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By J. A. Botin, K. H. Singh

INTRODUCTION The Alfredo underground mine is one of the three mining operations of Rio Tinto Minera, S.A., all near the community of Rio Tinto in Huelva province of southwest Spain. The other two operations are Corta Atalaya open pit (Pyrite ore) and Cerro Colorado open pit (Copper ore 1. Underground mining of Alfredo Mine for pyrites started in the nineteenth century and continued without interruption until 1979 when it was discontinued due to economical reasons. In 1972, a new project was started for the mining of copper bearing ores on the footwall of the pyrite deposit. This copper ore is locally named “Cloritas” and it forms a nearly vertical and tabular shaped orebody which forms an envelope at the footwall of the San Dionisio pyrite orebody. Mining of the Cloritas commenced in 1975 using cut and fill stoping. In 1977, the original project was completely revised which led to the introduction of a bulk mining system to achieve a planned production of 3,000 tonnes of ore per day. This paper covers the economic and planning aspects of the mine and discusses the evolution of the mining method for the Cloritas orebody. A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CLORITAS OREBODY The “Masa San Dionisio” (figure 1 ) is a massive sulphide orebody located in the town of Rio Tinto, about 90 kilometres west of Sevilla, Spain. Extensive vein-type sulphide mineralization exists in the volcanic host rocks of the Masa San Dionisio. Within this area of stockwork veins, there is a higher concentration of copper in the form of chalcopyrite in a zone adjacent to and paralleling the contact with the massive sulphides. This copper envelope is locally referred to as the "Cloritas Orebody” and the ore within it is called "Cloritas”. The main zone of the Cloritas orebody, (figure 11, is tabular and nearly vertical having a length of 375-400 m east-west, a thickness of 20-50 m north-south, and a vertical extension of 500 m from the surface. In addition to this area, there is a second less important low grade area called zone 2A located to the north of the main zone below 26 Level which, in some sections, is not fully separated from the main zone. MINING METHODS Mining in Rio Tinto area can be traced back to the Phoenecians and the Romans. Modern day mining started with the demand for sulphuric acid during the last half of the nineteenth century. By 1971, more than 33 million tonnes of pyrite had been mined out of Alfredo Mine, (San Dionisio Orebody), using labor intensive drift and fill methods and also by open pit method. During the last decade, underground mining of the pyrite had become uneconomic due to lower prices and a slackening demand for pyrite, and the underground mining operations for pyrite were finally stopped in 1979. In 1971, a major change in the long range mining plans for Masa San Dionisio was established. Between 1971 and 1975, underground mining of pyrites was progressively reduced while open pit extraction was increased in

Jan 1, 1981

By Eugene R. Rice

(Canal Zone Meeting, November, 1910.) THERE are many methods for determining the meridian, but all of those in common use involve at least two separate observations, one for latitude and one for azimuth. Such observations made upon a south star at any hour are open to the objection of possible inaccuracy due to ignorance of the absolute refraction, and also to slow change in the altitude of the star when near the meridian. The method of observing a circumpolar star at elongation, besides requiring a separate observation for latitude, is open to the serious objection that clouds may obscure the star at the critical moment. Moreover, a tedious wait for the star to come to elongation is sometimes necessary. Many of us can recall long, cold, weary vigils, waiting for Polaris to reach elongation. For observing a circumpolar star at any hour, not only the latitude, but also the true time, must be known. This it is practically impossible to obtain, except in regions reached by the telegraph, and usually then one has to know the longitude also, in order to reduce "standard time" to "local time." The results obtained by this method, when the star is at culmination, are not very good, unless the true local time is absolutely known. The methods of obtaining the meridian from the sun, by means of a solar attachment, or by direct observation, while good, are not absolute, by reason of refraction, change in declination of the sun, and small change in vertical angle, when the sun is near the meridian. For these two methods, latitude, time, and approximate longitude have to be known. In the method here described, only one observation is needed, and from it azimuth, latitude, and sidereal time are computed. In other words, one can observe a circumpolar star-Polaris

Nov 1, 1910

By H. l. Burghoff, J. S. Porter

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the effect of cold-working and annealing treatments upon the occurrence of preferred orientation in annealed brass wire. The subject has received less consideration than has the same phenomenon in annealed brass sheet or strip, and perhaps very properly so in view of the obvious and undesired results obtained in the forming or drawing of strip having preferred orientation, which results are in contrast with the lack of any spectacular visual evidence in wire. The factors of cold-working and annealing that control preferredness in strip are naturally expected to function similarly in wire. Indeed, one might expect the condition to be commoner in annealed wire, because the severity of the cold-working between anneals in commercial Practice is usually much greater for wire than for strip. For example, a wire that is to be finished in the annealed condition on a diameter of 0.040 in. is commonly subjected to a final reduction of 90 per cent between the last two anneals, the large reduction being accomplished in the successive drafts of a multiple-die machine. Wire for rivets, for instance, on 0.125-in. diameter, although given a slight reduction of about Io per cent after the final anneal, may have been given a prior reduction of 75 to 80 per cent. Barrettl states the fiber axis of annealed 70-30 brass wire to be [111], with some indication of [IOO] as a secondary fiber axis. Croft and Sachs2 have reported briefly on some differences in brass wire with random and with preferred orientations. They showed statistical plots of the twin-band angles with respect to the wire axis or direction of drawing as observed on an axial plane. They also pointed out that the resistance of the wire to corrosion-cracking when externally stressed and exposed to a mercurous nitrate solution decreased as the degree of the preferred orientation increased. Material and PRocedure All the wire for the investigation was processed from one portion as cut for extrusion from a cast billet of the following analysis: 70.13 per cent copper; 0.01 lead; 0.01 iron; 0.02, nickel; 29.83 zinc (by difference). The billet section, 8 in, in diameter, was extruded hot to 3/4-in. diameter, after which it was processed by alternate cold-drawing and annealing treatments as indicated in Fig. I. The earliest anneals in process were at about 1100°F. and the next to the last reductions by drawing were 58 per cent. The diameter of the finally annealed wire was 0.132 in. Semifinal anneals were at 800°F., 950°F. and 1100°F. and reductions of 47.5, 74, 83.5 and 89.5 per cent were employed in drawing to 0.132 in. The final anneals were at 87s°F., 1050°F. and 1250°F. and were

