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By V. H. Wilhelm

The year 1936 was a prosperous one for the oil industry in California. Increases in crude prices were posted in February and March. Re-establishment of voluntary curtailment in February was a factor in holding production at an efficient level throughout the year. Reduction of storage was effected through adherence to curtailment measures, aided by greater demand and smaller average well completions. During the first six years of voluntary curtailment, allotments were increased during the summer season and reduced during the winter season. This year, good results were obtained through a revised system of allocation, by which the California monthly quota was held constant at approximately 540,000 bbl. per day. After a 7-month period of practically unrestricted production (ending in January 1936), numerous operators found that curtailment was still necessary, as California and export market,s were not yet capable of absorbing the state's potential production, which was estimated to be in the neighborhood of 850,000 bbl. per day. Therefore, in February California operators again placed themselves under voluntary curtailment; with the result that state production dropped from around 700,000 bbl. per day in January to a low of 565,000 bbl. per day in April, and increased gradually to around 585,000 bbl. per day for December. Drilling activity during the year increased about 10 per cent over that of the preceding year, although the resultant production per well decreased. Field Discoveries As a result of a very active wildcatting campaign in California, aided by better interpretation of geophysical data, five new oil fields and two new gas fields were discovered. Oil Fields Greeley Field, Kern County.—The Standard Oil Co. added to its list of djscoveries by drilling and completing its K.C.L. No. 11-1 well at a

Jan 1, 1937

By R. L. Boyer, F. Morgan, M. Muskat

In the last several years a type of application of the fundamental permeability-saturation relationships has been developed which offers great promise in the interpretation of general reservoir performance.l-' In these developments no attempt is made to solve the detailed flow dynamics in actual oil and gas-producing systems. That problem still remains unsolved. But the permeability-saturation phenomena are incorporated in the analysis of oil-producing reservoirs in a manner such as to reflect the true role they play in controlling the gross reservoir behavior. In particular, they are introduced in such a manner as to determine the gas-oil ratio of the production at any stage of depletion, and, when combined explicitly with the so-called material-balance principles in differential form, one can obtain a differential equation describing completely the average pressure and gas-oil-ratio history of oil-producing reservoirs. While thus far they have been applied directly only to gas-drive reservoirs, they are susceptible of extension to partial water-drive systems, and qualitatively the same principles are of value in the study Of complete water-drive reservoirs. Moreover, in addition to giving a means for computing the variation of the reservoir pressure and gas-oil ratios vs. the cumulative production, they automatically lead to predictions of the gross ultimate recovery under natural depletion—and when properly extended they provide means for predicting the ultimate recovery under gas or water injection. The data required for such applications are the initial fluid distribution in the producing section, the pressure-volume-temperature data on the gas and liquid phases, and the permeability-saturation relationship for the oil-satuiated zone. The former can be obtained with reasonable accuracy by methods that are well established and available throughout the industry. The permeability-saturation data, however, involve techniques that are not at all standardized. In fact, only

Jan 1, 1947

By M. Muskat, R. L. Boyer, F. Morgan

In the last several years a type of application of the fundamental permeability-saturation relationships has been developed which offers great promise in the interpretation of general reservoir performance.l-' In these developments no attempt is made to solve the detailed flow dynamics in actual oil and gas-producing systems. That problem still remains unsolved. But the permeability-saturation phenomena are incorporated in the analysis of oil-producing reservoirs in a manner such as to reflect the true role they play in controlling the gross reservoir behavior. In particular, they are introduced in such a manner as to determine the gas-oil ratio of the production at any stage of depletion, and, when combined explicitly with the so-called material-balance principles in differential form, one can obtain a differential equation describing completely the average pressure and gas-oil-ratio history of oil-producing reservoirs. While thus far they have been applied directly only to gas-drive reservoirs, they are susceptible of extension to partial water-drive systems, and qualitatively the same principles are of value in the study Of complete water-drive reservoirs. Moreover, in addition to giving a means for computing the variation of the reservoir pressure and gas-oil ratios vs. the cumulative production, they automatically lead to predictions of the gross ultimate recovery under natural depletion—and when properly extended they provide means for predicting the ultimate recovery under gas or water injection. The data required for such applications are the initial fluid distribution in the producing section, the pressure-volume-temperature data on the gas and liquid phases, and the permeability-saturation relationship for the oil-satuiated zone. The former can be obtained with reasonable accuracy by methods that are well established and available throughout the industry. The permeability-saturation data, however, involve techniques that are not at all standardized. In fact, only

