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By J. Rogers, K. L. Sutherland

THE relationships between collector and mineral, activator and mineral, and activator, collector and mineral will be considered herein. We propose to criticize current theories of flotation but we will not repeat the many pertinent arguments presented by Wark and Cox28 in 1937 in which the "chemical" or more strictly the "solubility" theory proposed by Taggart and co-workers22 is shown to be untenable. Recently Taggart, Arbiter and Kellogg24 have studied the long-chain aliphatic amines as collectors and have attempted to resuscitate the solubility theory for these particular collectors. Dean and Ambrose3 have felt that "we stumble over words" when we distinguish different mechanisms of adsorption. Our view is that nothing is more stultifying to the development of a science than attempts to force widely different phenomena into one classification. This oversimplification leads immediately to difficulties in the interpretation of results. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The response of minerals to activator and collector was determined by "captive-bubble" tests. The methods of preparation of specimens26 and of testing18 have been previously described. Results from captive-bubble tests were confirmed by flotation tests in glass-stoppered cylinders.25 The full lines shown in the figures relating solution composition to contact (flotation) distinguish solutions in which contact (flotation) is possible from those in which it is not. The curve is derived by successive approximation and the accuracy is ±0.2 pH units and ± 5 mg. per liter of collector or depressant. Solution compositions for which it was shown experimentally that contact or flotation is possible are marked by a circle, those for which it is not possible by a cross and those for which it is doubtful by a cross within a circle. It is assumed that at all other solution compositions within (without) the curve, contact or flotation is possible (not possible). After testing in the collector solution, the mineral was removed, washed, and tested by the captive-bubble method in water, or floated in a cylinder with frother only. In this way the composition of solutions in which a mineral was conditioned but in which properties of the collector solution prevented contact or flotation can be defined. The composition of solutions in which conditioning was possible lie between the full and broken curve, the experimental results being indicated on the figures by a square. The curves show the limits of composition of solution in which flotation in a cell would be possible. Many factors other than those considered in these tests determine recovery or grade of a given mineral in practice.

Jan 1, 1947

By William H. Hallahan

The Friedensville zinc mine of The New Jersey Zinc Company is located about four miles south of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Saucon Valley, an infolded and down faulted block of Cambro-Ordovician carbonate sediments surrounded by hills of pre-Cambrian gneiss and Cambrian quartzite except where breached by Saucon Creek at its entrance into the Lehigh River. The Beekmantown formation of lower Ordovician age is the host for zinc and limonite ores, the former occurring in the lower dolomitic portion thereof and the latter in the upper interbedded dolomite and limestone portion of the section. The Beekmantown is overlain unconformably by the Jacksonburg of middle Ordovician age and according to Miller (2) underlain conformably by about 2500 feet of Cambrian dolomites and 200 feet of the basal Cambrian Hardyston quartzite. Igneous rocks, younger than the Cambro-Ordovician carbonate rocks, are absent in the vicinity of the ore deposits. The major structure is a N60°E-trending saddle-shaped doubly plunging anticline overturned to the north. A syncline lies to the north of the anticline. A thrust fault of substantial displacement repeats the south limb of the anticline. The ore consists of sphalerite and pyrite, along with gangue dolomite and quartz, filling and replacing the sedimentary type matrix of a strata-bound solution collapse breccia in the dolomitic portion of the lower Beekmantown. This breccia was produced in pre-Jacksonburg time as a consequence of uplift, erosion, and development of a karst topography and subsurface drainage system in the Beekmantown. Deposits of both zinc and limonite are present on the vertical north limb, on the crest and on the gently dipping (25°) south limb of the Friedensville anticline; consequently, there is no preferred structural setting for mineralization. Rather this distribution supports the view that the folding is post-ore. Features confirming this view are the development of flow cleavage in the breccia matrix, the deformation of some of the sphalerite, and the fracturing of the pyrite mineralization therein. There is nothing to indicate that the age of mineralization is other than Ordovician and older than Taconic deformation. In the absence of intrusive igneous activity younger than the ore host, the writer suggests that submarine volcanic exhalations associated with the volcanic activity recorded in the eastern eugeosynclinal facies of the Ordovician may be the source of the metal ions.