Jan 1, 1944

By A. G. Weber, K. H. Coats, M. H. Terhune, R. L. Nielsen

Two computer-oriented techniques for simulating the three-dimensional flow behavior of two fluid phases in petroleum reservoirs were developed. Under the first technique the flow equations are solved to model three-dimensional flow in a reservoir. The second technique was developed for modeling flow in three-dimensional media that have sufficiently high permeability in the vertical direction so that vertical flow is not seriously restricted. Since this latter technique is a modified two-dimensional meal analysis, suitably structured three-dimensional reservoirs can be simulated at considerably lower computational expenses than is required using the three-dimensional analysis. A quantitative criterion is provided for determining when vertical communication is good enough to permit use of the modified two-dimensional areal analysis. The equations solved by both techniques treat both fluids as compressible, and, for gas-oil applications, provide for the evolution of dissolved gas. Accounted for are the effects of relative permeability, capillary pressure and gravity in addition to reservoir geomety and rock heterogeneity. Calculations are compared with laboratory waterflood data to indicate the validity of the analyses. Other results were calculated with both techniques which show the equivalence of the two solutions for reservoirs satisfying the vertical communication criterion. INTRODUCTION Obtaining the maximum profits from oil and gas reservoirs during all stages of depletion is the fundamental charge to the reservoir engineering profession. In recent years much quantitative assistance in evaluating field development programs has been provided by computerized techniques for predicting reservoir flow behavior. Because of the spatially distributed and dynamic nature of producing operations, automatic optimization procedures, such as those now in use for planning refining operations, are not now available for planning reservoir development. However, present mathematical simulation techniques do furnish powerful means for making case studies to help in planning primary recovery operations and in selecting and timing supplemental recovery operations. A number of methods have been reported which simulate the flow of one, two or three fluid phases within porous media of one or two effective spatial dimensions>-4 However, applying computer analyses to actual reservoirs have been limited mostly to two-dimensional areal or cross-sectional flow studies for two immiscible reservoir fluids. To obtain a three-dimensional picture of reservoir performance using such two-dimensional techniques, it has been necessary to interpret the calculations by combining somehow the results from essentially independent areal and cross-sectional studies. To the authors' knowledge, the only other three-dimensional computational procedure, in addition to those presented here, was developed by Peaceman and Rachford8 to simulate the behavior of a laboratory waterflood. Two computational techniques which may be used to simulate three-dimensional flow of two fluid phases are described in this paper. The first method, called the "three-dimensional analysis", employs a fully three-dimensional mathematical model that treats simultaneously both the areal and cross-sectional aspects of reservoir flow. The second method, called the vertical equilibrium (VE) analysis", is applicable

By H. B. Heller, T. J. LaChapelle

Phosphorus nitride has been used as a diffusant for introducing phosphorus into silicon under various conditions. It has a temperature -dependent rate of decomposition beginning in the 500°C range, increasing very rapidly above 1000 C, producing gas -eous phosphorus and nitrogen. Best control was obtained with a two-temperature arrangement, with silicon at the proper higher diffusion temperature. It is an easier compound to use than the usual P2O5 because it is nonhygroscopic and yields temperature-controlled surface concentrations together with excellent final surfaces. Surface doping nearly as high as that produced by phosphorus pentoxide has been observed for sources at 850" to 900°C. Reproducible high sheet resistances were obtained by using slow flow rates (1 linear in. per min) and staggered-baffle gas mixing with the nitride at 550°C. Both inert gas (argon, nitrogen) and oxidizing ambients have been examined. Oxygen reacts to produce anhydrous P2O5, consuming the source at a rapid rate. Nitrogen, except for short diffusion times, suppressed the dissociation reaction and sometimes produced inferior surfaces. Argon appears to be a more useful ambient. PHOSPHORUS is a common impurity atom which may be introduced into a semiconductor lattice to create a p-n junction or an nn contact region. Various investigators1-4 have described techniques which can be used with either elemental phosphorus or certain of its compounds. This paper discusses a newly available compound of phosphorus, phos- some processes silicon wafers are precoated with a phosphate glass which acts as the doping source. Although a nonoxidizing form like elemental phosphorus or a phosphine can be used, most diffusion methods usually involve the use of phosphorus pentoxide. Because of the rapid volatility of this compound, a two-step process is often used, combining a gaseous deposition to introduce a predetermined quantity of phosphorus into the silicon with a later redistribution to obtain the desired distribution and surface concentration. Such a process usually involves predepositing phosphorus at surface concentrations greater than 1020 cm-'. At such doping levels the phosphorus-diffusion coefficient appears to be strongly concentration-dependent.596 Distribution profiles5'9 for these high concentrations of phosphorus do not follow Fick's laws, having extended subsurface regions which appear electrically to be nearly uniformly doped with ionized impurity atoms. Radioactive-tracer experiments also show near-surface anomalies in the distribution profile. Additionally, it has been shown1' that the introduction of very high surface concentrations of impurity atoms into silicon (a step necessitated by the subsequent lowering of concentration during the redistribution) creates dislocations, even in material having no dislocations originally. For device fabrication the use of oxide masking introduces certain difficulties and limitations.7'8 The standard practice of using phosphorus pentoxide as an impurity source adds other problems to these because of the speed and ease with which this compound reacts with moisture present in any gas in contact with it. In fact, P2O5 is one of the fastest and most effective drying agents for gases. Because it is such an excellent desiccant, completely anhydrous phosphorus pentoxide is difficult to obtain and is even more difficult to keep dry. Adequately dry gloved boxes must be used for storage and transfer of the chemical. The presence of even traces of moisture will cause formation of phosphoric acids which, during the high-temperature diffusion, results in polyphosphoric acids of variable composition. Such reaction by-products end up as gradually accumulating viscous fluids in the cooler parts of the diffusion furnace. The calculation of the final solute distribution for

