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By Jasper Johnson

Taken in all its bearings there is, perhaps, no more interesting coal-field than that locally known and designated as " Wilmington," both on account of the superior qualities of its product as a household and steam fuel, when compared with other Illinois coal, and its geological position. The territory underlaid with coal, to which this name was originally given, embraced a very small area, including only the south half of sections 31 and 32 (township 33 north, range 9 east) in Wilmington township, and sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 30, and 31, with occasional outliers in sections 3, 4, and 9, and, possibly, in sections 20, 28, 29, 30, and 32 (township 32 north, range 9 east) of Reed township, in Will County, comprising eleven square miles of workable coal within the known basin. Borings indicate the presence of coal on sections 30 and 33 in Wilmington

By Jasper Johnson

TAKEN in all its bearings there is, perhaps, no more interesting coal-field than that locally known and designated as " Wilmington," both on account of the superior qualities of its product as a house- hold and steam fuel, when compared with other Illinois coal, and its geological position. The territory underlaid with coal, to which this name was originally given, embraced a very small area, including only the south half of sections 31 and 32 (township 33 north, range 9 east) in Wilmington township, and sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 30, and 31, with occasional outliers in sections 3, 4, and 9, and, possibly, in sections 20, 28, 29,30, and 32 (township 32 north, range 9 east) of Reed township, in Will County, comprising eleven square miles of workable coal within the known basin. Borings indicate the presence of coal on sections 30 and 33 in Wilmington

Jan 1, 1875

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

1. Variations in the Forms and Dimensions of Crystals 2. Imperfections of the Surfaces of Crystals 3. Variations in the Angles of Crystals Internal Imperfection and Inclusions 264. The laws of crystallization, when unmodified by extrinsic causes, should produce forms of exact geometrical symmetry, the angles being not only equal, but also the homologous faces of crystals and the dimensions in the directions of like axes. This symmetry is, however, so uncommon that it can hardly be considered other than an ideal perfection. The various possible kinds of symmetry, and the relation of this ideal geometrical symmetry to the actual crystallographic symmetry, have been discussed in Arts. 14 and 18 et seq. Crystals are very generally distorted, and often the fundamental forms are so completely disguised that an intimate familiarity with the possible irregularities is required in order to unravel their complexities. Even the angles may occasionally vary rather widely.

Jan 1, 1922

By Sebastian Paul Musco

The importance of the recovery of precious metals, specifically platinum group metals, was recently expressed by Robert McNamara, former head of the World Bank, who stated that the United States should stockpile strategic metals. More than 90% of the platinum metals are imported into the United States from South Africa and Russia. Mr. McNamara's concern is based on the possibility of a disruption of obtaining these metals due to any racial unrest in South Africa and a renewal of the Cold War with Russia. The United States has a platinum mine from coast to coast. Since 1974, the automotive industry has consumed 3 million ounces of platinum and palladium, and the recovery of these metals from auto catalyst converters is estimated to be 300,000 ounces of platinum per year. This would make the United States the 4th largest producer in the world.

Jan 1, 1984

By James Boyd

As our society grows in complexity, it becomes more urgently incumbent upon scientists and engineers to bring their experience to bear on the solution, not only of technical problems, but also on socio-economic difficulties. It is to this field that I have directed a large part of my energies. Raw Materials Basic to the Economic Process There are certain premises, frequently overlooked, which bear emphasis. As economics concerns the production, distribution, and consumption of goods, so our whole society is based on raw materials. Without the basic extractive industries of agriculture and mining, there would be no economic problems with which to deal. This principle has been expressed as: "All productivity is based on three factors: (1) natural resources, whose form, place, and condition are changed by the expenditure of (2) human energy (both muscular and mental), with the aid of (3) tools."*

Jan 3, 1967

By J. H. Berryman

THE use of oxygen as a bath reagent in hearth furnaces during the refining period is a familiar story. Investigations and tests in which oxygen was substituted for iron ore to reduce carbon date back 25 years and include the work of Bigge,1 Browne,2 and Chelius.3 During this past year the majority of the experimental work in the use of oxygen was carried on mainly in open-hearth shops, since it was felt that the greater field for application lay in this type of furnace. Much constructive work was done in evaluating the carbon-oxygen relationships, as reported by Slottman and Lounsberry4 and by Hughes.5 Steelmakers using the electric furnace have been actively engaged meanwhile in an experimental program of their own, with such success that the oxygen injection pipe has become a tool in the day to day production of low-carbon and stainless steels.

