Search Documents

By W. A. Ver Wiebe

UNder the impetus of new demands caused by the defense program, the oil and gas industries of Kansas established new records during the year 1941. In all, 2113 wells were drilled, which compares favorably with the record total drilled in 1937. These 2113 tests resulted in 1446 oil wells, 76 gas wells and 592 dry holes. In all three categories there was an increase over the previous year, but unfortunately the most marked increase was in the dry holes. Nearly 80 per cent of the increase must be allocated to the drilling 01 unsuccessful tests. This was partly because of the increasing difficulty of finding new reserve areas and partly because of the erratic character of the production in the Arbuckle dolomite, which is now the main producing zone. Closer analysis of the totals reveals that western Kansas accounted for 1634 tests, of which 1186 were oil wells, 34 were gas wells and 415 were dry holes. The total potential initial daily production uncovered by the successful wells amounted to 1,691,000 bbl. of oil and 508,000,000 cu. ft. of gas. Both figures indicate a considerable decrease when compared with the proceeding year; in 1940 the respective figures were 2,128,000 bbl. and 1,289,000,000 cu. feet. In eastern Kansas a total of 479 wells were drilled. Among these, 260 were oil wells accounting for a daily initial potential production of 45,662 bbl. The new gas wells numbered 42 and added 290,438,000 cu. ft. per day to the gas potential production of the state. The remaining tests, 177 in number, were dry. It is interesting and significant that almost half (791) of the total wells drilled in western Kansas were drilled by the independent operators. Among the large companies the Cities Service Oil Co. drilled 169 wells; the Stanolind Oil and Gas CO., 101; the Skelly Oil Co., 80; the Continental Oil Co., 99, and the Shell Petroleum Co., 63 wells. In eastern Kansas the independent operators drilled 406 out of the total of 479 wells. Among the major oil companies the Cities Service Oil Co. drilled 38; the Phillips Petroleum Co., 13, and the Sinclair-Prairie Oil Co., II wells. The figures on relative percentages of dry holes to successful oil or gas wells are revealing. In western Kansas approximately one third of all wells drilled by the independent operators were dry holes. The major oil companies drilled approximately 844 wells in western Kansas, of which 678 were successful in finding either oil or gas. It thus appears that the major companies fared much Getter than the independents. In eastern Kansas the major companies drilled 73 wells of which 63 were successful in finding commercial quantities of oil or gas. No less than 286 wildcat tests were put down in western Kansas and 72 in eastern Kansas, or 358 in all, during 1941. Considerably more than half of these were drilled by independent operators; zoo in western and 66 in eastern Kansas. An exploratory hole % mile or more from production is regarded as a wildcat well in Kansas. On a percentage basis, approximately 75 per cent of all wildcat wells were failures; only 25 per cent found oil or gas in western

Jan 1, 1942

By S.H. Ash, P.S. Miller

Extensive and diversified resources justify large populations and great industries. To carry on the business of commerce and meet the demands of large populations, the utilization of tunnels in some form for transportation purposes constitutes an important link in modern civilization. The driving of tunnels has been appropriated by the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry, and the progressive steps taken by modern tunnel builders were not even dreamed of 50 years ago. Great strides have been made toward more rapid progress in tunneling in the United States during the past I0 years. Tunneling consists of a definite cycle of operations developed from ideas that are crystallized and translated into action programs through various engineering phases that begin with the first preliminary survey and do not end until the job is completed. Once the line of the bore is established and a time set for the completion of the work, the face must advance according to estimates prepared before the work commences. This schedule must be followed in regular sequence from the moment the drills start against a new face of rock until they are ready again to drill the Succdeding face, constituting a round. Mining is largely tunneling carried on under conditions often more inherently hazardous than actual tunnel construction, but for various reasons" tunne1ing is more hazardous than mining in any branch of the mineral industry. On the other hand, obstacles are sometimes encountered in heavy-construction tunneling projects that when met in mining enterprises do not offer comparable tasks to avoid or overcome them. One is the existence of water under high pressures. In mining enterprises, various alternatives offer a solution in driving a tunnel, even to the extent of its discontinuance or the abandonment of the mine, but a "construction" tunnel usually must go forward because some important project depends largely if not entirely upon it. This paper describes an unusual method of driving a water-supply tunnel through rock carrying water under pressures and conditions that did not permit the use of ordinary tunneling methods. The Delaware Aqueduct The new Delaware aqueduct is a Manhattan project of some magnitude; when regular it will contain what probably will be, for some time to come, the longest tunnel in the world. Various features in its construction are currently described in the trade journals of the construction industry, and informative engineering details are given in the Delaware Water Supply News, published twice a month by the Board of Water Supply of the City of New York. Work was begun on this project on March 24, 1937. The tunnel will convey water from reservoirs at the headwaters of the Delaware River to the City of New York.

