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. P. Klier

The work of Klier and Lyman1 on the bainite reaction has led to the full description of this reaction for medium-carbon low-alloy steels. Certain experimental data reported by Klier and Lyman appear, however, to be improbable of obtaining in very high-carbon steels. The study herein reported consists of an analysis of the transformation characteristics of a 3 per cent chromium, I per cent carbon steel by means of X-ray and metallographic methods. From the results obtained it is concluded that the bainite reaction in this steel is more complicated than that reported by Klier and Lyman for the low-carbon low-alloy steels. Henever, the mechanism of bainite formation in this steel appears to be essentially the same as proposed for the low-carbon low-alloy steels with the modification that the first volumes to transform are carbon-rich rather than carbon-poor. Experimental Procedure The analysis of the steel studied was: Cr, 2.89; C, 1.02; Mn, 0.33; Si, o.35; S, 0.012; P, 0.020. The stock was received from the Carpenter Steel Co. in rolled bars. Specimen Preparation Specimens were austenitized at 1200°C. (2192°F.) for 25 min. in purified nitrogen. The resultant A.S.T.M. austenite grain size was 0-1. Isothermal transformation was allowed by quenching the specimens into liquid metal baths controlled to 5°C. at 540°C. (1004°F.) and above, and to 2°C. at 490°C. (914°f.) and below. Following the desired degree of transformation all specimens were water quenched. Metallographic Examination Specimens 1/4 in. round by 1/4 in. were used for nietallographic examination. Etch-ants used were Vilella's reagent (I gram picric acid, 10 ml. hydrochloric acid to make 100 ml. ethyl alcohol solution) and alkalinc sodium picratc (electrolytic). Vilella's reagent was effective in revealing all microconstitucnts, while the alkaline sodium picrate developed the carbon-rich structures or carbides only. X-ray Examination Two X-ray techniques were used—the Debye-Scherrer method and a back-reflection method. 'The small specimens necessary for the Debye-Scherrer method were austenitized and then allowed to transform, or were cut from the larger metallographic specimens. The metallographic specimens were used for the back-reflection X-ray analysis. When it was desirable to determine the structure of the carbide present, sliver specimens were electrolytically etched to develop a carbide coating, then were exposed in the cameras. This technique was frequently necessary to allow positive identification of the carbide.

Jan 1, 1945

By Donald J. MacNeil

THE opinion, based upon geological knowledge, that certain areas within the Province of Nova Scotia might yield commercial quantities of petroleum, is not new. It dates back to at least 1864, when the Pioneer Oil and Salt Company drilled some shallow holes in search of oil near lake Ainslie, Cape Breton. As a matter of fact, several companies were engaged in oil exploratory work near lake Ainslie at about that time; included among them were the Inverness Oil and Mining Company, the Victoria Oil Company, the American Oil Company, and the Cape Breton Oil and Mining Company. Oil exploration by these and other companies was conducted sporadically on Cape Breton island until 1914. In several instances, the depth of the test holes exceeded 1,000 feet; the deepest was carried to 3,260 feet. The Lake Ainslie area was selected because oil seepages were present along certain sections of the lake shore, but the tests that were drilled to tap the oil-bearing zone failed to yield anything of commercial value. Currently, there are three areas in Nova Scotia wherein active exploratory work is being conducted, namely, at Pugsley Siding close to Amherst; at Kennetcook, Hants county; and near Mabou, Inverness county. The Pugsley Siding test is being drilled by the Sun Oil Company, of Philadelphia; the work at Kennetcook is under the direction of the Nova Scotia Oil and Gas Company; two relatively deep holes were drilled by the Lion Oil Refining Company in 1944 near Mabou, and, as a result of the additional geological information derived therefrom, another test probably will be drilled by this Company in the same area. Aside from these activities in the search for petroleum, the oil possibilities of several other sections of the Province are being studied by means of surface geological mapping.