Jan 1, 1968

By Max Boehmer

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) AFTER 30 years of development and after an output of $350,000,000 in value of gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper, there has not been published a satisfactory explanation of the origin of the immense deposits of the Leadville district. The original examination find survey of Leadville by members of the U. S. Geological Survey was a most magnificent piece of work, but their attempt to explain the origin of the ores was based upon the then-accepted theory of lateral secretion, originated by Sandberger, which theory was afterwards disproved in many cases by further development in numerous districts. This theory contended that the ore in the veins had been leached by surface-waters from the eruptive rocks in the immediate vicinity, and it had its origin in the fact that the neighboring eruptive rocks all contained, to an appreciable degree, the several metals found in the ore-deposits. But the practical miner, reasoning in a simple manner from the condition of things as he found them underground, soon discovered the fallacy of this proposition. He reasoned that, in the case of the Leadville deposits, this theory could not be true, because, if the ores were leached from the overlying eruptive rocks by surface-waters, they would as a matter of necessity be controlled by the action of gravity, and the main bodies would collect in- natural depressions of the underlying limestone, and at all points where such depressions existed. But this was not in accord with the channels of ore as he found there ; and hence the theory of lateral secretion in this district was never accepted. Another objection to it consisted in the fact that large areas within the ore-bearing district contained no ores whatever, although their formation was the same, and the same limestones were covered by the same thick sheet of

Feb 1, 1910

By T. Sterry Hunt

THERE are about sixty bodies which chemists call elements ; the simplest forms of matter which they have been able to extract from the rocky crust of our earth, its waters, and its atmosphere. These substances are distributed in very unequal quantities, and in very different manners. As regards the frequency of these elements in nature, neglecting for the present those which constitute air and water, and confining ourselves to the solid matters of the earth's crust, there are a few which are exceedingly abundant, making up nine-tenths, if not ninety-five hundredths, of the rocks so far as known to us. The elements of which silica, alumina, lime, magnesia, potash, and soda are oxides, are very common, and occur almost everywhere. There are others which are much rarer, being found in comparatively small quantities. Many of these rarer elements are, however, of great importance in the economy of nature. Such are the common metals and other substances used in the arts, which occur in nature in quantities relatively very minute, but which have been collected by various agencies, and thus made available for the wants of man. It is chiefly of the well-known metals, iron, copper, silver, and gold, that I propose to speak to-night; but there are two other elements not classed among the metals, which I shall notice for the reason that their history is extremely important, and will, moreover, enable us to comprehend more clearly some points in that of the metals themselves. I speak of phosphorus and iodine. You all know the essential part which the former of these, com- * An address before the Polytechnic Association of the American Institute, during the meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in New York. Printed in this volume by request of many members.