Jan 1, 1943

By Charles C. Russell, Glenn C. South

A primary factor in the selection of coals for making coke at high temperatures is the amount of pressure the coal will exert upon the oven walls when carbonized in modem by-product ovens.l-3 This factor has become increasingly important in recent years because of demands for increased throughput and higher coke yields. As a result of the increasing necessity for assessing coals in regard to their carbonization pressures, more and more research work is being directed toward developing labora-tory-scale tests for predicting carbonization pressures and for showing how blends of coking coals may be modified to eliminate pressures liable to damage coke-oven walls. The specific reasons have never been defined as to why some blends of coking coals develop dangerous carbonization pressures and others do not, therefore specific procedures to eliminate dangerous pressures could not be prescribed. It is true that the major processes occurring during carbonization have been described by many writers,4 and there is a general agreement on the ideas of the changes that occur as coal is transformed into coke. However, there is little evidence relating the processes occurring during carbonization to the pressure developed and the available evidence is very incomplete and often contradictory. This deficiency arises in part from the fact that the fundamental causes of pressure development have not been defined, at least from experimental data, and in turn this is the result of the lack of satisfactory testing equipment for studying the problem. Operating experience has shown several ways of reducing or eliminating dangerous pressures,5 but probably none of these ways is applicable to all blends of coking coals, and such empirical methods often lead to production of inferior coke. They are trial-and-error methods, not designed to remedy specific causes of pressure development. The number of laboratory-scale testing devices designed to estimate the carbonization pressures that result when coals are carbonized in commercial ovens is probably well over a hundred.6 Few of these instruments have remained in use for any length of time, either because the predictions were not sufficiently accurate or, more often, because too many exceptions were found. Often testing devices are operated without any attempt at duplication of conditions in commercial ovens and erroneous and contradictory results are frequently obtained. Therefore, it has seemed desirable to study the properties of coal itself and to determine any relationships between the properties of the coal and the carbonization pressures developed. Relationship between Properties of Coal and Carbonization Pressure Attempts to determine relationships between various properties of coal and carbonization pressures, for the most parti have been indirect because no satisfactory and reliable laboratory testing device has

Jan 1, 1944

By R. Woodward Moore

A graphical method of analyzing the data obtained from shallow earth-resistivity depth tests is presented. The method is based upon empirical results and has no theoretical basis. The usual apparent resistivity-electrode spacing curve is used together with a cumulative resistivity-electrode spacing curve plotted on the same sheet. The greatly reduced scale required for plotting the cumulative values of resistivity together with the effect of the summation of the individual resistivity values serves to minimize the effect of purely local surface anomalies and inadvertent errors of measurement. The point of intersection of tangents or straight lines drawn to intersect at zones of maximum curvature in the cumulative curve indicates the depth to the underlying material. Numerous figures are presented in which data from published reports and from recent field studies are analyzed and the results compared with actual depths established by borings or with depth values obtained by the use of theoretical methods of analysis. Smoothly rounded curves of apparent resistivity such as are often obtained in the field, and which have been a serious drawback to attempts to analyze the data empirically heretofore, appear to be susceptible to rather accurate analysis by the method described. The method is best suited to analyses involving shallow two-layer formations. It has been applied successfully, however, in analyzing the data obtained from tests made over shallow three-layer formations. As with most empirical methods, its chief advantage is its simplicity and ease of application. There have been published many papers that discuss the interpretation of data obtained from earth-resistivity tests when using the four-terminal method of electrode spacing developed by Wenner.' The majority of these have dealt with theoretical analyses for two-layer and three-layer formations. Some sets of "master curves" have been presented for use in analyzing field data to determine the depth to the first and possibly the second horizon below the earth's surface. Although practically all of these theoretical methods of analysis have appeared to have particular merit and some have been used successfully in practice, they have been found to be of little value where the local conditions surrounding the test failed to conform to those assumed in the theory. In certain fields, particularly in civil engineering, relatively shallow explorations are often involved and geophysical methods of test must compete with the direct methods of exploration ordinarily used. Only when it can be demonstrated that geophysical methods of test can materially reduce the time and cost of a given exploration project will the civil engineer abandon direct methods in favor of the interpretations of geophysical exploration data. Empirical methods of analyzing earth-resistivity data have been used in many instances in the past. Such methods have been employed for a number of years by the Public Roads Administration in research work relative to the application of

Jan 1, 1946

By Robert E. Cuthbertson

It is the purpose of this paper to describe in detail the laboratory development and mill application of an unusual combination of flotation reagents employed in the concentrator of the Climax Molybdenum Co., on the Continental Divide, near Leadville, Lake County, Colorado. This development originated in an ore-dressing research laboratory maintained by Climax at the experimental plant of the Colorado School of Mines, which is staffed by men directly employed by the Climax Molybdenum Co. Mill-scale testing of laboratory developments was supervised by a representative from the testing laboratory, working in close cooperation with the operating staff at the mill. General milling practice at Climax is ably described in a paper by E. J. Duggan,1 mill superintendent. Other aspects of the Climax project have been described in papers by W. J. Coulter,2 by Butler, Vanderwilt and Henderson,= by Allen Kissock,4 and by Leo H. Glanville.5 Consequently, this paper will be corfined to the metallurgical aspects of recent reagent developments, avoiding, as much as possible, repetition of material covered in these earlier publications. Brief History of Reagent Practice at Climax Prior to the year 1937, the only reagents employed at Climax for froth production and collecting action in the flotation of molybdenite were steam-distilled or destructively distilled pine oils. The only exceptions to this practice were brief periods of mill testing, when reagents of various types were tried on an experimental basis. None of these experimental runs was sufficiently encouraging to justify its continuation as regular practice. Sodium cyanide has been employed since the very early days of milling at Climax as an inhibiting agent for control of pyrite and chalcopyrite. Alkaline reagents such as lime or soda ash have been used in recent years to minimize the detrimental effect of iron salts on flotation of molybdenite. The presence of these harmful salts is attributed to the decomposition of fine metallics abraded from liners and balls in the first stage of regrinding rougher concentrate. Flint pebbles are used in subsequent regrinding, since alkaline reagents are not entirely adequate to offset the inhibiting effect of iron salts as the grind becomes progressively finer and the grade of concentrate progressively higher. Climax metallurgists were familiar at an early date with the use of petroleum products such as kerosene and gas oil as promoters of flotation of molybdenite. Charles C. Oliver6 discussed the use of pine oil and kerosene as early as 19-20, in connection with the milling practice at Dominion Molybdenite Co., Quebec. Nevertheless, the early attempts to apply this knowledge in the Climax concentrator were complete failures. In the light of recent experience, it may seem strange that the early mill tests with petroleum