Jan 1, 1947

By William J. Coulter

WITHIN the United States the problem of meeting maximum production by our metal mines has been solved by: (1) Conservation of man power by mechanization. (2) Increasing man-power efficiency as expressed in tons per man-shift by the adoption of new and more efficient methods. (3) Production from submarginal properties made possible by some form of government subsidy. (4) Selective mining of high-grade areas. (5) Drawing on broken ore reserves and reducing advanced development work to a minimum. (6) Making maximum use of available equipment. (7) Repairing equipment that normally would be replaced. (8) Working a seven-day week on a three-shift basis to get maximum use of equipment and man power. (9) Adoption of incentive plans to increase maximum efficiency and unit production. (10) Important advancement in metallurgy, resulting in larger recoveries. (11) Improvements in safety, health, and general working and living condi-

Jan 1, 1945

By Byron W. Cheever

In working up the process which I described at the Chicago Meeting, May, 1884 (p. 163 of the present volume), for the estimation of phosphorus in iron and steel, I employed samples of steel obtained from one works only, and of a given brand. Since then I have had frequent occasion to test the process on other steels, and find that it works equally well. But some steels present certain colors which may mislead the operator; and I therefore propose a slight change in the directions formerly given. On the second page of my paper, in the second paragraph, I would substitute the following modified directions: Place the flask under the hydrant, till the solution is perfectly cold ; then add, gradually, strong ammonia, with constant stirring, till the solution is changed into a pasty mass and the ammonia is in slight excess; then add cautiously HNO3 (1.40 specific gravity)

Jan 1, 1885

Reno, Nevada. J A Fulton, Director For publications of either the Mackay School of Mines or the State Bureau of Mines, address the School of Mines at the given address. Except where the contrary is indicated in the following list, available publications are sent free From the Mackay School of Mines. Bulletin 1, The identification of Nevada's common minerals, 50 cents; 3, Notes on the ore deposits of Cave Valley mining district, Lincoln County, 4, A preliminary survey of the Scossa mining district, Pershing County, 5, Ore deposits of the Gold Circle mining district, Elko County, 6, Bedded deposits of manganese oxides near Las Vegas, 7, Spruce Mountain district, Elko County, and Cherry Creek (Egan Canyon) district, White Pine County From the State Bureau of Mines: Bulletin 1, Mineral resources of southern Nevada One volume: Mining districts and mineral resources of Nevada, by F C. Lincoln (1923), $1.50.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. L. Wyatt

THE strain sensitivity, K, a property of metals defined as the unit change in electrical resistance per unit strain, was measured for commercial purity titanium wire to determine its usefulness as a strain gage material. A Kelvin double bridge, accurate to 0.000001 ohm, was used to make measurements from 0 to 1 pct total strain. A positive value of 0.17 for K was found. This compares with 2.15 for constantan and 3.5 for cold-worked invar, two of the more common strain gage materials. The effect of temperature also was determined. It was found that a change in temperature of 30°F caused the same resistance change as 1 pct strain. It is therefore concluded that titanium would have utility as a strain gage only if the thermal fluctuations in the specimen could be controlled to a high degree and in applications of very large total strain.

Jan 1, 1953

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

506. Scope of Descriptive Mineralogy. - It is the province of Descriptive Mineralogy to describe each mineral species, as regards: (1) form and structure; (2) physical characters; (3) chemical composition including blowpipe and chemical tests; (4) occurrence in nature with reference to geo- graphical distribution and association with other species; also in connection with the above to show how it may be distinguished from other species. Further, it should classify mineral species into more or less comprehensive groups according to those characters regarded as most essential. Other points which may or may not be included are the investigation of the methods of origin of minerals; the changes that they undergo in nature and the results of such alteration; also the methods by which the same compounds may be made in the laboratory; finally, the uses of minerals as ores, for ornament and in the arts.