Jan 1, 1964

By R. A. Cunningham, A. S. Murray

If a dense fluid such as mud or water is used for circulation, the formation drilled is influenced by a hydrostatic pressure. This pressure depends on hole depth arid drilling fluid density. Laboratory tests indicute that drilling rates in many forri~ations are decreased with increased pressure,—in some cases as much as 90 per cent. A comparison between laboratory and field tests indicates that drilling fluid head affects drilling rates in the field approximately the, same as in the laboratory. Drillirrg rates of many formations are increased by reducing drilling fluid head. INTRODUCTION For many years it has been noted that field and laboratory drilling rate tests did not agree even when the formations tested were the same. For instance, tests of some shales by the Hughes Tool Co. laboratory indicated drilling rates approximately 20 to 30 ft/hour, whereas in the ground this shale would drill only 3 to 5 ft/hour. A possible reason for this discrepancy is the effect of the high pressure which the drilling fluid exerts against the formation at the bottom of the hole. Consider a small element of rock (Fig. II that is to be removed by a rock bit. If the hole is filled with mud or water. the upper surface of the rock element is subjected to a pressure which depends on hole depth and fluid density. The mass of earth around this rock element presses against the circumferential surface and the lower surface. Because of the probability of shearing stresses between the rock element and the surrounding rock, this element is not under true hydrostatic stress. However, as a first approximation for test purposes the rock element was assumed to he under hydrostatic stress. The effect of hydrostatic pressure on some physical properties of rock has been studied.1,2,3 These tests show that the "differential" compres-sive stress:': necessary to cause rup- ture in rock cylinders is greater when tested under high hydrostatic pressure than when tested under atmospheric conditions. These tests were made with pressures greater than 20,000 psi which is in excess of those normally encountered in oil well drilling. Similar tests were made by the Bureau of Reclamation' using pressures equivalent to those encountered in oil well drilling. Again the "differential" compressive stress necessary to produce failure increased with increasing hydrostatic pressure. These tests indicated that drilling rates would probably decrease. Correlation between these tests and drilling tests was not practical. The purpose of this work is to study the effect of mud column pressure on drilling rate, assuming that the material drilled is in a state of hydrostatic strcss. This problem was initially investigated in the laboratory using variable bit loads and confining pressure;. Confirmation of laboratory results was obtained in the field from a series of carefully controlled drilling tests. Because of the necessity of testing many different types of formations. only results from representative formations will be presented here.

Jan 1, 1956

By Thomas W. Dawson

The H. C. Frick Coke Co. has used belt conveyers for handling coal for the last eighteen years but, until recently, only for small tonnages and over short distances. The first installations were outside the mines for distributing coal to various parts of plants. A belt conveyer was put in service at Colonial No. 4 Mine in November, 1906, to carry coal from the main hoisting shaft to a storage bin serving two blocks of beehive ovens on the other side of the valley; it was in constant service until the Colonial No. 4 ovens were abandoned less than a year ago. This conveyor was in an overhead gallery that spanned our sidings and yard tracks and the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was a crude installation, from the viewpoint of present conveyor engineering practice. It had no mechanical feeding device, the coal simply ran through a gate in the side of a bin on to the belt; but one belt on this conveyor lasted eleven years. This conveyor is about 300 ft. long center to center of pulleys. It operated at a speed of 250 ft. 'per min-and carried about 400 tons per day. On this basis, the belt life of eleven years means that not over a million and a quarter tons was carried by the belt. whi1e: this is not a large tonnage, the cost per ton was much less than by any previous method in use for supplying coal to ovens located at a distance from the main shaft. The next belt conveyor was installed at Bridgeport Mine in 1907. It carried about the same daily tonnage as the first, delivering from the hoisting shaft to a coke-oven bin. Very few data were kept on this conveyor. It also operated until the coke ovens at the plant were put out of blast and the coal taken to the Clairton byproduct plant by river. In 1916, work was started to equip the Bridgeport, Palmer, Gates, and Ronco mines to load their entire output on the river for transportation to the Clairton byproduct plant, which was then being built. These mines were all operating at that time and had a large area of coal available for river shipment. The Monongahela Railroad was located between the hoisting shaft and the river at each of these plants and, therefore, had to be crossed at each location to deliver coal to the river. After careful study, it was decided to transport this coal from the hoisting shaft to the river at each of these plants by belt conveyors.

Jan 1, 1925

By M. C. Flemings, R. Mehrabian, G. E. Nereo

Analytical expressions derived previously are used to describe quantitatively effects on macrosegregation of some solidification and mold design variables. Al-4.5 pct Cu alloy is used as example. It is shown that abrupt changes in heat transfer rate result in solute-rich or solute-poor "bands". Severe solute-rich bands accowzpany "reheating" that can result, for example, from abrupt formation of an air gap at a mold-metal interface. With planar isotherms, solute-poor regions also result from reduction in cross section through which fluid flow to feed shrinkage takes place. It is suggested that the negative "cone" of segregation often found at the base of large ingots results from this reduction in cross section for feeding. Consideration is given to the positive and negative segregation to be expected in laboratory ingots in association with changes in ingot cross section. Under-riser positive segregation is considered and it is concluded this segregation results when vertical temperature gradient is low in the region of the riser; the segregation is accentuated by the temperature gradient reversal which can occur in inadequately insulated risers ("'hot tops"). Finally it is shown for Al-4.5 pct Cu alloy that the assumption of constant k and p in analytic solutions gives calculated results close to those obtained for the case of ziariable k and 0. A basic "local solute redistribution equation" was derived earlier' for calculation of macrosegregation resulting from flow of solute-rich liquid to feed solidification shrinkage, thermal contraction, and/or other contractions occurring during solidification. This expression relates fraction liquid, g~, to liquid composition, CL, at a given position x, y, z, in a solidifying Eq. [I] is for the general case of three-dimensional heat and fluid flow assuming constant solid (but not necessarily liquid) density during solidification, negligible net solute change from diffusion, and no pore formation. In this paper we first demonstrate application of this equation for calculation of macrosegregation in several examples involving one-dimensional heat and fluid flow. Specifically considered are examples in which segregation results from sudden changes in heat flow conditions. Next, Eq. [I] is used to describe segregation in examples where isotherms remain planar but where fluid flow is no longer one-dimensional. Application of this expression illustrates the type of segregation to be expected in unidirectionally solidified ingots of gradually or abruptly varying cross section. For segregation calculations, A1-4.5 pct Cu alloy is employed with constant k and p Vz = 0.172, 4 = 0.055), eutectic composition (CE = 33 pct Cu). In all examples, fraction eutectic is neglected in velocity calculations; this was previously shown to introduce little error.' A linear distribution of fraction liquid in the liquid-solid zone is assumed. In a concluding section it is shown that the assumption employed of constant k and /3 gives results close to those obtained when the actual (variable) values of k and 0 are employed.