Jan 1, 1945

By C. T. Cox

The title of this short paper necessarily implies that friction articles comprise a distinct and unique field and are different from the other metal-powder articles, such as bearings, electrical contacts, and magnets. However, this distinction is rather hard to define in that it is really one of degree and not Of kind. It would appear that the main distinction is that friction are are articles of rather large pressing area. In other words, they are articles in which the area Of the mold in which the metal powder is pressed is relatively large. Other articles made from meta1 powders are generally of rather small area, usually a few square inches, while in friction articles the area ranges up to several hundred square inches. The satisfactory production of meta1-powder friction articles involves many production problems and a large number Of these are accentuated by the large area' Since it is impossible in the short space of this Paper to describe adequately all the problems involved, I have thought it best to merely mention some Of them and to place particular emphasis upon a problem that is common to all metal-powder articles, although it is of greater importance in the making of friction articles. This problem has to do with the effect On the properties of a friction article of small variations in the composition. However, before discussing the problems, it is probably appropriate that some mention be made of the limitations on the use of friction articles. Most engineers are familiar with the general field that can be characterized as constituted by clutch facings and brake linings, and undoubtedly have heard many stories of how metal-powder friction articles have had a service life 10 times as long as nonmetallic friction materials, and of instances where metal-powder friction articles have operated satisfactorily where no other material could be used. These instances should not be regarded as criteria for the assumption that metal-powder friction articles are capable of universal use in the friction field and will always outperform other materials. On the contrary, metal-powder friction articles are unsuitable for numerous applications, either on a performance or on a cost basis. Metal-powder friction articles will not replace wooden block brakes for wagon wheels nor cast-iron brake shoes for railway car wheels, to mention just two obvious examples. Metallic friction articles cannot be used where they must act as heat insulatorsl for they have a relatively high thermal conductivity as compared with asbestos. This is a detriment in some uses, as in certain airplane brakes having hydraulic actuators provided with rubber seals. The metallic friction material readily transfers the heat developed at the braking surface back through the material to the rubber seal and destroys it. Within its limited field, metal-powder friction material has proved satisfactory, but many problems are involved in the Selection of the proper material to use in an application and in the commercial pro-

Jan 1, 1945

By W. A. Anderson

Recrystallization of cold-worked metals has long been known to proceed by a process of nucleation and growth.' When a cold-worked metal is heated to a temperature at which recrystallization will ensue, nuclei of new grains, essentially strain-free, appear and grow. As the process proceeds, nuclei continue to appear and to grow, until the cold-worked matrix has been entirely consumed and recrystallization has been completed (Fig. I). Conducted isothermally, a measurement of the fraction of the matrix recrystallized plotted against time, yields an isothermal recrystallization curve, showing the time course of the recrystallization process (Fig. 2).2 Evidently, then, the rate of recrystallization is determined by the rate at which nuclei form and the rate at which they grow. The rate of nucleation N is the number of nuclei that form in unit time in unit volume of the unrecrystallized matrix, and the rate of growth G is the increase in radius of the recrystallized grain per unit time. In recent years attempts have been made to determine N and G as these vary with the well-recognized variables affecting recrystallization: time, temperature, degree of deformation, etc.1 Such studies yield information that is more fundamental than that conveyed by the conventional recrystallization diagram,' since the rate of recrvstallization is thus analyzed into its two component rates3 Methods are now available by which N and G can be measured, and analytical expressions have been developed for the interrelationships among N, G, the isothermal recrystallization curve, and the final grain size, which greatly facilitate analysis.2-4 The application of these methods has been demonstrated recently for the recrystallization of silicon ferrite.2 Data on N and G in dependence upon the recognized recrystallization variables are, however, very fragmentary;" values of N and G have been determined for some metals, but the effect of temperature, which would yield the fundamentally important activation energies, has been too little studied. Thus far there has been no detailed study of the recrystallization of any one metal in terms of X and G ovcr appreciable ranges of the variables time, temperature, degree of deformation, and original grain size. It is the purpose of the present paper to provide such a study, employing aluminum.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. D. Satterley