Jan 1, 1947

By John J. Egan, A. B. Kinzel, Walter Crafts

The demands of the petroleum and chemical industries for steels to be used in pressure vessels and similar structures at artificially low temperatures are continually increasing, and the writing of proper specifications with suitable tests becomes increasingly important. Likewise, the selection of suitable steels for such applications is of increasing concern to the metallurgist. It is generally recognized that highly alloyed steels of the austenitic stainless type retain their properties even at very low temperatures and represent the best technological solution of the low-temperature steel problem. However, in many instances less expensive carbon or low-alloy steels suitable for service within limited temperature ranges are available. The problem thus becomes one of defining the various factors involved in the production and fabrication of these less expensive steels and determining the temperature ranges in which their properties justify engineering application. Most of the applications involve welded structures, and the heat effect of welding as well as the nature of the weld metal are matters of prime concern. The first problem that the metallurgist faces is the determination of the type of test to be used as a criterion of the performance of the steel in low-temperature service. It has been generally recognized that the static properties of steel as determined in the ordinary tensile test undergo a gradual and relatively slight change as the temperature of test is lowered in the range of current interest; i.e., from room temperature to minus 120' C. It is further generally recognized that the behavior of steel under impact involving notch sensitivity is definitely affected at the lower temperatures. While the major subject of this paper is the effect of grain-refining deoxidizers, of low-alloy additions and of welding on the low-temperature notched-bar impact properties, an inquiry into the general behavior of steel under low-temperature impact testing is included. This is a pertinent portion of the investigation and the results thereof are

Jan 1, 1937

By Carroll C. Bailey, William F. Boericke

Mine financing, or providing adequate capital for developing and bringing a mining property into production, is an essential requirement for a successful operation. Today it presents a different picture than even twenty-five years ago. The day appears to be gone when a mining property could pay its own way from grass roots to production. The country has been quite thoroughly combed for surface showings from which sufficient initial profit could be immediately garnered to pay for further development and production facilities. The four M's for success in mining-mineral, market, management, and money-are still essential, but doubled or tripled wage costs and steep advances in cost of equipment and supplies throw increased emphasis on adequate capital funds for converting a prospect into a producer. Consequently, the old picturesque, although seldom rewarding, grub- staking procedure where a single venturesome citizen might advance funds to a prospector on a fifty-fifty basis for whatever discovery he might find, has largely disappeared. Its place, to some degree, has been taken by the small syndicate of venturesome members who band together for furnishing funds to a group of prospectors for the same general purposes. Such a syndicate has a definite organization and is usually assured of sufficient initial funds, or flow of funds, to carry on work for several years. It is usually headed by an engineer-promoter or an entrepreneur trader who has had considerable field experience as well as personal knowledge of his prospecting crews. For the owner of a potential mining property who has ample capital, the problem is to determine (1) justification for the necessary investment in exploration and development, and (2) the economics of the enterprise as to size and degree of integration of the ha1 operating entity. If the owner of such a property has little or no capital, he also faces these same basic problems but, in addition, must be able to present the findings of fact and persuade the prospective investor that the enterprise will produce

