Search Documents

By J. Walter Snavely

PRESENT-DAY processing in many industries, calcining, sintering, briquetting, beneficiation and nodulizing, increasingly calls for the handling of large volumes of hot bulk materials. Various types of conveyors have been employed. This discussion will cover the factors governing their selection. For temperature ranges up to 400°F, or approximately 200 °C, a wide range of conveyors is available. Special constructions of rubber conveyor belts, steel conveyor belts, vibrating and shaker conveyors, apron conveyors, and drag chain conveyors, all are used successfully. As temperatures go well above 400 2F, however, choice of conveyors is narrowly limited. This paper will consider the problem of handling bulk materials only where the temperatures exceed 400°F. The arbitrary selection of 400 °F as a dividing point undoubtedly can be challenged, as special conveyor belting constructions are available which are suitable for temperatures in excess of 400°F. However, when the relatively short life of such belts and the cost of their replacement, with the attendant down time, are balanced against the reliability and long service life of the properly designed steel constructed units to be discussed, there is little question in any operator's mind that the special belts are more expensive to use. Because the conveyors under study are for the handling of bulk materials, inevitably including a high proportion of fines, obviously wire mesh belts cannot be included for consideration. Even though this type of conveyor is widely used at high temperatures, i.e., for carrying glassware through a lehr, it is unsuited for the conveying of bulk materials, and therefore will be excluded from further discussion in this paper. Preliminary to the study of the conveyor itself is the determination as to whether the material is to be cooled while it is being handled, or whether the processing requires retention of all heat and the maintenance of a given temperature range. In the majority of cases cooling is incidental to or part of the handling process, when the handling, for example, follows completion of sintering, roasting, calcining, refining, or some other process. To meet such operating conditions successfully, the conveying medium used must have: 1—a construction capable of withstanding maximum initial temperatures of the material being handled. 2—a construction providing efficient heat transfer for cooling. 3—a construction providing dependable operation and long life with minimum service requirements, and 4—a construction providing controlled and efficient conveying. Under the usual conditions of cooling during the handling, the construction selected to withstand the initial maximum temperatures does not necessarily involve using alloys, as excellent results can be achieved with normal carbon steels and cast irons, when they are properly applied and proportioned. The earliest and simplest type of conveyor for handling very hot materials is the cast steel drag chain conveyor, still widely used for handling hot cement clinker, as illustrated by Figs. I and 2. Because of the rugged and generous proportions of the chain link design, low carbon steels are entirely suitable for the links. The pins, however, must be alloy steel. The simple, rugged construction of this type of conveyor makes it readily capable of withstanding high initial temperatures, even though the chain is operating buried in the material. The drag-chain type of conveyor has advantages and limitations. Although the efficiency of the heat transfer is relatively poor, the life of the conveyor is reasonably long, and because of its crude simplicity it does not require much servicing. However, as a conveyor, it is limited in capacity, and largely limited to horizontal runs. Furthermore, because of the crude design, heavy weight, and the chain operating at the temperature of the material, greatly reducing permissible operating chain pulls, this type of conveyor is limited to relatively short centers. Another type of conveyor that has been used for very hot materials is the cast pan conveyor. Because of its very generous proportions the cast pan, which is made of either cast iron or malleable iron, can withstand initial maximum temperatures. It also provides efficient heat transfer for cooling. Further, it is on efficient conveyor construction, which can be used for inclines. Because the chain employs rolling friction instead of sliding friction, and is not in the maximum temperature zone, much longer centers are possible. It is this type of conveyor that is frequently used in the casting of various metal pigs, pig iron, and aluminum; it is obvious, therefore, that very high initial temperatures are being handled. With this kind of conveyor the return run is frequently sprayed with water to accelerate heat transfer. The build-up of residual heat in the very heavy cast pans is thus overcome. The outboard roller steel pan conveyor is an improved pan conveyor' which provides high rates of heat transfer and substitutes formed steel pans for the heavy cast pans. It is a very efficient conveying medium. The details of this particular construction are clearly shown in Fig. 3. An early application of this type of conveyor is shown in Fig. 4. In this case the conveyor units are handling roasted phosphate rock at average temperatures of 1000" to 1500°F, and frequent maximum temperatures as high as 1900°F. Several widths are used. The capacity of the unit at a speed of 50 fpm is approximately 30 tph per inch of width at peak loadings, average capacity being about 1/3 of peak loading. The assembled conveyor is shown in Fig. 5, with views of both the top and the underside to show all the construction details. In particular, the following general design principles were carried out in this construction:

Jan 1, 1954

By A. Andreas, E.H. Wells

The oil and gas industry of New Mexico recorded notable progress ill 1935. More wells were brought in than in any previous year, and important new discoveries were made. The total number of completions was 340, of which 260 were oil wells, 8 were gas wells and 72 were dry holes. The total oil production was 20,228,947 bbl., an appreciable increase over the 1934 production of 16,636,804 barrels. Many of the wells completed in southeastern New Mexico were acidized. This treatment proved highly effective in increasing the capacity of the wells, the resulting potentials usually being two to ten times as large as before acid treatment. In the Lea County fields in which proration was entirely on an acreage basis, the tendency of many of the operators was to complete their wells according to best conservation practice rather than to obtain the largest possible potential. Much remedial work was done in the Hobbs, Cooper, Jal and Eunice fields, and with excellent results. At many of the wells high gas-oil ratios were greatly reduced and encroaching waters shut off by setting packers. Several companies carried on pretentious geophysical campaigns in the southeastern part of the state. The location of the Amerada discovery well in the Monument field was based on geophysical surveys. The New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission, established by the 1935 Legislature and consisting of the Governor, the Commissioner of Public Lands and the State Geologist, began to function in May. Production in the state thereafter was based on orders issued by the Commission. Proration in the Hobbs field, which had been provided for since July, 1930, by successive proration agreements signed by all operators in the field and approved by the State Geologist, was continued by the Commission by giving approval to the current proration agreement,. A plan of proration for the other Lea County fields that had been in offect since early ill 1934 was adopted. 111 September, 1935, the Commission approved a. proration agreement for the Artesia-Jackson-Maljarnar area in Eddy and Lea counties that had been agreed upon by

Jan 1, 1936

By Thomas A. Wright

No symposium on die-casting could be complete without consideration of the methods of formula and impurity control. No corisideration of control would be complete without discussion of that new tool of the analytical chemist and inspector, the quartz spectrograph. Just as there is an increased appreciation of the possible applications of the die-casting process and of die castings, so too is there, slowly but surely, of the spectrograph. At present the role of the instrument might well be compared with that of brass or magnesium die castings. Neither is as widely understood or known as they will be. Product specifications are increasing and are getting more explicit and often more rigid. The designer, metallurgist and production engineer or superintendent will be forced to depend more and more on the chemical laboratory. Sampling, as well as analyses, testing and inspection problems will grow. The chemical laboratory must meet its increased responsibility and use of the spectrograph will become more common. Advantages of increased precision, greater speed, lessened labor and often lower costs cannot be ignored. It will be the purpose of this paper in part to outline the respective fields of chemical and spectrographic analyses and to indicate where one may overlap the other and in part to indicate certain possible sources of contamination of zinc-base die-cast alloys in particular. Composition Aluminum.-Aluminum die die castings are expected to conform to the specifications of the Amcrican Society for Testing Materialslt and the Society of Automotive Engineers2. The A.S.T.M. has recognized seven aluminum alloys in Tentative Specification B85-33-T. TWO are straight silicon and the remainder are of the copper-silicon type of which alloys VIII and IX have in addition respectively 2 and 4 per cent of nickel, but unlike the others are not covered by S.A.E. as well. All seven call for rigid control of certain impurities. With the exception of alloy XII,

