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By M. Kaufman, A. E. Palty

THE mechanical properties of an alloy under given test conditions are in the main determined by the grain size and the phases present, their distribution and temperature-time dependence. Alloys intended for use at elevated temperatures, especially multiphase alloys depending upon precipitation reactions for strengthening, are particularly susceptible to changes in the phases present. Unfortunately, for modern superalloys, very little published information exists which relates the mechanical properties to the basic structural variables. The present work is an effort to do this for an alloy widely used in aircraft gas turbines and related applications, Udimet 500.* The mechanical properties inves- two heats is within the normal specifications for the alloy. However, the elements which most strongly influence the phase reactions, C, Ti, Al, and Mo, are comparable in the two heats. There was no intentional addition of boron, but normal pickup is about 0.002 pct. The vacuum-melted material was received in the form of centerless ground wrought bar stock % in. diam. PHASE STUDIES A) Methods—Two methods were used to determine the phases present: X-ray diffraction measurements on electrolytically digested residues, and microscopic examination. No single commonly used electrolyte will reveal all the phases that may be present; therefore, two complementary acids were selected: HCl and H3PO4. The necessity for this will be shown below in the results. The acid concentrations used were 10 pct HC1 in alcohol and 10 pct H3 PO4 in water. The current density was maintained below 0.1 amp per sq in. Residues were rinsed and separated by centrifuga-tion. X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained in a 114 mm Debye-Scherrer type camera using cobalt radiation. A temperature of 2250°F was selected to obtain as complete solutioning of phases as possible without encountering incipient melting. Specimens were

Jan 1, 1961

By C. A. Heiland

For a long time it has been known that it is possible to deduce conclusions about the physical constitution of the interior of the earth from the records of natural earthquakes obtained by stationary seismographs. In view of this fact it is surprising how late, relatively speaking, geologic prospecting by seismic methods has been taken up, although the first suggestion was made 40 years ago—that travel-time curves of artificial explosions might be used for the study of the change of the velocity of seismic waves as depth. Further suggestions of practical applications of artificial explosions for geologic purposes were made by Belar12 by von dem Borne,3 by Benndorf and by Galitzin,5 but it was not .until 1919 that Mintrop obtained a patent on the seismic prospecting method which he has applied commercially on a large scale ever since. Dr. Mintrop came to this country with his method at about 1923. Since that time, several American oil companies have developed seismographs of the mechanical type for the vertical component similar to that of Mintrop's (Humble Oil Co., Dr. Ricker). Other consulting geophysical companies designed other types of seismic devices, the simplest of them for the recording of the first impulse being the geophone (McCol-lum Geophone Co.). The galvanometric recording method as first proposed by Galitzin is being used (Geophysical Research Corpn.?) and use is being made even of the piezoelectric properties of crystals for portable seismographs (F. Rieber). There is such an enormous variety of all kinds of portable seismographs, vibrographs, accelerographs, etc., that it is difficult to decide just what kind is preferable. Unfortunately, nothing has been published as yet about American designs of portable seismographs, except the Wood-Anderson torsion-seismometer. After Mintrop's design of portable seismographs, other constructions were made

Jan 1, 1929

By Frederic L. Kadey

Diatomite is a siliceous, sedimentary rock consisting principally of the fossilized skeletal remains of the diatom, a unicellular aquatic plant related to the algae. Thus, it has-been formed by the induration of diatomaceous ooze, and consists mainly of diatomaceous silica, a form or variety of opal which is first formed in the cell walls of the living diatom. Diatomaceous silica is not generally regarded as a synonym or the equivalent for diatomite, although it has been so used at various times. Accurately, diatomaceous silica is the preferred name for the principal mineral component of which the rock, diatomite, is composed. The terms diatomaceous earth and kieselguhr are used as synonymous with diatomite. The designations tripoli, tripolite, infusorial earth, etc., were used at one time but are now obsolete. With the changing nomenclature, these terms that were at one time correct when proposed and used for generations would be considered incorrect if used today in the light of current knowledge. The designation diatomite is reserved for those accumulations of diatomaceous silica that are of sufficient quality, size, and minability to be considered of potential commercial value. Processed diatomite possesses an unusual particulate structure and chemical stability that lends itself to applications not filled by any other form of silica. Foremost among these applications is its use as a filter aid, which accounts for over half of its current consumption. Its unique diatom structure, low bulk density, high absorptive capacity, high surface area, and relatively low abrasion are attributes responsible for its utility as a functional filler and as an extender in paint, paper, rubber, and in plastics; and as an anti-caking agent; thermal insulating material; catalyst carrier; and chromatographic support; polish, abrasive, and pesticide extender to name a few representative applications. The United States is the principal producing country, although diatomite is found in numerous other locations.