Jan 1, 1964

By George G. Binder Jr., James W. Lacey, Arthur L. Draper

An experimental investigation of miscible fluid displacement has been made in linear porous media under highly adverse mobility ratio conditions. Various refined oils were displaced at field rates by liquid propane in both horizontal and vertical models 9 to 36 ft in length. In horizontal tests, mixed zones or transition zones form between the two liquids early in the displace-lents. Initially, the zones grow rapidly. III 2-in. diameter models, the mixed regions become nearly stable zones from 6- to 20-ft long. From then on these quasi-stable zones apparently grow only by molecular diffusion. The lenghts of the quasi-stable zones appear to be almost independent of the core material in which displacement;; are made and increase with increasing rates of injection and oil/solvent viscosity ratios. The lengths of the quasi-stable zones. measured in 2-in. diameter models at viscosity ratios and injection rates anticipated in the field indicate that essentially piston-like displacements of oil by solvent would occur. However, the mixed zone lengths increase markedly as the model diameter increases. In vertical displacements controlled by gravity drainage, only short trans-sition zones form. The entire lenghts of these zones can be accounted for by molecular diffusion. Therefore, in reservoirs having characteristics allowing a high degree of gravity drainage, nearly complete oil recovery should be attainable by miscible fluid displacement. INTRODUCTION The oil industry is faced with an ever increasing cost for finding new oil reservoirs. This, coupled with the fact that conventional methods of oil recovery usually leave from 1 to 3 bbl of oil in the ground for every barrel produced, has aroused considerable interest in developing more efficient methods. An integral part of the mechanism of many of these new methods of recovery is a miscible fluid displacement in which oil is displaced by a much less viscous materiai such as liquid propane. A numher of irlvestigators have explored the mechanics of miscible fluid displace-ment,'.2.1.'."." but in the experiments reported many of the important factors have been varied only over a limited range far removed from norma1 oilfield values. This paper presents the results of an experimental study of oil displacement by liquid propane at field rates from linear, natural-sandstone models of various sizes. Both horizontal and vertical flow tests were made. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE Refined oils with viscosities varying over a wide range were displaced at several rates by liquid Propane from both horizontal and vertical flow systems. The behavior of the displacement was observed by propane-oil analyses of the effluent and, when possible, by differential pressure measurements along the cores. A schematic flow diagram of the apParatus used to conduct the experirents is shown in Fig. 1. The cores used in the tests were 9-ft lengths cut from natural consolidated sandstone and turned to the desired diameter. These were cast in steel tubing with a low melting point (160°F) alloy which expands on solidification. Flanges welded to the ends of the steel pipes permitted sealing the ends or butting one core to another. Pressure seals were maintained with O-rings. The cores were cleaned by flushing

By Robert W. Metcalf

THE name "tripoli" is used to designate a number of more or less similar types of silica of sedimentary origin. Usually they are spoken of as "soft" silicas, and are light, very fine grained, porous, and friable. Structure is microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline. The deposits are the residual product of weathering and occur in massive form, either blocky or in friable masses. Tripoli is the end product of the weathering of siliceous Limestones, cherty limestones, or cherts. Weathering removes the calcium carbon- ate, leaving a finely divided siliceous residue to which the name "tripoli" has been applied. Authorities differ as to whether the chert accumulates first and is converted into tripoli or the tripoli is derived by direct decay from various forms of silica during initial weathering of the Limestone. It has also been asserted that tripolis were formed in situ in essentially their present condition as a flocculent, colloidal silica, but it is now believed by most geologists that varying degrees of pressure, combined with one or more methods of origin, have influenced the characteristics of the deposits. Considerable confusion has existed as to what constitutes tripoli. Owing to the similarity of names, tripolite, a type of diatomaceous earth found originally in Tripoli in northern Africa, has been erroneously called tripoli. Tripoli, however, contains no diatoms, the distinguishing characteristic of diatomaceous earth. The material mined in the Missouri-Oklahoma area has been considered by the trade to be the type material, and many feel that the term "tripoli" should more properly be restricted to the product of this region. Although also designated as soft silica, it would be less misleading, perhaps, if the siliceous material mined in southern Illinois were called amorphous silica. Both the Missouri-Oklahoma and Illinois materials are very high in silica. Different in composition, as it is very much lower in silica content than tripoli or amorphous silica, yet included under the classification of tripoli in Bureau of Mines statistical data, is the small but important output of rottenstone in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The principal justification for grouping these three types of silica is similarity of use.

Jan 1, 1949

By P. S. Miller, S. H. Ash

Extensive and diversified resources justify large populations and great industries. To carry on the business of commerce and meet the demands of large populations, the utilization of tunnels in some form for transportation purposes constitutes an important link in modern civilization. The driving of tunnels has been appropriated by the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry, and the progressive steps taken by modern tunnel builders were not even dreamed of 50 years ago. Great strides have been made toward more rapid progress in tunneling in the United States during the past I0 years. Tunneling consists of a definite cycle of operations developed from ideas that are crystallized and translated into action programs through various engineering phases that begin with the first preliminary survey and do not end until the job is completed. Once the line of the bore is established and a time set for the completion of the work, the face must advance according to estimates prepared before the work commences. This schedule must be followed in regular sequence from the moment the drills start against a new face of rock until they are ready again to drill the Succdeding face, constituting a round. Mining is largely tunneling carried on under conditions often more inherently hazardous than actual tunnel construction, but for various reasons" tunne1ing is more hazardous than mining in any branch of the mineral industry. On the other hand, obstacles are sometimes encountered in heavy-construction tunneling projects that when met in mining enterprises do not offer comparable tasks to avoid or overcome them. One is the existence of water under high pressures. In mining enterprises, various alternatives offer a solution in driving a tunnel, even to the extent of its discontinuance or the abandonment of the mine, but a "construction" tunnel usually must go forward because some important project depends largely if not entirely upon it. This paper describes an unusual method of driving a water-supply tunnel through rock carrying water under pressures and conditions that did not permit the use of ordinary tunneling methods. The Delaware Aqueduct The new Delaware aqueduct is a Manhattan project of some magnitude; when regular it will contain what probably will be, for some time to come, the longest tunnel in the world. Various features in its construction are currently described in the trade journals of the construction industry, and informative engineering details are given in the Delaware Water Supply News, published twice a month by the Board of Water Supply of the City of New York. Work was begun on this project on March 24, 1937. The tunnel will convey water from reservoirs at the headwaters of the Delaware River to the City of New York.