Jan 1, 1947

By H. W. Morse

The experimental work on the oxidized copper ore at the New Cornelia mine at Ajo, Ariz., ended on Jan. 12, 1916. On that date final decision was made on the general nature of the process to be used in the 5,000-ton leaching plant, and on many of the details, as far as experience on a 40-ton scale could decide them. With the approval of the Board of Directors and the General Manager, John C. Greenway, we have compiled what seem to be the most interesting data on the results obtained during the experimental period. The most important part of the data resulted from the operation of a 1-ton and a 40-ton plant at Ajo. Experimental work on Cornelia oxidized ore dates back to April, 1912, and has been going on nearly continuously since that time. A good many variations from the original idea have been tried, but the process finally decided upon is in principle and in all of its details a simple one. The history of the leaching work on this ore has been brought down to about a year ago in papers presented to this Institute by Stuart Croasdalel and Dr. L. D. Ricketts.2 The present paper will, therefore, deal principally with the results obtained during the last year of the work. Preliminary Tests by Mb. Croasdale Preliminary tests were begun by Stuart Croasdale in July, 1912. A number of important points were definitely decided by his work. Among these were: 1. New Cornelia oxidized ore, not very finely crushed (to about 2-to 3-mesh) showed good extraction with 5 per cent. sulphuric acid. It appeared that better than 80 per cent. extraction could be expected. 2. The consumption of acid for this extraction was not prohibitive. It was apparently 3.5 to 4 1b. gross per pound of copper recovered.

Jan 1, 1917

By David B. Reger

The exhaustion of oil and gas in the United States is proceeding at a rapid pace. This is especially true in fields where the light oils that furnish the most fuel for internal-combustion engines arc found, leading to a late estimate by Arnold that the petroleum resources are 36 per cent. exhausted.l The further remark by Dr. David T. Day at the New York meeting of the Institute, in February, 1916, that the operators of the country are now scarcely able to supply the ever-increasing demand for gasoline, leads the writer to believe that a determined effort will soon be made to secure deeper producing horizons in those regions that now furnish high-grade oil, and in which pump stations and pipe lines offer convenient means for the economical handling of new production. A study of Arnold's table shows further that the States that produce paraffin oil exclusively are 45 per cent. exhausted, this figure being much higher than the average of paraffin and asphalt States altogether. The most extensive of all the paraffin-oil-producing areas is the Appalachian Field, extending with the Appalachian Geo-Syncline from western New York southwestward through western Pennsylvania, western West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, where oil of high gravity is always secured. Of these States, Pennsylvania and West Virginia rank highest in the quality of their product. In West Virginia, the oil sands dip to a lower level than in any other locality in the Appalachian Geo-Syneline, the Pittsburgh Coal of the Pennsylvanian being only 50 ft. above sea level along the Nineveh Syneline at Wileyville, Wetzel County.² The very significant fact that the sands of the Mississippian and Upper Devonian Measures furnished the richest oil pools of the State along this

Jan 1, 1917

By Henry M. Howe

I wish to present to you a few thoughts on some of the phenomena and laws of iron smelting. Owing to the great complexity of the subject, to the great variety of points to be taken into consideration, many of which are very poorly understood, and to the meagreness and even conflictoriness of our information with regard to some of the most important laws which govern the subject, the fruits of such thoughts as I venture to offer you must be received as speculations, not as facts. Nevertheless, in discussing old phenomena from new standpoints, thus furnishing a metallurgical parallax, if I may say so, these theoretical speculations may have their value in helping to a clearer comprehension of the phenomena and laws we now know, and in suggesting new lines of inquiry. While an increase of height in blast furnaces is not always followed by increase in their power of production, experience proves that it tends to increase it; for while we have many cases of short furnaces producing more iron than longer ones, yet enormous productions, such as those of the Lucy and Isabella furnaces of Pittsburgh, and of the furnaces of Esch sur l'Alzette, in Luxembourg, have never been reached in short furnaces. We may safely infer that height is an element essential to great production, though of course not the only essential element, and that, in the case of high furnaces which are not capable of great production, some other essential element is wanting. Moreover, experience teaches that within limits increase of height tends to increase the producing power in a still higher ratio. Thus, in the Esch furnace, which is 19.8 meters (65 feet) high, 393 tonnes (or 387 gross tons) of 31 1/2 per cent. Ore

