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By T. E. Watkins, M. D. Nelson

INTRODUCTION Deeper drilling for oil is becoming more and more the rule rather than the exception. With deeper drilling come additional problems, perhaps the greatest being those brought on by the higher temperatures encountered down the hole. particularly in the Gulf Coast region of Texas and Louisiana. Temperature gradients of the order of 1.8° to 2.0°F/100 ft are not unusual, and a gradient of 2.3"F.'100 ft is found in some areas of Texas. With a mean surface temperature of 74oF, the following temperatures could be expected for a geothermal gradient of 2.0°F; 100 ft: at 10,000 it. 271°F. 12,000 ft, 314°F: 14,000 ft, 354,oF; and 16.000 ft. 394°F. Severe gelation of lime-base drilling fluid in wells that have high bottom hole temperatures has become perhaps the most serious difficulty enconntered in drilling under such conditions. Lime-base drilling fluids have been very succesefully and widely used in the drilling of wells in the Gulf Coast region because of their inherent stability toward contaminants. their ability to suppress the swelling dispersion of bentonitic shales, and their ease of maintainance. The gradual recognition: during the past few years, that these muds were. in themselve. the cause of many difficulties experienced in drilling has led to wide-pread efforts by the drilling industry. to determine the reasons for the failure of these mud systems and to develop mud systems capable of performing satisfactorily under high-temperature conditios. MANIFESTATIONS OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE GELATION it is generally possible to recognize the symptons of high-temperature gelation early enough that advance predictions can be made of serious difficulties. in mud control, and the useful life of the drilling fluids can be extended by proper treatment. Following i.; a list of the manifestations of high-temperature gelation: (1) The drill string 'takes weight' while going in the hole after a trip. In early stages of high-temperature gelation it is possible to notice a slight reduction in drill string weight as the drill pipe is lowred near the bottom of the hole. (2) Excessive pump pressure is required to .tart the circulation of drilling fluid at or near the bottom of the hole when going hack to bottom after a trip. As the severity of the gelation increases it may be necessary to break circulation a number of times when going in the hole. (3) The drilling fluid from the bottom of the hole is thick and often granular or lumpy when pumped up after making a round trip. In a severely gelled drilling fluid system such a condition may be irreversible; that is, it cannot be stirred or chemically treated to produce a satisfactory drilling fluid. (4) Completion tool.. such as logging tools or perforating guns will not sink to the bottom of the hole. On some occasions completion tools will become stuck and require a fishing job to retrieve them if the wire line attached to them is broken. It is often difficult to determine whether the condition of the drilling fluid is responsible for sticking the tool or whether the wire line becomes key seated in a crooked hole and causes the allow difficulty. When there are 110 other symptoms of high-temperature gelation. then the difficulty may usually be attributed to the latter cause. (5) In extreme cases of high-temperature gelation it is necessary to "wash" and "ream" when going back to bottom after coming out of the hole. (6) In many -instance. it has been found to be extremely difficult and expensive to 1111 production packers 2nd tubing in moderately deep oil wells which had been drilled with a lime-base drilling fluid. In such instances-the original mud had apparently "set" to a consistency approaching that of a weak cement. CAUSES OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE GELATION Extensive test; have indicated that a lime-base mud does not develop a highly gelled condition at temperatures below 250°F. whereas above that temperature such condition often develops rapidly. (Fig. 1) concurrently. the following changes are evident ill the mud: (1) The alkalinity of the mud decreases to a very low value. with both caustic soda and lime being consumed. (2) The quartz content of the mud decreases sharply. (3) The bentonitic content of the mud decreases or di-appears, with concurrent decrease or loss of base exchange capacity of mud solids. (4) New compounds formed in the mud have been found to be cal-cium silicate, calcium aluminum silicate, and calcium sodium aluminum silicate. (5) The mud loses the ability to form a filter cake of low permeability. The above characteristics have been discussed, in part. by other authors

Jan 1, 1953

By E. C. Burke, W. R. Hibbard

G. B. Craig (University of Toronto, Toronto, O,nt., Canada)—The advent of pyramidal slip at room temperatures in a magnesium crystal (M2,) and the very low value reported for the critical shear stress are puzzling. Table I1 shows the calculated values (approximate) for sin x cos I in this specimen if all the (10l) planes are considered. If So is the shear stress resolved in the direction of glide, on the glide plane, and U, is the stress operative in yield point tests, then: S,, — 325 (0.169) 55gpersqmm (approximately) for 1101: S,, = 325 (0.465) = 151 gpersqmm (approximately) for (0001): S,, — 325 (0.101) - 32.8 gpersqmm (approximately) Thus, we see the pyramidal plane in which the minimum shearing component operated. Barrett"' stated: "Experiments have repeatedly shown that, when there are several crystallographically equivalent slip systems in a crystal, the one having the greatest resolved shear stress will become active. ..." It does not appear to me that the measurements given are conclusive proof that pyramidal slip operated. E. C. Burke and W. R. Hibbard, Jr. (authors' reply) —Although the low value for the critical resolved shear stress for pyramidal slip may be puzzling, there does not appear to be any basis for questioning the validity of the measurements. Under the influence of constraints, slip systems having decidedly lower shearing components may become operative, e.g., "cross-slip" or the "forced glide" in magnesium reported by Bakarian. Since we believe that pyramidal slip occurred in the specimen because basal slip was inhibited, it is not too surprising to find an operative plane with a lower shear stress. -7 C. S. Barrett: Structure of Metals U94jl p. 2J6. New York. McGraw-Hill Book Co.