Jan 1, 1975

By Robert B. Bossler, Parke A. Dickey

The presence of connate water in oil sands is of far greater practical significance in secondary oil-recovery operations than it is in primary operations. The percentage saturations of oil, water, and gas in a depleted field determine whether it will be economically possible to recover oil by secondary methods, and whether water-flooding or gas-driving, or either, will be successful. It is suggested that economic recovery of oil by secondary water-flooding can occur only when a rich bank of oil is formed by the encroachingm water. If the sand has a greater effective permeability to water than it has to oil before flooding, a bank will not be formed, and water-flooding will not be successful, although gas-driving may be. Published results of laboratory work indicate that the effective permeability of a sand to oil and water depends primarily on the saturation of the sand by these phases. They also indicate that a small difference in relative saturation produces a large difference in effective permeability to the phase in question. There thus exists a critical range of saturations, wherein a small change in oil and water content of the sands will make water-flooding possible or impossible. In gas-drive operations the water saturation is less critical but no less important. The presence of connate water in a sand increases the proportion of the residual oil that may be recovered by gas drive. Sands containing oil saturations too low and water saturations too high to make water-flooding possible can often be subjected to gas drive with economic recovery of oil. The results of laboratory work on test samples that do not contain water cannot be applied to normal field operations. More tests on cores containing water as well as oil are desirable, and the improvement of coring technique is necessary. However, sufficient data are already available to enable an operator to use core data intelligently in estimating the chances of a secondary oil-recovery program. Introduction In recent years laboratory work has led to a much better understanding of the principles of oil-reservoir performance. The general principles of the expulsion of oil from sandstone by gas or water were developed by geologists of the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania in the 1870lsl but only recently has the mechanism of gas or water drive been intensively investigated. Most published articles have large the facts established in the labora tory to the primary production of oil from flush fields- This Paper is not based on any new observations, but is an attempt to apply some of the conclusions obtained in the laboratory and described in the literature to the recovery of oil from depleted pools by secondary methods. One of the most important factors that determine whether or not a secondary-recovery operation is economically successful is the ratio of injected fluid to oil recovered. This ratio may be expressed as the over-all or cumulative gas-oil ratio if gas is the driving medium, or water-oil ratio if water is the driving medium. Recent theoretical and experimental work has shown that the relative amounts of

Jan 1, 1944

By C. W. Allen, B. D. Cullity, H. S. Choi

The torsional deformation of aluminum and magnesium crystals is investigated, with particular reference to the dependence of proportional limit on crystal orientation. The proportional limit is found to be governed by the average value of the resolved shear stress on the most highly stressed slip systems, but the proportional limit does not strictly obey a critical-resolved-shear-stress law. The behavior of a cylindrical single crystal stressed in tension is well known: plastic flow begins when the resolved shear stress on the most highly stressed slip system reaches a critical value. There is much less understanding of the effect of torsion on such a crystal and on the way in which the critical-resolved-shear-stress law should be applied to torsional deformation. In the present paper particular attention is paid to the dependence of plastic yielding on crystal orientation and lesser attention to the mechanism of flow after yielding has occurred. New work on aluminum and magnesium crystals is presented, and previous results obtained in this laboratory on magnesium1 are re-examined. STRESS DISTRIBUTION The problems involved in torsional deformation of single crystals are due entirely to the complexity of the stress distribution. In tension, if loading conditions are perfect, the shear stress on any particular slip plane is completely uniform over the entire area of that plane. In torsion, on the other hand, the stress on any selected plane in a particular direction varies not only from center to edge of the specimen but also around its perimeter. It is convenient to express the stress at any point in terms of t0, which is the shear stress acting at the surface of a cylindrical specimen on a plane normal to the axis and in a direction tangential to the cylinder. At point P of Fig. 1 this stress acts in the direction of axis 2 and is given by To = 2T/pr3 [1] where T is the applied torque and r the specimen radius. This stress can be resolved on any chosen slip system, and details are given in the Appendix. Let P be the point on the specimen surface where the stress is to be evaluated; P is defined by its angular distance A from an arbitrary reference line through 0 normal to the axis. his line is usually taken as the direction of incidence of the X-ray beam used to determine the crystal orientation.) Then the shear stress t, acting at P in direction Dona plane whose normal is N is given by Ts/TO = sin ? 0, cos ?d sin (?0, - ?) + cos ?, sin ?d sin (?d - ?) [2] where 0, and Od are the angles between N and D, respectively, and the axis, ?0 and ?d are the angles between the projections of N and D, respectively, on the transverse plane and the reference line through 0. By means of Eq. [2], the stress 7, acting in any given slip direction can be computed. In the previous work on magnesium1 only gross slip tangential to the specimen surface was considered, and this