By R. J. Franklin, G. W. Beckman, D. Warren, E. Both, J. F. Libsch

BINARY and ternary alloys of iron, nickel and cobalt respond to annealing in a magnetic field by a characteristic change in the shape of their hysteresis 100p.l,2 An increase in retentivity and a decrease in coercive force produced by the magnetic treatment cause the hysteresis loop to approach the appearance of a rectangle. Materials with a rectangular hysteresis loop have made possible the contact-rectifier³ and have greatly improved the performance of pulse transformers4 and magnetic amplifiers." In the best material presently available for these applications, a 50 pct nickel-iron alloy," the desired characteristics are achieved by aligning the preferred crystallographic directions of magnetization along the rolling direction of the tape. The objective of the present study has been to produce rectangular hysteresis characteristics in materials with inherently high saturation. Iron-cobalt alloys, exhibiting saturation values up to 24,000 gausses' appeared to offer promise for the magnetic annealing technique, because they remain magnetic to very high temperatures,8 exhibit favorable magnetostriction properties: and show zero crystal energy at 42 pct cobalt.10 Among the ternary iron-cobalt-nickel alloys,7,11 response to heat treatment in a magnetic field is unfortunately limited to alloys having rather low saturation values.' It appeared interesting nevertheless, to study a series of compositions connecting the optimum composition (50/50) of the binary iron-cobalt system with the "Perminvar" composition (30 pct Fe, 25 pct Co, and 45 pct Ni). Very recently, R. Smoluchowski and R. W. Turner," have shown that under certain circumstances magnetic annealing can produce oriented recrystallization. A combination of this technique with the domain orientation utilized in the present study might well result in further improvements. The advantages of the powder metallurgy technique in preparing magnetic alloys for study have

Jan 1, 1951

By Fred Leighton, Wilson Blake

The microseismic method of detecting instability and high-stress zones in underground mines was developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) in the early 1940's.l,2 For about 25 years this method has been used throughout the world by mining and construction companies in assessing the stability of underground and surface excavations. Rock noises are the release of small amounts of stored strain energy propagating outward from their source as a seismic wave that can be detected with special geophysical equipment. This release of strain energy is caused by a rock mass undergoing load changes resulting in small-scale displacement adjustments such as microcracking, shearing, sliding, and crushing of crystal grains, some even as small as the elastic displacements themselves. No detailed field studies of any of these mechanisms have been made, and knowledge about the origin of rock noises is relatively incomplete. Laboratory tests have shown that when rocks are stressed in a testing machine, the rock noise rate-the number of rock noises generated per unit of time increases with increasing applied stress.3 This increase is most pronounced as the ultimate strength of the rock is approached. The standard field procedure has been to monitor a rock structure at intervals and plot rock noise rates vs. time, thus gaining a semiquantitative estimate of the behavior and stability of the structure. The success of such monitoring, however, has depended almost entirely on the experience and knowledge of the operator, his interpretation of the data, and his equipment. Very little study has been devoted to the basic properties of the vibration record of a rock noise. USBM decided that the microseismic method was being used sufficiently by various mining and construction companies

Jan 1, 1970

By Arthur Phillips, R. M. Brick, A. J. Smith

A previous publication1§ has described the effect of quenching stresses on the lattice parameter values of high-purity aluminum-copper alloys particularly with reference to the solution and precipitation of CuAl². A similar study has been made of the aluminum-rich aluminum-magnesium alloys. Attention has been directed in the present investigation to the magnitude of the quenching stresses as affected by the specimen size and shape, the number of solute atoms and the quenching rate. The effect of cooling stresses in causing plastic defomation or cracking has been considered in relation to the physical properties of the alloy On reheating alloys in the two-phase field, the time required for precipitation to occur has been observed in connection with the degrec of supersaturation, the rate of diffusion of the solute atoms as a function of the comparative atomic radii, degree of strain, temperature of reheating and grain size. A few qualitative comparisons on the relative effect of these factors have been drawn between the aluminum-copper alloys and the aluminum-magnesium alloys. Strain in Solid-solution Alloys A 10 per cent magnesium alloy ill the form of chill-cast bars was furnished by the Aluminum Company of America through the courtesy of L. W. Kempf. Additional alloys were prepared using alllminum (99.95 per cent Al) and high-grade magnesium. The alloys listed in Table 1 were melted in an Acheson graphite crucible under a flux of fused MgCl², CaC12, NaCI. Chill-cast rods were sealed under vacuum in Pyrex glass, homogenized several days at 450' C., air-cooled and machined to rods of from 1/8 to ¾-in. dia. Metal powders taken from these rods with a fine-toothed saw were again sealed under vacuum in