Jan 1, 1873

By E. Bicknese, R. Clark

The mechanism and rate of reduction of FeO at conditions similar to those in the stack of a blast furnace have been determined for temperatures from 980" to 1165°C. Preliminary studies of the reduction of Fe2O3 with activated coconut charcoal in a static system (no flow of reducing gas) have shown that the CO2-CO ratio of the product gas depends upon the relative reactivities of the Fe2O3 and charcoal. In a systern with a "hot blast" of CO and Nz (simitar to dry bosh gas), synthetic FeO, and actiuated coconut charcoal, the rate of reduction was not sensitive to the flow of reducing gas, and the rate-controlling step alas the chemical reaction at the metal-oxide interface. Wherz solid carbon was not present, a critical flow rate of reducing- gas had to be met in order to prevent a lowering of the reduction rate. The effect of a less-reactive carbon (blast-jurnace coke) and of a "natural" FeO on the mechanistn and rate, and the mininum amount of carbon necessary in the charge to tnaintain the reducing potential of the gas phase, have been determined. THE importance of iron oxide reduction processes has encouraged many studies of the process reaction kinetics. Despite this, the mechanism is not well-understood and three main theories have evolved, which can be stated as follows: A) the rate-controlling step is diffusion, either gaseous diffusion of the reductant or product gas through a porous solid,' or solid-state diffusion of iron and oxygen atoms through the so1id.2 B) The slow step is diffusion of reducing gas through a stagnant boundary layer. C) The reaction rate is controlled by the chemical reaction occurring at the metal-oxide interface and is proportional to the area of this interface.3 By increasing the velocity of the reducing gas to a flow rate beyond which no increase in the reduction rate is observed, critical flow rate, it may be possible to eliminate B as the slow step. However, as warnere points out, the establishment of a critical flow rate may only assure that the reaction is not limited by a reduction in the reducing potential of the gas and that B may still be the rate-determining step. Edstrom and Bitsianes and Seth and Ross8 show that A and C may both be correct for the reduction of the same oxide, depending upon the stage of the reduction, and that the relative importance of the two mechanisms varies with the porosity of the oxide. Themelis9 has derived expressions which express A, B, and C in terms of the fraction reduction, Rx, of a spherical particle. Thus, in the case of A a plot of In (1 - Rx) vs time must be linear and the time to reach a given reduction is proportional to the square of the particle diameter. For B a plot of (1 - Rx) vs must be linear and the time to reach a given reduction is proportional to the square of the diameter. For C a plot of 1 - (1 - RX)1/3 vs f must be linear and the time to reach a given degree of reduction should be proportional to the diameter. In the case of mixad controlled reactions, none of the plots are linear over their entire length. The results of previous studies, in which the rates of gaseous reduction of iron oxide were measured in the absence of carbon, may not correspond to blastfurnace practice because they ignore the effects of the Boudouard reaction. CO2 +C — 2CO The presence of carbon may alter the mechanism or the rate of iron oxide reduction through an enrichment of the gas phase by Eq. [1]. In this case, the presence of and reactivity of carbon become important. If the Boudouard reaction has no effect on the rate of reduction, the reducing gas could be supplied by some means other than the gasification of carbon at the tuyeres and carbon could, theoretically, be eliminated from the burden. Preliminary studies of the reduction of Fe2O3 with activated coconut charcoal were made to determine if the reactivity (surface area) of the Fe2O3 had any effect on the product gas composition. Two size fractions of Fe2O3 were reduced with charcoal in a static system (no flow of reducing gas). In each case the charcoal was -100 + 325 mesh and was 25 pct of the total charge. One fraction of the reagent-grade Fe2O3 was submicron in diameter. The other fraction was -100 + 200 mesh and was prepared from the former by compacting, sintering at 1300°C, crushing, and screening. In each experiment, the reaction vessel was filled with a mixture of CO and CO, which would be in equilibrium with FeO and iron at the reaction temperature. A furnace was heated to the desired temperature, the vessel was placed in the furnace, and the gaseous products of the reaction were collected and analyzed. The results of these experiments, Fig. 1, show that the gas phase associated with the submicron oxide is more oxidizing than that with the -100 + 200 mesh oxide. Therefore, in a static system, the relative rates of the reduction reaction and the gasification of carbon depend upon the reactivities of the Fe2O3 and charcoal. The reduction of FeO to iron is the most important reaction occurring in the blast furnace and is probably the slowest of the several reduction steps. The mechanism and rate of reduction of FeO in a system containing carbon and a flow of dry bosh gas have been studied. TRANSACTIONS OF THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY OF AlME

Jan 1, 1967

By Cyril Stanley Smith

THE art of metallography is mature and the forms in which various micro-constituents appear are well known. Investigations almost without end have disclosed the importance of the exact manner of distribution of phases on the physical properties and usefulness of an alloy. Surprisingly, however, relatively little attention has been paid to the forces that are responsible for the particular and varied spatial arrangements of grains and phases that are observed. Like the anatomist, the metallurgist has been more concerned with form and function than with origins. In this paper it is proposed to develop the simple concept that many microstructures result from an attempted approach to equilibrium between phase and grain interfaces whose surface tensions geometrically balance each other at the points and along the lines where they meet. From this follows a number of principles which may prove to be of interest to the metallographer and of practical use in explaining failures and in designing alloys for particular service. In general, the discussion will be limited to structures obtained after full annealing. The simple principles do not apply to structures resulting from Widmanstatten mechanisms in precipitation, or to other structures not in local equilibrium and in which lattice coherency is a determining factor. INTERFACIAL TENSION Much has been written by physical chemists about the free energy of surfaces, which manifests itself as a measurable surface tension. Two- and three-phase interfaces in fluids seek a condition of minimum energy and approach a geometrical configuration in which the various forces are in vectorial balance.* Measurement of the angles established between the interfaces when in equilibrium provides a quantitative value for the relative value of the surface forces involved. The case of two fluids meeting at the surface of a solid (of great importance in connection with the flotation of minerals) has often been studied, but there have been few investigations of the equally definite interface between two or more crystals of a single solid phase, or the more complex cases where crystal grains of more than one phase are involved. The principles are best illustrated by considering first the case of two and three immiscible liquids. If, as in Fig I, a liquid, 2, is dropped into a less dense liquid, I, it will form a sphere-if gravity and viscosity can be ignored-for in this shape the interface has the smallest possible area. If these two phases should together encounter a third phase in which they are both immiscible, the geometry will change to become that which gives the lowest total energy for all three interfaces. Thus, if the spherical drop of liquid, falling through r, eventually reaches the interface between liquids 3 and I (we are assuming that the density of 3 is greater than 2, and 2 than I), it will assume the shape of a lens, the angle