Jan 1, 1963

By Parke A. Dickey, Robert B. Bossler

The presence of connate water in oil sands is of far greater practical significance in secondary oil-recovery operations than it is in primary operations. The percentage saturations of oil, water, and gas in a depleted field determine whether it will be economically possible to recover oil by secondary methods, and whether water-flooding or gas-driving, or either, will be successful. It is suggested that economic recovery of oil by secondary water-flooding can occur only when a rich bank of oil is formed by the encroachingm water. If the sand has a greater effective permeability to water than it has to oil before flooding, a bank will not be formed, and water-flooding will not be successful, although gas-driving may be. Published results of laboratory work indicate that the effective permeability of a sand to oil and water depends primarily on the saturation of the sand by these phases. They also indicate that a small difference in relative saturation produces a large difference in effective permeability to the phase in question. There thus exists a critical range of saturations, wherein a small change in oil and water content of the sands will make water-flooding possible or impossible. In gas-drive operations the water saturation is less critical but no less important. The presence of connate water in a sand increases the proportion of the residual oil that may be recovered by gas drive. Sands containing oil saturations too low and water saturations too high to make water-flooding possible can often be subjected to gas drive with economic recovery of oil. The results of laboratory work on test samples that do not contain water cannot be applied to normal field operations. More tests on cores containing water as well as oil are desirable, and the improvement of coring technique is necessary. However, sufficient data are already available to enable an operator to use core data intelligently in estimating the chances of a secondary oil-recovery program. Introduction In recent years laboratory work has led to a much better understanding of the principles of oil-reservoir performance. The general principles of the expulsion of oil from sandstone by gas or water were developed by geologists of the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania in the 1870lsl but only recently has the mechanism of gas or water drive been intensively investigated. Most published articles have large the facts established in the labora tory to the primary production of oil from flush fields- This Paper is not based on any new observations, but is an attempt to apply some of the conclusions obtained in the laboratory and described in the literature to the recovery of oil from depleted pools by secondary methods. One of the most important factors that determine whether or not a secondary-recovery operation is economically successful is the ratio of injected fluid to oil recovered. This ratio may be expressed as the over-all or cumulative gas-oil ratio if gas is the driving medium, or water-oil ratio if water is the driving medium. Recent theoretical and experimental work has shown that the relative amounts of

Jan 1, 1944

By Carlos E. Roggero

The influence of high temperatures on the zinc roasting practice has been investigated by full-scale tests in fluid bed reactors operating at temperatures from 950° to 1150°C. It was definitely shown that, throughout the range, an increase in tem perature resulted in a 2 to 3 pct increase in zinc solubility because of decreased content of zinc fer-rite and lowered sulfide sulfur. The former is attributed to thermal decomposition of ZnFe,O,, and the latter to increased oxidation rates, ad longer retention times. Data on the gveatly increased volatilization of lead, cadmium, and silver above 1000°C, are presented. A considerable fraction of the iron present in the feed was also transferred at high temperatures from the coarse roaster discharge to the flue dusts. AS part of its metallurgical complex1-3 situated in a 12,000 it Andean valley at La Oroya, Peru, Cerro de Pasco Corp. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Cerro carp.) operates a 150 short ton per day electrolytic zinc refinery. Electrolysis is carried out at a cathode current density of 65 amp per sq ft with an electrolyte content of 55 g per liter of Zn and 150 g per liter of su lf uric acid. Due to the high iron content of the marmatitic concentrate used, a large fraction—about 15 pct—of the zinc reports in the leach residues. To minimize such losses, efforts have been exerted toward improving calcine solubility. One method, as noted in the literatre,, is to retard zinc ferrite formation by decreasing the roasting temperature. Unfortunately, such a procedure tends either to reduce the roaster throughput or increase the sulfide sulfur in the calcine. Consequently, this approach was discarded in favor of experimental work in the opposite direction, i.e., high temperature roasting. Full- scale tests were promising and resulted in the granting of a patent to Cerro de Pasco carp.' After a brief account of plant equipment and operating procedure, this paper describes the tests made and attempts to assess the results obtained. GENERAL PLANT LAYOUT AND OPERATION The Roasting Plant, see Fig. 1, comprises an agglomerating plant feeding three fluid bed roasters with a combined capacity of 10,000 tons per month. The Peruvian patent rights on this process were purchased from the New Jersey Zinc Co. The concentrate, assaying: is pelletized to a -3 +14 mesh product and fed to the fluid bed roasters. The roaster exhaust gases pass through a waste heat boiler, cyclones, a fan, and an electrostatic precipitator. Approximately half of the dust collected in the cyclones returns to the pellet-izing plant as one of the binding ingredients, the remainder joins the cooled bed discharge ('overflow') and is conveyed to the grinding plant. The -35 mesh product obtained, together with the dust collected in the electrostatic precipitator constitute the feed to the leaching plant. Batch leaches are made in vessels with mechanical and air agitation, the residues are separated and washed in Burt Filters, and pumped to storage ponds. THE FLUID BED ROASTERS Two reactors are as shown in Fig. 2, and the third,' of about the same configuration, is approximately 40 pct smaller. The total grate and freeboard (just below the gas outlet) areas measure 170 and 426 sq ft respectively. The feed, continuously weighed and controlled by Merrick Weighto-meters fitted with variable speed motors, enters the reactors at the top of the expanded bed level. The coarse calcine overflows through the opposite end by