Jan 1, 1935

By R. M. Brick, Arthur Phillips, A. J. Smith

A previous publication1§ has described the effect of quenching stresses on the lattice parameter values of high-purity aluminum-copper alloys particularly with reference to the solution and precipitation of CuAl². A similar study has been made of the aluminum-rich aluminum-magnesium alloys. Attention has been directed in the present investigation to the magnitude of the quenching stresses as affected by the specimen size and shape, the number of solute atoms and the quenching rate. The effect of cooling stresses in causing plastic defomation or cracking has been considered in relation to the physical properties of the alloy On reheating alloys in the two-phase field, the time required for precipitation to occur has been observed in connection with the degrec of supersaturation, the rate of diffusion of the solute atoms as a function of the comparative atomic radii, degree of strain, temperature of reheating and grain size. A few qualitative comparisons on the relative effect of these factors have been drawn between the aluminum-copper alloys and the aluminum-magnesium alloys. Strain in Solid-solution Alloys A 10 per cent magnesium alloy ill the form of chill-cast bars was furnished by the Aluminum Company of America through the courtesy of L. W. Kempf. Additional alloys were prepared using alllminum (99.95 per cent Al) and high-grade magnesium. The alloys listed in Table 1 were melted in an Acheson graphite crucible under a flux of fused MgCl², CaC12, NaCI. Chill-cast rods were sealed under vacuum in Pyrex glass, homogenized several days at 450' C., air-cooled and machined to rods of from 1/8 to ¾-in. dia. Metal powders taken from these rods with a fine-toothed saw were again sealed under vacuum in

Jan 1, 1935

By C. H. Fulton

Page Introduction........................... 280 Distillation Products from Reduction of Zinc Ore........... 281 Preliminary Investigations..................... 290 Equilibrium of Reaction Zn + CO2 + ZnO + CO in Temperature Range of Condensation........................ 293 Requisites for Successful Condensation................ 299 Discussion............................ 300 Introduction The study of the condensation of zinc from its vapor was undertaken to shed light on certain problems encountered in large-scale electric zine-furnace work. recently conducted. It is a matter of common knowledge that one of the disadvantages of the arc type, electric zinc furnace, is the production of a large amount of blue powder and proportionately little liquid spelter, for, as stated by Stansfield,l "A notable defect in the electric smelting of zinc ores is the difficulty experienced in obtaining the distilled zinc in the liquid state; ...... when zinc ores are smelted electrically, very little liquid metal is commonly obtained, nearly all of the zinc being in the state of powder." This difficulty was not encountered in the electric furnace used12 the main difficulty being the destruction of the fire-brick lining of the large condenser, in certain parts, and the formation of .some oxide and dross coatings on the condensing surfaces. The reason for these difficulties could readily be explained by the infiltration of air whenever the condenser was changed from one retort base to the other, the zinc absorbed in the fire-brick forming oxide and causing rupture by its expending volume. Two facts, however, tended to disprove this theory for the rupture of the fire-brick lining: first, the large distilling retort, lined with fire-brick, which was shifted from charge to charge on alternate bases at temperatures between 1200 and 1300 C., fully exposed to the air, showed no signs of disintegration whatever; second, marked disintegration in the condenser occurred .only in places that were at tempera-