Jan 1, 1953

By R. Maddi, I. R. Kramer

The delay time for the initiation of slip was studied in single crystals of a brass, aluminum, and ß brass. A delay time for slip was found in ß brass when the specimens were tested below room temperature; however, one was not found for a brass or aluminum. A general theory for the existence of the brittle transition temperature is proposed. A LTHOUGH a considerable amount of effort has A been devoted to the study of the deformation and fracture of single crystals, the vast majority of the work was concerned with static tests or with tests carried out at relatively slow strain rates. The necessity for the study of a possible incubation time for slip becomes apparent when the various theories which have been postulated for the elucidation of the mechanism of slip are considered. The existence of an incubation period would strongly indicate that slip occurs by a process of nucleation and growth; whereas the absence of an incubation would present rather convincing evidence that slip occurs by a cataclysmic process. In addition to shedding light on the process of plastic deformation, an understanding of the early stages of plastic deformation may be helpful in finding an explanation for the brittle behavior of the body-centered metals under certain conditions. It is well known that these metals, such as iron, molybdenum, tungsten, ß brass, etc., will become brittle as the test temperature is lowered or the strain rate is increased. In spite of the fact that this subject has received considerable attention since the turn of the century, no adequate theory exists today which explains the phenomenon. In the ductile temperature range the metal breaks with a "fibrous" fracture after considerable slip has taken place. In the brittle temperature range the metal fails essentially by cleavage on the {loo) planes: however, some plastic flow is always present even in the most brittle fractures. It is possible, as will be explained later, to ascribe this brittle behavior to the length of the incubation time for slip. Clark and Wood,' using polycrystalline metals, showed that a delay time existed for the yield point in mild steels and that the delay time depended upon the applied stress. These authors stated that the delay time was observed only with those materials for which the stress-strain curve showed a definite yield point. In their work only the mild steel specimens exhibited a delay time at the yield point, while the other materials studied-type 302 stainless steel, SAE 4130 normalized steel, SAE 4130 quenched and tempered steel, 24s-T aluminum—did not show a delay time. These authors' in an extension of their work, found that as the temperature was lowered the delay time was increased. It is, then, the purpose of this investigation to measure or to set an upper limit on the delay time for plastic flow in single crystals of a brass, aluminum, and ß brass. The delay time will also be studied as a function of temperature. The incubation time may be measured by determining the length of time the specimen will support a stress without slip occurring when the stress is greater than the static critical resolved shear stress. In order to accomplish these measurements use was made of a pendulum which was so designed that a single crystal specimen could be placed at various positions along its length. When a pendulum is struck by another pendulum of the same length, an elastic wave is transmitted down the bar with the velocity of sound in the material and is reflected from the far end of the bar. The reflected wave then travels back and unloads the stress until it reaches the impacted end of the bar and the two pendulums separate. The length of time that the specimen is subjected to the stress is equal to the time it takes for the stress wave to travel twice the distance from the specimen to the end of the bar. The stress applied to the specimen is governed by the velocity of impact of the two pendulums. The stress at which the specimen first suffers plastic: deformation was determined in these experiments by examining the specimen under the microscope for the first appearance of slip lines and by measuring the residual strain after each impact. In these experiments the critical resolved shear stress was approached from the low stress side and no attempt was made to determine it exactly. To determine it exactly, it would have been necessary to find that stress at which slip would have just started. However, since the stresses were increased in rather small increments the critical stress is believed to be approached rather closely, as will be seen from the experimental results. The critical stress will be taken as the highest stress obtained before the onset of plastic deformation. The stresses

Jan 1, 1953

Jan 1, 1953

By A. E. Nehrenberg

IN an earlier publication' it was shown that the.. shape assumed by a volume of growing austenite is inherited from the prior structure. The matrix grains of pearlitic microstructures are equiaxed, and austenite grows in an equiaxed manner in these prior structures. Martensite and bainite, on the other hand, have an acicular grain structure, and the austenite produced in such structures grows in an acicular manner. In the discussion of this paper' it was pointed out that in cold-rolled tempered martensite, austenite grows in an equiaxed, rather than an acicular manner. The results of an experiment carried out to arrive at an understanding of this behavior are illustrated by the micrographs. Fig. 1 shows the acicular microstructure produced by heating tempered martensite to a temperature within the Ac1-Ac3 range, 1350°F. When tempered martensite is cold rolled, then heated to the same temperature, the equiaxed structure shown in Fig. 2 is produced. A sample of cold-rolled tempered martensite heated at 1350°F just long enough for the formation of a small amount of austenite is shown by Fig. 3 to have an equiaxed (recrystallized) ferrite grain structure. The small particles of. austenite which formed at 1350°F in the equiaxed ferrite matrix are likewise equiaxed. Thus, the equiaxed growth of austenite in cold-worked tempered martensite is not a contradiction of the principles described in the previous paper, for the growth pattern reflects the matrix grain structure existing at the time of austenite formation. References A. E. Nehrenberg: The Growth of Austenite as Related to Prior structure. Trans. AIME (1950) 188, pp. 162-174; Journal of Metals (January 1950). 2 J. R. Vilella and R. A. Grange: Discussion of ref. 1. Trans. AIME (1950) 188, pp. 1378-1381; Journal of Metals (November 1950).