Jan 1, 1969

By H. A. Wahl

This paper presents methods of designing hydraulic fracture treatments in formations saturated with slightly compressible liquids. Howard and Fast describe the fluid-loss control resulting from the viscosity and compressibility effects of the reservoir fluid in terms of a fracturing fluid coefficient. However, for horizontal fractures, this coefficient is applicable to infinitely thick reservoirs. These methods of evaluating fluid loss from horizontal fractures during treatment differ from previous methods in that: (I) formation thickness is incorporated in the velocity function describing the rate of fluid loss to the formation; and (2) for a given thickness the relative position of the fracture to the horizontal boundaries of the reservoir or any interrnediate permeability barrier is incorporated in the design procedure. This theory is applied to several actual and hypothetical field cases. The results of these calculations demonstrate that the eflect of formation thickness on fluid loss from horizontal fractures may result in fractures several times larger than predicted by other methods. INTRODUCTION Hydraulic fracturing has been the dominating well-stimulation technique during the last decade. From the time it was commercially available, fracturing has had a very favorable success ratio compared to other stimulation methods. However, numerous wells that were successfully stimulated remained economic failures. Only in the last few years has the oil industry recognized the importance of designing treatments for each well which will yield the maximum profit. This implies that for a given set of treatment conditions the size and general physical characteristics of the fracture can be determined. One of the outstanding contributions in the field of fracture design was presented by Howard and Fast.' In their paper, three flow mechanisms that control fluid loss from the fracture to the formation are defined: (1) viscosity effects of the fracturing fluid, (2) viscosity and compressibility effects of the reservoir fluid, and (3) wall-building effects of a treated fracturing fluid. The rate of fluid loss to the formation adjacent to a fracture is shown to be a function of time. For each flow mechanism the velocity function v(t) is expressed as a constant or fracturing fluid coefficient divided by the square root of time. This form of v(t) can be used in the Carter equation, as developed in the Howard and Fasc paper, to estimate the areal extent of fractures. This equation may be written as In the following sections the effect of formation thickness on fluid loss from horizontal fractures is evaluated when the controlling flow mechanism is the viscosity and compressibility of the reservoir fluids. The major assumptions inherent in the Carter equation are brought out in subsequent mathematical developments. THE EFFECT OF RESERVOIR FLUIDS ON FRACTURE EXTENSION When a fracture treatment is performed using a fracturing fluid identical to the reservoir fluid, the only flow mechanism controlling fluid loss is the viscosity and compressibility effects of the reservoir fluids. In developing a fracturing fluid coefficient for this mechanism, Howard and Fast considered a segment of the formation bounded by a unit area on the fracture face and extending to infinity in the direction of leak-off as shown in Fig. 1(a). The direction of leak-off z is normal to the fracture face. The equation governing the linear isothermal flow of fluid into this segment is where a = Eq. 2 is a form of the diffusivity equation. It is derived from the equation of continuity, Darcy's law and Eq. 3

By A. Keil

TO measure the absolute conductivity of metallic specimens it is generally necessary to have exact geometrical shapes and good electrical contact with the test-piece. To overcome limitations of the standard methods, an electronic conductivity-meter* Trade name, Sigmatest; model Dr. F. Forster; Reutlingen, Ger-many. has been developed, which works on the principle of inducing high frequency eddy-currents in the specimens and measuring the reaction of these curients on a measuring coil.',' To attach the instrument to the test specimen, a flat area of about 10 mm diam is all that is necessary. The reading is taken off a scale calibrated in pet of International Annealed Copper Standard. The induced eddy-currents are propagated in a circular motion parallel to the surface. Thickness of the layer included in a measurement depends on the frequency used. With a frequency of 60 kc per sec, the penetration of the currents was 0.8 mm at the upper limit of the scale, and 2 mm at the lower limit. The method is limited to nonferrous metals and other applications have been described elsewhere." The object of the present investigation was to detect the formation and growth of surface layers of differing conductivity, and to determine the depth to which these changes could be observed. A well known phenomenon which illustrates the problem is the internal oxidation of certain silver alloys containing base metal solutes, such as copper or cadmium, when they are annealed in an oxidizing atmosphere.4, 5 Until now, the only methods available for following these phenomenon have been metallo-graphic examination and hardness tests.0, 7 Changes in mechanical properties of copper alloys by internal oxidation were recently discussed in a more general way by Martin and Smith." When measuring these conductivity changes it must be remembered that the only absolute values of conductivity are those of 1) the nontreated homogeneous specimen, and 2) the final values obtained with a surface layer of depth comparable to the penetration of the eddy-currents. All intermediate values refer to the mixed conductivities of the transformed surface layer and the untransformed alloy, and are thus readings of relative value only. Experimental Results Specimens were annealed for 1/2 hr at 800°C in hydrogen, and the internal oxidation was carried out by thermal treatment in air at 800°C. Fig. 1 shows the results of the first series of experiments. With internal oxidation of a solid solution of 8 pet Cd in silver, the conductivity rises continuously until the surface layer formed has become thick enough to be the deciding factor (about 400µ). Precipitates of CdO are mainly in the form of points, Fig. 2, and, as a result, the electric contact between the silver crystals is not distorted by them. Brine11 tests were run with a 1.25 mm ball and a 7.812 kg load. The specimen annealed in hydrogen and oxidized to a depth of 400µ had a hardness of 40 Bhn,