Jan 1, 1919

By H. M. Howe

I WISH to present to you a few thoughts on some of the phenomena and laws of iron smelting. Owing to the great complexity of the subject, to the great variety of points to be taken into consideration, many of which are very poorly understood, and to the meagreness and even conflictoriness of our information with regard to some of the most important laws which govern the subject, the fruits of such thoughts as I venture to offer you must be received as speculations, not as facts. Nevertheless, in discussing old phenomena from new standpoints, thus furnishing a metallurgical parallax, if I may say so, these theoretical speculations may have their value in helping to a clearer comprehension of the phenomena and laws we now know, and in suggesting new lines of inquiry. While an increase of height in blast furnaces is not always followed by increase in their power of production, experience proves that it tends to increase it; for while we have many cases of short furnaces producing more iron than longer ones, yet enormous productions, such as those of the Lucy and Isabella furnaces of Pittsburgh, and of the furnaces of Esch sur l'Alzette, in Luxembourg, have never been reached in short furnaces. We may safely infer that height is an element essential to great production, though of course not the only essential element, and that, in the case of high furnaces which are not capable of great production, some other essential element is wanting. Moreover, experience teaches that within limits increase of height tends to increase the producing power in a still higher ratio. Thus, in the Esch furnace, which is 19.8 meters (65 feet) high, 393 tonnes (or 387 gross tons) of 312 per cent. Ore

Jan 1, 1877

By Chung Yu Wang, Guy C. Riddle

There are found in nature upward of II2 minerals containing antimony, but only a few of them, listed in Table I, can be considered as antimony ore-forming minerals. Stibnite (Sb2S3), antimony sulphide or glance, is the principal ore of antimony. The oxide ores—cervantite, kermesite, valentinite, sernarmontite—occur sparingly in nature. Dry methods are generally adopted for the extraction of the metal. Electrometal-lurgical methods have had much attention in America and Germany and have not yet found, on economic grounds, practical or extended application, except in a few places. During recent years, treatment of the poor grades of the ore, especially sulphide, by ore-dressing methods, has commanded some attention and been adopted at a few plants. The impure sulphide of antimony, resulting from the liquation process, is called lLneedle," "liquated" or "crude" anti- mony, and the refined metal itself is called antimony "regulus." The different processes for the treatment of antimony ores are shown in the diagram of Fig. I. Liquation of Crude Antimony The first step in the smelting of antimony is a simple one, the process of LLliquation," which produces crude or needle antimony. Ores containing $ 50 per cent Sb are used in the liquation process for the production of crude. The temperature required for liquation is between 550' and 600°C. Ores to be liquated are broken to about walnut size. If the pieces are larger than this, the low heat used will not penetrate' effectively, and if they are smaller the ore tends to pack too closely for adequate penetration. A packed charge also prevents the free escape of the fused sulphide. Intermittent Liquation in Crucibles The unique type of furnace that is in use in China for smelting is not highly efficient but is simple in construction and operation. The furnace is generally built

Jan 1, 1944

By F. S. Sinnatt

THIS paper is the outcome of an extended investigation carried out in association with Dr. L. Slater. The inquiry had been continued in various directions and a number of results are quoted from an investigation recently completed by S. H. Jenkins. In projecting the work some five years ago, the author had in view a general attack on the problem of the spontaneous combustion of coal from an angle that had received little attention. The basic idea was to obtain a "slow motion study" of the active combustion of coal. This included an examination of the conditions prevailing in a mass of coal at the moment when active combustion ceases. It was thought that, if the factors governing the extinction of combustion in coal could be definitely established, it might offer an explanation of the manner in which the spontaneous combustion of coal originates. The inquiry arose from a detailed study of the properties of fusain that the author began in 1918. Fusain seemed to possess characteristics quite distinct from the coal with which it was associated, for if it were collected into a heap and one portion were heated by a small flame the combustion would traverse the whole mass. This combustion was not accompanied by smoke and passed slowly through the heap of material. Later, it was found that coals, including anthracites, would behave in a similar manner provided they were in the form of powder and that the particles were smaller than a certain size. The limiting size of particles is a definite characteristic of the coals investigated. In view of the fact that fusain exists with coal in a state that enables it to undergo this particular form of combustion, it must be assumed, sometimes, to playa definite part in the spontaneous combustion of coal in the goaf (waste).