THE Sherwood mine is an iron-ore mine owned and operated by the Inland Steel Co. in the Iron River district of the Menominee Range in Michigan. The property consists of an 80-acre tract in the village of Mineral Hills, about a mile north of the city of Iron River. The ore mined is a reddish brown, nonbessemer hematite and limonite. The ore bodies lie in a large syncline having an east-west strike and are associated with a rock structure that is folded in a complex manner. The two 40-acre tracts run north and south and the shaft is at about the center of the north forty. The shaft is 1286 ft. deep, with the principal operating level at a depth of 1000 ft. from surface. A new level at a depth of 1200 ft. is in process of development. The ore body at the 1000 ft. level is east and west at approximately the line between the north and south forties and at this elevation is from 50 to 250 ft. wide and extends above the level at varying heights of from 50 to 250 feet. The 1000-ft. haulage drift extends south from the shaft, through the east-west ore body to the slates on the south side of the body. The ore body was intercepted in the drifting at about 800 ft. from the shaft and was about 200 ft. wide at that point. A crosscut was extended to the east and west property lines along the south boundary of the ore body. This east-west ore body is laid out in areas 80 ft. wide for stoping with pillars 40 ft. wide. With this plan a stope is approximately 80 by 200 ft. and has a pillar on both sides that is approximately 40 by 200 ft. The ore has a height of from 50 to 250 ft. above the elevation of the level, therefore the height of the stopes varies in accordance with the height of the ore body at each location. From the crosscut, two main raises, each 6 by 7 ft., are put up into each 80 ft. stope area (Fig. I). One of the main raises serves as a manway and the other as an ore raise, through which the ore is transferred from the stope to the tramming equipment. The original layout was for scraping of the ore from under the stopes into the ore raises. The ore raise is put halfway (east and west) along the 80-ft. stope area and usually is in iron formation. The manway and ore raise are on approximately 15-ft- centers. These main raises are put up to a height of from 22 to 30 ft. above the level floor, then from the top of the ore raise a scraper drift (8 X 8 ft.) is driven across the width of the ore body, which is in the neighborhood of 200 ft. From the scraper drift, mill raises are put up at 12 ½ -ft. centers, staggered on opposite sides of the drift, and these are extended 23 ft. above the elevation of the scraper-drift floor. The sublevel connecting the top of these mill raises is called a mill "sub." Other sublevels are developed parallel to the scraper and mill subs at 25-ft. vertical intervals above the mill sub. The mill sub and the other subs above the mill sub are known as sublevels or dog drifts, and are 4 ft. wide and 6 ft. high. These dog drifts

Jan 1, 1945

By C. G. Goetzel

E. V. Crane.*—I want to ask Dr. Goetzel concerning the control of atmosphere in heating and pressing. Was the heating and pressing done in the die, or were the two kept separate there? C. G. Goetzel.—The setup used for this investigation implied heating the die to the temperature at which the work was to proceed, introducing a preformed compact into the hot die. The atmosphere was supplied through an annular chamber from which it passed through two holes into the die cavity. E. V. CRane.—The compact was not preheated? C. G. Goetzel.—The compact was not preheated. Tee Chairman.—In the course of recent studies on the effect of time of heating upon the tensile strength and hardness, I have observed that there is often a maximum in tensile strength and hardness reached before complete homogenization has been attained. The magnitude of each mechanical Property changes rapidly with time in the early stages of sintering, the more so as temperature increases. For these reasons it seems that the comparison of values obtained by heating for the same time at a series of temperatures may be deceptive. Not only may those heated at higher temperatures give higher tensile readings, but the reverse may be true if the maximum in the tensile strength versus time curve has been passed. A better basis for comparison would be that of equal degree of diffusion. C' " Goetzel.—Thank you, Professor Rhines, for this interesting contribution. I would like to add here that I have noticed a similar effect with straight copper. There is, of course, the possibility that this maximum in hardness and tensile strength may be caused by work-hardening.

Jan 1, 1945

By Everett H. Graff, Ray H. Misener

THE Sol de Oro mine is in the province of Nazca, 487 km. southeast of Lima, and 60 km. inland from the coast at an elevation of 1200 m. above sea level. From Lima the mine may be reached in 8 hr. by automobile; 472 km. from Lima to Nazca over the paved Pan-American Highway and 15 km. from Nazca to the mine over a good graveled road. The trip from Lima can also be made in 2 hr. via the Faucett Air Lines which make two stops weekly at Nazca. The [Compania] Aurifera Nazca, owning and operating the Sol de Oro mine, was organized in Lima in 1930 by a group of prominent Peruvian mining men, including Ing. Carlos Alvarez Calderon, Dr. Alfredo Alvarez Calderón, Ing. Hector Boza, Ing. Jorge Félix Remy, Ing. Eulogio Femandini, Sr. Fernando Wiese, and Sr. Julio East. The nine claims in the Sol de Oro group owned by the company comprise an area of 52 square kilometers. Development of the property was not started until 1932 and only then under adverse conditions, owing to lack of transportation facilities. Mining machinery and other supplies could be taken as far as Ica by boat and railroad, but to transport them over the 180 km. of hot, sandy desert from Ica to the mine was a problem. There was no road in those days and only a few of the most venturesome truck drivers cared to contract the hauling. Another problem the company had to face was that of securing adequate labor. The Sol de Oro is in an agricultural region, and was forced to look to the near-by cotton plantations for men. Experienced men were imported from the "sierras," but they did not stay. The men are accustomed to high altitudes and cold climate and cannot easily acclimate themselves to the hot and arid coastal region. As a consequence the company has been forced to hire the inexperienced local laborers and train them for mining. The company has established three separate camps at the Sol de Oro property. Each is approximately one kilometer from the other and connected by auto road. The upper mine camp consists of living quarters for 300 workmen and their families, a general mine office, carpenter shop and timber-framing shed, compressor house, drill-sharpening and drill-repair shop, first-aid station, time office, school and store. At the central or "empleados" camp there is a 200-ton cyanide plant, general offices, warehouse, powerhouse, shops, laboratory, hospital, school, guest house, an 18-room hotel for the single staffmen, and 12 completely modern five-room cottages for the married staff employees. At the lower camp are living quarters for 200 workmen and their families, two general stores, a school and a small theater. Below this camp, along the river, are the company wells and pumping plant supplying water for mine, mill, and camp uses.