Jan 1, 1948

By G. B. WATERHOUSE

THE year 1929 was exceedingly busy and prosperous for the iron and steel industry in the United States. The lake shipments of ore were approximately 65,000,000 tons, steel ingots produced were about 57,000,000 tons. Plants were very active. operating for many months well over their rated capacity, slowing down during the last quarter following the severe break in the stock market. The ore tonnage mentioned above was the greatest ever shipped by lake from the Lake Superior region. The trend at the ore mines has been to supplement manual labor by mechanical appliances as much as possible. Mining methods have been greatly improved along the lines of safety as well as to increase the percentage of ore recovery. Crushing and grading of iron ores continued to gain in popularity inasmuch as remarkable blast-furnace operations and records were obtained with sizing and uniformity of raw materials. Progress was made along other lines. The Bradley process for the separation of manganese osicle and iron oside from siliceous manganiferous iron ore was cleuelopecl; also considerable work was clone on a process for the beneficiation of the Cuban laterite ores. Sintering of ores and concentrates increased in popularity. A new analytical method for the deter- mination of sulfur in iron ore was worked out which reduced the time required appreciably. The ore re- serves of the Lake Superior district continued to receive considerable attention and played an important part in the recent mergers which have taken place in the iron ancl steel industry.

Jan 1, 1930

By R. N. Upadhyay, M. Maleki, I. Fatt

Conventional laboratory core analysis tests on samples of two limestone reservoir rocks indicate that about 20 per cent of PV is in dead-end pores. These tests (electric logging formation factor, mercury injection capillary pressure and miscible displacement) were carried out on 1/4-in. diameter test plugs. Test results show a clear dilference between these samples and sandstone or homogeneous limestone reservoir rock. Although the amount of dead-end pore space can be only roughly estimated, the presence of such pore space seems clearly indicated. Pressure transient studies also show presence of deadend PV. Although they do not give quantitative results, pressure transient data yield a reasonable estimate of the size of the neck connecting dead-end pores to the main flow channels. INTRODUCTION Equations conventionally used to describe reservoir flow behavior contain the implicit assumption that all connected pore spaces contributed to both porosity and permeability. Several authors3-7 have pointed out the changes in pressure transient behavior and in electric log interpretation that may result if this assumption is incorrect and, instead, dead-end or cul-de-sac pores are present. There is a need for laboratory tests that can detect presence of dead-end pores in core samples. With such information on hand the petroleum engineer can make more rational use of the mathematical tools now available for analysis of reservoir flow behavior. This paper describes laboratory studies designed to detect and, if possible, give a quantitative measure of dead-end PV in laboratory-size core plugs. Three reservoir rocks were used, two of which were limestones suspected of having deadend pore spaces and a well-known sandstone, used as a comparison standard, in which there is believed to be little or no dead-end pore space. All the studies were designed to measure the natural dead-end PV; i.e., the pore space which is dead-ended because of rock structure. During multiphase flow in a rock without dead-end pores, some parts of one of the phases can become surrounded by the other, thereby giving (for certain flow behavior) an effective dead-end pV8,9. Such behavior will not be described here.