Jan 3, 1925

By R. G. Treuting, W. C. Ellis

D. Whitwham, M. Mouflard, and P. Lacombe (British Council Research Fellow, Labratoire du Professor Chaudron, Vitry-sur-Seine; Inqenieur de Recherches, Labratoire de Vitry; and Maitre de Recherches, Labratoire de Vitry, Professeur Adjoint de Metallurgie, Ecole des Mines, Paris)—The authors' work is of great interest in bringing out the geometrical relations existing between twinned lattices, and for the notion of a coincidence super lattice developed from this. We should like to point out that a similar idea was put forward by Friedel8 in his book on the subject of lattice merohedrism "merihedrie réticulaire:"—When two crystals A and B are twinned with respect to a mirror plane, there exists a common superlattice, "réseau periode," which is independent of the contact surface between the two crystals. The volume V of this superlattice is a simple multiple of the volume v of the lattice of crystals A, or B, (Fig. 5). This "multiple cell" is defined by the twin plane (p q r) and a row of atoms [h k l] normal to this plane, the base being taken as the smallest unit (two-dimensional) of this plane. Two cases must be considered. First when the multiple cell, as defined, has no atom site at its center nor at the center of its faces other than (p q r), v the twinning index is defined by —. In the second v case, when one of the two above conditions does not v apply, then the twinning index is V 2v A more intuitive definition of the twinning index would be the proportion of atoms of C, which would coincide with those of C1 when the C, lattice is imagined to extend on the other side of the contact surface. In the case of cubic crystals, the twinning index

Jan 1, 1952

By John Gross

The study of the energy used in crushing operations has advanced from a period of perplexing confusion to one of greater clarity. Only within the last few years has any true conception of the work in crushing been possible, owing to the chaotic state of theoretical knowledge. For some 20 years a controversy existed between those advocating the Rittinger law and those advocating the Kick law. The Kick law now appears to be definitely out of the picture, and crushing efficiency may be based confidently on the Rittinger theory. There also seems to be a generally crystallized conception as to the meaning and nature of sub-sieve material. There is needed a simple, direct method for determining surface on a crushed ore product, and also a simple and accepted method for size determination on minus 400-mesh material. The Crushing Law The Rittinger(l)‡ theory of crushing was advanced in 1867 and the Kick(3) theory in 1885. While the Rittinger theory might have been accepted without much question and actually had been accepted by many investigators, a serious doubt as to its validity was raised by Stadler(10) who upon purely theoretical grounds proclaimed the Kick "law" as the true law of crushing. According to Rittinger the energy required in successive steps in reduction increases geometrically, while according to Kick the energy increases arithmetically. These "laws" therefore are at variance, and the establishment of the true law was recognized as of first importance. Many simple experiments have been made to demonstrate the application of the Rittinger theory to crushing, and it would seem that its simplicity should favor its acceptance. Experimental evidence, however, was not convincing, as no reliable data could be obtained on the finer material from a crushing or grinding operation. Gates,(13) Bell,(19)

Jan 1, 1935

By K. A. Johnson, F. H. Ellinger, C. C. Land

The Pu-La alloy systenz has been studied by thertnal, tnzcrographic, and X-ray diffraction methods. It is churacterized by a liquid miscibility gap, a maximum solubility of about 20 ut. pct PM in y lanthunum and 19 at. pct PI* in 0 lanthanum, very little soluibility of lanthanum in the plulonium allotropes, and the absence of intermediate phases. THE existence of immiscible liquids in the Pu-La system has been reported by Schonfeld.1 A tentative phase diagram based on the results of thermal-analysis experiments has been constructed by Poole et a1 2 This diagram shows a liquid immiscibility loop with a monotectic at 77 at. pct La and 846°C. 7 lanthanum is shown to dissolve 20 at. pct Pu and to decompose by an inverse peritectic reaction (y La = L , + p La) at about 82 at, pct La and 833°C. The ß lanthanum solvus was not determined, but the thermal work indicated a maximum solubility of 16 at. pct Pu in ß lanthanum. The present investigation has defined the solubility limits of plutonium in y lanthanum and 0 lanthanum, and, with the exception of minor discrepancies, has verified the results of Poole et al. 1) EXPERIMENTAL The electrolytic plutonium melting stocks were better than 99.9 wt pct pure, the main impurities being 90 ppm Fe and 50 ppm W. The lanthanum melting stocks, supplied by Research Chemicals and the Cerium Metals Corp., were about 99 wt pct pure, the main impurity detected by our spectrochemical analysis being 2000 ppm Fe. The components for each alloy button (-5 g) were weighed on an analytical balance and were melted together in a conventional arc furnace. If no significant weight loss occurred during melting, the as-weighed