Jan 1, 1943

By Theodore Simons

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) DURING the last half century a great amount of ingenuity and energy has been devoted to the invention of appliances for the recovery of valuable minerals from very fine sands and slimes. The reason for this is that in almost every dressing plant the greatest losses of values, considered relatively as well as absolutely, occur in the treatment of slimes. The natural aim of mill operators to minimize these losses has in recent years received another impetus, from the fact that the gradually diminishing occurrence of high-grade ores makes a more intense recovery of values from existing resources absolutely necessary for profitable operation. The results of such attempts are found in the appearance of a great number of machines and appliances which make it profitable to-clay to rework old dumps, containing the tailings of older processes. A constantly growing difficulty of obtaining skilled labor and the increase in wages made it prohibitory to employ those types of machines which required much attention, and in the middle of the nineteenth century the various concentrating tables of the percussion type, which automatically discharge their products, began to take the place of the intermittent tables, on which, when the bed had reached a certain thickness, operation had to be stopped in order to allow the skimming by hand of the separate layers formed on the table. In the course of years, two general types of machines evolved for the treatment of fine sands and slimes : The so-called concentrators and vanners, on the one hand, and the buddies and round tables on the other.1 For the profitable treatment of the very finest slimes, round tables have as a last resort proved more satisfactory and economical than other machines.

Jan 7, 1913

By R. H. Tien

This paper presents an analytical solution of the problem of freezing of a semi-infinite slab with constant surface temperature; in this analysis accoz~nt is taken of the heat evolution during the solid-state transformations in the frozen skin. The regions where transformations occur are treated as plane isothermal heat sources; i.e., the rates of transformations are assumed to be infinite. In the model considered, three plane heat sources are assumed to be present in the frozen solid. The solution yields the temperature distribution in the solid, the rates of movement of the heat sources , and the rate of movement of the solidification front. It is shown that, although the sum of the heats of transformations in the solid is about 20 or 43 pct of the heat of fusion of iron or manganese, respectively, the effect of the heat evolution in solid-state transformations on the rate of solidification is insignzficant. IN several recent mathematical studies of solidification of liquid metals'-3 no account was taken of the heat evolution accompanying the solid-state transformations. In the case of, for example, steel, there are several phase transformations 6 -y, y -a, and the magnetic transformation. Whether or not a significant error is introduced into the mathematical simulation of solidification processes by the omission of the heat effects associated with these phase transformations is not known. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of these phase transformations on the temperature distribution and the rate of solidification based solely on the heat transfer point of view. That is, for the sake of simplicity, freezing of a pure metal with solid-state transformations will be considered. The mathematical model which represents the present problem includes four moving heat sources representing freezing and phase transformations, 6— y — a — ferromagnetic. The thermal properties such as conductivity and specific heat, and so forth, are different from one phase to the other. But they are considered to be uniform over any particular phase. The usual Fourier heat flow law is employed. The concept of conservation of energy is applied at every heat source in order to estimate their rate of movement. The temperature distribution in the solid and the positions where transformations occur are expressed analytically in terms of error function solutions and four coefficients which are determined from four nonlinear algebraic equations. These coefficients can be calculated either by trial and error or by any numerical method. MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the zones of different phases 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the solidified portion of a semi-infinite pure liquid metal. The heat is subtracted from the system at x = 0 which is maintained

Jan 1, 1968

By Walter Rosenhain

In selecting solid solutions for the subject of this lecture I have been guided by several considerations. The bodies known under that somewhat paradoxical name play a most important part in all types of alloys; consequently, a deeper knowledge of their constitution must 'be of fundamental importance to both metallurgical science and practice. Further, having been asked to deal with some of the more theoretical aspects of metallurgy, I have been tempted to describe certain considerations, which I believe to be novel, in regard to the nature of solid solutions. These considerations constitute a theory that requires much experimental confirmation, but they have passed the stage of speculations, for experimental evidence has become available and one inference after another, that can be derived from the theory, is found to be in accord with well-known facts. In putting before you these ideas and inferences, it must be understood that detailed quantitative proof of every step cannot be furnished. Our conclusions must therefore be stated with the reservation that their acceptance must depend on the manner in which the discovery of fresh facts may either confirm or confound them. If we wish to understand the structure of solid solutions we nust carefully realize the manner in which these bodies are formed in alloys. The formation of solid solutions is by no means confined to alloys, but it is desirable to confin5 attention, at the outset, to intermetallic solid solutions. It is not easy to formulate a precise definition of the term "solid solution." It may be said that a solid solution is a crystalline body formed from a liquid solution or from an intimate mixture of solids, or of liquid and solid, that retains in the solid state an admixture of the two substances (solvent and solute) as intimate as that which exists in a liquid solution. The term is undoubtedly paradoxical, for one usually associates solution with a liquid, but the difficulty cannot be evaded by using such a term as solidified solution, for this might refer to a solution that has set, or congealed, without undergoing crystallization. The German term mischkry stall avoids the difficulty and appears to