Jan 1, 1967

By J. J. Van Nouhuys

THE economics of aerial survey and the technical processes by the aid of which vertical and oblique aerial photographs are turned into line maps showing the most profuse topographical detail such as contours, rivers, roads, plantations, habitations and cultivated lands do not concern us here. They have been ably and exhaustively described in the publications of the British War Office, handbooks on surveying methods and on photogrammetry and in the South African mining, engineering and geological press. Suffice it to mention that for geological interpretation vertical photographs are used on such scales as 1/5000 to 1/10,000, overlapping each other by 55 to 60 per cent in the direction of flight and some 10 to 20 per cent sideways on to the next sequence or strip. Through this duplication in the overlap the stereoscopic examination becomes possible. The standards by which monochrome aerial photographs are interpreted can be grouped under the following headings: 1. Continuity.-The continuity of topographic relief not obtainable on the ground owing to the smallness of man relative to that relief. Here lies the greatest value of aerial survey with relation to geology. An immediate alignment can often be made of drainages running in different directions on each side of a hill; saddles and gorges in the mountainsides; abrupt termination of outcrop or indubitable signs of faulting. Most conclusive evidence is thus often obtained about faults which may be perfectly visible at one place on the ground but cannot elsewhere be identified because of decreased throw. Similarly, dikes can often be followed notwithstanding frequent interruption and disappearance under the soil. Scattered outcrop in scrub-covered or bush-covered country can be compared with field work. The same applies to geological contacts. Once these have been 3stablished at a few points on the ground, the intervening stretches can be drawn in.

Jan 1, 1937

By T. R. Armstrong

Total crude oil production in Mexico in the year 1941 is estimated at approxi- mately 41,000,000 bbl.; a daily average of 112,700 bbl. and a decrease of about 5 per cent as compared with the daily average of 120,000 bbl. produced in the year 1940, and nearly 11 per cent decrease as com-

Jan 1, 1942

By T. R. Armstrong

Total crude oil production in Mexico in the year 1941 is estimated at approxi- mately 41,000,000 bbl.; a daily average of 112,700 bbl. and a decrease of about 5 per cent as compared with the daily average of 120,000 bbl. produced in the year 1940, and nearly 11 per cent decrease as com-

Jan 1, 1942

By O. M. TUPPER

REQUIRING a finer ground clay than that obtainable with a dry pan or hammer mill, the Clay Corporation of California installed a five-roller, low- side Raymond impact mill at its Lincoln plant in 1925 and since then has been economically grinding fire clay with a moisture content as high as 15 per cent. This was one of the first, if not the first, of this type of mill to be used in the grinding of clay on the Pacific coast. The pulverizer consists of a die-ring, lying in a horizontal plane, enclosed in a sheet-iron housing. A vertical shaft supports a spider from which five rolls are suspended in such a way as to always have them bearing on the die-ring. The vertical mill shaft is driven by means of beveled gear and pinion from a horizontal shaft which is connected by belt with a 60-hp. motor with suitable pulleys to give a speed of 175 r.p.m. A large fan which has a speed of 1100 r.p.m. and is belt connected to a 40-hp. motor is connected to the mill housing. The discharge end of the fan is in turn connected to a cyclone dust collector.