Jan 1, 1963

By N. M. Langdon

ON account of its greater economy and cleanliness, and the extent to which iuferior fuels can be utilized for its generation, there has been of late a rapidly increasing tendency to substitute gaseous for solid fuel for metallurgical and other industrial purposes, which has led to various improvements both in the process and apparatus for its manufacture, notably among which may IN mentioned the Tessie Gas Producer* described by Mr. A. L. Holley. A considerable experience by the author with producers of various kinds using anthracite fuel, in connection with the Taylor ore-roast ing furnace at Chester, N. J., with more or less unsatisfactory resnlts, finally led to the erection of the experimental producer described below, which combines in its construction, simplicity, dorability, and accessibility for cleaning and removing the ash and manipulating the fuel. It is adapted to the use of various kinds of fuel, and is capa ble of generating a steady and uniform supply of gas at a minimum cost. It has been in constant use day and night for about five months, and has given very satisfactory results. The producer, as shown in the accompanying sketch, consists of a cylindrieal furnace, preferably inclosed in an iron jacket or casing, having a bosh or inverted cone-shaped base as in a blast furnace. It is provided with a bell and hopper, the bell being hung to a forked lever, and having guide flanges to prevent it from swing ing, and an opening at its apex through which to insert a bar for manipulating the fuel, which when not in use is closed with a plug or stopper. Cleaning is effected through two small doors placed opposite each other at the hearth level, which in order to facilitate the operation is elevated above the floor. The doors are removable, and when closed are by their own weight and by means of bevelled lugs held tightly against their frames, forming a practically tight joint. A blast of commingled steam and air is injected into the fuel through a series of tuyeres underneath the bosh communicating with steam jet injectors. A small flue also connects the door

Jan 1, 1884

By Ronald Gibala

THE Au-Ni alloy system is one of many binary systems in which the supersaturated solid solutions may exhibit a multistaged precipitation behavior during aging. In addition to the equilibrium phase separation, which was studied extensively years ago in the range 400" to 600",' there exists at least one earlier stage of precipitation, i.e., preprecipitation, which occurs below 300°C in quenched alls.-This note reports on some effects of composition on the preprecipitation in Au-Ni alloys as determined from resistivity measurements. The kinetics of the preprecipitation were studied in alloys of 15 to 85 at. pct Ni which were water- were found in alloys which after various quenching-and-aging treatments were slowly heated and cooled (1Z"C per hr) between room temperature and about 300°C. Two such heating-cooling curves for a 40 pct Ni alloy are shown in Fig. 2. Similar effects were observed in other 15 to 50 pct Ni alloys. These curves are characterized upon heating by two changes in slope indicated by A and B in the figure and upon cooling by a resistivity hysteresis of approximately the size of the original decrease in resistivity after the aging treatment. The inflection at B generally falls at about the same temperature for all heating curves for a given alloy and appears to be a critical temperature (T,) for the preprecipitation for that alloy. The values of T, for most of the 15 to 50 pct Ni alloys fall in the range 200" to 220°C. The position of the inflection at A depends upon the heat treatment prior to the heating-cooling run and perhaps the heating rate, which was held constant in these runs. The preprecipitates grown in by the appropriate aging treatments seem to decrease in size as the alloys are heated from A to T,, dissolve at T,, and do not reappear after cooling below T,. When similar heating-cooling treatments were performed on 60 to 85 pct Ni alloys, an entirely different behavior was observed. Typical results are shown in Fig. 3 for an 85 pct Ni alloy. In these