Jan 1, 1923

By C. R. Holmgren

A large consolidated sand core was used in this investigation. Four groups of experiments including gas drives, water drives, and water drives combined with gas injection, were made. The results of the gas-drive experiments indicate that greater ultimate recovery may be obtained by higher pressure gradients. However, other considerations challenge the absolute veracity of this conclusion. Results indicate that with connate water present and a low pressure gradient during a gas drive, less gas is required to produce a given amount of oil. The saturation gradient determined during a gas drive is presented. Results of the water-drive experiments indicate that the recovery of oil is not a function of either gradient Or input rate. The presence of initial gas saturation resulted in a slightly lower final oil saturation. Injection of sufficient gas to maintain the initial gas saturation during a water drive resulted in lower final oil saturation. Introduction With the demand for petroleum products reaching an all-time record high and the location and exploitation of new reserves becoming more difficult and expensive, the oil industry must look to more thorough and efficient methods of producing the petroleum already located. Much of the previous work along these lines is exploratory and suggests a more complete investigation. For example, a great amount of laboratory work has been done on flooding sands initially saturated roo pct with oil. Since sands saturated roo pct with oil rarely, if ever, exist in nature, and because the water content is a vital factor in the ultimate recovery from the sand, laboratory investigations on cores without water must be supplemented by comparable work on cores with water present.1'2 Other investigators have done a considerable amount of laboratory work using gas and water drives.3 Krutter and Day4 have reported results of investigations using cores saturated IOO pct with oil and have concluded that " the ultimate recovery obtained, using air drive, from a completely oil-saturated core depends on the pressure gradients used. The higher the pressure gradient, the greater will be the recovery until a certain Pressure range is reached above which the reward of increased recovery is much smaller for similar increments in pressure." Yuster and Day6 conclude that less gas and less time are required to produce a given quantity of oil at high pressure gradients than at low pressure gradients; they also conclude that an increase in the viscosity of the oil requires a proportionate increase in the gas needed for recovery. Their results indicate that the gas required to produce a given quantity of oil is greatly reduced by the presence of connate water. R. C. Earlougher2 concluded, based on results of water-flooding a large number of

Jan 1, 1949

By T. J. Neil, C. B. Manula, O&apos

This paper describes a simulation model developed to analyze truck haulage problems as they are found in the open pit mining and construction industries. The model, using a computer, cycles trucks between their assigned loading and discharge points over a measured haulage route. Required parameters for model operation include the number and type of operating trucks and loading units, maximum truck acceleration and velocity, a realistic vehicular deceleration rate, and the ratio of ore to total material loaded at each origin. Equipment performance characteristics, system profile characteristics, and service time distributions are also included. Records are kept of all waiting times at the loading and discharge points and of any truck interference on the haulroads (moving queues), and a current journal of ore and waste production is maintained. In the pursuit of reduced truck haulage costs, management is confronted with three particular problems in truck and shovel mines. 1) What is the best assignment of trucks to shovels in the system? 2) If new equipment is needed, which new shovels and trucks will operate most effectively in the system? 3) Are any physical changes in the haulage layout warranted to increase productivity? For small open-pit mines the answers to these questions may be obvious. However, for larger operations complex problems are encountered with production and system configuration relationships usually being unknown. The mining simulator discussed here was developed to aid management in evaluating alternative pit-haulage schemes to reduce the risk involved in the selection and assignment of equipment in open-pit truck and shovel mining systems. There are two fundamental differences between this model and other truck haulage simulators: one is a difference of degree, the other a difference of kind. This model can simulate more complex systems than previous models by allowing transportation of material from multiple mine faces to multiple mine destinations and by being readily adaptable to a wide variety of mine layouts. The second difference that characterizes the model is the standard simulation of truck movements. This technique enables each vehicle to perform according to its mechanical capabilities and the physical profile of the haul road. Among the similarities between other truck haulage simulators and this model are the recognition of the probabilistic nature of certain service times in the system and the use of a digital computer to operate the model. The computer inherits the staggering computational and bookkeeping work loads and provides a means for compressing the time scale by allowing several days' operations to be simulated in a matter of minutes. DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Basic aspects of the system analyzed here may be brought into focus by referring to Fig. 1, a schematic of the typical open pit truck-shovel operation programmed into the simulation model. A single stage materials handling scheme is employed to transport both ore and waste. Loaded trucks are directed to a crusher or stockpile if ore is being mined, while overburden is conveyed to a waste dump. Each shovel has a given number of assigned trucks and has two associated haulage routes, one for waste and one for ore. Up to 5 shovels and as many as 10 trucks per shovel (or a total of 50 trucks) can be operated in the model. Essentially the model, using a computer, cycles trucks between their assigned shovels and the proper discharge points over measured haulage routes. Required input parameters for model operation include the number of shifts to be simulated, operating time per shift, number and type of operating trucks and shovels, maximum truck acceleration and velocity, a realistic vehicular deceleration rate, and the ratio of ore to total material loaded at each shovel. Equipment performance characteristics, system profile characteristics, and service time distributions are