Jan 1, 1922

By Frank Firmstone

IN the early decades of the past century the method of starting iron blast-furnaces by "scaffolding-down" seems to have been in universal use for coke-furnaces and, at least in this country, for charcoal-furnaces also. It was likewise used at some of the early anthracite-furnaces, as is stated in the important "Reminiscences" printed by the late Samuel Thomas. I It had been generally superseded in Great Britain as early as 1850, by some variations of the plan now used, and was rarely used when Percy wrote.' On the Continent it was still followed in the 60's,3 and was elaborately described by Valerius in 1852. I have never read any statement as to when and by whom '4 scaffolding" was first dispensed with, but the following extracts from journals of my father seem to fix an authentic date for an instance in this country:

Mar 1, 1907

The American Petroleum Institute, 250 Park Ave., New York, N. Y. Lacey Walker, Secretary. A complete price list of publications will be sent upon application. The American Petroleum Institute issues a variety of publications; in addition to the Daily Oil Digest ($25 per year) and a weekly Statistical Bulletin ($12.50 per year to nonmembers), a Quarterly is published ($4 per year to nonmembers). Books published by the Institute: American petroleum supply and demand, $3; A series of "Petroleum facts and figures" for each of the years 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931, $2 for each copy; Function of natural gas in the production of oil, $1; Bibliography of organic sulphur compounds, $4; and "Oil" (Oil Industry Series in one volume), 50 cents per copy. Volumes of the first six annual Meeting Proceedings are out of print, but the Proceedings for the 7th annual meeting in 1926

Jan 1, 1933

By R. Kerby, T. R. lngraham

The rates of cadmiuln cementation from buffered solutions were studied on both the cylindrical and circular faces of a rotating zinc disk. The activation energies are equivalent on both surfaces, but the rate is more rapid on the cylindrical face. At higher temperatures and at pH values above 6.4, the rate of deposition increases because of an increase in the cathodic area of the deposit. The rate may also be increased by decreasing the thickness of the diffusion layer by rapid stirring. The presence of small amounts of copper, cadmium, lead, iron, or aluminum in the zinc does not affect the cementation rate, but when srnall amounts of copper, cobalt, and arsenic were present in the solution cadmium deposition ceased shortly after it started. Small amounts of copper in solution become cemented with the cadmium to form a coarse deposit of Cd3Cu. When zinc ores containing cadmium are processed for electrolysis, the cadmium appears with the zinc in the leach liquors. Because of the discharge potential of the cadmium ion and the hydrogen overvoltage on metallic cadmium, the cadmium ion must be removed prior to zinc electrolysis to prevent its codeposition. Cadmium is usually removed from acidic zinc sulfate solutions by cementation on zinc. When zinc sheets are used with the appropriate conditions of pH and temperature, a finely divided, high-purity cadmium powder is obtained; it floats to the surface with attached hydrogen bubbles and, after careful washing, may be processed directly to a marketable product.' The reaction on zinc sheets is relatively slow because of the limited amount of exposed cathodic area on the sheets. A much more rapid reaction is obtained when zinc powders are stirred into the solution, but this procedure does have a potential disadvantage: some unreacted zinc may be trapped in the cemented cadmium and thus lower its grade.1 The equilibrium constant at 25°C for the displacement of cadmium by zinc is of the order of lo", which indicates that at equilibrium the displacement would be essentially quantitative and no back reaction need be considered. This indication is not entirely true, however, because in the presence of oxygen any loose cadmium which is out of contact with metallic zinc tends to redissolve after cementation.' The overall effect is much the same as that to be expected if the equilibrium constant were much smaller. Previous experimental work on cementation reac- tions3 is in general agreement that the rates of cementation usually follow first-order kinetics. The metal on which cementation occurs is considered to consist of anodic areas from which metal dissolves and cathodic areas onto which the reactive metal is cemented. For the reaction to continue, the cemented deposit must remain open and porous for the removal of ions. Usually, the deposited metal influences the rate of cementation; when it blocks the pores in the deposit, the rate of cementation will be decreased. Alternatively, when the cemented metal grows as den-drites or as coarse powder the cathodic area is correspondingly increased and the rate of cementation increases,3 Thus, it is only during the initial stages of cementation, prior to the development of deposit effects, that the kinetic behavior of the reaction may be studied without ambiguity. In this paper, experiments will be described for cementation of cadmium from dilute solutions onto the surface of a rapidly spinning zinc cylinder. The effects of ionic concentration, disk rotation speed, temperature, and impurities will be described. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The apparatus used for the experiments was described in a previous paper.4 It consisted of a 2-liter vessel in which the contents were protected, against oxidation, by a stream of prepurified nitrogen. The vessel was immersed in a water bath which controlled