Jan 1, 1959

By Henry J. Welge

Laboortory apparatus has been devised which permits study of the displacement of oil from cores by water and by gas. The cores used contained interstitial brine as well as oil. Experiments were run to determine the comparative effect of varying the properties of the fluids used. No great effect was noted on the maximum displacement achieved. This observation made it unnecessary in initial work to use fluids in their exact reservoir conditions. Consequently, the displacements were run at near-atmospheric pressure in Pyrex glass equipment, using stripped crude oils. Introduction and Theory The chief object of this work has been to determine the efficiency of gas and water as primary agents for displacing oil from reservoir rock under laboratory conditions in which capillary phenomena were predominant. To this end the maximum displacement of oil from cores has been ascertained. This maximum displacement may not be equal to the maximum displacement from a reservoir; but it will be a close approxirnation to it sometimes, and other times the laboratory information will be useful in reservoir engineering predictions. It is] believed that the laboratory experimental maximum represents the upper limit for the reservoir recovery. The experiments were carried out by obtaining cores of interest from the reservoir, and filling the pores with interstitial brine and oil with the restored state tech- nique.1 Then the oil was displaced from the core as described later, either by brine from below, or by gas from above. The former type of displacement suggests analogy to production by water drive, but not to water flooding, for reasons discussed below. The latter type of displacement is believed to simulate production by gas cap displacement. The displacements were performed by what may be termed the capillary-pressure method. The cores are placed in capillary contact with an oil-wetted membrane which has very small pores (about I micron in diameter). Pores of this size will transmit oil but Prevent the Passage of gas or water, unless the Pressures used are higher than the capillary Pressures employed in this work. Accordingly, use of the membrane makes it possible to apply a capillary pressure differential between the displacing phase and the oil in the core. AS in the displacement of brine toward that condition of oil and water distribution existing originally in the reservoir,' it may not always be desirable to reduce the oil saturation in this experiment to an absolute minimum. With reservoirs having small productive closure, it is preferable to evaluate and use a displacing pressure no higher than the capillary pressure, Ap, which will ultimately become available for displacement in the reservoir. This pressure may be calculated from a knowledge of the density of the oil-in-place, do, the density of the displacing phase, dl, and Ah, the vertical distance between the section of the

Jan 1, 1949

By David C. N. Cockburn

INTRODUCTION This paper analyses certain of the financial considerations which will commonly apply in relation to the following questions: - what equity structure or project vehicle should be adopted for the exploration and/or exploitation of a project by more than one unrelated participant? - what vehicle should be adopted by a participant for its participation in a multiparty project? Due to local, politically motivated laws in certain jurisdictions, or due to the overriding requirements of a dominant participant, there may be little choice of the underlying multiparty structure which may be adopted for the exploration, appraisal and/or development phases of a project. Nevertheless, even in such circumstances, attention should be given, at least in the preparation of the related documentation, or in considering methods of participating or funding the project, to certain of the points discussed below. This discussion of financial considerations in the context of the more commonly adopted multiparty structures concentrates primarily on fiscal, financial accounting, financing and funding aspects. TYPES OF PROJECT VEHICLE FOR MULTIPARTY INTERESTS The well known types of vehicle adopted for the participation in a project by more than one participant (assuming that the participants are effectively unrelated) are as follows. Joint Venture (unincorporated joint venture) By far the most commonly adopted structure for mining ventures, a joint venture is usually defined and documented in terms to distinguish it from a partnership for important tax and legal reasons. In essence, this is a contractual association of more than one participant to carry out a specific commercial project or purpose. The relationship between the separate participants and their respective rights, interests, obligations and liabilities are agreed between the participants in one or more contracts (viz Joint Venture Agreements or Joint Operating Agreements together with ancillary documentation). Unlike other project vehicles of participation, in most jurisdictions there is no specific body of law governing joint ventures. The participants thus enjoy contractual freedom to negotiate whatever deal they may wish between themselves. Jointly-Owned Project Company (corporate joint venture) A very familiar vehicle, this is a separate and distinct legal and tax entity incorporated under the company laws of the place of incorporation to undertake specific objects, and granted specific powers, in relation to the Project. Although certain rights, interests and obligations may be circumscribed in the governing corporate instruments by the promoter participants, the corporation laws of the relevant place of incorporation, and the selection of such governing laws (assuming freedom of choice) and future political changes in such corporate laws, should be carefully considered. The use of a company in a multiparty structure may be peripheral to the project itself as a specific purpose vehicle (for example, a joint sales agent or marketing company or a joint borrowing vehicle) or it may form a central function such as in the case of a tolling company which will own the project for legal and taxation purposes and raise financing with the backing of the shareholder participants commonly by the adoption of take-off, throughput and/or user agreements. Partnership This is a legal relationship, subject to the often wide-sweeping restrictions of the relevant local partnership laws, under which the participants have agreed to carry on a business venture together with a view to profit. The effect of the relevant partnership laws, as well as the various types of partnerships and the