Jan 1, 1968

By Frederick Rhines

IT has been shown elsewhere1 that the data on the rates of diffusion in solid metals are fragmentary and in many cases unacceptable. As a result, relatively little is known concerning the factors determining rates of diffusion and the variations in these rates with temperature. The first form of Fick's law (equation 1 below), ? in which the diffusion coefficient D is assumed invariant with composition, has been recognized for many years as only an approximation. The differential equation representing the second form of Fick's law (equation 4 below) has only recently been integrated by Matano,2 and unfortunately only in cases where a full diffusion-penetration curve (concentration-distance curve) has been obtained can the Matano solution be applied. The proper analysis of diffusion data is thus confined to the data of Grube and Jedele and of Jedele.§ These data are essentially for one temperature alone and do not furnish any information on the variation of the activa-tion heat of diffusion, Q, with concentration: no information exists on the variation of Q with concentration within a singles olid solution field. Much of the argument concerning the properties of metals that deter-mine D and Q has been drawn from data in which variations of the quan-tities with concentration are unknown, for these data- have been taken from experiments that could not furnish this information. Speculation concerning the properties of metals that may be effective in determining D and Q on the basis of data in which the chosen D and Q values are averages over wide concentration ranges of values at particular concen-trations, ranges often of 100 per cent, is likely not to be fruitful.

Jan 1, 1938

By Abram S. Hewitt

GENTLEMEN : If my first words were other than those of thanks for the high honor of being called to preside over the American Institute of Mining Engineers, I should do injustice alike to you and to my own sense of the obligation, under which I have been placed by your voluntary choice. When the position was first suggested to me, I resolutely declined to allow the use of my name, on the ground that, by training and occupation, I was not entitled to this honor, which, it then seemed to me, should be conferred only on a professional engineer. In fact, the history of the Institute, which had honored itself, as well as my distinguished predecessors, David Thomas, Rossiter W. Raymond, and Alexander L. Holley, by elevating them to its highest office, seemed to indicate the line and the limit of safe precedent, in which I did not then see how I could be included. But my scruples were finally removed by the consideration that, as in the course of human industry, the pioneer, of whom Mr. Thomas was so marked a type, must precede the mining engineer, so fitly personified in Dr. Raymond, and be followed by the mechanical engineer, whose incarnation we behold in Mr. Holley; so all these must be supplemented by the man of affairs and finance, in order that "enterprises of great pith and moment" may be prosecuted to a successful issue. I felt, therefore, that I had no longer any right to resist your preference, or to deprive myself of what I must regard as the crowning honor of an active career. On an occasion like the present it seems appropriate to review the history in this country, during the last hundred years, of those industries which the Institute of Mining Engineers specially represents. There is much in the story with which other members of this body are more familiarly acquainted than myself; yet I fancy that to all of them, and not less to our distinguished and most heartily welcome guests from abroad, a comprehensive outline of the progress of mining and metallurgy in the United States will prove interesting. I ask your attention, therefore, to a condensed account of that subject, embracing a statement of the beginnings of the industry on our shores, of the notable events attending its increase, and of its present

Jan 1, 1877

By W. A. Ver Wiebe

UNder the impetus of new demands caused by the defense program, the oil and gas industries of Kansas established new records during the year 1941. In all, 2113 wells were drilled, which compares favorably with the record total drilled in 1937. These 2113 tests resulted in 1446 oil wells, 76 gas wells and 592 dry holes. In all three categories there was an increase over the previous year, but unfortunately the most marked increase was in the dry holes. Nearly 80 per cent of the increase must be allocated to the drilling 01 unsuccessful tests. This was partly because of the increasing difficulty of finding new reserve areas and partly because of the erratic character of the production in the Arbuckle dolomite, which is now the main producing zone. Closer analysis of the totals reveals that western Kansas accounted for 1634 tests, of which 1186 were oil wells, 34 were gas wells and 415 were dry holes. The total potential initial daily production uncovered by the successful wells amounted to 1,691,000 bbl. of oil and 508,000,000 cu. ft. of gas. Both figures indicate a considerable decrease when compared with the proceeding year; in 1940 the respective figures were 2,128,000 bbl. and 1,289,000,000 cu. feet. In eastern Kansas a total of 479 wells were drilled. Among these, 260 were oil wells accounting for a daily initial potential production of 45,662 bbl. The new gas wells numbered 42 and added 290,438,000 cu. ft. per day to the gas potential production of the state. The remaining tests, 177 in number, were dry. It is interesting and significant that almost half (791) of the total wells drilled in western Kansas were drilled by the independent operators. Among the large companies the Cities Service Oil Co. drilled 169 wells; the Stanolind Oil and Gas CO., 101; the Skelly Oil Co., 80; the Continental Oil Co., 99, and the Shell Petroleum Co., 63 wells. In eastern Kansas the independent operators drilled 406 out of the total of 479 wells. Among the major oil companies the Cities Service Oil Co. drilled 38; the Phillips Petroleum Co., 13, and the Sinclair-Prairie Oil Co., II wells. The figures on relative percentages of dry holes to successful oil or gas wells are revealing. In western Kansas approximately one third of all wells drilled by the independent operators were dry holes. The major oil companies drilled approximately 844 wells in western Kansas, of which 678 were successful in finding either oil or gas. It thus appears that the major companies fared much Getter than the independents. In eastern Kansas the major companies drilled 73 wells of which 63 were successful in finding commercial quantities of oil or gas. No less than 286 wildcat tests were put down in western Kansas and 72 in eastern Kansas, or 358 in all, during 1941. Considerably more than half of these were drilled by independent operators; zoo in western and 66 in eastern Kansas. An exploratory hole % mile or more from production is regarded as a wildcat well in Kansas. On a percentage basis, approximately 75 per cent of all wildcat wells were failures; only 25 per cent found oil or gas in western