Jan 1, 1970

By T. E. Davidson, A. P. Lee

It is known from the early work of Bridgman that the two lowest-pressure transitions (I-II and II-III) are accompanied by substantial and abrupt changes in resistivity and Volume. However, unlike the temperature -induced allotropic transformations observed in such elements as lithium, cobalt, tin, and so forth, there is little actually known about many of the characteristics of the pressure-in&ced transitions. This current work involves an examination of the structural and transformation characteristics of the bismuth I-II and II-III transitions under hydrostatic pressures. The relationship of initial structure to the transformation pressure, rate, resistivity change, and resultant structure is discussed. It is shown that the transition pressure and transformation rate are independent of the presence of grain boundaries and associated anisotropy-induced deformation. An observed hysteresis in both the I-II and II-III transitions is shown. BISMUTH is one of the most interesting of the elements exhibiting pressure-induced polymorphs since it undergoes several allotropic transformations at pressures below 90,000 atm. It is known from the early work of bridman1,2 that the two lowest-pressure transitions (1-11 and 11-111) are accompanied by substantial and abrupt changes in resistance and volume. However, unlike the temperature-induced allotropic transformations observed in such elements as lithium, cobalt, tin, and so forth, there is little actually known about many of the characteristics of these pressure-induced transitions. It is the purpose of this work to examine some of the structural and transformation characteristics of the bismuth 1-11 and 11-111 transitions under hydrostatic pressures. Another interesting characteristic of bismuth is that, in its polycrystalline form, hydrostatic pressures of sufficient magnitude will induce severe progressive plastic deformation in the region of the grain boundaries.3 This deformation, which has also been observed in several other metals, is attributed to the high degree of anisotropy in the linear compressibility of bismuth, resulting in shear stresses in the grain boundaries when it is exposed to hydrostatic pressure. Most thermally induced allotropic transformations in metals, whether of the diffusionless ather-ma1 (martensitic) or isothermal nucleation and growth types, are dependent upon structure and prior history,4 viz., grain boundaries, deformation, and so forth. One logically wonders then whether the transformation characteristics of the pressure-induced polymorphs in bismuth might also depend upon initial structure, particularly with respect to the presence of grain boundaries and associated plastic deformation. In this investigation, the role of grain boundaries and plastic deformation on the characteristics of the bismuth I-II and 11-111 transitions will be established. The rather unique residual microstruc-tural changes associated with these transitions will be presented and discussed. The occurrence of a measurable hysteresis in both the I-II and 11-111 transitions will be demonstrated. The type of transformation mechanism based on the observed transformation rate will be discussed. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A) Apparatus. The hydrostatic pressure system utilized in this investigation is similar to that previously reported by Bridgman' and Birch and Robertson,5 and has been previously described.3 For the purpose of this work, the pressure medium utilized was a 1:l mixture of pentane and isopentane. Pressure measurement was by means of a manganin coil in conjunction with a Foxboro Recorder. The manganin coil was mounted in the bottom closure and inserted inside the pressure cavity. Based on calibration against a controlled clearance piston gage at approximately 10,000 atm, the estimated error in the pressure measurement was +2 pct. Assuming the nonlinearity in the pressure coefficient of resistivity between 10,000 and 28,000 atm to be not greater than 1 pct, then the estimated error in the range of the I-II and 11-111 transitions was +3 pct. B) specimen Material and Preparation. The bismuth utilized throughout this investigation was of