Jan 1, 1945

By Blaisdell J. L, MacPherson G

The present communication records the results of a research investigation conducted in the Porcupine Gold Mines in Timmins, Onto. Soon after silicosis became a compansable disease in Ontario under the Workmen's Compensation Act in 1926, the attention of mine operators and physicians was drawn sharply to the prevalence and importance of this condition in the mining industry. A number of examining centres were established in Northern Ontario by the Workmen's Compensation Board, and the yearly X-ray examination of miners was made compulsory.Although working conditions were soon improved, the mining industry realized that they were confronted by a problem demanding basic research for its final solution. The late Sir Frederick Banting had, for a number of years, been interested in silicosis, and it was upon his suggestion that an experimental investigation was undertaken at the McIntyre-Porcupine Mines Ltd., Schumacher, Ont., in November, 1932. A preliminary report of this investigation was published in 1937 by Denny, Robson and Irwin and a further report by the same authors in 1939.Accepting the theory that silica exerts its injurious effect upon animal tissue through a slow transformation into silicic acid in the presence of body fluids; these authors assumed that if the solubility of the silicious material retained in the lung could be sufficiently reduced, the usual fibrotic response would be modified or would not occur. A search was therefore undertaken for some non-toxic compound that would fulfil this purpose. After investigating ma:qy substances, Denny and Robson discovered in 1936 that the presence of small amounts of aluminum powder almost completely inhibited the solubility of silicious material in vitro. An intensive study of the mechanism involved later showed that the reduction in solubility was due chiefly to a coating of the silica particle with a thin film of a gelatinous hydrated alumina which on drying formed the crystalline alpha aluminum monohydrate boehmite (AI203.H20). The presence of this absorbed layer on the surface of the quartz was indicated by -staining it with aurin (ammonium salt of aurin tricarboxylic acid) and proved by Germer and Storks by means of electron diffraction patterns.Inhalation experiments with animals were at once begun, using pure quartz dust with and without aluminum powder. (See original communications.) These observers showed that while typical silicosis was produced in about 5 months in the control animals receiving silica dust alone, the...

Jan 1, 1945

By A. J. Pearce

MOST mines have a model of some kind to illustrate either geological structure, mining operation, or some special condition or feature of the property. The type used depends on the particular feature or use for which it is intended. At Dome Mines we have developed an interesting and practical application of the horizontal-type model. This model shows the workings of each level horizon plotted on glass. These glass panes are set in frames which, in turn, rest on drawers equipped with rollers which can be pulled out as desired into a light chamber. The features of this model are its rigid steel construction and that any desired number of level plans can be pulled out, eliminating any other interference from other levels. Figures 1 and 2 are photographs of the model cabinet and show its construction and general features. The cabinet is of steel construction with the following overall dimensions: width, 6 ft. 5 in.; depth, 6 ft. 7 in.; height, 5 ft. 2 in. When not in use it can be completely closed-in, making the cabinet practically dustproof. There are 30 drawers, one for each of the 29 levels and one for the surface. The glass in each drawer is divided into two panes, 36 in. by 36 in., of flatdrawn double-diamond 'lustraglass' with about l/32 in. between adjacent edges. The panes are held rigidly in the frames, which are lined with felt strips, and may be adjusted by set screws, four of which on each drawer are shown in Figures 1 and 2. The level workings, on a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet, are traced in ivory black Windsor & Newtons artist oil paint. Co-ordinate lines are shown in crimson lake, and main geological contacts are shown in their respective colours. Figure 3 is a photograph looking down on one of the levels. The lighting consists of 14 30-watt fluorescent bulbs, with reflectors, under frosted glass. These lamps are much more satisfactory when operated by 60-cycle rather than 25-cycle and, as we had available nearby a source of direct current, this was used. The electrical unit consists of a rotary converter from d.c. to 60-cycle. This arrangement gives perfect lighting, allowing most colours to be easily distinguished. Figure 1 was photographed using this source of light, Figure 2 using an outside floodlight.