Jan 1, 1968

By J. J. Jakosky

THE fundamental hydrodynamic principles governing the production of oil from wells have been carefully studied and evaluated by many investigators. These prior studies are quite complete and cover virtually the entire field of oil production and recovery.1 One of the most impor-tant measurements in production studies is that of the bottom-hole pressure at various rates of production.2 It is the purpose of this paper to outline the technique and economics of fluid-level measurements as applied to pumping wells and to review briefly other methods for obtain-ing bottom-hole data. The applications of bottom-hole pressure or fluid-level measure-ments are based on simple hydrodynamic principles. Under equilib-rium conditions, pbh = hd + pg + pch [ l] when pbh = bottom-hole pressure, lb. per sq. in. absolute, h = height of fluid in well, ft., d = average fluid density, lb. per sq. in. per foot, pg = weight of section of gas column 1 in. square from fluid level to casing head, pch = casing-head pressure, lb. per sq. in. absolute. In words, equation 1 states that the bottom-hole pressure is equal to the weight hd of the column of fluid plus the weight of the column of gas between the fluid and the casing head plus the casing-head pressure. At moderate rates of flow, the rate of production is approximately proportional to the difference between the reservoir, or static bottom-hole, pressure and the flowing or producing pressure; i.e.: Q = c(pr - pbh) [2] pr = the reservoir pressure, c = the constant of proportionality. However, at production rates approaching zero and also at high rates the proportionality may break down. By combining equations 1 and 2 the

Jan 1, 1939

By Gardner F. Williams

Chemically, the diamond is composed of the element carbon in its pure crystallized state. The diamond crystallizes in the isometric system, and the most common forms are the octahedron and dodecahedron, while the (24-sided) tetrahexa-hedron is not uncommon. Cube diamonds with beveled edges representing the combination 8 0 8 and 8 0 2 are occasionally found in the Bultfontein and Premier (Wesselton) mines at Kimberley, South Africa. The diamonds from various mines have distinctive forms of crystallization, or variations of the same forms, so characteristic that those familiar with South African diamond-mines and their products can determine positively from which mine any given parcel of diamonds has been obtained. It is not always possible to determine the source of each individual diamond, for similar stones are occasionally found in digerent mines; but these are exceptions to the rule. There is a difference in the luster, shape or crystalline form of the diamonds from the various mines that gives each mine some distinctive characteristic. In one mine nearly all of the crystals are sharp-edged octahedrons, while in another, dodecahedrons with rounded faces predominate. One might give no end of peculiarities of the diamonds from the various mines; but it will suffice for the purposes of this paper to state the fact that such distinctive characteristics do occur. From this observation it may be concluded that the diamonds in the mines of the Eimberley district, which occupies a small area (see Fig. I), did not have a common origin. The diamond is the most impenetrable of all known substances, and will scratch any other stone, or the hardest steel. It is a very strong reflector of light, and refracts incident rays more than any other substance except crocoite.l

Jan 1, 1905

By Rodney P. Smith

The rate of motion of the boundary between a single-phase a-iron region and a two phase a-iron plus ?-iron, or a-iron plus cementite region has been measured on decarburization at several temperatures between 500" and 865°C. These data, together with data for the carbon content of a-iron at the boundary, yield the diffusivity of carbon in a-iron. The activation energy for carbon diffusion is 19.8 kcal per mole for the temperature range —50° to 150°C and increases to an average value of 23.0 kcaL per mole for the temperature range 727" to 865°C. AS part of an investigation of the diffusivity of carbon in iron using a steady-state method,' the diffusivity of carbon in a-iron was determined at the temperatures 802" and 851°C. The diffusion constant thus obtained was larger, by nearly a factor of two, than that predicted from the combined results of stanley2 and of Wert.3 It seemed desirable, therefore, to continue the investigation. Since the temperature range in which the steady-state method can be conveniently used is limited, we have chosen a decarburization method, based on the laws of diffusion in metal accompanied by a phase change.4,5 If the initial carbon content of the Fe-C alloy is such that two phases coexist at the decar-burizing temperature* and decarburization is car- ried out such that the surface is maintained at substantially zero wt pct. C, the carbon distribution after a time, t, will be as shown in Fig. 1. The boundary between the single-phase and two-phase regions moves from y = 0 to y = x in the time, t, where x is proportional4 to tl". If the initial carbon (content of the sample is Ci, and CB is

Jan 1, 1962