Jan 1, 1964

By Keith R. Bock, Norman Parlee, Albert M. Barloga

Coils of pure iron and iron-carbon alloy wire (0.05 to 0.80 pct C) and sufficient sulfur to saturate the solid phase were equilibrated in evacuated or argon filled tubes. After rapid cooling, and removal of the outside nonmetallic layer, the wires were analyzed for carbon and sulfur and the data used to construct an Fe-S binary and isotherms of the Fe-C-S ternary in the range 1149° to 1427°C. THE solid solubility of sulfur in steel is of interest in connection with such phenomena as hot shortness, burning, and so forth. "Burning," the more or less permanent damage that some steels suffer when heated for forging or rolling, has been shown to be related closely to the behavior of sulfur and less closely to carbon and oxygen.' Attempts to interpret burning phenomena in steels fail because of lack of data on the Fe-C-S and the more complex systems in this family. Rosenqvist and Dunicz 2 and Turkdogan, Ignatowicz, and pearson3 have largely elucidated the Fe-S diagram in the region of interest but no information on the Fe-C-S diagram in this region appears to be available in the literature. This paper deals with the elucidation of the Fe-C-S diagram in these interesting ranges. The method employed is different from those used by previous workers2'3 on the Fe-S system. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Pure iron wires (Ferrovac E) or iron carbon alloy wires of 1 mm in diam were cleaned with acid and acetone, coiled, and placed in silica tubes (7 mm OD and 5 mm ID) previously closed at one end. Enough sulfur was added to assure saturation of the solid iron phase. The filled tubes were either simply evacuated and sealed, or filled with argon at a reduced pressure and sealed. The argon was required at the higher temperatures to prevent collapse of the tubes. The filled and sealed tubes were placed in the middle uniform temperature zone of a Globar tube furnace and equilibrated at temperatures ranging from 2100°F (1149°C) to 2720°F (1493°C). After equilibration the tubes were removed from the furnace and quenched in air or water, the form of quenching being found to have no effect on the results. The tubes were broken open and the coils were placed in a 1 : 1 HC1 solution to remove the sulfide-rich layer. The coils were then cut into small pieces and analyzed for sulfur and carbon. In the early stages of the investigation different equilibration times ranging up to 17 hr were tried and the cores of the wires were analyzed to test for saturation. One hour appeared to be sufficient to reach maximum sulfur content at 1454°C and 2 hr sufficient at 1149°C. The practice adopted was to use at least 3 hr at the higher temperatures and at least 5 hr at the lower temperatures. The iron-carbon alloy wires used were made by carburizing pure iron wire with carbon monoxide gas in a one inch diameter ceramic tube at about 1204°C. Differing carbon contents were obtained by allowing fairly large coils to react with the gas for varying lengths of time at a flow rate of 800 cc per min. The reacting times ranged from 15 min to 4 hr depending upon the amount of carbon desired. The furnaces used were controlled by means of Leeds and Northrup Speedomax Type H instruments with D.A.T. Control attachment. Thermocouples were calibrated against the melting points of gold and copper. The temperatures recorded appear to be accurate within i2.7OC. Starting with run No. 85 and continuing with the