Jan 1, 1985

The performance of a two-horizon depletion-type reservoir produced through combination wells is analyzed. By introducing some simplifying approximations, it has been possible to obtain formulas which are easy to handle. Only ordinary differential equations are used, and the development of the analysis can be followed without difficulty by the non-specialist. A rigorous analysis has been made of this problem. It has been found that the approximations introduced in the simplified analysis are fully justified and that errors seldom will be more than 2 per cent. The report shows the effect of the rate of withdrawal upon the relative depletion of the two horizons. Numerical examples are given. INTRODUCTION In its simplest form an oil reservoir consists of a continuous, homogeneous body of porous and permeable rock, enclosed at the top and the bottom by impermeable material. The flow of fluid through such a reservoir has been the subject of numerous papers, and the mathematical analysis of well performance, pressure build-up, etc., has reached a high degree of refinement. One of the basic assump tions introduced into these analyses is the homogeneity of the reservoir. In non-homogeneous reservoirs, these computations still can be carried out satisfactorily, provided small irregularities in the physical properties of the rock are distributed in a random fashion. The flow equations are derived as solutions of the continuity equation, and their solutions are dependent upon the assumption of many constant factors in the reservoir: permeability to oil, compressibility of the reservoir fluid, viscosity saturation, etc. When these axe assumed to be constant, the continuity equation can be solved rigorously. When these assumptions do not hold and corrections are introduced, it becomes very difficult and often impossible to solve analytically. The present analysis is concerned with production from a two-layer depletion-type reservoir in which the layers have different permeabilities. Instead of using the continuity equation, results were derived from some simple physical ideas. In a single-layer reservoir in which the oil is at a pressure above the bubble point, the rate of production often has been assumed to be directly proportional to the pressure drawdown. In the simplified analysis it has also been assumed that the drop in average reservoir pressure is directly proportional with the cumulative withdrawal. These considerations in the past have been the basis of the analysis of reservoir performance and have been applied to a variety of problems, often with marked success. In the problem under investigation these relationships are shown to be compatible with the equation of continuity, but the approach has the advantage of leading to ordinary differential equations in which changes in constants can be introduced without making the analytical solution impossible. It has the additional advantage that it can be understood more readily by the large group of engineers who are not reservoir specialists. For that reason, detailed steps in the mathematical developments have been shown in full. SCOPE OF ANALYSIS The analysis in this paper has been applied to a two-layer depletion-type reservoir in which both horizons are produced simultaneously in the same well. Because of the difference in permeability, it is obvious that the depletion of the two zones will proceed at different rates. For various problems it may be of interest to know the degree of depletion of the two zones at any arbitrary time and to in-

By W. M. McCardell, W. O. Winsauer, M. Williams

The mechanism by which an electrical potential difference is developed between two salt solutions separated by shale is shown to be a consequence of the electrical double layer of the shale surfaces. A mathematical derivation is presented to show -the dependence of the potential on the shale characteristic.? and on the concentration of the salt solutions. The equations developed describe adequately the potential-concentration behavior of a long shale core. The equations also describe the variation of potential of sand-shale mixtures with variation of clay content. Ion adsorption i* an important factor in he developments of the surface charge on the shale. and electrical resistivity and ion transference number data are emlployed to estimate the increase of surface charge with concentration. Since the potential is shown to be dependent on the characteristics of the particular .system. water salinities estimated from the potential log by previously proposed methods may be low in some rase;. INTRODUCTION That the electric well log exists today may he attributed to the ingenuity of the Schlumberger brothers who adapted to the logging of wells techniques which were originally developed as surface prospecting methods for the location of ore bodies Empirically it was found that the potential curve of the electric log usually gave values for clean sands which were negative with respect to the values for shales. It was suggested that the potential was responsive to porosity. It was postulated in explanation? that the potential was the sum of a streaming potential, which differed for sands and shales, and of an "electro-chemical" potential of undetermined origin. Mounce and Rust in 1943 showed that the streaming potential is small in most cases and that the potential is generated by a process in which shale and a salinity difference play-essential party. Dickey.:' in the same year, concluded that the potential is dependent upon adsorptive properties of reservoir rock. Wyllie in 1949. and Wyllie and Patnode, in 1950, measured the potential-: between two salt solutions separated by barriers of either naturally-compacted or artificially-compacted shales and concluded that the potential can be expressed by where E is the potential R is the gas content F is Faraday's constant T is the absolute temperature are the activities of the two uni-univalent solutions These authors postulated that shale. in the ideal case is impermeable to the migration of negative ions. Any potential less than the "ideal" shale potential was considered to be due to imperfections in the shale barrier. Although the studies by Wyllie and Patnode of the development of the shale potential are fairly recent. investigators in fields other than well logging have discussed the mechanisms responsible for analogous potentials over a period of several decades. Although it is evident that much thought has been devoted to the question of the origin of the potential observed in wells, it is also apparent that all of the explanations presented to

Jan 1, 1953

By H. l. Burghoff, J. S. Porter

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the effect of cold-working and annealing treatments upon the occurrence of preferred orientation in annealed brass wire. The subject has received less consideration than has the same phenomenon in annealed brass sheet or strip, and perhaps very properly so in view of the obvious and undesired results obtained in the forming or drawing of strip having preferred orientation, which results are in contrast with the lack of any spectacular visual evidence in wire. The factors of cold-working and annealing that control preferredness in strip are naturally expected to function similarly in wire. Indeed, one might expect the condition to be commoner in annealed wire, because the severity of the cold-working between anneals in commercial Practice is usually much greater for wire than for strip. For example, a wire that is to be finished in the annealed condition on a diameter of 0.040 in. is commonly subjected to a final reduction of 90 per cent between the last two anneals, the large reduction being accomplished in the successive drafts of a multiple-die machine. Wire for rivets, for instance, on 0.125-in. diameter, although given a slight reduction of about Io per cent after the final anneal, may have been given a prior reduction of 75 to 80 per cent. Barrettl states the fiber axis of annealed 70-30 brass wire to be [111], with some indication of [IOO] as a secondary fiber axis. Croft and Sachs2 have reported briefly on some differences in brass wire with random and with preferred orientations. They showed statistical plots of the twin-band angles with respect to the wire axis or direction of drawing as observed on an axial plane. They also pointed out that the resistance of the wire to corrosion-cracking when externally stressed and exposed to a mercurous nitrate solution decreased as the degree of the preferred orientation increased. Material and PRocedure All the wire for the investigation was processed from one portion as cut for extrusion from a cast billet of the following analysis: 70.13 per cent copper; 0.01 lead; 0.01 iron; 0.02, nickel; 29.83 zinc (by difference). The billet section, 8 in, in diameter, was extruded hot to 3/4-in. diameter, after which it was processed by alternate cold-drawing and annealing treatments as indicated in Fig. I. The earliest anneals in process were at about 1100°F. and the next to the last reductions by drawing were 58 per cent. The diameter of the finally annealed wire was 0.132 in. Semifinal anneals were at 800°F., 950°F. and 1100°F. and reductions of 47.5, 74, 83.5 and 89.5 per cent were employed in drawing to 0.132 in. The final anneals were at 87s°F., 1050°F. and 1250°F. and were