Jan 1, 1945

By C. E. Jackson, E. C. Nelson, A. L. Christenson

Much information regarding the transfornlatio~lal characteristics of a steel as it cools in a known manner from the austenitic state can be obtained from dilatometric studies. This method has received more arid more attention because of its great flexibility, accuracy, and ease of interpretation. 'The method is entirely applicable to any rate of heating and cooling although the experumental procrdures for high rates of cooling have offered some difficulties. This paper presents a description of equipment employing cooling rates up to 500 °C. per secorld and the results of dilatometric observations on six commercial steels are included. French and Klopsch1 studied the cooling transformations of a serirs OF carbon steel, using the thermal arrest method. This was followed by the systematic investigatiol1 of Esser and co-workers on the effect of carhon2 and other alloying additions. in which the transforlnation temperature\ were determined by magnetic induction measurements indicated by a string galranoineter. Emphasis was placed on determining Ar' trailsformations and the critical cooling rates for these steels. The maglietic measurements wrere used in an effort to obtain more accurate data at higher cooling rates. Measurements of thermal arrest were made also to check the validity of the magnetic indications, and good correlation was found between the two, although Esser's,Ar' temperature measurements on iron-carbon alloys were about 200°F. lower than the measurements made by Fresnch and Klopsch. A notable contril~ution by Esser was the introduction gas quenching. wever and Rose4 used a moving-coil galranometcr in the study of the .Ar and Ar" of iron-carbon alloys by the thermal arrest method and obtained somewhat lover Ar" temperatures than those observed by Esser below I per cent carbon and considerably higher ahove. They concluded that the cooling rate had little influcncc on the Ar" temperatures above 0.4 per cent carbon, although Esser had observed a decrease in the -4r" temperature with increasing cooling rate with similar steels. Digges determined the .Ar" temperature4 for a scries of high-purity iron-carbon alloys, and close agreement with his results was obtained by Greninger. The thermal arrest method. together with metallographic observation used in both these studies, represents the latest investigations of this type. Any investigation by thermal analyses is dependent on the heat of reaction and the specific heat of the

Jan 1, 1945

By Otto H. Henry, J. J. Cordiano

THOUGH powder metallurgy is one of the oldest of metallurgical processes, it is in its infancy as a branch of the modern field of metallurgy. As early as 3000 B.C., the ancients produced implements and weapons of iron by reducing iron ore in a charcoal fire and forging the resultant sponge while still hot into the desired shape. Melting and casting soon superseded the powder metallurgy practice, and it was not until the turn of the twentieth century that powder metallurgy was applied to the commercial manufacture of tungsten lamp filaments. From this beginning, the use of the powder metallurgy process spread to the manufacture of porous oil-impregnated bearings, cemented carbide tools, contact points, diamond grinding wheels, clutch facings, starter brushes, resin-bonded radio cores, magnets, metallic filters, and other parts. More recently, and particularly during the present war, there has been a definite trend toward the manufacture of machine parts by this process in competition with the more conventional fabricating methods. Notwithstanding these many developments, scientific progress has been slow. While many articles on powder metallurgy have appeared in the press and various publications, there have been too few contributions to our technical societies, with the result that there is a dearth of the type of information necessary for the full development of this science. It is of primary importance that the results of research and development be freely disseminated if powder metallurgy is to realize its fullest potentialities. PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION Excluding the refractory metal field, all commercial powder metallurgical products made by a cold compressing and sintering operation contain voids. These voids can be substantially eliminated by subsequent severe working and heat-treatment, but such practice has not proved economical in most applications. By applying heat during the compressing operation, plastic deformation of the powder particles is substantially increased, and the resultant compact or briquette is practically free of voids. However, hot-pressing has many attendant problems, which at present preclude its use in the manufacture of precision parts. The more important of these are to devise: I. A die steel capable of withstanding high pressures at elevated temperatures. 2. A high-temperature lubricant capable of preventing excessive die wear and welding of the compact to the die walls. 3. A method of retaining a neutral or reducing atmosphere in the compacting zone of the die assembly. 4. A means of ejecting the hot-pressed specimen into a neutral atmosphere until reasonably cold.