Jan 1, 1935

By John C. McDonald

The amount of published literature in the field of mechanical properties of magnesium alloys is not great; particularly with respect to rolled alloys. Haughton and Prytherchl have summarized most of the articles to 1937, including their own work on sheet. Although many papers can be found dealing with the technology of magnesium and the alloys now in commercial use, there does not seem to be any work dealing exclusively with the variation in properties of rolled alloys as caused by changes in alloy composition. Comparison of published data reveals considerable discrepancies in properties of alloys of the same composition, probably due to differences in the details of working and heat-treating followed by different workers. The purpose of this paper is to study the properties of alloys in conditions where the effects of such differences have been eliminated. It is well known that the strength and ductility of metals are functions of the working and heat-treating they have received, as well as of their chemical composition. In comparing alloys with respect to these properties, therefore, all possible combinations of the variables of the fabrication procedure ought to be carried out on each alloy. One or more of these treatments mill produce the highest ductility, or strength, or both. These highest properties would then be selected as characteristic of each alloy, and alloys would be compared on the basis of those properties. Thus a separation of the effect of composition and that of workiiig and heat-treating would be achieved. In this paper, however, a compromise with completeness has been made by carrying out a restricted number of treatments. As a consequence, the properties obtained are not necessarily the best that the alloy is capable of exhibiting; but since all alloy3 have been treated by the same method, the results ought to be comparable. The elements selected for the study comprise a class that will alloy easily with magnesium, and that are reblatively cheap. Each was added in different amounts, up to a limit that varied with the element.

Jan 1, 1940

By Guy W. Jordan, David P. Hale

High-iRon cements have a number of advantages over cements carrying little or no iron. The presence of iron in Portland cement aids in the manufacture of the cement and also imparts certain advantageous physical properties to the finished product. In manufacture, the presence of iron lowers the fuel consumption, increases the ease of proper"burning, and lessens the destructive action of the charge on the kiln refractories. In the finished cement the presence of iron reduces the expansion and contraction, adds strength, adds increased resistance to"freezing and thawing, and increases the resistance of the cement to sea "or sulphate waters. [" During the past few years the construction of numerous dams through- "out the Southeast by the Tennessee Valley Authority has stimulated the "production of high-iron cements. At present a great number of specifica- "tions call for an iron cement, and the industry is supplying this demand "with a Portland cement carrying approximately 5 per cent iron oxide. "Several manufacturers are now making practically all of their cement "of this type and a number of others manufacture it as a special cement "over short periods to meet demands from the Tennessee Valley Authority "and other buyers. " The recent increase in the use of iron in Portland cement has created "a market for iron products that previously was nonexistent. The chief "sources of supply for the cement manufacturers at present are iron sand, "iron sinter and slag, and ocher. The Copperhill mining district, Ten- "nessee, supplies both iron sinter and slag for use in cement. The Carters- "ville district supplies iron sand, ocher, and some iron resulting from the "magnetic separation of iron from barite. The advantages of these "products vary according to the chemical properties of the raw materials "and the methods of handling used by the different manufacturers. Where "the iron is to be handled by conveying belts and in hopper cars, the iron"sand and sinter and slag are preferable. Where the silica content must "be raised, the iron sand is doubly advantageous because it supplies both

Jan 1, 1942

By N. A. Zeigler

Considerable work has been and is being done on the changes of physical properties that take place in alloys at elevated temperatures, and much information on this subject is published. Much less is known, as pointed out by Rickett and Woodll about reactions between the alloys and atmospheric gases and still less is known abut changes within the alloy itself under the influence of heat and given atmosphere. Moreover, most of the work published has been done on the alloys of "heat-resisting" type, in which chromium is an essential ingredient, the behavior of all other alloys being quite unknown, except perhaps of decarburization produced at the surface by oxidizing atmospheres. It has been shown2 that iron, with total amount of foreign ingredients not exceeding 0.01 per cent, if heated in an oxidizing atmosphere at above 900" C., may be saturated with oxygen to 0.1 per cent. It was suspected that something of a similar nature may take place in iron-silicon alloys (transformer material), the mechanism of such processes being either a direct diffusion of oxygen into the alloy, or oxygen combining with silicon to form SiO2 or more complicated (silicate) inclusions. Another possibility to be considered was that during annealing in oxidizing atmospheres, when scale is being formed, silicon may oxidize preferentially at the surface, thus impoverishing the alloy in silicon. In collaboration with Dr. T. D. YensenP3 the writer set out to investigate this problem about two years ago in order to settle these questions. Testing Procedure In the first part of the investigation, two pieces of 4 per cent silicon iron, prepared in hydrogen atmospheres and forged to 3/4-in. square bar,