Jan 1, 1953

By R. B. Burt, J. A. Barr, I. S. Tillotson

THE pumping of solids in water suspension is an important part of many metallurgical and mining operations. In most cases, it is still in the rule of thumb category for which no universal formula has been developed, and much research is needed. Because of the limited and incomplete data available, this article may be classed as an experience paper, which is presented with the hope that some contribution will be made toward the development of the so-called universal formula. This formula, if and when developed, may be evolved from several factors, many of which are not now available for general application. The designing engineer is interested in obtaining accurate forecasts on: 1—the minimum velocities needed to prevent choke-ups in the pipeline, which in turn dictates pipe sizes, 2—power required for pumping, 3—pump selection. The basic factors for a given problem will include: 1—weight per unit of time of solids to be handled, 2—specific gravity of solids, for calculation of volume, friction and power, 3—screen analysis of solids with the colloidal acting, i.e., the slime fraction, a very important factor, 4— shape of particle or some means of determining a friction constant, 5—effects of percentage of solids, 6—development of a viscosity factor to be used in the overall calculations, 7—calculation of the lower limits of pipeline velocities permissible, 8—calculation of total head, pump horsepower, and 9—setting up of pump specifications. In certain limited cases horsepower and total heads and minimum velocities may be computed and a suitable pump selected from basic data, but in many cases, as in mining of Florida pebble phosphate, experience rather than a hydraulic formula still should be used as a basis of selection. Pumping Florida Pebble Matrix Pumping at the Noralyn mine of International Minerals and Chemical Corp. will be used as an example. Other areas will vary as to the characteristics of the matrix, especially the slime content. A typical screen analysis of this matrix is: +14 mesh, pebble size,* 2.1 pct; —14 +35 mesh, 11.4 pct; -35 +I50 mesh, 60.5 pct; -150 mesh, 25.0; total, 100 pct; moisture in bank, 20.0 pct; weight per cu ft in bank, 120 lb. The —150 mesh fraction may increase to as much as 35 pct in adjacent areas. When thoroughly elutriated, the matrix has a relatively slow settling rate, which is an important factor in permitting lower pipeline velocities without choke-ups. Exact data is not available to evaluate settling rates. For a factor of 100 a suspension of clean building sand in water is suggested. When pumping long distances, a quick settling matrix allows the coarser solids to settle out along the bottom of the pipeline, causing drag, turbulence, and increased friction. With a slow settling matrix as at Noralyn, turbulence acts to keep the solids in suspension at a lower friction head, regardless of the pumping distance. When the pebble content of the matrix, i.e., the + 14 mesh fraction, is in excess of 10 pct of the total solids, trouble may be expected from settling out even in normal pumping distances. To prevent choke-ups and maintain tonnage, an additional pump must be added in the long runs, where one pump would otherwise be satisfactory. A typical pulp handled is: total volume, 7800 gpm; water, 4500; solids pumped per hr, 4200 lb; sp gr pulp, 1.4; percent solids in pulp, 46.; pipe size, 16-in. ID; pulp velocity, 12.85 fps; probable critical velocity, 10 fps, as below this minimum velocity choke-ups would be numerous. In calculating friction heads the Armco handbook is used where a roughness factor based on 15-year-old pipe is set up. Because the pipe used in pumping matrix is smooth and polished because of the scouring action of the phosphate and its silica content, the head losses in the Armco table for water are practically the same as in pumping the Noralyn matrix through smooth pipe, plus the fact that conditions vary widely over short periods, making accurate determinations difficult to obtain. New pumps and pump changes are being tested continuously and a wealth of data built up. This has resulted in a substantial improvement and lower relative costs in pumping matrix. The Florida phosphate industry is constantly seeking to offset higher wage and material costs with improved technique. Until a few years ago a 12-in. discharge pump was commonly used, with heads as low as 80 ft. Sizes have gradually increased and heads more than doubled. For example, the following pump was placed under test at the Noralyn mine: make, Georgia Iron Works; size, suction 16 in., discharge 14 in.; impeller, 39-in. diam; motor, 600 hp, slip ring; full load speed, 514 rpm. The results were increased head, higher capacity than the older design, with fewer pumps in the line from mine to washer.