Jan 1, 1962

By R. R. Webster, H. T. Clark

The side-blown converter has been investigated as a possible commercial process for the production of low nitrogen steel. During this work, two converters of 3-ton and 22-ton capacity were operated on a pilot plant basis for a total of 214 heats. The steel made in these converters was low in nitrogen and possessed good cold working properties. Some problems of converter operation remain to be solved. IN plants operating with a high iron capacity, sev-eral different refining methods are used in the conversion of the molten pig iron to steel. These include various ore practices in stationary and tilting open-hearths, the duplex process employing the Bessemer converter and open-hearth, and the Bessemer process. At J&L, a considerable part of the iron produced is handled by the Bessemer process, either alone or in conjunction with duplexing, and therefore an appreciable portion of the steelmaking research effort has centered about the method. This paper covers research work on the development of the side-blow converter for the commercial production of low nitrogen ingots and includes descriptions of the operation of a 3-ton and a 22-ton experimental converter at the Aliquippa Works. The refining of iron to produce steel requires the removal of a large portion of the carbon and silicon and the control of manganese, phosphorus and sulphur which are present in the iron in varying amounts. The first large-scale means of refining iron was the acid Bessemer process which was brought into use almost 100 yr ago. This method, using compressed air as the refining medium, accomplishes substantially complete removal of carbon, manganese and silicon. Phosphorus and sulphur are not affected but, by choice of an iron composition sufficiently low in these elements, a commercial product can be produced. Since the process will handle large tonnages rapidly, operates without external fuel and with a minimum of additional equipment, it quickly became the major tool in the early expansion of the steel industry. Later, the basic open-hearth process, by affording control of phosphorus and sulphur and by consuming the large quantities of steel scrap that were becoming available, forced the acid Bessemer process into a secondary position in the industry. During the past two decades the demand for steel to be used in cold forming and drawing operations has gradually increased. Bessemer steel, because of its work hardening and aging characteristics, is not as suitable for these applications as basic open-hearth steel, consequently the decline of the process was accelerated. More recently, because of changing economic conditions, this long range trend appears to have been arrested or perhaps reversed. Ingot production data for recent years furnishes only an incomplete picture of the importance of the converter in the American steel industry; open-hearth furnaces utilize large tonnages of blown metal for which no published statistics are available. Metallurgical Aspects The fundamental difference between Bessemer and open-hearth steels apparently lies not in the method of manufacture but, rather, in the differences in chemical composition of the two steels. It is further believed that the principal features distinguishing Bessemer from open-hearth steel are the higher nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the former. Evidence supporting this position is supplied by tests on laboratory induction furnace heats that were made to contain varying amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen but were otherwise similar to normal low carbon silicon-killed steels. Fig. 1, 2 and 3, summarizing the test results, are taken from G. H. Enzian's paper titled, "Some Effects of Phosphorus and Nitrogen on the Properties of Low Carbon Steels."' Fig. l indicates that phosphorus has a marked effect on the cold work embrittlement of steel as shown by the work brittleness test of Graham and Work.' In the low nitrogen steels, which as a group have the better cold working properties, the effect of phosphorus variations is the more pronounced.