Jan 1, 1934

By E. Hornbogen, R. C. Glenn

Copper precipitates from a iron as fcc E phase without formation of intermediate compounds. In the first stage of the precipitation, spherical particles with diameters < 100A are formed at a high rate. During the second stage, the particles grow at a rate given by Zener&apos;s equation for growth of a spherical precipitate. In the third stage, growth is slower. Rod-shaped particles form after long aging times at 700°C. Maximum strengthenzng was observed at the beginning of the second step of precipitation. During plastic deformation of the aggregate, particles appear to deform initially by twinning. THE work discussed herein was part of a study of precipitation of substitutional elements from a iron. Copper was chosen as one of these substitutional elements because it has about the same atomic size as a iron, and does not form an intermetallic compound with iron. The data on the iron-copper system then available were summarized by Daniloff1 several years ago. The solubility of copper in a iron has been determined by electrical conductivity measurements,2 lattice parameter measurements,3 and by saturating thin iron foils with copper and determining the copper content.4 The results of the three investigations do not agree very well, but the value of 2.4 wt pct for the maximum solubility at 840°C seems to be the most reliable,4 Fig. 1. An alloy containing 1.23 wt pct Cu was used in our work to assure starting with a completely homogeneous material. On the copper-rich side of the diagram, there is a maximum solubility of about 4 wt pct Fe in copper at 1094°C ( phase). The precipitation of

Jan 1, 1961

IN this survey of the progressive development of education for the mineral industries throughout the United States, the review of the history of each school has usually been completed wherever it is first mentioned, but the history of the schools in the cities of the eastern seaboard was not carried beyond 1870. It is necessary now to cover what happened during the period of approximately the last quarter of the nineteenth century in several of the schools in the east. PHILADELPHIA Of Philadelphia, it has been related in chapter 4 that the Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania began offering a curriculum leading to the B.S. in mining in 1853; that the school did not prosper, and finally closed about 1890. The establishment of a Department of Mining, Arts, and Manufactures at the University of Pennsylvania in 1855-56 was also mentioned, but its history was not carried beyond 1860. In 1859 J. Peter Lesley was appointed professor of mining in the University of Pennsylvania. The son of a cabinetmaker, born in Philadelphia Sept. 17, 1819, he had taken his A.B. degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1838 and then secured a position on the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania under H. D. Rogers. When the Survey was discontinued, in 1841, he went to Princeton to study theology, was ordained a Presbyterian minister and followed that career until 1853, when the Pennsylvania Geological Survey was again started and he rejoined its staff. He published "A Manual of Coal and its Topography" in 1856, and studied at the École des Mines, Paris, in 1850-57. He published an 800-page "Iron Manufactures Guide" the year that he was appointed to the staff at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1863-64 a College of Agriculture, Mines, Arts and the Mechanic Arts was established, but it was not a separate school

Jan 1, 1941

By B. Amero, W. Petruk, D. R. Owens, D. R. Morris

Samples taken at different heights in the lead blast furnace of Brunswick Mining and Smelting corporation were studied to determine the phases present in order to interpret the reactions In the furnace. The main phases in the blast furnace feed are Pb3Ca2S13011, Zn ferrite (ZnFe204), and hardystonite (Ca2ZnSi207); rninor ones include lead and a Pb silicate. The temperature in the furnace varies from about 300°C at 4.2 m above the tuyeres to 1150°C at 1.1 m. There is no evidence of reactions in samples from points cooler than 800°C. Some reaction occurs between 950° and llOO°C and the lead sinter is nearly decomposed at about 1150°C. The first evidence of reaction was the decomposition of Pb silicate to lead and S102. At higher temperatures the Pb Ca2Si3011 decomposed to form lead and hardystonite (Ca2ZnS120rf. The Zn required for hardystonite was derived from the Zn ferrite which apparently re-equilibrated to a new Zn ferrite with less Zn. The decomposed sinter consists essentially of lead, hardystonite, wustite and a Zn ferrite with a low Zn content.