Jan 1, 1953

By R. Maddi, I. R. Kramer

C. S. Roberts (Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.)— In this study we have seen another example of how modern electronic instrumentation can be of great value to metallurgical research. The authors have shown much ingenuity in their experimental work. However, I wish to point out that anelasticity theory tells us that we must be cautious when we use pulse methods for measurements which are to be correlated with knowledge of static stress-strain behavior. The basic stress calibrations used by the authors depend on the use of static moduli combined with the pulsed strains. No recognition of a possible modulus defect has been indicated. The general agreement of critical resolved shear stresses may indicate that a

Jan 1, 1953

By H. C. Chang, N. J. Grant

REEP studies and measurements in most in-V> stances are based on a relatively gross gage length. Even in some recent theoretical studies on the mechanism of creep, changes were followed by means of X-rays and metallography without regard for the behavior of the individual grains and grain boundaries.'" Analytical studies of creep have frequently indicated that more than one competing process is operative and that the ultimate creep performance depends on the effects of temperature, time, and strain rate as well as grain size.'-" he grains and grain boundaries are known to respond differently to these variables but the extent of the response is still little known, especially in poly-crystalline materials where the relative orientations of grains and grain boundaries are important. This paper reports some experimental observations of the behavior of the grain boundaries and their effect on the deformation in the grains. High purity aluminum was used to avoid complications of aging reactions, second phase, inclusions, etc. Experimental Procedure A small vertical nichrome wound furnace was built to permit direct loading on the test specimen. This furnace is capable of operating up to about 1300°F with reasonable temperature distribution. A ground rectangular quartz window, 1.25x0.5 in., is imbedded in the external stainless steel tube to permit observations of the creep process with a microscope. An argon atmosphere ,was provided to prevent oxidation. The quartz window caused a temperature gradient between the back and front surfaces of the specimen of 15" at 700°F. The temperature gradient could be cut down to 3°F along the length of the specimen by adjusting shunts across the furnace windings. An ordinary metallurgical microscope with a working distance of 14 mm was rebuilt so that it could be moved in three mutual perpendicular directions. Visual examination could be made with either a 30X eyepiece or a 15X filar eyepiece. Using an objective of focal length 24.3 mm and a numerical aperture 0.20 a total magnification of 120X or 240X could be obtained. High purity aluminum rated at 99.995 pct was supplied by the Aluminum Co. of America as % in. then the gage portion was further machined to 3/16 in. diam. The ends were Y4 in. diam and threaded to fit available specimen holders. Two opposite flat surfaces of the gage portion were obtained by milling, giving final dimensions of the gage portion of 3/4x3/16x3/32 in. Machined specimens were first electropolished in Jacquet's solution.' Reference marks were produced by pressing a thin sewing needle into the surface of the specimen. The specimen was then annealed at 900°F for 24 hr and at 1150°F for 12 hr. Typical macrostructures of specimens treated in this manner are shown in Fig. 1. The range of the grain size was 1 to 5.5 mm (see Fig. l), but most of the grains were of 2.5 mm and went through the whole thickness of the specimen. The specimen was re-electropolished and etched electrolytically to reveal the grain boundaries. In order to reveal the orientation difference of the grains, etch pits were produced on the surface of the grains by etching in a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids (HC1, 45 pct; HNO,, 10 pct; H,O, 45 , by volume). The specimens were very carefully put into the holders and furnace; yet even with this care, fine slip lines were developed on the specimen surface.

Jan 1, 1953

By Tell Ertl

THE Piceance Creek Basin in northwestern Colorado is believed to contain the richest large deposit of oil shale in North America. The major portion, about 1650 sq miles, is bounded by the White River on the north, the Grand Hogback, which runs from Meeker to Rifle, on the east, the Colorado River to the south, and the drainage basin of Salt and Douglas Creeks on the west. The Basin is a plateau 7000 to 9000 ft high, composed of 3000 ft of the Green River series of Eocene age and surrounded by a steep escarpment of 1000 to 3000 ft. From the escarpment the beds dip gently toward the center. Although oil shale is found in all members of the Green River series, the rich thick beds are found chiefly in the Parachute Creek member. This is normally capped by 100 to 200 ft of the Evacuation Creek, the youngest member of the Green River series. Actually the Piceance Creek Basin oil shale is not a shale, nor does it contain oil. It is magnesium marlstone holding solid organic matter capable of being broken down by heat into gases, some of which can be condensed into oil. The marlstone is resilient nonporous rock, difficult to sample by pick or hammer and moil. Many companies and individuals prospected the Colorado oil shale shortly after the first World War,' see Fig. 1, but because of the discovery of large quantities of petroleum in the late 1920's in Cali- fornia, Oklahoma, and East Texas, interest in oil shale development waned and did not revive until World War 11. In 1944 the writer, employed by the Bureau of Mines, prospected the high grade oil shale in numerous places along the southern outcrop of the Piceance Creek Basin. Several channel samples about 100 ft in length were cut, see Fig. 2. An eight-man crew needed a week to cut a satisfactory channel 80 ft long in the cliff face. The Phillips Petroleum Co., the Union Oil Co. of California and others also prospected the oil shale outcrop. In 1945 the Bureau of Mines initiated a core drilling program for the purpose of obtaining accurate samples from the Piceance Creek Basin. The U. S. Geological Survey set up a program for the geological study of the Basin that is still going on." Until the end of 1951 a total of 31 holes was drilled for core with diamond drills, and, in addition, cuttings through the oil shale have been obtained from 4 gas wells drilled by standard rotary oil well rigs. The Bureau of Mines drilled 12 of the holes, the Union Oil Company of California 8, the Standard Oil Company of California 6, the Sun Oil Company 3,