Jan 1, 1951

By G. C. Bernard, L. W. Bernard, L. W. Holm, W. L. Jacobs

The effect of loam on the permeability of porous media to water was studied as a {unction of foaming agent concentration, specific permeability, pressure gradient, length of a porous medium and its oil saturation. At a given fluid saturation in a porous medium, the permeability to water was found to be the same whether loam was present or not. Foam decreases the permeability to water by developing a higher trapped gas saturation than that obtained by water flooding without loam present, increasing the concentration of foaming agent increased the trapped gas saturation and thereby decreased the permeability to water. The presence of oil reduced the capability of most foaming agents to decrease the permeability of a porous medium to water. A few surfactants were found to be effective loaming agents even in the presence of oil. These results are similar to those reported in a previous paper on the effect of loam on the permeability of porous media to gas. The effect of loam was found to persist in long porous media at moderately high reservoir temperatures and during the passage of many pore volumes of surfactant-free water. INTRODUCTION This paper describes part of a study on a novel approach in the use of surfactants for oil recovery; the use of foam rather than water to displace oil. Previously it was found that foam can displace oil which normally is not displaced by water.4 The foam is formed by successively injecting a suitable surfactant solution and gas into a porous medium. Foam appears to have at least two uses in the field: (1) it shows promise as a superior oil recovery agent, and (2) it shows promise as a selective permeability reducing agent. Foam may be very useful in water floods, or in other oil recovery processes, where highly permeable streaks or unfavorable mobility ratios are a problem. A previous paper reported the effect of foam on the permeability of porous media to gas.1 In the present study the effect of foam on the permeability of porous media to water is reported. The specific objectives of the study were to determine: (1) the effect of foam on the permeability to water in porous media of various specific permeabilities, (2) the effect of foam on the permeability to water in the presence of oil, (3) the effect of foam and crude oil on the trapped gas saturation, (4) the effect of foam on permeability to water at trapped gas saturation, (5) the effect of pressure gradient on the permeability to water under foaming conditions, (6) the persistence of foam during the passage of surfactant-free water through the porous medium, and (7) the effect of various foaming agents, length of the porous medium and temperature on the permeability reduction caused by foam. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS The experimental apparatus consisted of consolidated and unco n soli dated porous media, wet test meters and constant delivery pumps. The porous media consisted of consolidated sandstone cores (6 to 36 in. long), and unconsolidated sand packs (3 to 30 ft long). The consolidated cores had permeabilities of 32 and 1,000 md and porosities of about 20 per cent. The sand packs had permeabilities of 3,500 to 211,000 md and porosities of about 40 per cent. (Throughout this report a term such as 100 md sand" is used. This term means that the porous medium had a dry, nitrogen permeability of 100 md.) Fluids used in the experiments were distilled water, 1 per cent NaCl solution, aqueous solutions of foaming agents, nitrogen gas, air and crude oil.

Jan 1, 1966

By P. Somasundaran

Flotation of minerals has usually been discussed in terms of solid-liquid interfacial phenomena. This paper discusses the relative importance of phenomena such as collector adsorption at other interfaces formed between the bubble, liquid and solid. Adsorption of collector ions of various chain lengths at liquid-gas and solid-gas interfaces has been obtained. The data have been analyzed under conditions corresponding to those of flotation to show the significant role of collector adsorbed on the bubble surface in determining the bubble-mineral attachment required for flotation, and consequently to suggest consideration of this role in the development of better flotation conditions. Vacuum flotation of quartz with alkyl ammonium acetate reported in the foregoing paper1 showed that the collector chain length has an effect on flotation even at concentrations below those necessary for hemi-micelle association of the hydrocarbon chains at a solid-liquid interface. This chain length effect might be explained by the following arguments: Hydrocarbon chains find it energetically favorable to be in a medium of low dielectric constant. Considering the possibility of an iceberg structure at the solid-liquid interface, such a structure would produce a region of lower dielectric constant at the solid-liquid interface than in the liquid phase, because the dielectric constant of ice is 2 to 3,2 while that of water is 80. Depending on chain length, this difference will certainly cause even individual ions to adsorb in higher quantities at the solid-liquid interface. Another mechanism to consider is the possible formation of dimers, trimers, etc and chain length would influence this formation. But, above all, the chain length effect on flotation at concentrations of low adsorption at the solid-liquid interface could be due to the significant but often-neglected role of the collector adsorption at the bub- ble surface. Collector ions or molecules are adsorbed both at the solid-liquid interface and the liquid-gas interface. Below the concentration for hemi-micelle association at the Stern plane adjacent to the surface, the bulk of the collector ions adsorbed at the solid-liquid interface are in the diffuse part of the double layer. If such systems, where there is a gas bubble coming in contact with the solid surface, are to achieve some degree of electroneutrality, those collector ions would have to migrate from the diffuse part of the double layer to the region directly adjacent to the surface during the induction period when the bubble is making contact with the solid. The time necessary for this migration would contribute to the induction period required for creation of the solid-gas interface. It seems reasonable that the induction period could be reduced sufficiently for flotation to occur if these collector ions were carried to the surface by the bubble. In an attempt to ascertain whether or not the bubble could possibly have sufficient collector ions at its surface to meet the requirement mentioned above, the adsorption density of the collector ions at the liquid-air interface was determined. For this purpose, the surface tension of alkyl ammonium acetate solutions was determined as a function of concentration. Adsorption densities of the collector at the liquid-gas interface were calculated using the Gibbs adsorption equation: where y is the interfacial tension and ri and pi are the adsorption density and the chemical potential, respectively, of the chemical species, i. Using the convention that the adsorption density of water at the interface is zero, the following relationship is obtained for the liquid-gas interface where lg refers to liquid-gas interface and RA+ refers to the alkyl ammonium ions. For dilute solutions, rf^-wri^&rfwW [3] where C is the concentration of the collector ions in solution. l?:: can now be evaluated using Eq. 3 and surface tension measurements.