Jan 1, 1945

By B. M. Larsen, K. Heindlhofer

THIS paper describes a relatively simple electrical apparatus that, through the close analogy between the flow of heat and of electricity, enables one to solve quickly and with satisfactory accuracy many complex problems in heat flow. This device, developed in 1935, has proved especially useful in the solution of certain practical problems relating to the design and efficiency of regenerators for an open-hearth furnace or coke oven, yielding within a few hours information that would take weeks or even months to acquire by mathematical1.2 or experimental3 methods of comparable accuracy. Its description now is prompted by growing interest in such analogues, as shown by several recent papers.4.5 The analogy between flow of heat and of electricity appears to have been recognized first by Maxwell who, in his famous Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism (1881) says: The analogy between the theory of the conduction of electricity and that of the conduction of heat is at first sight almost complete. If we can take two systems geometrically similar, and such that the conductivity. for heat at any part of the first is proportional to the conductivity for electricity at-the corresponding part of the second, and if we also make the temperature of any part of the first proportional to the electric potential at the corresponding point of the second, then the flow of heat across any area of the first will be proportional to the flow of electricity across the corresponding area of the second. .. Thus, in the illustration we have given, in which flow of electricity corresponds to flow of heat, the electric potential to temperature, electricity tends to flow from places of high to places of low potential, exactly as heat tends to flow from places of high to places of low. temperature He noted, however, that this analogy is restricted: ... there is, however, one remarkable difference between the phenomena of electricity and those of heat. Suspend a conducting body within a closed conducting vessel by a silk thread, and charge the vessel with electricity. The potential of the vessel and of all within it will be instantly raised, but however long and however powerfully the vessel be electrified, and whether the body within be allowed to come in contact with the vessel, or not, no signs of electrification will appear within the vessel, nor will the body within show any electrical effect when taken out. But if the vessel is raised to a high temperature, the body within will rise to the same temperature, but only after a considerable time, and if it is then taken out it will be found hot, and will remain so till it has continued to emit heat for some time. The difference between the phenomena consists in the fact that bodies are capable of absorbing and emitting heat, whereas they have no corresponding property with respect to electricity. According to this statement the application of the analogy would be limited to problems of steady flow that do not involve heat-capacity effects. In spite of this

Jan 1, 1945

By Charles H. Thurman

THE data given herein were first included in a paper read before San Francisco Section, A.I.M.E., in October 1940, and are applicable to conditions existing until the gold-dredging industry was temporarily suspended by Order L-208 of the War Production Board in the fall of 1942. There is no doubt that gold dredging will be resumed at some future time, and on a scale equivalent to that of the recent past, but the cost data given herein will be affected to some extent by conditions existing at that time, and by labor rates and prices for materials then prevailing. DRAGLINE VS. BUCKET-LINE Dragline dredges should not be considered for mining large areas of low-grade placer gravel. In such deposits a dragline operator with a 5-cu. yd. dragline would be doing well to maintain an operating cost of 6¢ per cu. yd., while a bucket-line dredge with buckets no smaller than 7 cu. ft. each could be operated for less than 4¢ per cu. yd. By operating costs, I mean only field charges such as direct operating and overhead, which includes pay roll, power or fuel, repairs and maintenance, insurance, land clearing and general expenses, but not including such items as prospecting, depletion, depreciation of equipment, State Franchise Tax, or Federal Income Tax. It is not to be inferred that a dragline dredge cannot make a profit in small low-grade deposits, where the extent of a given property is too small to justify the use of the more costly bucket-line dredge. Consider small deposits of 10¢ gravel. It is obvious that a deposit of 5,000,000 cu. yd. of such gravel could not be mined profitably with a new, 7-cu. ft. bucket-line dredge, costing upward of $250,000, and with operation costs at 4¢ per cu. yd., paying for land or royalties out of earnings; nor could a new combination 5-cu. yd. dragline and washing plant, worth upward of $125,000 and working at 6¢ per cu. yd., make a profit. These comparisons are made because the hourly capacity of both types of dredges is nearly the same. The bucket-line dredge averages 93 per cent operating time in 24 hr., as against about 80 per cent or less for the dragline dredge. These percentages of operating time are important factors in making a comparison of this kind. The bucket-line dredge has greater efficiency in cleaning soft bedrock, usually characteristic of dredging deposits, and a 7-cu. ft. bucket-line dredge can be efficient to a total digging depth of 80 ft. (65 ft. below water, 15 ft. above). A 5-cu. yd. dragline dredge is limited to about 30 ft. of efficient digging depth, 5 ft. of which could be above water. In small areas of gravel not over 30 ft. deep, a 5-cu. yd. dragline dredge could make a profit where a bucket-line dredge could not do so. As an example: compare the dredging of 3,000,000 cu. yd. of 10¢ gravel 28 ft. deep with bucket line, costing 4¢ per cu. yd., and with a 5-cu. yd. dragline dredge operating at 6¢ per cu. yd. Because of small yardage, new equipment is not warranted, therefore we can assume that the dredges of both types are used equipment, fully depreciated. Dismantling, mov-