Jan 1, 1953

By F. W. Glaser, W. Ivanick

A pressure-sintering method was used to produce binder-free and very dense TiC specimens. Some physical properties of these TIC bodies were determined and found to compare favorably with those of certain cemented Tic grades. It was also observed that the hot transverse rupture strength of TiC bodies remained substantially the same regardless of the amount or type of binder material used. STUDIES of the structure and physical properties of refractory materials have been intensified recently because of the urgent need for nonstrategic materials that retain their strength at high temperatures. Research aimed at determining and improving the physical properties of cemented carbides and borides has been accelerated with a view toward possible use of such materials in connection with turbine blades, rocket nozzles, and other high temperature applications. On the hypothesis that the strength requirements in connection with some of the above applications could be met only by proper choice of cementing agents for such refractory materials, the literature describing the physical properties of borides or carbides was reviewed. However, with a few exceptions,'-" references were found only to compositions containing at least one or more auxiliary binder metals. Cobalt and nickel are among the most frequently employed cementing agents. The melting point of Tic (approximately 3250°C) and therefore the sintering temperature, at which notable densification of a cold pressed Tic powder compact could be expected in the absence of a liquid binder phase, is relatively high. The present study makes use of a high temperature, pressure-sintering procedure, recently described by one of the authors in connection with the sintering of binder-free ZrB,," to produce dense bodies of sintered Tic—free of any cementing agent. During the course of this sintering study, some physical properties of dense Tic bodies produced by this method will be discussed. Materials, Preparation of Samples, Testing Methods The procedure for the forming of Tic powder consisted of mixing graphite and TiH, powders in stoi-chiometric proportions, and heating this mixture in a H, atmosphere and carbon crucible by high frequency, to temperatures ranging between 1900° and 2100°C (3452" and 3812°F). The powdered carbide was then comminuted and screened to the desired particle size. Table I shows the chemical analysis of the two grades that were employed for the production of samples during this work. Bodies of Tic, approximately 2.5xlx0.5 cm were produced in graphite molds that were heated by direct conduction. Sintering was carried out at temperatures for time intervals ranging from approximately 0 to 30 sec under a constant pressure of about 1.3 tons per sq in. An alternate method for the production of samples consisted in cold pressing the individual Tic grades at pressures ranging from 4 to 10 tons per sq in. and sintering in a hydrogen atmosphere in graphite crucibles heated by high frequency induction. Sintering temperatures ranged from 2600° to 2900°C (4715° to 5255°F). Electrical testing was done by measuring potentiometrically the voltage drop over a length of 1.5 cm for a current of 10 amp at room temperature. Cross-sectional areas as well as densi-

Jan 1, 1953

A summary of the more important work by previous workers is followed by brief descriptions of the rock formations and regional structure. Type examples of the various forms of mineralization are described and the conclusion is drawn that there has been one main period of ore formation, namely, during the "Viti Revolution" in the mid or late Miocene.INTRODUCTIONThe Crown Colony of Fiji is comprised of a group of some 250 islands situated between latitude 160 sand 21 0 S and longitudes 1770 E and 1780 w: By far the greater, part of the total area, 7,083 sq. miles, is contained within the two main islands, Viti Levu 4,053 sq. miles, and Vanua Levu 2,128 sq. miles, and it is to these that most geologists have directed their studies. The most detailed work has been in the Tavua Basin, north coast of Viti Levu, centering about the mining town of Vatukoula and the geology of this area forms the subject of a separate paper by Blatchford (this volume p. 13).The present contribution summarizes geological knowledge of Fiji, at the time of writing (Feb. 1952), with particular reference to the known mineralIzation, but excluding the Tavua Basin. For general descriptions of Fiji's topography reference should be made to the recent works of Derrick and Dunkin.PREVIOUS WORKERSPeriod 1840-1930Prior to the gold rush of the early 1930s the visiting geologists concerned themselves in the main with the struc...

Jan 1, 1953

By H. E. Stauss, G. Sandoz

AN increase in the value of magnetostriction1 * is known to result from the annealing of some ferromagnetic alloys in a magnetic field. Similar increases may be anticipated in the value of the magnetostriction of alloys that are of interest because of their normal high values. Two were selected for trial, 87 pct Fe-13 pct Al(Fe,Al) and 69 pct Co-31 pct Fe, the latter being used as a representative of the Co-Fe alloy series. The influence of a magnetic field present during annealing is explained by the domain theory of magnetism." The field orients the domain vectors in its own direction when the alloy is at or below the Curie temperature, and holds them there until the metal is cold. During cooling the interaction stresses between neighboring grains are largely relaxed. Interaction stresses will reappear, however, if the state of magnetization of the specimen is changed in any way, and will be larger the more the new state of magnetization differs from the one existing during the magnetic anneal. In this connection the 180" reversal of a magnetization vector is not considered a change because a simple reversal does not tend to produce a change in shape of a magnetized region. When the field existing during the anneal is removed after the metal is cold, the domain vectors can turn back only to the nearest crystallographic directions of easy magnetization because return to random