Jan 1, 1984

By David P. Hale, Guy W. Jordan

High-iRon cements have a number of advantages over cements carrying little or no iron. The presence of iron in Portland cement aids in the manufacture of the cement and also imparts certain advantageous physical properties to the finished product. In manufacture, the presence of iron lowers the fuel consumption, increases the ease of proper"burning, and lessens the destructive action of the charge on the kiln refractories. In the finished cement the presence of iron reduces the expansion and contraction, adds strength, adds increased resistance to"freezing and thawing, and increases the resistance of the cement to sea "or sulphate waters. [" During the past few years the construction of numerous dams through- "out the Southeast by the Tennessee Valley Authority has stimulated the "production of high-iron cements. At present a great number of specifica- "tions call for an iron cement, and the industry is supplying this demand "with a Portland cement carrying approximately 5 per cent iron oxide. "Several manufacturers are now making practically all of their cement "of this type and a number of others manufacture it as a special cement "over short periods to meet demands from the Tennessee Valley Authority "and other buyers. " The recent increase in the use of iron in Portland cement has created "a market for iron products that previously was nonexistent. The chief "sources of supply for the cement manufacturers at present are iron sand, "iron sinter and slag, and ocher. The Copperhill mining district, Ten- "nessee, supplies both iron sinter and slag for use in cement. The Carters- "ville district supplies iron sand, ocher, and some iron resulting from the "magnetic separation of iron from barite. The advantages of these "products vary according to the chemical properties of the raw materials "and the methods of handling used by the different manufacturers. Where "the iron is to be handled by conveying belts and in hopper cars, the iron"sand and sinter and slag are preferable. Where the silica content must "be raised, the iron sand is doubly advantageous because it supplies both

Jan 1, 1942

By Charles Ramseyer

THE manufacture of iron and steel is one of the largest of our indus-tries; and in point of size of single plant and equipment certainly the biggest of all industries. By the general public it is generally con-sidered a prime example both of the marvelous technical advances achieved by modern science and engineering in the design and operation of equipment and of the efficiency of big business in the coordination of men and materials. Actually the operation of its basic processes has not changed significantly in either theory or fundamental design of equipment in the past 75 years. Though many other process indus-tries have been born and developed, and not seldom completely revolu-tionized, during this period, the primary processes of making iron and steel are still carried out along the lines laid down, and in the equipment originated so long ago, by Bessemer, Siemens and Martin, and subse-quently expanded to practically the modern scale by Carnegie, Schwab and Captain Bill Jones in the eighteen eighties and nineties. The application of the principles underlying the continuous counter-current physical and chemical interaction of solids, liquids and gases, which have been so successfully used in the rapid evolution of our chemical process industries, has been very largely lacking in the steel industry. In the days of -the last-named giants, especially Carnegie, the steel industry made great and rapid technical progress. Carnegie&apos;s ever driving idea (as later with Ford in the production of automobiles) was the finding of new and better ways of making cheaper steel. Carnegie himself was a steelman, and so long as he dominated the industry its technical progress. was rapid; and he, like Ford, was vastly successful financially as well, since his costs were continually being driven lower than those of his competitors by his advances in steelmaking technique.

Jan 1, 1934

By Mark Malamphy

DURING colonial times, Brazil was famous for the richness of her alluvial gold deposits. Paul Ferrand has estimated that the gold produced during the period from 1700 to 1820 was the equivalent of some 64 million pounds sterling. Since that time, most of the more prolific alluvial deposits have been exhausted. A few gold mines are still func-tioning, notably the Morro Velho mine, which is one of the deepest mines in the world. Today, the gold production of Brazil is insignificant when compared with world figures, but there are still many gold-bearing regions and it is probable that in at least some of them profitable returns would result from an exploitation program taking advantage of all the most modern innovations in gold mining and ore treatment on a large scale. In order to demonstrate the value of some of these abandoned pros-pects and stir up interest in increasing the national gold production, the government has stimulated research. Experimental plants have been and are being established in various places, and tests on large quantities of ores are being carried out on a semicommercial basis. The Geological Survey of the State of Minas Geraes is very active in this line and the Federal Institution is also showing an increased interest in the matter. One of the lesser known gold-bearing regions of Brazil is in the vicinity of Lavras, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Gold was first reported from this region in the early part of the nineteenth century. In 1811, D. João VI sent an experienced prospector from Minas Geraes to investi-gate the validity of the reports. According to the reports of Baron