Jan 1, 1929

By G. Pizzi, G. M. Ciucci, G. L. Chierici

The use of the material balance equation to estimate the volume of hydrocarbons originally present in a reservoir, whose producing mechanism is partly due to water drive, has been discussed in the literature by several authors. There is no general agreement upon the possibility of obtaining reliable results by this method. Gas reservoirs in contact with an active aquifer are considered in this paper. Theoretical considerations based on the cybernetic principle of uncertainty (which states that the internal structure of a system cannot be uniquely determined from its observed external behavior) lead to the conclusion that the volume of gas originally present in a reservoir of this type cannot be uniquely determined from its past history. The range of values which encompasses the actual value of the reserves varies from case to case and must be determined by either numerical or analogical methods. Results obtained for six gas fields are reported. All these fields were produced with small fluctuations in their production rates, as is common practice for gas reservoirs; no gas storage fields were considered. Results obtained show that reserves values in a range of 1 to 2, associated with appropriate aquifers, allow the matching of the reservoir past history with mean-square deviations less than the experimental errors involved in pressure and produclion measurements. Similar results have been found in several other partial water drive gas reservoirs. From these results it is concluded that gas reserves cannot be uniquely determined from the past performance of partial water drive reservoirs, at least in cases where the reservoir has been submitted to small fluctuations in the production rates, and pressure data of normal accuracy are available. INTRODUCTION A number of authors have analyzed the problem of estimating the reserves originally present in a partial water drive reservoir from its past pressure-production performance. Literature which deals with this subject can be grouped, according to their conclusions, as follows. 1. A reliable value for the reserves can be obtained even if reservoir data (pressure and cumulative production) are affected by errors within the normal range.'-' 2. A reliable value for the reserves can be obtained only if reservoir data are very accurate'- or if past production performance has been subjected to abrupt variations in the production rate."' 3. No unique value for the reserves can be obtained from reservoir past production performance. This conclusion has been based upon theoretical considerations" and verified in several field cases. The purpose of this paper, which deals only with partial water drive gas reservoirs, is to test the above conclusions against actual field cases. Some theoretical considerations on this problem are also presented. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS As the behavior of a gas reservoir communicating with an aquifer depends on both the aquifer and the reservoir characteristics, the physical system to be studied is the combined gas reservoir plus aquifer. The information which is available for studying the performance of such a system is the well production rates and bottom-hole pressures, all given as functions of time. The external behavior of the reservoir-aquifer system is therefore described by 2n input variables (Gp, Wp,) and n output variables (p,), n being the number of wells in the reservoir. In reservoir engineering it is common practice to consider the reservoir as a whole, disregarding the internal distribution of pressures and of producing wells. This practice is equivalent to substituting the above multi-variable system with a single-variable system, where the average reservoir pressure is the only output variable and the cumulative production G,(t) and W,(t) are the input variables. The internal structure of such a system, defined by initial gas reserves G, aquifer shape and dimensions, boundary conditions and petrophysical parameters distribution throughout the aquifer, is unknown. Therefore, from a cybernetic point of view the system is a "black-box It has been demonstrated" that for a blackbox the indetermination principle holds. Accordingly, the number of different internal structures (or set of parameters) which can account for the observed external behavior is infinite. As a consequence, the initial reserves cannot be uniquely determined from the reservoir past performance. When W,(t) is known, the determination of G from

By John B. Hastings

THE occurrence of such a large amount of gold in the Hartsel granite, even though the surmised existence of similar areas is not new, brings freshly to mind the pegmatite type of magmatic differentiation lately brought again to attention by occurrences at Silver Peak, Nev., described by Spurr; and in Alaska, described by both Spurr and Brooks. In both localities graunitic rocks or dikes are thought to pass into metalliferous quartz-veins. An interesting association in this connection is the occurrence of diamonds in residual pegmatitic clay of San Juao de Chapado, Brazil, described by Derby :1 (P. 142) "Bodies of pegmatite are quite common in the older rocks of Brazil, both in the. diamond regions and elsewhere, occurring not only in the gneiss and granite, but in the schistose series as well. Those that have been examined are dike-like in their mode of occurrence and granitic in composition." (P. 143) "The question of the eruptive or secretionary origin of pegmatites has long been a subject of discussion among geologists. . . . The recent studies . . . seem to have clearly established that most if not all of them are essentially eruptive masses, though possibly modified in some way by aqueous agencies. Even before becoming acquainted with the literature of the subject this view had seemed to me to be the only acceptable one as regards the typical pegmatites of Brazil." What is pegmatite ? J. F. Kemp says ". . . veins or dikes-it is an open question which is the more correct term-are met formed of very coarsely crystalline aggregates of the same minerals that constitute granite. These are called pegmatite and in them is the home of graphic granite, the curious intergrowth of quartz and feldspar, such that a cross fracture of the blades of quartz suggests cuneiform characters. . . . In regard to the larger veins or dikes it seems improbable that true igneous fusion could have afforded such coarsely crystalline aggregates, and so we are forced to assume such abundance of steam and other vapors, i.e, mineralizers, as to almost, if not quite, imply solution."