Jan 1, 1953

By C. G. Dunn, M. Sharp

IN twinned crystals of the face-centered cubic metals the lattice of one twin is a mirror image of the other in a common twin boundary. When several twins appear within large grain in a sheet specimen, the twin one boundaries form a set of lines at the surface of the specimen which coincide with (111) planes of the large grain. Furthermore, for twins of the same orientation, these lines are parallel. Generally, the presence of identically oriented regions with straight parallel boundaries coinciding with a (111) plane of the surrounding crystal is strong evidence for identifying the island regions as twins of the parent crystal. However, Fig. 1, which shows the macrostructure of a large grain of copper with island regions that satisfy these conditions. is not an illustration of (111) twins. Since the reverse side of the specimen has much the same appearance, it was thought at first that these regions, which appear dark in the macrograph, actually were twins. According to X-ray data, however, these regions are second-order twins of the large crystal. With regard to their formation, these second-order twins formed by secondary recrystallization in a cube texture matrix. Growth occurred in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 1) as the specimen moved slowly into a gradient temperature furnace as described previously.' Nucleation of the second-order twins occurred, therefore, on the ends facing opposite the arrow. If the origin of the second-order twins were due to repeated twinning, some first-order twin structure should be visible on these ends. This proved to be the case, as very small twins were readily found with the aid of a microscope, and probably could have been seen, in some instances, under ideal lighting conditions without aid of a microscope. Fig. 2 shows a cross-section view taken perpendicular to both the surface and the (111) trace of the parent crystal (visible as a straight boundary in Fig. 1) at the beginning point of growth of a second-order twin and where one first-order twin was relatively thick. In the micrograph, A is the large parent grain; B is the first-order twin of A; and C, which is a first-order twin of B; is a second-order twin of A. Between A and B and between B and C the major straight portions are traces of common (111) twin boundaries. The straight portion of boundary between A and C, however, is not a common crystallographic plane to the two lattices; it is a (111) plane of A and a (115) plane of C. Without considering the mechanism of twinning itself, the origin of the second-order twins may be accounted for in terms of repeated twinning and special growth characteristics. After each nucleation, a selective growth process can be thought of as favoring growth of the first-order twin in local spots only and favoring growth of the second-order twin to an extent comparable with that of the parent grain over relatively large areas in a way similar to that described for twinning in aluminum.' It has already been pointed out that the boundary between the large grain (A) and the second-order twin (C), which is responsible for the straight boundary portions in Fig. 1, involves a (111) plane of A and a (115) plane of C. The same combination of planes is not only possible in first-order twins, but actually appears quite frequently.3 Their prevalence in first-order twins and their presence here in second-order twins, together with the necessary occurrence of a large number of common lattice sites at the boundary, is an indication that this combination produces an "energy cusp"' boundary. (Energy cusp boundaries have been described by Shockley and Read.") The configuration of atoms near a {Ill), (115) boundary in first-order twins is of course different from the configuration near the same type of boundary in second-order twins. References 1 M. Sharp and C. G. Dunn: Secondary Recrystallization Texture in Copper. Journal of Metals (January 1952) Trans. AIME, p. 42. 2W. G. Burgers and W. May: Stimulated Crystals and Twinning in Recrystallized Aluminum. Recueil des travaux chimiques des Pays-Bas (1945) 64, p. 5. aD. Whitwham, M. Mouflard, and P. Lacombe: Discussion of W. C. Ellis and R. G. Treuting, "Atomic Relationships in the Cubic Twinned State." Trans. AIME (1951) 191, p. 1070; Journal of Metals (October 1951). 4 W. Shockley and W. T. Read: Dislocation Models of Crystal Grain Boundaries. Physical Review (1950) 78, p. 275.

Jan 1, 1953

By A. W. Schlechten, C. M. Hsiao

J. Pearson (British Iron and Steel Research Association, London, England)—Dr. Wagner has referred to the work of Richardson and Dancy and Gellner and Richardson on the reduction at 900°C of wustite films on iron. He has assumed that iron ions and electrons migrate backwards to the iron-wustite interface and that the reduced iron grows on the metal substrate. This would be a possible explanation of the results of these workers were it not for the fact that, as stated by Gellner and Richardson but not stressed, this growth in the center of the specimen can occur even