Jan 1, 1945

By S. Froes

Official daily output of the Reconcavo (Bahia) oil fields, which amounted to 300 bbl., increased by the end of 1944 to 500 bbl. The new productive wells are in the district of Candeias. This figure is expected to further increase during 1945. The Itatig Company, which had drilled five wildcats in the state of Sergipe, stopped in 1944, but intends to resume work during the current year, or as soon as the war is over, in order to try the Cretaceous areas around its salt deposits. Several concessions applied for in the states of Sao Paulo, Parana arid Santa Catarina were favorably considered by the Conselho Nacional de Yetroleo, which is interested in fostering prospecting activities in the country. Several national groups are interested in exploring the federal gas field of Aratu (Bahia), a proposal having been made to use the gas in the manufacture of Portland cement. Undoubtedly the most important fact in the 1944 activities was the visit by two outstanding petroleum geologists, who had the opportunity to examine some of the principal areas and reported their opinions to the Brazilian Government. By special courtesy of the U. S. Government, Mr. E. DeGolyer spent a few weeks inspecting the gas and oil fields of the so-called "Reconcavo" of Bahia (a large tract surrounding All Saints Bay, on whose shore lies the city of Salvador) Later he exchanged ideas with Colonel Joao Carlos Barreto, President of the Conselho Nacional de Petrolco, as to the most adequate measures to develop production. Considering the oil problem in the southern part of Brazil, in the sedimentary belt including formations from the Devonian to the Triajsic, Mr. DeGolyer suggested a visit there by Mr. Lemis MacNaughton. The latter traveled during the months of June, July and August, accompanied by Brazilian geologists Avelino de Oliveira, Vice-president of the Conselho Nacionial de Pctroleo, Pedro Moura, Annibal Bastos, Burdot Dutra and J. Felicissimo, and verified the actual possibilities of the region, thus confirming the opinion of Pedro Moura, Avelino de Oliveira and Froes Abreu as to the advisability of thoroughly prospecting the south of Brazil. It is to be hoped that on the recommendation of these proficient American experts the Brazilian Government will take the necessary measurcs to carry out a complete search 01 such areas, which hitherto have been unsuccessfully drilled because knowledge of the structure was not adequate. The old Government policy of monopolistic essence has now given way to the more enlightened tendency of reconciling official action with private enterprise, which should in no way be curbed but rather encouraged. Such trend is heartily welcomed by financiers and technicians alike, who realize how indispensable is the cooperation of private capital, both national and foreign, in

Jan 1, 1945

SOME months ago a Committee on Deep-level Mining was appointed [by the Government of the Union of South Africa] to consider the possibility of gold mining being carried on at a depth below 8,500 feet. The Committee consisted of Sir Robert Kotze (Chairman) , Mr. H. S. H. Donald (Government Mining Engineer), and Mr. H. R. Hill. The Committee has now made a report which was tabled in the House of Assembly on March 1st. The Committee reported that the tonnage of ore locked up in the deep level areas of the Central Witwatersrand is enormous, and in the 30 miles between Roodepoort and the East Rand Proprietory Mines has a value of about £200,000,000. The Committee says that, with good ventilation, the present system of wet mining, possibly with some modification and with the aid of refrigeration, may be carried to 10,000 feet, but that greater depths will require the adoption of dry mining. "A vigorous campaign of practical experiment into the possibility of dry mining should be initiated, and the Committee recommends to the Government the appointment of a committee of experts, consisting of representatives of the mining industry, the Mines Department, and the medical profession, with the Government Mining Engineer as chairman. The Committee suggests the provision of £30,000 for the first year for the investigations and experiments contemplated, which could best be carried out by an organization which might be styled 'The Rand Mining Research Institute' and constituted somewhat on the Jines of the South African Institute for Medical Research" . The Committee suggests that this committee of experts should arrange for experiments to be made with dry mining in one of the deepest mines, and investigate ventilation, refrigeration, support of workings, and the physiological problems connected with mining. "We emphasize the necessity of treating this whole question as one of importance and urgency. The investigations should be prosecuted with the utmost vigour and should not be delayed at any time for want of funds or for any other reason. If they are not done thoroughly and quickly, the whole scheme might just as well be left severely alone.