Jan 1, 1964

By John Birkinbine

In a former paper* attention was directed to the various forms of pumping machines employed for permanent work in mining and metallurgical processes. The following is simply a collection of memoranda of work done of a temporary character, and is presented by way of comparison with other work of similar nature. In close proximity to the charcoal fnrnace at Pine Grove, Cumberland County, Pa., is a large deposit of superior hematite iron ore, which has been worked for a number of years, and from which many thousand tons of ore have been taken by open pit workings. In July, 1874, the furnace was blown out and operations at the bank suspended, the machinery for draining being removed except a plunger pump, 18 inches in diameter and 66 inches stroke, operated by a steam-engine by means of rods. The pit was allowed to fill with water, and no steps towards its reclamation were taken until November, 1877. At that time the pit was a pond of water at the base of the mountain, having an area of about four acres and a depth of seventy feet. As the pumps, rods, etc., had been submerged for over three years, and partially buried by the mud washed down from the banks, and as it was determined to change the location of the pump for future operations and drive it by water-power, a temporary pumping apparatus was determined upon for reclaiming the pit and keeping it drained until the permanent arrangements could be completed. By opening an old adit about 10 feet of the water was removed, and the area decreased to three acres. The inflow of springs was found to be 250 gallons per minute, and the amount of water contained in the pit was computed to be 45,000,000 gallons. As the inflow would undoubtedly increase while the water sank in the pit, provision was made for removing at least 60,000,000 gallons, at the rate of 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 gallons per day. The company determined to employ a Heald and Cisco centrifugal pump driven by an oscillatinig engine by means of a belt. Steam was supplied by four plain cylinder boilers, each 36 inches diameter

Jan 1, 1879

By N. W. Ratliff, P. J. Closmann

Production of oil by expansion from a cylindrical reservoir composed of two concentric regions of different properties has been determined as a function of time for a reservoir producing at constant terminal pressure. The parameters involved are permeability, porosity, compressibility and oil viscosity. Results agree with those of a generally accepted method for uniform reservoirs when all parameters are taken as uniform. Cumulative production at any given time is reduced below that of the uniform reservoir when a region of considerably lower permeability adjoins the well; cumulative production increases when a high-permeability region adjoins the well. Curves are presented illustrating quantitative effects of these variations. INTRODUCTION Most petroleum reservoirs can be exploited by release of pressure and consequent expansion of underground fluid. During part of the production history of certain reservoirs by this mechanism, fluid compressibility can be considered small and constant. Cumulative fluid produced by this means as a function of time was calculated for a uniform reservoir by van Everdingen and Hurst.l For certain cases where a production well has been damaged or where an acid treatment has been used, a zone of properties different from those of the reservoir may be created around the production well. In such a case, expansion of the reservoir fluid takes place in a system composed of two concentric cylindrica1 regions of different reservoir properties. Such composite systems were studied in connection with heat flow by Jaeger2 who presented a solution for temperature distribution in a radial system with an infinitely large outer radius. Similar heat flow problems have been studied by other authors Oil production from composite reservoirs was studied for constant production rate by Hurst,4 Loucks and Guerrero,5 and Carter.6 THEORY This work considers constant terminal pressure. Cumulative flow is calculated for a composite bounded system in which no flow takes place across the outer boundary (Fig. 1). Since the flow is considered to be purely radial, the problem involves only one space dimension and time. It is convenient to define the following dimen-sionless pressure drops (Fig. 1).

By A. C. Veatch

THE MIDLANDS of England contain large areas of important oil lands, which, however, will not become of commercial importance for at least 5 years, because the ownership of the oil has become a political issue. In Great Britain, except in certain special areas, all minerals, except for gold and silver, belong to the surface owner. The leasing of minerals on the large estates is a very complicated business, as the family solicitors have many forms and formalities that must be observed. In the case of one of the large estates, the principal revenues of which for several hundred years have been from coal leases, the average time between the agreement on terms for a coal lease and the signing of the same has been 8 years. In 1916, one coal lease on this estate had been pending for 15 years, and was still unsigned, although the important terms had been agreed upon 15 years previously. Under war conditions, and considering the extreme importance that the production of petroleum in England would have had, such delays could not be tolerated. Most of the British landlords, relying on the almost, universal opinion of their own countrymen that there were no commercial deposits of petroleum in Great Britain, were prepared to give all their oil rights to the government, but they feared that such action might establish a precedent with respect to coal. For years the Labor Party and extreme radicals have protested against the payment of royalties to landlords on coal. The government, therefore, introduced a bill taking over all the oil rights and providing for the payment of a small royalty to the landlords, to safeguard the principle of compensation in case the coal mines should ever be nationalized. The provision of this bill, with respect to the payment of royalty to landlords, was defeated by a vote of 44 to 35 in a night session of the House of Commons on Oct. 25, 1917, when most of the members were absent, but when a group of labor members and extreme radicals were present. The resubmission of the point to the House of Commons was prevented by the labor members of the coalition government, who reminded the cabinet that the agreement