Jan 1, 1934

By J. H. Nead

The subject of this paper is one to which there are many references in the literature on the manufacture of steel in the open-hearth furnace, but few actual experimental data have been published. For that reason, the presentation of results obtained from two open-hearth heats where attempts were made to measure the sulfur absorption will be of considerable interest and value. The two heats on which the experiments were made were Armco ingot-iron heats and differ from the usual open-hearth heat of medium- or mild-carbon steel in that the refining is carried further; in this product the carbon and manganese are reduced practically to traces. In most other respects, and especially in respect to the absorption of sulfur from the producer gas, the two heats are typical of usual open-hearth practice. The object of the experiments made on the first Armco iron heat was to determine the fluctuation of the composition of the metal bath and the slag throughout the course of the heat, with especial reference to the variations in sulfur. It was hoped to determine whether there was an increase in sulfur in the bath from the producer gas and if so at what stage in the process the increase occurred. The experimental method consisted of charging analyzed scrap and pig iron, so that the sulfur in the charge could be calculated. Then, throughout the duration of the heat, metal and slag samples were takcn every half hour, beginning as soon as there was enough molten metal to take a sample. These samples were analyzed; the results are given in Table 1. All domestic scrap was used and the charge was made up as follows: Head End Finish Pounds Pound Pig iron........................ 36,300 Pig iron....................... 23,900 Sheet scrap bundles............. 36,200 Sheet bars..................... 23,900 Sheet bm..................... 40;200 The total charge, exclusive of the re-pig added near the end of the heat, was 160,500 Ib. The limestone charged was 21,400 Ib., or 13½ per cent.

Jan 1, 1924

By T. Olrog

Dissemination of technical data on developments in rock-blasting techniques in Sweden initially takes place as personal contacts and contacts between companies. In addition to these informal contacts, contacts occur in Sweden in a somewhat more organized form. There exists an informal working group--the Rock Blasting Committee--which consists of a number of personal representatives from various companies that perform rock blasting on a large scale and from firms manufacturing the equipment that is used. This means that people from both mining and construction companies get together, plus the manufacturers of explosives, drill steel, drilling machines, and loading equipment. This working group has, so far, succeeded very well in ignoring the purely commercial interests of the companies concerned. Cooperation in this form was started in the 1940&apos;s when the tungsten-carbide drill steel was invented-the group originally concentrated entirely on the development of that product. Their activities have been broadened since that time and now a meeting is held every year, at which practical experiences are reported. Only in the past five years have subjects relating to blasting procedures to avoid rock damage been treated at such meetings. This, of course, does not mean that such techniques had been neglected previously. It does, however, reflect the fact that practice in this field is still under development. Why do we try to be careful about the rock surfaces? Obviously, it is a question of economic evaluation. An even rock surface provides, in certain cases, the conditions for more favorable maintainance costs later on, greater strength, and a diminished risk of slides. The economic connections in this field, however, are neither simple or clear. A well-controlled blasted rock surface limits the need for concrete when you later build the concrete constructions. In this respect, the connections are all the more clear. In certain situations, such as tunnels for hydroeletric power plants, a good rock surface that is not lined is hydraulically more favorable than a more coarsely blasted surface. This permits a gain in the height of fall, but the