Jan 1, 1945

Jan 1, 1945

By B. M. Larsen, W. E. Shenk

THIS paper describes a method of reversal control of the open-hearth furnace that obtains in practice those effects considered below as essential to a completely automatic control, without appreciable interference with the natural rise and fall in temperature of the regenerative portions of the furnace system. Growing out of some studies of radiation pyrometry in open-hearth regenerators, it was developed during 1934-1938, and has been successfully applied to a number of commercial furnaces. The goal of open-hearth furnace operation is the highest rate of production of steel of proper quality consistent with good refractory life and fuel economy. This requires rapid heat transfer from furnace to charge, which in turn is dependent upon heating the furnace refractories to the highest safe operating temperature. The greater the heat input to the melting chamber, the sooner this limiting temperature will be reached, so that control methods in general that are designed to protect against overheating of refractories should help to maintain maximum fuel input and production rate. For the typical open-hearth system, with fixed regenerator capacity and with rate of fuel input usually restricted in its range of variation, our basic assumption is the idea that the only other important variable that is, the time interval between successive reversals-should also be held constant or within a small range. The present reversal control was designed therefore so that, under normal operating conditions, no arbitrary limitation is imposed other than to keep the reversal interval within the optimum time range. However, since a near approach to completely automatic operation involves protection of refractories through the balancing of furnace end temperatures as well as emergency protection against temperature peaks above some upper limit, it was also felt essential to employ, as an integral part of the control unit, a temperature-measuring instrument to register the true temperature of the refractory surfaces at some critical region in the hot ends of the regenerative zones. As the basic elements of the control, we thus have one "maximum" and one "minimum" time relay and a potentiometer recorder-controller, combined with switches and relays to operate as follows: x. Reversal normally occurs within an optimum range limited by the maximum and minimum settings to about 4 to 6 min. variation, but the actual interval usually is less variable and closer to the minimum setting. 2. The margin between minimum and maximum time is utilized, together with a "floating temperature limit" in the potentiometric control instrument, to correct any

Jan 1, 1945

Since production curtailment for other than engineering reasons is gradually disappearing, and more and more wells are now producing at capacity and showing declining production rates, it was considered timely to present a brief review of the development of decline-curve analysis during the past three or four decades. Several of the commoner types of decline curves were discussed in detail and the mathematical relationships between production rate, time, cumulative production and decline percentage for each case were studied. The well-known loss-ratio method was found to be an extremely valuable tool for statistical analysis and extrapolation of various types of curves. A tentative classification of decline curves, based on their loss ratios, was suggested. Some new graphical methods were introduced to facilitate estimation of the future life and the future production of producing properties where curves are plotted on semilogarithmic paper. To facilitate graphical extrapolation of hyperbolic-type decline curves, a series of decline charts was proposed, which will make straight-line extrapolation of both rate-time and rate-cumulative curves possible. Introduction During the period of severe production curtailment, which is now behind us, production-decline curves lost most of their usefulness and popularity in prorated areas because the production rates of all wells, except those in the stripper class, were constant or almost constant. While production-decline curves were thus losing in importance for estimating reserves, an increasing reservoir consciousness and a better understanding of reservoir performance developed among petroleum engineers. This fact, together with intelligent interpretation and use of electric logs, core-analysis data, bottom-hole pressure behavior and physical characteristics of reservoir fluids, eliminated a considerable part of the guesswork in previous volumetric methods and put reserve estimates, based on this method, on a sound scientific basis' At the same time, a number of ingenious substitutes were developed for the regular production-decline curve, which made it possible to obtain an independent check on volumetric estimates in appraisal work, even though the production rates were constant. with the now steadily increasing demand for oil to supply the huge requirements of this global war, proration for reasons of than prevention of underground waste is gradually disappearing. More and more wells are, or will be, producing at capacity or at their optimum rates, as determined by sound engineering practice. With this trend, the character of producing wells seems to regain, more or less, its "individuality," and the old and familiar decline curve appears to have had a comeback as a valuable tool in the hands of the petroleum engineer. It may be timely, therefore, to retrace the development of decline-curve analysis in the past by presenting a brief chronological review of bulletins and papers published during the past three or four decades, which have

Jan 1, 1945