Jan 1, 1953

By R. J. Bethancourt, D. M. Collingwood

The use: of a pilot waterflood is very desirable where all of the pertinent data necessary to initiate a full scale waterflood are not. available. This paper attempts to take a specific case and .show the step by step process of starting with a pilot waterflood and progressing to a full wale flood as results are obtained. INTRODUCTION Many of the older fields of Soutlwest Texas are approaching depletion by primary produrtion methods. As primary protlllc:inp operations on individual properties approach their economic limit. conflicting considerations face management: cm the one hand. plugging and abandonment of wells for equipment salvage; on the other hand, further investment in secondary recovery installtions, equilent, and well workovers in the interests of conservation anal additional oil reserves. In main instances, where primary production by pressure depletion and gas solution drive has been comparatively good, there still exists the possibility of an economic secondary recovery by waterflood. This is not necessarily true to the same degrre of all such fields. nor all portions of large fields. To properly evaluate the economics of a prospective water-11ot1cI requires a considerable amount of precise geological. statitical. and physical data Such information on the older field.; is often very limited. and in the case of the property discussed in this paper was considered inadequate to justify investment in an overall waterflood. Primary production was estimated at :39 per cent of the original oil in place, yet sand conditions of permeability and homogeneity, and position in the field appeared to be favorable for a limited margin of profit from a carefully controlled waterflood. Thus a pilot waterflood, with its minimum initial financial risk, followed by extension as favorable results were obtained, seemed to be the answer for the Sun Oil Co L. Wiederkehr lease in the Nortl Government Wells Field, Duval County. Texas DESCRIPTION OF RESERVOIR Approxinately 8,200 wells have been drilled in Duval County. As of March 1, 1952, there were 3,350 producing oil wells in 92 different fields, with very few flowing wells (Fig. 1.) Sun Oil Co. operates the I.. Wiederkehr lease located in the North Government Wells Field in Duval Countv. 85 mile. west of Corpus Chriti and 100 miles south of San Antonio. The lease has been subjected in part to a controlled five spot waterflood. The North Government Wells Field is roughly 7 miles long and 3 miles wide, with numerous overlapping producing zones. The L. Wiederkehr lease of 3.085 acres. Has seven producing zones from 700 to 7.500 ft. The lease is in the northern section of the field where it is widest, and has 710 acres productive from the North Government Wells .and. (Fig. 2.) The North Government Wells sand, Jackson group. Eocene age, at an average depth of 2.250 ft (minus 1.750 subsea). has a thickness range of 25 ft on the east side of the L. Wiederkehr lease to 4 ft on the west side. It has a slight overall dip to the North and East of some 33 ft to the mile.

Jan 1, 1953

By Ernest L. Ohle

The newly opened Hayden Creek lead mine represents a variation from the usual Southeast Missouri type. Galena mineralization occurs in sandy dolomite cementing a conglomerate of granite boulders and in cracks in the boulders. The conglomerate occurs at the base of the Bonneterre formation on the slopes of two buried pre-Cambrian knobs. IN 1943 diamond drilling from the surface in an area 2 miles southwest of Leadwood, Mo., discovered a lead deposit of a markedly different character from the usual southeast Missouri type. Subsequent drilling of about 500 holes indicated several million tons of ore, and in 1950 a 701-ft vertical shaft was sunk into the orebody. This paper describes the geology of this interesting occurrence insofar as it is known from the drilling and the small underground exposure at the bottom of the shaft. Geology The location of the Southeast Missouri Lead Belt and of the Hayden Creek property are shown in Fig. 1. As shown here, there are two separate producing areas, one from which the larger tonnage has come, located near Bonne Terre, Flat River, Desloge, and Leadwood, and the other to the south around Fred-ericktown and including famous old Mine LaMotte. The best published description of Lead Belt geology is by Tarr.* In pre-Cambrian time in this area, an assemblage of granites and rhyolitic flow rocks was eroded to a mature topography. Sedimentation, beginning in the Upper Cambrian, filled in the valleys and gradually covered even the highest hills. The first formation deposited was the La-motte sandstone; it is successively overlain by the Bonneterre dolomite, the principal lead-prodbcing formation, then the Davis shale. the Derby-Doerun limestone, and a succession of Cambro-Ordovician cherty dolomites. Several of these formations may be found in direct contact with the pre-Cambrian as their deposition progressively overlapped the older rocks on the flanks of the igneous knobs and ridges. Immediately overlying the pre-Cambrian there is, not uncommonly, a thin basal conglomerate of granite or porphyry boulders, which is incorporated into the overlying sediments. Deposition of the lower part of the rock section was fairly continuous, and the Lamotte sometimes grades almost imperceptibly into the lower sandy Bonneterre. Since the sediments were deposited on an uneven floor, they tend to reflect the irregularities in that floor. Most of the steep dips found in the district, that is, dips in excess of 10°, are original dips and not caused by deformation. Such domelike structures in the sedimentary rocks around the igneous knobs have localized a considerable number of the orebodies in the district and particularly those in the Frederick-town area. Many of the larger orebodies, however, have no close relation to the pre-Cambrian topography. Most of the lead production has come from the lower 150 ft of the Bonneterre formation, where disseminated ore spreads laterally parallel to the bedding for great distances. Average stoping height is about 20 ft, but in a few places there are stopes over 175 ft high.

Jan 1, 1953

In order to maintain an accurate survey underground, it is first necessary to connect all shafts used for the transferring of the survey to the levels below by a precise surface survey.This has been achieved at Mount Isa by a careful triangulation survey with stations adjacent to those shafts most suitably located for transferring the survey below.The precedure used is described herein.The Weisbach triangle commonly used is obtained by reading to swingirig wires, the theodolite being placed in line with them as nearly as is possible. The surveyor at the surface places the wires in the shaft as far apart as the size of the shaft will permit, with sufficient space between the wires and walls to ensure their swinging freely. The far wire is fixed in position, while the near one is movable by means of fine adjusting screws to facilitate its being brought into line with the fixed wire and the theodolite. When this is done the surveyor at the lower level is advised by pre-arranged signals and the survey can then commence.The surface portion of the survey is simple; all that is necessary being to read the angle from the backsight to the wires, measure their distance from the theodolite, and keep a check on them throughout the survey to make sure that no movement takes place.The lower portion of the survey is more difficult, the surveyor first qf all having to place his theodolite as nearly as possible in line with the wires.