Jan 1, 1944

By M. G. Benz, J. F. Elliott

A new type of solution calorimeter has been constructed to measure heats of mixing, enthalpy increments, and heats of fusion, formation, and reaction at temperatures above 1000°C. With it, measurements hove been made of the partial molar heats of mixing joy tin in the Cu-Sn system from 0 to 13 at. pet Sn at 1127°C and fir nickel in the Cu-Ni system from 0 to 9 at, pet Ni at 1200°C. The integral molar heat of mixing for the Cu-Sn system is strongly negative with a calculated minimum value corresponding to the composition Cu3Sn. The integrnl molar heat of mixing for the Czi-Ni system is slightly positive at these temperatures. These integral molar values have been measured with a probable error less than 30 cal per g-atom at an atom fraction of nickel or tin equal to 0.1. The estimated probable error for the Cu-Sn system is approximately 450 cal for a measured heat of solution of approximately 9000 cal. For the Cu-Ni system it is approximately 700 cal for a measured heat of' solution of approximately 60 cal. A new type of heat of solution calorimeter was designed and constructed to provide a more accurate experimental method for determining heat effects at high temperatures, (T > 1000°C). With it, partial molar heats of mixing, enthalpy increments, heats of fusion, and heats of formation and reaction for metal systems can be measured directly. Previously it has been necessary to rely upon the use of the dropping calorimeter or the van't Hoff equation applied to equilibrium data for this information. For the most part equilibrium data are scarce and difficult to obtain in many cases, and it has been necessary to rely upon the "method of mixtures" for the desired enthalpy measurements. An earlier study1 provides a prototype for this work. The "method of mixtures" as outlined by K. K. kelley,2 "consists of dropping the substance under investigation from a furnace, with controlled and measured temperature, into a calorimeter operating at or near room temperature.'' In this manner the change in the total heat content (enthalpy) of the substance between the temperature of the furnace and that of the calorimeter is determined. In order to determine high-temperature heats of mixing, enthalpy increments, and heats of fusion, formation, and reaction, it is necessary to take the difference between two such measurements, one before and one after the occurrence of the enthalpy change being studied. The desired enthalpy change is then the small difference between two large numbers. Small errors in the large numbers are included as large errors in this small difference. It is this difficulty that must be avoided for accurate measurement of the desired functions. The procedure with the new solution calorimeter consists of dropping the substance under investigation from a furnace, with controlled and measured temperature, into a solution calorimeter operating in the temperature range of 1000o to 1200°C. Measurements in the range of 1200" to 1600°C are planned for the future. By selection of the composition and

Jan 1, 1964

By E. A. Smith, E. R. Parker

METALLURGISTS and engineers have always been interested in the mechanism of high-speed deformation because metals are rapidly deformed in various applications and manufacturing processes. The deformation of metals by impact loads has recently engaged the attention of a number of investigators. Many of their results have not been disclosed but some of the published investigations1-8 have shown that the tensile strength, yield strength and elongation generally increase with increasing strain rate. The investigation reported herein is an attempt to determine the reason for this increase in strength and elongation. Single-crystal copper specimens were broken in tension at impact velocities up to 100 ft. per sec. The distribution of slip bands in the fractured crystals was found to depend upon the strain rate. In the bars broken at high speeds, the slip bands appear to be more numerous. This might account for the higher strength as well as the greater elongation. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Single crystals of copper (approximately 99.98 per cent) were made in graphite molds by the conventional method of lowering the mold out of the hot zone of a hydrogen furnace at a rate of one inch per hour. Solidification progressed from the bottom upward, forming a single crystal. The crystals were about 0.30 in. in diameter and 4 in. long. They were made into test bars by sliding threaded steel bushings over each end of a crystal and then flowing silver solder between the crystal and the bushing. The inside diameter of the bushings was slightly greater than the diameter of the crystals, to allow space for the silver solder. The bushings were placed so that the gauge length of the crystals was one inch. The assembly is shown in Fig. I, with two views of a fractured crystal. Annealed polycrystalline copper bars of similar shape were machined from solid stock. X-ray measurements were made on all single crystals to determine their orienta¬tions. The results are shown in Fig. 2, where the location of the axis of each specimen is indicated on a standard projection. The bars were broken in a commercial variable-velocity tension im¬pact machine, which has been described in detail elsewhere.7,8 The stress and strain were recorded by means of wire strain gauges and a special commercial oscillo-raph, also described in detail elsewhere.9,10 The equipment and method can be briefly described as follows. The impact machine consists of a motor-driven flywheel containing a two-pronged hammer. This hammer is held retracted in the flywheel