Jan 1, 1970

By T. S. Hutchinson, C. E. Kemp

The bottom water drive analysis presented by Muskat has been extended to include fields with wider well spacings. Curves are presented from which volumetric sweepout, water-oil ratio, and rate relations may be calculated. The effects of non-unity ratios on sweepout eficiency and productivity decline have been studied by an approximate method. Also, the effect of gravity on volumetric sweepout has been approximated for a particurlar geometry. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to report work done in applying the analysis of bottom water drive reservoirs given by Muskat1 to a larger class of reservoirs, to extend this analysis to include the effects of gravity and non-unity mobility ratios in an approximate manner, and to investigate the rate of decline of productive capacity. The bottom water drive type reservoir is one where the oil is underlain by a water zone of sufficient thickness that water movement is essentially vertical. This system is defined in more detail in the appendix and a one well element is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1. Muskat obtained solutions to the equations describing the volumetric displacement efficiency of idealized bottom water drive systems by assuming that gravity effects due to differences in density betwecn oil and water were negligible and that the mobilities of oil and water were the same. If either of these assumptions is not made, the complexity of the system makes an analytical solution well nigh impossible at the present stage of mathematical development. Coles and Stade&apos; developed an approximation to consider these factors. The authors have refined approximations, starting with the same basic assumption, which should give a somewhat quantitative picture of bottom water drive performance when mobilities are not equal and the effects of gravity are not negligible. The results of these approximate calculations can then be used to obtain the decline in well productivity as the field is depleted.

Jan 1, 1957

By Hallan N. Marsh, Bruce H. Robinson

It is now generally recognized that to secure the greatest ultimate recovery of petroleum from a field it is necessary to maintain at all times the lowest possible ratio of gas to oil production. The numerous ways of securing low ratios are not so generally understood or practiced. To many operators, reduction of gas-oil ratio simply means "beaning back" wells, with resultant reduced production rate. This postponement of production is often considered and spoken of as "lost" production, with the result that control of gas-oil ratio is in disfavor with some operators. Various methods are herein discussed by which gas-oil ratio may be reduced, some of which invoLve no curtailment of current production, while others are accompanied by an actual increase of daily production. It is further shown that in cases where rate of production is reduced to conserve gas, the indicated ultimate recovery is generally increased. Principles involved are discussed, and conclusions are illustrated by data from the operation of wells. General Principles The rate and ratio in which oil and gas enter a well are solely dependent, so far as the operation of that well is concerned, upon the pressures maintained in the well opposite the producing strata at various times and at various depths. The method of getting the oil out of the hole, whether by natural flow, gas-lift, or pumping, has no effect upon either rate of production or ultimate recovery except through its effect upon pressures. Oil apparently enters wells according to some such equation as the following: R = KC(Pf - Pw)n Where R = rate of production. K = well coefficient, depending upon thickness of sand, and size and number of pores in the sand. C = fluid coefficient, depending upon viscosity, surface tension, etc.

Jan 1, 1929

By P. D. Merica

IN connection with other investigations on the properties and characteristics of chilled iron car wheels, the question as to the best range of annealing temperatures was raised. Chilled-iron wheels are cast with a chill against the tread and the inside of the flange, the remainder being in sand. The composition of the metal is so chosen that under these conditions the tread and inside of the flange will show white iron to a depth of from 5/8 to 7/8 in. (15 to 22 mm.), the remainder of the wheel becoming graphitized or gray. In order to relieve the stresses set up during cooling under such drastic conditions, the wheels are stripped from the mold, while still red hot, piled in a soaking pit, and allowed to cool very slowly from their temperature at stripping. Obviously the most suitable temperature for this annealing is the highest at which no formation of graphite occurs within the white tread and at which the wheels can be stripped from the molds. Inasmuch as no direct determinations have been made of the temperatures at which the&apos; formation, of graphite takes place in white iron of compositions used in car wheels upon annealing, it was considered worth while to determine these temperatures as a means of establishing the maximum temperatures at which the annealing of the wheels may be carried out. In the course of this work, some incidental observations were made which are of interest in connection with the theory of graphitization in white iron. The literature on the subject of the formation of graphite both during cooling at casting and upon annealing is very extensive and can be best studied by reference to a comprehensive discussion of the subject by Hatfield. 1 Perhaps the most important contributions of previous investigation are the following: 1. Whether a given mass of molten iron becomes white, mottled, or gray upon casting, depends on its composition and its rate of cooling through the temperature range of solidification and immediately below.