Jan 1, 1969

By A. S. Odeh

ABSTRACT A simplified model was employed to develop mathematically equations that describe the unsteady-state behavior of naturally fractured reservoirs. The analysis resulted in an equation of flow of radial symmetry whose solution, for the infinite case, is identical in form and function to that describing the unsteady-state behavior of homogeneous reservoirs. Accepting the assumed model, for all practical purposes one cannot distinguish between fractured and homogeneous reservoirs fram pressure build-up and/or drawdown plots. INTRODUCTION The bulk of reservoir engineering research and techniques has been directed toward homogeneous reservoirs, whose physical characteristics, such as porosity and permeability, are considered, on the average, to be constant. However, many prolific reservoirs, especially in the Middle East, are naturally fractured. These reservoirs consist of two distinct elements, namely fractures and matrix, each of which contains its characteristic porosity and permeability. Because of this, the extension of conventional methods of reservoir engineering analysis to fractured reservoirs without mathematical justification could lead to results of uncertain value. The early reported work on artificially and naturally fractured reservoirs consists mainly of papers by Pollard,l Freeman and Natanson,2 and Samara.3 The most familiar method is that of Pollard. A more recent paper by Warren and Root showed how the Pollard method could lead to erroneous results,4 Warren and Root analyzed a plausible two-dimensional model of fractured reservoirs. They concluded that a Horner-type pressure build-up plot of a well producing from a fractured reservoir may be characterized by two parallel linear segments. These segments form the early and the late portions of the build-up plot and are connected by a transitional curve. In our analysis of pressure build-up and drawdown data obtained on several wells from various fractured reservoirs, two parallel straight lines were not observed. In fact, the build-up and drawdown plots were similar in shape to those obtained on homogeneous reservoirs. Fractured reservoirs, due to their complexity, could be represented by various mathematical models, none of which may be completely descriptive and satisfactory for all systems. This is so because the fractures and matrix blocks can be diverse in pattern, size, and geometry not only between one reservoir and another but also within a single reservoir. Therefore, one mathematical model may lead to a satisfactory solution in one case and fail in another. TO understand the behavior of the pressure buildup and drawdown data that were studied, and to explain the shape of the resulting plots, a fractured reservoir model was employed and analyzed mathematically. The model is based on the following assumptions: 1. The matrix blocks act like sources which feed the fractures with fluid; 2. The net fluid movement toward the wellbore obtains only in the fractures; and 3. The fractures' flow capacity and the degree of fracturing of the reservoir are uniform. By the degree of fracturing is meant the fractures' bulk volume per unit reservoir bulk volume. Assumption 3 does not stipulate that either the fractures or the matrix blocks should possess certain size, uniformity, geometric pattern, spacing, or direction. Moreover, this assumption of uniform flow capacity and degree of fracturing should be taken in the same general sense as one accepts uniform permeability and porosity assumptions in a homogeneous reservoir when deriving the unsteady -state fluid flow equation. Thus, the assumption may not be unreasonable, especially if one considers the evidence obtained from examining samples of fractured outcrops and reservoirs. Such samples show that the matrix usually consists of numerous blocks, all of which are small compared to the reservoir dimensions and well spacings. Therefore, the model could be described to represent a "homogeneously" fractured reservoir. la this paper, the fundamental equation of flow

Jan 1, 1966