Jan 1, 1944

By W. F. Mattes

The manufacture of steel rails in the United States upon a large scale may be roughly dated from the years 1875-76, and the same years witnessed an active movement among the railroads toward the adoption of heavier and improved patterns. In this movement each road was a law unto itself, and the "personal equations " of some scores of engineers were so freely injected into the calculations that patterns were multiplied in the most absurd and mischievous manner, until at length the burden upon the mills became wellnigh unendurable, and called forth a vigorous protest in Mr. Holley's paper,* read before the Institute in February, 1881. There were then regularly manufactured in the various mills of the United States, no less than 119 different patterns of steel rails, subject to current order, of which 64 per cent. were embraced under five weights per yard. Commenting upon these and other figures there given, Mr. Holley stated as the primary object of his paper, " to show that,, while this multiplication of rail-patterns is an annoyance and an expense to rail-makers, it is a source of immense loss to railway companies." Since 1876 the increase in gross annual tonnage upon our leading lines has been very great, and has been accompanied by an increase of wheel-loads and running-speeds. As the average weight of the rails of 1876 was by no means excessive, the growing deman Is of traffic have slowly driven the roads toward stiffer sections, inaugurating a movement that now promises to become epidemic. In 1876 a 67-pound rail was a first-class equipment; to-day everything under 75 pounds is light, and many 80's are coming into use. European practice has long been heavier than ours; in part because the higher cost of sleepers has led to an average of 3-feet spacing, instead of two-feet as with us. The old 84-pound double-header, and Sandberg's 80- and 89-pound rails, respectively 51/4 inches and 591/2 inches high, are reported common on English roads; and he is strongly advocating the general adoption of the 100-pounder shown in Fig. 7, with what success I have not learned, except that the Belgian government has ordered a lot. Mr. Sandberg points out the undesirability of frequent changes of pattern, and the recent rapid growth in traffic-requirements; prognosticates a continuance of this

Jan 1, 1887

By F. B. Plummer

PRODUCING operations abroad during 1940 were shrouded in the fog of war. Little, if any, concrete information is available, and the data that issue from the belligerent countries are too frequently distorted for military purposes, for the volume of supply of gasoline and fuel oil has become an important strategic secret. Despite this lack of information signs indicate the spread of a slow paralysis which is gripping producing operations in foreign countries. Only in the Caribbean area are developments proceeding normally and even there the destruction of the Western European market is being seriously felt. This creeping paralysis is being brought about partly by the serious shortage of materials so necessary for drilling and other producing operations such as steel, machinery, and the like-together with a scarcity of that prime munition of war-money. Markets too have been curtailed by the operation of exchange control as all exchange is needed to support war efforts. As a result, gasoline is tightly rationed in all belligerent countries. The growing casualties in shipping are fast restricting the water-borne trade in petroleum, but have had a local stimulating effect in some areas where the risk is less or where water-borne transport can be efficiently used as for instance Trinidad and Egypt. The type of product needed for war effort, particularly the great demand for aviation gasoline, has changed the schedules of .refinery operations. As a result of all these influences the world oil picture outside the United States- has vastly changed during the year.

Jan 1, 1941

By R. Schuhmann, E. J. Michal

Experimental measurements are reported for the oxygen pressures of iron-silicate slags in equilibrium with solid silica. CO2-CO mixtures were bubbled through the slags in silica crucibles to find equilibrium values of p co2/p co over the entire composition range of silica-saturated slags at 1250°, 1300°, and 1350°C. From the data, the activity vs. composition relationships were calculated for O, FeO, and Fe. SLAGS composed primarily of silica and iron oxides have particular practical importance in copper smelting,' in acid steelmaking, and in accounting for the service behavior of silica refractories. These slags all contain both ferrous and ferric iron, so that, strictly speaking, they are ternary or three-component liquid solutions. For convenience, the components may be taken as the three oxides, FeO, Fe2O3, and SiO2. The constitution of the FeO-Fe,O,-SiO, system at slagmaking temperatures has been studied in a recent investigation described in a separate paper.' This work showed the compositional ranges of iron-silicate melts at temperatures up to 1450°C and also the temperature-composition relationships for melts in equilibrium with various solid phases, including iron, wüstite, magnetite, and silica. Broadly speaking, the compositions of iron-silicate melts at a given temperature should be thought of as varying over a two-dimensional field. In the first place, the silica/total iron oxide relationship varies from maximum silica for silica-saturated melts to minimum silica for wüstite-saturated melts or, at higher temperatures, to zero silica for straight iron oxide melts. In copper smelting, for example, the converter slags approach the low silica limits while the reverberatory-furnace slags have intermediate silica contents, perhaps approaching silica saturation in some circumstances. Liquids formed in the pores of silica refractories presumably are close to silica saturation. The second type of composition variation is in the ferric/ferrous relationship, which depends on how oxidizing or how reducing the process conditions are. Relatively reducing slags, such as acid-steelmaking slags, are lower in ferric oxide and ap- proach saturation with metallic iron. Oxidized slags, such as copper-smelting slags, contain larger percentages of ferric oxides and approach or reach saturation with magnetite. Since these two kinds of compositional variations are closely related to two general properties of interest for all metallurgical slags, basicity, and oxidizing power, it is hoped that the thermodynamic study of iron-silicate slags eventually will throw further light on the significance and nature of these long-recognized but as yet poorly understood slag properties. Measurements of oxygen activity as a function of slag composition, using CO-CO2 gas mixture to fix oxygen activities, afford an experimentally convenient approach to the study of the thermodynamic properties of iron-silicate slags. In a preceding investigation,³ his approach was used in a systematic study of iron-silicate slags in equilibrium with solid iron. The present paper gives the results of a similar study of the iron-silicate slags in equilibrium with solid silica. The experimental work consisted in the determination of CO2: CO ratios in gas mixtures at equilibrium in the system: gas: liquid slag: silica Determinations were made at temperatures from 1250° to 1350°C for slags ranging in composition from iron saturation to magnetite saturation. Also, equilibrium CO,: CO ratios and slag compositions were determined for the univariant systems: gas: liquid slag: silica: iron gas: liquid slag: silica: magnetite Experimental Methods The experimental procedure was essentially the same as that used in the previous study of iron-silicate slags saturated with solid iron," but in order to work with the silica-saturated slags an all-silica crucible assembly was used. A liquid slag was prepared from pure prefused stock materials and brought to equilibrium with the silica crucible at the desired temperature. Then a mixture of CO2 and CO was continuously bubbled through the melt

Jan 1, 1953