Jan 5, 1908

By A. C. JR. Boyle

I. INTRODUCTION THE geological field work of the Bully Hill district, upon which this paper is based, was begun July 1, 1908, and covered a period of three months. The time was found too short for a complete report and the district was again visited in the early part of July, 1912,. from which time detailed study of the locality continued until September of the same year. This paper is the result of observations made in the mines in the immediate vicinity of Winthrop, Shasta county, Cal., during these two periods of study. The preparation of this report has been greatly facilitated by various courtesies rendered the writer by D. M. Riordan, President of the Bully Hill Copper Mining & Smelting Co., and by John B. Keating and Herbert R. Hanley, managing officers actively in charge at the mines. The elaboration and further study of the notes and collections were carried on in the laboratories of the Departments of Geology and Mining at Columbia University, and the writer takes pleasure also at this point in expressing his acknowledgments to Profs. James F. Kemp, A. W. Grabau, Charles P. Berkey, and William Campbell, for advice and assistance. In order that one may appreciate at first reading the significance of some of the details which follow, and for the sake of clearness, a brief outline of the geological relationships is here given, together with certain conclusions which have been reached regarding the genesis. of the ores and the gypsum masses. In the Bully Hill mining district an associated series of Triassic lavas and tuffs, chiefly andesites, is preceded as well as followed by sediments. The entire system is tilted so that the original bedding planes dip in general to the southeast. The surrounding region has been greatly disturbed, and in the immediate vicinity of the mines close folding of the later sediments and extreme shearing of the igneous rocks locally is a striking feature. Into the nearly vertical shear zones have been intruded post-Triassic dikes of various rock types in the following order: alaskite-porphyry and andesite-porphyry. Outside the area under consideration diorite dikes are known, but they will not receive attention further than to note that' they, probably, represent a differentiation product of the same magma from which the other two dikes came. In this connection all the dikes have an important bearing on the origin of the ores and of the gypsum found in the mines.

Jan 1, 1914

By E. H. Griswold, C. E. Beecher

DURING 1931 the petroleum industry has faced the most hazardous periods of its existence, caused by large potentials, overproduction, and demoralized markets. Two state governors actually resorted to the use of the militia in an effort to restore a semi-stabilized condition within the industry, to prevent waste of the states' natural resources, and to restore prices to a level that would yield the states a reasonable tax revenue. These conditions have made it necessary to put into effect most. stringent economies and have produced a spirit of cooperation between companies to an extent that never before existed. The necessity for unified action on such matters as proration and the advantages to be gained by unit operation are being realized by the oil industry as a whole. Fewer wells have been drilled and wildcat operations almost eliminated: development and operation costs have been greatly reduced and more attention is being paid to efficient recovery methods. The net work of oil pipe- lines has grown rapidly especially in the area of East Texas. The construction and operation of natural gas and gasoline pipelines into areas far distant from the source of supply has been one of the outstanding accomplishments. Refining efficiency has continued to increase and the public is being supplied with a better grade of gasoline at a lower price. The unreasonable tax which state politicians have succeeded in placing on gasoline has encouraged tax evasion and unfair competition by un- scrupulous dealers and has misled the public as to the true price of gasoline.

Jan 1, 1932

By E. B. Hunt

Paraffin deposition has been studied in the laboratory under conditions simulating deposition in well tubing. A theoretical analysis has been made of the cooling of the oil and the precipitation of paraffin from the oil as it flows up the well tubing and through surface flowlines. It is proposed that paraffin deposits are initiated by the precipitation of paraffin directly on or adjacent to the pipe wall and grow by diffusion of paraffin from solution to the deposit. This mechanism is consistent with laboratory and field observations, and has proved useful in the design and interpretation of laboratory paraffin-deposition tests. Tests have been made of the effect of plastic pipe coatings and chemical additives on paraffin deposition. INTRODUCTION Paraffin deposits which form in well tubing and surface flowlines interfere with production and must be removed. Over the years much progress has been made in developing and improving methods of removing these deposits after they form. Much less progress has been made in developing methods of preventing or inhibiting the formation of paraffin deposits. This is due, it is believed, to the lack of knowledge of the mechanism of paraffin deposition, the absence of satisfactory laboratory testing methods and the difficulties in evaluating the results of field tests of preventive treatments. The present investigation was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism of paraffin deposition and to develop suitable laboratory tests for studying the inhibition of paraffin deposition in well tubing and surface flowlines. Current theories on the mechanism of paraffin deposition have been evolved from field observations, from laboratory studies of various factors which might be involved in paraffin deposition, and from laboratory paraffin-deposition tests.1-9 Paraffin deposits have been formed in the laboratory by immersing a cold finger into a hot wax-oil solution and by flowing hot wax-oil solutions through cooled pipe or over cooled plates. These laboratory conditions differ in important features from field conditions, and the observed deposition behavior is not entirely field-like." Thus, there is reason to question the field applicability of the results of these tests. The present investigation was undertaken to determine how to perform and interpret laboratory paraffin-deposition tests to obtain information on the inhibition of deposition in the field. The paraffin problem in the broadest sense encompasses the formation of any predominantly organic deposit in well tubing, surface flowlines and other equipment in contact with crude oil or gas. The present investigation was limited to paraffin deposition involving the precipitation of paraffin wax from solution by cooling and its concentration in a deposit on a cooled surface. This probably excludes its applicability to those problems arising from asphaltic-base crudes, but not those arising from paraffin-or mixed-base crudes. This also excludes its applicability to emulsion and congealing oil problems which are often included as part of the paraffin problem. The phenomenon of cooling appears to be the controlling factor in paraffin deposition involving the precipitation of paraffin wax and its concentration in the deposit. Deposits of this type are usually found in the field only where cooling occurs. Early in this laboratory investigation, it was not found possible to form deposits under constant temperature conditions from a wax-oil slurry, either by steady flow through pipe or by gas-lift up a pipe. Thus, the investigation was limited to situations involving cooling. THEORY The relationships involved in establishing the temperature profiles in an oil stream as it flows up well tubing with a linear (geothermal) pipe-wall temperature distribution or through surface flowlines with essentially constant pipe-wall temperature are presented in the Appendix. The relationship between radial distance in the pipe and the rate of cooling of the oil is then combined with a relationship between cloud point and rate of cooling to develop the pattern of formation of a wax cloud in the oil. The following discussion of paraffin deposition under various laboratory and field conditions is based upon this development which is presented in the Appendix. PARAFFIN DEPOSITION IN SURFACE FLOWLINES The average temperature of the oil coming out of a well is somewhat higher than the ground temperature. Thus, the oil continues to cool on its trip through the surface flowline, and wax deposition can occur. The temperature distributions calculated from Eq. A-4 are given in Fig. 1. As can be seen, almost all the cooling occurs in the first 500 ft from the wellhead. In addition, the radial temperature gradient near the wall decreases rapidly with distance and becomes very small after a few hundred feet. Thus, growth of a paraffin deposit would be expected to decrease rapidly with distance from the wellhead and become negligible after a few hundred feet, since growth is dependent on concentration gradient. Wax precipitation and diffusion of wax to the already