Jan 1, 1942

By Robert E. Cuthbertson

It is the purpose of this paper to describe in detail the laboratory development and mill application of an unusual combination of flotation reagents employed in the concentrator of the Climax Molybdenum Co., on the Continental Divide, near Leadville, Lake County, Colorado. This development originated in an ore-dressing research laboratory maintained by Climax at the experimental plant of the Colorado School of Mines, which is staffed by men directly employed by the Climax Molybdenum Co. Mill-scale testing of laboratory developments was supervised by a representative from the testing laboratory, working in close cooperation with the operating staff at the mill. General milling practice at Climax is ably described in a paper by E. J. Duggan,1 mill superintendent. Other aspects of the Climax project have been described in papers by W. J. Coulter,2 by Butler, Vanderwilt and Henderson,= by Allen Kissock,4 and by Leo H. Glanville.5 Consequently, this paper will be corfined to the metallurgical aspects of recent reagent developments, avoiding, as much as possible, repetition of material covered in these earlier publications. Brief History of Reagent Practice at Climax Prior to the year 1937, the only reagents employed at Climax for froth production and collecting action in the flotation of molybdenite were steam-distilled or destructively distilled pine oils. The only exceptions to this practice were brief periods of mill testing, when reagents of various types were tried on an experimental basis. None of these experimental runs was sufficiently encouraging to justify its continuation as regular practice. Sodium cyanide has been employed since the very early days of milling at Climax as an inhibiting agent for control of pyrite and chalcopyrite. Alkaline reagents such as lime or soda ash have been used in recent years to minimize the detrimental effect of iron salts on flotation of molybdenite. The presence of these harmful salts is attributed to the decomposition of fine metallics abraded from liners and balls in the first stage of regrinding rougher concentrate. Flint pebbles are used in subsequent regrinding, since alkaline reagents are not entirely adequate to offset the inhibiting effect of iron salts as the grind becomes progressively finer and the grade of concentrate progressively higher. Climax metallurgists were familiar at an early date with the use of petroleum products such as kerosene and gas oil as promoters of flotation of molybdenite. Charles C. Oliver6 discussed the use of pine oil and kerosene as early as 19-20, in connection with the milling practice at Dominion Molybdenite Co., Quebec. Nevertheless, the early attempts to apply this knowledge in the Climax concentrator were complete failures. In the light of recent experience, it may seem strange that the early mill tests with petroleum

Jan 1, 1947

By G. H. Pardue, L. H. Gollwitzer, J. H. Moran, R. L. Morris

Experimental and theoretical studies of casing-borne signals have provided data on the attenuation efect, compressive strength and shear modulus for different types of cement. These data resulted in the establishment of a definite relationship between the cement compressive strength and the Cement Bond log reading. The relationship is influenced by the casing dimensions, but is independent of the type of cement and the curing conditions. The theoretical analysis provides a mathematical statement of the phenomenon and shows that the attenuation rate is basically a function of the shear modulus of the cement and the thickness of the casing. The lab tests provided a connection between the shear modulus and the compressive strength, and permitted a comparison of the experimental and theoretical work. The results of the experimental and theoretical study have provided means of quantitative interpretation of the Cement Bond log. This interpretation is made more convenient with the use of a nomograph. INTRODUCTION Past interpretation of Cement Bond logs has been essenlially based upon a qualitative comparison between the log response in the zone of interest and the responses in the "fully cemented" and the "uncemented" intervals. Most of the variables influencing the magnitude of the signals were recognized in an earlier paper'; however, insufficient laboratory data were available at that time for quantitative evaluation of these variables. Early attempts to use the numerical amplitudes of the signals without full knowledge of their significance resulted in erroneous comparisons between various types of cement. An extensive program was undertaken to evaluate, both experimentally and theoretically, the attenuation phenomenon and to study the effects of the more common variables. A major objective of the experimental program was to obtain data on the relationship between cement-bond-tool response and physical property standards used by the industry so that practical interpretation methods could be devised. The studies included a comparison of attenuation rate with these properties as a function of time, temperature and pressure, using common sizes of casing. The main result was that a definite relationship was established between the compressive strength of the cement in inti- mate contact with the casing and the response of the cement bond tool. For a given casing thickness, regardless of the type of cement or the curing conditions used, the attenuation rate is a function of the compressive strength. A theoretical analysis showed that the attenuation rate for casing-borne signals should be a function of (among other things) the shear modulus of the cement and the thickness of the casing. The relationship between the compressive strength and shear modulus for curing times similar to those encountered in the field was determined from laboratory tests. Using this relationship, the computed attenuation rates showed reasonable agreement with the measured attenuation rates. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of the experimental and theoretical investigations and to present the first practical method for a quantitative interpretation of Cement Bond logs based on known variables. This method is applicable where the casing-borne signal is not affected by high-velocity formation arrivals. DESCRIPTION OF LOGGING TOOL The Cement Bond logging tool shown schematically in Fig. 1 has been described previously.' The tool consists of two sections: acoustic and electronic. The acoustic section contains a transmitter and a receiver, usually spaced 3-ft apart. Sonic energy emittted by the transmitter travels through the casing and is detected at the receiver. The electronic section measures the amplitude of the