Jan 7, 1919

By N. A. Ziegler

THE present publication is a continuation of the work on gas analysis, described in a paper presented before the Institute of Metals Division a year ago.1 While that paper was largely descriptive in character, dealing with the various parts of the apparatus and method of operations, the present one gives numerical data obtained as a result of a series of experiments with iron-carbon alloys. The apparatus and the methods applied are essentially the same as previously described, changes being only in minor details. Attention should be called to the fact that in the present work we are dealing with the gaseous mixtures obtained as a result of vacuum melting of various ferrous alloys. It should be understood that when the terms "degasified sample" and "products of degasification" are used, they refer to the sample remaining after the vacuum fusion of the alloy and the gaseous products removed therefrom, respectively. The writer does not wish to create the impression that the metallic products of this process are absolutely free from any gaseous elements, nor that the gases obtained are present as such in the original sample. These two points are not yet definitely known and are subjects for future investigation. The point, however, which has been established beyond doubt, is that all the gases dealt with come from the metallic charge and are present either in the charge as such, or are produced as a result of chemical reactions going on within the charge. The suggestion that the gases are due to the reactions between the metallic charge and the refractory materials has no valid basis.

Jan 1, 1929

By A. B. Stevens, C. J. Coberly

The absolute porosity of a rock or sand may be defined as the volume of the interparticle space expressed as a percentage of the total rock volume. The effective porosity as contrasted with the absolute porosity is the volume of the interparticle spaces which intercommunicate with passages of sufficient size to permit the entrance or recovery of gas or oil, also expressed as a percentage of the total rock volume. A knowledge of effective porosity is of prime importance in estimating the ultimate recovery to be expected from oil and gas-bearing formations. The determination of the effective porosity of a rock includes the measurement of two values: (I) the volume of the rock as a whole, and (2) the volume of the grains and sealed pore space. This paper deals with a new apparatus which has been called a "hydrogen porosimeter" for determining the volume of the grains and the sealed pore space. This volume is determined by means of the pressure relations established in the instrument by the introduction of a known quantity of hydrogen. The Hydrogen Porosimeter The apparatus used in this work consists of an upper chamber for measuring the gas, a lower chamber for holding the sample to be tested, a gage for measuring the pressures, a tank of hydrogen, and the necessary connections. (Figs. 1 and 2.) Of the several gases that might be used for this work, hydrogen has been chosen for three reasons: (1) it deviates less from the gas laws than most gases; (2) it readily penetrates the sample; (3) it is absorbed less than most gases by the solids and liquids with which it may come in contact. Method of Operation After placing the sample to be tested in the lower chamber, the apparatus is thoroughly flushed with hydrogen to remove all air from the system, which is then brought to atmospheric pressure Po. The valve connecting the two chambers is next closed and the pressure in the upper chamber is brought up to a pressure PI by admitting gas from the tank.

Jan 1, 1933

By Charles S. Larkey

Numerous papers have been published on the use of graphic methods for determining the best curve for estimating the production decline of oil wells but, as far as the writer has been able to ascertain, nothing has been published showing how curves may be worked out mathematically that will conform most closely to the production data under consideration in any given instance; hence the writer has endeavored to show just how such application can be made. Among the valuation engineers, two types of curves are in current use for the representation of the decline in production of oil wells. One may be represented by the equation, y = krx; this is sometimes known as a percentage curve, for the production for any period is multiplied by a constant rate or percentage to obtain the production for the succeeding period. It appears as a straight line on semilogarithmic cross-section paper. The other curve may be represented by the equation, y = kxn, and is shown as a straight line on logarithmic cross-section paper. In each equation, y represents the number of barrels produced in a given period of time, and x the successive periods of time. The other letters are constants to be determined for each well, or group of wells considered in arriving at the most probable curve to represent the rate of production for a given property. From this the underground reserves may be estimated by extrapolation, or by extending the curve beyond the last known period of production to show the most probable production values for the future. Application to the Burbank Pool Fig. 1 relates to a property in the Burbank Pool, Osage County, Okla. The production is shown as an average per well per month, is plotted to the vertical scale of barrels on the left-hand margin and to the horizontal scale of months at the bottom of the chart. In column y, the number of barrels is listed beginning with May, 1922, as the first month on which to base a decline curve. The type of curve used is of the form, y = krx, or, expressed in logarithms, log y = log k + x log r, in which log k and log r are constants to be determined so that the curve will most closely approximate the production data given.

Jan 1, 1925