Jan 1, 1920

By H. Ries

In the marketing of mineral products, it is always highly desirable for both the producer and the consumer to be able to discuss things in a common language, and this can only be done if there are standard methods for expressing the properties of the raw materials. Having developed such a form of expression, the next step would be the making of specifications, which may serve as a basis for selecting raw materials. Considering the large number of non-metallic minerals that are used, there are not a few for which there are no standard laboratory tests to be used in determining their properties, or even standard specifications on which grades or market price may be based. Indeed in many cases the consumer simply requests the producer to submit samples, and rejects or accepts them without any explanation. Could the producer know in advance just what the consumer needed, time and money might often be saved. It appears to the writer that it is of the highest importance to devise standard laboratory tests wherever possible, as this enables the consumer to state definitely what he needs, and is of great assistance to the producer. It should also work to reduce misunderstandings and disputes. In the case of sands, we find that they show a wide variation in their character, ranging from those that are so coarse as to be of gravelly nature to those that are so fine that they might be classed as silt; and from very clayey ones to those that are practically free from clay. For this wide range of sands, we have a corresponding variety of uses, which are based mainly on the physical properties of the sand, although these are not always very definitely stated. The chemical composition need rarely be considered, if the sand is of siliceous nature. To determine and express these properties there should be standard tests, which are to be followed in all cases where the material is tested in the laboratory. The use of sands for foundry work (making molds or cores) is old, and it has been recognized for some time that the important properties to be

Jan 1, 1926

By Cadwallader Jr. Evans

THE Hudson Coal Co. is an anthracite concern with 22 mines, employing, when operating full, something around 18,000 men. We have, there-fore, necessity for a large number of subordinate officials and for a considerable number of major officials, and we carry on two separate courses of training in our endeavor to develop these two groups. The one in which college professors will be most interested is that which we call our two-year course. A man to be eligible for it must have completed a college course at one of several institutions from which we regularly seek our men, but he need not necessarily be a graduate of the course in mining, although we have been giving prefer-ence to graduates of schools of mines. Each year we take a number of men from these col-leges, sometimes five, six or seven, and put them through this two-year course, which is carefully. laid out so as to give them experience in the various details of our business. A schedule of the typical two-year course laid out for a man who started in July, 1925 shows that he was employed in the mining engineering department first for a period of four months, then for six months in inside mine work, three months in the mechanical and electrical departments, two months in "preparation," which with us means the cleaning of our product for market, one month in the study of statistics, one month on transportation and safety, and seven months in loading coal at the face, working with a shovel, making twenty-four months in all. We started this training in 1915 and in the first year we gave six months in the mining engineering depart-ment. We have now cut that to four. We gave six months in inside mine work and have continued that. We gave four months in the mechanical department, which is now cut to three; five months in preparation, now cut to two; two months in statistics, now cut to one; one month on transportation and safety which re-mains, and we have added seven months in loading coal. This last class of work gives them experience with the miner at the mining face.

Jan 7, 1928

By S. B. Flagg

Advancement in the art of burning fuels for steam generation has been so marked and so rapid in the last 10 or 15 years that one may well hesitate to classify as unsuitable for stationary steam boiler firing any material having a fuel value. This statement should not be interpreted to mean that any existing boiler plant can successfully utilize any fuel with which it might be supplied. It does mean, however, that almost without exception it is possible to design and construct stationary boiler plants so that they can be operated with whatever coal is the economic supply therefor. In considering the subject of the use classification of coals, it must be recognized, first, that the suitability or unsuitability of a coal for certain uses or conditions may be largely a matter of opinion and, second, that as advancement in the art of burning fuels continues, fuels that may have been considered unsuitable may later be regarded as entirely suitable. This is well illustrated in the creation of a market for slack bituminous coal and for the finer sizes of anthracite that resulted from the development of mechanical stokers adapted thereto. Coke breeze is another fuel of which large tonnages were formerly wasted, that has now been found suitable for use in properly designed furnaces. Again, results that would have been thought quite impossible a generation ago are being obtained in steam boiler plants today with lignites of high moisture content and with coals of excessive ash content. It must, however, be admitted that oftentimes an existing boiler plant can be successfully operated with only a limited number of the coals that are available as possible supplies. We may briefly consider some of the more important factors that may affect the suitability of coals for such a plant. Insufficient or barely sufficient draft to meet peak steam demands is often a limiting factor, and the permissible frequency of fire-cleaning periods is another. In some cases, the action of the molten coal ash on refractory furnace linings prohibits or makes inadvisable the use of certain coals. Again, clinker conditions in the fuel bed or slag conditions on the boiler-heating surface may be much worse with some coals than with