By L. A. Creglow

IN common with many other companies engaged in the mining and processing of ores, research has always been an important activity of the United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company. Much of this research has been carried on at the various plants of the Company by the operating staffs, and over the years has been an essential factor in developing new methods and improving existing methods of operation. In 1917 arrangements were made with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under which the Company had the exclusive use of one or two small laboratories in the then newly constructed MIT buildings and the use of the metallurgical laboratories, subject of course to the Institute's needs. After about two years this work was temporarily discontinued but was resumed in 1920 under the direction of G. H. Clevenger, consulting metallurgist for the Company, who recently retired. Becoming cramped for space, the laboratory was moved to a location near MIT on Amherst Street, Cambridge, in 1924. Establishment of a general research laboratory in metropolitan Boston naturally followed from the fact that the head office of the Company was located there and that the library facilities available for all types of research were, and are, unsurpassed. The disadvantages in carrying on research at great distances from the operating units of the Company were always apparent, but with widely scattered plants this disadvantage could not he overcome. With

Jan 1, 1948

By AIME AIME

HIS many admirers regard the "official"' candidate for president of the Institute in 1934 as far above the average in ability and capacity; but perhaps his outstanding characteristic is dependability. Some men of great brilliance succeed indifferently because they cannot be relied upon. When Howard Nichols Eavenson undertakes to do something he either does it, or he proves to his own satisfaction that the particular object is not attainable. And the latter outcome is exceptional because his judgment is so good that he generally foresees the impossibility and selects in advance a practical alternative. Though a tireless worker he is pretty sure that his energy is not spent futilely.

Jan 1, 1933

By Lane, K. S.

The problem of stability of slopes in reservoirs is one of real interest in civil engineering. The problem is whether the valley walls will remain stable or whether they are likely to slide as conditions are changed by storage of water in the reservoir. If major slides are indicated, as on the walls of relatively steep canyons, one must estimate whether they will be so located and of sufficient size as to interfere with operation of the reservoir-as by blocking the outlets, or by displacing sufficient water to over-top the dam in a huge wave. Some cases involve problems in soil mechanics for slides in earth or weaker rock; other locations need the assistance of rock mechanics for slides in harder rock. While this is not a new problem, attention has recently been focused on its importance by the hugh landslide into the Vaiont reservoir in 1963, which claimed the lives of over 2000 people and forced abandonment of the dam and powerhouse.

Jan 1, 1969