Jan 1, 1953

By R. Bainbridge

THE Consolidated Mining and Smelting CO. of Canada Ltd. has operated a lead smelter at Trail, B. C., for many years. In order to take advantage of metallurgical advances, as well as to improve materials handling methods, this company, commonly known as "Cominco," commenced planning a program of smelter revision and modernization some years ago. The first stage of this program involved the design and construction of a new blast furnace gas cleaning system. The selection of equipment, the design of facilities, and preliminary operating details of this system will be dealt with in this paper. The essential problem was to clean and collect 100 tons of dust daily from 153,000 cfm* (12,225 lb per min) of lead blast furnace gas which varied in temperature from 350º to 1100°F. Because it was desired to collect the dust dry, either a Cottrell or a baghouse cleaning plant was to be selected. Comin-co's many years of experience with both systems provided a background for choosing the most satisfactory installation. All information pertinent to the two methods of dust recovery was carefully investigated, and it was decided to replace the existing equipment with a baghouse. Very briefly, the reasons for this decision were as follows: 1—A baghouse installation would be practical because the SO2 content of the gas was low and corrosion would not be a problem if the baghouse operating temperatures were held sufficiently above the dew point. 2—Variations in the physical characteristics of fume and dust, which are inherent in this blast furnace operation, should not substantially affect the operating efficiency of a baghouse. 3—For the same capital cost, metal losses (stack and water losses) would be appreciably less in a baghouse. 4—A baghouse would be easier to operate, and would not require the use of highly skilled labor. 5—Operating and maintenance costs of a bag-house would be lower. 6—The only available space for reconstruction was relatively small, and not suited to a Cottrell installation. Once the baghouse system was decided upon, detailed design of the installation was begun. Baghouse Design Gas Cooling: Before the required capacity of the baghouse could be determined, the method of cooling the gas to the temperature necessary for bag-house operation had to be chosen. The problem confronting the design engineers was how best to cool 153,000 cfm of gas from a temperature ranging from 350°F to brief peaks of 1100°F, down to 210°F, the maximum safe baghouse inlet temperature. A survey of existing blast furnace gas temperatures in the outlet flue showed that the normal range was as given in Table I. The obvious choices of cooling method were: 1— cool completely by the addition of tempering air; 2—utilize a heat exchanger; 3—cool by radiation; and 4—cool with water spray in conjunction with the admission of tempering air. The advantages and disadvantages of the various cooling methods were: Air Addition: To cool completely by the admission of tempering air involved tremendous volumes, Fig. 1. For example, to cool 1 lb of blast furnace gas at 450°F requires 1.84 lb of air at 80°F or 1.60 lb at 60°F. As it is necessary to design for peak conditions, it can readily be seen that volumes of tempering air in the order of 1,500,000 cfm would have to be handled. Using the normal design figure of 2.5 cu ft per sq ft of bag area, a baghouse installation comprising some 600,000 sq ft of filter cloth would be necessary. Such design requirements would be prohibitive, not only from a standpoint of capital expenditure, but also because of space limitations. Heat Exchanger: The utilization of a heat exchanger was given serious consideration. A horizontal tube unit using air as the medium to cool the required volume of blast furnace gas from 400" to 250°F was investigated. Cooling above 400°F would be done by water spray, and below 250°F by admission of tempering air. The estimated capital cost of such a unit was found to be prohibitive. From an operating standpoint, there was considerable doubt as to whether the soot blowing equipment provided would effectively keep the dust from building up on the tube surface. The performance of heat exchangers operating on dusty gas in other company operations had not been too favorable. Radiation Cooling: Although somewhat cumbersome, gas cooling by radiation from 'trombone' tubes or other similar equipment (cyclones) is employed in many metallurgical operations. Such an installation was also considered. However, calculations showed that an installation much larger than the space available would be required to handle the gas volume involved. For example, to cool 153,000 cfm of blast furnace gas from, say, 600' to 250°F (i.e., remove in the order of 58,500,000 Btu per hr with heat transfer rates varying from 1.1 Btu per sq ft per hr per OF for the higher temperature ranges to 0.88 Btu per sq ft per hr per OF for the lower ranges) would need a cooling area of some 175,000 sq ft.

Jan 1, 1953

Jan 1, 1953

By E. A. Brown

"IntroductionBACK IN THE nineteen-thirties, when Eldorado was a private company and was preparing to become Canada's first radium producer, the Mines Branch in Ottawa did much work on the development of chemical processes for the Port Hope refinery (1).In 1945, after the Canadian Government had taken over Eldorado for •atomic energy reasons, the Mines Branch was called upon again, this time to help out by looking into ways and means of improving ore treatment methods for the mine at Great Bear Lake. A group of technical men was assembled to devote full attention to this work, which was known as the Eldorado Project.Three years later, in 1948, the Government decided to reopen the development and operation of uranium properties to private enterprise.Since it is a function of the Mines Branch to assisit private development of Canadian mineral resources, this new uranium policy made it important for the Branch to be in a position where it could provide up-to-date services, technical assistance, and information relating to treatment of radioactive ores, mineralogy of radioactive ores, and assay methods for radioactive ores.At the same time, .because of the demand for increased uranium production, lower grade ores had definitely come into the picture, ores that might be of decidedly lower grade than, say, Eldorado pitchblende, and of entirely different nature."

Jan 1, 1953