Jan 1, 1930

By B. Fernow

The question of preserving the forests in this country is an impor tant one, not only to trades using wood but to the whole nation, and though agitated for many years has not received that general consid eration which its broad bearing demands. Those who are interested in and working for reform in the treat ment of American forests are looking to the government for help, suggesting the creation of a commission to study the conditions of forests at home and abroad, and hope that a sound system of manag ing the woodlands will be thereby inaugurated. This reform will cost time and money, all the more because the government can bring to bear upon private owners hardly any power but that of good example and encouragement. There is, however, another aspect of the question to which I wish to draw your attention, namely; the more economical use of the valuable material which our forests offer, a more careful and ex haustive utilization of its constituents in all cases where wood or its products are applied. The wasteful consumption of wood in the United States is in every way so enormous as to justify the statement that by merely adopting an economical husbandry in this particular the destruction of forests might be delayed for many years, while the neglect of this imperatively needed and immediately practicable reform deprives legislative remedies of much of their value. In this regard I wish to draw the attention of metallurgists, especially those who are in terested in the manufacture of charcoal iron, to a more economical and profitable use of wood in iron manufacture. For thousands of years of human history wood was the main, nay, the only material used for fuel. Mineral coal came into use only in the fourteenth century, and it is only recently that it has largely displaced its less carbonaceous predecessor as fuel. The art of concentrating carbon in the form of charcoal for easier transportation and readier use in distant places was, according to Pliny, known to the ancients long before Christ., and was practiced in all countries, especially in connection with the iron-manufacture.

Jan 1, 1879

By B. Fernow

(Read at the Philadelphia Meeting, February, 1878.) THE question of preserving the forests in this country is an important one, not only to trades using wood but to the whole nation, and though agitated for many years has not received that general consideration which its broad bearing demands. Those who are interested in and working for reform in the treatment of American forests are looking to the government for help, suggesting the creation of a commission to study the conditions of forests at home and abroad, and hope that a sound system of managing the woodlands will be thereby inaugurated. This reform will cost time and money, all the more because the government can bring to bear upon private owners hardly any power but that of good example and encouragement. There is, however, another aspect of the question to which I wish to draw your attention, namely; the more economical use of the valuable material which our forests offer, a more careful and exhaustive utilization of its constituents in all cases where wood or its products are applied. The wasteful consumption of wood in the United States is in every way so enormous as to justify the statement that by merely adopting an economical husbandry in this particular the destruction of forests might be delayed for many years, while the neglect of this imperatively needed and immediately practicable reform deprives legislative remedies of much of their value. In this regard I wish to draw the attention of metallurgists, especially those who are interested in the manufacture of charcoal iron, to a more economical and profitable use of wood in iron manufacture. For thousands of years of human history wood was the main, nay, the only material used for fuel. Mineral coal came into use only in the fourteenth century, and it is only recently that it has largely displaced its less carbonaceous predecessor as fuel. The art of concentrating carbon in the form of charcoal for easier transportation and readier use in distant places was, according to Pliny, known to the ancients long before Christ, and was practiced in all countries, especially in connection with the iron- manufacture.

Jan 1, 1878

By D. A. Bailey, F. L. Kadey

During recent years, expanded perlite has found extensive use in a wide variety of commercial applications. Specifications for a range of uses call for aggregates having different physical properties and requiring various types of processing. The mitre scopic examination of expanded aggregates in specially prepared thin sections has yielded important information regarding internal structure and can be a useful aid in evaluation of the product. Perlite is an acid volcanic glass containing from 2 to 5 pct combined water. When crushed and rapidly raised to a temperature of 1500° to 2100°F, the volatilization of the combined water, coincident with softening of the siliceous glass, causes the particles to expand or pop. Expansion of perlite to densities as low as 1-1/2 lb per cu ft has been achieved, although the normal range is from about 2.5 to 10 lb per cu ft. Low-density materials of this nature have found application in cryogenic insula- tions, insulating tile and board, plaster and lightweight concrete, soil conditioners, filter aids after comminution, and a host of other uses. The expansion of perlite may be controlled by a number of variables. Some of these are ore milling, furnace design, expanding temperature, use of preheating techniques, screen size distribution, and feed rate of the crude. For the specific intended uses, the art of perlite expanding has developed to the point that much is known about the effect of these variables on the end product. The requirements, however, for an aggregate to be used in plaster are different from those for an expanded perlite to be used in lightweight concrete or for cryogenics. In the study of perlite, many practical questions remain unanswered. One of the most important is, "why do some perlites make hard aggregates while others cannot resist crushing or compaction?" The usual tests and methods for evaluation of nonmetallic substances have been tried and have contributed their share to our knowledge. But chemical analyses, compaction resistance tests, screen analysis, etc., will reveal only a limited amount of information. The answers to these complex questions may well be found in an examination of the intemal structure of the expanded particle. Such questions and the ex-

Jan 1, 1962

By E. P. Pfleider, O. Rellensmann

For many years mine surveyors and exploration engineers have sought an accurate means of transferring meridian underground by using the gyro-compass. These efforts have generally failed, either because they were inaccurate or because the size and cost of the unit were prohibitive. During the past ten years, however, great strides have been made. Autonetics in California has developed a comparatively light-weight (100-lb) gyro-theodolite, and the Institute for Mine Surveying at Clausthal Mining Academy in Germany has developed an instrument that is accurate to within 20" to 30" of arc. Concurrently, Minneapolis-Honeywell has produced an astounding gyro, the size of a salt shaker, that weighs less than 0.5 lb and compares favorably in performance with the 50-lb gyros of conventional design. This unit, designed for missile guidance, should be adaptable for surveying small boreholes. Given the proper interest and approach from the engineering fraternity, excellent gyrocompasses could probably be available for accurate underground survey work at nominal cost within the next three years. Principles of the Gyro-Compass: The gyrocompass, used for 50 years as a navigational instrument in ships and aircraft, senses the turning axis of the earth and points out true polar north. It does this by employing the earth's rotation, the force of gravity, and the precession characteristics of a gyro. For further details the reader is referred to several excellent publications'"3 covering the principles and application of the gyroscope. The heart of the gyro-compass is the gyroscope, or rapidly spinning wheel, which rigidly maintains its angular orientation in inertial space. Free gyros employ universal joints to allow the wheel axle to maintain its rigid spatial orientation independent of base motion disturbances. Free gyros are independent of the earth's turning and are not north-seeking. Only as they might be initially oriented parallel to the earth's turning axis could any north indication be obtained. In practice, the free gyro tends to drift off its set position and lose its accuracy. The Sperry-Sun Well Surveying Co. instrument (5M in O. D.) is of this free gyro type. It is counterbalanced, however, against the rotational effects of the earth, so that orientation of the spinning axis will be maintained throughout the survey.

Jan 1, 1960

By C. S. Matthews, H. C. Lefkovits

The purposes of this study are (a) to determine the accuracy of a previously proposed method for calclrlating average reservoir pressure and (b) to find a method for estimating the shape of the drainage area of each well in a bounded reservoir. Both numerical and experimental methods are used to determine the pressure distribution and the location of drainage bounrlaries in idealized reservoirs at steady state. A number of photographs are included which show flowlines and drainage areas in reservoir models of various shapes. Results from these studies are then compared with those from the previously proposed method for calculating average reservoir pressure.' It is concluded that the previously proposed method is sufficiently accurate for most reservoir engineering purposes. In addition, some simple methods are given for estimation of .shapes of drainage boundaries. INTRODUCTION A method for the determination of the average Pressure in a bounded reservoir was previously developed by Matthews, Brons, and Hazebroek,1 and presented at the Petroleum Branch Fall Meeting in 1953.† In aP- plying this method, the reservoir was first divided into drainage volumes; second, the average pressure in each drainage volume was calculated; and third, these drainage volume pressures were averaged volumetrically to give the average pressure in the reservoir. It was shown that each well's individual drainage volume, at steady state, is proportional to the well's production rate; however. the question of how to estimate accurately the shape of these drainage volumes could not be answered. Furthermore, in calculating the average pressure for each drainage area, the actual drainage areas, which are in general quite asymmetric in shape, are replaced with one of the symmetric prototypes given in T.P. 3876. A question may then be raised as to how accurately the symmetrical figures depict the pressure behavior of the actual unsymmetrical drainage areas. The study reported on in the present paper was made in an attempt to shed light on the above questions. METHODS It was shown in T.P. 3876 that after a period of steady rate of withdrawal the rate of pressure decline becomes constant at every point in a bounded reservoir containing a single-phase fluid whose compressibility is small and constant and whose viscosity is con-

Jan 1, 1956